Emson 1

A series played using Starfarer from the Calypso Compendium. This post is published under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 licence.

Explore the universe in search of refuge.

Emson

• Explorer (Improvise, Leap, Lucky, Spot)
• Future human (Attractive, Educated, Healthy, Trivia)
• Off-worlder (Barter, Loyal, Mine, Scavenge)
• Social (Charm, Empathise, Recall, Secret)
• Key of the Daredevil (take unnecessary risks)
• Key of the Impulsive (act on instinct or impulse)
• Secret of the Hidden Ace (surprise element; 4+ means it betrays)
• Secret of the Legend (Social +1, trait cap is 5)

Prospector, trader, scavenger, thief. She's many things, and an heiresson the run. She's reckless at times but always comes through with connections or improvisation.

Emson, or Lady Emson Niskanen of Robos IV, sits across the table from her fence and wonders which of them will shoot first. Baen has been augmented with additional cybernetic limbs that could be wielding addtional firearms. She keeps both of her, completely organic, hands on the table in front of her, the idol she's trying to sell rests between them. It's a small stone egg that she... "excavated" on a trip to a frontier planet; harmless enough but Baen's reaction suggests this could be the start of a very bad day.

She decides to start soft, reminding Baen of their long history to lower his defences. 2d6 + Social + Charm + Empathise + Recall = 3 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 10. Gain 3 currency "Rapport." Baen visibly relaxes and raises his original hands above the desk in gesture of trust. His new hands stay out of sight, so she can't relax just yet. She recognises a look on Baen's face, guilt, that doesn't fill her with confidence.

"You ratted me out to the Arbiters?" Emson's diction could cut glass, all sharp and as cold as ice. Baen sweats and tries to stammer out a reply before falling silent. Spending 1 "Rapport" to get the truth out of him. "Em, you've got to believe me" Baen mutters, unable to make eye contact, "I have to keep the legit front going, and I can't do that with the law all over me." Emson idly rolls the idol back and forth between her hands, the weight feels satisfying as it rumbles to and fro.

"How much time do we have?" Emson chooses her words carefully. If the Arbiters were coming in force, she'd know by now, but it's always good to know what timeframe she has to work with for an exit strategy. Spending 1 "Rapport" to get an honest answer. Baen hems and haws before Emson's glare causes the words to spill out of his mouth. "Ah, I've not given specifics, just the notes. They don't know when we're meeting or where to find you. They're just keeping tabs on me..." Baen trails off and his eyes widen as he realises the implications. Emson rises to her feet and crosses to the window where she peers through the blinds. 2d6 + Explorer + Spot = 5 + 3 + 1 + 1 = 10. Gain 2 currency "Countdown to Cops."

The coast is clear for now, but its only a matter of time before there are Arbiters kicking the door open. Emson weighs her options and decides to cut and run. The idol isn't valuable enough to worry about so she pushes it across the desk to Baen. "Do me a favour and stall them for as long as you can." Baen seizes the idol in his organic hands and rises to his feet. Emson notes that while his guns are still holstered, his cybernetic hands had been on the grips of the pair of pistols he always wore. Spending 1 "Rapport" to secure Baen's compliance. Baen nods, tucking the idol into his jacket, "I'll keep them busy, one way or another."

Emson climbs up onto the desk and reaches for the hatch in the ceiling, roof access is a good start. 2d6 + Explorer + Improvise + Lucky = 3 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 7. The hatch has a lock that requires some creative work to bypass, but once its open Emson hauls herself into the maintenance ducts. She hears Baen seal the hatch behind her and begins her long crawl upward to the roof. The sound of Arbiters breaking into Baen's office is muffled but its clear that he won't be able to talk them down.

Emson can't risk calling up a schematic of the building, that would require net access, a signal that could be traced. Instead she relies on instinct and fortune to guide her. 2d6 + Explorer + Improvise + Lucky = 6 + 4 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 13. Gain condition "Fortune's Favour." After what feels like an eternity of crawling through the dark, cramped tunnels of the service ducts, she reaches an opening above her. Light can be glimpsed from an upper branch of the duct network.

She pats her pockets for inspiration (using Hidden Ace to gain a tool; 1d6 = 5, it will betray her) and finds her mag-grapel - she thought she'd left that in her other coat. Pulling it free, she rolls onto her back to take aim up the shaft above. With the line in place, she begins to inexorably haul herself upward. 2d6 + Future human + Athletic + Mag-grapel = 5 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 10. +2 forward to next roll. She makes short work of the climb, but finds her mag-grapel stuck fast inside a join connecting two sections of duct. Cursing under her breath, she turns and heads for the light at the end of the upper duct.

The light is coming from the side of a metal grille. Pressing against itto feel for a way to open it, Emson realises that she'll need to force it. Spending 1 "Countdown to Cops" to break out of the ducts. Out on the roof she hears the sound of sirens from below, the Arbiters are on the scene. It won't be long before the ground forces ae combing the street and air support won't be far away. She scans the adjacent buildings for potential exits. 2d6 + Explorer + Spot + Fortune's favour + 2 forward = 5 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 = 15. +2 forward to next roll.

Emson sights a walkway on the next building which leads to an open doorway. It's a nondescript structure so there's no telling what's inside, but it must be better than leaving in custody. She gets a running start before vaulting for the walkway... 2d6 + Explorer + Leap + 2 forward = 1 + 1 + 1 + 1+ 2 = 6 ...before realising that she's misjudged the distance. I'm going to spend 1 "Countdown to Cops" to mitigate. She barely catches the edge of the walkway, straining to pull herself up onto it. She hears the thrum of the Arbiters' flyers above and scrambles for the doorway.

To be continued...

Vaugr 1

A series played using Fantastic Journey from the Calypso Compendium. This post is published under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 licence.

Explore a wondrous realm in search of sanctuary.

Vaugr

• Nimble (Acrobatic, Fast, Pilfer, Swordplay)
• Non-Human (Change self, Fly, Huge, Keen senses)
• Social (Cold read, Fast talk, Perform, Small talk)
• Strong (Athletic, Brawl, Force, Swordplay)
• Key of the Adventurous (experience something new)
• Key of Chaos (take risks to break rules)
• Secret of the Candle (+1 Strong per harm taken)
• Secret of Superiority (Nimble has a +5 cap)

A cloud giant sorcerer and swordsman; cunning of spell, blade, and word. Sees rules as inconveniences and tends to take risks in the pursuit of new knowledge.

Vaugr's story begins with his exile from the court of Bleyn, queen of the giants. A series of stunts, pranks, and intrigues finally resulted in him being stripped of his titles and roles as court under-librarian. He has a leather satchel that holds his lyre, his blade (in its extradimensional scabbard), and a few manuscripts that he was able to smuggle out of the library.

He's following the Queen's Highway, the road that passses through all of the known realms, so he's sure it will eventually grow tiresome and he'll try exploring the unknown realms. For now, however, he's satisfied to be on the road and reaching the sights not normally visible from the palace. The rolling hills are coated in lush green grass and the path is lined with apple trees; the fruit hanging temptingly low. Vaugr misses the rich and luxurious banquets of the court, but manages to stay his hand for the moment.

By the time the sun is beginning to set he feels that he's made good progress for the day and starts to look for a place to set up camp. As the road curves to the left, a ruined structure comes into view on a hill roughly fifty metres from the roadside. In the fading evening light he glimpses a flickering light, perhaps the campfire of another soul wandering the road?

Vaugr hums a few bars of a melody to conceal his true form and identity. 2d6 + Non-human + Change self = 6 + 3 + 1 + 1 = 11. Gain the condition "Disguised." He shrinks in size and his skin  wrinkles as he takes on the form of an elderly man, dressed in rags, and generally carrying air of being a wandering beggar. Confident in his disguise, he hobbles his way towards the ruins.

Up close it becomes clear that this was once a tower of some sort, maybe an ancient outpost from the expansion of Bleyn's realm. Once, many such towers lined the paths and borders of a mighty empire, now it has turned inward and become insular. The hinterlands had become lawless, while the centre had become obsessed with its own past glories. That the ruin had withstood the generations of neglect was a testament to all that they had lost.

Now that he's closer he sees that it wasn't a campfire, instead he sees that it has a more supernatural origin. A cluster of orbs of eldritch green light dances across the tower floor, their hues and brightness shifting as they move. Vaugr has heard of spirits that lure unsuspecting travellers to their death, and wonders if perhaps these are such spirits. He stills his thoughts and listens with his heart. 2d6 + Non-human + Keen senses = 6 + 5 + 1 + 1 = 13. Gain 3 currency "Detect Magic."

He feels the threads of fate that bind all things together and to the world. A skilled hand could strum these strings and bend creation to their will, but Vaugr is a more cautious musician. He gently runs his fingertips over the threads of the spirits, seeking knowledge of the name of this type of entity. Spending 1 "Detect Magic" to learn the name "Isead." He recognises the name faintly from an ancient taxonomy, but from the branch pertaining to curses, not spirits.

Perhaps sensing Vaugr's scrutiny the lights begin to coalesce, their brightness flaring with what looks like anger. The pulsating beacon starts to take on a humanoid form, limbs and a head emerging from the central mass as it enlarges into a torso. It turns to "face" Vaugr and the light intensifies until its almost blinding. A harsh, guttural voice issues forth a challenge in an ancient dialect. Vaugr tries to bluff the entity by acting the part of an old man looking for shelter. 2d6 + Social + Fast talk + Perform + Disguised = 5 + 4 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 13. Gives the entity the condition "Deceived."

Vaugr successfully convinces the entity that he is not a threat; its light dims and resumes its previous fluctuating pattern, maintaining its form. Vaugr focuses on the name Isead and tries to plumb deeper. Spending 1 "Detect Magic" to learn what an Isead is. These lights aren't spirits, they are the residual imprint of an ancient curse. Vaugr's intuition fills in the gaps in his memory as he pieces together the truth of the situation. Long ago a powerful curse was laid upon the inhabitants of the tower, their souls bound to the ruin but over time have been eroded and merged into the fabric of the curse itself.

Vaugr doesn't know why the curse was laid but can't stand by and watch this situation perpetuate itself. But first, does the scrutiny damage either of the two conditions? 1d6 = 5. Yes. Odds its "Disguised," evens its "Deceived." 1d6 = 6. The deception is slipping. The luminous figure observes Vaugr closely, it accepts the appearance of an old man but not necessarily a trustworthy old man. It keesp its distance but stays in Vaugr's line of sight as he explores the ruins further.

Vaugr slowly paces the perimeter of the outer wall, now just a trail of rubble. There are no immediate indicators of further enchantment, so he moves to the taller ruined walls and what appears to be a central well. The rim of the well is carved with symbols, some of which appear more worn than others. Spending 1 "Detect Magic" to read the symbols. Vaugr's eyes trace the symbols; most refer to spells to preserve and purify the water, both as a source of drinking water and as a conduit for natural magic to reach the surface. However, the mangic-cleansing symbols have been marred to the extent that they could be the reason why the Isead formed.

Vaugr now knows enough to be prompted to take action. This corrupted curse has lingered past any need for punishment and it has unwittingly trapped souls within it. He remembers enough scraps of lore to feel confident in attempting to undo the curse laid upon the tower. Thsi will be difficult, he must work carefully to avoid angering the Isead. 2d6 + Social + Perform = 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 5. Gain 1 currency "Building Power." The Isead flares into hostile action, its light growing to an incandescent blaze, the weight of its power bears down upon Vaugr and holds him in place.

Vaugr decides the time for subtlety is over; the throws off the enchantment disguising him and harnessess the release of power to boost his curse-breaking ritual. 2d6 + Social + Perform + lost condition = 5 + 3 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 11. Take +2 forward. The burst of energy gives him the freedom to continue the ritual. 2d6 + Social + Perform + 2 forward = 6 + 3 + 1 + 1 + 2 = 13. Gain 1 currency "Building Power" (new total 2).

Oracle Question: How many Building Power points will it take to break the curse? 1d6 = 4. Okay, halfway there!

Vaugr is uncloaked and a corona of power is building around him. He feels the curse beginning to give way, but its not over yet. He switches tactics, he draws his sword to channel his power and executes a swift, complex series of movements to deliver power in precise strikes. 2d6 + Nimble + Acrobatic + Fast + Swordplay = 6 + 4 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 13. Gain 3 currency "Building Power" (new total 5). Vaugr moves like a blur of arcane power, striking the Isead's curse at key points to sever its ties to the corrupted wellspring. The Isead's humanoid form, still too bright to look at directly, fragments into hundreds of motes of light.

They dance across Vaugr's field of vision before slowly drifting upward to fill the night sky like a second firmament. He watches as they take their places among the existing stars, satisifed that the overstaid curse has ended and the trapped souls are freed. He turns back to face the road, contemplating his next destination. 2d6 + Non-human + Keen senses = 3 + 3 + 1 + 1 = 8. He fails to notice an even newer star falling towards him.

To be continued...