Headless

While this one-shot was written with Shadowrun in mind, it can be played in any modern or cyberpunk setting. Sample Characters can be found here.

One of the runners is called by a magical contact of theirs, who wants to introduce them to a Talismonger in need of a team. The mysterious figure goes by the name Cato and needs a team to steal a rare animal skull. They're a collector and are missing a specific species that has recently gone on the market. They failed to win the bid, so now they want the runners to rob the buyer.
The skull in question is part of a Woolly Mammoth skeleton that was bought by multi-millionaire Piper Woodward. She has a mansion with a massive collection of all kinds of skeletons, including dinosaurs and whatnot. Tomorrow night she will be attending a party with most of her security, so the runners will have a chance to sneak in and steal the skull.

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Cato the Censor

Metatype

Dalakitnon

Gender

Enby

Birth Year

2013

Awakened/Ware

Magician

Type

Talismonger

Personality

Secretive

Cato is a Talismonger with a good reputation for assessing the value of countless magical reagents and objects. This is why they were nicknamed 'the Censor', which means 'the Assesser', as many of their associates are horrible nerds. Their primary hobby is maintaining a collection of animal skulls, which has built up nicely in half a century.
One skull that Cato has never managed to obtain, is that of a Woolly Mammoth. When an entire skeleton went up for auction nearby, Cato knew it'd be too expensive to buy. Instead, they found out who the buyer was and promptly dug around for a good opportunity to steal the skull. Now the time is ripe and Cato has one chance to improve their own collection. If the runners mess this up, security will become way tougher.

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The Run

The Woodwards are a rich family that only has become richer in recent decades. The family mansion is worth a fortune and normally is well-guarded. Tonight, however, most of the security is located elsewhere. This leaves only a few patrols outside and inside of 3 guards and 1 Air Spirit each. The Air Spirits are materialised but focus on detecting entities sneaking through the Astral.
Security only patrols the corridors, with rooms guarded through a variety of security measures. Cameras, tripwires, pressure plates, sneaking through the place will take some effort. But it may definitely come across as too easy, which is because normally Piper Woodward summons spirits herself to help secure the mansion.

Johnson

Cato the Censor

Job Type

Theft

Opposition

Dinosaur Skeletons

Base Rewards

¥8,000
7 Karma

Word on the street

"Some people collect coins, or vases. I collect skulls. Far more gorgeous, and they still can double as a vase."

"Piper Woodward? She rich as hell. And obviously she's going to the big party tonight!"

"The Woodwards are rumored to dabble in the occult, though there's no actual witnesses of any magic. Still, as the old saying goes, where there's smoke, there's fire."

"Man I really am glad we're on outside duty. Those skeletons always give me the creeps. Especially at night."

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The Complications

When the runners finally find the Woolly Mammoth skeleton, it is in a room with about a dozen dinosaur skeletons, such as a Stegosaurus, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and a pack of five Velociraptors. Just as the runners think they're almost done, all of the skeletons start moving. If they want the skull, they'll have to take it off the Mammoth's twice-dead body.
Piper Woodward has been making Beast Spirits inhabite her most precious skeletons. They are fast, tough, and mostly resistant to non-magical attacks. To take them down, one needs magic, brute force, or silver weaponry. Fortunately the Woodwards have a fancy weapon collection in another room. But first the runners need to get there.

The Aftermath

Piper Woodward is rather displeased with the damage to her collection. The more damage the runners have caused, the more Beast Spirits they find chasing them in the months to come. They're only safe in heavily populated areas, slums and the outdoors get them chased.
Fortunately the spirits aren't that powerful, but it definitely is a nuisance and other folks in the shadows keep giving the runners catnip as a joke. It takes a while for everyone to stop making fun of them about it.
As for Cato, their updated collection ends up producing some sort of Feng Shui effect that boosts their magic abilities. Unexpected but lucky.