Cerberon 05 - A Dead Ship 1

It didn't take long for their cargo to arrive - apparently they really wanted those polymers - and it was soon stowed aboard. They lifted off at the earliest opportunity and laid in the course they had plotted.

  Undertake an Expedition: "Explore the Dead Ship" 'dangerous'; +Wits +1 sidekick pilot; 5 +3 +1 vs 7 | 3 => strong hit => waypoint, progress now 2/10

As they had already jumped to the dead ship - to hedge their bets, they were rolling back on the assumption that it was a precursor ship now - they were able to get there in just one jump. They were too excited to sleep, so spent their downtime checking and rechecking Janya's gear and the drones that would accompany her piloted by Hayla.

The drones were of an old-fashioned quadcopter pattern - experience had shown that they were less susceptible to hi-tech jamming - and they would send two in with Janya. Of course, they would need an atmosphere to work, so they had a repulsor ball-shaped drone as back-up .

They spent the approach to the ship in the bridge, interrogating the sensors constantly trying to learn as much as they could about the ship. It was cruiser-sized and of a design as strange as its exterior finish - they'd never seen or, even heard of, a mirror finish like the one this ship had.

Images constructed from sensor data

As they approached, the sensors told them that the ship was rotating, very slowly, but it was rotating, which enabled them to get a complete sensor picture of its exterior. As well as the strange exterior, it seemed to have some kind of outrigger on its starboard side - perhaps it was an attached small craft of some kind? There was also a 'hole' on its port side near what they thought was the bottom of the ship. There was no sign of any exterior damage, so they believed that as the hole was door-shaped it must be an open airlock. They hoped they'd soon find out.

Finally, they were close enough for Hayla to maneouvre the Fegen close enough to match its rotation with their airlock close enough to the hole in the ship's side for Janya to EVA to it. She had already 'suited up' and was impatiently waiting for Hayla to finish the delicate task.

Janya in her suit

Janya's suit was an advanced environmental/vacuum suit that had cost them a pretty penny, but they had both agreed that it was worth it and now, on the verge of exploring a dead ship in the depths of space, Janya was very glad that they had.

Finally, Hayla's voice came over the intercom. "In place, Sis - off you go." Janya could see the target hole/doorway only about five metres away and she launched herself towards it, making minor corrections to her trajectory with her attitudinal jets.

  Explore a Waypoint: "Explore the Dead Ship"; +Wits; 4 +3 vs 7 | 7 => miss w. match burn momentum now +2 => strong hit w. opportunity => make a discovery; choose 'Lost or hidden people', mark 2 ticks on discoveries track, mark progress 4/10

Janya reached the hole and floated inside the ship. Her shoulder and head lights showed a cavernous space, that she couldn't see the far side of. She touched down and tried to engage her magnetic boots, but apparently there was no ferrous content in the deck as they had no effect. Her HUD readout confirmed there was no atmosphere inside the ship, as they suspected, so Janya released the repulsor ball drone she had brought. The feed from the drone would allow Hayla to have a VR experience of Janya's trip inside the dead ship.

There was nothing for Janya to get a grip on - unlike every ship that she'd ever been on, there was nothing protruding from the deck, walls or even the ceiling. Everything had the mirror finish like the outside, although here on the inside it was duller that the outside - not quite as reflective.

  "Are you seeing this Sis?" Janya asked, wonder in her voice and anxious to share it with Hayla.
  "I am," Hayla replied, "Can you believe it?" she asked, just as amazed by what they were seeing.
  "If someone had told me about this, I wouldn't, but we're here, so I have to!" Janya responded.
  "That looks like it might be an elevator in front of us," Hayla said, so Janya headed towards the circular wall in front of her.

Area of initial entry

The wall curled away to both sides and on its left front - as Janya looked at it - there was a doorway shaped gap. Floating up to it Janya could see there was another doorway on the other side through which she could see the other side of the ship. Apparently this circle was in the middle of the ship. Reaching it, she let Halya's drone go in first and briefly tapped into its visual feed. Looking they could see that there was a circular shaft going up to another floor. The drone came back out of the shaft and quickly did a circuit round the outside of the shaft. It was on the centre line of the ship as they had suspected. The space narrowed as it stretched away fore and aft, although they were not certain which way was which. The drone found walls that crossed the width of the ship in each direction. The wall closest to what they thought was the front had 3 doorways in it, while the wall in the other direction - toward what they believed were the engines - had only one doorway.

  Undertake an Expedition: "Explore the Dead Ship" 'dangerous'; +Wits; 6 +3 vs 6 | 4 => strong hit => waypoint, progress now 6/10

  "D'you think all the doors on the ship are open, or can we only see open doors?" Janya asked.
  "How can we tell?" answered Hayla. "But given the complete lack of any stuff at all, I wouldn't be surprised if it had suffered a sudden decompression - all the open doors might've been the cause..."

With that suggestion floating in the air, Janya and the drone drifted into the shaft and began to go up, towards the next deck of the ship.

 

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Brunvoldt 19 - Firstmeet

  I'm downgrading the vow "I will determine the fate of Priestess Gunnhildr and her escort" from formidable to dangerous as I can't see how to fit 8 more milestones into the narrative; so, the current 2/10 progress becomes 4/10

Firstmeet area

  "Have we gained any time on them?" Brunvoldt asked Dag as they set out again, the tracker leading as usual.
  "Definitely," Dag replied. "They spent at least a day at that camp. I reckon we're not more than a day behind them now."
  "That's good news," Brunvoldt repsonded, "Praise Holy Vanth."

The trail continued north into the hills west of Firstmeet. Distantly, to their east, they could make out the fields of Firstmeet, but it was too far to see if anyone was in those fields.

Night would arrive fairly soon, and rather than camp in the wilds and risk an unprotected encounter with the Restless, Brunvoldt decided they would make for Firstmeet and the safety of its walls. Also, once there, they could report what they'd discovered and learn if there had been other incursions by Varou. So they turned east toward Firstmeet which they reached as dusk fell without incident.

  Ask the Oracle: Have the Varou attacked elsewhere? 50/50 <= 50 yes, roll 46

As they entered Firstmeet, they were met by Mayor Torgia - she had officially become the Mayor since Mayor Finnr had taken his Final Journey*.

  * - See Brunvoldt 03 - A Dying Man

  "Sentinel," the Mayor said as she approached. "You've not found our Priestess then?" she asked, seeking to confirm what her eyes told her.
  "Not Gunnhildr, no," replied Brunvoldt, "We found Aric, though." He did not elaborate and Torgia understood what that meant.
  "He was a good man - he will be missed," she said in a sad voice. "A caravan was attacked on the road here from Halfway earlier," she said. "The escort beat them off, but not without loss." She was leading Brunvoldt toward the stables where a bustle of men and animals were.
  "Dag, find yourself a bed and get some rest," he said to the tracker. "We'll be off again early in the morning."
  "Thank-you Sentinel," Dag replied, "I'll see to Scar and do just that." Taking the bison, he left Brunvoldt with Torgia.

One of the men in the group by the stables, dressed in the war-gear and mask of a Charun, seperated from them and approached Brunvoldt and Torgia.

  "Sentinel," he said bowing to Brunvoldt, who half-bowed in return. "Mayor," he said to Torgia nodding to her. "We lost two men - a carter and a Warden. We managed to recover the bodies and they are in the temple being prepared. I'm not sure how many Varou we got - I saw at least two go down, but we could not stay," he reported to them.
  "You did well Charun," praised Brunvoldt. "Getting through was the priority."
  "Thank-you Sentinel," replied the Charun, "That is what I believed and I'm glad to hear that you agree."
  "I'll make sure that the people of the caravan's needs are seen to," said Torgia, taking her leave.
  "Thank-you," called the Charun to her as walked away. "I would like to pray - would you join me?" he asked Brunvoldt.
  "I'd be delighted," said Brunvoldt and they walked to the temple.

Once they had prayed and given heartfelt thanks to Holy Vanth-the-Guide, they retired to Gunnhildr's office and turned to discussing the situation. Brunvoldt had grown up with the man who was currently Charun here - Knud - and they shared an easy friendship that dismissed any formality between them when alone.

  "We agree that the Varou are almost certainly working up to an attack on Firstmeet?" asked Knud.
  "That does seem to be the best scenario for their actions," agreed Brunvoldt. "In fact I don't see what else they could be up to."
  "If it was just raiding, I don't see why they attacked the Giants," argued Knud. "They could've bypassed them and not taken the losses they must have done taking them on."
  "Very true," agreed Brunvoldt once more. "So the question is, when? As we know, they are an impatient, impulsive, race, so definitely sooner rather than later. I'd guess the next couple of days."
  "I agree," Knud stated. "Of course, my men and I will stay here to help the Captain-Warden with the defence and I'll send a rook to Templemount for further aid."
  "There is nothing I'd like more than to fight at your side my friend," began Brunvoldt, "but I am Tasked to find our sister, Gunnhildr, or at the least what has become of her, which I'm sorry to say is more likely," he finished sadly.
  "After all this time?" asked Knud rhetorically. "I don't believe that there is any chance of finding her alive now."

  Reach a Milestone: "I will determine the fate of Priestess Gunnhildr and her escort", progress now 6/10
  Make a Connection: +Heart; 6 +3 vs. 8 & 6 => strong hit => Knud, 'troublesome', Charun
  Descriptors & Goal for Knud: Flexible, Honourable, Friendly; 'Gain fame and glory'

On that sad, but realistic note, the friends went for their evening meal and afterward Brunvoldt retired, while Knud went to his guard duty.

 

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Cerberon 04 - Landing

Precursor ship

Janya stared at the image constucted by the sensors on her screen. "Oh my!" she quietly gasped. What were the chances of dropping out of the Drift this close to a dead ship? and a precursor one at that? Well, chances be-damned, she wasn't about to share this with anyone but Hayla. Quickly connecting her personal datapad to the ship, she downloaded the dead vessel's location and all the sensor data there was. Once complete, she disconnected the datapad and instructed the ship to ignore the vessel until she or Hayla contradicted the order. Janya was very pleased with herself when the ship
disappeared from the sensors. The E-drive had automatically begun recycling while she had been busy, so she got up and went back to the lounge.

  Janya is too new as a courier to risk delay exploring this find now, but will come back here as soon as she can!

  "I have a confession to make Harrow," Janya said, as she entered the lounge. "I'm just as new at this Courier-thing as you are at being a Datacourier. I should have sworn on my shard to take you to Kalen's Folly and I didn't!" She sat at the table.
  "Let me rectify that now," she continued, "I swear upon this iron shard of an ancestor-ship that I will deliver Harrow to Kalen's Folly."

  Swear an Iron Vow: "I will deliver Harrow to Kalen's Folly", troublesome; +Heart; 2 +2 vs. 1 | 3 => strong hit => +2 momentum now +10
  Reach a Milestone: "I will deliver Harrow to Kalen's Folly", progress now 3/10

  "I should have asked you to do that ..." said Harrow in a downcast voice. "Let's not bother anyone with such a minor detail, hey?" he finished, sharing a laugh with the sisters.

It wasn't long before Harrow retired, saying he'd been travelling for a while and was dead-tired. They let him go and Janya finally had the opportunity to share her discovery with Hayla. Somehow she had the patience to wait a whole five minutes after Harrow had left.

Hayla wanted to investigate the ship right now, saying that it might not be here when - or if - they came back, but eventually gave in to janya's argument that needed more time to investigate properly and it would definitely be better when no-one else was around.

They were still looking at the sensor data, trying to locate a possible entry point - although the distance to the ship meant the data did not have the resolution to identify an airlock - when the ping that announced the E-drive recycling had finished sounded. Leaving Hayla to supervise the jump and then keep the watch, Janya went to her cabin to get some needed shut-eye.

  Undertake an Expedition: 'Travel to Sheraton' troublesome; +Wits +1 Sidekick Pilot; 2 +3 +1 vs 2 | 8 => weak hit => waypoint, progress now 6/10, Suffer Move: -2 momentum now +8
  Space Sighting (Terminus): Planetside settlement

The Edward Fegen jumped back to normal space and Hayla began monitoring the standard sensor sweeps the ship immediately began. "Hmmm," she hummed quietly to herself. They had, as expected, arrived in the Neoma system. Neoma City - a notoriously unco-operative settlement - was on the sole occupied planet (also unoriginally named after the system) and they sent a hail demanding that the Fegen submit to customs inspections. Eventually, Hayla was able to get them to admit that a Heralds' ship was exempt and as they were transiting the system, there was no need for inspection anyway.

She could have just ignored them and jumped as soon as the E-drive had recycled, but they didn't know if, or when, they might need to come back here, so a delay was worth not having a warrant out on them.

  Undertake an Expedition: 'Travel to Sheraton' troublesome; +Wits +1 Sidekick Pilot; 3 +3 +1 vs 5 | 1 => strong hit => waypoint, progress now 9/10
  Finish an Expedition: 'Travel to Sheraton' troublesome; progress 9 vs 4 | 5 => strong hit => 1 tick on Discoveries legacy track
  Reach a Milestone: "I will deliver Harrow to Kalen's Folly", progress now 6/10
  Make a Connection: with Severinus 'Harrow' Jemison; +Heart; 6 +2 vs 6 | 4 => strong hit => connection made, Datacourier, troublesome

Soon enough though, the final jump to the Sheraton system was behind them and they had begun the slog to the planet.

By now Janya and Harrow had returned to the bridge, while Hayla had taken her turn to sleep. Janya and Harrow chatted amiably as they gradually approached the ocean world, Nimbus, and the smoldering red star Sheraton, grew bigger and bigger in the bridge window.

They eventually reached the orbital path given to them by Nimbus-control and prepared their ship to land on the island where Kalen's Folly was. Kalen's Folly was - as settlements in Terminus went - small (its population was only in the hundreds) and so was its spaceport. Added to that fact that on Nimbus, islands moved about floating on the surface of the ocean, it all amounted to a challenging landing. Hayla was up for it, though, and looking forward to the test of her skill. They could have used the command pod to land, but the incessant rainfall and strong winds meant that the added mass of the entire ship made for a more stable and safer trip into the atmosphere.

Hayla had been running simulations for a couple of hours and was entirely confident that her skill would be up to the challenge.

  Secure an Advantage: expertise, +Wits +1 Sidekick Pilot; 6 +3 +1 vs 5 | 9 => strong hit => +2 momentum now +10, +1 on next move
  Set a Course: +Supply +1 Sidekick Pilot +1 SaA; 1 +5 +1 +1 vs 7 | 7 => strong hit w. opportunity, +1 momentum now +10 (max)
  For the opportunity, lacking any inspiration, I'll mark progress on connection with Harrow for the shared experience, progress now 3/10

Hayla was definitely up to the test and made the landing with aplomb, putting the Fegen down exactly in the centre of their landing pad.

  Reach a Milestone: "I will deliver Harrow to Kalen's Folly", progress now 9/10
  Fulfill Your Vow: "I will deliver Harrow to Kalen's Folly", troublesome; progress 9 vs 5 | 7 => strong hit => 1 tick on Quests

Harrow had already packed his gear and, with promises to stay in touch, he was wished 'Safe Passage' by the sisters and he left the ship as the custom inspector came onboard. The inspector was delighted to see the polymers that Hayla had brought and gave her the contact details for a buyer. Hayla took them down and as soon as the inspector had departed, began her own enquiries, suspecting that the details were for whoever had paid off the inspector.

  Resupply: barter +Heart; 4 +2 vs 2 | 4 => strong hit => +2 Supply taken as Cargo now 3; Nimbus' projects were rolled as Agriculture, Hunting, so cargo found is food
  Is there a Heralds' job waiting for them? Ask the Oracle: Unlikely <= 25 yes, roll 86

To her surprise, Hayla found that the inspector had given her the details for the merchant making the best offer, so she accepted it and managed to fill their hold with preserved food harvested from the oceans of Nimbus.

While they waited for the cargo to be delivered, the sisters restored the data to the ship that Janya had deleted and removed her order to ignore the precursor ship. Then they made their plans and plotted a course to return to it, eager to learn what secrets it hid...

 

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Ceberon 03 - To Sheraton

Janya had only just finished making a pot of tea when the starship's doorbell rang. Answering the call revealed that the Datacourier they were expecting was just outside the airlock, with a glowcat on his shoulder. He was a wiry young man with Iron Herald guild tattoos on his face indicating his status as a guild-bonded datacourier. They were also an indication of the man's combat prowess. To be a guild Datacourier meant having the ability to protect the data that they carried. That the full power of the guild would be called down on anyone who harmed a Datacourier, meant nothing when someone was trying to stab you...

Part of the Edward Fegen

  "Thumb," said Hayla to the man after accessing the external comms. He obligingly placed a thumb on the sensor. The indicator light cycled red-orange-green and beeped satisfyingly, so Janya walked through to the airlock and opened it.

  "Welcome aboard Harrow," Janya greeted him, standing to the side and inviting him onboard.
  "Cerberon?" Harrow asked.
  "That's me," Janya replied, shaking the offered hand as he stepped through the 'lock.

Janya showed him through to the lounge and introduced him to Hayla, poured him a cuppa and then showed him the crew quarters where he would bunk for the trip.

As Harrow was situating himself, the cargo arrived and Hayla wheeled off to supervise its loading. Janya went through to the bridge to prepare the Edward Fegen for launch - they wanted to depart as soon as possible as neither had formed a good impression of Gloam Station. Earlier they had both agreed that its best look would be in the aft camera display.

While Janya was going through the pre-flight, Hayla wheeled in followed by Harrow.

  "I told him to join us, so put up the third seat willya?" she said. Janya did and Harrow sat down.
  "So when do we leave?" asked Harrow.
  "As soon as the pre-flights are done," replied Hayla.
  "So when are you going to introduce us?" Janya asked Harrow. He looked genuinely puzzled for a moment, then realisation dawned.
  "Oh sorry!" he said, "You mean Ilsit!" He reached up to his shoulder and took hold of the glowcat that was currently glowing a placid, gentle green. "I forget she's there sometimes. This is my friend Ilsit."
  The sisters both said "Hello Ilsit," gaining a loud purr in response.

The back-and-forth of the pre-flight checks followed until they were finished and the Edward Fegen backed out of the dock. Hayla engaged the main engines and they started the slog to the minimum safe distance necessary to engine the E-drive.

  "Let's go to the lounge and leave Feggie to make the distance, shall we?" said Janya.
  "Let's," replied Hayla, and Harrow got up indicating his agreement.

Back in the lounge the trio got to know each other. Harrow - he preferred it to his given name, Severinus - was also a newcomer to the Iron Heralds. He'd just finished his apprenticeship and was on his first solo run. He was very grateful for the friendly welcome the sisters had given him as he'd been very nervous, and they had put him at ease.

The alarm they'd set for when the distance was reached sounded and they returned to the bridge. Once there, they all buckled in for the first jump on the journey to Sheraton. "After all," as Hayla said to Harrow, "Better safe than sorry."

  Undertake an Expedition: 'Travel to Sheraton' troublesome; +Wits +1 Sidekick Pilot; 4 +3 +1 vs 6 | 7 => strong hit => waypoint, progress now 3/10
  Space Sighting-Terminus: Precursor Vault, form: Vessel

The jump was as good as could be and they entered the Drift sliding along its mysterious Eidolon paths. Confirming everything was a-ok, they adjourned to the lounge again. This time Hayla got out her cards and proceeded to try and fleece Janya and Harrow. Janya was easy - Hayla knew all her tells, but Harrow was better than both of them and won most of the hands.

Janya had given up - she knew when she was beaten - and expecting the jump back to normal space had gone into the bridge so Hayla could carry on playing. They both knew that Hayla was the better pilot, but that didn't mean that Janya wasn't a good pilot and capable of supervising the jump back into normal space. But as they completed the jump into normal space, she saw what was on their sensors...

It was a dead ship floating in space, whose sensor data matched ... a precursor ship? It couldn't be, could it?
 

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Brunvoldt 18 - Following Tracks

The following morning Brunvoldt, Adalbjorg, Chandra and Dagmar (a servant/cart-driver) left Templemount. Dagmar drove the two wheel, four bison cart on which Adalbjorg and Chandra sat. Brunvoldt rode Scar with Magnus running alongside - both of whom seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the chance to run.

  Normally a journey to Halfway-House from Templemount would not need a roll as it's a heavily patrolled safe route. However, as the Varou are infiltrating the region, this time I'm going to
  Set a Course: +Supply +1 Scar (Rover); 3 +5 +1 vs. 10 & 7 => weak hit => arrive, -2 momentum now +8

They reached Halfway without incident, although it took longer than Brunvoldt would have liked. The bison pulling the cart had been mismatched and Dagmar had to stop, sort out the pairings and rehitch them, all of which took time that Brunvoldt resented losing. Gunnhildr had been missing for days, but that didn't mean that they could waste time without consequence.

At Halfway-House they found Dag waiting for them. He seemed eager to set off and was even more so when Brunvoldt explained to him the changed mission that they had been charged with. Brunvoldt sent Dag out to see if any of the tracks of the Hyena pack that had been chased off were still visible. Then he detailed Adalbjorg and Dagmar to stay at Halfway while he, Chandra and Dag went to find any trace of the missing people. They would carry a pair of the Halfway rooks to communicate speedily if needed.

As Dag searched, the others redistributed their supplies, loading Scar as a pack-bison. That done, Brundvoldt, Chandra, Scar and Magnus left Halfway to join Dag, who they found jogging towards them.

  "My lord," Dag began, but Brunvoldt interrupted him.
  "Just a minute Dag," he said, "While our lives are on the line together, I'll have none of this 'lord' nonsense. Call me Brunvoldt, or Sentinel - that goes for you too Chandra. I'm no more of a noble than either of you two." Chandra and Dag shared a glance, but Brunvoldt couldn't fathom its meaning.
  "As you wish," Dag resumed, "The Hyena left a trail that I can still follow even now. You must have scared them mightily as they paid no heed to what was in their way, just bulling their through everything in their way."
  "Then we'll follow it and pray to Vanth-the-Guide for Her blessing on our task," said Brunvoldt as they set off.

Brunvoldt was unsure if following the Hyena pack was the right choice. Logically, any Varou in this area - where they had not previously been - would all be connected. But that made the assumption that Varou were behind Gunnhildr's disappearance - something that had not yet been established. Still, at least to begin with, the Hyenas were paralleling the road to Firstmeet, so they might come across some evidence of what had happened to Gunhildr and her Wardens. Frightened as the animals had been, both Dag and Brunvoldt believed that they would have returned the way they had come. Hopefully the trail and place of disappearance would coincide.

  Undertake an Expedition: 'Follow the Hyenas' trail' troublesome; vigilantly +Wits +1 Scar (Rover); 3 +3 +1 vs. 10 & 3 => weak hit => waypoint, -2 momentum now +6, progress now 3/10

They followed the tracks and while they still paralleled the road, Dag followed in the woods while Brunvoldt, Chandra and the animals were on the road. Before they had gone too far though, Dag came running out of the woods pursued by something crashing through the trees behind him. "Boar!" shouted the tracker. Brunvoldt and Chandra readied themselves, but the boar did not appear, seemingly content with having chased Dag the interloper off of its territory.

They had to wait quite a while for the boar to return to its lair before Dag could resume following the trail. 'Another delay' Brunvoldt thought darkly - but there was nothing else to be done.

  Undertake an Expedition: 'Follow the Hyenas' trail' troublesome; vigilantly +Wits +1 Scar (Rover); 5 +3 +1 vs. 1 & 1 => strong hit w. opportunity => waypoint, progress now 6/10
  For the opportunity, Ask the Oracle: descriptor + focus => 39 & 68 => Exposed Remains
  Also, I'm going to Make a Connection: with Dag, tracker 'troublesome', progress 0/10

Firstmeet area

They had almost reached the point where the woods stopped and the fields of Firstmeet began - they could see the fields just through the trees ahead - when Dag called out, "Sentinel! Over here!" Brunvoldt and the others hurried into the woods to Dag's location.

Dag was standing by the remains of a pair of bison. From the harnesses and tack that were scattered over the area, it was apparent that they had been Gunnhildr's pack animals. They had been consumed where they lay - something that had obviously happened days ago. "Looks like the Hyenas started to eat them while they were atill alive ... I hate those animals ..." Dag said. Brunvoldt turned to Chandra.

  Reach a Milestone: "I will determine the fate of Priestess Gunnhildr and her escort", progress now 1/10

  "Go to Firstmeet," he instructed. "Tell them the Varou have abducted Gunnhildr and that she and the Wardens are likely dead by now and send rooks to Halfway and Templemount telling them this. If you see no further Varou-sign and believe you can, then join Adalbjorg at Halfway and wait there for further news from us." Chandra nodded and set off at a jog towards Firstmeet.

  "Anything else you can find?" Brunvoldt asked Dag.

  Gather Information: +Wits +1 connection Dag; 6 +3 +1 vs. 7 & 5 => strong hit => discovery, +2 momentum now +8

  After a few moments spent looking around, Dag picked something up - part of a human skull. "Yes, Brunvoldt," he said, willing to use Brunvoldt's name now they were alone. "At least one of them didn't survive the abduction. By the skin on this, it must have been one of the Wardens - I've seen Gunnhildr and her skin is much lighter than this." He held up his gruesome discovery for Brunvoldt to see.

Dag was correct. The skull must have belonged to Aric - one of Gunnhildr's Wardens, a 'large, dark-skinned man' was part of how he'd been described to Brunvoldt. Looking around, Brunvoldt found other parts of the skull. Gathering them, he put them together on the ground, knelt and pressed the blade of his sword against them. The he spoke the prayer, "Take your Final Journey and go to your rest. May Holy Vanth be your Guide onwards." He couldn't allow the Rising of Aric and the prayer, together with his Holy Sword, would prevent that.

  Standing, he asked Dag, "Still a trail you can follow?"
  "Yes," the tracker replied,"They went that way," and pointing westward along the treeline, led the way, bow at the ready. Brunvoldt followed, Magnus at his side, leading Scar, sword in hand.

  Undertake an Expedition: 'Follow the Hyenas' trail' troublesome; vigilantly +Wits +1 Scar (Rover) +1 connection Dag; 2 +3 +1 +1 vs. 8 & 3 => weak hit => waypoint, -2 momentum now +6, progress now 9/10
  Finish an Expedition: 'Follow the Hyenas' trail' troublesome; progress 9 vs. 8 & 5 => strong hit = > 1 tick on Discoveries legacy track
  Reach a Milestone: "I will determine the fate of Priestess Gunnhildr and her escort", progress now 2/10

They found the end of the Hyenas' trail after another hour or so. This was obviously where the Varou had been encamped, but they were there no longer. "What can you tell?" Brunvoldt asked Dag.

  Gather Information: +Wits +1 Connection Dag; 1 +3 +1 vs. 5 & 3 => weak hit => complication, +1 momentum now +7

  "Well ..." began Dag, reading what he could. "It looks like the Varou split. Most went that way toward the west. But a small group went north into the hills that lie to the west of Firstmeet." He bent over looking closely at some tracks, then took a few steps following them. "Yes, see here," he pointed, "There are bootprints - two sets that go with the smaller group."

  "Then that is who we follow," stated Brunvoldt.

 

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Ceberon 02 - An Expedition to Gloam

  I was originally going to 'Set a Course' to reach Gloam Station, but have decided to
  Undertake an Expedition: 'Travel to Gloam' troublesome; +Wits +1 Sidekick Pilot; 6 +3 +1 vs 3 | 7 => strong hit => waypoint, progress now 3/10
  Space Sighting-Terminus: Dense nebula cloud
  Also, I've made a change to Janya; I'm removing the Sniper asset in exchange for the Expanded Hold asset. I realised that I was merging character concepts - Sniper rightly belongs to a Cybersworn character concept percolating in my mind

The Edward Fegen

They dropped out of the drift into normal space as their Eidolon drive finished its cycle. E-drives, as they're universally known, could only run for a certain amount of time, propelling a starship through the Drift at FTL speeds. When the cycle finished, the ship dropped back into 'normal' space while the E-drive recycled, ready for the next jump.

Janya and Hayla both examined their sensor fields, making sure they were alone before they relaxed their vigilance. All they could see on the sensors was a dense nebula 'ahead' of them. They did two more full sweeps before pushing back from the consoles and heading to the lounge to relax and it was only a couple of hours before the E-drive had recycled and they went back to the bridge to make the second jump.

The calculations had all been made by the computer while the E-drive recycled, so all that was needed was someone to 'press the button'. There was always the chance, however, that something would go wrong, so it was standard operating procedure - at least on a well-run starship - for all the bridge crew to attend the jump.

  Undertake an Expedition: 'Travel to Gloam' troublesome; +Wits +1 Sidekick Pilot; 5 +3 +1 vs 4 | 6 => strong hit => waypoint, progress now 6/10
  Space Sighting-Terminus: Zaurak, Blazing blue star, Planet - Frost, rugged, frozen world—locked in an unending winter.

The jump passed without incident and again they were in the Drift continuing their journey towards Gloam. They should, assuming everything went well, have one more stop near the blazing blue star named Zaurak. An uninhabited planet called Frost orbited it, right on the outer-edge of the Goldilocks zone. They had deliberately dropped from the Drift a long way from the star, not wanting to engage with anyone on their first courier trip - they had to establish a reputation for reliability after all. Again their sensors were clear, so Hayla took the opportunity to grab some sleep while Janya stayed awake on watch.

Soon enough the E-drive was ready and they made - what they hoped - was their last jump.

  Undertake an Expedition: 'Travel to Gloam' troublesome; +Wits +1 Sidekick Pilot; 4 +3 +1 vs 1 | 8 => weak hit => waypoint, progress now 9/10, 2 -1 suffer moves
  Lose Momentum: minor -1 momentum now +4
  Sacrifice Resources: minor -1 Supply now 4

Unfortunately, the vagaries of the Drift dropped them out much further from Gloam Station than they had planned, and it took them quite a while - and a fair bit of fuel - to get close enough for hailing to be worthwhile. It did give them a great chance to observe the station - there being little that actually needed doing once the course had been implemented.

Gloam Station was an 'illegal' - it had been constructed without the permission of any governing body and consequently relied entirely upon itself. No help would come if were to be attacked, for instance. Despite being apparently constucted entirely from scrap, it had significant, intimidating even, defences. Which was not in the least surprising, if even half the rumours about the place were true. It was said that the station made its money through the black market and supplying raiders, as well as buying the raiders' spoils. All-in-all, not a nice place to be.

Nevertheless, they had to dock if Janya were to make her delivery, so when they were eventually close enough for it be worthwhile, they hailed the station and were given a docking assignment.

  Finish an Expedition: 'Travel to Gloam' troublesome; progress 9 vs 6 | 1 => strong hit => 1 tick on Discoveries legacy track
  Reach a Milestone: "I will deliver this datacube to William Nazari", progress now 6/10

Hayla deftly docked the Edward Fegen as Janya prepared to board the station. Haila was staying aboard to guard the ship while Janya, the 'official' Iron Herald, made the actual delivery.

On the station, Janya had to establish her bona fides almost immediately, but smashing the first lowlife that tried to grope her into the deck, dissuaded the others, so she was able to move about unmolested. Finding a bar, she began the time-consuming process of locating William Nazari. In a more civilised place, she could have used the datanet, or asked law enforcement, but not here - so bartenders it was.

  Secure an Advantage: sociability, +Heart; 5 +2 vs 9 | 5 => weak hit => +1 on next move
  Gather Information: +Wits +1 SaA above; 4 +3 +1 vs 1 | 2 => strong hit => +2 momentum now +6

Janya was soon able to identify the district that Nazari frequented the most and made her way there. Her contract included a picture of the contact - how else would they be indentified? - so once in the district she kept her eyes open

  Gather Information: +Wits; 4 +3 vs 2 | 1 => strong hit => +2 momentum now +8

Asking around in that district, which was predominantly engineering facilities, led Janya to a tiny bar, seemingly built in the unwanted space between two workshops. Entering it, she found it to be as much of a dive as the exterior had promised, but luck was with her. At the bar sat the unmistakable figure of William Nazari. Janya took the seat next to and ordered a drink.

  "You William Nazari?" she asked sotto voce.
  "Who's asking?" he said just as quietly - obviously he was expecting someone, even though he had a hunted air about him.
  "Iron Herald," Janya replied cupping her ancestor-ship shard so that only Nazari could see it.
  "Then I am," he said with an air of definity.
  "Thumb," Janya instructed holding her datapad below the level of the bar. Nazari obligingly put his thumb onto the pad's sensor and the indicator light cycled through red, to orange and then green.

Janya let out a breath that she hadn't realised she was holding and put the datapad back in her pocket. Lifting her carrycase into her lap she opened it retrieved the datacube and passed it to Nazari as subtly as she could. Downing her drink, she stood.

  Reach a Milestone: "I will deliver this datacube to William Nazari", progress now 9/10
  Fulfill Your Vow: "I will deliver this datacube to William Nazari" troublesome, progress 9 vs 5 | 8 => strong hit => 1 tick on Quests

Leaving the bar, Janya headed back for the Edward Fegen, where Hayla was supposed to be arranging another courier job, a cargo, or both. Hopefully that would have gone as smoothly as the delivery.

  Resupply: barter, +Heart; 6 +2 vs 10 | 6 => weak hit => +2 supply now 5 cargo 1, demand made

Back aboard, Janya told Hayla all about her trip. Hayla had caught the deck-smashing of the lowlife on the ship's cameras and they had a good laugh watching that back from several angles. Then they got down to business. The Iron Heralds had got a message to the station instructing them to take a Datacourier - an augmented individual who stored data in a secure internal chip - to Kalen's Folly. Luckily, Hayla had got the message before arranging a cargo, so had been able to get some polymers that the latest archive said Kalen's Folly needed. And even better than that, Hayla had secured the polymers before the archive update had been replicated across the station. No law - no insider trading, right?

Both the Datacourier - Severinus 'Harrow' Jemison - and the cargo should be aboard within the hour, so they'd then be able to leave for Sheraton, the star that Kalen's Folly orbited on the planet Nimbus.

 

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Brunvoldt 17 - Gunnhildr?

Brunvoldt spent most of the night helping his colleagues remove and burn the Varou corpses and then washing down the courtyard, cleaning up the results of the fight. After they finished there was time for a couple of hours more sleep, but they left with the dawn, fearing that more Varou might come to avenge their dead. Although he had been directed to find the Varou after situating the masons, he decided it best to return with them to Templemount following the attack.

Fortune was with them, though, for they got back to Templemount by mid-afternoon with no further encounters. Brunvoldt helped with the unloading of the wagons and then went to Lady Sibila's secretary to deliver the Master-Stonemason's report, report the Varou attack and his subsequent decision to return to Templemount. He asked the secretary to inform Lady Sibilia he intended to leave in the morning to find the Varou. Having done that, he went to his quarters. Once there, he drew his sword to discharge his vow and knelt in front of his shrine, speaking the words, "I swear upon the Iron of my Faith and the Iron of this Holy Sword, that I have escorted the stonemasons to Halfway-House and ensured their safety."

  Fulfill an Iron Vow: "I will escort the stonemasons to Halfway-House and ensure their safety", progress 9 vs. 7 & 4 => strong hit => troublesome vow 1 tick on quests track

Brunvoldt was pleased to feel the vow's weight removed from him and he murmured, "Holy Vanth concurs," as he rose and sheathed his sword.

After changing his clothing and cleaning up, Brunvoldt went to the Healer's Hall to have his arm treated.

  Heal: +Iron; 2 +2 vs. 10 & 1 => weak hit => +3 Health now 5, -2 momentum now +8

Feeling better for the treatment, Brunvoldt headed to the Temple-Stables. He had decided that given all the travelling he had been doing - and was likely to keep doing - that he should become more comfortable riding. His own dislike of it was immaterial and besides, it was surely due to lack of practice at the skill ... surely?

At the stable, he spoke to the Master and they agreed that Scar - the bison Brunvoldt had ridden to Portwater recently - would be designated for Brunvoldt's use only. The arrangement made, Brunvoldt went to see Scar in his stall and was pleased when the animal gave him a friendly butt of recognition - even though it nearly knocked him off his feet.

  Advance: 3xp to buy Support Vehicle Rover, reskinned as Scar the Riding Bison

Picking up a brush, Brunvoldt began to brush the bison, trying to create a connection between himself and the massive beast and was gratified to see the animal responding. The wound that gave Scar his name was a long scar across his face caused, so one of the grooms told him, by a cave lion when Scar had been a calf on Firstmeet's fields.

When time for the evening meal came, Brunvoldt fed Scar then left for his own meal. He was pleased to see Maghilde with Sven in the Hall and sat with them as he wanted to discuss a couple of things with Maghilde. First he asked about the torch - would it be possible to put some protective bands around it? Maghilde was sure they could; if he brought the torch to the armoury, they'd be pleased to look at it. Secondly, did they have any armour for a bison? something like they had made for Magnus perhaps? There was no metal armour for bison - they were too contrary to wear it, but maybe they could fashion something from leather? perhaps extend the saddle to cover the vitals and hindquarters? Brunvoldt would bring Scar to the armoury for measurements in the morning.

He was still at the dining table talking with Maghilde, Sven and Gunnvor, who had joined them, when a messenger arrived with a summons for Brunvoldt from the Lady Sibila. Excusing himself, Brunvoldt made his way to the Lady's office where he was shown straight into the Lady's presence.

She was sat behind her desk, fingers steepled in front of her face, as was her habit when contemplating something. "Sit Brunvoldt," she said, "and read the rook-slip on the desk." Brunvoldt sat as instructed and retrieved the slip. He noted that the outside had the colour strip indicating low priority, then he turned it over and read it. It was from Eindride, Gunnhildr's acolyte at Firtsmeet asking when Gunnhildr would be leaving Templemount to return to Firstmeet.

Gunnhildr had left days ago and it was only a two day journey to Firstmeet - she was long overdue. Thinking it over, Brunvoldt reached the obvious conclusion - "You suspect the Varou?" he asked.

  "What else?" Lady Sibila asked rhetorically. "Especially after your fight at Halfway-House. You did well there Brunvoldt. Master-Stonemason Herta came to see me and told me what happened - your modesty is all well and good, Sentinel, but I do expect comprehensive reports from you," she reproached him.
  "Yes my Lady," replied Brunvoldt, suitably chastened.
  "So Brunvoldt," the Lady continued, "You will leave in the morning, but not to find the Varou - although you will probably do so - but to find Priestess Gunnhildr and the two Wardens who were escorting her. What do you need for this?"
  "I think a small party would be best my Lady," said Brunvoldt considering. "The tracker, Dag, from Highfall will be waiting at Halfway by now, so I think the Wardens Chandra and Adalbjorg would be sufficient - they impressed me at Halfway."
  "Very well, I will have the arrangements made. Go now and Vanth bless you," she said.

  Another opportunity for Brunvoldt to
  Develop Your Relationship: with Lady Sibila, mark progress per rank => formidable, prog. 4/10

Brunvoldt returned to his quarters and swore a vow, "I swear upon the Iron of my Faith and the Iron of this Holy Sword, that I will determine the fate of Priestess Gunnhildr and her escort."

  Swear an Iron Vow: "I will determine the fate of Priestess Gunnhildr and her escort", formidable; Devotant 2nd ability +Wits, +1 connection with Lady Sibila; 4 +3 +1 vs. 6 & 2 => strong hit => +2 momentum from strong hit +2 momentum from Devotant 2nd ability now +10 (max)

 

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