A little parking lot spirit appears by Caduceus.

"Suure." It stilts off and leans up against the RV. On the physical, at just the right angle, the glowing ember from its cigarette is visible against the RV's right turn signal.

The apartment complex is still pretty quiet. If Caduceus heads up to the door, the light next to the card reader will blink green.

Copperhead circled the building, performing both active and passive scans, looking for occupants by radar and heat signatures.  She probably wouldn't see the sleeping ones, but she'd have a good chance at finding those who were awake and wandering around - and those were the bigger threat.

quote:

15:39, Today: Copperhead rolled 4 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,(6+6+1)13,4,4,2,4.  Passive scan.
15:39, Today: Copperhead rolled 3 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,1,1,4,4,2.  Active scan.

So doubt I see much on radar, but infrared might work out better.

When the light blinked green, Caduceus pretended to unlock the door the way a tenant might, then pulled it open like he lived there.  Once inside the building's wards, he made sure to scan the area with astral perception at the soonest safe opportunity to ensure there were no immediate threats.  He reported his findings over his subvocal mic and began meandering down the hall to get a lay of the land.  He also kept an eye out for a nice secluded spot to go full astral if need be.  "Got access to any vacant apartments, Noruas?" he inquired.  Then a thought occurred to him.  "Say, would our guy try to keep the rooms around him empty?  Is there a room apart from the rest?  Or one tenant with multiple apartments next to each other?  Or maybe even one where the tenant overturn next door is extremely high?"  The shaman knew that line of thinking probably wouldn't lead anywhere substantial, but it might.

OOC: Is White Duck and/or the scorpion drone coming with?

Scorpion wouldn't be a lot of use - narcojet is depleted and I haven't had time to refill it.  But you can (and should) take the briefcase with you to give me eyes and give you some backup.  I presumed WhiteDuck would go with you - doesn't make sense to send a non-combat mage in on their own up against a super-amped street sam :>

Caduceus would definitely bring the briefcase with if it is available.

Passive scanning identifies a few dozen audio sources, mostly snoring, although there's also the distinct noise of a copper kettle boiling.

Astrally, the building has a distinctive stink; the smell of mildew seeps from behind the walls. There's also a cloying sweet undertone you can't quite place, like dried cloves or hamburgers forgotten behind the fridge for a week. Looking at the mail slots, most of them are grown over with dust and micro-organism colonies several thousand generations old. The remaining third show some signs of more recent activity.

I am assuming White Duck is with you.

Duck snaps out of his nap and exits, hurredly, but quietly joining up with Cadeuces.

"Sorry omae, long day. Passed out." he yawns and clicks his respirator in place as he meets Cadeuces' pace and walks with him side-by-side.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:24, Fri 24 Nov 2017.

I believe you're actually with Caduceus.  Noruas is still out cold taking care of security and matrix overwatch.

Caduceus looked at the mailboxes and reported the names and room numbers of the more recent users over his subvocal mic.  Then he leaned against the boxes and concentrated, drawing out a hearth spirit from within the bounds of the building's wards.  Once conjured he said to it, "Could you do me a solid and keep the two of us Guarded and Concealed?"

08:20, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 1,(6+6+6+6+4)28,1,2,2,5.  Conjure Force 3 Hearth Spirit.
2 services.

08:21, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 8d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 5,2,1,5,5,4,1,1.  Drain Test.
No drain.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:41, Thu 23 Nov 2017.

A tiny empty suit appears in the corner. It's a bit droopy and the sleeves are frayed, but you're certain it was once fashionable. Caduceus makes his request and the suit... does nothing? Maybe it's trying to wink? Hard to tell. Regardless, it disappears.

The used mail boxes are usually labeled. A few still have mail in the slot, but most have been emptied recently. None of them are labelled 'Shadowrun'.

Noruas, can I assume you're doing some on names and apartment numbers?

As Caduceus waited for a response from their decker, he recalled another piece of information that may aid in their search.  Over his mic he asked, "Do the apartments have car models listed for their allotted parking spaces?  I seem to recall Val mentioning that Griff had a really nice fifteen year old baby blue Westwind 1800.  She said it had aluminum components instead of plastic.  I guess that is better?"  The shaman knew he might catch some flak from Copperhead at that last comment, but he didn't really know cars very well.  When his motorcycle had problems worse than a burnt out bulb, he always had someone else take a look at it.

Copperhead did a quick scan of the parking lot looking for a matching vehicle.  Apartments often had numbered stalls that corresponded to the apartment numbers, so it was worth a try.

Scanning the area visually, there's no cars matching that description.

The radio crackles to life and Noruas's speed-warped voice comes over; "I found two suspicious apartments,  615 and 640. Focus on the one facing the parking lot."

If Noruas provides guidance as to where within the building the appartment actually is, Copperhead positions her drone to have maximum line-of-sight/line-of-fire into the space and does a detailed scan to get a sense of the layout and, if possible, identify any occupants, where they are and what they're doing.

quote:

13:28, Today: Copperhead rolled 4 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of (6+1)7,5,4,3,5,1.  Passive scan - target appartment.
13:28, Today: Copperhead rolled 6 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,(6+5)11,(6+1)7,(6+1)7,(6+4)10,(6+3)9.  Active scan - target appartment.

Caduceus noted the apartment numbers and memorized them.  To White Duck he said, "Let's go find those places in meat-space, then I'll check them out in astral space.  Keep me safe?"

When they located the apartments, Caduceus looked them over with his astral sight to see if there were any extra barriers or spirits that he might have to contend with if he went full astral.  If so, he would note them to the group.  If not, he would find a secluded spot and search the apartments on the astral plane.

Noruas cannot map the apartments to their actual location; only the apartment number (which presumably includes the floor number).

Caduceus and White Duck take the elevator up to the sixth floor and make their way down the hall. All of the doors are open, although in a few cases, the door knob has been removed.

615 is from the outside a normal looking apartment. The apartment numbers are clean. 615 is definitely facing towards the parking lot. A quick check confirms 640 is not.

615 also has four padlocks on it.

Caduceus can find a comfy corner to curl up in and leave his body.

The hallway is quiet, still with that cloying sweetness.

Caduceus passes through the door. The apartment on the other side at first seems perfectly normal. Tidy, spartan. But gradually he becomes aware of something else; little colors of astral, like scrapings from car collisions.

From where Caduceus is, in the living room, there are no signs of astral wards or spiritual guards. However, as he turns to leave, he notices a mine set across the doorway. Anyone who comes through that front door will be turned into a fine, red mist.

(There is also a single bedroom, a kitchen, and a closet Caduceus did not investigate.)

Caduceus' eyes went wide when he saw the mine and quickly rushed back out to White Duck to manifest himself and report it before White Duck decided to try opening the door.  "There is a mine on the other side of the apartment door.  It might be best to go in through a wall or window if you don't want to get blown up."  After relaying his message, Caduceus went back in to survey the last few rooms.

He started with the closet, because he figured it would be fastest.  He then scanned the kitchen, and finally the bedroom.  He did not expect to find anyone here since padlocks on the front door indicated it would need to be locked from the outside, but he still tried to determine how long ago someone might have last been here, and what items they interacted with when they were here.

Lastly, he scanned the apartments that shared a wall, ceiling, or floor for any occupants to help them know how quiet they needed to be.

12:10, Today: Caduceus rolled 3 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,2,5,2,(6+4)10.  Aura Reading (Auras).

"Wow, fun stuff." he says, raising his brows after hearing about the mine.

He looks to Cadeuces before he slumps. "Let's find out if any neighbors are absent. Might be able to get window access through there."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:54, Wed 06 Dec 2017.

Caduceus continues his search, starting with the closet. The closet is quiet shallow and stuffed with winter coats.

The apartment has a little kitchenette, which appears to be stocked with some fresh fruits, little pastries, and an assortment of teas, both black and herbal. They still glow with remnants of life.

The bathroom is tidy and unremarkable.

There is a single bedroom. The walls are lined with slate grey foam baffles, for sound insulation. The door too has been replaced with something much heavier, and a lock with no knob. Inside, the bed and carpets are covered with plastic sheeting. There's a wooden bureau to one side, and a small liquor cabinet next to it. There is a single closet. As Caduceus examines the closet, he becomes aware of an odd astral leakage on the top shelf; a mixing of multiple, different signatures together.

White Duck examines the two doors next to the apartment. Both are quiet. One is rusted shut, but the other looks to be in good repair. Copperhead doesn't come up with anything from outside.

Duck looks to Cadeuces, lighting up a cigarette with a grin. "So, anyone in there or...?" He asks, moving up to the rusted doorway. "Ahh shit I forget he's astral."

He takes a deep draw of the smoke, pretending to test it whilst honing his incredibly honed sense of hearing to listen on anyone potentially listening in on them. He exhales a voluminous plume of smoke, chiming into radio chatter to pretend everything's okay, going into one of his fallback stories, listening for any anxious breaths anywhere in the vicinity as his own voice fades to inaudibility.

"So these Mexican Orks were working on foundation repair at my apartment in Louseeana, all digging holes right outside my windows. One of em' starts leaning against the doorbell after a long workday without realizing it, right? I don't speak Spanish, so..." he prattles on, just itching to have some action after the huge explosion in Seattle's gangland.

After a moment of consideration, Caduceus opted to take a closer look at the mysterious leaking mixture of astral signatures in the closet.  He floated closer and tried to get a sense of just what he might be looking at.

15:47, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,3,(6+5)11,2,2.  Aura Reading (Auras).

15:48, Today: Caduceus rolled 3 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,1,5,(6+3)9,1.  Knowledge: Symbolism.

Caduceus examines the astral leakage. Gradually he realizes; these are the dim signatures of different people. Echoes of the originals. Probably something valuable from each person is stored inside this box, and might be used as material components.

White Duck focuses his hearing. (Karma reroll.) He can't hear anything initially, but as he 'chats' with slumped Caduceus, he hears the 'click' of a door lock across the hall from your target.

After analyzing his discovery, Caduceus returned to his body.  He wanted to report his findings and help infiltrate the apartment.  Over his mic he said, "I found a box in the bedroom closet that might be what we are looking for.  It has strong auras.  The bedroom itself is... odd, though."  He explained to the group all of the sound proofing, plastic liners, and the heavy lockless door.  "Any suggestions on how to get it?  maybe go in through the ceiling or floor from another apartment?"  He was half-joking, but only half.

Copperhead continues to monitor the area around the apartment.  If he wasn't there now, he might be coming back and she didn't want her teammates surprised if/when he did.