End of Days IC

[SgtParish]

"The Last Tomorrow"

Spring took some time off that day
So did the birds and their song
And a realistic winter, for a time, held their place
And the sun dropped low as the shadows grew long

Leaves from the trees, they harkened unto me
Then withered as they fell to the ground
A witness, each one with it's story to tell
They galliantly floated, each one to their end,
softly and without a sound.

The silence, it tore through the fabric of time
Endlessly stretching out for eternity
Yet somehow, while weaving through the circuits and lines
Morbidly falling short of some thing called serenity.

Worlds, introduced with surgical grace
In an hour that "NEVER" would catch up with time
And I was presented with a glimpse of the end
And surely, on that day I knew it were mine

The earth, it shook as the fires raged higher
While the heavens reigned upon the earth
Death was appointed unto every land
As mother nature surmised her rebirth

Nightfall choked the starlight
Nor twinkling twill of the angel's scope
Off on the horizon, under silver moonlight
The desolate glimpse of a dying world's hope

The wind, it spake to the mountains
It hissed, it howled and growned
From the altars, all through the fountains
It cried and whistled and moaned

Indescribable amounts of the people
Whom the ocean did rise up to meet
Careless, they wait for the diggers
Lying about like dung in the streets

And war upon war, they kept raging
Each man, a gun in his hand
'Till the bullets that rained on the nations
Now equaled the grains of the sand

And I, with the task of recorder
With a glimpse of the last light and doom
In words, I now bring before you
What inevitably must come soon.......

---------------------------------------

What this End of Days Campaign is all about

It's about the lives of relatively ordinary people
surviving in the wake of an Earth Shattering apocalypse.

The world will be dangerous, Earth has changed since
you last set foot above ground. Humanity has fallen to
the lowest it's ever been.

It's left to a few individuals such as yourselves to keep
the flame of hope going. To inspire and remind people not
only what life was like, but what life could be like again.

I can't promise you your characters will survive in the new
world, but what I do know is that your actions will shape
a new society, so that humankind may live on, even if you
don't...

[SgtParish]

End of Days

Chapter One, Refuge



August 26th, 2028. South Colorado, USA

Thirty-Five feet above Bunker CC-7900,

A warm summer breeze blows through the trees,
rustling the leaves and creating small dust clouds,
all beneath a hazy orange sky, without a cloud in sight.
The only thing disturbing the scene is a large black
dot about a quarter the size of the moon, it sits heavy
in the sky, a countdown until apocalypse.

Had it of been a year earlier, Samuel Brown would've
been back in Denver, enjoying the late afternoon
warmth with his wife and fourteen year old twin
daughters. They would be sat on the balcony after
a fine meal, relaxing with a bottle of white wine,
just making the most of the days before Jessica
and Emma started school again. He would be
taking on new business clients for Christmas
time and Sandra his Wife would be always beside
him, his ever faithful partner and accountant.

It was not however a year earlier, and Samuel was in
fact stood at the entrance to CC-7900, deep in argument
with an angry man. He had taken the job as a ticket warden
to give his family a safe place to hide from the incoming
Asteroid, it was the only chance of safety he could afford.
But doubt was already starting to spread across his mind,
perhaps, he thought he should have sold his house and
car to raise enough money to get in a B3 A.P.B over in
New York, then at least he wouldn't have to stand
outside and get shouted at by morons.

Samuel looked back at the short angry man, still arguing with him.


"... I know I don't have a ticket, but you've got plenty of space,
I'm just asking for one bed, that's all."



"Sir, you know the laws as well as I do, no entry without a ticket,
we haven't got the supplies to feed ourselves let alone any
random people off the streets, I'm sure you could find a bed
down at the M.C.B in Boise City, it's just about half an hour
along the 287."


The short man just grunts as he turns back to his car.

"Fat chance, I have of getting in there..."

"It's better than the one you have getting in here." Samuel calls after him.

"Moron" Samuel said, quietly enough so the angry man wouldn't hear him.

The car door slams and he drives off with speed, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.

***

A few moments later after the dust kicked up by the angry man's car had settled,
Samuel thought he saw a few figures approaching from the West.

They defiantly weren't dressed like business men, no-way would they be able to afford
tickets to the bunker. Samuel's fingers reassuringly tapped his holstered revolver.

Hey, guys, I'm sorry but unless you've got a ticket, I can't allow you in...

(Floors Open to you Guys)

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finn

Finn approaches the bunker entrance. To his trained eye, it's easy to see the the guard is a bit on edge - but who isn't these days. Finn is careful not to make any sudden moves as he produces his drivers' license and his dearly bought entry ticket from the pocket of his military surplus N3B parka. It was a bit warm to be wearing the parka right now, but the bunker information pamphlet had stressed how important it was not to bring too much luggage, and he didn't want to risk the guard telling him his backpack was too full.

"Hello Sir - I'm Dr. Finn McCullough. I know we've still got a little time until H-hour, and maybe I should be relishing my last bit of fresh air for a while, but I'd rather not be out on the streets when people get desperate. Would you mind if I go ahead and get settled down inside?"

Finn surprised himself with how calm his voice was. It's not every day a man descends into a hole in the ground with a bunch of strangers for an indeterminate amount of time, with no idea what the world will be like when he emerges again. But it was just as well that he had no wife or girlfriend, and his only relatives were cousins he hadn't seen in years, back in Ireland.

[SgtParish]

Samuel eyes Finn suspiciously, looks at the ID and then back at Finn.

"You don't look much like any Doctor I've ever seen, but I suppose I don't much look like a business man these days..."

Samuel gestures to his casual clothing, a faded T-shirt and slightly ripped jeans.

Samuel then goes to scan Finn's ticket with a small electronic device resembling a hair dryer. It makes a loud beep and then flashes green.

"Your ticket checks out, Doctor. Head on inside, my wife will show you to your room."

With a loud clanking a large metallic hatch opens revealing a dark ladder down into the Earth.

As you descend into darkness...
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sy_m9iHR6pA/UK11wcMcjAI/AAAAAAAAHlc/D1wikd1KjB4/s400/thelongclimb.jpg

[lordchimp]

Ark walks forward with his backpack slung over one shoulder, his head forlornly focused on the bunker. Trying to remain optimistic about the fact he was heading into a confined area in the ground for a uncertain amount of time.

Ark shuddered.

He scratched his rough beard and hoped that his closest friend, John would be okay. He's resourceful, I'm sure he'll be fine... He thought. Even though, it still niggled at the back of his mind...

He approached the guard and reached into his worn leather jacket, taking out a small ticket to the bunker. The jacket creaked and groaned with the movement.

Hey, Ark Saul checkin' in. He looked around the entrance again. How long have you been standin' there?

[SgtParish]

Ark walks forward with his backpack slung over one shoulder, his head forlornly focused on the bunker. Trying to remain optimistic about the fact he was heading into a confined area in the ground for a uncertain amount of time.

Ark shuddered.

He scratched his rough beard and hoped that his closest friend, John would be okay. He's resourceful, I'm sure he'll be fine... He thought. Even though, it still niggled at the back of his mind...

He approached the guard and reached into his worn leather jacket, taking out a small ticket to the bunker. The jacket creaked and groaned with the movement.

Hey, Ark Saul checkin' in. He looked around the entrance again. How long have you been standin' there?

Samuel nodds as the scanner beeps and flashes green,

"I'm out here during daylight hours, just in case anyone turns up, we've got video feeds so we can see who's up here, but to be honest... We're going to be in that hole for a while, I'd like to get as much fresh air as I can, while I can."

Samuel takes a deep breath, and sighs.

"If you want to follow the Doctor down the ladder, not many people have arrived yet, so at least you get a choice of beds."

Samuel chuckles at his own joke even if Ark doesn't.

[Mordaenor]

Maxwell didn't wear his helmet on the two hour drive to the bunker today. Who knew when he'd feel the wind again on his face, instead of stale, recycled air. He'd almost not gone. The idea of crawling into a hidey-hole sickened him, felt cowardly. Maxwell was a fighter. But the alternative was worse. Maxwell didn't fear dying, but he hated the idea of laying down and letting some big piece of rock take him down.

He thought back to the fight. The big one. Winner take all. And "all" in this case meant a highly coveted ticket to this underground bunker. Maxwell had almost turned the fight down when his manager called. Almost thrown the fight. But Maxwell had never backed down from a fight in his life, and had never thrown a fight.

So he'd fought, and he'd won. And here he was, parking is bike in a large field. He got in line, and forced a smile when he reached the ticket warden. "Maxwell Stark." he says by way of greeting.

[BWS2K]

"And that concludes our final broadcast. Stay safe, true believers, and I'll catchya on the Other Side!"

Marcus published the video log on his site, shut down his computer, and pushed himself back from the desk. He could see his own reflection in the unpowered monitor, still new to him and not altogether symmetrical - but not really ugly either. There'd been reports of this sort of thing happening recently of course, and he hadn't heard any horror stories yet about people waking up as Jello-O or anything like that, but it's just one of those things he never expected to happen to him.

It rocked.

During the night - and well into the afternoon - he dreamt of change. The asteroid, Ender, appeared overhead as a giant egg in the sky and when it landed he felt the shockwave of the blast move through his body on a genetic level. The landscape around him lay charred or burned, twisted metal girders lay exposed from concrete husks of gutted buildings, jutting out like harsh flora in some desert wasteland. Vast dark clouds blotted out the sun, the only light coming from countless automobiles in varying stages of combustion throughout the streets of Boston, his hometown. Approaching in the distance was a tsunami that dwarfed the skyline of the city - and probably any city on Earth. Marcus found he couldn't run, or even turn away, but neither was he afraid. While he knew he should be terrified, he couldn't resist an overwhelming calm - an acceptance of things that must be.

The wall of water touched the sky and washed over Marcus, through him, and the sight transitioned to something more organic - instead of pavement and concrete and flames, he saw a landscape of trees and lush undergrowth. He was standing in some sort of marsh where the shapes could vaguely be identified as having once been man-made structures, some were even still visible beneath the thick plant cover, but had long ago been taken back by Mother Nature. It felt right. It felt like home.

Marcus woke up at 1pm that afternoon after having slept for a solid fifteen hours. It took a further fifteen minutes for him to open his eyes as he went through the process of deliberately recalling his dream to record it in his journal later. He dreamt often but never before as vividly as this. He slowly became aware of a prickling sensation in his skin like he was sleeping on a matress filled with gravel and number two pencils. Marcus sat up to investigate and quickly spotted the source of the discomfort - his body was covered in green scales and spine-like growths. There are very few things about Marcus Okin that one would consider "normal" but in this instance he acted like any other rational human would: he completely freaked out for about half an hour.

When he finally calmed down, Marcus began to consider the long-term implications of what being a lizard man could mean. Most of humanity would be meeting their certain death in a few days - what did it matter what he looked like? Realistically, he could emerge from his bunker and never meet another living human being. That's when his attitude really started to change. He recorded his dream while it was still fresh in his mind, which was only marginally difficult with the spines on his arm being sharp but relatively pliable. He then began filming the last video log for his website, sharing his dream and transformation and encouraging any who might have similar experiences in the future. He left on an upbeat note, knowing that there was still a large portion of his followers that couldn't afford a spot in a survival bunker. If it hadn't been for them, he wouldn't have a ticket either - it was because of their participation in his commissions work that he had a flight that evening for Colorado. Survival wasn't guaranteed for anyone but some locations sure seemed to have better odds.

He stood up from his chair and moved to the dresser, choosing his wardrobe carefully: some jeans, white socks and tee, and dark grey long-sleeved jersey. Marcus slipped his scaly feet into some vintage red Converse and reflected that while the spines covering much of his body - larger around the joints, he noted - were sharp they did seem to bend in, not unlike some fish. Getting dressed wasn't as difficult as he would have thought and the clothes survived the process pretty well. He wore his clothes loose anyway and the additional bagginess now actually came in handy. He then pulled on a very special item indeed - a Superman hoodie once worn by Christopher Reeves' grandson during production of Superman Reborn, the smash hit of 2020 using the latest in three-dimensional viewing technologies. The hoodie itself is present for a full ten frames in the film as the camera pans up across a crowded street. If Marcus could've brought only one article of clothing into the post-apocalypse, this was it. His rugged black backpack was already pretty much packed and ready to go, his lucky sleeping bag tied to its bottom securely with his baseball bat tucked inbetween. He opened the bag anyway and threw in a couple last minute items anyway: his hacky sack, his Kindle Reader 5.0 - with just about every known comic, graphic novel, and science fiction work - his Rubik's Cube, and a few packages of M&M candies. One last check on his comic collection, which he had tried to secure in airtight tubs as much as possible, just in case, and a wave to his pet neo-iguana Arnold, and Marcus turned from his little twentieth-story city apartment for what he hoped wouldn't be the last time.

"Sorry I can't take you with me, but I'm sure you'll find plenty of cockroaches to munch on buddy. They're more likely to make it than either of us!"

The cab to the airport was fairly uneventful, as was the flight in general. There were stares for sure, Marcus' yellow eyes and reptilian look still apparent on his hands and face, but most folks were just worried about how to spend their last hours on Earth. He took another cab to Bunker CC-7900 and tipped the driver generously. As he strode across to meet the security officer, Marcus began to wonder at what the next few days would bring and just how accurate his dream may have been. He pocketed his package of M&M's for the moment.

"Greetings, Ferryman, here be my coin!" he says, cheerfully presenting his ticket. He adjust the straps on his pack a final time while the ticket is checked, preparing for his descent into the bunker - and an uncertain future.

Marcus' sheet has been updated with guesstimates on weight for those last minute items and the mutations added. I hope that all jives with you, GM, because I only spend two and a half hours on my weekend posts. They'll be shorter for a while I think. Maybe. I promise nothing!

[rorikdude12]

Jake walked down the road. This wasn't a good time for Jake. Already most had moved into the bunkers. Jake himself wasn't one to go with the trends, though. While most smoked cigarettes in the trenches moors, he took pills to keep the munchies away. While the others watched movies on break, he played chess on the internet. Jake knew he would die when Ender hit if he wasn't in a bunker, though. Dying was another trend Jake didn't want to follow.

Jake inhaled the fresh air in deep breaths through his nostrils. He jogged along the road, noting the lack of automobiles as he neared the bunker. Most had probably left for their last drink or something. If I couldn't get a ticket, I'd fight my way in, Jake thought to himself. He punched himself in the gut and flt his armor. Good thing he still wore his vest. When everything goes Mad Max, I'll be the one laughing. The moors taught me that. United States ArmyMoor-Dwellers.

Jake walked up to the man handling the tickets and produced his dog tag and his US Government-issued ticket.

"Hello sir. Is this sufficient? In addition, do you possess the training and license to carry a firearm?"

[SgtParish]

Maxwell didn't wear his helmet on the two hour drive to the bunker today. Who knew when he'd feel the wind again on his face, instead of stale, recycled air. He'd almost not gone. The idea of crawling into a hidey-hole sickened him, felt cowardly. Maxwell was a fighter. But the alternative was worse. Maxwell didn't fear dying, but he hated the idea of laying down and letting some big piece of rock take him down.

He thought back to the fight. The big one. Winner take all. And "all" in this case meant a highly coveted ticket to this underground bunker. Maxwell had almost turned the fight down when his manager called. Almost thrown the fight. But Maxwell had never backed down from a fight in his life, and had never thrown a fight.

So he'd fought, and he'd won. And here he was, parking is bike in a large field. He got in line, and forced a smile when he reached the ticket warden. "Maxwell Stark." he says by way of greeting.

Samuel looked at the hardened face of the boxing champion like he recognized it, and something about the name sounded familiar too. Sam almost felt like he should ask but he wasn't much of a boxing fanatic after all, that was more Emma's field, boy that girl could throw a punch...

Samuel shakes his head, Sorry... Uh, Yes your ticket.

The electronic beep and green flash confirmed Maxwell's entrance into darkness.

He gestures for Maxwell to move along, Next?

[SgtParish]

"And that concludes our final broadcast. Stay safe, true believers, and I'll catchya on the Other Side!"

Marcus published the video log on his site, shut down his computer, and pushed himself back from the desk. He could see his own reflection in the unpowered monitor, still new to him and not altogether symmetrical - but not really ugly either. There'd been reports of this sort of thing happening recently of course, and he hadn't heard any horror stories yet about people waking up as Jello-O or anything like that, but it's just one of those things he never expected to happen to him.

It rocked.

During the night - and well into the afternoon - he dreamt of change. The asteroid, Ender, appeared overhead as a giant egg in the sky and when it landed he felt the shockwave of the blast move through his body on a genetic level. The landscape around him lay charred or burned, twisted metal girders lay exposed from concrete husks of gutted buildings, jutting out like harsh flora in some desert wasteland. Vast dark clouds blotted out the sun, the only light coming from countless automobiles in varying stages of combustion throughout the streets of Boston, his hometown. Approaching in the distance was a tsunami that dwarfed the skyline of the city - and probably any city on Earth. Marcus found he couldn't run, or even turn away, but neither was he afraid. While he knew he should be terrified, he couldn't resist an overwhelming calm - an acceptance of things that must be.

The wall of water touched the sky and washed over Marcus, through him, and the sight transitioned to something more organic - instead of pavement and concrete and flames, he saw a landscape of trees and lush undergrowth. He was standing in some sort of marsh where the shapes could vaguely be identified as having once been man-made structures, some were even still visible beneath the thick plant cover, but had long ago been taken back by Mother Nature. It felt right. It felt like home.

Marcus woke up at 1pm that afternoon after having slept for a solid fifteen hours. It took a further fifteen minutes for him to open his eyes as he went through the process of deliberately recalling his dream to record it in his journal later. He dreamt often but never before as vividly as this. He slowly became aware of a prickling sensation in his skin like he was sleeping on a matress filled with gravel and number two pencils. Marcus sat up to investigate and quickly spotted the source of the discomfort - his body was covered in green scales and spine-like growths. There are very few things about Marcus Okin that one would consider "normal" but in this instance he acted like any other rational human would: he completely freaked out for about half an hour.

When he finally calmed down, Marcus began to consider the long-term implications of what being a lizard man could mean. Most of humanity would be meeting their certain death in a few days - what did it matter what he looked like? Realistically, he could emerge from his bunker and never meet another living human being. That's when his attitude really started to change. He recorded his dream while it was still fresh in his mind, which was only marginally difficult with the spines on his arm being sharp but relatively pliable. He then began filming the last video log for his website, sharing his dream and transformation and encouraging any who might have similar experiences in the future. He left on an upbeat note, knowing that there was still a large portion of his followers that couldn't afford a spot in a survival bunker. If it hadn't been for them, he wouldn't have a ticket either - it was because of their participation in his commissions work that he had a flight that evening for Colorado. Survival wasn't guaranteed for anyone but some locations sure seemed to have better odds.

He stood up from his chair and moved to the dresser, choosing his wardrobe carefully: some jeans, white socks and tee, and dark grey long-sleeved jersey. Marcus slipped his scaly feet into some vintage red Converse and reflected that while the spines covering much of his body - larger around the joints, he noted - were sharp they did seem to bend in, not unlike some fish. Getting dressed wasn't as difficult as he would have thought and the clothes survived the process pretty well. He wore his clothes loose anyway and the additional bagginess now actually came in handy. He then pulled on a very special item indeed - a Superman hoodie once worn by Christopher Reeves' grandson during production of Superman Reborn, the smash hit of 2020 using the latest in three-dimensional viewing technologies. The hoodie itself is present for a full ten frames in the film as the camera pans up across a crowded street. If Marcus could've brought only one article of clothing into the post-apocalypse, this was it. His rugged black backpack was already pretty much packed and ready to go, his lucky sleeping bag tied to its bottom securely with his baseball bat tucked inbetween. He opened the bag anyway and threw in a couple last minute items anyway: his hacky sack, his Kindle Reader 5.0 - with just about every known comic, graphic novel, and science fiction work - his Rubik's Cube, and a few packages of M&M candies. One last check on his comic collection, which he had tried to secure in airtight tubs as much as possible, just in case, and a wave to his pet neo-iguana Arnold, and Marcus turned from his little twentieth-story city apartment for what he hoped wouldn't be the last time.

"Sorry I can't take you with me, but I'm sure you'll find plenty of cockroaches to munch on buddy. They're more likely to make it than either of us!"

The cab to the airport was fairly uneventful, as was the flight in general. There were stares for sure, Marcus' yellow eyes and reptilian look still apparent on his hands and face, but most folks were just worried about how to spend their last hours on Earth. He took another cab to Bunker CC-7900 and tipped the driver generously. As he strode across to meet the security officer, Marcus began to wonder at what the next few days would bring and just how accurate his dream may have been. He pocketed his package of M&M's for the moment.

"Greetings, Ferryman, here be my coin!" he says, cheerfully presenting his ticket. He adjust the straps on his pack a final time while the ticket is checked, preparing for his descent into the bunker - and an uncertain future.

Marcus' sheet has been updated with guesstimates on weight for those last minute items and the mutations added. I hope that all jives with you, GM, because I only spend two and a half hours on my weekend posts. They'll be shorter for a while I think. Maybe. I promise nothing!

Sam was surprised for two reasons, firstly never had he seen someone so cheerful to go and live underground for four months, sure it was surviving but, four months? That was really going to drag.

Secondly and probably more shockingly, this resident appeared to be a human lizard, Sams mouth just opened and closed without any sound leaving his body. As he raised his scanner his eyes never left Marcus's he acted like he was almost hypnotized by the yellow eyes beneath the hood.

[BEEP] And a green flash

Sam swallowed, tried to think of something to say, his mind drew a blank.

L-llizard?

Was the only sound he managed to make, Seeing Marcus's eyes narrow at the mention of the word, he immediately dropped his gaze to the floor as if suddenly interested by the swarm of ants marching in a line.

He didn't look up again until Marcus had moved on.

He let out a sigh of relief, Marcus reminded him of something out of a comic book.

All he could think was whether that was real or had being out in the Sun all day made him start hallucinating?

[SgtParish]

Jake walked down the road. This wasn't a good time for Jake. Already most had moved into the bunkers. Jake himself wasn't one to go with the trends, though. While most smoked cigarettes in the trenches moors, he took pills to keep the munchies away. While the others watched movies on break, he played chess on the internet. Jake knew he would die when Ender hit if he wasn't in a bunker, though. Dying was another trend Jake didn't want to follow.

Jake inhaled the fresh air in deep breaths through his nostrils. He jogged along the road, noting the lack of automobiles as he neared the bunker. Most had probably left for their last drink or something. If I couldn't get a ticket, I'd fight my way in, Jake thought to himself. He punched himself in the gut and flt his armor. Good thing he still wore his vest. When everything goes Mad Max, I'll be the one laughing. The moors taught me that. United States ArmyMoor-Dwellers.

Jake walked up to the man handling the tickets and produced his dog tag and his US Government-issued ticket.

"Hello sir. Is this sufficient? In addition, do you possess the training and license to carry a firearm?"

Still recovering from his encounter with Curt Connors, only to be then questioned if he should carry a fire arm.

Sam quickly recognized the U.S Army insignia printed on the ticket, he didn't bother scanning this one, to do so he thought would be an insult to a man of service.

"My revolver? I have a licence right here," Sam retrieves his licence from his wallet, could he go to prison for not showing one? Sam didn't know the answer to that, nor did he want to find out."

"I'm really happy that your here sir, I've been having a few problems with the locals threatening to come here and shoot me if I don't let them in, I don't suppose your any good with fire arms, are you? A bet it's a soldier with a keen shot like you, is what won the war for us in Iran."

(Jake feel free to enter the bunker when your ready)

[BWS2K]

So that's what it's going to be like, thought Marcus after hearing the man's one-word reaction. Death, taxes, and prejudice I suppose.

"It's pronounced Marcus Okin actually..." he replied with a toothy smile.

He let the man have his space - goodness knows they'll have time to get better acquainted soon enough. Marcus took in a long final look at the sun, the sky, the land all around them. He had the forethought to pack a number of new sketchbooks, and to save some of the old ones too, along with a good selection of sturdy pens and markers. Now wasn't the time for drawing though, and he closed his eyes, drew one last deep breath of fresh air, and proceeded down the ladder.
Curt Connors?! Yes! lol

[shizukanashi]

Michael Kerr took one last look at his cupboards. They were stocked, beans fruit, vegitables, tuna. Since the invention of canning man had found no end of things that could be put in in a can, and Michael had it all. For months he had been stock piling canned goods and spare batteries, extra medical supplies. More than enough for a year or two, maybe even 3 if he rationed. Everything one would need in a post apocolyptic world. He hardly recognized the 3rd floor apartment. If it was still here after the asteriod he would be set. If...

He pushed her from his mind and added the few finishing touches to his pack. It was filled with the same kind of things, flashlights, a few canned goods and trail rations, some thermo blankets and medical supplies, extra batteries, a hatchet; a portable version of the warehouse that used to be his apartment. an M9 pistol was buried at the very bottom, just in case they gave him any trouble at the bunker. It was legally owned and licensed, but he was not sure if such instruments would be allowed beyond the hatch. There was no telling what kind of world the asteriod would unless, but he wanted it near when it did.

He could feel her eyes on him from behind the glass. Ignoring her was growing harder and harder. Finally he picked up the picture frame. His pack was still open, there was room. "not for this" he thought. He placed the picture back down on the end table this time with the glass against the grain, and sinched up his pack. If he was going to survive he must be mindful of the present. Dwelling on the past would do him no good. He shut and locked the door and bound down the stairs to his pick-up.

When he got to the street level there was Pete digging in the garbage. This was where he usually found him. The toothless old man was wearing his old football jersey and a pair of sneakers Mike had given him months ago. Must not dwell on the past he thought, what did it matter anyway? The chance it would all be here when he got back was slim to none. Even if it was, 4 months is a long time, somebody would break in a ransack the place anyway. He had a golden ticket. A litteral golden ticket. Well it was blue and black, but it was worth gold. He didn't earn it, he barely wanted the damn thing. Tomorrow was not just a new day it was a new world. These people outside had nothing, nothing but death.

He waited for a cab he could flag down to come near then he turned to the man.

Hey Pete! Apt 34. Good luck." and he tossed the old man his keys. Pete knew which truck was his...could he drive a stick? Mike wondered as he got in the cab with a dumb grin on his face.

The drive out to the country was shorter than he thought it would be. He paid the cabbie with the last $60 in his wallet, and made his way to the line of people heading to the bunker. The ticket taker was dressed in the same ripped jeans and faded t-shirt Mike was wearing. A gun on his hip and a look of concern on his face.

Christ, Mike thought, he looks like a regular guy. He probably took this job just to get in there. Hell a week ago, he could have been me. He handed the man his ticket...

[SgtParish]

Michael Kerr took one last look at his cupboards. They were stocked, beans fruit, vegitables, tuna. Since the invention of canning man had found no end of things that could be put in in a can, and Michael had it all. For months he had been stock piling canned goods and spare batteries, extra medical supplies. More than enough for a year or two, maybe even 3 if he rationed. Everything one would need in a post apocolyptic world. He hardly recognized the 3rd floor apartment. If it was still here after the asteriod he would be set. If...

He pushed her from his mind and added the few finishing touches to his pack. It was filled with the same kind of things, flashlights, a few canned goods and trail rations, some thermo blankets and medical supplies, extra batteries, a hatchet; a portable version of the warehouse that used to be his apartment. an M9 pistol was buried at the very bottom, just in case they gave him any trouble at the bunker. It was legally owned and licensed, but he was not sure if such instruments would be allowed beyond the hatch. There was no telling what kind of world the asteriod would unless, but he wanted it near when it did.

He could feel her eyes on him from behind the glass. Ignoring her was growing harder and harder. Finally he picked up the picture frame. His pack was still open, there was room. "not for this" he thought. He placed the picture back down on the end table this time with the glass against the grain, and sinched up his pack. If he was going to survive he must be mindful of the present. Dwelling on the past would do him no good. He shut and locked the door and bound down the stairs to his pick-up.

When he got to the street level there was Pete digging in the garbage. This was where he usually found him. The toothless old man was wearing his old football jersey and a pair of sneakers Mike had given him months ago. Must not dwell on the past he thought, what did it matter anyway? The chance it would all be here when he got back was slim to none. Even if it was, 4 months is a long time, somebody would break in a ransack the place anyway. He had a golden ticket. A litteral golden ticket. Well it was blue and black, but it was worth gold. He didn't earn it, he barely wanted the damn thing. Tomorrow was not just a new day it was a new world. These people outside had nothing, nothing but death.

He waited for a cab he could flag down to come near then he turned to the man.

Hey Pete! Apt 34. Good luck." and he tossed the old man his keys. Pete knew which truck was his...could he drive a stick? Mike wondered as he got in the cab with a dumb grin on his face.

The drive out to the country was shorter than he thought it would be. He paid the cabbie with the last $60 in his wallet, and made his way to the line of people heading to the bunker. The ticket taker was dressed in the same ripped jeans and faded t-shirt Mike was wearing. A gun on his hip and a look of concern on his face.

Christ, Mike thought, he looks like a regular guy. He probably took this job just to get in there. Hell a week ago, he could have been me. He handed the man his ticket...

Sam seeing Mike wearing the same clothes as him gave him some relief, he smiled but said nothing about their shared appearance. He decided if he was going to fit in, he'd have to start acting more manly, and be less fussy about clothes.

There you go, As the scanner flashed green, and Sam handed the ticket back.

Everyone else has headed in already, I'm going to wait till nightfall then come down too. You wouldn't believe how dangerous it is round here...

[shizukanashi]

"Don't be a hero, people are bound to get antsy the closer that thing gets." He adjusted his pack, thinking of the taser and the handgun at the bottom.

"Let me get settled in and I might be back up for one last look around." Mike took one now, just incase. Then headed down the ladder.

[Hamste]

Olov smiled as he heard about how dangerous it was out here. That was how he would get in. Pretending to be an inspector and personally risking himself should put him at ease. Hello friend, I am Andrew Smith. I am the bunker inspector to make sure that all the proper procedures are being followed. Of course you should have been informed about my coming and that you are my last stop and will be housing me. I will do a quick check over of the bunker and then help you guard the bunker from those despicable bottom feeders trying to sneak into the bunker. Olov said smiling as he flashed his fake ID that stated that he was an ex-military man in the employ of the government. Of course it was all hocus but he hoped that he wouldn't check too far into it.

Bluff roll [roll0] hopefully I will get a bonus for the fake ID prop

[rorikdude12]

"I'm.... a good shot. I must be going."

Jake descends into the vault.

[Mordaenor]

Maxwell smiles and nods again, then with a deep breath, climbs down the ladder into the earth. He glances over at his bike, wondering if it will still be hear when he emerged. If he ever emerged. He smirks at the slight irony of escaping certain death by retreating into a giant coffin. Because that was certainly what it felt like this was. An enormous, government subsidized, mass coffin. He considered the few items he'd stored in his backpack. "I guess you CAN take it with you, at least as far as purgatory."

[SgtParish]

Olov smiled as he heard about how dangerous it was out here. That was how he would get in. Pretending to be an inspector and personally risking himself should put him at ease. Hello friend, I am Andrew Smith. I am the bunker inspector to make sure that all the proper procedures are being followed. Of course you should have been informed about my coming and that you are my last stop and will be housing me. I will do a quick check over of the bunker and then help you guard the bunker from those despicable bottom feeders trying to sneak into the bunker. Olov said smiling as he flashed his fake ID that stated that he was an ex-military man in the employ of the government. Of course it was all hocus but he hoped that he wouldn't check too far into it.

Bluff roll [roll0] hopefully I will get a bonus for the fake ID prop

(Sense Motive DC 18)
[roll0]

Samuel, is shocked by the presence of a bunker Inspector, though he thought IF the U.S government was going to spend thousands on designing and setting up these modules it made sense to Sam that a bunker Inspector would be sent round. Sam was also relieved that he had been careful not to let any non-residents in, his placement would've been on the line.

Of course Sir, right way. If your okay finding your way in, I'll stay out here on watch.

Noticing the Sun was beginning to set, Sam withdraws his revolver, checking to reassure himself it's loaded.

[Hamste]

Olov went downstairs and made it look like he was inspecting the bunker. Once done he headed back upstairs to help guard to keep off the desperate people like he promised. He had to remember that he had used the name Andrew Smith while in he was living in this bunker.

[roll0] for spot check while I was looking around down there (I'm not sure if I get a negative for doing it some what quickly or not).

[SgtParish]

As you descend ladder leading down into the dark shaft, a feeling of great unease washes over you, the air is far colder down here, and the strong odor of industrial oil fills your nostrils as you continue your descent into into the bunker. You are reminded of all the things you'll leave behind on the surface. Family, Friends, Your possessions that were too large or too impractical to bring with you, even where you'd lived. Everything surrendered to the Asteroid for a chance of survival, it hurt to think about the people you'd be leaving behind, knowing far too well that they weren't lucky like you were, that they would be stuck on the surface, to meet the Asteroid head on.

As you reach the bottom of the ladder, you look up for one last glimpse of daylight, perhaps the last you'll ever see. Before entering the unknown of the the bunker. The door parts sideways, revealing a set of black stairs.

The staircase down leads you into the "Mess Hall", a living room cross dining room area, in which is a scattering of padded furniture similar to those found in airports. Running along the centre of the room is a long metallic table with fixed seating, the lack of style and colour reminds you of school cafeteria's from days long gone. Just plain grey metallic panels hiding the wires and cables that will be keeping you alive these next few months.

In the room you notice, several people who have already arrived.

Two teenage girls sit in the room, it is evident that they are twins despite their dyed hair. One girl with bright white sits with her shoes resting on the coffee table, she appears to be reading a comic book, while the other twin with jet black hair sits a few feet away from her wrapping bandages around her knuckles, neither look up as you enter the room.

In the far corner a group of three American women are deep in conversation over a bowl of soup, they talk fast and their clothes give the impression that they're wealthy. They glance over to you, before returning to their conversation.

A man sits relaxed in a chair, calmly watching you, while reading from "Jericho Technician's Handbook". A oil stained jacket is slung across the back of his chair, with screwdrivers and pliers protruding from a side pocket.

The last person in the room you see is a middle aged woman, with brown hair and casual dress, at first she doesn't notice you, since she enters the room from another corridor, Shouting.

"Jessica!, Jessica! Get your shoes off of the table!"

The girl with White hair casually kicks her shoes off, sending them wildly across the room.

Her sister looks up, smirks and then returns to her wrappings.

"For God's sake time and time again I ask you... Oh hello,"

The woman is surprised by your entrance, she brushes down her dress as if it were dirty.

I didn't realize the new residents had arrived, sorry. I'm Sandra, Sam's wife. *Ahem* Er... If you want to choose which dorm you want; two, three, five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten are available.

She points to the sign above each of the doors in the mess hall, numbered 1 to 10 with the 11th being labelled as "Technicians Quarters", and being the only room with a lock on the door.

From behind, you hear footsteps clanking on the ladder, Sam enters the room with another man and judging from his dress he appears to look like a University Professor.

"Aha!" Sam exclaims, "Nice to see you've met the wife" He smiles and kisses Sandra.

He continues;

"Those two girls there are my daughters, Jessica and Emma. We had to dye their hair just to tell them apart." Sam and Sandra chuckle at the joke, while his daughters ignore them.

"Those three women in the corner are the Washington Sisters, Hello Ladies!" Sam smiles waving his hand. They look up and smile back, before returning to they're conversation again.

"And this very fine gentleman here, is our very own private technician, but I'll let him introduce himself..."

(Go Awesomeusername!)

[Awesomeusername]

Randal gets up from his chair, brushes his hands off and walks to the newcomers, “Why thank you, Sam”, he turns to the group, “Hello, I am Randal Branscom, the technician here.” He then goes around shaking hands with whomever offers their hand to him. As you look at him, Randal appears to look not very special; curly brown hair, green eyes, wearing a T-shirt underneath his mechanic's smock. His only really distinguishing features are his overly dilated pupils and his callused hands.

[BWS2K]

Marcus takes in the sights and faces with casual interest, noting at least one kindred spirit among the group - the girl reading a comic. He chuckles to himself at her response to her mother's request. Not even the apocalypse could stop a teenager's attitude. He nods and smiles in response to the introductions as they are made, wondering what people see now when they look at him. He returns handshakes with a firm grip, revealing scaly green hands to match his face.

Didn't expect to spend the next four months with a freak, didjya? he muses, surprised at how easy it was for him to cope with his sudden transformation.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Branscom," Marcus replies with respect, "I can't speak for the others, but don't hesitate to ask if you need any help running this little lifeboat."

He meanders over to the side of the room and collects the stray sneakers, setting them beside the table on the floor. "Ladies," he says warmly to them both, "A pleasure to meet you as well. Glad to see I'm not the only one who thought to save humanity's more important literary works." He winks at Jessica as he says this, not sure if he'll be recognized but glad to see that at least some of his fans will survive Ender.
I never like to paint my characters too specifically before they have a chance to be played - I never know what sort of personality they're going to have exactly. Marcus is somewhat optimistic and making the best of the situation, cheerful and polite. Charming would be one word to describe him, but not in a creepy way (well, aside from his appearance I guess) - it's a genuine, perhaps naive, sincerity. If you want some sort of roll for that I can provide one in the OOC or you can roll on your own. I don't think everyone should be wicked stressed out about things - even Sam told a joke. And expect a lot of made-up inside jokes about Millenial Man between these two, if Jessica doesn't hate Marcus' guts.

[Mordaenor]

Maxwell, determined not to let his less than sunny outlook make a bad first impression, steps forward and smiles. "Maxwell Stark, pleasure to meet all of you." He pauses a fraction of a moment, just long enough to register if anyone, reacted to the name. While it still felt like an "underground" sport to him, the truth was boxing had grown in popularity in recent years, and if you followed boxing you probably new the name "Turbo Max."

He turns back to Sam. "We expecting more, or is this the whole crew? Oh, and I call dibs on which ever room is closest to the mess hall." He grins.

Maxwell is on the taller side of average height, with a powerful, muscular build that comes with being a professional athlete. His red hair is cut quite short. He wears dark brown jeans and a sweatshirt that bears the name of his local gym.

He raises one eyebrow when Marcus shakes his hand, but says nothing. He'd met enough MU-junkies at the gym, trying to push their limits through use of mutagenic enhancements. They'd become the new steroids, but they weren't illegal, and there wasn't much will to try imposing regulations once Ender became public knowledge. He'd even faced a few in the ring, and bested some of them. So much for a competive edge. Not him though, body is a temple and all that.

[SgtParish]

Marcus takes in the sights and faces with casual interest, noting at least one kindred spirit among the group - the girl reading a comic. He chuckles to himself at her response to her mother's request. Not even the apocalypse could stop a teenager's attitude. He nods and smiles in response to the introductions as they are made, wondering what people see now when they look at him. He returns handshakes with a firm grip, revealing scaly green hands to match his face.

Didn't expect to spend the next four months with a freak, didjya? he muses, surprised at how easy it was for him to cope with his sudden transformation.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Branscom," Marcus replies with respect, "I can't speak for the others, but don't hesitate to ask if you need any help running this little lifeboat."

He meanders over to the side of the room and collects the stray sneakers, setting them beside the table on the floor. "Ladies," he says warmly to them both, "A pleasure to meet you as well. Glad to see I'm not the only one who thought to save humanity's more important literary works." He winks at Jessica as he says this, not sure if he'll be recognized but glad to see that at least some of his fans will survive Ender.
I never like to paint my characters too specifically before they have a chance to be played - I never know what sort of personality they're going to have exactly. Marcus is somewhat optimistic and making the best of the situation, cheerful and polite. Charming would be one word to describe him, but not in a creepy way (well, aside from his appearance I guess) - it's a genuine, perhaps naive, sincerity. If you want some sort of roll for that I can provide one in the OOC or you can roll on your own. I don't think everyone should be wicked stressed out about things - even Sam told a joke. And expect a lot of made-up inside jokes about Millenial Man between these two, if Jessica doesn't hate Marcus' guts.

Initially uneasy about a stranger staring at her, from the other side of the room. She mellows as she notices you were just being friendly, her body language suggests she doesn't even notice that your lacking certain human elements. She looks up at you, with a quizzical expression.

"You read comics?" Her question is quietly spoken, but direct.

"Don't suppose you've ever read this one?" She holds up the cover of the Signed Copy of "Millennial Man". You recognise your scrawled signature at the base of the comic.

"It's pretty old... But I love the art style, it's got that retro-ey feel to it, you know?" She smiles up at you. Her eyes shining.

Brief Silence

From across the room Emma look's up, annoyed. "Jay! Our room, now."

Emma storms off into room "One". Jessica keeps pace behind her, they close the door behind them.

"Well, that was weird, teenagers huh?" Sam comments.

[shizukanashi]

"So you are the man keeping us alive in here, huh?" He gave the technician a strong handshake. "Pleasure to meet you Randal, Michael Kerr."

He scanned the faces of the room. The all seemed like well enough people. Still, living underground was an adjustment, and Mike suddenly felt the need to come to terms with that. There would be plenty of time for introductions later. Asuming all the rooms had a few bunks if a whole family was living in room 1, he picked the room that he felt would be most avoided. "I'm in six."

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finn put his backpack and parka in Room #2 and locks the door if able. He eyeballs the fellow with scaly skin and considers a few diagnoses. He scans the room and notices the rippling muscles on Maxwell's rib cage, frowns for a moment in thought, then decides it's time to make his first friend. It's a bit of an awkward social situation. Kind of like speed dating.

"Hello neighbor, I'm Finn McCullough. This is a bit of a glum party, but I suppose we should get to know each other!"

[lordchimp]

Ark looks around and gives grunts of greeting to the inhabitants of the bunker. Trying his best to be friendly. He shakes Randals' hand firmly giving him a small smile.

I've been working most of my life with engines and parts, nice to see another man here with the same skills.

He takes another look around at the inhabitants, and sighs. A wave of sudden sadness washed over him. He wasn't up to connecting with this many people this soon. After everything that had happened with his dad, and John... He couldn't keep his mind off of things long enough to keep a conversation going with the people here.

Not yet at least.

He wanders over to a free room, away from the people, and closes the door. The room was small, but enough. He slumps onto the bed and slowly withdraws a photo out of his jacket pocket.

A small, terrible quality photo of two young boys is shown with a shambled race cart, most of it made from an old golf buggy. The two young boys are smiling with big grins and holding either side of thier creation happily. One boy with dark hair, the other with blonde. They are both wearing white polo shirts with the words "COLORADO NO.1" clumsily embroidered onto it.

Ark looks on sadly at the photo and then holds his head in his hands.

[Awesomeusername]

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Branscom," Marcus replies with respect, "I can't speak for the others, but don't hesitate to ask if you need any help running this little lifeboat."

In reply, Randal says "Thank you for the offer, but everything seems to be running smoothly at the moment. I'll be sure to ask if the time ever comes around, which it hopefully doesn't.", before Marcus leaves to talk to the twins.

Seeing most of the newcomers dispersing to claim their rooms, Randal decides to go back to his chair to look over some more chapters of the handbook, who knows, might come in handy when trying to fix this place.

[BWS2K]

Marcus watches the girls disappear into their room in silence, a distant gaze on his face for just a moment, then turns to Sam and shrugs: "We've all got our differences I suppose. 'Time enough to get used to each other before the end." The words have a more morose tone than he intended but perhaps it's more accurate that way. Marcus flashes a quick smile and adds: "Maybe it's all the comics."

He pops a few more of the chocolate candies into his mouth and excuses himself to the room at the very end of the row, the one with a big number ten stenciled above the hatch. He chooses his bunk and begins to stow his gear in its appropriate place: spare clothes folded beside his toiletries, the few paperbacks and sketchbooks he brought with him lined up neatly, his Rubik's Cube used as a bookend, bringing color to the otherwise drab room. He unrolls the sleeping bag right on top of the bunk and fixes the cheap bunker pillow so that he'll be all set when it comes time to sleep.

Hmm. How do we distinguish night and day down here? he wonders.

He leaves the rest of his things in his pack and stuffs it below his bunk. The whole process takes only a few minutes and Marcus returns to the main area to mingle and see who else he can scare off. Like it or not, this might be all that's left of human civilization in a few months.

"Hello ladies - Marcus Okin, resident lizard man and appreciator of the high arts. How goes it?" he says, approaching the group of ladies previously introduced as the Washington Sisters.

I'm not sure who Finn was talking to, I think it was Max, but whoever wants to jump in is welcome - NPC or not. I've never speed-dated but I suppose it's about this awkward. Also... is it too late to add that I brought my deodorant and toothbrush and a change of undies? lol :smallsmile:

[SgtParish]

A few minutes later Emma emerges from room one, holding a pair of black fingerless MMA gloves and crosses the room. As she passes Marcus she just glares at him just long enough for him to notice, before smiling at Sandra.

"Mum, I'm going to practice in the "Rec" room for a bit, give me a shout when you're dishing out food." Emma walks over to the corner of the room and opens a small hatch, it seems as though there is another access ladder down leading into a room beneath the mess hall.

"Okay, Dear" Sandra calls back, before proceeding to talk to Finn.

"I don't suppose you used to be on the radio did you? Your voice sounds familiar to an Irish fellow who would give out advice for the apocalypse... I can't remember his name, though. *sighs* It's probably me being daft actually, never mind." She smiles.

[Mordaenor]

"We have a Rec Room?" Maxwell asks, as he moves to claim room number three. "Excellent. Good to know the Rapture won't impact my excercise regimen."

He takes a moment to look around his new living space, then he too returns to the central room."So, who do we pay for the fifty cent tour? Or is that scheduled for later?"

[SgtParish]

"We have a Rec Room?" Maxwell asks, as he moves to claim room number three. "Excellent. Good to know the Rapture won't impact my excercise regimen."

He takes a moment to look around his new living space, then he too returns to the central room."So, who do we pay for the fifty cent tour? Or is that scheduled for later?"

Sam laughs at the joke, "I'm afraid there isn't much too see, this is our living space, eating, reading, talking and passing time. Every family has got a dormitory each, and Yes we do have a Recreational room it's just down that ladder, punchbags, a snooker table, a TV and R.M.D player, just a few things to keep away the boredom."

Since it's the future, I've decided DVD's have been discontinued, and replaced by the more effective R.M.D (Rotating Magic Disc)

[Mordaenor]

"Hope someone brought RMD's, then, unless there's a bunker somewhere housing a Cable TV distribution company. I imagine there won't be much being broadcast soon. Anyway how many more are we expecting, or is this it? I was expecting a slightly larger community."

[Bonecrusher Doc]

"I don't suppose you used to be on the radio did you? Your voice sounds familiar to an Irish fellow who would give out advice for the apocalypse... I can't remember his name, though. *sighs* It's probably me being daft actually, never mind." She smiles.

"Ah yes, you've got me - 'Dr. Mac' is... well, was my radio name. It wasn't really meant to be an end-of-the-world show, just more about making healthy life choices. But once Ender was announced publicly, my editor wasn't really interested in me talking about topics like the benefits of unpasteurized dairy products."

[Mordaenor]

Maxwell turns at the name abrubtly. "Wait, wait, wait. THE Dr. Mac? Please, let me shake your hand, sir. Used to be big fan of the show, more than one of your health tips has kept me in fighting shape. Although, I'll admit I stopped listening when it turned to 'All Apolcalypse All The Time'."

[SgtParish]

"Hope someone brought RMD's, then, unless there's a bunker somewhere housing a Cable TV distribution company. I imagine there won't be much being broadcast soon. Anyway how many more are we expecting, or is this it? I was expecting a slightly larger community."

Sam replies, "I think my daughters brought some, to be honest it wasn't on my mind at the time we'd have the luxury of a television, but I suppose there has to be some benefits from paying an arm and a leg for those tickets."

"How many more? Has been the question we've been trying to get for a while, from Jericho HQ, I want to know how much of what food we have we're going to be restricted to, I think the current total means we'll last about four months down here without resupply, that is if no-one else turns up." Sam looks sad, admitting that you are all likely to be hungry over the next few months. It's something that sticks with each of you, the thought of flash dried soup or tins of cold beans and metallic tasting water for food, for who knows how long wasn't a appealing image.

Suddenly those M&M's look mighty good now...

[SgtParish]

"Ah yes, you've got me - 'Dr. Mac' is... well, was my radio name. It wasn't really meant to be an end-of-the-world show, just more about making healthy life choices. But once Ender was announced publicly, my editor wasn't really interested in me talking about topics like the benefits of unpasteurized dairy products."

"Well, I'd like to say thank you on behalf of us all, your words are very helpful in times like these, I know it kept our family together."

She smiles and wanders off to who ever wishes to speak to her...

[shizukanashi]

Mike went to the first locker and making sure he could lock and unlock it easily began to empty the contents of his pack. Placing his m9 on the top shelf in its holster he shut and locked the locker again. Not exactly a gun safe, but it will have to do. He walked around the room observing the dull textureless walls and pressing on the matress of his bunk with the palm of his hand. Its a bit roomy, but otherwise a fine dump to be incarcerated in for the next 4 months. After getting settled in and aquinted Mike exited and again joined the others in the main living space.

"So when are you shutting the door? Any chance I can get that last look around?" He askes when he sees Sam.

[SgtParish]

"Hello ladies - Marcus Okin, resident lizard man and appreciator of the high arts. How goes it?" he says, approaching the group of ladies previously introduced as the Washington Sisters.


The three sisters age from mid thirties to early forties, they each wear expensive designer gear, and the snippet of conversation you hear is about someone buying an "Ark", however as you move closer they stop talking.

The eldest of the three, talks through a fake smile,

"Why hello, Marcus, it's nice to see you've come to terms with your punishment. It's really good to know you appreciate fine works of art(!). Are you familiar with Seralene Jone's piece, "Abeo, lacerta monstrum"? I'm positive you'd appreciate it's individuality from most of her contemporary artwork."

The youngest sister hides a smile behind her hand.

Noticing you are still standing there, "Did you want something else?" She doesn't bother to hide her tone this time, she looks at you with the same expression one would have after getting dog muck on new shoes.

Clearly this woman has issues, she sighs. Now talking to her sisters, but loudly enough so you can hear.

"How did an MU-User like him ever afford tickets anyway? (Tuts) I tell you if our government was any more left-wing, we'd be up to our necks with working class filth, there wouldn't even be a ticket system!. America was going down even before the asteroid."

[SgtParish]

Mike went to the first locker and making sure he could lock and unlock it easily began to empty the contents of his pack. Placing his m9 on the top shelf in its holster he shut and locked the locker again. Not exactly a gun safe, but it will have to do. He walked around the room observing the dull textureless walls and pressing on the matress of his bunk with the palm of his hand. Its a bit roomy, but otherwise a fine dump to be incarcerated in for the next 4 months. After getting settled in and aquinted Mike exited and again joined the others in the main living space.

"So when are you shutting the door? Any chance I can get that last look around?" He askes when he sees Sam.

Sam was trying to listen in on what the Washington sisters were saying to Marcus, your question catches him off guard.

"Wha- Oh, well I've shut the hatch for this evening, Don't want any crazies trying to climb in while we're asleep, I'll open it if you want to have one look around. I'm going to see if I can get a link through to Jericho HQ to get a residency list, hopefully they say we can can seal up, I tell you, even though it's probably the last chance to be up top I'll have in a while, being up there gives me the creeps, too many wanderers looking for shelter..."

Sam hand's you a 9" inch long silver spike with a handle on the end, "There's a lock on the hatch, put the spike in and turn it 180`, that should open it up...
Just watch yourself, okay?"

Sam proceeds to talk to the technician, "Do wanna try and patch me through again?"

(Assuming the technician agrees)

Both head into the technician's quarters, where the only working form of communication is based.

[BWS2K]

A hundred sarcastic replies cross Marcus' mind but he decides to just smile politely and let the women have their privacy. He pops a few more candies in his mouth and moves towards the ladder to the Rec Room, hoping to spot at least one decent film amongst the RMDs.

I suppose some classic anime is unlikely to have been selected, but maybe there'll be something semi-tolerable...
Okay, I'm all set to move on.

[shizukanashi]

Sam was trying to listen in on what the Washington sisters were saying to Marcus, your question catches him off guard.

"Wha- Oh, well I've shut the hatch for this evening, Don't want any crazies trying to climb in while we're asleep, I'll open it if you want to have one look around. I'm going to see if I can get a link through to Jericho HQ to get a residency list, hopefully they say we can can seal up, I tell you, even though it's probably the last chance to be up top I'll have in a while, being up there gives me the creeps, too many wanderers looking for shelter..."

Sam hand's you a 9" inch long silver spike with a handle on the end, "There's a lock on the hatch, put the spike in and turn it 180`, that should open it up...
Just watch yourself, okay?"

"Well now that you mention it, I'm a little creeped out to be up there alone myself, especially with night comin' on. Do let me know if they want you up there again, though. I would be happy to assist. He makes sure to hand the spike back, before Sam exits with the technician. I don't wanna be responcible for that thing either.

Mike follows Marcus down to the rec room and has a look around while he's digging through RMDs. "Hey Brother, I heard what that little coven had to say to you. I just want you to know your cool with me. I figure MU's got as much right'a live the rest o' us. You handled yourself well too. Oh, I'm sorry, name's Mike." With a smile, Mike offers his hand.

[BWS2K]

Shaking hands with Mike, Marcus replies: "I'm Marcus, and yeah, no worries. I think I make a pretty strong first impression, though to be honest I'm still getting used to it myself. This," Marcus waves a hand over his face, "is actually a pretty recent development."

Glad to have found at least one ally in the bunker, he begins thumbing through the RMD selection while chatting with Mike.
I'm content to be done with the talking for now, but if not then that's fine too. Does the GM want RMD title requests? :smallbiggrin:

[SgtParish]

Sam returns from the Technicians quarter's with a smile on his face,

"Good news everyone, we eventually managed to get through to Jericho HQ and they've given us the "All Clear" to seal up the bunker. They advised we stay in here for about four months if not longer, to give the government time to set up for the "New World".

"Sound fun(!)" Sam looks around the room, getting used to the faces he'd be seeing a lot more of over the next four months.

"Right, well who's hungry? We've got soup or rice." Sam shows a forced smile, trying to make the best of a poor situation.

After your less than satisfying evening meal, you each return to your dormitories. The metallic featureless rooms offer you little comfort, you can't help but think about the world above, who or what will survive and will anything of the old world be left, when you return. The night doesn't pass easily, the sounds of scratching and clawing at the hatch makes sleep impossible, and the cries for help echo through the bunker unanswered. This continues for what feels like the longest hours of your life. They are only eventual silenced by a loud thunder, which grows increasingly louder, until you feel the whole room shake around you, possessions clatter onto the floor and the metal panels creak with the shock wave. Then silence. No more scratches or cries keep you awake now, just the thought of how real it all became, lying deep underground in a metal shell.

***

Your time in the bunker passes agonizingly slowly, everyday you eat the same flash frozen and tasteless food, and the claustrophobic environment adds to the stress of living underground. The air begins to taste stale, and conflict become a daily part of your routine, the smallest problem escalates into fierce arguments when forced to live together, after time many residents have found it easier to stay in their own rooms, avoiding the others as much as possible.
It may have only been a few months, but you feel as though years have gone by...

[SgtParish]

End of Days

Chapter Two, A New World



December 11th 2028. South Colorado, USA

Bunker CC-7900

Sam didn't sleep that night, not that he had been sleeping well recently,
but last night was especially bad. He couldn't help but think about what
was coming next, whether he'd be strong enough to survive in the New
World. Food stocks were running low and he knew, sooner or later they
were going to have to adventure outside, into whatever was left of the
United States, he could only hope that some sort of government had
survived, one that could bring order and re-build from the ruins of the
old world. Sam sat up annoyed, he couldn't bring his family into a
lawless world, he rolled out of bed his eyes fixated on his revolver
as it hung from it's holster.

He wondered to himself if the time came to protect his family, would be able
to pull the trigger? He hoped so, but there was a heavy lump in his stomach
that made him think otherwise. Sam headed into the bathroom, pushing the
thoughts to the back of his mind, if he'd learnt anything from his conversations
with Finn then he knew it was best not to dwell on bad thoughts. Getting a drink
from the sink, Sam catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror, a wiry beard and
tired sunken eyes hid the face he was used to.

Splashing himself with water he then left the bathroom heading into the Mess Hall.
Grabbing himself a bowl of dried cereal, he decide that he would announce the news
as soon as everyone was awake.

LATER

"Morning Everybody", Sam feigning cheer amongst the sullen faces of the other residents.
"I've got some... news. We're running low on food, and as you can tell, the air is getting pretty stale, I'm not
sure exactly how much each is going to last. What I do know is that we've got to go up top soon, go scavenging for
food and find somewhere nice and safe we can think about moving to. 'Cus I don't know about you lot, but I'm really
fed up being in this hole." Sam let's himself laugh a little, it eased the feeling of seeing a broken world.
"I've got a feeling there's going to be more than just us up there, so any help is appreciated"

Sam upholsters his revolver as he speaks.

"Now, I don't know how dangerous it's going to be, so men, grab your gear, and if you've got a weapon, bring it."
He spins his revolver before flicking it closed
"And meet me up top..."

(Your move, players)

[shizukanashi]

The days passed slowly for Mike. He spent most days gathering information, be it searching for radio signals, checking air quality, or simply getting to know his bunkermates.

After 2 months shaving cream ran out and Mike started growing a thick beard, that turned red at the edges, and it brought out a redish hue to his otherwise brown hair. After 3 his appearance grew dishevaled. He still took his weekly shower (all that was alotted on the water rations the bunker had) and kept up his hygene but he stopped cutting his hair, and combing it, and his happy disposition faded.

Upon Sams anouncement he began to pack his backpack again. Making sure everything was readily accesable. Finally he loaded a magazine into his M9 and chambered a round. He turned the safety on before holstering it in the concealable holster and putting his jacket over the top. Mike was not yet sure he wanted even his friends to know he was armed, but he wanted to carry his weapon this time rather than placing it in his sack.

Finally he gave his taser a quick test, and placed it on his belt, along with the survival knife, he purchaces at the Army.Navy store. It had a compass on the hilt that you could unscrew, and inside the hilt a small amount of water proof matches, some iodine tablets, a fish hook with some line, and a single bandaid. That last item made him chuckle.

He returned to the mess "Ready as I am ever gonna be." He greeted Sam, and awaited the others.

[Hamste]

Olov had spent most of his time avoiding the people (not an easy task in such a cramped space). He did not like spending time with the others in normal circumstances and the stress of keeping his fake name. He collected up his stuff and joined the others preparing to leave. I might have some supplies, which could be useful for our survival. I and my partner had a car and survival supplies that we left out in the forest... for camping. Olov said. He had to figure out a way to dig up the hidey hole to get some of his more important stuff without them others seeing the more awkward things in the hole.

[BWS2K]

After the initial shock of the scratching and screams from those outside - something he hadn't even considered and which disturbs him greatly - the time passes fairly well for Marcus Okin. Reading and re-reading classic science fiction, doodling in one of his sketchbooks, time trials with his Rubik's Cube, and striking up a good hacky sack match all serve to keep things from getting too monotonous. His identity as the creator of Millenial Man remains hidden for only so long and eventually his sketching becomes a way for him to form friendships with all of the others - by drawing portraits and comic book versions of his bunkermates. Marcus begins a daily strip featuring one or more of the group in fact, and it's hard for even the Washington Sisters to not crack a smile once or twice. A natural rapport grows between him and Jessica though, the two having common interests and similar outlooks and hopes for the future. The metal panels of his room are crammed full with interlacing patterns and impromptu forms that give them an almost organic appearance. His sleep is filled with dreams that are both confusing and intense, whether a result of some sort of cosmic precognition mutation or the quality of meals remains unknown.

The last couple weeks seem to crawl by, and Marcus is simultaneously elated and terrified to see what has survived. His bag has been packed for days in anticipation of the moment when Sam would give the go-ahead, containing his first aid kits, rations, flashlights, road atlas, and walkie talkies. He wears his signature Superman hoodie but then pulls his parka over that. It's a simple red color scheme with dark grey highlights and it has several pockets, into which he puts one of the flashlights, his compass, duct tape, a multitool, and his last unopened package of M&Ms (he'd been saving them for just this occasion). His binoculars hang at his neck, while a smaller sketchbook and pen are placed in a breast pocket. He heaves the baseball bat (also now covered in black interlace linework and with the name Winona written in large letters down its side) against his left shoulder and replies simply: "Let's do it."

Not certain that anyone would pick up the reference, and not caring, he pauses and adds with a smile: "I'll be the redshirt."
Yeah, I'll follow along with whatever. Obviously if Marcus dies I'm gonna need to play as one of the Sisters (the one who always wins at Risk) so you may want to get those stats ready, GM.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

"Well, there's certainly no harm in taking a brief look around. It probably shouldn't be all of us, and after an hour or so excursion I think we should come back here for a day or two to see if any of us are developing skin redness from radiation or coughing from particulates. And while there's strength in numbers and I know we all want to stretch our legs, I don't think we should all go up this time, especially not any children or women of childbearing age."

For all his talk of minimizing the number of people and the length of the excursion, Finn gets all of his personal gear into his backpack and puts it on, checking everything carefully for serviceability. He flicks his baton to extend it and looks up towards the hatch, then down towards his baton again grimly.

"I'm now regretting that I never learned to use a firearm. Maybe one of you can teach me before too long."

[rorikdude12]

Jacob, already wearing his body armor, springs to attention, having spent most of his time sleeping.

"I am ready to go when you are."

[SgtParish]

Sam is stood at the base of the ladder, the hatch is still sealed, he looks around hesitantly. "Right, Not to be sexist, but ladies, you are all going to wait inside until I've checked it's clear. First Point of action should be checking what's up there."

He glances around the few residents which are packing gear, "Is anyone else coming?"

[lordchimp]

The days had been tough on Ark. Constant thoughts of John and his dad were always running through his mind. He had lived day to day, trying to keep busy and do as much as he could. After an extremely hesitant couple of days, he had finally broken in with the other people in the bunker, even that odd lizard fellow. The drawings of himself and the other folks from Marcus never failed to cheer him up.

He had spent a fair bit of time with the Bunker's mechanic, Randall, helping with leaks and other problems. The bunker was safe, but the confined space was beginning to get to him. He needed some fresh air.

When Sam finally gave the go ahead, Ark was secretly pleased. He didn't think about what could be out there, only that they had to be out there.

He packed his kit into his worn backpack, with a multipurpose tool and a flashlight clipped to his belt. With his trusty mechanics toolkit inside his pack, he went towards the kitchen.

He grabbed a tea towel from one of the cuboards and tied it around his face, giving him a somewhat bandit appearance. Let them think what they want to think, if the air is thick with dust, I don't want to be choking all the time.

He went to the ladder and greeted the people who where there. Tightening the straps on his pack, he said.
Right, I'm ready.

I wonder what happened to John...

[Mordaenor]

Maxwell is also going. "Need to see if my bike's still intact." He grabs his set of brass knuckles, and meets the others at the entrance. He also had a cell phone which had been off for the past four months. Not sure who would be around to call, but it was worth checking if he could even get a signal, in case the opportunity came to use it.

Max expected to be passing the days exercising to avoid boredom, and to maintain fighting shape. Unfortunately, he failed to account for the fact that a meager diet inhibits ones ability to exercise regularly. He found a training and sparring partner in Emma, and that did somewhat alleviate things but he was ready to get out and see what they were up against.

[SgtParish]

Sam hugs his wife and children one last time, "Now girls, I want you to look after your Mother while I'm gone, okay?" He kisses both his daughters on the forehead.

"Take care, and don't do anything stupid" Sandra warns,

Sam laughs a little, "When have I ever?"

He glances around at the group of men armed and ready, he'd gotten on okay with most of them, some were talkative, others had kept to themselves. He tried hard to believe that he could trust them, but the thought of one shooting him while his back turned had him on edge.

"Right, It looks like this is all that's coming," he sighs, "Suppose not everyone can stomach a new world." Sam takes one last long look at his family before climbing up the ladder, the darkness of the bunker didn't scare him anymore, what lay outside did. He climbs to the top, first listening if anything was on the other side. Nothing. "Okay, here goes." Unlocking the sealed hatch with the spike, a hiss of air breaks free, and a curling cold trickles through the gap. He pushes with all his strength against the hatch, climbing out into the open.

"Christ..." Sam just stands there on the edge of the opening.

As you pull yourself up behind him, you can feel the cold licking against your at face. Then as your eyes adjust to the darkness, you are stunned by the landscape of the New World. The sky is thick with a black smoke blotting out the sun, and the hillsides are littered with dead trees. The ground is thickly covered with snow and ash, and in the far distance a storm rages violently, there very few signs of life that remain.

A great column of smoke rises from the other side of a hill to the West, and in front of you, irregular lumps lay beneath a blanket of grey snow. While the roof of the farmers house is just visible to the East poking out from behind a group of dead trees.

Sam steps out onto the snow and looses his footing, slips falling heavily on his back. "Watch it guys, this snows deep." Managing to get to his feet again, he asks, "Where do you think we ought to head?"

[BWS2K]

Marcus follows the group up the ladder and through that hatch, glad he thought to don his parka. The cold air and gloomy sight didn't speak much to the adventure and excitement he'd been hoping for.

Sure glad this lizard thing's only skin deep - being cold-blooded out in this would really suck...

"I'm not sure we should go too far just in case this is the new standard for a bright and sunny day. That house, er, roof, looks like a safe-ish spot to start. 'Course I'm the one who brought the baseball bat, so I'll go along with whatever."

He waits for the others to decide on a destination and switches on his "artist eyes", taking in every possible detail he can. The clouds, the smoke, the covered ground, the dead trees - not just the visuals but the emotional and mental impacts as well. In this way Marcus finds he's not only able to process the scene (and implied devastation) better but often he picks up subtle cues that might be overlooked. Like a master artist surveying a fraudulent painting for minute errors, he takes in as much as his senses will allow - starting with the immediate surroundings and then, using the binoculars, up to the horizon in all directions.

This is really happening, thinks Marcus, but we survived. Maybe someone else did too...
I'll do a Spot check to see if that helps with anything in general (GM's discretion of course) but Marcus is cool with whatever the other guys want to do.
[roll0]

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finn is not a war veteran nor a veteran of the streets (though he once worked with street kids), so he does not instinctively scan the area for snipers or other hidden dangers. Instead, he just takes it in quietly for a while before speaking.

"If anyone has cached supplies nearby, we could go check them. Other than that, perhaps a a short trip to any nearby farms or garden centers to see if any crops or livestock have survived, but we should definitely get back into the shelter before nightfall."

[SgtParish]

Marcus

Spot results; You scan the landscape of the ruined world, to no avail. As you checked the Farm House, something on the roof caught your eye, it moved too fast for you to focus properly, but whatever it was, knocked some snow off the top of the building.

Result Preferences

At the moment I've got you all on public results for checks, as shown above.
If however anyone would prefer to have private results PM'd to them, PM me so I know.

[BWS2K]

Spotting the movement by the farmhouse roof, Marcus points and says aloud: "Hey guys - I think we have an audience."

[Hamste]

Ok, we better check that out. Anyone who has a gun that is not silenced, I would suggest not firing it. Whoever or whatever is up there could be harmless but if we fire at it with a loud gun we will get every survivor with in miles coming here to scavenge our dead bodies for a gun and if some if some of them are armed we could get ourselves into a big fight. After check this place out, I would like it if we headed towards the forest so we could check my old camp site. Olov said frowning at the farm trying to see if he can see anything.


Spot check [roll0]

[shizukanashi]

Mike didn't see the movement, but he followed Marcus' finger and looked through his own binoculars now to notice the disturbed snow on the roof. "I wonder if they knew we were here, they could be waiting for us. Best stay on our toes."

At this moment, mike wished he had thought to pack something more than a 9mm handgun. He had been here before, ofcourse in Iran he had a flak jacket and an assault rifle, not a leather coat and a peashooter.

"I agree that farmhouse is probably our best hope of finding supplies, I just hope the residents are friendly. Unless ofcourse there is something special you cached out there at the campsit?"

It was a smart move but, something about learning one of his bunkermates had a cache out here made his spidey sense tingle. He was hoping for weapons, food, clothing; but something about Olav said Diamonds, money, or maybe just Earl Grey tea and a set of heirloom china.


Spot:[roll0]
Sense Motive:][roll1]

[SgtParish]

Mike

Spot Results; Aside from disturbed snow, you notice little else.

Sense Motive Results; Something about Andrew doesn't add up, he claims to have a campsite nearby, which seems unusual to say he is a Bunker Inspector.
Still you figure, if he has a cache hidden, and he's willing to share he'll be a good man to know.

[Mordaenor]

Maxwell glances skyward. Then he glances toward the farmhouses. Then he checks two things immediately. First, he pulls out his mobile phone and switches it on. If there was no signal at all, he wanted to know now rather than later. If there was a signal, they might be able to contact other survivors, if they could find any.

Confirming signal or no, his second thing is to go to where he parked his motorcycle. Was it where he had left it. With out the key it would have been hard to steal, but that didn't mean it hadn't been cannibalized or destroyed. And if it was still there, did it still run?

[SgtParish]

Sam shouts over, I doubt you'll get much signal, mate, look at the size of that dust storm, and the asteroid will have shredded most of the satellites. Yet despite Sam's claims you do have one bar of signal. As for your bike, it could be one of those lumps in the snow.


Apologies for the shortness and lack of good spelling, this has been done on my terrible phone :smallbiggrin:

[Hamste]

Ok, I will move up slowly to them using what cover I have. Who here is a good shot? Cover me and if they look like they are going to shoot try to shoot them first, even if your gun is not silenced...though it would be best if it was silenced.Olov said as he drew his own silenced gun. He wished that he had taken the scope with him even if it would have been weird for a bunker inspector. He then moved forward taking whatever cover there was in between the bunker and the farm.


I know there probably isn't much cover seeing this was in farm land but might as well say that

[lordchimp]

Ark looks around at the landscape, the lack of noise in the city was very disturbing. This once teeming environment was reduced to emptiness. The sight of it all took Ark's breath away.

He slumped against a wall, dumbstruck with the sheer magnitude of their situation. How can these people be so calm?! There is NOTHING, just snow ash and destruction. These people don't seem to mind!? He needed to get his breath.

After a few moments, he felt the pipe wrench that was strapped onto his pack. It calmed him a little to know it was there...
Ark is ready to move on with the others, let the gm note that he is sticking with the other characters with his wrench at the ready.

[rorikdude12]

"Don't have a gun, but I'll follow you.", Jake says. He didn't feel so good. These people are nice, but he's thinking of something. There was blood, and gunfire, and smoke, and screaming, and foreign stuff, and spicy food , and bland food, and bloo-

Moors. Rolling hills. Yes. Rolling green hills.

"Let's go to the farmhouse.", Jacob says with a slight grin.

I'm going with everyone else.

[SgtParish]

The eight of you move cautiously towards the farmhouse, Olov "Andrew" leads the group with his revolver drawn, there is little cover between the bunker and the trees so you make sure to keep low, avoiding whatever Marcus had spotted on the roof top. You are able to make it to the tree line that wraps around the back of the farm house, a few of the trees are fallen and provide an excellent hiding spot. (+5 to Hide Checks)

Passive Spot Checks; (Hidden DC)

Marcus and Mike notice the rear of the farm house is rather battered and the stonework is badly cracked, the house leans slightly to the right, being supported by a single story wooden tool shed. There are four windows on the farm house, two on the ground floor two on the first floor, all windows have been smashed and boarded up from the inside.

Passive Listen Checks; (Hidden DC)

Mike also hears from inside the farm house the faint sounds of a scuffle.

Sam huddles behind one of the larger fallen trees and looks across the group, "Anyone got a plan?" He whispers.


Hide Check for Sam (12)

[shizukanashi]

"If we are going in there we best be careful, that foundation doesn't look so good, see how its leaning on that rikety shack. Make to much noise, push to hard on the wrong wall and that whole thing could come down on top of us." He crouched down next to Sam. "Could be some friendly farmer lives here, could be some goons watching and waiting for us to open the hatch. 8 of us is pretty good odds, though. Farmers or goons, both are likely to shoot us if we go sneaking around. I say we just ring the door bell and see if they have a cup of sugar. Hope they are friendly." Dispite the jest, he was serious.

[BWS2K]

"Agreed," replies Marcus, crouching with the rest of the crew, "It doesn't really look ready to move into just yet. A little work with some of this timber might do wonders though, we'll have to take a peek at the inside."

The sights and sounds of devastation continue to assault Marcus' senses: How long had these trees been here? That house? What must it have been like to be above ground when the asteroid hit - could you see it coming? How many people were out there right now, dying of starvation?

It was a frightening thought but one which he tried not to focus on just yet. There'd be plenty of time for introspection later - for now, he needed to keep his head in the game and remember as much as possible for recording later.

Content to hang in the rear of any advance with Winona, he adds in a whisper, "Dibs on any lizard chicks."
Not sure if you want a Hide check or not, but here: [roll0]

[SgtParish]

"So who's lucky enough to go ring the bell?" Sam asks, secretly hoping he wasn't volunteered. Perhaps some of us should keep watch?


Quick post 'cus I'm off to work, will post again in about 8 hours time cya! :smallbiggrin:

[lordchimp]

Maybe one of us should scout it out while the rest of us cover him? One of us is less likely to make noise and we'll have a better idea of what were up against. Ark said to the group.

[Mordaenor]

"So who's lucky enough to go ring the bell?" Sam asks, secretly hoping he wasn't volunteered. Perhaps some of us should keep watch?

"I never was one for sneaking around and whoever's in there probably knows were here already, if they've been paying any attention at all. And if this comes down to a fight, my skills work best in close quarters anyway. I'll ring the bell. Or maybe knock on the door."

If no one stops him...
Anyone? Anyone?
Maxwell moves towards the front door of the farmhouse.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

"I'll come with you; a few careful words might save us some bullets." Finn pops up and very non-tactically strides toward the door. His baton is collapsed and on his belt.

As he gets closer, he tries hard to hear what the commotion is inside the house, to take advantage of it somehow. Perhaps the occupants are distracted and they can sneak into the house. Perhaps someone is in distress who could use their help. Even if he can't hear any clear words spoken, he tries to determine what, who, how many, male or female, stuff being broken, etc.


[roll0]

[shizukanashi]

"I'm with the two of you. It was my idea after all, only fair I get shot first." He smiles, stands and joins Max and Finn. Mike was surprizingly okay with the post apocolypse world but looking at the faces of compatriots he figured some humor was in order. "The rest of you should probably take overwatch positions."


Head on a swivel:
Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]

[SgtParish]

Sam nods in agreement, "You are after all our most combat experienced, I'll stick to being back here" He breathes a sigh of relief.

The few of you advance around the side of the farm house. Taking note that there is another window on the second floor, unlike the others however this one is broken buut not boarded. As you come to the front of the house you see that the wooden porch front has been severely damaged, bullet holes, scorch marks and splintered wood everywhere. The wooden door of the house has been broken in, the bottom hinge completely ripped away and several huge dents suggest a vicious battering took place. The inside of the building is unlit and eerily dark, then suddenly you hear a scream of pain.

A round fires off from inside the house, causing snow to fall from the broken rafters over the door.

The scream dies down to a moan of agony, and continuous swearing.

Spot Checks; (Hidden DC)
Its impossible to see who or what is inside the building. However you do notice that the damage to the porch is from a less than recent occasion.

Listen Check (Hidden DC)
The scream is most defiantly male, and came from the bottom floor of the house.

[BWS2K]

Marcus and Winona follow behind Max, Finn, Mike and Sam with all eyes on the house. As they get closer and have a better view of the damage, Marcus pays special attention to the snow and ash-covered ground - recent tracks, and the nature and number of them, might help in a little advance knowledge of just how many folks might be hiding out inside.

I wonder how this compares to elsewhere - is all this because we're so close to a bunker or did humanity just go completely feral?

The shot startles him and he grips the bat a little tighter. If he had hair on the back of his neck anymore, it'd be standing up.

"Oh good," he mutters sarcastically, "they missed us."
Spot check for the tracks (number, size, freshness, etc.): [roll0]

Strategy discussion in the OOC... BEGIN!

[shizukanashi]

Mike unholstered his M9 clicking the safety off and ran to the house. Taking cover just outside the open door and making sure NOT to look around the corner called out "In the house, is anyone hurt? Do you require assistance? I am a medic, if you put the gun down, I might be able to help." Mike was not sure what he heard whether there was a murder or an accident, by the looks of things he was not taking any chances.


Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]

[SgtParish]

The house is dark, rotting, and smells incredibly bad. As you cautiously move deeper into the building, your pistol at the ready. Your able to slowly creep towards the sound of the gunfire, the smell becomes almost nauseating. A voice from behind the wall calls back.

"A Medic? Thank God." A short groan of pain is heard. "Yeah I'm bit. Wouldn't mind any Meds if you've got them. He ends with another groan of pain.

[Mordaenor]

Max realizes just how far over his head he is as soon as soon as he hears the gunshot. His hand drops to his pocket and he slips on the set of brass knuckles. Keeping his head low, he scurries right up to the house, and begins to circle around it.

Looking for another way in. [roll0]

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finn stacks himself behind Mike, but gives him a little space in case they have to turn and run. He extends his baton and holds it ready. And stays quiet. He looks to see if there are any cracks or peepholes through which he might be able to see into the room where the shot and the voice came from. He continues to listen to try to determine how many people or animals might be within.


[roll0]
[roll1]

[SgtParish]

Max realizes just how far over his head he is as soon as soon as he hears the gunshot. His hand drops to his pocket and he slips on the set of brass knuckles. Keeping his head low, he scurries right up to the house, and begins to circle around it.

Looking for another way in. [roll0]

Max circles the farm house to find the building has partially collapsed on a tool shed, there are a variety of items scattered around inside and out. On the outside of the shed is an old chopping block with a wood axe buried deep into it, Looking into the shed you see; a semi-collapsed shelf stands lob sided, having spilt tins of red paint all over the floor, an extension ladder propped in the corner and a partially disassembled chainsaw on the work bench. Plus a few screws and twisted nails littering the work suface.

Max will also hear the man inside calling to Mike.

[SgtParish]

Finn stacks himself behind Mike, but gives him a little space in case they have to turn and run. He extends his baton and holds it ready. And stays quiet. He looks to see if there are any cracks or peepholes through which he might be able to see into the room where the shot and the voice came from. He continues to listen to try to determine how many people or animals might be within.


Near the base of the wall, chunks of plaster have come loose revealing wooden slats that have rotted in the cold weather. While currently you can't see through them, a bit of Finn's DIY magic could possibly change that.

[SgtParish]

Marcus check for the tracks

Sorry missed this! :smalleek:

Marcus notices one set of human tracks, that appear to have led into the house with speed these tracks also came from the west, while a different set of animal tracks seems to have followed the first. The unusual thing Marcus notices is they started out of nowhere, just beside the front corner of the building.

I'm sure someone said they had a compass :)

[shizukanashi]

Mike holstered his pistol and took off his back pack, grabbing the med kit (I only brought one with me the other is back at the bunker) he hands the rest of his pack to Finn "Stay here until I give the all clear. I may need your help if I have to set a bone or something." Grabbing his pistol again with his spare hand, he puts his had with the med kit into the doorway to show anyone in the room he was not bluffing"Okay I am coming in." before entering the doorway and glancing in the room himself.

incase you need one:
Spot: [roll0]

[SgtParish]

As you enter the room in which you heard the man calling, you realize this part of the farm house was the kitchen, a table and several chairs have been haphazardly used to block the rear exit, and all the cupboards and shelves have long since been bare. In the centre of the room on the tiled floor is a man wearing old travelers clothing and a rucksack, he is clutching his leg while sat in a small pool of his own blood. Beside him is a M1911 with the slide locked back, and an empty shell casing caught in one of the grooves between tiles..

He looks up at you, "F***ing, Crazed took a chunk outta my leg!" He gestures over to a horrifically mutated human, sprawled out in the corner, its clothes old, black and torn, arms heavily disfigured with claw like appendages, and barely anything of it's head left. What you now understand as the missing chunks of skull and brain, which are splattered all over the wall.

"You ain't got anything that'll fix this have you? Morphine? Bandages?"

[Hamste]

Olov walked in to the house and narrowed his eyes at the horribly killed person in there. He poked the corpse with the toe of his boot a couple of times and did a quick search over the dead body being careful not to touch the creature too much. He then subtly tried to take the gun in case if this guy turned out to be dangerous. After that is done he asked the question that were bugging him What do you think caused his craziness? Think it was just stress or do you think it was a sickness from the radiation or disease?

Of course most of these are conditional on nothing happening while he does all of this stuff. [roll0] sleight of hand check

[SgtParish]

What do you think caused his craziness? Think it was just stress or do you think it was a sickness from the radiation or disease?


The man stares at you with a look of amazement, "What you guys been living in a hole these last few months or summat?"

Your face tells it all,

"F***! You guys were in a bunker? No S***! ...That thing, we... I call it a 'Crazed', some kind of MU Enhancement drug gone mad."

Groans in pain again

"Hey, Doc think I could have some morphine now? You know BEFORE I pass out?"


The man notices you've taken his weapon but doesn't seem to care.


Brief inspection reveals the weapon is out of ammo.

[shizukanashi]

Seeing that the gun is empty puts Mike more at ease and even more so when Andrew picks it up. He puts his own gun away and goes right to the med kit. Doning some latex gloves he gets to work.

"I don't have any morphine, but I have some tylenol" He lied. There were a few vials in his kit, and 4 months ago would have given him some, it was a nasty wound, but Mike thought he best ration it, and if the guy was talking and making sense he didn't need it as bad as he might think. "It won't do much, but it might calm you a bit, and take the edge off. Do you have fresh water? Maybe some gin? We need to clean this before I can wrap it. You might want some yourself. Yes I did just suggest mixing meds hows that for medical advice?" He chuckled. Mike had learned it was best to keep talking and keep his patients as chipper as possible. Especially someone who just shot somebody. As gruesome as that creature was it was still a man, wasn't it? Once maybe? What the hell has been going on out here all this time? Mike tried not to think about it and focus on his work. "Tell me more about this Crazed is that why your back door is shut up? Do they carry weapons, cause what the hell happened to your front porch?"

If he has nothing I probably have some rubbing alchol in my Medical Kit, I am trying to conserve here, but still treat him right. I am going to have to use some bandages and stuff. First Aid is good for only one use, but how much milage can I get out of my medical kit? By the rule book I asume it is infinate, but that also assumes I can add a few vials and bandages as needed in the regular world, when I fill up my gas tank. I can't really do that here. How bad is the guy? Regardless I will treat his wound and bandage him up for what its worth. Whatever it takes to do a good job but nothing more. I only brought two med kits and they have to last the whole apocolypse. :p

Treat Injury: [roll0]
Bluff: [roll1] (to lie)
Diplomacy: [roll2] (beside manner - try to keep him from flipping out-especially if my bluff is bad.)

[SgtParish]

"Fresh Water? Gin? You guys really did come from a bunker didn't you? All the good stuff from here got raided a few months back, the farmer that lived here had a few things worth taking. I just came back in case we'd missed anything.

Then that thing got me. I don't know anything official about the Crazed just there's lots of 'em, mostly come out when it's really dark though, apart from a few that try an' get the jump on you."

He believes the bluff.

"Damn, I was really hoping you had some, feels like my leg is on fire!"

Treat Injury;

The bite wound is deep, the upper part of his calf has been torn and both tendons behind the knee are severed. This man won't be walking again, the exposed flesh has turned a red/black colour with specs of White forming in the blood. The level of infection this man is suffering is unusual for such a recent injury.

The man sees your reaction when examining the wound.
"Oh God, it's bad isn't-"

The man retches violently, a mixture of blood and black sludge dribble out of his mouth.

"I don't feel, great..." The man slurs his speech.


I haven't got the rules at the moment to look through, (at work.)
I think that a med kit has about 5 uses which can be replenished when you find meds and such. I'll make a better post when I've chance to browse rules. :)

[shizukanashi]

Mike is rarely candid. He looked the guy in the eye and let him have it."Ill be straight with you, it doesn't look good at all. You have severed tendons, and some kind of infection that I have never seen before."he looked at the blood and bile. "I can patch you up, but you won't be able to walk on that leg again. I am going to put a tourniquet on it, it will stop the bleeding and slow the infection."With that he went to work. Looking again at the vomit. "Here I see another story. You have internal injuries, and I am no surgeon. If you are lucky you can heal up naturally with some rest, but it looks like that infection is spreading faster than anything I have seen. Not much I can do to fight it in these conditions. It'll probably get you before the internal bleeding does. I can probably fix you up a crutch with something around here, if you got somewhere to be." This man was going to die, no use dening it. Mike's complection had gone pale, his eyes dead and his face long.

[SgtParish]

"There's... there's a group of us in the town. I could try and make it there. You think I could survive this?" His voice sounds weak and his breathing becomes irregular.

[shizukanashi]

Without directly answering his question Mike reaches in his kit and grabs a vial of morphine and a syringe, which he places in the mans palm."Best hold on to this till its time, it won't be long. You'll need it." He exits to find a makeshift crutch.

[BWS2K]

Marcus listens to the exchange from a distance, not wanting to startle the man any more than necessary with his appearance. He nudges Sam and looks around at the Olov and Finn, saying in a low voice: "I'm gonna check out the rest of this place if anyone wants to tag along. We don't want any surprises." He smiles, adding, "...and it just might make a nice home away from home, if you know what I mean."

He starts by grabbing his flashlight and peeking in the nearest room and then taking the most logical route around the ground level. This isn't about scavenging just yet, though the temptation to go into a full-on search mode is strong. Marcus doesn't know first aid and isn't really helpful in a fight but he knows he can make sure the house is safe - or determine if it's not - and let the others know. He checks into all the shadows and closed off areas as much as possible, and takes his steps slowly and only when certain of safety.

Falling through the floor or having a cave-in would be almost as bad as ending up like that guy...

So I'm not sure what sorts of surprises are in store but I'd love to take 20 on the Spot check as I (hopefully "we") creep cautiously throughout the bottom floor and, if time, the upper floor and maybe even basement. I'll roll though just in case - but I can't take 20 on a Search check because I'm not trained in it, so someone else will have to manage that... or Marcus can aid another (or vica versa) for that +2 bonus on the Search (in which case I can roll or someone can roll the DC10 check for me, my modifier to Search is +1).

[roll0]

And as an FYI - this isn't really splitting the party I don't think, we're all within earshot of each other... but I do think more than just Mike should stay with Mr.Walky.

[SgtParish]

The farm house is quite large, but has long since been raided for valuables. Starting downstairs you have the Kitchen, where the man was attacked. To the left of this room you have what you'd assume to be a Living Room, the sofa's have been pushed up against the windows and everything else piled up on top. There are a few other rooms such as toilets and an under-the -stairs cupboard, but every room you find is in a similar state. Valuables stripped and everything heavy used to block off entry. The one room you haven't checked is that attached to the rear of the Kitchen, to do so would mean removing the barricade.

You cautiously move upstairs, there is no light in this part of the building and you are lucky to have brought a flashlight with you. The stairs lead onto a long hallway with several doors, you briefly peek behind each to check for monsters and other undesirables. The first two rooms you enter were once Child's Bedrooms, broken glass liters the floors and the window has been securely boarded. Anything of value is long since gone. Moving down the hallway are two, Large Bedrooms, perhaps for the adults of the family, however the condition is similar to that of the child's bedroom(s). A Bathroom, also leads off from the hallway, a few empty boxes of painkillers lying abandoned on the floor. The second to last room is completely caved in, you can barely open the door wide enough to see inside, but it looks like the roof has collapsed, as a few natural rays of light pierce the surrounding darkness.

The last room at the end of the hallway, has a reinforced metal door and a series of four locks, there is evidence of some minor damage primarily at the hinges and edges of the door, however judging by the broken bits of wire and sharp pieces of metal, whoever tried to get in failed.


You are correct, this doesn't count as splitting up as you are all pretty close, if some of you had stayed behind I'd call it separate. The easiest way to judge whether you are together or separate would be, "Are you able to see and/or hear each other if necessary?"

I should point out two things, "Mr.Walky" has been left by himself as Mike went to get a crutch, and no-one has actually asked his name yet, talk about bedside manner... :smallwink:

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finn steps in Mike's path and holds up a hand to stop him so he can speak to him, but keeps his distance. He speaks quietly and firmly.

"Mike, you're doing a terrific job treating that man but I think we're in trouble here. That doesn't look like typical presentation for a fresh wound. More like a hemorrhagic virus, like ebola, or perhaps flesh-eating bacteria. That single pair of gloves from the medical kit you're wearing might not be enough to protect you. You treat him however you see fit, but I'm planning on staying at least six feet away from him - and you. I'm not in charge, but I recommend you quarantine yourself for a day to see if this is some type of super-fast-acting disease."

Mike is a trained medic with a medical kit. I think it's safe to assume he put on a pair of gloves, standard procedure you know.

[SgtParish]

"Yeah, *Cough* I'll, I'll... be, leaving..."
The man tries to stand on his bad leg, and crumples to the floor. "Urgh!"
He's now lying in a puddle of blood, and hyperventilating. He tries to lift himself off the ground but his efforts make his breathing worse.

Sam pokes his head around the door, "Is everything all right? Oh god... What's wrong with him?" Sam is very worried about the condition of this man, then he notices the headless mutant slumped in the corner. "Anyone want to fill me in?" Sam tries to shout but his voice betrays him, and he sounds panicky.

Then the blood soaked man makes one last groan and stops breathing all together, a few bubbles appear around his mouth and his eyes stare motionless.

Sam looks at Finn then back at Mike waiting for an explanation.

[Mordaenor]

Take Axe

Maxwell, retrieves the axe, thinking it might be useful later.

Strength Check to free Axe from Stump: [roll0]

[SgtParish]

The Axe comes free from the block relatively easy with Max's strength, it's light weight and feels comfortable in you hand, on inspection you see the Axe was also recently sharpened, perfect for chopping you think to yourself.

Only Max may act with the following knowledge;
Passive Spot Check;

The nightmare like sky is getting dimmer, but you have no idea how long it will take to get to total darkness.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

"Sam, stay away from both of those bodies. And stay six feet away from Mike; he may have been exposed. I hope we have some bleach back in the bunker to sanitize our shoes when we get back."

[Mordaenor]

Fortunately, Max has a Cel Phone and it has one bar of reception. Enough to ensure its clock was up to date.

Maxwell glances at the sky, then pulls out his phone and checks the time. Knowing how early to expect it get dark, might help them plan better.

After checking the time, he moves quickly back to the front of the house. "Guys, I think we may want to head back. Starting to get awful dark outside, and I'm not sure I'm ready to be caught out here afterd..." he trails outside at the horrifying sight of the mutilated mutant and the dead man lying in a pool of blood and vomit. Unable to continue the thought he immediately back pedals out of the building to avoid being overcome by the sight.

[shizukanashi]

Mike looks like he is about to react in anger but then thinks better of it. "You might be right."He removes his bloody gloves and lets them drop to the the kitchen floor. "Ill sleep in the mess tonight, or if you would rather lock me in my room."He jestures to his backpack which he took off and handed to Finn. "Best hold onto that don't want to get cooties on it."He then packs up his medical kit and heads toward the door. "Its getting dark, he said those things come out at night. We best get back to the vault, we can check Andrews camp site tomorrow."

[BWS2K]

Marcus has seen, and drawn, a lot of gore in his time. The dead mutant was alien enough, and the man alive enough, that he could handle the initial situation. The sight of the up-until-recently talking and breathing human was a bit much though. He manages not to just throw up immediately and looks away instead, heading outside.

"Uh, yeah, I'll just be out here guys..."

He stops a few yards from the house and turns.

Plenty to write about already but a final look won't hurt...

Marcus examines the house again, this time trying to imagine how he'll draw it. An artist often interprets subjects in a way that presents an accurate but not identical depiction of the actual thing. He imagines what angle best captures the damage and overall atmosphere of the encounter inside. Satisfied with that appraisal, he lifts his binoculars once more and tries to get an idea of what exactly it is back West that this guy was so interested in returning to. He follows the tracks back visually as far as possible.

"We going back?" he asks over his shoulder, hearing Mike. "I'm cool with that plan. Aside from everything else, who knows what sorts of freak weather goes on up here."

[SgtParish]

"Bleach? Yeah, we've got bleach. You... Wait! Do you think we all could be infected? If we go back we risk infecting everyone else..." Sam looks over at Mike, "What do you mean, "More of those things"?

[shizukanashi]

"Do you see how fast the infection spread? If any of us were infected we would know before we got back to the bunker. Not sure what good it will do though. If what he said has any truth to it, leaving someone outside the bunker at this point is esential a death sentence. Yes Sam, he mentioned something about some new MU drug that drove people mad. called them the 'Crazed' he said there are more of them, and they come out mostly at night. I don't know if its a local problem, or just rumors, but judging by the look of that..."He looked around to make sure Marcus was not in earshot. Luckily he had walked outside, he heard him shout something about going back and the weather.that...thing,and what it did to this man, I dont want to stick around to find out."

[SgtParish]

Sam sighs with relief,

"Good, Well not good... You know, better, at least.

Sounds like we ought to head back to the bunker, we can come back tomorrow and check again if need be, I think Max got his clock working so we should be able to figure out the best time to set off."

Sam now turns to "Andrew"

"Hey, do you think we should check for your camp tomorrow? We could use all the supplies we can get if we're gonna live in this Hell of a New World..."

(I'm assuming everyone is heading to the bunker right?)

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finn looks around to make sure they didn't leave anything behind and starts walking.

"Honestly, Mike, I'd feel better if we made you a shelter above ground. The rest of us can take turns keeping you company, even when you're asleep, so you're not alone, but I don't think that you should touch or breathe on anything inside the shelter for 24 hours."

Finn frowns, as he does when thinking.

"Perhaps we should all stay just outside the shelter tonight. After all we were touching the doorknobs, that man's axe, and didn't somebody pick up his pistol? I'm not usually such a germaphobe, but that wound did not look normal and we don't want to contaminate the shelter where the women and children are."

[Hamste]

Doesn't matter which to me, did anyone bring a vehicle to the bunker or nearby to it? It will take some walking to get to the forest or at least where the forest used to be and it would be nice to have it already found by the time the others get there. Olov said as he considered how to best get to his hideaway before everyone else and get rid of his... awkward items.

[SgtParish]

Sam looks at Finn with a worried face. "You really think we should stay outside? If that dead guy was right, then those things will be around. That idea kinda freaks me out..."

Sam turns to answer "Andrew", "I think that Max had a motorcycle he rode here, but me and everyone else walked." Sam shakes his head. "Roads where to busy to drive, I think getting a bike was the best idea, being able to weave through traffic an' all..."

You're not too far from the bunker now, but the sky is almost completely black, and your vision is reduced significantly. Luckily Marcus torch guides your path across the snow covered farmland, back to safety.

[rorikdude12]

Jacob skips happily back to the bunker, whistling all the while. People kept talking to a shrubbery on the moor next to a gravestone, and that was just silly. At least the bunker was a sensible place.

[SgtParish]

It was almost completely black by the time the group had arrived at the bunker, Sandra had closed the hatch while everyone had gone scavenging for supplies, so Sam was currently messing with the bunker's external intercom, to get the hatch open.

"Right" Sam turns back to the group. "Sandra will have this hatch open in a few minutes, apparently they've had several mechanical issues while we've been away."

"What's the plan about the infection then? We going in or staying out?"

[BWS2K]

"Now I'm no doctor, but that guy went downhill pretty fast - wouldn't we know if we were infected by now?"

Marcus didn't fancy the idea of spending the night exposed like this.

Besides, he thinks, if they're having "mechanical issues" we probably should get back anyway... but I'm not going to press my luck...

[SgtParish]

"I'm with you Marcus, but it sounds like Finn and Mike are more qualified to know about these kinds of things, if they think we should stay outside, I'd rather do that than risk my family getting hurt."

He looks around to see if anyone else agrees with him.

"All though it is getting cold" Sam stutters through chattering teeth.


On your next post, can you all post fortitude checks against the cold, please? As you've been outside for at least an hour. Also bear in mind that certain clothing gives you bonuses against weather conditions, (Page 114; Outer Wear)
For purposes of this campaign all coats count as +1 to fortitude checks unless otherwise stated in the rules. Thanks :smallbiggrin:

EDIT
Also note Page 213, about heavy clothing bonuses.

[BWS2K]

Marcus nods in agreement with Sam's comment about the cold - and they'd be lucky if that's the only danger in staying topside.

I don't really mind either way, but I very nearly included a FortCheck in my last post, so I'll do it here. +2 for the parka but a base modifier of +0. Also... I'm pretty much in character for this - I think we have about 3ft outside right now!

[roll0]

[SgtParish]

The weather has gotten bitterly cold since total nightfall, an effect which is hindering Marcus's concentration and his dexterity.

Environmental Damage [roll0]

[Hamste]

We should have camped out in the Farmhouse; we could have used the walls to stop the wind and used the rafters for fire wood. Boy am I glad I have this overcoat. While we are here we better see if we can find that person's bike for tomorrow. Also we should set up some sort of protection from wind and other more dangerous survivors while we wait out here, even snow walls could help if we have proper hand protection to make them. Olov said as he started searching the snow for useful things...like the bike.

+3 fortitude and another +1 from a coat so +4 in total. Also [roll0] for search check, taking twenty if I can if that roll fails

[SgtParish]

Olov can make out the distinct shape of several uneven lumps in the snow, the closest being next to Sam's left leg, and another about ten meters further away.

Sam in the meantime starts gathering snow to build a barricade to shelter behind, "Good Idea "Andrew" though I still don't like the idea of being out here too much longer."

[SgtParish]

The cold is beginning to suck at the energy of the group, fingers begin to go numb, and legs become frozen and stiff. You wrap your coat tighter around you but the cold still manages to seep its way in.

Olov take [roll0] environmental damage

[Hamste]

Do you think these lumps on the ground are the people who were outside the bunker when the bombs went off? Olov said. After asking he nudged the snow pile by Sam's foot with his own foot.

See if the pile moves easily (For example if it was a dead body) with my foot, if hard clean it off

[shizukanashi]

"If you think I am staying out here with those Crazed and this cold, your need a bit of your own therapy." He said to Finn. "If you wanna lock me in my room or in the mess, or the gym do it, but sleeping outside is a death sentence."

Unless someone stops him Mike is heading down the hatch.

Fort: +3 for save, +1 for leather jacket [roll0]

[SgtParish]

Like Marcus and Olov, Mike is also suffering from the cold, however as he moves for the hatch, it hisses and opens with a loud metallic clank, a sound that echos across the dark landscape around you.

Cold damage [roll0] but feel free to enter the bunker

[Mordaenor]

Maxwell, looks very nervous, about the prospect of staying outside. "I agree with Mike. Staying out here will spell certain death. Creatures or crazies, its going to get mighty cold. I'm all for quarantining, but not out here."

Fortitude [roll0]

[Bonecrusher Doc]

"You're right, you're right everyone. Better to take a risk with a germ than to die of exposure. But let's do our best to make sure we don't get the others sick. No hugs or handshakes, and we've got to keep the common areas sanitized with bleach."

[SgtParish]

"Sounds like that's the pla-"

Sam stops abruptly mid sentence, wide eyed, searching the darkness.

"Did anyone else hear that?"

He pauses again, silence. He glances around the group.

"Wait. Yeah there it is again"

Sam's hand reassuringly grasps at his revolver.

[rorikdude12]

"What?"

Unknown sounds... Gravestones... Jacob is remined of the moors, but there's something else... This is no good. Jacob checks for his sidearm- but he's not carrying one. This isn't right... What's happening?!?!?

"Gimme the gun, Sam!", Jacob says. He suddenly advances right up to Sam and starts shouting at him, telling him to give him the gun and mixing in large quantities of profanity.

[BWS2K]

"Uh, gentlemen - a couple thoughts," Marcus interrupts, "It's cold up here and warm down there. There are killer mutants up here and there are lovely wives and children and beds down there. Whatever argument is required, if it's still valid, is best done in the bunker and not out here where whatever it was that may or may not have made that noise gets a front row seat to Dramacolypse: The Series before indulging in a late-night snack."

With these words Marcus positions himself at the hatch, ready to follow Sam.

Oh...Dramacoplypse...That's a good one...

He makes a mental note to remember the title for later.
...because it's an awesome title I just came up with, that's why. I'm assuming Sam is closest to the hatch, and that's it's more complicated than simply turning a crank - because Marcus would be opening it already. Winona doesn't like the cold, and he doesn't like her nagging.
[roll0] Listen roll, if GM didn't already roll in secret. It's untrained though and I don't have the book in front of me, so that might make a difference. Cheers!

[SgtParish]

The hatch is now fully opened, Sam tries to usher everyone inside, still trying to see into the darkness. Jake however catches him off guard and he fumbles with the revolver as he hands it over, accidentally opening the chamber and spilling the shells onto the floor.

"Sorry, I-" Sam begins, before panicking and quickly diving into the bunker, leaving the revolver on the floor...

Listen Check:

Not too far away to the north you hear the sound of wings beating in the cold air, this is interrupted by a loud wolf like howl to the south.

Something is out there, and it doesn't sound friendly...

EDITED because cellophane is about as scary as plasterboard :smallbiggrin:

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finn doesn't need any encouragement hustling into the bunker, but as he goes he makes a mental note to ask about improving their visibility of what's going on above ground while they are inside... cameras or periscopes or something.

[Mordaenor]

Maxwell does not dive immediately for the hatch, but hangs back, allowing the others to go through first, despite the biting cold penetrating is winter jacket. Should have warn a pair of mittens. He perks up at the flapping noise though, heads swivelling around to pinpoint its source, hands immediately coming up into a defensive stance.

Spot [roll0]

[Hamste]

Olov somewhat perturbed by what was in the lump in the snow moved onto the next one to check in a similar way.Like I said it doesn't matter much to me. Either way we had better start bright and early tomorrow morning as it is quite a long walk to the car. Why is everyone so freaked out by the noises? Not many animals around here are usually dangerous and it's unlikely there are any survivors around, I mean we are in the middle of a field away from any place someone could loot easily without trouble and as far as I have seen no one has disturbed the bunker since the bombs went off.

Keep searching the lumps for the bike, listen check [roll0]

[SgtParish]

As Olov continues his search of the bike, he begins to stray from the group until he becomes barely visible to Jake and Maxwell through the thick darkness, struggling to see his friend in the gloom, Maxwell is suddenly taken aback as a large beast swoops towards him, four clawed arms reach out from a heavily disfigured body clumsily supported by a pair of black wings, topped off with ugly bald head and sunken red eyes. It flies directly at Maxwell fangs bared menacingly.

Combat Round; Start

Surprise Round;

The Monster, Maxwell, Marcus, Jake and Mike may act. Olov and Finn however has not seen the beast and is unaware of its presence.

Olov Only
The second lump of snow you find reveals a motor bike in relatively good condition, no doubt a few months of snow will have had their effect on performance

Finn Only
As you follow Sam down into the Bunker you notice some strangers sat in the corner of the room, two men and a woman each in their early twenties packing rugged clothes and most surprisingly two hunting rifles and a single shotgun, despite their aggressive appearance they are conversing nicely with Jessica and Emma, about what you cannot hear.

[Hamste]

Hey guys, I found the bike. It might need some repairs though but it should be useful Olov yelled as he straightens up the bike and turns it around. He then wheels it around and starts to head back to the bunker with it.

If I see the creature before my move action is done, Olov will drop the bike and run towards it

[rorikdude12]

Jake will pick up the revolver and as many shells as he can in his turn.

[BWS2K]

Marcus' first thought upon seeing the flying creature is disbelief, and with it a sort of admiration for how real the creature looks - like an awesome costume design with hidden wires somewhere.

I want those wings!

Half a second later, however, the realization that the creature is living, breathing, and attacking Maxwell strikes home and he is both equally panicked and angered - mostly at all the talking that went on about this very sort of thing happening while deciding whether the group should head inside. The "fight or flight" adrenaline rushes through his body and in an instant he's leaping and swinging Winona at the creature...

"Hey ugly - know any good bat jokes?!"
Marcus will Charge (full-round action, +2 to attack/-2 to defense) the creature: [roll0]
Action Point spent (sheet adjusted): [roll1]
Damage roll (if hit): [roll2]

So I think I've got that right. Obviously I hope to hit but a miss is no big deal (though my defenses will be down some. I believe I'll use this as a good turning point for Marcus' psyche - the blood and gore and devastation was more or less process-able... being attacked by a zombat is a little more personal, even if he was going after Marcus. It may not show right away but I'll have this encounter make an impression one way or the other (if Marcus survives, that is). I don't think I can adjust things once I post this so if there are problems GM is going to have to edit.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finn steps clear of the chute to make room for anyone else coming down, and is unaware of the commotion above. When he sees the strangers, he is concerned, but he doesn't show it. Au contraire, he does his best to turn on his Irish charm, which usually serves him well.

GM: please note Trustworthy feat, also Charm talent (applies to women) and roll Diplomacy as needed on my behalf (not sure if you need one roll or three)

"Well, hello there. Nice to see some new faces. I'm Finn McCullough. I'd offer to shake hands but I'm afraid after what we've just been through that wouldn't be very hygienic."

[Mordaenor]

Acting on years of training to the point of being nearly instinctual, Maxwell's braces himself for the incoming attack. Without evening thinking about it, he triggers a reaction in his body that causes a surge of adrenaline to flood his body. At the last second, he ducks and comes up deliving a powerful uppercut, aimed squarely at the beast chin.

"Turbo Charging" Strength now + [roll0]
Attack roll [roll1] + 5 = 9
Damage [roll2] + 5 = 7

And clearly, Maxwell is used to fighting "Human" opponents.

[SgtParish]

Finn Only

The two men return your smile, the older one sat on the left jokes.

"Don't worry mate, If you'd seen what we've been through. I can't imagine you wanting to shake our hands either" He nudges his comrade and both give a warm laugh.

The young woman gazes at you with giant blue eyes from underneath her woollen hat, and as you turn to look at her, she spins her head away hiding a rather obvious blush. :smallredface:



I see now that green was a bad choice, I'll stick to black bold

[shizukanashi]

"Jesus! The F*** is that!" Mike draws his pistol but is still reluctant to shoot he points it in the direction of the attacker. "Everybody get inside. Now!"

Mike is still not sure what is going on. He is also thinking about the Crazed being MU, as in at least once human. If this thing is less human than the crazed he will probably shoot right away, but if he can see that it is or even was human he will be much less ready to fire. He is friends with Marcus and reluctant to kill "humans" even if they are mad MU. That said if Maxwell gets clearly hurt by an attack he will also act to defend him and shoot, or if the thing looks particularly feral. He is also thinking heavily about the infection, and the next step, what it means to live in the new world ect.. I think he is hoping that Marcus or Max will hurt it and he doesn't have to kill it, or maybe even that Jake or "Andrew" will kill it first, but he will if he needs to. Does that make any sense or is it just long winded?

If it goes down he will scan for more, and be the last one down the hatch.

Rolls:
Initiative: [roll0]
Fire gun: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]
Spot: [roll3]

[SgtParish]

End of Round Summary

Round 1; Surprise round.

Initiative order;

Mike (14)
Maxwell (13)
Marcus (12)
Jake (11)
Monster (8)

Finn (Unaware)
Olov (Unaware)

---

Mike sees the great beast swoop out of the darkness almost landing right upon Maxwell, it looks completely in-human, with four clawed arms and a giant set of black leathery wings. In a rush to defend the unarmed Maxwell from the Monster Mike opens fire without aiming, the shot flies wildly to the left and the creature barely seems to notice, eyes fixed on his prey.

Maxwell braces himself for the incoming attack. Without evening thinking about it, he triggers a reaction in his body that causes a surge of adrenaline to flood his body. At the last second, he ducks and comes up delivering a powerful uppercut, aimed squarely at the beast chin. The beasts reactions are far superior to that of the Maxwell boxing partners, and the monster easily avoids the clumsy blow. Landing on the hard ground beside Maxwell, it snarls bearing a set of vicious fangs dripping with thick black saliva.

Marcus moves up behind the terror unseen, it's gaze firmly fixed on Maxwell. Feeling the adrenaline rush through his body and in an instant he's leaping and swinging Winona at the creature,

"Hey ugly - know any good bat jokes?!" Marcus shouts, and with a sickening "Crunch!" he brings Winona down across the beasts back, mangling it's left wing into a twisted mess of torn skin and hollow bone. The beast, suffice to say definitely feels the damage, letting out a horrendous roar of pain, it now turns to face the new threat, with a great malice in the monsters deep red eyes.

Jake dives for Sam's discarded revolver, and hurriedly grabs all six shells lying in the snow, loading becomes frustratingly slow for Jake as his fingers have numbed in the bitter cold. Finally fully loaded, Jake glances up to see the beast advance towards Marcus.

The Monster rears up onto it's hind legs, and with a blood curdling roars slices into Marcus with it's four clawed arms. Marcus nimbly dodges the first and the second attack, blocking the third with Winona, but without seeing it coming the forth claw cleanly strikes against Marcus's Face. Blood spews forth like a fountain, as Marcus is flung to the side like a discarded toy. He collapses face down in the blood soaked snow, unmoving. His bat lies a few feet behind him.

Monster Rolls

Int (8)
Attack(s) (5) (20*) (0) (4) Critical Threshold, (17) Pass
Critical Damage (9)


New Round; Start

All Parties may Act, however Marcus is required to make a stabilising roll.

[shizukanashi]

"MARCUS!" Seeing his closest friend face down in the blood stained snow suddenly made everything real. The man he failed to save, the horrors of the new world, the impossible rate of infection, everything he lost 4 months ago it was all real. "DIE YOU PEICE OF S***! DIE!" He turned on the beast and fired with terror and hatred in his eyes.

Mike will check on Marcus as soon as its dead! Until then he's going to give it every bullet hes got. I am going to go ahead and spend an action point BEFORE the roll, I think this helps to show Mikes desperation.

Attack roll: + [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]


Hopefully thats enough to hit, although the Damage is a bit less "I will lay my vengence upon you!" than I had hoped.

How do criticals work with the roller system? I have discovered you can not edit rolls and as far as I know even if I roll for no reason [roll]1d4 in an edit it doesn't work. How did you get the dice roller to crit for you?

[Hamste]

Olov drew his own gun and aimed it at the monster before firing a shot off at it. He was mildly worried about what-his-name being injured but he was not responsible for what happened. He hoped someone would notice the shooting up in here... after all he was pretty sure he was the only one with a silenced gun.

[roll0] [roll1] Also rolling doesn't work in the edit so people have to roll a crit in the ooc

[BWS2K]

"Never mind, I'll just wing-"

Marcus' quip is cut short, literally, by the creature's claws slicing across his face and neck. He falls instantly, disoriented and with vision fading to black before he hits the ground.
Okay, so I'll roll here with an AP and if it works then I guess I'll double-post with my actions for the round. There's nothing to adjust hp-wise on my sheet if I understand the rules correctly (if I make the roll). This is brutal!
[roll0] and adding [roll1] for (hopefully) twenty or better. If not, I'll adjust my sheet down 1AP and down 1hp. :smalleek:

[rorikdude12]

Jacob loaded the gun. He aims at the creature....

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacob crouched down behind the remains of the sedan. His co was next to him, and Jacob could hear the radio over the gunfire.

We have hostiles at 5 o'clock! Delta Team, fall back! Fall
back!

We're cornered! We can't! We are under fire! We need reinforcements!

No can do. Fall back!"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacob was at Doctor Hetzinger's office, but it wasn't quite right. Doctor Hetzinger had a giraffe head, but the eyes were missing.

Stop. I'm not here for some kinda voodoo junk, Doc. I need pills for the nightmares."

"Some people find their lives to be nightmares. What makes you think you need pills for life?"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jason saw Stonehenge, and all was well.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason fires the revolver at the monstrous beast.

Attack roll is [roll0] + [roll1], because everyone loves action points.

If it's not a .44 Magnum, damage is [roll2] + [roll3] if crit.
If it is, [roll4]+ [roll5] if crit.

[SgtParish]

End of Round Summary

Round Two;

Initiative Order;

Jake (19)
Mike (13)
Marcus (9)
Olov (6)
Maxwell (5)
Monster (3)

Finn (Unaware)

---

Jake looks up to see the Monster advancing towards him, a unquenchable thirst for blood in it's eyes. He brings the shaky revolver up to the beast, muttering under his breath.

{KA-POW!}

The Monster's belly ruptures as the round passes straight through, a river of black liquid flows out of the gaping hole, yet still the Monster presses on, driven by anger more than anything.

"MARCUS!"Seeing his closest friend face down in the blood stained snow suddenly made everything real. The man he failed to save, the horrors of the new world, the impossible rate of infection, everything he lost 4 months ago it was all real. "DIE YOU PEICE OF S***! DIE!" He turned on the beast and fired with terror and hatred in his eyes.

The bullet slams into the Monsters lower jaw, shattering the bone and sending splintered fangs everywhere, a large gash from the beasts head to its neck and the hanging remnants of flesh and bone are all that's left of it's mouth.

The Monster gurgles in pain, turning around to flee, it's wings crippled it resorts to a lob-sided run back into the darkness.

Olov fires a round after it, but both quickly disappear into the night. Glancing down at Marcus body he notices four large claw marks on his face...

End of Combat.

PC Victory!

Each award yourselves 200xp

Combat Statistics;

Rounds Fired; 3

Rounds Hit; 2

Accuracy; 66%

Damage Delt; 16

Damage Taken; 9

MVP; Jake

PC's Dead; 0

(Friendly) NPC Deaths; 0

(Enemy) NPC Deaths; 0

PC's Injured; 1

(Friendly) NPC Injured; 0

(Enemy) NPC Injured; 1

[shizukanashi]

As soon as it was clear the danger was no longer present, Mike ran to Marcus turned him over and checked his vitals. Breathing check. Pulse check. He's alive. That's better than my last patient.

"Max! Give me a hand. We have to get down there before that thing, or something worse comes back." He wished he had not given his pack to Finn. "Rope! We need to build a harness, anyone have any rope?"

For a second he was an EMT, checking stats, working calmly and precisely, incontrol of the situation. It was then that he felt the pistol, still gripped white knuckled in his off hand. He vagely recalled moving it when he turned Marcus over to check his breathing. He scanned the darkness as well as he could, but the war zone was sinking back in, no not a warzone, he had been in a war zone before. This was something worse!"Somebody get me some F***ing ROPE!"

[BWS2K]

Marcus opens his eyes, disoriented and uncertain exactly what has happened. Bubbles rise past his face and terror strikes as he realizes he's submerged deep below the ocean's waves. In panic, he kicks his feet in an attempt to propel upward but progress is slow. His lungs burn as he flails in slow motion, desperately trying to reach the surface before it's too late. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, Marcus is able to gasp oxygen in big heaving breaths as he breaks free of the ocean's depths. He rises and falls with the swells of a raging storm, the dark sky pouring sheets of rain almost as thick as the waters below. A distant flash of lightning reveals a monstrous figure on the horizon. Its size is hard to tell with no frame of reference, but in that brief moment of revealing Marcus can guess it's something big - able to put skyscrapers to shame. The peel of thunder - or is it a roar? - assaults his ears, causing him to instinctively clap his hands against the sides of his head and shut his eyes tight. When he opens them again he finds himself standing in front of a mirror in the bathroom of his old apartment, the sound of a hot shower running behind him. The reflection is distorted from the condensation and he moves to wipe it away - revealing something he knows should be frightening... but somehow isn't.

What he sees is a creature - is it him? - about his height covered in translucent scales that seem to shimmer with every minute movement of muscle. Spiny bone-like protuberances cover the sides of its head, shoulders, elbows, and knees, as well as appearing in patches spaced asymmetrically across the chest, arms, and legs. Beginning at the knees, the shins bend backward and have a second joint before reaching its feet, which are significantly larger than Marcus' own. They more closely resemble clawed pads than feet and toes, and seem built for leaping - the quads near the top of the leg look quite powerful, yet the creature's stance is perfectly balanced. Marcus' gaze roams back up to its face - somehow familiar but with terribly inhuman eyes in place of his own brown ones. They shift in color as well, from bright reds to deep greens and blues. Marcus reaches out to touch the mirror, his movements matched by the reflection, when it suddenly cracks and explodes outward, the shards cutting deep into his flesh. Sharp pains cry out from all over but the left side of his head feels like it's on fire and he can feel the blood flowing freely through his hands and down across his chest. Marcus stumbles backwards into the shower curtain and feels the hot water pouring in every tiny cut on his body as all fades once more to black.

So this is a dream sequence that Marcus has while unconscious. I discussed some additional mutations that seemed appropriate and useful, and settled on the following as a result of being attacked by a possibly infected mutant bat thing:

Unnatural Voice[-]
Combat Fear[-4]/Chameleon Skin[+1]/Hypersensitivity[+3]
Brittle Bones[-4]/Darkvision[+3]/Leaper[+1]
Monocular Vision[-2]/Wall Crawler[+2]

These are in addition to his previous mutations. If we were using the spectrum with 1 being a normal Human Being and a 5 being what he was when he entered the bunker, he's now like a 10.5 - very clearly a mutant and probably hideously repulsive to someone like the Washington Sisters, who weren't that keen on him before. Imagine an Argonian from Skyrim (with legs like the Argonians in Morrowind but a bit smaller - he's still about the same size as before) with little spines or horns or whatever on different parts of his body (not always symmetrically placed, and still somewhat retractable/malleable in one direction), but with skin that was more like a newt (scaly but softer and more translucent) and with a single (right) eye that was somehow reminiscent of a chameleon's (but not sticking out so far). His fingers are somewhat elongated and his "underbelly" - underarms, palms, soles of his feet, belly/lower torso - feature no spines and are a smoother, longer type of scale, like a snake's belly. His skin and eye color shift with the light and seem to be in a constant state of change, something like a rainbow trout or hypercolor jackets. Clothing-wise he can still manage with his shirts and pants, but the pants will need to be cut off at the knee and his shoes definitely won't fit anymore. To this end, it may be beneficial for him to wear wraps on his lower legs and have some sort of trench coat/cloak to both stay warm outside and help hide his appearance from anyone topside that might get the wrong idea. The four claw marks on his left face are nasty scars and begin up around the forehead and stretch all the way down to his shoulder, and this will affect his voice some as well (more raspy, not like a snake but more like a sore throat). His left eye is gone, essentially gouged out in the attack.

This transformation will take place over at least a day or two, and look something like molting as Marcus sheds his skin to reveal the new stuff underneath and his legs will just sort of morph into the new form. This will all affect his psyche as well, though it may not be readily apparent, and I think we'll see some really cool things develop with him. Definitely not a fighter anymore though, at least not frontline, though I think his other uses are clear.

And should we discover the Morlocks, he'll make a perfect ambassador. :smallbiggrin:

I won't post again for a bit, to let him heal and whatnot, but I will be watching and reading along. Cheers!

Reference, but not exact representation here (http://fav.me/d2o6vw0).

[Mordaenor]

Max spins around to confront the opponent again, to find it has been dealt with and is running off into the darkness. With sound of the gunshots still ringing in his ears, (Max has never been this close to gun fire of any sort) he almost doesn't hear his name shouted. Rushing over to Mike, he looks down at the injured Marcus. Max can feel the adrenaline surge starting to wane, he may have to handle this without it.

"I can lift him if you think its safe to move him. Stand back."

Assuming Mike does not advise against it, Str check to safely lift up Marcus [roll0]

Man, I am rolling CrrrrrrAP for this character.

[Hamste]

You guys take care of him I will check the bike. I wish we had the corpse, it could have given some interesting information. On another note I will work on the bike so that it will hopefully be ready for tomorrow, so if when you head down can you send someone up to help guard and fix it. Perhaps with some tools. Olov said as he checked the bike for problems.

Action:try to repair the bike [roll0] with an unknown negative for using limited supplies and no tools...wow how long before I get a second chance?

[rorikdude12]

Jacob looks at Marcus coldly. He doesn't have time to deal with every kid who skins his knee on the moors.

Jacob yawns, and decides to go to bed. He holsters the revolver and heads inside the bunker for a nap.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Immediately upon hearing the muffled sound of gunshots from within the bunker, Finn turns and races back up the ladder. The combat was over by the time he got out on the ground. Not that he would have been able to do much with his baton. He sizes up the situation and runs over to Mike attending to Marcus. He flips the med kit open and tears the wrapper off some gauze.

Can I have Finn do AID ANOTHER to assist Mike's TREAT INJURY check? Feel free to roll for me GM!

[SgtParish]

As Olov checks over the bike he realises he has no idea what he's looking for, and without the keys it's practically impossible to tell if the vehicle still works.
If this is indeed Max's bike, he's most likely to have the most knowledge about its function.

Treating Marcus

The two doctors need to decide whether you're treating Marcus inside or outside the bunker, and if you do choose to treat him outside Mike will gain +3 to his roll from Finn's aid. If you choose to carry him inside, each additional character can add +2 to Maxwell's 9. But remember, as Mike pointed out, you'll need some rope or some steady hands to lower Marcus inside. (It's still night time, and its still cold...)

[Bonecrusher Doc]

"You're the trauma expert Mike - is he going to exsanguinate if we try to move him down to the bunker now? He needs to get down there soon. I think we've got a couple of disposable foil blankets in this kit, that could buy us enough time to get him stabilized." Still holding the roll of Kerlix out to Mike in one hand, Finn rummages through the kit with his other hand to find the trauma blankets.

[shizukanashi]

"No I don't WANT to move him, but when our options are move him inside or treat him here and become the next frozen dinner for whatever the hell else is out there. I say move him!"

With that Mike goes to his bag and finds the rope, making two loops in which he inserts marcus's legs, he then ties it around his waist then a loop around each arm, to form a makeshift harness.

"Three or four of us can lower him down, like this. Someone else should go just in front of him and make sure his limbs don't catch on the ladder. I'll fix him up as best I can when we are all safely inside."

[Mordaenor]

Maxwell braces himself to assist in lifting Marcus into the hatchway.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finn grabs the medical gear and runs to the hatch. He drops the gear down the hatch and calls below.

"We need some help here! Sam, would you and the new gentlemen come help us get this wounded man down the ladder?!"

Finn then takes his place as directed by Mike to lower the casualty down.

[SgtParish]

Shortly after hearing Finn, Sam emerges from the bunker as do two men armed with rifles, Sam looks at Marcus in disbelief, "Marcus..."

The elder of the two men, speaks to Mike, "Time for pleasantries later, I can help lift him if you need me to, and Nick here is pretty nimble"

Turns to the younger man, "Nick get down the ladder and adjust that poor fellows legs so he doesn't get caught on the ladder"

Nick nods and clambers back down the ladder.

The man then turns to Sam and throws the rifle over to him, "Sam keep an eye out, I don't want any gargoyles picking us off in the dark."

Sam just nods his head, "Okay"

"Ready everyone? Lift!"

[shizukanashi]

Mike is taken aback to see two unknown armed men come out of the bunker, but seeing that they are being helpful and not point guns at anyone he agrees to forgo introductions.

"Uh..thank you, friend?" He didn't mean to add the inflection and turn it into a question, but thats what came out of his mouth.

He picked up the rope right between Max and the elder of the two strangers.

"Okay, Nick. Get in front of him and just guide him down. Be as gentle as possible, we don't want to injure him further."

Mike knew that if Marcus had a spinal injury moving him this way was going to leave him in a parapalegic, but what choice did they have? Monsters and freezing tempatures were threatening the entire group, not just Marcus, and the hatch was open, so everyone down below was in danger now too. He would just have to hope Marcus was in better condition than he looked.

"Okay, watch your footing in the snow. Plant your heel to minimize slipping. On Three...One...Two....Three."

Strength Check: [roll0]

[SgtParish]

Marcus's body hangs limply as it's lowered down into the bunker, the rope fits snugly around his arms and legs, and the combined strength of Mike, Finn, Max and the stranger means a smooth descent for Marcus. It takes a roughly five minutes before Nick gives the all clear from underneath.

Sam stands guard at the entrance with the rifle as the rest of you make your way inside, following the last person down, and closing the hatch as he does.

The darkness of the bunker is a relief from that of the frozen wasteland up top, one question that's on everyone's mind is who these two strangers are...


Sorry to skip over everyone's rolls, but it seemed like we were spending to long on rather a simple action. Read page 142 on healing :smallwink:

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finn is still a bit concerned about spreading infection, so rather than putting Marcus on the table in the common area he asks for the other men's help getting Marcus into his own bed. As he opens up the med kit again to help Mike, he gives Sam instructions to wipe everything down with bleach and recommends everyone wash up thoroughly. He'd like to have some conversation with the new folks but that will have to wait; the non-medical types can get to know them first.

[shizukanashi]

Mike reluctantly agrees to bring Marcus to his quarters but also picks up his bag of supplies that he had previously given to Finn. Once Marcus was comfortable in his bed he and Finn get to work.

I am making 3 treat injury checks per page 74. Finn should aid for a +2

Restore Hit points: [roll0]

Long term care: [roll1]

Revive Unconcious: [roll2]

I will only make the revive unconcious if the first two checks succeed. (If he is not healing well, Mike wants to let him sleep.)

[shizukanashi]

Sorry for the double post I relized I neglected to roll the d4 for hit points on the restore hit points check: [roll0] Asuming there are no special circumstances that would increase the DC's:

"How are you feeling? Welcome back to the land of the living." Mike smiles at Marcus. "Listen there is still some concern of contamination, like I said before, I think we would know by now but its really better safe than sorry and I am going to pick my battles." He gives Finn a breif passive-agressive glare. "You best not wander around, Stay in your room and get some rest, bust out that sketch pad of yours. I will let the others know you are awake, and when we have the all clear you can see them. I know Jessica is dieing to know that you are okay. Then again if you die, that signed copy of Millenium Man is going to go through the roof!"

[SgtParish]

Sam pokes his head around the door,

"How bad is it, is he going to be all right?"

Seeing Marcus slowly regain consciousness, Sam nods happily,

"We'll talk later, get some rest"

A muffled conversation between Sam and Jessica is heard about seeing him in the morning after he has a chance to recover.

When everyone has left Marcus to get some peace, Sam wishes to talk with Nick and the two other strangers....


Results are on my OOC post if yo need!

[BWS2K]

Marcus nods in acknowledgement of Mike's words but his head is still pounding and he's glad to just rest. One word continues to nibble at the edge of his mind though, before he drifts off into a solid sleep:

...contamination...
hp currently at 4, will adjust later to 7 after a good night of sleep. Cheers!

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Once everything and everyone is cleaned up from the day's travails, Finn tries to get everyone rounded up in the common area. He's especially interested to meet the newcomers. Finn is happy to find a few teabags remaining in the supplies and makes tea for everyone.

"Sam, why don't you fill us in on what happened here while we were out?"

[SgtParish]

All the residents have gathered in the central room, as the adventuring party discovered the world up top is unknown and unsafe for anybody, creatures of death lurk in the shadows and disease and infection hide round every corner, it is a dangerous place as Marcus will be sure to tell you, and one wrong move may end your life. A time for discussion is required, what must the group do to survive?


By all the residents I mean those who haven't specifically stated that they aren't there, if you don't want to be involved in the conversation just let me know some how :smallbiggrin:


Cradling his mug of tea Sam looks over at Finn, "I know about as much as you guys, it was Sandra who let these men in..." Sam throws a dirty look over at his wife, who in return sheepishly looks at her tea, avoiding anyone else's gaze.

Noticing the conflict he and his two friends had caused, the Eldest man stands up, "Now, it seems we've not been properly introduced," The man drains his mug before putting it down on the table, " My name is John Stone, this is my half brother Nick, and our friend Elise, we came from the "Daybreak" Refuge point in South Carolina, we've been heading West since the Feds lost control."

Nick takes over the introduction,

"You see things got pretty messed up, the whole "Re-build Plan" went out the window, when Adam Jericho went ****balls crazy"

"NICK!" Elise hisses, glancing over at the two young girls.

"Sorry,"

"So we packed up and tried to get as far as possible from everything, thought we could survive on our own, (Mock Chuckle) there was eleven of us when we first left, and I reckon if we hadn't heard that gunfire, we properly would never of seen your bunker entrance"

"... And we'd most likely be dead..."

"But Sandra here, our saviour let us in, saved our asses from freezing to death or being eaten alive by gargoyles or crazed or whatever else lurks in the shadows when we're not looking..."

Sandra speaks up, "I was just doing what any human being would do, in that situation, you all looked half dead."

"We were."

There's a moment of quiet as everyone glances around the room, John breaks the silence.

"I looked at your friend though, I think he'll make it, luckily for him he didn't get bitten, just a scratch."

"Well, thanks I guess..."

"Now you know who we are, I think it's only fair that we know you, what's your plan? Live in here the rest of your lives?"


Feel free to either tell them or refuse to tell them anything, (You may want to do some OOC discussion) Can you trust them? :smallconfused:

[Hamste]

Olov noticing no one was around decided it would be a good time to search through the corpses. It should be cold enough that any disease in them would be dormant...at least assuming the diseases here weren't mutated like some of the other things around here. They most likely had nothing interesting on them but never hurt to check. He wondered if anything was happening in the bunker and if anyone was sending someone up to help with the repairs.

Searching each pile and taking a twenty on the check (I can take twenties on this type of search right?) putting me at 22, if I can't take a twenty for whatever reason [roll0]

[SgtParish]

"Yes you can, as long as your trained."

Aside from a few dollars and jewellery (Rings, Necklaces, etc.) Olov is unable to find anything of use, then there is a sound from behind him, a crunch in the snow...

[Hamste]

Olov looked behind him at the sound of the noise and drew his gun. He wondered who or what would be around at this time. Any sane creature should have run off with the sound of the gunshots...unless if it was another survivor or something used to loud noises. He kind of wished his gun wasn't silenced now but with how no one reacted to the gunshots before it probably didn’t matter. Hello? He called out as he turned. He hoped that whatever was behind him was harmless.

[SgtParish]

Olov only;

As you turn you are faced with the fanged smiles of three ragged wolves, their yellow eyes watch you, and for a moment they stay silent.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

"So you've encountered these gargoyles before? Are they some sort of drastic mutation? We saw some evidence of a fast-rotting wound on a man not far from here; could that somehow be related to some sort of contagious mutation?

[Mordaenor]

Max chimes in, "Maybe you all better start from the beginning, seems you have a few more details than we do about the current state of thing."

[Hamste]

Olov looked at the wolves and frowned. He picked up the corpses he had just been searching. Hello there, nice doggies. You want some munchies? I bet you do. Here you go. Olov said trying to stay calm. If he could figure out a way to knock them out he could train them. He fired off his gun attempting to avoid actually killing the creatures. After firing he drew his metal baton and extended it to its full size.

[roll0] and [roll1] if I hit, I have already taken into acount the -4 for trying to do non-lethal damage (I am assuming it is the same in this as in D&D.

[SgtParish]

Olov:

Olov's attempts at distracting the dogs, are futile, it seems they prefer their meat fresh and juicy as opposed to frozen and decaying. The gunfire however does scare them a lot, the bullet cuts into the biggest dog, instantly killing the beast. The other two scarper off towards the tree line, it seems they're used to attacking in bigger packs and tried to bite off more than they can chew with Olov, perhaps heading inside would be wise before anything bigger shows up. (I'm not going to do a combat summary, because of how short that was)


John glances at Nick, who looks back at Finn.

"Don't know what they are, whether there Mutants or some sort of Bio-Weapon gone wrong, we just know that they're tough, and fighting with them ends up getting you killed most times."

"We do know that they hate light though, sometimes shinning a bright torch can be more effective than gunfire against them, sometimes."

John answers Max's question,

"What do you mean? I told you where we came from, and well our plan is continue heading West until we find somewhere safe to hold up."

[Hamste]

Olov walked over to the beast and checked to see if it was alive or not. If he could train a wolf they could have a nice advantage when hunting or searching for something. Then again even if it was dead, it's pelt could be useful as a cloak.

[SgtParish]

On closer inspection, the wolf was still alive but badly injured, it's hind led had been shredded by the bullet and was bleeding profusely, training such a wild animal may have been close to impossible, and on such an injured subject the efforts may be more hassle than it's value.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

"Well, John, Nick, and Elise - if you've come all the way from the East Coast you must be pretty tough and talented. Do you have a vehicle? Is there any reason you think heading further west than Colorado is a good idea?We're trying to decide what we should do ourselves."

[Hamste]

Olov, seeing the wolf was out of it, walked over to the portal to the bunker and opened it. Hey, I need a medic or a veterinarian up here. Also does anyone know how to train animals other than me? We could get a wolf to help with the hunting and scouting. Olov yelled down the hatch. He then walked over to the wolf as he reloaded his spent shot and attempted to treat it's injuries while he waited for someone to respond.


[roll0] attempting a treat injury attempt

[SgtParish]

"The Old Government sent out messages for everyone to move West about a month after the impact, they we're trying to establish some sort of Haven for Survivors part of the "Re-Build Project", get away from the ash and the MU Corruptions, there seemed to be a common trend, that the further East you where, the worse things got."

"Well it made sense, they claimed that most of the asteroid hit Africa, so the further we are from that, the better, right?"

"Perhaps..."

"Well the Old Government or the "Feds" as many have been calling them lost control of the East side, which didn't help matters. We had riots and gangs to battle through to get this far. We're not tough, we're smart, that's how you survive..."

Elise stretches and yawns,

"You guys okay if we kip here tonight?"

"Yeah it beats having to share a tent with John"

John shakes his head, then looks at Finn questioningly.


Olov; You make a makeshift bandage which stops the bleeding somewhat, the dog is still unconscious, now would be ideal time to move it inside.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

"Well, I certainly wouldn't be the one to kick you out the door on a night like this! But I have to say that we're running low on food, so it's more likely that we will be joining your nomadic lifestyle than you joining us here underground. Especially if it's not safe outside for us to start farming. If you see the east is that bad, maybe we should head west ourselves. And there's strength in numbers."

[SgtParish]

"Sounds good, we'd be happy to form some sort of team, we could search for supplies together, as you say strength in numbers."

He smiles, and with that, turns to set up his sleeping bag on the floor.

"It's nice not to have to worry so much about creatures creeping up on you in the night *yawns*"

[SgtParish]

End Of Days

Chapter Three, Scavengers of the Wastes

December 12th 2028. South Colorado, USA

Bunker CC-7900

As the residents turn in for the night, Nick John and Elise make themselves comfortable on the floor of the Mess.
All is quiet except for the grunting of Olov as he tries to move his injured Wolf inside the bunker, and the night passes
peacefully for most. It had been a hard day for Sam, as well as many of the other residents of the Bunker, seeing the
broken shell of the old world, and the fierce creatures that roam above give him horrifying dreams, he can't help but
be mistrustful of the new people, despite their friendliness something doesn't quite feel right. All these factors combine to
give Sam a restless night, unable to sleep he finally gives up, grabbing his least read book he heads for the toilet.

Eventually what you assume to be morning comes, and the residents emerge from their dorms to ready for a new day,
Elise is already up, and performing her routine morning workout, while Nick and John make the most of comfort by lying
in their beds still fast asleep.

(Your Move Guys)

[BWS2K]

Drifting in and out of deep sleep and recurring visions from his dream about seeing himself in the mirror, Marcus wakes slowly. He has the sensation of being wrapped tightly in thick blankets and as he begins to move around he realizes with horror - and disgust - that he has mutated once more. No positive thoughts this time, no upbeat attitude about what the future may hold. His skin had peeled off during the night and now lay about him in long semi-transparent strips. His skin was a shade of milky grey, with a dull shimmer that was constantly shifting. The dark-colored spines from before had become more prominent against the new skin, which was somehow smoother in most areas - but not completely. Parts still looked to be in a state of change and he wondered if the transformation had finished.

Would it matter? I'm a monster now...

His hands had changed too, with elongated fingers and palms that were rough, like sandpaper. The biggest change came when he sat up - his legs were entirely mutated. Like some sort of amphibian/lizard hybrid, he had an extra joint and much larger feet than before. His quads rippled with powerful new muscle mass and he sensed a potential in their strength that was betrayed by their alien appearance.

Yes, alien... Even monsters can be understood, but not me... I'm barely human anymore...

The whole self-assessment took no more than a minute or two and was in a distorted vision, flat from lack of depth perception. Raising a hand to his eye, Marcus remembered the attack. He tried to feel grateful for surviving but the gratitude wouldn't come. Something else had changed too, something inside. He was a truly a new creature with changed instincts and emotions now. The digital clock on the wall showed that it was early morning.

No reason to wake up anyone else just yet...

Stripping off the ash-covered clothes and taking his time to wash away all the hanging bits of dead flesh, he cleaned his body as best he could and examined it in front of the mirror. The head wound had stopped bleeding sometime during the night, thanks to some good bandage work, leaving behind jagged scar tissue that stretched down the side of his face. The appearance intrigued him more than anything but he wasn't sure how the others would react.

Who am I now...who will they see...?

He flexed his muscles slowly, watching colors ripple down the length of his arm. Concentrating, he found he could control the pigment by visualizing his skin as a canvas. He started with simple patterns and then moved on to more complex designs. After practicing for a while, Marcus found that he could change it almost instantly without any effort. It was a welcome distraction from his melancholy.

Like a chameleon... A really ugly chameleon with only one eye...

He noticed that he could see into shadows as well, but only in grayscale, no colors. More detail too, like his vision had been somehow... enhanced. Perhaps to make up for the loss of his left eye - but it wasn't just his sight either. As others began waking up in the bunker, Marcus could hear their movements through the walls, feel the vibrations through the floor. The horror of what he had become was rapidly giving way to an intense curiosity.

So it's not all bad, just mostly bad...but will anyone see past my new face...?

He still had a good hour before anyone would be up and about, so Marcus decided to get dressed. He put on a clean T-Shirt and boxers, carefully pulling them over the awkward new joints and spines so as not to rip them. His jeans wouldn't fit as they were, so he cut down the outside of the shins and let them flare out for now. He'd made a couple costumes in his day and knew he'd have to sew in something there later, but it'd be alright for a while like it was. The bunker floor wasn't that cold on his bare feet and there weren't any extra-large socks in his drawer anyway. He tightened his belt and reached for his hoodie. Marcus paused as he considered the irony of donning that particular piece of clothing. Of all symbols to have survived Ender, this was the most significant to him now. He pulled it over his head carefully and let the full weight of the moment settle on him.

Heading towards the door, he stopped and grabbed his personal journal. He scribbled at the top of a new page before opening the hatch and heading out to meet the new day.


---
December 12th 2028
Marcus Okin is reborn.
---
...because the hoodie was from the movie, Superman Reborn, right? Man, I love roleplaying. I adjusted his hp and I figure I'll just leave him at the doorway for now, until everyone else gets something up. He still has yet to discover his voice change and wall-crawling too, so that'll be fun. I'm hoping someone has a small sewing kit that he can fix up his pants a little, and maybe do a couple little wardrobe tweaks - and I'm assuming someone thought to grab Winona... :smallwink:

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finn doesn't bother Elise while she's working out, but is ready with two post-workout smoothies (or the closest thing he can make with the available ingredients) as soon as she finishes.

"I have one of these each morning after the yoga session I do in my room - thought you might like to try one as well. My feelings won't be hurt if you spit it out though!"

[Bonecrusher Doc]

"So did you really walk all the way from the East Coast, or did you use any vehicles? Either way, your legs must be in great shape!

[SgtParish]

Mess Hall

Elise nods appreciatively as she gulps down the concoction of various re-hydrated fruits.

"Wow, thanks, I've not had fruit in ages, even if it does taste a little chemically..."

She looks down at her legs, scratches and scars cover the majority of her calf, shin and knees.

"Yeah, we walked about 15 hundred miles on foot, we'd use a car at some points but they quickly run out of fuel, and the roads get clogged, walking is easier, and more discreet... Say, your voice sounds familiar... what accent is that?"

[Hamste]

Bad dog. Release. Olov yelled at the dog smacking it on the nose. He had been trying to train it to atleast not attack him on sight but the going was hard. He really needed raw meat to reward it for doing a good job. So far he had it tied up with only it's jaws released and he was teaching it to not bite him. He had to use the food in the bunker and petting as a reward and it was no where near as good as raw meat for the wolf. He really needed some help but no one seemed to notice when he called down for help earlier.

Trying to teach the wolf down this week [roll0] dc 15with the possibility of there being a circumstance change in DC from it being a wolf.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finn continues to chat with Elise, trying to let her know about his Irish background and his radio job without being smug about it. He is so focused on his interaction with her that he doesn't even give Marcus a second glance when the hooded reptilian comes out of his room.

Finn is a bit surprised at himself for flirting. In his previous life he was known for smooth-talking and winking at groups of women, such as when he was a guest speaker at health food store luncheons, but he was always very serious with women one-on-one and he hadn't had a girlfriend since his school days back in Ireland.

Perhaps it's just Darwinian instinct, he thinks to himself. When the apocalypse has just happened, a single man shouldn't squander the opportunity to get close to a young woman who seems to be fit, hardy, and emotionally stable.

He shoves into his subconscious the alarming thought that historically, competition over females has led to violence...

[Mordaenor]

Maxwell rose later than normal, and went about his morning routine. In fifteen years, he had never failed to get in his morning training workout and he wasn't about to start now, although the lack of a proper gym and the need to conserve shower water had forced him to modify his routine a bit in the past several weeks. This morning though, he hit with a new purpose. He kept envisioning that gargoyle swooping out of the night. Those were his new opponents, them and whatever other freaks were crawling around on the surface now. His mind flashed briefly to Marcus at the word "freaks", but dismissed it just as suddenly. Marcus wasn't his opponent, nor was anyone else down in this hole. The opponenet was up there, and Maxwell was itching for round two.

He thought of the newcomers. He didn't trust them, but that wasn't saying much. In the Boxing World, you learned not to trust anyone. Everyone involved always had an "angle," some sort of agenda. The only person you could trust was the other guy in the ring with you. You knew what his agenda was, and he knew yours. Everyone else were a bunch of lying backstabbers. It was an approach to life that had served him well, and so he didn't trust anyone down here. They could have their agendas, that was fine, and as long as they didn't try to take advantage of Max, they wouldn't end up wiping themselves off the floor.

[rorikdude12]

Jacob struggles awake and steps out into the mess to have some water. He espies the newcomers, and hastily draws his revolver.

"Who are you???"

[SgtParish]

Having just emerged from his bedroom Sam notices Jake holding his Python at Elise as she conversed with Finn, barely able to let out a shout,

"No Jake, they're with us!"

But Elise had already reacted to the threat.

Her reactions are almost instantaneous, without thinking Elise takes hold of the gun barrel with one hand while the other pulls Jacobs firing arm to the right, the weapon comes free of his grasp and Elise steps away quickly still holding the revolver...

"Lie. the **** down *******!"

Sam, and everyone else in the room stand amazed at how quickly the tables turned.

"****!"


Elise's rolls
Disarm (17)
Non-Lethal Attacks (16) (18)
NL Damage (3) (3)
(I assumed you weren't wearing armour because you'd just woken up, however, if you were, be honest! I'll edit what happened :smallbiggrin:)
Okay EDITED so you don't take any damage, but disarm attacks don't involve armour, so you still lost the revolver, but otherwise you're fine :)

[BWS2K]

Marcus doesn't see anyone right away but notices Winona leaning against the wall by his door.

Glad to see someone was thinking of you...

He picks up the bat, thinking to turn and toss it on his bunk before searching out the others, when he suddenly hears shouting from the other side of the common area. He grips the bat tighter and jogs down the hall to see what's going on. Marcus stops short, not wanting to add to an already unknown situation.

No one's seen the new me yet...

His body still ached somewhat, noticeable now from the short exertion - a reminder that he wasn't fully healed.
I know I mentioned it so I'm sure ya'll just forgot to get Winona. No worries, all is forgiven. ;)

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finn takes cover behind the nearest piece of solid-looking furniture.

[SgtParish]

The commotion has woken Nick and John from their slumber, seeing their friend holding a revolver at a defenceless, albeit well armoured man.

"Woah! Woah, Honey, calm down. Ain't nobody trying to jump you.

"Lower the gun Elise, we'll sort this out"

Sam interjects

"Elise, Jake wasn't trying to hurt you, he's a good guy, honest"

"But..."

"Elise your scaring the children" He gestures towards Emma and Jess who are stood at the doorway watching the drama.

Elise hesitates, the revolver becomes shaky in her hands, then finally she lowers the gun, she starts to sob quietly.

"I thought, I thought-" Elise voice starts to break.

John embraces her as she becomes overcome with tears,

"It's all right, shhhh, you're okay" Gently he takes the revolver from her grasp, "Sandra, would you mind taking Elise somewhere quiet to calm down?"

"Of course" taking Elise's hand gently Sandra leads her to one of the empty Dorms, Jess and Emma follow.

Once they're out of earshot, Sam walks towards John to take back the revolver, John however won't relinquish his hold without answers.

"Care to explain what happened?" With strong hint of anger in his words.

All eyes turn to Jake.

[rorikdude12]

"I saw strangers here. I was in the war, boyo, and folk in the barracks that don't belong get announced first, or they get... get..."

Jake backs away slowly, presenting the smallest possible angle for fire to John until he reaches his room. If he does, he straps his armor on ater locking the door.

It's like in the moors... Gotta be resourceful.

Jake searches his room for something to be disassembled or something... Something that can be used as a weapon.

[Mordaenor]

Rec Room
Maxwell hears the shouting filtering down through the access ladder to the common room, and breaks off in mid punch. He scrambles back up the ladder. By the time he arrives, he only sees the aftermath, John holding Jake's revolver, Sam trying to diffuse what is clearly a tense situation, and all eyes turned to Jake's closed door. It isn't too hard putting two and two together and guessing that Jake officially went off the deep end.

So if BW's sketch is accurate, Max is now at the top of the ladder, which is on the opposite side of the dorm rooms from the Common Room.

[BWS2K]

Common Area now, in full sight of everyone.
Hearing the sounds of Max coming up behind him, Marcus makes his appearance known by stepping out into full view.

"Hey guys," he says slowly, looking around the room, "...what's up?"

His voice seems guttural and raspy, but still enough like his own that it could be a side affect of the healing process.

...or it could be another super power for Lizard Boy...
Okay, so that should take care of that. I don't know that anyone would've heard Maxwell other than Marcus, but I was standing pretty much in his line of sight so I moved. Cheers!

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finn stands up.

"Marcus... what's happening to you? Are you alright?"

[BWS2K]

"Um, yeah... I think I evolved again or something. I dunno really."

Marcus uses his bat like a cane, leaning to steady himself a bit. He hadn't realized how hurt he still was - it couldn't have been more than twenty-four hours since the attack, and then all the mutations probably took some time to settle in. Despite the obvious situation transpiring between some new faces and Finn and the others, he is suddenly quite hungry.

And here's me, all out of M&M's...

"I heard some shouting...?"

[shizukanashi]

Mike's Dorm

The wind was kicking up now and it was getting darker..and oh so cold. Gotta get back to the bunker, the bunker is safe. There are no fangs or wings or claws in the bunker, the bunker is safe. I can fix Marcus. He'll be alright in the bunker. Who are you? What are you doing in the bunker? Is the bunker really safe? No time. Marcus is dieing. Oh god there is so much blood. What if he doesn't make it? No its okay, its okay, see its clotting. The blood is clotting, there are platelets in the blood they help to seal things. They are like the bunker. Tiny little shields in the blood. Thin little scales. Scales? SCALES! Why does Marcus have scales in his blood? What the hell is going on? Why is there screaming?

Mike jolts up in bed and reaches for the pistol that he now has under his pillow. I heard shouting! He pointed the gun at the door and listened.

"Hey guys,...what's up?"

Its a dream. Just a bad dream. Marcus is up now and moving around, thats good. I'll have to remind him not to push it, we all had a long day, yesterday. A long..da...

Mike returns his pistol to its new home and pulls his blankets up tight, drifting back to sleep.

Just stopping by to say I am still here. I have not posted for a few days, patrially IC avoidance, and partially RealLifeTM commitments.

[Mordaenor]

Maxwell starts as Marcus steps out of the shadows. He'd seen a lot of mutants in his time, but he had to admit, this unnerved him a little. Still, Maxwell was nothing if not focused, and right now his focus was on Jake's locked door, Jake's revolver, and John holding Jake's revolver. Marcus was clearly not a threat at this very moment. Quietly and swiftly, he moves out into the common room towards Sam and John, keeping an ear out for the sound of other doors opening. "Short version?"

Now in the Common room, next to Sam and John

[SgtParish]

John looks at the well muscled boxer, and while his presence wasn't threatening, it helped John remembered exactly where he was.

"Fine"

John hands the revolver back to Sam, still not looking pleased.

"I guess we're all a little on edge" He says turning for the door, "I'm going to check on Elise"

Nick doesn't say anything, merely stares at Marcus, not the most unusual thing he'd seen, but still unexpected.

Then he follows John into the room.

An awkward silence settles over the room.

"I think I need some air, anyone interested in a little scavenger hunt?" Sam says trying to be optimistic.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finn is all too happy to change the subject at this time. Perhaps Elise will talk to him more later.

"I'm up for another expedition. Unfortunately we can't stay here because we'll run out of food, and we can't stay grow food up top because it's too dangerous, so I think we will have to scout for the best way to get out of this area."

[Mordaenor]

"I think I need some air, anyone interested in a little scavenger hunt?" Sam says trying to be optimistic.

Max looks around at the people in the common room."Does anyone want to clue me in on what just happened here? I come up from the Rec Room to find John holding Jake's gun, I don't want to make guesses about just occured."

[Hamste]

Olov stumbled out of his room and behind him a loud howl could be heard. He shut the door and the noise became dampened. So far the training hadn't done much but he had time on his hands he could keep trying until it gave in. He walked down to the common area and heard the back half of the conversation. Hello, what's happening? I have been meaning to ask, does anyone have ammo for an M1911 and who doesn't have a gun? We should try arming everyone up with guns so we are at least prepared. Also can we head to the car tomorrow? The equipment in it could be helpful.

[SgtParish]

Sam looks at Max and then Jakes door, and sighs.

"Don't worry Max, I think things almost got out of hand but we're good now" His smile not the least bit convincing.

Sam checks his revolver,

"I've only got five left, how's everyone else doing?"

[rorikdude12]

Jake starts peeling the cheap paneling off the walls. He reaches in and pulls out a cheap, broken-off piece of piping.

This should be good.

Jake, now wielding his pipe, listens at the door.

[BWS2K]

"I think some fresh air might be good for all of us," replies Marcus to Sam's suggestion. "And I promise I'll let ya'll have the fun this time around," he adds with a smile - an expression that comes off as somewhat grim, considering his appearance.

Ugh...this new voice is going to take some getting used to...sounds like I've got a family of frogs living in my throat...

Marcus hobbles over to the wall and pulls on his parka, careful to watch both his healing shoulder and his spines. He does this slowly, waiting to see who all will be going topside.
Posting on the weekend?! Yes please!

[SgtParish]

Mess:

After a while Sam returns from his room wearing his overcoat;

"Shan't be forgetting this, this time, heh"

He glances round the room.

"Everyone ready for round two?"

[rorikdude12]

Move Silently [roll0] + [roll1]

Jake opens his door and creeps up to the door to the commons. He swiftly opens the door and whacks the nearest person within the reach of his pipe.


[roll2]+ [roll3]
Crit confirm [roll4]+ [roll5]
If it hits, [roll6]

Basically, using 2 action points without a crit, or three with one.

[Hamste]

Olov felt a flash of pain in the back the head. He turned around and frowned at his attacker. Why did you hit me? He said as he drew his metal baton. He then smashed the baton back at the person who had attacked him from behind.

Action: Attack Baton [roll0] and damage if this works [roll1]

[SgtParish]

A second bout of violence kicking off in the bunker, and for the second time Jake is causing trouble, Sam takes the initiative diving onto Jake before anyone decides to shoot him.

"Stop!"

Sam's roll for Grapple (5)

It seems Jake hasn't forgotten all his training and easily side steps Sams Grapple, who clatters harmlessly onto the floor.

"Arrgh!"

[SgtParish]

"Mess Mentality"

New Round Start;

All Parties may act;

Either Roll initiative in your post or I'll do so in the summary

Also:

Olov make sure to subtract the lost Health from your Mythweavers Sheet :)
-Thanks

[shizukanashi]

Mikes Dorm:

Mike is awoken by Sam shout "Stop" not yet aware of the situation he envisions someone messing up a pot of beans or knocking over a lamp. Casually he gets out of bed and begins to dress. "I better see what all the commotion is about." He thinks to himself as he puts on a shirt.

Init: [roll0]

[rorikdude12]

Jake will draw Sam's revolver from Sam's holster and ready an action to shoot the next person who attacks him.
Attack [roll0]
Damage [roll1]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The army doc looked at him with a compassionate face.

"You're not long for this world. It's okay, though. You'll always be in the hearts of your loved ones."

"But what about when they move on?"

The army doctor looked at him analytically, his face expressionless.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Hamste]

Olov took a step to the left so that he and Sam were on either side of Jake. Taking advantage of this, he swung his baton at Jake again. He hoped that he would go down quickly with this many people helping.


I assumed that Sam was standing in a way that this was possible, I wasn't quite sure from the description. Assuming this is possible he tries to whack the person with his baton. Roll to hit [roll0] Two less if this isn't allowed and damage [roll1]. Also a warning (might have done this on possible from the whole flashback thing) ranged attacks give AoO and with this many people right next to you that can be horrible.

[Mordaenor]

Maxwell throws a quick job to Jake's right side, intending to throw him off guard, then comes in from the left with a powerful blow aimed at Jake's jaw.

Feint check: [roll0]
Follow up attack (called shot head): [roll1]
Dmg: [roll2]

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finn dives for Jake's legs, hoping to bring him down with a rugby tackle.

[SgtParish]

End of Round Summary;

Round 1;

Initiative order;

Mike (20)
Finn (19) (Delay)
Olov (18)
Marcus (14)
Jake (14)
Maxwell (5)

---

Not being fully aware of the commotion Mike casually gets dressed. While on the other side of the wall, several residents attempt to restrain Jake.

Olov took a step to the left so that he and Sam were on either side of Jake. Taking advantage of this, he swung his baton at Jake again. It connects with the base of Jakes neck, followed by a loud crunch.

Jake quickly spins around, firing blindly into his attacker.
-KAPOW-
The sound of the revolver echoes throughout the whole bunker.

Olov collapses onto the floor, his left leg in complete agony, a large tear in the upper part of his thigh is clearly visible. Deep red blood begins to seep through Olov's jeans, and he cries out in pain.

Maxwell throws a quick job to Jake's right side, intending to throw him off guard, then comes in from the left with a powerful blow aimed at Jake's jaw.
However Max's blow bounces harmlessly off Jake's rigid armour, and he recoils in pain.

Finn dives for Jake's legs, hoping to bring him down with a rugby tackle. However Jake easily sidesteps this clumsy tackle.

Olov -4HP Jake -6HP

---

New Round Start;

Olov is Prone and Jake is Dazed (-2 to his Defence and all attacks)

[shizukanashi]

Round 2: Mike hearing the gunshot acts with a much greater sense of urgency. Not bothering to put on socks and shoes, he instead grabs his pistol, and his stun gun and slowly and cautiously opening the door tries to assess the situation before he acts.

[Hamste]

Olov realized that he couldn't take much more abuse. He switched his baton to his off hand and drew his gun and fired it at Jake. With luck Jake would be out this time but with how much he had taken already that seemed doubtful.

[roll0] [roll1]

[rorikdude12]

Jake felt the impact and went down.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Hypovolemic shock comes to us all when we die in battle, Jake. You picked the wrong people to fight.", the giraffe-headed army doc says.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just wanted everyone... safe."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jake gargles blood, and dies.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finn checks Jake's pulse and pupillary light reflex. He then grabs a dishtowel and covers the dead man's face.

"He's gone. How's everybody else?"

[BWS2K]

Fighting zombie were-bats is one thing... thinks Marcus, content to hide until the confrontation is over. His joints still ached and he wasn't totally stable on his new feet - no telling what might happen if he got into the thick of it without even understanding what was going on.

"Confused...?" he replies to Finn.
We're both confused actually, but I suppose it's over now...?

[shizukanashi]

Mike only knows there are gunshots outside his doorway. Opening his door he sees only the end of the fight. Andrew has just shot Jake!

He levels his sidearm on that attacker. "Drop the gun and get on your fraking belly or so help me I will end you!"

[Bonecrusher Doc]

"Don't shoot, Mike - it was self-defense. Jake was the attacker."

[Hamste]

...crud, does anyone know why he did that? Also can I get a medic here? My head is hurting and I don't think this gunshot wound is good. Also excuse me if I don't get on my belly, I don't think I should be moving. Olov said calmly trying to speak calmly and not pass out. He dropped his gun carefully so as to not aggravate his wounds with any sudden movements.

[shizukanashi]

"Damn it! What the hell happened?" Mike kicks the gun away then checks Jakes pulse. "He's dead. You..." For a second Mike looks like he might shot Andrew dead anyway. "Dammit, can't we go a single day without me having to patch someone up!" He lowers his gun and goes back into his room. "I'll get my gear and scrub up. Can someone at least cut his clothes away for that wound?"

So if I read the rules right removing the bullet and stitching up the wound is a bit beyond my ability - Surgery needs a DC20 at -8 without the proper tools (-4 for lack of surgery feat, and -4 for because I don't have a surgery kit) that means I need to roll a natural 18 or better. I can heal hitpoints but at this point I cant really fix a "wound" The best I can do is heal some hit points and give long term care. I might have to raid a hospital for a kit and level up to get that feat then give it a shot (at which point I can take 10) I will attempt it now just incase I get lucky, but I don't think it will do much good.

Treat Injury: Surgery (DC20): [roll0]
Treat Injury: Restore Hit points (DC 15): [roll1], [roll2]
Treat Injury: Long-term Care (DC 15): [roll3]


Well that should put you at 5 hit points...I can try long-term care again tomorrow, but its just going to get you an extra 3 hitpoints per day instead of 1.

[Mordaenor]

"What happened here, was the inevitable. Soldier boy here went nuts on us. Amazing any of us lasted this long before it happened to somebody. Guess we're lucky he didn't take any of us with us." Maxwell's eyes quickly pass over his companions, almost trying to size up who would be the next to snap. Then without another word, he picks up Jake's lifeless body and heads toward the hatch.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finn applies pressure with his knee on the wounded man's inguinal area while he cuts away the pant leg. The pressure is painful for Olov but not nearly as painful as the gunshot, and it does slow the bleeding some.

Aid Another

[rorikdude12]

Sam picks up the gun and stares at it. Tears begin to run down his face as he stares on.

"No. We're going to keep going, and nobody else is going to die here. We're human, not some kind of animals."

Sam turns to Maxwell and says pleadingly,

"Do me a favor: Find someplace and bury him. I need a rest."

Sam strides off, wiping the tears off his face. He needs to check up on Sandra and the girls.

[SgtParish]

Sandra stands in the doorway, watching the Jakes body hang limply as it is carried out by Max, she weeps silent tears.

Then John emerges from behind her, his gruff voice cutting through the grim atmosphere, "Good, we're all a lot safer now he's dead," he turns menacingly towards Sam, "You should'a had the balls to do that when you had the chance, what if one of your girls had been shot instead of Andrew?" He shakes his head and turns away.

[rorikdude12]

Sandra stands in the doorway, watching the Jakes body hang limply as it is carried out by Max, she weeps silent tears.

Then John emerges from behind her, his gruff voice cutting through the grim atmosphere, "Good, we're all a lot safer now he's dead," he turns menacingly towards Sam, "You should'a had the balls to do that when you had the chance, what if one of your girls had been shot instead of Andrew?" He shakes his head and turns away.

"Then I would give myself the power to choose who lives and who dies. That's not what I intent, and if you try to take it, you'll die, John."
He turns to Sandra.

"Sandra... I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

[SgtParish]

Sandra doesn't say anything but wraps her arms around your shoulders and shields her tear stained face from the other residents.

Emma and Jessica enter, they are shocked at what happen but naturally curious, Jess attempts to help Andrew, while Emma follows Max outside.

[Mordaenor]

Maxwell opens the hatch in the chill morning air, dragging the body of Jake behind him. He tries not to let his mind dwell on the desolate landscape, and makes his way towards the farmhouse, hoping to find a shovel or similar digging tool.

As he does so, his eye catches his unearthed motorcycle. In all yesterday's excitement he hadn't really had a chance to test it out see if it still worked, although, he'd noted, Andrew seemed keenly intent on getting it started. He dismissed the notion, probably just anxious to not be rooted to this forsaken spot, Maxwell couldn't blame him for that. Still, now was good a time as any to test out the ol' girl. He carefully set the body on the ground, pulled the key from his pocket, and put it in the ignition....

[SgtParish]

After a few failed starts, the engine splutters into life, no doubt the snow had affected the performance, but she worked, it seems something had survived after all...

[Mordaenor]

Maxwell grins. "Bessie's* still got some life left in her after all." He immediately kills the engine again to save gas, no telling how or where they'll be able to fill her up again. Maybe som at the farmhouse.

Having settles that, he pockets the key and he turns back to the task at hand. Hoisting Jake's corpse back of his shoulders, her heads back to the farmhouse to look for a digging implement.


*If Marcus has a bat named Winona, I get to name my bike Bessie :smallredface:

[Bonecrusher Doc]

After a while, Finn lets everyone know that he is available for anyone who would like to talk about their feelings following the traumatic event.