The following notes cover at least a week’s time after the fight with the Stormgators.
1) The Sky Raft: this vehicle is roughly twice as long and wide as the small troop transports that attacked Fyrkat. They look like they could hold a dozen men with ease, not counting the pilot and waist gunner. The construction and general design is the same—an open lower deck with an upper pilot’s deck. The waist guns are roughly mid-way between the prow and the stern and consist of a mounted CRIW on a universal gimbal with a power cable leading (one presumes) to the vehicle’s power plant.
As with the smaller sky rafts, one gets in and out by dropping the side walls down to make ramps. The construction seems to be advanced composites and metal alloys (akin to aluminum), with some bio-plastics. The side of the sky raft that was facing the inn gates is damaged and marred from the plasma blast. Otherwise, the vehicle is fine.
The bustle racks on the sides and back contain rations, blankets, water bottles, personal effects, some tools, and the like. There’s a set of tools in the ship as well, which allow one to access the engine/power plant and do minor repairs to the instruments in the cockpit. Marcus is if the opinion most repairs are module swaps. He suspects the Stormgators know how to troubleshoot and exchange modules if needed, but don’t understand what makes things work. Calvin and Edward, on the other hand, do/did have something idea of how the gear they used worked and what it did.
2) The Weapons
The following items have been recovered from the battle (game stats included):
One Electro-Axe: HKA 2d6, +1 Increased STUN Multiplier, Armor Piercing; OAF, Required Hands (two), STR Minimum 12, Real Weapon, 12 Charges plus +1m Reach
Eight Fighting Blades: HKA 1d6+1, Reduced Endurance; OAF, STR Minimum 12, Real Weapon, Required Hands (one) plus Reach +1m
Two Coherent Radiation Electron Weapon (CREW): Multipower, 40-point reserve, 30 Boostable Charges; all slots OAF, Required Hands (two), Real Weapon, STR Minimum 8, Beam
Standard Setting: Blast 8d6; OAF, Does Not Work In Vacuum, In Water, In Magnetic Fields, Or Against Targets Encased In Metal, Required Hands (two), Real Weapon, STR Minimum 8, Beam
Stun Setting: Blast 4d6, NND (defense is being in vacuum, water, a magnetic field, a metal casing, or having ED Resistant Protection defined as a force field); OAF, Required Hands (two), Real Weapon, STR Minimum 8, Beam
Laser Pilot Beam: +1 with OCV; OAF
Three Coherent Radiation Electron Weapon/Pistol (CREW/P): Multipower, 30-point reserve, 16 Boostable Charges; all slots Required Hands (one); all slots OAF, STR Minimum 4, Real Weapon, Beam
Standard Setting: Blast 6d6; OAF, Does Not Work In Vacuum, In Water, In Magnetic Fields, Or Against Targets Encased In Metal, Required Hands (two), Real Weapon, STR Minimum 4, Beam
Stun Setting: Blast 3d6, NND (defense is being in vacuum, water, a magnetic field, a metal casing, or having ED Resistant Protection defined as a force field); OAF, Required Hands (two), Real Weapon, STR Minimum 4, Beam
Laser Pilot Beam: +1 with OCV; OAF
Two Coherent Radiation Ion Weapon (CRIW): Blast 10d6, Autofire (3 shots); OAF, STR Minimum 10, Required Hands (two), Real Weapon, 20 Charges plus +1 with OCV; OAF plus +2 to offset RMod; OAF
One Ionized Matter Plasma Weapon (IMPW): Blast 12d6, Area Of Effect (12m Radius Explosion); OAF , STR Minimum 13, Required Hands, Real
Weapon, Limited Range (80m), 15 Charges plus +1 with OCV; OAF plus +3 to offset RMod; OAF
Nine suits of Bio-Plastic Combat Armor: Resistant Protection (12 PD/12 ED); OIF, Real Armor, Requires A Roll (14- roll)
The armor includes helmets, breastplates, armor and leg protection, plating for the tail, a “belt” with pouches and a sword sheath, and comms gear in the helmets.
3) Comments On The Equipment
Marcus find he can cut and reshape the armor with the tools on hand. Meaning, he can fit the armor to other people who are the same size or smaller then the Stormgators, but has little luck with people taller and/or bigger. Thus, Billy-Jo and Captain Jiranee might be out of luck.
Edward can get a breastplate made that’ll fit under his long coat.
Captain Jiranee is interested in one of the Fighting Blades, as it is of a quality beyond anything she’s seen. She’s not so interested in the axe, but if someone ends up discarding a Longsword, she’ll want that as well.
The weapons are all somewhat sizable, and are longer than modern assault rifles. They aren’t sleek ‘rayguns’ but have the same sort of look as weapons from District 9 and the original episodes of Star Wars. After a bit of study, Marcus determines what each one can do, noting the IMPW fires balls of ionized gas (i.e. plasma) in a magnetic bottle, which collapses (causing detonation) after impact.
4) Comments On The Village
For the most part, the village is unharmed. The only real damage is to the front gate of the inn (it’s gone), some of the stone walls adjoining the gate, and the ground around the crossroads (much of the grass is blackened and/or burned away.) Kanya is rather shaken by the experience, as she had been standing by the gate and ended up knocked to the ground by the blast while retreating to the inn itself. The fight was over before most anyone else saw anything, but just about everyone heard the weapons being fired and things exploding.
There is a certain degree of awe at the results. The PCs have defeated 40+ bandits (or was it 60... the number seems to be growing) and have taken down nearly a dozen armored Scaled People armed with weapons unlike anything anyone has seen before.
Of the six Jayanama NPCs the PCs are most familiar with...
Direk (Peraphon’s lover and yes-man) says little, and seems to desire staying out of any arguments of discussions.
Kanya, as mentioned, takes some time getting over her shock of nearly being killed, and then frets about the inn’s fence and gate. She also thinks the PCs can do no wrong now.
Peraphon actually quiets down. He seems to have been cowed by the PC’s display of prowess and wisely stops boasting (and complaining.) He also seems torn between asking Cyan to stay behind when the PCs leave and getting her and the rest of the PCs out of Jayanama as soon as possible.
Sunan is happy the village is in one piece, but obviously can’t want for Captain Jiranee to decide it’s time to move on. He seems to fret that there’s another disaster waiting around the corner and the sooner the King’s Justice moves on, the sooner this disaster will strike somewhere else.
Surot says little. He spends of a lot of his time tending to the refugees, seeing to their injuries and wounds, bringing them food, helping mend their clothes, and so on.
Sartra is fascinated by the refugees, seeing as they’re people from far away, and works with Surot to help them. He recruits a few to help him, in turn, making fish traps, expanding the dam, and clearing the pound of debris and weeds. He’s also fascinated by the Stormgator gear, but like most everyone else, is intimidated by its destructive capabilities.
Over the next week or so, the burnt barn is completed (if it wasn’t by the time of the Stormgator attack), and the fence in front of the inn is rebuilt. The refugees are further impressed/cowed by the evidence of the PCs’ prowess and are now even less inclined to try and run away.
5) Comments On The PCs
It has been roughly 3 months since the PCs arrived in the Well. Physically, everyone now looks pretty much like the average Farming Person. You all are physically fit and in some cases have lost upwards of 100-120 pounds to get where you are now. Everyone’s hair has grown out, meaning it might be shoulder-length (or longer). Shaving is tough, so beards might be common (except for Edward.) Clothing is questionable. Stuff taken from the plane may have fallen apart (it’s been a rough three months, and period washing techniques are tough on clothes), although the laptop bags and carryalls are fine. However, you might want to think about whose gone native with regards to dress and the like.
Billy-Jo: Physically he looks a lot like he did at the start, but with a bit more muscle bulk. He’s also incredibly strong, able to lift weights that normal people can’t even think about budging. He’s also quite athletic, able to run, leap, and swim with the best of them. Although he claims to be a carpenter, and helps with the bard and fence/gate building, he’s also training with Captain Jiranee and Edward, and is showing marked improvement with the use of weapons.
Calvin: For those who pay attention, it has become obvious that Calvin can’t fail. At least, at things he already knows how to do. When sketching, his drawing hand is a blur, moving faster than the eye can see. When he training with weapons, the effect is the same—he seems to be swinging multiple weapons at the same time. Oh, and he is able to vanish (or appear) from view with amazing speed.
Cyan: Anyone Cyan speaks too quickly feels better. Either about themselves emotionally, or they feel less tired, or capable of lifting and/or moving a great weight, and so on. She can patch wounds and injuries with great speed, and anyone she attends to is back on their feet in record time. After the fight with the Stormgators, she’s expressed some dissatisfaction with her bow and is looking for ways to improve her skill. The village has some butts for shooting practice, and several of the villagers can offer pointers and tips.
GM’s Note: Nate, we can further look into ways to make Cyan’s archery more effective in combat. Options include a level of Deadly Bow with the bow (adding +1d6 RKA to your shots), or a Multipower of different arrow effects (+1 STUN, Armor Piercing, No Range Mod, and so on.)
Donovan: He can fly. He can fly at great speed, hover, stand up in a eye-blink, turn on a dime, and otherwise move about like a jet fight crossed with a hummingbird. He’s obviously more agile in the air and seems to be surrounded by a shimmering field while flying. Oh, and he can apparently see in the dark. With the flight helmet Marcus made for him, he’s seems to be supremely happy.
Edward: His agility is astonishing. He’s lost so much weight you wouldn’t recognize him if hadn’t spent all this time with him as it happened. Edward’s hair is turning blue and he’s losing his beard (without shaving.) His ability to cross territory is second only to Donovan’s, being able to leap 20+ meters from a standing start. In a fight he’s a blur, almost as fast as Captain Jiranee (it’s so close it might be an even match), and the only person able to combat Calvin one-on-one.
Marcus: Surrounded by a wide assortment of high-technology, Marcus goes into overdrive. Vilgerthr kicks this off by arguing that if she could use the CREW/P, she could’ve helped in the fight. This gets Marcus motivated to see about editing the technology, not just using it. Using the tools he gained from the Aperture Science Enrichment Center, as well as what was on the sky raft, he starts long sessions of kit-bashing. This results in Marcus partially disassembles something and then rebuilding it. He's pretty much non-communicado while doing so (he seems to be in a trance), unless Vilgerthr is with him, in which case he starts explaining what he's doing as he's doing it, and she seems to understand. In addition, she acts as his assistant, and is able to do some of the work herself!
GM’s Note: Kit-Bashing: Severe Transform 4d6 (machine into any other type of machine, or spare parts into working machine, heals back by be taken apart or destroyed, or subjected to another use of this power), Partial Transform (+½), Usable Nearby (+1); Extra Time (1 Day, takes 12-24 hours; -4), Concentration, Must Concentrate throughout use of Constant Power (0 DCV; Character is totally unaware of nearby events; -1 ½), Gestures, Requires Gestures throughout (Requires both hands; -1), Only Versus Machines (-1), No Range (-½), Limited Target (machines and spare parts for machines; -½), costs 15 END.
This allows Marcus to rebuild captured gear into something the PCs can use. However, it takes 12-24 hours per item (or a small group of items), so he can’t easily mass-produce material. Also, one he starts, he’s gone. He won’t come back up for air until he’s done with whatever he’s working on. He can work with an assistant (normally Vilgerthr, but it’s possible for someone else to get sucked into this), who can work on the same or a different project.
6) Comments On The NPCs
Captain Jiranee: The good captain continues to train Billy-Jo and Edward (and anyone else) in the art of the sword (and other weapons.) She’s ‘adopted’ Calvin has her valet/courier, using him to deliver messages and the like. She’s curious about the capabilities of the captured weaponry and spends some time with Marcus and Vilgerthr trying to understand how it all works. She also spends time with the refugees, talking with them and explaining the details of their indentured servitude. She spends some time administering the King’s Justice, which seems to translate to ruling on disputes and arguments that Sunan would rather not. Her judiciary style keeps the pattern you’ve seen before—get both sides of the story, ask others for their opinions and input and then administer judgment. She seems to be fairly good at it, with no real complaints about her decisions.
As stated, she asks for one of the Fighting Blades, wants to know more about the Stormgators and Snake Men, and agrees with any plan to abandon/destroy the sky raft. Bringing it to Virava strikes her at too risky. She’s rather not see her city targeted by another attack like the one that hit Jayanama.
Jonathan Roberts: As with the PCs, Jonathan is in excellent physical shape. He’s 5’1” or so, but he’s a very fit 5’1” with a build more lean than scrawny. Having missed the fight, but seen the aftermath, he’s amazingly unenthused about overthrowing any evil empires. He likes the idea of heading off to Virava and Jiranee go so far to state she could use someone in her household who understands numbers and accounts. Curiously, Jonathan ends up spending a lot of time with Surot, working in the latter’s garden and/or simply socializing with the priest.
Return to The Well Of The Worlds