Uncle Grubb's Mysterious Mansion

JMHthe3rd · May 11, 2019

Well, looks like 'Hand them over,' won. I'll get started today.

JMHthe3rd · Jul 18, 2019

Part II, Chapter Fifteen
November 21, 1944, 11:15 AM

Your gaze lingers behind you. A hundred yards, a hundred fifty yards, that isn't far, even through the trees and bushes. You have plenty of time.

"Get a move on, boy!" Buck says ahead, motioning onward with his Thompson. When you fail to respond, he adds, "What's wrong now?"

"I'm . . . I'm worried about the telepath," you say. Not a lie, merely an incomplete truth. "Is there anything we should do, now that we're being watched?"

"Ain't much to do," Willy says. "We change up our plans, they'll scry that too."

"No use twisting your panties in a knot," Buck says to you. He tugs out his ankh medallion, clutching it in a fist. "I got my trusty trinket, and both of us are old hands at mind-blocking. And a sensie like you? Bet you can shrug off whatever they throw--so long as you keep your head screwed on."

"Unless they set to mind-flaying," Willy says.

Buck shoots him the stink eye. "What you trying to do, scare the boy? They'd need at least half a dozen high-cats to pull that off, and if they're throwing around that kind of brainpower, they ain't no motorgang--they're the goddamn Sorcerers Corps."

Willy shrugs. "Fussy reckons they ain't Hayburners. Can't rightly say how he know that."

How, indeed. Your stomach clenches, as if begging you to reconsider, but you smother your indecision. Straightening, setting your jaw, you thrust out the triple barrel shotgun to Buck. Wordlessly he accepts the weapon, hazel eyes scrutinizing. From your tweed jacket you fish out the lead-lined box of infernals and lay it in his hand.

"I'm going back. I need to talk to Eddie and Maribel." You can't keep the darkness from your tone.

Buck regards you hard and even. The gears turn. He reads between the lines. Finally, he chuckles. "Hoo-boy! Ain't no doubt: Fussy's up to something, plain as day. But you reckon there's time for a showdown? Hayburners'll be here quicker than you can boil an egg."

"Aw, let him go," Willy says. "Ain't like we need him anyhow."

Buck shakes his head, half dismissively, half with disgust. "All right. Go grill Fussy, for all the good it'll do. Ain't like he's going to show his hand just 'cause you stomp your feet."

They leave you, making their way to their ambush spot. You head towards the Rolls Royce--towards Oswald and Oskar, towards Eddie and Maribel. Leaves and twigs crunch under your shoes, unsettlingly loud now that you walk alone. Dread seeps from the woods to gather like a suffocating cloud. Your heart quickens, your palms sweat. The telepath's touch, or just you being you?

You give the trees where Willy set his traps a wide berth, trusting neither your memory nor your steps. Though four currently hang from your equipment webbing, grenades make you nervous. So do confrontations, but you have to know. If Oswald plots against you and your family, you rather find out now than when the net falls.

You pass behind the two redoubts. Hunched behind stacked sandbags and propped-up sheets of Deep One body armor, Oskar's hired guns peer at you over their shoulders. You wither self-consciously, avoiding their eyes as you bull through the hip-high shrubs.

The two heavy trucks block sight of the collapsed cottage. You could cross the dirt road, but you resist the notion. You don't dare distract Helen and Roberta. Not when the battle lies minutes away.

Your feet grind across the jagged, pebbly glass of the transmigration border. Clarence the Chauffeur sees you first. He holds his Thompson in one hand and Eddie's shotgun in the other, with the golden revolver stuck through his belt like a pirate's flintlock. His cap visor shrouds his expression, but he pivots into a defensive stance. Next to him, Maribel hops up and down, shouting, "Pookie! Pookie!" with an excitement born of worry. Eddie eyes you intently, gnawing his bottom lip, the gym bag weighing on his shoulder. He's taken off his helmet.

You approach around the rear of the limo but slow at Oswald's sharp stare, his pouty lips pressed in a line. His Grease Gun swings from its strap.

Beside him, Oskar sits slumped in the open passenger's side, gangly legs splayed into the gravel. He sips his bottle, oblivious until he notices you.

"Why, Burt!" he says. "The battle will soon be upon us! Shouldn't you be out manning the defenses?"

"Yes," Oswald says. "Why are you here?"

"He's hiding something, Burt," Eddie says.

"We told him someone was watching us," Maribel says, "and he said we were imagining it! But he knew we were telling the tru--"

"Surely this isn't about that," Oswald interrupts. "As I explained, that was a mistake on my part. A miscommunication."

"It's partially about that," you admit. "But I have additional concerns."

"Additional," Oswald repeats.

His flint-eyed searching chills you, but you can't back out now. "Buck and Willy . . . they told me some things. You were going to pay your men one thousand each? And now it's two thousand? For twenty men? They say you can't afford that."

Oskar bolts upright. "What? How . . . how dare they? Insolent curs! Baseborn rapscallions! Were we not in so dire need of their services, I would have them thrashed for their impudence! Do they think us beggars? Our fortunes have seen sunnier days, I admit, but I assure you my son and I are still men of means!"

"Oh, I may have to cash in some chips," Oswald says, "but I dare say I can manage forty grand." He plasters on a rigid smirk. Perspiration gleams beneath his hat brim.

"Forty grand," Eddie says. "That's like four hundred grand in 2015 money. You're pretty desperate to defend this place."

"As indeed he should!" Oskar says. "We can't very well allow Gerbern's estate and all its history--all its artifacts--to fall into the hands of brigands! And what of poor Esha? Should we surrender her to their rapacious mercies? Perish the thought!"

Wasn't he earlier calling for a retreat? It wouldn't be tactful to say that aloud, and you can't deny he has a point. And if that remained your only concern, it would all would fit well enough, but together the picture doesn't sit right. Too bad you've never been one for puzzles. "I'm sorry if we're being paranoid," you say. "We owe much to both of you. I just hope you won't let this goodwill go to waste."

Oswald sags somewhat. He doesn't smile so much as sneer. "I . . . accept you apology--and your goodwill. But I assure you, you owe us nothing. And I understand your worries, your fears. You're all so young! In way over your heads! It's a strange, stressful situation, to be sure, and you find--"

"Hold on." Eddie raises a hand. "Hold. On. Just one minute. When this all started, when that scout rode off, you didn't want any reinforcements. We had to talk you into that. You thought we could fight off the car gang ourselves. Or maybe they wouldn't attack? Seemed stupid to me, but whatever."

He paces between you and Oswald, combing thin fingers through his black-dyed hair. "But then when they got here, you didn't offer that thousand dollar bonus until after Buck and Willy were like, 'Hey, maybe we should call the cops on this one.' Then when Buck said we should use the infernals, you freaked out, saying it would attract too much attention. The feds would show up! Swans too! And then, like you said, 'the cat would be out of the bag.'"

Oswald glowers. "Does any of this have a point?"

Eddie gestures to Oskar. "Your dad had one. A good one: We have--at best--two or three days before someone flies over and sees the house. And that'll be that. So what does it matter? Why is it so important they don't find us in the next few hours? What gives?"

"We don't have time for this," Oswald says quickly.

"And then there's the telepath," Eddie says. "You knew me and Maribel are wizards. You knew we could sense 'scrying.' Yet you totally blew us off. I know, I know, you said you didn't want to cause a panic, but what the fuck? If they're Hayburners--then that's definitely 'need-to-know' shit. If they're not, then who are they? But that's not what really gets me. It's the look in your eyes when we warned you. Not only did you not care, you weren't even surprised."

You pick up the thread. "You knew the telepath was out there," you say to Oswald. "You knew all along."

Eddie's blue eyes bore into Oswald, who returns with an Eastwood squint. Oskar, his schnapps forgotten in his lap, floats in that slack-jawed twilight between bewildered and alarmed. Clarence frowns, eyes darting between you and your brother; he slings the shotgun across his back, freeing an arm. Maribel's mouth gapes open, her dark irises wandering in the whites as she mulls it over.

"He's . . . he's a Hayburner!" she cries. "A Hayburner spy!"

"Nope," Eddie says. "He would have sided with his dad about running away."

You rub your chin, fiddling with the pieces. If he's not a Hayburner, then the telepath isn't a Hayburner either, which means . . . "Oswald," you say, "are there any . . . reinforcements we should know about?"

"I'm guessing they're on their way now," Eddie says. Then, to Oswald: "Tama D'vaugnas, right?"

Oswald's barely-contained panic confirms everything, and the revelation hits like a fist in the back of your skull, reeling you, upending the whole situation. The billionaire CEO. Coming here. How . . . random? No, maybe not. But should you be worried? Should you draw a gun? Flee? Maribel whimpers; you pull her close.

Eddie continues, feverish, almost giddy. "It can't be the Swan Navy. Their base is right by Wichita Falls, so if you told them, they'd be here by now. But with Tama . . . he's obsessed with Aunt Esha, he was digging at this site a couple of years ago, and you're always telling us how great a guy he is. And one of your hired guns mentioned a news story on the radio earlier. Tama was at a party in Hawaii and has a phone call, and just like that he's in a big hurry. He rounds up all his friends into his super-yacht and then breaks the sound barrier over Honolulu."

Oswald's hand hovers by the grip of his sub-machine gun, and your blood runs cold. Surely he won't shoot. He needs you all alive, right?

Oskar hobbles to his feet, his bottle spilling. "He is mistaken. It . . . it cannot be true. Tell me it's not, Oswald. Please! I implore you!"

Oswald flinches. Something breaks behind his face. "I . . . I didn't want you to know it was me . . ."

The old man trembles. "N-no! They were guests in my home! Heirs to my master's name!"

"Father--"

"Treacherous offspring! Shameful Brutus!" Oskar's cheeks redden; his mustache twitches. He balls his fists, his jowls quivering. "Truly the Lord has ripped from me the wrong children, for you have disgraced the Kuckenbacher name! Disgraced me! Broken my very heart! And for whom? A mongrel blackguard! A beady-eyed plutocrat! How many sheckles has that grubby-blooded scoundrel promised you? What was the price of your honor?"

"One millions crowns," Oswald says. He stands straighter, puffing up. "That's eight million dollars. More than we've ever had before, and much more than we have now. And while what's in the bank may see you out, I have a wife to provide for and a child on the way. Would you have us reduced to working for wages? To being common laborers? See reason, father--"

"Silence! You are no son of mine! And I would rather us be penniless vagabonds than thralls to a Swannish gangster!" Oskar points a gnarled finger at Clarence. "We must cease this madness! Drive us from here at once! I shall order the men to clear the road!"

Clarence shifts uncomfortably. He doesn't budge.

"Clarence!"

Clarence winces, his mouth twisting with distaste. "You're a good boss, sir, and you always done right by me . . . but I ain't crossing Mr. D'vaugnas."

"It's too late anyway," Oswald says. "The telepath is one of his operatives, I'm sure. He told me he would be sending in a team. He himself should be here in an hour. Or less. The Sweet Pea is surprisingly fast for its size."

Eddie snorts. "The Sweet Pea?"

Yes, a silly name for a ship. And soon it'll be here. In the sky. Overhead. A dizziness creeps through you, and you squeeze Maribel's upper arms protectively. Should you do anything? Can you do anything?

"Grandma!" Maribel gasps. "He's going to wake grandma! And . . . and . . ." Her breath catches.

"No, no . . ." Oswald coos, kneeling to her level. "He can afford the best treatment money can buy! And if that doesn't cure her, he'll invent new treatments. He'll do everything to save her. Please . . . please don't cry."

"He's not wrong," Eddie says. "Not that I'm siding with Ozzy--I'm pissed he went behind our backs--but everything I've read about Tama says he's a huge Esha fanboy. He'll come up with something."

"But what if he can't?" Maribel squirms against you. "She'll die!"

Oswald fans his palm downward, as if soothing a skittish dog. "She won't, I prom--"

Maribel ducks from your hold and rushes for Eddie's gym bag. Her bandaged hands scrabble for the open zipper--for the heartstones.

"No!" Oswald grabs her elbow, and Maribel cuts loose with a blood-curdling scream. He cringes, stunned. You've heard it before, during temper tantrums, when arguments don't go her way. She's mostly outgrown this childish defense, but here she unleashes with fierce abandon, emptying her lungs from banshee depths as a swirling dust devil rises around him.

"Don't touch her, asshole!" Eddie shoves into him full force. He has inches on Oswald and pounds as well, but the older man barely falters. Coughing, clawing against the whirlwind, Oswald snatches the bag's strap and pushes back. Eddie stumbles backward into your arms.

Oswald grips his gun one-handed, the gym bag dangling from his other arm. Through the brown vortex, his features contort. "Stop it! Stop it!"

Maribel scowls defiantly, her troll doll hair writhing like serpents in the unnatural breeze. Hacking and wheezing, Oskar plops back through the open door into the backseat, out of the line of fire. Behind Oswald and to the side, Clarence shoulders his sub-machine gun, his face stony, tense. He looks at you, his meaning clear: Please don't.

You freeze, your limbs numb. One twitch and . . .

You reach for her. "Maribel."

Gradually, reluctantly, the wind dies; the dust settles. The car radio crackles to life. "Hey! Is everything all right?" Helen asks."I heard Maribel scream."

Oswald ignores the message. Head down, chest heaving, he drops the bag to steady his gun. His Panama hat has blown away, revealing a now-disheveled Clark Gable part. Dirt covers his tweed jacket and slacks. His desperate glare sweeps the three of you. "Hands up! All of you!"

You comply. What else can you do? Eddie and Maribel follow your lead.

Tears carve rivulets down Oswald's grimy cheeks. He stomps a shoe possessively on the gym bag. "I'm not the bad guy! This is for your own good! You realize we're practically in Good Mountain's backyard? If D'vaugnas doesn't have you, the Swan government will--in days if not hours. Do you think you'll be better off with them? You think they care about Esha? To them, she's just a Jaganman aristocrat with a brain full of runology. They'll flay her for every scrap she knows, and when they're finished, if they're feeling generous, they'll put her down like a dog. And what about you?" He jerks the barrel at Eddie. "The Last World Jumper? With the power to open gates, control Fog? You'll never see outside of a laboratory. They'll study you, run experiments, make you do tricks. Probably use you to father a new world-jumper race. Not as a fun as it sounds, I assure you. They have artificial means these days. Test tubes. Turkey-basters."

"And Tama?" Eddie says.

"I won't lie," Oswald says. "He's no beacon of virtue. He's a businessman. But as you said, he's obsessed with Esha. Worships her. Considers her his intellectual equal--and that's the highest compliment, coming from him. But she's also a means to an end: Duellona, D'Yute, The Autumn City. He dreams of flying there, exploring its technologies, excavating its secrets. To do that, he needs Esha. And he needs you."

"What about Pat Savage?" Maribel asks. "She would have paid you too!"

Oswald laughs weakly. "I didn't have her number. And besides, D'vaugnas has deeper pockets." He nods to Clarence. "Burt doesn't need his weapons. Why don't you lighten his load?"

Footsteps. Incoming fast. Up the road race Helen and Roberta, guns in hand.

Oswald spares them a glance over the limo's top. "Stay back! Both of you!" His weapon wavers.

But the girls close the distance. ". . . the fuck?" Roberta says. Helen and you exchange looks.

Bad?

Very bad. But don't--

Too late. Through the grass they circle the car's front, behind Oswald, and he and Clarence spin on their heels to meet them.

"Gun down! Gun down!" Clarence barks, his Thompson on Roberta, but already she has her pump shotgun on him dead center. Oswald waves his Grease Gun at Helen as if to ward her away, and she in turn jabs at him with the barrel of her elvish carbine. At two or three paces, no one can miss.

"Drop your guns!" Oswald snarls. "Drop them now!"

Helen bares her teeth. "Fuck you! Not happening!" Lank blonde bangs drape from under her doughboy helmet, curtaining her face which shines with grease and sweat.

Maribel flutters behind Oswald and Clarence, practically alight with terror. "Don't shoot! Nobody shoot!" Frantically, she flaps her arms as if to guide the firearms downward. "Please don't shoot! Please! Please?"

The impulse to hug her nearly overtakes you, but you must calculate your movements. You must maintain perspective. They have their backs to you. Do you seize the opportunity? You have the revolver in your coat pocket, the pump shotgun on your back, and the grenades . . .

Roberta's brown eyes, tight with fear, flit between each of you. Her finger caresses the trigger, a deadman switch against Clarence. She works her chin against her helmet strap, grimacing. "Anyone mind filling us in?"

Helen hiccups a snicker. "Yeah, like . . . why are we in a Mexican standoff?"

Eddie, who still has his arms up, says, "Ozzy here sold us out. To Tama."

"The Bond villain?" Roberta asks.

"Yep," Eddie says. "Ship will be here in an hour."

"Shit," Helen says.

"I give up!" Maribel says, her voice cracking. "I'll . . . I'll go with Tama! Just nobody shoot!"

"It's okay, Maribel," Helen says. "We won't if they won't."

A familiar tingling stirs in your scalp. It washes down your spine in a gooseflesh wave. You tense. You shudder.

"Fuck off, Telepath," Eddie says. "We know you're watching."

"Hey!" yells a man from the direction of the cottage. Fifty feet away, along the side of the road, just beyond the transmigration boundary, a rifle barrel pokes low from behind a charred tree trunk. Above it peeks a brown hat brim, to the side a glimpse of denim.

"I don't know what the Sam Hill's going on there, but it stops now! You dykes throw down your shooters, you hear?" Then: "You all right, Boss?"

"My father's fine, Mr. Smith," Oswald says, as still as a statue. "Don't shoot unless they shoot."

"Yes sir," says Mr. Smith--Jed. "Boys! Get your butts over here! Bosses're in trouble--but hold your fire!"

The radio buzzes. "Look alive, Ozzy!" Frank says. "Hayburners are rolling up 148, smack dab in Henrietta Woods. Ain't half a mile from Springwell's, so they should be on you in a couple minutes. Earl's rounding a posse, but it ain't doing squat for a while yet. Hope this is worth it, whatever you got going. Good hunting."

"Lovely," Oswald says, still aiming at your twin.

She locks eyes with you over his shoulder. Now what?

"Oh, Oswald, what have you done?" Oskar mutters, drooped in his seat, his face ashen.

What do you do?

***
End Chapter Time
November 21, 1944, 11:22 AM

Voting will remain open for two weeks, ending on the evening of August 1st.

Author's Notes: I'll be honest. The vote to confront Oswald blindsided me. I can understand the rational behind it, but I figured the imminent arrival of the Hayburners would take priority. Prima facie, engaging in a potentially volatile confrontation minutes before a battle seems unwise. But on the other hand, the uncertainty behind Oswald's conniving might be the greater threat. My prediction was wrong, and here we are.

Even so, Oswald could have succeeded in stonewalling you, but the readers' speculation he might be in cahoots with Tama put the idea more firmly on the meta-table, granting a slight bonus (after all, if the readers can piece it together, so can the characters). As the readers weren't certain, I still put it up to a roll. Burt, Maribel and Eddie all passed their IQ rolls, but Eddie passed his by the most. So he figured it out first.

Note, I'm using a homebrew GURPS, and it strives for realism--especially in regards to combat and injuries. Something to bear in mind.

Anyway, I'm in suspense.

Party Injuries

Burt
- Minor wound to chest (pellet) (treated)
- Superficial wound to upper right arm (pellet) (treated)
Maribel
- Moderate wound to right hand (2nd degree burn) (treated)
- Moderate wound to left hand (2nd degree burn) (treated)

Maps

Situational Rundown

You have learned that Tama D'vaugnas is on his way in his rocket-yacht to this position. According to Oswald, he should be here within in the hour.
Maribel reacted poorly to this news, leading to escalation.
Oswald is aiming a M3 Grease Gun at Helen.
Helen is aiming the Elvish Carbine at Oswald
Clarence is aiming a Thompson at Roberta.
Roberta is aiming a Winchester 1897 shotgun at Clarence.
Jedidiah Smith is behind a charred tree trunk fifty feet away. He is aiming a rifle (likely the M1 Carbine he had earlier) at Helen and Roberta. He has called for help, so reinforcements are probably on the way.
The Telepath is watching. According to Oswald, the Telepath is likely working for D'vaugnas. The Telepath may be accompanied by a team.
The Hayburners are about a half mile away. They will likely engage with the farmhands in a couple of minutes.

Your Side

You are armed with a .38 Revolver in your jacket pocket, a Winchester 1897 on your back and four grenades (3 explosive, 1 Smoke). You are wearing a doughboy helmet (medium armor for skull).
Helen is armed with the Elvish Carbine and 3 explosive grenades. She is wearing a doughboy helmet (medium armor for skull) and a hiking vest (very light armor for torso).
Eddie is unarmed and unarmored.
Maribel is unarmed and unarmored.
Roberta is armed with a Winchester 1897 shotgun, a Winchester 1892 rifle on her back, a Taurus 9mm in her jacket, and 2 explosive grenades. She is wearing a doughboy helmet (medium armor for skull) and a leather jacket (very light armor for torso and arms).

Oswald's Side

Oswald is armed with a M3 Grease Gun and a revolver at his hip. The gym bag (with the heartstones, ammo and smoke and CS grenades) is under his foot.
Clarence is armed armed with a Thompson, a Winchester 1897 shotgun on his back, the Golden Revolver in his belt and a M1911 pistol in a shoulder holster.
Jed Smith is armed with a rifle (probably a M1 Carbine) and a M1911 pistol. May have grenades too.
More farmhands on the way?

Oskar is unarmed and unarmored. Appears to be in shock.

Helen and Oswald have guns on each other. Roberta and Clarence have guns on each other. Jed has a rifle on Helen and Roberta, and he has help on the way.
[ ] Pull a weapon and join the Mexican Standoff.
[ ] No, Maribel is right. Try to deescalate.
[ ] Write in.

If you choose to join the Mexican Standoff . . .
. . . which weapon do you draw?
[ ] The .38 Revolver in your jacket pocket.
[ ] The pump-shotgun on your back (the slowest to ready)
[ ] An explosive grenade on your equipment webbing (the quickest to ready).
[ ] The smoke grenade on your equipment webbing (the quickest to ready).
. . . and what do you do?
[ ] Threaten Oswald. If he dies the Farmhands don't get paid.
[ ] Write in.

If you chose to deescalate, what do you do? Be specific.
[ ] Write in.

The Telepath is watching. Oswald says they're working for Tama D'vaugnas and they accompanied by a team. Is there anything you want to do about this?
[ ] Write in.

The Hayburners are two minutes away. What do you do?
[ ] Write in.

According to Oswald, Tama D'vaugnas is flying in from Hawaii and will be here within the hour.
[ ] Oh well. I guess there's not much we can do about it. Surrender peacefully when he arrives.
[ ] We can fight this! Try to avoid him.

If you chose to surrender peacefully when Tama D'vaugnas arrives, do you have any specific preparations when you meet him? Maribel is concerned he is going to wake Aunt Esha.
[ ] Write in.

If you chose to avoid Tama D'vaugnas, how do you plan to do this? Be specific.
[ ] Write in.

Anything else you would like to add?
[ ] Write in.

Who should be the next chapter's POV? Rank from most preferred (5) to least preferred (1). Default vote is Burt (5) and everyone else (0)
[ ] Burt (Default)
[ ] Helen
[ ] Eddie
[ ] Maribel
[ ] Roberta

If you choose another POV, what do you want that character to do?
[ ] Write in.

Yet to be implemented votes (in the queue):

[X] Clean the house
[X] Read up on the Ringworld. Skim Uncle Grubb's documents (journals and the like) referring to his latest activities in the area. Search information on his associates and partners if he had any.
[X] Search the documents for any mentions of the safe, what could be inside, or any clues to the combination opening it.
[X] Let Eddie him take a crack at the code. (Eddie studied the address book).
[X] The next day Roberta could take a look at whatever is in the garage, tell us what it'd take to get the Chevy Truck running.
[X] Let Roberta read one of the magazines.
[X] ask questions about the area.
[X] Go rest somewhere for a day or so.
[X] Gather the most valuable and portable things in the mansion
[X] Ask someone what a tulpa-artificer is. (Helen asked about Platonics).

Long term plans
-Trying to find a way to get back home, but while we are here, and we could be here for a while, try to help Aunt Esha along with Oskar and Oswald. Also try to keep away from Maribels dad.
-Attain connections and resources in this world (which can then be used to either obtain the means to return or live comfortably here, as well as finding a cure for Esha).
-Try to find a way to revive Aunt Esha.
-For mid-term goals, I would like to get more information on Sloka and his actions during the persecution of the elves and to find out whether there are places on this Earth with a lot less racism and homophobia. We need to know if we want to stay on this Earth.
--If Elfstar was not as bad as Oskar thinks, I would like the Springwells to join up with Pat Savage to investigate the Black Mesa. Maybe we find Sloka there and Pat can put us into contact with Doc Savage who can probably help Esha, according to Oskar.
-Find a way back to the normal world. As tragic Esha's story is, she's in stasis and shouldn't be our top priority. Perhaps if we find a way to travel in between worlds we can focus on Esha again.
-Legitimising our presense in this world and following up on Grubb's legacy - reviving and restoring Eisha, researching artefacts and magic.
-Research.
--Research more magic.
--Research these other groups that have differing outlooks from Oskar and Oswald -- with aim to contact them and listen to their stories.
--Research the Adamant.

Food for thought/Voter musings:

(Below: Will be discussed, food for thought)
-Everyone but Maribel should grab one, and we can consider shuffling one to her once her hands are healed. They are identifiably Deep One, which could pose a problem, admittedly, so we may want to consider trying to conceal them under jackets if possible. If challenged, admittedly, we can honestly say that we took them off of Deep Ones that we killed. Though we may want, at some point, to consider modifying them to take off the squid's 'spade'.
-The armor vests - the buckshot loops, especially, make these useful. If we had somebody craftier, I'd suggest modifying them to better fit the four eldest of our little group, or at least Roberta and Pookie. (worth considering is whether or not 7.57Ln is close enough in size to 12ga for those loops to be useful)
-The helmets and gas masks could be very useful heading out into the world, potentially, but it's worth remembering that gas masks do fuck-all against biological agents for the most part. On that note, when we eventually do venture out, we should consider seeking vaccination against 'pus-pox.' Also remember that Anthrax is functionally harmless to humans by default - it has to be weaponized intentionally. Which...this stuff probably is, so it's probably nasty as fuck.
--While Anthrax doesn't spread between people, it can be transmited by contact with animals.
-Money -
--I think the Roosevelt Dollars are going to be the local currency here, in which case it's probably best to round any we have up if we're heading out. Just a thought. On the other hand, the $560 we have inventoried in the house is roughly equivalent to $5,700-$9,500 in contemporary funds, so perhaps it's best not to carry that much around. $50 would probably be enough, worth around $505 in 1948 (and $850 in 1939). This, of course, using the price of a 10-inch TV set as a marker post, so who knows.
--I think we should take all the money. We shouldn't wave it around, showing off how rich we are, but otherwise I don't see the problem. With all that money there is no need to pawn stuff off, unless there has been a change in currency.
-Shotguns-
--Anyways, recovered firearms - we should probably retain at least one trench gun for Pookie, at least for now (it's likely going to be easier to find 12ga ammo than 7.57Ln. Or maybe not, we'll see), and one for Eddie (since the revolver is all well and good, but having a longarm on hand is unlikely to hurt).
--The trench guns seem useful, as they are likely not too conspicuous, and accept both the rubber bullets and the silver ammo.
-On that note...ammo bags or belts. We need them, if we can find them.
-The tranq revolvers - mixed thoughts there. Likely of little use against an armored target, and unarmored targets are likely to be too tough, large, or hopped up on stimulants to be taken down. So they're probably not going to be useful in the near future. Might want to keep one on hand just in case anyways, though? If nothing else, it almost certainly has a holster.
-The shock batons - these would be useful as all fuck if any of us knew how to use a baton. Since our entire party is either (melee) martially unskilled or a kickboxer, however, they're a bit less useful. Still probably best to grab one or two.
-The throw nets - nasty as fuck for capture, mostly useless to us. At least for now.
-As far as pawning shit for local cash - probably a good idea, yes, and I'd say two of those tranq revolvers (and possibly some of the ammo), two shock batons, and one of the trench guns we can probably part with, without too much grief. Possibly one or more sets of Deep One body armor, though we should probably first investigate the possibility of modifying those for our use. Or even just to make 'em not quite as bloody heavy.
-While I don't want to leave behind the elvish and elf-related stuff (it's just too useful), we should take care to hide it, because elves are likely unpopular given the recent war.
-I want to keep the non-lethal weapons. Having an option to fight without killing people seems pretty desirable to me, and it's probably good for the mental health of the characters, too. Remember, those aren't hardened soldiers, just a bunch of teenagers.

-If it has been mentioned I don't recall -- I don't see it enumerated in the inventory. Do we have any binoculars, telescopes, anything like that? If so, I'd like to get to the highest point of the house we can see out from and peer around the area -- see what other stuff might be going on nearby. What's the environment like? Seems like moderately wooded area. (Is the house taller than the trees, enough for there to be a point to this course?

-When we eventually move out, we should consider the relative merits of caravaning versus shoving everyone in the SUV- things like cargo space are actual concerns now, and gas still costs money, so two cars versus one and a trailer is something to think about. Also, we may want to consider hitting up a junkyard for one or more chassis (and parts) for Roberta to convert into battlewagons. Or at least APCs. Because folks like the Hayburners are running around.
--We also have to remember that our SUV will stick out like a sore thumb. I am not sure about the local time, but Roberta's car is probably still too modern.
-We should be ready to venture out by tomorrow noon or evening. I am a fan of the plan that had us preparing to leave, I just wanted to have a solid grasp on the world we are in, first. That means contacts. Someone who can help us with the documents, or inheriting after Grubb, or a million of things we may need help with.
-I mean, we can't even barter the stuff we have with us as we are now. If someone parked a strange van in your neighbourhood and started offering antique relics, shotguns or squid-shaped combat knives for trade, you'd probably call the police on them. Or FBI.

You discover Aunt Esha in a 'Time Jar'. She was placed in their by Uncle Grubb and has only months to live. If the jar is opened, you won't be able to turn it on again.
-Leave her in there, at least for now.
--I think we need to think about this one. Esha could be utterly invaluable to us - she knows so much more about everything than we do - but at the same time we can't wake her up if we don't have some kind of plan for looking after her. Then again...do we know when we'll be back here? Gah.

If you do wake up Aunt Esha, are there any preparations you have in mind?
-Revisit books/notes that could pertain to care of cancer patients / Elven physiology / Elven elder life-ending custom.
-Care for her immediate health and well-being in whatever way we can with what's on hand
-Explain our situation and implore her to help us, crossing our proverbial fingers for Esha's goodwill to us at letting her out of this prison and hoping it overrides her anger at being put in there / desire to quickly end life.
-Figure out what questions we need her help most imminently with. (E.g. how to best approach the town, ultimately how to get back home, etc.)

Edit: Catching typos, and fiddling with the text.

gatewaewanderer · Jul 18, 2019

... Darnit. I... I'm clueless. I figured he'd sold the group out, but I hadn't figured he'd literally be willing to fight them, figured be more reluctant. I'll wait to see which way people vote.

To be honest, quests that require in-depth planning and strategy like this are a weakness of mine - I often enjoy reading them, but coming up with said planning and strategy is not something I've ever been any good at.

Revan · Jul 19, 2019

Great update, well worth the wait. To be honest it made no tactical sense to confront Oswald just before the attack, but I felt it more in keeping with Burt's character, plus it's cool to advance the plot and raise tension, all that jazz. Plus there was the possibility he was a shapeshifter or something.
Will give this a second read over later so I can make an informed vote.

bamster90 · Jul 20, 2019

This exactly what I wanted to avoid. We now are a finger twitch away from losing family. On top of that the armed guards now see us as a potential threat, meaning we won't be able to sway them to our side. And the Hayburners are about to hit us. So Roberta and Helen are out of position, we're out of position, we have 2 different foes who may shoot us, and a terrified aeromancer that could accidentally set things off.

I don't see a way for us to get out of this stand off without giving up our weapons and essentially being hostages through out the fight. If we fight Oskar some one we care about is going to be shot, likely killed, even if we take out Oskar somehow we will lose the loyalty of the people he's paying to fight off the hayburners plus we immediately will be in conflict with Tama's team.

Will vote later this is a cluster. AVOID INFIGHTING WHEN YOU HAVE AN INBOUND ACTIVE THREAT.

JMHthe3rd · Jul 21, 2019

Revan said:
Great update, well worth the wait. To be honest it made no tactical sense to confront Oswald just before the attack, but I felt it more in keeping with Burt's character, plus it's cool to advance the plot and raise tension, all that jazz. Plus there was the possibility he was a shapeshifter or something.

bamster90 said:
This exactly what I wanted to avoid. We now are a finger twitch away from losing family. On top of that the armed guards now see us as a potential threat, meaning we won't be able to sway them to our side. And the Hayburners are about to hit us. So Roberta and Helen are out of position, we're out of position, we have 2 different foes who may shoot us, and a terrified aeromancer that could accidentally set things off.

I don't see a way for us to get out of this stand off without giving up our weapons and essentially being hostages through out the fight. If we fight Oskar some one we care about is going to be shot, likely killed, even if we take out Oskar somehow we will lose the loyalty of the people he's paying to fight off the hayburners plus we immediately will be in conflict with Tama's team.

Well, I while I agree with Revan that confronting Oswald is very dramatic and ups the ante, I also agree with bamster that from a narrative standpoint it feels like stumbling into a briar patch: painful and messy to get into, and no fun to get out of either.

Not disastrous (yet?), but the other option, which was to stay with Buck and Willy and get into a (relatively) safe skirmish with the Hayburners, would have gone a lot smoother.

It's a miscalculation on my part. My hope was to make the reader feel conflicted and worried about what Oswald was up to, but not so much as to abandon his post and confront him directly. It was a gamble, and I lost.

It's not the first time. This might be kind of spoilery, but I originally intended Esha to be a companion. The planned sequence was to go like this:

The party explores the house, including the basement.
Someone in the party (probably Eddie, since he has the highest perception) notices the sloppy brickwork in the basement's alcove.
Oh no! Fog has surrounded the house!
Oh no! There's things in the woods!
At some point (either before or after the Fog) the party decides to knock down the sloppy brickwork. They discover Esha in the Time Jar. They discuss as to wake her up or not, but (probably) decide to leave her be.
The Deep Ones are out there!
The party decides that cancer or no, they have to wake Esha. If the Deep Ones overrun you, they'll find her anyway, and you desperately need her help.
Lots of drama with Esha--after all, the last thing she knew, she was being locked in a Time Jar by her husband. Over the last fifty-odd years, only a handful of seconds have passed for her.
Depending on how early you wake her up, this would not only unlock Esha as a companion, but the robot Samael as well (She can repair him. He's damaged, so he's strong but clumsy).
Fighting off the Deep Ones would be a lot smoother now.

However, this was short circuited by the party not entering the basement until much later than I expected (They first descended the steps in Part I, Chapter Nine--I would have guessed something like Chapter Three or Four). It was weird how the basement was avoided for so long.

Anyway, the party never got around to discovering Esha until after the Deep One crisis had passed (the party surviving by the skin of their teeth), so there was no longer an impetus to wake her. And here we are.

To me, the QM, it felt akin to Doctor Who companions wandering the TARDIS while the doctor lies in a stasis chamber.

I'm not complaining, mind you. I like the unpredictability. Spanners in the works are fun.

Anyway, no votes so far, but it's still early. We have eleven days left.

Revan · Jul 22, 2019

Having read back through previous updates and giving our current situation some thought I think we made the right call. The Hayburners may be nearly here but unless I've forgotten/misread something they're not aligned with Tama or Oswald so they're a common enemy. Oswald still has an interest in making sure that they don't win, so we can count on him and his men to fight with us. Even in the Mexican stand-off he specified to not shoot unless we shot first. The Farmhands are still in position and Buck still has the Infernals. The family are out of position but we're actually in the most fortified area of the map short of the house itself. I don't know if we have enough time to run back to our previous positions but if not we can still hold this rearward area. So tactically we're not in awful shape.

The discovery of Tama's imminent arrival works in our favour. I'm pretty sure he massively outguns us with his rocket-yacht and his "team" probably including the Category 5 aeromancer (this is the person that Oswald suggested train Maribel, I suppose now we know why). In that case there was never any way of beating him. If we had chosen to not confront Oswald then we would've remained ignorant of Tama, exhausted ourselves fighting the Hayburners and then been completely unprepared for his arrival. We would've been forced to surrender to him, from a position of weakness, unable to leverage our position. If we'd tried to run away, we may have been successful but we would've lost the house and Aunt Esha again, gaining nothing, and then probably been captured anyway.

Tama is interested in Esha, Maribel, and Eddie. I don't remember if we were told of his interest in the house, if any. As it stands we have what he wants. Eddie and Maribel can ensure our safety. I'm sure their willing cooperation would make employing them as World Jumpers much easier for him. Esha too, is a bargaining piece. Don't forget she wanted to die before she was forcibly put in stasis. The telepath provides us with one way communication to Tama. If we told him that we know she prefers death over a continued existence with her disease it's very possible to apply leverage by holding Esha hostage. I'm not suggesting we actually kill her but Tama may very well believe that we would honour the last wish of our Aunt.

All that said, I'm glad we discovered what we did. This has completely changed the framing of the upcoming fight. We have myriad options. If we wanted to we could even surrender to the Hayburners completely to avoid any casualties. Tama would swiftly arrive and kill them all anyway.
If we wanted to avoid Tama completely we could try shooting him down with an Infernal, but I'd really rather not, this would probably attract the Swan Navy and they're really the people we do not want here under any circumstances.
My proposed course of action is first de-escalating the stand-off by cooperating with Oswald (or at least, pretending to cooperate). He's obviously shaken up and emotional, and sympathising with his decision to betray us would put him at ease. Depending on the strength of the Hayburners, we can either fight them as originally planned, or try attrition. If we stall them until Tama arrives we win. Also, this means the Hayburners don't have a telepath, and so don't know our traps or plans. Either way, we win against the Hayburners, minimising casualties to the main family as much as possible. Then we use Maribel, Eddie and Esha to deal with Tama from a position of strength when he arrives, and decide what we want in return for Esha and Maribel and Eddie's cooperation.
Side note, when Esha does wake up, she's much more likely to be aligned with her family than with Tama. This further secures our safety as a group.
Will do a formal vote soon, but just want to get a discussion going so people can point things out that I've inevitably missed/misjudged.

JMHthe3rd · Jul 22, 2019

Revan said:
Having read back through previous updates and giving our current situation some thought I think we made the right call. The Hayburners may be nearly here but unless I've forgotten/misread something they're not aligned with Tama or Oswald so they're a common enemy. Oswald still has an interest in making sure that they don't win, so we can count on him and his men to fight with us. Even in the Mexican stand-off he specified to not shoot unless we shot first. The Farmhands are still in position and Buck still has the Infernals. The family are out of position but we're actually in the most fortified area of the map short of the house itself. I don't know if we have enough time to run back to our previous positions but if not we can still hold this rearward area. So tactically we're not in awful shape.

These aren't spoilers, but are things that Burt would think of.

Will Oswald allow you, Helen and Roberta to simply backtrack to where you were before? Armed? Even if he keeps Eddie and Maribel, this gives you freedom to plot against him (Helen sniping him from the woods, for example). He could tell the farmhands to keep eyes on you all, but they'll have their hands full with the Hayburners.

The discovery of Tama's imminent arrival works in our favour. I'm pretty sure he massively outguns us with his rocket-yacht and his "team" probably including the Category 5 aeromancer (this is the person that Oswald suggested train Maribel, I suppose now we know why). In that case there was never any way of beating him. If we had chosen to not confront Oswald then we would've remained ignorant of Tama, exhausted ourselves fighting the Hayburners and then been completely unprepared for his arrival. We would've been forced to surrender to him, from a position of weakness, unable to leverage our position. If we'd tried to run away, we may have been successful but we would've lost the house and Aunt Esha again, gaining nothing, and then probably been captured anyway.

Tama is interested in Esha, Maribel, and Eddie. I don't remember if we were told of his interest in the house, if any.

From what Burt gathers, Eddie (the Last World-Jumper) and Esha (the famous Runologist) are top priorities [1]. Everything else [2] is a bonus.

As it stands we have what he wants. Eddie and Maribel can ensure our safety. I'm sure their willing cooperation would make employing them as World Jumpers much easier for him. Esha too, is a bargaining piece. Don't forget she wanted to die before she was forcibly put in stasis. The telepath provides us with one way communication to Tama. If we told him that we know she prefers death over a continued existence with her disease it's very possible to apply leverage by holding Esha hostage. I'm not suggesting we actually kill her but Tama may very well believe that we would honour the last wish of our Aunt.

How will Burt even pretend he can carry out this threat? As of the moment, Helen and Roberta are tied down in a standoff, and Jed presumably has more help on the way. You might be able to tell the Telepath you'll do this, but do you think they (including the team, assuming the telepath has one) will let you run the two hundred yards back to the house to point a gun at Esha? While farmhands are chasing you?

All that said, I'm glad we discovered what we did. This has completely changed the framing of the upcoming fight. We have myriad options. If we wanted to we could even surrender to the Hayburners completely to avoid any casualties. Tama would swiftly arrive and kill them all anyway.

The Hayburners don't know who any of you are. They know there's a famous magic house that burned down but now is up again. They guess it transmigrated from another world and is likely full of magical loot.

They're interested in the house (and maybe the cars too), not you. Well, they might want to question you as to where the good stuff is. But in any case, Oswald and the farmhands certainly aren't going to surrender to them.

If we wanted to avoid Tama completely we could try shooting him down with an Infernal, but I'd really rather not, this would probably attract the Swan Navy and they're really the people we do not want here under any circumstances.

From what Burt understands, the infernal is essentially an anti-tank mini-nuke. From that cover of Time Burt saw:

Part II Chapter Five said:
The third image shows a long sleek skyship moored atop the Empire State Building. With Space Age fins and a tapering, cigar shape, the craft more resembles a 1950's sci-fi rocket than the other flying ships you've seen. Portholes, interspersed with balcony windows, run along its silver hull. Judging by its scale beside the skyscraper, the vessel must stretch five hundred feet.

It's fairly big. Cruiser-class size. Depending on armor, fuel placement and other factors, you might be able to do anything from blow it out of the sky with a single shot to merely burn a hole in the hull and cause superficial damage. You don't know enough to say. The infernals blaze continuously like miniature suns, but will it stay embedded in the ship . . . or melt its way free and fall back down to the ground?

Also, is the rocket-yacht unarmed? Burt may not know for certain, but it's been mentioned that he flew around for a while fighting motorgangs. And Helen knows from skimming Tama's biography that, if nothing else, it has an experimental laser cannon in the nose.

Part II Chapter Eleven said:
In an aerial shot, the Sweet Pea hovers low in the distance, ominous like a Star Destroyer. A fleet of cars and motorcycles flee in the opposite direction. The men in the vehicles wear white robes and shoot at the rocket yacht with rifles and Tommy guns. A ghostly line of light jets from the Sweet Pea's nose, and where it connects, a pickup truck is in the midst of . . . not exploding, exactly. More like boiling away. Men leap from its bed, engulfed in flames. Crowley, Louisiana. D'vaugnas tests his prototype photon cannon against the Sons of Dixie motorgang. There were no survivors. Photo by V. Zarhara.

Revan said:
My proposed course of action is first de-escalating the stand-off by cooperating with Oswald (or at least, pretending to cooperate). He's obviously shaken up and emotional, and sympathising with his decision to betray us would put him at ease. Depending on the strength of the Hayburners, we can either fight them as originally planned, or try attrition. If we stall them until Tama arrives we win. Also, this means the Hayburners don't have a telepath, and so don't know our traps or plans. Either way, we win against the Hayburners, minimising casualties to the main family as much as possible. Then we use Maribel, Eddie and Esha to deal with Tama from a position of strength when he arrives, and decide what we want in return for Esha and Maribel and Eddie's cooperation.

The tricky part would be deescalating. At this point, Burt guesses that Oswald would rather you all be disarmed and sitting around the Rolls Royce where he can keep an eye (and gun) on you. He certainly wouldn't want you out and about with weapons where you might cause mischief.

Side note, when Esha does wake up, she's much more likely to be aligned with her family than with Tama. This further secures our safety as a group.

Yes and no. To Esha, she may as well not have a family. Her husband's dead, her son's a supervillain in some other universe, and all she has left are a group of strangers claiming to be her cousins and granddaughter. It's not to say she wouldn't ultimately side with you, but it's not something she'll work through in five minutes.

Will do a formal vote soon, but just want to get a discussion going so people can point things out that I've inevitably missed/misjudged.

I appreciate the analysis. This is a tricky vote, to be sure.

[1] Maribel may have a weak World-jumper ability, as she was able to create Fog-negating runes along with Eddie, though hers weren't as strong as his. Oswald doesn't know this, though.
[2] 'Everything else' includes a lot: the heartstones, Samael, the Witchboard, the Time Jar, your phones, whatever is in the safe in the study, etc.

Gingganz · Jul 22, 2019

Well, that's quite a pickle.

We can't afford an armed confrontation. The Hayburners have almost arrived and Oswald has shitloads of goons under his control. So we have to find some way to deescalate.

Once method that would likely work would be to roll over and surrender. Try to convince Goosie and Maribel that joining Tama was one of the options we considered anyway, that this is probably the best way to help Esha, and that while we don't like to have our hands forced, we also don't have any good alternative.

However I don't like this much, so I hope someone will manage to come up with something better.

RadioBaiBye · Jul 25, 2019

I almost sympathised with Oswald's decision - protecting and providing for your family is important and all - and then... Well. Working as a common labourer is better than sending a group of people to an uncertain fate at the hands of an egomaniac.

De-escalating is the best option. How to do it without letting him take anyone's guns is another story. We can't tell the telepath anything terribly useful right now, anyways, other than maybe that the Hayburners are attacking. Perhaps we can convince their team to help there somehow? Seems unlikely.

Revan · Jul 25, 2019

RadioBaiBye said:
I almost sympathised with Oswald's decision - protecting and providing for your family is important and all - and then... Well. Working as a common labourer is better than sending a group of people to an uncertain fate at the hands of an egomaniac.

De-escalating is the best option. How to do it without letting him take anyone's guns is another story. We can't tell the telepath anything terribly useful right now, anyways, other than maybe that the Hayburners are attacking. Perhaps we can convince their team to help there somehow? Seems unlikely.

I think this is a testament to the skill of the OP @JMHthe3rd.
Yeah as far as de-escalating goes I think we're just going to have to make the case that he'd be losing three good guns against the Hayburners. If that fails, it's probably worth telling the telepath to hurry the hell up if they want the mansion to still be in one piece when they arrive.
It's making the best of a bad situation, and to be honest I'd much rather Tama than the Swan government. He's a businessman so when he finally gets here I think we try and make a deal.
Side note: OP emphasises realism in his combat system, maybe its for the best if our protagonists are safe behind the fortifications anyway.

JMHthe3rd · Jul 25, 2019

RadioBaiBye said:
I almost sympathised with Oswald's decision - protecting and providing for your family is important and all - and then... Well. Working as a common labourer is better than sending a group of people to an uncertain fate at the hands of an egomaniac.

Not the right thing to do, but Oswald's likely justified it well enough in his mind. After all, you're all going to end up under someone's heel, and Tama isn't the worst. But Oswald's been trying to preemptively soften the blow. Notice he's never passed up an opportunity to talk up Tama, trying to nudge the group to be favorable towards him. Much to Oskar's annoyance.

Revan said:
I think this is a testament to the skill of the OP @JMHthe3rd.

Thanks. I try to avoid one dimensional characters.

It's making the best of a bad situation, and to be honest I'd much rather Tama than the Swan government. He's a businessman so when he finally gets here I think we try and make a deal.

Burt can surmise that Oswald's take on what the Swan government would do is probably biased. He's hardly a neutral party. But how biased is hard to say. If a representative of the Swan government were present, you have no doubt they'd assure you you'd be better off with them than with a unscrupulous megalomaniac.

Side note: OP emphasises realism in his combat system, maybe its for the best if our protagonists are safe behind the fortifications anyway.

I emphasized this to squash any notion of Burt using his 'Medicine Skill' to heal multiple .45 ACP bullet wounds. If the standoff goes hot, Helen and Roberta are almost certainly dead.

Anyway, one week left. We have some discussion, but so far no votes.

Revan · Jul 27, 2019

Helen and Oswald have guns on each other. Roberta and Clarence have guns on each other. Jed has a rifle on Helen and Roberta, and he has help on the way.
[ ] Pull a weapon and join the Mexican Standoff.
[X] No, Maribel is right. Try to deescalate.
[ ] Write in.

~~If you chose to deescalate, what do you do? Be specific.~~
[X] Write in.
-[x] Convince Helen and Roberta to lower their weapons. Tell Oswald you're willing to make a deal with Tama and understand why he did what he did but if you don't survive the Hayburners then none of that matters. Therefore, although you're willing to stay by the Royce, he should let you keep Roberta's shotgun and your and Helen's rifle to defend yourselves/help out with the defence from afar. After all, what use are you to Tama if you're all dead when he gets here.
--[x] (Try and keep the revolver in your jacket pocket hidden?? I don't know how obvious it is to see)
If you chose to deescalate, what do you do? Be specific.
[X] Write in.
-[x] Tell Oswald we're prepared to talk with Tama when he arrives, but that he should have discussed this with us first before selling us out. Now we all have to survive the Hayburners first, so we - as a whole family group - are going to stick together through the fight.

The Telepath is watching. Oswald says they're working for Tama D'vaugnas and they accompanied by a team. Is there anything you want to do about this?
[X] Write in.
-[x] Tell the watching Telepath that when Tama arrives you want to talk to him and make a deal. There's no need for further violence.

The Hayburners are two minutes away. What do you do?
[X] Write in.
-[x] If we're allowed to keep the guns, look around for good angles of attack and directions where Hayburners are likely to come from. Get our bearings and identify the positions of the other defenders, if we haven't already.

According to Oswald, Tama D'vaugnas is flying in from Hawaii and will be here within the hour.
[X] Oh well. I guess there's not much we can do about it. Surrender peacefully when he arrives.
[ ] We can fight this! Try to avoid him.

If you chose to surrender peacefully when Tama D'vaugnas arrives, do you have any specific preparations when you meet him? Maribel is concerned he is going to wake Aunt Esha.
[X] Write in.
-[x] Ask him for details about his plans for waking Aunt Esha and her treatment. Ask about his plans for Eddie and Maribel. Convince him of our usefulness. (If we have any control over Eddie and Maribel's actions then refuse to go with Tama willingly/co-operate only if the others are brought as well.)

Who should be the next chapter's POV? Rank from most preferred (5) to least preferred (1). Default vote is Burt (5) and everyone else (0)
[5] Burt (Default)
[4] Helen
[3] Eddie
[2] Maribel
[1] Roberta

Thought I'd bite the bullet and make the first vote. This is gonna be a tricky fight to be sure, we're going to have to hope that the Farmhands can handle it if our weapons get confiscated. We also still have those booby traps, which they don't know about as far as I'm aware. Lets see how this goes.

Edit: Changed to include @elarasilk's suggestion cos I liked it better than my original write-in.

elarasilk · Jul 27, 2019

Generally agree with Revan, except on how to de-escalate. It gives up too much too soon:

If you chose to deescalate, what do you do? Be specific.
[X] Write in.
-[x] Tell Oswald we're prepared to talk with Tama when he arrives, but that he should have discussed this with us first before selling us out. Now we all have to survive the Hayburners first, so we - as a whole family group - are going to stick together through the fight.

JMHthe3rd · Jul 28, 2019

Revan said:
-[x] If we're allowed to keep the guns, look around for good angles of attack and directions where Hayburners are likely to come from. Get our bearings and identify the positions of the other defenders, if we haven't already.

...

Thought I'd bite the bullet and make the first vote. This is gonna be a tricky fight to be sure, we're going to have to hope that the Farmhands can handle it if our weapons get confiscated. We also still have those booby traps, which they don't know about as far as I'm aware. Lets see how this goes.

As far as Burt can tell, you all should be protected from the Hayburners. Probably. Hopefully.

Or to be more precise, if you're exchanging gunfire with them from the Rolls Royce, then you've been pretty much overrun anyway. Coming up the dirt road, the motorgang would have to pass three armed redoubts (two with .30 machine guns, one with a Browning Automatic Rifle), and if they flank, like you said, there's also the booby traps. And, perhaps most decisively, there's Buck with the infernals.

Of course, the Hayburners have good firepower too, and at least one of their vehicles is armored. And according to Buck, Freebird can lob "fireballs like mortar shells." You're unsure of her range, but that's certainly a danger.

Anyway, five days left. Only two votes so far, but hopefully we'll get more. Remember, if you like the quest, please vote!

Gingganz · Jul 28, 2019

This is similar to Revan's vote, with a few changes:
1) I find complaining about Oswald selling us out to be needlessly confrontative. I mean, it is correct, but now is not the time. If we want to tell Oswald how much he sucks, we can do so after we have concluded our negotiations with Tama.
2) I added an argument against us getting disarmed or separated.
3) I vote for informing Tama that Esha is Maribel grandmother, to discourage him from just grabbing Eddie and running off.
4) The way I understand the plan, we will try to stay together as a family plus Roberta, so I want to stress that we don't want to get close to the Hayburners.

Edit: Added Neville's idea of passing a message to Pat.

Helen and Oswald have guns on each other. Roberta and Clarence have guns on each other. Jed has a rifle on Helen and Roberta, and he has help on the way.
[X] No, Maribel is right. Try to deescalate.

If you chose to deescalate, what do you do? Be specific.
[X] Write in.
-[X] Tell Oswald we're prepared to talk with Tama when he arrives. Now we all have to survive the Hayburners first, so we - as a whole family group - are going to stick together through the fight. If Oswald insists on disarming or separating us, point out that while he may have more guns, he can't afford a shoot-out either. After all, Tama wants us alive. Also, any ally will be helpful against the Hayburners.

The Telepath is watching. Oswald says they're working for Tama D'vaugnas and they accompanied by a team. Is there anything you want to do about this?
[X] Write in.
-[X] Tell the watching Telepath that when Tama arrives you want to talk to him and make a deal. There's no need for further violence.

The Hayburners are two minutes away. What do you do?
[X] Write in.
-[x] If we're allowed to keep the guns, look around for good angles of attack and directions where Hayburners are likely to come from. Stay your distanve, we don't want to expose Maribel to too much danger. Get our bearings and identify the positions of the other defenders, if we haven't already.

According to Oswald, Tama D'vaugnas is flying in from Hawaii and will be here within the hour.
[X] Oh well. I guess there's not much we can do about it. Surrender peacefully when he arrives.

If you chose to surrender peacefully when Tama D'vaugnas arrives, do you have any specific preparations when you meet him? Maribel is concerned he is going to wake Aunt Esha.
[X] Write in.
-[x] Ask him for details about his plans for waking Aunt Esha and her treatment. Inform him that Maribel is Esha'*s granddaughter. Ask about his plans for Eddie and Maribel. Convince him of our usefulness. (If we have any control over Eddie and Maribel's actions then refuse to go with Tama willingly/co-operate only if the others are brought as well.)

Anything else you would like to add?
[X] Write in.
-[X] Quietly ask Oskar to surreptitiously contact Pat Savage and inform her that we have a world jumper and that we were pressured to join Tama.

Who should be the next chapter's POV? Rank from most preferred (5) to least preferred (1). Default vote is Burt (5) and everyone else (0)
[5] Burt (Default)
[4] Helen
[3] Eddie
[2] Maribel
[1] Roberta

Nevill · Jul 28, 2019

My window for writing is limited, so I'll comment on the update later.

Gingganz said:
Once method that would likely work would be to roll over and surrender. Try to convince Goosie and Maribel that joining Tama was one of the options we considered anyway, that this is probably the best way to help Esha, and that while we don't like to have our hands forced, we also don't have any good alternative.

However I don't like this much, so I hope someone will manage to come up with something better.

Pretty much. We suspected what this would result in when we went to confront Oswald. Personally, I don't think our options are all that great, with the attack incoming and the guards suspicious.

I believe our best chance is to agree to come quietly with Tama, make it clear to Oswald, and go back to our positions. I don't know what he'd think we could be plotting against him, given that there is no evading a billionarie in hot pursuit, and the next contender may be even worse.

However, to assuage his fear of unknown, I would like to lay out what exactly we'd be doing.

I think that, in a way, it's a good thing if Tama gets the artefacts. Oskar has no way of keeping them now that the authorities will become aware of the mansion, and of all the people who could get their hands on Eisha, Tama may be a safer bet.

I still don't like how he bought us behind our backs. So I return to the idea I had before the update.

Nevill said:
If we want to sign up for D&D adventures, we should probably start looking for Pat's number.

If there are any people on the Ringworld who could contest Tama, it's motivated adventurers. Going against supervillains and robbing their vaults or breaking out their prisoners is what they do for a living. Just look at what they did to poor Ironbone.

Pat's sister is on the line, so if she knows we are there, she'll come. The question is, do we take the risk (because being a bait is inherently risky, and superheroes and collateral always go together), and if so, how do we make it known we have been ~~taken~~ invited.

I thought I'd be able to slip a message to Oskar without raising a fuss, but with the confrontation blowing up as it did, I doubt that's an option. So... and don't call me crazy there, but maybe we should turn to Oswald instead?

I mean, I was entirely serious when I said I am perfectly willing to ensure the man gets nothing, if only out of spite. D'Vaugnas will need our cooperation, and he no longer needs Oswald's services. He would rather reward people who'd done him a favor, but if we insist otherwise - and there is little doubt that our willingness to help him find the Autumn City is a much more valuable favor than Oswald's, who was just a mean to an end, - Tama could easily go back on his word to accomodate us.

So we can, and probably should, emphasize, that unless Oswald listens to us, he gets left with nothing, save for 40 grands of debt to the farmhands that he is suddenly no longer able to afford. If he cooperates, though, then perhaps everyone could get what they want.

Tell Roberta and Helen to go back to their positions; the plan to repel the Hayburners proceeds without changes. Tell Oswald what is going to happen next. He will be looking for that number, and he will be telling Pat there are World Jumpers in D'Vaugnas custody. By the time Pat will come looking, he will long have received his money, and no one would be able to trace it back to him, especially considering the circumstances of our parting.

The problems with the plan would be:
Do we believe he'd agree to this kind of deal? If not, how do we enforce it? I mean, we'll probably need some kind of proof he contacted Pat before he receives his reward.
Can we keep it a secret from the telepath? Whom exactly are they watching? Surely it can't be all of us?
Can we keep it a family matter? I'd rather Oskar and Oswald reconciled, so we may be able to call this a compromise, but Clarence is a bit of a fifth wheel here. I believe that his loyalty is to the family, but he has shown himself unwilling to cross Tama.

Assuming we can pull it off, Oswald will get his money, Oskar may be convinced that his son does have our interests in mind, the Swan government doesn't get its hands on us which no single faction (not even Hayburners!) seems to want, and we retain the possibility of escape... if we don't want to side with Tama in the first place.

That sounds good?

I suppose we could always try to only tell Oskar, but then he is old, miserable, and does not get out much, so his chances of contacting Pat on his own arern't that great. Not to mention the rift between him and his son would be unlikely to mend, which might be a secondary consideration, but still.

This may be unnecessary if we raise enough of a hell that no faction can keep the rumors down, but I suspect Tama just might. Although there are strange phenomena observed around the former location of the mansion, there is no indication that any World-Jumpers were there.

Edit:
I'll cobble together a vote tomorrow, unless I get some feedback on why we shouldn't do it.

Gingganz · Jul 28, 2019

Nevill said:
So we can, and probably should, emphasize, that unless Oswald listens to us, he gets left with nothing, save for 40 grands of debt to the farmhands that he is suddenly no longer able to afford. If he cooperates, though, then perhaps everyone could get what they want.

Ooh, sneaky, I like that.

I am not sure it will work, though. Oswald could try to turn the tables and inform Tama that we wanted him to contact Pat. Tama would likely prefer if we come along willingly, but I wouldn't put it past him to just force us.

I need to think a bit more.

JMHthe3rd · Jul 29, 2019

Nevill said:
My window for writing is limited, so I'll comment on the update later.

Pretty much. We suspected what this would result in when we went to confront Oswald. Personally, I don't think our options are all that great, with the attack incoming and the guards suspicious.

I believe our best chance is to agree to come quietly with Tama, make it clear to Oswald, and go back to our positions. I don't know what he'd think we could be plotting against him, given that there is no evading a billionarie in hot pursuit, and the next contender may be even worse.

However, to assuage his fear of unknown, I would like to lay out what exactly we'd be doing.

Oswald's concern may be that you and the group might use the chaos of battle to try an escape (if only to run into the woods and hide) or attack him. Especially if Helen and Roberta return to their positions. What if they slip away when the shooting starts, flank around and snipe him from the trees?

That might not be coolly rational (after all, where are you going to run?), but you guys are teenagers.

I think that, in a way, it's a good thing if Tama gets the artefacts. Oskar has no way of keeping them now that the authorities will become aware of the mansion, and of all the people who could get their hands on Eisha, Tama may be a safer bet.

I still don't like how he bought us behind our backs. So I return to the idea I had before the update.

If there are any people on the Ringworld who could contest Tama, it's motivated adventurers. Going against supervillains and robbing their vaults or breaking out their prisoners is what they do for a living. Just look at what they did to poor Ironbone.

Pat's sister is on the line, so if she knows we are there, she'll come. The question is, do we take the risk (because being a bait is inherently risky, and superheroes and collateral always go together), and if so, how do we make it known we have been ~~taken~~ invited.

I thought I'd be able to slip a message to Oskar without raising a fuss, but with the confrontation blowing up as it did, I doubt that's an option. So... and don't call me crazy there, but maybe we should turn to Oswald instead?

I mean, I was entirely serious when I said I am perfectly willing to ensure the man gets nothing, if only out of spite. D'Vaugnas will need our cooperation, and he no longer needs Oswald's services. He would rather reward people who'd done him a favor, but if we insist otherwise - and there is little doubt that our willingness to help him find the Autumn City is a much more valuable favor than Oswald's, who was just a mean to an end, - Tama could easily go back on his word to accomodate us.

So we can, and probably should, emphasize, that unless Oswald listens to us, he gets left with nothing, save for 40 grands of debt to the farmhands that he is suddenly no longer able to afford. If he cooperates, though, then perhaps everyone could get what they want.

Tell Roberta and Helen to go back to their positions; the plan to repel the Hayburners proceeds without changes. Tell Oswald what is going to happen next. He will be looking for that number, and he will be telling Pat there are World Jumpers in D'Vaugnas custody. By the time Pat will come looking, he will long have received his money, and no one would be able to trace it back to him, especially considering the circumstances of our parting.

The problems with the plan would be:
Do we believe he'd agree to this kind of deal? If not, how do we enforce it? I mean, we'll probably need some kind of proof he contacted Pat before he receives his reward.
Can we keep it a secret from the telepath? Whom exactly are they watching? Surely it can't be all of us?
Can we keep it a family matter? I'd rather Oskar and Oswald reconciled, so we may be able to call this a compromise, but Clarence is a bit of a fifth wheel here. I believe that his loyalty is to the family, but he has shown himself unwilling to cross Tama.

Assuming we can pull it off, Oswald will get his money, Oskar may be convinced that his son does have our interests in mind, the Swan government doesn't get its hands on us which no single faction (not even Hayburners!) seems to want, and we retain the possibility of escape... if we don't want to side with Tama in the first place.

That sounds good?

An interesting plan, though I'm confused about the sequence. Or more to the point: when is Oswald supposed to find Pat Savage's number? I don't see how he can do this before the rocket-yacht arrives (or how he's even supposed to place the call), so I'm assuming you mean after the yacht arrives and whisks you all away to who knows where.

But if Oswald is to contact Pat after you're ~~abducted~~ Tama's guests, then that means in the meantime you tell Tama that your cooperation is contingent on Oswald not getting paid. So:

You deal with the Hayburners
In ~1 hour's time, the Rocket shows up.
Ok, Tama, we'll cooperate, but Oswald here is an asshole. No money for him.
Rocket flies off. Oswald looks up Pat and tells her that Tama has the Last World-Jumper and other goodies.
Oswald somehow contacts you and somehow offers proof that he told Pat.
You tell Tama, "Ok, I change my mind. You can pay Oswald now."

The plan's not incoherent, but there's a couple of big 'somehows' in there [1] and the oddity of having to explain a change of heart regarding Oswald's payment.

I suppose we could always try to only tell Oskar, but then he is old, miserable, and does not get out much, so his chances of contacting Pat on his own arern't that great. Not to mention the rift between him and his son would be unlikely to mend, which might be a secondary consideration, but still.

This may be unnecessary if we raise enough of a hell that no faction can keep the rumors down, but I suspect Tama just might. Although there are strange phenomena observed around the former location of the mansion, there is no indication that any World-Jumpers were there.

Well, aside from Oswald, Oskar and now Clarence know Eddie's a World-Jumper, so the Swan government (and Pat) could conceivably find out from them. Whether this is a concern for Tama is unknown.

[1] Will Oswald even know where you are, much less be able to contact you? And like you pointed out above, how could Oswald prove he told Pat?

Nevill · Jul 29, 2019

JMHthe3rd said:
Oswald's concern may be that you and the group might use the chaos of battle to try an escape (if only to run into the woods and hide) or attack him. Especially if Helen and Roberta return to their positions. What if they slip away when the shooting starts, flank around and snipe him from the trees?

The thing is, he can not do anything to us. He can't shoot us, because he needs to give us to D'Vaugnas. Technically, he only needs Eddie and Maribel, but if he harms us, he earns their undying enmity, and the plan he has going involves granting us a position where we could influence what Tama does. Mister D'Vaugnas is a businessman, and he can afford to pay a nobody a million crowns for access to us. How much more would he be willing to pay us for access to the Autumn City?

He could threaten us, I suppose, but from what we've seen he'd much rather people go along with his demands willingly, and he rewards such compliance. So if we offer him a chance at immortality and the secrets of the universe? He'll grant us anything we would desire.

An enmity of a World-Jumper would be a terrible thing to have under these circumtances, and Oswald has dug this bed for himself. The very success of his operation gives us power over him. He is treating us like trade goods, but we are so much more important than he is. If we wanted him dead, we need no weapons for it, just a word to the right ears. And that is what he should be thinking about, rather than conjure up conspiracy scenarios.

I think we could safely send Helen and Roberta away; our advantage doesn't hinge on guns here.

JMHthe3rd said:
An interesting plan, though I'm confused about the sequence. Or more to the point: when is Oswald supposed to find Pat Savage's number? I don't see how he can do this before the rocket-yacht arrives (or how he's even supposed to place the call), so I'm assuming you mean after the yacht arrives and whisks you all away to who knows where.

Ah, I did not think the transaction would occur immediately. People generally don't carry millions in cash with them. Then again, people generally aren't billionaries, so what do I know.

Well, use the talking point to get his attention, then. It's still up to us whether or not he receives the reward in the first place, so if that stops him from waving a gun in our face and gets him to listen, that is good enough of a start.

There is nothing in it for Oswald to betray us to Tama. In the end, it comes down to earning our ire, and Tama valuing us far more than him who already has served his purpose.

If he does as we ask, he risks little; he gets to save face in front of his father if that matters to him (dealing with Tama is still a serious black mark in Oskar's book, but there is some truth to what he says about Swan government, so it can be spun it as a move that ultimately benefits us, the circumstances being what they are); and we have no further issue with him.

Revan · Jul 29, 2019

I don't really see much point in spiting Oswald. He's still a family member, and he was faced with a tough choice. Besides, spiting him just makes us another enemy in the long run. It doesn't even gain us anything, might even cost us in the long run.

Nevill · Jul 29, 2019

Revan said:
I don't really see much point in spiting Oswald. He's still a family member, and he was faced with a tough choice.

I mean, I don't see much point either. But he pulled a gun on Maribel (although he may have been afraid of her sorcery), and then, when we made her stand down, he does this:

JMHthe3rd said:
Oswald ignores the message. Head down, chest heaving, he drops the bag to steady his gun. His Panama hat has blown away, revealing a now-disheveled Clark Gable part. Dirt covers his tweed jacket and slacks. His desperate glare sweeps the three of you. "Hands up! All of you!"

It isn't a very family-like behavior, is it? He is holding us as hostages at gunpoint.

It serves more to disabuse him of the notion that he has power over us. If he thinks he can order us around by force, he has no impetus to actually listen to anything we say; it just comes off as excuses and trying to weasel out of an unpleasant situation (and rob him of his hard-earned fortune).

I mean, I am perfectly willing to let bygones be bygones and acknowledge he may have a point. I would even turn a blind eye to him making a profit out of a "tough choice"... if he does us a small favor. It is a reasonable request, no?

It also makes all the difference between selling out "royal" family for money, and, ah, taking measures to ensure their safety without their knowledge. The former tends to be frowned upon.

Edit:

JMHthe3rd said:
[1] Will Oswald even know where you are, much less be able to contact you? And like you pointed out above, how could Oswald prove he told Pat?

That part is easy, actually. We don't need to see Oswald ever again. Pat could prove she received the message simply by appearing in public and doing... anything, really. The press hangs on her every word, so if anything unusual happened, it'd in every newspaper the very next day, but only we would know the meaning behind it.

The question I am considering is whether alluding to clear conscience would work better. His father's reactions clearly causes him some measure of discomfort, so perhaps our goals would be better served by mediating between them and allowing him a semi-honorable out.

bamster90 · Jul 29, 2019

Nevil, I think you're placing way too much confidence in our ability to 1. Threaten Oskar when he can just kill us and then sell off Eddie and Maribel to Tama; and 2. Negotiate with Tama and then back stab him when we have no resources or allies that we can trust.

We're not skilled adventurers or bad asses, we're rather average teenagers who are emotionally traumatized, in over our heads, and our only real goal is survival and hopefully getting home without any of our loved ones dying.

We have no idea that Pat Savage is any better than Tama. Having a comic book does not make you a good person, being a skilled adventurer does not make you a good person, Pat could be a better option or she could be worse. Either way we have no real way of getting in touch with her. Making a plan around a rare chance and luck based option is planning to fail.

We have no idea how powerful the fantasy Elon Musk's psycher is, they could easily remote view us and our thoughts or they may only be getting a fuzzy picture of the current going ons but it's better to over estimate what your enemy knows then under estimate when it's proven they have a psychic.

Our goal is to survive and more importantly make sure our immediate family survives, following that we want to get home. We don't know that Tama's will hinder that, we don't know if he'll help that but we do know he's unlikely to immediately kill us, so we might as well talk it out when he gets here.

We need to survive the fight first and as we no longer need to care too much about trying to sway the farm hand army for hire, we can stay in the safest spot in this fight.

We tell Roberta and Helen to lower their guns, and remind Oswald that we'll all on the same side when it comes to the Hayburners. We take cover and let Clarence collect the guns under the condition that they be kept nearby if we need to fight off Hayburners from our current position. Make Oswald feel like he's in charge and that he has the upper hand, he'll be comfortable and less likely to accidentally shoot one of us. Once we're settled in the makeshift Bunker we can start gathering intel on Tama, what does Oswald know about him? How did he get in touch? Remind him that it would break his father's heart if Esha and her descendants were to be tortured and killed by a mad man.

The goal is that by the time Tama arrives Oswald will want to ensure we're not about to become lab rats or prisoners, He'll still have the local hired guns if he needs to impress this on Tama. Ideally we when we leave with Tama. we still have our guns and equipment and are seen as VIP guests or at least valuable contractors. We want to be his partners not his assets.

Helen and Oswald have guns on each other. Roberta and Clarence have guns on each other. Jed has a rifle on Helen and Roberta, and he has help on the way.
[ ] Pull a weapon and join the Mexican Standoff.
[X] No, Maribel is right. Try to deescalate.

If you chose to deescalate, what do you do? Be specific.
[x] Write in: We lower our guns and offer to surrender them only under the condition that we're allowed to take cover during the fight in the Limo/Barricade. Furthermore while Clarence can secure/watch the guns they need to be close enough at hand so that if the Hayburners break through we can defend ourselves. We should try not to give up our pistol or any other concealed weapons we have.

We're all on the same side against the Hayburners, who are an immediate and soon to be present danger. We can discuss Oswald's actions after we've all lived, or while safely behind cover. Oswald needs us alive for Tama, and we don't think he means us harm, he's an honorable gentlemen surely he wouldn't trade his families allies into slavery or death for mere money? Tell us what you know about Tama? Let him think we are children to be guided, and that he can reassure us. If we need to try and escape or fight it will be easier when there's a battle going on. Right know we need to get barrels pointed at the enemy and not at our family.

The Telepath is watching. Oswald says they're working for Tama D'vaugnas and they accompanied by a team. Is there anything you want to do about this?
[X] Write in. Assume the Telepath with see, hear, and possibly mind read everything. Pay attention if we feel like we're being spied on again and don't give away the fact that we haven't been cowed by Oswald.

The Hayburners are two minutes away. What do you do?
[X] Write in. Since we are no longer Oswald's guests, and the mercenaries are unlikely to be on our side after the fight building a battle buddy relationship is less important. If we're going to surrender our weapons, then we must be kept safe for Tama in the Rolls with Oskar. We'd like Clarence to guard our weapons but be ready to hand them over if it looks like the Hayburners will make it to our position. Keep an eye our for attacks from the other sides incase the try to sneak around. If possible keep our pistol and any other concealable weapons on us, in case we find out information that makes running form Oswald and Tama worth running into a battle or trying to escape a flying ship with a laser. Get more information on Tama from Oswald, why does Oswald trust him not to harm us? What type of man is Tama? Reasonable? Egotistical? Is he a bond villian or just a rich eccentric? Is he known to be cruel? Does he keep his word?

According to Oswald, Tama D'vaugnas is flying in from Hawaii and will be here within the hour.
[ ] Oh well. I guess there's not much we can do about it. Surrender peacefully when he arrives.
[ ] We can fight this! Try to avoid him.
[X] Ideally we can negotiate the terms of our partnership with Tama. Act like we knew that Oswald was arranging this meeting for us to meet Tama. Our goals are to see what he wants from us, is he trustworthy, is he going to see us as labrats or slaves, could he help us get home? Can we make can resources from working with him and helping his research to be able to get independence?
We need to ensure that when we go into his custody we're not seen as property or assets that can be used or tested upon. If he was willing to pay for information about our family's house and is a fan of Esha, he'd probably be willing to pay Eddie to work with him.

If you chose to surrender peacefully when Tama D'vaugnas arrives, do you have any specific preparations when you meet him? Maribel is concerned he is going to wake Aunt Esha.
[X] Write in. Find out what he know's about Esha. Did Oswald tell him Esha was still alive? That she's on the edge of death? Waking her may not be the worst thing if, we can get her a cure. Tama also needs to understand that when she emerges she'll will likely need time and space to accept what's happened to her. Having family to help calm her down would be very important. If he doesn't know about Esha, would should use that as a bargaining chip. We're Esha's heirs, and are willing to trade information, we have her journals, her husband's journals, as well as their robot companion, and who knows what else in that house. Information about Esha being alive should only be given away if we can get something big out of it, Ideally a way home or enough money to be guaranteed safety, but depending on circumstances, someone's life if get thing's get ugly.

We also need to talk to Maribel while we're behind cover about how much danger we could be in and that she needs to focus on staying calm and listening to Bert, Helen, Roberta and Eddie when we're in the middle of danger. One day we know she'll be a powerful Aeromancer who will help keep us safe, but right now she's our little sister and we couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to her. She can keep us safe by keeping herself safe and sticking to our plans. She also needs to understand that knowledge about us is a weapon that can be used against us. Aunt Esha, Eddie's powers, her powers, the heart stones, the fact we're not from this world and anything else about us is top secret information she needs to keep safe to help protect the family.

When Tama arrives we need one designated spokesperson, some one to keep an eye on Maribel and make sure she doesn't spout something that will weaken our bargaining position, and someone to keep an eye out for threats. I vote Roberta to be on security, Helen to watch Maribel, Eddie to observe Tama and his team for helpful info and Bert to do the talking.

Who should be the next chapter's POV? Rank from most preferred (5) to least preferred (1). Default vote is Burt (5) and everyone else (0)
[ 5] Burt (Default)
[2 ] Helen
[4 ] Eddie
[1 ] Maribel
[3 ] Roberta

JMHthe3rd · Jul 30, 2019

Nevill said:
Ah, I did not think the transaction would occur immediately. People generally don't carry millions in cash with them. Then again, people generally aren't billionaries, so what do I know.

Presumably, Tama could just wire the money (perhaps through a dummy corporation). Or, if he's unconcerned with anonymity, write Oswald a check. But you're right: there's nothing saying he has to pay Oswald right then and there. Originally, Oswald didn't want his father to know he was the one who sold you all out, so we can assume in that case Tama would have paid later.

It isn't a very family-like behavior, is it? He is holding us as hostages at gunpoint.

Well, Burt was armed. Oswald was probably thinking Burt might try something while Maribel distracted him.

bamster90 said:
We have no idea that Pat Savage is any better than Tama. Having a comic book does not make you a good person, being a skilled adventurer does not make you a good person, Pat could be a better option or she could be worse.

If nothing else, you know she would want Eddie to help her search for sister in the ~~dimensional rift~~ Foggy storm over Black Mesa, New Mexico. Who knows what's there, but it's where Ironbone was banished. And Maribel's dad might be there too.

The Savages might be the good guys, but if Pat rescues you, it wouldn't exactly be a selfless act.

Get more information on Tama from Oswald, why does Oswald trust him not to harm us? What type of man is Tama? Reasonable? Egotistical? Is he a bond villian or just a rich eccentric? Is he known to be cruel? Does he keep his word?

Oswald himself has actually admitted [1] he's a 'Bond villain,' though perhaps in jest.

Part II Chapter Eleven said:
"Well . . ." She [the librarian] bends close, her eyes flicking back and forth. "Tama's in a bit of hot water these days. Apparently, he don't like to pay taxes, and all that came out during his bid for mayor of Sologoth. There's other stuff too: corporate sabotage, and he may have had some of his rivals done away with--not that it can be proven."

"Called it!" Bobbi says. "He's a Bond villain!"

The librarian looks puzzled, but Oswald seems amused by the reference. "That's about right," he says. "But no one's perfect."

There's tidbits about Tama sprinkled about since his first mention in Part II, Chapter Four, though the most concentration of Tama info is Part II, Chapter Eleven, when Helen skims through his biography, the Emperor Scientist.

Here is a little WoG. Stuff you could find out in a five minute chat.

Anyway, I would say we have three days left to vote, but since we have a lot of discussion going on, I'll extend the deadline until Sunday evening. That'll give readers another weekend to mull things over. Four votes so far, but I'm sure we'll have more.

[1] Remember that Oswald made occasional visits to our world until 1988.

kittenmagic · Jul 30, 2019

Helen and Oswald have guns on each other. Roberta and Clarence have guns on each other. Jed has a rifle on Helen and Roberta, and he has help on the way.
[x] No, Maribel is right. Try to deescalate.

If you chose to deescalate, what do you do? Be specific.
Tell Oswald we're prepared to talk with Tama when he arrives. Now we all have to survive the Hayburners first, so we - as a whole family group - are going to stick together through the fight. If Oswald insists on disarming or separating us, point out that while he may have more guns, he can't afford a shoot-out either. After all, Tama wants us alive. Also, any ally will be helpful against the Hayburners.

The Telepath is watching. Oswald says they're working for Tama D'vaugnas and they accompanied by a team. Is there anything you want to do about this?
Tell the watching Telepath that when Tama arrives you want to talk to him and make a deal. There's no need for further violence.

The Hayburners are two minutes away. What do you do?
If we're allowed to keep the guns, look around for good angles of attack and directions where Hayburners are likely to come from. Stay your distance, we don't want to expose Maribel to too much danger. Get our bearings and identify the positions of the other defenders, if we haven't already.

According to Oswald, Tama D'vaugnas is flying in from Hawaii and will be here within the hour.
[x] Oh well. I guess there's not much we can do about it. Surrender peacefully when he arrives.

If you chose to surrender peacefully when Tama D'vaugnas arrives, do you have any specific preparations when you meet him? Maribel is concerned he is going to wake Aunt Esha.
Ask him for details about his plans for waking Aunt Esha and her treatment. Ask about his plans for Eddie and Maribel. Convince him of our usefulness. (If we have any control over Eddie and Maribel's actions then refuse to go with Tama willingly/co-operate only if the others are brought as well.)

Who should be the next chapter's POV? Rank from most preferred (5) to least preferred (1). Default vote is Burt (5) and everyone else (0)
[5] Burt (Default)
[4] Helen
[3] Eddie
[1] Maribel
[2] Roberta

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