SESSION 01: A MISSION
General Summary
Players: (The Heroes of St. Louis): Lex Garridan, Linda, Mister Man, Mouse, Zero
Next Session: SESSION 02: THE ST. LOUIS SUMMIT
War.
War never changes.
In 2077, the storm of world war had come again. In two brief hours, most of the planet was reduced to cinders in a sea of nuclear fire. For two hundred years, the ashes of America would be fought over by petty warlords, city by city, town by town.
Now in 2317, nation states are forming again. Diplomacy. Trade. Highways. And with them a promise of a new order, a great era of peace and cooperation.
But war,
war never changes.
*25th April, 2317*
(Adventure Day 1)
It was a normal day in Vault 40. Professor Gritch was in his office, deep in the vault workshops. His employee, Alexandra Lex Garridan, sat with him, having been summoned to this meeting.
"Listen, Lex", he grumbled in his ghoulish voice, "John Giscala sent word. There's a mission to be done and apparently, he needs you."
"Wow, a mission!" said the exuberant Lex. "What is it?"
"I don't know kid," Gritch said, thumbing a file folder. "You gotta go to Emancipation and talk to Dr. John. And before you do that, you should go down to the custodial office. Giles wants to speak to you."
"Sure," Lex said with a smile.
"One more thing. I was looking at all my personnel files, and yours was flagged with a medical issue. Some kind of genetic issue?"
"What's that?"
The old craftsman scratched his chin. "I don't rightly know. It just says I'm supposed to look out for 'symptoms.' You should talk to Dr. John."
Meanwhile, in Vault 40's janitor closet, Giles the Mister Handy robot was having a meeting of his own with another robot named Mister Man.
"Thank you for coming, Mister Man," the master custodian said in a formal tone. "It's my understanding you'll be accompanying Ms. Garridan out of the vault. I wanted to say, on behalf of all the Handies, that your service has been exemplary and we will all miss you. Year ago, when they brought you in here, a Mister Gutsy, blown to pieces... just scraps and... parts."
The bulbous head of Giles dipped and shook slightly. "Oh, I... promised myself I wouldn't cry." The robot took a moment to compose himself and then said, "It's been a damn privilege to work with you, Man. But there is one matter I must address. Your mind now contains Vault 40 secrets. You must never allow a mechanic to access your processor. And... Well, should you be set upon by hostiles with technical knowledge, you must not be taken alive."
Giles somberly reached into a desk drawer and produced a Pulse Grenade. "Should it come to that, hold this against your chassis and detonate it. A grim bit of business, but it's for the vault."
Just then, Lex came in, saying, "You wanted to see me? Oh, Mister Man. Can he come with me?"
"Yes, of course, young miss," Mister Man responded.
"Indeed," added Giles. "And as such, I wanted to give you this."
Giles handed Lex what appeared to be a dented water flask. Lex eyed it quizzically.
"It doesn't look like much," said Giles, "to combat theft. Because this is a Scrubber Flask, capable of purify water of all radiation, poison and disease. It has 100 charges and should serve you well."
"100 charges?" Lex said quizzically. "How long will I be out of the vault?"
"One never knows," Giles said thoughtfully.
Soon after, Lex and Mister Man found themselves on the other side of Vault 40's huge door. They were deep inside the cave known as the Devil's Icebox. The cavern kept a perpetually chill, naturally a constant 13C. With walking caves gave way to withered forest and forest gave way to the ruins of Columbia, Missouri. In three hours, they were in Emancipation.
Penn Terrace is the nicest house in Emancipation, and the ceremonial home of Doctor John Giscala, the village's mayor. In his five years in charge, he had converted its front room to welcome guests. And in that room sat Zero the ghoul boxer.
"Can I get you anything?" Dr. John asked warmly. "I just put some tea on."
"What kind?" Zero answered in his gravelly voice.
"Just mutfruit."
"That'd be great," Zero said, accepting a steamy cup from the mayor.
"Zero," Dr. John said, leaning in seriously. "I'd like you to accompany a vaultie on a simple delivery. But in actuality, I need you to scope out the Midwest Brotherhood of Steel operation at Camp Jefferson."
Zero was surprised. "You've got a problem with the Brotherhood?"
"No, no, no. I'm just hearing that the Brotherhood Elders in Chicago have big plans for Interstate 70, which runs right through Emancipation. The Brotherhood have been good to us, but I have to represent the interests of the village. So, when you go to Camp Jefferson, make note of troops, engineers, specialists and supplies. If you can, talk to Paladin Hector. Anything you can gather about the village, Chicago and the I70 could be helpful."
"Okay," Zero said. "How much am I getting paid?"
"We can discuss that when you return," said Dr. John dismissively.
"Ah, 'fraid not, doc. I do half up front, half when the job's done."
Dr. John thought about it. "I mean, I could throw you a few caps, but this mission is for the good of the community. I have strong connections with the Brotherhood, Prathersville Lodge and Gravestone. I could get you the kind of work they don't offer the public."
Zero leaned back with a grin, "You know, doc. I'll do this one for you. Just this time."
At that moment, Lex and Mister Man entered the receiving room and the mayor welcomed them, saying, "Ms. Garridan. Mister Man. This is Zero. He will be assisting you in your mission."
"What is the mission?" Lex asked, totally in the dark.
"Ms. Garridan, it seems your Aunt Alexa Garridan had stolen an important artifact from the Brotherhood of Steel. Paladin Hector wants to send troops to get it, but I would much rather avoid a conflict."
"Um," Lex thought out loud. "My aunt walked out 16 years ago and I've barely talked to her."
Dr. John nodded. "Even so, I think you're our best bet. Go to Columbia Airport and get the artifact from Alexa, take it to Paladin Hector at Camp Jefferson and assist him in its use, in any way you can. When he dismisses you, return here for a reward and opportunities."
"Great," said Lex. And then, "Um, doctor, can we talk privately." Dr. John agreed and they moved to another room.
Lex got to the point. "Professor Gritch mentioned something about a medical issue."
"Ah, yes," Dr. John said nervously. "Your last check-up confirmed you as having the Vault 40 Blip. It's a genetic issue that can manifest in symptoms in childhood. Usually, if you make it to adulthood without symptoms, you're in the clear. So, we don't see much of an issue for you. But you should look out for symptoms."
"What symptoms? How did I get this?"
Dr. John looked nervous. Clearly, he was a bad liar. "You know, vault life is quite unnatural. Limited gene pool, strange conditions. Genetic changes were sure to happen. Just look out for headaches, nausea, dizziness. Anything, really. And with the Blip we recommend that people don't reproduce. The condition often manifests in childhood. So, we advise you be mindful of that."
"Um. Yeah, I wasn't planning on having a family anytime soon. But, can you tell me anything about this?"
Dr. John was effusive, avoiding eye contact. "If you do experience symptoms, we can engineer a virus to alter your DNA. But this would be very expensive, and we would have to put you in a coma for three or four weeks. Oh, and unfortunately, the procedure would not correct your eggs, so we would still recommend that you not conceive."
Lex knew she wasn't getting the whole story, but was determined to be polite. And just then, with a thunderous crash, Mother Sage, the leader of the local Children of Atom rushed in, dragging an enormous super mutant by the arm. Sage was distraught, thick tears streaming down her face. Lex and Dr. John raced into the room.
"You! You're leaving the village!? You have to take Linda with you. She needs to leave. She has no one."
And before anyone could respond, Mother Sage turned to Linda the super mutant and spoke seriously. "Linda. The Confessors in Toledo have ruled that you are an abomination. You can't stay at the church."
"But I live in the church," Linda muttered.
"Linda, you can never come back. If you set foot in the church, the guards will kill you." And with that, Mother Sage fled in a sea of tears.
"Mother!? MOTHER!?" Linda shouted in confusion and sadness. Dr. John moved in to hug Linda without hesitation.
"Mother Sage is a good person," the mayor explained. "But Toledo was going to cut her funding. All of the charity work the Altar of Atom does would've stopped. Can you help Linda here?"
"Yeah, another on the road would be fine," Zero said. And the others agreed.
"Is that okay with you, Linda?" the mayor asked.
"I lived in the church with Mother," Linda said, distracted. "Atom made me strong."
"Yeah, Linda. Why don't you go with these nice people." With that, Dr. John looked out at the sun in the sky. "You folks are welcome to spend as much time as you like here, but regrettably, I have a lecture down in Vault 40 today, and I have to leave now. It's also my understanding that Booch wanted to speak with you?"
The group agreed that Booches Bar would be the best place to get acquainted and left.
Booches Bar, being Emancipation's entertainment hub, was packed every night, but at noon it was just Booch the super mutant, cleaning.
The group greeted Booch and he met them with a warm smile. "You go to see Alexa?" he grunted in his booming voice. The group confirmed that they were and Booch pounded a bench with his heavy fist, saying, "New benches. Leather. Nice. I owe Alexa 350 caps. You bring to her. I give you 5 caps each."
Zero looked confused for a moment, surprised at the gullible trust Booch was offering, but looking to his companions, they acted like it was the most natural thing in the world. Lex accepted the caps gladly, promising to deliver them to her aunt.
"You need supplies for road?" Booch inquired. The group looked over his menu and bought a few crispy squirrel bits and cruddy tees, but found his prices very high.
"Premium," Booch grumbled, unimpressed. "Free? You like free?" he asked, remembering something. The group confirmed they did like free stuff, and Booch produced five paper coupons. Each read, "Anheiser Booch VIP Experience."
Booch explained, "If you in St. Louis, go to Anheiser Booch. See Anheiser and give him ticket. VIP drink. Very swanky. Good friends only."
The group thanked Booch and parted with him, off to gather more supplies.
Cindy Zhao's Shop n' Such spanned three warehouses, filled with weapons, armour, clothing, consumables and travel supplies. Cindy, looking rough but friendly, welcomed the group to her store. "Hello there, is there anything I can help you with today? Oh, I am required to note that, as per Emancipation law, all my weapons are sold disassembled and require significant repair to operate. I understand that Matt and Laura Lee at M&L Gunworks can do this for a small fee."
The group looked over her wares, but found the prices out of their reach. Each of them had only 10-30 caps, and even a bottle of pure water was 20. A single stimpak cost 50. Cindy recommended they look at a well-kept minigun, perfect for Linda, but the price tag read 400 caps - worth more than everything they carried. They thanked Cindy and left with the realization that if they were going to afford good gear, they would need to do a lot of scavenging.
Desperate for supplies, the group ventured off of their path to Columbia Airport to stop and loot Boone Hospital. The old medical center had been picked many times, but still yielded some food, chems, a doctor's bag and some junk.
Feeling empowered by their luck at the hospital, the group set off for the old U of M campus. There they were set on by a pack of four mole rats. Lex shot one with her 10mm pistol, leaving the animal injured, but not dead. Linda smashed one quickly with her wooden board, named Pam. Zero stunned another with his boxing glove. Mister Man gave a shot with his laser and then dashed in front of Lex, shielding her with his body. The final molerat burrowed into the soft ground and emerged behind Lex, giving her a savage bite to her arm and leaving her injured. Linda finished off the last molerat and the team set themselves to looting again. U of M yielded them some bullets, Psycho, a pipe revolver, some junk and two valuable magazines. Tired and hurt, the group made camp. Mister Man treated Lex's injury. They ate, drank and slept uninterrupted.
*26th April, 2317* (Adventure Day 2)
Heading in the general direction of the Columbia Airport, the team decided to stop at the Ginlet Farm, where the Ginlet family had grown corn for over four hundred years. Erwin Ginlet was not glad to see them, and armed himself with a shotgun. They calmed him, and he explained that fearsome creatures from Lake Speculation were coming up north, and Alexa Garridan's hunters were following them onto his land. The creatures and the hunters were trampling his crops and this left him very angry. Lex promised she would speak to her aunt Alexa, and Zero traded with Erwin for some cornbread. They left, with Erwin giving them another warning about Lake Speculation and the, "Fearsome critters, what U of M made with their experiments in the pre-war times."
An hour later, the group were at the Columbia Airport, faced with a minefield warning sign. It was well known that Alexa's hunters kept a dense minefield around the entirety of the airport and only they knew a path through. Lex tried to shout and wave down people within the airport terminal, but they didn't seem to notice her. Being a one time mine-disposal robot, Mister Man leapt to action, attempting to defuse enough mines to clear a path. He disarmed one and the group moved ahead, but the second mine gave him difficulty. Now closer to the terminal, Linda gave an enormous shout with her powerful lungs. A hunter heard the bellow and came to help them. The hunter explained that there was an intercom button on the minefield sign and then showed them a clear path through the mines.
The Columbia Regional Airport Terminal served as a home and tannery for Alexa Garridan and her hunters. When Lex and her friends approached, Alexa welcomed her niece with a happy smile. "I'd hug you," she said, "But I'm covered in radstag blood. What brings you?"
Lex explained that Dr. John had sent her to recover an artifact. Alexa was angry, "So he tore you out of the vault and into the wasteland, across a minefield for the sceptor?" The group was puzzled and Alexa explained, "I took the Scepter of the Plains from the state house in Camp Jefferson. It was just sitting there. Before the war, it was a symbol of civilian authority the governor would carry in congress. It meant democracy, you know, the people. I thought it was wrong for The Brotherhood, the military to have it."
"What does it do?" Zero asked.
"Nothing," Alexa said. "It's literally just a chunk of brass. Leave it to the Brotherhood to get upset over a symbol."
"Well, we need it," Lex said. "I promised Dr. John I would come and get it."
"And you're taking it back to Emancipation? To be with the people?" Alexa asked. Lex assured her aunt that this was the case, knowing full well she was supposed to bring it back to Paladin Hector at Camp Jefferson. Zero aided in the lie with his considerable charm. Alexa surrendered the scepter, which Linda took.
Their formal business concluded, Lex took her aunt aside to speak privately. She told Alexa about Erwin Ginlet's problem and Alexa promised to speak to her hunters. Then Lex asked Alexa about the Vault 40 Blip.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Lex," Alexa said sorrowfully. "That's the experiment. Are you okay?
"Yeah, I'm fine," Lex said, a bit annoyed. "What was the experiment."
Her aunt thought for a moment and said, "Alexandra, I promised your father I'd never tell you. It's for your own good. Some things are best left forgotten."
"My father is gone now and you hate Vault 40, so just tell me," Lex shot back.
"My problem with Vault 40 isn't about the experiment. 16 year ago, they did something. It was wrong. Too wrong for me to stand. I can't talk about that either. I hate these secrets, but I have to admit they are very important."
"Fine. You're not gonna help me. I never see you. I'll just go," said Lex, storming away. Zero bought a set of road leathers and a leather chest plate from the hunters. Linda preached a little about Atom to one of the hunters, who humoured her politely. And then the group joined Lex and left in an awkward tension.
It was still morning and with a day ahead of them, the group decided to travel to Ashland to loot. The former suburb lay in ruins and they found nothing to loot. But they did spot a young human man, armed with a combat rifle and wandering around disoriented. Zero and Mister Man suggested they approach with caution, and Zero set off to flank the kid with stealth. But Linda popped up, shouting, "Have you felt the light of Atom's Glow!?"
The boy was surprised, and happy to see Linda. He explained that we was not a Child of Atom, but at the moment he wished he was, because he needed Atom's Blessing. He was poisoned with radiation and desperately needed RadAway. Lex, being friendly and giving immediately reached for her only dose of RadAway, but Mister Man stopped her arm with his pincer. Zero revealed himself behind the young man and asked what was going on. The kid explained that his name was Kiffle. He had come from Gravestone to deliver fusion cores to the Brotherhood at Camp Jefferson. On his way home, he had been chased off the road by RadTurkeys and had to cut across the Missouri River, taking a big dose of radiation. Mister Man could tell that Kiffle was sick in some way, but could not identify radiation poisoning. He needed all of his supplies to get home and so had nothing to trade. It was clear that in his condition, Kiffle would not survive the trip back to Gravestone. Lex had heard enough, and she gave Kiffle her single dose of RadAway, leaving her with no protection at all from radiation. He took it and used it immediately, looking healthier in an instant. Kiffle told them that if they visited the Vescovi family in Gravestone, they would be rewarded for helping him. Reaching into his memory, Zero knew there was Vescovi family in Gravestone, but they were rich ghouls and unlikely to be connected to this boy. Nevertheless, they parted ways in peace.
The group next headed to Winrose Heights to do more looting. The abandoned retirement home yielded some ammo, some clothes, a piece of armour which Zero took, some food, a new dose of RadAway and a copy of Duck & Cover magazine.
Heading southeast, they came to Claysville Quarry, an old gravel pit. Two hours of looting granted them a hat, some food, a bottle of moonshine, a lead pipe and some bobby pins.
They next traveled to Cedar Creek Bridge, where they were set upon by violent RadStags. The six mutated deer were a much more difficult battle than the molerats. The group were victorious, but by the end of the battle everyone had been hurt, Zero had been injured and Mister Man's laser needed repairs. The group stopped to heal, Mister Man expending a stimpak to heal his injury, and then they set to looting again. The area around the bridge yielded some ammo, metal arm armor which Zero took, coveralls, some food and a tire iron.
Though they were close to their objective at Camp Jefferson, the group decided that a detour to Holt's Summit would be worthwhile for looting. When they got their they found a pre-war village that had been totally destroyed and was entirely uninhabited. Picking through the rubble, they discovered some fusion cells, a suit of road leathers, a perfectly preserved pie, some canned dog food, and 8 caps which were given to Linda to carry.
After a long day of walking, looting and fighting, and with the sun setting, the group crossed the Jefferson City Bridge into Camp Jefferson. They made their way to the old state capitol, the regional headquarters of the Midwest Brotherhood of Steel. A Brotherhood knight in power armor greeted them at the capitol steps, barking, "Halt, citizen. State your business."
"We're here to see Paladin Hector," Lex explained. "We were sent by Dr. John. We have something for him."
The Brotherhood knight lifted her finger for silence as she relayed a message through her helmet mic. She soon got a reply and said, "Right this way. Paladin Hector is expecting you."
The party followed the knight into the compound, ready to face the next leg of their adventure...
Next Session: SESSION 02: THE ST. LOUIS SUMMIT
Next Session: SESSION 02: THE ST. LOUIS SUMMIT
War.
War never changes.
In 2077, the storm of world war had come again. In two brief hours, most of the planet was reduced to cinders in a sea of nuclear fire. For two hundred years, the ashes of America would be fought over by petty warlords, city by city, town by town.
Now in 2317, nation states are forming again. Diplomacy. Trade. Highways. And with them a promise of a new order, a great era of peace and cooperation.
But war,
war never changes.
*25th April, 2317*
(Adventure Day 1)
It was a normal day in Vault 40. Professor Gritch was in his office, deep in the vault workshops. His employee, Alexandra Lex Garridan, sat with him, having been summoned to this meeting.
"Listen, Lex", he grumbled in his ghoulish voice, "John Giscala sent word. There's a mission to be done and apparently, he needs you."
"Wow, a mission!" said the exuberant Lex. "What is it?"
"I don't know kid," Gritch said, thumbing a file folder. "You gotta go to Emancipation and talk to Dr. John. And before you do that, you should go down to the custodial office. Giles wants to speak to you."
"Sure," Lex said with a smile.
"One more thing. I was looking at all my personnel files, and yours was flagged with a medical issue. Some kind of genetic issue?"
"What's that?"
The old craftsman scratched his chin. "I don't rightly know. It just says I'm supposed to look out for 'symptoms.' You should talk to Dr. John."
Meanwhile, in Vault 40's janitor closet, Giles the Mister Handy robot was having a meeting of his own with another robot named Mister Man.
"Thank you for coming, Mister Man," the master custodian said in a formal tone. "It's my understanding you'll be accompanying Ms. Garridan out of the vault. I wanted to say, on behalf of all the Handies, that your service has been exemplary and we will all miss you. Year ago, when they brought you in here, a Mister Gutsy, blown to pieces... just scraps and... parts."
The bulbous head of Giles dipped and shook slightly. "Oh, I... promised myself I wouldn't cry." The robot took a moment to compose himself and then said, "It's been a damn privilege to work with you, Man. But there is one matter I must address. Your mind now contains Vault 40 secrets. You must never allow a mechanic to access your processor. And... Well, should you be set upon by hostiles with technical knowledge, you must not be taken alive."
Giles somberly reached into a desk drawer and produced a Pulse Grenade. "Should it come to that, hold this against your chassis and detonate it. A grim bit of business, but it's for the vault."
Just then, Lex came in, saying, "You wanted to see me? Oh, Mister Man. Can he come with me?"
"Yes, of course, young miss," Mister Man responded.
"Indeed," added Giles. "And as such, I wanted to give you this."
Giles handed Lex what appeared to be a dented water flask. Lex eyed it quizzically.
"It doesn't look like much," said Giles, "to combat theft. Because this is a Scrubber Flask, capable of purify water of all radiation, poison and disease. It has 100 charges and should serve you well."
"100 charges?" Lex said quizzically. "How long will I be out of the vault?"
"One never knows," Giles said thoughtfully.
Soon after, Lex and Mister Man found themselves on the other side of Vault 40's huge door. They were deep inside the cave known as the Devil's Icebox. The cavern kept a perpetually chill, naturally a constant 13C. With walking caves gave way to withered forest and forest gave way to the ruins of Columbia, Missouri. In three hours, they were in Emancipation.
Penn Terrace is the nicest house in Emancipation, and the ceremonial home of Doctor John Giscala, the village's mayor. In his five years in charge, he had converted its front room to welcome guests. And in that room sat Zero the ghoul boxer.
"Can I get you anything?" Dr. John asked warmly. "I just put some tea on."
"What kind?" Zero answered in his gravelly voice.
"Just mutfruit."
"That'd be great," Zero said, accepting a steamy cup from the mayor.
"Zero," Dr. John said, leaning in seriously. "I'd like you to accompany a vaultie on a simple delivery. But in actuality, I need you to scope out the Midwest Brotherhood of Steel operation at Camp Jefferson."
Zero was surprised. "You've got a problem with the Brotherhood?"
"No, no, no. I'm just hearing that the Brotherhood Elders in Chicago have big plans for Interstate 70, which runs right through Emancipation. The Brotherhood have been good to us, but I have to represent the interests of the village. So, when you go to Camp Jefferson, make note of troops, engineers, specialists and supplies. If you can, talk to Paladin Hector. Anything you can gather about the village, Chicago and the I70 could be helpful."
"Okay," Zero said. "How much am I getting paid?"
"We can discuss that when you return," said Dr. John dismissively.
"Ah, 'fraid not, doc. I do half up front, half when the job's done."
Dr. John thought about it. "I mean, I could throw you a few caps, but this mission is for the good of the community. I have strong connections with the Brotherhood, Prathersville Lodge and Gravestone. I could get you the kind of work they don't offer the public."
Zero leaned back with a grin, "You know, doc. I'll do this one for you. Just this time."
At that moment, Lex and Mister Man entered the receiving room and the mayor welcomed them, saying, "Ms. Garridan. Mister Man. This is Zero. He will be assisting you in your mission."
"What is the mission?" Lex asked, totally in the dark.
"Ms. Garridan, it seems your Aunt Alexa Garridan had stolen an important artifact from the Brotherhood of Steel. Paladin Hector wants to send troops to get it, but I would much rather avoid a conflict."
"Um," Lex thought out loud. "My aunt walked out 16 years ago and I've barely talked to her."
Dr. John nodded. "Even so, I think you're our best bet. Go to Columbia Airport and get the artifact from Alexa, take it to Paladin Hector at Camp Jefferson and assist him in its use, in any way you can. When he dismisses you, return here for a reward and opportunities."
"Great," said Lex. And then, "Um, doctor, can we talk privately." Dr. John agreed and they moved to another room.
Lex got to the point. "Professor Gritch mentioned something about a medical issue."
"Ah, yes," Dr. John said nervously. "Your last check-up confirmed you as having the Vault 40 Blip. It's a genetic issue that can manifest in symptoms in childhood. Usually, if you make it to adulthood without symptoms, you're in the clear. So, we don't see much of an issue for you. But you should look out for symptoms."
"What symptoms? How did I get this?"
Dr. John looked nervous. Clearly, he was a bad liar. "You know, vault life is quite unnatural. Limited gene pool, strange conditions. Genetic changes were sure to happen. Just look out for headaches, nausea, dizziness. Anything, really. And with the Blip we recommend that people don't reproduce. The condition often manifests in childhood. So, we advise you be mindful of that."
"Um. Yeah, I wasn't planning on having a family anytime soon. But, can you tell me anything about this?"
Dr. John was effusive, avoiding eye contact. "If you do experience symptoms, we can engineer a virus to alter your DNA. But this would be very expensive, and we would have to put you in a coma for three or four weeks. Oh, and unfortunately, the procedure would not correct your eggs, so we would still recommend that you not conceive."
Lex knew she wasn't getting the whole story, but was determined to be polite. And just then, with a thunderous crash, Mother Sage, the leader of the local Children of Atom rushed in, dragging an enormous super mutant by the arm. Sage was distraught, thick tears streaming down her face. Lex and Dr. John raced into the room.
"You! You're leaving the village!? You have to take Linda with you. She needs to leave. She has no one."
And before anyone could respond, Mother Sage turned to Linda the super mutant and spoke seriously. "Linda. The Confessors in Toledo have ruled that you are an abomination. You can't stay at the church."
"But I live in the church," Linda muttered.
"Linda, you can never come back. If you set foot in the church, the guards will kill you." And with that, Mother Sage fled in a sea of tears.
"Mother!? MOTHER!?" Linda shouted in confusion and sadness. Dr. John moved in to hug Linda without hesitation.
"Mother Sage is a good person," the mayor explained. "But Toledo was going to cut her funding. All of the charity work the Altar of Atom does would've stopped. Can you help Linda here?"
"Yeah, another on the road would be fine," Zero said. And the others agreed.
"Is that okay with you, Linda?" the mayor asked.
"I lived in the church with Mother," Linda said, distracted. "Atom made me strong."
"Yeah, Linda. Why don't you go with these nice people." With that, Dr. John looked out at the sun in the sky. "You folks are welcome to spend as much time as you like here, but regrettably, I have a lecture down in Vault 40 today, and I have to leave now. It's also my understanding that Booch wanted to speak with you?"
The group agreed that Booches Bar would be the best place to get acquainted and left.
Booches Bar, being Emancipation's entertainment hub, was packed every night, but at noon it was just Booch the super mutant, cleaning.
The group greeted Booch and he met them with a warm smile. "You go to see Alexa?" he grunted in his booming voice. The group confirmed that they were and Booch pounded a bench with his heavy fist, saying, "New benches. Leather. Nice. I owe Alexa 350 caps. You bring to her. I give you 5 caps each."
Zero looked confused for a moment, surprised at the gullible trust Booch was offering, but looking to his companions, they acted like it was the most natural thing in the world. Lex accepted the caps gladly, promising to deliver them to her aunt.
"You need supplies for road?" Booch inquired. The group looked over his menu and bought a few crispy squirrel bits and cruddy tees, but found his prices very high.
"Premium," Booch grumbled, unimpressed. "Free? You like free?" he asked, remembering something. The group confirmed they did like free stuff, and Booch produced five paper coupons. Each read, "Anheiser Booch VIP Experience."
Booch explained, "If you in St. Louis, go to Anheiser Booch. See Anheiser and give him ticket. VIP drink. Very swanky. Good friends only."
The group thanked Booch and parted with him, off to gather more supplies.
Cindy Zhao's Shop n' Such spanned three warehouses, filled with weapons, armour, clothing, consumables and travel supplies. Cindy, looking rough but friendly, welcomed the group to her store. "Hello there, is there anything I can help you with today? Oh, I am required to note that, as per Emancipation law, all my weapons are sold disassembled and require significant repair to operate. I understand that Matt and Laura Lee at M&L Gunworks can do this for a small fee."
The group looked over her wares, but found the prices out of their reach. Each of them had only 10-30 caps, and even a bottle of pure water was 20. A single stimpak cost 50. Cindy recommended they look at a well-kept minigun, perfect for Linda, but the price tag read 400 caps - worth more than everything they carried. They thanked Cindy and left with the realization that if they were going to afford good gear, they would need to do a lot of scavenging.
Desperate for supplies, the group ventured off of their path to Columbia Airport to stop and loot Boone Hospital. The old medical center had been picked many times, but still yielded some food, chems, a doctor's bag and some junk.
Feeling empowered by their luck at the hospital, the group set off for the old U of M campus. There they were set on by a pack of four mole rats. Lex shot one with her 10mm pistol, leaving the animal injured, but not dead. Linda smashed one quickly with her wooden board, named Pam. Zero stunned another with his boxing glove. Mister Man gave a shot with his laser and then dashed in front of Lex, shielding her with his body. The final molerat burrowed into the soft ground and emerged behind Lex, giving her a savage bite to her arm and leaving her injured. Linda finished off the last molerat and the team set themselves to looting again. U of M yielded them some bullets, Psycho, a pipe revolver, some junk and two valuable magazines. Tired and hurt, the group made camp. Mister Man treated Lex's injury. They ate, drank and slept uninterrupted.
*26th April, 2317* (Adventure Day 2)
Heading in the general direction of the Columbia Airport, the team decided to stop at the Ginlet Farm, where the Ginlet family had grown corn for over four hundred years. Erwin Ginlet was not glad to see them, and armed himself with a shotgun. They calmed him, and he explained that fearsome creatures from Lake Speculation were coming up north, and Alexa Garridan's hunters were following them onto his land. The creatures and the hunters were trampling his crops and this left him very angry. Lex promised she would speak to her aunt Alexa, and Zero traded with Erwin for some cornbread. They left, with Erwin giving them another warning about Lake Speculation and the, "Fearsome critters, what U of M made with their experiments in the pre-war times."
An hour later, the group were at the Columbia Airport, faced with a minefield warning sign. It was well known that Alexa's hunters kept a dense minefield around the entirety of the airport and only they knew a path through. Lex tried to shout and wave down people within the airport terminal, but they didn't seem to notice her. Being a one time mine-disposal robot, Mister Man leapt to action, attempting to defuse enough mines to clear a path. He disarmed one and the group moved ahead, but the second mine gave him difficulty. Now closer to the terminal, Linda gave an enormous shout with her powerful lungs. A hunter heard the bellow and came to help them. The hunter explained that there was an intercom button on the minefield sign and then showed them a clear path through the mines.
The Columbia Regional Airport Terminal served as a home and tannery for Alexa Garridan and her hunters. When Lex and her friends approached, Alexa welcomed her niece with a happy smile. "I'd hug you," she said, "But I'm covered in radstag blood. What brings you?"
Lex explained that Dr. John had sent her to recover an artifact. Alexa was angry, "So he tore you out of the vault and into the wasteland, across a minefield for the sceptor?" The group was puzzled and Alexa explained, "I took the Scepter of the Plains from the state house in Camp Jefferson. It was just sitting there. Before the war, it was a symbol of civilian authority the governor would carry in congress. It meant democracy, you know, the people. I thought it was wrong for The Brotherhood, the military to have it."
"What does it do?" Zero asked.
"Nothing," Alexa said. "It's literally just a chunk of brass. Leave it to the Brotherhood to get upset over a symbol."
"Well, we need it," Lex said. "I promised Dr. John I would come and get it."
"And you're taking it back to Emancipation? To be with the people?" Alexa asked. Lex assured her aunt that this was the case, knowing full well she was supposed to bring it back to Paladin Hector at Camp Jefferson. Zero aided in the lie with his considerable charm. Alexa surrendered the scepter, which Linda took.
Their formal business concluded, Lex took her aunt aside to speak privately. She told Alexa about Erwin Ginlet's problem and Alexa promised to speak to her hunters. Then Lex asked Alexa about the Vault 40 Blip.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Lex," Alexa said sorrowfully. "That's the experiment. Are you okay?
"Yeah, I'm fine," Lex said, a bit annoyed. "What was the experiment."
Her aunt thought for a moment and said, "Alexandra, I promised your father I'd never tell you. It's for your own good. Some things are best left forgotten."
"My father is gone now and you hate Vault 40, so just tell me," Lex shot back.
"My problem with Vault 40 isn't about the experiment. 16 year ago, they did something. It was wrong. Too wrong for me to stand. I can't talk about that either. I hate these secrets, but I have to admit they are very important."
"Fine. You're not gonna help me. I never see you. I'll just go," said Lex, storming away. Zero bought a set of road leathers and a leather chest plate from the hunters. Linda preached a little about Atom to one of the hunters, who humoured her politely. And then the group joined Lex and left in an awkward tension.
It was still morning and with a day ahead of them, the group decided to travel to Ashland to loot. The former suburb lay in ruins and they found nothing to loot. But they did spot a young human man, armed with a combat rifle and wandering around disoriented. Zero and Mister Man suggested they approach with caution, and Zero set off to flank the kid with stealth. But Linda popped up, shouting, "Have you felt the light of Atom's Glow!?"
The boy was surprised, and happy to see Linda. He explained that we was not a Child of Atom, but at the moment he wished he was, because he needed Atom's Blessing. He was poisoned with radiation and desperately needed RadAway. Lex, being friendly and giving immediately reached for her only dose of RadAway, but Mister Man stopped her arm with his pincer. Zero revealed himself behind the young man and asked what was going on. The kid explained that his name was Kiffle. He had come from Gravestone to deliver fusion cores to the Brotherhood at Camp Jefferson. On his way home, he had been chased off the road by RadTurkeys and had to cut across the Missouri River, taking a big dose of radiation. Mister Man could tell that Kiffle was sick in some way, but could not identify radiation poisoning. He needed all of his supplies to get home and so had nothing to trade. It was clear that in his condition, Kiffle would not survive the trip back to Gravestone. Lex had heard enough, and she gave Kiffle her single dose of RadAway, leaving her with no protection at all from radiation. He took it and used it immediately, looking healthier in an instant. Kiffle told them that if they visited the Vescovi family in Gravestone, they would be rewarded for helping him. Reaching into his memory, Zero knew there was Vescovi family in Gravestone, but they were rich ghouls and unlikely to be connected to this boy. Nevertheless, they parted ways in peace.
The group next headed to Winrose Heights to do more looting. The abandoned retirement home yielded some ammo, some clothes, a piece of armour which Zero took, some food, a new dose of RadAway and a copy of Duck & Cover magazine.
Heading southeast, they came to Claysville Quarry, an old gravel pit. Two hours of looting granted them a hat, some food, a bottle of moonshine, a lead pipe and some bobby pins.
They next traveled to Cedar Creek Bridge, where they were set upon by violent RadStags. The six mutated deer were a much more difficult battle than the molerats. The group were victorious, but by the end of the battle everyone had been hurt, Zero had been injured and Mister Man's laser needed repairs. The group stopped to heal, Mister Man expending a stimpak to heal his injury, and then they set to looting again. The area around the bridge yielded some ammo, metal arm armor which Zero took, coveralls, some food and a tire iron.
Though they were close to their objective at Camp Jefferson, the group decided that a detour to Holt's Summit would be worthwhile for looting. When they got their they found a pre-war village that had been totally destroyed and was entirely uninhabited. Picking through the rubble, they discovered some fusion cells, a suit of road leathers, a perfectly preserved pie, some canned dog food, and 8 caps which were given to Linda to carry.
After a long day of walking, looting and fighting, and with the sun setting, the group crossed the Jefferson City Bridge into Camp Jefferson. They made their way to the old state capitol, the regional headquarters of the Midwest Brotherhood of Steel. A Brotherhood knight in power armor greeted them at the capitol steps, barking, "Halt, citizen. State your business."
"We're here to see Paladin Hector," Lex explained. "We were sent by Dr. John. We have something for him."
The Brotherhood knight lifted her finger for silence as she relayed a message through her helmet mic. She soon got a reply and said, "Right this way. Paladin Hector is expecting you."
The party followed the knight into the compound, ready to face the next leg of their adventure...
Next Session: SESSION 02: THE ST. LOUIS SUMMIT
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25 Apr 2021
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