(WI) Scout Out

[Xander]

With the notes translated and a new lead on where to find the servers, Witch and Winter make their way to the apartment complex where the server is allegedly being held.

On the outside it looks fairly mundane. Two story condos and a winding path of sidewalk take the mages around the community. Nothing seems off or out of the ordinary, but they are only just arriving.

Feel free to make me some perception checks! Also let me know if there is a particular time of day you want this scene to take place.

[Witch]

There had been no question about going to the apartment. The question was when. In the end, Witch had pushed for a daytime excursion. She wouldn't be able to pull shadows with as much ease, but if they did end up cutting the power per Winter's earlier suggestion, there would be less people to call in the issue on account of folks being at work.

Or at least that was the theory she was rolling with.

Time would tell if it was the right call or not.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-06-18 11:27:50	Witch rolls 6 to Perception (Wits+Comp) (10 Again)	1, 1, 6, 10, 5, 9, 3	2 successes

[Winter]

"It's way fancier that I had anticipated", he says, "not luxurious, but I expected more of a... fraternity house thing?"

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-06-21 04:16:24	Winter rolls 6 to Perception (10 Again)	1, 3, 9, 2, 10, 9, 5	3 successes

[Xander]

As the mages enter the complex they glance around at the territory. As Witch had suspected, most of the parking spaces were vacant. Foot traffic was nonexistent, though summer temperatures elicited open blinds and windows from the few tenants who remained. The pool had a few families out in the water or tanning, but hedges and construction made the attention minimal.

A quick walk through the area made clear a few things. There was a concentration of cars by one of the common area entrances, and building labels made clear these were the units Liam found and Cookie recorded for the mages from his notes. It's away from the pool and the few people outdoors at the moment. They were also able to locate the transformers and main offices for the development with ease should they require either. All in all, the development itself seemed fairly mundane to be housing the cult of an abyssal computer program.

As they complete their walk through they notice a sedan pulling up to the concentration of vehicles that they had noticed. Winter sees into the vehicle and notices a man barely conscious. Bags around his eyes were only accentuated by the clear malnutrition that stretched his skin like paper and starved muscles into near nonexistence. His black hair is mid length and slicked back, a thick beard growing in. It's difficult for Winter to gauge the man's age though. Beneath the black hoodie, beard, and obvious physical neglect he probably looks older than he actually is. That being said, he still doesn't look much older then his late twenties at most.

He's also completely unaware of the two mages in his midst as he pulls into his parking spot.

[Witch]

Witch chuckled at Winter 's assessment. She could see the logic behind his assumption.

"Pluses and minuses to the fact that it isn't," she said softly as she took in the environment. "Looks like those are the units. I don't think we should try and get in just yet, but if we get to the backside or at least a side wall a bit more ... out of view, I might be able to get us a peek inside."

And then exhaling, she focused for a moment, pushing to give herself the ability to see more.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-06-23 07:20:42	Witch rolls 7 to Rote: Supernal Vision (Wits + Occult + Prime) (10 Again)	10, 4, 9, 3, 1, 2, 7, 3	2 successes

[Winter]

Noticing the gaunt man arriving in the sedan, Winter frowns. He flashes a quick sigil casting a veil over himself., a rote he recovered ages ago and that has been a staple of his arsenal.
"Someone's arrived. Let's get closer while they're distracted." He whispers, jutting his chin at the car and its passenger.
"Poor bastard looks half starved. And the car...interesting choice"
He considers their options, engage the man or just keep up with the plan, eventually he falls in line with his partner's suggestion, "Yeah, the backside it is then, let's see what we can learn"

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-06-25 07:05:47	Winter rolls 8 to Incognito Presence rote (Order spec) (10 Again)	5, 7, 8, 3, 4, 7, 4, 7	1 success

[Witch]

Witch blinked and turned to follow Winter's jutting chin. She had for a second forgotten that he was with her. Well, not forgotten exactly. He had just ... faded into the background and she had been content with it.

But he was here and pointing out the individual walking up. She took a moment to take in the man's appearance. It was as Liam via Cookie had noted, emaciated and in bad shape. Well, it wasn't like she didn't know firsthand how addictive the game was.

Question was, was the emaciation due to just not taking care of themselves in favor of the game.

Or was something more sinister at play?

Nodding silently, Witch moved forward, seeking to unobtrusively slip up close to the building the man went into and then around the backside.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-06-25 20:26:52	Witch rolls 5 to Sneak around back (Dexterity + Stealth) (10 Again)	3, 10, 5, 2, 7, 9	2 successes

[Winter]

"Alright", he says, throwing one last glance at the car before following the other mage.
"Ready when you are", he whispers

[Xander]

The mages move forward, or rather around.

As they choose to move around the building the man in the car gets out. Witch sees the emaciation Winter was talking about just before she turns the corner.

The area still looks fairly mundane to have an abyssal horror lurking within. The sidewalk they follow around the side takes them behind as well, with plain grass lawns greeting them along the way. What they see is a lot of closed blinds on the building. Each unit has a balcony, and the ground units have sliding glass doors that open directly to the ground with paved paths to the sidewalk.

There's no foot traffic here, though there are other apartments across from the ones they are investigating. Open blinds and windows allow the fresh summer air in, though nothing can be heard from these unrelated units from where the mages stand. Instead they can focus their full attention on the units Liam had observed. Allegedly housing sleepers leashed to an abyssal creature.

[Winter]

"Hmpf", he grunts, "sounds like the premise of your average horror flick, where everything is quiet until it isn't", he whispers.