As you select "The Way Forward," the console's screen goes blank for a moment, and then lines of text appear.
SCIENCE DIES,
PROGRESS SLOWS,
THE PASSAGE YOU SEEK IS NOT BELOW.
DEAD MAN'S CORPSE,
MAN OF STONE,
THE KEY TO THE PASSAGE THEY HAVEN'T SHOWN.
FEAR AND MIND,
YOU MAY SAY,
MOVE YOU 'ROUND IN THE WRONG WAY.
FRIENDS ARE SHY,
SLEEP IN REST,
NEITHER POINTS TO THE PASSAGE THAT'S BEST.
ENEMY FRIEND,
PAINFUL WOUND,
OBLIVION AIDS, IT IS RUNED.
Below that is a jumble of letters, numbers, and symbols. Kora and Darius know that they're some sort of code, and with proper strokes and techniques, you could hack the system to access whatever they're hiding.
Darius looks over at Kora. So who's cracking and who's the assistant? Flip you for it....
Pulls out a two headed quarter. Making sure to only show one side. Since its my quarter heads its my job tails its yours. Flips it and reveals heads smiles and slips it back into his pocket. Looks like your the help. Let me show you how its done....
Computer
"All yours, hey Leon..."
He stands up and moves out of the way of Darius who clearly was more skilled then he was. That thought left him wondering where Darius came from, how he knew so much about the brotherhood and why he was tattooed so strangely...
Snapping his gauntlet back on he took up his laser rifle once more, readying for whatever came next. He turned to Leon then, handing him the modified form.
"There is a little girl named Tyra in the town we just left she is currently staying at the tavern there and his a new recruit for the brotherhood. I promised to take her back to Delta bunker and see if my parents would take care of her. Her parents were among the dead at the entrance here, she has no family nearby but if anything happens I place my faith in you to see her to the bunker."
"Whatchya findin' over there big guy? Anything good?" says Deirdre to Darius.
Terry overhears Kora's conversation and switches to BoS encrypted channel,
Terry looks and covers the doors with his Multiplas for any sign of activity.
Leon nods, having stood up from the miniatures he was investigating and sketching in his notebook. "That sounds fine by me, Kora. I can run her back to base... and, by the way, you can still proceed. The orders I was given strictly said that in the case of a casualty we should pull out--never said they changed if I went back willingly." The man grins. "Plus, I can see you've got some good allies here--plenty of brawn and brains, which is more than I can supply. Let me know first thing when you get this Vault cleared out, though--I can't wait to investigate it!" The man laughs and starts to walk out, but just before leaving, he pauses and walks back over, handing his shotgun and 20 extra shells to Kora. "I'll be with a trader or guard, I'm sure, and I know my way around the Wastes anyway. Plus, I keep a knife on me. But you folks might need this."
As the Scribe leaves, Darius is able to crack the code on the computer, and the new command appears. PICTOGRAPHIC CLUE
Don't know just yet. I activated a cleanup file to pull out some of this junk and now I'm waiting on a doorbreaker encryption to finish running.
He looks over at the vault tech figures and smiles.
I think I want one of those figure anything out with the display yet? That doesn't look like the one vault tech made...
Thinks about what he just said and looks warily at the brotherhood troops.
Kora nods briefly as he accepts the shotgun from Leon. "You have my deepest thanks Leon, Tyre's a bright girl. A little fragile right now, but I think she has great potential. Thanks for the rounds and stay safe you old Dust Dog, i'll make sure to return this with a summarized report as well."
He had almost missed what Darius said, almost and now he was gettin an itch between his shoulder blades. THe kind that accompanied the hairs on the back of the neck standing on end. Just who the hell was this guy?!
He cocks the shotgun, checking the chamber as he speaks over the encrypted comm.
He shouldered the shotgun, the weathered strap straining against his armor as he turned to Darius. "Have you delved into other vaults before Darius?" He made sure not to look directly at Darius, allowing his helmet to mask his features as he scanned the doorways with his laser rifle drawn and pointed to the floor.
"I don't know what they mean, brother Darius, but they look old. People pay good caps for old things. Hey, how about I take care of them and then we can take a good look at them later?"
He gives what he hopes is a winning smile and reaches out towards the toys, fingers twitching.
Be careful in fact leave it something is off about it let gregg check it first.
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"Well, you're gonna have a hell of a time taking them, Winter. They're attached to the pedestals pretty good. They've gotta be down here for a reason, too. Some sort of puzzle?"
Gergg studies the figurines and pedestals looking for traps.
Suddenly, a new thought comes to him:
"I think all that mumbo jumbo on the computer is a riddle telling us what order these pedestals are supposed to go in. That 'Man of Stone,' part has to be talking about this guy!" he exclaims, pointing to the corresponding Vault-Boy.
Terry looks to see Darius checking out the Brotherhood from the Vault-Tec Toys. He nods to Darius, and keeps scanning all of the doors ...
Shakes his head and begins tinkering with his milboy. I think your right Gregg you wanna take a crack at arranging them? Checks all of his weapons and does touch drills with everything on his tac harness while he waits.
"Enemy friend, painful wound, oblivion aids, it is runed...", repeats Winter.
"What happens if you move the man shaking hands with the bear and the one with the wounds? And which one's oblivion? The figure disappearing into nothing, or the one going to sleep ?"
Darius click the file and opens it.....
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I think some of them are in the right order already, but a few will need switched. We just need to figure out which figurine matches which part of the riddle." Gergg says.
"The only parts we have to worry about are:
SCIENCE DIES,
PROGRESS SLOWS,
DEAD MAN'S CORPSE,
MAN OF STONE,
FEAR AND MIND,
FRIENDS ARE SHY,
SLEEP IN REST,
ENEMY FRIEND,
PAINFUL WOUND,
The rest of the riddle is just nonsense for right now."
"'Painful Wound' is probably this guy, for example," he says, pointing to the bloodied figurine.
"And this one has to be 'Sleep In Rest'" he says as he indicates the yawning figurine in the nightcap.
Terry overhears the conversation and points out, "Fear and Mind is probably the one with the man who has his hands to his head, an expression of shocked horror on his face. The color fades from the center of the figurine so that its extremities are clear plastic."
Then goes back to covering the doorways.
Then speaks from his position, "Science dies is probably the one shaking the something inhuman."
Then goes back to watching the doorways once more.
1: A man in an exaggerated walking pose, half bent over.
2: A headless man collapsing backwards, his hand clutched to his breast.
3: Two men shaking hands, both smiling.
4: A man held still in a somewhat heroic pose, but rather than the bright colors of the other figurines, this one appears to be made of stone.
5: A man running while looking over his shoulder, an expression of fear on his face.
6: A man held slightly off of the base of the figurine by a bit of clear plastic, a flowing cape behind him.
7: This man has his hands to his head, an expression of shocked horror on his face. The color fades from the center of the figurine so that its extremities are clear plastic.
8: This man is in an old-style nightshirt and cap, yawning deeply.
9: This man is shaking hands with something inhuman...
10: This man has an expression of pain and fear as he raises his hands up. The paint makes it look like he's bleeding copiously from several wounds....
SCIENCE DIES,
PROGRESS SLOWS,
THE PASSAGE YOU SEEK IS NOT BELOW.
DEAD MAN'S CORPSE,
MAN OF STONE,
THE KEY TO THE PASSAGE THEY HAVEN'T SHOWN.
FEAR AND MIND,
YOU MAY SAY,
MOVE YOU 'ROUND IN THE WRONG WAY.
FRIENDS ARE SHY,
SLEEP IN REST,
NEITHER POINTS TO THE PASSAGE THAT'S BEST.
ENEMY FRIEND,
PAINFUL WOUND,
OBLIVION AIDS, IT IS RUNED
"Science Dies, the man with the creature there. Painful Wound, the bleeding man here. Man of stone is obvious. Progress slows must be the man who is bent over here. Dead man's corpse is obvious as well. Fear and Mind I agree with Terry on that one, sleep in rest is another obvious one."
He points at the two men shaking hands and smilig. "Enemy Friend must be those two... Oblivion Aids..." He inspects the figurine with the cape closely, looking for some type of insignia on him like the old comics that floated around the bunker.
"I mean, really? No one is curious as to what happens if we place them incorrectly and try to open the door? What if there's an explosion?"
"Oh... right.... yeah, let's not get carried away and be cautious."
"Soooo wait.... how do we know what the 'first' position is on the tables?"
"From my observations, the first one is the man walking all bent-like: the slowing of progression. The second, the chum without his cranium. The third, .... wait a fricken minute!!!"
"Okay, so obviously it's a puzzle. But even more, they're directions! In the form of a riddle. The passage into the Vault is not through the Vault door, but another passage. 'Through a man of stone'. I wonder if...."
Deirdre examines the room further for any of the clues presented. She also has Stonecunning from her Human(Delver) racial trait, which I assume is adapted to metal structures for the purposes of this campaign. So, looking for trapdoors and secret passages, she takes 20, like a champ.
Perception: 20+6+2=28, 29 if Trap Finding applies.
At Deidre's sudden, energetic words he merely shrugged his shoulders. "An explosion is unlikely, it would damage this outside system. A more insidious defense system would likely be in place to minimize possible damage. More than likely they will use a chemical agent, a gas strong enough to overpower even combat armor like ours, saturate the air enough that our filters wouldn't be worth a damn."
As Deidre continues he thumbs his way through the passage, turning it over and over in his head.
Science Dies,
Man shaking hands with Inhuman creature
Progress slows
A man in an exaggerated walking pose, half bent over.
THE PASSAGE YOU SEEK IS NOT BELOW.
DEAD MAN'S CORPSE,
This headless man collapsing backwards
MAN OF STONE,
This one with the heroic pose appears to be made of stone...
THE KEY TO THE PASSAGE THEY HAVEN'T SHOWN.
FEAR AND MIND,
The one with his hands on his head and looking terrified fits...
YOU MAY SAY,
MOVE YOU 'ROUND IN THE WRONG WAY.
FRIENDS ARE SHY,
SLEEP IN REST,
Sleepy Guy right there...
NEITHER POINTS TO THE PASSAGE THAT'S BEST.
ENEMY FRIEND,
Those two smiling at each other...
PAINFUL WOUND,
The injured man there
OBLIVION AIDS, IT IS RUNED
I wonder if they mean the one with the cape...
He examined each piece looking for clues and hoping to find something they may have missed earlier. "Anything new on the computer?"
As Darius opens that command, a picture appears on the computer monitor. It is somewhat grainy and not very easy to make out, but a little focus makes it clear that this is an image of a Vault Boy miniature collector stand. Ten figurines are arrayed from left to right on the stand--the same ten in this room.
1: A man in an exaggerated walking pose, half bent over.
2: A headless man collapsing backwards, his hand clutched to his breast.
3: A man held still in a somewhat heroic pose, but rather than the bright colors of the other figurines, this one appears to be made of stone.
4: A man running while looking over his shoulder, an expression of fear on his face.
5: A man held slightly off of the base of the figurine by a bit of clear plastic, a flowing cape behind him.
6: Two men shaking hands, both smiling.
7: This man has his hands to his head, an expression of shocked horror on his face. The color fades from the center of the figurine so that its extremities are clear plastic.
8: This man is in an old-style nightshirt and cap, yawning deeply.
9: This man is shaking hands with something inhuman...
10: This man has an expression of pain and fear as he raises his hands up. The paint makes it look like he's bleeding copiously from several wounds....
AS the group makes out the picture, Deirdre finds an interesting wire running from the pedestal of the figurine of the disappearing man. Looking closely, it appears the figurine can be lifted from the pedestal--and there's probably something underneath.
"BOOYA!" says Deirdre as she lifts up the empty pedestal, revealing what lies underneath....
Under the pedestal is a small switch, the metal lever wrapped in red rubber. It's currently facing away from the Vault door, toward you.
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"Everybody back to the doorway, I've got this." Gergg proclaims, confidently. "Unless you're all against flipping the switch, that is..."
Hearing no objection, he drives one of his darts into the tabletop firmly on the Vault door side of the switch. He fashions one end of his spool of string into a loop, which he drapes over the switch and secures with duct tape, then guides the string around the dart to act as a pulley and lets the string trail behind him as he joins the others in the perceived safety on the far wall nearest the exit.
Taking up position back at the doorway, he places himself in front of the others. If there was a blast his armor would survive it far better than their flesh and if it was an automated defense system then the same thing applied. He leveled his Laser Rifle and aimed into the left quadrant of the vault room. "Terry Cover Right Quadrant in case it's an automated defense system." He kneeled down then, giving those behind him a line of fire. Once Everyone was ready he nodded to Gergg. "Ready to Proceed."
Terry responds quickly, "Yes sir, moving now!" Terry covers the right quadrant.
Takes a covering fire postion with his pistol and softly hums the Marine core anthem.
Let her rip Gergg.
Moving away from the monitor, the group awaits with bated breath for the switch to be pulled. Gergg tightens the string, the switch moves....
And nothing happens. When the ghoul lets some slack on the string, the switch automatically returns to its earlier position.
Something's not right...
Seems something's not set up right in this room. Maybe that picture on the monitor and the order of the figurines has something to do with it?
Goes and makes sure the figures in the picture and display match. Moves back to his former postion.
[B] okay try it again]
"OH WHAT THE S#~+!?"
Int
With the figures in position he raised his laser rifle readying to protect everyone from whatever came next. "To serve and protect..."
Good words to die by...
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Gergg smacks his forehead with the palm of his hand upon realizing what was wrong.
"I thought somebody had moved the figurines around to match the picture, but I guess everybody was too busy looking at the screen. Oh well, hang onto your butts for real this time."
He pulls the string again, just as he had before.
This time, you can tell that things are working out well from the moment Gergg draws the string. A tension fills the air--a good tension, the tension of things to come. And then, you hear engines and motors roar to life, the thrumming of power, the high pitch of electricity coursing through wires, and the Vault door comes to life, gears and cogs shifting, levers pulling and braces falling back, until finally, the great hunk of metal rolls aside, offering entrance into Vault 232.
Upon entering the Vault, Terry takes out a very old piece of pre-war paper that has been laminated in plastic. He appears to be checking out the area and comparing what he sees to the paper. In addition, he seems to be keeping the paper from prying eyes.
He advances alongside his partner, laser rifle raised and ready to fire at a moment's notice.
"What do you think Terry, survivors down below or do you think this vault is abandoned? "
Terry folds up the page without creasing it as Kora comes up besides him ... "Uh ... human or other Sir?" ... obviously not looking for inhabitants or signs of life ... "However, Sir, no one has come to greet us peacefully or aggressively so I am guessing humans either no long inhabit this vault or something is not right."
Or they were doomed by Vault tech.... they were doing some messed up stuff boys...
He nodded at Terry's response, eyeing the opening warily when Darius spoke up and caused him to twitch again. Vault Tech? That was subject matter he hadn't been cleared for as a scribe, he'd heard talk about them but that was all it was. Talk. Nothing concrete and yet everyone was so tight lipped about it.
"So what exactly did they do Darius? Or should we just prepare for the worst?" He edged to the doorway and took cover on one of it's corners and peered in with his laser rifle aimed and ready to fire.
Well mind you I don't know all the details but they had a lot of government contracts military ones...... So you here things. Some of the vaults weren't there to help people they were experiments they weren't really intended for use.... Some didn't have this or that some had odd directives. Some were used to store milspec gear or do research on it as they really were secure facilities. Thats why I hunt through them. I'm looking for something of mine you could say. Well not really mine its just I'm the only one who knows what it is, how to use, and who can use it safely..... It doesn't really liie other people it was made not too...
He has grown comfortable around them even thiugh he doesn't fully trust them yet and has said way more than he really ment too. He looks around the room and beeping noise comes from his pack. He quickly sets it down and looks in it adjusting something. The beeping stops and he looks up and smiles.