Session 1 (Broken Lands)

HOUND


The Chopper


A howl rises in the waste, echoing from shattered, ancient walls and roughly up-thrust mesas at whose base the earth is splintered, like wood punctured by blades.


Hound has seen wood, living wood - twisted and towering out east, shrouded in a stinging fog. 


Now he's crossing the salt flats, Arsenic's Source visible on the horizon beyond the heat haze. Followed in rough formation by his gang, Fleet and Rott on his left and right. He doesn't even remember the names of the four or so at the back of the pack; they haven't proven themselves yet. 


They're returning from a convoy escort - water from the Source to distant 'Bolgia, payment on delivery. Bright and his acolytes usually have something worth buying if you give them a week, but the Source pulls in traders from all over and the pack are eager to spend. 
 
@Teh Frixz, @ThaDruid, @Grey, @Skrakes


Excellent.


A few questions for everyone. Where do you normally sleep? Where does your food normally come from?


Also, can someone draw a map? I mean, put The Source down and what we decided was around it.




Arsenic,


You stand there. The new day. The view. The smoke. Is that smoke normally there?


Matilda comes up behind you. Who is she?




Thorn,


Where are you headed? Who are your contacts?




Bright,


Despite the warning, you're continuing the ritual, right? So, you're using augury right now? If so, make you're choices.




Hound,


You and your gang are riding. The land here up to The Source is flat. You can see the dust being kicked up by raiders coming in hard from the Southwest. You also see Bright's group outside The Source conducting a ritual.


What are the raiders out here like? And what do you do?
 
Matilda is a verge. Like on the verge of becoming an adult? Since I'm source keeper I'm not 100% certain how she's related to me, not supposed to know outside my direct line anyways, but she's like a cousin of a cousin? Either way she's got a little wasteland in her, shows in her eyes and in her actions. 


Pulling my eyes off Matilda and back onto the smoke I squint. Not normal to see smoke and there isn't anything left to burn naturally out there. So either someone got hit or there was an accident. I feel cool shivers go down my spine as I think about how much water it would take to douse a fire like that. 


Maybe that's enough water for the day... 


Back to Matilda, I scratch at my shoulder, flicking off dry skin. It lands back towards the ladder where I go up to sleep and watch the sunrise. I don't think I've had other people up there except for the day it was handed off to me. 


"Matilda, did you wake up everyone early again? Not complaining, just don't want to run em empty." 
 
HOUND


The Chopper


Raiders out here ain't the worst; there's still some semblance of honour and order among them, not like the mutant degenerates further east or the cannibals up north. But they've been known to take slaves. Hound has mixed feelings about slavery - a natural consequence of weakness, yet if you rob a man of his freedom you're proving yourself the weaker. You deny adversity and it's honing power. If you can't stop the Desert Dogs from freeing your slaves, you never had the right to them.


They can hear the howling of Hound's ride; if they're not running, they've come to die. 


Hound takes both hands off the bars to direct his men - flank and destroy.
 
Thorn usually sleeps on his back, wherever he runs out of energy for the night. He's a light sleeper; after what happened to Greta nobody tries to stop his stuff while he's snoozing.


Food and water comes from his clients. Thorn burns the lives of others to extend his own.


Right now, he's headed to Uncle Chan's place. Chan connects muscle with people who need muscle. Sometimes Aresenic's thugs need some backup. Sometimes a trader needs someone to hold their hand during a business deal. The fact that Handsome Chan looks like one of those water tankers backed over his face is neither here nor there.
 
Arsenic @Teh Frixz,


Matilda smirks. The devil is in the woman. She puts a hand on her hip. "Who else? Plus, shit wouldn't be rolling in the morning if I didn't. At least, that's what I tell myself." She moves closer and points. "You know what that is? They're already talking. And nervous."


How do you respond?




Hound @Grey,


I'm working out what move fits best. Do you want to seize by force or defend someone else from attack, like Bright's group? Defending someone else from attack is a variation on seize by force.




Thorn @Skrakes,


Okay. You're there. You walk in and Chan lights up. Well, as best he can, missing a nose and all. "Thorn! My friend! How's hanging?"


What do you do?
 
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Thorn


"Hung over, shoulder's fucked up again, outta water, outta money, but plenty of ammo." Thorn grins, drawing up his cleft palette and baring tooth and gum. The rift goes straight up to his nose. Yes, they share the kind of brotherhood that only a couple of ass-ugly motherfuckers can share. "You?"
 

Bright
​


 
​


Bright sleeps in his own tent, just like his followers sleep in theirs. They are all alike, he is no tyrant, just the one which leads them to the right path.


The Seekers have three ways of gathering food. Firstly, they can find some while scavenging, usually canned food, if it hasn't gone bad. Secondly, they can trade whatever they happen to have found for it. Thirdly, Jonathan, the only one of them that knows something about hunting, sometimes manages to catch an animal or two. Mostly small ones, nothing too dangerous, but, when prepared correctly, even Rabitox meat can feed some mouths.


Water... That's a whole different thing. Arsenic grants it to them, and some of The Seekers have started calling her "Lady Life". Ironic, considering her name. But, nonetheless, they have started revering her. Bright fears a heretical insurgence. Hopefully, the light will guide them back, onto the right way.


Even with the warnings, Bright insists on conducting the ritual. How can one be expected to find the truth, without trying every day? No matter the cost, it has to be done.

http://www.coyotecode.net/roll/lookup.php?rollid=137560    3+2=5
 
Thorn @Skrakes,


Chan Shakes his head, but keeps his smile. "I'm fucked on all sides. But hey, I'm alive, right? So, what can I do you out of?" Nothing like old man humor.




Bright @ThaDruid,


A man, Shan, stands up in the middle of the ritual. He points a 9-mm at you. "This isn't helping! This didn't help my woman as she starved to death. You didn't help her! What do you have to say for yourself!?" He's serious.


How do you respond?
 
Thorn @Skrakes,


"Right," Chan says. "Sorry. You said that already. All right, let's see what we've got." He opens a stained composition notebook.


Thorn, if you look at your playbook under barter, there are some gigs you can work. You can choose one from that list or I can give you more options.


What do you choose?
 
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Bright
​


 
​


Bright takes a step forward, and stares directly into Shan's eyes. He slowly raises both of his hands, and calmly starts talking. "What will you achieve with this, Shan? Will killing of a defenseless man satisfy you? Will my death put an end to your suffering? Will you become a savage, and start destroying innocent lives?" He took another step forward, and started talking louder, while still keeping eye contact. "Do you think i have forgot? Abigail's death rests in all of our minds, we have all weeped for her! But in this wretched world, death is common. You have to cope with it." Bright kept getting closer "This is not why you have joined us. This is not enlightenment. This is senseless murder. Is this what she would want, Shan? Would Abigail want to see you like this? Is this the man she truly loved?"
 
Arsenic 


"Talking already and it's not even breakfast time. One of these days someone is going to say something and not be able to take it back..." My eyes focus in on the rising column of smoke. "It's probably raiders making a big score." I don't say against who because we both know that nobody we know is setup that direction. 


"It'll work itself out. Let Babylon know and she'll take care of our security. I'm going to have breakfast"


with that, I leave Matilda to stand watching the smoke as I head into my facility.  
 
Bright @ThaDruid, Shan's pistol is shaking. This is a manipulate, for sure. It sounds like you want him to put the weapon down and you're using Abigail as the reason for him to stop. If you agree, roll it.




Hound @Grey, exactly. The only change is the option to take definite control. It instead becomes protect them from harm.


Roll it.




Thorn @Skrakes, Rum, a local Bullet Cook, needs an escort to a deal. It should just be a simple drop-off, but you're just in case things go South. She's putting up [4-barter] for the service.


Good?




Arsenic @Teh Frixz, you head in. What's it like in here? And what do you do now?
 
Arsenic 


I have to throw the hatch, the door out to the roof behind a repurposed vault door. It was three generations back we really ramped up security. Thing still is on a balanced hinge, pulling it shut behind me with little


trouble. A few steps and I'm inside the Hall. Above it at least, the upper deck overlooking the Hall. 


A bustle of voices greet me. My family up and already pushing beds aside and bringing out the tables for breakfast. Elders directing the children who run haphazardly across the room. The Hall itself is a multipurpose room. No throne. I'm not some hardholder scratching a living out by force. Just a blessed bloodline keeping my own safe. The Hall is still impressive. It's the structure people see from down the hill. The Windows screened in with rebar so the light filtering in is crossed with shadow. We all sleep here, they do at least. It's a communal area and keeps us in check. During the day, beds are pushed aside and it functions as a living space, a central location to reach the privvy, the launder, the kitchen and my control Gate. 


The main gate we keep locked. Babylon lives there. While I keep the Source, she keeps us. Nobody has made it through by force or coercion with Babylon holding the door.  


With little to do I raise my voice, echoing in the hall. They will stop to listen. 


"Another new day has come and again we awake in comfort to see it. Our Family continues to grow and prosper and our Source will never abandon us. Because our Source is our Blood. With that in mind, all of you remember. We are a cut above the panic and discord of the wasteland below. By our morals we let our Influence grow outside the walls of our Home" 


I stay silent as I try to lock eyes with all of them. 


"A smoke cloud in a burning world means fire. And if there is one thing we have in plenty, it's the tools and the willpower to quench that thirst. Let us continue to do our jobs, raise our family, and rise above what the world is. Have a good morning and a happy breakfast everyone" 


I let them respond how they may while I climb on down the spiral staircase to the floor below. Tables are brought up with bowls of water and grain mix placed at the settings. It's humble but good food. Free of the pain and want of the wastes. I can taste right off the bat though we are using our stores, the harsh taste of the grain grown on our rocky hill. I finish it anyways before going to find out why we are using our stores and where my traded grain is. 
 
Thorn @Skrakes, oh yes. She's very good at what she does. Rum loads up her car with boxes and boxes of bullets. Where are you guys at right now, anyway? I forgot to ask. A holding close to the Source?




Arsenic @Teh Frixz, makes sense. So, you go talk to Mill. Is he the Trader or Grainer? How does trading work, by the way? And when does it happen? Is it just one Trader you have or more?




Bright @ThaDruid, you can see a change in Shan's face. It softens. Tears well in his eyes. He tucks his weapon back in his pants.


"You're right," he says. "I'm ... sorry. So, what do I do now? I have nothing left ... "


What do you say or do?
 
Hound @Grey, yes. Choose 3. Your options are:

  • You inflict terrible harm (+1harm).
  • You suffer little harm (-1harm).
  • You definitely protect Bright and his followers from harm.
  • You impress, dismay, or frighten your enemy.

Just so you know when making your decision, this gang of raiders is small.
 
HOUND


The Chopper


Snarling under the roar of his bike, Hound sweeps in from the side with machete drawn, aiming for the guy in the lead. Decapitate him; watch the rest crumble. 


He rides out the far side of the raiders with a contrail of blood wicking off his blade.

Inflict Terrible Harm, dismay, and definitely protect Bright
 

Bright
​


 
​


"This is an opportunity. You will understand your own mistakes, and learn. Don't worry Shan, you can cast off your sins, and be reborn as another man." Bright looked around at the Seekers that were observing them, some in awe, while others didn't even show the slightest emotion. He, once more, locked eyes with Shan. "Give me your gun, shed your clothes, and stand alone for the rest of the day. Think about yourself, about your memories, about her. Do not let your mind be clouded by anything else and focus. Come back here when the pale moon rises." He held out one hand, awaiting Shan's weapon. It would be a risk to let him keep it, any distractions had to be eliminated, and more importantly, Bright had to be sure that the man would not use that gun on himself.
 
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Thorn leans against the side of her car, wrapped in his Golden Age armor, Violator -- his LMG -- held at a neutral but ready stance. He glances at the stacks of ammo.


"Somebody wants a lot of 7.62." He fiddles with the slide on his gun.


Right now they're in Permit Required, a holding centered on an old building where Golden Age people used to stash their wheels, supposedly. It's named for the ancient, cryptic sign hanging over the entrance.
 
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