Iron Stars - zach-dimitriou

Recently arrived from Aslief, Zach Dimitriou awakens in his small cabin on Trivedi Cloud- the Arx class space station orbiting Gudrun, the capital world of the United Nations of Worlds. Trivedi Cloud is a melting pot of the different human and alien cultures from across the Iron Stars, and it is here, in one of the first places Pre-scream to gain space flight again, that things look somewhat close to how they did before The Scream, and the simultaneous deaths of trillions of people across the universe. There is a knock at your cabin door as a large envelope is slipped underneath the cabin door threshold. Although electronics such as mail, social media, and messaging are in widespread use , anything truly needing to be kept secret is still done via paper . Several weeks ago while still on Aslief, an application with your name on it to the United Nations of Worlds Polity Development Office was submitted. You were accepted for service in the polity and a shuttle brought you to Gudrun for what they called 'pre deployment staging' and you were told the details of your mission would be coming soon after. A week has passed in this small but comfortable cabin in Trivedi Cloud, and it looks like said details of your mysterious mission have finally arrived. @GreaterOfTwoWeevils (no need to ping on a reply, just doing it for the first post so you know where your thread is)

The sound of the envelope sliding into the room was quiet, and barely audible above the electro-mechanical hum of the station and buzz behind the screens in his room, but it jolted him out of his meditation none-the-less. Even with eyes closed Zach felt the size of it, focusing his essence on what might be inside. It was what he had been waiting for, so why then was he so unprepared? "It's great, right? They want your help. You, Zach from the backwater world nobody seems to know about, helping them, the UNW!" He failed to convince himself, and snatched up the envelope with his throat dry and his mind on fire. Anything could be inside. They might want him to steal something. Or spy on someone. Or kill someone! It was against the charter, but in times of war the rules were sometimes put in cryo for a while. He steadied himself and sat at the small desk, turned on an aux light, and opened it. The orders slid out. It was the most mundane looking packet of paper: simple font. Strightforward spacing. No colors at all, no pictures, icons, symbols. At least on the cover page. He was so used to the ceremonial frivolity in the writings of the Northern Freehold on Asgapur. "Maybe that's why they never got results," he mumbled. Settled, he turned the first page and read his first orders.

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

Draemia

9:49 PM

The system report comes first, followed by the even worse news. The living dead, similar to Aslief, and a colony of survivors in desperate need of help. A shuttle from the Interpolity Transit System has been set aside to deliver you there, along with modest supplies to help take some of the burden off the locals. Technical and military help are need now to reach other communities on the planet, and with your past experience in a world like this- you are a natural selection for the job. Draemia is a far flung outpost and more details have not come in from the world yet, and it is expected upon setting down there you will get fully immersed in the struggles of the locals. The tail number of the shuttle and a pass to get into the startport with weapons has been provided for you by UNW command.

After reading these orders Zach packs his clothes, his blaster, computer gear, and the rest of his sundries. He scans the feeds for any information he can find about the kind of infection the zombies on Draemia have. The news of a vaccine is heartening; he also tries to find out if he should get the vaccine before or after contact with the infection on the planet. He pauses at his door, scanning the room and wondering if he'd be back this way. It was hard to meditate here, perhaps because it was new, or perhaps because it wasn't grounded, and yet he had begun to feel a kinship with this place. In fully sensing it, he felt of it. Like it was a place that needed people, instead of a place that tolerated them. As his final act in the room he records a brief message to his father back on his home world. The message is brief, professional. "If I don't make it back know I was thinking of home and of you," and other sentiments, without giving any classified information away. He doesn't talk about the destination. The infection. The zombies. He puts this in the local net, attached to other information about himself. If the worst happened, he hoped he had left it easy enough to find and send away. With that he is off, presenting passes, loading his gear, and trying to keep his cool. It looked like it would be a long trip, so he loaded a few books, some fiction, and some history and medicine. Anything he can gather about this new place and its situation might come in handy. (if he can find them quickly Zach will buy three more type a power cells and an instapanel, total of 80 credits usually, but whatever the going rate is on the station is fine as well. He has 100 credits currently.)

(all at cost, go ahead and add them to the sheet, make sure to ready/stow the gear)

9:11 AM

The extra purchases are waiting for you outside the shuttle as you are brought to the departure bay of Trivedi cloud, following the directions in the packet you were given. You are allowed to enter the hangar bay with your weapons by showing the pass retrieved from inside the envelope, and the guards step out of the way to let you pass. The crew of the vessel is doing their pre flight checks before lift off. The ramp is lowered and the crew chief is at the top of it ensuring the seals around the hatch are in good repair. Upon noticing you standing near the entryway, he waves you over.

"Hi. I'm Zach. Dimitriou, I mean. Are you ready for me to board?" Zach resists the urge to feign confidence. A touch of emotional honesty goes a long way.

"Yes, of course. Please come aboard. We're looking at several days of journey time as we head south" the crew chief says, "you'll have your own cabin for the journey. Meal times and watch rotation will be on the terminal in your room. You've got the lee of the ship, just try not to get underfoot , thats for your safety and ours. We're delivering you to Draemia but we're not going to be staying on the ground once we get there. Ships are still pretty expensive and rare so our orders are to keep the ship safe above all"

"Understood". Zach boards and does his best to find his cabin. He imagines what it will be like. Him on the planet, watching this very ship take off, fly away, and shrink to a point in the sky so small he can't see it anymore. Zach settles in and calms himself with some meditation, ready for the journey.

(I'll post our downtime rules here for you in a second. That's not days IRL without posting, just game days passing while in space travel. There's no equivalent to irl time. Gimmie one sec and I'll have those and the system report here for you)

11:57 AM

11:57 AM

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

Draemia

11:57 AM

(I still need to draw a map for the planet itself but the little bit of info we know are there)

(If I can help out with a map let me know. I am pretty sure my inkarnate subscription is still active.)

12:14 PM

(Zach is spending downtime days focused on improving the Work skill)

(to improve Work Zach is trying to help with the normal loading, unloading, bookkeeping and system monitoring, so far as the crew will allow)

(Don't need help. I draw them myself, just haven't needed it in our previous explorations of the planet really, so we're at 9 days of downtime heading south from Gudrun to Draemia) (edited)

3:08 PM

The ship crew is quiet, they keep to their duties and otherwise stay out of your way aside fro the time you're helping them with small tasks around the ship. Upon entering the Draemia system you are paged to the bridge .The whole crew has been summoned to hear an important message from the system defense platforms surrounding the planet.

Zach follows the crew to the bridge. He looks for any tension in the air: is this normal? Is this just a part of their day? Or is this an *important * important message?

The system message plays and it instructs the vessel that it must approach the closest defense platform, or it will be fired upon if it attempts to run the quarantine. All ships visiting the planet below must have their crews inoculated so the contagion does not spread beyond the boundaries of the system. This is a non negotiable demand from the system defense force, and to underscore their words, the ship's master warning system detects a pair of target locks, one from each of the nearby platforms. Though you are the expedition leader, and the choice seems obvious, the crew still looks to you for the final word on the matter.

"Chart a course to the closest defense platform. Make plans to dock. Please provide them my itinerary if they ask." Zach makes sure that is what is happening on the bridge before going back to his quarters and packing up all his gear for departure. He then returns to the bridge to observe the approach. "Any other word from the docking platform? Further instructions?"

“Just which docking tube to use and to come unarmed. Nothing else” the coms offers says as they review the information feeding back to the ship.

(I assume Zach would know if the ship is flying down after this or not. I'm assuming so, and that he is safe leaving his weapons on board.) "Proceed as instructed. I'll be standing by the boarding tube. My comms are open if anything comes up." Zach then goes as he was asked to, unarmed, to the boarding tube. (edited)

(Yeah, the ship is flying down to the planet once everyone gets the primitive vaccine, and weapons are to be left on your ship. The platform crews are sworn to the UNW now. The danger isn't coming from here, its from the undead on the planet below, that said, the crews don't want the virus getting out to infect other places, so if they have to make a hard choice they will) The boarding tube extends and after a few moments of cycling and matching air pressure the light turns from amber to a steady green. There is a soft buzz letting you know that the seal is good and you can open the door without fear of decompression. Through the narrow vision slit you can see two platform security guards and a junior naval officer on the other side, a fair distance from the door, waiting for you to disembark.

"Hello sir," Zach offers. He attempts a salute, one appropriate for the local culture or for the UNW, whichever their uniform suggests is right. He is surprised at the lieutenant's age. Zach was much more expecting a crusty dock worker type. Clean, professional, sturdy...almost a passable military. Zach remembered his homeworld and how desperate they were for able bodies after a while. In contrast, these folks were thriving. "Zach Dimitriou. Special crisis representative for the UNW. I'm ready when you are." He also takes a moment to observe their armaments, the state of the station, and any lingering workers in the background, hoping to gauge their morale.

There’s no workers present here. The guards have void carbines so they don’t penetrate the hull with gunfire if it’s needed. You’re welcomed aboard the station. Things are tense but everyone seems well fed and well trained.

7:15 PM

“Welcome. We have a vaccination for you. Then you will be allowed down to the surface “

"What does the vaccination cover? Any precautions I should be aware of in the days or weeks after receiving it?" Zach is curious but otherwise compliant.

"This will inhibit the spread of the virus if you are bit by one of the infected on the planet below. You're going to feel a bit feverish for several hours afterwards but it will pass. Those bites are still going to hurt, and they're still going to try to eat you. If you get away, this just ensures you won't turn. You're going to have a hell of a time with other infections and things like that though. You can imagine. "

"I can. I absolutely can. Well by all means, please jab away. Say, I wonder if you can help me out with some information about the surface. You can see here on my orders which settlement I'm headed to. Any rivalries or big leadership shifts youve caught wind of up here? From what I remember, surviving in a situation like that is less about war with them and more about peace for us, so any hint could help me save lives down there."

“The only settlement we really know about is the one you’d been working with. One of your people got us in touch with them. Maybe you’ll fine others” he offers

"Thanks very much." After the shot Zach heads back to the airlock. He wonders how bad it must be down there, and what kind of support they'll need. When he's back on board he tells the crew he's ready to head down when they have permission. He spends the rest of the time in a troubled meditation, one meant to quell fear and doubt.

There is only a single encampment that looks to be a walled in collection of homes and scrap metal buildings from orbital imagery. A communications link is established with them, and you're invited to the bridge of your shuttle to talk as the rest of your crew undergoes their own vaccinations. Your mouth is dry, and your head is a bit feverish, but overall you do not think this is serious enough to impair your performance in any way.

Zach reviews the notes on this assignment in his quarters after checking in at the bridge. The details were slim. They needed help, and he was here to provide it. He rehearses a few questions quietly. Then, he heads back to the bridge and asks the person on comms to open a channel to the settlement below. "Hello. This is Zach Dimitriou of the United Nations of Worlds. We received a call for assistance. I've been sent to aid you in any way I can. I'd like to get an assessment of your needs and what we can do about them, but first, can you please tell me who you are, and if you are experiencing any emergency situation in need of direct attention at this time?"

2:14 PM

The words sounded like they were uttered by someone else, and left his mouth dry. of the United Nations of Worlds. This was a dream fulfilled, and now a small nightmare, for Zach. There was so much weight behind those words that Zach felt sick at having said them, despite them having been on his mind for years. He remembered sitting by his uncle in a rusty warehouse, huddled around a patched up comms unit, praying for an answer. Those same words had been the response so long ago, and it was as stunning to hear them then as it was to say them now.

THe person on the other end of the line is just a comms operator, but they relay messages to the local leaders without trouble. There is no emergency in the camp right now, but their supply situation is poor. With UNW weapons and help, they are hoping to look into the nearby city for salvage. They are also trying to see if any other camps of survivors have made it through this long and drawn out of end of the world. Thus far they haven't been able to make contact with any of them- if there are indeed survivors.

(I'm not aware of any special weapons being brought to the planet. If the ship has weapons intended for the settlement and Zach knows about them, ignore this next bit.) Zach confirms he is here to assist in any way he can and will be down shortly. He then opens a comms channel to the station. "Does the defense platform have any weaponry to spare that I can take down with me?"

The platform does not have spare weapons and the ship crew is non lethal aid, in the form of medicine, spare parts, and food, which the small settlement has needed more than guns.

(Sounds good.) Zach checks all the supplies and is then ready to head down to the planet.

(notice/wis as we come in for landing)

(Got a total of a 6)

The colony is a large series of buildings protected by a scrap barricade that is a meter taller than the average man. The town "gate" is a school bus that the locals get into and move if vehicles or parties with heavy cargo need to come in and out. The structure serving as the town hall is the only building that was originally part of the city, and the rest of the colony including its small farming plots have been constructed from recycled and reclaimed material , built and walled in on the expansive park around the building. A pair of military trucks are pulled up in front of the building, and there is also a fire in the woods a kilometer away from the settlement. From above, you can see it is a pyre where recently dispatched infected are being disposed of by a burn team and their security element.

12:17 PM

The shuttle sets down just outside the rudimentary gate, and a small crowd of people are forming to hurriedly bring you and the cargo inside so the shuttle can return to space and monitor, as ordered.

12:18 PM

(ships are still very rare this close to The Scream, so the shuttle crew are responsible for just watching the ship and above all ensuring it is safe)

Zach unbuckles at the end of the ride. He gathers his things: loose enough belongings to bring with him in a hurry, if needed. When the doors open he hops to the ground and takes in the gathered crowd. "Hello. I'm Agent Dimitrious. You can call me Zach," says to the group. "We have supplies, and I'm here to provide whatever aid I can. Who's in charge that I can speak with?"

"We'll bring you to talk to the council. " one of the gate guards says as the general commotion around the landing site continues. "You might be asked to turn your weapon over at the door depending on who is on duty. We'll give it back to you when you're done meeting, if so" the guard says as he leads you away from the landing site. "Dangerous world, even within the walls here sometimes. You understand I'm sure. I see you got the jab too" he says, noticing the chit you were given on the platform by the ship surgeon, letting the locals know you received it. They all have something similar. "you see someone walking around without one of these, let one of us know , because it means they snuck in"

"Will do. I know how dangerous that can be first hand. Give me just a moment," Zach says, opting to assist in unloading the supplies. It was good to get some face time with some of the folks on the receiving end of this work. "There, ready when you are." Zach follows the guard, somewhat vigilant about the chits now that he knows what to look for. He's also scanning their defenses for weaknesses as he travels. Anything he might remember or notice he'd like to bring with him to the council.

You are brought into the only actually standing structure native to the town and are once again patted down for weapons on its ground floor. With a nod you are permitted to climb the stairs and approach the top floor, entering a meeting room where three of the local leaders are all standing waiting for you. They are arranged around a table with a local map being projected there, and several points of possible interest with notes you cannot read are there.

Zach enters and chooses one of the three at random, the one on his left. "Agent Dimitriou. Call me Zach, please." He extends a hand (assuming this is the normal greeting, and if not, does something more appropriate). As he talks he turns his attention to each. "I'm glad to finally be here. I am excited to get started helping where I can. It looks like you've got something for me already."

"We're looking at the city that's not farm from us, as you've seen" the first of them says. "Knowing what's there, dead, living, their attitude towards us if alive, and so on. We have a vaccine now, and it seems like a good time to begin exploring. We were told the UNW was sending a volunteer, and you've experienced something like this on your home world. Was it like this?"

"It was. And better. And worse. If I learned anything, it was that there were no easy, permanent solutions. People have a way of dropping their guard when they lose all hope, and when they lose all fear. This other town, that's what we called a merge-op. And every time we thought we had seen it all, we were rudely awakened. We learned it was best to treat the living as you would a wounded animal. Work slowly to gain trust, unless there was an immediate need that should be met." He paused to read the room. Where were these people, between hope and fear? Hopefully, somewhere in the middle, he thought. "It sounds like you haven't had any comms with them since everything went sideways. If that's true, we should bring something along with us that we can leave with any holdouts. Something that would let them contact us, and us them. The more we can do to present an official front, the better things will go. Do you have a name for this colony, by the way? We'll want to have that agreed upon, and it would be nice to have something like a uniform as well. Oh, and obviously whatever supplies you can spare. You know the territory better than I do, so if they might have any special needs or considerations, let me know."

"Uniforms? This isn't the military" one of the other leaders says "Does everyone on Gudrun or Rawhani or Terezinho wear a uniform? We work with what we have, and with what keeps us safe, and we're not going to compromise either for you to turn us into a showpiece"

"I completely understand the sentiment. But you are going to want these people who are scared, panicked and angry to agree with you, and quickly, when you show up. Even if we all show up in the same colored overalls, the presentation goes a long way to lend credence to you and your people without having to strongarm or trick anyone. I strongly recommend you consider it when you have the resources to spare. "That being said, we shouldn't stop work to make it happen. Let's discuss what exactly you want to do, and who's going to get it done."

(not sure if this is applicable, but if Diplomatic is useful here I'd invoke it: "Once per game session, shift an intelligent NPC’s reaction roll one step closer to friendly if you can talk to them for at least thirty seconds." Technically not a reaction roll, but I'm not sure what is happening on your end of things so I thought I'd bring it up.)

(That will use it up for the mission. If you want to use it now we can)

(I'll hold off in that case)

"We have three major challenges ahead of us right now. The first is working to improve facilites here into something more sanitary and comfortable. We have the basics for survival here, and we're fortunate enough to all be still alive to improve on things. People miss the way life used to be, so anything we can do to start allowing warm showers, a variety of food, a few consumer goods, things like that, it would go along way. the second is clearing out the dead around us. We have some trappers in the woods led by an old hunter named Ghost. He and a few of the others with woodscraft patrol regularly, but this camp makes a lot of sound. We pull in quite a large number of the dead. Something to beef up those patrols for when we inevitably lure the next horde would help. finally, we would like to get some eyes on the city. We think there are probably other survivors there. We'd like to welcome them here so long as they're not hostile and agree to becoming UNW members. Those people deserve a chance at something like a normal life, and they might have skills that are in short supply here in the colony. "

"I am probably best suited for the third option. I can sell UWN, and hopefully talk us out of any standoffs. But I am here to serve you, so wherever you need me, I'll go."

(You can choose any of those three things to focus on first, that was my way of getting you into a mission)

(got it, I was trying to say the third mission in a diplomatic way.)

"Third it is. We're not sending you alone. Three of our best troopers will be going with you. They'll keep you safe, but hopefully they won't be necessary. Feel free to wander for an hour or so while we get everything together, we'll come and get you when it's time to run"

3:15 PM

(basically any RP you want to do or any insight we want to get about the colony we can do now,)

"Understood. I'll be ready to go in an hour." Zach leaves the tent without much ado. He checks the camp perimeter once over, looking both for weaknesses and for new improvements he hasn't seen before on his homeworld. He also makes sure the supplies have been unloaded properly, and makes small talk with the people of the camp, hoping to liven the mood and make people comfortable with him and with the UNW. (I'm ready to roll out when you are.)

You are paged via PA system back to the front of the administrative building where a heavily armored truck turned impromptu MRAP is waiting for you. Aside from the driver, three other security troopers have been assigned to keep you safe while you explore the city and hunt for any signs of survivors. They are each in woven uniforms, UNW surplus equipment that arrived here for pioneers last month, and more is expected now that the vital aid your shuttle has brought is here. Each of them is polite and nods once, the sound of the engine makes it hard to say much as it idles.

Zach nods back and takes a seat (if possible, with the three people in back). He checks his gear once more, and contemplates the surreal feeling of willingly riding back out into zombie territory. He does his best to hide any lingering regret and then hangs on for the ride.

(This would be the most immediate few blocks of the city. The black are streets and we'd be approaching from the south. Not all the buildings might be as advertised, but if you were looking at a map of the city from before disaster times, this is what the buildings would have been, and I don't think your guides would have better information than this really since the cities were a no go for a long time. There would probably be a higher concentration of undead here wandering around, but we have a vehicle, and if we don't spend too long at any particular place, we'll probably consistently be ahead of them)

10:35 AM

(so its up to you what you'd like to poke around in first)

(Are these the shambling kind of zombies or running and climbing kind of zombies? And can these zombies be converted back to people by any known process? If Zach doesn't know the answer he's probably asking people in the car with him.)

(shambling. if they see food they have short bursts of initial speed but we're dealing more with walking dead as opposed to I am legend, if that helps )

12:31 PM

(and no, the dead will unfortunately remain dead, those who are alive now, and who have been vaccinated just will not turn if bitten, but they're still being bitten/eaten/will probably have nasty infeections from being bit )

(Got it. Zach is looking for two story buildings with paths of egress from the upper floors to surrounding buildings. It was one of the tactics survivors employed on his home world. Zip lines, ladders, etc. Outside of that, he's going to prioritize the bar, hotel, ripperdoc, market, coffee shop, bank, and weapons vault, in that order. His goal is to identify survivors, and to communicate with anyone who seems friendly.) (From the bar to the coffee shop, they are knocking on doors, announcing themselves and trying to open doors if they have no answer. Weapons drawn unless friendlies identify themselves. For the bank and weapons tech shop, they are announcing and knocking, but will not be forcing entry. Zach thinks suvivors there will have picked an enclosed location because they want to be fortified, and that may include fortification against the living. He will try to drop off supplies at their door if they answer but don't want to meet, with instructions to meet up later.) (The above is the plan Zach has. Obviously the plan might adapt as they discover what's in town. But this is his goal.)

(okay, we will start with the bar, lets get a notice.wis as we start door knocking on this street)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d6 + 1] Roll: [6] Result: 7 Reason: Notice/WIS

oops

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+1] Roll: [2, 2] Result: 5 Reason: Notice/WIS

(first one was 1d6, despite being higher lol. Final actual result is 5)

Knocking on the bar, no one answers the door and you can see at one time it was fortified from the inside. The door looks to be especially fortified, but there is an alley to the side of the bar leading to a door where before the disaster, the staff would have removed trash and taken it to the dumpster in the alley. Two of the undead are there now crawling in the street and your security detail draws hand weapons, preparing to dispatch them quietly.

"No noise," Zach whispers, and advances with them. Zach isn't armed, but feels his unarmed strikes would be just as effective as his pistol, and much quieter. He does his best to sneak up on the pair.

Nekosmash

used /roll

Nekosmash Request: [2d6] Roll: [3, 3] Result: 6

(they haven't noticed you, which is one of the conditions we need for an execution attack. In this case, you'd just take one of them out. You can narrate that if you like.)

11:37 AM

(otherwise we can move on)

(Zach would be interested in taking one out, hoping to time it with his companions attack on the other. I think strictly speaking Zach is not able to perform an execution attack with his fists, but he will be trying to make an attack against them while they are unaware. If my companions have lethal quiet weapons like daggers or swords, he'll let them take point to perform the attacks.)

The two guards you are with lead on, and there is a quick snap and slice as both of the dead are quickly dispatched. THeir deaths are silent aside from a brief, muted gurgle. The way ahead is clear, and you are able to see the door on this side of the bar is easier to open than the boarded up front door. It is locked, but the lock is mechanical and simple. (edited)

(For this adventure do these guards have any skills outside of neck-breaking I should consider?)

(they just have combat skills. )

Zach breaks out his multi tool to take a crack at that lock.

(fix/int) (edited)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6-1] Roll: [5, 1] Result: 5 Reason: Fix Attempt

The attempt at picking the lock lasts for five minutes with no progress. Upon testing the door it seems to continue to be locked up, and there is only a small about of give when you wiggle the door.

Zach stops and checks for signs of life. Zombies might have been attacking because they heard people inside, or may have been distracted by any number of other sounds. He decides to knock at the door, knocking twice, three times, and then five. Prime numbers would hopefully indicate to the living that there were friendlies outside.

There is a click from inside the building after you finish knocking .The door seems to be unlocked now, but who or whatever did it inside the bar has not come out into the street to make themselves known.

In a low voice, Zach introduces himself. He runs through the standard lines. "From the UNW"..."seen this before"..."here to assess and assist". When he is done, he asks, "are you hurt, hungry, or in need of supplies?"

(This is being done from outside the door?(

(yes)

There is nothing from within. You are sure the people there are listening but none of them come outside. The door remains unlocked.

"I'm here with three people. They're armed, to protect me from the zombies outside. But they are going to stay outside right now while I come inside. I'm unarmed, and I'm hoping you're friendly. If you don't want me to come inside, let me know now." Zach waits a moment. If he hears no response, he is ready to slowly open the door, check his surroundings and go inside. As he waits, he takes his laser pistol out of its holster and hands it to one of the soldiers. He tells that soldier in a whisper "If I say the words 'three two three', that's a signal they are hostile, and you have permission to breach. If you see trouble out here, knock three times. I'll make my exit asap. If I'm not out in 10 minutes, assume the worst, and take whatever action you deem appropriate."

The soldiers with you understand your instruction. Upon entering the bar you see there are about twenty people here split among three families. The men and older of the boys are armed with weapons that look like they're family heirlooms meant for sport or hunting rather than self defense. They are all pale and skinny, looking malnourished in the case of some of the younger children. None of them speak yet, there is a mix of hostility and fear on the faces you see in the bar.

(What were the supplies that are in the armored car outside? Zach will be offering some to this group.)

(UNW Humanitarian rations, and a medkit which basically has antibiotics and narrative support for doing light first aid to people. After the scene we roll a 2d6 and on a 12 the medkit has been used up. If we use it again during this mission later we do the same thing, but now it is used up on 11 or 12, ect)

"My name is Zach. I'm from the United Nation of Worlds. I'm here to help. I have rations and medical supplies if you need them. Who is in charge here?" Zach watches for heads to turn and face someone, or for anyone to speak up.

It looks like there's no clear leader here, but one of the males steps forward first "Guess that's me...er...well you can talk to me" he says

Zach keeps his hands visible and approaches slowly, as casually as he can. While he does, he says "Alright. For the next 8 hours you are, indeed, in charge. I don't have much time here...we're making a quick tour of the city. But I can give you provisions before I go. So first, does anyone need emergency aid, more than a first aid kit can help? If so, we can take them back to the base right now and get them treated." "If not, we can make sure you are fed, warm, and safe. A couple of questions first: do you have anything I can use to communicate with you later? A com pad, or anything similar? Second," and here Zach whispers, "I just got to this planet and am doing what I can. I'm with people from the nearby city. I want to make sure they are the good guys, and I can't exactly ask them. Have they done anything to hurt the people here, or done anything to make you think you weren't safe around them?" Zach finishes at a normal volume. "Also, if anyone wants to relocate soon to somewhere safer, I'll need a headcount. I can help make that happen. Finally, if there's anything else you need, or any questions for me, you have about 4 minutes to ask them."

One of them has a compad they used to use for communications but they haven't had a working Type A cell to power it with in a while. They don't have a way to charge new cells either, so if they're given a replacement eventually that too will fail. "We heard some stuff about that settlement, well, we heard that it wasn't safe there. Maybe that's true. Maybe not. but it wasn't worth risking it through the city to find out"

"Well from what I've seen they are rebuilding, and quickly. They have enough to spare you some. I can't recommend them highly enough. Now, I'm not sure how long this will last you, but here is one of my Type A's, and here is my contact information. We are doing a sweep of the town, making an assessment, and then heading back to base. If anyone wants to go, and we still have room, we can stop by on the way out. I hope we can make this a regular thing, and beat this plague together." Zach hands them one of his Type A's. "Can I take any of your empty Type A's with me? They might have a charger back at base." After they answer, Zach ends with, "My time's up. I'm going out, grabbing you some food, and then it will just be the compad for a while if you need to reach me. Before I go, is there anyone else in this town I should be careful of, or anywhere that is a lost cause?" (I'm pausing here in case anyone in the building needed to speak up, but Zach intention is to leave, get some basic food and water, deliver them, and head to the next location.)

9:14 PM

(I've reduced my Type A's by one. If they hand me any I can save them as Type A's in a different section, with a note that says they are not charged.)

(I think they'd want to hold on to the dead ones in the event they get an unexpected windfall of being able to charge it at some point down the road, so then they have two) "Stay away from the department store. Lot of dead in there during the day. Same with the hospital. Cat food factory on the north side of town has bandits in it. We haven't seen much from them lately, maybe they died, but not worth finding out"

Zach shares with them his understanding of the map. "Is the department store this weapons tech/sales building here? and is the hospital this ripperdoc?" (edited)

(The hospital is off the map. Same with the department store. This map is just the surrounding few streets of the bar

Zach thanks them for their time. With rudimentary supplies delivered, he signals to the soldiers outside that it's time to press on to the hotel. He checks for any gathering of the undead as the go.

(sneak/dex)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+0] Roll: [6, 2] Result: 8 Reason: Sneak/Dex

There is no one living inside the hotel from what you can tell, and the single undead shambling in the lobby does not hear you as one of the security detail reaches up behind it and snaps their neck. The lobby is trashed, suitcases and evidence of a feeding frenzy is everywhere though the years have robbed the site of any lingering smell- anything organic has been eaten by the shambling dead or the legion of flies that follow the hordes around hoping for a fresh kill and a place to lay more of their progeny. The front desk is blood spattered but relatively intact, as are the computer systems perched on its counter.

(how many rooms are there in this hotel?)

(Many. We wouldn’t be searching every single one probably, it’s a large hotel with many floors and many rooms on each )

Zach starts to check for fresh footprints, but realizes that most signs of life would be muddled by the wandering dead. Instead, he fetches a few supplies from the APC. He scrawls on the exterior the comms channel that can be used to reach the other city, and the words "Can Supply". These supplies, likely of little use to the dead, should only be disturbed by the living. He sets them in an inconspicuous place in the lobby and then suggests they move on to the next place, the ripperdoc.

The ripperdoc building is a small mom and pop sized clinic, and the front shutters have been smashed open by looters or by people looking for medicine during the initial outbreak. There are no dead in this part of the city that you can see on the street. A barricade of junk and trash leads up to the broken window and shutter leading into the dark building.

Zach asks the 3 soldiers to do a quick sweep of the exterior for undead. While they do, he approaches the front door. He feels more confident now: no undead nearby, and a successful contact under his belt. In a normal voice, he says "I'm with the United Nation of Worlds. I'm here to help survivors relocate, or to provide supplies if needed. Is anyone inside in need?"

The inside of the building is quiet aside from the wind gently moving one of the broken shutters. You can smell the lingering scent of alcoholic antiseptic inside, and one of the soldiers things the locals must have tried to batter their way in looking for medicine at some point.

"We're moving on," he announces when the sweep is done. Not far either, he thought, examing the market across the street.

(notice/wis)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+1] Roll: [5, 3] Result: 9 Reason: Notice WIS

THe market is made of several open air stalls along with a storefront of small shops actually worked into a strip mall type building. You're reminded of a parking lot doing double duty as a flea market. There are two zombies nearby, you hear disctinct growling coming from under one of the farm stands, labeled FENTON FABULOUS PRODUCE

10:14 AM

The produce here has long since rotted away, or has been used as a feast for birds and other creatures that the undead don't care about eating, the small has long since dissipated, and the veggie mush left behind is the only evidence of what used to be here.

Zack checks with his team. If they also see only the 2 zombies, he instructs them to take them out, assisting as needed. Zach is interested in the source of the growling sound.

The team moves off with knives drawn, preparing to handle the undead. As you approach the stall, you hear the sounds of a wounded dog underneath, unsure at what is happening outside, and scared as a result.

(could the dog be infected? Or is this a human only disease?)

(We actually don't know that)

10:07 AM

(we haven't seen much in the way of animals period, the zombies have been just sort of indiscriminately eating anything now that most of the people are gone)

Zach temporarily turns his attention to the zombies, making sure they are dispatched quickly and efficiently. If anything goes awry with that action, he leaps in to assist. When it is done, he asks the team how they feel about animals like this one. "If you guys think it is worth our time we can try to rescue it, but I'm personally opposed. We have higher priorities unfortunately."

“Feel bad for the thing. Don’t know if it’s infected though. We shouldn’t risk it. Someone’s been here recently though” one of the guards says , showing you a metal safe within one of the stands that’s been cut open. The metal is still warm and the contents have been taken

"Agreed. The safe is not too concerning. Likely survivors of some kind or another. Let's do a sweep of this market and then head on." Zach works with the team to check for any other hidden survivors.

the marketplace itself looks to be abandoned, but on the western side of the market, there is a set of thick tiretracks that are recent, winding down the street around abandoned cars to a large cement factory. There, the tracks disappear around the back of the facility. You do not see any of the dead on the road currently.

Zach checks his notes from the friendlies they'd met so far. "Bandits, most likely," he says. "Let's press on to the coffee shop as per the plan. Keep eyes open though, we don't know how active those guys are. By which I mean I want someone with eyes up to rooftops and windows at all times." With that he recommends they push on immediately, though he does leave some food for the dog behind.

The coffee shop is your next post of call and you can see there is settlement here. An array of solar recharger panels have been set up on the roof, and green sprouts peaking over the rooftop ledge are evidence of a garden. A large blue plastic rain barrel has also been set up on the rood to irrigate said roof crops. There is little sound from around the building, and you can see blacked out instapanels have been dragged into place behind dirty glass windows for extra protection. OUT OF FUCKING SERVICE has been sprayed across the entry doors like a gang members tag.

Zach asks that the car be parked in view of the front door, and that the soldiers stay inside it unless zombies attack suddenly. Zach gets out, hands raised, and approaches. "I'm Zach. I'm from the UNW." He says this loud enough to be heard but is hoping quiet enough not to draw too much attention. He approaches the front door. "We have supplies. I'd love to provide some if you have a need for them. I'd also like to talk to you about joining with the colony to the south. Perhaps with the strength of numbers we can overcome the planet's hardships together." He waits a few moments patiently for a response.

The door to the front of the shop opens, revealing an unarmed man who is nursing a broken leg. "Help...PLease" he whimpers from the door before collapsing.

Zach observes the interior for signs of an ambush as he approaches in a calm manner. He indicates to the guards in the car that they should wait, holding up an open faced palm towards them. Once he is sure this isn't an ambush, he does his best to assess the criticality of this man's wounds. If he's dying, he'll need a Laz-patch applied as quickly as possible.

The man is not immediately dying, but he will die soon without a proper medical facility. There is no sign of an ambush, and no signs other people were living here. IT looks like he tried to treat his own injuries and his lackof skill has caused things to get worse

After that quick inspection Zach will wave the team forward. (If we brought a stretcher, he'll call for it, but I don't remember specifically asking for one). "Is anyone else here? Do I have your permission to take you to safety for treatment?"

(the team with you can improvise something for now)

9:27 AM

The man weakly nods that no one else is here , and then yes, that you can take him with you. He will not last long on his own, and he seems to know it based on the severity of his wounds. A quick check shows he has not been bit in any obvious place, but he is jabbed with a vial of the vaccine the team brought with them in the event of a bite, just in case.

"This is our top priority. Get him safely loaded. Sir," Zach says to the wounded man, "is there anything else you need in this building? I expect you'll be away for at least a day."

he weakly shakes his head no. One of the soldiers pokes their head in, confirming there is a lot of junk, but nothing that would be considered valuable or essential for survival.

Once the man is secure, Zach tells the driver to head back to HQ. He asks the others to take mental notes of the rest of the town they pass through on the way. He also keeps an eye out for bandits, zombies and survivors (edited)

(3xp, 5000 credits)

10:13 AM

(we can do the level up and then I can move this on)

(sounds good. I'll let you know if I have any questions about leveling after I do the reading again)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+2] Roll: [6, 1] Result: 9 Reason: HP Roll

Level Up Level: 2 Focus: Close Combatant New Vowed Art: Purified Body Old HP: 7 HP Roll: 9 New HP: 9 New Skills: Punch (1), Sneak (0), Heal(0), Shoot (from focus, should be 0, but sheet reads 1) Current AB: +1

1:28 PM

(I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong with the shoot skill. I have the focus at 1, from close combatant, and it jumps from skill level -1 to +1. Should be 0 I think).

((after character creation, a foci gives 3sp instead of a bonus skill, so -1 to 1 is an investment of 3sp)

7:02 PM

(you're not doing anything wrong, this is the intended function of foci after chargen)

(I am assuming I'm just waiting for a review of some kind before we proceed to the next part, but if not let me know.)

(that's fine, the thumbs up didn't ping the channel, so I didn't get something new here until you posted again- so when I left this I didn't know if you'd; have a question to my answer, ect )

10:34 AM

(Everything is correct though)

10:38 AM

The wounded survivor is bundled aboard the ship, and with intelligence of the local area you are hastily returned to the colony both to get this man to a proper medical facility, and to debrief with the leadership of the colony. The scholl bus turned gate is rolled aside, and you are permitted entry to a waiting group of medical officers.

(makes sense) Zach flags down the nearest medial staff-member. "Patient inside, broken leg, in critical condition!" As they are unloading the man, Zach tells the soldiers who went out with him "Please gather together your observations in a few bullet points. Whoever would like to can come with me to present our findings later. I'll look you up later. Thanks for your assistance out there. The recon went really well thanks to your skill and professionalism. I hope we can work together again." With that, Zach is escorting the medical team, hoping to provide the wounded man a familiar face and/or voice, until he is resting in a bed and feeling safe.

(Any thoughts on what you might want to get into next? I dont want to keep you on this planet forever now that you've got your feet wet with everything. You've collected some information firsthand, and in saving this guy the locals have a source for more info, so we've accomplished the base things we wanted this expedition to do)

(Zach just wants to serve the UNW. I'm not too picky. This is my first PbP game so I'm not sure how to tell what's available. I would interested in some star trek style exciting diplomacy, but I'm not biting at the bit for a larger role in the universe necessarily.)

(if that diplomacy held hands with also exploring new worlds would that scratch the itch?)

(Yeah, sounds great to me)

(I saw this in the UNW chat. Does it mean I've recieved 25000 credits?)

9:59 AM

(Yes it does! )

8:58 PM

(I'll take a look through world anvil and I'll get a mission together.)

(The UNW is looking to incorporate one more world so they can complete a faction endeavor, and we don't know much about the planet;s south of the UNW. Was thinking maybe here ? https://www.worldanvil.com/w/iron-stars-nekosmash/a/kuhuk-article

Kuhuk

(Sounds perfect.)

8:24 PM

(also right next door to Draemia, so doubly perfect)

The small colony will need some time to decide a course of action moving forward and they promise they'll work to nurse the survivor back to health. The supplies from the UNW that came with you will also allow them to improve their communications infrastructure and they hope to raise other settlements around the planet as a result. Its cargo unloaded, information gathered, and a grateful population left in your wake, new orders come to travel to Kuhuk to do more of the same.

10:52 AM

(we have one day of downtime while traveling, and if you wanted to buy anything we can have it waiting for you before you descend to the surface of Kuhuk)

(Sorry about the delay. Mission sounds great. Just making sure I spend my credits wisely)

(I noticed the planet is TL1 and an industrial wasteland, but the station has a population in the millions. Is the mission directed to the planet's surface or the station?)

(the surface has millions, we're going to the surface)

Zach rests after a hard days work getting the camp into slightly better shape. They'll hopefully have some new friends soon, and with them perhaps the ball will be rolling inexorably towards recovery for this world. He takes time to check his comm pad. "A new assignment....already?" He mutters as he scans the screen. TL1 world, major UNW milestone, industrial wasteland He replies quickly. "I am happy and honored to accept. I'll get together a list of provisions I feel I'll need. Please advise against any item you feel unwarranted." In a few hours, he has the list. Lots of things on it could do a lot of good, but some of them he isn't so sure about. The weapons might be needed, or they might be an encouragement in the wrong direction. You've thought his through he assures himself. Besides, the UNW surely has reviewers for this kind of thing. Without deliberating too much more, he presses send. That evening he informs the camp leaders: he's gone, but the UNW is here to stay as long as they need or want. He tells them how they can reach him, and if they are ever off world, to look him up if he's nearby.

9:48 PM

(Zach's shopping list is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MtLnl1bnNPt5dxEp5a2OZVlbYOSHL-pQ4bCwWSLkkoo/edit?usp=sharing it's a rough sketch I'll fill out but I wanted to run it by you before I hit send. Items I'm most concerned with: 2 robots, several laser rifles, and a half dozen solar array chargers.)

Zach's Shopping List

Sheet1 item,cost per,number,subtotal,note Field Radio,200,4,800,1 A cell per 3 months,Total,28480 Metatool,200,10,2000 Large Advanced Weapons,80,20,1600 Solar Recharger,500,6,3000,charge 1 A cell per day Laser Rifle,300,10,3000,1 A cell per mag Advanced Bow,50,35,1750 Power cell type b,100,15,15...

(The robots are not available and Lazarus patches aren’t in the setting. Our book has the frontier medicine in it which has replaced all the book medicine aside from the medkit ) (edited)

(got it. I saw kinesis wraps are a new melee weapon, using punch and doing 1d2+2. Do these interact with vowed feature "Unarmed Might" to buff unarmed attacks? If so I want a set. Otherwise, list is revised, same link as above, with these changes: removed robots, and lazpatch; added healing powder, anti-rad, radpak, and possibly kinesis wraps. new total 27130.) (edited)

(they're actually from 1st edition and never made their way into the Revised rulebook for some reason. They do stack as of right now, We hven't had a ton of vowed to see how some of this stuff might interact, so that could change in the future, but if you want to help test this for us a pair would certainly be available)

(Absolutely. if the rest of the list is approved I'll spend the money. Most of that stuff is directly going to the contacts on the new world. Should I add it to the sheet or can we RP it?)

(I don't RP shopping generally. historically its turned into people begging for discounts or threatening shopkeepers to get them, so we do the list now for everyone. Anything you're actually keeping on your person for adventuring- like your personal gear, just make sure to ready/stow)

(Ok, final purchase is actually at 25630, which I'll subtract from my credits. I'm keeping a bioscanner, survey scanner, 2 healing powders and a rad-pak. I don't see kinesis wraps on the item list, so I've just added +2 damage bonus to unarmed strike. The rest of that list is intended for delivery to the leaders Zach meets on the new planet.) Zach says his goodbyes to the people of Draemia and boards the shuttle. He gathers what little is available about the culture and language of the people on Kuhuk.

(Yeah it has to be added to the sheet database. That'll be something we add to future versions of the sheet and we can post that in to yours too once the formula gets worked out. Probably next week sometime as a bunch of us are going to be gone for the weekend holiday)

10:34 AM

(We have one day of downtime on the voyage over!)

True to form, Zach again integrates himself with the crew as far as they'll allow. (Putting that day towards the Work skill). With only a day's travel, he focuses his research on taboos and hierarchies, hoping to avoid unnecessary offense when he lands.

(we really dont know anything about the people here, thagt's why its not in the world anvil. I know you're looking for info but there really isnt any to give)

8:45 PM

(but if we pick a landing area, we can try to collect something )

(no worries, that's just a "something my character would do" action.)

Upon arriving in the system, your ship begins the long process of scooping fuel. The natives here have no way of communicating with space, and you are called tot he bridge to help the crew determine the best place to set down.

"Any initial scan data?"

"All we have is the map, and what you see on the report in front of you. It's a common misconception that scanners will reveal everything about a planet without actually visiting it" The comms officer says, shifting aside so you can see the data.

"I wasn't expecting everything, but anything would have been nice. No weather patterns, atmospheric disturbances or hazards, unexpected signals, hidden ships in the system? I'll assume you've done the standard set of scans and found nothing out of the ordinary. In that case, we'll aim to contact the Soroth Tribe. Their proximity to the water will increase their ability to spread awareness about us, or intentions and our abilities more quickly. Let's plan on landing to their West, in case there are outstanding hostilities between them and the Corngaul tribe. Thoughts?"

The crew is fine with this, and they would like to know how closely you'd like to land to their settlement. From there they can try to zero in on a safe landing zone. (edited)

Zach informs them he would like to touch down about 6 hours travel by foot. He is guessing this is 15-20km from the city edge, and pretty close to the water.

The vessel sets down as commanded. There are no locals in the immediate vicinity, and the sky is clear for the day. Low level radiation warnings are on the wall mounted information screen near the airlock. The radiation is low level, and is not harmful if you're traveling for just a day or two, but longer term you will need an atmofilter, or something else capable of sealing the radiation off of you.

(How many days can the ship stay here without outside food or water?)

(Ship stores have 30 days of food, water,and air for all crew members. We're down to 29 from the trip, since we were able to restock at the zombie planet we left. It;s going to take four days to scoop fuel for a return trip anywhere in this system, so we'll have at least 25 days left by then)

(How would Purified Body work with this background radiation? If I have no water, food or air each day, do I avoid radiation sickness? If I get radiation sickness, is that a "disease or poison" I can cure with an effort point? Here's the text from the art: "You may Commit Effort for the day as an Instant action to cure any disease or poison currently affecting you, or instead to negate any need for sleep, food, water, or air for the next 24 hours.")

(We've sort of looped radiation on a planet into posion so you'd; be safe on the surface with this ability)

(Does the crew have their own radiation protection or should I purchase that also if I want an escort?)

(You can’t take npcs normally unless you have the henchkeeper foci. If you did have that foci, they could equip themselves from the ship locker )

Zach gathers his belongings in preparation. The remaining days aboard the ship for the fuel scoop he continues to work amongst the crew. He meditates. He practices his art of the inward eye. He wonders about the state of the world ahead. He is ready, he tells himself. It's a strange sort of gambit he is considering: hope that an outsider in strange garb speaking gibberish isn't killed on the spot. But it's what the UNW needs now. So he is ready, as ready as he can be. (I'm also ready for landing when you are, unless there are other things to attend to before then.)

(just need a D10 for the conditions of our landing area and a major feature of it, and we'll go from there!)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d10] Roll: [1] Result: 1 Reason: landing conditions

(either really great or really bad lol)

(There's not really a good or bad, its just the conditions and major feature of a hex, and the table varies by climate , 1 for example in a temperate zone is migratory birds or rodents, while 10 would be a rare mineral)

4:40 PM

The shuttle sets down close to the inland sea. The water is fresh, though needs to be purified before it can be safely consumed based on a warning your compad is giving you. You're unsure if the locals would need to do this or if they've become used to it. In addition to the water conditions ,the sky is clear and the wind does not get above 10kph gusts this time of day. There are no locals in the immediate area though the shuttle coming down would have been hard to miss. There is a herd of bovine type animals to the north, 3km away, stampeding in that direction due to the noise and downdraft of the shuttle.

Zach wastes no time. "If I'm not back in 10 days, please head off for a resupply without me. If that happens, please swing back by 30 days from now, and again in 60 days, to see if I've left a signal for you here on the beach. If I haven't assume the worst. Good day." With that, he marches from the ship, following the coast towards the city.

The ship crew acknowledges your request, and makes their way back to orbit, lifting off and leaving you to walj toward the village. A kilometer from it, you crest a foothill to see three of the locals walking in your direction. THey have large backpacks and walking sticks, and have the apperance of scouts or trackers. They each have a bow of primitive design, and knives that look to be more designed as tools than as overt weapons of war. The direction of travel indicates they saw the shuttle come down ,and had been coming to investigate when you spot them. From your elevated position with the sun at your back, they have not yet spotted you.

Zach has packed as many "Tech" looking things as he can into a backpack. He doesn't want to alarm the people he meets, or give away too much. He has his food and water visible. His laser pistol is stashed at the top of the backpack (which I don't expect to confer any special benefit, it is still just stowed instead of readied). He makes himself plainly seen, waving and calling out to the travelers. He approaches slowly, hoping to match their gait, and takes as open and direct a path as possible towards them.

(One side note: I was expecting the ship to stick around for a few days. I had 20k+ credits of goods I was hoping to use as gifts of influence on the world. We didn't discuss the items after the purchase: were they delivered to the ship? Is there some way for me to get ahold of the ship when I need them?)

(your compad will reach the ship, and the shuttle can drop the goods off when you need them. They're going to hang out in orbit and scoop fuel, they can interrupt this process at any time, they just need to be here for four days to do it but it doesn't need to be consecutive) (edited)

(Sounds good, thanks)

One of them calls out, letting you know they want to talk. None of them reach for weapons but they correct their direction of travel and quicken their pace to come meet you. The first of them is the closest to you and is the most easily heard- "You're from off world" the hunter says, as they close to within 30m of you. "easy to tell. Where offworld?"

"I just arrived from Draemia, a world that is close to your own. Maybe a days flight through space. Before that, several places. I'm from the United Nations of Worlds. What about you? Are you from the large city to the East?"

"We are. We have always lived on this planet- though different people have tried to make themselves masters of it" the lead scout says "We spoke to someone from the United Nations of Worlds- a couple years ago now. "

"I see. Well, my journey here is for a few days. I was hoping I could meet with one of your leaders. Is there somewhere I could stay for a week or so? Somewhere like an hotel, or maybe an inn?"

"You will have to come back with us. Things are not as comfortable here as what you are used to" the scout says,continuing to speak in mandate common. "but the last people from the UNW behaved themselves. If you can do the same we will have no issues. The chief will want to know why you're here though. I will need somrthing to tell him before he will meet with you"

"The UNW sent me to re-establish talks between our peoples. From my understanding, the UNW doesn't want to make themselves the masters of this world. They want you all to be the masters of it, to help you with that, and to be your friends. Along those lines, I've got a shipment of supplies that might help your people grow on this world, if you are interested. And if not, I'd like to stay and learn from you for a while, and hear what we could be doing better to ally with you." "I can show you some of the things I brought, if you'd be interested. I have a few things with me, and many more that can be brought down when I ask for them."

3:16 PM

Zach says nothing about the comfortablility, but he's ready to compliment them for their hostpitality. He's spent years in relative discomfort. At this point he is less comfortable on vacation than in the field.

"You should talk to the chief about all of this. They'd be upset if we made some kind of a deal without them. Suppose you'd better come with us then. If you've got a rag to keep the wind out you better do that. The grit will get to you after a while. Won't kill you, but it's like eating sandpaper"

"Thank you for the advice." Zach does his best to mimic their style of clothing with the items he brought. He also takes a beat to ready himself for the other dangers of the world (committing effort for the day for Purified Body, breathing only as required for speaking). "Please, lead the way."

5:03 PM

(I had secure clothing in my inventory but that's about it for protective gear. If that ends up not being enough I'll look to make a trade for something in the city.)

(secure clothing is fine, the dust is an irritant, but not dangerous, we don't need a vac suit or anything)

10:47 AM

(Also, notice/wis as we walk)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+1] Roll: [5, 5] Result: 11 Reason: Notice check

Zach makes polite conversation, asking about the various plants, the radiation, their leader. But he remains ever aware of his surroundings.

Animals seem to have adapted here. You catch sight of several species of roden and bird, all colored to blend into the surroundings here. Most of the radiation is concentrated further south, made especially worse now with the presence of several starship wrecks that have crashed there. The tribe has attempted to get close to collect metal and the chance for any other goods they normally would not be able to get on their own , but a very hostile clan has taken the site, and are using their newfound technological advantage to menace the countryside and defend their claim.

(when you say south, can you tell me about where on the world map Zach feels that is? This map, I mean: https://www.worldanvil.com/w/iron-stars-nekosmash/a/kuhuk-article)

Iron Stars

A play by post Stars Without Number living world adventure: Six years have passed since The Scream, a psionic disaster responsible for killing billions across the galaxy in one swift stroke. Humanity has clung to life now forced to continue without virtually any of its psychic citizens or psi-tech industries that developed around their special...

(I'd have to get into Inkarnate and add it, but its halfway down the eastern coast of the lake, on the hex where there is a little nub of land but mostly water. The northern tribes are more isolated from this given each hex is about 200k, but theyre worried with the tech advantage, said raiders could easily cobble some longer range vehicles and be a bother)

(got it)

10:42 AM

"How many people do you think are in that tribe? And how many in yours?"

"A few thousand in ours. They are several hundred, but with the vehicles, the guns ,the tech? They could overpower the thousands that we are. SO far, things are quiet. It will not stay that way for long. Our neighbors to the west do not seem as concerned, probably because if something hapepns we're going to die before they do"

"This is exactly why I'm so excited to speak with your chief. The UNW can help provide the protections you would need. They can help level the playing field. I don't think it would happen overnight, but as long as our values are somewhat aligned I feel a friendship between our peoples would be mutually beneficial."

He grunts, not refusing what you are saying outright, but he looks hesitant. "We've been promised those things by others who came from off world and we eneded up as slaves, mining metals to create starships, though not for our own beneift. Once the ore ran out, and the Remnant was driven off, we've been left to ourselves. I believe that you believe this will be a good thing, but it is going to take convincing to make the people believe this is in our best interest. Things are bad, no one will dispute that,but would inviting the UNW here make them worse?"

Zach ponders the question. The UNW had helped him, but what did he really know about them. "Well, you are right: I do believe what I say. When your people were enslaved before, was it by the UNW?"

3:28 PM

(Does Zach know why the UNW is interested in this world? He's not nieve but might be ignorant, or have a blind spot for the UNW)

"No, it was by the Tenebrian Remnant. The UNW drove them from the system, but their involvement here ended there. They never descended to the planet , aside from a brief scouting expedition. " (the shaper war was kicking off to the north so they just couldn't spare the resources. They drove the Remnant out of the south, then pushed to Creusa to end the Remnant once and for all, and by the time that happened, the Shaper warhost began spilling out of their cluster of systems between the NMC, Greystar and the UNW, and it was all hands on deck to keep them back and that was happening in the complete opposite galactic direction) (edited)

8:08 AM

(but these people have no way of knowing this)

(Does Zach have any reason to think the UNW is going to colonize and subjegate these people? I'm operating under the assumption that the UNW is very close to a star trek's Federation.)

8:21 AM

"Then I'm long overdue. Just like you have troublesome tribes to the south, the UNW had a foe at their threshold. And just as they dealt with that foe, my hope is that we will help you deal with yours."

(The UNW has an endeavor to expand to more planets, and is scouting to see what planets around it look like so they can make smart decisions about where to invest their limited resources. Colonies have to be supported by trade ships so the players aren't wanting to shotgun a bunch of colonies all over the place right now, just one or two so they can be properly supported until such time as they don't need it anymore. That takes a variable amount of time depending on how much player interaction there is,. This is my OOC interpretation of things that have happened but the UNW isn't out to subjugate. It's not a perfect system ,but the bad things that happen within the borders of the UNW don't come from government policy or heavy handed authorities, but instead just come from the polity being large, and local issues festering into serious ones because they don't get a lot of attention. Some of that is due to nobody visiting planets for very extended periods of time to give us warning of it, or solve the problem. Some of it is game events that just happen because they're important to things being done in the wider story. )

(Got it.)

"That may be true" the scout says "We've no shortage of foes here either. So we will see

11:31 AM

The scout continues moving forward across the dunes of loose sand and dirt, inching ever close to the distant settelemtn

11:31 AM

(i can move us there if you don't have anything else for them)

(Yeah from this point on Zach is just making small talk or silently walking, whatever his travelling companions prefer.)

The village from a distance is made of scrap. The rocks and trees of the world have been combined with the ruins of the fallen temporary work settlement built here to form a village holding what you would estimate to be a few thousand people. The walls have towers and gates at several points around the outside of the camp, and dozens of small fires inside show where people are cooking their meals, recycling trash, and otherwise are going about their daily lives. You are brought through the camp to a large building in the middle of the settlement, past many of the tribe. They wear a mix of desert clothing and scrap armor where needed. Only one in three of the warriors you have seen have anything like a firearm. Most are using spears or bows made from local materials.

His homeworld looked a lot like this. At first. He could remember the growth, piece by piece, from scraps to structures. Eventually they were whole again. All thanks to the UNW. He held any commentary about their city to himself, and instead remained silent as he continues to follow them to their chief. Especially concerning, he thought, was the idea of a full scale vehicle based attack. They wouldn't stand a chance in their present condition.

The center of the settlement is the remains of a large fire that seems to be smoldering out with the arrival of dawn, and the elders are sitting on several wooden benches around it. There are five elders, three human females, and two males. Each of them wear garb similar to their fellows, a mix of desert/badlands survival clothing typically robes and head coverings , though three of them also have scrap armor worked into their day to day dress.

Zach approaches but says nothing until someone asks him who he is or until he is introduced.

One of the leaders moves over, indicating you should sit. The scouts who brought you in take a few steps back serving as security for this meeting since they have met you, and know what you have to say already. "Off world" one of the leaders says in a dry, rapsing voice. "You come from off world. What do you want with our tribe?"

He takes a seat. While warming himself by their fire, he says, "My name is Zach Dimitriou. I came from a world like this one, on the fringe of the UNW's territory. My world was in trouble as well. The UNW helped us, and we helped them. We are all better for it, and now I'm proud to say that I am an agent for that same organization." "I've come on behalf of the UNW to ask you to join us. I hope, when you get to know us, that you will agree with me in finding the UNW helpful, unobtrusive, and supportive. I understand you've had bad dealings with off-worlders before, and that they didn't go well. I hope to convince you that we are not like them, that we are opposed to them, and that were you a member World of our United Nations, we would be sword to protect you from them." "I came to you as the largest city in the world. I though that, being so close to the water, you'd be able to spread this message as you saw fit the fastest. In summary, what I want from your tribe is your consideration of this matter: will you join us? I hope so, as we would both be better off."

"Words, are words. The tribe fell for words alone before by another from off world. The Remnant. They are gone now, but we require more before so blindly throwing our will in with that of another. What can the UNW beyond words?" the first of the elders asks. This seems to be something each of them is interested in.

"I agree. Firstly, you have me. I am at your disposal, if you need anything or have questions about the UNW. Second, you have our technology. I've brought a sample, as much as I could bring, which will be delivered shortly." Zach signals the ship, indicating the cargo should be delivered now. "Now, what can I help you with? What can I do for you on behalf of the UNW that would help out your mind at ease?"

(Talk/cha)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+1] Roll: [6, 6] Result: 13 Reason: Talk/Cha

(Now glad I didn't use my 1/scene mood shift lol)

"What can you do about the ship, and the tribe within it? They threaten the safety of all, we need to destroy them. Can the UNw help with this?"

"Yes. You're certain they are beyond reason?"

"None of our emissaries has come back, and so far it has been double the time a round trip there and back normally takes. More than likely they are dead- but dead, imprisoned, enslaved, whatever you wish to call it, they are lost to us, and it is a declaration of their intent for all of the northern tribes if they're allowed to continue"

"Very well. Yes, we can help you. If not, I'll die trying." Zach continues to question them as long as they'll answer, and tries to address concerns as they come up. Zach wants to know if the enemy has a known leader, what kinds of tactics they use, if they have a central food supply, and what kind of weapons they've been known to carry. He also asks if there are any volunteers from this city he might take with him, and what the relationship of this city is to the other northern tribes. Might it be possible to gather people together from several groups and confront at once?

(I probably have missed a question or two because my brain turns to static when they're arranged in a paragraph like that, but I'll put what I do find below) 1. They have a leader, their name is not known but they are acting with unity and intent meaning one chieftain has risen above the others 2. The ship wreck is very far away and their scouts and enboys have either not returned, or have been run off with only getting very basic information. There are no exterior signs that these bandits are also farming. Any food they do have is being handled some other way. 3. They are not going to volunteer their people for this endeavor by themselves, but you're free to take anyone who actually volunteers of their own will. 4. They don;t know anything about the other tribes around them, contact has ended due to the large amounts of distance between them, and their lack of forced contact now that the Remnant is gone.

Zach thanks them for the information. "Am I free to walk about your city while I wait on the shuttle?"

As long as you follow their laws prohibiting assault and other violent crimes within their city, the leadership permits you to walk. They do warn you that the last interaction most of their people had with outsiders is that of being oppressed, forced to mine, to send their resources into the sky to fuel ships of war, meant to bring conquest and destruction to other worlds. Though leadership may know you are different- or at least claim to be- they cannot speak for the rest of their people.

Zach bids them farewell. He spends his time wandering the streets and listening.

Are they angry about the south tribes or indifferent?

Are they concerned about him or receptive to meeting him?

Are many people sick or hurt?

what concerns them apart from the southern tribes?

He also introduces himself where he feels welcome, and looks for small ways to help people, whether survey scanning, medical scanning, or just regular labor.

(connect/cha, better result would lead to more information)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+0] Roll: [6, 2] Result: 8 Reason: Connect/CHA

1) The locals are angry at the ship tribe for the needless war, they have no strong opinons about tohers who may be in the south 2) There is reservation and hesitation. Some people outright refuse to even talk to you. Those that do refuse show signs of old injuries that have scarred or are otherwise healing. 3) The tribe has a clinic set up. Several warriors are posted outside of it, but there is no obvious indication from outside how full the clinic is. The clinic is a large building roughly the size of the central hall used by the tribe leadership. It is residential sized instead of industrial sized. 4) Water and being able to dig for it is a concern of the tribe. They lack the ability to dig deep.

(I have a few directions to go here but they all require a boatload of questions. I could sit an ask them for the next two weeks, but if you have any thoughts about what ways to proceed Zach would find most feasible im open to those. For instance, I'm interested in helping with water problems. Why aren't they purifying the water nearby, or are they having trouble pumping it? Do we have equipment for pumping water? Do we have water purification equipment Zach could find/buy? What about drilling equipment? And so on and so forth.)

(the surface water has run out, so they have to pump for more as this is the dry season, the shuttle has equipment to rig up a pump. THe contents of a medkit or two should be able to let them purify it for the remainder of a season. No drilling equipment but we have lots of manpower )

Zach listens intently. lots of problems the UNW is poised to solve, but first we have to build trust. He tries his best to identify the people here who would be the builders and engineers, and then proposes a plan to them. "I think the UNW can assist you with your water problem. If you can arrange for the digging to take place, I can get the equipment together to pump it up and make it clean. Is this something you'd be able to help me out with?"

You find the builders trying to oversee a work party shoring up the settlement wall. Their efforts will not keep them safe from modern weapons, but it might slow a raiding party down for some time, or force them to committ a larger force into attacking the village. The engineers, such as they are, will assist you in trying to find water and drill for more sources of it. THey'd like to have plenty stored to keep the people healthy in the event the ship tribe comes north and the dust bowl suddenly becomes unsafe for travel

"Glad to hear it. Shall we get started?" (Zach has a survey scanner but I don't think it will help locate water. If it could be used to assist, he'll use it. Otherwise, Zach is hoping to lean on the survival instincts of the locals to find this water source. He expects to assist as needed, of course. If they are completely lost, let me know what I should roll to conduct this search.)

(They know what they're doing and your survey scanner would help them accurately locate some too. Lets get a D10 for other major features of the hex outside the city though, since we didn't do one on the way in)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d10] Roll: [7] Result: 7 Reason: Fun hex feature

This village is situation in a dry region where one must dig for water. On your way out to the site where the engineers think water might be easiest to find, the engineers pull you to the side of the trail in front of a large cactus like plant the size of a small tree, and one of them hands you a knife. "we learned to drink from these when we need water. If you are going to be here for some time, it is a skill you will need to cultivate"

Zach takes the knife. "I've read about a similar situation, but I've never tried to do it. How should I start?"

"Hold the blade level, even with the cactus side, Then give a quick stab. Pull the knife out quickly, and then get your jug or something else to hold the water. You can't drink it just like this, we need to boil it, but once the junk is cooked off you'll find this gives you some water and a ncie boost of energy"

Zach takes a scan of the fruit. He checks for radiation and toxins. "Thank you for showing me this." He does not partake of the plant flesh. (Not only because they just said it was poisonous, but because he has a point committed to not needing food, water or air) (edited)

(just realized I misread the above description from you. Here's a rewrite) John makes an attempt at withdrawing water from this plant. He scans the water, checking for radiation and toxins. "Thank you for showing me this." He does not drink it. (Not only because they just said it was poisonous, but because he has a point committed to not needing food, water or air)

(its good information for the World Anvil if nothing else) "We will boil it when we make camp. You will like the energetic feeling it gives you. The cacti can be harvested from when you see yellow or white buds between the needles. The needsles hurt very much. They are coated in a chemcical that causes a burning sensation. When we are preparing for war, it was not uncommon for the needles to be ground up, and for arrows to be dipped in the liquid" the engineer leading the expedition says. There are ten of you in total, packign hand tools and a small push cart filled with water and some camping supplies. They estimate you will have reached the location by noon.

Zach nods in agreement. On the way to the camp he shares stories from his world before the UNW. He asks them about theirs. He's interested in knowing what is on their mind

(is there a particular story you might share with them? This feels like a good character development moment)

(I am embellishing a little here. If I overstep please feel free to correct any of the narrative.) Zach admires the rolling landscape. Scrub and light trees dotted hills of gray yellow grass flowing in a soft wind. It wasn't barren, but the these remnants of life clung to the surface of the world with gnarled roots and brittle stalks. The wind made a reedy whistle whipping through them in small bursts, and between those, a long and egregious silence where no bird sang or creature chirped. It was a world at its end, and maybe a world at its beginning “My world wasn’t like this,” he told them in the midst of a quiet. “It was craggy and dim. Low clouds, wetness everywhere, and sharp stones in all directions. My people made these shoes out of hard buskrin leather. Buskrin was kind of a big rat, meaner than a sputtering drive core bouncing out of hyperlight. And their skin was adapted to the rocks, so we learned to use it.” “I had to make my shoes each morning from a long strip of leather, when I was a child I mean. A day of scrounging among the rocks would tear up the bottom, and if you didn’t rotate the strip, or fold it, or flip it, you’d soon see blood in your trail. The stone was often so sharp and cold you sometimes wouldn’t notice you’d been cut for a few hundred feet.”

9:46 PM

He paused as they reached the crest of a hill and were afforded a view southward over the great inland sea. “And the rocks,” he continued a little after, “came in all sizes but not many shapes. Little glass pebbles were sharp. Boulders: sharp. Jagged mountain ranges on the horizon and deadly patches of razor granite just under the surface of the fast-moving river. Everywhere you looked, rocks hogging the horizon, hogging the skyline, and making you stare down to watch your step if you dare move an inch.” “So when I see this,” he said, opening his arms to the wideness of sky above him, “well, I’m happy to have made it here is what I’ll say about that. It’s open. I think it doesn’t hate me here, if that makes sense. I can feel a future here for you, for your people. I can’t see it any other way, in fact.” He noted the incredulous look from one of his guides. “Maybe that makes me naive. I dunno, my instincts have been pretty good so far.”

(thats actually really good. I;d like this to be one of the planet we've yet to dsicover if you're ok with me using this)

Nekosmash pinned a message to this channel. 6/29/2023 10:11 AM

(Yeah, go for it) (edited)

12:25 PM

(sorry, got for it)

12:26 PM

(If you want some more planet details let me know. I can come up with hooks, sites, creatures, factions, whatever if it would be helpful.)

(this is perfect! the description alone is really interesting. OInce I add it if people go there I'll bug you about fleshing it out!)

9:59 AM

"They seem to be. With all the sand I think this place was all rocks once. This is what's left of them now, just dust, and the angry planet broken them down. Nothing stands up against nature" the chief engineer says "Welearn to work with it, not impose our will over it, and that is why we remain, and the Remnant has ceased to exist" he laughs, given the titles of these groups and their eventual fate.

"It's wise," Zach notes. "One shouldn't try to work against an entire world." He reflected on his meditations. Oneness, interconnection, and being.

1:49 PM

"On this world, how is it you handle the radiation sickness? I'm resisting it with some training, but you all seem to be holding up well anyway. What's the secret?"

"that's just it, we don't. We know which areas to avoid, and we had some stockpiles from the Remnant. THey gave us anti rad treatments to keep us healthy and mining, and we were left with a good amount when they left the planet,but that's it. We're out of them now"

Zach is shocked. "I assumed you had developed some kind of natural immunity, or...I don't know...a strategy of mitigation? I'm so sorry to hear it. I have medkits arriving by shuttle, along with some radiation treatment, but I'll be sure to get more with the next trip. Whether or not the UNW is in your future, I'm going to help however I can."

"That's a nice thing to say, and to offer. It's too late for some of us. We've...developed ways around it. The old handle the dangerous jobs so the young can live. We're getting close to that ourselves. So, we're here" he says as the walk completes "We've got these bubbles in the sand here, this lets us know there is air escaping from below, so we'll need to dig carefully to expose the pocket below.

Zach helps to unload the equipment they packed. He looks for the bubbles as well, running the survey scanner over the area once to see what it says.

(program/int)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+0] Roll: [6, 4] Result: 10 Reason: Program/INT

There is water here. The survey scanner struggles to punch through so many meters of sand, but you are able to tune the frequency enough that you are able to penetrate it, and find that there is an air pcoket several meters down. between five and seven. There is also water there. The hole will be a large one, and will require large amounts of soil moved over the next several days, but once exposed to air the depression you will dig should fill, creating temporary easy surface water for the village.

"I'm sure it's no surprise to you, but I'm seeing water as well. We'll need a big hole, probably something about as wide as from there to over there," Zach says, indicating two spots on the ground. "Should take a couple of days. I think we should get started as soon as we can." Zach reaches out on his comm unit, explaining where he is and what he's doing. "Please coordinate delivery. If you don't want to walk them through using the items inside please tell them to wait for me to get back to hand things out."

7:19 PM

With that, he assesses the tools available. Soft sand means...shovel is a good choice for now. He gets started digging.

(Exert/con, and that message was to the shuttle crew? Just so i understand, you want them to land here at the digsite and hand out some tools?)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+0] Roll: [6, 3] Result: 9 Reason: Exert/CON

(Ah, no. The shuttle is bringing the supplies Zach spent 20k+ on for the colony. The original plan was for Zach to present these as a gift, and in town he had asked for the shuttle to land so he could do so. But while he was in town some people needed water and wanted to go digging for it, so Zach has left town. The message is to the shuttle telling them "Go ahead and land in town and hand over the gear to the local leaders." There's some extra verbiage there because Zach is concerned the town leaders might not know what they are looking at when the gear arrives, so if the shuttle crew doesn't want to stick around and explain it to them, Zach is hoping the shuttle crew can deliver a word of warning to the town leaders: "please wait for Zach before you start using all this stuff or you might ruin it" or something along those lines.) (Zach is committed to getting this water project finished before leaving the dig site. I think we said there were some mechanical components to make a primitive pump on the shuttle. If that's the case, he is asking the shuttle to drop those off as well. If they can bring the pump to the dig site, great. If not, Zach can collect the pump from the town when he returns.)

(got it got it)

2:05 PM

The shuttle crew will make their way closer to the village, and with the way paved thanks to your kindness they will take the time to explain things to the villagers. The UNW will be set back here if someone hurts themselves with unfamiliar tech, not knowing what they are doing. They will save a post-tech toolkit for you and will fly over this evening to drop it off. The shovels and picks in it will allow the work to be done far quicker. Taking shifts under the warm summer sun has everyone sweating and feeling weak as the cold winds of evening and the setting star begin to spread across the wastelands. You've managed to get about half the distance down to the water, and even by the end of the night tonight, a team has to be assigned to bucket duty, lifting out the shoveled material with buckets attached to ropes, as shovels no longer clear the debris from the top of the hole.

At the end of his first shift Zach exits the hole with the rest of the diggers. It's sizable now, a groundcar-sized crater, and as he emerges he notes the cool breeze above that was absent below. He listens to the people chatter. Some of it is in the common tongue, and some is slang known only on this world. He's keen to understand it so he focuses his attention on those brief phrases, trying to pick apart meanings. Towards the end of the break, he re-centers himself and his energies, pushing out the need for rest, water, and even air, as cool and sweet as it may be. As the next shift climbs in, so does he, and with the resolve of a Quaderine engine he continues to dig. "I'll rest soon," he assures those who have given him odd glances. "I'll rest when the work is done." He slows his thinking, capturing his lesser instincts, and concentrates on the cycle of motion. Down, up, in, ready. Again, again, into the night, until the noise of shovels is as soothing as an evening fan blade, lulling those lesser instincts back to sleep, and all that is left is the cycle of his work.

(is this with your purified body technique? )

10:35 AM

( just so I can determine if a physical effect save or strain is needed)

(yes, I'm just keeping a point committed non stop)

The crew looks on with surprise as you do not have to stop for food and drink and do not seem to be getting tired. Your shovel and pick continually bite the earth, encouraging them to keep working for as long as you have the light. Once the light goes out you dig by firelight before just as the following morning is about to dawn there is a gurgle in the sand near your feet, and a trickle of water begins to flow

Zach fills a bowl with the muddy liquid and pours it carefully into a plastic bottle. He climbs out of the hole. "Fetch me the med-pak from my bag. The green and yellow box, on the left side." He rummages around in the kit, finally finding a small sealed pouch of light grey powder, and he puts a pinch of this powder into the water bottle. "This is what we are hoping to do for the whole town," he says quietly, his voice trailing off as he watches the water swish around. Slowly but surely, the muddy sediment begins to fall. In about a minute, the water is separated from it completely, making two distinct strata in the clear container. "And now, we drink," and he lifts the bottle gently in a mock 'cheers' motion.

8:02 AM

He drinks the first sip of the water. It's clean and delicious. Despite not needing water his body had started craving it hours ago. His force of will is great, but not insurmountable. This first taste is the taste of relief, and a welcomed relaxation washes over his body. Zach laughes despite himself. "Here, gently. Don't shake it, but drink. Here's to a better future," he says, offering it carefully to those watching. (edited)

One of the workmen reaches down to pull you out by the hand, and then accepts the bottle once you are pulled to the surface. They smile, relishing the cool sensation of fresh water that they know is safe to drink.

10:36 AM

The hole continues to slowly fill, and it will take a few hours before the water reaches surface level.

(If I remember right: they had an enclosure or reservoir they wanted to get the water into. We were going to get a pump from the shuttle, but I don't know exactly what steps would be next. Will this extra stuff take more than a few days to set up? And will they need my help with it?)

(They won’t need help with the pumps if you’d decide to do something else. It will take them about a day)

Zach celebrates with the well diggers as long as it seems like they have the energy for it. After that he lets them know he is heading back to the city. "It's that way, right?" He indicates the direction he thinks they came from. "If anyone else is headed back I'd love the company." Either way, he intends to leave at the next sunrise to head back.

The chief engineer also needs to return to the city to report the success of the project and will accompany you on a walk back. As soon as the sun comes up the both of you head out, making your way to the settlemetn once again. (if you didn't have anything to ask him or anything else, we can cut to geting there)

(I'm find cutting to the city. Zach makes polite and encouraging conversation, but nothing I need to know for the story.)

Returning to the city , the chief engineer moves off to report in, and the shuttle crew is near the southern gate handing out some items purchased for the people here- along with instructing the locals in their use. Some technologies like the trusty tools are familar, others like glowbugs and certain other supplies are things the people here will not have seen in a long time, or will not have seen ones made in this pattern in the mroe roughshod frontier style. Things seem to be going welll, but there are many who continually glance to the southern horizon in nervousness and fear.

Zach is excited to see the supplies being used. "Make sure you position these rechargers in plenty of sunlight. Those batteries can be used again and again." This enthusiasm wanes as he notices their concern over the escalation with the southern tribe. That evening he contacts the leaders he met when he arrived. "We should make a plan to deal with them, don't you think?" (I'm not sure how tactical you want to get with this, but the general idea here is that Zach has 25000 credits to spend on heavy weaponry and demo charges. Those, in addition to the weapons provided by the first shipment, could go a long way to making this city feel safer. So:

If there is a military expert here, Zach consults them concerning what credits should be spent on.
If there isn't I can come up with a rudimentary battle plan we can refine.

Just let me know how you'd like to go about it.)

(there ins't an expert here, and the shuttle would have to bring your message back. Realistically the shuttles aren't suited for transfering cargo. So I would recommend talking to the polity server to see if there's a free merchant you can borrow for this)

(this is the first time doing something like that, so just to confirm, I'm checking with the other players on the UNW polity server to see if any of them has a free merchant and can handle purchasing and make the trip?)

(correct)

(Zach is doing three things for the next few days:

training anyone who needs it on the laser rifles, medical gear, etc. that was just delivered.
doing a perimeter check of the city, walking it once to see where heavy weapons would be most useful. Choke points, towers, natural overlooks.
checking with the citizens to see how many people would even be capable of using heavy weapons like a heavy machine gun.)

(okay, 3xp and 5000 credits for the digging mission and getting here. I'll see how the council chat boils down in the ooc server and we'll move things along here accordingly. )

(okay, looks like this is going to be approved. The ship is going to take about a week of game time to get here at earliest, by time your message is received and the ship is sent in response. Would Zach have anything in mind on this planet to fill in that time?)

(Zach has three main goals on world in that period.

Work with the Soroth tribe to establish their perimeter, shore up weaknesses, and make it more tactically sound.
Propose alliances with the other northern tribes, assuming the Soroth leaders don't have any major reservations.
Scout out the southern forces to assess weaknesses. With the timeline of "order parts -> ship begins travel -> delivery" I don't think Zach will be able to pick the perfect arms out but most of the purchase is just "mixed small arms" anyway, so no big deal there. Secondary goals:
work with leaders to create a more formal governmental structure. Who trains/issues orders to guards? Who does building repair? Who negotiates alliances? etc.
See if there is any possibility at all of reconciliation between the northern and southern tribes. Zach is thinking "Gosh it'd be nice if we all just got along." but I don't think he's so naïve as to assume it is likely to happen. This is a bunch of stuff. I'm fine with however you opt to divide it up into RP-worthy and background discussion.)

10:54 AM

(as far as the supplies, I don't know how specific you'd like the order to be. I am throwing in my recent 25000 creds, and with the total 325k I'm looking to split it into 2/3 weapons & armor, 1/3 civilized goods. I can do the math but if I don't need to I'm just as fine not crunching those numbers. Let me know what you'd prefer.)

(I can crunch the numbers for you. I'll look through the trade sheet tonight, I know the mixed small arms are 40 of the 60 tons, and those are 7500 each. I'll need to see what post-tech housewares are. They're on the sheet I just dont remember the cost off the top of my head)

11:26 AM

(I think all of these except the last one on secondary goals are mission worthy, and since these are all big picture things, I think they need to be missions, not things we do in the background. A UNW assassin character is coming to try to get rid of some of the more hardline bandit leaders, so I want to give them time to get at least a mission in before we do the final bullet point)

(Sounds good to me. I'm happy to start with any of the other points.)

(How about do the peremeter? )

Their excitement was contagious. Zach relaxed his guard for the better part of a day, meeting with the returning well-diggers, the leaders, and the families of the city. He risked the radiation of their food and drink to break bread at the table of a happy couple of farmers whose prayers for water had been answered. It wasn't long before the fear of attack was again on their breath however. "Don't worry too much. I'll get done what I can for you, but soon, you'll be plenty strong." He only partly believed it. That night he was woken several times by nightmares: zombies ripping through the walls, people screaming, a lost dog howling hopelessly in it's last moments with no understanding why it's people had become so cruel. That fear...unsafe in my own home. I remember it too well. He could sense a fear in the city around him. Their anxiety woke something in him which he had meditated months on end to put to sleep. That morning he met with their leaders. "I need a tour of the city's edge and an accounting of all people outside of it. Can we do that today?" There was a sharp darkness in his tone as he spoke to her. What can't be smoothed over must be worked out. The wise words of his yogi rang true to him. He couldn't put this fear to rest, so he'd have to beat it into submission. "The sooner the better," he added. He tried not to demand it but the words carried an urgency that he hoped would not make this woman feel mistrust in his ability.

(lets get a notice/wis as we set off!)

/roll message: 2d6+1 !Notice/WIS

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+1] Roll: [3, 1] Result: 5 Reason: notice/WIS

(thanks, ive got some art for this, lemme dig it out)

The village looks to be putting work into strengthening its scrap wall defenses, mining stone and dragging it into place. Others are mixing mortar from the sand and rock nearby, crushing it and stirring it into a slurry that will harden into a binding agent to keep the rock together. This rock loosk like it is going to be the outer skin of the walls and towers here, and even with a large amount of manpower, this is a project that will take months, if not years to fully complete. Any raids that are coming will happen before that time. The locals begin showing you where they plan to put guard towers to keep watch over the surrounding lands, but there is not a way they've yet devised to ensure water can continue reaching the city. The insland sea could have a channel dug, but it could be blocked, and escaping the walls to dig for water won;t be possible in a siege

(How many inhabitants in the city?)

(Tens of thousands but most of them are not in fighting shape. They’ve been worked half to death by the remnant and there’s not enough food and water for more than subsistence rationing )

"Our best bet is to make a channel to the freshwater sea nearby. If it is blocked we can hope that the demo charges I brought along with a strike team they aren't expecting will be enough to clear it," Zach recommends. "We should establish a communication network as well. Not only with the watch towers and city defense, but with the nearby tribes. We can worry about them later. For now, let's make sure the comms units work and everyone knows how to use them in an emergency."

(the ship would have a comm server in it, and a handful of compads, city leaders and maybe a few senior field folks would have them ,but we have nowhere near enough for everyone)

(My original shopping list had a comm server in it. Would the 300km range provide signal to the northern tribe, the Corngaul tribe? Either way, for the purposes of easing water concerns in the city, I need to know

how far from the city outer walls to the inland sea?
Does terrain permit seeing the sea from the city?
Zach is interested in using the survey scanner to whatever extent it can be used inside the city walls to look for possible wells there.)

(It would not .each hex is about 200km, so we'd need a network of them)

(In case you missed it, for the purposes of easing water concerns in the city, I need to know how far from the city outer walls to the inland sea? Does terrain permit seeing the sea from the city? Zach is interested in using the survey scanner to whatever extent it can be used inside the city walls to look for possible wells there.)

( 100km from here to the sea. (it does not due to the distance/the planet's curvature at that distance)

Zach considers their feedback. A stressful situation indeed. He wonders how often they were sieged, versus how often they worried about it. "Well it's not possible for us to protect 100km of water line from attack, especially considering our current state. Can we look again for water within the city? And if we can't find any, I have the wild idea that you should move the city to be closer to the water. It solves several different problems for you, despite having a huge upfront cost. Maybe I'm just wildly speculating, but what do you think?"

"We could try to check out the bottom of the settlement, the warrens near the walls ,or the drainage areas. We could try to dig retention ponds, and purify the water, that might be easier now that the UNW has brought us tools"

"Either way, we'll want retention ponds. Let's get those started. I'll try to include some more purification tools in the request to the UNW." (assuming it hasn't left at this point already and is possible to add these to the order.) "Let's scan the bottom of the settlement and the warrens"

(has not left, they've got enough stores to hang around for a couple weeks, so reall the limiting factor here is how soon do you want your stuff. Lets get a program/int for scanning)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+0] Roll: [6, 3] Result: 9 Reason: Program/INT

There are some hollow spaces under the city where there migh tbe water, but all sites except for 3 are too close to the walls to be able to allow digging without undermining the defenses you're building. The best pocket you are able to find is in the center of the village, but it will require a large amount of manpower to both dig, and relocate the cheif's residence and large fire at the center of town that has served as a meeting hub

After a long day of scanning, Zach is exhausted. So much walking, and so few prospects. He knows the right answer, but knows too there will be resistance. He decides to eat first, despite not needing to. There was a street vendor on the way to one of the scans that had smelled delicious. Now he followed that fragrance, cooked meat and some kind of onion-like plant. At the stall, there was one other person waiting for food, and soon enough, it was Zach's turn. "One of those," he said, pointing to bowl of boiled grains and soft, charred meats. The cook nods. Zach waits with the woman for food. "Do you like it here?" Zach listens, doing his best not to let the savory smells distract him from her answers. He nods quietly, probes a little more. She's happy. Her nephews are safe here, even if her own children couldn't make it. She asks who he is, where he is from. "I'm an outsider. I came-" "From the ship!" she says, excitedly smiling. "I heard of it! I heard of it but I didn't believe it. Nobody cares about us here, I thought. Impossible." The cook called out a word, one Zach assumes must be slang for food, something like grub or chow. Maybe it was the name of the dish.

8:10 PM

The woman hops up and pays for her meal. She talks a little while longer, eager to share stories of her world with someone new. Zach didn't feel plied in any way, just appreciated, which was nice. He worried that an outsider with deep pockets and ambition could be put to fool's errands and goose chases. Probably that would always be a concern, dealing with new worlds, each in their own earth-shattering crisis. So here, with a happy stranger, he was put at ease. If I can do something for her and her nephews, the trip wasn't wasted he thought to himself. They talked a little more. He learned she would share the meal with her family. When his order is ready he pays, and then hands it to her. After refusing her refusals, he says "Tell them they weren't forgotten. We'll do what we can." With that he heads to the council to deliver the bad news: there was a lot of work ahead, and the chief would have to endure a temporary displacement. When they were gathered, or at least most of them were, he lets them know what he learned. They should move the fire pit and the residence and start digging. Not just the able bodied. Dig as a community. Make something they could be proud of together. But if they wanted to ward against the pressures of a siege, this was how to do it. Then, he waits for their response.

The council is unhappy with the need for displacement, but they also understand they will be rulers of a dead city should things not come to pass with success in dealing with the southern tribes. They believe it will take about a day to clean the residences and official spaces out, and then another to disassemble the buildings there before the community wide dig can begin .Teams will need to be drawn up, boundaries defined, storage and filtering processes established, and people will need to be empoewered to keep their respective parts of the projects running smoothly.

Zach gets to work helping with establishing team leaders and outlining the project. He does his best to ensure that none of the leaders are left feeling as though their authority has been stripped away from them, watching for hidden rivalries or petty grievances that could thwart this effort. It was the thing about people he hated most: their ability to ignore a crisis to focus on bruised egos. He remembers a time when, as a child, zombies almost caught his group of survivors because one of the adults wanted to drive the boat this time, despite the normal pilot being at the wheel. The ensuing argument while a hoard stumbled towards them was forever etched in his mind.

The lawspeaker looks to be the most put out by all the changes. With the tribe working to the beat of a differnet drum and the other chiefs supporting it without conculting tribal law, he feels the authority of his position has been eroded, and that does not take a skilled diplomat to see. He has not openly challenged you yet.

The people were more in agreement than he thought they would have been. The lawspeaker (what is their name?) was the only one among the wisend leaders who seemed to pause at any suggestion. One person was not enough to thwart the effort of a city, but this one could sway others, who might sway others still. Zach keeps his goal in mind. I want the people here to want the UNW in their lives. And this person certainly doesn't need that right now, he thinks. Observing them, Zach notes they were older: who knows what the expected life span was for these people. Probably a younger age than they were now. It may be this person is thinking only of their legacy. Whether the UNW swoops in or not means nothing if they feel they are on borrowed time anyway. And what would be worse than having some upstart swoop in from another world, steal the admiration of your people, and pull that legacy out from under you. Zach sighs. People would always people, he supposes.

1:47 PM

Zach begins a two pronged strategy. First, he begins a rumor about a monument in the town center, one that will stand for the next 100 years, as a reminder to this world's humble beginnings. The monument would feature many of the council members, but in the center, the lawmaker in question. He tells people working on the project about how in the future, visitors from many worlds will see this monument and be able to reflect on the spirit of perserverance, courage, and wisdom of the people of this world. The monument will mark the center of the new world capital, this very city. It would likely be visible from the future star-port landing zone. Zach spreads this rumor as subtly as he can, passing it of as asking what people would think of such an idea, and then moving to more concrete terms, such as "when it's complete, I imagine it would be 4 stories tall" and "On a clear day, it will probably catch the light of your Sun just right".

1:50 PM

The second prong involves this lawmaker directly. Zach goes to them for counsel about speaking to the other northern tribes. What would be the best approach? What do they like? What are their customs? Can we offer them anything? Zach then alludes to his immanent trip, and tells the lawmaker that Zach would be leaving direction of the waterworks to them. Zach asks if they mind the responsibility, or should he get someone else? Zach notes it's a lot to do, and all eyes would be on the project, but he trusts nobody more.

1:51 PM

(if appropriate, this is where Zach would use the ambassador's automatic bump up in favorability, though that suggests use only for reaction rolls. Since I haven't seen a reaction roll yet I'm wondering if it can be applied here.)

(I roll them they’re just blind to you. This is A LOT. Give me a couple days to go through all of this whole thing )

(no rush, thanks much)

They don’t know much about the southern tribes. Thousands of kilometers of distance separate them and he doesn’t think anyone here in this settlement will be amenable to a parlay when there is such a disparity between the two groups. Any discussion or treaty will hold only for as long as the south decides it should , not because the north can do anything to enforce the terms. The lawmaker doesn’t really have the skills to make an effective leader of the project

10:30 AM

He is adamant that the settlement won’t be paying a bribe and isn’t interested in a trade agreement with the southerners

(Zach is asking about the northern tribes)

What would be the best approach? The lawspeaker thinks appealing to the common defense and the need to secure borders and resources from those who would take them by force is the best approach. The people here have been promised grand things before and nothing was delivered. He does not think doing more of the same will get people to listen. What do they like? (this is broad, not sure what specifically you mean. Like objects, vices? or like, what values do they project, wasn't sure what you wanted here) What are their customs? The bonespeakers require the gift of a bone from a relative before they will speak to you. They gain their lore and powers from the generations of those who have come before, and if you want something from them, you must add to their repository. The BoneSpeakers are not known to be hostile as a first resort. Their strange nature has most thinking twice before tangling with them. It's not currently clear if the southern tribes think they have enough of an advantage to buck this trend. The CornGaul tribe is defensive, and are known to shoot first when people step into their lands unless you are a smooth talker, or are incredibly brave Can we offer them anything? He does not have enough regular contact with the other tribes to think o anything that would be a special concern for them beyond what shortages are impacting everyone in the north.

(What do they like: what do they culturally value. Food, dance, religion, etc. Probably already answered with the warfare question.)

8:24 PM

Zach thanks the speaker for his time. With the water source underway Zach is going to leave this project to the people who are working. (Is there a ship in orbit that could give him a ride to the Northern kingdom?)

(Your shuttle is still here I believe, we never sent them away )

Zach walks to the shuttle. The last of the goods are being unloaded, and he does some of the lifting. When it's empty, he asks to speak with the shuttle pilot. "I'm thinking of heading Northward. Can I bother you for a ride?"

They agree, their current cargo run is almost done, and they're preparing to head back to UNW territory to get the rest of what you requested. They'll be able to transport you to one of the other tribes, and theb back, and then after that they will depart to carry out your other orders

"Then we head north, to the Corngaul tribe. I'll grab a few things and be ready to go. Thank you so much for your help with this," Zach tells them. Zach looks through the delivery for a small collection of high tech arms, something of an ironic peace offering for the warlike tribe. Hopefully I'm not shot on sight he muses, but the risk would be worth it.

(the shuttle has an armory on board. The only things it wont have in it are heavy weapons and power armor, and it also wouldn't have large amounts of explosives since the crews wouldnt want to risk a hull breach by an accidental detonation. That's just sort of become accepted ship running procedure over the course of the game. )

(Zach is looking for some weapons he can give away. If the shuttle folks are fine with that, so is he.)

11:06 AM

(Also it's a shame his homeworld is so far away, because he is not above exhuming grandpa to go talk to the bonespeakers lol)

(the shuttle has an armory and it can give away a handful of small arms, like 10 with ammo for them, since its enough for the crew. That would be about it though)

(In that case Zach is picking a few from the delivery they brought in to bring along.) With the rifles loaded, Zach stands by the shuttle conversing with the locals until it is time to go.

(D10 for our landing zone)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d10] Roll: [7] Result: 7 Reason: Landing Zone

(forgot to ask how far from them you wanted to land, work was super busy this week just didn't have all my thoughts together while posting)

Zach asks the pilots to do a slow fly by so their arrival wouldn't be a surprise, and then requests a landing a km or so out. "I don't want you all in danger. If there's trouble, take off. I'll signal when and where to land if I'm to safety, but don't stick around for more than a day or so."

This close to the settlement, the pilots drop you off and immediately lift off again, under strict orders not to put the ship in danger. Three sentries from the walled settlement emerge to close the distance with you, rifles held in ready positions, but their hands remain free of the triggers for now. The settlement is walled with scrap metal, and stone, as wood is less abundant on this world. The walls are about two meters high in most places, and are topped with several coils of salvaged razor wire in each section. There are a number of towers with crude lights and optics rigged into them, but there is no design philosophy to them and they are different intervals apart following the sections of twisting wall.

As quickly as he could Zach had unloaded the crate of gifts for these people. He now sits on the ground next to it, hands up, waiting to see if they will send someone out. With the ship gone he tries not to make any sudden movements. While he waits, he plays a song from his homeworld on the speaker of his comms device.

The guards continue to approach. There are three in the vanguard, closing on you ,and three more assembling outside the gate and keeping their distance further back. They are cautious ,approaching to within 50m to see if you react. Their steps are slow,a nd their weapons are raised.

Zach calls out to them, keeping his hands in view. "Hello! I come in peace."

4:25 PM

"I have these gifts for your people," he says, indicating the box. Then he takes a few slow steps away from the box. He continues to face them.

"Where are you from?" one of them shouts, taking another cautious step closer. They seem to be looking to see if you're from off world, or if this is some devilry by the southern tribes

"I'm from offworld. From the United Nations of Worlds." Zach stops the music on his device. "My name is Zach. I was told you were the greatest warriors in this world. Rival even to the Southern raiders. Is that true?"

"THe southern warriors have nothing on us. It's easy to kill when you can't look into the eyes of what you're killing. Machines do that. Not warriors" one of them says, drawing a bit closer. "You're not with the Remnant?"

"I am an enemy of the Remnant. My people have worked to drive them from our skies and back into the black of night. "But the Remnant aren't our only foes. My people are gathering the greatest worlds together to form an unstoppable Navy, whose might in the universe will provide unparalleled protection to the people of those worlds. We seek the strongest, the bravest, the best of the galaxy to join us." Zach approaches the box calmly, watching them for signs of panic. "I was told to come here. I met with the Lake tribe first, and they said it was here I'd find the warriors I seek. So, warriors, I've brought gifts. From my people to yours." (Zach's goal is to inspire them, lure them in, and maybe scare them just a little. He's not going for showy offworlder, if that's possible. He's more aiming for respectful and impressed visitor on a mission.)

one of them is braver than the others and approaches, picking up one of the rifles and looking at its craftsmanship. "these are impressive weapons. Well made. You are an enemy of the Remnant? Which of their worlds are you from?" he asks, absentmindedly examining one of the ammo magazines.

"I am from Asgapur, on the far distant side of the UNW." Zach stands by, hands at his sides now. He gives the scouting team the time and space it needs to investigate the create without interruption.

"What is your home like?" the warrior asks. He waves his fellows forward, satisfied you present no danger for the moment.

"It was terrible. We lived in fear, always. We learned to survive quickly, and even then, we're not safe. The infected dead walked the whole surface of the world, hunting unceasingly." "I killed my first when I was 12. I didn't want to, I had to. And many more after that, in the same way. Just when we were beyond hope, consigned to our fate, the UNW arrived. They set up fortresses where we could rebuild. Our world joined their union. I found a place among them, and found myself." "One day I'll go back, and I hope to see cities, factories, preserved parks and happy people. All thanks to the UNW. But for now I do what I can to serve them."

(Talk/cha)

/roll message: 2d6+1 !Talk/CHA

8:02 AM

(getting application did not respond from dicebot this morning, will try again later)

(Dice maiden is temporarily down. We are using dice parser for now until the creatior of dice maiden is home to reboot the server. Those commands are done via /r )

/r 2d6+1

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+1] Roll: [5, 3] Result: 9

"You will come with us into the city. The leader would see you, and we will bring your gifts" the warrior says, feeling at ease with what you have said, and that you are from where you claim to be.

Zach follows. He observes these warriors as they walk, trying to pick up on mannerisms and turns of phrase, but he doesn't say much unless asked directly about something.

They seem to be relatively quiet. They're on a job , and are being vigilant as they escort you in. Conversations are short and if necessary are done with hand signs. The signs do not have a similarity to any of the languages you know, and looks to be something they've adopted natively. They move like hunters, not soldiers. Their motions remind you more of stalking than of marching. The gates of the settlement open and you are hurried inside with other warriors bringing in the goods behind them. There are stares and people looking from the upper floors of some of the nearby homes and other buildings, as you begin walking down a cobbled street to a large building with three floors that does not have doors or windows. Seven figures split between human men and women wearing ceremonial clothing emerge. The clothing has many feathers on it of colorful variety, though you have not seen many birds here on this planet.

Zach follows the lead of the people who brought him here when addressing these leaders. (If they now, he bows, for example). When he is permitted or asked to speak, he tells them a similar story: he's from the UNW. His world was saved, and the UNW seeks allies across the galaxy to secure it. Zach was told these were the best warriors of their world.

6:41 PM

He pauses to let them react or respond.

Your story is one similar to theirs, as these people were greatly mistreated by the Remnant, and now face a new enemy to the south armed with pieces of that oppressive past. They treat you with the degree of caution you would expect as you are still an out worlder, but they seem willing to listen given what you have brought with you, and what you claim to do. You are here with your stories, but they are now looking to the true reason for why you have come. What is expected of them, and what are you here to ask.

"I am, of course, not here only on a mission of communication and first contact. I'm here to ascertain who the UNW should be speaking with when they make arrangements with this world. I've met with the people of the lake. They are kind and hard working, but they are no warriors. They are concerned with the Southern raiders; raiders who, I've heard, have picked up a few trinkets from a crashed ship." "I'm here, in front of you now, because I see the potential of the allied northern tribes, not only on this world, but among the galactic peoples, as warriors, workers, and leaders. But to show the UNW that is a possibility, that your people can handle such a position of power out there, I'm asking that you demonstrate your willingness to handle it here." "I propose an alliance, between yourselves and the Soroth tribe. Come together, defeat the raiders, and claim your world. And then, be welcomed to the stars. If you are willing to try it, I can provide you the armaments to even the playing field between yourselves and the raiders. I've already provided some to the Soroth people, and this gift," he says as he indicates the goods from the crate, "is just the first of many."

"We have no trouble with that tribe, but we have told them many times at tribal gatherings that they need to arm themselves and defend their settlement. They were willign to let the Remnant do that for them, and paid for it. We were dominated, but retained self rule during that time, as our strength was recognized"

"And you were right to tell them that. But this is no lesson in responsibiltiy for a child to learn. That time has passed. This is an opportunity for those who are able to take it. Join me. Fight alongside them. Show them what it means to walk the path of a warrior." "Apart from that, think of the glory you would pass down into your tribe's legend. Your world's greatest adversary, fallen at your feet. The respect of this world, and of many others beyond it." "I'll also say that the UNW will be making a pact with the people of this world, as they see them. Whether you are counted among the inhabitants of the galactic community, or just another surface bound tribe, is entirely in your hands."

"It's easy to ask us to resist when its our lives on the line. Is the UNW prepared to commit themselves to this fight too? " one of the leaders asks.

"I am. I'll be asking those able among the Soroth to join us. And I've spent my life's earnings preparing them for what's to come."

"Your life's earnings. So am I to understand the UNW is not helping us? You are from there you have said. Fine ,we believe you, but you are here acting on your own? "

"I am the only person from the UNW on this trip, though many more have helped me to secure the funds for weapons, building supplies, food, and so on. My goal for this trip is to identify who the UNW should be speaking and working with, and if this planet is even ready for outside contact yet. We, the UWN, would love to work with whomever wants to work with us, but if that isn't something you are prepared for, I'll include that in my report, and you'll be left alone on your corner of this world. The choice is yours."

"You're making connecitons between things we're not saying" one of the other elders says. "You're encouraging us to fight the southern tribes. You are beating around the bush but it sounds like we will be doing this ourselves, without UNW soldiers supporting us"

"Yes, that is correct. Without beating around the bush, as you say, we want to see if you are willing to help yourselves first."

"We're willing, but we're going to be painting the ground with our blood if we don't have the numbers or the equipment. We want to fight for our way of life, but we won't be martyrs for it either. Without support we will not come to the defense of anyone but our own tribe. "

"Ah, I understand that completely. Well, you know this adversary better than I do. What kinds of arms, armor, and reinforcements would you need?"

"Modern firearms and armor to match what they have, if not exceed it. We can secure our city, the countryside, and coming to the defense of other tribes is beyond what we have the manpwoer to do ,even if we put a gun into the hands of every man and woman of fighting age. We do not have the supplies to withstand a long siege, but it will not be long if they have the gear they have and we do not"

11:22 AM

(They're warriors, but they're not soldiers, so grand strategy or organization of large armies is not something they'd really be able to have an opinion on)

"I see. The supplies we can manage. Have the raiders attacked you this far north before?"

"We have had skirmishes with the occasional scout or sapper, but nothing else. They're preparing for something though. They're getting information and they'll use it ,eventually"

"The Soroth Tribe is better set up to withstand a siege than you, but not at striking first. Perhaps, with the right supplies and people, we could strike the raiders first but make them think it was Soroth. If they attack in force, Soroth can take the blunt of their force for a while. If not, perhaps they learned their lesson." "We could keep in communication with a few of these," Zach says, indicating his comms unit

"We're not going to let the others pay for something we did . especially without their knowledge. The Remnant took much from us, but they did not take out honor, and we won't sully it now"

"I don't mean we trick them into it. I mean we make this a plan, with them, together. They have the supplies, and you have the strike force. Eat at the enemies edges if they seige. We can tell you what we see from inside, and provide some fire. If the raiders are really distracted, you could strike their home base while we wait it out. If you see this as dishonorable, perhaps you could lend us some of your warriors to aid in the defense of their city?" (edited)

9:19 PM

"I don't know these raiders like you do. But I doubt they'd guess you were working with the other tribe. It's a tactical advantage you have, for now."

“We won’t agree to anything without their cooperation , and none of our warriors will die for them for a half baked plan. If they want to coordinate they can come here and propose the idea themselves “ (edited)

"Understood. Thank you for your time. Please take these weapons, and this communication device, as a token of our interest in working together in the future. We will keep you appraised of anything we learn about their position or intentions." Zach bows deeply (or makes whatever sign he thinks would be most appropriate) and then signals the ship in orbit. He heads away from their leaders without looking back, towards the spot he was dropped off at. A disappointment he thinks. The potential here is great, were it not for their short sightedness. But, he reminds himself, there's no fixing a feeling from the outside of it.

you are permitted to leave the settlement without further bother or trouble. Your ship is waiting there, ready to carry you wherever you wish to go. (3xp 5000 credits)

Zach chats with the pilots before liftoff. "Could you take a flight south over the raiders territory, about here," he says, indicating a spot in the console map. "I'm hoping a flyby can give me an assessment of strength." (If not, Zach's fine heading back to the Soroth Tribe. If possible, he'd like to record video, but I don't know to what extent his comms device is like a cell phone. Is that something a comms can do?)

They refuse to fly past the encampment. The crew is not sure if the ship has operational stinger batteries working and the shuttle has no defensive fittings to allow it to survive such an attack.

3:48 PM

(The compad can record video. People use them interchangeably with modern day cellphones)

"Understood. Then let's head back to the Soroth tribe." On the trip, Zach takes notes and records a video log of his interactions with people he just left. "Suspicious", "small minded", and "timid" make it into his first video log, but after some thought, he records again with "careful", "pragmatic" and "proud".

(what do you want to do on the ground here? Just to give me an idea of what to have prepared)

(Check on the well. Check the supplies. See how competent the newly equipped guards appear to be. Tour defenses. Meet with the council in there to discuss the next steps. Introduce the council to the idea of direct communications with the northern tribe. Ask around about setting up a strike force against that fallen ship.)

(I, the player, am wondering if it is possible to sabotage the power supply of that crashed ship, thus rendering it's powered components useless.)

(There is a UNW player infiltrating the wreck now trying to sow some chaos. Their character is an assassin and infiltrator so that concept was right up their alley. I don't want to cross those streams right now since they are at a very climactic and dangerous part of their mission but we can check on the tribe, try to meet some of the others or yeah, do your idea here) (edited)

(oh, very cool. If you could let them know if they need anything Zach is available via comms. Will stick to patrolling the city and readying defenses)

(I’ll shoot them a message ) The tribe is busy when you return. Efforts are being made to bolster the city defenses according to what you have out i to motion so far and this is a far cry from the place you arrived to find just a couple days ago.

Zach is happy to see the work this far. He heads first for the council of lawspeakers to congratulate them, and to tell them about his trip to the northern tribe.

(if you didn't want to fully RP that out, you can make a bullet point list of the observations you want to get across to them , up to you. The coucil will meet with you though, they have no reason not to after everything you did (

(I don't have anything you need to specifically think about. Here's the short version) Zach makes himself comfortable, sitting at the edge of the semi-circle of leaders. The wellhouse was coming along fine, and, while under construction, offered some pleasant shade. He told them of his trip. Of their warnings and advice. And of their reluctance to help. Whatever the Soroth tribe decided, they would be on their own. For now. He told them of the communicator. That they should use it, tell their stories, build trust. Build an alliance. When the UNW officially welcomes this world, the Soroth tribe will be recognized as it's leaders, alone. They'll lead better with more friends than enemies. Finally, he told them how impressed he was, and proud, that the defenses were coming up so fast. Their people clearly want to live. He tells them a parable from his own world: the spark of hope can light the flame of a thousand years. "It's been an honor to be among the first to contact you. Is there anything you've discovered that you need still? What can we do for you next?"

They will have to make friends among the other tribes themselves, or weigh out the best course of action alone. On the shuttle flight over you were able to read a dispatch from another passing UNW shuttle that a covert ops agent is here on planet with orders to set the raider timetable back as far as possible. They cannot be contacted due to the dangerous nature of their assignment, but if successful the aftershocks of their mission will be known almost right away.

Zach waits in anticipation for the results of that missions, passing the time by focusing on defenses, preparedness, and setting up the basic industrial organization that the UNW will come to expect of them. He is constantly checking his communicator for news from the covert op, hoping for the best, and trying not to gush incessantly about how excited he is that another agent has joined him on this world.

(Nyx has a slower pace of posts so I don't want to hold you up. If there are other things you want to move into , or other missions here we can do that)

(yeah I'm fine with whatever. The next thing Zach is interested in doing is getting them set up for producing their own defenses. Perhaps something like a cement factory and specialist crew to build walls and barricades as needed. But Zach is open to whatever they need from him. On that note, probably he checks back in with the leaders. How do they feel about joining the UNW?)

(only been a few days at most, their opinion hasn't really changed )

(Zach is committed to the day to day improvements, as dull as these are. If you'd like me to toss out a prompt for something more interesting I can come up with something, and I'm down for whatever, but the character is just in the grind as far as he is concerned, looking for small ways to make things better)

(The UNW hasn't committed to more direct support, and the locals are sort of at an impasse with one another since one of them is going to have to risk it all for the others with no possibility of that sacrifice being honored. We haven't talked to the bone speakers at all which are also northern, )

(i think Zach's current approach is to make this tribe the honorary leaders of the world with whom he is building relationships, but if Zach would have more info about this that makes it infeasible let me know)

(I don't really know what else to give you as far as new info- especially over such a short period of in game time. My intent here was building some alliances or at least seeing what the conditions of doing so might be before looping the UNW in, and its an open world game so we don have to do it that way but now I'm kind of stuck if even exploraiton or talking to others isnt of interest . Let me think about this and ill try to figure out some new paths using local stuff that could have come up. Ping me tomorrow or monday if I haven't responded ) (edited)

(I'm open to exploring and talking with others. Zach wants these people to love the UNW, so he's constantly talking about what its like out there, how great it could be here, and so on. As far as exploring, it sounded like the people were more concerned with making their current place safe, so I was also focused on that. I can come up with a couple of reasons to explore though if you'd like me to make up some rumors. I'm open to pursuing whatever is the easiest or most interesting for you, and if I can help with that let me know. Zach is doing some pretty boring stuff but it's only because that's what needs to be done for the mission as far as he knows.)

(gotcha, we've temporarily done something about the water. Maybe an expedition to figure out a way to safely get a source of steady food? )

(Yeah, sounds like a good next step) Zach tours the city daily. The wells are starting to produce, first in queit bubbling fits, and then in a steadily pooling supply. The people seeme happy about this, but still hungry. Despite new water in town, crops would take time to grow. They needed food now, and in surplus. Zach began to ask around: where would the people normally go to find food in this season?

(connect/cha)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+0] Roll: [6, 1] Result: 7 Reason: Connect/CHA

Most of the people here do not leave the city much , especially now, but there is a mountaineer you're directed to who lives on the outskirts of town. This mountaineer often goes into the highlands north of the settlement for weeks at a time, returning with all manner of edible mushrooms, small game, tubers, and root vegetables that grow in the moist climate there.

Zach smiles as he introduces himself. "I'm Zach. I'm an offworlder, if it wasn't obvious. I've heard from some folk here in town you know where to find food in the mountains. Is that true? Would you be open to teaching me, and perhaps a few others, how to do that? It may save the town at some point." Zach speaks slowly and easily, trying to relay a sense of quiet calm to the man. He was an outsider as well, after all. Perhaps he didn't trust the folks in town, and if that was the case, he wanted to give the man plenty of room to say so.

"UNW? Heard you were doing some good around here. Guess it's my turn then. You ever done any mountaineering before?" he asks, looking at the assortment of gear he has hung up on metal hooks around the large single room home that he seems to live in alone.

"Nothing that would help me here, but I'm pretty resilient and I can follow your lead. Should I purchase some supplies like these?" Zach indicates the items hung around the shed.

"I have more, and you are helping us. Whend di you want to leave?" he asks, sipping at some of the water that has the iodone tang of purification tablets.

"I'll be ready tomorrow morning. Let me see if I can round up any other searchers."

"I have enough for five aside from myself" the mountaineer says, gesturing to a storage locker built into the wall of the structure. "You will need the gear to reach the mountains safely, don't bring more than that"

Zach thanks the man for his time. The city was bustling with activity, much more so than when he had arrived. Still, he does his best to find people willing to learn this vital skill. Person by person he asks who could come, or who did they know that might take to mountaineering?

(Any particular skill sets you’re trying to get included here?)

(No, just asking around.)

You are able to get four others, rounding out people that the mountaineer had equipment for. Of those you are able to wrangle one of them is a trained herbalist and sawbones, the others are focused more on general labor, but all of them used to be what the tribe considered warriors, so know their way around spears, bows, and simple firearms.

Zach checks their gear with them the following morning. Though he doesn't need food and water, he brings some along in case it's needed by the rest. "Does everyone have some kind of weapon? If not I can arrange for one. It would be a good time to familiarize yourselves with them. Who knows what the days ahead have in store." Finally, he grabs some medical supplies, enough to cover the basics, and a comm unit. "I think we are ready when you are," he tells the mountaineer.

10:23 AM

(Would you be alright with me coming up with some personalities and names for the four travellers?)

(go ahead)

4:37 PM

(each of them would have a TL3 rifle , not a combat rifle, just a regular one)

(Is there a cultural convention for names of people from this region?)

(i didnt have anything specific no, so feel free)

(characters, from left to right: Nazoth, the guide. Wary, observant. Quilos, a farmer. Quilovon's father. Hardy, friendly, proud. Quilovon. Builder. Large, sturdy man. Friendly, somewhat oblivious. Cerinoth, a hunter. Wirey, clever, nervous. High strung. Cordiir - Scout. Smart, good with animals. Quick tempered.)

6:49 PM

6:56 PM

Nazoth watches over the rag tag team with equal parts concern and boredom. He was ready an hour before the rest but did little to help the others pack or check their gear. Instead he chewed on a dried meat strip and occasionally lit a dark wood pipe. The lavender and orange scent lingered over the rest while they prepared.

7:01 PM

Quilos and Quilovon checked each other, and in a good natured way made quiet conversation with each other and Zach. "This year was good for the Ronnas crop. Big, hard melons in every stand, deepest purple I've seen them," Quilos bragged. "I think I had some of that melon for dinner last night," Zach said. "If you did, it was his. Biggest melon crop by far this year," Quilovon quipped, equally proud. "The secret's in the drainage system he built me," the father said. The two were obviously fond of one another. Zach had seen many a family destroyed in crisis. This was a refreshing site.

7:05 PM

The boy, or young man, who had just returned from a successful hunt, said very little. He had been quiet when Zach met him in the city square. He said little, and what he did say was barely audible above the bustle of the market. Now he was even quieter, with eyes on the horizon to the north. "Everything alright," Zach asked. Cerinoth turned to ponder him for a moment. "Fine," he said, and adjusted the strap on his backpack.

7:10 PM

"He's been like that since he was a teenager," Cordiir said with a smile. "He had a bad hunt, and just never got over it." "Cor, that's enough," Quilos said sternly, but Cerinoth seemed unperturbed. "She's not wrong," he said, not looking back. "I have my nature, and she has hers." "And what exacly is my nature?" She examined the rifle expertly, checking the stock, sights and charge with dexterous motions. Cerinoth knew better than to answer.

7:13 PM

Zach also checked everyone over once. "You've done this before," he told Cordiir. "Plenty of times, but never with this much extra gear. I usually travel light," she said. "We're ready when you are, Nazoth." Nazoth finished his pipe, stowed it, and lead the team northward away from the town.

Nekosmash pinned a message to this channel. 10/18/2023 6:33 AM

(Let’s get a d10 for hex feature. No one’s been out this way before)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d10] Roll: [2] Result: 2

Heading north from the settlement for now everyone is in boots and normal traveling gear. The land is rolling and made of dusty dunes. The land here is arid and poor for farming, good for generating dust, but nothing else. An abandoned mining project from Remnant times is also nearby but according to everyone in the group the veins have long since run out and the mines were left to become inhabited by dangerous predators. Those beasts do not often come near the colony, but are known to carry someone off if they happen to catch a human traveling alone.

(Do you mind if I make up some details about the predator? I have no specific plans but was going to add some narrative detail. And do you mind me voicing the NPCs during this journey?)

(You can voice the npcs. As for the predator I’ve got that already. I have actual things I’ve seeded on this world so allow me to use that )

As they travel Zach watches Cordiir with some amusement. She's curious, but seems to be oblivious to how annoying Nazoth finds her questions. "I frequently head southeast, and sometimes west along the shore, but never up this way. Last time I went I saw purple flowers like this. They made a pretty good tea but it may have made me a little sick. That or bad rations." "Hmm," Nazoth replies wearily, eyes on the lands ahead. "You ever make tea out of these? Any good? They smell like they'd taste delicious." "I don't cook out this way," he replies. "I don't talk much either, come to think of it."

"You seem to be on the lookout for something," Zach says. "What should I be watching for?" "In those mines-" Nazoth starts, but Cordiir cuts him off. "Some kind of ugly, dangerous creature. The townies were always going on about them. A lot of what they say is rumors: reasons they never left and had no intention of leaving. There's no way ghosts roam the northwest looking to steal your memories, right? But I got the impression these were real. Nazoth would know, right Nazoth?" "Hmm," he responds. In the back, Quilos speaks up. "They're real alright." "Shame, too," Quilovon adds. "That mining site is full of great building materials. Some rare alloys in there I'd love to get my hands on. We could reinforce the school doors or the harvest keep. I'm sure there's equipment left behind too. Maybe not much compared to what we've seen unloaded from the UNW, but every little bit helps." "Doubtful," Nazoth says. "I've seen raiders up here too, a while back now. They're less afraid of those critters than they should be. If there's anything of value in there it's likely been scooped up."

(Are you moving on then? I appreciate the dialogue I just couldn’t tell if you’re deciding to move on or clear it out )

(Ah yeah, sorry. Zach is headed straight for extra food. In this case, he has no intention of stopping to investigate)

There were a couple of small debates in the party: should they enter the mines? Zach monitored Nazoth's expressions for the answer, and finally put the question to rest. "We don't have the time or supplies right now. We have to press on. Cordiir, mark this location. Perhaps we'll come back at a later date to scavenge supplies."

Marking the area for perhaps a later investigation the group moves on leaving the mines and the dangers within the behind. The winds are beginning to pick up as the group moves into the wastelands even further from the settlement, It is mid day when the group decides to take a break for some water and some thin pieces of jerkey. One of the UNW provided ready to eat meals is also broken open with different pieces of it given to different members of the group. From here, there are two ways to get to your destination , a longer but safer route through the Chasbyrn Dune Sea ahead, or a shorter but more dangerous route through the surrounding rocky highlands where outlaws and native predators are plentiful.

Nazoth and Zach discuss both options. They had extra rations, since Zach had no need to eat or drink, a helpful guide, and were on their way to find food anyway. "I think the extra caution is warranted," Zach says to the group. "If we had more trained warriors and less food, the quicker path would be more appealing, but in our situation, I recommend we take the path through the Dune Sea." Nazoth seemed to be in agreement, or if he wasn't, offered no counter argument. Carinoth was slightly disappointed. He had not traveled through the highlands before, and had heard there were rare game-beasts to hunt among them, but knew there was wisdom in the chosen path. The rest had no objection. (unless they do; I have no problem rescinding the above as needed.)

(If its not of interest to you the player we can move along, and you can roll me a D10 for another feature of the area)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d10] Roll: [3] Result: 3 Reason: Amazing terrain features

The group decides to continue moving, and heads north using the longer but safer route. The dune sea is expansive and features several hundred meter changes of elevation with every hour you continue your northern treck. After a few hours of walking the sky is now late afternoon, and the wreck of a Tenebrian Remnant supply crawler sits on the horizon at the top of a due like a monolith. The sun is setting behind it, casting a long shadow. The wreck is large, the size of a house in its own right, and you cannot see the features of it with the sun at its back.

"Nazoth, when you come foraging this way have you stopped here? We may want to consider rest for the night. Any insights?"

This is further out than Nazoth usually forages and has not seen the crawler before. If the group is going to camp here there seems to be a general agreement that the wreck should be investigated first to make sure that nothing is hiding there that might use nighttime to attack your camp.

"It does make sense to get a closer look before we let our guard down. I recommend everyone wait here a moment. Cordiir, can you help me scout the perimeter of that thing for entrances? Once we know more we can make a more specific scouting plan."

9:33 AM

(I am not giving Cordiir's answer here unless you'd like me to.)

(I don't see why they'd refuse. So far we haven't seen anything dangerous where we'd need henchkeeper or an actual companion to risk it, so lets continue and we'll see what's up)

Cordiir grins. "Yeah," she says, facing Quilovon, "we can leave the gocht where its a little bit safer." Quilovon frowns. "As if scouting were that hard." "You can't sneak up on them if they smell you from 200 yards away Quills," she laughs. She jogs to catch up to Zach, who is already heading towards the structure. Over his should Zach sees that the father of the group is having a good laugh at their banter, so probably there wouldn't be any real fighting over these words. He and Cordiir circle supply crawler counter clockwise once, trying to remain stealthy in their approach. Zach scans for openings, signs of recent activity, or danger inside.

(Sneak/dex)

/roll message: 2d6+1 !Sneak/DEX

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+1] Roll: [4, 2] Result: 7 Reason: Sneak/DEX

Nekosmash

used /roll

Nekosmash Request: [d10] Roll: [4] Result: 4

Moving close to circle the wreck it doesn't seem like anything has moved in and made a nest here. Wind whistles through the broken stanchions of metal, and almost sounds like it is groaning near the breached engine compartment. Some pieces of it can be used or repurposed. The cargo ramp is also down, allowing acess to the back of the wreck.

"I didn't spot anything. You?" Cordiir shakes her head no, eyes set on the entrance to the wreck. Zach waves the others forward. As they approach, he scans their surroundings once more, making sure there was nobody approaching. "Nazoth, Quilos, can you set up camp? The rest of us can see if there's anything of value inside." Nazoth grimaces in agreement. He had a way of being friendly but somehow mad about it that amused Zach. Quilos, on the other hand, hides no emotion: he is happy to be of value to the party. Zach barely hears him whisper to his son, "You stay safe. Let the others go first. I doubt they know what to look for." Quilovon silently agrees. With that, the four abler bodied explorers head deeper inside. Zach focuses his inner eye, adjusting his senses to pierce the darkness. (edited)

(A flashlight from what? If you have a glowbug or low light goggles you could use that)

(For some reason I thought I had purchased one. I'll edit the above.)

9:25 PM

(Committing final point of effort to see in darkness)

The crawler was abandoned due to engine trouble and it looks like either someone coming after or the original crew itself tried to set the engine on fire so it couldn't be used by anyone else. Several pallets of wrapped goods have been left behind in olive drab colored cargo cases. Thick cables with rusting buckles keep them from falling over. It looks like animals have come and nibbled at the material of the straps as they are threadbare in many places. A thin access ladder goes to the cabin above where the living quarters and pilots compartment are located.

Zach ponders the supplies. "Someone left them, even after going to the trouble of setting this thing on fire. Why?" They could be back soon, or maybe the crates are empty. Or worse, rigged to blow. Bodies are easier to rob than people. "Everyone, say behind this wall for a minute. Keep you eyes on that ladder going up. I've got to check this box out - could be trapped."

5:04 PM

Zach checks the floor and walls for wires, panels, or snares. He heads to the box, giving it the same severity of examination.

(notice/wis)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+1] Roll: [5, 1] Result: 7 Reason: Notice/Wis

there is a snare at the top of the l adder. You cannot see what is connected to from the ground floor but can see the wire stretched across the cupola leading to the driver compartment and living quarters.

(does it look like opening a hatch would pull the snare, or is the snare just in the way, and the right movements could avoid it?)

(Right movements could avoid)

Zach knocks on the hatch from below, careful to avoid the snare. "Hello? We are travellers from the south. We'd like to stay the night if that's alright with you. Is anyone here?" He waits patiently for a response, signing for the rest of the party to wait out of harms way for the time being.

There is no response from the upper level when you call up from the bottom of the ladder. Outside another gust of wind billows through the holes in the wreck making the abandoned supply crawler sound almost musical and flute like. From the bottom floor where you are all standing it sounds like Cordir has been able to play back the most recent transmission. The crawler was attacked by at the time, what would have been called seperatists- natives of Kuhuk trying to throw off the reigns of the Remnant. The crawler was too damaged to continue on even though the raid was beaten back, and the crew attempted to set fire to it to deny the supplies inside to the seperatists.

Zach listens to the planets ghosts with some reverence. "Remnant really left their mark on us all, didn't they." Zach makes one more announcement: "I'm coming up. I'm unarmed but my friends aren't." He climbs up, doing his best to avoid the tripwire on the way to the upper level.

There is no one on the upper level. It is empty with this trap left behind. A skeletal Remnant soldier has gone to bone here hunched against the console that handled the vehicles scanners. You cannot see their soft tissue anymore, eaten away by scavengers but it appears they were shot in the chest or gut and set the trap during the fight. From below, doing their best to look up the ladder hatch, Quilovon hopes the wounded person died quickly, and that they were already dead when their companions decided to attempt to burn the crawler.

Zach checks the wire, tracing it to its trigger. He avoids the whole thing. "Go ahead and set up camp. There's a trap; wire across the opening here." As he calls down, he scans the upper level for anything of value.

There are some spare parts that could be salvaged from the control consoles here, along with the fragmentation grenade connected to the tripwire that you did not trip.

(If it seems low risk Zach would try to collect the grenade. He'd leave the spare parts for a future expedition.)

(its low risk, you saw the trap and there's no time pressure so Zach would be able to take the minutes needed to carefully disarm the trap and collect the grenade)

Zach approaches the grenade with caution and removes it. He had never handled one before, and it surprises him with it's density. (Let me know if I should roll here for this, I can retcon the rest as needed) He brings it down with him. The others are busy setting a canvas over the opening and rifling through the cargo containers. "Maybe some valuables in the console up there. Can you mark this-" he says to the scout. "Already on it," she says, scribbling a note on a makeshift map. The father and son complete the covering of the entrance and say a quick prayer. It's a common verse by the meter and ease of it Zach reckons. Only part of it is in the common tongue, with words about protection from the darkness and the blessings of someone in a home that is not home. (They settle in for the night. I'm fine skipping to morning if you are.)

Nekosmash

used /roll

Nekosmash Request: [d10] Roll: [3] Result: 3

The night passes without trouble. There is a small windstorm from midnight to two in the morning and sand piles up in ankle high drifts near the various holes in the crawler. Inside the wreck is still safer than spending a night in the dunes and the team is appreciative of the metal walls around you. THe storm passes and is eventually replaced with the gray light of early dawn.

Before first light Quilovon, who took the morning watch, wakes his father. Their movement up to the cabin is quiet, but it still wakes Zach. The pair of men haul the remains of the man up there back down in a large travel bag and out the front entrance of the crawler. Zach rises quietly to observe but says nothing. He observes them from the safety of the camp. In the dim grey light the two dig a shallow grave. As Quilovon arranges the bones Quilos whispers, eyes turned upward, in a dialect Zach hasn't heard before.

6:55 PM

"Rites of Distant Kin," Cerinoth whispers. Zach jumps slightly. "Didn't hear you get up." "It's a habit I taught my sleep self a long time back, to wake without stirring." "What are the rights of distant kin," Zach asked, turning to face Cerinoth.

7:00 PM

The hunter thought hard about how to explain this to an outsider. "For most, it is close kin, who would bury you. Sons, sisters, fathers. Perhaps cousins or aunts. The rites for them are personal, and weave their story in the holy words in a way only those closest would be able to. But for some, like this stranger, their death wasn't attested by anyone they knew. "Even so, it is known that, in some way, even a very obscure one, we are all related. Quilos is saying a burial rite, but with all the personal details stripped out. Instead, he's asking the universe questions we would have wanted to know about them. It's said that these questions will be answered him in a dream, and when he gets the answers, the soul can move on."

7:05 PM

"I can think of a few questions I'd ask," Zach notes. Cordiir and Nazoth are up now. The latter gathers belongings together and eats a morning ration. The former scoffs at the two in the doorway. "Don't believe a word of it," she says playfully. "Superstitions like that one are the currency of the desperate and the foolish."

7:06 PM

Cerinoth half smiles. "In my defense, I never said I believed it," he says as he goes to fetch his things as well. Zach joins him. "Cordiir, you said superstitions like that one...what others do you know of?"

7:09 PM

"There's on that says planting a nettle in your garden keeps your children safe from wild animals. Something about letting the wild live in your garden means your seed can live in the wild. Oh," she says with a laugh, "and there's the one about boiling your water to protect it from evil spirits. The steam goes up as an offering to the gods and protects the user of the water for a time."

7:12 PM

"Well, there may just be something to that last one," Zach observes. The father an son finish their rites with a small stone pile. Quilos sees fit to take a damaged piece of the crawler and incorporate it into the cairn. Within a quarter of an hour the campsite is packed up and the travelers are on their way again. They still press Northward under Nazoth's advisement.

(One more d10 as we head north )

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [d10] Roll: [2] Result: 2 Reason: incredible travel info

Continuing to head toward the Highlands to find a better source of food, the land begins to incline and become considerably wetter and less arid than what you have traveled on so far. This side of the highlands trap moisture as it rolls in from the oceans. The first of the local trees is sighted on the horizon, and the foothills turn from the browns and tans of the lowlands to the slowly greening tough grasses of the peaks. The ground begins to turn from dusty to actual dirt, and this looks like a place to forage

Nazoth points out a few plants and fungi here and there. The group starts to pick and pluck, filling bags as they walk along. Zach suggests the hunter and scout take overwatch on a nearby hill and keep an eye out for predators or raiders. After a few hours, Zach is struck by a notion. "Nazoth, do you think any of these would grow closer to town? Could we farm them I mean? This fungus seems like it might have a pretty quick life cycle."

“Soil conditions have to be right. They like water. And cooler temperatures. A lot of both. Maybe we could work on something artificial for them , but we would have to do more than just stick em in the ground”

"I see." Zach grabs several handfuls of the soil near the most fertile plants for analysis. "Well, there are some pretty advanced fertilizers available. I'll process this and see what I can come up with."

2:42 PM

Before nightfall Zach does a quick inventory of everyone's gatherings so far. As he expected, Quilos was the most productive, having traded his full satchel for the empty one that Cordiir was carrying. (Are we close to max capacity with this run?) remove for retcon (edited)

(I had stuff planned for up here but we can say yes max capacity. We kinda got out ahead of me)

(I can rewind. Just say when and I'll retcon) (edited)

(had an encounter planned for during the collection during the afternoon when the group was m ore spread out. )

12:33 PM

The group is working in pairs as they slowly spread cross the hillsides, using the guidance Nazloth gave earlier in the day about what leaf shapes ,root shapes, stem colors, and other useful details to consider when identifying what plants could be eaten, and what looked similar but was ultimately of a more dangerous variety. The father and son pair have moved on ahead of the group, and there is a sharp blast of the whistle from where they were last seen, 300m ahead through thick tree cover.

(nice. A whistle we brought with us or an unexpected one?)

(A whistle one of your group has to signal with)

Zach exchanges glances with a few of the others from a distance. Then, as if by signal, he and Cerinoth begin a dash towards the signal. Nazoth looks to Cordiir, who is finding a hiding place and reading her weapon. On the way, Zach signals to Cerinoth with a pointed finger and curls his arm in a wide motion. Cerinoth studies it for a moment and then drops to a jog, arming himself and starting a wide flank to the left. "Quilos! Quilovon! Are you alright?" Zach shouts as he reaches the edge of the treeline. He stops there to scan it and wait briefly for a response, or a sign of trouble.

There is no call out, but there is another sharp whistle blast. The whistle sounds like it is remaining in position, so it is a situation the scouts cannot remove themselves from, at least for the moment.

Zach proceeds as quietly as he can into the trees. If they aren't answering, perhaps someone found them and figured out what the whistles are for. The Q's could be captured, or worse.

Watching from the treeline, the Q's are being stared down by six humans, all pointing flintlock weapons at the group. Neither of the Q's look to be hurt, and are trying to parley with this group of mountain folk, while also calling you for help. The situation is tense, there is both a sense of immediate danger, and a sense that some sort of cooperation might be found as both groups size one another up.

Zach calls out to the group. "Hello! We don't mean any trouble. My friends and I are looking for food and---say, is that a powder loaded rifle? That's astounding! I've read about them but never seen them up close." Zach has his hands raised, except once or twice to gesture or point. He approaches slowly and easily, doing his best not to appear alarmed. He knew this situation was itself like a gunpowder weapon: eager to explode at the slightest sign of a spark. So he did his best to douse it with benign conversation. "I come from offworld, a long ways away, but my friends here live only a few days that way. We are building up a settlement actually, getting ready for raiders if they come our way. Do you folks live out here? Because we'd love to trade for food if you have extra." (If I talked too much here feel free to cut him off anywhere along the way. Also, if it isn't too late, I'd like to use his diplomatic ability to decrease the hostility of this encounter.)

“We do and you’re on our mountain. What are you doing here? And off world? You don’t look Tenebrian. “

6:02 PM

(Applying diplomatic ability. Appreciate the reminder )

(Do I know what Tenebrian is?)

(yes, the tenebrian remnant were occupying this planet and forcing the natives into indentured labor to build spaceships. We were just in that supply crawler that belonged to them)

(Thanks) "Oh no, not Tenebrian. I'm human, just from very far away. There are a lot of us humans among the stars. In fact, I'm here as a representative of some of those people, looking for others to join us. We seek strength in numbers. "Now, that's why I'm on this planet, but it's not really why I'm here on your mountain. I just want to say for the record we didn't know it was your mountain, but we'll note that for the future. I'm here with the people of Soroth, to the south of you. Have you heard of them? "We are building up their city, but right now we don't have the farms in place to feed everyone if we were attacked, so we were foraging. That being said, do you lay claim to the fruits of these hills?"

(The tenebrian empire was human also) "We've heard of them. They were the first to cooperate with the invaders. Don't put your trust in them. They'll sell you out the first chance they get if it means they get something out of it. "

"Thank you for that warning. From what I've seen, they are families of workers who want to feel safe. I bet they saw an empire descend and didn't think they had another option. Not everyone can afford to be as brave as you obviously are. "But, I will certainly keep an eye out for betrayal. "Since you probably won't join us, would you mind selling us this food?"

(talk/cha)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+1] Roll: [6, 1] Result: 8 Reason: talk/cha

"Might . Could make a deal of some kind probably. Credits are no good here though. Need something else. Something we can actually use. So, what you got?" The tension seems to fade. Weapons are raised from being ready to fire into more guarded positions as everyone stands down.

"I'll tell you what. If we can take home what we can carry, and you throw in one of those flintlocks, I'll give you this laser pistol and a couple batteries to go with it. Have you seen these new UNW models?" Zach pulls the pistol out and quickly turns it on it's side, presenting it as a gift and keeping his finger far from the trigger. "When I saw my first one of these I think I was 12 years old and it has just saved me from a zombie. Since then they've added this sight: its balanced against the focal lense so it adjusts automatically as the gun ages. More shots per battery too! This one is barely used, as I'm not a violent person by nature." Zach points to each feature, replicating the motions of UNW salesmen he had met at the central station.

“Alright. You’ve got a deal” the leader of this patrol gestures , nodding for one of his companions to take the flintlock and bandolier of cartridges off their shoulder to hand over to you. “Everything you can carry. A deal is a deal”

Zach smiles in a friendly manner and offers a handshake. He asks their speaker, who he assumes is their leader, a few questions about the flintlock, admiring its craftsmanship openly. After that he offers a demonstration of the laser pistol. "There's no recoil, so do be afraid to fire more than once if you find yourself in trouble." Zach checks in with the father and son. They're shaken but recovering. (Before the mountain men leave I have a parting conversation but I want to leave it open here for you.)

(I should remain playing their half of the conversation if its with the mountain men, but if its just between you and your group, go ahead)

Zach pulls a few of the strangers aside. "These people, from the town, they'll need more of this food, and pretty often. We've given them enough goods to set up a small city, so they have plenty to trade with. I'll tell them to bring more batteries. Is there anything else you need?" "Along those lines, I recommend you set up a secure location, somewhere you can meet in safety, and to make trades. I feel that even if you don't trust a full alliance with them, you can trust the goods they bring." (edited)

9:00 PM

(Ready to leave after that)

“The top of the pass nearby. We have a watchtower there. That will be a good place since you’ll be able to see it from a way off and we will know you’re coming. Tell anyone who wants to come trade to meet us there. If we find anyone taking the food here without talking to us at the tower first we’ll hang them as poachers “

7:08 AM

“I’ll bring word of this back to my community. “

"As will I. I'm looking forward to many profitable years for both of the peoples involved," Zach concludes.

3:46 PM

(Zach intends to gather the gang and head back home with that warning.)

(3xp, 5000 credits) Upon gathering the group and deciding to head home with sacks full of food, your compad buzzes. Agent Nyx has completed their work. The reactor of the crashed ship has been sabotaged and has destroyed itself with the ship in a nuclear explosion. It is unclear if Agent Nyx survived the detonation, but the threat of this bandit clan over the local area has been reduced with one of their major strongholds and its cache of modern gear eliminated. There will be a time of warring and re alignment for the other bandit groups and survivors of this one and wolves will no doubt rise from the pack, but for now, the region may breathe a deep sigh of relief.

(Zach will level up with this xp, which I do in the channel for it when I remember where it is. At this point Zach would be interested in these things: 1. How much closer are the people to officially joining the UNW? 2. Should he go looking for Agent Nyx? 3. Can scattered bandits be caught and assimilated or imprisoned, depending on the will of the people? He would also communicate with the northern tribe that rebuked his requests that they have handled the bandit problems for the time being and to feel free to come calling for aid when needed in the future.)

**Level Up**
Level: 4
Focus: NA
New Vowed Art: Unobtrusive Step
Old HP: 9
HP Roll: 15
New HP: 15
New Skills: 
* Punch +1 -> +2
* Connect -1 -> +0
* Sneak +0 -> +1
* Talk +0 -> +1
Current AB: +2

7:20 PM

(8 skill points because I forgot to spend them at level 3)

(Nyx was a player character and they may not end up coming back to the game, but they've also had to leave and have come back a couple times before so I want to leave their fate open in the event they re join the game at some point in the future. If it looks like in the future they decisively won't be coming back this is certainly a story thread we can pull on. THe settlement you're working out of has a good impression, but there are many communities on this planet. I would think a mission or two for another one would get us to we could incorporate the world. It will have a poor to medium unity score once we do that since there are still other commuities to handle, but its enough to bring them in. Does that all make sense?)

(Yep absolutely)

(oh as for option 3, they could certainly be caught. They never actually attacked anyone, so their road to assimilation might not ba as rocky but its certainly something we could discuss)

(I know my thread has been going slowish. I think Zach had had a few monthly paychecks over the course of a week or so in-game time. Do you want to do some time skipping play to get him realigned with the rest of the universe or is most of that hand waved?)

(it depends what you'd want to do to pass that time. there are different ways to catch you up depending on what sort of thing you'd want to jump into next, so let me know where you think Zach might be focusing their attention in terms of a next mission and ill get us caught up) (edited)

(I've been meaning to put some days into his Work skill. If that's not possible game-wise I think he'd still be helping to rebuild. Next RP thing he'd like to do:

Meet with the elders about how to handle captured raiders, or ex-raiders who ask to join normal society.
If elders agree, try to round up raiders and assimilate them into some sort of ranger force for the city.
See how they feel about hiring some of the people from the northern tribe.
Ask about visiting the bone-speakers. Have they done it? Does anyone have dead relatives here?
Encourage trade with the mountain men they met on mission.
Take a shuttle to explore the ruins of fort vigilant. There are a lot of things there he can be doing in the background, but any hook you are interested in I can expound on.)

(i think we can meet with the elders first, and then that will inform our next actions. if they disagree , running into a group of the raiders by chance doing any of the other stuff is always a possibility, so I feel like this is a good way to set some narrative underpinning)

After the news about the raiders, the days passed much easier. Zach's smiles were returned in kind instead of being eyed with suspicion. He did his best to keep track of his newly made friends, but without much luck. "When it exploded it opened up all kinds of locked compartments. It threw crates for miles. There's literal treasure raining down from heaven, how could I pass it up?" Cordiir's smile of excitement as she headed Southward would be stuck in his head for a long time. Would he see her again? She seemed oblivious to the threats still lurking out there. Nazoth remained unimpressed. He was heading back out with another pack of foragers within a couple days. Zach had asked if he even took time to rest. "Gotta keep busy while you can," Nazoth had mumbled in return as he packed his things. And when asked how he felt about the disbandment of the raiders he replied: "Dead raiders won't fill my belly. Just another day for me, friend." Nazoth was smart enough to keep out of trouble, so Zach wasn't worried too much about him.

6:48 PM

Cerinoth concerned him the most. Almost immediately after getting back in town he got himself in trouble with the new town guard, talking back and refusing a search. Zach had intervened to get him out of a makeshift holding cell but Cerinoth seemed less than thankful. "Before you showed up there weren't police roaming the streets drunk on power and paranoia. You can keep your UNW. You're lucky these hut dwellers don't have any respect for my opinion." With that he spat in front of Zach. "Well, you're welcome," Zach said as the enraged young man marched away, but he got no reply.

6:50 PM

The father and son duo, however, were very happy to see him. On a couple occasions he had stayed at their shared home. By UNW standards, it was a hovel: an encampment hastily slapped together in the ruins of a city. But by Kuhuk standards, they were quite well off.

6:55 PM

Mila, Quilovon's mother, Sonnen and Navi, his sisters, were in and out. The sisters had happily laid claim to one of the cement making machines and one of the brick pressers. They were good with technical instructions, and were churning out more building materials than Quiolovon could lay down. While their younger brother was confused by this at first, their business acumen turned that overproduction into a tidy profit, and made some great connections along the way. They were the ideal case for UNW involvement. They worked, learned, and prospered together. They built stronger networks between people, and were kind when they needn't be. Zach hoped the best for them as he listened to their stories. The mother was considering opening a restaurant, something like a buffet with long open benches, and based on the cooking she provided at dinner, Zach had no doubt this too would be a success.

6:58 PM

After some time (How many days are you thinking here?) Zach decided it was time to visit the council again. There were still some pressing matters that needed their scrutiny. Wrapping up the raiders, new alliences, and the like, to be considered at length by the poeple who, Zach noted, were increasingly enjoying the luxuries of the UNW without putting any of the work into it. With some exceptions, of course. The day they agreed to meet him arrived without fanfare, and dressed in a respectable robe (as respectable as he could find on this world) he waited outside their circle as they dealt with another matter.

(I would say no more than a week given the scenes above , we can talk to the council and then depending on how that goes we can decide to go after some bandits or let more time pass before diving into one of your other bullet points. THeres also the ability to explore other worlds and do other things. You're certainly not trapped here)_

(I'm fine staying until they are UNW members or they run me off lol. Zach is committed. Let's talk with the council. Let me know if you want me to open with some dialogue)

The council spends a few moments concluding whatever business they had been discussing before you arrived and you are bidden to step forward and stand on the speaking stone. "You are the one from off world who has done much to help here" the first of them . "We have agreed to meet with you. Tell us what you have come to say to the tribe and you will be heard. It is because of you and the others who have come with you that we may know a season of peace"

Zach approaches the group and bows slightly. "A season of peace is what I've come to discuss. I remember my first years of peace as well, and of eating every day and sleeping through the night. All luxuries of hard work paid off, work I see being done here as well." "I come to you to discuss the future of the raiders, of those who were formerly raiders. I think in the days that come you'll meet many of them, and if you don't decide now how you'll greet them then I would worry for the chaos that follows. Have you given it any consideration?" "For my part, if you are interested, I'm in favor of trying to rehabilitate those in need, imprisoning those who defy you, and killing the deadiest of them who refuse to conform. Unless they've fled yet further South. Then they may be a problem for another day." "I do want to say," he adds at the end, "that this is a decision for you to make. The UNW hosts a wide array of moral and legal notions. So long as you stray from the truly heinous, I feel I can back whatever play you decide without affecting a future with us."

There is some deliberation among the group for a few long moments before they are able to summarize what they are thinking and what the prevailing moods of the group seem to be. Efforts should be made to peacefully take the raiders in. If encountered and they surrender and are willing to turn themselves before tribal judgement, most of them will likely find themeselves as eventual citizens so long as they are willing to work hard and prove their worth to the community. After a few seasons, the people here will likely forget. There will be some who refuse or are too proud and if those skirmishes result in raider fatalities, as long as the choice was given this is accepted as the inevitable way of things. Self defense of the tribe is prized above welcoming a defeated foe. Those who refuse to conform, or the ones that are truly dangerous and decide not to, the same offer must be made, but they will be hunted with more prejudice so long as they have remained in the region. If they have fled south, they are a problem for another time.

"It sounds as though we are in agreement. With your permission, I'd like to take some of the security force here and see if we can pick up some trails in the southlands, and perhaps leave a message to raiders who find themselves looking for new work."

“We cannot risk the safety of the settlement. Not with so much uncertainty. You may take two as a personal bodyguard but no more than that. The raiders may not be gone. If they are other tribes may have designs of their own. “

"That is reasonable. I'll prepare today and be ready to leave first thing in the morning. Have whomever you select as my bodyguard meet me at the southeastern gateway." Zach departed after a few more words of encouragement. He did his best to hide his distaste for their risk aversion. It wasn't hard for him to remember feeling as they did: peace would evaporate any day; each meal perhaps the last. Having come so far, Zach had outgrown these fears. Perhaps it was the memory of his former helplessness that was really bothering him.

That evening, he met with his friends in town. Mila cooked a hearty dish with pan browned roots, a touch of a minty herb, and some of the mushrooms they had brought back from the mountain-men. This was served in a thick auburn sauce with a hint of citrus and a side of chewy thick-crusted bread. "As usual, you've outdone yourself Mila. I can't wait to see what you make with even more fresh grown supplies. When those greenhouses are constructed-" "Yes yes," she cut him off with a smirk, "if only this or that or the other thing. 'Waiting on wants makes a cloudy mind'. How did your meeting go?"

11:12 PM

Zach coughs on a bit of bread crust. "I'll try not to slander anyone, but my goodness, you'd think we were done on this world the way they dither and fret. Not everyone is so comfortable." Quilos, usually overly pleasant, mutters under his breath, "They're still the elders. Respect still warranted." "My apologies, Quilos. They are certainly elder. And wise as well, I'm sure. But they have the wisdom of winter and survival. I feel as though what this world needs now is the wisdom of spring and growth. Mila would make a better councilor than most of them. At least she has a vision. And it runs in the family it seems." "Calling me elder, are you?" she teases. "We'll get you a white wig and run an election campaign. Do they do those here? I hadn't asked yet." (edited)

11:18 PM

Quilos was still upset. "Not unwise to be careful. To go slowly. It's our way." Zach left it at that. An hour after dinner, Quilos brings out some Tjacta, a fermented beet juice. Terrible flavor, but a buzz immediately, and these beets had a mild hallucinogenic property that Zach found calming. The girls show up at some point, their pants smeared with oil streaks where they had wiped their hands. There is some swearing, some laughter, and more Tjacta passed around. Before he leaves, an idea strikes Zach. "Do you have room for workers? To help you with the...things. Metal things, with the bricks and the building," he mumbles, trying to find the word. "The machines," Navi offers. "I suppose," Sonnen says. "We've almost got this pair running smoothly and it would be nice to train some new folks who weren't so..." "Townsy," Navy finishes. "So here-ish." (edited)

11:21 PM

"Yes," Sonnen laughs. "Exactly." "Do you have the manuals with you? Give me the model numbers and a couple manuals on them." And when they looked at him strangely, he adds, "in case I meet anyone looking for work." The girls are able to find the datapad they used for work, and he transfers over some of the files about the machines to his own device. He stays longer than he should, sharing stories and dreams, but when he arrives home he sleeps instantly and well. The next day he takes his things and heads to the gate, hoping the council made good on their promise of a travelling companion. (edited)

The following morning there is a figure standing propped up against one of the scrap walls of the settlement by the gate as you go to leave. Sure enough your bodyguard is waiting for you. Eir is one of the best fighters in the settlement but a look at the way he carries himself you can see that he is a brawler , not a soldier or a warrior , and someone with his temperament wouldn’t last long on a modern battlefield. On a world like this it is still an extra set of eyes to watch your back and after a brief introduction the bodyguard asks about what your plans are for this wilderness excursion

"We're assessing the strength of the remaining raiders, seeing who is looking for a new home, and trying to ascertain any new threats emerging from their chaos. How well do you know the southlands?"

"Well enough. Things may look a bit different now. When the ship exploded things would have been thrown around if the blast was big. It depends how far south you want to go. I would not want to get too close to the site of the explosion. I will help you navigate and I will watch your back. If there are bandits out there that want to continue their way of life and not change with the times we will show them why this is a bad idea. "

Zach nods. He checks his things once again before they head out. (I'd like to say Zach was able to round up a tent for two, new power cell and blaster, and food for the trip. How detailed should this list be, and should I pay credits for them to something like a local depot, who are the new owners of a lot of this gear?)

(When we do shopping normally I will have players make me a list. It needs to be actual items from the book, and usually I just charge book price for those things. If there is anything on the list that is not available I will let you know)

9:05 AM

(I don't play out shopping, it usually ends with a merchant getting threatened over a ten credit discount and the adventure now being something entirely different ) (edited)

(Oh yeah makes sense. I'll get you a list. I'm betting some things won't be available on this world yet, despite a recent shipment, so just let me know if I've picked anything that is unavailable.)

(sounds good. Will let you know later on once you'd had time to finish it. : ) )

(Request list is

Camouflage Cloak x2 - 3000cr
Laser Rifle - 300cr
Powercell A x5 - 50cr
6 days rations - 30cr
Pressure Tent - 100cr
Trade Goods x6 - 300cr
Total 3780cr)

(all available. That would have been supplied with the last drop of goods. Just make sure its readied/stowed accordingly)

(2nd cloak is for the guide. The rest will go on my sheet now)

(I don't see how to apply the cloak. Doesn't want to take anywhere. Any tips there?)

(I can add it for you. Later versions of the character sheet have it, I'll get the cell inserted for you)_

3:48 PM

"So, the plan is we just wander and hope to run into trouble? " the guide asks as they heft their cloak over their shoulder. They spend a moment tinkering with the fasteners around their neck before settling on a grip that is comfortable to them and resume walking at a normal pace to keep stride with you.

Zach laughs. "Well, I like to frame it as exploring until we find an opportunity, but yes. We don't know what happened to the raiders after the explosion. Some may still be irredeemable. Some may be looking to change their ways. Some may even be trying to reform somewhere else. The more we know about the situation, the better this city will be ready for it." Zach begins to walk to the south, heading towards the coast. "I am hoping they'll seek water and we can meet some people along the way." As they walk Zach probes Eir about his life in the city, and beyond its walls. It serves to pass the time and might just provide valuable insights into the people here.

Eir has had a position of respect and privilage due to his position as one of the best warriors. This did not mean much during the Remnant occupation, as Eir was as much part of the indentured workforce as anyone or anything else. With thei withdrawal of the Remnant, internecine violence between the tribes and hunts to slay some of the large prey beasts in the area allowed Eir to prove themselves once again ,and with their status has come some comforts his fellow tribesmen did not have. They give a rosy view of life in the city because of this, and after your time living among the common people you can see where the inconsistencies in his own life experience lie

(This is the path Zach intends to take)

10:51 PM

10:52 PM

"Have you thought about becoming a leader among the new militia in the city?"

(sounds good, D10 for our first hex)

9:58 AM

"I have been promised this position already" he says, "Something I intend to keep. I've led my warriors well. I will keep doing that even though the weapons might change. THey know me, they know what kind of warrior I am"

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d10] Roll: [6] Result: 6

Heading southeast down across the lakeshore there is evidence some of the raiders managed to keep a vehicle running. An abandoned buggy has been left here without any additional fuel. There are four seats inside, each empty now and sandy footprints head further south. There are four sets of footprints as well

Zach scans the area around the buggy. The signs of life were recent enough to leave trace. With no-one around, zach examines the vehicle. (how advanced is this buggy? Would I be able to leave a message on a screen or something, or is this an old world model?)

(its TL4, would have come from the ship. It has a bit of power in its energy cell, not enough to drive it, but you coudl leave a message in its nav computer)(

Zach leaves the message in a console debug window. "We have batteries. Visit Soroth to trade."

There is a brief beep as the message is loaded into the buggy computer and is saved. It scrolls across the top of the screen on repeat and will continue for as long as the battery power remains. On this idle setting there are several weeks left of standby power.

9:45 AM

"Well, message left. Now what? Further south?" Eir asks, scanning the horizon

"Yes," Zach answers after some thought. "Let's press on. Keep our eyes open for wanderers of course."

(notice/wis)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+1] Roll: [6, 2] Result: 9 Reason: Notice/WIS

(Happy holidays btw, hope they are going well!)

(thanks! Same for you!) After talking for another hour, Eir grabs you from your collar roughly and almost throws you down into the sandy ground, Looking up wards, he sees two figures at the top of a distant dune, about 300m from you. They have not seen you yet, traveling perpendicular to you, but they are both armed with modern looking weapons and seem to have been affiliated with the now destroyed ship that the raiders were using as a base.

"Good eye," Zach whispers. He watches the figures cross the sandy landscape. "Think you can cover me if I want to go speak with them?"

Eir takes a moment to unlimber the long rifle he carries and claps a flash hider on the scope made of darkened plastic with many holes poked in it. This will hide the glint from any overhead sunlight. "Got you. Go slow. Try to keep to the left of the dunes so I don't shoot through you if I need to intervene. Gods be with you Dimitriou"

Zach pats him on the back and meditates for a moment. It's another in a string of moments that could be his last, but he remembers that every moment could be, and one would. It was time. "If I step right, into your sightline, don't shoot. And if they kill me, don't avenge me. Just go back home."

5:48 PM

Zach stands and starts a light jog towards the distant figures. He tries to make it clear he is not trying to rush them. A few dozen yards from Eir he calls out, "Hello?", and waves, hoping to grab their attention. He keeps his hands open and slightly raised.

Both of them wheel, their weapons instinctually raise before they see you are there alone, seemingly unarmed. Their weapons lower slightly, but they still seem prepared to use them. "Well, what do we have here?" the first of them asks "You lost, friend?"

"Exploring. I heard of the explosion to the south. The ship that was there, did you witness it?"

6:05 PM

(Zachs goal here is mostly to make introctutory small talk)

6:05 PM

(*introductory even)

"No, but close enough to see it. Made a mess of the site. Surprised we're not both glowing green right now. " "We might be, hasn't been dark en ough yet" the other chimes in before his joke is silenced with a swift slap to the back of the head by his companion. "You know anything about what happened down there? :

Zach continues to approach them, slowing down and keeping an easy gait until they are close enough to talk without shouting. "Have you been scanned yet? I know some folks with medical supplies back in Soroth. I could get you in to speak to a medic if you're worried about contamination. "Now, I don't know everything about the explosion but I do know a few things. I heard from those folks that it used to be something of a base for people who would harass travelers, steal things, and generally get up to no good. The UNW sent someone in to investigate I believe: they're taking a big interest in this border world now. Whoever it was either ran into trouble or made the call to detonate, I don't know for sure. I hope it was the right call. I'm from the UNW as well, you see, and I really believe in their good intentions for well meaning people. "Rumor I've heard going around now is that those folks that used to be raiders may be looking for a new way to live. Maybe something less dangerous, more steady, with warm food and beds. Not all of them. I'm sure there's some bandits out there still, looking for trouble. But if you know anyone who out here who is having a change of heart, could you tell them to come by Soroth and ask for Zach Dimitriou? That's me, by the way." Zach smiles and extends a hand to shake towards to nearer of the two.

(talk/cha)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+2] Roll: [4, 2] Result: 8 Reason: Talk/CHA

"Scan?" one of them asks. They donm't seem comfortable enough to shake hands and pull back a few steps when you get close, but the idea of you being able to tell them if they are sick or not has some appeal to them.

"Yes," Zach says, reading their rejection. "We have a medical station set up in town where we check our water for purity and check people for diseases or contamination. Usually it's for people of the town but if you brought a gift to them they could arrange to make sure you were both safe. Actually, I'm going to look through my pack for just a second. I might have something for you. Is that alright?" (For the sake of brevity I'll assume they are suspicious but ok with Zach going through his backpack in plain view of them. If that's not the case I can retcon.) Zach checks his pack, moving things aside and setting some on the ground. "Here we are," he says, "this is likely to be worth something in trade." Zach hands the package of trade goods to the closer of them, arm extended until they accept it. "Take that to town and tell them you'd like to trade for a medical check up. Let them know Zach from the UNW sent you." He begins to pack everything back up. (Giving them one unit of trade goods, which I'm pretty sure I brought.)

(you did, you had six iirc)

6:43 PM

(all good here, they're suspicious but I think their curiosity would win out over their desire to possibly rob you at the beginning. You're helping them more than taking your stuff would have helped them )

6:43 PM

"How far?" one of the bandits asks, looking toward the distance and using their hand to shield themselves from the harsh glare of the sun

"Less than a day. Follow the shoreline that way. By the way, are there many others out here I should watch out for? Any less friendly than you two are?"

He thinks for a moment. "Stay away from someone named Henricross and the men with him. He's got a temper and will probably shoot first, but when you least expect it. "

"Thank you for the advice friend. I'll keep an eye out. Good day to you both." Zach heads away from them, more south than East. He walks slowly to give them time to call out if they have other questions or concerns. Zach doesn't stop for Eir until he gets around the base of one of the dunes. There he sits and waits, rearranging his remaining items until his guide catches up.

Eir grumbles and huffs and puffs as he makes his way to your position. They're tired from the trudge through the sand an d the long looping course they needed to take to avoid the bandits - not wanting to ruin the goodwill you've created by revealing the presence of a hidden shooter. "Good work on those two. Had a round slotted and ready to go. Didn't need to use it. "

"Agreed. And thanks for not spooking them. Apparently we need to be on the lookout for Henricross. Bad man, with some bad men nearby. I think if we meet him, we'll probably shoot at the first sign of a bad vibe." Zach takes a few moments to let Eir catch his breath. "Want to camp for the night? We've been travelling for a while now."

"I thik we should. Plenty of walking to do in the morning and we've pushed our luck enough for one day. You want the first watch? Or the second?" he says, unrolling the pack and its sticks and tan colored cloth for a simple hammock style tent and wind covering.

"I'll take first." Zach helps him set up a makeshift camp and checks the light levels of the fire. (Zach doesn't need to sleep, drink or eat, so he's on watch until Eir wakes up naturally.)

Nekosmash

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Nekosmash Request: [d10] Roll: [10] Result: 10

Aside from the distant howling of the coyotes, there is a light coming through the night, cast by an open flame. it is a single torch and there is a the steady, warm, rustic sound of wooden wheels grinding on their axle as a lone merchant and their cart comes closer, seeing your fire from a distance despite keeping the light low. . (edited)

Hearing the approaching cart, Zach wanders closer to it. With a deep breath, he focuses inward to pierce the veil of darkness around him. (Using effort on The Inward Eye to see in darkness). Zach monitors the approach for signs of hostility or deception.

The merchant looks harmless enough. They are dressed for the conditions and seem to be slightly older than you. Their cart is loaded down with goods,and is covered, but you can see where several panels can be folded out to turn this cart into an improvised market stall at a few moments notice.

"Hello there! You are travelling very late friend. Looking for a fire? My friend is sleeping just now but you are welcome to come warm yourself if you can do so quietly." Zach does his best not to wake Eir with this conversation. (Is the cart pulled by a horse or other creature?)

(once I've got a good look at him and the cart and don't think he's smuggling bandits or something I'll drop the effort on the nightvision)

(He’s pulling it himself and seems legit.)

3:04 PM

(It’s like a rickshaw type of thing if that makes sense )

(makes sense to me. Zach is just quietly talking to him and might offer to trade with him if he seems open to the idea.)

"very late. You do have a fire. Please, It would be nice to warm these old bones by one for a few hours. The sands get cold at night. You wouldn't think it would do that. The days are hot" he says, parking the cart and spending a moment to make sure its kickstand type rest is lowered.

2:58 PM

"It is a lonely life wandering the wastes as a sole proprieter"

"Please, sit down here. The territory seems dangerous. Bandits, radiation. Why do you do it?"

"Someone has to. I enjoy it too. Seeing new places , meeting new people , collecting stories to tell at the places I go. I'm sure you can understand. You have the look of someone who enjoys adventure and wouldn't be happy sitting in one place"

Zach smiles. "True, very true. Well, I know many people in town who would be excited to meet a travelling trader. In fact, I have some goods here if you'd like to make an exchange!" Zach rummages through his pack to pull out the remaining trade goods. "See anything of interest?"

"Perhaps, but I have something for you too. You seem like someone with some strength behind you. You fight to protect others?" he says, as much a statement as a question.

"Well, to be honest I try not to fight at all. But when it comes down to it, I would, and I like to be prepared for it. Do you have something in that vein?"

"I've got something here that might be useful to you then" he says, taking an object that looks like a vambrace from his pack of wares. The Vambrace of Space Age Heroics- This silvery vambrace is polished to a dull but clear coat. Holographic sensors within the armor piece allow it to change its appearance and color scheme to blend in to the local environment when not in its default "ceremonial setting". It is one of several items belonging to the fabled armor set. As foes are bested by the person wearing the vambrace, their images are added to the vambraces' design- a person with a long serving piece of Armor of Space Age Heroics would have a piece of armor covered in a mural depicting them standing over the foes they have bested. After fighting a type of enemy once and coming away victorious, the image is added to the armor, and in future combats against this enemy, the character obtains a +1 armor class against attacks from it. A talk/cha check against a DC of 10 will allow the wearer to trick the vambrace by telling it a story of a past combat against a powerful foe that may not have happened. 3 failures over the lifetime of the object being owned will reset the vambrace, and all imprinted enemies will be reset. This item also has 1 encumbrance and only provides its benefits if it is readied.

"Very interesting!" Zach examines the vambrace. He was unaccustomed to armor of any bulk, but the value of the technology within may make it worth collecting. "How did you come across this? And how much do you want for it?"

"It is my pleasure to bestow it on you in exchange for the trade goods you have on you. These will sell well at the places I am going. I found this in the desert on my many wanderings. It was laying in the sand, half buried. I wore it myself for a while, and back then I had companions. I noticed when we told tales around the fire at night, that it had these properties. What else can you do on a cold desert night than to tell stories"

"Agreed then, on both counts." Zach gives the man the remaining 5 parcels of trade goods. (Does the vambrace count as actual armor? Wondering how it interacts with unarmored defense.)

(it won't count for those purposes)

2:43 PM

"Let it serve you well. Its rumored there are more pieces of this set out there across the sectors. There's a hemet, a shield, a breastplate, and greaves. You've got the vambraces. With the full set and a lineage of heroic deeds behind you, there is no evil force here or among the stars that could stand in your way"

"I'm very fortunate to have met you then. My thanks for these. I'll try to put them to good use."

"I was going to rest for a few hours before the sun comes up, do you mind if I continue to enjoy the warmth of your fire until then?" he asks, looking up at the moon and the cold desert beyond.

"Please do, I'll keep watch until then." Zach stands and walks away from the fire to keep an eye on the perimeter. He leaves the pair to rest in the middle, checking every so often to confirm the stranger wasn't trying anything sneaky.

They seem to be who they say they are. They are strange, but seem harmless, and are sleeping peacefully under your protection. By first light, he rises, nodding once in thanks and gathers their cart. They trundle away in the direction you came from, and as they begin to fade from sight, Eir wakes up. "you never woke me up for watch. You gonna be ok to travel today?" he says, wiping both sleep sand and sand sand from his eyes.

"I'll let you know if I'm having trouble but I should be alright." Zach has already packed much of the gear and prepared a ration for the morning meal. "We can press on when you are ready."

(D10 as we continue exploring. Eir is prepared)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d10] Roll: [9] Result: 9

Your morning walk is quiet and Eir begins taking point more often as you reach the edge of bandit country. Walking further the smell of a distant fire from wood burning greets your senses and Eir tenses up, saying this is not natural and someone would have had to set it. That someone or someone’s are close.

Zach instructs him to proceed stealthily from here on out. Perhaps they can find the source before its owner notices them. Zach suggests he take point while they search.

7:26 PM

"Oh," he whispers, "we should also keep an ear open for the name 'Henricross' on the wind. That was the one the other stragglers warned us about. If him or his men find us before we find them, act casual and wait for my strike, but I promise there will be a fight."

Eir takes the lead walking alongside you and scanning the dunes for movement , concealed shooters and sees nothing. You crest a dune to see a large bonfire where it looks like a few unfortunate desert travelers have been tied to the stake in the center and burned. There are six raiders here about 50m from you and they do not see you.

Zach scans the terrain for features that would offer them cover, or allow he and Eir to sneak closer. He examines their weapons, and tries to listen in on their conversation.

(sneak/dex)

(dice maiden might be down)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+2] Roll: [6, 3] Result: 11 Reason: sneak/dex

(there it goes)

(You're 50m from them now, we can get to 25 before they'd get another chance to detect you) They're commending themselves on a job well done. What they've taken from these victims buys them a few more days of survival in the harsh conditions here in the ash wastes. None of them seem to have regret for what they've done. The name Henricoss does not come up as they communicate with one another , and they begin casting lots for some of the best items like new boots, a modern looking combat rifle, and a few power cells.

(I forgot about the camo cloak as well, will add it to the next check.) "Cover me," Zach says, moving forward.

7:54 PM

(rolling again based on your above comment about making another check when I get closer)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6+3] Roll: [6, 3] Result: 12 Reason: sneak/dex/cloak

(assuming this stealth check is enough) Zach huddles against a large rock, cloak pulled tight. He's trying to figure out which of these men is the leader, and given the right opportunity, would like to move into setting up an execution attempt.

He takes two A-cells out of his belt and places them a little further from the raiders than he is, such that they would need to pass by him to pick them up.

8:31 PM

Nekosmash

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Nekosmash Request: [2d6+1] Roll: [4, 3] Result: 8

(you are not seen. So you're shooting and scooting, and hoping they stop for the cells when they chase?)

(not shooting. Hoping someone notices the cells and wanders over close enough to me to make a melee attack)

Two of the bandits here notice the glint of the power cells in the sands and quickly look to one another, wordlessly it seems decided that they're going to ascend the dune to check it out, thinking their fleeing victims may have dropped something else. They wanted to within a few meters of the rock you are sheltering behind, fixed on the glint in the sands as they could be swallowed up by the shifting winds at any moment.

(What are each of them armed with? Rifle, pistol, etc?)

(each of them has a combat rifle and a knife)

(Enjoy your time off! Zach is going to be trying an execution attack on the closer one of they get within striking distance. The batteries were placed such that this would be a possibility. If they end up out of execution attack range he'll still be making a melee attack against the closer one)

(since it's a melee execution they get a chance to notice you. If not you'd be able to kill one, and then we'd do initiative for the rest of the combat)

Nekosmash

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Nekosmash Request: [2d6] Roll: [6, 5] Result: 11

(11 vs your previous 12, so you'd take out one, and now that the enemy is aware of you, the second one would fight as normal)

(Yep, works for me. Let me know what I should be rolling and what I should narrate)

(Since its a melee execution and they've failed to notice you, you'd kill one instantly without needing to roll anything, so you can narrate that, afterwards, we're in a normal combat with the second, so we'll get initiative and play that out)

Zach waits. He holds an inner strap of the cloak to keep it from ruffling, but a sudden gust whips by. He watches the two men to see if they noticed. They approach, blinded by petty greed. At the end of their walk, the two men chuckle. "Bet they wish they had these for that firefight." The other man chuckles back. "Though," he notes, looking closely, "these aren't from salvage. These markings, aren't they UNW?" And those were his final words. Zach sprung from his position under the cloak and leapt to his side, bringing a folded hand from his ribcage to the man's neck. It snapped, and he crumpled under his own weight. "Put that rifle on the ground and I'll let you live," Zach offered, but felt he knew the answer before making it.

8:56 PM

(I think this is the first initiative I've rolled. D8 + dex?)

(Yep, D8+dex mod, if any)

2:21 PM

(remaining ruffian is going to fight it out. His friends are close so losing 1 isnt going to require a morale check)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [d8+1] Roll: [4] Result: 5 Reason: initiative

Nekosmash

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Nekosmash Request: [d8] Roll: [4] Result: 4

(you are up first, they got a 4)

(move to adjacent to keep him from using the rifle, and try to put him between myself and his friend.) Zach sees the intent in the man's eyes. He leaps forward to close the distance between them with a stroke ready. When he arrives, he throws an elbow to the man's jaw. (Assume an attack roll here?)

(in melee he cannot use his rifle, but he's got a readied knife he will switch to when its his turn since its readied. Yes, attack and roll the damage too so if it hits we can resolve it all at once)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d20+5] Roll: [9] Result: 14 Reason: unarmed attack

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d8+5] Roll: [8] Result: 13 Reason: DMG, shock of 3/AC15

(I can't be mad about those rolls)

( shockl damage goes through. They're in woven armor, so AC15) \

11:56 AM

Surprised by the sudden attack and caught flat footed by your surprise elbow to the jaw the bandit skids back a step before steadying themselves, drawing a knife from a holster in their belt, they make an aggressive slash in your direction

Nekosmash

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Nekosmash Request: [d20+3] Roll: [7] Result: 10

(your AC is too high for the shock, so that's a miss miss)

Zach ducks the attack, bringing his fist up for an uppercut in close. (for future reference I have close combatant focus level 1, which is "ignore melee shock damage from enemies" along with close combat pistol use)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [d20+5] Roll: [4] Result: 9 Reason: unarmed attack

(oof, probably no need to roll damage in that case, just the 3 shock)

The wounded bandit is standing but the grind and bruising close quarters clash is leaving them hurt and out of breath. The highwayman slashes with their knife , trying to wound you

Nekosmash

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Nekosmash Request: [d20+3] Roll: [1] Result: 4

(miss, no shock)

Zach changes up attacks hoping to find an opening. With a rapid set of lighter strikes he sets up a heavy blow to the throat.

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [d20+5] Roll: [15] Result: 20 Reason: unarmed attack

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [d8+5] Roll: [3] Result: 8 Reason: DMG, shock of 3/AC15

There is a crunch of bone and the bandit looks at you with a blank expression on their face. They take a step back , choking, before collapsing in the sand and laying there quietly, air and life rapidly leaving their body.

Zach scans the rest of the raiders behind the crumpled bandit. He's ready to take cover or to drag these two out of view depending on their reactions.

The other four have not noticed the absence of their two wandered off comrades. Neither of the bandits had time to use their rifles and the hand to hand battles were over quickly with both dispatched in less than a minute. At the top of the dunes with the cells left in sight, but behind you, the two bodies are in sight of their comrades and will need to be moved if you wish to retain the elment of surprise. Eir silently gestures to you asking if he should begin shooting

Zach indicates with a finger to wait, and then attempts to drag both bodies over the dune, out of view, before anyone notices and without making too much noise

After a few more minutes it seems like the bandits have realized that two of their companions have not returned. Their footprints heading up the dune past your rocks, and toward the glittering power cells that are still laying there catching the sun. They begin to organize, gatheirng at the bottom of the crater to follow their companions' steps up the dunes.

11:48 AM

(they're not close enough for melee yet, they're just getting together to start walking, if we're holding I'll keep going)

(do I have time to do a quick change into whatever these guys were wearing on their outermost layer? Cloak, hat, gloves, that kind of thing? I have Unobtrusive step, which helps with imitation, so I'm thinking of a quick distraction to get me in melee range)

(not everything, but yeah I think with the 30 or so seconds you have you could get most of the outer layer on)

Zach notes their approach. He tries to catch Eir's attention as he quickly dons the dead man's cloak, gloves, and hat. Then he takes the rifle the man was carrying. With the men behind him now a stone's throw away, he fires in the direction of Eir's cover. The dead man had joked with his friend before. His voice was deeper than Zach's natural voice, so Zach adjusted his head angle and position to bring his voice down an octave. In the best accent he could manage, he uttered a couple swear words and stepped out from behind the rock with his back to the bandits, taking a knee for another shot. He hoped Eir was getting the message: now was his time to fire.

(we don't have surprise anymore so theres no chance for an execution, but Eir can shoot a shot now before we jump into initiaitve. Their modifiers are +3, but have a combat rifle, so +5 if they burst fire)

(yeah, I'm on the same page I think. The goal is just to get me close to the raiders before they shoot at me. Am I rolling for Eir?)

(Yes , modifiers for Eir are above in my last post. Sounds like we're on the same page)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [d20+5] Roll: [9] Result: 14 Reason: Eir's Shot

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [d8+1] Roll: [2] Result: 3 Reason: Zach Initiative

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [d8] Roll: [8] Result: 8 Reason: Eir Initiative

Nekosmash

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Nekosmash Request: [d8] Roll: [5] Result: 5

(Eir , bandits, Zach) Eir does their best to try to zero in on the bandits. Shots hit the sand near them and the warrior struggles to try to zero in the sights from the range they are shooting at. Knowing that the gig is up, the bandits draw knives to try to deal with Zach.

(Am I waiting for attacks here or is Zach up now?)

)eir is up. His shots were during the surprise round. Now it’s his actual turn )

Eir, cursing under his breath, takes another burst of shots at the raider furthest from Zach.

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [d20+5] Roll: [20] Result: 25 Reason: Eir Attack

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [d12+3] Roll: [1] Result: 4 Reason: Eir Combat Rifle damage

(oof on the d12. got excited for a second there)

(you critted with Eir, so you may roll an additional d12 for his damage)

(hooray!)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d12 + 4] Roll: [7] Result: 11 Reason: damage in total, original + crit

One of the four bandits falls to the ground, the burst taking them in the chest and neck. They collapse to the ground leaving three of their companions remaining, looking down the martial arts master and distant shooter at the same time. Their confidence is beginning to waiver. With their drawn knives, they pile in, slashing and cutting at Zach in a flurry of blows.

Nekosmash

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Nekosmash Request: [3 d20+3] Rolls: [19] Result: 22 [20] Result: 23 [3] Result: 6

Nekosmash

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Nekosmash Request: [3 d6] Rolls: [6] Result: 6 [2] Result: 2 [3] Result: 3

(22/6 and crit 5) Two of the knives find purchase in gaps of movement or buried in the folds of traveling clothes. The cold steel and hot bloom of pain that comes after it are shocking and strange dualities of sensation

(What's the total damage?)

6:33 PM

(nevermind, 11 total it looks like)

6:37 PM

Zach reels from his wounds. He was used to gliding with the incoming blows, but these were delivered with a new kind of savagery. He would normally feign a more critical wound than he had received, but it would be hard to do so now. Instead, he went back to the basics, bringing his balance back to center and pressing the attack against the closest of them who had swung wide and left a big opening.

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

used /roll

Roll set must be between 2-20

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d20+5] Roll: [16] Result: 21 Reason: Zach attach

(attack, not attach. Not a grapple lol)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d8+5] Roll: [2] Result: 7 Reason: assuming a hit, this is punching damage

Zach was sure to side-step after the punch, opening up another shot for Eir on the hill behind him.

6:39 PM

(Not sure if you prefer to wait between rounds for any kind of GM action or not. If not, I'll roll another attack for Eir next)

One of the bandits doubles over, heavily wounded and winded by the blow,, but not downed by it. (Thanks for waiting, go ahead with Eir)

Eir lines up a shot on the next raider over, trying to keep his heartbeat in check. Breathe. Focus. Fire. He lets loose another burst of shots in quick succession.

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d20+5] Roll: [19] Result: 24 Reason: burst fire

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d12+3] Roll: [10] Result: 13 Reason: combat rifle damage

(thank goodness for that)

The second of the bandits falls, the burst took them center mass and though thry have not died,t hey will bleed out within the next few minutes.

12:41 PM

(one wounded one and one full health one left) The two bandits continue engaging Zach. The momentum on the fight changes hands several times over the last few seconds and they push hard in this brutal scrap

Nekosmash

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Nekosmash Request: [2 d20+3] Rolls: [14] Result: 17 [13] Result: 16

Nekosmash

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Nekosmash Request: [2 d6] Rolls: [4] Result: 4 [1] Result: 1

Two knives flash out , both of them plunging into Zach. (16 meets AC so hits, total of 5 damage)

(Zach is down) Zach grabs the his side, reeling back. He attempts to catch his footing but he loses all feeling in his legs. Shock sets in: the world spins, the sky darkens, and Zach plummets into the sand.

1:23 PM

(I can keep rolling for Eir but I know sometimes there's a morale check for NPCs. Let me know how you want to handle it.)

(right now they outnumber you and you're down, so they're going to keep fighting. Eir is up)

(yeah but is Eir running away and if not do you still want me rolling for him? For now I'll assume yes to both but feel free to retcon)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d20+5] Roll: [4] Result: 9 Reason: 3rd burst shot

(To clarify: I'll assume he's not running away and I am rolling for him)

(Eir is not running away yet) The rounds from Eir impact the rock Zach has fallen near, spraying stone dust everywhere. The bandits scatter, sheathing their knives and drawing their own firearms to respond. (drawing a stowed weapon is their turn)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d20+5] Roll: [15] Result: 20 Reason: 4th burst shot

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d8+3] Roll: [5] Result: 8 Reason: combat rifle damage

Continuing down the row with a deadly consistency, Eir targets the next standing bandit on the leftmost flank. (I believe this is the one which hasn't taken damage yet)

(Yep!)

2:17 PM

The bandit doesn't have enough time to realize they are dead before their body hits the desert floor. The bandit that is left is wounded, and looking down at the wounded , bleeding out Zach alongside their dead companions, they decide that the balance of the fight has shifted out of his favor and they begin to run . (move and double move. If Eir decides to gun them down its his turn, but the bandit is not going to continue fighting, so if you want Eir ot make his way over to you for the heal check we can do that)

Eir takes one parting shot at the escaping bandit as they flee. (not sure about modifiers on this so adjust as you see fit)

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [1d20+5] Roll: [1] Result: 6 Reason: final volley

(guess it wasn't meant to be)

6:09 PM

Despite lining up a perfect shot and taking a knee next to his fallen comrade, the trigger pull produces no explosive recoil against his shoulder. A couple more empty clicks confirms it: gun jam. At least it was at the end of the fight and not the beginning. Eir turns his attention to the many stab wounds on the man in front of him.

GreaterOfTwoWeevils

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Zach Dimitriou (Ken) Request: [2d6] Roll: [6, 5] Result: 11 Reason: heal check, unsure of modifier

(this passes, you're at 1HP and have a status effect called fragile, so if you're dropped to 0HP again for the next game week you will perish instead of being knocked out)

1:15 PM

Eir works for several long minutes to staunch the bleeding and prevent the already crippling injuries from getting worse. "You're gonna live" he says "I promise." There is a hiss as antiseptic is poured into some cuts before they're packed with gauze and bound.

Zach struggles to sit up. "We have to...he can't..." Pain, in too many places, knocked him back into silence. After a while, he managed a simple "Thanks."

Later on, when he can manage standing, he says "We should head back. If they rejoin a larger force we wouldn't stand a chance."

(3xp, 5000 credits,)

12:32 PM

(if we want to bring the bandit gear back for the locals we could too. Eir has a good str score so he's got some room for a couple sets of armor or the guns)

(yeah absolutely grabbing what they can, as well as any identifying information about the travelers who were killed.)

Eir has room for two sets of armor and two of the rifles in their hunting pack, along with the ammunition these brigands didn't use on unsuspecting locals. There is no tribal identification on any of the bodies and Eir thinks they might be nomads. Most nomads on this world are people who had their settlements razed either during the Scream or in the short period of Remnant occupation later. Some former settlements became massive open pit mines to feed the ever hungry war machine of the Remnant , and some settlements were destroyed because the locals were too prideful. Either because they will not or can not, nomads, small groups of travelers, and lone pioneers are sights one will sometimes see in the wastes. The rise in bandit activity makes these sightings rarer, and before you is evidence of that fact.

Zach limps alongside Eir as they walk back toward the encampment, following the coast in back towards the settlement. "It's a shame we didn't meet any of these nomads. I would like to win them over. They've survived out here on very little for a while now. Their skills could help the settlement out in a time of need." As much as he would like to push himself, the growing agony in his chest and side suggests he won't be walking a full day today.

"I'm sure there are still some out there. Maybe next time we go west away from bandit territory. There might be some others who made their homes out there and don't even know what's going on out our way. Or if they know, they're smart enough to have stayed the heck away. News of that ship going up is going to spread though. That might make some of them feel comfortable coming out of wherever they've been hiding. "

Zach had more to say on the matter. That their coming out of hiding conflicted with the scattering of these raiders. That nomads may already be in town. That they should act quickly if they wanted to save as many as they could. "Indeed," was what he managed. The rest he would save for a more comfortable day.

(Zach is set on walking straight back to the city. Do you want even rolls for that?)

(Hey, sorry i was gone this weekend so wasn't really answering posts. We don't need rolls for that. Depending on how long we want to stay in the city we may or may not have the fragile label still when we depart again, if we want to stay on this world too. I know you've been here for a while)

2:04 PM

(you will also heal your character level of HP per day)

(Zach is content to wait in town until he is healed up, spreading word about the raiders and about Eir's heroism)

Eir is something of a local legend when the time comes to return to town. Facing down all manner of perils in the desert, fighting bravely even though outmanned and out gunned, and bringing the both of you back safely, with loot from the desert on top of it has them sitting in a comfortable position. Their rank has head of the village's war party is confirmed instead of being assumed now ,and they come to visit every day you are here recovering. They bring drink and food, and let you know that things are well here in town.

One day, while Zach is at Quilos's family home, Eir stops by. He stays for an hour, rambling about the state of the walls, possible raider sightings, and the food that has become available recently. Zach wonders if Eir and Sonnen may start seeing each other. More than one blushing glance was shared between the two in the last week. Perhaps they were already up to something. Zach took the opportunity today to question Eir about his guards. "Does the guard need anything? New weapons, armor, equipment? The UNW has been quite generous recently. I think they are happy to see the progress here. I'd like to make sure some of those funds get to the right place."

"more like what we took off those bandits. That would be enough to make sure we can stand up to anything organized coming out of the wastes ,but I think your agent at the ship has scattered the worst of the threat. One hand with the hammer of progress, the other with the sword of vengence. The community is talking, and the sentiment toward the UNW is better than it was before"

Zach opens his comm-pad and finds the current munitions available in the sector. "I've got about 50,000 credits to invest in your team. Go talk to them and decide what each person wants, or what you want for them, and let me know. We'll get it shipped as quickly as possible."

(I don't need the specifics here, but Zach is investing 50000 in supplies for the guard)

(sounds good, that will arrive at some point in the future then, we don't need to get into the specifics but it will just be TL4 securiy gear in some fashion)

(did you want to venture back out, go to a new planet? We've got options here for sure)

(is the planet in the UNW yet?)

3:19 PM

(If not, Zach is going from recovery to the road again looking for opportunities)

(the faction action needs to be done to expand influence here, the tribe you're working weith is certainly on board, but there are others out there we haven't really contacted)

(The faction action is something that is done by the UNW/players, not us right?)

(Correct)

(I've been steering him in a direction that is more spy-like. Is there anything going on galactically that would call for spycraft?) (edited)

(Everyone's been wanting to know what the NFSS up north is up to. There's also big gulfs of totally unexplored space with p lots to be uncovered. Seeing if the Chimeran Ascendency is complying with their disarmament terms is also a good spy thing to do, no one's sure if they're cleaning things up when official inspections are coming and are up to their usual tricks, or if there is actual change going on)

(Chimeran ascendency sounds cool. I'll work up some final narration for Zach on this planet and read up on that situation)

(sounds good to me ,feel free to shoot over any questions too, or ask in the lore section, a lot of players were involved down there when the situation got hot and thats all info Zach would have access to)

(I'm planning on heading to puradha if there is anything to do there as far as checking up on the Chimerans)

(great, now is a good time to purchase anything if you'd like to, and after that we'll be off!)

(Sorry it's been a bit, got caught up in my side game. Can I narrate several weeks passing for the city without any huge consequential effect? Thinking of lives of NPCs an whatnot.)

(Some of my answer depends on what you write. I’d have to see it to really be able to give a blanket this is ok/won’t have an impact )

While he heals, he walks the city. He visits the square, the new medical station, and the burgeoning factory district. He tries to make this circuit once a day, becoming a regular face among the people living and working there. The city is growing, and its people were becoming more confident. It seemed to him they could see a future again. He recalls the bitter emptiness he had been met with on arrival. It was a night and day difference. As he heals, he begins to feel restless. His wounds itch, but aren’t satisfied by scratching. Nobody here seemed to need his push anymore. The guard patrols on their own from time to time. New locations are being built. The city is starting to make its own income in trade. The work here wasn’t done, but it was definitely underway. He finds himself checking his compad for news of the rest of the UNW several times a day. It’s been a few weeks now and he barely speaks or is spoken to by the people of the city, just a couple of nods and friendly grunts. He finds the family he is staying with eats without him. He feels like a ghost waiting to move on, but to where? That question is finally answered when the bulletin comes in. The Chimerans, an interesting species with whom a fragile peace had started, were of some concern to the UNW. Their behavior post-treaty had not been verified. As he read, he felt the call. He was packed the next day, saying goodbye’s on his final lap of the city.

(looks good to me, a shuttle can bring you down there, and you've certainly earned your own ship if you'd like to build one. We can help with that)

1:21 PM

(the first 2 million of a ship build is covered by a fund from a previous UNW player)

(!!! that is nuts)

3:07 PM

(I'll take a look at shipbuilding rules. Will definitely want to do that though)

(We do have the omnibuilder on our resource doc too that makes it super easy , it will keep track of mass and power and any not allowed fittings combinations for you)

(p;erfect, saw the ship request is in) The ship is prepared for you and is waiting on Gudrun. Its automated crew are handling final checks as the shuttle brings you from Khulk back to the capital. Boarding tubes extend and you are cleared to enter the vessel. Built in record time by the advanced polity shipyard the automated greeting welcomes you aboard and a lighted path down the central walkway brings you to the bridge. The bridge is lighting up as you step inside and your automated pilot, back up pilot, and navigator all send messages to the captain's chair indicating that all systems are reporting green and everything is in readiness to depart for Chimeran space .

(did you want to stop at any planets along the way or did you want me to just get us on the most direct path there?)

(Sorry it's been a while. It's been fun but I'm moving on to other things currently so I'll probably drop from here and the faction server. I appreciate the time and storytelling. Honestly some of the best RPG experiences I've had in a PbP.)

(sorry to hear , take care!)