Ulien Inervios"You listening? No, the bandits are not 'fleeing', they're shooting at our people trying to clear the barrier. There's no point saving rounds for later if we're stuck right here for the rest of eternity!
Look, you don't need to keep shooting 'till they're all dead. Just enough to make sure the guys on the hill keep their heads down until the blockage is dealt with."
[Presence DC 12:
20!]
The Inner listens. Faint gunshots carry through the rotary car's metal walls. His skin pales with every close shot until it's almost a good Rimer shade. He swallows, and something in Ulien's voice puts a stop to any further arguing.
'Well... I suppose, given the circumstances, some additional usage of ammunition could be approved...'That's good enough for the crewman, who picks up another crate of ammo with a smirk. The rotary is free for Ulien to take over, if she wishes - no doubt the crewman is also competent in its use, of course.
***
Health: Fine.
Inventory:
+Rimer Sixshooter [+0] [A revolver of low-quality steel, fashioned in some backwater Rimer gun shop. It does its job well enough.]
+Traveling Clothes [A woolen dress, good leather boots and warm gloves make practical and dependable traveling clothes in the Rime.]
-Moonshine [Something to keep you warm on the worst of Rimer nights.]
+Luggage [A worn suitcase with everything a Rimer girl needs on her travels.]
--Provisions (4 Days) [Jerky, dried kelp and icy water form much of a Rimer's diet.]
--Fuel (1 Day) [Even a little firewood or coal on hand can be the difference between life and death out here.]
--Terminus Express Ticket [A piece of paper entitling you to a journey aboard the Terminus Express. The stops are listed as: Konigshain (Thaw) - Lorel (Thaw) - Marrow - Warren - Cauldron - Bleak House - Gossamer - Stalwart - Crescent - Shoal - Ossuary.]
Scrip: 150¤
Stats:
Might: -2
Speed: 4
Learning: 5
Wits: 3
Presence: 2
Mind: 4
Traits:
*Expert (Delving): Double your Learning bonus for checks related to diving suits and delving.
*Lethal Shot: Ranged damage inflicted is always increased to next level; Grazes to Wounds, Wounds to Severe Wounds, Severe Wounds to Death, and so.
*Head for Business: Double your Wits bonus for bartering and negotiating for trade. [It takes a special keen kind of mind to take over one's father's shop and keep it afloat in hard times.]
Stern takes his leave. Fiona is left with the unenviable task of sorting through her charges and picking a second-in-command among them. Someone reliable, capable and morally upright, who will not throw away the lives of those under them needlessly. With a strange sort of inevitability, she narrows the possibilities down to one man - the one man who spoke against going out here in the first place. Mr Simmons seems wholly committed now, perhaps convinced by Fiona's comprehensive plan and organization. She quickly discovers that the previously malcontent gentleman is a soldier turned frontiersman, looking to claim land for his descendants to one day enjoy. That he's working so hard for his family and has some idea of how to act in a firefight speak in his favor. Fiona has to wonder why he's not among the 'shooters who swore to defend the train, though. Perhaps he has simply seen too much fighting already.
'No chance getting through like this,' he says. Fiona is finding Mr Simmons very much given to cynicism and gloominess, unfortunately.
'Maybe if we had the big gun going-'The big gun - the rotary gun on top of the train - chooses that moment to roar into life. It howls through the freezing air, spitting out invisible round after round at the distant hilltop. Plumes of snow and earth explode on impact. It seems a terrible weapon indeed, firing as much alone as a company of riflemen.
Fiona is no longer Unnerved.***
Health: Fine.
Inventory:
+Cast-Iron Pan [+0] [A very fine cast-iron frying pan, something of a family heirloom. It's found some use as a surprisingly potent melee weapon.]
+Mismatch Clothes [A poorly-planned mismatch of fine upper-class Inner clothes and low-quality furs and pelts from the Rime.]
+Parasol [Few in the Rime know what this is, and those who do don't believe their eyes.]
+Luggage [A heavy traveling case full of pots, pans, utensils, spices and foodstuffs - a veritable walking kitchen in disguise.]
--Quality Provisions (4 Days) [Fruit, rich dark bread, berries, cinnamon, pepper, ginger and cloves, tea leaves, coffee, even a little chocolate...]
--Terminus Express Ticket [A piece of paper entitling you to a journey aboard the Terminus Express. The stops are listed as: Konigshain (Thaw) - Lorel (Thaw) - Marrow - Warren - Cauldron - Bleak House - Gossamer - Stalwart - Crescent - Shoal - Ossuary.]
Scrip: 150¤
Stats:
Might: 1
Speed: 3
Learning: 3
Wits: 3
Presence: 3
Mind: 3
Traits:
*Frontier Cook: With ample food, create meals for up to 5 people that grant a +2 inspiration bonus for the day.
*Team Heart: Assisting others grants them your full ability bonus instead of half, and you can assist several people at once (when physically possible).
*Hope Bringer: Negate any Trauma results from Severe Wounds for friendlies. [There's always a little light when she's there, even at the worst of times.]
The party advances. Doc Montmare's offer goes largely unheeded to his evident disappointment. He follows his companion with the slightest shaking evident in his hands and the smallest perceptible paleness to his face. Apprehension and focus war on the faces of the others.
[Wits DC 10:
20!]
Sir Rimelight halts the silent column as they start on the slope up. Paranoia is nothing but a healthy habit in the Rime, and Sir Rimelight has a sense of something amiss. If the bandits were clever, they'd have traps or an extra man covering their rear - traps which could stop their flanking attack before it really began. With that in mind, he endeavors to search the ground before them as they advance. He surveys the frozen ground with an expert eye, looking for signs of it having been disturbed, of movement betraying an ambush up ahead.
He is soon rewarded. A shallow patch of snow reveals a hastily-dug pit with steep walls in the earth. A half-frozen bear trap lurks in a mound of snow. Slippery black ice has been concealed with moved snow, jagged rocks placed where an unfortunate victim would fall. They're crude defenses - applied without much care or energy, covering only a part of the slope - but they have potential for danger, and Sir Rimelight makes sure to identify all of them before guiding his party up to the top of the hill.
The wind howls with uncontained intensity here. It drives snow in flurries and gusts into their eyes and faces - the direction of the wind does not favor them, naturally. Getting their bearings, they make out the remains of rather pitiful campfires. Lean, neglected yaks huddle near, their shaggy furs marked by frost. A half-buried wagon sits in the snow at their side. They are a dismal sight altogether. These are not signs of confidence or power. They speak of desperation.
In the distance, the rotary gun opens up. Its rounds chew up the edge of the slope with terrible fury.
[Speed DC 15:
13+5=18/
10+4=14/
20+3=23/
3+3=6/
1+5=6/
4+4=8/Total 4 Degrees of Failure]
This close, staying hidden proves impractical. The smell of strangers agitates the yaks, which in turn draws the attention of their owners. Low figures rise from the edge of the hill to investigate, almost invisible in their snow-white furs and cloaks. Angry words are exchanged. Someone sights the flanking party. A gun comes up.
[Mind DC 8:
12+5+3 (trait)=20/
7+2=9/
1+2=3/
12+2=14/
11+3=14/
4+5=9Frostbite is Encouraged: +2 bonus to rolls until end of combat.
Chief Gorwan is Frightened: -2 impairment to rolls until situation improves, loses turn.A true firefight tests everyone's mettle. The second the bullets start flying, fear - good, rational fear - seizes hold of the participants. The most controlled, the most courageous shake it off and carry on regardless. The less certain are slowed, brought to halt, sent running back where they came from.
Bad odds have never frightened Frostbite. He savors the danger, takes comfort in it. Confidence surges. He will not die this day. Sir Rimelight, for his part, suppresses the unwelcome anxiety that would rob him of his focus. The comforting sound of the rotary keeping their enemy down helps greatly in that regard.
Others are not quite so bold. At their sides, Chief Gorwan throws himself flat, thoughts of firing forgotten. Perhaps he has the right of it; seconds later, the first shot is fired.
The bullets start flying. Their enemy are vague moving shapes at the edge of the hill - five, six, seven of them? The rotary gun is suppressing their movements something fierce, but they've got good cover and they're not going down without a fight. Frostbite's weapon comes up first, rising up for the nearest of the shapes...
Frostbite (Fastest in the East)
Doc Montmare (18+3=21)
Crooks [Bandit] (18+2=20)
Chief Gorwan (18+3-2=19)
Hope Loveless [Bandit] (17+2=19)
Sir Rimelight (15+4-2=17)
Mara (10+4-2=12)
Machabee Blose [Bandit] (10+2=12)
Sam Loveless [Bandit] (7+2=9)
Sounder (3+5=8)
Ember Firebeard [Bandit] (1+3=4)
***
Health: Fine.
Inventory:
+Family Rifle [+0] [A well-loved, well-crafted if now-obsolete rifle passed down from father to son until ripped from their cold, dead hands by its present owner.]
+Frontier Suit [A rough-spun suit, fur pelt and sleek croc leather shoes make up a killer ensemble.]
+Suitcase [A fine suitcase with a complicated lock meant to deter the greedy hands of lessers.]
--Provisions (4 Days) [Jerky, dried kelp and icy water form much of a Rimer's diet.]
--Fuel (1 Day) [Even a little firewood or coal on hand can be the difference between life and death out here.]
--Terminus Express Ticket [A piece of paper entitling you to a journey aboard the Terminus Express. The stops are listed as: Konigshain (Thaw) - Lorel (Thaw) - Marrow - Warren - Cauldron - Bleak House - Gossamer - Stalwart - Crescent - Shoal - Ossuary.]
Scrip: 150¤
Stats:
Might: 2
Speed: 4
Learning: 2
Wits: 0
Presence: 6
Mind: 2
Traits:
*Menacing: Intimidation results in severe impairment (-5) instead of impairment, or has a stronger effect otherwise.
*Quick Attack: Make two attacks in a turn at half your attack bonus.
*Icy Rage: When slighted, annoyed, mildly irritated, or otherwise irked, enter a deathly cold fury and go to town on an opponent of your choosing. Until the target is dead or combat ends, ignore impairment from Wounds, receive a +2 attack bonus against the target, and automatically pass Mind checks that would interfere with the necessary murder. If the target escapes or defeats you, suffer a -5 impairment to all checks for the next day. [A terrible rage lurks beneath his placid facade, surfacing any time anyone tries to take what's his.]
Health: Fine.
Inventory:
+Rimer Sixshooter [+0] [A revolver of low-quality steel, fashioned in some backwater Rimer gun shop. It does its job well enough.]
+Fur Clothes [A Rimer with any wits knows the best protection against the cold are clothes lined with the fur of a white bear.]
+Bag [A trusty leather bag, a veteran of many journeys.]
--Provisions (4 Days) [Jerky, dried kelp and icy water form much of a Rimer's diet.]
--Fuel (1 Day) [Even a little firewood or coal on hand can be the difference between life and death out here.]
--Terminus Express Ticket [A piece of paper entitling you to a journey aboard the Terminus Express. The stops are listed as: Konigshain (Thaw) - Lorel (Thaw) - Marrow - Warren - Cauldron - Bleak House - Gossamer - Stalwart - Crescent - Shoal - Ossuary.]
Scrip: 150¤
Stats:
Might: 1
Speed: 5
Learning: 1
Wits: 3
Presence: 1
Mind: 5
Traits:
*Fastest in the East: Always win Initiative in combat.
*Quick Attack: Make two attacks in a turn at half your attack bonus.
*Never Give Up: Receive a bonus to Mind checks that increases the worse your odds of survival or victory are. [Never stop, never hesitate; not when there lives on the line.]
Cormac's words about offering to join the enemy land him some very scandalized looks by the trio following him, until the Hacketts decide to take it for a joke and simply chuckle politely. Evidently, that is not something to be suggested in this kind of company. He'll have to remember that - hopefully they're drunk enough to forget it if they should live through this.
The four of them hole up in the engine compartment. A few crewman and the train's engineer are already in the humid, enclosed space. The engine continues to radiate heat. Huge amounts of coal sit around for the taking. Just the interior of this room would set a bandit clan for months of easy living.
Nothing happens for quite some while. The brothers Hackett share the last drops of a pocket flask. The rotary gun in the next compartment comes alive. The door to it opens a moment later, a slight and anxious-looking man Hess takes for the 'money man' the chief mentioned comes in. He makes some polite remarks and then withdraws to the corner, wincing at every turn of the rotary's crank.
Then - a crewman runs in.
'Heard shooting in the train! Passenger compartments! Come quick!' he shouts, eyes wide with fear.
***
Health: Fine.
Inventory:
+Snow Gun [+0] [A stocky white-painted rifle favored by bandits wanting to blend into their surroundings. It's not the most accurate weapon, but it is dependable even in bad weather and deadly in the hands of a skilled shooter.]
+Fur Clothes [A Rimer with any wits knows the best protection against the cold are clothes lined with the fur of a white bear.]
+Bag [A military-issue sling bag, perhaps looted off the body of some unfortunate Inner soldier boy.]
--Provisions (4 Days) [Jerky, dried kelp and icy water form much of a Rimer's diet.]
--Fuel (1 Day) [Even a little firewood or coal on hand can be the difference between life and death out here.]
--Terminus Express Ticket [A piece of paper entitling you to a journey aboard the Terminus Express. The stops are listed as: Konigshain (Thaw) - Lorel (Thaw) - Marrow - Warren - Cauldron - Bleak House - Gossamer - Stalwart - Crescent - Shoal - Ossuary.]
Scrip: 150¤
Stats:
Might: 1
Speed: 4
Learning: 1
Wits: 6
Presence: 0
Mind: 4
Traits:
*Keen Senses: Never suffer increased difficulty from environmental conditions, such as blizzards, for perception checks.
*Frugal: Heat requirements halved in the wild.
*Bandit Cunning: You can make a surprise attack even when a target is fully aware of you, gaining a free attack round, though the target retains their normal Defense and won't fall for the same trick twice. [A bandit never reveals their true colors until the last, deadly moment.]
Author
Topic: The Rime: a Frostpunk Western RPG (IC) (Read 6872 times)