Chapter 2: Alone

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Chapter 2: Alone

Post by Charke »

Destiny of Steam and Steel
Alone

Music
Glod continues to squeeze off shots until the dragon is a blood dripping blip on the horrizon. It just might die from the injuries acrued. Its flight pattern took a noticeable decline. It was weaving left and right and would drop to one side or an other when you hit it.

The dragon was not the only one to come away from this battle with wounds. The air is thick with the smell of burning oil, a thick tar smell that makes you gag.

Namfoodle has a good set of cuts. There is a first aid kit in the cockpit marked with a big red T. Hammer is currently sitting beside it pulling shrapnel out of his face. He covers the bloody mess with a thick pad and ties it behind his head.

"It'll heal." Hammer mutters.

Spatz works with a huge wrench turning screws. After a few minutes the steam gouting out of the Hemisphere starts to slow down and finally decreases to a trickle. He thumbs the intercom - a simple serries of pipes.

"We're going to need water. It's looking pretty thin right now. Stay off the steam breather everyone!"

Crench shoves a few leavers and kicks a foot petal. The mech slows down and lurches to a halt. He pulls a massive red leaver by the pilot chair. The engine slows to a hum and it gets very quiet in the cockpit.

Disabled: Gunner Chair 1: Colossal Steam Cannon (4d10/x3) (Right Arm 5d6+16)
Alfa Romeo: Gunner Chair 2: Colossal Steam Cannon (4d10/x3) (Left Arm 5d6+16)
Empty: Gunner Chair 3: Colossal Steam Breather (5d6/x2)
Empty: Gunner Chair 4: 2x Huge Steam Cannon (2d10/x2)
Robert: Gunner Chair 5: 2x Huge Steam Cannon (2d10/x2)
Pilot Chair: Empty

Hemisphere Status: 376/1056 Yellow

Music
Neddirpik
One foot moves. Then another. The ground shakes as it starts moving away.

Glod, Namfoodle and Robert are the first to notice the titan moving away. Crench sees it next. He grabs the big red switch and pushes it forward. There is a loud pop and steam pours up from below. Spatz voice appears on the intercom.

"Shut it down! Shut it down! You've blown a mainline. We're not going anywhere for a bit."

Crench leans back on the red switch and the steam subsides.

Mechs of every make limp back towards Neddirpik. Some will catch up. Others will not. There are still damaged mechs scattered around, left behind.

Neddirpik heads south. To the east are the rough outlines of mountains. It is the direction the dragon headed. To the west are open plains. To the north are low hills.

To the north is the Shelter of Taas. South West is Cradlerest and Duerie in dwarven territory. Far to the South is edge.

Hammer looks, without seeing, at the view port. "Where should we go?"
Music

Namfoodle and Hammer could both use a few stiches and some proper care. The mech needs repairs. Crench and Spatz will be performing a lot of them. (Characters not posting will simply be conveniently forgotten at this time.) There may be injured people outside of the mech and there are a few smaller smashed mechs in the area. Hemisphere II is the largest mech that was left behind.

Mark Charke
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Post by Charke »

Experience

With three active characters sharing XP for the Dragon encounter,
Namfoodle, Glod and Robert, each character will get 3000xp points.

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Post by Raptor »

I'll ask Alfa to help me don my Hydraulic armor then head outside Hemisphere to check for any other immediate dangers we might not have noticed while fighting the dragon. Also we're fairly helpless with the mech immobilized and I'm probably the best at combat outside a mech. I would suggest that the others perform assist other Craft (mechcraft) checks to help with repairs.
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Post by Orin »

Glod starts helping with repairs, moving slowly around the mech's innards, looking for things that need fixing.

15 + Craft (Mechcraft)(+23) = 38
16 + Craft (Mechcraft)(+23) = 39
4 + Craft (Mechcraft)(+23) = 27
8 + Craft (Mechcraft)(+23) = 31
18 + Craft (Mechcraft)(+23) = 41
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Post by Charke »

Destiny of Steam and Steel
Repairs

Music
The cost of repairs is the base cost x the percent damage x 1 (for minor damage), x2 (for major damage) and x3 (for critical damage like hemisphere II has.

Hemisphere II's base cost is 23, 723gp. She has suffered a staggering 64% damage. The cost of repairs is 23, 723 x 0.64 x 3 = 45 548gp but a lot of that can be found lying around you on the ground right now. It is a very good idea to scavenge for parts.

It takes 1 hour per hit point for critical repairs. Two people have voted for repairs. I will assume you have stopped for 3 hours to effect repairs and scavenge for parts and help wounded mech jockies in the area.

The DC for critcal repairs is 20. There is a skill system for scavenging but I will assume you find more than enough parts lying around right now. Also yes, good call, you find some water tanks. They won't fill hemisphere II but they will keep her running.

Glod makes every Craft check without difficulty. In fact you are doubling the DC so I will rule that you can repair 2 hit points per hour. Over the three hours, you repair 6 hit points.

Spatz and Crench also effect repairs. Together they will repair another 6 hit points during the 3 hours.

Robert rescues 5 surviving mech jockeys. They are brused up but since they are stranded here with you they offer to help and assist in scavenging what is left of their mechs. They manage to repair another 5 hit points.

With little to do Namfoodle ends up helping Hammer who guides him through repairs. Together they cobble together another 3 hit points of damage.

Hemisphere Status: 390/1056 Yellow up from 376

Disabled: Gunner Chair 1: Colossal Steam Cannon (4d10/x3) (Right Arm 5d6+16)
Alfa Romeo: Gunner Chair 2: Colossal Steam Cannon (4d10/x3) (Left Arm 5d6+16)
Empty: Gunner Chair 3: Colossal Steam Breather (5d6/x2)
Empty: Gunner Chair 4: 2x Huge Steam Cannon (2d10/x2)
Robert: Gunner Chair 5: 2x Huge Steam Cannon (2d10/x2)
Pilot Chair: Empty

After three hours Crench announces that a number of critical steam pipes have been properly repaired and that the mech is ready to move once again. Crench and Spatz will continue repairs and someone needs to pilot the mech. The majority vote has been to continnue after Neddirpik so that is what you guys will be doing unless the new pilot does somthing wild and crazy. Hemisphere II is ready to move again.

"Just leaver the red power switch all the way forward. Give it a little juice with the steam petal and ease off the clutch. Not the brake the clutch! Tip her a little to the left, your left, and then right with the next step. We'll baby the steps for a bit until we're sure the repairs are holding." Hammer says.

With Glod, Namfoodle, Robert and Hammer back in the cockpit there is room for one more guest at a weapon station to sit. The other 4 will be assisting Crench and Spatz with mech repairs.

Assuming everyone continues to help out, I will rule that you can all contribute 1 hp per hour and that Glod can contribute 2 per hour. However in the opperating and moving mech I will double repair times. The mech will repair about 5 hit points per hour while moving or 10 while standing still.

You are currently headed after Neddirpik. You have a lot of time, as most encounters will shy away from a Collosal IV mech but there may be events you want to stop for. I'll describe them as they come up. Please note anything else you wanted to do before leaving the salavage sight. You have collected about as much as you can store in Hemisphere II in the way of salvage.

How long are you going to pursue Neddirpik today?

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Post by Raptor »

I'd say keep going till an hour before sunset then look for good defensive spot to camp for the night, unless we run into something interesting beforehand. I think it would be a good idea to get a fair distance between us and the battlesite, which will probably attract scavengers.
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Post by Reese »

I second that, though obviously Hammer has the deciding vote, since it's his mech.

I would also mention that a watch should be set, since we probably left a trail that and mech using scavenger could follow.

What I wouldn't give to have a mirage arcana spell ready to cast...
Namfoodle "Sparklediver" Raulnor
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Post by Orin »

Glod nods vaguely at whatever plans are made, content to keep working on repairs.
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Post by Charke »

Image
Destiny of Steam and Steel
The Range

Music
Hemisphere lumbers along for hours until the sun is well beyond the horizon behind you. It gets dark and the mech finally shuts down for the night, only the main boiler still running. A watch is posted but nothing approaches the mech all night except a bird which hits the windsheild. This startles everyone and the bird flies off into the night leaving behind only a single white feather stuck to the window.

Mech Repairs
Another six hours of movement into the night allow you to work on additional repairs. Some of the armor is replaced with sheets you scavange. This repairs an additional 30 points of damage.

Hemisphere Status: 420/1056 Yellow up from 390.

Morning comes along a little sore and stiff.

Spatz announces "I've repaired some of the damage to the knee actuators so the ride should be a little smoother now."

The battlesite is out of view behind you. It does not look like anyone is pursuing. Mechs take hours to scavenge completely and it can take a lot of effort to pick up the bulk of the peices. Anyone who might have come after you is probably tied up looting. It's much easier than trying to bring down even a badly damaged mech.

"Mirage Arcana?" Hammer thinks about that for a moment. "My spellcasting is quite limited but I could try to write the spell out and let you cast it. It spell might fail but it would be worth a try."

Hammer gets out pen and paper and starts writting out a spell, from memory, blind. Its not that hard. How often to you actually look at the paper when you write? The real trick will be casting off the scroll.
(To cast the scoll you will need to make a caster check DC 11. You roll d20 and add your caster level.) The scroll will not be complete until the end of the second day of travel.

Glod continues to work. One of the things he notices that hemisphere has redundant pipes - too many of them. One of the problems with steam in this mech is the fact there are so many steam pipes. The steam pipes are made of a metal that is a lot weaker than armor and that may be the reason there are backups - because they aren't very strong.

Events Day 2
Music
A village appears on the horizon. It is a dirty mudhole that creeps closer with each lumbering step. There is evidence of caves in some shallow hills and there are clay buildings with sod roofs. It looks like they are trying to farm. A large mudhole appears to the be the only source of water around here.

A great huge footprint from Neddirpik is also nearby in the softer earth, a sign that the great machine passed this way.

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Post by Reese »

It'll take more than a DC 11 check for me to cast a level 5 spell :lol:
(a DC 17 check, i think, to cast a spell that's beyond my ability to cast from memory)

We're beyond the danger that I wanted the spell for anyroad, since it's used to alter terrain and buildings' appearence; I'd wanted to cast it to give the mech somewhat to hide in while we were camped for the night.
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Post by Orin »

Humming to himself, Glod inspects the flow of the pipes a second, third and fourth time to get a good understanding of how it all works (taking 20, knowledge steam engines +19 = 39). Deciding that he can present a better plan to Spatz. After spending a good deal of hours working through the logic and double checking his calculations (again taking a 20, craft mechcraft +23 = 43) he develops a plan that will uses armor to increase the strength and efficiency of Hemisphere's steam internals.
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Post by Charke »

Destiny of Steam and Steel
Spells and Pipes


DC
I'll double check that DC but I thought I had it right. It's not that hard to cast higher level spells but I'll crunch the numbers again. It's a little late writing this to that right now. :)

Pipes
One of the elements that is wrong with the pipes is that they do not use manifolds - a device that connects serries of pipes together. Instead each device has its own line directly from the steam engine. This offers a high level of redundant systems but having 2 or 3 pipes with manifolds would offer tripple redundancy while saving a lot of space and increasing water efficiency. Ripping all the pipes out would actually add more room for structural reinforcement - more armor. The existing pipes would do for now. However, the mech would have to stop for some considerably time to implement most of these changes. Only a few could be done on the fly.

Passing the Village
Will little interest in the village, Hemisphere passes on by. Some people wave but many have seen mechs all too often. Besides, it is certain that Nedirpik passed this way not too long ago.

Pause
Hemisphere pauses before a chasm. It is big enough that hemispehere can not step over it, but Nedirpik could. It's made of dry brown and dust rock like most of the area. There is probably a small creek at the bottom.

"We could try jump it." Spatz offers. "But the jump jets are not in good order."

"We could go north or south around it." Crench points out.

North are low hills and stormy weather. To the south is a longer trip but it is dry and flat.

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Post by Reese »

Namfoodle just shrugs; he doesn't know anything about wilderness navigation...

"Will Nedderpik's route turn north or south? we should probably go whichever direction it will turn to."
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Post by Orin »

Glod seems a little agitated

"Walking to the south is easier! Flatter means that I can make some small modifications to the engines. Modifying engines walking through a storm in the hills? Madness! Madness!"

He waves some of his tools in the southerly direction attempting to reinforce his point.
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Post by Raptor »

South sound best to me, the time we lose by taking the longer way will probably be balance by the rough terrain if we went north.
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Post by Orin »

Glod begins compiling a list of improvements that can be done whilst we journey. He also begins designing and working out what extra parts he needs to construct the manifolds.
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Post by Charke »

Destiny of Steam and Steel
South


Hemisphere wanders south for a day without incident. The crevas narrows and the mech steps over it at a narrowing and turns north. It's a long, hot boring trip. Finally you are back where you started, but about a hundred feet east.

Hemisphere Status: 500/1056 Green up from 420.

Sometime during the day, mech gets quieter. It is something you don't really notice at first but the ear aches fade. Hemisphere is running quietly again. It seems that Glod's monkeying around is starting to pay off. The mech is hissing slightly less and losing less steam. Further by reducing the number of pipes there is more materials for repairs and a little more room for insulation to keep the heat away from the cockpit.

Music
Hemisphere, it's leg structures mostly repaired, now lacking only some armor, picks up the pace. For two days it charges over the terrain making up some of the lost time in the hopes of finding it's larger mother mech. You are still following the large footprints of Neddirpik.

Crench eases off the throttle and Hemisphere comes to a slow halt. There is a loud hiss as the machine stops and sways forward and back slightly for a moment.

"Look at this" Crench says, looking over the controls down ahead of the mech. "What is that?"

There is a blob of green color on the ground. It's not a plant. It looks like paint. Its right beside Neddirpik's footprint.

"Oh hey. Look a mech." Spatz points up ahead.

A size large mech, probably with a single pilot is lying on it's side another hundred feet ahead. The mech is covered in that green material as well.

In the distance you can see a green cloud. It is slightly illuminated. It's far enough away that the curve of the planet, plus terrain, prevents you from seeing what is beneath the green cloud.

Hammer, still blind pauses to think. "I guess we could get out and investigate or we could continue on ahead and see if that is Neddirpik. What do you guys want to do?"

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Post by Raptor »

I think we should investigate the mech, I would suggest me checking it out while Hemisphere and the others stand off about 30 ft to cover me. I should be fairly safe from most threats as my hydraulic armor is sealed.
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Post by Reese »

Namfoodle crosses his arms over his sleight chest. "I don't think we should go anywhere near that... stuff, whatever it is." He shudders glancing at it. "That stuff looks nasty, whatever it is"

(Knowledge arcana check about green paint like or puddle things 1d20+11: 9+11=20)
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Post by Orin »

"Investigate yes, but quarantine yes! Infection! Infection to this mech you might bring. Be careful, for the green might invade your steamborg components."

Glod continues to fidget with his tools as he watches Raptor from one of Hemisphere's viewports.
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Post by sedm1549 »

If your going out there then let me help. After all, you did give me a lift. I'd better earn my keep. I'm ok with a rifle, I could cover you from the top of hemisphere or from a firing port if your worried about infection but I'm quite happy to go for a walk with ...... sorry I didn't catch any names when you picked me up. I'm Connaught by the way.

I'm not a bad shot with a cannon either but I don't expect a crew to give a stray like me a weapon system. Supose that's upto the boss ....... who is boss by the way?
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Post by Charke »

Destiny of Steam and Steel
Green

Music
Hemisphere grinds to a halt a hundred feet from the downed mech.

Spatz tips Hemisphere forward slightly so everyone can get a good look at the smaller mech.

"That's Tod Fires mech. I've seen it before on Neddirpik. Betcha he's down there."

Hammer nods. "Alight lets go down and have a look."

Hammer shoulders a curved blade not familiar in these parts. He takes the bandages off his eyes. They are bloodshot and red but he can see when he squints.

"Wonderful" he mutters.

Robert recovers his hydrolic armor and dons it slowly. He steps off of Hemisphere first with a steam powered hiss. The heavy armor makes him much bigger than anyone else, almost as big as the mech you are investigating.

"Huh?" Hammer listens. "Grab a rifle from the armory on your way out Connaught. No one is official in charge. That big lump of steel we've been toddling around in belongs to me but that is the end of my authority. We just sort of discuss what we're doing."

Namfoodle refuses to get off Hemisphere. He observes the green material but it is just too far away to be sure what it is. It could be green slime or radiactive waste for all he knows. Certainly as the others investigate and die screaming... ...er investige, he'll learn more.

Glod also remains behind and on the survivor list.

Crench assumes the command chair and pivots Hemisphere so that his left steam cannon is aimed near the mech. Spatz mans the gunner chair - just in case.

The Mech
The mech is a mess. It's over half eaten away. Whatever this green stuff is, it eats through metal like acid. The green bubbles and sometimes the bubbles pop and splash.

Yup, there's the skeleton. Someone was in the cockpit but he's certainly dead now. He died horribly, half disolved. (Fort DC 10 all around or lunch comes back up - yup serriously, make the check).

"Spatz" Hammer hollars up. "Aim the steam breather at this mess, not the steam cannon!" He pauses. "We can afford to burn up a little water if this is a problem."

The green mech "looks" safe - that sort of safe that most traps look right before you spring them, perfectly safe until you activate the trap.

Hemisphere Status: 500/1056 Green.

Happy Holidays!!!

Image

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Post by Raptor »

Robert feels his gorge rise at the disturbing sight, but controls his slight nausea (fort save roll 9+4=13). then he picks up a clod of dirt, stands back about 15 ft, and throws it at the green material.
Last edited by Raptor on Sat Sep 27, 2008 12:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Charke »

Destiny
Ploop!

The rock goes ploop! and vanishes into the green material. Nothing significant happens.

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Post by Orin »

Glod fidgets with his toolset.
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