DiscoDude: ---BEGIN SESSION---
DiscoDude: Session logging commenced
GM:
GM: You find yourselves in the old arcade of the capital, where a bustling bazaar may have once operated. There are alcoves lining the walls surrounding a busted up and dry fountain basin in the center, with pathways leading off in five different directions.
Minelle: "Rather a bleak place, this. I wonder what happened to leave it in such a state."
Lira: "Death happened, one way or another."
Lira then points to the pathway on the west
"There, we should take that path, so that we may evade any trap placed north of here."
Minelle: "And what makes you so certain there aren't traps to the west?"
Lira: "If there is, our opposition is through, and traps are everywhere- Or if traps are there independent of our oposition... Well, tough luck."
Lazarus: Laz looks around, "Eenie, meenie miney..." He says, pointing to each corridor before he begins to walk towards a path down the far left.
Minelle: sighs. "Looks like west it is, then."
GM: (Does <@!Jez> have anything to say on the matter?)
Jez: (Eh, not really. I got distracted by family members for a moment there)
Lira: Lira follows behind Lazarus "Time is of essence, disagreements between us enrich our foes with extra time."
"Most importantly, we should provide with solutions more promptly than we produce problems."
Lazarus: "In other words, more acting, less talking." Laz says.
GM: The party proceeds west until...
GM:
GM: They come to an old alley between some collapsed buildings. There’s still ivy growing around, likely descended from the various plants that were once housed on the balconies. Glancing around, one or more of you might notice that one of the windows seems to lead into a particularly intact part of a building, which could hold some trinkets or somesuch, though both the way up and the building itself looks precarious. Someone with a good sense of grace or balance could try to retrieve a bauble or two.
Lazarus: [I'm going to roll for Athletics]
GM: (Basically, Burglary will have the easiest time at vs. +2, followed by Athletics at +3, and so on.)
Lira: "If anyone amongst us wish to try your luck with the buildings, shall act quick and at once."
Lazarus: !roll 4df+4
DiscoDude: <@Lazarus> rolled 4df+4 for 2 [4df = [+][-][-][-]]
GM: (One short as it stands!)
Lazarus: [Hmm...I can just add a +2 by tossing a Fate Point]
GM: (At what? You need to specify. 😉)
Lira: (you must specify what you are invoking)
Lira: (also, Jaz, feel free to try!)
Lazarus: [my Second Aspect, 'Tight Grip, Tighter Sight' ]
Lazarus: [Which is also my last ??? one to be uncovered]
Jez: Jez adjusts her goggles, examining the buildings. "Hm, hm."
GM: (Alrighty. Now Laz is at 2 FATE Points remaining.)
GM: Getting in and out of the upper floor without dumping the building on yourself is simple when you don’t even need to touch the building in question. Inside, he does discover a few trinkets left on a ruined desk; some [Old Cosmetics][$].
Minelle: "Careful you don't break your neck!" Minelle admonishes. "We're here to save your daughter, don't forget!"
GM: (Add that to the Resources section of your sheet.)
GM: (Or “Treasure” or whatever we ended up calling that section.)
Lira: (inventory)
GM: (The same section as that credit stick you were each given.)
Lazarus: [ So Tools ]
Lazarus: Lazarus snatches the trinkets and lands back down, "Well, gifts for my Daughter."
GM: (For now, sure.)
Lira: "Jez, I see you looking at the buildings, want to try your luck?"
GM: (Though I think "Treasure" being used to obtain "Tools" and extra supplies makes it a separate thing, but we should address that later.)
Lazarus: [Just have it be "Inventory" there is no need for subtypes.]
GM: (Double dipping? Hm... I guess I'll allow that, with the caveat of increasing the difficulty by 1 after each success.)
Lazarus: [We'll basically have 5 different lists for each thing if we keep making things up. We already have Rations and Tools.]
GM: (Alright.)
GM: (Again, we'll discuss this later.)
GM: (So <@!Jez>, you going to attempt it? It's Burglary vs. +3 now, or Athletics vs. +4.)
Jez: "Yeah, sure." Jez thought it was more important to pursue Lazarus' daughter, but now was a good a time as any to prove herself.
Jez: !roll 4df+2
DiscoDude: <@Jez> rolled 4df+2 for 0 [4df = [ ][ ][-][-]]
GM: (Athletics, or Burglary...?)
Jez: (pffff, she only has +2 for burglary)
Lira: (burglary by the- yeah)
Minelle: sighs. "Wait for me," she mutters. She strikes a pose like a graceful ballet dancer, then attempts her ascent.
Minelle: !f 2 (Athletics)
DiscoDude: <@Minelle> rolled 4dF+2 for 5 [4dF = [+][ ][+][+]]
Minelle: (WOO)
GM: (So I think Jez should still take a point of Stress for this. Both of you, describe what happens, then I'll tell you what Minelle won.)
Minelle: (by "both" you mean?)
GM: (How does Jez get into trouble, then how does Minelle get her out of it.)
Lira: (mind the period)
Jez: Jez starts to climb what was left of bottom half of the building. However, as she's approaching the halfway mark, she misjudges the stability of the ground underneath her and she begins to fall
Minelle: "Ohhhh bother!" Minelle interrupts her bounding leap, catching Jez in mid-stumble on her own ascent. She makes it to the top, then sets her down gently. "Recklessness has no reward in this place," she says, wagging a finger.
GM: Inside the section the pair went into, Minelle discovers an old [Tattered Mobile][$] with particularly shiny ornaments hanging above a ruined crib. Strangely enough, not once have any of the three encountered any bodies.
Lira: "You were as reckless as her!" Lira interjects from below, almost shouting.
GM: (BTW, these only go to the people that discovered them, unless they want to redistribute them at the end.)
Minelle: "How sad...and peculiar," Minelle says, noticing the curious disconnect. "It's as if this place was truly abandoned..."
Minelle: "Either that or whatever caused this place to be abandoned literally devoured whatever it came across." She shudders at her own hypothesis.
Jez: She scratches her head in embarrassment. "Yeah... I wonder what could've been capable of that and capable of leaving this place like this."
Lira: "Alright, it was profitable, but enough of this. We should move westwards."
Lira then proceeds to take point
Lazarus: Lazarus shrugs, "Well, there's no point in thinking about this, we need to find my daughter."
Minelle: "Seems there's only one way ahead from here, yes," Minelle says, nodding sagely.
GM: And so they move on to...
GM:
GM: The alley opens out into an open road that makes a steady climb up what appears to be a large hill. Architectural remains indicate that there used to be bustling market stalls all along this way, though they now only hold bits of worthless ceramic scraps and a rotten molding mush that must have been food at some point in the distant past; they were only nourishing mushrooms now.
Minelle: "Oh god..." Minelle claps a hand to her mouth, as if in horror, but she's actually trying to block out the smell.
Lira: "The constructions above could use ground ceramic on the cement." Lira drily says "I don't think there is anything of worth to us to find here."
GM: (Note that you don't technically need to follow the dotted lines; but you will have to roll to navigate.)
GM: ((There's a certain Area that hardly has any dotted lines to follow. >:3))
Jez: "Speak for yourself." Jez mumbles as she pulls out a notebook to document a few of the fungi.
Lazarus: "After Jez...draws the mushrooms, we'll continue on."
Lazarus: Lazarus says dryly, already feeling the pressure of Cecil coming down on him.
Lira: "... Right."
GM: (So is this just a flavor-breather?)
GM: (Or are you trying to Create an Advantage with this?)
Lira: (Sure. Unless there's an opportunity she can get something from this)
Jez: (What Lira said)
GM: (Not especially. So do you move on?)
Jez: (Yea)
Lira: "There's only one path, let's follow that."
GM: Alright, they now find themselves.
GM:
Minelle: "I am so happy to be out of there," Minelle says, breathing in great big breaths of still stale but less smelly air.
Lira: "Don't be so happy just yet..."
GM: ... outside what appears to be an overgrown graveyard, enclosed in a classical garden wall. There's some chittering coming from inside, but the only reachable entrance is a wrought iron gate set into the stone, with a heavy padlock on it. The wall itself is tall, and topped with metal spikes, with not a lot of room between them and the cave roof.
Jez: "No climbing over that, huh?"
Lazarus: Lazarus looks around, "You know at this point I probably would have thought to at least seen some visible distortion or something."
Minelle: "Hmmmm."
Lazarus: He folds his arms, looking around.
Minelle: (uh)
Minelle: (this is going to be a silly question)
Minelle: (but could Minelle like, simply blow down the gate?)
GM: (What's Laz talking about?)
Minelle: (i think he means Xoa's powers)
Lazarus: [deep inhales]
Lira: Lira lets out a long silence, looking at the secluded garden, before making chittering noises of her own... Supposedly a 'hello?' in her home language
Minelle: (also <@!GM> i'd like a judgment on that)
Minelle: (like, can I spend a FATE Point on [BFG Rosemartin] or something?)
GM: (You could with Shoot, and it wouldn't even be any harder than Burglary's vs. +2, but you can kiss any peaceful resolution henceforth goodbye. XD)
Lazarus: [Xoa is literally a matter distorter ready to break through any wall that stands in her path, and to see literally none of that, Lazarus is probably awfully worried.]
GM: (Well to be fair Laz, you're taking a fairly roundabout route.)
Lazarus: [Well to be fair we aren't supposed to know that, are we?]
Lazarus: Lazarus looks around, "...How big is this area, again?"
Lazarus: Lazarus opens his collar, "Not seeing any signs of where my daughter could be is scaring me quite a bit."
Lira: "Lots, we probably are only halfway there, at best."
Lira: "We deviated from the direct route because of... You know."
Lazarus: "Yea, right." He said, looking around, "Less talking, more acting."
Lira: Lira comes closer to the bars and tries to see what is inside
Lira: (Notice at 2)
GM: (Creating an Advantage?)
GM: (Roll vs... +3. Vs. +2 if you roll Investigate.)
Lira: "Anyone have a keen eye here?" (Who has the highest investigate/notice here?)
Minelle: !f 3 (Shoot)
DiscoDude: <@Minelle> rolled 4dF+3 for 2 [4dF = [ ][-][-][+]]
Minelle: (good enough to shoot out the lock, or do i need to invoke?)
GM: (That's a tied Overcome.)
Minelle: (i'll pay a FATE Point to make it a clean win, then)
Minelle: (on [BFG Rosemartin])
GM: (Alright. This method of entry will guarantee a fight though.)
Minelle: "Stand back, please."
Lira: "What the- Ask before you do that!" Lira says, turning to Minelle.
Minelle: switches her glasses to protective goggle mode and fires her viola at the gate.
GM: BLAM! The cannon sears a hole straight through where the padlock was. The gate then creaks and unceremoniously falls forward onto the grass with a CLANG! Inside, the graveyard's three rat-like dwellers are very startled, and very pissed off that their rest in this hidden little garden was rudely interrupted. They immediately grab their weapons; a pick, a shovel, and a lantern on a pole.
Lira: "Draw your weapons, it is time for some robusting."
Lira then proceeds to draw one weapon from her cloak in each hand.
GM: Extras: Rat-Folk
[HC][???]
[???]
Good At: Fighting In Groups, Seeing In The Dark
Bad At: Resisting Sway
Stress: [1]
Minelle: "Bother. Er..."
Minelle: doesn't want to kill these denizens, so a different strategy springs to mind.
GM: (Which skill determines initiative again? Athletics?)
Minelle: (notice first, then athletics)
Minelle: (i have +2)
GM: (Right.)
Minelle: (for both)
GM: (I'm gonna say...)
Minelle: (also can Minelle try to calm them down with some viola music?)
Lira: (+2, +0, in order)
Minelle: (she is a [Virtuoso Musician] after all)
GM: JEZ
LAZARUS
ENEMIES
MINELLE
LIRA
Jez: (+3 for Notice, +0 for athletics)
GM: (Whoop, sorry for forgetting about you.)
Jez: (no prob)
Jez: grabs a piece of iron that used to be on the gate, then tries to find cover.
Jez: !f 3 (Stealth)
DiscoDude: <@Jez> rolled 4dF+3 for 3 [4dF = [ ][ ][+][-]]
GM: (Creating advantage?)
GM: (Alright, and contesting with...)
GM: !f 2 (Seeing In The Dark)
DiscoDude: <@GM> rolled 4dF+2 for 4 [4dF = [+][-][+][+]]
GM: (Gonna boost with anything?)
Jez: (Uh, I guess not)
GM: (Alright.)
GM: Jez does attempt to hide, and she ends up pretty well-concealed in the dark, but she's [Plain as Day][!] to those that have night-vision!
GM:
Lira: LAZARUS NOW
GM: (<@Lazarus>?)
Lazarus: Lazarus takes aim and fires a wind shot at one of the farthest attackers
Lazarus: !roll 4df+3
DiscoDude: <@Lazarus> rolled 4df+3 for 5 [4df = [+][+][ ][ ]]
GM: (Rolling to defend.)
GM: !f 0
DiscoDude: <@GM> rolled 4dF+0 for -3 [4dF = [-][-][ ][-]]
GM: (OUCH)
GM: (Yeah, that's not gonna be pretty for it. XD)
Lazarus: [So insta downed?]
GM: (Yeah. You can describe it if you want.)
Lazarus: Instead of the bullet drilling through the rat, it expands and sends them flying into a backwall instead, knocking the air right from their lungs and down with a thud.
GM: (Nice.)
GM: The rat-folk hiss at the group, and pounce on the "clever" possum that thought it could hide!
GM: (Attacking simultaneously, granting a +1, boosted to +3 because they're good at Fighting in Groups.)
GM: !f 3
DiscoDude: <@GM> rolled 4dF+3 for 2 [4dF = [-][-][ ][+]]
GM: (Now defend!)
Lira: <@Jez> , defend.
Also, <@GM> , consider giving rules reminders.
GM: (We were just discussing that in PM.)
Lira: I didn't knew that
GM: (Well, <@!Jez>?)
Jez: !f 0
DiscoDude: <@Jez> rolled 4dF+0 for -2 [4dF = [-][-][ ][ ]]
GM: (Which skill?)
Jez: (Atheletics)
GM: (Ah. You're looking at 4 physical stress, which can be brought up to 6 if I boost with [Clear as Day][!]. Wanna boost with anything?)
Lira: (how much punishment can a single possum take on their first scuffle?)
Jez: (Eh, I don't even know what I could boost with. I didn't really give Jez any combat-related skills at all)
Minelle: (all of the punishment. all of it.)
GM: (Well, I'm gonna boost. You can either take a total of 6 stress to stay in the fight, or drop out of it.)
GM: (Because yes, there are situations when personally forfeiting makes perfect sense.)
GM: (<@!Jez>?)
Jez: (I'll forfeit)
GM: (Alright. Since it's you choosing to forfeit, you go down on your terms. Describe it! (Considering you're a possum, I can guess... XD))
Lira: (okay, if she feigns death, this is the best thing that could have happened the whole session)
Minelle: (XD)
GM: (Or... Wait. This is still being Taken Out, so it's on my terms. Still, I know the obvious outcome when I see it. XD)
GM: The two bear down on Jez, and she gives a yelp! before dropping to the floor... dead? The rat-men seem confused.
Minelle: (XD)
Lira: "Jez! Noooooo!" Lira says, comically misinterpreting the situation.
Lira: (Minelle, your turn)
GM: (XD)
Minelle: "Allow me." She whips out her viola again, this time untransformed, and...starts playing. Something sweet, something melodic. Music to enrapture the senses and calm an enraged heart.
Minelle: (this'll be a Rapport roll, right?)
GM: (Yeah, to create advantage.)
Minelle: !f 1 (Rapport)
DiscoDude: <@Minelle> rolled 4dF+1 for 0 [4dF = [ ][-][+][-]]
GM: (Against the ratfolk, or for your allies?)
Minelle: (against the ratfolk, trying to calm them down)
Minelle: (also would a +2 help?)
GM: (Alright, and they're bad at Resisting Sway.)
GM: !f -2
DiscoDude: <@GM> rolled 4dF-2 for -1 [4dF = [-][+][ ][+]]
Minelle: (well hell yes i'll pump another FATE Point, this time into Virtuoso Musician)
GM:
GM: (Alright, so you gain a double invoke, in exchange for being down to 1 FATE?)
Minelle: (yes.)
GM: (Describe it!)
Minelle: hopes to resolve this situation peacefully with some lovely tunes.
Minelle: Her smile perks up as it seems to be working.
GM: (Name the aspect.)
Minelle: [Savage Beasts Soothed][!!]
GM: They seem to let their guard down a bit, but they aren't forgetting about your violent entrance.
GM: (Lira, your turn!)
Lira: ( 😈 )
Lira: Lira turns her blaster from 'safe' to 'stun', before pointing it towards the two rats.
"EAT BOTTLED LIGHTNING YOU BASTARDS!"
Lira then proceeds to fire several low-powered bolts of electron particles towards the rat persons.
GM: (I forget how multi-targeting works.)
Lira: (you divide the results amongst the targets)
Lira: ( <@Minelle> can confirm )
Lira: !f 3 (shoot)
DiscoDude: <@Lira> rolled 4dF+3 for 5 [4dF = [ ][+][ ][+]]
Minelle: (yessiree)
GM: (Alright.)
Minelle: (also you, the player, do the dividing)
Minelle: (like)
Minelle: (you aim 3 at one and 2 at the other)
Minelle: (or maybe 4 at one and 1 at the other)
Minelle: (whatever works for you)
GM: !roll 4df+0 4df+0
DiscoDude: <@GM> rolled 4df+0 for -1 [4df = [-][ ][ ][ ]] and 4df+0 for -2 [4df = [-][-][+][-]]
GM: (Crap. XD)
Lira: (I think they go down regardless)
GM: bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt! The two rat-men do a little dance before dropping.
GM: (dodododoo, doo, doo, doot-do-doo!)
Lira: Lira rushes towards Jez
"This is your fault Minelle!" She says, picking the possum from the ground.
Minelle: "Oh for heaven's sake. She's just...playing possum."
GM: (Ready to wake up, <@!Jez>? XD)
Jez: Her body, formerly stiff in Lira's arms, begins to reanimate. "Are they... done?" she asks in confusion.
Lira: "Ah!" Lira exclaims, jumping back, almost dropping the possum "What witchcraft is this?! How does one come back from life like this?!"
Minelle: sighs dramatically. "Let's just keep moving."
GM: (Hm... Lira took out two of them, so I think the Treasure should go to them or someone of their choice. Any objections, @everyone?)
Lazarus: [Nah, not really]
Lira: " We have gone through all this trouble... Let's look inside on the very least" Lira then searches the ... Garden?
Jez: "Chemical processes! And.." her mind is still foggy, "Yeah! Going! Right!" she wiggles out of Lira's arms to stand up.
Lazarus: Lazarus looks over at the rat he knocked out and picked him up, shaking them slightly. "I maybe went too hard on the concussive shell."
Lira: Lira lets Jez go
" We have gone through all this trouble... Let's look inside on the very least" Lira then searches the ... Garden?
GM: Lira finds naught, except that there's an ivy-riddled statue of a possibly angelic-equivalent figure with a very real, if rusted, piece of jewelry on it.
Minelle: "I think this might be a graveyard," Minelle says.
GM: Lira has obtained a [Posey Rosary][$].
GM: (Or perhaps it's a lea? Alien cultures are weird.)
Lira: "Graverobbers we are, then" Lira says, pocketing the loot. "Let's move east"
Lazarus: "Aye..." Lazarus eyes around the area before continuing off with Lira.
GM: (Actually, are you guys okay with stopping here?)
Minelle: follows. She has half a mind to object to circling back towards the way they entered, but she doesn't have any better ideas on how to navigate this place other than "completely at random."
Minelle: (no objections)
GM: (But before we proceed either way...)
Jez: Jez slaps her face, getting her bearings before following Lira.
GM: It's been a while since you came down here, and the quartet has now obtained the [Hungry][!] aspect. (You can alleviate hunger with one of your personal Rations.)
Lazarus: [Ah, time to tick off 1 ration I guess]
Minelle: (done)
GM: (@everyone ready to call it a night, or do you wanna keep going?)
Minelle: (i'm good either way)
Jez: (same)
Lazarus: [I think call it]
Lazarus: [Lira needs sleep]
GM: (Alrighty. TBH, I should have called out hunger earlier.)
Minelle: (heh heh)
Lira: A beeping warning comes from Lara, which subsides as soon as she uses one of her nourishment cillinders, with the usual hissing noise "Two more to go"
GM: (Final lines, people?)
Minelle: "I do hope we can get our bearings in here sooner or later. I sincerely hope we have more options than simply exploring every square inch of this place..."
Minelle: (and I'm good)
Jez: pulls out some of her hardtack and eats it while loudly crunching.*
GM: (<@Lazarus>?)
Lira: "Don't worry, I got a hold of the map"
Lazarus: [Oh nah]
Lazarus: [I'm good]
GM: (Then let us...)
GM: !end
