Friday, June 5, 2015

Wordslingin'

Further into the slave trade! This week, Lukas and his unlikely compatriots meet their supplier, partake of luxuries of all types, and realize they may be getting less than they bargained for…


[There are always ways to get absent players out of the session.]
Lukas: “We should send someone with the tracker to lead the MILICIA on a wild goose chase.”
Mazir: “I nominate Karima.”
Victor: “I too nominate Karima.”

[We leave Bangweuleu on one of the rivers headed south.]
Georges the GM: “They have mangroves with whatever passes for crocodiles here.”
Julie: “Crocodiles with a W.”

[Coming with us is Mazir, Zac’s character.]
Georges the GM: “You’re now part of the team. Congratulations.”
Julie: “Don’t expect a pension plan.”

[We meet up with Azim’s pleasure yacht.]
Georges the GM: “The boat doesn’t have a whole lot of other nefarious people on board, besides you guys.”

[We travel with Azim towards our ultimate destination.]
Georges the GM: “You guys get to enjoy the relative – the absolute – comforts of Azim’s slave barge.”

[Mazir and Roger discuss the potential mole in the Comptroller’s organization. They also discuss the expedited nature of this particular job and how things seem to be coming to a head.]
Mazir: “It always concerns me when people start speaking of finality. Does that mean we will all be rich men and can retire?”
Roger: “I believe we’ll have an across-the-board promotion.”

[We arrive at a 2-km-wide island. On the near side is a giant palace. We are greeted by a eunuch servant.]
Servant: “Is there any baggage to be tended?”
Julie: “I assume I have a bag of equipment.”
Brock: “And I assume the rest of us have bags of guns.”
Julie: “Have I been allowed access to guns yet?”
Brock: “No.”
Julie: “…Just checkin’.”

[We meet with Al-Humein, the owner of the palace and its associated slave trade, in his drawing room. He offers us refreshments.]
Al-Humein: “The tea is perfumed with a local flower. In large quantities, it is poisonous.”
Julie: “Ooh! Do I know what it is?”

[Al-Humein has suggested he might need to use some of Dr. Leclerc’s expertise before we get down to business. This is not necessarily a good thing.]
Lukas: “How would he know anything about the doctor’s skill set?”
Roger: “I was wondering the same thing.”
Mazir: “Presumably he has his own doctors.”
Lukas: “Or veterinarians.”

[More of the same.]
Roger: “Do we think Al-Humein’s comment about the doctor was innocent?”
Lukas: “I think there’s no chance of that.”

[We are taken on a tour of Al-Humein’s palace.]
Azim: “They call the palace Xanadu.”
Lukas: “Who calls it that? Isn’t this a secret place?”
Azim: “Yes, and one reason it is secret is because many who come choose never to leave.”

[We are offered the chance to enjoy any of the many pleasures of Al-Humein’s palace we desire.]
Azim: “If you are interested, he can supply more… nubile offerings.”
Zac: “By which he means significantly pre-nubile.”

[We prepare to enjoy the pleasures of the pleasure palace.]
Roger: “Well, gentlemen… Good luck.”

[Roger is tasked with taking first shift on watching the doctor. Which initially involves watching the doctor enjoy a threesome.]
Julie: “The doctor is totally lying to himself. To him, the pain of others is about research and professional curiosity, not about pleasure.”
Zac: “That’s what he tells himself?”
Julie: “Absolutely.”

[Lukas explores the basement areas, which contain a gladiatorial pit and… other things.]
Georges the GM: “You have rooms where the key architectural elements are the significant drains.”

[Lukas decides he does not want to partake of most of the offerings, and just wants to rest.]
Servant: “Is there anything else I can get for you?”
Lukas: “Yes. A masseuse.”
Zac: “Is that because you’ve been carrying around a duffel bag of guns?”
Brock: “Yes.”

[Let it never be said that Al-Humein doesn’t provide.]
Georges the GM: “Within ten minutes, three women show up at your door.”
Brock: “I choose the one that least reminds me of anyone I know.”

[Lukas has his massage.]
Georges the GM: ”She does a truly excellent massage, and offers you a happy ending.”
Brock: “I decline.”
Georges the GM: “And now we discover a main feature of Lukas’ personality: his sexual frustration.”

[Lukas’ massage finishes up.]
Georges the GM: “You’re relaxed and almost euphoric. It terrifies you, because this would be an ideal moment for you to be attacked.”

[The doctor, meanwhile, has indeed been witness to the rooms with significant draining. And Roger has continued to watch him, through his whole shift.]
Roger: “Time to go, doc.”
Victor: “Oh, are you still here? I didn’t know you were interested.”
Roger: *glares*

[Roger reports on his shift.]
Roger: “Went to the basement. Stayed in the basement.”
Mazir: “Got the t-shirt?”
Roger: “The rubber t-shirt covered in blood.”

[Georges the GM attempts to defend Victor.]
Georges the GM: “He’s not exactly Dr. Lecter.”
Brock: “We don’t know that. In fact, everything we’ve seen indicates the opposite of that.”

[We finally learn one of Victor’s limits.]
Georges the GM: “In the basement, you’re offered ‘finger food.’ Julie: “The doctor has no interest in cannibalism. That’s just gross and disgusting.”

[On Lukas’ shift, he brings the doctor to the library.]
Zac: “Do you find yourself perusing the junk spy fiction aisle, thinking longingly about your old team?”
Brock: “I do not.”

[On Mazir’s shift, Victor decides to turn in for the night. With company.]
Victor: “If it makes you more comfortable, you can lock me in.”
Zac: “I lock you in.”
Brock: “With the prostitute? Because that’s the exact thing we’re worried about.”

[The night passes.]
Georges the GM: “Unless you feel your NPCs indulge in something you need to voice and that I will judge you for…”

[The next day, we are taken to examine the goods.]
Zac: “This is an opulent slave camp, right?”
Georges the GM: “No.”

[More of the same.]
Georges the GM: “You guys are led around. It’s pretty horrible.”

[It turns out that the slave population has been riddled with disease, stemming from some mass graves behind the camp. It seems there had been some discipline issues that were ‘dealt with.’]
Georges the GM: “You’re looking at the killing fields. This takes the cake. This is probably the most horrible thing you’ve ever seen.”

[Victor recommends relocating the mass graves somewhere further away.]
Victor; “Have whoever transports the bodies be thoroughly cleaned before rejoining the rest of the stock.”
Al-Humein: “There are more expedient ways.”

[Al-Humein asks for another piece of assistance from Dr. Leclerc.]
Lukas: “The doctor’s presence here is somewhere below staff and above property.”
Azim: “I understand. So it would be better if I asked you…”
Lukas: “The doctor requires… supervision.”

[The second task before Dr. Leclerc is delivering a slave’s baby, which he does handily.]
Lukas: “Two good deeds in one day, doctor.”
Victor: “I’m nothing if not magnanimous.”
Lukas: (deadpan) “Nothing if not that.”

[It turns out that due to the discipline problem, disease, and a shipment that left yesterday, Al-Humein has barely any slaves that fit the requirements we need.]
Victor: “When is he restocking? Mazir: “That depends on how long it takes for that baby to grow up.”

[Lukas negotiates for other slaves, higher up on the desirability chain, to fill out our order. He suggests some of the less-trained prostitutes and gladiators.]
Victor: “Younger may actually be more advantageous for us.”
Lukas: (deadpan) “Thank you, doctor. I see you’re a skilled negotiator.”

[We are upset both that a shipment of premium stock departed yesterday, and also that Azim seems to know something about it but isn’t telling.]
Lukas: “Who bought the select stock?”
Azim: “How would I know this?”
Lukas: “Because you’re good friends with our host. Apparently better friends than with us.”

[More of the same.]
Lukas: (to Azim) “Our neck is in the noose on this. That means yours is too.”
Mazir: “I think Azim has two necks.”

[Azim makes a break for the door. Lukas catches him before he gets there.]
Lukas: “Who bought the first shipment?”
Azim: “It is in all our best interest for this to be of no interest to us.”

[Lukas and Mazir try to get Azim to talk.]
Georges the GM: “You’re intimidating, but he doesn’t seem intimidated.”

[Lukas continues to try to get Azim to talk.]
Lukas: “Azim, let’s take a different tack.”
Mazir: “Give him to the doctor?”

[Azim ultimately reveals that, when push comes to shove, he guarantees he will get the team out of harm’s way.]
Lukas: “Let’s say this gives me peace of mind. In what timeline do you think I would have need of this?”
Azim: “Much sooner than you think, my friend. The future is only a day away.”

[Lukas lest Azim leave back to his yacht.]
Mazir: “Ken, go watch Azim’s boat. We’re worried about his… motivations.”
Brock: “We should give him a rocket launcher.”
Zac: “I’m sure we don’t need to tell Ken that.”

[Roger returns from having watched Victor pick out the suitable stock from the slaves.]
Roger: “There’s not enough gin in the world to wash away the last 36 hours.”
Lukas: “That’s not true.”

[Lukas puts a call in to Lucian Jacobi to explain the situation.]
Lukas: “There’s an additional… two additional complications.”

[Jacobi needs to look into things before he can give us a definitive answer.]
Lucian Jacobi: “When’s the latest I can get back to you?”
Lukas: “If we go by the book, I’d say 36… minutes.”

[Now there’s not much to do but wait.]
Mazir: “I’m sure if anything goes wrong, Ken will call us.”
Lukas: “And we’ll hear an explosion.”

[More of the same.]
Roger: “So it seems this palace of pleasures has everything we could want except comms, answers, and people to press for information.”

[Roger and Lukas sum up the situation.]
Roger: “I hate this feeling.”
Lukas: “Certain death?”
Roger: “No, that I’m used to. The feeling that I’m getting screwed in the process.”




Heavy Gear Roleplaying Game

1 comments :

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