SESSION 12: MANY DIVISIONS, MANY CHOICES
General Summary
Previous Session: SESSION 11: THE SKINS OF FOLK AND BEASTS
Next Session: SESSION 13: GOODBYE TO GRAVESTONE
Players: (The Heroes of St. Louis): Lex Garridan, Linda, Mister Man, Mouse, Zero *May 16, 2317*
(Adventure Day 22)
Night had fallen when Knight Sergeant Mullane returned to the fort in Harrisonville. The party watched as Ophelia Howe was released. The Midwest Brotherhood of Steel sergeant explained that his team had sieged Alton Jiang's property. The one-eyed, red-haired man who had been manipulating Ophelia, and his goons, had opened fire and were eliminated. Searching their possessions, the Brotherhood had discovered a weapon engraved with the name "Halverson" and that his group had been paid in New California Republic dollars. Sergeant Mullane also reported that he and his knights had entered Alton Jiang's house, and while arresting him, Alton had reached for a weapon. The old man had been eliminated, but his robot Shivani had been detained. This Mister Handy was being sent to Chicago for interrogation and trial.
Zero noted that it seemed quite lot of people who were being arrested by the Brotherhood just happened to reach for weapons. Knight Sergeant Mullane disregarded this, declaring that Ophelia Howe was free to go and that he was reinstating Higginsville's food supply contract with the Brotherhood. Ophelia thanked the group, and decided that she would try returning to Higginsville. The party noted that Debbie would probably take her back and wished her luck. They then returned to Maria's B&B for a well-earned rest.
*May 17, 2317*
(Adventure Day 23)
The next morning, the group headed west. Linda had heard that a member of the Children of Atom lived at Pine Valley Farm nearby. When they arrived, they discovered a small farm and a bad smell. Mister Man found a dead dog with a collar reading "Roselle." The animal had been killed a day before with a single gunshot. The party was immediately on edge, approaching the farm's house and barn with careful suspicion.
Lex and Linda approached the house and were greeted by a ghoul named Gilda. Gilda invited them in for tea. She explained that Lyle, her husband, had shot their dog. Gilda was a member of the Gravestone Cathedral and Lyle was a Child of Atom. The day before, they had been arguing over religion, which had upset the dog. Lyle had marched out of the house in anger, and Roselle the dog had followed and attacked. Lyle was forced to defend himself. The situation was sad, but Lyle was behaving childishly, staying in the barn and shouting, "Devil woman!" every time Gilda came near the dog's body. The party gave their condolences and went to speak with Lyle.
They were surprised to discover that Lyle was both a Child of Atom and a ghoul. The group spoke to him compassionately and calmed him down. Lyle thanked them and asked to speak with Linda, a fellow believer, alone. He explained that fifty years earlier, he had been one of Confessor's Cromwell's original four Inquisitors. But, exposing themselves to radiation, he had been ghoul-ified. The other three Inquisitors had been given uranium rings, but Cromwell had given Lyle a lead ring and cast him out. Lead metal will not fuse; it is incapable of Division. Lyle was cast out and told to pray over his ring, hoping Atom would de-ghoul-ify him. Seeing Linda's faith, Lyle gave her his lead ring, informing her that if she ever went to Holy Toledo in The Rustlands, the clergy there would respect this token.
Linda thanked Lyle and reported that she had met another Inquisitor, a man named Actus in Gravestone. That Inquisitor had encouraged Linda to demolish the Gravestone Cathedral. Lyle spoke seriously to Linda, warning her that Inquisitor Actus was a false Child of Atom, who had no faith and was selfishly using her. Linda was angered by the betrayal, but grateful to her new friend. Lyle left to make peace with Gilda and the group moved on.
Mister Man remembered Vera Belton and how she abused her brahmin. They decided to approach Vera Belton's restaurant tactically. Zero approached the counter to distract Vera, while Linda, Mister Man and Mouse approached the back room where the animals were kept. Meanwhile, Lex took up a position at a distance from the front window, setting up a perfect spot to snipe with her rifle.
Zero approached the absurdly irritable Vera and tried to talk. Vera Belton was unimpressed, screaming conspiracy theories about Katarina LaGrey of Higginsville. At the same time, Linda broke open the back door. Vera heard the noise and was incensed. She reached under the counter for her shotgun. Lex acted quickly, firing a single shot into Vera [6 Dice Damage + 1 Rifleman Perk + 2 Surprise + 3 Accurate, Piercing 1, Vicious = 12 Dice, Rolled: 10 Damage + 4 Vicious.] Zero watched as the contents of Vera's head appeared on the wall behind her. The group had executed a woman for the crime of defending her business [and animal cruelty, I guess.] They proceeded to loot the restaurant. The dark, cramped store room contained six mistreated brahmin. The party discussed for a time what would be done with the animals, and the brahmin were eventually set free into the wasteland [Probably Gilda and Lyle at Pine Valley Farm could take in the animals. But it was twelve miles away, and who's got time for that?]
The group next went to Telecom City. The office park was once a shared workspace for several hi-tech corporations. Proton of the Gravestone Cathedral had told them that Telecom City would probably have a reserve of rhodium metal, necessary for making ghoul ferality tests. The party found the office park an extremely secure fortress with thirty-foot walls and heavy electric doors. With careful examination, they discovered a service door which they were able to lockpick and open. The inner supply area was walled off, with many trailers closed with electric doors. The group struggled to repair the local generator, but got it working.
Meanwhile, Mouse was examining strange pods which ringed the walls. Climbing up to examine them, he discovered that the pods housed automated machine gun turrets. He rushed to warn them just as the power came on. And when the generator sprang to life, Lex found that her Pip-Boy's radio function activated. The device tuned itself to an incoming broadcast.
"Hello," said a voice over the radio. "Call me Uncle Sam. [Uncle Sam is not a thing in any of the Fallout games, unless you count Senator Sam Blackwell mentioned in Fallout 76, but he died before 2100. But it sure sounds Enclave-y.] Thank you for turning on the power for me. You'll have to leave now, without the rhodium. I have a dozen operators ready to swoop in, but let's not stoop to that. You are on the wrong side of this. We're the good guys here. So, get along now. I'm turning the turrets on in three minutes."
The group attempted to talk with Uncle Sam, but unfortunately, Lex's Pip Boy wasn't equipped with a transmitter. Mister Man took up Lex's Pip Boy and moved around the area, trying to triangulate Uncle Sam's signal, with no success. With the electric doors open, Linda explored a trailer and found a case of rhodium metal. Mouse sabotaged a turret and discovered a very large sewer pipe filled with rushing water. Lex set to work on the local computer system. It was difficult, but she managed to reprogram the automated turrets not to target the group, instead attacking any outsiders.
After three minutes passed, the turrets were activated and their pods opened. After Uncle Sam noticed no gunshots, he overloaded the turrets, making them explode. He used some sort of remote command to destroy the computer network. With attackers coming soon, the group decided to escape through the sewer. Linda tore off the great manhole cover and they each dove in. It was a challenge to swim through the rushing, radioactive water, but they all made it through. Looking back on the complex, Mister Man noticed a vertibird flying away. It was marked with the insignia of The Capitol.
The party then headed northward, looking to loot the Overland Park Reactor, but halted when they heard a strange noise. There, skittering toward them, was twenty-five radroaches. They engaged with the insects, which appeared powerless to hurt them. But as they drew nearer, the radroaches swarmed Mouse, attacking him as one. Mouse was overwhelmed, falling to the ground unconscious and on the edge of death. With the insects huddled together, it would be simple for Mister Man to eliminate them with a grenade, but the resulting explosion would be devastating to Mouse. Zero considered his options and dove on top of his friend, bidding Mister Man to throw the grenade. The robot did it, eliminating the roaches and only slightly wounding Zero. Lex, who had taken cover behind a small cliff, rushed to Mouse's aid. She fumbled with her gear and approached him with concerned panic. It was all for naught because Mister Man, specializing in medicine and equipped with a diagnostic mod, was able to revive Mouse easily.
They moved on to the old Overland Park Reactor, where they discovered some decent loot, including a hundred round of 5mm ammunition.
Then they headed back to Gravestone, crossing over the Oak Street overpass into the town. They found a young human girl waiting for them, saying, "Hey, you're Zero, right? Mayor Nucleon paid me to wait here for you. He says he really needs to talk to you. He says you're not in trouble, but he'd like to keep it that way."
Zero thanked the kid and wondered if he should talk to Billy [aka Nucleon] before or after they delivered the rhodium to Proton. In any case, they had loot from Vera Belton and the Overland Park Reactor, which they decided to sell at the Kansas City Trade Depot.
It was early in the afternoon and there was a lot to do in Gravestone...
Next Session: SESSION 13: GOODBYE TO GRAVESTONE
Next Session: SESSION 13: GOODBYE TO GRAVESTONE
Players: (The Heroes of St. Louis): Lex Garridan, Linda, Mister Man, Mouse, Zero *May 16, 2317*
(Adventure Day 22)
Night had fallen when Knight Sergeant Mullane returned to the fort in Harrisonville. The party watched as Ophelia Howe was released. The Midwest Brotherhood of Steel sergeant explained that his team had sieged Alton Jiang's property. The one-eyed, red-haired man who had been manipulating Ophelia, and his goons, had opened fire and were eliminated. Searching their possessions, the Brotherhood had discovered a weapon engraved with the name "Halverson" and that his group had been paid in New California Republic dollars. Sergeant Mullane also reported that he and his knights had entered Alton Jiang's house, and while arresting him, Alton had reached for a weapon. The old man had been eliminated, but his robot Shivani had been detained. This Mister Handy was being sent to Chicago for interrogation and trial.
Zero noted that it seemed quite lot of people who were being arrested by the Brotherhood just happened to reach for weapons. Knight Sergeant Mullane disregarded this, declaring that Ophelia Howe was free to go and that he was reinstating Higginsville's food supply contract with the Brotherhood. Ophelia thanked the group, and decided that she would try returning to Higginsville. The party noted that Debbie would probably take her back and wished her luck. They then returned to Maria's B&B for a well-earned rest.
*May 17, 2317*
(Adventure Day 23)
The next morning, the group headed west. Linda had heard that a member of the Children of Atom lived at Pine Valley Farm nearby. When they arrived, they discovered a small farm and a bad smell. Mister Man found a dead dog with a collar reading "Roselle." The animal had been killed a day before with a single gunshot. The party was immediately on edge, approaching the farm's house and barn with careful suspicion.
Lex and Linda approached the house and were greeted by a ghoul named Gilda. Gilda invited them in for tea. She explained that Lyle, her husband, had shot their dog. Gilda was a member of the Gravestone Cathedral and Lyle was a Child of Atom. The day before, they had been arguing over religion, which had upset the dog. Lyle had marched out of the house in anger, and Roselle the dog had followed and attacked. Lyle was forced to defend himself. The situation was sad, but Lyle was behaving childishly, staying in the barn and shouting, "Devil woman!" every time Gilda came near the dog's body. The party gave their condolences and went to speak with Lyle.
They were surprised to discover that Lyle was both a Child of Atom and a ghoul. The group spoke to him compassionately and calmed him down. Lyle thanked them and asked to speak with Linda, a fellow believer, alone. He explained that fifty years earlier, he had been one of Confessor's Cromwell's original four Inquisitors. But, exposing themselves to radiation, he had been ghoul-ified. The other three Inquisitors had been given uranium rings, but Cromwell had given Lyle a lead ring and cast him out. Lead metal will not fuse; it is incapable of Division. Lyle was cast out and told to pray over his ring, hoping Atom would de-ghoul-ify him. Seeing Linda's faith, Lyle gave her his lead ring, informing her that if she ever went to Holy Toledo in The Rustlands, the clergy there would respect this token.
Linda thanked Lyle and reported that she had met another Inquisitor, a man named Actus in Gravestone. That Inquisitor had encouraged Linda to demolish the Gravestone Cathedral. Lyle spoke seriously to Linda, warning her that Inquisitor Actus was a false Child of Atom, who had no faith and was selfishly using her. Linda was angered by the betrayal, but grateful to her new friend. Lyle left to make peace with Gilda and the group moved on.
Mister Man remembered Vera Belton and how she abused her brahmin. They decided to approach Vera Belton's restaurant tactically. Zero approached the counter to distract Vera, while Linda, Mister Man and Mouse approached the back room where the animals were kept. Meanwhile, Lex took up a position at a distance from the front window, setting up a perfect spot to snipe with her rifle.
Zero approached the absurdly irritable Vera and tried to talk. Vera Belton was unimpressed, screaming conspiracy theories about Katarina LaGrey of Higginsville. At the same time, Linda broke open the back door. Vera heard the noise and was incensed. She reached under the counter for her shotgun. Lex acted quickly, firing a single shot into Vera [6 Dice Damage + 1 Rifleman Perk + 2 Surprise + 3 Accurate, Piercing 1, Vicious = 12 Dice, Rolled: 10 Damage + 4 Vicious.] Zero watched as the contents of Vera's head appeared on the wall behind her. The group had executed a woman for the crime of defending her business [and animal cruelty, I guess.] They proceeded to loot the restaurant. The dark, cramped store room contained six mistreated brahmin. The party discussed for a time what would be done with the animals, and the brahmin were eventually set free into the wasteland [Probably Gilda and Lyle at Pine Valley Farm could take in the animals. But it was twelve miles away, and who's got time for that?]
The group next went to Telecom City. The office park was once a shared workspace for several hi-tech corporations. Proton of the Gravestone Cathedral had told them that Telecom City would probably have a reserve of rhodium metal, necessary for making ghoul ferality tests. The party found the office park an extremely secure fortress with thirty-foot walls and heavy electric doors. With careful examination, they discovered a service door which they were able to lockpick and open. The inner supply area was walled off, with many trailers closed with electric doors. The group struggled to repair the local generator, but got it working.
Meanwhile, Mouse was examining strange pods which ringed the walls. Climbing up to examine them, he discovered that the pods housed automated machine gun turrets. He rushed to warn them just as the power came on. And when the generator sprang to life, Lex found that her Pip-Boy's radio function activated. The device tuned itself to an incoming broadcast.
"Hello," said a voice over the radio. "Call me Uncle Sam. [Uncle Sam is not a thing in any of the Fallout games, unless you count Senator Sam Blackwell mentioned in Fallout 76, but he died before 2100. But it sure sounds Enclave-y.] Thank you for turning on the power for me. You'll have to leave now, without the rhodium. I have a dozen operators ready to swoop in, but let's not stoop to that. You are on the wrong side of this. We're the good guys here. So, get along now. I'm turning the turrets on in three minutes."
The group attempted to talk with Uncle Sam, but unfortunately, Lex's Pip Boy wasn't equipped with a transmitter. Mister Man took up Lex's Pip Boy and moved around the area, trying to triangulate Uncle Sam's signal, with no success. With the electric doors open, Linda explored a trailer and found a case of rhodium metal. Mouse sabotaged a turret and discovered a very large sewer pipe filled with rushing water. Lex set to work on the local computer system. It was difficult, but she managed to reprogram the automated turrets not to target the group, instead attacking any outsiders.
After three minutes passed, the turrets were activated and their pods opened. After Uncle Sam noticed no gunshots, he overloaded the turrets, making them explode. He used some sort of remote command to destroy the computer network. With attackers coming soon, the group decided to escape through the sewer. Linda tore off the great manhole cover and they each dove in. It was a challenge to swim through the rushing, radioactive water, but they all made it through. Looking back on the complex, Mister Man noticed a vertibird flying away. It was marked with the insignia of The Capitol.
The party then headed northward, looking to loot the Overland Park Reactor, but halted when they heard a strange noise. There, skittering toward them, was twenty-five radroaches. They engaged with the insects, which appeared powerless to hurt them. But as they drew nearer, the radroaches swarmed Mouse, attacking him as one. Mouse was overwhelmed, falling to the ground unconscious and on the edge of death. With the insects huddled together, it would be simple for Mister Man to eliminate them with a grenade, but the resulting explosion would be devastating to Mouse. Zero considered his options and dove on top of his friend, bidding Mister Man to throw the grenade. The robot did it, eliminating the roaches and only slightly wounding Zero. Lex, who had taken cover behind a small cliff, rushed to Mouse's aid. She fumbled with her gear and approached him with concerned panic. It was all for naught because Mister Man, specializing in medicine and equipped with a diagnostic mod, was able to revive Mouse easily.
They moved on to the old Overland Park Reactor, where they discovered some decent loot, including a hundred round of 5mm ammunition.
Then they headed back to Gravestone, crossing over the Oak Street overpass into the town. They found a young human girl waiting for them, saying, "Hey, you're Zero, right? Mayor Nucleon paid me to wait here for you. He says he really needs to talk to you. He says you're not in trouble, but he'd like to keep it that way."
Zero thanked the kid and wondered if he should talk to Billy [aka Nucleon] before or after they delivered the rhodium to Proton. In any case, they had loot from Vera Belton and the Overland Park Reactor, which they decided to sell at the Kansas City Trade Depot.
It was early in the afternoon and there was a lot to do in Gravestone...
Next Session: SESSION 13: GOODBYE TO GRAVESTONE
Missions/Quests Completed
Character(s) interacted with
Report Date
25 Jul 2021
Comments