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goneawayworld2020-06-24 12:42 am
goneawaymod) wrote in goneawayworld2020-06-24 12:42 am
Entry tags:
THE PATHLESS WOODS - PART 1
the pathless woods
PLOT DESCRIPTION
Far to the west, deep in the mountains, there is a forest where none may tread. Superimposed into the wilds, it has only grown wilder. But these once-quiet woods are peaceful no longer. A town built around an iron foundry is encroaching on the wilderness, enraging the spirits within.
Complicating matters: many refugees of the Go-Away war have been taken in by the town's residents, relieved to finally stop their wandering through post-apocalyptic wasteland. They have now made it their home, a place free from Jorgmund's de facto apocalyptic wage enslavement. Some have also been altered by Stuff and have no chance of refuge in the Livable Zone.
Meanwhile, Jorgmund is eyeballing the resources of the forest and wants the New Hires to exacerbate the conflict and convince the humans within to move within the Livable Zone ("for their own good, you see;") to allow for "resource acquisition." The New Hires must choose whether to stay in Jorgmund's good books, and if not, must decide whether to try to mediate the conflict, choose a side, or face the deep, dark dangers of the woods to find two lost people that some of the spirits believe can act as a bridge between two worlds.
All the while, they must fight off "demons," corrupted forest spirits changed by rage and hate. These demons can be influenced by the rage and hate of the New Hires as well.
SCENARIO
As they're driven to the drop off point, the tinted, reinforced windows of the transport vehicles gives them occasional glimpses of but it's not what they might have expected. Thought some areas are burned from fires that ran out of control, this wasteland isn't filled with scorched earth, just the skeletons of buildings slowly being retaken by the wild, trees growing through cracked concrete, vines swarming the outside of abandoned buildings unchecked. Some areas look like spherical chunks were suddenly carved out of reality, sometimes bisecting buildings. Water collects in these hollows in glittering pools that are ringed with moss and flowers.
The price paid for this life renewed was far too high, but the wilderness cares nothing about prices or unfair trades and retakes what once belonged to it faster than it might have in the past, due to the reality-warping influence of Stuff. There are no people in sight. The land is filled with bitter ghosts.
Soon that becomes literal. They start to reach areas that aren't much more scorched than the rest of the world, but there are still remnants of the war that have wandered away from battlefields, the way even the rural countryside might have some errant zombies after a zombie apocalypse. It starts with people in gas masks and military hazmat suits reaching for the convoy as it passes. The drivers blitz past them without stopping, long since used to hazards like this. People in the rear vehicles will see what happens after the first vehicle in the line ignores them - the gear collapses in on itself all of a sudden like no one is wearing it. In other areas driver-less tanks gather in herds like animals, scattering and driving away when the convoy gets close, as if skittish.
They are let out once the roads become too rugged for the vehicles, near the rocky hills they're meant to traverse. They're told the range of the rig's sensors, the outer limits they can go to before the collars claim their lives instantly. For this mission, the range had been extended to about 60 miles instead of the usual 50 because of how far out the settlement they're supposed to contact is from the rig.
The drivers are considerate enough to warn them about Stuff monsters in the countryside, telling them to be on their guard, and to be very careful of who - or what - they trust, because things that seem human often aren't.
Then they have to start a long march and don't run into much trouble until they get into a small valley in the hills in the late afternoon. A caravan of people driving oxen, laden with supplies, is trying to get them through a narrow gap mountain gap. The group is an unusually mixed group, some of the individuals look as if they've been changed by Stuff into something fantastic.
Some Stuff is in the air in this area, mostly solidified but still fluid enough to wreak some havoc. The group, fearing war or running from it, sometimes have their fears projected around them. Waves of unreality occasionally sweep through, briefly plunging everyone into murky strips of time that are shaped by the idea of war. Nothing gory but filled with the pale shadow of it - bullets zip through the air, there's chaotic yelling in fog that's suddenly appeared, the ground is rocked by explosions - but then each strip of unreality passes or can be escaped by simply charging a few steps forward.
What stays consistent in reality or in these strips of unreality is that the supply caravan is under attack and only armed with massive shoulder mounted flintlock rifles. The group will find they can speak to them, that they've suddenly been granted knowledge of a slightly archaic form of Japanese, the common language the mixed group speaks, just like some of the New Hires randomly learned English upon exposure to the rig for the first time.
If they can get the caravan to the mountain gap ahead, they'll leave the dangerous valley behind them.
Some of the threats the group must contend with that are there both inside and outside the weird strips of unreality:
a) demons
The corrupted forms of great beasts of the forest, these massive creatures have been changed to demons by their rage. They scuttle around the group extremely fast, the corruption forming spider-like legs, attacking aggressively, the squirming dark worms on their bodies killing any living vegetation it touches.
The more rage the New Hires feel fighting them, the faster and more powerful they are, as if it fuels them.
If any of this corruption touches someone, it burns right through their clothes, creating a bruise-like blight on their skin, a situation they'll have to find resolution to later - or they'll die.
Many of these demons were once boars but a few are massive deer, their pronged antlers squirming with corrupted essence. They at least can be killed but it will take multiple attacks that actually reach the beast under the corruption to finally put them out of their misery. Once killed, the great beasts have all the flesh dissolve off their bodies until only bones are left. They curse the humans with their dying breaths.
b) Flamethrowers
Not soldiers, not people, these entities are like moving statues of cracked calcification that looks like pale ceramic. Between the cracks in their skins, roiling yellow-white flames can be seen sizzling inside. They attack by getting close to people or grabbing them and suddenly stoking their internal fires so that the flames scorch whoever is near.
They can be killed if the fire is extinguished - fortunately there are streams and other sources of water around the battlefield due to a recent rain. They can also be killed if enough force is used against them, but it takes a lot for the ceramic to crack. If it can be broken or damaged, then they collapse in on themselves and burn away into gray ash.
c) Artillerymen
Phantom soldiers shoot artillery fire from a distance. Fortunately, it is weaker than real artillery, with less fragmentation, but a direct hit can still kill you. They fade and vanish when someone gets close, without needing to even be killed, but their weapons need to be destroyed or new soldiers will coalesce out of the mist and use it again.
d) Samurai
The samurai seem to have the ox drivers and their handlers especially afraid, looming out of the mist to attack with their blades and arrows and fading back into it again. They can be killed if characters are fast enough or get the timing right by attacking and forcing them to reappear in another spot. Fortunately, their movements are somewhat predictable.
The corrupted forms of great beasts of the forest, these massive creatures have been changed to demons by their rage. They scuttle around the group extremely fast, the corruption forming spider-like legs, attacking aggressively, the squirming dark worms on their bodies killing any living vegetation it touches.
The more rage the New Hires feel fighting them, the faster and more powerful they are, as if it fuels them.
If any of this corruption touches someone, it burns right through their clothes, creating a bruise-like blight on their skin, a situation they'll have to find resolution to later - or they'll die.
Many of these demons were once boars but a few are massive deer, their pronged antlers squirming with corrupted essence. They at least can be killed but it will take multiple attacks that actually reach the beast under the corruption to finally put them out of their misery. Once killed, the great beasts have all the flesh dissolve off their bodies until only bones are left. They curse the humans with their dying breaths.
b) Flamethrowers
Not soldiers, not people, these entities are like moving statues of cracked calcification that looks like pale ceramic. Between the cracks in their skins, roiling yellow-white flames can be seen sizzling inside. They attack by getting close to people or grabbing them and suddenly stoking their internal fires so that the flames scorch whoever is near.
They can be killed if the fire is extinguished - fortunately there are streams and other sources of water around the battlefield due to a recent rain. They can also be killed if enough force is used against them, but it takes a lot for the ceramic to crack. If it can be broken or damaged, then they collapse in on themselves and burn away into gray ash.
c) Artillerymen
Phantom soldiers shoot artillery fire from a distance. Fortunately, it is weaker than real artillery, with less fragmentation, but a direct hit can still kill you. They fade and vanish when someone gets close, without needing to even be killed, but their weapons need to be destroyed or new soldiers will coalesce out of the mist and use it again.
d) Samurai
The samurai seem to have the ox drivers and their handlers especially afraid, looming out of the mist to attack with their blades and arrows and fading back into it again. They can be killed if characters are fast enough or get the timing right by attacking and forcing them to reappear in another spot. Fortunately, their movements are somewhat predictable.
➤ This is a multi-part plot. Later parts will involve speaking to npcs in Irontown and deciding how to handle the whole conflict.
➤ Characters will have both canon gear (and clothes, if they prefer it over their field uniforms) and the wilderness supplies described in the gear section of the game mechanics page. They will also be allowed to have canon weapons they came in with or will be given a weapon they're comfortable with.
➤ Feel free to ask questions in the question top-level below.
no subject
He is just a human with a weird love for throwing himself at mortal danger.
"Your gun is better than any crossbow, but I wonder why you prefer it over your claws and fangs if you can heal quickly."
no subject
"Yeah, I can see how that would seem weird," Stacia agrees. "But I've got two explanations. One, just because I can walk off being disemboweled doesn't mean I want to have to do it. It's gross and it still hurts and healing fast doesn't prevent scarring. Two, back home, I'm not the only one who heals like I do. I didn't train to be the only one who could jump into close combat and walk it off. I trained to provide cover and backup to everyone who does jump right in."
She shrugs. "I can get up close and personal in a fight, I know that you don't always have to option of choosing your distance from combat when it breaks out. But what I'm best at is shooting, and I don't see much point in being mediocre on the front line getting in the way of the experts, when I could be an expert shot from waaaaaaay back there. Make sense?"
no subject
"Noted. First time I've heard of wolf monsters thinkin' about tactics."
Beasts preferring coordination??? He supposes it makes sense for something similar to a wolf... Guts is learning something new today.
"The beasts I know don't care too much about that. Even if they have cannons, they like to get close. More raw hunger than teamwork. Good to see you're different."
no subject
"Really?" Stacia asks, surprised. "Even less tactics than regular wolves? Huh. Are the wolf monsters you're used to infected by something to turn them into wolf monsters, or are they a people?"
Sure, when a Garou goes into a Frenzy, all tactics go out the window. But Stacia would expect at least some tactical acumen among the ones keeping their heads.
no subject
Guts pauses at that. The topic isn't a pleasant one for him, stirring up some of that ever-present hatred for his foe. A cynical disgust for the creatures sits in his voice as he continues.
"They're called apostles. Humans who sacrificed someone dear to them in exchange for power, or out of desperation. Doesn't matter the reason, as long as they do it willingly. At the end, you have a creature indulging in whatever fantasies they could never do in their past life. Sometimes they keep living as a human, cause they get a kick out of wielding that power over others."
no subject
Stacia wrinkles her nose.
"Gross," she says. "We're definitely not like that. Werewolves are born werewolves, even if we don't start shifting until we're old enough to be able to control ourselves. We're people like everyone else, with the same wide range of "nice" to "horrible".
She resettles her bag on her shoulders. "Actually, those apostle things sound like the same kind of things we fight. We've got a bunch of different words for them depending on what kind of nasty they are, but it all basically comes down to things that kill and destroy and defile things just to kill, destroy, and defile." She shrugs. "Sometimes they're a lot bigger than us. So, since we like continuing to breathe, we're tactical fighters."
no subject
His lone apostle murder crusade was admittedly not the best idea he's had. Luckily, he's past that phase in his life. Now while they're chatting, he'll get back to this corpse disposal, clearing up the path to make room for the oxen behind them.
"So you werewolves live together in packs like regular wolves? Is that how this works?"
no subject
"Sort of," she answers. "Regular wolf packs are families. Mom, dad, kids, maybe a few older kids or extended family members. Our packs are more like a bunch of neighbors working together on a problem."
True-ish, but not 100% accurate. Stacia isn't big on getting too in-depth about secret Garou stuff, even if she's the only Garou these people are ever likely to encounter. The Veil of secrecy is a hard habit to break.
no subject
Now that he's properly seen her in action, he can say as such. Guess having a wolf monster companion isn't so bad. Less annoying than elves.
Thankfully, he doesn't seem too keen on prying more, instead noticing the way she was arranging the corpses to the side. That's an odd way of looting them for stuff, Stacia.
"There something you're looking for?"
no subject
"We as a people are very good at solving problems that call for a great deal of violence," Stacia agrees. "Which admittedly isn't always the best way to solve a problem, but that's what cooler heads are for, right?"
She circles one of the bodies, trying to find a position to get at it that doesn't involve standing in a puddle of blood.
"Trying to find things that their families might want," she says. "So we can get it back to them. It's bad enough losing a loved one, but if you can't go and see the body for yourself, it's good to know that someone looked them over to make sure they were dead before leaving them."
no subject
Guts doesn't mind the blood - the fighting's already got his armor splattered in it, anyway - so he steps in the puddle and drags the body closer to her so she can check it properly. Not exactly the gentle treatment, but he's trying to meet her half-way here.
"Not how things usually go in the battlefield I know. For mercenaries, it's a jinx to focus too much on the dead."
When it came down to it, there were simply too many soldiers, too many corpses. When the numbers start to get into the thousands, it was impossible to comb over them all.
no subject
"Ehh..." Stacia says, tilting her hand from side to side. "I would if I could. But usually we're fighting other werewolves and the like, and their stuff is pretty consistently cursed. Plus we can't leave their bodies lying around, because regular people don't know about us."
She sighs and pokes through the body's clothes. "It always sucks when someone gets caught in the crossfire, though. For someone to just vanish...it leave their family and friends in limbo. And that hurt can breed more monsters."
no subject
"That a turn of phrase or are we talking about the corrupted things you mentioned earlier?"
That kind of tragedy can make a monstrous creature where he comes from, if the despair is deep enough.
no subject