Monday, 29 July 2019

Session 234 - Storm the Seraphim, They Can't Stop All of Us!

Ambushed by angels on the approach to the crashed Seraphim, it takes all of the party's resources to survive! Now with a ton of valuable angels, and a captured live angel, they're in the money!


Carter's latest map

Boy Grumpy ran a long way!

Tom sends a picture of the dearly departed from afar


Ollie sends this badass picture of Andromeda!
We also receive more foreign correspendence courtesy of the Red Letter...

The Fated Union John Borrisson, Politics Editor They say that travel in foreign parts broadens the mind, I say it only upsets the stomach and thins the wallet. I mean, what is the point of foreignness when we already have the greatest nation on Earth back in New Moondin. However, let it not be said that I am not occasionally willing to listen to the godless outsiders when they stumble upon a good idea. I am of course talking about the legendary Fortress City of Fate, which lately this reporter passed by on something of a walking tour. Fate has everything that New Moondin needs in an immigration policy, and quite right too. A gleaming, shining, solid wall of glass which is impenetrable by any normal means. Inside however, was a sight to rival the green fields of New Moondin, but as we remember if from our childhoods before unchecked immigration ruined everything. Now far be it for me to say that I am on the side of the so called “Fated Union", in fact I say F you to the F.U. New Moondin has a proud history of independence and does not need to be ruled by brussels sprout bureaucrats. New Moondin is its own proud nation, and we need to take our country back. However, the so called “Fated Wall" is a great idea. Keep out the undesirables, check the relentless immigration, focus on our own citizens. Without this relentless tide of foreigners (some of whom, I'm sure, are good people) dragging down our social services we can finally begin making New Moondin great again for New Moondiners. The city of Fate has shown just what can be achieved with a strong immigration policy, a veritable Eden (with whom we will soon have a brilliant new trade deal outside the FU). I am talking about a future for the real New Moondiners, us born and raised here. Not the swarms of Ratmen coming in from our borders, or the colonies of Elves who only come to New Moondin to suck up welfare, and let us no forget the green issue. Now do not get me wrong, I am in no way an anti-goblinist, goblin society has produced some wonderful things, but enough is enough and there is no way we are going to live under Styxia Law! Just look at what happened with Salisburgh and the unchecked immigration from Enoch, or the swarms coming in from Prepperton just to live on benefits. Now is the time to take back New Moondin for the New Moondiners. Now is the time to reclaim our culture. Now is the time to build our own glass wall, and the fallow shall pay for it! [Submitted posthumously, John Borrisson was eaten by a bear outside the fortress city of Fate. He is survived by his six children, two ex-wives, and one current mistress]

Session 234 - Storm the Seraphim, They Can’t Stop All of Us!

Date:
15 years after the End.
March 

Characters:

Murders:
- 2 boss angels (2000 exp)
- 3 walker angels (300 exp)
- 16 base angels (800 exp)
Total: 3100 exp

Salvage:
- 1 Angel captured alive (1000 exp)
- 13 relatively intact dead angels (6500 exp)
- 7 angels-worth of valuable smashed angel parts (700 exp)
Total: 8200 exp
Events:

--- Spring Rebuild Phase: Prepperton Expands
- We have a quick aside to the Rebuild Phase which we skipped last week. It’s the first time Damnation Snels has been in direct control since coming to power, and he mysteriously funnels most of New Moondin’s resource output into Prepperton.
- New Moondin gains a satellite village to the north - the Pod Farms are a success! It counts as a free Farm tile.

--- March Expedition Day 2: Lazy Tuesday
- After last night’s horrible experience in the rain, the party sleeps through the morning of the 8th until the early afternoon.
- They wake up to find that the Witchfound Captain has cooked because he apparently doesn’t sleep. He calls the dish a “Hobgobsub” due to its Long Potato content, and eating it fortifies you against poison. Not bad!
- On a clear day the Storm Shell is practically invisible, and they can see clearly through to the crashed dropship Seraphim beyond. Sixteen Angels in brass sphere mode roll around the outside in two contra-rotating circles. The dead angels scattered across the nearby area are gone, presumably gathered and repaired.



--- Angel Baiting
- Andromeda and Snels approach the area to see what happens. Last time they were here, the angels didn’t attack Clerics on sight.
- Unfortunately this seems to have changed. The angels on patrol stop rolling around the Seraphim and the four in line of sight turn to face the pair. Snels understands their singing language, and hears them sing, “ - Enemy Troops Spotted - - 0 High Priority Targets - - 2 Total - “
- Snels tries to tell them that they have a code-phrase to deliver - the one that the Witchfound Captain has burned into his head - but when he approaches the angels designate him a high-priority target and pursue!
- The group jogs back towards the Storm Shell, pursued by angels. At a certain point the angels reach their range limit and turn back. They won’t pursue forever!
- A second attempt is made to scope out the angels’ orders. Andromeda, Snels and DJ, all Clerics, stand at different points around the Seraphim outside of the angel’s scanning range. They advance at the same time and watch as the angels get a bit confused - whoever’s closest has 4 angels stop and scan them, the other 12 stack up on the opposite side of the Seraphim.
- They keep singing out the “Enemy Troops Spotted” phrase each time they scan. Snels asks why he’s designated an enemy, and the angels reply that being a non-angel lifeform overrides the usual “don’t attack lawful” protocol. It buffer overflows a bit and tells him that the orders are now “Lawful: Attack if approached. Neutral: Attack. Chaotic: Attack and Pursue”.
- DJ tries to draw the angels away from the entrance by approaching into range and running away, but that doesn’t work because he’s Lawful.
- A plan is concocted. Grumpy is chunky enough that he can take a few hits, so they’ll have the Witchfound Captain cast a spell on him to make him register as Chaotic, then he’ll lead the angels away on a merry chase!


--- Botched Infiltration
- It works! The Witchfound Captain casts Algor Mortis on Grumpy, and when he gets in range the angels designate him a high priority target and pursue! It seems that Dwarves are indeed natural sprinters, for Grumpy swiftly outruns the angels and keeps them at a reasonable kiting distance.


- The others make their move, running under the great petal-like wing of the dropship Seraphim and towards the entrance into its innards.
- Alas, they don’t look up. Stasis beams scythe down from above as the upgraded angels on the ceiling open fire! The four of them are packed close to protect the Witchfound Captain in their midst, and Snels takes the brunt of it.

- Worse, there is a deep singing voice from inside the Seraphim itself. Bright beams lance out from the darkness from a boss-tier angel within! Snels barely avoids it, the blast sizzling past his head.
- Snels pulls out a pair of pistols and returns fire - drawing on the mad miracle of the Snelsmen religion to send the shots straight into the wing-cannons of the boss angel! The cannons are destroyed, a mighty gambit!
- DJ slaps Snels’ arse encouragingly, bringing his HP back up, and Andromeda sprints past with her lightning hammer on full charge! She smashes into the staggered boss angel, doing massive damage with a blow to the central eye and stunning it with built up shock damage!
- The Witchfound Captain runs inside, hiding from the turret angels under the wing. One of the angels suffers a malfunction to a wing cannon while firing on Snels - God is truly on his side! DJ gets blasted by the others to great effect.
- Grumpy, still kiting the angels, sees the rest of the patrolling angels rolling in towards the entrance! He tacks in to pull aggro and most of the angels pursue him.
- Inside the Seraphim, Andromeda bodies the boss angel and smacks her hammer right into its eye! Its smashed to pieces, metal bits scattering across the ground. She grins and turns to the others… and outside they hear an angel sing, “Ophanim Destroyed -- Request Upgrade”.

--- It Gets Worse!
- They peek out from inside the Seraphim and watch as a walker angel drops from the ceiling and unfolds into another boss angel! The other walkers drop with it, except for the one with a broken wing cannon that got its foot caught in the drop-cradles overhead.
- They see the beam-equipped angels fire at Grumpy, doing heavy damage. Luckily he’s a hardy boy! This is bad though - if they shoot at him with impunity he’ll go down quick.
- Andromeda runs out, past the boss angel, and calls forth a miracle for Grumpy! She sends him a chunk of her health, a great crackling line of plasma connects the two of them, and the angels that he’s managed to get into a straight line are zapped! Most of them die in a single powerful blow!
- Snels and the Witchfound Captain book it out from under the wing and make a break for the Storm Shell. They can’t stop all of us!


- DJ breathes in a big cloud of miraculous smoke from his ball-peen bong, holds it, steps outside the entrance, and breathes it aaall out in a big relaxing mist. The boss angel chills, the walker angels chill, it’s aaaall good.
- Andromeda heals herself back up while the mist makes violence impossible for a while, then walks out of the radius and heal-blasts the angels again when Grumpy lines them up. Kiting for fun and profit!
- With only two angels left, Grumpy turns to attack! The angels pop up onto their spindly legs, manifesting massive hammers. He misses the first blow, as does DJ when he runs out to support. Grumpy’s angel steps forward to attack, and he runs it through with the white-hot blade of his glaive!


- The other one attacks DJ and he dabs away, avoiding the blow. Andromeda whangs it with her hammer and DJ finally hits something with the ball-peen bong! The angel staggers, Andromeda follows up and the angel is shattered!


- At a distance, the Witchfound Captain fires on the boss angel! It gets the angel good, but breaks the chill zone and unleashes the cannons! The boss angel returns fire, blasting off his hand at the bony wrist!
- With the chill zone down, DJ chugs a potion and finds himself extremely stoked to cook a delicious meal. Not what he was after. Nearby Grumpy takes a ton of beam damage - they prioritise Chaotic targets and he’s the only one in range of the walkers!
- Damnation Snels charges the boss angel out of nowhere! He runs along the wall, kicks off… and falls on his bad hip. Dude’s getting old! Beams blast off his breather helm, alas.


- There is a distant cry of “God shall destroy the abomination!” as the Witchfound Captain fires a pistol at the angels with his good hand. The pistol explodes! The Witchfound Captain goes on fire, burning to death, cackling heartily as he is consumed! God has a sense of humour!
- Andromeda heals a grateful Grumpy and DJ chugs another potion. It tastes like raw meat, but this is a good one! He grows extremely strong, his ball-peen goes all veiny, and he runs in towards the last surviving angels! There’s the only new boss angel and a few walkers left, they can do it!


- Using his insane strength, he tears the whole wing-petal off of the Seraphim and throws it hundreds of feet through the air! The walker angel that caught its leg on the drop-cradles is chucked away with it!


- This is it - the last of the angels. The Clerics are out of Faith and Healing, the Witchfound Captain is dead, and everyone’s a bit battered and beaten… but if they kill these last ones they can take all that sweet loot away and prevent the angels fixing them!
- DJ charges at the boss angel and with his great strength compresses the whirling and sphere-fragments back into an orb! The angel’s singing voice whines horribly as it’s crammed back down.
- The last of the walkers are finished off as DJ crushes the angel and wraps it tightly with rope to stop it popping back open. They’ve got a live one!
--- Cleanup Crew
- The party sets about looting what they can get from the corpses of the shattered angels, and with DJ’s strength they roll the relatively unscathed angel corpses back to their camp. Damnation Snels loots the Witchfound Captain’s body on the way, and has a concerning wobble in his faith as he contemplates the idea that maybe Undead aren’t necessarily bad…


- The sun is on the horizon as they get back to camp. DJ can feel the urge to cook from the potion wearing off, so he speedily puts a meal together! He slaps together chicken, bread, frazzlejack, long potato and mushrooms to create the absolutely loaded OG Chicken Burger. It’s a winner - boosting healing rates and healing stat damage at peak deliciousness!


- They settle down to rest as the sun sets and clouds roll in. The Storm Shell crackles softly and there is a distant rumble of thunder - the Warning is on its way.

Total: 2100 exp

Team Bonus:
- Balls to the Wall bonus
- Best of Intentions bonus
- Better Part of Valour bonus
- Brutal Kill bonus
- Classic Charles bonus
- Dramatic Battle bonus
- Dramatic Rescue bonus
- Enmity Inciter bonus
- Heresy bonus
- Holy bonus
- I Immediately Regret This Decision bonus
- Kill It With Fire bonus
- Masterchef bonus
- Pundemonium bonus
- Rebuild bonus
- Tactical Fighting bonus
- What Could Possibly Go Wrong bonus
Total: 850 exp

Individual Bonus:
- Chronicler (Carter / Grumpy - 100 exp)
- Expedition Leader (Kitty / Andromeda - 100 exp)
- Cartographer (Carter / Grumpy - 100 exp)
- Paymaster (Charles / DJ - 100 exp)
- Quartermaster (Kitty / Andromeda - 100 exp)
- Vanguard (George / Snels - 100 exp)
- Triage (Kitty / Andromeda - 100 exp)
- Chef (Henry / - - 100 exp)
- JÜGBRINGYR bonus (Henry, Charles, Kitty - 500 exp ea.)
- Chippo Champion bonus (Carter*2 - 100 exp ea.)
- Art Attack bonus (Charles, Carter, Ollie, George - 100 exp ea.)
- Artapalooza bonus (Charles, Carter - 100 exp)
- Attacco d’Arte bonus (Ollie, George - 100 exp)
- Amputation bonus (Henry’s Next Character - 100 exp)
- Near Death Experience bonus (DJ, Damnation Snels - 100 exp ea.)
- Death’s Witness bonus (All but Henry’s Next Character - 100 exp ea.)
- Amusing Death bonus (Henry’s Next Character - 500 exp)

Death Toll:
- The Witchfound Captain, burned to death when his pistol exploded in his hand!



Exp Totals:
- Kitty / Andromeda, Level 6 Laddite Cleric: 35460 (Level up at 56000)
- Charles / Dustin Johnson, Level 6 Intergalacticist Cleric: 30610 (Level up at 56000) Level up: +1d6 HP! +1d6 Healing Pool! +1 Starting Faith! +Backstory!
- George / Praise-God-For-He-Gave-His-Only-Son-So-That-We-Might-Be-Saved-From-Damnation Snels, Level 5 Snelsman Cleric: 27206 (Level up at 28000)
- Carter / Granite "Grumpy" Ironjaw, Level 5 Grudgesmith Dwarf: 20217 (Level up at 35200) Level up: +1d10 HP! +Lorebond! +Backstory!
- Henry / Henry's Next Character: +3950 exp

Monday, 22 July 2019

Session 233 - Rise of the Brotherhood

The moment we'd all been waiting for - the political clash! Damnation Snels' totally-not-fascist religious police takeover versus Grumpy's totally-not-implausible imaginary demon conspiracy.

Unfortunately for Grumpy, and potentially the general populace, Snels' populist rhetoric won by a landslide.

In other news we're finally through the winter! The spring thaw brings the sharp tang of omnipoison back into the air, and the acid rain is back once again. What a lovely time of year. The party has set off to the edge of the Shell once more to hopefully take over the crashed Seraphim, getting slightly sidetracked to exorcise a banshee, and honestly could already use a bit of a break after they got lost in the rain.

Excitingly I can reveal that the Red is sending correspondence from her trip overland to find her family's heirloom sword! Published exclusively in the Red Letter, it seems that they've already passed by the ruined town of Salisburgh... 

Salisburgh By Starlight Chastity Bellecheecks, Style Editor Well dear reader, looks like your favourite, long suffering, fashionista is on the road again. This time accompanied by the editorial away team, led by our formidable and fearless Editrix in Chief Lady Red Wooster. Well, this would not usually be enough to tempt this reporter into the wild back of beyond, but for the last minute addition of the seductive, sultry, saltwaterbae Adonis Barrett, and suddenly the idea of having to cuddle up for warmth in the depths of the night was a lot more appealing. Suffice to say, the journey has been far from five stars in terms of comfort, not to mention the acid rains and gas clouds have been hell on the complexion. The food, however, is simply divine (or should I say, demonic?) given the extensive range of forrage and the brilliant recipes found in "You Are What You Eat" by Japhet and Hirsch (available now for 19ob.99 at all reputable bookstores), which makes any meal in the wilds a feast for the senses. Our first point of interest was the ruined city of Salisburgh, known in the beforetimes for its tumultuous history, and bountiful salt mines. However, anyone hoping for a taste of the lifestyle of the past will have to lower their expectations. Salisburgh has fallen on hard times in the past couple of decades. Anyone hoping to holiday here these days had best bring a tent, as most buildings are relatively unprotected against the post-apocalyptic elements. Not that this reporter was daunted, and some searching can find you the occasional fitted bedroom left pristine and protected over years, although rather less pristine after Adonis was kind enough to show me around it (see my following article 69 sizzling sex tips for wilderness whoopie). It also seems that Salisburgh has been the site of some reverse gentrification, if the form of repeated raids by the strange people of Enoch. Known for their miraculous machines and distinctive fashion, it is my sartorial opinion that these dappper duds will soon be the height of style in Moondin when contact with Enoch is more established. So get your high boots ready, slap on a ten gallon hat, and throw on a dust coat, just remember you heard in here first when you step out in style next season. For those hoping to stay ahead of the curve, the ruins of Salisburgh are the ideal place to find the occasional piece of Enoch fashion left by raiders, maybe even a few of their fashionable firearms as well.


Session 233 - Rise of the Brotherhood


Date:
15 years after the End.
January-March 


Characters:



Murders:
- A Banshee formed from many swirling ghosts (250 exp)

Events:

--- January Expedition Day 4: Let’s Go Home
- In Kink, the party finishes loading up the wagon with the last of the good clean grain and prepares to head back to New Moondin. There’s no room to sit inside, so the others will have to schlep it back to the Storm Shell on foot.
- In these short winter days they only make it as far as the edge of the Mourning Wood before they have to stop for the night due to inclement weather. 


--- January Expedition Day 5: Full Speed Ahead!
- Thankfully the snow is lighter in the morning, which the Witchfound Captain takes as proof that they’ve GOTTA GO FAST! Despite his reckless driving, they reach New Moondin safely by the end of the day. Easy!


--- January Recovery: Political Rumblings
- There’s a strange tension in town. Posters decrying Grumpy and supporting Damnation Snels are posted up everywhere. It seems that Snels is drumming up propaganda support for the Denialist Brotherhood - his fringe religious protection racket turned de facto police force.




- Grumpy is apparently the only person in the party willing to oppose this clear fascist threat to New Moondin’s utopianistic way of life. It’s political minigame time! He buys an extremely fancy and well-tailored suit and prepares to fight for the soul of the town in a ferocious public debate.
- Grumpy goes to visit the Goblin Bank and meets up with his usual banking contact - Rocks the Hobgoblin. Rocks informs him that the Goblins are generally in support of anyone who can improve the security of the town, and Rocks himself will come to see the debate.
- Andromeda heads to the Hyperchurch temple - Blood, Sweat & Prayers - to scope out the Laddites’ political leanings. She meets with Strongboi, a buff twelve year old priest, and he tells her that their main concern is with the town’s safety after the recent attack.
- She reminds him that Snels was once a Laddite like them before abandoning his faith for the Snelsman creed, and the kid is incensed! Such betrayal! He goes off to tell the others while Andromeda knocks back a protein shake and lifts weights.
- DJ goes to the Saviourbone Miners’ representative in the Crafting District - Arnold Nonimous. He persuades him that getting on Snels’ good side will only be good for business, since taxation is coming. Arnold tells him that their main concern is a stable economy to sell Saviourbone in, and promises to be at the debate.
- The Witchfound Captain goes to the Enlightened Church, seeing as they’re the only people who follow the Nine any more. The Captain’s East Unorthodox beliefs don’t clash quite so badly, perhaps. Unfortunately the Church is holy ground and makes him feel quite uncomfortable in his living-impaired body.
- The priest inside - Ekezial - is talking to a god projected from an angel’s eye. The god is tall and built, with branching deer horns growing from his head, but signs off when he sees the Captain walk in. The priest isn’t particularly taken with the Captain’s fervent Snelsman-esque rhetoric, and tells him to leave in no uncertain terms. The Captain leaves, spitting venomous words, without discovering what the Enlightened are concerned about.
- Damnation Snels, for his part, has been deep in meditation predicting the questions that will be asked in the debate…

--- The Debate of the Century!
- It’s time! Political Minigame is go! In the amphitheatre in the middle of town, a stage has been set up by the allegedly neutral journalists at the Red Letter. In a nice suit at the first podium - Granite “Grumpy” Ironjaw stands ready.
- There is a great rumbling. The gates burst open, and an armoured car comes juddering slowly in, flanked by the rifle-armed Denialist Brotherhood! The armour-plated behemoth drives right up to the stage before the turret pops open to reveal Damnation Snels himself!
- A lower hatch pops open and an exhausted goblin gulps for fresh air before being shoved back in by one of the Brotherhood.



- The debate begins! Grumpy is immediately put on the back foot by the debate format - both are asked separate questions, and since Grumpy is largely required to answer first he has less chance to rebut his opponent. Are the Red Letter truly neutral in this? Nevertheless he sticks to the rules of the debate even as his opponent disregards them.
- Damnation Snels appeals chiefly to the town’s desire for stability, deftly pivoting to talking points on every question and countering Grumpy’s accusations with plausible explanations - it’s easy to counter accusations of protection racketeering when everyone witnessed your men protecting the town from an attack.
- Grumpy’s answers amount to rambling conspiracy theories about how not all demons are bad and only he knows how to tell if they’re good, spurious allegations the demons that everyone saw attack the town weren’t real, unverifiable tales of the nefarious deeds of the Denialist Brotherhood, and slanderous accusations of words allegedly stated by Snels in private transportation where only Grumpy could hear him.
- There are occasional calls of “booo stone penis!” during Grumpy’s speeches and “he’s right you know!” during Snels’. They come from different parts of the crowd, but suspiciously they all seem to come from wherever DJ is selling his special edition Snels-branded “chicken” buckets...


- Most damningly Grumpy offers no viable alternative to a police force beyond “just protect yourselves, you’ve done it before” and insults the brave Prepper souls who were wiped out in the End War.
- The party all but unanimously support Damnation Snels - the Witchfound Corporal incredibly partisan and DJ easily bribed to support Snels via promises of no taxation on chicken. Only Andromeda occasionally takes Grumpy’s side. It’s a rout.
- The dust settles with all but the Necromancers and the Spiderpriests in support of Grumpy. Even the demons, so hated by Snels, end up supporting him. Grumpy laments that they know they’ll get more sin under a tyrannical government.
- The final nail in the coffin occurs when Snels raises his arms and the crowd get fired up with righteous anger! They boo the Dwarf who would give up physical safety for some ephemeral concept of liberty. The Denialist Brotherhood are here to stay.

--- February: Political Aftermath
- The progressive taxation policy is brought into effect over the course of the next few weeks. Snelsians are completely exempt, with light taxation for most and more punitive taxes on the demons. Grumpy is exempted from taxation too, as if to say “no hard feelings”.
- Andromeda drowns her sorrows after Pearl leaves for pastures new - Kink first to look for Samuel, then probably Enoch. She’d explained that she couldn’t stay in New Moondin any longer. Her Envy-generating powers don’t work when people know the illusion trick and she was being pressured by the native demons to leave, plus there’s some sort of unplaceable violin-thrumming over the town.
- DJ joins Andromeda in carousing over February. It’s become very evident that travelling in winter sucks, and skipping the last of the season in the pub sounds like a grand old time!



- Also during February, most of the gang visit the Spider Temple to investigate this Sir Robyn aka Arachnachus business. The entrance is webbed up and guarded by pretty hench spider-priests who aren’t letting any humans (or rather, any non-spiders) into the temple.
- After some discussion about how Sir Robyn possessed the head priest, they call for Arachnachus himself! The enormous mustachioed arachnid head pokes out of the webbing, and essentially gets the party to go away by implying that this is a Red-related questline.
- The Witchfound Captain spends the month proselytising on street corners, trying to resurrect the East Unorthodox faith with its ninefold alignment grid. He manages to persuade a chinless young man, Hieronymous Gosh, to join him on his quest.
- Businesses mature. Grumpy’s umbrella corporation continues to make money despite the negative press from his failed counter-coup, Ferfect Chicken trundles on, and Snels’ cut of the Denialist Brotherhood’s earnings naturally goes from strength to strength!

--- March Pre-Expedition: Take Me to Church
- Spring arrives to a Chokestorm - a thick poisonous smog that makes it horrible to travel. The effects are alleviated a little within the shell, but the thick fog makes it easy to get lost.
- The idea of heading back to the crashed Seraphim and clearing it out somehow is floated. The angels within are valuable all on their own, and the structure itself could easily be repurposed as a town just outside the Shell.
- They decide to wait until Sunday so they can check out the Enlightened church after Mass and, hopefully, speak to whichever God (or “God”) is in orbit overhead this week. Damnation Snels and the Witchfound Captain head in with a posse from the Denialist Brotherhood.
- They wait until the congregation file out of the Church (which is really just a medium-sized dome in the town) and go in to see Ekeziel the priest again. Also present, projected from the angel’s eye, is a woman in a flowing robe flicking a coin. It’s the Lady!
- Ekeziel is displeased by their arrival, but the Witchfound Captain’s benediction before the Lady gets him an audience with her. After some back-and-forth, she says something that burns a code-phrase into his brain. If he speaks it inside the Seraphim, it should allow her to take control of the whole machine.
- The Captain, displeased by Ekeziel’s displeasure, tries to slap him. He misses, but the priest cries foul! Why is he paying the protection money if the Brotherhood won’t defend him? They eventually leave, glowering at the priest.
- Meanwhile Grumpy is grabbing necessary supplies from the party vault - chiefly arquebuses to counter angel armour. Beam weapons don’t work on them. DJ grabs some rations for the party, including some of the now-memeworthy Long Potato.


--- March Expedition Day 1: Back to Angeltown!
- They leave on the 8th. It’s a Monday, and the weather has settled into the classic poisonous Haze. It’s not great, but it’s fine travelling weather. Since Barrett’s somewhere with the cart and Zulu is somewhere else with her antelope, they travel on foot. It’s not that far anyway.
- It’s a relatively easy march along the road to the Saviourbone Mine. They pass by a Stoneshell Crab moult, which Grumpy takes for reasons. At the Mine they head west to the High Hill and find plentiful onion-like Popjack on the crest- it’s particularly easy to gather during a Haze.
- It’s easy to spot the crashed Seraphim from up there, so they tramp northeast down the hill, through the wide valley, and up to the edge of the Shell. Same technique as before - camp inside the Shell overnight, then head to the angel in the morning.
- Worryingly they can see lots of angel activity around the Seraphim from here. It’s like someone kicked an anthill, and all of the destroyed angels that once lay about the place have been taken. Looks like they might have fixed themselves up!

--- March Expedition Night 1: The Banshee!
- The sun sets, bringing with it a light smattering of rain under heavy grey clouds. The party sees a glow from the direction of the High Hill and a faint wailing of women. Seems interesting enough to check out!
- The rain starts tipping down, the equipment-ruining acidity is stopped by the Shell, but it still stings the skin. Grumpy leads the way through the rain and the dark of the new moon, approaching the flickering lights.
- The lights all coalesce around a central point, and when they get near there is a sudden terrifying wail! The scream casts a shadow over the party’s very souls - no healing allowed until you Save at dawn.
- “It’s a banshee!” cries Siân as the light approaches. It’s the ghosts of many floating through a central point, giving the impression of a single ghostly form whose face and body constantly change between multiple grieving women.
- The banshee lunges forward with a terrifying scream and a rising cry of “GET AWAY GET AWAY GET AWAY!”. The WItchfound Captain and his chinless charge Hieronymous Gosh are terrified, but the Captain stands his ground.
- Grumpy tries to go up to touch it and it claws black ribbons of smoky soul-stuff from his chest! He reels back and grabs his ghost-killing glaive while Andromeda lights her Lightning Hammer and smacks the ghost in the face! The hammer goes right through, but the lightning shocks the banshee!
- DJ’s silver ball-peen bong whiffs again, as is tradition. Siân and the Witchfound Captain both start casting Subjugate Dead, and the Captain’s goes off first! Despite his fear he croaks out the binding spells, and the ghosts merge into one single beautiful woman.
- She speaks in a multitude of voices, and says that for the price of a man’s soul she shall depart. The Witchfound Captain doesn’t hesitate - he shoots his acolyte in the head. The banshee splits back up into multiple spirits which descend upon the body and devour the soul!
- The Captain loots his dead minion’s body and everyone else decides it’s time to leave. Everyone, that is, except for Grumpy! Ever the hero, he wants to wipe this ghost out to make the place safe for other travellers.
- Andromeda begrudgingly stays and lobs a vial of Holy Water at the feasting whirl of ghosts. It smashes in their midst and with a final shriek they swirl into the ground!
- With the ghosts gone, the party investigates the area. All they find are the collapsed remains of a small village, apparently wiped out by Omnipoison after the Apocalypse. Andromeda leads the party in consecrating the area with more holy water. The banshee does not return.

--- The Long Return to Camp
- On the way back to the campsite the rain absolutely buckets down. Grumpy loses the trail and they find themselves tramping up an unfamiliar slope. There is a horrible stench and flies keep landing on people, swarming around the holes in their breather masks. A sort of horrible grey slurry is all over everything.
- It’s definitely the wrong way, so they head back downhill into the darkness. Thankfully the rain lets up enough for Grumpy to see their camp at the edge of the Storm Shell.
- After hours wandering around in the pouring rain they get back to camp as dawn begins to break and the rain begins to let up. The travellers track mud and soaked clothing into the tent and collapse into their bedrolls. The triumphant assault on the Seraphim will have to wait for everyone to recover from an absolutely horrible night.

Total: 2750 exp

Team Bonus:
- Absolutely Disgusting bonus
- Aggressive Negotiations bonus
- Classic Charles bonus
- Fame bonus
- Henchman Abuse bonus
- I Immediately Regret This Decision bonus
- Infamy bonus
- Internecine Strife bonus
- Long Deliberation bonus
- Noblebright bonus
- Politico bonus
- Pundemonium bonus
- Ridiculously Bad Rolling bonus
- Split the Party (along political lines) bonus - SpoOoOoky bonusTotal: 750 exp

Individual Bonus:
- Chronicler (Carter / Grumpy - 100 exp)
- Expedition Leader (Kitty / Andromeda - 100 exp)
- Cartographer (Carter / Grumpy - 100 exp)
- Paymaster (Charles / DJ - 100 exp)
- Quartermaster (Henry / Witchfound Captain - 100 exp)
- Vanguard (George / Snels - 100 exp)
- Triage (Kitty / Andromeda - 100 exp)
- Chef (Henry / Witchfound Captain - 100 exp)
- JÜGBRINGYR bonus (Henry, Charles, Kitty - 500 exp ea.)
- Crisp Croncher bonus (James*2 - 100 exp ea.)
- Art Attack bonus (Charles, George, Carter - 100 exp ea.)
- Attacco d’Arte bonus (George - 100 exp)


Exp Calc: - Kitty / Andromeda, Level 6 Laddite Cleric: 31710 (Level up at 56000) - Charles / Dustin Johnson, Level 5 Intergalacticist Cleric: 26760 (Level up at 28000) - George / Praise-God-For-He-Gave-His-Only-Son-So-That-We-Might-Be-Saved-From-Damnation Snels, Level 5 Snelsman Cleric: 23856 (Level up at 28000) - Carter / Granite "Grumpy" Ironjaw, Level 4 Grudgesmith Dwarf: 16667 (Level up at 17600) - James G / Siân, Level 4 Necromancer: 11283 (Level up at 18000) - Henry / Witchfound Captain, Level 3 Necromancer: 5109 (Level up at 9000) Level Up: +1d4 HP +1 Mana! +Free Spell! +Backstory!