Boztun Badlands, Klos 17th, 350AC, 9:02  (overcast, 37 degrees, crescent moon)

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Ragnor didn’t declare an action.  Anyway, there are a lot of friends between him and the worm, so the shotgun is probably not the best weapon here.

Arvak has to make another telekinesis roll to keep control of the wriggling ice worm (14): 4 5 = blue.  Still gottem.

Phallon takes another shot before the soldiers close.  BLAM.  The smell of gunpowder is strong in the cold winter air.  Another metal bullet casing flies off into the snow.  (8): 10 0 = white.

Bren fires his crossbow (11): 0 0 = red result.  BD 11 – 7ac = 4 x 5 = 20 points of damage.  The bolt skewers the worm, yet it continues to wriggle and maintains its burning blue energy disk. 

Corporal Ozzul growls at the other soldiers, “Get the doctor outta here!  I’ll cover ya!”  Yorva the sleeth hisses “Waattch out, thhhere’s more!”  Yorva and Nevlok each grab one of Zeebo’s legs and they start to drag him away.  Ozzul runs up to the ice worm hovering in the air and tries to play some T-ball using his spiked club.  -1CS due to size, +4 CS due to being held motionless, and a white result will count as a blue hit in this situation (15): 7 9 = yellow hit.  BD 10 – 7ac = 3 x 3RF = 9 points of damage.  There is a crack of wood on the dense fibrous worm, and it sails off into left field.  Well, it awkwardly flies about 30 meters away and plops into the snow.  (obviously broke free from Arvak’s telekinesis)

Another ice worm springs out of the snow and attacks Nevlok (11): 50 6 = blue.  BD 10, ignores ac, x 1RF = 10 points of damage.

Initiative

• Ice Worms         0 = automatic win
• Shadow Squad  8, tie breaker 0
• Ragnor                6 + 2 = 8, tie breaker 2
• Arvak                   6 + 1 = 7
• Phallon                1 = automatic loss

What now?

Boztun Badlands, Klos 17th, 350AC, 9:02  (overcast, 37 degrees, crescent moon)

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Phallon continues to flank to the right with Zarr.  Now with an ice worm hovering in the air, he takes a shot with his heavy pistol.  (8 – 1CS for target size = 7): 10 9 = white.

Zarr takes a shot with his short bow (10 – 1CS for target size = 9): 4 4 = white.

Bren kneels down in the show and aims with his crossbow for the round.

The other members of shadow squad continue to bound through the snow and are just about upon Zeebo’s body and the ice worm.

Arvak continues his telekinetic hold on the ice worm and moves it more safely away from Zeebo.

Ragnor also moves up, shotgun at the ready.  At present no other worms appear.  And there are too many friendlies in the area for a good shotgun blast at the worm.

Initiative

• Ragnor  8 + 2 = 10, tie breaker 9
• Phallon 8 + 2 = 10, tie breaker 3
• Shadow Squad 9
• Arvak 6 + 1 = 7
• Ice Worms 2

What now?

Boztun Badlands, Klos 17th, 350AC, 9:02  (overcast, 37 degrees, crescent moon)

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Phallon follows Zarr as they flank around to the right.

Zeebo dodges (13): 1 5 = white.  Zeebo life leeches (9): 5 7 = blue, 2 2 = white, 0 8 = white.  Zeebo gains 6 hit points.  Total up to 108 temporarily.

Ragnor starts to look around for other enemies in the vicinity (doesn’t see any at first glance), then decides to start moving forward, shotgun in hand.

Two of the ice worms burrow back down into the snow (including the original one).  The remaining one springs forward at Zeebo.  Its attack (11): 00 0 = red result.  Zeebo’s displacement (9): 2 1 = white.   Damage = BD 10 ignores ac x 5RF = 50 points of damage.  Hp down to 58.   Zeebo makes a CN save on the critical injury chart (7): 1 8 = white.  Result = coma.

The ice worm smacks into Zeebo’s head, its energy field roasting his flesh.  Zeebo lets out a blood curdling scream (possibly high pitched like a little girl?) and collapses unconscious into the snow.  The worm is actually stuck in his head, its body wiggling in the air as smoke puffs out of Zeebo’s skull (yum).

The scouts continue to flank, but choose not to fire arrows at Zeebo’s head.  Corporal Ozzul, Yorva, and Nevlok all surge forward with their weapons drawn, trying to get to Zeebo.

Arvak uses telekinesis on the one and only very obvious remaining target (14): 7 5 = green.  With a nasty splurching sound, the ice worm is pulled out of Zeebo’s head like a javelin out of a watermelon.  It hangs in the air, wriggling.

Actions?  Initiative

• Phallon  7 + 2 = 9
• Shadow Squad   5
• Ice Worms          4
• Arvak 1 = automatic loss, tie breaker 8
• Ragnor 1 = automatic loss, tie breaker 4

Boztun Badlands, Klos 17th, 350AC, 9:02  (overcast, 37 degrees, crescent moon)

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The worm-like creature contracts down, then launches itself airborne (like a spring) at Zeebo.  Zeebo dodges.  Phallon must win initiative by 2 to fire before it hits Zeebo (since he can’t see it until its already airborne = hardly any reaction time).  Phallon = 8 + 2 = 10.  Zeebo = 9, tiebreaker 9.  Worm = 9, tiebreaker 8.

Zeebo dodges (13): 8 2 = yellow.  The worm attacks (11): 50 3 = blue so misses.  Phallon tries to shoot it out of the air.  -1CS due to its small size (7): 80 6 = green hit.  BD 14 -7ac = 7 x 2RF = 14 points of damage.  Small bits of tough fibrous worm pop into the air.  There is some black slime discharge, but not actual blood.  It hits the ground near where Zeebo was just standing and shakes.  Zeebo can see it has small appendages like a salamander and its still alive, its energy disk continues to glow.  The snow around Zeebo starts to glow an eerie blue, and two more of the worm creatures burrow up from beneath.

The rest of the group sees the worm attack, but when it lands its obscured by the man’s body.  However, they all see the general blue glow from the snow (again, mostly on the far side of the body).  Bren yells out “Ice Worms!  They’re tough bastards and’ll melt yer flesh just like it was snow.  Zarr, flank.”  Bren hefts his crossbow and starts heading around to the left of the body.  Zarr nocks an arrow into his short bow and trudges off to the right.  The other soldiers grip their melee weapons and Ozzul glances at Ragnor and Arvak.  “Go in, or pull out the doctor?”

Initiative

• Phallon 8 + 2 = 10
• Zeebo    5 + 2 = 7
• Ragnor  3 + 2 = 5
• Iceworms 1 = automatic loss, tie breaker 8
• Shadow Squad 1 = automatic loss, tie breaker 4
• Arvak 1 = automatic loss, tie breaker 3

Declare your actions.

Boztun Badlands, Klos 17th, 350AC, 9:00  (overcast, 37 degrees, crescent moon)

Boztun Badlands, Klos 17th, 350AC, 7:30  (overcast, 35 degrees, crescent moon)

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The current proposal is to travel between Middex and Ack, then if nothing happens to head towards one of the badder towers, thus avoiding the area of Big Ax.  Bren wipes some sweat off his brow, highlighting his thin ratty hair and stubble (plus he sweats at 35 degrees?) and says, “Yeah, that makes alotta sense, no use gettin’ near the pissed off chowzers.”  He looks at Zarr, who nods.  They fist bump.

With no other options proposed, your group heads out of Fort Akton (through the gatehouse watched by the High Plains Drifters who cheer, and wish good luck, especially at Yorva who was taken from their squad for this mission).  In a deja-vu moment, you head back down the path in the early morning, just like you did two days ago.  The difference:  you break off from the path and head north-northeast along the river towards Middex.

Bren and Zarr walk a bit ahead of the rest of the group.  Yorva and Nevlok carry the chest of ‘booty’, each holding onto one of its metal handles.  Your group is probably about halfway to Middex when the scouts abruptly stop, and Zarr holds his fist up into the air.  Bren hunkers down and creeps back to the main group.  “A humanoid is lyin’ down a bit ahead of us.  I think its either restin’ or dead.  Its not movin’, not hidin’ real well, and a bunch of stuff is scattered ’round it.  So our move.”

Your party is at the blue X on the map above.

Boztun Badlands, Klos 17th, 350AC, 7:00  (overcast, 35 degrees, crescent moon)

Shadow Squad

“We have the supplies here for the badder king.”  He gestures to yorva and nevlok, who carry over a chest.  The chest is made of dried popple stems (it looks like a cross between wood and wicker) with metal hinges and latches.  They open the chest to reveal:

• the official proposal to the badder king inked on papyrus-like fibers, rolled and sealed with wax (written by presidents and Ragnor)
• 125 domars
• 5 duralloy ingots
• a pair of “presidential goblets” 1 metal with a ceramic akton stamp, 1 ceramic with a metal stamp (picked by Phallon)
• a 10cm high acrylic pyramid with metal edges that can glow via LED lights (picked by Zeebo)
• a pendant made of ceramic and colored glass

Bren and Zarr walk over.  Bren gives a sneer-like smile of crooked teeth, “No sense gawkin’ at what’s not ours.  Too bad you guys gotta carry it, but that’s why you’re the brawn.  Zarr, the map.”  Zarr silently shrugs, opens his pale fur coat (showing off some beta cloth underneath) and pulls out a square of paper.  He unfolds it, points to the spot marked ‘Fort Akton’ and looks at everyone.  Then he slides his finger north along the map.  Bren: “That’s approximately where we’re goin’.  The area is thick with badders and their ilk, plus some potential badlands critters wakin’ up from a long winter’s sleep.  The shlack won’t be active and stabby (Zarr points to the shlack fields on the map) but its still sharp if you walk into it.  Which way ma cap-ee-tahnz?”

Boztun Badlands, Klos 16th, 350AC, 9:00  (clear, 28 degrees, crescent moon)

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After eating breakfast, Norman glides up to your table.  “The Presidents will see you now.  Please follow me.”  You are led back to the presidents’ meeting room and settle around the table.  Both Gaal Lont and Ramil are present, sitting across from each other at the far end of the table.

Gaal Lont gives a tight smile, and slowly taps his fingers on the table, “Gentlemen, looks like you had a quick trip, but not a quiet one.  I’m afraid your original mission will have to be postponed.”

Ramil stands, and paces a bit as he speaks, “We don’t know enough about the badders.  Between reports from the Lex and Klintok tribes, and from what our scouts have seen, the badders are based out of a shroom forest to our northeast.  But their communities are below ground, and thus hidden.  I’m not going to take those burrowing jerks at their word and surrender to an imaginary army.”

Gaal Lont: “What we propose is this:  your group will journey into Ukrul and seek audience with the king or his representatives.  Ragnor, you will present the idea of having the king visit here, instead of our group going there.  Just as you suggested.  We can draft up an official proposal with the proper wording he would want to hear.”

Ramil: “But the real mission is to find out everything you can about the badders.  Where they live, how many, how their society functions, what goods they produce, their true military power.  We can send a few of our scouts with you to help map what you find.”

Gaal Lont: “So that’s our initial plan.  Do you have any input or suggestions?”