Road to Redemption; A play in three parts (part three)

[Jason Long]

Perception: 71% / 1d100: [51] = 51 %
JIC: 1d20: [7] = 7 / 1d100: [80] = 80

Skills:
((Prowl--87% / 1d100: [20] = 20 % )) working on the cords surreptitiously
((Track & Trap Animals--87% / 1d100: [38] = 38 % )) untying or working through cords
((Wilderness Survival--103% / 1d100: [13] = 13 % )) if more appropriate for working out the knots

"Fine, fer given values of fine. I'd like ta have a laser rifle with me at the moment, though."
She glares at their captors, then shivers and drops her gaze.
"Is it wrong of me ta want 'em all dead? 'cause right now, I do.

Jason smiles in spite of the situation. Glad to hear she hasn't broken.
"A rifle? I'd settle for a reasonably sharp spork." or more preferably, Bonaparte, they think they're all that because of their psy abilities. I'd love to see how they'd handle 105mm plasma "and as for wishing them dead, it would be justice for their crimes. "

Jason's mind goes back to his time as an MP, running down scenarios for how to secure prisoners. He works backwards to see if any of it would help them get loose. Damn, everything I come up with can't work while that guard is there. He thinks of one way to provide some relief.

He speaks out loud, so the guard can hear"Try to work around so that you can sit with your back against something or someone. That will take the pressure off of shoulders and relieve some of the pain." and it will take pressure off of our wrists making it easier to work on the cords.

Jason wiggles over to sit with his back against the cage, facing the guard. He begins trying to work the knot on the cords. If that doesn't work, he feels down one of the bamboo bars to its end to find an edge to work the cord against. He works slowly and deliberately to keep the motions from being easily visible to the guard. He bows his head, watching for the guard through mostly closed eyes, and slows his breathing.

If there is a deity listening who represents warriors, justice, and the fight against darkness. We could use some help here to save my team and these prisoners from torture and death. These villagers prey on the innocent, stealing their magic and devouring their flesh. Aid us in bringing justice for their victims. Jason doesn't know if prayer like that will work, but he is unwilling to pass up any possibility for help

[Consumer]

Road to Redemption: A play in three parts, Part Three, Act One.

Location:Foothills, north western side, Papua New Guinea.
Date: June 9th, 2:30 AM (5 miutes has passed)
Weather: Outside: High 81°, Low 67°; Windy/Cloudy/Rainy (45 mph).
Map
Mission Notes

Rory speaks of revenge, while Jason and Rufus quietly work on

Ropeworks would be the preferable skill, but I will accept what has been rolled as alternatives.

their hands. Kai speaks quietly to Rufus’ comment. ”They’ve likely slaked their hunger for the moment, seeing as they’ve captured two spell casters.” The group may just realize that Kai is speaking some manner of accented

Australian English

. If the guard sitting in the dark has noticed or cares what the prisoners are doing, he has made no move to show such. After some effort, Jason and Rory have had their hands freed from the leather cords, leaving their ankles still bound.

Meanwhile outside, the rescue team continues to talk. Teres’ commentary on “knowing one’s enemy” seems to fall on deaf ears as the hardened merc turns away from her to listen to the others. Calvin’s revised idea gets some nods, but when he suggests Akamu scout ahead, he just looks at Calvin with a confused look. ”It’s a straight shot, not much scouting, we just move quietly and hope for the best.” The Lemurian scout says.

Nothing else to be said, the group moves out. The area near the cave and huts is quiet, with little to no movement. Everyone is trying their hardest to

Used Teres Just in Case Roll

towards the entrance of the cave, Whether by luck or happenstance, the rain starts to fall, as they approach, which certainly hides the more egregious of noises the group is making. As the group nears within ninety feet of the cave entrance, the situation changes.

GM Note: Those in the Rescue group with Sixth Sense, find it triggered.

What are your intentions?

Jason Long: KLS Triarius Heavy Armor 200/200 M.D.C. (Shoulder Shield 239/300 M.D.C.)
Rufus: -10 S.D.C., All PPE Drained, Medium Concealed Ley Line Walker Armor 58/60
Rory: -10 S.D.C., All PPE Drained, High Magus Armor 28/50 M.D.C.
Teres Barton: HA-6 "Frontiersman" Body Armor 65/70 M.D.C., -3 I.S.P.
Calvin Wallace: -30 P.P.E., NG-A8 50/50 M.D.
Jessie the Valkyrie: Magic Chain Mail 14/100 M.D.C.

[Teres Barton]

Perception: 1d100: [29] = 29 / 54%
JiC d20 | d100: 1d20: [13] = 13 | 1d100: [47] = 47

"Heads up, people." she says arming herself with the vibro-axe, "Quiet weapons and melee only. take the fight to them and go for a quick take down. ranged/noisy weapon sentries are priority. Lets try to not alert the sentries in the cave if we can avoid it." Teres does not not even consider psionics. It was better to keep her psionic talent under wraps as much as possible. And here we go again walking into another ambush. People need to worry about hidden things. Like sentries or traps. Just because something looks clear, especially if it should be guarded. the soldier thinks.

a knife is Better than nothing in the off-hand the Psi-Druid thinks drawing the knife the Vibro-knife in the off-hand to parry with. While she was not talented in paired weapons the knife could be used to block. It was nice thing too. many of her instructors pushed for swords, but she never liked them. Axes were both tools and weapons. Some were more specialized but for the most part one axe was as good as the next.

Initiative: 1d20+6: [10]+6 = 16
APM: 5
1.Dodge to set up the attacks by getting behind a Sentry.
2. -
3.Strike - axe (Head/neck) 1d20+6: [7]+6 = 13 Damage: 2d6: [5, 6] = 11 MDC
4.-
5.Strike - axe (Head/neck) 1d20+6: [3]+6 = 9 Damage: 2d6: [2, 4] = 6 MDC

Parry: if needed
1d20+8: [17]+8 = 25 , 1d20+8: [10]+8 = 18 , 1d20+8: [6]+8 = 14 , 1d20+8: [9]+8 = 17 , 1d20+8: [6]+8 = 14 and 1d20+8: [8]+8 = 16
Dodge: If needed
1d20+9: [16]+9 = 25 , 1d20+9: [16]+9 = 25 , 1d20+9: [5]+9 = 14 , 1d20+9: [4]+9 = 13 , 1d20+9: [19]+9 = 28 and 1d20+9: [19]+9 = 28

[Calvin_Wallace]

Per: 1d100 < 66: [10] = 10
JIC: 1d100: [10] = 10 | 1d20: [13] = 13

Present Conditions:
PPE: 166 (-30 PPE)
ISP: 131 (-2 ISP)
MDC: 274
Sixth Sense Active (+6 to init, +3 to dodge, +2 to parry)

Nothing else to be said, the group moves out. The area near the cave a nd huts is quiet, with little to no movement. Everyone is trying their hardest to "stealth" towards the entrance of the cave, Whether by luck or happenstance, the rain starts to fall, as they approach, which certainly hides the more egregious of noises the group is making. As the group nears within ninety feet of the cave entrance, the situation changes.

Scope has nightvision:

As for signs of movement or any visible sentries, Calvin also doesn’t see any of those either, it’s possible one or more are in the mouth of the cave, but the fires are washing out the nightvision to make the scene unclear. As for noticing any other tracks, Calvin can not make anything out given the lighting, the weather, and the distance.

1d20+10: [3]+10 = 13
Initative: 1d20+16: [1]+16 = 17

Act#|Action Description|Strike Roll|Damage|
1|Activate night vision on scope and look around to locate sentry. New Perception Roll JIC 1d100 < 66: [55] = 55
2|If Calvin locates sentry, he will shoot Sentry in chest with JA-12, triple pulse.|Strike: 1d20+3: [7]+3 = 10 |Dmg: 1d6*10+10: [4]*10+10 = 50
3|Shoot Sentry in chest with Rifle Again |Strike: 1d20+3: [7]+3 = 10 |Dmg: 1d6*10+10: [1]*10+10 = 20
4|If Sentry is dead, look for other cohorts|New Perception Roll JIC 1d100 < 66: [89] = 89
5|If there are additional sentry(s), shoot closest sentry| 1d20+3: [16]+3 = 19 |Dmg: 1d6*10+10: [2]*10+10 = 30
6|Shoot closest sentry again| 1d20+3: [11]+3 = 14 |Dmg: 1d6*10+10: [2]*10+10 = 30
7|Shoot next nearest sentry if they are spotted| 1d20+3: [3]+3 = 6 |Dmg: 1d6*10+10: [3]*10+10 = 40

#Contingencies:
At the end of action 4, if there are no more sentries spotted,
5|Go through sentry corpse. Take available blade weapon. Look for clues with the body.
6|Pull corpse aside and leave him sitting up by edge of cave, looking like they are asleep
7|Peer down the cavern via nightvision scope to observe lay of land.

At the end of action 4, if the spotted sentry is not dead:
5|Shoot spotted sentry| 1d20+3: [16]+3 = 19 |Dmg: 1d6*10+10: [1]*10+10 = 20
6|If sentry is dead, look for other sentries.
7|If additional sentries found, shoot to kill:|Strike: 1d20+3: [12]+3 = 15 |Dmg: 1d6*10+10: [3]*10+10 = 40
of
7|If other sentries not found, move to edge of the cave and stay out of sightlines.

Act#|Auto Parry
1| 1d20+16: [14]+16 = 30
2| 1d20+16: [4]+16 = 20
3| 1d20+16: [1]+16 = 17
4| 1d20+16: [14]+16 = 30
5| 1d20+16: [17]+16 = 33
6| 1d20+16: [17]+16 = 33
7| 1d20+16: [11]+16 = 27

Narrative:
Sixth Sense Active! Where is this sentry?
"Fellas, we've been spotted. Find the sentry and kill him quietly."
Do I turn on more psionics or not? Shoot up parachute flair?

[Rory]

Perception: d100: 1d100: [3] = 3 / 21%
JiC d20 | d100: 1d20: 1d20: [3] = 3 | 1d100: 1d100: [32] = 32

Rope works 1d100: [50] = 50 /50%

Rory tries to maneuver herself against a wall so she can use pressure to help her get a grasp on the leather cords binding her. She looks over at the guards as she works on the restraints on her hands, trying to loosen them enough that she can get to the knots. Successful or not, she talks to Jaosn and Rufus.

"With any luck, I'll be able ta replenish enough mana in a couple of hours ta be able ta cast something useful."

Looking directly at Rufus, she continues.

"I saw how they seemed ta fizzle the spells when they encountered them. Make sense then ta try and manipulate the environment rather than casting anything on them directly, neh?"

A small smile appears briefly.

"Telekinesis type spells might work. Perhaps fire starting spells, but they take a bit more. Do ye have any ideas?"

After that, she turns her gaze to the cage. She looks for the door to the cage, trying to see how it is secured and judge how heavy it might be. Without looking at the kankoran she muses aloud.

"They seemed quite good at negating my spells. I wonder if they can detect magic in use. If so, that'd stop me from doing anything that takes time. On the other paw, it'd make fer a good distraction from anything else that's happening at the same time."

Rory.

Status

-Current Hit Points: 47/47
-Current SDC: 25/25
-Current PPE: 0/165

Armor: High Magus armor: 28/50 MDC

Weapons:
In backpack: Nuhr rune musket rifle
Range: 1,600'
Damage: 6D6 M.D.
Rate of Fire: Single shots only
Payload: 50 blasts/50
Weight: 8.5 lbs.
Features: Costs 40 P.P.E. to reload
Modifiers: P.S. <26: -3 to strike

Utility belt: Vibro-axe
Range: Close Combat
Damage: 2D6 M.D.
Payload: 1 E-Clip will last approximately 1 hour
Weight: 4 lbs

OOC Comments

[Jason Long]

Perception: 71% / 1d100: [49] = 49 %
JIC: 1d20: [15] = 15 / 1d100: [19] = 19

Seeing as the guard ignored his efforts in untying his hands, and that the other prisoners aren't tied at all, Jason openly unties his feet. With his arms and legs free, Jason stands and stretches, working the kinks out of his joints. If the guard doesn't react, Jason walks over to untie Rufus and Rory. "Well that is done."

"With any luck, I'll be able ta replenish enough mana in a couple of hours ta be able ta cast something useful."

Jason shakes his head as he sits down next to them with his back to the cage and his left side in the direction of the guard. "My guess is that our guard has some way of detecting mana levels or knows how fast it replenishes. They aren't knew at this. " He absently begins coiling the leather cords from their bonds with his hands between his bent knees, so the guard can't see what he is doing. Jason takes the longest one and ties a small loop in each end, forming a garrote.

Now that I have a weapon, how the hell do I get to the guard to use it. He looks at the door of the cage, figuring that, with a bamboo cage, the hinges and latch could be weak points. If the hinges are leather or cord, they could fray with use or develop some rot in the tropical environment. When he is done examining the door, Jason looks to the other prisoners to gather more intel. "Do they ever bring water or food? I would think that they would try to keep prisoners alive, so that they can keep draining them.

[Rufus]

Perception: 1d100<98: [53*] = 1
JIC: 1d20: [1] = 1 / 1d100: [68] = 68

Conditions:
- PPE: 0/313
- SDC: 45/55
- HP: 52/52

"Try to work around so that you can sit with your back against something or someone. That will take the pressure off of shoulders and relieve some of the pain."

Rufus grins slightly as he's working on Rory's bonds. Okay, at least he gets it. Now the next big question is -- once we're untied, how do we get out of this cage without Dirtbag over there blasting us or calling for help?

Rory speaks of revenge, while Jason and Rufus quietly work on

Ropeworks would be the preferable skill, but I will accept what has been rolled as alternatives.

their hands. Kai speaks quietly to Rufus’ comment. ”They’ve likely slaked their hunger for the moment, seeing as they’ve captured two spell casters.” The group may just realize that Kai is speaking some manner of accented

Australian English

. If the guard sitting in the dark has noticed or cares what the prisoners are doing, he has made no move to show such. After some effort, Jason and Rory have had their hands freed from the leather cords, leaving their ankles still bound.

"Well, that at least gives us a little time..." Rufus nods, hoping the idle conversation will mask their efforts enough to keep the guard's unwelcome attention at bay. "By the way, it's good to hear English out this way. We've heard it more often that I originally thought, though that still isn't saying a whole lot."

Seeing as the guard ignored his efforts in untying his hands, and that the other prisoners aren't tied at all, Jason openly unties his feet. With his arms and legs free, Jason stands and stretches, working the kinks out of his joints. If the guard doesn't react, Jason walks over to untie Rufus and Rory. "Well that is done."

If the guard doesn't react and Jason gets the others untied, Rufus snorts softly. Well that's a welcome surprise... wasn't sure how we were going to get our feet without being seen. "Much obliged, moj prijatelj..." he says as he starts rubbing his wrists. "Whoever it was who tied me up like a Midwinter's Eve roast turkey, blood circulation wasn't a priority for them."

"With any luck, I'll be able ta replenish enough mana in a couple of hours ta be able ta cast something useful."

"I saw how they seemed ta fizzle the spells when they encountered them. Make sense then ta try and manipulate the environment rather than casting anything on them directly, neh? Telekinesis type spells might work. Perhaps fire starting spells, but they take a bit more. Do ye have any ideas?"

"My guess is that our guard has some way of detecting mana levels or knows how fast it replenishes. They aren't new at this. "

"They seemed quite good at negating my spells. I wonder if they can detect magic in use. If so, that'd stop me from doing anything that takes time. On the other paw, it'd make fer a good distraction from anything else that's happening at the same time."

"Agreed," Rufus nods, chuckling at the 'on the other paw' comment. "Psi-Stalkers feed on our magical energies, remember?" He points to some of his scars. At least I'll wind up with a nice collection of stripes after this. Maybe. "They can track our magic 'scent' like wolves tracking the scent of blood. I would imagine that's how they found us so quickly -- the three of us probably smelled as strong as Dhaltuun's cooking out in the Dino Swamp. At least they didn't nab Calvin; they'd probably think they had struck the mother lode."

He throws a sideways glance at the guard, then one at the other prisoners. "The only idea I've got at the moment is that we can't 'abracadabra' our way out of this one and we're going to have to rely on our non-magical talents for the time being. On the plus side, our being drained at the moment might actually be a blessing in disguise if we don't 'smell' as strong as normal." He shrugs. "But I'm not a Psi-Stalker expert, so I could be wrong on that."

[Consumer]

Road to Redemption: A play in three parts, Part Three, Act One.

Location:Foothills, north western side, Papua New Guinea.
Date: June 9th, 2:37 AM (7 minutes has passed)
Weather: Outside: High 81°, Low 67°; Windy/Cloudy/Rainy (45 mph).
Map
Mission Notes

The next few moments go from well intended plans, to utter chaos. As the group is slightly forewarned, the plan of silently taking out whoever sees them is shattered as soon as the group gets even a step closer. A cacophonous rattling noise can be heard as the guard who sees the approaching rescuers pulls a rope that sets off what is both a clever but primitive alarm. The next few seconds are ones of violence as Calvin opens fire on the now visible guard, while Murdoc and the thus far silent Lani charge forward at blistering speeds. Within six seconds the Sentry is quite dead, but the damage is done. The team can hear the echoing of shouts as the cannibals are roused and on the move.

Meanwhile below in a sturdy cage of bamboo and sinew, the remaining Templar work to untie themselves. If the guard is bothered by this or the talking he doesn’t show it. As the last of the Templar are freed from their bonds a metallic rattling can be heard echoing around the tunnels. It’s here that the guard perks up, grabbing his polearm and running off to see what is happening. This leaves the prisoners alone for the first time.

The Templar get to witness something terrifying from the Lemurians with them as Lani seems to scream and charges a large cluster of cannibals. The violence she begins to perpetuate upon them is very reminiscent of sharks, complete with biting. Meanwhile Murdoc and Leo fire controlled bursts of rifle and railgun fire into other cannibals. Calvin and Teres add to the damage in their own ways, leaving a bloody mess as they are pressed from two directions. It appears that this cave is a buried car park, which really limits the directions one can go. Several minutes of violence pass as it seems the last of the cannibals is felled. It’s here that Akamu has to calm his companion down from whatever frenzy she’s in.

The violence ended, giving the Templar time to find their kidnapped companions. At the bottom of the car park They find the others considering how to escape their prison. As well as a trio of battered, beaten, and partially eaten Lemurians are with them. Outside the storm begins to rage further.

I sped this along for my own sake, Two PCs and half a dozen NPCs versus a large amount of MDC infused Cannibals was not something I wanted to drag out for several weeks, especially when the outcome would have been exactly this.

What are your intentions?

Jason Long: KLS Triarius Heavy Armor 200/200 M.D.C. (Shoulder Shield 239/300 M.D.C.)
Rufus: -10 S.D.C., All PPE Drained, Medium Concealed Ley Line Walker Armor 58/60
Rory: -10 S.D.C., All PPE Drained, High Magus Armor 28/50 M.D.C.
Teres Barton: HA-6 "Frontiersman" Body Armor 65/70 M.D.C., -3 I.S.P.
Calvin Wallace: -30 P.P.E., NG-A8 50/50 M.D.
Jessie the Valkyrie: Magic Chain Mail 14/100 M.D.C.

[Calvin_Wallace]

Per: 1d100 < 66%: [7] = 7
JIC: 1d20: [9] = 9 | 1d100: [68] = 68

The Templar get to witness something terrifying from the Lemurians with them as Lani seems to scream and charges a large cluster of cannibals. The violence she begins to perpetuate upon them is very reminiscent of sharks, complete with biting. Meanwhile Murdoc and Leo fire controlled bursts of rifle and railgun fire into other cannibals. Calvin and Teres add to the damage in their own ways, leaving a bloody mess as they are pressed from two directions. It appears that this cave is a buried car park, which really limits the directions one can go. Several minutes of violence pass as it seems the last of the cannibals is felled. It’s here that Akamu has to calm his companion down from whatever frenzy she’s in.

The violence ended, giving the Templar time to find their kidnapped companions. At the bottom of the car park They find the others considering how to escape their prison. As well as a trio of battered, beaten, and partially eaten Lemurians are with them. Outside the storm begins to rage further.

Fights over... We gotta check in on the survivors!

Looking to his cohorts in captivity, Calvin first moves to free them.

"Stand back fellas, I'm gonna cut this cage loose."

The prisoners are taken to the lower level, where they are stripped of their possessions. Rory and Rufus then get to experience the terrifying and painful experience of being drained of their power, with several small cuts. Before they are tossed into a Cage with three other people, who look a lot worse for wear.

Powering on his TW sword (-10 PPE), Calvin proceeds to cut through the Cage. Producing a hatchet from his pack, he moves to to undo the ties of his team mates, but then realized that his cohorts have already freed themselves.

First thing about being a good doctor is to talk to the patients!

"Hey folks, sorry to keep you dudes waiting. Who needs medical care?"

Eyeing his three cohorts, Calvin deduces that they are not too worse for wear. Looking to the other side of the cage, he sees the remaining three captives (or what's left of them).

"Those people look like they need a bunch of help!"

Eying the three remaining lemurians gingerly, Calvin makes a quick note mentally (Doctor MD: 1d100 < 78%: [70] = 70 )

Walking over to the Lemurians, Calvin addresses the trio quickly:

"You folks need immediate medical attention. I am a trained medic, would you please let me examine you and dress your wounds?"

Calvin waits for a response from the Lemurians. He shoots a glance to Rufus and Rory and says:

"You guys have been drained? Do either of you have some healing spells? I can give you some energy when I need to call on your acumen later."

[Rory]

Perception: d100: 1d100: [89] = 89 / 21%
JiC d20 | d100: 1d20: 1d20: [16] = 16 | 1d100: 1d100: [11] = 11

Rory breathes a sigh of relief when she sees Calvin coming toward them. She throws up her hand to shield her eyes as he cuts through the bars of the cage, and lowers her hand when he's done.

"Hey folks, sorry to keep you dudes waiting. Who needs medical care?"

She wordlessly points to the Lemurian captives, and watches as he goes to check on them. She stretches a little, massaging her wrists.

Calvin waits for a response from the Lemurians. He shoots a glance to Rufus and Rory and says:

"You guys have been drained? Do either of you have some healing spells? I can give you some energy when I need to call on your acumen later."

"Drained? Oh yeah, right ta the bottom. Tank's definitely got the needle pointed at empty. Fer now, that is. As fer healing, aye, I can do some minor healing once I recover a bit. Major league healing, hell, I dinnae have the energy ta do that even when I'm at full. Got the spells alright, but not the juice ta make 'em work, 'less I'm at a ley line."

She looks down at herself, then at the other captives.

"An' even if it seems a bit profligate, a complete cleanse would probably do morale a whole Hel of a lot o' good.

A smile comes to her lips.

"I can do that one too, once I recover a bit. I tell ya what, I've got a few things I wanna do once I'm back ta health, just in case there's a next time. I ain't gonna be such as easy victim again. No freakin' way."

The smile stays on her lips, but her eyes lose all their warmth.

"Never again." she murmurs under her breath.

Rory.

Status

-Current Hit Points: 47/47
-Current SDC: 15/25
-Current PPE: 0/165

Armor: High Magus armor: 28/50 MDC

Weapons:
In backpack: Nuhr rune musket rifle
Range: 1,600'
Damage: 6D6 M.D.
Rate of Fire: Single shots only
Payload: 50 blasts/50
Weight: 8.5 lbs.
Features: Costs 40 P.P.E. to reload
Modifiers: P.S. <26: -3 to strike

Utility belt: Vibro-axe
Range: Close Combat
Damage: 2D6 M.D.
Payload: 1 E-Clip will last approximately 1 hour
Weight: 4 lbs

OOC Comments