RQG 53 - You're Welcome?

## Summary

The Rangers return to Paris proper to find a city devoid of any working technology. They find their Meritocratic contact, Oscar Wilde, and explain about the events below Paris.

## Synopsis

The party head back to the world of Paris, where all the automated cabs and mechanical billboards have stopped moving, and all the Parisians are wandering around, quite confused. Hamid spots Madeline, and gives her Brutor.

The party return to the hotel in l'Arc de Triomphe, which is in disarray. Zolf decides to take the legs that Mr. Ceiling made him, as he feels useless and an ineffective mercenary without them. As they go to leave, Sasha's mechanical man grabs her arm, which Bertie hacks off. Hamid takes the message from Brock that it tried to give Sasha: "Sasha, thank you. Find the one that got away. Love Brock"

The Rangers head off to a police station with the aim to find Oscar Wilde. Bertie powers through the crowd outside the police station, shouting, in French, that he, the hero of the hour, has arrived. The policemen guarding the station aren't allowing people in, but Hamid threatens to tell the crowd what's happened, so they are let into the station.

Shouting at another policewoman, Hamid manages to speak to a sergeant. He explains to the sergeant what they found under the Arc de l'Ordinateur. She gets them to speak to her boss, who sends them up to their boss and so on. Although they respect that the Rangers are important, they're not able to prove that they're working for the Meritocrats with the communications down.

Eventually, Oscar Wilde appears at the station and the Rangers explain to him what has happened, including the fact that there are other Ordinateurs possibly being built under London and Cairo. They also explain that they know that Bolla Smok is dead, and that François Henri helped design both Mr Ceiling and the Simulacrum, and is also dead. They do not tell him that Tesla was involved in the design of the Simulacrum.

Wilde hands them a card to prove their connection to the Meritocrats, and asks them to stay at the hotel and await his instruction. The exhausted Rangers collapse back in their hotel. We leave Paris darkened, with only Eiffel's Folly illuminated.

## Quotes

**Sasha**: "Does, like, the stock market crash mean that our gold is worth less, or more?"
**Bertie**: "Well it is a safe-haven asset class."
―Worldwide financial systems crash after the party turns off Mr. Ceiling.

**Hamid**: "We won't be able to go back to l'Triomphe, let's find another hotel nearby."
**Sasha**: "Well maybe we can, maybe the records have all gone nuts and they'll just assume and it's fine and they'll put us up, and that's where Wilde will look for us."
**Hamid**: "Can't hurt, let's go back there."
**Zolf**: "We'll just go to a police station."
**Sasha**: "It's literally across the street."
**Zolf**: "Yeah okay it's literally across the street."
―The party tries to figure out where to go next.

**Zolf**: "Well I've been thinking about it, I might, I might take those legs. Its, its influence is obviously being removed from... and I... well, I've been so useless."
**Sasha**: "You haven't been useless Zolf! You saved us when we were fighting the monster—well we weren't really fighting the monster but still we needed to fight the monster to save the world—like, you got right up there, even with no legs, which actually makes you braver, really, than people that do have them, and you kept throwing spells at it, and you helped save the day! So, I don't know about this useless that you're talking about."
―Zolf debates actually using the metal legs Mr. Ceiling provided.

"Sir Bertrand MacGuffingham, the hero of the hour is here, I've saved you Paris! You'd better be grateful! Yes, the hero of the hour is here, with his companions, or should I say, accessories! Make way, make way! I have come to speak to the long arm of the law, to impose some order and discipline over this chaos, you are welcome, Paris, *get out of my way*! Yes, I see you there, Paris!"
―**Bertie**

"Now, listen to me. This has been an incredibly long day. We have just saved the [redacted] world, and we know exactly what has happened to every single one of your stupid contraptions. They are not going to start working, this is not a problem you can solve. Get me talking to someone who understands the situation in this city, and do it now! There is nothing more important!"
―**Hamid**

"We have spent the last week living under l'Arc de l'Ordinateur with the being that was in control of that entire institution, and it would appear in control of most of Paris. This was not a benevolent being, this was not your friend, this was not your protector, this was your overlord, and it was harvesting people from your city, and it had dreams of replacing the Meritocrats. Myself and my three friends have dealt with this problem, and you are welcome. And, that is not even the most serious thing we learned in the last week, because this being is attempting to do the same in Cairo and in London, and we desperately need to speak to someone of the utmost importance who is capable of making important decisions about Meritocratic policy across Europe and beyond, to explain the situation in detail and deliver a full report of our activity, because we are in fact Meritocratic agents here on important business!"
―**Hamid**

**Hamid**: "Oscar, I genuinely never thought I would even be slightly pleased to see you!"
**Bertie**: "I'm still not."
**Wilde**: "You'd be amazed how many times people say that."
**Sasha**: "Not amazed actually, no one likes you, but you got a lot of power like that's... how it works!"
―Wilde appears at the police station to help the party.

"Let's just make the situation very clear. None of us—*none of us—*are in the mood right now for any of your witticisms, or cleverness. Right. If you thought I was grumpy last time, I am murderous this time, so, none of that, and we're gonna deliver our report, and you're gonna say "thank you very much", and you're gonna leave, and you're gonna deal with it, and then we're gonna go to bed."
―**Zolf is unwilling to deal with Wilde**
## Dice rolls and Mechanics

* Right after the party exits the building and into Paris proper, Bertie rolls a 3 on Perception, Sasha rolls a 12, Zolf rolls a 9 and Hamid rolls a 14. All except Bertie notice the crowd, smaller than expected, in various states of distress.
* In the hotel lobby, Sasha rolls a 19 on Perception and notices some blood on her back.
* Outside the police station, Bertie rolls a 27 on Intimidation to shout and push through the crowd.
* Within the police station, Hamid rolls 22 on Diplomacy to convince the sergeant to direct them to her superior.
* While talking to the superior, Hamid rolls a 29 on Diplomacy to convince the superior to let them speak to further superiors.