"The Thirst my god quenches... He is Mercy and Compassion. He gives strength to those that Fight to protect their Communities and the Innocent Against all that is Evil. He wants your community to grow and prosper. He wants people to be kind and compassionate to one another. He wants us to alleviate suffering And Help those who need it. He wants us to watch out against Evil and to Fight against it. In the cases where evil can be redeemed, he wants us to show mercy and Redeem them."

"Well, he's a demanding god in a demanding world." The angry speaker was calming down, although still staring daggers at Green Andes. "So, he wants us to quench the thirst of others. But what thirst does this god who wishes for mercy for others quench in us?"

There were murmurs of assent and legitimate questioning behind your challenger.

Green Andes was silent, and just quietly looking at Magnus with a soft smile.

"He grants you the inner strength to bear the weight of the World and Carry on. He Grants the Strength of Community. One small iron rod can bend and break. But if you have a multitude together and working for the same purpose, They support each other lending their strength to the whole structure. And The force that easily bends the iron bar cannot touch the structure. He guides you into a better future. Working together as a community, we can tame this land so that it grows enough food for everyone, Water flows where it is needed And Everyone has what they need."
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:29, Sat 18 Jan 2020.

Green Andes steps forward, tears in his eyes. "It is clear the gods sent you in a time of need, to remind us that we need each other, and that the thirst of loneliness, of being one in a harsh world, is one that needs to be quenched. The thirst of anger and retribution - we will quench it for each other. The gods have sent a messenger, and he has spoken - we are to forgive one another our transgressions, as the gods have forgiven us all for ours."

Green Andes grabs Magnus's hand, and raises it up to the heavens, acting as if they are both doing it together. "The messenger has shown us that we must not be complacent. In the moment of our greatest triumph, we nearly failed in our duties to the gods."

"Let us praise the gods! Immerse yourselves in the waters, my brothers and sisters! Cleanse the darkness of the tunnels from our bodies and souls!"

Men and women, plainly dressed, are raising their hands to the skies, and then whoop, cheer and basically race each other for a splash party in the pool. Some of the soldiers shrug, and jump in themselves.

"Truly, Magnus, thank you." Andes palmed a small silver bar into Magnus's hand, as he spoke quietly. "You have more than earned this. I will always have work for you. May your thirst be quenched."

Green Andes then smiled, and jumped in after his followers.

I'll Raise my hand with Green Andes to help sell this.

When he gives me the silver bar I'll close my hand around it and then send it into my inventory. And Smile back to Green Andes.

I conciser whether or not I should join them in the water. I decide against it. Since it would expose the mark and I would have to explain it.

Instead I will walk to where the guards where and Watch them and watch out for danger for them.

Just enjoying a peaceful moment for now.

A few days pass...

The walls go up, and workers sing songs as they build, although they are singing in a different language than one you have grasped. Magnus learns that "Bar" is not only the term for a small bar of silver - it is a deteriorated form of "barter."

What can he get with one? Depending what's in town:

A night in high luxury & company.
Any weapon, gear or fashion not valuable or hi-tech.
Repair of a piece of hi-tech gear.
A week’s hire of a violent individual as bodyguard.
The material costs for crash resuscitation by a medic.
A month’s tribute to a warlord.
A month’s maintenance and repairs for a hi-performance vehicle well-used.
Bribes, fees and gifts sufficient to get you into almost anyone’s presence.
A week in poor accommodations - two bars will make them tolerable accommodations.

Magnus has three now, due to the steady work contributions. He might have two, depending on his standard of living.

He has learned that he is in District One of the new town, K'mek. Over the course of its set-up, it gained quite the influx of immigrants, all having set up just outside of the walls of this place, called the Skirts, with a new group of smiths and a vintner team among them. There are seven districts - Ein District, and the rest are simply called One through Six, arranged in a clockwise pattern starting from One.

Crude farming and scavenging are always available as work nearly anywhere in K'mek, and minor trade is available anywhere except Ein District. District One is home to a protection racket of some kind, Districts Two and Four have some kind of underground market going through them, District Five has a manufactory, and Ein District offers hunting and lucrative raiding jobs.

On an individual basis, Magnus could hire himself to someone wealthy as an enforcer (which would require careful target selection), a bodyguard, or likely even a raid leader in his own right.

The name of the woman who runs K'mek, or at least who has the tiebreaking vote, is Colonel Lang, known as General Colonel Lang to outsiders.

In addition to Green Andes himself, there are two others in District One who are considered big deals among the inner town. The first is Cybelle, Lang's interrogator and person Magnus has heard many bad things about - especially if his perverse residents are any indication of what the...man...is about. To hear Green Andes speak of him, Cybelle is not homosexual - one would need to have one soul first, before they can lay claim to having two of them.

So we are clear, "two-soul" or "twin-soul" means they are either homosexual, or identify as another gender other than their own.

The other person in town is a twin-souled man named Di Doc, who happens to be one of two reliable medics in the entire town - the other one being Leah Oliver, who is considered someone for little ailments, but serious ones want Doc. Di Doc is a battlefield medic and apparently claims to know how the Engine works, and possesses a working infirmary staffed with people Magnus hasn't gotten to know yet.

This is a lot of detail. Where do you wish to begin?

Didn't Colonel Lang want to talk to Leah and myself?

Is there any work to hunt nearby monsters?

How much would it cost to set of a forge for smithing?

I would like to talk to Di Doc about the Engine.

I'll go ahead and spend 2 bar to live in tolerable accommodations.
I have a ritual that eliminates the need for sleep and the need to eat.
I'll see if that works here
The people probably notice my morning ritual of Meditation. 100 pushups, 100 Situps and a 6 and a half mile run.

after a day or two I'll try to pull out the ice crystals from my inventory to see if they are ok or if they melted.

I would also like to talk to Colonel Lang to see if I can get hired as a specialist for dealing with monsters or defending the town.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:18, Mon 20 Jan 2020.

Lang seems to be investing her efforts into District Five, which is currently been quarantined off as a sudden outbreak of plague and riots tear into it. Rumors suggest that Frog, the overseer of District Five, and his gang are pinned down trying to protect a local artist and exotic beauty named Shade from starving rioters. Large parts of the district are behind schedule in construction, making getting in their difficult.

District Four and Six are also suffering from food shortages, and District Three is simply giving deep hints of unrest to come. The folks of District One have also been giving Andes's growing establishment some rather hungry looks - setting the stage for a localized civil conflict.


In District One, there is no such work. The guild that would normally offer hunting jobs is occupied with District Five.


Colonel Lang is not hard to find, as they have made it abundantly clear that they are about to retake District Five...as soon as Di Doc gives them the all clear to go inside - so until then, Lang is sealing it off. She would really like it, however, if someone was immune to disease and just solved her problems - and while she is at it, she would also like manufactories to self-operate and to have an actual fucking army. She's really eyeballing the idea of just offering Frog's post to whoever goes in and gets this place running again.

Lang projects the air of a no-nonsense, hard as nails professional soldier, with a wiry frame being at odds with her strong face, her commanding gaze, and her junta gear complete with green beret, contrasting with the red that her own soldiers wear. "So, you are the new guy that made Green's people calm the fuck down and get back to work. If you think you can make lightning strike twice in the same place, you are free to go into that plague zone. Just know if you try to leave it before Doc gives the all clear, my boys will put firepower into you until we hit you with something that does kill you."

"Be advised, the issue seems to be a one-two punch between Frog's people and Shade's bizarre groupies. Frog's people are a bunch of lazy, useless stoners who would die of starvation left to their own devices, and Shade's people are a bunch of sexually frustrated cenobites who swear off the things of this world until they realize she won't fuck them or something. I don't know their deal, and they piss me off."

"Kill whoever you have to. I want this plague dealt with and this manufactory up and running." She gives Magnus an up and down. "You have your own weaponry, I presume."

"I have my own weapons. What Can you tell me about this Plague? Or do I need to talk to Di Doc?"

If she says that I should talk to Di Doc about it then I'll go talk to him.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:15, Mon 20 Jan 2020.

Lang raised a hand dismissively. "No need. The disease starts as a form of scurvy, but is mutant and contagious. Swelling starts around and in the mouth, and then those swellings burst open, causing foul pus to fly out as far as five feet. High fever, hallucinations, thirst - generally requires water, because treatment is about keeping them cool. Not doing so causes those in its grip to act even dumber than normal."

"Given that it starts with not getting something you need, I'm guessing this started with fucking Shade's people. Again."

Lang's four guards looked completely disinterested in the conversation. They were really more decorative than practical.

I briefly go What the Fuck with the Idea of mutant Scurvy. But conclude that it must be a disease that takes advantage of a lack of vitamins.

"About how many rioters are there in there? What caused the shortage of food in there?
Too many People or not enough of them Growing food?"

"About twenty, give or take - mostly Shade's lot." Lang shook her head. "Without Frog popping the whip, most of his people don't care enough to save their own lives. His gang should have restored order, so I'm guessing one of them decided to try and push him out of power."

"I hope his gang isn't among those laying siege to Shade's residence. They aren't bright enough to wear quality armor, but they are very well armed."

"As for what caused the food shortage - that would be being underground for six months. Not all of us consumed or replenished equally. His population is small - they are just lazy bastards in a world that normally kills their kind. Frog is good at keeping them from dying, and the rest of us are paying for it."

"So - I am hoping you understand why I would not shed many tears if his whole community died off. Killing them all off would probably frighten the others in realizing I have a strong hand and don't fuck around. But since you wouldn't be asking these questions if you weren't going in, I'll actually hold off until I get word that you are dead."

"hmmmm... Only 20 people. And the possibility of Frog's well armed gang. By well armed I assume you mean machine guns."

I let her answer and then continue.

"I suppose that is all the information I need. Except maybe a look a a map of section 5 so I know where this Shade's place is. I am going to try to restore order in there without killing them. Do you have a door you can open up to let me in? Or do I need to go over the walls? "

"No autos. Semis at best. A few Magnums, shotguns, machetes, axes, and one or two chainsaws. Shade's crew has jack and squat - they'd be a joke if anyone was opposing them, because they are stupid and forswear the world, until they decide they want to get violent psychopaths and normally just get punched in the face for their trouble, sobering them back up." Lang shrugs. "Nobody's perfect. But sure. I'll send word ahead of you."

"And as for a map - it will be no good. My map is how the place should look, not how it is. Shade's not hard to find, though. She should be in the luxury building, or what's left of it. If she isn't there, and she isn't dead, look for Frog. Just follow the violence - if he's still alive, you will find him, or he'll come to you. He always does."

"Anyways, you don't need to rush over the walls to your death. Just tell the guard, wherever you enter from, that Colonel says it is okay for you to go in. You will note that is not permission to leave." She waves a hand. "You have all I can give you. Dismissed, unless you feel I have missed something."

"I can't think of anything else I need to ask. Thanks for letting me try."

I'll go to the nearest entrance that I know of and tell the guards that the Colonel said I can go in. And then go in once they open the door.

Once I am in I'll listen for Fighting and then head that direction.

The guards have a bit of an argument initially when Magnus comes by with his proposal, but ultimately back the car up from the outward opening gates, and swing them open. Nothing comes up, and nothing is in the streets. When Magnus goes in, the gates slam shut behind him, and the car is moved back into the gate.

Based on all reports, there are not more than one hundred total souls in District Five. Frog's people, his gang, Shade's cult - the three major groups that make up Five.

The streets are completely silent. Every now and then, moaning and muttering can be heard from the insides of some of the shacks lining the street. There is far less order here than there was in District One - for all the faults of Cybelle and Green Andes, they had gotten their people to build more or less according to Colonel Lang's designs. Here, it is simply sprawl - they built wherever they felt like in the moment, and the stone and metal constructs do not look like they will hold up if something serious happens.

There are two structures that stand out here. One is a three floor building that is of dubious construction value - it looks like a poor man wanted a mansion and simply stacked trailers on top of each other in a pyramid, and painted the outside white. The other is a massive blocky building with a pair of smokestacks coming from the top - it is completely silent, and entire parts of its walls are unfinished, but it takes up half of the entire District by itself.

I'll guesstimate whether the 'Mansion' or the factory is closer and walk go the closer one first. Investgating to see who is in the area.

The Manufactory happens to be closer. The exterior looks bad, because it is incomplete. The interior, however, looks like OSHA's nightmare. Places for the smelting of metal, sections where molds are supposed to be cast - all of this is meant to product firearms and vehicular parts, but most of these are missing crucial machinery to do the work.

Everything here is made by hand, and it looks to be a slow process.

There is a large room here labelled "BO RDROOM", where there is chanting and copious amounts of moaning. A voice shouts from the inside of the structure. "Shut up, weakling! Soon you will be free of your poison, and we will ascend with our divine! The worthy are being prepared as we speak! Soon the Frog and his goons will be gone, and WE will become one! Your salvation is at hand, and your affliction shall become blessing!"

I walk into the room. And glare at the ones yelling at other.

"I have meet gods before and I don't see anything divine here. Just a bunch of cruel and delusional men. Now Stop what you are doing before I get Angry. "

Throughout this room, there are about twenty people total. Half of them are lying down, starved and showing signs of severe treatment. The other half, wearing black velvet robes, turn, and don't actually notice Magnus per se.

They all yell one form of complaint or another at him, ranging from "demon" to "Lang's lackey" to "spacorshalslacks", whatever that is. Either way, they charge as an undisciplined mob, drawing makeshift jagged knives, coming at Magnus in what can be mathematically reduced to a staggered line.

OOC: Three of the ten will make contact in the opening round. Your initiative allows you to choose how you wish to engage them. The bodies on the floor and the discarded and broken stone, carapace, and metal furniture make this a difficult battlefield to navigate.

First strike to Magnus.

I analyze their movements and health in an instant and find that they are just barely tougher than normal humans. I'm going to have a hard time subduing them without killing them. Even with my Restrainted Strike.

I try to come up with a way to weaken my strikes further. But draw a blank.
I will just have to be really careful.

I charge in with a carefully controlled punch. Intending to hit as lightly as I can but still do enough to knock them out eventually.

I simply leap out of the way of their counterattack.  And then reposition myself to keep the numbers coming at one manageable and to reset my stance for my Restrainted Strike.

Then I will Charge in again. Preferably on the same guy. And repeat the process until I am in danger of seriously hurting them. Then focus on another one.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:23, Mon 27 Jan 2020.

Five restrained punches later...

Several of these people aren't even going after Magnus, instead choosing to attack chairs, walls, scream at the air, and in two cases cower in fear. They are rotating out - accidentally fighting as coordinated warriors except for doing nothing to recover their stamina. One of them delivers a few kicks to someone on the ground, and at this point a girder comes slamming through the wall with a burly, fat person with a face-concealing combat helmet and full, scrap metal body armor. It slams them on the opposite end of the room.

They are pinned in place while the gibbering cultists move in on them slowly, some with more focus than others. The fat person has a shotgun, but that arm is pinned in place as they growl and grunt in an effort to free themselves out from what should have been a lethal hit from a large piece of steel attached to some kind of crane.

All the metal near the girder flies or slides towards it, so how it is pinning them in place is made clear.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:24, Fri 31 Jan 2020.

I rush the steel beam and use my momentum and strength to shove the steel off of the fat man. A task that would normally be impossible for one man. But I deliberately don't think about that. What you think you can do limits what you can actually do. One can often push past their limits and do the seemingly impossible with just the proper application of Determination.

The world slows as Magnus applies his determination, and he realizes that this electromagnet was activated by Frog, the masked...person...pinned to the wall. He realizes Frog's goal was to disarm all of the cultists with it, and that the plan seems to have gone horribly wrong because the magnet malfunctioned. If only the magnet had more power...

Power that cannot be accessed here, but can be accessed at the control panel that Magnus seems to not only know about, but also how to operate in the moment.

Time remains slow, and a new action may be taken instead of simply rescuing Frog.

My eyes widen in surprise momentary in response to the rush of information.
But I quickly put the information to use.
I run to the Control Panel and then use the controls to pull Frog out with the Electromagnet and Crane. Then lower it to drop Frog to the ground without hurting him.
Then I'll take the electromagnet and put it into the same hole in the wall that Frog made and turn the power on high enough to pull the weapons out of their hands.