Play Report - Anomalous Subsurface Environment

Session 1: The BROKEN TELEVISION.

Stanton, his tribe of scavengers haunted and hypnotized by a defective God's Eye, comes to Denethix for help, landing at the temple of Nyses, goddess of Creepy Crawlies.

The priests, utterly disinterested, send failed cleric Blumbert to investigate, accompanied by fellow dud of an acolyte, Bamford the Crabman.

On their way out of town, they pass the Academy of Elevated Thought in complete upheaval, fist fighting for and against the suppression of The Winking Jenny, a student-run muckraking newspaper. Contingents of color-robed ruffians charge at each other, inflicting minimal injury but making a public nuisance.

And so a squad of Hellbore Leviathan Tanks appears to restore order and crack some skulls in earnest. Stanton gets it in mind to steal one of these exquisite machines, the already undermanned crew having quit their vehicle entirely to go a billy-clubbing. He is held back by his companions, but Stanton's a wiry guy and slips their grip.

Alas! upon nimbly vaulting the hatch, he discovers someone else is stealing his squadcar from on the inside: Bat Nilsonson, a barbarian from the Worthless North and only until a moment ago a prisoner shackled in the cab. "Surprise!" says Bat, as goes his sacred litergy, he being a devotee of Qqakraw, god of Ambushes.

They wrestle at the controls, and promptly drive the Hellbore into the river.

The two robed congregants of Nyses tottering down the stairs after them, Stanton and Bat fish themselves out of the turgid water and prepare to split. The din of suppressed student protest nigh indistinguishable from the racket of dispossessed soldiers who pivot only in time to watch their tank wheel off the cavalcade and into the water.

"Pssst," comes a voice in the shadows, "This way! Quick!"

Shrugging to one another and out of the frying pan they follow, through twists and turns and titan waterfront, their shadowy guide offering periodic words of encouragement amid the pursuit. At last, arriving to a ramshackle restaurant, paper-lanterned and jutted out of the river by dodgy scaffolding. A table of toughs lounge with knives casually drawn.

Behind the bar is Lord Mush, a criminal boss of some ill repute. He's a laugher at his own jokes. "Friends! Sit. Relieve yourself of your burdens. I must insist."

It's a pretty standard robbery as an excuse for violence.

Except that Stanton knows there's always more junk to collect and prefers to not distinguish today's "treasures" from tomorrows. He hands over everything. Bat knows there's something in his bag that bites you if you reach inside. Take it! Please. The Crabman, who might be expected to react with the implacable anger of his proud race/dwarf stand-ins when for fun a full cup of beer is dumped on his head, merely blinks. Where's the fun in robbing some guys who just let themselves be robbed?!?

Ultimately, although a dire offense to the code of the Streets, there's nothing to do but jump them anyway. We'll call it a draw. Toughs repulsed stagger backwards, ecclesiastic darts run through their eyes. Bat is beaten to within an inch of his life with a golf club (not for the last time), and Stanton sets the restaurant on fire.

Mush, after precipitously handing off some seeds to Blumbert in the midst of the melee ("You know the Sorcerer Montasor? You will! Take these to him for me and receive some sweetener!), flees down a staircase, Stanton in close pursuit.

Bibliography: ASE 1 - Anomalous Subsurface Environment (Patrick Wetmore), Augmented Reality (Paul D. Gallagher), Burndhachaigh (Ian Butterfly), Howling Tower: Chase Scenes (Steve Winter), Infinigrad: The Weird City Toolkit (Michael Ralston), Shadelport & Exile Island (Christopher Tamm), there was a dog at work today, he was a special mister guy (Scrap Princess), Yoon-Suin (David McGrogan).