Dirty
Quest Summary January 8-9, 2016 Campaign Day 31-32
Participants: Amai, Ceru, Faendal, Frank, Hunter, Krazztar, Rethkka
Location: Road from Balid Beach to Jaloppin
As the BABY METAL caravan travels along the road, another caravan is spotted ahead on the road, it appears to have been attacked and set on fire.
RABBIT and two of ISAAC’s surveillance drones are sent to take a closer look. Rabbit remains in stealth, but Isaac’s drones are shot down on their approach by an unseen SNIPER. Rabbit sees that the caravan under attack appears to belong to a primitive, nomadic tribe of ELVES. A few of their wagons sit along the road, damaged and burning, but not completely blocking passage. The rest of their wagons are pulled a couple hundred yards off the road and circled defensively, but many of them are also damaged and burning. There are a few wagons to one side of the caravan, which have large cages built on top of them, holding about 4-5 people each (a mix of various races and backgrounds). On the ground outside the cages are the surviving elves who are kneeling on the ground, being held at bay by a trio of human CYBORG MERCENARIES. Many of the elves and their mounts lay dead on the ground. By all appearances, whatever battle that transpired has finished, and the elves were defeated.
On the other side of the caravan, three more modern, militaristic vehicles are parked. These vehicles are engine-powered, as opposed to the elves’ wagons that are drawn by draught animals. Two are larger APTs, the third is a smaller ATV with a gun turret mounted on top. A group of about a half-dozen MERCENARIES, wearing nondescript paramilitary armor similar to the cyborgs, appear to be looting goods from the elf wagons and loading them into the APTs. A young adolescent ELF GIRL emerges from one of the wagons, clutching something as she tries to flee. One of the mercenaries, herself an ELF ROGUE, gives chase and easily runs her down, killing her with a throwing knife and retrieving her parcel.
Our heroes deliberate on what to do, reasoning that they might be able to pass by the scene unimpeded. They could also double back down the road and take an alternate route that would circumvent this area, but it may cost them as much as an extra day of travel. After some debate, they decide to send most of the caravan to double back until they are a safe distance away, with LUCY and ISAAC staying behind to guard the band and PRIM, while the rest of them take a single bus to go investigate the scene more closely.
With CERU unconscious as RABBIT stays hidden in stealth mode among the caravan, FAENDAL decides to stay with the bus and keep a lookout while the other four go ahead. HUNTER and KRAZZTAR advance to speak with the Mercenaries while RETHKKA and AMAI stay a short distance behind them.
HUNTER speaks with the leader of the Mercenaries, a gnome mage who introduces herself as AURELIUS and is accompanied by the ELF ROGUE who killed the girl. Behind them, an ORC WARRIOR, a pair of DWARF ROGUES, and a STONE GOLEM continue to load their vehicles.
AURELIUS tells HUNTER that her group has no intention of fighting his group or interfering with their safe passage, as long as his group doesn’t interfere in their work. Hunter tells her that he accepts this pledge and returns to the others.
Some of the heroes have misgivings about leaving the scene, so AMAI, HUNTER, KRAZZTAR, and RETHKKA decide to try to sneak around and investigate the cages. They are spotted on their approach, though, and the unseen SNIPER fires a warning shot that intentionally misses by a comfortable distance.
RABBIT then drops a grenade near the main group of MERCENARIES while the other four advance on the cages and engage in combat with the three CYBORGS, who seen up close appear to be sisters and possess a high level of acrobatic skill. Two of them mount motorcycles and attack with energized lances while the third attacks on foot with energized cybernetic claws. The Cyborgs appear to be evenly matched with our heroes, but try to flee when one of them is seriously injured, appearing to place a higher premium on survival than victory. They are aided by the DWARF COUPLE, who drive over in the ATV and begin launching grenades from the gun turret to cover the sisters’ escape. Meanwhile, Rabbit destroys the cover of the hidden sniper, who is revealed to be a SAURIAN and is accompanied by another GNOME MAGE. Rather than fight in the open, they flee.
As the MERCENARIES regroup, RABBIT calls for our heroes to cease fire, realizing that the cages, and presumably the captives within, belong to the ELVES, not the Mercenaries. AURELIUS confirms this and explains that they are team of adventurers who were hired to eliminate the elves, who are slavers.
The Mercenaries finish looting the wreckage of their vanquished foes, as teams of adventurers are known to do. RABBIT talks with AURELIUS and her elf companion, RIVER JACK, about the elves’ captives. Aurelius says they were planning to set them free after they finished clearing the battleground and only kept them in the cages so they wouldn’t interfere or get in the way. Rabbit is wary of leaving the captives stranded and decides to take as many as they can back on the bus, which is likely not more than three or four. Aurelius says her group don’t have room to take anyone with them but promises send a rescue party from their next stop and leave behind enough supplies for them to camp out until help arrives.
FAENDAL meanwhile talks with the Saurian sniper, who is named SEBASTIAN, and his Golem friend, who is called SPICY PETE after the red crystals that line his stony hide and erupt into magical flames during combat. He and AMAI also talk with the cyborg sisters, LANA, LARA, and LOLA, to make sure there are no hard feelings.
Our heroes then set up freeing the prisoners from the cages while the Mercenaries deal with their captors. They decide to bring with them FRANÇOISE, a human mage who goes by FRANK; an aristocratic elf chevalier named ULYSSES; and a young elf noblewoman named DAISY, who appears to be overwhelmed by the stress of captivity and generally ill-prepared for the rigors of traveling alone. FAENDAL and KRAZZTAR meanwhile notice another of the captives, a human brigand, who looks familiar to them. After a little reflection, they finally recognize him as CEDRIC, one of the missing members of the BLUE BREAKERS gang that attacked their home village of VALENWOOD. They decide to take him back on the bus with them as their captive.
Location: Jaloppin
The caravan stops to rest and refuel at JALOPPIN, the last major outpost before reaching KARROS. FRANK takes the opportunity to check in on her former fellow captives, DAISY and ULYSSES. Ulysses seems to be doing fine, using most of the conversation as an excuse to show off his bastard sword, which was made by his grandfather’s personal smith back in his homeland of TOLAN, across the SHATTERED CHANNEL, and to brag about his skill as a fighter. Daisy on the other hand is withdrawn and evasive, looking visibly shaken by her ordeal. Her clothing is fine but ill-suited to travel, and the dueling weapons she carries look expensive but also have obviously never been used in actual combat. FRANK and CERU then chat a little, as Ceru fills her in on who she and her companions are and what they are doing.