Torg Eternity: Living Land Game 1 Final

In our last two blogs, one and two, our group had trekked across half of lower Manhattan for a day and were being drawn toward working electric lights in an area they were certain corresponded to Times Square.

Scene 5: Traveler Camp

While previously the trees had been wide spread, almost corresponding to the streets of New York, this area of the jungle is much closer and dense. Climbing down the rock up-thrust that has replaced the Murry Hill district, the party finds themselves damp from both exertion and the dampness of the undergrowth itself.

Cutting a path through the jungle the party pushes on until the jungle becomes almost too dark to see. The flashlights they brought with them keep stuttering out, either the batteries are too damp or the tech axion of the Living Lands is overcoming them.

They pause to discuss their options, when Sasha smells meat cooking over fire. Kimiko and Carlisle can hear murmuring voices and moving aside some of the brush they can see campfires flicking in the distance.

First Contact and Making Friends

Kimiko activates her mind sense powers and quickly realizes that the camp is made up of nine primitive, regressive humans, and 1 Edeinos. Along with a wide array of goats and other animals.

Carlisle decides that it would be best for him to go forward and scout. He attempts to sneak toward the camp but trips over a root in the dark and falls, breaking a rib. The general talking in the camp covers up his failure and his groan of pain.

Lying still and trying to will away his pain, Carlisle removes the scope from his gun and pushes himself high enough to look into the camp. The camp is made up of a number of wooden wagons and hide teepees. A man wearing robes is grilling goat and trying to get others in the camp to come it some. He still speaks in clear if broken English.

Reminding him of gypsies Carlisle decides that an open approach is for the best. Stowing his gun and walking with his hands out he approaches the camp and is rewarded with a warm greeting.

The Elder and his Followers:

The Edeinos in the camp is elderly and is revered by the humans.

The rest of the party enters behind Carlisle and all are warmly greeted. The man grilling the goat offers them all skewers of meat and goat’s milk. He tells them that they have chosen wisely as all places around bad.

“North bad as Tusk camp patrols the grasslands. Domes scary. South bad, Blunt tortures humans and does things with corpses. Lights in Times Square, worse trap, bad place, humans no return.”

The Elder Speaks:

Within moments they are fed and seated before the elder Edeinos, who speaking through one of the women, communicates with them. He proudly proclaims himself a rebel [I use the term Jakatt which I believe is the setting word for rebel but I MIGHT be wrong, at this point in the game it is Jakatt] looking for people to gather up and take away to safety off of the island.

Carlisle: Where is Safe?

Elder: Whitetail is safe. Jakatt warlord?

The word “Whitetail” triggers a memory in Kimiko. Back in the clearing with the dead Edeinos, Blunt’s warriors were afraid of “Shokka” coming for them and of Whitetail.

Carlisle: Whitetail Tribe?

Elder: Whitetail leader, Divine Avatar of Lanlala’s Wrath. Great warrior and sage. His Ghosts travel the land, scouts who watch and fade away. Only being seen when they want. His warriors fight like no other warriors among all tribes of the Edeinos. Fight from the backs of great cats and shokka.

Sasha: Sounds like an ally we should meet. (all Agree) Where is this Whitetail.

Elder: Very far to the north, weeks walk away.

The Party: Won’t be meeting him anytime soon. Put it on the future plan list.

Carlisle: What of Tusk?

Elder: Sad story. Him greatest Edeinos but him fall someday. He so great he might kill Saar of Saars, Baruk. Very sad.

Kimiko: He’s strong enough to take on Baruk, why would that be sad?

Elder: Saar of Saars, doomed. Cursed. Tusk would be changed by killing Baruk. He would become a worse monster as him far smarter than Baruk, fight with mind not just strength.

Sasha (to the party): Corruption. The darkness device that creates all High Lords must also corrupt them. Maybe we’re actually fighting the devices and not the bearers?

Elder (listening in on their conversation and without his translator telling him their words): Yes, even Baruk was once a young Saar, who only wanted to be the strongest. It made him fall.

Mulling it over and Final Questions:

There is actually a much longer conversation but those are some of the salient points. [It should be noted that in each of my storylines I have sub-theme that I will be exploring, these three characters will be exploring these savage lands, but will also be looking at corruption, greed, and how even the best intentions can lead to evil and madness.]

We talk about religion and culture of the creatures that call Tekta Ker home. We talk about the monsters and plants and other deadly problems in the land and then the party gets a nice night of sleep.

Scene 6: Times Square Trap

Fortified by the night in the camp the party moves on but tells the Travelers about the hardpoint in Brooklyn and how they would be welcomed there at a more permanent home. They then set off toward Times Square as they want to look into this ‘trap.’

They cut through the jungle and then suddenly step out on a paved road into a partial Times Square, eight stories of one building with a massive TV screen on it still stands and the roads around it are intact. The free-standing facades of the buildings on either side exist within 25 meters of the central building but otherwise are jungle beyond.

The building before them has xmas lights all over it and there are several burn barrels and a couple cars arrayed as well. The windows on the bottom three levels are boarded over and covered in crude words and symbols. The place looks like it is also decorated for Halloween with skulls and skeletons hanging over the windows.

As the party gets closer, they realize that all the skulls and bones are real human bones, and Carlisle kicks over the first burn barrel he comes to. It is filled with burnt bones.

ANGER.

Kimiko lets out a growl and activates her mind sense. There are a dozen people sleeping in the building. Nocturnal Cannibals.

Without really discussing it Kimiko drags the burn barrels to underneath the windows and begins to fill them with wood and anything else flammable. Getting the gist Sasha sets to drawing gas from the cars and Carlisle cuts up car seats to put foam and fake-leather into the barrels.

Within minutes they have black., oily smoke burning into the broken windows of the ground floor rooms. The wooden boards also catch flame. The party calmly wait for the cannibals to come out to play. What follows is a bloodbath as Kimiko switches from bursts of fire from her submachine gun (quietly stowed in her backpack over the whole of yesterday) to getting in close and cutting down the cannibals with her electric katana.

After several minutes of gun fire and chasing down the only two men smart enough to flee the party takes the final two as prisoner, and is shocked to find that they are stormers and not primitive men. Kimiko and Sasha drag the men back to Carlisle, who had opted not to chase after the fleeing cannibals. Being almost seventy, Carlisle had to admit that traipsing through a massive alien jungle saps his reserves.

Kimiko, still enraged at the disrespect for the dead and the eating of human flesh, asks if they can get the two unconscious men awake. She would dearly like to talk with them.

Sasha: Ok, we will introduce them to Russian good cop bad cop, no?

As the two young women discuss it, Carlisle looks over his shoulder and notices a lone figure watching them. Shrouded in a cloak and far off he can’t make out any details but he swears that it waves and then fades away to nothing. Maybe there really are ghosts?

End of Act 1, starting next week I have decided to call this series Manhattan Knights.