Session 1

Opening

The session opens on a train on the last leg of its journey towards New Haven

In the front of the train, a Dromaar sits in the front of the car. A bard with a flintlock rifle sits on the front right of the car, a row behind the Dromaar.

Theodore Brown, sits opposite to the bard. Una sits two rows behind Theodore and someone else sits across form her.

In the back, Athtar sits hunched over his chair, scrawling formulae ideas and hypotheses into his notebook as he tries to develop new formulae.

Behind him in the back two rows are Pete and Dirge who are eyeing each other suspiciously.

Dirge looks over towards Pete. Dirge can tell that Pete is undead. Dirge sits in the booth with Pete. Pete responds with a threat by revealing his firearm. He warns Dirge that he should go back to his seat, or there would be harm, and not to himself.

Dirge returns, and Athtar takes note of the conversation that just occurred.

After a few moments of returned silence, the door to the back of the train is kicked in and three thugs enter. They tell everyone to drop their valuables, as they no longer belong to them.

Roll Initiative

Athtar takes two shots at one of the thugs, missing both. The second thug responds, yelling that he told the group to drop everything. He rushes up to Athtar, pushing past another and attempts to hit him, then disarm him, failing.

Pete takes the opportunity to try to stab the first thug who entered, missing. He then tries to grab the thug, but the thug slips away. Pete then vaults over the booth in front of him and into the center path, blocking the second thug from progressing any further, but also blocking Theodore and Una.

Una recognizes the bandanas the thugs are wearing. She notes them as part of Billy's Gang, an infamous gang in the area. She then makes an attack on thug two by throwing her knife at his chest. He immediately clutches his chest and gives her a look as if he didn't know she was there to do that.

Theodore folds a corner of the page in his book, and places it in his bag. He then stands up, reveals his arm from the duster, and channels elements into his arm. The metals in the train shake from the raw magnetism it exudes He then shoots the second thug, landing the shot. He takes another shot to finish him off, leaving him to fall flat on the floor.

Dirge takes the opportunity to summon a thrall of a person who has died previously on this train. His lower body is removed and his guts hang out. He screams in endless agony. The thrall makes an attack on the first thug but misses. Dirge then summons a second thrall, the lower half of the man who died. It also attempts an attack on the same thug, but misses. Dirge shields himself to prevent damage. He speaks, "Your ancestors call out to you. Do you hear them?"

The Dromaar calls out to the other ladies and tells them to head into the next car.

Athtar hops his booth and heads back ten feet. He then reloads his pistol and takes a shot on the first thug, hitting but not doing much.

Pete calls out, "You're going to die here tonight." and both demoralizes and scares the first thug. He then pulls out his pistol and shoots the thug, and runs to the end of the car with the Dromaar.

The first thug takes a shot against Athtar, barely grazing him. He then charges up to Athtar and attemts to stab him, but doesn't hit hard enough.

Theodore then moves into the middle of the aisle, and then takes a shot against the first thug, but the thug quickly gets out of the way, as the window behind him shatters.

The third thug tries to follow Dirge to shoot him, missing. As he runs up, he kills Dirge's last thrall.

Athtar darts back two more booths and pulls out an acid flask and throws it at the first thug. It makes direct contact and coats him in acid.

Pete heads further back, throwing a glue bomb at the same thug Athtar threw his flask at. He tells the group to keep one of the thugs alive.

The first thug now barrels through Theodore and attempts to stab him, but just before he can, he collapses and melts due to the acid.

Theodore punches the third thug, reels back, and punches him again.

Dirge finishes the last thug off by placing his hand on his shoulder. Dirge turns the thug directly towards him and uses void warp on him, as Dirge takes the thug's last breath for him.

As the last thug falls, quiet fills the car once more.

Pete stomps up to Dirge, telling him that he doesn't know what he's done. That he had asked to keep one of them alive. Athtar taps Pete on the shoulder, telling him to avoid standing where he is, as there's lingering acid on the floor.

Theodore recognizes Pete as someone who had helped him a year in the past. Pete had pulled Theo out of a dust storm and to safety.

The Dromaar interrupts, mentioning that there are other priorities, and that it sounds like there are more thugs in the cars further down. She asks the group to check the cars, saying she was hired to protect someone in the first car. Noting that Una doesn't appear as combat ready as the rest of the party, she invites her to the first cat.

She introduces herself as Maela Brigg.

Dirge, Pete, Athtar, and Theo agree to head to the next car. Dirge mentions that Una is still in the first car, and that the group may need their help.

Theodore mentions that she doesn't seem too interested in risking her life and that it's not fair to force them into that. Athtar remarks that he has seen many who were forced to serve in missions.

The four agree that they should speak to Una to enlist her help. Maela mentions that she would introduce the group to her employer and get the group on board as well, thus allowing them to be compensated for the risk.

Una has gone into the Nerd's room to speak with her. The nerd mentions that she's seen Una before around West Haven. The nerd mentions that she hasn't been to church, but they've seen Una around with an old man.

Dirge looms into the room and asks if Una can use her firearm. She replies that she can, but though it unwise to use in a train. Dirge asks if she can help, and Pete comments that they hadn't done much. Una is defensive as she had a very good reason to not fire her rifle in the train. She eventually agrees to join the crew as long as Pete's attitude is kept in check.

Pete opts to head down the railcars and scope things out to see if there are remaining bandits on board. Theo, Dirge, and Athtar stay in first class to discuss.

As the group traverses, Pete can overhear some movement and some light conversation from them, hearing that they're annoyed they have to guard the cargo cart. Pete heads back to the group as he hears this.

Theodore and Athtar stay in first class to speak to Lutran Grey, another person sat in a plush room of first class. Theodore recognizes the man immediately as a wealthy and prominent merchant, and major funder of the dustwatchers. Theodore introduces himself as a dustwatcher. Lutran mentions that he could potentially get the group a job and that he trusts Maela's judgement when it comes to finding new people. After a prompt, the group introduces themselves to Lutran.

As Dirge introduces himself, Lutran immediately recognizes Dirge's species.

Lutran gives the group an offer of 20 gold pieces, and that he'd remember the group's faces if they agree to deal with the bandits and ensure Lutran's safe is protected.

The group heads back down the cars to meet up with Pete, who stands by the door. Before he opens it, he tells the group to leave one of them alive. Dirge avoids eye contact as he says that.

Before Pete can open the door, the bard rushes through, now missing her hat. She seems panicked and appears slightly injured, though looks more like she fell over than got shot. She says that she doesn't know what they're doing, but they have dynamite and are planning to blow up the train.