Mutants of Marnharnna Pt. 11-

With Raylyss and the Scaly Kids out in the mangrove Stinkwoods, frosty Osyl, the rather colourful Zalder, and the anime giantess, Kitsune (correcting the misspelling from last week, rendering her 'Wandering Hovering Spirit') went in search of a jewellery store to sell the loot they had taken from the 'Mall of the Ancients'.

Before getting there, an interaction with a 'friendly' fight prompted Zalder to blow his cover as a non-powered colourful freak, and caught a gent who had been knocked over a second-floor railing. The man was stupefied that this green-skinned, blue-haired, sugar-glider membraned person was holding him aloft, and asked to be gently put down. The assailant, his 'friend' made his way down the stair, to the consternation of the prostitutes they had been cavorting with in the room before the argument had erupted. Osyl, conjured a fabrication of 9 and change pounds of frigid water over the bruiser. The cold water worked in bringing the hulk back to his senses, and Osyl's attempts to sweet-talk him worked better than the player had planned, resulting in the big fella' suddenly being rather taken with her (to the further consternation of said working women). Zalder released his grip on the punchee and flew off as the Law made their way toward the group. A conversation between the deputies in the background suggested that they thought the rather WI Vrun-looking Kitsune and the somewhat Yirinn-looking Osyl didn't much look like cousins, but the WI nobles were prone to mate with whom they desired; and, was it really true that West Coast Vrun really practised bestiality? Kitsune managed to defuse the situation after being admonished not to associate with Muties, at least in town.

With Kitsune's week-long knowledge of Kryssaul City, they set out into the Good Part of town and to a heavily guarded two-floor Jewellery establishment. Ignoring a man who offered to look at their items before they stepped foot inside, the two went inside and marvelled at the collection of Auric Black Metal jewellery in a partitioned case occupied by an armed guard. The staff was knowledgeable enough to spot the quality and mark of the Ancient jewellery and then called the manager, who promptly invited the pair upstairs for a private meeting. The walk up the stairs revealed three full cold-cast plate-armoured over-under coilstock-armed guards on either side of the way, suggesting that such transactions were fairly secure. A brief event revealed a grizzled hunter in another section of the upstairs area, but he quickly disappeared from view. The business was prefaced by a friendly question session by the manager who asked as to the the provenance of the goods, how the girls came to possess it, and after their safety travelling alone on the wild ways with such a haul. Answers were provided in varying degrees of believability, and the sale of some rather remarkable pieces (including a circuitry embedded in a coin and a dagger of some sort of rainbowed-glass-like material), netting 10k count. A Letter of Recommendation and a private carriage ride to the White star Hotel marked the pair of 'cousins' as members of the Amlynn family (one of several known to have founded the ill-fated WICE fort later overrun by combined Aberrant, Dokirin, and Humanoid forces). The White Star Hotel executive suite (100 count per day, not including room service) proved much to the women's' enjoyment, affording Kitsune a relaxing hot bath, and Osyl time to 'chill-out'.

In the meantime, Zalder (having flown in over the mangrove canopy and spotted a pinnace) had been assisting Raylyss in wrangling his son (a rather cunning fisher) when he heard sounds echoing across the water, further out into a channel. Four folks in a dinghy rowed closer, and it was apparent that they were smugglers or pirate-types. Zalder, feeling michevious, experimented with the Water node, but was admonished by the Sisters and then drew upon an Air crystal to stealth up on them unawares. A failed death-stroke attack on an occupant while the three others were poking around for a submerged something alerted the others and the sloppy kill subjected him to wool-pistol fire and afforded the Durnsman (slave?) an escape from the other two. A further failed hatchet throw against the pistoleer and Zalder was hiding in the mangroves as the two survivors (a young woman/girl who was disguising that fact, and an older, relatively 'nice' guy) rowed back with their badly butchered comrade's corpse out to the ship.

The Durn watched as Zalder dredged up a pirate-chest-sized chest encrusted with muck and barnacles, and then floated it up using a large air bubble. The Durn warned him that the contents were holy, and would kill Zalder, and likely himself, if it were opened, but Zalder precoded to pick the lock. The Sisters, unable to speak with him, were clearly distraught for their proxy agent, and he relented, thinking that if they were powerless, it was likely a big deal.

Gadget-girl Kitsune sent a mechanical servant to deliver makeup, hair dye, and a robe to Zalder who then joined them in town at the gunsmiths, where the party purchased more revolvers, and Black Crown manufactured revolving carbines and ammunition, wiping out nearly 7k of their ten. The girls booked passage for the Riverland Peninsula, with special provisions made for a private trip, and entry to the big lake I cannot recall the name of at present, requiring the ship arrive there at high tide, on a full moon (up coming), so as to pass over the flooded shoal separating it from the bay. Full passage was paid and preparations to disembark that night were made.

Hotel antics. Science team brought up. Zalder returned at night with a carriage to fetch Raylyss and the kids, and to offer the Durn a ride, only to find a religious ceremony and a Durn congregation held in the mangroves. There were shadowy figures with luminous eyes and one held a knife to his throat until the okay was given. For his kindness, the priest gave Zalder a chunk of fragrant resinous wood. The return trip to the carriage showed that men were surrounding the vehicle, and a still-mounted rider oversaw the operation. Fighting ensued after Zalder head-shot the mounted feller and he went down hard. Cloaked, but against the night sky in moonlight allowed the shooters on the ground a better chance of striking, and a as if that weren't enough, a night-flying predator snatched him up in its talons before being struck in the fire, dropping him a full minute's swim back to shore. On route, Zalder was bitten by a fish, but it was dispatched in one blow.

We held it there.

Mutants of Marharnna Pt. 03-

This was the first session played at my new home, and marks the beginning of the sessions being played there.

The girls were allowed to go back to their home, where they retrieved pre-packed rucks with things their parents wanted them to have in case of emergency travel (a 'bug-out bag' in paramilitary parlance), and successfully prevented the Ghoul from stealing their mother's good jewellery (has he no shame?). It was also discovered that the dog is at least receptive to mental communication with the girls.
--The group press on with the girls in a cart, pulled by the humanoids (hmm... Can take the mutant out of the Vrun, but can't take the Vrun out of the mutant, it seems), with plans to make for the tree-fort.

Before they were able to make it into that hex, the group found more ruins, now covered by the grasslands, but opt not to explore.
--That night, they set up watch:

Ten strange looking dogs or wolves or whatever attack, and quickly are met in combat by the group, and while the creatures inflict one bad wound on one of the PCs, a few are fairly handily slain (39 DP, with 1d4 Armour).
--As each creature is slain, a black form leaves them, and the body then withers into a husk that comes apart like ashes. Raylyss comes to realise that Qaj'wl is directing them out in the darkness beyond the campfire, and the Shadow-essence is possibly a Conjuration, and one of the characters tests the theory by Dismissing the Conjured Fabrication (hefty DP cost to do so). Raylyss uses his TK Grip on Qaj'wl's Jezail to wrest it from the beast. He tries to use it but opts instead to take up and fire his bow, missing. If memory serves, Raylyss does strike once (perhaps twice) in the next Round, and this initiates Qaj'wl's descent into the ground.
---[Zalder] performs a flying tackle and is being dragged into what feels like quicksand, but is rescued while still strangling the beast, which finally gives up his ghost, and the body is dragged out of the reconstituted grass-covered earth.

The human body is like a skin which covers the jackal-like body beneath it (NSFW), but Zalder's Mind Field suggests that it is devoid of the Monstrous Being's spirit. The body is bound and brought along.
--It is then confirmed that the girls' dog is both intelligent and possessed of powers, as it says to Zalder that it believes that Qaj'wl is now on the Shadow Plane, and is apparently aware of them.

Raylyss and the Ghoul's players then left while I continued with Zalder's player, and the newly introduced Osyl (passes for Vrun, except for her prehensile tail), who is a merchant who aids and abets the Aberrant/Dokirin/Humanoid populations by procuring needed items, and selling their goods in towns. Her mission was to secure ranged weapons for the Garrison, and she attempts to purchase twelve revolvers, but runs afoul of Marnharnnan Defence Agency Marshals (one definitely had psychic powers [Broadcast Empath]), who were originally willing to leave her six of the fine weapons, before she knocked a serious gunslinger 'upside da head' with her TK Blast. She only manages to go free by Conjuring a Fabricated gem and tossing it onto the prone bloke she had secured; a spear to his throat.
--Oddly enough, the merchant ran after her and handed over a box with one revolver, a belt, and a banolier, released to her by the Marshals. This, understandably, puzzled her, and she and her armadillo/turtle cart-puller ('snappy') headed out into the wilds.
---Fae night transports her, snappy, and cart (laden with 100 short bows from another merchant, earlier), to a fungal circle nearly 100 XsM distant, near the tree-fort, where she meets Zalder.

Session.