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Alex "Oh- well, good. I'm sorry I asked but there have been, well, incidents. It's just the things we saw at the last few bases. They made an impression and it's easier to be blunt about these sorts of things. My apologies. At any rate, if it can help find a treatment, we'll try to help you out. It'll likely be mostly Allison, that's her wheelhouse." Alex turns to Dean. "I suppose it's lucky we have the offspring of a few deities ourselves. They certainly got around. And we have Hobbs." Catching the last bit, she leans forward in interest. "Again? Any pointers?"
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Feb 15, 2019 01:40
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Allison She drifts out of the conversation for a bit, eyes lingering on Hammerson for a moment, maybe too long. Long enough for her mouth to dry. She claws her attention back to the conversation, answering Alex, "The trick is not to fear it. Or something." She laughs a little at her own joke, "Isn't that right?" Her eyes hone in on Dean and his man. "Either way, the plan seems sound enough. Which is to say, at least it is a plan."
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Feb 26, 2019 11:04
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Jennifer She smiles at the wolf and slaps his neck in what passes as a friendly pat for a giant mythological unkillable being, turning when she hears Martin's voice, smile widening into a grin as she sees 'her' boys geared up and her heart soars. "Of course," she echoes, then shoots Fenrir a sour look. "Oh... just... shut up and eat your waffle." She turns her attention back to the einherjar. "So you know the objective? Clear a path to this base, requisition some flotation devices, and get out without losing anybody." She gives Martin a warning look. "No heroics. Right?" Oracle fucked around with this message at 22:07 on Apr 19, 2019 |
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Feb 26, 2019 19:16
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Hobbs "Do you think you can cure them? This isn't something natural. Its not the flu. At least that's how I see it. There's something unnatural about the people who are infected." He paused. "Or am I wrong? I ain't no scientist, just seen a lot of poo poo. And its hard to think there could be a cure."
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Mar 23, 2019 23:12
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Blackbird Dreaming Dean breathes a terse sigh as he fixes Burkhart with a lingering look before turning his attention to Alex and Allison. “This class of entity is often tied to remnants of belief base which can make them difficult to put down. We’re taking a large supply of specialty ordinance to assist with the ‘discovery’ process.” The man’s jaw sets. “However, this won’t be the first time a strike attempt has been made on our target—we’re going to be banking on the difference newly discovered talent and our recently reinstated ‘goddess’ makes.” With Hobbs, Dr. Spears nods. “We have a significant sample size of contagion-free water now, along with… alternative medical techniques.” A glance is cast towards Jennifer with this, albeit briefly. “Dean’s team aren’t the only talented individuals among this outing.” ~ “No heroics.” Martin repeats, straightening to attention and throwing a smart salute before returning to ease. “You should see the weapons they are bringing.” He whistles for emphasis, shaking his head. “I believe that if boogie men decide to appear, they will regret it.” ~ A few long tones sound as announcements echo over the loading platform. Myriad men and women have boarded the train cars, with daylight streaming down from the facility’s egress further on. Seating is available in nominal sections, making it apparent that the cars had been used for transporting large numbers of individuals at some point—but upon closer scrutiny, even the passenger cars seem to boast protective plating and reinforcement measures. Steel slats shutter angularly over the windows of the cars, with firing ports arranged intermittently on either side; both elements appear to be newer additions and refitting for the cars, no doubt necessary after unexpected hurdles prompted further unexpected security additions—with the exception of the engine. Heavily armored and sporting a sizable plow and turret, the train’s engine seems aptly prepared for more spirited obstacles in transit. Dean’s team takes to one of the passenger cars nearer to the rear of the train, with a half dozen cargo cars in between; palettes of munitions have been prepped and stowed, with a detachment of more than twenty uniformed soldiers and half as many field engineers on board. The entourage is further joined by several members of the research division and a full staff accompaniment of medical personnel. Slowly, the transport stirs and shifts—before gradually picking up momentum, its mission underway.
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Apr 19, 2019 20:51
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Jennifer She clambers up the side of the Fimbrulwulf, using tufts of wiry hair as handholds, and takes a seat just behind the fury behemoth's head. Looking down at Martin, she nods to the others, then glances at the train. "Keep an eye out. They'll need marksmen at the speed we're going to be traveling I have a feeling. Good luck." Leaning down, she murmurs in one large flicking tulip-shaped ear, "How does the scourge of the nine realms feel about racing a train?" Grinning, she doesn't even wait for an answer, winding her fingers in his hair and clinging with her knees as she wistfully thinks of similar four-legged beastie, whereabouts unknown. Oh Coyote, I hope this isn't the one mess you haven't figured out a way to wiggle out of. "Let's go!" she shouts at the wolf, aiming him with pressure from her legs towards the tracks. An M16 hanging across her chest jostles with the sudden movement. Gonna ride on ahead and try to intercept any hostiles that are feelin' froggy.
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Apr 19, 2019 22:24
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Allison Dean’s answer seems to satisfy her. So he has some idea of how all this works. More than she’d given him credit for. Her mistake. She wipes the amusement off her face and agrees with their words, digesting as much of the real planning from actual soldiers as she can in what little time they have left. ~ A woman’s pale hand - strong, gentle - reaches out from a blinding light, grasping out for her, reaching into blackness. Grab it. A familiar voice. Grab it? Her own voice. Grabit.Gr bitgrabit GRAB itgra t. Those voices, familiar to. But not. Echoing and driving. Warped and diminutive little chorus. Allison reaches out to take the hand - that cold, weirdly comforting hand. o psoopsoops. Her hand is no longer hers - but it is? Isn’t. Is. It clenches tight, she digs her nails into the helping hand. d n’t know shouldn't have Her hand burns, her wrist is in flames enflamed, heat and swelling, bursting, infected. Ink weeps from her cuticles, pulses beneath her flesh, not Coyote’s spidery tongue - fat swells instead, bulging tumorously. car eitc rveitCARVEit. It lashes and crawls across her grip, tearing at the cold pale hand, shredding it, exposing meat and fat beneath, spitting blood. The hand’s grip stays strong, seizing. Then convulsing. Seizing, even as the ink tears it apart, strip by strip, the only sound the wet peeling. Familiar voice again. No time for that now. Her own voice? The weeping fingers and burning flesh abate, the ink pulling tight into neat, tight little spidery writing again, that comfortable sleeve on her arm. There is no cold hand anymore, nothing above. Just herself. That voice, her ?own? voice speaks to her again. See yoµ± s°oñ. ~ Ow. She touches her lip where she’d bit it - no blood, but still. Ow. Irritably, she rubs at her eye and stirs alert, seated comfy on the train - comfy as she can, anyway, using a ballistic vest as a seat cushion, a bundled canvas as an armrest. She peers out the slats of the passenger car, watching Jennifer astride the great wolf outside the train, clicking her tongue, “And they accuse me of being dramatic.” Allison waves a tiny salute to Martin as he boards the train, reclining. “No room on the wolf?” Relative to the soldiers marching about, her preparation is more meditative, relaxing. Taming her splitting headache, the angry chattering and everything else. So she lounges for now, resting for the end of the tracks. Ambivalent fucked around with this message at 13:17 on Apr 23, 2019 |
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Apr 23, 2019 13:05
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Hobbs He didn't like the idea of Jennifer just riding out ahead of the train, even if she was riding a mythological killing machine. However he wasn't going to tell her not to do it. And there was no telling if the wolf would want to get on the train in the first place. Its a reckless move, he thought to himself, but he had to assume that the wolf would protect her. He couldn't bring himself to trust the wolf completely. As long as those on the train didn't lose sight of her, she shouldn't be in too much danger. With that in mind he boarded the car closest to the front of the train. "She's riding a wolf into battle Martin, I'm not sure if heroics are optional at this point." Standing at the door, he looked back at Alex. His face scrunched as he worried about her. He wondered if she was going to take to the air or stay on the train. He didn't like the idea of her flying along the train. It was a dangerous move to make. Most people wouldn't pay attention to a bird, but the clowns very well might. Still, he couldn't bring himself to argue for her to stay in the train. With the mission about to begin he didn't want to get into a fight or anything. She was her own person and he couldn't tell her what to do. Standing at the door, he started to go over the gear he brought with him. He carried enough rounds for two men. At least over a hundred rounds in about six or seven magazines. He also carried a .45 as well, but he didn't know how useful that would be. It probably wouldn't have enough stopping power to do anything more than to inconvenience some of the things lurking about. The knife he carried probably wouldn't be that useful for fighting either, but it had a lot of uses. The Multi-Purpose Rescue Ax he found might be useful for splitting some heads, but he mostly carried it for its non-combat uses. With all the gear he had brought (like the grenades he carried with him) and strapped to him, the one thing relied on the most was his flak vest. He didn't know if it was magic at all (probably not), but he felt like it would keep alive no matter what. He just hoped he didn't have to test that theory. Summary of equipment: Modified AR-15/M-16 Rifle with scope 30 round magazine (Use M-16 stats) with Collimating Sight, Tritium 5 30 round magazines 1 30 round tracer bullets .45 pistol, full magazine 8 grenades: 1 - smoke 2 - AMC M34 white phosphorous 2 - AMC AN-M14 thermite 2 - AMC M67 frag 2 - ARGES HG 86 4 - M15 M203 grenade launcher 5 rounds HE 4 chem lights 50' of rope half a roll of duct tape Lensmatic Tritium Compass Leatherman multi-tool Sharpening stone 20 trash bags. Poncho Hiking backpack Improvised lock picks flashlight Large knife shoulder holster Cut resistant gloves SAS survival handbook personal basics Flak Vest DR: 7 Location - Torso Weighs 20lbs. DocBubonic fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Apr 25, 2019 |
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Apr 25, 2019 21:01
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Alex She whistles as Jennifer and the Wolf ride by. "Have fun! I mean, be careful too!" The two of them would at least enjoy the battle. Probably a little too much. Making her way onto the train car, she spots Martin. "Give me a yell when we get to a spotty area and I can do recon." The retrofitted steel shutters get a glance. "Could have used one of these on the way out of Wright Patterson." Alex straightens her self-made armor and looks to the skies briefly before returning to checking her rifle. And then checking her sword. And then checking her rifle again. Stepping up on the train, she similes at Hobbs. "Let's see what Jennifer and Fenrir flush out. And to think, I was worried they would never get along. If I have to fly I'll leave my rifle here. If Jennifer gets into trouble I'm probably the quickest backup for her and Fenrir. Of course, if that wolf needs backup we are all in trouble." She takes a deep breath to calm down. "You ready? You're wearing your flak jacket right? I promise not to do any unneeded heroics if you promise to stay safe."
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May 2, 2019 23:48
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Hobbs "I think the wolf sees Jennifer as a kindred soul. Both like a good fight. They crave the excitement of battle. And now they're gonna rush off to find something to fight. They should be safe for the most part." Unconsciously he fiddled with the equipment he had tied and attached to his vest. "They'll be fine. Unless something happens to Jennifer. I have a bad feeling the wolf isn't going to defend Jennifer if anything happens to her. Probably won't happen, but if it does, yeah, you'll be our best bet to get to her." He looked out the window. "If who ever we face out there knows about the wolf, then they might be able to prepare a defense against him. I remember the last time we came up against those clowns. We were prepared to fight them. After I managed to kill one or two of them with head shots, they wised up real quick and found themselves head protection. They found a counter to what I was doing. I think that's the best anyone facing him are going to to do. They might find a way to defend against him, but I doubt they'll be able to take him down. And if they manage to stop him, it'll only be a matter of time before this train shows up. And then I guess we'll help him remove whatever is giving him trouble." "Yup, don't leave home with out it." To prove the point, he pulled up the collar to show her he had it on. "I promise to stay safe. As long you aren't in danger. I can't guarantee anything if I think something might happen to you."
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May 7, 2019 20:39
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Blackbird Dreaming Music Chapter 15 - An Ink-Stained Bloom In the early light of the day the scenery sprawls by, armor-slatted windows offering a vantage of the landscape beyond; what had been a largely drab and dour scene before, however, presented glimpses of greenery not seen since before nightmares roamed and the dereliction of domiciles spread far and wide. Budding flora, burgeoned by the rejuvenating salve of that hard-won intervention beyond the threshold—and with it, the treacherous balance of hope’s blossom against the backdrop of terrors yet unanswered. Rumbling rattles rock and sway the passengers of the train in relative peace for the first twenty miles, leaving Alex, Hobbs and Allison an opportunity to simply drink in the sights, settle against cushioned seats and steady themselves for what was to come further on. Beyond the locomotive’s rife and readied payloads, Jennifer was left with the wind in her hair as the enormity of the Wolf she rode afforded ready traversal of savaged terrain, maneuvering over and around abandoned automobiles with nimble power. By late in the morning, sparser rural surroundings surrendered instead to a denser urban sprawl in the railway’s vicinity; out of necessity, the train is slowed steadily on the tracks to afford an opportunity for reconnoissance and scouting ahead, lest an obstruction—purposeful or otherwise—bar the path. Rounding a bend in the tracks slowly, a tone sounds in the interior cars as a number of uniformed men and women gather themselves and stack up for sallied scouting. Fenrir slows for a moment before deftly leaping atop a service van, its frame rocking on sagging suspension beneath the great beast’s bulk. Little vultures. He snorts with a low rumble, craning his head to peer back at Jennifer with a bright eye. Can you smell them as well, I wonder? From the periphery, she catches the gleam of binoculars from beside the train. In the train, Gretchen sidles up and leans against the back of Alex’s seat. “Likely signs of raiders up ahead, apparently. Need to do a sweep, make sure they haven’t tucked any IEDs or other surprises for us, if they’re still around.” Jim Burkhart steps past her, nodding ahead towards the exit doors. “I’m going to have a smoke, one way or another.” By god, we're going to keep on with this thing yet. New chapter time--and how very, very far we've come. Thank you to everyone who's played, and thank you all the more to everyone who has read along and continues to join us for this wild ride.
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May 31, 2019 17:26
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Allison She watches the countryside, occasionally exchanging a word with Jim - light conversation. The spates of would-be foliage are noted in appreciation. “Our girl at the gate’s doing good work where she is, I guess.” Just needed to keep going, keep pushing ahead. Her fingers dig at her palm reflexively, working out stress as her mind wanders - until the train starts to slow. Allison’s nose wrinkles in disgust. She closes her eyes, counts to some number while nodding, then opens them. She waits less than patiently for the explanation and scoffs irritably. It makes sense but the actress is all urgency lately. She looks to Alex and Hobbs, “Whatever, I need to stretch my legs anyway.” She follows after Jim, mostly asking herself, or anyone, “...what’s an IED look like, anyway?”
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Jun 8, 2019 10:02
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Hobbs Looking at the changes outside, he shook his head in disbelief. He thought a change like this was only a fantasy. A part of him still assumed this was fake. Moving into the the built up area, he focused his attention on the buildings that passed by the train. No telling what could be hiding in the shadows. Even with all of the military might on the train, he couldn't let his guard down. Feeling the train slow down, he went for his rifle. As he was about to bring it up, he paused. There wasn't danger yet. He got up as Gretchen spoke up. "Guess there's not telling what's out there until we check it out." He shrugged his shoulders. If an IED was set up on the tracks, then that would suggest someone knew that the tracks were going to be used; he thought to himself. There were ways of knowing things like this. The bandits might have some inside information or they might just have someone who can see the future. "If its an IED, then it could be disguised. Hidden beneath junk or something. Or maybe the raiders just put something on the tracks to stop the train, so they could ambush us. If that's someone's plan, it wasn't thought out very well." He turned to look at Alex, "Aerial reconnaissance?" DocBubonic fucked around with this message at 21:18 on Jun 10, 2019 |
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Jun 10, 2019 21:16
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Alex She shrugs at Allison. "I assume they look like boxes with wires sticking out of them. Based solely on watching action movies of course." Alex hands her rifle to Hobbs and hugs him. "Reconnaissance duties it is. Wish me luck." Turning to Gretchen she nods. "I'll try to find any bombs and look out for raiders. If it's not raiders I'll raise an alarm. Or tell one of them." She gestures to Hobbs and Allison "Sound good?" With that, she concentrates on being a slightly more drab corvid. Wouldn't want to draw too much attention after all. Aerobatics 13 Stealth 15 Flight 12 Will 17 Search 16 Per 16
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Jun 14, 2019 01:40
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Jennifer The smell and sight of green growing things just bolsters her already bouyant mood as they ride through the countryside, a grin on her face as the wind rushes past, making her squint. She thoroughly enjoys the ride, whooping a few times as the great wolf hurdles burned-out husks of vehicles in his pell-mell rush to beat the train. The things to start to slow, and the city slowly rises around them as they come closer to what's left of civilization. She sits up as the wolf slows, clinging with her thighs as he finally stops atop the van, surveying the area with a squinting frown as she shades her eyes and tries to see what he smells. Just a freki, not a bloodhound, she replies amusedly, shifting in her seat as she looks back at the train to see if they've noticed anything. From the gleam of light off glass, it seems they have. Where, exactly? Can you pinpoint the location?
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Jun 16, 2019 04:24
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Hobbs He took her rifle and slung it across his back. "Just be careful up there. I don't think most humans would think to look up, but the non-humans might think to look up." He didn't want to mention how the clowns would hunt birds. He didn't like even thinking about that possibility. Per 17, Acute Hearing (1), Acute Vision (1), Combat Reflexes
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Jun 20, 2019 21:10
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Blackbird Dreaming Deploying from the train car, scouting team fan out to begin their sweep along the tracks—a pair of soldiers toting what appear to be detectors of some sort taking a steady advance focused on the rail line itself. A stiff breeze plays through the vicinity, setting wind chimes to tinkle and tone from the eave of a squat and dusty building as radio chatter begins to crackle with personnel reporting to and fro. From atop the train cars a smaller team sits poised with sighting equipment while off to the periphery Martin and Zee begin working their way to the roof tops with spotters behind them. Treading behind the sweeping teams, Jim casts Allison a glance and gestures. “Could be buried, there’s plenty of loose gravel along here; often times you might find them tucked under loose debris, junk or trash out here.” He nods ahead. “Just watch where you step—they know what they’re doing.” A gesture towards the teams taking the lead. Taking to the air, Alex is the first to garner a swift, broad view of the surroundings—the sprawl of buildings looking choked in places with abandoned vehicles left strewn hither and yon in the streets. Most marked of what grabs her attention, however, is the sea of burgeoning red, white and violet tucked about the recesses of several alleys and across a boulevard, a broad vast bed of what seems to be flowers having spread from its veritable kudzu around several storm drains and an adjacent park. Jackson and Hightower accompany Hobbs as he sets out, joined by three other men and women of the security detail. Other teams take to positions near light cover, craning to look about with the wait. A floral aroma seems to carry along the wind, woven in among the dust, grit and scent of displaced earth; an oily stink punctuates the premises as well, however—a matter which seems to irritate the Wolf ‘neath Jennifer. Above and below. Fenrir intones to Jennifer, eyes glinting brightly. Roosting and burrowed, angry. A snort at that, eyes narrowing. They should be afraid, but are not. Craning his head up, Jennifer can follow to points among balconies and darkened recesses—the sensation of being watched welling up inside her. Taller buildings—apartments and lofts, predominately, with a broader four-story office building looming beside an elevated overpass the rail line traverses; windows, darkened, but many either open or broken scattered about their faces. Signs of families having boarded themselves up to perhaps weather the storms—along with telling indications that looting and plundering had ensued in the months since. From on high, Alex’s keen eyes are first to spot subtler movement on the rooftops—the two nearest, tallest apartment buildings both boasted several figures creeping about the edge and seemingly to gesture and speak into radios. Atop the office building a bit further on, Alex spies a trio of figures crouched among rooftop HVAC units opening large, heavy-looking cases while one of them keeps a vantage of the halted train and teams sweeping out from it. "Movement." Clicks over the radio. "East tower, one o'clock. Curtain pulled shut, fourth floor south corner." Hobbs spots the indicated space, the curtain still flutteringly briefly in the wake of sudden movement; high ground, relative to the other buildings nearby, but he and the others were not without sources of cover along the approach. Nearer to the tracks, Allison can feel a tingle pang within her as some unseen swath of essence seems to 'ripple' with a pulse originating somewhere further southeast--as if something subtle had changed all of a sudden and then gone quiet again. ~ Alex’s got a sharp eye in the sky with her vantage and perception and while most have a feeling something’s up, she can see several sources of activity from up above. Ground teams spotted less specific movement, but don't quite have a bead on things--but Hobbs is aware and attentive, less likely to be caught off guard now. Allison has picked up on a strange shift in essence to the southeast, though she's not sure what it was yet--just that something changed and then went quiet again. Due to how much is going on, I have made a crude map to aid in visualizing the layout of just what you’re getting into. The bulk of the squares are miscellaneous homes or small businesses, but the tallest buildings—a trio of apartments / lofts and an office building—are marked out in particular. The boulevard is a five lane thoroughfare down through the main drag of it all and the thin black lines are streets that spread out from it. Off on the periphery the red wavy spread is the dense flowery vegetation, though there’s patches of greenery around most of the rest of the vicinity as well contrasting with drier dusty detritus and the like. Alex sees activity on Apts 1, Apts 2 and the Office Building roofs. Streets are a mixed bag of how clogged they are, but most are still readily navigable on foot at least. Martin and Zee are in the process of claiming firing positions, but are not yet in place; you have a not inconsiderable amount of NPC support here (for a change)--but it's still potentially a pretty dangerous situation. Other details may surface and be added to the map as the scene progresses. Everyone can have 15 CP.  If anyone's curious and wants to jabber, there's a little BD discord server here It's not much, mind, but it's something!
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Sep 23, 2019 16:28
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Hobbs "Do we got eyes on the buildings facing the tracks? Best spots to snipe would be up there. Not sure what kind of people we're facing here. Might just be run of the mill people with civilian weapons, but there's a chance we got some professionals out there." Especially if any soldiers from the base decided to become bandits. No telling what they might be able to pick up from a military base, Hobbs thought to himself. He crouched down, unsure of which way to look. The east tower had some movement, but no telling if they're hostile or not. His eyes began to scan the upper floors of the buildings that he could see from his position. If someone was planning on shooting them, they'd have set up their position already.They'd need some space to set up their position. The smart ones would make sure they were a few feet away from the window or opening they're using. Others might not think of that and set up near the edge of the opening where they're position. As he begins a sweep of the buildings, he then asks, "We got people checking for IED's right? I don't like standing in one spot too long." Checking out the various buildings. Hobbs is looking for any signs of rifle barrels or barricades to protect shooters. Per 17, Acute Hearing (1), Acute Vision (1), Combat Reflexes
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Sep 24, 2019 20:34
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Alex Soaring over the building, Alex clues onto a few issues. She could not see into the office buildings, but presumably, they had many more people in them. Dodging sniper fire while fighting their way to the buildings and then up them might be difficult even for the wolf and freki. And perhaps, there were other actors down on the ground beside the possible raiders. Well hopefully the kudzu isn't a dryad from hell. Then she spots the HVAC trio and the crate. Alex was not a military woman in the least, however, she did know that big cases usually did mean bazookas. At least in movies anyways. She angles towards the office building hoping to get a closer look at the likely ambushers. With a sigh, she relays her findings back to her crew. Hey guys, you got eyes on you from the apartment buildings. They have radios so you might be able to communicate with them, or intercept the communications? The bigger issue is that the three guys on the office building might have party favors. They seem to be unpacking some big cases, so that's probably bazookas, grenades or rifles, right? Gonna circle and get a closer look. So, uh, what's our plan here? Maybe we can talk to them? I'll intervene to the best of my abilities if the folks on the office building aim at our people. Oh and tell Martin and the sniper squad they're next to the HVAC unit. Mind Link Acute Vision 2 Per 16 Observation 16 Danger Sense Circling the office building and trying to see what's in the box
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Sep 30, 2019 02:20
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Jennifer "Yeah, they've got eyes on us," Jennifer murmurs in agreement with Alex, narrowing her eyes as she follows his lead up to the various apartment buildings, then frowning and deciding to see whether or not she does, actually, smell what the wolf is referencing. !3d6 = (4+6+2) = 12 "Ah, ok. I guess I take that bloodhound crack back," she mutters, pursing her lips as the scent of something sickly sweet, like rot or decay, assaults her nostrils from underneath the floral scent, mingling with that of live bodies in the apartment buildings. She tilts her head to speak into her radio. "Fenrir smells people in the apartment buildings and something not cool or friendly in the sewers below us. I'm thinking nightmare fuel types more than people types from the smell below decks. Also there's flowers. I don't think they're anything otherworldly but... they're there." She just doesn't trust anything anymore, she thinks ruefully as she releases the button, surveying the scene again before adding, "He says they're not afraid but angry. Maybe we should announce who we are and what we want before a nice little firefight starts here, just in case they're remnants from the base?" Her voice trails off in a lilt that speaks of hope more perfunctory than sincere.
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Oct 2, 2019 05:15
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Allison Heeding Jim's advice, she bobs her head a little, "Right, let the professionals work." Allison kicks at the dirt, shaking out her stiff leg a little, then looks up to the sun, listening to the radio chatter of the others with disinterest, until Jennifer's traffic. All at once, her attention and her head snap toward the source of the that peculiar activity. Her nose wrinkles - she's paying attention now. Snagging Jim's portable from his shoulder, she flashes him an insincere apologetic look and goes over the air, "Not for nothing but something... did a thing, right about the time you guys called out movement. Maybe from around the apartments by that road. Did a thing then stopped." Descriptive. She puts Jim's radio back where she found it, then takes few steps out from the train - interested after all, calling back to him, "I know, it's weird, right?" Her eyes scan the landscape around the train, then follow down to the ground where she fixes on a tuft of fresher grass. I wonder... Following the direction her feeling takes her, she wanders after Hobbs, trying not to call attention to him as she moves up. Allison is scoot closer, wandering off from the train, meandering in the direction of her feeling but not trying to get out ahead of the group. But she'll be actively looking out for the same Thing from before. Ambivalent fucked around with this message at 12:54 on Oct 2, 2019 |
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Oct 2, 2019 12:41
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Jennifer She blinks at the radio as Allison's voice echoes tinnily from it. Did a thing? Ya wanna vague that up for me there, Allison? She sighs, clicking the radio back on. "What kind of thing?" She looks around again, feeling rather exposed as the eyes on her intensify, though maybe that's just her now-natural paranoia combined with Allison's vague warning setting her imagination into overdrive. Either way, between that and Alex's report about the 'party favors' she feels like they've sat here long enough. "Alright, Fenrir, we're sitting ducks here. I wanna go up or in. Pick a building and let's... go say hi." Since Apt 2 building is closest to me let's see if we can find or make an entrance big enough for my little friend here to fit. If that's not an option let's see if he can hop up on some buildings and get to the roof, I don't like being the biggest duck in the shooting gallery and wanna make higher ground.
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Oct 2, 2019 16:58
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Hobbs Bringing up the radio he says, "They might be worried about something other than us. The real threat might be underneath us. We might have a common enemy here." Hobbs looks around again, this time more worried about the ground than the buildings. If these people were going to ambush us, then they should have attacked us when we stepped out of the train. He wondered if they were preparing to fight something else. Maybe whatever is underneath is waiting until darkness to attack. If that's the case, we stumbled into a potential mess here. Thinking about this scenario, he realized Alex's idea was the best way to go. Both groups just standing around staring at each other wasn't gonna solve things. He let his rifle down on his sling. What he was about to do was dangerous, but someone had to do it. Putting up his hands, he yelled, "Hey, folks! We see you up there. We don't want to fight! Can we talk instead?" As he waited for an answer, he readied himself to hit the ground. Diplomacy-12, just in case.
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Oct 2, 2019 21:16
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Blackbird Dreaming Scanning the vicinity, Hobbs takes to keen attention - though spotting apparent signs of emplacements and hideaways with so many broken windows and gutted balconies makes things trickier; with the security teams still fanning out, focusing his attention on the buildings ahead Hobbs manages to pick out several balconies with curtains and furnishings arranged to form shrouded blinds to blend in with other disheveled edifices. From on high, Alex swoops for another look with her vantage, spying what did appear to be some sort of shoulder-mounted weapon of some kind - from her familiarity, it appeared much thicker than a bazooka and appeared to have a more sophisticated sighting mechanism. As she observes, the rooftop crew maneuver to position themselves low near an edge of the rooftop - facing themselves towards the southeast, rather than towards the train however. Stepping further from the group, Allison begins to make her way towards the source of that strange sense of essence, honing her attention in an effort to get a fix on its origins - and only belatedly noticing Jim calling questioningly after her. Mentally, her vision drifts however - until Allison finds herself pressing her way through leafy foliage and tall, vibrant flowers, as if navigating some ephemeral overgrown garden; dewy blooms brush against her metaphorical push. Drifting from her physical self, Allison follows those trailing leads further, deeper, exploring and searching. It’s vague, subtle at first, but Allison’s senses prick to a scent of essence unlike her prior exposure to its manipulation. Ahead, she sees a manifestation of a broad expanse of overgrowth with… figures interspersed among the hedges and blossoms, though they are in varying states of decomposition and reclamation by the plants. Near to the center of it all, she makes out a face formed out of wreathed leaves. Its eyes open - and Allison recognizes that shift again as something shudders throughout the growths around her, her perception of those roots and vines beginning to surface and surge, twining about her feet and ankles, reaching for her arms - attempting to seize upon the projection of her own essence. Hobbs’ radio call receives a prompt reply - “They’re ready to ambush, but we’re gaining cover by the moment.” Taking to the more bold and brazen approach, Hobbs’ shout prompts the nearby security team to fall into positions of cover while he sees at least two of the emplacements he’d picked out adjust weapons towards him from the high ground. There is a delay for a moment, before a woman calls out from the apartment lofts. “How do we know you’re not with the others? Same uniforms!” Meanwhile, Fenrir looses a gruff, gusty snort before moving with purpose, leaping and vaulting with great strides as the freki is ferried atop a delivery van - its roof crumpling beneath the weight - and up onto the flat top of a single story building. From there, the great beast moves more quickly still, leaping up onto a second story and granting Jennifer a vantage from on high. Fenrir halts, lifting his head and craning towards the southeast. Ahh. They’re a pack. Do you see them… little wolf?. Head inclining, the great wolf fixes Jennifer with a gleaming golden gaze. Following that gaze, Jennifer could feel her senses bristle, a tingling prick before that breadth of sight and scent narrows in tandem with the beast beneath her: it was difficult to make them out, for so thoroughly did they blend in with the environs and overgrowth: creatures in the shape of wolves, but seemingly fashioned from flowers, leaves and… rye? Martin’s voice comes in over the radio suddenly. “Contact, east, three blocks. Ah ha! This one I know! It is Erbsenbär I think.—it looks very angry.” Snarls begin to erupt from storm drains and shadows, a great gusty breeze blowing through the streets and alleyways - and as the myriad flowers and growths begin to sway and shift, shapes begin to surface among them. Well that was a long spell. Apologies as ever for the delay - the end of 2019 was… not a great time for me through to the new year and then we’ve had the fell arrival of Covid, making for unhappy correlations with apocalyptic disease. Then, uncertainty over whether or not the forums would actually still be here. Woof! Nevertheless, an update at long last. Thank you to the kind folks who helped to keep this thread alive and from slipping into the archives in the meantime. This has continued to be a wild odyssey and I very much appreciate players and readers alike for sticking with us. Now, some peril and excitement afoot: essentially, what appear to be animals made from vegetation are starting to come out aggressively and the folks holed up in the buildings in the vicinity are dubious about whether or not you’re affiliated with others bearing similar uniforms who seem to have caused them discontent to say the least.
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Jul 20, 2020 16:13
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Jennifer She hangs on with legs and hands, fingers entwined in the wiry fur as her knees keep steady pressure with the movement of the great wolf's flanks. She grunts slightly at the rather rough landings, then cocks her head at the moniker he bestows upon her - little wolf? Better than rabbit, she grants - and narrows her eyes as she spots the odd animalistic movement among the plants. Figures nothing can ever just be what it appears. Wolf plants. Plant wolves. And here she thought vegetation returning would be one unmitigated good thing. Then the radios go off, and a woman's voice calls out, and she scowls. Picking up the radio, she calls, "A _what_, Martin?" She really wished her linguistic skills extended to people language and not just... wolf and dragon and poo poo. Just hold up, old son, she thinks in his direction. This may be all a big ol' misunderstanding. She raises her voice in turn. "If you're talking about the Croatian sociopaths who like to kill first and laugh about it later, they decided they wanted to seek employment elsewhere and left with a... shall we say, bang. They're on our to-do list if you want to point in the direction they went. Otherwise, we're just passing through. We don't want any trouble with you or your pet... plant... wolf, things." She divides her attention between the direction of the lofts (and the voice) and the creeping wolves in Demeter's clothing. @Oracle rolls Diplomacy [12]: 3d6 = (3+1+5) = 9 @Oracle rolls Observation [17]: 3d6 = (2+6+1) = 9 Trying to convince these folks that, 'Don't start none, won't be none.' While keeping an eye out for something startin'. Also if they've seen Team
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Jul 22, 2020 06:46
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Alex Alex circles the rooftop once more, trying to make out the funny looking gun? Bazooka? Rocket launcher? Good news and bad news guys. The good news is they are not pointing the gun at the train. The bad news is its a..fancier bazooka? Hobbs? Martin? Any of you know what a fatter bazooka with a fancier sight would be? Anyways they are facing it towards the southeast. If something bad is coming it's likely from there. Circling again she tries to acertain what exactly they are pointing the weapon at and how worried they should be. @NC rolls Observation [16]+2 Acute Vision [18]: 3d6 = (6+1+3) = 10
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Jul 23, 2020 02:54
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Hobbs When the anticipated gunfire didn't erupt, he let out a sigh of relief. They're willing to talk, he thought to himself. Then he heard Alex. Could be any number of things. Most weapons like that are meant to take out large vehicles or something with a lot of armor. Its likely they're former military. Can you tell what they're aiming at? His hands moved down slightly, as he looks around at the plants. He failed to understand what Martin saw, but he knew it wasn't peaceful. So, he thought to himself it wasn't something coming up out of the ground, it was the plants here instead? It would explain how they were positioned. I guess the new problem becomes whether these people are working with the plants or if they're just avoiding them by staying up above. Really wasn't expecting to fight plant monsters today. "We don't want any trouble with you." He wasn't sure if they were going to respond to Jennifer or not. Also it wouldn't hurt to keep their attentions divided. "Those others might have looked like us, but they might be our enemies too. Maybe we could work together. Especially if you have other problems to deal with right now." He kept his hands from going all the way down and stood in one spot. This put him in a very dangerous spot, but he hoped that putting himself in such a spot might put them at ease. Diplomacy[12]: 3d6 = (6+1+3) = 10 Observation [18]: 3d6 = (3+5+4) = 12
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Jul 23, 2020 03:53
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Allison Even as her sense drifts, her lips murmur aloud, “Oh, it’s lovely.” It is a pleasure, just drinking in the look, the greenery and foliage, the abundant flora, the wild growth. Slithering through it, unclean, polluting it with her own sooty, inky wake - that all feels… embarrassing, shameful. Bad. Ugly. She doesn’t like that feeling very much. In this verdant space, she is the invader. The essence itself is different and apart from what she’s used to tangling with. The shapes amongst the hedges draw concern - is that real, some aspect of perception? - but the face at the center warrants further investigation - a look at least. She’d been about to turn back, honestly. Really. When the snares make themselves known, she tries to jerk back to her body immediately, flee, withdraw. Allison tries to numbly manipulate her body at a distance, tries to have it call out - Jim had been nearby, right? She hopes he still is. She tries to have her hand fumble around for that portable radio she’d been handed, push a button, do something to call attention to herself. If this nature had a notion of a face, then it had a self, right? Maybe someone was listening, anyway. She’s talked her way out of worse binds, surely. ‘Is this your garden, then? It’s… pleasant - but I was just leaving.’ Sorry I’m late to the reunion~ Will [22] - Have my body call out, do something~: 3d6 11 Diplomacy [16] - If there's anything there. Nightmare Rep might also be a negative here...: 3d6 6
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Aug 1, 2020 09:55
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