[x] Plan Settle or Sell
-[X] The Rickety Wagon
-[X] Getting to know Wolfenburg
-[X] Studying Gromdottir
-[X] Inventing
-- [x] Oh, the Wonders of Soap
-[X] Physical Training
Oh God that's our special protagonist backstory, we're actually Leman Russ' long lost daughter (totally possible and canonical trust me) and this is a 40k crossover.
[X] Looking for a Workshop
Rolling Mind/Diplomacy + Brilliant Mind = 3d6 (2, 1, 1) = 0 Successes
Revealed as Difficulty 2
0 Successes vs Difficulty 2 = Failure
Search met with failure as you struggle to find anyone willing to even talk to you.
You break off from yet another Ostlander who follows your departing figure with a suspicious glare, a feeling of defeat running through the back of your mind. Over the course of weeks you are fairly certain you've asked almost a hundred people and scoured the entirety of Wolfenburg's South Market street for answers. A few met you with unwavering silence, a handful muttered curses before they met your questions with scowls, but the majority simply seemed distrustful of you.
Be it a lack of trust that you actually had the money to pay them, natural distrust for someone so young looking into such thi-
" 'Where are your parents, kid?' Bah! I'm not that young you half blind Umgi."
Muttering under your breath, you stomp down the street heading towards your next fruitless encounter.
[X] The Rickety Wagon
Rolling Mind/Wayfinding + Brilliant Mind = 3d6 (6, 4, 3) = 1 Success
Revealed as Difficulty 1
1 Success vs Difficulty 1 = Success
Rolling 1d4 (3) = 3 Available Job Offers
Discovered the Ricket Wagon, headquarters of the Ostland Road Walkers and tavern?
Unlocked new actions working for the Road Walkers.
Unlocked Wayfinding 0
Gain 1 Experience towards Wayfinding 1
It is a process of several hours to find your destination even with the directions you'd been given. As someone who grew up in Altdorf you were used to a specific blend of deliberately plann thoroughfares and the sort of organic planning of a city that grew around them. However, Wolfenburg seems to be, if not deliberately planned, built on very exacting rules that have turned the portions of the city extending off the main roads into a frustrating web of roads littered with dead ends.
By the time you find Round Mill Street you've already turned down six dead ends and have a truly impressive scowl going even for you. Frustrated, your mind turns to comforting memories of your time pouring over drawings and theories about the exact specifications of Leonardo's steam tanks.
"Cannon, steam gun, and then the driving motion of the tank… Can they maintain each of them with just one boiler or are the using multiple? Could the aeolipile power one? Professor Wil-"
Lost in your thoughts you completely miss the old man standing behind the stained bar counter in front of you… And also miss the way all the patrons fall perfect silent as you stand there for longer and longer until finally the sound of a cleared throat causes you to yelp.
"Anything I can get you lass? Or are you going to stand there talking to yourself all day?"
The bemused voice of the bartender currently scrubbing the counter down calls out as you pull yourself together, "Sorry. Alric sent me. Said I could find some work if I stopped by."
His hand jerks towards the stairwell off to your left as he shouts across the room, "Brass, go tell that idiot some girl said he sent her here for work."
You cast a side glance just in time to see a small child scurrying through the door in response as the bartender turns back to you, "Not the usual sort he sends this way. Don't carry yourself like someone used to the woods or the road. Not got any wea-"
His words cut off as he catches sight of the firearm largely obscured by the holster at your side, "Nevermind, remarkably well armed actually. Interesting."
You stand there watching the old man clean the counter for several minutes after that, after all if there was anything Gramps had properly taught you it was patience.
'... Okay. Patience with anything other than steam, but that one makes sense!'
As you reconcile yet again with your fixation the door opens once again as Alric steps into the room looking more exhausted than he ever had during your trip, "So soon? Not that I'm complaining. Come, sit. Sit!"
You take note of the rather excessive happiness he displays as you're waved into a seat besides him at the bar, the two of you under the curious gaze of the elderly man behind it, "Important then. Need the place locked down kid?"
Confused, you watch as Alric nods and the barkeep signals towards the patrons who quickly make their way outside… Each of them visibly armed now that they're standing.
"She's the one I mentioned, the little Miss that looked over our guns," Alric's words cause the elder to freeze up for a long moment before he grunts, puts down the rag in his hand, and leans forward. Something about his grin is almost predatory to your eye.
"Girl. You have any idea how rare gunpowder is in Ostland? Bloody merchants will bleed you dry at prices three or four times what they got it for back out west. Half the reason the Road Walkers run caravan guard between here and Altdorf is to avoid getting bled dry for guns and powder."
Alric snorts from beside you, "Even with all that we only have twenty of the entire group equipped. Cost too damn much to arm and train more."
A bottle is soon placed on the counter alongside three cups, Alric grinning as he uncorks it and takes a sniff, "Ah, nothing quite like it... Ever had vodka?"
…
Your return to the inn is plagued by the memory of an intense heat in your chest and plans to come again in the future. They wanted to take a look at your work, hear more about what all you could make, and quite a bit more.
"Looks like things might get busy here soon…"
You say. Or at least you think you do as you stumble into someone who turns and simply laughs as you almost faceplant into cobblestones below.
[X] Physical Training x2
Rolling Body/Athletics = 3d6 (6, 3, 1) = 1 Success vs Difficulty 2, Reduces Difficulty by 1
Rolling Body/Athletics = 3d6 (5, 5, 2) = 2 Successes vs Difficulty 1 = Critical Success
Gain 1 Experience towards Body 3.
Gain Body 3.
Hit the cap for what exercise can achieve.
Gain 2 Experience towards Athletics 2.
Gain Athletics 2.
Your various outings throughout the month turn into a continued form of training as you turn trips from the Twin Boar to the Rickety Wagon into endurance jogs. Each morning you wake up early to do sets of pushups, situps, and squats that were at first merely mimicking the training you'd seen Handgunners perform at the school but had now become something entirely your own. You push yourself each day just far enough to keep moving, but not so far as to make yourself useless and by the end of the month?
It's starting to show as old sets leave you sweating, but not even close to winded. You even start to think you might just be able to keep pace with the caravan you'd traveled with.
"For a day or two at least," You grumble as you recall just how long the trip had been.
[X] Getting to know Wolfenburg
Rolling Mind/Wayfinding + Brilliant Mind = 3d6 (2, 2, 1) = 0 Successes
Revealed as Difficulty 1, Slight Danger
0 Successes vs Difficulty 1 = Failure
Rolling 1d100 (10) = ???
Got lost several times throughout the month.
After one wrong turn Margaret finds herself accosted by two thugs.
Discovered the Red Woodsmen.
Your attempts to explore the city and understand its layout, landmarks, and any place of interest are repeatedly stymied by the frustrating design of the city. Day after day you succeed only in stumbling into one dead end back alley after another before barely making your way back to one of the main streets by the time the sun begins to set. However, it is on one such a day near the end of the month that you find yourself staring down a dimly lit alley as the sound of the evening bell rings through the city.
Finding your way back is easy enough, your memory always has been rather good, but the greater issue are the two men now stalking towards you. Both covered in dirt and grime, clothes in tatters, red axe tattoos peering out from under their sleeves, and most importantly… Holding weapons in hand,
"Ya look at that? Some brat shovin' her nose where it don't belong."
"Think she's got any money on her? Can't be havin' anyone think we're goin' soft ya know?"
"Course not. Oi, brat, this street is for Red Woodsmen. Ya know the deal. Pay up and we'll let ya walk with just a missin' digit."
His buddy quickly smacks him on the arm at that, "Sure she ain't supposed to be here? Any of the bosses ask for a girl?"
As the two think the question over, looking towards you for a response, you are left with a moment to think…
What do you do? [] Try to talk your way out of it.
[] Make a break for it.
[] Draw Gromdottir.
Name:Margaret Age:16
Wealth:4 Inspiration:1
Attributes and Skills:
Body - 3
Athletics 2
Mind - 2
Engineering 3
Alchemy 2
Inventing 2
Construction 1
Diplomacy 0 [1/2]
Wayfinding 0 [1/2]
Soul - 2
Oration 1
Traits: Believer of Steam -Gain two bonus dice on any project involving the creation or use of steam power. Lose two dice when working with alternative power sources for what could compare to the marvel of a boiler? You are deeply unsettled by the absence of steam powered machinery and have a desire to explain to anyone who will listen the greatness of steam. Student of Innovation - Gain an additional die when working on any engineering that is odd, experimental, or cutting edge. Accidents Happen - On failing an engineering test with something new or experimental there is a 50% chance of an accident occurring. Brilliant Mind- Provides an additional die when learning any new skill, halves chance of accidents.
Possessions: Engineer's tools of the trade
Several sets of clothes
3 Matchlocks (Prone to misfires, Unreliable in even wet conditions, Godri would disapprove) Gromdottir (+4 bonus dice when used for combat, ???, ???, Limited amount of ammo) Raven Amulet (???, ???, ???)
QM Note: Dice were a bit of a mixed bag this turn, but welcome to Margaret's first encounter with danger.
Unfortunately, building a powderworks is probably beyond our means at the moment. In the interim, perhaps we can figure out how to make an improved crossbow.
My caution is that we should not pull the hyper-recognizable gun with limited ammo on street gangs. We have, however, trained our body to enough levels of athleticisms to know that when trouble comes, we run the opposite way.
Ugh, annoying that we failed finding a workshop and getting to know the city, and then rolled poorly on the encounter. Oh well, we got Body 3 and Athletics 2, and found the Ricket Wagon, and they have several jobs.
Good to know that making gunpowder would be very lucrative when we're able to.
Talking's the worse idea since we'd just be rolling Mind, and not sure what we'd roll for a fight, probably just Body? We have Body 3 and Athletics 2, so that would be 5 dice for booking it i think.
[X] Make a break for it.
So let's run, that's our best dice pool, so best chance of success imo. I don't feel like fighting if our chances of avoiding it are better.
Hmm, maybe we can leverage our success with the Road Walkers into helping us learn about the city and find a workshop. Possibly make them weapons/promise to make them some gunpowder in the future in exchange for help with both 🤔
