Worse Than the Disease IC

[GnomesofZurich2]

Sean also observes the scenery, if only with a more practical intent. "I think the generator indeed fell all the way down and the fire might be enough to finish the building. Good work, Tariq. I think we are sort of done here, unless we want to observe it to the end, which might be fun, but not very practical as far as getting out of town after that is concerned."

"Yeah...we should probably go. That ceiling falling on me hurt! Might be good to go find somewhere to lie down. Then I need to replenish our explosives store." He then adds, "Oh, and do you think one of you might patch me up a bit?"

[u-b]

"That'll be the first thing I try back at base. We'll see if I do any good." As for the thoroughly-looted early casualty, Sean just turns around and reports it as such. "Seems too many of them to just wander around. Let's try to get out of here as safe as we can." He then leads the way.

[Shoot Da Moon]

The exiles, lead by Sean, vacate the area, leaving the burning and crumbling building behind them.

Unfortunately, the exiles take a wrong turn through Springfield and get a little lost after five minutes of careful sneaky hiking. They find themselves in an unfamiliar area - a cluster of four Old World buildings. One building looks like it could lead to a high point where the exiles could use to orientate where to go, but it also shows telltale signs of constant foot traffic. Another building has a big tunnel leading underneath a high stone wall, which might get them to an open street that is probably easier to travel through...but the tunnel looks dark and dangerous. The other buildings are barricaded and locked down, but are otherwise quiet.

Which way should the exiles go?

[u-b]

Constant foot traffic area was probably not very safe, but Sean couldn't stand just passing it by. He asks Bart to take the dogs and cover him while he tries to make sense of it. He also looks around from time to time, at roofs, windows and streets, but the main interest for now are the tracks: where do they lead from and to, how many (thousands of) man-passes and/or months of use or whatever metric seems to be most applicable, are there any wheel or animal tracks and so on.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Sean concludes after studying the tracks that a good stream of people wearing heavy gear came through here in a hurry, followed by a lot of animals. The animals were mostly large four-legged beasts, but there are also giant insects and a few bears now and then. He notices there are tracks of half a dozen hand cart wheels.

[u-b]

Sean describes his findings. He tries to make sense which way he would like to go, but maybe not straight out of town. He also asks for opinions.

Spoiler

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Does Sean learn any of the following:
1. Where all those people, animals and carts were traveling from (not following right now, just to have an idea).
2. Where all those people, animals and carts were traveling to (not following right now, just to have an idea).
3. How long ago had it happened?

[Volthawk]

Richard thinks over what Sean found, before coming to a conclusion. "Large animals, hand carts, plenty of traffic...sounds like they were moving a lot of stuff. Given the rush, maybe they've had to get out of somewhere they were settled in? In any case, either direction means we'll be hitting another of their settlements - the way the came might let us scavenge around in what they left behind, might find something useful, but...if I'm right, they would have left for a reason."

[Shoot Da Moon]

Spoiler

Show

Does Sean learn any of the following:
1. Where all those people, animals and carts were traveling from (not following right now, just to have an idea).
2. Where all those people, animals and carts were traveling to (not following right now, just to have an idea).
3. How long ago had it happened?

(OC: 1&2) The traffic is coming from the direction the exiles are, going in the same direction they are.
3) Half a hour ago.)

[u-b]

Sean does not quite like the timing, but, since the tracks are fresh, proposes to follow them and see how it turns out. He intends to walk some 20 yards ahead of the rest of the group unless that would bring him out of sight behind some corner or such.

Spoiler

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I rolled stealth and perception without range penalties, so please adjust as appropriate and also apply whatever modifier to tracking it seems to be.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Sean does not have to go far before he spots human beings in the building and courtyard beyond - 10 men and women hiding behind pillars, under camouflaged blankets, in piles of leaves, and in shadows. Waiting. Watching.

(OC: Range penalty -5. No darkness penalty for most, 2 are in penalty -1 shadows.)

Unfortunately, Sean fails to avoid walking on broken glass and dry leaves scattered on the floor. He gives away his approach, and the sentries are all looking his way...

(OC: All of the party must make a reaction roll, with modifiers from all 3 players (Bart is +0) applying, plus another -2 for the sentries' general attitude.)

[GnomesofZurich2]

Tariq does his best to look inoffensive and inconspicuous, but may not have achieved the desired effect...

[Volthawk]

Once Richard realises the situation, he runs forward to where Sean was, keeping his rifle unreadied and calling out to the sentries. "Hello there! My name is Richard, we don't want a fight if we can help it! Can we come over?"

[Shoot Da Moon]

The people pause for a moment, before sending one of their own, a harshly scarred and bulky man, up to meet the exiles in parley.

"You are the guys who blew up that building.", the man states coolly, not quite accusing.

"We do not want to fight. But we do not want to be your friends, either. The Sinful Nature will want revenge on all of you, and will hurt anyone you love if they can."

A woman who was in cover with the man shouts out, "TELL THEM ABOUT THE MUTANTS, SAMMY!"

The man frowns, annoyed that she cut in. He turns back to the exiles, "Look, just leave us alone. There are more Sinful Nature hideouts out there, go bomb them too and forget about us."

(OC: Two things; each player gets a reward of 5 bonus Character Points for destroying the mutant base in Springfield. Second, each PC may now purchase a better Reputation for defeating bad guys - although this also means they get a slightly worse Reputation with mutants as violent enemies.)

[u-b]

"Leaving you alone can be done. It's not particularly problematic." - says Sean estimating the group's equipment, their carts and whatever animals that were with them - "Still, we do have questions and can pay for the answers. We can even offer some lucrative employement if you are to relocate, which you seem to be. Not necessarily as friends, but at full business rates."

[Shoot Da Moon]

The men and women all look to about 25 years old.
They are wearing metal armour, carrying low tech weapons - slings, axes, knives, clubs and swords. No signs of animals or a cart. A few stuffed backpacks have been left on the ground besides their feet.

The man talking to the exiles, quickly looks over his shoulder at his comrades. They all seem nervous, but not hostile. He turns back, "I'm afraid we can't really talk right now. We're not knowledge brokers, and we don't snitch. As for business, we already have a racket. We sell booze and drugs. If you need any of that, we accept bullets. Other than that, you and us should part ways before we get on our nerves."

[u-b]

Sean nods and leaves the people alone. Unless somehow prevented from doing so, he indends to follow the tracks of those animals and hand carts, walking around this particular group if necessary.

[Shoot Da Moon]

The gang of suspicious people let him pass. The exiles walk through some buildings and come out the other side on a big street.

The cart and animal tracks lead to a bunch of people who have set up a shop for booze and drugs on the street. Their merchandise is carefully packed into the cart, guarded by six thugs with guns and tamed mutant animals on leashes. The sight of collared giant bugs and one deformed black bear in barding would look faintly ridiculous, if they weren't stained with dried blood. A big pack of dogs - 8 in total - are off their leash, but their handler keeps them close to the shop.

The shopkeeper handling sales is unarmed, but he hardily needs to be.

The six thugs keep their hunting rifles and revolvers at the ready. Despite the intimidating display, the local junkies eagerly swap bullets for bottles and doses.

[u-b]

Sean takes a good look at the animals, especially the bugs. Then he takes a good look at the guards, the merchant and, especially, at those junkies dealing with them. He asks Richard for one of the recently-acquired revolver, which still smells recently used, takes five bullets from it and approaches the trader to hand them over. "A dose of heroin please, if you would be so kind."

If the transaction completes without issue, Sean picks the most promising junkie and proposes Richard to negotiate a guided tour.

[Shoot Da Moon]

The bugs seem to be kept in line by flicking a cigarette lighter's flame at them to get them to cower. Fear is their best training tool.

The guards and the salesman all wear light blue scarves, probably signifying gang affiliation.

The customers all look sickly and ragged. Disease is very likely rampant in Springfield.

Buying the heroin fix takes barely five seconds. The salesman is used to quick turnarounds, the business demands graceful exchanges out in the open. No doubt there may be hostile competition on the street.

[u-b]

The disease is something Sean does not want to introduce to the people around him. He pockets the dose, but otherwise aborts the attempt. "How about we get outta here?"

[GnomesofZurich2]

Tariq agrees, "the only thing I want from this place is to far from it."

[Shoot Da Moon]

The way back to the Waffle House is not hard to find. The exiles get out of Springfield without further incident.

The Waffle House settlement has not seen any significant problems in the meantime. Their reconstruction efforts have not interrupted. It is now in the afternoon.

(OC: Got the updated character sheets, good work.)

[u-b]

Sean spends some time tending to the friends' bruises. He cannot seem to do much, but that is still better than nothing. He then reloads all his magazines with the rounds stored in the car and asks if we want to hit that gamblers' outpost today as it is nearby and it is not too late. Sean's vote on this is a "yea".

In any case, he asks Richard to radio the Rangers and the Funny Platoon and relay the news about the mutants' presence in town and the building the team has blew up.

Spoiler

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Restored hit points: 1 each as per simple bandaging.

[Volthawk]

Richard is very much in agreement with the plan to assault the Gambler outpost - they didn't get as much out of the mutant building as he'd hoped, although any progress in pushing back one of the groups making life harder here was a good thing in his mind, so he liked the idea of getting more done today. Hopefully they'd be able to get hold of more in the way of useful prisoners or intelligence. He also gives the relevant people updates over radio about what had gone on since he was last in touch with them, and asks if they have anything to report themselves or any requests to make.

[GnomesofZurich2]

Tariq says, "I need to rest a bit and re-arm. Between the ceiling falling on me and being low on explosives, I say we hold off for a few days."

[u-b]

"I'd rather take time off after we're done with the outpost. This way we will be able to do more during that time (sell more, buy more, interrogate more prisoners, maybe heal more wounds). I do not think we'll have to use the dynamite there and you still have all kinds of grenades, don't you? No problem with placing you at the back of the group. I'm rather under an impression that things have recently started to move much faster than they did for all those years, so don't want to spend more time than we absolutely have to, which means trying to do more stuff in parallel."

[Shoot Da Moon]

Sean spends some time tending to the friends' bruises. He cannot seem to do much, but that is still better than nothing. He then reloads all his magazines with the rounds stored in the car and asks if we want to hit that gamblers' outpost today as it is nearby and it is not too late. Sean's vote on this is a "yea".

In any case, he asks Richard to radio the Rangers and the Funny Platoon and relay the news about the mutants' presence in town and the building the team has blew up.

The Funny Platoon gets the message without interference. They congratulate the exiles on their success.

(OC: Gamblers' outpost? You mean the hideout of Oscar Rex Stone?)

[GnomesofZurich2]

"I'd rather take time off after we're done with the outpost. This way we will be able to do more during that time (sell more, buy more, interrogate more prisoners, maybe heal more wounds). I do not think we'll have to use the dynamite there and you still have all kinds of grenades, don't you? No problem with placing you at the back of the group. I'm rather under an impression that things have recently started to move much faster than they did for all those years, so don't want to spend more time than we absolutely have to, which means trying to do more stuff in parallel."

"My grenade launcher is still well equipped, but I'm down to one thrown grenade and all out of dynamite! But as long as I can avoid too much trouble, okay."

[u-b]

"You should take some grenades from the car. There is a whole lot of them there." Sean says this with full confidence as he was the one to put the new loot into the truck just some short time before. Then he prepares to depart, taking both cars. While at it, he tells Bart to reload with buckshot. The plan is to hide the cars some 1000 yards from the outpost and proceed on foot.

Spoiler

Show

We have a whole lot of M67s and HG86s in the trunk, some DM51 and a few flashbangs. See the doc, lines 57, 67, 81 and 94.

[Shoot Da Moon]

The drive to the outpost's location takes 25 minutes.

The hideout of the Gambler captain is a large campsite, where patrolling guards have set up tents and there is a cabin draped in camouflage just a few yards from the centre fire pit. All around the campsite, large stone barriers of various heights have been erected for cover.

The campsite is quite a long walk from any road, surrounded by trees. Sean counts 20 guards in the outpost, all of them wearing light body armour and carrying Winchester Model 92 rifles. There is a radio antenna on the cabin. A few guards near the cabin have flare guns on their hips.

The enemy has not spotted the exiles yet.