Stop #1: The rock fortress of New Brunswick

[SNAFU]

Wak looks at the strange pair, "What do you mean an empty human factory?"

"A factory built by humans, now automated."

Wak shakes his head, "No, chatting won't be a problem, but attacking a vamp controlled city might be. We just basically nuked one ship. Now you are talking about nuking a whole city. Still, if the weapon he developed is as good as you think, it shouldn't be a huge issue."

"We believe it is possible or we would not have you attempt it, the entire enterprise is for naught if you fail."

"No, the silver will be good for now. Maybe the next we can discuss other types of compensation." Wak listens to the story of vamp kingdoms, "No, a mind meld won't be necessary." Don't want you in my head anymore than is necessary. Wak nods again, "We will do what we can. If this techno-wizard is amenable we will take care of the city." Besides I want to see this bloodsucker kingdom for myself.

"Very good, our Master holds you in high regard; he hopes to contact you directly once you reach Tampico. Circumstances have made it necessary to speak to by proxy, us."

Standing on the shore, William listens carefully but allows Wakiza to do the real talking. He chimes in to offer some support. "I'm sure between Mercedes and myself, we should be able to sidle up to this Technowizard no problem. Thirsty Pete? Why do they call him that?" I've always wanted to pick a TechnoWizard's brain! William lets the others worry about the perimeter and security issues, while he daydreams about magical devices.

"Perhaps he found Thirsty Pedroangelo Villadelasmaquinas unwieldy... or he favors the drink... we don't know. We do know that he is an old man who likes to talk, and hates vampires."

[Mercedes]

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
Just in Case d20: [dice]1[/dice];JIC d100: [dice]2[/dice]
Imitate Voice (for her accent) [dice]3[/dice]/76%

"I'm sure between Mercedes and myself, we should be able to sidle up to this Technowizard no problem. Thirsty Pete? Why do they call him that?"

"I've been known to be quite...persuasive when the need arises.", smirks Mercedes with a knowing look. One that's hard to mistake.

"Bloody menial labour.", Mercedes mutters under her breath as she moves to help load up the silver aboard ship, careful to ensure that the two oddballs have given consent to move it.

Why I should do this is totally beyond me., she thinks, and, if given the chance, she pretends to need help. "This is too heavy for me.", she complains looking for sympathy.

[Murdoc]

Percep: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice] [dice]2[/dice]

Detect Ambush 55%=[dice]3[/dice]
Trap / Mine Detection 50%=[dice]4[/dice]

Murdoc slows to a stop when the sound of weapons fire reaches him. Well, none of that sounded like anything we want to deal with. Where the crap did that come from.... Jezz, what the hell are those people doing? Are they riding those things? When he spots the group of mounted monster riders he click on his comm mic and reports in, "We've got a contact west of here. Large group of mounted monster riders. Upwards of 20 or 30. I heard weapons fire, but it looks like the group is moving off to the south. Any chance this has something to do with the spy bird? Maxwell, you've got a better view. Do you see anything else out there? Any idea what they were firing at?"

Murdoc scans the surrounding area looking for any other potential threats, as he says, "I'm gonna hang here for a bit and keep an eye out. I suggest we pull it in and get moving though."

[Michael Maxwell]

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice] / [dice]2[/dice]

Seeing the incoming bird take fire Maxwell is just about to radio the group to head for the sub so they could get out of here before getting caught up in whatever is going on, then he spots the NG R&D logo on the incoming unit. Mouser and Murdoc confirm, and finally the operator radios a distress call. Maybe Feddy is sending help of or message, Maxwell muses as he takes one more look at his scope. If Feddy is sending, it may look like help but it's probably trouble, too. Whatever shot up the unit appears to be moving, so there is little time to sort it out. Fortunately the odd couple cleared a nice LZ.

Jumping on the radio, Maxwell directs traffic.

On Team Channel:
"Roger that I confirm it's a Northern Gun unit. Whatever shot it up seems to be a large force on the move, we should get out of here before they want a piece of us. The insignia looks like the Northern Gun research and development division, same people we're looking for. It could be stolen too, either way we should recover the unit and return it to NG next time we rendezvous. Keep weapons trained, just in case."

On the Mechanic's channel:
"Northern Gun Research & Development Unit Serial Code 44421-A this is the Roughnecks, on contract for your company. Set down in the clearing near the water. We will confirm identify and deal with you accordingly."

Let's get this over with quickly.

[SNAFU]

A Few Moments Later...

Communications and actions occurred as intended.

Sysephone and Grendel encourage you to leave quickly and then immediately move out to investigate the group of monster-riders. They both turn invisible before they leave the clearing.

The silver is loaded onto the sub. The Mechanic brings his wounded Grease Hawk down into the clearing near Mouser. It takes all his skill to keep from dropping out of the sky like a rock. He does not see either Sysephone or Grendel.

Maxwell and Murdoc both watch as the riders move away at a steady but unhurried pace.

What are your intentions?

[Wakiza]

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JiC: [dice]1[/dice] [dice]2[/dice]

Conditions: Wak cycles to thermal vision every few minutes to keep an eye out for the invisible. If for some reason the lights go out Wak will shift to Passive Nightvision. Mind Block! Basic Combat Awareness on the incoming NG Armor.

Wak nods to the two as they head off. Wak gives Mercedes a hand loading up the silver. He just gives here a stare when she starts to whine and laughs at her a bit. "Get moving woman! You have had it much worse. Really hope those two didn't try to betray us! He still feels the heat of his previous fury, but Wak seems to have tamed it for now.

As the NG armor heads their way Wak draws his sword and pulls out his Arkhonite Auto-Pistol in case of trouble. He concentrates his Zen combat basic awareness on the incoming armor. He says, "No Mouser, hold off and let Max take the lead. It doesn't look like much of a threat at the moment. Max, this is all you, especially if whoever is in there is NG. His radio must be a little off, his comms sound a bit strange." Wak looks over at Mouser, "Hey Mouser how much you do you think we can offload that silver for in Tampico? I'm thinking you could use a nice forcefield, so when we do get into some serious combat your repairs won't be that expensive."

[Mercedes]

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
Just in Case d20: [dice]1[/dice];JIC d100: [dice]2[/dice]
Imitate Voice (for her accent) [dice]3[/dice]/76%

"Aw, but it's heavy!", whines Mercedes as she hauls the silver. "Why must you make a lady sweat so?"

Hearing something swooping in before seeing it, she perks up and asks, "What's that?", readying herself for combat.

In any event, the overly loud and obtrusive machines seem to be congregating, and though Mercedes looks on with a disaffected attitude, she wonders to herself, What now? Enemies? Someone to infiltrate our group? Steal our silver? MY Silver?

[Murdoc]

Percep: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice] [dice]2[/dice]

Detect Ambush 55%=[dice]3[/dice]
Trap / Mine Detection 50%=[dice]4[/dice]

Murdoc clicks in on the comms, "Looks like we lucked out. That band of monster riders is moving away. I'm circling around back to the landing point." I'm all for skipping that fight. 3 to 1 odds aren't the best but we could have held them off long enough to load up and get back out to sea. The worst part is we wouldn't have been getting paid for that fight and between damages and ammo costs it would have been a loss even if we won.

Murdoc comes zipping back into the cleared area. When he hits the open ground he gains some speed before skidding to a halt a little ways away from the group, as he throws up a cloud of dust and dirt.


Trotting over to the group Murdoc says, "I hate to interrupt this little family reunion, but we should be loading up and moving along. Between that mechanical spy bird and those monster riders, I'd say this position has been compromised. Let the NG guy ride topside while he tells his story. If the tale don't ring true, we submerge and he can take his chances with that busted up P.A. Or we can put his butt over the side with that damn demon watch that seems to be causing our problems with the dwarves."

[William Summers]

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]/[dice]2[/dice]

An anthropomorphic sword with fire spouting from the blade dances around a work bench with a gaggle of dancing emeralds, rubies and diamonds. Technowizardry is my happy place. Will snaps out of his daydreaming about magic to the sound of technology rapidly approaching. With his hand on the hilt of his Kisentite sword, he cautiously watches the approach and landing of the new power armor. "Wak, you want me to kill it?" he says before listening to his explanation of who he is in relation to Mouser. "Oh. You're responsible for the giant robot cat. Heh. Mundanes." Once the silver is loaded up, Will suggests that to the team "Let's get the hell out of here before those riders come back? This seems like less friendly territory than when Mercedes is in the room." The large man elbows the Mystic Knight in her arm to drive home the point that his joke was really REALLY funny.

[SNAFU]

A few minutes later....

The silver is loaded, heart-warming reunion has occurred, convos and actions happened as intended.

The Roughnecks are standing on deck, the new Blue Man Group of One has joined them. Murdoc and Maxwell are the last to deck. The conversation is interrupted by the horrified yells of Cale and the shrieks of Flip Balboa. Upon investigation it seems the Roughnecks have a locked room murder mystery on their hands. Three of them. The dwarves are dead; this is now a dwarfless voyage.



All forms of investigation point to suicide, nearly simultaneous suicide by suffocation using the strings from their boots.

Cale has had enough. "I can't take it anymore guys... I tried focusing on pie, but it didn't work.... I hate being in that nightmare murder tube. I'm going home."
Cale grabs his things and borrows a jetpack from Flip. "So long friends, I'll see you in Merctown." He flies off to the west.

The dwarves are given a burial at sea. Flip gathers himself together and looks to the others, "Now what?"

What do you do?

[Wakiza]

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JiC: [dice]1[/dice] [dice]2[/dice]

Conditions: Wak cycles to thermal vision every few minutes to keep an eye out for the invisible. If for some reason the lights go out Wak will shift to Passive Nightvision. Basic Combat Awareness on the incoming NG Armor. See the Invisible at random times to search

Wak was interested and paying attention to the interplay between the blue man and the robotic cat. Hmm, wonder what happened there. As they hear from Cal and Flip, What in the spirits is wrong now? He smiles at Will's suggestion, "No, let's not kill him yet." He looks at Mouser and Max, "Well he claims he is NG and knows the right names and that he knows you, Mouser. Is he all right?" Wak starts to head below to see what is going on, but he looks to Mouser, "Mouser he is your responsibility, make sure he stays out of trouble. I'll trust your discretion"

Once below he sees the bodies, What in the great spirit's name happened here? To the team, "Mouser check all the sensor data. Will and Murdoc search their cabins for anything interesting. We have to find out what the hell is going on. Mercedes, you stay with me." He gives her a look "And no I don't mean it like that! What can you do to search this ship. I am going to start looking around at random times with See the Invisible (-4 isp). We need to find whatever is causing this before it starts happening to us."

As Cale leaves he says, "Okay see you later bud, watch your back out there and we will see you back in town." Now there are only two of us left on this team that freed you Illyncryth, try not to get us both killed. After they bury the dwarves at sea and assuming Max and Mouser vouched for Mechanic, they will head for Tampico. "Okay who can drive the damned boat?? Let's get out of here?" Wak will use See the Invisible (-4 isp) at random times to search the boat.

[William Summers]

Perception: [dice]0[/dice] (NAT20!)
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]/[dice]2[/dice]

He smiles at Will's suggestion, "No, let's not kill him yet."

Will shrugs his shoulders and takes his hand away from his sword. "You're the boss." William Summers sits and listens to the back and forth between Wakiza, Mouser and The Mechanic for a while, the whole time his disdain for technology sticks out like a sore thumb. When he hears the screams of Cale and Flip, he runs back down into the Yellowfish. They're dead?

"Will and Murdoc search their cabins for anything interesting. We have to find out what the hell is going on."

Will grabs his sword and heads around the ship with Murdoc searching for any signs of trouble. "Murdoc, holler if you see something."

[Murdoc]

Percep: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice] [dice]2[/dice]

Detect Ambush 55%=[dice]3[/dice]
Trap / Mine Detection 50%=[dice]4[/dice]

Murdoc tips his head to the Mechanic, "Seems like you get to ride inside. We should all have a good talk later. Once we get underway and outta this place." He trails behind the odd person as they board the sub and keeps an eye on him since, aside from cleaning, Murdoc doesn't really have much to do.

Breaking away from his observation of the Mechanic, Murdoc nods to Cale, "Safe journey. We'll give you a call and let you know when to have the welcome home feast ready." He gives the man a grin and another nod before turning back to Wakiza, "You got it Boss."

Moving over to Will, Murdoc, says, "We gonna stick together or are we gonna split up and search for clues?" Giving the big man a chuckle, Murdoc moves off to search the dwarves rooms with Will. "Is it sad I can think of a couple different ways this could have happened other that suicide?" Murdoc pokes and prods through the dwarves rooms. After a few minutes, he scrounges up some boxes and and clears out the dwarves personal effects. Looking to Will he says, "We may need the space later. Better to get it taken care of now. It's not like anyone brought along a lot of personal stuff." He makes sure to check the lock and see if it was tampered with. Along with the air vents, bulkheads and floors.


After searching for a while, Murdoc bolts to a stand. His face quizzical as he contemplates something. Then he blurts out to Will, "Got an idea. Need pie." He charges off to the galley, grabbing one of the pies Cale finished before leaving, as well as utensils and a place setting. Then he hot foots it down to the Magical Engine and sets the pie out on the place setting with a glass of milk. Then comes the hard part of the plan. He stands and waits there, watching the engine and the pie, foot bouncing at an almost frantic rate.

If anyone asks what he's doing, Murdoc says, "We need answers and the only other person on the boat at the time of the deaths lives in there." and he points to the magic engine.

[Michael Maxwell]

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice] / [dice]2[/dice]

Putting a few things together, Maxwell realizes that the Mechanic probably works for Federico. This fact simply guarantees the blue man is not an enemy, but he certainly shouldn't be considered a friend either. Nonetheless, the techno hound finds the Mechanic, and his knowledge of cutting edge NG research fascinating. Eager to pick his alien brain for the the next big tech evolution Maxwell's techno-porn-hard on is momentarily limped by the sight of the dead dwarves.

With Cale losing his marbles and Flip screaming like a girl the old mercenary sighs a heavy sigh. As much as he liked it, it was time for the watch to go.

"Let's put out to sea a little and dive, then we find the watch and jettison it to the bottom of the ocean. It's the only thing that's changed since these problems started. If it continues after that, then we eliminate the next thing in line. Last time we heard it the watch was in the reactor area."

Banging on the hull Maxwell yells, "Hey gnome boy, any chance you can get the watch from the reactor area so we can give it the old heave ho?"

Looking somewhat embarrassed at talking to the walls Maxwell shrugs, Not the most embarrassing thing I've done.

[Mercedes]

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
Just in Case d20: [dice]1[/dice];JIC d100: [dice]2[/dice]
Imitate Voice (for her accent) [dice]3[/dice]/80%

"They sure know how to die, don't they? How were they able to do this with no one noticing?"

"We have to find out what the hell is going on. Mercedes, you stay with me."

"I knew you wanted me to yourself, but I didn't think you'd be so blatant."

"And no I don't mean it like that!"

"Oh really? Are you sure?"

"What can you do to search this ship. I am going to start looking around at random times with See the Invisible -4 isp). We need to find whatever is causing this before it starts happening to us."

"See the invisible, I can see magic, like a line walker can; if our quarry is human, I should be able to track it."

Mercedes will follow Wak, looking for tracks to follow ((Tracking [dice]4[/dice]/55%; fail)), using See the Invisible (-4 ISP), and looking for magic energy (uses 1 action; sense magic in use is 300' range and automatic).

[SNAFU]

Some time later…

The sub sails out to sea as the various Roughs go about their business.

Gnomewatch (Will, Murdoc, Maxwell)

Maxwell pounds the bulwarks and makes demands of the mysterious gnomish entity….. While waiting for a response he notices Murdoc and Will conducting their pie-baited stakeout and joins the effort. Much time passes.

Is Nothing Invisible? (Wakiza, Mercedes)

A thorough search of the sub reveals nothing. However Mercedes begins to realize the ambient mystic energy inside the sub has increased and continues to increase at an astonishing rate, within the next few minutes they will have access to ley line levels of of PPE and in hours it will be as if they are standing on a nexus.

Soon after Mercedes, Will, Wakiza and any other psionic or magic sensitives become aware of this surge.


Spot the Shade (Mouser, the Mechanic)

Meticulous review of the system’s video record reveals the presence of a swirling, ephemeral unnatural shadow near each dwarf before and after death. It is the same oily Shade that Will noticed the Gnome remove from the watch, pulling it from the mechanism as if removing gum from the clockwork.

Shade =
https://media.giphy.com/media/8ofTJ0ME5TKMg/giphy.gif

After the last dwarf (Burtolbart) slips this mortal coil, the shadow is not seen again. By monitoring all camera feeds at once the robo-duet might be able to spot the Shade again.

Although they are not known to be even temporarily visible (as shadows or otherwise), this Shade behaves much like the dreaded Possessing Entity that is detailed in Mouser’s files.


All
Wakiza and Mercedes join the vigil over the TW core while Mech and Mouser view the internal monitoring systems.

Eventually their patience pays off.

The hatch to the TW core opens, what they can see of the interior looks much like an empty metal cannister. The Gnomish Energy Entity steps out into the light, streaks towards the pie and devours it at speeds only a few of you can process. Then it stops.

Again Maxwell asks for the watch.

“More Pies!” demands the GEE and returns to its lair. Once the pies have been produced, the GEE takes the pies into the core and tosses out the watch like so much trash.

Inspecting the watch reveals that there is nothing much special about it. It no longer has any mystical energy of its own, if it ever really did. Not a one of you can remember what was so great about it, and there doesn’t seem to be anything more there than a ugly, broken clock that wouldn't even be right once, let alone twice a day..

Meanwhile…. Flip comes out from the head after one of his long stays there, and picks in on the controls, he starts screaming and point at the various sensory systems.

“We’re already at Tampico?!!?! THERE’S A SLPOOG MOTHERSHIP!!!??? WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!??? WE’RE HEADED STRAIGHT FOR IT!?!??!”


If cooler heads investigate you will realize you are indeed nearly at Tampico for some reason and not only that if you maintain your current course and heading you will indeed ram a Mothership anchored near the town!

However that would be in about 45 minutes and you have plenty of time to make course corrections if you so choose.

What are your intentions?

[Michael Maxwell]

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice] / [dice]2[/dice]

Just like the orphanage job, Maxwell thinks news comes forth of some sort of shade forcing people to kill each other. Entities don't normally have physical appearance, so this thing is something else. The old merc tries to clear the fog in his brain long enough to think of anything he's seen or heard of like this before.

Lore: Demons and Monsters (North America): [dice]3[/dice] /65%
Lore: Demons and Monsters (South America): [dice]4[/dice] /65%

Looking at the crummy watch Mike sighs loudly at being duped my magical charms. You'd think I've seen enough shit to see through that one, he chastises himself silently. The cost of this mistake was their entire dwarven crew. No question that he could add a new nightmare to his list. At least there would be some variety, the other recurring dreams were getting a little stale. Forgoing a drink for the moment the headhunter focuses on the problem at hand but can't think of a way to contain the thing without first knowing what it is.

Maybe GEE has some mystic powers to protect the ship, he thinks as he reaches for ideas. Grabbing any remaining Cale pies Maxwell once again bangs on the walls. "GEE, can you get rid of the black shadow? It's detrimental to crew morale."

Seeing Flip Maxwell wonders how the hell that weak minded puss bag didn't succumb to the black blight while the stout dwarves went down like flies. Maybe a clue. Maybe humans were immune, or it preferred dwarves, or, maybe...whatever...there's a big ass Sploog mothership outside. Seems like more than a coincidence after having just blown one up.

Sitting at the helm Maxwell looks for a cove or inlet to park the sub in away from Tampico. They could fly into town and keep the Yellowfish away from prying eyes. Realizing navigation charts aren't his forte Maxwell tries to get the new "crew" involved.

"Alright folks, let's find a cove or inlet to park the Yellowfish in. No sense tipping our hand, especially with the big mother parked out there. We can fly ourselves into Tampcio from the 'Fish and try to maintain some sense of operational security. We have to be ready for the possiblity that a little birdy told them we're coming."

Waving at the navigation array he shrugs, "Anyone know how to work that thing? Find us a place to hide. I might be able to get us there."

Pilot: Submersibles [dice]5[/dice] /48%

[Murdoc]

Percep: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice] [dice]2[/dice]

Radio: Basic 75%=[dice]3[/dice]

Murdoc nods quickly to Maxwell when the merc goes and gets more pies. When/If the GEE comes back out for the pies, Murdoc will blurt out, "If you want more pies, tell us what the shade is and how to stop it. If not we'll all be dead and the pies will stop."


As they near Tampico and Flip flips out, Murdoc sighs to himself, Just great... Will the shit storm ever end or are we just gonna be covered with it the rest of our short lives? We haven't even had a chance to deal with this Shade thing yet. And how the hell did we get to Tampico so fast? This must be one hell of a special sub.

Murdoc looks incredulously at Maxwell, "Don't look at me. They didn't hand me flippers when I juiced. This is outside my wheel house. I like you plan though. I'll check the radio and see if anyone is broadcasting. Seems to me we should hear either demands, evac orders or jammed radio static."

Murdoc plops down in the chair behind the comm terminal and starts fiddling with the radio trying to pull up whatever local broadcasts he can get so that they have some intelligence on just what is happening here in Tampico.

[Mercedes]

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
Just in Case d20: [dice]1[/dice];JIC d100: [dice]2[/dice]
Imitate Voice (for her accent) [dice]3[/dice]/80%

What a waste of time looking around the sub is.
"I saw nothing, Wakiza. And since I assume you were watching my behind, I take it you saw nothing also. Wait. Why is the magical energy in the sub increasing?!"

Physical manifestation is not an attribute known of possessing entities. As such it is possibly related to but not exactly the same. Fortunately it only poses a threat to biological units and not mechanical ones outside of actions it can take in a possessed body. I calculate a 99% chance it has or will soon possess the remaining biological entities aboard this ship before terminating all of them and moving on to find more biological units to kill.

"What makes you think that this 'entity' will be satisfied with just our destruction, Mouser? Perhaps it will use us to assault you as well, even just out of spite. Certainly seems malicious enough, would you not agree?"

Seeing Maxwell sit at the sub's controls is enough to make Mercedes even more paranoid. "I swear, if you get me killed, I will haunt you for all eternity. I think it is just luck when you avoid crashing. I don't know how to work the Navigation.

[William Summers]

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]/[dice]2[/dice]

Moving over to Will, Murdoc, says, "We gonna stick together or are we gonna split up and search for clues?" Giving the big man a chuckle, Murdoc moves off to search the dwarves rooms with Will. "Is it sad I can think of a couple different ways this could have happened other that suicide?"

"Obviously, we stick together. You've never read the story of the legendary ghost hunting dog, Escoberto Doo and his gang of teenagers? Changed my life. And no, that's not sad. What's sad is that we'll never get to hear those damn dwarves get drunk and argue ever again. They really balanced the negativity of ol 'hide in my room and smell like vomit' Flip over there..."

After searching for a while, Murdoc bolts to a stand. His face quizzical as he contemplates something. Then he blurts out to Will, "Got an idea. Need pie."

"Have you lost your... Oh. Oh. Yeah. That's actually genius!" Will can be seen waiting next to Murdoc in a similar style, but bouncing at a third of the speed.
As he waits, he feels the subtle increase in ambient magic energy become not so subtle. "Are we approaching a line? Something feels... great."
When the GEE finally comes out and demands more pies, Will turns to Murdoc and says "Your first drink's on me when we get to where we're going. That was some smart shit. And I used to roll with the smartest guy this side of the magic zone." Will's face shows a bit of disappointment when the watch turns out to be...just a watch. He asks the GEE (if it's still around) "So, was it just the shade that made the watch magic? What is the shade? If you tell me, I'll find you some more pies."
When Flip 'flips out' about being at Tampico already, Will rushes to look at any view screens they might have that would show their imminent collision with the Splugorth ship. "Hey Maxwell! I'll give you a bottle of booze and some of these magic smokes I bought if you miss this ship. I'd like to avoid fighting the Sploogs for as long as possible."
Just in case there is going to be a problem, Will heads to his equipment and puts on his best gear to prepare for battle.

TW Infiltrado Armor
Kisentite Sword
Bone Dagger
TW Swarm Bow
Quiver w/ 12 MD Arrows and 12 Swarm Arrows
Empress TW Wire Horse
Bandoleer w/ Grenades (see sheet)

Once he's geared up, he will await further instructions from Wakiza. I really hope he doesn't do his flying off the rails thing again... We can't hope to take out a second Sploog ship with no bomb and no dwarves. I'd like to live to spend some of this silver...

[Wakiza]

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JiC: [dice]1[/dice] [dice]2[/dice]

Conditions: Wak cycles to thermal vision every few minutes to keep an eye out for the invisible. If for some reason the lights go out Wak will shift to Passive Nightvision. Basic Combat Awareness on Mechanic. See the Invisible at random times to search

Wak just smiles at Mercedes' earlier comments, Like I didn't see that coming.

"I saw nothing, Wakiza. And since I assume you were watching my behind, I take it you saw nothing also. Wait. Why is the magical energy in the sub increasing?!"

Wak looks perplexed and takes his eyes off of her behind, "I don't know, shouldn't you be answering that? You or Will? What if we were to use some of it? Can you guys bleed it off or can we use some of the nonlethal TW abilities the ship has to release some of the energy?"

Murdoc nods quickly to Maxwell when the merc goes and gets more pies. When/If the GEE comes back out for the pies, Murdoc will blurt out, "If you want more pies, tell us what the shade is and how to stop it. If not we'll all be dead and the pies will stop."

Wak listens, "Plus I'll buy you some more pies in Tampico, if they have any, if you can show us how to rid ourselves of that thing." Wak just shakes his head at Mouser's analysis. What in the great spirit realm is this thing?

Lore: Demon & Monsters-- [dice]3[/dice] / 83%

Meanwhile…. Flip comes out from the head after one of his long stays there, and picks in on the controls, he starts screaming and point at the various sensory systems.

“We’re already at Tampico?!!?! THERE’S A SLPOOG MOTHERSHIP!!!??? WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!??? WE’RE HEADED STRAIGHT FOR IT!?!??!”

Wak almost laughs at Flip, "Relax Flip, Max has this. Take us in XO."

"Alright folks, let's find a cove or inlet to park the Yellowfish in. No sense tipping our hand, especially with the big mother parked out there. We can fly ourselves into Tampcio from the 'Fish and try to maintain some sense of operational security. We have to be ready for the possiblity that a little birdy told them we're coming."

Waving at the navigation array he shrugs, "Anyone know how to work that thing? Find us a place to hide. I might be able to get us there."

To Max, "No worries Max. That ship should have no idea who we are or what we have done, but it still isn't a bad idea to keep our heads down." Wak will look around and see if he can find a cove. "Take us in Max."

Land Navigation-- [dice]4[/dice] / 75%
Sensory Equipment-- [dice]5[/dice] / 38%

Murdoc looks incredulously at Maxwell, "Don't look at me. They didn't hand me flippers when I juiced. This is outside my wheel house. I like you plan though. I'll check the radio and see if anyone is broadcasting. Seems to me we should hear either demands, evac orders or jammed radio static."

Wak nods, "Good idea Murdoc, hopefully they are not a raiding party?"

As they are pulling in wak says, "Remember we are now in Mexico. This is vamp territory. We are safe on the water, but on shore is a different matter. Take a look at this survival sheet I picked up at the Words of Wisdom again if you have never fought vamps. Suit up accordingly!"

Doc Reid's Vampire Survival Tip Sheet
1. Daytime is safe. Vampires only come out at night. You
are safe from them during the daylight hours. But beware of the
vampires' servants who may be able to come out during the day
and may look like you. Vampires come out at night. Take cover
before the sun sets.

2. Be vigilant. It only takes one vampire inside your village to
compromise your defenses. Keep watch at night, maintain constant
two-man patrols and the night-watch must not fall asleep.

3. Vampires are quiet. They do not have noisy engines. They
do not show up on radar, infrared or nightvision systems. Keep
watch for bats, wolves, dogs, Chupacabras or unnatural mists. Do
not assume it was just your imagination.

4. The cross can protect you. Point the cross at the vampire
to hold it at bay. This is only a temporary defense and best to use
on no more than 1-3 vampires.

5. Wear a cross around your neck for additional protection.

6. Work together. One man or woman has little chance even
against one vampire. Use your numbers, stick together. Fight together.
Watch out for your neighbor. There is NO DISHONOR
in staking a vampire that is distracted or overwhelmed by several
people.

7. Wooden stake to a vampire's heart. Impaling the monster
in the heart with a wooden stake, spear or arrow will stop it in its
tracks. WARNING: The vampire may look dead but is not. The
wooden stake in the heart immobilizes the vampire, but does not
kill it. Remove the stake and the monster comes back to life! DO
NOT DO THIS!

8. To kill a vampire. Remove the head. NEVER remove the
wooden stake. Burn the head in one fire. Burn the body in a second
fire. NEVER put the head and body in the same fire.
Another way to destroy a vampire is to put the severed head
and body out in the sunlight after dawn. Both will burn and turn
to ash in the sunlight.

9. Hunt a vampire only during the day. Vampires sleep during
the day. Hunt them only during the daylight hours, but even
this is very dangerous. Send for a Reid's Ranger to destroy the
vampires in your village.

10. Weapons and bullets covered in silver. Silver weapons
and bullets can hurt and kill vampires and werebeasts.

11. Find safe shelter at night. Make crosses, even if made
from twigs tied together with string or yarn, and hang them outside
above every window and every door. The fewer doors and
windows you have, the better. Garlic and Wolf's Bay/Wolfsbane
also keep vampires away and prevent them from entering your
home or safe place. Note: None of this will keep out a vampire's
servant, slave or minion. Arm yourself with weapons that can kill
another man or Werewolf (silver). Have an escape route planned
in case the monsters set your home on fire or break in. Keep a fire
burning in the fireplace.

12. Good Luck!

[SNAFU]

A few minutes later...

"If you want more pies, tell us what the shade is and how to stop it. If not we'll all be dead and the pies will stop."

The GEE peaks back out of the Core’s housing unit. “If you’re dead… the pies stop.” GEE seems to be considering a future in which there are no more Roughnecks. “Boat to myself…” GEE begins mumbling to himself, calculating the pros and cons of the scenario, “no pies… quieter…. no vomiting... No Passengers…. ” He comes to some kind of conclusion. “Very well, I will help you not to die.”

"So, was it just the shade that made the watch magic? What is the shade? If you tell me, I'll find you some more pies."

“Oh, you'll be getting me more pie, alright.... The shiny thing? Sumbitching trash lump! It looked so wonderful, when I cracked it open all I got was a demon and a bunch of junk.

Yes, the watch was powered by the trapped soul of a demon. Some asshole that calls itself the Possessor Confessor. Hmm, if you guys wanna stay alive you should watch out for that guy, he’s a bit murdery. If his currently occupied host touches you then the possession is nearly unpreventable.

Also that watch was a devil-bug… up until I busted it, ‘twas broadcastin’ a steady signal on a Deevilwave frequency. Location, conversation, color of underwear… all that was transmitted to Dyvval. Shieeeet.. that might be a problem down the road…

Krypes in a Krapper! This ‘keeping-you-alive” situation is turning out to be a bugger of a job. Do the people who make pie make other things? I’m gonna need a whole assortment of tasty treats. Is there a food that is cold, sweet and has a smooth luxurious texture?”

"GEE, can you get rid of the black shadow? It's detrimental to crew morale."

“Bring everyone here to this room. I can scan and purge the ship but if you are a living thing you must close your eyes and hold your breathe or you will die.

Oh wait, Pukus Mucus has just locked himself in the head. I think I know who’s possessed.” GEE ponders the situation.

“Is the Vomithound one of the ones I need to keep alive for pie? 'Cause… if not… it be real easy to flush the both of them down the crapper.”

And you’ll never be sure if he was being literal or not.

Conversations happen and actions occur as intended. The ship is brought into a cove which is adjacent to a swampy region south of Tampico.

Successful Lore Skills:
Rather than a concrete definition your training give you these impressions:

Possessor Confessor: there are infinite forms of Supernatural Evil, but this is starting to sound similar to anyone of the ethereal Wraiths that inhabit the demon realm, perhaps mutated and transformed by the hellish procedures used to make the Watch.

OOC Note: The PC Demon can attempt to possess people by floating into their bodies, or using touch when already inside a body to which the victim has a penalty to save.

GEE: You are reminded of the various cautionary tales told through out the Megaverse (in the vein of Frankenstein's Monster) warning against playing God or harnessing powers beyond your comprehension. The GEE's persona might remind you of what you've heard of newborn dragons. Born with a huge amount of innate knowledge and abilities but completely ignorant of other more common details.

Once the Roughnecks resolve the Flip Situation, they more closely survey the surroundings and realize a dog-boy or some other caninoid in Naruni armor is stranded on a sandbar, protecting a little girl from a gang of Vampires.

Post in this thread for Flip related intentions.

Post here for intentions related to outside the sub.

What are your intentions?

[Murdoc]

Percep: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice] [dice]2[/dice]

Krypes in a Krapper! This ‘keeping-you-alive” situation is turning out to be a bugger of a job. Do the people who make pie make other things? I’m gonna need a whole assortment of tasty treats. Is there a food that is cold, sweet and has a smooth luxurious texture?”

Murdoc's eyes go wide and he smiles, "Ah, yes. It's called ice cream and comes in so many wonderful flavors. Hold that thought. I'll be right back." With that, Murdoc charges out of the generator room and heads to the kitchen freezer. Rummaging through he pulls out the first container of ice cream that he finds and races back to the Gee. "Found some! Vanilla goes great with some pies. But first we need to deal with this Possessor Confessor before we loose anyone else."

“Bring everyone here to this room. I can scan and purge the ship but if you are a living thing you must close your eyes and hold your breathe or you will die.

Oh wait, Pukus Mucus has just locked himself in the head. I think I know who’s possessed.” GEE ponders the situation.

“Is the Vomithound one of the ones I need to keep alive for pie? 'Cause… if not… it be real easy to flush the both of them down the crapper.”

Murdoc nods to the Gee and he zips over to an intercom. Pulling a Popsicle stick from his mouth that wasn't there when he left the room to get the ice cream, he says, "Yes, he's part of our mission, we need to keep him alive, if possible." With that said he turns to the intercom and slaps the alert button. After the first buzzer rings out, he presses the all call button and says, "Emergency, Emergency. ALL PERSONNEL REPORT TO THE GENERATOR ROOM. ALL PERSONNEL REPORT TO THE GENERATOR ROOM."

[Wakiza]

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JiC: [dice]1[/dice] [dice]2[/dice]

Conditions: Wak cycles to thermal vision every few minutes to keep an eye out for the invisible. If for some reason the lights go out Wak will shift to Passive Nightvision. Basic Combat Awareness on Flip if he shows.

Wak just nods and smiles at Murdoc as he is handling the situation well. Well now that Cale is gone we need to move someone up to sergeant. It is between Will and Murdoc and Murdoc is doing well here. "Yes we need to keep him alive, hopefully Murdoc's ruse will bring him here. We will bring back whatever pies and ice cream we can find in Tampico is you pull this off." Devil bug huh, what in the spirit land is that? Wak shifts his combat awareness to Flip if he shows up. Once this is wrapped up Wak will swap out some gear and will go topside to check out the surroundings.

Lore: Magic-- [dice]3[/dice]/ 48%

[Michael Maxwell]

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice] / [dice]2[/dice]

Deevil wave radio eh? Maxwell considers the implications of having infernal know his every move. None of them are good. A little misdirection might be needed, but tricking a Deevil is a difficult prospect.

After successfully navigating the sub into the bay, Maxwell turns his attention to the dark possessing entity on board. His past experience comes to the forefront of his mind, so much so that closing his eyes brings a picture of lifeless children to mind. Sacrificing the possessed to kill the entity is never really a permanent solution, it will just prowl about seeking the ruin of souls. Besides, Flip is connected to their pay cheque.

"Let's do what we can to get rid of this thing for good. Flushing Flip is the same as flushing credits down the crapper. Last time I did that was when I spent my credits on burritos in Ciudad Juárez."

Doing what needs to be done, Maxwell follows along with Murdoc and GEE's plan to rid the ship - and Flip - or the entity.

OOC: Not 100% sure what the "save Flip" option is.

[William Summers]

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice]/[dice]2[/dice]

Seeing that Murdoc had things well undercontrol with the GEE, Will heads topside with Wakiza. "Vampires? I'm in." He brings his wingboard with him so he doesn't have to wade through the water.

[Mercedes]

Perception: [dice]0[/dice]
Just in Case d20: [dice]1[/dice];JIC d100: [dice]2[/dice]
Imitate Voice (for her accent) [dice]3[/dice]/80%

"Ugh! MUST I go outside now?", Mercedes demands, clearly having gotten settled. These people are unbelievable! Help everyone why don't you?
She drags her feet getting armed and armored to go topside. Mostly because she still wants pay and she has to at least LOOK like she's working.

[Murdoc]

[rolls held]
Init: [dice]0[/dice]
Actions: 7



Murdoc explains what the GEE told him to the others but he keeps getting edgier and edgier as he waits for everyone to show up. With his drug harness pumping it doesn't take long for Murdoc's patience to run out and he charges to the kitchen. Searching around the kitchen, Murdoc hopes to find some large black plastic garbage bags. Hoping that these will fulfill the closing eyes and not breathing requirements that the GEE set out, he triple layers the garbage bags and heads to the head to snatch Flip.

When Murdoc gets to the locked door to the head, he kicks it in at the best possible speed he can get in the small submarine corridors. If the garbage bags are large enough to fit the entire Vomithound perfect, if not Murdocs will cover the man's head and drag his ass back to the Magic Engine room and the GEE as quickly as possible.

If/when Murdoc gets Flip back into the Magic Engine Room, he will shout, "GEE, do it now!" as he shuts his eyes and holds his breath.


Break down rest room door - Strike: [dice]1[/dice] Dmg: [dice]2[/dice]

Bag Flip - Strike: [dice]3[/dice]

Dodge direct contact with Flip (as needed): [dice]4[/dice], [dice]5[/dice], [dice]6[/dice], [dice]7[/dice], [dice]8[/dice], [dice]9[/dice], [dice]10[/dice]

Save vs ? (Mind Control: Psychic & Chemical +6): [dice]11[/dice], [dice]12[/dice], [dice]13[/dice]

[SNAFU]

New Age 'Roid Rage

Everbody's so excited to blast some vamps that they pile out of the sub en masse. Absolutely enraged at the lack of concern from the others, Murdoc unleashes the beast and takes matters into his own hands. Grabbing three industrial-sized Garbage Bags, Murdoc charges the head, (about portapotty size). By kicking in the door you also give Flip/Demon a stunning blow. It was none too soon as Flip already has a Bootlace noose around his neck. With a bit of manhandling Murdoc gets the little man bagged and wrapped. Keeping the fellow in a bearhug, Murdoc drags him back to the engineering room and shouts, "GEE, do it now!" and he does.

To Murdoc (and any fleshies still on board) it feels like he's been tossed into a furnace, it is an 'unreal' heat though, and while it is exceptionally painful it is brief and impermanent. Even from behind his tightly shut eyelids he is still temporarily (1-3 seconds) blinded, and the air in his lungs briefly feels like it is going to explode right out of his chest.

And then it's all over.

"Oi, that should do it. I'd like to know what could survive that!" exclaims the Gee.

Unwrapping Flip, Murdoc sees that the little man is unconscious, but breathing.

"Ah, he just needs to sleep it off he'll be fine." points out GEE. "Now what's going on out there?" The GEE grabs a snack and heads out to watch the Vamp fight from his comfy spot on deck.

[Murdoc]

Percep: [dice]0[/dice]
JIC: [dice]1[/dice] [dice]2[/dice]

Weapon Systems 45%=[dice]3[/dice], [dice]4[/dice], [dice]5[/dice]

Having dealt with the Possessor Confessor entity, Murdoc stows Flip back in his bunk and then heads to the cargo bay to get outfitted. "Frak!! If it ain't one thing around here its another. " He clicks over his comms and reports in, "Well, the being living in the magic engine says the shadow entity is now taken care of. I hope he's right. I'm in the cargo bay now getting geared up. Anybody need anything special? Wait a second. I have an idea."

With that, Murdoc sitters out of the cargo bay and races for the bridge. Upon arrival he plops down in the gunner's seat and starts flipping switches to power the system up. After a couple tries everything lights up properly and he looks to the monitor, "I've got the Yeolowfin's weapons systems fired up. Anyone need some fire support?"

(OOC: Post continued in Tampico.)