The sky is empty and dry when the travelers return to the town of Silver Hill on the bank of the Rio Grande. This contrasts with the rainy weather they experienced when they left. Just barely within the one week deadline for completion of the job, their rides trot back to the outskirts of the town. The large green tent which the Lady in Green called her home remains on the town's edge, looming over it like a cloth guardsman. The fae are still flying around the town, performing various jobs and chores. One odd difference is marks of deep red splattered on various windows and in the dirt around the town. This dried blood is being washed away by fae with water from the river.

As a reminder, the Lady offered to pay these rates for eliminating supplier of what she called the new-type weapons.
5000c per hired merc
10,000c if the job is resolved with one week
20,000c if the ultimate source of the weapons is permanently destroyed
Payment is to be made as either black market credits or gold coins, merc's choice

"Hello Emerald Lady. What has happened that there is blood on window ?"

"Well we made it back inside a week. Found the source of said weapons and banished it from this dimension for a while at least. Didn't quite kill it I'm afraid or don't think we killed it." Arulas says to himself.

"Well Sir Arulas, we killed it in this dimension and took out several groups of bandits that were using the weapons and destroyed those as well."

Samuel says this with a smile, not quit preening.

"We had an abortive bar fight, scared off some demonic ponies, and got hugged by an invisible tree whilst some half-beat ghosts wailed at us", offered Nyx to the mechanic, with the hint of a smile

A Nightelf Faerie answers Polkatain's question. "There was a fight here last night. Some wild vampires made it across the river and attacked the town. They were put down, so most of this blood belonged to them. The Lady told us to clean up the mess as best as we could."

Kalista became very cold at the mention of her mortal foes. "Vampires." Her face twisted into a kind of anger or maybe hatred at the mere mention of the word. She spat on the ground. "We need a techno-wizard. I need one, sorry I won't drag the rest of you into this. You may follow if you wish, but we must have the proper tools to kill vampires."

The Lady in Green was a good place to go. "Lady, you will honor our agreement. I would prefer to trade on your black market for techno wizard gear. The vampires must be cleansed."

Doc grinned, "Yeah, let's get the pay. Then we can worry about the leeches. They gotta get dealt with, to be sure. But I need my money. Yeah we killed it, it ain't here no more."

Lady Kalista, they said they dealt with the vampires already though."
Polkitain looked back and forth.

"No they drove them off Polk. Kallista, the Twins, and myself have all made a hobby of killing vampires. If there was an incursion it needs to be dealt with. Rewards are second to that." he says to the young dragon. He turns to the medic and says "To be clear Ethan anyone who helps the vampires is either insane or irredeemable evil. They die either way. No trial. No helping them leave because of a moral grey area. This is black and white." Arulas

Polkitain tilted his head this way and that looking in thought.

"Those willingly helping the vampires I could agree with, but there are some terrified into submission, or mind slaves, or blackmailed into helping them or afraid for their families safety so they submit."

"Vampires are one of the worse creatures in existence no question, like a plague infecting all around them."

Polkitain sat back on his haunches thinking about vampires they were dangerous very dangerous.

Kalista spoke in a kind of brooding way she had not before. To Polkitain, "Vampires are a plague upon the land. The only way to stop it is to find the intelligence behind the outbreak and destroy it." To Ethan, "My fellow knight is correct, Doctor Ethan, those who aid vampires of their own free will must be destroyed along with the vampires. If you are opposed to this, you must remain behind."

 "If helping the vamps meant killing a hundred people by leading them to the vamps. Turns out the guy's wife was being held and turned into a vampire. So is it morally Grey area still?"

Polkitain backs up a bit when Lady Kalista speaks to him.

"You know I will help, just worried like the tree, vampires can control one. I know vampires are horrible I just dont want to hurt the innocent in a crusade."

Polkitain hung his head somewhat having both Cyberknights scold him.

"I am not mad Polk. Just passionate about this. There is no middle ground and in this there can't be. The threat is to dangerous. If they could ever get their collective act together and fight as one. They would win or so close to win that we would wish for death. Point is Polk we can't beat around the bush. This is merely survival."

"How do we fight them ? They are so numerous and make up for their losses by making more of their kind. We should know all we can about facing them."

Doc shook his head, "Less they're giving us gear, the reward ain't secondary to nothin' Arulas. We gotta have the proper means of killin' 'em to avoid bein' killed ya know? Polk, don't you worry, this'll be more fun that that damned tree, for sure."

Ethan listened as his comrades spoke with varying degrees of passion about the vampire menace. He had personally never seen any. In fact until this moment he hadn’t known they were real. “Though in a world where shape changing dragons and soul sucking trees exist, why shouldn’t there be vampires?” he asked himself.

His thoughts returned to the here and now when the two Cyber-Knights pre-emptively singled him out as being opposed to the job. He heard the moral certainty in their voices and his curiosity was genuinely piqued. “I think you are operating under a misconception,” he tells them, looking from Kalista to Arulas and finally Polk. “I am a soldier that happens to be a medic. I have no problems neutralizing the enemy. To be clear by ‘neutralize’ I mean force their surrender, render them incapable of being a threat or yes, kill them.” He shrugs, “that is the nature of war, people get hurt, people die. I have no illusions about that. What I do care about is doing what I can to minimize the effects on the innocent and bystanders that inevitably get caught up in the events.”

He points at Kalista, “Even you just said that only those that willingly help the vampires need be executed. Polk understands that there will be those being used by the vampires against their will. Evil people and fanatics convinced of the righteousness of their cause have been doing that for thousands of years on this planet. For all those people, that are being held hostage, whether by threats against their loved ones, mind controlled, spellbound or whatever, for them I will fight to free them, not kill them.”

Ethan looks at all his companions with his next words. “If that means we have to part ways now, so be it. I won’t stop you but I refuse to participate in indiscriminate mass murder just because its easier to do that than sift the guilty from the enslaved.”
This message was last edited by the player at 17:24, Tue 31 Jan 2017.

Kalista looked Ethan over carefully. She looked at Arulas and nodded, "I think we are all on the same page."

Kalista had that odd feeling of floating, feeling like the world was spinning fast than it should. She couldn't identify the feeling since she had never really had it before but she knew Ethan was causing it.

Nyx remained silent, his brother had said what had needed to be said

"I think we are all on the same page,” were the words Kalista spoke but Ethan scarcely heard them. They came across as if from a great distance, the origin just within his range of hearing. He didn’t know why that was and in that moment he couldn’t spare the presence of mind to wonder about that oddity. He was far too preoccupied with the strong and confusing emotions that suddenly washed over him.


“Um...” he said, then cleared his throat before continuing. “So what are we doing now?”

"I think we should head into the tent and get paid for a job well done."

Samuel opens the flap or gets some herald to get them an audience with the Lady....whichever is most prudent.

A female Brownie meets the PCs as they enter the tent. "The Lady in Green is aware of your return, and she is available to see you now."

Inside the huge tent, the PCs are hurried through a maze of cloth-walled rooms. They arrive in a large space up like a conference room. The Lady in Green sits at a round table across the where the PCs entered. She is wearing a different gown, but yes, it's also green.

To her left is a tall orc with scars and an underbite, dressed and armed like a warrior. A successful Lore: Magic roll will recognize this character and his unique reputation.

To her right is a Simvan Monster Rider with tribal tattoos and the skull-necklace. A successful Lore: Monster or even Lore: Psychic rolls will recognize this character as being a chief (which anyone can guess) and his specific name.

Beside the Simvan is sitting a well dressed man with dark hair in a spotless uniform which was once a Coalition officer's uniform but has been tailored differently. A successful Streetwise skill will recognize this NPC.

The lady addresses the team diplomatically with her usual poker-faced expression. "Welcome back, my mystics tell me that your mission was successful. I congratulate you. These gentlemen along with myself are the Warlords of the Pecos Empire. At least, we are the Warlords who happen to be in this area at the moment. We were just discussing the disturbances that creature called Opopanax or the Soul Tree. We do not like how it was able to insinuate itself into Coalition territory near our imperial border without its presence being known. Now that we have a better idea of what to look for, we shall be quicker to recognize such creatures in the future."

Kalista the respected Cyber-knight spoke up first, saying, "Lady, you will honor our agreement. I would prefer to trade on your black market for techno wizard gear. The vampires must be cleansed."

The lady answered, "I have an employee with a shop downriver from here. She should be able to give you exactly what you want. I will send word for her to extend credit to you. If you kept any of the new-type weapons created by Glory, you may turn them over to me, and I will extend you additional credit in fair market value for them. You may also keep the Arnzo prototype knives and the telekinetic pistol that I loaned to your group as a bonus, Lady Kalista."

The orcs spoke up in American but with a heavy Gobbley accent, "If your group is looking for more work, we have a job in mind which is suited uniquely for your people. You would have agree to take the job before I give you the details."

The Simvan offers, "If your group is determined to go after a vampire, I have a specific target in mind for you. This is not a paying job, but there might be considerable salvage to which you are welcome. These are the spoils of war, and I would not demand tribute from fair spoils."

The human speaks up in a voice which epitomizes swarmy. "I think these folks just want to get out of town while the getting is good and lay low for a spell. We overheard -- yes, we spied on your talk in the street, and we're sorry -- we overheard a mention of traveling north. If you do that, I have a small errand that I would like for you to run for me. The pay is small but so is the inconvenience, and you are going that way anyhow."

"Understand now, discretion is a virtue. If you take one of these offers laid before, we will reveal the details only after acceptance. You will never learn about the jobs you didn't take. We can't have mercenaries walking around with too much intel on unrelated jobs in their heads, now can we?"

 Arulas being freshly, as far as elves are concerned, inducted into the knighthood is still a little nervous around powerful personages. He stands there waiting for an appropriate place to speak. While waiting he studies the assembled Warlords.

  The orc while interesting starts to spark something, but it goes no where. Failed that roll by 20.

  The Simvan seems familiar. Made my Lore:Monster roll.

 When they offer the chance at employment he laughs. "The vamps are dead one way or the other. Kallista and I will clean them if we have to go it alone. I doubt we will, but we can. Now information to make sure we walk away is always useful. As for mercs knowing to much about unrelated things I doubt that there is such a thing in this room right now."

Nyx kept his hands away from his holstered pistols, recognising the palpable authority in the room even if the figures were themselves unknown to him. He looked intrigued by the offer from the orc, but said nothing until the knights had had their chance to be pious and his brother, the smarts between them, had a chance to speak

09:41, Today: Nyx rolled 60 using 1d100.  Streetwise, 34%.

Kalista nodded, "I will make a list. It will be short." If anyone kept the strange weapons she will nod so that they can be produced. "As my colleague says, vampires are kind of our specialty. We will stay the night here," (she projects lust and humiliation and not being in control of herself ) inhaling before continuing, "And we will leave when our purchases arrive. I appreciate your extending us credit. I would like to be excused." She put a hand on Arulas's shoulder, "Whatever details are provided," and she leaves the tent.

Anyone paying attention might realize by now she is uncomfortable in enclosed places. She never stays in them very long. Her we is intended to indicate herself and Arulas.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:01, Fri 03 Feb 2017.

"I think I would like tutelage in magic for my pay."

Polkitain said with a smile.

He then listened to the other men speak of their jobs.
He turned to look at his companions to see their reaction.

Doc eyes the three new comers to the party carefully, they seemed like big wigs, and in the West, a lot of the time, that was enough. Doc tipped his hat to the four warlords as they had been called. "Yeah, I get it. You folks run things, like to make it known too. That's fine. But you can't honestly expect us to take a job before we know anything about it. Hey, I got a job you want it? I can't tell you about it til we have an agreement... but it's good." Rolling his unlit cigar around his mouth, Doc shrugged, "Ain't how it normally works folks. If ya wantin' us to be your errand boys, you gonna have to talk a little more."


15:00, Today: Doc rolled 54 using 1d100.  streetwise(beat 37).

14:59, Today: Doc rolled 81 using 1d100.  lore monster or psychic(no skill).

14:59, Today: Doc rolled 3 using 1d100.  lore magic(no skill).IQ is 14... does this pass?

Samuel looks at the four one by one before stating, "I don't speak for the rest, but I am happy to give them a base of operations for whomever wants to continue in your service. I do, regardless. I am up for just about anything you have, that pays, including being the resident fix-it man on just about anything mechanical. E-Clip recharging at reduced prices for employers are a courtesy. If you let me know how far away this 'errand in the North' might be, I can let you know how fast I can do it by myself. I am talking hours....so I can get back and help out with the other possible missions within a day."

Arulas has acquired extensive experience with the monsterous races during his long career. Rarely, he has even fought on the same side with some. Due to his time among (and against) Simvan Monster Riders, he is able to read this chief's tattoos and jewelry like an open book. This warlord must be the Talon, the second most powerful Simvan chief in the Pecos Empire after the infamous Zimchex. The Talon and his crew specialize in riding flying mounts like leatherwings and griffons. They are actually a principled group of guys, but most people don't know this because they cannot get past the behavior of the Talon's tribe. These guys are rude, gross, dishonorable, quick-tempered, violent, arrogant, and loud.

The warlords listen to the PCs say what needed to be said. They nod is acknowledgement -- except the orc who just sort of scowls less.

When no else speaks, the Lady in Green addresses some of what she was told. "Little dragon, I have experience with creatures of magic like yourself. Extensive knowledge is within you already, but sometimes the young have gaps. In order to find your knowledge, some filling of those gaps is in order. I think that I know how. I will personally teach you what you need to know, but remember, you asked for this."

"Sir Arulas is it? You seem to speak for the majority when Lady Kalista is away. Can you give me a list of what you need from my technowizard?"

The broad-shouldered orc shrugged. Then he added, "The cigar-chomping little elf isn't wrong. I wouldn't take the deal. This special job isn't going anywhere tonight. Maybe after we've established some mutual trust, we can talk about it again. I don't work with crews that don't have a name for their crew anyway. The Lady knows how to get a hold of me. These sharp-nosed raiders look like they could use a rest."

All of the fake rune weapons found were destroyed by way of exorcism. What was left are empty replicas made from cheap metals. These pieces of junk are piled on a table in front of the warlords. The man in the uniform actually laughs at the sight. He offers, "Okay, I'll buy these off you. In exchange, I'll cover the cost of recharging your eclips. Just turn over any clips that you want topped off to any of the fae flying around here, and the Lady's techs will take care of it for you. She will bill me, and we'll call it an even trade."

"Regarding my little errand to the north, it's just something that can be done while you are on the trail already. It's not really worth your time to make a special trip. Not far from where you were when you completed the job for the Lady in Green, I have a crew of workers digging out an old Golden Age facility. It's not a military bunker. It's just some sort of storage facility. I haven't heard from my crew, but radio silence is a part of their job, so this is expected. I merely want somebody to drop off a letter to drop off some food and water for my people, and tell them that I will be coming by to check on them myself in a few days. I will pay five hundred credits for this service."

The Talon (Simvan chief) breaks his poker face to throw Samuel a look. The looks says, "Come on, you can't be considering this." Then he gets up and leaves without saying goodbye.

P.S.: If nobody speaks up, nobody gets paid.

I, however, will pay some experience points. As I explained earlier, I am not keeping a tally of XP in this game like I normally do. Let's round this up to 3001 points for everyone. That way, everybody at least attains 2nd experience level.

Ethan feels a strong impulse to follow the female cyber-knight but resists it, at least for a little while. He doesn't feel strongly about any of the potential job offers but he does feel the need to get paid for work already accomplished. He proceeds to tell the gathered important persons just that.

"I'm fine with letting my companions decide the next mission. Actually it's more like I go wherever my ride goes so wherever Samuel takes the Behemoth is where I will be. I would like to get paid though. Based on how I understood the terms, each of us should get close to nine thousand credits. If you would, please send my pay to the Behemoth. I'd appreciate it and will leave you now to get on with your no doubt busy schedules." Ethan says this without any trace of sarcasm or disrespect. Indeed his tone is the opposite, acknowledging that whoever these people are, they are clearly persons of power and authority in this region.

 Ethan then heads for the hotel, where he hopes to take a shower and change into clean clothes before looking for Kalista.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:53, Sat 11 Feb 2017.

 "I need a piece of paper or something to make a list on. Do we have numbers on the vampire nest? I need as much information as you have on this." he starts making notes for a minimum assault based on standard number of vampires.

Doc nodded to the orc, "Couldn't agree more sir, glad we at least understand that much. Ain't really figured a name for the crew. I'm sure we can come up with something to your liking though. And yeah, I could use some money."

Polkitain looks briefly confused by how the green lady responded but nods.

"We could call ourselves Lumberjacks since you all took down that evil tree."

Kalista left the tent in a bit of a daze. Her thoughts and emotions were all jumbled and tangled, like a spider web that had been stirred up with a stick. She did not know why she went to her saddlebags for her more formal regalia, there was no need for it, and yet she was carrying it and her grooming bag to the inn. She paid for a room, bath, and meal. She went to the room that had heated tubs, stripped out of her armor and stealth clothing beneath and took a long warm bath.

She was shaving her legs when she realized with a start why she was going to so much trouble. She wanted to impress Ethan. She wanted him to see her as beautiful and desirable, which made her feel as though she were loosing her mind. This had never...in sixty years...been so important. There was a knot in her stomach when she thought of him not thinking of her this way and thus insane or not she continued.

She dried herself and looked at her formal dress. Perhaps he would not like it, it covered her throat to ankles, but it did match her eyes and it was the most feminine thing she owned. She pursed her lips, it would have to do. She did have stockings, she had only worn them a handful of times, and she used powder to make sure the went on smoothly. She had never thought of the garter belt, yet she felt even more pretty with it on now, even though no one would see it. She even told herself she was putting panties on top so that they could be taken down easier in case she needed to use the restroom. It was a lie, she knew it was a lie, but she told it to herself anyway. She wore a corset, again because it was what she owned not for Ethan to see, no it was enough that she had it on. She smiled just a little at the thought of him seeing it, then brushed the thought aside. She dried and combed her hair in front of the changing mirror. Yesterday she would have thought this vanity, and yet here she was going so far as to make her hair pretty and not in a braid.

She used only very light makeup, accentuating her lips and eyes. This she could not lie to herself about so she just refuse to think on why she did it, Best not dwell she told herself again and again. He wouldn't be interested anyway, I am too broad for a woman. Maybe I can hide it in my dress, with petticoats. She put on three layers of petticoat, in hopes it would soften her appearance, and it work, kind of, at least she looked less broad now. Last went her dress and healed shoes. What if he doesn't pick this hotel? What if he never sees me like this, all this trouble wasted. I will not chase after him, I am not a teenage girl! She held her head up, You will not chase after him. That is an order! She nodded in agreement with herself, he would see her or not, as he would.

When she was finally ready she went back down and had the meal brought to a table. The waiter was a nice young man who pulled her chair out for her. She smiled and nodded which caused him to blush as he put her plate in front of her. Well at least someone thinks I am pretty.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 16:15, Sat 11 Feb 2017.

Ethan returned to the Behemoth and went directly to his small, barracks like quarters on board. He preferred to think of the room as 'cozy' rather than cramped. Truthfully it had nothing to do with him being enamored with minimalistic living conditions than it did with it reminding him of the life he had life behind. Samuel's 'ancient' Behemoth was like a tangible connection to his past. That made it worth far more to him than any size room he could have afforded in the local hotel.

He stripped out of his fatigues and showered though he forgoed shaving as he had taken care of that little detail earlier. Once out of the shower, he looked over his modest collection of clothes. He decided against wearing his other set of fatigues. He wanted to feel like something other than a soldier right now. "Besides you aren't supposed to drink in uniform", he thought.

With those thoughts in mind, he selected one of the two civilian outfits he owned; a jet black dinner jacket, white button shirt and matching pants. His issue dress shoes pulled double duty as his shoes for this too.

Finished with that he took care of the final details, his hair and cologne. Fortunately with his short hair, his staying options were limited but he did apply gel and run a comb through it to make it nice and neat. The cologne, another bygone like him, he applied sparingly.

He gave himself a final look in the mirror and finding no faults, left his cabin. He exited the Behemoth and walked to the hotel. Unlike him, Kalista was not overly fond of the walking science robot. He doubted he would find her on board but the hotel on the other hand seemed like a good place to start. "And I'm hungry anyways so even if I don't find her, I can grab a decent meal."

He entered the hotel and proceeded to the dining area. He paused near the entryway to the room, his eyes scanning for the battle hardened warrior woman. Because of that he missed her at first, not realizing the stunning beauty sitting by herself was in fact Kalista.

He did a double take as his eyes darted back to her. Then he overcame his reaction and walked up to her. He stopped in front of her table after the waiter left. "Excuse Lady Kalista", he said formally, using her title as if it was a military rank. "Would you mind company? For some reason I don't want to eat alone right now".
This message was last edited by the player at 01:56, Sun 12 Feb 2017.

Samuel pipes up and says, "How much food and water are we talking about? My carrying capacity is very limited in the fashion I was intending to travel...."

Kalista had been lost in thought, pushing food around her plate rather than actually eating it. Her thoughts had drifted to the carnal, again something she is not used to having happen. When she heard her name she was snapped to reality and looked up to find the same face that had occupied her fantasy. Her embarrassment turned immediately to humiliation and desire as she blinked to make sure this was real. She was a bit slack jawed at his seeming appearance at the exact time she was musing about him, shocked perhaps was a better word. She stammered, "Company...uhhmmm...you mean with me? I uhhh...you may sit but you must hear me out before deciding whether to stay."

She stared at him as she gathered her turmoil of thoughts together. "Where to begin?" This was a question she was asking herself and meant as rhetorical, "I am unused to this, so you must be patient. What you are feeling may not be your own emotion. This may be difficult for you to understand given that you seem to have been displaced by a rift. This is a common occurrence, the displacement I mean. I once met a man who was from the late 19th century by pre-rift calendar. Strange fellow. But back to the point, what you might be feeling is my emotional state. Someone unused to this, being psychic phenomenon such as sharing another's emotional state, might mistake it for their own emotional state. Allow me to demonstrate."

She looked him in the eye, which was difficult for her and he could feel that difficulty. "I am not a virgin." He could feel not only her deception but the pain of both the deception and what it admitted about her. "I am, however, sixty years of age, chronologically, meaning I have actually lived through sixty years." Here he can feel her lack of deception. "Do you understand?"

Polkitain remained in the tent with Lady Green to see what it was that she would teach him. He tried to remain patient even though his youth struggled against that.

Whilst the others push and prod at the Warlord, Nyx remained silent. Only after the others had begun to trail out on their various errands did he speak, "Sounds like we're hunting leeches, my Lady. But me and the Lumberjacks will be back to find out about the 'special'"

Doc nodded at his brothers statement, a grin on his face, "I like it. Cuttin' down problems."

"Our hatchling is naive, not stupid", chuckled Nyx, in a rare display of emotion. Glancing back at where the youngster had begun to work with the Lady, he nodded at his brother, "Speaking on which, time we left. Going to get all kinds of mystical and shit"

A Nightelf Faerie appears with a stack of cred chips. Each chip is loaded with nine thousand black market credits, certified by the Lady in Green. Four chips are distributed to Samuel, Arulas, Doc, and Nyx. The lady mentions, "Credits for Lady Kalista and that young man with the lost look on his face will be left for them to collect at the general store in town before they leave."

In Dragonese, she speaks to Polkatain directly. "Young dragon, follow me into another room. You have opted to be paid in knowledge instead of gold. Your lesson begins now. Bring with you anyone who wants a crash course in practical magic. You may share payment if you chose." With nothing further, the lady stands, bows to all, and leaves through a tent flap which more faeries open for her.

The orc warlord goes over what he knows about the latest vampire threat. He speaks in American to the remaining characters, probably Nyx, Doc, Samuel, and Arulas. "There is no specific nest which is causing trouble here, it's more like one bloodsucker in particular."

"This town was raided last night. It isn't that uncommon as some wilds from time to time get lucky enough to capture a boat and go hunting on our side of the river. This group was just more brazen, hitting the town while a Warlord of Pecos was camped here. About a dozen wilds hit the town in a blitz. The Lady's fae soldiers made quick work of them, but there were casualties on both sides. A couple of second-tier bloodsuckers who were managing the raid got away. We don't know how they managed to get across the river. Lots of packs have been getting more aggressive in this region over the last few weeks. We warlords think we have figured out who is pushing them."

"You see, there used to be a gunfighter from a crew called the Wolfpunchers. His name was Severance. He was one of the best too, but he went off onto his own and vanished on us. Some of the fae performing recon claim to have seen him on the other side. He's hunting and transforming travelers, but he doesn't change just any villager. When you get turned into a bloodsucker, you lose all of the magic which you had. If you're a borg or even a Crazy, your robotic bits get spat out. Your skills, however, remain intact. Severance was very skilled. He's hunting other skilled individuals who can offer expertise and variety to the bloodsucking armies. He specializes in hunting vampire hunters, but he also has been grabbing up Wilderness Scouts and Mercs. It's not just humans and orcs either. It turns out that most any orc-shaped folks can be turned, even bigguns like trolls and wolfen. Fae and Dragons seem to be immune though, so they just get torn apart. We think his pack is responsible for making off with an Operator last night. A lot of Operators have gone missing lately."

"We have been searching. The Simvan boys have been flying past the river during daylight hours and performing aerial searches. I already have lots of orcs sweeping the desert in small squads, visiting the hideouts we know about. We're working with a former Cyberknight too, one Sir Raven. There's a lot of desert over there to search, so a team of Lumberjacks shaking trees could be very helpful, and you might get lucky enough to find Severance for yourselves."

Polkitain nods and looks to his friends to see if any have an interest, If none do he follows after the Lady in Green quite happy with knowledge instead of credits.

At the mention of Severance, Nyx smiled thinly and tried to catch his brother's gaze: there was a hunt afoot here, and one they were suited to. Nyx was damned good, but smart enough to know he might need Doc's help with someone seasoned. Still, he smiled broadly, and whispered in Dragonese, "Get his number, I'm with the hatchling"

With that he followed Polk into the back room - though he was keen on the foe, he needed to learn a little about the kind of foe they'd been tangling with. After their adventure on the road he was aware just how many gaps there were in his own knowledge and he had noted a burgeoning itch at the back of his skull when certain folk where around

OOC: Boosted Nyx to Lv2, including taking Sense Evil as a psionic

Doc nodded, "Go learn yer finger wagglin' nonsense brother. I'll get useful info." Doc teased his brother, turning to Iron Gut, "Be real specific boss, there's a bit difference between a fighter and a slinger, is Severance a fighter or slinger? And I reckon we can find him alright. Even if he's turned he's got a rep. Pride can get us all in trouble, yeah? What else you know about this fella... what was he like? More we know easier it'll be to catch him... and by catch him, I mean kill him."

Polkatain follows the Lady in Green into an adjacent room. Nyx trails behind. It looks just like the previous room with it's central table and canvas walls. Anyone paying attention will notice that there is no noise from the outside world in this particular room. The primary difference here is the heavy steel chains and manacles on the table's surface.

The Lady explains, "My experience has been that doing is the superior way of learning. With that in mind, I have devised my own method for teaching the core concepts of practical spellcasting in the least amount of time possible. In fact, it will take exactly sixty seconds after we begin. Please, sit at the table."

"Notice that the chains are securely fastened to the table. Four sets of manacles are here, but we will only need two. These are not merely chains of slavers or jailers. Notice the silver wiring and small crystals attached to many links. Look at the mystic symbols on the manacles. I purchased these manacles from a friend who practices the art of technowizardry. He performs as an escape artist is a traveling circus. He used to use these exact chains in his act, and he has built them with the Escape spell in their design. When magically triggered, these chains will release whomever they are holding."

"Now, place them on your wrists and lock the bracers in place."

At this point, Nyx is not feeling the warning from Sense Evil. In fact, that feeling went down when he left the orc's presence. Instead, his Six Sense is alerting him of danger.

Do Nyx and-or Polkatain follow her instructions?
This message was last edited by the player at 06:21, Sun 19 Feb 2017.

"Alright elfy, it looks like you are repping for the lumberjacks. Since you asked about Severance, I'll tell you what I know. He was born into a small tribe of nomads who were rifted into the Mexican territory sometime during the Dark Age. As the vampires grabbed up territory, these orcs migrated further north until they came to Pecos territory and joined up with my tribe. He was wet behind his ears, but he was one of the few who came out of the Vampire Kingdoms and lived to tell about it -- very few. When we gave some firearms, he took to them. He wasn't talented exactly, just lucky and determined. He spent all of his plunder on ammunition. He worked with his guns for years until he became an expert, one of my best. That's not talent; that's skill."

"He's a gun fighter alright. He prefers his reliable JA-11 longbarrel, an authentic antique from the Golden Age that we collected from this merc once. Most of my crew likes Remis or Narunis, guns that kick and make a loud bang. This kid liked his assassin rifle which has quietly been through the Great Cataclysm and keeps picking off targets generation after generation. He carries an NG-33 Northern Laser Pistol as his backup, nothing fancy but reliable. He's also very good with an hatchet which is how he got his name."

"Severance travels light. He's never worn much armor. I don't know how he gets around these days. He used to have a bionic eye which our cyber-doc gave him, but after he went all fang,
his fleshy eye grew back."

"About six months ago, Severance was the scout in a party that was chasing a Naruni merchant across the river. The merchant had done us dirty, and -- well, that's another story. The raiding party vanished. Not even the buzzards could find them. The only trace of them found was that bionic eye on the desert floor. I'm told that the cyberknight tracking him, Lord Raven is his name, has that eye now."

"Severance was always a funny sort of orc, more like an elf really. He wasn't mean or kind, just serious. He never had time for anything that wasn't business or practice. He didn't even spend time with the females if you can imagine that. If you had a useful skill, he would grant you his respect. If you didn't, he would ignore you. If you wouldn't let him ignore you, that's when the orc in him came out. He could hold a grudge as well as any orc."

"So that's Severance. No family. No past. No future. Just a smelly old gun, and a bottle of tequila."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:27, Wed 22 Feb 2017.

"No", stated the elf, clearly and firmly, "Nor you, Polk. They reek of danger"

Polkitain blinked, "What do you mean Nyx ?" Polkitain was surprised at the mention of danger.

He did look at the technowizard manacles and applied his own internal knowledge to see if he could determine if that was the purpose of the manacles.

"Hmmm.... Coming out of Mexico is a feat. Coming out of Mexico during the Dark Ages was nearly impossible. So lucky this guy was indeed. Sounds like he was persistant. Fortunately for us Lady Kalista, the brothers Nyx and Doc and myself are familiar with chasing vampires. The others will pick it up fairly quick. He has an odd set of guns for a slinger so I think you are right he is a fighter. Water pistols won't be enough. We need reflec gear and rifles. I think rail guns might be best, but we don't have those. Huh. Not all elves are serious all the time and speaking for me and the boys plenty of the females too." Arulas simply smiles as if to say he misses a good hunt.

Doc looked to Iron Gut, and grinned, "Far too serious if you ain't got time for a lady now and again. Reflective gear would be good, but our best bet may be startin' with that Lord Raven fella. Any idea where he spends his time Iron Gut? If he's got that cyber eye, he may be able to tell us a little more." Doc looked down at his silver plated revolvers, "Time to add another notch to the belt it seems."

"Danger is close, Polk", repeated the elven gunslinger, "And I felt it when I entered here". He scanned the inside of the tent, one hand resting by his hip holster as he sub-vocalised to his brother, ++ Doc. Danger, source uncertain ++

"Lady Green, you might want to take cover my friend Nyx is often right about his feelings."

Doc tilted his head slightly to the left, his hands twitched almost imperceptibly, ever nearer to his hips, "Got it." he said aloud in reply to his brothers warning. "Arulas, can't you knighty types 'feel' evil? I got a hunch... if you wouldn't mind."

 "Um no that is paladins. I can however tell you what you want to know about folks." He turns and looks around the room. "Whom in particular?"

Activating Sixth Sense and See Aura.

Doc shrugged, and indicated Iron Gut, "Reckon everyone but us. Just got a feelin' as it were."

Polkatain studies the chains in his claws. His inherent connection with all things magic serves him well. The chains are exactly what they are described as being. These techno-wizard gadgets work as regular manacles until they are activated with a single point of Potential Psychic Energy. When activated, they release as a function of the Escape Spell. There is nothing inherently dangerous about the TW manacles.

Nyx finds that the bomb under the table, however, is inherently dangerous. A homemade explosive device uses no magic but is plenty dangerous without it. The lunch-box-sized bomb is built purposefully to look dangerous with an old fashioned count down timer built from an analog alarm clock, exterior wires, and a red painted block of explosive. The material of the casing feels dull to Nyx's psychic probing, and he probably would have a difficult time disarming it with telekinesis if he ever had to do that. The bomb is not currently ticking.

Doc can comprehend what Nyx is seeing through a psychic relay.

Arluas feels no eminent danger from his sixth sense. Using his See Aura, however, he learns a lot. (See private line)

"Sir Raven was last seen following a trail of disappearances on the road to Ciudad Juerez. I don't have any ears that far away, so he might already be there for all I know. Then again, his investigation might take diverted him somewhere else. I know he's got allies within Reed's Rangers, so there's a chance he could end up there at any time."

"Beneath the table, there's a bomb", pointed out Nyx to the hatchling and the sorceress. He backed out of the tent slowly

"Want me to get rid of ?" Polk asked Nyx.

Doc nodded to Arulas, "Lookin' like we got a bomb in the tent with Nyx and Polk. Ain't Reed a hunter?"

OOC: Does the table look light enough to lift ?

Arulas looks at Doc and says "Iron Gut has dark magic involved somehow. That guy isn't human. Tell you brother I am coming and to not move the bomb." Arulas heads towards the section of the tent that Polk and Nyx left towards.

With the mystic types dealing with the bomb, Doc turns to face Iron Gut, "Dark magic... interestin'... you got anything you wanna share boss? you a leech? a demon? or just an orc who is meaner than he let's on?"

With his warning delivered, Nyx backed out of the tent and saw to his own cover - though his eyes scanned the room and those in it looking for a guilty conscience or a familiar tell

Well, I have internet access again. I thank you all for sticking around. I might not have done the same.

Yes, the table is very easy to lift for a dragon like Polkatain.

Nyx merely observes a lot of small faeries looking very busy and not paying him any mind. He is able to exit the tent without any interference. Outside, it looks like there might be rain soon.

Kalista and Ethan are carrying on their conversation in a different game board, I think. They are unaware of the bomb unless someone here tells them, but their credit chips full of payment have been delivered to the front desk of the inn by now.

Doc poses a pointed question to the orcish warlord, Iron Gut. Old Iron Gut will speak for himself in the next comment...

In reply to Doc (msg # 67):

The warlord gives Doc a curious look. It might be possible to read this expression if it wasn't for -- you know -- orc face.

"Here I thought everyone in these parts knew about Iron Gut and the Long Tooth Clan. We keep the traditions of the old world alive here in Pecos. That includes recipes from way back, all the way back to the Times of a Thousand Magics. The term that Humans use for me is Cannibal Mage, but that's not entirely accurate, because I don't eat Orc. We orcs simply call it 'Grasselgrum' which means using every part of the enemy."

"That don't make you queasy does it, Elf?"

Polkitain lifts the table a tiny bit teleporting away from town with it.

Doc shook his head, arched an eyebrow and grinned, "No, it don't. I ain't dead. So you ain't eatin' me. And while we have an accord here, we ain't enemies. Now if you get to entertainin' a notion to eat me, or any o' my friends I 'spect to be told. Since we're friendly like right now." Doc hands twitched and his fingers flexed, "Long as we on good terms boss, we're good. You kill and eat all the assholes you want to, won't bother me none. I just ain't havin' dinner with ya, understand?" Doc wondered how a fight with Iron Gut would go down now.

At the pop and rush of displaced air from the hatching teleporting the bomb away, Nyx shook his head. He should have recalled Polk's peculiar abilities. Still, it was enough to sour im on the thought of being cramped in a tent with the Lady Green and he wandered off back towards the Behemoth, sending a short message to his brother and the dragon via radio to let them know he was turning in

Somewhere in the desert, "Nobody knows the troubles I've seen. Nobody knows my sorrow." Polk looks all around then leaps into the air to fly up so people can see where he is as he flutters back down.

Meanwhile, Samuel is trying to find a buyer for a half million worth of nuclear generator from that salvaged CS Patrol car.

Polk suddenly remembers the radio like someone who lost their glasses but they were on their head the whole time.

On radio Samuel I have the bomb and table. I am outside of town. Kind of lonely here.

"Polk next time let the bomb expert take a crack at it. Get back here." Arulas says as he bursts into the tent area that was cordoned off.

On radio "We have a bomb expert ? Oh I think perhaps one warlord wanted to get rid of the competition. I need Lady Kalista or someone with good senstive psychic powers. Maybe we could object read it. Can anyone even see me ? I can see the town. I am up in the air."

"If you see me running from a bomb keep up. If I can't handle it Samuel might be able to." He says in a teasing tone at Polk. He shakes his head and looks at the Lady"Sorry for barging in. I was under the impression that we had a bomb in here. Other than the obvious answer who would want you dead?"

Samuel, with a slightly perturbed tone about being interrupted says over the radio, ++Say what?++

He heads out to the top of the Behemoth to take a look around to see if he can spot Polk.

 "Samuel are you familiar with demolitions?" the elven Knight asks.

The Lady has been observing events unfold in the tent with a quiet but intense interest. She watches like a poker player trying to read an opponent -- or maybe a cat watching a mouse.

"I have more enemies, Sir Arulas, than you could imagine. The number of beings who would see me dead would overpopulate this depopulated world. That explosive device, however, was not placed in this room by any of them. I put placed it here. The bomb is a part of a puzzle. The standard methods of solving the puzzle have been mostly removed. Their hands are shackled to prevent running away from it nor reach the device to disarm manually. The device itself is built to be resistant to telekinesis and electrokinesis. The entire point of the puzzle is to force a student into using magic to solve a problem. Your teammates never started the puzzle. Instead, they found a method of eliminating the problem using the abilities that they already possessed. It is its own sort of cleverness, like a child who removes the colored stickers from a Rubix Cube to rearrange them. The teacher has become the student, and this is what I learned. Your companions do not currently need magic spells because they function exceedingly well with the resources they already have. Please do let them know that the device is not yet armed, so there is no call for disarming it. If they have already destroyed it, that will well enough. I have another."

"We have reached an understanding, elf. If you ever bring down any interesting critters, you may bring them to me. I'll pay you something for any exotic meats. Don't try to bring me Severance or any other vampires though. They are tricky to transport, and I already have some. Do bring me back something else as proof of the kill. His gun will do. I'll know that when I see it."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:19, Sat 04 Mar 2017.

Polkitain kept flying around flapping his wings and waving at the Behemoth from where he was.

"Hey Polk can you bring the bomb back? It was part of the training. You kinda passed. Kinda failed. It isn't armed so it is safe. If it is in pieces let me know." the knight looks a little embarrassed. He awaits Polk's answer and tries to calm himself.

Radio, "Training ? The bomb is still on the table. What do you mean passed and failed ?" Polks eyes narrowed.

He fluttered down and picked up the table and headed back to town.

Doc nodded to Iron Gut, "Last question boss, you keepin' his gun? If you ain't... well, I think it'd make a fine trophy for me."

Samuel says, ++Only if I can touch it and it has electrical or mechanical parts.++
This message was last edited by the player at 18:26, Sat 04 Mar 2017.

Back at the Behemoth, Nyx begins his rituals of stripping and cleaning his weapons, making his way through each and every pistol, revolver, rifle, knife and vibro-blades. Before they left town he planned to pick up a bow and some shafts, something modern and made from composites, but for now his guns were sufficient

Nyx, roll me a D10. This is a luck roll representing the availability of a quality bow archery set. The higher the roll, the better and more modern the available bow. The lower the roll, the more primitive of bow. Even on a roll of 1, he'll be able to barter a used wooden short bow of questionable quality, crude leather quiver, and flint-tipped arrows that some cactus people found out on the plains.

1. crummy primitive short bow
2 & 3. high quality but primitive long bow
4. old but reliable wooden crossbow
5. another dog-gone fake rune weapon with a Possession Entity
6 & 7. average quality compound bow for hunting, used
8. good compound bow, almost new
9. high tech compound bow (MDC materials, MD arrowheads, sensor array)
10. magic bow from an alien world</i>

To Doc, Iron Gut agrees that the elf may keep the gun of Severance. A deal is struck but with an unspecified fee for the hunting of the rogue orc-turned-vampire-conspirator. That very afternoon, Iron Gut's orcs pull out of town and vanish. The Lady in Green's tent vanishes along with her entourage the next morning.

Everyone
Because Samuel can modify armor himself, this cuts a days off of prep time for the techno-wizard to put together his equipment package. Two days after the order is placed, a steamboat which looks like something out of a steampunk convention arrives in Silver Hill. Some Vanguard Brawlers unload supplies including a large wooden crate addressed to the Lumberjacks. The invoice is signed "Rumplesteelskin."

The sailors also bring a fresh lead with them. Apparently, there a Dryad on the Mexican side of the river observes movements of wild vampires and reports them to the Lady in Green and her contacts. This dryad just a couple of days prior observed orcs on robotic horses traveling south on the river banks (on the Mexican side) towards the Gulf. They were not far outside of New Del Rio when they she saw them.

So, one lead is of orcs matching the description of Severance and his Wolf Puncher gang to the Southeast. The other lead was of Sir Raven (who has been tracking Severance) towards Cuidad Quarez which is north-west of your current location. It's your choice which way to go, Lumberjacks.

With everyone back aboard the Behemoth and sorting through the now-opened crate, Nyx decided now was ripe to raise the discussion of rumours - and which they should follow. He ran one hand over the new bow resting on his lap, the whorls of strange symbols somewhat comforting and reminiscent of home.

"Gulf-wards has my vote; the brawlers relayed fresh information from that Dryad and I would not be surprised if Severance is hunting mastodons and tri-wings in the swap"

08:21, Today: Nyx rolled 10 using 1d10.  Twang. => Magic Alien Bow

Doc nodded when Nyx spoke, "Fresh intel, from a legit source. I'm with Nyx, makes most sense. Besides, that Sir Raven fella is probably easier to track if this don't pan out our way. Nice bow brother, where'd you find that?"

Polk with table and bomb returns.

 When Polk shows up with the bomb Arulas explains what the Lady in Green said about the bomb and the shackles.

"Fresh Intel is always better. Sir Raven is likely easier to track as he has a War band and isn't as worried about being tracked."

"Why make test life and death ? Could have hurt my friends. Don't like such tests. I will return the table and bomb though."

 "It is a sink or swim type test. Given no other choice you either use a little magic to release yourself and stop the bomb or you die. In theory anyway I would hope she would stop the bomb at the last second. Not a hundred percent sure she would have though."

Polkitain nods to Sir Arulas.

"So I failed by not using magic."

Polkitain pouted a bit.

"Sorta. The point was to use magic, but you had other Abilities to compensate for the lack of magic. Or in your case the lack of need of magic." Arulas tries to explain.

"Polk, you saved us, if it was a real bomb, you passed in my book kid."

Despite his moniker as the Hoarfrost, even Nyx could not maintain his distance constantly. He let a smile slip from the corner of his mouth, lips quirking upwards, "Never trust the fae, Polkitain. Even their friendly pranks and tests have an aspect of malice too them. You passed"

Polk smiled as Doc and Nyx chimed in.

"Good ! I like helping my friends." Even Polks tail wagged a bit excitedly.