Strange large worms have erupted into the undercity, forcing Willem and Natum Vijf even deeper underground where they find a large, alien structure. On the surface, Roos is tasked to help people caught in the aftershocks of the worms' rampage but when the worms start moving to a more vital area, she finds herself drafted to help with bigger issues.
[NOTES] Quick Recap
Roos fails to find the shooter but a witness points her to the old Robot Arena.
Showing up, there, she meets O.T. Kerven, an NBOB operative, who is aware of something going down on Tartan. The Children of Tartan seem to have hold of a dangerous nano-virus while others, including Lon and Laisa, have discovered something they are keeping under wraps.
SCENE EIGHT [Willem POV]
Slightly *before* Scene Seven, this takes us back to the aftermath of Willem and Nate saving Lon's life.
{Slipknot + Handshake} {3 Crafty} {4 Normal}
- Does Lon know who planted the corrupted motherboards? (5+) >> [1], 1, 5 >> No, and... he isn't actually the source of them. He fears another secret being exposed.
- Was Lon part of the disarray in the market? (4+) >> [6], 5, 1 >> Yes, and... he was doing it for some other reason.
- {RR Quest | Twist} 2,6 >> "Forced nemesis alliance."
- Was this somehow to help the Kionites? (4+) >> [5],1,4 >> Yes.
- What was he doing to help the Kionites? Manacles + Receiving Money.
Manacles > Chains > Metal? No...let's stick with Manacles = Captivity. The Kionites needed to abduct someone and Lon was forced to go along. This person might also know of Laisa's secret. Let's create a person:
- {Concept: Cross Hairs + Shaking Hands >> Assassin} {Name: 4,1 Har 5,2 Mon 4,2 es >> Este Harmond} {Quirk: 6,1 Rhythmic Tapping} {Secret: Ancient Curse} {Reason in the Market: Shaking Hands + Light Sabers}.
- Is Este Harmond working with the Children? (3+) >> [2],2,2 >> A twist >> {Light Sabers + Cloak and Dagger}
- The Tartan Corp? (3+) >> [5],2,6 >> Yes.
Este Harmond was pretending to work with the Children of Tartan to take out contract hits on Kionites. The Kionites found out through spies in the Children. What they did not know is that Harmond is working for the Tartan Corp to actually discredit the Children and possibly drive the Kionites off-world. In that way, Lon Kylus hiring actors to pretend to be Children of Tartan helped Harmond's cause. Este has been infected with some CorpWar disease that impact her implants and the Tartan Corp claims they can fix him. While hunting out Children outposts, she somehow came across [The Secret] and was attempting to blackmail Lon/Laisa. For reasons unknown, Kayla is pinning blame on Lon. [Doug's Note: Frankly, it's the Ruins. What that means, I don't know.]
- Was it Este Harmond that shot Lon? (4+) >> [5], 5, 2 >> Yes.
O.T. thinks Harmond is working with the Children, so that's why he figured such.
Putting it all together: Lon is dying (Slipknot) but wants to work with someone to try and protect Laisa from Harmond, The Children, the Corp, etc. He is going to trust in Willem [partially because it's convenient to the story].
TWIST CHECK (d6) >> (1), 4 & 2 >> Major Twist >> Leeching Worm + Anvil Impact.
Right as Lon is sharing his secret, a massive alien worm erupts into the tunnel. Something previously unknown. The Crafty is because the thing is too big to fight in close quarters so it will be all about figuring how to get out.
A giant crunching noise startles Willem, but nothing could prepare him for their source. The walls of the larger cavern outside the small medi-chamber come crumbling down as the things pour through. Three of them. Each the size of a small starship.
Worms? Massive. As green as tartanite rock. Segmented. Small little leg like appendages all over shoving and carving up the rock. The three combined fill up most of the chamber outside. As they spasm and twist, more of the stone comes crashing down. They are some distance below the market, a few dozen meters, but even with that the people above must surely feel it.
Lon had been telling Willem a strange story. About a killer named Harmond. She had been staging hits against the Kionites. A complicated plan involved framing the Children of Tartan for destroying the market just so Kionites could attempt to kidnap Harmond. Only it must have failed, because the nano-virus used is something of a calling card of Harmond, or one her friends, perhaps.
Lon had just been telling Willem to go and find someone called Laisa, out in the edge of the wastes, when the noise started. The nano-virus has already altered enough of Lon's DNA, even when the severed arm and the medi-pod treatment, that Lon's body is now fighting itself. It would take very specialized equipment to effectively track down all the mutated DNA in time.
A thrash of the worms sends cracks through the small area and rocks start falling down.
WILLEM: Nate!?
NATUM: These creatures are not in my records, they are undocumented...
WILLEM: Stow it, record what you can but exits. How do we get out?
NATUM: Scanning...
- Is there any other exit, perhaps hidden? (4+) >> [6], 3, 1... No, but... >> {Alien Skull + Thermometer Cold} >> No, there is not an actual exit, but the thrashing of the Tartan Worms has opened a crack to a deeper chamber, one with a blast of cold coming out of it.
- Are the medi-pods surviving this collapse? (4+) >> [6], 5, 2... Yes, and... >> The exposure to the air coming out of the crack seems to be charging them up.
- {Normal Crafty, Nate} >> 1, 4, 5 >> 1 Success.
NATUM: There, a small crack. Insufficient to fit in as is, but the air is significantly colder and has a different O to N variance. Like a sealed area.
WILLEM: How do we get through there?
Nate goes up through it and wedges his claw arm at an angle and pulls just right to make the open a bit bigger. Big enough that both Nate and Willem can get through, but it will impossible to save the dying Lon or any of the pods.
The pods, though. Brighter. Almost glowing.
Willem does not think, he grabs up Lon, shoves the man back into the one of the pods, and then he and Nate dash into the opening.
- {Normal Agile, Willem} >> 6,4 >> Fine.
- {Normal Agile, Natum} >> 6,3 >> Fine.
With little effort, they make it through the crack just fine. Before they go any deeper, Willem sends the information recorded on his opti-goggles — Lon's confession, the medi-pods, the strange huge green worms — and then flees down into the depths as the cold air and strange architecture are all around.
SCENE NINE [Roos POV]
{Law Star + Cannister} {1 Agile} {4 Normal}
The Tartan Worms damage of the undercity is starting to cause issues in the market above them. Roos Ellim has to reroute her actions and try and help people. "To keep things contained" is how I read that.
TWIST CHECK (d6) >> (2), 3, 1 >> A minor twist >> {Law Star + Law Star} >> The *actual* authorities are there and are disrupting. Maybe will be, after the test to see how many people she helps.
I'll roll 3d6 and count successes until a roll has none to get a sense of the count.
Roos and O.T. are now on his hoverbike, moving fast back towards the market which takes...
- {1d6x15 minutes} >> 3x15 = 45min
...the better part of an hour. After reaching out and leaving a message1, she had gotten a haptic buzz that Willem had responded. However, rather than confirmation he was on his way, instead he sent her a long audio recording and some footage of some absolutely massive worm-like creatures causing havoc in an underground chamber.
She recognizes the chamber from when Saskia had led them down below, and it was huge so the size of those things is equally oversized. There was also the note:
HELP MARKET. DAMAGE NO DOUBT IN COMING. N AND I HEADING DOWN. LON POSSIBLY DEAD. LISTEN.
While on route back to the market to see what she can do — and against those worms, what possibly could it be? — she listens to Lon's confession and shares pertinent information about Harmond and the assassination of Kionites. O.T. just goes "humm" in his odd, deep voice.
Getting to the market, the ground is shaking greatly.
- Is the market actively collapsing? (4+) >> [1], 2, 2 >> No, And... changing to yes.
The place seems to be holding together with some built with inertia-grav dampeners whirring away with purple light. Usually used on starships, the devices help to counteract sudden movements and the way they impact gravity fields.
Still, the pitch is increasing in intensity so it might not be long before the things blow.
Roos and O.T. start running around, helping as many as they can to get their children and their stuff and flee the area. No one knows what is happening...
- Are Tartan-Quakes frequent (4+) >> [2], 3, 1 >> No changing to yes. Heh, worms are here.
...because Tartan-Quakes are infrequent. Apparently the dampeners were there more to protect against bombardment. Another scar left by the CorpWar on the planet and on people's minds.
- {Normal Agile} >> 6, 4, 4 >> +1
- 5,3,1 >> +1
- 3,5,2 >> +1
- 5,5,3 >> +2
- 6,5,1 >> +2
- 1,1,1 >> 0.
- That's +7 which feels above average, so she get a lot of people to safety before the next bit.
She feels herself getting winded, but the market is largely clear as...
- Does the rumbling stop? (4+) >> [1],2,6 >> No, but... >> it is moving {towards | away} >> towards the TPIEC.
...the rumbling shifts inward along the TFZ. About time, the purple light is now flashing blue and green as it starts to fade. If this is all due to those massive worms, it looks like the TPIEC is in trouble.
Right as she goes shout to O.T. that they need to go and warn people, a group of guards land with their jetpack powered suits and and the lead one, a woman of some years, asks if she is Roos.
- Are the guards working *for* the Tartan Corp directly? (4+) >> [1],5,5 >> Yes, but...
- Are the guards hostile (and pushing the TC's agenda)? (4+) >> [1], 3, 4 >> No, but... >> They will follow orders.
The lead guardswoman demands that Roos accompanies them. Roos shouts and then shows the images of the worms on the digi-screen and says these creatures are migrating towards the TPIEC.
- Does Tartan Corp secretly know about these worms? (5+) >> [4],4,2 >> No [note: not changing because two are 4+].
- What is the guards' reactions? >> {Strafe + Receive Money} >> They are going to battle and ask Roos to help.
The woman starts calling in orders and demanding an assault squad.
GUARDSWOMAN: Premiejager Ellis, can you please assist? Thousands could die if the topple the building.
Roos doesn't even in reply, merely cocks her pistool and nods to O.T.
- Does O.T. help? (3+) >> [4],5,6 >> Yes, changing to no... >> He'll help to start, but his cover will be blown if he stays around too long so will find an opportunity to leave.
SCENE TEN [Nate POV]
{Thermometer Hot + Canister} {2 Brawny} {5 Normal}
Some iconography of the place? >> {Receive Money + Slipknot} + {Cloak and Dagger + Backstab}. Money in this case feels like a good match for copper. Lots of copper wiring. The other two have blades in them, so lots of sharp blades and spikes jutting from a copper structure with lots of wires. {Round | Irregular | Flat} >> Irregular.
- Is the temperature too hot to withstand? (4+) >> [4], 2, 5 >> Yes.
- Is there something there to help? (4+) >> [1], 5,5 >> Yes, but... it's not something that Willem can wear.
They are on some large structure deep underground. The surface is irregular, with lots of strange spikes and blades jutting off and copper wires attached to the outer chamber. It is extremely cold. However, a hatch inside is the opposite. The cold outside is a byproduct of some sort of heating mechanism. Willem can't take the heat, but Nate will be able to for a short time.
TWIST CHECK (d6) >> (1), 2, 3 >> Major Twist >> {Backstab + Manacles}. {keep alive | trap} >> Trap. There's something in there and the extreme heat is keeping {one | several | many} >> many beings locked away.
- What do these things look like? >> {Eclipse + Wolf Trap}
- Are they somehow related to the Kionites? (3+) >> [2],2,3 >> No changing to yes.
They are not there *because* of the Kionites, but their existence is related to the Kionite prophecies, somehow. A different alien species, trapped under Tartan, for 10^d6 >> 10^4 = 10,000 years. Now woken up and caged by extreme heat that makes them unable to escape.
Willem Havik and Natum Vijf had moved at some pace across what at first seemed like a natural cave floor but over time had made itself clear to be the surface of some large, copper structure. What looked to be stalagmites had turned out to be spires of some sort jutting out of the surface of the structure.
It was the wires that made them both realize. Wires attached to the walls of the chamber. Humming with energy. Either the object is powering Tartan or Tartan is powering the object. The largest spires are the source of the extreme cold.
As they trekked on, the wires became more commonplace. Soon, it is almost like a jungle planet's worth of vines. Then, they found the hatch. A hexagon shape. Willem Havik asked Natum Vijf to open it and the bot had. Only to find that the heat inside is unbearable. Approaching boiling.
Something like Nul-At suits were inside what seems to be an airlock, but their design made no sense. Three armed. Massive but light. Headless.
They had decided that Natum Vijf would try and enter to see if there was someway to turn the heat off or seal the inner door.
- {Normal Brawny, Nate} >> 3,3 >> No.
But Natum Vijf had slipped and fallen down the strange ladder, more like a collection of spikes, into the structure. Gravity was heavier and the heat was strong enough to mess with his own function.
As he lay at the bottom, feeling neither pain or sadness, he noted that the heat down here was even hotter. Well over 100c. Air continues to rush up at him as it channels down the strange, webbed corridors.
Then they came.
Tall. Three legged. Three armed. Headless. Their body covered in large spines or spikes. Their skin dark but cracks showing light from within. They moved slowly. Natum Vijf thought they moved like something in pain. They prodded at his metal body with their three finger hands, and then looked up...
...and started to ascend. Leaving him to dwindle in the blistering hot darkness.
[NOTES] DOUG'S COMMENTARY
This was ready to go out on Friday or Monday, but stuff happened and more stuff and things just got delayed.
I think these things, whatever they will be, will have to be hard stopped at the last "true surprise". The ruins designed to trap them, the ancient Kionite worship that potentially involved them, the worms being driven to the surface. It's all starting to paint some interesting pictures of some ancient evil. Now, are these things the ancient evil or the victims? We can find out together.
Once again, I will say that I intend for some sort of robots to be running some sort of amok. Eventually.
Maybe.
[NOTES] Credits
The image used for this session is a render by Alex Shuper (via Unsplash+). I did some relatively minimal processing to it. Thought about trying to render it against something like a cavern wall, but it tended to look hokey combined and I like Shuper's work enough as it is.
- Technically, I had implied she talked to him at the end of Scene Seven, but there was no sign of the conversation so I'll just change it to this to keep the timing more logical. ↩︎