Sarka, marketplace, outside mindrenders, Klos 19th, 350AC, 12:25  (underground, 65 degrees, crescent moon)

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You move back through the open doors, which start to slowly swing shut behind you.  You hear a strange huffing laughing sound coming from the badders within.  The Mindrenders get one more mental attack on you, but they are at -1RF due to range.

The cold slithery one tries to read Arvak’s mind (15): 30 9 = white.  Moot point, but Arvak’s MS save (11): 1 8 = white.

The booming pressure continues to try penetrating Phallon’s mental defense (13): 60 5 = green reduced to blue.  Phallon’s MS save (15 + 1 RS): 50 1 = blue up to a green.

You are able to keep them at bay, and as you move away from the Mindrender’s hut, their presence fades.

Sarka, marketplace, mindrenders, Klos 19th, 350AC, 12:19  (underground, 65 degrees, crescent moon)

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You walk forward towards the red pigmented hut.  The dark insects, similar to large roaches with several glowing purple spots, sit on the roof edge and perhaps watch you as you near.  The main door to the hut is flanked by columns made of mushroom stalks.  A lattice of linked animal bones cover them, and as you approach, the thick shruden doors swing open as if by magic.

You enter the dimly lit chamber beyond, and find 6 badders standing in a semi-circle before you.  The central two are wearing elaborate robes in which are inset ancient metal pieces and wires.  They are flanked by muscular guards decked out in plate armor and wielding impressive badder-sized pikes and great swords.

One of the robed badders shouts out in a booming voice:  “Kneel down in the glory of the power of the Mindrenders of Ukrul!  In what lowly and mundane task do you beg assistance??”

Everyone check their private posts!

Sarka, marketplace, Klos 19th, 350AC, 12:17  (underground, 65 degrees, crescent moon)

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As you stand and stare at the red hut, the swarm of insects disperse.  A few of them are still on the roof (you can only see the small glowing purple spots), but most of them scatter and fly off in various directions with a clacky buzzing noise.

You have a creeping feeling that you are being watched.  Then, with a strange tingling in your heads, you hear voices.  The first one is best described as a slithery chill:  “Sixxx brrainss in fffour bodiesss.  And not a weak will among them.  Come clossser and give us your thoughtssssss.”

The next voice feels like a booming pressure:  “BUT UNSKILLED AND FEEBLE!!  WEAK NON-BADDER SHRAK’L MINDS!  OUT OF PLACE AND SHOULDN’T BE IN SARKA AT ALL!!”

The third voice is warm and calm:  “Yet the king allows them to be here, and we must obey our king.  Do not fear us, or those creatures on the roof.  Please come inside.”

Ragnor, see your private post.

[audio:https://gwevolution.netfarious.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/xp.mp3|autostart=yes]

I haven’t awarded any XP since turn 28.  You guys are overdue.  A lot of the turns were not XP earners as they were just for travel, or having conversations with each new group of NPC’s.  Even the combats were pretty weak: a couple of ice-worms, a chaotic mess against arks in the fog, and then finally a more involved battle against the tendril creatures in the hut outside the badder tower.

You were better at avoiding battle: Lazetur the cyborg, Lord Frall and company, and of course the badders in general so you could get to their city.

Arvak = 53 (2 telekinesis to pull worm out of Zeebo’s head, 2 teleporting the fallen to healers, 3 storytelling to placate cyborg, 2 telekinetic stop of rebar about to hit friend, 2 precognition of tendril attack, 4 combat with tendrils, 2 awareness roll/getting shroom coin, 5 for interaction at shroom den, 3 for two “00” awareness rolls and effect, 3 to avoid combat w/ Frall, 15 for getting into Sarka without bloodshed, 10 for roleplaying/acting.)

Phallon = 57 (2 for calming down Ghrullhar, 10 combat with iceworms, 3 placating cyborg, 5 for astral walk, 6 combat with tendrils, 2 for ID’ing badder shops, 2 bargaining at badder armory, 5 bargaining for solar charger, 3 to avoid combat w/ Frall, 15 getting to Sarka peacefully, 4 for roleplaying/acting.)

Ragnor = 60 (3 for speech to the presidents, 2 for salvaging the ancient bike, 3 for placating the cyborg, 21 combat with tendrils, 2 for sarka espionage, 5 for actions at shroom den, 3 for avoiding combat w/ Frall, 15 getting to Sarka peacefully, 6 for roleplaying/acting.)

Zeebo = 60 (1 life leech, 1 for “00” save vs stun, 1 “00” apothecary roll (invent new painkiller), 1 for awareness w/ cyborg, 2 displacement from tendrils, 1 for fog knowledge roll, 5 for sarka espionage, 3 for badder language rolls/use, 4 for molecular sense/duralloy knowledge, 1 for “00” CH roll at shroom den, 5 for results at shroom den, 2 for apothecary roll (“second skin”), 5 for obtaining solar charger, 3 for avoiding battle w/ Frall, 15 for reaching Sarka w/o bloodshed, 10 for roleplaying/acting.)

I will update your character sheets.

Since the game seems to be stalled, I will not continue until everyone responds.

Sarka, marketplace, Klos 19th, 350AC, 12:15  (underground, 65 degrees, crescent moon)

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The female badder makes that strange purr like sound again, “Shop open to you always.  If you come to sell, keep your item hidden until inside.”

You walk back outside, and after being in the well lit shop, your eyes have to adjust to the dimness.  As they do, you are aware of a strange buzzing sound.  Looking above the hut across from you, you see a swarm of many small dark creatures.  Some of them are sitting on the roof of the red colored hut, others are twirling and circling in the air.  You can’t see them very well yet, but they remind you of insects, and they seem to have small purple luminescent spots.

There are a few badder peasants standing to the south of you, watching the swarm.

Sarka, marketplace, artifact shop, Klos 19th, 350AC, 12:00  (underground, 65 degrees, crescent moon)

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At the end of last turn, the badders asked for 1400 domars for a fancy windchime, and 40 domars for a blue plastic T-rex dinosaur (seems like a bargain now, eh?).

The female badder makes a tisking sound.  The male becomes much more alert, stops his dusting and takes down the mobile, laying it out on a table.  The female takes out a piece of paper with a diagram on it.  (Below pic is the paper although it doesn’t have any of the english words on it)

“This rite of cables.  Ancients used as charm to make objects live.”  She unhooks the various pieces.  The long black rectangles can connect to each other via high tech metal rods.  Everything else connects by the black cables.  She sets four different plastic objects down near the end of the last cable.  “These join to different types artifacts.”  She picks up a small plastic toy that looks like an ancient wagon, flips it over, and removes a panel.  She puts on one of the connectors, which ends with two metal tipped flexible cables.  She touches the ends to some metal pieces inside the toy, and tiny glow lamps on the toy light up.  The badder woman makes a weird throaty noise, almost like a purr.

Vancouver, June 15th, 2011, pretty late…

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YESSS!!  Didn’t think I would ever see this in my lifetime, but thankfully the Bruins have followed the excellent example of all the other major Boston sports teams and won a freakin’ championship within the past decade!!!

I thought Vancouver would win 1-0, or 2-1 in overtime as usual in their home arena.  And I would groan, but at least be comforted by the fact that a Canadian hockey team who never got the cup won.  Much better than a loss to southern california, arizona, dallas, or florida.

Fortunately, the Boston curse I grew up with during the 80s and 90s has now finally been destroyed!  What am I going to do, without the usual New England sports angst??  I guess I’ll watch in complete relaxation for awhile!

The last time Boston won, I was a 5-6 month old fetus!  Now Todd/Diana have a 7.5 month old fetus, and Michelle and I have a 2.5 month old fetus.  (We had a miscarriage this past spring, I will feel much more comfortable in 2-3 weeks if all goes well.  We haven’t told all our family members yet, so please don’t “spread the word”, thanks.)

Congrats Bruins players and fans.  This was a long time coming.  In the 80’s, I just prayed the Bruins would battle it to the finals so they could be crushed by Edmonton.

Sarka, marketplace, artifact shop, Klos 19th, 350AC, 11:56  (underground, 70 degrees, crescent moon)

[audio:https://gwevolution.netfarious.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/artifactshop.mp3|autostart=yes]

You walk through the open door of the artifact shop.  An ancient glow lamp in the ceiling  casts a bright yellow light, illuminating a series of ancient shelves (particle board, plastic) along the perimeter of the room.  Several ancient desks and tables are also placed about the shop.  The floor of the shop is covered with a green carpet, made of some sort of plastic-like material which vaguely looks like plant ground cover.

An adult male badder is dusting the shelves with a little brush, while a female adult badder sits at one of the desks and appears to be weaving ancient circuitry into a grass mat.  A gaggle of badder children are moving about the floor, playing with ancient action figures, dolls, balls, and blocks.  One of them is sitting on a contraption that looks like one of the ancient exercise bikes you’ve seen before, but the “bike” is a small metal red 3 wheeled trike.  The child is peddling away, moving the large tire in front, but the bike is not actually moving anywhere.

There are a bunch of ancient items here, but very different than the artifact shops you’ve seen elsewhere.  Rather than a mix of practical tools and gadgets, this shop seems to be selling either ancient toys, or has created artwork using ancient devices.  These items are covering the shelves and tabletops.  Many mobiles and wind-chime-like items are hanging from hooks over your heads.

Most of the badders lazily look up at you without stopping what they are doing.

Sarka, marketplace, Klos 19th, 350AC, 11:55  (underground, 70 degrees, crescent moon)

After gathering up your items, the shroom den guards escort you back outside.  The door latches shut as you look around the cavern, still lit by lots of little lanterns.  Several badders walk through the market carrying canvas bags.  One ducks behind a small hut as you look over.  One badder wearing a greasy leather apron is munching on a big piece of beetle that is impaled upon a stick.  Several soldiers look down at your group from the bridge/archway above.

To your south are two more shops.  The one to the southwest has a sign from which pieces of ancient plastic artifacts hang.  The one to the southeast is painted a dull red color.  Its sign has several hanging pieces of colored plastic and glass.  (Each sign has badder runes,  meanings unknown).

Sarka, shroom den apothecary, Klos 19th, 350AC, 11:40  (underground, 70 degrees, crescent moon)

Ragnor empties his purse onto the counter, and Zeebo flips in a domar.  The badder takes the money, then starts wrapping up the goods into canvas bags.  The guards look on impassively.  (Domars deducted, items added to Ragnor’s equipment)

The door behind you opens, and Arvak strides into the room, ducking under the low doorway, then straightening up and stretching his back and shoulders a bit.

For Arvak’s benefit:  the counter wrapping around the room looks kind of like the farmers markets you’ve seen in Sanctuary, except that instead of vegetables, there are a bunch of different shrooms and containers of powders and pastes.  Four more masked cloaked badder guards watch.  A fifth one, with gold trim to his black cloak, is gathering up some purchases for your friends.  Arvak just came in by the south door (I don’t have access to my computer files, so I can’t alter the map from last turn…)