#31 Total Failure

Emperor Joshua Norton IX
Dec 16, 2020
4 min read

Hey all! We're still playing through cirion's Antumbra Saga campaign as 1nv4d3r, a fool-punching ork shadowrunner.

Previously, on Before the Shadow:

We started the campaign with 1nv4d3r saving the people and holdings of Antumbra, a Seattle nightclub run by music artist and producer Kali on behalf of megacorp Mitsuhama.

Mitsuhama hired our fool-puncher to investigate the Aztechnology corporation in San Francisco. While we were there, an assassin stole the data we wanted.

Our search led us to the devotees of Norton IX, the (disputed) absolute ruler of California. Norton became our ally and we uncovered the assassin - a troll extremist named Shavarus, who teamed up with the elves of Tir Tairngire to strike back against the city's oppressive ruler, Saito. We stopped him but spared his life so that he could reverse his original plan to destroy the city's water supply.

This module started with our shadowrunner on the run from unwanted publicity. Kali recruited him to gather allies and supplies and protect Northern California from an impending invasion by Tir Tairngire and their megacorp allies.

In our last mission, we went off to Shasta Dam to deal with some Native Californian insurgents. After Dorbi RAN THROUGH A MINEFIELD, we found them torturing a dour elf with dreadlocks named Elorn. Elven friend in tow, we cut down the NC trash, only to learn that Claude ran off to hijack our base's communications antennae and spread their alt-right propaganda across the airwaves. We then ran into a mysterious woman who asked questions about current affairs like she'd just awoken from a century long sleep. We indulged her - painting the Sixth World as a violent and prejudice-filled place but not beyond redemption - then she magically cleared the rocks blocking our way before turning into a flock of black birds and - well, dispersing.

Now we need to stop those hatemongers from hijacking our equipment and killing everyone at our base.

Whaat? Nahh. How bad could it b-

Ah.

Also, the game seems to have bugged, and Elorn is missing.

One replaying of the dam sequence later -

That's more like it.

We clear the room with few problems, but our equipment room has been warded.

I stupidly stumble into a room full of enemies -

But we are so tough-skinned that bullets basically bounce off.

Dorbi runs in to join us, and we give her the Jazz.

Through the power invested by in her by the Jazz, she gives them the hurting -

This is a rough combat round. They have good cover and numbers on their side. But we manage to clear out three mooks, the very last one collapsing at the end of the round, thanks to being on fire.

We take advantage of the chaos to plunder Amelia's storage closet -

All but one of the enemies go down, but four more come pouring in, blasting away at 1nv4d3r.

For perspective - since this battle started, he has been shot eight times. Three times, he just absorbed the bullet. Five bullets have inflicted 18 points of damage on him.

Dude is tough.

Meanwhile, Dorbi continues to roast fools (fireball not pictured, just terrible terrible damage).

Hailey finally makes it to their computer station, and 1nv4d3r to the magical talisman in the corner - a pile of skulls, which we disrupt, breaking the magical barrier.

A swift jog later, we've picked up a key to our own door.

Elorn and Dorbi head south to cover the entrance to - well, the entrance room, while Hailey runs around in cyberspace.

In realspace, some fools tried ambushing us through the garage door -

Fool status: punched.

Elorn is watching our back pretty well too.

In the Matrix Hailey finds - um - something.

Flipping the switch opens the doorway on the right.

Even their software is sleazy!

Dorbi and Elorn invade the command centre -

- and then more NC thugs bust in through the other garage door! Dorbi and a hapless 1nv4d3r backtrack to protect Hailey!

Surprise, sucka.

Hailey's doing her part too.

After reactivating the switch, she's off to door number two.

We fight through the ICs, and unlock the Comm Room door, only to be reminded that we already unlocked it. Whoops.

With the mooks taken care of, and only the comm room itself left to go, Haley follows the very last Matrix path -

And finds camera controls. Which we don't really need at this point. Whoops.

me: we're free of mooks.

also me: help, help, the mooks are back!

I don't say this often - but the internet was a waste of time today.

Hailey jacks out and runs for cover while said mooks converge. Reunited, our team has one, very powerful message to deliver.

We finally make it to the comm room, but -

"In flames". That's how you die.

We've mostly cleared the comm room but reinforcements continue to close in from outside. More shots fired, but our runner just -- absorbs it all.

There's only one way to end this.

As the last body hits the floor, Hailey rushes over to the console and switches it on, as our protagonist takes his place in front of the microphone -