Monday Mar 18, 2024

Surviving the Odds (Legacy) – 3

Clearing the junk out of the bridge (not)

– Ida: “So, are you both coming out? What if something is out there?”
– Kyle: “We are just outside the enclave, it’s not that anyone is going to murder us here”
– Ida: “Ha ha”
– Leon: “Well, if someone is going to be murdered tonight, is Kyle, for LOSING THE DAMNED BACKUP BATTERY”
– Ida: “Stop it, Leon. It’s not funny.”

Leon and Kyle open up the hard shell of the Junkrawler, our 6-wheeled junkland traverse vehicle. Leon goes first, as he is the most experienced out there. Kyle follows, still checking twice in case something goes on out there.

🎲 Plan Check (Risky) → …facing, an inconvenience: Government, law
This is interesting, I haven’t thought about a Law&Order faction here, let me discard if this is “The Machines” exerting control over the area. If not, I’ll develop a new faction.
🎲 Oracle (GM) → Is it The Machine faction? → Yes.
🎲 Enemy Action: Imminent Risk (GUM-e) → Could cause equipment or vehicle to fail
🎲 Kyle rolls Steel+2 → 2d6+2: 10

– Kyle: “Watch out! Close the door!, pull back!”

Kyle pulls back Leon from the Shoulder before he lands on the junkland. An oval-shape grenade-like, blue bursting bottle hits the Junkrawler and discharges a strong electromagnetic pulse power. A moment of silence followed.

– Kyle: “Is everyone alright?”
– Leon: “Yes, Ida?”
– Ida: “I think so, yes.”

🎲 Is there anyone visible outside? (PC) → No, in fact…

Silence. But where did that come from?

– Kyle: “We better go”
– Ida: “Let’s do tunnels. It’s unknown, but I bet we can just go fast and not be stuck around here”

Kyle wants to know whether he recognizes this kind of EMP grenades
Calling Defuse move to de-escalate a tense situation.
🎲 +Lore → 2d6+1 = 4

Plan B, C, D

– Leon: “Kyle, what do you say? Tunnels then?”
– Kyle: “I… I have never seen this kind of grenade before. Was it an EMP?”
– Leon: “If you don’t know… I’ll start the engine, and we move, asap.”

🎲 Does the vehicle start? (unlikely, GM) → Yes.
🎲 Any interruptions? → Something fails or behaves erratically

– Leon: “Phew… the Junkrawler is one piece of machine. It is all good, we’ll move”

As the vehicle accelerates, the crew begins to notice, after a few minutes, that the vehicle speed is unstable, there are bumps, deceleration and acceleration variations, at random.

– Ida: “Err… guys. I am not the mechanical expert, but… I think we should admit something’s wrong. And no, it is not the junk under the wheels causing bumps”

Kyle swallowed saliva, with a heavy acceptance of concern. Leon stops the vehicle a few instants later.

Acceptance (or resignation)

– Ida: “So much for a mission, eh? ‘Adventure'” (Ida used her fingers to point out clear quote-fingers)
– Leon: “If we don’t catch our grandpa, we’ll have to wait for his next trip to figure out what our family is doing. We have to make this work.”
– Kyle: “We don’t even know where he is… And the Junkrawler is messed up, and no battery backup”
– Leon: (Sighs) “You are wrong about one thing. Grandpa is…”

🎲 Location identity (Building) → Building: Bank, institution
🎲 Location detail → Feature: Faction

– Leon: “as I said earlier, past the line of buildings that belong to the old coin exchange. Last time I followed I made it that far at least, until I lost his sight”
– Kyle: “Well, that explains a few things for sure. The Machines are usually roaming that area. Maybe it is their headquarters. It’s a pretty secure area I’d say”
– Ida: “Guys I don’t want to interrupt your lovely argument about the neighborhood, but we have to get out of here, get moving”

🎲 Last intervention check → Remains silent, what do characters do?

– Kyle: “Alright. Let’s admit it, nobody is coming out to diagnose the Junkwraler here. So, let’s push it as much as it can hold, to go back. Praise the gods of the Rusted Metal, because I have no idea how long this battery will hold. It is clearly unstable. So, I don’t know about you, but that EMP grenade was a warning, since nobody attacked us. Plus, whoever did that, knows pretty well we are unarmed, and defenseless. Sorry about your grandpa, but it is not smart to press on. We tried.”

Plan Halathius

– Leon: “What if we scavenge for a power-node battery. Out here, perhaps we can fetch something. You said you know this area, right?”
– Kyle: “I won’t get lost around here, but I am not sure if that’s the equivalent of ‘knowing’ it”
– Leon: “You are a scavenger for your family. I bet you know where to find a power-node”

🎲 Information is power +Lore → 2d6+1: 4 (ouch)
Calling a Landmark from The Before: A dangerous and unstable power plant

– Kyle: “I… have no idea where to find power nodes. But we could… if you dare, go to the Halathius Power Plant

🎲 Detail 1 → Worth: Bottleneck
🎲 Detail 2 → Purpose: Storage, depot
🎲 General oracle inspiration (Description) → Different Foolish

We all knew it was a terrible idea. The Power Plant was an old relic of architecture from the Before. And most importantly, we were explicitly not allowed to go there. Don’t ask me why.

The place not only reeks of rust and bad smell, but it is also located in one of the major crossroads of the region, since it is at the tail of the valley, most of the routes change direction just before the power plant entrance. It is very likely the area is taken over by gangs and tribes that count with the firepower to keep hold of it. The power plant is located southwest of our enclave, we were not far, but we never went that way before. Ever.

To be continued…

JeansenVaars

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