As in my earlier actual play reports, small green text indicates out of character talk, mechanics and other game aspects outside of the fiction.
Our main characters are:
- Gator (the Gunlugger) is an assassin and part-time bodyguard who wears customized scrounged armor made from Kevlar and ceramic inserts. Camouflaged for the jungle, his face was ruined in a fight with an alligator. His eyes are always sizing things up and his brutal life has left his body a hard sheet of muscle. He runs a gang of mercenaries and was hired to kill White, the warlord of Miami. He always completes a job.
- Jarhead (the Savvyhead) is a thin African-American man with a short goatee, long dreads, and clothes covered in pockets and gear. Travelling around in an old news van, he repairs items for a living. He is investigating a device that can bend space and time. He has also obtained employees in the form of a young woman Allison and her brother Waters as well as a little girl named Memo. His old mentor Sir Fredricks wants to talk with him. Too bad Jarhead left his mind in the psychic maelstrom.
- November Orleans (the Skinner) is descended from a family which left New Orleans before it sank. She is a beautiful woman of mixed heritage with dark eyes and skin, a sweet face and lush body. She dresses herself in a mix of scavenged clothing that somehow works together and wears a necklace made from rows of antique coins which jingle and shine as she moves. Her main profession is as a dancer, especially belly dancing, but she has a sideline business in cooking and animal training. Oh and now she works for the "gods".
- Violet Jefferson (the Touchstone) is descended by survivalists and her clothing and gear reflects her origins. Plain looking but fit, she carries a pocket copy of the Federalist papers and founding documents of the United States of America, an idea she hopes to revive. Her followers are demanding her help to liberate Miami from a tyrant. November blew off half her face recently.
“When last we left our heroes-”, I begin.
“Heroes”, Violet air quotes.
“Everyone's a hero in their own story.”
November comments about “shoot first ask questions never.”
The sniping back and forth goes on all night. I’ll include the funnier bits.
I recap the current level of damage: Gator and November at 3 o’clock (1-harm), Jarhead at 6 o’clock (2-harm) and Violet is itchy, scarred and in pain at 9 o’clock (3-harm).
Violet explains she was confused about what exactly happened last session because she was wrapped up in her own situation.
“Thinking quickly, making poor decisions,” I comment.
“I have to shoot her before she starts stripping,” November says mockingly.
“How often does that come up in conversation?” Jarhead jokes.
”More often in Apocalypse World games,” she says.
”That move makes no sense though,” Violet says to which we all agree. Not that it will stop November from abusing it.
Start of Session
After some delay in finding November’s character sheet (since we just moved) we do Hx highlighting.- November gets Hot (by Jarhead) and Weird highlighted.
“Arg, she’s going to take her clothes off again,” November comments.
- Jarhead highlights Weird (by Violet) and Sharp.
- Violet marks Hot (by November who laughs evilly) and Hard.
”I’m always a fan of the players.”
- Gator highlights Hard (by November) and Sharp. Though I’m tempted by Cool.
Before the Night of Fire
Jarhead removes the final bandages from Fuse’s torso.“Well I owe you one,” the spiky haired mercenary says.
“Yes, yes you do,” Jarhead says as he turns to his other patient.
The worn old man lies on a gurney, breathing slow but regular. The leader of the Militia is healthy but his mind refuses to wake up. Jarhead scratches his goatee as his helpers return from their latest search.
“She’s nowhere in the Music Bowl,” Allison says as her brother nods beside her.
He nods absently, distracted by the readout on the machine beside A.T.
Elsewhere November slips past the knots of worried refugees into the arena. Her play at searching for Violet seems to be working but with the missile strike there are bigger concerns. Though not as big as mine, she thinks to herself, keeping her thoughts from her patrons, “the gods”.
I award an experience to November for killing Cougar as payment by the gods.
Gator and his band of mercenaries trudge out of the ruins. Ahead the Music Bowl looms over a field of rubble and concrete. Hundreds of refugees cluster in its shadow while on one end a crude roller coaster rumbles.
Gator glances behind him where smoke still rises in the distance from yesterday’s missile impact. “Let’s find Jarhead,” he tells his gang. Together they march across the no man’s land.
”I want to keep an eye on them,” he explains.
As they near the arena, a young woman with a gray dog intercepts them.
“Gator, where have you been?” Lily Miami asks as Exit stands close to his master.
“I was at the Autodoc,” he says. His shadow partially covers the dark-haired woman as he begins to move past her.
“Have you seen Violet?” she asks grabbing him with a sleeveless arm.
Gator stops. “No, I thought she was here.”
“She disappeared a few days ago,” she explains. “Boo and the rest went to the Autodoc to see if she went there.”
Gator glances north. A dark cloud continues to rise from the ruins.“We were taking a roundabout way here. I didn’t see her. It would be good to find her. We need to pick up the pace on White.”
She follows his eyes. “That explosion, you know what it was?”
“A rocket landing.”
Her eyes widen. “A rocket? You mean like a missile? Shit. We’ve got to find Violet.”
“Where’s her people?” he asks.
”Some of us are still here, the rest went to the Autodoc. We’ve got a radio set up if news comes in.”
“You should be fine then. Who is in charge now?” he asks.
“We’re a republican democracy,” she explains.
“So who’s in charge?”
She puts her hands on her hips. “We haven’t elected a representative yet.”
The players laugh.
“Alright then. I’ll talk to somebody, at some point, and find out where you are at. It sounds really really efficient.”
“Hey! At least our system is fair.”
“My system works right now,” he says as Wire shoves Lily aside.
“You said we had people to see, Gator?” the older mercenary asks.
“Yes.” Gator leads them into the Music Bowl.
Down in the foundry, November mingles with the Militia members keeping a vigil by A.T.’s bedside. Nearby Jarhead works on some strange medical equipment. The steel doors open and Shadow and Fuse raise their weapons.
Gator strides in, his hardened warriors shuffling in behind him. As Jarhead’s guards relax, the tinkerer turns and exclaims, “Hey Gator good to see you!”
November moves in to give Gator a hug. The burly killer tenses up and the dancer manages to embrace him.
As she pulls away he says, “Hey November.”
“Hey,” she smiles.
“What’s going on here?” he asks. “What’s the hubbub?”
“Good to see you,” she says and glances to the infirmary.”We need to move on White soon but nobody can find Violet and A.T. is still down.”
“Yeah I heard that.”
“I suggested some of her people go to the Autodoc,” she explains without the slightest tell. “That’s the only place I can think of.”
Jarhead wanders up to them. “That’s interesting, have you seen all the cool equipment I’ve got now?”
As he begins to enthusiastically showing off his new gear, a woman with red mohawk breaks into their conversation. “Hey you are the leader of this band of mercenaries, right?”
“The Free Company,” he corrects her.
”Whatever,” Vega says. “Did your mercs knocked over one of our transports?”
“They wouldn’t have done anything that wasn’t a job,” he says.
“So you are saying, they did do it,” she accuses.
Gator’s people begin to slide their hands to their weapons while the Militia begins to encircle Vega. November slips her hand to the straps holding on her armor.
Gator reads a person and gets a 12+. He gets to ask any three questions. He also marks experience.
How can I get you to back down? he asks first. What is she scared of? is his second.
Gator gauges the situation as a bead of sweat makes its way down Vega’s temple. Twelve to five assuming Jarhead and November don’t jump in to help. I could scare her but that doesn’t help my business.
Vega makes a tactical choice. “You’re lucky that A.T. is out or we’d take you down where you stand.”
Gator notes her eyes don’t flick to her boss. Someone else is scarier to her. Probably Fire from the talk.
“Here’s how it is going to go down,” he explains. “You are going to settle down. Your boy over there, A.T., is looking a little worse for wear. Unless you want the fallout from whoever it is who takes over when he dies, you should just let it drop.”
He rolls manipulate a person, using cool since he is easy to trust and gets a 9.
Vega nods curtly and steps back. “Okay. We’ve got to focus on getting the boss back up, then we can sort all of that out. Jarhead where are we at with all of that!”
Jarhead looks up from his poking at the old man’s head. “Um. Give me one second.”
Jarhead opens his brain to find where A.T.’s mind is off to and gets a 5! At least he marks experience.
First I ask, “why are you interested in the Psychic Maelstrom?”
He explains it is just another avenue of research, something intangible but real.
Jarhead reaches out with his mind. It finds something. He pulls on that thread and it pulls back dragging him with it. The dark-skinned man pales slightly and topples face first onto the concrete floor.
Allison rushes over to him. As she checks his pulse, she says, “he must not have recovered from drilling into his own head.”
“What?” Gator and November say.
Allison she looks up at them. “A few days ago back, before A.T. came in here, he did some surgery on himself. See the bandages here. It fixed the damage to his brain from what happened in the Autodoc.”
As Gator and the others consider what to do, November looks at Jarhead’s van and the strange artifact inside.
November asks me about his augury, Dustwich’s sphere and if it was possible she could use it. I turn to the question to Jarhead and if she could have seen him use it. Jarhead explains he has never used it in the open. But November has a plan.
Next we jump to Violet.
The sun beats down on Violet as she scrambles through the broken streets of Miami. Her head pounds with the heat and horrific damage just south of her left eye. Beyond the distraction of the pain however she moves quick and sure over the rough terrain.
After mounting a mound of bricks, she glances south. The arena remains hidden by the trees and debris but dark smoke continues to rise from nearby. Absently she scratches her arm, the disease working its way into her flesh. She tries to think back to what happened but finds only fragments. Darkness. Pain. Betrayal.
She climbs down the hill and along a deserted street. A few lamp posts lean this way and that, weighed down by the withered corpses atop them.
Then she hears something moving up the hill of bricks behind her. Quickly she ducks down an alley and circles back.
Violet rolls acting under fire to be stealthy and gets a 14!. So she gets a moment of being awesome.
A few moments later she looks down at a slight girl in a hospital gown following the path she just took. She calls down to the dark-haired child.
Memo jumps for a moment and then turns. “I found you.”
Violet slides down a broken wall to Jarhead’s ward. “You were looking for me?”
“Yes I need your help,” the girl says her eyes unbothered by Violet’s wound.
“What for?”
“I need you to get Jarhead out of the Music Bowl,” she says pulling on her long hair. “It’s not safe for him there.”
“Why not?” Violet asks, studying the strange child.
“Something bad is going to happen there,” she says as she tugs her hair across her front of face.
Violet opens her brain on the situation using hard since she knows her enemy and gets a 11. She also marks experience.
I ask her, “You know your enemy-"
”I don’t believe it,” November comments.
”What or who makes the Psychic Maelstrom your enemy?”
She explains whatever drove November to do what she did.
“So the gods are your enemy.”
”I’m a militant atheist,” she realizes.
Violet glances around them, feeling for any watchers. The ruins remain quiet except for the sounds of nature. But something hovers at the edge of sensation, some psychic presence watching quietly and without malice.
Violet asks how she could investigate them. I explain she needs Jarhead or new moves.
We also discuss how much time she before the climbers kill her.
”How many cases have you seen progress?” I ask.
“I think now would be a good time to figure why I shoot first and ask questions later,” she says.
”That’s funny, I think the beginning of last session was a good time for that,” November comments.
”I meant in terms of the climbers. There were some pretty good reasons I shot you last time.”
“I know. I’m not bitter,” November says unconvincingly.
Violet goes on to explain that when she was in her early teens there was a big outbreak of the disease near home. It took a couple of months to bring it under control and in the process someone tried to find a cure using homeopathic methods. It didn’t work very well but gave her a clear idea of what it was like to suffer from the climbers.
I outline the stages of the disease: first itchiness and fever (sometimes one or the other, eventually leading to both), then the green spots begin to appear in the eyes. After that the victims begin to sleepwalk. It varies a lot in duration but at its fastest it take at least a few days until they hit the sleepwalking stage.
Relieved if only partially, Violet asks, “how much danger is he in? Is it something immediate?”
“We need to move him soon,” Memo whines.
“How soon? Next hour, next day?”
“I don’t know how long,” she says. “Soon. If he’s there for a few days he may never leave.”
”I’ve got all of my shit there, I’m never going to want to leave,” Jarhead says.
Violet looks north sharply and instantly regrets the decision.
“I need your help,” Memo says scrutinizing the wounded woman. “If you need something maybe I can help you with that.”
“If you can help me with the climbers,” she sighs.
Memo scrunches her eyes for a moment. “Uh I guess I can help you with that.”
“Good luck.”
Memo looks around quickly. “I can do something, we can come up with something, we can do something. Yes. To stop the climbers.”
Violet reads a person and gets a 9 and marks experience since she rolled hard since she’s cleared eyed. “Is she telling the truth?” she asks.
Violet asks how she could investigate them. I explain she needs Jarhead or new moves.
We also discuss how much time she before the climbers kill her.
”How many cases have you seen progress?” I ask.
“I think now would be a good time to figure why I shoot first and ask questions later,” she says.
”That’s funny, I think the beginning of last session was a good time for that,” November comments.
”I meant in terms of the climbers. There were some pretty good reasons I shot you last time.”
“I know. I’m not bitter,” November says unconvincingly.
Violet goes on to explain that when she was in her early teens there was a big outbreak of the disease near home. It took a couple of months to bring it under control and in the process someone tried to find a cure using homeopathic methods. It didn’t work very well but gave her a clear idea of what it was like to suffer from the climbers.
I outline the stages of the disease: first itchiness and fever (sometimes one or the other, eventually leading to both), then the green spots begin to appear in the eyes. After that the victims begin to sleepwalk. It varies a lot in duration but at its fastest it take at least a few days until they hit the sleepwalking stage.
Relieved if only partially, Violet asks, “how much danger is he in? Is it something immediate?”
“We need to move him soon,” Memo whines.
“How soon? Next hour, next day?”
“I don’t know how long,” she says. “Soon. If he’s there for a few days he may never leave.”
”I’ve got all of my shit there, I’m never going to want to leave,” Jarhead says.
Violet looks north sharply and instantly regrets the decision.
“I need your help,” Memo says scrutinizing the wounded woman. “If you need something maybe I can help you with that.”
“If you can help me with the climbers,” she sighs.
Memo scrunches her eyes for a moment. “Uh I guess I can help you with that.”
“Good luck.”
Memo looks around quickly. “I can do something, we can come up with something, we can do something. Yes. To stop the climbers.”
Violet reads a person and gets a 9 and marks experience since she rolled hard since she’s cleared eyed. “Is she telling the truth?” she asks.
As Memo digs into a wrecked car, Violet tries to figure out this strange child. She seems sincere but can she really stop the climbers?
Memo pops out the other side of the car. “We can make something to help you. But we’ll need some wire and a battery.”
“Wire?” Violet asks scratching her arm. “How would that work?”
“It will work,” she says ducking back inside. “We just need some wire, a battery and some bits of metal.”
Violet peers inside the dingy wreck. “So what are you trying to do? How will it work? Humor me, Just walk me through it.”
Memo appears with a rusted radio in her hands. “It will slow it down, It will um.” Her voice suddenly switches to monotone. “It will create an electromagnetic field with interferometric properties that will disrupt human beta waves. Tuned to precisely to 440 Hz, it can then disrupt remote synaptic triggering by foreign gestalt intelligences.”
Who is this child? Violet thinks as the girl rattles off instructions like that old instruction manual she read as a child.
Memo takes a deep breath at the end of speech. “So I’ll make this and then you’ll help me get Jarhead out of the Music Bowl?”
“Uh, yes, but after that we need to go straight to the Autodoc.”
“Sure, sure,” she says grinning widely.
In the foundry, Gator glances at Allison and Waters. The two youths gently shake him but Jarhead stubbornly remains unconscious. With some effort they pull the skinny man up onto a gurney.
November explains that she spent some of her time “looking” for Violet over the last few days but really she’s been looking for way to isolate herself from the Psychic Maelstrom. So recently she would have been asking general questions of Jarhead on how his device works.
I turn to Jarhead and ask “if someone showed a genuine interest in your work would you have shown it off?” Especially as November is very subtle.
He says he would have shown them the basics of it.
So November acts under fire to sneak into the van while everyone is distracted. She gets an 11.
Gator notices no one else moving to do something. “Damn, we need him awake.”
As he steps forward, November slips behind the crowd into the van.
Gator shakes the tinkerer. “Wake up, Jarhead. Wake up!”
Then he slaps him.
Next we jump to Jarhead or his mind at least.
Jarhead blinks and steadies himself. Looking down, his feet rest on fresh asphalt. Then he hears the screams.
He glances around. He finds himself on a street, one untouched by the apocalypse. Besides the broken windows, the buildings suffer no structural damage. Down the road a car burns while people rush past. Distant skyscrapers stand unmarred. Movement draws his eyes to the roof to his left where a crowd of people climb up the side and out of windows, seeking the highest point with a dazed look in their eyes.
Another knot mobilizes behind him, attempting to scale a street lamp. It’s the day of the Climbers! he thinks. This is about to become a very hazardous area in few minutes.
As he turns, he notices a young boy beside him. Tears leak from the five-year old’s pale blue eyes. Without thinking Jarhead grabs the child and runs.
“Daddy!!” the boy screams.
“Quiet kid!” Jarhead says shushing him.
As he begins to make some distance, the scene shifts suddenly. He finds himself in the wilderness, miles from civilization. Around him armed men and women practice shooting at straw targets across a forest meadow.
The boy stands taller besides him, several years older and dressed in padded vest and some jeans. As Jarhead calms down, a man hands the child a gun.
“Alright, Alex aim at the target down there,” the mustached man says.
These are memories, Jarhead realizes. I’m in the Psychic Maelstrom.
He scans the his surroundings. Above the trees round blue mountain rise. The Appalachians don’t tell him where he is except somewhere between Arkansas and New York.
He turns to the man. “What’s going on here?”
As he guides the boy Alex’s aim, the man explains. “Training. We’ve got to be ready if more infected come by.”
Jarhead appraises Alex’s rifle. The shiny new weapon dwarfs the youth. “What year is this?”
The man looks up at him. “Year? Its 20-”
Suddenly a hiss drowns out the man’s voice and Jarhead’s surroundings turn fuzzy. The ground shakes and everything turns to water for a moment. What is the Maelstrom trying to show me here? he wonders. How do I get out of here?
In other words Gator is shaking him.
“The slap is coming,” Gator warns.
As things return to normal, Jarhead realizes no one has taken notice. “Where are we?”
“Tennessee,” the man says. “About of 100 miles from where Memphis used to be.”
“Memphis?”
“Yeah before they burned it down.”
“That’s pretty cool,” Jarhead says with a smile. “I wonder if I can go over there and check it out?”
He concentrates on Memphis for a moment.
Suddenly he finds himself surrounded by flames. Heat burns his right cheek. I regret this decision, I want to go back, he panickedly decides.
Suddenly the heat fades from around him except from the pain on his right cheek. Gator’s calloused hand holds him up while the other readies for a second slap.
“Ow! I was in Memphis,” Jarhead shouts. “Man it was hot. Where’s Alex?”
“Who?” Mox says leaning in.
”Does A.T. have blue eyes?” Violet asks.
”Yes.”
Jarhead’s mind suddenly puts the pieces together. He turns to the slumbering man on the gurney. A.T.’s eyes remain closed, his pale blue eyes hidden.
“Hold on, I got an idea,” he says and heads for his van.
Back to November.
Meanwhile November slips into the back of Jarhead’s van unseen. Carefully she picks up Jarhead’s strange sphere and begins to twist the knobs and dials he’s attached to it. The device begins to glow a faint green and a hum surrounds her.
First I ask her to act under fire to even use it. She gets a 10. Then she rolls weird for a customized augury roll. Again she gets lucky and gets a 9. She marks an experience and isolates herself from the psychic maelstrom. Of course that is all that goes right with it.
”At least it didn’t blow up in your face,” I tell her.
”My face is important to me,’ she says.
”Yeah, cause you still have one,” Violet comments.
November calls out to Gator, her voice echoing distantly through the maelstrom.
She rolls Lost (that probably shouldn’t work but oh well) and gets a 13. She marks another experience.
After some unhappiness about retconning what happened with waking Jarhead, I work out a compromise that handles the bleeding of the augury as well.
Gator turns, letting Jarhead slide back to the gurney unslapped. “Hey Gator come over here,” November says softly.
He wander to the van, dazed and slightly unsteady. He tries to shake out the cobwebs of his mind but feels a wrenching instead. Everything seems straight but also at an angle. He lurches into the van to sit down.
As he settles down, November slips up beside him, a soft glow surrounding her. ‘Gator I don’t know how much longer we can talk. Whatever is driving the climbers is inside my brain.”
Distantly Gator’s voice reaches them. “Wake up, Jarhead. Wake up!”
November hurriedly continues. “I’ve made a deal with them so I know what’s going on. But under normal circumstances they can hear everything I say. I had to kill Cougar.
The sound of a slap interrupts her as Jarhead cries, “Ow!”
“I don’t have much longer. I had to kill Cougar and Violet came across me and was going to kill me,” she babbles. “I returned fire before I knew who she was. I don’t know what’s become of her. I’m immune to the climbers now.”
“Where’s Alex?” Jarhead asks outside.
“Because of what they can do. They’re serious. I don’t know what else to do. I can’t hold this anymore,” she says as the sphere vibrates in her hands.
“Hold on I’ve got an idea,” Jarhead says.
But first Gator rolls read a person and gets a 10. He marks experience.
”Are you telling the truth?” he asks and she nods.
“What do you intend to do?” Gator quickly asks.
“I need your help taking these guys down,” she pleads.
“Who?”
“The omnipresent psychic maelstrom creatures, they call themselves ‘the gods’,” she says nervously.
”What are you really feeling?” he asks.
”A bit over my head,” she admits.
Gator rolls acting under fire as reality crashes back together. He gets a 12 and gets to recall both versions of reality with no conflicts or consequences. He also gets to choose where he is.
November gently lets go of the Tesla sphere. “Oh good. You are better. I was thinking we’d have to contact with you with the sphere.”
Jarhead reads a person and November interferes. He gets a 11 and she gets an 8, giving him a final result of 9. Jarhead also marks experience. Jarhead asks if she is telling the truth.
Jarhead narrows his eyes. She might be happy to see me but there’s something she’s not telling me about the sphere.
Carefully he picks it up and cradles it his arms, his eyes never leaving her. As she tries to shrug it off with a smile, he says, “let’s not be touching other’s inventions again.”
She nods and glances over his shoulder at Gator.
“Jarhead,” Gator says.
“What do you want?” he says turning.
“What do you know about Sir Fredricks?”
Jarhead stumbles. ‘That’s an interesting name, “ he says hastily. “Where’d you hear that one from?”
November tries to read a person and gets a 7. Jarhead interferes and gets a 7. Thus November fails.
Jarhead’s eyes flick to November but she can’t read him before he turns back to Gator.
“An old buddy of mine said he was sent by Sir Fredricks,” Gator explains.”He apparently needs to talk to you.“
“Your buddy, he knows him how?” Jarhead asks.
“Gunge,” he clarifies. “He’s dead.”
“Why are dead friends talking to you?” the thin man says, the corner of his eye twitching. “Does this happen often to you?”
“No.”
“You don’t often meet your dead friends?” he asks. “Are these friends dead because you killed them or-”
Gator cuts him off. “I think you’re deflecting. Number one, I actually didn’t kill Gunge, I tried to save him. Number two, you obviously know who Sir Fredricks is. So here’s the deal, there’s two people who can talk to him right now and somebody’s going to do it. One is you and the other is on the Big Ship.”
Jarhead strokes his goatee. “Hmm, that may be very bad. For everyone.”
“So you going to have the conversation?” he asks.
Jarhead runs his hands through his hair. “Ugh, this is not going to go easy. I guess if I’ve gotta. Do you know where Sir Fredricks is?”
“He said you knew how to find him.”
“Damn it,” he says. He turns to A.T. “Let me do this first. Argh. I don’t think I can take you.” He pauses. “Can I take him? Maybe.”
”Sure you can take him kicking and screaming to the Psychic Maelstrom with your augury. It is however a really bad idea.”
Jarhead shelves that thought and approaches his patient. He adjusts the knobs of the sphere and reaches out to A.T.
Jarhead makes his augury roll, marks experience. and gets a 12.
The we jump back to Violet.
Memo twists the last coil of wire and holds up the odd device to Violet. It looks like a set of bed springs married a rubix cube. “We still need a battery though,” she says.
“Let’s look for one,” Violet replies.
Violet acts under fire to find one and gets a 9.
A half hour later they spot a ruined hardware store. Glancing inside, mostly bare shelves greet them. A few tools and supplies remain however. Violet scans an empty battery section before pressing on to the rear of the store. As she tosses aside some debris from the auto section, muffled conversation drifts in from outside.
Quickly she grabs an intact car battery just as several strangers enter the shop. She waves Memo to stay down and glances up into the dingy bowl mirror above her. The green fatigues and well displayed weapons make it clear these are Militia.
A familiar voice shouts, “make sure there’s nothing left here. Make it quick, we’ve got places to be. Those missiles are not going to stop falling.”
In the mirror the dark-haired woman stand in the entrance, her bulky armor all but announcing her.
Violet has met Fire before we decide.
”She’d probably not kill me outright in cold blood,” she says.
”Yeah most people wouldn’t shoot before talking to a person first,” November says.
Violet slowly rises and calls out. “Fire is that you?”
Several guns turn toward her direction.
“Stop, who’s there?” Fire commands. “Who’s that?”
“Violet,” she says keeping her hands where they can see them.
“What are you doing in here?” the lieutenant of the Militia asks.
“It’s complicated. I’m not in a good way right now. So please don’t shoot me.” She gestures to Memo who holds up the battery. “It’s just me and the girl here. We only came in here for a battery.The rest is yours. We’ve got to get back to the Music Bowl.”
”The understatement of the century,” Jarhead comments.
The scowling woman appraises Violet. “You were not kidding when you said you were in a bad way. Who did that?”
“I’m still trying to figure out the particulars myself,’ she says, keeping her fingers from scratching. “The situation was ... complicated.”
”Unprecedented,” November says.
“You’ve been to the Music Bowl recently?” Fire asks, rubbing at a few minor cuts on her face.
“Last I heard there was a prison breakout. I went looking for Cougar because,” she trails off. “Well I found someone who killed her. We fought and the next thing I know I’m lying on the floor like I am now. I was headed for the Autodoc but it seems I’m needed at the arena. If you see any of the other Republicans could you let them know.”
She chuckles. “Yeah I’ll let them know.”
Violet’s voice hardens. “I think I’ll have a few things to straighten out.”
Fire looks her in the eyes, “I think if it happened to me, I straighten things a little bit faster.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do,” Violet says, moving closer.
Fire flippantly waves a hand. “Right but the little girl needs your help or whatever. Take your battery and go.”
“Thank you.”
As the pair exit, Fire stops her. “One thing. You haven’t seen those mercs around?”
“Not for four or five days.”
Fire nods. “Thanks. We’re heading south to deal with missiles. Who knows when he’ll fire again.”
Violet locks eyes with the young woman. “Get him good for me will ya.”
Fire smiles and cracks her knuckles. “Oh sure, looking forward to it,”
Once outside, Memo hooks up the battery. Instantly, Violet feels a buzzing in her head like an angry wasp. The pair head west.
Back with the others, Jarhead chooses to connect to someone (A.T.) and goes deep and broad.
As the strange sphere hums and glows, Jarhead whispers, “Alex come on back.”
November mingles with the Militia members as they look on, watching Gator as he hangs back with his mercenary band.
Jarhead's words reverberate, echoing in the minds of those present. Outside, those in the arena look up wondering who just said Alex. In the wastes beyond, Violet hears a name whispered behind her. Across Miami, heads turn to the west.
As well as White who will use that burst to triangulate his next shot. I warn the PCs bad stuff is coming but keep this detail to myself for now.
A.T.’s eyes blink open.
“That worked?" Jarhead asks. "Of course it works.”
A.T. shifts his head. “Where am I?”
Mox leans over him. “Boss, you’re in the foundry at the Music Bowl. We’ve got a guy here who managed to patch you up. You are going to be OK.”
As Jarhead congratulates himself, the Militia swarm past him to greet their returned leader. He pouts and wanders over to his helpers. “Don’t you think I was awesome Allison?”
She quickly puts on a smile. “Yeah, you brought someone back from a coma. That’s pretty impressive right?”
"Impressive," he says smiling and surveying the workshop. "See someone else do that. Did you find Memo?"
She shakes her head. “No I haven’t been able to find here. She’s not here. I don’t know where she is. I’m worried she wandered off into the wilds. There could be radioactive boars out there.”
"I knew I should have chipped all of you," he says.
“Chipped? What’s that mean?”
He shrugs. "It's an idea I’ve been working on, you’ll find out. Maybe."
After a short while, the crowd begins to mobilize. Mox helps A.T. to his feet and they begin to shuffle out. The giant man claps Jarhead on the shoulder. "Thanks."
Jarhead asks about payment and I remind him, he was doing it for Violet who helped him repair his head.
She notes she was acting with hope the whole time. I agree, but point out she's not there right now.
The scrawny man smiles. "Glad to be of service, goodbye!"
Nearby Gator's gang start shuffling their feet and looking for something to do.
“Shouldn’t we find some place to rest," Morgana asks. "I don’t know if we should stick around the Music Bowl with missiles flying around.”
"One minute," Gator says as he moves to intercept A.T. He catches the old man by the doors.“A.T.”
“Gator,” the moustached man says warily.
"I understand you were looking for me."
A.T. straightens up. “Yes, about a little mystery about some missing weapons.”
“There was a little misunderstanding while I was indisposed,” Gator explains. “So I wanted to see where you are headed. I’m okay leaving it as it is.”
A.T. frowns. “Some good men of mine died defending those supplies.”
November slides up to the men as Gator says. “How about I give some in recompense.”
“What sort?” he asks warily.
“I got one of the guys who did the job.”
Gator rolls manipulate a person using cool since he is easy to trust and gets an 11. November aids and gets an 8. Bumping it to 12 and turning A.T. into an ally. Specifically a friend.
November whispers a sweet word in A.T.’s ear and the older man loses his frown. “I’ll take that man, but I also need to know where those weapons went.”
November glances at Gator. in his moment of hesitation, she says, “we don’t have time for squabbling. You need to take the offer.”
Using the last of her hold on him.
“You’re right,” A.T. sighs. “There’s those missiles. We need to deal with that now.”
Gator nods. ”We need to get Violet and her crew together and we need to do this.”
“I’ll mobilize my men outside.” A.T. says. “If you find Violet you can tell her where to find us.”
Road gives only a brief struggle before the Militia take him away. A.T. mutters something to Mox about joining the tribunal with him and Fire as they exit the foundry. Gator rallies the rest of his men and directs them to make camp well outside the arena. He also instructs the others to radio the Autodoc to see if they found Violet.
Then he and November talk to Jarhead about some treatment for their wounds.
“I’m going to need some payment,” the wondermaker says.
”That’s the right answer,’ I tell him.
November offers him her tablet and Gator pulls some barter from his bag of gear. Jarhead turns to his supplies.
The following comes from his workshop. Basically heal 1-harm for consequences down the line.
“I can do a patch job. It’s not going to be pretty and there will be some consequences down the line,” he tells them.
“What sort of consequences Jarhead?” November asks.
“Some feelings of sickness and exhaustion,” he says mixing up some chemicals. “For speed, sacrifices must be made. You’ll be fine for tomorrow but expect to crash the next day.” He turns around with a needle filled with a purplish fluid. “Up to you guys.”
Gator considers their timeline. “Can you do it on the way?”
“I guess. Where’s Memo?”
Switching focus.
The ruined arena rises up ahead. Memo tugs on Violet’s sleeve as they quickly walk to Music Bowl.
“We have to go now! Now! there’s no time!” she repeats. Violet and she break out into a run.
Violet rolls acting under fire and gets a 9. I remind the group that a psychic pulse could perhaps help someone aim a missile.
“What is it that’s coming?” Violet asks as they approach the huddled mass of tents and refugees.
“Something really bad is going to happen,” the child gasps, white gown flapping in the evening breeze. “Really really bad.”
“Is it just Jarhead who is trouble?” she asks.
“I don’t know, we should get Jarhead out.”
A motorcycle roars up to them. Lily pulls it to a halt and asks, “Where have you been Violet? We’ve been looking for you for days. What happened to you? What happened to your face?”
Violet tries to walk around the bike. “Let’s get inside.”
Lily grabs her. “No I want an answer now. What happened to you?”
“I got shot in the face, can’t you tell!” she shouts, trying to pull free.
“When, how, by whom?”
Memo grabs Violet’s other arm. “We’ve got to go now!”
Violet fixes her good eye on Lily. “Look I got an upset kid who needs me, I’ve been shot in the face, there’s a good chance I’ve got the climbers, I’m in a bad way! We’ll get this straightened out when I get this taken care of!”
Violet rolls Towering presence, gets a 10, and get marks experience.
Lily lets go and swallows. “Alright, hop on. I’ll drive you in.”
The pair climb into her sidecar. “To Jarhead,” Violet orders.
To November.
A knock disturbs November as she settles down in her private room within the arena. She goes to door.
Outside Wisher puts on his most gracious smile. “I have a wonderful gift for you. I’d love for you to see it. Can you come?”
“I was just getting my things together but sure,” she says. “Where is it?”
“It’s just down by the concessions,” gesturing down the hall.
November reads a person and gets a 10. What do you intend to do? she asks.
”He has a gift but he also wants something.”
“So what going on?” she asks wondering about his true motives.
What does he want me to do? is the question.
As they head down the hallway, he explains. “I was hoping to get your help and perhaps your advice. There’s a project I want your assistance with once the current trouble dies down.”
As she opens her mouth to ask another question, a chill runs up her spine. Insistent whispers hiss, “leave him now, move to the nearest exit.”
Thinking quickly she changes the subject. “Wisher, you know what? There’s something I’d like to show you.”
“What is it?”
She turns for the stairs nearest the exterior. “I’ve been thinking about this performance I want to do. It involves these tree frogs. I think I could get them to sing in chorus.”
As she babbles she hurries him outside and away from the arena.
Back to the others.
The rumble of the motorcycle fills the tunnel to the foundry. Lily pulls to a stop.
“We should probably knock,” she suggests. “The last guys came in here uninvited got really banged up.”
“That wouldn’t surprise me,” Violet says.
Memo points to narrow passageway to the left. ““We can go through this way, there’s a hole in the wall.”
Violet dismounts the bike and follows the strange girl into the dark.
“Look out for the trap,” the child warns partway through.
Stepping over some tripwires, Violet passes a familiar crate. Memo crouches near some poorly placed cinderblocks. “These blocks. We can move them.”
Inside the foundry, Jarhead hears chthunks as something heavy hits the ground. A grating noise follows them. As he turns to investigate. Violet calls out.
“Jarhead!”
“Hello?” he replies.
Violet emerges into the foundry with Memo in tow. “Why is there a hole in this wall and why is it full of traps?”
“Why would it not be full of traps? There’s a hole in the wall.” he says.
Allison and Waters look up from their slow loading of the van. ”Can you grab the crate?” Jarhead calls to them.
Memo grabs his arm. “We don’t have time,” she whines.
“We think something really bad is going to happen,” Violet explains as the small child tries to drag Jarhead away.
“We’ve got to get out of here now, we’ve got to go,” Memo says.
“I don’t even like guns anyway,” Jarhead says stumbling after her. Memo frantically pulls him to the van. “Everyone into the van, we are good to go.”
Violet stops him as he moves for the driver’s seat. “Can you broadcast a message over the psychic maelstrom to warn the other people?”
“I can but not while driving.”
“I’ll drive,” she says taking the wheel.
Jarhead crawls through the packed van to his Tesla sphere. As he powers it up, he says, “get us out of here.”
Jarhead makes his augury roll and gets a 9. He marks experience, reaches out to the people of the arena widely.
As the device hums and glows, Jarhead says, “Get out.”
Gator starts to bed down when the roar of vehicles disturbs his thoughts. A flash of light shoots up from the southeast. It flies straight towards the arena, landing with fierce explosion that topples half the structure and leaves the rest in flames.
I tell them the Militia is okay, Wisher got out, the PCs escaped as did some of the cultists. The rest remains to be seen.
On to Hx!
I clear it up. “November infiltrated the confidence of the gods, probably to betray them.”
”They are worse than White in my eyes,” November says. “But they want White dead so our goals parallel for now.”
As for the exposed secret: November asks Gator what he wants to know.
”Why do you want to play double-agent?” he asks.
”I’ve never met someone I couldn’t manipulate. I’m so full of myself, that I think I can manipulate the gods. But now I have some doubts about it.”
”Why are you so full of yourself?”
”I once started a war between three gangs. I went into a holding and seduced the hardholder of Tampa’s two sons and daughter, a few years back. It was one year after I left home. I got them to fall in love with me and played them off each other to get things. Things got out of control and they murdered each other. They called it the Great Tampa massacre. I still feel bad about it.”
Jarhead narrows his eyes. She might be happy to see me but there’s something she’s not telling me about the sphere.
Carefully he picks it up and cradles it his arms, his eyes never leaving her. As she tries to shrug it off with a smile, he says, “let’s not be touching other’s inventions again.”
She nods and glances over his shoulder at Gator.
“Jarhead,” Gator says.
“What do you want?” he says turning.
“What do you know about Sir Fredricks?”
Jarhead stumbles. ‘That’s an interesting name, “ he says hastily. “Where’d you hear that one from?”
November tries to read a person and gets a 7. Jarhead interferes and gets a 7. Thus November fails.
Jarhead’s eyes flick to November but she can’t read him before he turns back to Gator.
“An old buddy of mine said he was sent by Sir Fredricks,” Gator explains.”He apparently needs to talk to you.“
“Your buddy, he knows him how?” Jarhead asks.
“Gunge,” he clarifies. “He’s dead.”
“Why are dead friends talking to you?” the thin man says, the corner of his eye twitching. “Does this happen often to you?”
“No.”
“You don’t often meet your dead friends?” he asks. “Are these friends dead because you killed them or-”
Gator cuts him off. “I think you’re deflecting. Number one, I actually didn’t kill Gunge, I tried to save him. Number two, you obviously know who Sir Fredricks is. So here’s the deal, there’s two people who can talk to him right now and somebody’s going to do it. One is you and the other is on the Big Ship.”
Jarhead strokes his goatee. “Hmm, that may be very bad. For everyone.”
“So you going to have the conversation?” he asks.
Jarhead runs his hands through his hair. “Ugh, this is not going to go easy. I guess if I’ve gotta. Do you know where Sir Fredricks is?”
“He said you knew how to find him.”
“Damn it,” he says. He turns to A.T. “Let me do this first. Argh. I don’t think I can take you.” He pauses. “Can I take him? Maybe.”
”Sure you can take him kicking and screaming to the Psychic Maelstrom with your augury. It is however a really bad idea.”
Jarhead shelves that thought and approaches his patient. He adjusts the knobs of the sphere and reaches out to A.T.
Jarhead makes his augury roll, marks experience. and gets a 12.
The we jump back to Violet.
Memo twists the last coil of wire and holds up the odd device to Violet. It looks like a set of bed springs married a rubix cube. “We still need a battery though,” she says.
“Let’s look for one,” Violet replies.
Violet acts under fire to find one and gets a 9.
A half hour later they spot a ruined hardware store. Glancing inside, mostly bare shelves greet them. A few tools and supplies remain however. Violet scans an empty battery section before pressing on to the rear of the store. As she tosses aside some debris from the auto section, muffled conversation drifts in from outside.
Quickly she grabs an intact car battery just as several strangers enter the shop. She waves Memo to stay down and glances up into the dingy bowl mirror above her. The green fatigues and well displayed weapons make it clear these are Militia.
A familiar voice shouts, “make sure there’s nothing left here. Make it quick, we’ve got places to be. Those missiles are not going to stop falling.”
In the mirror the dark-haired woman stand in the entrance, her bulky armor all but announcing her.
Violet has met Fire before we decide.
”She’d probably not kill me outright in cold blood,” she says.
”Yeah most people wouldn’t shoot before talking to a person first,” November says.
Violet slowly rises and calls out. “Fire is that you?”
Several guns turn toward her direction.
“Stop, who’s there?” Fire commands. “Who’s that?”
“Violet,” she says keeping her hands where they can see them.
“What are you doing in here?” the lieutenant of the Militia asks.
“It’s complicated. I’m not in a good way right now. So please don’t shoot me.” She gestures to Memo who holds up the battery. “It’s just me and the girl here. We only came in here for a battery.The rest is yours. We’ve got to get back to the Music Bowl.”
”The understatement of the century,” Jarhead comments.
The scowling woman appraises Violet. “You were not kidding when you said you were in a bad way. Who did that?”
“I’m still trying to figure out the particulars myself,’ she says, keeping her fingers from scratching. “The situation was ... complicated.”
”Unprecedented,” November says.
“You’ve been to the Music Bowl recently?” Fire asks, rubbing at a few minor cuts on her face.
“Last I heard there was a prison breakout. I went looking for Cougar because,” she trails off. “Well I found someone who killed her. We fought and the next thing I know I’m lying on the floor like I am now. I was headed for the Autodoc but it seems I’m needed at the arena. If you see any of the other Republicans could you let them know.”
She chuckles. “Yeah I’ll let them know.”
Violet’s voice hardens. “I think I’ll have a few things to straighten out.”
Fire looks her in the eyes, “I think if it happened to me, I straighten things a little bit faster.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do,” Violet says, moving closer.
Fire flippantly waves a hand. “Right but the little girl needs your help or whatever. Take your battery and go.”
“Thank you.”
As the pair exit, Fire stops her. “One thing. You haven’t seen those mercs around?”
“Not for four or five days.”
Fire nods. “Thanks. We’re heading south to deal with missiles. Who knows when he’ll fire again.”
Violet locks eyes with the young woman. “Get him good for me will ya.”
Fire smiles and cracks her knuckles. “Oh sure, looking forward to it,”
Once outside, Memo hooks up the battery. Instantly, Violet feels a buzzing in her head like an angry wasp. The pair head west.
Back with the others, Jarhead chooses to connect to someone (A.T.) and goes deep and broad.
As the strange sphere hums and glows, Jarhead whispers, “Alex come on back.”
November mingles with the Militia members as they look on, watching Gator as he hangs back with his mercenary band.
Jarhead's words reverberate, echoing in the minds of those present. Outside, those in the arena look up wondering who just said Alex. In the wastes beyond, Violet hears a name whispered behind her. Across Miami, heads turn to the west.
As well as White who will use that burst to triangulate his next shot. I warn the PCs bad stuff is coming but keep this detail to myself for now.
A.T.’s eyes blink open.
“That worked?" Jarhead asks. "Of course it works.”
A.T. shifts his head. “Where am I?”
Mox leans over him. “Boss, you’re in the foundry at the Music Bowl. We’ve got a guy here who managed to patch you up. You are going to be OK.”
As Jarhead congratulates himself, the Militia swarm past him to greet their returned leader. He pouts and wanders over to his helpers. “Don’t you think I was awesome Allison?”
She quickly puts on a smile. “Yeah, you brought someone back from a coma. That’s pretty impressive right?”
"Impressive," he says smiling and surveying the workshop. "See someone else do that. Did you find Memo?"
She shakes her head. “No I haven’t been able to find here. She’s not here. I don’t know where she is. I’m worried she wandered off into the wilds. There could be radioactive boars out there.”
"I knew I should have chipped all of you," he says.
“Chipped? What’s that mean?”
He shrugs. "It's an idea I’ve been working on, you’ll find out. Maybe."
After a short while, the crowd begins to mobilize. Mox helps A.T. to his feet and they begin to shuffle out. The giant man claps Jarhead on the shoulder. "Thanks."
Jarhead asks about payment and I remind him, he was doing it for Violet who helped him repair his head.
She notes she was acting with hope the whole time. I agree, but point out she's not there right now.
The scrawny man smiles. "Glad to be of service, goodbye!"
Nearby Gator's gang start shuffling their feet and looking for something to do.
“Shouldn’t we find some place to rest," Morgana asks. "I don’t know if we should stick around the Music Bowl with missiles flying around.”
"One minute," Gator says as he moves to intercept A.T. He catches the old man by the doors.“A.T.”
“Gator,” the moustached man says warily.
"I understand you were looking for me."
A.T. straightens up. “Yes, about a little mystery about some missing weapons.”
“There was a little misunderstanding while I was indisposed,” Gator explains. “So I wanted to see where you are headed. I’m okay leaving it as it is.”
A.T. frowns. “Some good men of mine died defending those supplies.”
November slides up to the men as Gator says. “How about I give some in recompense.”
“What sort?” he asks warily.
“I got one of the guys who did the job.”
Gator rolls manipulate a person using cool since he is easy to trust and gets an 11. November aids and gets an 8. Bumping it to 12 and turning A.T. into an ally. Specifically a friend.
November whispers a sweet word in A.T.’s ear and the older man loses his frown. “I’ll take that man, but I also need to know where those weapons went.”
November glances at Gator. in his moment of hesitation, she says, “we don’t have time for squabbling. You need to take the offer.”
Using the last of her hold on him.
“You’re right,” A.T. sighs. “There’s those missiles. We need to deal with that now.”
Gator nods. ”We need to get Violet and her crew together and we need to do this.”
“I’ll mobilize my men outside.” A.T. says. “If you find Violet you can tell her where to find us.”
Road gives only a brief struggle before the Militia take him away. A.T. mutters something to Mox about joining the tribunal with him and Fire as they exit the foundry. Gator rallies the rest of his men and directs them to make camp well outside the arena. He also instructs the others to radio the Autodoc to see if they found Violet.
Then he and November talk to Jarhead about some treatment for their wounds.
“I’m going to need some payment,” the wondermaker says.
”That’s the right answer,’ I tell him.
November offers him her tablet and Gator pulls some barter from his bag of gear. Jarhead turns to his supplies.
The following comes from his workshop. Basically heal 1-harm for consequences down the line.
“I can do a patch job. It’s not going to be pretty and there will be some consequences down the line,” he tells them.
“What sort of consequences Jarhead?” November asks.
“Some feelings of sickness and exhaustion,” he says mixing up some chemicals. “For speed, sacrifices must be made. You’ll be fine for tomorrow but expect to crash the next day.” He turns around with a needle filled with a purplish fluid. “Up to you guys.”
Gator considers their timeline. “Can you do it on the way?”
“I guess. Where’s Memo?”
Switching focus.
The ruined arena rises up ahead. Memo tugs on Violet’s sleeve as they quickly walk to Music Bowl.
“We have to go now! Now! there’s no time!” she repeats. Violet and she break out into a run.
Violet rolls acting under fire and gets a 9. I remind the group that a psychic pulse could perhaps help someone aim a missile.
“What is it that’s coming?” Violet asks as they approach the huddled mass of tents and refugees.
“Something really bad is going to happen,” the child gasps, white gown flapping in the evening breeze. “Really really bad.”
“Is it just Jarhead who is trouble?” she asks.
“I don’t know, we should get Jarhead out.”
A motorcycle roars up to them. Lily pulls it to a halt and asks, “Where have you been Violet? We’ve been looking for you for days. What happened to you? What happened to your face?”
Violet tries to walk around the bike. “Let’s get inside.”
Lily grabs her. “No I want an answer now. What happened to you?”
“I got shot in the face, can’t you tell!” she shouts, trying to pull free.
“When, how, by whom?”
Memo grabs Violet’s other arm. “We’ve got to go now!”
Violet fixes her good eye on Lily. “Look I got an upset kid who needs me, I’ve been shot in the face, there’s a good chance I’ve got the climbers, I’m in a bad way! We’ll get this straightened out when I get this taken care of!”
Violet rolls Towering presence, gets a 10, and get marks experience.
Lily lets go and swallows. “Alright, hop on. I’ll drive you in.”
The pair climb into her sidecar. “To Jarhead,” Violet orders.
To November.
A knock disturbs November as she settles down in her private room within the arena. She goes to door.
Outside Wisher puts on his most gracious smile. “I have a wonderful gift for you. I’d love for you to see it. Can you come?”
“I was just getting my things together but sure,” she says. “Where is it?”
“It’s just down by the concessions,” gesturing down the hall.
November reads a person and gets a 10. What do you intend to do? she asks.
”He has a gift but he also wants something.”
“So what going on?” she asks wondering about his true motives.
What does he want me to do? is the question.
As they head down the hallway, he explains. “I was hoping to get your help and perhaps your advice. There’s a project I want your assistance with once the current trouble dies down.”
As she opens her mouth to ask another question, a chill runs up her spine. Insistent whispers hiss, “leave him now, move to the nearest exit.”
Thinking quickly she changes the subject. “Wisher, you know what? There’s something I’d like to show you.”
“What is it?”
She turns for the stairs nearest the exterior. “I’ve been thinking about this performance I want to do. It involves these tree frogs. I think I could get them to sing in chorus.”
As she babbles she hurries him outside and away from the arena.
Back to the others.
The rumble of the motorcycle fills the tunnel to the foundry. Lily pulls to a stop.
“We should probably knock,” she suggests. “The last guys came in here uninvited got really banged up.”
“That wouldn’t surprise me,” Violet says.
Memo points to narrow passageway to the left. ““We can go through this way, there’s a hole in the wall.”
Violet dismounts the bike and follows the strange girl into the dark.
“Look out for the trap,” the child warns partway through.
Stepping over some tripwires, Violet passes a familiar crate. Memo crouches near some poorly placed cinderblocks. “These blocks. We can move them.”
Inside the foundry, Jarhead hears chthunks as something heavy hits the ground. A grating noise follows them. As he turns to investigate. Violet calls out.
“Jarhead!”
“Hello?” he replies.
Violet emerges into the foundry with Memo in tow. “Why is there a hole in this wall and why is it full of traps?”
“Why would it not be full of traps? There’s a hole in the wall.” he says.
Allison and Waters look up from their slow loading of the van. ”Can you grab the crate?” Jarhead calls to them.
Memo grabs his arm. “We don’t have time,” she whines.
“We think something really bad is going to happen,” Violet explains as the small child tries to drag Jarhead away.
“We’ve got to get out of here now, we’ve got to go,” Memo says.
“I don’t even like guns anyway,” Jarhead says stumbling after her. Memo frantically pulls him to the van. “Everyone into the van, we are good to go.”
Violet stops him as he moves for the driver’s seat. “Can you broadcast a message over the psychic maelstrom to warn the other people?”
“I can but not while driving.”
“I’ll drive,” she says taking the wheel.
Jarhead crawls through the packed van to his Tesla sphere. As he powers it up, he says, “get us out of here.”
Jarhead makes his augury roll and gets a 9. He marks experience, reaches out to the people of the arena widely.
As the device hums and glows, Jarhead says, “Get out.”
Gator starts to bed down when the roar of vehicles disturbs his thoughts. A flash of light shoots up from the southeast. It flies straight towards the arena, landing with fierce explosion that topples half the structure and leaves the rest in flames.
I tell them the Militia is okay, Wisher got out, the PCs escaped as did some of the cultists. The rest remains to be seen.
End of Session
November speculates that Memo needed Violet to save others within the Music Bowl. Jarhead admits he never would have thought to do that.On to Hx!
- November gives +1 Hx to Gator. He resets his counter and gains experience.
I clear it up. “November infiltrated the confidence of the gods, probably to betray them.”
”They are worse than White in my eyes,” November says. “But they want White dead so our goals parallel for now.”
As for the exposed secret: November asks Gator what he wants to know.
”Why do you want to play double-agent?” he asks.
”I’ve never met someone I couldn’t manipulate. I’m so full of myself, that I think I can manipulate the gods. But now I have some doubts about it.”
”Why are you so full of yourself?”
”I once started a war between three gangs. I went into a holding and seduced the hardholder of Tampa’s two sons and daughter, a few years back. It was one year after I left home. I got them to fall in love with me and played them off each other to get things. Things got out of control and they murdered each other. They called it the Great Tampa massacre. I still feel bad about it.”
- Jarhead gives +1 Hx to November, since she played with the thing closest to his heart.
- Violet gives +1 Hx to Jarhead as her only choice.
- Gator gives +1 Hx to November.
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