The Last Quiet Moment Before Gloom

[Pender Lumkiss]

Quick combat result

13th is victorious. Brodkill dead, and I believe you let two soldiers escape during the battle with the brodkill?
Everyone gains a benny for participating in the quick combat.

---

Jareb looks around satisfied the 13th has made quick work of any brodkill, and he grasps his Lyn-Sirail friend tightly. Jareb's face is pained with grief. "My Friend Firehawk, I thought you knew... But how could you?" The baby in his sack starts to whimper, and Jareb takes out holding it tightly while feeding it some kind of milky substance from a bottle. Softly, but with a voice barely containing his rage he continues.
The Black Company, they used to be a unit of mercenaries possibly employed by the Tomorrow Legion. They had been camped outside the castle for many weeks. Now though it seems their true intentions of being in close proximity have been revealed." Jareb nods to the now buried CS soldiers, " This was their doing. They sold the mission of the 13th to the coalition!" Jareb fights back tears as he continues with a deep breath, " But their treachery runs even deeper. One of the oldest and most decorated, special exploratory teams, the 2nd..." He stops as his emotions threaten to break him, but he looks down at the baby he holds finding his composure.
" The 2nd, had valiant members killed by the Black Company. They killed children... I have seen the video footage. It is undeniable. They crossed a line that no one crosses. Chief's mandate was clear, hunt them down and bring them back for trial. If that is not possible wipe them off the face of the earth." With the baby significantly soothed he puts her back into his armored carrier and once again grasps Firhawk's shoulder.
" In truth, I do not know if I would have the strength to bring them back alive for what they did."
The Angel wipes his eyes, and moves to Cantrell and Jude. " You have moved me during this tumultuous time. I will plead with Cheif to let me take a couple of boomers out to where our scouts found the battle involving of your friends. If there is anything to ascertain beyond wanton destruction I will uncover it." He smiles curtly at the rest of the team, and bids Firehawk a fond fare-the-well. " Safe Travels my winged brother." Jareb gathers the cheerleaders and heads off. But just before they depart one of the cheerleaders, Blossom, takes out a black pen, and writes a series of numbers on Libertas' hand. She puts her hand to her ear and mouths, call me.

Loot

Beyond what Z and Libertas uncovered from the bodies. The brodkill also had the follow:

• [dice]0[/dice]-NG-L5 rifles
• [dice]1[/dice] Vibro sword
• [dice]2[/dice] Rocket Launchers with vehicular rockets
• [dice]3[/dice] Light Railguns
• The now decapitated, Brodkill Leader, Neckbone, had strapped to his back, a plasma great axe that was just about as big as he was. Clearly the Axe was designed to be used by a robot power armor in hand to hand combat. Details forth coming on this weapon. But basically uses the the giant chain sword stats, but deals fire and has the plasma area effect attack. It also can be used as a plasma ranged weapon...

---

A quiet moment
The rest of the trip to Gloom is fairly quiet. No trouble, No CS, no problems. This is a great time to share a story about yourself, and maybe reflect on any of the events that have recently taken place. Interlude Time!. The team travels over plains, woods, and rocky crags with ease for about 3 more days and then you reach a rise that over looks Gloom. The rise leads down into a canyon that takes you to the city proper.

Description of Gloom, Thanks Lars

The canyon, shrouded in a deep mist, is about a quarter mile long. Visibility is limited. Just barely enough to drive slow and safely through. After a while Silver and Nadine passinto the main city area. One can see off the right (south) the ground is covered in ash and looks like someone dropped a bomb on the land. The charred land appears to have once a prime piece of farming land. Further off a large falls and lake is visible, and it looks like a few vehicles are parked at the lakes edge and folks appear to be fishing. To the left, the west and north more tech based building are visible. The entire land/city is under a heavy mist above, casting the city into eternal night time lighting. The immediate west shows a dimensional gate, built of rocks. In front of the gate is a military looking installation, with a large AC painted on it. To the north is the main and most important, profit wise, part of Gloom: the Mining area. The town has some giant cliff walls where dozens of skiffs, and larger airships are docked. You can barely make out the top of a crashed space ship, the Pinnacle Hotel, where anyone and everyone tells you has the cleanest and best rooms available. Near the Hotel is also the radio station where your contact Vector Inlay works.
Overview Map.

Interlude author credit

Thanks GM Lars

► Rewards: After a player completes her tale, award her a Benny or an Adventure Card. If you the Player want a bennie say so at end of your interlude, or if instead you want a Adventure Card roll a 1d54 to get one. Thanks!

Interludes: In most heroic tales, characters engage in small talk that reveals something about their past or further develops their personality. Such “Interludes” are rare in role playing games where we focus primarily on action and the next encounter. The system below formalizes these scenes and rewards players for role playing their character and revealing their backstory to the rest of the group.

• Player Roll a d4
  
  1.) Clubs—Tragedy: Describe a tale of tragedy or misfortune from your hero’s past, featuring one of his Hindrances if possible. If the teller has a dark secret of some kind, hint strongly at it, drop clues, or otherwise give the rest of the group a glimpse into your hero’s dark side during your narrative.
  
  2.) Spades—Victory: Tell the group about a great victory or personal triumph in your adventurer’s past. How did it affect him afterward? Was there a reward?
  
  3.) Hearts—Love: Speak fondly of the character’s greatest love—lost, found, or waiting on him back home. What is her name? Where does she live? Why is the traveler not with her now?
  
  4.) Diamonds—Desire: Tell a tale about something your hero wants (or already has). It might be a material possession, recognition, a political goal, or even a trip he wishes to take to some amazing destination.

[Blackfish]

---

Interlude (Prefer a bennie over another AC, thanks)

1 Clubs Tragedy

[dice]0[/dice] Describe a tale of tragedy or misfortune from your hero’s past, featuring one of his Hindrances if possible. If the teller has a dark secret of some kind, hint strongly at it, drop clues, or otherwise give the rest of the group a glimpse into your hero’s dark side during your narrative.

---

Zieja "Z" Kashbrook
Lonestar CS Complex (Past Event)

• The canyon, shrouded in a deep mist, was about a quarter mile long. Visibility was limited. Just barely enough to drive slow and safely through. They had been on the road for a long time, Z needed to go. Jumping out of Nadine and into the mist, Z tried to get out of the body armor she had on, in time to pee, she failed. It was horrible. Adventuring sucks! Being a hero is hard.
  Real Post in the works!

Real Post First Command

• FIRST COMMAND
  
  Lonestar at night is beautiful. Lieutenant Zieja Kashbrook stood on the recently destroyed APC. The big vehicle was toppled over on its side after she and the rest of her team had lighted it up with mini missiles.
  
  The five other CS soldiers of her team were gathered around the Mage who had survived the CS assault. Looking down at him she say it was Darren. A known Immaterial Hand smuggler and Mage. If she was a civilian she could bag a hefty sum for his capture. As CS soldiers she would arrest him or kill him for officers pay and honor. Jumping down to land next to the man named Darren, the CS Commando named Zieja Kashbrook laughed as he tried to stand up. Sgt. Winters kicked the smuggler back down. The darkness of night was illuminated by the closeness of the Ley Line. Zieja saw the fear on Darren’s face.
  
  Darren summoned the ambient energy of the Ley Line and prepared to Teleport along the Ley Line to the rendezvous location further down the Ley Line. As he did so he started to stand up. A swift kick into his side made him lose his concentration. He had to flee, quickly.
  
  The Immaterial Hand had hired him to scout out the CS convoy and report back with details on CS personnel and the security for the convoy. The CS convoy was going to be surprised when their cargo disappeared. The hour of midnight was only minutes away. He had not expected to have these six CS Commandos surprise attack him. How they had known where he was eluded him. Looking up at the female CS officer that was looking down at him he saw hate in her eyes. She scoffed and nodded at another CS soldier behind Darren.
  
  Harnessing the magic energy around him he prepared to teleport. Darren started to stand up again. Suddenly he felt a sharp stinging pain in his left shoulder. Something had hit the small of his back; he could feel the impact ding across his hidden armor. Additionally he felt a stinging impact to his left shoulder, almost like he had been stung by a wasp. Reaching up with his right hand to try and feel what was hurting his shoulder he turned partly around away from the Ley Line. Incredible pain arced through his body and every muscle in his body stiffened.
  
  He wanted to scream at the immense pain shouting through his body but couldn't move his mouth or form a scream. The Techno Wizard constructed Energy Pistol in his left hand was locked in his grip as his hand muscles rigidly froze in place. As the arcing pain rippled through his whole body he felt more pain than he had ever felt in his life. With a slight moaning he silently toppled over falling straight down, face first into the dirt and rocks.
  
  Tears swelled up in his eye sockets but he couldn't even cry, let alone cry out as he wanted to do. As the pain continued to course through his body he was scared witless due to his inability to move even an inch. His mind raced and cast a spell of armor, which he couldn't actually cast since his mouth wouldn't move. As he mentally recited the spell over and over, through the pain, he lost concentration and was screaming in his own head as he slowly realized one of the CS soldier was now standing over his frozen body.
  
  Even through the continuing pain he could hear the man talking to the female CS officer, "So as you see the two darts are sending out voltage through this man’s body. I imagine he is feeling a whole world of hurt right now. His body is paralyzed and he won't be able to move or speak until we turn off the Conductive Energy. Let's disarm this punk, and put a PSINET metal blocker on his head."
  
  Darren felt his TW Fire Blaster being removed from his hand. His fingers opened easily from being pried open; afterwards he still couldn't move his fingers in his own. Darren screamed in his mind, make it stop please! Kicked over onto his backside Darren was unable to move his eyes, staring straight up into the night sky he could see through his peripheral vision that two CS Dead Boys were standing over him. The one pointed an Energy Pistol down at Darren. Darren could just barely see two wires loosely hanging out of the pistol which looked like they were reaching down to his body. Darren felt tears roll out of his eyes and run back across his face. Please make it stop he mentally cried. The Dead Boy leaning over him said, "Hurt? Suck it mage.”
  
  The female CS officer placed a devise on Darren’s head. The mage lost all vision. He felt like a magnet had been pushed up against a monitor and everything went blurry.
  
  “Lt. Kashbrook, your team did a great job capturing this Mage for us. Now we can take him back to Lonestar for some experiments.”
  
  Z looked at the CS Major and was about to respond when an explosion rocked the ground in front of her. As she was blown violently backwards she saw the CS Major and his aid be disintegrated by magic energy. Her vision reddened and her back hit the toppled over APC.
  
  An unknown amount of time later Zieja opened her eyes. The sunlight stung her vision and made her blink, a lot. Her back hurt. Her head hurt. As she tried to remember the events that led to this pain she felt a new pain crash into her stomach.
  
  Coughing blood the CS Commando shook her head and realized someone was talking to her.
  
  Finally able to lift her head she looked into the eyes of a demon. Piercing blue eyes and a black unnatural skin of a demon. Her training searched her memory and she thought…Shadow Beast? Standing up right it was twice her height, it was kneeling on one knee in front of her now. Its shadowy fingers reached out and grabbed her face in its icy cold grasp.
  
  It laughed – sounding like glass breaking – at her as it watched her nakedness urinate on herself. The others around also laughed. Widening her vision Zieja saw several other Shadow Beasts, the Mage Darren, who looked smug, and four human … Ley Line Walkers? They all had the symbol of the Immaterial Hand on their outfits. Zieja also saw every other member of the CS Commando team lying face down, stripped bare and blood-eagled. Their backs opened and their innards outside. So much blood. Most of it used in drawing a circle of blood on the ground with mystic symbols inside it. They were doing some kind of ritual.
  
  The Shadow Beast spoke, its voice the sound of metal on glass, “What is your name?”
  
  Z tried to not cry, but the tears would not stop. It hurt so badly where his icy fingers head her face. She spit blood at the demon.
  
  Not flinching the Shadow Beast used its left hand to slowly stab its left pointer finger into her belly. Digging eight inches deep into her stomach he wiggled it about inside her guts. She finally screamed and passed out.
  
  This time when she opened her eyes it was different brightness that stung her eyes. She was in a CS medical room. She recognized it. Sector 357 under Lonestar. Somehow she was alive, but her first command as an officer had failed drastically.
  
  Pain lanced in her sides, stomach and back, but it was the pain of failure that burned the most.
  
  Zieja resolved to never let demons make her cry again. Never.

[Libertas Magicum]

1 Clubs Tragedy

[dice]0[/dice]

He is, of course, completely stunned by Blossom's comment, but waves to her as she goes, wondering what the numbers are supposed to mean.

Later, Libertas helps distribute all the loot that people want before they go, acting as unofficial quartermaster for the unit. Naturally, he fails to mention certain bits and pieces that have come his way in the course of things. Still, everyone seems settled into their positions, now, and they're on the road. He also reclaims the Bee Well Stinger from Bane, but leaves him with the Arcane Disruptor--if they need to throw down, that's the best hands for it right now.

He's still a bit pensive about the way this is shaking down, so he distracts himself from weighty moral issues by talking a bit to Cantrell, Bane and the new guy, Firehawk (since Markus is on his bike, and Z and Max are in Nadine). He forgets who asked the question, but an inquiry into how he got into the Legion in the first place makes him go silent, and then the story just sort of comes in fits and starts.

***********


You know, one upside to this mission; I'll have a chance to get my hands on Gruber's workshop. Like the rest of Black Company, the guy's a bit of a legend--supposedly has stuff in there that no one else has even considered, let alone worked out, yet. Getting his designs, maybe even some of his work-in-progress? I could set myself up on easy street with that. Hell, even if the workshop legend is overblown, I could probably trade on being able to say I'd been there. Sometimes the brand is as valuable as the build.

And, well, I kinda had to reset a few months back. I told some of you about how I got captured by the CS, and how they killed my best friend while we were traveling to Tolkeen. But I didn't tell you what happened afterwards. There was this guy, General Drouge. CS inner circle. He apparently had this brilliant idea on how to handle the D-Bee 'situation' in Tolkeen. The Camps.

I dunno if any of you ever heard about them. We were held in chattel conditions--barely fed enough to survive, stripped of any gear except coarse clothing--when they eventually figured out what I was, they made extra sure not to let me have so much as a paperclip without supervision. Before then, I'd been wealthy enough from my completed apprenticeship in Stormspire to be able to set up my own shop--that's why I was going to Tolkeen, we hadn't even heard the CS had mounted a counter-offensive after they got beaten back by the Sorcerer's Revenge. My whole life had been in that truck, and the bastards took it and melted everything down to scraps.

Anyway, at the camp, like I said, they figured out what I was capable of. One of those filthy Psi-Stalkers sniffed me out. At first, I thought I was just going to end up getting misted--we all knew what happened to Ley Line Walkers and Mystics they found among the prisoners. Hell, even some minor hedge-wizards got that treatment.

But the commander of the camp knew just enough to be really dangerous. Angriman, that was his name, Commander Angriman. Funny name, sounds like 'Angry Man', but he wasn't the sort to lose his temper. He was different--cold, calculating. He realized that he could use me, rather than just exterminate me on the spot.

First he interrogated me, personally, to learn what I was capable of. I... let's say he was good at that. Then, once he had a solid notion, he started making 'requests'. First, they were actually fairly harmless things. In fact, the first jobs were mundane tech. Doing patchwork repairs in the officer's quarters and the barracks. Nothing... nothing unpleasant, or that would matter to the actual war effort or anything.

Should've realized the shitfucker was just getting me acclimated to taking orders.

So eventually he called me in for a 'special job'. Again, it wasn't something I'd object to; he was careful, methodical. So the first time I built TW gear for him, it was just some enhanced medical kits. They gave them to their psi-division's medics. I mean, sure, it was going to help them treat injured teammates, but... well, I didn't object to that so much. I was still hoping more people would come out of that mess alive than dead. Naive, in hindsight.

Of course, eventually, he wanted something more objectionable. Weapons and armor, for instance. I... well, I rationalized. Most of the stuff I was making wasn't noticeably more deadly than their own gear. They've gotten good at making killing machines, after all. So I wasn't going to have an impact, not really. Someone dies because of ice through their chest instead of plasma, that's... well, it was easy to tell myself that it was no big deal.

By this time, of course, I'd gotten pegged by the other inmates as... well, the term was 'collaborator'. Because I got special treatment for being so useful--extra food, less likely to be spoiled. Better clothing. More comfortable bed, even. Of course, I also was watched 24/7; Angriman was no fool. But the others... yeah, some of them hated me, some of them just envied me, a few even took pity on me. I think that last was the hardest to bear.

Then came the day that he'd been building towards. I was to build a device to help disperse toxic gas over an area the size of a village. I balked, finally. That was a bridge too far.

Angriman smiled. Then he called over Jasper--she was a D-bee, an elf they made do the cleaning in the barracks, pretty thing, eyes like gemstones--and nodded to her. "Remember," he said, "This happened because 79842-HT said, 'No'." And then, before I could do anything, a soldier came in. He was--

He was carrying Jasper's 3 year-old daughter, Sapphire. And Angriman shot that child, right in front of both of us. Killed her instantly.

Jasper charged at him, tried to claw his eyes out. The guard walked over and stunned her unconscious, dragged her back to the barracks. Angriman wanted the others to hear, you see. Hear that I'd gotten a 3-year-old girl shot and killed.

I... I knew I couldn't hold out against that kind of pressure, and even if I did, he would've tossed me in with the other prisoners again, and let them deal with me.

So, I stalled. I started work, but kept claiming to need some obscure material or rare piece of tech. Still, it was just stalling. Sooner or later, I was going to have to finish it up, or he'd punish someone else for my failure to produce. I was maybe 2 days from finishing it. It was, in its own way, going to be a marvel--capable of transmitting poison gas loads directly into buildings, where they'd expand and kill everyone inside.

I don't know if I could've finished it or not. But then... A CS unit arrived; the sergeant ran right into Angriman's office as he was chewing me out over the delays. Tolkeen was finished. They were to shut down all the camps. Angriman ordered the CS Sergeant of the platoon to 'mist this place, and everyone in it'.

The Sergeant--guy named Stockwell, by his namebadge--blanched, visibly. He thought they were just going to shut the place down, let us all go, trail off to the New West, or Pecos or whatever. Angriman had different ideas, though. He wanted the place cleansed, all of us wiped out, no records of what happened there.

Stockwell went back out to his men, they were all looking a bit shocked as Angriman repeated his orders: "Kill the monsters," he said. "Wipe them from the Earth."

And Stockwell looked back at him, then at his men, and nodded, slowly. "You heard him, troops. Wipe the monsters from the Earth." And with nothing more clear than that, the entire unit opened fire--on Angriman and his camp guards. They were so stunned, they never got a chance to return fire--and it probably wouldn't have done any good, most of them were in light armor with sidearms, not the heavy gear the front line was equipped with.

After that, well, Stockwell informed the prisoners that he'd lead them out of CS territory, so they could try to rebuild their lives. But the other prisoners didn't want to have anything to do with us collaborators, unless it was to kill us. Fortunately, one of Lord Coake's refugee-caravans came through while everyone was still arguing. They saw which way the wind was blowing, and the dozen or so of us collaborators got a ride with them, back to Castle Refuge. I figured this was as good a place to rebuild as any, and probably better than most.

OOC Comments

So, a Benny for working in the workshop, and then a Card Draw for the Interlude itself.

[Maximilian]

Max interlude - for the benny
[dice]0[/dice]

"You know, there's nothing like my sweet Nadine. She and I have been through a lot together. She's a legend in some of the Market groups." He fills the idle space between Refuge and Gloom with chatter like that for a day and a half, bending Zieja's ear, and Alex's. Then, he starts to get chatty.

"She's actually named Nadine for a reason. Wasn't just a pretty name. When I got smuggled out of Lone Star, I was with a certain group. They were trying to find some psi-enabled dog boys for a special squad. I never got much information about it, though. Well, they kept a few of us together to see if one psionic could bring out those talents in other dog boys. I was a pup, still, but old enough. I got placed with a schnauzer. He was incredibly smart. Smarter than me, even. But man, he was mean." Max takes a drink out of a bottle of water and continues moving Nadine down the path.

"Well, the psionic they put us both with was a beautiful collie. Her brains put us both to shame. She'd run rings around you. She wasn't much older than me, but she was spectacular. Her psionic abilities were off the charts. She'd make you beg like a mutt with just a look. I couldn't help myself. I was pretty charming as a pup, and she loved how hard I tried. I just could never get the spoon to bend, if you know what I mean. That stuff isn't in me. That schnauzer, though, he had the gift. Jerk." Max checks the sensor readout, clicks a few buttons, and keeps Nadine moving.

"She and I got really close, even though I didn't have the spark. I think that schnauzer got a little jealous. Didn't matter, though. It was more than puppy love. We were going to have freeborn pups together. We spent every waking minute together. We were inseparable. Then we got put to work."

He grits his teeth, then continues. "I showed some special talent for bots and armor. So they broke us up and had us working different jobs. But no matter the assignment, when we weren't on the job, we were together. She got sent out on a particular assignment. I think it may have been another infiltration job, trying to liberate some more dog boys from Lone Star. Her talents could get her in and out with everyone thinking she was a senior officer. But the timing on that job was wrong. I think she was sold out. Her crew never came back. I heard word on the street that she survived, but wasn't sure if she got pulled by the CS and retrained, or if she'd escaped and gone underground. I actually spent some time looking for her own my downtime, but anytime I got a bit of news, I traced it to a dead end. Still, I get the feeling..." He glances out the window, looking out past the horizon. "I don't think they caught her. I think she moved every time they got close, and that's why I couldn't track her down. I eventually traded out to a different group. I guess I got fed up with not being able to fetch the one thing I wanted so desperately to find. When I made the deal for this Titan, I had to name her. So I gave her the one name that, if she got famous enough underground, that collie might track me down and we could live out what we planned."

Max sniffs. Maybe it was just a normal sniff in the air, or maybe..."Sweet, sweet Nadine."

[Firehawk]

Interlude 2 - spades - Victory

Interlude roll: [dice]0[/dice]

Max hits the radio to respond to Firehawk. "The Black Company is a mercenary company that was engaged in some Legion business for awhile. Just long enough to learn some secrets and troop movements that they could sell to the CS. They assassinated the 2nd SET in cold blood, killed some native children, and sold information the CS used to inflict casualties on the 6th SET. We've been ordered to terminate before they can do any additional harm."

"In truth, I do not know if I would have the strength to bring them back alive for what they did."

As Jereb and Max fill him in on the sordid details of the Black Company's sins, Firehawk's temperament turns from one of stubborn curiosity to one of fiery rage. Traitors. Child killers. If anyone deserves the ultimate sanction it would be creatures such as these. No better than brodkil.
"Say no more. It would be an honor to hunt down this scum with the 13th and bring them to justice...or bring justice to them," he adds darkly.

During the uneventful trip to Gloom, Firehawk's mind is often consumed by images of women and children burning to death, pleading with him to save them, but his powers fail him and he is forced to watch them burn. Their killers are garbed in demonic mockeries of Tomorrow Legion uniforms but their faces are hazy and indistinct, hidden by the chaos of battle. At times he would find himself with his hand wrapped around the handle of the vibro-sword he had already switched out for the knife, his knuckles white with the strain of his grip. Thinking of burning children, murdered by traitors.... No better than demons.

He soon finds it helps to listen to the others tell their stories in order to keep his mind occupied, and by doing so he also starts to get a feel for his new squad. At an opportune moment when they stop for a meal, he tells them a story about himself.


"This ugly business with the BC reminds me of the very first group I joined up with after leaving my village. We were in the jungles of Danang, 3 days after jumping through a rift, hot on the trail of a mind melter wanted for murder. I was flying recon over a steaming river delta when Charlie hit us in the flank. Charlie was the melter's name, and he had a gang of local youth under his control, using them as fodder, knowing we would hesitate to return fire on them. By the time I got there, my group was hard pressed. They were huddled up behind our Mountaineer, unwilling to shoot at the kids under Charlie's control.

"I didn't know what to do at first. I almost...froze." He says this last word with clear distaste.

"I couldn't bring myself to crisp the kids, because they were innocent and knew not what they were doing. And I didn't want the kids to kill my friends because in addition to being my friends they were also my ride home. So, in the end I did the only thing I could think of. I laid down so much smoke Charlie had trouble keeping contact with the kids, and I searched through the smoke for each child and helped them free themselves from Charlie's mental grip. Sure, I got my feathers singed a bit by a stray laser shot here or there from one of the brainwashed brats but I'm kind of a badass, and heal quickly anyway. After the last sweet, innocent child was freed, they were so grateful they insisted they would help us take out Charlie. We tried to tell them no, but they were all armed to the beak with Charlie's weapons, so it's not like we could stop them if we wanted to without killing them, and that would have just put us back in the original dilemma we were in to begin with." Firehawk chuckles softly as he sees the events unfold again in his mind's eye. "I imagine ol' Charlie was quite surprised when his pint-sized murder squad ended up melting his mind! With lasers! Ha!" Firekawk slaps his thigh with delight as he laughs at the memory.

"Anyway what I'm trying to say is, it's not good to have your mind taken over by anything and that killing kids is wrong!"

OOC Comments

+1 BENNY for the battle
And a card roll for the story: [dice]1[/dice]

[Cantrell]

[dice]0[/dice]

[Bane]

Interlude 2 - Victory

[dice]0[/dice]

On the second of travel after the fight with the CS and Brodkil demons, and having listened to other stories, Bane decides it's time to open up a little more about himself.

"Tomorrow makes exactly 5 years since I finished my apprenticeship with Master Elrond. Unlike most Masters preparing their pupil to go out into the world with a simple practical test, Elrond felt that it would be a better test of my abilities if he administered a more complex test. He first started it off by only allowing me to sleep for an hour each day for a whole week. Each day I had to memorize moreand more complex details. On the morning of the last day, I had to recite back the details in a random order as quickly as I could. All of that, just to eat breakfast.

After that, I was tasked with conjuring up the image of someone I have never met before based on clues that were the answers to complex arcane formulae that I would only know that I was correct in the answer of if my final image glowed green. The less I got right, the less green and more red it would glow, but my image was completely green. And that was for the opportunity to eat lunch.

After lunch, Elrond then had me using all of the details I had spent the past week memorizing, I then had to use them to set up a summoning circle to open a communication rift. The rift wasn't to any sort of demon or devil, but if I misremembered one detail, that is what it could have been to. I finished in just under an hour, but I double and triple checked my work and wound up having to make adjustments because of that, but all that matters in the end is that I got them all right. After dinner I was tasked with opening the communication rift and ask it three questions. The questions Elrond gave me to ask were formulae that I had never seen, and if I hadn't been so dog tired, no offense to Max, I would have realized that they were not arcane formulae but actually chess moves. Master Elrond had a friendly game of chess going with another of the masters and one of their rules that they established was that they couldn't contact otherworldly entities for help in the game, but they both worked around that detail by getting their apprentices to do it for them. everything that I did wouldn't be all that hard under normal circumstances, but Elrond wanted to make it harder so that I could push myself."

[Pender Lumkiss]

After Bane shares his tale, something in his back pocket disturbs his contemplation. It is Soldad's Ring reforged.

The morning the 13th left Silver Bluff.
Master Elrond Hub sees Bane eating and quietly comes over to him. The Master seems even more tired than normal, and his hands are a bit dirty with soot. He flashes a Bane a quick smile of respect as he eases into a nearby chair. " Master Bane, you should know that Bronze has agreed to take me back home. It will be some tale to tell if by all accounts what has happened here was not a dream." Elrond picks up a piece of bread and munches on it slowly shaking his head in disbelief. " I can still barely believe you and your companions altered a rift, and faced down Jazzel the darken one. Let alone destroyed the physical embodiment of Duriel the lord of vengeance!" Elrond coughs from over excitement. He chuckles slightly, " I remember how you wanted to be so very badly on the defense force, but look at you now... I could not be more proud." He chews on his bread more, and finished gets up and gives Bane a hug. Quietly he whispers to Bane, " You remember how we used to play Chess. I am not proud of it, but one of the Masters was Duriel himself... Disguised certainly, and it was not until my capture I knew fully who was on the other end... A mighty blow was dealt to him, but the game is far from over." Elrond hugs Bane one more time slipping unseen and unnoticed, till the trek to Gloom was almost over, a small familiar ring in to Bane's pocket.

The Ring, Solar Deflection

This ring was once worn by a master vampire Soldad. It had once allowed him to control the spirit of an elder dragon. The ring was split in twain but reforged by its maker Elrond Hub. In the hands of a powerful wizard it can be a great boon. It now uses the sun's energy energy to protect the wearer against harm.
Solar deflection

• Major: Power Deflection of the sun. Brilliant rays of light extend from the ring making the user harder to see and thusly to hit. If this power is activated with a raise the normal raise benifits of deflection are instead replaced by a solar energy damage field that deals 2d4 points of damage or 2d10 vs vampires.
  • the ring uses the casting skill of the wearer and has 5 ppts from which the power can be activated from. The ppts regenerate at the standard rate.

• Major: the ring also just naturally distorts the electomagnetic field around the wearer just slightly enough that it is hard to hit them at range. -1 to be hit at range.
• PPE: 5

Code for the Ring

Code: Select all

This ring was once worn by a master vampire Soldad.  It had once allowed him to control the spirit of an elder dragon.  The ring was split in twain but reforged by its maker Elrond Hub.  In the hands of a powerful wizard it can be a great boon.  It now uses the sun's energy energy to protect the wearer against harm.
[b]Solar deflection[/b]
[list][*]Major: Power Deflection of the sun.  Brilliant rays of light extend from the ring making the user harder to see and thusly to hit.  If this power is activated with a raise the normal raise benifits of deflection are instead replaced by a solar energy damage field that deals 2d4 points of damage or 2d10 vs vampires.
[list][*]the ring uses the casting skill of the wearer and has 5 ppts from which the power can be activated from.  The ppts regenerate at the standard rate.[/list][/list]
[list][*]Major: the ring also just naturally distorts the electomagnetic field around the wearer just slightly enough that it is hard to hit them at range.  -1 to be hit at range.
[*]PPE: 5[/list]

[Cantrell]

Interlude - Victory
Rolled above, but deleted that post so I could go after Bane.

Cantrell chuckles as Bane finishes his story.

"I had a drill sergeant who was the same way. Used to make us run five miles and do 100 pushups before we could eat. We burned more calories earning breakfast than we ate - would have been better to skip it altogether and just power through until lunch, but he'd really taken it out on us then.

She smiles at the memory, then shakes her head.

"He was a real hardass. Gutter trash from the 'Burbs, like me, from the same neighborhood even. The program I was in, for special operators, tended to draw a lot of the Chi-Town elite, sons of Coalition officers, that sort. You could tell he just loved lording it over those rich idiots, grinding them down in situations where all their connections and money couldn't help them.

"I made the mistake of thinking he'd be nicer to me. This was after I let him now I was from the same 'hood, South Point, on what was the edge of the 'Burbs back then. I tried to just slip it into the conversation, nonchalantly. He turned to me and gave me this withering stare. 'You think being from South Point scores you points, girl? Everyone I ever knew from Southie was a piece of shit. I was a piece of shit. I'm sure you're a piece of shit, too. Now drop and give me 50.

"He was extra tough on me after that, but I didn't mind. I used it. I was determined to outclass every one of thos uppity rich boys and show them just what a gutter trash girl from Southie could do. The final test was outdoors, an overland race in which you were allowed to try to eliminate each other in various non-lethal ways. I made sure not a single one of those idiots finished the race. At the end, Sarge was waiting, same scowl.

"Well Cantrell, you did it. I'm sure every chem-dealer and black market thug in South Point will huff some paint thinner in your honor tonight. I hope it was worth it -- every one of those rich boys you made a point of embarassing is now you enemy. Better hope they assign you someplace out West, because you'll never see a promotion here in Chi-Town. They'll be sure of that."

"I could tell by the look he gave me he was speaking from experience. Luckily, as top of my class I was able to request my first assignment. Wichita Falls seemed distant enough, and it never seemed like I was passed over for anything intentionally. Several of those rich boys died during the Tolkeen offensive, but a few survived and are indeed in top military positions in Chi-Town. I never did push my luck by traveling back there, but I wouldn't be surprised if they took another shot if given the opportunity."

[Markus Berger]

[dice]0[/dice] Victory
One night, at camp, Markus approaches Jude, Zieja, Libertas and Cantrell, finding them alone from the rest.
"Brodkill! I remember them from my old days at home in the NGR. They attack and kill. They are demonic! Over there we fight a permanent fight to keep them away from our families and our countrymen. When I was but a rookie my unit was attacked by a raiding party. We hadn't any support, any hope to get reinforcements on time, any magic or special dbees to help us. Only us. Only simple humans. Only our courage. We fell back, keeping the others covered. We fought to survive, and to allow the NGR to survive. We lost half our number, but we prevailed. I got hurt... blinded by a plasma shot. But the NGR helped me, and now I got better eyes than before. We defeated them. And we did it by ourselves. We don't need any magic or help from those... friends we have here. I mean, they are powerful and help us a lot. And maybe one or two of them are not so bad, especially those Dog-persons, but I am glad to know we don't really need them, you know? I am glad to have you here, with me, us humans."

OOC Comments

If you like it, I would love another benny.

--

Master Elrond had a friendly game of chess going with another of the masters and one of their rules that they established was that they couldn't contact otherworldly entities for help in the game, but they both worked around that detail by getting their apprentices to do it for them. everything that I did wouldn't be all that hard under normal circumstances, but Elrond wanted to make it harder so that I could push myself."[/b]

Markus shakes his head.
"I swear I can't get it. Magic, so dangerous and unpredictable. Magic, which almost wiped us humans from the face of the earth. And here in America, you use it to play chess."
--

"Well Cantrell, you did it. I'm sure every chem-dealer and black market thug in South Point will huff some paint thinner in your honor tonight. I hope it was worth it -- every one of those rich boys you made a point of embarassing is now you enemy. Better hope they assign you someplace out West, because you'll never see a promotion here in Chi-Town. They'll be sure of that."

Markus scoffs.
"Koalitions-Idioten! Their best weapon, their countrymen, wasted! Kept ignorant, poor, uninvolved! Lording over there, instead of helping them! They risk everything. In the NGR everyone has the same rights, the same chance to defend their fatherland! We all are in this together!"

[Blackfish]

Listening to what sounds like Markus bashing the CS Zieja wants to punch him in his NGR nose. Deciding that would not be worth it, barely, she reflects on the talk about demons.

This line of thought leads her down memory lane to her first command. That had been aweful.

(See Above Post, First Command).

Finally Z stands up and stretches.

"Zy-uh. Zie, like die. Or just Z. Any of those. Since some of you seem to be struggling with my name. G'nite."

Everyone else told their story aloud, except her. Z did not feel comfortable enough to talk about her time as a CS.

[Jude Maverick]

Notice 3 Fail

[dice]0[/dice]
[dice]1[/dice]

Common Knowledge 16 3 Raises

[dice]2[/dice]
Ace [dice]5[/dice]
[dice]3[/dice]

***

Interlude 2 Spaces, Victory

[dice]4[/dice]
Spades—Victory: Tell the group about a great victory or personal triumph in your adventurer’s past. How did it affect him afterward? Was there a reward?

Jude shook his head as he listened around the campfire. Everyone seemed to have a war story. Jude took a swig from his flask. Brittany’s face still haunted him, her glassy blue eyes staring up accusingly at him. More than once he’d caught Cantrell giving him the stink eye when he got a bit too into his cups. Jude was never supposed to be a soldier. He was going to be a paper pusher, a courtier. Nikki was the one that wanted to sign up, be a hotshot SAMAS pilot. Jude had seen enough death for the time being.

“Well, Markus, if they keep me alive, I don’t much care if they’re D-Bees, humans, or cows,” he commented. “Same goes if they’re trying to kill me,” he said wryly, shifting uncomfortably as Brittany’s face haunted him again. The dwarven hooch helped him sleep at night.

“About a year before I joined the Legion I got a job on a cargo convoy,” he told the others. “Help with repairs in the event of a breakdown, ride shotgun, that kind of thing. Sort of a dogsbody. It was a trip plagued with problems and we were running behind. My truck had a breakdown, and the rest ditched us as we fixed the problem.

“Some...entrepreneurial opportunists came by and figured they had an easy score. Kind of caught us with our pants around our ankles, really,” Jude admitted. “So there we are, all trussed up, and they’re arguing about how to get into the container. None of us have the codes, because, well, we’re just peons. And they don’t have any explosives. So they start talking about torturing us to get the codes. I figured I’d better do something, since sitting quiet and obedient-like wasn’t working anymore. I’m not too eager to die for a truckload of whatever was in there.

“I’d had some time to observe these guys. I’d noticed a scent of perfume on two of them. Figured there was a girl involved. So I just started talking. Turns out I figured right. One of the guys was having a good time with the other’s girl behind his back. Got them arguing. Then I asked another guy about what cut he could expect from the haul, said he should sign on with us, since we get a bigger one. I got all of them arguing amongst themselves. Inevitably the guns came out. When it was over, I dragged myself over to the nearest body, got his knife, and cut myself free.”

OOC Comments

I think I will take another Adventure Card.

***

Conditions:

[Blackfish]

As Zieja starts to walk away, she stops to listen to Jude.

"You're a devil Jude. I hope you have a cute sister that's as devilish as you. Hmm maybe less humble though."

A thought passes across Zieja's face, "Did that baby holding Angle leave with those Cheerleaders already?"

Giving Jude a wink and a smile Z turns to head to bed.

[Markus Berger]

“Well, Markus, if they keep me alive, I don’t much care if they’re D-Bees, humans, or cows,” he commented. “Same goes if they’re trying to kill me,” he said wryly.

Markus shakes his head disapprovingly.
"It matters."
He lets a laugh out when Jude finish his story and pats his back.
"Well played, my friend!"

[Jude Maverick]

Notice 29 6 Raises

[dice]0[/dice]
[dice]1[/dice]
Ace [dice]4[/dice]
Ace [dice]5[/dice]
Ace [dice]6[/dice]
Ace [dice]7[/dice]

Common Knowledge 7

[dice]2[/dice]
[dice]3[/dice]

***

“Hey, Z! That’s my sister you’re talking about!”Jude warned. His tone was playful, but his eyes were serious. He was protective of his little sister. “And Nicole was way more trouble than me. Of course, she never got into any actual trouble. I got blamed for that,” he said with a grin. “Sleep sweet, Z. Dream of me. And cheerleaders. Or me in a cheerleader outfit.”

***

Conditions: