Rescue From Yuracik World IC

[sandmote]

OOC page (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?622331-Rescue-From-Yuracik-World&p=24804755)

You are all sitting in the waiting room of the Master's Gifts Company, billed as an operation that specializes in providing those with less money the opportunity to experience exotic activities and locations without breaking the bank. The company is secretly run by Naima Moghadam, who has hired you here to help find her father Zander, who vanished while visiting the planet.

The building has a large clear roof above; if sitting on the left side of the room from the entrance the edge of Yuracik can be seen, white clouds blocking portions of dark ocean. Adds of dazzling skies and clear beaches cover most of the walls, but the receptionist doesn't appear particularly busy. All the corners are well lit, and the only empty one has two heavily built men sitting in it. Anyone who stops to look will notice a scar running horizontally over the shorter one's nose.

[Hellpyre]

A lean woman just starting to show signs of her age, Winnie sits in the waiting room looking side-eyed at Eoghan.

"You know, most doctors I've met have been a bit more, well, reassuring..."
She trails off, then smiles and slaps him on the back
"But if you can fix broken bones half as well as you can butter people up, you might make yourself useful yet!"
Winnie keeps an eye on the two men in the corner while maintaining an air of joviality.

[dojango]

Lazlo entered the room, looked around. This must be the right place. He cast a quick appraising eye over the other hired muscle, and then the others in the room. He nodded politely to the everyone, took a seat, and picked up one of the glossy magazines on the table. "ADVENTURES IN BONEWIND CANYON" it said. He leafed through it, waiting.

[kdtompos]

"Wow," replies a voice near Lazlo, with a hint of genuine fascination. "I didn't know if anyone ever actually read those things."

A rather thick woman is seated a few chairs down, taking up a whole row with her feet kicked up and over the armrests and her head resting on another stack of the glossy periodicals. She has her compad resting on her lap, with an advertisement for the Master's Gifts Company lightly flickering in pixels above it. She has to readjust a bit to look at Lazlo as she's speaking, and push aside the dark hair that's falling over her face. "So you're either really into thise things -- having 'Adventures in...' does that say say 'Bonewind'? Woof." Her manicured eyebrows rise as she exhales heavily. "I can't tell if that's supposed to be scary or sexual. Maybe they're banking on the ambiguity? Anyway, are you really into reading that or are you nervous and not sure what else to do?"

Before he can answer, there's some loud creaking as she shifts back to the previous reclining position, and flips her finger quickly through the projection above her compad in search of something. "Because according to this advertisement, 'it's the risk that makes it rewarding!'" She pantomimes gagging on her finger, but sputters as she actually chokes a bit on her own saliva.

"What a line, right? But I bought it. Hell, I imagine we all did since we're here in this room."

[LeSwordfish]

The fourth person in the waiting room appears to be in his thirties, but has carefully cultivated a look that could be anywhere from twenties to fifties. He's dressed in dark travelling clothes and a shabby doctor's jacket, and a medical bag is slung at his side where it almost completely hides the bulge of a pistol, and his posture is relaxed, possibly even cocky.

"Aye, I can do a broken bone for you," Finn says. "Let's hope that's the worst that'll happen where we're going." His accent is that of old Ireland. "And personally I find reward far more rewarding than risk. Which is good, because I imagine this job will be long in the first and short on the second."

[Hellpyre]

"I don't know, a dull life and reliable pay doesn't appeal to me. Tried it for years, never clicked."

Winnie quickly takes a count of the people in the room. With the newly-arrived muscle, it seems like the group is complete. She gets up and walks over to the receptionist, knocking lightly on the desk.

"It appears that our expedition is ready to get going, and I, for one, am looking to nab an absolutely massive trophy for my wall just as soon as possible. Would you mind ringing us in?

Winnie's enthusiasm to get to the surface is genuine, but there is a clear hint of tension in her slightly impatient stance, and her eyes constantly scan the room whenever she isn't holding eye contact for the conversation.

[dojango]

Lazlo raises an eyebrow at the woman's comment. He looks at the glossy cover of the magazine, featuring a well-tanned man in immaculate hunting gear holding a large rifle. Hanging on to his arm is a young woman in an impractical dress. They are standing over a kill in front of a huge waterfall. He looks back to the woman. "Here to do some work and get paid, ma'am." he says. "If you're lookin' for something sexual, there are some reputable enough brothels down by the space docks. If you're lookin' for risk, try 'the Shady Lady' just abaft of Pier C. Heard some drunk spacers ended up gettin' a little more than they bargained for there when they tried to get a little rough with the staff." He looks at his fists for a moment and chuckles.

[kdtompos]

A quick burst of laughter interrupts V's sporatic coughs. "Well, that's valuable information," she finally concedes, closing her compad and beginning to rise. "If things go pear-shaped down on Yuracik, then maybe my own pear-shape can get a job at one of those joints.

"I'm V, by the way," she offers with a very quick but firm pat on Lazlo's shoulder as she crosses by, moving toward the desk where the enthusiastic Winnie seems to be putting things in motion. "Whatever your 'work' is," she calls over her shoulder, "I have a suspicion you're rather good at it."

Leaning her weight over the counter now beside Winnie, V turns her head and raises her eyebrows in silent greeting, then turns back to the receptionist. Now that V is standing, we can see the prominant patch of a rose-laden skull sewn on the back of her military-style jacket.

[sandmote]

"I'm sorry; you'll have to wait for your contact to finish up," the receptionist shoos Winnie away, before quickly turning to a second monitor.

About two minutes later a man in black steps out from the back room. He signals to the receptionist.

"Winnie Baldrik,"

"Lazlo Morillo,"

"Titus Reignold Rudhall III,"

"Thomas Herman,"

"Eoghan Finn,"

"and um, Miss Martinez?" she calls out. "Your appointment is ready."

Along with the party, the two men in the corner stand up as well. After initial introductions, everyone is seated around a large table in a room clearly meant to impress guests. Miss Moghadam is seated at the head of the table, with her security guards taking a position at each of the nearest chairs. Her eyes are slightly red and puffy, but otherwise she appears evenly in transition between rich dilettante and showy upper management: wearing a well tailored suit, but still with personal fashion showing through.

Maps are laid out across the table, depicting the general region of the hunting trips, and sections marked out for things the party needs to know. Mainly, where satellite communications are clear, where the depos on the ground are, and the last place Zander Moghadam was seen. This last one is, unfortunately, a depo at the edge of a large lake, and the party is informed there are no records of whether the expedition went downriver, into the neighboring forest, or in any direction over the plain beyond, only that her father was reported missing when they arrived back at base after an incident with a pair of Obcisor Tyrants.

Everyone is then informed of the options available on the ship, with particular deference given to Thomas Herman, who pilots the Duke's Shot. In one of her few moments of levity, Miss Moghadam manages to let the party know "I'll gladly reimburse any damage to the cabins."

The briefing then turns to Titus Reignold Rudhall III, an expert hunter, who starts going over some of the dangers in the area: Hungry Baryclaws, territorial Cerops (particularly those in musth), the poison spitting Loforis, and packs of Citor. He was apparently warned not to go into detail, but the bodyguards still cut him short when he starts explaining "as the Citor from the side brings you down she'll cut you along here, and here, before causing your organs to flop out." His excitement to explain how these creatures can kill a man is in no way comforting to the mourning heiress.

After a quick mention of pay (and that it'll be good) the floor is opened up to any questions the party has. Miss Moghadam shows a sarcastic side after Thomas asks, "why aren't we leaving this to the government:" "because I pay much better."

[dojango]

"The beasts of the wilds are certainly dangerous... but tell me, are there any other hunting parties down there? Either, right now, or eight days ago?"

[kdtompos]

Rather than take a seat as Miss Moghadam speaks, V leans over the back of one of the chairs with compad in hand and captures images of the maps laid across the table (as long as no one stops her, at least). She nods at appropriate points, even exhales forcefully in shock at Titus's overshare, but otherwise appears occupied with her phone until she's certain she's captured the details of the maps.

"Ooh, yes," she agrees with Lazlo. "Anyone else we anticipate running into down there, or just that colorful wildlife Mr. Rodale... Rudill... the third... was referencing?" Her hand motions to Titus with a shrug of resignation. "Also, I'm curious of what you could tell us to help us understand your dad better. I mean, if we know how he thinks and acts, that should help us locate him right? You don't have like a... a... damn, what are those called? Not like a schematic, but one of those things that talks about his personality and quirks or what not. Do you have one of those?"

[sandmote]

"The usual season ended three months ago," Miss Moghadam informs Lazlo slowly and unsurely. Thomas speaks up: "I operate year round, but most expeditions have other things they do off seasons. For instance, most companies switch to jungle cruises for the Teradon migration this time of year. I'll keep an ear on the radio so we can ask if they've seen anything, but its probably just the maintenance staff right now."

Miss Moghadam is slightly more prepared for the second question. After V is clearly explained "It is Rudhall," she mentions "my father w- is a sportsman, but he never could stand being without the comforts he grew up with. He is likely to stay by whatever wreckage he could find, as long as supplied last. He's certainly familiar with methods for recycling and getting food -- you have to be, to keep the miners supplied -- but I've never heard of him running them himself. The Academy on Kimsor certainly covered poison preparedness and ecology classes when I attended, and my father certainly learned these himself."

[Hellpyre]

"No offense meant, ma'am, but I've had to rescue many a tourist who learned 'everything they needed to survive' in a school. They tend to collapse when things get outside their comfort zone"

The slightly exuberant personality Winnie had displayed in the waiting room seems to slide back some, revealing a more serious and focused woman beneath.

"It's in everyone's best interest to get us down to the surface as soon as possible. The sooner we get experienced boots on the ground, the safer your father is likely to be. And if he isn't still safe, the better chance the sawbones can get him back alive."

Winnie folds her hands in front of her briefly, then takes out a small notepad. She begins to quickly jot down information that has been given to the group. When she catches up she begins to work on a small sketch of the area of the map indicating Mr. Moghadam's last known position, along with arrows pointing along what Winnie judges to be likely routes for him to have taken from there.

[sandmote]

"Of course," The heiress motions for everything to be wrapped up, and in a few minutes everyone is standing in the lobby again. The main differences from when you left are that you're all aware of each other's names, one of you is holding the maps used in the meetings, and the receptionist is busy wooing some businessman into choosing an expensive beachfront location for some company event.

Thomas and one the security guards lead everyone to where the Duke's Shot it parked. A half an hour is given for everyone to prepare, before the ship leaves port for Yuracik. There's twelve bunks, but only four of the fancy ones meant for guests. Thomas announces "I'm staying in my usual quarters," and leaves everyone else to figure out where they'll be staying.

One bunk is closest to the upstairs kitchen, a second to the exit, and the common hover-TV is plugged in nearest a third, still with the "Easiest to Carry; Hardest to Break," sticker on the side. There's some more reading material (mostly Hunter's Life, Discerning Economist, and The Rendezvous Times) in the common area, and a few tables for games; there's table soccer, a pair of tables bearing chessboards (and pieces in the drawers), a casino style table for cards, and some board games like System Settler on the shelf. A VR game system is available, but co-op doesn't always allow for the easiest conversations.

I request an update on what each PC is doing to make sure everyone is here, but we can skip to landing as soon as that is done.

[dojango]

Lazlo nods in agreement. Time is slipping away from Zander, best they started. He slips the magazine in one of his pockets, grabs his backpack and rifle and follows down to the ship. He takes one of the normal bunks and stows his gear. Much nicer than travelling in some crappy troop transport or worker bus. He also grabs one of the copies of "Hunting Times" and stows it in his backpack when they leave. "Something to read, something to start fires, something to wipe with. You can't have too many magazines when you're on patrol. Both kinds," he chuckles.

[Hellpyre]

Winnie claims the bunk near to the exit, and then takes the maps to the common room. She sits in the middle of the room, plotting routes along the water that could have been possible paths for Zander. She is engrossed in her work, doing her best to plot out reasonable areas to bivouac and faster routes to backtrack to the landing zone from each of the areas she identifies as likely places he might be.

"As long as this is accurate, these should be the best routes. Once I get on the ground and take a look at the lay of the land..."

Winnie mumbles under her breath as she works, shutting out the outside world as much as she can while remain aware of her surroundings.

[LeSwordfish]

Finn claimed the bunk by the kitchen and shrugged off his long coat and his bag, before settling in at the card table. "Anyone for a few hands?"

[kdtompos]

((Am I right in understanding that with 4 fancy bunks, and Thomas taking his usual - I assume non-quest bunk - then there's two left unclaimed. One is near the TV, and the fourth is non-descript? If I do have that right, V is claiming that 4th one.))

((Also, the conversation at the card table doesn't need a reply. Just following LeSwordfish's lead.))

V whistles appreciatively as she boards the Duke's Shot. It's a much fancier ship than she's had the opportunity to work in before. She checks out the remaining fancy rooms, without even taking a glance at the standard ones, and claims the one further from the common area. She plops down in the bunk and just lays there for a while in thought, before popping up to check out the entertainment room.

"Oh hey, Finn right? I'll play." she calls, pulling up a chair to sit in and another to rest her feet on. "So my brother knew a lot of these games, and considered himself pretty good. So whatever you've got in mind I've likely played at some point, but you'll need to refresh me on the rules..."

[sandmote]

Titus is the last to arrive on board by a wide margin. "Where am I staying," he asks, apparently assuming he gets one of the nice quarters.

As the ship leaves port, the ceiling turns to give a bright view of the planet below before turning away. Gravity gets a bit wonky nearer the surface, as the ship dips out of orbit and the gravity generator slowly shuts off. By the end of the hour, trees are visible out the lowest windows, and a mountain range in the very far distance. Eventually the forests thin out leaving grassland, until at the last minute a glittering lake appears framed by dense brush.

As the engines of the Duke's Shot wind down, anyone checking the windows can see a small outpost, built like a bunker into the ground, out the windows. Trees block the water line beyond the outpost, but only grassland is visible in the other direction. The only vehicle present beside the ship is a car sized mowing machine piling up clippings at the edge of the brush.

Thomas comes over the intercom to announce, "This is the outpost where our target was last seen. The gravcars will be ready in a minute."

[dojango]

Lazlo has his rifle at the ready, and as soon as the yacht has landed, he crouch-runs down the ramp, and takes up a firing position as he scans the outpost for threats. Assuming there are no immediate dangers, he says, "clear!", and advances towards the outpost, and begins searching it for any evidence of the missing party; left-behind gear, personal items, that sort of thing.

[roll0] Notice 0 to scan for threats and search the outpost.

[sandmote]

There's a few small grazers munching on the cut grass: Lazlo recognizes them as trovents and completely harmless. They're munching on the short grasses in the cleared area. His military training tells him to stay by the gravcars and wait for everyone else, as there's no cover between here and the outpost and some of the dangerous predators easily outrun a human.

[Hellpyre]

Winnie will step out carwfully and survey the area for any signs of passage that fit the information we've been give. She chuckles to herself slightly at Lazlo's display of caution.

"An admirable display, but perhaps we should seek cover in the gravcars that have been so generously provided. I love a good hike as much as the next girl, but this suit isn't going to hold up well to the bigger beasties even if you see them coming."

With that Winnie steps back on-board and waits for the gravcars to finish start-up procedures.

[kdtompos]

V steps up behind Winnie, nodding at Lazlo who seems to know what he's doing. Hearing the all clear she steps out a bit more from this ship, shielding her eyes as she looks up and back at where they just came through and glances around the area as well.

"It's nice," she says to no one in particular. "I can see why people would vacation here. Ya know, other than the killer wildlife. I'm assuming those ones are ok?" She motions toward the grazers a ways off, though clearly not expecting an answer.

It's a nice area, so rather than climb back up into the ship while they wait for the gravcars, she adjusts her pack on her shoulder and leans against the loading ramp, keeping a curious eye on the wildlife she can see.

[dojango]

Lazlo relaxes the rifle a little, and then says, "Ya have any leads as to which way our fellow might have went?"

[sandmote]

Once everyone is out, Titus and Thomas join them to enter the outpost. The outside hides just how fortified it is: the walls are several feet thick, and there's only actually a parking deck and a radio tower on the ground floor. An old, pale man is handling the doors, and appears in charge of the operation.

Below ground one of the staff gives Thomas the paperwork from the old expedition. "Bad news. They spent the entire time out beyond the lake, and left no notice of where they went when." Thankfully, there is more information available. "A complete cowboy operation," notes the lady at the counter sourly. "No notes, no dates, just declaring they're heading out there. Its no surprise it turned into a plumb mess."


The expedition took their gravcars downriver
They camped in the forest for a night, by the edge of the water
They took a pass over the plains beyond the lake, visiting a stone outcrop and one of the local limestone lakes
When for an aerial pass to shoot down some Cerops somewhere on the eastern edge.


"Where does everyone want to go?" Thomas seems insistent on leaving notes so your own whereabouts will be known.

[dojango]

"Let's check out their camp. Maybe they left some more hints as to where they're headed. Or tracks we can follow."

[kdtompos]

"We're not sure which of those outings is more recent, huh?" V pipes up. "Well I wouldn't mind trying to find their gravcars. They're not the easiest things to track, but out here we may be able to follow their path, and it's the simplest thing I can think of for them to use as temp shelter if something went wrong.

"I'm good with anywhere the group wants, though. I'll make sure you know it when I have a real opinion on something," she smirks.

((Oops. Dojango and I were typing at the same time. Checking out the camp sounds great too.))

[Hellpyre]

"Checking out the camp sounds good. If nothing else, it's probably the only place with enough traces that we'll be able to nail down a date. If it doesn't pan out, I vote to head downriver afterwards. If the old man knew anything about the outdoors, he'll try to make his way to water before hunkering down."

As Winnie says this, she starts checking over her equipment, making sure the laser rifle is clean and that her suit is in good condition. She isn't expecting trouble, but she's learned it never hurts to be prepared for it anyways.

[sandmote]

"Sounds reasonable." The woman at the counter has the papers ready to go, and she and Thomas start filling out you're going to the campsite first.

Once Thomas has the local weather data undated onto his dataslab, everyone is ready to go. "Thanks for stopping by and avoiding another disaster," you're told as you head out.

Slightly over an hour later, Thomas has the ship in a clearing near the edge of the water, approximately where the ship was heading. The trees are too thick for it to manage any closer; gravcars from here on out. Thomas is staying behind in case anything happens to the ship; you wouldn't want to be stranded yourselves.

Notice/Wis Rolls
Winnie: [roll0]
Lazlo: [roll1]
V: [roll2]
Eoghan: [roll3]

Everyone is also allowed a second roll, based on what you do to aid the search.

Some things everyone can spot, like the Teradons flitting through the canopy and a path large creatures have cleared to the water. Otherwise there doesn't appear to be many clues around.

V nearly stumbles over a Baryclaw nest before the others can point it out. The nest itself has a few pieces of human garbage in it, but there doesn't appear to be a parent nearby (Stealth/Dex or Int to search it). At one point, Eoghan spots the half-eaten carcass of a Teradon on the forest floor (Know, Heal or Work (Cooking)/Int to identify what happened to it).

Other than this, it looks like someone going to have to come up with a plan to locate the campsite or any other clues leading to it.

[dojango]

Lazlo once again has his rifle raised as he leaves the gravcar. When he sees the empty Baryclaw nest, he says, quietly, "We should be somewhere else when it returns." Although he doesn't see any signs of beast or man, he begins looking around for shelter, safe water, that sort of thing. If he can find a safe place to camp, so might the earlier party.

Going to try survival to find a safe place to camp. [roll0]

[Hellpyre]

Winnie is going to look for both tracks and trail signs, looking to either find traces of the expedition or else a clue as to where the local fauna tends to congregate.

"Let me take a look. I know hunting, and I know animals"

[roll0] EDIT, whoops, forgot the +1 from Survive 1

[sandmote]

Lazo identifies break in the trees at the water's edge, and finds the mouth of a large brook. The slopes on one side look steep enough to deter baryclaws, and the embankment looks isolated enough to be safe otherwise. Unfortunately, a quick glance across the edge of the edge of the water shows four more such embankments along the visible portion of the lake's coast.

After half an hour of searching from gravcar, Winnie is able to locate channels dug out by the baryclaws to escape the water on several of these potential camping sights, and areas trampled out by Cerops to reach the water at most of the others.

If you're in the right section of lake, there's two viable embankments left, helpfully right next to each other. Someone's constructed benches overlooking the lake on them, so they do appear to be known as safe and used for something. You're over the water now (the better to see the sites from) but still a good distance away. The embankments can be approached from directly over the lake, from over the nearest stream, by following the coast, or directly from the depths of the forest. Depending on what's there, each of these could be safer or more dangerous.

[kdtompos]

"Right," V stammers, face beaming red, "I'll put the tablet down and pay a bit better attention."

Survival and wilderness are not her forte, and she sticks a bit closer now to Lazlo. She lifts some of the garbage from the Baryclaw nest, however, before they pass by. "So what, exactly, kind of creature lives at that nest? I mean, they probably brought this garbage back, right? Is refuse common here, or is there a good chance that some of this stuff could have been gathered from elsewhere?"

It's a lot of questions -- mostly her thinking out loud. But unable to do much scouting, she's at least trying to pay attention to the stuff the others locate.

[LeSwordfish]

Finn had been doing his best to affect ease here on this dangerous world, but his hand was never far from one of his weapons. He idly wandered over to the corpse of the Teradon and turned it over with his foot. Just another animal attack? How often did the sky ones get brought down anyway?

OOC
Heal/Int [roll0]+1

[sandmote]

At first, Finn had though the Teradon was hunted by something native, as the chest and wings have visibly been munched on. However, as he observes the back he can make out something he's more familiar with than the local wildlife: the entry hole from a laser rifle. It sits directly across from the worst eaten section.

Also notable is the cigarette butt stuck to one wing. It appears someone hunted the Teradon recently, which means this is likely the area the party is trying to search in. All the better reason to approach the nearby camping grounds.

[Hellpyre]

It looks like we've got a good chance at finding something here. I think our best bet is looking like circling in on the edge of the lake. That should put us close enough to shore to avoid any nasties hiding in the deeps, and far enough into the water to discourage anything jumping from shore. Thoughts?"

Winnie asks for comments, but even before any are mentioned begins securing her gear and double-checking her armored suit to be sure she's ready in case her judgement was off.

[sandmote]

Approaching a distinct distance from the coast, the party can see one of the campgrounds is covered in loose trash, with some bipedal Gamellumaline with its head halfway inside a cooler. A baryclaw, farfrom the bank, lies in wait about 15 meters from the poor creature. The other bank has collapsed recently, and a three baryclaws have climbed up shallower incline. One dives into the water as you approach, but the others hiss defiantly. A railgun shot from the gravcars might get them moving?

There's two cars, so if the party want so split we can say they're in whichever vehicle makes this quick and easy.

[dojango]

Lazlo looked over at the Baryclaws for a few moments. Then he sighed, and said, "Killin' one will attract scavengers. And they ain't too picky about what they go after if they think it's soft and pink and easy." He took the grav car's rail gun and tried to fire a few shots at the ground beneath the beasts, hoping to send them running for safety.

[roll0] to shoot

[sandmote]

[roll0], [roll1]

Frankly, it doesn't look like either creature grasps the noise from the gravcar might hurt them. However, one does turn slightly toward the bank, stopping to watch Lazlo further. The other doesn't move, and merely holds position.