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Rifts (SWADE) - Terror on the Dark Frontier, sessions 3


Cast

  • Anthony "Loco" Riaz (SAMAS pilot) - Ruins gang survivor, captured and raised by the Coalition, now late 20s, Fugitive SAMAS pilot from CS El Dorado, wanted for stealing a SAMAS suit with some vibrosword upgrades, getting in trouble with, whom it turns out, was the Colonel's wife.  Fleeing north towards Castle Refuge, he ran short on supplies while evading Coalition supplies, and got dehydrated, before being rescued by....
  • Layla Lacoi (DB Mystic) - A tall dimensional mystic being with a bit of a catfish face.  She healed him and fed Tony.  She has a bond to....
  • Midnight (Psi-stalker variant) - A dark and mysterious stranger, riding a strange horse.  He seems to have influence over lightning, and is a man who lives off the land.  Midnight has a bond with....
  • Faith Macavoy (I'm not really sure) - A non-descript vagabond woman, who seems to be quite capable and full of supplies.  She has a bond with....
  • Shan Medsans (Cyber-doc, I think) - A hardcore cyberdoc apparently from a long line of traveling healers, renowned enough to know Erin Tarn personally.  Her clinic is in an upgraded Mountaineer ATV, traveling around to help those in need.  She has helped Tony, both healing him and repairing his SAMAS.  He has, in return taken to staying with her, and guarding her.  Her nephew is its dedicated driver, although Shan can also drive.

Events

During our last camp, all of us except for Shan, and possibly Erin Tarn and Sir Thorpe, had dreams related to insects.  Tony took it as just another nightmare (he's had a ton of them), but since they were all awake, they had a little discussion.

The squad discussed what might be influencing them, and Shan considered some options which might help, although there was also discussion of side-effects, including impacting magical or psionic abilities.

The squad reached the edge of the CS Frontier, at a humanoid D-bee town called Cherryvale.  Some of the most obviously inhuman D-bees in question were being taken in for questioning by a Coalition contingent consisting of dead boys, psi-stalkers, and dog boys.  It turns out our squad weren't the only people who had had bad dreams.

Tony, wearing some excellent armor he had salvaged last session, took some time to try to assess the situation, while Faith & Midnight moved through the onlookers, taking up position.  Layla stayed back a bit, while Shan, hearing they were trying to find out about the Rifts and the "insect" feelings, rushed in, and geek-bonded with the the lieutenant--Lt. Bates by his uniform's name tape--investigating this.  Tony and Layla mostly let her take the lead while she had his attention, and jumped in when his attention was wandering.  

At one point, Tony asked Lt. Bates if he had just asked the D-bees if they knew what was going on, to which Lt. Bates responded that they would have to be "tested" to know, as though these D-bees with cars and firearms couldn't possibly just explain what they knew.  Usual coalition desapientifying D-bees.

Once Tony realized that the psi-stalkers and dog boys had reacted to Midnight and Faith's positioning, he called it out to Lt. Bates 

 The session ended with the Coalition squad pulling out without "incarcerating" any of the D-bees.

This summary is brief, but the role play was focused. 

If you played, share what stood out for you in the comments.  If you didn't share where you'd like to see things go.


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