Wrapping-Up in Lazlo
John Walker
John makes sure his shopping is done and his affairs in order before making himself comfortable and settling down on the observation deck for the night where he can see the stars above and fall asleep soundly.
Lorelei Stark
Shane greets Lorelei cordially and, after listening to her self-appraisal, agrees to accept her on a probational basis. He familiarizes her with the group's policies and shows her to the room formerly used by John, and welcomes her to use it as her quarters. Once she's got her stuff stowed, he fills her in on the gist of their current mission and tells her to get her affairs in order as they're due to depart in the morning.
Clay Torres
After helping out Logan, Clay finds himself able to sleep well through the night, his clear conscience helping him to bed knowing that the awesome power of Minmei aided yet another person find their true path.
William Summers
Shane nods his understanding of William's reticence toward sharing the ring with others in the team, and agrees that Will will have exclusive use of the ring while he's a member of the Roughnecks. In addition, he has full responsibility to ensure that it's kept safe and in the exclusive possession of the Roughnecks.
Logan Sharpe
Once Logan has discarded the pendant, he finds himself able to sleep soundly.
Cale Stepanik
Cale's full stomach gurgles happily throughout the night even as his ego takes a beating. Everyone at out while in Lazlo, and for once, his skills are not taken advantage of, nor appreciated. Still, he takes solace in the fact that quite possibly the best pie he's ever made was eaten by someone who could fully appreciate it; namely, himself. Later that night while he's sleeping, however, he is plagued by nightmares, and wakes multiple times feeling paranoid.
Cai Caradoc
Cai and Spike settle down for a night's rest before their upcoming mission once the matters of Logan's pendant, Spike's peculiar nature, and the identity and profession of the group's newest member are settled.
Conner Gunsmith
Conner makes quick work of the exorcized soul stone with a few well-placed blows from his enormous operator's wrench. Once that's done, he's able to draft up an itinerary for tomorrow's projects and settle down for a long slumber with a clear conscience.
(You may upgrade your alignment one notch if you so wish.)
Shane Knight
Shane settles matters with the rest of the team regarding their new mage, the final disposition of the artifacts acquired at Medicine Hat, and the winter survival gear acquired at Lazlo that day.
Traversing the Northern Wastes
Lorelei picks up a few items from a wilderness outfitter in the early hours before the rest of the group is awake, and returns in time to see them begin stirring from their cabins. Cale has coffee brewing, but he looks absolutely haggard; as though he didn't sleep at all through the night. Everyone else wakes up in short order and drags their feet through an apparently normal routine of a quick shower in the new facility Conner built for such and retreating across the chilly deck back to their rooms to get dressed and ready for travel. Dave the robot wakens from his maintenance cycle at 0700 exactly, and greets Lorelei in an peculiar dialect that sounds very intellectual and all at once very arrogant. Once everyone's prepared, Dave and Cale set off on a journey north and east of Lazlo. Conner sets to work rigging electrical conduits within the interior of the ATRV, and Shane and a few others lend a hand as required, and as they are able during the journey. Once past the frozen, rolling hills and bluffs of the vast Canadian interior, the group travels farther north to avoid as much of the territory claimed by Free Quebec as they're able before cutting due east. Eventually, the topography changes, and as night falls, the group moves into some narrow canyons and valleys running through the hills and small mountains in the distance. They reach a ley line and find a sheltered, wider area along a small frozen stream, hemmed in on two sides by steep, rocky slopes. The formerly howling arctic wind eases slightly and the valley provides some protection from it, but frigid gusts continue to whip down the canyon. Conner finds himself putting the finishing touches on the turret in the bitter cold, but is so overcome by it that he's unable and unwilling to brave the elements any further to give it a proper series of shakedown tests.
The next morning, Shane gets into his SAMAS to do a little early morning scouting further up the canyon toward the designated coordinates. He sees the ley line turn abruptly to the northwest as it runs up against a solid chunk of rock, thrusting out of the ground at a sharp angle. This rock face is larger than the stony hills around them, rising higher and extending further to each side. The rock face looks odd, too. The rock seems different from the other hills and it doesn't fit among them as easily. It catches his attention, so he follows the ley line through a wider valley along its face. After about a half mile, he is startled to see a huge, circular door set into the strange mountain. The door is enormous--at least a full two hundred feet in diameter, and appears to be a huge metal portal, with two doors that join at a central seam. The bottom few feet of the door is covered over by earth and snow, but most of it is clearly visible, if hidden away in these valleys. The door is closed and there is no sign of any keypad or other opening mechanism. No markings of any sort are visible upon fly-by inspection. Reviewing the target coordinates in his HUD, Shane finds that he's within a few miles of the coordinates; this being about the best geographic intel that technology can provide given the absence of satellite assistance. Signaling the group to rendezvous at his coordinates, a short while later Dave and Cale bring the ATRV to within spitting distance of the massive artificial structure.
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