[Taocow PBEM] Book 3 - Chapter XVII - Return to Hoburn Hill
Kitsune
kitsunefx at netzero.net
Mon Mar 2 20:56:47 UTC 2015
[Alex]
"I enjoy being a scout," Alex responds to Vesper when he indicates that
he likes times of peace over war. "Just as happy exploring as being a
soldier. Always fascinating places to learn about."
"Not many options in the Coalition," the red headed woman continues.
"They are always looking for skilled scouts or training them. I don't
think I really have what it takes to be a commando or special forces. "
[/Alex]
On 2015-03-01 21:36, 'Peter Perkins' via Taocow Rifts PBEM wrote:
> [Vesper]
> Vesper is more then happy to enjoy some simple times with Alex away from combat and
> the constant fighting they had been doing with the Splugorth and other forces. He would have
> bought himself a nice outfit and taken Alex to one of the restaurants that surely must be in or
> around the great tree.
>
> He will explain what he can about magic to Alex keeping it in laymans terms. Explaining about the
> various disciplines of magic he has come across as well as his own practice of Shifting. He enjoys the
> downtime with Alex as much as possible. It's clear he enjoys the peacetime much more then the
> constant running war the group has been through.
>
> When the areas are described he offers that if an area has entities, haunts and similar things he
> should normally be able to scatter them but risking going through such an area with the demon girl
> would be very dangerous for she is likely to draw some of the nastiest entities like possessing entities
> or tectonic ones. So he is for going around as well.
>
> [/Vesper]
>
> --------------------------------------------
> On Sun, 3/1/15, Kitsune <kitsunefx at netzero.net> wrote:
>
> Subject: Re: [Taocow PBEM] Book 3 - Chapter XVII - Return to Hoburn Hill
> To: taocow-rifts-pbem at googlegroups.com
> Date: Sunday, March 1, 2015, 2:06 PM
>
> [Alex]
> If
> they get a chance, Alex will show Vesper a good time. May
> not be true
> love but she is a romantic at
> heart. She dresses up really nice in a
> dress as well. She is pretty curious about
> magic. It does not appear as
> if she has any
> wish to become a wizard herself but just wants to learn a
>
> bit more.
>
> One item she will look towards is if there are
> any available used hover
> bikes she might be
> able to acquire. Might be able to afford at least a
> conventional version if they have any.
>
> Otherwise, as the good soldier
> she is, she is ready to travel once the
> group gets ready to go. If she is able to get
> the hover bike, will do
> scouting for the
> ship. The hover bike should be faster.
>
> When they get to the disputed lands, the
> ex-Coalition ranger looks
> towards the
> various kingdoms and asks, "Is there any way we might
> fight
> our way through. Too bad we do not
> have a special forces with us."
>
> On 2015-02-24 15:51, Aaron Clausen wrote:
> >>> [GM]
> >>>
> The voyage back to Hoburn Hill turns out to be less direct
> than the voyage
> >>> to Wales was.
> Captain Neeson is forced to steer the ley line ship
> northward
> >>> and away from what
> appears to be a great arm of the Splugorth army. There
> >>> are two firefights but Neeson,
> getting used to command, efficiently gets her
> >>> ship out of trouble. Still, the
> new routes delay the ship by the better part
> >>> of three days.
> >>>
> >>> In
> that time the land has been transformed. Whatever power was
> holding
> >>> England in ice cold
> conditions seems to have been pushed back. Snow gives
> >>> way to recent rains. The
> lowlands, instead of being chest-high in snow, are
> >>> now knee deep in mud. If nothing
> else, this should slow down any Splugorth
> >>> ground troops that might be trying
> to push further westward, and cutting off
> >>> units like the ones that attacked
> the dwarfs in Wales.
> >>>
> >>> It is February 1st, *101 PA*,
> around 9pm, when the Hoburn Hill Millennium Tree
> >>> comes into view, towering over the
> landscape. The great nexus that feeds it
> >>> lights up the night sky, it's
> power palpable from miles away. The people of
> >>> the Tree have been busy, and the
> scars of flood and battle are being
> >>> repaired, and perhaps, in a few
> years, they will be barely noticeable.
> >>>
> >>> The
> ship docks near the top of the great tree, and several
> druids await.
> >>> When they are
> informed of what has been transpired, they nod sadly.
> "We have
> >>> heard that many
> leyline merchants have met similar, or worse fates. The
> >>> Splugorth are beginning to set up
> blockades along major leylines. They mean
> >>> to starve New Camelot and the
> other Free Kingdoms. Almost we and our
> >>> brethren elsewhere are preparing
> to ask the Trees to open rifts so that
> >>> supplies may be brought into
> England."
> >>>
> >>> The female Elf druid, Taelaen, who
> had lead the company through the Tree
> >>> upon their last visit is there as
> well. "It is well that you have secured
> >>> the cold iron. Our...
> guest... has become most difficult to contain, and
> >>> we have been forced to have two
> druids constantly keeping the wards up.
> >>> Tiresome work. We, and the Tree,
> will feel much better to be rid of her."
> >>>
> >>>
> "It will take a day or two to forge the cage." she
> continues. "Perhaps you
> >>>
> would like some time to rest? I am certain the Council
> will wish to meet
> >>> with you
> again, but that won't be until tomorrow at the
> earliest. Your
> >>> quarters have
> been prepared for you in the same rooms you held before.In
> the
> >>> mean timetime, you may go
> as you please."
> >>> [/GM]
> >> [Oz]
> >> Oz calls
> over the newly-promoted colour sergeant, Captain Neeson,
> >> Jacek, and the dwarf commander (whose
> name I don't remember at the
> >>
> moment). "2 days shore leave for all personnel. See
> that everyone gets
> >> some money in
> their pocket as a combat bonus for the past couple of
> >> days. Arrange for supplies for an
> extended trip to be brought on board
> >> and set up watch schedules- and I want
> heavy watches on this ship,
> >> what
> with all the misery that's been following us around-
> then
> >> consider yourselves dismissed
> until the day after tomorrow."
> >>
> [/Oz]
> > [GM]
> > The
> senior officers seniors salute, and busily set about making
> sure
> > Oz's orders are carried
> out.
> > [/GM]
> >
> >> [Oz]
> >> Oz goes
> over to Alex, Vesper, and Ted. "It seems pretty clear
> they
> >> want us to take the girl with
> us. I can't imagine she'll be anything
> >> but a disaster to keep with us. What
> do you think about this?" He
> >>
> looks at Ted. It was his life on the line, after all.
> >> [/Oz]
> >>
> [Alex]
> >> Alex shrugs, "Yes, I am
> sure that there will be trouble with the demon
> >> child. With the blessing of the Virgin
> however, we should be able to get
> >>
> through. We have somehow survived until now."
> >>
> >> Suddenly, a
> little smile comes to her face and she turns towards
> Vesper,
> >> "Well, if nothing
> attacks us, we might get a bit of time. Might get a
> >> chance to actually wear that dress you
> got me."
> >> [/Alex]
> >> [Vesper]
> >>
> "True, that would be nice. We scarcely get a moment
> without being
> >> shot at it
> seems." Vesper smiles at Alex.
> >>
> >> "I
> don't know what prompted the Splugorth to make such a
> major attack
> >> like this but they are
> serious about it. I wonder how the Americas are
> >> doing."
> >>
> [/Vesper]
> > OOC: To hasten things along,
> I'm just going to skip ahead here. Assume
> > that the ship is fully provisioned, and
> that everyone's E-clips are
> > fully
> recharged and grenade stores replaced.
> >
> > [GM]
> > It takes the druids of Hoburn Hill, along
> with several metal smiths
> > from
> surrounding areas, several days to forge the cold iron cage.
> It
> > is the 5th of February before
> Captain Neeson and Oz's new dwarf
> >
> recruits fit the cage into the hold of the ship. To Ted, at
> least, it
> > looks eerily reminiscent of
> the original cell that he found the demon
> > girl in. It is small, however, only about
> six feet high by six feet
> > wide by six
> feet deep.
> >
> > It is a
> day later that the girl, under guard by a dozen druids all
> in
> > a focused trance to keep her along
> the most direct route, is placed in
> > the
> cage. If the demon girl is upset, she shows no sign of it.
> She
> > whistles a jaunty little tune as
> she is lead into the cage. "It's just
> > like coming home." she says in an
> innocent and girlish voice. "All of
> > this for little o' me."
> > [/GM]
> >
> > [Jacek]
> > Jacek is
> still furious. "The Hood will recover to some extent
> from his
> > injuries, though he will need
> cybernetics. If I were in command, I
> >
> would take that cage out to see and dump it into the deepest
> part."
> > His electronic voice only
> enhances his anger at this creature being
> > taken along with them.
> > [/Jacek]
> >
> > [GM]
> > It is the
> evening of February 6, the weather so warm that some are
> > calling it an early spring, and the day
> before the leyline ship is to
> > set out
> on its northward journey to Scotland, that word of the
> siege
> > of New Camelot comes. The
> Kingdom's forces were recalled a few hours
> > ago, and several pitched battles were
> fought, but in the end, the
> > Splugorth
> and their brain-creature allies prove too much, and the
> city
> > was encircled. Worse still is word
> that Myrrlin has not be seen since
> > the
> evening before, and even dear Guinevere is nowhere to be
> found.
> >
> > Other news
> is not nearly so grim. Despite general dislike of the
> > pro-magic, pro-D-Bee stance of New
> Camelot, the New German Republic
> > has
> decided to send aid in the form of a part of its Baltic Sea
> fleet,
> > with the possibility that it may
> land ground forces if New Camelot and
> >
> its allies cannot hold off the Splugorth. Rumor has it that
> NGR has
> > even informed the Coalition
> that its assistance may be required. Some
> > among the company's hosts are
> ill-pleased by this, the Elf Druid
> >
> Taelaen suggesting "I fear that if the New German
> Republic is
> > successful in occupying
> Splugorth-controlled lands, they will not
> > leave."
> >
> > And so, on the morning of February 7, with
> tidings of a grievous turn
> > in the war,
> the company gets back on their leyline ship, and begins
> > the journey northward.
> >
> > Hoburn Hill lies in
> west-central England, a region that has been
> > rebuilt over more than a century into a
> land of farms, fields,
> > villages and
> small towns, and small petty kingdoms. Most have some
> > alliance to New Camelot, and indeed, it
> has been New Camelot's policy
> > even
> before A'rrthu's time to encourage these small
> kingdoms to join
> > in various peace
> treaties, with the hope that eventually a united
> > federation of English kingdoms can be
> founded.
> >
> > Now,
> these lands are largely empty, the people having fled
> southward
> > in the hopes of finding
> protection in New Camelot. It is clear that if
> > the war is not finished soon, an enemy as
> bad, if not worse than the
> > Splugorth,
> will creep into England; starvation. No fields will be
> > plowed, no seeds planted, no crops tended,
> and come the end of the
> > year, people
> will go hungry. The dreams of the kings of New Camelot
> > stretching back the better part of a
> century will come to nothing.
> >
> > But the one thing there isn't is
> opposition. The lands prove as empty
> > of
> enemies as they do of friends. The Splugorth, it seems,
> have
> > changed their tact and now have
> moved their strength against New
> >
> Camelot. This makes the voyage go by quickly. By the end of
> the day,
> > they are in the north of
> England. In pre-Rifts times it was a shipping
> > and industrial hub; the
> Manchester-Liverpool supercity one of the
> > largest in the late 21st century.
> >
> > Now, before the
> company, is the ruins of that ancient supercity;
> > stretching as far as the eye can see. In
> the midst, gleaming in the
> > sinking sun,
> is the River Mersey, and to the west of it the Irish Sea.
> > Alex, in particular, is reminded of Old
> Chicago; seemingly endless
> > rows of
> ruined buildings, many toppled, but some still standing,
> > looking toothless and grey. From this
> distance, the supercity looks
> >
> abandoned, but as they approach, they can make out numerous
> fires,
> > some small camp fires, some huge
> bonfires, though the identities of
> >
> those who have lit them can't be determined.
> >
> > A number of the major
> ley lines of the British Isles run through this
> > region, and in this distance three larger
> nexus points can be
> > glimpsed, as well
> as half a dozen smaller ones. This is a land that,
> > even in the darkness, is perpetually lit
> by the great energies of ley
> > lines. At
> least two millennium trees are also distantly visible;
> > supernatural wonders in the midst of a
> waste of ruined concrete and
> > steel.
> >
> > Captain Neeson looks
> to the adventurers. "The shortest route is over
> > these ruins, which might take us an hour
> or two. However, this is a
> > cursed land.
> I have served on only one ship that dared this realm; a
> > band of scholars and treasure seekers, and
> we were attacked by a demon
> > and a band
> of mutants and D-Bees. The whole of these ruins is
> divided
> > into dozens of so-called
> kingdoms; some ruled by demons, some by
> >
> powerful D-Bees, some by violent men. Borders shift all the
> time, and
> > the only way to make it
> across is to have enough treasure to buy safe
> > passage; but too much and maybe they just
> attack you and take what you
> >
> have."
> >
> >
> "Alternatively," she continues, "we push
> eastward towards Old York.
> > That area
> is, or at least was, relatively peaceful, with many small
> > but stable kingdoms. We lose time,
> however. It is up to you."
> >
> [/GM]
> >
> >
>
> --
> If people
> are good only because they fear punishment and hope of
> reward,
> then we are a sorry lot indeed -
> - Albert Einstein, German-born American
> Physicist
>
> Kitsune
> Email: kitsune at addr.com or
> kitsunefx at netzero.net
> Homepage: http://www.kitsune.addr.com/
>
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--
If people are good only because they fear punishment and hope of reward,
then we are a sorry lot indeed -
- Albert Einstein, German-born American Physicist
Kitsune
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Homepage: http://www.kitsune.addr.com/
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