Vale has fallen. The sea of Grimm that now surround it make access - or escape - all but impossible. Thousands of people remain unaccounted for. Any Huntsmen or Huntresses still in the city went silent weeks ago - but one in particular is of interest. Your mission: Find Glynda Goodwitch, Find any survivors, and then find a way out.
Out Of Ashes (quasi-apocalyptic RWBY quest)
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Act 1, Scene 1 - Take Off
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
"We all have regrets. Lost friends we'd like to have around, things we'd take back. But these time guns can't fix us ... you used them to relieve guilt, right wrongs, to avoid responsibility. But the past is done. Do better now; be better now! Now is the only time that's ever mattered. Ask yourself: do I make bad decisions? How can I do better? Who do I want to be?" - Washington, RvB
Smoke rises to the sky in the far distance, the blinking lights of a dozen fires dotted along the jagged skyline of the horizon.
Even three weeks after the Battle of Beacon, parts of Vale were still burning. From where you were standing in the refugee settlement you could just make out what might be the ruined top of the CCT tower and the hunched form of the wyvern perched atop it.
Around you, what had once been the farmland of the agricultural district had been turned into a slap-dash city. Pre-fab structures, portable buildings and tents of every shape and size spread out from the landing pads in every direction. Airships of a dozen varieties were coming and going from the converted stretch of farmland, ground crews rushing out from support buildings like the one just behind you to transfer cargo and reload them before sending them back out.
"You're late."
You turn at the sudden voice, and find a bespectacled blonde quirking an eyebrow in your direction, a tablet held at her side. Her free hand rises up to adjust her glasses slightly and in the dim pre-dawn light you can just make out the glint of metal. "Miss Armas, I presume?"
"Call me Aurelia," The now identified woman says as she steps forward and offers a hand. You shake it, the light whir of cybernetics audible from her as her robotic fingers flex, "I'll be providing Technical Support for you on this one. A bullhead should already be waiting for us. If you'd follow me...?"
You give a nod before falling into step just behind her as she begins to lead you across the landing pad, weaving through and around technicians and support drones. "What can you tell me about what's going on?" You ask, "The message that I got didn't say very much."
"Three days ago, Vale Defense Forces picked up a transmission from inside the city," Aurelia replies, pausing to look around for a moment before getting her bearings and turning right, "Based on the message contents, the council has authorized a limited deployment into the city."
You quirk an eyebrow at that as a Bullhead finally appears in view, tucked away behind a larger vessel, "how limited?"
"One Huntsman or Huntress," Aurelia replies as she strides toward the transport, "With the entire population of the city displaced they can't afford any more."
"I'm surprised they even think they can afford that," you say as you both climb aboard. Moments later, the heavy thrum of turbines fills the air as the Bullhead takes off. You spare a glance out the still open side-door as the ground falls away, the scope of the refugee camp becoming visible. Tents and pre-fabs for kilometers, a patchwork of colors cut into neat squares by the roads that had once let trucks move grain to and from farms, "What was in that message?"
There is no reply for a long moment, but then suddenly the door slides shut in your face. You jerk back before turning to Aurelia to say something, but come up short. She is staring at you, a grimm look on her face as she holds her tablet out.
Hesitantly, you take it. A moment after you do, an audio file starts playing, its waveform dancing across the screen as you listen.
"-ynda Goodwit-...-Beacon Academy, to-...-ring Broken Garden-...-Ampulla."
You look up from the tablet and back at Aurelia. Even garbled, even over the thrum of the Bullhead's engines, you recognize that voice. "Professor Goodwitch is still alive?"
"So it would seem," Aurelia said as she took her tablet back.
"I didn't recognize the last part," you say as the airship banks softly, "Something about a garden?"
"Broken Garden," Aurelia says, fingers dancing across the tablet's screen as she speaks, "It's a Code Phrase, usable by high level officials in the Vale government or military to indicate when certain contingency plans need to be activated."
"And 'Ampulla' is one of these contingencies?"
Aurelia nods, "Ampulla is invoked if a material asset critical to the security of the kingdom is at risk of falling into adversary hands," she looks up from her tablet and at you, handing the tablet over again, "Your mission is to land inside the Vale Cordon Zone, locate Glynda Goodwitch and extract her along with 'Ampulla'."
You nod slowly as you look over the tablet, "...okay then, straight-forward enough." The tablet has a map of Vale pulled up, a bold red line surrounding most of the city, following the river inland to cut the industrial district in half before following the southern branch along the residential districts border, then wrapping around the back of Beacon and cutting through the Forever Fall to come back to the ocean. A small white dot was marked in the west of the Commercial District, just north of the river and Industrial District. A white line stretched south from the dot to a slowly moving bullhead icon, "What's this?" You ask, pointing to the dot as you show Aurelia the screen.
"Cultural Center," Aurelia replies, "Long range scans and fly-overs suggest that the area has a fairly low Grimm count. Should be a relatively safe insertion point," She hesitates as the Bullhead bounces through a spot of turbulence, "Although…"
"...what?"
She leans forward, and taps a few icons, and suddenly the screen in your hand fills with what seems like hundreds of dots in three different colors, "Initial scouting has also reported active Altesean combat systems in the commercial district," she explains as she points out clusters of blue dots, "There has also been reports of possible White Fang activity within the city…"
"White Fang?" you ask, "Why haven't they left?"
Aurelia shrugs as she leans back and glances out the window, watching the patchwork of farmland and tents flash past, "How would they? The waterways are swimming with Grimm and the situation on the ground isn't much better. And air travel is even riskier."
You nod toward your own window, the city visible in the distance. You can just make out small specks moving through the air, if you squint, "So, what about us?"
"We're just taking a quick hop across the river, and we can avoid the Grimm," she turns to you before leaning forward to take her tablet back, tapping at the screen with a small grin, "You seem pretty flighty, given what I've seen in your file. You nervous?"
You shrug, "Just trying to learn what I can…" you pause for a moment before curiosity gets the better of you, "...So, what does my file say?"
Aurelia's grin widens slightly as she holds the tablet out to you once again, "Take a look for yourself."
[ ] Who Are You?
- [ ] Name
- [ ] Appearance
- [ ] Bio
And:
Voting is by plan and approval (IE vote for all plans you like).
Smoke rises to the sky in the far distance, the blinking lights of a dozen fires dotted along the jagged skyline of the horizon.
Even three weeks after the Battle of Beacon, parts of Vale were still burning. From where you were standing in the refugee settlement you could just make out what might be the ruined top of the CCT tower and the hunched form of the wyvern perched atop it.
Around you, what had once been the farmland of the agricultural district had been turned into a slap-dash city. Pre-fab structures, portable buildings and tents of every shape and size spread out from the landing pads in every direction. Airships of a dozen varieties were coming and going from the converted stretch of farmland, ground crews rushing out from support buildings like the one just behind you to transfer cargo and reload them before sending them back out.
"You're late."
You turn at the sudden voice, and find a bespectacled blonde quirking an eyebrow in your direction, a tablet held at her side. Her free hand rises up to adjust her glasses slightly and in the dim pre-dawn light you can just make out the glint of metal. "Miss Armas, I presume?"
"Call me Aurelia," The now identified woman says as she steps forward and offers a hand. You shake it, the light whir of cybernetics audible from her as her robotic fingers flex, "I'll be providing Technical Support for you on this one. A bullhead should already be waiting for us. If you'd follow me...?"
You give a nod before falling into step just behind her as she begins to lead you across the landing pad, weaving through and around technicians and support drones. "What can you tell me about what's going on?" You ask, "The message that I got didn't say very much."
"Three days ago, Vale Defense Forces picked up a transmission from inside the city," Aurelia replies, pausing to look around for a moment before getting her bearings and turning right, "Based on the message contents, the council has authorized a limited deployment into the city."
You quirk an eyebrow at that as a Bullhead finally appears in view, tucked away behind a larger vessel, "how limited?"
"One Huntsman or Huntress," Aurelia replies as she strides toward the transport, "With the entire population of the city displaced they can't afford any more."
"I'm surprised they even think they can afford that," you say as you both climb aboard. Moments later, the heavy thrum of turbines fills the air as the Bullhead takes off. You spare a glance out the still open side-door as the ground falls away, the scope of the refugee camp becoming visible. Tents and pre-fabs for kilometers, a patchwork of colors cut into neat squares by the roads that had once let trucks move grain to and from farms, "What was in that message?"
There is no reply for a long moment, but then suddenly the door slides shut in your face. You jerk back before turning to Aurelia to say something, but come up short. She is staring at you, a grimm look on her face as she holds her tablet out.
Hesitantly, you take it. A moment after you do, an audio file starts playing, its waveform dancing across the screen as you listen.
"-ynda Goodwit-...-Beacon Academy, to-...-ring Broken Garden-...-Ampulla."
You look up from the tablet and back at Aurelia. Even garbled, even over the thrum of the Bullhead's engines, you recognize that voice. "Professor Goodwitch is still alive?"
"So it would seem," Aurelia said as she took her tablet back.
"I didn't recognize the last part," you say as the airship banks softly, "Something about a garden?"
"Broken Garden," Aurelia says, fingers dancing across the tablet's screen as she speaks, "It's a Code Phrase, usable by high level officials in the Vale government or military to indicate when certain contingency plans need to be activated."
"And 'Ampulla' is one of these contingencies?"
Aurelia nods, "Ampulla is invoked if a material asset critical to the security of the kingdom is at risk of falling into adversary hands," she looks up from her tablet and at you, handing the tablet over again, "Your mission is to land inside the Vale Cordon Zone, locate Glynda Goodwitch and extract her along with 'Ampulla'."
You nod slowly as you look over the tablet, "...okay then, straight-forward enough." The tablet has a map of Vale pulled up, a bold red line surrounding most of the city, following the river inland to cut the industrial district in half before following the southern branch along the residential districts border, then wrapping around the back of Beacon and cutting through the Forever Fall to come back to the ocean. A small white dot was marked in the west of the Commercial District, just north of the river and Industrial District. A white line stretched south from the dot to a slowly moving bullhead icon, "What's this?" You ask, pointing to the dot as you show Aurelia the screen.
"Cultural Center," Aurelia replies, "Long range scans and fly-overs suggest that the area has a fairly low Grimm count. Should be a relatively safe insertion point," She hesitates as the Bullhead bounces through a spot of turbulence, "Although…"
"...what?"
She leans forward, and taps a few icons, and suddenly the screen in your hand fills with what seems like hundreds of dots in three different colors, "Initial scouting has also reported active Altesean combat systems in the commercial district," she explains as she points out clusters of blue dots, "There has also been reports of possible White Fang activity within the city…"
"White Fang?" you ask, "Why haven't they left?"
Aurelia shrugs as she leans back and glances out the window, watching the patchwork of farmland and tents flash past, "How would they? The waterways are swimming with Grimm and the situation on the ground isn't much better. And air travel is even riskier."
You nod toward your own window, the city visible in the distance. You can just make out small specks moving through the air, if you squint, "So, what about us?"
"We're just taking a quick hop across the river, and we can avoid the Grimm," she turns to you before leaning forward to take her tablet back, tapping at the screen with a small grin, "You seem pretty flighty, given what I've seen in your file. You nervous?"
You shrug, "Just trying to learn what I can…" you pause for a moment before curiosity gets the better of you, "...So, what does my file say?"
Aurelia's grin widens slightly as she holds the tablet out to you once again, "Take a look for yourself."
[ ] Who Are You?
- [ ] Name
- [ ] Appearance
- [ ] Bio
And:
[ ] Specialization:
- [ ] Research - Knowing and learning things (Investigation, Lore, Notice)
- [ ] Combat - The fine art of inflicting pain (Athletics, Physique, Fight)
- [ ] Stealth - Sneaking around and other covert actions. (Burglary, Deceive, Stealth)
- [ ] Mechanics - using and running hardware (Drive, Shoot, Crafts)
- [ ] Manipulation - The act of getting what you want (Provoke, Will , Resources)
- [ ] Social - Finding and talking to people. (Contacts, Rapport, Empathy)
- [ ] Write-in (pick three skills)
[ ] Semblance Type:
- [ ] Manipulation - electromagnetics, fire, gravity… the ability to manipulate nature is a common type of Semblance and yours is such a power.
- [ ] Enhancement - Faster, Stronger, tougher. Your Semblance alters you in some way, giving you an edge in combat.
- [ ] Trick - Make clones. Teleport. Detect Lies. Semblance's like yours let you do things that would otherwise be impossible.
- [ ] Write-in
[ ] Weapon Specialty:
- [ ] Long Range - Your weapon is capable of hitting from an impressive distance and possesses great reach. In melee form, you're likely able to cut swatches through crowds.
- [ ] Medium Range - Perfect for skirmishing, you can cut through enemies at speed, quickly switching between melee and projectile modes.
- [ ] Close Range - You've forgone the ability to maintain any sort of real stand-off distance to instead concentrate on getting up close and personal. If it gets close to you, it dies.
- [ ] Blunt Force - Heavy, slow and capable of reducing just about anything into paste with a good hit. For anything it can't pulp, the heavy munitions it can fire tend to do the trick.
- [ ] Esoteric - You're weapon is… odd. What you can do is variable, occasionally situational and not always obvious based on what you're gear looks like.
- [ ] Write-in
- [ ] Research - Knowing and learning things (Investigation, Lore, Notice)
- [ ] Combat - The fine art of inflicting pain (Athletics, Physique, Fight)
- [ ] Stealth - Sneaking around and other covert actions. (Burglary, Deceive, Stealth)
- [ ] Mechanics - using and running hardware (Drive, Shoot, Crafts)
- [ ] Manipulation - The act of getting what you want (Provoke, Will , Resources)
- [ ] Social - Finding and talking to people. (Contacts, Rapport, Empathy)
- [ ] Write-in (pick three skills)
[ ] Semblance Type:
- [ ] Manipulation - electromagnetics, fire, gravity… the ability to manipulate nature is a common type of Semblance and yours is such a power.
- [ ] Enhancement - Faster, Stronger, tougher. Your Semblance alters you in some way, giving you an edge in combat.
- [ ] Trick - Make clones. Teleport. Detect Lies. Semblance's like yours let you do things that would otherwise be impossible.
- [ ] Write-in
[ ] Weapon Specialty:
- [ ] Long Range - Your weapon is capable of hitting from an impressive distance and possesses great reach. In melee form, you're likely able to cut swatches through crowds.
- [ ] Medium Range - Perfect for skirmishing, you can cut through enemies at speed, quickly switching between melee and projectile modes.
- [ ] Close Range - You've forgone the ability to maintain any sort of real stand-off distance to instead concentrate on getting up close and personal. If it gets close to you, it dies.
- [ ] Blunt Force - Heavy, slow and capable of reducing just about anything into paste with a good hit. For anything it can't pulp, the heavy munitions it can fire tend to do the trick.
- [ ] Esoteric - You're weapon is… odd. What you can do is variable, occasionally situational and not always obvious based on what you're gear looks like.
- [ ] Write-in
- [ ] High Concept
- [ ] Best Skill
- [ ] Weapon
- [ ] Semblance
- [ ] Best Skill
- [ ] Weapon
- [ ] Semblance
- [ ] High Concept
- [ ] Trouble
- [ ] Weapon Aspect
- [ ] Huntsman/Huntress Aspect
- [ ] Aspect
- [ ] +4 Skill x1
- [ ] +3 Skill x2
- [ ] +2 Skill x3
- [ ] +1 Skill X4
- [ ] Semblance Stunt
- [ ] Stunt
- [ ] Stunt
- [ ] Trouble
- [ ] Weapon Aspect
- [ ] Huntsman/Huntress Aspect
- [ ] Aspect
- [ ] +4 Skill x1
- [ ] +3 Skill x2
- [ ] +2 Skill x3
- [ ] +1 Skill X4
- [ ] Semblance Stunt
- [ ] Stunt
- [ ] Stunt
Voting is by plan and approval (IE vote for all plans you like).
Athletics - How fit you are; used for dodging falling objects, swimming rivers, jumping an angry beowulf, etc. Ruby would likely have this skill high to reperesent her speed.
Burglary - What it sounds like; skill at stealing things, dealing with security systems, and general larceny.
Contacts - Networking with people, in all of its forms. Finding people, learning about people, etc.
Crafts - making things, fixing hardware, and the like.
Deceive - how to lie through your teeth, disguise yourself and other social-sneaky stuff
Drive - operating heavy machinery.
Empathy - Notice changes in people's moods and detect lies.
Fight - Punching people and related melee actions.
Investigate - When studying a crime scene, sifting through papers or searching a room, use this.
Academics - Covers all sorts of 'smart' things; knowing a language, some obscure fact, first aid etc. Used here for removing consequences.
Notice - more instant version of investigate. How perceptive you are.
Physique - sheer brute strength and endurance. Besides being rolled if you want to push a bolder or something, having this at higher levels also grants bonus Physical Stress boxes. Probably Yang's favored skill.
Provoke - the 'Be an asshole' skill. Getting a rise out of somebody. Intimidation and the like.
Rapport - How to be charming. Goto skill if you want to social your way out of problems.
Resources - Rolled any time you try to buy something. Basically 'how rich are you?' Weiss would have this fairly High.
Shoot - Like fight, but for ranged weapons.
Stealth - Being properly sneaky. No doubt Blake's peak skill.
Will - Mental fortitude. Used to defend against Provokes and also grants more Mental Stress boxes the same way Physique does for Physical.
Burglary - What it sounds like; skill at stealing things, dealing with security systems, and general larceny.
Contacts - Networking with people, in all of its forms. Finding people, learning about people, etc.
Crafts - making things, fixing hardware, and the like.
Deceive - how to lie through your teeth, disguise yourself and other social-sneaky stuff
Drive - operating heavy machinery.
Empathy - Notice changes in people's moods and detect lies.
Fight - Punching people and related melee actions.
Investigate - When studying a crime scene, sifting through papers or searching a room, use this.
Academics - Covers all sorts of 'smart' things; knowing a language, some obscure fact, first aid etc. Used here for removing consequences.
Notice - more instant version of investigate. How perceptive you are.
Physique - sheer brute strength and endurance. Besides being rolled if you want to push a bolder or something, having this at higher levels also grants bonus Physical Stress boxes. Probably Yang's favored skill.
Provoke - the 'Be an asshole' skill. Getting a rise out of somebody. Intimidation and the like.
Rapport - How to be charming. Goto skill if you want to social your way out of problems.
Resources - Rolled any time you try to buy something. Basically 'how rich are you?' Weiss would have this fairly High.
Shoot - Like fight, but for ranged weapons.
Stealth - Being properly sneaky. No doubt Blake's peak skill.
Will - Mental fortitude. Used to defend against Provokes and also grants more Mental Stress boxes the same way Physique does for Physical.
So, this game is running on a slightly altered version of the Fate Game system. If you aren't familiar with it, that's fine - I can answer any questions and I'll be handling most of the game mechanic stuff anyhow. Full rules are linked further down, but here's a quick primer:
Core to the game is Fate points. Characters use Fate Points to Invoke Aspects - getting either a re-roll or +2 to the relevant roll. Characters have a small number of Fate points that refresh every so often but can gain more points by taking compels - Basically, the GM (Me) makes the PC's life difficult by invoking one of your aspects against you.
Characters have Aspects, Skills, and stunts.
Aspects are facets of your character - unique traits. They could have a Bionic Arm, they Could be In Deep with the Triad, they could have Their Father's Old Revolver, etc. Two special aspects are the High Concept and the Trouble. The High Concept is the core idea of your character, while the Trouble is what makes their life difficult. You get three more general aspects along with the High Concept and trouble usually. Here though, two of your aspects are already called for - one for your Weapon and one for the sort of Huntsman/Huntress you are.
Skills are (Generally) +0 to +4. If you don't have a skill, it rolls at +0 with a few exceptions. Rolls are 4D6, but not. 'Fate Dice' have 1 and 2 = -1, 3 and 4 = 0, and 5 and 6 = +1. (So if you roll a 1,3,2, and 5 you get -,0,-,+ = -1). Players get one +4 Skill, 2 +3 skills, 3 +2 Skills, and 4 +1 Skills.
Stunts are special modifications to rules that only apply in certain circumstances. +2 dodge when on ice, Able to use Will to attack, etc. You will get three stunts, plus a pre-set bonus stunt for having an Aura. (Stunt: Aura - When you take physical stress, and the stress box with a value equal to the shift value of the hit is already checked, you may instead mark the next lowest value box that is unchecked.)
Stress Boxes are used to absorb shifts of damage during conflicts, either 1, 2, 3 or 4 shifts depending on how many boxes you have. Shifts are separated for mental and physical damage. Higher Physique gives you more physical shifts while Will gives you more Mental shifts. (baseline is 2; +1 or +2 in a skill gives you a 3 shift box, while +3 or +4 skill gives you a 3 shift and 4 shift. You can only check one box per hit. Stresses reset fairly often.
Consequences are another way to absorb shifts, but at the cost of gaining an aspect. A mild consequence is -2 shifts, moderate -4, and severe -6. Mild Consequences take a little work to clear while severe consequences can conceivably be around for the rest of the game. Unlike Stress, you have to act to remove them. For this game, the skill to begin removing a Consequence is Academics, representing first aid training and the like. Once you've completed the roll to remove a consequence it gets renamed to something representing its being treated ('Broken Leg' becomes 'Stuck in a Cast'). After that, its a waiting game. The worse the consequence, the longer the wait.
A full Character sheet is thus (Official explanation also available here.)
Core to the game is Fate points. Characters use Fate Points to Invoke Aspects - getting either a re-roll or +2 to the relevant roll. Characters have a small number of Fate points that refresh every so often but can gain more points by taking compels - Basically, the GM (Me) makes the PC's life difficult by invoking one of your aspects against you.
Characters have Aspects, Skills, and stunts.
Aspects are facets of your character - unique traits. They could have a Bionic Arm, they Could be In Deep with the Triad, they could have Their Father's Old Revolver, etc. Two special aspects are the High Concept and the Trouble. The High Concept is the core idea of your character, while the Trouble is what makes their life difficult. You get three more general aspects along with the High Concept and trouble usually. Here though, two of your aspects are already called for - one for your Weapon and one for the sort of Huntsman/Huntress you are.
Skills are (Generally) +0 to +4. If you don't have a skill, it rolls at +0 with a few exceptions. Rolls are 4D6, but not. 'Fate Dice' have 1 and 2 = -1, 3 and 4 = 0, and 5 and 6 = +1. (So if you roll a 1,3,2, and 5 you get -,0,-,+ = -1). Players get one +4 Skill, 2 +3 skills, 3 +2 Skills, and 4 +1 Skills.
Stunts are special modifications to rules that only apply in certain circumstances. +2 dodge when on ice, Able to use Will to attack, etc. You will get three stunts, plus a pre-set bonus stunt for having an Aura. (Stunt: Aura - When you take physical stress, and the stress box with a value equal to the shift value of the hit is already checked, you may instead mark the next lowest value box that is unchecked.)
Stress Boxes are used to absorb shifts of damage during conflicts, either 1, 2, 3 or 4 shifts depending on how many boxes you have. Shifts are separated for mental and physical damage. Higher Physique gives you more physical shifts while Will gives you more Mental shifts. (baseline is 2; +1 or +2 in a skill gives you a 3 shift box, while +3 or +4 skill gives you a 3 shift and 4 shift. You can only check one box per hit. Stresses reset fairly often.
Consequences are another way to absorb shifts, but at the cost of gaining an aspect. A mild consequence is -2 shifts, moderate -4, and severe -6. Mild Consequences take a little work to clear while severe consequences can conceivably be around for the rest of the game. Unlike Stress, you have to act to remove them. For this game, the skill to begin removing a Consequence is Academics, representing first aid training and the like. Once you've completed the roll to remove a consequence it gets renamed to something representing its being treated ('Broken Leg' becomes 'Stuck in a Cast'). After that, its a waiting game. The worse the consequence, the longer the wait.
A full Character sheet is thus (Official explanation also available here.)
Last edited:
Character Sheet + Current Status
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
Name: Viveka Ormanda
Age: 21
As a wandering gun or shield for hire her exact origins are somewhat unknown. Viveka doesn't really like to talk about it much either and usually falls fairly silent when smaller villages up north start to get mentioned. It's not hard to take a guess that she could be from one of them but pressing her on the matter never seems like a good idea. Still, if that topic is left alone she'll grow to trust those around her until she reaches a point where she'll jump between them and a Grimm without any hesitation. Bribing her with sweets is a really good way of helping that trust build too and may net you an unarmored hug for your trouble. When it comes to anything else she'll readily talk your ear off; the weather, lifting techniques, the best way to cut something down, which hair styles are currently in or even which girls, and sometimes boys, happen to be the cutest. She even loves to barbecue up some tasty meat and one of her happiest moments is when she's got any sort of fire before her.
Viveka isn't overly tall but she definitely makes up for it by being extremely sturdy on her feet. Given her preference of not relying solely on her Aura to protect her she's also typically wearing moderately heavy armor and likes carrying a shield, just a little something extra between the Grimm and herself before cutting or shredding them to pieces with her shotgun-axe. With pure white hair and blood red eyes it might be a little hard to place where she's from and if you were to ask she wouldn't give you a straight answer.
Aspects:
--High concept: Bullheaded bruiser with a penchant for not backing down.
-- Trouble: Grimm aren't the only thing she's hunted.
-- Defense and front line specialist.
-- Loves Fire and Steel, a dust infused shotgun-axe and shield.
-- Slow to trust, quick to help.
-Skills:
-- +4 - +4 Physique
-- +3 - +3 Fight, +3 Athletics
-- +2 - +2 Rapport, + 2 Will, + 2 Shoot
-- +1 - +1 Crafts, +1 Deceive, +1 Investigate, +1 Notice
Stunts:
-Semblance - Rebound - Damage taken gradually increases the speed that Viveka moves, one box of physical damage means twice the speed and two boxes means four times the speed.
-Calm As The Frozen North - +2 Will defense against Provoking moves towards Viveka.
-Keys Come In Many Sizes - Can use physique in place of burglary when attempting to get through a lock.
-Aura - When you take physical stress, and the stress box with a value equal to the shift value of the hit is already checked, you may instead mark the next lowest value box that is unchecked.
Physical Stress: [1] [2] [3] [4]
Mental Stress: [1] [2] [3]
Consequences: [-2] [-4] [-6]
Age: 21
As a wandering gun or shield for hire her exact origins are somewhat unknown. Viveka doesn't really like to talk about it much either and usually falls fairly silent when smaller villages up north start to get mentioned. It's not hard to take a guess that she could be from one of them but pressing her on the matter never seems like a good idea. Still, if that topic is left alone she'll grow to trust those around her until she reaches a point where she'll jump between them and a Grimm without any hesitation. Bribing her with sweets is a really good way of helping that trust build too and may net you an unarmored hug for your trouble. When it comes to anything else she'll readily talk your ear off; the weather, lifting techniques, the best way to cut something down, which hair styles are currently in or even which girls, and sometimes boys, happen to be the cutest. She even loves to barbecue up some tasty meat and one of her happiest moments is when she's got any sort of fire before her.
Viveka isn't overly tall but she definitely makes up for it by being extremely sturdy on her feet. Given her preference of not relying solely on her Aura to protect her she's also typically wearing moderately heavy armor and likes carrying a shield, just a little something extra between the Grimm and herself before cutting or shredding them to pieces with her shotgun-axe. With pure white hair and blood red eyes it might be a little hard to place where she's from and if you were to ask she wouldn't give you a straight answer.
Aspects:
--High concept: Bullheaded bruiser with a penchant for not backing down.
-- Trouble: Grimm aren't the only thing she's hunted.
-- Defense and front line specialist.
-- Loves Fire and Steel, a dust infused shotgun-axe and shield.
-- Slow to trust, quick to help.
-Skills:
-- +4 - +4 Physique
-- +3 - +3 Fight, +3 Athletics
-- +2 - +2 Rapport, + 2 Will, + 2 Shoot
-- +1 - +1 Crafts, +1 Deceive, +1 Investigate, +1 Notice
Stunts:
-Semblance - Rebound - Damage taken gradually increases the speed that Viveka moves, one box of physical damage means twice the speed and two boxes means four times the speed.
-Calm As The Frozen North - +2 Will defense against Provoking moves towards Viveka.
-Keys Come In Many Sizes - Can use physique in place of burglary when attempting to get through a lock.
-Aura - When you take physical stress, and the stress box with a value equal to the shift value of the hit is already checked, you may instead mark the next lowest value box that is unchecked.
Physical Stress: [1] [2] [3] [4]
Mental Stress: [1] [2] [3]
Consequences: [-2] [-4] [-6]
Fate Pool: 03
Fate Point Reserve Pool: 04
Location: Soleil Avenue
Ormanda-
Stress: [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Consequences: None
Add. Aspects:
Domovoy-
Stress: [ ] [ ] [ ]
Consequences: None
Add. Aspects:
Tuned Weaponry (w/ 2 free invokes)
Sweets-
Stress: [ ] [ ] [ ]
Consequences: None
Add. Aspects:
Tuned Weaponry (w/ 1 free invoke)
Wolfhart:
Stress: [ ] [ ] [X]
Consequences: None
Add. Aspects:
Enemies:
Rogue Mech Patrols
+1 Shoot
Combat Networking
Grimm Prowlers
+1 Agility
A Menagerie of Deadly Shadows
Rogue Paladin
+ 4 Shoot
+ 3 Physique
Heavy Assault Platform, Mobile Command Node
Alpha Grimm
+ 5 Fight
+4 Agility
Battle-scarred, Territorial, Hungry
Ormanda-
Stress: [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Consequences: None
Add. Aspects:
Domovoy-
Stress: [ ] [ ] [ ]
Consequences: None
Add. Aspects:
Tuned Weaponry (w/ 2 free invokes)
Sweets-
Stress: [ ] [ ] [ ]
Consequences: None
Add. Aspects:
Tuned Weaponry (w/ 1 free invoke)
Wolfhart:
Stress: [ ] [ ] [X]
Consequences: None
Add. Aspects:
Enemies:
Rogue Mech Patrols
+1 Shoot
Combat Networking
Grimm Prowlers
+1 Agility
A Menagerie of Deadly Shadows
Rogue Paladin
+ 4 Shoot
+ 3 Physique
Heavy Assault Platform, Mobile Command Node
Alpha Grimm
+ 5 Fight
+4 Agility
Battle-scarred, Territorial, Hungry
Last edited:
Rules, NPCs, Etc.
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
NPCs:
Game Mechanics:
Voting will generally be by plan or intent. (IE [ ] 'Sneak your way into the Refinery, only taking out guards when you have to'). If you want to be more exact, be my guest.
A second round of voting will usually open up after rolls to allow for the spending of Fate Points to adjust rolls if desired.
Compels will usually be offered as 'default' vote options, and marked as compels.
And in case it wasn't clear - the player base is all running one character, same as any other quest.
Links:
Fate Core Cheat Sheet
Fate Core SRD
Aurelia Armas: Though not the eldest of the Armas family, Aurelia has found herself thrust into the unusual position of being the Heir of a Hunter family despite having no Aura.
Name: Aurelia Armas
High Concept: Technical Heir of the Armas Family
Trouble: Searching for a face among the rubble.
Aspect: Cheery Technical Support Specialist
Aspect: Atlas-made Cybernetic Arms
Aspect: Out of her Depth and Knows It
+4 Skill x1: Investigate
+3 Skill x2: Contacts, Academics
+2 Skill x3: Will, Notice, Craft
+1 Skill x4: Physique, Stealth, Rapport, Shoot
Stunt: Armitage - Thanks to her computer skills, Investigate can be used to attack and defend against robot enemies and similar computer systems.
Stunt: B-Link - You can use Investigate instead of Empathy to defend against Deceive attempts.
Stunt: Anchorage - Thanks to knowledge of security systems, Can use Academics to create defense-related aspects when in a building.
Stress boxes:
Physical: [1] [2] [3]
Mental: [1] [2] [3]
Consequences: [-2] [-4] [-6]
Name: Aurelia Armas
High Concept: Technical Heir of the Armas Family
Trouble: Searching for a face among the rubble.
Aspect: Cheery Technical Support Specialist
Aspect: Atlas-made Cybernetic Arms
Aspect: Out of her Depth and Knows It
+4 Skill x1: Investigate
+3 Skill x2: Contacts, Academics
+2 Skill x3: Will, Notice, Craft
+1 Skill x4: Physique, Stealth, Rapport, Shoot
Stunt: Armitage - Thanks to her computer skills, Investigate can be used to attack and defend against robot enemies and similar computer systems.
Stunt: B-Link - You can use Investigate instead of Empathy to defend against Deceive attempts.
Stunt: Anchorage - Thanks to knowledge of security systems, Can use Academics to create defense-related aspects when in a building.
Stress boxes:
Physical: [1] [2] [3]
Mental: [1] [2] [3]
Consequences: [-2] [-4] [-6]
Glynda Goodwitch: Former Deputy headmistress of Beacon Academy, Glynda is now far inside the Cordoned Zone as she attempts to find some way to salvage something from the disaster.
Name: Glynda Goodwitch
High Concept: Last Headmistress of Beacon
Trouble: Most Wanted Woman in Vale
Aspect: Ozpin's right-hand Huntress
Aspect: Disciplinarian, Dust-infused Crop
Aspect: Ice Queen of Beacon Tower
+4 Skill x1: Will
+3 Skill x2: Notice, Academics
+2 Skill x3: Physique, Fight, Rapport
+1 Skill x4: Empathy, Contacts, Investigate, Athletics
Stunt: Semblance; Telekinesis - Roll Will to manipulate objects within visual range.
Stunt: The Queenly Mask - Can use Will instead of Provoke when creating Advantage against a target that attempted to Provoke you in a scene.
Stunt: Wicked Witch - +2 Will When Fighting Grimm
Stunt: Aura - When you take physical stress, and the stress box with a value equal to the shift value of the hit is already checked, you may instead mark the next lowest value box that is unchecked.
Stress boxes:
Physical: [1] [2] [3]
Mental: [1] [2] [3] [4]
Consequences: [-2] [-4] [-6]
Name: Glynda Goodwitch
High Concept: Last Headmistress of Beacon
Trouble: Most Wanted Woman in Vale
Aspect: Ozpin's right-hand Huntress
Aspect: Disciplinarian, Dust-infused Crop
Aspect: Ice Queen of Beacon Tower
+4 Skill x1: Will
+3 Skill x2: Notice, Academics
+2 Skill x3: Physique, Fight, Rapport
+1 Skill x4: Empathy, Contacts, Investigate, Athletics
Stunt: Semblance; Telekinesis - Roll Will to manipulate objects within visual range.
Stunt: The Queenly Mask - Can use Will instead of Provoke when creating Advantage against a target that attempted to Provoke you in a scene.
Stunt: Wicked Witch - +2 Will When Fighting Grimm
Stunt: Aura - When you take physical stress, and the stress box with a value equal to the shift value of the hit is already checked, you may instead mark the next lowest value box that is unchecked.
Stress boxes:
Physical: [1] [2] [3]
Mental: [1] [2] [3] [4]
Consequences: [-2] [-4] [-6]
Olena Domovoy: From an old family that has seen better days, Olena ventured into the Cordoned Zone to absolve the family debt to their so-called 'benefactors'.
Name: Olena Domovoy
High Concept: Scion of a Fallen Family
Trouble: Paying off the Family Debt (Via Larceny)
Aspect: Old-guard style Huntress
Aspect: Chaldea and Grand Order, folding targe and pistol-augmented Shashka
Aspect: Maiden of High Society
+4 Skill x1: Craft
+3 Skill x2:, Fight, Rapport
+2 Skill x3: Physique, Athletics, Deceive
+1 Skill x4: Will, Shoot, Burglary, Empathy
Stunt: Starburst - Use craft to generate an orb, its effect based on dust. Roll to use (throw, etc) is seperate. Limited to Gravity, Water, Fire, Rock, Ice, and Wind dust by default.
Stunt: Decorum - +2 to defend against Provoke attacks specifically related to intimidation and fear.
Stunt: Patron of the Arts: + 2 to Burglary when breaking into a Museum, Art Gallery, or similar public Venue.
Stunt: Aura - When you take physical stress, and the stress box with a value equal to the shift value of the hit is already checked, you may instead mark the next lowest value box that is unchecked.
Stress boxes:
Physical: [1] [2] [3]
Mental: [1] [2] [3]
Consequences: [-2] [-4] [-6]
Name: Olena Domovoy
High Concept: Scion of a Fallen Family
Trouble: Paying off the Family Debt (Via Larceny)
Aspect: Old-guard style Huntress
Aspect: Chaldea and Grand Order, folding targe and pistol-augmented Shashka
Aspect: Maiden of High Society
+4 Skill x1: Craft
+3 Skill x2:, Fight, Rapport
+2 Skill x3: Physique, Athletics, Deceive
+1 Skill x4: Will, Shoot, Burglary, Empathy
Stunt: Starburst - Use craft to generate an orb, its effect based on dust. Roll to use (throw, etc) is seperate. Limited to Gravity, Water, Fire, Rock, Ice, and Wind dust by default.
Stunt: Decorum - +2 to defend against Provoke attacks specifically related to intimidation and fear.
Stunt: Patron of the Arts: + 2 to Burglary when breaking into a Museum, Art Gallery, or similar public Venue.
Stunt: Aura - When you take physical stress, and the stress box with a value equal to the shift value of the hit is already checked, you may instead mark the next lowest value box that is unchecked.
Stress boxes:
Physical: [1] [2] [3]
Mental: [1] [2] [3]
Consequences: [-2] [-4] [-6]
Tawny Sweets: A young but shy Huntress who would rather be baking then fighting Grimm, what she lacks in combat experience she makes up for in natural talent. Now if only that skill extended to talking to pretty girls...
Name: Tawny Sweets
High Concept: A cinnamon roll with a gun
Trouble: Talented amateur, emphasis latter
Aspect: Spice of Life, An assault rifle with multiple mags it can swap between with a button, allowing for a ton of specialty ammo types - fire, poison, frag, tracking, emp, AP, tracer, etc
Aspect: Ultramobile Ranged Huntress
Aspect: Too Gay To Function
+4 Skill x1: Athletics
+3 Skill x2: Shoot, Rapport
+2 Skill x3: Fight, Academics, Stealth
+1 Skill X4: Physique, Notice, Resources, Will
Stunt: Enemy's Gate - roll athletics to alter gravity's direction with indefinite duration, allowing for unorthodox traversal or creation of positioning-based advantages. Flight possible but not recommended.
Stunt: It's over Anagrimm - +2 to athletics when creating an advantage based on positioning
Stunt: Cute as a Button - Can use rapport instead of will to resist social effects
Stunt: Aura - When you take physical stress, and the stress box with a value equal to the shift value of the hit is already checked, you may instead mark the next lowest value box that is unchecked.
Stress boxes:
Physical: [1] [2] [3]
Mental: [1] [2] [3]
Consequences: [-2] [-4] [-6]
Name: Tawny Sweets
High Concept: A cinnamon roll with a gun
Trouble: Talented amateur, emphasis latter
Aspect: Spice of Life, An assault rifle with multiple mags it can swap between with a button, allowing for a ton of specialty ammo types - fire, poison, frag, tracking, emp, AP, tracer, etc
Aspect: Ultramobile Ranged Huntress
Aspect: Too Gay To Function
+4 Skill x1: Athletics
+3 Skill x2: Shoot, Rapport
+2 Skill x3: Fight, Academics, Stealth
+1 Skill X4: Physique, Notice, Resources, Will
Stunt: Enemy's Gate - roll athletics to alter gravity's direction with indefinite duration, allowing for unorthodox traversal or creation of positioning-based advantages. Flight possible but not recommended.
Stunt: It's over Anagrimm - +2 to athletics when creating an advantage based on positioning
Stunt: Cute as a Button - Can use rapport instead of will to resist social effects
Stunt: Aura - When you take physical stress, and the stress box with a value equal to the shift value of the hit is already checked, you may instead mark the next lowest value box that is unchecked.
Stress boxes:
Physical: [1] [2] [3]
Mental: [1] [2] [3]
Consequences: [-2] [-4] [-6]
Bianca Wolfhart: Orphan turned criminal, her brother becoming a Huntsman eventually led to her arrest and current deal - exoneration in exchange for becoming a Huntress.
Name: Bianca Wolfhart
High Concept: A Criminal forced into Heroism
Trouble: Lack of Trust on both sides
Aspect: Rosa Appassita - Revolver with underslung Dust grenade launcher
Aspect: Shifty and Versatile fighter
Aspect: Enjoys messing with people
+4 Skill x1: Deceive
+3 Skill x2: Shoot, Notice
+2 Skill x3: Fight, Stealth, Athletics
+1 Skill X4: Physique, Will, Provoke, Burglary
-[x] Semblance Stunt - Master at Arms - Can manifest conventional weaponry (no guns) at will. Immune to disarming.
-[x] Stunt - Takes one to know one - Use Deceive instead of Empathy to create an advantage in social situations.
-[x] Stunt - Reading Intent - For every turn that passes in a fight, roll Notice. If successful, gain +1 to offensive or defensive rolls against same opponent(s). Increase difficulty of subsequent rolls for this.
-[x] Stunt - Aura - When you take physical stress, and the stress box with a value equal to the shift value of the hit is already checked, you may instead mark the next lowest value box that is unchecked.
Stress boxes:
Physical: [1] [2] [3]
Mental: [1] [2] [3]
Consequences: [-2] [-4] [-6]
Name: Bianca Wolfhart
High Concept: A Criminal forced into Heroism
Trouble: Lack of Trust on both sides
Aspect: Rosa Appassita - Revolver with underslung Dust grenade launcher
Aspect: Shifty and Versatile fighter
Aspect: Enjoys messing with people
+4 Skill x1: Deceive
+3 Skill x2: Shoot, Notice
+2 Skill x3: Fight, Stealth, Athletics
+1 Skill X4: Physique, Will, Provoke, Burglary
-[x] Semblance Stunt - Master at Arms - Can manifest conventional weaponry (no guns) at will. Immune to disarming.
-[x] Stunt - Takes one to know one - Use Deceive instead of Empathy to create an advantage in social situations.
-[x] Stunt - Reading Intent - For every turn that passes in a fight, roll Notice. If successful, gain +1 to offensive or defensive rolls against same opponent(s). Increase difficulty of subsequent rolls for this.
-[x] Stunt - Aura - When you take physical stress, and the stress box with a value equal to the shift value of the hit is already checked, you may instead mark the next lowest value box that is unchecked.
Stress boxes:
Physical: [1] [2] [3]
Mental: [1] [2] [3]
Consequences: [-2] [-4] [-6]
Edelweiss Marchenwald: A Bastard of the Schnee family, Edelweiss is a self-styled knight. Raised on old stories of knights and heroes, she's taken a personal oath to uphold a Code of Chivalry and protect the innocent.
Name: Edelweiss Marchenwald
High Concept: Adherent to The Code of Knighthood
Trouble: Daughter of a Schnee Bastard
Aspect: Winter Storm - Longsword with embedded Ice Dust Crystal
Aspect: Grimmslayer Knight
Aspect: Defender of the Innocent
+4 Skill x1: Fight
+3 Skill x2: Will, Athletics
+2 Skill x3: Physique, Empathy, Rapport
+1 Skill X4: Contact, Drive, Resources, Notice
-[x] Semblance Stunt - Cryokinesis - Roll Will to manipulate Ice within visual range.
-[x] Stunt - Code of Knighthood - When you take mental stress, and the stress box with a value equal to the shift value of the hit is already checked, you may instead mark the next lowest value box that is unchecked.
-[x] Stunt - Face me if you dare - Roll will, all enemies must make a Will roll matching the roll before they can attack anyone else.
-[x] Stunt - Aura - When you take physical stress, and the stress box with a value equal to the shift value of the hit is already checked, you may instead mark the next lowest value box that is unchecked.
Stress boxes:
Physical: [1] [2] [3]
Mental: [1] [2] [3]
Consequences: [-2] [-4] [-6]
Name: Edelweiss Marchenwald
High Concept: Adherent to The Code of Knighthood
Trouble: Daughter of a Schnee Bastard
Aspect: Winter Storm - Longsword with embedded Ice Dust Crystal
Aspect: Grimmslayer Knight
Aspect: Defender of the Innocent
+4 Skill x1: Fight
+3 Skill x2: Will, Athletics
+2 Skill x3: Physique, Empathy, Rapport
+1 Skill X4: Contact, Drive, Resources, Notice
-[x] Semblance Stunt - Cryokinesis - Roll Will to manipulate Ice within visual range.
-[x] Stunt - Code of Knighthood - When you take mental stress, and the stress box with a value equal to the shift value of the hit is already checked, you may instead mark the next lowest value box that is unchecked.
-[x] Stunt - Face me if you dare - Roll will, all enemies must make a Will roll matching the roll before they can attack anyone else.
-[x] Stunt - Aura - When you take physical stress, and the stress box with a value equal to the shift value of the hit is already checked, you may instead mark the next lowest value box that is unchecked.
Stress boxes:
Physical: [1] [2] [3]
Mental: [1] [2] [3]
Consequences: [-2] [-4] [-6]
Nova Singe: A gifted combatant and lackadaisical hunter, Singe still holds a grudge against the Vale Council for the fallout of a family scandal. The betrayal was the last step on a long journey that has left him disillusioned over his profession.
Name: Nova Singe
High Concept: Discredited Genius Recluse
Trouble: Fallout from Family Scandal
Aspect: Steel Judgement - A pair of tonfa/pistol hybrids; dust rounds have different effects.
Aspect: Disillusioned Huntsman
Aspect: Vale Council Ruined My Life
+4 Skill x1: Fight
+3 Skill x2: Athletics, Physique
+2 Skill x3: Shoot, Provoke, Stealth
+1 Skill X4: Crafts, Notice, Resources, Will
-[x] Semblance Stunt - Blink - Roll Fight to instantly move up to one zone, without passing through the intervening space.
-[x] Stunt - Get Serious - +2 Will Defense against Provoking moves towards Nova when in combat.
-[x] Stunt - This Time I'll Save Someone - +2 Empathy against any character younger than Nova.
-[x] Stunt - Aura - When you take physical stress, and the stress box with a value equal to the shift value of the hit is already checked, you may instead mark the next lowest value box that is unchecked.
Stress boxes:
Physical: [1] [2] [3] [4]
Mental: [1] [2] [3]
Consequences: [-2] [-4] [-6]
Name: Nova Singe
High Concept: Discredited Genius Recluse
Trouble: Fallout from Family Scandal
Aspect: Steel Judgement - A pair of tonfa/pistol hybrids; dust rounds have different effects.
Aspect: Disillusioned Huntsman
Aspect: Vale Council Ruined My Life
+4 Skill x1: Fight
+3 Skill x2: Athletics, Physique
+2 Skill x3: Shoot, Provoke, Stealth
+1 Skill X4: Crafts, Notice, Resources, Will
-[x] Semblance Stunt - Blink - Roll Fight to instantly move up to one zone, without passing through the intervening space.
-[x] Stunt - Get Serious - +2 Will Defense against Provoking moves towards Nova when in combat.
-[x] Stunt - This Time I'll Save Someone - +2 Empathy against any character younger than Nova.
-[x] Stunt - Aura - When you take physical stress, and the stress box with a value equal to the shift value of the hit is already checked, you may instead mark the next lowest value box that is unchecked.
Stress boxes:
Physical: [1] [2] [3] [4]
Mental: [1] [2] [3]
Consequences: [-2] [-4] [-6]
--District Data--
Upper Class District
Issue: White Fang Packs
Aspect: Fire and Water
Commercial District
Issue: Tin Man Territory
Aspect: Tight Alleys
Vale Cultural Center
Issue: ???
Aspect: Maze of Utility Tunnels
Residential
Issue: A Three-Way Battle Zone
Aspect: Collapsing Buildings
Industrial
Issue: Crawling With Grimm
Aspect: Storehouses and Shoreline
Beacon
Issue: ???
Aspect: Sprawling Campus
CCT Tower
Issue: The Dragon's Perch
Aspect: Long Lines of Sight
--Enemy Factions--
White Fang
Aspect: Desperate and Trapped
Aspect: Fanus Supremacists
Grimm
Aspect: The Unending Horde
Aspect: Desperate for Prey
Rogue Mechs
Aspect: Rogue Security System
Aspect: ???
Upper Class District
Issue: White Fang Packs
Aspect: Fire and Water
Commercial District
Issue: Tin Man Territory
Aspect: Tight Alleys
Vale Cultural Center
Issue: ???
Aspect: Maze of Utility Tunnels
Residential
Issue: A Three-Way Battle Zone
Aspect: Collapsing Buildings
Industrial
Issue: Crawling With Grimm
Aspect: Storehouses and Shoreline
Beacon
Issue: ???
Aspect: Sprawling Campus
CCT Tower
Issue: The Dragon's Perch
Aspect: Long Lines of Sight
--Enemy Factions--
White Fang
Aspect: Desperate and Trapped
Aspect: Fanus Supremacists
Grimm
Aspect: The Unending Horde
Aspect: Desperate for Prey
Rogue Mechs
Aspect: Rogue Security System
Aspect: ???
Game Mechanics:
Voting will generally be by plan or intent. (IE [ ] 'Sneak your way into the Refinery, only taking out guards when you have to'). If you want to be more exact, be my guest.
A second round of voting will usually open up after rolls to allow for the spending of Fate Points to adjust rolls if desired.
Compels will usually be offered as 'default' vote options, and marked as compels.
And in case it wasn't clear - the player base is all running one character, same as any other quest.
A quick Run-down; the entire SRD is available Here
Aspects and Fate Points:
One of the core features of the Fate system are Aspects. Locations can have Aspects (On Fire, Icy Floor, Filled with Angry Possums...) Players can have Aspects (Scruffy Looking Nerf Hurder, Wizard PI, Heir of the Kingdom) - literally anything and everything can have aspects. Its How Fate describes whats important about something. As a player, you can spend a Fate Point to Invoke an Aspect. An invoke lets you either reroll, or get a +2 to the skill relevant in the situation. So, you can Invoke 'Icy Floor' to get a +2 to Fight when in a conflict because your target is too busy slipping around to dodge properly.
Aspects can also be Invoked AGAINST you - this is called a Compel. I will be doing this to you, and in return for letting me make your life more complicated you get a Fate Point. You don't have to take it, and you do get a default pool of Fate points for free that Refresh every so often. But rest assured I will make you use them.
You can also get Fate points for Conceding a fight - one for conceding, and one for every consequence taken.
A 'Reserve Pool' of Fate points will also exist, for any points I give out as a reward for Omake's, new NPCs, art, etc.
Skills and Stunts:
Skills are how good you are at something. They generally range from +0 to +4, and any skill you don't have is automatically +0. Rolling is using 'Fate Dice' where two sides are -, two 0, and two +. When using normal 4D6, 1 and 2 are -, 3 and 4 are 0, and 5 and 6 are +. So if you roll 1,3,5,1 that's (-, 0, +, -) which equals -1.
Roll results are Dice total + Skill total + relevant stunts and/or aspect invokes (If applicable).
The skills for this game are as follows:
Athletics - How fit you are; used for dodging falling objects, swimming rivers, jumping an angry beowulf, etc. Ruby would likely have this skill high to reperesent her speed.
Burglary - What it sounds like; skill at stealing things, dealing with security systems, and general larceny.
Contacts - Networking with people, in all of its forms. Finding people, learning about people, etc.
Crafts - making things, fixing hardware, and the like.
Deceive - how to lie through your teeth, disguise yourself and other social-sneaky stuff
Drive - operating heavy machinery.
Empathy - Notice changes in people's moods and detect lies.
Fight - Punching people and related melee actions.
Investigate - When studying a crime scene, sifting through papers or searching a room, use this.
Academics - Covers all sorts of 'smart' things; knowing a language, some obscure fact, first aid etc. Used here for removing consequences.
Notice - more instant version of investigate. How perceptive you are.
Physique - sheer brute strength and endurance. Besides being rolled if you want to push a bolder or something, having this at higher levels also grants bonus Physical Stress boxes. Probably Yang's favored skill.
Provoke - the 'Be an asshole' skill. Getting a rise out of somebody. Intimidation and the like.
Rapport - How to be charming. Goto skill if you want to social your way out of problems.
Resources - Rolled any time you try to buy something. Basically 'how rich are you?' Weiss would have this fairly High.
Shoot - Like fight, but for ranged weapons.
Stealth - Being properly sneaky. No doubt Blake's peak skill.
Will - Mental fortitude. Used to defend against Provokes and also grants more Mental Stress boxes the same way Physique does for Physical.
Stunts are small rule modifications your character has that apply in certain circumstances. A common form is a +2 to a skill in a particular situation. Another common form is letting you use one skill in place of another in (again) particular situations.
Four Actions and Four Outcomes:
In Fate, you can roll to do one of four things:
Overcome - Used to get past an obstacle or issue, be it a lock, an angry crowd or a broken computer.
Create an advantage - Used to modify the environment; lets you add new aspects to a scene or target, or claim a benefit from an existing aspect.
Attack - Exactly what it sounds like; used when you are causing harm to somebody.
defend - Opposite of Attack; used to prevent somebody from causing you harm.
From any of those four Actions, their are four possible results:
Fail - if you roll lower then the opposition, then you either don't get what you were after, get it with some serious cost or suffer some other sort of consequence.
Tie - If you tie, you get what you were after with a minor cost or a lesser version. With 'Create Advantage' for instance, this gets you a 'boost', which is a one-time aspect.
Succeed - if you beat your opposition, you get what you want.
Succeed with style - any success over 2 shifts (IE if the opposition is 2, you roll 5 or more) you get what you want and a bonus.
Actually using skills:
There are three general types of Action 'sets' in Fate: Challenges, Contests, and Conflicts.
Challenges are when you have a large task made of smaller tasks. This is basically a set of related Overcomes (usually).
Contests are when you are going against somebody in a way that isn't trying to harm them. It basically takes the form of a race - both sides roll, whoever get a better roll wins. First to three wins wins the contest.
Conflicts are the most complicated, and are when you are actually hurting targets. Attack is rolled vs defense to inflict stress and consequences. Stress absorbs Shifts. If you roll an attack of 4 and they only roll a defend of 2, you inflict 2 Stress and they have to absorb that by either checking a stress box or taking a consequence.
Stress is 'damage' that you can recover from once things calm down. You can only check one box per hit.
Consequences are more permanent, giving your character an aspect until they can remove it via 'healing'. Unlike Stress, you can take multiple Consequences per hit.
Of note - you can Concede a fight, meaning you lose but do get some say in how you lose. Being Taken Out - IE running out of Stress and Consequences - means the attacker (in this case, me) gets all the say in your fate. Meaning I can say you die in such a case.
A key thing to remember - what skill you roll is more about what sort of OUTCOME you want. You don't tell me you want to punch, you tell me you want to kill the Grimm, and then we work out the best skill for that in a situation.
Another important note - Rolls are done, and will only be done, if failure is interesting. I do not roll on you picking a lock if the only result of failure is the lock doesn't open. If not opening means your ally is going to have to hold off another wave of Grimm though? That's a roll. Failure is not Bad, in this case.
Aspects and Fate Points:
One of the core features of the Fate system are Aspects. Locations can have Aspects (On Fire, Icy Floor, Filled with Angry Possums...) Players can have Aspects (Scruffy Looking Nerf Hurder, Wizard PI, Heir of the Kingdom) - literally anything and everything can have aspects. Its How Fate describes whats important about something. As a player, you can spend a Fate Point to Invoke an Aspect. An invoke lets you either reroll, or get a +2 to the skill relevant in the situation. So, you can Invoke 'Icy Floor' to get a +2 to Fight when in a conflict because your target is too busy slipping around to dodge properly.
Aspects can also be Invoked AGAINST you - this is called a Compel. I will be doing this to you, and in return for letting me make your life more complicated you get a Fate Point. You don't have to take it, and you do get a default pool of Fate points for free that Refresh every so often. But rest assured I will make you use them.
You can also get Fate points for Conceding a fight - one for conceding, and one for every consequence taken.
A 'Reserve Pool' of Fate points will also exist, for any points I give out as a reward for Omake's, new NPCs, art, etc.
Skills and Stunts:
Skills are how good you are at something. They generally range from +0 to +4, and any skill you don't have is automatically +0. Rolling is using 'Fate Dice' where two sides are -, two 0, and two +. When using normal 4D6, 1 and 2 are -, 3 and 4 are 0, and 5 and 6 are +. So if you roll 1,3,5,1 that's (-, 0, +, -) which equals -1.
Roll results are Dice total + Skill total + relevant stunts and/or aspect invokes (If applicable).
The skills for this game are as follows:
Athletics - How fit you are; used for dodging falling objects, swimming rivers, jumping an angry beowulf, etc. Ruby would likely have this skill high to reperesent her speed.
Burglary - What it sounds like; skill at stealing things, dealing with security systems, and general larceny.
Contacts - Networking with people, in all of its forms. Finding people, learning about people, etc.
Crafts - making things, fixing hardware, and the like.
Deceive - how to lie through your teeth, disguise yourself and other social-sneaky stuff
Drive - operating heavy machinery.
Empathy - Notice changes in people's moods and detect lies.
Fight - Punching people and related melee actions.
Investigate - When studying a crime scene, sifting through papers or searching a room, use this.
Academics - Covers all sorts of 'smart' things; knowing a language, some obscure fact, first aid etc. Used here for removing consequences.
Notice - more instant version of investigate. How perceptive you are.
Physique - sheer brute strength and endurance. Besides being rolled if you want to push a bolder or something, having this at higher levels also grants bonus Physical Stress boxes. Probably Yang's favored skill.
Provoke - the 'Be an asshole' skill. Getting a rise out of somebody. Intimidation and the like.
Rapport - How to be charming. Goto skill if you want to social your way out of problems.
Resources - Rolled any time you try to buy something. Basically 'how rich are you?' Weiss would have this fairly High.
Shoot - Like fight, but for ranged weapons.
Stealth - Being properly sneaky. No doubt Blake's peak skill.
Will - Mental fortitude. Used to defend against Provokes and also grants more Mental Stress boxes the same way Physique does for Physical.
Stunts are small rule modifications your character has that apply in certain circumstances. A common form is a +2 to a skill in a particular situation. Another common form is letting you use one skill in place of another in (again) particular situations.
Four Actions and Four Outcomes:
In Fate, you can roll to do one of four things:
Overcome - Used to get past an obstacle or issue, be it a lock, an angry crowd or a broken computer.
Create an advantage - Used to modify the environment; lets you add new aspects to a scene or target, or claim a benefit from an existing aspect.
Attack - Exactly what it sounds like; used when you are causing harm to somebody.
defend - Opposite of Attack; used to prevent somebody from causing you harm.
From any of those four Actions, their are four possible results:
Fail - if you roll lower then the opposition, then you either don't get what you were after, get it with some serious cost or suffer some other sort of consequence.
Tie - If you tie, you get what you were after with a minor cost or a lesser version. With 'Create Advantage' for instance, this gets you a 'boost', which is a one-time aspect.
Succeed - if you beat your opposition, you get what you want.
Succeed with style - any success over 2 shifts (IE if the opposition is 2, you roll 5 or more) you get what you want and a bonus.
Actually using skills:
There are three general types of Action 'sets' in Fate: Challenges, Contests, and Conflicts.
Challenges are when you have a large task made of smaller tasks. This is basically a set of related Overcomes (usually).
Contests are when you are going against somebody in a way that isn't trying to harm them. It basically takes the form of a race - both sides roll, whoever get a better roll wins. First to three wins wins the contest.
Conflicts are the most complicated, and are when you are actually hurting targets. Attack is rolled vs defense to inflict stress and consequences. Stress absorbs Shifts. If you roll an attack of 4 and they only roll a defend of 2, you inflict 2 Stress and they have to absorb that by either checking a stress box or taking a consequence.
Stress is 'damage' that you can recover from once things calm down. You can only check one box per hit.
Consequences are more permanent, giving your character an aspect until they can remove it via 'healing'. Unlike Stress, you can take multiple Consequences per hit.
Of note - you can Concede a fight, meaning you lose but do get some say in how you lose. Being Taken Out - IE running out of Stress and Consequences - means the attacker (in this case, me) gets all the say in your fate. Meaning I can say you die in such a case.
A key thing to remember - what skill you roll is more about what sort of OUTCOME you want. You don't tell me you want to punch, you tell me you want to kill the Grimm, and then we work out the best skill for that in a situation.
Another important note - Rolls are done, and will only be done, if failure is interesting. I do not roll on you picking a lock if the only result of failure is the lock doesn't open. If not opening means your ally is going to have to hold off another wave of Grimm though? That's a roll. Failure is not Bad, in this case.
Links:
Fate Core Cheat Sheet
Fate Core SRD
Last edited:
Discord Channel
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
Act 1, Scene 2 - A Little Detour
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
Act 1, Scene 2 - A Little Detour
You fiddle with the tablet as you read through your own Huntress profile. Oh, they even have the technical specs for Fire and Steel in here. "There's a lot more in here than I expected. It's got everything."
"Not everything," Aurelia replied with a pause as she looked away, adjusting her glasses with one hand, "I've read your full file - even the parts of it the VDF wishes I couldn't. You're past is-" You cut her off as she shove the tablet back at her abruptly, and she blinks owlishly for a moment before hesitantly taking it back. She tucks the tablet away before speaking again, "The past is past, Miss Ormanda. All we need to know is that you can kill Grimm."
You immediately perk up at the change of topic, "Oh, don't worry," you reply with a cheery grin as you heft up your beloved Fire - running a finger across the edge of the axe-head before double-checking the shotgun's barrel for any nicks, "That is something I'm really good at."
Aurelia gave a snort, "With something like that, I'd imagine. Still-" The airship rocks suddenly, and for a brief moment gold eyes meet red as you both stare at each other. The brief moment is enough for you to catch a flash of fear across the technician's face before she schools it into a frown and smacks the release on her restraints, "I'll go check on the pilot," as she walks past, you can hear her muttering, "'Don't worry, Aurelia', they said, 'twenty minute adventure - in and out.'..."
You leaned forward in your restraints to watch her walk into the cockpit, leaning close to the pilot as she quickly asks, "What was that?"
"Some sort of Grimm, ma'am," the pilot quickly replied, "I thought this route was-"
"It was," Aurelia quickly replied, "How far off-route are we?"
The soft beeping of a computer console filled the air before the pilot replied, "About four blocks, give or take."
"What?!" You could just make out Aurelia's back as she leaned forward to get a proper look at the pilots console, "That puts us over the Northern Industrial District! We have to turn back right-"
She didn't get to finish her warning as the entire airship lurched and seemed to fall a good half-dozen meters down. Outside, you could hear the familiar cry of a Nevermore as the airship shuttered again. "I've got it," you announce as you release your restraints, standing up and start for the hatch.
"Are you out of your mind!?" Aurelia shouts back from the cockpit, "We're over a hundred meters in the-" Before she can finish, the entire airship lurches to the side.
The deafening screech of tearing metal fills the cabin as the entire craft starts to spin. "Left engine's gone!" the Pilot shouts as warning lights and klaxons start blaring, "Mayday, Mayday - Vale Air Control, this is Rooster One, we're going down. I repeat-" The airship lurches again, downward this time as something digs into the roof overhead before the world flips over.
The last thing you see is a cratered street out the side-hatch window before the world goes black.
When you finally come to, you can feel the chill of the late morning breeze across your skin. Gingerly, you haul yourself back onto your feet, shoving a few stray pieces of debris off yourself as you look around.
What's left of the airship is on it's side about three meters to your left and half-buried into the side of a building. A shallow gouge in the asphalt stretches between it and you, the space in between littered with more debris. All you can hear is the sound of crackling fires and the distant howls of Grimm, "Aurelia?"
"Here, Fucking dammit." You hear the blonde mutter from inside the the wreck before she pulls herself out. She's got an arm around one of her sides, blood dripping down from a gash on her head, and she's heavily favoring one leg as she limps a few steps away from the wreck to take a seat against a more intact piece of wall. "Pilot didn't make it." She announces with a wince as she shifts slightly, "And we're still five blocks from our safe zone."
"Can you walk it?" You ask as you take in your wider surroundings. The street - the part that hadn't just had an airship plow through it, at least - is cluttered with abandoned cars and buses. Some of them have claw marks in them. Off in the distance, you can just barely make out a large, vaguely angular structure.
Aurelia gives a single mirthless laugh in reply, "Maybe if I took it slow, but that's not the problem," She points at the nearest sets of claw marks, "We don't want to hang around here - it's Grimm Territory."
You look between Aurelia and the streets, considering your options.
PICK ONE (A/N: Yes, experimenting with voting forms. Sue me)
[ ] (Stealth) Sneak your way through the ruined cars and buildings. Maybe you can find a clear path safe enough for Aurelia to limp down - assuming the Grimm don't find her while you're gone.
[ ] (Fight) Carve a path through the Grimm. If you punch a hole through the local horde, you should be able to buy enough time to grab Aurelia and Carry her to safety. She'll have to take care of herself in the meantime.
[ ] (Physique) You can just carry Aurelia to the Center. Having a person in your arms will make fighting difficult though, and just putting her down when trouble shows up probably won't be an option…
[ ] Write-in
(A/N: And here… we… go.)
You fiddle with the tablet as you read through your own Huntress profile. Oh, they even have the technical specs for Fire and Steel in here. "There's a lot more in here than I expected. It's got everything."
"Not everything," Aurelia replied with a pause as she looked away, adjusting her glasses with one hand, "I've read your full file - even the parts of it the VDF wishes I couldn't. You're past is-" You cut her off as she shove the tablet back at her abruptly, and she blinks owlishly for a moment before hesitantly taking it back. She tucks the tablet away before speaking again, "The past is past, Miss Ormanda. All we need to know is that you can kill Grimm."
You immediately perk up at the change of topic, "Oh, don't worry," you reply with a cheery grin as you heft up your beloved Fire - running a finger across the edge of the axe-head before double-checking the shotgun's barrel for any nicks, "That is something I'm really good at."
Aurelia gave a snort, "With something like that, I'd imagine. Still-" The airship rocks suddenly, and for a brief moment gold eyes meet red as you both stare at each other. The brief moment is enough for you to catch a flash of fear across the technician's face before she schools it into a frown and smacks the release on her restraints, "I'll go check on the pilot," as she walks past, you can hear her muttering, "'Don't worry, Aurelia', they said, 'twenty minute adventure - in and out.'..."
You leaned forward in your restraints to watch her walk into the cockpit, leaning close to the pilot as she quickly asks, "What was that?"
"Some sort of Grimm, ma'am," the pilot quickly replied, "I thought this route was-"
"It was," Aurelia quickly replied, "How far off-route are we?"
The soft beeping of a computer console filled the air before the pilot replied, "About four blocks, give or take."
"What?!" You could just make out Aurelia's back as she leaned forward to get a proper look at the pilots console, "That puts us over the Northern Industrial District! We have to turn back right-"
She didn't get to finish her warning as the entire airship lurched and seemed to fall a good half-dozen meters down. Outside, you could hear the familiar cry of a Nevermore as the airship shuttered again. "I've got it," you announce as you release your restraints, standing up and start for the hatch.
"Are you out of your mind!?" Aurelia shouts back from the cockpit, "We're over a hundred meters in the-" Before she can finish, the entire airship lurches to the side.
The deafening screech of tearing metal fills the cabin as the entire craft starts to spin. "Left engine's gone!" the Pilot shouts as warning lights and klaxons start blaring, "Mayday, Mayday - Vale Air Control, this is Rooster One, we're going down. I repeat-" The airship lurches again, downward this time as something digs into the roof overhead before the world flips over.
The last thing you see is a cratered street out the side-hatch window before the world goes black.
When you finally come to, you can feel the chill of the late morning breeze across your skin. Gingerly, you haul yourself back onto your feet, shoving a few stray pieces of debris off yourself as you look around.
What's left of the airship is on it's side about three meters to your left and half-buried into the side of a building. A shallow gouge in the asphalt stretches between it and you, the space in between littered with more debris. All you can hear is the sound of crackling fires and the distant howls of Grimm, "Aurelia?"
"Here, Fucking dammit." You hear the blonde mutter from inside the the wreck before she pulls herself out. She's got an arm around one of her sides, blood dripping down from a gash on her head, and she's heavily favoring one leg as she limps a few steps away from the wreck to take a seat against a more intact piece of wall. "Pilot didn't make it." She announces with a wince as she shifts slightly, "And we're still five blocks from our safe zone."
"Can you walk it?" You ask as you take in your wider surroundings. The street - the part that hadn't just had an airship plow through it, at least - is cluttered with abandoned cars and buses. Some of them have claw marks in them. Off in the distance, you can just barely make out a large, vaguely angular structure.
Aurelia gives a single mirthless laugh in reply, "Maybe if I took it slow, but that's not the problem," She points at the nearest sets of claw marks, "We don't want to hang around here - it's Grimm Territory."
You look between Aurelia and the streets, considering your options.
PICK ONE (A/N: Yes, experimenting with voting forms. Sue me)
[ ] (Stealth) Sneak your way through the ruined cars and buildings. Maybe you can find a clear path safe enough for Aurelia to limp down - assuming the Grimm don't find her while you're gone.
[ ] (Fight) Carve a path through the Grimm. If you punch a hole through the local horde, you should be able to buy enough time to grab Aurelia and Carry her to safety. She'll have to take care of herself in the meantime.
[ ] (Physique) You can just carry Aurelia to the Center. Having a person in your arms will make fighting difficult though, and just putting her down when trouble shows up probably won't be an option…
[ ] Write-in
(A/N: And here… we… go.)
Act 1, Scene 3 - Taking a Stroll Through Town
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
In the distance, the shrieks and howls of Grimm pierce the air as you weigh your options. With a final nod you make your choice, slinging your weapon and shield on your back before turning to Aurelia, "Okay - I've got a plan."
Aurelia arches an eyebrow at you, "And that plan is…?"
"I'll just carry you to the center, nice and simple." You explain with a grin as you step closer to her, "Now, just gimme a minute…"
"You're going to carry me five blocks?" Aurelia asks, incredulous, "What happens if-"
"No time to argue - Grimm territory, remember?" You say, cutting her off as you pick her up and sling her over your shoulders in a fireman's carry, "There we go. Now, onward!"
Aurelia just mutters something about how you're both going to die but you don't pay her any mind as you start picking your way down the street. Car and trucks are everywhere, some of them gently burning while others look like the drivers had just stepped away before you'd crashed an airship on top of them. The frozen traffic jam makes progress slow, forcing you to climb your way over ruined cabs and forcing your way into the occasional city bus. But even with your forceful approach, After an hour you've barely made it a block and a half. "We're too exposed out here," Aurelia comments from her spot on your back, "And you need a break,"
"I'm fine," you reply as you glance around, "But I agree on the other part. Hmm…" You search around until your eyes fall on a pair of banged up double-doors leading into some sort of shop, one of them ajar, "Okay then - Let's take this indoors."
Aurelia swallows nervously, "I was thinking more taking side alleys and not climbing through structurally compromised buildings."
"It'll be fine!" You assure here as you head for the door, kicking it open with a heavy crash and stepping inside. The remains of a clothing shop spread out before you, mannequins toppled over in the dark sea of clothing racks.
"The entire city has been burning for weeks!" Aurelia quickly fires back as you make your way toward the back, "This place could fall down on our heads any second."
"If it was going to fall over, it would have by now," you say back as you find what you were looking for - a door to the back room. You give the nob a quick test, and grin as you find it unlocked. The grin quickly turns into a frown of confusion as the door only opens forward a couple of inches before stopping suddenly. You give it a few more tries, but the door refuses to budge any further. You do, however, hear something shift every time you try the door.
Well, nothing for it then.
You back up a few steps before glancing at Aurelia, "You might want to tighten your grip."
Aurelia glances between you and the door before she does, in fact, tighten her grip, "Wait, if you're doing what I think you're doing then-"
She doesn't get to finish as you drive your foot into the door with all the force you can muster. The door lurches open with a heavy crash as the chunk of metal and concrete that had been pinning it closed finally moves. Aurelia's grip tightens on you, but after a few moments of silence she lets go with a sigh of relief, "You are going to tell everything in town where we are."
"Everything in town has better things to do," you reply as you lean through the hole in the wall. At some point, something big had decided to live in here, you were guessing - The wall between the shop and the next one over was almost entirely gone, along with most of the floors of the other shop. You could see sky above you when you looked up. What was left of the floors seemed to be shoved up against the walls. It made the entire inside of the place look like a crater…
...or a nest.
…right then.
"We should be moving," you quickly say as you look around, "Oh, hey! Another door! Let's go that way." Aurelia doesn't bother arguing with you this time, and you're guessing she had the same thought you did. You pick your way up the rubble and through the door into the hall of an abandoned apartment building, going by the numbered doors, and take a moment to glance out the window. The smoking wreck of your airship is finally what you'd call a reasonable distance away. You can also make out the shape of a half-dozen Boarbatusks fighting with each other on the next roof over. Massive curved tusks interlock with each other as they charge head-first at each other, Bone-white faceplates giving a ringing crack with every bout.
"Ormanda, we're less than three blocks from the Center," Aurelia says to you in a harsh whisper, "We need to move."
You glance back at her owlishly, "Why are you whispering?"
"Because There's Grimm across the damned street!"
"Oh, don't worry. They can't hear us from there," You shift her slightly as you make sure your carry is still good before pressing on.
The apartments hallway leads to the apartments stairs, leading back down to street level. "Turn right," Aurelia says as you pause at the bottom of the stairs, "That should take us into the back alleys."
"Alright then," you say with a nod as you head down the right-hand hall, taking a dog-leg before reaching the back door.
Which is currently blocked by a toppled vending machine. The front panel flickers weakly, 'RVB Cola' blinking sporadically. "Think you can move it?" Aurelia asks.
"Yeah, no problem," You say with a nod as you consider the machine. Then, with a nod, you give one corner of it a kick.
The machine rocks backward a good foot before falling back forward with a heavy thud and falling over onto its front. Not perfect, but enough room to squeeze through.
What you found was… less than pleasant. A narrow brick path cut its way down the middle toward the street, fenced in squares of concrete connecting the path to each of the buildings.
All of the doors were caved in or simply gone, the remains of people's personal effects scattered about haphazardly - bikes and tools and toys left about in the rush to leave. The dark stains on the concrete suggested that some were less than successful. "Should we… check for bodies?" Aurelia asks after a moment.
"Grimm don't leave bodies," you reply simply as you make your way down the path toward the heavy metal door cutting off the alley from the street, "Not during things like this." You try the door - a heavy, metal number painted the color of aged copper - and it doesn't budge. With a growl of annoyance you drive your foot into the door.
With a shriek of tearing metal, the entire door crashed down onto the sidewalk as it tears away from its hinges. You and Aurelia both blink in surprise at the result before a groan from the stonework around starts to grow.
You quickly step through onto the street a moment before the brick archway that had been around the door collapsed. A rumbling of falling brick seemed to stretch on for an age before finally beginning to peter out. A long silence followed, before suddenly a collection of piercing shrieks came from the roofs you had just passed. The cry was suddenly cut off with a heavy 'thwack' of bone-on-bone before the noise of Grimm settled back into the sounds of their own infighting.
Aurelia slumped across your shoulders with a sigh of relief, "Can we not do that again?"
"Depends how far it is to the Cultural Center," You reply with a shrug as you look around, "Where is it anyway?"
You can feel Aurelia moving around on your shoulder before tapping your arm, "Turn around."
You turn around and pause in surprise. "That's bigger than I expected."
The building was a massive edifice of White stone and glass and steel, A curving, wing-like span of steel sweeping down from a peak to curve backward over what were probably side halls. Within the embrace of the wings was a more angular structure of glass and steel, glinting in the late morning light. It actually looked a lot like the giant crystal that was at the base of the Amity Colosseum, only… bigger. "It is quite the sight," Aurelia says with a nod, "Now, once inside-"
A heavy, thundering crash came from somewhere inside the Center, and a moment later a thin plume of smoke began to rise from somewhere in the middle. "I thought this place was safe?"
"It was," Aurelia says with a grimace, "Okay - we should go check that out. And by we I mean you. Drop me off somewhere inside first."
"Alright then," You nod as you look left and right and, picking a direction at random, start around the edge of the Center, "So, where am I taking you?"
"I'd prefer the security office, and get a look at the systems," Aurelia replies, as she keeps an eye on the buildings exterior, "But that's further inside then might be wise. One of the administration offices should be easier to get to - and safe enough - but I wouldn't be any help to you - Turn here." You nod as you follow her directions, heading in through some sort loading dock and into the building proper, "There is one other option, but I don't like it…"
"What is it?" You ask.
"We can take the utility tunnels," Aurelia replied, "But that's practically a maze…"
Task Voting - Vote for each task.
Aurelia:
[ ] [Armas] Drop Her off at the Administration Office (no chance of run-in, no aid from Armas)
[ ] [Armas] Get her to the Security Office (Roll overcome vs +2; failure results in fight. Create Aspect 'Technical Support' w/ Free invoke)
- [ ] Take the Utility tunnels (Spend Fate Point for Roll)
[ ] [Armas] Write-in
Base Clearing:
[ ] [Clear] Head straight for the middle of the Cultural Center, where you saw the smoke come from. (Smaller fight with Bigger baddie(s))
[ ] [Clear] Circle around, work your way in. (Multiple smaller fights)
[ ] [Clear] Write-in
Aurelia arches an eyebrow at you, "And that plan is…?"
"I'll just carry you to the center, nice and simple." You explain with a grin as you step closer to her, "Now, just gimme a minute…"
"You're going to carry me five blocks?" Aurelia asks, incredulous, "What happens if-"
"No time to argue - Grimm territory, remember?" You say, cutting her off as you pick her up and sling her over your shoulders in a fireman's carry, "There we go. Now, onward!"
Aurelia just mutters something about how you're both going to die but you don't pay her any mind as you start picking your way down the street. Car and trucks are everywhere, some of them gently burning while others look like the drivers had just stepped away before you'd crashed an airship on top of them. The frozen traffic jam makes progress slow, forcing you to climb your way over ruined cabs and forcing your way into the occasional city bus. But even with your forceful approach, After an hour you've barely made it a block and a half. "We're too exposed out here," Aurelia comments from her spot on your back, "And you need a break,"
"I'm fine," you reply as you glance around, "But I agree on the other part. Hmm…" You search around until your eyes fall on a pair of banged up double-doors leading into some sort of shop, one of them ajar, "Okay then - Let's take this indoors."
Aurelia swallows nervously, "I was thinking more taking side alleys and not climbing through structurally compromised buildings."
"It'll be fine!" You assure here as you head for the door, kicking it open with a heavy crash and stepping inside. The remains of a clothing shop spread out before you, mannequins toppled over in the dark sea of clothing racks.
"The entire city has been burning for weeks!" Aurelia quickly fires back as you make your way toward the back, "This place could fall down on our heads any second."
"If it was going to fall over, it would have by now," you say back as you find what you were looking for - a door to the back room. You give the nob a quick test, and grin as you find it unlocked. The grin quickly turns into a frown of confusion as the door only opens forward a couple of inches before stopping suddenly. You give it a few more tries, but the door refuses to budge any further. You do, however, hear something shift every time you try the door.
Well, nothing for it then.
You back up a few steps before glancing at Aurelia, "You might want to tighten your grip."
Aurelia glances between you and the door before she does, in fact, tighten her grip, "Wait, if you're doing what I think you're doing then-"
She doesn't get to finish as you drive your foot into the door with all the force you can muster. The door lurches open with a heavy crash as the chunk of metal and concrete that had been pinning it closed finally moves. Aurelia's grip tightens on you, but after a few moments of silence she lets go with a sigh of relief, "You are going to tell everything in town where we are."
"Everything in town has better things to do," you reply as you lean through the hole in the wall. At some point, something big had decided to live in here, you were guessing - The wall between the shop and the next one over was almost entirely gone, along with most of the floors of the other shop. You could see sky above you when you looked up. What was left of the floors seemed to be shoved up against the walls. It made the entire inside of the place look like a crater…
...or a nest.
…right then.
"We should be moving," you quickly say as you look around, "Oh, hey! Another door! Let's go that way." Aurelia doesn't bother arguing with you this time, and you're guessing she had the same thought you did. You pick your way up the rubble and through the door into the hall of an abandoned apartment building, going by the numbered doors, and take a moment to glance out the window. The smoking wreck of your airship is finally what you'd call a reasonable distance away. You can also make out the shape of a half-dozen Boarbatusks fighting with each other on the next roof over. Massive curved tusks interlock with each other as they charge head-first at each other, Bone-white faceplates giving a ringing crack with every bout.
"Ormanda, we're less than three blocks from the Center," Aurelia says to you in a harsh whisper, "We need to move."
You glance back at her owlishly, "Why are you whispering?"
"Because There's Grimm across the damned street!"
"Oh, don't worry. They can't hear us from there," You shift her slightly as you make sure your carry is still good before pressing on.
The apartments hallway leads to the apartments stairs, leading back down to street level. "Turn right," Aurelia says as you pause at the bottom of the stairs, "That should take us into the back alleys."
"Alright then," you say with a nod as you head down the right-hand hall, taking a dog-leg before reaching the back door.
Which is currently blocked by a toppled vending machine. The front panel flickers weakly, 'RVB Cola' blinking sporadically. "Think you can move it?" Aurelia asks.
"Yeah, no problem," You say with a nod as you consider the machine. Then, with a nod, you give one corner of it a kick.
The machine rocks backward a good foot before falling back forward with a heavy thud and falling over onto its front. Not perfect, but enough room to squeeze through.
What you found was… less than pleasant. A narrow brick path cut its way down the middle toward the street, fenced in squares of concrete connecting the path to each of the buildings.
All of the doors were caved in or simply gone, the remains of people's personal effects scattered about haphazardly - bikes and tools and toys left about in the rush to leave. The dark stains on the concrete suggested that some were less than successful. "Should we… check for bodies?" Aurelia asks after a moment.
"Grimm don't leave bodies," you reply simply as you make your way down the path toward the heavy metal door cutting off the alley from the street, "Not during things like this." You try the door - a heavy, metal number painted the color of aged copper - and it doesn't budge. With a growl of annoyance you drive your foot into the door.
With a shriek of tearing metal, the entire door crashed down onto the sidewalk as it tears away from its hinges. You and Aurelia both blink in surprise at the result before a groan from the stonework around starts to grow.
You quickly step through onto the street a moment before the brick archway that had been around the door collapsed. A rumbling of falling brick seemed to stretch on for an age before finally beginning to peter out. A long silence followed, before suddenly a collection of piercing shrieks came from the roofs you had just passed. The cry was suddenly cut off with a heavy 'thwack' of bone-on-bone before the noise of Grimm settled back into the sounds of their own infighting.
Aurelia slumped across your shoulders with a sigh of relief, "Can we not do that again?"
"Depends how far it is to the Cultural Center," You reply with a shrug as you look around, "Where is it anyway?"
You can feel Aurelia moving around on your shoulder before tapping your arm, "Turn around."
You turn around and pause in surprise. "That's bigger than I expected."
The building was a massive edifice of White stone and glass and steel, A curving, wing-like span of steel sweeping down from a peak to curve backward over what were probably side halls. Within the embrace of the wings was a more angular structure of glass and steel, glinting in the late morning light. It actually looked a lot like the giant crystal that was at the base of the Amity Colosseum, only… bigger. "It is quite the sight," Aurelia says with a nod, "Now, once inside-"
A heavy, thundering crash came from somewhere inside the Center, and a moment later a thin plume of smoke began to rise from somewhere in the middle. "I thought this place was safe?"
"It was," Aurelia says with a grimace, "Okay - we should go check that out. And by we I mean you. Drop me off somewhere inside first."
"Alright then," You nod as you look left and right and, picking a direction at random, start around the edge of the Center, "So, where am I taking you?"
"I'd prefer the security office, and get a look at the systems," Aurelia replies, as she keeps an eye on the buildings exterior, "But that's further inside then might be wise. One of the administration offices should be easier to get to - and safe enough - but I wouldn't be any help to you - Turn here." You nod as you follow her directions, heading in through some sort loading dock and into the building proper, "There is one other option, but I don't like it…"
"What is it?" You ask.
"We can take the utility tunnels," Aurelia replied, "But that's practically a maze…"
Task Voting - Vote for each task.
Aurelia:
[ ] [Armas] Drop Her off at the Administration Office (no chance of run-in, no aid from Armas)
[ ] [Armas] Get her to the Security Office (Roll overcome vs +2; failure results in fight. Create Aspect 'Technical Support' w/ Free invoke)
- [ ] Take the Utility tunnels (Spend Fate Point for Roll)
[ ] [Armas] Write-in
Base Clearing:
[ ] [Clear] Head straight for the middle of the Cultural Center, where you saw the smoke come from. (Smaller fight with Bigger baddie(s))
[ ] [Clear] Circle around, work your way in. (Multiple smaller fights)
[ ] [Clear] Write-in
Last edited:
Act 1, Scene 4 - Playing Hall Monitor
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
You tried to be stealthy. Really, you did. It's not your fault plate armor is loud.
You at least made it to the hall with the security office before being ambushed.
The Ursa Minor charges at you from the shadows, and you barely have time to swear and bring up your shield to block the beasts charge. Ahead of you, Aurelia screams in surprise as she charges away from you and toward a door just ahead in the hall. You hope it was the right one - You don't have time to check where she was going, what with the angry shadow monster trying to eat your face.
With a shout of effort you force the Grimm back, giving yourself some breathing room for at least a brief moment as you turn back to your compatriot, "Aurelia! Get somewhere-"
"I'm in!" She shouts back as she ducks into the room a half-dozen paces down the hall.
"...Oh." you say in surprise. A snarl from ahead of you draws your attention back to the annoyed Grimm. It lets loose an ear-piercing howl before charging at you again. As you brace yourself for another attack, a mechanical whirring begins to come from the floor. You glance down just as a series of slender metal poles rise from the floor with a cacophony of pneumatic hisses - including one that pops out close enough to your shield to scrape up the front. You keep an eye on the Grimm as you shout back down the hall, "Tell me that was you!"
"Just trying to help!" Aurelia shouts back, "Fucking - Gimme a minute…"
"Just hide!" You shout back as the Grimm finishes weaving around the bollards and slams into your shield again. You give a grunt of effort as you slide back a step, but no further. The Grimm gives a rumbling growl you interpret as confusion as you look at it over the top of your shield with a grin. "My turn."
You tilt your shield back ever so slightly before pushing forward with a shout. The Grimm gives a yelp of surprise as it finds itself scooped up by your shield and, as you pivot around, slammed into the wall. The beast snaps and snarls and scrabbles at your shield, but you keep it at bay by sheer physical force.
"Viveka, are you all- FUCK!" Aurelia sticks her head out of the room to check on you, only to find herself staring down an angry Grimm. She wisely decides to dive back into the little office but not before the Grimm catches sight of her. With a twist of its body, it slips out to the side of your pin, and with a curse you lunge after it to stop it before it gets too far.
Your shield's edge slams down on the Grimm's leg with a satisfying crunch, and the Grimm howls in pain. It looks back at you for a brief moment before tilting its head back and howling. It's probably calling for help.
Well, fuck that.
You press forward, bringing your shield down on the Grimm and bringing your entire weight to bear on it. In an instant, the howl cuts off as you force all the air from its lungs. Yeah, this guy was getting annoying. Time for him to die.
You pull back on your shield just long enough to deliver a powerful kick into the Grimm's side. It yelps in pain and surprise as the force sends its across the floor, sending it into one of the bollards with enough for the metal pole to bend around it. You don't give it the chance to recover as you slam your shield into the beast one final time before grabbing your axe with your free hand and, with a single vicious swing, removing the beasts head.
You step back and watch the body dissolve into dust for a moment before shouldering your axe and heading over to Aurelia. "You alright?"
Aurelia is carefully peeking around the doorway, eyes still fixed on the dissipating Grimm. "Y-yeah, fine. Just Fine. Never been that close to a, uh, huntress working before. Not properly, I mean…"
You give her a smile and a heavy pat on the back, "Don't worry! I'm sure you'll get used to it!"
For some reason, that doesn't seem to make her feel better. "Joy…"
...Huh. Well, not something to worry about right now. You have more important things. "So, how's the place look?"
Aurelia blinks owlishly at you before speaking, "Ah! Right. Hold on." She quickly walks back into the office and you follow after her. The room is small, with barely enough room to fit the single desk and wall of monitors. The only other piece of furniture is a second small chair tucked into a corner. Your Technical Specialist wastes little time in bringing the system online and in moments the monitors are alive with video feeds from throughout the Center. "So, we picked the Cultural Center as the location for a Safe Zone for several reasons," Aurelia explains as she begins sorting through the countless data feeds now in front of her, "Low amount of apparent activity, proximity to both external operations and the nominal target area, assessed defensibility… but obviously not. The only questions who's moved in."
"Grimm?" You suggest.
"Not likely," Aurelia says as she shakes her head, "We haven't seen much to indicate people around here recently, and the Grimm don't have a reason to move in without a source to draw them in."
"Maybe people moved in?" You suggest. If you were thinking of using it as a base, perhaps others had.
"Maybe…" Aurelia replies, "But I'm not seeing any other signs of habitation - no beds, or supply stashes, or-" She's cut off as her search finally brings her to the inner atrium.
The inner atrium is a tall, diamond-shaped space sitting inside the center of the… Center. A ambulatory spirals its way up the sides from the floor to the top, over a dozen stories up. Rooms and halls branch off from the spiraling path at irregular intervals. Usually, the grand space houses exhibitions of art and technology from around Vale - a demonstration to the world of the Kingdoms art, science, culture and industry.
Right now though, all that it's housing is a really big robot.
"Is that a Paladin?" You ask with a frown.
"A SDC Paladin-290, yes," Aurelia says with a nervous swallow, "And it doesn't appear to be alone." Sure enough, when you look closer you can see the smaller, more familiar form of Knights milling about the atrium.
"I wonder how it got in?" You ask.
"Based on the debris?" Aurelia replies, "Through the ceiling. A better question is why it got in."
"...Good question," You pat her on the shoulder before you start walking out of the office, "I'm going to go ask." You pause at the door before turning back to her, "You might want to lock yourself in until I get back. You've got radio, right?"
Aurelia nods, "Channel eleven work?"
"Eleven, got it," you say, pulling out your scroll and pulling up your comms app to adjust the channel before slipping the earpiece on and giving Aurelia a grin, "Wish me luck!"
You don't hang around for any reply or protest as you start down the hall, heading straight for the atrium.
Just enough time to come up with a plan.
[ ] Write-in
[ ] (Athletics) Kite the big guy, and strike faster then he can react. Even with your shield and armor, you're faster to move then he is… probably.
[ ] (Crafts) You know a thing or two about how machines work - and how to make them not work. So many delicate pieces…
[ ] (Deceive) When he looks left, go right. Show this dumb bucket of bolts a thing or two.
((A/N: Enemy stats available on the 'Current Status' page)
You at least made it to the hall with the security office before being ambushed.
The Ursa Minor charges at you from the shadows, and you barely have time to swear and bring up your shield to block the beasts charge. Ahead of you, Aurelia screams in surprise as she charges away from you and toward a door just ahead in the hall. You hope it was the right one - You don't have time to check where she was going, what with the angry shadow monster trying to eat your face.
With a shout of effort you force the Grimm back, giving yourself some breathing room for at least a brief moment as you turn back to your compatriot, "Aurelia! Get somewhere-"
"I'm in!" She shouts back as she ducks into the room a half-dozen paces down the hall.
"...Oh." you say in surprise. A snarl from ahead of you draws your attention back to the annoyed Grimm. It lets loose an ear-piercing howl before charging at you again. As you brace yourself for another attack, a mechanical whirring begins to come from the floor. You glance down just as a series of slender metal poles rise from the floor with a cacophony of pneumatic hisses - including one that pops out close enough to your shield to scrape up the front. You keep an eye on the Grimm as you shout back down the hall, "Tell me that was you!"
"Just trying to help!" Aurelia shouts back, "Fucking - Gimme a minute…"
"Just hide!" You shout back as the Grimm finishes weaving around the bollards and slams into your shield again. You give a grunt of effort as you slide back a step, but no further. The Grimm gives a rumbling growl you interpret as confusion as you look at it over the top of your shield with a grin. "My turn."
You tilt your shield back ever so slightly before pushing forward with a shout. The Grimm gives a yelp of surprise as it finds itself scooped up by your shield and, as you pivot around, slammed into the wall. The beast snaps and snarls and scrabbles at your shield, but you keep it at bay by sheer physical force.
"Viveka, are you all- FUCK!" Aurelia sticks her head out of the room to check on you, only to find herself staring down an angry Grimm. She wisely decides to dive back into the little office but not before the Grimm catches sight of her. With a twist of its body, it slips out to the side of your pin, and with a curse you lunge after it to stop it before it gets too far.
Your shield's edge slams down on the Grimm's leg with a satisfying crunch, and the Grimm howls in pain. It looks back at you for a brief moment before tilting its head back and howling. It's probably calling for help.
Well, fuck that.
You press forward, bringing your shield down on the Grimm and bringing your entire weight to bear on it. In an instant, the howl cuts off as you force all the air from its lungs. Yeah, this guy was getting annoying. Time for him to die.
You pull back on your shield just long enough to deliver a powerful kick into the Grimm's side. It yelps in pain and surprise as the force sends its across the floor, sending it into one of the bollards with enough for the metal pole to bend around it. You don't give it the chance to recover as you slam your shield into the beast one final time before grabbing your axe with your free hand and, with a single vicious swing, removing the beasts head.
You step back and watch the body dissolve into dust for a moment before shouldering your axe and heading over to Aurelia. "You alright?"
Aurelia is carefully peeking around the doorway, eyes still fixed on the dissipating Grimm. "Y-yeah, fine. Just Fine. Never been that close to a, uh, huntress working before. Not properly, I mean…"
You give her a smile and a heavy pat on the back, "Don't worry! I'm sure you'll get used to it!"
For some reason, that doesn't seem to make her feel better. "Joy…"
...Huh. Well, not something to worry about right now. You have more important things. "So, how's the place look?"
Aurelia blinks owlishly at you before speaking, "Ah! Right. Hold on." She quickly walks back into the office and you follow after her. The room is small, with barely enough room to fit the single desk and wall of monitors. The only other piece of furniture is a second small chair tucked into a corner. Your Technical Specialist wastes little time in bringing the system online and in moments the monitors are alive with video feeds from throughout the Center. "So, we picked the Cultural Center as the location for a Safe Zone for several reasons," Aurelia explains as she begins sorting through the countless data feeds now in front of her, "Low amount of apparent activity, proximity to both external operations and the nominal target area, assessed defensibility… but obviously not. The only questions who's moved in."
"Grimm?" You suggest.
"Not likely," Aurelia says as she shakes her head, "We haven't seen much to indicate people around here recently, and the Grimm don't have a reason to move in without a source to draw them in."
"Maybe people moved in?" You suggest. If you were thinking of using it as a base, perhaps others had.
"Maybe…" Aurelia replies, "But I'm not seeing any other signs of habitation - no beds, or supply stashes, or-" She's cut off as her search finally brings her to the inner atrium.
The inner atrium is a tall, diamond-shaped space sitting inside the center of the… Center. A ambulatory spirals its way up the sides from the floor to the top, over a dozen stories up. Rooms and halls branch off from the spiraling path at irregular intervals. Usually, the grand space houses exhibitions of art and technology from around Vale - a demonstration to the world of the Kingdoms art, science, culture and industry.
Right now though, all that it's housing is a really big robot.
"Is that a Paladin?" You ask with a frown.
"A SDC Paladin-290, yes," Aurelia says with a nervous swallow, "And it doesn't appear to be alone." Sure enough, when you look closer you can see the smaller, more familiar form of Knights milling about the atrium.
"I wonder how it got in?" You ask.
"Based on the debris?" Aurelia replies, "Through the ceiling. A better question is why it got in."
"...Good question," You pat her on the shoulder before you start walking out of the office, "I'm going to go ask." You pause at the door before turning back to her, "You might want to lock yourself in until I get back. You've got radio, right?"
Aurelia nods, "Channel eleven work?"
"Eleven, got it," you say, pulling out your scroll and pulling up your comms app to adjust the channel before slipping the earpiece on and giving Aurelia a grin, "Wish me luck!"
You don't hang around for any reply or protest as you start down the hall, heading straight for the atrium.
Just enough time to come up with a plan.
[ ] Write-in
[ ] (Athletics) Kite the big guy, and strike faster then he can react. Even with your shield and armor, you're faster to move then he is… probably.
[ ] (Crafts) You know a thing or two about how machines work - and how to make them not work. So many delicate pieces…
[ ] (Deceive) When he looks left, go right. Show this dumb bucket of bolts a thing or two.
((A/N: Enemy stats available on the 'Current Status' page)
Act 1, Scene 5 - The Bracingly Direct Approach
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
As you rush through the empty, unlit hallways of the Cultural Center, you go over your plan in your head again. It hadn't taken you long to decide on a course of action - You'd simply charge the big guy head-on, steel versus steel. The details, however…
"So," Aurelia's voice chimes in in your ear, tinny over the radio connection, "How do you plan on solo-ing a rogue combat mech the size of a truck?"
"Currently thinking I'll just hit it in the important bits until it stops moving," you reply with a shrug before remembering she can't see the gesture, "Even as armored as the thing is, you can't remove all weaknesses - limb joints especially, unless you want to completely compromise mobility…" A long moment of silence answers you, "...Aurelia?"
"Sorry," the hacker replies over the line, "I just wasn't expecting… where did you learn that?"
"Eh," you reply non-committedly, "Machines are machines - weapons or robots, all pretty much the same when you get down to it."
"I suppose…" Aurelia replies before her tone suddenly becomes more serious, "Heads up - looks like some of those Knights are re-positioning to the other side of the atrium; you'll be tripping right over them on your way to the Paladin if you take your current route."
"How many Knights?"
"Three, on your side," Aurelia replies, "But it won't take too long for the rest to regroup once you start shooting I'd imagine."
You grin as you take one final corner and spot the entry way into the atrium ahead of you, "Guess I'll just have to work fast then."
The space around you opens up suddenly as you dash through the archway and into the atrium proper. The three Knights barely had time to register your existence before you buzzed past them, already pulling Fire and Steel free, chambering a shell in the shotgun as your other arm takes up the comforting weight of your shield.
The Paladin has already made you, but it doesn't matter - the lumbering machine is too slow to react to you as you level your shotgun-axe at its leg and squeeze the trigger. A thundering boom fills the atrium as the Paladin stumbles briefly, a satisfied smirk growing on your face as you watch the sparks flying from one of its knee's where your shot hit true.
Your smirk quickly vanishes as the Paladins other leg swings around faster than you thought possible. You leap back with all the force your legs can muster, even as you bring your shield up, but it's not quite enough. The edge of its oversized foot smashes across your shield with enough force to send you crashing backward. You tumble briefly before recovering and rolling onto your feet. Even with the extra layer of Steel between you and the blow, you could feel part of your Aura drain away from the blow.
And it looked like you weren't going to be given a chance to catch your breath. You had barely gotten to your feet when the nearest trio of Knights fell upon you with blades and metal fists. Steel once again saves you from the worst of it, but the few slashes that manage to slip through as you maneuver still annoy you.
As soon as you manage to get out of robotic arms reach, you kick off of the floor and launch yourself back in the direction of your real target. The heavy, lumbering machine has circled around to one side of the open space, leaving the remaining knights too far away to help it. Works for you.
You take aim for another shot, this time going for the other leg, but as you do the Paladin lunges forward, slamming its good leg through a decorative planter and sending the entire floor shaking. You're footing gives way beneath you, and momentum leaves you sliding across the weather-slicked tile floor toward the wall. Across the way though, the Paladin has a problem of its own; its leg is stuck in the muddy quagmire of the planter, and as it takes a moment to pull itself free it's immobile. You dig your heels into the tiling, angry gouges in the tile marking your stop as you quickly take aim and snap off a second shot.
The dust-infused shell finds its mark a second before the Paladin pulls its leg free, and now with both legs sparking it turns its sights on you.
It doesn't bother with any sort of tactic, instead just bullrushing you across the open tiled space in an attempt to simply run over you. Unfortunately for it, you're faster than before.
Your semblance flares to life as you toss yourself out of the way of the charging machine in a blur of speed, fast enough that as the towering mech tries to keep track of you you can hear the high-pitched whine of straining servos as it tries to arrest its charge early.
Your dodge brings you back into range of the Knights, but as they attempt to dog-pile you again you simply dash out of the way again, leaving the Knights stumbling about in disarray as they fall upon the now empty spot where you had been standing.
Those Knights are getting annoying. Better finish off the big guy before this all gets too complicated. "Aurelia?"
"Yes?" she replies.
"Think you could do something to keep the Paladin distracted for, oh… thirty seconds?"
"Let's see here…" she says and for a brief moment you hear the beeping of keystrokes before she comes back on the line, "Oh, I think I found something. Just tell me when."
You adjust your grip on Fire, the heavy, curved axe-blade glinting in the dim light. "Alright then...On three."
You charge forward at the Paladin, unheeding of the other robots in the space as you lift your weapon, preparing to strike, "Three!"
With a crackling hiss a dozen ceiling-mounted nozzles spray the Paladin down with a cloud of white fire suppressant. As you watch, frost begins to form on the outside of the machine, stiffening its joints and clouding its sensors.
You pass between the blinded mech's legs, Fire's blade biting into the already damaged leg joint and carving out a chunk from the sensitive machinery. The damage proves too much as the entire construction buckles under the weight of the Paladin. As it begins toppling over you clear its legs and pivot around with a two-handed swing to bury your axe into the other leg.
With a deep rumbling groan, the Paladin falls to its knees before keeling over, slamming face-first into the floor with a crash.
While you were busy though, the knights have had the chance to move and five of them quickly fall upon your position in a poorly coordinated rush. Even as you juke and block and dodge, a few of them manage to slip through, blade strikes clipping your shoulders and legs.
Okay, these guys were officially annoying.
You bash the nearest one in the face with your shield and it crumples immediately. The rest apparently don't know how to deal with an angry shieldmaiden since you manage to bludgeon a second one into scrap metal before they finally think to pull out of shield-bashing range. Their next charge is a great deal more organized then the first, but you're more than ready this time; You quickly dodge around their attacks and lash out with your axe in a flurry of blows. In moments all that you're left with is a pile of scrap metal.
"I… think that's all of them," Aurelia announces over the radio, "I'm not picking anything up on cameras or motion sensors, so… um… good job?"
"Thanks," you reply as you lower your axe with a groan. Stupid toasters. "So, now what?"
"Head back out this way," Aurelia said, "With the mechs gone we can finish locking this place down. Then we can start discussing plans. though I wonder…"
"Wonder what?" you ask as you start heading back toward the security office.
"Nothing important, really," Aurelia assures you, "Just trying to figure out what the Mechs would have been after."
"Power, maybe?" you suggest, "I mean, the cameras and sensors are still working here. Maybe they were looking for a recharge?"
"Maybe…" Aurelia says, "Anyway - we can work that out later. First we need to get set up."
It doesn't take long for the two of you to move from the smaller security office to the main administrative wing, just on the opposite side of the central complex from the Center's entrance. Aurelia wastes no time in finding the main control room - a series of tables and monitors, all lined up in neat rows in a way that reminded you of inside the CCT tower. The only illumination was from dim emergency lights and the eerie blue glow of idle computers. You peered around the creepy room warily as Aurelia quickly typed away at a nearby terminal, "So, this place still has power since most of Vale's power generation is outside the city proper," she explains, "A lot of the other parts of the city are having issues since part of the distribution grid are damaged but the Cultural Center is positioned directly above a main power line and its large enough to warrant its own substation. So, all I need to do is reboot the systems into recovery mode and…"
A series of heavy, mechanical 'thunks' echoed through the air as suddenly the lights overhead burst into life. "Got it! Now, activating all fire breaks and security barriers… Turning off power for most of the compound… and we're in business." She spins around in her seat to look at you, a satisfied smile on her face as she adjusts her glasses, "We are officially online."
"Excellent," you say with a nod, "So - what have we got?"
She turns back around to the terminal and with a few keystrokes the main screen at the front of the room flares to life with a map of the city on one side and a schematic of one section of the Center on the other - the section they were in, specifically. "Resource wise? Besides power we're pretty short on anything else. I doubt anything is the break room will be edible at this point, their first aid clinic is more for sprains and cuts then any serious emergency, and while they've got a broadcasting studio in here with the CCT and city infrastructure our range is severely limited," She turns back to you, "Still we have a few option. One, obviously, is to go after Glynda now. We don't know where she is, but I have enough gear here I could work out where it came from. Alternatively, you can see what you can scavenge for supplies. The surrounding area is all stores and shops; some of them might still have some food. For gear and equipment… you'd probably have to go poking around the warehouses to the south," She shrugs, "Or you could poke around in the basement for whatever the Mechs were after. Up to you."
[ ] We're here for a job; lets find Goodwitch. (Target Zone - Upper Class District) Main
[ ] Well, no point in starving; best to poke around nearby for supplies (Target Zone - Commercial District) Hat
[ ] There might be useful things sitting around in the warehouses - Dust, tools, ammo. Forearmed is Forewarned… wait. (Target - Industrial District) Sweet Roll
[ ] Might as well look into what those bots were doing. (Target - Cultural Center) Chaldea
((A/N: All of the options will still be available later - but details will change based on if/when you do them))
"So," Aurelia's voice chimes in in your ear, tinny over the radio connection, "How do you plan on solo-ing a rogue combat mech the size of a truck?"
"Currently thinking I'll just hit it in the important bits until it stops moving," you reply with a shrug before remembering she can't see the gesture, "Even as armored as the thing is, you can't remove all weaknesses - limb joints especially, unless you want to completely compromise mobility…" A long moment of silence answers you, "...Aurelia?"
"Sorry," the hacker replies over the line, "I just wasn't expecting… where did you learn that?"
"Eh," you reply non-committedly, "Machines are machines - weapons or robots, all pretty much the same when you get down to it."
"I suppose…" Aurelia replies before her tone suddenly becomes more serious, "Heads up - looks like some of those Knights are re-positioning to the other side of the atrium; you'll be tripping right over them on your way to the Paladin if you take your current route."
"How many Knights?"
"Three, on your side," Aurelia replies, "But it won't take too long for the rest to regroup once you start shooting I'd imagine."
You grin as you take one final corner and spot the entry way into the atrium ahead of you, "Guess I'll just have to work fast then."
The space around you opens up suddenly as you dash through the archway and into the atrium proper. The three Knights barely had time to register your existence before you buzzed past them, already pulling Fire and Steel free, chambering a shell in the shotgun as your other arm takes up the comforting weight of your shield.
The Paladin has already made you, but it doesn't matter - the lumbering machine is too slow to react to you as you level your shotgun-axe at its leg and squeeze the trigger. A thundering boom fills the atrium as the Paladin stumbles briefly, a satisfied smirk growing on your face as you watch the sparks flying from one of its knee's where your shot hit true.
Your smirk quickly vanishes as the Paladins other leg swings around faster than you thought possible. You leap back with all the force your legs can muster, even as you bring your shield up, but it's not quite enough. The edge of its oversized foot smashes across your shield with enough force to send you crashing backward. You tumble briefly before recovering and rolling onto your feet. Even with the extra layer of Steel between you and the blow, you could feel part of your Aura drain away from the blow.
And it looked like you weren't going to be given a chance to catch your breath. You had barely gotten to your feet when the nearest trio of Knights fell upon you with blades and metal fists. Steel once again saves you from the worst of it, but the few slashes that manage to slip through as you maneuver still annoy you.
As soon as you manage to get out of robotic arms reach, you kick off of the floor and launch yourself back in the direction of your real target. The heavy, lumbering machine has circled around to one side of the open space, leaving the remaining knights too far away to help it. Works for you.
You take aim for another shot, this time going for the other leg, but as you do the Paladin lunges forward, slamming its good leg through a decorative planter and sending the entire floor shaking. You're footing gives way beneath you, and momentum leaves you sliding across the weather-slicked tile floor toward the wall. Across the way though, the Paladin has a problem of its own; its leg is stuck in the muddy quagmire of the planter, and as it takes a moment to pull itself free it's immobile. You dig your heels into the tiling, angry gouges in the tile marking your stop as you quickly take aim and snap off a second shot.
The dust-infused shell finds its mark a second before the Paladin pulls its leg free, and now with both legs sparking it turns its sights on you.
It doesn't bother with any sort of tactic, instead just bullrushing you across the open tiled space in an attempt to simply run over you. Unfortunately for it, you're faster than before.
Your semblance flares to life as you toss yourself out of the way of the charging machine in a blur of speed, fast enough that as the towering mech tries to keep track of you you can hear the high-pitched whine of straining servos as it tries to arrest its charge early.
Your dodge brings you back into range of the Knights, but as they attempt to dog-pile you again you simply dash out of the way again, leaving the Knights stumbling about in disarray as they fall upon the now empty spot where you had been standing.
Those Knights are getting annoying. Better finish off the big guy before this all gets too complicated. "Aurelia?"
"Yes?" she replies.
"Think you could do something to keep the Paladin distracted for, oh… thirty seconds?"
"Let's see here…" she says and for a brief moment you hear the beeping of keystrokes before she comes back on the line, "Oh, I think I found something. Just tell me when."
You adjust your grip on Fire, the heavy, curved axe-blade glinting in the dim light. "Alright then...On three."
You charge forward at the Paladin, unheeding of the other robots in the space as you lift your weapon, preparing to strike, "Three!"
With a crackling hiss a dozen ceiling-mounted nozzles spray the Paladin down with a cloud of white fire suppressant. As you watch, frost begins to form on the outside of the machine, stiffening its joints and clouding its sensors.
You pass between the blinded mech's legs, Fire's blade biting into the already damaged leg joint and carving out a chunk from the sensitive machinery. The damage proves too much as the entire construction buckles under the weight of the Paladin. As it begins toppling over you clear its legs and pivot around with a two-handed swing to bury your axe into the other leg.
With a deep rumbling groan, the Paladin falls to its knees before keeling over, slamming face-first into the floor with a crash.
While you were busy though, the knights have had the chance to move and five of them quickly fall upon your position in a poorly coordinated rush. Even as you juke and block and dodge, a few of them manage to slip through, blade strikes clipping your shoulders and legs.
Okay, these guys were officially annoying.
You bash the nearest one in the face with your shield and it crumples immediately. The rest apparently don't know how to deal with an angry shieldmaiden since you manage to bludgeon a second one into scrap metal before they finally think to pull out of shield-bashing range. Their next charge is a great deal more organized then the first, but you're more than ready this time; You quickly dodge around their attacks and lash out with your axe in a flurry of blows. In moments all that you're left with is a pile of scrap metal.
"I… think that's all of them," Aurelia announces over the radio, "I'm not picking anything up on cameras or motion sensors, so… um… good job?"
"Thanks," you reply as you lower your axe with a groan. Stupid toasters. "So, now what?"
"Head back out this way," Aurelia said, "With the mechs gone we can finish locking this place down. Then we can start discussing plans. though I wonder…"
"Wonder what?" you ask as you start heading back toward the security office.
"Nothing important, really," Aurelia assures you, "Just trying to figure out what the Mechs would have been after."
"Power, maybe?" you suggest, "I mean, the cameras and sensors are still working here. Maybe they were looking for a recharge?"
"Maybe…" Aurelia says, "Anyway - we can work that out later. First we need to get set up."
It doesn't take long for the two of you to move from the smaller security office to the main administrative wing, just on the opposite side of the central complex from the Center's entrance. Aurelia wastes no time in finding the main control room - a series of tables and monitors, all lined up in neat rows in a way that reminded you of inside the CCT tower. The only illumination was from dim emergency lights and the eerie blue glow of idle computers. You peered around the creepy room warily as Aurelia quickly typed away at a nearby terminal, "So, this place still has power since most of Vale's power generation is outside the city proper," she explains, "A lot of the other parts of the city are having issues since part of the distribution grid are damaged but the Cultural Center is positioned directly above a main power line and its large enough to warrant its own substation. So, all I need to do is reboot the systems into recovery mode and…"
A series of heavy, mechanical 'thunks' echoed through the air as suddenly the lights overhead burst into life. "Got it! Now, activating all fire breaks and security barriers… Turning off power for most of the compound… and we're in business." She spins around in her seat to look at you, a satisfied smile on her face as she adjusts her glasses, "We are officially online."
"Excellent," you say with a nod, "So - what have we got?"
She turns back around to the terminal and with a few keystrokes the main screen at the front of the room flares to life with a map of the city on one side and a schematic of one section of the Center on the other - the section they were in, specifically. "Resource wise? Besides power we're pretty short on anything else. I doubt anything is the break room will be edible at this point, their first aid clinic is more for sprains and cuts then any serious emergency, and while they've got a broadcasting studio in here with the CCT and city infrastructure our range is severely limited," She turns back to you, "Still we have a few option. One, obviously, is to go after Glynda now. We don't know where she is, but I have enough gear here I could work out where it came from. Alternatively, you can see what you can scavenge for supplies. The surrounding area is all stores and shops; some of them might still have some food. For gear and equipment… you'd probably have to go poking around the warehouses to the south," She shrugs, "Or you could poke around in the basement for whatever the Mechs were after. Up to you."
[ ] We're here for a job; lets find Goodwitch. (Target Zone - Upper Class District) Main
[ ] Well, no point in starving; best to poke around nearby for supplies (Target Zone - Commercial District) Hat
[ ] There might be useful things sitting around in the warehouses - Dust, tools, ammo. Forearmed is Forewarned… wait. (Target - Industrial District) Sweet Roll
[ ] Might as well look into what those bots were doing. (Target - Cultural Center) Chaldea
((A/N: All of the options will still be available later - but details will change based on if/when you do them))
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Act 1, Scene 6 - Way Down We Go
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
You consider the map for a moment before, with a shrug, lean over and tap at Aurelia's screen where the atrium you just left is highlighted, "Might as well handle this while I'm here," you lean back, stretching your arms over your head as you ask, "Anything you can tell me?"
"Not much, unfortunately," Aurelia replies with a shrug before turning back to the screen and tapping a few keys. In an instant, the map on the larger display shifts to a close-in view of the Atrium from above before rotating. A series of pale bluish geometrics hanging in darkness like a pile of childrens blocks, an isometric view of the atrium and the spaces around it - and below it. "A lot of sensors are offline - probably because of the mechs. I did have enough camera coverage though to do a remote survey and I found this." a window appeared mid-screen, showing the feed from one of the camera's. Center frame was a sizable hole in what had been a concrete wall. A large hole was torn in it, the edges of the breech darkened and burned.
"...Huh." You say after a moment, "Wonder how I missed that."
"It's purposely out of view for one," Aurelia replies, pointing out on the map the location on the map, "It used to be a security door into the lower utility levels. Not the sort of thing you want staring guests in the face. Also, you were fairly distracted at the time…" She gives you a sideways glance, "How're you feeling?"
You shrug nonchalantly, "Right as rain - aura took the brunt of it and that's just about back so no worries," you nod at the screen, "So, what's down there anyhow?"
"Pipes, cables, that sort of thing," Aurelia replies, "Whether or not there's anything else down there? No clue. Utilities are a big blind spot."
"Well then, this should be fun," you give one final stretch before starting out of the room, scooping up your shield and gun-axe on the way out, "Don't wait up for me."
"Grab me some chips on your way back," Aurelia shouts back as you disappear down the hall, "I'm good for it, I promise!"
Your walk back to the atrium is, thankfully, uneventful. Anything still prowling the halls has been locked out or sealed behind fire barriers to be hunted down at your leisure. The atrium is much the same as when you left it - quiet, save for the steady drip of water from the broken glass roof high above. Beyond it, an overcast grey sky left the sunlight diffuse. You take a quick look around before spotting the corner you're after and making a beeline in that direction, and you soon find yourself inside the tunnels of the Vale Cultural Center.
"Just a heads up," Aurelia's voice crackled in your ear as you slowly made your way down the concrete tunnel, "We'll probably lose comms once you get deep enough into the tunnels."
"Understood," you reply as you scan the tunnel. It's a wide, concrete corridor large enough to drive a small truck down from the looks of it, but most of the space around the left side and roof is occupied by dozens of pipes and cables in every size you can think of. On the right, every so often a doorway appears, signage marking them as electrical hubs, pump rooms or other engineering spaces. Further ahead, the tunnel seems to suddenly turn left - and down. "Aurelia, how deep does this go?"
"A fair bit…" Aurelia replies, "Based on my initial reading of these schematics, at least five stories. A couple of specialized spaces might dip deeper though."
"What do they keep down here?" you ask, Fire's wide bore sweeping slowly across the hall as you carefully made your way around the corner. Ahead of you, the tunnel canted downward as a shallow ramp before sharply leveling out again at the next floor.
"Repair shops, support systems, general storage," Aurelia replies, "The train line from Mountain Glen was intended to reach out to here, eventually, but well…"
"Yeah," you reply as you start down the ramp.
The second floor is much like the first, but even more. The floor branched out from one hall into three - one ahead, and one to each side. You could already make out more halls and doorways branching off further down. Not that you could see much - Unlike the hallway above, the lighting down here was spotty, constricted pools of orange-tinged light stringed down the halls, interrupted only by the doorways deemed important enough to require the full illumination of proper fluorescents. And, of course, there were the pipes - the bundles from the hall wrapping around the follow the outer wall, while more pipes and bundles hung overhead, all painted in a myriad of colors to indicate their purpose. "So," you ask over the radio, "Suggestions on which way to go?"
"I dunno, left?" Aurelia says back, "You're just taking a look around. Which way you start doesn't really matter."
With a sigh, you turn left and start down the hall. In the eerie near-silence of the tunnels, your breathing sounded oddly loud. As you move between pools of light, you idly think that you should get a flashlight for your gun… no, wait, where would you put it? Underbarrel is taken up by the blade. Maybe a side-mount would-
You spin around instantly, Shotgun raised to your shoulder and leveled as the sound of kicked rubble echoes down through the halls.
You found a blade pointed at you from the pool of light at the intersection you had just passed. The blade was just under a meter long, you were guessing, with just the smallest curve to it. As you squint in the dim light, you can just make out the heavy barrel of a revolver near the base of the blade. Past that, all you could see was the pale hand of your would-be attacker, "Since you don't seem to be an angry toaster or a Grimm, why don't you step out of the shadows so we can have a chat."
"Your weapon," a voice - young, feminine, cultured - carries from the shadows, "What caliber?"
You raise an eyebrow, "Damn sight more than yours."
After a moment of silence, light footsteps carry the mysterious speaker into the light.
She's a fancy-looking thing, slim arms and legs, short white dress and black jacket with gold accents. She looked like she'd be more at home in an office or academy then a warzone, but she held her blade with the tense confidence that only a career of fighting could give you. She gives you a sharp glare before lowering her blade, the mechanism in the handle clicking softly as she sheathes it at her hip. "Sonofa-" She pauses, taking a deep breath before bowing slightly in your direction, "Apologies for the rough greeting, but these are dangerous times. My name is Olena Domovoy, Miss…?"
"Ormanda," you reply as you lower Fire, "Viveka Ormanda. How did you end up down here?"
Domovoy jabs a thumb down the hall she had just come from, "A pack of Grimm chased me down an alley so I ducked through a utility hatch. That led me down here. Seemed alright until a patrol of Knights stumbled upon me and seemed to take offense to my existence."
"Yeah," you say with a shrug, "They do that these days."
"Fortunately, the Paladin couldn't fit inside the tunnel," Domovoy gave an unladylike snort, "Didn't stop it from trying to blast me to kingdom come," she turned to you, "What about you?"
"Came down here on purpose," you jab a thumb back toward the tunnel leading upward, "A friend and me are trying to figure out what the mechs were after down here, so I figured I'd take a look around."
Domovoy blinked owlishly, "...how did you get past the Paladin?"
"I killed it, duh," you reply, "So, you see the mechs doing anything weird down here?"
"You… killed it." Domovoy echoes slowly before bringing her hand to her face with a groan, "Of course you did," she sighed before turning and waving for you to follow, "This way - The Knights seemed to be poking around one area in particular when I came across them. I thought it was just the patrol checking for sabotage, but maybe it was more than that."
You follow her down the hall, your heavy footfalls echoing far more loudly than Domovoy's own light steps. You follow her through two intersections before taking a right turn at a third. Half-way down that third hallway you see what she was leading you toward - a small alcove in the wall, bundles of wires leading down from above and up from below into a flat box the size of you torso. Most of the front was dominated by a flickering flatscreen display, but you doubted it worked right now. Besides the state of the screen, small sparks of electricity sputtered out of the juncture points. "What the…?"
"It's a data network junction box," Domovoy explains, "The patrol was huddled around this when I stumbled into them - but maybe it wasn't a patrol."
"Maybe," You reply as you thumb your radio, "Aurelia, you there?"
"-Veka?" her voice cuts in, heavy with static, "Wha-... Again?"
You thumb the radio off with a curse, "dammit. Aurelia would know what to do."
"Any chance we could bring her down here?" Domovoy suggests.
"Nah," you shake your head, "She's kinda squishy. We'd have to clear the tunnels out first, at least."
"I assure you, there is nothing-" Domovoy didn't get any further before a keening cry echoed through the tunnels, cutting her off.
You arched an eyebrow in her direction, "You were saying?"
"A few Grimm must have found their way in via the access tunnels," Domovoy says with a frown. The statement triggers a thought in your head.
"The Paladin took out the access door to the atrium," you say, turning to Domovoy, "So, what's keeping them out of the Cultural Center now?"
"Nothing, I guess," Domovoy replies with a shrug, "But nothing was keeping them out above-ground either-"
"Until Aurelia locked the whole place down. Shit." Your hand comes up to your chin, tapping as you think, "Okay - Aurelia wanted me to figure out what the Mechs were after," can you tell me what they were trying to get at here?"
Domovoy shakes her head, "This terminal is busted - we'd have to head deeper if we want to look at the network."
"But whatever they were after was on the network?" you ask.
She shrugs, "Probably. But we'll have to find a different node."
"This floor?" You ask.
"Not that I've seen," Domovoy replies, "We'll have to head deeper - network equipment was kept at lower levels - takes advantage of ambient cooling for the servers. One problem though."
You raise an eyebrow, "Which is?"
"High end data systems tend to have high-end security," Domovoy explains, "I might be able to get through it, but it won't be fast. I'm guessing your friend is good with computers though?"
You nod, "But if there's Grimm down here, could be risky."
"So was coming here in the first place," Domovoy replies. She has a point.
[ ] Go get Aurelia and escort her through the tunnels (Can use Investigate instead of Burglary for lock bypasses)
[ ] Head for the Data node first; objectives trump Grimm hunting. (Use Burglary for lock bypasses)
[ ] Find the source of the Grimm first. If things go badly though, you might not have time for step 2. (Reduce risk of encounters; chance of complicating node access instead)
[ ] Write-in
"Not much, unfortunately," Aurelia replies with a shrug before turning back to the screen and tapping a few keys. In an instant, the map on the larger display shifts to a close-in view of the Atrium from above before rotating. A series of pale bluish geometrics hanging in darkness like a pile of childrens blocks, an isometric view of the atrium and the spaces around it - and below it. "A lot of sensors are offline - probably because of the mechs. I did have enough camera coverage though to do a remote survey and I found this." a window appeared mid-screen, showing the feed from one of the camera's. Center frame was a sizable hole in what had been a concrete wall. A large hole was torn in it, the edges of the breech darkened and burned.
"...Huh." You say after a moment, "Wonder how I missed that."
"It's purposely out of view for one," Aurelia replies, pointing out on the map the location on the map, "It used to be a security door into the lower utility levels. Not the sort of thing you want staring guests in the face. Also, you were fairly distracted at the time…" She gives you a sideways glance, "How're you feeling?"
You shrug nonchalantly, "Right as rain - aura took the brunt of it and that's just about back so no worries," you nod at the screen, "So, what's down there anyhow?"
"Pipes, cables, that sort of thing," Aurelia replies, "Whether or not there's anything else down there? No clue. Utilities are a big blind spot."
"Well then, this should be fun," you give one final stretch before starting out of the room, scooping up your shield and gun-axe on the way out, "Don't wait up for me."
"Grab me some chips on your way back," Aurelia shouts back as you disappear down the hall, "I'm good for it, I promise!"
Your walk back to the atrium is, thankfully, uneventful. Anything still prowling the halls has been locked out or sealed behind fire barriers to be hunted down at your leisure. The atrium is much the same as when you left it - quiet, save for the steady drip of water from the broken glass roof high above. Beyond it, an overcast grey sky left the sunlight diffuse. You take a quick look around before spotting the corner you're after and making a beeline in that direction, and you soon find yourself inside the tunnels of the Vale Cultural Center.
"Just a heads up," Aurelia's voice crackled in your ear as you slowly made your way down the concrete tunnel, "We'll probably lose comms once you get deep enough into the tunnels."
"Understood," you reply as you scan the tunnel. It's a wide, concrete corridor large enough to drive a small truck down from the looks of it, but most of the space around the left side and roof is occupied by dozens of pipes and cables in every size you can think of. On the right, every so often a doorway appears, signage marking them as electrical hubs, pump rooms or other engineering spaces. Further ahead, the tunnel seems to suddenly turn left - and down. "Aurelia, how deep does this go?"
"A fair bit…" Aurelia replies, "Based on my initial reading of these schematics, at least five stories. A couple of specialized spaces might dip deeper though."
"What do they keep down here?" you ask, Fire's wide bore sweeping slowly across the hall as you carefully made your way around the corner. Ahead of you, the tunnel canted downward as a shallow ramp before sharply leveling out again at the next floor.
"Repair shops, support systems, general storage," Aurelia replies, "The train line from Mountain Glen was intended to reach out to here, eventually, but well…"
"Yeah," you reply as you start down the ramp.
The second floor is much like the first, but even more. The floor branched out from one hall into three - one ahead, and one to each side. You could already make out more halls and doorways branching off further down. Not that you could see much - Unlike the hallway above, the lighting down here was spotty, constricted pools of orange-tinged light stringed down the halls, interrupted only by the doorways deemed important enough to require the full illumination of proper fluorescents. And, of course, there were the pipes - the bundles from the hall wrapping around the follow the outer wall, while more pipes and bundles hung overhead, all painted in a myriad of colors to indicate their purpose. "So," you ask over the radio, "Suggestions on which way to go?"
"I dunno, left?" Aurelia says back, "You're just taking a look around. Which way you start doesn't really matter."
With a sigh, you turn left and start down the hall. In the eerie near-silence of the tunnels, your breathing sounded oddly loud. As you move between pools of light, you idly think that you should get a flashlight for your gun… no, wait, where would you put it? Underbarrel is taken up by the blade. Maybe a side-mount would-
You spin around instantly, Shotgun raised to your shoulder and leveled as the sound of kicked rubble echoes down through the halls.
You found a blade pointed at you from the pool of light at the intersection you had just passed. The blade was just under a meter long, you were guessing, with just the smallest curve to it. As you squint in the dim light, you can just make out the heavy barrel of a revolver near the base of the blade. Past that, all you could see was the pale hand of your would-be attacker, "Since you don't seem to be an angry toaster or a Grimm, why don't you step out of the shadows so we can have a chat."
"Your weapon," a voice - young, feminine, cultured - carries from the shadows, "What caliber?"
You raise an eyebrow, "Damn sight more than yours."
After a moment of silence, light footsteps carry the mysterious speaker into the light.
She's a fancy-looking thing, slim arms and legs, short white dress and black jacket with gold accents. She looked like she'd be more at home in an office or academy then a warzone, but she held her blade with the tense confidence that only a career of fighting could give you. She gives you a sharp glare before lowering her blade, the mechanism in the handle clicking softly as she sheathes it at her hip. "Sonofa-" She pauses, taking a deep breath before bowing slightly in your direction, "Apologies for the rough greeting, but these are dangerous times. My name is Olena Domovoy, Miss…?"
"Ormanda," you reply as you lower Fire, "Viveka Ormanda. How did you end up down here?"
Domovoy jabs a thumb down the hall she had just come from, "A pack of Grimm chased me down an alley so I ducked through a utility hatch. That led me down here. Seemed alright until a patrol of Knights stumbled upon me and seemed to take offense to my existence."
"Yeah," you say with a shrug, "They do that these days."
"Fortunately, the Paladin couldn't fit inside the tunnel," Domovoy gave an unladylike snort, "Didn't stop it from trying to blast me to kingdom come," she turned to you, "What about you?"
"Came down here on purpose," you jab a thumb back toward the tunnel leading upward, "A friend and me are trying to figure out what the mechs were after down here, so I figured I'd take a look around."
Domovoy blinked owlishly, "...how did you get past the Paladin?"
"I killed it, duh," you reply, "So, you see the mechs doing anything weird down here?"
"You… killed it." Domovoy echoes slowly before bringing her hand to her face with a groan, "Of course you did," she sighed before turning and waving for you to follow, "This way - The Knights seemed to be poking around one area in particular when I came across them. I thought it was just the patrol checking for sabotage, but maybe it was more than that."
You follow her down the hall, your heavy footfalls echoing far more loudly than Domovoy's own light steps. You follow her through two intersections before taking a right turn at a third. Half-way down that third hallway you see what she was leading you toward - a small alcove in the wall, bundles of wires leading down from above and up from below into a flat box the size of you torso. Most of the front was dominated by a flickering flatscreen display, but you doubted it worked right now. Besides the state of the screen, small sparks of electricity sputtered out of the juncture points. "What the…?"
"It's a data network junction box," Domovoy explains, "The patrol was huddled around this when I stumbled into them - but maybe it wasn't a patrol."
"Maybe," You reply as you thumb your radio, "Aurelia, you there?"
"-Veka?" her voice cuts in, heavy with static, "Wha-... Again?"
You thumb the radio off with a curse, "dammit. Aurelia would know what to do."
"Any chance we could bring her down here?" Domovoy suggests.
"Nah," you shake your head, "She's kinda squishy. We'd have to clear the tunnels out first, at least."
"I assure you, there is nothing-" Domovoy didn't get any further before a keening cry echoed through the tunnels, cutting her off.
You arched an eyebrow in her direction, "You were saying?"
"A few Grimm must have found their way in via the access tunnels," Domovoy says with a frown. The statement triggers a thought in your head.
"The Paladin took out the access door to the atrium," you say, turning to Domovoy, "So, what's keeping them out of the Cultural Center now?"
"Nothing, I guess," Domovoy replies with a shrug, "But nothing was keeping them out above-ground either-"
"Until Aurelia locked the whole place down. Shit." Your hand comes up to your chin, tapping as you think, "Okay - Aurelia wanted me to figure out what the Mechs were after," can you tell me what they were trying to get at here?"
Domovoy shakes her head, "This terminal is busted - we'd have to head deeper if we want to look at the network."
"But whatever they were after was on the network?" you ask.
She shrugs, "Probably. But we'll have to find a different node."
"This floor?" You ask.
"Not that I've seen," Domovoy replies, "We'll have to head deeper - network equipment was kept at lower levels - takes advantage of ambient cooling for the servers. One problem though."
You raise an eyebrow, "Which is?"
"High end data systems tend to have high-end security," Domovoy explains, "I might be able to get through it, but it won't be fast. I'm guessing your friend is good with computers though?"
You nod, "But if there's Grimm down here, could be risky."
"So was coming here in the first place," Domovoy replies. She has a point.
[ ] Go get Aurelia and escort her through the tunnels (Can use Investigate instead of Burglary for lock bypasses)
[ ] Head for the Data node first; objectives trump Grimm hunting. (Use Burglary for lock bypasses)
[ ] Find the source of the Grimm first. If things go badly though, you might not have time for step 2. (Reduce risk of encounters; chance of complicating node access instead)
[ ] Write-in
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Act 1, Scene 7 - Percussive Maintenance
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
"Well, we're down here already," you say with a shrug, "Might as well handle it now. You did say you could get into the computer, right?"
Olena nods as she double-checks her weapon before raising it and, after a quick look around, nods for you to follow her as she begins to walk, "This way."
You make your way through the maze of tunnels, Olena on point with her blade raised and ready, "You realize there are Grimm down there now, don't you?"
"I'm sure we can take them," you reply confidently, "So, how far down are we going?"
"Sub-level three," she replies, "I entered on two, and below that is the high-security section. This way - the hatch is just over here." You turn another corner and end up in a dead-end, the only piece of note being a heavy metal hatch in the floor that seems like it would be more at place on a ship at sea then underground. Olena sheathed her blade as she walked over to the hatch, grabbing the large crank in the center and began slowly turning it, "I don't know how far the Grimm might have spread down here by now. The security gates should have slowed them down, but Grimm."
"Right…" you say with a nod before walking over and nudging Olena out of the way. After that, you grab onto the crank and give it a hard twist. With a series of heavy thunks, the hatches locks disengage and you pull the hatch open with a grunt of effort. Below you, a ladder leads downward into the dark, "So, how do you know so much about this place, anyhow?"
Olena shrugs as she climbs over the lip of the hatch and starts climbing down, "Point of professional pride." With that, she disappears into the dark and you follow shortly after her.
The room you end up in at the bottom is fenced in by heavy steel mesh on three sides, the ladder you came down attached to the concrete on the fourth. Olena is already examining the mesh barriers, her Scroll in one hand acting as an improvised flashlight. "This way," Olena announces as she crouches down next to a small box you'd almost missed in the mesh. As you step closer you can finally make out the shape of a gate built into the barrier. Olena has tucked her scroll into a chest pocket to free up a hand as she pulls out a small multi-tool, "The gate has an Access Control lock - RFID card and code combination - but I can bypass it once I-"
You interrupt her with a tap on the shoulder. She turns around to see you hefting Fire in one hand, "I've got a better idea." Olena blinks owlishly before scrambling out of the way as you level your shotgun at the lock and pull the trigger.
With a boom that echoes through the concrete tunnels, your dust-infused lead slug reduces the expensive electronic lock to a mess of aluminum and steel alloy shards. With a satisfied smile you nudge the gate with the muzzle of your shotgun, and int swings open nearly silently. "See?" You say as you step through, "Much faster."
"A little warning next time would have been appreciated!" Olena says back angrily, "Are you trying to give away our position?"
"They already know we're down here," you say as you press forward, "Now come on - which way next?"
With an annoyed grumble, Olena rises back to her feet, Scroll in one hand and her blade in the other as she catches up with you, "This way - there's a second hatch that takes us down into the server room proper."
You nod as you fall into step behind the white-haired huntress, letting her take the lead once again, "How far?"
"Not very," Olena replies, glancing back at you before saying, "What are you even doing here, anyhow?"
You give her a confused look, "Um… fixing a computer?"
"I meant in Vale," Olena says with a sigh, "You obviously didn't get stuck in here because of the Battle."
You shrug before realizing she can't see it at the moment and say, "Usual Huntress stuff - killing Grimm, saving people, that sort of thing. A lot of keeping Aurelia alive," you give Olena's back a questioning look, "Why?"
"I guess I was hoping for something more," Olena says with a sigh, "Somebody else looking for something…" she glances back in your direction, a joyless smile on her face cast in strange shadows by the light of her Scroll, "My family used to be quite prestigious, back in the day…" another sigh, "Now though, we have almost nothing. And our only chance at getting back is somewhere in this forsaken city…"
"Sounds tough," you say after a moment, "But you've come this far, haven't you? You going to turn back now?"
Olena scoffs, "Of course not!" Whatever she was going to say next is interrupted as her Scroll's light dances across another hatch in the floor. Unlike the last one, this one looks more utilitarian than nautical. A heavy square of dark metal set in a slight raise in the floor, a small box on its top near a heavy metal handle topped with blinking red lights. "Alight," Olena says as she climbs atop the hatch, "This should only take-" she pauses as she glances back at you. You smile back at her as you heft your shotgun. She sighs as she steps off the hatch, "Fine…"
"What?" you say as you step over and line up your shot, "This is way faster."
Another deafening boom, and another lock reduced to scrap metal. Sometimes it's the simple things in life.
Once again, Olena takes the lead, and this time when you drop onto the next floor you find yourself you can't help but pause for a moment.
An entire server farm is spread out in front of you, a sea of blinking red and green lights arranged in neat rows. "Huh," you say as you follow Olena over to yet another locked gate, "I was expecting something smaller."
"The Cultural Center is home to an extensive virtual museum," Olena explains as she examines the lock, "Or, it was…"
You glance at her as her sentence trails off, and find her frowning at you, "...what?"
She glances between you and the locked gate a few times before standing up and stepping out of the way, "Please be mindful of the computers this time, alright?"
You grin at her as you step forward, "When am I not careful?"
"I've known you for all of an hour and I'm not sure you understand the meaning of the word." she replies.
You ignore the jab as you take aim - carefully, as requested. Aiming down at the lock from above - and blast the lock to smithereens, sending shards of debis into the floor ahead of you and not into any of the fragile computer stacks. You turn to her with a grin as you push the gate open, "See? What did I-"
A heavy set of thumps from elsewhere in the server farm cut you off. Heavy, and organic sounding. Olena turns to you, "Anything else?"
"Uh… we should move," you say after a moment, and Olena nods in agreement.
"This way," she says and you follow her as the two of you double-time through the rows of servers, "The Main system Node should be at the main interface junction between the network and-"
"What?" you ask, cutting her off. You can hear the footfalls of something mean closing on you.
"It's at the back wall!" she says back, annoyed, as she takes a corner at speed, skidding around it before dashing down another aisle, "There! Just up ahead." At the end of the aisle was a terminal not unlike the one you had started out in front of two level above, but larger in just about every way - larger screen, larger cabling bundles feeding into it, larger stacks of computer equipment above and below it. Olena all but slides to a stop in front of the terminal, pulling out a fold-away keyboard from under the screen as she brings the system to life, "Okay - I'm going to need time to crack the security on this."
You pull out your shield as you glance at her, "How long?"
"Honestly?" Olena replies as she begins typing, "I have no idea."
"Guess I'll just have to manage," you say as you ready yourself, the rapid, rhythmic foot-falls of your opponents growing louder as they draw ever closer until from around the corner comes…
A pair of Ursas?
"What? You're it?" You complain loudly and the two Grimm seem confused by your reaction. You imagine they're more used to their victims running and screaming them just looking somewhat upset at their arrival and sounding disappointed about the whole thing.
A loud droning blare cut off your thoughts as Olena swears, "Sonofa-"
"You alright?" you ask, risking a glance back at your compatriot.
"Yeah, yeah," She quickly replies, "Stupid Buffer Overrun…"
Well, you have no idea what that means and in short order you have more pressing matters. The Grimm take advantage of your distraction, one charging at you down the narrow aisle and slamming into your shield with enough force to slide you back half a step. The second tries to exploit the opening, clamoring over its brethren to try to take your head off with a claw swipe. You fall back another half-step as you bring your shotgun up to block, "Hey! I was talking!"
You give your shield a shove, and both Grimm go stumbling backward with a pair of yelps as they tumble over each other. You waste no time, unloading a pair of shotgun blasts in their direction but the bastards are faster than you expected and manage to scuttle out of the way. You take the moment to check on Olena, "So… how's it going?"
"I've bypassed the initial userspace and managed to load into safe mode," Olena says quickly, sounding far more panicked then you expected, "Now let me finish this before we both get eaten!"
You can't help but scoff at that, "Like that's going to-" And then the Ursa's interrupt you. Again.
Both Grimm charge at you this time, battering away at your shield with enough ferocity that you can't even afford to take a pot shot at them, both your hands busy bracing your shield.
"Now you guys are just being annoying!" You shout before shoving your shield forward again and swinging it upward. Both Grimm go stumbling back, the bottom lip of your shield clipping their jaws as they go, but neither seems worse for wear, even as both continue to stumble for a long moment.
Behind you, a small chime goes off followed shortly after by an excited 'yes!' from Olena. A moment later she's next to you, blade in hand, "We're in, but I had to reboot the system into a recovery mode and it's going to take it a bit."
"Well, that's fine," You reply with a grin as you heft your shotgun, its heavy axe-blade at the ready, "I sorta owe these two an ass kicking at this point."
Olena stares at you for a long moment, "Are you out of your-" You don't catch the rest of whatever she's saying as the Grimm decide to try and rip your head off... Again.
You'd think they'd come up with something else to try by now, but Grimm.
The attack does even worse than the last two, as the predictable movements make it simple for you to parry their wide swings with shield or shotgun-axe. The close confines get the better of you though as you find your attempts to fight back hampered by the computer racks. All you can manage is to push the Grimm back, gaining yourself some breathing room.
Olena's own attempts go less well, the already retreating Grimm managing to avoid her blade strikes, to her apparent annoyance.
With two targets now, the Grimm apparently decide to divide and conquer as each one charges at one of you. Bad move on their part, as you send your would-be attacker sprawling back in a daze with a swing of your shield.
The one trying to get the jump on Olena doesn't fair much better, it's would-be decapitating strike halted by the small shield that unfolded on her forearm before a quick pommel strike to rebuke it sends its recoiling. She doesn't let up, following after the Grimm with a flurry of sword strikes, each stab punctuated with the sharp crack of pistol fire.
Olena's opponent crumbles, and you aren't one to be out-done. With a shout you charge forward shield first and axe raised, slamming into the still stumbling Grimm. Fire's heavy blade smashes through shadowy flesh and white bone, bisecting the Ursa with you barely losing any momentum. Ahead of you another three Ursa's come from around the corner, you don't slow down.
Off to the side, you can just make out Olena creating… something in her hands. Whatever it is, it's glowing red. Well, no time to worry about it you think as you plow into the new arrivals. They seemed wholly unprepared for a mass of charging, steel-plated Huntress crashing into them as you manage to literally run one over and cut down a second before the third can think of pulling back.
Not that it gets very far, for as soon as it's takes a few steps away from you, a trio of loud gunshots precedes the appearance of new aeration holes in its torso. As it falls, you turn to Olena to see her with her pistol-sabre raised, one hand tucking a glassy-looking glowing red orb into a pocket as she sighs. "Well, that went better than I expected…" a small ringing chime echoes from somewhere behind you and Olena perks up, "Ah, the reboot is complete."
She sheathes her sword as she walks back to the terminal, popping the keyboard back out, "Okay, let's see here… where did you say your friend was at?"
"Aurelia?" You reply, "Uh… the main control office. Why?"
"Needed to connect to the right sub-network," Olena replies, "Let's see, re-activate routing, enable wireless area communications and… okay," she turns back to you, "You should be able to get through on comms now, and she should have network access to this system."
"Really?" you say in surprise before thumbing your radio back on, "Aurelia? You there?"
"Viveka!" Aurelia's voice comes through clearly, "What happened?"
"Not much," you say with a shrug, "Made a friend, found what the mechs were after… probably. Olena says you should have access to it?"
"Who?" Aurelia asks.
"The new friend," you reply, "I'll introduce you once we get back topside. So, think you could take a look around inside this thing?"
"Okay then… yeah, sure. Just give me a minute...." In the background you can make out the soft beeping of her computer until she speaks again, "This is… interesting. It seems like the mechs were trying to find an outside connection."
"Outside?" Olena asks, "As in out of the Cordon Zone?"
"Miss Olena I presume?" Aurelia replies, "And yes - not that they had any luck. Based on this though they were searching through the entire data network."
"It wouldn't have gotten them far," Olena points out, "A good chunk of the peripheral connections are local wireless and pretty much all of those transceivers went down during the Battle."
"Any idea what they were trying to do with the connection once they found it?" You ask.
"Not much, unfortunately," Aurelia replies, "I'm seeing system Handshake logs showing they tried using Emergency Defense Override protocols, but they're authorization codes are corrupted. They even managed to trigger Attack Barrier systems in a few places."
"That's… odd."
"Yes, it…" Aurelia stops talking suddenly before continuing more hesitantly, "Um, guys, is there a reason you would have Grimm down there? Because I'm seeing a lot of movement on the motion sensors."
"You have motion sensors down here?" You ask.
"I do now that you patched me into the node! So," Aurelia quickly replies, "Grimm, you, in tunnels. Why?"
"Oh, right," you reply nonchalantly, "Olena might have let them in when she snuck in through a storm drain or something."
"Well, un-let them in!" Aurelia says back, her voice tight, "I don't feel like being eaten this evening!"
"It's on the todo list!" you reply quickly as you turn to Olena, "So, where's that access hatch or whatever you came in through?"
"You want to go seal it?" Olena asks incredulously, "Are you out of your mind? It would be better to just retreat and seal off the basement entirely."
((Olena Gains Aspects: 'Talkative', Starburst (w/ 1 free invoke).))
[ ] Fine - do it her way; escape back up three floors, sealing off the Basement. (Cultural Center loses Aspect 'Maze of Utility Tunnels', gains Aspect 'Basement Full of Grimm'.)
[ ] Nah, you're going to do this properly. To battle! (Fight through a horde of Grimm, secure the Basement)
[ ] Write-in idea (Go on, be creative. I'm sure you all can think of something)
[ ] What else do you want to do? (Talk to somebody, Ask questions, investigate something on the way… you know, whatever.)
Olena nods as she double-checks her weapon before raising it and, after a quick look around, nods for you to follow her as she begins to walk, "This way."
You make your way through the maze of tunnels, Olena on point with her blade raised and ready, "You realize there are Grimm down there now, don't you?"
"I'm sure we can take them," you reply confidently, "So, how far down are we going?"
"Sub-level three," she replies, "I entered on two, and below that is the high-security section. This way - the hatch is just over here." You turn another corner and end up in a dead-end, the only piece of note being a heavy metal hatch in the floor that seems like it would be more at place on a ship at sea then underground. Olena sheathed her blade as she walked over to the hatch, grabbing the large crank in the center and began slowly turning it, "I don't know how far the Grimm might have spread down here by now. The security gates should have slowed them down, but Grimm."
"Right…" you say with a nod before walking over and nudging Olena out of the way. After that, you grab onto the crank and give it a hard twist. With a series of heavy thunks, the hatches locks disengage and you pull the hatch open with a grunt of effort. Below you, a ladder leads downward into the dark, "So, how do you know so much about this place, anyhow?"
Olena shrugs as she climbs over the lip of the hatch and starts climbing down, "Point of professional pride." With that, she disappears into the dark and you follow shortly after her.
The room you end up in at the bottom is fenced in by heavy steel mesh on three sides, the ladder you came down attached to the concrete on the fourth. Olena is already examining the mesh barriers, her Scroll in one hand acting as an improvised flashlight. "This way," Olena announces as she crouches down next to a small box you'd almost missed in the mesh. As you step closer you can finally make out the shape of a gate built into the barrier. Olena has tucked her scroll into a chest pocket to free up a hand as she pulls out a small multi-tool, "The gate has an Access Control lock - RFID card and code combination - but I can bypass it once I-"
You interrupt her with a tap on the shoulder. She turns around to see you hefting Fire in one hand, "I've got a better idea." Olena blinks owlishly before scrambling out of the way as you level your shotgun at the lock and pull the trigger.
With a boom that echoes through the concrete tunnels, your dust-infused lead slug reduces the expensive electronic lock to a mess of aluminum and steel alloy shards. With a satisfied smile you nudge the gate with the muzzle of your shotgun, and int swings open nearly silently. "See?" You say as you step through, "Much faster."
"A little warning next time would have been appreciated!" Olena says back angrily, "Are you trying to give away our position?"
"They already know we're down here," you say as you press forward, "Now come on - which way next?"
With an annoyed grumble, Olena rises back to her feet, Scroll in one hand and her blade in the other as she catches up with you, "This way - there's a second hatch that takes us down into the server room proper."
You nod as you fall into step behind the white-haired huntress, letting her take the lead once again, "How far?"
"Not very," Olena replies, glancing back at you before saying, "What are you even doing here, anyhow?"
You give her a confused look, "Um… fixing a computer?"
"I meant in Vale," Olena says with a sigh, "You obviously didn't get stuck in here because of the Battle."
You shrug before realizing she can't see it at the moment and say, "Usual Huntress stuff - killing Grimm, saving people, that sort of thing. A lot of keeping Aurelia alive," you give Olena's back a questioning look, "Why?"
"I guess I was hoping for something more," Olena says with a sigh, "Somebody else looking for something…" she glances back in your direction, a joyless smile on her face cast in strange shadows by the light of her Scroll, "My family used to be quite prestigious, back in the day…" another sigh, "Now though, we have almost nothing. And our only chance at getting back is somewhere in this forsaken city…"
"Sounds tough," you say after a moment, "But you've come this far, haven't you? You going to turn back now?"
Olena scoffs, "Of course not!" Whatever she was going to say next is interrupted as her Scroll's light dances across another hatch in the floor. Unlike the last one, this one looks more utilitarian than nautical. A heavy square of dark metal set in a slight raise in the floor, a small box on its top near a heavy metal handle topped with blinking red lights. "Alight," Olena says as she climbs atop the hatch, "This should only take-" she pauses as she glances back at you. You smile back at her as you heft your shotgun. She sighs as she steps off the hatch, "Fine…"
"What?" you say as you step over and line up your shot, "This is way faster."
Another deafening boom, and another lock reduced to scrap metal. Sometimes it's the simple things in life.
Once again, Olena takes the lead, and this time when you drop onto the next floor you find yourself you can't help but pause for a moment.
An entire server farm is spread out in front of you, a sea of blinking red and green lights arranged in neat rows. "Huh," you say as you follow Olena over to yet another locked gate, "I was expecting something smaller."
"The Cultural Center is home to an extensive virtual museum," Olena explains as she examines the lock, "Or, it was…"
You glance at her as her sentence trails off, and find her frowning at you, "...what?"
She glances between you and the locked gate a few times before standing up and stepping out of the way, "Please be mindful of the computers this time, alright?"
You grin at her as you step forward, "When am I not careful?"
"I've known you for all of an hour and I'm not sure you understand the meaning of the word." she replies.
You ignore the jab as you take aim - carefully, as requested. Aiming down at the lock from above - and blast the lock to smithereens, sending shards of debis into the floor ahead of you and not into any of the fragile computer stacks. You turn to her with a grin as you push the gate open, "See? What did I-"
A heavy set of thumps from elsewhere in the server farm cut you off. Heavy, and organic sounding. Olena turns to you, "Anything else?"
"Uh… we should move," you say after a moment, and Olena nods in agreement.
"This way," she says and you follow her as the two of you double-time through the rows of servers, "The Main system Node should be at the main interface junction between the network and-"
"What?" you ask, cutting her off. You can hear the footfalls of something mean closing on you.
"It's at the back wall!" she says back, annoyed, as she takes a corner at speed, skidding around it before dashing down another aisle, "There! Just up ahead." At the end of the aisle was a terminal not unlike the one you had started out in front of two level above, but larger in just about every way - larger screen, larger cabling bundles feeding into it, larger stacks of computer equipment above and below it. Olena all but slides to a stop in front of the terminal, pulling out a fold-away keyboard from under the screen as she brings the system to life, "Okay - I'm going to need time to crack the security on this."
You pull out your shield as you glance at her, "How long?"
"Honestly?" Olena replies as she begins typing, "I have no idea."
"Guess I'll just have to manage," you say as you ready yourself, the rapid, rhythmic foot-falls of your opponents growing louder as they draw ever closer until from around the corner comes…
A pair of Ursas?
"What? You're it?" You complain loudly and the two Grimm seem confused by your reaction. You imagine they're more used to their victims running and screaming them just looking somewhat upset at their arrival and sounding disappointed about the whole thing.
A loud droning blare cut off your thoughts as Olena swears, "Sonofa-"
"You alright?" you ask, risking a glance back at your compatriot.
"Yeah, yeah," She quickly replies, "Stupid Buffer Overrun…"
Well, you have no idea what that means and in short order you have more pressing matters. The Grimm take advantage of your distraction, one charging at you down the narrow aisle and slamming into your shield with enough force to slide you back half a step. The second tries to exploit the opening, clamoring over its brethren to try to take your head off with a claw swipe. You fall back another half-step as you bring your shotgun up to block, "Hey! I was talking!"
You give your shield a shove, and both Grimm go stumbling backward with a pair of yelps as they tumble over each other. You waste no time, unloading a pair of shotgun blasts in their direction but the bastards are faster than you expected and manage to scuttle out of the way. You take the moment to check on Olena, "So… how's it going?"
"I've bypassed the initial userspace and managed to load into safe mode," Olena says quickly, sounding far more panicked then you expected, "Now let me finish this before we both get eaten!"
You can't help but scoff at that, "Like that's going to-" And then the Ursa's interrupt you. Again.
Both Grimm charge at you this time, battering away at your shield with enough ferocity that you can't even afford to take a pot shot at them, both your hands busy bracing your shield.
"Now you guys are just being annoying!" You shout before shoving your shield forward again and swinging it upward. Both Grimm go stumbling back, the bottom lip of your shield clipping their jaws as they go, but neither seems worse for wear, even as both continue to stumble for a long moment.
Behind you, a small chime goes off followed shortly after by an excited 'yes!' from Olena. A moment later she's next to you, blade in hand, "We're in, but I had to reboot the system into a recovery mode and it's going to take it a bit."
"Well, that's fine," You reply with a grin as you heft your shotgun, its heavy axe-blade at the ready, "I sorta owe these two an ass kicking at this point."
Olena stares at you for a long moment, "Are you out of your-" You don't catch the rest of whatever she's saying as the Grimm decide to try and rip your head off... Again.
You'd think they'd come up with something else to try by now, but Grimm.
The attack does even worse than the last two, as the predictable movements make it simple for you to parry their wide swings with shield or shotgun-axe. The close confines get the better of you though as you find your attempts to fight back hampered by the computer racks. All you can manage is to push the Grimm back, gaining yourself some breathing room.
Olena's own attempts go less well, the already retreating Grimm managing to avoid her blade strikes, to her apparent annoyance.
With two targets now, the Grimm apparently decide to divide and conquer as each one charges at one of you. Bad move on their part, as you send your would-be attacker sprawling back in a daze with a swing of your shield.
The one trying to get the jump on Olena doesn't fair much better, it's would-be decapitating strike halted by the small shield that unfolded on her forearm before a quick pommel strike to rebuke it sends its recoiling. She doesn't let up, following after the Grimm with a flurry of sword strikes, each stab punctuated with the sharp crack of pistol fire.
Olena's opponent crumbles, and you aren't one to be out-done. With a shout you charge forward shield first and axe raised, slamming into the still stumbling Grimm. Fire's heavy blade smashes through shadowy flesh and white bone, bisecting the Ursa with you barely losing any momentum. Ahead of you another three Ursa's come from around the corner, you don't slow down.
Off to the side, you can just make out Olena creating… something in her hands. Whatever it is, it's glowing red. Well, no time to worry about it you think as you plow into the new arrivals. They seemed wholly unprepared for a mass of charging, steel-plated Huntress crashing into them as you manage to literally run one over and cut down a second before the third can think of pulling back.
Not that it gets very far, for as soon as it's takes a few steps away from you, a trio of loud gunshots precedes the appearance of new aeration holes in its torso. As it falls, you turn to Olena to see her with her pistol-sabre raised, one hand tucking a glassy-looking glowing red orb into a pocket as she sighs. "Well, that went better than I expected…" a small ringing chime echoes from somewhere behind you and Olena perks up, "Ah, the reboot is complete."
She sheathes her sword as she walks back to the terminal, popping the keyboard back out, "Okay, let's see here… where did you say your friend was at?"
"Aurelia?" You reply, "Uh… the main control office. Why?"
"Needed to connect to the right sub-network," Olena replies, "Let's see, re-activate routing, enable wireless area communications and… okay," she turns back to you, "You should be able to get through on comms now, and she should have network access to this system."
"Really?" you say in surprise before thumbing your radio back on, "Aurelia? You there?"
"Viveka!" Aurelia's voice comes through clearly, "What happened?"
"Not much," you say with a shrug, "Made a friend, found what the mechs were after… probably. Olena says you should have access to it?"
"Who?" Aurelia asks.
"The new friend," you reply, "I'll introduce you once we get back topside. So, think you could take a look around inside this thing?"
"Okay then… yeah, sure. Just give me a minute...." In the background you can make out the soft beeping of her computer until she speaks again, "This is… interesting. It seems like the mechs were trying to find an outside connection."
"Outside?" Olena asks, "As in out of the Cordon Zone?"
"Miss Olena I presume?" Aurelia replies, "And yes - not that they had any luck. Based on this though they were searching through the entire data network."
"It wouldn't have gotten them far," Olena points out, "A good chunk of the peripheral connections are local wireless and pretty much all of those transceivers went down during the Battle."
"Any idea what they were trying to do with the connection once they found it?" You ask.
"Not much, unfortunately," Aurelia replies, "I'm seeing system Handshake logs showing they tried using Emergency Defense Override protocols, but they're authorization codes are corrupted. They even managed to trigger Attack Barrier systems in a few places."
"That's… odd."
"Yes, it…" Aurelia stops talking suddenly before continuing more hesitantly, "Um, guys, is there a reason you would have Grimm down there? Because I'm seeing a lot of movement on the motion sensors."
"You have motion sensors down here?" You ask.
"I do now that you patched me into the node! So," Aurelia quickly replies, "Grimm, you, in tunnels. Why?"
"Oh, right," you reply nonchalantly, "Olena might have let them in when she snuck in through a storm drain or something."
"Well, un-let them in!" Aurelia says back, her voice tight, "I don't feel like being eaten this evening!"
"It's on the todo list!" you reply quickly as you turn to Olena, "So, where's that access hatch or whatever you came in through?"
"You want to go seal it?" Olena asks incredulously, "Are you out of your mind? It would be better to just retreat and seal off the basement entirely."
((Olena Gains Aspects: 'Talkative', Starburst (w/ 1 free invoke).))
[ ] Fine - do it her way; escape back up three floors, sealing off the Basement. (Cultural Center loses Aspect 'Maze of Utility Tunnels', gains Aspect 'Basement Full of Grimm'.)
[ ] Nah, you're going to do this properly. To battle! (Fight through a horde of Grimm, secure the Basement)
[ ] Write-in idea (Go on, be creative. I'm sure you all can think of something)
[ ] What else do you want to do? (Talk to somebody, Ask questions, investigate something on the way… you know, whatever.)
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