Creeping Darkness

[Almagesto]

Creeping Darkness
Chapter 1 - Amidst the dead


Captain Patrick “Peppor” O’Connell and Sergeant Major Kenneth Peterson Titus
3rd Reconnaissance Platoon MACV-SOG
24 miles south of Delta Hill, South Vietnam
November 17, 1964

“Goddamn it”, cried Private Stevenson as his lifted himself from the mud. “Even the ****ing ground is against us.”

Laughing, Sgt. Titus approached him and offered him a hand.

“You’re a ****ing idiot, Stevenson. No need to blame it on the ground.”
“Sorry, captain – I mean, Sarge,” he said in a somewhat awkward tone which brought a smile to Captain O’Connell’s face. “Ah, yes… were not for his drinking and fighting Ken would still be captain”, Patrick admitted to himself in silence. Well, his friend wasn’t a perfect officer, but sure as hell he was a perfect killing machine.
“Sarge,” Stevenson continued, once he regained his stance, “if we’re so far away from our CP, how are we ever going to - ” he never finished that sentence. The bullet ripped his neck in half and exposed half his jaw to the inclement jungle.

As the private’s body fell on the ground, one thousand different thoughts went through Captain O’Connell’s head: the memories of Stevenson’s arrival merely two weeks ago, the laughs shared over a cold ration of whatever the heck it was that the army packed in those tin cans, the sudden realization that he didn’t care about the boy’s death nearly as much as he thought he should, the high grass from whence the shot came from, the position of his troops – on the middle of a muddy track between dense jungle and those tall grasses – his unit’s firepower, the enemy’s possible composition and strength…

As the sounds of the firefight brought him back to reality, Peppor came out of his stupor and…

[drackodelmal]

*Tackles "Pepor" out of the line of fire


SNAP OUT OF IT PEPOR

[Peppor]

"Take Cover!!!" Peppor shouted as he leaped to the ground, reaching for a grenade Where are you, you son of a bitch!?

[drackodelmal]

*grabs rifle and aims in the general direction of the shot wating and in cover

*shhh [make no sound gesture]

[Peppor]

As Peppor regained his calm and placed the grenade back in the holster, he slowly reached for his rifle and aimed in the direction of Titus' sight. Peppor started reliving the moment Private Stevenson's exploding neck staining the jungle red again and again. Every time he cared a little less, almost as if Stevenson held no future importance.

Peppor's mind was suddenly filled with memories of old Sunday morning cartoons as the jungle went silent, dead silent. His favourite show, Josethor the Friendly Binder and Friends, was on the top of his head. I wish I could do that, I wouldn't need to hide, I could just use those superpowers and kill the bastard

Regaining his concentration, Peppor held a stronger grip on his rifle and whispered to his comrade: do you see him?

[Almagesto]

Before Titus could reply a Vietcong patrol storms out of the tall grass in the direction of the SOG. Twelve AK47-wielding soldiers are now running towards the muddy track.

John Clark, a rifleman, approaches Peppor and Ken, and says: "What the heck should we do?! That jungle is unexplored territory, but if we stay here they'll slaughter us for sure."

[Peppor]

Peppor reflects on that thought for a few seconds...
We will have to take our chances in the jungle, there is no other choice.
Starts moving towards the jungle

[drackodelmal]

*speakin in low sounds
A'ight, Get Moving

[running backwards while leaving a grenade without holster where they where, to see if he can get any of them]

Remembering the first kiss i gave her... Life flashes before your eyes

Clark stay low, don't give our position

[Almagesto]

As your platoon takes cover behind the vegetation on the edge of the jungle - Clark, Albertson, and Peppor are behind a fallen tree and Ken's prone by a shrub keeping that grenade in his crosshairs - the vietcong soldiers' bullets screech past you.

After a brief moment all enemies appear before you.

Clark screams "Fire!" as he himself squeezes his trigger. [Rifle 70% [roll0]].

[Peppor]

Let's get 'em Ken! Give those suns'o bitches a taste of lead!
Say hello to my little friend, you Vietnamese bastards!!

Upon further consideration... I should have assisted to the extraordinary rifle training sessions. I just hope this thing doesn't jam or I'm screwed

[shoots his rifle at the nearest enemy]

Rifle 25% [roll0]

[drackodelmal]

:smallmad:
stay quiet
keep firin'
Take cover
they aint gonna see you if you stay down but they will hear ya' if you talk loud.


Shoot rifle [roll0] (rifle 75% or 105% depending on the revision)

Why are these people not figthing back?

[Almagesto]

As all your platoon opens fire on the vietcong soldiers, Clark screams, "Guys, it's not a patrol, it's a whole company !"

With dread you realize that what you thought were merely twelve soldiers are actually more than 250. "What should we do?" Clark continued whilst felling one of the approaching men, who are now steadily firing at your pinned unit and about to outflank you.

[Before you reply, I need Luck rolls from both, Ken and Peppor - use other thread]

[Almagesto]

As the firefight continues, a bullet hits Cpt. O'Connell [[roll0] dmg].

Seeing the captain fall instantly triggered something in the mind of all soldiers: a mixture of fear and rage that can only be understood by those who partake in the brotherhood created by war.

Firing with his M16 in one hand - and barely aiming - Clark dashes to the captain's side to see how bad he's been hurt. Meanwhile, the rest of the soldiers continue to fire at the vietnamese troops - but casualties are already draining their newly gained morale.

[Almagesto]

@Peppor: The fact that you're on your ass, facing the vietnamese canopy, tells you something's not quite right. The echoes of battle intertwine in the background with the beating of your heart. The sight of Clark brings and end to the reverie in which you've been for the last seconds.

"Captain," screams Clark whilst kneeling besides you. "Are you a'right?"

@Ken: With the corner of your eye you see Clark hurriedly running to Peppor's side. At the same time, you see three vietcong soldiers advancing towards you, oblivious of the M61 grenade not two feet away from them.

"We have to get out of here, we're getting slaughtered!" someone says as the sounds of battle and the screams of the young americans start mixing together.

[drackodelmal]

FALLBACK, there is no way we are dying here, Clark take Pepor as far back then climb a tree, and cover me.
*[wait to see if he says something] then scream
DO IT CLARK!

*Wait for the enemy to be on top of the grande, then shoot the grande to ensure it will detonate. [roll0], vs 75

this better work or i am going to be one death mofo...:smalleek:

[Peppor]

Peppor lets out a muffled painful groan as the bullet hits him and he falls to the ground on his side. Argghhhh:smallfurious:

Alright? Well, what the hell do you think, Soldier?!.. Darn it, I'll survive. Let's just get the hell outta here before them bastards turn us into freaking sweet-and-sour noodles. That goes for you too Kenny!

grabs Clark's shoulder and gets up gimme a hand then runs as fast as possible into the denser jungle, which would offer some cover and as quickly as possible ducks, takes aim and tries to cover Sgt. Maj. Titus right after screaming Damn you Titus, don't be a hero! Fall the f#@% back!!

Rifle shoot(25%) [roll0]

[Almagesto]

The grenade explodes as Titus' bullets impact against it [+2 for plot shield]. The explosion instantly kills two of the vietnamese soldiers and severely injures the third one. The explosion, however, is quickly muffled by the hundreds of bullets that scream past next to Sgt. Maj. Ken Titus.

The MACV-SOG 3rd Reconnaissance Platoon is down to barely 30 of its original 55 members and the casualties are piling up by the second.

@Ken: If staying for another shot at the approaching horde - Roll Rifle 3x and Luck 3x. If making a run for the jungle - Roll Dodge 2x and Luck 1x.

@Peppor:"Captain, if we provide any more covering fire for him we are doomed," screams Clark as he loads a new magazine into his M16. "And I am not climbing up no tree."

[drackodelmal]

@Ken: If staying for another shot at the approaching horde - Roll Rifle 3x and Luck 3x. If making a run for the jungle - Roll Dodge 2x and Luck 1x.

*Fall back while firing
Dodge1[roll0] vs 74
Dodge2[roll1] vs 74
Luck1[roll2] vs 70
Rifle1[roll3] vs 75

this could be the last shot...

[Peppor]

Everyone MOVE! Peppor gives one last shout as he sprints deeper into the jungle, trying not to lose sight of the rest of the party, not easily ignoring his wound but caring more about keeping the rest of his body in one piece for the time being.

"We need to lose them or we're toast"

As he (and whoever is around or following) deepens his steps into the jungle, he stops momentarily and silently makes a motion with his hand signaling the team to find a hiding place and stay alert.

"Let's hope those vietcong assh$@es can't track us this deep"

Then ducks next to a tree aiming at the direction they came from

[Almagesto]

@Peppor: From your vantage position you can see Ken as he runs through the jungle. As bullets fly by him, you see him fall and quickly recover - no longer shooting back at the vietnamese - as he keeps running towards you.

The molten red bursts continue to fill the air around Ken while he approaches you. Then, just as he is about to make it to the little hill where the platoon has taken a defensive position, you see him fall again and immediately afterwards a grenade explosion lifts up the earth right where he landed. Your mind goes blank and a great feeling of despair envelops you.

A split second later, however, a grimy Ken rises from the ground and springs the last couple of meters to where you stand.

"That was insane, Sarge !" Clark screams the moment Ken is close. Then, turning towards Peppor he says, "Capt'n, we have to go deeper if we are to lose them. Also, do you want me to break radio silence with HQ?"

[Peppor]

Ken, you crazy sunova! says without being able to contain a smile.

Quickly regains his composure and shifts his attention towards Clark You're right, we should keep moving. Call-in for air support, we need to give these viet-asses something bigger to worry about for the moment. then nods to Clark, and nods to Ken let's move
Gets up and continues

[drackodelmal]

Poison ivy just won't die capitan *smirking

*nods and start moving

listen for any movement from the vietcogs

[roll0]vs. 65

[drackodelmal]

that last roll wast listen just to be sure

[Almagesto]

"The radio is dead, cap'n," said John Clark as he lifted the body of a soldier riddled by bullet holes with a fuming apparatus strapped to his back, "and so is the radio man," he added, shrugging.

"I suggest we keep moving in full silence. If we stay on the edge of the jungle for some seven and a half klicks due west from here, we'll find a river bend that we can follow north to Thôn Durong Hòa - a village Charlie destroyed when they took Delta Hill - and that's a perfect place to set up HQ for our raids into town," he said whilst signaling his map.

Delta Hill: The code name for the city of Huê, the capital of this province and a very important resource for the war effort. Unless you take care of the heavy AA emplacements around Delta Hill, allied air support will be unable to deploy in the area.
Your orders so far: Through means of unconventional warfare, hinder the enemy's ability to defend against an allied assault and/or capture the town. The training of a guerrilla resistance group to help in that effort is encouraged.

Dropbox: You all get a copy of Clark's map, with an X marking the spot where you met resistance and a trail indicating his plan. The blue area in the bottom left corner of the map indicates the nearest allied presence - it's a small base of operations in Laos.

Your targets, by priority:


Citadel - VIP Target: Ho Chi Minh [Expected to arrive at the city within 2 or 3 weeks as part of a political tour]
Tank Factory/Railroad Station
Airstrip
Power Plant
Radio Station
Weapons/Ammo Factory
Bunker
Secondary Power Plant
Docks 1 (Primary Target: Railroad Connections)
Docks 2 (Primary Target: 2x Destroyers)


AA=AA emplacements
R=Military resources and possible second bases of operation.

The grid is 5 km per square.

[drackodelmal]

we should move east and north, we might encounter a little resistance on here
*pointing at 3 squeres from the right from HQ

but there are incomunicated and far from backups, leaveing them alone, after we just keep moving till we find the f'ing big-a$$ river or sea and north to find our primary targer.

Either that or split for someone to cut the lights out in the whole area

[Peppor]

We should probably take out some key factions as stealthily as possible so they don't have time to re-inforce our other targets.
I agree with Titus, we should take out the power. However, the enemy could get suspicious. We need Ho to arrive at the citadel without being surrounded by an army and preferably getting out alive. The less noticeable we are, the better, at least until we get backup. What do you think Searge? And you Clark?

[Peppor]

In any case, I do agree with Titus, we should move north-east to find the resistance and make our next decision from there. Let us move out. Gets up from the crouching position and checks his compass then puts it back in his pocket and starts walking.

[drackodelmal]

yargh let's walk. We might need reinforcment, so if you see any pow's lets try to brake'em free

[Almagesto]

After walking in the rain for two days - slowly pacing your way through the jungle out of fear of encountering another patrol - you finally reach Thôn Duong Hòa. The small village was veritably deserted and evidence of firefight abounded in the remains of the burned down shacks.

"Well, this place sure took a beatin'," said Clark whilst exiting one of the crudely build huts that still remained standing, "I've counted at least fifteen bodies inside the temple and there's probably a mass grave somewhere around here, judging by the smell."

"Well, looks like we're sleeping amidst the dead tonight, boys," said Clark to the crowd of G.I.s that quickly started setting up camp.


[END OF CHAPTER 1]

Pepor & Titus: Post a quick list of actions undertaken during the two days following arrival to HQ. This actions may include commissioning other soldiers to perform certain tasks in the effort of retrofitting the village. Chapter 2 starts on the third day of your arrival to HQ.

Short-Term Objective: Bonus Skill Points or Sanity may be awarded for the completion of the following tasks:

Find a reliable source of food and water - the stagnant tributary connecting HQ with the Sông Tà Truch might not be the best one.
Scout the area north of HQ.
Gain a contact in Delta Hill.
Reestablish contact with Base. Note: Your radio needs spare parts, 2x[Electrical] check and 1x[Mechanical Repair] in order to work again.

Clark can be commanded to take solo actions AND/OR can effectively command a fireteam (4 soldiers) and can lead up to a squad (8-13 soldiers). Note: Clark can handle more than those soldiers, but his effectiveness as a leader can be expected to decrease as his underlings increase in number. Clark is a strong NPC that can bring a lot of skill points into play, so it's wise to use him for difficult tasks; losing him, however could have serious consequences not just to the morale of the group, but to the sanity of his friends, i.e. you. Clark has the Semper Fi Feat, which allows him to remain an ally (that is not to say he can't be a rogue patriot) no matter how low his sanity gets.

Solo actions: Solo actions are meant to reflect heroic lone wolf enterprises, e.g. infiltrate the tower opposite to the target building, set up a sniper nest to provide cover for retreating allies, then return to base avoiding capture or avoid capture by going underground and regroup as soon as possible.

MACV-SOG 3rd Recon: Out of the 30 remaining G.I.s, you think none is seriously wounded. None of these draftees is competent/sane/old enough to be trusted with carrying out solo actions, however.

HQ Map: Uploaded to dropbox. Labels have been removed to allow for retrofitting of town. Also:
Temple can be assumed to be the best standing structure left.
No ammo or provisions can be found.
Two broken down "speedboats" have been found sunken in the boat house.

Repairing each boat would require 3 successful [Mechanical Repair] checks, on 5 rolls.
Repairing both motors would require 2 successful [Electrical Repair] check on 3 rolls OR 1 successful [Mechanical Repair] AND 1 successful [Electrical Repair] in 5 rolls.
The "speedboats" can carry up to 5 people each.

Whilst it is correct to assume you won't be particularly bothered in this town, signs of activity and/or unnecessary exposure might trigger the curiosity of the Vietcong.

[drackodelmal]

Clark that's a grim hobby of yours, counting corpeses... anyway, we need to fan out in order to assure we are alone.

Search area for any kind of enemies food.
[roll0] vs. Spot hidden? 25
Build Camp.
[roll1] vs. really no idea here.
Look for higher Ground (three maybe) to look around further with binoculars or sniper's enhance zoom.
[roll2] vs Climb 40
[roll3] vs listen 65
[roll4] vs spot hidden 25

hunting for food with knife
[roll5] vs track 10
[roll6] vs martial arts? 56

[Almagesto]

Creeping Darkness
Chapter 2 - Snow in the Dark


Captain Patrick “Peppor” O’Connell, Sergeant Major Kenneth Peterson Titus, and Corporal John Clark
3rd Reconnaissance Platoon MACV-SOG
Thôn Duong Hòa HQ, South Vietnam
0319 hours, November 20, 1964

Camp was set as best as possible under the guidance of Clark and Titus. The problem that remained was supplies - whatever the G.I.s could've used, the Vietcong took.

"Sarge," said Clark to Titus in the pouring rain as darkness enclosed the camp, "I would like to set up a scout party to follow the creek up to the main river. If anything, I think we could find some locals along the banks that might be willing to aid us."
"And if they're not?" asked Peppor.
"Then we were never there... and they just disappeared," added Clark as he lit up a cigarette.

The three men continued discussing logistics for a while and soon parted ways to get a well earned rest. Little did they know, however, that the night had a surprise in store for them.


***

It was in the wee hours that Pvt. James Elliot saw the limping silhouette approach him. The nervous draftee managed to muffle his scream, raise his rifle, and take aim. But something stopped Pvt. Elliot from pulling the trigger that night. What was it? No one ever knew, but the consequences of that man's actions linger still in the humid Vietnamese jungles.

"Halt!" screamed Elliot, waking up his trench partner and a couple of the soldiers that were standing guard in the northern side of the HQ. He repeated his order. But to these hails the figure replied by falling to the muddied jungle floor.

It was Bruce Rogers, Elliot's trench mate, who first reached the downed man. "Bro, I think he's one of ours," he said, once Elliot reached his side next to the stranger.
"Medic,"screamed Elliot towards the draftees who remained in their trenches looking at the scene in awe.
"What's your name, Bro?" asked Rogers to the man he now held in his arms.
"Snow... Barristan Snow," replied the bloodied man, before passing out.


***

Once the medic stabilized the newcomer, it was up to the officers to decide upon how to proceed.

"Let me interrogate him right now, Cap'n," said Clark.
"No, he could die before revealing anything useful."
"Then what do you propose we do?" intervened Titus, "He's probably AWOL. Even if we don't kill him, a court-martial will. I say we get the most out of him while we can."
"No, we won't do that. Let's just debrief him right now, and then to Clark "No interrogation techniques, just talking."
"Understood, cap'n," replied Clark as Peppor entered the room that acted as infirmary. "But I don't see the point in being polite to a walking corpse," he continued so only Titus could hear him.
"Ditto."



"I am Captain O'Connell. These are Sergeant Titus and Corporal Clark," said Peppor once all three officers were by the wounded man's side. "Now... What's your story, Mr. Snow?"