CHAPTER 10: Leaving the Gam'A Zone

[Norjax]

...

Tunnel Complex, 300D/81 (Late Afternoon)

Rest and Recovery in Hagalton is decided over risking an encounter and battle with the Gam’A Morlocks. You spend a good half an hour hauling loot from the station stop to the two Pod Vehicles, after reuniting the fungal amoeba with its lost segment. The amorphous creature thanks you for the assistance and asks to be returned to the fungal forest (in the outside canyon) from where it was captured by the Thorax Scavengers.

The pods shuttle you and your cargo back to the cave entrance without incident. The trip takes an hour and forty minutes.

Upon reaching the cave pocket at the entrance, you realize the pack animals have met a demise. The drot swyne and pard horse carcasses lie where they died, harnessed to the rail. The quicksten (flightless bird) is missing. The carts are parked, undisturbed, with your rations neatly stowed. A quick examination of the dead animals determines that they died from multiple puncture wounds from a thorn or stinger, possibly nocturnal Gam’A Bees.

Drot Swyne:



Quicksten:



Pard Horse:



Tunnel Schematic:



Immediate area around tunnel entrance (A):

OOC: The animals were here for three nights. I chose Luck to determine if they had an encounter; your Luck. I averaged the group’s current Luck score (3) and gave each animal a Luck check against the bees. All failed. Low Luck, especially 0, has consequences.

Without the pack animals, you must carry all the cargo and reduce your rate of travel. Silvestri’s movement also hampers the pace. What was 8 days travel to Hagalton has become 14 days. Luckily you have 17-days of rations.

...

Gam’A Zone, 304D/81 (Early Afternoon)

After 4 days of travel, you are about 8 miles from the Zone Barrier and near the hills and canyon to the west of your route. A movement is spotted out to the west and before you are able to investigate, a low, dark animal, 12-14ft long, darting in and out of fresh ground burrows begins to zig-zag towards your location. It is a couple hundred feet away.

Route out of Gam’A Zone:

Action Details:

Characters:
Collective Luck Check =[1d20] = 4
Collective Luck Check =[1d20] = 18
Collective Luck Check =[1d20] = 11

Silvestri daily healing = [8d4+12] = 22+12 = 34
Silvestri daily healing = [8d4+12] = 20+12 = 32
Silvestri daily healing = [8d4+12] = 20+12 = 32

Monsters:

Actions?

Hit Points [Luck Points]:

Luck recovery applied
Natural Healing applied
USH Regeneration applied
Silvestri’s daily psychic healing applied (Days 301-303)

Belial – 57/57 [2/9]
Denslow –42/42 [15/16]
Silvestri – 60/60 [3/14]
MacMak – 68/68 [5/17]
Bruce – 50/50 [1/12]
Kurot – 50/50 [3/15]
Frank – 63/63 [7/13]
Farmanus – 87/87 [6/13]

...

[greyarea]

Denslow says, Look what's coming. It's out of range for my fruit. Can anyone get a good read on what it is? I don't recall those burrows from before...

[Zhym]

"I can't see it any better than the rest of you," says Kurot, reaching for his rifle. "However, whatever it is, it is big. It is also well within rifle range. Based on prior experience, it seems a safe assumption that nothing we encounter out here will be friendly. Perhaps we should shoot first and inspect later?" He waits for agreement before firing, however.

[Urson]

Belial
Belial flaps into the air, making a surprised grunt of pain as he does. He approaches the creature, staying about 20 feet above ground level.

[rossik]

MacMak makes no decision, but gets his bow ready

[shaidar]

Silvestri offers up his rifle "If anyone wants to use my rifle for the range, then do. I will use the energy blaster. But first I will use my powers to try and determine it's intentions. Be ready in case it attacks while I try"

Initiative: [1d20] = 19

Empathy: [1d20+6] = 13+6 = 19

[Norjax]

...

Gam’A Zone, 304D/81 (Early Afternoon)

Silvestri concentrates on the distant creature. He receives a premonition of predator hostility directed at your group. The animal skulks low to the ground and continues its back-and-forth advance.

OOC: At its current pace, it will be in melee range in 3 rounds.

Action Details:

Characters:

Monsters:

Actions?

Hit Points [Luck Points]:

Belial – 57/57 [2/9]
Denslow –42/42 [15/16]
Silvestri – 60/60 [3/14]
MacMak – 68/68 [5/17]
Bruce – 50/50 [1/12]
Kurot – 50/50 [3/15]
Frank – 63/63 [7/13]
Farmanus – 87/87 [6/13]

...

[rossik]

MacMak will see if thus rifle does more damage than his cross bow. He will use the most advantageous.

Then, he will try to ultravision the creatures, telling what he sees.
[1d20] = 11

[shaidar]

Silvestri

"It's a hostile predator, animalistic, shall I project fear at it or do we want to fight?"

[Zhym]

Kurot, about to fire, pauses long enough to answer Silvestri. "Scare it away. I see little profit in fighting, unless the creature is carrying useful tech around with it."

Norjax: Could Kurot spread the aim & fire sequence for aimed shots across rounds? For example:

Round 1
Action 1: Aim
Action 2: Fire aimed shot
Action 3: Aim

Round 2
Action 1: Fire aimed shot
Action 2: Aim
Action 3: Fire aimed shot

Would that work?

[Yrkoon]

Farmanus the Unneeded

Farmanus takes up a firing position behind a boulder and readies his pigmonn rifle.

[Norjax]

...

Gam’A Zone, 304D/81 (Early Afternoon)

As you discuss options regarding the unknown creature, it continues to advance. It has six legs, large mandibles and a tail section for stability.

OOC: At its current pace it will be in melee range in 2 rounds.

Action Details:

Characters:

Monsters:

Actions?

Hit Points [Luck Points]:

Belial – 57/57 [2/9]
Denslow –42/42 [15/16]
Silvestri – 60/60 [3/14]
MacMak – 68/68 [5/17]
Bruce – 50/50 [1/12]
Kurot – 50/50 [3/15]
Frank – 63/63 [7/13]
Farmanus – 87/87 [6/13]

...

[greyarea]

Kill it or scare it away, I care not. It looks nasty and could cause serious damage if it gets too close, suggests Denslow.

[shaidar]

Silvestri

"It is always wise to avoid combat if possible, I shall see if I can make it flee"

He will send fear down the mental link and see how it responds.

[Yrkoon]

Farmanus the Unneeded

Farmanus levels his gun at the approaching beast, but notices *The Nice Man* focusing his intense gaze at it. The human decides to wait and gauge the effect of Silvestri's mental attack. If the creature approaches any closer, he will open fire.

[rossik]

"Lets put a end to this", say the birdman, posing as Choy Yun Fat

[1d20+1] = 19+1 = 20 [1d6] = 6
(crossbow)

[Norjax]

...

Gam’A Zone, 304D/81 (Early Afternoon)

Silvestri sends a wave of fear into the mind of the creature. It skids to a halt, spins on all six legs and darts back to the dirt mounds. (Fails WIL save)

MacMak fires a crossbow bolt into its hide (6pt. dmg), and it lets out a high-pitch squeak while running away.

The creature disappears into one of the burrows, and a brief ‘puff’ of soil erupts and settles around the hole onto the surrounding ground.

Action Details:

Characters:

Monsters:
WIL Save = [1d20+2] = 5+2 = 7

Actions?

Hit Points [Luck Points]:

Belial – 57/57 [2/9]
Denslow –42/42 [15/16]
Silvestri – 60/60 [3/14]
MacMak – 68/68 [5/17]
Bruce – 50/50 [1/12]
Kurot – 50/50 [3/15]
Frank – 63/63 [7/13]
Farmanus – 87/87 [6/13]

...

[greyarea]

Excellent work Silvestri. Let’s just be careful that it doesn’t have friends about, says Denslow.

[Urson]

Belial
Belial circles back and lands awkwardly, grunting as his wings fold. Nice work! But we better hurry, my dudes. That thing didn't look smart enough to have been scared away for long
He unslings his crossbow and readies it, then begins moving on, keeping a careful eye on the area where that thing came from.

[Zhym]

Kurot puts his gun away, pleased that he didn't have to expend any bullets. "Well done," he tells Silvestri. "But Belial is right—we should proceed onward with all due haste."