Skyborne: a Quest of Airships, Terror and Revolution

[X] Sky.
[X] Soul.
[X] Hennepin: Suave.
[X] Vroomen: Sharp.

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In the deep, you encountered something impossible, something that tried to wrest your very body from you, that nearly broke you - but you withstood it and passed through the crucible. You were wounded, yes, but that wound will heal. In time it will be a memory you can draw upon and be stronger for it.

Gain +1 to Soul.

The opportunity to command a ship in independent flight has honed your mastery of the airways. You are eager to put your new skills to a test. Everyone aboard will benefit from your improved sailing.

Gain +1 to Sky.

Your voyage into the deep demanded much of your companions. Rusty, unused skills and tricks are stirring in Hennepin, while Vroomen's encounters with new and fascinating technology have given her plenty of ideas to work on.

Hennepin gains +1 to Suave.
Vroomen gains +1 to Sharp.

The voyage back will take a week, more or less. That's good time to write up a report on your mission. You'll have to figure out how far you'll seek to bend the truth and who to assign the blame for its failure to. It is not a report you intend to write carelessly. Your actions might well see you stand before a court martial. The Service will likely shield you from a death sentence, but it might mean being stripped of your rank and banished to some isolated oceanic outpost. An explorer-captain is given many liberties, but disobeying direct orders without a good excuse or justification is not one of them.

Of course, if the worst would come to pass, one could always go rogue. But you'd rather have the resources and the learning of the Service behind you.

What happened at the North Sea Station?

[] Nothing out of the ordinary. You arrived, received the cargo and the ailing Director Visscher, pressed some unneeded workers to your crew, and departed once more. That'll be the extent of your report on the North Sea Station.
[] You liberated slave laborers. You uncovered the station's illegal transportation and enslavement of workers from the colonies, and dutifully liberated them. The orchestrators of these crimes are Mr Daan Drees and his cohorts.
[] You encountered something in the deep. You encountered an unearthly being excavated by the mining beneath the station. The Service may or may not be aware of the Station's find already, but they are bound to be interested in your description. Making the Service aware of your experience might persuade them to share more of their knowledge of the deep with you, too.
[] You liberated slave laborers and encountered something in the deep. You not only discovered evidence of illegal slave labor and liberated the victims, but also encountered an unearthly being in the tunnels beneath the station; a being that said illegal slaves were being murderously fed to. Your report will describe everything that happened, as you see it.
[] Write-in. Your report will describe events in a different way.

Who is to blame for the loss of cargo?

[] You. You traded it away for far more valuable gains and intend to stand by that decision.
[] Ragnar Strand. You told him you'd leave him out of your report, but that was just to smooth things over. You will report, more or less dutifully, that it was Ragnar Strand and his henchmen who stole the cargo from your hold.
[] Drees and his scientists. The scientists will not be seen again, which makes them a perfect scapegoat for the loss of the cargo. You'll report that they turned on you and stole away the cargo for their own selfish gain, with you regrettably unable to track them down.
[] Unknown foes. You'll report that unknown intruders stole the cargo; suspicions will likely fall on the pirates, the Communards or both.
[] The creature itself. You'll claim that the creature within the crate broke itself out and escaped from your possession, eating up the unlucky scientists on its way out of the door. It subsequently submerged in the sea and could not be located again.
[] Write-in. You'll blame another power entirely.

There'll be time for other things as well on the way back. You don't expect much in the way of trouble. The pirates should no longer be a concern, but nothing is certain in the world-sky. Some other danger might sneak up on you. Still, your crew are still sharp from their drilling the week before, so you'll have an edge going into any battle.

Every 7 days of uninterrupted Flight allows you to undertake 1 Ship Action and 1 Social Action. Choose 1 for each.

Social Actions

[] Socialize with an Officer. You share a ship with six strangers. Perhaps you should attempt to form some manner of relationship with them.
-[] Maarten van Assen. The young Service analyst should be easy enough to converse with.
-[] Eleonora Vroomen. The reckless Service engineer has proven to be a woman of hidden depths.
-[] Georges Hennepin. The old adventurer is an interesting fellow, who appears much shaken by your experience in the deep.
-[] Jan Spijker. The disgraced diver is a tough nut to crack, but you could get him to open up.
-[] Antonia Luna Traversi. The esoteric scientist seems a fascinating person who you could learn much from.
-[] Anneke Dhien Saragih. The studious young woman must have her ambitions and ideas for you to learn.

Ship Actions

Crew

[] Drill the crew. An idle crew is a troubled crew. A good week of drilling should sharpen them up for what's to come.
-[] [Spar] Gunnery drill. If there's going to be battle, gunnery will be key. Gain additional +2 bonus to attack rolls for this Flight.
-[] [Spar] Boarding drill. If there's going to be battle, deck fighting and boarding will be key. Gain additional +2 bonus to boarding rolls for this Flight.
-[] [Saw] Repair drill. You are going to suffer damage, there's no way around it. The crew should be trained in repairs. Gain additional +2 bonus to Repair and Restore rolls for this Flight.
-[] [Saw] Treatment drill. You are going to suffer casualties, there's no way around it. The crew should be trained in basic first aid. Gain additional +2 bonus to Bolster, Rally and Revive rolls for this Flight.
-[] [Sky] Evasion drill. The best way to fight a sky battle is to not get hit at all. The crew should be drilled in combat flying. Gain additional +2 bonus to Evasion for this Flight.
-[] [Sky] Manouver drill. The best way to fight a sky battle is through manouver and trickery. The crew should be drilled in combat flying. Gain additional +2 bonus to non-Board Steer rolls for this Flight.

[] Tend to yourself. Take a break from command. Pen letters, practice an instrument, meditate, sleep, pet a ship cat - it's a chance to center yourself once more. Clears 1 level of Harm and grants +1 to Soul for this Flight.

Starting a project (below): Projects are extended attempts to understand something strange or build something new and innovative. Every Ship Action used on a project adds d20+Stat towards the Project Target. Once this Target is reached, the Project is complete. Roll totals below 10 add towards a Complication Gauge, which can cause negative Qualities or outright failure. You can benefit from the assistance of any relevant Officers in a Project.'

Some Projects have multiple ways to advance; these are marked 'Mixed' Projects. Progress in Mixed Projects can be made through any of the suboptions under the Project itself, though some ways may be better than others.

Projects

[] [Mixed] Tend to Director Visscher. The man's psyche is shattered, but cannot be beyond recovery.
-[] [Sense] Apply psychology. You are no trained headshrinker, but you've some insight into how the human mind functions. With patience and close study, you might be able to begin the work of guiding Director Visscher back towards sanity.
-[] [Strange] Esoteric methods. His damage is not natural, and will not be reversed by natural means. You will take him to your laboratory and apply rather more unusual methods to him. Perhaps electric shocks, as Strand suggested?

[] [Strange] Experiment in the Laboratory. You are eager to see what your new laboratory is capable of.
-[] [Strange] Experiment with electricity. The Zotova generator now onboard offers a chance to experiment with the strange power of electricity. Perhaps you could replicate some of the bizarre things you witnessed on Strand's ship - on a smaller, safer scale, of course.

[] [Sharp] Begin an engineering Project. You know that invention and progress never cease. To be on the forefront of this age, you must push the envelope however you can.
-[] [Sharp] Study the electric engine. The electric engine in your possession is something of an enigma to you. If you are to make full use of it, you will need to understand the logic of its operation. Begins a Project to remove the Unreliable Quality from the Electric Engine and increase your understanding of electric engineering.
-[] [Sharp] Work on armaments. There are certain upgrades you could make to one of your weapons, a few light modifications... Begins a Project to modify an Armament. You will be able to increase Damage and grant additional Qualities to the weapon. The weapon is inoperable during the Project. Choose an Armament.
-[] [Sharp] Work on flight systems. There are certain upgrades you could make to your engine and systems, a few light modifications... Begins a Project to modify the Flight system. You will be able to increase Evasion and grant additional Qualities to your Flight systems. Your Flight system is considered Damaged during the Project. Choose a Flight system.
-[] [Sharp] Work on auxiliaries. There are certain upgrades you could make to your auxiliary equipment, a few light modifications... Begins a Project to modify an Auxiliary. Effects depend on the specific Auxiliary chosen. The Auxiliary is inoperable during the Project. Choose an Auxiliary.
-[] [Sharp] Study automata. You have a fair amount of automata on board. You could take a few apart and see what makes them tick. Max Crew is reduced by 1 for the duration of this Project.
-[] [Sharp] Write-in. Work on something else in your possessions or in the cargo hold.


Vote by plan, if you please. Six hour et cetera.