It has been a good year ....

It has been a year now since you joined up with Dwan Granitecrusher - the Dwarven owner of the Pegasus Roadhouse. Dwan hired you as Reclamation Scouts - which basically meant you search through the miles upon miles of the Rust Wastes looking for reusable materials like steel, plastics, alloys, fulgin or working tech. You received payment based on what you found and how many Claim Trackers you placed that were successful, however room and board at the roadhouse was included and you could pick up extra money working there as servers if you wished. But if you had a good find - a really good find - then the standing payment was 5 gold and a party. Last week, the Lost Boys pulled out a crate of usable batteries from the waste and they got their five gold. Maybe today would be your day.

You move through the ruins of the past carefully, weapons out and ready, and always looking for possible trouble. Hugh towers that used to reach of the sky now lie collapsed on the ground and this once massive city is now rusting away, deserted. The waste was not a safe place. Many of the fallen towers of the ancients were shelters for those who did not want to obey the laws of the city states. Bandits, thieves, brigands and cutthroats all called this place home and you have noticed the markings on the walls nearby of a white bird with wings spread - the mark of the White Hawks claiming their territory. They will claim anyplace as their territory but really itis a question of who can hold it.

Lum is moving ahead of the party as you often have him take point. He has found a few semi-intact building ahead and has suggested you check them out. You are following that lead when something happens unexpectedly. The road beneath Lum suddenly falls through like a sink hole. You rush forward to aid him but it turns out he did not fall far and is unhurt. However, the fall has revealed a cavern area beneath the city.

You draw your flashlights out and begin to survey the area. This cavern is deep but you find a steel stairwell that is still sturdy leading down into the darkness....

Gwan had realized early that Lum was loyal. When the Orc had returned from a prospecting trip with the materials and weapons but two of the scouts were missing all he said was, "They won't need them." Gwan didn't question him further.

This team had been together now for about year and had had some successes. Lum had quietly lead the group through the Rustwastes and slowly a bond seem to be developing. There had been tensions early on as the team found it more then odd to follow an Orc. Lum let the Elves work out their issues, he just did his job. It was the girl that bothered him. Her independence had reminded him of Otto. Although Mairead had proven her skills in defending and healing the team he still had to keep an eye on her, just for her own good.

Gwan had had another lead and sent the team back into the Rustwaste. This area had had buildings that were of better structure. Lum could see by the lines that these were different. Staying ahead of team allowed the Orc not only check the structures but also watch for other dangers.

Approaching a good looking prospect Lum feels the ground start to tremble but before he can react it gives way under his feet. He prepares for a fall but he only drops a few feet. As the dust clears The Orc sees the entrance to underground caverns. A steel stairwell leads down into the darkness. Pulling out a Claim Tracker Lum places it at the entrance.

"This looks good, let's go now." The Orc waves the others on and heads down the stairs.

As the party moved through the ruins of a once great city, Máiréad ran close to the rear of the group though not the last in line. She, and her companions, knew that her strength lay in keeping the group healed and alive. She was not a fighter, and preferred her spirit magic to hand combat. She could engage in physical combat if necessary, but she wasn't very good at it and so she stuck to what she knew. Magic! Her Spirits helped her; gave her powers beyond normal people. She cared for life and would not take a life unless necessary; to save her own or someone else's life maybe. Life was precious to her Spirits and therefore it was so with her as well. Machines, cyborgs, or unnatural creatures created by evil magic or technology were not considered life to her. Therefore she didn't mind them being removed from the world that they were defiling with their presence.

Máiréad looked upon her companions whom she had worked with before in her time with Dwan's Scouts. She liked them well enough; Lum was a favorite of her's because he was so different than any of them. He was an orc, and most people tended to treat him with suspicion or dread, but she got along with him fine. She didn't treat him any differently than the others; she maybe treated him better if anything. He was rough and crass, but she sensed a goodness in him. Orcs were normally looked upon as beasts by other races, but she had found him to have a gentle side that he hid in order to look tough. She didn't mind his tough exterior, in fact she had hidden behind it many times in combat. She may have 'used' his bulk as a shield at times, but she was always quick to heal him when he needed it. Máiréad thought that they had an understanding between them; one that was close and loyal. Of course she could be wrong.

Rhyson, the elf magic caster, was very useful with his magic. He didn't have a problem using it to kill though, she didn't like it but she wouldn't others from using their skills for such things. Afterall, who was she to tell them what they could and couldn't do? Rhys was a nice enough sort, for an elf, but he loved to talk. Sometimes she thinks he just loved to hear himself speak. He was a decent enough fellow, he didn't like to take orders sometimes, but she didn't like it either, but if she thought the 'suggestion' had merit she might just follow it.

Tomiki, their rogue, was a dark sort and scary looking with all his darkness and assortment of weaponry, but she found that he held a sort of sadness deep inside. The sadness seemed to dull his scary side, at least for her. She got along with him well, and he even suggested that he could teach her to use her staff more efficiently. So when they had time, usually when encamped, he would show her a few things about using her staff in combat. She had to steer him away from things that would kill and more towards those that would maim or disable. She got along with Tomiki well, even if he was a killer, but no one was perfect.

As they moved through the ruins, Máiréad kept her staff at hand as always. She didn't like these places, but preferred the woods instead. But there wasn't a lot of tech to be found in the woods, and their job was to find this old stuff and bring it back to Dwan. He would pay them if they had a good haul, but money wasn't really important to her she did like the free room and board even though she didn't use the room all that much.

Lum was in the lead of the group, as usual as he was the best straight up fighter, even if he was a bit clumsy. To illustrate her point, Lum suddenly disappeared from sight in a could of dust. The group rushed forward and saw that a sink hole had appeared in the road they had been walking down. Looking down into it they saw he hadn't fallen far and appeared alright. But beneath him, further down, they could see a cavern of sorts. This could be a break for them as the cavern may be unexplored and contain some tech or even batteries they could salvage. They could see a steel stairway that would take them deeper into the cavern.

"This looks good, let's go now." Lum waves the others on and headed down the stairs.

They all drew out flashlights provided by Dwan; she used a length of leather strips to fasten hers to her staff as she usually did in such situations. She didn't like to have her hands tied up with objects other than her staff which helped her to focus her spirit power. Letting Lum get a few steps down the stairs, she followed him and stopped to push on the stairs with her staff to check it's stability. If it seemed safe, she would follow him down and kept her eyes roaming around looking for any signs of dangers. She examined the stairs to see if there was dirt or dust upon them; she figured if no one had traveled these stairs in as long as it seemed, then there should be dust at least built up on them. She silently asked the Spirits to give her strength to help protect her companions.

((OOC: Ok, first post! Hope I am doing alright. If not, GM let me know if I am trying to do too much, or whatever. )

(Edit: added her thoughts on Tomiki. )

Rhyson moved along behind Lum as the group moved through the Rust Wastes. The wastes were strange - part wild land, part city, part storehouse of the past and all untamed. "Once tamed" he thought to himself. Once these were homes and shops and schools. It seemed odd. And now they were the homes of rabbits, rats and raiders. And the source of his income. He actually liked the work most of the time. He needed time to figure out life and this gave it to him while letting him explore and develop. Plus, he got to do it with some interesting people. Given where he had been a year or so ago, things could be much worse.

And, of course, they could get much worse very, very quickly if he didn't keep his mind from wandering.

And suddenly things did get worse, as the big orc disappeared into a cloud of dust and down a hole. As one the group moved forward to assist Lum if he needed it, but Rhyson was cautious. The situation smelled of a pit trap. And where a pit was set to catch the unwary, there might well be others ready to pounce on those who offered help. So he scanned their surroundings as he moved forward, with a spell ready on his lips.

But while there was indeed a pit, there didn't seem to be any trap. Infact, Lum stood just a bit below them and had found an interesting entrance. Metal stairs headed down into the darkness. Down was not Rhyson's favorite direction. But it looked promising and this was exactly the sort of thing they were here to find.

He moved forward and headed down with the others, getting his light ready as he went. But the sense of a trap didn't leave him, and he kept his eyes open looking to see if anyone was watching their descent until he disappeared below ground.

Lead on big Lum, let us see what is down here.

For the most part Tomiki sat quietly, a smile crossing his face, as he watched Lum take the lead, fall a few feet into an entranceway, then as if nothing had happened, mark the steel stairs for recovery. In the few moments before the orc motioned for them to move on the Asian raised Elf thought back to what had brought him here and the nature of the people around him.

His hopes of finding his human brother and sister always foremost in his mind and though his main goal he was smart enough to know running the Rust Wastes on his own was just not a very good idea. Enter Dwan Granitecrusher and the three people with him. Hard to believe the Elf thought to himself it's been a full year already That he'd been searching the wastes for both his lost family and as a Reclamation Scout.

There was Lum of course their current ‘meat shield' some called him, but unlike many of his kind Tomiki found the orc to be nothing like the vicious beasts they were made out to be. Good in a fight and as dangerous as orc's in general still Tomiki sensed something deeper in him then just rage.

Then there was Máiréad, the group's only real healer. Though in good shape, for a human, she could fight in combat as a last resort, but she wasn't very good at it sticking to her magic for the most part. Tomiki having found out her weapon of choice was the staff had offered to train her in the discipline of Bōjutsu the art of the stick and staff and though no where near a master was pleased when she agreed. The two of them trained whenever both had the free time to do so.

Last of the group was Rhyson, another elf and magic-user but unlike Máiréad his magic was offensive in nature where the human girl's was healing. Though not a loud mouth the younger elf was nonetheless not closed mouthed about his past and was not one to seemly or desire to keep secrets. Of Rhyson's many traits this was the only one that Tomiki worried about. Sometimes it was better to keep a secret then to reveal it to just anybody. However the Elf mage knew no matter what, Tomiki was there for him in a fight as was the same for all of this group that after a year together he called his friends.

As for himself he was average, if not slightly smaller, then normal sized for an elf. Though good looking as most elves he did have a long thin scar running from the back of his jaw to just past his ear. A memento from the people who had killed his foster family as Tomiki had killed them. His eyes a strange violet seemed to be at times too intense to look into. Most that had the misfortune to do so on the edge of his temper compared them as if falling into a black hole. His long silver haired dyed a deep black to keep it from standing out in the dark tunnels of the wastes. His frame well formed and lean he was more about dexterity then strength. After all his role on the team was finding the group ways in and out, not to really stand out front and fight. For him combat was more about finding your enemies weakness and exploiting them, then Lum's method of charging head on and just killing them. Though the Elf rogue had to admit that worked to.

Dressed mostly in black clothing he wore under it a suit of scout armor flexible and lightweight. Though it was perfect for his job as the team's rogue it did not give Tomiki as much armor as he would have liked. His weapons of choice the two Ninja-To short swords sheathed at his back, his human father's red gemmed one and his own gem less one. He hoped one day to find the right gem to add to it's hilt and he knew he would know once it was found. Under his right arm was slung a blaster rifle, at his right hip a blaster pistol. Hidden upon his body a dozen throwing stars for silent ranged death when the blaster rifle was just too loud or too sight visible. His main role with his human family had been assassination and he found the skills of Ninjitsu very handy in the groups adventures.

Now here they were again once more in the wastes headed into another of the old lost places looking for anything of worth.. As he finally stood to follow the big orc Tomiki had to smile once more. Nothing much better then to be with friends facing the unknown

((Ok I took a few liberties but after a year together I figured they were quite possible. If I posted anything anyone feels was overstepping let me know and I will edit my post accordingly. So as we say in Trilogy GAME ON!))

One of you spots a set of stairs nearby that lead to the bottom of the cavern. There you see a circular area of dirt and rubble, about 30 yards in diameter. Just beyond that is another set of steel stairs and a set of shiny metal doors built into the rock. A light above the door shines brightly like a beacon, illuminating the scene. The doors are partially ajar but unfortunately there is something in the way of you and the doorway - two large firebugs - They resemble armour clad spiders with glowing red thoraxes. Firebugs are a creature of the chaos wars, bio-engineered to serve as weapons on a battlefield. They now have no purpose and live within the waste, preying on whatever victims they can find. Firebugs are a giant cross between spider and beetle with the ability to hurl liquid fire from their backsides and a poisonous bite. Worse yet, their carapace reflects blaster fire so they are very hard to kill from a distance.

What could be beyond that door? There are security doors that would normally seal magnetically but failed to do so. That means whatever lies beyond was once worth securing well. Furthermore, the light means there is a power source still operating within. Firebugs might be difficult to kill but not impossible and beyond that door could be a world of discovery and treasure.

Lum leads the party down the stair. "This don't look like a natural cave, it be made by someone. That be good,could be good stuff here." Traveling down about 30 yard the big Orc raises his arm to signal stop and quiet. Below he sees an open area lit by a beacon. Another set of stair are on the other side of the area with set of doors, but they seem protected by two large creatures.

"Hmmm," he whispered. " Looks like a good find..see the doors, but them are protected by them big bugs,,Don't know much of them only them are hard to kill,..them got poison bite in front and fire shoot from rear." Lum looked the party, "We need to get through those doors,you got any ideas besides go down and chop them up?"

Lum leads the party down the stair. "This don't look like a natural cave, it be made by someone. That be good,could be good stuff here." Traveling down about 30 yard the big Orc raises his arm to signal stop and quiet. Below he sees an open area lit by a beacon. Another set of stair are on the other side of the area with set of doors, but they seem protected by two large creatures."

"Hmmm," he whispered. " Looks like a good find..see the doors, but them are protected by them big bugs,,Don't know much of them only them are hard to kill,..them got poison bite in front and fire shoot from rear." Lum looked the party, "We need to get through those doors,you got any ideas besides go down and chop them up?"

Máiréad stopped with the others and moved up closer so she could hear what Lum had said. Looking down she saw what he was telling them. Gripping her staff tightly in her hands she closed her eyes for a few seconds as she mumbled mostly to herself; the group was use to this by now as they knew she was 'communing' with her Spirits. When her eyes opened she focused on the creatures and spoke.

"Firebugs," she hissed in a whisper, "these creatures are not natural. They are made by horrible evil men. They are not born, so they are not real life." This was the phrase they would know by now meaning that killing them would earn them no grief from her regarding the slayings.

"I get a strange... feeling from these," Máiréad whispered as she went on, "these are not left over from war. Some one has created these recently, within the last couple years. I have nothing that will harm these creatures, but whatever you do, know that I will ask the Spirits to bless you during the battle."

(OOC: She has no magic or weapons that will do much to these creatures, though she will help by casting enchantments on the party such as: Hero's Might - +1 bonus to damage when making melee and ranged attacks. She will be casting that on the whole party on the 1st round of combat.)

Knowing that they will do battle with these creatures, Máiréad prepares her defense so that she may be in a position to assist in the healing and support of the group. She mumbles once again, and gestures with the staff as she reaches down and picks up some dirt off the stairs and rubs it briefly on her clothing. All of her clothing seems to pale in color to an almost gray Stone color.

(OOC: Right now she is casting Stone Cloak on herself; it increases her armor rating for 1 hour. Before you ask, she can only cast this on herself. )

Rhyson looked down into the chamber at the big orcs warning. Firebugs. Creatures/machines of war. Hard to kill, meant to kill. And new? Newly created? He hadn't realized anyone was still in the business. That wasn't a good thing. It also said something very odd about this facility. They had power -literally electricity, but also some significant abilities. The group would need to tread carefully. And blowing the door guards didn't really sound like a sneaky way to get in.

"Newly made? If someone here can do that, we might not want to be blowing up their front door. or back door. or whatever this is. They obviously knew this door was here, even if we didn't until Lum took his fall. Going in sounds good, but going by ringing the doorbell doesn't. Anyone have any ideas about how to get around them quietly?" When nobody immediately offered up a solution, he continued. "Ok, I do have two lightning spells which should be effective. Lets get some bonus spells going and then do what we can. But I really don't know how quickly the spells will take those things out, so I really need some kind of support in this if you have any ideas."

OOC: When the group launches their attack, Rhys will use either lighting bolt or chain lightning. If he is over 30 yards away it will be lightning bolt - he will need to move up to 30 yard distance. If within 2o yards he will use chain lightning.

As the four made their way into a new search Tomiki found himself the last one of the group to enter. Following just behind the other three he was surprised when they suddenly stopped. As he pressed forward he heard the big Orc speak.

"Hmmm, " Looks like a good find..see the doors, but them are protected by them big bugs,,Don't know much of them only them are hard to kill,..them got poison bite in front and fire shoot from rear. We need to get through those doors,you got any ideas besides go down and chop them up?"

"Firebugs," Máiréad hissed in a whisper, "these creatures are not natural. They are made by horrible evil men. They are not born, so they are not real life." This was the phrase they would know by now meaning that killing them would earn them no grief from her regarding the slayings. I get a strange... feeling from these," Máiréad continued to whisper, "these are not left over from war. Some one has created these recently, within the last couple years. I have nothing that will harm these creatures, but whatever you do, know that I will ask the Spirits to bless you during the battle."

From what little he knew of them Firebugs were a giant hybrid cross between spider and beetle with the ability to hurl liquid fire from their backsides, a poisonous bite. And damn near invulnerable to blaster fire. They'd have to be killed up close and personal but how to get close?

"Newly made? If someone here can do that, we might not want to be blowing up their front door. or back door. or whatever this is. They obviously knew this door was here, even if we didn't until Lum took his fall. Going in sounds good, but going by ringing the doorbell doesn't. Anyone have any ideas about how to get around them quietly?" When nobody immediately offered up a solution, he continued. "Ok, I do have two lightning spells which should be effective. Lets get some bonus spells going and then do what we can. But I really don't know how quickly the spells will take those things out, so I really need some kind of support in this if you have any ideas."

"Rhy's is right I have nothing to hurt these creatures other them my swords. However as these creatures take time to form the fire they shoot in their bodies, a minute or maybe longer. (4 combat rounds) If Lum or one of you two with your magic could distract them, I could possibly get close enough to use my swords to kill them. However if these are as he says newly made, then not even my swords may hurt them. Maybe we should search elsewhere or leave and return with some better weapons to kill them."

Having given his thoughts, the Elf went silent once more....

Máiréad listened to the others as they spoke of what they could and couldn't do. Having travelled with them for almost a year now, she sort of knew their strengths and weaknesses. After hearing them out, she nodded and turned from watching the fire bugs below.

"Ok listen," she whispered, "these things don't seem to have heard us or the noise of Lum's entrance." She offered Lum a smile to show that she meant nothing by it.

"I think we have the surprise in that they don't know we are here," she went on, "so I say we take advantage of that. The light down there illuminates them brightly, but gives us the shadows. If we sneak down the stairs without our lights, treading carefully, we should be able to sneak up and get close enough that we can surprise them."

"We move down staying towards the middle of the chamber," She gestured with one hand, "spreading out a little so we won't all get caught if they release their fire at us. Maybe Tomiki to the left and Lum to the right, with Ry and I towards the middle. But stay within range so that I can heal all of us if needed."

They would know by now how Máiréad operated in battle; she would stay within 10 yards of everyone, when room provided, and use her healing aura to heal all of them during combat. She would bless them, or rather the Spirits would, just before battle, then she would stay just behind them but close enough so she could assist in keeping them alive. They all knew she didn't have much in Offensive magic and what she did have was more for escape or defense. It was in their best interests to make sure that she stayed out of harm's way, so that she could keep them alive.

"Ry," she continued, "you have your lightning. Once we are within range you could ‘zap' them both and then hopefully while they are stunned, Lum and Tomiki could rush in and do what they do." She grinned a little. Normally she didn't like watching them hack up things, but these creatures were not ‘living' things in her opinion. Someone had created them and it was time someone ‘un-created' them.

"Ry will support you with his magic," she finished up, "I will stay back as usual and heal you if you get hurt."

"What do you think?" She asked and looked at all of them questioningly.

(OOC: She has already cast Stone Cloak on herself; If we go with this plan then she will cast Hero's Might on the entire party as they move down the stairs, maybe at the bottom.)

"Ok listen," whispered, Máiréad "these things don't seem to have heard us or the noise of Lum's entrance." She offered Lum a smile to show that she meant nothing by it.

"I think we have the surprise in that they don't know we are here," she went on, "so I say we take advantage of that. The light down there illuminates them brightly, but gives us the shadows. If we sneak down the stairs without our lights, treading carefully, we should be able to sneak up and get close enough that we can surprise them. We move down staying towards the middle of the chamber," She gestured with one hand, "spreading out a little so we won't all get caught if they release their fire at us. Maybe Tomiki to the left and Lum to the right, with Ry and I towards the middle. But stay within range so that I can heal all of us if needed. Ry, you have your lightning. Once we are within range you could ‘zap' them both and then hopefully while they are stunned, Lum and Tomiki could rush in and do what they do. Ry will support you with his magic," she finished up, "I will stay back as usual and heal you if you get hurt. What do you think?" She asked and looked at all of them questioningly.

Having no greater plan in mind and knowing Máiréad to be quite insightful on tactics, for a healer, the Elf Rogue looked to her and nodded his ok. Drawing his 2 short swords quietly he awaited the ok from all and the word to go.

Lum stood quietly as Máiréad revealed her thoughts. The big Orc was never one to run from a conflict. His usual plan was to walk up and kill what it was in their way. The little lady had often been able to see how guide their actions so he knew to ask before just wading in.

"Ok, sounds good. You squishy folk follow carefully ..use edge of stairs, that should be strongest and maybe no squeeks,, we cross the center to get to edge of light then do what she say,Ry you zap and then we got hack."

Lum nodded to Máiréad, turned and lead the party down the stair and across the area. For a big guy he could move surprisingly quietly. When group got within twenty feet of the bugs they executed Máiréad's plan.

Rhys nodded at the plan. If it took the bugs a while to get their fire ready Rhyson thought he might have gone with the original plan - attack from the side. But it probably wouldn't matter. Either way, he knew he was the key to the plan. He knew the elves had always used lightning to take these things down, but how quickly would it work? How many shots could they take? That was the question. He hoped this compatriots blades could add to the damage, but these bugs were heavily armored.

So, knowing that above all he needed to keep the lightining flying, Rhys planned to make sure that Lum was always between him and the bugs. That should give him the time to rattle off lightning blast after lightning blast.

Máiréad cast a spell quietly as she could to form a rock like barrier around her, thus protection from these firebugs. With a nod she signaled that she was complete and the party moved forward to face their opponents. Rhyson started to gather the power of his mana from within, knowing he had only this one chance to catch them off-guard. Lum moved forward with axe in hand while Tomiki hugged the shadows and looked to his opponents with eyes trained to find weaknesses. The armour plates of the firebugs were formidable but they were grooves between them to allow movement, and the head and shoulders area was exposed as well.

Máiréad called upon the spirits to help the party in their fight and was rewards with a surge of power and agreement of the spirits within this confines. Rhyson then let the lightning bolt blast out from his staff. The sheer power of it was surprising, even for the elven caster and he watched as the energy struck the first firebug and then arced to the second. The bugs made awful screaming like sounds as the electricity bounced back and forth between the creatures. When done. The firebugs were looking quite injuries and the smell of charred flesh filled the cavern.

Tomiki moved quickly to take on the half-baked beetle and attacks with his swords. The first attempt failed to move pass the armour but the second scored well and deep. Green ichor and goo ran down his blade and oozed out of the wound to the ground.

Lum's tactics were direct and true, attacking the head of the beast where the armour as least. His axe also bit deep and the other firebug bleed green as well.

The firebugs move to defend themselves. Tomiki dodges the sharp blades legs of the attack and rolls out of the way of the mandibles but gets two cuts in with his blades. The second moves swiftly toward Rhyson, knowing that he caused the pain it knows feels. Lum moves to protect Rhyson and deflects the talon attacks with his axe but the firebug gets a bite down on Lum that his armour absorbs the worst of the damage. Lum strikes back with a heavy blow to the side of its head with the axe.

"Get down!" Rhyson shouts a warning and then casts the Chain lightning again. The energy strikes both bugs again as Lum and Tomiki hit the ground so they are not taken in the blast. The Lightening is not quite the strength of the last one but it does do significant damage to the two firebugs.

Máiréad moves to Lum in case he is wounded but he waves her off and she can see that the bite did not get through his light battle armour.

Although injured and their bodies smoking, The bugs still move to attack the party.



OOC: The FB's are really hurting but are not dead yet. Initiative right now is
Máiréad
Firebugs
Tomiki
Lum
Rhyson

Note : Rhyson has used 24 mp now (out of 55) and Máiréad has used 8 (out of 50).