#11 An Imperial Audience

The story so far: We're playing a fool-punching shadowrunner who saved thousands of lives in the Antumbra nightclub in Seattle. Later in San Francisco, the company that owned the nightclub hired us to investigate rival megacorporation, Aztechnology. At the scene, we were unable to stop a lone troll from killing the guy in charge and stealing the data we'd come for. He then flung himself out the window, declaring allegiance to the nebulous Norton's Army. After a bit of runaround, we tracked this Norton to the necropolis of Colma and fought off some of said 'Army' only to discover a fancifully dressed man using Civil War era language claiming to be the century-dead Emperor Joshua Norton - or at least his ninth successor.

Every line of dialogue out of this man is pure, Union-loving gold.

So bizarrely, after coming all this way to find Norton it turns out that his flunky was actually acting solo.

Actually we didn't say that. Shavarus himself implied that. But I think Norton is trying to work through some things right now.

...then why was his identity such a mystery?

Oh, that's why.

...well this suddenly took a dark turn.

Yeah, yeah. It's kind of obvious who's really in charge here.

I'm onto you, troll.

In the middle of a graveyard? Pff no, all the great leaders of the past did it at some point --

Such humility from the guy who just talked about executing people who called him mad.

It isn't hard to see why Shavarus is the one in charge here.

No one was asking you, creep.

So what's the point of having an 'army' anyway? Ten years of this and the men are scattered and incompetent -- and Norton himself isn't committing to using them.

This happy little army doesn't seem to be very functional.

Yeah, screw you. The people of Calfree don't deserve that.

That's villain talk if ever I heard it.

Norton is finally starting to understand who he's teamed up with.

Surely our orkbro can bring some clarity --

-- that advice sucks.

Orion's answer is true to his ideology but he is no judge of character. I think we can do better.

LOYAL

Never trust a troll with a skull on his head. A woman with skulls on her shoulders, fine, but...

I am certain that this will not in any way backfire.

...whoops.