Session 6
Expected Scene: After camping another night, their final day proceeds without issue and as the sun is setting they enter a clearing and see Vincent’s small courier ship, just as he left it covered with limbs of pine trees he cut down as a makeshift camouflage.
Let’s see if this scene starts as expected. Chaos Factor is 1.
1 = 1[d10]
Oh wow... Another altered scene. Okay.
I know what it is.
Question time.
Does Vincent manage to keep his ship hidden from the Anaconda scout? Meaning, is she unaware of where this scout ship is.
I’ll say that’ll be his ability to hide the ship vs the scout’s ability to notice things + other modifiers. So sort of a contest of
Vincent’s MND + Stealth vs the Scout’s MND + Awareness.
Vincent has MND 2 but a Stealth of -1 = SL
Environmental factors... the cloud cover does offer some obscuring, so +1 and there’s a lot of wilderness or forest so another +1 = VL
Compared with the female scout’s
MND + Awareness:
I’ll just ask if she’s a veteran trained scout? (she could be a newbie)
(50/50 | 5[d10]) No, but... +Event: Recruit / Riches
No, but House Anaconda has put out the word that they’ll pay handsomely for hundreds of barely trained low-lifes out of the city to put some eyes in the wilderness. I’ll say she at least does have some basic training in the skill of tracking and wilderness lore etc. So +1 in all that. But I don’t think she’s particularly observant herself, so MND of 0.
So that brings it back down to Likely that the ship remains hidden.
(Likely | 6[d10]) Yes
Did the scout go back and collect the rest of her fellow low lifes?
(Likely | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
Oh, she has I’ll say six total people now in her little squad of fellow scouts. They’re armed poorly with pistols and daggers.
The question now is does she tell her friends about the Red Specter. If so, she’ll have to split the winnings six ways. I think it’s Unlikely that she’d do that.
(Unlikely | 1[d10]) No, and...
Okay def not. Keeping that as her own little secret and she’s hoping to collect on it big. But she did tell them that she saw two men moving past her observation post on the trail. So, the scene plays out as expected with one minor alteration... These scouts show up.
Michel and Vincent began pushing through the trees. They could see into the clearing some fifty yards away.
“There she is,” Vincent said, full of pride, saluting the stout little aircraft, the
Mosquito’s Beak. “She’s one fine dame, ain’t she?” his elevated accent slipped into his more comfortable way of speaking.
She did indeed look sleek. All smooth lines and polished brass and wood, with a larger engine and extra propellers on the stern of the ship than anything Michel had seen on such a small vessel.
“What’s her complement?” Michel asked as they walked closer.
Is the balloon still inflated for quick takeoff?
(50/50 | 8[d10]) Yes
Whew...
The balloon, painted blue and white and gray to help blend in with the sky lay below the highest branches, obscuring it somewhat from above.
“She can hold a crew of six comfortably if she isn’t loaded full of baggage.”
Does that mean he brought a crew with him? This is certainly small enough to fly solo but would be easier with more hands doing different tasks.
He’s rich. I think he could easily have hired people to help him. I’ll say it’s likely that he did that to protect his ship. They might not know everything that he’s involved in but we’ll get to that later if it comes to that.
(Likely | 7[d10]) Yes +Event: Fight / Outside
They heard a noise of laughter as they pushed through the trees and now approached the keel of the ship floating in the air above them. Lines tied the ship to the ground by wrapping small anchors around ends of ropes around trunks of trees and limbs. A rope ladder that led to the underbelly of the ship dangled down to the ground.
On the ground, in the shadow of the ship, a partly balding man with close-cropped brown hair and a woman with jet black hair in a ponytail squared off fists up, sparring with each other. A half goofy half manic grin passed over the face of the large beefy man. He wore a sweat-stained tank top, yellowed under his arms, his work overalls tied around his waist. The woman bore an expression of intense concentration on her angular, but not unpretty face. She looked like she might bite someone’s nose off. Her fists were held up in front of her. Both individuals wore light boxing gloves and circled each other.
The crew from fantasynamegenerators.com are:
Vincent - Captain
Darius Scott - Coal Shoveler
Katie Fletcher - Engineer and Mechanic
Rufus Hunt - Monkey Boy
Logan Flint - First officer
Katie gave a quick jab at Darius, but the man couldn’t react quickly enough, and the lightning blow clocked him in his face, snapping his head back. He staggered back against a fellow who shoved him forward with a chuckle. Now, Katie was grinning and Darius’s large face bore a large scowl over pudgy jowls. He growled and swung at her in a wide roundhouse. She ducked under it and jabbed him in his gut with a quick one, two, three and then danced back out of reach. But the blows against the bulk of the man seemed largely ineffectual.
“Gonna smash your face ‘in, you know,” Darius gave an evil grin and raised his. “Gonna make it as ugly as mine is, ya little witch!”
She smiled sweetly and blew a kiss at him. “Ya got to catch me first,” she said. Then she swept her leg up between his legs, smashing into his groin. His face went red and she swung a powerful right hook into his face. He tottered and fell back.
“What’s all this?” Vincent asked, barking at them, trying to wipe the grin off his own face.
“We was just havin’ a spot o’ the ol’ fun, you know,” said a thin man with sideburns and a red nose like he’d had too much to drink. He passed a few bills of rumpled paper money over to Katie. She grinned and stuffed it in her bodice.
“Ah, this fine specimen of
manhood is Logan,” Vincent said to Michel, putting an arm around the thin man’s shoulders. “He’s my first officer, you know. Ain’t you a gentle’man now,” he said with a grin.
“Aww...shucks, sir,” Logan said, his face flaming red. “Now yer just playin’ with me.”
Vincent grinned and continued. “And this how-the-mighty-art-fallen Goliath-of-a-man is Darius. He’s our coal shoveler and steam man.”
Darius wiped snot from his nose and little blood and blinked up at them stupidly, still gasping in pain. Vincent took his hand and help haul him to his feet.
“And I’m Rufus,” a thin young boy with red hair and freckles of maybe thirteen years from above called down, his voice cracking some, though he looked like he was still eleven. He sat perched on the railing, munching on an apple and grinning down at Katie. He spit seeds down upon her. She made a rude gesture and he just grinned again.
“Rufus is our general runner and monkey boy. Good at climbing and getting into and out of tight squeezes.
“I’m almost fourteen,” he said.
“He’s a lyin’ weasel he is,” Katie said. “Just a runt kid off the street without any hair where it counts.”
Rufus’s face went red and he started to change position to leap down and attack her. “How do you know? I--”
Vincent forestalled him with a sharp look, and the boy scowled and sat back down. The other crew grinned at him.
“And the fiery little lady here is Katie,” Vincent finished. “She’s our mechanic and sometimes pilot. Miss Katie, do you have an explanation for all this ruckus?”
She grinned at them and saluted to Vincent, “Just stayin’ sharp, sir.”
“Glad to hear it. Glad to hear it,” Vincent said. “Gentlemen and lady,” he said with an expansive bow. “This here is Michel...” He let the name hang to see if Michel would volunteer his last name.
Would he? I don’t think he trusts the crew 100 percent. This is just his first day with them.
(Unlikely | 4[d10]) No
“Just Michel,” Michel said.
“Just Michel. Our new companion to our small fellowship. Let us bid him welcome on this fine auspicious day and let him know the meaning of true hospitality!” Vincent said and opened wide his arms. He winked at his friends and grinned at Michel.
A chorus of welcomes greeted him.
“Thank you,” Michel nodded, but he kept his demeanor guarded.
“Now then. Playtime is over. We have to be up and doing. Up up! Get the ship ready!” Vincent commanded.
His small crew lept to obey.
In about fifteen minutes they had all clambered up the rope ladder.
Okay... question time.
Do these guys know what they’re getting into by following Vincent?
Did Vincent tell them of the possible dangers?
He is trusting, so I think it is likely he told them.
(Likely | 7[d10]) Yes
This means they are ostensibly also in on his cause to oppose House Anaconda.
In a few moments, everyone had climbed aboard up the rope ladder and Katie now stood at the tiller. Darius peered over the side, tugging at the anchor. Katie pulled a brass lever and some gas bled from the large bag above them and the ship dropped a few feet lower, putting some slack in the ropes. Vincent, Rufus, and Darius started jiggling the anchor lines free and pulling them up when a group of lightly armed soldiers in ragged clothing dashed into the clearing and raised weapons and started firing at the crew.
Alright combat time. Let’s see if the crew is surprised.
+1 terrain does favor the attackers, masking their movements some.
-1 they have a height advantage and are looking down and more apt to see movement through the trees.
-1 the enemy is just rushing forward at this point, not really moving slowly enough to use the trees to screen their movement.
-1 Michel isn’t helping with the ship, since he’s looking about and his Awareness is 1.
One to the right and three to the left puts the net result at Unlikely that they are surprised.
(Unlikely | 1[d10]) No, and... +Event: Heal / Opposition
The No And means Michel spots the movement some distance away before the attackers are in position and the crew is able to attack first. I’m not sure what that random event means. I think this means that the opposition they’re facing will have low morale and won’t stay in an extended fight.
“Attackers!” Michel called the alarm and pointed. “There through the trees from the south!”
The crew quickly darted for their weapons and prepared to engage.
Do any of the others on Mosquito’s Beak have rifles?
(50/50 | 5[d10]) No, but...
No, but they all have pistols strapped in their belts, including the boy, Rufus.
At this point, I’ve not defined their stats. I just have general descriptions. We get a sense that Katie is quick at least.
Rufus is small and probably the kick from a pistol is going to make it hard for him to get things on target.
Darius is strong and somewhat slow, at least when dealing with Katie.
And Logan? He’s thin and probably not really strong.
Do any of Vincent’s crew have Advanced weapons training? (This would be +2 in ranged)
(50/50 | 2[d10]) No
Do any of them have some weapons training? (This would be +1 in ranged)
(Somewhat Likely | 9[d10]) Yes
All of them?
(Unlikely | 5[d10]) No
Okay, Katie and Logan both have +1 in Ranged. Katie is average strength +0 STR and quick, +1 REF, but she’s trained in both Combat (ranged) and Combat (close).
Darius is prob more of an up-front melee type. I’ll say he has +1 in Melee and he’s strong +2 in STR, but 0 in REF and 0 in SNK. Okay, their stat blocks might look like this. Might tweak them later once we find out more about them.
Rufus Hunt Abilities: STR -1, REF 2, MND 1, SNK 1, PRS 0
Skills: Athletics 0, Awareness 2, Combat (ranged) -1, Combat (close) -1, Communications 2, Knowledge 1, Stealth 1, Survival 0, Technical 1
Other: (short description)
Appearance: Small skinny kid 13 yrs old. Red hair and freckles.
Personality: (short description)
Motivations: (short description)
Katie Abilities: STR 0, REF 2, MND 1, SNK 1, PRS 0
Skills: Athletics 2, Awareness 0, Combat (ranged) 1, Combat (close) 1, Communications 0, Knowledge -1, Stealth 2, Survival -1, Technical 1
Other: (short description)
Appearance: Angular face. Slender. Dark hair in braid. Dark eyes.
Personality: (short description)
Motivations: (short description)
Darius Scott Abilities: STR 2, REF -1, MND 1, SNK 0, PRS 1
Skills: Athletics 1, Awareness 1, Combat (ranged) 0, Combat (close) 2, Communications -1, Knowledge 0, Stealth -1, Survival 1, Technical 0
Other: (short description)
Appearance: Brown hair short cropped. Beefy build.
Personality: (short description)
Motivations: (short description)
Logan Flint Abilities: STR 0, REF 0, MND 1, SNK 1, PRS 2
Skills: Athletics 0, Awareness 1, Combat (ranged) 1, Combat (close) -1, Communications 2, Knowledge 0, Stealth 2, Survival -1, Technical 0
Other: (short description)
Appearance: Skinny man with sideburns and a red nose.
Personality: (short description)
Motivations: (short description)
Not sure if I should have filled out full stat blocks in the same way as a normal PC. Maybe normal peeps shouldn’t be as capable. We’ll leave it as is for now and see.
Now for the enemy, these Scouts are pretty basic and are bare minimum trained. A 0 value just means normal in that skill but no extra training:
Anaconda Irregular Scout Abilities: STR 0, REF 0, MND 0, SNK 1, PRS 0
Skills: Athletics 0, Awareness 1, Combat (ranged) 0, Combat (close) 0, Communications 0, Knowledge -1, Stealth 0, Survival 1, Technical -1
Other: (short description)
Appearance: Skinny man with sideburns and a red nose.
Personality: (short description)
Motivations: (short description)
I’m going to set a four-part clock/tracker to have them get away. This means they need to get at least four successes in whatever they’re doing to get away.
Get Away 0/4
Since Michel saw them first, he’s going to shoot. These are all Medium Close Range shots, I think. Not sure what his RoF is on his semi-automatic sniper rifle. I’ll say it’s a 3 for now, but may adjust later.
He aims at one of the six scouts emerging into the clearing aiming at the ship. It’s a tall man with a limp and a red sash over one shoulder. Their leader?
+1 Ref + 0 ranged, + 1 close, He’s aiming and will squeeze off 3 shots at +1, He’s braced on the railing +1. Target is moving -2 but is out in the open. Ship is stationary but at two successes will start moving upward.
Does he hit? Likely.
(Likely | 6[d10]) Yes
Damage
(8 = 4[d20]+4) Minor Injury: Largely superficial; painful and distracting, but not life threatening.
Left Hand
His first shot sheared a furrow through the skin on the man’s left hand.
Does he drop his pistol?
(Unlikely | 1[d10]) No, and...
Second shot?
(Likely | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
Damage
(24 = 20[d20]+4) Killed.
Get Away 0/4
The second bullet took the man in his chest and rocked him backwards against a tree trunk in an explosion of violence. Gunpowder wafts in the air in front of Michel. He shifts his aim to a new target.
(Forgot to add that he had a scope. That wouldn’t have changed things since he hit both times anyway, but he can’t get his third shot because he shifted targets.)
Katie will go next.
She also braced on the railing and got into a crouch next to Michel squeezed one eye shut and then let loose with three shots.
2 Ref, +1 Ranged, + 0 Medium, Target running -2, Aim +1
L to hit three shots
(Likely | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
(Likely | 9[d10]) Yes +Event: Extravagance / The intellectual
We’ll say that’s a head shot, and with the Yes And, it knocks the man out. 
(Likely | 9[d10]) Yes
Damage for each.
(5 = 5[d20]) Negligible: Nick/Scratch/Bruise.
(12 = 12[d20]) Moderate Injury: Hampers action significantly; will require first aid/medical attention.
(5 = 5[d20]) Negligible: Nick/Scratch/Bruise.
Bullets zipped past her target until one took him in the skull, knocking the man out.
Her shots also forced some others nearby backwards back under cover.
Get Away 2/4
Rufus went next.
He aimed longer +3 (just gets one shot on this).
REF 2, Ranged -1 = 4 places to the right but -2 for enemy movement, Braced +1,
So VL likely that he hits:
(Very Likely | 10[d10]) Yes,
and...
(1 = 1[d20]) Negligible: Nick/Scratch/Bruise.
Gut
I think that Yes, And is basically a critical hit, meaning I roll damage twice and take the higher.
Same location.
(2 = 2[d20]) Negligible: Nick/Scratch/Bruise.
The man he’s shooting at swore as the bullet grazed his side and he leaped behind a tree.
Get Away 3/4
Darius goes next. He’s going to try and yank an anchor free that had become entangled in some branches. He’s using his Str so that the ship can rise higher. Does he do it?
Likely with his Str of 2.
(Likely | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
That’s 4/4 boxes.
The ship climbs up out of range and pulls away rapidly. The return fire is sporadic and plinks against the hardened wood of the keel.
That probably would have been a very different encounter had the party been surprised.
Resolved Threads:
- Get to the Mosquito’s Beak.
- Find out who the boot prints belong to / who the woman is. We have found out that she’s an Anaconda scout.
Chaos Factor:
Arguments could be made for either increasing chaos or keeping it at 1. I’m going to say because of the arrival of the scouts from this scene and the fact that they had to shoot their way out, that the Chaos Factor increases by one to a 2.
Updated Characters List
I’ve added these:- Mysterious Woman - Anaconda Scout (This replaces ‘Mysterious woman’)
- Anaconda Scouts
- Weather and/or Wilderness (not really a character, but the Mythic game says “you can add just about anything to the Characters List, from individual NPCs to organization, to geographical areas, to objects. if it has some level of activity and can act for or against your PC you can add it to the Characters List”)
- Admiral Kanes
- Delia Carter (Dead woman in captain
- Captain Munnason (Dead caption of Red Specter)
- Crew of Mosquito’s Beak
---
Expected Scene - Sunset. The Mosquito’s Beak has climbed above the trees and clouds and is racing back to the Red Spectre to collect its loot.
Test the scene against CF 2.
6 = 6[d10]
The Mosquito’s Beak rose up through the clouds, the moisture bleeding off of the balloon and then the rest of the hull. The sun blinded them with its orange warmth as the amber orb dipped low into the western horizon.
“Grab a line!” Vincent shouted, a grin on his face. “We’re heading back south for a quick grab and snatch at that crash site.”
The crew obeyed and grabbed lines and railings.
With a wrench on a lever, and the ship turned on its axis and then with another lever thrust, the engines kicked in, with a sudden lurch and a cloud of belching steam and cinders, the multiple props sent the ship racing south towards the
Red Sceptre, their keel cutting through the clouds beneath them like golden white waves.
Michel felt the old exhilaration of flight and he returned Vincent’s mad grin with a somewhat less manic one of his own.
Are there House Anaconda ships about? We do know a fleet headed north. We also know a bunch of scouts were somehow transported here are combing the southern wilderness. I think it’s at least even odds.
(50/50 | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
Wow. A Yes And. I’m going to interpret that as either 1) There are at least two ships up here above the clouds, but they may or may not spot them. 2) Only a single ship but it rises up right in front of them out of the clouds. That could be interesting. Will randomly determine. 1-3 two ships on patrol at a distance, 4-6 A single ship right on top of them.
5 = 5[d6]
I’ll roll 1d20 for the size of the ship with 1-5 being a small fast courier ship like theirs 19-20 would be a hulking battleship. Yikes...
20 = 20[d20]
Okay... *gulp*
After about an hour of flying, the orange clouds had turned a ruddy hue.
“Assuming my calculations are correct, we should be just about there,” Vincent said. “Maybe another few minutes.”
Michel stifled a yawn and nodded. Rufus came up from below decks and passed them each an orange and some bread and jerky.
Michel nodded his thanks and chewed on the food as Rufus nimbly climbed a ladder to a lookout post.
“How did those House Anaconda scouts find your ship?” Michel asked Vincent.
“I don’t know,” Vincent shook his head with a frown and bit off a strip of jerky.
“Well, they weren’t waiting for us there...” Michel mused. “Had they been waiting for us, they could have laid an ambush. I think they were following us, racing to catch us.”
“That could be,” Vincent said.
“And if they have been following us without us knowing... Do you think they know about the crash site? There could be more of them there.”
“That’s my find!” Vincent growled.
“Captain!” Rufus shouted and pointed.
In front of them, the clouds began to boil and writhe as a massive vessel rose up directly in front of them mast and balloons then armored hull . The behemoth was easily twice as large as the
Red Sceptre. And it kept rising.
“It’s the
Forsaken Mercy,” Vincent gaped as they raced ever nearer. “That’s Admiral Kane’s ship!”
“Vincent...” Michel stated, blood draining from his face, grabbing the other man’s arm as he stared at the ship growing ever larger.
“I know! I know! Grab a line!” Vincent shouted to his crew.
Was the Forsaken Mercy somehow aware of them and rose up intentionally to engage them?
(Unlikely | 2[d10]) No
So, the Forsaken Mercy actually didn’t know they were there. We’ve established that Vincent’s ship is very fast. I don’t know if that means it can stop on a dime though. We’ll raise that question if it’s needed. He doesn’t want to stop though. He wants to avoid it, by diving under it into the clouds, dipping beneath them and then rising up above the clouds some distance later once they’re out of visual range.
He pushed the elevator lever down, and the
Mosquito’s Beak began to dive down into the clouds, angling to dive under the
Forsaken Mercy.
Can Vincent avoid hitting this thing?
He’ll get +1 for having a full crew helping him, he has a REF of 1. We don’t really have a Piloting skill. But he does get +1 for being an Airship expert and I’ll say he gets a +1 for being involved in Airship racing. He’s had to make split decisions before. That would be 4 to the right. Giving him a ST but now the negatives. It’s dark -1, he’s dipping into the unknown by going into the clouds, -1, and it’s a huge ship -1.
So, SL that he can avoid hitting it in some fashion:
(Somewhat Likely | 6[d10]) Yes
Let’s see if Vincent avoids being spotted. Does he?
+1 it’s dark. +1 he’s in a small ship. +1 it’s moving quickly. -2 the other ship has multiple trained lookouts. Either way, the Forsaken Mercy will know another ship is there as it was rising up on the relative quiet of balloon power compared to Mosquito’s Beak running at cruising speed.
(Somewhat Likely | 6[d10]) Yes +Event: Adjourn / Messages
As they dove, they heard a voice coming from a sort of large-scale phonograph that even so barely cut through the noise of their own engines. “Unknown vessel, power down your engines! I repeat, power down your...”
The voice bled away to nothing as they dove into the clouds and then under them. Michel felt the clammy moisture clutch at his face like spectral fingers, and then they emerged under the thick cloud layer that blotted out much of the sun. In the distance, a few sparse red-orange rays touched the ground.
Is the Red Spectre crash site lit up by a sun beam?
(50/50 | 8[d10]) Yes
One of the red beams settled on the craggy rocky overhang that sheltered the Red Spectre from view.
“If we can just get under it before that ship reappears, we might just have a chance to get some of my claim!” Vincent says and presses the elevators down again as the ship makes a quick descent.
Can Vincent get under cover of the same overhang, before the Forsaken Mercy gets below the clouds and gets a chance to spot them? I think this will be a similar Piloting check to see if he can quickly maneuver his ship under cover.
+1 REF, +2 general airship knowledge and piloting, +1 it’s dark
(Sure Thing | 9[d10]) Yes
They dipped under the cover of the overhang, and cut the engines. And in the twilight gloom of the overcast sky, they could barely make out the behemoth emerging from under the clouds a good distance away.
I think it’s slowly coming in this direction.
Is anyone else under this overhang? Meaning Anaconda scouts? The only way that would even be feasible is 1) If the woman scout told someone. 2) They had some kind of telephone or telegraph (ie electricity) and we’ve already established that electricity is very rare.
I think it’s Very Unlikely.
(Very Unlikely | 2[d10]) No
But the next question is does The Forsaken Mercy have electricity. I think that it is at least Likely. Given that it is the flagship of the entire Anaconda navy.
(Likely | 8[d10]) Yes
The
Forsaken Mercy began to ponderously move in their direction, its massive searchlights cutting the night sky, panning the ground and the circles of light that would spell their doom.
“We should probably get to work quickly,” Michel said to Vincent. “You don’t have a lot of time.”
“We could wait for it to leave, for it to move on...”
“You’re not thinking. You know airships better than most. You know what the best of the best have, right?”
Rufus dashed over to them and pointed at the lights as he gave a small yelp of fear and wide-eyed excitement. “Is that...? Is that...?”
“You’re right,” Vincent finally breathed, ignoring Rufus. “Logan, get the crew down! We only have...” he looked at the
Forsaken Mercy as it drew nearer, like some unstoppable glacier. “About half an hour... maybe more if it moves off in a different direction. Just see if you can get one of those deck guns and a chain gun with some ammo. Quickly now!”
“Aye aye captain!” Logan responded and he grabbed Rufus’s arm. “Come on, we need everyone’s help, even your scrawny arms!”
Chaos Factor increases by one to a 3. The flagship of the entire Anaconda navy...has made its appearance. And it’s sure to have escorts within calling distance. Yikes! I added the flagship to the “Character List” and added “Get far away from the Forsaken Mercy” as a new thread.