veganshane

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The fact that you can’t raise taxes on billionaires even slightly without them pouring money into fascist political movements is, of itself, evidence that billionaires as a class shouldn’t be allowed to exist in the first place.

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Session recap…

Exiting the cave and in a hurry to exit the forest the party mount up but as is often the case in tales such as this one they encounter a lone traveler.

He is a young man in his late teens with a beard, second hand armor and axe, as well as a very gregarious way about him.

The newcomer, Ragnar Frostfang ingratiates himself with tales of his quest to find a suitable opponent to prove to his village and clan that he is in fact a full adult. He also insists that he should go along because Davokar holds many dangers, and there is safety in numbers.

The band sets off again through the forest toward the Duchy of Narugor but after a day and a half of travel they realize they are being shadowed by a band of Summer Elves riding on moose and elk. Cavalry of the Iron Pact.

They approach the elves. Jaro asks to parlay with the unit.

Jaro and the Elf captain, Tara-Kel go back and forth.

Jaro mentions his Elven patron and Tara-Kel says his master is well known for being fond of dogs.

Jaro says they are trying to stop a war. Tara-Kel says she welcomes war and a chance to end the duplicitous human scourge and move onto the lands to the west, to at last know peace.

Jaro, backed into a corner, asks if they can get passage out of the forest if they beat her strongest fighter in single combat.

Jaro offers Ragnar as their champion, much to Ragnar’s surprise.

They settle on a head start if Ragnar wins the duel.

Ragnar and Tara-Kel square off and while the elf asks if he is ready the young man strikes with his axe, The plates split and a crimson sprays from the wound as the elf hits the ground gravely wounded.

Offering a bit of medical aid the party leaves at speed for the most direct path out of the forest that puts them near Blackmoor where they go to settle some unfinished business.

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Session recap…

Pye-dog muscles the Goblin Warning Stone away from the entrance of the cave to reveal a moist cave with fungus of various kinds growing on the damp wall and the stream deepens a bit as they proceed deeper lit my torch light and some bioluminescent fungus throwing off an eerie green glow, their nostrils filled with the stink of rot and decay..

Small things watch from cracks and crevices and evidence of less small things are found: the gear belonging to the Spring Elves has been casually discarded. Soon enough, that gives way to unsettling whispers and giggles and taunts.

Jaro tries to reason with them again but they are changed,having succumbed to the corruption of the fungus, of Davokar.

A battle soon begins as the greater thread is soon revealed: a massive pulsating fungal colony rooted to another opening in the cave where water trickles out.

The biggest lighted pixies fight with tooth and claw having given up their bows and spears, while the massive fungus lashes out with a tentacle-like appendage.

Pye sends a flurry of arrows at a corrupted spring elf while avoiding the fungal tentacle.

Cirque fills the chamber with mystical fire but is gripped by a tentacle and is dragged across the damp cave floor.

Breaking free of the fungal abomination he again sends a cascade of fire taking out the fungus leaving only charred remains and the stench of sulfur.

Jaro finishes the remaining blight born fairies.

They are hit by a rush of water released from the adjoining chambers, Cirque is nearly washed away but Pye plucks him from the torrent.

The band proceeds into the next chamber wading through the high water toward the ruin of a doorway in a massive stonework wall.

Over the walk in ancient Symbaran an inscription promises an end to hunger and want and beyond the door a cyclopean chamber filled with the skeletons of colossal overgrown domesticated animals.

Pye-dog shocked by the sight, nearly falls into the water.

Jaro magically contacts his mentor about what this place is

The elf simply says relics and memories of ages past, hubiris made manifest.

The group dispatches fungal colonies sprouting from veins of corruption permeating the skeletons and destroy the bones as well.

The group departs at speed as their deadline is approaching to prevent a war.

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Session recap for Symbaroum

Pye-Dog and Cirque begin the day's journey to the village of “barbarians” that they had met and assisted in a hunt. On the trek they spot another human, not wishing to panic anyone the goblin and ogre attempt to hide from the human walking down a side trail in the same direction they are.

The attempt to hide does not quite go as planned and there are soon introductions all around. The newcomer is Jaro. Jaro introduces himself as a traveling alchemist selling his wares to the various villages around Bright Davokar and into Ambria.

Arriving at the village of Axehome they seek out the village witch, Ulla, to ask about the fungus.

Pye and Cirque find them, perched high in a tree, a rail thin teen with a tangle of red hair and an owl mask. The witch invites them to come up the tree to have an audience.

Pye tries desperately to scale the tree but to no avail.

Impressed by their tenacity the teen tosses down a rope. Soon enough the ogre and goblin sit precariously in the tree next to Ulla.

They find out about the shallow stream, more a trickle of water that flows out from the forest spreading the vile mushrooms into the outer edges of Davokar, and that it springs from a cave with a goblin warning stone blocking the entrance.

With a horse and a donkey purchased from the Axehomers the group no including Jaro sets out following the water and going at speed realizing their fortnight until the Duke sets the forest ablaze is running out.

On the second night they have an encounter with a small band of spring elves who are interested in tormenting the group. The pixies fling verbal barbs and balls of mud and corrupt mushroom matter at the group from the safety of the trees.

Jaro chastises them and warns them they will be in trouble with the adult elves if they leave bored and frustrated that no one would take the bait and pick a fight.

The rest of the journey to the Goblin Warning Stone is much less eventful they arrive at a stone outcropping among the trees. Over the mouth of a cave sat a large flat rock that must of taken several goblins to move into place, on the stone a Goblin glyph that just says “Bad!”

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Taking the initiative Cirque and Pye-Dog take a dip into bright Davokar and look for signs of the origins of the corrupting fungus.

On the trail they come across a group escorting a young woman, Elda, on a coming of age hunt with her parents and the village top hunter/warrior.

The goblin and ogre attempt to hide. The huge ogre blends into the scenery while the tiny goblin is easily seen and gives the humans, barbarians according to the Ambrias, a toothy self deprecating grin.

The groups become fast friends sharing their disdain for mainline Ambrian society and religiosity.

Pye-dog eager to help tries, and fails to help track the woman’s quarry, a common boar, or perhaps a. aboar. An aboar being a monstrously large version of the common beast, and a challenge to even the most skilled combatant.

Elda finds her own set of tracks and sprints off to follow them. Follow them to a massive aboar. The beast snorts and charges, Elda sets her spear and the creature runs itself through, but keeps fighting trampling the woman and attempting to gore her with massive tusks.

The rest of the group spring into action in a blizzard of arrows axes and magical fire saving the woman before the aboar could cause further harm.

The group then break bread and the hunting band share what they know about the fungus but admit their village witch would know much greater details that would aid Cirque and Pye-dog in their task.

The two clock, ticking decide go to the village and do some research.

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Cirque and Pye-Dog go on a reconnaissance walk to check on what the blighted cows were doing. Although trying to move with stealth Pye-dog failed to be as quiet as expected, drawing the attention of the beast that paused from its rampage to go after the ogre.

Duck and dodging between the trees Pye-dog and Cirque ambush the abomination, felling it with arrows and magic.

The pair emboldened, try it again. Pye-dog scales a tree to seize an advantage, but fails to make the shot angering the beast the proceeds to charge the tree attempting to dislodge Pye from his perch. Pye falls but catches himself on a lower branch in reach of the creature.

It gores Pye’s leg as he tries to climb higher.

Cirque steps in and hits the bovine abomination with a rain of sulphurous fire ending it but not without a cost of the first traces of permanent corruption permeating his shadow.

The commotion attracts the final beast that charges Cirque after the goblin’s magic does next to nothing.

Pye knocks and let’s fly an arrow after that penetrates the monster’s thick hide.

Cirque pokes the beast in the eye, and pulls back.

A combination of arrows and mystical fire finishes the fight.

The pair find their companions engaged in a debate on the nature of corruption and theology. Cirque settles it with a sample of corrupt fungus that is growing all over the part of the forest that Arlo had been grazing the cattle.

The whole group takes time to rest for a bit after the fight.

CIRQUE: I wonder what my tribe is doing? It’s been a while

PYE-DOG: (curious) What’s a tribe?

CIRQUE: A group of folks you live with and who take care of each other.

PYE-DOG: Are we a tribe?

CIRQUE: I guess we are big-guy, I guess we are.

PYE-DOG: Good!

A debate is had about what comes next. In the end Althus takes everyone to Kurun, where Father Cario will preside over the trial of the farm family on charges of heresy and practice of dark magics. If they are so inclined the PCs can testify on behalf of the family.

A long wagon ride later they group arrives in Kurun the capital of the Duchy. They go to the Cathedral in the city center and find a circus atmosphere as Mother Ordelia has pushed to start the trial.

Within the cathedral the pews are full of folks looking for a spectacle.

As Mother Ordelia and her deacons start performing rituals to force a truthful confession to very narrow and leading questions. Ada attempts to go to Duke Berakka who she has a contract to deal with a monstrous threat on the Duchy’s border with Davokar.

The sellsword tries to make her way quietly but she is not the quiet sort and everyone in the church turns to watch even the inquisitors who stumble in their questioning of the family.

Ada makes her plea and brings up Cirque with his evidence and their story of battling the abominations.

The Duke chooses to put his thumb on scale. A cosmopolitan man who has seen battle in the War Against the Dark Lords he declares a mistrial and the gallery erupts in a cacophony of cheers and jeers.

Mother Ordelia makes threats against the PCs that they will regret meddling in the church’s affairs.

The Duke for his part says he will organize his garrisons to burn away the part of the forest in question.

Knowing full well this could bring down the wrath of the elves Cirque and Ada request the chance to root out the actual source of the fungus.

The duke gives them a fortnight to do their investigation but the duke is more than will to fight the elves in the smoldering ruin of the forest than within a lush one where the elves have an advantage.

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Session recap for Symbaroum…

With incoming riders coming in (six by Pye-dog’s reconing) the party opts to hide in the farm’s small barn, the lady of the house declines to join them.

From the barn they hear shouting, pleading and then, most of, newcomers departing save for a Templar in training and a soldier (Althus and Iyillio)

The two are about to set the farm alight when the party intervenes convincing Althus that they can suss out the corruption on the farm.

Finding tainted dried meats and cheeses they burn the lot of it.

Questioning Althus about the fate of Divina, they find out it will be a grim one, they appeal to Althus again to go after Arlo and the source of the corruption. Despite believing the core comes from a lack of faith and too much deference to nature contrary to the wishes of Prios, Althus accompanies the group into the fringes of Davokar.

They run across Arlo and Pug in a panic, they relay that much of the herd fell to corruption and went on a violent rampage.

Finding the abominations they take down a straggler and then get ready to take on the last three.

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Session recap for Symbaroum TTRPG

The group leaves Thistlehold for the tent city/shantytown of Blackmoor.

A half day’s march away the smells of open fires and tightly packed humanity greet them before the crest the hill and see it.

Feon, the Changeling suggests they visit a soup kitchen/mission of the follower of Father Servallo’s heretical sect of the Church of Prios, where he had found refuge from time to time.

The group arrives to find the mission surrounded by a jeering crowd lead by a member of the mainline church Mother Ordelia, an intense woman with a mace on her hip and zeal in her voice declaring all who enter damned and corrupted.

Once past the gate Feon notices the normally busy kitchen is absolutely still with the volunteers standing by nervously.

Reconnecting with Father Maliano they find out that for the past several days visitors to the soup kitchen have fallen to corruption becoming blight born abominations creating havoc and attacking others seeking a meal.

The priest agrees to see about translating the mysterious language from the rubbing from Davokar if the party looks into the cause of the recent incidents.

Entertaining thoughts if Mother Ordelia is to blame they settle on looking into the ingredients of the soup itself. Tasting it Cirque feels the corruption and narrows it down to an alchemical elixir (The Milk of Kindness) added to the soup and the milk used to create it. Pye-dog verifies the milk is bad!

Questioning Father Baremo the resident scholar who makes the elixir the find out the mills source and depart to investigate further leaving Baremo to enthusiastically work on the translation project.

A day and a half they travel to the farm near the edge of Davokar.

Ada stands guard while Pye-dog examines a cow in a fenced area of the farmstead. The leaves Cirque the Goblin wizard and Feon to chat with the farm family.

While Arlo is out grazing the cattle with their oldest child “Pug” his wife Divina is home, baby on her hip is seeing to other duties.

After reassuring her the Yeoman farmer talks about being caught between what the local priest wishes her to do (push into the forest as it is the will of Prios that all wildlands be tamed) Arlo’s desire to help the less fortunate and his childhood priest, Baremo, and the warnings of the barbarian clans that warned them grassing them in this part of the forest will only lead to death and sorrow. Now they have a bull that’s not a bull anymore, terrorizing the countryside, and sick cows.

As this is happening Pye-dog sees that the cow in the pen is not right, the animal has open sores oozing a black pus. Pye-dog draws his bow but somehow misses.

The beast turns her head and watches the arrow flay past harmlessly. She looks back making eye contact with the Ogre and let’s out a blood curdling noise half moo and half scream.

Pye-dog knocks another arrow, fires and hits the beast.

Skin sloughing off the cow charges and gores Pye-dog the beast's corruption flowing into the wound.

The others run to the noise, and Cirque unleashes a cascade of brimstone the beast erupts in sulfurous foul smelling flames.

Feon closes, stabbing the beast, Pye-dog follows up stabbing the beast as well. Cirque deals the final blow with more mystical fire.

With no chance to rest Ada shouts “Mother Ordelia is incoming and she has soldiers with her!”

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Dramatis Personae:

Ada: An Ambrian human and a halberd wield sell-sword currently under contract to identify a beast attacking farms and travelers near the Davokar Forest.

Cirque: A goblin who paid too much attention working as domestic staff at the Ordo Magica. Trained by a mentor until their death, Cirque is now living on the streets of Thistlehold. Cirque is also absolutely sure the wizards of the OM won’t miss those books he made off with.

Feon: a Changeling and follower of a heretical sect of the Church of Prios he keeps a low profile while spreading the sects message of radical compassion among the downtrodden of Ambria.

Pye-dog aka Stray: An Ogre fresh from the forest they are taking in life as it comes learning about the world and it’s wonders and ugliness one day at a time.

Symbaroum session 1:The Shadows of Thistlehold

In a bustling open air market at dinner time Feon a Changeling and religious non-conformist is bumped into by someone who looks almost identical to him this followed by a cloaked figure brandishing a crossbow shouting “Hey! stop thief!”

The archer pans his crossbow across the persons that look like a threat Ada with pole arm strapped to her back and Pye-dog a docile but feral looking Ogre. Cirque a Goblin is caught in the middle.

Ada talks the archer down as two more close ranks while a fourth watches from a distance, all in dark.

Feon dashes after the doppelgänger who drops the glamour revealing themself as another Changeling as they make their way deeper into the city.

Meanwhile the Ada and company engage in a battle of wits with the henchmen who are out to retrieve their lords stolen property. The henchmen loose thinking they have subcontracted the retrieval to the folks they were ready to kill moments earlier. All for the princely sum of 17 schillings and two pence.

The three venture off to find Feon returning to the market. And the group as a whole venture off to find the Changeling and in the process Feon discovers someone had planted a scroll case.

Inside was a sketch of a ruined tower, a basic set of directions and rubbing of a language that none of them can identify. It looks to everyone like it could lead to something valuable, interesting or both with is the Davokar Forest.

They try a bit longer to find their runaway Changeling, lead by Pye-Dog’s talented nose for tracking. Alas only discover a bit bod information about them, an associate who is very loud and boisterous.

They make copies of the contents the best they can and forge a slightly altered set of directions that looks remarkably like the original.

Returning the scroll case to the thugs they follow them back to their master’s home an estate belong to a local physician named Valtios.

Having established who the scroll belonged to the group sets out for Blackmoor to hopefully get the mysterious language translated.

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Uthke and Tatum go in to Thibadeau’s office with a sliver of a plan to get him to admit what’s going on or otherwise exonerate the crew of the Phorcys.

Tatum and Thibadeau have a back and forth before Thibadeau’s patience rubs out and he triggers a micro turret that starts to rain down hell on the two Martians.

Ethan and Kian are waiting outside in case trouble starts but are quickly rolled up as the UN security services move in as gunfire happens.

In Thibadeau’s business Uthke and Tatum close distance and get into a scrum to avoid the turret and hopefully end the fight, as Mario scurries out to avoid the chaos and danger.

Tatum has a realization that Thibadeau must have something telling the turret not to fire on him and surmises it must be in his prominent cybernetic eyes.

Uthke takes the hint and moves in and efficiently finds the maintenance release on the prosthetic.

The turret turns and fires on them all as the UN bursts into n and takes out the turret as it tries to chew up the desk being used as cover.

They are all rolled up into UN custod.

They are held there for nearly two years as guests of the UN. Their position as Martian nationals affording them some layer of comfort and safety.

Over the time they are held for various legal proceedings as news of the outside world comes in drips and drabs; the rings ope, colonies are established, Mars is losing population to the new colonies.

All this while being questioned on their involvement in various events and about the Nauvoo/Behomoth/Medina Station. And about Protomolecule ghosts.

At long last they are freed after the LDS church leans in the new UN Secretary General, Nancy Gao and some gentle pushes from the Martian diplomatic corps.

Tatum meets with Elder Birch about contracting the Phorcys to escort ships full of colonists to a new planet beyond the rings and Uthke meets with Winston Duarte about medical logistics as well as soft probing on Uthke and her thoughts on what is the key to Martian greatness and of those abandoning the red planet for greener ones scattered across the galaxy.

In the end Tatum green lights a refit for adding an air frame to Phorcys to make it atmospheric flight ready and gets ready for a trip out of the solar system.

Ethan takes a job as colony security for the church thinking how easy policing the population will be but not considering possible dangers of an alien world.

Kian is offered a racing contract with Royal Crown Energy, his catchphrase “Fly like a pirate!” Becomes a sensation in corporate marketing.

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Session recap for The Expanse: Flight of the Phorcys

Most of the crew is being detained by UN Military Intelligence while Mario the new ship’s mechanic slips away into the tunnels and domes of Lovell City.

Mario ditching the cart and the armor and his hand terminal made his way across the city. A long arduous trek, avoiding cameras. Backtracking to get around checkpoints and law enforcement patrols until finding a clear path to Thibadeau’s warehouse. He arrives exhausted and in survival mode.

Meanwhile Tatum and company try and negotiate their way out of the jam that could leave them just a number in a UN ultra max prison until the sun goes out.

Thibadeau questions Mario about what went down and weighs his options, Mario suddenly has a worry that one of those options might be a bullet to the head.

Tatum and Bix and the crew begin to formulate a plan to get closer to Thibadeau and his buyer.

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Session recap - The Expanse: Flight of the Phorcys

Arriving at Lovell City in b Luna (Earth’s moon), the gre say goodbye to their Pinkwater and LDS passengers after the incident at Clarke Station.

They begin a hunt for more lucrative cargos to haul back toward the belt/outer planets. With traffick headed to investigate the new alien megastructure past Uranus Tatum hopes to find some legitimate cargo that they could fly.

Meanwhile in the process of hunting down resupply for the ship in some of the lest polished areas of Lovell City, Mario makes contact with one Arun Tibadeau.

Tibadeau claims to be an importer/exporter of unique items across the solar system. He is also need of a crew to regain control of a valuable item that has been stolen from his warehouse.

Excited by a steep discount on the highly regulated ammo for their point defense cannons and the chance at hauling high value luxury goods. Mario pitches the job to the crew.

After some sniffing around Ethan discovers he knows Thibadeau from his days in the UNNMC (United Nations Navy Marine Corps). Thibadeau was a somewhat crooked supply Sargent who seems to have leveraged that talent into some degree of wealth.

After some negotiations the crew agrees and disguised as UNNMC MPs they visited t the Scalarcios who made off with a portable cold storage unit that Thibadeau claims has high end cheese and other delicacies headed for a buyer on Ceres.

Rolling out for Aldrin Estates a neighborhood mainly populated by service sector workers the crew looking every bit the part of UNNMC military police arrive at the mall dest Scalarcio home where they demanded and were granted entry.

Uthke begins interrogation of the youths, who appear very nervous.

Kian begins to search the rooms of the house as the interrogation continues, notices a door in the floor of the kitchen as he opens the red dots of laser sights painting his chest.

Kian then sees armed figures in black tactical uniforms with UN Military Intelligence Agency badges.

The leader directs Kian to be quiet and put his shotgun gown, as Tatum asks if it’s all clear in the back.

Tatum goes to check on Kian and walks into Kian trying fire his shotgun at the UN operative as he steps toward Kian as he fires missing his target as the operative attempts to gain a firing position and the gunfire gouges Kians armored vest.

Seeing where it’s going Tatum orders everyone to stand down as Mario standing at the cart outside notices drones taking up positions above the house. Mario slips out to give their patron a heads up.

In the house Tatum tells everyone to stand down and after a few attempts to maintain the charade that they are UNNMC MPs they give up as Colonel Bix leader of the UN Military Intelligence strike team gives a detailed accounting of the Phorcys recent history in relation to other powers in the solar system.

Tatum starts to bargain for their life and the rest of the crew and this is put into overdrive as it is revealed that the bust was a sting related to groups trying to traffic/acquire Protomolecule samples.

The task immediately ahead: stop Mario from getting to Tibadeau.

[veganshane]

Session recap for The Expanse: Flight of the Phorcys RPG campaign

Docked at Clarke Station the crew of the Phorcys attempts to get a clearer view of the station’s status and security concerns, sending Ethan to talk to station security.

Ethan discovers the Mormon faithful on the station engaged in protests declaring Pinkwater unwelcome as well as recorded speeches by Jefferson Yerdly Smith rabble rousing against the LDS establishment.

At the security office Ethan meets with Fatima Carlson-Duale the chief of Pinkwater operations. An Earther woman in early middle age in a forest green hijab with an accent of the Midwest of the North American Shared Interest Zone.

Ethan and the chief dance around the current situation and a few things are clear. Fitzgerald has a replacement security team and is offering to make the transfer “painless” if she surrenders the Phorcys crew and passengers, She and the station governor are at an impasse over next steps and the UN views it as a contract dispute and with a giant alien object on the edge of the solar system without out an actual threat no naval support can be expected.

Ethan returns to the ship and a plan to use the Phorcys as an escape vessel for Pinkwater staff and their families is hatched. Tatum and Uthke go to make the offer while. Mario is set to work making restraint harnesses out of what ever materials he can find while grumbling about no shore leave.

The Lee is in its breaking burn still an hour and a half out.

News from Earth is that Smith’s supporters have taken over key locals in Salt Lake City and are demanding Utah be made an autonomous region free of UN control. A “leak” reveals the undersecretary of energy and health has thoughts about the demands.

“They want autonomy fine, we’ll shut down the grid cut Basic to the region and pull out all the medical infrastructure and they can fuck right off. We have more pressing issues at the moment!”

Tatum and Fatima come to an agreement and the chief gives the word that anyone wanting to leave had best grab their gear and loved ones and head to the Phorcys’ berth.

Buttoning up just as the John D Lee docks with the station. Kian takes the Phorcys out and under the Lee’s dorsal hull as Uthke uses the point defense cannons to target their sensor array and targeting laser the speed and volume of projectiles shredding the Lee’s nose and some of its crew, neutralizing the threat of the torpedoes and rail gun

The Phorcys leaves the crippled freighter behind as the saunter away at a leisurely third of a G making their way to Luna and Lovell City where Apostle Birch meets with UNN to try and navigate out of the sectarian conflict.

[veganshane]

Session recap for The Expanse: Flight of the Phorcys…

Red Band Alerts flash across displays set to accept public feeds: Alien object launched from Venus reconfiguring into a ring-like structure beyond orbit of Uranus governments of Mars and Earth urge calm in the face of the unknown.

In the infirmary of the Phorcys after several hours unconscious and under the care of the medical expert system, Uthke wakes up feeling like she was hit by a bus, Tatum looking down at her appearing quite concerned.

They exchange updates on Uthke’s ghost being almost finished with its task and Kian having doges the alien object and at least for the moment putting some distance between them and the John D Lee.

With a single torpedo left, Tatum and the crew debate the best option to avoid a prolonged engagement with the larger and better armed craft.

Decision made, they “fly casual” and stealthily expel the torpedo in the path of the Lee. The risky move pays off.

The Lee tracks the Phorcys course close enough to trigger the proximity fuse and a brief flash overwhelms the Phorcys telescopes and the Lee starts to veer off course as it’s reactor goes on to an emergency shut down killing the ship’s Epstein drive and venting atmosphere from a hull breach.

Kian hits the gas, and the Phorcys flees the scene at 1.5 Gs of acceleration and the John D Lee is dead in space at least for a couple of days.

Keeping telescopes trained on the Lee to monitor their progress after a day and a half the Lee lights its torch and starts a punishing burn for Clarke Station.

Tatum orders Kian to make haste to Clarke as well in hopes of beating the Lee there. Kian shows the skills that won the Titan Cup and they arrive ahead of the Lee by a few hours. With relatively few ill effects on crew and passengers.

At Clarke Station they are warned there is a little bit of cobol unrest among the population demanding a that Pinkwater Security lose its contract to do security on the station because of propaganda videos that tie the Pinkerton Agency a progenitor of Pinkwater Security to oppression of the early Mormon church in what had been the United States at the time. The attempts to revive old grudges has Pinkwater stuck on how forcefully they can respond to the protests without overplaying their hand.

Docked and debating what to do next, Mario the ship's new engineering tech ingratiates himself with local port workers with fresh bulbs of coffee and baked goods. He gets a bit more detail on the protests and the best place to score new jobs and the departure of science ships outward toward the newly formed alien ring.

[veganshane]

Session recap for The Expanse: Flight of the Phorcys

Loading Apostle Birch and the LDS legal team onto the Phorcys, The crew move to rendezvous with the Behemoth to skim a torpedo reload off of the ships stores.

As Kian pilots the ship in and the rest of the crew helps their passengers settle in. The ships sensor array picks up a massive temperature spike in the designated cargo bay.

A massive explosion rocks the ship. Warning claxons blare as the weapons and reactor go offline and crew and passengers knock into bulkheads midship. Bumps bruises and a broken wrist are the order of the day.

Tatum asks for a scan for nearby ships. Of all the traffic now ordered to hold position around Tycho Station one vessel, the John D. Lee. Tatum tells Ethan to give the Lee a closer look so the former UNN marine opens the full capability of the Phorcys’ sensor array including painting the Lee with the targeting system. Looking at power output and hull details the Lee, a large freighter, has a poorly hidden rail-gun.

Tatum orders Kian to keep the ship out of the firing arc of those things just in case.

Kian flies the ship tea-kettle(only thrusters) manage to keep out of the firing arc of the rail gun as reactor and weapons repairs are made by Tatum and Mario.

Ethan hails the Lee once he notes a passive lock on the Phorcys.

Clayton Fitzgerald the captain of the Lee tries to ease tensions with some anti-

Belter racism and appeals to Ethan who he assumes is an Earther, that everyone can just calm down and that the Phorcys did paint him with a targeting laser first.

After some quick repairs they take a meandering route sunward to confuse anyone tailing them. And by day 3 of the week long 1G burn sunward it is apparent that they are being followed. Careful analysis of sensor and telescope data reveals the John D Lee is flying casual but absolutely following them.

Following up with earlier conversations with Apostle Birch, Tatum and company learn the Lee’s name is a historical reference to a Mormon militia leader convicted and executed for the massacre of 120 settlers passing through the Utah territory in the 19th century United States.

As they have this discussion a wide band emergency message is transmitted along their vector.

“This is a joint emergency message from the UNN and MCRN An unknown object has launched from the surface of Venus and is accelerating at tremendous speed. All craft are encouraged to move out of the path of the object at top safe speed, Navigation data follows…”

The debate on how to react was cut short as Kian makes orients the ship perpendicular to the ecliptic and pushes the Epstein drive into a hard 9G burn evading the object and the John D. Lee.

At a safe distance Kian cuts thrust after righting their course so everyone one can take a breather but nearly everyone on board was left with some sort of acceleration trauma.

Body parts popped out of sockets, bruises, broken noses and Uthke the ships physician unconscious in her crash couch.

Surprisingly the two Belter crew, Kian and Mario came out in scathed leading to Kian teasing Ethan about who can really handle high Gs.

[veganshane]

Session recap for The Expanse RPG, Flight of the Phorcys…

Discussion of hiring new crew has lead to offering a mechanic job to Mario a Belter with out a lot of ties that he is willing to speak of and a real aversion to fighting but a willingness to do EVAs that much of the rest of the crew does not have. Even reloading the torpedo magazine into the external launcher.

After a new employee orientation and ship tour that included a bit of hazing the crew goes to their meeting with Camina Drummer and comes clean on why they powered up a PDC in Tycho’s docking ring and a mild rebuke on not coming forward with everything when station security visited. Drummer tells them that the same individuals likely made an attempt on the LDS delegation and offers them a job taking them sunward to Clarke Station, a Lagrange station near Earth and firmly under UN governance.

The crew negotiates a deal for payment and access to a repair berth after the job and a torpedo reload beforehand and. As well as security clearances for transportation of the Mormons from the hotel to the Phorcys.

To cover their exit they raise an environmental alert to keep people out of the corridors between hotel and docking ring.

The transit goes well until an eagle eyed attorney spots a threat behind them and breaks into a full run.

Dropping back Ethan sees the threat. One of the massive augmented thugs that paid them a visit is barreling down the corridor in an environment suit.

Ethan draws and fires the slugs hitting but the monster of a man only notices in that he pauses to draw and fire his own pistol. Volleys of gun fire are exchanged as Uthke leads the Mormon delegation to the ship where Kian and Mario are doing preflight checks.

For their bit Tatum jury rigs a fire extinguisher to function as a smoke bomb.

As the corridor fills with a white powdery cloud Ethan continues to put slugs into the attacker slowly slowing him and dropping the augmented hitman with a shot to the throat as he emerges from the chemical cloud.

Meanwhile at the ship Uthke alone in the airlock waiting gets a visit from a familiar apparition. The dead man says they are go for launch.

When Uthke asks about a destination the dead man gives a set of coordinates.

The solar system is on the edge, at a tipping point.

[veganshane]

With jobs and credentials the crew start work on Tycho and with a little research they discover that getting their hands on the relics their employer wants will be a challenge and that Smith might not have the authority within the LDS that they had assumed.

Kian hits pay dirt as his sister has seen a real split among the LDS into an establishment faction and followers of Jefferson Yerdly Smith. This leads him to scope out the Mormon lawyers that are restricted to a hotel near the main docking ring.

Ethan has less luck as The Churn breaks Ethan walks into Smith. Knocking into him and then coming up with a story on the fly that they need to meet with him about the job.

The crew brainstorms some issues to bring up with Smith at the tea house meeting.

Tatum asks Smith about his lack of authority to negotiate for the LDS and their grim guess on casualties if they actually try to steal the relics from the Nauvoo’s flight deck.

Smith explains the items will help him demonstrate his project to remake the LDS Church is ordained by God. Smith also was more content of projected dead and wounded were a worthwhile sacrifice to proceed forward.

Smith’s callous response sends Tatum into a rage and they draw and fire their taser, and miss only destroying Smith’s hand terminal. Seeing red Tatum yells next time it will be bullets.

Smith reply: “will more cash make you less squeamish?”

Ethan escorts Tatum back to the ship where a long group conversation is had on use of force.

While all this going on Uthke continues to run medical scans to try and figure out the nature of her hallucinations. And from there moves on to research what the apparition is fixated on specifically the Razorback, uncovering connection to Eros and the recent hot war between Earth and Mars.

With no other options Ethan and Tatum dig into their work on Tycho and the Nauvoo.

Ethan gets a working tour of the massive ship and lays eyes on Smith’s relics still under the center console along with a large new lock on the display case.

Tatum spends nearly 4 days working on the power consumption and related issues of the heavy railgun systems that are shorting out whole decks even in diagnostic tests.

At the end of the long week another wave of The Churn hits as associates of Smith’s pay a not so social visit on the crew to make sure that none of Mr Smith’s desires make it into Fred Johnson’s ear.

Threat and counter threats are exchanged and the Phorcys ups the ante and spins up a PDC above the clear topped umbilical.

Smith’s lackeys back down but a security team is sent down to investigate the activation of a weapon in port.

Tatum tries to sell a story about running a systems diagnostic on the PDC but the lead on the security team doesn’t buy it and eventually asks about the Phorcys’ three visitors that were in the tube during the diagnostic.

Tatum denies knowledge of the visitors and is given an invitation to have a long talk with Camina Drummer on the matter.