Lena, let's find out if you lose Barat's credits and must spend time on top of the train. Please give me a Bluff, Intimidate and Sense Motive check now. One each, please.
For some reason, Lena can't make direct ocular sensor contact with Barat.
With the die set to fly, Lena relaxes knowing the outcome is largely out of her manipulation digits. This doesn’t stop her acting the ‘donkey’, hopefully convincing the other players she is not terribly bright, so they’ll let their guard down.
“BAD SKIM! Oi, Digger! No odds! Tails, tails never fails!”
◯➁
Win, lose or oddsed-out, Lena will graciously shake digits/high 1 vs 5 with the other winners/losers, allowing her the perfect chance to try to lift Brom’s datapad.
“Bad luck, mate. Not long ‘til payday and you can try again/Yeah, I love the feel of the wind through my antennae – and surfing the steel worm will give me plenty of time to make a move on the train’s central processor – I can tell she wants to share relay circuits with me.”
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Lena has a really solid game of Skimmer, and manages to get bodyguard Zim to throw down his cards and look morosely at the ladder leading to the hatch on the top of the train. Zim's buddies all buy a round of drinks to fortify him for his exterior ride. The beefy bodyguard, Zim, downs one after another before glaring at Lena and raising a rude middle finger at the bot.
His buddies, who also drank, sing, ♫ For Zim's a jolly good fellow! ♫
"Yeah, bite me," Zim mutters.
Then Zim activates environmental protections on his armor, and reels a bit as he ascends to ride on top of the train to the cheers of his buddies. Lena also wins a little money off of both Brom and Royce and is now 200 credits richer.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
At first, Aramesh's talk of 'legitimate' clients puts off Brom, and Lena's robotic sense of humor does not help matters. But then both Kevan and Barat contribute their bits to the conversation and Brom suddenly spits out his drink and laughs. "You got me, Aramesh! For a moment, I thought you were serious!"
Royce progresses, as his smooth charm never wavers. However, so do our favorite anti-heroes as Kevan and Barat help Aramesh get through an awkward bit of conversation!
Let's see if you can catch up next round!
Royce: 2
Our Team: 1
It's now ROUND TWO! Aramesh is our Conversationalist, and the rest of you can select your roles!
Provide the roleplay and please put the actual rolls under spoilers!
Conversationalist: The conversationalist sidles up to the bar and engages Brom in dialogue, employing jokes, anecdotes, or other conversation with the intent of leaving him vulnerable to another PC's attempts to pick his pocket. The conversationalist uses Diplomacy for their checks.
Copilot: The copilot sets the conversationalist up for punchlines, aids in steering dialogue toward or away from specific topics, and uses nonvisual cues to help the other PCs perform their roles. The copilot uses Culture for their checks.
Distraction: The distraction creates a situation elsewhere in the car to draw the attention of Brom's bodyguards or Royce's cronies. The distraction can use Bluff, Intimidate, or Perform for their checks.
Interference: The interference watches for circumstances that might hinder the other PCs' efforts and counters them before they become problems. The interference uses Perception for their checks.
Pickpocket: This role can be taken only when the PCs have at least 5 Progress. The pickpocket casually approaches the now‑vulnerable Brom and tries to remove the datapad from his pocket. The pickpocket uses Sleight of Hand for their checks. If Royce makes more progress than you, he might be able to pickpocket as well. And there are consequences for failure!
Saboteur: The saboteur surreptitiously interferes with one of the car's mechanical or computer systems; for example, the saboteur might raise the thermostat, motivating Brom to remove his coat. The saboteur uses Computers or Engineering for their checks.
Windbag: The windbag briefly derails the conversation by using their knowledge of obscure trivia to make an outrageous but accurate claim. The windbag uses Physical Science or Life Science for their checks.
Barat watches the other peoples movements and shifts his position slightly so as to be in the way of Royce when he next moves.
Barat blocks Royce when he comes back from getting a drink. Then blocks him again, making it difficult for Royce to look as smooth as normal.
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Kevan also keeps an eye on the surroundings, but with a more active role in mind.
<<Humans hate it when you bring up their reproductive rituals - especially if you imply they’re not a top-tier performer in that regard. So please don’t mention that rumor going around the local ‘net about Royce… I’m sure we don’t want to hurt his feelings.>>
<<You can push that joke just a little further…>>
<<You are absolutely correct - that is indeed what she said. Maybe the whole table needs to hear?>>
The bear’s telepathic voice inserts itself into his companions’ thoughts with nobody else any the wiser. He hopes.
Kevan's brilliant attempt to cast aspersions on Royce's reproductive rituals falls slightly flat when the Bear implies some deficiencies that don't actually match human capabilities.
Second round of talking
Aramesh addressed Royce "You're right, I do jest but at some point one has to be reaistic, skills and reflexes fade, the tenacity and resolve starts to give way to anxiety and a fear of lasting problems - it isn't bad to think about retirement plans. I know I think about them, always good to look into the future - but also good to know what to look for, to know when it is time to pack it all in and take up playing rounds of Skimmer in a villa as an organised activity between buffet lunches and tours of bland to lukewarm destinations. Take it from a friend, have an exit strategy. What do you say Brom? What are your thoughts? Hold 'em or fold 'em?"
Diplomacy
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Lena being the mischievous bot that she is, sabotages the cooling system to make Brom overheated. "Is it hot in here, or is that just me?" she says, fanning herself with her winning card hand.
Royce progresses, as his smooth charm never wavers. However, so does our Team! Although Kevan's humor goes awry, Aramesh starts hitting his stride, and solid support from Lena and Barat turn his success into a critical success. Brom warms to Aramesh, and starts to relax. "Got any retirement places in mind? I've been thinking about going surfing on Worlan or Pakahano, but I wonder sometimes if I'm getting too old for that."
It's neck and neck! Let's see if you can surpass Royce this round!
Royce: 3
Our Team: 3
It's now ROUND THREE! Aramesh is our Conversationalist, and the rest of you can select your roles!
Conversationalist: The conversationalist sidles up to the bar and engages Brom in dialogue, employing jokes, anecdotes, or other conversation with the intent of leaving him vulnerable to another PC's attempts to pick his pocket. The conversationalist uses Diplomacy for their checks.
Copilot: The copilot sets the conversationalist up for punchlines, aids in steering dialogue toward or away from specific topics, and uses nonvisual cues to help the other PCs perform their roles. The copilot uses Culture for their checks.
Distraction: The distraction creates a situation elsewhere in the car to draw the attention of Brom's bodyguards or Royce's cronies. The distraction can use Bluff, Intimidate, or Perform for their checks.
Interference: The interference watches for circumstances that might hinder the other PCs' efforts and counters them before they become problems. The interference uses Perception for their checks.
Pickpocket: This role can be taken only when the PCs have at least 5 Progress. The pickpocket casually approaches the now‑vulnerable Brom and tries to remove the datapad from his pocket. The pickpocket uses Sleight of Hand for their checks. If Royce makes more progress than you, he might be able to pickpocket as well. And there are consequences for failure!
Saboteur: The saboteur surreptitiously interferes with one of the car's mechanical or computer systems; for example, the saboteur might raise the thermostat, motivating Brom to remove his coat. The saboteur uses Computers or Engineering for their checks.
Windbag: The windbag briefly derails the conversation by using their knowledge of obscure trivia to make an outrageous but accurate claim. The windbag uses Physical Science or Life Science for their checks.
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Kevan clears his throat and lumbers over to the card table. <<Mind if I join in?>> he broadcasts publicly. <<I’ve been studying statistics and probability recently and would love to get some field data. You’ve heard of Bayesian probability, haven’t you? How you’re dealing less with the likelihood that you’ll draw the right card - which is 7.45 percent currently - but rather the degree of belief you have in the event occurring. We could try an experiment! Everyone think of the card you want, then make yourself believe that you’ll draw it next. And then we’ll see who believed the hardest.>>
Barat moves up and draws a card.
“Mine!”
He doesn’t even look at it. Instead he draws it close to his armored chest. Some might wonder if he thinks that he gets to keep the card.
He glares at each of the other people as they go to draw their cards, as if daring them to try and take his card away.
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Round three
"Worlan or Pakahano? COuld be a bit lively. Have you thought about Vesk 2? Beaches, beaches for miles. Beautiful sunsets, warm waters, a piece of sub-tropical paradise. No moon, so you tend to get very little tidal change, makes it ideal for water sports, but not so great for the really 'exciting' ones. With that said, if you want a spot to kick back in a hammock with a cocktail you can't beat the place. The Itjikri had made it their home before the vesk arrived, but they have pretty good relations so there isn't any hassle, and aside from tourism the other export is from the Defrex farmers. You could be kicking it in golden sands and warm waters sipping cocktails being left fairly uninterrupted with a side investment in tourism and Defrex farms. Not a bad way to see out the retirement years"
Diplomacy
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Seeing how well the automatic thermostat trick worked, Lena pretends to insert one her winning credits into the holo-entertainment system while she attempts to hack its central core.
Shortly after the whole room is distracted by the strong, contralto voice of CAPTAIN☆CARMINE, lead singer of the Pact World’s all-time, bestselling sugar pop sensation! Strawberry Machine Cake®
Sadly, Lena seems to have patched into one of their throw-back cover-homages to the 280’s ...
♪ She says, we gotta tie him up with a square knot
It doesn’t make difference if we’re naked or not
Feed him your mother, she’s quite a lump – now MOVE!
Don’t let him get shot! ♫
♪ Whoa whoa. There’s fur and hair!
Whoa WHAA! Livin' with a bear!
Cook his steak. He likes it rare.
Whoa-whoa! Livin' with a bear! ♫
Kevan uses his Physical Science to Windbag, and fortunately great roleplay and a theme bonus salvages his roll. Fascinated, both Brom and Royce pull cards to their chest and then peer at them. Brom glances at his with raised eyebrows, and Royce gives Kevan a sidelong gaze that says, You got me.
Everyone is so busy staring at their own cards that no one pays any attention to Barat's attempt at intimidation.
Lena turns on the music with her best Saboteur skills, and suddenly everyone in the place is grooving to the music of the 280's. Even Brom's antennae quiver to the music as he hums along with the tune a bit.
Aramesh shares his vision about retirement, and Brom's grins and pours himself another drink. Brom is now more focused on Aramesh then on Royce. "Oh yeah, Vesk-3 could be nice!"
Kevan gets an unexpected telepathic message from Royce. Please forgive the intrusion, but I was wondering if we can work together. It seems we have similar goals. Can you share with Aramesh that I would love to work with him on this job? I'm sure we can come to an arrangement for an amicable split.
You surpassed Royce, and have Brom in a relaxed mood where he is chatting and drinking with you, away from his bodyguards. Pickpocket is a GO!
Royce: 4
Our Team: 5
It's now ROUND FOUR! Aramesh is our Conversationalist, Lena our pickpocket, and the rest of you can select your roles!
Conversationalist: The conversationalist sidles up to the bar and engages Brom in dialogue, employing jokes, anecdotes, or other conversation with the intent of leaving him vulnerable to another PC's attempts to pick his pocket. The conversationalist uses Diplomacy for their checks.
Copilot: The copilot sets the conversationalist up for punchlines, aids in steering dialogue toward or away from specific topics, and uses nonvisual cues to help the other PCs perform their roles. The copilot uses Culture for their checks.
Distraction: The distraction creates a situation elsewhere in the car to draw the attention of Brom's bodyguards or Royce's cronies. The distraction can use Bluff, Intimidate, or Perform for their checks.
Interference: The interference watches for circumstances that might hinder the other PCs' efforts and counters them before they become problems. The interference uses Perception for their checks.
Pickpocket: This role can be taken only when the PCs have at least 5 Progress. The pickpocket casually approaches the now‑vulnerable Brom and tries to remove the datapad from his pocket. The pickpocket uses Sleight of Hand for their checks. If Royce makes more progress than you, he might be able to pickpocket as well. And there are consequences for failure!
Saboteur: The saboteur surreptitiously interferes with one of the car's mechanical or computer systems; for example, the saboteur might raise the thermostat, motivating Brom to remove his coat. The saboteur uses Computers or Engineering for their checks.
Windbag: The windbag briefly derails the conversation by using their knowledge of obscure trivia to make an outrageous but accurate claim. The windbag uses Physical Science or Life Science for their checks.
"Here, I know this great little beach - come on gather round I'll draw you a map"
Aramesh draws attention to as he draws a map on the back of a paper napkin, it is of a small beach and details the current recreational infrastructure, it sounds like a great place to retire...
Convincing Liar
Bluff
Bluff
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Barat carefully shifts himself slightly and extends a tentacle where it might trip Royce should the fellow attempt to get close to Brom.
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Kevan raises an eyebrow at the tiny cards in his paw, then shrugs. <<I’ll let him know,>> he replies privately.
<<Aramesh, a moment? Royce is offering a partnership on this job. If you’re interested, circle something on that map. If not, cross something out. If maybe, underline something.>>
Message delivered, the bear keeps one eye on the map and another on Lena’s quality work in the car’s HVAC system. Perhaps the fans could be de-synchronized for a bit of extra noise in the room?
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"Oh yes and this beach here, don't swim there" Aramesh marks a fat cross on the beach "Effluent outfall nearby you see, it's completely full of sh*t and not to be trusted"
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Lena’s memory case tilts up and down in agreement with the Arameshs’ comment, when suddenly …
“NO, IT CANNOT BE!”
She leans forward, points a lever-arm over Brom’s shoulder and emits a tinny *gasp* “There behind the bar!”
If Brom turns to look, she takes the opportunity to pick his pocket.
“Sorry, sorry. False alarm. I thought I saw Aroden.”
Lena lifts her drink suspiciously. “Someone must have spiked my Blackwind™ Antifreeze with H2O.”
Aramesh continues to spin tales of the retirement community, Kevan messes with the fans, and Barat surreptitiously trips Royce so that Royce crashes into the bar and breaks one of the blue bottles on himself. Dripping, Royce attempts to straighten his suit as all of Brom's goons laugh at him as steps out of the car.
Meanwhile, Lena is able to lift Brom's datapad, and you are all able to exit the Pub Car gracefully and head off to your cargo car. No one seems to have noticed the theft yet.
The car is crammed with crates and boxes of various shapes and sizes. Between two large crates against the left wall (area B) stands a machine you recognize: a grav-crane that uses a beam of concentrated gravitons to move large objects. According to Aramesh's information, the artifact is stored inside the crate at area C. The crate is at the bottom of a stack of three.
Barat takes a look at the placement of everything and moves to the door near the console. He gives a nod, indicating he is ready.
If someone is going to come in and make trouble, it will be here.
Over your consoles, you all get a text message from your pilot, Arda Vonn.
Still alive? What's taking so long? A crate fall on you or something?
<<Mind the doors please.>> Kevan does his best flight steward impression as he taps the grab-crane’s controls. Quickly he pulls up each crate, then places one in from of each door to the car.
<<Any ideas on what’s in there?>>
<< Still alive? What's taking so long? A crate fall on you or something?>>
<<Not yet but we're working on it!>> ♥ ♥
Sheesh! Who died and made her … Hmm, what exactly IS Kevan doing?
Lena walks up the wall again, before hanging from the ceiling in front of the Technomancer’s line-of-sight.
“C’mon Kev! The crane’s passcode is easy to crack! The lazy apes have obviously used the second largest Mersenne prime as their base pair’s monad.”
“Oh … you’ve already solved it.”
Kevan easiily operates the Grav-crane to reveal your prize -- another non-descript crate with a magnetic lock. While Kevan muses about what is inside...
...Lena unseals the crate to have a peek. Inside is a crystalline cube, covered in runes and positively awash in a magical aura. It's easily the most powerful magical thing Kevan has ever seen, and try as he might, it's resisting you being able to figure out what it is and what it does. All you know is that it is OLD, and likely some sort of pre-Gap magic.
Do you reseal the crate and get ready to open the bay doors with the code from Brom's datapad? Or do you do anything else in this room first?
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“STATEMENT: Years ago I had a Vesk suit from AbadarCorp named Gordon tell me ‘greed was good.’”
Lena scratches her neural casing with a metal digit – an inadvertent imitation of her human ex-business partner Catarina Jurado. “Lena has tested that hypothesis multiple times over the ensuing years.”
“CONCLUSION: Statement is FALSE.”
The drone changes frequencies to the team net, in the event that Arda Vonn is still monitoring it. <<Complete accordance with Aramesh>>
So you all send Kevan to enter the codes from Brom's datapad so that you can open the bay doors in preparation for Arda's arrival with the Enercopter.
At first, nothing happens. Suddenly, dozens of sharp mechanical clicks snap loudly as the magnetic locks on every container in the car disengage simultaneously. A signal light above the far door illuminates and spins rapidly, accompanied by an ear-piercing klaxon wail. A moment later, the din is compounded by a grinding noise followed by the massive bay doors in the roof sliding open.
There’s a ringing clang as the lid of the huge crate on the other side of the crane suddenly crashes to the floor. Clearly printed in large letters on the metal are the words:
The Mountain Eel was bound for an Ixo Syndicate captain's private zoo. Hungry and tired of his confinement, the eel roars.
The Mountain Eel decides that swarms look tasty, and tries to take a bite out of Aramesh.
Mmmmm.... Tasty bugs!
The eel's gaze is really scary looking, so that everyone who looks at it needs to give me a DC 14 Fortitude Save.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Aramesh (-14, Fort save needed)
Lena (Fort save needed)
Barat (Fort save needed)
Lena (Fort save needed)
Mountain Eel
Fort
Aramesh is locked down by the odd stare!
Aramesh is frozen in place as some of the members of their collective disappear down the Mountain Eel's gullet.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Aramesh (-14, paralyzed this round)
Lena (Fort save needed)
Barat (Fort save needed)
Lena (Fort save needed)
Mountain Eel
Barat forms a shield as he moves up to the eel. He then strikes at the creature. “Stop that!”
Barat shakes off the paralyzing gaze and moves forward with a shield. He strikes at the eel, but the badda-badda-badda motion of the swaying train causes his swing to lurch slightly in the wrong direction.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Aramesh (-14, paralyzed this round)
Lena (Fort save needed)
Barat (Immune from paralyzing gaze)
Lena (Fort save needed)
Mountain Eel
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Kevan realizes that his turn is also up!
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Aramesh (-14, paralyzed this round)
Lena (Fort save needed)
Barat (Immune from paralyzing gaze)
Kevan (Fort save needed)
Mountain Eel
Lena feels her operating network sloooow and then ❆FREEZE❆ in fear(?) of the formidable freshwater fish.
drop over her input sensors, as she waits anxiously for incoming bytes.
Kevan turns around, teeth bared in an unconscious snarl at the sound of screeching metal. His long legs carry him back towards the rest of the team (who have managed to drop an eel, of all things, on themselves), but his large torso barely fits through the gap between the wall and crates. Unable to reach the creature - even with the long whip of electronic shards in his hand - he reaches out a hand and types quickly in the air with his claws. The smell of ozone fills the air, along with a flurry of metallic shards.
Lena finds the shock of sudden appearance of the mountain eel so terrifying she momentarily freezes up! Kevan shakes off his fear, snarls, identifies the mountain eel, and casts junk shards at the creature.
The Mountain Eel fails and takes full damage!
Meanwhile, Kevan recalls that Mountain Eels, other than their weird terrifying compound eyes, are basically big bags of hit points who can trample. This one though is so hungry it's more likely to chomp down on the feast before it.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Meanwhile, the hungry Mountain eel looks at the frozen and likely inedible bot, the still swarm of bugs, and the much more lively ijiktri next to it. Maybe he should try squid next?
The ravenous mountain eel full attacks, but only bites Barat once. (It's not all loss for Barat, because the bite also gives Barat entropy points!)
Mmmm... tasty squid!
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Aramesh (-14, Fort save needed)
Lena (Fort save needed)
Barat (-15, Immune from paralyzing gaze)
Kevan (Immune from paralyzing gaze)
Mountain Eel (-16)
Kevan advances, cracking his whip threateningly.
Barat aligns his shield against the eel, then strikes at the eel.