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It's a sunny spring morning in the Sea of Leaves: in the woods, insects hum over the paths; and in the town, trillium and trout lilly burst from breaks in the decaying road. But no one mistakes the season for hope any more: in the woods, the Lost that winter took lay unburied on the ground; and in the town, ivy rips masonry from the buildings, and sends it plunging into the streets below. GRANT SWAIN You're patrolling the ground floor of the hospital, when you hear a banging from outside. It's Prim, the baker at the stadium market: "Help us here, help, something's wrong with Daff!" How well do you know Prim? Describe him. Do you know Daff? Who is with you? What do you do? AYIZAEL ALLAHARM You're sat out in the early sun with Florica; when Amy, a Sour Lot child of about ten, comes running across the lot towards you: "Miss Allaharm, the council say they would like to see you." What were you and Florica talking about? Tell me about Amy. What do you suspect this might be about? What do you do? Please make a fortunes roll. JUNO PRICE You're accompanying two Jonestowners, Hugo and Fuse, along the moving path towards Bellefonte. Something runs across the path ahead, and you motion the others to wait while you check it out; when you turn around, moments later, Hugo is gone. Tell me about Hugo and Fuse. Why are they heading to the stadium? Is this a regular gig for you? What do you do? JESSE SAMUELSON You're at the market, when you notice Barker, who runs the whole stadium from the old press box, is looking down - right at you. Across the market place Doghead, who runs security, is making his way towards you. What were you buying or selling? Tell me about Barker. Describe Doghead. Have you got any reason to be worried? What do you do? Please make a moonlighting roll. WELCOME TO THE GAME For rolls you need an online dice roller. I like http://orokos.com/. It's free. Please post your character sheet in your first post. In subsequent posts please put your characters name at the top. Also put your xp and harm, if any; and any ongoing advantages or disadvantages you may have. Use italics for any out of character posting, just like I've done in this post.
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| # ? Mar 18, 2013 11:16 |
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| # ? May 21, 2013 21:47 |
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GAME INFO OOC thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/sh...hreadid=3537541 The area: Part of East side Bellefonte:  Part of the hospital:  NPC's Bellefonte Stadium Alice - older, wheelchair, sells water containers(f) Anon - Fluffy's crew, Guy Fawkes mask(i) Barker - hardholder, old, creepy(m) Bowdy - runs "Bowdy's Shack", a bar(f) Case - Fluffy's crew, leathers, bandana, mirror goggles(i) Clyde - Pac-man muscle, bright, buff(m) Denise - Robs wife(f) Ellie - scavenger, with Jack(f) Gaza - Fluffy's associate, dog mask, AK-47(m) Hammer - Roach's crew young, lanky(m) Inky - Pac-man muscle, blue hair(m) Jack - scavenger, with Ellie(m) Jeff - Pac-man muscle, pink hair(m) Leech - medical equipment supplier, morphine addict(m) Mabeline - middle aged, sells clothes(f) Mother Superior - nun prostitute(f) Pablo - painter, sits in market square Prim - baker(m) Roach - psycho, friend of Barker, pink mohawk, stabbed Juno(f) Rob - runs a steakhouse, conspiring with Junkyard(m) Sandeep - Prim's assistant, young(m) poo poo Head - Roach's crew The Carters Anna - grandmother, dislikes self harm(f) Jeanette - eldest daughter, self harm(f) Joan - mother(f) Mary - Jeanette's twin sister, crack shot(f) Toby - boy that Grant saved(f) The Circle Drina - prostitute, forties, close to Kizzy and Simza(f) Ferka - muscle, Kizzy's partner(m) Fifika - prostitute, Edgy's partner(f) Florica – herbalist, old(f) Hanzi - child, was sick - Grant cured(m) Jaelle - child(f) Maya - 21, muscle, used lucid, gun:"purr-kitty"(f) Quinn - muscle, Tao's father(m) Simza – gatherer, old, Tamas's partner(f) Tamas – gatherer, adviser, old, Simza's partner(m) Cleveland(?) Boy - 13, "psion detecter"?(m) Cain - slaver(m) Camo man - tan, slaver with Cain(m) Duke - slaver boss(?), looking for "psions"? Dead Blinky - Pac-man. Dead.(f) Boo - associate of Roach, Juno knocked his teeth out(m) Daff - Prim's assistant. Dead.(m) Doghead - Barkers lieutenant, Dead.(m) Daniel Whitmore - Samuel's old boss, sick gently caress. Dead.(m) Edgy - circle, muscle, cool, Fifika's partner. Dead.(m) Fluffy - gas mask, silent, leads a crew, brainer(i) Fuse - jonestown dealer, burnout. Dead.(m) Gunari - circle, muscle, hot-headed, Stilt's partner(m) Hugo - jonestown dealer, reliable. Dead.(m) Kizzy – circle, muscle, blunt, Ferka's partner(f) Kristoph - Angel Eyes's dad, Juno's lover, hunter(m) Laces - circle, Tamas's nephew, gatherer, fast, pink laces(m) Paul Carter - Toby's little brother. Dead.(m) Robert Carter- father, cult member. Dead.(m) Stilts - circle muscle, tall, effeminate, Gunari's partner(m) Tao - circle, 22, muscle, Quinn's son. Dead.(m) Zeb - dead, muscle, nervous(m) The Hospital Angel Eyes - Juno's "adopted" daughter, own's xom(f) Cohen - father of Jennys child, fixes machines(m) Mal – young orderly, likes to cook(m) Jenny – nurse, pregnant(f) Xom - Angel Eyes's hyena(i) Jonestown Layne ‘Lucid’ Jones - runs the town, manufactures and sells 'Lucid'(m) The Junkyard Gang Bleacher - boss, lost her family(f) Ice - trader from group that follows pigeons(m) Nails - Pale girl - (f) Tufty - lieutenant, accountant, good with a pistol(f) Wire - skinny, dangerous, knife(f) The Lucidites Crank - oil drum beater, blue, bearded(m) Dobbs - Whitmore's bf, dwarfism, the Prophet(m) Grome - reputedly a 10ft high, fire-breathing, 30-dicked, rat talker(m) Minerva - mermaid, painter(f) Past Lives Abby - Jesse's sister, died in traffic accident, wanted to be dr(f) Ayizael's mother - died in childbirth(f) Bavol - tried to seduce Ayizael(m) Circle Nadal - another Circle associated with Ayizael's Circle Surahov - a powerful Circle Doctor Gregson - Jesse's old Dr, Abby had a crush(m) Estelle - like a mother to Ayizael(f) Fuzz - Grants teddy bear(m) Harvey Stansfield - Juno's stepdad and stalker, she murdered him(m) Jelene - Circle child Ayizael played with(f) Jesse's father - died (heart attack) when Jesse was 6(f) Jesse's mother - high flyer, later drug addiction(m) Juno's father - died (leukaemia) when Juno was 3(m) Juno's mother - restraining order against Juno(f) Matt Hersch - cop, Juno's friend(m) Merripen Allaharm - Ayizael's father, seer(m) Mihai - circle boy, Ayizael's first crush(m) Nikki - Abby's freind(f) Sarah - Grant's wife(f) Uncle Franco - Juno's uncle, see's through her, a killer(m) Samuelson-Woodham Security LLC Mike - Jesse's best friend and business partner, electrician(m) The Sour Lot Amy - child, 10 yrs, fishes(f) Charles - burly(m) George - burly(m) Marci Evans – Farmer, council(f) Mr Slack - fisherman, council(m) Richard Ancona – head of council(m) Rose-Marie Young – teacher, council(f) Tyler Bowles – Farmer, council CUSTOM MOVES THE CALL posted:The Call is omnipresent, but it's stronger when people are asleep, isolated, or deep in the woods. It often includes hallucinations and flashbacks. The MC can bring elements of the Call unannounced into any part of the game. CENTIPEDE EVASION posted:When you sneak through rubble strewn shops to evade a giant centipede, roll +sharp. On 10+ take all 3, on 7-9 choose 2: HYENA-DODGING SWORD EXTRACTION posted:When you attempt to steal a sword from the baddest bitch in Bellefonte without waking up her pet hyena; first, check your head, then roll +cool. On a 10+ take both, but on a 7-9 choose one: LUCID COMEDOWN posted:When lucid leaves your system roll +cool: LUCIDITE INITIATION posted:When you consume a heroic quantity of lucid roll +cool: OPEN BRAIN TEMPLATE posted:Tell me what opening your brain is like, but include the following: exuma fucked around with this message at May 14, 2013 around 09:17 |
| # ? Mar 18, 2013 11:17 |
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Jesse Samuelson Moonlighting (roll + Cool): 2d6+2 5 Starting this game off right  Gigs worked: Scavenging and Paying debts I sighed and turned to Mike, who had been rooting through the pile of tools to find a replacement for the pliers we lost yesterday on the job. "Hey, don't look now, but Barker's giving us the stink eye and Doghead's coming this way. Something's up." I tried to ignore Barker's gaze, but it wasn't easy. The old man was creepy as gently caress, and whenever he looked me in the eyes, it felt like he was looking at me like he had me all tied up in his basement and he was deciding what he was going to do with me. In another life, I wouldn't be surprised to see him on the news wearing an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs, but in this life, he was every bit the man you wanted keeping surveillance of a large facility, especially something as open as the stadium. Security cameras or not, Barker didn't miss a drat thing that happened where he could see it. I looked again to see how far off Doghead was. Despite being skinny as a rail, everyone knew just from looking at him that he was not someone you wanted to piss off. The way he carried himself seemed to proclaim to the world, "gently caress with me, and if you're lucky, you won't live to regret it." It didn't bode well that he was the one coming our way. I knew something important was broken, and the only payment we were going to get for fixing it is the freedom of walking away with our legs intact. pre:Operator
Harm: 0 (Noon)
Improvement: 0/5
Barter: 2
Looks: Man, honest face, weary eyes, sturdy body
Stats (highlighted stats are underlined):
Cool +2
Hard -1
Hot +1
Sharp +1
Weird =0
Moves:
Moonlighting: you get 2-juggling. Whenever there’s a stretch of
downtime in play, or between sessions, choose a number of your gigs to work. Choose
no more than your juggling. Roll+cool. On a 10+, you get profit from all the gigs
you chose. On a 7–9, you get profit from at least 1; if you chose more, you get
catastrophe from 1 and profit from the rest. On a miss, catastrophe all around. The
gigs you aren’t working give you neither profit nor catastrophe. Whenever you get a
new gig, you also get +1juggling.
Eye on the door: name your escape route and roll+cool. On a 10+
you’re gone. On a 7–9, you can go or stay, but if you go it costs you: leave
something behind, or take something with you, the MC will tell you what. On a miss,
you’re caught vulnerable, half in and half out.
Easy to trust: when you try to seduce or manipulate another player’s
character, roll+Hx instead of roll+hot. An NPC, roll+cool instead of roll+hot.
Oftener right: when a character comes to you for advice, tell them
what you honestly think the best course is. If they do it, they take +1 to any
rolls they make in the doing, and you mark an experience circle.
Gigs:
Paying – Honest work (1-barter/impoverished), Scavenging (1-barter/
impoverished), Technical work (2-barter/shut out)
Obligation – Paying debts (you keep up with them/they come due)
Crew:
Mike Woodham – Jesse’s best friend, electrician by trade.
Gear:
9mm (2-harm close loud)
Oddments worth 1-barter
Fashion suited to your look
Hx:
Grant Swain +3
Ayizael Allaharm +0
Juno Price +3
OPERATOR SPECIAL: If you and another character have sex, get a new obligation gig:
keeping [their name] happy (you keep them happy / you loving blow it). If you and
the same character have sex again, don’t get duplicate gigs. Just the first time.
Improvements taken:
Get a new Operator move (Easy to Trust)
Get a move from another playbook (Oftener Right)
jaydee864 fucked around with this message at May 16, 2013 around 12:26 |
| # ? Mar 18, 2013 14:41 |
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~ Surplus: Yes + Want / Barter=3 / Exp=0/5 / Harm=0:00 ~ ["Flower Talk with Florica" (Circle Camp)] -- “Do you think it’s possible?” It’s a tricky question; but one that’s been weighing on my mind for quite some time. If anyone could find a way to make sustainable medicine out here it would be old Florica. She can do things with plants that would make an Angel blush. If only we could find a way to search the Woods safely -- who knows what we could discover out there? I sat on the dewy grass with Florica in front of the old school bus, the early morning sun breaking on the horizon. The children were still asleep inside the large vehicle, but most everyone else was already up and about their business. The bus has been hastily insulated and repurposed as living quarters for the kids, Simza, Tamas and Florica. Everyone else has taken up residence in the decrepit classrooms of the school building. It's been a relief to find such sturdy, accessible shelter after living in tents for so long. As the leader of Circle Allaharm, however, I remain concerned. Hanzi’s illness had probably been a result of the changing seasons, and we should have been better prepared to deal with it. The fact is he might have died if it weren’t for the kindness of that Angel in the derelict hospital. The sheer distance of the trip there would mean grave consequences were anyone else to come down with something worse; not to mention the perils of “The Moving Path” and its winding, treacherous trail through the unpredictable Forest. We have to find a way to look after ourselves or next time the consequences might be far worse. A seasoned herbalist and gatherer, Florica has been a boon to the Circle. She constantly surprises everyone with her ability to find edibles and basic remedies. However, her current supplies contain nothing to help treat a seriously sick individual. The elder looked across the grassy field to where the Woods were before responding to my question. “It’s… hard to say, Seer. My experience with the Greening so far has been odd to say the least. Many of the plants near the trees are unfamiliar to even myself. It’s a gamble as to whether or not we would find anything useful.” “I understand”, I reply, looking at the woman’s lined face, feeling her doubt. “But the problem is I don’t really see any other option except moving into the city. What if more people get sick? I’d like to find some way to at least stabilize them in case we have to move them. Maybe there is a way to explore the Woods without too much risk. Perhaps if I search the ‘Storm…” Florica placed her hand on mine, “Your intentions are noble, child. You must realize, though, that you put yourself at risk when you gaze into the Maelstrom. Even though you have your father’s blood, there are things that prey on the exceptionally gifted. Things that have even more ability than you and want you to serve them instead. The Circle needs you, don’t cast yourself into the fire just yet.” “Don’t be silly, Florica. You know father taught me well, I would never put the others or myself in unnecessary danger. This is important, though. I can have a group come with you for protection. Please consider it.” “Miss Allaharm?” We turned to see a little girl, covered in dirt and mud from the waist down, standing by the front of the bus. It was Amy, the ten year old daughter of one of the Sour Lot’s fishermen. You could often find her wading in the shallow parts of the river, casting a fly line. She was apparently quite the prodigy, and much adored by the community at large. I smiled at her, “Yes, dear?” “The council, um, wants you. Mister Slack said it was important.” Frowning slightly, I nodded and thanked the child before sending her on her way. ‘Mr. Slack’ was one of five people in the Sour Lot who kind of kept the peace and made decisions concerning their rates for barter and how crops and such were managed among other things. I'm not sure if thats his real name, or a self-styled moniker for his style of fishing. Mr. Slack was in charge of all things wet and scaly. The others were: Marci Evans (a farmer and very diligent, no-nonsense woman); Tyler Bowles (another, younger farmer and amateur fix-it guy); Rose-Marie Young (the “teacher” of the Lot who often tended to the children and held lessons for them occasionally); and Richard Ancona (who was probably the “head” of the council and spokesman for the town in matters regarding business with outsiders). I've met with the group a couple times before, each time they’d asked me to scry for insight concerning matters of fishing, farming and the like. I've complied with their wishes in exchange for goods and acceptance of my people in the area. Lately Tamas had been leading the Circle’s gatherers to assist with the tending of the gardens and crops and other menial labor. Ferka and Kizzy, though visibly bored out of their skulls, took their men hunting. We've had a healthy exchange with the settlement and so far things were going smoothly. Did they need me to See again? Or was it something else? I smiled at Florica, telling her I'd be back soon and made my way past the schoolhouse to the trail that led to the settlement. Session:1 – Fortunes – “Grade School Blues” – [2d6+1 = 8] pre:
hctibyllis fucked around with this message at May 19, 2013 around 22:18 |
| # ? Mar 18, 2013 16:27 |
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HOCUS
NAME: Ayizael Allaharm
Current Surplus = Yes + Want
Current Exp = 1/5 (lv4)
Current Harm = 6:00 (Nose; Shoulder [right])
Current Barter = 0
STATS HX
Cool =0 Grant+1
Hard -1 Juno+3
Hot +1 Jesse+3
*Sharp +1*
*Weird +3*
LOOK
Woman / Innocent Face / Forgiving Eyes / Bony Body / Torn Sleeveless Dress
Young-looking (actually almost 21yrs old).
Dark hair; green eyes; pretty face; shorty; skinny; southpaw. (about 5'3" 90 lbs)
Mauve sleeveless dress with embroidered grey roses (it's been cut up a bit).
OUTLOOK (Session Three)
Suicidal. Feels Unworthy of serving her people as Seer after the massacre of Circle Allaharm.
Has a plan to hopefully clear her followers of future reprisal from the Stadium by finding evidence of Robert's involvement in the Mannequin Murders.
HOCUS MOVES
Charismatic:
When you try to Manipulate/Seduce someone roll+weird instead of +hot.
Fortunes:
At the beginning of the session, roll+fortune. On a 10+, your followers have surplus.
On a 7–9, they have surplus, but choose 1 want.
On a miss, they are in want. If their surplus lists barter, like 1-barter or 2-barter, that’s your personal share.
Frenzy:
When you speak the truth to a mob, roll+weird. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7–9, hold 1.
Spend your hold 1 for 1 to make the mob:
• bring people forward and deliver them.
• bring forward all their precious things.
• unite and fight for you as a gang (2-harm 0-armor size appropriate).
• fall into an orgy of uninhibited emotion: loving, lamenting, fighting, sharing, celebrating, as you choose.
• go quietly back to their lives.
On a miss, the mob turns on you.
Seeing Souls
When you help or interfere with someone, roll+weird instead of roll+Hx.
Things Speak
Whenever you handle or examine something
interesting, roll+weird. On a hit, you can ask the MC questions.
On a 10+, ask 3. On a 7–9, ask 1:
• who handled this last before me?
• who made this?
• what strong emotions have been most recently nearby this?
• what words have been said most recently nearby this?
• what has been done most recently with this, or to this?
• what’s wrong with this, and how might I fix it?
Treat a miss as though you’ve opened your brain to the world’s
psychic maelstrom and missed the roll.
Hocus Special
If you and another character have sex, you each hold 1.
Either of you can spend your hold any time to help or interfere with the other,
at a distance or despite any barriers that would normally prevent it.
IMPROVEMENTS
1.) Things Speak - (Move from another playbook)
2.) loving Wacknut - (+1 Weird)
3.) Charismatic - (Hocus Move)
FOLLOWERS
(x10)
• Your followers, taken as a body, constitute a powerful psychic antenna. Surplus: +augury.
• Your followers are rigorous and argumentative. Surplus:+insight.
• Your followers aren’t really yours, more like you’re theirs. Want: judgment instead of want: desertion.
• You have few followers, 10 or fewer. Surplus: -1barter.
WEAPONS & ARMOR BARTER STUFF
9mm Handgun Lil Kesali (Seer's Tome)
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Juno Price Hugo and Fuse, those two are something alright. Hugo is an okay guy, I suppose. In with a mean crew, but his brain still works. Never touches the product, always calm and polite when he's making a deal. He even has a pocketful of candy for the kids, like some kindly old grandpa. I keep an eye on him just the same. He's the sort who'd hook his own mother on smack if it meant he was going to profit. Fuse on the other hand - what a mess. On the few occasions he deigns to join us mere mortals in reality he's a twitchy, brain-addled burnout. Most of the time he just follows Hugo around with the duffel bag of Lucid and drools on himself. I almost feel bad, him being essentially a slave. But he did this to himself, and if Layne hadn't decided to put him to work, he'd have huffed himself to an early grave on the first bottle of window cleaner he could find. When the Sea of Leaves finally calls for him, I doubt he'll even notice. It's business as usual today. Layne and I have a solid working arrangement. When he can't spare his own people, I escort his couriers to and from their destination. Slap the ugly off of anybody who wants a taste of the goods without paying up. It's not glamorous work, but the moral high ground doesn't keep me fed. So. Today we're off to feed some of the Stadium's addictions, and I've got jingle enough in my pocket to get Angel Eyes something nice. Of course nothing this simple can go all the way right. "Hugo, I run a tight schedule. Piss break isn't for another ten minutes, so pull your pants back up." I managed to pull off a tone of bored annoyance, my voice providing cover for the sound of my sword being drawn. I spared a glance at Fuse; he was smiling inanely at a butterfly, completely oblivious. The duffel was still over his shoulder - that was good. I waited a few moments. "You know how this works, Hugo. Get your rear end back over here, or I leave you behind." Five minutes. Hugo had five minutes or he was finding his own way to the Stadium. I stared into the trees as the seconds ticked by. A quiet giggle from Fuse was the only thing to break the crushing silence, and I had to resist the urge to put the boot to him. A breeze blew by, rustling up leaves and was I seeing things or did the forest just close in on us? It suddenly felt much warmer out here. The canopy was looming overhead like a gothic arch. The play of the light around us was conjuring up shadowy phantoms and I could almost see something, like in those magic eye puzzles - you just have to relax... I open my brain to the Sea of Leaves. (roll +wierd) 2d6+1 11  pre:Battlebabe Stats Cool +3 Hard -2 Hot +1 Sharp +1 Weird +1 Current Exp = 0/5 (lv4) (Move From Another Playbook x2, Battlebabe Move) Current Harm = 9:00 Current Barter = 0 Hx: Ayizael: Hx+1 Grant: Hx+2 Jesse: Hx+3 Look Woman Luxe wear Handsome face Arresting eyes Slim body Moves Ice cold: When you go aggro on an NPC, roll+cool instead of roll+hard. When you go aggro on another player’s character, roll+Hx instead of roll+hard. Visions of death: When you go into battle, roll+weird. On a 10+, name one person who’ll die and one who’ll live. On a 7–9, name one person who’ll die OR one person who’ll live. Don’t name a player’s character; name NPCs only. The MC will make your vision come true, if it’s even remotely possible. On a miss, you foresee your own death, and accordingly take -1 throughout the battle. Hypnotic: When you have time and solitude with someone, they become fixated upon you. Roll+hot. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7–9, hold 2. They can spend your hold, 1 for 1, by: • giving you something you want • acting as your eyes and ears • fighting to protect you • doing something you tell them to For NPCs, while you have hold over them they can’t act against you. For PCs, instead, any time you like you can spend your hold, 1 for 1: • they distract themselves with the thought of you. They’re acting under fire. • they inspire themselves with the thought of you. They take +1 right now. On a miss, they hold 2 over you, on the exact same terms. Impossible reflexes: The way you move unencumbered counts as armor. If you’re naked or nearly naked, 2-armor; if you’re wearing non-armor fashion, 1-armor. If you’re wearing armor, use it instead. Juggernaut: Take -2 on all “when you suffer harm” rolls. Battlebabe Special: If you and another character have sex, nullify the other character’s sex move. Whatever it is, it just doesn't happen. Gear Custom Handgun [hi-powered, big] (4-harm close reload loud) Custom Hand Weapon [handle, antique, blade] (2-harm hand valuable) That suit is sick as hell. Where did you even get that? (no armor) Shardix fucked around with this message at May 19, 2013 around 18:08 |
| # ? Mar 18, 2013 18:00 |
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Grant Swain "Jesus Christ Prim, what's the matter?" I asked, after nearly jumping out of my own skin. Patrols were the worst part of the day for my blood pressure as it was, I didn't need people screaming at me. Mal had his gun leveled at the poor bastard, but I waved him off. Prim was a big man, and not from eating his Wheaties. I had been to his place in the market a few times, getting bread and what passed for pastries these days. He was a nice enough fella, but years of sedentary living and eating good food had made it hard for him to live without a society around him. It was obvious he had run here, his face was red and he was panting as he leaned up against the doors of the hospital. "Its Daff, Grant. He's my assistant, something from the forest got 'im Grant! He was out tending the wheat and something fuckin' hit him! He's hurt real bad, you gotta come help!" I hardened my eyes. I'd never formally met Daff, but I'd seen him puttering around, punching dough and helping out customers. He was kind of lanky in that teenage sort of way, but he seemed like he could take care of himself. Any injury that kid sustained that was bad enough to make the big man run all the way from the stadium was worth my full attention. "Mal, grab a duffel with all the supplies you can get in there, painkillers, antibiotics, the works, got it? And tell Jenny she's in charge of the place for now. We're making a housecall." The trip from the hospital was probably half an hour at a good clip. The weather was beautiful, nicer than it had been for a while but none of us seemed to notice.Prim was jumpy and still wheezing from his run earlier. Mal seemed out of sorts as well, hand resting over his pistol like a gunslinger. Hearing about something coming out of the forest to attack wasn't any sort of news, especially with consequences as dire as Prim said. I had tunnel vision, thinking about possible injuries and how to deal with them. The trip was made in silence, and that was probably for the best. I needed my focus.  pre:Angel Stats Cool -1 Hard +1 Hot =0 Sharp +2 Weird +2 Hx Ayizael -1 Jesse +1 Juno +2 Look Man Scrounge wear+utility Haggard face Bright eyes Sturdy body Moves Infirmary:you get an infirmary, a workspace with life support, a drug lab and a crew of 2 (Jenny & Mal, in my case). Get patients into it and you can work on them like a savvyhead on tech (cf ). Healing touch: when you put your hands skin-to-skin on a wounded person and open your brain to them, roll+weird. On a 10+, heal 1 segment. On a 7–9, heal 1 segment, but you’re acting under fire from your patient’s brain. On a miss: first, you don’t heal them. Second, you’ve opened both your brain and theirs to the world’s psychic maelstrom, without protection or preparation. For you, and for your patient if your patient’s a fellow player’s character, treat it as though you’ve made that move and missed the roll. For patients belonging to the MC, their experience and fate are up to the MC. Improvements Bonefeel: at the beginning of the session, roll+weird. On a 10+, hold 1+1. On a 7–9, hold 1. At any time, either you or the MC can spend your hold to have you already be there, with the proper tools and knowledge, with or without any clear explanation why. If your hold was 1+1, take +1forward now. On a miss, the MC holds 1, and can spend it to have you already be there, but somehow pinned, caught or trapped. +1 Weird Angel Special If you and another character have sex, your Hx with them on your sheet goes immediately to +3, and they immediately get +1 to their Hx with you on their sheet. If that brings their Hx with you to +4, they reset it to +1 instead, as usual, and so mark experience. Gear You get: • angel kit • 1 small practical weapon-9mm(2-harm close loud) • oddments worth 1-barter • fashion suitable to your look, including at your option a piece worth 1-armor (you detail)-Scrubs, with pockets sewn on for carrying extra supplies ANGEL KIT Your angel kit has all kinds of crap in it: scissors, rags, tape, needles, clamps, gloves, chill coils, wipes, alcohol, injectable tourniquets & bloodslower, instant blood packets (coffee reddener), tubes of meatmesh, bonepins & site injectors, biostabs, chemostabs, narcostabs (chillstabs) in quantity, and a roll of heart jumpshock patches for when it comes to that. It’s big enough to fill the trunk of a car. When you use it, spend its stock; you can spend 0–3 of its stock per use. You can resupply it for 1-barter per 2-stock, if your circumstances let you barter for medical supplies. It begins play holding 6-stock. To use it to stabilize and heal someone at 9:00 or past: roll+stock spent. On a hit, they will stabilize and heal to 6:00, but the MC will choose 1 (on a 10+) or 2 (on a 7–9): • they need to be physically stabilized before you can move them. • even narcostabbed, they fight you; you’re acting under fire. • they’ll be in and out of consciousness for 24 hours. • stabilizing them eats up your stock; spend 1-stock more. • they’ll be bedridden, out of action, for at least a week. • they’ll need constant monitoring and care for 36 hours. On a miss, they take 1-harm instead. To use it to speed the recovery of someone at 3:00 or 6:00: don’t roll. ey choose: spend 4 days (3:00) or 1 week (6:00) blissed out on chillstabs, immobile but happy, or do their time like everyone else. To use it to revive someone who’s died (at 12:00, not beyond): roll+stock spent. On a 10+, they recover to 10:00. On a 7–9, they recover to 11:00. On a miss, you’ve done everything you can for them, and they’re still dead. Fausts Pen fucked around with this message at May 6, 2013 around 22:48 |
| # ? Mar 18, 2013 18:01 |
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Jesse Samuelson Doghead says "Boss wants to see you", and walks back through the crowd towards Barkers office, not even bothering to look backwards. Clanging up the stairs to the media box, Mike whispers to you, "We can't work for free. We have to pay Bleacher on Friday". Bleacher is the boss of the Junkyard Gang, and Friday is the day after tomorrow. In contrast to the squalor of the market, Barker's office is pristine. He stands, prim in a charcoal suit, over the huge mahogany desk that some poor fuckers must have had to drag up there. "Ah, Mr Samuelson, Mr Woodham, thank you for joining me". The smile never touches his dead blue eyes. "We are having, mmm, some trouble in the sewers, and wonder if you would be so good as to help us with the security arrangements". Mike looks at you despairingly. Does Barker know about your arrangement with the Junkyard Gang? What happens to people who say no to Barker? What do you do? Ayizael Allaharm Before the event, Sour Lot was a fishing retreat, and now the council uses the old community hall; but you know something is wrong even as you walk past the battered huts and carefully tended gardens towards it. Not because you're a seer, but because everyone you walk past silently averts their gaze. A brick could sense the atmosphere. Even so, you're unprepared for what you see when you walk in. Tao, one of Ferka's men, twenty two, short, and wiry; is sat on the floor between Charles and George, two of the burlier members of the Sour Lot. He's completely drenched in blood, rocking backwards and forwards, and singing an old song: "Your voice is soft like summer rain". He sees you, and smiles, "Seer, seer, I seen a seer...", then his voice trails to a mumble, and he begins singing again, "Your beauty is beyond compare..." The faces of the council are expressionless, stone. Richard speaks: "Lucid, we think. He killed the goats, Miss Allaharm. All the goats." Tell me about Tao. Have drugs ever been a problem in the Circle before? What do you do? Juno Price Opening your brain is different for each character, and this is your first time in this game, so I'm not going to narrate anything at all. You tell me what it's like, but incorporate the following:
Grant Swain Your focus breaks just enough for you to realise that you're close to the Carter's place. Prim must have cleared a field adjoining theirs. There they all are, in a circle around Daff, not doing much of any use. You can hear their quiet murmur as you approach the boy. He's not in a good way. There's a deep slash, thicker than a knife would make, across his belly. Jeanette Carter is pressing weakly on it. Too weakly: the boy has lost a lot of blood, and is already unconscious. The woman speaks up, "T'were a tree that ran like a man, Angel. Knocked him clean down". Everyone looks nervously to the woods. Tell me about Jeanette. What do you do? exuma fucked around with this message at Mar 19, 2013 around 09:19 |
| # ? Mar 19, 2013 09:14 |
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Jesse Samuelson Harm: 0 (Noon) Improvement: 2/5 (+1 for rolling a highlighted stat, see below) I started rubbing my temples out of frustration. This was not my goddamn day. I knew there was no way we were going to shrug Barker off, not without him dragging us to his other office in the basement of the stadium. Neither Mike nor I have had the misfortune of visiting that little slice of hell on earth, but rumor has it that second office was filled with torture equipment Barker himself built in his spare time, poo poo right out of the Middle Ages. On the other hand, if we missed paying Bleacher, we weren't going to be much better off. I'm not even sure my ribs finished healing from the last time we weren't able to make the payment. Weighing our options, I tried making eye contact with Barker without flinching. Bleacher might beat the poo poo out of us, but at least I could be reasonably certain she'd let us live. I couldn't say the same about Barker. In any case, I'd much rather avoid crossing either one if at all possible. I wasn't sure if Barker knew about our deal with the Gang, but considering it wasn't exactly a secret, I figured it was a safe assumption that he did know. "Listen, Barker. We'll do whatever the hell you want, but you've gotta help us out. We haven't been able to get together our payment for the Junkyard Gang, and we need to pay them by Friday. We won't ask for a cent for ourselves, but please give us enough money to keep the Junkyard Gang off our backs so we can work on your security in peace." Manipulation (roll + hot): 2d6+1 5 jaydee864 fucked around with this message at Mar 21, 2013 around 11:55 |
| # ? Mar 19, 2013 12:44 |
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~ Surplus: Yes + Want / Barter=3 / Exp=0/5 / Harm=0:00 ~ ["Baa-Baa-Bad News" (Sour Lot settlement)] -- As I crossed the bridge over the narrow stretch of river that separated the school from the settlement, I noticed that people weren’t staring openly at the Weird Magic Girl as they normally did. In fact they were going out of their way to avoid me: mother’s shuffling their children into huts; traders suddenly ducking under their stalls ‘looking for something’; no one made eye contact. Like déjà-vu – Jonestown all over again. Little did I know how right I was. The community center wasn’t very big (about the size of a small house), but was fashioned with some pretty impressive woodwork. A door with intricate carvings of fish leaping from a river served as the main entrance, though there was also a rear exit into a covered area where they kept the generator, bestowed by the stadium holding. It provided electricity that could power the lights inside, but the council preferred to be conservative and use candles and daylight, saving the power for a refrigerator which kept certain perishables. I entered the building and saw the council standing around Tao, who was covered in blood and gore, acting very strangely. “Lucid, we think.” Richard’s stone-faced glare belied a man who was shocked, but didn’t want to show it. His fellow council members bore similar expressions. Most likely they were bracing to take a hard stance on something. “He killed the goats, Miss Allaharm. All of them.” My stomach felt like it had fallen through the floor. I stood there staring at Tao, who was singing and giggling like a madman, eyes bloodshot. It was Lucid alright. The Lot had kept six goats in a little fenced in area, next to a couple cows and a chicken coop. Goats were not very common on the flats, and thus quite valuable. They were adorable little things, and I had even stopped by and petted them on a few occasions. I’d had some of their milk and cheese, which tasted incredible. The kids of the Lot liked to play with them and had named them: Bluebeard, Mushy, Clover… My stomach rose back from the floor with a bile-filled vengeance. I quickly cupped a hand over my mouth and steadied myself against the wall. Tao grinned at me, the goats’ blood caked on his face. Tao had lost his mother and girlfriend during the Incident with the Woods over two years ago. Though his father, Quinn, remained among Ferka and Kizzy’s group, the young man never fully recovered from the loss. He was always emotional and quick to temper. The drugs though, were a surprise. I thought Kizzy and a few others had used the rest of what was given us by Layne Jones in payment for the business with the bandits. Kizzy loved a bare-knuckle brawl, and a month ago she and a few of the men got hopped up on the Lucid they had left over and went at it. Some minor injuries were taken all around, but they just laughed it off. I was going to have to call everyone together and make sure to retrieve the last of the stuff if there was any remaining. In the meantime, there had to be reparations with the Sour Lot. I considered using the Whisper to calm them down, but that wouldn’t be honorable. We had taken from them, and they deserved compensation. I gathered my wits, bowed my head and spoke softly, “I’m truly sorry for your loss. I will make certain that Tao here never sets foot in the Lot again. He will be made to answer for his deed, Lucid or not. I was not aware of any drug-use in my Circle. I will ensure that stops as well. We’ve disgraced ourselves. Please accept our apologies and this offer of recompense. I am at your service if you require any further assistance to clear this matter up.” I reached into the leather satchel I kept slung over my shoulder and retrieved a small cloth bag. It contained about a dozen precious gems that had been property of the circle for as long as I could remember. My father had given them to me as a birthday gift. It hurt my heart to see them go, one more memento of Merripen Allaharm lost. I held them out to Richard. [- 2 Barter] AGENDA Time to clean house – If the council accepts my offer, I’m going to take Tao back to camp and call a meeting of the Circle. This mess has got to be sorted. hctibyllis fucked around with this message at Mar 27, 2013 around 05:36 |
| # ? Mar 19, 2013 14:48 |
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Grant Swain As we approached the field a little pit of dread began to form in my stomach. It just had to be by the loving Carters' place. And there they were, gathered around my patient like a sewing circle. I ripped the duffel bag from Mal and broke into a run as we got closer. "Give him some air!" I yelled, more for my own benefit than his. As soon as I spoke, The little knot of people parted and I could see my patient. Prim hadn't been messing around, the kid was in serious trouble. It was a thick, ragged slash across the kid's midsection and it was being held closed by Jeanette, the eldest daughter of the Carter Clan. I breathed a tiny sigh of relief when I saw the wound; no way had the Carters done this. I had seen her a few times when the Carters were trying to become regulars. Hell I bet she still had stitch scars from the last time we met and she was sporting a huge cut on her lower arm. Jeanette looked up at me with moist eyes and told me what had happened. I took over holding the wound closed and barked at Mal to help me with the supplies. "As long as nothing nicked an organ, we should be able to close it up," I said as I started my work. Roll+1 stock spent = 5 The poor kid.
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| # ? Mar 19, 2013 16:59 |
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Juno Price Barter=2 / Exp=0/5 / Harm=0:00 "What the hell are you doing, Price?" Officer Hersch let out a sigh. The police cruiser was idling in the parking lot of a diner, the streetlights shining into the back window at the precisely correct angle to stab into Juno's eyes. The bastard probably did that intentionally. He was a friend, and like a good friend he knew when he had to be an rear end in a top hat. "I was trying to get back into my house, Matt. What did it look like?" I collapsed back against the seat, trying to keep my temper in check. Matt was a good guy, he didn't deserve me blowing up at him. "You don't live there anymore. You have a restraining order. She doesn't want to see you again. We've been over this. If you keep it up, I will have to haul you in next time." He wasn't fat, but he was built like a truck and had some difficulty shifting in his seat to face me. "I'm worried about you kiddo. You look at yourself recently? You look like you haven't slept in a week." "I'm fine Matt. And I'm sorry about this, but my mother owes me some goddamned answers." I glared out the window. It was mid-January, and the snow had turned into that awful slushy crap that gets into everything. It reflected my mood pretty well. "Come on. Let's get some coffee." "Oh, you rear end in a top hat." I couldn't help but laugh. I settled for a hot chocolate, and we chatted in the diner for a while. It reminded me of highschool, a few friends staggering into some place at the dead hours of the morning, trying to sober up after a concert. Matt was a couple years older than me, but he had always been cool to the underclassmen, and we'd gotten to be good friends. We got into plenty of trouble in our day. Good times, bad times, we always had each other's back. Even asked me to be his best man at his wedding. Matt leaned forward over his plate of eggs, and whispered conspiratorially. "You know, that Hugo guy. He's got the Call. You'll have to hurry." I blinked. What the hell did that mean? Matt pointed out the window. The parking lot was empty aside from his cruiser. As I followed his finger, my eyes slid past the car, past the faded yellow lines, up to the exit ramp, and saw. Everything disappeared into trees. The light from the diner was swallowed up and I thought I could see dark shapes prowling around out there, just beyond the fluorescent glow of safety. "He's not alone either. You watch yourself, kiddo." "Wait, Matt, what does that even-" I looked back and he was gone. The diner was dark, but I could see the places where enormous trees had broken through the floor and carried chunks of the roof upwards. I looked down at the table. It was empty, aside from a receipt. It had something scribbled on it. Compliments of the house. 'A diamond is a piece of coal that stuck with the job'. Your lucky numbers are FF007F and 9. I boggled at it for a moment, when I felt a flash of pain in the back of my skull. I whipped around, ready to attack... And I was back on the moving path. Fuse was behind me, about to scoop up another rock to lob at my spaced out rear end. "Eheheheh. 'Chu look like you just saw God, Lady Jane. Lemme take my pants off, I can show you God every day. Eheheh." He grabbed his crotch with one hand and made an even more obscene gesture with the other. I rubbed my eyes. I don't know what exactly it was I saw, and now was not the time to hold a pow-wow over it. I dropped my hand, re-sheathed the blade, and glanced back at Fuse. "Toss another rock at me, and I'll see you and him get personal introductions. Hop to it, we need to find your rear end in a top hat partner." I strode past him back down the path as Fuse capered about, giggling. A few moments later, I could hear talking ahead. "You really are an idiot, Roach. Layne is going to stake you out for the wolves. Just let me go, and I'll keep this little incident to myself." That was Hugo alright. "Or I can grease you right here, find your twitchy little friend, grease him, take the Lucid and have myself a PARTY!" That was definitely Roach. That voice of hers could curdle milk. I could see her neon pink mohawk through the trees at this point and no doubt she had her MP5 (9 millimeter, my brain felt it necessary to inform me) on her. Not a great situation I found myself in. Roach was a psychopath; got off on adrenaline highs and violence. If you have a problem, she'll take care of it in the messiest fashion she can come up with, no questions asked. Consequently she and Barker got on fabulously. poo poo, there was nothing for it. I couldn't shoot her no matter how much she might deserve it. The Stadium would be on my rear end if they caught wind I killed her over a couple of drug dealers, and Fuse for sure wouldn't keep his mouth shut about it. Nutcases ranked slightly higher on the socially acceptable scale these days. Time to play it cool. I stepped out onto the path, sword resting casually on my shoulder as I swaggered on up. "Hey cutie pie, what's shaking?" I flashed her a winning smile. "Hey Hugo. Hugo. HUUUUUGOOOOO. Whatcha doin' kneelin' in the dirt for? Eheheheh" Fuse helpfully added as he scratched himself. Shardix fucked around with this message at Mar 19, 2013 around 20:35 |
| # ? Mar 19, 2013 18:30 |
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Most of you don't get world building questions this time around. The action is hotting up. Jesse Samuelson Barker says nothing for a long moment. "Your debts are not my problem, Mr Samuelson. Of course, I could make them my problem, but then you'd both be mine. Tattoo and all". He nods his head slightly towards Doghead; who wears his "stadium tattoo", the source of many dark rumours, proudly on his upper arm. "If you're too", Barker coughs, "proud for that, I can't help you; but, of course, I'll still value your work as independent contractors". The 'stadium tattoo' is the old team logo: describe it. Which other NPC (they can be someone new) has one? Tell me one of the dark rumours. What do you do? Ayizael Allaharm Richard smiles: it's a tired smile, and he looks older than his fifty or so years. "I appreciate the gesture, but gems won't feed the children, and these won't buy new goats". He hands the little bag back to you, "You're not farmers, but you've seen it. You clear a patch, grow your crops, but sometimes the trees just take it back in the night. Goats will eat plants from the forest. If you want to make this right, then it has to be like for like." Marci Evans leans forward, "The Carters have goats, nearly twenty". What do you do? Grant Swain Daff's liver is badly lacerated: even in the hospital you'd struggle, but after he's bled for so long, and with just your basic kit, it seems futile. He's pale and lifeless on the floor, and looks dead already, but you can feel a weak pulse. You think he only has a few minutes left. The murmur from the Carters is getting louder. Anna, the grandmother of clan, kneels down beside you. You always got the impression that she didn't approve of the self-harm that her family indulged in. "Son, the Lord gave you power, so that you could use it for good." What do you do? Juno Price Roach sees you, "Aww, poo poo". She's sweating, for all her swagger she's scared, and not just of you. Not even psychos usually come this deep into the forest alone. "You don't want this, Barker told me to get rid of the lucid, you don't wanna cross him". She raises the MP5, and points it right at you. There's a sudden movement in the trees behind you. Something big and fast crosses the path. It looks like a tree itself. It's gone in an instant, but takes Fuse's head with it. His body, duffel still over the shoulder, slumps forward, blood pouring from the open neck. Roach fired a shot at the thing, but now she's pointing her gun at you again. What do you do?
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| # ? Mar 20, 2013 09:36 |
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Jesse Samuelson Harm: 0 (Noon) Improvement: 2/5 Dammit, I was trying to avoid thinking about that tattoo. It's amazing how just a few modifications could make friendly old Chief Wahoo look like the devil himself, his formerly welcoming smile twisted into something downright sinister. I had heard that they used human blood to make the red ink for the tattoo, and frankly, it wouldn't surprise me if it were true. Staring at the tattoo, I could swear I saw it wink at me, blood dripping from the eyes like tears, licking his lips before opening his mouth to--- No, concentrate, concentrate. I couldn't take Barker up on his offer. For one, it sickens me to work for the guy as nothing more than an "independent contractor". For another, we need access to that junkyard. There's an assload of wire in there and we need as much wire as we can get; that drat forest causes way too much interference for us to even attempt to set up cameras wirelessly. Finally, my old boss, Daniel Whitmore, wore that tattoo, and even before the forest tore everything to poo poo, he made my every day miserable. Just because he married the CEO's daughter, he was able to practically get away with murder in that office, and now, with no police force, no law, Mr. Whitmore gets away with actual murder on a daily basis. There's no way in hell I'm working with that sick gently caress again, especially now that there's nothing inhibiting him from expressing his true nature. I turned back to Barker. "Fine, don't pay us. We'll get whatever we can done today, but if we can't finish up in one day, we're taking tomorrow to look for a paying job, and then we'll devote as much time as you need to finishing up this one. If we don't make this payment to Bleacher, then we're not going to be useful to anybody until we recover."
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| # ? Mar 20, 2013 12:35 |
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~ Surplus: Yes + Want / Barter=3 / Exp=0/5 / Harm=0:00 ~ ["Baa-Baa-Bad News pt. 2" (Sour Lot Settlement)] -- [+2 Barter] So this was their intent. I’ve heard of the Carters before. That Angel (Grant, wasn’t it?) had been talking about them with his partners while Hanzi and I were in the hospital. Apparently they were a bit like us; except that they worshiped some false old ‘God’ instead of the true force behind all creation and destruction. They were fools, but they had been living on the flats far longer than we had, entrenched in their little village near the entrance to the Moving Path. I don’t think Grant had mentioned a Seer among them, it’s possible that they might be willing to negotiate for my services. Tamas would likely have some good advice for dealing with them. Looking down at Tao, who was now hanging his head in a stupor, a long string of drool dangling from his gaping mouth, I realized that I couldn’t talk my way out of this. I had promised the council I would make amends. I put the gems back into my satchel, next to a large, well-worn tome. “Very well”, I said, making another bow. “I shall go speak with the Carters. Might I ask for assistance with the escort of Tao here? I think it’s best to get him away from the Lot and back to our camp where we can deal with him.” I nodded at Charles and George, who were keeping an eye on the wasted, slumped young man on the floor. AGENDA Fools and their goats are soon parted – Hopefully get Tao back to camp, call a meeting. I need to speak with Tamas about this. hctibyllis fucked around with this message at Mar 27, 2013 around 05:37 |
| # ? Mar 20, 2013 14:07 |
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Grant Swain The Carters stood around me in silent vigil as I worked. Mal was stonefaced, all business just as we taught him. Prim stood back, his face streaked with tears, trying not to openly sob. It didn't take long before I realized his reaction was probably the most appropriate. The kid's liver was drat near in two pieces. He had a pulse, but just barely. Even back at the hospital there wasn't much I could do for him at this point. I gritted my teeth and leaned back on my haunches, lifting myself up from the blood-soaked ground. "Prim, I'm sorry..." I began with practiced detachment, my eyes alighting somewhere on his forehead. Prim's sobbing began in earnest, great peals of anguish that had to have carried all the way to the stadium. The eldest Carter, I think her name was Anna, interposed herself between Prim and I. She was the one I had the most respect for, then again, she was the only one who I didn't see on a table more than once. The one time I did see her it was for some bug, nothing that could have been self-inflicted. When I asked her about her family she spit on the ground. "Bunch of young fools exploiting the Lord's gifts for their own selfishness," she said, looking up at me with a fire in her eyes, "If you never Touch anyone again, that's between you and the Lord. But by God, don't you ever turn down the Lord's opportunities!" I expected yelling from the look in her eyes, but instead came a cold, contained whisper. "Boy, the Lord's showin' you an opportunity. Best think on that." There was no time to think, and as much as I didn't want to give the rest of the clan the satisfaction, the old girl was right. I couldn't just let this kid die without doing all I could. The kid had a pulse; I can work with that. Roll+weird=5 Fausts Pen fucked around with this message at Mar 21, 2013 around 20:27 |
| # ? Mar 20, 2013 15:12 |
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Juno Price "gently caress." I spun around, hand going for my pistol. Things just went from ugly to completely awful. "Let's play this cool, babe. Grab Hugo and move up on me. I'm pulling my gun - you open up on me and none of us are leaving here. That's not a threat, it's just the basic fact." I called over my shoulder. Scanning the trees for movement, I cautiously stepped towards Fuse's body. Physically, I was strung tight as a piano wire, but my gut and mind were on task. I felt like the Terminator, assessing threats and mapping out fallback points like a well oiled machine. A part of me just sort of stepped back, threw it's hands up and was all "I don't know this lady but she scares the hell out of me." I'm gonna read the sitch. (roll +sharp) 2d6+1 12 What's my enemy's true position? Where's my best escape route? Which enemy is the biggest threat?
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| # ? Mar 20, 2013 17:50 |
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Jesse Samuelson Barker smiles emptily again, "Doghead, show them what we're working on". Your last argument wasn't even worth commenting on. Clunking down the stairs, you see Bleacher. She's in the marketplace with a couple of her goons, Wire and Tufty. She's a tall woman in her late forties, nicknamed for her long peroxide hair. Fortunately, she's facing away from you, and Doghead leads you quickly to the tunnels below the stadium. There, at the end of a long storm drain, he stops. It's been blocked with heavy iron grill, and a few figures mill around listlessly on the other side. "Lucid burnout", says Doghead, "They're getting dangerous. Barker wants you to set up a camera network in the tunnels on the other side". He nods at a pile of old webcams on the floor near the grill, "you'll have an escort". Tell me a little about Bleacher, Wire, and Tufty. How will you rig security? You have everything you need, except for one item/resource. What is it? What do you do? Ayizael Allaharm Charles and George escort you and Tao back to the school. As you get there, Quinn runs out, and grabs his boy, "What happened, are you ok?" His son looks blank, says "I seen a seer", and begins to cry uncontrollably. The two men from Sour Lot just shake their heads, and go. Kizzy appears, she's short, dark-haired, thirty. She glances at Tao and Quinn, "What is this poo poo?" Then she's right up in your face, "you need to call a meeting. Time this place had some loving leadership". Kizzy is, what, ten years older than you? Tell me what she was like when you were growing up. Has she been so blatantly disrespectful before? What do you do? Grant Swain On a miss: first, you don’t heal them. Second, you’ve opened both your brain and theirs to the world’s psychic maelstrom, without protection or preparation. Daff's eyes fly open. He shouts, "Thou art Peter!", and dies. You hear a gasp from the Carters, and then the world drops away... Opening your brain is different for each character, and this is your first time in this game, so I'm not going to narrate anything at all. You tell me what it's like, but incorporate the following:
Juno Price You take in information quickly, effortlessly. You even have some time spare to admire how good you are at this poo poo. The thing is already a half mile back the way, towards Sour Lot, and moving fast. Your'e closer to Bellefonte in any case: the Carters farm is maybe half an hours quick march from here. Roach is dangerous, but you could take her on her best day, and this is a long way from that. She just obeyed your orders, and you think she'll keep on doing what she's told until you're out of the woods. The biggest threat right now is the Sea of Leaves. That thing looked like a tree, so how do you know one of these other trees isn't going to start taking heads? Tell me about the time you beat the poo poo out of one of Roach's friends. What do you do? exuma fucked around with this message at Mar 22, 2013 around 13:06 |
| # ? Mar 21, 2013 11:35 |
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Juno Price Barter=2 / Exp=0/5 / Harm=0:00 I leaned over and hefted up the bag. Too bad about Fuse, but least it was quick. I nodded at others, jerking my head in a direction just off the path. "We're headed to the Carter farm. Roach, watch our asses. Hugo, bad news. Your gently caress up got us into this, so you get to take the lead." Slinging the duffel over my shoulder, I waited for him to get moving. Roach cawed with laughter. I casually flicked one of my braids back, and gave her a sidelong smile. "Don't laugh. If there are more of those things, it's even odds they'll be coming from behind." She didn't find that particularly funny, and I heard her teeth snap shut. That was always the way. Like her namesake, she was an opportunist; a scavenger. But she always knew to scurry her rear end out of the way when the boot came down. As we started our hustle, I thought back to the first time we'd met. I hadn't been at the Stadium but a week, but my reputation had apparently preceded me. This girl and her bootlickers saunter up, full 80's punk aesthetic and everything. "Price, right?" I raised an eyebrow. "I've heard of you. Word has it you're a pretty nasty piece of work. Well, so am I." She cackled as she sashayed a circle around me. "Name's Roach. Hmm, nice rear end. Anyway, here's how this poo poo's gonna go down. You want to stick around, you're gonna need to buy some health insurance." Her lackeys grinned. "In case I have some kind of 'falling down a single flight of stairs ten times' kind of accident?" "drat, she's sharp, Roach." offered one of her pals. "Yeah, yeah, exactly. The stairs around here, they're a public safety hazard. People falling down 'em all the time, just goddamn raining people some days." "I don't know, I'm pretty graceful. I think I'll pass on the insurance and take my chances." I offered in return. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Doghead guy, just hanging out nearby, arms crossed. Watching to see how this went. A glance down showed a shadow moving up behind me. "Well, drat. I'm real sorry to hear that. Maybe I can convince you to reconsider. Boo?" Before she even finished the sentence, I was stepping sideways. The goon from behind me staggered, a length of chain whistling past my face. Stepping back, I put the toe of my boot in his solar plexus, and yanked the chain out of his hands. I tested the heft with one hand, drawing my revolver with the other. "Walk away, little lady. You and the rest of your friends. I need to have a talk with Boo here." I cocked the hammer. The malicious glee in her eyes immediately turned to terror, and she took a step back. "That's right. Walk your own nice rear end on out of here." She realized I was serious, and she turned on her heel and vanished. Holstering the gun, I looked down. "Caught your wind back, Boo? I hope so, because I don't want you to miss this." I was feeling nice enough to haul him off to the Angel when I was done with him. Even gave him the chain back. I kept the teeth he dropped, and Roach never asked for health insurance after that. It's hard to look at Boo these days and convince yourself you're willing to risk eating nothing but soup for the rest of your life. Booking it to the farm, Juno is not feeling up for a gunfight with goddamned trees. If she has to leave anyone behind, or use them as bait, she will, starting with Hugo. Shardix fucked around with this message at Mar 21, 2013 around 12:58 |
| # ? Mar 21, 2013 12:52 |
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Jesse Samuelson Harm: 0 (Noon) Improvement: 2/5 I must admit, I was surprised to see that Bleacher herself dragged her platinum blonde rear end all the way down to the stadium just for Mike and me. Usually she just sends Wire and Tufty, who drag us back to the junkyard for our beatings. There must be something else going on, but as long as Mike and I stay in the tunnels, working on this network, we should be able to avoid getting caught up in it. We've been working with Bleacher for a while, but she's not exactly the sharing type, so pretty much everything I think I know about her past comes from her lackeys, who do quite a bit of gossiping while watching Mike and me scrounge for materials in their yard. They say that in her former life, before the forest, Bleacher was a gas station manager, married a chef who ran a pizzeria in the city. When the forest came, the first things it took from her were her husband and her little boy, and, supposedly, if you can sneak up on her while she's sleeping, you can still hear her calling their names in her sleep. Wire, so named because she's a wiry little bitch, is similar to Doghead in that, despite their small builds, it's obvious you don't want to gently caress with them. Wire's got this big old knife she carries around with her, her most prized possession. She only ever uses it to take lives; she'll soften you up by whatever other means she's got lying around, but she'll always save her knife for the finishing blow. In her former life, she was the only female mechanic at an auto body shop, constantly harassed because of her gender and build, but unable to quit because it was the only place that would hire her to work on cars. Tufty was called that because she had an unfortunate habit of pulling out her own hair whenever she got stressed. She wears a baseball cap most of the time, out of embarrassment. She was one of Bleacher's most trusted lackeys, not for her muscle or her killer instinct, like most of the Junkyard Gang, but for her smarts. Tufty was an accountant before the world went to poo poo, one of the best. She also happened to be a natural with a handgun, pulling off trick shots that seemed nearly impossible with ease. I have no idea whether she was that skilled before the forest came, or if this was something she picked up more recently, and she tries to avoid the issue when I ask her. Mike and I sifted through the pile of scrap before us. Perfect. We had enough materials here to set up our network so that there were a pair of cameras watching the grill, and a couple more surveying the tunnel from about 50 feet back. The only issue was the reason we were at the market in the first place. "Doghead, we lost some tools the other day that we're going to need to borrow from you guys. We need some pliers, a pair of hammers, and a pair of wire cutters. I'd go myself, but I'm sure you saw those Junkyard girls, too. If one of the two of us go up there, you're not going to see us for a while."
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| # ? Mar 21, 2013 12:57 |
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Grant Swain The island in the sea of green was crumbling. The sky churned the color of a fresh and painful bruise, occasional streaks of bloody lightning crackling across its length. The citadel of the savior swayed, the vines and shoots lashing at the island finally claiming their prize. The citadel had stood upon the rock for a thousand years, but in those thousand not once had the violence of the storm and the tenacity of the sea been so unforgiving. Boulders and spires of rock once belonging to the island itself were now brought to bear in sinking the once beautiful citadel, covering the last rock of the world with sickening green. A man walked along the citadel's balustrade, his eyes cast to the ground. His feet stumbled as the citadel swayed again and it seemed he might go over the wall and tumble into the sea below, but he did not. He instead shook his head and walked to the ornately carved doors of the citadel, now cracked and faded with time and elements. As he opened the doors he was greeted by a fresh assault to his senses. Around him lay the sick and the dying, fishermen from the sea of green, vagabonds all. Their voices cried out in agony and the smell of their filth was sickening. The man felt hot tears come to his eyes as he looked upon them. Their bodies were twisted, their bones more brittle than glass. Most could not walk without breaking a foot, some had already paralyzed themselves writhing in pain. The man had said he could help them, but they were legion. One helped were two dead. The man wept openly, his tears soaking his white beard and dropping on the cold flagstones below. As he walked through Armageddon he saw a light. At the end of the hall a figure glimmered. She was naked, hung upside down from an ornate cross. Bejeweled nails, each the size of a railroad spike pierced her hands and feet but still she didn't bleed. She was beautiful, long red hair streaming down onto the flagstones of the citadel and a face radiant with health and youth. the man fell to his knees before her and felt a name rise unbidden to his lips. "S-Sarah? But you were lost to me!" "Petros," she said, smiling, "Be not afraid. You have been given the keys to heaven, surely this cannot be the heaven you envision." She began to fade from vision and the man jumped to his feet, cursing and scrambling to grab hold of her. The citadel churned again and the man was thrown off balance... "Quo vadis, Domine!" I yelled as I jumped awake. I sat up and scrambled back, surrounded by the Carter clan. Whispers seethed in my head, but quickly subsided. "Grant, are you alright?" asked Robert, Jeanette's father, "You were out for quite a while." I sat back on one hand and rubbed my temple with the other. My head throbbed, and the situation came rushing back to me. Daff... he was dead. I couldn't bring myself to look through the people to see if they had taken the body. "I'm fine, where's Mal and Prim?" Fausts Pen fucked around with this message at Mar 21, 2013 around 17:11 |
| # ? Mar 21, 2013 15:37 |
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~ Surplus: Yes + Want / Barter=3 / Exp=0/5 / Harm=0:00 ~ ["Bothersome Bitches and Tweeky Twitches" (Circle Camp)] -- Face-time with Kizzy wasn’t anything new, though today she smelled as if she’d skipped a few baths (there was a bend of the river close to the school that we used to wash ourselves and our clothing). Ten years my elder, she stood the same height as me (much to the delight of her napoleon complex, I’m sure) and outweighed me by a considerable amount. No one in the Circle had the luxury of being over-weight; she was just really stocky from all the sparring and working out their crew did during down-time. I’m always very much aware of the fact that she could bowl me over without batting an eye. Ten years ago the circle was more than three times its current size, and there were several other children besides myself. A couple of the grown-ups would teach us literature, science and basic math, so we weren’t completely ignorant of the world (now only Florica continued to teach little Hanzi and Jaelle). Tao was a couple years older than me, but we got along pretty well. I remember playing hide and seek one day with him and the other children, back when the woods were safe. Niko, aged 11, was the ringleader in those days (he would later be one of the ones Lost on the eve of my 17th birthday). Niko loved to be the seeker, and as he hollered out the countdown I found a nice roomy crevice between a fallen tree and a large rock. ”Ready or not, here I come!” Niko’s warning came from a good distance away. I grinned, holding my breath and trying to stay as quiet as possible. After a few moments I heard rustling and giggles coming from the nearby brush. I remained in my spot, but the sounds kept getting louder. At this rate my cover would be blown! I got up and sneaked over the bushes to shush whoever was hiding there. Much to my surprise, pulling back the foliage revealed the naked backside of Ferka, with Kizzy underneath, squealing in delight. I covered my eyes and screamed (as children tend to do when shocked), but my cry was cut short as Kizzy’s fist found my stomach. All the air left my lungs and I made a sort of “Urkk” sound before the twenty year-old girl was on top of me, one hand over my mouth and the other around my throat. “You snotty little bitch. You better not tell your daddy about this. Think I give a gently caress if you’re a Seer?” She was sneering, angry but enjoying the moment as well. “Kiz! Let her go!”, Ferka pulled her off of me. I caught my breath slowly, my tummy felt like it had been gored by a bull. Trying hard not to vomit, I breathlessly promised not to tell. They dressed and left me there, but Kizzy’s glance over her shoulder suggested she’d rather have put a bullet through my forehead. She’s always been irrational and quick to violence. I’ve had to Whisper her down more than once. Thankfully, Ferka is a bit more reasonable. Sure, he’s a hothead, but he’s loyal to the Circle. I know he’d rather take the reigns and have us work alongside the hold in the city, like some hired thugs; but I also know he wouldn’t put a dagger in my back. Sell me off perhaps, but he had too much respect for my father to do harm to me. That leverage would hopefully come in handy today. I was going to need to do some separation before we left for the Carters, but first… “That’s a splendid idea, Kizzy. Why don’t you go get everyone together in the yard?” Before she could respond, I turned to Quinn, who was looking bewildered over this son’s condition. Quinn had a level head, and was probably the most reasonable member of Ferka’s group. He was protective of Tao, though. “Quinn, Tao’s pretty messed up on something. Probably that Lucid crap you guys keep lying around. He’s killed all of the Sour Lot goats and the council is not happy. Take him to your classroom and keep him there until he sobers up. He needs to stay out of sight, and the Lot is off-limits for him now – for his own protection.” Quinn opened his mouth, then closed it and nodded solemnly. He put his arm around his blubbering son, “C’mon, Tao.” As they walked up the sloping hill to the school buildings, Kizzy shook her head, “Lucid? We ain’t had that poo poo since Jonestown. The Lot are liars. I’m getting pretty tired of-” I held up my hand, “Just get the others together, we’re going to talk about this.” She snorted, “Yeah. We sure are.” We both walked up past the building, Kizzy barked at the men lazing about while I went to find Tamas. He was sitting with Florica and Simza at an old wooden picnic table on the far side of the yard. I overheard them mention something about the Woods before they noticed my approach. Tamas stood up and made a slight bow, as was the old way. “Morning, Seer. Florica was just telling me about…” “Right, we’ll get to that later.” I waved him down and sat adjacent on the damp bench. “We got problems.” Simza gave a tired laugh, “Mercy, child. No need to scry hard for that knowledge, eh?” I shook my head, “It’s pretty serious, I’m afraid. Tao got hopped up on something and went on a crazed killing spree. Took out all the goats in Sour Lot. I’m pretty sure it was Lucid.” Simza and Florica gasped in unison. Tamas gave me a grave expression. “We don’t want another Jonestown”, he said. “What are they going to do?” “They want goats. I offered them my gems, but they are dead-set on equivalent exchange. You know those little bleating bastards are precious out here. Marci suggested we pay the Carters a visit. I know they are blasphemous and a bit psychotic, but we have little choice. I’m going to take Ferka and a couple of his men with me. I need you to stay here and keep things under control while I’m gone. Kizzy’s all hotheaded as usual, so keep an eye on her.” Tamas raised an eyebrow, “Are you going to Speak to them?” I swallowed hard. Using the Whisper was not something I particularly enjoyed; but he was right. People would be wound up, and they might require guidance. “Yes, I shall. Probably the only way I’m going to get them to cough up the Lucid anyways. Before I go, can you give me any advice for dealing with the Carters?” [Use Insight] *** *** *** With what Tamas had advised me in mind, I approached the gathering of my Circle in the center of the yard between the two brick buildings that made up our camp. Everyone was chattering wildly. Kizzy was talking animatedly to Ferka, who was frowning, shifting uncomfortably on his heels. Five of his men were laughing and horsing around behind him, they probably thought the whole thing was some sort of joke. Drina and Fifika hung on whoever was their latest fling. Quinn and Tao were not present, having hopefully followed my instruction. A couple others stood there looking at me in confusion. I’d let Florica, Simza and Tamas stay at their table. As I faced the group they quieted. Just a cursory glace told me that Kizzy was ready to try to start a full-blown riot if she didn’t like what I said, and I needed them to follow my instructions to the letter if we were going to get this done. I took a deep breath and held it, closing my eyes. The hum started low and then built to a fearsome roar in my head. A familiar prickling sensation crept over my body, like when your leg falls asleep except with added, jarring, seizure-like shakes. I slowly outstretched my trembling arms, feeling the energy I’d been trained to control flow through my thoughts and into my words. I spoke with the ‘Storm: D.A.R.E.ing Delivery (Frenzy) – [2d6+2 = 7] "LISTEN To Your Hearts And Minds, For They Are US. BREATHE The Air - DRINK The Water - HARVEST The Earth - For They Are US. HEED NOT The Call Of Your Wanton Desires, For They Are UNWORTHY. BRING ME YOUR SIN, So That You May Be Cleansed By The WORD. The STORM Is All Things, As You Are All Things, As You Are US. XAEMLIO KCTPMUWAS QUSAVRTY."
The Words escaped me, and I fell to my knees, drained. AGENDA 420 Fail – "Spoke the Truth” to my followers, getting them to cough up the remaining Lucid. Once that’s settled, I’m taking Ferka and three of his men with me on a trip to the Carters. hctibyllis fucked around with this message at Mar 27, 2013 around 05:38 |
| # ? Mar 21, 2013 16:41 |
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Juno Price The three of you make it to the Carter's fields without incident. Roach and Hugo are silent through the woods, but you're barely one hundred foot into the field when the Jonestowner collapses in front of you. He's shaking uncontrollably, and says "gently caress, Juno, sorry. Just give me a minute". Roach, on the other hand, has recovered her composure. The cocky glint is back in her eye, and she taps you on the shoulder, and says "Hey, you ain't gonna cross Barker, right? Hugo here won't tell Layne nothing, will you Hugo? So, hand me the poo poo now." You notice a group of people, kneeling mostly, across the fields. How are things between you and Barker? Do you know the Carters much? What do you do? Jesse Samuelson Doghead grunts, and wanders to the surface. When he turns up again he's got a big metal toolbox in his hands. He dumps it on the floor, and Mike flips it open and whistles. It's full: the sort of set up that you get to talking about when you're having a beer in Bowdy's shack in the stadium. Doghead says "Don't get any loving ideas", and stomps off again. Ten minutes later he reappears with your escort. It's Daniel Whitmore, and his little friend. What annoying thing does Whitmore do straight away? Tell me about his little friend. Feel free to narrate till you're a bit past the grill. Grant Swain Robert purses his lips a little, "They're in the kitchen. Cleaning Daff. Did you...". He's interrupted by his mother, Anna. She says to you, with a hard look, "These don't know Latin, but I do. Some, anyhow. Seems like the good Lord wants you to turn around". Then Jeanette speaks up, "It ain't right to call him 'Grant', he's Peter. Y'all heard it, clear as day". A couple of her relatives nod. What are burial preparations and services like these days? What do you do? Ayizael Allaharm Tamas smiles, "Offer them something they need. Labour to clear some woods, perhaps. Anyhow, be open with them, but, by the 'strom, make sure you have a guard on the path". Florica catches your eye, "Don't offer to be a Seer for them, girl. Chances are they'll call you a devil, and run you out." ***** You arrive at the meet, and say your piece. Ferka throws a small plastic bag down in front of you, "Look, no one is proud of the lucid, right? But we used it up months back. Tao and Maya scored some off those Jonestowners who came through last night". Maya is here, but seems sober. Kizzy starts to say something, but Drina touches her hand and speaks up. She's in her early forties, and close to both Kizzy and Simza. "Listen now: things are bad. Kizzy's blunt but she's right, often enough. You gotta take blame too, Ayizael". She takes a breath, and you notice she's shaking. "You're the seer, but what did you just do? You listen to the elders, and then come and tell us what's what? Ain't we people too? Ain't a Circle equal on all sides? Is it any wonder things got like this?" There's some vigorous head nodding from the group, and a quiet "yeah" from Kizzy herself. What do you do?
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| # ? Mar 22, 2013 12:48 |
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Jesse Samuelson Harm: 0 (Noon) Improvement: 2/5 Whitmore glared at me, belching out the words, "UUURP-oh, iiis you fuckersss." He staggered over and punted the toolbox into the wall, scattering tools everywhere. "Fuckin'... jess fuckin' pick 'em all up, you whinly li'l bitches." loving great, he's already drunk off his rear end. Just another morning at the old office. Not that the other escort was any better. Dobbs was Whitmore's best, and dare I say only, friend before the forest came. He was a little person, dwarf, whatever the hell we're supposed to call them these days, and he was also fairly psychopathic. He had actually been in jail when the forest came, caught trying to dig up graves. I shudder to think what he was planning on doing with whatever he found. As Mike and I were picking up the tools Whitmore knocked out of the toolbox, Dobbs started banging a tire iron he was carrying on the grill, and shouted, "WE'RE COMING IN, YOU loving JUNKIES! IF ANY OF YOU SHITHEADS TRIES ANYTHING, I'LL BASH YOUR DRUG-ADDLED BRAINS IN! IF THIS CRATE OF LUCID DOESN'T MAKE IT TO THE CUSTOMER, I'M GOING TO KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!" "Jesus Christ!" Mike yelled, "What the gently caress are you doing?" Dobbs walked over and pointed the iron at Mike's head. "I'm giving them a fair warning, you little pussy. With any luck, I'll get to kill enough druggies today that I won't have to take my frustrations out on you two pricks." "Tha's... that's genius, Dobby." (Dobbs flipped Whitmore off at that nickname.) "Why don' we just leave these two dickless wimps here an' jus' start killin' erryone?" "As much as I'd like to, Doghead was very specific that we were not to let these two out of our sight, especially not with that toolbox." Having finished replacing all of the tools and closing the toolbox again, I picked it up and walked over to the grill. "Well then, please, Mr. Escort, escort us." Dobbs made like he was going to chuck the tire iron at my head and laughed when I flinched. He and Whitmore walked over to the grill and moved it aside, with considerable effort. A couple of the junkies on the other side had been roused by Dobbs' clanging and shouting, and our two escorts summarily beat them to death as soon as there was enough room to move past the grill. "This is going to be a long loving day," I muttered to Mike as we followed them and started setting up our first cameras. EDIT: Whoops, nearly forgot my header. jaydee864 fucked around with this message at Mar 22, 2013 around 14:44 |
| # ? Mar 22, 2013 14:21 |
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~ Surplus: Yes + Want / Barter=3 / Exp=1/5 / Harm=0:00 ~ ["Lecture Time in the schoolyard" (Circle Camp)] -- Rubbing my temples, I tried to clear my head before responding. As usual, after Speaking I felt like I had run a marathon. The hum died down, but fading voices muttered in a strange language, teasing the corners of my consciousness; as if intruders from the psychic web clung desperately to my soul before inevitably falling back into the ‘Storm. Were they trying to tell me something? Or perhaps subvert me for their own purpose? Who knows what business the dead have with the living, I certainly wouldn’t find an answer in the Circle’s tome. Taking another deep breath, I put the bag of Lucid in my satchel. I’d have to find a way to dispose of it later, as well as figure out how to keep dealers from selling the stuff to my people. I shakily got back to my feet and smiled wanly at Drina. “You’re right, of course; the Circle has always been a group of equals. I value each of your opinions, and all decisions are made with the best interests of everyone in mind. However, a “circle” is also a bond, and that bond requires trust to maintain its strength. If we can’t trust each other, how can the circle stay together? By doing thoughtless things we put everyone in jeopardy. We’ve worked so hard and come so far together. We’ve battled against the very end of the world and survived because that’s just how strong we are.” I turned to Ferka, “When was the last time you slept on anything other than dirt? We have it better now than the vast majority of survivors; but if we keep making mistakes we’re going to end up out the door and on our asses again. Ferka I need you, Maya, and two other guys to come with me to the Carters. Kizzy, I need you to stay here and keep watch in case any of the Lot try to retaliate while I’m gone. We have to make this right.” I crossed my fingers behind my back. Vex or Volunteer (Manipulate) – [2d6+1 = 8] AGENDA Taking a Field Trip from the school – Hopefully my charisma-laden pep talk is enough to convince my followers to follow (orders). hctibyllis fucked around with this message at Mar 27, 2013 around 05:39 |
| # ? Mar 22, 2013 14:49 |
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1-Barter/Exp 0/5 /Harm 0:00/ Angel kit 5/6 Grant Swain I stood up as Robert spoke. I wanted to get away from the crowd, get away from the gazes of the Carters and breathe. I stumbled and had to wave off Toby, the boy that I had originally saved and his little brother Paul. I straightened up and waited for my vision to clear before turning away. Anna was right there, staring at me with her steely eyes. "These don't know Latin, but I do. Some, anyhow. Seems like the good Lord wants you to turn around, Grant" she said. I gave her a weak smile and replied, "And that's just what I intend to do." Jeanette piped up from behind me, "It ain't right to call him 'Grant', he's Peter. Y'all heard it, clear as day." I wheeled around, ready to rebuke the girl, but my flash of anger dissipated in a wave of vertigo. I swallowed hard and breathed deep. "My mother and father named me Grant, and that is what you'll call me." I turned back and headed for the house. I needed a cool drink and some company that wasn't going to crowd around me. More importantly, I needed to face the music and help with Daff's funeral arrangements. The house was a simple affair, only just big enough for the whole Carter clan. The outside door led straight into the kitchen and I took another deep breath before I opened the door. Daff was laid out on the table, his eyes closed and his hands on his chest. Mal stood at the sink, washing his hands of blood and smoking a cigarette. Prim sat at the foot of the table, his head in his hands. Mal looked over at me and gave a thin, humorless smile. "Feeling better, boss?" I shot him a weary look, "I'm good enough. What else needs done?" "Just the diggin', boss. Carters said you could bury him out back. Kid didn't have any family that Prim knew of, so we might as well get started." Mal motioned toward two shovels in the corner, and I grabbed one and left through the back door. I began digging in the hard ground, the repetitive motion letting me meditate on what I had just seen. I barely even noticed when Mal came out with his own shovel, but I appreciated the help. Fausts Pen fucked around with this message at Mar 22, 2013 around 21:29 |
| # ? Mar 22, 2013 20:11 |
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Juno Price Barter=2 / Exp=1/5 / Harm=0:00 We'd made it. I'm calm under pressure, but this was some new kind of awful the forest has coughed up, and I wasn't keen on sticking around to take notes. I didn't intend to stay long, just take a breather and get a drink at the well. The Carters were polite, but they were honest folks at heart and the three of us were anything but honest. So we don't talk much except maybe a 'how do you do' if we run into each other. They seem to be perfectly content with that arrangement. I glanced back at Roach as she tapped me on the shoulder, absorbing what she said with my typical nonchalance. Cross...Barker? Wait a minute. This wasn't Roach's idea at all. Barker sent her to intercept the shipment. I should have known; Roach would never come that far out unless it was on orders. That made things complicated. If Roach had just had a stupid idea on her own, well, accidents happen and with nobody but Hugo to know otherwise it could be swept under the rug. If Barker had his hands in it, he'd want answers - and he might decide while he was getting his answers he'd erase a potential problem while he was at it. See, it's like this. I'm a killer. I won't deny it or make excuses. I can put five people in their grave and not miss a wink of sleep at night. Barker, meanwhile, he's got the Stadium and the power that comes with it. People in power get paranoid about anyone capable of threatening that power. So here's Juno Price all not giving a gently caress, and he's wondering if someday I'm going to put a bullet in his head. And he can't just have me killed. For one, I might survive and he'd be well and truly screwed. Second, the people in the Stadium respect me. I won't say they like me, but I pay my debts, I do my part to help out, and I don't drag them into my office and play Inquisition. They find out Barker had me killed, they'd be out for blood and that'll be that. It was all moot anyway. I knew Barker. He wouldn't go after me. He'd just mention that it sure would be a shame if something happened to Angel Eyes and I'd go along peaceably. "We'll talk about it later, Roach. Let's get something to drink, maybe see what's going on out here." I cocked my head towards the kneeling figures. I helped Hugo back to his feet, and started strolling onwards. "No way. We are talking about this right now, bitch!" Roach screeched. I felt her hand on my shoulder as she spun me around. "Fine, let's talk." I go aggro, swinging my sheathed sword into her gut. (roll +cool) 2d6+3 5 When she drops to her knees, I'm going to - Oh, poo poo, she's fast.
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| # ? Mar 22, 2013 20:59 |
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Jesse Samuelson Things go smoothly enough with the first camera, apart from having to listen to your escorts. While you're setting up the second, though, something starts to make a loud thumping noise deeper in the tunnels. After a minute or so, Whitmore says "poo poo, Dobby, go and shut them up, while I watch these cocksuckers. Show some loving initiative, you little retard." "You're a natural manager, Whittykins, I can tell by how you never loving do anything." Dobbs spits back, but he plods off into the darkness. After ten minutes, Dobbs still hasn't returned, and the banging continues. Whitmore looks antsy: he's pulled a pistol from his belt, and has, for once, fallen silent. What do you do? Ayizael Allaharm On a 7–9, they need some concrete assurance right now. "We're not trying to break the Circle". Ferka stands again, and stares at you, "But we want things back like they were in your father's day". He stops for a moment as Quinn and Tao walk in, and sit down quietly at the back. In the pause, Kizzy mutters, "Where are the loving elders?". Ferka shoots her a glance, then looks back at you "She's right, Ayizael, they need to be here. And you need to promise the whole Circle that you'll stop deciding our future without us." How does the comparison to your father make you feel? What do you do? Grant Swain You're about three foot down when you hear shouting from the next field. You can make out two, maybe three, figures fighting. The Carters have leapt up from where they were knelt, and are running towards the melee. A couple are carrying rifles. Mal looks at you, eyebrows raised. What do you do? Juno Price You swing your sheathed sword for Roach, but she's ready for you. She set you up, even. She dodges easily, and plants her knife, which was already in her hand, into your side. 2 harm, Harm roll: Juno: 2d6+2 11 - It’s worse than it seemed. Take an additional 1-harm - Total harm - 3 What do you do? exuma fucked around with this message at Mar 23, 2013 around 11:32 |
| # ? Mar 23, 2013 11:28 |
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Juno Price Barter=2 / Exp=1/5 / Harm=9:00 Roach wasn't nearly as stupid as I thought. Girl got points for this one, no doubt. She locked eyes with me, smiling, as she wrenched the blade up and out. She didn't quite disembowel me, but it wasn't for lack of trying. In the back of my mind, it occurred to me that if I lived through this that was going to be a completely awesome looking scar. "Who's the big tough badass now, Juno?" I staggered a bit, clutching my side. "You walk around all high and mighty, like you're better than I am. You don't look so hot now, do you?" She took a lazy swing at my face, and even with my head muddled from the pain I was easily able to sidestep it. "How about I tattoo my name on your forehead, let everyone know who's the real top dog in the Stadium? Hahahaaaaa! I could buy you a pretty dress, maybe a spiked collar and a leash, take you for walks. Wouldn't that be fun?" She danced around in front of me, giggling, and I doubled over as my own movement jarred something inside. The world spun around me. I found myself sitting down, hard, and it took effort just to hold my head up. drat, this wasn't something I could just walk off. I managed to bring my head up, and saw feet. Two pairs, in fact. One pair was Roach's, obviously. The steel toes of her boots were well scuffed, and that obnoxious smiley face on the left reminded me that yes indeed. poo poo happens. The other pair...huh. Did I know someone who went barefoot? Seems silly, with all the sharp things half buried basically everywhere now. I looked up further. Yeah, that was Roach. And the lady next to her in cargo pants and a "My other ride is your mom" shirt was waving bye-bye to somebody. Was it me? Was I going somewhere? Nah, I'm just fine, sitting here. I looked to my right. Yeah, that was the forest alright. And there was Hugo, running away into the forest. Bye-bye, Hugo. I swung back to Roach as she likewise turned to watch Hugo vanish. "Good knife work, Roach. I think I may be falling for you." I leaned over and coughed up some blood. "That...that's a joke, you see. Because I fell down." A scream erupted from the woods, and then things grew quiet again. Visions of Death (roll +wierd) 2d6+1 12 I've grown attached to the mohawked maniac, so she gets to live. Hugo on the other hand, well. The trees are apparently hungry today, so consider him fast food
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| # ? Mar 23, 2013 12:51 |
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Jesse Samuelson Harm: 0 (Noon) Improvement: 3/5 (+1 for rolling a highlighted stat, see below) I was a little nervous that we hadn't heard back from Dobbs in a while, but, as much as I should be shamed to admit it, I was hoping that was the last we'd ever see of that half-sized psycho. If he went and got himself killed, that would be a nice little silver lining to this piece of poo poo day. Plus, that would just leave us with the full-sized drunkard, and he should be relatively simple to deal with. He wasn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer even when he was stone cold sober. "Mike," I whispered, "this could be our chance. If we can convince him to check on Dobbs, he'll probably get himself killed and we can go back up to Doghead and tell him what happened. I figure if we go straight back up and be honest, we'll be better off than if we try to book it." "Are you sure?" he whispered back. "What if he sends us back down to investigate what killed them?" "If he does, we can take our chances and book it then. I'm sure if we go around whatever's making that noise, we'll be more or less safe." "Fine, whatever. You do all the talking, though. You know him better than me." "Fine, fine." I turned to Whitmore and put on a concerned face. "Hey, Mr. Whitmore? Don't you think you should see what happened with Mr. Dobbs? We promise we'll stay here and work on the cameras while you go look. We're too chicken-poo poo to run away, you should know that." Manipulate (roll + hot): 2d6+1 8 Finally, a number other than 5.
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| # ? Mar 23, 2013 14:00 |
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~ Surplus: Yes + Want / Barter=3 / Exp=1/5 / Harm=0:00 ~ ["Like passing a bill through Congress?" (Circle Camp)] -- “Don't get too close, Azzy!” Estelle's motherly tone carried over the roar of the waterfall. I looked back at her, beaming broadly, and waved. She'd tried to step in as best she could when my mother died, and really she was like a mother to all of us kids. I never thought I'd be able to wrap my head around geometry, but every day after class she would be standing in the doorway of the school hut, blocking my exit until I sat down and did a few problems with her. We were on the move again. Supposedly there was a gathering of circles going down in Pennsylvania, and my father (as one of the four northern 'Sherèngro') was required to attend. We'd come upon this breathtaking outcropping of rocks atop a large mountain tributary. A frothing cascade of water was bursting over the edge and falling down to the pool below in a brilliant display of natural beauty. The bright light of the high, mid-day sun caught the shower as it fell, creating shining crystals that shattered into a million glistening pieces on a jagged bed before becoming whole again as they rejoined the large stream and went on their way. “No one does metaphors better than Mother Nature.” My father had come to join me where I sat on a boulder at the side of the 'fall. I was just thirteen, but I gathered his meaning. I smiled into his warm eyes as he put his arm around me. “Life is only a pretty minute before we go back to the 'Storm again, right daddy?” He chuckled, “Glorious, gorgeous, perhaps tragically so. You're far more intuitive than I was at your age. Must be your mother's gift.” He mussed my hair and I giggled, pushing his hand away, “Was she really wiser than you?” “A good deal wiser, I'm afraid.” He made a sad smile, “And braver than I could ever hope to be. She had a way of talking that could ease the hearts of the restless; was never afraid to step in if I faltered.” His expression became more somber and I could tell he was lost in thought as we watched the spectacle before us. We sat there for a while in silence, looking at the water. When he spoke again I heard an emotional tremor in his voice. “My child, I may not always be here to lead your Path. A philosopher once said that our actions should be fluid: flowing passively with the current before crashing down in a thunderous fury. Like this waterfall, there are times when you must make an impact, and times when you should surrender to the wishes of others. Remember that not even a Seer can know all things. Let the 'Storm guide you but do not let it completely control you. That is not our Way.” I watched the broad creek below drift off into the woods to the south. Where would it end up? Would I ever see it again? Merripen held me closer to him and I put my head against his chest, feeling his heartbeat. In that moment we were captured in eternity, like crystal droplets frozen in flight. *** *** *** I felt the wetness on my cheeks as I faced the judgment of my people. I'm not gonna cry. Not here in front of them all. That will just make things worse. Get a grip, Azzy. Instead I lowered my head and nodded, allowing myself a moment to gather my feelings before they spiraled out of control. Running my sleeve quickly over the tears, I took off my satchel and set it down beside me, then I pulled the robes over my head and cast them to the grass as well. There were a few gasps as I stood before the Circle in just my undergarment, no vestments of a Seer to adorn my body. I held out my bare arms to them, “I am nothing more than a servant of my people.” I called over my shoulder, “Tamas, Florica, Simza; please join us!” The elder women looked concerned, but Tamas remained expressionless. They came to the gathering. When everyone was together I continued, “I do not assert, nor have I ever proclaimed to be the exclusive leader here.” I dropped my arms to my sides in a deflated manner. “I never wanted things to be like this. I wish we could just go back to how it was before that night, but we can't. I wish all of your loved ones were here with us today, but they aren't. I wish the Greening had never happened, but it did. The 'Storm cast its judgment on the world, as you cast yours on me. All I can do is just take things one day at a time. Today we disgraced ourselves as a people. No matter who did what, we are all culpable because we are all equals. I speak to you now as just another member of the Circle. We must work together to carve out a home in this new world, but we must also remember to honor the teachings of those who came before us. We must not allow ourselves to become Unworthy. We ALL will be judged in the end.” I looked Ferka in the eyes, “If you wish to cast me from the Circle, so be it. But stay the Path. I don't want to see any more of you Lost.” As I said the word, it faded into a whimper. I lowered my head as the tears came again, hot and heavy. Father, I'm sorry. Maybe I can't do this after all. AGENDA The (semi)Naked Truth – I don't know if I can get them to believe me, but I've bared it all to my people. hctibyllis fucked around with this message at Mar 27, 2013 around 05:40 |
| # ? Mar 23, 2013 15:22 |
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1-Barter/Exp 1/5 /Harm 0:00/ Angel kit 5/6 Grant Swain My concentration was broken by a scream from the next field over. My head shot up and I quickly wiped sweat from dripping into my eyes. The sun glared in my eyes and I saw 2, no, 3 figures locked in a melee, one laying on the ground. I heard another shout from closer to the Carters homestead. Toby and Robert were running toward the fight, brandishing rifles and yelling. Mal looked at me, his eyes wide and his eyebrows raised, "What are we gonna do, boss?" "Well you're gonna keep digging," I replied, getting my nerve up, "Those crazy fuckers brought their guns, somebody's gonna get caught in the crossfire. So you stay here and keep your head down." "Wait, so you're going up there? Are you serious?" Mal grabbed my arm and gripped it like a vice, "What if you get hurt?" "Well then you send word to Jenny and get me taken care of. Or clean me up like Daff. However it goes down, just keep an eye out and keep yourself out of the line of fire!" I tore my arm out of Mal's grasp and dropped my shovel on the ground, vaulting myself out of the hole. I hit the ground running for the fight in the next field. Maybe I could stop anyone from getting hurt. Or at least be there to clean up the mess. As soon as I'm close enough I'm going to Read the sitch (Roll+Sharp)=11 Who's in control here? Which enemy is the biggest threat? What should I be on the lookout for? Fausts Pen fucked around with this message at Mar 23, 2013 around 16:53 |
| # ? Mar 23, 2013 15:52 |
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Juno Price Roach grabs the duffel from where you dropped it, swings it onto her shoulder, and spits - right in your face. "See you at the stadium, sucker. I'll get your dress ready". She starts sprinting towards Bellefonte. Less than a minute later, Mary Carter arrives. She's carrying an ancient M1 rifle, and levels it at the punk's rapidly disappearing back for a second. Then she sighs, lowers it, and asks "Price isn't it? What the hells going on here?" Tell me a bit about Mary. What do you do? Grant Swain You get to Juno about the same time as Toby and Robert. Mary's already there. Juno looks pretty bad. She's concious and able to move, but you can see right away that she has a serious abdominal wound. "One of them ran into the woods" says Jeanette, arriving behind you, "and I heard a scream". You look: you're not sure, but you think you see something moving in the trees. The Carters have got things under control for now, but it seems like the forest is really dangerous today. Jeanette said earlier that the thing that got Daff looked like a tree, and it strikes you that on a still day like this you should watch out for any trees waving as though there was a wind. What do you do? Jesse Samuelson Whitmore grabs you by the collar, and pulls you close. His breath stinks of stale beer. "Tell you what. I'm gonna make sure you loving stay. Pussy". He lets you go, and takes a multimeter, and a couple of pairs of pliers from the toolbox. "If I don't get back safe, Barker will think you're a thief". He cackles at his own cleverness, and strolls off down the tunnel. Ten minutes later, and he isn't back. What do you do? Ayizael Allaharm Ferka averts his eyes, and the circle is silent for a moment. When he does speak his head stays down. "No one is casting you out, Ayi...Seer. We just wanted you to listen". He looks behind him: heads are nodding, and even Kizzy seems subdued, although the trace of a smile touches her face. Drina walks up, and puts an arm around you: "Come on girl, put your robes on". Then she turns to face the group "Is this settled?" There are a few quiet yeahs, and no noes in response. "We better had get to work then". Tell me about Drina. What do you do? Feel free to fast-forward to setting off through the forest
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| # ? Mar 23, 2013 21:37 |
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Juno Price Barter=2 / Exp=1/5 / Harm=9:00 I wiped that spit from my face. That was just rude. "Yeah, Juno. Hi." I took a deep breath, thought about getting up on her own, and decided against it. "Can I get a hand? We need to get away from the trees. Already lost two people, I don't feel like joining them." With a hand up from Mary, I hobbled away a few feet. She was gentle about it, which kind of surprised me. I'd gotten a lecture from her more than once regarding her opinion of people like me. Bunch of punks using societal collapse to act like big shot gangsters, getting innocent people hurt in the crossfire. In light of recent events, I couldn't really disagree with her at the moment. She was Jeanette's younger twin by four minutes, very no-nonsense. A crack shot with that rifle of hers, too. As far as I know she'd only ever had to use it when hunting, but I didn't doubt she could drop a man just easily as a deer. Wait, was that Grant? I had the devil's own luck...but what was he doing out here? "Grant! Glad to see you, guy. Some...something out there about tore me in half. Think you can stitch me up?" I decided I'd keep the precise details to myself, for now. If anyone asked, Roach just happened on by, offered to accompany us, and my gut wound was courtesy of that tree-thing-whatever. It was vaguely plausible if you didn't look too hard.
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| # ? Mar 23, 2013 22:21 |
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1-Barter/Exp 1/5 /Harm 0:00/ Angel kit 5/6 Grant Swain "Well first thing's first, we need to get you away from the forest," I replied, sizing up Juno's wounds. I took off my shirt and handed it to her. "Hold this on it and press hard. We need to stop as much of the bleeding as possible." I motioned toward Toby. "Toby, Put down that drat gun and help me carry her back to the farm. Juno, this is gonna hurt. An awful lot." As I positioned myself under Juno's arms I saw a motion from the treeline. My mind jumped to the wind, but then I realized that there wasn't any. My blood ran cold. That thing that attacked Daff and Juno probably couldn't have gone far and I wasn't about to let that happen again. "We've gotta move fast Toby. And the rest of you, get back to the farm as fast as possible!" As Toby and I hustled back towards the farm, I kept one eye on the treeline. We were supremely vulnerable right now and that didn't sit well with me. I only hoped that we could get Juno back to my kit so I could work on her properly. The hospital would be favorite, but without some first aid, she wouldn't make it there.
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| # ? Mar 24, 2013 00:10 |
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Jesse Samuelson Harm: 0 (Noon) Improvement: 3/5 We finished setting up the fourth camera, but Whitmore still hadn't returned. "Alright, Mike. Let's pack up and get the gently caress out of here. Hopefully Doghead will have his priorities straight enough that he'll care more about his missing enforcers than his missing tools." Mike shrugged. "Man, whatever gets us out of here faster. This place is creepy as poo poo." We quickly packed up the tools we were using and made for the grill that led back to the stadium. Making sure to put the grill back in its place after we passed through it again, we made our way up through the tunnels back to the market. Doghead, as usual, wasn't too difficult to find. Spotting us as we made our way towards him, Doghead called out, "Hey, what the hell are you two doing back up here so soon? And where are your loving escorts?" I set the toolbox down at his feet. "Well, that's the problem. About 20 minutes before we left the tunnels, Dobbs heard a loud banging noise coming from somewhere deeper in the tunnels and went to investigate it on his own, but he never came back. Ten minutes after Dobbs went off, Whitmore decided to go after him. He told us to keep working on the cameras, but he took some pliers and a multimeter from the toolbox so we wouldn't just run off. We waited ten more minutes, then came straight back here. We managed to get four cameras set up while we were down there. I don't know if you want to send a bunch of guns down into the tunnels to see what happened to your missing men, or whatever, but I figured you wouldn't want us just staying down there by ourselves."
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| # ? Mar 24, 2013 00:38 |
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Juno Barter=2 / Exp=1/5 / Harm=9:00 "Hey, don't worry. Just...just slap a band-aid on it. Going to take more than an ambulatory bush to kill me. I hope." She was starting to feel a bit light headed. Probably best to listen to the doctor. Pressing the cloth against the wound, she followed Grant's lead.
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| # ? Mar 24, 2013 01:27 |
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~ Surplus: Yes + Want / Barter=3 / Exp=2/5 / Harm=0:00 ~ ["The Great Wild Goat Chase" (The Moving Path)] -- It felt strange when Drina put her arm around my bony shoulders. I wasn't used to receiving consolatory gestures, a Seer must be able to find comfort in the wisdom of the Teachings: Lil Kesali – pg. 197; 'The Seer's Path' posted:… For always must the Seer find solace in the Word. True respite is gained only within the Eye ,wherein its embrace doth seethe and mingle with the Soul. Somehow though, I doubted the tome I carried had a passage about conjuring goats. Tamas had picked my vestments up and was pressing them into my arms. I managed a pitiful smile and thanked him as Drina helped me get dressed. She was a decent woman, and made of stronger stuff than I was, perhaps. She'd not always been a professional at the oldest trade. She was a mother once, had a cute little boy; but though it shames me, I've forgotten what his name was. He was only barely three when the Woods took him. He just toddled off one day while Drina wasn't looking. The Circle searched high and low for the child for miles, and found not a single trace. I was young, but I recall how devastated she'd been. She began drinking anything she could get a hold of; spent many nights rolling in her own puke outside, screaming curses at the trees; and refused to eat for weeks until my father sat her down in his tent. I was sitting just outside it that day making a dandelion necklace when I heard her begin to wail. Her cries carried throughout the camp for several minutes before she went quiet. After a long period of time, she emerged, Merripen holding her up. I thought I saw some measure of relief etched on her tear-stained face, and being the ignorant little one I was, I handed her the necklace. She took it, staring numbly at me before staggering off on her own towards the fire where supper was waiting. Since then she's taken to bedding men for jingle, but I don't judge her for it. Everyone has their own way of dealing with this brutal world and finding their place in it, even a Seer. I've never been 'close' to anyone in that way, not that its forbidden for me to have relationships; but when you're just a weird, scrawny girl walking around in robes all day, it's pretty hard to find romance. Maybe there was someone out there for me; after all my dad was also Seer, and he and my mother... Wait. Gross. C'mon, let's get our head back in the game here! You already embarrassed the hell out of yourself standing there bawling in your panties. Right. I smoothed out the garment over my legs and carefully folded the cowl back. Wiping my eyes one last time, I faced the Circle. “Okay. So we have to make tracks over to the Carter's place. Anyone actually been there before?” Nobody had. “Great. Ferka, I say we take some muscle with us. The Moving Path is even weirder than the Carters, so I'm mainly concerned about the journey rather than the destination. Sound good?” Ferka looked past the building behind me to where the trees parted, giving way to a path that was about six meters in width and roughly nine kilometers in length, though those figures seemed to change at the whim of the Woods (as I'd found out during my perilous round trip with Hanzi). He nodded slowly, “Alright. Zeb, Edgy and Maya, get me the 10-gauge, and load yourselves out with a couple AR's and that sub we got off those Jonestown wanna-be bandits. Kiz, take position on top of the roof of our building with Ol' Foxeye 'till we get back. Gunari and Stilts, you guys grab the 9's and just patrol this bitch. We ain't expecting trouble, but we ain't expecting friends either. I think the Seer's got a point about possible retaliation. Don't take any loving shots unless you have to.” He looked squarely at Kizzy after saying that last bit. She seemed pleased enough with his calls, 'Ol' Foxeye' was her favorite: a 50-cal fitted with a modified scope that allowed for night vision (when it worked). They had found it on a hunting trip inside a burned out Humvee. Occasionally, if you traveled as much as we had, you would see the remnants of where the National Guard had tried to make some kind of stand against whatever it was that lurked in the Woods. Kizzy was a wicked shot with that thing, but there wasn't much ammo for it left; apparently the rounds it required were hard to come by. I knew next to nothing about guns, never even held one before, so I was happy that Ferka was in charge of that stuff. I turned to Tamas and Florica, “I know you guys were set to help out Tyler today; but lay low for now until we can get this matter squared, OK? Maybe put your heads together over what we talked about.” I nodded at Florica. She clasped my hands, “Be careful, sweetheart. The Woods are always searching for more souls, always hungry for the Lost. Be wary but do not tarry.” Before we left, as Ferka and Co. were gathering their gear, Tamas pulled me aside. “Your father would have been proud of you today.” He looked at me with a melancholy expression. “I wish I could do more to help you with this task.” Looking around to make sure no one was watching, I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He bent over (as most of the Circle had to with me) and pulled me close. I breathed words quietly into his ear, “I was kind of scared. I didn't know if it would work. The Whisper took a lot out of me.” He grasped my shoulders firmly and held me at arms length, looking at me with a more fatherly countenance. “Don't ever fear for your place here. As long as I'm around you will always have a home. Seer or not.” I bit my lip; not wanting to start up the waterworks again. “Thanks, Tamas. Remember, watch the others closely. We don't want to start a war here, just keep ourselves protected. Make sure that Quinn keeps Tao inside for now.” *** *** *** Ferka, Zeb, Edgy, Maya and myself made it to the Moving Path entrance as the early afternoon sun reached the apex of its ascent. Shadows danced wildly across the dirt trail, though there was hardly any wind. Zeb was visibly nervous, his assault rifle quivering ever so slightly in his arms. Edgy, on the other hand, had been given an ironic misnomer. He was an iceman under fire, and rarely said a word to anyone except Fifika (but he made up for it at night, when you could hear some very dirty phrases coming from their room, along with a lot of moans). He was also packing a rifle, an AK-47 (I think? It had a brown stock). Maya had the more compact submachine gun. I had no idea what it was, but she called it “purr-kitty”; probably after the Hello Kitty sticker she'd decorated it with. She was only a year or so older than me; but obviously if she ran with the hunters she was much more useful in a fight than I. Ferka, shotgun at the ready, surveyed the surroundings as we entered the Woods. His brow was furrowed and his mouth was set in a stoic half-frown. “I don't like this, Azzy” He never called me that. “Something is off about these trees. I mean, more off than usual.” Zeb cursed under his breath, “poo poo, man. Can you shut up about that poo poo? We got like five fuckin' miles to go here.” “Three-point-five clicks”, said Maya, who loved military jargon. “Their place is about three-fourths of the way to Bellefonte.” “Well excuse me, Miss Rambo. Why don't you go eat a snake or something.” “Shut up, Zeb.” Ferka looked at me, “Can you like, I don't know, feel anything strange out here?” I definitely felt the familiar threads trying to weave their way into my subconscious. I was pretty skilled at navigating the 'Storm, but I didn't want to risk it here. The Sea of Leaves was very much a mystical, psychic hotspot; and there was no telling how that would effect my ability to See. Still, I knew enough about the nature of these sorts of things to get a general picture of the vibes without actually opening my mind to them. I focused my thoughts on the endless Green, careful not to let it in. Where the Wild Things are (at)? (Read the Sitch) – [2d6+1 = 8]
AGENDA To Grandmother's House We Go – Finally on our way. Let's hope we make it in one piece! hctibyllis fucked around with this message at Mar 27, 2013 around 05:41 |
| # ? Mar 24, 2013 01:47 |
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Juno and Grant You make it to the farm. The Carters, Mal, Prim, and Daff's body are in the kitchen. Joan, Roberts wife, slams and locks the door behind you. Then, she jabs a finger in Juno's face, and asks "What is it - a drugs war or something?" When he gets a look at the wound, Grant can see that it was made by a knife. Mary shoots him a meaningful look, but says nothing. What do you do? Jesse Doghead sighs, "Witless Whitmore strikes again. OK, get ready to set up as many cameras as you can, and I'll get a loving rescue team sorted. We'll do it all in one trip. Meet me at the grill in twenty." He stomps off, and moments later you feel a tap on your shoulder. It's Bleacher, with Wire and Tufty in tow, "Hey boys, I really hope you haven't forgotten about our business together." What do you do? Ayizael You look at the trees that Ferka points to. He's right: there's about ten large, shadowy shapes hanging in a group of black oak. You can't quite make out what they are at this distance, but they're moving, wriggling perhaps. Maya says "poo poo. Its children, I can hear them", and starts to march, off the path, towards the oaks. You hear your father's voice. He says "The forest splits people up, and then it takes them". What do you do?
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| # ? Mar 24, 2013 16:37 |
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~ Surplus: Yes + Want / Barter=3 / Exp=2/5 / Harm=0:00 ~ ["The Great Wild Goat Chase pt.2" (The Moving Path)] -- It had only been a few months since the Circle had learned about the first cities being overgrown, when the Pennsylvania 'Barro Divano' (great meeting of Circles) was announced. We owned a couple of prepaid phones, but growing damage to cell tower networks was making it very difficult to communicate. Merripen had been in touch with other Elders whenever he could get a signal. We'd camped near some towns on the way, but only a few of us were permitted to enter them with him as widespread looting and gang-related violence was sharply on the rise. Society was failing after losing all of the amenities it was so accustomed to. 'Order' was a slowly dissolving thread that dangled populations over the proverbial frying pan; or rather vat of acid. We weren't talking 2nd-degree damage here, this meltdown was through the bone. We had already lost people (Drina's child being one of the first) before any governmental authority had stood up in front of the nation to declare just how screwed the country (and the rest of the world) was. Of course, as was the case with so many others, we had hadn't really known what was happening until it was too late. Our transient lifestyle often put us a bit behind the informational curve, but not by much this time. No one knew what the hell was going on or had any clue how to stop it. Huge swathes of civilization were gobbled up overnight. It was a world-wide wildfire of confusion and chaos; and though I was barely a teen, I felt the desperation and understood that things were rapidly changing. Hoping in vain that perhaps the destruction was localized to only certain areas, we pressed hard for the border. After a couple of days, there were no towns we could find that offered reception. We were on our own, trekking blindly through the landscape; down highways; over farmlands and into the mountains. Finally we reached a stretch of interstate that had the sign reading WELCOME TO PENNSYLVANIA; or what was once an interstate that is. The whole road was swamped with woods as far as the eye could see. We hadn't even finished setting up camp before the screams started. Groups of people were wrestling on the ground with each other, teeth gnashing, some blank-faced and looking like zombies. Some were physically gone, just up and vanished. Later the ones that recovered had very little memory of what had happened aside from waking up to friends and family shaking and slapping them silly. There were a couple folks who said they'd seen the ghosts of dead relatives or what they had thought were small children, crying for help. Others glimpsed dark silhouettes of cloaked... things. They weren't described as human. We never made it through that swathe of Woods to Pennsylvania, and soon we cast aside the phones – they were worthless. We hiked back towards Columbus, staying clear of the ever growing forests as best we could. We didn't lose near as many on that day as we did the night I lost my father, but slowly and surely, the more we stayed near the Green, the more you would turn around and find people were missing. It was all we could do to stick together. We began holding hands if we had to pass through wooded areas. Merripen and the elders stressed the importance of traveling as a group and not as individuals. It was always the ones who got separated or went off on their own that became Lost. *** *** *** “NO!” The words bolted from my mouth a lot louder than I'd anticipated. I grabbed Maya's arm with both hands and jerked her back as hard as I could. “Remember what my father always said? We have to stick together! No splitting up. You're hearing the Call, and it has many deceptive forms. Does anyone else hear anything?” I didn't hear children, but I did hear hoarse, twisted laughter ringing faintly in my ears. An image flashed in my head of leaves burning and tall, boxy piles of timber filled with bodies set ablaze. I looked pleadingly at Ferka, “Please. If one goes, we all go.” I offered him my hand, grasping Maya's in the other. AGENDA Kid-shaped kindling – I'm not going to let us get split up. I'll jump on their backs and be drug into the Woods myself before that happens. [*EDIT* - Spellz. Holy crap, "horse" laughter?  ]
hctibyllis fucked around with this message at Mar 27, 2013 around 05:42 |
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| # ? May 21, 2013 21:47 |
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Grant Swain 1-Barter/Exp 1/5 /Harm 0:00/ Angel kit 4/6 Toby and I laid Juno out on the floor gently. I shuddered lightly realizing that this was probably not the most blood that this little farmhouse had seen. I lifted the blood-soaked shirt from Juno's midsection and stared intently at the wound. It was straight and deep, but far more narrow than the gaping tear that the tree-thing had done to poor Daff. This had been done with a blade. Either the forest had gotten much better at knife-play or one of the thugs that ran off had done this. I replaced the shirt and motioned to Mal. "Get my bag, I'm gonna need to do some sewing." Without warning, Joan burst through the door with rage in her eyes. She slammed the door behind her, pulling the lock with a loud clack. Then she rounded on my patient, dropping to her knees and looming over Juno's face. "What is it - a drugs war or something?" She said, pointing her finger close to Juno's nose. I got up and grabbed Joan by the shoulders, pulling her halfway into the little living area. "The time for questions is when she's not bleeding out on your kitchen floor. Now I need everyone out of the kitchen while I do my work." I grabbed Mal as he handed me the duffel, "Keep them busy for me, will you?" As the Carters shuffled out of the kitchen I knelt beside Juno. I got some clean water and a towel out of the sink, dabbing the wound so I could work on it. " I know this wasn't caused by that tree-thing. So why'd you lie, Juno?" Fixing up Juno (Roll+1-stock spent)=10
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