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cursewoodrecap · 4 years ago

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Session 14: Nice Sociable Folk

Everyone is very nice to us, except one grumpy guy.

This one fought me, folks. And Quarantine Depression didn’t really help. So it’s a bit less pared-down than it could be. But speaking of people who should probably be quarantined, have some virulent fungus.

We return to the scene: Valeria has just unceremoniously yanked a mandrake root out of the ground, and it’s doing what mandrakes do, screaming at the top of its lungs (...do plants have lungs???) and raising hell. Which is not GREAT if you’re in the middle of the Spooky Woods Where Monsters Live.

We’re reckless idiots, but that’s on brand.

Shoshana rolls a Nature check to know it’ll stop screaming on its own eventually, and that getting it into our Haversack will stop or dull the noise. Otherwise, the recommended mandrake-harvesting technique is that extreme heat or cold will stun its screaming. Usually people harvest them with daggers heated over a flame.

Problem: Shoshana is only one who knows this, Clem and Val are stunned, and it’s LOUD, so it’s hard to talk. So it’s up to the sorcerer to handle it. She doesn’t want to burn the dang thing to a crisp and make it useless as a spell component, so blasting it with magic is right out. She snatches a torch out of Clem’s backpack and lights it, heating up her small dagger.

Clem fails to shake off the stun, but Valeria recovers. Gral throws an inspiration at Clem, who’s still stuck, and frantically glances around the area to see if the BIG LOUD NOISE has alerted any enemies. In fact, it very much has. A variety of heavy shapes are uprooting themselves out of the dirt, turning blank mossy faces towards us.

Shosha tries to hurry up on silencing the mandrake, but her haste causes her to fumble it. At least she doesn’t damage the plant.

Gral, still watching, sees the grassy, lumpy creatures pick up rocks and start hurling them. Shoshana gets bonked. A rock bounces off Valeria’s armor. Gral’s looking at those ones, when another one hefts out of the ground behind him and conks him with a big ol’ stone.

“Ah,” Valeria observes. “Yeetroots.”

Clem, even with inspiration, still fails to unstun herself, clutching her hands to her sensitive elven ears.

Gral swings his sickle into a yeetroot’s rooty, tuberous body, a thick sap dripping from the gaping wound. Meanwhile, Shoshana takes a second stab with her hot dagger and manages to silence the awful screaming.

The one Gral bloodied picks him up entirely and yeets him at Clem. Gral bounces off the drow’s armor comically. Clem remains completely undamaged while Gral pouts at being unwillingly Fastball Specialed. Valeria and Shoshana scatter, dodging another volley of heavy rocks.

Taking an entire orc to the face, though, finally breaks Clem out of the stun. She’s ready to lumberjack down some trees - oh, wait, Gral’s lying there moaning. The battle medic gives him a good slather of Space Mayo, and he’s fine, though he probably smells like a sandwich.

Gral and Shoshana pop off a couple of spells for minor effect, the tuberous creatures shrugging off most of the effects. They’re bothered enough to retaliate, though; the one Valeria’s facing off against hefts her into the air for another round of PC Bowling, flattening Shoshana. The hail of rocks from the rest of the Yeetroots doesn’t let up, but their aim is only mediocre.

Aethis snacks on a root-person Valeria nicely carves up for them, and as Clem gets to slicing and dicing it looks like the fight’s falling in our favor.

Suddenly, a short human guy in rough clothing charges ungracefully out of the woods, crossing through the undergrowth strangely quickly for someone so unathletic-looking. He clonks a Yeetroot over the head with a long wooden staff, whacking it a few times for good measure so it stays down, and then looks up at us with a frustrated expression. “What the hell are you kids doing? Get out of here!” he shouts irritably, like we’re trespassing on his lawn.

He’s got a bit of an accent. It’s much heavier than Shoshana’s; even by her small-town standards it’s the rural accent of someone who speaks Old Valdian regularly.

Gral Dissonant Whispers a Yeetroot, causing it to run past Clem and the Old Dude. It runs straight into Clem’s sword and dies. Shoshana, Valeria, and Aethis efficiently dismantle the last one standing.

Clem’s ears, still sore from the mandrake’s cry, pick up additional movement through the woods. Sounds like the Yeetroots weren’t the only ones interested in loud, clumsy prey.

The old man seems to know it too, and he starts to scold us. “Pulling a mandrake while the woods are like this? Dummkopfen! Now get outta here! Scram!”

“I’m sorry, we didn’t have a choice-“

“What are you doin’ yakkin’? MOVE!” he shouts, turning and dashing into the underbrush. Shoshana barely catches him muttering “those IDIOTS” in Old Valdian as he scrams.

Well, we’re definitely not gonna stick around either. Old Dude went northeast. The Sturmhearst camp is to the south. We’re all thinking this weird crotchety old man is a druid, so he’s gonna know the best way to go and also we could totally ask him a few burning questions. With a concise nod to each other, we dash after the druid, Valeria swinging herself up onto Aethis’ back.

The wooooooooods are aliiiiiiiive, with the sound of monsterrrrrs, but following the druid’s trail we manage to dodge down an old gully and manage to shake any of them who came to investigate the commotion. Unfortunately, we’ve just put all those monsters in between us and the Sturmhearst camp. We pause, crouched in creek bed, as the last walking tree’s footfalls fade into the distance.

Gral breaks the silence: “…wait, was that a druid?”

Shoshana grumps. “How are we gonna FIND him? He could be a SQUIRREL by now! And I’m surprised he even speaks city-folk Valdian.”

We got the sense of how he moved – he hasn’t left a footprint, but we’ve picked up his pattern a bit. We could keep following him, and Valeria suggests the quest will give time for the monsters attracted by our noise to disperse. Gral doesn’t want to pass up the opportunity to find out what the Druids know about the Prisoners, and Valeria’s hopeful he might have seen the other Order of the Rose knight about.

Shoshana beefs her Survival check. We’ve been doing well following his pattern of not disturbing plant or animal tracks, trying to think like a druid wood. But we hit a dead end.

And then Clem casually points out some tracks none of the rest of us can even make out.

Please. Clem Haxan has tracked wood elf partisans. One aging human is nothing.

We follow Clem’s lead for about an hour. As midday approaches, we notice the sense of vibrant, chaotic, suffocating life is fading a little, and the sickening-sweet scent of flowers and spores has lessened. We come upon a grove of trees, standing tall, centered around one utterly massive tree in the middle whose canopy is just barely open enough to allow beams of light to spear through. In every beam, a sapling has begun to grow. Others, a little more seasoned, have grown tall and thin to push up through the great tree’s canopy.

Deeper in the grove, Shoshana can hear a voice in Old Valdian, and it’s mostly swearing.

“Dumb fuckin’ kids, I swear, first it was those meshuggenah bird mask idiots, now we got - what the hell were those morons doing, stirring everything up? Hard enough when the woods are just tryin’ to kill ME without having to keep an eye our for-”

It seems to be a one-sided conversation. Rambling, but pausing for responses that we can’t hear. Shoshana cautiously steps closer.

She wants to be respectful, but the closest thing Old Valdian has to deferential is a greeting without commentary. “...Hello?”

The voice pauses, and then speaks to its silent companion. “Do ya hear something? Go check it out.”

We all roll real bad Perception. Gral is starin’ real hard, and he only sees a squirrel loop the big tree. We don’t hear the druid say anything else.

She tries a Message cantrip: “We wish to respect your solitude, but we need to speak with you.” Hopefully a decent Persuasion roll will do.

“Wait. Hold up,” the voice grumbles in Old Valdian, heaving a massive sigh. “They’re idiots, they’re not gonna-”

Something big makes a “GRAAHK” noise.

“No, they’re not gonna go away unless I talk to them. Look, they followed me here. I knew it was unavoidable.” He calls out to us in common Valdian. “All right, come on in, no funny business.”

Being seasoned D&D players, we’re hesitant to cross the giant patch of fallen leaves, but it turns out it’s not a booby trap; it’s just what happens when you’re under a big ol’ tree. They are pleasingly crunchy and probably serve as an excellent intruder warning.

The druid isn’t pleased with our caution. “Either leave or come over here! Let’s get this over with.”

We circle the tree to find a small hut in a sunbeam, with a little garden. The old guy, looking like a hippie Danny DeVito, is sitting outside on a fallen log, prodding a small campfire with a stick as he heats a kettle over it. More notably, there is an owlbear curled up next to the fire.

“I wouldn’t get too close, he likes eatin’ fingers,” the druid grumps. “That’s why he’s called Fingers.”

“Oh! This is Aethis, and I’m Kyr Va-”

“Yeah, yeah, get to the point.”

“Are you a druid?”

“Ah, right to the point.”

We manage to stumble over a quick introduction, and that we want to ask him about the Druids’ actions against the artist’s colony in Holzog.

“So all druids know each other, huh?” He starts peeling a potato, unimpressed.

"I don’t know how druids work! There was an organized attack against cultists of the Key, at an artist's colony at Holzog Valley. Do you know of this, and are the Druids in an organized resistance against the Prisoners?"

“Are druids an organized anything?” Shoshana snarks.

Druid DeVito rolls his eyes. “Look, mask guy. I go where I’m needed. I don’t know anything about what’s going on in Holzog. I barely know what’s going on here, I just got here!”

“You... just got here?”

“Yeah, like a month or two ago. Hard to get lay of the land when EVERYTHING’S TRYIN TA KILL YOU, not to mention it’s hard to get a handle on things when idiot adventurers are runnin’ around STIRRIN’ THINGS UP!”

Gral soldiers on. “Well, what do you know of the curse corrupting this area? We were here gathering supplies for a ritual, but it seems like there is also trouble here, what with the villagers and the trolls."

Gral is very polite, so the druid grudgingly answers. “Look, here’s how it goes. This” – he taps the tree – “is Mother Tree. It’s important, for reasons. There’s always supposed to be a druid warden here. But something happened. She’s gone now. So I heard it through the grapevine, and I got called in.”

“Was it a literal grapevine?”

“The old bag and the windy bastard have ways of getting in touch with us, if we’re needed. They told me I gotta go here and – well, so I came. I’m tryin’ to figure out what happened to old warden, figure out what I can do to keep the place safe. It’s a lotta work! But right now I’m trying to make lunch. Because lemme tell you, this owlbear is a lot calmer than most of his type, but he WILL eat me if he gets too hungry.”

“As far as what I know about it? Half the valley got taken. Everything west of the river got overgrown. Haven’t spent much time on the other side; I don’t wanna get spotted. You see what happens when somebody gets a look at me.” He gestures dismissively to all of us. “No good deed, and all that.”

“So half the valley got overgrown. My sources tell me the other half is honestly not doin’ much better, even though it looks better on the outside. Like I said, I’m still tryin’ to get my networks up and running, which is difficult when most of my sources are working for the enemy.”

“Yeah, the villagers have fungus brain,” Shoshana tells him. “Someone who came from this village seemed to be corrupted by fungus, and was working to encourage its spread. Also, they’re bringing in a Fuckton of Trolls to Bad Herzfeld. Which, if they get fungused, is...bad.”

Valeria, meanwhile, is attempting to feed the owlbear some granola. After a moment, she elects to just toss the bag in its direction. Handfeeding an owlbear is Not Wise.

“I’ll add that to my list of problems,” the old man grumbles. “Bunch of sporebrained trolls, sporebrained villagers, plants tryna kill me…all right. How many they got so far?”

“One troll was definitely fungused, but he’s dead. There’s about 8 at the troll moot now. Their food stores look spore-free so far, but we’re going to be looking into the village more.”

“Yeah, they wouldn’t want to be corruptin’ ‘em yet, it’d tip their hand too early. Trolls are usually solitary types. With how the sporebrains work, any new arrivals would be majorly creeped out. They’d want to get a critical mass before they try to get ‘em brainwashed.”

We agree that’s probably the plan. We explain the situation in Holzog, and ask what he knows about the druids’ actions there and whether the druids are the Prisoners’ jailers.

He shrugs. “Me and mine, we don’t talk to each other much. We each got our beats to cover. It’s not like they give us a manual – we’re not super fond of writing things down. Rumor is there’s old sources – real old – that have some knowledge, but otherwise you gotta get lucky and get a visit from the bosses themselves. But they’ve never been the most reliable.”

“The...bosses? Like Baba and Gramps?” Shoshana asks, referring to the old grandmother and grandfather gods of the woods.

“Yeah, they don’t exactly come when you ring a bell. Now I don’t know what old rattlechains, or the angry lady, or the quiet guy, or the sneaky bastard are like, but the chiefs aren’t communicative at the best of times. And since this fakakta Curse thing started they’ve been harder to get a hold of. We get our orders, they keep us busy, but there ain’t much in the way of answers. I’m told to guard this place, and do my thing. The ‘Prisoners,’ or whatever? That’s new to me.

“Look, stay away from the villagers, anyone especially friendly, anyone who talks about love, togetherness, caring, all that crap. Don’t go anyplace overgrown, anyplace with too many mushrooms. Spores will get in your brain.”

“I just do what I’m told. Or infer, really, I’m not told enough to do what I’m told.

If you wanna be helpful – something’s spreading this. The Curse spreads enough on its own, but something’s deliberately spreading it around. Go hunt for whatever’s doing that. Also, I can’t find previous warden – y’know, the person whose beat this is supposed to be.

He’s mostly losing interest in us, but can’t resist one last jab. “What do you need that mandrake for anyway? Half the things you think they can do, they can’t.”

Valeria jumps at the chance to talk about her Quest. “Over in Mornheim they’re dealing with the undead sort of curse. There’s a disease in the water affecting the whole population, and we found a ritual to purify the river! It’s not the sort of magic I usually work with, but I think I can make it function with the plants that I need. I’ve got almost all of them!”

“Hmm. Whatcha missin’?”

We check our notes. “Norbert’s Wort?”

Those Sturmhearst guys might have some, if you wanna try to get it off ‘em. Or there’s a bunch of it growin’ not far from the riverbank. Lemme see this ritual of yours, I wanna make sure you’re not wastin’ your time.”

He gives it the once-over with a surprisingly appreciative eye. “Oh, huh. Rosalind’s work.” He rolls up the scroll, slaps it back into Valeria’s claws, and turns to walk out into the wood. “Get outta here. I got things to do. If you stick around, Fingers will eat ya.”

Wait.

There’s a beat, and then Shoshana starts yelling. “WAIT, ROSALIND? BECAUSE WE FOUND THIS IN THE HOUSE OF A LADY NAMED ROSALIND. AND I DIDN’T THINK YOU GUYS WERE INTO HOUSES? WAIT COME BACK SHE’S A GHOST NOWWWWWW-”

He’s gone. Dammit.

We wave goodbye to Fingers.

As we cautiously make our way out of the grove, Gral is asked to make a Charisma check. A leaf, still stuck to a small bent twig, falls from the great tree and gently helicopters down. He reaches up a hand and catches it out of the air, easily, as if it was intended to find his hand. With an excellent perception check, he glances up and sees the silhouette of a motherly face in the branches. It’s hard to spot among the rustling green canopy, but it’s looking down at us from the branches - he can almost see a wooden torso in one branch – and then the shape pulls back into the branch, moving through it like sand.

Gral experiences an internal hell yes.

Gral has received: one twig with some leaves! It has vibes. This thing is definitely special, and a gift – not from the druid, but from the Mother Tree.

It clearly has Properties, but we do not know what they are.

So, what next? Trying to get the last plant for the spell has a nonzero chance of getting us lost overnight. We could stop by the Sturmhearst annex, or check in on the trolls....wait. Dang it. This morning we told that old lady we’d stay in town overnight. And we’ve already stood up one dinner invitation this arc.

As Clem capably leads us around dangers and toward Sturmhearst, Gral stares at his twig. He can see the leaves seem to move without wind, and he slowly realizes he’s able to predict which ways Clem is gonna lead us based on which way the leaf radar blows. It seems the gift can help find safe passage in the wood!

With a good survival check, we manage to skirt all dangers and the riled-up zone. Once again we smell acrid smoke from Sturmhearst camp and pass by the impassive looking giant owl guards with their flamethrowers. We see Rita the robot chicken hop by with something in her mouth, and follow her into camp. She ignores us and bops right up into the house that contains Prof. Ulmus’ lab.

Hey, we should go check on Flynn! A student directs us to where they’ve set up their clinic in an old barn, and soon we are confronted with a steely-eyed Fiona, arms crossed, glaring at us. “Hi, we, uh-”

She is silent, as usual, but Valeria rolls a nat 20 insight and can read her face like a book. She’s mad that we didn’t come back when we said we would – we made them worry, and also left them alone in this den of academic madness.

Valeria stumbles over a sincere apology until she is interrupted by a solid barbarian hug.

The paladin takes this as her opening to gossip about our day. “We got plants! And got real lost! We slept over a troll’s place!” Fiona makes a surprised gesture. “Yeah, there’s like eight. They have HOUSES. It’s surreal?!?!?! One of them thinks he’s a doctor!”

She’s interrupted when Dr. Ulmus sticks her hand through a curtain and hands off a vial of blood. Valeria now has blood. “Take this to my lab, please.”

Valeria blinks. “O...kay?” She dutifully leaves to take the blood to the lab.

Shoshana can’t keep her mouth shut. “Uh, ma’am? ….did you not notice that wasn’t a grad student?”

“Hm?”

“You gave this to the paladin.”

“…Good. She’ll follow orders. WAIT, YOU’RE BACK!” The doctor bursts through the curtain, beak-first.

“We come bearing fungus!” Clem gives her a vial of fungus. Clem is then ordered to take this to Prof Ulmus’s lab. She does.

So now we have two tanks in a lab. They try to flag down a grad student and make them do it . No, too bad, they’re busy. Clem is like, what if I’m enormous and intimidating? But the grad student is not impressed. “Please. Do you know what kind of horrors I’m studying? You can’t terrify me.”

Valeria is like FFFF CAN YOU PLEASE JUST TELL ME WHERE THE BLOOD GOES. But the grad student leaves.

Oh hey, that rack has vials of red stuff. She puts the blood in the blood rack.

Clem shrugs, sets the fungus on a random table, and leaves.

Back at the clinic, a pale and haggard Flynn stumbles out and leans on Fiona. “My sister was very worried,” he tells us, making a flimsy effort at his usual grandiosity. “I, of course, had total confidence in you!”

Fiona, deadpan, signs: [He cried.]

Professor Ulmus finally emerges in full. “Well, Mr. Fairgold, I’d say you’re well on your way to recovery! Practice those breathing exercises I showed you and take it easy for next few days.”

Valeria and Clem hustle back, spouting apologizes for missing dinner, because Valeria is polite and Clem is genuinely upset at missing the opportunity to pick the doctor’s brain about medicine.

“Hmm, yes, you’re back! Well, you’re all alive…” Professor Ulmus starts inspecting us, her beaked mask tilting this way and that. “…oh dear.” She prods Clem a bit. “Yes, hmm.” She briskly hands Clem some sort of compressed herb poultice. “You’ll want to eat this.” Clem immediately makes a med check. It’s some kind of medicine, I guess. Clem swallows it. It tastes super gross.

“So!” she chirps. “I look forward to hearing what you’ve learned. How was your expedition, did you find what you were looking for?”

“Most of it,” Valeria admits. “We’re still looking for Norbert’s Wort.”

“I have a bit, but it’s spoken for, I’m afraid. Anyhow, I believe a dinner was planned! It’s a good thing you didn’t show up last night, I forgot all about it. I had to do quite a lot of work on Mr. Fairgold. The fungal infestation in his lungs should be cleared up, although the treatment did leave some aftereffects. Nausea, some trouble breathing for a few days. Nothing major.”

Valeria just sort of awkwardly lifts her hand, offering Lay Ons. He waves her off, bluffing his way past her insight. Sure, he’s fiiiiiiiine.

“He was fortunate. Not the worst I’ve seen – something worse would have required a substantially more radical treatment. More invasive, too. Were any of you exposed?”

“Uhh, not to that, but to other things?” We tell her about the Snorlax bear over a plate of sandwiches.

“Yes, I’ve seen similar phenomena – a fungal colony hijacking a living creature. Unfortunately that’s where my expertise ends – I might have to discuss with my, ugh, colleague in the aberrant biology department.”

Valeria tells her about the dream mushroom feast. “So you tripped on mushrooms and hallucinated and fought some mushroom men. We’ve all been there.” The professor waves it off with disinterest. “Yes, spooky curse magic messing with your mind, I’m sure it was harrowing. And/or enlightening. But I don’t have time for spooky magics; I’m a woman of SCIENCE! Speaking of, Clementine, where did you put that fungus?”

“On a table with similar looking specimens?”

“Pardon me a moment.” She immediately stands and runs. We see a huge guard stomp toward the lab. Then flamethrower noises. There’s a bit of screaming.

She emerges slightly scorched, fixing her coat. “That…was the wrong table. It’s cross contaminated! Well, I suppose that’s the cost of science. Sometimes, in order to make great discoveries, you must burn a table of samples before they kill you.”

“I’m sorry, I asked a grad student and he said put it anywhere, really!” Clem bluffs.

“Which one?”

“....um, a short guy wearing a bird mask?

“Ah, Jean-Pierre, I know him. We will have words later. Never trust an entomologist, they’ve all got a head full of beetles or something. So! What’s next for you? I can’t say we have a ton of room here, but I’m sure we can try to find somewhere for you to stay...”

Valeria idly taps the clear bead on her earring chain. “Well, we DID promise to stay at the inn in town tonight...”

Ulmus hums discontentedly. “I trust the villagers precisely as far as my guards can throw them.”

Shoshana butts in. “Right? Okay, because the last time we stayed in a fungus person’s house I was RIGHT and it SUCKED.”

We go back and forth, deciding we’ll keep our promise but stay in the annex for dinner. A feast in Mushroom Town sounds...ominous.

Clem, determined, asks the professor if she can have a flamethrower. Sadly, it doesn’t matter how much Clem pleads her strength and skill, those had to be SPECIALLY REQUISITIONED from the ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT. She had to call in favors! Now if you’ll excuse her, she has work to do.

We have an early dinner, and then head to other side of river for the first time. The difference could not be more marked. If this wasn’t German old-growth forest, the other side would be a jungle (a fungus jungle? A fungle.); these are lush, rolling, well-tamed agricultural fields dotted with quaint farmhouses; rural but civilized.

The “town” is a bare handful of buildings clustered around a small mill. A general store, the mill, the inn, a sheriff’s office, and that’s really it. Blacksmith. Handful of tradespeople. Pretty standard – these are people who live to support the surrounding farmers.

Not far from there we can see the Farmers’ Temple we heard about, a plain round wooden structure with large carved symbols for Rack, Torme, and Lethe. By Valeria’s standards, it’s the absolute bare minimum of what counts as a temple. “They’re trying, I appreciate that.”

As we travel into town, Valeria can see that the people on this side of river seem to fall firmly into 1 of 2 camps: some are incredibly healthy, almost overly large and well-fed, and very happy. The other half seems sickly. Not as bad as Mornheim, but we can easily sort people into Kinda Sickly or Big Healthy. There’s a lot of coughing. Perhaps the Medusoid Mycelium?!

It’s nearly sunset; we head down to the inn. There’s a couple of people sitting around the inn, farmers getting a drink after making deliveries to the mill. A friendly innkeeper named Aaron greets us. “Ah, you must be the people I’ve heard about!”

“Yes, Zelig told you about us?”

“Yeah, I’ve got some rooms prepped for ya. What brings you to town? We don’t get many of your type around – knights, or whatever you are.”

“Oh, we heard there’d been another Knight of the Rose around,” Shoshana probes.

“That’s what Zelig says, haven’t seen him.”

“Well, uh, thank you for your hospitality?”

We head upstairs, breaking into our usual pairs of roommates - Clem with Gral, Valeria with Shoshana, Aethis in the stables weirding out the horses.

Clem, the wary soldier, checks around to ensure the room is secure. She finds something! A note has been tucked into the mattress. “YOU ARE IN DANGER. COME DOWNSTAIRS AFTER THE SERVICES START AT THE TEMPLE.”

Huh.

She tells the rest of us. Everyone is like, “...yeah, we already knew that?” But it’s excellent news that not every villager is in on it.

There’s a knock on Clem’s door. A nervous young woman is standing there, holding a tray full of pastries. “Hey, uh. My dad wanted me to give you these. They’re leftover, they’d just go stale anyway.”

“Oh, uh, thank you! Much obliged. Um, will that be all?”

“Try ‘em, at least take a look at them. They’re pretty good,” the girl tells her insistently, and scurries off.

Clem and Gral immediately inspect the pastries suspiciously. Pulling one apart - sure enough, there’s a note stuffed in a pastry! It says “CHECK UNDER THE BED.”

Under the bed, where Clem found the first note.

Gral pops down to the tavern area to get a few more deets from Aaron the innkeeper. Turns out temple services start after sundown. “You’ll know it, you’ll see people headin’ towards it. Why, you thinkin of attending?”

“We have a paladin with us, she’s always interested in the local religious customs.”

“It’s nothing you’d be interested in. More of a town hall meeting than anything.”

“I understand. Thank you for the pastries, they were absolutely delicious!”

“Oh, thanks kindly! Sleep well.”

Sure enough, as the sun sets we see lights in the dark as people start streaming in from across the valley to the Farmers’ Temple.

Once it looks like the last stragglers have made it into the service, Clem knocks on wall separating our rooms, as a signal, and we head downstairs. We try to be quiet about it. Aaron and his daughter are there, cloaked and ready for travel. His daughter has a hooded lantern in her hand.

“I don’t know what you people came here for, but you’re not gonna find it here,” whispers the innkeeper urgently. “You have to leave.”

“What kind of danger?”

“I keep my ears open. Zelig came back this morning, told some people about some outsiders, guests – told us to have rooms ready for them, and then stay out of their way when they came for you tonight. I don’t know how long we have – they always go to temple first, but the clock’s running. I don’t know you much, but you seem-“

“This has happened before?” Valeria breaks in, concerned.

“Not in so many words, but, yeah. People have gone missing. Last time we couldn’t do anything about it. We weren’t warned; they just showed up in the night. This time they were worried – there’s more of you, and better armed. Last time was just traveling merchants.”

Gral nods. "We came here looking to find what 'they' were planning at the troll moot. We don't just want to run away, but if you're in danger for housing us, that can wait. What's next?"

“The troll moot? Yeah that’s fishy, but I don’t know how to warn ‘em away. You folks seem connected, can you get word out about this place? But be discreet. I’ve heard stories about the Penitents, and I don’t want no part of that either. There’s still good people here. A lot of people in that temple there, though – I would have sworn they were good people too, until this all started. I’m not sure what it’s all about. We haven’t been going to services, and so far they haven’t forced us to. But they had folks posted in the inn, makin’ sure you showed up tonight.

“You gotta get moving. Rebecca can get you to someplace safe. Slip out now, and finish leaving the valley tomorrow night.”

Clem insights ‘em, and then seem genuinely honest and concerned for us.

“Whatever this is, something about you guys has them spooked, so I wanna make sure you survive. There’s strange things afoot in Herzfeld these days.”

“Would they let you leave?” Valeria asks.

“I don’t wanna know what would happen if we tried. So far they’ve been content to let us keep running the inn, serving ‘em drinks.”

“How have you evaded their influence?” Clem asks suspiciously. “What makes you the exception?”

“Not everybody’s one of ‘em. The woman, Zelig, she came out of the woods a couple months ago after the other side of river fell. She started talkin’ to people, sayin’ she knew way to protect us. People were scared, ‘specially since the old cleric went over to the other side of the river and never came back. A bunch of people went down to the temple to hear her say her piece.

“Those that went – not all of them came back. Afterwards, she started holding services regularly. Meetings, gatherings, whatever. Those that go, their crops flourish, they get strong and healthy. Those that don’t start to get sick. Their crops die. And once people start getting sick, everyone tells ‘em to go to temple and pray about it.”

I don’t know why Rebecca and I have managed to avoid the brunt of it so far.”

Rebecca pipes up. “I’ve snuck into the temple during day, it’s open to everyone. It seems fine mostly, bit run down – everything seems to be in place. But whatever’s going on there, it’s weird. The point is, I can take you to a safe place.”

Her dad nods. “I dunno where it is. Safer that way.”

Rebecca continues, her face too grim for her young age. “I’ve been smuggling people out of the valley. Mostly, people who oppose Zelig just vanish. Dad keeps the inn running and keeps his ears open. Anyone we suspect might be in danger, we get them out.”

Valeria considers. “We’re not going until we figure out what’s going on, but staying safe for tonight is not a bad idea.”

“I don’t know how long the service will go. It can be ten minutes, it can be an hour. We have to get moving, now.”

We hurriedly discuss: we want to know what happens at the mysterious services, but Valeria and Clem aren’t exactly built for stealth. Rebecca says that during the service itself, the town’s pretty deserted - everyone either goes in or stays well away.

We decide to split the party: Rebecca will take Team Clank to meet her friends at the safe house; Gral and Shoshana will sneak up to the temple.

“I can’t tell you where safe house is; if you get captured, you’ll spill. Meet me at the top of hill there. I’ll be hiding in the bushes right by the old fence.”

The shadowy huntress and the subtle bard manage to get close without giving themselves away. Gral gets right up next to a window, and listens in, staying out of the window’s line of sight.

Zelig’s voice booms out, rich and strong: “Brothers, Sisters, we come to our next business. You have heard of the outsiders. They come, they question us. They question our ways, our motives. They endanger our sacred project with our brethren amongst the trolls. Do not fear, for we have a solution: I sense in them a great capacity for love and understanding. Tonight we shall find them, and give them a chance to join in our love. Should they not, should they hold hatred in their hearts, then those hearts may be hollowed and made ready for our love. Come brothers, come sisters, come family.”

Gral minor illusions the hue of the night sky onto his face, hoping it’s enough cover to peek in the window unnoticed.

“It is time. First, let us renew our bonds,” the old woman intones. Zelig stands in the center of the circular room. All the people around her are tall, strong, and glowing with health, crowded together, holding hands. Zelig taps a floorboard, and Hans and Frans solemnly move to pry up the board.

Underneath is a lush green carpet of plant life. Fungus and vines creep out of the floorboard, growing at an impossible rate. Everyone stands as a wave of vegetable and fungal matter extends through temple, climbing up the worshippers’ legs and enveloping their bodies entirely. As Hans and Frans pull back the boards, a frame rises up; vines work their way into frame, forming a picture. Blooming flowers and different shades of leaves and lichen form the image of a female figure, motherly looking, bound in roots. Yet another tapestry?

The worshippers speak in eerie unison. “Though bound, she will be free. She is the growth. She is our love. She is protection. She will grow free of her bonds. We will grow as she does.” The chanting does not falter as the wave of plant matter entirely consumes the chamber. Gral ducks back under the window as the air chamber starts to fill with dense, cloudy spores.

He’s been relaying everything he sees to Shoshana with Message, and they both agree: We’ve seen what we can see, it’s time to get the hell out of here.

Meanwhile, Rebecca leads Valeria and Clem out of the town proper to a set of rolling hills near an abandoned granary. There’s a cleverly hidden trapdoor set almost invisibly into the sod, leading down into a small network of caves.

“They used to use these caves to make cheese! Hmm...it should be this one tonight.” She bypasses several doors set into the earthy tunnels, stopping at one seemingly at random and knocking softly.

A voice on the other side whispers, “Who are you?”

“One who seeks freedom,” Rebecca whispers back.

“And who are we?”

“The last Free Thieves!”

...What.

The door opens a crack, and Rebecca hurriedly herds the tanks through. “The guy in charge is the little guy. His name’s Henri Decannes. Him or one of his people will help you get out. I have to get your friends.” She runs back into night, vanishing into the darkness.

Valeria groans. She understands that stabbing Henri is not an appropriate action at this time, but dang would she enjoy it. And now she’s gonna have a DEBT to him? Maaaaaaaan.

As Gral begins to sneak back over to Shoshana, behind them, they hear the congregants start to move.

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ravensong67-blog · 6 years ago

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Explaining All the County and City Measures on Your Ballot

Casting a vote in Los Angeles County isn’t as simple as picking your preferred candidate for senator or governor and calling it a day. After the office holders, and all the state propositions, it’s time to get down to the county measures. If you’re wondering what all the alphabet soup means (statewide props get numbers; you’ll know the county measures because they’re labeled by letter) and why you really should fill out that portion of your ballot, read on.

City Sales Tax Increases

Several of the measures center around allowing individual cities within the county to raise (or maintain) local sales taxes. Voting “yes” on any of them authorizes that city to update the sales tax rate applied to purchases to generate revenue for the city’s general funds. • Measure A renews an existing San Fernando city sales tax of 0.5 percent (voting no would allow that tax to expire September 30, 2020). • Measure C increases sales taxes in Culver City by 0.25 percent starting in April. • Measure G allows Malibu to add a 2.5 percent tax on recreational marijuana sales–but also, perhaps more significantly, allows for recreational marijuana sales in Malibu from existing, permitted dispensaries which are currently medical only. • Measure I authorizes a 0.75 percent sales tax in Pasadena. Measure J, which follows it on the ballot, is a non-binding recommendation on how those new funds should be used; voting “yes” tells lawmakers you think they should commit one third of any new funds raised by Measure I to go specifically to public schools, while voting “no” trusts them to divvy up the new revenue at their discretion. • Measures L, P, R, S, CC, PG each enact identical 0.75 percent sales taxes in different cities: L is Lawndale, P is Burbank, R is Cudahy, S is Glendale, CC is Covina, PG is Pomona. • Measure Y authorizes a one percent sales tax in Santa Fe Springs. • Measure LP authorizes a 0.5 percent sales tax in La Puente.

Amending the City Charter to Allow for Possibly Establishing a Public Bank in the City of L.A.

Passage of Measure B would allow Los Angeles to move forward with exploring the creation of a city-run public bank. This bank would take in all the money the city raises for itself–sales taxes, parking meters, city fees–and hold onto it, theoretically saving the city some significant portion of the estimated $170 million in fees and $1.1 billion in interest currently being paid to private banks.

Right now, only two public banks like this exist in the U.S., the banks of American Samoa and North Dakota. The one being proposed in L.A. would go a step beyond North Dakota’s, potentially offering certain types of low-interest consumer loans.

Critics of the measure say there’s no precedent for a public bank quite like this, and that the city might be able to cut the fees it’s paying to Wall Street by simply negotiating better deals with existing financial institutions. A “yes” vote won’t immediately create the bank, but it will allow for an amendment to the city charter, which is step one.

Election Consolidation Measures

Three measures are on the ballot that would sync up local elections to statewide general and primary elections. The theory goes that holding elections for all offices at the same time would increase civic engagement with these down-ticket races. • Measure D would move city general elections in Culver City from April to November of even-numbered years, starting in 2020. • Measure E adjusts primary elections in the city of Los Angeles to match the March statewide primary date. • Measure EE aligns elections for Los Angeles Unified School District primary elections to the March date.

Duarte Fireworks Ban

The city of Duarte currently allows for the sale and use of certain kids of consumer fireworks for personal use. A “yes” vote on Measure F would ban individuals from buying or using all fireworks in that city outside the context of a permitted, public fireworks show, which is consistent with many–though not all–other parts of the county.

Issuing of School District and Community College Bonds

Issuing a public bond works like this: The institution sells bonds to raise a certain amount of money they want for a project. If investors are interested in buying what the institution is selling (and, technically, there’s no guarantee they will be, but public bonds are historically considered a fairly stable investment) what they purchase is a promissory note that says they’ll be paid back after a fixed amount of time. To make good on those promises, bond issue measures typically also come with a proposal to raise property taxes.

A “yes” vote for the bond measure gives the school district or other municipal institution in question permission to issue the bond and thus take on the set amount of debt and, if applicable, approves the tax increase that generates the revenue to pay back the loan.

• Measure M authorizes Santa Monica-Malibu Unified to issue up to $195 million in bonds at an estimated tax rate of .03 cents per $100 in assessed property value. Measure SMS authorizes the same district to issue an additional $485 million at a rate of .04 cents per $100. The two measures appear separately because the second was added later, due to an initial deal worked out to allow Malibu to break its schools off from the SMMU, while still participating in a 50-year revenue sharing deal with Santa Monica. • Measure AE authorizes Baldwin Park Unified to issue up to $69 million in bonds at an estimated tax rate of .06 cents per $100 in assessed property value. • Measure BB authorizes ABC Unified (which serves Artesia, Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens, and parts of Lakewood, Long Beach, and Norwalk) to issue up to $258 in bonds to pay for facilities improvements at an estimated tax rate of .0495 cents per $100 in assessed property value. • Measure ES authorizes El Segundo Unified to issue up to $92 million in bonds at an estimated tax rate of .043 cents per $100 in assessed property value. • Measure HS authorizes El Monte Union High School District to issue up to $190 million in bonds at an estimated tax rate of .03 cents per $100 in assessed property value. • Measure LL authorizes Lowell Joint School District to issue up to $48 million in bonds at an estimated tax rate of .03 cents per $100 in assessed property value. • Measure WE authorizes Wilsona School District in Palmdale to issue up to $6.5 million in bonds at an estimated tax rate of .03 cents per $100 in assessed property value. • Measure CK authorizes Acton-Agua Dolce to issue up to $7.5 million in bonds at an estimated tax rate of .0147 cents per $100 in assessed property value. • Measure GO authorizes Mt. San Antonio Community College District to issue up to $750 million in bonds at an estimated tax rate of .025 cents per $100 in assessed property value.

Antelope Valley Healthcare Bond

While not for a school district, Measure H works on a similar principal. A “yes” vote authorizes the issuing of up to $350 million in bonds to pay for repairs to the area’s existing hospital, building a new hospital, or patient care. The tax cost for that is an estimated $28.27 per $100,000 in assessed property value.

Parcel Taxes

Parcel taxes are similar to the kind of property taxes that are levied to pay back bonds, but they differ in how they’re calculated. Rather than being based on the assessed value of a home, it’s a fee per “parcel” (which could be a whole building, or a single square foot, depending on the measure), which generates revenue for a specific purpose. Bonds are often issued for construction and infrastructure, where parcel taxes might be used to fund other types of municipal needs. • Measure W is designed to raise money for the county flood district and pay for improvements in how L.A. gets its water. The county would charge a 2.5 cent tax for every square foot of a property which has been made impermeable to water. • Measure K authorizes a $189 per parcel in Culver City for seven years to fund school district programs. • Measure CS authorizes staggered parcel tax in Cudahy to fund public safety services for ten years. The tax would run $343 for single family houses, $556 for per dwelling for multi-family buildings, and $3,500 to $112,000 per parcel for other types of buildings. • Measure QS authorizes a tax of 10 cents per square foot of “improved property” in Burbank to fund educational programs.

South Pasadena Utility User Tax Repeal

South Pasadena instituted a tax on utilities in 1932, and it currently generates around $3.4 million for the city–about 12 percent of the city’s general fund for the year. Voting “yes” on Measure N, that tax would be removed. Voting “no” maintains the status quo.

Marijuana Business Taxes

Two measures on the ballot allow local governments to tax marijuana related businesses that operate in those cities. Measure CT authorizes Maywood to tax the companies at a rate up to 10 percent of gross receipts. Measure PC authorizes Pomona to tax companies at $10 per canopy square foot used for cultivation, and up to six percent of gross receipts for all other types of marijuana-related activity. In both cases, revenue generated would go into each city’s general fund.

Santa Monica Measures

In addition to the school district and other measures on the ballot, Santa Monica has some other special matters to pay attention to this year. • Measure RR would change the language in the city charter that currently says you have to be a “qualified elector” to be eligible for SaMo’s library board, personnel board, or airport commission to just say “resident.” • Measure SM amends the city charter to require that, for the next ten years, approval of five city council members is required for any changes to the current Land Use and Circulation Element or Downtown Community Plan that would regard building height limit or floor area ratios. This would not impact buildings that are already in the pipeline. • Measure TL sets a three-term limit for city council members.

Long Beach Measures

Long Beach has every other city in the county beat for most city-specific measures in 2018. • Measure WW would require any hotel in Long Beach with more than 50 rooms to provide personal emergency communication devices to all workers, sets a max on the square footage a worker can be required to clean per shift, and establishes penalties for hotels that don’t comply with the regulations. • Measure AAA amends the city charter to allow the city auditor’s office to conduct new, independant audits of city departments, boards, commissions, and offices. • Measure BBB changes the term limits for mayor and city council to three terms, total, closing a current loophole that allows for unlimited runs as a write-in candidate. • Measure CCC amends the city charter to set up a seven-member ethics commission. • Measure DDD would establish an independent citizens’ commission to oversee political redistricting in the city.

West Covina Officer Changes

Currently, the West Covina city treasurer and city clerk are elected offices. Measure T would make the treasurer role appointed by the city manager; Measure V would do the same for city clerk.

Diamond Bar Hotel Tax

Diamond Bar currently charges a 10 percent tax to guests staying in the city’s hotels. Measure Q would bump that to 14 percent.

Carson City Gets a Charter

Right now, Carson is what’s called a “general law city.” A “yes” on Measure CA would change it to a “charter city” going forward.

Cudahy Casino Tax Increase

Passage of Measure U would institute a new tax on casinos and gambling operations in Cudahy. The tax would be set at 15 percent of total monthly gaming revenues.

RELATED: What Every Ballot Prop You’ll Be Voting on in November Actually Means

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Source: https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/los-angeles-ballot-measures/

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gardencitymedicalcenter · 4 years ago

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addictionrecoveryassistance · 6 years ago

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etsukocorrigan0-blog · 7 years ago

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jitglobal · 4 years ago

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vertcoinreddit · 7 years ago

Link

Welcome back!Show your appreciation for the businesses that lead the way in the adoption of cryptocurrencies. Instead of paying with fiat for your next purchase, use this Monday initiative to pay with VTC instead.Vertcoin Merchant websiteI want to call attention to a few merchants this week.We added Barter4Crypto (from the creators of LazyPyramid) to our list this week. Barter4Crypto is a Peer-to-peer marketplace that allows everyone to offer their skills in exchange for Crypto. Initiatives like this will support the P2P economy behind crypto!Last week, we also had two new additions. They were sidelined a bit due to our call towards streamers. BUT, here they are once again. "GPS tracking made easy" and "Crypto Mugz". Take a look at what they have to offer!Want to become a merchant? Or want to help someone? Check out the Coinpayments Shopify plugin.If a business should be added to or removed from the list, let me know!Debit cardsUquidWith UQUID, buying online and sending money to friends is made easier and safer than ever: all you need is an email address. Your money is protected, no personal information is revealed, and you can retrieve the details of every payment at any moment.EducationLearnCryptoLearnCrypto offers training about Crypto trading.The team at LearnCrypto.io has dedicated thousands of hours to educating the public and our students in all areas of Cryptocurrencies.FoodPexPeppersPexPeppers is specialized in "finest chili sauces, jellies, salts, seeds & more." Based in Pueblo, Colorado, USA PexPeppers is selling all over the world.GamblingVertcoingamesVertcoingames: "Play Roulette, Dice, Blackjack and Video Poker using Vertcoin. Great games with fair, casino level payouts."Garden & AgricultureRoyal Queen SeedsRoyal Queen Seeds is amongst the fastest growing cannabis seed companies in Europe. After building up many years of experience in growing cannabis seeds in the Netherlands, we decided to launch our own line of cannabis seeds and are now able to offer you quality feminized, autoflowering and medical seeds at a good price.Gift CardsCoinCardsCoincards provides Giftcards and was created in July of 2014.Crypto de Change(UK)Crypto De Change provides Gift Cards and Silver Buillons since July 2013.GifftoffGiftoff is a "digital gift card retailer with the largest range on offer in Europe. Since 2014 we’ve been enabling digital currency users to shop with major retailers like Amazon.co.uk, Steam and Marks & Spencer. We stock over 70 gift cards and accept over 40 digital currencies as well as UK credit and debit cards."Goods/MerchandiseAstronaut ApparelAstronaut Apparel makes every effort to operate in a transparent and ethical manner. We will be integrating blockchain features to help with supply chain management, so that you can see exactly where your apparel was made.NewBarter4CryptoBarter4Crypto is a platform where users can offer and pay each other in cryptocurrencies for services and products.CyrolineCyroline is on "the tireless hunt for the special in the fashion world, the perfect fusion of individual styles, quality and sustainability." In physical stores you can pay with Vertcoin in Germany: Lübeck, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Stuttgart.Crypto affectCrypto Affect provides "Clothing for the hodler", crypto related fashion.Crypto and ProudC&P provides crypto related fashion and is "shipping worldwide with live rates and tracking."CryptoBird wear"Cryptobird is a partnership to start a full crypto based webshop with high quality fashion to contribute to a wider cryptocurrency adoption around the globe."CryptocompoundCrypto Compound provides "crypto-themed items" like fashion, mugs & more.CryptobleCryptoble provides "apparel and more". Here are crypto related shirts & mugs.NewCrypto MugzA webshop selling Crypto mugs (obviously) and some other cool items such as T-shirts and Drones.Epic PantsEpic Pants is an online retailer who sells products in the categories hardware, apparel, styles, gear, fun, music and art.GeekboxitGeekBox "offers a wide variety of services including but not limited to basic computer setup, repair, virus removal, server setup, network setup, consulting, purchasing, cloud computing advice, gaming system and electronic repair." As a nice special GeekBox IT provides a Vertcoin T-shirt.HodlerteesHodler Tees is a cryptocurrency centered t-shirt company based in Frisco Texas! (USA) We sell all things crypto related from hats to t-shirts and even posters!King Pen VapesKPV provides Vaporizers, "electronic devices that help you vaporize your material into vapor for cleaner inhalation. People looking to quit smoking cigarettes are the main reason behind vapes."Lazy PyramidLP is an online store and community. We service the world, no order is too small or too large.NakamotoClothing"At Nakamoto Clothing, we're passionate about designing and curating a selection of apparel to help grow this movement of change. And we're electrified AF!", international shipping.SatoshiMarketOnline marketplace selling crypto embroided polo shirtsSpreadshirtSpreadshirt provides shirts and more. Based in Greensburg, USA, the owner comes from the Netherlands.ShillshopShillshop provides stickers in outdoor quality and is "based in The Netherlands, all the products we sell are also produced in The Netherlands to make sure you'll receive the highest quality!"TeepublicTeepublic provides apparel, home goods, shirts, stickers, mugs & more.Vertcoin stickersRB gives "independent artists a meaningful new way to sell their creations. Today, we connect over 400k artists and designers across the planet with millions of passionate fans." RB provides a huge sortiment of designed products like bags, wall art, home decor, apparel, stationary & more.VTCmarketVTCmarket is founded by the Dunn twins Raf & Tom: "We’ve started off with T-shirts and are working on expanding with other products and merchants"Vertcoin medallionJzzsxm's Online Store provides a 1.5" diameter metal Vertcoin Medallion. Each medallion costs 2 VTC and comes with a metalized label containing a wallet address QR code of your choice affixed to the back.WIKILEAKS shopWikiLeaks is a multi-national media organization and associated library. It was founded by its publisher Julian Assange in 2006. The shop provides shirts, posters and asseccoires.ZazzleZazzle is a "marketplace, you'll find customizable products, art and create-your-own products just waiting for you. We're PhD's, professional artists, manufacturing gurus, patent holders, inventors, musicians, and more. Everything we do is an expression of love." As a nice special Z provides Vertcoin shirts.MedicalThree Fields AccupunctureAcupuncture in MassachusettsMultimedia ServicesRichmond Drone ServicesRDS is Central Virginia’s drone service specialists. From preparation to content delivery, we perform all work to perfection. We can act as both an aerial film consultant or as the remote pilot in charge on your next projects.Professional (law) ServicesBurrell-Law (NYC)Burrell Law "Our New York City-based attorneys provide a broad range of transactional legal services" Every large business was once a small business. We are here to help you find a solution for your legal needs.Bitcoin TaxBitcoin Tax is "calculating capital gains/losses for any crypto-currency. Do you know the cost-basis of every coin you own? Are you tracking the profits and new basis when you spend or sell? Can you work out the best way to identify your trades to optimize your taxes? Let us do it for you."The Crypto Lawyers(U.S.)The Crypto Lawyers - "we are a team of U.S. qualified lawyers dedicated to helping individuals, businesses, and organizations navigate the legal intricacies of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. We commit ourselves to strategically and aggressively represent our clients in their transactional and litigation matters."PrintingCatdi"Catdi is a commercial printing company with additional specialization in web design. Offering cost-effective commercial printing, direct mail, graphic design and web solutions to small businesses. Proudly Serving Houston and surrounding communities for over 10 years."TechnologyFasttech"FastTech is the techno-centric destination for all your geeky needs and more. FastTech is committed to become the most loved and trusted electronics marketplace by offering superior shopping experience, timely shipping, and stellar customer service."* New *GPS Tracking Made EasyThe first GPS tracking company to accept cryptocurrency as payment. Easy to install and easy to use with options for just about any type of vehicle or trailer.Video GamesCavemen StudiosCavemen Studios is a developer of video games. "Having over a century of combined experience on how video games tick, we've finally decided it's time to start creating our own products."Keys4coins"Keys4Coins is one of the first pc game stores who only accept cryptocurrency as payment. Our store is simple to use and you can shop anonymously. Only an e-mail is required so you can receive the license."XBL4BTC"Our aim is to provide the fastest, easiest place to buy Xbox Live Gold subscriptions with cryptocurrencies"Wallets & miscellaneousPaper walletDesigned Vertcoin public and private wallets that can be used as paper wallets or given as gifts.Wooden VertcoinLaserLightning provides one etched wooden Vertcoin with the Vertcoin logo burned into one side, and your custom QR code on the back. These coins are approx 1.5 inches in diameter.(NSFW) Adult shopsToys4sex the adult shopToys4Sex is Australia's Online Adult store retailer intended for men and women. Toys4Sex comes with a specially selected range of products that has made its mark within the Australian adult market place. via /r/vertcoin

#vertcoin #cryptocurrency

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inhandnetworks-blog · 7 years ago

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The Best and Worst of Tom Clancy’s 'The Division' Beta Release

www.inhandnetworks.com

Tom Clancy’s The Division released its beta preview last week for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, giving gamers a taste of what has been hyped as a role-playing game to dethrone the popular Destiny. Thanks to the high demand, Ubisoft, the developers for The Division, extended the availability of the preview until Tuesday.

Newsweek got its hands on The Division over the weekend. The verdict? In short: It’s definitely promising, thanks in particular to great visuals that makes apocalyptic New York City seem nearly real. Here, we break down parts of the short beta preview into what we did and we didn’t like.

The Best: New York City Looks Like Hell

And I mean this in the nicest way possible. The premise of The Division is that New York City is stricken with a smallpox epidemic during Black Friday, causing the entire city to descend into chaos. The players are supposed to go into the “dark zone” and restore order into the city.

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The upscale Chelsea neighborhood looks like all hell broke loose. Madison Square Garden is converted to a field hospital and has been taken by the “hostiles.” The James A. Farley Post Office, which is across the street from the Garden, is the scene of a huge shootout in the single-player mode, and it is really fun. When the snow starts to fall on New York City, it feels both romantic and eerie at the same time.

The Worst: The Gameplay Is Pretty Unremarkable

After finishing the beta preview, I immediately hopped onto another video game for another couple of hours. The game left a fleeting impression aside from the dystopian New York City visuals. The gameplay was standard, and the shootouts blended together into a procession of a seemingly invincible protagonists gunning down a line of enemies.

The game's Skills Tree feature sounds promising in its potential to customize the player with new medical, tech and “security power boots.” It may spice up the game, especially in multiplayer. But in beta, the range of these skills was limited to one per player, which left me forgetting I can use them to bail myself out of some tough situations.

The Best: The Storyline Sounds Promising

The beta preview obviously offers a small glimpse into the entire storyline, but I enjoyed most of the plot so far. Since this is a role-playing game, there are missions along the way for players to finish. One of the best was rescuing a doctor held on hostage in the Madison Square Garden field hospital. Since New York City has collapsed due to an epidemic, doctors are worth their weight in gold, and one senses that something significant is on the line in the rescue mission. More of that, please, Ubisoft.

The Worst: The AI Hostiles Are Pretty Dumb

In the same Madison Square Garden rescue mission, the hostage-takers bombarded me with gas canisters to trap me into a corner. At one point, I retreated and found a place to hide, and I just gunned down the hostiles one by one because they, for some reason, were bull-rushing toward me instead of taking position in a comfortable distance away. It was a sad ending to a tense, well-built situation.

The Best: It’s a Ruthless, Dog-Eat-Dog World

One of the best parts about The Division is that it tries to depict the pure chaos in a lawless metropolis. Looting between players and hostiles and between players and players are both possible. Alliances and sticking together in packs may be needed in multiplayer to survive through the winter, but it also can create backstabbing and looting from people you trusted.

The Worst: Why Are We Shooting at the Hostiles?

The hostiles are hooded thugs with shotguns and tear gas canisters who are supposedly agents of chaos. But when I was playing the beta preview, I had no idea why I was fighting them. What were their motivations to loot and kill? Why did I have to shoot them? All I know is that a surprising number of them are named Alex.

After the umpteenth hostile I killed, the whole situation started to rub me the wrong way—and it seems I am not the only one. My character is brought to Manhattan by the U.S. government to bring order to a city filled with hooded vandals who may or may not be looting to survive the smallpox and the cold. It reminded me too much of Ferguson, Missouri, or 1994 Los Angeles, my hometown. Hopefully, Ubisoft will disclose much more about the motivations and the organizations of these hostiles in later beta releases or when the game actually comes out this March.

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militaryspouse101 · 7 years ago

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New Post has been published on Military Spouse

New Post has been published on http://militaryspouse.com/military-life/suzie-schwartzs-shining-journey-a-giving-heart/

Suzie Schwartz's Shining Journey - A Giving Heart

Photos: Erin J. Rexroth Photography

Those who have read Suzie’s column in this magazine, who have met her, who have listened to her lilting Southern accent, who have heeded her advice, who have looked up to her and who consider her a mentor might be surprised to learn her early days as a military spouse were not the happiest of times. After all, we know Suzie today as a formidable woman who goes to bat for all military spouses and takes them under her experienced wing. We know the Suzie who opens her home to the community and who will spend hours making handmade cards to brighten the recipient’s day. We know the Suzie who encourages and applauds us all and the military lives we lead.

But, really, Suzie isn’t so different from any of the rest of us. She and her husband, retired Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, wed 36 years ago on a Saturday, spent Sunday driving from Little Rock Air Force Base to Hurlburt Field in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and he reported to work at 5:30 a.m. on Monday.

Establishing a Rhythm

Marriage is a learning curve for couples, and for the individuals comprising that couple. “For the first five years, he didn’t understand what being married meant; it was all about his career,” Suzie says. “When you marry a young captain, that’s what he did.” Suzie grew up in an Air Force family so thought the adjustment from military brat to military spouse would be easy. “But being a brat is very different,” she says. “You go to school and have immediate friends. Being a spouse, you have to work harder at being a friend. It wasn’t the most happy time for me actually.”

It turned around, though. It took time and effort, but life turned around.

Suzie left a teaching job in Little Rock when they moved to Florida, and finding a new job wasn’t easy. “The first year I didn’t work. I struggled trying to keep busy,” she says.

“Then I was invited to an Officer’s Wives Club event. I didn’t want to go because that’s what my mother did and I thought I was the new and improved military spouse with a college degree and a career, but my husband encouraged me to attend.” That event led to meeting a lifelong friend, and gave Suzie a flicker of hope.

“I realized I might not be able to have the career I wanted to have, but I could make friends,” she shares.

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Career Success

Through Suzie’s lifelong involvement in the military, she’s noticed the top three issues military spouses face are education, career and medical benefits. The ranking might vary, but those three remain the top issues.

As many military spouses have, Suzie struggled in her employment journey. Her special education degree led her to teaching in Arkansas before marriage, and then at a Catholic school the second year they were in Florida. A PCS to Washington, D.C., however, altered her path.

“I tried getting a teaching job, but it wasn’t easy,” Suzie says. “All my life I’d gone to school or been a teacher. I couldn’t figure out my skillset so I became a bank teller. About two weeks in, I was robbed at gunpoint. The robber jumped behind the counter and I was down on the floor with a gun to my head while they entered and took money from all of the drawers. The FBI came. The next morning I drove back to work and out of all the employees in that bank, I was the only one who returned. I was rewarded, got a promotion, went to corporate headquarters and never had to work in a bank itself again.” Suzie spent 2½ years with that bank before moving to Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Although expected not to work, Suzie was bored and began a career with catering in the hotel industry, which she continued with Hyatt when the couple PCSed to Washington, D.C. Then Lt. Col. Schwartz spent two years in Germany while Suzie opted to remain stateside to further her career. “At the time it was really hard for us, but it was the best decision,” she recalls. “I was able to establish myself in the Hyatt Corporation and it led to me being hired two more times by Hyatt. I had succeeded and it gave me choices.”

When Everything Changed

Everyone remembers where they were when they learned about the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Suzie and Gen. Schwartz were stationed in Alaska, five hours behind New York City time. He was running when Suzie’s next door neighbor called and told her to turn on the TV. “It’s a searing memory,” she recollects. “We were gathered in my friend’s kitchen not knowing what to do, but all of us knowing our lives had changed. Shortly thereafter, my husband was assigned to the Pentagon and we were there as we launched the war in Iraq.”

Making a Tangible Difference

After 9/11 when the remains of fallen service members were returned to U.S. soil, they landed at Dover Air Force Base before making their final destination home. In 2008 President Bush reversed a rule and allowed family members to go to Dover to meet the casualties. Gen. Schwartz and Suzie flew up to also be there the first time news media and families were permitted to attend.

The flight was bringing three airmen home. “It can be a long process. There may be three different ceremonies depending on if the family requests no media, local media only or access to anyone,” Suzie explains. “We were in a small lobby of an old chapel waiting with a drop ceiling, fluorescent lighting and blue folding chairs. Each family was clustered in a group. I remember looking at these families and thinking this is not the place to come and grieve. When they come to Dover, it’s usually within about 36 hours of the notification of the death of their loved one. You don’t know what emotions they’ll be portraying at the time.” One family was deeply religious and took solace in having their chaplain there. One family was visibly distraught, sobbing. Another family was angry.

On the plane ride back to Washington, D.C., Suzie looked at her husband and said, “We can do better than that.” Meaning: The families need a soothing, comfortable space in which to wait and grieve. Six months later, the Center for the Families of the Fallen opened. Suzie contacted the USO and that organization also helped improve the family experience.

Next came a Fisher House at Dover AFB. Then a meditation garden that garden clubs from all around the country contributed to. “All of that came from that one setting of watching families and thinking our country can do better for them,” Suzie recalls. “Now Dover is a beautiful place where families can go at the worst time ever for them. That is part of my legacy.”

The Fisher House Foundation, which provides military families with housing close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury, also has benefited from Suzie’s philanthropic heart. Suzie was bored while stationed in Hawaii and a neighbor managed the Fisher House there, where Suzie started volunteering.

Fast forward eight years to when Suzie lived in St. Louis. “I started being really involved with the community then and St. Louis was trying to build a Fisher House. That really got me started within the nonprofit and I stayed passionate about it ever since. As soon as my husband retired in 2012 they reached out to me, which I thought was really special because many nonprofits reach out to the active duty member rather than the spouse following retirement. I remain on their board to this day.”

Suzie also is a passionate supporter of the Military Child Education Coalition and has served as an Air Force Aid Society board member and on the Air Force Charity Ball Committee.

Enjoy The Ride

Much as Suzie looks back on her military life with love and respect, she cautions spouses to realize that even for senior spouses, it hasn’t all been rosy; today’s senior spouses once faced the same challenges today’s junior spouses face.

“Some of us in the early days worked hard so we could have the benefits we have today,” Suzie says. “There was no Airman and Family Readiness Center at first. No Key Spouse Program or FRG. There were none of these organizations that now exist. You were expected as an officer spouse to fulfill all of those roles. Your job literally was to take care of families.”

And take care of families she did, and still does today. One of Suzie’s greatest joys is entertaining in her home. “I love it more than anything,” she says. “I used to want to be Martha Stewart and would watch her on HGTV. I’d always say when I was no longer working I would up my home game. I worked until 2000 when Nort became a three-star and then I really did it.”

Today Suzie is an avid gardener, entertains as much “as humanly possible” and orchestrates beautiful table place settings. She loves to watch sports – especially the Razorbacks and Nationals – and spends hours in her craft room, meticulously crafting handmade greeting cards. She also works as President of Military Spouse programs.

By all accounts, Suzie’s life has been a resounding success. What success means for her, though, isn’t about accolades, resume bullet points and trophies.

“Success for me has been the joy I receive in watching military spouses be successful,” she says. “That’s where my joy comes from. It comes from imparting wisdom and connecting them with others who can help. I watch so many young and old spouses in awe because they do such great things. Any small part I have in that success makes me happy.

“When Nort and I went to bed each night the last thing we thought about was if we’d done the best for our airmen and their families that day,” she says. “As he retired, I had no regrets. I don’t want to live that life again; it was crazy. I love my life now. Was I successful in everything? Absolutely not, but I can keep going forward and not look back. I know I did my best.”

Perhaps one of the most important attributes a spouse can have is the ability to keep an open mind. Suzie shares, “The journey is not what you think it’s going to be, but it could be even better. My life went a whole different direction than what I thought it was going to be. Yours may too.”

The Why Behind the Photos at the 9/11 Memorial

Photo courtesy of Erin J. Rexroth Photography

Life changed dramatically after 9/11. Gen. Schwartz started working almost around the clock at the Pentagon. “My life has revolved around that since,” Suzie says. “You’re wanting to do everything you can for families of the fallen. The outpouring from Americans was so unbelievable. I was at the Pentagon the day the 9/11 Memorial was opened. We had a wonderful luncheon with the families of those who had died. I got to hear stories of how the memorial came about and what a wonderful bonding experience it was for the families. The families had a say about every aspect of the memorial. They were so united in it; they loved it. That was all that mattered to me.”

Mentors Matter

Suzie Schwartz is a mentor to thousands of spouses. But she didn’t get to where she is today without a few mentors of her own. Here’s what she has to say about them:

Mary Jo Myers: “Her husband was an Air Force four-star general and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. When her husband became the four-star at Pacific Air Forces in Hawaii my husband was a one-star. My husband technically didn’t even work for her husband, but she took me in. She was so wonderful and made sure I was invited to things because my husband was gone almost the entire time we were in Hawaii. She was a profound influence on my life of what a good, inclusive, involved military spouse could do.”

Lynne Pace: “She also is married to the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She was a beautiful entertainer and taught me how to step up my game in the entertaining space. As your spouse continues his or her career, you get household aides to help with official functions, but you can still make great impacts yourself and make functions memorable to people.”

Diane Hobson: “She influenced me earlier on in my husband’s career when he was in a squadron and later when he had a wing. She taught me grace and tolerance.”

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