Session 4
Expected Scene: The sun is setting in a beautiful sunset as Michel and Vincent arrive back at the camouflaged hunting lodge where they intend to share a meal and gather supplies.
Chaos factor is 3
10 = 10[d10]
The scene plays out as expected.
Michel and Vincent arrive back at the hunting lodge as a beautiful sunset turns imbues the mountains with a golden light. Michael had pocketed the pistol. He wasn’t sure he trusted Vincent a hundred percent, but the other man didn’t say anything, just nodded.
Did the woman re-enter the lodge again while they were gone?
(50/50 | 2[d10]) No
They enter and set about fixing a quick meal, while Michel packs up his meager belongings.
Did Michel bring a gas or oil lantern?
(Somewhat Likely | 5[d10]) Yes, but...
It only has about four hours of oil left.
They use it sparingly. Vincent pulls out a map of the peaks and forests and his line traced a long three day journey to the north where he tapped the map. “That’s where the Mosquito’s Beak is hidden.”
“What happened to my airship, the Valkyrie, after it went down? Do you know?”
Does Vincent know?
(Likely | 8[d10]) Yes
Was it destroyed?
(Somewhat Likely | 6[d10]) Yes
“A day or two after your escape, a team came back, scavenged it for parts and then destroyed the rest of the hull with explosives.”
Michel frowned as he bit into the dark rye bread and slab of half-moldy cheese. But he didn’t care. It tasted like heaven to him. He washed it down with some water.
Michel still hadn’t revealed that he was ‘of the blood’ of House Lyons, but he asked about Vincent around another mouthful of bread.
Let’s find out some more about him and what he good at. Here’s what we know so far. We know he’s educated... or at least sounds educated. He owns his own ship. I’m going to say he’s independently wealthy. That’s good. He knows how to make personal modifications on his ship and he’s a decent pilot. I need a good Stat Block approach for things like NPCs.
Let’s see if I can come up with one:
(Name) Abilities: STR #, REF #, MND #, SNK #, PRS # Skills: Athletics #, Awareness #, Combat (ranged) #, Combat (close) #, Communications #, Knowledge #, Stealth #, Survival #, Technical # Other: (short description) Appearance: (short description) Personality: (short description) Motivations: (short description)
That looks decent as a sort of template.
Now, let’s come up with some more details on Vincent. He’s not the main character, but he might be sticking with Michel for some time, so we’ll create a little backstory here.
Does he have a family?
(Unlikely | 1[d10]) No, and...
No. In fact, he was raised as an orphan and is a self made man. His appellation of Fairmoor is the name he was given when he was dropped off at an orphanage as a child. He worked as a mechanic and grease monkey in the House Anaconda shipyards for decades. He has no knowledge of his parents. He had a love interest for several years and it even progressed to an engagement. It was then that he spent the most time in the mountains, on hikes and campouts with his beloved Amelia Bradley. Sadly, she died from exposure and pneumonia five years ago. Ever since then, he buried himself in books and even hired a personal tutor to teach him how to speak the way the creme de la creme do. Vincent has won a few local races and from the winnings has been able to set up his own mechanics shop. His keen mind and natural frugality has turned some recent investments around and he finds himself burdened under the description of “Wealthy”.
Here’s Vincent’s statblock:
Vincent Fairmoor Abilities: STR 0, REF 1, MND 2, SNK 0, PRS 1 Skills: Athletics -1, Awareness 1, Combat (ranged) 1, Combat (close) 0, Communications 0, Knowledge 2, Stealth -1, Survival 1, Technical 2 Other: Airship mechanic and expert Appearance: 40ish, Sleek black hair, slicked back. Penetrating brown eyes. Thin. Bookish. Personality: Well spoken. Frugal. Plan before acting. Trusting. Shares his opinion too freely. Motivations: Airship lover, Tinkering, Education for all, Stop Viscount Kroll
That’s enough for now.
After turning off the lantern, they started a fire in the stove and Michel and Vincent baked up the cake mix. No sense leaving it here. Vincent tells Michel of his history while they prepared and ate. Michel shared that he was of a noble family but left things vague.
Did the cake turn out well? 🙂
Not the best lighting in a less than ideal kitchen, but Vincent gives some pointers.
(Somewhat Unlikely | 7[d10]) Yes, but...
It turned out fairly well, though it collapsed and was gooey in the center. But still, the just-add water-directions were about at Michel’s skill level when it came to cooking.
End scene. They were able to prep without issue. So, Chaos Factor goes down to 2.
Resolved threads:
Current threads:
---
Expected Scene: This is a montage scene of them traveling to the Mosquito’s Beak, hiking through the mountains and forests, camping, eating around the fire, slapping at bugs, hiking some more, moving over different terrain types to the north until they reach Vincent’s airship
Chaos Factor of 2
Testing the scene.
6 = 6[d10]
No change.
Day 1. The good weather held and they made good time, hiking from dawn until late afternoon. They climbed up out of the valley between two mountains and made camp in a grove of trees.
Day 2. I’ll roll for the weather today. High is good. Low is bad. 6 = 6[d20]
The weather picked up wind blowing into their faces as they climbed higher and pressed on trekking to the north. The clouds dropped lower obscuring some features.
They will have to roll for navigation.
This is MND (2) + Survival (1).
+1 Vincent has a map. +1 Vincent has been this way already.
Is the weather bad enough to cause a complication? Yes because it does obscure landmarks.
-1 Weather.
That’s a net of +4 to the right. VL.
(Very Likely | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
He finds some shelter. What is it? Is it a cave?
(50/50 | 1[d10]) No, and...
Hmm. This tells me it’s nothing natural, but is something man made. Ah hah. I got it.
“What’s that?” Vincent said as the clouds parted momentarily and he saw a gleam of sunlight on metal to the north east.
Michel followed his gaze and also saw the gleam on metal before the sun was again swallowed, dulling the hues in the greenery.
“Something metallic,” Michel said.
“We’re making good time. Let’s check it out.” Vincent said, a gleam in his eye. “Could be something valuable.”
This might seem a bit out of character for him. But when you see what it is, you’ll understand.
“Weren’t you the one saying, ‘the best plan is the plan made thrice?” Michel asked somewhat dubiously. “We could just stick to our plan and press on a bit further the way we need to go. I don’t know about getting sidetracked”
“Come on! It’s only about a quarter of a mile away!” Vincent flashed him a grin. The thin mechanic wasn’t terribly athletic and he was breathing hard before, but he seemed to find a new energy now as he clambered down over some lichen covered boulders and slid down a slope covered in slate-gray scree, the rocks spilling around his ankles as he half jogged, half stumbled down the slope, the rocks making a clatter as they moved in small eddies ahead of him.
Vincent claimed he had been in better shape several years ago when he had been out in the mountains last, that was five years ago with his beloved Amelia. He seemed to move like a gazelle now.
Michel followed after and after about twenty minutes, they rounded a bend and saw up close what Vincent had seen from a distance. A ship. A large airship, ruined and crashed.
The clouds were low and moved like wispy wraiths.
Was this crash from the earlier battle between Raiders / Anaconda / Lyons ?
(Likely | 8[d10]) Yes
Is it an Anaconda ship?
(Somewhat Unlikely | 7[d10]) Yes, but...
A large armored ship of the line bearing the insignia of House Anaconda painted on its iron-bound hull, that of a coiled serpent wrapping around a fiery sword on a triangle field of a black, lay on its side, the name in red lettering Red Specter with a grinning red skull.
The Red Specter had plowed through dozens of trees, shattering them like kindling. Now it rested under an overhang, largely hidden from view from above. Its prow jutted out over a cliff that spiraled down some two hundred feet to more pine trees below. Around the wreck lay debris, tree limbs, rocks, and twisted metal in confusing heaps.
That was when the wind shifted and the stench of decomposing flesh wafted over them.
Do they end up retching?
Michel - With his 1 Str, means -1 to the left at SU. He’s also seen death--caused death even--and been in many battles and has seen the horrific aftermath of such, so another -1.
(Unlikely | 1[d10]) No, and...
Vincent with his Str 0 doesn’t get a bonus 50/50.
Was this his first battle?
(50/50 | 5[d10]) No, but...
He too has been around death working for House Anaconda, but this is by far Vincent’s experience on a battle of this scale. He still gets one bonus for knowing what to expect, so...
(Somewhat Unlikely | 4[d10]) No
They both keep it together.
Bodies in uniform lay in unnatural angles among the twisted debris.
Michel squeezed his throat shut, choking back the bile. Vincent also twisted his face momentarily but was grinning when he turned to face Michel.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” Vincent asked him, waving one arm at the length of the ship as if he were a groom uncovering his bride’s face to the assembled audience.
“She’s a wreck.” Michel said and winced again at the stench. “And it’s a funeral home here.”
“Well, yes and yes... But not all of her is a wreck. True, her portside is ripped up from prow to stern, looks like, but... I’d guess there’s a lot untouched inside her. And we will need supplies and uniforms if we’re serious about going against House Anaconda.” He sighed and touched the hull affectionately. “If only I had my mechanic’s shop.”
“This needs more than a shop. It needs an entire shipyard,” Michel said, noticing the riven metal.
“Of course. Of course,” Vincent said absently, rubbing his hands together. “Let’s see what we can find!”
They looked about the outside of the ship and among the bodies for anything useful.
First, we need to know if someone else has already been here and picked it over? I guess it depends on who was doing the picking? House Anaconda I’m going to say hasn’t been here yet. They aren’t sure where this ship went down and their search parties haven’t discovered its location yet. If they had, the bodies wouldn’t be here.
What about the Desert Raiders? In my mind’s eye, House Lyons was involved in the fierce fighting with the raiders and then they were hit from behind by House Anaconda. And since this is an Anaconda Ship, it was probably downed by fire from House Lyons vessels, not the raiders.
In fact, I think the raiders were probably nearly wiped out in the battle.
Were they?
(Likely | 8[d10]) Yes
In that case, it’s Very Unlikely that any other major force or house has been here to comb through the wreckage.
Have they?
(Very Unlikely | 2[d10]) No
I’m not going to roll for what they find. This is indeed a very good find! It hasn’t been picked over by anyone yet, and these soldiers who perished with the wreck were geared for war with uniforms, weapons, ammunition both small arms and for chain guns and mortars and 25mm deck guns. They can get what they want and are limited only by what they can carry or haul about.
“Look at all this!” Vincent said and he raked a finger through his hair and turned in a slow circle.
Michel bent down and picked up some knives, a saber, and two more revolvers. He threw away the old battered sniper rifle and picked up a better more serviceable model. It had a better scope. He worked the bolt action and satisfied it wasn’t gummed up, he chambered a round and then slung it over his shoulder, then found another rifle. This one was one of the newer semi-automatic models. Not as accurate as the sniper rifle, sure, but it held a ten round magazine. He slung that over his left shoulder and picked up an ammo sling and draped it across his chest.
I’ll say that a typical ammo sling holds five additional magazines.
“There’s no way we can carry everything,” Vincent said in both a curious mixture of ebullience and despair, his arms open wide. “And we haven’t even been inside...I--Oh I need to think bigger! I need to bring my ship here! And then we can really haul some stuff. She’s small but--imagine one of those deck guns gracing her planks. Oh, sweet angels above! What a find!”
Michel interrupted his exuberance. “Let’s just slow down. One thing at a time, Vincent. Inside, they may have some intelligence on House Anaconda. If we can access the captain’s chamber maybe--”
“A capital idea!” Vincent crooned, switching back into his ‘educated’ accent.
Vincent also picked up some weapons. After they had both armed themselves, they began searching for a way inside.
A question I’m curious about...
Have they been followed by the woman sneaking about the lodge?
(Somewhat Likely | 9[d10]) Yes
Current Threads
Chaos Factor: They were in control, made progress towards their goals and nearly made it to Vincent’s ship and even found a stockpile of weapons as the Red Specter. So, the Chaos Factor goes down to 1.
Expected Scene: The sun is setting in a beautiful sunset as Michel and Vincent arrive back at the camouflaged hunting lodge where they intend to share a meal and gather supplies.
Chaos factor is 3
10 = 10[d10]
The scene plays out as expected.
Michel and Vincent arrive back at the hunting lodge as a beautiful sunset turns imbues the mountains with a golden light. Michael had pocketed the pistol. He wasn’t sure he trusted Vincent a hundred percent, but the other man didn’t say anything, just nodded.
Did the woman re-enter the lodge again while they were gone?
(50/50 | 2[d10]) No
They enter and set about fixing a quick meal, while Michel packs up his meager belongings.
Did Michel bring a gas or oil lantern?
(Somewhat Likely | 5[d10]) Yes, but...
It only has about four hours of oil left.
They use it sparingly. Vincent pulls out a map of the peaks and forests and his line traced a long three day journey to the north where he tapped the map. “That’s where the Mosquito’s Beak is hidden.”
“What happened to my airship, the Valkyrie, after it went down? Do you know?”
Does Vincent know?
(Likely | 8[d10]) Yes
Was it destroyed?
(Somewhat Likely | 6[d10]) Yes
“A day or two after your escape, a team came back, scavenged it for parts and then destroyed the rest of the hull with explosives.”
Michel frowned as he bit into the dark rye bread and slab of half-moldy cheese. But he didn’t care. It tasted like heaven to him. He washed it down with some water.
Michel still hadn’t revealed that he was ‘of the blood’ of House Lyons, but he asked about Vincent around another mouthful of bread.
Let’s find out some more about him and what he good at. Here’s what we know so far. We know he’s educated... or at least sounds educated. He owns his own ship. I’m going to say he’s independently wealthy. That’s good. He knows how to make personal modifications on his ship and he’s a decent pilot. I need a good Stat Block approach for things like NPCs.
Let’s see if I can come up with one:
(Name) Abilities: STR #, REF #, MND #, SNK #, PRS # Skills: Athletics #, Awareness #, Combat (ranged) #, Combat (close) #, Communications #, Knowledge #, Stealth #, Survival #, Technical # Other: (short description) Appearance: (short description) Personality: (short description) Motivations: (short description)
That looks decent as a sort of template.
Now, let’s come up with some more details on Vincent. He’s not the main character, but he might be sticking with Michel for some time, so we’ll create a little backstory here.
Does he have a family?
(Unlikely | 1[d10]) No, and...
No. In fact, he was raised as an orphan and is a self made man. His appellation of Fairmoor is the name he was given when he was dropped off at an orphanage as a child. He worked as a mechanic and grease monkey in the House Anaconda shipyards for decades. He has no knowledge of his parents. He had a love interest for several years and it even progressed to an engagement. It was then that he spent the most time in the mountains, on hikes and campouts with his beloved Amelia Bradley. Sadly, she died from exposure and pneumonia five years ago. Ever since then, he buried himself in books and even hired a personal tutor to teach him how to speak the way the creme de la creme do. Vincent has won a few local races and from the winnings has been able to set up his own mechanics shop. His keen mind and natural frugality has turned some recent investments around and he finds himself burdened under the description of “Wealthy”.
Here’s Vincent’s statblock:
Vincent Fairmoor Abilities: STR 0, REF 1, MND 2, SNK 0, PRS 1 Skills: Athletics -1, Awareness 1, Combat (ranged) 1, Combat (close) 0, Communications 0, Knowledge 2, Stealth -1, Survival 1, Technical 2 Other: Airship mechanic and expert Appearance: 40ish, Sleek black hair, slicked back. Penetrating brown eyes. Thin. Bookish. Personality: Well spoken. Frugal. Plan before acting. Trusting. Shares his opinion too freely. Motivations: Airship lover, Tinkering, Education for all, Stop Viscount Kroll
That’s enough for now.
After turning off the lantern, they started a fire in the stove and Michel and Vincent baked up the cake mix. No sense leaving it here. Vincent tells Michel of his history while they prepared and ate. Michel shared that he was of a noble family but left things vague.
Did the cake turn out well? 🙂
Not the best lighting in a less than ideal kitchen, but Vincent gives some pointers.
(Somewhat Unlikely | 7[d10]) Yes, but...
It turned out fairly well, though it collapsed and was gooey in the center. But still, the just-add water-directions were about at Michel’s skill level when it came to cooking.
End scene. They were able to prep without issue. So, Chaos Factor goes down to 2.
Resolved threads:
- Find more food
- Find out current status of frigate Valkyrie
Current threads:
- Escape from the wilderness
- Find and rescue Penny Walker (plot armor) - 1/10 Track
- Find out who the boot prints belong to / who the woman is
- Bring Viscount Kroll (of House Anaconda) to justice (plot armor) - 0/15 Track
- Get to the Mosquito’s Beak.
---
Expected Scene: This is a montage scene of them traveling to the Mosquito’s Beak, hiking through the mountains and forests, camping, eating around the fire, slapping at bugs, hiking some more, moving over different terrain types to the north until they reach Vincent’s airship
Chaos Factor of 2
Testing the scene.
6 = 6[d10]
No change.
Day 1. The good weather held and they made good time, hiking from dawn until late afternoon. They climbed up out of the valley between two mountains and made camp in a grove of trees.
Day 2. I’ll roll for the weather today. High is good. Low is bad. 6 = 6[d20]
The weather picked up wind blowing into their faces as they climbed higher and pressed on trekking to the north. The clouds dropped lower obscuring some features.
They will have to roll for navigation.
This is MND (2) + Survival (1).
+1 Vincent has a map. +1 Vincent has been this way already.
Is the weather bad enough to cause a complication? Yes because it does obscure landmarks.
-1 Weather.
That’s a net of +4 to the right. VL.
(Very Likely | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
He finds some shelter. What is it? Is it a cave?
(50/50 | 1[d10]) No, and...
Hmm. This tells me it’s nothing natural, but is something man made. Ah hah. I got it.
“What’s that?” Vincent said as the clouds parted momentarily and he saw a gleam of sunlight on metal to the north east.
Michel followed his gaze and also saw the gleam on metal before the sun was again swallowed, dulling the hues in the greenery.
“Something metallic,” Michel said.
“We’re making good time. Let’s check it out.” Vincent said, a gleam in his eye. “Could be something valuable.”
This might seem a bit out of character for him. But when you see what it is, you’ll understand.
“Weren’t you the one saying, ‘the best plan is the plan made thrice?” Michel asked somewhat dubiously. “We could just stick to our plan and press on a bit further the way we need to go. I don’t know about getting sidetracked”
“Come on! It’s only about a quarter of a mile away!” Vincent flashed him a grin. The thin mechanic wasn’t terribly athletic and he was breathing hard before, but he seemed to find a new energy now as he clambered down over some lichen covered boulders and slid down a slope covered in slate-gray scree, the rocks spilling around his ankles as he half jogged, half stumbled down the slope, the rocks making a clatter as they moved in small eddies ahead of him.
Vincent claimed he had been in better shape several years ago when he had been out in the mountains last, that was five years ago with his beloved Amelia. He seemed to move like a gazelle now.
Michel followed after and after about twenty minutes, they rounded a bend and saw up close what Vincent had seen from a distance. A ship. A large airship, ruined and crashed.
The clouds were low and moved like wispy wraiths.
Was this crash from the earlier battle between Raiders / Anaconda / Lyons ?
(Likely | 8[d10]) Yes
Is it an Anaconda ship?
(Somewhat Unlikely | 7[d10]) Yes, but...
A large armored ship of the line bearing the insignia of House Anaconda painted on its iron-bound hull, that of a coiled serpent wrapping around a fiery sword on a triangle field of a black, lay on its side, the name in red lettering Red Specter with a grinning red skull.
The Red Specter had plowed through dozens of trees, shattering them like kindling. Now it rested under an overhang, largely hidden from view from above. Its prow jutted out over a cliff that spiraled down some two hundred feet to more pine trees below. Around the wreck lay debris, tree limbs, rocks, and twisted metal in confusing heaps.
That was when the wind shifted and the stench of decomposing flesh wafted over them.
Do they end up retching?
Michel - With his 1 Str, means -1 to the left at SU. He’s also seen death--caused death even--and been in many battles and has seen the horrific aftermath of such, so another -1.
(Unlikely | 1[d10]) No, and...
Vincent with his Str 0 doesn’t get a bonus 50/50.
Was this his first battle?
(50/50 | 5[d10]) No, but...
He too has been around death working for House Anaconda, but this is by far Vincent’s experience on a battle of this scale. He still gets one bonus for knowing what to expect, so...
(Somewhat Unlikely | 4[d10]) No
They both keep it together.
Bodies in uniform lay in unnatural angles among the twisted debris.
Michel squeezed his throat shut, choking back the bile. Vincent also twisted his face momentarily but was grinning when he turned to face Michel.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” Vincent asked him, waving one arm at the length of the ship as if he were a groom uncovering his bride’s face to the assembled audience.
“She’s a wreck.” Michel said and winced again at the stench. “And it’s a funeral home here.”
“Well, yes and yes... But not all of her is a wreck. True, her portside is ripped up from prow to stern, looks like, but... I’d guess there’s a lot untouched inside her. And we will need supplies and uniforms if we’re serious about going against House Anaconda.” He sighed and touched the hull affectionately. “If only I had my mechanic’s shop.”
“This needs more than a shop. It needs an entire shipyard,” Michel said, noticing the riven metal.
“Of course. Of course,” Vincent said absently, rubbing his hands together. “Let’s see what we can find!”
They looked about the outside of the ship and among the bodies for anything useful.
First, we need to know if someone else has already been here and picked it over? I guess it depends on who was doing the picking? House Anaconda I’m going to say hasn’t been here yet. They aren’t sure where this ship went down and their search parties haven’t discovered its location yet. If they had, the bodies wouldn’t be here.
What about the Desert Raiders? In my mind’s eye, House Lyons was involved in the fierce fighting with the raiders and then they were hit from behind by House Anaconda. And since this is an Anaconda Ship, it was probably downed by fire from House Lyons vessels, not the raiders.
In fact, I think the raiders were probably nearly wiped out in the battle.
Were they?
(Likely | 8[d10]) Yes
In that case, it’s Very Unlikely that any other major force or house has been here to comb through the wreckage.
Have they?
(Very Unlikely | 2[d10]) No
I’m not going to roll for what they find. This is indeed a very good find! It hasn’t been picked over by anyone yet, and these soldiers who perished with the wreck were geared for war with uniforms, weapons, ammunition both small arms and for chain guns and mortars and 25mm deck guns. They can get what they want and are limited only by what they can carry or haul about.
“Look at all this!” Vincent said and he raked a finger through his hair and turned in a slow circle.
Michel bent down and picked up some knives, a saber, and two more revolvers. He threw away the old battered sniper rifle and picked up a better more serviceable model. It had a better scope. He worked the bolt action and satisfied it wasn’t gummed up, he chambered a round and then slung it over his shoulder, then found another rifle. This one was one of the newer semi-automatic models. Not as accurate as the sniper rifle, sure, but it held a ten round magazine. He slung that over his left shoulder and picked up an ammo sling and draped it across his chest.
I’ll say that a typical ammo sling holds five additional magazines.
“There’s no way we can carry everything,” Vincent said in both a curious mixture of ebullience and despair, his arms open wide. “And we haven’t even been inside...I--Oh I need to think bigger! I need to bring my ship here! And then we can really haul some stuff. She’s small but--imagine one of those deck guns gracing her planks. Oh, sweet angels above! What a find!”
Michel interrupted his exuberance. “Let’s just slow down. One thing at a time, Vincent. Inside, they may have some intelligence on House Anaconda. If we can access the captain’s chamber maybe--”
“A capital idea!” Vincent crooned, switching back into his ‘educated’ accent.
Vincent also picked up some weapons. After they had both armed themselves, they began searching for a way inside.
A question I’m curious about...
Have they been followed by the woman sneaking about the lodge?
(Somewhat Likely | 9[d10]) Yes
Current Threads
- Escape from the wilderness
- Find and rescue Penny Walker (plot armor) - 1/10 Track
- Find out who the boot prints belong to / who the woman is
- Bring Viscount Kroll (of House Anaconda) to justice (plot armor) - 0/15 Track
- Get to the Mosquito’s Beak.
- NEW - Look for Intelligence inside the crashed line ship.
Chaos Factor: They were in control, made progress towards their goals and nearly made it to Vincent’s ship and even found a stockpile of weapons as the Red Specter. So, the Chaos Factor goes down to 1.
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