02 Eastern Washington Training Grounds

[Ndreare]

The Training Grounds

Mary

As you approach the compound you can see it appears to be completely abandoned. The clean smell of the wilderness, and sounds of animals in the background give the strong impression this is an are rarely used or visited.

After looking around the site for about 15 minutes or so, Signal and Jack can feel someone coming. Turning to look north they see a 5-1/2 tall stone angel walking towards the group from the tree line. “Hello, I am Mary. Michael said you all should be arriving soon, I am going to help Michael with your training and make sure you able to get out of the more sticky of situations.” Her voice is strange sounding as if whispered half within your mind while simultaneously spoken aloud.

As the group gathers around her Mary begins speaking again. “We will be training in both this world and the Nightlands. You will need to get used to going between worlds, for our enemies live in both worlds.”

It soon becomes obvious her intention is more focused on teaching you to work with each other and understand your limits than it is on teaching you to fight. When asked she says. “You were selected because you already have talents. My goal is to teach you to recognize the talents of those around you.”

Instructions

Training is a serious matter, one that involves pushing yourself to your limits and failing them.

Share a brief story of your character failing a skill and relying on another to cover his weakness.

At the end of your post include a Notice -4 roll for the ambush as your characters will be getting ambushed on your way for a supply run and hounds will be coming!
This will be the last of many supply runs during the 6 weeks so you will all be in normal, facade forms.

A Reward for Failure? Your character gains the following edge:
Against the Odds (+2 to any Trait roll when spending a Benny, stacks with Elan)

[Catie]

The training grounds they arrive at seem perfect for their purposes. The Resistance is much better organized and supplied than Catie had expected; it’s definitely a step up from her back alley fighting.

Catie’s excited for the opportunity to see the skills of her new compatriots in action, though training also shows her where she lacks.

When they had started a section of training on infiltration she had been so sure her skills would shine. What’s more stealthy than a feline? Nothing, that’s what! As it turns out, stealth doesn’t get you into a locked room. She’d had to stand by and twiddle her thumbs while Manny got them in, after having assured everyone she’d be able to get them in. His ability to lockpick saved them in the exercise after her unskilled fiddling had failed. It had failed hard.

Notice 3

Notice[dice]0[/dice]
Wild [dice]1[/dice]
+2 to Notice for being a lycanthrope means she got a 3 on her trait die and a 1 on her wild die

[Mel Richter]

Life was a funny thing, Triessa thought. It gave, and it took away.

For example, it gave her the chance to try to stab Clayton...whom, after being trapped in a car with for six hours, she desperately wanted to stab.

But then her little knife was not made of silver, and she wasn't allowed to use magic and they were in an alternate fucking dimension, so what did any of it really mean, anyway?

She lunged again, trying to feint to trick him into dodging left, but even if he'd fallen for it...the guy moved like, well, a snake.

Goddamn it!

Clayton held his hands up, signaling a pause, and with that signature Suthun Drawl that set Triessa's teeth on edge said, "Now darlin' yer lettin' me get under yer skin. Believe me, if you think dealin' with me on the outside of you is bad, you want to avoid that."

"Gee thanks, Mister Miyagi," gritted the sorceress. "Are we going to do this, or do you have more waxing on and off to do?"

The weresnake shrugged. "Jest sayin'...when folks get mad, they get dumb. That thing you did just then? Dumb. Gettin' mad is better'n gettin' scared, but not by much. Keep yer head on."

Triessa scowled. "Getting mad is kind of my thing. Maybe you've noticed."

He chuckled. "Well, I hope losin' a lot of fights is yer thing too, then. Look."

The 'wannabe cowboy' stepped in, still wearing that laconic smile. Triessa swore and hopped back and tried to swing her knife in a sudden panic, but he caught her wrist and moved his hand just so and her fingers popped open as if they'd grown a brain of their own and decided on their own to surrender. With his other hand, Clayton reached out and took hold of Triessa's neck.

"And yer dead. That's what yer gonna hafta deal with."

For a moment Triessa just stared up at him, breathing hard, then she twisted away. She went a few steps, trying to disconnect her mind from the raging pile of anger and frustration that was seething inside her. The urge to just grab the knife telekinetically and start stabbing him over and over was strong. But that would teach her nothing.

The view did nothing to help her feel better either. The sky was the same bleak, featureless black that she remembered vividly from Dark Day. It was a constant ice pick under her mental fingernail, recalling memories she'd had to work very hard to bury so they wouldn't wreck her. The rest of the landscape wasn't much better, but it was at least alien. Like some kind of stupid Sy-Fy post-apocalyptic fantasy show. With maybe a marginally better CGI budget than most.

She took a deep breath, imagining a garbage disposal in her brain, just whirring and crushing her damage again, compacting it back down to where it couldn't hurt her. Again. One of these days that thing was going to break though, and then God help her. God help everyone.

"Okay. One more time."

Roll: Notice 4 (golden benny spent)

Notice [dice]0[/dice] or [dice]1[/dice]
Going to Golden Benny that for +4

[Clayton Hodge]

One of Clayton's most difficult parts of training with the others was ranged combat simulation and how to work as a team during live fire situations. The trainers insisted upon firearm usage in order to familiarize the team with guns due to how commonplace firearms were and how they could allow us to defend ourselves when the use of our supernatural abilities was not an option. Despite his background in the old west, Clayton was not a gunslinger. There were things which guns cannot kill, so Clayton chose to engage his natural abilities to partake in combat from afar.

Gravely was able to dig up some good pointers from his background in law enforcement and the PAB to help Clayton out, but it wasn't much use. To keep combat roles similar to real-world encounters, Clayton was on the second line of combatants, with the meatier Jack and Cattie in front. Captured hounds were let loose for us to fight during this simulation, and they were not happy with the situation. Clayton covered Jack and Cattie as they moved up to closer cover, but one of the hounds pulled off some fancy moves and ended up right next to Cattie.

The hound was giving Cattie some trouble, and it was an easy enough shot with his venom, so Clayton took aim with his pistol and fired off a doubletap. He scored two direct hits right into the center of mass...of Cattie! He looked from his gun to Cattie and said, "Awe hell. Ah shouldn'tah done that. Mah apologies!"

The rounds couldn't hurt Cattie, fortunately, but incoming friendly fire was enough of a shock to have distracted her. The hound to rushed past her and headed straight for Clayton! The conman took aim at the hound as it rushed him, but for once he was not confident in his own abilities as he hesitated and thought, "Awe, shit. If'n Ah try tah shoot that hound again, Ah might hit Jack or Cattie. Ah ain't supposed to use anything but this damnedable gun if'n Ah can avoid it either...Damnit!"

Clayton snapped back to reality and tried to get a bead on the hound, but he had hesitated too long. It was already on top of him, and he was having trouble dodging its attacks. He was too busy to get a shot in, and he was on the brink of breaking the rules of engagement when several shots fired out from behind him, "Tat tat tat."

Whether that good of a shot or just lucky, Clayton wasn't sure, but Gravely had just put a three round burst right between the hound's eyes. The first two shots cracked the monster's armor and the third brained it. The hound fell backwards onto the ground and did not move again. Clayton whislted low and shouted, "Well Ah'll be damned, Ah reckon these guns ain't half bad after all. Ah'll stick with mah venom in the future, though, thank yah very much."

Gravely took cover beside Clayton, and berated the weresnake, "Get your fuckin' head in the game, cowboy! If cattie wasn't a 'thrope she'd be dead! If I hadn't saved your sorry ass and if that hound had a cursed blade you would be dead! Remember what the hell I told you, and try a little harder!"

Clayton blushed ever so slightly and repositioned his hat. He knew he couldn't argue and that he had become a huge liability in this training session. He nodded at Gravely and said, "Arright boss."

---

Notice 7

[dice]0[/dice]
[dice]1[/dice]
Benny to Reroll
[dice]2[/dice]
[dice]3[/dice] Ace: [dice]4[/dice]

[Jack Tillmun]

Jack and Clayton had a synergy that the others just hadn't reached yet, and might not anytime soon either. Busting into the mockup buildings, clearing them out and grabbing the target in no time flat. When the rest of the group finally questioned them about it during some down time, Jack gave in and told them about how they met.

"It was about two years ago, during the lowest point of my life guaranteed. I was pinned down in some forest just outside of town by the cops, encircled on all sides my only chance for escape wasn't to run as I had before, but to hide. I wasn't much good at that yet, back then if I couldn't decapitate something nice and easy with no moral implications included then sticking around wasn't the best idea. The problem with that strategy was that since I wasn't physically getting the cops following me off my tail, more and more would be added on." Taking a quick breath Jack looked around to survey the crowds response so far. While he was detecting some suspicious looks from a couple of them when he mentioned being tracked down by the cops, they simmered down when he explained he wasn't hurting any of them.

"While I was sprinting blindly around my small section of woods, decreasing by the minute, I stumbled across this old cowboys little campsite. After a quick explanation of the situation and the need to hide in his tent, under the promise of fully explaining afterwards, Clayton accepted and let me dive in right before my hunters arrived. While the police officer in charge questioned Clayton, the others were searching around his campsite. When one of the officers was about to come over and check inside the tent, Clayton finally talked them down and they left. Right before I was about to come out he ducked his head in, and made it look like he was grabbing some alcohol to drink. He quickly explained that there was still an officer hanging out in the darkness waiting to see if anyone came out of hiding, and that I should wait for about an hour first, before leaning back out to chug his flask. That was the first of many times he coached me on the proper ways to hide, in the year and a half I spent as his apprentice.

---

Notice 7

Notice [dice]0[/dice]
Ace Notice Roll [dice]2[/dice]
Wild [dice]1[/dice]
Ace Wild [dice]3[/dice]

[Signal]

Training was exhausting in a way Manny had not expected. Since discovering his Morphus form, Manny had rarely been truly tired. Sure, there were regular long nights and he'd had a rough go of it when he first went on the run, but since discovering just how much more endurance he had as a living lighting bolt he had just changed forms whenever he started to feel drowsy but wasn't in a convenient place to sleep.

Unfortunately, Mary made sure the team was practically never in a convenient place to sleep. Empty buildings would suddenly fill up with phantom foes just as Manny closed his eyes, or peaceful seeming clearings would be invaded by swarms of insects that would make the locusts of Egypt seem like a minor infestation.

By the end of the first week, Manny could barely see straight he was so tired, and that's when Mary chose to put him in charge of a drill. At first, Manny just stood there blinking at her like an idiot, but after she repeated herself a couple of times he got the message. "Me?" he asked, "are you sure?"

Mary was unrelenting, so Manny shook his head to clear it and nodded at the others. "Well okay, guys, let's go ahead and..."

Before he could finish, Mary broke in. "This particular drill will help you learn to operate unseen even in difficult circumstances, so I'm afraid you must take your human facade, Manny. That goes for the rest of you: human forms only."

Manny could barely keep his feet in his Morphus, and she wanted him to switch? If he needed to avoid detection, couldn't he just jump inside a wire?

Too tired to argue, though, he concentrated for a few moments and made the switch, living electricity and cybernetics giving way to the form of a teenage boy in a hoodie and throwback sneakers.

At which point he promptly fell asleep, collapsing like the proverbial sack of potatoes where he stood and immediately letting out soft snores. He never learned what the drill was, because Mary called a halt for the day. Apparently, she had been waiting for the first of them to "fall out," as it were, and Manny had gotten the dubious honor of being the one who couldn't take it.

He didn't care at the moment, though. He just wanted sleep.

Notice for Ambush 7

Notice: [dice]0[/dice] +2 (Awareness) -4 (scene modifier)
Ace [dice]2[/dice]
Wild [dice]1[/dice]

[Raphael]

Raphael is first and foremost graceful. He seems to have some skill when it comes to fighting, doesn't appear as if he's even even seen a gun before when handed one, but at all times there's an inherent grace to him, even when fumbling with the gun's magazine and accidentally muzzle sweeping his compatriots. The more time people spend with him, the stranger he appears. He is always where he's supposed to be, at times appearing there before even being told to. He never initiates conversations, but whenever spoken to is completely polite and engaging. He doesn't seem to ever sleep, eat, drink or go to the bathroom. He might as well be an alien.

Danger Sense 5

[dice]0[/dice] +2 -2 for Danger Sense
Wild Die [dice]1[/dice]
Benny to reroll
Notice [dice]2[/dice]
Wild Die [dice]3[/dice]

[Gravely]

Gravely spent the first week just observing the team. He was stand offish and a bit annoying. Being one of the few that had any combat and/or tactical training, Gravely wanted to know what they had to work with.

A notepad he had, began to fillup with notes during that week. Seeing shape changers do so at will was impressive and obviously most of them were stronger 'In Morpheus'. Gravely understood the need for them to operate in facade but was also considering how they might be able to work with facade and morpheus at the same time.

Notes on Catie

• Catie
• ... pretty average human form
• ... Catie and Jack can handle the frontlines no worries
• ... hopefully the bloodlust does not turn into a competition and end with Jack and Caite going at each other.
• ... low physical armor in were or jaguar form, maybe off-tank
• ... wonder if we could cover the rest of the team with some stealth blanket while the rest of us maneuver into position
• ... miracle workers and faith in large quantities with many team members

The Nightlands, possibly Week 3.

Gravely had managed to find a Doppleganger of a former Spook Squad member. Kind of a new thing for the team, especially when Gravely showed them the Spook Squad member's photo. Reality struck home on how real and exact these dopplegangers could be.

The team was already in the Nightlands, so a stealth hunt was decided upon. It having been ten days since the last live kill, which Jack promptly devoured. Stealth hunts mean that the majority of the team would play "hounds" and flush out the prey. Forcing the doppleganger to rush into the kill zone where Triessa waited to finish the thing off with 'Big Magic.'

Gravely took a place in a gnarled and twisted tree as an observer/spotter. The other five took off in a semi circle and began disappearing into the tangled landscape. When the doppleganger showed itself, the semi circle rushed past him and then flushed it out when the turned around and started rushing it. Dopplegangers can be scared and five stealthed hunters can scare anyone.

The doppleganger looked at the pack of swirling shadows and turned back the other way. Running wildly directly for the tree Gravely was in and the kill zone beyond it. Gravely shifted position to watch the team close in and in so doing lost his balance. He knew enough to keep quiet but his falling through the tree would alert the doppleganger to the trap that lay ahead.

Gravely kind of let his mind go and let his thoughts leak. More just a warning than anything else that the team may need to kill the doppleganger before it got to Triessa. Falling down and certain he was going to meet his death in the Nightlands, Gravely was suprised by the sudden entanglement of the large fury form of Catie, which deftly snapped him from the air and landed behind a fallen tree to save his cover from being blown.

Having set Gravely down, Catie turned back to the pack tactics being used, when Triessa's acurate flame caught the doppleganger with its back towards her. Smoke and ash and the nightlord's minion was no more. Patting th ejaguar on the head, "Thanks for the save, Catie."

Notes on Triessa

• Triessa
• ... that kevlar vest needs to be fitted better
• ... good resource for arcane knowledge, might give Micheal a run for his money
• ... she gets a bit snooty and impatient
• ... if we aren't using magic, can she do anything else?
• ... wonder how good her detective skills are in the nightlands
• ... Triessa would be the type to come unglued if she found out about the PAB/Spook Squad's anti-magic activities. Best not to tell her.
• ... if she fries electronics, wonder if Manny can fix them, or are they unfixable

The training was not always go go go and in the down time, Gravely sought help for mastering his magical abilities. Repressing the urges to use those abilities in public had caused him a migraine a time or two. Now he had some time to practice and let loose a little.

Utilizing Micheal's help, Gravely began tackling the fundamentals of magic. Components. Gestures. Phrasing. Timing. He just wished that the PAB or Spook Squad had had a trainer available for this kind of stuff. It had been hard enough to learn about his mental powers, Psionics they call them. Eighteen almost Nineteen years in the PAB and with the Spook Squad to master the mental powers.

So there was hesitency. Real hesitency to learn a new ability. Micheal insisted that he practice and Triessa stood in as second teacher when Gravely was learning.

One afternoon Gravely was practising near a fallen section of concrete wall. Micheal insisted that wall needed to come up and be moved. One of the exit points from the Training Grounds was through the basement of the building. Gravely set to work lifting small pieces of wall into a pile several feet away. Micheal shook his head. "The entire wall at once!"

Gravely cocked his head to the side at the demand, "For real? I have just learned this ability!"

Micheal waved his hand and went on with something else. Gravely grumbled and began focusing and gesturing. The wall lifted up, at least the edge by a foot. Gravely did not see his progress but just felt the strain of the wall resisting his efforts. Stress forced his powers to buckle and the wall was looking like it would crush the stairwell down to the basement. It was then that he felt the wall begin to shift and actually lift. He focused on moving it while whatever other aid was doing the lifting.

When the wall got to the rock pile, Gravely opened his eyes and let go of the the load. That is when he noticed Triessa standing there, slightly in front of him, just releasing her powers as Gravely released his. "Thanks for backing me up, Triessa."

Passing by Micheal, "Next time, move your own trash or hire an interior decorator." And Gravely walked off with a smirk as he stretched his muscles.

Notes on Clayton

• Clayton
• ... certainly the oldest
• ... oddity in lycanthropes
• ... venom strike (make sure you are holding the snake. point the venom away from you)
• ... secondary fighter. great pairing with tillman in close quarters, front line damage and finesse fighter.
• ... we can get into a lot of places with sneaky skills
• ... need to give Clayton an opportunity to speak to people before we assume the worst and blast them

With this team, Gravely was learning quickly that there would always be something new to learn.

Clayton was certainly the oldest team member Gravely had ever worked with, of course he didn't count Micheal or Mary, as he wasn't sure there was a way to measure their ages. He admired Clayton and his ability to make due, with ot without, Clayton always made due.

Funny, the guy seemed to be a mish mash of several different things. He dressed like the Old West but carried none of the firearms or sidearms of that era. His paired blades seemed something popular during the Dark Ages of Europe, nearly a thousand years earlier. At least the man was up to date on the latest card games.

It had been on an oddly quiet afternoon that Gravely had convinced Clayton to leave with for the Snoqualmie Casino near North Bend. Gravely figured it was far enough outside of Seattle to not attract the packs of hounds that might be looking for them at any given moment.

Gravely had given Clayton a once over and modified Clayton's exterior wardrobe enough so that he would not draw immediate attention. Upon his suggestion, Clayton watched as Gravely played the various games and tables. When Clayton was ready he and Gravely sat down with Gravely's money split between them and picked up a game of Texas Hold'em Riverboat style.

The game started rough for both of them but soon evened out as they were able to make their money back in the following hands. Somewhere in the following hands someone or something changed their fortune as they nearly lost all their winnings. It was then that Clayton pointed out, rather loudly, that someone was cheating and that the table was rigged. Pointing across the table to figure across from him and the dealer, "The dealer is dealing from the bottom for the," Gravely cut Clayton off, "Snake across the table."

Clayton looked shocked at Gravely until he realized that Gravely was referring to the cheat across the table from him. Security came over and Gravely demanded a new dealer and someoneto review the video recordings. When casino management said they had no cameras, Gravely pointed to the three cameras focused on the Texas Hold'em table they were at. The management nodded but said it would be an hour before it could be reviewed.

Gravely nodded but insisted they get a new dealer and that the cheat at the table stay for the new hand. Clayton, I have no problem if the cheat ends up with a snake in his boot. A poisonous one, know what I mean? Clayton just nodded and the cards were dealt for a new hand. Part way through the hand the cheat became ill and with his entire earnings on the bet, he was removed from the game. Clayton won the hand.

The casino insisted on taking a cut until Gravely reminded them that their dealer was cheating. Reluctantly the casino cashed out Clayton and Gravely and they departed for the Training Camp.

Gravely looked over at Clayton on the drive back, "Next time don't call out the cheat. Just deal with them discreetly."

Notes on Signal

• Signal
• ... morphus important
• ... facade is young
• ... over al young and inexperienced
• ... fighting abilities average, maybe untrained but still capable
• ... electronic surveillance and computers (scribbles follow, visible shivers)
• ... craft a ride, could fit on a belt, maybe a wristband, could go with a radio
• ... (caution: do not hand him a firearm, the electricity is likely to set off cartridged or shelled ammunition)

Notes on Raphael

• Raphael
• ... graceful
• ... alert
• ... attentive
• ... attractive (this may be the most challenging feature for Raphael)
• ... competent hand to hand and melee weapons
• ... unless in training, do not have him support anyone with a firearm.
• ... may serve the team best as a foreward observer, scout, or tracker - then fall back for tactical support via miracle abilities.

Notice 3

• Notice [dice:nkgrrk1p]40099:0[/dice:nkgrrk1p]
• Wild [dice:nkgrrk1p]40099:1[/dice:nkgrrk1p]

Benny reroll (2/3) + Elan

• Notice [dice:nkgrrk1p]40099:2[/dice:nkgrrk1p]
• Wild [dice:nkgrrk1p]40099:3[/dice:nkgrrk1p]

Notes on Jack

• Jack
• ... another morphus teen
• ... his facade is buyable
• ... cqc all the way
• ... moldable shadow beast (similar to Ashmedai) (scribbles=visible shivers)
• ... another talented stealth artist
• ... agressive appetite

[Ndreare]

It took Michael nearly 20 minutes to find the Cell once everyone was together back in the world that is. It is obvious the travel to Wenatchee took most of his power and energy. He was able to quickly steal a mini-van and get the Cell moving north. Once clear and away from the trouble. Michael stops the car in an empty wooded area away from all distractions.

As he begins working with Mary and examining he says. "Okay, so someone tell me the full details of what happened and who is this other Nightbane with you?

"Did you learn anything about the ones who took her?"

Instructions & Opportunities

This is your interlude opportunity. Tell what happened and work out your details of the adventure together in as much detail as possible.

[Gravely]

Gravely shakes his head at <icheal's attempt at a debrief but realizes that if he were pressed for time and lacked information, he would most likely do the same for any of his subordinates.

"Micheal, before I answer your questions, how about you answer one for me."

Gravely pauses for te better part of 5 minutes waiting for Micheal to proceeed and when he doesn't Gravely takes that to be his que and relates what he knows and discovered.

"We discovered a unique effect for staged events, like the ambush in the parking lot. Seems other entities can track magic and power but are also attracted by those who impersonate them. Seems a Master of a certain cell of hounds aptured Mary from our beater van. If Mary and you had not been trying to test our cell's capabilities, Mary most likely would not have been captured."

"Nightland illussions suck balls. Someone created the illusion of castle which we are able enter. Someone was using illusions greater than we can muster but the worst had to be the tortured we were unable to rescue."

[Mel Richter]

"We were ambushed at Walmart by a bunch of Hounds and some nutbag sorcerer with a real talent for illusion magic," Triessa said. "Mary was taken from the van, while the Hounds kept us busy, by someone using the same kind of magic 'nightbane' do." She reached up under her glasses to rub her eyelids. "Probably a renegade or something. The nightbane, illusionist and Mary all went through the car mirror."

"Anyway, we followed them through and found another ambush in waiting. Fortunately we went away a little ways before flipping over, so we avoided that one. Tracked Mary down to a building, kind of warehousey, I guess. We managed to sneak up on them and broke into two teams. One went in through a sewer connection, the others hit the loading dock in back where the guard presence was thinner."

Triessa yawned and flapped a hand impatiently. "Big fight. We both pushed in. Regrouped in the basement of the building where we found multiple captives, including Mary." She nods at Tania. "She was another one, the only one who looked to be able to move under her own power."

"Now I wasn't around for the fight downstairs," she admits. "From what I've heard, it was more intense than the Hounds at the loading dock. Another one of those illusionists? Maybe the same guy? I dunno. I'll let an eyewitness tell that story. Like I was saying, we regrouped, I busted Tania out, we grabbed Mary and ran."

"Once we got far enough away, we tried doing the mirror trick to get out, but it wasn't working. So I brushed off a spell I'd been working on since meeting you guys and...probably unwisely...gave it a field test. And here we are."

[Clayton Hodge]

Clayton lets Tania introduce herself and lets the others cover most of the events leading up to their escape, but he jumps in when the briefing reaches the castle.

"Well, there we were boss. Sparky tailed me through ah small drainage hole intah tha basement. Ah nearly slithered intah an ambush, an' had it not been for Sparky grabbin' my rattle, Ah would have," Clayton recalls.

He side-eyes Signal and says, "Ah don't recommend doing that again, Sparky, 'less it's urgent. 'Thrope reflexes an' all. Anyhow, ya ever shot a rattler right between tha eyes with a 12 gauge? 'Cuz if yah had that'd make yah a real capital-A asshole. Snakes ain't so bad. They jus' want a warm place tah stay an' somethin' tah eat."

Clayton chuckles and adds, "An' tha occasional raunchy jaunt tah an understaffed brothel full ah John's. But that's neither here nor there, tha point is: imagine that - tha shotgun an' rattler ya pervs - an' now imagine it all over its body from every which-a-way. Then dunk it's mangled corpse intah a bucket ah water connected tah one o' them fancy electrical gen'rators y'all come up with."

"Ah reckon that's what Ah went through soon as I poked my head out ah that hole. Now, don't get me wrong, Ah got a few good bites in on tha goons before their grenades went off an' Sparky decided tah fry me with a dust fueled electrical explosion. Still, there some things a man ain't supposed tah live through," the old hand grumbles.

He sighs and says, "But 'thropes're built tough. Ah was up'n stabbin' before ya could say...well, up'n stabbin'. Ya see, it wasn't just grenades wait'n tah pounce like a cat after a mouse."

Clayton waves towards Signal and the other Nightbane, "One ah y'all's kind was down there too. Real creepy feller, hard tah get a look at, with long gangly scythe-arms. We nearly got 'em, too. But that's when things got really weird. Yah see, Ah reckon that Harvest critter was a kid. We hurt him real bad, an' he started crying out like a child. Some kind ah swarm ah locusts flew in an' most ah them fell tah tha ground, dead. Then this harvest kid gets up an' walks out like it ain't nothing."

"An' that was that. Harvest is gone, tha bugs are gone, an' we're left down there with our newest compadre, Tania," Clayton waves in Tania's direction an' continues, "Sparky fried her up real good too. Now you nightbane are built tough 'n all, but not 'thrope tough. Ah reckon Tania got banged up pretty bad with whatever them fellers put her through, but Ah think she had it easy compared tah Mary. An' all ah that is real bad, but what really raises my hackles here, is that Ah think this bug feller was training that Harvest kid. Trainin' 'im good, too. If Harvest was just a kid, I hate tah think how good he'd be in a fight all grown up..."

[Tania]

Tania says, "My name is Tania...don't mind that I do not tell my last name, I am likely still a bit under age and do not want anyone tracking me down. I am not sure exactly how old I am because I kind of ran away when I first turned and have not kept track of how much time has passed. The first one of our kind I met was a guy who called himself Grimm, who tricked me into that prison where you all rescued me. I do not have much experience with our kind and I do not know much useful about what happened."

She considers, then adds, "I am just a normal girl really, but I practice Karate in my spare time and know just a bit about living off the land."

[Signal]

Manny sits quietly in the van, his hand on the hilt of his new knife, listening.

At Clayton's description of the encounter in the basement, he does chime in, "I'm not much good in a fight, except for the electricity, and it's not very precise. Clayton is tough, and I knew he'd come through. I didn't know Tania was there, though, until the second or third blast. That Harvest guy... he would not go down. I obviously stopped once I realized Tania was a friendly, but then I was mostly useless. I managed to punch Harvest, for all the good it did."

He tries to hide it, but it's fairly obvious that Manny is unhappy with how things went in the basement.

"I think maybe we went a little light on combat training, Michael. That stuff in the Nightlands, those Hounds we fought in the parking lot... I was useless."

Almost as an afterthought, he adds, "I did find this knife, though. It feels special, you know? Like it can maybe help us. I know that sounds hokey, but all of this crap is kind of hokey."

[Catie]

Catie perks up at the mention of a knife.

“Wait, you found something, too?” When the other team members look at her, she shrugs her shoulders. “What? It was after we finished off those Hounds and were heading away from the castle. I found these on the ground and they sort of… called to me.”

She holds up a pair of tarnished knuckle-dusters and slips them on, flexing her fingers as they settle onto her knuckles. She feels them practically humming with something otherworldly, and they just feel right.

“They feel good, like they were cast just for me. Michael, what other kinds of things do they keep in that place in the Nightlands, do you know? That castle seemed awful, but if Manny found something useful and I found something useful, maybe it would be worth thinking about going back.”

And maybe next time, we can bring a bomb or something to leave behind when we leave, she thinks.

[Ndreare]

When Gravely says he has a question he would like answered first Michael waits patiently. "What is it? I have no intentions of keeping you guys in the dark.

"With all this going on here we need to avoid the training camp. Suck that was a good compound, but there is just too high a chance it was compromised."



***After Stories told and Gravely's comments are answered.***


Listening to everyone's story Michael seems calm the whole time. When the sharing is finished he verifies. "From your story it is unclear, was their two illusionist at the same time in two places? The illusion powers sound like a Night Prince, I would guess actually only a squire as you are all still alive, and if two of them where there then I worry they let you go."

It is obvious from his look that Michael is trying to think through the situation. He keeps giving Mary a bizarre look hoping she will wake soon.

"So was their a separate illusionist in the basement from the one you fought up top?"

Instructions

Continue with Open RP. The next lead will be placed in a new thread.

[Mel Richter]

"We don't know what happened to the first one," Triessa says with a shrug. "So it's hard to be sure. Unless there were actually two in the room at once..."

"Guess I'd better brush up on my countermagics."

[Tania]

Tania comments, "I only ever saw one while I was there, and his henchman who is one of us."

Of course, when dealing with illusion (if those were illusions, they seemed so real), how can you tell if it was just one caster or more than one?

[Ndreare]

Michael listens to the additional explanations from Tania and Triessa before replying. "Tania, i am going to need to know a whole lot more about you. Why don't you come with me and we can talk in private."

Instructions for Tania

So you may have the same opportunity as the others. You may earn an edge, but you need to tell him a story about your past. The story must include failure, and reliance on others to get you out.

Rewards:
Against the Odds (+2 to any Trait roll when spending a Benny, stacks with Elan)

After Michael and Tania return Michael says to the team. "I think it is best if we head back towards Seattle. If I find another training ground I will let you guys know, but for now I think The Place Between is the best place for us."

Instructions

Post any RP you would like here (helps your post count) then move on to the following post.
viewtopic.php?f=170&t=3509

[Gravely]

Gravely makes some notes and goes back to his vehicle. Opening up a lock box under the back seats, he pulls out a set of rolled up maps.

" @RFT Micheal, you thinking of another training ground outside of the Seattle area or something more Tri-City?"

On the hood of his vehicle, Gravely spreads out a series of maps in layers over the hood.

"If we go further south east outside of the Tri-Cities, there are some nice rural areas."

"'I would recommend that we plan for a week of training. Three weeks of gathering extras of normal everyday items should cover our needs at the next training area."

[Mel Richter]

"Ugh," Triessa groaned. "Look, I get some of you guys are murder-hobos, but some of us have a job, and rent to pay. I can't spend that much time out of the city. Especially not if I'm hitting up Walmart for 'normal everyday items' in bulk."

[Signal]

"Ugh," Triessa groaned. "Look, I get some of you guys are murder-hobos, but some of us have a job, and rent to pay. I can't spend that much time out of the city. Especially not if I'm hitting up Walmart for 'normal everyday items' in bulk."

Manny stares a little blankly at Triessa when she says "murder hobos." Must be a generational thing, he thinks.

But he does agree about the city. Not that he has a normal job or rent to pay or anything; that's what he has the Resistance for. But he doesn't like being so far away from the city all the time.

"I'm with Triessa. Is there any way we could find something a little closer to home? Besides, I'm a lot more useful to the team in a big, interconnected city than I am out here in these rural wastelands. Uh, no offense to anyone who likes... rural... wastelands," he trails off a bit awkwardly.

[Tania]

"Ugh," Triessa groaned. "Look, I get some of you guys are murder-hobos, but some of us have a job, and rent to pay. I can't spend that much time out of the city. Especially not if I'm hitting up Walmart for 'normal everyday items' in bulk."

Tania shakes her head...the gesture is a bit odd, as she rocks her head as much as shakes it, as if she is used to using a different set of muscles, "I am fine living outside cities. It took me a long time to learn not to change back and forth without control, I learned to stay away from people."

She has spent a lot of her time in her Nightbane form since too. Being human tends to mean being vulnerable.

[Thrand]

An abandoned Seattle warehouse, late 2005

Thrand looked around the seemingly abandoned warehouse he was walking through. Shelving filled with dilapidated boxing lined the back wall. An ancient forklift was rusting nearby. An image of the second floor office flashed into Thrand's mind, and he climbed the staircase to try the door.

'Unlocked. Either a trap or someone..or thing...is not very competent.'

The door handle turned and Thrand opened the door effortlessly without even a squeak from the hinges. Inside was a computer workstation and some modern military style cots. There was a mini-fridge, a hotplate and a microwave on a counter. There was also enough seating for several people and other personal effects.

'What are you showing me, Týr? A safehouse, clearly, but...'

Thrand heard activity downstairs, an indistinct voice crackling over a radio, and a response, "Activity upstairs, sir. The office door is open."

'Shit. Should've closed the damn door.'

Thrand shrugged. He walked over to a nearby chair and sit down, leaning back to assume a relaxed position. A man, judging by the footsteps, rushed up the stairs. He swept the room with his M4 carbine before busting in.

'Military weapons and tactical armor, Týr, really?'

"One male, sir, seemingly unarmed in civilian clothing," the soldier spoke into the radio, "Otherwise, all clear."

Thrand smiled and said, "Hello."

The soldier did not respond but kept his carbine trained on Thrand. They sat and stood in silence for a few moments while several others entered the factory and cleared the stairs. Several more soldiers filed into the room. One also trained his weapon on Thrand, from another angle, while two more flopped into random seats around the office. A fifth soldier walked into the room and sat down at the computer.

The soldier at the computer booted it up and asked Thrand, "Who the hell are you and why are you in my office?"

"Thrand Ulfbjornson of Thrand Cosplay and Makeup, sir. I fancy myself a bit of an urban explorer amongst other things, and this warehouse and the office were both unlocked and seemingly long abandoned, or so I thought. I was on my way home when I saw this place and decided to let myself in and look around, you know? It seemed like a good idea at the time..." Thrand responded calmly yet genially.

One of the soldiers cursed softly under his breath when Thrand mentioned the door being unlocked, and the man behind the desk looked at him pointedly before turning his gaze to thrand, "Ulfbjornson? As in, the son of Ulfbjorn?"

One of the seated soldiers looked rapidly between Thrand and the soldier behind the computer before jumping up and also training his weapon on Thrand. The fourth soldier seemed very confused by that, but also got up and did the same after a moment's consideration.

Thrand narrowed his eyes slightly and cocked his head to the side a bit before answering, "Yes. I am Thrand, son of Ulbjorn."

"Did you mean Thrand, son-and apparently successor-of Ulfbjorn, wielder of the Hönd ór Týr?" the soldier behind the desk asked with a gesture towards the leather bracelet around Thrand's wrist.

Thrand sighed and replied, "Yes to all..."

Thrand was interrupted by the sound of several windows shattering downstairs. Many more than a few metallic clangs followed immediately. Two of the soldiers took position by the door. The one with the better view of the warehouse floor signaled a number, 8, and flashed another signal Thrand didn't recognize.

The dark metallic form of a hound flashed into Thrand's mind, and a toothy grin formed on his face. Thrand hopped up out of his chair and rushed through the door then jumped the staircase, completely ignoring the soldiers.

A battlexe appeared in his hand midair, and Thrand caved the head of a nearby hound with a well-placed throw. Then the axe reappeared in his hand which he used to knock the legs out from under another hound. The axe returned to Thrands hand once more as he collided with the closest hound. Thrand brought the axe down into its chest with a brutal chop, dispatching the hound with one blow.

The soldiers upstairs hesitated briefly then covered Thrand's insane charge. They began working their way down the stairs and spreading out across the warehouse like professionals. The man behind the computer stayed upstairs but did kill several hounds from his vantage point.

More than a score of hounds were dispatched that night in the warehouse. Thrand was responsible for more than a quarter of them. Covered in his own blood and baring a twisted smile, he returned to the man upstairs.

"I'm Captain Zachary Hughes. Your father had a habit of popping up at the most interesting of times. As much as it annoys me to admit it, we considered him a bit of a..freelancer," Hughes said before pausing to take in Thrand's bloodied appearance with a frown, "I would consider extending you the same offer if for no other reason than I assume you will have the same annoying habit of being in the wrong place at the right time. The problem is that you're obviously used to working solo or at least not in a squad. Spend some time training with my boys and I. Learn some teamwork. Hell, you might even pick up a few tricks old Ulfbjorn never taught you. Give us that, and we'll let you freelance."

Thrand threw his head back and laughed at the captain, "Let me freelance? I'm going to go where I please and do what I need to do, whether you like it or not."

Captain Hughes scowled at Thrand who took a deep breath to begin to willing the battle rage away.

'We're on the same side. No need to piss this guy off.'

Zachary opened his mouth to say something when Thrand cut him off, "Alright, captain Hughes, I apologize. I'm not always quite myself after a battle. I don't see any reason we can't work together if our missions are the same, but I don't see a reason for me to spend time training with your squad. My father never mentioned freelancing for you nor suggested for me to look you up, so..."

"Look. We have access to military grade gear, and I assume you do not. Come train with us and I'll set you up with some seriously impressive body armor as a gesture of good faith. The armor is essentially German SWAT armor thats perfect for folks like us," captain Hughes offered.

Thrand chuckled then shrugged his shoulders, "Tell you what. Let me get a look at this armor, and if its everything you say it is, I'll learn whatever you and your squad have to teach me. Then we can discuss whatever you have in mind about 'freelancing'."

Hughse smiled for the first time since meeting Thrand and offered his hand to the younger man, "Deal."

Thrand shook Zachary's hand and agreed, "Deal."