Apocalypse Northwest

[Merlin the Tuna]

Flint Ironstag interrogates toddlers

"I'm all for a trip to Portland. My gut's tellin' me that this", he motions at the group, "is only gonna get weirder as time goes on. Better to have some geeks take a look at us." He pays no attention to Freeman as he says this.

The Dane raises a hand. "But there's still talkin' to be done around these parts. We still don't know if Gerard made it out of there alive. If he didn't, the tots from last night might've seen our man in red once or twice, 'n' that's better than nothin'. And I s'pose I'd better tell Josie I'm living, if the lazy bastard's willing to turn up. Sure wasn't any help last night, that one."

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Flint's priorities are as follows. If anyone takes initiative, they're free to grab a task. Otherwise Flint'll handle it himself before leaving.

1.) Find Gerard. If he's dead, find a body.

2.) Find the kids. see if they know anything about the man in red from his visits. Intimidate anybody who starts the "Oh, they're only children!" nonsense; Flint Ironstag has better things to do than listen to your whining.
Intimidate: d20+6=15

3.) Find Josie Wales. Give him what for, mention that the group's getting out of Dodge.

[Freeborg]

Colorado Williams - sees an Angry Young Man

Seeing that Flint has "the look" that is usually only seen right before he punches through something, Colorado agrees with Flint's plan of action. It helps that it's what Colorado wants to do as well.

[stinkomandx]

DM: Knows Colorado just wants to find the kids to get his hat back

1 day later...

1. By asking some of the older orphans, who had pretty much been cowering last night in their living quarters a house down from the greenhouse, the party learns that Gerard went off into the waste to get soil and plant samples the previous evening. He sometimes leaves for a few days and returns with a cart's full of new things for the kids to replant. He is expected to return in two days. Arnold was left in charge during Gerard's absence.

2. The kids who escaped the greenhouse ran back to the living quarters with the other kids. The now-oldest orphan, a girl of about 12, steps forward. "The man in red never talked to us...he just gave Mr. Ansiem some suitcase and told him stuff about it. I think Arnold did something with it, though." If asked more about the man in red, she repeats something similar, adding "He started coming in a few days ago. He never looked at us, but I liked his clothes. He would come in every morning and use the hose to wash the dust off it."

3. Josey says, "Well Flint, it'll be a shame to see you go. There's never enough manpower to go around these parts, and you certainly have that going for you. Best a' luck wherever you're goin'." Considering the "what for" he's just received, it's hard to tell whether he actually is mourning the loss.

[Merlin the Tuna]

Flint Ironstag must suck at knots; look at all these loose ends

"Two days for Gerard to get back? No way do we have that kind of time!" Flint says to the group after a lengthy pause. "We're never going to get anywhere if we don't go anywhere!" He takes a second to run that sentence through his head a few more times, wrestling with it and not really making any progress. In the end, he can't quite get his mitts around it and shifts his attention to things he can manhandle with his manly handlers -- his newest best friends and brothers in meaty arms. He throws an arm around Colorado, reaches for Trainwhistle, then thinks better of it and grabs Kurt instead. "Come on! The Man in Red is probably connected to whatever mad science is going on in Portland! There's nothing left for us in Wiltshire! To Portland!"

He assumes a heroic pose and proceeds to initiate Operation Travel Montage.

[Freeborg]

Colorado Williams - is going to follow that Fist Fightin' Son of a Gun

After taking longer than he should have to think things over, Colorado is inclined to agree with Flint. "Gerard is a smart man and knows what he's getting into. And if not I'm sure Josey can take care of things. Besides, the sooner we learn some things about what happened to us, the sooner we'll be able to do something about it. First, I have to get Percy, then I should be ready to go."

Colorado poses with Flint, then goes and gets his ass.

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ASS. HAHAHAHAHA.

[Malconstant]

Kurt Vescher: Thinks he thinks so he thinks he is.

Portland, great... he thinks to himself, though he can't help feeling he managed to somehow overexpress himself to his peers. Although a little weirded out by the idea of that even being possible, Kurt tries to overcompensate with a more enthusiastic, Okay boys, it's 'bout time we finish up any business we got left round these parts, and take off. And with an enthusiastic whap on the back of the moving piece of granite beside him, he even partakes in a bit of the adventuresome pose as an indulgence.

[OneFamiliarFace]

Trainwhistle Jenkins, sick and tired of being sick and tired and mutated

The old prospector scrapes some mutant mud off his shoes and eyes the others suspiciously. "I specks we best be off, as I mentioned a good four posts ago, afore' someone went a rantin on about scientific what-nots..." He stops his complaints in time for the pose, and stands, arms akimbo (or, more pointedly, akeembo), giving the "camera" a squinty eyed glare. But then all of his hopes head Earthbound as he realizes an important point.

Trainwhistle Jenkins sagely asks, "Where in all high hell is Portland?! I swear, by all that is mutated in this world, that Trainwhistle Jenkins ain't never used no map in his life, and he ain't gunna start now. So'sn I say we catch a ride on the nearest Iron Horse and let my noggin do the thinkin for me." The old coot gets in one last, sly wink before the montage begins, hopefully involving the legal purchase of train tickets (read: jumpin into an empty boxcar) and getting there on time (read: having a massive hoedown in said empty boxcar).

OOC to Other players:

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Seriously though, I actually seem to have Track as a feat. Don't ask me why. But I could track down either the scientist dude or fancy-pants-red-leather guy before we go. Unless someone convinces him otherwise, Trainswhistle is more for getting his mouth back to normal, so he can treat the ladies right (that is to say: by not devouring them).

Checks:

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Jumping onto the Train: (1d20+8)[21]
Survival for direction sense: (1d20+7)[17]
Survival for surviving: (1d20+7)[12]

[stinkomandx]

What if DM was one of us?

(OOC DM Interjection: Not to invalidate the Track feat, but trying to follow the man in red's tracks will lead to a dead end without any leads. I dunno how your characters know, but me-oh-my, heading to Portland certainly does seem like the best idea).

::Begin Montage Protocol::

Trainwhistle makes the motion of jumping onto a train, and seems to believe he has caught a great one. Unfortunately, most of the train lines fell through when the government's poor attempt to resurrect the country fell through 20 years ago--although rumors persist that some train lines are still being independently run. He sits on the dusty ground looking mighty smug.

The scene cuts to Trainwhistle continuing to revel in his hallucinatory train. He stands up and proceeds to hoedown, tiring himself and tumbling back to the ground laughing.

The scene cuts. The final hallucinations of the injection cease, and he slowly comes to realize that there is no train--there never was a train. The five stages of grief are quickly rushed through in an additional mini-montage.

Finally, acceptance. And look! Colorado has a beat up old map in his ass's ass-bags. The adventurers, prepared for the windy wasteland, set out. Walking for several days without much adventure, they find themselves traveling through a canyon. Two figures stands in the distance--a young-teenage girl digging a grave, and a horse. Besides her are several spears stuck in the ground, each with a head impaled on the end. She's about 150 feet away, and she hasn't noticed you yet.

[OneFamiliarFace]

Trainwhistle Jenkins, hides behind a rock

Checks:

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Hide behind a rock: (1d20+1)[16]

[Malconstant]

Kurt Vescher : Got his mind on the matter and her chatter on the mind.

Kurt slowly stops, gently putting his arm in front of anyone who may have not yet noticed the girl as a cue to stop for a sec. He does what he can do listen and see what the situation is. Why, he puts so much effort into trying to overextend his senses that he even inadvertently opens up his new less-than-entirely conscious sensitivity to the brain states of those around him in a way which gives him more or less unconscious feedback as to what the deal is with the girl which could only be expressed to Kurt as a "hunch", given what he's observing.

[[OOC: Course he's also picking up the nervous/apprehensive brain states of his companions, so that's gonna feed into the impression he gets from his hunch. I dunno how you want to work the mechanics of this sort of thing, so here's a pure d20 roll, do with it what you will if anything. 1d20 = 20.]]

[Freeborg]

Colorado Williams - tries to get a better look at Little Miss Dangerous

Colorado and Percy also stop. Since it would be difficult to hide Percy and he doesn't want to abandon him, Colorado does not follow Trainwhistle's graceful dive behind a rock. Instead he tries to get a better view of the situation. Colorado squints his eyes, one had on Percy's reins, the other on Mable.

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Assuming you haven't rolled these for us, I give you spot and listen:
Spot: 1d20 + -1 = 17
Listen: 1d20 + -1 = 2

[Merlin the Tuna]

Flint Ironstag will be the death of us

"Huh." The Dane rubs his cinderblock jaw, pawing clumsily at a beard he can only wish existed. For a moment he is lost in despair as he realizes that, damn the luck, no amount of punching flora and fauna will sprout hair on his chinny chin chin. It's so stressful, he could just punch someone. He makes a mental note to look into that when the group gets to Portland.

"A man could get the impression that she's not a stay at home kinda lady," he says to no one in particular, making no apparent attempt to remain inconspicuous. "But I s'pose there ain't another way out of this canyon, so we best stick to the path and keep moving. Best to play it straight and keep the hellos and g'byes close." He moves straight towards the woman, holding a hand in the air and yelling an old Ironstag family greeting at the woman. It goes something like "HEEEEEEEEY!"

[stinkomandx]

It appears that the dear collects heads stuck on spears

The girl starts at Flint's manly bellows. She sees Colorado and the mule, Flint, and Kurt, and she quickly drops her shovel and frantically swings a shotgun strapped to her back into her hands. She gets behind the horse and points it at the party. From Flint's distance, he can see more clearly that the girl seems to have been digging a grave, and there are a few older mounds of dirt next to the hole that are probably more graves. The heads stuck on the spears are in various states of decay.

"S...stop right there! You ain't with the Carters, are you? Cuz I'll fill you up good! She punctuates the threat with a shaky wave of her shotgun.

Kurt: Depends on the skill you want to use... Spot helps you survey the area, Sense Motive can give you a feeling of the character of an NPC, and other skill checks (like Knowledges) might be usable to figure stuff out in any given situation. You still need to explain what skill you'll be using. Unless your mutation does something Sensey?

[OneFamiliarFace]

Trainwhistle Jenkins, celebrating his good decision

When Trainwhistle hears the tell-tale signs of a large gun being pointed at large men, he silently pumps his fists back and forth at his waist and whispers, "Yessssss."

Checks

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Trainwhistle Jenkins has no useful skills until the horse, the shotgun, or the girl break down. He's just waiting to see which goes first.

[Freeborg]

Colorado - doesn't think they need to fight this Sweet Sally

"Whoa, easy, we're not with the Carters. We're just on our way to Portland from Wiltshire. We're just passing through. No need for that gun; we intend you no harm."

Colorado raises his his hand that was on Mable in the air and begins slowly walking forward with Percy.

[stinkomandx]

Sweet Sally isn't even sweet sixteen

She looks nervously at Colorado, but seems to relax a bit as he takes his hand from his sidearm. She lowers her own gun. From this distance (20 feet, say), you can tell that she's about 15 and freckled, with dust-saturated clothes, hair, and skin.

Nah, I reckon you ain't. Y'all look too clean and pure. Well, I'm Kelly Lawrence. I never been to Portland before, but so long as you're in this canyon you'll be dealing with those Carter scuzzes. Once I'm done burying Lester, and tending to the Carters here," she motions to the impaled heads, "I'd be happy to guide you through to the Portland road."

[OneFamiliarFace]

Trainwhistle Jenkins, curses the waste of a decent hide check

Trainwhistle Jenkins steps out from behind the rock, giving it a thankful pat and then massaging his joints from all the excitement and fast motion. "Well, if that don't beat all. You keeled all these men yerself, eh, lil'un? I can't say as I like your decoratin job. Nosiree, Trainwhistle always prided hisself on buryin a fella after he'd dun 'im in. Course, theres usually naught left ta impale when someone tries to stake a claim in my territory." The, for some reason, unusually intimidating ol' coot gestures to his wrench.

He hikes a thumb at himself. "Well, either way, this ol' bag o mutant bones ain't got na beef with any Carters, and he ain't gunna go makin any, lessen they cook the cattle themselves." Trainwhistle looks around nervously. "But...ya know...sorry bout Lester."

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The ex-black-gold prospector plans on follering lil Kelly Lawrence, if for no other reason than to protect a young girl don't seem to need protectin. Also, a whole mess a rolls,

Sense Motive: (for the girl's story) (1d20+1)[10]
Survival: (for helpin the girl guide if needed) (1d20+7)[16]
Survival: (checking for Carter tracks) (1d20+7)[11]
Handle Animal: (to impress the girl with horse skills) (1d20+4)[13]

[Merlin the Tuna]

Flint Ironstag delivers a hearty eyeroll

"Clean and pure? That doesn't sound right." he turns around and notices that the hobbling old greasepit of a man that, he thinks we can all agree, ain't his grandpa, is missing. "Jenkins, get out from behind that rock before you scare the young lady."

Flint Ironstag was a minute late. Carry on.

[Merlin the Tuna]

Flint Ironstag asks a minor about some risky business

"Well," Flint rubs his jaw, perhaps hoping that it has decided exactly what accent it fancies, "it sounds like these Carters are nothin' but trouble. What're they on you for, an' how long've they been at it? Maybe we can raise a little ruckus of our own for 'em on the way through."

He flexes a little bit. It just seems like the right thing to do.

[stinkomandx]

(That's one vote for, and one vote against. Waiting for at least one deciding vote from Kurt or Colorado)

[Malconstant]

(hell I'm still waiting to see what hunch I got from this lil'un)

[Freeborg]

Colorado - believes this girl is Hard as Nails

Colorado thinks about what has been said as all eyes apparently turn to him.

"Well, if you say we're going to be dealing with the Carters all the way through this canyon, I'd rather not be ambushed by them. But I also only have your story that the Carters are bad folk. At the least perhaps we can make sure you get to your home safe, not that you would need our help, and learn a little more about the Carters."

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Basically, I vote for Trainwhistle's plan until I can get more info/proof that the Carter's are bad people. So, with that:

Sense Motive: 1d20 + -1 = 0. Hmmm....

[stinkomandx]

DM: Is starting where he left off

Responding to Trainwhistle's statement that she killed all those men, the girl prods one of the rotten heads with the butt of her gun. "Naw, most of these heads're here on account of my older kin. And those ol' bags of s*** don't deserve any burial, not since they sent Maureen's corpse back stinkin' like it did."

She climbs up onto the horse, and slings her shotgun back over her shoulder. "Well, if you're offering a little company back through the pass, then I accept. Hopefully it'll keep them Carters from sniping me out like Lester back there. Lil' Jasper ain't old enough to ride his horse yet," a statement she accentuates by patting her horse on the head.

She proceeds on her way...

[OneFamiliarFace]

Trainwhistle Jenkins, fools on the left of him and jokers on the right

"Well, let's git a move on."

The ol' prospector relies on his entirely mediocre and bland checks from a few posts ago to help guide, track, and impress the young lady with his horse skills. In the meantime, he keeps a brave, squinty eye out for Carters and their tracks.

Spot: (1d20+1)[4]

[stinkomandx]

DM: Can't stop thinking that he wants his dwarf to land one goddang hit.

Ahead of the party, further down into the canyon, is a deep crevasse that spans almost the entire path. Additionally, tall, leafy trees somehow manage to eek out a living despite the area's rocky, arid weather. Suddenly, a man steps out from behind a tree. He's wearing leather armor formed from thick, poorly matched sheets of leather, and he's carrying a shotgun. He expels some tobacco spit onto the ground, never taking his eyes (or his gun) off the girl on the horse.

"Well well, seems like one of the Lawrence girls is wandering around where she ain't supposed to be... every time I see a Lawrence girl, she's riding her heart out on top of some mangy animal. Least, that's what I hear about yer mom, girl." You hear laughter from somewhere above, along the top of the canyon's walls.

He turns to face whomever is in the lead. "I don't know what she's payin' you, but I'd be happy to give you a case of the ol' Carter Finest if you just keep walking and let me kill this Lawrence scum where she sits. Otherwise," he spits again and motions upwards with his finger, "me and my eight siblings are going to fill you full of slugs."

What Now?

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Let's get spot checks and initiative checks from everyone, as well as any other checks you may want. Additionally, I'll need a starting grid coordinate for your PC. Colorado, you can place the Lawrence girl since you were the last to sign on to the mission.

(Mal, if you want your "hunch" to come to anything, you need to be more specific about what in-game mechanic you're using. Sense Motive, Spot, etc. Info is here: http://12tomidnight.com/d20modernsrd/Home.php if you need it)

Pre-encounter: http://s180.photobucket.com/albums/x...=Gulchrnd1.jpg

[Merlin the Tuna]

Flint Ironstag bought everyone tickets to the gun show

"Carter's finest, eh?" Flint steps forward, standing tall and beginning a stare down with the grease pit. "Sounds like quite 'n offer."

Unflinching, he continues. "But y'know, I've played my share of cards, and I've bet and won on this hand before. Seems to me you got us right where you want us, outnumbered and out gunned. But then, iff'n you do, doesn't seem like there's much reason to hide these eight brothers of yours off in the woods now, does it? Seems like they'd be better bargaining right out here. Hell, doesn't sound like you oughta be carin' about bargaining at all unless they're the worst shots this side of the Rockies." He raises an eyebrow and smirks, looking douchier than ever. "You wanna make me an offer, I'm all ears. But let's cut the crap. You got guys, show 'em. 'Cause right now, they sound faker than your last couple o' girlfriends, and frankly I'm pretty sure no mother's gonna squirt out 8 more kids after seein' one like you come out."

The Dane stands perfectly still as he hopes a tumbleweed finds its way across his path.

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Intimidate on the leader. And actually, if possible, I'd like to do a Duel of Wills, courtesy of Tome of Battle; it feels appropriately Old West at the moment. E-mail inbound.

Intimidate: d20+6 = 20

You wanted grid locations... where are we coming in from? Center west side is what I gather, but I want to make sure

[OneFamiliarFace]

Trainwhistle Jenkins, he tries.

Trainwhistle's brow beads with sweat as he listens to Flint's incredible monologue. His mouth twists in consternation, and his eyes shift quietly from side to side. His hands clench, moving alternately toward his wrench and his gun, and finally they fall at his sides. His mind seems to be rac...

"Poooooo-weeeeeeeeeeet."

...Trainwhistle settles his left heel back down on the ground and realigns his hips to maintain their pre-fart jauntiness. He sniffs a bit, and his eyes water from the drama of it all.

He squints one eye and mutters half to himself. "Ain't nobody gonna make Ol' Trainwhistle Jenkins surrender a youngin under his protection."

Checks:

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Spot: (1d20+1)[12]
Initiative: (1d20+1)[4]
Aid intimidate: (1d20+1)[17]

Trainwhistle was leading the horse, so I will be one square to the right or left of the lass, preferably behind Flint and to the side to aid.

If we could have Colorado help out on the other side, we would only be lacking our red shirts.

[Freeborg]

Colorado - thinks it's time to Separate the Men from the Boys, Please.

Colorado squints at the man in their way. Colorado looks to the top of the canyon to see if there are actually 8 people up there.

He's so busy looking that he doesn't notice Flint step forward and give quite possibly the best speech in the history of the Danish people.

Afterwards, he looks at the lone man in front of them and thinks, "You sir, shall not see tomorrow."

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Alright, here's what I'm going with for placement:
Lady: H-18
Colorado: I-18
Trainwhistle: G-18
Flint: G-16
Kurt: Wherever

Spot: (1d20)-1 = 10
Listen: (1d20)-1 = 0
Init: (1d20)+3 = 5

[stinkomandx]

DM: If he didn't have his trusty knives, he thinks he's slit his wrists

Sorry, clarification: you're coming from the South. Also, still need an Initiative check from Kurt and Flint. Merlin, you'll be happy to know that you won the battle of wills handily.

[Malconstant]

Kurt Vescher Can't gamble half as well as he can shoot. Can't shoot half as well as he can think, however, and right now he's thinkin' of shootin craps.

Kurt isn't too keen on seein' a fire show today, especially with 8 invisible monkey kin, but if it's all gonna start rainin' bullets and monkins, he's not about the be the first to eat the jungle dust.

((I'll hold off on any special psychic sense motive / look checks till that gets fiured out. Initiative check: d20 + 3 = 16))