Attendees
Noah - Thaddeus Bautista Jesse - Hector Castle John - Jase Walker Kevin - GM
Session Start
SG 001
We’re starting in Rapa Nui Station above Nazca.
The 3 of us met in our previous careers Hector Castle was governor of Labrador’s Folly.
Jase has hired characters to help pilot Luna Moth. Leads them to office of Urmak Cleaver. Jase was to meet Keenan Dougal (his superior in Scout Service) on Rapa Nui Station to fill out paperwork for Luna Moth. Scout Service has offices here.
We arrive at the office and see Urmak Cleaver, who works at Scout Service. Says urgent business has called Keenan Dougal planet side, dealing with rebel separatists. Says we need to get planet side to get forms in order, since radios do not work on this planet.
We spend a day in the spaceport
SG 006
We then take a shuttle down to Tupak, the capital of Nazca. It’s 2 pilots and the 3 of us. We descend to the cloudy world. As we get closer, we get a sinking feeling as we see the giant storm clouds we’r about to plunge through. We suddenly hear and feel a bang, a burning smell, pilots slightly begin to panic as they engage manual landing overrides.
Planet is all sand and stone with mountain ranges topped with green and grey of cities. Shuttle continues to break apart as they attempt to control the descent. We slam into rock and stone and crash land onto the planet.
Spotty memories. Men in red robes (Gene Stitchers) drag us from the wreckage. Squat stone structure on a hillside. We regain our senses and the 3 of us are in hospital beds in a crude stone structure, lit. by candles. Torrential rain pours on the roof and out the window.
A man sits nearby in a chair wearing a red robe with a hood pulled up over his head. He’s disinterestedly studying a booklet in his hands.
Hector Castle introduces himself. “Ah yes, the drugs must be taking effect. You must have suffered quite the ordeal, I’m afraid.”
He removes his hood, revealing a grotesquely disfigured head, covered in growths and tumors. One eye bulging open, the other swollen almost completely shut. He shakes his hand and introduces himself as Brother Grimm of the Gene Stitchers. “Anything for the Scouts. The stitchers and the scouts have had a mutually beneficial relationship. I’m sorry to say, but I think you may be of some use to use yet, but first let us eat. You must rest and regain your strength.”
He gives us bowls of gruel to eat.
Says we’ve been unconscious for a week. It was risky to attempt landing during a deluge. Asks where we were headed. We tell him we were headed to Tupak. He says we’re very far from there, but the roads are beset by bandits. Says he’d be happy to put us up until a resupply blimp comes but it could be some time until then.
“Nazca is a strange world. Some would say over-engineered by my predecessors. Once the rain lets up, you can see the spires of Tupak to the South. It could take several days, but the roads are complicated by all manner of ruffians.”
Spires are visual markers used for navigation (bc no radio) and points of interest. Trade done by dirigible, so they navigate to the spires to set up. Also used for semaphore signals.
We’re currently in the Stitcher’s Guild Hall. Says we should go to larger islet to the south, but doesn’t know the topography very well. Communities are there and there should be a bridge to Tupak.
“I fear you’ve crashed in a rather desolate corner of an already desolate world. In better times, the ruined bridge would be an easier route, but disaffected youth (Unmetered) have risen up and are charging hefty tolls to cross the bridge. We may be able to exercise our influence to grant us passage, but an expenditure of our political will would not come without a cost.”
“In ages past, the Gene Stitchers have developed manufactured creatures that could survive and thrive in this hostile ecosystem. Many of them live in the waters and frequent these lowlands. You can attempt to cross via raft or wait for the water to boil off, but you’ll have to contend with fauna.”
“Due to ancient agreement, 11-5-9 Commune - San Lorenzo is to send us laborers for our menial tasks, but they have not sent them in recent years. I’d charge you with going to the village and securing us 10 able-bodied people (a meter) to perform the duties laid out by our ancient agreement.”
Explains that the labor is for 1 year period. The people of this planet have an elaborate numbering system. Everything must be grouped by 10. A “10 Meter” - via the Metering System - bureaucracy. System decides what your job is, where you live, etc. Class system.
We can either take quest to go to 11-5-9 Commune - San Lorenzo or wait for next supply blimp. quest
SG007
Rains stop, but ground is extremely muddy, even on plateau. Blue skies.
We make our way to the shuttle crash site, which is already half sunken into the mud.
We continue on to the 11-5-9 Commune - San Lorenzo. People out, draining water from huge catchment areas, shoveling mud out of doorways, etc. People stop and stare at us, an old woman emerges from a doorway and hails us, introducing herself as Ira and asking us to state our business.
Hector Castle says we’re to do a job on behalf of the Gene Stitchers to ask the current status of the commune. Her face twists into a frown at the mention of the Gene Stitchers. “Our status? We’re quite well, thank you.”
Hector says we’re inquiring on why they haven’t sent their meter to the Stitcher’s Guild Hall.
The woman frowns and says in recent years, we’ve lost many of our youths to the Unmetered, so the old bonds are breaking and they can barely provide enough for themselves. Says they’re better off trying to stay alive than providing for the “off-world witch cult”.
“They say Nazca was born of the Gene Stitchers. They gave us this strange way of living to which we’ve become accustomed. The Meyerbacks, the Ironjaws - ask any person here, we’ve all lost people to these monstrous beasts. They give us no benefit. The stitchers are more interested in their strange experimentation than quality of life.”
We tell her we’re trying to get to Tupak and ask if there’s any other way. She says to speak with Father Amaru at the Abbey, who may be able to assist us.
We head to the Abbey and meet Father Amaru.
He says this is a unique opportunity, since we’re not locals. Asks to share info with us but that we keep it discrete from people of 11-5-9 Commune - San Lorenzo .
“A number of young people in the village have been going missing the past few years. Ira thinks they’ve gone to join Unmetered but I think some of them have been abducted by the Gene Stitchers. I hope not, but as outsiders, you’re in a unique position to assist these people who have so little. An act of great kindness may reverberate and have unexpected positive consequences, if you catch my meaning.”
We ask for names/descriptions of missing youth, which he gives us (half a dozen). He says they often go missing during the deluge, which is strange, because no one should be outside during the torrential rain. No one would run away during the storms, because it’d be suicide. clue
He says he heard from a reliable source that Gene Stitchers have been using trickery to kidnap people as retribution for the village not fulfilling the feudal agreement.
We ask if Father Amaru believes if any of the youth joined the Unmetered, and he says it’s possible some of them joined. Perhaps Gene Stitchers have been getting captives from the Unmetered as well.
Wants us to either prove the captives are held by Gene Stitchers or rescue them if possible. quest
We ask Father Amaru to come with us to the Ruined Bridge to speak to the Unmetered and see if anyone there is from the missing kids from 11-5-9 Commune - San Lorenzo or if they know more about the Gene Stitchers.
We stay at the Abbey overnight and plan to head to the Ruined Bridge in the morning.