Fear The Living (TWD Quest)

[veekie]

[x] Plan Markala

 

[Jrin]

[x] Plan Markala

 

[StrangerDanger51]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[8] Plan Markala

Sorry for posting this a day late. I had zero motivation yesterday.
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The quiet of the forest is broken by the whispered muttering of the motel group. The main culprit of this is you, as you quietly talk to Kenny, Lilly and the other two adults.

"Alright, so we need to keep an eye out for the Dead, get an idea of how many there are out here. We also need to keep an eye out for those bandits. They are not at all sane and if they find us, they will attack us.

"Once we reach the Dairy, we need to keep an eye on the family. They seemed a little too eager to get us all over there, and I know that they could just be starved for outside contact that isn't bandits, but be careful anyway. The Dead are hungry, but at least you know how they'll kill you; the living are the unknown, an infinite lottery of good or horrible things waiting to happen to you and yours.

"This is because unlike the Dead, the living are smart, and lack of abundance and Any kind of responsibility means that there is nothing stopping people from doing horrible things to each other, cannibalism? Slavery? Sex slavery? Death's just the tip of the iceberg of horrible things that could happen, and we don't fucking know these people.

In this new world, safety and survival's a knife's edge we all must dance upon, with no guarantees on getting up again if we fall. We shouldn't go courting trouble, but we can't pretend that trouble won't find us either, so we stay frosty."

Kenny looks at you strangely, but seems to accept your advice. "That was a hell of a speech there kid, you sure do know a lot about this stuff. I won't pry, but I'm guessing you've, uh, encountered guys like this before?" He looks at you with both

You nod sadly. You and Amy had barely gotten away from those perverts, virginity intact. "Yeah, it... wasn't a good experience.

"Anyway, the point I'm trying to get at is be on your guard at all times. Don't relax for a second. They could turn their guns on us at any moment, and suddenly we're prisoners instead of guests." The adults nod. Larry still looks sceptical, but Lily, Kenny and Katja are nodding, serious looks on their faces. You turn to face the kids, and they look at you with equal seriousness. Seems they were listening in. To be fair it wasn't exactly a private conversation.

You look each of them in the eye; Travis, Ben, Duck; Clementine, and they all nod. Good. Duck looks a little confused, but Clem is aware and serious about this. That kid... she is gonna be a survivor. A few more minutes of walking and you come to a break in the trees, beyond witch is a farmhouse and barn, surrounded by forest and a humming fence.

You walk in, and see a woman walk down from the balcony. She walks over and introduces herself. "Hello there, I'm Brenda St John, and welcome to the St John Dairy. You the folks from that motel? Where's the girl with the vest, Carly?"

Lily answers, "Carly ate more of the pastries on the way back, so she offered to stay behind and watch the fort."

You see a flicker of annoyance run across her face before it disappears. "Well regardless, you're welcome here. Now, Danny told me you had a Vet? Our last cow Marybell is sick, and we don't know what's wrong: you'd be a big help." Katja nods and steps forward.

"I was a small animal vet, not big animals like cows and horses, but I'll try." Brenda seems ecstatic. That emotion seems genuine at least.

"That's fine deary, its more experience than the three of us have. Marybell is in the barn, first stall on the left." Katja nods and heads off. You poke Kenny in the side and he starts, then nods at you and walks off after the wife." Once again you see the flicker of annoyance.

"Well, there isn't much else to do around the place, Mark and Lee already did a lot when they got here. Those boys did it without even needing to be asked." At this she turns and raises an eyebrow at Danny as he walks up the them. "I believe you've met, but this is my youngest, Danny. Andy is in the barn already tidying up, so your friends have probably met him by now."

She turns and looks to her left. By the way, Lee fixed the swing earlier, of you kids wanted to play around for a bit. "A light turns on in Duck and Clem's eyes. But you are a little suspicious.

"Where ARE Lee and Mark? I don't seem them, and if they'd seen us they would have come over already." Brenda looks you up and down and is about to say something, then she stops and looks behind you.

"Well, they were checking the fence perimeter for us, but looks like they're done." The whole group turn around and see Lee and Mark walking up the path. They are smiling, and seem fine. Clem runs up to Lee and they talk for a bit. Mark smiles at the conversation. You turn back to Brenda, reassured. When Lee, Mark and Clem reach the group, Brenda continues talking.

"Well, that's it, I guess. Feel free to wander the Dairy until dinner. Just watch out for that fence, don't want to get hurt." The group nods and Brenda walks off. Before any of the group leaves you start talking.

"Alright. We're here. Lee, Mark, anything suspicious or weird about this place?" Lee raises an eyebrow at Lily, but she shrugs and looks exasperated. Lee gives a light laugh and responds.

"No ma'am. Not yet. The fence seems legit, we pulled about 10 walkers off it, and it seems to work fine. The strange thing is the Dairy only has one cow, which is weird for a dairy farm. I wonder what happened to the rest.... Anyway, there is one other thing. Even before we mentioned we had a Vet, Danny and Andy seemed really eager to get us all over here, even though the deal was to trade some food and gas. He even mentioned moving in, which I think is waaay to soon to think about."

You and the others nod. "Yeah, Carly has that impression too. Keep your eyes open. There is no sickly thing as a free lunch. These people are up to something and they are smart enough to keep it hidden. I noticed Brenda looked annoyed when we mentioned Carly stayed behind and when Kenny followed Katja. Could be nothing, but let's keep on our toes."

Mark and Lee seem to have a new respect for you, and the others nod. They wander off, with Clem and Duck dragging Lee and yourself over to the swing, since Kenny is in the barn.

After the designated play time, and the kids wander off to meet he cow, you and Lee have free time. What do you suggest you do?

[][ACTION] Go talk to Lily and Larry. They have been hanging around the pagoda and you want to know if they've found anything.
- [] Bring Lee with you
Chance of Succsss: 30%

[]ACTION] Follow the kids to the barn and talk to Katja and Kenny. It's been a while, and you want to check up on them.
- [] Bring Lee with you
Chance of Success: 70%

[][ACTION] Travis, Ben and Mark are talking by the picket fence. They've taken your advice seriously and have been walking and poking around. They're bound to have found something.
-[] Bring Lee with you.
Chance of Succss: 50%
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AN: There we go. To clarify, if you don't bring Lee with you, he will go do another of the actions alone, and have his own success roll for that action.

 

[Markala]

Yanno, it just occurred to me... Anyone ever wonder about the relationship between the Dairy and the Raiders? Like are they herding people to the Dairy? ... Idk, not sure how many holes are in that theory.

Anyways, as I said over on the SB thread, it's DETECTIVE TIME! Oh hell no, these three alone are like walking Murphy's Law bait of bad things waiting to happen, better follow to make sure at least Travis and Ben don't die horribly, or give away they're snooping; though I'm wary of getting attached to Mark too soon, if he survives the Dairy, sure.

Lee can take care of himself, and I don't think Kenny or Katja'll fuck up watching Clem and Duck, so they're good for now, but Ben and Travis? These guys need a little teensitting from Salem for a bit.

 

[StrangerDanger51]

I always thought Andy was honest in his anger at the raiders. The Dairy killed and butchered the people they met, and were forced to trade the meat for the promise they wouldn't be attacked. Then they either ran out of time or were getting close to the time of their next shipment, and so were desperate to find some suckers to trade.

Finding the motel group was an answered prayer, and then they botched it. Because the raiders were getting food from the dairy, they didn't need to roam very far when raiding. Once the dairy fell, they found the motel group and started attacking, then the events of episode 3 happened.

 

[RideTheWalrus]

[X] Travis, Ben and Mark are talking by the picket fence. They've taken your advice seriously and have been walking and poking around. They're bound to have found something.
-[X] Bring Lee with you.
Chance of Succss: 50%

There is some convincing points for this vote, I'm sold

 

[Doctor Elsewhere]

[X] Travis, Ben and Mark are talking by the picket fence. They've taken your advice seriously and have been walking and poking around. They're bound to have found something.
-[X] Bring Lee with you.
Chance of Succss: 50%

 

[veekie]

[X] Travis, Ben and Mark are talking by the picket fence. They've taken your advice seriously and have been walking and poking around. They're bound to have found something.
-[X] Bring Lee with you.
Chance of Succss: 50%

 

[Boatman]

[X] Travis, Ben and Mark are talking by the picket fence. They've taken your advice seriously and have been walking and poking around. They're bound to have found something.
-[X] Bring Lee with you.
Chance of Succss: 50%

 

[butchock]

[X] Travis, Ben and Mark are talking by the picket fence. They've taken your advice seriously and have been walking and poking around. They're bound to have found something.
-[X] Bring Lee with you.
Chance of Succss: 50%

 

[StrangerDanger51]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[6]Travis, Ben and Mark are talking by the picket fence. They've taken your advice seriously and have been walking and poking around. They're bound to have found something.
- [5] Bring Lee With You.
Chance of Success: 50%

Alright, now the fun begins. Fair warning to everyone, you do NOT have plot armor. If you get a bad enough roll, you die. Then we have to decide whether the game ends or we switch perspective.

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You turn to Lee as he watches the kids walk off with a smile. "Hey, Lee, we should go talk to the others, see what they've dug up." He looks down at you with that look again, then rolls his eyes and smiles.

"Did you read my mind? I was just thinking that." You giggle a little.

"Well, Great minds think alike." You say with a sarcastic flair. Then you look him up and down. "Some greater than others." You smirk and head off towards Travis, Ben and Mark, listening at Lee's mock outraged shout of "Hey!"

Article:

Roll for Success of Action: 32
Needed: 50

Once you and Lee reach them, they turn to look at you. You don't bother asking the obvious question, as the look on their faces says it all. Lee does it for you anyway. "Nothing?" And they all reply with dejected head shakes. Damn.

"What do we do now?" Ben asks, and you think about it. They shouldn't keep poking around. That would be suspicious. It seems like Larry is going to talk to Brenda, so you make a quick decision.

"Go talk to Lily. Ask if she's found anything and tell us next time you see us." The three nod and walk off. You turn to look at Lee and he has this evaluating look in his eye. You continue talking. "So, over to Kenny and Katja?" He nods.

"Yeah, that seems right. I think he'd have something. His whole family is here, and that guy will do anything to protect his wife and kid." You nod. Seems like your evaluation of the guy was spot on.

The two of you walk over to the barn and quickly find Katja talking to Andy by the Cow, and the kids kneeling down and petting it. Kenny is leaning against a post across from then. Lee heads over to talk to Kenny and you head over everyone else.

Clem is the first one to spot you, and talks as you approach. "Katja says Marybell could have her baby tonight!" Oh, so the cow is pregnant? Good for the Dairy at least... but why did they need a vet for that? Surely they've had pregnant cows in the past, why do they suddenly need a vet for it? Adding another mark to the mental tally, you speak to the group.

"So, how are you all doing?" Duck and Clem are good, Katja is happy to be doing something that reminds her of her old life. Andy is very happy, but it doesn't seem like has any particular reason for it...

Lee calls you over. You turn and find him and Kenny at the back of the barn. When you get there they quickly include you in their hushed conversation. "Kenny found something." Lee starts with. That's good proves you're paranoid for a reason. Kenny replies.

"When Katja and I came in, Andy rushed through looking real worried and locked up that back door real tight. I got a glimpse of somethin' before he did, I think there was blood, and something metal and sharp." Hmm. What possible reason could a dairy farm have a butcher room foor? I mean, they could be using it for anything they hunt, like deer... but you don't think that's it.

"Alright. We need to find a way back there. Lee, you do it. Kenny and I'll distract the guard dog over there." Kenny nods, and walks off to the group, loudly engaging Andy in talk of something or other. Lee nods at you and inspects the lock. You head off to the group as well, once it looks like he has an idea.

"Hey, uh, Salem, was it? Why don't you go help momma with dinner? It should be almost done, but I'm sure you could help set the table." Oh shit. Andy looks at you with piercing eyes. Lacking a reasonable excuse, you slowly nod and head out the door, throwing a glance back at Lee and Kenny.

You quickly make your way up the small hill and knock on the front door. After a minute, Brenda opens the door, looking slightly flustered. "Oh, are you okay dearie? Did you need anything?" Wow, she looks really nervous. Eyes twitching around, hands not staying still, etc.

"Andy sent me over. Said I should help with setting the table." Brenda seems to lose some of her nervousness as the conversation moves along.

"Oh, he's such a good boy. But I think we'll be okay. I've got Danny and he's all the help I need." You nod. Once again, she seems really nervous and eager to get you away from the house.

"Alright then. See you at dinner I guess." She nods, looking happier.

"Yes, dinner should be ready in about 20 minutes. Could you tell all your friends sweetheart?" You nod, and walk away from the house. So, they are Definitely hiding something. The barn has a butcher room, there is something in the house they don't want us to see. Probably sent me away to hide it. And... where is Larry? You look down at the pagoda, expecting to see him with Lily, but he's not there. Strange.

Regardless, it looks like Lee is trying something. He's messing with the Generator for the fence, and puts something in his pocket. He quickly moves away and Andy walks out. When he kneels next to the Generator, you can hear him loudly complaining about how the thing is broken again and threw a belt. You look down at Lee and raise an eyebrow. He smirks back and heads over to the barn. Looks like he's got that door sorted.

You walk over to the pagoda. Ben, Travis and Mark are quietly talking. I think about their pasts. You head over to Lily, who is looking worriedly at the house. "You alright Lily? You look worried." You point out. She turns and nods.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But Brenda told me dad had a heart flutter, and she took him inside to rest. I wanted to go see him, but she told me to leave him be to rest up." Okay, that is suspicious. Larry is inside. Lily isn't allowed to see Larry. I'm not allowed inside, presumably to hide something.... are they doing something to Larry? No, you don't have any proof, only wild speculation.

Before you can speak up about your theory, the dinner bell goes off and people start migrating towards the house. What do you do?

[] Head over to the Barn and check with Lee before you head inside. What he's found is more important than Larry going missing.
Chance of Success: 70%

[] Head inside, but poke around for Larry. Check on him. Something is fishy here, and it is definitely not the food.
Chance of Success: 50%

[] Head inside, but don't do anything. Just sit down st the table and wait for dinner. You're just being parinoid. You're sure of it.
Chance is Success: 30%

---------

AN: Your first failed roll. Luckily it wasn't for anything terribly important. You could get the info from other sources. You lost out on a chance to interact with Ben, Travis and Mark though, who seem to be getting along well.

 

[Markala]

UGHHHHHH, we missed dem character interactions! WHHHHHHHYYYYY. And ugh, as much as I hate Larry, I guess we're obligated to look for him... Might earn us some "easy/nonroll" Lilly points regardless.

Maybe if shit goes down and we take down Brenda and fam, we could probably loot the Dairy, might end as a net positive if the dice are kind... As long as we don't get swarmed by zombies, or raiders or have everything be on fire like the episode.

 

[RideTheWalrus]

[X] Head over to the Barn and check with Lee before you head inside. What he's found is more important than Larry going missing.
Chance of Success: 70%

Well that's a whole lot of suspicious

 

[butchock]

[X] Head inside, but poke around for Larry. Check on him. Something is fishy here, and it is definitely not the food.
Chance of Success: 50%

 

[StrangerDanger51]

Actually, now that I think about it, didn't the Bandits shout "You don't fucking steal from us!" When they attacked Mark and Lee? They thought they were from the dairy. Maybe by 'Steal' they meant cheat or maybe they actually stole something, did something to piss the bandits off.

Anyway, I have noticed way less people actually voting than are viewing the thread. If you want this to be continued please vote. My muse is extremely fickle and without people voting it seems like people aren't interested, and so why am I even writing? This is already lasting longer than normal, and I'm enjoying it.

 

[Jrin]

[X] Head over to the Barn and check with Lee before you head inside. What he's found is more important than Larry going missing.
Chance of Success: 70%

 

[veekie]

[X] Head over to the Barn and check with Lee before you head inside. What he's found is more important than Larry going missing.

Cannibalism I smell

 

[StrangerDanger51]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[4] Head inside, but poke around for Larry. Check on him. Something is fishy here, and it is definitely not the food.
Chance of Success: 50%

Head inside wins by a single vote.

----------------

You follow Lily, Ben, Travis and Mark as they make their way up to the house. You notice Kenny, Katja, Clem and Duck leaving the barn, and try to catch Kenny's eye. He nods his head back at the barn and winks. Alright, Lee's trying to get into the barn.

He won't have long. Looks like Andy is coming down to meet us, and has noticed Lee isn't with everyone else. He then heads over to the barn. Not running, but quick walking. Yup. They were hiding something fishy. By this point you have reached the house and file in the front door. Now's your chance to make an excuse and search the house.

"Hey, uh, Brenda? Where's the bathroom? I.. uh... I need to go.." Brenda looks understanding and points out the archway you're in.

"Just to the right. First door on your left. Be quick now! Or you'll miss your dinner!" You nod and silently praise your acting skills. You walk over to the bathroom door, then open and shut it. Now your investigation can begin.

Roll for Success of Action: 93
Needed: 50 (Greater Success!)

Click to shrink...

This hallway doesn't have much. There is a dresser which has been used to block the back door from being used, and a long extension cord plugged into a wall socket which runs up the staircase. You quietly make your way up the staircase, wondering why such a long extension cord is needed.

Once you reach the landing you follow the cord to a cupboard. You open it, and find the bottom is full of medical supplies. You wonder why they need so much, but that can be passed off a hoarding supplies for later down the line. Nothing wrong with that. In any case, the extension cord has a power switch on it, and you flick it.

It certainly turns something on, as the cord snakes through a hole in the wall and light streams from that hole. Hmm. How to get to this room. You sneak around through the next door along this wall, a bedroom, and look to where you expect the other room to be. There is light streaming from underneath a cabinet, and marks on the floor which seem to show the cabinet was moved recently.

You look the cabinet up and down, it's way too heavy. You're not going to be able to move this on your own. If Lee found what you think he did, then he is gonna be suspicious too and sneak around himself. When he gets up here you can move it together. Until then, you search the room. And what'd ya know, one of the side tables has a pistol in it, a Glock 17. You check the magazine, and discover it has nine bullets. Score!

You make sure the safety is on and shove it down your waistband at the small of your back, and move your shirt over it to hide it. Once your finished, you turn and notice Lee's head coming up the stairs. When he notices you, you wave him over. He quickly sneaks over and kneels down next to you.

"What's going on?" He asks. You point at the dresser.

"There's a room behind there. They're trying to hide something in it, so we need to move it." He notices the light coming from under the dresser and nods. The two of you grab a side each and pull it over, wincing at every scrape the piece of furniture makes. You finish quickly and look at the revealed door. You look at eachother and nod. Lee reaches over and opens the door.

As the door swings open, your eyes widen and you cover your mouth with your hand. Laying there, on the floor of the ensuite bathroom, is Larry. With. No. Legs. He groan, and looks at you, eyes hooded with pain. Lee kneels down over the man while you back up, pulling the gun from your pants and flicking the safety off.

"Larry, wha-what happened!" Larry looks at him like he's and idiot. Heh, even dying Larry hates Lee. He is breathing heavily.

"It was... those fucking brothers! They...." His eyes widen. "Don't let.... Lily eat dinner!"

You quickly run off, running down the stairs, not even trying to be quiet. Once your in the dining room you level the gun to the back of Andy's head. "Don't move you sick freak!"

Everyone freezes, even your own group. Brenda had almost finished laying out the food, and the evidence of Larry's mutilation is lain out on a platter. Brenda and Danny look at you with wide eyes, you can't see Andy, but you imagine he's the same. Lee walks up behind you, and you can feel the heat from his death glare.

"Lily. These fuckers have taken care of your dad alright. They cut off his legs, and were about to feed him to you!" Lily's eyes widen in shock even further, then she is angry. Oh boy is she angry. She moves quickly, snatching Danny's gun from next to him beside he can move. She then chambers a round and points it at his head. The rest of the group quickly get as far from the table as possible. When Katja walks by you speak up.

"Larry is upstairs. First door in the left. In the bathroom. He... he's not going to make it." You say. Katja runs off and Lily looks at you with anger for a minute, but that turns to understanding, then the anger returns even stronger. In her anger she whacks Danny on the back of the head with her new Rifle. He falls to the ground, unconscious. Brenda screams and kneels down beside her son. Lily shifts so her gun is pointed at Brenda.

"Danny! My boy!!" She looks up at you. "You just HAD to go snooping around didn't you! You folk could have left tomorrow, and everything would be fine." Lily's face screws up in anger.

"My dad is DEAD! You fucking Cannibals cut him up, AND TRIED TO FEED HIM TO ME!" She doesn't look stable. Andy decides this is the perfect time to speak up.

"He would've died eventually. Heart condition like that. When you'd run out of meds, and he had an attack, he'd be dead. We only go after folks who would've died anyway!" You look at him in disgust.

"You fucking sickos. Don't we have enough trouble with the Fucking Dead trying to eat us! You don't understand. It's Humans against the Dead. We don't need fucking cannibals turning against the rest of us! You... you're not human anymore. Your fucking Monsters."

It's time. This decision will influence the rest of your life, you just know it.

[] Kill them. Kill them all. They know wheee the motel is, and they've shown they're willing to betray their humanity. If they live, they'll just come after you. These monsters don't deserve to live.

[] Spare them. As much as you want to kill them, they could be of some use. If we keep them tied up we could find some way for them to be useful.

-----------

AN: Like Salem said, this is one of those moments. What you choose will define and shape how the others see you, and how you see yourself. This is an important decision. I won't put a monatorium on it, but I'd like to see some discussion before you vote.

 

[Cybandeath]

If I remember correctly there was a pope in the past that said cannibalism was okay in extreme sitations after some crash in south america.

 

[Markala]

We can't in good conscience allow them to keep going the way things were, Lilly's already in full unhinged fury-mode and we can't even let Brenda&Fam go without serious reprisal or putting the whole group at risk, relations have DEFINITELY broken down, Brenda, Danny and Andy have gots to go. Pop one in their heads, so they don't come back. Practicality is our ONLY option, then at least we'll just only have one group of enemies to deal with.

Next, we should loot the Dairy, take everything (that isn't Long-Pig obviously), and leave with our haul before the Raiders show up.

Also: Hey @StrangerDanger, you should probably add that Glock & # of bullets to Salem's Inventory/Char sheet.

 

[StrangerDanger51]

Also: Hey @StrangerDanger, you should probably add that Glock & # of bullets to Salem's Inventory/Char sheet.

Click to shrink...

Updated, along with updated character descriptions for the St Johns.

 

[butchock]

Take all the medical supplies, gas, and warm clothes...

Execute them away from the children as well...

 

[Jrin]

Too bad we don't get a write in where Salem get them to give us intelligence of what they know in exchange for their lives which others did not offer the same assurance and execute them.
Always try to get info for their life before killing them.

 

[veekie]

[X] Kill them. Kill them all. They know wheee the motel is, and they've shown they're willing to betray their humanity. If they live, they'll just come after you. These monsters don't deserve to live.
-[X] Make sure they can't rise again
-[X] Get the children away from the scene first

 

[Boatman]

[X] Kill them. Kill them all. They know wheee the motel is, and they've shown they're willing to betray their humanity. If they live, they'll just come after you. These monsters don't deserve to live.
-[X] Make sure they can't rise again
-[X] Get the children away from the scene first