los angeles ♔ just somebody's unholy hoax

[eldritchweaver]

♬ dear god - lawless, sydney wayser

WHO || Katniss, Toby, David, Jeanne, Kenzi, Paige
WHAT || A team of Knights is tasked to infiltrate the Dead Zone in Los Angeles and try to gather intelligence
WHERE || LA
WHEN || November 21st, 2017, just after midnight of the 20th [ 5 days after the Incident ]
HOW || Actionspam

[ The strike team has limited time to prepare before they are asked to report to the dragon's fire wing. Hasmed has one of the castle's valued greater teleport scrolls ready to go, explaining to them that they will be dropped at an office building that is outside the LA zone. It is currently in an evacuated sector that is under limited military scrutiny, and still has power and internet access. They are to use that location as a jump point for evacuation when ready to leave, using an instant connectivity spell with Sir Zero to return.

Having studied the area carefully via scrying, Sir Hasmed's spell functions perfectly, and the group finds themselves in the large lobby area of an office building that feels strangely quiet, and is dark around them aside from some gently humming electronics. the crackling energy of the spell fades from them, gusting a few papers off the top of the receptionist's desk. ]

Comments

[somepagesturn]

[An hour before the teleport, Paige casts Heroes' Feast, so everyone can have a good meal and reap the delicious cleric bounties it provides. For 12 hours, everyone will gain 1d8 +10 HP, and a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and Will saves and immunity to fear effects for 12 hours. So make you sure you note these bonuses on your sheet. IT COULD BE ALL THAT SAVES YOUR LIVES.

Once the teleport spell has landed them where they need to be, Paige adjusts her mailshirt under her clothes and checks to make sure her whip is secured on her hip.]

Well, we're off to a good start so far. We didn't get dumped in a nest of monsters or anything...

[errantdetective]

[Toby groans.] You can't say things like that. When there are monsters inevitably lurking one floor down, I hope you know it's your fault.

[She has her knife in its usual sheathe under her leather jacket and has added a mace and a crossbow to her collection. Sir Sylvester keeps trying to teach her sword fighting, but she's more comfortable with the mace. It's like a baseball bat, only spikier.]

[anthophobia]

[Katniss is already on hella high alert the moment they land (listen 24), and she has a hand on the curve wood of her bow even as they others start to bicker.

She ignores them.

There's a large hunting knife sheathed against one of her thighs, and a pack on her back next to her current quiver of arrow.]

Let's try not to immediately give away our position, shall we?

[She speaks in hushed tones because, in her honest opinion, this isn't off to a good start at all.]

[generaldavideus]

She's right.

[She meaning Katniss. They needed to keep talking to a minimum as best they could. It would still be necessary to communicate, but they didn't know what they are running into. Moving towards one of the windows, he takes a look outside to see what he can see (spot 21).]

We should try and keep as quiet as we can.

[somepagesturn]

[Paige wrinkles her nose and looks mildly dejected, but when she does speak, it's in a whisper:] I can cast a Silence spell, but it only lasts thirteen minutes. We'd need to wait until we know there are hostiles we have to avoid.

[She says that and then holds her finger up to her lips, LIKE YES SHE KNOWS. NO MORE TALKING. She just... had to make that clear.]

[morethanasidekick]

[ Kenzi's just happy that she's not the one being shushed right now, even if it is killing her not to make one of a hundred perfect additions to Toby's opening.

As if taking her lead from senpai Katniss, Kenzi keeps her mouth shut and surveys the area with a pair of 24 listen & spot checks, crossbow ever at the ready. ]

[errantdetective]

[Toby rolls her eyes, keeping her voice down.] If they can hear us from here, we're already dead.

[They're not even in the dead zone yet. The only way they're being spied on now is through magic, and if they're being spied on through magic, talking isn't what's going to set it off. If the bad guys can hear them, it's because they know where to look.

Just in case, she turns around, breathing in as she casts detect magic. Also, she takes the opportunity to look around herself (spot 23, listen 17).]

[arretez]

[ omfg children please. katniss is right, but jeanne doesn't think the majority of them will have trouble keeping on the quiet side. someone might. either way she reaches out to squeeze paige's arm reassuringly and like everyone else moves to survey their surroundings but her rolls were less than everyone else and i don't feel like math so oh well. ]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ toby doesn't pick up on any magic, but everyone who rolled spot and listen checks would succeed in picking up on the distant sound of a heavy vehicle outside. david, who is looking out the window, sees a large tank roll by, stamped on the side with the insignia of the US army ]

[generaldavideus]

[Muttered, but still probably loud enough for the rest of the team to hear:]

Great. So it's not just powerful psionics, it's also the US military. Feels just like home.

[Okay. He takes a breath and turns back to the rest of the group.]

What stealth spells do we have? You said Silence only works for thirteen minutes?

[somepagesturn]

[Paige laces her fingers together and looks awkward.] Most of the best stealth spells are arcane, not divine, I'm afraid. I just don't have access to invisibility spells.

I have an Obscuring Mist spell, but it might be more trouble than it's worth.

[errantdetective]

I can turn people invisible. It'll only last for like thirty seconds though. [It's Vanish, not Invisibility. Illusions aren't really her strength.] I can could magically disguise us, though.

[generaldavideus]

[His head tips to the side at Toby's addition, before glancing back to the window again.]

Military uniforms to match? If we can slip in with the army, then we can at least cover some ground without drawing too much attention?

[It'd be an easy way to keep them together and not draw the ire of the army. It could work?]

[somepagesturn]

Ooh. That's a good idea. [She nudges Toby.] Even if it's just for a little bit, it will give us some time, so we can walk in the open air a bit. Conserve the other spells for when we're in real danger, instead of just... in danger of getting arrested.

[errantdetective]

Should last long enough. We'll have maybe an hour and a half until it wears off.

[morethanasidekick]

If you guys think anyone in their right mind would buy me as a soldier? I'm in.

[LBR. Kenzi looks more like a Keijen fanatic but ya know. She has a killer disguise check so she's got that working for her.]

[anthophobia]

With luck, it will disguise more than just our clothes. Kenzi's right in that we don't look much like typical soldiers.

[She looks at Toby for confirmation.]

[errantdetective]

[Toby nods.] Yep, I can also do faces. Even gender. Which... is probably a good idea.

[Women can absolutely be soldiers. But a group of almost all women would probably draw attention. Best not to risk it.]

[generaldavideus]

[David nods, because he's probably one of the ones who has to change the least. It's probably for the best they blend in as much as possible. He reaches for the sword on his back and makes his way back to the window to see if he can spot the kind of weaponry they're using so he can glamer it to match (spot 14).]

Do it. Since I'm most likely to stay as I am, keep an eye out for me so we can still use the ring. You guys need to stay within ten feet of me from any direction.

[behindcloseddoors]

[ he can't get a good enough view to be precise in terms of the model or anything, but he can pick up on the general type of gun at least ]

[errantdetective]

[She goes around casting the spell on herself, then everyone else. Basically, you get +10 to your disguise check now. For Toby, that's 27.

When she's done, she's a fairly unremarkable looking human man in uniform. Which is about what she's going for with everyone.]

[anthophobia]

[Katniss got a 26, so she's looking pretty on par with Toby over here. Thanks, Toby.]

[somepagesturn]

[Paige got a 28, so she's over here in the generic, unremarkable white boy soldier category. No one will spot them.]

[generaldavideus]

[David also manages to look pretty good with a 27, but ... he was kind of born to be a soldier so at least he's doing something right. He also uses the trigger word to glamor his sword to match what he can see of their weapons and comes back to the rest of the group.]

[arretez]

[ jeanne is used to dressing up like a man, it's literally her thing, so she is comfortable in her 31 disguise check. while everyone is being spelled, jeanne closes her eyes and shimmering silver inertial armor surrounds her briefly with a sharp flare of the scent of lavender but after a moment the shimmering armor fades to invisibility with her focus (concentration 24) so now she has a +4 to ac for 12 hours. ]