# Players - Rafiq: Game Master - Haikal: Zel'eon Talos, Human Artificer 1 - Buzz: Senzorin Talos, Half-Elf Rogue 1 - Dom: Saziver Copper-Fern, Gnome Psion 1 - Toph: Arche Kagekiyo, Sun Elf Cleric 1 # Recap ## Zel'eon, Arche, Senzorin, and Saziver On the morning of Udis, the 30th of Eternae, 1892, Zel'eon Talos stood outside his clinic in the bustling streets of Mosskach. The sun was just beginning to light up the day as he conversed with Dregdul, a large orc youth. They were deeply entrenched in a discussion about the recent rise in gang troubles when suddenly, the roar of a motorcycle engine broke their focus. Senzorin, a half-elf rogue, pulled up on his sputtering bike, which whined mechanically before coming to a halt. Zel'eon's gaze quickly flicked to Senzorin’s face, which was marred by a grimace of pain, and to the three clawed gash that marred his side. Senzorin explained that Arche, his roommate and Zel’eon's employee, had invited him to receive treatment at the clinic. With a knowing nod, Zel'eon gestured for him to enter and led him up the stairs to the surgery room on the second floor. Zel'eon began disinfecting Senzorin's infected wound, meticulously stitching it shut as Senzorin winced in pain. Though he didn't mention it to Senzorin, Zel'eon noted the wound as being from a werewolf. Senzorin’s gaze wandered around the room, lingering on the scratches along the walls, evidence as to Zel'eon's other proclivities. Just then, Arche entered, her prim demeanor faltering momentarily as she took in Senzorin’s condition. She admonished Senzorin for not taking better care of himself as he wryly bantered with her. Zel'eon’s attention shifted as his communicator buzzed—a text message from Maria, his employee at the front desk, informed him of a nervous gnome named Saziver awaiting him. The trio descended to the first floor, where they found Saziver standing at the counter, glancing anxiously around the room. The sight of Senzorin caught him off guard, having previously surveilled the rogue during his escapades. “I should have known you’d be involved with this lot,” Senzorin quipped as he took his leave, letting Zel'eon and Saziver continue their conversation in private. Once alone, Saziver leaned in, visibly excited as he told Zel'eon that he had discovered an experimental chip created by EchoTech—an intriguing piece of technology that could potentially link Zel'eon’s implants directly to his mind. Saziver informed him the chip was currently on an EchoTech transport heading toward the city that very night. Zel'eon acknowledged this, his mind already racing with possibilities as he bid Saziver farewell, ready to formulate a plan. ## Ray Shelby and the Peakers Eager to act on the information Saziver provided, Zel'eon reached out to Ray Shelby, the local gang leader of the Peakers. Sitting at his desk on the third floor of the clinic, he knew he needed Shelby’s crew if they were to pull off a caper. Before long, the unmistakable sounds of Shelby’s approach filled the air, punctuated by the acrid aroma of cheap cologne that trailed behind him. He swaggered into the office, exuding a false confidence that crawled under the young man’s skin. Zel'eon divulged the details about the EchoTech transport scheduled to pass by that evening, but he could see the flicker of greed ignite in Ray's eyes. A warning bell rang in Zel'eon’s mind, and the realization of his error dawned on his mind. When Ray departed, his anger boiled over, prompting Zel'eon to punch a wall in a fit of irritation, the impact echoing throughout the clinic. Determined to rectify his miscalculation, he called Senzorin, Arche, and Saziver back to the clinic, hopeful that together they could assist him. Motivated by gratitude for everything Zel'eon had done for the community and their shared animosity toward the Peakers, the trio readily agreed to help. Reunited at the clinic, Saziver provided a detailed briefing on the transport's route, and they began to weave their strategy around the Peakers’ planned ambush, intending to use it as a distraction to slip in unnoticed and swipe the valuable chip from the back of the transport. As dusk descended upon Mosskach, Zel'eon, Arche, and Senzorin positioned themselves stealthily atop the clinic’s roof, while Saziver took his perch in the office on the third floor, ready to monitor the approaching transport through a hacked feed. ## Ambushing the EchoTech Transport With Saziver in their ears steadily counting down the minutes, the clock inched closer to midnight, the moment when the transport was set to pass directly by the clinic and into the waiting clutches of the Peakers. Below, the Peakers lounged along the street, clad in flat caps and leather jackets, scattering caltrops along the pavement, small metal spikes meant to pop the transport’s tires. As Zel'eon glanced at Arche, he found her gazing skyward, murmuring quiet prayers to her goddess. He searched for Senzorin, but the rogue had seamlessly melted away into the shadows. Down in the alley next to the clinic, Senzorin tightened his grip on the cutlass once wielded by his mentor, Einrow, ready for the fight ahead. Saziver, from his vantage point on the second floor, spoke into their headsets with an urgent whisper: the transport was approaching. The distant headlights cut through the dimming dusk, illuminating the street ahead. As the transport rumbled into view, it seemed to hit an unseen obstacle, and in an instant, the tires exploded in a catastrophic pop, sending it careening toward a nearby bus stop. The Peakers erupted from their hiding spots, their cries loud and triumphant as they rushed forward to seize the chaos. Seizing the opportunity, Arche leaped from her perch and sprinted toward the rear of the transport. A barrage of explosions erupted as the cabin doors of the transport flew open, two heavily armed guards jumping out to unleash a ferocious hail of fire from their magitech rifles. Arche's advance faltered when a heat grenade detonated nearby, the vibrating force momentarily disorienting her. As she fought to regain her balance, she locked eyes with a lone Peaker who had crept toward the back of the van, clearly having had the same plan as the team. Just as he opened his mouth to call for help, a deafening explosion pierced the air—his kneecap shattered in a spray of blood and flesh. Spinning to locate the source of the shot, Arche spotted Senzorin, his revolver aimed with uncanny accuracy. He cocked his head, motioning her toward the target. Arche lunged at the fallen gang member, thrusting her spear through his mouth to silence his scream of pain before darting towards the back of the transport. She darted toward the transport, grappling with the padlock securing the doors, only to discover that it was reinforced both physically and magically. With concentration, she began to unravel the enchantment just as, unbeknownst to her, one of the EchoTech guards approached from the front. The guard rounded the van just in time to see her. Raising his rifle, he shouted in surprise. Arche reacted quickly, disarming him and sending his weapon clattering to the ground. Enraged, the guard lunged for her, brandishing a security baton, but something above him caught his attention. Zel'eon’s arm blade sang through the air, severing the guard’s head in a swift, lethal motion. The lifeless body swayed for a heartbeat before collapsing. Without hesitation, Zel'eon aimed his arm at the padlock, firing an acid vial from his weapon. The lock fizzled and dissolved under the corrosive torrent, and Senzorin yanked open the transport's doors, revealing a silver briefcase nestled inside. Senzorin dove into the opening, grabbing the briefcase, and sprinted into the alleyway, Arche hot on his heels. Before bolting after them, Zel'eon took a moment to etch a message onto the helmet of the decapitated guard, hurling the incriminating object into the van's interior before sealing the doors and fled toward an underground fight pit—a place he knew was safe. Meanwhile, Saziver remained in Zel'eon’s office, curled into a fetal position within the comforting glow of multiple screens, panic gnawing at his nerves as he heard the chaos erupt nearby. The Peakers, intoxicated by victory, soon overwhelmed the remaining EchoTech guard, their triumphant shouts echoing as they closed in on their prize. Saziver heard only their angry shouts as they found the message Zel'eon left for them on the helmet: "For Ray Shelby." ## Examining the Chip Hours later, the street in front of Zel’eon's clinic lay silent, save for the smoldering wreckage of the EchoTech transport. The team had gathered back inside the clinic, the exhilaration of their earlier success buzzing in the air. Yet, unease tinged Saziver's words as he voiced his fears about EchoTech potentially tracking the stolen chip. Zel’eon shared Saziver’s apprehension. He led Saziver to his workshop for a closer inspection of the chip. As they examined it, they discovered that it was entirely crafted from orichalcum—a rare metal renowned for being the only perfect conductor of both electricity and magic - featuring a series of pins on the back, intended to be directly inserted into brain tissue. Zel’eon noted with relief that there didn’t appear to be any embedded tracking software. Instead, it seemed to be engineered to translate electrical signals through the user’s circulatory system, effectively granting someone the ability to control electronic devices with their mind. The rest of the team eventually drifted into the workshop, their earlier tension giving way to celebration. Dregdul proposed a traditional Orcish drinking contest to Senzorin. They began trading drinks as Zel’eon glanced up intermittently from his work to watch their antics. Senzorin, fueled by determination, matched Dregdul drink for drink, the air filled with boisterous cheers and playful jabs between the orc and the elf. Arche moved among her teammates, tending to their wounds and ensuring everyone was taken care of as the evening wore on. Finally, she settled into a chair, observing Senzorin and Dregdul as they grew progressively more inebriated. At last, Saziver bid the team goodnight, retreating to his home, while the others remained in a celebratory haze. Zel’eon, hungry to tap into the true potential of the chip, began drawing plans for the surgical procedure that would implant it directly into his brain. ## Implanting the Chip into Zel'eon's Brain As Senzorin and Dregdul lay sprawled on the floor of the workshop after their drinking contest, the faint sounds of snoring punctuated the otherwise quiet room where Zel’eon proposed his plan for the surgical procedure to implant the chip to Arche. They carefully refined the steps required for the surgery and eventually, after hours of discussion and preparation, Arche agreed to perform the surgery on Zel’eon. Zel’eon strapped himself into the patient’s chair for the first time under a doctor that wasn't himself or his mother. As a wave of apprehension washed over him, Arche carefully made the first incision, skillfully splitting the skin above his frontal lobe. The moment Arche began to drill a hole in his skull sufficient for the chip to fit through, pain erupted through Zel’eon’s body. It was an all-consuming agony, more than he had ever experienced, and it made him scream, his cries echoing throughout the clinic and into the quiet neighborhood beyond. Arche pressed on with the procedure, her focus unwavering, as the sounds of his suffering rang loud in her ears. As soon as the drill pierced through the final layer of his skull, Arche deftly dropped the chip through the newly created hole, the pins penetrating into Zel'eon’s frontal lobe like tiny needles and establishing a connection instantly. She quickly covered the opening, meticulously stitching him up. As Zel’eon’s pain began to fade, he opened his eyes, blinking against the remnants of the pain that had blurred his vision. Shakily, he sat up in the chair, seeing the first rays of the dawn sun shine through the windows of his office. He glanced down at his prosthetic arm, and a wave of realization washed over him. The hidden mechanisms he had designed, once only known to him as the blueprints he had meticulously pored over and memorised, now lay overlaid in his mind over his arm. With a simple thought, he imagined the blade extending from his forearm just as he would have moved a finger, and it obeyed, gliding fluidly from its sheath. Each flick of his mental switch brought an immediate response: the blade extending, retracting, shifting with precision— a delicate waltz of metal and sinew. Arche watched as the world faded into insignificance around Zel'eon, leaving only the exhilaration of becoming one with his creations. He smiled with exhilaration as the soft hum of the world outside began to stir, as if heralding the adventures that awaited Zel'eon, Arche, Saziver, and Senzorin. # Experience Points Zel'eon, Senzorin, Arche, and Saziver gain 150xp each for their success in stealing the experimental orichalcum chip from the EchoTech transport without the Peakers or EchoTech finding out. The team now have a total of 150xp each. # Loot ## Magic Items ### Experimental EchoTech Orichalcum Chip *Wondrous item, legendary* - This chip is crafted entirely from orichalcum, renowned for its exceptional conductive properties for both electricity and magic. - When permanently implanted within the brain, it allows the user to transmit electrical signals through their circulatory system. ### Shinra Arcus M42 *Weapon (assault rifle), uncommon* - Damage: 1d10 force damage - Weight: 10 lbs. - Range: 100/300 ft. - Ammunition: requires specially designed energy cartridges that contain magical energy, expending one with each shot, can fire a total of 30 times before needing a 1-hour recharge. - Burst Fire: When you use the burst fire property of an assault rifle, you expend the entire magazine to target a point within normal range, forcing all creatures within a 10-foot radius to make a Dexterity saving throw or take damage equal to the weapon's normal damage (1d10 force damage for the Shinra Arcus M42), with half damage on a successful save; this feature uses up all the rounds left in the magazine.