GM Note: Sorry about the delay, got a kid coming in about a week, and doing the final prepwork to make sure she doesn't die immediately has left me exhausted and more creatively deceased than the last year already had me. Anyways, here's what you're actually here for.
Nukamancer Alvin Kiplinger's Expedition Audio Log, Day 1Our day began with the Expedition Team, made up of myself and my assistant as well as the four permanent NukaKnights, moving our supplies to the large chamber outside Realm 98. The plan is to use the chamber as our camp and only return to the Vault itself after a week of exploration. Our first day was largely spent piling bones from those seeking but failing to attain safety within the Realm into a corner. Radiation was detected, but at levels low enough to reduce life expectancy by a few years but not be outright fatal. The stairwell up to the Independence Seaport Museum were collapsed, requiring careful use of Nukacharges and steady application of manpower to bypass. This took a majority of the day, so Friuli and I busied ourselves with taking samples from our immediate surroundings, including the skeletal remains. Based on what little we can work on outside the Realm, I am currently unable to form a hypothesis on the current state of the surface.
Nukamancer Alvin Kiplinger's Expedition Audio Log, Day 2Friuli and I were with the NukaKnights when they took their first steps into the Museum. Our lamps provided the majority of light in the building, supplemented by a number of holes in the ceiling where the floors above had collapsed. The sky, at least, seemed unchanged through the gaps we could peer through. Initial findings were as expected - everything is coated in a thick layer of dust, the building itself is rotting away with rust and mold.
What wasn't expected was the ambush. No less than a dozen people, emaciated, skin rotted to muscle and bone, came down on us as we moved through the museum. Their only form of communication was a guttural screech, followed immediately by them throwing their bodies against us. Some of the corpses we saw also stood and attacked, having apparently been playing dead until they saw their opportunity to strike. They didn't seem to act intelligently, instead working off of their basest animal instincts. Our Power Armor held when struck by their hands, feet, and teeth, but were left with gouges and marking that gave away what true strength these feral humans had. Our party's laser and plasma weaponry was extremely effective though, and melee engagements were generally avoided outside of a feral dropping from a ceiling or reaching through a hole in a wall. We cleared a significant portion of the museum, but decided to pull back to our camp as the day grew late, a pair of feral corpses in tow. The NukaKnights are now on a rotating guard duty.
It was like something out of the old horror motion pictures before the bombs fell, and has left Friuli and myself shaken. Could the entirety of life on the surface be driven mad by whatever chaos occurred as and after the bombs fell? What of the other Realms? Did the Vault-Tec experiments compromise the safety of the human race? We hope to find out in the coming days.
Nukamancer Alvin Kiplinger's Expedition Audio Log, Day 3Yesterday Friuli and I busied ourselves with a field autopsy of one of our assailants while the NukaGuards ensured none came down the stairs at us. The corpse showed signs of intense radiation poisoning well beyond what a human body was expected to survive. Examination of the brain showed extreme levels of atrophy and rot, which could explain the animalistic behavior. Samples we've taken from the spine, however, seem remarkably healthy, at least with the devices we have at the camp. Further examination will definitely be required.
Squik, my rat, went missing today. I fear the worst.
Nukamancer Alvin Kiplinger's Expedition Audio Log, Day 6The last few days have been entirely unproductive. A storm settled in during the morning of our fourth day out here and decided to lift only recently, judging by the lack of noise coming through the museum. Hurricane-force winds and torrential rains brought startlingly loud claps of thunder following eerie green flashes in the clouds, as well as levels of radiation that our Power Armor's filters couldn't even combat. Luckily, it seems the basement Realm 98 resides in is spared from this sort of weather phenomenon.
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On the seventh day the Expedition Team from Realm 98 finally walked the surface once more. Immediately they noticed how
absolutely hellish New Jersey looked from across the river. It looked as though a sickly green translucent film had been placed over the Garden State, and the Delaware River wasn't looking much better. The team proceeded to get water samples and were wondering how to go about checking for aquatic life when gunfire erupted down at the harbor adjacent to the museum. One ship, the
USS Olympia, most famous for transporting the remains of the Unknown Soldier from France to DC, was being fired upon by a large group of chaotically disorganized people wearing padded armor. Even from a distance the Expedition Team could see the absurd amount of green and white paint on their clothing and skin.
The Expedition Team observed the crew, inhabitants, or whatever they were of the
Olympia return fire with a lot more volume and concentration to great effect. Limited cover in the form of old conex boxes protected some of these green men as they made their approach, but the withering fire from the
Olympia managed to hold them at bay. After a few minutes of a stalemate the Expedition Team heard the rumbling of engines over the suppressive fire from the ship. Dozens of dirtbikes and ATVs, modified with armor and spikes like something out of an Australian Post-Apocalypse rolled up and anyone still moving hopped onto a vehicle and sped off.
The Expedition Team was planning to withdraw back to the Camp and submit their findings to the Realm, but a call echoed along the harbor with an unpleasantly deep rasp.
"You! Tin men! You going to sit and watch, are you going to introduce yourselves, or do we have to put you down too?"
The Expedition Team approached with their weapons stowed. They were worried about the appearance of the
Olympia's crew, as they resembled the ferals that'd inhabited the museum, but since these guys were willing to communicate, the team opted to respond diplomatically. The captain of the crew had a mild greenish glow emanating from within himself, although the one eye practically falling out of it's socket drew more attention than anything else.
Once the ghouls found out the new arrivals were quite literally new arrivals to everything around them, they opened up. The Team learned that the
Olympia was, surprisingly, a functional vessel being used as housing for "ghouls", the extremely irradiated and corpse-looking folks with a little more brainpower than the feral ones that had infested the museum. These Ghouls, led by Popped-Eye the Sailor, were Coast Guard that had been transformed after the events of October 23, 2077. They were displaced from a nearby Coast Guard base after non-ghoul'd Coasties sought to reclaim the base and any surviving vessels before anyone with ill intent could get their hands on any of it. The ghouls left willingly, as they understood their chances of survival outside of the base would be higher than anyone else who's space they'd be taking. Popped-Eye and his crew had actually investigated rumors of a Vault beneath the Independence Seaport Museum, but their efforts had been hampered by the obstacles now cleared by the Expedition Team.
Popped-Eye and the Coasties at the base were responsible for keeping the Philadelphia-side of "The Del" clear of threats that the Expedition team wouldn't have ever dreamed of existing. Beasts from the waters weren't the only threat, however. As the Expedition Team had seen, a large gang was also causing trouble in the area. Known as the "Bird Gang", this massive group made up of the various gangs and bandit groups that formed following 10.23.2077 was in control of most of the Center City area. An ambitious gang in South Philly had given others the option to Join or Die, and most did indeed Join or Die. There were a large number of hold-outs who kept the Bird Gang from claiming the entire city, but they didn't have the manpower or tools necessary to push them back or flush them out for good. Indeed, from the sounds of it, Realm 98 could very well be the most well-armed group in the city.
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The Expedition Team returned to the Realm with plenty of information and samples of the surface, including corpses of feral ghouls and a couple human bodies from the Bird Gang. The Guild was able to uncover the reason for the existence of ghouls - modification to their dna as a result of gamma radiation - but were not able to identify what pushed some to madness and others remained stable. Of course, the corpse of a nonferal ghoul would help there...
The human corpses, while irradiated, were not lethally so. Sure, there was the presence of cancerous cells in the bodies, but considering they were middle-aged and the clusters were benign, it seemed as though radiation wasn't going to be the biggest, most persistent problem on the surface. No, it appeared that, as always, man would be the most prevalent obstacle.
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You have made diplomatic contact with a nearby faction, and they've told you what they will of their story so far. You've also witnessed from afar the actions of a second faction within the city limits.
You will be making two proposals: the first will be to
define how you approach the relationship with Popped-Eye the Sailor and the Coast Ghouls. Will you engage in further diplomacy? Trade?
War? The second proposal will be
defining your approach to the Bird Gang. You don't know much about this faction, but you can try to learn more. Or will you decide that open hostility is the best path forward? Will you attempt to make contact with the Bird Gang and see what comes of it? Who knows? Not me! If you have specific actions in mind, make sure to include them, because otherwise how else will I know what you want to do.
Log of [REDACTED], 10.27.77 - Present
Realm 98: High amounts of food and drink stockpiles have led to a scientific power bloc through intermarried families. Products produced from luxury foods are impressive, including liquid nuclear fuel. Power is divided between the Diarchy of the Militia Chiefs (with majority influence), the Nuka Guild, and the Independent Senate. Classical and Medieval history have taken root in society, and they've structured themselves after a combination of historical governments, while the citizens themselves have often adopted the appearances and personae of historical and fantastical societies. The people and the leadership are very happy with life as it stands in Vault 98 currently.
NukaKnights: A poorly-regulated militarization of the Vault's citizenry after discovery of a massive weapons cache has led to a dominating cult of personality built up around the two Chiefs. The Chiefs took many opportunities to empower themselves and their militia. A nonlethal Quartzgun was developed to incapacitate and/or mark criminals with a white glow. The NukaKnights themself were also formed as an elite 6-man Power Armor unit, with their armor customized based on historical era preference.
Rat Eugenics: Failed experimentation led to the creation of human-clone meat with remarkable taste and nutritional benefits, but morality won out over pseudocannibalism when a nest of rats were discovered and their genetics used for Ratsynthmeat. Rats are bred based on various parameters for a selection of "cuts", and instead of slaughtering the extras, they're used as pets and familiars.
The Great Library of Philadelphia: Use of highly effective nuka-based explosives during exploratory expansion led to the discovery of a secret cache of vast stores of knowledge. The large chamber was preserved thanks to hermetically sealed doors and who knows how much collapsed earth. Simulation pods provide users with every educational experience they could require, and the tunnel connecting the Library and Vault 98 is lined with displays of scientific, cultural, and historic relics, including the real Declaration of Independence. The Vaultdwellers are bound to become better at their trades and crafts as time goes on.
Bird Gang: A large collection of gangs united under one banner, with control over a significant portion of Center City, Philadelphia. Seem to use motor vehicles to expand their sphere of influence, but otherwise are an unknown factor for Realm 98.
Diplomatic Ties:
Coast Ghouls - Enemies
Realm 98 - Unknown
Coast Ghouls: A group of ghouls led by Popped-Eye the Sailor aboard the USS Olympia. Members of an apparently still-functioning local Coast Guard unit. Partially responsible for, surprise, guarding the coast.
Diplomatic Ties:
Bird Gang - Enemies
Realm 98 - Neutral
Author
Topic: Rise from the Ashes: A Fallout-based PvE Council Game (Read 7167 times)