An End and a Beginning

I mentioned last week that I have a hankering for some post-apocalyptic RPGing. However, I am still in the middle of a sci-fi adventure. I'm trying to finish it first before moving on to the shattered world of Elysium. To that end, I present the next episode of the Tales of the Space Templars.

A Fly in the Ointment

Episode 6 of Plans Go Awry

Last episode, our heroes made their way to the A Wing Docks. Tee punched a code into the hatch's control panel and the door slid open.

Looking into the dock's passageway, Rugen could see about a dozen humans and humanoid sitting on the floor. Their hands were bound and they wore a defeated look on their faces. They turned toward the opening door. Puzzled looks crossed their faces.

"Don't worry, we're here to help." stated Rugen as he approached one of the captives.

A man at the far end of the line of prisoners shook his head. "Run while you can. We're lost already."

Before Rugen could respond, an airlock to a docked ship opened. Two laser-armed "bugs entered the passageway. Upon spotting Rugen and Tee, they leveled their rifles and fired. A glancing shot hit Tee in the opening fusillade; he stumbled backward. Rugen rushed forward, using his power sword to deflect the enemy' shots. He lunged and struck one of the bugs, stunning it. He then engaged the other. It used its rifle like a club, swinging wildly and forcing Rugen to duck and dodge.

Recovered, Tee began to shoot at the bugs. Regaining its senses, the first bug squeezed off a shot. It struck Tee in the chest, sparking a series of short circuits. Tee had to pause to perform repairs on his systems. This left Rugen fending off the attacks of two bugs. He sidestepped, spun, and thrust home. The sparking blade found a gap in a bug's chitin. It collapsed in a heap.

Tee returned to the action. His shot hit the bug. It staggered away, stunned. Rugen leaped in, and with a powerful slice, cut off its head.

Our heroes stood on the passageway, Rugen panting with his exertions. Suddenly, there was an ear-shattering roar. A massive bug, standing nearly twice the height of the others, rushed into the passageway. Instead of a rifle, it was armed with a long staff, each end glowing with power.

The monster bug rushed forward with amazing speed. It performed two quick slashes with its staff. Rugen was able to block one end of the staff, but then the other whipped around and struck him in the leg. With a cry of pain, Rugen fell to the ground. The acrid smell of seared flesh filled the room. The bug lifted its blade above its head and then slashed down. Rugen rolled out of the way and the staff cracked against the ground. Tee rushed forward and body slammed the bug. It staggered backward a few paces. Tee then blasted it a point-blank range. The bug howled in pain.

Rugen regained his feet. Favoring his wounded leg, Rugen managed a thrust that penetrated deeply into the bug. Yet it did not fall. In a rage, it swiped Rugen with one of its arms. Rugen fell backward into a heap, his power sword clattering to the floor.

The bug rushed the fallen Rugen but Tee unleashed another salvo of shots that sent the bug reeling. Rugen scrambled to his feet, grapped his sword, and lunged upward at the creature. The blade cut into the beast's neck and penetrated all the way into the brain. The bug collapsed to the ground.

As Rugen regained his feet, Tee nodded in approval.

"Let's get these people out of here," Rugen stated

Will our heroes escape from the station? And will they find the missing plans?
Find out next episode.

Aftermath

Gone. All gone. In just seconds.

That's what happened to our world of Elysium. We thought we had the perfect world. For centuries, we witnessed unrivaled progress. Our world's finest minds applied themselves to improving the human condition. We learned to eradicate disease and lengthen our lifespans. We developed new technologies that eased our burdens. Machines and robots performed routine physical labor. Automated vehicles and aircraft allowed us to travel the world at breakneck speeds. We had even been exploring the other planets of our solar system. The world was truly our oyster.

We thought our world was perfect but we ignored the warning signs. The Temple tried to warn us, but we turned deaf ears to their admonishments. They were living in the past,we thought. Yet there were parts of Elysium that did not enjoy our unprecedented prosperity. The Enemy took advantage of the cracks in the facade.

The Enemy was what we called him but his followers called him Savior. The Temple roundly denounced him but we preferred to ignore him. That is, until he organized the derelict masses, filled them with anger and a desire for revenge, and then unleashed them on the world. Their jihad wreaked havoc. We fought back, and our superior technology seemed to sway the tide of battle. We broke the Enemy's armies and surrounded him in his capital. That's when he released his doomsday devices.

Now, 200 years later, only remnants of our civilization remain.

Notes:
I have been playing a lot of Fallout lately and have been in a mood for post-apocalyptic adventure. On a whim, I decided to do some solo pen-and-paper post-apocalyptic gaming so I decided to jot down some backstory.

Going Out with a Bang

The Thrilling Conclusion of "Terror in Manhattan"

Last episode, our heroes defeated the golem and discovered a golden heart. The path to the staircase was now clear and the trio proceeded to the second floor. They opened the door into another storeroom with boxes and barrels scattered throughout. Down the middle was a path to a door on the far end of the room.

Suddenly the door opened and a human figure appeared, illuminated by the light from the other room.

"So, you made it past the protector. Well, you won't make it past me!" the man said as he tossed a vial of some liquid toward the trio. The vial crashed to the floor, and a blinding light flashed. Our heroes shielded their eyes but were unable to act for a second.

When their eyes adjusted, the trio could see the man tossing another vial. When this one landed a wall of flames erupted. Snake leaped forward but Rufus and the doctor jumped back toward the entrance.

All three pulled out their pistols and unloaded a fusillade of shots. Some struck the enemy and he staggered back. He pulled out another vial and drank it. Miraculously, his bleeding stopped and his wounds healed before their very eyes.

Rufus and the doctor were reloading their pistols while the man reached for another vial.

"Snake, stop him!" yelled the doctor.

Snake pulled out her dagger and rushed forward, intent on skewering her enemy. He brought the vial up, and emptied the contents in his mouth. Suddenly, he disappeared.

Snake assumed that he ducked into the next room. She rushed forward but did not see him. By now, the flames had died down and the rest of the party joined her. Though they looked around, they could not find him. He had escaped.

"Well," the doctor concluded, "let's hurry up and complete our mission."

For several minutes, they ransacked the room. For the most part, what they found was quite ordinary - invoices and inventory of military supplies. However, tucked behind a desk, Snake found an intriguing item. It was an elaborate and antique wooden box. Snake picked the lock. Our heroes gazed inside.

The box contained a velvet interior with a vial and a book secured inside. The vial was clear, with a clear liquid inside.

"Should we taste it?" asked Rufus.

"Let's check the book first." Doctor McCoy advised.

Gingerly, the doctor removed the age-worn book. It appeared to be centuries old. Carefully, he opened the book and read the title on the frontispiece. One phrase struck the doctor's attention.

"Fuente de la Juventud!" he whispered in awe.

"What the devil does that mean?" asked Rufus.

"The Fountain of Youth." the doctor replied. "We need to get this to headquarters!"

The doctor packed up the box and rushed toward the front door. They removed the latch, and cautiously peered out.

Much to their dismay, the docks were veritably overrun by British soldiers. The could see the man from the office gesticulating toward the warehouse.

Suddenly, there was a huge explosion from the dock where their submersible was tied.

"There goes our ride home!" exclaimed Snake.

Thus ends this adventure. But now they have a greater one - can they ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK?

The Golden Heart

Episode 3 of "Terror in Manhattan"

Last episode, our heroes sneaked into the enemy warehouse, where they encountered some mischievous and malevolent gremlins. After a short battle, they left the gremlin's room. Opening the door, they found themselves on a balcony overlooking a wide storeroom filled with crates, boxes, and barrels. On the far side of the building was a staircase leading to some second floor offices.

Cautiously, they climbed down the stairs to the warehouse floor and picked their way through the cargo. Suddenly, the doctor felt a sting on his leg. He looked down to see a strange, insectoid creature that looked like a giant cockroach the size of a dog. Its mandibles had fastened on his leg. With a yell, he pulverized it with his tomahawk.

A bunch of the roaches surrounded the trio. Snake mumbled an incantation that she learned from the Freemasons. A burst of flames erupted from one of the insects. It scampered away in a panic, managing to ignite a couple of other roaches. While the others fled in terror, one of the creatures crashed into a barrel, knocking it over. Flames licked at the exterior of the barrel.

Rufus gave a cry of alarm. "That's gunpowder!" he shouted. He and the doctor rushed over and stamped out the flames before the gunpowder ignited.

As the doctor gave a sigh of relief he said to Snake: "Be careful. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing."

After this misadventure, our heroes made it to the stairs to the second floor offices. As they began to climb up, they heard a rustling from the dark corner. Then there was a heavy footstep that reverberated through the warehouse.

"Quick!" said the doctor. "Let's get back."

The trio retreated into the warehouse and hid behind some boxes. Out of the shadows stepped an 8 foot tall human-like figure. Its skin was a grayish-brown, with a consistency that appeared like clay. On its forehead was a 4 letter word written in strange characters.

"Emet - truth." whispered the doctor.

"What?" hissed Rufus.

"The marks on its head. Those are Hebrew characters that spell emet, which means truth."

"Well, it looks like truth is after us." replied Rufus.

"Actually, it's a golem."

Indeed, the golem was after them. It was making a beeline for their hiding spot.

"Time for the heavy artillery!" Rufus shouted  as he pulled out his pistol. His comrades did the same and unloaded a fusillade into the golem. It stumbled briefly but continued to advance.

With a shout of defiance, Rufus brandished his tomahawk and charged the golem. With a mighty swing, he buried into the enemy's skull. It sunk in, as if smashing into wet clay. The golem swung at Rufus, who just managed to dodge.

As the creature continued its vain attacks on Rufus, he doctor rushed forward to aid his friend. As he did so, he noticed a large mallet lying on the ground. He picked it up to use as a weapon.

"Rufus, mallet!" he yelled.

Rufus turned to see the broad head of the mallet coming toward him. With a shout of alarm, he ducked. The mallet head struck the golem in the forehead. The monstrosity stopped, then fell backward and laid still.

The trio came over and gazed at the golem.

"Look at its forehead!" exclaimed the doctor. The mallet blow managed to erase the first letter of the inscription on its forehead.

"Huh, interesting," said the doctor.

"Care to explain?" asked Rufus.

"Without the first letter, the remaining inscription says met - death. I wonder if that's what killed this creature."

As the trio pondered the meaning of this information, the golem's skin began to harden, like clay in a kiln. Then it began to crack, break off, and then pulverize into a fine dust.

"What is that?" asked Snake. In the middle of the pile of dust was a shining object. She picked it up and studied it. It was a golden heart.

What else will they find in the warehouse? Find out next time!

Tiny Trouble

Episode 2 of "Terror in Manhattan"

Last episode, our heroes used a submersible to sneak into Manhattan. They pulled their vessel up to the dock next to the enemy's warehouse. They noticed that 2 guards were outside the building.

Dr. McCoy watched in silence as the guards began patrolling the warehouse, one going in each direction around the building. When both were out of site, the doctor gave the word. The trio opened the hatched and sneaked behind some crates. The guards completed their circuit, passed each other and then continued around. Rufus crept up behind one while Snake took the other. With two quick blows to the head, both guards were unconscious. Our heroes tied them up and hid them behind some barrels next to the building.

Snake then used a new skill, a magic spell that opens locks, to pick the padlock on the door. Unfortunately, the door was also barred from inside. The trio found an open, second-floor window on one side of the building. Snake tried to climb the sides but fell upon her rump. Instead, the heroes stacked barrels and crates and were able to enter.

They found themselves in a long storeroom filled with crates and barrels. At the far end of the room was a door. Quietly, they made their way to the door. They could hear chattering and scurrying among the boxes. Wary of an attack, they gripped their weapons tight.

Suddenly, a rock whipped by their heads. They turned from the source, and saw an unnerving sight. A small, scaly, blue-skinned figure with large pointed ears stood upon a crate, another rock in its hands. Rufus wasted no time. With a swift motion, he cast his tomahawk at the creature. It struck the gremlin between the eyes and it tumbled to the ground.

As Rufus retrieved his weapon, the trio could hear high-pitched, angry screams and more movement.
Another of the creatures appeared to their left. Hastily, the doctor threw his tomahawk. His aim was off; it whizzed by Snake, nearly removing her nose.

Then they heard more movement behind them. Two of the gremlins were nearby, running away from the party. One gripped a pistol while the other held a vial. Rufus checked his person.

"Hey! That's my pistol!"

The doctor noticed that he was missing one of his alchemical concoctions.

The gremlin with the pistol leaped onto a box, turned, and aimed at the trio. Rufus was quicker. His tomahawk flashed out, striking the creature dead. Snake whipped out one of her daggers. With a quick flick of the wrist, it was embedded in the remaining creatures back. The gremlin flopped to the ground.

After retrieving their items, the heroes made a quick dash out the door.

What other dangers await them in the warehouse? Find out next time!

Dive! Dive! Dive!

Episode 1 of "Terror in Manhattan"

Our trio of heroes received a new mission which brought them New Jersey, across the Hudson River from Manhattan. In a warehouse that sits upon the shore, they meet Ben Franklin. He explains that there was a warehouse in the city. Patriot operatives have reported a surge of activity and strange happenings. It is imperative for the cause of liberty to investigate the warehouse.

There is only one problem - the Wizard has given the British forces descriptions of the trio. Any attempt to enter New York via ferry would inevitably lead to their capture. However, Franklin has a plan.

He leads them deeper into the warehouse. They notice that the warehouse overhangs the shore. There is an enclosed dock with a large sliding door that gives access to the river. Alongside the dock is a strange craft. It looks  like a rowboat, but the top is enclosed with a glass bubble protruding from it. The craft sits low upon the water, as if it is nearly sinking.

"Do you know what this is?" Franklin asks.

Rufus looks puzzled, but the Doctor McCoy quickly answers: "A submersible."

"Indeed. You are correct, doctor. And this is how you are getting into the city."

After a brief lesson in submersible operations, the trio clambers into the craft. Dr. McCoy, the physician, takes the command position, with his head protruding from the craft into the glass bubble. From here, he can see what is going on and give commands to the helm. Snake, the dexterous female rogue, takes the helm. Finally, Rufus the soldier and scout, is the "engine." By cranking the screw propeller and pumps, he is able to propel the craft and cause it to dive and rise.

Franklin opens the sliding doors, and the submersible sets off in the dead of night.

At first, the heroes encounter no difficulties. Being night, there are few craft upon the waters. However, as they approach Manhattan island, traffic picks up. In particular, there are British patrol sloops ensuring that no unauthorized ships approach the city.

The lack of activity nearly lulls the doctor into carelessness. It is nearly too late when he spots a ship approaching from the left. "Dive! Dive! Dive!" he calls frantically. Rufus begins cranking away at the pumps, and slowly the submersible settles into the depths. As their craft sinks, the doctor looks up. The other ship passes inches from his bubble then sails away.

There are a couple other near misses before they come to the docks on the east side of the city. McCoy begins scanning the quayside for signs of their target. Then, he feels a strange sensation. Turning around suddenly, he sees a ship looming behind them on a collision course. "DIVE!" he screams and Rufus begins pumping. The little submersible starts to sink beneath the waves. Then there is a sickening crunch and the little boat lurches to one side. A stream of water begins pouring into the vessel. Hastily, the doctor patches the crack.

"Is everything all right?" the doctor asks.

Rufus tests the screw and pumps while Snake tests the helm. All is functional.

Unfortunately, the collision has discombobulated the doctor and he is unable to get his bearings. Finally, Snake pokes her head into the bubble. She is able to spot their target and they are off. With a display of deft handling, Snake slips the submersible easily into the dock.

But all is not well. From his bubble, McCoy can see the figures of two British sentries in front of the warehouse.

Will our heroes be able to make it past the sentries into the warehouse?

Find out next time!