Session 2 - Zero's Campaign Notes

Following the Signal

The session begins in Dr. Malcolm Carter’s Upper West Side laboratory, where the analysis of the Rhino bot has concluded. Malcolm identifies a signal frequency and a likely point of origin. He prepares a specialized tracking drone, tuned to the recovered frequency, to pinpoint the exact source when they arrive.

Shade hops onto Mal’s flying platform and the two head for Chinatown, while Warden ascends high above the city to avoid being spotted and proceeds to follow the others.

Map

Location 1: Chinatown Waterfront Warehouse

Upon arrival, Mal deploys the drone, which leads them toward a warehouse near the Williamsburg Bridge. The rooftop appears empty aside from a single antenna.

Initial Investigation

Warden opens a skylight and scouts the interior.
- The warehouse looks abandoned, but signs indicate it’s been used within the last week to one month.
- Boxes and the loading bay show recent activity.
- A single unusual box stands out — marked with the Stonewall Futures Construction Company logo.
Mal examines the antenna and discovers it is not the original source of the signal, but a relay point. He reprograms the drone to track the next link in the chain.
Shade searches for occult influences and finds a surveillance rune etched into the structure.
- After discussing it with the others, the group prepares for potential visitors.
- Shade disrupts the rune, breaking the magical surveillance.

Despite waiting over an hour (and Shade sensing lingering observation), no one arrives. Eventually, Warden convinces the group to continue the chase.

Location 2: Old Precinct – Hell’s Kitchen

The next signal leads to Hell’s Kitchen, specifically an old police precinct now surrounded by a tall construction fence branded with Stonewall Futures.

Entry

Approaching from behind to avoid cameras, Mal leads them through blind spots to a rear entrance above the parking garage.

The door is locked, so Mal forms a tentacle-like matter probe to look through the keyhole like an endoscope.
They see a dark hallway with faint light.
Shade, confident in his abilities, disappears into the shadows and unlocks the door from inside.

First Floor Recon

Shade scouts the first floor using the shadows:

Observation/Tech Room now functions as a control center.
Tech Room stores weapons and strange mechanical components.
Interrogation Room contains makeshift bunk beds.
Lobby hosts three armed goons, watching TV — the source of the light they saw.

Neutralizing the Goons

The team opts for a stealth takedown:

Mal flings a pen that hits the TV’s power button, startling the goons.
Two goons are silently eliminated:
- One by Warden with a chokehold.
- One by Shade’s frightening blade-assisted silence spell.
The third panics, fires into the now-dead TV, but is quickly subdued after being Afflicted by Shade.

Footsteps then echo from the upper floor — reinforcements.

Mal’s Trap

Mal alters the material of the stairway, turning most of it into industrial-grade adhesive:

The first steps are left normal, luring the descending goons into the trap.
They step down, slip, and collapse into a sticky dogpile, rendered completely incapacitated.

The team ties them up in the sleeping quarters.

Exploring the Precinct

The party splits up to search:

Warden finds Rhino suit schematics in the workshop and helps himself to a shotgun.
Mal discovers the precinct’s systems were the command center controlling the Rhino bot. He removes the internal drives for later analysis.
Before leaving, all captured goons are moved upstairs into holding cells.

An unlocked phone is also recovered. A message from a contact named “Lockstep” reads:

“Job’s done. Get out now.”

Warden recognizes Lockstep as an alias used by one of Wilson Fisk Jr.’s henchmen.

Wrap-Up

The group alerts the local NYPD, then returns to Mal’s lab with:

The computer drives
The rhino schematics
Intel on Stonewall Futures
A deeper link to Fisk Jr.’s operations