¶ [[Session 2]]
¶ Summary
The session starts off continuing where we left off. We are in the dining hall.
During breakfast, Sam and Laramie discuss the possibility that the Smithworks Company, who are also thieves, are after the same ruby. Samantha is too shaken to continue the search and puts Laramie in charge. Animus asks Albert and Toshiro to help guard the train, and Regiboldeustorgust Blatenoose provides them with a box of magical items in exchange for their services. Meanwhile, Magpie joins Animus as an engineer.
Later, Toshiro discovers that someone has searched Laramie's room, and they find a strand of Avel's red hair, indicating that she may be involved. Investigating some boxes in the back of the train, Toshiro discovers a 9th level imprisonment spell, which was placed on the box containing the Ruby of Anarchy, and a blast mark from the box being opened.
The group moves towards the front of the train, checking on the Smithworks Company duo along the way, who have been building weapons in their room, and discovering that Avel is missing. They find her on the roof trying to destroy the Ruby of Anarchy.
Suddenly, there is a massive explosion, and everything except the first class cars is disconnected from the front of the train. Avel reveals that she is trying to destroy the Ruby of Anarchy. Meanwhile, in the dining car, Regiboldeustorgust Blatenoose is drunk and accidentally locks himself and others inside without keys. The keys were stolen.
The train suddenly slows down and loses power, and a dragon-like creature and Swarmrot Wyrmlings attack the group. Samantha, who had collapsed earlier, is now possessed and working with the attackers. It is revealed that Nathan Gruber is behind the attack, and the creature flies away with the train, causing the group to fall to the desert below and take a lot of damage. Magpie is in critical condition but is stabilized with Hero Points.
¶ 📝 Log
We are back in the dining hall for breakfast. The [[Smithworks Company]] crew grab food and then leave the dining area. [[Samantha Bridgewater]] is being quiet, almost contemplative. [[Nathan Gruber]] is also quiet, but eating. [[Laramie Sarnoff (Luke)]] asks why the [[Smithworks Company]] might also want the ruby. Sam says that they are also thieves and probably are after the [[Ruby of Anarchy]] for the same reason as him. Sam is pretty much too shaken to go on searching for the ruby and puts Laramie in charge.
There is an aside between [[Animus (Chris)]] and the GM.
[[Albert Periwinkle -White Tiger-]] is eying the room over his book. [[Avel]] is eating her food, back to the wall, always with a hand free. She eventually gets up and bumps into Laramie. They have an awkward exchange before leaving the room. [[Toshiro Mitsunara (Scott)]] asks [[Albert Periwinkle -White Tiger-]] about [[Avel]]. He tries to get him to explain what her deal is. He says that they barely speak with each other and sleep with their blades. [[Albert Periwinkle -White Tiger-]] then explains that he is on his way to meet his father and that's why he's on the train.
[[Animus (Chris)]] asks [[Albert Periwinkle -White Tiger-]] and [[Toshiro Mitsunara (Scott)]] to help with guarding the train. [[Toshiro Mitsunara (Scott)]] asks if the role pays. [[Animus (Chris)]] needs to go back and ask if they can pay. [[Regiboldeustorgust Blatenoose]] says that they do not pay. He hands [[Animus (Chris)]] a box that has blue crystals and wands inside. [[Animus (Chris)]] offers the contents of the box as payment. There are two long wands with white filigree on them. Each gem is on its own chain. [[Toshiro Mitsunara (Scott)]] determines that they are magical. [[Animus (Chris)]] identifies the gems as [[Potency Crystal]]s. [[Sitka Ridgerunner (Steve)]] determines the wands are [[Wand of Healing]].
[[Toshiro Mitsunara (Scott)]] and [[Sitka Ridgerunner (Steve)]] take a wand each. [[Laramie Sarnoff (Luke)]] takes a [[Potency Crystal]].
[[Magpie (Kit)]] joins [[Animus (Chris)]] to help be an engineer of the train.
[[Samantha Bridgewater]] gets up to go back to her room. [[Samara Threnodae (Tom)]] stops her to check in. [[Samara Threnodae (Tom)]] uses [[Read The Air]] to assess the social situation. Laramie feels like he can trust [[Samara Threnodae (Tom)]]. She comes across as a friend.
[[Toshiro Mitsunara (Scott)]] goes and checks in on [[Jerrex Rockbeard (Jason)]] and [[Franchesco Ironmane]]. [[Franchesco Ironmane]] is polishing his gun. [[Toshiro Mitsunara (Scott)]] then notices that his bedroom door was open. He asks [[Albert Periwinkle -White Tiger-]] to help him check it out. There is nobody in there. He then checks on [[Samantha Bridgewater]]. She is crying and lets slip that she is looking for a gem that she is going to use to fund an orphanage. [[Toshiro Mitsunara (Scott)]] then offers up some of his belongings to try and help her with her charity.
[[Toshiro Mitsunara (Scott)]] and [[Albert Periwinkle -White Tiger-]] then go to check on [[Laramie Sarnoff (Luke)]]'s room because the bed looks like it was tossed. White Tiger has been doing a Blue Steel face this entire time.
When they more closely inspect Laramie's room, they find that everything has been searched. Even his dresser and storage have been pried open.
[[Albert Periwinkle -White Tiger-]] Naruto runs back to grab [[Laramie Sarnoff (Luke)]] and show him what happened to his room. Laramie follows him back, at a running pace. When they get back to his room, [[That's Odd]] triggers. Nothing ends up being missing, but Laramie notices that there is a strand of red hair left behind.
We determine that the red hair is from [[Avel]]. [[Toshiro Mitsunara (Scott)]] goes to check on her and ends up getting pulled into her room. When she realizes that Toshi doesn't have the Ruby, she pushes him out of her room.
We hear a bunch of falling or collapsing boxes from the back of the train. When we go back to investigate, we get to the last door and there is a sudden vacuum sound.
When [[Toshiro Mitsunara (Scott)]] investigates some boxes in the back, he discovers some runic symbols. They spell something in Draconic. It is a 9th level imprisonment spell. It was cast to keep something inside this box. However, the box is now open so the spell must have been broken. It might have been containing the [[Ruby of Anarchy]]. There is a blast mark around the box, probably when the box was opened with some flame related spell.
It's about 2 PM at this point and the lunch bell has rung. There is now food in the dining room.
Back at the engine of the train now. It is really loud in this room. Some dials indicate that the train is operating at 100% power.
Back to the back of the train. We start moving toward the front of the train. [[Toshiro Mitsunara (Scott)]] checks on the [[Smithworks Company]] duo. [[Thrunk Blastmaster Smith]] is very scared. [[Curt Boulderbeard]] is upset because Thrunk isn't letting them out of the room. Toshi offers to bring them back some lunch. He does his best to inspect their room while doing so. They have converted their beds to a bunkbed, they also have a workbench where they have been building weapons. They built the exploding gauntlets. On his way back, Toshi discovers that [[Avel]] is not in her room.
Laramie goes back to bring food to [[Avel]] but she does not appear to be there. He notices that some more hair is sort of leading him to a ladder between the train cars. [[Samara Threnodae (Tom)]] is coming too, and alerts the rest of the "party".
We're now on the roof of the train car. Avel is up on the roof. She signals us to be quiet.
The pressure dice go off. There is a huge explosion from the back of the train. Samara and Laramie are almost blown off. The back of the train blows off the back. Everything except for the first class cars have been disconnected from the front of the train. [[Samara Threnodae (Tom)]] messages Avel to see what she is doing on the roof. Avel responds back saying that she is trying to destroy the [[Ruby of Anarchy]].
Back in the engine room. [[Animus (Chris)]] grabs [[Regiboldeustorgust Blatenoose]] to figure out what to do. He picks him up, he's drunk again, as people are running around freaking out. They accidentally locked themselves in the dining car, without their keys. The keys were stolen.
[[Toshiro Mitsunara (Scott)]] is trying to help [[Samantha Bridgewater]] who has collapsed, but he suddenly realizes it's [[Delilah]]. When he unwraps her, she has a smile cut into her face. This is in the lunch car.
The train suddenly starts slowing. [[Animus (Chris)]] tries banging on the lunch cart door to get the attention of [[Exia]]. the [[Smithworks Company]] duo are ready to rumble. [[Exia]] rips the door off of its hinges. [[Animus (Chris)]] and [[Regiboldeustorgust Blatenoose]] then make their way to the front of the train.
#combat
We are now rolling for initiative. There is a terrible noise. The humming of the train's engine suddenly dies out. All of the electricity is gone. Everything is dark. There is a scurrying as something climbs up the train. There is a scream above us as something with oblong green eyes flies overhead. It lands on the back of the train. It is a reptilian dragon-like creature. A humanoid figure climbs up behind it. We can't make out who it is.
Additional smaller creatures come skittering into the train. They are [[Swarmrot Wyrmling]]s. One tries biting [[Magpie]].
[[Samantha]] came in with the Wyrmlings. There is a red mist coming out of her eyes. When [[Jerrex Rockbeard (Jason)]] shot her, she didn't even react.
It turns out that [[Nathan Gruber]] is behind this. He had a dagger with vines around it, meaning that he likely killed the guards. He commanded the dragon-like creature to fly away with the train. People inside take damage. Up above the train, [[Toshiro Mitsunara (Scott)]] is thrown from the train and uses [[grab an edge]] to hold on. We all fall to the desert below. We take a lot of damage. [[Magpie (Kit)]] is in a very bad way.
[[Samara Threnodae (Tom)]] seeks out [[Magpie (Kit)]] to try and revive her. However, she is able to stabilizer herself using Hero Points.