Children of Ash

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Patdragon
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by Patdragon » Mon Mar 16, 2015 7:26 am

Going a little shy again when Joshua directly asks do you want it? He nods as he is handed it and the head bobbles about as it passed over which causes a small smile to form on Peters lips. After a moment of silence and as Joshua might be getting tired of waiting he finally responds "Peter...my names Peter." before dropping into silence again..

.....

He then makes a move to get back out of the way of the adults as they discuss His ears pick up at the word family from Honey speech which makes him think both of his lost family and of Dr Wilcott. Feeling down he pops the bobble head into his things and then decides as Honey gave him some cans of food perhaps he can give something back to her.
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by Quarg » Mon Mar 16, 2015 7:56 am

nikohl wrote:
"Stickin' together is the smart thing. Ain't what any one of us would choose, buncha strangers an never seein' no face you knew ever again... but we don't got a lot o'choosin to do. Wit folk like them maskers out there, one on'er own gon' never get no sleep, get no rest, til she get found and get took and get dead. I ain't spendin my last days runnin' like a hunned deer or sleepin with mah eyes open, t'aint no way of livin a'tall. Everythin do better, go easier, when it get shared, if'n it food or work or a home. S'just the way life is.

So like it or not, y'all are basically family. I know it, and y'all can believe me or ya can just not, but I'm right. These people gon' be your people now, for all the time you got."


Honey's sage advice is doled out in a lazy drawl, said as simply as if she was reading from a dictionary, while she suspiciously inspects a packet of noodles, apparently unsure of what it is.
I found her speech, well quite decent really, the young Miss Honey was showing some promise as a natural leader. I spoke up "I agree with Miss Honey that we should stick together as a unit at least until we've grouped in a more secure location where we can discuss longer term plans. At the moment we should distribute stuff between us based on carrying capacity and our ability to use it. Which brings me to my first question, does anyone else here have any unarmed or blade weapons training or experience?"
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ChuckDaRighteous
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by ChuckDaRighteous » Mon Mar 16, 2015 8:57 am

nikohl wrote:So like it or not, y'all are basically family. I know it, and y'all can believe me or ya can just not, but I'm right. These people gon' be your people now, for all the time you got."
Jacob chuckles when Honey calls them a family. While he had been trying to be courteous up till this point, that hit a nerve. It reminded him that his family was dead. He wasn't sure he was ready to start a new one. And that required trust too.
Quarg wrote:"I agree with Miss Honey that we should stick together as a unit at least until we've grouped in a more secure location where we can discuss longer term plans. At the moment we should distribute stuff between us based on carrying capacity and our ability to use it. Which brings me to my first question, does anyone else here have any unarmed or blade weapons training or experience?"
"I wouldn't go so far as to call us a family. Not yet. The truth is I don't trust any of you. Trusting is what got me locked in this shit-hole. The thing is I suspect the rest of you were burned just as badly as I was. We've all been treated like lab rats. So I'm willing to give you all more of a chance than would anyone else out there. I wish I could be that trusting Honey, but its just not in me right now. So I'll help out the group any way I can and maybe someday we can call each other family. But I'd be a fool to do it now. It may be harsh but its honest." While he is resistant to the idea of a new family, he isn't angry or mean in his tone. He doesn't want to start off on the wrong foot with these people. But he just couldn't pretend to be family. Deep down part of him wants that connection, but after being poked and prodded with needles for so long, he just can't slip into it.

After having addressed that concern, "As to fighting experience, I've gotten into a fight or two before but nothing serious. I've gotten by on my strength. Though I suspect that won't be enough to deal with those psychos that trashed this place."
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Alaen
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by Alaen » Mon Mar 16, 2015 9:01 am

"I did a weekend course on sword fighting once and watched a few videos. Does that count?

In all seriousness though, I don't have any real training but if push comes to shove I can handle myself. I got into my fair share of fights since going away from home, and managed to not get killed so far."
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by nikohl » Mon Mar 16, 2015 9:16 am

Honey barks that odd, single-Ha! laugh again at Jacob's response. "Ain't trust your ass neither, you turnt on me I'd put you down jus' like a mad dog, and lose no sleep on it. Don't make what I said any less true. Only people who got any reason to care if you make it right now is us, an' it's cos we got more of a chance together'n we do apart. Thing like that means somethin', whether you sees it yet or not."

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Re: Children of Ash

Post by Quarg » Mon Mar 16, 2015 9:21 am

Alaen wrote:"I did a weekend course on sword fighting once and watched a few videos. Does that count?

In all seriousness though, I don't have any real training but if push comes to shove I can handle myself. I got into my fair share of fights since going away from home, and managed to not get killed so far."
I looked at the kid, "Was that real sword fighting or what they train most actors to do?"

"Ain't trust your ass neither, you turnt on me I'd put you down jus' like a mad dog, and lose no sleep on it. Don't make what I said any less true. Only people who got any reason to care if you make it right now is us, an' it's cos we got more of a chance together'n we do apart. Thing like that means somethin', whether you sees it yet or not."

I decided to hold my tongue on that, but Miss Honey was staring to sound more like a Drill Sargent than anything else.
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spiderwrangler
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by spiderwrangler » Mon Mar 16, 2015 9:49 am

((I'm assuming Jimmy has taken the keys Honey offered and has headed outside to investigate the 'getting out of here' situation, so is not present for this conversation...))
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by Alaen » Mon Mar 16, 2015 9:55 am

Joshua seems amused at Paul question.

"It was supposed to be a joke, but yeah it was the real thing. Not that it matters much, we didn't have time to learn a lot. Just some basic cuts and thrusts and some footwork. Besides, I don't think we'll be finding a lot of long swords or sabers. I had a baton, a knife and some pepper spray in my backpack , but of course those damn raiders stole it."

He turns to Jacob.

"Honey is right. This isn't about trust. Right now it's our best interest to stick together, regardless of how you feel about anyone here. Once we're out of the territory of those psychopaths we can see how we'll proceed."
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by nikohl » Mon Mar 16, 2015 9:57 am

((If you want him in, Spider, I think there's a small amount of wiggle room as to when and where this is happening due to the retroactive update, so pile in if you want to talk it out. Conversations shouldn't mess much up, surely))

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Re: Children of Ash

Post by Quarg » Mon Mar 16, 2015 10:12 am

Joshua had decided to daly in swords but didn't think they were cool or learning how to use them was too much work. Really didn't matter, running into long bladed weapons was far more likely than some other things because we'd be getting a lot of the discards. "This is Kansas, Joshua...where some would say the american civil war actually started...I'd be surprised if we didn't find a cavalry saber lying about in a farmhouse or antique shop along the way."
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by spiderwrangler » Mon Mar 16, 2015 10:23 am

nikohl wrote:((If you want him in, Spider, I think there's a small amount of wiggle room as to when and where this is happening due to the retroactive update, so pile in if you want to talk it out. Conversations shouldn't mess much up, surely))
((Well, he's also angry, surly and not much for joining in group conversations at the moment, so being outside rummaging around for a ride is an easier fit... :shrug:, you'll just have to remember to ask him later. Mostly wanted to let folks know why I'm not responding to questions/discussion. ))
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by Alaen » Mon Mar 16, 2015 11:36 am

"Oh... I hadn't even thought of that. Well, I never joined a club, but I guess now is as good a time as any to learn it. Guess I should start working on my wrist then.

Speaking of on the way, where are we going exactly? Even if there is still a working vehicle out there, where do we go?"
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by Quarg » Mon Mar 16, 2015 11:44 am

Alaen wrote:"Oh... I hadn't even thought of that. Well, I never joined a club, but I guess now is as good a time as any to learn it. Guess I should start working on my wrist then.

Speaking of on the way, where are we going exactly? Even if there is still a working vehicle out there, where do we go?"
I nodded, "Good question, I was going to see about getting up on the roof and see what I could survey out as being nearby and get some orientation to the locality...I could use a younger pair of eyes to go with me..."
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by ChuckDaRighteous » Mon Mar 16, 2015 11:56 am

nikohl wrote:((If you want him in, Spider, I think there's a small amount of wiggle room as to when and where this is happening due to the retroactive update, so pile in if you want to talk it out. Conversations shouldn't mess much up, surely))
Yeah I think half of us are outside but still conversing with those inside? I think its just one of those things where its gotten so confusing when and where we are, we just ignore it for the time being. Hopefully with the next update we straighten out a bit out a bit. I know people are saying its ok Synch isn't updating often, and normally I'd agree, but this is one instance where I'd say an early update would straighten things out. And I recognize that he's trying to fix things for players with a retroactive update fix, but I'd say don't unless its a minor change or the mistake massively screwed someone: don't do retroactive updates as this caused more confusion than anything. I admire the effort but the execution was off. To be expected with a new game, so I can live with it but if we do this often my head is going to hurt.
nikohl wrote:"Ain't trust your ass neither, you turnt on me I'd put you down jus' like a mad dog, and lose no sleep on it. Don't make what I said any less true. Only people who got any reason to care if you make it right now is us, an' it's cos we got more of a chance together'n we do apart. Thing like that means somethin', whether you sees it yet or not."
Alaen wrote:While it is a bit unsettling how she admitted she would kill him, Jacob admired the honesty. This was closer to the truth.
"Honey is right. This isn't about trust. Right now it's our best interest to stick together, regardless of how you feel about anyone here. Once we're out of the territory of those psychopaths we can see how we'll proceed."
"I agree it means something. Just not family. You don't have worry about me. I have no intention on turning on anyone. Like I said you've all been mistreated as badly as I have, and for that we do have a common bond. But we're still strangers, and I'm not about to call you family. That would be dishonest. Not to mention disrespectful to those I did call family before they were wiped out. Family means something more to me."

Edit: also I was climbing up to the roof (and told people so) about a page ago. Why does this retroactive update makes things confusing?
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by spiderwrangler » Mon Mar 16, 2015 12:18 pm

((The retroactive has already happened. I said I went outside and stuck with it... IMHO, the dialogue after 'leaving' is what makes things confusing... Perhaps why I don't play chatty characters. I was fine with the retro, basically saying that the others looted, got stuff and returned around the same time the first group of looters returned. People took 'actions', then didn't.))
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by Alaen » Mon Mar 16, 2015 12:31 pm

Quarg wrote: I nodded, "Good question, I was going to see about getting up on the roof and see what I could survey out as being nearby and get some orientation to the locality...I could use a younger pair of eyes to go with me..."
"Sure, I'll come with you. Though I'm not sure my eyes are much better than yours. Let's hope we're not somewhere in the middle of nowhere."
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by thinkslogically » Mon Mar 16, 2015 4:23 pm

"I completely agree with what honey said. Together we might have a shot at getting through this. So if that's agreed, we need a plan of action. Does anyone know where we are or anywhere we could head to that might be safe?"

Jani will follow the group. Right now she's mostly interested in her immediate survival, and will apply her skills to the benefit of the group as they are needed.

Her preference is to move somewhere safe as a group and then organza themselves properly, sharing the did and water and skills they have amongst them. She isn't a fighter and the thought of physical conflict is frightening to her. Under calmer circumstance, she is pretty practical though and more likely to be useful.

Edit: seen the lot last and nothing stands out. Jani will keep the chick peas, but is happy to keep the other bits and pieces she got from the gents pile.

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Re: Children of Ash

Post by nikohl » Mon Mar 16, 2015 4:37 pm

As an actual action while others are checking out the outside, Honey will make sure that all the unclaimed gathered items are bundled up into people's carry-able packages, reasonably evenly distributed by weight. She will then check the bodies for any non-standard clothing items. She isn't interested in underpants or t-shirts or what have you, but belts, neckties, any particularly warm jackets, headbands, hats and so on will be taken stock of in case they were missed or otherwise unwanted by The Pack.

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Re: Children of Ash

Post by Quarg » Mon Mar 16, 2015 5:19 pm

The researcher finally spoke up.
"I completely agree with what honey said. Together we might have a shot at getting through this. So if that's agreed, we need a plan of action. Does anyone know where we are or anywhere we could head to that might be safe?"

"Somewhere in the postal district of Rolla Kansas," I replied, "However, the size of that town, and how much of it survives, I currently have no idea."

"At least were not stuck on Shemya island"
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Synch
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by Synch » Mon Mar 16, 2015 7:46 pm

Paul, Joshua, Roslyn, Peter, Jani, Honey (retroactive for background info relating to past actions and items)

Looking around Wilcott's office for any personally addressed mail, Paul finds that all of her letters and bills were addressed to a PO box address. He notices that the sofa in her office is a fold-out that had only partially been pushed back in, so presumably when things took a turn for the worse Dr Wilcott had been sleeping at work. While she may have had a home in nearby Rolla or elsewhere, knowing where it would be is now beyond you.

As he heads back and searches for a way on the roof from inside, Paul notices the high ceilings have ventilation ducts but no feasible way to reach them. He assumes there would also be extractor fans in the way too.

Joshua flicks the iPod on and Imagine Dragons' 'Radioactive' begins playing quietly. "I'm waking up to ash and dust, I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust, This is it, the apocalypse." He stops it there and turns it off, to save power which currently shows as being half charged.

Roslyn's quick inspection of the torch reveals two C batteries, no idea how long they'll hold out though.

Everyone (Yay, the present!!)

Mr Green leads Big Jimmy and Jacob outside, and the scene is similar to the total destruction inside. A high 2m barbwire fence surrounds the the centre, with only 5m between building and fence. A security checkpoint with barrier arm at the only road in and out of the center has been totalled, the arm snapped off in an appararent ramraid while the two guards posted there have been riddled with bullets. As seems to be the pattern, their weapons and boots are gone.
Skid marks and broken glass in the carpark directly in front of the center are a good indicator that many of the vehicles parked out of the front were either driven off with their previous owner's keys, or else smashed into and hotwired. Only two cars remain: the burnt out shell of a sedan that has been torched, and a dusty old Chevy Prizm sedan. It appears the keys weren't found because the driver's window has been smashed in and hotwiring has been unsuccessfully attempted. In what appears to be malicious rage borne of frustration, all tires have been slashed, driver door kicked off and the car rammed into and pushed up against the building. In short, it's totalled. You notice the boot is still shut.

Mr Green has a quick look over the burnt out car but absolutely nothing is recognisable or salvageable. The Chevy Prizm's glovebox has been emptied, but he does notice it still has an aftermarket car stereo he could probably pry out with his knife.
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Big Jimmy heads over and tries the keys in the boot, which pops open after a few bangs and kicks, revealing a spare tire, tire iron and a duffel bag with gym clothes and trainers in.
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Jacob decides to climb the building and look around. A lack of any maintenance ladder doesn't seem to phase him, as he believes he can climb from the roof of the Chevy up a downpipe to the roof approx 5m off the ground. He wastes no time.
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Paul and Joshua follow outside, and Paul, wanting to inspect from the roof, decides to follow Jacob's example with Joshua in tow.
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Being slightly older and inactive for the past few days, Paul finds things tough going finding handholds and footing, and so spends a bit of time trying and failing, before making his way half way up. He makes a skill check to remain hanging on as he readjusts his footing, but not being a great height up, Paul has no problem in maintaining his position.
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Joshua's youth seems to be an advantage, and he doesn't share similar problems in climbing to the top a few minutes after Jacob. (He can see what Jacob sees.)


Roslyn and Jani tentatively make their way outside, and look around for any items of use. Unfortunately nothing else worth taking can be found in the carpark, but a rummage around in the small checkpoint office that took damage reveals a pair of jumper cables hidden amongst the wreckage and overlooked.
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Honey organises the rest of the leftover items onto the ripped blanket ready to drag outside and impart on any with room to spare. She has another look over the bodies, but most of the clothing has been rendered bloodsoaked and unless in the vicious attack. Wristwatches and pens have been taken by the previous scavenging, and any other jewellry or items of note were easy pickings for the raiders long before. However, she does find a bloodstained necktie on one of the facedown scientists.
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Standing up from the corpse and looking around, she notices Peter has gone.


Peter holds the Vault Boy Bobblehead up and gains Level 1 Medicine nothing happens. He makes his way to the cafeteria, looking for food thinking that the room hadn't been cleared. The task of searching for items is immediately wiped from his mind however as he comes across the macabre scene of
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All wristwatches say 9:30am.
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Last edited by Synch on Mon Mar 16, 2015 8:48 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by Quarg » Mon Mar 16, 2015 8:08 pm

I really hate it when some young buck shows me up. But damn I needed to get up there...
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by ChuckDaRighteous » Mon Mar 16, 2015 8:21 pm

Jacob is pleased to see the golf club. In a pinch it would be good for hitting someone with. He slides it through a carabiner like a sheath. The ball, well, it might be an intersting way to pass the time, though he'll likely lose it before long, He pockets it as well. [Is the lawn chair the fold up portable kind?] If so he folds it up and tosses it down to pick up when he goes down. Small comforts are nice. The bucket may be useful too so that goes down as well. In doing so he notices the others coming up. He gives Joshua a hand as he pulls himself over the edge. "Not much to look at but there seems to be something out there we could check out." Noting that Paul seems to be having more trouble, he'll then vault over the edge and hang off the edge of the building one handed and offer his hand to Paul. "Take my hand. I got ya." After helping paul up the last little bit he'll descend and collect the stuff he threw down. Then he goes to the others, "You guys find anything interesting? I saw a farmhouse and gas station a bit that way that we may want to check out."

Edit: also I should have a scalpel in my inventory

and I notice some of the loot is still up for grabs: I'll take the money and fire extinguisher. Clipping the extinguisher to another carabiner.
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by spiderwrangler » Mon Mar 16, 2015 8:28 pm

Not having a vehicle to use it on, Jimmy leaves the spare tire for now, but takes an assessment of the clothes and shoes in the duffel (male, female... likely to fit him or others?) before stuffing his pillowcase sack inside and zipping it back up. He coils up his electric cord garotte and slips it in a pocket before adjusting the strap of the duffel to be able to sling it tight over his back. Grabbing the tire iron, he slams the lid of the trunk closed. If they ever need a spare tire, they'll know where to find one.

Shrugging his pack to a more comfortable position, he steps into the courtyard, looking up to the two that have made it to the roof.

"See anything?"

"You guys find anything interesting? I saw a farmhouse and gas station a bit that way that we may want to check out."

Jimmy nods. "Not much... bag and some clothes... tire iron. Tell the others about the farmhouse, I'm gonna scout out the road ahead."

Jimmy moves through the check point and moves out far enough to look up the road in the direction that Jacob indicated.
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by Synch » Mon Mar 16, 2015 8:35 pm

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Because its a very quick task, I'll roll an Athletics skill check for Jacob now so Paul doesn't spend his turn hanging off a downpipe.
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Jacob reaches down, and using his physical prowess and training, pulls Paul up the remainder of the way with one hand. Paul receives no climbing skill points.
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Re: Children of Ash

Post by ChuckDaRighteous » Mon Mar 16, 2015 8:58 pm

Synch wrote:Because its a very quick task, I'll roll an Athletics skill check for Jacob now so Paul doesn't spend his turn hanging off a downpipe.
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Jacob reaches down, and using his physical prowess and training, pulls Paul up the remainder of the way with one hand. Paul receives no climbing skill points.
Not even one for making it part way up? Oops. Didn't mean to hijack your skill gain, just to make sure you didn't fall. Sorry. Also where did the +1 come from? Not a big deal just want to understand the mechanics.
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