Violence in the streets

Ambush them (Mercy and Felix's Guards): Special

"… so, at the party, this redhead was definitely into me. Tough luck I didn't get her number."

"Chuck, can you just don't talk about women for two minutes? Or talk in general?" Liam sobbed while the others were sighing. Chuck was better at running his mouth than at using his gun and this time he was with them, looking for opportunities.

Last week went without a hitch and between selling their products and "requesting donations" at knifepoints, they made some good cash. This week was a bit less fruitful and the remaining part of the band was starting to get rowdy.
Then, at a crossroads, they found their prey. From the looking of it, it was one of those working at Hell's Hearth, the casinò near their base. Maybe it was a good moment to send a signal.

"Hey man, do you have a cig?" He shouted to him while getting closer. The others were knuckling.

The man turned to them and put down his cigarette. "I don't want any trouble."

"Good thing. You are not going to be one for us". In response, the man bolted onto the road, trying to escape. Liam and the others went for the chase, taking their gun. The guy, instead of going straight, turned to the right.

"You can't outrun us, asshole!" Shouted Chuck, accelerating and getting in front of the group.

Before reaching the end of the road, someone appeared in front of them from behind a dumpster. It was a woman in an unkept suit. And she had a shotgun.

"Outrun this!" She shouted to them, before opening fire.

The first shot vanished Chuck's head and part of the shot hit Billy, who screamed in pain. The second shot was less precise but so close to a shotgun means that the spread still hit them.

"ON THE LEFT, ON THE LEFT!" Liam tried to order the other panicking crewmates, a hand clamped on his injured arm.


Billy turned to him, groaning in pain before another bullet got him in the chest. Other gunshots followed, but his men were retreating, trying to get to cover. Only he and Adam managed, the others cut down the man with the guns in front of them. The guy who played bait was reloading his gun.

"We need to get away, boss!" Adam said, pain and fear in his voice. They were vastly outnumbered.


"Okay, I'll cover you!" Liam said. At least he would try to buy him some time to escape. Adam sprinted, but the woman of before, the one with the scars, bolted right behind him. Liam managed to shoot twice, with one bullet hitting her on the shoulder, but it was already too late.

BLAM. And Adam hit the street floor with a wet Thump.

And before he could aim again, her barrel was already on his chest. The loud gunshot was the last thing Liam heard before dying.


Mercy looked down at the disfigured corpse in front of her. "These idiots were just good at talking, less at shooting." She turned to Felix and the others. "Good work, but your aim needs a bit of practice. You'll have plenty of practice in the future".

(Result: Jackals are one group of followers down and they got the signal. -2 to their clock.)

Go play Poker at The Pit (Ernesto) 9+2=11. Full Success. 6 for the Game.

So, The Pit. From the front, it looks like someone went full-on the Dark-Gothic style. A bit too edgy for your tastes, but as the man who chooses to call his business "Hell's Hearth", you aren't exactly in the position to complain. The inside is like the outside and you assume that Dave decided to go all-in with his "mysterious man" gimmick.

You ask for information from one of the workers here and after five minutes, you are sitting on the green table, with a match already going on. The entry cost is a bit high, but you can afford it.

Dave sits at the head of the table, the folding of his hat covering part of his face and the smoke of the cigarette doing the rest. You recognize a showman when you see one and Dave is very good at playing his part.

"Mister Villalobos." He says, without glancing at you the moment you sit down. "I knew that tonight you would be one of us. That's why I kept that place free: the cards told me so."

You call bullshit on this: the most reasonable explanation is that the moment you were outside the building, one of his men sent him a message. And considering that he's always at the table, he probably keeps one place free for important people.
Like you, you think with a chuckle. But it would be disrespectful to call him out like that: you are here to play, so you'll play along.

"I thank you for your care, mister Goldman" you answer him, while you are dealt your cards.

"I sense some scepticism coming from you. I'll give you another proof of my ability: the cards also told me that this night, a woman would be your ruin."

You can hear the others players whispering to each other, while your only answer to him is a slight smile. He's exactly what you expect: smoke and mirror, with uncertainty to close the circle. That last prophecy is vague enough that it could be anything.
But you'll keep a close eye on him: he's good with the cards, but you are not exactly a newbie at poker either.

Considering how the game goes, you confirm that he's very good. One by one, the others player decide to call out when their funds get too low or when they remain with nothing at all. But you are smart enough to see that Dave is purposely doing his best to keep you in the game. So, he wants to talk, alone.

When you two remain the only two sitting at the table, Dave gives you the choice between three sealed decks. You open and start shuffling the cards. You win the round and you make to pass to Dave the deck, but he refuses. "You can keep dealing the cards if you don't mind, mister Villalobos." He smiles at you, knowingly. So you keep doing so, alternating between winning and losing.

"The prophecy at the beginning wasn't a trick. I was expecting you or the other guy working with you to come here one night or the other". Dave rise his hat a bit and now you can clearly see his face: dark circles under his eyes almost covered by makeup and you read a sort of agitation in his eyes. The look of a very worried man and the anxiety don't come from the game.

"Let me guess: the fact that we opened one month from each other makes us natural competitors, considering the other giants in the sector."

Dave nods, before rising his ante. "Other giants in the sector that don't like new blood coming in their industry."

That … wasn't exactly the angle you expect him to go with. You call him and put another card in the centre of the table. You are waiting for him to continue.

"I know how to read people, mister Villalobos. It's the mundane skill that completes my other abilities. You are here to see if this man means you harm and maybe, maybe if he could be responsible for some troubles you recently have."

You flip another card. You have almost a flush, you just need another red card. Dave raises and you think for a bit, before raising as well.

"What makes you think that I have troubles, mister Goldman?"

"The fact that I'm one month older than you and I had them. I'm not talking about the thugs that are busy robbing people. I'm talking about the sort of problems that the people in the City learns to avoid, except this time they come straight to you."

You glance at him, pausing the game for a moment. "You talk directly, mister Goldman. Are you breaking character?"

He laughs, before continuing: "Mister Villalobos, the circumstances should make us enemies. But I know that you are not an enemy I can afford".

You turn the last card. A Black Queen. You show your hands and he's winning.

"I think we can keep our conversation in my office, mister Villalobos." Dave states, after collecting his win.

His office maintains the same atmosphere as the rest of his casino. After talking to him and how he behaves during the match, you think that the line between Dave, the man, and Dave, the mysterious card reader, is very blurred.

"Mister Goldman, you think that I'm an enemy so dangerous that you can't afford it?"

Dave shakes his head. "Not exactly what I meant. In normal circumstances, I'm almost certain that I and my men can take you if I was willing to commit to a bloody battle with guns and intrigue."

You straighten your back.

"But these are not normal circumstances. I think the enemies we have are enough to keep us busy even if we don't fight each other."

You look straight at him: "Why do you think we have enemies in common?"

Dave just waits a couple of minutes, before rising the fold of his hat again to look directly into your eyes: "You received a threatening letter two weeks ago when you opened your Casino."

That was not a question. From the tone and the behaviour, all the pieces come together.

"You received one of those. When I opened, your month was concluded."

Dave nods, but before you ask him questions, he raises his hand to interrupt you. "The only info that I can give you is to follow their advice and keep your place closed whenever they will come".

"At least you can tell me who will come."

Dave thinks for a bit with closed eyes. He doesn't open them when he whispers. "A Demon, mister Villalobos. A Demon will come."

He's too serious to be a prank.

"Mister Villalobos, if they are coming for both of us, our best bet is to cooperate."

You nod in agreement.

"I don't see you particularly surprised by the fact that a Demon is coming for you." he says and you can only laugh: "It's not the strangest thing I saw in the two weeks I was open".

Dave study you for some minutes, before looking at the clock. "I think we talked enough and I need to come back to the main lobby. I have a reputation to maintain."

You look at him: "Giving back my money would be an excellent way to start our cooperation."

He smiles at you: "It would, but I don't think I will. We both know that running our business is expensive. Next time you'll have better luck."

Outside the building, you can just sigh. It was worth a try.

(Results: -1 fund. Relationships with the Pit are Friendly and you don't expect problems coming from him.)

Scouting the Scout (John) 7+2=9. Success with Complication

John's idea was easy: he knew that there are some private cameras around the block near the Casino, he has a description of their car and the only remaining thing was to get access to them. After a couple of days of requests to see the videos and paying for the help of the owners, John got solid leads on the direction of the car.
Outside the block, the search was harder, but he come up with an interesting idea by observing the area where he was and remembering which Casino was there.


So he spent the week keeping an eye on the Pale Zenith from the roof of a close building to confirm his suspicions, hoping that whoever used the car didn't change the license plate. He was almost losing hope when with his binoculars got his eyes on a car, with a similar model, and a different license plate but the same dent on the right car door, meaning that probably it was that car.

Before he got eyes on the driver and passenger, he heard someone kicking a can behind him. John tried to turn and draw his knife, but a coat was launched over his face. Hindered by it, John tried desperately to pull it off, but was first pushed to the ground and hit in the face twice by someone with a heavy hand.

While John was stunned, the aggressor took the coat and climbed down the stairs. John pursued him, but after getting to the streets, he was already hidden by the crowd, who glanced at the man with the bloody nose and then promptly minded their own business.

"Fuck", he muttered, using a tissue to cover his nose.

(Result: The scout is connected to the Pale Zenith, you have no idea if it's a patron or a worker. Someone was on the same roof as John and escaped with his identity secret after punching John, who lost 1 health).

Plan and Testing: the Jackals (Ernesto). 4+3=7. Partial Success

You have the reports of Fulvia and the others, but before risking a direct strike on their own turf, you choose to do your own research.
Getting too close would be too risky, especially after the show that Mercy had done this week, so indirect researches were the safest bet.

By looking at old blueprints of the buildings and checking the ones presented in the reports, you notice that something doesn't add. According to the blueprints, there should be another entry to the basement, connected to the basement of the near building for maintenance reasons, but the guy who scouted the basement confirmed that he saw no entrance.

"Wait Boss, I'm remembering something". He snaps his finger. "I think I saw some kind of wardrobe right where you say the door should be. Maybe they didn't wall the entry, just cover it and put some plywood to close it off."

You nod in agreement. So, the next day you enter in that building and check your theory, knocking on the "walled" entryway. The returning sounds are empty and you smile: these idiots are making your job very easy.

Compared to the other entry, you can break the plywood and have direct access to their drug lab and for sure you will have fewer guards to deal with. Wouldn't be silent: breaking the thin wall would be noisy.

(Result: "Destroy their drug" Risk level becomes "Small Risk")

October, Week 3: Resolution Phase II and Ending Phase

Casino Random Event: 12 (Great Positive Event)

Renovating the Casino is finally paying its dividend in popularity: you are getting more clients and some positive review, which are generating a positive loop that continue to improve your situation.

(+3 funds, +1 Reputation)

???: 9 (Something stirs)

The Pale Zenith was always rowdy patrons, smoking cheap cigarettes, and drinking cheap booze in cheap suits. The only things that weren't cheap were the concealed weapons in case of trouble.
The noise of laughs and all the assorted sounds associated with a Casino was a good way to cover conversation that you want to keep private. The clients know better than to stick their noses into other people's business.

So, when the man at the bar was approached by the elegant lady, the other regulars moved a place away to give them privacy. They know who the lady was.

"I'm not supposed to take orders from you" hissed the man.

"You weren't supposed to fail either. So now you answer directly to me. Did you get tailed?"

"No car behind me, so I don't think they tracked me back."

"I hope for you that you are right. If you fuck again, you will be fired. You know what this means?"

The man gulped, trying to hide it by sipping his drink.

"Your orders remain. Don't disappoint us".

Quickly as the lady appeared, she disappeared. The man ordered another drink.

(New Clock added: ???. 1/???. More intel is required to discover its details).

Jackals: 8 (Beaten, but not Down)

You ask your man to keep an ear on the ground to see how the Jackals would react to the execution of their guys.
Apparently, the Maw isn't going to stop: it looks like he's trying to recruit more men for his gang. Surely, the bloodstains of the other men are proof enough of how bad the offer is, but soon or later he'll get more idiots at his lead.

(New Clock Added: New Blood, 0/4.)

---

In the Dark

You three are in your office: Mercy decided that your desk was an excellent place to clean her shotgun, John is finding it difficult to smoke after having its nose broken - nothing that can't be fixed, unlike yours - and you are watching outside of the window.

"You know what is pissing me off?" You start. You don't need to turn to know that they were waiting for you to break the ice.
"That something is happening right here in the City, that we are probably neck deep in it and we actually don't know what the hell is happening".

The Jackals don't seem a big problem, compared to the Demon that will visit you next week.

"We have the thing in the basement that we don't know what the hell is, an animated book that talks, a cult that venerates a Snake and a Demon coming. I'm missing something?"

John cleared his throat: "The dude that punched me. If he was one of the Pale Zenith, I think he would have tried to kill me directly. So I assume he was keeping an eye on them and wasn't feeling to have his face known."

You grunt in assent. Too much shit on the fire and you think that something is burning.
"The only thing we know is that the Snake cult and the Demon are connected in some way. We don't have leads, so the only thing that we can do is be prepared".
You turn to Mercy: "You seem strangely relaxed for someone who chooses to put herself in this mess. You could leave when you saw the thing in the basement."

Mercy interrupts her tune while assembling back her weapon: "It's also my Casino, not only yours. Plus, I don't see why I should be nervous".

She loads her shotgun, smiling while admiring her work: "I'm only curious to know if a Demon can bleed."

John laughs quietly, while you shake your head. At least one of you three knows how to see the positive side in this kind of situations.

(New Long Term Goal Added)

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QM Note: A couple of options changed and a lot more got added. The list is not exhaustive, but I come up with these. A lot of options, but there are also a lot of approaches)All the actions, unless specify differently, are Small risk, Standard effect, Variable cost

Casino Management: (These actions can be performed only by the Main or a Named Character)


Competition:

Desert Jackals

Ernesto Specials: (Only Ernesto can do these actions)


Occult Action:

Exploration: