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[Ozarck]

Shadow Alliance

Follow the leader. Do as told. Continue surveiling. Quietly, for some reason.

Spoiler: Deck (click to show/hide)

 
wall, container, *amber, feline, *mark whole body, delay,
concrete, lock, *shockwave, darkness, aura
when inflicting damage, Black biometal
Distortion Dust

* denotes used.

active enchantments: [mark whole body][amber][shockwave] pot+1

Spoiler:  Chu Sana'me (click to show/hide)

10 Potency
6  Memory (15 word deck)
2  Strength
6  Dex 
8  Speed (8 tile movement)
4  Vitality
6  Endurance
8  Intelligence
6  Awareness

inventory:
rifle, ammo:[2/?]

[piecewise]

Sarge will move closer to one of the guards, but while still being within shouting distance of Abu. He'll act casual and friendly and adress the guard. If he's talkative, swap war/combat stories.

"Hey there, name's Murphy. This is a nice place you lads have got here. Do you see a lot of action at your wall?"

He gazes on the wall and fortification.

"Shit, I wish we'd had a wall like this at A Sau. Would have made it a lot harder for Charlie to push us like they did."

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Name: Gunnery Sergeant James Murphy

Description: A big bull of a man, with a square jaw and a patriotic twinkle in his eye. He enjoys swearing and giving people under his command a hard time.

Somehow managed to catch the second plane to 'Nam to fight the commies, even though he was aiming to be on the first. This left him slightly bitter. Then he got teleported to this world of mystery and magic. This doesn't change matters much, Charlie just a look a little different 'round these parts.


Gang: Ridiculous Rhomboid

Health: Great.

Magic jazz hands: Cloud, Wall, FireForward, Crow, AffectUser, LargeFirearm, Ammunition, Clockwork, Repair, Many

Potency: d6
Memory: d4
Strength: d6
Dexterity: d10
Speed: d6
Vitality: d6
Endurance: d8
Intelligence: d2
Awareness: d8

Inventory:
1 looted guard rifles
1 guard's knife
13 rounds for the rifle + 20 summoned bullets (used first)
1 Spiffy Uniform
1 monstroust gun + 6 monstrous bullets.

The guard looks at you with a strange sort of expression.  You recognize it immediately thanks to your days in the field. Its the distant, sympathetic, annoyed, and longing look a veteran gives a new recruit bragging about his exploits. You've seen it a dozen times; haunted eyes staring out of a tent as new soldiers pour out of a helicopter or the dull expression of a man sitting alone at mess hall while others talk and laugh.  A man inured to horror envying a past self.  He nods after a moment and looks back across the plain, eyes hidden in his goggles.

"It comes and goes. Been quiet recently. Probably won't stay that way."

Hmm, I don't remember agreeing to enter the magi-swamp, but ok, for expedience's sake. Try to get out of/above the gunk and start talking to the nearest guard about the wonders of representative democracy. Also take a closer look at this place. How far does the sludge swamp stretch out?

Spoiler: Abu Hajaar (click to show/hide)

Name: Rifleman first class Abu Hajaar

Description: A scrawny enlistee of vaguely Middle Eastern descent. Permanently in over his head, slightly confused and wondering just how he got into this mess. Will reluctantly but reliably follow orders from his commanding officers and do his best however.

Somehow managed to end up far away from home in 'Nam to fight the commies. This left him confused. Then he got teleported to this world of mystery and magic. This did not help matters.


Gang: Ridiculous Rhomboid

Health: Fabulous.

Magic jazzhands:
Permanent: Cloud, Wall, FireForward, Crow, MarkCaster'sEyes, AffectUser, LargeFirearm, Ammunition, Clockwork, Repair, Many
Temporary: LightSource, Iron


Current Inventory
1 X Guard's rifle
8 X rounds for guard's rifle + 30 X summoned rounds for guard's rifle (use these first)
1 X Spiffy Uniform (formerly bloody guard garb)

1 X Monstrous gun  Given to Sarge.
6 X monstrous gun bullets (more like cannonballs)  Given to Sarge.


Stats
Potency: d10
Memory: d6
Strength: d2
Dexterity: d8
Speed: d4
Vitality: d6
Endurance: d6
Intelligence: d6
Awareness: d8


ARMORY
12 X Guard's rifle
48 X Rounds for guard's rifle
8 X Guard's knife, a big curvy slightly phallic thing
6 X guard's uniform
6 X Spiffy Uniform (formerly bloddy guard garb)

((This is what happens when people submit contradicting actions.))

The gunk IS this place so getting out will be difficult. The best you can think to do is hull yourself up onto one of the barricades and scramble to the top before sitting down on it.  You take a look around. The yellowish fog is thick and obscuring, even raised up as you are. You can't see more than 20 or 30 feet clearly, and maybe 50 feet of fractional visibility before there's nothing but a wall of yellow haze. The sludge stretched to the edge of that visible horizon and more than likely far beyond it.

Raven's Roughnecks

Assist boss or her father with speechifying, as appropriate. Stand idle otherwise, observe the surroundings. Do we have a look at higher levels of the wall (and guards manning up there) from this new vantage position? If so, can we have the maps for them as well (or at least the full guard count)?

Spoiler: Kay Vagner, Space Marine (click to show/hide)

Name: Kay Vagner

Gang: Roncal-thol Rotheleaod

Health: Pretty good overall.

Hand (9/10): Chisel, Cloud, Wall, Crow, Mark_Caster's_Eyes, Large_Firearm, Ammunition, Clockwork, Repair, Many

Marked spells: none. Eyeballs: both.

Inventory: Chain'Gram (clockwork monstrosity re-enchanted blade), Spiffy R-Raven Uniform (armor), backup combat knife (like this one), rifle with 2 rounds
 
Stats:
Potency: d8
Memory: d4
Strength: d8
Dexterity: d2
Speed: d10
Vitality: d6
Endurance: d4
Intelligence: d8 (+)
Awareness: d6

Progression: +

Description: A grand-grand-grand-grandson of a forgotten composer of ages past, Kay thinks he is enamored with the music of his ancestor and that his legacy is to live up to those heroic stories of old. Sadly, he doesn't know that most of it is presently misattributed, and the rest is utterly mangled by vagaries of time, not to mention that he isn't really cut out for that kind of life. Still, he has one sick guitar solo.

Total kills: 3 (+1 assist)

Notable kills:
  Decapitated slaver guard
  Trepanated slaver guard
 

You can't see exactly what the second level is like from here, so no map. But you can see at least two soldiers with rifles up on the second floor looking down on the conversation.

Roncal Roth

(("his tone and posture make it abundantly clear that he has patience for those that waste his time."?  Cool, he's fine with us blathering pointlessly!))


Corven nods "The girlie's got the gist of it, yeah.  There's been talk in the markets, one of the more aggressive merchant factions has been putting plans inta taking this place, violently.  'Parently they want to control access into the Unreal, think having a monopoly on the shit that comes out'll be some great advantage."

"Now, I'm no merchant, I'unno the business wisdom of that, but I am a fighter.  And I look 'round this place, I see a lot of effort, a lotta work, a lotta men... but I don't see much in the way of supplies or support.  All these fortifications mean jack if even a small force decides to siege ya, and this one has the clout to make sure nobody comes ta help outta the goodness of their heart."

"That's where we come in.  Y'see, I want free access to The Unreal, and I also want this gate to stay here.  Wouldn't even take three've my men to blow this gate sky-high even if we were refused, but I don't wanna go destroying the only protection the city's got.  And I don't want a bunch of idiot merchants being saddled with the responsibility.  So, you agree to ally with us, give me and mine free passage, and I make sure ya don't lose control of this gate.  Doesn't even really cost nothin."

TL;DR, Corven's making up some rumors about a merchant faction wanting to take the gate for themselves, and is pointing out that a siege would easily starve the garrison out.  He's saying that his people are quite capable of blowing the entire gate up, as both an implied threat and a statement that they could easily break any siege, and offering that power to them in an alliance, as long as they let RR have free passage and the hex's words.

In the likely case that I'm assuming something wrong here, like the garrison having support from a large merchant faction, or hex words actually being a significant cost, we're probably going to end up murdering everything.  As such, I'd like a count of visible people--just the three on the map?  Or are there more on the catwalks above?  And did we see the mechanism that opens the gate?

Spoiler: Corven Feathra (click to show/hide)

Gang: Roncal Roth
Health: Shot in the left bicep; entire arm limp.  The pain is dull and half numb for the moment, but the bleeding has been bandaged.
Tattoos: Eyes tattoo'd with 8-strength "Repair AffectUser"
Inventory:

• A slaver rifle, with two shots. (Given to Sarge)
  
• A concealed knife.
• A Roncal Roth crow uniform, armored with metal plates and thick leather.
• Some decently-sized pebbles he picked up somewhere, for throwing and enchanting.

Hand: Cloud, Wall, FireForward, Crow, MarkCaster'sEyes, AffectUser, LargeFirearm, Ammunition, Clockwork, Repair, Many
WhitePhosphorus, Coal

Potency: d10
Memory: d6
Strength: d2
Dexterity: d6
Speed: d4
Vitality: d6
Endurance: d8
Intelligence: d8
Awareness: d6

Description: An older man past his prime, Corven still carries himself with the intimidating aura you'd expect from a crime boss... except when he's dealing with his daughter, who he's completely incapable of saying "No" to.  That usually works out better than you'd expect, since he managed to get her the formal education he never had, though he still has wisdom on her.  Has something of an unhealthy obsession with birds, though not nearly as much so as his daughter.

Spoiler: Roncal-thol Rotheleaod (click to show/hide)

Symbol:

Gang words: Cloud, Wall, FireForward, Crow, MarkCaster'sEyes, AffectUser, LargeFirearm, Ammunition, Clockwork, Repair, Many

Headquarters: (12,10-47) "Impromptu Mines"
Words:

• LightSource (Radio)
• WhitePhosphorous (syvarris)
• heavy
  
• darkness (Egan)
• chisel (Nikitian)
• Coal (syvarris)
• Pickax
  
• Gold (Egan)
• Iron (Radio)
• Diamond
  
  Members: syvarris (Leader), Egan_BW (Second in command), Pancaek (Gruff Grunt Wrangler), Radio_Controlled (Mook), Nikitian (Space Marine), ATHATH (A Totally Human Assassin That Helps)
  
  Equipment:
  
• 12 rifles (6 given to members; 6 left with slaves at HQ)
• 48 nonmagical rifle rounds (26 left at HQ; 2 given to each member, except Abu who got 12.)
• Eight knives, one for each member, two for Kay, two for Sarge.
• Twelve bloodied slaver uniforms... left with the slaves, unless someone wants one for some reason.
• Six corvid themed gang uniforms, armored with metal plates and thick leather, distributed among the team members.
  

You look around. Three people on this level. Two outside one gate, three outside the other. Two on the level above, and the foot steps of more both behind and above you. They clearly don't have an army but You're deep in their territory armed with nothing but magic and knives. It would be a tough fight. And that assumes none of these guys can use magic...

The man listens with a completely impassive expression and once you're done he pauses a moment before speaking.

"I believe you have misunderstood the situation. The Dreamers do not hold this gate to prevent others from entering. We hold it to prevent inhuman things from leaving. You, as with every one in this city, have the right of free passage. Though we will not provide assistance or rescue, we will provide refuge if you make it back.

Tell me," He takes a step forward, and bends slightly at the waist while cocking his head a few degrees in a manner that reminds you of an inquisitive owl, "Could this information about an attack be a misunderstanding as well?" 

[Rautherdir]

Shadow Alliance

"Ah, I see. Sorry for the confusion, it's just that we are a large group and I was worried that our entrance would be less-than-welcome."

Enter the Last Word. Motion the rest of Shadow Alliance to follow.

Then, to the rest of our group:
"If you want to, go ahead and look around for any books on subjects you like. Me and Chu will try and negotiate an alliance with whoever runs this place."

Spoiler: Shade (click to show/hide)

Character Name: Shade
Currently active effects:
Injuries: Minor chest wound (Hopefully minor)

Potency: d10
Memory: d8
Strength: d4
Dex: d4
Speed: d6
Vitality: d6
Endurance: d4
Intelligence: d8
Awareness: d6

Currently active words (10/20): (Amber, Feline, Delay, Dome), (Shockwave, Aura, When Unable to Act), (When Inflicting Damage, Black Biometal), (Distortion Dust)
Gang: Shadow Alliance

[Radio Controlled]

Ponder what kind of creatures dwell beyond this wall. Perhaps ask the nearest guard what they look like?

If our new recruit continues to be braindead then auto him up to the barricade and start doodling on his face.

Spoiler: Abu Hajaar (click to show/hide)

Name: Rifleman first class Abu Hajaar

Description: A scrawny enlistee of vaguely Middle Eastern descent. Permanently in over his head, slightly confused and wondering just how he got into this mess. Will reluctantly but reliably follow orders from his commanding officers and do his best however.

Somehow managed to end up far away from home in 'Nam to fight the commies. This left him confused. Then he got teleported to this world of mystery and magic. This did not help matters.


Gang: Ridiculous Rhomboid

Health: Fabulous.

Magic jazzhands:
Permanent: Cloud, Wall, FireForward, Crow, MarkCaster'sEyes, AffectUser, LargeFirearm, Ammunition, Clockwork, Repair, Many
Temporary: LightSource, Iron


Current Inventory
1 X Guard's rifle
8 X rounds for guard's rifle + 30 X summoned rounds for guard's rifle (use these first)
1 X Spiffy Uniform (formerly bloody guard garb)

1 X Monstrous gun  Given to Sarge.
6 X monstrous gun bullets (more like cannonballs)  Given to Sarge.


Stats
Potency: d10
Memory: d6
Strength: d2
Dexterity: d8
Speed: d4
Vitality: d6
Endurance: d6
Intelligence: d6
Awareness: d8


ARMORY
12 X Guard's rifle
48 X Rounds for guard's rifle
8 X Guard's knife, a big curvy slightly phallic thing
6 X guard's uniform
6 X Spiffy Uniform (formerly bloddy guard garb)

[syvarris]

Roncal Roth

Corven takes a long breath, sighing heavily "A'kay, I'll speak a bit slower here.  I know the Dreamers aren't in this for profit or power or any'a that bull.  'S why I want y'all to stay here.  This gate's a helluva lot more important than any money.

There's people who don't understand that, though.  Blind people who aren't seeing how the city's fallin apart.  They see this gate, they just think it's something they can profit on, they don't get the danger.  Do you want those people here, being responsible for holding the shit out there back?  I don't.  That's my whole point, you guys are good here, they aren't.

Now, yes, I'm very sure about this.  I got offered a whole lot of money if I promised to join their little coalition.  I didn't, 'cause I'm no fool, but we both know there's a lot of desperate people out there.  They can give those people guns and food, and then you've got a problem.  I'm offering to be the solution, if it comes to that."

I think part of the problem here is that I don't know how to say "I want your hex's magic words" in-character.  I had assumed it was sort of a collecting thing, where we can gain the words if we're allowed free passage around the entire building--that's what I meant by free passage, rather than freely being able to pass into The Unreal.  Poor choice of words, yeah.

Corven's deal here is that he wants whatever gives him the hex's words, in return for supporting the Dreamers if anyone attacks them.  He doesn't care about actually controlling the gate as in blocking passage through the hex; such would be nice, but is entirely secondary to his (completely honest) goals of preventing anyone else from taking the gate, and gaining words.  If that is impossible to achieve without actually murdering and replacing the Dreamer's leader... well, I guess this was a waste of time.

Spoiler: Corven Feathra (click to show/hide)

Gang: Roncal Roth
Health: Shot in the left bicep; entire arm limp.  The pain is dull and half numb for the moment, but the bleeding has been bandaged.
Tattoos: Eyes tattoo'd with 8-strength "Repair AffectUser"
Inventory:

• A slaver rifle, with two shots. (Given to Sarge)
  
• A concealed knife.
• A Roncal Roth crow uniform, armored with metal plates and thick leather.
• Some decently-sized pebbles he picked up somewhere, for throwing and enchanting.

Hand: Cloud, Wall, FireForward, Crow, MarkCaster'sEyes, AffectUser, LargeFirearm, Ammunition, Clockwork, Repair, Many
WhitePhosphorus, Coal

Potency: d10
Memory: d6
Strength: d2
Dexterity: d6
Speed: d4
Vitality: d6
Endurance: d8
Intelligence: d8
Awareness: d6

Description: An older man past his prime, Corven still carries himself with the intimidating aura you'd expect from a crime boss... except when he's dealing with his daughter, who he's completely incapable of saying "No" to.  That usually works out better than you'd expect, since he managed to get her the formal education he never had, though he still has wisdom on her.  Has something of an unhealthy obsession with birds, though not nearly as much so as his daughter.

Spoiler: Roncal-thol Rotheleaod (click to show/hide)

Symbol:

Gang words: Cloud, Wall, FireForward, Crow, MarkCaster'sEyes, AffectUser, LargeFirearm, Ammunition, Clockwork, Repair, Many

Headquarters: (12,10-47) "Impromptu Mines"
Words:

• LightSource (Radio)
• WhitePhosphorous (syvarris)
• heavy
  
• darkness (Egan)
• chisel (Nikitian)
• Coal (syvarris)
• Pickax
  
• Gold (Egan)
• Iron (Radio)
• Diamond
  
  Members: syvarris (Leader), Egan_BW (Second in command), Pancaek (Gruff Grunt Wrangler), Radio_Controlled (Mook), Nikitian (Space Marine), ATHATH (A Totally Human Assassin That Helps)
  
  Equipment:
  
• 12 rifles (6 given to members; 6 left with slaves at HQ)
• 48 nonmagical rifle rounds (26 left at HQ; 2 given to each member, except Abu who got 12.)
• Eight knives, one for each member, two for Kay, two for Sarge.
• Twelve bloodied slaver uniforms... left with the slaves, unless someone wants one for some reason.
• Six corvid themed gang uniforms, armored with metal plates and thick leather, distributed among the team members.
  

[Egan_BW]

What does it actually mean for the people here that we hang around and take words? Does this look like a wizard grabbing anything that's not nailed down and running away with it while giggling mischievously, or more like the wizard leaning against a wall and muttering some magic bullshit? If it's actually not anything and this is just a pure game mechanic with no in-universe explanation, than THAT'S KINDA A PROBLEM IF YOU WANT US TO NEGOTIATE WITH NPCS, LIKE, EVER.

Spoiler: Raven Feathra (click to show/hide)

Description: Raven is a VERY RAVENY GIRL. She has black hair, dark blue eyes, and looks all edgy and shit. She's really too young to lead a wizard gang, but carries herself with confidence and Murder. She is deadly intelligent, but is lacking in common sense, as normal for teenagers. Also she is obsessed with birds.
Potency: d8
Memory: d6
Strength: d2
Dexterity: d6
Speed: d6
Vitality: d4
Endurance: d6
Intelligence: d10
Awareness: d8

Health: "Healthy"

Inventory: Raven Armor, Riflecannon [Pot+7] 10 Crowshells [Pot+5]

Marks: None

Permanent: Cloud, Wall, FireForward, Crow, MarkCaster'sEyes, AffectUser, LargeFirearm, Ammunition, Clockwork, Repair, Many

Available: Cloud, Wall, FireForward, MarkCaster'sEyes, AffectUser, Repair, Darkness

[Devastator]

Shadow Alliance.

Head inside The Last Word.  Look for any picture books.

Spoiler: Deck (click to show/hide)

Distortion Dust, Shockwave, Brick, When Inflicting Damage, Amber

Spoiler: Thag Simmons (click to show/hide)

Pot d6
Memory d2
Strength d10
Dex d4
Speed d8
Vit d8
End d6
Int d4
Awareness d8

Health: Fine
Ongoing Effects: None

Equipment:
Cavalry Sabre,
Rifle. (unknown ammo count.  4/4 like the other ones?)
Gang: Shadow Alliance.

[Failbird105]

Shadow Alliance

follow them in, and observe my surroundings once inside

Spoiler: John Smith (click to show/hide)

Name: John Smith, Problem Sleuth
Description: Imagine the rawest essence of "Detective" condensed into a human form, this man is probably mostly what you are imagining.
D10 - Awareness
D8s - Intelligence and Strength
D6s - Potency Speed and Dex
D4s - Endurance and Memory
D2 - Vitality

Words: delay, feline, distortion dust, darkness, black biometal, shockwave, dome, mark whole body, aura, when inflicting damage

[ATHATH]

Sorry, I think I'm gonna have to drop out of this one.

Donate my words to my other team members, in whatever manner they see fit.

[piecewise]

What does it actually mean for the people here that we hang around and take words? Does this look like a wizard grabbing anything that's not nailed down and running away with it while giggling mischievously, or more like the wizard leaning against a wall and muttering some magic bullshit? If it's actually not anything and this is just a pure game mechanic with no in-universe explanation, than THAT'S KINDA A PROBLEM IF YOU WANT US TO NEGOTIATE WITH NPCS, LIKE, EVER.

Spoiler: Raven Feathra (click to show/hide)

Description: Raven is a VERY RAVENY GIRL. She has black hair, dark blue eyes, and looks all edgy and shit. She's really too young to lead a wizard gang, but carries herself with confidence and Murder. She is deadly intelligent, but is lacking in common sense, as normal for teenagers. Also she is obsessed with birds.
Potency: d8
Memory: d6
Strength: d2
Dexterity: d6
Speed: d6
Vitality: d4
Endurance: d6
Intelligence: d10
Awareness: d8

Health: "Healthy"

Inventory: Raven Armor, Riflecannon [Pot+7] 10 Crowshells [Pot+5]

Marks: None

Permanent: Cloud, Wall, FireForward, Crow, MarkCaster'sEyes, AffectUser, LargeFirearm, Ammunition, Clockwork, Repair, Many

Available: Cloud, Wall, FireForward, MarkCaster'sEyes, AffectUser, Repair, Darkness

Think about it like this: Areas produce magic. They used to produce a basically endless supply but now they don't. Now the Chalice is taking most of it, so you get crumbs.  As per what form that magic takes, think about the land as a battery. You can come in and stand in some land you own and, as a wizard, suck that magical energy up into yourself. Its not as simple as just being energy of course, there's a lot of bound up sense memory and such, but you get the idea.  Part of the reason you get 10 instead of 5 words at your home base is because you are there a lot. Other places I assume you just sort of patrol in between missions, so you get some words over that time. But your home base you're at all the time so you absorb more.

But there is a limited amount, so if you're around slurping it up, no one else can have it.

When it comes to trading with NPCS you basically are either giving them the magic you've absorbed via transferring directly into them, or you're literally walking over and saying "Gold" and trading the big lump of gold with them.

[syvarris]

How should we handle ATHATH's words, PW?  Did he just keel over, and we need to loot his words manually?  Or can we say that we got his words before the mission, and thus can distribute them freely? 

Also, what words is he even considered to have?  Permanent and PolymorphWholeBody are two, of course, but does he also have RR's words?  Or Death's Friend's old words?  The last spell he cast was specifically using all his remaining DF words up at once in order to get a random effect, but it's unclear whether his DF words would have regenned after that, or if they'd be permanently lost since he joined RR not long after.

[Egan_BW]

When it comes to trading with NPCS you basically are either giving them the magic you've absorbed via transferring directly into them, or you're literally walking over and saying "Gold" and trading the big lump of gold with them.

Uh, what? When we summon things they disappear not long after, remember?

[DolosusDoleus]

There still room for another gang? Or did the slot get filled up already?

[Nikitian]

((@DolosusDoleus Yes, absolutely! Feel free to gather your followers and comrades-in-arms (or not, alone is technically fine too) and create your gang. That slot is still empty.
Welcome to the Chalice! ))

[ATHATH]

When it comes to trading with NPCS you basically are either giving them the magic you've absorbed via transferring directly into them, or you're literally walking over and saying "Gold" and trading the big lump of gold with them.

Uh, what? When we summon things they disappear not long after, remember?

We remember, but not everyone does.