Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)

I am in favor of holding a sword to her throat while displaying our full Anima.

I want a response here and there's no better way to lure out whatever combat-capable minions they have here.
 
I like Ruth. She seems like good minion material if she lives long enough for us to learn the wish Charm.

Assuming there are any Merits it can grant that deal with the age problem? If so, I think there is a great potential source of minions just waiting for us to exploit.
 
Any thoughts on this version versus the other?
Honestly, I think that making this about Ruth is a bad idea. Or at least revealing the note is a bad idea - we expended effort not to do so. It's also very near to going loud, as it was. We need to stay quiet for now, I think, at least until we get to our destination.

Intimidating her is a good idea, but I think we should be intimidating her about mundane-ish stuff, and to focus on her to throw her off her game / to make her confused. We need this to be about her. Maybe something like "no, but you being here reminded me of ..." I'm not sure what, and then get her to follow / direct us to some place?
 
Hmm.Going to note that is Mary Jane Watson's pic as a nurse. I wonder if we're being told something OOC.

Interesting that they have actual cultists on the medical staff. Or, possibly, just impersonating trained medics.
After all, if noone is checking with the state board, you wouldnt know if someone is certified or not.
Alternatively, its not a cultist, just another random supernatural who is getting a good deal for employment.

Called it on the drugs. I guess our reporter friend is going to get one hell of a scoop.

Hi there Sally.
Someone's been praying to the White God, and he took notice.
Mysterious ways :V

[X] Plan Ruth-less
-[X] Try to Intimidate the 'nurse'
-[X] Use intimidation excellency and DPoE
-[X] attempt to force her to walk with us, to give the impression of an escort, and explain what's going on here.
-[X] Make it clear that she dies first if she signals anyone.
-[X] Stunt: Something cold wells up behind Molly's heart and mixes with her own outrage. Nodding along Molly casually makes her way towards the woman. " Not at all ma'am, though I do want to ask a quick question about something".
—[X] Gesturing with the clipboard without showing her what's on it, Molly slides up in front of her and in what appears to be overly familiar geniality puts a hand on her shoulder. " So"
—[X] Frost spreads on the woman's shirt as Molly's fingers suddenly clamp down painfully tight. "What" Molly says in whisper that drips with venom and cuts like frozen knives "do you think you're doing"
Going to note that we have to consider this as a hazard.
Rose of Autumn: /They are stronger, faster, more perceptive, that sort of thing but as they become more like the things they serve they get marks, mutations, fingers that grow long and grasping but harder than iron, eyes in the middle of their forehead that can see when you're lying, pheromones that can enslave animals to them, poison breath, poison touch, spring-knees that let them jump far after you./
Im not saying, but it does remove certain potential moves from consideration, like putting a hand around her shoulder to guide her away.

Couple Suggestions
-I would eliminate the colored bit.
Its not Knight of the Cross-approved, and is not ExWoD approved either; killing when you dont have to is explicitly established as soul eroding in the ExWoD sourcebook

-I would change the hold from the shoulder to the elbow.
Grabbing someone by the elbow is a lot less suspicious than the shoulder, we dont want our face near their mouth, and there's a nerve running near the elbow where pressure produces immediate response.

Alternatively, the wrist, where the median nerve comes close to the surface.
Or just go for a handshake crush and transition to holding her by the elbow/ulnar nerve.

-Think in terms of choking her out and stuffing her in a room.
Rather than shanking her outright.
To roll strength you would have to do something that shows strength, so in this case like lifting her off the ground with one hand. You could do that certainly, but it would be more noticeable.
Instead of Strength, Dexterity + Intimidation should work just fine.
Grabbing a painful nerve site works for pain compliance; in this case, the elbow, around where the ulnar nerve(so called funny bone) is close to the surface. And taking someone's elbow doesnt look overly suspicious from the other side.
 
I am in favor of holding a sword to her throat while displaying our full Anima.
I want a response here and there's no better way to lure out whatever combat-capable minions they have here.
You do not initiate combat in an area full of civilians if you can avoid it.
Thats a good way to sustain collateral, or have them attempt to take hostages as a tactical move.
 
I'm just here for a fun family-trip and maybe, if we are lucky, to slay ancient evil.
If we are less lucky merely to disrupt a cult that WG thinks should be disrupted.

[X] Attack, you cannot afford to lose the element of surprise
-[X] Go loud, if most of the people here had been made less aware of their surroundings that means you can be moire explicit with the magic
-[X] (Stunt) Before anyone present can even blink, long before the mind-addled elderly people around can react in any way, a sword is in your hand and its tip rest atop the nurse's collarbone. With a casual air you turn and hand your father the note. "Do you think we should visit the good doctor or the basement first?"
-[X] If the nurse was kind enough to stay still during this she will have the honor of guiding you to your chosen destination, if not she will have left some 20 something inches of height behind her.
 
[] Plan Ruth-less v2
-[]Try to Intimidate the 'nurse'
-[] Use intimidation excellency and DPoE
-[] attempt to force her to walk with us, to give the impression of an escort, and explain what's going on here.
-[] Make it clear that she dies first if she signals anyone.
-[] Stunt: Molly smiles and nods. "Not at all ma'am, but I do have a quick question about something".
—[] Gesturing with her clipboard without revealing what's on it, Molly walks over to the 'nurse' and says in a friendly but blandly professional voice "So"
—[] As she gets within arm's reach something beats behind Molly's heart, mixing with her outrage and welling up to boil from her eyes.
—[] For a moment an image of fire that isn't there reflects off the false nurse's narrowing pupils as Molly continues on without an audible hint anything has changed " What do you think you are doing?"
I would suggest alterations along this line:

[X]Plan Ruthless v5
-[X]Intimidate the 'nurse'
-[X]Use Intimidation excellency and DPoE
-[X]Attempt to force her to walk with us, to give the impression of an escort, and explain what's going on here.
-[X]Resistance or attempts to be disruptive gets her choked out or otherwise knocked out and stuffed in a side room.
-[X]Suggest to Ruth that she and her friends go back into their rooms and close the door
-[X]Stunt: Nodding, Molly approaches the woman, hand outstretched in a handshake. "Not at all. Nice to meet you ma'am. I do want to ask a quick question about something". As the faux-nurse takes her hand, frost spreads on the woman's skin as Molly's fingers suddenly clamp down painfully tight, and she freezes, caught in the frozen wrath in Molly's eyes. "How badly" Molly says in a voice that cuts like frozen knives "would you like to live through this evening?" Without turning, Molly says over her shoulder "Mrs Koskinen. Please take your friends into your rooms and lock the door until someone comes for you." Moving her grip on the faux-nurse from wrist to elbow, and concealing her grip on her ulnar nerve with the clipboard she steers her down the corridor, Lydia moving up on her other elbow. "Come now, "nurse".You can talk as we walk."
 
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[X]Plan Ruthless v5
-[X]Intimidate the 'nurse'
-[X]Use Intimidation excellency and DPoE
-[X]Attempt to force her to walk with us, to give the impression of an escort, and explain what's going on here.
-[X]Resistance or attempts to be disruptive gets her choked out or otherwise knocked out and stuffed in a side room.
-[X]Suggest to Ruth that she and her friends go back into their rooms and close the door
-[X]Stunt: Nodding, Molly approaches the woman, hand outstretched in a handshake. "Not at all. Nice to meet you ma'am. I do want to ask a quick question about something". As the faux-nurse takes her hand, frost spreads on the woman's skin as Molly's fingers suddenly clamp down painfully tight, and she freezes, caught in the frozen wrath in Molly's eyes. "How badly" Molly says in a voice that cuts like frozen knives "would you like to live through this evening?" Without turning, Molly says over her shoulder "Mrs Koskinen. Please take your friends into your rooms and lock the door until someone comes for you." Moving her grip on the faux-nurse from wrist to elbow, and concealing her grip on her ulnar nerve with the clipboard she steers her down the corridor, Lydia moving up on her other elbow. "Come now, "nurse".You can talk as we walk."
 
[X]Plan Ruthless v5

I like this much more than the previous version for not focusing on Ruth.
Im not saying, but it does remove certain potential moves from consideration, like putting a hand around her shoulder to guide her away.
This, however, is an issue with taking her hand with your plan.

EDIT:
Interesting that they have actual cultists on the medical staff. Or, possibly, just impersonating trained medics.
I was honestly super-surprised that the receptionist wasn't a high ranked combat or hypnosis specialized cultist. After all, she was the first line of defense of the cult. In the event of an attack or a probe it would fall to her to stall until more defenses could be brought to bear and the sacrifices could be secured.
Alternatively, its not a cultist, just another random supernatural who is getting a good deal for employment.
Her being a white court in over her head and honestly having no idea what's going on would be hilarious.
 
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This, however, is an issue with taking her hand with your plan.
My picture of the scene is Molly approaches, engages handshake at arms length, engages pain and shock and intimidation, then moving outwards and a little behind to take the "nurse's" right elbow as Lydia moves outwards and to her left, and Michael is free to move as he sees fit.

In that position she shouldnt be able to inflict harm. Hopefully.
Its a risk, but a mitigated one.
I was honestly super-surprised that the receptionist wasn't a high ranked combat or hypnosis specialized cultist. After all, she was the first line of defense of the cult. In the event of an attack or a probe it would fall to her to stall until more defenses could be brought to bear and the sacrifices could be secured.
You only need a tripwire there. Someone who can use a phone and be polite.
The actual social defenses are the subversion magics in the building that get inside the heads of visitors and act as a perception filter.

In the event of an actual attack, a single person/vampire/thrall is not going to do anything besides die.
So why bother?
Your physical defenses will be deeper inside the building.
Her being a white court in over her head and honestly having no idea what's going on would be hilarious.
It would, wouldnt it? :V

Whampires eat via emotions; a Pathfinder scheme involving drugs that might help evoke particular emotions in their victims is the sort of thing that might sweep in an oblivious Whampire or two who is too busy enjoying the smorgasbord of food to consider that there's something not quite right about their employer.
 
Honestly, I think that making this about Ruth is a bad idea. Or at least revealing the note is a bad idea - we expended effort not to do so. It's also very near to going loud, as it was. We need to stay quiet for now, I think, at least until we get to our destination.

Intimidating her is a good idea, but I think we should be intimidating her about mundane-ish stuff, and to focus on her to throw her off her game / to make her confused. We need this to be about her. Maybe something like "no, but you being here reminded me of ..." I'm not sure what, and then get her to follow / direct us to some place?
The issues with Ruth seem pretty immanent, otherwise Micheal wouldn't be getting in a stabby mood. It's not like I'm planning to show her the note, it's just a point to threaten her over before we pump her for information.

That said,

I would suggest alterations along this line:

[]Plan Ruthless v5
-[]Intimidate the 'nurse'
-[]Use Intimidation excellency and DPoE
-[]Attempt to force her to walk with us, to give the impression of an escort, and explain what's going on here.
-[]Resistance or attempts to be disruptive gets her choked out or otherwise knocked out and stuffed in a side room.
-[]Suggest to Ruth that she and her friends go back into their rooms and close the door
-[]Stunt: Nodding, Molly approaches the woman, hand outstretched in a handshake. "Not at all. Nice to meet you ma'am. I do want to ask a quick question about something". As the faux-nurse takes her hand, frost spreads on the woman's skin as Molly's fingers suddenly clamp down painfully tight, and she freezes, caught in the frozen wrath in Molly's eyes. "How badly" Molly says in a voice that cuts like frozen knives "would you like to live through this evening?" Without turning, Molly says over her shoulder "Mrs Koskinen. Please take your friends into your rooms and lock the door until someone comes for you." Moving her grip on the faux-nurse from wrist to elbow, and concealing her grip on her ulnar nerve with the clipboard she steers her down the corridor, Lydia moving up on her other elbow. "Come now, "nurse".You can talk as we walk."
This version is much better.
[X] BronzeTongue
-[J] But also say "Let's not get... Ruth-less here." because nothing is more terrifying than an unspeakable eldritch power that uses puns.
Planning to change votes soon if you'd still prefer v1 over v5

Edit:

Been about an hour, so I'm going to go ahead and change votes.

[X]Plan Ruthless v5
 
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