Marduk

[Gorethirster]

[2d6+3]=4+3=7
+0 for Comms as a trained skill but no bonus, so also no untrained penalty for a specialty skill (if comms is, I can't remember off the top of my head).
+1 for int bonus
+1 for computers 1, because a significant amount of this plan is hinging on using a personal comm terminal as an oscilloscope/sound board and computers seems like the applicable skill for making software play nice.
+1 for engineer (electronics) 1, because distinguishing signal from noise is an important part of this plan, making a handheld comm terminal work as an oscilloscope/sound board would also be easier if Remington futzed with the hardware, and because learning how to diagnose sound gear malfunctions by the way they hum is a classic sound tech skill.
Possible +2 for Physical Science (physics) 2. Room to squish this to +1 or ignore entirely, I was on the fence as to applicability so didn't include it in the roll. It's a bit of a stretch because this skill is a lump from everything from Maxwell's equations to special relativity. However, given that Remington has scratch built a jumpspace emulator, as well as the computational hard and software to both run it and interpret the data, it stands to reason that he ought to have at least a very firm grasp of the nitty-gritty physics of wave transmission and to a lesser extent antennas and what makes for a good signal carrier. That might cash out in a sort of "gut instinct" that given the various transmission conditions in the temple and general area, plus the general tech level of Marduk, that some particular frequency range might be the most likely suspect for the temple to be using.

[Legion Lee]

OOC I am not sure if Leon is close enough by to help Remington.

If so. While watching Remington or over-hearing him, he will see if he can offer any ideas.

Leon's Intelligence is 10 (yes it really is)

Computers + 1

[2d6+1]=8+1=9 (plus 1 for computer skill)

[Tiglath]

(OOC: Nice assist! Alas, even if she wasn't busy chasing damp clergy about the temple the very best possible assistance Raven can give is not to help... Her entire skill set has a certain, almost inevitable, focus! )

[The Bindoner]

Remington easily finds a non-Oghman radio signal, and a strong one, but it is coming from the west. It is a brief burst, then the frequency goes quiet.

Continuing the scan and refining parameters he does locate a local electrical signal, but it is not a radio transmission, rather it is the scattered emission of a poorly shielded live circuit, apparently doing no real work at present, just humming with current and generating short range interference.

The radio just to the west is broadcasting in a different dialect to the one the serpent has learned, it takes longer to process:

sefyenh ref' qebalh. 'eqed. sefyenh segheyrh la tezal thewm. Kharej.

Ship lift off. A contract. Small ship still hovering. Outside.

It is possible the Serpent does not understand this dialect as well as the one it has been working with so far.

[The Bindoner]

Here we go with Raven's negotiations - which, despite reassurances to the contrary, she feels are under impending fishy pressure to obtain an immediate resolution:
[2d6]=8
Perhaps unsurprisingly she has no skills here but I believe her Int is just high enough to (possibly) claim +1?

It's high enough.

You could have leant on Carouse to make it an invitation to the party.

Taking longer to write up the result than I thought, sorry.

[Tiglath]

No worries!

Raven does actually have an alternate career - party planner!

[The Bindoner]

The woman listens to Raven attentively. At first she is defiant and confident. When Raven slings her rifle she relaxes a little, not responding immediately to her approach, though her cheeks flush at the implications of her words. She seems, by a shift in posture, to become a little less confident.
With the young woman’s attention held by Raven, Áshildr, recognising the subtle gestures of her Raid Leader, catches Rúna's eye and relays the intent. Rúna grins and winks. The two women casually and slowly wander apart, subtly moving to flank the priestess.

When the translation kicks in she looks startled. As she takes a step backward, away from Raven, and speaks, Áshildr, and Rúna dart forward, getting behind her and cutting her off from the sea.


bh berdhhat guwesh meydey w yad meyguyery ?

You listen to your slaves and learn then?


tew waq'ea methel beqyh mhajem ha neysety , hestey?

You really are not like other attackers, are you?


She quickly takes in her situation and shrugs. Standing upright and looking directly at Raven she makes a little speech, as a priestess might:


merdem men az cheaza keh az setarhha maad matersen w matersen keh awenja berdh beshen men hem metfawet hestem. men amewkheth am keh ba qedret rewberw shewm w az an kemek beguarem. men ba mal w reghebt bh setarh ha ma rewm w ma banem keh khedaaan cheh hestend.

I am different too.
I have learned to face power and seek help from it. My people are afraid of what comes from the stars and they are afraid that they will be taken there. I go to the stars with desire and see what the gods are.


men ba tew az ayenja meyrem ama aguh meykheway ba men az ayenja bery beyrewn bayed bedarey bh bezregutersh khewshamed begum agur her ak az ma bh terke, baad an ra atemanan hach thedada wejwed dared.


I'm leaving with you, but if you want to get out of here with me, you must let the elder greet me. If any of us leave, it must be assured there is no threat.

[The Bindoner]

Leon can clearly see the approaching wave, an onrushing wall about a meter high with a flock of seabirds following it.

Regina, watching the sensor feed in a window on her console, lifts the Serpent higher. Without looking at Kar she quietly comments At least we haven't harmed the ship-folk, so it will probably let us leave. Us, anyway. Probably.

[Tiglath]

Raven replies with what initially comes out as a low growl. She then masters speech and replies “The best wolves are neither the fastest nor the strongest in the pack but those who learn” her teeth draw back in a vulpine smile “are by far the most dangerous predators”.

She switches channels and calls “Serpent stand by to fire on my position with my authority. The high ground above the town may give you an effective hull down position. Laser battery target on my comm, centre of the inner temple, aim up just enough to still give me room to swing my sword. Target: Kraken. Fire at your discretion”.

Eyeing Manfred she states “Priestess, there has been quite enough god bothering! You are with us and we are leaving now!” Grabbing a firm hold of the woman's arm she snarls “I am Raven Sorrow and you can tell your elder this from me “Far þú í arsgat!” She adds “Your people leave this planet every raiding season and none of them needed or got his permission and Oghman warriors will never require it!”

Warily eyeing the approaching wave she calls “Remington, fair warning, summon your magic for I may shortly require a miracle”.

(OOC: Raven is not waiting about for godly manifestations and/or massive gribbly monsters when there still seems some reasonable chance of just making like shepherds and getting the flock outta here! I leave the success or failure of this basic plan and the timing of all to the GM! )

[Legion Lee]

Leon will follow Raven, hopefully they can get out before the wave arrives.

[The Bindoner]

From the Serpent Kar sees the dark shape beneath the water shift form as it approaches shallower water – the seaward end slows and the “object” lengthens and becomes slimmer as the forward edge accelerates toward the temple.


The young woman, realising Raven means to leave immediately, tries to dodge away but slips on the wet stone, falling headlong at Raven’s feet and landing heavily on her right hand, which gives way. As she gasps in pain Raven, Áshildr and Rúna pounce on her, hauling her up and starting to carry her out of the shrine. She struggles ineffectually and protests:

nh! tew metwejh neysety aguh bezregutera mezh menw becheshen jamewn amenh

No! You do not realize that if the elder tastes me, it is safe.

men hemh cheyez rew amadh keredm , hala hemh cheyez rew kherab neken.

I prepared everything, now do not ruin everything.

There is a note of desperation in her voice, she really does believe what she says.

The wave will arrive within a minute.

OOC:

Girl rolled a 2 on her dodge

Again, I have used a poor translation because it is amusing. I feel I ought to credit the Yandex, Google, Translator.eu and mylanguages.org services as co-authors, they collaborate to produce some nice turns of phrase.

[The Bindoner]

Remington’s comm picks up another broadcast:

wahid eazim yati

Great One is coming.

It is followed by another, quiter utterance, apparently an aside spoken to someone in the room rather than intended for transmission:

yajib 'an yakun Rubati qad naja

Rubati must have escaped.

His scan of the EM frequencies show the local interference continues. There are two sources, one the constant background hiss of a live circuit on standby, another that pulses regularly, a system doing repetitive work.

[The Bindoner]

As Leon turns to go through the doors he sees them swing open to reveal Ragnheiðr standing on the bridge, leaning on her spear with a determined look on her face. The rush and sigh of water in the shrine as the doors move again carries "wared", echoed in the comms as enter.

Edited to retcon the doors.

[Tiglath]

Raven determines that, with an inbound monster, this is no time for either loitering or further theological debate. Beginning to regret having anything to do with the temple and its occupants she replies "The damned kraken's not tasting any of us!"

To those in the temple she calls "Run!" Done debating with the potentially potty priestess she uses her grip to extend the woman's arm and then ducks under it to pull her up and over her shoulder (into a fireman's carry). She snarls "If you can unsummon it - do it now!"

Switching channels she calls "Serpent, covering fire into the temple! Destroy the inner sanctum".

Then switching again she orders "Ingunn pick us up in town. Use the buildings as cover from the kraken".

She reasons that a minute's running* should at least get the group onto the relative safety of land if not into town.

(OOC: Jogging speed ~ 5mph so 8kph or 133m in a minute (plus a bit more for Lovecraftian inspired adrenaline) seems to suggest this is better than waiting to get hit by what must be megatons??? of water let alone the gribbly monster.

This is, of course, before Ragnheiðr's arrival tears Raven's plan a new... dimension!

Altogether now "We're all going on a R'lyeh holiday..." ).

[The Bindoner]

Hey, Ragnheiðr just saved the day! I came back online because I remembered that the doors closed automatically behind Leon and co. Ragnheiðr just opened them for you, saving the jump over the water. Or, to be more accurate, her presence excuses my having forgotten about the doors and failed to edit the post in time

Of course, the doors will close again momentarily.

BTW, that "minute" is a guess, and an optimistic estimate at that.

[Tiglath]

OOC: Well played Ragnheiðr! Consideration of the doors clinches it for Raven's plan. It surely seems best to not to be on the live prey dispenser at feeding time. Equally the priestess isn't making very much sense and an assumption that Marduk Immigration takes a dim view of those in the “just visiting” category doesn't seem too much of a reach. Therefore we need to move.

Even if we can't get very far just putting the temple between the approaching wave/gribbly and us seems tactically sound.

[hardrocks]

Kar holds station on the Serpent, ready to bring down the hate when needed.

[The Bindoner]

As the doors close Remington sees the EM monitor on his comm activate. The background hiss briefly crackles and hums irregularly as the “voice” sounds, then returns to its resting state. On the serpent Kar, at the dedicated Sensor console, sees the ships own sensor array is monitoring and processing the same interference, apparently taking a feed from the comm to monitor signals too weak and localised for its own systems. Not being a Sensor op (just an experienced ship-hand with general familiarity of all ship systems) Kar doesn’t immediately understand what the reading is, or why it is being taken.

(Rolls from anyone who cares to)

Ingrid reports to Kar: I am locked in on the temple, Captain. I will fire when you order it, Ship-Master. What weapons do you want me to use?

[The Bindoner]

The young woman struggles as Raven hoists and carries her, calling out in frustration turning toward anger:

menw bedar zemyen , darem s'ey meykenem hemmewn rew nejat bedm!

Let me down, I'm trying to save us all!


feker ma kenem , shema qatel khareja! darem s'ey meykenem bezreguter rew berguredwenm, tew nemyedarey men!

Think, you foreign killer! I'm trying to get the bigger one back, you won't let me!



Áshildr, moving alongside Raven, comments: She seems pretty sure that thing likes her, doesn’t she? I’m in favour of dropping her here. Either the thing obeys her and stands down, or it eats her. Either way, we get a head start.

Or, we can gamble our lives on stealing your new toy. I can put a dart in her if you like, shut her down. You might keep up with me if she stops writhing, or would that spoil your fun?

[The Bindoner]

Ingunn acknowledges Raven with Yes, Hǫfðingi

The APC plunges earthwards, heading NNE and disappearing into the smoke outside the burning town hall. As the vehicle drops out of sight behind the collapsing roof Igunn spins it to face south and arrests its descent with a boost to the lifters, coming to rest 10' above the road. Her sudden arrival has scattered a fire-fighting party, who have abandoned a wheeled hand-pump and bowser.

In position. Waiting.

Sverrir reports: Got a few more locals hiding here. Want us to round them up.