Session 5: The Grinch Who Stole Mana

Shadowrun
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Chapter 2
22: Nippon Teikoku e Youkoso 23: Rift Closed/Opened 24: F.A.T.E. Unravels 25: Hotel California 26: Welcome Home 27: New Beginnings
Chapter 1
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F.A.T.E. PCs
Anastasia Ellison - CS Dmitri - CS Eric Black - CS Gideon Wexler - CS Hector Radcliffe Kumiko Nakamura - CS Oni - CS

Briefing

Ever since the Awakening on December 24, 2011, the Golden Gate Bridge has been a mana domain. 61 years to the day, the mana domain has dissipated. This effect is one that Dr. Yau predicted after examining the devices. Some magicians are reporting that there are pockets void of mana on the bridge itself, specifically near the support towers. F.A.T.E. has decided to act before more damage can be done -- the devices at the Golden Gate Bridge must be shut down.

Dr. Yau is working on a method to safely shut down an active device, though he has no way of testing such a method. He fears that damaging or disabling the device with brute force could have dangerous consequences due to the nuclear material used in the energy cells. He will be instructing all F.A.T.E. members on the proper way to disarm the device and it is required that each operative complete a training exercise to disarm it.

There is a lot of discussion among mages on the matrix regarding the Golden Gate situation. Astral "topographers" have compiled some of their findings regarding the location of magical wards and unusual mana ebbs on the bridge itself. There are also reports of guardian spirits keeping nosy mages at bay.

Golden Gate Bridge Astral Map, click to enlarge

• The black boxes and squares indicate warded areas.
• The dashed lines indicate mana ebbs of rating 1 or greater
• The black box on the left is a (warded) building built under that section of the bridge. It has been the home of bridge maintenance crews and employees.

In what could be a curse or a blessing, the weather forecast for the next few days is heavy rain and thunderstorms.

Dmitri successfully hacked into the Golden Gate Bridge systems and retrieved a cache of data. Some of it is still being decrypted, but some useful information has already been extracted.

• New accounts have been created for several Shiawase and Mitsuhama employees
• There are 3 devices and their locations have been confirmed:
  • In a newly constructed basement level in the facility under the south support beams of the bridge
  • At the center of the bridge, embedded into the steel supports underneath the highway
  • On the second horizontal beam 150 meters above the highway on the north tower
• The batteries were activated shortly before the mana disturbances were being reported. Documents describe this as a "test run" that is supposed to last 30 days
• There is data on security patrols and shift schedules and will be provided as needed. Lone Star is still the primary security presence and their numbers haven't changed recently.

Dmitri embedded user accounts for both himself and the infiltration team. He created a forged keycard (Rating 6) that can be used to open doors or access computer systems in the facility (though forged cards are never 100% effective, it's an Opposed Test). He also created a forged passkey for the account he added - this can only be used once, but it should be guaranteed to work.

Notes

• The Golden Gate Transit Authority is a subsidiary of the Mitsuhama Corporation. Security for the bridge and its facilities is contracted out to Lone Star.
• FATE's team stipend balance: 2,230¥

Results

Status:
Dates:
Quote of the night:
Nuyen:
Stipend:
Karma Awarded: