OOC->Chapter 2: Lone Wanderers

Well, atleast the plot is moving again. There seemed to be a small pause there for a while. I kinda got tangled in revision which reminds me i should proberly go and do some.

I posted the next part in the raiders. The attack which the group heard.
This will bring them up to the fort, well...what's left of them anyways.
I think there are 4 slavers left. Jeeva, Topaz and two of the slavers. There may be more left in the town so they could possibly help but most are dead. But that's up to you guys if you need more than 4 slavers. I figured i wouldn't kill them all just in case. But they can easily fall to hungry deathclaws. :twisted:

The introduction between the two groups is mainly up to you guys as well. How ever you want to play it. Jeeva is smart enough and want's to know what the hell is happening with the slaver boss's and why he was sent on this death stunt.

As for ally's or back stabbers. Well the new power that has taken over there ranks will have somthing to do with what happened with the raiders and the blades and so on. Some of the slavers may help and others may not. Jeeva, i rekkon once he figures out what is going on he might help.

I was pondering on an escape but i don't know which would be best. There are still alot of deathclaws out there, as are can be seen in my last post. Yet there are many wounded. This will make it hard to get them out through the sewers.

Fantasia. Well i'm stumped. It's really up to you Welsh weither she lives or dies. She does have information but she told it to Ibis. If you did wan't to kill her we already got a solution.

Well, Unicron....it's really up to you how you want you character to make an entrance. There are a number of different ways posible as Welsh noted. Guess it's just finding the most logic and suitable.
 
Ah logic, my old nemisis, second only to the soda machine downstairs that always eats my money but no one elses. I suppose it'll just be simpler to wait for the next one. I think I heard somewhere this one was coming to a close, coul be wrong though. Either way, I'll hang around and wait for the next one.
 
In the Fort

Ok folks, we are now in the fort, with wounded and many things to work out.

This is a good time to pause the violence and figure out what the next moves will be. Its also a good time to develop characters. I have a few posts to make, so please hold on the violence and lets spend some time developing character.

Caleb and Jeeva,
Gabriel and everyone
The slavers and non-slavers
Ibis and Wally
Ibis and Rogue
Skik and the slavers.

Lots to discuss. While I was willing to say 4 slavers from Rogue's post, I think we are destined with 9. More bodies for the next battle, but now they outnumber the "good guys."
 
Next?

Ok, I am beating this drum again, but here goes.

A few things need to be done before we can leave the fort. Primarily there should be a conversation between Caleb and Jeeva. Jeeva has some information regarding the situation with the Blades as well as the bad guy that will link us into Chapter 3.

Finally there has to be a plan on how to get out, and this is complicated. There are wounded, and although its possible that they could be moved through the sewars, it seems more possible to move them overland, through deathclaw city.

But that leads to another problem, the police might have cut everyone off, slavers and non-slavers alike, especially if, as the slavers suggest, the police chief has been paid off.

In any regards it is unlikely that the slavers will want to go back to Tabis. But there might be other ways out. Then again, how much can you trust in a slaver.

It is also unlikely that the ghouls, with the exception of Skik, will risk much more for the band of heroes. They have lost quite a few people. Even if Wally joins the group, it would be for independent reasons.

There there is the matter of deathclaw, as well as the "other presence" in the sewars.

Then there is the question as to who is expendable. I like some of these secondary characters and I think that we could enjoy using them to develop our stories.

On the positive side the group is well armed and should be able to hold the fort if any deathclaw attack. They also have some heavier weapons than before.

So what's next? Do we send in a mission back to town to figure out what the chief is up to or just take him out (a job for Gabriel)? Do we go over land or underground? Do we try the "gas the deathclaw idea?
 
Gunslinger's thoughts

Ok this was a message from Gunslinger that he suggested I posted on the OCC-


Some plot questions/clarification:

Yes, I agree that the plot with the slavers and the Blades should be clarified. In my next post, I'll have some crucial conversation between Caleb and Jeeva. The slaver letter in Neil's pocket would be helpful. Right now, I'm thinking that the slavers are a mere tool, just like the raiders. I've got a scene in my head where some slavers are taking the remaining Blades to Gray Cliffs where some agents of the obscure "organization" will make an example of them. I'm thinking that the "organization" will try to cow the town of Gray Cliffs into fealty, rather than annexing them like in Tabis. One reason could be Gray Cliffs has valuable resource (I already mentioned the oil) or because there are enforced Border Patrols along the way.

The dark man you wrote about seems to be in the same setup as the "organization". I don't think Mandrake is in it; I see him more as a freelancer who just happens to work for them. The assassin can come and go since he's got no set loyalty and he's got personal business to take care of, mainly killing Caleb. The Four Horsemen, who can they be? Maybe four raider chieftains forming an unholy pact? Four ancient nuclear warheads that can destroy the world again (since we still don't know the motives of the "organization, i.e. world domination or destruction)?

We spoke earlier of the possibilites of helicopter gunships. I think that might be an opportunity since it will explain how a Blade encampment got easily destroyed and it'll give motives for the "organization" (hope your not getting tired of me putting quotes around organization) since they might need petrol for their helicopters in Gray Cliffs.

As for our current NPCs, I think Jeeva and a few of his slavers can be brought along if they are kept on a short leash. The group might need them as leverage when they get into Gray Cliffs. Ibis, the old man, would be definitely useful for his prophecy and keen sixth sense, if you can call it that. Intuition more likely. Maybe ESP? I'd like Wally to come along and I'm willing to take control of him; a ghoul doctor should be useful. Fantasia is all up to you. It's your call, buddy, but how useful can a whore be in this group? Maybe she can stick around in Tabis to moniter the town. I dunno if she truly deserves killing off and she's got Cerebus to defend her. Horus and Yacob might have to stay in Tabis since they've got businesses and connections there. Same with the Border Patrol guards, but Ferris might be helpful if his wound gets healed up.

So altogether, including the main characters and NPCs, we've got a group of almost eighteen people: Caleb, Grim, Rogue, Gabriel, Skik, Wally, Ibis, Jeeva, Ferris (maybe), and the 9 slavers. Of course, we could just bring along Jeeva since he's the senior slaver and ditch the other nine.

One last thing. The Border Patrol seems to be mysteriously absent or docile in dealing with raiders. I mean, an entire of army wanderinga round the wastes isn't something you happen to overlook. I'm thinking there's either corruption or inner dealings within the BP. In Chapter Three, I'm toying with the idea of a Border Patrol NPC employed by Frank Wachowski, police chief in Tabis, to follow up upon the groups progress since Neil and Paul's death is circumspect under the circumstances.

Oh, and you might want to post this in the OOC thread to see what the rest of the group thinks on plot developments.

The Gunslinger,

What do you think?

Welsh
 
OK, there's alot of plot paths that can be taken at this point in time.
I agree with it being more possible to move over land than return to the sewers again. Moving injured, especially Grim who is still out would be one hell of a task if we wen't through those murky tunnels again.
However, if the police are cutting the road off then we would have to work on another way out. Any ideas? There could possibly be another way back that is known to the ghouls or somthing?

Characters in the group:

Also if we moved out over the land it could be away to get rid of all those slavers. We seem to have 9 slavers. I think that may be a little two many, especially since Jeeva, Topaz and the two that Welsh had talking (Sorry, i forgot their names) seem to be the only ones with names and a small history. The rest could possibly die in the escape??

As for weather they are loyal and can be trusted. I figure Jeeva is a man of principales. Maybe a little different for a slaver but it could happen. I think he won't try anything as his life was saved by Caleb. He also seeks to find out what has happened to the slavers guide and the new power so it would be in his interest to cooperate. As for the other slavers, they will listen to his authority.
But this is open for debate. The slavers seem to be played allround so this is just my view. Any suggestions?

As for the presence that you mentioned. I wouldn't worry too much about that at this point. He won't be enterng into the story till there is a good opertunity or if no situation arises then once they come to Grey Cliff's i'll think of somthing.
The Situation in the sewers was a mearly a way to advance Rogue's plot a little.
I think Yacob and his brother Horus should stay in Tabis. They have helped the group but wouldn't follow them out of the town.

If they stay, maybe they could be involved with Fantasia as she is hiding in their house or possibly be the ones who administer the gas on the deathclaws. Again, i'm just slapping this of the top of my head as idea's so what do you guy's think? Keep her or lose her?
Using the BP would be good way to widen the plot. Especially if it's corrupt.

Well that's what i see on things. I havn't answered some things, well mainly because i havn't got an answer to them but i will keep thinking. Oh...sorry for any spelling mistakes.
 
A note of apology;

I only get about an hour a day to read/write in between school work, and you guys are going way too fast for me to keep up with. I'll eventually be able to get back in, but don't count on anything soon or too regular.

I want to re-join you guys, but time constraints make that very difficult.
 
I might also not be able to post on such a regular basis. The holydays finished for me today, tommorow i hit college again.

Upcoming exams may also consume alot of my time outside of college for revision. Up to now, with days off i've been able to post ok. I just hope that i'll be able to from tommorow onwards as well.

Oh...and welcome back Fang, once again :)
 
hmmm

I am a little worried about plotting too far into the future, as this might ruin the novely of the entire thing.

But I think that Rogue raises a good point with the slavers. They might be scum, but there is a lot of scum out there. Also, there is a certain joy in playing less reputable characters.

As for plot development, I have been thinking about two things. First, that we should keep the good-evil divide a bit blurry and unclear. THis fits with some of the other threads that have been done here. Yes, perhaps there is a difference between good and evil, and the world is, at a certain black and white, but I think its more interesting if that line is often difficult to figure out or understand, and that sometimes we do terrible things even for the best intentions. Its a bit more real.

Secondly, anyone can die at any time. I think this goes for main characters and NPCs. I would suggest that if writers have invested a bit of time into their character and they might have plot ideas, that we show a bit of courtesy and PM them before we whack 'em and get their ok. The NPCs are all expendable at any time. Again, I suggest that we PM before whacking a major NPC, I think the randomness and suddenness of their particular death again would reflect the harsh reality our characters have engaged.

We also have to avoid having token guys to die. In one sense that will keep story lines from getting banal (kind of like the extra away team member on the old star trek- the bastard's doomed). In another sense, it forces us to keep a harness on the violence. Too much of that without character is a bit boring.

Again, I think this keeps the story fresh and interesting. I know I was shocked when Gunslinger's first draft of the slavers at the fort ended with them getting all mowed down after Rogue had gotten them so far. Shocking but fair. However, we needed the slavers just a bit more.

Rogue and Fang, I hear it. This week is killer for me. Finals are just getting started and there are papers to grade. But if you can read what's going on and post regularly, that would be great. The pace here has been pretty intense. I mean 100 some posts in less than a month. However, I think this is great exercise for creative writing and you both have contributed great stuff. So I hope you both will keep writing on a regular basis.
 
You know, the opposite adheres to me, though it might be because I'm just in highschool and you guys are off to grander things (college, what a joy). Writing during the school days was an incentive. Once I got home from the one hour drive, I'm at my desk ready to write. Last week, spring break, really threw off my routine with the added freedom of no homework and the nice bought of disease.

Anyway, one more thing about the NPCs. Well, this is actually directed to welsh. Where exactly is Mandrake right about now? Last we heard, Ibis saw him driving away in a cart with Clair McKinner, minus a few fingers (nice touch; I couldn't eat my Cheerios after reading that). I assume he's in Gray Cliffs but I just want to be sure. He was active at the beginning of this chapter but his influence has tapered off. Maybe just saving something for chapter 3?
 
Oh where did Mandrake go

Hey, don't knock high school. College life has its demands, but there is also a lot of slack time.

Actually I was thinking about dropping in an aside with Mandrake on the road with Claire McKinner, but it upset my stomach.

Mandrake is off to Red Waters (I think that's the name- have to check Fang's post) with Claire. Much as the Blades are going to be put on display, so is Claire, except in some ways it might be worse. If the story ever goes towards Red Waters we might find her, but her fate is very very dark and twisted. I can't see her figuring prominently as regards to plot.

However, remember that they are less than a day's ride out of Tabis and Red Waters is probably a couple of weeks travel (hard to tell as we know none of the distances in Fangs world). After he delivers the package in Red Waters it will be off to find us in Chapter 3.

Right now, as I see it, the heavy is the tall dark nameless man. He's the one pulling the strings and cleaning out the witnesses. I figure he was the one who sent the slavers into deathclaw alley, and paid the police to keep them there. And he's the one trying to snuff out Fantaisia (who I can't see being around much longer).

I agree with Rogue, Horus and Yacob, if they survive, should stay in Tabis. The two brothers have too much invested in the town. But for them to stay the chief cop is probably going to have to go, and the tall dark stranger will have to be gone. But he's a mere messenger and local puppet master.

So lets see what happens.
 
Err, hello. I just wanted to apologise for the fact that I think some of you may receive multiple messages from me, because I couldn't understand the PM thingy.

I know I have used it before but I thought that when it said the messages I wanted to send were in by 'outbox' but not in my 'sentbox', it meant that it could not send them and was saving them for me to try later.

I now believe that it stores these messages there until the person you are messaging comes online and receives the messages.

Sorry for being so dumb. Such an affliction rarely takes me. Most of the time I am regarded as intelligent and rational. However, I guess i slip sometimes.

I hope you are all well, and that this message finds you in better brain condition than myself.
 
Having tested my theory, with the help of Welsh, I now understand the technological mystery of the PM thingy.

Hazaar!
 
Ahhh...god damn college. I just found out i finish early today. Apparantly i only have to do a 5 mins presentation in a key skills class and then i'm free to leave. I will devenitly post somthing tonight.
 
You know it is funny how one of the most important thing about Gabriel, or at leat how other people see him is his youth. I just thought about this and it surprised me because in my reasonably limited experience of Role-playing (I have created two or three characters for some other games) I always create older, more experience types. I know Gabriel's training and skill makes up for his youth (he is about 27) but I usually play the grizzled veteran.

I wondered if anyone had me pegged as the kind of guy who always plays young hotshots.
 
Apparently, there's some beef you guys have against the police chief of Tabis, Frank Wachowski.

When I wrote the dialogue between Frank and Neil, I made Frank seem more experienced and wiser than our deceased sergeant. The manner in which he dealt with the slaver (as in: not torturing the information out of him) was supposed to show that he was a diplomat, just the sort of person you want as a police chief. So how come he is suddenly enthralled in the slaver conspiracy?

The last chief of police had become corrupt. With him dead, the smartest thing would be to elect a chief who would actually abide the law. Frank came from the ranks of the police and earned his way into the position. He was even relunctant to take the job.

Okay, so you want him dead. I've got no issues with that; lots of people die in this setting. But I'm just saying that there has to be more motivation leading Frank on. It can't just be that he's suddenly gone corrupt and wants in on the conspiracy. It's just not in Frank's character, plus he's seen what happened to the conspirator from chapter one. So if you want Frank dead, I suppose I'll write some reasonable motivation for this sudden change of heart.
 
errr....when people were talking about a corrupt poilice peson i thought you were talking about the border patrol and them being owned and involved in all of this. am I glad that i didn't write anything about them yet or there could have been some nasty mistakes and confusion going on here.
Now that i know people were talking about the Frank character. I got the impression that he was a good guy. His conversation with the the dead sargeant gave the impression that he was good....
 
Yeah, Frank was a good guy in your post. I thought we were talking about someone else, hence I made up a different name in my post which mentioned the corrupt Police Chief.

I thought Frank was just the Captain (a more hands on version, while the corrupt Police Chief was a different bloke - a political position rather than an actual cop.) I think we should make the corrupt guy, Gabe's target someone else (not Frank).

Gunslinger, could you maybe edit your earlier post, making Frank lower than the chief of police. If he were just the Captain, he could still be clean (as he appeared in you post) but we would still be left with the dirty head cop conspiracy idea, which appears to make sense.
 
the bad cop

Well I think that the guilt here falls on my lap. Caleb had clued me in that Neil and Paul were going to betrayed and I figured Frank was the betrayer. Ok. My Bad. Its possible we could make the bad guy a higher up or a lower character, or even that Frank is being coerced into playing along.

But no it would not be the Border Patrol. To begin with the Border Patrol is not THAT bad. They do some bad things (like fight with Tribals- much like the calvary did against the indians) and yes they sell survivors to slavers, but they also protect people, enforce the law and work with the caravans.

But this is the wasteland and these societies are pretty rudimentary. The law is run by force, and the law here has been pretty weak at best. But the law is also an instrument of politics and politics is about power. So the possibilities of corruption and the police being turned to more morally dubious goals is perfectly legit. In fact I would expect this. If you go to must developing societies, one has to worry about crooked cops. Think of the cops in the US at the turn of the last century. There may be many crooked cops now, but back then? Remember the cops in Junktown or the Hub, or the boneyard? COuld you ever really trust them?

Their hands are not "clean" but in the Wasteland, whose hands really are.

That was the theme I wanted to develop in this thread. That there is a lot of badness mixed with the good, so that definitions of good and evil are not so clear. Do they exist, certainly (But that's my catholicism speaking.

If no one is necessarily what they appear, than anyone can possibly be corrupt. ANd lets be honest, how well do we know any of the major characters?

Its not like we can stamp "Good guy" and that's it.

Neil and Paul were decent cops but not beyond the occassional roughhousing and shake down.
Jeeva and the other slavers deal in human beings, but would argue they provide an important service and if they didn't sell many of the slaves, those people would be killed (in otherwords they give value to people that allows them to live another day- even if they are slaves).
Ibis- buries dead people and probably collects a little off their persons.
Yacob and Horus are there because they are helping friends, but are also interested in becoming prosperous- thus they own the Inn and are after the deathclaw eggs.

Even our characters- Rogue seems to be the "best" but what do you know Grim the bounty/HEAD hunter. How many people have Caleb killed in pursuit of the ideals and principles of a military organization, Skik was a thief and began the fight with the slavers out of his own prejudices, and Gabriel is an assassin. Everyone has mud on their hands, no one is clean and no one is innocent.

Which I think is perfect for our setting and allows our characters to be real people and not super heroes. It also fits into the spirit of Fallout 1 and 2 where good and bad were often relative ideas. But it also has something to do with our characters and the choices they make and the ways they grow as people. This gives us the chance for character development.

I have an idea for who the real bad guys are and what they are really up to. And I think that willl be very interesting.

Reaper said in a post earlier- the Ends justify the means. Really? Very Macchiavellian. But what happens when you become the monster you so wish to combat. At what point to the costs of the means outweigh the goals. ANd don't forget that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

OK, so back to Frank. Maybe he's been paid off. But maybe he has been told bad information. What are the motivations for a persons actions? In this, its up to us to write it up. Gabriel might discover that Frank has been duped. There are lots of plot developments. Go with it.

Sorry I have been pretty busy of late, but I promise to post this weekend. I have a bit on Mandrake coming and a new character, as well as a problem in the sewars and maybe with the deathclaws.
 
Oh Welsh, how observant you are. I did indeed mention the virtues of the 'ends justify the means' mentality. One I think I share. I do not think it is perfect but today's world is a bad place. No where near as bad as our little Fallout world but real life is pretty rough. I don't experience that because I am still young and have led quite a sheltered life in terms of actual hardship. Still, I think there are some things that can be termed evil and that when tryng to fight evil, bad actions can be justified. They should be avoided if possible but the the unpleasant side-effect of trying to do the right thing is that bad things can still happen to good people. AS you said, the path to hell is marked by good intentions. Maybe very true, but if a few have to end up in hell to protect the mass of innocent people who cannot fight back, that is again a necessary unpleasantness.

Bad things happen to good people now. If you can prevent more good people getting hurt in the future, you should. No questions.


Off my right wing, distinctly non-catholic views, (sorry I'm an atheist) and back to the story.

I like the exploration of the idea that our character are not goody of the hollywood variety. WE are not superheroes who can do no wrong. Our characters, while being remarkable in their ability to survive and defeat others who try to fight them (which many people confuse with making them superheroes - A US marine is not a superhero but he could still kick some serious ass: our characters happen to have a talent for survival), our characters are still people, as Welsh rightly said.

Gabriel is, in some ways, the epitome of the 'Ends justify the means'. Soldiers are excused of their guilt when they kill in war but and assassin kills people when they are at their most vulnerable (even a warlord will be unarmed and helpless as a child some of the time - a soldier might take him prisoner because he is not a threat, an assassin's only purpose is to kill) Mercy is not an emotion assassins should feel. Gabriel kills people because he has been trained to do it and because he has been taught that morals do not matter when compared to acheiving the greater good. No warcrimes tribunal for Gabriel- he is an executioner, a bad man. But some would say that just because he kills bad people does not excuse his actions - I think killing bad people, thus saving the lives of good people is a sad but necessary part of human existence. i would rather thousands of bad people were killed than we let them walk the streets and let them hurt more people.

You're beginning to see why I created an assassin character. You are probably thinking I'm a crazy person. I am not going to climb a clock tower and take out the town.

I not my views sound extreme but hell, if people want to and do hurt innocent people, they give up the protection society offers those who can live in it peacably.

Our characters are not psychos but they make the decision every time they kill someone, in self defence or like Gabe might do soon, kill someone who is trying to orchestrate their deaths - I deserve to live more than they do.

If that is not 'end justifies the means', I don't know what is.
 
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