(G238 17/04/2015 via Roll20 - AP(GM), JF, Mira, Guru)

(G238 17/04/2015 via Roll20 - AP(GM), JF, Mira, Guru)

DAY 228 (25 Marpenoth)

The monastery compared to the rest of the Plane of Shadows was an oasis of calm, well once we'd cleared
all the monsters out of it anyway. The rooms were comfortable and their was a good supply of food and drink.
I had no wish to leave, but we had to make progress.
As Gurudor kept reminding us, there were unknown amounts of captives out there in need of rescue, and some
kind of plot to turn the Vast Swamp into an area of 'dead magic' afoot that definitely sounded like it was
in need of thwarting.

I was beginning to loath this land, as a druid it was a bad place to be, and I just wanted to do what we
needed to do and get back. I was looking forward to getting back to the Vast Swamp and really getting to
know all about its flora and fauna. Everything on this Plane seemed to be either dead or wrong in some way.

Well anyway, so we set off in the morning towards the lights we could see in the distance. After about
an hour we arrived at a new place. There was a hut beside a bridge that crossed over a waterfall.

I cautioned the others about just charging in, having nearly died in the last encounter I had no great
desire to repeat the experience. Mirabella nodded and skulked off to have a look about. She disappeared
into the darkness but her skulking abilities must have failed her as she was spotted by and attacked
by two long tongued monsters.

Badger heard the cries and made a dash into the darkness but I lingered a while to summon up my usual gang
of crocodiles. Sylvia followed along after the badger, as did Gurudor. The monsters, whatever they were,
had massive powerful tongues and they had no problem in lashing up both Sylvia and Gurudor and near swallowing
them hole!
Gurudor was paralysed but Sylvia managed to break free.

Flanked by crocs I joined the battle and cast 'Babua Slime' on Gurudor which I hoped would make the
creature spit him out, but it had no effect. Meanwhile, Mirabella, Sylvia and the crocodiles managed to kill
the other one. After that Mirabella snuck behind the remaining one and stabbed it in its vitals making
it jump up in alarm and run off into the river.

Sylvia cast Entangle and I cast Sudden Stalagmite which stopped and killed the creature. It did also have
the effect of further injuring Gurudor and near drowning him. In fact, we laughed about this later (well, when
I say we, I mean everyone except Gurudor), it would have been an unusual death had he not survived, swallowed,
then drowned and impaled by a skewer of rock - quite a catalogue of disaster!

We did manage to fish him out though, before he died and Sylvia healed him up and patched up everyone else
that had been injured.

After getting our breath back we moved on. From the hut we cautiously crossed the bridge which lead to a
tower. From here some steps lead down into a room where some sort of large construct or golem spotted us
and attack.

Here we go again, I thought, as I cast Barkskin on Gurudor and summoned up more crocodiles. This thing,
whatever it was, advanced on us, its flailing limbs lashing out like some kind of whirlwind of death.

To battle once more!

(G237 10/04/2015 via Roll20 - JF(GM), AP, MI, TR) 32

(G237 10/04/2015 via Roll20 - JF(GM), AP, MI, TR) 32


DAY 97 (thu) cont ...

It was 1230 hour Voyager time.

Ensigns Kirk and Kevek and Crewman Mioen were now back on board the Aeroshuttle having escaped from the clutches
of Major Strank.

Kirk got to a console and raised the shield and locked the doors. Looking out the shuttle cockpit windows he saw
that they were inside a hangar and that a squad of soldiers were getting very animated about the situation outside.

Next Kirk tinted the windows opaque and took a look at the science console but it was fairly well shot up.
Mioen was in the back crew quarters searching the prisoners, but returned to the cabin to talk to the technician
that was still in there albeit rather stunned.

A voice from a loud speaker outside demanded, 'Surrender or Else!'

Kirk ignored this and ordered the numiri technician prisoner to remove the intrusion device that was wired into
the main shuttle control console. The numiri tried to communicate with outside though and spotting this subterfuge
Kirk stunned him in the back of the head with his rifle.

Cursing Kirk closed down all comms and pulled out the plugs from the two numiri devices wired into the shuttle.

Mieon returned to the crew quarters and scanned the mind of the second unconscious technician that had been shot
back there.

The next moment there was a heavy clunk on the main entrance door to the right of the cockpit and thinking it
might be a shaped charge Kirk opened it in an attempt to shake it off. It wasn't as sophisticated an attempt
to breach the air lock as that though, it was just a burly looking tech with a sledgehammer.

Kirk quickly closed the door again and went back to getting the Aeroshuttle back on line. Between them they
managed to get it moving again and Kirk was just wondering if his basic piloting skills were up to the task
when the hangar doors opened and a tank shot at them.

It was firing rail gun flechettes that sent ripples across the shields.

Mioen reached out with her mind and managed to stun one of the crewmen in the tank and Kirk used the transporter
to move a chunk out of it but after a few tens of seconds it was back in action again.
Meanwhile Kevek was at a console in the science lab using the scanner on the tanks looking for weak spots and
passing the data along to Kirk who soon gave up on the transporter and turned to the shuttle's Phase Cannon.

Another tank rolled up just as they disabled the first one, and then another. Kirk decided to leave as quickly
as they could and piloted out into the air field and staying as low as he could flew out into a snow storm.
The shuttle was badly shot up by now, the shields were off line and the hull plating badly damaged.

The storm helped them evade detection but also made it harder to manoeuvre and as he flew along the valley
he clipped a snow bank that caused them to plunge dangerously into a ravine and land with a thump in a
snow field. Mioen took over and although her piloting skills were little better she managed to get them to
a hidden spot where they hoped they would be safe for a while, overlooking the castle and village.

Kirk stuck to the consoles and scanned the castle's shields. They were of the type that would stop fast moving
projectiles and energy weapons but allow slow moving objects through.

Meanwhile Mioen and Kevek decided to see what they could get out of their prisoner known as Private Rocket.
Kevek used a mind meld on the soldier and got what little he knew about the castle from him. Although he
had never been there he knew that prisoners being taken to it were always guarded by an officer and a four
man squad.

Kevek then performed a mind meld on Kirk and relayed everything he had got out of Rocket to him.

Rocket, who presented himself as a simple farm boy turned soldier requested that he could take the personal
affects from the dead bodies of his officer and fellow private and Mioen nodded approval.

Kirk continued to scan the castle and the shields. They discussed various plans mainly involving Kirk (who you
should remember still looked like a numiri and was dressed as an officer) acting as if he had taken Kevek
and Mieon prisoner.

As they talked Kirk noticed that the cable car that ran from the village to the castle was moving. A plan
suddenly formed in his mind and he quickly put it into motion. Acting quickly he transported the five
occupants of the cable car into a field ten miles away. He also then transported out all the prisoners
and bodies cluttering up the shuttle.

They then transported themselves into the cable car just as it passed through the shield. Spotting
a security camera in the car Kirk smashed it with the butt of his gun. He hoped the operator had not
seen them but then the car lurched to a halt and stopped.

Mieon reached out with her mind and found the operator down at the control room in the village and
suggested to him that he send on up the cable car.

The cable car started moving again, going on up to the castle and whatever dangers waited up there...

Synopsis for Kevek

Synopsis for Kevek

You were part of the Voyager crew when the Caretaker moved the ship to the Delta Quadrant. However, you were not
moved with the crew but kept on the Caretaker Array for study by the Caretaker. With no way of contacting Voyager you
managed to escape and land on the Occampan homeworld.

By this time though Voyager had left and since then you have been trying to rejoin them. Traveling mainly as a medic
on board Talaxian trade vessels you finally caught up with Voyager as they entered the Rivo System.

You were welcomed aboard and found that the Emergency Medical Hologram had been running almost constantly as there
were very little in the way of medical personnel.

An away mission had recently brought in Enroll, someone from a 'lost tribe' of Kreetassans who was also medically
trained, but he left Voyager not long after when they entered the Banean home system and he met up with a Kreetassan
trade ship.

You were anxious to prove yourself to the crew of the Voyager and the caustic EMH and volunteered for the next away
mission. Tuvok, a fellow vulcan, was quick to supply you with one. Tom Paris was in trouble on the Banean home world
and had been punished by having his brain implanted with the last memories of his supposed murder victim. This
was slowly killing Tom though and Tuvok was in charge of proving his innocence. While Tuvok investigated at Banea
he also assembled a team to go to the Numiri home world to follow up on some interesting leads there.

The Aeroshuttle was originally designed as the captain's barge but had recently been refitted to fly combat away
missions. The original commander had been Ensign Paul Kirk, but had been dismissed for his ruthless destruction
of alien patrol vessels during a battle in the Rivo system.

The crew now consisted of :
Ensign Munro - A human female tactical officer
Crewman Dell - A human male operations specialist
Crewman Paterson - A human female operations specialist retrained as a pilot
Crewman Rumbleton - A human male science officer
Crewman Mioen - A female orion comms crewman

You joined them on the mission to Numiri but it was doomed from the start. The Banean spies that were your contact
were riddled with traitors and you flew straight into a trap.

The Aeroshuttle was moved to a snowy mountain location on the Numiri planet and you were all taken prisoner and moved
to a nearby barracks.

The next day you were taken away from the others and without any explanation bundled into a truck. Through the
back door you could see that you were been taken up a steep sided valley to a village.

As the truck entered a yard behind the main square a fight seemed to break out beside a building that looked like
a tavern. Two numiri officers ran out into the yard returning fire to a whole gang of soldiers. The officers seemed
to be expert marksmen and were shooting down the soldiers with the brutal Numiri phaser weapons. Blood was slashing
all over the snow outside.

Your two guards jumped down from the back of the truck to see what was going on. You were unguarded! This was your
chance!

(G236 27/03/2015 via Roll20 - JF(GM), AP, MI, TR) 31

(G236 27/03/2015 via Roll20 - JF(GM), AP, MI, TR) 31

[GM note - Mieon was brought into the game so MI could play after Captain Akar died.]

Log update:

Mioen was in fact onboard the Aeroshuttle. She had practiced her Astral Projection on an earlier day than
previously mentioned and her communications course was started on route to the numiri planet.

DAY 97 (thu) continued ...

The firefight continued out into the snow covered yard, but the end was inevitable. Akar was shot one more time and
slumped to her feet. As her combat rage left her she died in the blood and snow.

Kirk seeing that his comrade in arms was dead and that he was out numbered by the soldiers in the yard and the
ones coming out of the tavern decided to surrender, the wised course under the circumstances.

While that had all been going on, Ensign Kevek had been doing his best to escape from the truck he was being held
in and managed to over power two of the guards. When Kirk surrendered though he saw the futility of it and also
gave himself up as more soldiers flooded into the yard.

The superior officer on the scene ordered them bundled into the back of a truck and taken to the barracks. Kirk
and Kevek discovered Mioen here also, coming around from a drug that had been given to her to neutralise her
psychic powers.

Before leaving the village though they were taken from the truck and put in the back of an armoured sedan car.
They were sat in the middle seat while the driver and officer sat in the front. Two guards sat in the back seat.
The officer, they learned, was Major Strank and he seemed quite angry with them and looked forward to getting
them back to the barracks. He also took Ensign Kirks comms badge and put it in his pocket.
'We have enjoyed looking over your ship' he taunted, 'It seems you are no more advanced than us!'

A truck of soldiers went ahead of them, slipping along in the snow. The road was cut into a steep mountain side
with a cliff face to their left and a precipitous drop to their right.

Mioen was pretending to be half asleep and still drugged but she was using her mind to probe about and pass
messages to Kirk and Kevek. They all knew that they were about 20 minutes drive away from the barracks and
that their best chance of escape was right now.

While passing messages to Kirk she also realised his mind had metaphorically trampled on with muddy boots and
she came across one of his dreams.

It went thusly:

''
You are in a darkened room. A shadowy figure enters holding a gun. You cannot see their face.
You step backwards in fear and hold your hands up in surrender. The figure pulls the curtains
across the window to their right hand side and shoots!
You slump to the floor and then darkness..
''

That aside, she was set on causing havoc of some kind and after a few rather more dangerous suggestions such
as making the driver veer off the cliff they settled for her mentally suggesting to Strank that they divert
to the air field and the Major ordered the driver to turn right at the junction between the air field and the
barracks.

From the junction it was a further ten minutes up onto a flat area of land between the mountains. When they
arrived there though the officer at the air field check point turned them back again,
'Major Strank, get back the barracks!'

Driving back down the hill, with the truck now in front again Mieon threw her psyche forward and stabbed at the
mind of the truck driver. The truck veered off the road and fell on its side into the snow. The driver of their
car panicked and they swerved and turned completely around in the road.

One of the guards behind them had dropped his gun as they were thrown around and seeing his chance Kirk jumped
over and grabbed it. Meanwhile Kevek used his vulcan nerve pinch on the driver and knocked him out for a moment.
When he came round the driver opened his door and ran off into the snow then dove into a ditch.

Kirk and Mieon having over powered the guards lowered their guns at Major Strank who raised his hands.
They didn't hang about though since they could see soldiers piling out of the over turned truck. Kevek grabbed
the medkit from back of the car and Mioen swiped Strank's coat. They then ran off as fast as they could for the
trees above the air field.

From above the air field they could see that it was surrounded by a tall chain link fence and looked heavily
guarded. As they dove into the snow covered forest and looked over their shoulders they saw a group of soldiers
coming up the hill form the air field, some of them leading canine type animals.

Getting their breath back and wondering what the hell to do next Mieon suddenly had a flash of inspiration and
reached into her coat pocket. It was Kirk's comm badge!

Kirk thankfully took it and managed to make contact with the Aeroshuttle. There were numiri onboard running
intrusive scans on the shuttle and they had managed to stop all Kirk's special transporter programs. He managed
to reboot that part of the system though and skilfully transported all three of them into the shuttle.

There were soldiers and technicians in the cabin and crew area but they took them by surprise. Kirk blew the
brains out of a startled soldier and accidentally shot the science console. Mieon dashed across to the weapons
rack and threw Kirk his favourite phase rifle. The firefight was brief and another officer was killed and
Kirk injured. Kevek grabbed the medkit from the Aeroshuttle and administered a Booster jab to Kirk.
The surviving soldier and technicians surrendered.

The Aeroshuttle was theirs!