What the heck is an Science Fiction RPG?

What is Traveller RPG and why should I play it?

Q. What is Traveller?

A. Traveller is the premier Science Fiction Rolepaying Game, and the perfect way to start your sci-fi adventures. Take a journey into the future. Set in the tumultuous Imperium, this is a unique setting designed especially for Traveller.

Everything you need to play—character creation, combat, starships, and even psychic powers—can be found in the pages of the Traveller rulebook. Once you’re involved, other Traveller support books that add even more flavor, detail, action and excitement to your games. The wonders of the future can be your today!

Q. What is a Science Fiction Roleplaying Game?

A. The easiest way to understand any Roleplaying Game (RPG) is to think of it as a work of fiction such as a novel or a play or a movie. In a novel the author determines the setting of the novel along with the actions of all of the characters and thus the plot. In a role playing game, the author (called the Referee) determines the setting and some of the basic elements of the plot. The actions of the characters (and thus part of the plot) are determined during the game by the game "players" and the Referee. Each "player" controls the actions of his "player character" or alter ego, while the Referee controls the actions of the other characters (called non-player characters). Thus each player assumes the role of (role plays) his character and the Referee role plays the non-player characters. A Roleplaying Game is a "living" novel where interaction between the actors (characters) creates a constantly evolving plot.

A Science Fiction Role Playing Game (SFRPG) is set in a science fiction universe whose science and society is not defined solely by our world, but instead is defined by a set of game rules. A SFRPG deals with adventure, science, gadgets, space ships, battles, action, danger, heroes, villains, life and death. In short, in a SFRPG game the players leave the real world behind for a while, and enter a world where the fantastic is real and reality is limited only by the imagination of the Referee and the players themselves. The creation of the plot of a SFRPG game is an on-going process which both the Referee and players may affect, but which neither controls. The plot is partially determined along with the setting, but it is heavily influenced by the interaction of the characters with one another and random events.

Because Science Fiction Role Playing is a game, it should be interesting, exciting, and challenging. One of the main objectives of a SFRPG is for each player to take on the persona of his (or her) player character, reacting to situations as the character would. This is the biggest difference between SFRP games and other games such as chess or bridge. A player's character is not just a pawn or a card; in a good SFRPG, a player takes on the role of his character. Each player character should speak and react to the other characters as his character would. All of this creates an air of involvement, excitement, and realism (in a Fictional setting, of course).

Traveller Movie - Andrew does it again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iWehLi_4ug&feature

Skywalker is Wanted

Recruitment Posters and other fun

Cosmic Scale

Cosmic Scale

Cosmic Scale

Baron Saarthuran February 8th, 2007 09:05 PM

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"My recorders have seen considerable depreciation during my ordeal, pardon me, Sirs."

kafka47 February 8th, 2007 11:26 PM

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Nero leans over the holoprojector, removes the crystal, "If you wouldn't mind, I would like to hold on to this and have the boys at Naval Intelligence look it over."

It is then he notices a yellow line running through the centre of the crystal. "The integrity of this crystal has been compromised somehow...But, why?"

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Baron Saarthuran February 9th, 2007 12:11 AM

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"Somewhere on it is also my first meeting with your Count, I'm afraid his behavior was quite contrary to reason..."

Ben gives Nero the crystal, but copies it.

sgbrown February 9th, 2007 02:29 PM

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Originally posted by Baron Saarthuran von Gushiddan:
"Somewhere on it is also my first meeting with your Count, I'm afraid his behavior was quite contrary to reason..."

Ben gives Nero the crystal, but copies it.
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[Khan] "Any chance the flaw is accidental? The environment down here has been bizarre to say the least."

Baron Saarthuran February 9th, 2007 02:42 PM

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"Recording crystals are difficult to damage or alter, normally, but since we have encountered such reality bending strangeness... who knows? Many things are possible. I hope my vacation photos are not ruined."

kafka47 February 9th, 2007 03:08 PM

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Nero holds the crystal to his torch. "My comprehension of ELECTRONICS says to me this that this was far from inadvertent. It is the calculated action of agents unknown. However, without appropriate equipment, like, what we would have on the surface. It is IMPOSSIBLE to determine how it was done. Other than, I would speculate that someone who has access to encryption/decryption technology of a fairly high tech must responsible. You made a copy of this, didn't you, Ben? May I have it, just for a moment?"

As the Hiver hands over the copy. Nero nods in appreciation.

Inserting it into the player, the copy comes up as a total blank, "Just as I thought, they have run a subroutine that prevents copying. Sorry, Ben. I will be sure to give you the crystal back, so that your vacation snaps are in place. But, it is essential that I need to hold onto this original before any additional corruption occurs. The single thing that I am going to request that you is that you will have to let military censors have a look at this expedition records before you depart this world, as I have revealed fairly classified stuff, even, if it is just commonsense as they will need to expurgate certain details. I consider you a part of my team, therefore, I have no hesitation in sharing things with you. Agreed? Here is your copy," as he paws over the duplicate crystal.

Addressing Kahn’s concern, "the environment down here is pretty strange, I grant you that, nevertheless, I have a gut reaction that it this is the result of deliberate sentient intervention, even though, somehow, I think that I am willing to give these Wrod the benefit of the doubt..." his voice trails.

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travlar February 10th, 2007 02:30 AM

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"Is there anyone that had a chance to fiddle with it other then the Wrod?"

Baron Saarthuran February 10th, 2007 03:55 AM

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"I am unsure, when we were in the chamber on first entering the cave, perceptions were altered to the point where I could not tell what exactly was transpiring. Visual hallucination or perhaps even pyschic phenomena."

kafka47 February 10th, 2007 05:58 PM

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"Snap out of it, man, I mean Hiver, I assure you we are most real. While there have been unusually occurences in these caverns, there as to be a logical explanation and we must get to the root of it. For sure, this is something exceptional but Charted Space is filled with Anomalies and stranger things, even if there are stranger things under the Heavens and this here Earth than dreamt about in your philosophy, my dear Ben. I eliminate the Wrod by similar logic, what need would they have a data crystal recording Ben's vacation snapshots?" says Nero
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sgbrown February 10th, 2007 07:00 PM

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Originally posted by kafka47:
Ref says: "Snap out of it, man, I mean Hiver, I assure you we are most real. While there have been unusually occurences in these caverns, there as to be a logical explanation and we must get to the root of it. For sure, this is something exceptional but Charted Space is filled with Anomalies and stranger things, even if there are stranger things under the Heavens and this here Earth than dreamt about in your philosophy, my dear Ben. I eliminate the Wrod by similar logic, what need would they have a data crystal recording Ben's vacation snapshots?" says Nero

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[/quote]Khan seems a bit impatient, "Gentlmen and Hiver, I understand that we have a mystery with the data crystal, but I've a feeling we'd better be getting ready to depart this village ... before the Wrod decide to terminate us. How about we find the 'old Wrod lady' and get out of here?"

kafka47 February 10th, 2007 08:57 PM

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It is a that point, that four burly looking guard-types appear in the doorway, "You have been summoned. It is time for the trial, and your fates should you decided."

It takes the translators some time on the word "summoned", as if it was cross-referencing with other possibilities. Their manner suggests a no nonsense approach, as they are armed and could easily make short work even the strongest of member of the party...and possibly, even just one of them could easily defeat the lot (Think of a group of professional wrestlers clad in appropriate Wrod attire).
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Baron Saarthuran February 11th, 2007 12:17 AM

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"Will we need anything to prepare for this "trial"? What does the activity entail, exactly? Is it normal for outsiders like ourselves to take part in it?"

kafka47 February 11th, 2007 10:00 PM

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"Come as you are. Or to show respect don the "ceremonial" clothing that has been provided for you. The trial is voluntary but should the Queen wish to feed, I fear for your souls. It is not a pretty sight. The trial is the trial, it is known by all. You are the first "outsiders" that has been seen many life cycles. I do not know the details of what happened to the previous ones. It depended upon their "usefulness"," says one of the Wrod who looks to be the least intelligent although given the above description, all things are relative. (OOC: where words are in "quotes" is where the translator once again stalled as if it had difficulty finding the best translation)

"Come now. The Queen awaits." says another.

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Baron Saarthuran February 12th, 2007 04:17 PM

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Ben examines the ceremonial clothing and tries his best to fit them on.

sgbrown February 12th, 2007 04:45 PM

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Originally posted by Baron Saarthuran von Gushiddan:
Ben examines the ceremonial clothing and tries his best to fit them on.
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Khan dons the ceremonial clothing and watches to see how the toughs carry themselves. Given his considerable hand to hand skill, he's assessing if they're just big or actually carry themselves like they have something besides size going for them.

kafka47 February 12th, 2007 04:50 PM

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The clothes seem to shimmer with an radiance all their own. The seem to be formed from the many strands of thread of the tensile strength of a Terran spider's web. As noted above, they fit perfectly. The guards looks over Ben with approval, "She will be most pleased with your gesture, Do you accept the ceremonial binding?"
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OOC: Anyone else going to step forward?

travlar February 12th, 2007 09:12 PM

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Seeing as nothing is likely to be lost by this, Tyren puts on the clothing.

kafka47 February 13th, 2007 07:30 PM

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“Strangers from above do you accept the binding? For the Queen awaits and her needs must be satisfied…only the pure of heart and mind do past through the fire and back into the water and find warmth within the bosom of the Goddess.” intones the stupid looking one, as Nero slips out his makeshift armour and uniform.

“If you will it to be so, stretch out your hands,” he chants. Looking down at Ben, “I suppose all your appendages is what is called for you, in your special case…”
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Baron Saarthuran February 13th, 2007 07:36 PM

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"Excedingly vague, sirs, but I am in."

Ben holds out his left and right frontal limbs

sgbrown February 13th, 2007 10:11 PM

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"Count me in to." Khan replies

travlar February 14th, 2007 01:34 AM

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"Sure."

kafka47 February 14th, 2007 06:15 PM

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Nero says, “better go with the majority, What the hell. Might as well”

They reach into their satchels and sprinkle what appears to be gold dust over the heads of the characters, and begin this chant At this point the dust begins to solidify and take shape and becomes an incredible strong “rope” formed from an unknown substance for it sparkles is constantly changing its properties. The warriors lead the players outside, there is a golden carriage inlaid with all sorts of ceremonial images. When all the characters have boarded the carriage, it descends downward flanked by the warriors to the base of the diamond shaped structure. Large towering statues of humans are carved directly into the structure.

Steps cut from the natural stone of the planet show the way upward and back into the structure and into a great crudely big gapping hole. The characters are nudged to enter which opens into a large cavern. As their eyes acclimatize to the low level of light they become aware of thousands of Wrod sitting in galleried seating and intoning the same mantra above, then all of a sudden instruments and the chanting stops. The characters are forced to lay flat. There a prepubescent female human child, of no more than 7 years arrives into the chamber dressed in very simple garments. In a melodious voice says, “You have questions, we have answers. What say you?”

The bonds hold the characters firmly in place and have some linked with the floor although no visible bond can be seen.
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sgbrown February 14th, 2007 07:18 PM

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"How can we establish peaceful relationships between the Wrod and our people on the surface? Relationships that will benefit both peoples?" Khan asks.

kafka47 February 14th, 2007 07:25 PM

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The girl's eyes turn white for a moment, she announces, "Peace? There is peace. You do not disturb us, we will not disturb you. How many of you are on the surface. The surface is death. We are amazed that you can survive to make it to our home. The relationship that you speak of must concede our world. Do you seek to help us?" says the girl.
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sgbrown February 15th, 2007 10:46 PM

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Originally posted by kafka47:

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Ref says: The girl's eyes turn white for a moment, she announces, "Peace? There is peace. You do not disturb us, we will not disturb you. How many of you are on the surface. The surface is death. We are amazed that you can survive to make it to our home. The relationship that you speak of must concede our world. Do you seek to help us?" says the girl.
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[/quote]"We seek a peaceful relationship and believe this will help both the Wrod and our people. There is peace - but there is not a relationship. A relationship would allow us to learn about one another and help one another." Khan answers.

"We are the first to contact you from the surface and have no doubt made many mistakes in understanding your ways. I fear in some cases we may have offended the Wrod through our lack of knowledge. Likewise your attempts to monitor the surface have resulted in many deaths among our people and disturbed our use of the surface of this world."

"Our people are from the stars and have access to and from many worlds. The surface of this world is important to us because of it's location among the stars. We have had people on the surface for many generations, though apparently not for as long as the Wrod have been here in the caverns since we have no record of your arrival."

"I am not aware of any interest of my people in these caverns until your probe caused great destruction among us. If we are in relationship, you will have no more need for probes - so the destruction will cease. You can learn more of the surface through us. For our part, we can learn much from the Wrod - your technology is different than ours and very interesting. You can also benefit from resources from the stars - far beyond the limited resources in the caverns, if such interest you. But we must have a relationship for this to happen."

"This group" Khan motions to his companions as best as he can under the circumstances, "is willing to help you contact our people so that the details of a relationship can be worked out to the mutual benefit of the Wrod and our people. Once again, a relationship would allow us to learn about one another and it would allow us to help one another. Without a relationship, more of our people will come to investigate the probe and will resort to increasingly harsh methods as they seek to defend themselves. This would hurt both the Wrod and our people - so we seek a relationship - we seek to help."

kafka47 February 16th, 2007 01:07 PM

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There is some shuffling and mutterings each instance Kahn says the word: "star" or "different worlds" from the accumulated multitude. However, the girl is the notable exception who remains nonchalant.

"You are not the first but the first who has the ability to speak our language. The ones before were assimilated into the whole, many, many life cycles ago," says the girl icily..

"It has been recorded that our ancestors also came from the Stars, you speak of. For long have we awaited rescue until we realized that none would come. Our story is one of survival. The "probe", of which you speak, was a uncomplicated mining device that veered off its path, we assumed only that it reached the barren wastes of the upper world. Our techniques are our own, for now, for we can see that yours is of a vastly substandard nature and furthermore, they convey to us life in this otherwise forbidding natural world. Consequently, we wish to command this relationship of which you speak from a position of strength not as the weaker partner," she firmly intones.

"We have contemplated about your proposition of help. You give the impression to be apt to go where no Wrod has dared to go for generations untold. For that reason, we have in need of your services and would reward you greatly and it would be seen as a measure of building the trust between our two peoples. However, as it is with our people, there must be anlaşmak." she continues.

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Lando The Archmagi February 16th, 2007 04:37 PM

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Eclavdra Vrinn awakens from her dreams and floats to the trial chamber and joins the Wrod nearby, listening to the girl and the strangers talk.

[ February 16, 2007, 10:58 PM: Message edited by: kafka47 ]

skullcrusher February 16th, 2007 05:28 PM

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Not wishing to interrupt Kahn's progress, Nero is remains silent and observes.

sgbrown February 16th, 2007 10:00 PM

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Hmm, they certainly have a position of strength over us. But also certainly not over the Imperium - they simply have no concept of how large the Imperium is. But they would like our help ... which may allow us to live.

Khan replies carefully, "We are willing to meet the conditions we understand and accept this quest. However, I do not understand 'anlaşmak.' This term does not translate well for some reason but it is obviously important to the Wrod and therefore something we must comply with. What is required of us to provide 'anlaşmak?' We do not wish to fail the Wrod for lack of understanding. How do we comply with this requirement?"

kafka47 February 17th, 2007 03:03 AM

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Ref says: "How is it that you do not understand what is anlaşmak? For it is the basis of all things. It is the way the Goddess communicates through us. The resolution of diyalog is anlaşmak and forms our unity. It is the constitution of our being. Your ways are strange to us but we have been tolerant and try to show understanding. As you seem ignorant of anlaşmak. Who amongst you will stand for the trial, that will determine who is of pure of heart and selfless in spirit." questions the girl.
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skullcrusher February 17th, 2007 03:20 PM

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Could this get any farther from a rescue mission Nero wonders. Everything has all gone so terribly wrong. Damn that duke. He really is crazier than a spring hare. Not wishing to have anymore losses under his command, Nero steps forward. "I am responsible for this group. I will stand trial."

sgbrown February 18th, 2007 02:21 AM

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Originally posted by Skullcrusher:
Could this get any farther from a rescue mission Nero wonders. Everything has all gone so terribly wrong. Damn that duke. He really is crazier than a spring hare. Not wishing to have anymore losses under his command, Nero steps forward. "I am responsible for this group. I will stand trial."
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"I am the second in command and will stand with my Captain if permitted." Khan replies.

kafka47 February 18th, 2007 08:49 PM

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There is an immediate gonging that was heard earlier yesterday. The girl holds up her hands and turns turns three times facing the assembled throng. "The Strangers wish to take the trial. What say you?"

"YES" of over a thousand voices echo in the antechamber, as a new chant and music arises from the throng...together with some sort of synthesized mechanical voice and instrumentation.

Underneath, Nero & Kahn it seems like the ground is losing its solidity as it turns a deep transparent. A pulsing purple swirling mist is revealed. There is the clanging of chains of something heavy being brought up from the Abyss. The girl moves toward the curtained dais that is before the characters. Intones some chant in a language that the players translators cannot make any sense of. From behind the curtain, two cowled figures in elaborate red garments . Slowly pull back the curtain to reveal. http://www.hrgiger.com/images/horizontal_sm.jpg

"SIT" the girl commands. With some unnaturally motion, they feel compelled to obey her orders. "For the trial commences..."

Ben looks in horror suddenly what he saw in the Cargo Hold 6, Section 6, Subsection 6 floods back into his consciousness. It was chairs very similar to this and they were been hooked up into a very powerful generator, and they did they seemed to crackle with black lightning. At that point he was politely escorted out from the Cargo Hold, and that is when the blank spot originated. He just remembered a feeling of inexplicable fear & dread when seeing the chairs, as with the probe, they seemed project a feeling of ill ease. But with no power source these chairs were harmless...weren't they.

Suddenly, the chairs draw lightning from the six corners of the room, the chairs are now energized. Still Nero & Kahn are drawn ever closer, as if they are in some sort of hypnotic state. Till they sit down upon the chairs, the force bands shrink away for all the characters. Khan & Nero are effectively immobilized whether from the hypnotic suggestion or just the waves of fear that seem to originating from these objects. The curtains are drawn.
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OOC: Kahn & Nero roll 2D6 x2 and report back the results.

sgbrown February 19th, 2007 02:44 AM

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Originally posted by kafka47:

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Ref says: There is an immediate gonging that was heard earlier yesterday. The girl holds up her hands and turns turns three times facing the assembled throng. "The Strangers wish to take the trial. What say you?"

"YES" of over a thousand voices echo in the antechamber, as a new chant and music arises from the throng...together with some sort of synthesized mechanical voice and instrumentation.

Underneath, Nero & Kahn it seems like the ground is losing its solidity as it turns a deep transparent. A pulsing purple swirling mist is revealed. There is the clanging of chains of something heavy being brought up from the Abyss. The girl moves toward the curtained dais that is before the characters. Intones some chant in a language that the players translators cannot make any sense of. From behind the curtain, two cowled figures in elaborate red garments . Slowly pull back the curtain to reveal. http://www.hrgiger.com/images/horizontal_sm.jpg

"SIT" the girl commands. With some unnaturally motion, they feel compelled to obey her orders. "For the trial commences..."

Ben looks in horror suddenly what he saw in the Cargo Hold 6, Section 6, Subsection 6 floods back into his consciousness. It was chairs very similar to this and they were been hooked up into a very powerful generator, and they did they seemed to crackle with black lightning. At that point he was politely escorted out from the Cargo Hold, and that is when the blank spot originated. He just remembered a feeling of inexplicable fear & dread when seeing the chairs, as with the probe, they seemed project a feeling of ill ease. But with no power source these chairs were harmless...weren't they.

Suddenly, the chairs draw lightning from the six corners of the room, the chairs are now energized. Still Nero & Kahn are drawn ever closer, as if they are in some sort of hypnotic state. Till they sit down upon the chairs, the force bands shrink away for all the characters. Khan & Nero are effectively immobilized whether from the hypnotic suggestion or just the waves of fear that seem to originating from these objects. The curtains are drawn.

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OOC: Kahn & Nero roll 2D6 x2 and report back the results. [/quote]Khan is determined to face this as a marine and wills himself to boldly, willfully comply with the order to sit in the seats.

(OOC - I really hope low is good in this case - die roll results - 1, 2 for 3 x 2 = 6;)

Baron Saarthuran February 19th, 2007 11:38 AM

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"I am going to have trouble fitting into one of these chairs. They seem to be configured for humanoid forms..."

kafka47 February 19th, 2007 01:24 PM

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Ref says: "If the places are the dilemma, creature, hold out hands,” screeches the girl in a most unWrod like manner. Her whole body seems to be energized by some sort of outside power. Her eyes have turned a bright crimson and blood is seemingly is weeping out of her ducts, all the time the pulsing black lightning is streaking across the entire antechamber. There is no slackening in the chanting and mechanically generated sound.

A flawless sphere of pure scarlet energy rises up in front of Kahn and he collapses (after the dice rolled) onto the floor. The ball hovers then scatters into thousands of minuscule glowing fragments and embeds themselves in the forehead some of the assembled Wrod.
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Baron Saarthuran February 19th, 2007 08:37 PM

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Ben moves to see Kahn, to see if he is injured or dead.

"What have you done to him?"

kafka47 February 19th, 2007 08:53 PM

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"It is the trial. No more, no less." cackles the girl.
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OOC: Does Ben extend his hands when examining Kahn? If so roll 2D6 x 2.

Lando The Archmagi February 20th, 2007 01:55 AM

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Eclavdra Vrinn steps forth from the crowd, and says, "My queen, I implore you to stop this madness!"

kafka47 February 20th, 2007 01:55 PM

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”What madness do you speak of. The outsiders volunteered for the trial. We are all aware that the Queen has for eternity been capable of determining all that is and in doing so establishing what will be. It is our way. Why Old One, have you not seen the future, and if these strangers are the future, it is for the Queen to establish her outcome. Already, you see the Source is being renewed, if these strangers are to be pure then they will be commendable of the quest. They may keep the bounty, for we no longer are its protectors, we must safeguard the community; this is what has been established by the trust of our ancestors. It would seem you have been contaminated with the taint that these strangers transport to the Village, despite your atonement. The insanity in your ways of testing tradition; do you wish the take the trial, Eclavdra Vrinn?” asks the girl.

From his vantage point, Ben too faraway to see Kahn’s body and its condition, Ben & Tyren find the binding permits them to move forward toward the “chairs” but not in any other direction. The girl with weeping tears of blood and black eyes holds out her hands in a welcoming gesticulation (if at any point, he or Tyren decides to sit on the chairs or take her hands roll 2D6 x 2). The body of Nero is swathed with the black lightning that seems to originate from the floor as much as the chairs themselves, around the room the chanting (OOC: if you have trouble making out the lyrics here you go) ing has not ceased, if anything it seems to have increased in intensity.
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kafka47 February 20th, 2007 03:57 PM

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OOC: Incorporated Skullcrusher's die rolls...


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The mighty frame of strong Captain Nero falls to the ground motionless. A flawless sphere of pure scarlet energy rises up in front of the good Captain Nero and he collapses (after the dice rolled) onto the floor. The ball hovers then scatters into thousands of minuscule glowing fragments and embeds themselves in the forehead some of the assembled Wrod.

"The End is Near, my Sisters and Brothers, soon the Goddess shall rise and devour all. What has been segmented will be made whole. The whole shall return to the universe to feed everlasting and we shall be her servants," crackles the girl swaying under the rythmn of the chant (found a site that has the whole song choose #6) .

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sgbrown February 20th, 2007 08:19 PM

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Khan stands in the ready room with Nero, Tyren and Ben shaking his head at a group of young LT's fresh out of the Academy. He shields his eyes from the blazing crimson sun coming in through the portal and turns to Nero, "Can you believe this?" He asks his fellow marine captain incredulously.

LT Havnoclue interupts, "No really sir, LT Imadork and I would like to take the unit caving ... it will be great training if you'll just sign the release here..."

Havnoclue's voice trails off as a drink in a coconut shell is placed in Khan's hand by a lovely young lady with dark hair and a tan that just won't quit.

The ready room and his fellow marines shimmer and disappear as the crimson sun shatters - revealing a beach lined with palm trees. The ebony haired lady laughs as she says, "Stop daydreaming, surfs up!" She grabs a board and heads for the waves...

OOC: This assumes he's able to dream in his current state. Otherwise - well he pretty mutch just lies there.

skullcrusher February 22nd, 2007 07:21 PM

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[
Drool....

Lando The Archmagi February 26th, 2007 12:54 AM

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chanting (OOC: if you have trouble making out the lyrics here you go) ing has not ceased, if anything it seems to have increased in intensity.
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Eclavdra Vrinn draws her weapon and stands her ground,

"I saw the Queen's visions of death and madness, if you slay them their friends will come from the stars and destroy us. Surely the stars and renewing our people is more important to our future?!"

Baron Saarthuran February 26th, 2007 01:07 PM

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"This is what you call diplomacy?" Ben asks sternly. "You will find coexistance with the outside galaxy impossible if your initial stance is one of hostility and violence. The other governments of "The Stars" will not stand for it."

Ben lurches forward suddenly to take the "trial"

(Rolling an 11 on 2d)

kafka47 February 26th, 2007 07:15 PM

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Black lightning courses throughout Ben's body. He loses consciousness for but a fracture in time and space. His body is dislocated from his mind, his mind soars and begins to experience something that he cannot really understand.

(OOC: passed you a note via your email account)
--------------------scene change-------------

The girl's eyes are now streaming with blood as her whole body shakes and she collapses. Suddenly, the girl a strange incandescence surrounds her body then leaves. Standing up, the girl flattens out her smock, and turns around to the crowd, "The Goddess is pleased. If the strangers accept the quest, the Goddess has entered them and found them pure."

The bonds around Tyren are freed, and slowly the other characters gain consciousness.
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sgbrown February 28th, 2007 03:03 AM

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The crimson sun is setting in over the sea as Khan graps his surf board and paddles out to catch a wave. He knows the dark haired lady by his side but can't quite place the name - just that he's known her all his life and that she's a friend. A great wave is coming. As he turns to tell his friend ...
the crimson sun shatters...

Ben surfs past on the wave and grabs the coconut shell drink from his hand as Tyren says "Break times over captain."

"Hey that's my dr" Khan begins to protest but is cut short as the wave swells propelling Khan headlong onto the beach.

Khan feels the cold hard stone of the beach and wonders where the sand went. He blinks his eyes and wonders if he's gone blind - then he realizes he's face down on the stone.

When he rolls over he realizes he's still in the caverns ... He begins to struggle to his feet in order to reach the black chair of the challenge. Can't let my friends down, must make it to the chair... oblivious to the noise from the wrod around him he struggles forward ... nothing matters but reaching the chair...

skullcrusher February 28th, 2007 02:51 PM

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Nero sits up slowly. "I am getting too old for this drek." He mumbles as he rises to his feet. Noticing that Ben is already standing he looks inquiringly towards him. "What happened?"

Baron Saarthuran February 28th, 2007 04:11 PM

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The world was a larger scale for Larval Ben as he eked his way through the undergrowth. Behind him, five other Larva looked up at the hill, which to the assembled small creatures may have well been a gigantic mountain.

Through silent chemical signal, Larval Ben urged the others up the hill, passing through the shade of several htan plants. The safety of the snohl warren lay three meters ahead as the tiny procession pressed onward...

In a flash, the purpose of the walk was broken with the screeching descent of a massive yatani bird... the creature zoomed into the brush and quickly snatched three of the rearward larva, taking them off into the air, and oblivion...

Ben's tubular feet pumped harder as he sped towards the warren. The great shadow of the yatani was on his back as he shoved the remaining larva towards the bird with his hind limbs and scrambled into the hole. In the darkness of the snohl cave, Larval Ben shuffled towards a delicious fungus patch, showing no relief at having escaped nature's selection...

kafka47 February 28th, 2007 04:28 PM

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"The Queen has joyously approved of your souls and we have feasted upon it and seen the purity of tao. Will you accept the quest? I can only promise riches beyond belief but beware ahead lies many dangers for the true path is frought with peril." says the girl wiping the blood from her face.
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skullcrusher February 28th, 2007 07:27 PM

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Nero addresses the girl. "We have made vows to serve others that may not be broken. As long as this quest does not conflict with those vows we accept."

sgbrown February 28th, 2007 08:15 PM

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Nero addresses the girl. "We have made vows to serve others that may not be broken. As long as this quest does not conflict with those vows we accept."
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The voices finally penetrate as Khan is stumbling towards the chairs, The trial is complete. We've passed ... not sure if that's good or bad. Khan nods concurrence with Nero.

Baron Saarthuran March 1st, 2007 12:07 PM

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Ben shakily regards the sophonts in front of him as he wobbles to conciousness. After quickly replaying the girl's statement (while he was under) he adjusts his voder and speaks:

"Now that this business is past. The time for riddles is at an end. We all do our part in the name of Interstellar amity, each serving our own polities. We of the Federation, when set to a task, even a "Quest", require particulars for succesful resolution..."

He sets a dodecahedral die on the table...

"Also, the promise of "riches beyond belief" is too vague. Especially in the face of great peril and danger. Effective planning will require direct information. We are agreed to accept the task, but you must do your part and impart any information we need to complete it. Experience has taught me to deal in quantifiables."

kafka47 March 1st, 2007 09:24 PM

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The girl sadly shakes her head, "Your souls now belong to the Goddess. Should you wish to free them, you must undertake the trek. Of course, she recognizes free will and not all is predetermination, however, the Wrod cannot have responsibility for what follows in your life or lives above. Your vows above mean nothing to the Goddess and I am certain that she will not see the conflict."

Her voice turns a little cold, "Riddles? Chosen One? You above all should see the importance of the Quest in the vision that you saw. You are the keystone of destiny and it is your mandate to see it to its completion, as you have been blessed and she has filled your vessel with her essence. Only by confronting the Goddess will you ever be free."

"However, I concede your point, the Quest must journey to the orifice of the Goddess, there you will find the portal that leads to elsewhere where SHE resides.

Our ancestors found this way to be way that brought light where darkness reigned, energy where inert matter was present, civilization where barbarity ruled.

You are to implore the Goddess to find out why she has forsaken the Wrod - the elect of the Stars. She has demanded sacrifice in the past, as we have done everything as it has been proscribed but yet all we get is silence. This is the first time, a Chosen One has arrived from the Outside, speaking of the linking of destinies between the surface and the underworld. Now has come time of arising." says the girl as body trembles and she is pulling out a necklace.

The necklace is rather ordinary looking save, the metal composition is that of iradium (a very rare superheavy element) & gold composite, on the other side, is an elaborate sketching or what would appear to be a Starfield and a stamp with a date & serial number, she then speaks, as if reciting some Holy Writ, "The Wrod are the descendants of a Destroyer Escort charged with protecting the treasury ship Isdur. We misjumped eons ago to this world from home and were presumed lost. Our ancestors set up a navibeacon on the highest hill which probably in the current age has weathered and long since died. Our ancestors were determined to survive and took the remaining survivors from the ship, underground. After near starvation and much suffering, they found the orifice. There they communed with the Goddess, who lead them to this place. The Village we call First.

Other villages exist, although, none as big as this one. The Goddess, in the intervening years has nourished and provided us with shelter and warmth in her bosom. We therefore have come to worship the Goddess, for she has sought nothing in return save the occasional supply of metals that she has commanded that we mine and our sick, elderly and first newborn of every copulation. For many life cycles, we had hope of rescue that our navibeacon would attract nearby ships. None came. However, over time strangers have come into our caves. We have welcomed those that are compatible and rejected those that are not. This necklace is partial map copied from our navigation computer. It reveals the flight plan of the treasure ship, of course, it may have also been lost, but we can assume that if it found its way all of its treasures will be yours. Upon completion of this task, we will provide you with the full map and a way to the surface. We claim nothing, for this world is now our home. I will need three warriors to accompany you to orifice, they know the caves and some of the dangers that lie between here and the orifice Once you descend into the Abyss, there is the unknown. None, since the original settlers have gone there and survived. I will now ask for three volunteers to accompany you."

The girl then sings out in a Chant that the translation computers have difficulty understanding, as it neither in the language of the Wrod nor of any the languages within its database. The above chanting suddenly comes to halt and silence fills the chamber.
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OOC: New players are welcome to approach me for an opening, if anyone is interested in joining the adventure.

Baron Saarthuran March 2nd, 2007 02:23 AM

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Ben reaches out a linb towards the girl, when the chanting stops.

"May I examine that necklace more closely?"

"I have several questions...

How distant is this Orifice, and what exactly is its nature? Is it a door way, or do you speak metaphorically? Some sort of extradimensional portal?

You speak also of "sacrifice", what character does this take? How are the sick, elderly and newborns sacrificed? How often does this happen?

What sort of metals does this goddess require and how much? Can you show the metals to me?

How uch time do we have to properly plan and outfit this expidition? Are you going to aid us in being properly equipped?

When you say the navbeacon gave out long ago, do you know how long ago that was exactly?

How long are your life cycles? What measuremnt of time is that?

I can already see several aspects of your lives here that I may be able to help with after we return... in the spirit of interstellar amity.

May Nero, Kahn and I have a moment to discuss preliminaries for the quest? "

kafka47 March 2nd, 2007 02:55 PM

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OOC: Calling all would be adventurers; there are spots at this virtual tabletop for all those who love exploration, excitement, and chills and those who are in a general need of a Traveller fix. Come and join the fun. PM me for details.


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Ref says: The girl grudgingly, as if it was a holy and sacred talisman, hands over the necklace which shimmers under the ambient light. The material composition is correct and the dating system employed correlates to a time that Solomani & Darrian expeditions were actively exploring the worlds of the Spinward Marches. However, it would take much time to interpret the routes from this fragment, for it follows the old Terran practice of identifying stars by their spectral type. You seem to holding the centerpiece in which the sun of Daryen is correctly labeled along with some its nearby stellar neighbors; scribbling notations in old Darrian accompany each star. Under magnification, it would seem to indicate the AU from the prime sequence star to the mainworld. This data alone would be worth several thousand credits to a judicious collector, as proof of the Darrian presence in the Spinward Marches (and possibly beyond, for you are now in Foreven) well before the arrival of the Third Imperium. The composite metal is indeed an alloy of iradium and gold, what is interesting is both elements exist in their purest form. Although, earlier you did observe a fully functional TL G forge in operation, so it might be possible that impurities have been weaned out over the centuries that the Wrod have inhabited these caverns.

“The Orifice is at least, 3 sleeping cycles, down toward the bowels of the planet. The Orifice is the orifice, there is not other way of describing it. What multidimensional portals do you speak of, Chosen One? This knowledge is not known to Wrod.” Says the girl cocking her head.

“Of course, we can show you the metals, for we need them for our survival too. But they are located in the storeroom. We can aid you, by providing you with equipment that does not put in danger the safety of our community. Naturally, we will return the items that we examined from you. Nevertheless, I fear that they will have restricted advantage as they seem to operate on the basis of projecting smaller particles outward with great velocity, when you run out of the smaller objects, you will dead. However, do recommend swiftness in your actions and decisions, for if we lose First then all communities will wither and die.” Says the Wrod woefully.

“The navibeacon has been overhauled by every birth-death cycle, one from among us travels to the surface. None have ever returned. For the surface is death. So, it must be with the navibeacon things must have died that sustain it. Still the sacrifice must be made to ensure the survival of all.

You question our sacrifice of the living? It is perpetual, only this way can survival be assured, so it has been decreed. As for life cycles, how do you measure it? I am already old enough to have received the wisdom from the Queen, soon I will enter my reproductive cycle, then comes death. What more is there? Come to anlaşmak and be off. Time of the essence. If it is the Goddess’ will that the Elect should die, then die we will. We must have the answer.”

Turning back to face the assembled throng, she addresses the crowd, “Is nobody interested in joining these brave surface dwellers? They have faced the death of the surface and made their way to our home. Surely there must some who are brave enough to face the trials of the orifice?”
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Baron Saarthuran March 2nd, 2007 04:26 PM

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"I do not question your sacrificial practices, only how it is done. You misunderstand me."

Ben puts the die back in his pouch.

"We will begin immediately."

Ben nods to the Wrod and then turns to Kahn and Nero...

(text message, in galanglic to them both)

'we must endeavor to find someone here that can give us more accurate facts than this person. she tends to talk in wide tangents. how can they be this advanced and not know what a gun is, or how to measure time outside of simplistic biological patterns? I fear this flummery about goddesses and souls is going to get us killed somehow...'

and...

'have your marines ever caught or killed one of these beings on the surface? what could 'the surface is death' mean beyond being cold and hostile to life?'

skullcrusher March 2nd, 2007 06:35 PM

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Nero casts his mind back to all those dreadful reports officers must read...

sgbrown March 3rd, 2007 02:03 AM

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Khan nods as he reads Ben's message. Then for the translator, "When the bullets run out, the cutlass is used. I trust that mine is still in good shape?"

sgbrown March 3rd, 2007 02:28 AM

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After debating how to mention this outside the hearing of the Wrod, Khan determines that it's unlikely he'll be able to do so in the near future - so he might as well answer the Hiver in the clear,

"Ben, none of the imperial report's I've read have mentioned the Wrod in anyway, but that's not surprising. There are only a few locations that have breathable air on the surface - and the radiation zones in between are quite hazardous as well. Unless the lone Wrod wanted to make contact and sought out one of the skiddle miners or outposts... well, let's just say a single individual would likely die from lack of air or one of the other hazards long before accidental contact. Which points to a issue we'll need to address after we complete our quest. Just returning to the surface is not enough - we need to return to the right location on the surface."

Turning to the Wrod, "As you see, it is as we told you.. our people are interested in this location in space much more than the minerals of this world. Only a small portion of the surface has been rendered habitable - outside these areas the surface is death to us just as it is to the Wrod - unless of course, we have proper equipment - similar to some of the equipment used for crossing between stars."

Khan seems lost in thought for a moment, No use trying to explain a vacc suit to this child. Ben may be puzzled by them, but this looks like a degenerate culture to me - they have very high tech equipment, but not a high tech understanding. Just what's been handed down for using what they've got ... no real science. Unsophisticated natives with high tech ... what a mess. Can't trust them to respond to reason instead of superstition, but you can't wow them with high tech either...

Rmembering their early allie and the potential death she faces, Khan asks "Is Eclavdra Vrinn about? Will she be joining on our quest?"

kafka47 March 3rd, 2007 04:06 PM

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OOC: Calling all would be adventurers; there are spots at this virtual tabletop for all those who love exploration, excitement, and chills and those who are in a general need of a Traveller fix. Come and join the fun. PM me for details.


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"Clearly, Strangers, you are brave and many sagas will be written about you should you survive. It is curious that you ask for one who is near death to accompany you. However, the choice remains hers alone. I fear that there are not many of my kind who wish to risk their lives in this venture. I ask again are there any who wish to join the strangers, in the meantime, prepare your lists of equipment (OOC: PM me with what you want, I will then send back with what is available...). If anyone wants to join the strangers they should speak NOW," the girl's voice echoes throughout the chamber.
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atpollard March 4th, 2007 03:30 PM

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OOC: Heads Up, count me in ... details to follow.

atpollard March 5th, 2007 02:47 PM

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From a corner of the vast crowd, a whisper of hisses begins. It slowly spreads forward and grows into a chorus. The angry crowd parts as a young man, seeking his future, steps from the crowd and walks in measured steps towards the group. He is dressed like none of the people you have met thus far. Hide boots cover his feet, hide breeches cover his legs, and a hide vest covers his chest. Over the vest is what resembles a combat harness made from rope with the leather bound handles of a dozen daggers visible and within easy reach. His black arms show several healed scars and his hair is shaved short except for a long braid that extends from the top of his head to about a quarter of the way down his back. His face is expressionless, unaware of the crowd. He stops a meter from the party and says:

“I have heard your words and Athiyk Z'hin is not afraid, like the Wrod. For the good of the First People, I will go with you. Perhaps yours is the Quest that the spirits require of me. Do you welcome me on your hunt?”
travlar March 20th, 2007 02:18 AM

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Tyren fires at the part of Ansh hit by the grenade at full automatic. (roll 7, skill 3)

kafka47 March 20th, 2007 03:15 AM

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Ref says: The Ansh explodes in a collosial ball of flame, as inner tubes of hydrogen gas that made up its flotation balasts rupture. Smells of barbecued calamari are everywhere. The bridge continues to creak and parts of seem like they are ready to fall into the abyss. (OOC: everyone 5pts fire dmg...and each successive round that the flames remain lit 1pt it takes two characters to cooperate to douse all the flames).

"Strangers, quickly affix the pitons on either side, for this is not only the way forward but also the way back should we survive." sputters out Thales.

Below in the cavern another reddish signature is approaching (at least, 10 turns away). Bane looks down in horror, "We knew that they always hunt in threes, Strangers, we not have much time..."
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Jame March 20th, 2007 02:46 PM

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Julianne connects the data crystal to her hand computer and tries to eliminate, or at least minimise, the static. She initiates the data-cleaning program on the handcomp and sits back to relax and let it do its work.

As she relaxes and sips her java-bean-and-juice smoothie, she wonders where she is and how she got there, and what the Droyne have to do with it...

sgbrown March 20th, 2007 09:05 PM

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Ref says: The Ansh explodes in a collosial ball of flame, as inner tubes of hydrogen gas that made up its flotation balasts rupture. Smells of barbecued calamari are everywhere. The bridge continues to creak and parts of seem like they are ready to fall into the abyss. (OOC: everyone 5pts fire dmg...and each successive round that the flames remain lit 1pt it takes two characters to cooperate to douse all the flames).

"Strangers, quickly affix the pitons on either side, for this is not only the way forward but also the way back should we survive." sputters out Thales."

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[/quote]Khan pads the fire out on Ben and asks for the hiver to return the favor. He will then help any one else douse the flames - if everyone here already has a partner extinguishing flames he'll quickly cross the bridge to assist Zhin. Once Zhin is out, he'll attach pintons to the far side and wait for the others to come with the rope.

"Nero and Tyren, can you ensure there's some pintons on this side and thread some rope across as you come?" Khan asks as he's departing.

skullcrusher March 20th, 2007 09:34 PM

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Nero double checks that everyone is extinguished and begins hammering pitons as fast as possible.

kafka47 March 21st, 2007 02:52 AM

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Eclavdra Vrinn's body is charred from receiving the most direct amount of flame damage. Her clothes are alight and her eyes weep, watching Nero cast in the last piton and string the rope to other side which is when the "bridge" gives way. Thales desperately reaches out his hand with Bane tethered to remaining rope, "Come on, Old One, if want to live this is your last chance."

Meanwhile the second Ansh is moving up the chasm at an astonishing rate.

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Julianne's handcomp runs through several dozen permutations with dealing with the static, then what appears to be some sort of code: NASH-DOIE-TSO CHINDI TACHEENE BE-NE-EH-EH-JAH-TSO LANH GIHA HA-NEH-AL-ENJI HA-NEH-AL-ENJI?

...after which the crystal goes black and is seemingly blank.
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Jame March 21st, 2007 01:06 PM

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Julianne thinks Hunh. I wonder what that means? and sees if her handcomp has any translation programs.

Eh, maybe I'll ask one of the Droyne. Julianne finishes her drink, puts the glass on the first cleared table she can find and goes to find a Droyne who speaks Galanglic.

kafka47 March 21st, 2007 04:53 PM

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OOC: Anyone yearning to join heroic deeds on the surface with Julianne PM me.


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Ref says: The pitons hold. The passageway downward leads ever deeper down into the crevasses of the underdark. The tunnels without doubt stretch deep enough to get away from the Ansh's tendrils and its substantial form could not fit through the narrow aperture.

"Make a decision now, Old One, are you in or out,” as the wall of muscle of the warrior seems to be going white from the strain of holding Eclavdra. “If I drop you, at least you will know that you have breathed your last breath with honour by slowing the advance of the Ansh. To imagine you dreamed of the Stars, what say you now, who could not even keep her feet steady on the ground..." the warrior taunts Vinn, hoping that the mocking will spurt her adrenaline to allow to scramble to safety.

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atpollard March 21st, 2007 10:18 PM

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As Zhin struggles to extinguish himself, Khan arrives to help and receives a quick nod of thanks. A brief glance down at the approaching menace, a scan of the scene for useable supplies, and Zhin comments “What a waste to just leave all this behind, but time is short.” Zhin quickly gathers a piece of strong, flexible membrane and a chunk of burned meat from the scattered remains of the creature.

“ I will scout ahead” he whispers and softly pads 50 meters into the dark passage. Zhin squats down as his instincts stir to life. He strains to hear and smell and taste the dark cave beyond as he waits for his vision to adjust and his brothers to rope cross the chasm. An experienced hunter, he resolves ‘I will not be taken by surprise again’.

skullcrusher March 22nd, 2007 06:11 PM

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Nero, nods to Kahn, Tyren and Ben. "Mr. Zhin, is a native and has local knowledge. Let him have th e point." He turns to the Wrod. "Mr. Zhin, please take the point. Tyren, the rear guard please."

Baron Saarthuran March 22nd, 2007 09:56 PM

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Ben does a quick life support status check on his suit and scoops a small bit of the Ansh's tissue into a baggie for analysis. On the passage wall, He also scratches the Gurvin letter "x" with an arrow pointing back towards the bridge area with his springblade.

"Perhaps this would be a good time to take inventory and check our overall status. Zhin, have you been in these caverns before in your past? Maybe as a youth?"

kafka47 March 23rd, 2007 03:14 AM

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OOC: Anyone yearning to join heroic deeds on the surface with Julianne PM me.


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Besides the obvious smell of burnt cartilage from the remains of the Ansh. The air in the tunnels is once again rank and stale. There is a whiff of water moisture in the air. Nowhere, as far can see are there any more bioluminescent fauna or flora. These are strange and unknown caves. Not at all like the living caves where he made his life, silently thinks Zhin.

At this point, Eclavdra Vinn lets out a silent scream, as Thales releases his grip. Lowers his head for a moment, "Come the second Ansh will feed in no time at all then it feast upon us all. We must not merely debate the way, we must move forward with haste, the Village awaits us."

Bane grips his comrades shoulder for a moment, they lock forwards and look up at the rest of the party for instruction. The whirling has momentarily been punctuated with a human scream reverberating throughout the cavern, within a round the whirling commences again.
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atpollard March 23rd, 2007 04:22 AM

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Zhin moves forward, quickly for the first 80 fathoms [147 meters] and pauses briefly. The Hunter ties one end of a rope to his harness, feeds out 15 fathoms [27 meters] and fastens it to Khan. Pass the rope on and maintain at least a 2 fathom gap from this point back.

Hunter Zhin then moves ahead of the group and advances more slowly and deliberately – constantly scanning for danger, water and food (in that order).

[OOC: a fathom is the distance from fingertip to fingertip on outstretched arms for the average human – about 6 feet or 1.8 meters. Kafka wanted some exotic measurement for the Wrod, so that should do the job.]

kafka47 March 24th, 2007 09:25 PM

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OOC: Anyone yearning to join heroic deeds on the surface with Julianne PM me.


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After another day so journey of twisting and turning caves, they come across another bridge. This one seems perfectly intact down below there is the sound of gushing water. Torches shining down reveal nothing. As the party reaches halfway there is the sound of the bridge beginning to give way. The party make it safely across but will have great caution on the return.

Three hundred fathoms onto the other side, Zhin's candle turns a bluish haze. And, the Ben's atmospheric detector suddenly registers a change in the air...
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atpollard March 25th, 2007 04:05 PM

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OOC: Does the air have a distinct smell? Is Zhin familiar with it? [roll 6, Survival-1 + JOT-2 if that helps].

kafka47 March 26th, 2007 01:10 AM

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OOC: Anyone yearning to join heroic deeds on the surface with Julianne PM me.

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The air smells rancid. It is the smell of death. The candle begins now to grow suddenly very bright. Then in a sudden wind, the flame is extinguished.
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OOC: Luck for you I gave you his one...

travlar March 26th, 2007 02:03 AM

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"Ben, what does your atmospheric detector show?" Tyren puts on his LI goggles and looks for visible danger.

Baron Saarthuran March 26th, 2007 03:23 AM

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"Scanning... it could be natural cave decomposition of life, but the brightness of the candle could mean some kind of gaseous buildup..."

kafka47 March 26th, 2007 01:41 PM

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LT goggles show the air is disturbed and is shifting, akin to what sees on the seashore at night with the advance of a fog. Switching over to IR, nothing significant can be seen.

Ben's detector is now registering trace amounts of C3H8 with isolated free radical but it is hard to filter out as the breeze coming from behind is still filled with the smell of barbecued Ansh and clear but stale air. What lies ahead indicates ever increasing quantities of C3H8.
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Baron Saarthuran March 26th, 2007 05:52 PM

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"I am detecting increased levels of a propane compound in the area's atmosphere... all should guard against open are ignition sources... the concentration of the gas could rise to explosive levels..."

atpollard March 26th, 2007 08:54 PM

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Zhin: "But is the air poison? Can we breathe it?"

Baron Saarthuran March 26th, 2007 10:44 PM

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"I am unsure how toxic it will be to all races involved, but it will be quite toxic/explosive in a very short time at this rate to most carbon based life forms... the peculiar thing is, propane is normally a byproduct of petrochemical refinement. Perhaps there are massive sources of petroleum based compounds in the rocks or further down the tunnels..."

Ben begins to inspect the entire party for anything that may be an ignition/spark source. he pauses at Nero, Tyren and Kahn's weaponry and cranes his neck in a backwards and forwards motion...

"I'm afraid you will be unable to fire those slug throwers for much longer, gentlemen... not without incinerating us..."

atpollard March 27th, 2007 12:07 AM

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Zhin: "Then we should hurry forward and hope to pass quickly through it. If our destiny lies forward then we cannot go back. Perhaps we will survive."

(Zhin draws a pair of daggers, and offers them to Nero, Tyren and Khan - he has multiple pairs of obsidian daggers)

"If you cannot use your weapons, then you may need these. A warrior should not die unarmed."

sgbrown March 27th, 2007 02:28 AM

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Zhin: "Then we should hurry forward and hope to pass quickly through it. If our destiny lies forward then we cannot go back. Perhaps we will survive."

(Zhin draws a pair of daggers, and offers them to Nero, Tyren and Khan - he has multiple pairs of obsidian daggers)

"If you cannot use your weapons, then you may need these. A warrior should not die unarmed."
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"Thank you my friend, but I already have a blade or two of my own" Khan replies, drawing his cutlass.

OOC: Got free of the plant a bit sooner than anticipated.

kafka47 March 27th, 2007 02:10 PM

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OOC: Anyone yearning to join heroic deeds on the surface with Julianne PM me.


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Ben finds much of the equipment, like that of his own that the Marines had brought down from the surface has taken a real beating when they encountered the creature at the pond. While, he jettisoned (thankfully) the sparking grav belts, most of the electronic equipment is holding but tempermental.

Through LT googles the swirling mist is now up to their ankles but seeming is kept in check by the backdraft. The levels at least in this section of the tunnels is not toxic. However, without running some sort of probe, it is unknown what concentrations lie ahead.
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sgbrown March 27th, 2007 06:35 PM

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"Well, I'm not going to just stand here and wait for the levels to go up." Khan says readjusting the rope to allow him to take point. "Zhin, since my equipment doesn't require an open flame, I'll take point. If I start to choke and pass out - quit following me and pull me out." Khan double checks to ensure the rope is secure to his harness and proceeds down the passage with his cutlass drawn.

kafka47 March 27th, 2007 09:01 PM

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OOC: Anyone yearning to join heroic deeds on the surface with Julianne PM me.


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Kahn descends for about 100m down a gentle slope (a mere 65 degree slope), the air is not terribly toxic just the smell of a bad gas barbeque is ever present.

Much rather prefer those open flames of steak pit than those gas contraptions...never thought it would be me who would get roasted, however... he silently thinks.

He then comes to a level plain where there seems to be carved into the ground an enormous chessboard, with each "square" occupying some 5 square meters. Thus the checkerboard pattern is as far as the eye can see.

Here the air is particularly dense of the foul smelling gas.
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OOC: What are the others doing further up?

sgbrown March 27th, 2007 11:29 PM

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Originally posted by kafka47:
OOC: Anyone yearning to join heroic deeds on the surface with Julianne PM me.

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He then comes to a level plain where there seems to be carved into the ground an enormous chessboard, with each "square" occupying some 5 square meters. Thus the checkerboard pattern is as far as the eye can see.

Here the air is particularly dense of the foul smelling gas.

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OOC: What are the others doing further up? [/quote]"There's a big grid down here - lot's of gas, not deadly, but it sure stinks." Khan yells back as he pokes along the edge of the first square with his cutlass.

OOC: Does Khan see any chess pieces or just the board?

atpollard March 28th, 2007 03:39 AM

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Zhin follows.

kafka47 March 29th, 2007 02:47 AM

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OOC: Anyone yearning to join heroic deeds on the surface with Julianne PM me.


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Zhin along with Bane & Thales comes down into the vast cavern. It is not a board just a checker board pattern hence no pieces. However, close examination of the ground shows that pattern is slight elevating above the ground.
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sgbrown March 29th, 2007 07:23 PM

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Khan cautiously (not pathetically, just carefully) begins to cross the grided floor probing each grid and then testing it with part of his weight before stepping on it all the way.

Proably just decoration, but if it's this is a way of hiding a pressure plate or trap door ...

kafka47 March 29th, 2007 09:52 PM

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OOC: Anyone yearning to join heroic deeds on the surface with Julianne PM me.


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Kahn safely transverses to the other side, the smell of gas is almost overpowering, however as steps on each square, fortunately it he is able to rapidly make his way across the 300m cavern without inhaling too much propane.

Bane & Thales scratch their head in disbelief, "Our ancestors called this the trail of fire. Yet there is no flame." as Bane too manages to safely cross the chessboard.
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atpollard March 30th, 2007 03:24 AM

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Being roped in the second position, Zhin follows Khan.

Baron Saarthuran March 30th, 2007 12:56 PM

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"Give it a chance. We still have yet to encounter any ignition source. There may be fire, but i don't know how spiritual being burned to death will be..."

Ben keeps his head low as he makes his way to the checkerboard.

skullcrusher March 30th, 2007 05:33 PM

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Nero shoulders his rifle. He checks is RAD metre and then draws a small throwing knife and a flash light. Cycling his visor from regular to infrared Nero moves down the cave to join captain Kahn.

kafka47 March 30th, 2007 07:19 PM

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OOC: Two characters have crossed the large cavern with the chessboard in straight lines. How are the others going to proceed?

Thales attempts to follow in the same manner as Bane and is immediately engulfed in flames and dies.
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travlar March 30th, 2007 07:59 PM

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Tyren follows carfully, checking to see if anything is following them.

Baron Saarthuran March 30th, 2007 08:46 PM

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Ben watches carefully with infrared, avoiding any growing "hotspots" he may encounter...

kafka47 March 31st, 2007 02:49 AM

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As Ben looks in infrared the whole board seems to live with hotspots. Although, that could be indicative of the entire environment, as heat plumes from deep within the planetary core makes infrared very difficult.

As Tyren goes down, there is nothing that he see nor hear following him.
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sgbrown April 2nd, 2007 01:53 AM

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EDIT: (OOC- Missed the part of Thales being engulfed in flame. Sorry! Thanks for the heads up Ref!)

Khan tries to think of anything he and Bane did differently from Thales.

(OOC Is Zhin across as well? He was in second position?)
Baron Saarthuran April 2nd, 2007 10:47 PM

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With views one and two, Ben tries to scan for variations in atmospheric density as comparing "normal" air and "extreme" air (like what just smoked Thales.) He's got his suit on and zipped up, and proceeds towards the group cautiously. With the third view he tries to see where the gas comes from through any visual distortions in the air, if he can.

Filming an area of space in front of him, he replays it and sees if he can filter the image to show any sort of distortion, similar in effect to heat rising from a hot road.

atpollard April 2nd, 2007 11:54 PM

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On March 29, I wrote:


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Originally posted by atpollard:
Being roped in the second position, Zhin follows Khan.
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If it matters, I am probably 2 squares to the left of Khan (and several squares back) since we were talking before he crossed and I have the rope to pull him to safety if he fainted.

kafka47 April 3rd, 2007 01:50 PM

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Tyren look in disbelief how quickly Thales was consumed by the flame. Zhin pauses before taking another step. Ben actively scanning sees that the gas is seeping from the sides of each square under extreme magnification there are microwires that are live. Not enough of an electric current to seriously harm anyone but enough to ignite the gas. The pattern of on and off seems to be in constant flux.

As they cross onto the first square, the flames that consumed Thales sever rope (fortunately), as they decide to the next step. The only pattern that can be detected is that it seems to be personalized.
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http://www.hixoxih.com/games/chess/i...sboard-big.gif

Baron Saarthuran April 3rd, 2007 02:06 PM

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OOC: Personalized how?

Ben examines the surrounding walls to see if he can bypass the floor altogether. If not, he bunches up a foot and test presses the center of a square to see if it affects the ignition routine.

kafka47 April 3rd, 2007 03:28 PM

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Ben extends his foot forward and notices there a build up electricity (fortunately, not yet leading to sparking), shifting his leg to the left or the right square there is no appreciable build of electrical charge.

Zhin attempts to do the same and Ben notices a similar pattern.

However, when Tyren attempts the same motions, the square directly in front has cooled down.
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atpollard April 3rd, 2007 03:59 PM

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Zhin stiffens his resolve - (this grows tiresome, if I die, then I die) - and walks diagonally across ignoring the black squares.

kafka47 April 3rd, 2007 06:44 PM

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Zhin passes through the chessboard without any problems. On the other side there is a gaping cave like structure that resemble the mouth of an animal with razor sharp teeth.

There is a rumbling like that of a cave-in eminating from deep within the tunnel.
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skullcrusher April 4th, 2007 02:21 PM

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"Ben, can you predict the flaming squares?" Inquires Nero as he gaurds the rear while other cross.

sgbrown April 4th, 2007 03:54 PM

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Originally posted by Skullcrusher:
"Ben, can you predict the flaming squares?" Inquires Nero as he gaurds the rear while other cross.
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"Any chance this thing is Psi activated?" Khan wonders out loud.

Baron Saarthuran April 4th, 2007 04:19 PM

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Ben quickly does a sequence model on his computer...

"Not with any finite regularity. It seems to be keyed off of some facet of us as individuals. All of the squares seem to have ignition devices."

skullcrusher April 4th, 2007 04:40 PM

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"Rather judgemental don't you think?" Nero waits until the others are across still guarding the rear. Once the way is clear he crosses randomly.

kafka47 April 4th, 2007 06:07 PM

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The sequencing model reproduces the above diagram showing the different possible combinations. It dramatically alters as another person steps forth. Leading some possible conjectures, including Kahn's suggestion, which the computer replies, "Not enough data on phenomena of PSIONICS to make a judgement.

All the characters that did not cross remain on the row, with 300m of tiles in front of them.
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atpollard April 4th, 2007 09:07 PM

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Zhin focuses his attention on the 'mouth cave' ahead.

[OOC: Is the noise constant or is it getting louder? Is the gas still on the far side? Is the gas in the 'mouth cave'? Does it still smell of death ahead?]

kafka47 April 5th, 2007 12:09 AM

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The cave mouth does have the foul odour of the gas mixed in with something he cannot recognize. The ground just inside the cave seems pockmarked with thousands of little craters and ridges. The rumbling sound is constant but steady.

Bane enters the mouth of the cave, looks around in the gloom, in the silent language of the Wrod, indicates to Zhin, I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this.
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atpollard April 5th, 2007 12:56 PM

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Zhin pulls Bane out of the cave and quickly motions in the Word silent language for Bane to move to the wall to the right of the cave (outside the mouth cave and in the tile room cave) as Zhin takes up a position on the wall to the left of the mouth cave.

Zhin begins quickly signing to Bane: Everything in these caves tastes & smells & feels of death. What kind of gods would create such a place? The Ansh I can understand, they are hungry and want to survive – that is the way of all life. This room is something else – it is not alive, it does not kill to eat, yet it delights in killing for no purpose. Dark spirits are behind this. We have no choice but to remain alert and trust our destiny.

Is it possible that this cave we are about to enter is not a cave, but a creature in a cave with it’s maw open waiting for ‘dinner’ to just walk in? See the teeth and that floor – ridges and pock marks – like a giant tongue. Quickly, examine the wall around the toothed cave, can we find the seam marking the true cave and the creature?

Zhin calls out softly to the rest of the party, “Brother Kahn, we are not safe here, remain alert and beware of this cave, I have a bad feeling. Brother Ben, we need your keen vision - remain alert and survive.”

[OOC: Zhin carefully searches the walls around the cave ‘mouth’.]

Baron Saarthuran April 5th, 2007 01:15 PM

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Using data from the model, Ben heads towards the two Wrod at the cave mouth. He uses one focus to direct his move and the other two to watch for ignition sources, and adjusts his steps accordingly.

kafka47 April 5th, 2007 01:34 PM

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In a perpetual zigzagging movement, Ben effectively crisscross over to the mouth of the cave.

The boundary edges of the cave are not anything spectacular, they bear a resemblance to those that were previous to the chessboard...silky devoid of any noteworthy creases or grooves.

Bane gestures back, Anything is possible, friend Hunter. But, I am willing assume if the First Landing, was able to move from the consecrated crash site and up to the First village, this cannot be a creature from that moment in time. I cannot see any difference between the cave and the "mouth". Besides there is no other path unless we wish to cross those tiles again, and I doubt that I would be as blessed as I was the first time. Here comes the alien.
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sgbrown April 5th, 2007 03:41 PM

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Originally posted by atpollard:
-clip-

Zhin calls out softly to the rest of the party, “Brother Kahn, we are not safe here, remain alert and beware of this cave, I have a bad feeling. Brother Ben, we need your keen vision - remain alert and survive.”

[OOC: Zhin carefully searches the walls around the cave ‘mouth’.]
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"Yeah, lot's of rougue waves in this surf that's for sure." Khan puts his cutlass away and readies his crossbow as he replies dryly.

"If you have any ranged weapons you might consider shifting to them. I'd rather not have to charge back across the squares there if Nero needs our assistance." Khan begins salvaging what he can from the burned rope as he speaks.

sgbrown April 5th, 2007 03:53 PM

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Continuing to coil the burned rope, Khan decides to lighten the mood just a bit, "Hey Nero - once we're topside any chance we could loby the Count to have Ben exiled to a garden world with good beaches? ;) I might consent to joining his guard detail. :cool: "

Baron Saarthuran April 5th, 2007 04:47 PM

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"Agreeable. It will also save me a considerable percentage on Larval rearing costs to have helpers. Which reminds me, I am due any day now."

Ben blinks as he examines the cavemouth structure in detail.

sgbrown April 5th, 2007 05:43 PM

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"I don't recall mentioning larvae sitting." Khan replies with mock confusion.

skullcrusher April 5th, 2007 06:46 PM

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Nero replies. "As this is now a first contact mission Ben is the ambassador for his people. As such, he should have diplomatic immunity." With everyone across the grid Nero prepares for his crossing. "If the Duke doesn't like that I can always draft Ben. You'd only have to serve three years."

OCC: If all is clear on this side of the grid Nero will cross.

sgbrown April 5th, 2007 07:46 PM

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Originally posted by Skullcrusher:
Nero replies. "As this is now a first contact mission Ben is the ambassador for his people. As such, he should have diplomatic immunity." With everyone across the grid Nero prepares for his crossing. "If the Duke doesn't like that I can always draft Ben. You'd only have to serve three years."

OCC: If all is clear on this side of the grid Nero will cross.
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"Now how's that going to get us off this rock and to a beach?" Khan asks...keeping the banter going and remaining vigilant for any signs of trouble as he does so.

Turning to Zhin and Bane he tries to draw the Wrod in as well, "Are Wrod commanders as slow on the uptake as Nero? I'm talking warm beaches and surfin' here ... and all Nero can think about is meeting his enlistment quota!" Khan tries not to laugh at the puzzled look on the Wrod faces (OOC: I'm assuming that even with the translaters, Khan's obscure references have left them slightly puzzled.)

Gotta keep these guys hopeful until they're across - I'm not too sure it wasn't fear that did ol' Thales in.

travlar April 5th, 2007 07:53 PM

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Tyren begins to walk straight across.

kafka47 April 5th, 2007 08:03 PM

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OOC: As Tyren is the only one who mentioned how he was going to cross, I can only imagine the others are still trying to contemplate how.


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No sooner than when Tyren takes his first step, a column of flame erupts from the ground beneath him. (12pts dmg) His arms are failing around and stumbles backward to the end of the tunnel where Nero & company await.
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sgbrown April 6th, 2007 11:18 PM

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Originally posted by kafka47:
OOC: As Tyren is the only one who mentioned how he was going to cross, I can only imagine the others are still trying to contemplate how.

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Ref says: No sooner than when Tyren takes his first step, a column of flame erupts from the ground beneath him. (12pts dmg) His arms are failing around and stumbles backward to the end of the tunnel where Nero & company await.
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[/quote]Well so much for the distraction theory!
"Nero, Maybe we need to try to clog those igniters Ben mentioned some how." Khan tries to keep a level voice - but he is rather concerned.

skullcrusher April 7th, 2007 12:04 PM

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"Fan out and search our side of the grid." Orders Nero. "Ben, please do the same over there. Look for a control or power source. Let's also consider climbing across using the ceiling or the wall."

kafka47 April 7th, 2007 03:37 PM

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Who ever built this deathtrap did not have the curtsy of supplying any on or off switch on either side of cavern. The walls are smooth volcanic rock, it will be a difficult task but not impossible. (OOC: state your case given the configuration of the caverns look careful at the picture before each board would represent approximately 100m)
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atpollard April 12th, 2007 02:20 PM

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Zhin makes himself comfortable, takes out his chunk of burnt Ansh meat, and begins carving off slivers with his dagger and eating. “Not bad once you get past the burnt part, but this air leaves a nasty aftertaste. Would anyone else like a piece?” he offers to Banes, Ben and Khan.

[OOC: bump)

sgbrown April 12th, 2007 02:31 PM

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Originally posted by atpollard:
Zhin makes himself comfortable, takes out his chunk of burnt Ansh meat, and begins carving off slivers with his dagger and eating. “Not bad once you get past the burnt part, but this air leaves a nasty aftertaste. Would anyone else like a piece?” he offers to Banes, Ben and Khan.

[OOC: bump)
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Khan tries a bit on Ansh. Can't be any worse than more mushrooms he muses before tasting it.

"I strongly recommend we do something - perhaps you can probe ahead with a stick? Seemed to work for me."

Baron Saarthuran April 12th, 2007 06:32 PM

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"A little fresh for my tastes. May I have a slice or two of that? I bet it will be quite palatable in a week or so without refrigeration."

Baron Saarthuran April 12th, 2007 06:33 PM

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Ben begins to tap the passage archway, looking for any kind of secret acess panel or hidden control board for the checker field.

atpollard April 12th, 2007 08:37 PM

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Zhin follows Ben to the mouth of the cave. While staring at the stone teeth, he muses "We could break off a couple of those and pry up the floor tiles with them. Who knows what it will do?"

sgbrown April 12th, 2007 11:20 PM

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Khan tests his strength on one of the lower teeth.

Might as well get some excercise in while we try to puzzle this out.

Classic minefield set up ... split the forces opposing you by detonating the mines after several have crossed... sure nailed our proverbial hides with it.

kafka47 April 12th, 2007 11:57 PM

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The teeth prove to be remarkably reliant to been broken off. Eventually, one breaks off, some sort of foul liquid begins to cumulate steadily from the area where the "tooth" was.

No panels or secret hatches can be found.
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sgbrown April 15th, 2007 01:21 AM

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Ref says: The teeth prove to be remarkably reliant to been broken off. Eventually, one breaks off, some sort of foul liquid begins to cumulate steadily from the area where the "tooth" was.

No panels or secret hatches can be found.
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[/quote]"Uh - Gentlemen .. Is this normal behavior for a stalagmite?" Khan asks pointing to the bleeding tooth socket.

atpollard April 15th, 2007 01:39 PM

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Zhin (softly): "no." followed by ominous silence

[que creepy music - softly at first and slowly building]

sgbrown April 15th, 2007 06:46 PM

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Ok - pull yourself together - gotta think straight. If this is a creature, maybe it's responsible for the grid trap - and if that's the case it may be more vlunerable further in....

"Captain Nero, would you prefer to provide a rear guard with Tyren while I advance with the hunter to see if we can silence the trap from further up? Or should we hold here until you can cross?" Khan yells across to his fellow marines.

sgbrown April 15th, 2007 06:48 PM

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Remembering why he broke the tooth to start with, Khan starts trying to pry a tile up with it.

Baron Saarthuran April 15th, 2007 08:41 PM

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Ben quietly shuffles over to Kahn as he begins to use the tooth to pry with. He puts out a hand to stop him...

"Stop." Ben says as two of his other legs remove a pack from his bandolier/body sling. He sets his mechanical tool set on the ground and presses the spherical "open" button on it...

"The correct tool for the correct procedure, Mr. Kahn..." he says, handing the marine a small pry bar...
kafka47 April 16th, 2007 05:09 PM

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With no little effort, the tile comes free without igniting any of the surrounding air what is revealed, is that seems to be some of gelentious mass in which the methane seems to be escaping from.
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sgbrown April 17th, 2007 12:42 AM

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Originally posted by Baron Saarthuran von Gushiddan:
Ben quietly shuffles over to Kahn as he begins to use the tooth to pry with. He puts out a hand to stop him...

"Stop." Ben says as two of his other legs remove a pack from his bandolier/body sling. He sets his mechanical tool set on the ground and presses the spherical "open" button on it...

"The correct tool for the correct procedure, Mr. Kahn..." he says, handing the marine a small pry bar...
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"Thank you Mr. Ben" Khan replies with mock formality, "However might I point out that you could have passed the crowbar before I pulled the cave's tooth? We may have offended our host." An slight shudder passes through Khan showing that he's not as non-chalant (sp?) as he pretends to be about the 'tooth'.

sgbrown April 17th, 2007 12:45 AM

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Originally posted by kafka47:

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Ref says: With no little effort, the tile comes free without igniting any of the surrounding air what is revealed, is that seems to be some of gelentious mass in which the methane seems to be escaping from.
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[/quote]Khan looks at the frame work that supported the tiles - is it large enough to walk on?

"Ben - what would happen if we turned the tiles upside down? Any ideas?"

Khan begins working on the next tile while they're talking.

We need some good ideas, but we need action as well, he reasons trying to ignore the fact that he's working so he can better forget about the bleeding tooth.

travlar April 18th, 2007 12:00 AM

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Tyren begins to walk across diagonally.

kafka47 April 18th, 2007 02:25 PM

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Tyren makes his way to the other segment without any unpleasant incidents or difficulties in the funny zigzag pattern similar to what Ben had accomplished earlier.

Nero places his foot forward, and then under view the Low Intensity Goggles, he can see the build up a charge along the wires. Placing his foot to the side, also, causes the wires to charge. He is effectively stuck; any step he might want to accomplish would leave him like our roasted Wrod friend who recklessly marched across the titles without any thought.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the disgusting odor of the methane is nauseating and overpowering (OOC: I need every to make a End roll)** from the methane that is leeching up from underneath the title.
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**Those that fail End/Con is reduced to zero. Frequency of rolls have to made for every two posts that I do starting with this one. Rolls 2D6 and it must be under one's End/Con. Otherwise, failure. :( Two successive failures, begin deducting 1pt dmg from lowest stat.

sgbrown April 18th, 2007 04:04 PM

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"Man that stuff stinks." Khan mutters as he successfully fights back against the noxious oders. (OOC: Con 8 - End roll 3)

Noticing his fellow capatain start forward then readjust a couple of times, Khan senses that he's in trouble, "Nero - you look like you got an issue there - live plates?"

travlar April 19th, 2007 02:58 AM

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Tyren grimaces as he fights off the smell. "Perhaps you should put the plate back."

atpollard April 19th, 2007 12:32 PM

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Zhin stumbles away from the source of the smell, doubles over and begins to vomit. After a moment, his eyes turn white and he falls to the ground, unconscious. (OOC: End=2, roll=2 ... failure [edit] based on clarification from Kafka47. . . )

Zhin lies unconscious for several minutes, convulses briefly and stops breathing . . .

Baron Saarthuran April 19th, 2007 09:10 PM

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OOC: Ben rolls a six, but consider: that he can eat stuff that is more rotten than this and think its Filet Mignon)

If he remains up , he will begin an organic analysis of the substance.

sgbrown April 20th, 2007 01:24 AM

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Khan rushes to Zhin's aid applying first aid and CPR to the badly burned and now poisoned Wrod barbarian.

Should've noticed this!! Zhin don't die on me know!!

Khan shifts to officer mode as he's administering first aid "Bane - if you're able scout further down the cave and see if there's clear air - we've got to get some of these guys some air. Tyren - can you accompany Bane or do you need aid too?"

kafka47 April 20th, 2007 02:19 AM

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Bane nods his head and heads down the tunnel alone and goes deeper into the cave. There is a scream. Then silence.

Ben collapses on the wounded Hunter.

Kahn pulls out all the stops to help the wounded Hunter. His pulse is weak and is ever diminishing the gas is poisoning him. Already, too much is in the air only thing that could save him would be the fresh air. What of the Hiver, he has also succumbed to the gas. Xenomedicine, anyone? (OOC: How are going preform with first aid? What are actually doing? And what skills do you have roll play the results. Tasks will range from EASY to DIFFICULT, I will trust your judgement to know what is what)
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sgbrown April 20th, 2007 04:20 PM

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Ref say: Bane nods his head and heads down the tunnel alone and goes deeper into the cave. There is a scream. Then silence.

Ben collapses on the wounded Hunter.

Kahn pulls out all the stops to help the wounded Hunter. His pulse is weak and is ever diminishing the gas is poisoning him. Already, too much is in the air only thing that could save him would be the fresh air. What of the Hiver, he has also succumbed to the gas. Xenomedicine, anyone? (OOC: How are going preform with first aid? What are actually doing? And what skills do you have roll play the results. Tasks will range from EASY to DIFFICULT, I will trust your judgement to know what is what)

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[/quote]Khan moves the Hiver off the top of himself and Zhin - then continues to perform CPR (MEDICAL - 1) on Zhin with success as he looks around to determine were the best chance for fresh air would be.

"Tyren, sound's like we've lost Bane - any ideas?"

travlar April 20th, 2007 09:01 PM

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Tyren grabs the plate and puts it back. "No, I don't know anything about medicine, and we can't use guns here, so I don't think we can go down the tunnel safely. On the other hand, he might die if we don't find any fresh air."

sgbrown April 20th, 2007 09:09 PM

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"Actually, gun use is probably safe if we can get to out of the current cloud. Thales and you're experience showed the whole space won't go up." Khan observes, "Can you drag the hiver along? or would you rather take Zhin?" Khan starts to move the wounded away from the grid - preferably not into the mouth if there is another way - but assuming there's not then into the mouth in search of fresh air.

atpollard April 22nd, 2007 12:03 PM

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Zhin responds to CPR and regains conciousness. He looks a little green from the gas, but otherwise seems well.

Zhin looks at Ben and speaks to Khan and Tyren, "Brothers, let us leave quickly. We cannot go back and there is only one path forward. We must take it or die."

"Quickly brother Nero, decide and cross - inaction threatens the entire hunt."

Softly to Kahn "if Nero cannot cross, we must leave him to die. It is not important for the individual to survive, but the people must survive. That is The Way. Closing the Circle is also part of the Great Circle."

Zhin grabs Ben and helps to drag him into the cave.

sgbrown April 23rd, 2007 02:29 AM

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Khan shouts back to Nero, "Nero - we've got to get fresh air or we'll lose the hiver. If you can cross come on - if not fall back to good air - I'll pop back this way in a couple to check on you." With that he tugs the hiver towards fresh air.

kafka47 April 24th, 2007 07:19 PM

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Further down the cave, past the “mouth” and “tooth” the air begins to get refreshing although a tad more humid and moist. When they have transverses down about 250m (well out of earshot range of Nero), the air is completely fresh but still smelling of the dank and stale air encountered previously, nevertheless, at least the stink of propane is no longer at hand. The Hiver’s vitals continue to be subdued notwithstanding the unexpected current of fresher air brings about a stirring in him and sneeze (End remains at 1pt until some sort of medical solution can be found or for every two posts that I make here, he regains another pt). Spreading down from this poing about 100m further, they perceive a silhouette of Bane who seems ashen and motionless like a statute pointing at the wall. His whole body is rigid like stone around him. Without closer inspection, it is not possible to say what is on the wall or what has triggered their comrade to befall the fate.

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Nero is mystified by the unexpected departure of his comrades on the other side. He hollers out but they are out of range and something in this weird environment has fracked up the communicators. All the squares diametrically in front of him at the present gives the impression that it is “live” - one inauspicious step would ignite more than just one panel; it would seem the entire lot would explode. The atmosphere is also getting stifling and more difficult to breath, as the oxygen is in a hurry becoming substituted by means of propane leeching from underneath the panels.

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Julianne cruises about the Farpoint startown, the very few Droyne that she encounters cannot make neither head or tail of the words. One of them suggests that it is some sort of code but not anything more can be gleaned unless she would come up with the key to the code.

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Jame April 24th, 2007 07:28 PM

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"Well, isn't that unfortunate..."

Julianne goes to a nearby bar - not one that's really upscale, instead one that might cater more towards intellectuals and technicians - and gets a good stiff drink before making a decision.

While at the bar, she makes some discrete inquiries about where she might find a good place to find a cryptology lab or a quality computer.

kafka47 April 24th, 2007 08:35 PM

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OOC: Anyone yearning to join heroic deeds on the surface with Julianne PM me.


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The barkeep pales at the suggestion of a cryptology lab. "We, here, are honest citizens. We don't no Imperial trouble or trouble that is Imperial." serving her drink spins his heels in an opposite direction.

Overhearing her conversation with the barkeep and when her attention was distracted by a pair handsome Naval cadets, she finds a card underneath her drink.

Gelati Bros.
Transportion Experts
GBors@planetaryweb.org

Nothing more can be discerned from the card, just as reaches to put it in her breast pocket in flakes and becomes ash.
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sgbrown April 24th, 2007 10:46 PM

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"Keep an eye on Ben - and keep quiet. I've got to try to get back for Nero.." Khan whispers then starts to tie a rope to his harness again.

Handing the working end to Tyren, "I'm going to try to keep this rope tight - if it goes slack more than a minute or two, I've passed out and you'll need to pull me back."

He heads back for Nero.

Jame April 24th, 2007 11:04 PM

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Julianne quickly takes out her hand computer and types in the webmail address. GBros@planetaryweb.org - she also starts researching anything related to "Gelati Brothers" before actually contacting them. After all, if they give a self-destructing business card, they might be unpopular, or in disreputable business.

While waiting for the results, she finishes her drink and goes over to the Naval cadets to see what they think of Naval life.

atpollard April 25th, 2007 12:38 PM

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Zhin sits down and leans back against the cool wall of the cave and quietly enjoys breathing real air again (even stale) while waiting for his color and strength to fully return.

sgbrown April 27th, 2007 12:12 AM

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This stuff really stinks! Khan observes to himself as he presses on to check on Nero. The smell plays on his mind and his lungs aren't exactly happy with him for the renewed abuse. Somehow Khan's lungs and his resolve hold as he returns to the grid to check on Nero.

kafka47 April 27th, 2007 11:10 AM

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Nero remains in the same place much as he did before. Rendered frozen by indecision. The grid is now flooded with propane that a single false step would mean the ignition of the entire sequence...

Kahn is now finding the same thing, as Nero every step in front of him is suddenly live. Choking back the on the gas, he finds exceedingly difficult as the gas wracks his lungs.
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sgbrown April 29th, 2007 07:24 PM

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"Nero - we're running low on time here. This gas will kill you if you stay here. Fall back to good air - and give yourself some room." Khan yells to the marine.

"I'll give you about 10 minutes or so from when I get everyone to good air up front and in a protected place - then I'm throwing a grenade down here. The build up is enough that we may be able to take the grid network out and clear the path."

"FALL BACK AND TAKE COVER! MOVE OUT MARINE!!" Khan reverts to the command language hoping it will penetrate the marines mind.

He'll tarry a moment in hopes that he sees Nero either fall back or come forward then go to check on the folks up front.

sgbrown April 29th, 2007 07:41 PM

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Maybe the grenade idea's not such a bad idea after all.

Khan muses as he heads back to check on the others.

It'd certainly make one whale of a distraction for rescuing bane - someone must have hit him with fast drug or something from the way's he's frozen up.

kafka47 April 29th, 2007 10:26 PM

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The Hunter and the Hiver are slowly recovering, as Tyren form the toxic inhalation of the gas earlier. Bane still has not moved from his position, when the light flashes over him his eyes squint but not blink. Not, a completely unnatural adaptation for humans who have lived in caves so long. A slow amount of drool seems to have formed and is proceeding down his cheek. His eyes and hand is still pointing at the wall.
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Baron Saarthuran April 30th, 2007 12:07 AM

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Ben does not speak but lies prostrate on the cave floor. He concentrates on breathing steadily and slowly. His eyes are shut.

sgbrown May 1st, 2007 08:45 PM

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Khan, "Tyren - I'm going to try to grab Bane and pull him back here. If I go catatonic, drag me back here with the rope." Pressing his precious plasma grenade into Tyren's hands - "if you lose me, I told Nero to fall back and get to a safe place then we'd blow the combustion grid sky high. - Just get this thing close while the gas concentration is still up and you may be able to clear the way for Nero to come up ... or for the party to fall back."

Khan walks calmly over to Bane looking at him the whole time. While he's curious about what Bane saw, he's trying to give the impression that he doesn't know the source of Bane's terror.
"Bane, we've got to head back to the village." He says as he moves forward.

Maybe the whatever sentry pumped in full of drugs will figure I'm not worth the effort if I'm just dragging him back and appear to be oblivious to them. Khan knows it's a fleeting hope.

Khan picks Bane up in a fireman's carry to return to the rest of the party further back.

kafka47 May 2nd, 2007 02:06 PM

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A wet and sticky tentacle reaches up weakly and latches hold of Kahn. Not only do I want you to carry my gametes, I feel the need to accompany to where Bane is…thank you”

As the Hiver stands, he seems wobbly but gets better with each passing stride, “Ever notice, how organic this caves seems compared to the one further back perhaps at one time this might have been a carcass of some enormous creature, maybe, it still is…It would make a fascinating study to catalogue all the creatures of this moon. Clearly, radiation from the Brown Dwarf, this moon orbits emits enough radiation to trigger rapid mutations. Do you think the Imperial government would be interested in co-sponsorship between the Hive Federation and your agencies? Naturally, I would be happy to facilitate such a venture, in exchange for perhaps a full pardon and restoration of my freedom. Moreover, of this Count that governs this world, is he likely to last long if the Wrod presence are revealed? He seems to a ruthless manipulator and I would not put things past him…to take his revenge upon us all. Why would Captain Nero like to join us, in this exciting journey, perhaps, he experiencing doubts or has succumbed to the gas?”

Then they come to what Bane pointing at it seems like an organic blister embedded on the cave wall. Inside the corpuscle is a sickly green fluid, in which a myriad of small tapeworm (save larger averaging 5-10 in length) like organisms with horn like encrustations. They seem to be feeding on some sort of organic residual that forms a very distinctive pattern on the wall. Which looks like this:

http://www.epberglund.com/RGttCM/nig...9/Yellsign.gif

Ben looks at Bane, and then looks at the wall, dousing the human, with water from his spray bottle, he seems to have revived. Collapses to the ground, muttering, “The Sign…the Sign…the Sign…the end is Near.”

Pulling him away from the corpuscle and the strange marking on the cave wall, Ben attempts to prick the membrane with his probe which appears remarkably resilient, the fluid ichor is rich in essential nutrients for sustaining life. “Mr. Kahn, I believe what we have here is a womb of some sort, what these creatures are, is hard to say. Perhaps, we are indeed in the midst of a larger creature and she is breeding younglings or this womb that has been deposited at an earlier time and will return to it at later time. As for the symbol, it means nothing to my database nor like anything that I have seen, perhaps, it is a religious symbol amongst the Wrod, maybe the Hunter will be able to shed some light on its meaning. Does it have any significance to you, as member of Humaniti?
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sgbrown May 2nd, 2007 08:55 PM

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"Hunter ... Tyren, looks like it's safe to come further in. We could use an assist on this symbol." Khan calls the others over.

Assuming Tyren still clutching the plasma grenade, Khan will reach to take it back as he replies to the Hiver, "Ben, I can't say that I've ever seen this symbol before - but apparently Bane has."

"Bane - what significance does this symbol have the the Wrod? ... it may be important to our quest." Khan inquires of their remaining guide.

If there's a way to turn the gas off without risking an explosion .... Guess I'll wait a few minutes on the grenade.

kafka47 May 2nd, 2007 09:30 PM

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Bane just remains almost frozen with fear. He cannot engage with the other players in some meaningful way.

"The odd thing about the symbol is that it too has been grown, if you like as my portable multipurpose sensor is indicating that the ink is somehow organic and look under magnification there thousands of microorganism with their cilla all moving to create the image. What came, first, the symbol or the egg. Perhaps, the symbol is a way of marking passage. Maybe, Mr. Nero would have some sort of meaningful insight."

Ben attempts to assure Kahn, "Releasing that grenade would certainly be the death of us all, I hope you know, and I for one do not fancy dying today..."

"Fascinating, the organisms within the egg, appear to be growing in size in response to my sensors output. I wonder how big these creatures can get?" as shows the output in a visual interface that is appealing to humans.
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atpollard May 3rd, 2007 02:49 AM

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Zhin will join the others and examine the sign to see if it is something he can recognize.

[OOC. If Zhin cannot recognize the symbol, he will attempt to communicate with Bane using the Wrod sign language. Perhaps Bane can speak of spiritual matters in the sacred "language".]

[Zhin speaks to Bane in Wrod sign language]
"Take courage, the sign is only a message. We are following our destiny back to the Stars. Ours is the chosen generation. We are the chosen members of our generation. The spirits call us forward. We cannot fail. We can only embrace the future, whatever it holds. Every Hunter understands the circle - while there is life, there is hope and we are alive. Eat."

The Hunter hands Bane a slice of Ansh.

kafka47 May 29th, 2007 07:01 PM

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Ref says: The mighty warrior seems to be terrified of something and nothing that the other characters do can shake him out of it. As he moves away from the symbol, he gradually gains composure.

"That was a symbol that was transcribed in the sacred logbook of the First Ones. It means that death is nearby. I can only assume that death has reached our friend, Nero. We must go forward but blindfolded..." lowering his bandana over his eyes and plooding his way in front with his spear.
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OOC: sorry for the long delay but everyone's real life issues seem to get in the way, hopefully we are back for some sort of normalcy.

atpollard May 29th, 2007 07:52 PM

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[Zhin puts on a makeshift blindfold and follows Bane]

"Lead on. Sight is over-rated. I've got your back." (Zhin draws a pair of daggers and follows, focusing on sound and smell to "look" around.)

kafka47 June 1st, 2007 05:22 PM

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Ref says: The two Wrod transverse down the tunnel past the symbol. A noticable chill strikes Zhinn, the old Terran expression of someone walking over one's grave seems apt, as they pass the area where the symbol resides.

Their footfalls are getting further muffled. As they make their way further down they find the cavern getting narrower and narrower and is assuming an almost perfect spherical shape. Then the come to a sudden drop. They are well out of the calling range of the others.

Bane's helps remove blindfold, and gestures in the Wrod sign language, "Here is the beginning of the oriface. The strangers are those who have been foretold, I fear that we are following false prophets. Take care, Brother Hunter. And, may, the Queen watch over you."

The oriface is an unspectacular lava tube about 30mins in diameter. There is no visible handholds or protrusions. Fading lettering of an unknown language to the Wrod mark the walls.
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sgbrown June 1st, 2007 06:30 PM

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Puzzled by the insistence on a blindfold, Khan attempts to quietly follow the Wrod - without a blindfold. (Ref - if a blind fold was required you'll have to specify the impact.)

Assuming he makes it to the tube, Khan will examine the walls (without entering the tube) to see if it has sufficient handholds or footing for a controled decent.

Baron Saarthuran June 1st, 2007 06:58 PM

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Ben quickly looks the wrod companions up and down...

"I of course will be impossible to blindfold. I furthermore think it a bad idea to stumble about in these caves sightless for any reason. My kind is born to tunnel living, and therefore can see very well in darkness. We should proceed with a bit less flummery and some more objective purpose."

sgbrown June 1st, 2007 07:43 PM

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Originally posted by Baron Saarthuran von Gushiddan:
Ben quickly looks the wrod companions up and down...

"I of course will be impossible to blindfold. I furthermore think it a bad idea to stumble about in these caves sightless for any reason. My kind is born to tunnel living, and therefore can see very well in darkness. We should proceed with a bit less flummery and some more objective purpose."
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I thought hivers were supposed to be sneaky ... Ben has obviously never heard that sometimes it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. Or just not ask at all Khan muses as he accompanies the Ben down the tunnel.

"Ben I think we should follow our companions lead" Khan motions down the tunnel to hopefully make it clear he's talking about travelling into the tunnel instead of wearing the blindfold.

Baron Saarthuran June 1st, 2007 10:39 PM

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"We most assuredly should follow them, since they are native to this place, but I posit that the time may come very soon where we may need to take over the administration duties of this expedition. (whispers to Khan) These Wrod seem most barbaric and irrational... it can only bring trouble. Do you have any notion of what happened to poor Nero? My Prime limb is still swimming from that gas."

atpollard June 2nd, 2007 05:27 PM

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Zhin to Ben and Khan: "Well gentlemen, shall we rope off and creep down the hole, or just leap and trust to fate? Destiny is waiting."

sgbrown June 4th, 2007 01:27 AM

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Originally posted by atpollard:
Zhin to Ben and Khan: "Well gentlemen, shall we rope off and creep down the hole, or just leap and trust to fate? Destiny is waiting."
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Khan nod's in response to the hivers whisper, Strange that I may have more in common with the hiver than with the two wrod. then addresses Zhin.

"Zhin - the last time I walked into one of these caverns without looking I ended up in a very cold river." Khan replys. "I suggest we trust in our fate, after we rope off. ;) "

kafka47 June 5th, 2007 02:41 PM

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The rope unfurls and the party begins the decent, it is dark everywhere where the eye can see. Even the lumination sources seem strangely muted only able to luminate the area around the character, no matter how much extra power to the illumination device is brought to bear.

Finally, after about 200m, the rope has reached its limit and only inky blackness remains down below. Dropping of glow bugs only result in them being enveloped by the inky abyss.
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http://technique.library.gatech.edu/...09-02-22-1.jpg

sgbrown June 6th, 2007 03:59 AM

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Khan pulls out a rock hammer and some pintons "Looks like we'll have work it in stages. Will Pinto of every few feet on a new coil of rope - with the last man undoing the rope at the top and alternating down. There has to be an end to the tube sometime."

Just hope we reach it.

kafka47 June 7th, 2007 02:24 AM

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Ref says: As Kahn hammers in a piton, the tube wall trembles as if there is some sort of tremor. The piton encounters some resistance at first then goes in just like butter. This maneuver is highly dangerous, each player should make a DIFFICULT Dex roll each time, they undo the rope. Failure will result in a fall, for another character to catch the falling character it is a difficult test of STRength. The end of the "tube" is no where in sight.
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atpollard June 7th, 2007 01:05 PM

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“Brother Khan, we should reconsider this action. Every ‘hunter’ is taught from childhood that the caves are part of the people, like a grandmother, and should always be treated with respect. My people believe that the ground is alive. I had always thought this a spirit lesson …”, the Hunter pauses and begins to whisper, “Consider the evidence. The stone tooth bled. The stone floor covered living fluids and responded to our hearts. The life on the walls speak to us in sacred words. Now the wall feels pain … THESE caves truly are alive – physically and spiritually. It is wrong to do harm if there is no need.”

[Zhin begins to explore the wall with his hand. Is it too smooth to grasp a handhold? Does the surface yield to pressure (can you ‘push’ a handhold into the wall)? Is the cave too wide to reach across it and climb down by pressing against the opposite walls? Could two men back to back ‘walk’ down the opposite walls?]

kafka47 June 8th, 2007 02:06 AM

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Ref says: Zhin's hand reaches out to the wall of the "tube" is ultra smooth but firm, the piton moves in and out with some resistance. At this point in the "tube" it is still too wide for one to go down by holding both sides. But, as you progressively decent there is a noticeable narrowing.

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Baron Saarthuran June 9th, 2007 09:25 AM

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Ben climbs down two limbs doing rope work... methodically and slowly. He also projects a running 3d map of the places he has been during his vacation...

"Ropes... Next we'll be in a Hoplite cart with livestock.

(to the Hunter)
"So you confirm then my hypothesis that this structure/phenomena that we are in is alive...?"

All things considered, Ben enjoys caving as it reminds him of his youth in the tunnels of Zeldar.

atpollard June 9th, 2007 12:59 PM

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(Zhin to Ben)
"Brother Ben, all caves are alive. This cave is also a being."

kafka47 June 9th, 2007 03:54 PM

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About 10m down from the end of the rope, the driving in of the piton causes the "tube" to shake even more violent. Suddenly, there is a whish of sudden downward movement causing the players to lose their grip. There is a violent thrashing of movement to the left then to right. Then seeming upside down, This continues for about 10mins before the players loses their consciousness.

When they awake all is still and dark. There is quite a foul ranking odour present and a persistant double thump like the sound of a pair giant hearts. It is hard to tell whether the sound is internal or external. The trobbing is constant and yet non-directional.
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atpollard June 21st, 2007 02:14 PM

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Zhin shakes off the disorientation of real world events (at COTI) and begins to feel around, exploring his surroundings by touch. [Can he touch the ceiling? How tall/wide is this place? Are we all together? Which way does the floor slope? ]

kafka47 June 26th, 2007 02:27 AM

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Ref says: Right now you are in a tube that is approximately 1.5m in diameter, as you reach up it seems to widen ever so slightly. As you reach down it narrows but becomes more elastic and somewhat moist to the touch.

Everywhere, else it seems to have the same stone like texture of the tube that you experience in your decent. The smell of something quite sour and musky is stronger toward the narrowing of the tube.

atpollard July 7th, 2007 02:49 AM

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Zhin to group: “Brothers it is time to act. I shall go first. Brother Bane, you will follow next. Brother Ben, you shall follow Brother Bane and lead our stunned Brother Kahn until he recovers. You all should rope together but do not harm the walls with spikes. I shall scout ahead without a rope. Try to keep me in sight but be alert for danger.”

[after a brief pause, Zhin continues] “We must do no harm without cause, that is the Way. If I die then you must consider THIS (Zhin gestures to the surrounding cave) being an enemy and cut your way to it’s heart to kill it.”

“Come, my Destiny awaits.”

[Zhin crawls forward and down, excited by the adventure and curious about what waits ahead.]

kafka47 July 10th, 2007 04:27 PM

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Ref says: The air in the narrowing of the putrid and revolting, as you progress the ground becomes less firm and more spongy. An almost organic feel. As you come to the narrowest point, you squeeze and emerge from what appears to be a giant worm. To your horror, you are in the midst thousands of such worms all intertwining and slithering around. In front of you there seems to be a giant portal inscribed around is strange writing of no known language either to the Wrod or the assembled party. For now the worms do not seem to be aware of the party's presence, for they seem to be engaged. As you concentrate their appearance is beyond all horrors and unlike any species ever encountered. As they glide against one another it sounds as if bones were rattling against each in the putrid ferment of a corpse.

Mfranklin July 21st, 2007 02:51 PM

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Ben adjusts what camera equipment remaining to take in the vista...

"These are not the snohls I am used to..."

He begins making an acurate visual count of the creatures and mapping where they are. He also begins to observe and note any behavioral patterns in the creatures' movements...

atpollard July 21st, 2007 04:44 PM

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Zhin studies the room and considers the options.

[REF: How large are these creatures, knee high, waist high, taller than a man?
REF: Do they cover the floor completely or is there room to walk on the floor between them?
REF: How far away is the other door?
REF: How high is the ceiling? ]

kafka47 July 30th, 2007 06:24 PM

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Ref says: The creatures seem to be too busy to notice the characters off in the distance a slender beam of light seems to be cutting through the darkness.

Suddenly, one of the creatures rises of the fecid fluid of a thousand worms copulance and looks unblinkingly at the characters.
http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Gal...ienversion.jpg

atpollard August 3rd, 2007 08:37 PM

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Let's Dance

With every ounce of his will focused on maintaining and projecting a calmness which he does not feel, the Hunter advances with measured steps to the center of the room and stops to stare at the horror which stares unblinking back. As soon as he can gain control of his voice, he addresses the creature “I am Athiyk Z'hin of the First People and I am not afraid. We are on a Spirit Quest, do not interfere. You will not stop this hunt.” Zhin points with his dagger to punctuate his message and then continues walking towards the strange portal.

[OOC: If the creature does nothing, then I will examine the portal. If the creature charges, then I will sprint for the portal. If the creature attacks, I will defend and attempt to stab it in the eye.]

kafka47 August 4th, 2007 04:27 PM

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Ref says: The creature appears to follow Zhin with is unwavering eye but takes no response. As Zhin sprints to the portal, his feet and legs get immersed in the sticky goo, slowing him down slightly but on overly so to impede his way. However, a Hiver or similar low lying creature might suffer a serious handicap.

Making his way to light, the portal comes clearly into focus. It is made from no known alloy or metal known to the Wrod. Touching the light, it is a cool texture and moulds around the hand like water. Beyond the light, ethereal figures can be discerned vaguely upright and bipedal. There is a distinctive rattling can be heard, as Zhin turns he sees another gargantuan creature has slithered up behind him.

http://www.render.ru/tmp/gallery/1152082967337422_1.jpg

Baron Saarthuran August 5th, 2007 02:48 AM

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Ben studies the gigantic portal... rendering it down to facts that holographically float near his head... as to the goop, He brings all five limbs to bear to keep his Prime Limb above the miasma...

"By the Spires of Zeldar... that edifice is nearly 30 meters tall... I think we should go thru, if it frees us from this cave and that corrupt Count. But where will we end up? Another Dimension? Teleported to a different location? A different time perhaps? Don't you Wrod cover any of this in your legends?"

atpollard August 7th, 2007 02:56 PM

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"I cannot speak for the Wrod, but the lessons of the First People tend to focus on recognizing what to eat, and what wants to eat you," the Hunter whispers to Ben and winks.

When Ben and the others arrive, we all step through the light.

kafka47 August 7th, 2007 11:37 PM

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Ref says: A warmness envelope each person who passes through the "gateway" accompanied by a stomach yanking experience combined with a impression of each atom of your entire being sucked through a large vacuum and reassembled in a completely random order. A visual prismatic spray of multicoloured light streams by.

After a comparatively little but indefinite of period of time, the whole thing becomes stable and as the character's eyes correct for their new surroundings they find they themselves in a considerable area where a pale green sand occupies the entire field of view. There is no gateway on this side nor appears any way back, it is entirely devoid of anything save rolling dunes of sand. In the distance, three suns are making their brisk decent and the "sky" becomes littered with unknown stars. A scan of the possible constellations reveals none of the known patterns on any world within Chartered Space, as the last light of three suns slowly wanes slowly the enormity of Milky Way Galaxy comes into focus and a chill grips the air.

A wind picks up and off in the distance over the cascading dunes something vaguely can be seen in the lengthening shadows.

sgbrown August 8th, 2007 08:14 PM

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At the site of the new landscape Khan slowly shakes himself loose from the fog that's had him blindly following the hunter and the hiver.

"Plenty of sand, but no surf ... " he muses "Might as well head for what ever that thing is out yonder ..." motioning to the vague object see through the twilight.

OOC: Sorry for the lengthy absence.

atpollard August 9th, 2007 02:36 PM

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Zhin and the Great Outdoors

Zhin stands frozen. His eyes round with fear, perspiration beading his face and his entire body trembling slightly.

[The Hunter has taken to the wide-open sky like a lobster to a pot of boiling water. :)]

Gradually, he is able to function, but his sudden, frequent glances in every direction tend to make everyone else jumpy until they can learn to ignore him. The Hunter follows Kahn.

[OOC: Welcome back sgbrown. I just flipped a coin to determine whether Zhin had a positive or negative reaction to his first view of the open sky – he doesn’t like the open.]

kafka47 August 9th, 2007 04:53 PM

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Ref says: The sand is chalky and the wind hurriedly envelops any footprints that the intrepid explorers leave behind. The magnificence of the Milky Way galaxy encompasses the entire sky as the radiance of a billion stars blaze the irregular path toward the object over dunes and dales.

As they approach nearer, it turns out to be apparent that the object is a rough hewn stone that has been subject to the unremitting barrage of centuries of wind and sand that has carved away at the barren rock. At the top, there seems to be a tiny portal, all is silent save the ever present whisper of the wind.
http://www.rawa.org/statue2.jpg

sgbrown August 9th, 2007 07:14 PM

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Look ma - no walls!!!

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Originally Posted by atpollard (Post 232622)
Zhin stands frozen. His eyes round with fear, perspiration beading his face and his entire body trembling slightly.

[The Hunter has taken to the wide-open sky like a lobster to a pot of boiling water. :)]

Gradually, he is able to function, but his sudden, frequent glances in every direction tend to make everyone else jumpy until they can learn to ignore him. The Hunter follows Kahn.

[OOC: Welcome back sgbrown. I just flipped a coin to determine whether Zhin had a positive or negative reaction to his first view of the open sky – he doesn’t like the open.]
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Khan's spirits improve rapidly in the open air - he's rather oblivious to the nervousness of our cave raised hunter. "Look ma - No Walls!" He hoots and hollers as he begins skipping towards the object.

Upon reaching the object/stone he's settled down enough to realize barren sand is unlikely to provide food or water ... and looks for a way to access the portal noting things such as:

- Size of the portal opening?
- Light coming from the portal? or pitch black?
- How high up is the portal?
- Is there easy access or will they have to climb? (assuming from the picture this is a yes.)
- If they have to climb, are there visible handholds?
- Any writing or marking?

Baron Saarthuran August 9th, 2007 08:39 PM

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Ben hurriedly compares the sky vista to the model that he has for the Galaxy on his Computer...

With his second view, he collects a small tube of the sand and puts it in a pouch..

"Must be a high copper content in the sand... anyone having any trouble breathing? Well... we seem to have solved the cold problem..."

With his third view he does an overall environmental scan to see how they will fare with the elements here...

kafka47 August 9th, 2007 10:08 PM

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Ref says: Ben's instrumentation is still a bit off its calibration from the time when he encountered the monstrous creature from the underground lagoon, a little back. His overall examination reveals a breathable atmosphere, the air - in fact, is not all that different than what was encountered in the Farpoint tunnels. Gravity, on the other hand, is closer to 1G than what was on the moon but that could be simulated with the presence of grav plates. The global environmental scan shows the sand not so much as a copper compound but rather calcium- and magnesium-rich amphibole and mineral actinole along with being a sodium- and aluminium-rich pyroxene. Sustained inhalation could bring about respiratory problems but at the low levels of exposure at the current time, no adverse reactions can be expected. Radiation levels resemble those found in the caverns; on the other hand, what is notable is the radiation levels do seem to fluxgate quite widely. One spot seems cool, and then another hot, akin to what existed on Farpoint's caverns. Whether, this is a fault with the mechanism or a true reading is impossible to say.

(The portal is much as it appears in the picture...round hole at the top - disregard any others in the picture)

It is circular cut from the rock, dark with no light shining through and located approximately 20m up no visible handholds reside, even with proper climbing equipment, if the players did retrieve it from the "worm" would make such a climb DIFFICULT and those with good DEXterity can apply it as modifier. No visible letterings or carvings into the rock are visible from where the players are standing.

Baron Saarthuran August 9th, 2007 11:38 PM

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"A pity. Copper processing is a good, steady industry to introduce to an area. (Ben looks up at the climb) We need some kind of rope for when you get up there, Mr. Zhin. That way, you can throw it down to us so Kahn and I can make it up safely."

Ben scans the horizon and in particular the visible foot of the rock wall for as far as his visual range will go. He looks for some sort of pass or other means of climbing up. He looks for changes in air temperature with his IR vision, trying to spot areas that could indicate wind blowing through a canyon...

He also scans local radio EM signals if any...

kafka47 August 10th, 2007 06:03 PM

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Ref says: From even the highest dune, it would seem the vista to be composed of an infinite sea of sand. When Ben does activate the EM bandwidth of his scanner. It does unexpectedly jump alive.

When played in audio, it sounds like the inexorable pulverizing action of some kind of sizeable machine crushing fragments of bone along with the steady drip of water underneath a constant modulated hissing. The sound is definitely mechanical in origin but then again it could be a fault with the scanner.

OOC: I will be heading off to GenCon next week, so I may not get a chance to update the adventure until my return that if people are interested in continuing.


sgbrown August 14th, 2007 06:24 PM

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While Zhin attempts to scale the rock, (assuming he does) Khan will scout a few 10's of meters to either side of the rock - travelling all the way around if it's less than about 100 meters in diameter.

kafka47 August 15th, 2007 01:43 PM

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OOC: Ref queries, I take it Zhin makes the necessary dice rolls to make the climb possible. So...

Ref says: As Zhin scales up the face of the rock outcropping to the threshold where the hole resides. An insignificant vibration can be experienced through the rock. Not like a tremor, which he has sensed many times in the caverns of his home but a continuous pulsation. He, at last, arrives at the hole. The air, has suddenly changed from the cool of the dark, to being fairly balmy and a steady burst quenches his candle. Using one of the strangers' magic torches (fusion torches); they too are extinguished by forces unknown.

As he slides his body and crawls through narrow passage, his body is enveloped by the darkness of the narrow passage (whose diameter is only about 1.5m). A freezing, icy sensation envelopes his whole body, as if being immersed in one of the Ice Rivers of the caverns despite the warm air bellowing out from the slit of a hole. The rock is much like the outside, rough and hewn. He looks down and sees his companions, he calls out but something seems to distort his voice. He tries to convey something in the silent hand gesticulation of the Wrod.

Down below, they see the Hunter effectively shin up the wall, when he has reached the hole, he tucks in and ducks out. They see his lips move but with no apparent sound being ushered. The frantic gestures of the Wrod silent language cause Bane's to widen.

Just then a sinkhole opens under Bane before he can convey anything and he is sucked under the sands with such a force that none of the characters have time to react. Any lines that might be attached to Bane are severed, with clean precision.

OOC: As noted before, I will be at GenCon these next four days or so, expect some disruption but the place I will staying has only one computer.

sgbrown August 16th, 2007 05:16 PM

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Khan frantically searches the sand for Bane.

Question for Ref:
Has Zhin fastened the rope to anything? He was trailing one to allow easier follow on.

kafka47 August 18th, 2007 11:57 PM

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OOC: I don't know, Zhin did not mention he was attached to anything. I just assumed that he did rock climbing (ie free form) style.

Ref says: The sands have enveloped Bane completely without a trace. The winds have picked up quite a bit now and the sand is beginning to cut into exposed parts of flesh and clog up equipment. The galactic disc is beginning to recede into the horizon. Soon the blazing suns will upon this world again.

Baron Saarthuran August 19th, 2007 09:18 AM

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Ben watches Zhin go up with one view, while the other two views begin to run models of how long before unsafe or fatal exposure to the sunlight, based on the stellar types, classes, and masses and rough distances in orbit.

He then turns up his Voder to 80db and calls to Zhin...

"GOOD WORK ZHIN. LOWER THE ROPE DOWN TO US."

atpollard August 19th, 2007 02:33 PM

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Better late than never.

Zhin winds a coil of rope around his torso to secure it and reduce it’s perceived bulk. He also places several small stones into slits in his finger-less gloves and the toe and side of his boots. A self anchoring piton from the outsiders is attached to Zhin’s climbing harness for use at the top.

A short run and jump place Zhin part way up the right side where plentiful hand holds allow him to scamper about 2/3 of the way up with ease. A slow and careful climb allows the Hunter to reach the peak of the arch above the hole. Attempting to set the piton at the peak proves too treacherous. Zhin slips and falls, catching the rim of the hole with his fingertips as the piton clatters to the ground.

Abandoning the piton, Zhin pulls himself into the hole, discovers the mysterious dark-silence and sticks his head out of the hole to inform the party. Unable to communicate verbally and horrified at the disappearance of brother Bane, Zhin becomes suddenly aware of the great danger this hunting party is in. He quickly unwraps the rope, anchors one end with his dagger into the natural rock, and throws the rope to his companions. Unwilling to completely trust the hasty stone anchor, Zhin braces his feet and uses his body as the primary anchor with the dagger as a backup anchor.

Baron Saarthuran August 20th, 2007 11:23 PM

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Ben reaches out a hand to grab the end of the rope, and gives it a good test pull, looping it around one of his arms and pulling with four other legs.

As he tests the rope, he speaks to Kahn:

"What kind of shape are you in after our ordeal, Mr. Kahn? Can you make the climb? I think I should go up first, as I will be able to help anchor and help Zhin pull you up quick. Or conversely, you could go up and pull me up. I am lighter than a human overall..."

Ben then readjusts his voder to the louder setting and calls up to Zhin:

"HOLD YOUR POSITION, ZHIN... WE ARE ON OUR WAY..."

kafka47 August 22nd, 2007 12:08 AM

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Ref says: Ben's sensors naturally read inconclusive data, as the suns were too rapidly setting to get an accurate reading and as the system appears to be nowhere in Chartered Space, it cannot extrapolate the Stellar Types. However, due to the intensity of the residual heat on the sands, it is safe to bet that it will get very hot, in a relatively short period of time and the thin atmosphere is likely to allow more stellar radiant energy through.

Ben's message falls upon "deaf" ears, as the signal does not seem to penetrate the stone structure. If (50% chance, you roll) that Zhin was looking out, Ben was saying the message, he might surmise that the Hiver was speaking by his frantic tenacle movements.

Kahn looks at the rope and Ben looks at Kahn...

Zhin who looks at the darkness finds the cave after about 5m begins to slope downward, at first, very rough hewn, then giving way to smoothen steps almost. Save they were errected for a giant, as the distance between steps is about 2m making difficult pull himself further. It is unknown, if the steps widen even further as one goes deeper. As he ponders his next move, he can steady shuffling of footfalls coming up from the depths.

Baron Saarthuran August 23rd, 2007 07:10 PM

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Ben wraps the rope around two of his limbs, and with all six (including his head limb) begins to rapidly inchworm himself up the rope...

kafka47 August 23rd, 2007 11:26 PM

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Ref says: Ben climbs successfully up the rope [OOC: I trust that I am interpreting your die roll correctly]. He comes to the mouth of the hole in the wall and upon catch sight of the cavern; sees no sign of Zhin with neither normal vision nor infrared sight. He does, on the other hand, hear the sound of footfalls emanating deep from within the grotto.

Igniting a plasma torch, it turns on vividly revealing a large circular chamber and a passageway leading sharply down. Then, without explanation, the fusion torch all of a sudden becomes muted then winks out. If a similar thing had not happened in the Construct in the Count's secret base, Ben would be very alarmed. The rising of the twin fiery suns blaze a path of white light along the distant wall revealing some strange alien hieroglyphs**. When Ben tries to record them, his device immediately fails revealing merely static. The hieroglyphs are but illuminated for a short period of time (approximately 30sec).
http://www.astrologyweekly.com/more-...elligences.gif

**OOC: naturally without the numbers
Baron Saarthuran August 24th, 2007 02:50 AM

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With view 1 Ben looks down into the passage, but also spins slightly in place to look down the climb towards Kahn...

With view 2 Ben hastily writes down the hieroglyphs in a tattered synthpaper note book from the Pride of Naasiirka boarding Lobby...

With view 3, he tests the integrity of the rope and adjusts it if it needs it... he re-wraps the rope as before but stays his ground, giving the rope a strong tug to signal Kahn...

When any of the tasks are complete, he immediately sets a view to do a system diagnostic on his items... he also quickly programs a flat plane holoprojection of the letters "OK" in meter-high font in solid red color...

sgbrown August 28th, 2007 04:46 PM

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Pulling himself away from the fruitless search, Khan begins to climb the rope. Due to distraction from Bane's demise, he slips after the first five feet and is unceremoniously deposited in the sand. Scolding himself for inattention, Khan applies himself to the task of seeking shelter(?) with the other an procedes up the rope without further incident. (Unless of course the Ref says otherwise.)

kafka47 August 28th, 2007 07:27 PM

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OOC: Ref is just happy that you do the rolls and report the action. Standard rule is if there is failure then the difficulty increases by one level. If a rope climb fails a Staggering roll, then, it might be time to think of other options og getting you up.

Ref says: Just as Kahn climbs, he comes face to face with the Hiver's curious tentacles who has been busy transcribing something. (Illustration shown earlier). Now the sun has reached its full intensity neither the wall nor any other spots show any sign of how the letters manifested themselves.

Fortunately, the cave provide adequate cover from the intense solar radiation of the three suns that have begun rise. At this point, the players in the upper section feel a rumbling and vibration akin to old cable elevator starting an ascent through the rock. They can hear some slight scruffing in the passageway in the tunnel ahead.

---------------------------------------------------------

Zhin peers over the giant step deep down possible, as far as 30m, as it is hard to tell in this pitch blackness there is a very faint light source illuminating the cave wall. Could be lichen or artificial...as it is exteremely hard to tell.

As he places his hand forward, he cuts his hand (1pt dmg to be healed in 3 regular rounds) on the sharp edges of the downward incline. [OOC: I need some sort of Knowledge roll to figure out the material that cut his hand.] As he reaches out to wipe the blood from the stone, he finds that the stone has somehow absorbed it.

atpollard August 29th, 2007 02:00 PM

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by kafka47 (Post 234448)
[OOC: I need some sort of Knowledge roll to figure out the material that cut his hand.]
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OOC: I succeeded on a standard difficulty General Knowledge/Cave Survival roll (equal to 8+ on 2D6) and a hard difficulty Wrod World Knowledge/JOT roll (equal to 12+ on 2D6) – only YOU know if we are on a world related to the Wrod World Ecosystem.

kafka47 August 29th, 2007 07:41 PM

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Ref says:
Zhin grimacea at the pain set off the rock's edge wounding into his hand. He will know to be more careful in the future. Hurriedly, bandaging it, a few drops of blood still drip down on the surface of the rock. His other blindly gropes forward but within minutes, the "rock" has absorbed the blood. Feeling the rock, he notes that it is not porous but solid and hard, as feels the edges. It not like the rock of home, perhaps, the strangers who spoke of the sky were correct, maybe there thousands of worlds out there and the legends of the decent are true.

However, as his fingers probe the rock further and then it dawns upon, he has felt this rock before...

Searching his memory, he remembers this is the same rock as the Villages back home. The joy of recognition quickly turns to apprehension. The rock is the same, save, the rock of the Villages does not have any of blood draining characteristics. Now, he is hearing shuffling from the mouth of the cave. It is possible that the strangers have managed to join him. However, perhaps more disquieting is that along with the muffled light source down below...some sort of whispering slithering echoing sound can be heard and the minute vibration in the rock has not ceased.


atpollard August 30th, 2007 01:06 PM

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Zhin returns to the cave mouth to rejoin party and update them on what he has learned and heard. If verbal communication is still impossible, the Hunter will communicate with Ben in the Wrod sign language.

[OOC: atpollard enters vacation mode for a week with the wife and baby. Zhin is on autopilot – use him as you wish (he is not afraid of anything except the open sky).]

kafka47 September 4th, 2007 08:18 PM

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Ref says: Zhin emerges from the darkness and speaks to the strange alien and battered Marine. "There is bad magic permuating the rock of this place. At first, I thought it was like home but it drinks blood as well as light. I would suggest that you be careful. For I believe we are not alone. There is some sort of light source and movement deeper down in the caverns? The cave walls will resist our pitons...we must find a way down or another way out."

Zhin is suddenly blinded by the intensity of the light of three suns. For a moment the strange symbols that appeared on the cave wall appear on his body. When they appear they are inverted with four additional symbols appearing in each of the four corners of chest.

http://www.ufomystic.com/wp-content/...plescript2.jpg

Baron Saarthuran September 5th, 2007 04:30 PM

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Ben examines the runes closely, and also the points on where they appear on Zhin, seeing if the letters are inset with or made from some kind of reflective material.

With another view, he uses scraps of his tattered bandolier/pouches to fashion a pair of slit-eyed goggles for Zhin.

"It is this cave or nothing, Zhin. We must press on, no matter what. We cannot survive direct exposure outside of this structure..."

kafka47 September 5th, 2007 06:12 PM

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Ref says: Zhin places the makeshift goggles over his eyes - gaping at his chest in the fluttering instance that the mysterious encryption exists. Panicked, he begins to energetically and robustly scrubbing himself. With a flicker, the images withdraw virtually as rapidly as they first became visible. How they appeared on Zhin is a mystery. They appeared on his larynx, his shoulders and his upper thighs. The letters seem be made from some sort of reflective material but upon touch, it feels like his regular skin. However, they were not tattoos or cuttings into the flesh. They just appeared and disappeared.

"I fear nothing, Friend Ben. This cave maybe unfamiliar but a cavern is a cavern. These are words of power. I have no idea what they mean but they resemble the words in the Book of Lost Things which are used by accolades in the Village to commune with the Goddess. We are approaching her chamber. Why does she seek our blood is what I cannot understand. This structure seems to be a cave like any other, but, I fear there is not something not quite natural about it."

Baron Saarthuran September 6th, 2007 12:50 PM

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"Do any of the symbols match closely the ones in the book you speak of?"

kafka47 September 6th, 2007 05:12 PM

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Ref says: Zhin looks blankly at the Hiver, "I am afraid that I am what might be best translated as an outsider or barbarian...I cannot read. I just know the symbols are similar."

Baron Saarthuran September 7th, 2007 05:40 PM

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Ben nods at the young Wrod hunter knowingly, while scraping off a bit of the rock into a sample tube...

"Very Well. Perhaps on our climb to mastery of this planet, that can be a rewarding activity. I will teach you to speak and read Gurvin... language of languages..."

atpollard September 14th, 2007 01:49 PM

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(atpollard is back - and well rested)

Zhin gently rubs his fingers over the skin where the strange symbols appeared and whispers to Ben in a far-away voice “I would welcome knowledge of this ‘gur-vin’ of which you speak.”

Zhin suddenly, shakes his head violently to clear his thoughts and his tone of voice changes to one of sharp focus. “But now we are as you say ‘between a rock and a hot place’."

The Hunter turns to confer with both Ben and Khan.

“Something approaches from within the magic-dark. We should not carelessly yield the initiative to this unknown creature. Since we cannot retreat to the surface until sunset, we must either advance into the dark and confront the beast in it’s lair or hold our ground and prepare to defend ourselves. The cave drinks our blood. It would be foolish to assume that this creature is not dangerous."

"Brother Ben and Brother Kahn, what are your thoughts?”

kafka47 September 14th, 2007 04:08 PM

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Ref says: As try as he can Ben cannot seem to get a scrapping of the rock, his portacomputer/sensor tells that it is made from the same material of the Wrod habitat. crystalline super heavy elements locked together in a long atomic chain. However, there is something also different about, it seems to be littered with impurities, which by definition is impossible for a crystalline structure with composed from these elements, let along forming a crystalline structure of this size.

As they advance in the cave, they become aware of a sharp 90* drop extending at least 100m and a dim light source emanating from there. There is a distinctive whistling and whining sound combined with a rhythmical hammering. With no hand holds or place in which to tie the rope and the edge being razor sharp makes any decent perilous.

atpollard September 25th, 2007 08:01 PM

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better to burn out than fade away

Zhin steps up to the edge of the precipice and shouts down the hole “beware creatures, I am a Athiyk Z'hin, Hunter of The First People!”

The Hunter checks his equipment and secures any loose items. He whispers “I am not afraid” and pauses for a moment. The Hunter tucks his arms in close and steps forward, falling feet first down the center of the hole to whatever destiny awaits.

Now we HUNT!!

kafka47 September 28th, 2007 07:19 PM

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Ref says: Zhin falls, falls, falls (taking 12pts dmg) before hitting the rocky base. Possibly breaking a leg. At the base, two large forms are startled by the sudden arrival of the Hunter amidst their company. Their eyes narrow menancely, their armour is thick and their raise their glowing blades and take a swipe at Zhin (another 8pts). Seemingly, effortlessly, the Hunter's hand and one foot is removed clean through the bone and the wound is cauterized in the rapid strokes. They now stand above Zhin ready to make the coup de grace blow.

From above the remainder of the party can hear the tortured screams of their companion then silence. Followed by some sort of animalistic grunting,

kafka47 October 7th, 2007 01:44 AM

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OOC: The Ref is busy twiddling his thumbs awaiting action from the rest of the players and getting rather impatient as the political pulpit is filling more and more valuable space on this forum rather than Traveller. Similarly, those lurkers and newbies who would be most welcome to join in this game remain silent. Most frustrating...

Ref says: After the slow unmistakable hiss of fusion weapons being discharged. The remainder of the players hear some shuffling and then this (
HTML Code:

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http://www.rpgsoundmixer.de/files/samples/alarm.mp3
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) fateful sound.

atpollard October 7th, 2007 04:59 PM

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OOC: It has been one month since someone other than Zhin or the Ref posted. I had hoped to go down swinging, but could not figure out how to attack with broken legs, a missing hand and a missing foot. [In retrospect, I should have dropped pebbles down the hole until one of them came and looked up - then I could have jumped on his head.]

Jame October 7th, 2007 06:23 PM

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Also ooc: Julianne is up on the surface; since the action is taking place down below, she is not involved.

kafka47 October 8th, 2007 02:24 AM

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by atpollard (Post 238073)
OOC: It has been one month since someone other than Zhin or the Ref posted. I had hoped to go down swinging, but could not figure out how to attack with broken legs, a missing hand and a missing foot. [In retrospect, I should have dropped pebbles down the hole until one of them came and looked up - then I could have jumped on his head.]
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We have adopted the Take 20 rule here, if you want to use it. I know, you have done an excellent job or you could role up another character and use it on the surface...leaving the Hiver and the other Marine the cruel torture that lies ahead.

Baron Saarthuran October 14th, 2007 10:56 PM

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Ben looks down the hole and then back up at Kahn...

"All right then... we will co-rule this planet. If Zhin has survived, he'll have to be demoted to "Brain-In-A-Tank" status. I knew taking that unmodified barbarian would be a liability!"

Ben then recalls the file on the Zhodani Firebird and synchs it to his projector, and projects the image of the gracefully flying creature over the lip of the hole... he slowly ramps up the images brightness until it has the glow of a plas-torch... The image is only a meter wide, but brighter than daylight in its radiance...

Ben then sets his voder to play Beethoven's 6th Symphony in the 80-110 db range... loud... he soundscapes the output to reverberate off the hole's walls with computer precision and matching...

Overlaid to this music is a low, mettalic gong sound, that thunders across the pit mouth....

With a free hand, he pops two flares and throws them down the pit... while he shakily fires more flares into the cavern wall with the Flare Gun (OOC: waaay back on page 86 or something)

Ben also quickly dimensions Kahn and prepares a holo-routine that just might even the score here.

kafka47 October 23rd, 2007 02:30 PM

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Ref says: There is a distinctive scuffling toward the flare the distinctive sound of plasma slicing through the air can be heard. A scratching sound can be heard and the cave shakes again. Then there is dead silence. The dull light seems to wane and brighten at regular two standard minute intervals.

Nothing more can be heard from the Hunter. The music played does not seem to effect noticably any activity that is below in the murky and dim abyss.

At that instant, Ben's cuts his hand (1pt) on the sharp edge. His blood is almost completely absorbed by the stone with no signs of it being porous rock nor holes.

atpollard October 31st, 2007 08:42 PM

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Death of a Hunter.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kafka47 (Post 237285)
Ref says: Zhin falls, falls, falls (taking 12pts dmg) before hitting the rocky base. Possibly breaking a leg. At the base, two large forms are startled by the sudden arrival of the Hunter amidst their company. Their eyes narrow menancely, their armour is thick and their raise their glowing blades and take a swipe at Zhin (another 8pts). Seemingly, effortlessly, the Hunter's hand and one foot is removed clean through the bone and the wound is cauterized in the rapid strokes. They now stand above Zhin ready to make the coup de grace blow.

From above the remainder of the party can hear the tortured screams of their companion then silence. Followed by some sort of animalistic grunting,
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Zhin hits the bottom hard, rolling to absorb some of the energy, but still breaking a leg and ending up flat on his back. “I am not afraid” he whispers through clenched teeth as he struggles to stand. The effort results in a shot of unbearable pain that nearly causes him to black out. He drops his dagger and his guard as he struggles to remain conscious, and defenselessly takes the blow that severs his hand and foot. Zhin crumbles helplessly to the floor, convulses briefly and dies.

atpollard October 31st, 2007 08:44 PM

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Athiyk Z'hin - Spirit Walker

[… Zhin awakens to a flash of light. He is lying on the floor of a large cave, surrounded by natural crystal formations reflecting hundreds of shades of color from millions of glowing facets. Deep in the cave a waterfall cascades into a crystal pool. Sitting at the edge of the pool, an old Hunter sits braiding chord into a grip for a stone dagger.

Zhin untwists his leg from its unnatural position and stands. He feels no pain. He stares at his own arm - a translucent arm that ends in a transparent hand made of light. The Hunter remembers this cave from his childhood. It is sacred to the First People.

Zhin walks to the edge of the pool and sits down. He picks up an unfinished blade and a stone hammer and begins to strike away flakes to create one of the razor sharp daggers that the Hunters favor. “Hello again, Grandfather.”

“Greetings little Athiyk,” (Zhin smiles, no one but Grandfather uses his first name.) “How goes the Hunt”.

Zhin does not answer, the fact that he is HERE means that something has gone wrong. “Is it time for me to Walk with the Spirits, forever?”

“Not yet, but soon” replies Grandfather. “Now is the time for you to rest and draw upon the power of the Spirits. You will need the strength.”

“Good, Brother Ben and Hunter Khan need me.”

“It is time for you to return to the living.”

“I love you, Grandfather” whispers Zhin.

“Remember, you are Athiyk Z'hin – “Spirit Walker”. You are a Hunter of the First People. Do not be afraid” intones Grandfather as he draws a handful of water from the pool and pours it over the boy’s head.]

atpollard October 31st, 2007 08:46 PM

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Meanwhile, down below ...

… A flash of light. Pain. Zhin’s body convulses and he is lying on the floor of the cave with the monsters.


Quote:

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Originally Posted by kafka47 (Post 239624)
There is a distinctive scuffling toward the flare the distinctive sound of plasma slicing through the air can be heard. A scratching sound can be heard and the cave shakes again. Then there is dead silence. The dull light seems to wane and brighten at regular two standard minute intervals.

Nothing more can be heard from the Hunter. The music played does not seem to effect noticeably any activity that is below in the murky and dim abyss.
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Zhin’s resurrection goes unnoticed among the ‘battle of the flares’. Adrenaline and endomorphines flood through his body, driving away the pain. Zhin cautiously examines the dark room and plans his attack. Now it is my turn to strike with surprise.

Zhin remembers his Grandfather’s words and thinks: I am Athiyk Z'hin. I am a Hunter of the First People. I am not afraid.

[OOC: Kafka, what do I see?]

kafka47 November 1st, 2007 09:51 PM

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Ref says: You see hooded creatures which carry large staffs. At the ends of each staff a "blade" of solid light remains fixed. When the two flares decend, there is the distinctive sound of metal boots clapping the floor. The creatures throw off their cloaks revealling the demonic visages.
http://readablefeast.clubmom.com/pho.../darthmaul.jpg

Their bashing of the flare with the light 'blades" slice the rock much as Zhin's own knife would cut fungus, cleanly and effortlessly. Down the cavern, there is a branching corridor which spilts to the left and the right. There is no other light source than these creatures light staffs.

OOC: Glad that you opted for the Take 20 rule...luckily you don't seem to interest the creatures which were distracted by your death.

atpollard November 2nd, 2007 02:36 AM

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OOC: gasp! ugh. wimper. sigh.

Jame November 3rd, 2007 07:45 PM

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Julianne continues looking for someone to help with the crystal, or at least the portion of the code upon it which she has downloaded upon her computer. To do so she will seek out the sophontolgical facilities on-planet.

In the meantime, she will check her calendar to see if she has any really important, pressing issues (ooc: i.e. anything from Imperial Nobles) to take care of.

kafka47 November 4th, 2007 09:52 PM

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Ref says: Julianne's calendar is blank until next week when she is supposed to make a tour of the Rimward Finishing School for Young Ladies. There are several invitations to several parties held by a variety of sororities.

A pity cryptographers are not listed in the local Yellow Pages Julianne laments.

Out of the corner of her eye, she catches a newsvid explaining:

Traveller Aid Society News headlines:

The anti Imperial Terrorist front has once again struck again. This time engendering the scuttle refinery in the Southern Polar Regions and production is not expected to get back online for another couple of weeks. In the meantime, the price for scuttle is expected to drop as miners have nowhere to process the ore. Once again, it flashes the images of the Terrorist Hiver said to be the mastermind behind all said attacks warning citizens to be ever vigilant.

In other news, Grand Prince Varian was seen with several young nobles from the sector exiting the Casino Temporal, it is said that the Princes' losses could have bought the Casino building three times over. Shrugging he is quoted as saying, "It is all for charity after all."

As he stepped into the grav limo distant explosions could been seen. Undoubtedly, the terrorists had plotted an assassination attempt. The Prince is now squandered on IN Dreadnought Fearless which has now taken up orbit.

Jame November 5th, 2007 12:40 PM

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Julianne thinks to herself, upon seeing "Terrorist Hiver," Terrorist Hiver? What? ... Isn't that Benjamin?!?

She decides that, given the way that the newsfeed reads, speaking out won't be healthy; keeping this little fact in the back of her mind, she decides to head for the Casino Temporal and get a drink while reviewing the invitations by sororities (and researching these sororities; ooc, I want examples please) and looking into the Finishing School.

atpollard November 5th, 2007 02:13 PM

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Underground

Zhin is immediately terrified by the sight and power of these creatures. But fear soon gives way to a quiet anger as Zhin contemplates their malice and arrogance and thinks “There is no honor in these creatures. They kill without thought or purpose. They must not be allowed to stop our quest.”

Zhin watches and waits for the creatures to resume their activity. Once safely engulfed in the darkness beyond the light of their weapons, the Hunter slowly crawls towards the far edge of the cavern (away from the creatures). With the infinite patience of a hunter stalking his prey, Zhin crawls around the edge of the cavern towards the double passage.

At the split tunnel, the Hunter listens and smells for some clue of what lies down each path.

kafka47 November 5th, 2007 07:51 PM

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Ref says: The creatures do not cease their patrol. Several times they advance toward his position but they do not seem to be aware of his presence. It is almost as if that it was his sudden appearance is what alarmed the creatures but once they thought they had killed him, they did not persue it any further in a strange unilateral logic they just continue acting as the sentinel creatures that they must have for many years for the path that they take been worn away by their metered, measured footfalls.

Nowhere, does Zhin see anything else alive nor does he see traces of what could be alive. He has now crawled successfully to the junction without raising the ire of the sentinel daemons nor any measure of help from his companions on the upper tier.

In the meantime, the Hiver and Marine are beginning to get peckish. As they break out their food, they realize that their only real hope for survival lies with that foolish barbarian warrior.

kafka47 November 5th, 2007 09:21 PM

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Ref says: The barkeep eyes Julianne twice over, "The Droyne said you would come. Your holosuite is #67, funny you did not strike me as the type who would order Bang, Bang - Wulan lesbains in chains 4. Enjoy!" as he slips over a pass card with the:

Quote:

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Number 69 - Property of Csino Temporal Any attempt to tamper with this card will be met an immediate response from Farpoint Law Enforcement. Thank you and have a nice day
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inscribed on one side and a magnetic stripe on the other.

Her handcomputer plugs into the library data and runs off a list of sororities and fraternities (be creative and substitute every 5th with a Vilani name) - http://www.dmoz.org/Society/Organizations/Student/Fraternities_and_Sororities/Women%27s_Fraternities_and_Sororities/ whilst slipping down her drink.

OOC: This game need more players, if others want to join in kindly let me know via PM

Jame November 5th, 2007 10:55 PM

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Julianne says to the barkeep, "Wouldn't you know, I've been trying to broaden my horizons. Thank you."

She goes to holosuite #67.

kafka47 November 6th, 2007 02:55 AM

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OOC: This game need more players, if others want to join in kindly let me know via PM

Ref says: As Julianne ascends the spiral staircase, two drunken stevedores knock her down the few steps that she had climbed. They slur drunkenly, "Sorry babe. Can I buy you a drink or something, in compensation for our clumsiness?"

OOC: Read carefully previous post.

Maccat November 7th, 2007 02:02 AM

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Some guy in a navy blue jumpsuit with gold chevrons hops up the stairs over Julianne, getting between her and these "stevedors", he's got a big heavy metal wrench in one hand tapping his other hand with it, looks seriously at these two ruffians.
"all right, you two, give it back" over his shoulder, "You ok lady?"
back to the two "stevedores", muttering to himself, "Stevedores, huh, in a fancy casino even. Thought this was supposed a be a lawful world? Here drunkards rolling people in the broad daylight..." Staring at the "stevedores", "HEY, you two, I said give it *back*! and who are you, anyways? you got your Purser/Steward papers on you? Looks to me like you you just assaulted a visitor to this world. You from here or are you two just 'visitng' also? Better hope you got medical insurance, and yeah lets get that from you also: better hope she's not hurt bad." looking around, " I gotta get the authorities involved here?" "HEY WAITRESS! Can i get a waiter here?"

Maccat November 7th, 2007 02:23 AM

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shouts down the spiral stair, "AND SOMEBODY GET A MEDIC, some lady's been HURT!"

Jame November 7th, 2007 12:44 PM

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Julianne stands up and says, "I'm alright, and intact ... Hey! They took my crystal!" (ooc, is that what they took? I'm a bit lost.)

She gets up and in between the two stevedores. Taking one of them by the collar so he can't escape, she says, "Sir, you are a thief; if you do not return what you stole I'll beat you senseless and then turn you over to the police. Now return it!"

kafka47 November 7th, 2007 02:41 PM

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Ref says: The drunks do not appear to have Julianne's crystal or anything else of Julianne's. They look at each other and then at the newcomer and their eyes narrow menacingly for a moment and say, "Sorry, Citizen, this does not concern you. We merely want to buy the beautiful lady here a drink. Thief? Who are you calling a The-f't, babe."

They flex their cyber enhanced muscles and crack their nuckles, "If anything, it is you who is looking for trouble, by making false accusations, this is our world well before you Imperial scum showed up."

With that there is a mummur of approval from the crowd.

Maccat November 7th, 2007 04:43 PM

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"Citizen, HA!" sighs, but kinda coughs on the exhale, muttering, "dang canned air in this place" he looks a lil pale, like he's been frozen recently.
"Lady, where i come from you lay hands like that on me we wouldn't be at the talking stage at this point, if ya get my drift" hefts that heavy wrench again (tap tap), "... and you two! threats, sheesh! so you all stevedores or what? here i was tryin to maybe get some *business* done with a steward/purser, but maybe you do things *differently* 'round these here parts, what with me needin some *engineering* tools 'n all. Stands in good stead yer showin some contrition, i might add." "and here we blockin the stairwell, sounds like mebbe a fire violation or something, i hear they're pretty strict 'round here *hm*? Now *me*, i hear talk o' drinks, *i'll take both you up on that*" "but all this yabbering on casino air... " "Sounds like you an the lady got a bit o' *disagreement*, maybe lets take this to a booth, air's on you i might add, we'll get us some drinks and sort this out like genklemen. Or you wanna take it *outside*?" to julianne "lady, you might wanna get their med insurance info and get checked out *just in case*, you catch my drift" muttering "sheesh, five minutes yakking, like 3Cr these two owe me to boot!" "heck call it ten and 6" "dang, i *am* gettin thirsty" to the two stevedores: "what kinda rot gut you all have 'round here? anything *strong*?"

kafka47 November 7th, 2007 05:21 PM

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Ref says: The proverbal "eyes in the skies" are diligently recording everything but thus far, security is not seen. Card dealers and waitresses are keeping their distance. A few moments later, milling through the crowd are a few bulky looking guys in black flak armor speaking through coms on their lapels. Placing a hand on the stevedores, the bulky men, pale a little, and looked flustered, "Sorry, Babe, I mean, citizen. We did not mean any trouble, had I known you were one them Noble girls, I wouldn't have asked you anything. No offence, but, you were kinda plain."

"Drinks, sir? I am sorry me and my mate have to get back to work." and they turn as they are escorted out of the casino by the men in black flac suits.

The bartender looks, at the 10Cr, "What will you have, friend?" as he slips the 10Cr into the register. After hearing the request for something strong goes behind the bar and pulls out a bottle of something foulishly purple and red that seems to interact with the ice in the glass by causing them to sparkle, "That will be 8Cr."

OOC: This game need more players, if others want to join in kindly let me know via PM

Jame November 7th, 2007 06:37 PM

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Julianne gives Maccat a sidelong look, and then, turning back to the bartender says, "I'd like somthing that's not sweet." She hands him a 10 Cr note as well.

Maccat November 7th, 2007 08:12 PM

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looks at the 10Cr note, the bartender, the lady. Hooks the wrench back on his belt, sighs kinda wistfully. "thanks for the drink, lady!" grabs up the drink and starts walking off "Hmm where are the tables anyhow? wonder if they have free drinks while you're playing? never did catch her name, hela..." you notice his vacc suit doesn't appear to have the tanks on th back, but maybe they're real small. seems somewhat patched up, too, for that matter.

kafka47 November 8th, 2007 12:15 AM

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Ref says: The barkeep is still looking expectedly at MacCat, "That will be 8 Credits, Sir." without turning his eyes off the unruly spaceman, he pours Julianne a drink, "A Long Spacedock Manhattan, you m'lady. Five Credits, please.", as he slips the 10Cr note into the cash register without punching in any numbers, just as he did with MacCat.

With a long pause the barkeep informs, MacCat, "Drinks are never on the house. Tables are on levels 3 through 4 past the holosuites you will find a lift. Third floor - 50Cr minimum and on the fourth - 2000Cr minimum. You have to pay for your drink now, sir and m'lady else, I will have call security." in deceitfully glacial tone that matched the frozen plains of this cold moon.

Maccat November 8th, 2007 01:52 AM

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"okok, sorry to offend, sir" shells out a 20cr bill for him, "that should cover them, hm? keep the change!" doffs the drink (hope it's not spluttery strong, but can prolly not overreact about it), starts heading back to the spiral stair, kinda lookin like are there more thugs to jump me goin up? and on towards the lift. (sheesh, unruly lol)

Jame November 8th, 2007 01:00 PM

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Julianne has her drink and then turns to Maccat.

"Thank you, sir. But I have a holosuite reserved upstairs and am anxious to get to it; if you'll excuse me."

Maccat November 8th, 2007 01:51 PM

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"you're welcome. Still think something fishy was going on there" "never did catch your name, Mines Robson. Sounds like the holosuites are on the way to the lift to the third floor casino. But then as near as i can tell the population here what, like a hunnerd? and plus all these students, heh. small pool for such a big casino, likely the tables are rigged. I might just head out soon, see about gettin some engineering tools, some crash pad, see what ships are in, maybe i can find a working passage get off this rock before what lil funds i got have me sucking that methane outside. Some thieves damaged my suit, stole my tanks and the port authorities seem none too friendly in those regards. About what i expect from Impies!"

Jame November 8th, 2007 02:58 PM

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"My name is Julianne. You have my thanks for your rather brash assistance. Say, if you aren't Imperial, what are you?"

Maccat November 8th, 2007 10:05 PM

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points to stencil on right breast of vacc suit: "Tans, my homeworld. was in the navy there,..." pause "... is equivelant to a Lieutenant my muster out rank. Still not sure how i got here, waiting on a copy of the low berth manifest i shipped in on, and someone busted into my stuff while i was cold out, took my tanks, the comm from my vacc suit, my immigration papers to the Imperium (grrr), and navy/merchant certs. No help from the authorities here getting reimbursed, maybe i need a lawyer or something. the Visa i have is only for the planet it appears, and only good for a week at that, so still awaitng some word on that. It's outrageous I'm left to my own in this situation! Um, what's a holosuite? never heard of that before."

Jame November 8th, 2007 11:19 PM

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"Maybe I can help. However, I have some business to take care of at the moment, and am uncertain how long it will take. Anyways, a holosuite is a room which has holographic projection abilities, and people use them as relaxation tools."

Maccat November 8th, 2007 11:59 PM

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"Ok great! Heck i'm out 40Cr so far seems a pricey place to wait around." "Think i'll head back to the port, see if they got anywhere yet on the paperwork. Maybe check what ships are in, arriving, like that. Look me up at the Port, ok?"

kafka47 November 9th, 2007 12:07 AM

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Ref says: The barkeep spins a 1Cr rather aimlessly on the bar countertop, (A) "I couldn't help but overhear your blight, friend. Skills like those that you have are not much needed here dirtside. Salvage crews are mounting a repair of the Pride that was the victim of a rather nasty pirate attack. But, it being a Vilani ship, you might have some trouble breaking in."

(B) (C) (D) "Yes, it is tough universe out there. The cold equations of the profit and loss, and the fact that the universe simply does not care, I would hire you here but, I am already offering too much to disabled skiddleminers widows, and, no offence, you are not everyone's type. The women here prefer the more rugged look. But, if you be needing a Vacc suit, then, perhaps try the pawn shops in the lower East End. But, you seem like the lady might need a protector, I would ask her what she pays..." he continues coyly.

Jame November 9th, 2007 12:25 AM

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Julianne listens to the bartender. When he's finished, she turns to Maccat and says, "I'll pay you a few hundred credits as a retainer, but due to lack of funds can't pay more than that. Once I come into some money I'll give some more. ... Perhaps I could put that money into an interest-bearing fund and let it build up."

Maccat November 9th, 2007 01:00 AM

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"thanks for the advice there, barkeep!" tossin him a 5Cr coin, to julianne, "Yes sure I'll do my best to keep ya safe, the credit's'll help for sure! Maybe after you're done with yer business in that holo thing we swing by that pawn shop, might be worth visiting I think. There a terminal or anything to check out the contract specs on that vilani craft? I could busy myself with that while you do what you're up to." "Lady Julianne, I am at your service!"

Jame November 9th, 2007 01:14 AM

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Julianne smiles and says, "I am glad. If you'll excuse me, I have a reservation."

She heads up to the holosuite.

kafka47 November 9th, 2007 04:20 PM

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Ref says: "The public data banks are in the library and on every street corner. We may be the frontier, friend, but we do have have the necessities of civilized life. Cost is the standard 1Cr per ten minutes. However, if you want to go the hiring hall for spacers that would be near the landing pads in the Starport."

Julianne ascends the spiral staircase this time without interruption, she comes across a row of identical doors leading into what would be the size of a small cabins. Each of the cabins are numbered one through to seventy, instead of a door handle a magnetic stripe reader is mounted on each door. Every so often someone or a couple emerges from one of the cabins, smiling and giggling especially the younger ones. At the far end of the corridor of doors there is an elevator that can take person down or to the higher levels of the complex.

Maccat November 9th, 2007 04:35 PM

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Hooking his wristcomp up to a data jack of a terminal by the holosuite door (i assume theres computer services?) Robson starts to try n get caught up some. ... the dome to this place was breeched?! ... port facilities, orbital dock, that'll be sweet... shuttle services hmm (get listing of shuttles, small craft in port, rate charts, charter terms)...(heck starships in port too for that matter, maybe try n figure out what craft came from the naasirka, where the berthed) hm interesting ... Farpoint space out to 100d, then greater autonomy/shared for the system, sweet ...
check for freelance reporters lookin for work, sounds like a few were laid off... Naasirka main offices (storing address, comm number, net address, email)... TAS bar hm, (ditto info) ... thinking, high law level, hm check for registration procedure for independant contractor jobs, bodyguard, engineer, vacc-jockey, and heck underwater too for that matter ... check for RV rentals, honest-to-god real ATV availability cost/lease/rent... an A port? C port?! wth ok, lotta J-6 Tukeras comin in... Check for other authorized small craft/star port pads (those publlicly listed, i suppose) ... check merchant set up here, this is ridiculous, what quantity of life support LS gets a volume discount? ...heck i come from TL9 and gettin resupplied in port isn't any where *near* as hard ...do a search on wth that drink that guy gave me was. did i see the bottle he poured it from? what's it cost? ...
kind of pales, gulps. a, a, a shield?! some sort of energy thing is all there is filtering this place?!... looks up power plant location ... bodygurad bonding requirements? ...

TAS Local News release for Farpoint 021-1113

* The Count today inspected the damage to the main dome today.
...
Subsequentially, Live 34 was levied a heavy fine by the planetary government for spreading disinformation. Live 34 have subsequentially aired a full retraction and a better image clearly showing that it was indeed the prototype General Dynamics Snow Remover XX-01 in the frame. The journalists who were responsible for spreading such lies have been asked to find work offworld... the planetary army had a wonderful job evacuating survivors and that medals will be awarded to all in a special ceremony at the Count's orbital residence.

* Reports have been coming in from the Navy, of a major offensive against the Imperial shipping division of Naasirka, whereby the flagship of the sector, the Pride of Naasirka recently constructed at the Nu Earth shipyards has sustained heavy damage.
A Naval spokesperson, refused to comment on the whereabouts of the Pride now several days missing from their docking at Alpha One. Several passengers who did leave the craft, in their own private craft describe a horrendous journey but were appreciative of free coupons for fuel and lodging here on Farpoint.
...
* The permanent representative from Nu Earth said the attack should not be reflected back into the League of Suns, naval capacity. "We have repeated asked for an upgrade of Naval ships from the Imperium, but, if all they sell us is mothballed TL D cruisers, how are we supposed to respond?"
...
* In other news, an Imperial courier from the Core has brought a most esteemed visitor in form of Crown Prince Varan who is here to conduct diplomatic talks with the Zhodani Ambassador before his departure to Capital. He will formally accept the credentials of the Ambassador and try to find alternative arrangements should the Pride not be available for the journey.
__________________
* A great deal of the broadcast is devoted to Varian tuxedo and its ability to change colours due to nanotech fibres capable of responding to the slightest touch.

* They show the Count dressed in his trademark cloak with his face covered with a reflective golden mask overseeing the reconstruction of the main dome after the frightful terrorist suspects. Authorities do have some leads, however no convictions have been issued, in the meantime off planet travel has been subject to an exit visa requirement that the Ministry of Happiness will issue to all upon who present proper identification and submit to a small genetic analysis.

* The other segment is about the ongoing reconstruction of the Pride estimated now to at least two months as the materials have to brought in from the Marches, Tukera has made its J-6 Freighters available for Naasirka's needs.

* The Scout service continues to insist that atmospheric conditions of Mother presents severe dangers to anyone who wishes to go beyond the curtain and travel to Plains of Leng is especially dangerous. A spokesperson for the Skiddlebuggers Guild indicated that storms like this have known to flare up every decade and represent no serious threat, it is just another instance of the Imperium [bleep] the indigenous population at the behest of [bleep] [bleep] offworld interests.

The stories tend loop around with extensive coverage of those events by various talking heads. Just like CNN.

I(((
... has reached the "seedier" part of town dominated by pawnshops and used clothing store. There she finds a number of merchants that are willing to haggle with her. OOC: To make a successful haggle. Difficult. Streetwise, Negotiation, Persuasion or Trader only one may be used. 2min.
If Exceptional Success is one of the rolls - roll 2D10 (01-99%) and this will be the percentage of discount. Treat 00 as 0% If regular success then just 1D20 to calculate discount. If failure results then task may be retried at the next level of difficult. If another failure results or Exceptional Failure is the result then the doors are slammed in Panthera's face.
Quality roll 1D6 for each item purchased (only after puchase has been made)
1 Excellent 2 Good 3 Fair 4 Poor 5 Exceptionally Poor 6 Unusable.
Buyer beware is the unofficial moto of Traveller, afterall.
))) ok interesting take it that holds true still ya?

Jame November 9th, 2007 11:01 PM

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by kafka47 (Post 241084)
Julianne ascends the spiral staircase this time without interruption, she comes across a row of identical doors leading into what would be the size of a small cabins. Each of the cabins are numbered one through to seventy, instead of a door handle a magnetic stripe reader is mounted on each door. Every so often someone or a couple emerges from one of the cabins, smiling and giggling especially the younger ones. At the far end of the corridor of doors there is an elevator that can take person down or to the higher levels of the complex.
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Julianne decides that, as soon as she finds out what's in Holosuite 69, she's going to go do some gambling. But first, to business. She goes into the Holosuite.

atpollard November 10th, 2007 05:13 PM

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Underground

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kafka47 (Post 240769)
Ref says: The creatures do not cease their patrol. Several times they advance toward his position but they do not seem to be aware of his presence. It is almost as if that it was his sudden appearance is what alarmed the creatures but once they thought they had killed him, they did not persue it any further in a strange unilateral logic they just continue acting as the sentinel creatures that they must have for many years for the path that they take been worn away by their metered, measured footfalls.

Nowhere, does Zhin see anything else alive nor does he see traces of what could be alive. He has now crawled successfully to the junction without raising the ire of the sentinel daemons nor any measure of help from his companions on the upper tier.

In the meantime, the Hiver and Marine are beginning to get peckish. As they break out their food, they realize that their only real hope for survival lies with that foolish barbarian warrior.
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Zhin crawls out of sight of the creature-guards in the right corridor and prepares for war. He unties his equipment harness and coats the short lengths of natural rope and leather in the dirt and stains found in the local caverns. He then uses the same natural colors to dapple his dark skin with local hues creating a primitive camouflage pattern. Tying the strips of stained leather and cloth around strategic areas helps to break up his outline and approximates a crude “Ghillie Suit” (Zhin lacks the resources and time to construct a proper Ghillie Suit).

Once properly hidden, the Hunter uses a candle and some rope to make a small fire basket. He removes one of his sacred prayer incense (designed to burn slowly and release a steady tendril of smoke for hours) and crushes it into a powder that will burn quickly, releasing all of the smoke in a short powerful burst that should fill this cavern and slowly escape up the shaft past Ben and Kahn and to the surface. The hunter grinds some of the charred Ansh meat into a powder and mixes it with the incense to thicken the smoke and further obscure both smell and vision. The smoke powder is added to the fire basket.

The Hunter creeps to the edge of the Creature-guard cavern, just beyond direct line-of-sight of the monsters. He uses his flint to light the edge of the fire basket and carefully pushes it into the cavern where the draft and shape of the ceiling will draw the smoke into the cavern instead of the tunnel. The fire basket smolders for a few minutes, then flames briefly before the billowing cloud of dark smoke pours into the cavern, filling it from the ceiling and quickly working it’s way down to the floor. Only a small area within half a meter of the floor remains clear of smoke (as the lighter than air smoke rises up the chimney, it draws clear air from deeper in the complex).

The Hunter continues to slowly crawl away from the fire basket. He has created a chance for the others to sneak past these creatures. It is now up to Ben and Kahn to seize the initiative and exploit the opportunity.

atpollard November 10th, 2007 05:28 PM

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Underground

[OOC: Since the Hunter and the Hiver still need the Marine to survive, but the player of Khan has gone missing for a while now – (I think he might be deployed for real) – we’ll need to play him as an NPC until his owner gets back or someone else volunteers to control him.]

KHAN (Marine NPC): Seeing Ben cut himself on the sharp edge, Kahn suggests that he could lower the Ben down the shaft with the rope and protect the rope from being cut on the sharp rocks. Then Kahn could climb down the rope and only one person would risk a fall.

[OOC: A Hiver might actually be able to grab the walls with three tentacles and hold himself suspended above the floor while the Marine climbs past and takes point. That would still leave a couple of Hiver limbs free to work his camera/projector. Just an Idea.]

AN OPEN INVITATION:
LADIES AND GENTLE TRAVELLERS, HERE IS A CHANCE TO PLAY TRAVELLER INSTEAD OF JUST ARGUING ABOUT OLD RULES. KAHN (Marine) IS AVAILABLE TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO PLAY HIM. JUST TELL KAFKA AND START POSTING.

Baron Saarthuran November 11th, 2007 12:11 AM

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Ben Measures the length of rope quickly...and snips off a meter of it...

with two hands he quickly fashions a one-way release knot and fits it over the rope. He then ties the far end of the line in a four way harness around his body.

"I will go down, and you will follow using the release knot as a zipline. It is imperative that you do not crush me or impact with me on the way down, so your descent must be reasonable."

(pulls on rope)

"When I'm down, I will cover you with holo-tricks and the flaregun if necessary, but our end goal must be to disarm these creatures and take thier weapons, by any means necessary. the best I will be able to do is maybe flare them or grapple one of them while you kill it."

"This is the first step to our running the place, so get ready..."

kafka47 November 11th, 2007 02:23 AM

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Ref says: The incense quaffs upward filling the chamber with black smoke, it does not seem to effect the sentinels at all. Sensing some sort of movement on the chute down they rush to the opening, which is it is at this point they seem to detect the thick smoke. Frantically , waving their arms they put to one side their red light sticks just off to the side of the cavern just out of reach and just barely out of range of Zhin unless he would make a firm jaunt to attempt to grab them. (Difficult Dex, Risky and then Easy Int, Risky - to figure out the mechanism). Zhin's incense pyre is beginning to smolder but the sentinels show no fundamental intelligence of tracking the smoke to the source.

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Ben lowers down the shaft and is suddenly stuck with the same sickly smell that was in the Wrod hall when they wished him and his companions to initiate the Trial. As he is lowered farther he becomes aware of some movement casting large shadows that resemble humanoid shapes. Then suddenly the rope stops with another 20 meters to go at least before the bottom, if indeed those shadows are coming from the bottom.
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Kahn lowers Ben gently down, the warm desert air is becoming stifling yet again, the caverns rumble yet again and as the suns strike a particular spot in the cave, it refracts through crystal in wall once again showing the same strange glyphs perhaps showing galactic coordinates or something. If it is a map of the galactic disc, clearly they are really far out, farther than anyone has been save maybe the Solomani and their expeditions to the Pegagus Arm...

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MacCat walks into a shop that looks like that it might carry the most respectful amount of merchandise, the proprietor seems to be absorbed in some portable videogame and his long afro indicates that he has done some work as a astrominer and his body is covered in numerous tattoos and piercings. Without looking up, "Treated survival suits, back of the store right side, treated vacc suits on the left 4000Cr each comes equipped with TL E 12hr PLS. And, you won't be finding ATVs as winters fast acomin' most of the ATVs are in other hemisphere, what you might expect is some sort of grav vehicle but I wouldn't be taking it out in the storms that are acomin'..."
OOC: Looks like you know the drill with regard to the rolls.

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Julianne steps into the booth, there is a comfortable pullout futon. Complementary champaine seems to immediately appear from a wall recess. The lights dim and a sweet perfume fills the air lulling Julliane into a highly relaxed state even as she tries to fight it. It is pointless, the holoprojector descends from the ceiling and begins to project the feature presentation, after the initial credits roll and the projection of women doing all sorts of contortionist sexual acts, as the title suggested; the projector suddenly bleeps out an error message of a missing holocrystal.

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A human barbarian hardly dressed for the climatic conditions of Farpoint comes in with two Hivers accompanying him. They seem to communicating in some sort of bizarre hand gestures. The human approaches the bar and announces, "I am Kovok of Kotori and I seek Manipulator Benjamin of Zeldar." The patrons give the trio a look of slight bemusement, perhaps recalling the joke of the two Hivers and a barbarian who walk into a bar and...

Jame November 11th, 2007 12:05 PM

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Julianne rouses a bit and says "What the matrim? ... Hmmm."

She finds her holocrystal and slips it into the holocrystal slot.

CGW November 11th, 2007 01:43 PM

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Kovok is a large man, near 7 feet tall. He wears a Vacc suit with a large, time-beaten black leather trenchcoat fitted over it. His inch-long black hair is slicked back against his skull. He does give off an "outworlder" vibe, and exhibits the worn down look that one gets from extended Spacer activity. His presences certainly alters the mood of the establishment when he enters, especially with two Hiver...

He looks around at the patronage with narrow eyes as he finds a suitable table for he and his clients, telling the Barkeep:

"My bosses need a table, and so do I. Something facing the exits will do."

kafka47 November 11th, 2007 01:46 PM

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Ref says: The room darkens once again. The holoprojector flickers to life in the centre of the room, a shadowy figure with no distinguishable features appears. For a moment there is nothing but silence and eerie sound of wind battering against some reinforced structure, then the holographic image looks up directly where Julianne is sitting. Still she cannot see any face or make out any details save that it vaguely humanoid, finally in a raspy but perfected Anglic, it speaks: "Come to me. Come with your party. Come unarmed. Failure to comply will mean the gravest of consequences of us all."

The voice seems to strike a chill in Julianne's spine bordering on sheer terror for no explicable reason. The above message repeats twice it then said: "Chateau Frontanac".

Then, suddenly, without any warning a flurry of sparks emits from the holoprojector shortens out and the holocrystal is rendered inert with no means of retriving the data.

CGW November 11th, 2007 02:18 PM

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Kovok turns to the two Hiver...

"You heard of this place? Is it part of finding this Benjamin?"

atpollard November 12th, 2007 03:40 AM

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Underground

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kafka47 (Post 241191)
Ref says: … Frantically , waving their arms they put to one side their red light sticks just off to the side of the cavern just out of reach and just barely out of range of Zhin unless he would make a firm jaunt to attempt to grab them. (Difficult Dex, Risky and then Easy Int, Risky - to figure out the mechanism). Zhin's incense pyre is beginning to smolder but the sentinels show no fundamental intelligence of tracking the smoke to the source.
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ZHIN:
Seeing an opportunity too good to pass up, the Hunter discards his earlier caution, instantly tenses like a predator about to pounce and feels the rush of adrenaline charge his senses. The world moves in slow motion as a lifetime of training and reflex take over - Zhin springs for the enemy weapons and lands with an acrobatic roll. The Hunter finds himself kneeling between the creatures and their weapons. Zhin is within striking distance of a creature with one weapon in his good hand and the other weapon on the floor behind him. (success on the Difficult roll by a comfortable margin). Strangely, the controls seem intuitive to the Hunter (success on the Easy roll) and he immediately swings the weapon to strike the nearest creature across the legs – attempting to return the earlier favor and even the odds a little.

[OOC: Some guidance on Initiative and Combat, please. PM is fine.]

kafka47 November 12th, 2007 12:46 PM

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Ref says: The Hivers turn to human and make elaborate hand gestures, Damn if we know...it is well known that M. Franklin was known for his gambling streak. So this is as good as any to start looking. Order us a couple of corn dogs and 8 tall Pan Galactic Gargleblasters and whatever the hell you would like. We have come here to paarty, man. Find M. Franklin, if you like. Here is a few credits to amuse yourself and may be you can find some fellow humans to help u. Remember the Nest has no interest in seeing you live after what you have done. Now go get our drinks. With that they shoo him away with their tentacles but still expect the drinks to be served.

atpollard November 12th, 2007 03:06 PM

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Underground

Zhin:
A quick grin as the Hunter exacts his vengeance. Kneeling in the thinner smoke near the floor, Zhin takes an easy slash, severing the creature’s exposed knees [roll 10, damage 18]. He feels an inappropriate satisfaction as the creature begins to falls to the floor. A swift follow-up blow strikes the falling creature in the chest [roll 8, damage 17].


Quote:

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Originally Posted by Baron Saarthuran (Post 241184)
Ben Measures the length of rope quickly...and snips off a meter of it...
with two hands he quickly fashions a one-way release knot and fits it over the rope.

"I will go down, and you will follow using the release knot as a zipline. It is imperative that you do not crush me or impact with me on the way down, so your descent must be reasonable. When I'm down, I will cover you with holo-tricks and the flaregun if necessary, but our end goal must be to disarm these creatures and take their weapons, by any means necessary. the best I will be able to do is maybe flare them or grapple one of them while you kill it. This is the first step to our running the place, so get ready..."
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Quote:

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Originally Posted by kafka47 (Post 241191)
Ref says: Ben lowers down the shaft and is suddenly stuck with the same sickly smell that was in the Wrod hall when they wished him and his companions to initiate the Trial. As he is lowered farther he becomes aware of some movement casting large shadows that resemble humanoid shapes. Then suddenly the rope stops with another 20 meters to go at least before the bottom, if indeed those shadows are coming from the bottom.
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Kahn lowers Ben gently down, the warm desert air is becoming stifling yet again, the caverns rumble yet again and as the suns strike a particular spot in the cave, it refracts through crystal in wall once again showing the same strange glyphs perhaps showing galactic coordinates or something. If it is a map of the galactic disc, clearly they are really far out, farther than anyone has been save maybe the Solomani and their expeditions to the Pegagus Arm...
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Khan:
As Khan lowers the Hiver, he makes a mental note that we need to examine the these Glyphs and the stars outside more closely. He lowers the rope until there is no more rope to lower. “Well that’ll have to do.” he whispers. He then makes a quick check of the anchor and looks nervously at the sharp edge. “Just like back in drop school” he thinks as he quickly makes a controlled descent into the thick smoke. He suddenly stops, narrowly missing colliding with Ben dangling from the end of the rope. “Damn this visibility” he thinks, “let’s just hope it affects the enemy as much as us”. [note: rolled for rope breaking on starp edge - so far so good]

Seeing no immediate alternative, Khan whispers to Ben “sorry about this” and stands on the Hivers back just long enough to grab his harness and swing around the Hiver. Kahn hangs for a moment beneath the Hiver, and strains to see through the smoke below. He can barely make out the shadowy forms below, when he sees a flash even through the smoke. “This is too much like drop school” he thinks as he draws his cutlass and aims for a controlled low altitude drop onto a pinpoint target – only this “landing zone” wants to kill him.

Kahn drops onto the shadow furthest from the flash, attempting to use the momentum of the fall to drive the cutlass through the creatures head or neck, while breaking his own fall with a safety roll.

[OOC: Khan is unaware of Zhin’s activities but is attempting to get clear of the creatures to place them in the crossfire between Kahn and Ben where his HE Autopistol rounds can do maximum effect. Ben, when Kahn rolls clear, do your thing!]

[OOC: “Kahn” rolled an 11 to attack and rolled a 5 to land safely – I don’t know his ability scores or skills, so Kafka, feel free to post the result].

[OOC: The Hunter and the Hiver still need the Marine to survive, but the player has gone missing. We are playing Kahn as an NPC until his owner gets back or someone else volunteers to control him.]

AN OPEN INVITATION FOR A HERO:
LADIES AND GENTLE TRAVELLERS, HERE IS A CHANCE TO PLAY TRAVELLER INSTEAD OF JUST ARGUING ABOUT OLD RULES.
KAHN (A Marine) IS AVAILABLE TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO PLAY HIM. JUST TELL KAFKA AND START POSTING.

CGW November 12th, 2007 06:40 PM

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Kovok's hand flashes instinctively towards his sword, but then he pauses, nodding knowingly...

He turns to a bar worker...
"Do you have anythin special that my two patrons would enjoy? They are creatures of dicernin taste as you can see..." (roll 8 for Streetwise, trying to find strongest Hiver Intoxicant available)

"They also said they want a round of drinks for everyone on them..."

Kovok goes back over to the Two Hivers, hustling a couple of servers before him...

"Aye and good, my friends... we'll make sure there's a good time in store for ya. I'll be right back... there's a call I gotta take..."

Jame November 12th, 2007 07:35 PM

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Julianne, though quite shaken, takes out her hand computer and runs a search on Chateu Frontanac. While it's working she removes the burnt-out crystal and pockets it.

She leaves the suite, goes down to the bar and orders a stiff drink before looking at the results.

Maccat November 13th, 2007 01:43 PM

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Robson checks when the pawn shop closes, then heads back to the caasino to meet Julianne. "Julianne, you got a vacc suit? sounds like winters hitting and it gets pretty awful around here acid snow and freezing cold. I found us a pawn shop we may be able to hget some stuff for you there."

Jame November 13th, 2007 02:00 PM

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"Thank you, Maccat, but, but I have some equipment already."

Julianne takes a long drink of her beverage and looks at the results of her search.

kafka47 November 13th, 2007 06:01 PM

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Ref says: Julianne's numerous attempts at retrieving any sort of data results in absolute failure. (OOC: Check again what you are keying in, and then explain your search strategy, as keywords yield nothing)

MacCat's is smiling over a round of free drinks that is supposedly provided by some Hivers dressed in gaudy red parkas who are busying themselves on getting drunk in downing Pan Galactic Gargleblasters in rapid succession. Just as he downing another shot, a large hand belonging to Kovok catches him.

Kovok starts, "I am not from this place and I need the expertise of those who have been here longer. You and the woman are to help me."

================================================

The cutlass does break Kahn's fall but it shatters when it comes into contact with one of the creatures body.

In the mad hail of bullets and slicing fusion weapons, the sentinel creatures fall down in a flurry of sparks, it reveals a vast protrusion of wires and gears as the HEAP bullets take out the head of the creatures. Smoke from the creatures mixes in with the smoke of the incense.

The Hunter seems to have learnt how to use this light stick to maximum effect. Looking over the smouldering he remains, he smiles to himself, despite his handicap; it was a good kill today. He and the Marine look at the dangling Hiver and wonder what and when he will join them.

Just then the pressure on the rope was too much and it frayed on the sharp corner's edge and Ben plummets to the ground (take 6pts dmg). Battered, bruised and his ego slightly deflated he dusts off the dirt. The cavern rumbles again and there is apparent movement from below but without any reference, it is impossible to say what is going on. The only way is forward with the passage veering to the left and another to the right. Stony silence is all that can be heard, for even the drumming and throbbing seem to have subsided.



Maccat November 13th, 2007 08:18 PM

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(Roll 6) This guy tryin to grab me gets a parry (Roll 5) what say i grab *him* instead? however it works out i get between him and Julianne. (Arm cocked back for a face-full-of-fists thing, realizing i'm in the bar of the casino, woiuldn't go over to well, so hold off striking) "HEY! lay off with the hands already!" "I'm in employ with this lady you want my services you deal through her, and *yes*, i charge." "Now who the *(&# are you mister anyhow?" (to the hivers, *toast* "thanks for the drinks!")

atpollard November 13th, 2007 08:57 PM

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UNDERGROUND


Quote:

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The Hunter seems to have learned how to use this light stick to maximum effect. Looking over the smoldering remains, he smiles to himself, despite his handicap; it was a good kill today. ...
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“Brother Ben and Brother Kahn, that was a hunt to be remembered!” shouts Zhin “We must celebrate.” Zhin begins carving the chunk of Ansh* meat that he has been carrying since the WROD cavern. Remembering an earlier conversation, he offers the part that has started to spoil to the Hiver and a choice cut to Kahn. “We should eat, then sleep, and strip our kill when we rise.”

[OOC: *for the new players – Ansh is a large tentacled predator that tried to eat us much earlier but was blown into pieces. The Hunter took a large piece for food – it tastes like ‘gator. :)]

Jame November 13th, 2007 09:01 PM

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Julianne grabs Maccat and, only as forcefully as necessary, puts him up against the bar. She says to him "Stop! Think! He's not trying to fight! He's just an idiot."

To the stranger, she says, "We are to help you? I'm sorry, sir, but I was not aware that I am to help anyone. Now. Do you want my help? Yes? Stop and ask politely."

She downs her drink.

OOC: I'm not searching the crystal for anything about Chateau F., but instead searching the public datanet. If there's any particular way I should go about it I'd love a suggestion.

Maccat November 13th, 2007 09:23 PM

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"Heh, ya just an idiot Julianne, guess you're right. Like i say, where i come from you *don't* lay hands on people, lessin yer lookin for a tussle." aside, muttering over his drink "Twice now! I swear, lord help the next uppity tries anything" knuckles whitening against the glass, empty now. Guess it was just the one free round (sigh), "scuffed my vacc suit he did, grrr." placing the drink town, resting the hand on the wrench, lookin over this guy.

Icosahedron November 14th, 2007 09:19 AM

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UNDERGROUND

Khan accepts the lightstick offered by Zhin and examines it closely. He also examines the robotic wreckage for clues about the sentinels' origins, glyphs, or useful devices/weapons/equipment, while Zhin is preparing the meat.
"Food and sleep are always welcome, Zhin, but maybe we should stand watches and strip these for anything useful during the watch - we may have to move on at short notice." He eyes the tunnels warily.

OOC: I'm assuming that since the Ref hasn't jumped in to outlaw it in recent posts, speech is possible now.

atpollard November 14th, 2007 02:18 PM

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Farpoint Bar

[OOC: I want in! Kafka, character details to follow.]

Three days before the “stevedore incident”:
A stranger arrives at the starport in a private starship (a 100 dTon courier modified as a corporate transport) and spends a day clearing customs, getting the ship in the que for standard maintenance, and arranging for long term berthing.

Two days before the “stevedore incident”:
The stranger visits the casino/bar and spends the day just casually chatting with as many locals as he can. At one point he introduces himself to the bartender as “Vincent”, a business man new to Farpoint. He casually chats with the bartender, asking about business, the town, persons of local import – friendly small talk intended to get a “feel” for the community. When the conversation naturally drifts to the subject of Vincent’s business, he informs the bartender that he is interested in local news: One man’s need or another man’s misfortune is often a business opportunity in disguise. “I’m not here to pick the bones of the dead, I just want to bring buyers and sellers together – for a small fee.” Vincent hands the bartender a business card [Vincent – Broker] and says “I’m probably going to be around for a while, and you will find that I am a man of my word who knows how to thank those who are helpful.” (attached to the back of Vincent’s business card is a folded 100 credit note) “Keep the card and call me if you hear anything, interesting.”

Vincent leaves the bar area to go upstairs and slowly looses 200 credits gambling at the cheap table and chatting with the dealer and local blue collar workers.

The morning of the “stevedore incident”:
Vincent arrives at the bar early and claims “his usual” table, not particularly strategic from a combat perspective, but comfortable with a good view of the room . Vincent buys drinks for some locals who stop by for a visit, but mostly he monitors his handcomp, chats socially with anyone who is interested and plays solitaire.

The “stevedore incident”:
Vincent watches the interaction between the strangers and the stevedores with fascination. The hair on his neck tingles and Vincent smiles, sensing the ‘knock’ of opportunity. When security escorts the stevedores away, Vincent follows and politely confronts the security unit and requests to accompany them. He saw the entire incident and would like to speak on these men’s behalf to the security supervisor. The security team closes in around Vincent and escorts him with the stevedores to see the watch commander. Walking down the street surrounded by armed guards brings back an unpleasant feeling of “DéjÃ* vu” for Vincent.

When they arrive before the watch commander, the Security Team reports and then Vincent begins to speak before the stevedores can open their mouths. The watch commander scowls, but Vincent turns on all of his charm and softens the watch commander just a little (Vincent is very likeable). Vincent saw the entire affair. “There was no harm intended, just two working stiffs feeling lucky after a few drinks and playing the fool for a pretty lady. If you arrest every man who makes a fool of himself over a pretty girl, there will be no one left” Vincent smiles and gives a little wink. Vincent offers to pay their fine or post bail for these men. Vincent shakes the hand of the Watch Commander and the stevedores, leaves each with his business card and tells them “Please, contact me if there is ever anything that I can do for you.”. Then Vincent is allowed to leave. The wheels of justice turn slowly and at Farpoint, they turn slower than most.

Late Afternoon:
It is late afternoon before Vincent returns to his table at the bar to review the latest market reports, make some more local adjustments to his forecast software, and resume his solitaire. Even Vincent is surprised to see two Hivers and a Primative have entered the bar. ‘Farpoint may prove to be even more interesting than I had hoped' he thinks to himself. Vincent accepts a drink and moves to thank his Hiver hosts. Immediately sensing that they came here for fun and were not looking for either small talk or business opportunities, Vincent keeps it short and leaves. However, he is not willing to allow the opportunity to pass without any profit and provides each Hiver a copy of his Business Card and an quick invitation to “Please, contact me if there is ever anything that I can do for you.”
atpollard November 14th, 2007 02:20 PM

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Farpoint Bar

Current:
Watching the interaction between Julianne, MacCat and Kovok causes the hairs on the back of Vincent’s neck to tingle. For the second time today Vincent must control the urge to chuckle, and for the second time today Vincent senses ‘opportunity knocking’. Farpoint could prove to be very profitable.

Vincent needs to dispel the tension and make an impression, so he stands to his feet and begins clapping loudly. “Bravo! Bravo! A truly remarkable performance” pausing for effect as he approaches the trio, Vincent continues “I would gladly love to watch you three brawl. I’d even be willing to place a bet on the outcome. But at the risk of seeming too bold, might I suggest an alternative to broken furniture and overworked security guards.” Vincent smiles his most charming smile and continues “Perhaps you three would agree to be my guest for dinner. Oh, where are my manners. Introductions first. Greetings, my name is Vincent. I am a local businessman new to Farpoint.” Vincent presents his most formal Vilani bow to the lady, grasps Maccats free hand in a firm ‘spacer’ grip (not an easy task left-handed, since Maccat has his other hand on a wrench and Vincent wants to avoid antagonizing him) and claps the warrior hard on the upper arm in a greeting common among primitive cultures. “Whom have I the pleasure of meeting and are you hungry?” Turning to the bartender “Could you recommend someplace quiet to eat? Preferably with sturdy furniture” Vincent smiles and winks conspiratorially at the bartender and his new companions.

Looking him over, Vincent is tall and well dressed, but well padded around the middle. He is a little on the homely side, but overall seems quite likeable. While he could probably hold his own wrestling the average barmaid, he does not look like a brawler of any kind.

kafka47 November 14th, 2007 02:48 PM

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Ref says:
Yes, it is suddenly abnormal the sound damping field that was present at the entrance of the cavern seems to have dissipated; not, on the other hand, with the destruction of the robots. The robots present interesting many challenges as they seem to be a jumble of wires and convoluted clockwork. How they held together and acted in concert is bit of a mystery. Thumping hidden inside there is a box that seems to accommodate all the essential circuitry of robot. There are no markings of ownership on any of the parts. The whole thing looks very, very long forgotten yet it is/was in perfect working order. The carcass could without doubt be recycled as armour in the same way other body parts could be fashioned into crude prosthesis’s.

OOC: What is the watch order and how long are the sleep periods? As it has been an exhausting ordeal, need you roll against END to stay awake. Also tell me what you are salvaging from the robots.


Jame November 14th, 2007 08:23 PM

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Somewhat coldly - after all, Julianne was handling the situation before this stranger came barging in (on top of having had a rather creepy message) - she says, "My name is Julianne, which is what you may call me. I am not particularly hungry, so if you could say your piece succinctly I'd prefer it."

atpollard November 14th, 2007 09:02 PM

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jame (Post 241496)
Somewhat coldly - after all, Julianne was handling the situation before this stranger came barging in (on top of having had a rather creepy message) - she says, "My name is Julianne, which is what you may call me. I am not particularly hungry, so if you could say your piece succinctly I'd prefer it."
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Vincent appears genuinely surprised. “I beg your pardon, I meant no offense. I did ‘say my piece’ as you so colloquially put it. I leave you to your mayhem.” Vincent nods slightly and returns to his table and his solitaire.

Jame November 14th, 2007 09:26 PM

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by atpollard (Post 241497)
Vincent appears genuinely surprised. “I beg your pardon, I meant no offense. I did ‘say my piece’ as you so colloquially put it. I leave you to your mayhem.” Vincent nods slightly and returns to his table and his solitaire.
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"If you don't wish to tell me the purpose of your business venture, that's your choice. But if you do, now's the time. Forgive my shortness but I've been shocked today."

CGW November 15th, 2007 12:06 AM

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Kovok releases the Man's hand and motions for the bartender to replace his drink...

"There will be no brawlin between us. You would not like the outcome. I'm sorry for my rough intro. I am a man of combat, and spending more than 8 hours in the company of those two has made me have to fight the urge to chop them into tiny peices.

I am Kovok, a man hired by the Engineers Club of Zeldar to retrieve one of thier own. Tho, these two here (motions to the rapidly inebriate Hivers) have not told me thier names, They are my Contacts. I seek one called M.Benjamin...

Who are you? And do you have information?"

atpollard November 15th, 2007 03:29 AM

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Farpoint Bar

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jame (Post 241498)
"If you don't wish to tell me the purpose of your business venture, that's your choice. But if you do, now's the time. Forgive my shortness but I've been shocked today."
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Vincent:
“Please Julianne, life is full of little misunderstandings. It is best not to dwell on such things.” With a small flourish Vincent produces several business cards [Vincent – Broker] and offers one to each of the individuals (hesitating only slightly at Kovok as Vincent wonders if the man can read). “I am in the business of business. Profit and loss. Specifically, striving for the first while avoiding the second. Looking at you and your companions – forgive my bluntness – but you are not what most would consider a ‘normal’ group of individuals. Some would see that as reason to avoid you, but I see it as an opportunity – for mutual profit. You all seem quite well equipped to ‘handle’ yourselves in a fight – good for you. However, at the risk of offending, there is an old saying that ‘If the only tool that you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.’ I saw the trade imbalance and thought that you might benefit from a ‘tool’ other than a ‘hammer’. My skills are more subtle and less likely to attract unwanted and unnecessary attention.”

(seeing her growing impatience, Vincent sighs and quickly gets to the point)

“I am interested in YOUR business venture. I see a possible opportunity for mutual gain. I offer my friendship – nothing more and nothing less. If you would seek to inquire in greater detail, then I would suggest a less public venue. Perhaps dinner?” Vincent smiles in amusement as the conversation comes full circle.

atpollard November 15th, 2007 04:04 AM

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Farpoint Bar

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CGW (Post 241507)
I am Kovok, a man hired by the Engineers Club of Zeldar to retrieve one of their own. Tho, these two here (motions to the rapidly inebriate Hivers) have not told me their names, They are my Contacts. I seek one called M. Benjamin...

Who are you? And do you have information?"
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Vincent:
“Mr. Kovok, I could not help but overhear your question. I presume that you are aware of the recent news reports. Your M. Benjamin is reported to be some sort of radical terrorist currently being pursued by the Count’s patrols. I could make some quiet inquiries into more detail if you wish. I am a man who believes in helping his friends."
"Would the Engineers Club of Zeldar be offering a reward for the return of Mr. Benjamin? Cash can be an effective tool for securing information. But of course, either way, I will inquire on your behalf, in the name of our friendship. IF that is your wish?”

CGW November 15th, 2007 04:25 AM

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"It's Kovok, mate. Just Kovok. I was plannin on gettin my freinds there drunk, shakin 'em down for all they got, and gettin down to business. Maybe lock em in a hotel cube. The Club Hired me to get the Hiver back, and I'm gonna do it. I get a reward which is my usual take for such work. I think I can get funds out of these guys, since the contract saya "by any means necessary"

"So I don't give a frag for what the news says. I'm bringin that slug back to his nest and get my money. Terrorist or Whatever, He's the target. If you guys want in, we gotta hash it out, how it will go down."

OOC: I see Kovok as a mix of Conan, Raputin and a touch of Titus Pullo. With an F strength, he's a pretty mean enemy in a street fight.

Baron Saarthuran November 15th, 2007 05:14 AM

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U
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Ben replays what film he has of the glyphs, as well as the interaction with Zhin and what he could sort of make out from them... He begins to do a Glpyh repetion study program to see if there is a predictable alphabet involved.

"Why are you alive, Zhin? And Furthermore, why did you jump into the Pit? Taking control of this place will require more planning rather than foolhardy gestures. The rules of the game are changing, and we must adapt or die.Soon as you are up to it, you should begin piling rogs and debris under the rope so we can get out ewasier if we need to in a hurry..."

"I am injured. We need to make a temporary shelter here, while I can recouperate and assimilate this technology.

"I would also like to have the parts to modify these robots. You can keep the clothing, and the weapons (but I'd still like to study one) if we get caught, it will be like you captured me for a cover story."

Ben then puts two views on working on the machines. He wants to reconfigure the legs into a 4 leg walker platform, with a couple of grabber arms. He will try to program walking routines and arm control to his own computer. He will use the outer body casings to make a hiver saddle for him to ride atop the contraption.

Note: Ben has many years experience working on robots in caves/underground

Icosahedron November 15th, 2007 10:48 AM

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UNDERGROUND


Quote:

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Originally Posted by kafka47 (Post 241468)
Ref says:
OOC: What is the watch order and how long are the sleep periods? As it has been an exhausting ordeal, need you roll against END to stay awake. Also tell me what you are salvaging from the robots.
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OOC: I'll salvage anything that an enterprising marine might be able to fashion into a weapon or armour or useful equipment (to make cable ropes, tools, levers, etc. Also any electronic devices that might still be functioning - communicators, batteries, etc. How were the robots powered?

IC: "What do you think about watch shifts, guys, three 3-hour watches and six hours sleep? That should be enough for us heroes to recuperate." He grins.
"Maybe the hardiest of us should stand watch first - if the first watch falls asleep we could have nine hours without protection!"

atpollard November 15th, 2007 01:57 PM

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Underground

Zhin:
“My injuries are severe and will require a week before I can travel and many weeks for full recovery. There is an alternative, but it is dangerous. My people have an extract that causes a hunter to fall into a near death state. If he survives, he will awaken after about a day and be fully healed. We do not have sufficient food and water to last even the week it would take me to be ready to travel. I fear we have no choice but to use it. I was given three doses when we left. I will yield to the wisdom of the many.”

[OOC: Zhin has a WROD Med Kit with 3 doses of Medical Slow Drug – derived from an animal venom. The small risk of death comes from the chance for a critical failure due to the lack of proper medical facilities. Let’s say 4+ on 2D6 to succeed, Death on a natural 2, no effect on a 3 and no modifiers.]

Zhin removes a ‘boot’ from one of the robots and makes himself a simple splint and a new ‘foot’. He agrees to stand watch if the other’s wish it, but cautions that he is near the point of complete exhaustion (End=2, you figure the odds of his staying awake). Zhin can help with the armor and making rope (JOT and Survival skill – I’m a barbarian for pete’s sake :) ) after he recovers, but Ben will need to decide whether to use the wire to re-braid the rope longer and stronger since Ben seems protective of the Robotic innards – the foot is not negotiable, Zhin is taking a boot!

Jame November 15th, 2007 05:08 PM

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by CGW (Post 241507)
Kovok releases the Man's hand and motions for the bartender to replace his drink...

"There will be no brawlin between us. You would not like the outcome. I'm sorry for my rough intro. I am a man of combat, and spending more than 8 hours in the company of those two has made me have to fight the urge to chop them into tiny peices.

I am Kovok, a man hired by the Engineers Club of Zeldar to retrieve one of thier own. Tho, these two here (motions to the rapidly inebriate Hivers) have not told me thier names, They are my Contacts. I seek one called M.Benjamin...

Who are you? And do you have information?"
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"Mr. Kovok, I have for a brief period been in contact with M. Benjamin. We - or he - I'm uncertain - was going underground for some reason. There was some sort of incident ... and I found myself back here. I think I have his comm-code, but doubt that he would be able to receive."

Julianne will retrieve his code, if she has it, and give it to Kovok.

Then she turns to Vincent, saying, "Yes, misunderstandings abound. I think I will join you for dinner; if you don't mind I'd like to bring Maccat around. His natural troublesomeness should be controlled and directed."

To Kovok: "Since we have a mutual friend, perhaps it would be beneficial to all of us for you and your companions to join Vincent, Maccat and I for dinner."

kafka47 November 15th, 2007 05:18 PM

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Ref says: That is just it. There is not much that is salvageable from the robots save the armour plating and the wires that can be sort of used as ropes (not very strong ones at that). To rewire and reprogram the robots would need knowledge of where the CPU is located. It certainly is not within the head maybe it is in that strangely glowing green box. Rest seems to be the first priority of the heroes and then haggling over robotic body parts can resume in full earnest the next Morning? Night?.

In the course of Zhin's period, he naturally drifts in the dream nation, his grandfather admonishes him for being reckless as reminding the whole does not equal the sum of the parts but is the unity of all. Survival depends on the group not individual effort. However, his performance in regaining the initiative is highly commendable and makes him proud. It is a pity that Zhin will not have long to live unless he follows these strangers to promise of the stars.

As he is awakened by the next shift, he notices the severed heads of the sentinels have disappeared. Other parts but the mysterious green boxes have also disappeared without a trace.


Baron Saarthuran November 15th, 2007 05:45 PM

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When the Wrod Warrior drifts into unconciousness, Ben immediately goes over to examine is stump of a foot...

"I think I might be able to come up with a more serviceable foot for our freind here. It will at least be a better fit than just sticking it on the stump. I'm going to fit it now, while he's out..."

Ben plans his walker to have 4 sets of hands and two feet. Two of the hands are for walking, so he breaks down the extra foot to reinforce them.

"How are those weapons? Are they PLasma based?"

atpollard November 15th, 2007 07:49 PM

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Underground

Zhin is useless in his current condition. He heeds his grandfather's warning, downs the medicine and falls into a coma for the next 26 hours. He awakens fully healed (Str/Dex/End normal – no re-growing limbs). :)

[OOC: out of town business calls - Zhin follows orders and I'll try to post again on Sunday.]

atpollard November 15th, 2007 08:04 PM

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Farpoint Bar

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jame (Post 241569)
Then she turns to Vincent, saying, "Yes, misunderstandings abound. I think I will join you for dinner; if you don't mind I'd like to bring Maccat around. His natural troublesomeness should be controlled and directed."

To Kovok: "Since we have a mutual friend, perhaps it would be beneficial to all of us for you and your companions to join Vincent, Maccat and I for dinner."
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“An excellent idea. Hivers can be very profitable. They adore Aslan goods and produce exquisite electronics.” They can be difficult negotiators, but it is usually worth the effort.” Vincent pauses and speaks directly to Kovok “With a little patience, perhaps there could be more money to be earned here than your reward and whatever they carry on their persons. Would you be interested in restraining yourself a little longer for a chance to be well paid for your restraint.” Vincent smiles “Every time they insult you, just imagine that it will cost them another handful of coins. You are not opposed to making more money, I assume.”

[OOC: out of town business calls - I'll try to post again on Sunday.]

CGW November 15th, 2007 08:23 PM

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"Insults from them mean nothing. They are not men. Half the time they make no sense. I agree we should join up. And I agree we have food. As for them, they will pay for it. The money they have on them is nothin compared to what money is not seen. Let us go and plan."

kafka47 November 16th, 2007 12:11 AM

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Ref says: Zhin medicine does have a deep effect on healing the damage done to his body. Only when a Dex roll is called for does his disability effect him -5 on the roll unless he achieves surprise.

Ben scrutinizes the weapons, they are very odd devices, they project a unrelenting plasma field within a length of in the region of .5m from either direction from the small apertures. The plasma is strong enough cut through the rock and when it does the whole cavern shakes ever so slightly. It is a weapon of great power but how it is charged or how much charge there is left in the weapon is unidentified from any readings. OOC: Does Ben wish to dismantle the weapon?

Creating a Walker with the robotic fragments remaining would be nigh unattainable task not only because the parts remaining cannot provide for such a scheme without a proper machine shop present but how to fasten the parts and keep them moveable is unknown task for there are no apparent gear mechanisms that work in concert with each other. As even how the robots kept together is also unknown.

================================================== =
ABOVE GROUND

The Hiver frat boys are busy ingesting considerable amounts of Pan Galactic Gargle blasters and have a seemingly endless amount of credit to spend on drinks. Then suddenly a waitress moves towards the pair of Hivers and says in a heavily accented Anglic, "Sorry Guv'nators your credit stick has reach its limit."

The Hivers blink in amazement at each other and then at waitress and back each other. They flag down Kovok in the silent hand gestures of the Hiver speech, We have to go back to ship to acquire more funds for provisions and whatnot. You stay here and form a search party for M. Benjamin. The Nest expects a full report from you in one week. Failure to comply will mean the usual consequences, as remember we do not want any Imperial entanglements. In the meantime, stay excellent yourself and with each other. This place no longer kicks; we are going to contact the Nest for more funds. In the meantime, spend wisely the 1000Cr that you have on your stick. Our funds are not unlimited, you know.”

The other Hiver cuts in, “Yeah man, don't think we will not do it. You will be so toasted if you cannot find M. Benjamin and in the meantime, try to nail that Babe, I think she likes your muscles. A handshake never hurt anyone...”

With that both Hivers with a stagger in their step get up and leave the establishment. The waitress glimpses down at the tip, sheepishly looks around and stuffs it between the folds of her rather large set of breasts with a contented smile.

The other patrons seem rather disenchanted the rounds of drinks have ceased but are resigned that it was a nice escape from reality.

At that instant there is a buzzing in his portable com unit and Vincent is called away to public phone. (OOC: Nothing sinister. Just my way to cover your absence until Sunday)



Icosahedron November 16th, 2007 08:40 AM

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by kafka47 (Post 241596)
[b][font=Verdana]Ref says: Does Ben wish to dismantle the weapon?


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OOC: Ben is not going to dismantle MY weapon - it might not work again!

IC: "Did you notice that shudder when the rock was cut? Do you think this whole cave, or planet, is alive?"

OOC: I assume Ben now has a sample of the rock, cut with the plasma blade.

Baron Saarthuran November 16th, 2007 12:56 PM

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"I rule nothing out as a possibility, judging from what we have seen so far. But it seems more likely that these cliff walls have a large cell crystaline structure that transmits the shockwave or resonance from the blade's feild better than conventional rock...

I am unable to modify these robots with the tools on hand. Instead I am going to make weapons. A sling. Whips. The thigh armatures of these robots will make good clubs. But before any of that I am going to fit Zhin's foot. Please make a good supply of sling bullets from the rock wall."

OOC: Ben does have his Engineer's Tools on him in his bandolier. These are designed for Hiver use, and very advanced to keep them portable. Do these help in modifications?

kafka47 November 16th, 2007 06:19 PM

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Ref says: Ben's engineering tools are very practical for the diagnosis of challenges related to a starship or even simple electromechanical devices but in these crude environs they are not of much use. What he would really need is a mechanical set to assemble and wield parts together but again to attempt a walker would require a full tool shop. Perhaps, the engineering tools could be used to analyze different readings and power fulgurations from the light/plasma sticks…but that would mean taking them to pieces…

(OOC: Again I ask if Ben is planning to dismantle them, at least one of them are in his tentacles...so far, IC you did nothing to stop Ben and I agree it might not work again, after all the tech here is well ahead of even the Hive Federation's most advanced research facilities. Also, is nobody in the party at all troubled by the disappearance of the robots' heads and boxes).

Icosahedron November 17th, 2007 08:23 AM

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by kafka47 (Post 241665)
Ref says: (OOC: Again I ask if Ben is planning to dismantle them, at least one of them are in his tentacles...so far, IC you did nothing to stop Ben and I agree it might not work again, after all the tech here is well ahead of even the Hive Federation's most advanced research facilities. Also, is nobody in the party at all troubled by the disappearance of the robots' heads and boxes).
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I'm still getting used to the procedures used on this thread. My OOC comment was meant to indicate that Kahn would take action if Ben started to tinker with the weapon given to Kahn by Zhin. As no such action has yet taken place IC, I saw no reason to specifically mention it IC. So far, Ben is just looking at the weapons and slicing rocks with one of them (not sure without re-reading whether this is Kahn's or not).

Maybe we haven't got around to discussing the heads bit yet. ;)

kafka47 November 17th, 2007 01:40 PM

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Ref says: A strange repeating chattering sound is coming from the forks of the cavern, if it can be made out, it sounds like Char-rat, Imso, Char-rat, Begish, Impso, Char-rat. It seems to be getting closer and increasing in loudness the sound each side with equal intensity. Then after 5min the cavern returns to a state of silence save the sound of the whirl of winds from the upper part of the cavern.

Indeed, the remains of robots make good clubs and whips and breastplates that can be latched together with the wires.

OOC: IC don't worry, we tend not to use OOC extensively here (preferring to use other threads) but as I saw Ben was intently curious about the light sticks and inquiring using his different mechanical tools, it was logical to draw out that he wished to examine them in greater detail and by handing them over to him...well...

Maccat November 18th, 2007 02:57 PM

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Robson laughs, "Atok (or whatever) you just got stiffed with the bill i think. And you, Vilani, I assume you're paying for this dinner. We could have eaten by now. Personally, i'd reccomend we don't eat here." To Julianne, "Up to you Julianne, let's get going."

atpollard November 18th, 2007 03:28 PM

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Underground

[OOC: I have been in crisis management mode at work for about a week. Time to catch up on responses.]


Quote:

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Originally Posted by Baron Saarthuran (Post 241526)
"Why are you alive, Zhin? And Furthermore, why did you jump into the Pit? Taking control of this place will require more planning rather than foolhardy gestures. The rules of the game are changing, and we must adapt or die. Soon as you are up to it, you should begin piling rocks and debris under the rope so we can get out easier if we need to in a hurry..."
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“Why am I alive?” Zhin stares at Ben with a puzzled expression and continues like one explaining the obvious to a slow child . “I am Athiyk Z'hin – the Hunter who Walks among the Spirits. I leapt into the pit because grandfather sent me on a vision quest and that is the direction we must travel. But I was too afraid of failing, I played the fool and I entered the Dream Nation, again. Grandfather scolded me and reminded me of my duty to Brother Ben and Brother Kahn and the importance of fulfilling the legend and returning the people to the stars. Grandfather restored my strength and sent me back to help you and Kahn defeat the creatures. This is my destiny."

[If Ben or Kahn are interested in the details, Zhin will recount the details of his DEATH, his SPIRIT WALK, and his BATTLE (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) with the creatures.]




Ben is/was probably examining Zhin’s weapon since Zhin was in a coma for a day – plenty of time. When Zhin awakes, he will expect the Hiver to give the weapon back. Zhin will not, however, take it from the Ben. The Hunter has a very different concept of property from most humans – it is owned collectively and shared for the good of the group. On the other hand, the Hunter can wield it and so far Ben has not acted like a Hunter – simple logic dictates that Zhin should wield it.

Seeing Khan and Ben searching for uses for the robot parts, Zhin suggests that small wires could be used to attach the plates to Kahn’s clothing to make an armor ‘like the creatures wore’. Zhin could never fight inside such a shell, so it is useless to him.

[OOC: re the missing heads, Zhin just assumed that the Hiver took them, Brother Ben is very knowledgeable, but his actions are often hard to understand. :) ]

CGW November 18th, 2007 07:30 PM

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Kovok's eyes narrow as he looks at Robeson, eyes full of fury...

"You mock Kovok!?!"

In a flash Kovok is on his feet sending chairs drinks tables and waitresses sprawling... he flaps back his coat revealing a gladius-sized sword. His hand blurs to the grip as he looms over the table. He faces Robeson coiled like a spring....

Jame November 18th, 2007 08:03 PM

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Julianne quickly steps between the two of them, and turning to Robson, says "Apologize now, fellow. Don't you frakking dare bring the cops down on us."

"Kovok, Vincent and I are going to go to dinner. No doubt Vincent will be willing to leave you the details about where you and your friends can meet us."

Maccat November 18th, 2007 08:25 PM

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Looking at bartender, looking up at security cams, remains seated and relaxed, looking at Kovok, "Ah, Kovok, sorry about that. This is a pretty strict place, y'know, this world. Why just earlier today were a couple ruffians, got escorted out by heavy security types here. How you deal with an unpaid bill run up by those hivers you were with now that they run off is none of my concern. Sounds like Vincent here is offering us a meal. I'd *still* rather not eat here." cracks knuckles... "sometimes weapons can be tricky to get, other times, if you know the ropes that is, things stand otherwise. I wonder where you come from? Me, well lets just say there's some rough places in this Galaxy, and a vacc suit won't stand against a nuke no-how. I subscribe to the approach where, *especially if you don't know they lay of the land*" glares back at Kovok, "it's best to keep one's cool." Looking where Kovok laid hands on robson, back at Kovok, "Now mocking isn't something i'm good at. I do fusion engines, mostly. Gotta keep em maintained well or *bad* things can happen. Be a real shame if anything like that happens. I see you got a vacc suit, i ask you you ever have to bail out of a ship at 85kkph on a vector to hell cause the reactor blew? To stare at the deep cold of space not but an inch from your face, praying for a pick up before you freeze, choke on yer own exhalations, burn up in atmnosphere?" "See, lotsa things can cause trouble. you having a problem isn't one of them." raising a drink to Kovok, " I Hope to Hell you have safe passage off this rock some day, heh?" winking, downs the shot.

Icosahedron November 19th, 2007 09:28 AM

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UNDERGROUND
Kahn fashions whatever armour and weaponry he can from the debris, (ref to specify) and if nobody prevents him, piles up the rest under the dangling rope, eying the possibilities of going back up that way.
"Hey guys, didn't these things have heads last night? What happened to them? What's that sound?"

OOC: Do they sound like voices, machinery, animals?

Baron Saarthuran November 19th, 2007 11:29 AM

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Ben examines a piece of the robot closely, near microscopically, while two other hands tie many strange knots and structures into the bare wiring...

"With these tolerances and levels of manufacturing, I am not surprised at the missing elements. Many have predicted that one day, teleportation will be routine. First objects, then people, and then refined usages like teleporting weapon magazines, or key components... which is what we may be seeing here..."

"There must be some reason for the retrieval of the specific components of the robots... perhaps they go right back to a factory and into a new body..."

"Since the two weapons function, I do not advise reverse engineering them or dismantling them until we achieve a bigger stockpile."

(hands Kahn a vicious looking flail with one of the robot's fists for the striking head)

"What will be interesting to see is if this culture mirrors Wrod culture, with its dichotomy of having high technical means, good resources, and with a mythic type mystique around thier tech. I hypothesise that there is again a much higher perhaps even central intelligence behind these activity."

With his ad-hoc sling, Ben steps away a few meters and begins to practice with small stones against the cave wall, keeping his head and other limbs low relative to the throwing arm.

atpollard November 19th, 2007 04:45 PM

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Farpoint Bar

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Maccat (Post 241895)
Looking at bartender, looking up at security cams, remains seated and relaxed, looking at Kovok, "Ah, Kovok, sorry about that. This is a pretty strict place, y'know, this world. Why just earlier today were a couple ruffians, got escorted out by heavy security types here. How you deal with an unpaid bill run up by those hivers you were with now that they run off is none of my concern. Sounds like Vincent here is offering us a meal. I'd *still* rather not eat here." cracks knuckles... "sometimes weapons can be tricky to get, other times, if you know the ropes that is, things stand otherwise. I wonder where you come from? Me, well lets just say there's some rough places in this Galaxy, and a vacc suit won't stand against a nuke no-how. I subscribe to the approach where, *especially if you don't know they lay of the land*" glares back at Kovok, "it's best to keep one's cool." Looking where Kovok laid hands on robson, back at Kovok, "Now mocking isn't something i'm good at. I do fusion engines, mostly. Gotta keep em maintained well or *bad* things can happen. Be a real shame if anything like that happens. I see you got a vacc suit, i ask you you ever have to bail out of a ship at 85kkph on a vector to hell cause the reactor blew? To stare at the deep cold of space not but an inch from your face, praying for a pick up before you freeze, choke on yer own exhalations, burn up in atmnosphere?" "See, lotsa things can cause trouble. you having a problem isn't one of them." raising a drink to Kovok, " I Hope to Hell you have safe passage off this rock some day, heh?" winking, downs the shot.
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Vincent returns from his phone call and instinctively steps back from the initial burst of activity. As Julianne steps between the potential combatants, Vincent leans close and whispers to Maccat in a light tone to soften the message "I admire your gamesmanship, but I fear that you may have miscalculated slightly. No doubt Kovok will hang, but I wonder whether you will still be alive to see it." Vincent pauses, and continues in a slightly more menacing tone "Are you sure that you can draw such unwanted attention to yourself twice in one day and not suffer any consequences?"

Turning towards Kovok and speaking in the tone of an old friend making casual conversation "Maccat has simply misunderstood the Hiver, they can be difficult creatures to communicate with. This is not a place to freely extend credit. The bar tab was paid by the Hivers. There is no honor lost to a foolish remark and none to be gained by needlessly taking offense."

Louder to the entire group "As I said before, misunderstandings can happen and there is no point in dwelling on such matters." Picking up the earlier conversation "Of course you would be my guests for dinner." (turning towards Maccat with a bemused smile "Yes, that means that I will pay for dinner").

Vincent steps back towards the bar and addresses the bartender, repeating his earlier question "Could you recommend someplace quiet AWAY FROM HERE to eat? Preferably with sturdy furniture”. (The slight emphasis is intended to convey a sense of 'self interest' to the bartender.)

Jame November 19th, 2007 06:00 PM

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As Vincent finishes getting directions from the bartender, Julianne whispers to him "That was well stated. I wish I'd been able to think of such a thing but I find my nerves are only just recovering."

CGW November 19th, 2007 10:40 PM

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Kovok reshifts his coat, loosening the tension towards Robeson.

"You are wise, freind Vincent. Your words are wise."

(to Robeson)
"Forgive, freind. I misunderstood. Such misunderstandings are common on my world, and always even a false insult can result in bloodshed. You talk much of space, but I know space too. Not soon after my becoming a Warrior to my Chief did space call to me. Many adventures did I have there. I have seen much of what you have seen. We should come together as comrades. Let this be past. "

"I am not worried about the strictness of this place. My goal is to find that Hiver, and no planet will stop me."

"I agree that we should go elsewhere. This place has the squint of the idle about it."

Icosahedron November 20th, 2007 08:32 AM

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UNDERGROUND

Kahn: "Teleportation?? What are we up against here? You sure someone didn't just sneak in and take them? Hey, maybe if we find this 'central intelligence' it can teleport the Count into deep space or something, and we can get back to our lives.

OOC: I'm not sure what Kahn's relationship is with the Count, but Ben and Zhin will identify with the sentiment.

Kahn takes the flail, thanks Ben and dons some home-made armour. He too practices with his new weapon, taking great care not to wrap it around his own head or anyone else's.

atpollard November 20th, 2007 03:08 PM

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Underground

UNDERGROUND

Zhin tries out his new foot and is delighted with the Hiver improvements. “Brothers, we have rested. We are fed. We are armed. It is time to move forward.” The Hunter begins to reapply his camouflage pattern and strips and offers to assist the others if they wish. “Brother Ben, your words echo those of Grandfather. I will heed your wisdom and we shall proceed with stealth and cunning rather than raw courage only. Our destiny awaits. On to the stars!”

“There seems no difference between the left and the right path, let us go to the right.” Zhin drops to the floor and begins slowly crawling ahead down the tunnel. After a few meters, he begins to blend with the natural rock and at 10 meters he is all but invisible.

[OOC: Kafka: what’s next?]

kafka47 November 21st, 2007 06:42 PM

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Ref says: The sound could be mechanical in that the vocalization was constant but the Wrod also exhibited the same trait and the best that one can tell they were very much organic. In terms of being an animal, it well could be the patterns match no known language of extensive Ben's computer database of the languages of Foreven & the Hive Federation but space is big, very big, in fact...the possibility of being an animal would be consistent with the repeating pattern then silence.

As Zhin slips ahead the darkness envelopes him, as he merges with the rock the is a distinctive vibration and reverberations against the wall. The stone is hewn but smooth at the same time. These tunnels were made by men as some of those among the first. The stone still seems to exhibit the same blood drinking characteristics that it did on the earlier level. As he hobbles along he nearly bumps his head against an iron grating perhaps to house torch. About 150m in the distance there is a muted light source perhaps originating from a under a door or similar contrivance that would block out light.

Travelling further it would seem both passages bend together at the central point of the door. Behind the door there is the sound of metal being forged with the clanging of metal against metal or at least someone perhaps sparring.

Ben's microscopic analysis of the robotic parts yields nothing save there is a transmission of current along the wires that is registering below the microscopic level. The weapons and armour that he fashioned seems quite effective and Kahn and the other Marine would need some sort of archaic weapons training (or operate at -2 on cmbt rolls) to properly wield the fails and other archaic devices. The light sticks, however, do not need any training as they behave like a cutlass.

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ABOVE GROUND

The bartender looks over the guests, "You might want to try over at the Imperial Swan. They have alot of quiet booths that will allow you to be more intimate."

As they leave the casino the roar of starship engines can be heard as a Hiver explorer takes to the Stars in a haphazard and jerking pattern narrowly avoiding a collision with a bulk freighter that was making its decent to the Starport before its jump grid turns blue and it winks out of existence. Kovok recognizes the ship, it was the means that brought him to this planet.

They come across the establishment called the Imperial Swan, it is a seedy place filled with mainly inter-system starship crews who are using Farpoint as refuelling stop or just delivering goods under contract. The waiter who has a face filled with a thousand or more battle scars making him look like that he has extensive scarring and smiles a smile filled with broken teeth shows them to a secluded booth toward the back of the establishment. Joy boys and girls frequently brush against spacers and hit them up for drinks and occasional payment which they lead the spacer to a door in the back.

Settling down, the waiter returns with menus. "Don't bother ordering but fish there is nothing else." The menus are filled with all sorts of exotic fare save fish.

A spacer who is feeling up one of the joy boys suddenly recognizes Vincent and calls out to his fellow spacers, "Yo, it is Vinny boy."

Other spacers get up their mindless pursuits to block both entrances. "Vinny, boy, you have some explaining to do. That package you asked us to clear customs contained an explosive for the terrorists. Only my sups managed to save my ass. Now, you and your associates gotta do some pay back. Start with emptying out all your pockets and we decide what we take."

CGW November 21st, 2007 09:58 PM

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OOC: How many are there total?

Kovok glowers sternly at the man and his crew, putting himself between them and Vincent....

"Turn and walk away now."

Jame November 21st, 2007 10:46 PM

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Julianne looks at Vincent and makes a mental note to ask what kind of business he's really involved him. Then she starts figuring a way to liaise a way out of this.

(OOC: Any suggestions on liaising will be appreciated.)

Maccat November 22nd, 2007 01:28 AM

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"Hmm, Vincent. Gee there's some Scout ship looks like..." to Julianne "What they run like 29Mill?" back to the main thug "registered to Vincent ___. Now who's this Vincent guy you talkin about?" Hefting wrench "Bet we could jimmy the hatch and gut it, hmm?"
Icosahedron November 22nd, 2007 08:59 AM

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UNDERGROUND
Having narrowly avoided self-decapitation whilst practising with the makeshift flail, Kahn puts it away as a weapon of last resort and hefts the light stick.

He eyes the door warily. "Could be people in there, or maybe more of those robots. I wonder if we can sneak a look?"

Kahn checks the other passage as far as he can see, to ensure nothing is creeping up behind them.

OOC: is there a keyhole? Does anyone have a camera, mirror, etc that we can slide under the door for a peek?
There is another marine? I thought the party was just Ben, Kahn and Zhin? Who's playing the other marine?

kafka47 November 22nd, 2007 04:45 PM

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Ref says: The lead thug eyes narrow to a squint which make him look even more menacing...he grabs a bottle of Toxlian rum smashes the bottle's end and now has a makeshift dagger. Looking at MacCat, smiles ever coyly at the wrench, "This one's mine."

The other twelve thugs in the front move in to close off the front and rear exits. The joy boys & girls perch up on the barstools and begin to take bets which member of the party is going to go down first and began hollering support for local pilots.

==========================================
Down below

As the party moves toward the door, there is no visible keyhole rather the light emanates from under. It is a fairly sturdy production possibly galvanized metal.

A mirror or a tiny camera could fit underneath as there is about a 2cm between the stone floor and the door. The question does anyone have one? Crouching down and looking reveals multiple shadows darting across in a regular pattern.


CGW November 22nd, 2007 06:27 PM

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With a flash, Kovok draws his sword and lunges forward, thrusting the sword point at the leader's throat. He attacks to kill the man outright by running him through at the neck.

(Roll of 10 on 2D, Sword skill of 7)

With his off hand, Kovok's Whipit gun is out (already racheted) and he fires a blast of buckshot at the group by the front exit...

(Roll of 8 on 2D, Shotgun skill of 2, going for "group hits by shotgun")

:frankie:

kafka47 November 22nd, 2007 07:17 PM

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Ref says: Success on parrying with the leader (roll for dmg). However, he buckshot merely deflects off the protective gear that the mechanics use to clean the insides of partially H2 tanks. In the mean time, this angers the other six they break off and grab improvised weapons of barstools, broken bottles, etc. So far due to distance, the party has initiative.

Jame November 22nd, 2007 07:35 PM

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Julianne quickly jumps over the bar and looks for something to throw (she's half-hoping that she'll find some sort of pistol, but realizes it's got the snowball's chance) at someone.

CGW November 22nd, 2007 08:41 PM

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Up Top

OOC: 7 on 2d for sword damage. Question: did he parry the sword with a bottleneck?

Raging at this point, Kovok lets the Whipit gun hang from his shoulder as he resheathes on move. For his attack, he picks the nearest table up over his head (Str=F) and throws it full force at the men who have just picked up brawl weapons:

(8 on 2d, Brawling-3)

He then redraws his sword and gets ready for counterattacks.

:frankie:

kafka47 November 22nd, 2007 09:32 PM

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Ref says: As Julianne scrambles over the bar, one of the joy girls, pulls back over, "Not so fast Princess. Get ther' and fight, I 'ave g't 10Cr to say 'hat you will be first one down." Before landing on her rump, she only manages to grab a bottle of some foul smelling spirit.

Kovok lifts the table from the studs and hurls it toward whom? (OOC: To Throw the Table, it is actually a DEX roll, Str merely determines whether you can lift it.) In the meantime, the lead thug takes a swipe at MacCat, 5pts dmg.

CGW November 22nd, 2007 10:23 PM

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OOC: Kovok is attacking the other six that got angry and grabbed barstools four posts above. What happened to the leader with the bottle? Is he dead?

(For the Dex Roll, 11 on 2D. Dex 9 (if that is the third stat in UPP, I am drawing a blank on which is which... Str, End, Dex, Int, Edu, Soc, right? Wouldn't Str affect the force with which the table is thrown? )

kafka47 November 22nd, 2007 11:40 PM

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Ref says: Three of the guys guarding the rear exit disengage take a running leap and knock Kovok to the floor. Reaching over for something large to deliver a crushing blow (OOC translation:Three of ones guarding the exit in the back, rush Kovok each successfully grapple. Next round (unless he can roll 11+), they will initiate a pummel attack).

The leader smiles from his blooded face, "Yeah, boys this big one is trouble." Thrusts remainder of the broken glass into MaCat's tattered vacc suit (1pt).

Jame November 23rd, 2007 01:34 AM

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Julianne immediately smashes the bottle over the joygirl's head and dives over the bar.

CGW November 23rd, 2007 02:11 AM

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(9 on 2d)

Kovok shifts his weight forward, trying to get the three off balance for the next round.

Icosahedron November 23rd, 2007 08:56 AM

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by kafka47 (Post 242273)
Ref says: A mirror or a tiny camera could fit underneath as there is about a 2cm between the stone floor and the door. The question does anyone have one? Crouching down and looking reveals multiple shadows darting across in a regular pattern.
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OOC: Dunno what Kahn has, the ref hasn't vetted the stats I sent yet. ;)

Unless decreed otherwise, Kahn takes a small metal mirror from his personal grooming kit and carefully eases it under the door to see what's inside.

kafka47 November 23rd, 2007 04:37 PM

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Ref says: Slipping the mirror underneath reveals....


http://www.fanuc.co.jp/ja/profile/pr...or_factory.jpg



Then all of a sudden the machines stop their motion as their sensors move toward the door. They retract their welding devices and insert razor sharp cutting discs.

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ABOVE GROUND

Kovok feels the hot pain of a knife between the ribs (12pts dmg) and the pool of his own blood forming around him.

One of the spacers dropkicks Julianne (3pts) directly with a blow to the face narrowly missing her juggular.

Jame November 23rd, 2007 05:44 PM

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Julianne grabs a large, heavy bottle and smashes it onto this spacer's head.

Maccat November 23rd, 2007 06:50 PM

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(roll 8 w/ brawl-2, STR 8, with wrench as cudgel +2 due to STR) a blow to the head o this guy stabbing me (guess i didn't parry?! roll 8 for that) As I'm paid to defend J, will move to off the one on her next (roll 7).

CGW November 23rd, 2007 11:07 PM

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(Natural 12 on 2d)

Kovok flings off the three thugs that hold him, and draws his sword.

He immediately goes after the one that stabbed him

(10 on 2D)

And hacks viciously at the man's head.

(DMG= 11 on 2d)

Though wounded, he drops back, whipping out the whipit gun and blasting the second man that was on him. with one hand he moves the sawn off shotgun to the man's exposed face and fires....

(8 on 2d, Dmg = 21 on 4d)

He lets the whipit gun drop on his shoulder as he charges the last man that was on him.

"Kaiiiiiiii!"

atpollard November 24th, 2007 04:47 PM

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Above Ground – Imperial Swan Bar

[OOC: I leave for a Thanksgiving Dinner, and when I get back – I’m in the middle of a bar fight!]


Quote:

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A spacer who is feeling up one of the joy boys suddenly recognizes Vincent and calls out to his fellow spacers, "Yo, it is Vinny boy."

Other spacers get up their mindless pursuits to block both entrances. "Vinny, boy, you have some explaining to do. That package you asked us to clear customs contained an explosive for the terrorists. Only my sups managed to save my ass. Now, you and your associates gotta do some pay back. Start with emptying out all your pockets and we decide what we take."
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Vincent ducks for cover. His Str 3 and Handgun-0 skill (with the Single-Shot Dueling Pistols safe in his ship at the starport) are unlikely to turn the tide of this battle. Thank goodness his 500 cr suit has Cloth Armor panels sewn in. He applies his Dex 8 to dodging. Whatever the result of the later attempt to talk his way out, Vincent first injects Kovok and Maccat with a cocktail of Combat Drug (+2 Str, +2 End) and Slow Drug (2x attacks) that should kick in after 2 combat rounds – about now. When Julianne is thrown back into the fight, Vincent injects her with Slow Drug (2x attacks) – he is out of Combat Drug Cocktail, but still has 2 doses of Medical Slow (speeds healing) on him. Vincent calls for an ambulance and if one of the group goes down, then Vincent calls for the police.

(Vincent uses his Bribery-2, Carousing-2 and Streetwise-2 to buy/talk his way out of this) “Gentlemen, this is unnecessary. A simple misunderstanding and nothing more. I assure you that I will be glad to compensate you for your trouble.” Vincent holds up 1000 credits in 20 credit notes and says “How much has this misunderstanding cost you?”

[OOC: roll 3 + 6 = 9, succeed at routine task.]

[Kovok and Maccat had been looking for a brawl, we found one. I think Vincent is probably due to be beaten up unless talking worked or the thugs chose to ignore him and attack the big guys.]

kafka47 November 24th, 2007 07:46 PM

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Sorry everyone I have to leave for the Dominican Republic (I will be back in two weeks. ) continue with bar scene if you like bribery will not work...it is an all out brawl. Thugs stats are 999 except for the Boss Thug in which it is CCC. Each thug is wearing hardened suits (Vacc+3)


Underground

The machines have a score of FFF and there are twelve of them. Light swords do damage, likewise, pistols. Conversely, one can try a DIFFICULT DEX roll out maneuver them and get them to cut into themselves.

Icosahedron November 25th, 2007 07:58 AM

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by kafka47 (Post 242376)
Ref says: Then all of a sudden the machines stop their motion as their sensors move toward the door. They retract their welding devices and insert razor sharp cutting discs.
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Since the machines have (by some miracle for dumb machines on a dedicated task) discovered his few square centimetres of mirror barely protruding under the door and surprise is lost, Kahn relays his observations to the others as he jumps up and wrenches the door open. He quickly scans the room for a power supply, control system or circuit breaker panel and fires a couple of HEAP rounds into it to kill the entire workshop.

OOC: I suppose we'll have to wait until Kafka returns to find out whether this works.

Baron Saarthuran November 25th, 2007 06:20 PM

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Ben quickly whips out his own las torch and gets ready to put heavy spot welds (if he can) on the door frame, in an attempt to seal it or slow down the opposition. If it takes too long, or if the robots get at the door too quickly, Ben will run away from them. He will not stand there and let them attack. Ben is ready to work, but he is ready to run.

"Gentlemen, I suggest we pull back as far as we can to observe what these machines do next. If it is one thing I have learned on this vacation, it is to distrust robots in any form. For some reason, we have met yet another culture that uses them as weapons, even ones that apparently are not made for it. My own culture uses robots as weapons, but they are weapon systems, intended for battle. AS we go, I will try to set my comp to emit a low grade EMP and see if that works on them. I will set the emp focus on a conical discharge pattern, so If you stand behind me, any devices you may be carrying will not be affected. Perhaps these machines have a delineated threat response proximity."

"Abarring that, we could stay and demolish the first units through with the Plasma Blades, so that the other units will have to clear the doorway in order to get through."

atpollard November 27th, 2007 12:56 PM

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Underground

Zhin obeys and falls back. He offers an additional suggestion “It occurs to me that the circular path behind us could be used to outwit these soulless creatures. If we are faster, then we could draw them around the circle and end up in front of them. Then we could enter their room and continue the quest.”

[OOC: We can still talk, but it looks like the Underground action stops until Kafka gets back. Nice idea shooting the control panel, good luck.]

atpollard November 27th, 2007 05:00 PM

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Above Ground – Imperial Swan Bar – The Great Brawl

A summary of the fight so far (mostly for my benefit):

Round 0 – posing.
Boss Thug calls out a challenge
Kovok steps up to challenge the Boss Thug.
Julianne starts looking for a way out.
Maccat displays his wrench and offers to help the Boss Thug loot Vincent’s ship.
Vincent injects Kovok and Maccat with ‘Slow’ and ‘Combat’ drugs.

Round 1 – first blood
Boss Thug breaks bottle (makeshift dagger) and advances towards Maccat
Six thugs block the Front door
Six thugs block the Back door
Kovok draws his sword and lunges for the Boss Thug with one hand while drawing and firing a hidden shotgun with his other hand at the six thugs blocking the Front door. Kovok blocks the Boss Thugs ‘dagger’ attack and stabs him [ inflicting 7 points of damage]. The shotgun pellets bounce off the Hard Vacc Suits of the thugs.
Julianne attempts to leap the bar, but is pushed back into the fight by a working girl.
Vincent injects Julianne with ‘Slow’ drug.

Round 2
The six Thugs at the front door object to being shot at, grab makeshift clubs and enter the fight.
Kovok hurls a table at the six thugs and redraws his sword – holding the six at bay. [assumed since the thugs didn’t attack anyone – PS you appear to me to have hit the group of 6 with the table, but there was no damage posted. If it were up to me, I say treat it as a 2D6 ‘group hit’ attack – a melee ‘shotgun’ attack. CGW just post whatever you think is right for damage – how many and how much.]
Boss Thug stabs Maccat [inflicting 5 points of damage].
Julianne clobbers the working girl with a bottle (turning it into a dagger for your next attack) and leaps over the bar.
Maccat hits the Boss Thug with his wrench [inflicts 8 points of damage – I stole your parry roll for damage since you took the hit.]
Vincent attempts to talk/bribe his way past the six thugs at the Back door.

[a quick note – the Slow drug takes effect at the end of this round doubling the attacks for Maccat and Kovok starting next round]

Round 3
Three thugs block the Back door
Three thugs from the Back door rush to grapple with Kovok and pull him to the floor.
Boss Thug stabs Maccat [inflicting 1 points of damage].
Kovok attempts to break free [rolls a 9 but needs an 11 – as a side note, your ‘slow’ drug gives you a second action. Since 3 men can’t hold 2 arms and 2 legs, something is free. Beat the crap out of them using 2 attacks per round AND keep trying to break free. These guys only have 1D6 fists].
Maccat hits the Boss Thug with his wrench [I stole your 7 attack roll since you seem several rounds behind and I don’t imagine that you just stood there and let them stab you. Roll another attack due to ‘slow’ drug and roll damages against the Boss.] [EDIT-Maccat inflicts 7 points of damage and has an aparent Heart attack from the drugs.]
Julianne searches behind the bar for a gun – no luck.

Vincent: The thugs rebuff Vincent’s desperate attempt to bribe them. One thug at the back door swings a mallet sized fist that sends the cash flying into the air and raining down on the room like confetti. Vincent quickly ducks under a table and his heart sinks as he realizes that he cannot avoid this fight. ‘I will need to be clever’ he thinks to himself. His thoughts are short lived as Kovok and the grappling thugs overturn the table that Vincent had been hiding beneath.

[a quick note – the Slow drug takes effect for Julianne and the Combat drug takes effect for Maccat and Kovok at the end of this round – 2x attacks, +2 Str and +2 End starting next round.]

Round 4
One of the three Thugs from the back door stabs Kovok [inflicts 12 points damage].
One of the six Thugs at the front door kicks Julianne [inflicts 3 points of damage].
Julianne attacks her Thug with a bottle [roll hits and damage].
Maccat [EDIT-Rests motionless on the floor].
Kovok breaks free and stabs a Thug [inflicting 11 points of damage] rendering him unconscious. With superhuman speed, he draws and fires his shotgun on a second man [inflicting 21 points of damage] placing the fellow in a coma.

Vincent sees Julianne attempting to fight a thug with a bottle while he hides under a table. It pricks his conscience a little and stirs some long dormant feelings of honor – a lingering curse from his formal education on Viland. Resigned to the fact that he must do something, Vincent attempts to hit the lady’s attacker from behind with a chair (he saw it in a holovideo once). Unfortunately Vincent can hardly lift the heavy chair and his ‘blow’ bounces ineffectively off the man’s hard suit – inflicting no damage but to redirect his attention towards Vincent.
[Per CT 8+ hits, Roll=6, -1 for low strength, -1 for head shot, -5 non-proficiency – unlike most characters, Vincent is assumed to NOT have brawling-0 and suffers a –5 penalty for all hand-to-hand combat; a miss = no damage]

One of the other thugs grabs the squirming Vincent by the throat and lands a glancing blow with his fist [inflicts 3 points of damage]. As blood runs from his nose, nobody is more surprised than Vincent that he is still standing.

atpollard November 27th, 2007 05:04 PM

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Above Ground – Imperial Swan Bar – The Great Brawl

Where we stand at the end of round 4 (assuming CT combat):

[vs Maccat?]
Boss Thug (CCC) is Str 5, Dex 4, End 5

[vs Kovok]
BD Thug 1 (999) is Str 0, Dex 7, End 9 (unconcious)
BD Thug 2 (999) is Str 0, Dex 0, End 6 (critically injured)
BD Thug 3 (999) uninjured – will attempt to flee in round 5

[vs Vincent]
FD Thug 1 (999) uninjured

[vs Julianne]
FD Thug 2 (999)-(Julianne needs to roll 2 attacks & damages from round 4)
[UPDATE: FD Thug 2 (999) is Str 3, Dex 0, End 8 (unconscious)]

[standing in the middle of the room]
FD Thug 3 (999) uninjured

[at Front Door]
FD Thug 4 (999)
(Kovok needs to roll damage from table in round 2)
FD Thug 5 (999)
(Kovok needs to roll damage from table in round 2)
FD Thug 6 (999)
(Kovok needs to roll damage from table in round 2)

[at Back Door]
BD Thug 4 (999) uninjured
BD Thug 5 (999) uninjured
BD Thug 6 (999) uninjured

A quick note, BD stands for 'Back Door' and FD stands for 'Front Door'.
Once everyone catches up on attack and damage rolls, we can continue with Round 5.

Jame November 27th, 2007 05:57 PM

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by atpollard (Post 242711)
Where we stand at the end of round 4 (assuming CT combat):
[vs Julianne]
FD Thug 2 (999)
(Julianne needs to roll 2 attacks & damages from round 4)
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Roll 1: 6. If there is a DM for her 11 Dex and 8 Str then I think Julianne hits. Damage, if applicable, is 6.

Roll 2: 7. Again, if the DMs are there then she hits and does 10 damage.

atpollard November 27th, 2007 07:29 PM

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The Great Brawl

Round 4 – Julianne
As Vincent’s feeble attack momentarily distracts her attacker, Julianne snatches up a convenient bottle and smashes it on the back of the thug’s head.
[Per CT 8+ hits, Roll=6, +1 from behind, +2 for strength, -1 for head shot; 6 points of damage]

The thug curses, turns quickly to face Julianne and grabs her coat with one large hand. He draws back his beefy fist, preparing to deliver a crushing blow that never lands.

Julianne feels a burst as the drug kicks in and supercharges her reflexes. A tiny smile forms in the corner of her mouth and in the blink of an eye, she flips the broken bottle to change her grip and drives it into the thugs temple.
[Per CT 8+ hits, Roll=7, +2 for strength, -1 for head shot; 10 points of damage]

The thug crumbles helpless at her feet.

UPDATE:
FD Thug 2 (999) is Str 3, Dex 0, End 8 (unconscious)

Jame November 27th, 2007 07:44 PM

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Julianne grabs another heavy bottle for when this one's gone in, jumps back over the bar and moves to protect Vincent.

atpollard November 28th, 2007 05:08 PM

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Above Ground – Imperial Swan Bar – The Great Brawl

[OOC: Maccat and Kovok, see posts 1662 and 1663 for an update. Roll and post your missing actions and damage. Then continue with Round 5. Remember to roll the numbers and Role Play the results.]

Round 5 - Vincent
Vincent attempts a series of wild uncontrolled punches at the thug (FD Thug 1) and misses. The thug delivers a strong roundhouse KO punch that sends Vincent rolling over a table and to the floor (unconscious). As the thug stands laghing at the fallen Vincent, Julianne charges from behind …

[Vincent: Per CT 8+ hits, Roll=5, -1 for low strength, -1 for head shot, -2 non-proficiency; a miss = no damage – Note: I lowered the official CT non-proficiency penalty since –5 on 2D6 means that he can NEVER hit.]
[FD Thug 1: Per CT 8+ hits, Roll=11; 5 points of damage]

Update:
Vincent (386) is now Str 0, Dex 6, End 3 (unconcious)
FD Thug 1 (999) is Str 9, Dex 9, End 9 (uninjured)

atpollard November 29th, 2007 07:17 PM

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UNDERGROUND - Ben and Company vs Robots

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kafka47 (Post 242431)
Sorry everyone, I have to leave for the Dominican Republic (I will be back in two weeks). The machines have a score of FFF and there are twelve of them. Light swords do damage, likewise, pistols. Conversely, one can try a DIFFICULT DEX roll out maneuver them and get them to cut into themselves.
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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Icosahedron (Post 242468)
Since … surprise is lost, Kahn relays his observations to the others as he jumps up and wrenches the door open. He quickly scans the room for a power supply, control system or circuit breaker panel and fires a couple of HEAP rounds into it to kill the entire workshop.
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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Baron Saarthuran (Post 242492)
Ben quickly whips out his own las torch and gets ready to put heavy spot welds (if he can) on the door frame, in an attempt to seal it or slow down the opposition. If it takes too long, or if the robots get at the door too quickly, Ben will run away from them. He will not stand there and let them attack. Ben is ready to work, but he is ready to run.
"Gentlemen, I suggest we pull back as far as we can to observe what these machines do next. If it is one thing I have learned on this vacation, it is to distrust robots in any form. For some reason, we have met yet another culture that uses them as weapons, even ones that apparently are not made for it. My own culture uses robots as weapons, but they are weapon systems, intended for battle. AS we go, I will try to set my comp to emit a low grade EMP and see if that works on them. I will set the emp focus on a conical discharge pattern, so If you stand behind me, any devices you may be carrying will not be affected. Perhaps these machines have a delineated threat response proximity."
"Abarring that, we could stay and demolish the first units through with the Plasma Blades, so that the other units will have to clear the doorway in order to get through."
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Quote:

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Originally Posted by atpollard (Post 242699)
Zhin obeys and falls back. He offers an additional suggestion “It occurs to me that the circular path behind us could be used to outwit these soulless creatures. If we are faster, then we could draw them around the circle and end up in front of them. Then we could enter their room and continue the quest.”
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Greetings all:
Having received a complimentary PM about 'The Great Brawl’, I am feeling somewhat emboldened. Rather than wait for Kafka to return before we continue with the underground combat, I propose that we combine common sense with random dice and continue on our own. It sets a good precedent for players to take some ownership of their adventure.

I propose the following simple rules for running this combat. Per CT, roll 2D6+skill and hit on 8+.
Per Kafka, roll 2D6+skill to dodge the robots, on 11+ the robot attacks itself (let’s add on 8+ you dodge the robot, but robot does not hit itself). To keep combat simple, the Robots hit (unarmored) on 6+, (cloth) on 8+, and (cbt armor) on 10+ and do 4D6 damage. Zhin is unarmored and Kahn has Cbt Armor. Does Ben have armor/vacc suit?

For unusual tasks, I like to roll 1D6 with a result of 6 indicating ‘complete success’ and a roll of 1 indicating ‘complete failure’ and any roll between requiring common sense to judge the result between these extremes.
I intend to use the rolls for background and STRESS THE NARATIVE. Be creative and have fun – we are all adults, volunteers and here to play a game.

Round 0:
Kahn carefully peeks under the door, but even this simple action triggers a response from these alien machines. He quickly tells the others what he can see.
Ben reacts in true Hiver fashion … with one ‘hand’ he draws his las torch and prepares to weld the door closed to keep the danger on the other side. With a second ‘hand’ he begins to reprogram his comp to emit a low grade EMP as a backup plan. With his primary ‘hand’ he begins communicating ideas and ‘shouting’ orders at the Hunter and Marine.
Zhin was studying the curving tunnel that they were in and suggests that the group lead the ‘creatures’ in a chase around the loop and enter the room while the ‘creatures’ are still in the hall.

Round 1:
Kahn decides to follow his combat instincts, rather than the Hiver’s plan. He wrenches the door open and quickly scans the room for a power supply, control system or circuit breaker panel - firing a couple of HEAP rounds into any potential targets, hoping to kill the entire workshop. He fires three rounds into unknown equipment that erupts into a shower of sparks. Then ‘click, click, click’, no more HEAP ammo.

Six robots immediately stop all action. Are they permanently disabled or only temporarily confused? Three of the remaining robots change course and tools as they move to repair the equipment. Three robots charge Kahn and the door – Superdense cutters spinning at turbine-like speeds.

Ben is unable to weld the door shut with the Marine standing in the doorway, and attacks with his ‘EMP weapon’. Snatching the Marine’s Plasma Blade and holding it behind the emitter (out of the area of effect) with one hand, Ben directs the EMP cone past/through the marine and towards the nearest charging robot. The robot stops dead in it’s tracks and Ben is both exhilarated and terrified at the same time (combat is unnatural for a Hiver). Terrified wins as the robot shrugs off the effect and begins advancing again. The Hiver quickly moves back and away from the door.
Zhin obeys the Hiver’s commands and takes position behind Ben with his Plasma Blade at the ready. He is forced to quickly shuffle to the side to avoid being swept away by the Hiver’s ‘fighting withdrawl’, and instinctively moves to defend the Hiver and support the Marine.

[Khan: Rolls 5 on 1D6 (unusual task) indicating a general but not complete success]
[Ben: Rolls 3 on 1D6 (unusual task) indicating a slight failure. I propose a simple 50/50 chance for each attack directed at 1 robot– either it effects the robot or not, either it compensates or not, either Ben can adjust to counter or not. A (4) ‘stuns’ for 1D6 rds, (5) stuns for 2D6 rds and a (6) disables the robot]
[Zhin: no rolls required.]

Status at the end of Round 1:
Khan (979) – uninjured.
Ben (???) – uninjured.
Zhin (8C4) – uninjured.
Robot-1 (FFF) – immobile.
Robot-2 (FFF) – immobile.
Robot-3 (FFF) – immobile.
Robot-4 (FFF) – immobile.
Robot-5 (FFF) – immobile.
Robot-6 (FFF) – immobile.
Robot-7 (FFF) – repairing panel.
Robot-8 (FFF) – repairing panel.
Robot-9 (FFF) – repairing panel.

[vs Kahn – standing in the doorway]
Robot-10 (FFF) – uninjured.
Robot-11 (FFF) – uninjured.
Robot-12 (FFF) – uninjured.

OOC: Ben and Kahn, post Round 2. Zhin will follow your lead.]

Icosahedron November 30th, 2007 09:21 AM

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OOC: Ok, this turn of events obviates my objections for now so, if I'm still welcome, I'm back in - for a while.

Kahn (979) gets the hell outta the doorway and, with a nod of thanks to the Hiver, he takes back his staff from Ben as he goes.
"Good idea about the passages, Zhin, we may need it yet, but while we've whittled them down to three, attack may be the best form of defence. You and I can maybe hold them as they come through the door one at a time. The doorway should hamper their dexterity, too, and more so once we've downed one."
Having no time to reload his pistol, Kahn takes partial cover behind the door and hacks at the leading robot with his plasma blade. [Hit: 2D6=9+2=11] [Damage: (4D6 wasn't it?) = 19] Are they armoured?

atpollard November 30th, 2007 12:04 PM

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Underground

UNDERGROUND - Round 2 - Zhin

Kahn’s blow cleanly severs the arm and cutting blade. The cutter burrows itself deep into the ceiling and the arm hangs suspended above the door.

Zhin joins Kahn in attacking the lead robot “Die soulless beast! Athiyk Zhin is not afraid, and you will not stop our quest.” Zhin is still learning to stand on his new foot and appears slightly unsteady as he attacks. It is a clumsy swing that just barely contacts the target. Yet that is good enough for the powerul Plasma Blade. Zhin’s attack slashes some exposed cables near the base of the robot.

All movement stops and the robot motionlessly blocks the door. The two following robots immediately begin to cut through their fallen comrade.

[OOC: Roll 6+2=8, 12 points of damage]

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Update:
Khan (979) – uninjured.
Ben (???) – uninjured.
Zhin (8C4) – uninjured.
Robot-1 to 6 (FFF) – immobile.
Robot-7 to 9 (FFF) – repairing panel.

[vs Kahn and Zhin at the doorway]
Robot-10 (FFF) = 0,11,3 – ‘unconscious’ but soon 'dead' by other robots.
Robot-11 (FFF) – uninjured.
Robot-12 (FFF) – uninjured.


Quote:

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Originally Posted by Icosahedron (Post 242967)
OOC: Ok, this turn of events obviates my objections for now so, if I'm still welcome, I'm back in - for a while.
[Damage: (4D6 wasn't it?) = 19] Are they armoured?
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Welcome back.
They and we both do 4D6.
They are probably armored, but they are probably not specifically designed for combat. I propose we use the armor for narrative color. You damage it on 8+ (cloth), penetrate the hard shell parts on 10+ (cbt armor), and do superficial damage on 6+ (no armor). (see above for an example).

Maccat December 1st, 2007 07:24 PM

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R3 damage v boss 7
Choking, something seems wrong with Maccat, he looks at Vincent, a painful look in his eyes, "You..." and collapses dead due to the synergy of the combat drug and the slow drug overwhelming his weakened system from the leftover med drugs from the low berth revival process. A dark stain spreads as the dagger wound drains his blood: a pale dead spacer on the floor.

(OOC i'll get another character up once approved)

atpollard December 2nd, 2007 12:17 PM

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[OOC: Atpollard will be in Tennessee this week, without internet access (Dec 3-7).]

Someone else will need to step up and post the combat rounds, or it will need to wait for Kafka to return.

Zhin will continue to follow orders and attack – please feel free to just roll for him (Hit on 8+, damage = 4D6).

Since Vincent is unconscious, he will ‘rest’ until I get back.

Baron Saarthuran December 3rd, 2007 01:19 AM

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With his primary view, Ben sets the EMP unit to continous forward pulse at robot 11. He pads towards robot 1, and climbs up the side using the magclamps on his Vacc Suit feet. With one view he anchors to the robot's shell, and the other guides his torch as he begins to cut...

OOC: 8 for the attack on the robot.
I will repost Ben's character card as soon as I get hold of it.

"Initiate reverse engineering subroutine 712. Scan and quantify. Begin scan..."

Ben's computer launches a holo-CAD sort of program that visually scans the robot, and begins to break it down into theoretical components. His move to take control of the machine will be as well researched as he can get it.

Icosahedron December 3rd, 2007 08:20 AM

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Kahn (and Zhin) position themselves to protect Ben from potential attack whilst keeping their weapons clear of the Hiver's beam.
Kahn eyes Ben's actions doubtfully.
"I know gathering information on these things might be useful, but I think our priority should be to smash through them before the rest are brought back on line."
OOC: Whose orders is Zhin following? Who is the leader of this group?

Baron Saarthuran December 4th, 2007 02:59 AM

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"If I can take control of this, we could attach one of the plasma blades to the wrist servo and literally mow them down from a safe distance. Excuse me."

Ben opens a second holo-screen...

"Begin local line of sight EM analysis scan... note and track any and all transmission signals and display..."

OOC: I think Ben is the leader as far as Zhin is concerned, as was his pledge during the journey here.

Icosahedron December 4th, 2007 10:18 AM

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Kahn shrugs. "I'm happier with a weapon in my own hand, but I'll keep this next one off you. If you manage to immobilize number two with that EMP thing, I'll aim to surgically skewer its sensors - it probably needs them to attack us, but we won't need them to remote-control it to attack the others."

Baron Saarthuran December 5th, 2007 12:57 AM

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http://s103.photobucket.com/albums/m...inofzeldar.jpg

atpollard December 5th, 2007 09:24 PM

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underground

ooc: stole a few minutes on a laptop.

Zhin follows Ben in Non-Combat situations and Kahn in combat - it is the way of his people to have different leaders for different tasks.

Maccat December 6th, 2007 09:34 PM

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"Juillianne! Catch!" a pistol belt with a holstered gauss pistol and 5 spare clips sails through the room from the back door to Julianne (roll dex for catch J) "You forgot back when we were at the range on Regina!". (Leadership initiative boost)
The boss thugs head explodes as a snub HE round vaporizes his head (to hit 9, 9 damage using mongoose, 11 if CT HEAP snub)). A hot muzzle is placed against the neck of the center back door thug, rapier blades against the necks of the other two. The hammer clicks as it is drawn back. "Ssstand down. Imperial Sscout Sservice Busssinesss. Sssurrender or DIE!" (Persuade roll 12)
The back door has been opened, and a lithe lizardish humanoid in an IISS XBoat Pilot uniform has a snub pistol against the cnter thugs neck, a rapier against the neck of another. The third has a rapier at it's neck held by an emotionless servitor bot.

Maccat December 6th, 2007 09:51 PM

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9 damage on each of the front door thugs from the table i rolled, they KO'd.
Current situation

Maccat, (000) dead
Boss thug (003) dead
FD thug 3 (999) uninjured next to him covered in his bosses head grue (would think morale)

kovok
BD thug 1 (079) KO
BD thug 2 (006) crit wounded
BD thug 3 (999) fleeing

Julianne free
FD thug 2 (308) KO

Vincent
FD thug 1 (999) uninjured

front door, a heap of limbs and broken wood blocking the door
FD thug 4 (990) KO
FD thug 5 (990) KO
FD thug 6 (990) KO

back door
BD thug 4 (999) uninjured with rapier at neck being told to surrender
BD thug 5 (999) uninjured with hot snub pistol at neck "
BD thug 6 (999) uninjured with servitor bot rapier at neck "

Unless they're suicidal maniacs, i'd say we won this, their way out is barred by a table in one case, me n my bot the other, one fleeing kovok one in the middle all head spattered, their boss dead. One on vincent. J could take both those with the gauss pistol, as could Kovok with his shotgun. they just lost their leader. The brawl has 2 casualties and a critically wounded person, 5 KO'd, 5 standing. The thugs have sufffered over 50% casualties *and* the loss of their leader. Over half remaining are under imminent threat of attack/death.
Jame December 7th, 2007 03:04 AM

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Julianne grabs the pistol, draws it and, seeing that the faceoff has ended, readies it just in case any of the thugs want to get stupid.

"Ssstheno! I haven't seen you in ages! What brings you here?"

Maccat December 7th, 2007 08:42 PM

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"There hasss been reportss of energy fieldss ussed to protect the urban ssenter here from contaminantsss. Thisss isss new technology to my mind. I have concernss maybe insssufieccient. Am here to examine microbess, maybe contact Sscoutss regarding atmnossphere reclasssification. I hear one needss additional protectionsss for vacc sssuit ussse outssside of the shield. It may be... insidious! Have you a vacc sssuit? I reccomend we suit up until sssure of just what we breathe." You notice he has eye shields on his large black eyes, and seems to be breathing through some nose attachment.



Sstheno looks around, "hmm yess, maybe law level reclasssification too. That would require more, specialissts though. Pity they murdered their bosss here, in addition to the other one there. It isss yourss that one?"

atpollard December 8th, 2007 08:21 PM

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Underground: Ben Kahn and Zhin vs the Robots

UNDERGROUND

Summary of Round 1:
Kahn fires three rounds into unknown equipment and Six robots (R1 to R6) stop all action, Three robots (R7 to R9) move to repair the equipment, and Three robots (R10, R11, R12) charge Kahn.
Ben attacks robot (R11) with his ‘EMP weapon’ with marginal success.
Zhin takes position behind Ben.

Summary of Round 2:
Kahn attacks the lead robot (R10) and disables it in the doorway, blocking two Robots (R11, R12).
Zhin attacks the lead robot (R10).
Two Robots (R11, R12) begin to cut away the disabled robot (R10)
Ben immobilizes robot (R11) with his ‘EMP weapon’ and begins to dissect the disabled robot blocking the door (R10).

Summary of Round 3:
Kahn and Zhin scramble over the disabled lead robot (R10), ignore the EMP paralyzed Robot (R11) and attack the third robot (R12) to protect Ben from being attacked. Kahn 'blinds' Robot (R12) while Zhin parry's it's attack. [EDIT]
Ben makes surprising progress reverse engineering the disabled robot blocking the door (R10) and quickly develops a schematic for the mechanical parts. However, it also becomes obvious that the ‘brain’ is identifiable but operates on a principal not comprehensible to current scientific theory. [A day of trial and error could yield a practical knowledge of how to use the components, but a real understanding could take years of study in a complete lab]. The ‘Power Source’ cannot be located, identified or comprehended without a more detailed and time consuming analysis [1 hour to 1 day].
Robots R3 and R4 momentarily jerk forward, but stop almost immediately. Robot R7 moves to the panel being repaired by R8 and both begin to work together. Robot R9 continues to work on another panel.

Round 4:
Kahn and Zhin continue to ignore the EMP paralyzed Robot (R11) and parry the third robot (R12) to protect Ben from being attacked.
Ben begins a comprehensive analysis of Robot EM communications to attempt to control them. There is no apparent communication in identifiable EM frequencies. Each robot appears to function as an individual or communicates via Mesons or similar exotic methods.
Robots R3 and R4 reactivate at the end of this round and begin to move towards the door. Robots R7, R8 and R9 all begin to work on repairing the third panel (panel 1 is still broken and panel 2 is repaired).

With additional reinforcements on the way, Kahn decides to take the easy kill on the immobilized robot (R11). Zhin follows his example and disables the blind robot (R12). The group accidentially discovers that the Plasma Sabers are immune to the Hiver EMP attack. [EDIT]

[OOC: rolls have been omitted and I have just posted the results. Since we have limited background data from Kafka to go on, I have relied heavily on random results and best guesses. Ben is currently safe from attack, but Kahn and Zhin are inside the room [EDIT]. R3 and R4 will attack Zhin and Kahn next round if they remain inside the room and Ben if either warrior fails to parry.

I have also assumed that everyone is near the door and that you did not intend to go to the middle of the room to investigate an inactive robot – correct me if I am wrong.]

Update:
Khan (979) – uninjured.
Ben (99B) – uninjured.
Zhin (8C4) – uninjured.

[In the Room]
Robot-1, 2, 5, 6 (FFF) – immobile.
Robot-7 to 9 (FFF) – repairing panel.

[vs Kahn and Zhin at the doorway]
Robot-10 (000) = 'dead'.
Robot-11 (000) – 'dead'.
Robot-12 (06F) – 'unconscious'.
Robot-3 (FFF) – uninjured - moving to attack.
Robot-4 (FFF) – uninjured - moving to attack.

[EDIT: Icosahedron, is that what you had in mind? :)]

Icosahedron December 9th, 2007 08:28 AM

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Quote:

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correct me if I'm wrong
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OOC: With his stated policy of 'attack is the best form of defence', Kahn is not simply using blocking parries to defend Ben, but is trying to kill R12. His intention from the outset was to fight his way into the room so as to cut down the repairers before they brought their fellows back online. Sorry, I should have given you some rolls. He is also wary of R11. If it shows the slightest hint of recovering from the EMP, or if it seems unlikely that Ben will be able to gain control of intact robots, he will deliver a 'coup de grace'. To that effect he asks Ben, "How's it going with the robot control, Ben, can you get them working for us? I'll spike this 'sleeper' if you think it's best."

atpollard December 9th, 2007 12:56 PM

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Above Ground – Imperial Swan Bar – The Great Brawl

Above Ground – Imperial Swan Bar – The Great Brawl

Summary of Round 3
Three thugs block the Back door
Three thugs from the Back door grapple with Kovok .
Boss Thug stabs Maccat – who hits the Boss Thug and suffers an apparent Heart attack.
Julianne searches behind the bar for a gun – no luck.
Vincent hides under a table.

Summary of Round 4
One of the three Thugs from the back door stabs Kovok.
One of the six Thugs at the front door kicks Julianne.
Julianne attacks her Thug with a bottle and knocks him unconscious.
Maccat is dead.
Kovok breaks free and defeats two thugs (unconscious, coma).
Vincent takes a punch in the nose.

Round 5
Vincent is knocked out.
Ssstheno bursts into the bar with a combat ‘bot, critically wounding the leader with a head shot and taking the back door thugs into custody.

Kovok’s random shotgun blasts had sent the patrons at the bar scrambling for cover behind the heavy bar earlier in the fight. The sudden appearance of an IISS ‘executioner’ and the escalation to an all out gunfight is too much for even this tough a crowd. The patrons stampede the front door hot on the heels of the already panicked (BD Thug 3) and (FD Thug 3). FD Thug 1 leaves Vincent and follows the crowd. The mob quickly clears the debris trampling the unconscious men in the process.

(OOC: FD Thug 3 and BD Thug 3 escape. Either of you can take a shot at FD Thug 1, but there are a lot of civilians in the crowd. Do you feel very lucky?)

THIS FIGHT IS OFFICIALLY OVER! You have control of the immediate situation.
The gunfire at THIS law level will have attracted an armed para-military police response. The clock is ticking on their arrival [OOC: It will probably be for Kafka to decide, but the group will not shoot its way out of THAT encounter.]


Update:
BD thug 3 (999) fled the scene
FD thug 3 (999) fled the scene
FD thug 1 (999) fled the scene?

Ssstheno, Julianne and Kovok are still standing and armed.

BD Thug 4 (999) is bound
BD Thug 5 (999) is bound
BD Thug 6 (999) is bound

Vincent (063) is unconscious
BD thug 1 (079) is unconscious
FD thug 2 (308) is unconscious
FD thug 4 (990) is unconscious
FD thug 5 (990) is unconscious
FD thug 6 (990) is unconscious

BD thug 2 (006) is critically wounded

Maccat, is dead
Boss thug is dead

kafka47 December 12th, 2007 12:24 AM

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OOC: Well done! I know the challenges are difficult in this adventure but they are not impossible as you have amply demonstrated. [Maccat is not dead but critically injured (immediate hospitalization and 5000Cr will restore his health).] What would also have me do? Just put you in a room with ordinary thugs with 777 wearing cloth or dumbots 111? There have to be challenges to make things interesting.

Traveller is a Hard Space Opera, if you want to play it as a Hard SF, we can do that in this adventure but mortality rates would be much higher. As to the borrowings from fantasy, there is some but if you listened to the hyperlink to Dead City that I provide, it borrows more from Weird Fiction the common ancestor to both many forms of contemporary SF & Fantasy. Plagiarizing is a crime that I freely admit to, but, beware of falling into a fallacy of actually thinking that I have directly lifted it for doing so, can result in peril.

Ref says: The whirling sounds of a Grav Medevac siren descending can be heard. The Medics sizing up the place, they go white looking at the characters. They without delay heave Maccat into an emergency life support canister. "You boys have done well here; these were a bunch of no good troublemakers who deserve what you did. Johnny Law will be mighty proud."

As they depart with Maccat the mauve uniformed of Imperial Marines come down hard into the bar, "We got the signal that something was afoot..." looking at the lead thug, "Oh sh*T!!, you boys, had better find a way to get out of Dodge, as soon as possible, as you have just killed the Count's personal bodyguard. These others are scum that we have been tracking for some time. Scram, before the troopers come…"

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OCC: The control panel was an excellent idea, so I think I will use it...

The prolonged melee between the robots and the characters results in the complete stalemate until Kahn's fateful last shot which takes out a main control panel or something. Sparks fly and the robots flop down to a rested position. Ben's efforts programming does not seem to have affected them in the least as the programming whilst based on some sort of logic would take too much time to figure out.

As the robots drop down, it is now possible to see away from them there is some sort of gargantuan corkscrew staircase reaching ascendant as far as they eye can see is a conveyor belt conveying seemingly nothing.


atpollard December 12th, 2007 01:21 PM

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Above Ground – Imperial Swan Bar

Vincent
Although the above ground situation has quieted down, Vincent will still remain unconscious for several more minutes. He is at the mercy of the rest of the party (Ssstheno, Julianne and Kovok) until he awakens. For what it might be worth, there are 50 x Cr20 notes scattered about the room (1000 credits) and another 3000 credits in Vincent’s pockets (Plus a platinum bank card – but it requires biometric confirmation to use).

When Vincent awakens (assuming that you take him with you :)) he says “all things considered, allow me to express my gratitude for your assistance in this unpleasant matter. Since the city seems an unfriendly place to have a quiet meal, allow me to entertain you aboard my ship at the Starport. Under Imperial rather than Local law.”

[If you are still at the bar when Vincent awakens, he requests that you bring along the Thug Leader and one of the captured thugs – Vincent has some unfinished business – otherwise Vincent will need to pursue this matter at a later date.]

While on the way to Vincent’s ship (in Ssstheno’s Air Raft?), Vincent makes several phone calls to arrange matters prior to the group’s arrival. Vincent’s ship is externally a standard type S Courier, but inside, the bridge and living areas have been gutted and refinished as a deluxe hotel suite (life support and electronics are also upgraded and non-standard). The ship looks brand new (it is less than a year old). Vincent invites everyone to make themselves comfortable and have a drink until the food arrives. After about 20 minutes, a caterer arrives from the best restaurant in the city to deliver a gourmet banquet. Vincent directs the setting up of the food, pays the deliverer and shoos them away. His final act is to quickly key a 64 digit alphanumeric command into the ship’s computer that creates a high pitched hum for an instant followed by the word ‘SECURED’ on the main screen by the pilot’s seat. “There, we should not be disturbed again and no one can hear what we say. Shall we at last sit down and enjoy a meal.”

[EDIT: OOC Vincent will pay Maccat's Medical bill - he wanted to help the Thugs rob my ship, but that was just business - Vincent can understand that. :)]

atpollard December 12th, 2007 01:36 PM

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Underground

Underground
Zhin pads over to the spiral ramp and looks, listens and smells up it. Is there any apparent air movement (updraft or down draft)? Is there any detectable scent of food or water? Is there any sound of machinery?

[He is getting comfortable with his artificial foot, but the missing hand still makes him feel clumsy at times.]

kafka47 December 12th, 2007 02:28 PM

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Ref says: Zhin gets a whiff of the air. It has a exceptionally overpowering stench of the fire pools of the caverns of home analogous in fact to the where the ancestors played the great game (the chessboard scene) but not quite the same. The others in the party would be familiar with it as a high quality petroleum derived lubricant that can only be manufactured in a zero g environment... The air is only bothered by the unremitting grinding of the assembly belt that in turn generates a insignificant updraft. The sparking of the circuit box seems to abating. A feeble green pulsing glow is apparent from behind the profusion of wires and circuits.

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Above Ground: OOC: I will wait for the action declarations of the others before I narrate the next scene.


Jame December 12th, 2007 08:41 PM

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Julianne accepts the meal offer with a relieved smile. "I'll be glad to have a meal here. It's certainly opulent."

She goes to the table and finds a place.

CGW December 13th, 2007 12:03 AM

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OOC: Good steppin up AT, hats off!

Kovok immediately after the fight painfully kneels next to his last victim...

"Sura baan tol sura Kotori!," he intones, holding his bloody sword with both palms (one on the grip, one on the blade) as he presses its broad surface to his forehead. He then resheathes it and rises to his feet. He limps over to the bar, and puts two bottles of Petronioka into his coat pockets... glaring at the stragglers in the mayhem, , he smashes the top off a third and drinks from it heavily...

As one of the scurrying medics dermaplasts his wound, he suddenly starts at the appearance of the Marines... The Battle Rage still flows strong in him, but he manages to check it. A rare occurance for Kovok, especially on seeing his old and very hated enemies on the scene. It is not these men themselves, but that they are Imperial Marines in general that fires the hate in his eyes...

Drinking another quarter of the Petronioka, he adjusts his coat and exits with his comrades. He pauses a minute to stuff Vincent's credits back into his pockets and then slumps him over one shoulder.

"You will tell this Count that there is a Debt of Blood between us... it will be over soon."

He leaves, flopping Vincent's unconcious body into the back of the Air/Raft...

Kovok settles in slightly before he really notices Ssstheno...

"What are you, Sir? I have not seen your like before..."

kafka47 December 13th, 2007 05:11 PM

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Ref says: The meal comes with brisk effiency much earlier than what was promised by the caterers. It is lavish indeed and nothing seems amiss. As they finish up their meal a warning sound from the Scout piloting controls. It would seem that a Repo Company has broken into the main computer and begun the process of repossession.

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OOC: It has been suggested that this thread be broken into two separate threads. One for above ground and one for below ground. What do others (including the board at large think) pls. PM me your thoughts on this matter.

atpollard December 13th, 2007 06:35 PM

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by kafka47 (Post 244189)
Ref says: As they finish up their meal a warning sound from the Scout piloting controls. It would seem that a Repo Company has broken into the main computer and begun the process of repossession.
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Vincent smiles, “Now we are playing on my home court.” Vincent activates his portable comp/transmitter unit and hard wires a fiber optic link from the ship’s main computer to his portable comp, and from his portable comp to the data jack in the base of his head. Vincent begins activating controls at the speed of thought as his perfect man-machine link expands his awareness to include every part of the ship as an extension of his body and senses.

The Darrian made fib computer system activates all of its extensive encryption and anti-hijacking defenses. Vincent applies his Computer 4 skill to counteracting the intrusion and his Administration-3 skill to identify who authorized this repossession – everything leaves a ‘paper’ trail.

“The best defense …” mutters Vincent as he launches a counter attack on the would be intruders, attempting to gain control of their computer system.

[OOC: from Char Gen:

Quote:

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“Computer Implant (TL 16): Install a small device to serves as a link between the brain and a computer system. Cost = 13 MCr for implant, link and long-range remote terminal. From JTAS 22.

Modified Type S Courier: With a triple sandcaster turret, revised interior layout and upgraded computer and life support. Cost = 60 MCr at 12 MCr down and 6 MCr per year for 20 years”
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The ship is paid through the end of the year and THIS ship was designed to resist EXACTLY this sort of attack – information is vital to Vincent and he invested 43 MCr for Non-Imperial technology to keep ‘his secrets’ a secret.]

(For what it is worth, that’s why I was so happy to see those Hivers earlier. Hiver Computers are better than Darrian Computers which are better than Imperial Computers – I saw a potential upgrade in my future.)

kafka47 December 13th, 2007 11:24 PM

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Ref says: Muffled curses can be heard from outside the ship. After a few minutes silence has returned to scout ship.

atpollard December 14th, 2007 12:08 PM

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Vincents Dinner-Time Speach.

At dinner, Vincent begins to share information about himself with his new companions, beginning with the fact that like most Imperial citizens, he is of mixed racial decent – Sol and Vilani with touch of Darian (1 great-grandparent). His family has been involved in commerce in the Spinward Marches since the Rule of Man (2nd Imperium) and was trading with the Darrians only ten years after the first scout ship of the Third Imperium reestablished contact.

Vincent says that he was born in the Glisten system (TL F Asteroid Belt) in the Spinward Marches but traveled extensively with his family. He attended school on Viland and learned to be a ‘gentleman’ and a ‘broker’ - “On Viland, you cannot be one without the other, it comes as a package deal.” After school, Vincent returned to the Spinward Marches, worked at a variety of jobs and gradually made his way to the Foreven sector. That brought him to Farpoint and a new start on the frontier – “It doesn’t get much more frontier than this”.

Vincent arrived at Farpoint a few days ago (Year 1112, Day 270) and filed the paperwork for a Business License as a Broker – he is waiting for approval and expects to be able to start trading again in 1 to 4 weeks. He has some cargo containers that should begin trickling in over the next few weeks and hopes to resell it soon – either here or through another broker on one of the surrounding systems.

As dinner draws to a close, Vincent’s light banter and amusing stories about adventures and pranks on Glisten, Trin, Mora, Rhylanor and Viland wind down – followed by a brief silence. When Vincent resumes, it is in a tone of complete seriousness. "To succeed at my business requires a network of friends – people who trust you and whom you can also trust. I have offered my friendship to you. You have accepted my invitation to break bread. We have shared a trial by fire. If you cannot or will not offer your friendship in return, then do the honorable thing and say so now. There will be no hurt feelings. But understand this, ‘la familia’, I mean ‘The Family’ remembers those who help and never forgets those who betray us …" (the ship’s intrusion alarm abruptly ends the conversation.)

Vincent rushes to the controls to activate the anti-intrusion routines and personally direct the ship’s ECM defenses. (See posts above)

atpollard December 14th, 2007 12:08 PM

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Vincent's After-Dinner Speach

When quiet is restored, Vincent suggests that everyone might be more comfortable seated in the drawing room. Vincent continues where he left off as if nothing had happened.

"It would appear that the time for subtlety has passed. We are at war. I had thought that the incident at the Imperial Swan was a simple business deal gone bad – mea culpa. But I now have cause to wonder whether this was actually directed at me. That a local pilot hired to deliver a package should turn out to be the Bodyguard of a Count seems quite a coincidence. That they should attack an armed party over such a matter is also … unusual. – As a side point, I am in your debt for making ‘my’ fight, ‘your’ fight. It will not be forgotten. – Then we are warned to flee by Imperial Marines who owe ME no favors. We retire to my ship and a vessel whose mortgage is paid through the end of the year is ‘repossessed’ at the very moment that we are there. WE are at war and I am not convinced that all of this attention is directed at me alone."

"Since the time for subtlety has passed, there is more to my history that you should know." (Vincent reveals his Unofficial biography – Organized crime family, 3 months in Jail on Viland, Prison years, and new start.) "I am here because the Imperium is ripe with political corruption. The Triad (with whom my family has ties) has warned us that the next Imperial succession will not go smoothly. Too many archdukes with dirty hands want a bigger piece of the action. There was a time when a man’s word was his bond … you said what you meant and meant what you said. Now every petty knight, baron and count thinks he can lie, cheat and steal with impunity because he is above the law. They will discover – too late – that there is a law greater than Imperial Law. The code of honor predates the Rule of Man. It is what raises us above the animals … but I digress."

"In 50 years or so, when Strephon steps down and the Nobility squabbles over the loot, the Marches will be cut off from the Core and desperate for goods and markets. The Foreven Sector is the key to their survival. Someone needs to open trade channels with the Zho and Aslan to ensure access to new markets is in place when it is needed. Since there can be no open trade under the current tensions, it is imperative to establish a ‘back door’ route for the vital trade. I am here to ‘oversee’ such a venture. Unlike the Imperium, the ‘Family’ sees the benefits in continued expansion into new markets."

atpollard December 14th, 2007 12:09 PM

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Vincent Finally Gets to the Point

“I can offer information and assistance in any endeavor that you might decide to undertake. I am quite skillful in brokering economic matters – buying and selling goods in both large and small quantities – both openly and discreetly. I also broker information through both official channels and unsavory networks. I have friends who can provide both electronic files and paperwork without questions should it prove necessary.”

“For example, Kovok plans on recovering this wanted Hiver and getting him off world. I could arrange quiet transportation if you wished to avoid storming the starport, stealing a ship and outrunning the patrols.” Vincent smiles.

“Ssstheno, you and I have not been formally introduced, but you came to my aid, so I am in your Debt. And you are a friend of Julianne, so her recommendation of you is good enough for me to offer the friendship of Vincenzo Masseria, but please call me Vincent – a new life deserves a new name.”

Turning to Julianne he continues “You asked about my ‘business’ and now, I have explained it to you in greater detail and privacy. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to ask. But you have told me nothing of your business. You are capable of defending yourself, yet hired a bodyguard. This indicates that you expected trouble. Friends can be useful in such situations. Perhaps if you told me more, I might be able to assist you.”

[OOC: this is a chance for the Party to talk before Kafka sends us off on our next adventure. What's Up?]

Jame December 14th, 2007 12:59 PM

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To Vincent, Julianne says, "I am not exactly here as a mere tourist, but instead as a ... government employee, and due to concerns over the Imperial succession by non-Imperial powers to Trailing, I have been sent here. Unfortunately I cannot explain the entirety of my aims, but as it stands I do require much help - as, it seems, do you."

"Therefore I would like to work with you all. If you could help me, I am looking for a Chateau." She proceeds to describe the chateau.

atpollard December 14th, 2007 10:13 PM

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Looking for the Chateau Frontanac

"I would be honored to assist you and your mysterious employers. I assume that you would be willing mention my cooperation to your employers when we complete whatever 'mission' we are on," Vincent smiles - both to lighten the tone of his words and in self-amusement.

“Chateau Frontanac” Vincent whispers as he rubs his pudgy cheeks and ponders the most direct source of information. “Julianne, your student biography lists you as a historian. Perhaps you might like to use one of the terminals to access the planetary historical archive. Perhaps Frontanac is a family name and the ‘Chateau Frontanac’ is the former residence of a notable historic figure or a significant landmark named after a historical figure – like a plateau?”

“I will attempt to access the property tax data base and list all homes owned by persons named ‘Frontanac’. Sorting by decreasing value. Your mysterious stranger sounds more likely to be wealthy than poor." [roll=4; Comp-4, Admin-3, Legal-2 as appropriate]

“If the official avenues fail, perhaps we could try the word on the street. On the off chance that the Chateau Frontanac is a secret night club or some similar local attraction.” [roll=6; Carousing-2, Liaison-1, Streetwise-2 - just in case]

“A more important issue is the fact that ‘we’ were summoned unarmed, yet I have serious questions about the safety of travelling unprotected … given recent events.” [OOC: I assume that Julianne described the summons and not just the house.]

CGW December 15th, 2007 02:47 AM

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By now, Kovok is pretty drunk. Not to the point of unconciousness, but sort of "beer hall" drunk. About as relaxed as he gets. One could even say "Chummy".

"The time was back on my world, that all I knew was my world and its people and places. My Path of Fate has taken me across 9 sectors. Through Reaver's Deep and across the Claw at Riftspan. And it was bloody work, friends. Outside what passes for Law in space. I used to make my living off ships like this."

Rather odiously, Kovok shovels food into his as he speaks, with total disregard for its finery and presentation...

"I do not trust my employers. The Hive houses many liars. They are not men. I am still not sure how they found me and why they would hire me to find this Benjamin. I want to see this outlaw one for myself. It is either mad or diseased in some way. Normally the hiver are cowering worms. Good thing credits make up for everything!"

"I do not know what it is, but I think Fate has cast us all together for purpose beyond work. How else would it be that those high in society would travel with those so low?"

He drinks a very large guiness-like ale beverage... and listening to Vincent...

"Hah! You talk much, Vincent! But it is good to know one who knows who he is and can say it proudly. I will make a warrior of you yet if we can keep you alive! Now shut up and let the woman speak! I have heard that she has seen this Benjamin of Zeldar. Is this true?"

atpollard December 15th, 2007 01:13 PM

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by CGW (Post 244314)
"Hah! You talk much, Vincent! ... Now shut up and let the woman speak!"
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OOC: touche. :)

Jame December 15th, 2007 03:23 PM

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"Yes, I did briefly meet M. Benjamin; he tried to persuade me to enter some caves ... my memory is somewhat unreliable at this point; I believe I may have, but somehow wound up back on the surface here. But the last time I saw him he was either headed for or within this cavern system."

She proceeds to describe the cavern system briefly, as much as she can - her memory is unclear because of the way she returned to the surface. "I don't recommend going down there without a lot of backup, as I seem to remember there being quite a few traps there."

(OOC: Yes, Julianne does describe the summons.)

CGW December 15th, 2007 08:02 PM

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"It was alive last time you saw, though? Did he know what the news has said of him?"

Jame December 15th, 2007 11:48 PM

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by CGW (Post 244354)
"It was alive last time you saw, though? Did he know what the news has said of him?"
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"Yes, he was alive, and no, he did not know of the news. In fact, I did not know of the news."

Julianne thinks for a few moments before speaking again. "I think that he may not be underground as we concieve of it... The cave system seemed quite odd and may have some sort of properties that are not known to current science."

Maccat December 17th, 2007 01:10 PM

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...after we all arrived at the ship, Sstheno had the robot take the air/raft back to his ship: "Danger Mode, M. Robinsson, yes? and be sssure to tend the plantss!"

... during the meal he cleans the snub, replacing the shy cartridge... "Yesss, I come from ssome ssmall world with a ssscout bassse. It'sss a harsssh world, and we have ... 'trained' ... many ssscoutss there. We have taken ... advantage ... of the ssservice, you sssee. yesss... I hold patentsss on regenerative life sssuport ssservicces for vesselss ssuch ass thesse, there may be bussiness opportunitiess Vincent...

... Maybe thiss hiver Ben knowss where the housse you sssek is Julianne?



... the housse iss named. But iss it even on thisss world? Ssurely there are othersss who know of it, but would asssking around be wisse consssidering all that hasss transpired sso far I wonder. Thossse marinesss were helpful, but too cautiousss. Ssome minor debt to a count for imporper behaviour of hiss sssubordinate, a minor dissssagreement, 'tisss all." "I'm ssure i could arrange usss introductionsss to thiss 'count', maybe we could, 'asssk' him. I would favor ressscuing the hiver firssst, sssoundss mosst endangered it. ...
... They have our location, I agree it isss war we should expect attack. Or harassment. Vincent, we sshould use your underground connectionsss, relieve ssome localss of illissit weaponsss. Better uss to have them than tham! Grenadess maybe?... maybe we sshould avail oursselvess of ssome imperial mariness for ssecurity, that may alsso be posssible... That mariness are even here sspeakss of ssome ... 'interestss' ... There isss some high rank imperial noble here, yess? from abandoning the wrecked 'liner'... The Navy musst be very upsset it cannot come in forcse to retrieve the child...

... All thiss data we sseek, it iss common from our sssurveyss, which are kept on record locally and in the larger data net. Government Imperial adminisstration here sshould have it, of cavess and named housses. Thiss corrossive or worssse atmnosshpere musst be mentioned. Thiss 'count' the mariness sspoke of, I wonder if he iss local nobility? We sshould find a local noble wisshing to risse in power, get the cave surveyss and geographic namess databasse I think...

atpollard December 17th, 2007 01:26 PM

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Ben and Company

Back to Underground


Quote:

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Originally Posted by kafka47 (Post 244022)
The prolonged melee between the robots and the characters results in a complete stalemate until Kahn's fateful last shot which takes out a main control panel or something. Sparks fly and the robots flop down to a rested position. Ben's efforts at programming do not seem to have affected them in the least, as the programming - whilst based on some sort of logic - would take too much time to figure out.

As the robots drop down, it is now possible to see that, away from them, there is some sort of gargantuan corkscrew staircase reaching ascendant as far as the eye can see - a conveyor belt conveying seemingly nothing.
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Quote:

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Originally Posted by atpollard (Post 244076)
Zhin pads over to the spiral ramp and looks, listens and smells up it. Is there any apparent air movement (updraft or down draft)? Is there any detectable scent of food or water? Is there any sound of machinery?
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Originally Posted by kafka47 (Post 244082)
Ref says: Zhin gets a whiff of the air. It has an exceptionally overpowering stench of the fire pools of the caverns of home - analogous, in fact, to where the ancestors played the great game (the chessboard scene), but not quite the same. The others in the party would be familiar with it as a high quality petroleum derived lubricant that can only be manufactured in a zero g environment... The air is only bothered by the unremitting grinding of the assembly belt that in turn generates an insignificant updraft. The sparking of the circuit box seems to abating. A feeble green pulsing glow is apparent from behind the profusion of wires and circuits.
[OOC: posted on 12Dec2007.]
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Zhin cocks his head and stares in bewilderment at his companions. They stand there making no movement except to occasionally blink, which reassures Zhin that they are still alive. Seeking to rouse the others from their lethargic state, Zhin selects two small metal washers (which turned out to be slightly magnetic and stuck to his artificial foot). He carefully throws one washer to skip off of Ben’s vacc suit and hit Kahn in the chest (where it sticks to the metal breastplate). Then Zhin laughs, holds up another washer and issues his challenge “I will race you two old men to the top”. Zhin glances at the spiral conveyor going through the roof and smiles.

[OOC: Unless the owner of Ben or Kahn speaks up (by 19Dec2007) with some reason to remain in this room (like investigating the glowing behind the wires), Zhin will throw another washer, jump onto the conveyor and scramble up – with Ben and Kahn following slowly behind.]

atpollard December 17th, 2007 02:02 PM

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Julianne and Company

In Vincent's Ship

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Originally Posted by Maccat (Post 244454)
yesss... I hold patentsss on regenerative life sssuport ssservicces for vesselss ssuch ass thesse, there may be bussiness opportunitiess Vincent...

... All thiss data we sseek, it iss common from our sssurveyss, which are kept on record locally and in the larger data net. Government Imperial adminisstration here sshould have it, of cavess and named housses. Thiss corrossive or worssse atmnosshpere musst be mentioned. Thiss 'count' the mariness sspoke of, I wonder if he iss local nobility? We sshould find a local noble wisshing to risse in power, get the cave surveyss and geographic namess databasse I think...
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Vincent replies “I would be very interested in learning more about this ‘regenerative life support’ of yours. I was unwilling to accept the ‘stock’ air system with that famous ‘old cabbage’ smell that scout ships are known for, but I only had it upgraded to basic commercial standards.”

[OOC: Upgrade was per the note in “Traders and Gunboats”, let’s assume an off-screen conversation between Vincent and Ssstheno as the adventure progresses with an eventual upgrade – assuming that the Navy doesn't shoot my ship wth a spinal mount before the adventure is over. :)]

“Please Ssstheno, feel free to use this terminal to contact the Scout Database. Perhaps you have sufficient clearance to access data unavailable to the rest of us. It has been my experience that the Imperial Scout Service has a well earned reputation for being ‘clannish’ – no offense intended, merely an observation based on personal experience.”

Vincent removes his portable unit from the main console and motions to the Scout to use the main control. “My portable unit is less powerful, but more than adequate to allow me to access the planetary public data base directly from the Starport’s wireless network.”

Jame December 17th, 2007 03:12 PM

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Originally Posted by Maccat (Post 244454)
... Maybe thiss hiver Ben knowss where the housse you sssek is Julianne?
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"Maybe he does. But let me point out that we need to find him first, so we can ask him."

Baron Saarthuran December 17th, 2007 04:58 PM

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Ben measures off three test tubes of the lubricant, as a scan beam goes over them...

"Hmm... micormolecular nodule lubricant... with a lithium medium... very advanced..."

He puts the tubes into his pouch kit and then switches his tactics...

"It will take weeks, perhaps months to get a handle on this tech without a solid point of reference... so..."

Ben switches two views of his perceptions (using four of his arms) to scrap and pocket as many small components as he can lay hands on... Bearings, connectors, whatever isn't nailed down in the robot's casing that he can carry and maybe use for some other purpose.

His prime limb keeps scanning the horizon looking for other potential threats, or potential plunder...

He also examines the control panel xenopometrically* Trying to discern what sort of creature would use such instrumentality.

*Xenopometrics is the study of the physical size realtionships of the users of the controls. It is an old science, first put to real use by the Ancient NASA organization for laying out spacecraft control panels. Back then, they called it Anthropometrics or Ergonomics, as it dealt primarily with human life forms.
It is an old holocopy of NASA's "MSIS" (Manned System Integration Standards) that Ben uses for a baseline.

Baron Saarthuran December 17th, 2007 05:02 PM

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Ben also runs a wide spectrum EM scan of the power supply back there, and runs a rad detection routine...

He also (as soon as Zhin is not looking) throws a small nut or bolt at him and then quickly begins to act nonchalant...

Baron Saarthuran December 17th, 2007 10:39 PM

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OOC: To clarify, are there two Scout Ships? One being Ssstheno's (Love that name) and the other being Vincent's? Am I reading it right?

Icosahedron December 18th, 2007 08:40 AM

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UNDERGROUND
Now that the fighting is over, the marine takes a back seat, content to follow the trailwise barbarian and the technophile hiver. He offers to carry some extra components if Ben needs more pocket space, and if possible picks up the robots' cutting discs to use as tools or weapons. If one of them is on the end of a bar, forming a makeshift cutlass, so much the better.
Kahn also looks around to see is there are any alternative exits from the room.

kafka47 December 19th, 2007 01:37 PM

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Hence Forth Let It Be Proclaimed

Hence forth the adventure with be spilt by player desire into two parts.

Under an alien sky - actions that were previously called Underground.
(http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Dis...592#post244592)

A chance encounter - those that will involve the party above ground.
(http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Dis...589#post244589)

kafka47 March 4th, 2008 04:57 PM

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closing up shop

Closing up shop (http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Dis...945#post251945)

atpollard March 5th, 2008 02:08 AM

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Kafka,
Congratulations and thanks for running this adventure from June of 2005 to March of 2008. That's a helluva run for any RPG.

I hope you find enjoyment in your other pursuits.
Arthur.

Jame March 5th, 2008 01:45 PM

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Originally Posted by atpollard (Post 252007)
Kafka,
Congratulations and thanks for running this adventure from June of 2005 to March of 2008. That's a helluva run for any RPG.

I hope you find enjoyment in your other pursuits.
Arthur.
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I quite agree. Bravo, Kafka, Bravo!

kafka47 March 5th, 2008 03:19 PM

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To take the lead from Monte Python and the Holy Grail Computer Game, "I ain't dead, yet... [only this adventure is]".

Baron Saarthuran April 14th, 2008 02:09 PM

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Of course you realise that Just Ben alone can start a Hiver colony outside of known space, with access to fantastic alien technology, and its members all being genetic offshoots of himself...

Thank you for a long running and entertaining role playing experience, Boris!
It was awesome playing a Hiver again (the last time for me was in 1985!) and it was no end of twists and turns!

It was also a good foray into the mechanics of play by post games, and it worked very well over all.

Now all you gotta do is go back and edit and you got yourself a sci fi novel series! Be very proud at the long life of this game, it was a good run!

Can I do a Ben of Zeldar prequel story? How much of a cut do you want?

Bravo!

Author! Author!

Icosahedron April 19th, 2008 01:15 PM

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It was certainly an interesting experience - thanks for that - a bit like regular Traveller on Acid!

Any chance of a Postscript - telling us what was really going on?

kafka47 April 19th, 2008 06:51 PM

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Originally Posted by Icosahedron (Post 257530)
It was certainly an interesting experience - thanks for that - a bit like regular Traveller on Acid!

Any chance of a Postscript - telling us what was really going on?
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Ok, I guess there is no harm in Spoilers now. Of course, play impacted story arcs as much as the story arc impacted play.


Spoiler Alert
















Farpoint was an elaborate gateway to a prison planet that the Ancients maintained on the outer rim of the Milky Way galaxy. Here a creature or more accurately a disembodied consciousness needed a corporal existence to become whole again. The result of many human sacrifices of the Wrod meant this creature was able to experiment with many different life forms producing the wild mutations found on Farpoint. The characters on that distant world found themselves in an artifact that housed the consciousness was in turn housed in a machine that constantly changed the nature of the prison (those tricky Ancients). The consciousness did manage to gain control over some of the processes but required the player characters finally give it form or at the very least release from the prison. It had tried to this with the sacrificed Wrod infants, the result was the life forms that inhabited the green spiders who retained a vestige of the consciousness. The "skiddles" were various attempts by the consciousness to mould a metal exo-skeleton but bereft of the technical know-how many failed projects were just cast aside. So the form in which this malevolent consciousness would take would provide the characters with a supernatural nemesis. And, it was the Warden, a creature of equal power to the consciousness who was able to watch the characters progress from afar but due to laws hardwired into his circuitry unable to intervene.

The Wrod by making their homes in the crystalline structures (the crystals were in fact power sources) were actually weakening the bonds that held the prison together hence helping the consciousness break free and become less dependant on organic solutions. For the Wrod, their only hope of survival was a mass migration to the surface. This would cause the Darrian Confederation to take a more active and independent role in Foreven leading to the de-throning of the Count.

The cultists on the Pride had actually psionically touched the mind of this overbeing but because of the distance could not establish a true link. The machine they constructed was a type psionic amplifier that particularly attuned psions could glimse into the consciousness' unconscious...usually the result was madness which only caused the consciousness to become further enraged.

The Count who was an Aslan cyborg was disgusted with his own flesh from a revulsion of Aslan culture (as an Imperial Aslan) therefore strove to become more human by gradually replacing more and more his Aslan body with human prosthesis in the vain attempt to become more human. The dethroning of the Count whilst might be mean the liberation of Farpoint from tyrannical rule would make the Count a constant and powerful enemy throughout their further travels.

On Farpoint, Vincent and co. had allowed themselves to be captured by the Imperium. Here as a result of a failed brain wipe experiment by the Imperium would have found themselves in new bodies as their brains were part of an elaborate exercise to perfect brain surgery. This would have not only “powered down” those players (e.g. I debated putting the barbarian into the body of measly accountant type, Vincent into a woman’s body and Julianne become Julian, etc) but also brought the conflict between what is real home. After escaping those facilities they would have resumed their search for the Chateau… Finding it to be an isolated mountain cabin, they are met there by the Zhodani ambassador who mandates they visit the Emperor prior to 1116 and gives them some objects that will only respond to the Emperor’s DNA (a coded warning of the Empress Wave) and the beginnings of a final and comprehensive peace treaty with the Imperium.

To continue their journey the characters would have to resume their journey on the Pride…which would in turn be high jacked ironically bringing them closer to the treasures of the Word. Along the way, they would have seen a series of devastated worlds, as the result of the Imperium’s proxy support for a Small War against the Avalon Consulate. For it was the Imperium that had been using the Green Spiders Pirate Band to funnel arms to create chaos in Avalon with the attempt of dislodging the pro-Zhodani government and replacing it with one favourable to the Imperium.

When they left finally Foreven for the Marches, they would be blackmailed by Imperial intelligence to join a Ive Gnar cell which would be on the run and be involved in eventually setting a parallel polis that would lay the basis for the Regency’s aristocratic government and a model that would inspire the Hivers for the Reformation Coalition manipulation.

As they move through Corridor, they would be beset by the Church of the Chosen Ones for violating one of their ancient shrines and chancing upon what made the super Vargr in the Gateway Sector were again a by product of the consciousness by in the time of Antiquity. Now, the Church of the Chosen Ones were on the cusp of recreating those failed experiments. This would have been a made rush through building up and dismantling rival Vargr factions with the eventual creation of a pseudo-reality Vargr capable of great charisma and being attuned through psycho historical manipulation and a measure of a psionic focusing to influence vast amounts of Vargr.

I had not scripted beyond that but undoubtedly there would have been more biotechnological intrigue as they passed through Zarmane cultural enclave which have long strove for re-engineering of humanity on a galaxy basis. In which it would be a race against time to stop a bioplague by assembling the different biological agents that would permit a cure. For the Viri was injected into every Darmine citizen and had "immunity" to its affects but respirated out the containment thus spreading the Virus. The Virus had a 40% kill rate and out of the 40% that could survive 10% would become dormant carriers, 10% would suffer some sort of crippling illness, 37% would have no effect but 3% would carry the genes for the eventual posthuman condition desired by the Zarmane who had long started a breeding program to assure that aim. Think of a Sector dominated by the genetic politics of Dune.

Along the way they would have encountered Dulinor and convinced him that the only way to preserve the Imperium was to destroy it in its current form and renew it under Republican principles.

Eventually they would have reached Capital...just on the cusp prior 1115.