Thanks for letting us know.

For ease of reference, here are the posts which mention what you know about the student killed in the fire watch tower: post #31 and post #37 and post #318.

Thanks, Tecumseh, the links are very helpful. I really enjoyed re-reading the last batch of posts, when we first met the Sisters. Some great words on everyone's part. Rereading the posts in the links has me thinking about who may be behind the bounty. Not sure yet. It's late. Sorry, I will have to post in the morning.

My two month old granddaughter is sick in hospital. The doctors are still trying to figure out what is going on. We are all on edge and poorly rested.

Hope all is well with your granddaughter - best of wishes.

Thanks for the wishes. She's healing and recovering from a nasty incident that may have long-term consequences. The doctors don't know yet. She is in a hospital that is one of the best, if not the best, in the world for children's medicine. One has to trust.

Friday to Sunday afternoon I will be involved in an intensive workshop for work. Probably it will be Sunday evening before I can drop back into Dumpshock.

Man, there is so much that could be explored in those few clues! I wish I had the time!

I'm slightly worried that exploring these clues in-game would involve a lot of Matrix action, something our team isn't very well suited for. But I'm sure Tecumseh is aware of our weakness in this area, so there are probably ways to explore these ideas and I'm worrying over nothing.

As Phlapjack suggests, everything has been designed so that the Matrix is not strictly necessary to explore any given clue or avenue of inquiry. The Matrix is a perfectly valid approach, so if that's what the PCs would pursue then that can be accommodated. Stogie, for example, has a well-connected fixer for a contact. Smohalla and Ellesar have some underdefined contacts, any of which could be technically proficient if need be.

I'm not adverse to using Jeff as an NPC either. In many ways it was realistic that he did not join the team when you hiked out of Greenwater, including the fact that he hates animals (and they hate him), and would not have been keen on hiking through the woods (led by Jake) to pursue a scent trail left by wolves. Odds are good that he and K'wa'iti would have attacked each other, leading to a very different course for the game. Stogie or Ellesar could raise him on the comm.

I've had that nagging in the back of my head about how I need to flesh out Smohalla more, including his contacts. Next week we have a 3-day holiday, I'll try to add some meat to the bones then.

I'll give Pbangarth the opportunity to chime in if he likes. It sounded like he might want to pursue some additional research. It's not necessary for everyone to stay together, but of course it's safer if you do.

I've got a big interview coming up Thursday morning, so let me just ride along with the decision of others for now. You guys decide, and Stogie and Jake will go along. I'll get more active in a few days.

Yesterday (Cinco de Mayo) was our 18 month anniversary, so happy half-birthday everyone. For any statisticians out there, here's our count of IC posts broken down into 6 month intervals:

I. 228 posts, 1.26 per day
II. 322 posts, 1.76 per day
III. 236 posts, 1.31 per day

I'd be curious to know if the second period was more active because it included the summer (when people might have additional availability) or simply because it didn't include the year-end holidays. Either way, let's keep it going and have another active summer!

Fine with me! I'm waiting for others to have a chance to speak.

How very Canadian of you. Let's act like loud Americans instead, with everyone jumping in all the time. There's only a few of us and we could lose a week because everyone's waiting for everyone else to chime in.

Where did everyone go? The silence is deafening.

Sorry, work has very suddenly ramped up very severly. I'll get a post up soon...

Damn! I have a great response to Ellie's quote, but I don't see anything in Stogie's stats to suggest he has it. Hmmm... high INT and he lived on a farm. Maybe he did read a lot. I'll do an INT check, aw hell, I'll throw in Artisan Skill as well, to see if there is a chance:

INT 5 + Artisan 1 = 6 dice ==> 3 HITS!!!!

Yes!!! He did read Bernard Shaw!

EDIT: This makes me feel better than a good shot would have. Awesome game!

Ha. So far we've had more cooking, dinner parties, and philosphical debates than gunfights.

We'll have to add another point on the "pink mohawk vs. dark trenchcoat/mirrorshades" spectrum. We'll add a third component - "tweed jacket and pipe" - and make it a triangle instead.

<plays the Masterpiece Theater music in his head> Yes, that would do nicely...

Smohalla asks -the- question.

enough tip-toeing around

I'm justifying it with Smohalla's dislike of lying...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

I need a library like that! Leather-bound books and rich mahogany. I feel it would encourage me to read more, rather than staring and glowing screens all day. I do listen to a lot of classical music though.

Smohalla's always assensing. I figure Stogie will too, given the weight of the question. I'll treat it like a teamwork test with Smohalla as the lead. (Phlapjack, you have "+1 PF" listed next to Assensing. The skill is Intuition-based so your power focus would not affect the dice pool.)

Smohalla's 5 hits + Stogie's 3 hits rerolled into 2 hits (accidental double roll) = 7 HITS

awwwww shit. You're gonna make me go all Yoda on her azz...

(yeah, you're right about the Assensing/PF thing. Weird. Wonder why I wrote that...updated)

*thumbs up to AtroposReborn*

Just a quick head's up that I'm buried in work for a few days. I have a big report due on Tuesday that's kept me in the office over the weekend. I hope to have something up on Tuesday evening or on Wednesday.

Damn that 'work' stuff. Why can't they just leave us alone to do the important things?

Agree whole-heartedly!

Also, I hope Stogie's not suspicious of Smohalla Although if we get some karma soon, he MIGHT come back with a different aura again...which would prove Stogie somewhat correct in his suspicions...

I didn't think of Stogie getting suspicious. Thanks!

I caught Smohalla looking at Jake as if he were food (again), so maybe Stogie should be suspicious.

We'll likely do karma at the end of the "day", with the usual caveats (if you survive, etc.).

Work is the leading cause of me losing players in my non-PbP games. I have one on Wednesdays that loses players every four weeks. Constantly replacing them is a chore. If/when I win the lottery, I might have to hire full-time players/GMs.

That's right, keep not thinking it! He's safe, no reason to be suspicious, Smohalla's fine, nothing to see here


Jake should worry only if the local goat population suddenly becomes scarce...

Yeah, I hear you about work, I say similar things about the lottery. Guess that means I actually should buy a ticket sometime...

Pbangarth and Atropos, there's some in-game time for some interaction with K'wa'iti, or patrolling, or woodcarving, before the two threads rejoin each other.

Sounds like every group I've ever been in. I feel as if a full-time role-playing position would be one of the most sought after jobs in the market.

Atropos, will you do me a favor and add the following to your sheet (on the first page of the OOC thread) so that I have a record of it readily accessible:

Googles
- thermographic vision
- visual enhancement (level unknown)
- vision magnification
- image link
- smartgun link

Ruger Thunderbolt
- internal smartgun system
- customized grip
- under-barrel weight

Heavy Pistol Ammo (from drowned man, quality questionable)
2 clips EX-EX
2 clips gel rounds
2 clips stick-and-shock
4 clips hollow point

In case anyone needs a refresher for what happened seven months ago, this is from the scavenging you did in posts #567 and #571.

And, Atropos, just a friendly reminder: Ellesar's skill with pistols is somewhere in the neighborhood of "goodbye left foot".

It has been added. And guns don't have to hit you to have an impact.

Now's the perfect time to strike! Their group is split, the werewolf is outnumbered and the sisters are exhausted. They'd never see it coming!

What happened to all my players not named Phlapjack? Let's drum up some RP. If you're delayed, that's fine, but let us know in the OOC channel.

Sorry gang! Until now I wouldn't have believed how much a lost cat can traumatize a family. Holy shit! And a pain-in-the-ass, mean, old, hissing-at-everyone cat at that. My son and his wife were inconsolable.

Well, he's been found, and the crumbling owners have been set back on their feet. God only knows what will happen when the cat dies. I have to admit, it was kind of cool to see the whole neighbourhood come together to find him. It's almost Biblical. (If you are in the mood, the reference is to Deuteronomy 22:3.)

So, tonight I'm going to listen to my daughter sing. Today I have chores to do beforehand. I'll be back in the saddle soon.

I'm honestly at a loss as to what I should put. I don't have much to add to what Ellesar is doing outside of surveying the surrounding area. I guess I'm showing my amateur colors but I didn't want to just put a one line response on how he's walking in a circle marginally close to the campsite.

It probably doesn't help that I'm trying to play Smohalla as a somewhat taciturn person, which puts more burden on ya'll to carry the narrative. I'll try to post more substantive posts when I post my posts

I'll take a little narrative liberty next, hope it's ok

Pb, thanks for the update. I have personally witnessed many examples of what I would describe as "disproportionately emotional" responses to events involving pets. I love my pets too, but still.

Ellesar, that one line is a fine start, but feel free to elaborate it with additional introspection or character development. Phlapjack's most recent post is a good example. What does Ellesar think about when he's walking through the woods at night with thermographic goggles and a pistol? Does he simply like to walk after eating? Is this just routine drilled into him by his years in the Tir? Does he think about his family, or about his master plan against Ares? Is he comfortable, clear headed, and confident? Or is he cold, cloudy minded, and concerned that K'wa'iti might go on a killing spree at any moment? And so on.

Everybody else has gone off to play, so Jake and Stogie will snoop around. Basically get a lay of the land to have an understanding of the defenses. And a surreptitious poke at the Sister's home.

I've watched my dog chase things through the forest, and that image of flowing is really apt. It's like watching a black and white river rush through the trees.

Good posts, everyone. Let me think about whether I want to do one big post (with spoilers) in response, or if I want to separate the replies into their own threads. Might depend on whether I have enough time to do them all at once.

Any chance there could be a map of the defenses around the Sisters' camp? (I know this is asking a lot.)

There's not a map of the maze, no. For those who are curious about the general shape of the terrain, here is the map I've been using for reference. Don't take things too literally: in-game, there was a massive eruption 55 years ago, so not everything is the same. The Wonderland Trail, for example, is quite gone. But broad features, like mountains and valleys, are certainly still in place.

For what it matters, the Sisters' encampment is in the pocket to the west of the lake (which is technically a tarn). This is the view from the north shore. Weep, suckers!

Thanks for the map! It really helps to visualize where things are happening in game. I might try to get a google maps set up for places in game, if I'm not too lazy busy this weekend...

Here's the start of the map - Google Maps for The Sun Never Sets

I think I can set other people as "collaborators" so that they can edit the map also, so if anyone wants to collaborate on this map send me a PM with your email address.

Fun! Might have to play around with that a bit more.

I'm traveling over the weekend. I'll be back Monday night / Tuesday.

Excellent post, Phlapjack.

Welcome back Tec. Is Stogie still at the campsite or is he wandering around outside of visual range?

That's somewhat up to him. Since he hasn't posted recently, if you're looking to RP with him I'll say that Stogie and Jake return to the camp shortly after Ellesar finishes his patrol. (Ellesar returns to camp, sees K'wa'iti run off, Stogie and Jake then return.)