Dungeon World Zeitgeist

Game Master Sbodd

"I don't know, I could probably cover it in a case of ice - or does it have to be *liquid* water?"

Kappa shrugs. "'Fraid so. This is strange and particular stuff we're dealing with. It's not like I was looking for a direct supply of water, though - if you can cover it in a thin layer that'll melt quickly, then that should help contain the effects once that happens. We can work on getting more water from there."

"I suppose if you could get the ice to behave like a liquid while it was still frozen that would work too, but, ah...don't. Seriously. It might be better than what it's doing now, but I'd rather not see what it'd pick up from something like that if we don't have to."

In my PC description, as a Starting Move : "Trickle - You can emit a small amount of your Primary Element for mundane tasks...without having to Channel".

Tethys creates a continuous cloud of snow above the box, so that it melts on contact with the box, covering it with water.

Retzack

You find the thug where you left him, still pale and unconscious, and get him back to the alley without incident.

Tethys

Enzo disappeared during this fight in the alley, after laying the iron circle on the ground.
And your use of Trickle sounds good to me. More below.

Burke

XP for your 6-, and take the 5 damage.

A searing pain in your legs dominates your mind, along with lesser pains in your back, mirroring the woman's apparent injuries; her legs are still visibly broken, however. This has happened before - you've taken on her pain, but not her injury; she could compound her wounds if she tries to move at all. She begins to awaken. What do you do?

Everyone

Kappa and Tethys, mark bonus XP for acting on the 6-.

As Tethys starts to form a shell of water over the box, the faint uncomfortable feeling fades. Tethys, however, realizes quickly that all is not well; a sort of black bubble forms around the box, and she feels an outward pressure start to form. As long as you keep the box totally covered in water, you expect the pressure will continue to build; when the dam breaks, there's going to be a wave of its soul-tearing power that will be stronger the longer it's been submerged. What do you do?

Tethys almost shouts to Black Kappa "Hey, something's going on! It feels like my water is damming the flow of the energy inside it, and I get the feeling like it will eventually burst thru my water barrier, and we do *not* want that to happen! We'd all better take a step back!"

Waiting a moment for everyone near the box to do so (including herself), she immediately creates a chilly (but not freezing) breeze to blow the existing water off of the chest, hoping that by slowly removing the water there won't be an explosion of the energy that's already built up.

Turning to Kappa, she says "So, now what?"

XP + 1

Relatively new to the whole box situation, Adir drops his form to ask, Any idea if breaking the box would be good or bad?"

Tethys, that sounds like defying danger with quick thinking to me... Can I get a DD+Int please?

Defy Danger: 2d6 + 0 ⇒ (3, 5) + 0 = 8

Retzack returns, bearing an unconscious man over one shoulder. "Where shall I put our lively prisoner? I assume you want to put him to the question?" he asks mildly.

Burke grunts audibly, and falls to a knee to steady himself. He gestures for Retzack to bring his victim over. He awakens the newcomer. Both of you stay still. I am Burke Hoffa of the Royal High Constabulary. One of you two will speak first. I will do everything in my power to ensure that the first one to answer my questions truthfully receives leniency. What are you doing here? What is that box? Why do you have it? How do I stop it?

He waits calmly, watching their faces closely.

"And the one who answers slowest, or least accurately, I'm going to eat," Ratzack casually mentions, examining his nails.

And I'm helping...whatever it is that Burks is doing: 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (6, 3) + 1 = 10

Burke, that sounds like I am the Law to me, do you agree? +1 from Retzack's aid.

I am the Law!: 2d6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (1, 6) + 1 + 1 = 9

Tethys

Well, it worked - sort of. Your breeze caused the pressure to release in one direction, instead of affecting everyone nearby; unfortunately, the wave of necrotic energy blew right back at you, knocking you backward and leaving you feeling weak. Take 1d10, and mark the Sick (Con) debility. Once the water finishes falling away, the box's effect is back to its previous state - unsafe to get close to, but merely unpleasant if you're a couple of yards away.

Burke and Retzack

The two thugs look at each other for a long moment. The woman finally nods, ever so slightly, and starts talking. "Working for Enzo - keeping tabs on some of the local businesses he's got...an understanding with. The box contains vials of some kind of liquid; Enzo's got us hiding it in some of the factories nearby, then collecting it after it's been there a while. Don't know what it does, but it's apparently super-dangerous. Leo found that out the hard way." She pauses for a minute. "Enzo had these wards - silver, circles, with this odd pattern on them - that needed to be kept on the boxes when they were full."

The man looks at her, and shakes his head. "We're both dead now, you know that?" Then he looks at Retzack, and moves his hand to the puncture wounds on his neck, and starts to look a little panicky. A moment later, he adds "Are you looking for that doctor? He was here earlier - said he needed to leave the city, fast. Enzo had him sent to the Nettles - told the guy they'd get him to a safe house. I don't know where, but if you let me go I can try to find out for you!" he adds, clearly afraid Retzack will follow through on his threat.

The Nettles is the lowest-class district in the city, rife with slums, and the hub of most of the IronHand's activity. Burke, the last part, about him being able to find out about the safe house, is a lie.

What do you do?

Retzack listens carefully, still examining his nails. "The man answered slower, but he seems to have told us things of greater import. I guess they both win. Or they both lose. I care not. Up to you."

He licks his teeth.

It seems our victim may have been removing one of these vials from the embassy. I suggest we take these two into custody, call out some reinforcements to form a perimeter around this cursed box, and head for the Nettles to find one of these wards.

Burke turns back to the woman. Are any extra wards laying around?

Damage: 1d10 ⇒ 6

She's now down to 15/26 HP. Sick(CON-1) disability.

She comes over to the two prisoners, holding the iron thing. "Do either of you know what the purpose of this thing is? Answer quickly and honestly, as my friend here", gesturing to Burke, "can tell if you're lying, and my other friend", gesturing to Retzack, "is still hungry."

Ping?

Burke

"I d-don't think so", the woman replies. " Never seen Enzo with one except when we were loading or unloading a box."

Tethys

The man swallows, looks around nervously, and swallows. "Enzo, and others, can use it to get around somehow. Seen 'em appear in a locked room, right in the middle of an iron circle like that. Didn't work for me when I tried one time, though. "

What do you do?

Retzack is unmoved, and continues to casually arrange his cuff-links. "The usefulness of these two seem to be at and end. We can take them to the holding pen, or I can take them right here, either way they'll not bother us.

Though we do seem to be at a dead end. We've no leads in our original purpose, and this new herring seems limited. What shall we do?"

I've got nothing. Do any of you know what we need to do next?"

Now knowing *what* the iron circle does, she tries to activate it :

Spout Lore: 2d6 + 0 ⇒ (1, 4) + 0 = 5

But has no idea what to do.

Yea! +1 XP...

Honestly, I've forgotten how we got here. DM Sbodd, could you give us a recap of the salient points of the game so far, *after* we left the embassy? Thanks!

I'd say we need to figure out what to do with this box, then follow the doctor. If we get to the area of town where he went to ground, then Adir can track him down.

Tethys

You spend a while trying to activate the rusted iron ring, but as far as you can tell, it's a perfectly ordinary piece of metal. It doubtless acts as a focus for whatever trick they're using to get around, but you think any circle of iron could probably be used.

Recap:
You left the embassy following the trail of a doctor, who has whatever it was Nilasa broke into the embassy to steal. Someone else was also following him, who smelled of burnt engine oil - the box you're dealing with now has a similar smell.
The doctor stopped by his hotel room, which had been ransacked after he left. After that, he came to the building you all were just in. One of your captives says that he was sent on to a safe house in the Nettles.

If you're calling in support for the box and your prisoners, what instructions do you give them? If you're heading to the Nettles after the doctor, how are you going to find him?

My (muddled) thoughts on the situation : presumably, the guy following the doctor was one of the two people who ransacked his hotel room. Was there a smell of oil in the room? Sbodd said there was blood mixed with oil, and the smell of sweat from two individuals, but no *smell* of oil. This would indicate that there's at least two other players trying to find whatever Nilasa stole. But our captives had the box, indicating that they're in league with the guy following the doctor. Finally, our captives say they sent the doctor to a safe house in the Nettles, indicating that they're in league with the doctor. Or maybe Enzo is playing the doctor, and will ambush him instead.
I'm confused.

It seems like we need to go to a place that would have a lot of engine oil? How many places like that can there be?

"Eh?" Retzack says as Burke finally gets around to talking to him about the box. "Neither approach nor pick up? That is among the strangest things I've ever heard. Well, not the top ten, mind you. Not nearly. But certainly in the top half, and that itself is something.

Alright, box," Retzack states, walking closer, gathering his power and mentally steeling himself behind thick mental defences. "Though you might stymie mortals, you will find that I am made of meat O quite different to your usual palette. You shall reveal your secrets to me.

Oh yes you shall."

Retzack tries to pick up the box.

Tethys

What Kappa found at the hotel is consistent with the residues you've found elsewhere - the same person presumably ran into him in the alley, followed his trail to the hotel, and followed him from the hotel to your present location.

Kappa

You again approach the box, and feel it starting to pull at your soul. The effects binding your soul to your body are stronger, for now. You attempt to pick the box up, and find it's astonishingly heavy; you can lift it, but only barely.

You're encumbered as long as you're carrying the box, and staying near it for anything longer than a few minutes will require another Defy +Con to hold on to your soul.

Tethys starts thinking out loud, to everyone : "So, presumably, there was one guy with oil on him that followed the doctor, who is associated with this box. But there's another guy that also tossed the doctor's place that we no virtually nothing about.
I say we go to the Nettles, and try and let Adir track the doctor down, as Burke suggested."

If the stuff I picked up actually is engine oil, and not something similarly scented, then that has quite the set of implications.
Also, shouldn't that second bit be Retzack, not me?

"So much do to, so little time..." He'd forgotten how much you could do with circles...he'd have to take the time to refresh his memory later. He walks up to the thugs and leans in, flat yellow eyes focused intently. "I have just have one little question for you two myself, which I could do with an answer to." He tuts a few times. "Now...are there any more boxes lying about, by any chance? One of these is bad enough, but it sounds very much possible this might not be the only one about. And if there are more that we should worry about right now...well." Kappa lets out a dark chuckle. "We'd very much love to know. It would be terrible if someone fell prey to one of these boxes because you didn't tell us about any more of them, wouldn't it?"

Yeah, that was totally Retzack, sorry.

Burke watches the captives silently as Kappa interrogates them.

Satisfied that he can transport it, Retzack puts the box down and steps away from it, patiently waiting while further interrogations continue.

Kappa's question provokes a vigorous "no" head-shake from both of the captives. "Not right now, no. I know there's at least three, but that was the only one we had here right now." volunteers the man. The woman looks at him, before saying "T-Twelve. I've seen at least a dozen of those boxes come through...never more than three at once, and o-only the one right now, though." [ooc]Burke: both statements are true.[/b]

What do you all do?

Burke moves off to the nearest thoroughfare and commandeers a cart from a civilian before returning.

Do any of you have any strong rope? We can transport the box, and the prisoners back to HQ before tracking down the good doctor.

Retzack heavily lifts the box and puts it in the proffered cart. "Even if we have no rope, that I merely do not touch it should be defense enough for the now. Though, since we have no pack animals, either the prisoners can pull the cart, or I can. Although" Retzack begins smiling and advancing on the un-tasted woman, "I will need all my strength, and O but the smallest taste will restore my virility. Be at peace, I shall not slay her, just render her more...compliant. Bonus, we can put her sleeping form in the cart and not worry about escape."

He bends down to her.

Unless stopped, Retzack drains her for 2 points, rendering her unconscious, and spending one point for +1 Str bonus, and saving the other one. If he is stopped...then this could get interesting. =3
Also, am I still scarred?

Kappa nods. "Thank you for being so helpful. It's much appreciated."
As Retzack goes in, Kappa takes a moment to halt him. "Retzack...you do realise you're saying to put her in the same cart as the box, don't you? The whole point of using it is so that we don't need anyone to go near it. I'm sure you remember that these mortals are not as hardy as you have come to be, let alone after you've had your fill - leave her so close to it, and we'd have more than one reason to not worry about their escape before long. And if we didn't put her in the cart, one of us would need to carry her, wouldn't we? It's inconvenient in several ways."

"It might be better to show some restraint here - to wait, if even only for a little while. I'm sure we wouldn't want anything happening to her, would we?"

Just what occurs to me from reading that post. I don't mean to get in the way of filling up on blood, but it's better to avoid problems with our associates, hmm?

Retzack scowls for a moment, and his eyes shift from the cart to the prisoner. He looks for a moment as if he's going to say something, then simply shrugs and moves back to the cart, sizing it up for transport.

"Well, so long as I wait for a little while, I guess that will be alright."

Well played....

Why thank you. I do my best.
Oh, if only simple logic was helpful more often.

"Good to hear it. I'd hate for there to be an accident."
Kappa winks at the woman, a yellow circle briefly winking out. With any luck, she'd appreciate the reprieve.
"Now, let's get this done, shall we? Can't leave this here for too long."

Adir shifts back in order to protest, but Kappa succinctly covers his objections.

Everyone

It takes several hours, and causes some notable disruptions in places, but you manage to commandeer a wagon, and haul the box through the city without inflicting much collateral damage. Retzack, the extended time spent in proximity to the box is somewhat draining, but you're done before you're in any real danger but do please mark 1 hunger. The magic-suppressing cells in the RHC's jail do appear to work on the box, as well; you get the box (and your prisoners) stowed without incident.

As you're finishing securing the box, a cane on the stairs behind you heralds the arrival of your boss. Inspector Supervisor Delft looks you over and says "Must've gotten interesting, from what I hear. What'd you find out?"

Tethys waits a few seconds for the others to speak up, and when no one does, she relates everything they discovered at the embassy, trying to follow the doctor, the twice-tossed room, and the strange box.

I'm guessing no one wanted to tackle that can 'o worms in detail, so I thought I'd try this instead. After all, the GM's NPC knows everything the GM knows. :)

Yeah, didn't mean to make anyone summarize, sorry :p Consider that part admirably hand-waved; got anything you want to ask your boss while you're here? If not, how are you planning to search the Nettles?

Using 1 blood. "Oh my, all this work is starting to make me a bit peckish," he calmly states/ "I may need to stop at the Angel for a quick bite. Or we could always try to scare something up on the way."

Grateful to be away from so gross a dark item as the box, he calmly waits until the humans tell the other humans what the humans had been doing, then joins in the conversation of the next step. "We could just walk in and start asking questions. That technique has yet to fail to make things...interesting."

"Got any ideas, Inspector, as to what this all means?"

Hey, it's worth a shot... ;)

If we move quickly, I trust that Adir can pick up the Doctor's trail.

Would there be an opportunity to level during the returning the prisoners sequence??

"I may need to stop at the Angel for a quick bite. Or we could always try to scare something up on the way."

Adir shakes his head and half-smiles at the puns.

"Yes, the city will mask the trail soon enough."

Burke

Sure, this is definitely enough of a break that leveling seems appropriate. In fact, I'd say it's a good point to call end-of-session. Post your answers to the EOS questions in the ooc thread!

Tethys

"I'd say your finding this box is a stroke of luck; whatever that group is up to, it can't be good. Keep an eye out for the rest of those; I'll have the other teams do the same. As far as the embassy goes... That sounds to me like they're up to something. Hopefully you can find out what from this doctor."

Everyone

So, how are you trying to pursue the doctor? Adir's nose, Retzack's "ask around", or something else?

Once we get to the location, Adir can try to sniff him out, while the rest of us ask around.

Test post.