>>32762290
On your way out of the desert, you managed to find a mysterious treasure map in a deserted Prospector camp. With your new-found friends' caravan in shambles and little capital to your own name, whatever is at the other end of this map might be just what you need to get the ball rolling on your new life here. There's just one problem. It's the time of the year when the dead rise from their graves and try to make new friends by killing their old ones.

With the desert now filled with not only shadows and sandworms but a literal horde of desert-preserved undead to boot, you need a solid group at your back if you want to have any chance of getting that jackpot.

You've agreed to let your ghostly friend Wallace use his contacts to assemble a few candidates to join your impromptu treasure hunt. You've met a friendly merchant named Yang who offered to do the same. Two days later, you wake from a troubled sleep at the Desert Rest Inn, escaping from dreams of tarot cards and strange questions. This is the day Wallace and Yang are supposed to meet you outside with the candidates willing to risk it all for a share in whatever treasure you find. It's also the day Marie is due to be released from the healers after being wounded during your trek. If all goes well, it'll be the same day you all leave for the desert again, curfew or no curfew.

>>32762316

You sigh and roll to the side of the inn bed, getting up with a yawn and turning to look at yourself in the dirty and spotted mirror hung on the inn wall. After all this time focused on survival, you realize this is the first time you've had to actually care about things like grooming or hygiene. Some part of you notes this is the first time you've seen your reflection in a mirror since awakening in the desert. You blink at the reflection, it seems almost alien to you.

>You stare at the face of a young man, adult life just barely begun. What happened in your past to make you end up here so fast?
>You stare at the face of a man in his prime, a face that would be robust and healthy if you hadn't just spent the last few days in a sandy hell.

>>32762343
>You stare at the face of a man in his prime, a face that would be robust and healthy if you hadn't just spent the last few days in a sandy hell.

I suppose since this is starting back up from a long hiatus, it'll take time for players to trickle back in.

>>32762371

You scratch at the stubble growing on your chin and frown. Before you leave for the desert again, you might want to consider a shave. You'll probably be out there for a week at least, and who knows when you'll have leisure time again the way things are going? Oh well. It can wait for later. You begin dressing, the only set of clothes you own thankfully having been cleaned the day before. There's nothing left but to start the day.

First things first, you...

>...leave to check on Marie in the Temple of Dunamon.
>...track down Wallace and get him to open those mysterious crates you bought, see what's inside.
>...have a nice breakfast and wait for Wallace and Yang to show up with their candidates for hiring.
>Other.

>>32762696
Probably.

>>32762729
>...leave to check on Marie in the Temple of Dunamon.
If we have Marie in tow, identifying anything in those crates will probably be easier.

>>32762729
>>...leave to check on Marie in the Temple of Dunamon.

>>32762729
>>...leave to check on Marie in the Temple of Dunamon.
Make sure she didn't explode or anything. We've had enough friends dying.
>>Other
Make sure Skirtch is staying out of trouble.

>>32762780
>>32762829
>>32762873
You leave the inn and make for the Temple of Dunamon. After a short walk through the city you arrive, and when you inquire about Marie, you are quickly ushered by the monks to the recovery ward.

Marie is once again dressed in the short robes provided to the temple's patients, her things neatly bundled beside her bed. She has an expression of irritation on her face as an elderly man in a simple white robe looks her over. That expression fades when she sees you.

"Thaddeus!" she calls, wincing as the man pokes a bandaged wound on her exposed arm. "You came! Can you tell this doctor that I'm perfectly fine and can leave now?"

"Now, now," the old man calmly says, continuing to check the bandaged areas of her body. "You are well enough to leave, yes. But I cannot let you go without a final check on how your injuries are healing."

Marie lets out a groan of frustration and rolls her eyes. "It's awful here, Thaddeus. You'd think it would be nice and quiet to study in, but between the chanting from the temple proper and the moaning and groaning from the other patients... Well, I'm never complaining about trying to study magic in a caravan again!"

>"They're just doing their jobs, Marie. Be patient."
>"I'm sure she's fine, doc. You can leave her alone."
>Other.

>>32763020
>>"They're just doing their jobs, Marie. Be patient."

>>32763020
>>"They're just doing their jobs, Marie. Be patient."
No need to rush and then get re-injured.

>>32763038
>>32763141
Marie sighs and slouches back on the bed.

"I know... It's just... frustrating to be so close to being able to leave," she says. "I'll meet up with you at the Desert Rest Inn when I get cleared. Anything else you wanted or just checking up?"

>"No, just checking up. See you soon."
>"How are you holding up?"
>"Yeah, I had a question about _____."
>Other.

>>32763256
>>"How are you holding up?"

>>32763256
>"How are you holding up?"

>>32763256
>"How are you holding up?"

>>32763276
>>32763338
Marie sighs, and shakes her head.
"It's going to be awhile before I can answer 'okay' to that and not be lying. I've known Eli, Gult, and Wallace for years. They were like family to me." Marie's hands ball into fists at her sides. "Family that was butchered by those demonic freaks out in the desert... Everyone always knew the risks, and that wasn't the first time shadows attacked, but... but it was the first time I'd ever seen them be so VICIOUS."

Marie shakes her head. "If I was smart, I'd ask to stay home from this jackpot hunt you're putting together, but I'm more angry than afraid. If the shadows come back and attack us again, I'll make them regret it. If I go back out there, kill... well, destroy a few, I figure maybe I won't feel so helpless when I remember the attack."

>"There wasn't anything you could do."
>"I feel the same way."
>"Just don't get hung up on payback, I doubt Eli would want you to become some sort of crusader."
>Other.

>>32763486
>"There wasn't anything you could do."
>>"Just don't get hung up on payback, I doubt Eli would want you to become some sort of crusader."

>"There wasn't anything you could do. They would have attacked whether we were rested or not."

>>32763525
Which are you voting for, first or second?

>>32763624

I guess I'll go with the first for consensus

>>32763486
>"There wasn't anything you could do."

>>32763486
Wasn't anything you could do

>>32763525
>>32763659
>>32763668
>>32763539
"There wasn't anything you could do..." you begin to say.

"I KNOW that!" Marie says, his eyes narrowing a little. "That's what makes me feel so helpless! The knowledge that no matter what we did, the minute that swarm of shadows noticed us, we were good as dead! We made every preparation... we took every precaution and it STILL wasn't enough! What kind of a world is this where people like Eli, Gult, and... and hell, even Wallace can get brutally killed just trying to make a living in this blasted desert?!"

Something about her words strikes a chord with you. Something pulls at your memory, trying to come forward...

>Focus on the memory (d100 required.)
>Let it go.

Rolled 29

>>32763778
Focus

>>32763486
>"Just don't get hung up on payback, I doubt Eli would want you to become some sort of crusader."
>Other: "You did the best that you could, you still survived."

Really guys? Reinforcing a survivor's sense of helplessness by telling her there was nothing she could do?
You thought that was a good thing to say?

>>32763778
Focus on the memory.

>>32763851
As opposed to saying "you could have saved them?"

Those shadows wanted us all dead.

>>32763851

Maybe you should have voted for something else then instead of playing the blame game

>>32763923
No, as opposed to "you still made it" or "you still survived even with your wounds" or "we still saved who we could".

>>32763954
I did. My post was this >>32763800
My connection delayed my vote so that it was too late.

>>32763954
It doesn't change the fact that you still thought to say it, though.

>>32763793
You try to bring the memory forward, but it slips through your grasp. All you get is a vision of the same woman you've seen before, shouting something, a muffled scream in which you only manage to make out the words, "I hate this world..."

When you snap to, Marie is waving her hand in front of you.

"You okay?" she asks, wincing. "I wasn't... Sorry, I wasn't mad at you, Thaddeus. I know you were just trying to help. Sorry."

"It's all right, I just... had a bit of a flashback myself," you say. "But you did the best you could, Marie. You survived. Eli and Gult both would've wanted you to survive. Wallace still wants you to survive."

Marie's face creases with pain and she nods.

"I know..." she says, looking down. "Look... look, you'd better get back to the inn. I'll meet up with you when I'm ready. Who knows what'll happen if that merchant and Wallace show up with the recruits and there's no one left to recruit them?"

>Return to the inn, await recruits.
>Track down Wallace, open crates.
>"What could happen? Here, I'll keep you company and we can both go back to the end."

>>32764072
"...to the inn."

What an unfortunate slip of words.

>>32764072
>"What could happen? Here, I'll keep you company and we can both go back to the end."

>>32764072
>>"What could happen? Here, I'll keep you company and we can both go back to the end."
To the end and then to the place beyond that!

>>32764072
We should head to the inn for recruits.

>>32764072
>Return to the inn, await recruits.
She's right. We need to get our priorities straight.

Rolled 20

>>32764206
>>32764134
>>32764122
>>32764091
High, tie breaks in favor of staying, low in favor of going.

So do people actually have any idea what to do if the recruits arrive and we're not there?

1. Get recruits.
2. Check crates.
3. Get supplies.
4. Head out.

Anything else major we need to do?

>>32764382
"Yeah, you're right," you sigh, turning to leave. "I'll see you later Marie. Don't beat yourself up about what happened."

"I have no intention of doing so," Marie replies. "I intend to beat up shadows over what happened."

Returning to the inn, you find Wallace and Yang going over a line of about fourteen people. A folding desk and chair have been placed outside. Wallace waves when he sees you, and Yang brightens, approaching you with an outstretched hand.

"Mr. Black! Good to see you again!" he says, shaking your hand and then gesturing to the line of applicants. "Your friend Mr. Wallace surprised me with who he managed to get. I think we have a good pool of people to hire from for your little adventure!"

"That's a lot more than I thought we'd get," you say, eyes traveling over the motley crew. "How much is this going to cost?"

"Well that's the thing," Wallace says, tromping up to you. "We managed to haggle these candidates down to 1/6th a share of whatever we find after we take our cuts. So of these fourteen, we're going to get six, unless you can manage to convince some to work for lower pay or something."

“Oh! That reminds me, I never paid you for your help with my Warehouse of Holding!” Yang says, reaching into a pocket. “Here, I set this aside the other day, then forgot to get to you. Sorry for the wait!”

The merchant then hands you a golden ring worked to look like a band of twisting feathers.

>Gained Ring of Feather Falling: This ring automatically slows the fall of its wearer when he would suffer injury from it.

"I hope you find it useful! I'll be inside if you need anything!" Yang then waves and walks inside the inn. You sigh and walk over to the folding chair, sitting down in it and facing the would-be hires. You notice Charlie leaning against the wall to the side of the inn's door.
(1/2)

>>32764576
5. Loot loot

>>32764612

“Kind of strange, isn't it?” Charlie asks, looking over the line of candidates. “You'd think Marie would take charge, given she's the last surviving member of Eli's caravan.”

“She says she freezes under pressure,” Wallace replies, following Charlie's gaze over the assembled hopefuls.

“I don't think that's true,” Charlie says. “I think it's an excuse for another reason, but it's irrelevant. We're here now.”

"Ready to start?" Wallace asks, inclining his head to the line.

>"Let's get this over with."
>Other.

>>32764636
>>"Let's get this over with."
Let's get this over with. Hopefully we've got some cool applicants.

>>32764636
>Other
"First, any candidates you think are shoo-ins, as well as what skills we're looking for?"
Let's make sure we're all on the same page first.

>>32764716
"If you want my opinion, which you clearly do since you asked for it," Wallace says, looking over the line. "We're probably going to want someone who can heal, someone who can repair and maintain technology, and a good front-line fighter. You can pick whatever you want for the other three slots, but it's pretty important we get at least one person for each of those roles. A scout or someone with a solid set of survival skills would be nice too, remember that the desert itself can be a foe if we run low on water, or get lost. I'd give you my picks, but I haven't had time to talk with the people Yang brought, so I'm going in half-blind. Anything else?"

>"No, that's it."
>Other.

>>32764836
>>"No, that's it."
Let's see what we've got.

>>32764836
>Other.
Anything to watch out for, or people that might have special requirements?

>>32764836
A good cleric would be worth their weight in gold then. I've heard of them creating water with just magic.

>>32764981
"You're completely right about that. So unless Yang found another cleric, I'd say we've got at least one shoo in. I found a cleric of Dunamon willing to tag along with us," Wallace nods, pointing to a portly man amidst the others. "I leave it up to you, though."

>>32764920
"Just keep in mind that trustworthiness is also a factor," Wallace says. "We've already got one rat thanks to you. I don't want to deal with two."

"Skirtch isn't that bad..." you says, but Wallace shakes his head.

"I really really hope you're right about that, but this isn't the time. As for special requirements... I don't know. You'd have to ask each candidate. None of mine have anything like that that I know of."

>>32764886
"Well I guess we'd better start then," you say, turning to the line. "First candidate, step forward!"

File: Firstcandidate.jpg (5 KB, 124x358)

5 KB JPG

>>32765087
A man in a military uniform and a black armored vest steps forward. A red beret is perched on his head and an assault rifle is slung over his shoulder. You size him up for a minute before you speak.

“All right, give me the sales pitch,” you say, leaning back in your chair. “Who are you and what can you do?”

“Name's Mark. Mark Levinson. Up until a year ago, I was an officer in an outfit called the Hazardous Environment Combat Unit. That means I'm trained with all sorts of firearms and I'm used to heavy combat in extreme conditions, with an emphasis on urban and close range engagement. You want someone to clear out the interior of a wreck, make sure it's safe to salvage? I'm your man,” the soldier recites. He taps the armored vest he wears. “Gear wise, I've got this beauty called a PCV. It lets me take more than a few hits before I start to feel anything. Still have my rifle and some hand grenades, so I'm a lot better armed than these yo-yos with muskets and old bolt actions. I've got basic survival training too, and this wouldn't be my first time in the desert.”

“All right, good to know, anything else?”

“Not really, but I think that's enough. You want some real military on your side, hire me.”

>Ask a question.
>Next candidate.

>>32765104
Does your rifle use a common type of ammo? It'd be inconvenient if we ran out due to it being rare.

>>32765160
"It's just 5.56mm NATO..." he begins to say, then sighs. "...you don't know what that is, do you? It's not common, but not exactly rare. It pops up a lot out in the desert, and there are a few gunsmiths that can make... decent imitations in the city."

>>32765236
What types of creatures do you have experience fighting against?

Other than that, next candidate.

>>32765297
"Jesus, at this point?" Mark waves a hand. "Lightning throwing monsters, six kinds of zombie, aliens who bark and then shoot bees at you, every sort of human enemy you can think of, walking squids..." Mark grimaces. "Then I came to this place, and added another six kinds of zombie, werewolves, sandsharks, and whatever the hell that thing with no face that tried to kill me last Tuesday was."

“Okay, thanks. You can step back now. Next candidate!”

A young man in patchwork armor steps forward next. He grins cockily, hair pulled back into a long ponytail. A bulky looking gun is slung over his shoulder, alongside a strange looking metal staff. He laughs as the HECU marine passes him

“Real military... get a load of that guy, huh? Bet he'd drop and give you twenty if you yelled at him the right way,” he says, tapping his forward. “I'm ex-military too, but I don't put on airs. Yang said you wanted a combat engineer? Good luck finding anyone else with as much knowledge as I got about weapon systems on this rock.” He taps the bulky gun. “Built this scatter laser myself from scrap.” He taps his armor. “Less proud of this armor, but when I get the right parts to upgrade it, that'll change. You want someone who can cut through a bulkhead with a fusion cutter or a computer system with a hacking program, you come to me.”

“I somewhat doubt there are computer systems out in the desert,” you say. The man waggles a finger.
“Wrong! Plenty of ships and stuff that crash in the desert with their security systems intact. Sure, it's a bit of an awfully specialized skill, but if you need it and don't have it...” the man grins. “Anyway, the name's Jack, nice to meet you. Any other questions, or can I go back to baking in the sun?”

>Ask a question.
>Next candidate!

>>32765104
"Have you seen the dangers in the desert?"

>>32765390
Normal staff or weapon?

>>32765420
"What you mean the shadows? Or the zombies? Or the sandworms? Or the weird faceless giants in the depths?" the young man rolls his eyes. "How do you think I got here? They didn't exactly roll over and let me pass after I patted them on the belly. Yeah, I've seen them. I'm not too keen about going out there again, to be honest, but I want to find a way off this rock, and that's going to take heavy coin."

>>32765501
"Oh this?" the young man grins, patting the metal rod. "I built this myself too. It's a weapon and a tool all in one. One end has a taser built in, another has a fusion cutter, this panel here opens to protrude a hydrospanner... Well let's just say I never need a toolkit if I have it with me." He chuckles. "And it's sturdy enough I can bash someone with it if I catch them pickpocketing me. I call it..." he smiles. "...the Staff of Awesome."

"That's the dumbest name I've heard for a weapon in my entire life," Wallace says. "The dumbest." The young man blanches.

"Yeah, well, create something from the ground up and lets see what YOU name it," he says, turning back to you. "We done here?"

>>32765629
I believe so. Next candidate.

>>32765629
How about "Werkzeug?" It means tool.

>>32765738
The young man pauses. "That's... not so bad, actually. Werkzeug... Huh. Maybe I'll name the mk.2 staff that when I finish... Thanks for the idea."

>>32765673
Jack steps back and you motion to the line.

A portly man in chainmail and a tabard steps forward next. The symbol of a gear against the rising sun decorates his tabard in many places, the same symbol hanging around his neck. “Blessings of the Lord of the Gear be with you, brave adventurer! I am Brother Antolitus, a battle-priest of the holy church of Dunamon! I hear you intend to strike out into the desert, but do not have a holy man with you. Surely you do not intend to tempt the lurkers in the desert without Dunamon's grace to shield you? For but a paltry share in your wealth to bring back to my temple, I can provide you with that and my own experienced skill as a healer and spellcaster.”

“...didn't even have to ask anything that time,” you comment, looking the man over. “You've been out to the desert before?”

“Oh yes, many times,” Brother Antolitus says, nodding vigorously. “One of the sacred duties of the temple is to safeguard the brave souls who wander in the desert and wrest away its secrets to benefit all mortalkind. This will be my seventh venture.”

You look to Wallace, who shrugs.

“Clerics are always a little preachy, but you can't deny how useful they can be to have around,” he says.

You look back to the cleric, thinking.

>Ask a question.
>Next candidate.

>>32765812
What are the tenets of your faith?

What do you know for spells?

>>32765887
"My spells are selected for their ability to aid in traversing the desert and protecting my charges while doing so," the cleric says. "I can heal wounds, create water and food in an emergency, ward off evil spirits, and call on the blessings of my god to aid my friends in battle." The cleric pauses. "I would be honored to tell you all about the wonders of Dunamon as we travel, but to give you a summarized version, Dunamon is the god of civilization, progress, and hope. He requires his followers to aid those causes in whatever ways they can. Therefore, many of us aid the attempts at recovering technology from the desert, in the hopes that one day it will be widespread, the pillar on which a new society may be built! Dunamon te-"

Wallace holds up a hand. "Thank you, Brother. Save some of it for the trip, though, huh?"

"Oh. My apologies, of course," the cleric bows his head and walks back to the line.

"This is taking a bit longer than I thought," Wallace sighs. "Here, I'm going to start calling them all out, just ask questions as you see fit. Next candidate!"

A grizzled old man in patchwork armor not unlike the combat engineer steps forward. A scoped bolt action rifle is slung over his shoulder, and a backpack hangs heavy on his shoulders. A belt with several pouches and tidbits of gear attached to it is drawn tightly over a gaunt waist. He sniffs and looks you over.

“Name's Anatoly,” he says. “Been a Prospector twenty years before th' damn board took my license. Wallace says you're looking for help. Pay me right, and I'll serve you right. I know the desert like the back of my hand, know how to survive in it. Know all about its dangers. Only know a little 'bout fixing things, but I know what's valuable and what's not. Not a bad shot, either. Don't like to talk, though.”

>>32766109
“Hail, good sir!” a figure in full plate armor declares, stomping forward. “I am Sir Leo Persym, knight-errant of Sercie, of House Persym. I boast that you will find no one stronger in feats of arms than I, and no one mightier with a blade, axe, or mace! I can withstand the blows of a hundred men and fell fierce giants with but a single blo-”

“OK, stop right there,” you say, holding up your hands. “First off, you are wearing full plate mail. We are going into the desert. Secondly, no offense, but I think you're exaggerating your accomplishments just a tad.”

The knight seems to deflate. “Ah... sorry. All my brothers talk like this when talking about what they can do, I just sort of thought... Well, nevermind. Can I start over?”

“Please,” Wallace says.

“I really am a knight-errant of Sercie,” Leo says, pulling off his helmet to reveal a man barely into adulthood. “I was on my very first quest, returning a cursed item to the temple of Dunamon here for destruction, when, ah...” the knight gulps. “I sort of... spent all the money I needed to get home.”

“You spent all your money,” Charlie says, deadpan.

“What did you spend it on?” you ask. Sir Leo bites his lip.

“Um... that's not really important, is it? Anyway, I really am a good fighter. I've trained all my life to be a knight, so as long as something can be hurt by a blade, I have a good shot at putting it down. My plate mail... might not be the most comfortable thing to wear in the desert, but I know how to move in it, and it doesn't really weigh me down that much. I had my tabard enchanted so that the worst of the desert heat is nullified... though I'm not going to lie, I'd still much rather be home in the forests and fields of Sercie than this place. I figure if I help you, I'll earn enough money to get home, and maybe bring a tale of glory back too. So... ah... please consider me. I really don't want to be here anymore."

>>32766141
"Next candidate!" Wallace calls.

A diminutive woman with dusky skin and dark hair steps forward, tugging the sleeve of her jumpsuit into place before snapping a salute.

"Ah, that's not needed," you say, waving a hand. "We're not a military unit."

The woman gives a brief nod, relaxing her stance to parade rest. "My name is Fatima Bahram. My skills include traditional weaponry and piloting, both of which pale compared to my psionic abilities. If you need a mind melted, I am the one to come to."

"Traditional weaponry?" you ask.

"Hand-to-hand, pistols, rifles, both assault and sniper, rocket launchers, flame throwers, anti-aircraft weaponry... need I continue?"

"Those weapons are traditional?" you ask, raising an eyebrow.

"When compared to alien weaponry, I think it could be considered so, yes," she replies matter-of-factly.

"...alien weaponry?" you ask.


Fatima raises a brow. "Weapons created and used by alien races," she responds. "Please tell me that you are aware of what aliens are? Or need I define those as well?"

"No, no, nevermind," you say, shaking your head. "You have your own gear?"

"I possess armor which augments my psionic abilities, and a pistol."

"That's it?" you ask.

"It was what I was wearing when I was brought to this god forsaken world," she replies.

"All right, thanks. You can step back now," you say, nodding to the line.

Fatima gives another nod. "Thank you," she replies, stepping back.

I'm liking Mark, Jack, Antolitus, and Fatima so far.

File: battler-cycle.gif (35 KB, 400x355)

35 KB GIF

>>32766196
"Come on, come on, keep it moving," Wallace calls.

Someone in a fully enclosed suit of technological combat armor steps forward. It isn't until you see her remove her helmet that you are able to tell it's a woman.

"I'll keep this short," she says. "Name's Sybil Lafeld, and I used to be a military pilot. Problem is, nothing flies around here that doesn't want to eat me. The good news is that despite my fighter becoming a useless wreck out in the desert, I still have something to drive around." The woman gestures to what you easily recognize as some sort of motorcycle leaning against the tavern wall. "It's called a Cyclone, and it's one of the few functioning machines out here that doesn't run on bullshit and steam. I get on that thing, and nothing's catching up to me. Runs just fine out in the desert, and I'm packing a hand-laser for heat. Got all that?"

"Well here, I thought I was unique," another candidate says, stepping forward. This one is a young man with close-cropped brown hair and a face with a few scars over it. A multi-barreled gun hangs from a rig on his back, and he grins as he spreads his arms wide.

"Name's Axel. Military pilot myself, though I flew something a bit nicer than a fighter. I'd offer my services as a mech-pilot, but I doubt you'll find one functioning out here. Instead, I'm advertising my general skill with heavy weapons, like this nice Megapol Autocannon I looted off the last salvage job I did. Fires explosive, armor piercing, and incendiary rounds, and I've got a nice stock of each. I've got power armor training too, if you happen to find a suit and either want to be taught or want someone to use it for you. I've also got your standard soldier package of survival training and combat skills, though it's looking like that's not that very special in this bunch. Anyway you want something blown up, come to me. You want something flown? Come to me."

>>32766678
"No, if they want something flown, they should come to me," Sybil says, turning to Axel. "You don't look like ace material to me."

"Oh, and you are?" Axel laughs. "I recognize that fighting kite you've got on your bike there. What wave were you with, the first? Second? Third? At least my outfit doesn't fuck around when it comes to planetary assault, Mars Division has a reputation for scr-"

"You shut your mouth!" Sybil says, throwing a punch at Axel. The two pilots begin to brawl as Brother Antolitus, Mark, and two of the other candidates intervene. Ignoring the chaos, a man with glasses and a cap walks forward. Heavy headphones cover his ears, a cord linking them to a heavy backpack device of some sort. He wears baggy clothes with multiple huge pockets on them and effects an over-dramatic bow before you.

"Hello!" he cheerfully says. "My name is Lect Ulanvis, technologist at large. Unfortunately, I can't say I'm as good in a fight as... uh, anyone here, but I know machines inside and out, and am well versed in all the physical sciences."

"What's with the headphones?" you ask, pointing. "And the backpack?"

"Oh, I can't be without my music!" Lect laughs. "I rigged up my portable lab to let me listen to the greats all day while I worked."

"Portable lab?" Wallace asks. Lect nods, tapping his backpack.

"Everything I need to test, create, build, and analyze is in my backpack. Not...exactly as thorough as a good laboratory facility, but those simply don't exist on this backwater planet. So I make do."

"Hey buddy, I've got everything I need and it fits in a staff!" Jack calls from the line.

"You're just an engineer," Lect says, dismissing him with a wave of his hand. "I can build AND research!"

"Keep up that attitude, and I'll engineer my boot up your ass!" Jack calls, only for one of the candidates to lay a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, we've got enough fighting already..." he says. Jack rolls his eyes and steps back, mumbling.

You are all skilled in your own areas. Could you quit with the fighting?

>>32766945
"I'm back," Marie says, approaching you, Charlie and Wallace with a tired look on her face. "What'd I miss?"

"Oh, some of the new recruits are demonstrating of us their hand to hand skills," Wallace says, hooking a thumb at the brawl being broken up. "Real firestarters we've got here."

"Oh good," Marie says. "Nice to see we're selecting from a pool of people who know the value of teamwork."

"Well, we're not done yet," you say turning and pointing to the would-be peacemaker that spoke to Jack. "You, step forward."

A young man with short silver hair steps forward next, he has a calm smile on his face and wears a beat up black suit and tie, of all things.

“Standard questions, then?” he asks, tilting his head.

“If you don't mind,” you say.

“Not at all. My name is Cael, and I'm a healer and empath. I focus mainly on restorative magic, though I can also cast a few support spells to do things like partially absorb attacks, put people to sleep, things like that,” the young man says. “Some of my spells are effective at hurting undead, including shadows.”

“What's with the suit?” you ask. Cael laughs, fingering his sleeve.

“Woke up here in it. Don't know what it's made of, but it's really hard to pierce and looks and feels like a normal suit,” a smile tugs at his face. “There are a few other things it can do... I guess you could say I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

You let out an audible groan alongside Marie.

“If you tell jokes like that frequently, you're going to make this decision awfully easy for us,” you warn him. He smiles and holds up his hands.

“Sorry, I just couldn't resist. The pockets hold more than they should be able to, like bags of holding. Other than that and its protective abilities, I think that's it.”

"Okay, let's keep this rolling," Wallace says. "We're almost done. Next!"

>>32767146
"You are all skilled in your own areas. Could you quit with the fighting?" you shout towards the dueling pilots. At a word from their prospective employer, both reluctantly shrink back.

"She started it."

>>32767204

A man in a helmet and light combat armor steps forward. Like so many of the others, he is weighed down with combat gear, and a rifle. He shoots a glance towards Mark and shakes his head.

"Christ, was there a discount on soldiers or something when you went looking for new recruits? Harry Ford, marine. Ex-marine, now I guess, doubt I'm even seeing home again. Ah, standard soldier skills, but I'm a bit more technologically oriented than most. I've got a motion tracker and a hacking tool if you need a bypass run that doesn't require a dedicated specialist. Pulse rifle with underslung launcher says I'm pretty set for weapons. I've got an incinerator rifle too. Downside is, I've got little experience desert fighting, and the ammo for my gun is rare. But it's not like I can't just use a different gun if I run dry."

"Another flavor of grunt," Wallace sighs. "I should've coordinated with Yang."

>>32767369
"Next candidate, step forward," you say, rubbing your eyes. A hooded figure step forward, the cloak hanging loosely on a gaunt frame. Emerald green eyes glow dimly in the shadowed face.

"What do you want?” the candidate rasps.

"Give me a run down of your abilities and what you bring to the table. Why should I hire you?" you ask, folding your hands in front of you. "Actually, before that, why are your eyes glowing?"

"I am told they glow when I am annoyed," comes the response as the figure raises a somewhat delicate hand, a blade composed entirely of glowing energy appearing a moment before the dagger is flicked at the makeshift desk, embedding itself in the surface before dissipating. A moment later the figure seems to dissipate from sight much like the dagger did, reappearing behind you. "Any other questions?" they hiss.

"Oh yeah," Wallace sighs. "This one's a real team player."

"So I'm assuming hand to hand fighting and summoned weapons," you reply without a beat. "Can you specify any other skills that might be relevant in our little treasure hunt?"

"Can your weapons hurt shadows?" Charlie asks.

The figure shrugs, their voice not spoken aloud but now mentally, distinctly female if a little lower in tone than average. “I have no way of knowing that. I can tell you that they cut as though no armor is present.”

"And telepathy too," you say. "So you're some kind of warrior psychic. All right, that might be handy. Anything else you can do?"

Her eyes seem to flicker briefly. “Speak again.Tap a foot. Make a noise.”

You open your mouth to speak, but find no sound issues forth. You drum your fingers on the table and all is quiet. You arch an eyebrow at the hooded woman.

>>32767488

"I am an assassin by trade," she rasps. "My abilities lend themselves to stealth and speed. I can also pick locks, when the need arises."

"Psychic assassin. All right," you nod, motioning to the line. "Okay, that's it for now. Next candidate!"

As the assassin walks back to the other candidates, Wallace sighs.

“A psychic assassin with a bad attitude. You're asking for trouble if you go with that one,” he says.

“Direct the bad attitude at our enemies and trouble might happen to them instead,” Charlie says. Marie frowns, shaking her head as the final candidate steps forward.

I think we should go heavy on the anti-shadow people. Right now is zombie season and the undead have come out in exponentially greater numbers.
Lasers are great but won't hurt incorporeal undead

>>32767541
A woman in light clothing with a heavy, scoped gun steps forward next. A pair of multilensed goggles obscure her eyes, and she smiles brightly.

"Well I say, this is quite the setup you have here," a silky voice with an inflection approximating a British accent says. "This what you're using as your home base? Have to say, the decor could use some work. Taxidermy will work wonders for that. Speaking of which, by any chance do plan on encountering any large, trophy-worthy beasts on this expedition of yours?"
"Possibly..." you say. "Hard to tell with the desert. Why do you ask?"
"Beasts worthy of becoming trophies are the best hunts of all!" she exclaims, drumming the fingertips of a hand covered by an oddly-designed articulated armor against the butt of the rifle she holds. "What greater achievement in life is there?"
"Getting rich," Wallace says.
"Saving a life," Charlie says.
"Researching a new spell!" Marie says.
"Yes well," you say, waving off the others. "I take it you are a hunter, then?"
"But of course," the bespectacled woman replies, adjusting her goggles. "Not only am I skilled at taking down large beasts, but I am also a master of survival in the wilds. You don't find the best prey right off the well-worn track, after all!"
"Does that include deserts?" Charlie asks.
"It does," she replies.
"Okay, step back to the line," you say. "You'll know in a few minutes."

"That was the last of the candidates," Charlie notes.

"Oh thank god," you breathe. "Remind me never to take a job in human resources. All right, we need to pick six, right?"

>Select six candidates.
>Sorry that took so damn long.

>>32767693
Do we know what out of these would probably work the best against shadows? Do we have an idea of what kind of weapons at all can hurt shadows?

>>32767730
To your knowledge, magical weapons and spells are capable of hurting shadows, possibly fire. The other weapons would work fantastically on the corporeal undead and desert dwellers, but not so much on the ghostly undead.

Mark, Jack, Antolitus, Fatima, Lect, and for the last slot, I'm torn between the Paladin in training and the Assassin who didn't give us her name.

>>32767803
Cael would make a good last slot.

Mark, Jack, Antolitus, Fatima, Lect, Cael.

While the Assassin could be useful, a bad attitude could get us all killed. And a spare healer would be nice.

>>32767896
Does that have enough fighting power though? Honestly, I kind of want the Mars Division girl, but that's more as a MOSPEADA fan.

There's no telling when that assassin will get out of line. I say we take in Antolitus, Leo and Cael.

>>32767996
I like Mark because he has experience with some of the creatures of the desert, and his main weapon has a readily available source of ammo.

Mars Girl could be a decent replacement, especially with the Cyclone, however, we don't have anything that would allow us to keep up with her, so she'd be decent for scouting, but stuck at our speed otherwise, and her weapon seems a little weak.

What about Anatoly? He IS the most experienced guide and tracker with the most experience of the dangers of this specific desert.
We really need to consider that a guide/scout.

>>32768151
That does raise a question. Why did he lose his liscense?

>>32768202
Do you want to ask him that? You can ask any question from any candidate until you finalize which 6 you are taking.

>>32768425
Yes, I'd like to ask the Prospector why his license was taken away.

>>32768460
"Anatoly, why did you lose your license?" you ask, folding your hands in front of you. The ex-Prospector stiffens, scowls and mumbles something.

"I didn't hear you," you say.

"Arms smuggling!" Anatoly snaps. "I was caught selling shipments of rifles to someone on the Overseer Council's blacklist."

I'm still thinking Mark, Jack, Antolitus, Fatima, Lect, Cael for our choices.

>>32768546
Who?
And is getting on their blacklist an indication that the person is untrustworthy, or just that they ran afoul of someone in power?

>>32768629
Jack and Lect seem like there's going to be quite a bit of intra-party friction, though.
And we don't really know much about Fatima's psionic abilities. Like, would it let her detect the undead that we're going to face, or fight them?
Can she mind-control some of the monsters we face?
A guide would be more valuable, especially if we've already got a frontline fighter in Mark.

>>32768646
"You don't... huh, you ARE new here," Anatoly comments. "The Overseer Council is the group in charge of the Prospectors. They dictate policy, oversee trade agreements, and are responsible for managing the settlements against the interests of foreign nations like Terres or Sercie."

"Getting on their blacklist means you pissed one of them off in a big way, because the Council loves gold above all else," Wallace comments. "It's... not necessarily someone that deserved it, but there's a nice chance you're not good people if you're on the blacklist. Even the most petty Overseers tend to put profit over pride."

>>32768629
Mark - frontline fighter
Jack - engineer
Antolitus - healer
Fatima - psi fighter
Lect - scientist
Cael - secondary healer

No guide, no real good survivalist (just regular military survival training), no person who knows the beasts and monsters we'll face.

Fatima, could you explain your psychic abilities to us a bit better?

>>32768760
I'm willing to swap out Fatima for Anatoly if you think it'd be better.

>>32768786
Swapping out Fatima would depend on the extent of her psi powers.
If she's got psychoportation or her psi powers let's her completely map an area and even detect/attack shadows, then we may keep her instead of Anatoly, or maybe switch out Lect for Anatoly.

Both Lect and Jack can bypass security systems and engineer solutions; Lect just has research capability.
Unless we're going to be doing research projects, Jack might be all we need.

>>32768769
Seconding more information on Fatima's psi abilities.

>>32768880
>>32768769
"My psychic abilities allow me to attempt to cause panic among the enemy, remove fear from allies, project a short-lived telekinetic field that makes it easier to resist physical attacks, and even control someone's mind," Fatima says. "I can also attack someone's mind directly with a psychic lash or generate a psionic storm that's a bit more damaging than a standard rocket attack."

Fatima seems to pause, opening her mouth to say more, before closing it without another word.

>>32768982
How are you with looking through memories?

>>32768982
"Do any of your powers, besides telekinesis work against the undead and non-sapient beasts of the desert?
"There's always the chance that we'll face off against intelligent adversaries, but we're going to be fighting a lot of undead right now."

>>32769044
"Memories?" Fatima asks, looking a little startled. "I... I've never tried before. It shouldn't be too hard, though. Just another facet of mind control."

>>32769080
I've currently got a real bad case of amnesia. Could you do anything about that?

>>32769057
Fatima considers this. "I believe my psionic storm ability should affect the undead, and all my abilities should work fine against animals. I don't think I can mind control or panic ghosts, though."

>>32769105
"I can try, but it might take some time. I'd suggest finding a safe place and a large block of time. Depending on how it goes, both of us might be vulnerable while I work," Fatima says. "You should know that if I do that, I'll see just as much as you, if not more. You'd be giving up any privacy."

>>32769127
"A question to all of the magic users and psionicists: about how many times a day can you use your powers before needing rest? And some casters are limited to a certain number of uses of a power a day; what limitations does your power have?"

Basically, are dealing with uses per day, a power point pool, or spell slots?

Okay, everyone knows that with the way the loot is going to get split, we're only going to be able to take 6 people along.
Once we pick 6 though, I think we should then open up the option of someone reducing their share and another person accepting a smaller share so that we can get another person.

Everyone brings something that's useful, and it's something that we should put on the table once we have 6 slots full.

>>32769127
>my psionic storm ability
Can we know a little more about this?
Like, will it also hurt allies in the area of effect, and how many times a day could she use it?

>>32769264
Good luck with that. 1/6 of a share of loot is already normally rather small. I don't think most of them are going to be willing to go to 1/10 so we can bring more along.

>>32769171
"I must pray daily to Dunamon for my spells, and once cast they are lost until I pray again," Antolitus solemnly says.

"I can cast any spell I know until I run of mana, which usually takes a long time," Cael states. "At that point, I'd need to refrain from casting until I regenerate enough."

"I can use my powers at will, but after using each one, it takes some time before I can use it again," Fatima says. "Usually a few minutes."

>>32768859
>Unless we're going to be doing research projects, Jack might be all we need.
But Jack is only an engineer.
Lect could, in theory, do biological and chemical analysis, to help us find weaknesses in beasts, as well as formulate antidotes.

In fact, let's ask the two battle engineers their abilities besides mechanical and electrical engineering.
Biology. Chemistry. Warp Field Dynamics and Singularity Mechanics (in the rare off chance that we have to shutdown a singularity inductor drive that's about to go critical).

>>32769342
It's something to put on the table, that would help to increase not only the chance of success, but of everyone coming out of this alive.
No one has to accept it, but it would be remiss of us to not even suggest it, when Wallace himself was the one who said it might be possible.

>>32769292
"It will tear apart anything in its radius, friend or foe, and it persists for a short time before dissipating," Fatima says. "As I said before, I can use it anytime, but there's a cooldown period after each use."

>>32769418
"Anything else you might be able to use against corporeal undead? Or shadows? Any utility abilities, such as acting as a telepathic relay between team members?"

Remember guys, use your head and think ahead.
OP will not show mercy if we make a mistake.

>>32769377
After a short interview, you learn that in addition to mechanical and electrical engineering training, Jack has been trained in nanotechnological engineering. He doesn't expect this to be relevant, so did not mention it. He also has a good grasp on the science and theory behind most technological devices involved in weapons, starship, and planeship designs.

Lect is not as specialized as Jack is, but while Jack is focused on physics and then again on weapons, Lect has at least a general knowledge of nearly every scientific field, making him sort of a sage.

>Jack has greater skills that are directly applicable to crafting and repairing, while Lect has broader knowledge skills.

>>32769522
"Relaying messages telepathically should not be hard," Fatima says. She frowns, as if considering something. "I have... other abilities, but I do not think they will come into play. Except for perhaps two things. I have exceptional eyesight, and I cannot be possessed."

"How's that?" you ask.

"If something manages to fight past my will and seize control of my body, my body just shuts down," she replies. "A comatose Fatima is better than one trying to kill you, yes? That's all there is to it."

>>32769627
>>32769728
With this, I choose the following:
Mark, Anatoly, Anatolia, Fatima, Left, Cael.

I'm willing to switch Mark for Sybil (cones with power armor and fast scout), Leo (paladin, smite evil), or Harry (motion tracker).
Sybil is the one that's really the next most useful, since she starts with powered armor.

>>32770183
Well, I'm leaving it open for discussion until tomorrow. We'll pick up around 5 PM EDT, same thread. Thanks for playing everyone, things should pick up now that the party is about to be gathered.

>>32769728
Can either Cael or Fatima detect undead, of the corporeal and incorporeal varieties?
Does Leo have any magical abilities, such as Turn Undead or Smite Evil? Anything that would let him fight incorporeal undead more effectively?

>>32770382
A quick conversation with Leo and you learn that while he is a knight, he is not a paladin. He does not possess any supernatural abilities.

A quick conversation with Cael and Fatima reveals that Cael can detect nearby undead due to his being an empath, while Fatima cannot.

>>32770429
>just a knight, not a paladin
Leo just seems to get worse and worse as a choice.

bump

One more bump

Wait, are there anti-magic/anti-psi zones in the Deep Desert? Are there Anomalies in the desert that we should take into consideration when choosing recruits?

Is the cleric a D&D style cleric or Pathfinder?

Main difference is create water at will vs a couple times a day if he fills his orison slots with it.

>>32777009
D&D.

>>32775711
Wallace tells you that while it's possible something like that might be out in the Deep Desert, he's never run into anything of the sort.

bump

Mark, Anatoly, Anatolia, Fatima, Lect, Cael.

I'd prefer Jack over Mark, but above is acceptible to me.

>>32777316
I suppose a last round of questions for the grunts.
Do they have any combat engineer training, can they handle a welder or blowtorch, improvise explosive traps?

>>32781448
Jack can do all of that, and Harry can use a hand-welder. Other than that, no.

I suppose it would be impolite of us to ask if anyone has enemies that will come after us in the desert.

Anyone have any other questions they can think of?
We should probably call a new vote soon.

Session officially resuming.

You guys ready for the final tally?

>>32781773
Are you going to call for a new vote or use old vote posts?

>>32781822
It'd cleaner to use a new vote, but that wouldn't be fair to people that aren't here now, but cast their opinion the other night, so I think I'll bite the bullet and use old votes too. If you're here and have changed your opinion since last, please quote your old post so I know to disregard it in favor of your new picks.

>>32781999

I'm
>>32767803
>>32768629

Voting
Mark, Anatoly, Anatolia, Fatima, Lect, Cael.

>>32781999
Yeah, but their votes are from before we learned a lot of extra information about the recruits.

Anyway, still sticking with >>32770183

>>32782141
>>32782061
Well with your two votes, there's a clear majority for those picks.
>Mark, Anatoly, Anatolia, Fatima, Lect, Cael.

You call over Wallace, Marie, and Charlie for a quick huddle.

"I'm thinking Mark, Anatoly, Fatima, Lect, Cael, and Antolitus," you tell them. "Agreed?"

"Not exactly what I would've picked, but pretty close. Solid choices," Wallace nods in approval.

"Picking the cleric of Dunamon was a wise choice..." Marie winces. "...but now I'm doomed to hear more of their damn chanting even more. Oh well. The Jackpot should be worth it."

"I'm wary of Anatoly, but his experience should serve us well," Charlie says, expression neutral. "I doubt anything will happen, be even so, I'll keep an eye on him."

"Now, you mentioned earlier you might want to try haggling with some of the others for lowered shares or something," Wallace says. "If you want to try and get extra crew by offering them something other than a share in the find or half your own share or something like that, this would be the time."

"I'd offer my share, but I already declined it," Charlie says. You turn towards him in surprise.

"You don't want anything?" you ask.

"Not really," Charlie says. "I just want to find out what's going on with our memories. Money isn't really a priority for me."

"Then you're dumb," Wallace says. "You need money to do anything out here, and without resources, you can kiss any hope of finding out what fragged your brain goodbye."

Charlie just shrugs in response to this. Marie bites her lip.

"I... ah... I'd offer my share, but I sort of need the money. Spells are expensive," she says.

"Well, I'm not giving up my share," Wallace says, crossing his arms. "If we pull this off, this'll be the first lucky break I've had in years."

>"Six people should be fine, let's move on."
>Try to haggle/convince one or more of the recruits to come along.

I'd offer a quarter of our share to the knight. He might not be very useful, but he needs the money.

>>32782753
"Leo, was it? Here, I've got a proposition for you," you say, waving the knight closer. "Instead of 1/6 a share from the pool we set aside for new hires, why not join us in exchange for 1/4 my own share? It evens out to about the same amount, right?"

"It does?" Leo asks, blinking. "Oh! Then I don't see why not?"
>Leo is willing to join under these terms.

>>32783091
acceptable to me. He'll be on a temp basis until he can afford to go home, either way.

>>32783091
I'm willing to accept it.
I'd suggest having him stay near the spellcasters as an extra meatshield.
Without advanced survival gear, the priest is vital to our survival.

>>32783091
What about Sybil or Ford?
It ain't much, but it's still work.
And Sybil comes with power armor, and Ford's got weapons and combat engineer training.

>>32783440
>>32783554
"Then welcome aboard," you say, shaking Leo's gauntleted hand.

"Any other deals you want to try to make?" Wallace asks.

>Try another deal.
>"We're done here."

I'm >>32783554
I'll hold off until we get this answered >>32783603

I'd rather keep the remaining share of our money. And they'd be harder to convince.

>>32783713
>>32783630
I'm a little confused as to whether you want to try to use that offer on Sybil or Ford in addition to Leo, or tell Leo you just changed your mind and go for one of them instead.

>>32783916
I'd like to go with just Leo in addition.

>>32783916
In addition to Leo.

>>32784053
>>32783933
Well both of them are willing, but unless you really want less than half of your original share, you've got to pick Sybil or Ford.

>>32784089
We're gonna need a lot of money. Just Leo should be good.

>>32784089
I vote for Sybil, in order to have 2 Power Armored fighters and someone who can be a fast scout.

Rolled 2

>>32784172
flip a coin? 1 means we go as is. 2 means we take yours.

>>32784204
>>32784172
"Ha!" Sybil laughs as you shake her hand, agreeing to take her too. She turns and waves to Axel, still in the line. "Enjoy your stay at the inn, Axel! Looks like some of us have work to do!"

"Yeah, go sit on a cactus you biker bitch!" Axel retorts, hoisting his autocannon and pointing to you. "You change your minds, Yang knows how to get ahold of me."

"Blast and bebother," the big-game hunter sighs, giving you a slight bow. "Wallace, do give me a ring if you find use for me. I'll be staying at the Last Oasis until this bedamned blood-moon is done."

"Good luck with Lect," Jack says, turning to leave. "Guess it's back to helping out at the tinker shops."

Harry shrugs, giving a half-salute to Mark as he leaves. "Semper Fi, Mark. Good luck with this bunch."

"Oorah," Mark replies as Harry leaves. The assembled recruits disperse without further comment, leaving you with your new companions.

"Splendid!" Lect says, clapping his hands together. "So... now what?"

You pause for a moment as you consider your next move. You could start the treasure hunt immediately... but then again you still have to have Wallace open the crates you bought. There's also the matter of deciding if you want to try the job offered to you by Mr. Hertz first, breaking the city curfew to salvage a site without rivals.

>Open crates.
>See Mr. Hertz about his job.
>Prepare for the trek and set out. There's been enough dilly-dallying.
>Other.

>>32784690
>Open crates.
Let's see what we've got. Then we can figure out if we've got the time to do Hertz's job.

open the crates

>>32784769
>>32784839
With Wallace in tow, you walk back to your inn room where the two mysterious crates you bought still lay, untouched. Wallace's armor clatters to the ground as he stops haunting it, the ghost smiling as he walks over to the pair of containers.

“I got this idea the minute I saw these things,” Wallace says, his ghostly visage shimmering as he puts a hand on one of the crates. “Get a load of this.”

Wallace vanishes in an instant, seemingly sucked in by the armored crate. For a few seconds, nothing happens, then there is an electronic beep and a mechanical clack. The crate's top pops open and a thin stream of mist exudes from the box's sides, forming into Wallace.

“I figure if I can haunt my armor, I can probably haunt other things too. All I had to do to open those crates was shift a few mechanisms, manipulate a few wires...” the ghost frowns. “...that was a bit more draining than I'd like, though. So this sort of thing should be a last resort.”

“Draining?” you ask, frowning. Wallace nods.

“Not too bad here in civilization, but I'd think twice before doing something like this out in the field. Last resort kinda thing, you know?” Wallace says. “I don't want to burn too much energy haunting stuff to unlock it when I could be using the same amount of energy to haunt my armor or go Juggernaut when the baddies come.”

“Understandable,” you says, looking to the crate. “Can you get the other one, though? I'm going to see what's inside.”

“Sure thing, Black.”
(1/2)

File: g36e.jpg (12 KB, 525x225)

12 KB JPG

>>32785074

Wallace repeats his little trick on the other crate as you peer inside the first one. It's a rather disappointing haul, but at least it's useful. The crate is packed full of M.R.E.s, Meals Ready to Eat. Foil-wrapped rations that take forever to go bad. The second crate yields a better haul. Inside are several carefully stacked ammunition magazines alongside what looks like a customized assault rifle. A sleeping memory wakes up and tells you it's a modified H&K G36E, a high quality, accurate weapon. It looks like it's in pristine condition, which is a far cry from most of the salvaged weapons you've seen around here. There's a note written in a language you cannot understand mixed in with the ammunition.
>Gained H&K G36E.
>Gained Large 5.56mm Reserve
>Gained Large MRE Reserve

>>32785120
>There's a note written in a language you cannot understand mixed in with the ammunition
Let's see if our party can read the language.

>>32785120
We should check Hertz's job now.

Wasn't the Hertz job a bounty to kill him?
And the other job was an under the table salvage gig?

And wasn't it 3 boxes, not 2?

>>32785211
"Oh! I can!" Lect calls, reaching for the note and taking it out of your hands. "Cyrillic letters... Ukrainian. It says, 'Nimble- Here is your latest order as requested. I want my cut in the usual place. If you make up stories about shipments just disappearing again, I'm going to have my boys pay you a visit. Arms shipments don't just vanish, not even in the Zone."

Mark winces. "Don't know who that guy is, but sounds like the gates' tendency to nab junk from other places screwed him more than a little bit."

>>32785341
Oh, wait. I got the crates mixed up with something else.
This line from the end of Session 4:
>You have a small amount of gold left over now, three unknown prizes

I'm still sure that the Hertz job was a hit ON Hertz, not FROM Hertz.

>>32785341
>The QM has made an embarrassing error.

You blink and shake your head, remembering it was the six-fingered man you offered you the salvage job, Hertz was the name of the bounty you so far declined to take.

>There were only two crates, though.

>>32785405
>One of the unknown prizes was the ring you were paid by Yang. The other two were the crates.

>>32785120
>modified H&K G36E
>Nimble
>Zone
We're probably looking at the GP37.
http://stalker.wikia.com/wiki/GP37

Unfortunately, there's not enough information to tell which STALKER game it's from.

>>32785473
I think we should take the salvage job.
It'll give our team a chance to work together, get some extra money for the supplies we'll need to go after the Jackpot, and see if we need someone else skilled for a salvage job.

If we had gotten the assassin, the Hertz hit would have been better, but with our group, I think the salvage job would be better.

Unless people think we should go straight after the Jackpot?

>>32785575
salvage job first. Probably less dangerous than the jackpot.

>>32785602
>>32785575
You return to the six-fingered man, who smiles at your arrival.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to keep away from a juicy opportunity like this," he chuckles. "Meet me back here at sundown with your crew. All you have to do is keep me and my team protected while we salvage, but if you help find a site, we'll be done that much faster. Remember, we'll be gone for at least two days, so prepare for that much."

>"Got it." (Wallace and Marie will handle basic preparations. Skip to job start.)
>"Got it." (Wallace and Marie will handle basic preparations, but you have something to do in the city first...)
>Other.

>>32786051
>"Got it." (Wallace and Marie will handle basic preparations, but you have something to do in the city first...)
Maybe try another hand at Yang's Warehouse of Holding?
I'm trying to think of anything else we might need to pick up on our way out.

Bullets for Mark and us, a gun cleaning and maintenance kit?

>>32786051
Got it - skip to job

>>32786265
You already solved the Warehouse of Holding and were paid the Ring of Feather Falling as a reward.

You already have extra ammunition for both Mark and yourself.

If you want to try and find a gun kit, they're readily available, though expensive. 50 gold coins.

>>32786447
Lect could probably do repairs and maintenance, but he'd still need parts and tools, which is what a gun kit provides, right?

Also, any solar-powered LED flashlights?
I mean, we get tech from all over; a flashlight or two would be nice. Or binoculars.

>>32786547
Those items are easy enough to find, two military flashlights and a pair of binoculars for 200 gold coins. You making these purchases, then?

>>32786660
Breaking for dinner. We'll be hitting the desert when I get back, so figure out if you want to do anything more.

>>32786660
I would like to purchase 2 military flashlights, 1 pair of binoculars, 1 gun kit for 250 gold.

We only have 750 gold, so we should probably get a second at least, first.

>>32787119
seems fair to me

>>32787119
Oh, get a mirror! Never know when we'll need a periscope or to look around corners!

>>32787969
>>32787119
The mirror gets thrown in for free.
> 2 military flashlights, 1 pair of binoculars, 1 gun maintenance kit gained.

The night air is surprisingly cold in the desert, a chilling wind blowing across the city as you and your crew file in to meet the as yet nameless tinker who hired you. He smiles again as he sees you.
“Punctual, punctual. A good sign,” he says, standing and motioning to two others, who also stand. Like the first man, these men wear loose-fitting clothes, are very pale, and have six-fingers on each of their hands. The tinker turns to you, smiling. “Let's not waste any time.”

“Aren't you going to tell us your name now that we've accepted the job?” you ask. The pale man seems a bit surprised by this question.

“Name? Oh, right. Edet is my name, apologies. When I get a goal in my mind, everything else seems to fade away, and that includes manners,” the man extends a six-fingered hand for you to shake. You do so, noting the grip is rather weak. “Yours?”

“Black. Thaddeus Black,” you reply, nodding to everyone else. “I guess we can handle the other introductions on the way if you're so hasty to get going.”

“Yes, please,” Edet says, moving forward. “The sooner we leave, the sooner we can come back. I hate the desert, but I love what it can provide for me. You are properly provisioned and supplied?”

“Best as we can be,” Wallace grunts.

“Good. That's good,” Edet motions with his hand as he reaches the door. “Come along, then.”

>>32788730
The strange man leads you and his two companions to the city's northern gate, where a bored looking guard waits, rifle held loosely in one hand as he makes eye contact with Edet and rubs his forefinger against his thumb. Edet sighs and passes him a small pouch that jingles with coins. The guard smiles and whistles a tune. The gate opens slowly, silently. He motions with his head towards the desert and speaks.

“Pleasure doin' business wid ya, mates. Even if I think yer dumber than dead, good luck,” he says, voice a whisper.

“Yeah, well,” you mutter. “Who dares wins, I guess.”

You return to the desert once more.

>I need five of you to roll 1d100.

Rolled 13

>>32788775
Welp, our luck had to run out sometime.
I just hope it doesn't get us killed.

Rolled 24

>>32787969
well fuck

Rolled 28

>>32788775
....yeah, these rolls are really pretty bad.

Rolled 40

>>32788775
Roll dem bones

Rolled 99

>>32788775
Horrible night for a curse?

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>>32789085
Clutch save on the last roll.
I just hope it's enough to counteract the first 3 bad ones.

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>>32788810
>>32788894
>>32788956
>>32789035
>>32789085
Under cover of darkness, you flee Mercutio, its guards that weren't paid off none the wiser for your disregard for their rules. Using your ability to sense shadows and Cael's ability to sense corporeal undead, you manage to slip into the desert without incident until the city is out of sight. The avoided encounters grow denser and denser as you press deeper into the desert, putting a strain on your ability to accurately sense shadows as well as Cael's ability to detect general undead. The crimson moon hangs low in the sky as your small caravan presses forward.

In addition to his two companions, Edet has a small wagon pulled by a pair of camels. Though empty for now, the tinker seems pre-occupied with thoughts of might fill it.

Sybil is wearing her Cyclone in what she called 'battloid' mode, her motorcycle integrated into her armor since she'll outpace everyone easily if riding it. She carries an oversized laser pistol and glances warily around the group, alert for any potential ambush.

Lect is the exact opposite of this. Occasionally chatting with Edet on technological matters, he mostly seems content to listen to his music, bobbing his head to a tune you cannot hear and ignoring his surroundings completely.

Leo and Antolitus seem to be having a hushed conversation about Dunamon as the group moves, though both keep their weapons in easy reach to their credit.

Mark and Anatoly are mirrors of each other, each handling their weapon with ease and sweeping the front and back of the group, motioning with hand signals when they spot potential threats.

Cael seems to wake with an odd confidence, his eyes closed to concentrate on his supernatural senses most of the time. He doesn't seem the least bit troubled to be in an undead infested desert, but unlike Lect, he doesn't seem to be off in his own little world.
(1/2)

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>>32789408

Fatima keeps to herself, fingering her pistol uneasily and occasionally gazing out into the sands with what some part of you remembers is called the 'thousand yard stare.' Occasionally, her hand starts shaking, but always stops quickly once she puts her other hand on it.

Wallace walks close to you, saying little, but occasionally talking with Marie, who stays close to him. Charlie says nothing at all, his eyes focused ahead at all times.

Skirtch skitters around, seemingly very unhappy to be in the desert, but unwilling to do more than voice complaint under your watch.

With most of your attention focused on keeping watch, you have little energy reserved for reflection, but for a brief moment, you can't help but note something. Being among a group like this... making decisions, even going into danger... it feels right somehow. Familiar as the desert is foreign.

Then you see a pair of burning red-coal eyes staring back into yours from a far away dune and you sense a presence flitting away nearby.

You are about to raise the alert to the others when Cael grabs your arm.

"Thaddeus," he says, eyes open now. "There's something close-by. Something big. I don't know why, but I can't seem to get a sense of it beyond it's close. Beyond that, something's following us."

"Undead?" you ask. Cael nods.

"I can't tell what, but they're gaining ground. They'll catch up to us in about six minutes, I think," he says.

"Shit," you says, spitting into the sand. "We're not even three hours clear and... no. No use complaining. All right. All right, here's the plan..."

>"We hold our ground here. Everyone get ready to intercept!"
>"We got spotted by something. It's risky, but everyone double-time north, maybe we can shake what's after us."
>Other.
>If you elect to fight, you may also suggest general plans and tactics, or leave everyone to their own devices.

>>32789723
>"We got spotted by something. It's risky, but everyone double-time north, maybe we can shake what's after us."
If Antolitus, Marie or Cael have any buffs that could help us against undead, now is a good time to get them ready.
Can Cael sense if the undead chasing us are in a group?
If so, we should get Fatima ready to use her psi storm on them while Mark, Wallace, Charlie and Sybil try to keep them pinned in the killzone. Leo keep an eye out for any that get through and come after the spellcasters and Lect.
Use the binoculars and see if we can get eyes on the undead chasing us.

>>32789968
>>32789723
Wait, are we in open desert right now? Is there anything to the north of us, such as a rise or hill, that would give us a tactical advantage?

>>32790150
Yes, there is a particularly tall dune to the north-east. Do you want to make for it?

>>32790189
Yes. We can try to get there and set up a defensive position. Better than getting caught in the open.
Tell Anatoly that's where we're going; if he knows of any dangers, such as something like that being a nest for a nasty beast, he'll tell us and we can set up for an intercept here.

>>32790219
>>32789968
"Cael, are the undead in a group?" you ask. The empath nods and you turn to Fatima. "Try and catch them in a psi-storm when they get close. All right everyone, see that dune? We're making for it, and setting up defensively there. Anatoly, keep your eyes up, tell us if that terrain's got a nasty surprise waiting for us. Marie, Cael, Brother Ant, if you have any support spells, this would be a good time. Everyone move! Double time!"

Brother Antolitus takes a moment to pronounce a throaty prayer over the group as Cael chants something under his breath, an invigorating breath of magic lending additional strength to everyone as shimmering fields of force pop into being around them, then vanish. Marie shakes her head.

"I've got nothing too useful until I see what we're fighting," she reports, hiking up her robe and dashing for the dune alongside the tinkers and Lect. Mark, Fatima, Sybil, Wallace, and Anatoly have a more orderly retreat, with Fatima taking rear-guard, preparing to blast away with her psionic storm. You are almost to the dune when Anatoly holds up his hand.

"Wait," he says. "Something's moving under the sand, there."

"I got a visual on our pursuit!" Fatima calls. "Check over there!"

You raise your binoculars to look where the soldier indicates and see a hunting pack of ghouls with skin made leathery by the desert. Twelve of them. You are about to put your binoculars down when you feel a sharp chill pass down your spine. On instinct, you whirl to the east and catch sight of an undulating black mass dotted with red, burning lights heading towards you.

"Shadows!" you call out. "Shadows east, lots of them!"

"I will prepare a ward at once," Brother Antolitus says, clutching his holy symbol as Anatoly points to the dune.

"We still headed for the dune? There's definitely something underneath it, I can see the sand shifting," the veteran Prospector says.

"What do YOU think?" you ask, sighing.

>Pick a weapon/power and roll 10d100.

>>32790726
Can Ghost Touch work with guns?

>>32790806
Yes.

Rolled 10, 60, 86, 55, 94, 1, 8, 65, 81, 85 = 545

>>32790726
Use our G36 in combination with the Ghost's Touch power, and using the gun's built-in scope, reach out and give some shadows a taste of 5.56mm ghostly death.

Wallace's laser should be good against the ghouls along with Fatima's psi storm, and hopefully Anatoly and Mark, with Sybil's help, will be able to handle that thing in the sand.

>>32790936
Wait, crap, maybe we should use the HMG.
A big horde of shadows coming at us sounds like a good use of a heavy machine gun.

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>>32790936
You unsling the shiny new rifle you acquired and take aim at the approaching swarm of shadows. Whether its your nerves or just because you are not used to assault weapons, you pull the trigger back with a violent jerk instead of a gentle squeeze, causing the shots to arc up, and going wide.

Luckily, Fatima's psionic storm does not suffer a similar mishap, a purple vortex of lightning and energy opening up in the middle of the ghouls once they close to within a hundred feet. A full half of the creatures are torn to shreds at once, while the others scatter to avoid being caught in the maelstrom. Wallace takes aim with his laser rifle and fires, the high powered shot burning a ghoul to ash in an instant, while Marie casts a fireball that catches three more in its blast. Another goes down thanks to a shot from Charlie's bolt-action rifle, the amnesiac chambering another shot with practiced ease.

While the ghouls are being dealt with, Anatoly, Sybil, and Mark approach the tall dune, weapons drawn.

"Too small to be a sandworm," Anatoly notes.

"That's not comforting," Mark says. "I've seen things hiding in the sands before. Nasty bugs that leap onto your head and bite into it. We've got one advantage."

"What's that?" Sybil asks, turning to Mark. The soldier grins.

"We know it's there, and it doesn't know that. Let's light it up on three. One... two... THREE!"

Mark, Anatoly, and Sybil all fire their weapons in unison, the sands pierced by bullet and beam. The shaking of the dune only grows more violent, and a spray of sand erupts from the hill as a mammoth figure beings to pull itself free from the ground.

"Not in the plan... Not in the plan... NOT IN THE PLAN!" Mark shouts, backing up as fast as he can while Sybil and Anatoly do the same.

A half-rotted, half-preserved corpse of a gigantic reptile bursts up, roaring hunger and bloodlust alike to the moon as you turn towards it with disbelief.

"...is that a goddamn zombified T-Rex?"

>>32791619
I say we take a big risk here.
We Ghost Walk, while having Antolitas and Leo cover our body, go at the TRex, and Cold Embrace it.
We either control it, or drain it of all essence, and then we go fight the shadows.

Also, I count 11 of 12 ghouls down.

Rolled 100, 87 = 187

>>32791619
Lect is the first to react, promptling leaping into the wagon and attempting to hide on sighting the creature.

"Have fun, tell me when it's safe!" he calls out.

"Never make a plan again!" Anatoly turns to Mark, face livid as he scrambles to put some distance between him and the new threat. Sybil is already in motorcycle mode, zooming back before returning to a combat position.

"I hate the desert and everything in it!" Mark shouts, bringing his assault rifle up again as the massive undead begins to stomp forward. "What the hell was that thing doing there?!"

"Gates!" Wallace calls. "They'll grab anything!"

"One ghoul left, and its past the psionic storm," Cael notes, nonplussed. He walks forward, then falls into a combat stance as the remaining undead scrabbles towards him. With a cry of bestial joy, the ghoul raises its claws to drive down into the healer only for him to grab both of the ghoul's wrists and shout a word of power. A flare of white light from Cael's hands disintegrates the undead's arms, causing it to blink in confusion before falling to the sands, its animating energies banished.

"One thing down, Antolitus, how's the ward coming?" you call over to the big priest. He is chanting prayers very rapidly while Leo guards him, sword in hand.

"Done!" he says, looking over to you and pointing to a small circle drawn in the sand. "It's not much, but the shadows shouldn't be able to cross that circle. Ah... there's only room for four, though."

"Great," you groan, another decision put on your plate.

>Decide who should take shelter behind the ward.

>>32791805
Wait, what about the Tinkers?
Edet and his two tinker buddies? What are they doing?
Do we have to make sure that they're okay, or do they have their own defenses?

>>32791980
Edet and his two companions are taking cover by the wagon, pistols in hand.

And yes, your job description here includes making sure they're okay, though they do have some defenses.

>>32792221
I don't like it, but I'd say get Lect, Edet, and his two buddies into the ward.
And ask Antolitus if he's got a spell to help Leo fight undead.

>>32792298
"Ant! You got a spell that'll make Leo good at killing undead?" you call.

"Aye!" Antolitus responds. "I will bless his weapon with divine power!"

And that's where we're ending tonight. If the thread is still around tomorrow, I might do sporadic updates, but otherwise the next session will pop up on the padlist a day or two before it's due to hit.

>>32792598
Can Cold Embrace work against corporeal undead like the T-Rex?

>>32792722
>>32792598
And could Wallace throw our limp body into his suit to protect it?

>>32792722
>>32792738
Cold Embrace does not work on corporeal undead.

It would take too long to get you inside Wallace's armor.

And now I'm off.