SESSION 13: GOODBYE TO GRAVESTONE
General Summary
Previous Session: SESSION 12: MANY DIVISIONS, MANY CHOICES
Next Session: SESSION 14: THE ROAD HOME
Players: (The Heroes of St. Louis): Lex Garridan, Linda, Mister Man, Mouse, Zero *May 17th, 2317*
(Adventure Day 23)
Having sold away their excess gear, the group were free to engage with the citizens of Gravestone. A messenger had summoned Zero to the mayor's office, which Zero knew was a warning. They had rhodium metal to give to Proton, the leader of the Gravestone Cathedral, Linda wanted to confront Inquisitor Actus with the Children of Atom, and Zero wanted to keep a ghoul named Rutherford from stalking Isomer, his ex-girlfriend. But the group knew they had to tread carefully. Zero knew he couldn't trust Mayor Nucleon, once his friend Billy, but decided it was a good way to judge the level of danger in the town.
They went to Old City Hall and were escorted to Mayor Nucleon's office. When they entered the room, Nucleon was flanked by two Gravestone Cathedral security. Mister Man's sensors detected more in the hall, and he spoke up to the rest of the group.
"The guards are for my protection," Nucleon explained. "Look me in the eye and tell me, Zero. Are you going feral?"
Zero was a bit surprised and assured everyone that he was not. And that if he ever went feral, Mouse had explicit permission to kill him.
Nucleon expressed confusion that on their one day to Gravestone, the group had visited the Gravestone Cathedral, the Children of Atom, the Reavers, threatened Rutherford and likely murdered Willy, the owner of Burnt Ends Barbecue. He was angry that Zero hadn't thrown red paint on Gravestone's commander of the Brotherhood of Steel like he asked. Nucleon tried to convince the group that Gravestone was a delicate ecosystem of various groups who had to be kept in balance. The mayor most of all urged Zero to speak to Mr. Endtimes before enacting violence against him or Rutherford, his employee. Zero was unimpressed.
Nucleon became indignant, saying, "When did I become the bad guy here? I don't recall leading anybody into a torture chamber in Nebraska. That was Pierce, with you cheerleading for him. He wins some card game in Paducah and gets introduced with some ex-Enclave merc named Salvatore. This Salvatore says there's a secret lab in Nebraska and we go running. Now Pierce is gone and the rest of us have nightmares."
Zero was unhappy with the criticism and the group left.
They next went to Proton at the Gravestone Cathedral. They had the rhodium metal he requested in order to make ghoul ferality tests for the newly ghoulified survivors of the St. Louis Attack. Proton received the metal and asked if they wanted ferality tests that gave true results, or tests that would pass medical inspection, but assure the Midwest Brotherhood of Steel that those ghouls would never go feral. Zero insisted that they wanted fake tests, ones that would free the new ghouls from any mistreatment from the Brotherhood. Proton agreed and asked if Zero wanted a real test. A positive test would mean he would go feral within the next 50 years. Zero expressed that he didn't want to know.
Through the whole conversation, Mister Man watched Proton closely. The religious leader was clearly a long-practiced liar. Proton was not lying outright, but he was choosing every word carefully, certain to reveal as little as possible. The group had a bad feeling, but Proton expressed that he would send the rhodium to the People's Clinic, where 50 fake ferality tests should be waiting for them in 2 or 3 hours. They left on polite terms.
The group, and Zero especially, were getting fed up of the corruption and duplicity of Gravestone. Cautious of a fight, they headed to the local chapter of the Children of Atom. Inquisitor Actus had encouraged Linda to set off a bomb in the Gravestone Cathedral. Lyle, a ghoulified ex-Inquisitor at Pine Valley Farm had revealed to Linda that Actus was trying to manipulate her to fulfill is irreligious ambitions.
They entered the Children's cathedral and found Inquisitor Actus, but he was not alone. Confessor Tuplev, the regional authority, was there with 5 heavily armed Inquisitors, recruited from elsewhere. Tuplev welcomed them, wondering if Linda was too stupid to understand Actus's instructions. The group were angry, but saw the Inquisitors and their shotguns. They confronted Tuplev with a diplomatic tone. The confessor seemed confused, explaining that the whole point of an implosion detonator is to collapse a building in on itself. The ghoul named Chomper had made threats, and the Children wanted to destroy the Gravestone Cathedral's stockpile of weapons without hurting anyone unnecessarily.
The situation was tense. Confessor Tuplev said many insulting and demeaning things about Linda and Zero, but they managed to keep from drawing weapons. The two groups parted, glad to be rid of each other.
Zero was determined to confront the ghoul named Rutherford, but was warned about his employer, Mr. Endtimes. The group decided to go to the Racket Nightclub together, again ready for a fight. It being 4pm, they found the nightclub deserted. They asked the lone bartender if they could see the boss. The bartender warned them to be especially respectful to Mr. Endtimes. He was currently up in the VIP section, in the best booth. Because of Gravestone's racial policies, only Zero and Linda would be allowed to go up into VIP section to see him. Zero and Linda climbed the stairs tentatively while the others waited down at the bar.
The two crossed the large VIP dance floor, past some tough-looking ghouls. And there in the VIP booth they found Mr. Endtimes, a 12-foot tall Deathclaw monster in expensive clothes. Beside him stood a ghoul who had the telltale injuries of being mauled.
Mr. Endtimes spoke in a strange voice, "This is Rutherford. I understand he bothered a Gravestone Cathedral nun. Disrespectful. Irreligious. But Rutherford works for me. That makes him my friend. And my friends only answer to me. So, I take care of this. You turn around and leave. And never come back."
Linda began to speak about Atom, but Zero was just looking to leave in one piece. They briskly returned to their friends. Zero relayed that Mr. Endtimes was a giant, talking Deathclaw. Mouse wondered if it was the same Deathclaw he noticed stalking the streets two nights earlier. The bartender offered Zero and Linda each a free beer to calm their nerves.
With a few hours before the ferality tests were ready, the group was just looking to pass time without getting killed. They went to the old FBI Plains Division building to see Safeguard Security. The clerk offered the group with three jobs. There was a bounty for Maloo the Middle Lick Marauder (wanted dead), a bounty for Penelope the Pillager of Pork City (wanted dead) and a simple letter delivery. The letter was addressed to Acumen Legal in Gamma Town. Unopened delivery within 2 weeks would generate a bonus. They accepted the letter and moved on.
There was still a little time, so the group headed to Elegance Apparel to see what they had to offer. The clothier was a ghoul named Chic who offered high fashion garments in the latest Gravestone styles. Having earned some caps in their adventures, the group indulged. Mister Man bought a top hat with pink trim, Zero bought a fitted suit and Mouse purchased a fashionable outfit.
By then, the ferality tests were available at the People's Clinic. Picking up the syringes was simple. The ghoul doctors at the clinic handed them over immediately. Zero made one last stop to the Gravestone Cathedral to visit Isomer, once his partner Maggie, to tell her not to worry about Rutherford. She thanked him and they parted.
The group headed east, to the old resort community at Lake Jacomo. They found the area empty, but found a decent amount of loot. By then it was getting late in the evening, so they made camp and slept.
*May 18th, 2317*
(Adventure Day 24)
In the morning, the party went to Lone Jack Guns. There they met Shooter, a mister handy programmed to run the gun store. He informed them that they had a collection of guns for sale, but could only be held by someone who held an annual membership to their gun club. They weren't interested until Shooter mentioned a club shooting competition. Lex, who held the shooting record at Camp Jefferson and was a sharpshooter-level shooter at the Jesse James farm, couldn't help herself. With Mister Man spotting for her, Lex was able to shoot five rounds in a 3/4" spread at 30 yards. Shooter was impressed and gave her a cash reward.
They turned north and made their way to Lake J-21. It was an ugly swamp. And traveling through it, they were set upon by a pack of glowing mirelurks. The great crab-like creatures were heavily armoured and hearty to damage. The party had a difficult time putting the monsters down, but suffered little damage in turn. Eventually, the mirelurks were dead and they set to butcher them. The meat was hard-earned, but delicious.
Having solved the terrorism case in Harrisonville, the group were eager to return to Higginsville where steward Tracy had offered them a reward. They found the town in much better spirits, their food contract with the Brotherhood of Steel restored. Steward Tracy did indeed give them a cash reward for restoring the local contract, and a second reward for rescuing Ophelia Howe. Tracy asserted that the party were heroes of the town and many at the local saloon would like to buy them a drink. But the group was uninterested, heading to Debbie's Scrap Dominion instead.
They found Debbie reunited with both Ophelia Howe and Kurt, now safe from the Loose Juice Cult. Debbie explained that she was grateful, but didn't have much money. She offered junk at half-price and a single bottle of Nuka-Cola Quantum. The topic of Synths came up again. And Ophelia Howe again said that Mouse could not be Synth because of the age of his memories. He could only be a Synth if someone had constructed him after the Institute was destroyed, or if someone had reset his memory. The only people who could affect a Synth's memories were The Railroad in The Commonwealth, but they were the champions of Synth rights and Synth freedom. Zero asked if Synths were immune to radiation, and Ophelia revealed that she was made of biological material, and was just as susceptible to radiation as natural born humans. The scrapyard crew thanked the group again and they parted.
The party went south to the old Cow Spots Creamery. It was a dead place, but had some decent salvage, including a pulse mine. The sun was still in the sky and they had hours of travel left in them. They planned to keep zig-zagging eastward, back to Emancipation. By now, the village's martial law vote will have taken place. When they returned, the community could be under the direct control of the Midwest Brotherhood of Steel...
Next Session: SESSION 14: THE ROAD HOME
Next Session: SESSION 14: THE ROAD HOME
Players: (The Heroes of St. Louis): Lex Garridan, Linda, Mister Man, Mouse, Zero *May 17th, 2317*
(Adventure Day 23)
Having sold away their excess gear, the group were free to engage with the citizens of Gravestone. A messenger had summoned Zero to the mayor's office, which Zero knew was a warning. They had rhodium metal to give to Proton, the leader of the Gravestone Cathedral, Linda wanted to confront Inquisitor Actus with the Children of Atom, and Zero wanted to keep a ghoul named Rutherford from stalking Isomer, his ex-girlfriend. But the group knew they had to tread carefully. Zero knew he couldn't trust Mayor Nucleon, once his friend Billy, but decided it was a good way to judge the level of danger in the town.
They went to Old City Hall and were escorted to Mayor Nucleon's office. When they entered the room, Nucleon was flanked by two Gravestone Cathedral security. Mister Man's sensors detected more in the hall, and he spoke up to the rest of the group.
"The guards are for my protection," Nucleon explained. "Look me in the eye and tell me, Zero. Are you going feral?"
Zero was a bit surprised and assured everyone that he was not. And that if he ever went feral, Mouse had explicit permission to kill him.
Nucleon expressed confusion that on their one day to Gravestone, the group had visited the Gravestone Cathedral, the Children of Atom, the Reavers, threatened Rutherford and likely murdered Willy, the owner of Burnt Ends Barbecue. He was angry that Zero hadn't thrown red paint on Gravestone's commander of the Brotherhood of Steel like he asked. Nucleon tried to convince the group that Gravestone was a delicate ecosystem of various groups who had to be kept in balance. The mayor most of all urged Zero to speak to Mr. Endtimes before enacting violence against him or Rutherford, his employee. Zero was unimpressed.
Nucleon became indignant, saying, "When did I become the bad guy here? I don't recall leading anybody into a torture chamber in Nebraska. That was Pierce, with you cheerleading for him. He wins some card game in Paducah and gets introduced with some ex-Enclave merc named Salvatore. This Salvatore says there's a secret lab in Nebraska and we go running. Now Pierce is gone and the rest of us have nightmares."
Zero was unhappy with the criticism and the group left.
They next went to Proton at the Gravestone Cathedral. They had the rhodium metal he requested in order to make ghoul ferality tests for the newly ghoulified survivors of the St. Louis Attack. Proton received the metal and asked if they wanted ferality tests that gave true results, or tests that would pass medical inspection, but assure the Midwest Brotherhood of Steel that those ghouls would never go feral. Zero insisted that they wanted fake tests, ones that would free the new ghouls from any mistreatment from the Brotherhood. Proton agreed and asked if Zero wanted a real test. A positive test would mean he would go feral within the next 50 years. Zero expressed that he didn't want to know.
Through the whole conversation, Mister Man watched Proton closely. The religious leader was clearly a long-practiced liar. Proton was not lying outright, but he was choosing every word carefully, certain to reveal as little as possible. The group had a bad feeling, but Proton expressed that he would send the rhodium to the People's Clinic, where 50 fake ferality tests should be waiting for them in 2 or 3 hours. They left on polite terms.
The group, and Zero especially, were getting fed up of the corruption and duplicity of Gravestone. Cautious of a fight, they headed to the local chapter of the Children of Atom. Inquisitor Actus had encouraged Linda to set off a bomb in the Gravestone Cathedral. Lyle, a ghoulified ex-Inquisitor at Pine Valley Farm had revealed to Linda that Actus was trying to manipulate her to fulfill is irreligious ambitions.
They entered the Children's cathedral and found Inquisitor Actus, but he was not alone. Confessor Tuplev, the regional authority, was there with 5 heavily armed Inquisitors, recruited from elsewhere. Tuplev welcomed them, wondering if Linda was too stupid to understand Actus's instructions. The group were angry, but saw the Inquisitors and their shotguns. They confronted Tuplev with a diplomatic tone. The confessor seemed confused, explaining that the whole point of an implosion detonator is to collapse a building in on itself. The ghoul named Chomper had made threats, and the Children wanted to destroy the Gravestone Cathedral's stockpile of weapons without hurting anyone unnecessarily.
The situation was tense. Confessor Tuplev said many insulting and demeaning things about Linda and Zero, but they managed to keep from drawing weapons. The two groups parted, glad to be rid of each other.
Zero was determined to confront the ghoul named Rutherford, but was warned about his employer, Mr. Endtimes. The group decided to go to the Racket Nightclub together, again ready for a fight. It being 4pm, they found the nightclub deserted. They asked the lone bartender if they could see the boss. The bartender warned them to be especially respectful to Mr. Endtimes. He was currently up in the VIP section, in the best booth. Because of Gravestone's racial policies, only Zero and Linda would be allowed to go up into VIP section to see him. Zero and Linda climbed the stairs tentatively while the others waited down at the bar.
The two crossed the large VIP dance floor, past some tough-looking ghouls. And there in the VIP booth they found Mr. Endtimes, a 12-foot tall Deathclaw monster in expensive clothes. Beside him stood a ghoul who had the telltale injuries of being mauled.
Mr. Endtimes spoke in a strange voice, "This is Rutherford. I understand he bothered a Gravestone Cathedral nun. Disrespectful. Irreligious. But Rutherford works for me. That makes him my friend. And my friends only answer to me. So, I take care of this. You turn around and leave. And never come back."
Linda began to speak about Atom, but Zero was just looking to leave in one piece. They briskly returned to their friends. Zero relayed that Mr. Endtimes was a giant, talking Deathclaw. Mouse wondered if it was the same Deathclaw he noticed stalking the streets two nights earlier. The bartender offered Zero and Linda each a free beer to calm their nerves.
With a few hours before the ferality tests were ready, the group was just looking to pass time without getting killed. They went to the old FBI Plains Division building to see Safeguard Security. The clerk offered the group with three jobs. There was a bounty for Maloo the Middle Lick Marauder (wanted dead), a bounty for Penelope the Pillager of Pork City (wanted dead) and a simple letter delivery. The letter was addressed to Acumen Legal in Gamma Town. Unopened delivery within 2 weeks would generate a bonus. They accepted the letter and moved on.
There was still a little time, so the group headed to Elegance Apparel to see what they had to offer. The clothier was a ghoul named Chic who offered high fashion garments in the latest Gravestone styles. Having earned some caps in their adventures, the group indulged. Mister Man bought a top hat with pink trim, Zero bought a fitted suit and Mouse purchased a fashionable outfit.
By then, the ferality tests were available at the People's Clinic. Picking up the syringes was simple. The ghoul doctors at the clinic handed them over immediately. Zero made one last stop to the Gravestone Cathedral to visit Isomer, once his partner Maggie, to tell her not to worry about Rutherford. She thanked him and they parted.
The group headed east, to the old resort community at Lake Jacomo. They found the area empty, but found a decent amount of loot. By then it was getting late in the evening, so they made camp and slept.
*May 18th, 2317*
(Adventure Day 24)
In the morning, the party went to Lone Jack Guns. There they met Shooter, a mister handy programmed to run the gun store. He informed them that they had a collection of guns for sale, but could only be held by someone who held an annual membership to their gun club. They weren't interested until Shooter mentioned a club shooting competition. Lex, who held the shooting record at Camp Jefferson and was a sharpshooter-level shooter at the Jesse James farm, couldn't help herself. With Mister Man spotting for her, Lex was able to shoot five rounds in a 3/4" spread at 30 yards. Shooter was impressed and gave her a cash reward.
They turned north and made their way to Lake J-21. It was an ugly swamp. And traveling through it, they were set upon by a pack of glowing mirelurks. The great crab-like creatures were heavily armoured and hearty to damage. The party had a difficult time putting the monsters down, but suffered little damage in turn. Eventually, the mirelurks were dead and they set to butcher them. The meat was hard-earned, but delicious.
Having solved the terrorism case in Harrisonville, the group were eager to return to Higginsville where steward Tracy had offered them a reward. They found the town in much better spirits, their food contract with the Brotherhood of Steel restored. Steward Tracy did indeed give them a cash reward for restoring the local contract, and a second reward for rescuing Ophelia Howe. Tracy asserted that the party were heroes of the town and many at the local saloon would like to buy them a drink. But the group was uninterested, heading to Debbie's Scrap Dominion instead.
They found Debbie reunited with both Ophelia Howe and Kurt, now safe from the Loose Juice Cult. Debbie explained that she was grateful, but didn't have much money. She offered junk at half-price and a single bottle of Nuka-Cola Quantum. The topic of Synths came up again. And Ophelia Howe again said that Mouse could not be Synth because of the age of his memories. He could only be a Synth if someone had constructed him after the Institute was destroyed, or if someone had reset his memory. The only people who could affect a Synth's memories were The Railroad in The Commonwealth, but they were the champions of Synth rights and Synth freedom. Zero asked if Synths were immune to radiation, and Ophelia revealed that she was made of biological material, and was just as susceptible to radiation as natural born humans. The scrapyard crew thanked the group again and they parted.
The party went south to the old Cow Spots Creamery. It was a dead place, but had some decent salvage, including a pulse mine. The sun was still in the sky and they had hours of travel left in them. They planned to keep zig-zagging eastward, back to Emancipation. By now, the village's martial law vote will have taken place. When they returned, the community could be under the direct control of the Midwest Brotherhood of Steel...
Next Session: SESSION 14: THE ROAD HOME
Rewards Granted
Missions/Quests Completed
Character(s) interacted with
Report Date
08 Aug 2021
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