Sunday, 28 February 2021

d6 Crashed Void Ships

When you find a crashed Void Ship roll 3d6 for type, state and special facility.

 

Void Ships

1 Saucer: Bigger on the inside, confusing controls

Weapon: Claws

2 Rocket: Cramped, many airlocks, jello food dispenser

Weapon: Laser Cannon

3 Bioship: Intelligent, moody, contains hot springs

Weapon: Ink squirt gun

4 Golden Barge: Luxurious but no cushions, polite but forgetful service droid

Weapon: Harpoon

5 Null-Space Submarine: Dark and claustrophobic, cloaked

Weapon: Torpedo

6 Zeppelin: Badly isolated, restaurant and bar

Weapon: Bombs  

Void Explorers studying the crashed Sky Chariot

State of the Chariot

1    Crashed and burned (toxic fumes and fluids leaking)

2    Destroyed (d6 scrap parts)

3    Destroyed (d6 alien technology)

4    Damaged but repairable

5    Fully functional

6    Fully functional with extra facility 

Damaged but repairable

Special Facilities

1             Kettle and assortment of tea bags (mostly rosehip)

2             Coffeemaker

3             Cold shower

4             Hot shower or sauna 

5             Fully equipped bar withy animatronic bar keeper

6             Roll twice  

The only Void Explorer actually happy about the Rosehip Tea Bags


Sunday, 21 February 2021

Ivory Plain

The caravan leaves the Spectrum Palace in the ultraviolet twilight of the morning. N’keth moves from one vehicle to the other greasing long neglected parts, tightening screws and loosening pistons. Saffron is tending the machine human body while Naida keeps a watchful eye high on the Porcelain Walker. Kozue - aware of the distress her presence causes to some in the caravan - keeps her distance and walks next to the autowagons.

They follow the trail West through regular hills until they reach the deep flat landscape of the Ivory Plain where herds of beasts graze on palely glowing grass. Although most of the time the endless sky is covered with grey clouds the UV radiation is strong and so focused in some places that Saffron gets a terrible sunburn that makes their fur patchy and fries some internal wires.

The Lonely Lodge
They make camp on the plain. Kozue and N’Keth leave the camp to visit the Lonely Lodge, where it is rumored wisdom can be gleaned by those who spend a night there. They find a building carved out of a granite outcropping, overgrown by vines with empty windows and a looming doorway. N’Keth smells the faint odor of wild beasts that frequent the Lodge and Kozue senses the presence of Fae in the multicolored vine blossoms and moving shadows of the carvings. Inside, the building is bedecked by moss and vines, water dripping from the ceiling and gathering in pools and fountains. Naked stairs lead to the upper floor where they rest for the night.

N’Keth lies down on the thick moss and immediately falls asleep while Kozue is guarding him. The moon and stars cast strange shadows that start to deepen and change when a powerful Ultra approaches. Kozue realizes that N’Keth is in danger when Sama Zivani, Eater of Dreamers introduces herself. The Moon Witch allows Sama Zivani to possess her body and take her to the Black City. N’Keth unaware of the deal that protects him from being devoured is visited by a massive Dwarven figure carried by turtles and holding the holy manuals of Volkan. On the scripture a map of the western Grasslands can be seen over which a shadowy creature moves with appendices on its head and small human-shaped parasites hanging from its body. It must be the Vile N’Keth is hunting! When the Diesel Dwarf awakes he can see Kozue gasping from the intense coldness of Sama’s presence inside of her.

Sama Zivani
Saffron, Naida and the caravan guards decide to use the opportunity and go on a hunt. Saffron glides on their furry kite over a herd of massive scaly bovines, trying to lure one away while Ostins and Naida take aim from the Porcelain Walker. Suddenly the air is filled with the terrifying screeches of gigantic predatory birds. Naida rappels from the Walker while killing one of the birds with a head shot while Saffron keeps the other at bay with laser rays shot from their eyes. Ajax comes to the rescue dropping down onto a terror bird that pecks at Naida, and releases poisoned darts from his tail. Amberto is laughing maniacally as he unloads the turret onto the last remaining bird. The smell of grilled poultry fills the air.

The Avatar of the Noetic Biosphere
When they leave the camp and move West they hear the sound of singing and come upon a great herd of beasts, that stampede towards a Giant looming in the distance. Naida recalls stories of a deity that reigns on the Ivory Plain who the nomads call the Avatar of the Noetic Biosphere. They all watch in wonder as the herd starts touching and fusing and melting together in an act of self-sacrifice to the earth elemental.


Actual Play: https://youtu.be/8lAwqS8sjqQ

 

 


Sunday, 14 February 2021

Spectrum Palace II

Awoken by N’keth, who decided to repair the janky heater of their room in the early morning, Kozue performs an augury by concocting a tincture of eyedrops that blinds her but allows her to see beyond the veil. In her vision she sees an iridescent horror emerging from below the Dead Bridge over a chasm where flower encrusted biomechanical spiders build their nests.

The Chasm
Saffron and Naida search for Amberto. When they finally find him on the Hill of Return polishing the glass plate that covers its top they discover to their surprise that he is wearing the dun garb and mindless smile of an Ecstatic. Saffron spots a crystalline rash above Amberto’s ear and decides to have Kozue examine him. They return and find the Moon Witch stumbling blindly through the room.

N’keth and Vigo visit the rehearsal of a Half-Elf theatre company. The Volkan Dwarf is utterly puzzled by the experience. When Vigo offers him a joint in order to make the experience more palpable N’keth eats it. Vigo watches in disgust.

A Disturbing Play
Kozue finds out that Amberto is infected by crystalline brain fungi and after some deliberation the party decide to remove the infection. The operation takes the whole night: N’keth donates blood to lure the blood elementals out, Saffron extracts them and Kozue applies them to the infected skin. When Amberto starts shaking uncontrollably Naida and N’keth restrain him while Saffron guides the elementals to the last tiny crystalline spores inside Amberto’s skull. Finally he opens his eyes.

After two weeks the caravan leaves the Spectrum Palace behind, slowly crawling over the trail that lead West towards the Black City.

Actual Play: https://youtu.be/Vv8787nCuyo

  

Monday, 8 February 2021

Spectrum Palace

Characters in Season 12:

Naida: A  Deft Yellowlander Climate Refugee and Scope (member of the Legion of the Far Sight). The Legion is a semi-secret society that tries to fight crime on the roads of the Grasslands and around the Circular Sea. Bone grenade aficionada. She is accompanied by Ajax, a grumpy exiled Cat Lord with a serpent tail and Otis, the animatronic bear. 

Saffron, a Wise Black Gold Industrialist Machine Human whose personality was uploaded to a cybernetic prairie dog after being killed by Johnny-7's auto immune system. Outfitted with positronic double brain, extendable limbs and laser eyes. Accompanied by a furry animate kite. Seeking a prosthetic body for mother.

Kozue: An Wise Elven Moon Mountain Witch, a soothsayer from the Sister of the Near Moon. Her singing spirit (appearing as a wingless, serpentine creature to those who can see it) in a pink bottle aids her in her auguries. She has dreams of the world ending and seeks hidden messages about the looming apocalypse.

N’Keth: A Strong Volkan Diesel Dwarf, bat eared, hyena snouted and with furry skin, who is tracking a Vile intruder from the Void. Armed with a fierce Warhammer and protected by his Holy Symbol, an unageing plastic spork.

In the modernist building that the party is occupying during their stay at the Spectrum Palace  Kozue sends her fetch inside the perfectly round puncture wounds on Naida’s neck. She identifies tiny micro-vomes that are feeding on Naida’s energy. The witch conjures a star metal elemental from the material she had harvested in the Cholan Woods and orders it to remove the vomes with thin wire protrusions.

A building at the Visitor's Camp
Having spent a couple of weeks at the Spectrum Palace N’Keth, a Volkan Diesel Dwarf and new member of the Cogflower Caravan, has made the acquaintance of Selesta, an Ecstatic for the Satraps, who promised him to ask around about the Vile intruder he is tracking. Together with Saffron they meet just outside the Rainbow Wall that protects the entrance to the palace. Selesta tells him about a hidden lodge somewhere on the Ivory Plains, that grants those who spend a night there an answer to their most pressing question in their dreams.

A Rainbow Wall (of sorts)
Selesta takes Saffron through the Rainbow Wall to the Hall of the Welcoming Eye, where Ecstactics and visitors meditate around a giant gleaming shard, to the Crystal Fungal Field deep inside the palace. A moss-green Satrap with spidery limbs and spindly hoses plucks crystalline fruits from modified trees. Satrap 75 agrees to introduce her to the art of soul transfer.

Hall of the Welcoming Eye (artist's impression)
Kozue visits the Blue Paper Abbey, a former library of prim, pastel livingstone and finds a lumpy Satrap in an Egyptian-blue suit sitting in front of an ancient board game. Satrap 226 invites Kozue to join them. The Moon Witch deploys a devious strategy for the game. While they are playing Kozue asks them about possible signs of the apocalypse. They are none around, the Satrap explains, but there are ghosts from the Long-Long Ago who congregate at the Dead Bridge who might be able to help her. When the Satrap falls for her in-game trap and loses, they glow in delight.

 Actual Play: https://youtu.be/YdD35s7cBYM

Sunday, 24 January 2021

The Refracting Trees

They ride the elevator in silence except for an outburst of anger from Naida. Flux climbs onto Azure to comfort Cataract. They leave the observatory and Azure prepares the funeral ritual for Sarqo in which the body is consumed by blue flames.

Back on the road they traverse the Gall Grass where they are pursued by a Cold Vome Patrol but Naida takes them out with her sniper rifle. A hypo-psychic miasma rolls over the landscape an dampens the spirits. During camp Saffron inspects the strange looking puncture marks that Azure and Naida display and concludes that they are a sign of some kind of machine parasite infection.

On the horizon strangely bent lights announce the Refracting Trees. Inside the forest of tree-silicon symbionts Naida is hit by a shard of broken light that lodges in her eye. They follow the ditch road carved through the forest by centuries of heavy vechs. One of these gargantuan creatures can be seen from afar crushing through the trees apparently possessed by some kind of Phosphor Ghosts who only Naida can see through her newly acquired vision. Saffron harvests a bloom of chitinous flowers before they leave the forest.

Aurorae of light dance in the sky when they approach the Spectrum Palace, an unassuming drum-shaped building of dull metal and rivets that is guarded to the South by a wall of rainbows. They arrive at the visitor camp between two hills where they are welcomed by a  smiling woman in ceremonial robes.  Before they settle down in the cube shaped building that they are assigned to Naida hands over Satrap 88’s crystal snail in order to update their memory.

Actual Play: https://youtu.be/ODy8c8eP8rI


Sunday, 17 January 2021

Vicar's Beach IV

Sarqo sends Flux into the keypad to unlock the vault door but the bone and wire salamander returns with the message: +++unable to interface +++ no electricity +++. They decide to scout the corridors and find another locked door to the left and a big room to the right with vomes crawling around a giant maggot-like creature they identify as the vome mother. Some of the vomes display weird behavioral ticks like moving in circles, repeating actions etc. There is an exit leading to a paternoster lift, vomes suspended in gelatinous cubes in one corner and an old fashioned diesel generator in another. Naida sends Ajax to reconnoiter the other exit from the pool room. 

The cat lord reports that the corridor leads to an airshaft. Naida takes position at the junction and equips everyone with grenades while Saffron sneaks into the room mimicking the behavior of the vomes. When they activate the generator the vome mother immediately releases a pheromone that whips the vomes into a frenzy. Combat vomes surround the mother while white crab vomes begin to block the corridor where our heroes await Saffron’s return. A small service drone makes its way towards the pool room but is struck down by Azure. Saffron pretends to fill the gap between the crabs using the maneuver to slink back towards the other party members.

With the electricity restored they finally manage to open the vault door, which opens into a large room with irregular white walls. There is a coffin and three gilt ornate boxes that indicate to Sarqo that it contains robot spare parts. When Saffron opens the coffin they stare into the familiar face of a fellow machine human who they assume is Vicar. They carry the body and all the boxes to the elevator when the cold vomes who lurked under the water awake, alerted by the noise. They throw grenades into the pool and retreat towards the closed elevator door. Saffron and Sarqo are dragged underwater while a cold vome blocks the door. Naida sends Ajax to rescue  her companions but for Sarqo it is too late: He stares into black impassive eyes while his life is squeezed out of his body. Ajax shoots a barrage of poisoned needles into the cold vome holding Saffron until they manage to break free. They recover Sarqo’s body and retreat into the elevator. When the doors close elevator music starts to play.

Actual Play: https://youtu.be/JH7POIu-wR8

Monday, 11 January 2021

Vicar's Beach III

Characters in Season 11:

Naida: A  Deft Yellowlander Climate Refugee and Scope (member of the Legion of the Far Sight). The Legion is a semi-secret society that tries to fight crime on the roads of the Grasslands and around the Circular Sea. Bone grenade aficionada. She is accompanied by Ajax, a grumpy exiled Cat Lord with a serpent tail and Otis, the animatronic bear. 

Azure Dee: A Deft Blue God Cultist on her journey to the Black City where she is supposed to bring the apocalypse by sacrificing Vile organs. The Vile are a species of (demonic?) rulers from the Long Long Ago. She is accompanied by Cataract, a Wire-and-bone biomechanical salamander, who has been impregnated by Flux, Sarqo’s Salamander. She has undergone mutation after being exposed to a vome infection that made her muscles grow uncontrollably. The mutation has slowed down after a week of therapy sessions in the solarium of the Pylon Kraal.

Saffron, a Wise Black Gold Industrialist Machine Human whose personality was uploaded to a cybernetic prairie dog after being killed by Johnny-7's auto immune system. Outfitted with positronic double brain, extendable limbs and laser eyes. Accompanied by a furry animate kite. Seeking a prosthetic body for mother.

Sarqo, a Deft Purplefolk Doghead Anarchist, looking for a clue to abmortality in order to break it. After disappearing in the Maze of Light for what felt like a lifetime he is able to cast Full Spectrum Radiation Blast. Honorary member of the Clan of Sanitation in Red Bear Village.  

 

Previously in the UVG:

Our heroes entered Vicar’s Ear an ancient complex in a remote area North of the Ultraviolet Grasslands known as Three Sticks Lake. They have heard rumors that deep under the structure the body of a machine human can be found. The ventured into the dungeon, restored power to the system and now stand in front of a closed elevator door, talking to Belle, the artificial elevator operator.

 

Vicar’s Beach III

Belle whispers in a frightened voice: “There is someone inside of me. They are unwell…” Sarqo asks Belle to open the door just wide enough to allow Flux to enter. When Flux returns he spits out a slip of ticker paper reading: +++ woman inside w/ backpack and spear +++ foul smell +++ golden cube projecting swirling geometric lights+++.

Sarqo enters the elevator protected by the mask of a porcelain prince and spots the woman, who is slumped against the wall and unmoving - apart from her twitching skeletal fingers. Sarqo carefully approaches the robed figure, removing her hood which reveals a ghoulish dried face with flickering eyes. He spots a golden puzzle box lying inn her lap and slips it into his sack just before it starts to solve itself. There are symbols above the opposing doors reading:

  • Top Floor / Maintenance 6 (personnel only)
  • Exit / Observatory
  • Visitor Center
  • Reactor / Maintenance 7 (personnel only)

Belle announces that Vicar, the steward class machine human who is supposed to greet visitors is currently undergoing maintenance and therefore unavailable. They decide to take the elevator to the visitor center. The doors open to a lush and colorful lounge with silver flying-saucer-shaped lamps and a bar, staffed by an animatronic bar keeper, who serves Azure a fancy cocktail. There is a gift shop to one side behind a glass wall and doors to the Media-Library and Cinema 2000.

Their exploration of the rooms is first interrupted by a slightly disoriented, shoe box sized insectoid drone vome belching black smoke and later by a spidery detona-vome. Azure tries to grapple the creature but it wriggles out of her grip and explodes, severely wounding her. Before they retreat to the elevator Saffron grabs a bottle of champaign from the bar and Sarqo a mobile baby toy with satellites and space stations. Sarqo patches Azure up while they descend to the bottom floor.

Saffron peaks into the dark room with her multi spectrum vision that reveals a pool with a strange current and six immobile figures floating under water. Led by Saffron they hold hands like children and tiptoe to a corridor. Inside they come upon a junction where Saffron senses warmth coming from the corridor to the right. and a heavy vault door ahead.

Actual Play: https://youtu.be/2U48vKZ6Z8s