(*I'm posting this now, even though there's still one player yet to build a character.*)

(*You have been summoned to a conference room onboard the USS Ronald Reagan. Quinn Sebastian is standing in front of a television monitor.*)

All right, heroes, I know the poking, prodding, and paperwork have been exhausting. Bear in mind that ultimately I have to read it. I'm sorry we couldn't get you better accommodations than an aircraft carrier at this time. Trust me, I've had worse.

The basic mission briefing is as follows: The contact will give you the situation as we know it. If we know you will need a particular item, you will get it. This includes transportation.

If you feel you need anything else, you can petition for other items. (Persuasion test, DN = value of requested items on the Torg Value Chart) Rare or out-of-cosm items are harder to get.

So here's your basic situation. When Agent Morrow was last in New York, he found a red and blue crystal tower that had a message from a conquered cosm called Ukhaan playing on loop. It vanished after the group investigated it.

Well, it's back, but this time it's covered in a crystal barrier. This has led us to conclude the tower might contain an Eternity Shard—raw Possibility Energy concentrated into an object.

Apparently a Redjaw temper tantrum on legs named One-Eye has the same idea, so he's trying to break through the barrier with an army of edeinos. Getting this shard would help our war effort tremendously, so we want you to get it for us.

Insertion is by boat. The weather is clear enough, but could turn rough at any moment. We can't afford to wait for nightfall, so chances are you will be spotted.

Get ashore and hit the rooftops as soon as you can. One of the adjacent buildings had a construction crane nearby, so you should be able to find a way to break in from the top using it. Once you get in, search the tower from the top down for the shard.

Landing at Battery Park is closer, but it's now a field for growing undead plant monsters called gospog. Edeinos patrols are likely to be around if you land further up the river, so choose your landing point accordingly.

Edeinos hate "dead things", so they likely won't chase you once you get up top. But there are some who ride flying dinosaurs called lakten, and if they spot you, they may send their compatriots to visit. It's for this reason we aren't sending you by air—the last group we sent by air and haven't been heard from since. If you find them, bring them back—we protect our own.

Any questions or requests?

The young man winces a little when Sebastian refers to him, but whether it is due to embarrassment or something else is hard to say as he quickly recovers.  Focusing his attention back on the briefing, Case focuses on the details, his fingers tapping nervously on the armrest his chair and a slight sheen of sweat develops on his forehead despite the best efforts of the AC's cabin airflow.

After Quinn finishes up, the teen raises a thin arm, "Um, Sir, ah... how are we supposed to leave once we have the shard?  Last time we had to go through the Holland Tunnel and walk to Philadelphia, but the tunnel collapsed behind us.  If we leave a boat on the shore...well, things rot real fast not to mention what the edeinos or others might do to it."

Case bites his lip in thought as the boss answers his question, "We're probably going to need a little bit more survival gear.  Food, water, probably some rope..." he looks to the others a little uncertain.

OOC
Figure a Living Land Delphi Survival Kit.

01:03, Today: Case Morrow rolled 6 using 1d20.  Persuasion.

And a fail;-)  Guess Case will be stealing some water bottles and snacks from the squadron room bar;-).

In reply to Case Morrow (msg # 2):

The idea is to get in, get out, and get back. I know some buildings had access tunnels that connected to the subway system. That won't help you getting there, as we don't know if this is one of them, but once you have it, finding a path underground should get you out.

I will get all of you some rope and climbing gear, if you wish.

The bandaged man with the trench coat, fedora, and goggles just nodded. He did not seem to bother with any equipment requests, but he did ask a question. "I'm guessing my heater won't work there, other than as a club. Is a bullwhip too advanced for dino land?" The man had a gravely nature to his voice, although having his mouth covered in white cloth did not seem to make him any less understandable.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:43, Sun 19 Sept 2021.

"Oh I know this one, the Ukhaan archive covered it!"  Case glanced at Sebastian a moment before continuing his answer, "When a reality or 'cosm' invades another some people hold onto their home reality like a little bubble.  They called them 'Stormers' but I've heard Storm Knights used around here.  But you should be able to fire your gun or drive a car.  Just don't leave it lying around once we are in the ruins or it might change into something else or disappear."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:05, Sun 19 Sept 2021.

In reply to Case Morrow (msg # 5):

Our young agent has it mostly right. We who carry reality with us are able to make things work where they shouldn't, but there seems to be a force that sometimes interferes with this. When that force interferes, those "contradictory" items, as our reality experts call them, become unusable until the agent reassumes control over them. Most agents regain control quickly, but a few have been so overcome by the surrounding reality that they transform and become as they would have been had they been born there.

OOC: A roll of 1 when using an unsupported tool or one outside the character's reality causes this. If the tool is both unsupported and outside the character's reality, it happens on a 1-4. When this happens, another roll at the start of each future turn takes place on reality skill to reconnect. If that roll Mishaps, a character with 2 or more adds in reality can sacrifice one and reconnect, or transform.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:36, Sun 19 Sept 2021.

"Rope and climbing gear may be helpful." Johnny states.

He looks distressed at the talk of Transformation, but it passes.

"Subway map good" Ivan contributed in his usual laconic fashion. "Which building have tunnel."

The edeinos named Mooncutter stood with his back against a wall in the room. He felt claustrophobic and twitchy, unused to being in such a small space with Humans and surrounded by metal. Hala, his pterodactyl, had been seen by everyone, but was currently on deck in the open air.

"One Eye?" he said aloud. One corner of his reptilian mouth quirked up. "I may have encountered this one before. Perhaps if we meet again they will call him Blind One, or better still, Meat for the Worms."

Mooncutter was anxious to get back on land again, and to hunt, and to see new places and things.

"We are friends," he said in a reassuring tone as they discussed edeinos in the place called New York. "We," he emphasized, motioning to the group and then himself with one claw. "Not they." He pointed outside, to where New York might be.

"Yes, Mooncutter, we are friends. I know...knew..." Johnny seems to be having some real difficulty on this subject. "I understand what it is to be judged and excluded based on looking different. I will not judge you or your people that way."

I can get a subway map for you. The last update was six months ago, so three months before the invasion, but it should serve well enough for your needs.

OOC: Subway maps are so cheap I'm not going to ask for a roll on it.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:14, Tue 21 Sept 2021.

"Do we have an estimate for number of enemy forces? I might feel safer with some heavier firepower...a Kyogo, or an M16, even an AK-47" Johnny asks.

OOC: if there's a chance, I'll go for the M-16, as it is the most likely to be found here.

Case had seen the big edeinos around the carrier of course.  And plenty of edeinos far too up close and personal when the small band of survivors he traveled with from New York all the way through New Jersey and into Philadelphia couldn't sneak by, outrun, or evade all of the bands they encountered.  It was hard to look at Mooncutter and not remember those other edeinos and what they did, but the young man kept his gaze on the nonhuman as he looked for differences.

The scrawny teen gathered his nerve and spoke up to the lizard man. "What makes us friends," and swinging his arm around to point west, "and them not friends?"
This message was last edited by the player at 05:26, Tue 21 Sept 2021.

In reply to Johnny Ichii (msg # 12):

OOC: You can make a test on Persuasion (Charisma) at DN 12 (the value of an M-16).

In reply to Gamemaster (msg # 14):

00:42, Today: Johnny Ichii rolled 2 using 1d20.  Roll again for 10.

00:41, Today: Johnny Ichii rolled 10 using 1d20.  Persuasion, unskilled

If I may use a possibility, that will guarantee success.

Mooncutter tilted his head to the side a bit. His features weren't designed to express emotion, so it was nearly impossible to read him from looks alone.

"I do not support the tyrant Baruk Kaah," he said plainly. "He wants too much, and would give little back except orders to others. He grows nothing but war. He explores only to conquer. I am not alone in this. There are other edeinos. And there is you."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:38, Tue 21 Sept 2021.

That's allowed. Should I just mark the Possibility off and give you the weapon?

"So you (and other edeinos) won't destroy our world like Baruk Kaah did to Ukhaan?" Case asks as he continues to stare at Mooncutter with interest.

"Any chance of us getting some local gear in case our heaters poop out?" The Revenant asked.

There aren't many local-friendly weapons out there. It would probably be easier to either borrow something out of Mooncutter's arsenal or just grab something heavy and practice your baseball skills on the enemy's head.

OOC: If you want to try to find a captured "Hrockt Shoot Spear", you can make a Persuasion test at DN 8.

In reply to Gamemaster (msg # 17):

Please?

In reply to Quinn Sebastian (msg # 20):

Ooc: 15:36, Today: Jacob Amer rolled 4 using 1d20.  cha 5 vs dn 8. Total result equals -1 if I am reading my chart right.

In reply to Jacob Amer (msg # 22):

OOC: That's correct. You can use a Possibility and/or Destiny Cards to modify it if you wish. You can even roleplay out a trade of Destiny Cards before playing them. Or you can accept the failure. Part of the reason for transparency is to allow characters to make the rolls they need to succeed do so (barring Mishaps and the like).

In reply to Gamemaster (msg # 23):

OOC-not really worth spending a possibility for a sharp stick.

:)

*Quinn makes a phone call* Armory? Yeah, do we have a spare M-16? Great. What about the hrockt shoot spear from the Hartford raid. I see. Well, bring the M-16 here to Conference Room 5.(hangs up)

I got the M-16 with one spare clip but our acquired hrockt shoot spear was claimed by another strike team. Sorry. As I said, you can probably find a basher stick somewhere if you need one.

Just as Quinn was finishing up his call, a man walked into the room. Standing just a hair under six feet tall, he was wearing military camouflage pants with well-worn combat boots, while his torso was covered by a black long sleeve shirt with the sleeves pushed halfway up his arms, that appeared to be made out of silk or some similar material. But what was perhaps the most distinctive part of his appearance was the gunmetal blue cyberarm where his right arm would normally be.

"Sorry for being late Director, but I got that computer back online for ya," he said with a nod to Quinn after the man had finished his call, and then found a vacant wall to lean up against. Then, almost as an afterthought he asked, "Director, any chance there's another M-16 I could requisition as well? I shot expert at my last qual, so I promise not to shoot anything I'm not aiming at," he added with a grin.

Okay, I'm new to the rules, but as I understand it, if I spend a possibility, I can add at least an additional 10 to the 10 I rolled, which would give me +7 to my 6 charisma, which is just barely enough to meet the target.

If that's the case, I'll spend the possibility.

01:12, Today: Ash (Alex Wilson) rolled 11 using 1d20.  Persuasion (unskilled).

"That is not part of my plan," replied Mooncutter.

Case seems satisfied with the edeinos answer for now and shifts his attention back to Quinn and the others as the briefing and other details wrap up.

(*Quin calls back and issues a quick "Make it two" into the phone.*)

(*A knock at the door brings a subway map, two M-16s, a spare clip for each one, and an extra clip for Headshot's two weapons.*)

All right, is there anything else you need? If not, this sailor will take you to your motorboat.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:28, Thu 23 Sept 2021.

Johnny adjusts the sling and stashes the mags, then slides the weapon on and states, "All good here."

While the others are finishing up Case pushes up from his briefing chair.  His demeanor shifts with a smile as he heads to the hatch.  "Hiya Jimmy." The teen greets the recently arrived sailor as he steps out into the passageway.  "Guess you know I'm headed back to Tarzan Land so Gevero and Cole don't have to hotrack anymore.  And maybe the Chiefs will stop giving you grief about 'the Incident'."

Case winced internally about the trouble he landed his guide while onboard the Reagan in the first weeks.  He liked to explore and it was hard to do that with Seaman Cream attached to the hip assigned to the task of keeping one the Gipper's 'special guests' out of trouble.  It was a big busy ship though so he'd give Jimmy the slip on occasion.  Once away he just had to steal a clipboard and some papers and just walk like he had someplace to be.  Again it was a big ship with lots of people who normally wouldn't be aboard her so that part was simple.  Unfortunately that also made it easy to get lost.

His grandmother used to say boredom was the Devil's tool, but he never thought washing some disgustingly dirty coffee cups would cause so much trouble.  They were just sitting there in a rack, white cups stained nearly brown to black.  Like they've never been washed and put back on the rack dirty to dry out.  He didn't see anybody else in the empty lounge and Case had nothing better to do.  Focusing on a simple task helped take his mind off other things so he could sleep and it really took a lot of scrubbing to get rid of all those successive 'rings' of dried coffee stains out of the cups.  They never looked better by the time he was done and it didn't take too long for him to steal his way back to the berthing he was supposed to stay in.

When Jimmy took him to breakfast that morning before the next round of tests, the only thing everyone was talking about was that someone had cleaned all the coffee cups in the 'Goat Locker'.  Case didn't see any goats but he did know about clean cups and told Jimmy's shippies he cleaned them.  They laughed like he told the funniest joke imaginable while Jim looked like he'd just been murdered.

Case had to lie a little to the psychologist about how unhappy he was that Seaman Cream was replaced as his guide and it was because of the others that just 'disappeared'.  Not that it wasn't a little true, but he knew they weren't going to hurt Jimmy.  Case just felt guilty that he got Jim in so much trouble for something he did.  When the gambit worked, Case couldn't apologize enough and promised he wouldn't cause any more trouble.

"Uh...anyway thanks for putting up with me," Case continues a little awkwardly, "And...um...good luck with everything.  I had a good time hanging out with you guys."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:06, Thu 23 Sept 2021.

"Mph" Ivan grunted, tucking the map and mags away and moving to loom over the sailor.

In reply to Ivan Borovich (Headshot) (msg # 33):

(*The sailor looks up quizzically at the Russian soldier getting a touch too close for comfort. Then he breaks out into a wide smile.*)

Hey, Mister, are you tall?

In reply to Quinn Sebastian (msg # 30):

The bandaged man nodded. He was not too worried about not having the spear. After all, from what he heard once they got to dino land there would be an ample supply of primitive weapons. Most of them aimed right at him and the rest of his team.

Granted, he was worried about this whole...disconnection thing. A bunch of people had explained the basics, but with more questions then got answered. From what he understood, he had been 'transformed' already. That was before he had undergone his...medical procedure. At least that is what he called it.

Still, none of that mattered now. He would do anything to stop the ruler of the Nile Empire and other creatures like him. Even if it ment the end of this bizarre second life.

"Daylight's burning. Let's get to it." He said to the sailor, prepared to follow.

In reply to Petty Officer Cream (msg # 34):

"Mph" Ivan grunted. "English not good."