Iron Stars - simar

Simar awakens in her home on Mytikas, the place where the Protectorate began , a ruin turned into a galactic capital, and a spot of safety and civilization on a world that is both unified and divided in different ways. The Khans have of course all swore fealty to the new world order, but it hasn’t stopped their bickering and there is still little movement of citizens. One day perhaps , but for now the protectorate has other issues. You’re awoken by a short knock at the door before a letter is passed through the mail slot stamped with both Protectorate and Psychic academy logos. The paper still smells like the fresh ink the message would have been typed up with. In a world where everything is digital, hard copies remain the only way to send something securely , if you truly do not want anyone else to know.

Usually Simar would have already been awake by the time someone brought the letter, but not today. Today was one of those days, where she would rather not leave her bed before noon. But she can't let a letter lie around in her room, untouched, for too long. She just is too curious. She yawns before jumping out of her bed. Well, not an energetic jump, rather a not too lethargic crawl. The cold of the ground shoots through her whole body when her naked feet touch it. So she tiptoes over to a small kitchen counter, where she pours hot water onto a mixture of self grown and collected herbs, to make herself some tea. She lights some Incense Sticks and her small apartment quickly smells like rosemary. She hesitates to grab the letter just jet, instead she gets dressed and sips at her tea while staring at the letter on the ground. "Who sent me something as delicate as a letter?" She would know if it was just another letter from a lawyer, when it was addressed at, Simar Winterhauch "Witch", with Witch being written in bold letters. Some customers tend to sue her for fraud when some of her potions don't work as intended. But she always says 'Potions are no exact science, and not everyone falls in love after a love potion was used.' But in the end, being sued was still better than ending on a pyre. Simar finally walks over to the letter and grabs it. "The Protectorate and Academy logos on it? That is rather official." She thinks to herself while suppressing the urge to focus on the letter and find out who sent it to her. Simar was still thankful to the psychic training that she got when she was still a kid. Her witchcraft, being a bit more real than that of her mother and grandmother, made it necessary to tame it a bit. Even though the Academy calls her a "Psychic" She opens the letter, listens to the sound of the envelope opening. She touches the letter within it, smells it, and finally reads it.

Miss Winterhaunch, 

Recent Protectorate census has indicated you as a member of the community with psychic talent. As you may not know, the Protectorate has very few psychic individuals within its ranks. We have far fewer than any of the other federation members and you represent a very special slice of society. 

To this end if you will accept the assignment, we would like to welcome you into official Protectorate and Academy service with the intent of sending you to Yauvani where the population is suffering tremendously during this post-war reconstruction period. Though the Ghoul King and his armies have been defeated, the humans on that planet have all recently been released from labor and food-stock camps and are struggling to piece together a society. 

As part of our compact with the United Nations of Worlds for administration of the former ghoul worlds, we need to begin efforts on Yauvani to heal the wounds of war, restore suffering communities, and ensure the world becomes strong enough for inclusion in our great union , and serves as a stout border position in this new post-scream age. 

We await your reply. It can be done in person at the Mytikas psychic academy. A representative named Desolane will be your point of contact and can help arrange travel

Simar's face goes from frowning, to narrow eyes, to a thinking pose and finally to a smile. She doesn't care for being called special in the letter. But getting a chance to help people, and visit a world she has never seen before, those two are enough to sway her. She puts her cup down and starts packing her backpack with what she thinks could be useful. Simar then sits back down, finishes her tea, and stares at the Incense sticks as they burn down. She carries the ashes of the stick to her door and paints a symbol on it. A ward to protect her home from burglars. When she was younger someone broke into her families home, it was protected by the same ward, but it surely was just not drawn correctly. Simar puts on her jacket, her hat, and grabs her backpack before leaving and getting a taxi to the psychic academy to meet this Desolane.

The ride across town is quiet. You see many people on the roads and sidewalks. Life continues here in this rebuilding city and the academy is a small building nestled in the shadow of the homeland security building and the planetary capital building. You see security personnel near the entryways off all

"Seems to be a rather dangerous area, with all the security here. I hope I won't get into any trouble." Simar walks towards the entryway and sees if she will be stopped by security personnel, or if she won't be bothered by them. (edited)

As you approach one of them moves to bar the door. "Good morning Miss, welcome to the Psychic Academy branch here on Heras. Do you have business with the Academy?" You can see this looks to be a matter of routine. Others have been stopped outside other buildings and are likewise being questioned about their need for entry. The Protectorate has gone through several high profile leadership changes due to the tides of war and more targeted assassinations, and the extra security posturing is unwelcome and an annoyance, but understood by most people who live here.

Simar quickly reaches for the letter and shows it to the guards. With a wide smile on her face she says. "Good Morning! Good to see you! I hope your day goes by uneventfully! I really have business here. I am Simar Winterhauch, my name is on the letter. I am a professional W..." She coughs. "Psychic. Professional Psychic. That is why I am here at the Psychic Acedemy, where Psychics meet!" Usually she would have added that she is a Witch. A professional one. But, with her being pretty unknown and in front of two guards, she didn't want to risk being interrogated or worse, when all she wants to do is help those poor souls on Yauvani.

One of them reads through the letter once before nodding. "Miss Desolane is expecting you. Once you get inside her office is up the stairs past the reception desk, first door on your right with the silver doorknob. Have a pleasant day" The two of them part to allow you to get through the entry door, where the darkened temple like insides of the academy, lit by glowbugs in wall alcoves takes over from the bright sunlight of outside. You can see this bottom floor is made of stone, you see the reception desk, and in the far side of this otherwise open space it looks like a male caster of some sort is working on scratching a protective circle into the ground of the large practice area. He has the appearance of someone who knows what they're doing and is otherwise totally absorbed in his work, despite fingers coated down to the second knuckle in cheese dust.

The place feels ages old, even if that is not the case. Simar likes fhat. "Desolane, Miss Desolane. Upstairs. Phew, you got this Simar." She thinks to herself and is about to head upstairs when she sees the male caster doing his stuff. She walks over to him, stops ten or twenty meters from him, leans against something and watches. But she doesn't say a thing, she just watches. (edited)

He is absorbed in his work, etching the remaining few characters into the circle. He takes a deep breath and takes a step back , admiring the work, absently reaching into a bag of Wyke brand snacks while doing so. He nods twice to himself in satisfaction.

Simar giggles before walking over to the male caster. With her hands behind her back she leans forward a bit and looks at what he drew on the ground. "Greetings, I don't know this pattern. What is it? A ward, some super secret teleportation field?"

"Better you don't know. Don't recognize you, Desolane, myself, and Dave are the only people that are usually in the building. The most visitors we get tend to be the shift change for the security folks at the door. Did you get lost? " (edited)

Simar laughs. "Yes and no." She reaches out with her hand to shake the man's. "I am Simar Winterhauch, professional Witch, and psychic. I did not get my basic training here, actually I have never been here before. But it looks nice. I am here to meet Miss Desolane. And well, then I saw you and got sidetracked, interested in what you were doing here. I know wards and sigils and the like, but never saw something like this. So what is it?"

“You should be careful who you say witch to” he says, ignoring your question. “Especially here. They barely tolerate me knowing I’m a Pacter. They’ll make assumptions , might think you used to work for The Still Lady like me. People might take Justice into their own hands. If I was beyond these walls in the wrong neighborhood I can promise you Desolane nor myself would be coming back from that walk”

Simar nods and while still looking at him, she somewhat stares into the void. "That is the price we have to pay for our gifts. I come frome a long line of witches. We didn't always call ourselves like it. I have to admit, most just called them like that to sell potions or other stuff that didn't work. And those generations before that, well they were just skilled healers, good with herbs, that is what brought them on the stake. I do possess actual psychic abilities." She looks down." Most people just think I am a freak. And that I am just some kind of artist and that what I am doing is all fraud. Some have trust in my witchcraft and I may get to change their lives. I won't hide who or what I am. I use my powers to help people. And those who hate us need their eyes opened. No matter if our abilities are about telekinesis, the ability to find persons or items, or the ability to manipulate shadows. I am not well versed in most of it." She walks over and hugs him. " But these abilities are gifts, nothing less. If you don't like to share what this drawing means, that is okay. But. Tell me, what is your name?"

"Fergus. No last name, we weren't required to have them. And understand, You might get upset with my words, but I don't want to see anything happen to you, or to anyone who works in this building"

"That is nice of you. And I appreciate it. And your words did not upset me. Far from, they once more reassured me that I will be open with who I am. Hiding in the shadows, that should not be our destiny." She smiles at Fergus. "It was nice to meet you Fergus. And maybe we get a chance to meet each other again, sooner rather than later. But I guess I shouldn't keep Miss Desolane waiting, or else she thinks I am not interested. Anything I should know about her?"

"She's blind. Wears a blindfold over her eyes, former Still Lady service like me , otherwise anything else she tells you is between the two of you. I don't want to be on the wrong end of that one again" he laughs to himself, just a bit.

"Ha, a story to talk about someday. Thank you Fergus." A short smile followed by a nod. "May we meet again." She says before moving on "Silver Doorknob. Lets see." Simar walks in the direction the guard told her and looks for a silver doorknob.

You can see it once you get to the top of the stairs and keep folowing directions. You see it is silver, and carved to look like a yawning wolves mouth. You feel the carved teeth under your finger tips as you go to turn it, and you smell the old tomes as soon as the door is cracked a bit. "Come in, please!" the back of a leather chair says to you.

Simar enters the room. "Uh, hello. I guess you know who I am? I am just asking because I heard you are blind. Anyway, if not, I am Simar Winterhauch. Professional Witch. And the one who got a letter that said I should come to you."

"Indeed. PLease, have a seat. I don't think there are papers on it. I wanted to discuss the situation on Yauvani with you, before we send you off"

Simar would put away any papers if there happen to be ones on her chair, and then sit down. Staring at the leather chair and waiting for Desolane to turn around. "Thank you. Yeah, I don't know much more about Yauvani than what was on the TV. The Ghouls are gone, and the people are in despair. Is that about right?"

“That’s more or less the public side of it. We want to build communities there and get people warmed up to the protectorate administration. These people were put through all kinds of body and psychic horror though. They saw loved ones rendered down into food for the ghoul court and any kind of otherness is going to frighten them. That said we have reason to believe anyone with psychic talent among the population is going to be viewed with suspicion

"So you say I shouldn't tell everyone that I am a professional Witch if I don't want to end up hanging in some shady street? So the world and its people are all messed up by this experience. It is a challenge, but maybe I can show them that Psychics aren't that bad. Or at least make their lives better and make them like the Protectorate a bit more. If I get in trouble, I usually don't, but if, is there anyone around I could call? I guess with the local Academy just being three people, it is more an, does the Protectorate have any personnel on planet?"

“We have soldiers there on peacekeeping duty. The UNW does as well per our agreement until we are ready to fully take responsibility for the world. They are around but only so much as you can keep yourself safe to get to them”

"Better than nothing I guess. I guess you didn't sell me as the world saving Witch. So where do I start. Is there a community you picked for me? Or is there a certain problem I should tackle first? I know, things change once I am there. But I'd like to know what problem I am going to solve first, while I am still on my way there. Helps with not failing. And anything that keeps me from burning on some plaza, is good. My first priority of cause is identifying and protecting any MES sensitive people, but I can't go there and say this openly."

"There is a former camp in the southern region where people were being held more or less until it was time for them to be turned into food. There is a lot of sickness and unrest there, and the people are trying to build the camp into some kind of new town to begin living out of, since most of the original cities were leveled by the Ghouls after the people were relocated.

1:48 PM

"We think you might be able to do some good there"

"I think so too." She says nodding, until she realizes that Miss Desolane can't actually see her. "What can you tell me about Yauvani's nature? I don't know how many supplies are being sent with me, so I might need to find some fitting herbs for tinctures and the like to help those people."

“It’s a night world, we don’t have an ecological study done. The countryside is still a dangerous place and we don’t send anyone out for something that trivial until the danger is handled. There are still renegade ghouls and human collaborators hiding out in those dark woods and meadows “

6:31 AM

“It’s probably best you just rely on what you take with you. Your rotation there won’t be long, a couple community issues handled is good enough, and you’ll be free to do whatever you want after that. The Protectorate has free transport to any of the planets the Iron Stars Federation controls, as well as even our to Greystar if you wanted”

"We will see. It depends on how the situation presents itself. If there are gifted to be found and saved. Just think about it, more life in here with new souls. I am also not planning to leave the Protectorate anytime soon. I'll focus on Yauvani for now. I'll keep my gift a bit of secret over there and try to not enter the forests alone. But a night world does sound interesting. Any last thoughts before I am getting ready to depart?"

"I think that more or less covers it. If you do find anyone with psychic or magic potential, bring them here as soon as you can. They likely wouldn;t have been trained, and we need to get them to a metapsion as soon as possible so we teach them not to torch"

"I will do that. I know myself how valuable such training is. Sadly I will not be able to just see them. But who knows, I might still find one or two. Thank you for this opportunity, even if I will be there officially as a Protectorate Agent and not as a Member of the Psychic Academy, for my own safety. Um, yeah, when does the Spaceship leave?"

"We have a shuttle on call. The academy can get you there as soon as you are ready to go:

Simar sighs. "I am. And I don't think it is getting better from waiting longer. I brought the most essential stuff that I have for such a mission. Everything else I will need to come up with on the fly. Thank you for this opportunity. May we meet again."

(the shuttle will have a locker and armory you can take small amounts of gear from)

(perfect. I am ready to leave for Yauvani)

(4 days of downtime from Heras to Yauvani, passing through Korra-S on the way, we'll get that and anything you want to grab from the locker settled, and we'll get to landing)

( 4/90 Survival, And at most she would take a second Medkit and another Type-A Cell out of the locker, she has the medical Equipment set, so kinda set for this mission. She won't really interact much with anyone on board and rather focus on what lies ahead of her on Yauvani)

https://www.worldanvil.com/w/iron-stars-nekosmash/a/yauvani-location?preview=true

Yauvani

7:27 AM

(system info, if you haven't seen the world anvil before. We were going to be setting down near the prison mining camp since ther is a large community thats basically cannibalizing the buildings, as they're hundreds of kilometers from their former homes and are making do)

Simar looks at the map of Yauvani and reads the last reports. "Plenty of work, but also so much good that I can do." Once the ship is in the system, she gets ready and prepares to leave the ship and to see for herself how bad it really is.

The shuttle begins descending into the atmosphere, and after the re-entry burn fades away it levels course. You can see the mining camp from above and the sprawling, miserable settlement that has grown in its place. Most of the walls and guard towers have been torn down, the main barracks buildings have been maintained and many people do live here. You don't need to be down there to imagine the smell. A large and growing trash pile not far from the camp seems to be backflowing into their water when seen from above. A handful of cooking fires lit with the same trash dot the ground as the shuttle finally sets down about 400m from the western side of the camp. No one has come over just yet as its engines power down, but you expect the first of the curious and any soldiers here, if any, will be there soon.

Simar's jaw drops as she sees the miserable situation on the ground. "Oh shit." she thinks to herself. She puts her hat into her backpack, just to be extra safe, and grabs all of her supplies. She double stocked her medpack with extra supplies from the ship's locker. Ready to save a world but without a fully fledged out plan on how to do so. Simar Winterhauch, a professional Witch, undercover, walks towards the ramp, ready to walk down and smell this world for the first time.

(if you want an atmofilter, you can grab one from the locker)

(thank you! Yes Simar would grab one!)

Donning the mask you emerge from the shuttle and move 10m from its ramp before two guards and an EP administrator make their way over to meet with you. Dust swirls from the engine downdraft and they shout to be heard, asking who you are what what you're doing here

The engines make Simar's hair swirl around as she approaches the guards and EP personnel. "Hey I am Simar Winterhauch, professional Wit... Tality Manager. The vitality of this planet and its people isn't looking too good. And I am here to change this. I saw that your waste management is rather poor and is about to ruin your water supply, did you know that? "

“We do know that. There isn’t much to be done about it. Did you come all the way from the Protectorate for that? Sorry about the errand if you did” the overseer laughs

"No, I was not sent here for a specific task. And to be honest, I wonder what you want to accomplish with making fun of me, the one who apparently came here, trying to help you. You said there could nothing be done about the waste polluting the water, but what did you try already? I wonder if your answer is, 'nothing. We tried nothing so far, as we just collect paychecks without helping the people here.' " Simar was obviously not happy with the first reaction, and her only response was being bitchy in return.

He gestures for you to pull out your compad and sends a file. It shows they had simple filters in place here once but the sheer amount of pollution overwhelmed them and in some cases made it worse. More supplies haven’t come in and no one here has the skills for a more natural solution

Simar nods as she looks at the compad. "Yeah, looks bad. But maybe, maybe I can think of a solution for that. But that might take a moment, or a day. Would you be so kind to show me around a bit? That would help me get an even better understanding of this village and its problem."

(if there are certain questions about the place you want answered I can do that, rather than just hit you with a giant text wall of information)

(other than the conditions being pretty bad, some early hooks present here for medicinal work and possibly even some kind of cure to make the sanitation issue less pressing)

(yeah. I guess for Simar, the polluted water is a pressing issue, but one she won't tackle before like proving herself with something she is good at, for example healing people, or finding lost things or persons. So she would like walk through the village, trying to see if someone is in dire need of medical help or someone is looking for something or similar stuff. And once she has helped in that regard, she would work her way through bigger and bigger problems, until this place is in a stable state, and then, from there work on healing this world. But this village alone will keep me occupied for a bit.) (edited)

There is a small notice board near what serves as the marketplace here where pictures of the lost, advertisements for services, or requests for items in exchange for payment have been hammered into place. The bright and overlapping colors are an eerie reminder of the suffering here, as notes are scrawled on whatever paper surface is available. Holographic advertisements are a long way from here. This board seems to be something of a focal point for the settlement here and a small crowd of people is looking over it as a new batch of papers are nailed on, and some completed ones are taken down.

Simar slowly approaches the board. Keeping her ears open to any discussions being held around her. Just in case another common topic of discussion pops up. While doing so, she looks at the board of lost souls, she looks specifically for lost children, so she could maybe bring back joy into the house, or hut, of its parents, or sadness and closure by delivering bad news.

There are four posters up for missing children. Each of them seem to come from roughly the same slum neighborhood- the barracks building closest to the trash incinerator. Access to the forests and fields is also closest to that building, and you can see between both obstacles if there is some kind of predator within or outside of the camp, this is an opportunity for them.

Simar grabs one and stares at it for a moment. "I hope I can find you, little one." she thinks to herself, before walking towards the slum area, to find the children's parents. That way she hopes to get some more information that could be useful. Because if there is a predator, following its trail head over heels, that could mean certain death, something she wants to avoid.

(connect/cha)

(4)

There aren't streets here , there are few buildings and there is nothing in the way of organization. You find the child's father after several hours of looking- evidently slowing following him on his morning routine. The mid-day sun is high overhead and valuable time now gone by time you are able to corner him to talk near the well thought to have the cleanest of the water that's available.

Simar knows that she lost time, much of it. But still feels like it was necessary. She approaches the man with a neutral look on her face. "Greetings Mister." She shows him the picture. "This is yours right? I am trying to find it, and maybe solve the other cases of missing children as well. When did your child dissappear, where was it last seen? And what more information could you give me?" (edited)

Their child disappeared two nights ago. His son was last seen talking to another child friend down by the scrap pile where the kids sometimes play, since there’s nowhere else to put them. He likes bugs and plants and sometimes they’ve had to keep him from wandering off but he always comes home, except this time when he didn’t

All information lead to the trash pile, and the Trash Incinerator. So that was Simar's next destination. Not a pleasant thought to be actually digging through the dirt to look for more clues. But there was just no time for second thoughts. She lost enough time already. And if she doesn't want to entirely ruin the chances for the children, she has to be quicker now. So that is why she walks over to the trash pile to see what is going on there.

A group of seven children is playing some kind of rough game here where one child is on top of the pile, and all the others are trying to throw him down so they can be the new person on top. Most of them have a scrape or two, but their laughter is loud and they seem to be having fun with their game even if it is a bit rough.

With a smile on her face, Simar approaches the playing children. "Interesting game that you are playing here. Do you play here every day?"

One of them tumbles from the pile to land near your feet. He looks down at a knee that is bleeding from more than one scrape. Content to lay here for a minute until the pain goes away he nods once, in answer do your question.

Simar has a kind smile on her face as she kneels down and puts a bandaid onto the bleeding knee. "Do you know this one." She shows him the picture of the missing kid. "Where they playing here as well?"

"Yes. They didn't come yesterday though. Are they sick? "

Simar shakes her head. "No. Sadly they are not simply sick, but went missing. Where could they have run off to, or was there someone or something strolling around the area that shouldn't have been here? Anything that you saw that could be useful?" While asking that, she looks at the other kids as well, trying to see some changes in their facial expressions, anything that could hint that they know more than they are willing to openly share. Simar is not an investigator, but she is a witch. And from a long line of such, she knows how to read people. Telling fortunes is way more about reading other people than clairvoyance.

1

"The deer man. He was in the trees watching us play. I think he saw Lucas. "

7:22 AM

"We told Lucas not to look. but he kept looking at the deer man"

Simar stares at the child, with a mix of disbelief, curiosity, and fear. She doesn't want to outright believe this kid, but why should it lie to her? "Deer Man? What can you tell me about this deer man? Is it really like some animal person?"

"He stands. Like a man, but has horns and a face of a deer"

1

8:17 PM

(something like this)

(Oh my god!) Simar listens to the descriptions the kid gives her. They are horrific. But the fact that the people here would allow a creature like this to live so close by, was making her think that it might not be the whole truth. No one should be shunned without any real proof of guilt, no matter the looks. She would be the last to jump on any random conclusions. She looks at the kid. "Thank you for the information, your knee should be fine again, try to soften your landing next time." She says with a smile. Before walking in the direction where the deer man had been seen last. The people here seem to be okay with drinking water that is polluted by their own waste. So maybe they are okay with a monster taking their children away. But maybe, the deer man is just a poor creature without evil intent, that was driven into what it is now, by rejection. Maybe, just maybe, this being can be saved. And to find that out, she has to be alone. It was the most dangerous approach, but showing sympathy for a creature like that, might ruin her standing with the villagers immediatly. So if it was a children killing monster, she would need to retreat and get help. But if it was just a poor creature that needs help and guidance, that would be something only she alone could give. She knew, that once she reaches the forest, she might get her first answer.

(survive/wis )

(3)

1

Tracking the creature is proving difficult as you enter the fields, and the more you think on it, it seems the children may have seen some kind of ghoul juvenile. Many fled into the woods as it became clear their regime was falling, and trying to round them up on their home turf has met with mixed results. The woods are dimly lit, and are home to all manner of beasts and plants. You might end up finding potion reagents here while you track if you keep your head. Of your quarry, there is no sign. (edited)

Simar shakes her head. "That is bad, if I die here recklessly, nobody will be saved, no child and no villager." She thinks to herself. "Maybe I need a tracker, but there is one thing I can do first." She looks at the ground, looking for potion ingredients, and something else. After just a bit of looking she finds the skeletal remains of a small animal. It isn't necessary, but makes the following a bit easier as Simar can more easily focus on what she is doing. She grabs the skeleton, her eyes turn white as she focuses on one question. Did a child die at the hands of a ghoul within the last 24 hours? She crushes the skeleton in her hand as she focuses on receiving an answer to the question. (commiting one effort to use Interrogate The Past, the core technique of Postcognition)

A child had its life force consumed in the area within the past 24 hours.

"That is not good." She thinks to herself. "There might not be a happy end, neither for the children, nor for the ghouls. But I can't approach them on my own. It is simply too dangerous. There is also no time to waste on looking for herbs here. I need to return to the village and rally a large enough group, so at least some children can be saved. Oh well, will I lead a group of peasants with pitchforks and torches now?" With all that coming clear and her inability to track the Ghoul hideout, she tries to get back to the village quickly. On her way she will think about ways how she gets enough people to follow her into the dangerous forest.

Your return to the settlement is noticed but not remarked on. By now news that someone from the Protectorate is here has been spreading but no one has really formed an opinion about your visit just yet.

5:37 AM

The work of daily life continues on here, people just trying to stay alive for another day until things get better.

Simar would go to something like a market place, some place with enough people passing by and enough people in range to hear her. She would climb onto some crate or anything that would make her stick out, but without putting her hat on. She doesn't want pitchforks pointed at her just now. Simar starts to talk in her loudest voice, almost shouting. "People of this village, please listen to me! I need your help. There are monsters lurking the nearby forest. Monsters of your past. And while weapons and guards may keep them at bay, they won't protect the weakest links of this society, the children. They have abducted them, taken them away. How long will it be until your kid is the next on their menu? And what comes after the children? Their hunger will not cease, instead they will grow stronger and attack. All we do and achieve here, will be in vain! I even witnessed how the life force of one child was consumed by an evil ghoul. We will only find the corpse of that poor child. But at least we can bring it home, where it can rest for all eternity. But there are still some to be saved. But we can't waste any time. Gather! Bring weapons, bring light. We will purge this forest and save what is to be saved. When the sun comes up the next time. No evil will be left alive, they will all meet the fate they deserve!" "Reading the literature about witch hunts of the past, at least comes in handy now..."

1

(lead/cha)

(5 the rolls don't like me)

1

The crowd is listening with a lukewarm opinion before the children from the playground and the missing child's parents make their way to the square, pulled in by the commotion. Their child is gone, and the children saw the juvenile ghoul. There are monsters in the woods, and the Protectorate has sent an agent to lead the people against them. Weapons are passed out, a mix of guns and tools being used as weapons. The mob is ready, they await you to lead them, and you sense they'll do whatever it takes to make their area safe. Many suffered first hand at the ghouls machinations, and this is both a chance for revenge, and a justified reason to vent their frustrations.

Simar leads them to the forest, relying on some of the villagers to find the tracks of the ghouls. And while she stays close to the front, she makes sure to have at least one or two people in front of her. Just in case.

Torches, glowbugs and phone lights illuminate the darkening forest and it is not long before both prints, and the impression of a child's shoe is found just deeper in from where you'd abandoned your own tracking attempts. There is also a thin trail of blood, and broken branches show where something big has pushed through the undergrowth at speed.

"Over there! you see that? Hurry, hurry all. Save what is still to be saved. Kill what must be killed. For your own safety." Simar points in the direction of the trail and moves forward to get there.

The villagers fan out into the woods, and a few tracking dogs begin to scent something. The trail winds through the woods to some distant foothills that the locals say is riddled with caves and other natural rock formations.

"Follow the dogs!" Simar says, pointing in the general direction where the caves would be. "They might smell the children as well, and help us get to them faster. Every second we save means a higher chance to save at least one kid."

The dogs begin circling some caves in the foorhills after another half our of frantic looking around and growling. Inside you can see the bodies of several unfortunate travelers, all drained of life. The missing child is among them as are three ghouls who have regained much of their strength from feasting. (initiative. Going to count the locals as a very big angry mob, which should make this fight both easier and mechanically safer for you)

(2, I am both excited and afraid!)

(you, ghoul, mob, and the ghouls are 10m from you, just designate 1, 2 or 3 when you attack!)

Simar grabs her Laser Pistol and trains it at one of those ghouls. Her Hands are shaky, shooting is nothing she ever does. She drew her pistol before, but never had to actually use it. Just pulling it was enough to deter folk that wanted to attack her for being a witch. But this here was different. Luckily tho, the masses that want to see those ghouls dead push her forward. They make her shoot, so she does. (16/1 at Ghoul number One)

Your shot doesn't seem to hurt it much, but you do hit it and you see the large black burn on its body. The three ghouls tear into the mob, slashing with their claws and biting with their large fangs. A few of the mob fall and the ghouls are exultant in slaughter, laughing and baying as the blood dabbles their body- once more the pinnacle of hunters and predators. The mob responds. Their blood is up, they are headless of casualties and you can see the Ghoul you wounded being dragged down below the side of angry locals- a pitchfork cutting into its chest, another its neck. Someone with a harvesting scythe forces it to its knees and it is swiftly beheaded by a kitchen knife in the hands of the local butcher.

7:26 AM

(back to you, two ghouls left)

Simar is still shaking, and the violence around her makes her panic. But there is no running, without the villagers she will die in these woods. And they might need her to be patched together again. So she stays, aims at another Ghoul, and shoots. (17/4 on ghoul 2)

Acting as shot caller of a sort for the rest of the mob, your blow wounds another. The ghouls surge through the mob. You see the butcher dashed to the ground and stomped into a flattened organic wreck for his overkill of their friend. Others are wounded, and once again the mob surges around you to overwhelm a second ghoul. The creature is graphically taken apart, and the mod slowly moves to surround the lone survivor, a wall of farming tools and makeshift weapons gradually growing tighter around it.

With the fight becoming quite a mess, Simar has a hard time actually aiming at the last remaining Ghoul. But she called all those poor souls there, now she has to give it her best to end this fight. (12/1)

The end of the fight is inglorious and brutal. The villagers quickly overwhelm the ghoul as your laser shot goes wide and he fares worse than his companions, as the locals take their time venting their frustrations on him. Quiet falls over the clearing as the ghouls are dispatched, and a few of the locals enter the cave to begin the process of recovering their dead from inside.

Simar stares at the scene. It is gruesome, right, and all her fault. Standing right in the mess, of dead people or parts thereof, she looks around if someone was injured that needed immediate care. She just didn't want to walk over to one of those caves just now. The parents have every right to be alone with what was left of their children. At least for the first moment of grief.

1

There are many injuries among the group. Some are minor, some are going to need more immediate attention and it is clear there are no experts at handling a situation like this among the crowd. For their part, no one blames you for the deaths. The ghouls could have easily come for any of them next, and with this local infestation destroyed, they're all safer thanks to the sacrifices their friends have made. They seem to be a bit warmer towards you now for discovering this and bringing some closure to a pressing community mystery.

2

1

9:00 AM

(3xp, 5000 credits)

Level 1 -> 2
Old HP 6
New HP 7

AB 0 -> 1

New Focus: Psychic Training LvL 2

Skill Points 3 + 1 (PT)
Biopsion 0->1 (2SP)
  New Technique: Master Succor (0SP)
Postcognition 0->1 (2SP)
  New Technique: Locate (0SP)

(That should be correct)

5:33 AM

Credit Log
Credits 25 -> 5025 (Level UP)

XP Log
3XP Eliminating Ghouls on Yauvani (EP)

Mission Count
EP:1

Pretech 1 (Could this please be pinned?) (edited)

Simar realizes that the village has no medic, no healer, no nothing. But she is. Both a worldly one, with her medpack, as well as something else, with her witchcrafty abilities. She walks through the rows of the fallen to Triage them real quick. Those with minor injuries could come in during the coming days. Those with more threating injuries should be transported to, well was there actually some kind of house prepared for her? No time think. Lives need to be saved. "Those I mark with a violet dot on their shoulders need to be carried or at least supported on their way back. Bring them into the same house. I claim that as my little hospital. I know that space is tight and all that. But if you want to see those people walk among you again, they need treatment. I can offer such treatment. If someone has a better plan, feel free to tell me." "So much pain, so much death." Simar is sadned and feels pain for everyone that is beyond saving. But if there was someone who was mortally wounded, unable to reach the village alive, she would make an exception and use her powers to bring them back immediately." (Thanks to Master Succor, Simar can bring back even mortally wounded people, without the use of effort.)

Nekosmash pinned a message to this channel. 1/28/2022 7:18 AM

(I don't think they'd have an objection to putting them in the same place back at the village, and anyone here who wasn't making it back will now)

Back in the village Simar is ready to skip sleeping for now and treat all the wounded that need immediate care. Either with real world medical skills, or others. Once she provided help to as many as she could, she would find a place to sleep, and pass out. Once she wakes up again, she tries to find those in charge of the village again. Those that welcomed her last day.

The appointed mayor, and two of his aldermen are waiting for you. You recognize one of the aldermen from the fight, who fought fiercely to bring down a ghoul. They remember you for tracking the creature and are eager to hear what you have to say.

Simar looks tired as she approaches the group. "I am sorry that I dragged you all into that. I did have hope that we can save one of the children at least. But in the end the families get closure to this mess and can mourn their losses. And the village is a bit saver than it was before. Had there been Ghoul attacks onto the village before, or was there an absence of this after the war was over?"

"After the war ended any of the surviving ghouls fled into the wilderness with their closest human collaborators. A big attack would have brough them too much attention. Same with a large scale raid. What they did here, pick off a few and then try to leave, that's more or less what we expect they're going to be doing until we manage to hunt them all down"

Simar nods. "Sounds logical, yeah. So for now we aren't necessarily safe. As we develop and work on making this settlement better, couldn't we set up some perimeter? Like couldn't we order some wildlife control system from the Protectorate, and put those into the trees a good distance inside of the forest? That way we would get some alert if something too big gets to close to the village. And while one could act on it, one could also more freely enter the the forest area on this side of the Perimeter to gather herbs, berries, firewood, and whatever else a forest can give us for our projects. Wouldn't that be a good thing to consider?"

"It would be. We couldn't risk it before with the woods being so dangerous. They still might be, but we have the room now to be able to try. You seem good at organizing, if you have any contacts or experience doing things like this, we could use you"

She laughs a bit before slightly shaking her head. "Those contacts I don't have, and I have also no experience in this." After a prolonged second, she shrugs and her eyes give the mayor a challenging look. "But should that hinder us? Most of what we will do, will be new to most of us. We have the Protectorate and whatever they can offer. But I don't see a weakness in you, your village, or this world. I see so many chances, and so many willing people that just, just need a purpose. I could ask for such wildlife control sensor, camera things to be delivered here, then we build something like a perimeter of security with it. I can organize and plan that out, I'll get that done. And then we tackle other daring problems, like the waste pollution of the water that you people drink and bath in. And I, if I stay longer." She reaches out with her hand. "Together, we will make sure you get a new future, a better one."

1

(There is a perimeter alarm and wildlife repellent bombs that can be requested. Those items are both in Distant Lights )

(So, I read Distant Lights. Um. I guess I need to use my whole expense account on Perimeter Alarms. So the repellent would be hunters and a militia. Using 10k Credits on the Alarms, would mean that a circular area of 2km diameter could be protected. Would that be enough for the settlement and some area around it?)

(oh for sure, that's a good enough warning for now)

8:17 AM

(2km is a good distance to travel even by car, so the village will have some warning )

(I would imagine too the Protectorate will authorize more money or just give this to you. You're helping them get this planet ready for them to set up)

(yeah, take a bit more money if you need more for the Planet.)

(great, then let us increase the radius to 4km in diameter. And we could add some repellent bombs for remote repellent of animal. With the bigger radius, farming could be easier as well, and after the ghouls are all gone, animals won't get to the crops either. How would I have to order all that, and how long would it take to get here?)

(Ten days, five for the message to reach Heras and then five for a ship to get here carrying it . So we can do other missions in the area while it’s coming. Or if your ideas need the stuff to be here already we can just say the time passes)

Simar sends her a order to the Protectorate and then looks up again. "Sorry for the wait, I just ordered new shoes, and some repellent and a perimeter system. But it will take a while until we get what we need. Until then, we should do something else. The waste problem. Um, would you accompany me as we walk to where the waste gets into the water?"

“Of course. We can take a tour. While we do can you tell us about your life in the Protectorate?” They begin to stand, moving away from the table you’ve all been planning around

Simar gets up and walks alongside them. "My life? That is nice of you." She looks at them again. "Ohh, you mean life in the Protectorate, generally." She trots along them towards the waste problem and talks. "It is a fine place. You can be who you want to be. And while the core worlds are a bit less wild now, and resemble more of the past, before the scream, the rim worlds are, well, still wild, at least if you listen to the news. But one thing that is true for all worlds, is that the Protectorate really cares for its people and planets. Really making sure that they have a good life. Yeah I know, you might feel a tad rejected still, and then instead of a Transportship full of high ranked officials, you get me. But that is how it goes, first the tendrills to root, and then the EP tree comes and makes sure you have a good life." "The way I see it, they also only grow when the rest is under control. So no imperialists or something. I mean, not more than is good for them. I like being a citizen. The leadership seems to be up front. And you will soon see that you got the better future. I mean Yauvani and Urreture had no real choice. But still, you did end up with the better result. Is there anything specific you'd like to know?"

"How about things for you, when yo're not here helping us, or doing what the government asks of you, what's your normal day like? Do you find yourself dealing with the government a lot? Are there restrictions on things you can do?"

8:06 AM

"We know the Protectorate is here, and we would be crazy to try to shake them off, but we want to be prepared for what might be coming '

"Me?" Simar points at herself. And there is a short pause. She didn't want to reveal what she is, but it might be helping in building trust between the people here and the Protectorate. "Well. You know. I am a professional Witch. Yeah, with a hat and all that. Some potion here and there. Some fortune telling. Some of it is fake, some of it is real. And while some people are not liking that fact. Or talk down on me and whatnot. The Protectorate never was a problem in this. I can do whatever I want as long as nobody gets hurt. And even moreso, my talents where acknowledged, that is why I was sent here." "Fuck it, lets go one step further right away." "I am also not here to just help you. There are gifted people. Some of them little children. And in times like these, on worlds like this. They might be hidden away. Not talked about, because people are afraid. But the result is damage that can't be repaired again, and a risk for all involved where there should actually just be joy and gratefulness. So I, on my own account, am looking for those that need guidance, to bring them to where they can get the best training to live the life they deserve. So, I am relatively free, and you will be too. The Protectorate enables you, not hinders you."

1

This news and admission seems to soften some of the harder hearts amount the crowd. They'll do whatever it takes to build this settlement into something btter than it was. There is a well on the camp grounds, and a spring nearby where water is drawn from, and you can see already the trash pile near it probably runs into the water every time it rains.

Simar scratches her head and points at the trash pile. "So that is neither good waste management, nor recycling or whatever else one should do. That is a hazard on so many levels. We need to get the waste out of the water and at the same time that waste over there, needs to be distanced from this water source. Then we need to sort the waste, see what might be reusable or able to be recycled. And everything that stays waste, can be burned. Although it would be best to use some specialised facility for this where we would end up with some electricity for the stuff we burn, and less polutants in the air. But right now, we need to make sure that no one ends up drinking or bathing in poluted water. So, shall we pick up some waste? I can try to organize that endeavor if you get me a few more helping hands. So we don't end up with an uncontrollable fire or something like that. You know, witches react allergic to fire." She ends with a laugh.

(lets get a lead/cha as we organize the townsfolk !)

(7! Seems like they only help because of last night

)

With some identifiable issues brought to the attention of the locals, and the danger to their water source now something they're safe enough to want to work without danger from the woods keeping them timid. A labor army of a sort is beginning to turn out, waiting for instructions on what you want them to do with what is pulled from the pile. No one is sure what might be lurking under all that mess.

"Oh shit. Someone call the waste manager! Oh well, I am the only one here to guide them." Simar steps forward to the wasty mess. "At first, get the stuff out of the water that is already in there. And some people, please come to me, we carry the rest a bit away and sort it on arrival. But be careful to not be cut or otherwise hurt."

(d100!)

(99!)

Most of the junk here is entirely useless. You do find one small pre-scream trinket here. Its original function is known and useless now, but you do manage to salve a unit of pretech from it. As the day drags on the first of the solid waste is moved further away. Some of the metals can be reclaimed and two men in town have already taken it upon themselves to repurpose the former cremation furnaces into something like a rudimentary forge. The organic waste is toxic and will be burned.

(Yay!!) Simar approaches the leaders again. "Um, that toxic stuff. Please make sure that the children stay away from it, and we need to make sure that the wind isn't blowing all the toxic gasses back into the town. But I want to thank you for supporting all this. It will still take some time until we are finished with the waste problem, I guess, it will take until the Perimeter devices arrive. I hope I don't ask for too much with all of this?"

(I think we've done what we can do here outside of scouting for more resources, or moving on to another community. The three immediate dangers are either solved or are about to be)

8:15 AM

(and i know you're gearing up for the big negotiations)

(gearing up? I hope it is only words, not gunfire, but who knows.

And yeah this village seems to be in a good position now. So we could move on to the next one. I don't know when the ISF negotiation will kick off or if it will be out of time or something. So if it is still a few days, then I could look into the troubles of some other village. Or visit one of the abandoned facilities to see if they could be somewhat of use to the local population. But only if there are like security people with her, as she is still just a nice witch who is bad at fighting.)

)a couple marines from the ship that brought you here could go with you. We could try to find another place to help )

(Would there be a ruin or lost factory or other complex to be explored. I am thinking about a power plant or something like that. Something that might be helpful for many villages, settlements and cities. If you know what I mean)

(Not close to this camp but there are other settlements that are closer to cities )

(then let's see how we can help another settlement!)

Heading north you move into a small city known as Foothold, where the locals are doing what they can to rebuild. You can tell from the amount of smoke that fire is replacing electricity for heat and power here, and you can see the ruins of a power plant on the edge of town. From above you can tell that the ghouls must have done something to it intentionally when it looked like they were going to lose the war. It looks bombed out and in need of some dedicated service to get it working again,.

"That plant is definetly worth a visit. But at first I guess I should see how the people here fare, and what I can do to make them accept me. News travel slowly on a devastated world." Simar leaves her quarters, that she has only been to to take a prolonged shower after the wasty experience before. On the bridge she turns to the captain. "I guess we should land slightly outside of the village, not too far tho, I don't want to walk that far, and I guess they won't expect danger from an approaching ship. But still, I wouldn't feel comfortable landing in their city centre. It wouldn't be the first impression that I would like to do."

"Of course. Looks like a much larger settlement, but those abandoned buildings and the ruins around the city center look dangerous. Might be things hiding there. Do you want an escort while you're on the ground? "

"See that is why I would be dead if I flew here alone. I don't see the dangers down there. But yes, if you think there could be dangers lurking down there, then I defenitely wan't some security with me down there. Maybe two or three? I don't want people to run away from us because they think we might be a raiding party. So please don't land too far away, so we don't have to run forever if there is a need to flee." "Dangers. Dangers everywhere. Maybe I need to explore my abilities a bit more. Maybe there is something in me that is capable of giving both, protective and offensive capabilities." Simar would look at the pictures of the area below her until the ship sets down. This is when she would prepare to leave the ship, with her small security force at her side.

(if you want equipment from the locker or armory let me know, they'll send 3 marines with you)

(no. At least I can't think of anything that I would need. Bigger guns won't make me hit better, and wouldn't be fitting RP wise. Same as more armor. So I am fine as I am)

Three marines wearing combat field uniforms and armed with combat rifles emerge from the ship's hold, ready to escort you into the city streets. The ramp lowers, and the sunlight outside begins flooding in. Dust hangs in the air from the ruined masonry all around you, though it seems like the locals have policed the ghoul and human bodies left behind when the city was liberated by combined EP and UNW forces. There is not much of a peace keeper presence here now, as conflicts elsewhere have stretched the armies of both polities thin.

Simar, for the sake of being less of a target, and to not loose it, left her hat back in the ship once again. She walks down the ramp, with her Laser Pistol holstered visibly. She doesn't like guns, but there is a need for it here. The dust gives her a weird feeling in mouth and nose as she stands there looking at the remains of this city. She kneels down and draws symbols into the ground. Simar then collects enough dust, sand, and soil to have a handful of it and then focuses on it. Her eyes turn black as she tries to find answers that aren't out in the open, but are hidden in the past. "Have there been Ghouls here within the last three days? Have there been humans here within the last week?" (Interrogate the Past Level 1 used for each question. 2 Effort used.)

There have been ghouls here within the last 3 days. There have been humans here within the last week

Simar turns to her guards. "There has been...." She runs her fingers along the ground again. "There has been some Ghoul activity here during the last days. But humans are still here." She breathes in audibly. "I smell danger. So we should be on guard. Let us try to get to the settlement and check their status."

(would we want to approach stealthily? or openly? )

(stealthily, if we get seen by normal populace Simar will find ways to explain. But stealthily would be good.)

(okie doke, lets get a sneak/dex so I've got a DC to oppose if i need it)

(5, I guess it was helpful to not put on the witchy hat.)

You are stopped five blocks from the inhabited area by the sounds of a high output engine buzzing through the streets. Four grav bikes with human riders, each also with a passenger round the corner to your left, 50m away. They spread out to block the street and are beginning to slow, the lead driver holding up a hand to bring the formation to a slow

Simar raises a hand of herself, but not to signal her small group to stop, but to wave at the human riders. "HEY THERE!" She yells loud enough to get through the noise of the engines and to cover the distance. "WE ARE FROM THE PROTECTORATE. ASSESSMENT AND REBUILDING. WHO ARE YOU?"

The engines begin powering down as the bikes stop 5m from you. The riders remove dust goggles and helmets before their faces are visible and there is enough noise for them to speak back to you. "Good morning, welcome to Yauvani I suppose, or what's left of it. We're the local street patrol, we saw your ship come in and went out to investigate"

Simar walks closer to them, so she can speak without yelling at them. "Oh hey! Thank you. We are, I am, well, we are the first wave of the Protectorate to help getting rid of the 'what's left of it part' and make it, 'Welcome to Yauvani, an Elysium at the Protectorates borders!'. If you know what I mean. We are coming from another village, that, thanks to our support, is already doing a bit better, and is a bit more save. I am no wizard, only a witch, so I can tackle only a problem at a time. So why don't you tell me more about the settlement that was once named Foothold? What is going on here right now?"

He nods for one of the others to take his bike back to the central hub with them, and he states he will walk with you. Once the noise of the bikes goes away, he begins taking a deep breath. "Hoiw much do you know about the Ghoul occupation?"

She makes a gesture that signals that she does only know a little bit about it. "Just what was in the news. Ghouls terrorizing these worlds, and doing things that are, were, unbelievably nightmarish. And I wasn't even here, just saw the news. But yeah. You surely know more than I am. So feel free to give me a wrap up, and most importantly, how do the people here do right now? Oh and thanks for taking the time to walk us."

“We got most of them. But we didn’t get all of them. The leftovers come at night when we are not careful and now and again someone gets carried off. It’s less often now and we kill then whenever we can find them .

5:33 PM

But we have a lot of rebuilding to do. The ghouls did not build , they just kept this place as a feeding pen for humans”

Simar walks along and listens carefully. "Is there a way to up the protection against them? Or to lure them into a trap? Like, I and a few others, easy looking targets, go on an expedition. We camp out at night. But while we do, we are tailed by enough firepower to take out the sure to come Ghoul ambush. They will follow their instinct. And half a dozen campers will surely attract most of what is left from them. And once we got those, I guess, we have an easier time focusing on the rebuilding. One shouldn't live walled in, or be afraid to be eaten at night."

“It’s been tried but they’re getting smart. We have been working on building up the area so much that they run out of places to hide or have to work very hard to get in- and it might make them find food elsewhere “

"I like that approach, but I do see a problem there. There might be less gifted people around. So far they don't look tasty enough for the Ghouls, but once this place is to dangerous for them and they move on, they will get to those less fortunate. And they might die, all of them. Feels like doing the right and wrong thing at the same time.." Simar is silent for a moment until she turns to the Ranger again. "Those Ghouls, they work together, right? If they get something, human or whatnot, they carry it to their hideout, where they than do their horrific stuff with them, right?"

"So far they seem to be working together. They had their differences when they were in charge of the planet but you can overlook a lot of problems you have with people when not working together means starving to death. It is not that much different than what they did to us" he says, kicking a small rock inadvertently with the toe of his boot.

Simar, with a smile on her face, grabs the small stone and gets a pen out of her and writes 'Simar's Stone' onto the stone. "You know, I am a professional witch, I can do tricks, but I am really gifted as well. I can do more than fooling people." She hands him the stone. "Hide it, throw it somewhere, whatever, I will find it, I close my eyes for a moment, so you get to test me."

He looks at the stone for a minjute and then for you to close your eyes just to make sure you are serious. With all of his might he throws the stone behind a nearby berm and you can hear it skipping over debris before it comes to a rest out of visual sight

She smiles at the Ranger. "Allow me to demonstrate." She grabs a stick and draws a number of sigils onto the ground, then kneels down and touches the ground. Her eyes go completely black as she focuses on the stone. In her head she describes it in detail, with the added phrase that 'Simar's Stone' is written on it, to make sure she doesn't locate any stone. And then tries to get drawn to its position. (Effort used for: Locate: Level- 1 Commit effort as a main action. The psychic can describe an object and this technique will allow the user to have an awareness of the location of said object. This awareness lasts until dawn the next day. The object must be described well, as the technique will locate what matches the caster’s description of it. That may not align with the appearance of the object itself. )

You sense the stone resting under a small pile of cloth and wooden rubble from a home nearby.

Simar looks around and tries to locate said house.

The house is at the end of the block. The soldier has quite an arm. You'll have to remember that if you need something heavy moved.

Simar stares at the soldier in disbelief.. "You really put everything you have into the throw. But okay, fair enough I wanted to demonstrate this. We need to go over there, last house of the block." That said, Simar moves forward. Thrilled to show that she can locate anything she wishes. And then tell them her plan on how to use that.

The soldier looks on in amazement as you do something that seems entirely unnatural in finding a stone he threw away, thinking you would never find it.

Simar doesn't stop grinning as she reaches the house and looks for the cloth and wood to further hunt for the stone. "See, I can do that with most things. I just need to have a perfect image of the object in my head. And I would like to use that ability to locate the remaining Ghouls here, and get rid of them for good, so they don't just move on when this city is protected and then, hunt down weaker targets. Nobody should live in fear. All we need is to set up a trap, at which end they carry of an item that I can locate. It can be pretty much anything, which makes it way better than some technology. But first, let me find that stone, it must be somewhere here."

"I've got an idea on that, but we're going to need to do some digging if its going to work" He says, looking at the large buiuldings around you

"Digging? What is important is that the Ghouls want to have the item, or don't know that they have it, and that they don't destroy it, or change it. I thought about feeding a goat a marble and then, you know, somehow making sure the Ghouls get the Goat, the animal would be forever remembered as a hero." Simar says while making her final fishes for the stone.

"We think we have something better, something we know they're not going to resist taking. We found one of their labs close by, with the machjines they used to rend people down into life essence inside. We can excavate the entry, and plant your item, and then make it look like we're abandoning the area. The ghouls will be by, then we can see where they are nesting"

"That is a pretty good idea." She finally grabs the stone. "Tada! So. I could make a big show out of it, buut, in times like these I just wanted to have some fun and prove to you that I am able to locate things, wherever they may hide. Instead of planting my item there, we could also visit that lab, see what they might be taking with them, and prepare that item so I can locate it. The most important thing is, they need to want to have said item. More importance means a more important member of theirs takes the item, which will lead to me locating the heart of their hideout. Then we can devise a plan on how to end this thread, with the least casualties on our side. I am no friend of violence, but I rather am really violent when that means I don't have to patch together a few dozen people afterwards."

(what he's saying is that machine is something they're going to really want, so if you can prepare it the same way and track it, it's going to remove a lot of the guess work from your plan)

As she hears the explanation, she starts to nod and says. "Ohhhh, now I understand. Sure, yes, that can be done. This thread will be a thing of the past soon. I guess we can continue our walk and, well, I am in on the lab machine thing that makes human slush... Uh, um, s s sorry, that was inaproriate. The horrors of this whole thing, I try to like not see them as they are, but nicer? Sorry. Yes we can, like." She facepalms and hopes that their guide just shows mercy and continues with their tour through the ruins of the place.

"If you can't laugh about it, you're going to cry about it. I tell everyone who will listen" he says. You are walked through the town gates to a bustling settlement of tens of thousands of people. They're living in a much reduced area now, trying to expand and reclaim more of the city as it becomes safer. You see it is a gradual process and people are doing what they can to keep their lives moving.

"How many people live here now?" Simar asks as she looks at the many people who try to build themselves a new future, but ultimately give it their all to just, survive.

"Tens of thousands. Getting an actual count is almost impossible right now without computers or enough spare people to count the others"

"Makes sense. But it gives me a feeling for the scale, and the problems. But I guess for now we should focus on giving these people the safety they need, by getting rid of the ghouls. When do we plan to excavate the lab? Tomorrow? Today?"

"The longer we wait, the longer it takes for us to be safe. You're not doing anything else today, are you?" he asks, looking around at the shadows of tall buildings around you

"I could tell a fortune, or two, depending on if we have coffee or bones, or nice looking hands. I could even tell yours, by reading the bits of fluff from the pockets of your jacket. Aside from that, I am all in for making this place a safer one. With all that I have available." Simar grins as she says this, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

(I think the plan right now would be heading into town, this guy rallying a few followers and maybe a heavier vehicle, and then we head out there)

(that sounds like a good plan, and Simar could also help rallying a few followers, if just to make sure that she doesn't get hurt in the end.)

(connect/cha, lets tie the scnee together here)

(10!)

Upon being taken into town the patrolman makes his report, and an h our passes as you're introduced to higher and higher level of local official until you're in front of the mayor himself. The plan is laid out and he can assign six patrolmen and an explorer vehicle to go with you to begin your plan. Once the ghouls location is found and some idea of the resistance and layout of the place is determined, he promises additional forces.

Simar dearly thanks the mayor before returning to the Ranger who led her here. "So, we got six and a vehicle. I guess we are ready to go to the lab."

“Seems that way” everyone agrees and they begin filing out into the large exploration vehicle.

7:04 PM

There is a selection of supplies on board and everyone is waiting on the word to go, you nominally in charge of the mission

Simar looks at them, and then raises her voice. "Hey you all. Thank you for joining this endeavor. I don't know how dangerous it will be, or will not be. I guess the more careful we are, the less risk is involved. While this is somewhat my idea, and the one of this Ranger guy next to me, I am not a military person, so, if you feel like I am doing some big mistakes, don't hesitate to tell me, I won't turn you into a frog. Well. If this is all said and done, this planet will be one step saver than it was before. And your loved ones can sleep soundly at night. And it will be less problematic to expand the city, with no ghouls to worry about." Simar stops for a moment, then nods. "Yeah, I guess that was all, so, uh, if there are no further questions, lets head to the lab, to do some digging."

The vehicle begins moving and heads to the end of town on its north side where the ruins of a lab and several large apartment blocks have all fallen in on one another. Grim faced men and women grab picks and shovels from the tool rack, preparing to exit the vehicle to begin digging.

"This was a big thing once." Simar says both in disgust and awe. After a short moment of looking she grabs whatever tool is left and helps with the excavation. "I might not be as fast as you are. But every help is some help, I, uh, I guess."

There is a pick left over for you as the team begins moving into the ruins, trying to avoid sticking out pieces of rebar and other hazards in the area, searching for a place to break ground and get to work.

In a neutral saddened voice she asks. "Was any of you put into this Lab, back then when it was still active?"

Everyone who passed through the doors was killed in one horrific way or another is what you learn based on the answers you get. People knew where the place was though, roughly, as it towered over the buildings and homes around it, reminding them their world was not their own anymore, and they were no longer the top of the food chain.

9:03 AM

A shovel clinks metal after an hour of digging and there is a triumphant shout.

"What is it?" Simar asks, as she instantly turns towards the sound. "Are we in?"

"Someone found something! Come quick!" you hear from inside the rubble pile, just out of sight.

Simar rushes over to see what they found.

There is a small chute that reminds you of something used to dump coal into a cellar but sunlight illuminates the large room below. This was a vaulted ceilings when it was above ground and you can see some of the ghouls machinery on the distant floor below.

5:37 PM

One of the men lights a torch and throws it down while others ready ropes

Simar sighs, she was never one that loved climbing much. But what had to be done, had to be done. So she waits for the ropes to be readied, and for the first ones to climb down, before she herself joins them. Curious to see what is down there. But also afraid of the horrors that might await her.

(notice/wis)

(3)

You don't see anything in the darkness below. Surely the ghouls must have left some kind of presence here. You see some kind of atrium below, where before it was buried there would have been facility access

"So dark in here! Maybe we find a light switch down there. Does anyone of you have a lamp?" Simar asks as she descends further towards the atrium.

A floater lamp is deployed by one of the locals, illuminating the quiet room with stark white floodlight. A large set of open doors leads deeper into the facility, along with this ruined atrium.

Once she reaches the ground she points at the doors and moves forward. "I guess we need to go deeper to find what we need." But before going too far, she kneels down and touches the ground. "Has a ghoul walked through this Atrium in the last week?" (Commiting Effort to get this answered.) Simar is mostly certain that there is nothing alive down here, but going from mostly certain to certain is something she desires.

This ruin was buried and ghouls have not visited in the last week.

"Let us move on. But I guess we should be looking out for defensive mechanisms, even tho I think there aren't any if they thought they were so superior."

“They’d have come in here an awful lot too. Would be like laying traps in your own house” one of the patrolmen points out. Two men race forward to the doors, weapons up, waiting for a third to come and breach the main doors leading into the workshop. On the surface, the other half of the unit is putting on a show they hope ghoul lookouts will see, making sure their voices carry and exclaiming how they cannot believe they found ghoul technology here. Back below, The doors are pushed open roughly and you can see two deactivated culler bots and four life pods in the room beyond, along with breached tanks of what was once their chemical fuel

"What a disgusting place." Simar says as she walks towards the room, she then stops abruptly and points at the bots. "What do these do? Are they dangerous? Are they necessary for the Ghouls?"

The robots here are pot belled, with long rending claws used for spearing humans or humanoids. Once grabbed, they would be fed into the guts of the robots where about the bodies would be mulched and infused into some kind of life sustaining fuel for the ghouls. The ghouls would lay in these pods for a short time every week at intervals to get their injections, and were functionally immortal as long as the steady source of life fuel could be injected. .

Simar gets pale as she listens to the explanations. "So, so, you think if they were to take stuff out of here, it would definitely be the bots and pods, so they could restart their immortality system?"

“That’s what we think. So if you’ve got a way to mark them and then we make a lot of noise on the surface this might all tell us where they’re hiding “

Simar nods and walks towards one of the bots. With some distance she looks for a screwed on pannel that would allow to put something inside of the bot, with the possibility to prevent easy access for the Ghouls by destroying the screw head after closing it again.

You're able to find a panel to pop off fairly easily on the back side of the potbellied robot.

Simar draws a complicated sign onto the inside of the panel and screws it back on, destroying the screw heads. After doing so she focuses on this specific panel, to be able to locate it. (Commiting one Effort to be able to Locate this Panel everywhere) "I should be able to find this bot everywhere. Is there anything we should destroy here? Anything the Ghouls should by no means get to not get an advantage in the coming attack?"

"I think if we do they're going to suspect a trap, or wonder why some things were left intact and others were not. Better not to take the risk"

"See, that is why I am with you guys here. Okay. I can locate the bot. And once they have that in their hiding space, they will start hunting for people I guess. So we should be quick on an attack I guess. So my part in here is done. I am ready to leave this place when you are. And once all of this is over, I guess we should blow it up, like destroy it forever."

"We'll have to talk to the engineers at the settlement, or maybe the Protectorate could bring in a large bomb to do it"

"Maybe. But I am also focussing too much on getting rid of these bad memories, while the actual focus should be, how we defeat the ghouls quickly and without loosing anyone. And without destroying infrastructure that could still be needed in the rebuilding process. But I guess we can only really devise a plan when we know where the hideout is. And I will find it."

(I think we've done what we can down here, the challenging part of the mission is really going to be what comes afer this)

(Yeah. I am ready for that. So we would leave the place and wait until she feels the object moving.)

(anytihng you want to do in the settlement while we wait the few hours for things to happen? )

As they enter the settlement for the first time, she looks around, see what condition the people are in. And how they go about their daily activities. Thinking about ways to lighten up their day.

The people here are hard working, but dirty and you get the idea sickness might become a problem soon if something is not done to bring them better quality food, and restore hygiene services. They've done well to make a place they can defend, and there seems to be some semblance of law and order here even without much in the way of passing Protectorate peacekeepers. These people have survived the unsurvivable, learned to manage themselves, and have crafted a new social order out of a ruin.

Simar is impressed by the sheer will of this people, to drag themselves out of unthinkable depths. But she is also worried about what might happen if hygiene and health aren't addressed properly. But those problems might be solvable, and she could be a driving force in them. But not before the Ghouls were dealt with. And one other thing seems to be amiss in this settlement as well, happiness. Laughter and joy. All of them eaten up by the despair of these hard times. So she looks for a group of children and gets her playing cards out. While she possesses true psychic abilities, her mother and grandmother did not. But as they still traveled fairs and the like, as witches. She has learned many tricks that don't need more than quick fingers and some good human perception. Reading some of the other species was quite a challenge, even for skilled artists. If she would find a group of children, she would do some tricks. With them maybe even attracting others. All for the sole purpose of bringing some magic into their lives, and for a moment, make them forget where they are right now,

You see a group of children playing in the ruins of what was once something like a grav car dealership. The office was hit by a shell and most of the cars on the lot were left to rust as the Ghouls had no need of them aside from occasionally crushing some to reclaim the metals used.

Simar enters the dealership, prepares something at her sleeves, and then walks towards one of the cars. She playfully tries to open the trunk. Making loud noises in the process to get the children's attention. Then in one move she opens the trunk, playfully tumbles backwards and shoots quickly filled air balloons out of her sleeves until the small high pressure capsules filled with gas are emptied. The balloons soundfully shoot through the dealership with their bright colors. If the kids, and/or adults would gather, Simar would continue with card tricks and other sleight of hand stuff that she could pull off with the limited equipment she has available. All for the sole purpose of making them have a good time. (Perform/Cha?)

(sure, i think that would work fine here)

(7, okayish performance, I guess)

Your performance works well enough on the kids, many of them enraptured by the show and a few passing adults smile, seeing the kids happy and forgetting about the bad things they've seen and been forced to deal with over the last several months. The good cheer is almost infectious and you can feel the air get lighter for your performance here.

Simar is delighted to see all the smiles. Besides those that come to her for some potions, or to get their future revealed, it is the happiness that her performance instills, that makes her the most happy as well. Before leaving the kids, she hands them her playing cards, so they have something to have fun with. Afterwards, she tries to find the leading figure of the place, to have a chat. While doing so, she reaches out to the plate, to see if it moved already, even tho she assumes this won't happen before night falls.

The mayor and settlement leadership are within the inner ring of defenses at the town square. Everyone is readying for evening, and the possible attacks that sometimes come with it. For now, the items have not moved.

"How many do we have for an attack of our own? I think with greater numbers we could minimize our own losses. Or maybe even come out without any. But there will surely be some injured people, how do we get them here quickly and out of the combat zone?"

"We don;'t have much in the way of vehicles. We could try to use them as makeshift ambulances, but I can't spare more than fifty men for an attack without leaving the city too lightly defended"

"If everything works out, there is no need for heavy defenses in the future. But I understand your reasoning. Vehicles might be an important part in this. I guess when I feel that the bait is moving, I will follow it with a really small group of people that know the terrain. So we can be stealthy and hard to be spotted. Once we know their hideout we know if it is better to bring in people quickly via vehicles, to cut down on reaction time. Or if we can sneak into their lair with a large group undetected. I am not a soldier, I am a professional witch, I can lend support, voice my opinion, maybe hit a Ghoul with a weapon. But I need support in the decision making. Fifty men and all available vehicles, that might be enough to get through this stress free. As I said, when we know where they hide, we can make a final decision." Realising that she wasn't making the best statements here, she excuses herself, to get some rest. A night of short naps, so she doesn't miss the moment that it moves. She doesn't know if her connection is endless or not. She never actually tried to see if there was a limit, as for short tricks, that knowledge wasn't needed. (Locate stays only active until the next dawn, as per the rules.)

(Right, and we're moving at nightfall, so we're okay)

11:06 AM

Around 11pm local time, you're awoken from your rest by your magical senses. The object has been disturbed and is slowly beginning to move. You get the sense of it rising through the air- probably being lifted through the hole your exploration team cut into the roof of the lobby so it could be accessed from above ground.

Simar is breathing heavily. "It moves. I need to act. It is happening now. Am I ready for this? Can I still run away? Fuck, Simar, that will be a bloddy night. But maybe, just maybe, I can make sure that it leads to less fear and loss of life in the future." She gets up , quickly dressed and runs to one of the guards outside. "Please get me the Ranger guy I came with and whoever he thinks we need to scout. Tell him to hurry."

(We can use the same scout team and ATV, and the other 45 or so folks will be closeby in vehicles ready to pounce after you track the ghouls down,)

7:32 AM

They're all loading weapons into the vehicle and it looks like they've gone through the trouble of borrowing and extra laser rifle for you so you do not need to get as close to the danger. It is in the tool rack on the truck and they seem happy to finally make an offensive strike against the forces that have plagued them for so long.

"You know the terrain better than I do, are there any Ghoul Scouts that could see our approach and subsequently warn the base? What I mean, do they have scouts and should we rather go on foot for the last few meters?"

They have no idea if the ghouls would leave scouts or not. There are two empty tall buildings on the way a lookout could observe from, but if they have a way to warn the others, the locals are not sure.

"I am not the expert here, but I feel like it would be best if we go on foot in a small group for the last area, just to make sure that they don't know that we are coming. It would be worst if our force arrives to a prepared enemy. And we, as a small group, even if they see us, we shouldn't count as a major thread, rather a thread they might even approach alone to get some ground human to consume."

(Sneak/dex)

!roll 2d6-1 ! sneak dex

Simar Winterhauch Roll: [6, 5] Result: 10 Reason: sneak dex

You're not detected when you move into position overlooking the ghoul nest. Lookouts had not been spotted in any of the tall buildings around the nest and you can see this place once was a two level shopping center. It is dilapidated and quiet now with broken glass and litter everywhere, though the doors and windows have been blocked off in most places to prevent daylight getting in and anyone casually getting inside who does not belong there. You're unsure how many ghouls might be inside but sense the machinery is within.

"A shopping center. Could be worse. The Ghouls, do they hate daylight?"

"We don't think so, but we sleep at night, so this is the only safe time for them to operate without us finding them"

Simar nods. "Makes sense. I guess it would be best if we walk around the center once, to see how many entrances it has. Going through one alone, with all of us, sounds like it could end up badly,"

An hour passes as the group surveys, and it appears that the main doors are the only way in or out for now.

"Hmm, well, we need to call in the troops soon, to blow up their happy gathering. Do you think it would be wise to send the bulk of us through the main gate, while a smaller group opens up some windows and comes from behind, to flank any resistance?"

(I think it's what they'd recommend too, the issue more or less being do we scout ahead ourselves, or wait for the rest of the group to show up)

(Yeah, I think Simar doesn't have the guts to sprint forward alone, but I also think she would want to be in the side group. So they call the bulk of the troops to storm the front, and she, Ranger, and 2-3 more remove a Window cover, or otherwise blow themselves a way in, and then take out single Ghouls and otherwise ruin the Ghouls day. Striking fast is adviced I guess, right now the Ghouls are partiying over their find, and Simar wants to crash that party. Even if she is no soldier.)

Waiting for a few moments, the reserve troops appear on vehicles and quickly dismount. They begin moving forward, spreading out and waving for you to come down and join them.

"Let us move, and let us open a windows so we can flank the Ghouls!" Simar starts to move towards the Shopping center, still not used to the weight of the Laser Rifle that she has with her now.

The team moves forward and you can see a team of ten stacking up at the doors , waiting to breach.

8:30 AM

The windows and doors have all been blocked up and you can see another team with breaching axes moving forward. One primes a grenade.

Simar signals that she intends to follow the team with the breaching axes, having a somewhat bad feeling at running through the door. With the Laser Rifle ready, she just waits for the signal that will start this blood bath. She just hopes that it is mostly their blood, and not so much the blood of the settlers.

There is a pair of repeating clicks on the comms network. The order is given and there is a mighty chop at the window cover. Something on the other side snaps and the shutter falls apart.

6:50 AM

The grenade is thrown inside and the breach team begins moving through looking intent on taking you with them. The first laser fire from inside happens almost seconds later

One deep breathing before Simar hops through the opening herself. Ready to shoot, even though she knows that she is rather bad at doing so.

(exert/dex)

!roll 2d6-1 ! Exert Dex

Simar Winterhauch Roll: [4, 1] Result: 4 Reason: Exert Dex

1

You have a hard time breaking through the broken window frame and the sound of falling metal that comes off the pane , and there is a boom that echoes through the building. The ghouls haven’t reacted her but have undoubtedly heard you

Simar holds her rifle tightly. Her eyes rush from right to left and back again. First sweat is forming on her forehead, but mostly out of fear and adrenalin rushing through her body. She is afraid, but she will do what has to be done. Sticking close to the others who came thorugh the newly made opening, she stays on the flank of the larger group, to protect it from being flanked, and to create unexpected angles to take out the defense. She focuses to get the current location of the of the robot that the Ghouls brought here.

You sense it out in the main part of the mall, where there once would have been walkways leading to different stores and attractions.

Simar points in that direction. "This is where our target is. I guess we slowly work our way there, and protect the flanks of the larger group that should be the focus of the Ghouls attention."

(I'm getting a map together for this, I think it will alleviate any confusion on positions of us and friends/foes)

7:29 AM

(We have breached at 1, in the top right) (edited)

Nekosmash pinned a message to this channel. 4/15/2022 7:29 AM

(Just to have it straight. Where would be the main gate where most troops walked in? And where do I feel the location of the object, the center?)

(they've have breached into 2, and you feel the location of the object around 15)

(Okay, so at first we would, now sneakily, try to see if someone is in 16, just to make sure nobody shoots them from behind when they move on.)

Room 16 used to be a clothing store. It had a second life as something of a slave pen once but nothing is here now

"All fine, lets take the corridor and see if there are stray Ghouls how want to flank our men." Simar says as she walks along the corridor. (Next location would be room number 10 to see if there are ghouls hiding next to the main hall where the majority got in.)

Moving down the long hallways you pass a body that looks to have been gnawed on as though by dogs. Close to room 10, you see that there is one malnourished ghoul outside clutching what looks to be a battered combat shotgun. It is more focused on what might be happening in the main room and is slowly drawing a bead to fire into the back of a local militia squad outside.

Simar's stomach turns as she sees the gnawed on body, but as soon as she sees the malnourished ghoul, she points at it. "Need to stop him!" She whispers as she takes aim with her newly gifted laser rifle. She bursts but can't control it, as her shots go wide (5/5)

!roll 3d20+4

Nekosmash Roll: [10, 9, 4] Result: 27

The scouts fire too and none of them manage to score a hit on the creature as it suddenly turns to face you. It begins unlimbering it’s own weapon , looking like a coiled snake

2:19 PM

!roll d20+3

Nekosmash Roll: [17] Result: 20

!roll d8

Nekosmash Roll: [2] Result: 2

One of the scouts is wounded by the energy blast. Smoke billows from his shoulder and he quickly doffs his jacket as the flames spread

"Keep going, I will treat your wounds when this is over!" Combat. Fighting for one's life, it just feels surreal to Simar. She was not made for this, but it was necessary now. She can't aim. She just isn't trained in gun fighting. So she closes her eyes and pulls the trigger again. A burst of bullets flies toward the Ghoul. And once she opens her eyes again, she sees what damage she caused. (crit/16)

The shot is clean. There is a neat pinpoint hole burned in the ghoul's head and he falls backwards onto the door leaving most of his brain painted across it. His hands fall slack at his sides.

"Phew, that was something." She turns around to the wounded one. "Let me help you real quick." She puts a hand on his wound and her healing starts to work. (Healing 1d6+1 without effort thanks to Mastered Succor.) After the damage has been healed she points at room 10 again, the one they couldn't enter so far. "Lets see if more are in there, can't have them shooting the flanks of our people."

Room 10 looks to be some kind of holding room, where prisoners would have been restrained before being fed to one of the machines out in the main room where the fighting is currently taking place. Three people are being chained here to the wall, looking emaciated, underfed, and close to death themselves. They had not yet reached their being fed into the machines date.

Simar grabs the weapon from the shot ghoul and walks back to the three poor souls, using her biopsion abilities if needed. "You are free to go, the way out is free. Wait there until the troops are finished here. Or." She points at the weapon. "Or pay them back what they did to you."

One of them takes the fallen weapon and looks to have a rudimentary idea how to use it. The others look to be making their way to the exit, already having escaped a brush with death once today.

"You can follow us, or join the larger force next door." She says to the now armed one. "I know what direction our target is, but I guess that to get there, we need to join the main force for a bit." (So, the Area around 15 is the target area. In 2 is where the main force entered. So the only way to 15 is through 17 and 9. So that would be the way to go.)

Following along the path of the main assault force you see three dead soldiers, six wounded, and two senior ghouls here- the ghouls themselves are also dead. One of them looks to have tried to activate the culler bot in the room, but was killed before its mechanical bulk could be lent to the fight. This was a large show room once. A model car on display here has been peppered with laser and bullet holes and the closeby noodle stands have all been shot to burnt scraps.

(Not the noodle stands! Whyyy?

) Simar quickly tends the wounds of the injured soldiers before asking. "Does someone have any idea on how to use this bot, like how to make it fight for us?"

1

Reprogramming it would take specialist equipment that no one here has brought with them, and that could only happen after the extensive damage to it is repaired , which will take more time than the assault has if victory is to be gained here

After realizing that the bot will not be of help, even though it would have been a cruel revenge if it was to produce Ghoul slushy for once. "Alright, Alright, I understand. Let us move on then." She points at room number 9. "The quicker we are, the less time they have to prepare more defenses."

One of the scouts tosses a grenade toward you, you can see the pin and spoon are both in it, but as you are taking point you might need it. Through the access way to 15 you can see two wounded ghouls are taking shelter from the firefight in this room, occasionally shooting with their flechette firing weapons into the main room where the assault is underway. One of the shots punches a local soldier off the ground, shredding him before he even knows he is dead.

(The doors between 15 and 9, could she shoot through it? The idea is to sneak to a closed door, using her locate technique to pinpoint either the Ghouls or their Flechette weapons, marking the position at the door, and then starting to shoot. Pretty much giving her and anyone with her one or two free shots at them, before they would know were the fire comes from, which then would lead to Simar and everyone at the door to be shot to pieces by the Flechette guns. So a gamble, free shots, if they hit, it would be a lossless win to enter the room, or don't hit and ending with more casualties than maybe just stomring in.)

(they can be, yes, they're thin, and partially glass. They could also just be regular ol' cracked open so it provides some cover, but not invulnerability from incoming fire, which is what the ghouls were doing)

Simar looks at some of the soldiers and points at the door. She herself goes first, thinks as closely about one of the ghouls with their flechette gun, points at the door trying to pinpoint where they are on the other side. (Using Effort to Locate the Ghouls, and if she can locate them, she would shoot.)

(what technique are you using? )

(The Postcog technique Locate, was my idea.)

You sense two ghouls out in the main room beyond you hiding behind a solid looking counter once used to display jewelry.

"Shooting at that might be pointless." "They have a good defensive position." Simar remembers the grenade. "Maybe this will work. If they jump out of hiding, make sure to get them before they can get us." She focuses on the exact position of the ghouls, removes the pin, pushes the door open and throws the grenade at their position.

(It's a weapon attack, we just need a 10 or higher to hit)

!roll 1d20-1 !throwing

Simar Winterhauch Roll: [10] Result: 9 Reason: throwing

(ouch)

!roll d6

Nekosmash Roll: [1] Result: 1

(it goes 1m off course, but the ghouls will still be in the blast, so 2d6 for damage)

!roll 2d6

Simar Winterhauch Roll: [5, 1] Result: 6

The grenade detonates behind the kiosk, forcing the burning ghouls to emerge from cover, moving right across the room, from the left, and the weapons of the scouts begin opening fire.

12:30 PM

(you can shoot, they're going to double move to try to exit the room , and not returnfire)

As they move into the room, Simar burstfires, and does as good as one of the scout would do if they were to make a love potion. (12/12)

You send several mannequins to the ground with holes burned in them, as the ghouls retreat out into the main room where the main assault is underway. It sounds as though the small detachment is slowly getting control of the facility and they report two culler bots and a cradle have been destroyed already- crippling their ability to survive here.

"Let us push on, the quicker we are, the less time they have get a proper defensive position set up."

(Following them would be joining the main assault , so we can do that if you’re okay pushing into it)

(Yeah, let's do that. We are close to the target area, she wouldn't want to enter that room with just a handful of people, because that last room might contain the strongest of the enemies, as they most likely would have gathered there, or they planted a bomb there, but well, we know when we know.)

Entering the main room you can see about eight ghouls have already been put down and a gun battle is raging between the four pack survivors and the main assault force who have pushed into the main room and have taken cover behind any solid object that might be available. The ghouls do not seem to have noticed your flanking attack and are focused solely on the much larger force bearing down on them. Some kind of 4m high mechanical spike in the middle of the room looks to be a computing processor of some kind, and it looks to be working on running some kind of experiment or program for its masters. The ghoul defense looks to be collapsing to positions close to this machine, so they can better defend it.

"Whatever wisdom could be acquired from this machine, is foul. We have an angle to get the ghouls off guard, but if we focus fire this machine, we can destroy whatever it is doing. Or fail at the right task. Ready to shoot?" She asks in a whispering tone to those few next to her.

They are prepared to fire, and will do so once you begin firing, their shots joining yours.

The final assault, Simar knows that her shots count. This time she gets lucky, but a machine doesn't move, so it was easier to hit (20/5)

The first shot strikes the side of the machine and a piece of metal spins off it into the ground below. The others open fire, adding their shots to your won

2:54 PM

!roll 3d20+3

Nekosmash Roll: [19, 18, 3] Result: 43

(two hits) Half damaged, as it is, the obelisk like device is sparking and looks far worse off than it did a few seconds ago, and the ghouls turn to face this new threat, two of them sending barbed weapons into the flanking assault you are leading

2:55 PM

!roll 2d20+2

Nekosmash Roll: [15, 2] Result: 19

One of the scouts is killed, the dart like rounds filling his chest with more holes than any surgeon could fix.

She is shaking. Whatever may happens, it could be her end. But she lead them here, they need to succeed, she won't run now. But the Ghouls so close to her worsen her aim. (14/3) As she shoots she yells so everyone realizes. "That machine must fall!"

!roll 3d20+3

Nekosmash Roll: [12, 8, 4] Result: 27

The second set of hits begin missing, as your team instinctively goes to cover due to the incoming fire. The other members of the assault are too busy fighting back the ghouls to do more than get a snap shot or two towards the machine- as once it falls they will still have foes to contend with.

Simar has a hard time focusing in a tense situation like this. Gunfire. Screams. Smells of death and ozone from the Laser Rifles hang heavy in the air around her. It is as if time slows down when she tries to land another hit. And for once she strikes true. (crit! 6 Damage)

(6 after crit, or before? )

(after, sadly)

!roll 3d20+3

Nekosmash Roll: [18, 15, 14] Result: 50

The machine explodes as more of your scouts and a few intelligent people from the scouting party look to be taking your lead, firing on the machine, It crumbles, a glacier of silicon and electricity before it slumps over to one side, and with the loss of their live giving machinery the ghouls around it begin to roll up quickly, no longer able to mount an effective resistance knowing that to live here, is to die from hunger in a day or more.

Simar just stares at the scene. Unable to do much anymore. She turns to one of her allies. "Did we win? Is it over?"

It seems to be over. The team is quiet as the ghouls begin to die , now cut off from their food source

Simar immediately starts to heal the injured soldiers and then approaches the ones who lead the attack. "Will this be it? Will this mean safety for the city?"

(6xp , 10,000 credits)

8:29 AM

With the ghouls dead the city is now safe for a long time. There are no further threats here and the people finally have the chance to live in peace