[3:25p]
mllaneza
:
this is a weird hack
[3:25p]
FAX
:
avast
[3:25p] FAX:
and aye
[3:26p] FAX:
idk if we're getting anybody else
[3:26p] FAX:
if anybody else wants to play though
[3:26p]
Potsticker
:
Avast!
[3:26p]
FAX
:
bring em in and have them post
[3:26p] FAX:
their required 3 things
[3:26p] FAX:
brb
[3:26p]
Potsticker
:
Hey mll. How goes?
[3:26p]
mllaneza
:
not bad, writing more 40k fiction
[3:28p]
Potsticker
:
Fun times.
[3:29p]
mllaneza
:
fun fact, the recruiter from Gree is now with another company, and actually arranging an interview this time
[3:29p]
FAX
:
lol gree
[3:29p] FAX:
are they hiring anything cool
[3:30p] FAX:
that i have experience for
[3:30p]
mllaneza
:
not so far as I'm concerned
[3:40p]
FAX
:
i would advise printing out a copy of the 1st page of ghost lines and filling it out as-is for your character
[3:40p] FAX:
rather than trying to goog doc it
[3:41p]
mllaneza
:
I saved off a PDF and I'm marking that up
[3:41p]
FAX
:
also works
[3:41p]
Potsticker
:
What if I just claw marks into my arms for my character?
[3:41p] Potsticker:
I can keep track better this way.
[3:42p]
FAX
:
spooky
[3:42p]
mllaneza
:
that's one way to make your mark
[3:43p]
Potsticker
:
The setting for this game is pretty spooky.
[3:43p]
tincanmademan
:
      https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OjP-Fkm9YJ_HC3gx0OCpxygVawJp2BvDOM6SF7GnJ7w/pub
[3:43p]
Potsticker
:
I wonder what happened to make all the land outside the electric shields full of ghosts and how they had enough time to build the shields once it happened.
[3:43p]
tincanmademan
:
my sheet
[3:43p] tincanmademan:
for reference
[3:44p]
mllaneza
:
at a guess it didn't start this bad
[3:44p]
Potsticker
:
Damn, tinman.
[3:44p]
tincanmademan
:
also is this hack still 2d6 for rolls
[3:44p] tincanmademan:
because 12 being the success is pretty gnarly
[3:44p] tincanmademan:
oh, its like the resounding success
[3:44p] tincanmademan:
nvm
[3:44p]
Potsticker
:
I hope it's 2d6.
[3:44p]
FAX
:
probably we're going to use goog hangout just so that we have a diceroller and we have actual handout capability
[3:45p] FAX:
but no voice or webcam prob.
[3:45p]
mllaneza
:
thats fine
[3:45p]
FAX
:
Potsticker, if any of your joker buddies want to throw down
[3:45p] FAX:
they should get in here
[3:46p]
Potsticker
:
My joker buddies aren't around, Faxman.
[3:46p]
FAX
:
some might be
[3:46p] FAX:
some might not be
[3:46p]
Potsticker
:
No, they pretty much all are not.
[3:46p]
FAX
:
rip them
[3:47p]
Potsticker
:
they have hueg guts
[4:01p] Potsticker:
Okay, so actual game chat. I see both of you guys put a role in on your posts. I thought the role loadouts were something that could change, run to run.
[4:01p] Potsticker:
Because you get shit for doing all four roles.
[4:02p]
FAX
:
yes
[4:02p] FAX:
that is true
[4:02p]
Potsticker
:
Okay.
[4:11p] Potsticker:
putting this sheet together slowly: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ai76nQh2gtoedC1CSjhYTzkybGR1NUxUTVdWM080Rnc&usp=sharing
[4:24p] Potsticker:
Ah, here it is, to complete level 2 you need to have worked all four roles. I knew it was in here somewhere.
[5:15p] Potsticker:
What is Silencing a ghost rather than clearing it?
[5:15p] Potsticker:
Oh, there it is. "destroyed"
[5:15p] Potsticker:
I guess clearing it is just removing it from the train?
[5:30p]
mllaneza
:
we'll find out
[5:39p]
tincanmademan
:
I should be back in time, dunno if this is still happenin
[5:39p] tincanmademan:
might be like 2 minutes left
[5:39p]
FAX
:
yep
[5:39p]
FAX
:
it is
[5:39p] FAX:
there's 3 people
[5:40p] FAX:
i have the opening scene already set
[5:40p] FAX:
so
[5:40p] FAX:
i'll see you in 20-50 minutes
[5:41p]
mllaneza
:
kewl !
[5:46p]
Potsticker
:
How cool is my sheet, anonymous user 3?
[5:46p]
FAX
:
's fine
[5:47p]
Potsticker
:
Pretty fuckin' cool, eh?
[5:47p]
FAX
:
good luck trying to figure out how to do trauma and harm
[5:48p]
Potsticker
:
Those are easy enough.
[5:48p] Potsticker:
It's Scars and Horror I don't really get.
[5:49p] Potsticker:
Like, are you supposed to start at the top boxes? So you get the minus one right off the bat, then an empty, then the second minus one, then another empty?
[5:50p] Potsticker:
I might rejigger it so that there's twelve boxes for Trauma and Harm, though. Depending.
[5:51p]
FAX
:
yes
[5:51p] FAX:
that's how that works
[5:52p]
Potsticker
:
Okay.
[5:53p]
FAX
:
alright
[5:54p] FAX:
OK
[5:54p] FAX:
things you need to know
[5:54p] FAX:
use [*] to end whatever action you're using
[5:55p] FAX:
http://orokos.com/roll/?action=roll for dice rolls - campaign will be: GHOSTLINES727
[5:55p] FAX:
description is nice but not needed
[5:56p] FAX:
      http://orokos.com/roll/c-GHOSTLINES727
[5:56p] FAX:
here's to view the dice rolls
[5:56p]
FAX
:
OOC chat can use double parens and we'll keep it all in here
[5:57p] FAX:

[5:57p] FAX:
copy of the map
[5:58p] FAX:
oh right
[5:58p] FAX:
i'm not op in this channel because I d/ced
[5:58p] FAX:
so whenever everybody's here part and then i'll invite everybody back in
[5:58p]
mllaneza
:
d'oh
[5:58p]
FAX
:
since some people want to watch
[6:02p]
tincanmademan
:
oh
[6:02p] tincanmademan:
its going huh
[6:02p]
FAX
:
well
[6:02p] FAX:
we're going to start
[6:02p] FAX:
whenever everybody's here
[6:02p] FAX:
unless you're not planning on playing in which case
[6:02p] FAX:
we enter dumb 2-man situation
[6:03p]
tincanmademan
:
nah im down
[6:03p]
Potsticker
:
Okay, parting.
[6:03p] Potsticker left the chat room.
[6:03p] You left the room.You left the room.
[6:04p] tincanmademan joined the chat room.
[6:04p] tincanmademan joined the chat room.
[6:04p] FAX made this room moderated for normal users.
[6:04p] FAX made this room moderated for normal users.
[6:04p] Potsticker joined the chat room.
[6:04p] Potsticker joined the chat room.
[6:04p] FAX made this room private.
[6:04p] FAX made this room private.
[6:04p] Anakron joined the chat room.
[6:04p] Anakron joined the chat room.
[6:04p] You were granted voice by FAX.
[6:04p] You were granted voice by FAX.
[6:04p] JORDEN joined the chat room.
[6:04p] JORDEN joined the chat room.
[6:04p] Potsticker was granted voice by FAX.
[6:04p] Potsticker was granted voice by FAX.
[6:04p] tincanmademan was granted voice by FAX.
[6:04p] tincanmademan was granted voice by FAX.
[6:04p]
FAX
:
ok
[6:04p] FAX:
sup dudes
[6:05p] FAX:
i know you did it before but post a link to your characters right now pls
[6:05p]
mllaneza
:
oh, mine isn't up...
[6:05p]
tincanmademan
:
      https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OjP-Fkm9YJ_HC3gx0OCpxygVawJp2BvDOM6SF7GnJ7w/pub
[6:05p]
FAX
:
thats cool
[6:05p] FAX:
doesn't have to be
[6:05p]
Potsticker
:
      https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ai76nQh2gtoedC1CSjhYTzkybGR1NUxUTVdWM080Rnc&usp=sharing
[6:05p] Potsticker:
It's fucking rad.
[6:06p] Potsticker:
I put it tracks for Trauma and Harm. Scars and Horros is just a single box right now.
[6:06p]
mllaneza
:
      https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B65hQpo4NriKWnhtUVNUNUk1SlE/edit?usp=sharing
[6:07p]
FAX
:
ok
[6:07p] FAX:
ground rule stuff
[6:07p]
Potsticker
:
I guess since you guys are Rook and Owl this first run, I'll take the Spider role.
[6:07p]
FAX
:
- use [*] to end whatever action you're using
[6:07p] FAX:
- http://orokos.com/roll/?action=roll for dice rolls - campaign will be: GHOSTLINES727
[6:07p] FAX:
-- description is nice but not needed
[6:07p] FAX:
- http://orokos.com/roll/c-GHOSTLINES727 - here's to view the dice rolls
[6:07p] FAX:
- OOC chat can use ((double parens)) and we'll keep it all in here
[6:07p] FAX:
- IC spoken word use "quotes" in order to denote you're actually saying something
[6:07p] FAX:
- - copy of the map
[6:07p]
tincanmademan
:
wouldnt a dicebot be simpler?
[6:07p]
FAX
:
none available
[6:08p] FAX:
unless you have one
[6:08p] FAX:
oh this'll work
[6:08p] siri joined the chat room.
[6:08p] siri joined the chat room.
[6:08p] siri was granted voice by FAX.
[6:08p] siri was granted voice by FAX.
[6:08p]
FAX
:
.roll 2d6
[6:08p]
siri
:
FAX: 6 (2d6=1, 5)
[6:08p]
FAX
:
ok
[6:08p] FAX:
use that
[6:09p]
tincanmademan
:
cool
[6:09p]
FAX
:
alright last thing
[6:09p] tincanmademan is now known as Arvus.
[6:09p] tincanmademan is now known as Arvus.
[6:09p]
Potsticker
:
.roll 2d6+2 finess to jump around like spidersman
[6:09p]
siri
:
Potsticker: finess to jump around like spidersman: 7 (2d6+2=4, 1)
[6:09p] Arvus is now known as tincanmademan.
[6:09p] Arvus is now known as tincanmademan.
[6:09p]
FAX
:
is to do what tincan just did
[6:09p]
tincanmademan
:
oh
[6:09p] tincanmademan is now known as Arvus.
[6:09p] tincanmademan is now known as Arvus.
[6:09p] FAX is now known as CONDUCTOR.
[6:09p] FAX is now known as CONDUCTOR.
[6:09p] Potsticker is now known as Naria.
[6:09p] Potsticker is now known as Naria.
[6:09p]
Naria
:
Or should we wear our badges?
[6:09p] Topic changed to "ghost lines: session in progress" by CONDUCTOR.
[6:09p]
CONDUCTOR
:
badges probably better
[6:09p] Naria is now known as Brogan.
[6:09p] Naria is now known as Brogan.
[6:10p] Arvus is now known as Strathmill.
[6:10p] Arvus is now known as Strathmill.
[6:11p]
CONDUCTOR
:
alright
[6:12p] AndroidBlues joined the chat room.
[6:12p] AndroidBlues joined the chat room.
[6:12p]
CONDUCTOR
:
whenever mllaneza gets back
[6:12p] CONDUCTOR:
we'll be ready
[6:12p]
mllaneza
:
yo
[6:12p]
CONDUCTOR
:
nick up to your badge name and i can start the first scene
[6:12p] You are now known as Bowman.
[6:12p]
Strathmill
:
So what the heck do our roles imply our jobs being
[6:12p] Strathmill:
like I assumed Owls are watchmen and ghost hunters because of spirit-goggles
[6:12p]
CONDUCTOR
:
that's for you to decide
[6:12p] CONDUCTOR:
but basically
[6:12p]
Strathmill
:
but the pdf is rather bare
[6:12p] Strathmill:
got it
[6:13p]
CONDUCTOR
:
the roles are meant to be representative of the specialty equipment
[6:13p] CONDUCTOR:
that you get
[6:13p]
Strathmill
:
oh!
[6:13p]
CONDUCTOR
:
but that will all happen during play
[6:13p]
Strathmill
:
got it
[6:13p]
CONDUCTOR
:
so without further delay
[6:13p]
Brogan
:
((The Against the Supernatural move gives a good overview of what the roles do, outside of the equipment))
[6:14p]
CONDUCTOR
:
correct
[6:14p] CONDUCTOR:
ok shut up here we go
[6:14p] CONDUCTOR:
>>>
[6:14p] CONDUCTOR:
It is the year 891 of the Imperium that united the shattered isles of the cataclysm under one rule — all glory to his majesty the Immortal Emperor. incompatible encoding
[6:14p] CONDUCTOR:
You work the GHOST LINES — the electro-railroad that passes through the ink-dark deadlands between cities. Spirits of the dead, drawn to the vital essence of the living, often get entangled in the powerful electrical field generated by the trains. Line bulls like you walk the length of the cars, magnetized boots clanking and breather-mask hissing, to clear the offending spirits with your lightning-hooks before they do too  incompatible encoding
[6:14p] CONDUCTOR:
much damage.
[6:14p] CONDUCTOR:
Each city of the Imperium is encircled by crackling lightning-towers to create an electrical shell that spirits cannot penetrate. By law, all corpses are incinerated with lightning-oil (to destroy the spirit essence within) but sometimes, wealthy citizens, heretics of the spirit cults, or the criminal element arrange for a ghost to escape destruction at the crematorium.
[6:14p] CONDUCTOR:
So called “rogue spirits” are also dealt with by bulls like you. For a fee, of course. incompatible encoding
[6:14p] CONDUCTOR:
SCENE I: AKOROS - BAYSIDE LINE - SOUTH POINT
[6:14p] CONDUCTOR:
It's your first month after being reassigned out of the Imperial Mass Transit Authority Academy. By random assignment you three have been assigned to work with a Master-class line bull as part of your apprenticeship program. He doesn't say much - in fact, he doesn't say anything. All you saw was a tired, scarred, muscular figure very briefly as you arrived last week as passengers from Bright Harbor. Since then you've only se
[6:14p] CONDUCTOR:
en the attendants to the Geists and the station workers at Southpoint, whose dry jokes about the weather provided as much entertainment as a blank tombstone.
[6:15p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Only the most critical supplies and personnel come and go from the impenetrable walls of the Grand Citadel where the Immortal Emperor slumbers - all glory to his majesty. Every train from the Imperial City carries a heavy weight with it. Your team is meant to relieve the line bulls inbound from there and join with another grip of bulls en route from the Heights.
[6:15p] CONDUCTOR:
...
[6:15p] CONDUCTOR:
As you step out onto the station platform waiting for both trains to arrive, the greys and blacks of the infinite night intermittently disrupted by a crackling of electricity along the rails. The train from the Heights is scheduled to arrive today with the other bulls, while the train from the Imperial City set to arrive the day after.
[6:15p] CONDUCTOR:
Something went wrong.
[6:15p] CONDUCTOR:
[>>>]
[6:16p] CONDUCTOR:
ENCOUNTER AT SOUTHPOINT
[6:16p] CONDUCTOR:
KEY QUESTIONS - The following questions will help define the immediate scene and portents for the task at hand.
[6:16p] CONDUCTOR:
- What was that explosion out in the distance?
[6:16p] CONDUCTOR:
- Who did you see out in the Darklands?
[6:16p] CONDUCTOR:
- Who do you know that has more information?
[6:16p] CONDUCTOR:
- Who was Anchoring the line bulls from the Heights?
[6:16p] CONDUCTOR:
- Where's the Master line bull at a time like this?
[6:16p] CONDUCTOR:
- What equipment loadout did you grab when the rescue klaxon started blaring? There's only one set of each...
[6:16p] CONDUCTOR:
Lastly,
[6:16p] CONDUCTOR:
- What are you doing?
[6:16p] CONDUCTOR:
[*]
[6:16p]
Strathmill
:
((What explosion))
[6:17p]
Bowman
:
what klaxon ?
[6:17p]
Strathmill
:
That too
[6:18p] Strathmill:
((Were we in the Darklands?  On our way here, I assume.  What does that mean, 'who did we see?'
[6:18p]
Bowman
:
((I can answer one, the Master line bull would have more information))
[6:19p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Feel free to post answers to questions at any time. All questions only have answers - they are intended to flesh out the scene, which also gives players direct control. If nobody in the group has a valid answer, please say so and move on.
[6:19p]
Bowman
:
((we have no valid answers to two of those questions))
[6:20p]
Strathmill
:
((We don't even understand the context of them))
[6:20p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Southpoint is a station in the Darklands on the Bayside line in Akoros.
[6:20p]
Strathmill
:
((Was there a line or two of exposition missing))
[6:20p]
Brogan
:
((we have evalid answers to all of them. Make shit up. ))
[6:20p]
CONDUCTOR
:
yes
[6:20p]
Strathmill
:
((No, but you can't answer "What was the explosion" when there was no explosion))
[6:23p]
CONDUCTOR
:
"Look there," says Long Jinn, the station worker beside your group. "That's not normal activity - that's a fire." He raises his binoculars and off in the distance your Geists pick up elevated noise and light levels on sensors. Fire is right - the sound levels spike and taper off sharply. From the direction of the Heights you have visual confirmation of a conflagration headed your way.
[6:24p] CONDUCTOR:
Note: if a question lacks context, create context for it and then answer the question as needed.
[6:25p]
Bowman
:
"Oh lord, a firestorm. We can't be out here. To the shelters !" and I'll run for the emergency lockers to grab Rook gear
[6:26p]
CONDUCTOR
:
There's a shower of sparks on the line, much closer - the Heights train screeches to a halt in a shower of sparks, and the translucent green phantasms commonly known as Ghosts are starting to solidify on the train.
[6:27p]
Brogan
:
• Brogan grabbed the lightning web-thrower and a bandolier of spirit bottles, the Spider loadout. If anything, it might help detain ghosts if they got too close. "That's not the line on fire, is it?" she asked, strapping the bandolier around her waist. "It looks like a lot of them out there. Let's go?" the last bit was a question to the Master anchor.
[6:27p]
Bowman
:
• Bowman looks confused, torn between duty and safety.
[6:29p]
CONDUCTOR
:
A robotic voice crackles on the commlines nearby. "WE GO IN AS TRADITION DEMANDS," the voice says. Emblazoned on the chestplate of the Master line bull is the man's badge name - Hellyers.
[6:29p]
Strathmill
:
"Some bulls," his badge says Strathmill, but the gaunt man had introduced himself as Arvus at some point.  His voice is lined with the baroque echoes of an Akoron accent.  What might have been a failed engine off in the distance has now turned into a local catastrophe, and the lanky bull rushes off to the equipment lockers.  He pulls open the rusty iron cabinet with stylized Owl painted
[6:29p] Strathmill:
crudely on it and pulls on the spirit-goggles.  Less comfortable than the Akoron designs, but manageable.  "Looks like their bulls fell in the line of duty.  Good news for us."
[6:30p]
CONDUCTOR
:
The rails begin changing at a series of commands that are outside of your comm frequency renegotiate the rail lines. A single railcar, which is more a ramshackle engine with hardpoints for twenty line bulls, rattles forth next to the station platform. Hellyers gets onto the all-comms.
[6:31p]
Bowman
:
• Bowman shoulders the lightning-hook, mutters a benediction to the Immortal Emperor, and take a hardpoint at the front of the car, "Arvus, take the watch point !"
[6:32p]
CONDUCTOR
:
"ANCHOR PRIMED. ROOK, SPIDER, OWL, SADDLE UP."
[6:32p]
Bowman
:
• Bowman waves encouragement at the stragglers.
[6:33p]
Strathmill
:
Quickly, Strathmill skitters up the side of the station building, pointing the way towards the nearest Civilian Spectral Shelter for a fleeing couple.  The goggles hiss and click as they adjust to the lower light - whoever was last using these was in the Northern Darklands, and forgot to reset the dials.  Avrus would have been whipped for that, no doubt.  Reaching the roof, he peers towards
[6:33p] Strathmill:
the haunted train.  "Already in position," he recognizes the voice as belonging to the man named Bowman.  He readies his lightning-hook to latch onto the train as he takes stock.  "I'm counting..." [*]
[6:33p] Strathmill:
.2d6+2 counting ghosts with Insight
[6:33p] Strathmill:
.roll 2d6+2 counting ghosts with Insight
[6:33p]
siri
:
Strathmill: counting ghosts with Insight: 8 (2d6+2=1, 5)
[6:33p]
Strathmill
:
What should I be on the lookout for?
[6:34p]
Brogan
:
"Master Hellyers," the boyish Sevoros called out, reporting in as she watched Arvus pull on his spirit-goggles. "Spider ready," she announced as she leaped into the railcar and grabbed onto the iron handgrips on one of the side hardpoints.
[6:34p]
Strathmill
:
((oh, I could have held that question but w/e))
[6:34p]
Bowman
:
((we'd want to know)
[6:35p]
CONDUCTOR
:
> Strathmill, based on your calibration, the ghosts are numerous - at least 15, unheard of from your texts while at the Academy. They all appear to be young ones by their movement patterns, but their spirit-forms are circling around a certain car. What's in it, you don't know.
[6:37p]
Strathmill
:
"No fewer than fifteen, no more than twenty," Arvus gulps, audibly nervous.  A situation like this was pure theory - test questions meant to rankle recruits and make them stammer on their tongues.  Not exactly first-day type of stuff.  "They're focused around the third car.  Can't tell if it's a cargo or passenger from here."
[6:37p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Hellyers clambers onto the top of the car and takes direct control of the rescue train. "Our mission is to extract any line bulls that are alive. Any at death's door will be cremated on the spot, as tradition demands. We then take the train and drive off the ghosts."
[6:37p]
Bowman
:
As our engine pulls alongside the stricken train, he leaps across short of the third car. Waving his heavy hook in the air, sparking and spitting, he cries "form up with me bulls, we'll drive them off !"
[6:38p] Bowman:
Bowman advances towards the ghost, ready to rip the first one clear of the train.
[6:38p]
CONDUCTOR
:
The ride is quick, too quick, and Bowman is the first to leap aboard. What are the rest of you doing?
[6:39p] CONDUCTOR:
.roll 2d6
[6:39p]
siri
:
CONDUCTOR: 8 (2d6=4, 4)
[6:39p]
Strathmill
:
((Hooking onto the train is a finesse?))
[6:40p]
Bowman
:
.roll 2d6+0 to rip a ghost free
[6:40p]
siri
:
Bowman: to rip a ghost free: 5 (2d6+0=3, 2)
[6:40p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Depends on what you're trying to do. You have powerful magnet boots and hands that allow you to grip the train as long as you're in proximity.
[6:40p]
Bowman
:
((I have failed))
[6:40p]
Brogan
:
Following Bowman with her own lightning hook at the ready, fifteen or more is too many to think about using the web-thrower effectively. Naria perches on the ledge of the rail car and makes her own leap to the distressed train.
[6:40p]
CONDUCTOR
:
We'll deal with Bowman in a moment - everybody else is in the process of boarding
[6:40p]
Strathmill
:
.roll 2d6+1 leaping onto the train from the station roof with finesse
[6:40p]
siri
:
Strathmill: leaping onto the train from the station roof with finesse: 12 (2d6+1=5, 6)
[6:41p]
Strathmill
:
(awww yussss)
[6:41p]
Brogan
:
.roll 2d6+2 finesse to make my jump
[6:41p]
siri
:
Brogan: finesse to make my jump: 8 (2d6+2=3, 3)
[6:42p]
Strathmill
:
Strathmill, in a moment that surprises even him, deftly lands on the top of the rushing train.  He channels his momentum to bring him back to standing in the blink of an eyes, his mag-boots clamping onto place.  The adrenaline was going through him now, and he felt like it was more in control than the brain was.
[6:42p] Strathmill:
((got a 12 so doing it quickly, without trouble, compromise or cost, and to do it impressively~))
[6:43p]
CONDUCTOR
:
I'll give Brogan a moment to post her outcome then I will proceed to describe the scene and what Bowman's up to
[6:44p]
Brogan
:
The Sevoros Spider seems a little embaressed as she doesn't quite make the leap as well as she'd hoped, and has to spend a moment, scurrying up the side with the assistance of her magnetic boots and gloves scraping on the outer metal bulkhead of the train.
[6:45p]
Brogan
:
(( Neither stylish, nor quickly, I'm settling for at least not having any complications or cost.))
[6:45p]
CONDUCTOR
:
> Strathmill and Brogan, you land on the train just in time to see the newly landed Bowman clumsily brandish the Rook's heavy duty lightning hook. Arc lightning sears forth into the murder of ghosts but falls short of the mark, grounding out in front of you. The hook bucks in your hands and leaps forward, instantly magnetizing to the roof of the train that you're standing on. You'll have to pull it free to use it again, and
[6:45p] CONDUCTOR:
the ghosts have noticed you! >more
[6:47p]
Bowman
:
.roll 2d6+1 to apply insight to see what the ghosts are up to, I get a bonus question from my homeland.
[6:47p]
siri
:
Bowman: to apply insight to see what the ghosts are up to, I get a bonus question from my homeland.: 11 (2d6+1=5, 5)
[6:47p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Hold up on that - I'll give you a roll, but I wasn't finished yet.
[6:47p]
Bowman
:
((ooooh))
[6:48p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Bowman, you see three ghosts break out of the horde and materialize in the form of men and women that have horrible strips of flesh folded over where their eyes should be. A perpetually grinning mouth reveals conical teeth and a serpent's tongue. "Liiiiiiiiife," you hear from a black-haired ghost, as she skitters on all fours to cling to your suit. A forked tongue traverses your faceplate, leaving a pink trail of saliva in i
[6:48p] CONDUCTOR:
ts wake.
[6:48p] CONDUCTOR:
[*]
[6:49p] CONDUCTOR:
Okay, now what do you do? Bowman first; after that, Hellyers makes a move, then Strathmill and Brogan
[6:49p]
Brogan
:
(( Is there nothing to mark in this hack when you get a miss? ))
[6:49p]
Bowman
:
((that is more pressing))
[6:49p]
Strathmill
:
The steel-colored bat of Akoros flutters on Strathmill's cloak as the train barrels forward, forcing the dead air of the Darklands to whip mercilessly against the line bulls.  "Juvenile ghosts.  Most likely dead rail laborers, or vapors from a wreck.  Wild and tortured, but not malevolent.  Certainly not intelligent."  His assessment is mostly untrue, as the badge called Bowman is suddenly
[6:49p] Strathmill:
under siege.  "Corporeal manifestations.  Dangerous."
[6:49p]
CONDUCTOR
:
No
[6:50p] CONDUCTOR:
nothing to mark for a miss
[6:51p]
Strathmill
:
((Lightning oil is used to power the hooks and also to burn bodies, right?))
[6:51p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Correct
[6:51p]
Strathmill
:
((Like, throwing oil on a ghost wont really hurt it))
[6:52p]
CONDUCTOR
:
It has to be used in conjunction with something else - your Geist armor has a power reactor for that exact purpose, so if you do get oil on a ghost, you can electrocute it from your hook
[6:52p]
Strathmill
:
((Got it, thanks))
[6:52p]
CONDUCTOR
:
brb while Bowman responds
[6:53p]
Bowman
:
Bowman throws an arm in front of his face, not to ward off the ghosts, but to shield them from the spirit flare he pulls from his bandolier. Throwing it to the roof of the train, it locks in place magnetically. With the ghosts distracted he works his hook free and steps back to assess the situation.
[6:57p]
CONDUCTOR
:
back
[6:57p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Bowman, that will require a Force roll
[6:57p]
Bowman
:
((even with extra time ?))
[6:58p]
CONDUCTOR
:
You're at +1 on top of the rest
[6:58p]
Bowman
:
.roll 2d6+1 to free the hook
[6:58p]
siri
:
Bowman: to free the hook: 12 (2d6+1=6, 5)
[6:59p]
CONDUCTOR
:
You launch the spirit flare into the cloud of ghosts, causing the ones in front of you to disengage and investigate the new thing they sense. You pull your hook free with minimal damage to the train and the heavy hook, a good success.
[7:00p] CONDUCTOR:
Hellyers lands from the rescue train beside you. You have a moment to appreciate the extra armor and spirit dynamo strapped to the back of the Anchor suit.
[7:01p]
Strathmill
:
"Orders, Master Bull?"  The lightning hook is in Strathmill's left hand, and with his right he studies the sward of spirits while their frontline is momentarily distracted.
[7:02p] Strathmill:
.roll 2d6+2 Insighting again, mostly to build some Qs
[7:02p]
siri
:
Strathmill: Insighting again, mostly to build some Qs: 6 (2d6+2=3, 1)
[7:02p]
Strathmill
:
((Or not!))
[7:02p]
CONDUCTOR
:
"Bulls, head into the train and look for the other team. There are four total. The ghosts will catch wise soon enough, and it takes time for the Heretic Engine to get started," he says, referring to the colloquial name for the spirit dynamo.
[7:02p]
Brogan
:
(( You can ask a Q right now on a miss! ))
[7:02p]
CONDUCTOR
:
yep
[7:03p]
Strathmill
:
((Oh right!
[7:03p] Strathmill:
What's the best way to scatter the ghosts away, not necessarily silence them?
[7:04p]
Brogan
:
Pulling herself over the rail one leg at a time, Brogan's magnetic boots finally find purchase on the corrugated metal floor of the train. "That's a whole lot of ghosts," she states, shaking the baggy geist suit to make sure it didn't bunch up in the wrong places during her ascent. A little surprised at how that many spirits look like when massed together as they are, Naria demands, "Outta
[7:04p] Brogan:
our way!" and swings her lightning-hook overhead at the nearest glob of animate ectoplasm, attempting to push through towards the next car. [*]
[7:05p] Brogan:
.roll 2d6+2 Force !
[7:05p]
siri
:
Brogan: Force !: 10 (2d6+2=4, 4)
[7:06p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Strathmill, Direct contact with a spirit hook will drive one away similar to a heavy shock - to silence them requires a burst of positive energy from the suit reactor.
[7:06p]
Brogan
:
(( I'd like to create an opportunity for us to pass by, and to suffer little harm in return. ))
[7:07p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Brogan's wild swings disperse the ghosts, more occupied with the rapidly dying spirit flare than they are at the woman's clanking.
[7:08p] CONDUCTOR:
You are currently on <CAR THREE>. There is an entryway on the top of CAR FOUR and to the side of CAR FIVE - otherwise, the cabins are sealed for security.
[7:09p] CONDUCTOR:
Bulls, you have an opening to press ahead thanks to Brogan. What do you do?
[7:09p]
Strathmill
:
"Go," Strathmill waves his hand towards the end of the train, his mag-boots clanking while he dashes towards the fourth car.  The ghosts were occupied or scattered, and this was their best opportunity.  "Roof access, Car Four!"
[7:09p]
Bowman
:
Bowman will pick out one of the distracted ghosts and carefully hook it and flick it away from the train
[7:09p] Bowman:
.roll 2d6+1 finess
[7:09p]
siri
:
Bowman: finess: 5 (2d6+1=1, 3)
[7:09p]
Bowman
:
bother
[7:10p] Bowman:
((cue face melting))
[7:10p]
Strathmill
:
.roll 2d6+1 finesse to get to car four and open up the hatch as quickly as possible
[7:10p]
siri
:
Strathmill: finesse to get to car four and open up the hatch as quickly as possible: 8 (2d6+1=5, 2)
[7:11p]
CONDUCTOR
:
The heavy electric hook abruptly fails - the overcharge from earlier must have damaged it. You'll need to spend 1 oil to refuel from the Owl.
[7:11p]
Strathmill
:
I choose to do it without compromise or cost
[7:11p] Strathmill:
((Well everyone has spare oil cannisters!))
[7:11p] Strathmill:
((oh wait))
[7:12p] Strathmill:
(I misread what 4-uses means, nvm!))
[7:12p]
CONDUCTOR
:
You do, but [for the purposes of this bad roll of Bowman] the Owl's spare canisters are specially formulated for emergencies
[7:12p]
Bowman
:
Bowman quickly recharges his hook ((mark one Lightning-oil)) and sprints to catch up with the group.
[7:12p]
CONDUCTOR
:
You can also take that detail to the bank
[7:12p]
Bowman
:
((Bowman has Swift from his background))
[7:13p]
CONDUCTOR
:
If it fails a second time, Bowman, you'll need to use the Owl's emergency oil
[7:13p] CONDUCTOR:
So note that down
[7:13p]
Brogan
:
Still a bit slow from her spectacular landing on the train, Brogan follows Strathmill to the fourth car. "Right behind you!" she announces, grabbing onto the access ladder with a gloved hand as she slides the lightning-hook into it's harness and pulling herself up to the top.
[7:13p] Brogan:
.roll 2d6+2 finesse
[7:13p]
siri
:
Brogan: finesse: 8 (2d6+2=5, 1)
[7:14p]
Bowman
:
((can I just dash past or will I need to roll ?))
[7:14p]
Strathmill
:
Strathmill stands next to the open roof hatch, motioning the badge Brogan and the badge Bowman in.  The Master Bull appeared to be holding his ground, and his orderes were specifically for them to enter the train, so he doesn't hesitate to leap in afterward and shut the hatch behind him.
[7:14p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Another note, not every action requires a finesse roll, since I'm noticing there's some confusion there
[7:14p]
CONDUCTOR
:
I'll call for one if needed
[7:15p]
Brogan
:
One of the magnetic boots gets stuck on a ladder rung, causing the Sevoros bull to sigh and take the ascent slowly and carefully. Today's just not the day for amazing acrobatics it seems.
[7:15p]
Strathmill
:
((Yeah but maybe we just want to do things ~stylishly~))
[7:15p] Strathmill:
it's a descent haha))
[7:15p] Strathmill:
(we're going into a car))
[7:15p]
CONDUCTOR
:
.roll 2d6
[7:15p]
siri
:
CONDUCTOR: 11 (2d6=6, 5)
[7:15p]
Brogan
:
(( i thought we were going to a roof? ))
[7:15p]
CONDUCTOR
:
You're *on* the roof
[7:15p]
Brogan
:
(( from car 3 to car 4 ))
[7:15p]
Strathmill
:
((We're on the roof of the train, and going into car 4 through the hatch))
[7:15p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Strathmill is correct
[7:16p]
Brogan
:
(( ooooh ))
[7:17p]
Strathmill
:
"Inside, quickly," the gas mask vaporizes most of his accent, as they are wont to do, but Arvus still has that sort of cocky mix of calm and confidence which the other cities assigned Akorans.
[7:17p] Strathmill:
Akorons
[7:17p] Strathmill:
whatever the denonym is
[7:17p]
CONDUCTOR
:
In any case, Bowman is in first, Brogan almost falling down the ladder after him; Strathmill slams the hatch shut as he does so too. The last thing you see up top, Strathmill, is the telltale blue luminescence of the spirit dynamo winding up.
[7:17p] CONDUCTOR:
SCENE 2: HEIGHTS RAILCAR FOUR - INTERIOR
[7:18p] CONDUCTOR:
Give me a moment to write this part up
[7:22p] CONDUCTOR:
Inside of the windowless cabin there are holographic murals displaying great works of art along the walls and floor. A false sky above shows a majestic blue with wisps of what they used to call "clouds" in the story books. All in all, a very fairytale scene designed for the bourgoisie.
[7:22p] CONDUCTOR:
It doesn't look good, that's for sure.
[7:22p] CONDUCTOR:
Gore is strewn about the cabin with broken furniture and bodies littering every corner. Your boots clank and squelch at the same time as the holograms flicker in your field of vision. For the record, they can be toggled off for your Geist's display, but you can't turn off the smell, which gets into your filters. The other line bulls, at least, have done their work in this car - no body is left behind, only soiled clothes of
[7:22p] CONDUCTOR:
the nobility.
[7:22p] CONDUCTOR:
Silence dominates the cabin as you enter, and in the back you can see a lone, translucent green figure start to materialize. Given the cramped quarters, you'll need to sprint to engage with it.
[7:22p] CONDUCTOR:
What do you do?
[7:22p]
CONDUCTOR
:
[*]
[7:23p] CONDUCTOR:
As a side note, if you want to advance you may need to make a STEEL roll in order to avoid trauma from this scene
[7:23p]
Bowman
:
Bowman reacts quickly, roughing the green figure and trying to catch it with his hook.
[7:23p] Bowman:
.roll 2d6+1 finessing a ghost
[7:23p]
siri
:
Bowman: finessing a ghost: 8 (2d6+1=2, 5)
[7:24p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Let's handle that, then; Bowman, pick one Finesse outcome, and I'll describe what happens
[7:24p]
Bowman
:
((avoid trouble etc.))
[7:25p]
CONDUCTOR
:
You'll be able to reach it, sure, and even get a swing off on the entity - but nothing happens, save your hook catching thin air. Let's find out what Brogan and Strathmill are doing...
[7:25p]
Strathmill
:
Bile fills Strathmill's throat.  His texts had photographs, of course, but never of scenes in this sort of state.    His boot squelches on something that may have been half a liver before his weight sluices it into yet another pink stain.  Arvus remembers his training, mentally thinking of words to describe the scene, as if he were writing about it in a journal.  Objectivize what you see,
[7:25p] Strathmill:
and it becomes less horrifying.
[7:25p] Strathmill:
.roll 2d6 STEEL
[7:25p]
siri
:
Strathmill: STEEL: 7 (2d6=4, 3)
[7:25p]
Strathmill
:
hmm
[7:26p]
CONDUCTOR
:
what did you not want
[7:26p]
Strathmill
:
((I don't want to rage or lose control)
[7:26p] Strathmill:
((slash-do unintended harm)
[7:26p]
CONDUCTOR
:
note that you should've technically picked that prior to rolling, but it's cool
[7:26p]
Strathmill
:
((oh haha, whoops!  I shall reember that for the future))
[7:27p]
Brogan
:
Brogan pulls the web-launcher from the opposite side of her suit from where the hook swings, bracing herself against one of the walls and aiming the device as it spins up at the manifesting ghost. Hoping that focusing on the opponent will keep her attention away from the carnage for the moment.
[7:27p]
CONDUCTOR
:
That'll require a Steel roll, Brogan, to avoid freezing up
[7:27p]
Brogan
:
.roll 2d6+2 finesse to tether that thing to a spirit bottle.
[7:27p]
siri
:
Brogan: finesse to tether that thing to a spirit bottle.: 10 (2d6+2=3, 5)
[7:27p]
Brogan
:
(( Okay, I don't want to Panic or flee ))
[7:27p]
CONDUCTOR
:
then we can come back to the spirit bottle
[7:28p] CONDUCTOR:
roll for it
[7:28p]
Brogan
:
.roll 2d6-1 STEEL LIKE STEEL
[7:28p]
siri
:
Brogan: STEEL LIKE STEEL: 11 (2d6-1=6, 6)
[7:28p]
Strathmill
:
((im considering going to the kitchen and grabbing a spirit bottle irl))
[7:28p]
Brogan
:
((woo!))
[7:28p]
CONDUCTOR
:
You calm your nerves and take careful aim, pick two Finesse
[7:29p]
Brogan
:
(( Impressively and avoiding trouble ))
[7:30p] Brogan:
(( Should I post doing it impressively et cetera? ))
[7:30p]
Bowman
:
His hook catches only air. Bowman steps back and evaluates the aparition.
[7:30p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Standby, please
[7:32p] CONDUCTOR:
Bowman, as you try to figure out what just happened with your hook missing the ghost at point blank range, you realize that you know this person. That may have certain ramifications as they look at you one last time before being enveloped in gossamer white before becoming trapped in a spirit bottle that clatters softly to the floor. Who were they?
[7:33p]
Bowman
:
"Instructor Clelland…. how…"
[7:33p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Meanwhile, you can hear, crackling, on the local communication channel: "This is line bull Booker. Any rescue parties, please respond. This is line bull Booker..."
[7:33p]
Bowman
:
((my preceptor at the IMTA))
[7:33p]
Strathmill
:
((Haha, what harm or whatever did I take))
[7:33p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Roll STEEL for me, Bowman
[7:34p]
Bowman
:
.roll 2d6+0 How can this be happening, And try not to panic.
[7:34p]
siri
:
Bowman: How can this be happening, And try not to panic.: 2 (2d6+0=1, 1)
[7:34p]
Strathmill
:
UH OH
[7:34p]
CONDUCTOR
:
You don't take any, Strathmill; not yet, but you're going to be susceptible
[7:34p]
Bowman
:
((welp))
[7:35p]
CONDUCTOR
:
However, things might be a little different as you hear a low mutter on the comm channel from Bowman.
[7:35p] CONDUCTOR:
Bowman, what's your favorite song?
[7:35p] CONDUCTOR:
You start singing it. Immediately and loudly.
[7:35p]
Bowman
:
"THE WHEELS OF HEAVEN ROLL ALONG ROLL ALONG"
[7:35p]
Strathmill
:
"Line Bull Booker, this is Apprentice Line Bulls Bowman, Brogan, and Strathmill.  We have touched down in Car Four.  Master Bull Hellyers is above, engaging with the murder of spirits."  Bowman's voice cuts in.
[7:36p]
Bowman
:
"THE BULLS THEY RIDE AND THE BULLS THEY WARD"
[7:36p]
CONDUCTOR
:
The door in front of Bowman suddenly *bends*, the way that solid steel bulkheads four inches thick exactly shouldn't --
[7:36p]
Strathmill
:
Mental trauma.  Strathmill had read about it, before.  He was experiencing quite a lot he had only encountered in text in an astonishingly condensed time periods.  "Bowman!  Bowman, get yourself together!"
[7:36p]
Bowman
:
"STEEL IN THE RAILS STEEL IN THEIR HEARTS"
[7:36p]
CONDUCTOR
:
A glowing mass of green faces with a hundred emotions --
[7:36p]
Strathmill
:
((Wait, does that happen or is he hallucinating))
[7:37p]
CONDUCTOR
:
No, you're seeing this too
[7:37p] CONDUCTOR:
Bowman, however, isn't doing anything about it
[7:37p]
Brogan
:
"BOWMAN, WATCH OUT!" Brogan shrieks, hand extended towards her fellow bull.
[7:37p]
Bowman
:
((stand by))
[7:37p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Let's start with Strathmill, you're in the far back with Brogan
[7:37p] CONDUCTOR:
What are you going to do
[7:37p]
Strathmill
:
"Bat's ass!"  Strathmill leaps forward, grabs Bowman by the shoulder, and shoves him backward.  "Line Bull Booker, what is your location!?"
[7:38p] Strathmill:
((Basically running up and taking his place))
[7:38p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Bowman, mark your trauma for me: you're at 9 o'clock, with 1 trauma
[7:38p] CONDUCTOR:
Sorry, 1 horror
[7:38p]
Bowman
:
((the -1 insight wedge ?))
[7:38p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Yep
[7:38p]
Brogan
:
(( Whoa, all the way to 9? ))
[7:39p]
CONDUCTOR
:
"Hello!?" You hear the rising panic. "Thank the Emperor - glory be his Immortal Sire - that you're here. We've had to burn the Anchor, Millar - there's two of us left in CAR SIX. Can you make it?"
[7:40p] CONDUCTOR:
Strathmill, you shove Bowman out of the way and he hits the floor next to the spirit bottle.
[7:40p]
Strathmill
:
.roll 2d6+2 Insighting to figure out why this spirit bottle is causing steel to bend!
[7:40p]
siri
:
Strathmill: Insighting to figure out why this spirit bottle is causing steel to bend!: 6 (2d6+2=2, 2)
[7:41p]
Strathmill
:
bloop
[7:41p] Strathmill:
What's really going on here?
[7:42p]
Bowman
:
"Of course I'm supposed to be here, the Master bull said so."
[7:42p]
CONDUCTOR
:
The spirit containment went perfectly, however it must have left some kind of power vacuum. The ghostform you see beyond the broken door is definitely some kind of ectoplasm. How that much is in front of you isn't actually clear, since the maximum yield from a single ghost is about ten drops.
[7:43p]
Bowman
:
((that's a lot of drops right there))
[7:43p]
Brogan
:
((looks like we got our work cut out for us, boys))
[7:43p]
Bowman
:
Bowman starts singing again, "STEEL IN THE RAILS STEEL IN THEIR HEARTS"
[7:44p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Strathmill, you think that there's probably some kind of experiment that was in transport that is causing this.
[7:44p] CONDUCTOR:
The steel bending may be a side effect of the ectoplasm - it may be losing containment.
[7:44p] CONDUCTOR:
Brogan, what are you doing
[7:45p]
Strathmill
:
Ectoplasmic aftershock, that's all.  Strathmill catches his breath, theories of corporeal phantasms momentarily dispelled.  But, of course, ectoplasm can't do that naturally - something was in Car Three, the one the ghosts were so preoccupied with, which was causing Class Seven Haunts to manifest.  Troublesome.  He clicks into his comm, "Line Bull Booker, we are en route to Car Six."  He
[7:45p] Strathmill:
glances up at the woman, Naria, or Narya, he thinks.  The badge says Brogan.  "Apprentice Brogan, can you take point?"  He lifts Bowman off the ground, "Get a hold of yourself, man."
[7:46p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Strathmill, roll to impose your will (no modifier)
[7:46p]
Bowman
:
"roll along roll..."
[7:46p]
Strathmill
:
.roll 2d6 Shoulda taken Noble
[7:46p]
siri
:
Strathmill: Shoulda taken Noble: 10 (2d6=6, 4)
[7:46p]
Strathmill
:
awww yusss
[7:47p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Bowman, you come back to your senses.
[7:47p] CONDUCTOR:
From a priority channel you can hear the robotic voice of Hellyers: "Bulls, I sure hope you've found the other team, Station Command is giving us a signal to blow the engines."
[7:47p]
Brogan
:
The glowing mass of green faces is a ghost, or at least looks like one, right? I've still got three bottles left, let's see if webbing the rest of this doesn't help. Brogan switches her web-launcher to the second bottle and fires at the new mass. "I got this," she replies to the Akorosan, pulling the trigger.
[7:47p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Roll Force for me
[7:47p] CONDUCTOR:
Brogan,
[7:47p]
Strathmill
:
((Akorosan makes more sense))
[7:47p]
Brogan
:
.roll 2d6+2 Force those babies down
[7:47p]
siri
:
Brogan: Force those babies down: 7 (2d6+2=3, 2)
[7:48p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Pick one outcome
[7:48p]
Brogan
:
Driving them back. Hopefully into the bottle, but keeping them away from Bowman and Strathmill is good, too.
[7:50p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Ectoplasm - or, more accurately, electroplasm - funnels into the bottle. The faces twist and turn as another bottle is expended; while not strictly a ghost, the spirit bottles have some attraction for the electroplasm fluid. Some of it can reanimate into ghosts if containment is breached however; this is important because the only way the -plasm could have funneled into your bottle is if there's a leak.
[7:50p] CONDUCTOR:
The remainder abruptly disappears!
[7:51p]
Bowman
:
Bowman looks around, wondering what could have happened.
[7:51p]
CONDUCTOR
:
"Hellyers to line bulls. Rook, Spider, Owl, respond."
[7:51p]
Bowman
:
"Rook Bowman, present."
[7:52p]
Strathmill
:
"There's something in Car Three which isn't supposed to be there," Strathmill placidly deduces, pointing towards the bent steel where the ectoplasm was leaking.  "Owl Strathmill present.  Phantasm in Cour Four has been cleared by Apprentice Bowman, Electroplasm by Apprentic Brogan.  The line's bulls are in Car Six.  Orders?"
[7:52p] Strathmill:
er, Car FOur
[7:53p]
Brogan
:
"Something is very wrong here," Naria reports just before Hellyers radios in. "Spider Brogan, present," she replies, the helmet of her geist suit turning to Strathmill, "I'm sucking up 'plasm'n not just souls."
[7:53p] AndroidBlues left the chat room. (Connection reset by peer)
[7:53p] AndroidBlues left the chat room. (Connection reset by peer)
[7:54p]
Brogan
:
((What, giving him the credit for the phantasm? Bowman missed. ;> ))
[7:54p] Brogan:
((I blame our similar names.))
[7:54p]
Strathmill
:
((Oh whoops!
[7:54p] Strathmill:
((Yeah, amend that))
[7:54p]
Brogan
:
((No worries.))
[7:54p]
Bowman
:
((it's going into the record now))
[7:54p]
CONDUCTOR
:
"The spirit dynamo is almost dry - I'm on my last tank. You have ten minutes to get topside - after you take care of the other team, we need to use the remaining oil that we have to cause the train engine to go critical."
[7:54p] CONDUCTOR:
"Make it happen. Hellyers out."
[7:55p] CONDUCTOR:
The line comm goes silent as you have two full spirit bottles and one empty, cracked container that used to hold more electroplasm than you have any right to have seen in one location.
[7:55p]
Strathmill
:
"Ten minutes.  That gives us between five and seven to get to the remaining three bulls."  Bowman seemed to be able to stand up on his own now, so Strathmill takes his arm out from under him.  "We should make contact immediately."
[7:56p]
Bowman
:
"We have to hurry." Bowman hefts his hook and heads towards Car 5.
[7:57p]
Brogan
:
"What are we wating for?" Naria asks, holding the web thrower against her shoulder. "Let's go!"
[7:57p]
CONDUCTOR
:
The silence doesnt last that long, though, as you hear another voice on the local comm: "BRAVO SEVEN FIVE SEVEN ONE THIS IS LINE BULL BOOKER REQUESTING IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE, WE HAVE A ---- IN CAR SIX --"
[7:57p]
Strathmill
:
Strathmill nods and runs behind them, glancing back at the ominous spirit bottles as the compartment door shuts after them.
[7:57p]
CONDUCTOR
:
You guys hustle through the door!
[7:57p]
Strathmill
:
"Hooks ready!"
[7:57p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Strathmill, you try to shut the door behind you, but realize it's gone.
[7:58p]
Bowman
:
If the way is clear, Bowman is at full speed through 5 to the door to 6.
[7:58p]
Strathmill
:
"Line Bull Booker, we are en ro-" his hand touches nothing but air.  Bowman had opened a door, right?  There had been one there?  No time to ponder that mystery; Arvus unsheathes his hook and lights it to life.
[7:58p]
CONDUCTOR
:
You trudge through car five - what else could have bheen here? Occult symbols whiz by you as you stomp down the line on diamond plated panels, reaching the end of car five.
[7:58p]
Brogan
:
(( Do the spirit bottles get left behind? I thought they just stay on the belt? ))
[7:59p]
CONDUCTOR
:
You can retrieve them at your convenience
[7:59p] CONDUCTOR:
There's no door to car six - you can see that for yourself. More on that in a moment.
[7:59p]
Strathmill
:
((afk a min then))
[8:01p]
CONDUCTOR
:
At the far end of car five you can see scorch marks and a makeshift barricade, very hastily erected out of heavy steel boxes toppled over. You can see beyond it the sinister red glimmer of a Thing That Should Not Be. Green phantasms like wispy trails howl in the invisible wind as they are inextricably drawn to a lone red eye.
[8:02p]
Brogan
:
The Akorosan had called for hooks, but Naria kept the web-thrower ready instead. Half the bottles left and so far they'd been a whole lot more effective than brandishing the clawed rods around. "I-- I don't even want to know what that is," she breathed through the giest's vox, causing a bit of static to report along with her words.
[8:02p]
CONDUCTOR
:
What should be a bulkhead between both cars has apparently been cleanly cut - or perhaps willed out of existence by a malevolent force. Time-space begins to shift, the sixth car's roof and walls disappearing --
[8:03p]
Strathmill
:
.roll 2d6 Insight!
[8:03p]
siri
:
Strathmill: Insight!: 10 (2d6=6, 4)
[8:03p]
Strathmill
:
+2
[8:03p] Strathmill:
What's the best way to kill this thing?
[8:03p] Strathmill:
And holding two questions for later))
[8:04p] Strathmill:
er, not kill, but silence))
[8:04p] Strathmill:
((to use TRADE LINGO))
[8:04p]
CONDUCTOR
:
You can see Booker in Rook gear, grabbing a female Owl and grasping at something. "ACTIVATE YOUR BOOTS, DANFIELD, OR YOU'RE GOING TO BE SUCKED IN --"
[8:04p]
Bowman
:
((silence is golden))
[8:04p]
Strathmill
:
((I'm assuming clear = get rid of and silence = eliminate, judging by the advances))
[8:04p]
Bowman
:
Bowman moves up quickly to assist, helping at anyone moving the wrong direction
[8:05p]
CONDUCTOR
:
A red-colored phantasm has some unique conditions to be silenced. For one, you need to use the emergency oil that the Owls have with them. You have to affix a heavy lightning-hook with the emergency charge and drive it into the spirit core, usually some kind of gem embedded in the spiritform.
[8:06p]
Brogan
:
(( What did you do, Ray!? ))
[8:06p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Afterwards, it requires depletion of Geist reactor energy to channel positive energy into the thing, shattering the core. Without a spirit core, the red phantasm will dissipate.
[8:06p] CONDUCTOR:
So the books say, Strathmill ...
[8:07p]
Strathmill
:
"A crimson phantasm!" his voice is filled with equal parts academic curiosity and abject terror.  They were unnatural spirits, bound to phylacteries - typically a precious gem or artifact.  He tosses Bowman his emergency cannister, "Rook Bowman!  You need to strike the spirit core!"
[8:07p]
CONDUCTOR
:
You feel a mysterious force compelling you forward! For now, your boots are grounding you, but the pull is getting stronger. Strathmill, you also notice that Owl Danfield is unconscious! She is not responding to her comrade's shouting.
[8:08p]
Bowman
:
"Got it !" As soon as everyone is pulled safely behind the barricade Bowman yells out "Cover !" tosses the canister over the barricade and shocks it with the hook
[8:08p]
Brogan
:
"What-- what should I do?" the Spider's voice cracks and crackles as she stares at the swirling red mass in front of them, car six disappearing right in front of their eyes. "Strathmill?"
[8:09p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Above, you hear the telltale heavy clanking of the Anchor Geist armor as the canister latches onto what you assume the core of this monster. It has wings, *wings*, for the Emperor's sake - thirteen of them, in a spiral pattern, and six arms --
[8:09p] CONDUCTOR:
Bowman, roll a Force for me, then a Steel
[8:10p]
Strathmill
:
"Secure their Owl!"  The name Danfield flashes briefly on the woman's badge, and she was clearly not conscious, something her rook had missed in his panic.  "This thing warps air and gravity!  Think of it like a whirlpool!  That Bull is going to get sucked in!"
[8:10p]
Bowman
:
((not Finesse ?))
[8:10p]
CONDUCTOR
:
nope
[8:10p]
Bowman
:
.roll 2d6+0
[8:10p]
siri
:
Bowman: 8 (2d6+0=2, 6)
[8:10p]
Bowman
:
.roll 2d6+0 Steel in their hearts.
[8:10p]
siri
:
Bowman: Steel in their hearts.: 10 (2d6+0=5, 5)
[8:10p]
Strathmill
:
He frantically points towards the unconscious Danfield.
[8:10p]
Bowman
:
((and not losing control again))
[8:11p]
Strathmill
:
((What's the best way for me to clear a path for Brogan?
[8:11p] Strathmill:
((That's one of my held questions, btw so you are HONORBOUND to respond))
[8:11p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Strathmill, I'll tell you in a moment
[8:12p] CONDUCTOR:
Finding the core is easy enough - it's right in the center of the forehead of the many-winged ghost. The Rook's claws sink deep, but there's a critical piece missing - the emergency oil needs to be charged by the hook! Off to one side, you can see the capsule of energy floating, impossibly, in midair, doing a graceful, mocking turn.
[8:13p] CONDUCTOR:
So that's what happens to Bowman - Strathmill, here's the answer to that...
[8:13p]
Brogan
:
Brogan futzes with the cable at her belt and attaches wraps one end around her arm and the other ends she clamps to an anything solid and metal on car five. A ladder rung if need be. "Going for the Owl!" she shouts, keeping a grip on her end of the cable as she runs out towards the unconscious bull.
[8:14p]
CONDUCTOR
:
The best way as an owl would be to wait for the gravity to shift and then jettison a portion of your air canister - since Brogan has the least gear, she should be able to use her clamps to grab the other Owl and make it back
[8:14p] CONDUCTOR:
Which, you know, she's doing right now, but she'll have to Finesse it
[8:15p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Don't roll badly on this one, Brogan
[8:15p] CONDUCTOR:
              :)
[8:15p]
Brogan
:
.roll 2d6+2 finesse Geronimo!
[8:15p]
siri
:
Brogan: finesse Geronimo!: 9 (2d6+2=4, 3)
[8:15p]
Brogan
:
(( Another basic success. Way to go, finesse. orz ))
[8:15p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Pick one outcome and describe it
[8:17p]
Strathmill
:
Strathmill feels the wild gravity pulling him from one angle to the next, shifting the barricade.  Brogan was preparing to launch towards Danfield, and she'd need a clear path.  Something - not the earth, certainly, began pulling him towards the Phantasm, and he knows that's the time.  Strathmill raises his arm and jettisons some of his air cannister, blasting part of the barricade into
[8:17p] Strathmill:
pieces which fly towards the fake gravitational center and gives Brogan a direct beeline for the fallen Owl.
[8:18p]
Brogan
:
The Spider is clearly not on her best day for jumping. First the train car, then down the hatch, and now into the swirling vortex. The force of the shifting gravity feels like it's going to yank her arm off, but the Sevorosian grits her teeth and bears it. Reaching out, she grabs the unconscious bull by the leg-- Danfield it looks like, and holds on for dear life. "Pull me back!" she
[8:18p] Brogan:
screams through the vox. "I've got the Owl!"
[8:19p]
Strathmill
:
Strathmill doesn't need to be told twice, and he reaches over to grab Brogan's tow-line, yanking with all his might right as the gravity shifts again in their favor.
[8:19p]
Bowman
:
Bowman readies his hook for the essential procedure he had forgotten earlier.
[8:20p]
CONDUCTOR
:
We'll handle that in just a moment. Booker, about to set himself up to join the fight, gets abruptly crushed under a steel box, pinning his legs down to the floor and shoving him against the lip of the rail.
[8:22p] CONDUCTOR:
Bowman, you disengage your hook and prepare to go in for another round. The face of the phantasm turns to look at you, a smooth, pure alabaster woman's face with a tiny smile and a giant red sphere lodged in its forehead. Going to give it a go?
[8:23p]
Bowman
:
Bowman carefully swings his hook to put a big fat spark right between her dead eyes.
[8:23p]
CONDUCTOR
:
gimme a roll
[8:23p]
Bowman
:
.roll 2d6+1 planting a spark
[8:23p]
siri
:
Bowman: planting a spark: 11 (2d6+1=5, 5)
[8:24p]
CONDUCTOR
:
You shove your lightning hook back in, catching the oil in its three-pronged claw as it wraps around the sphere. The dead eyes bulge wide and the mouth turns from a smile to the rictus of a scream, and you feel yourself being lifted up, Bowman!
[8:25p]
Bowman
:
Zap !
[8:25p]
CONDUCTOR
:
Meanwhile, you can hear Hellyers on the comm. "Don't let go, Rook."
[8:27p] CONDUCTOR:
Brogan, you retrieve Danfield and land with a thud back to car five just in time for you and Strathmill to see Bowman take to the sky. Arcs of electricity race across the visage of the crimson phantasm - Bowman needs to put more Geist power in!
[8:28p]
Strathmill
:
Strathmill's eyes go white for a second as the flash from the oversized Rook Hook fills the room at impact.  Bowman was going toe to toe with the Phantasm, and it looked like they might actually win here.... if the hook's power kept up, which it was currently failing to do.  "Brogan!  Grab Danfield's emergency cannister!"
[8:29p]
Bowman
:
Twisting in midair to make the reach, Bowman grabs the canister and hooks it to the valve in the hilt of the hook.
[8:30p]
Brogan
:
Letting loose her grip on Danfield's magnetic boot, Naria lets go of the cable and picks herself up off the ground. "Emergency canister," she repeats, going through the Owl's gear. "Got it!" she announces, unhooking the oil from her giest suit and handing it over to Arvus, "Strathmill! Here!" she announces, placing it into the palm of his free hand.
[8:30p]
Bowman
:
((dibs !))
[8:31p]
CONDUCTOR
:
A detached female voice resounds in Bowman's loopback comm: "Alert, lightning-Geist interface detected. Initiating spirit handshake. Caution: improper usage of lightning hooks can cause severe personal injury or death."
[8:31p]
Brogan
:
(( announces twice. I am a bad writer ))
[8:31p]
Bowman
:
((keep practicing))
[8:32p] Bowman:
Swallowing his nerves, Bowman stares death in the eyes and thrusts with the overcharged hook.
[8:32p]
Strathmill
:
"Excellent!"  Strathmill takes the cannister, his finger running over the wide-eyed owl spraypainted on its side, and leaps towards Bowman, his body nearly rent from the twisting gravitational vortex.  Arvus latches the emergency cannister into the Rook's Geist suit, finding the Secondary Valve on his left leg.  The capsule locks in with a satisfying -hiss-, and concentrated lightning oil
[8:32p] Strathmill:
begins pumping through Bowman's suit and hook.
[8:32p]
CONDUCTOR
:
That's cool enough to slide
[8:32p]
Strathmill
:
((Yeah I was a little unsure what was required))
[8:33p]
Brogan
:
(( I'm down. ))
[8:33p]
Bowman
:
((that should work from sheer :effort:
[8:33p] Bowman:
))
[8:37p]
CONDUCTOR
:
"Geist reactor overflow detected. Geist reactor overflow detected. Geist reactor overflow de-" The warning is abruptly cut off by a gigantic explosion, and for a moment, the three of you see the Darklands for what they really are. You see the beginning of civilization, the folly of mankind, the lies of the Imperium, the shadows of the Citadel - you see rolling green fields and the bright blue sky with the wispy clouds only t
[8:37p] CONDUCTOR:
alked about in stories - you see people that you have known and those you have yet to meet; a countless amount of lives in the palm of your hands, all reflected in your faceplate as your mind explodes into a quintillion points of light - off in the distance, the voice of Hellyers. "Never let go," are his last words...
[8:39p]
Bowman
:
"Never let go…" whispers Bowman.
[8:39p]
CONDUCTOR
:
you find yourself back on the rescue train, with Booker and Dansfield, and an open suit driving the rescue train in a sea of infinite night. Nothing is in the suit, and behind you, the train from the Heights is rocked by explosions on one side, dislodging itself from the railway and falling into the abyssal crevasses below in a slow, graceful procession.
[8:40p] CONDUCTOR:
INTERMISSION
[8:41p]
Bowman
:
((A+++ would one-shot again))
[8:41p]
Brogan
:
(( Yeah, this was pretty rad. ))
[8:41p]
Strathmill
:
Hallucination.  Near death.  With the advent of undeath, many had tried to become necro-pioneers, and often reported that prior to the moment of expiration, they would be filled with an undescribable euphoria and haunting visions.  In this place, this place between conscious life, Strathmill loses faith in the world he's known, he sees a world that doesn't exist yet must, and in a way,
[8:41p] Strathmill:
exists more than the Darklands ever did.  It's a dream that lasts a thousand nights, and then he awakens in a car being driven by an empty suit.
[8:42p]
Bowman
:
((it's a damned weird hack))
[8:42p]
Strathmill
:
((YEah it was cool as heck))
[8:42p] Strathmill:
(The setting is neat as hell))
[8:42p] Strathmill:
((Also Bowman totally getting promoted for taking out a Major Ghost on his first day))
[8:42p]
CONDUCTOR
:
You guys are back at the station none the worse for wear - at least, that's what it feels like. From the blank spots in your memory you feel like shit and your mind is left wondering at many things. The Imperial Rail comes soon, and you write into the IMTA logs what your accomplishments were. None speak of the crimson phantasm - instead, you receive a commendation, five Chits, and another five for clearing the Ghost Lines.
[8:42p]
Bowman
:
((how many ghosts does that count as ?))
[8:42p]
Strathmill
:
5
[8:42p]
CONDUCTOR
:
You can mark 1 ghost Silenced for your respective roles
[8:43p] CONDUCTOR:
and 5 ghosts cleared apiece
[8:43p] CONDUCTOR:
you can also mark Akoros: Heights as Cleared
[8:43p] CONDUCTOR:
+2 Chits for the line
[8:44p] CONDUCTOR:
So 12 chits, but everybody set their Harm to 10 and Trauma to 9; if we pick this up again at some point in the future you will need to figure out a way to mend both
[8:44p] CONDUCTOR made this room no longer moderated for normal users.
[8:44p] CONDUCTOR made this room no longer moderated for normal users.
[8:44p]
Strathmill
:
hahaha dang
[8:44p]
Brogan
:
(( We also completed the journeyman task of silencing a ghost, incidentally ))
[8:44p]
CONDUCTOR
:
questions, comments, concerns?
[8:44p] CONDUCTOR:
also yes
[8:44p]
Strathmill
:
that is harmed and traumatized as hell
[8:44p]
CONDUCTOR
:
you did so you can mark that
[8:45p] Strathmill is now known as tincanmademan.
[8:45p] Strathmill is now known as tincanmademan.
[8:45p]
tincanmademan
:
Cool stuff, fax
[8:45p]
CONDUCTOR
:
get a headset for next time tincanmademan
[8:45p]
tincanmademan
:
mmmmmmmmmmmmaybe
[8:45p]
Brogan
:
Yeah, this is pretty rad in setting and in execution.
[8:46p]
tincanmademan
:
the lines are cool but I like the side jobs stuff too
[8:46p] tincanmademan:
all the shit going on in the cities
[8:46p]
Bowman
:
Steel works really nicely as a horror mechanic
[8:46p]
tincanmademan
:
like Bulls trying to start a union, or people smuggling ghosts into cities inside of hollows
[8:46p]
Brogan
:
Yeah, we'll certainly have to visit the psychiker. Multiple times because we're at 10 harm. :<
[8:47p]
CONDUCTOR
:
The next time that I run it, it would start by you guys doing what you gotat do in town
[8:47p] CONDUCTOR:
The majority of the game is loose ends
[8:47p]
Bowman
:
that's where we'd naturally pick up
[8:47p]
CONDUCTOR
:
so fleshing it out is necessary
[8:47p] You are now known as mllaneza.
[8:48p]
Brogan
:
Thanks for playing with us, tinman and mll. And thanks faxman for running. The bros I game with are going to have no clue.
[8:48p]
tincanmademan
:
haha
[8:48p] tincanmademan:
yeah this was cool
[8:48p]
mllaneza
:
as well they shouldn't
[8:48p]
tincanmademan
:
fax good job giving us all something to do in a dynamic way which flowed
[8:48p] tincanmademan:
I was a bit concered with the role thing on how everyone stays current in the action
[8:49p] tincanmademan:
but the way the encounter was paced made sure it was a team effort
[8:49p]
CONDUCTOR
:
you see why though I wanted to specify you DIDN'T PLAY, potsticker
[8:49p]
tincanmademan
:
which is tough to execute as a GM, so kudos
[8:49p]
Brogan
:
Have you played Apocalypse World or any of its hacks before, tinman?
[8:49p]
CONDUCTOR
:
yeah running *world comes a little better to me than like
[8:49p] Brogan is now known as Potsticker.
[8:49p] Brogan is now known as Potsticker.
[8:49p]
CONDUCTOR
:
gurps or d&d
[8:50p] CONDUCTOR:
i'd be down with making this a regular thing if we had actually 4 or more people
[8:50p] CONDUCTOR:
anakron was watching for the beginning but idk if JORDEN was
[8:50p]
Potsticker
:
No, I knew why you didn't want me to play already, fax. But I still wanted to play and it looks like you didn't have enough players anyway so--
[8:50p]
CONDUCTOR
:
yep
[8:50p]
mllaneza
:
you're really getting the pacing thing down pat fax
[8:50p]
Potsticker
:
There was someone else watching who left near the end.
[8:50p]
CONDUCTOR
:
androidblues? she lives in glasgow or something so she probably got stabbed with a broken bottle
[8:51p]
Potsticker
:
Ah, too bad.
[8:51p] Potsticker:
I hear that stings.
[8:51p]
tincanmademan
:
yeah she was watchin
[8:51p] tincanmademan:
just peekin
[8:51p] CONDUCTOR is now known as FAAAX.
[8:51p] CONDUCTOR is now known as FAAAX.
[8:52p]
Potsticker
:
FAXXX
[8:53p]
FAAAX
:
but yes
[8:53p] FAAAX:
i've been thinking about this game for like two weeks
[8:53p] FAAAX:
so while some of it i probably should have had more writing prepared for
[8:53p] FAAAX:
at least i'm a fast typer :X
[8:53p]
mllaneza
:
lol
[8:54p] mllaneza:
I think this covers the four major food groups for playing * World games, IRL, Skype, irc, and pbp
[8:54p]
Potsticker
:
Haha. I tried pre-typing some stuff, but I deleted at least two posts whole cloth and had to rewrite a third so that didn't end up working too well in my favor.
[8:54p]
FAAAX
:
does anybody have logs
[8:54p] FAAAX:
of this thing
[8:55p]
Potsticker
:
Dang, I've done IRL, Skype and IRC. No Pbp yet.
[8:55p] Potsticker:
Yeah, I autolog everything like a busta.
[8:55p]
FAAAX
:
ok
[8:55p]
mllaneza
:
I should have a copy too
[8:55p]
FAAAX
:
can you grab me a plaintext one and then pastebin it
[8:55p] FAAAX:
then I can format