04 The Beast Master
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Plot Hook
Objective: 6 Save an ally in peril
Adversaries: 4 Local inhabitants
Rewards: 3 Knowledge and secrets
Plot Hook
Objective: 6 Save an ally in peril
Adversaries: 6 A new or recurring villain
Rewards: 1 Money or valuables
A familiar bounty shows up on the boards today. There was apparently a beast master selling irradiated beasts out of Briarfall in secret. After the Badger-Park incident, they were run out of town but since then a child has gone missing and an abandoned shelter found in the outskirts of town. The job is simple. Make the shelter safe, free any caged animals, disperse any loose ones, and if they are there, discover the fate of the child. With a 2 day transfer ahead from Drift Giant to Briarfall, Koko radios ahead for a webcaster to be fabricated at her expense. When they pick it up and test it out they are extremely impressed, Webcasters gunk themselves up after nearly every shot, but this one was printed with extra care and additional self cleaning mechanisms that un gunk itself in 10s of seconds. Koko is surprised the craftsperson didn't keep the item to sell and craft another regular one for her.
PoI Result - Threat Level 2 (common)
Dungeon Entrance
Dungeon Theme:
How it looks: 4H Old (social)
How it is used: 4C Communicate (physical)
Location: 2 Transitional area
Encounter: 6 Unique NPC or adversary
Objects: 3 An interesting item or clue
Exits: 2 additional exits
A looter is picking through the trash of the old communication building on top of the shelter. Sometimes valuable jobs will be poached for the loot they might have without formally taking the job or needing to worry about the parameters of the request. It's highly frowned upon and against the Cartel code, but there is a small chance they just stumbled across the place. They will certainly lie that they did either way.
Diplomacy 9 - The Hylotl Scavenger sees Koko and doesn't seem interested in bothering with lies and attacks
Combat - the Hylotl Scavenger avoids getting stuck in the Web and rushes at Koko. Not trained for real combat, their style is formal and predictable, a Hylotl sport fencer maybe. Koko intentionally leaves openings where her armor is strong on her torso and absorbs two painful but glancing cuts deflected by her rolling body as she uppercuts their gut with the shadow blade. Fully impaled, the scavenger falls lifeless.
There is the radio building topside and the shelter underneath, possibly entirely separate. Koko Enters the radio building first, at least she has an understanding of its size.
Dungeon Crawler
Location: 1 Typical area
Encounter: 2 None
Objects: 5 Something valuable
Exits: 1 Dead end
The radio room is tiny and slightly cleaner spots on the walls belay where radio equipment used to be. The scavenger seems to have been in here and has a pile of junk they found. Mostly broken kit for an emergency defense but the armor is a flexible metal weave like her own armor but since it's metal much much heavier. Too heavy for now, but worth a pretty pixel.
Dungeon Crawler
Location: 2 Transitional area
Encounter: 4 Hostile enemies
Objects: 6 Rare or special item
Exits: 5 2 additional exits
The bunker below opens to a single hallway that splits at a T-junction later on. 3 Resting deer glow softly in the darkness and are now cornered by Koko Unintentionally
Koko withdraws quickly and slips back into the radio building above, hoping the deer will disperse on their own.
Stealth 13 - The deer probably still smell she is around but don't care and sprint off into the briar
The deer were nesting around what looks to be a heavy metal sheet but in closer inspection it is a tall shield made from whatever atmospheric hulls are made from. it's incredibly light for its size and extremely durable and flexible. Koko is curious why there is all this military grade equipment left here. Is it possible the beast master was running an arena and not just a market?
Dungeon Crawler
Location: 1 Typical area
Encounter: 2 None
Objects: 1 Nothing, or mundane objects
Exits: 5 2 additional exits
The left T-Junction T's again. Building underground like this isn't easy with the proper equipment, Something dangerous was down here at one point. Hopefully no longer.
Dungeon Crawler
Location: 2 Transitional area
Encounter: 3 Hostile enemies
Objects: 6 Rare or special item
Exits: 1 Dead end
Following the odd spiral Koko finds what looks to be a teleporter beacon. Useless on is own, this separated room was isolated from the others to provide a clear signal.
Now it's little more than a kennel. Two massive irradiated hounds chained to the walls and looking like they haven't eaten in a week go wild at the scent of blood on Koko, she looks like meat, even though she isn't.
Combat - Koko steps back as the hounds lunge out. If they are attacking people on site there is no saving them, and those chains are about to snap. She downs one before it's free and the other while it's airborne mid lunge. Koko chuckles softly to herself as they think about all the other meat based races and how they would probably have reservations and themselves killed while hesitating.
Koko leaves them where they fell. The meat is low quality and this wasn't a hunt worth taking a trophy from. She spots a torn up suit of armor like heavy metal weave she found above. this one is damaged heavily maybe it's not military tech, maybe it's beast training gear, enough to survive basically anything without a scratch to teach attack command and violence.
Dungeon Crawler
Location: 3 Living area or meeting place
Encounter: 5 An obstacle blocks the way
Objects: 1 Nothing, or mundane objects
Exits: 1 Dead end
The other sub junction leads to a collapsed living area with pots pans and part of a couch exposed under a ton of debris from a collapse.
Acrobatics 14 - Koko slips in and out carefully, not disturbing the unstable rubble further.
Dungeon Crawler
Location: 2 Transitional area
Encounter: 3 Hostile enemies
Objects: 2 Nothing, or mundane objects
Exits: 3 1 additional exit
Animal Handling 22 - Koko checks the last junction. It leads into a nursery with 3 irradiated Badger cubs who are playfully chewing on a mostly empty bag of kibble. They haven't starved yet so Koko shoos them out into the surface before continuing on past the nursery.
Dungeon Crawler
Location: 3 Living area or meeting place
Encounter: 1 None
Objects: 2 Nothing, or mundane objects
Exits: 4 1 additional exit
Beyond the nursery is a makeshift home, abandoned. The beast master probably wanted to stay close to the cubs.
Dungeon Crawler
Location: 4 Working or utility area
Encounter: 5 An obstacle blocks the way
Objects: 2 Nothing, or mundane objects
Exits: 1 Dead end
Athletics 11 - a back door closet door is jammed shut but once forced open reveals dust and mold over cleaning products. Probably here since this was a radio outpost.
Primary objective completed, Koko doubles back to investigate for any clues to the child's presence here now the space is cleared of hostiles.
Investigation 13 -
Yes/No (Even)
Was the child ever here?
5,1 Yes but...
Yes/No (Even)
They aren't anymore?
1,2 No
Yes/No (Even)
They are dead already?
2,4 No
Yes/No (Even)
They have fled?
4,1 Yes but...
Yes/No (Even)
Earlier when Koko was in the radio room?
1,1 No but...
Yes/No (Even)
They were behind the structure?
5,4 Yes
There are signs of the child, it looks like they were hiding behind the radio building and fled at the sounds of combat. It's not safe in the briar for a ch... well for anyone really. Koko pursues the trail through the briar.
Survival 6 - Koko tracks the child into the briar but loses the tracks quickly in the unforgiving mess of thorns. The child is likely small enough to run through unhindered and she is larger, wearing a pretty heavy kit to get tangled on every sharp thing here.
Knowing time is critical Koko returns to her ship and radios to the settlement about the child so they can pick up the search themselves.
Territory 6 - The search goes on for a week. Koko assist as best they can with her ship but it's a community effort at this point. The child is never found.
After the search is called off the bounty is paid as agreed, in knowledge. Koko spends a week with the local doctor shadowing their practice during the day and specialized field training at night. The town is a depressing place during the 2 weeks of searching and training, but Koko doesn't mind. She just stays professional and detached to avoid the misery.