Conflict Report
As the conflict turn kicks off, the Grand Unified Mining Concern & The Protection Guild make some initial moves. The Mining Concern needs more workers to expand its operations, and so starts a new scheme “Further Work Conscription”.
The Protection Guilds operations in the shadow has them infiltrating and placing grip on Quake, there are eyes everywhere and the propaganda campaign against Quake is kicking up into high gear, especially following the events at New Volt.
Meeting Adjourned
An unfurling plan, with the Grand Unified Mining Concern targetting Quake.
At the top spire of the Administration Fortress in New Volt, the heads of the Town and High Marshal Felicity (visiting them temporarily, on her way to Farsight Outpost). With the setting sun lancing through the long, high windows looking out over the desert, Felicity calls the meeting to order.
She is sitting in a high-backed chair, long cloak draped around her, lance in hand. Around her sit the highest ranked Mining Concern functionaries from the Town of New Volt, Castle Warden Farron and Director Fredward Timson. They are additionally joined by the newly promoted Captain Marie Susan and Farron’s Adjutant Grillys.
Felicity is grave, the prisoners were sprung, and this looks like a major failure on the part of the Mining Concern. She rounds on the Warden, looking for answers. He has none, only excuses and a tired plea to Director Timson for more resources to protect the town. The first challenge, an ask to commit more resources.
“And why should I, Warden? You take more and more from the coffers but the results, as this morning’s debacle demonstrate, are so plainly lacking.”
The challenge fails. Grillys wheedles that they’re doing everything they can, not just for the director’s interests but for the people of New Volt as well. Timson is unmoved, and uncaring.
Marshal Felicity notes that the perpetrators seemed to know much of the days proceedings, the ins and outs of the day were clearly known ahead of time. There may be a leak in the New Volt Administration Fortress. The second challenge, evidence of a spy in their midst.
Captain Susan is adamant that such a thing is simply not possible and the challenge fails.
We zoom out of the highest spires of New Volt, as the room descends into arguing and strife.
Inciting Action
All out war, between The Free Duchies of Nald and The Protection Guild.
Deep in the jungle, in the deep night, awash with the glow of plants and the buzz and hum of life, a tent sits glowing with an incongruous halogen sear. Seated inside, Victor Ravenseye’s moustache quivers, he surveys the war table with a look of bemused puzzlement that looks worryingly at home as it settles over his face. He has the faux aristocratic air of many young officers of the Protection Guild brought in from noble families.
He picks up the cast array, and it crackles to life. Deep in the jungle, down in a dark trench, surrounded by the grim faces of hardened warriors, the connecting sigil crackles to life in the array held by Major Danger1.
“Ah, Major, how goes it in the trenches? Jolly good, look old chap, I reckon a move to the left flank is just what’s needed here. See it done, there’s a good man.”
In the trees nearby, a patch of the bark shifts slightly, an arm emerging from a shimmering cloak the eye seems to slide off to swing a monocular up to the eye of IIIrd Lance Wilhelmina. She is looking down on Major Danger, as her attache Strong Thomas reloads her ornate Free Duchy made long-rifle.
“What do you think Lance? What’s our move?” whispers Thomas, in a low hum like a sleeping dog.
“Well, if they move out onto their left flank now we’ll be in trouble, but they’re scared. Patience I think Tom.”
The first challenge, you could complete a key objective at cost, is issued by me. I tell Major Danger’s player he can see that Victor Ravenseye is actually right, a move to the left is critical, but it is likely to cause him to lose the company of men he has holding the centre.
Major Danger wipes his hand down wearily over his eyes, he’s seen too much death to lose an entire company. Rolling, and unfortuantely failing.
From their position in the trees, Strong Thomas passes Wilhelmina her own cast array, and she links up with her Sodality command.
“Bring the 14th Griffon’s Claw to our position, they’re lost in their own cowardice.”
Another challenge, I lead an unexpected ambush, which Major Danger rolls and fails again - meaning this next scene is also a win for the Resistance.
Major Danger looks up into the forest, just in time to see the gigantic sword of the Power Theory, pilotted by 2nd Lance Undine of the 14th Griffon’s Claw, scream down into his arrayed troops in a flash of magic and steel. The Astirs of Griffon’s Claw descend like a lightning bolt onto the lines of his troops, the jungle judders with scattered weapons fire and broken screams of routing Protection Guild forces.
In the morning, the war continues, but the Protection Guild are pushed back, finding no foothold tonight.
Affirmation of Faith
Back in New Volt, High Marshal Felicity is in confessional with Pastor Lavinia. Both of them, on opposite sides of the screen partition, make the sign of the Silver Church - a hand over the eye. Lavinia, however, is a Fallen Dragon. She has long brown curls, falling around her round rich-brown face and over her shoulders. She has wide, well-like eyes, just on the edge of tears.
This is a one-on-one between the Silver Church & the Fallen Dragons.
It begins with Felicity admonishing herself, she has failed, in her eyes, and in the eyes of the dragons. The rebels should never have been allowed to escape. Lavinia is taken aback, but behind the partition composes herself, and readies herself with a whispered prayer.
“Perhaps, High Marshal, there is another way? Have you forgotten, that the dragons way is peace and plenty for all mortals. We are eager to deal out judgement, to ourselves and others, but perhaps temperance would serve us better. The violence dealt out cannot be placed solely at the Rebels feet, without the Mining Concerns iron grip over the citizenry these Rebels would have no cause to fight.”
The first challenge, my guard seems to drop for a moment, is succeeded by Lavinia.
Felicity falters, and in her side of the confessional, closes her eyes and exhales. Lavinia’s words hit down onto something deep within her, some core of doubt about her mission. Her shimmering purpose falters, a crack snaking across the mirror polish of her steely faith and fortifying catechisms. Is there, as Lavinia says, another way.
As she steps out of the confessional she calls back,
“Would you pray with me a moment, Lavinia?”
The second challenge, I push you and our fight to a new location, is rolled and failed by Lavinia.
Lavinia leads them both in an old prayer of the faith, one of the founding ones. It is potentially filled with ever so slightly more brimstone and fire than the situation called for. Perhaps she wanted to allay any suspicions that she might have called down onto herself by her words in the booth.
Felicity sighs with relief, “My thanks, Lavinia, these older prayers always solidifies my faith when I waver.”
She stands, with a sweep of her cape, taking up her lance from where it rests against the confessional.
“Walk with me. We must redouble our efforts, Lavinia, you are right there may be other ways. But I leave them with you, there are many teeth in the dragon’s maw. I will continue to serve as I am best suited, as the sharpened point of the couched lance.
“New Volt clearly hides something, I will talk with the Warden. The Rebels must have some network here, despite the protestations of the incompetents in the fortress. We will drive them out, Lavinia, for the unity and prosperity of all mortals.”
She whirls out the open doors of the Church, leaving Lavinia standing in her wake, her smile faltering in privacy to a scowl. She has failed to dissuade Felicity from a path of blood and flames, but at the very least she has clearly germinated a seed of doubt in the deep depths of her grim counterpart’s heart.
The final challenge, I make an attack that threatens innocents, is succeeded by tapping The Assembly for a success.
Lavinia turns back into the shadows of the church. Later in the dead of night, she is stalking the Undercity, in the deep shadows of a dim bar, she meets with an Assembly member, relaying in hushed tones Felicity’s intentions for the city of new volt. This is passed to JilMil, who makes preparations to leave town, organising the other Resistance sympathisers and dissidents in a whirl of frenetic activity.
The scene ends with Lavinia standing her ground, risking her position to pass this critical information back the Resistance, and undeniably saving countless lives.
Outcomes
- The Protection Guild begins infiltrating Quake.
- The Mining Concern begins conscripting more workers.
- The Quake succeed against the Mining Concern - and expose the New Volt mining operations as the Mining Concern fall to squabbling.
- The Free Duchies succeed against the Protection Guild - but there’s no pillars to fell or vulnerable divisions2.
- The Fallen Dragons succeed against the Silver Church - and so the party gets advantage on their next Lead a Sortie3.
- IIIrd Lance Wilhelmina distinguishes herself against the Protection Guild.
- Lavinia begins to crack open the steely heart of Marshal Felicity.
- Major Danger takes the fall for a defeat against the Free Duchies.
New Actors & Assets
- Director Timson from The Grand Unified Mining Concern.
- IIIrd Lance Wilhelmina & Strong Thomas from The Free Duchies of Nald.
- Victor Ravenseye & Major Danger from The Protection Guild.
- Lavinia from Fallen Dragons.
- The asset mining operations at New Volt for The Grand Unified Mining Concern.
Downtime Report
Back on The Pillar of Indignity, the crew begins to relax after a successful mission.
John Heartwood has some pretty grievous injuries (inflicted accidentally by Aubrey), and is tending to them in the Infirmary. Pulling the last bits of wood and plant-matter out of his legs, he limps back to his quarters. Once there, he gets back to work, he is attempting to germinate a seed of a Heartwood tree.
- Infirmary or Hangar led by John, healing a peril.
- John spends a token to start a long-term project to germinate the Heartwood seed.
- Aubrey spends a token to clear a peril.
In his dark quarters, Ashur is working on the obelisk-like Astir core that unfolds into the huge-wraith form. He is attempting to work out how this artefact works, how it draws power from his own un-life and dual souls within him.
In the workshop, Lily 523 is talking to the Assembly member she risked the mission to save. Mostly, it is her talking and the Assembly member listening and drumming a hand arhythmically on the workshop bench. She finishes up her work on the techno-magical device she was tinkering with, and the member slots it back into his head.
- Lab or workshop led by Ashur, starting a long-term project to add an Astir move.
- Lily spends both tokens to increase gravity with the Assembly, and to untap them.
ReyKur is working in the lab, deciphering the runes on her body, and beginning the painstaking work of attempting to add a new one to herself. She is joined by Ashur, who is providing “helpful commentary” on her work.
After a while, Ashur moves onto his own project: creating a small concealable listening device powered by necromantic energy. This is to be provided to The Duchies to help in the war-effort against The Protection Guild. Opposite him, John Heartwood is similarly engaged, manufacturing lightweight snares and traps to be shipped out to [[The Resistance#]].
- Lab or workshop led by ReyKur, starting a long-term project to get an advancement.
- Ashur spends both tokens to advance gravity with Reykur, and untap the duchies.
- John spends a token to untap Quake.
Later, back in the same workshop, Aubrey is working with her snail familiars. She wants more and more snails, are surfeit of snails fit to furnish a whole forest.
- Lab or workshop led by Aubrey, starting a long-term project to use her Astir move more than once per sortie.
Finally the whole crew meets, at Lily’s insistence, on the bridge with Solomon Za and the rescued Quake cell to brief for the upcoming mission.
The bridge is a wide sweeping room, the briefing table on a raised platform above the consoles and controls of the sand-ship itself. Huge forward-angled windows look out over the desert rushing past, and the sound of the crew running the ship hums in the background.
Solomon Za calls the meeting to order and invites Jessie J. Needle to share what they know. She nods to her fellow Quake operative, Nord Arndor. Nord is a heavy set man, with a bald head and close beard. He wears a long, plain robe, well-worn by travel. His deep brown eyes roll back into his head as he extends a hand a summons a shimmering image from his outstretched palm onto the briefing table.
The magical projection renders the surroundings of the Farsight Outpost in gut-swimming detail, the vision of a high-flying hawk brought down into miniature. Within the almost-solid vision the crew can see:
- The Farsight Outpost lurks like an infection in a long crevasse deep in a dense region of jungle.
- One side of the crevasse is higher than the other, and atop the higher side are brutally functional obelisk perches, with a huge crackling orb of energy floating just above it.
- There is a G.U.M.C. mine to the south-west, at the base of a long ragged scree-slope where there was probably once jungle.
- South of that is a dedicated mining settlement.
Jessie J. begins to chatter excitdely,
“Ok, look, here it is: Farsight. Down here in the crevasse, see. Above it, the Javelin Engine. Nasty piece of magic, takes ten channelers a day to keep it operational, and they don’t last long at that post let me tell you, takes it out of them I hear. Pretty much a nightmare for anything unauthorised (that’s you lot by the way, deeply unauthorised, us as well y’know nothing personal), ‘vapourised before they could scream’ is what I heard.
“So tough break right? Pack up go home? Not on your life.
“We got a hold of some prett-ay nice intel, the Gummies operation here is chugging along happy as Larry, but not always looking at their charts as carefully as they might. They’ve dug a tunnel out into a pretty large underground cavern, lucky break they thought, until they realised that same cave was part of deep-storage for Farsight. Proper cock-up for gummy leadership, egg on faces (probably shoulders too).
“So, what do they do? Well, in classic court fashion no-one wants to admit they’re wrong so they’re just keeping shtum about it. Hastily sealed up the hole, but no major work it’s just a foot or so of rubble between the mine and one of the most clandestine Protection fortresses.
“That right there is your in, through the mine and into the newly renovated backdoor courtesy of Grand Unified.”
The crew asks some further clarifying questions, but this seems like a good entrance. They opt to move up through the Jungle, then down towards the mine from above it, as coming fast down the slope to the mine from above is likely to be less well-fortified.
- Command deck or briefing room led by Lily.
- Aubrey spends a token to add another D6 to Plan and Prepare.
Finally we roll the Plan & Prepare, get 1 success and opt for Lead a Sortie with advantage.