Telirix calls out the leader, but his shot leaves a frozen patch on the ground next to him.
The goon in red clears out of the other party members' view before firing on Mordack again.
The thug in blue stops bleeding.
Round 5-6 - bolded may go
Sefel Lamunesh (-35 SP, haste, displacement 10 rounds)
Yargnod (haste)
Leader (-27 HP)
Telirix Sporestorm (-81 SP, -42 HP, haste, prone)
Red Thug (-93 HP)
Mordack Dunstar (-86 SP, haste, deafened 1 round, shaken 2 rounds)
Blue Thug (-105 HP, stable, -1 RP)
Telirix watches one guardsman go down. "Fire on the leader! " He takes a deep breath and tries to cast himself back to basic training. He imagines his drill sergeant's voice in his ear, as he sights down the barrel. He breathes out and slowly squeezes the trigger.
"You're not the boss of me!" Yargnod shouts back.
Then again, the leader is the only one he can see, and Telirix does have a compelling point...
The kanabo lifts his unholy amalgamation of a gun up to his eye, sites down it, turns a couple nobs and flips a couple switches before firing on the man in yellow.
The thug gets out of the way of much of Mordack's breath, and the boss does the same with Sefel's nanites.
The boss does get a face full of Yargnod's reluctant blast, though some of the energy seems to dissipate.
The leader steps up to punch Sefel.
Sefel (the real one) dodges out of the way.
Round 6 - bolded may go
Sefel Lamunesh (-35 SP, haste, displacement 10 rounds)
Yargnod (haste)
Leader (-64 HP)
Telirix Sporestorm (-81 SP, -42 HP, haste, prone)
Red Thug (-100 HP)
Mordack Dunstar (-86 SP, haste, shaken 1 round)
Blue Thug (-105 HP, stable, -1 RP)
The leader respectfully gets hit in the face with a bunch of snow, some of which falls to the ground.
The red thug fires at Mordack, then dashes around a corner.
Another shot right in the head. Mordack's ears are ringing again.
The blue thug wakes up.
Round 6-7 - bolded may go
Sefel Lamunesh (-35 SP, haste, displacement 10 rounds)
Yargnod (haste)
Leader (-90 HP)
Telirix Sporestorm (-81 SP, -42 HP, haste, prone)
Red Thug (-100 HP)
Mordack Dunstar (-113 SP, haste, deafened 3 rounds, shaken 1 round)
Blue Thug (-104 HP, prone, -2 RP)
"Hey! I already knocked you down! You're not allowed to get back up!" Yargnod shouts indignantly at the blue thug.
But he's literally already got the leader in his sites so he pulses some extra energy through Justifier as he takes his next shot.
Yargnod slams a blast into the leader. He is not dead, but you hear a hiss from his armor as if something was being injected into him.
Some of his wounds close.
Sefel tries to trap him in acid.
You now have the local sheriff in a ball of nanites.
Round 6-7 - bolded may go
Sefel Lamunesh (-35 SP, haste, displacement 10 rounds)
Yargnod (haste)
Leader (-135 HP, ensphered)
Telirix Sporestorm (-81 SP, -42 HP, haste, prone)
Red Thug (-100 HP)
Mordack Dunstar (-113 SP, haste, deafened 3 rounds, shaken 1 round)
Blue Thug (-104 HP, prone, -2 RP)
The red thug passes out. The leader pounds on the sphere ineffectually for a moment, then calls out, "Fine, let me out and I'll leave you alone." He drops his arms to his side, which is as close as a vanguard to get to disarming themselves.
My grandmother always told me to never leave witnesses, Yargnod replies to Sefel.
Notably, he does not fire again, though.
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"Hold him there a second, let me check on Mordack."
Tel launches himself skyward and flies east. Reaching the end of the building, he spies the android and lands beside him. A quick examination shows the constable isn't dead yet.
"Let's drag this one back. Sefel, tell the constable chief that his last man is alive and we're coming back. We'll be just a second. "
Both thugs are still alive, and they have weapons to cast down as you gather them up. They don't have anything on them that you could use to bind them, but they are acting compliant nonetheless. The leader does not appear to be enjoying his stay in the hamster ball, but is still conscious.
Yargnod finds himself in a target rich environment. It makes him anxious since he doesn't know who he's going to get to blast next.
For the moment, he keeps Justifier aimed at the leader, since he's already calibrated for him.
The boss hopes that "getting out of there as fast as possible" doesn't count as something funny. He growls, "I'll be keeping an eye on you," and leads his enforcers away. Unless you continue to harry them, they leave nothing behind.
Slowly, the citizens begin to approach your group. Some of them thank or congratulate you directly for defeating someone they say is a bully and petty tyrant. Others are more circumspect, and one warns you that Ayleth will retaliate against you for this offense.
You are offered lodgings for the night, which you expect are the best they can make available on short notice. In the morning, some grateful Mersallites approach you to present a gift basket containing local specialties, including bottles of fine cherry mead, small clockwork windup figures, and a variety of artisanal goods worth a total of 4,000 credits.
Speaker-9 will also visit, offering to take you to meet Zefne desMoraine, who you may remember as the one who hired you for this job. They will take you as soon as you have completed any preparations.
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The boss hopes that "getting out of there as fast as possible" doesn't count as something funny. He growls, "I'll be keeping an eye on you," and leads his enforcers away. Unless you continue to harry them, they leave nothing behind.
"Likewise," Tel mutters
Slowly, the citizens begin to approach your group. Some of them thank or congratulate you directly for defeating someone they say is a bully and petty tyrant. Others are more circumspect, and one warns you that Ayleth will retaliate against you for this offense.
"Crashing our ship? We're the victims here."
You are offered lodgings for the night, which you expect are the best they can make available on short notice. In the morning, some grateful Mersallites approach you to present a gift basket containing local specialties, including bottles of fine cherry mead, small clockwork windup figures, and a variety of artisanal goods worth a total of 4,000 credits.
Speaker-9 will also visit, offering to take you to meet Zefne desMoraine, who you may remember as the one who hired you for this job. They will take you as soon as you have completed any preparations.
Telirix is quietly courteous to the villagers, and grateful for the hospitality. When Speaker-9 visits he acquieces quickly and climbs into his armor.
"When you've got your boot on someone's neck, it's not time to step off, it's time to press down," Yargnod says as the discussion about what to do with the lawman comes up. But, he still doesn't fire and lets them go.
He fiddles with Justifier some more and uses his custom rig to recharge it's batteries. He's got enough juice to spare for a couple other batteries, as well.
"Never keep the boss waiting, that's my motto," he says when Speaker-9 shows up. He's reverted Justifer to a small disc and he twirls it idly as they travel.
Speaker-9 informs you that the leader of the patrol is Claw Kurson - "claw" is his title - and he is the governor of Mersall. He was appointed by Ayleth to run this area, and has a great degree of autonomy in his decisions, as long as he follows the dragon's commands when they are given and keeps the tax money flowing. He uses his position to bully the residents, but until today, none dared stand up to him.
The thugs were named Alice and Bob and they are failed cryptographers.
Cobblestone roads twist upon themselves, alleys materializing seemingly from nowhere between cramped groups of buildings. Crumbled bricks lie scattered underneath dilapidated buildings and most windows in this neighborhood are boarded up or smashed. Few storefronts are open—their faded, hand-painted signs advertising snack foods and cheap electronics—but more are shuttered, with metal grates pulled over the doors.
Eventually the route leads to a derelict warehouse. Glancing over their shoulder, Speaker-9 circles to the side of the building and removes a brick from the wall. The wall slides open to reveal a room full of functional, though antiquated, computer banks. People work at the computers, while others train in a sparring ring in the corner. A stocky human woman sits at a desk at the room’s far end, reviewing paperwork.
She looks up as the door opens, setting aside her papers. “Welcome back, Speaker-9. Who have you brought with you?” Speaker-9 introduces you all to Zefne, who recognizes you as the crew she hired. She immediately inquires about the status of your mission.
Yargnod feels right at home. The last city he was in was far too shiny and new. Sure, you could buy things that had just been made but people got upset if you happened to wander into an unoccupied building and start salvaging things. Here...he perks up each time he sees a promising derelict building, making a note to return to sift through the ruins.
"Oh yeah...going great. Got shot down by some space dragons. Crashed into a city. Had a gun fight with the governor. But we brought the stuff so if you just pay us and give us a new ship, we'll be on our way," Yargnod replies to Zefne.
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The thugs were named Alice and Bob and they are failed cryptographers.
Sefel suddenly remembers I now regret not using my datapad to take a video of the governor trapped int he resilient sphere...
He looks up at Zefne.
It was really quite humiliating for him. If I had taken video to distribute, maybe people could have achieved an upper hand over him.
[ooc]Found an image of your gift basket, which is now on SLide 4/[/.ooc]
"Unfortunately, we are in no position to offer you a new ship - all space travel is strictly controlled by Ayleth and her minions, so we don't have access to anything capable of leaving the atmosphere other than the vehicle you arrived in. I know of some in the resistance who may be able to perform repairs, though they will likely ask you for favors in return so that they have time to spare for you. I hope you understand, we appreciate all you've done so far, but we still need to live her as we are until Ayleth has been dealt with."
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The thugs were named Alice and Bob and they are failed cryptographers.
Sefel suddenly remembers I now regret not using my datapad to take a video of the governor trapped int he resilient sphere...
He looks up at Zefne.
It was really quite humiliating for him. If I had taken video to distribute, maybe people could have achieved an upper hand over him.
Telirix chuckles. "Would have served him right. If we get another chance, we'll have to do that."
...
"Unfortunately, we are in no position to offer you a new ship - all space travel is strictly controlled by Ayleth and her minions, so we don't have access to anything capable of leaving the atmosphere other than the vehicle you arrived in. I know of some in the resistance who may be able to perform repairs, though they will likely ask you for favors in return so that they have time to spare for you. I hope you understand, we appreciate all you've done so far, but we still need to live her as we are until Ayleth has been dealt with."
Telirix nods. "I hoped for better, but your news was expected. You're obviously well connected here. Who would you advice us to start with?"
"Figures," Yargnod says as they get the news that the ride they crashed is the only one getting them off planet.
"I can fix it if I have the parts, but what are the chances it gets confiscated or impounded before we can do anything with it?"
Zefne tells Yargnod, "You’re unlikely to escape with Ayleth monitoring the skies, but I promise that the resistance will try to help you get off-world once the dragon shifts her attention elsewhere." She then excuses herself to speak with her contacts, and returns after a couple of hours.
“And sometimes, our shipments mysteriously disappear if they go to the ball without a chaperone.” Evrantis says wryly.
Zefne chuckles before continuing. “An allied group operating in Paerin, a town on the eastern coast, recently smuggled in some weapons and armor from offworld. They’ve arranged to share it with us and have hidden several crates at one of our drop points in the forest, halfway between Paerin and Mersall. It should be pretty straightforward: get in, nab the supplies, get back here.”
She nods to a map of Genrovis’s continent on the wall with an area west of Mersall circled in red. “That’s the location of our nearest wellspring fissure, our power source. I’d like you to check it out. If I’m right, something’s causing problems beyond the wellspring’s usual diminishment. Just be careful—Ayleth forbids anyone besides her people from going near there.”
Yargnod is ready to get to work on the ship but Sefel is obviously playing the long game. Why just scavenge supplies when you can skim some, too? A lonely, secret drop point? Who would even question it if a crate or two came up missing during the pick up and transport?
"Yeah...how secret is it?" Yargnod asks as he gives Sefel a conspiratorial wink.
The trip to the drop point is fairly straightforward. We vary the route in case of observation, but none of our agents has ever been detained while making the trip." She transfers a map to your comm units. It goes through the town for a while, then into the forest, and finally up a dirt road past a scenic overlook.
"No. We do try to spot any enemies before we grab the drop, but we don't have the personnel to just sit around."
Zefne loans you one of the resistance’s smuggling trucks, designed to appear inconspicuous. She warns you that vehicle fuel is in short supply, so you shouldn’t take any side trips.
Large land vehicle (10 ft. long, 10 ft. wide, 10 ft. high)
Speed 30 ft., full 550 ft., 55 mph
EAC 20; KAC 22; Cover cover
HP 132 (99); Hardness 8
Attack (Collision) 7d10 B (DC 16)
Modifiers –4 Piloting, –4 attack (–6 at full speed)
Systems mk 1 smuggler’s compartment, smoke screen, unstable engine; Passengers 3
DESCRIPTION
This patched-together truck has been modified by the Mersall resistance to smuggle goods to and from the city with the addition of smugglers’ compartments and a smoke screen mechanism in case of pursuit.
The truck is held together by spare parts and hope and gains the broken condition when reduced to 75% of its Hit Points instead of 50%.
"Scattergun," Yargnod declares as soon as they can see the vehicle, in accordance with scattergun rules.
He takes up his position in the passenger seat, twirling the disc that is Justifier over his fingers.
"I can see why this thing is convincing. No one would do anything important in this heap of junk."
Still, he looks around seeing how he could fix it up and soup it up.
Yargnod spots a trio of enercycles tailing the group as they weave through the city. It's hard to tell through their gear, but you would not be surprised if it was Alice, Bob and Claw Kurson.
You can attempt to shake them using Survival to find a clever route they can't follow, dismount and try to convince them that you're on the up and up with Bluff, or set up an ambush and start a combat.