Chapter Six: Narrow is the Way

[steelbrok]

One thing about good vodka, Steelbrok muses, no hangover - even though he did still feel a bit woozy this morning. Had he really just used the word woozy? Boy, he must have had too much to drink last night. Several of the villagers were still looking a bit the worse for wear too - those being harangued by the good priest Basil were looking very hangdog. Some of Basil's choicer phrases made the steel man glad he could turn down his audio volume.
He looked a little blearily at Velma and decided that chopping logs wasn't the best plan for today. Fortunately a lot of timber was already chopped and in need of moving to to various semi-repaired buildings. He got to work.

[Venatus Vinco]

Community Outreach
With the legendary axe of Mikula Selyaninovich in their possession, Alexsander feels ready to craft the manacles required to restrain the Nightingale. After that, Par and the priest, will need to bless them. These preparations will take many days, in the meantime more pragmatic matters need attending. The village has been destroyed and food stuffs raided or burned. Rebuilding is one thing but foraging immediately becomes another.

With plenty to do, everyone sets about a task.

You may only choose one task. This is one round. Villagers can roll a d8 with a Wild Day to Support you. Tary has extras he can deply to lead or support tasks.

Ritual: Faith Or Occult
Par, Alexsander, and the priest take the lead but others can help by serving as assistants or lending what magical power they may have.

• Tokens Needed: 6

Rebuilding: Repair, Athletics, Common Knowledge
The village needs to be rebuilt. Lending a hand would go a long way to helping these people get back on their feet.

• Tokens Needed: 6

Resupply: Notice, Survival
Shelter is little comfort when there is no food. Fishing, hunting, foraging, and preserving whatever they can over the next few days could be the difference between surviving the winter or complete desolation.

• Tokens Needed: 6

[Stoic]

OOC Comments

WIP

L1d10!!d1d6!!

Benny

1d10!!1d6!!

[Jose Kerske]

Rebuilding: Repair, Athletics, Common Knowledge
Jose 2 tokens
Common Knowledge
1d8+2
1d8+2!!
Wild Dice
1d6
1d6!!
Jose speaks up, "We need to get the lumber from the forest, and diging cellars. A frames be quick. Then with a fire pit in the middle. Then build Log Cabins, the mud from the river san be used to seal between the logs. Later we can then add a large public building. It would be great if you can make an underground tunnel system ."

Jose goes out with the locals to pick the trees and cut them down.

Villagers 1d8
1d8!!
Villager Wild Dice 1d6
1d6!!

[steelbrok]

Having doe his bit to start the rebuilding, the stylishly handsome cyborg looks the need of the villagers for food. He gathers a foraging party.
The fields have been badly hit by the storm but they'll still yield a decent amount of food if you

1d6!!+4
Ldd1d6!!+4
Villagers 1d8!!
Villagers Ldd1d6!!

properly.

[Par]

As the work on the shackles begins Par relaxes, enhancing his connection with the universe around him. As his connection grows the overall effect is eerie to watch as the wooden boy fades into and out of sight. Somehow as he fades it is as if something becomes more right. Par begins channeling that energy into the shackles combining his power with @Alexsander's.

FH1d10!!1d6!!H+1FFF

FH1d10!!1d6!!H+1FFF

[Palach]

Palach has a particular skill with crafting. He looks like he was made for this. He sets about the village, taking some of the logs brought back by @Jose Kerske and turning them quickly into

pLd1d8!!+2
dp1d6!!+2
p1d8!!+2
dp1d6!!+2

, roofs, and leaving the scraps for firewood and kindling. He is able to splice together some of the partially standing structures with new material, helping to salvage some of the homes and shops still in place. He makes great headway in ensuring that the villagers won't freeze to death from being out in the elements. He doesn't ever break a sweat, maintaining his typical blank look no matter how significant the exertion. All the time, he calmly calls out orders to the villagers, directing them when to lift, where to hold, and what to tie down or nail down.

[hobo joe]

Community Outreach
Surprising, the droid takes point on the repair, while Tary goes traipsing through the woods for supplies. Both gather villagers and their entourage to help in the endeavor. Some of Tary's crew though gravitate towards the faith/magic being performed by some of the other heroes. Tary wants no part of a ritual, but he has no problem with anyone else joining in.

Rebuilding: Repair, Athletics, Common Knowledge 4 tokens total
The village needs to be rebuilt. Lending a hand would go a long way to helping these people get back on their feet.

• Tokens Needed: 6

d-1p1d8+4!! d-1pLd1d6+4!! = 2 tokens
LLp1d8!! LLpLd1d6!! = 2 tokens

Resupply: Notice, Survival 2 tokens total
Shelter is little comfort when there is no food. Fishing, hunting, foraging, and preserving whatever they can over the next few days could be the difference between surviving the winter or complete desolation.

• Tokens Needed: 6

L1d8+4!! LLd1d6+4!! = 2 tokens
LLL1d8!! LLLLd1d6!!


Tary's Army of Extras to follow...

[hobo joe]

Tary’s Extras:
The Vagabond feels particularly spiritual after this event and despite Tary’s normal avoidance of the occult, he tries to convince the other followers to join in the ritual.

Most of the followers involve themselves by using the knowledge of such things that are common throughout the western world. Lots of nodding and copying everyone around them.

The soldier tries to embellish the stories and descriptions with all the details he noticed during the ordeal.
Occult:
Civilians, Militia: Common Knowledge d6 ea
11d6!!
21d6!!
L1d6!!

Soldier: Notice d6
Ld1d6!!

Vagabond: Persuasion d10
d1d10!!

[Venatus Vinco]

I love it when a plan comes together

Motivated by a common purpose the 1st SET and the villagers of Saint Balam quickly piece their lives back together. Gary's team of busy builders are glad to have less terrifying work than combat and Steelbrok serves as a steam shovel to all their efforts.

Others manage to recover plentiful food and game from the forests and rivers, storing enough to give the villagers a headstart. Things will still be lean, but not desperate.

While the others handle the mundane tasks, Alexander, Par and Thursday lend their plentiful mystical talents to a powerful ritual. The priest is also helpful in directing their efforts. The end result is a pair of powerful mystic manacles. A creature trapped within these holy silver bonds are tied to this dimension, making their death permanent! Of course entangling a powerful creature is no easy task.

With things settled in the village the heroes face a calm before a coming storm. The ruins of Kiev lie only a few days if overland travel away. Alexander and Thursday choose to remain in the village to protect the people (or their subjects in Thursday's mind) from further attacks.

Unhooking Palach's ATV and loading up Tary's Big Boss the group makes their final ride to the ruins of Kiev!

Interlude (Trek)

For a point of Conviction, summarize your heroes journey thus far as you head toward a major milestone in your far flung mission.

[Par]

Ld1d4(LpHLd1L4pd)
Hearts + Trek = Trek: How the party endured a trying hardship on the journey.


Work in Progress: need to run to Seattle and should be able to finish tonight


As the team finishes helping the people of Balem, Par feels a sense of satisfaction from actually being able to help a little bit. After his previous failures his shame was beginning to wear on him.

The trip to Kiev was another chance to help the others, but he would not want to admit it to the others. He was filled with anxiety and maybe even fear at failing the team. The whole thing did not make sense to him, he would have thought he would be afraid of the demon. But instead he found his worries were focused more on the fear of failing the others and disappointing them.

As they left things began normal, but within an hour of the trip starting a snow set in so dense and cold that even the advanced senses from his suit would not let him see ten foot away. The crawler was forced to move at speeds so slow and the cold began sinking in through the metal frame of the vehicle.

Sure the thing could travel at whatever speed they wanted, but with only the ability see ten foot in front of them the odds of running off a cliff, or into a tree became certain at more than ten or fifteen miles an hour.

Using his power to keep the team alert and remove any stress fatigue from the driver was all Par would do to help. But even then it may not have been enough.

Once the white out cleared Par was left with a moment of reflection as he thought back. Their pursuit of the thief has been frustrating as the thief moved so much faster than them through this land. Turning the creatures of the farmers barn against them was malicious because every act to defend themselves left the people of this land a little worse off. Then the arrival of the Warlords men, and the inevitable confrontation with them. Par still felt guilt for turning them on each other. No matter how much he reasoned out it was needed he still felt guilt over it.

Then his failure to help in town and actually leading the team into an ambush made it worse for everyone. It seemed like his every step was less and less helpful to the team. The following attack and eventual trip leading them to the caves was at least something. Finding out he could help with the manicles, then falling ill and unable to contribute again while the others where forced to protect him and keep him alive.

Step after step, and then this village. Finally he was able to help. The emotional fulfilment he gained from helping all the people of the village was like nothing else. He wants so bad to be like his father and able to save lives whereever they are in danger. But it seams he will never attain that level of talent.

And now they rush into an ambush set by a demon, hoping they will be able to use manicles on it and kill it for good. But how, how could they possibly do it when all evidence shows that the demon is aware of their every action...

[Jose Kerske]

Interlude 1d4 (in alphabetical order 1 being club, 4 being spade): 1d4

Jose gets prepared for this Battle and as he does so he reflects on how he got here, Well I Guess stiring up the CS back holme isn't a good thing. Mama help with all her contacts especially the ones at the Castle that was good. Now the CS is looking all over except here . Bit colder then up in the Mountains. When we arrived it certainly was a fun time, sea food is not my first choice of a meal. Then what fun Demons , man this is what I love to do . and I'm getting paid for it! bonus!.

[steelbrok]

After helping the villagers search for food, the chrome commando takes a bit of time out.
I began checking and cleaning my weapons, one by one, even with these metal fingers long practice makes the process almost subconscious. My mind roams as I work, thinking about how I came to be here.

Teenage hacker, army “electronic intrusion specialist” then the selection for Special Reconnaissance and the accident that resulted in me becoming a Borg. And that pretty much coincided with what the people now-abouts called the Cataclysm. Finding myself in North America but a very strange version of it: “Demons and Dragons and Mystics, Oh My!”

I smiled inwardly (well, I can’t smile outwardly anymore!), it was a bit like being swept to a land of Oz by a tornado.

Those first few weeks over in America had been so disorientating. I’d seriously wondered if I’d gone mad. Meeting up with a Tomorrow Legion patrol had been a Godsend, getting some knowledge of this new era and some structure back into my life too.

And then this mad, wild journey through future Russia.

I mean, the cause is good, stopping some demon lord from using magic rigs to destroy the world (I couldn’t help wondering how that debrief would go down in Hereford if I ever got back to Blighty in my own time) but some of the things along the way.

I mean this crew are competent enough, but they hesitate when they should just go for it. Claiming they need to be sure of the enemy when it’s blindingly obvious! And then ending up using the foulest and awful tactics when they’d got into trouble by hesitating initially.

I mean, that first fight just after being Rifted here, those flipping demon bears were obviously trouble but it’s “oh no, the cyborg’s shooting”, honestly! It took a fair few of my spares to repair myself afterwards. Wouldn’t have happened if there’d been less namby-pambying around and quicker joining the fight.

And then, with the blasted thief cornered in a barn and loads of firepower on hand, “oh let’s wait and be careful”. Should have been lots of rounds rapid and then find the ring in whatever smear the thief’s body left behind. Sure, those peasants would have been down some animals, but it would have been job done. Hell, we could have left them some cash or something. Then we could have evacced the area and been weeks closer to getting out of this frozen waste they call a country.

I was wiping Velma down (relax, it’s my ion pistol), that magician, Par, was over the other side of the clearing. I haven’t forgotten what he’s done.

I’ll fight when I need to, I’ll kill my enemies. But what Par did to Sokolov’s cyborgs? That was foul. Making a man kill his own. That’s not right. And what if he does it to me sometime? Makes it a bit easier to understand why those Coalition people have no truck with magic if that’s what happens. I sighted with Velma, Par was just in range…

Not today. But if he ever mind controls me, well, it’ll be Old School: two in the heart and two in the head.


I wonder if that’s why the Glitter Boy walked away? Couldn’t go along with what happened or saw it coming?

Still, the walking tree means well, even if he can be a bit clumsy. And Thursday – well, watching him play hide and seek isn’t to be forgotten. Pity he’s staying behind but he seems to think he’s got a kingdom to look after now.

Radecliffe’s a bit of an eco-freak but seems to get stuck in when needed.

I holstered Velma and began to polish Vlad. Strange, I used to be a hacker, doing things from far away, then when I started wearing green, after that bit of trouble with the rozzers, I often had to get into enemy facilities to hack their systems. Then I became a scout/snipe cyborg – try saying that six times quickly. I was working at a distance again. I did a bit of an experimental flourish with Vlad, using my off hand, now though?

Now, I seem to be the one who gets right up close and in the thick of things. Not how I saw my life going way back in the Earth That Was

Happy with my drill and weapons, I paused for a bit, enjoying a moment of Serenity.

[Palach]

Palach's subconscious is easily capable of the task of driving and navigating without much conscious thought. Heading towards their end goal, though, inspires conscious recollection of the series of events leading to this, and...hopefully, to North America. Slaying Sokolov's Five was a definitive casting of his lot in with these strangers from across the world. Whether he was friendly to their cause or not, there was no going back then. It's just as well. Escorting Romani across the wastes was never going to get him out of Russia. His willingness to gut their bodies to remove evidence of their activities was probably off-putting to most of his new friends, especially @Par, but Russia is a harsh land and these are harsh times. There is little room for pretense here.

Their quest for this Nightingale and these rings taught him new skills. He took quite easily to the piloting of the boat. He wonders within himself if this is a skill he had forgotten previously and been reminded of, but then he wonders where such a thought would have come from in the first place. He pushes it from his mind. Learning new things is normal and indicative of nothing but an individual rising to the challenge.

He ponders the mysteries of fate and fortune, if there are such things. To encounter a frost demon of that power is no mere happenstance. That it carried an implement which could be used to forge manacles capable of containing this thief his friends hunted was a boon indeed. Maybe their journey is marked for victory by whatever gods there may be, or maybe they're just magnets for trouble. At least his friend @steelbrok is eager to face any trouble that comes along in a direct fashion. If Palach was made of metal, he might resemble the cyborg.

The harsh reality of life in Russia after the Rifts was made apparent by the plight of the villagers whose homes were demolished by a demonic attack. He wished he could say he felt good about restoring as much of their shelter as he could, but it felt more like mechanical duty. The actions of Palach and his associates led, whether directly or indirectly, to the near-total destruction of this village. It was only fair recompense to rebuild what they could. Why did he have so little sympathy for them? Another matter of little importance.

What matters now is the fight they have ahead of them. From what he can gather, this fight will make the frost demon look like an introductory training exercise.
"Eto khorosho. Rost proiskhodit ot preodoleniya nevzgod. Nichego khoroshego ne byvayet legko. Ya dolzhen popast' v Ameriku. Nad telom drugogo demona? Byt' po semu. Pust' vse pridut."

That is good. Growth comes from overcoming adversity. Nothing good comes easy. I must get to America. Over another demon's body? So be it. Let them all come.