Rifts Adventure IC

[Purr]

Gradicus the Red Edge
Atlantean Undead Slayer​

Spoiler: Instrumental Mood Music

"Theology/Civilization" by Basil Poledouris for the Conan the Barbarian Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

Gradicus's jaw dropped momentarily. Terra possessed no Atlantean clothes? Nothing from her clan's dimension? Just a few things from the ancient homeland of Atlantis and little else? Something inside of him just could not stand for this.

Despite his empty belly, Gradicus rose wordlessly from the table. With a calmness unlike a gladiator, he walked over to Terra. As he approached, he put his tattooed hands behind his neck and began gently wrestling with something. Carefully, he pulled something from about his neck and placed it around hers. It was a gorgeously-carved wooden cross carried by a beautiful leather cord that seemed to have the very faint scent of trees upon it.

Spoiler: Gradicus's Gift to Terra

(Image credit: Amazon.com)

He tied it well so it would not loosen unless she willed it. "There," he grinned. "Since I cannot outfit you with clothes from your clan, you have something else - directly from Atlantis.

"I carved this from wood gained by an eight-foot cross in the earth we used to practice our gladius-work upon. The leather cord is from a cross carried by a former slave and priestly ally of mine. That cross was smashed. But now upon you, it lives again," he chuckled, "much to the sorrow of any vampires you might meet in your future, I shall wager."

With that, Gradicus moved to reseat himself. "So..." he asked Terra. "Should I try this bacon and coffee?"

View attachment 493936

STATUS

Location: Elder Brazamal's manor, dining room
Active Effects: None

 

[Psychie]

Terra can't resist a chuckle at the passion of Olsen's description of coffee and bacon. "My fellow adventurers, we are in the presence of a true believer!"

She then looks up at Gradicus as he walks over to her, curious as to what the younger Atlantian has in mind. When he slips the necklace over her head and explains the import of the gift, her jaw hangs open in shock. "You . . . you would give me this? Gradicus! This is truly a epic gift, and I swear that I shall never take this cross off from around my neck. Thank you." She then jumps up and gives the tall man a powerful hug, hiding her face to keep the others in the room from seeing the tears of joy streaming out of her eyes.

After a moment, she finally releases her captive. Terra then steps back and simply says, "Thank you."

 

[Dano]

​

Trent Lockhart
Smuggler
​

He watched in amusement as Gradicus moved around the room towards Terra and offered her a 'trinket'. When he retreated to his seat and asked about the bacon, he pulled a slice from the pile and tossed it over towards him. The strip landed on Gradicus' plate and Trent nodded approvingly as he picked up his own slice and held it like a glass of whiskey, as if to 'cheers' him, before he brought the crispy delicacy to his mouth and crunched down. The fatty morsel almost melted in his maw as he savored the flavor. It was better than he had remembered. Lord Brazamal's comment made him glow with confidence, "By my calculations, the River Walker and Captain Ramius should be here by noon..." looking around at Kimberly, Shaona, and Terra to see if any of them were impressed by his skills, he comes back to Brazamal, "...You said this needed to be an expeditious excursion and I always deliver..." Trent sat back in his seat feeling a bit proud of himself as he continued to savor the bacon in his hand.

He noticed that there were still a few missing from the table that had previously been at dinner the night before. Intrigued as to why they were not short he spoke up again, "Lord Brazamal, it appears as though the group numbers have dwindled... Are you confident that what we have here will be sufficient to complete your task?" His words may have come across as doubting, but it was more about protecting his own hide that he was truly concerned with...

 

[Purr]

Gradicus the Red Edge
Atlantean Undead Slayer​

Spoiler: Instrumental Mood Music

"Theology/Civilization" by Basil Poledouris for the Conan the Barbarian Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

Gradicus returned Terra's hug with a wide smile. It was Atlantean to care, to show affection, and to live with goodness foremost in the heart. But it was truly wonderful to receive a hug from someone who meant it with all her heart. It was the first hug he had received since he had left his family and home in the dimension of Goroth. It felt wonderful!

She must have truly been raised differently than he, he thought. To give and to care was what being Atlantean, or at the very least, of the ever-hospitable Marisiniszyn clan! He remained her willing 'captive' until she freed him.

After a moment, she finally releases her captive. Terra then steps back and simply says, "Thank you."

"Goodness shared is goodness doubled." Gradicus beamed his returned gratitude back to Terra in the form of his blue-eyed smile.

Then he returned to his seat without a thought as to what anyone else in the room thought.

It was Gradicus the Atlantean who crossed the room, but when Trent the Human tossed the piece of crispy bacon upon his plate, it was Gradicus the Red Edge who took notice. Gladiators were a notoriously lusty lot. They had many motivations. Some in base desires, others in climbing heights of blood and glory. Most of the successful ones fired their nights with fame, wine, coin, and some lovely to sweat and smile the night away with. Most of the unsuccessful ones were screaming out their souls in Hades.

In short, gladiators were not to be trusted, especially if they were not of the Brotherhood of Dread. Trent, of course, knew none of this. But given Gradicus's lack of experience in the Federation of Magic, Gradicus chose to treat this group as if he were still in his ludus (school).

Humans... as bright and free as supernovas or as dark and greedy as black holes. Which was Trent? Some of both? There was but one way to find out. Trent seemed perhaps to be a man of coin. Perhaps talk of such would break barriers between them better than bacon.

"You work quickly," Gradicus nodded favorably as he plucked the slice with his bare hand and examined it. Innocently, yet pointedly, he tried to make small talk. "How much did this Captain Ramius and his River Walker cost us then?"

Elder Brazamal's talk of the black promise of war had also not gone unheard, nor had the empty chairs beside them gone unnoticed.

But the bacon smelled delicious.

STATUS

Location: Elder Brazamal's manor, dining room
Active Effects: None

 

[Sherwood]

Brazamal watches the play by play between Terra and Gradicus silently, but with approval. Then, when Trent asks about the numbers of the team and if it will still be possible to do pull this off, he looks back at the two Atlantians. "It would seem that with the withdraw of Sharro from consideration, it will place a larger burden on both Terra and Gradicus as the heavy hitters of the party. So long as you do not approach the cities and keep a low profile, you shouldn't have too much difficulty. But I am glad that I am about to bond Terra to a second Automation."

 

[Psychie]

Terra suddenly feels the weight of the mission suddenly rest a bit harder on her shoulders. With a deep breath, she says, "I promise to do my best to make sure that we all get back, alive and in one piece. That being said, when do you want to start the Bonding ritual? Should I prepare myself to do this after breakfast?"

 

[Sherwood]

Brazamal nods. "It will take about two hours, and after the ritual is done, you will have plenty of time to gather up your personal equipment, then you can have your Automations loaded onto the ship and be prepared for departure. While we are performing the Bonding ceremony, the rest of you should make whatever arrangements you need to in preparation for your sea trip. As I said, the Bonding will be about two hours, so you have that much time for anything you'll have to do."

 

[Silanon]

Shaona, technowizard

Emotional gestures that would have caught her completely flat-footed, given the hour - the scene between both Atlanteans still brings a smile to Shaona's lips as she watches, uninvolved and yet somehow glad that the common ancestry already brought these two slightly closer. Logic and money can bring people together, but it's gestures like this one that allow them to bond. A simple wooden cross - Shaona's hand slowly wanders towards the simple pocket knife on her belt; a simple gift, and yet the symbol of a new beginning.

The beginning of a journey that most likely will end in the jaws of Atlantis. There's a ship incoming to get her there, a bunch of unknown strangers to have her back, and there's also bacon on the table. Sometimes, you have to force yourself to notice the positive things in front of your eyes.

"Two hours should be plenty to grab the few things I left behind when I came here yesterday - I'll make sure to leave right after breakfast." The wizard's hand grabs coffeepot and refills her mug, as if to convince herself that she'll actually be awake enough for the ride. "Bacon first, though." She digs in while ordering her thoughts before adressing the elder once more. "You talked about war, right? How close are we, actually? Got a few friends who wouldn't dare to stand down when the worst happens. Kind of worrisome."

She pauses for another moment. taking a gulp and almost spitting the way-too-hot drink all over the table. Yeah, totally awake. "They'll be fine though - they've always been. We've got other problems." Her eyes wander to find Trent at the table. "Anything about the ship that we should be worried about, not counting repairs? Captain, crew, anything? I've been robbed more than once, and you know your contacts better than we do, luckily."

 

[Sherwood]

Trent has never met Ramius himself, but he's heard of the man. Marko Ramius has a good reputation as a straight shooter, and when he gets a job, he honors it. Other than that, you will just have to go with Charlie's recommendation of the man. He wouldn't have offered up his name if he thought that he would betray you and make a run for it with your money.

In the meantime, everyone manages to enjoy breakfast and Brazamal takes Terra to go to the Automation hangar to begin the bonding ceremony.

 

[Psychie]

Terra follows Brazamal to the location where the Automations are stored and where the Bonding ritual is performed. She has gone through this once before, so this is no surprise to her as the elder dragon begins the ritual. One step closer to the adventure in her ancestral homeland. I sincerely hope that this goes well.

 

[Sherwood]

As the bonding ritual takes place, the rest of the party now have about two hours too yourselves to gather up any supplies and far that you may need before you load yourselves into the transport boat for your trip to Atlantis. For some of you, your gear is already packed on your own transport and is ready to go to the harbor. Others among you will need to go to where you are currently hanging your hats in order to get your weapons and armor and haul it all to where the boat will be waiting for you.

 

[Epiphany]

Kimberly Finn​

As the cohort she'll be traveling with assemble and disperse, Kimberly waits in the midst of them, unmoving, like a statue. With the Atlantian's public recognition of her, the others had evidenced little interest in her and, while she found them interesting, the reclusive nature of the White Rose Mystic Knights coupled with the taciturn nature of the Altarains meant she had little idea of how to approach them. Instead, Kimberly concentrates on the evident mood and atmosphere of the crew. It's largely...relaxed. Positive even, more so than they had been last night. The fixer for the crew's solution seems to have galvanized everyone to action. Action is something Kimberly very much appreciates.

Already armed and armored, the Mystic Knight considers the dining room for a moment before turning to depart without another word. As always, the Great Dragon's library looks promising with its many tomes of lore but, as always, the books are mere shapes of mass to her. No more useful than a television, less so since they provided nothing to listen to.

With no diversions and no business to wrap up, Kimberly strides through the streets of the city, aware of everyone near her and yet apart from them. When she reaches the harbor, she is unsurprisingly the first one there. No matter. The Knight finds a section of the dock by the boat and kneels, resting her palms on the tops of her legs. Bending her head, Kimberly meditates instead. For she has much need to sort out her thoughts.

Atlantis. Not home but the home of lifetimes of existence. Memories of shops and stores, of apartments kept trickle through her mind. Flashes of creatures hideous and beautiful, glimpses of horrific weapons and more scenes than she cares for of capturing slave after slave after slave for Atlantis' endless markets. The lives of her ancestors have a rich internal life, much as she does, but their lives and circumstances were so constrained compared to hers. Altarain, yet born free. The only one she knew, unique even in the memory of her ancestors. And now she was about to put herself back in their power, within reach of their chains.

It took most of the remaining two hours for her to master her nerves and regain her stoic demeanor.

STATUS

Location: Lord Brazamal's manor, dining room
Active Effects: None

 

[DraconianWarrior]

Blake, Cyborg

As soon as Olen notifies me about the teams decision to take a boat i nod to him in acknowledgement and then set about my transport making sure that everything is in order as well as moving things around to give myself room to fit the mini helicopters in the trailer, and then i return the books i borrowed from the library.

 

[Sherwood]

Down at the docks, there are several supply crates that have been delivered and are under guard, waiting for the River Walker to arrive. Soon enough, a medium sized cargo ship slowly pulls into its berth and ties down, and a large boarding ramp extend down from the bow of the ship designed for cargo trucks to be able to simply drive on and off the ship. As you watch, another flatbed truck comes up with a pair of tarp-covered lumps, and out of the cab of the truck comes Terra and Brazamal, and that the objects under the tarps are the two Automatons that are bonded to Terra.

Under the watchful eye of Capt Marko Ramius, the load master of the ship begins to direct Blake and Eric to load the truck and the APC. Next comes Terra's two magic mecha, walked onboard by the Controller one at a time.

Now that the cargo is secure, the captain turns his attention to his passengers. Marko is a D-Bee called a Grackle Tooth.

Spoiler

Details can be found in the book D-Bees of North America

The reptilian cigar chomping humanoid is far from the only nonhuman on the ship. There area variety of D-bees, even a ogre can be seen hauling boxes around the ship. Marko walks over to his passengers and looks you over. With a bit of a southern twang, he says, "Howdy y'all. Welcome aboard. I hear that the lot of you are on your way to Atlantis. A bit of a risk gong there, but it's your skin, and your money spends well enough even if you are dead. Not that I hope that on you; don't need that kind of bad karma laying on me. Now, as it stands right now, I'll let you off on the coast and stick around for seven days before I take my ship and be on our way. After that, well, I wish you the best of luck."

"I have a pair of bunk rooms capable of sleeping four each available for you if you are not wanting to sleep in your trucks. Chow is three times a day at seven, twelve and six. Any trouble from hostile parties out on the water and I'll expect your assistance in getting all of us through the scrap alive. After all, if we're sunk, you are in the drink with the rest of us. Any questions for me? If not, we'll be moving out in about an hour."

Psychie Epiphany Dano Purr DraconianWarrior Silanon

 

[Silanon]

Shaona, technowizard

'Save travels.' The words of the old, granny-like renter who had endured Shaona's presence for the last few days are still in the her mind as she pulls her motorcycle over towards the docks. Far from it. Never stayed out of trouble for long, but this is entire new dimension. Fricking Atlantis. Oh well - 'true knowledge is earnt on the razor's edge'. Guess I'll see if Ren'Olar was right. There is no sound when she arrives, the technowizardry simply swallows the usual noises of the slightly modified vehicle; quite a good thing, since it's the kind of machine that tends to roar like a lion once you start gathering speed. Not that she'd want to show off her skills or something...

She's just in time to see the second Automaton walk onto the ship, and to hear the short introductory speech. "No questions, other than where to park my trusty machine here. And I'd gladly settle down under deck, books and water don't mash too well. Just don't forget to tell me when the skull-smashing begins." There's not too much luggage she brings along: Just the necessitites for those of her craft and a number of carefully-chosen items. Gotta make sure that you're not slowed down by piles of garbage. "Oh, one question, maybe: Ever been to Atlantis yourself, or someone of your crew?"

 

[DraconianWarrior]

Blake, Cyborg

i follow the directions that lead me to load my vehicle onto the medium ship, when im done i exit my truck and walk over to the captain to hear his speech, when he is finished with his speech and after the techno-wizard finishes talking i speak up "thank you for the hospitality but i will be taking up quarters in my vehicle, also if any mechanical problems come up please dont be shy about coming and getting me,i also have a robosistant that can help around the ship, while it cannot fight it can serve as an extra mechanic and an extra set of eyes on the lookout for any danger, with your permission i would like to set it to patrol the ship. i also have two floating cameras that i would be willing to let patrol the ship" i look around me inspecting the ship "i also have a question, are you sure this ship can make it through the demon sea?"

 

[Psychie]

Terra follows the directions of the ship's crew as she stands to the side and guides her Automatons onto the deck. "Just make sure that they are strapped down securely. Each one is roughly eight tons, and if they go sliding about that could cause a lot of damage." In the meantime, she will have her gear stowed inside the Badger, assuming that Trent doesn't mind.

 

[Sherwood]

Marko looks over at Shanoa and sales his head. "No. But, I don't plan on going through the Demon Sea at all, instead we are going north of it and will hopefully avoid all the hubbub. Well then proceed along the northern coast to the point closest to your destination where we can get close enough to the shore for you to disembark. We might run into some Splurgoth patrol ships, but my baby here is a fast ship, and I hope to be able to outrun any threat out there. If not, we'll have a fight on our hands and I do hope your team can hold their own if that happens."

 

[DraconianWarrior]

Blake, Cyborg

i look at Marko "would it be ok if i took a look at the ships mechanics and blueprints once i get everything strapped down and set up with my equipment, i swear not to make any adjustments without the explicit permission of the captain unless in an emergency situation. and also what about the permission of my robossistant?"

 

[Sherwood]

Marko looks at the Borg with a raised eyebrow. "You're damn right you won't mess with my engines without my approval. But I will go ahead and say you can go ahead and poke your nose around below decks and see the heartbeat of the ship. Keep your bot under control, too, and we won't have any trouble."

As you are talking, you can see that the various crew members tying down the vehicles are yelling at Eric that he didn't park in the right spot. After a bit of arguing back and forth, Eric walks over to the rear of the Badger and he picks the end of the vehicle up with his bare hands and slides it over a few feet, then sets it down again. He doesn't even look out of breath. This has the effect of shutting up the ship's crew in a hurry. Even Marco is speechless, and he seems to be the kind of person that has seen a lot of shit in his years on the sea, and is not normally taken by surprise easily.

Eric acts like it is no big deal as he walks off and goes back inside the Badger.

 

[Psychie]

Terra stares in open mouthed amazement. Holy sweet Jesus on a biscuit! How the hell did he do that? I'm not even sure that my Automation is strong enough to lift a combat vehicle like that without using magic. And here I was thinking he was a 'normal' human. No wonder Lord Brazamal hired Trent. After a moment, she manages to compose herself and act like she has seen stuff like that a hundred times before. I wonder if he's a D-Bee, and if so, where does he come from? Well, we have some time on our hands as we travel. I might be able to learn some answers in the next few days.

 

[DraconianWarrior]

Blake, Cyborg

i nod to the captain "of course it wont touch anything without permission either" i say as i look over and see Eric lift the combat vehicle 'i wonder if ye has cybernetics that allow him to accomplish such a feat' i think to myself and then activate my x-ray vision to inspect Eric before he disappears into the badger

 

[Dano]

​

Trent Lockhart
Smuggler
​

Trent's eyes wandered around the breakfast table and then stopped at the Atlantian addressing him, "How much did this Captain Ramius and his River Walker cost us then?"

The look on Trent's face didn't change. This was certainly not his first rodeo, and deceiving others was what he had spent his life doing. As he finished chewing the bacon he replied, "...It costs us much less than what it would have if someone else had attempted to secure transportation..." Knowing that his answer was avoiding the question, he quickly changed from his previously over-confident tone to a much more serious tone. Looking at Brazamal he continued, "... Even with my connections it was going to cost us 12 million to get the River Walker..." which was the absolute truth, "... I was able to barter our protection services on board as well as any needed repair services to get the price just inside our generous host's travel budget..." Again this wasn't a lie, he stretched the truth as to what 'just inside' might mean, but it was certainly by no means anything to scoff at if he was able to save the group 2 million credits on a 12 million credit 'expense'. "... We saved more than sixteen percent on our travel, and the quality of the vessel will be unmatched for what we need..." Technically he did not lie, twenty five percent was more than sixteen, but he also knew that the percent that he was quoting was really one-sixth or sixteen and two-thirds percent.

Just then, another voice spoke up, "Anything about the ship that we should be worried about, not counting repairs? Captain, crew, anything? I've been robbed more than once, and you know your contacts better than we do, luckily."

Turning to the hesitant Shaona, Trent smiled, "The River Walker is more than capable of getting us to Atlantis. She is fast and can outrun any long range ship on the sea. I do not personally know Captain Ramius, but his reputation is one of an honorable man, and we are paying him well for the services we require. We have passage to Atlantis and the captain will remain offshore for one week before needing to return..." He paused for a moment before looking around the room and then back at Shaona, "...There is no need to worry about the Captain or the crew trying to rob us... Would you bite the hand that feeds you?" Trent sat back in his seat and crunched on another piece of bacon as the smug look returned to his face, knowing he had secured a reliable transport...

Purr Silanon

 

[Sherwood]

When Blake takes a quick look with his enhanced vision at Eric, you cannot see any signs of implants or cyberware in him before he goes back inside the Badger. As far as you can tell, he is a normal human.

With everyone onboard and the vehicles secure on the deck, Captain Ramius turns and heads for the wheelhouse to prepare his ship to cut loose from the dock and get underway. As he heads up, he looks over at Terra and says, "Just make sure that you don't get those rock-things frisky. I don't need them shifting about and causing the ship to capsize."

 

[DraconianWarrior]

Blake, Cyborg

i go into my trailer and open up Heaphistis's control panel and give him permission to patrol the boat and if anything seems out of place to report it to any crew members that it can locate, i also set my floating cameras to patrol the ship. when i am finished with that i seek out ramius, if and when i find him i ask "um excuse me captain but before we arrived there wouldn't happen to be any cargo or equipment that was meant for us was there? i was told that i would be receiving two stingers and a control gauntlet"