Crusaders of the Dark Savant, Part 3

Previously, on Crusaders of the Dark Savant, the party ventured forth from the forest in which they first made planetfall and found the city of Ukpyr, occupied by the Umpani, a spacefaring race also on the hunt for the Astral Dominae. After being volunteered for enlistment in the Umpani army by the capricious faerie Konata, the rest of the party are resigned to doing tasks for the Imperial Umpani Federation until such time as they acquire enough intelligence and resources to proceed independently on their quest. Or until such time as they get hauled up in front of military tribunal for gross and repeated misadventure.

Their first task, after getting kitted out (then not using most of what they got, because they like their existing stuff), is to head back into the forest they started in and search for some suspicious intruders that had been spotted earlier. Presumably these suspicious intruders are not the party themselves, which would just lead to embarrassment for everybody concerned.

The forest and the T'Rang

The part leave Ukpyr through the north gate. Almost immediately, they are set upon by... other Umpani.

Apparently, the famous Umpani military discipline does not hold up outside the city walls.

The party react to being attacked with the usual mix of violence and offensive magic. After the dust has settled and they realise just who they've been fighting, our heroes consider whether or not they might actually already be in deep trouble with their superiors.

[Pale.] "Oh gods, we've been in the military less than a day and we've already killed several of our own side."

"So... we done here? We report back now?"

"I don't think they were who we were supposed to find."

"They attacked first. Clearly they were renegades who have broken all bonds of camaraderie."

The party regard the dead Umpani solemnly.

"Let's ditch them in the bushes."

[Shocked.] "Konata! That's..." [beat] "...yeah, okay, let's do that."

After giving their foes an honorable burial disposing of the evidence, the party proceed back to near where they originally touched down on the world of Lost Guardia. They're attacked by more evil murder crows—this time with the ability to breathe fireballs.

Which is bad. But apparently also quite boring for Konata and Shaana.

The fire crows are supported by another variant of blackbird apparently capable of putting their prey to sleep, which seems rather unfair. Shaana would be outraged—if she was still awake.

Fortunately the pyromaniac birds are quickly dispatched before they get much opportunity to do serious harm. The sleeping heroes are gently slapped awake.

[With a red mark on her face.] "You call this 'gently'?!"

[Shrugs apologetically.]

Trying to find shelter from further aerial attacks, the party stumble into the undergrowth off the road and are immediately assaulted by giant weevils.

Bear weevils! No further information is required.

Much like ordinary weevils, it is quite difficult to destroy them with a katana. Nevertheless, Wrath endeavours to do so—aided by his stalwart companions, of course. Once the monstrous bugs are disposed of, the local plant-life shows its appreciation of the party's determination by coming to life and trying to devour them.

"I hate this world."

"No! This world is awesome."

Fear their carrotty noses.

The man o' groves prove treacherous, being both strong and having the ability to use magic to disable their prey—much like the birds earlier. Our heroes manage to chop/bash/pierce them to shreds, then stagger back onto the road. Some minor healing later (supplemented by a few of the potions R'iskja had stashed away earlier), and the party reach the end of the road, deep within the forest...

Ahead in the clearing is a band of menacing cobweb-gowned creatures... the T'Rang! Quickly they move in to surround you, and then one steps forward with all limbs raised in the air, as if to signal that he wants to talk.

Our heroes graciously deign not to immediately fireball the entire group.

"You may approach."

[Quietly] "Good idea. Harder to miss if they're up close."

The T'Rang cautiously approaches your party, when suddenly a glimmer of recognition passes his eyes, and he gives the order to attack!

Treachery! Or possibly extreme prudence on the part of the T'Rang.

K'Borra T'Rang attacks! The wily T'Rang spy is backed by twelve of his fellows, making for a tough fight. They all wield some kind of shock-staff, potentially capable of stunning anyone forcibly introduced to the electrical end. Party tactics are simple, and well-honed. Shaana tries to put as many to sleep as possible, R'iskja casts a missile shield, and the others try to outflank the enemy and attack from the shadows. The T'Rang are tough, but lack any sort of special power or supporters to thwart the frontline fighter's attacks. Shaana keeps as many foes as possible in the land of nod, and R'iskja throws that fireball he'd held back on earlier.

Eventually, the entire group of T'Rang are dead or dying in the clearing.

"Well, it looks like those were the spies Balbrak was worried about. Should we report it in?"

"We should, yes."

"Nah. Let's explore some more!"

"There may be more to discover here."

[Nods.]

"You know, now that we're in the military, we probably shouldn't wander off—actually, screw it, we'll probably be court-martialled before the week is out anyway."

Thus our crack team of military scouts leave behind the twitching remains of their mission and poke around in the forest some more. Accosted further by assorted weevils, crows and other miscellaneous beasties, the party finally encounter something to give them pause: strange crimson flying machines, piloted by what appear to be blonde humans. They fire lasers.

Everyone is as confused as you are.

The party scatters before them as the red gliders scream on by; the gliders swoop up skywards and swing back in for another pass.

[Ducking laser bolts.] "What the heck?! Are they natives?"

Alva stabs her lance into the air, spearing a passing glider. Sparks fly; the glider zooms on over her head and explodes in the trees behind her.

"Well... this is new and fun."

R'iskja meanwhile pulls some whipping rocks out of the ground and propels them straight into the intake of another glider, which crashes into the ground before him. Its strange pilot faceplants into the earth at the mage's feet. And explodes.

"Ah!" [Leaps back and growls, shaken.] "So much for the opportunity for diplomacy..."

"Um, how is what you just did diplomatic?"

Motoko leaps up onto the bonnet of the final glider, the impact causing it to flip forward over her head and smash into a nearby boulder. It also explodes.

Konata flits over to the wreckage of the second glider and pokes around, emerging with a... something.

Treasure! Probably. Maybe?

Everybody cranes in for a closer look.

"Yes. Well, clearly this is a, a—"

"Shiny thing!"

"—yes, quite. A shiny thing of arcane, uh, puissance. Yes."

[Looks at R'iskja suspiciously.]

"It's not very shiny, really."

The party solemnly regard the burning wreckages of the strange flying machines and their human-looking, yet apparently quite explosive, pilots. They look out upon the trail heading further out from Ukpyr. Distant whirring noises and whines echo through the trees.

"Okay, this is getting weird. Let's go back."

[Nod.]

"With this shiny thing, my conquest of this world will be assured!" [Giggles and steeples her fingers ominously.]

The party return to Ukpyr, City of Glory, base of the Imperial Umpani Federation, basecamp for exploration of the world of Lost Guardia, blah, blah, yadda, yadda.

Ukpyr and the Humpty Ham Sandwich

The party head back to the recruiting station to report to Sergeant Balbrak with the results of their mission:

[Cheerfully] "Hey boss!"

"Sir."

"I was beginning to worry about you new recruits."

"Why? We haven't killed any of our own—oomph!"

[Grabs Konata to stop her talking.]

"Give me a briefing of your mission. Did you find any T'Rang hiding out in the area?"

"Yes. Some kind of reconnaissance unit. Thirteen of them."

"Did you destroy them?"

"Yes."

"Good job! I'll report this to General Yamo immediately." [Produces a pouch of coins.] "A successful scouting mission pays 500 gold pieces. But destroying a T'Rang spy party earns you a 5000 gold bonus."

[Sarcastically.] "Wonderful. That's almost two-thirds of the gold we spent just to get this—umph!"

[Grabs Shaana to stop her talking.]

"Freedom!" [Flies out of reach.]

"Here are your new orders."

"Wait. We have to keep doing missions?"

[Stares at Konata for a long moment, then decides to turn his attention to Wrath.] "For your next assignment I'm sending you to New City. You may take the Humpawhammer directly to our Detache there. This pass will allow you entry to the Humpawhammer Station."

[Takes the pass.] "Understood, sir."

"You are to meet with the Master Tracker, Rodan Lewarx. Give him this document—it's a message from General Yamo himself. Report back to me when you've completed your assignment."

At this point the Umpani looks pensive, and leans forward towards Wrath.

"There is a reason I'm sending you on this important mission. Use extreme caution and don't hang around too long. And whatever you do, don't mention the T'Rang around Rodan! It gets him upset, and he's going to be upset enough as it is..."

The party depart the station and step out onto the streets of Ukpyr.

"Right. Read out the message, Wrath."

"Our orders are to deliver the message, mage, not to sneak a peek."

"Oh for the love of—"

[Produces the letter.] "No worries, I've got it." [Hands it to R'iskja.]

[Checks his belt, then scowls at Shaana.]

[Innocently.] "What?"

R'iskja reads the dispatch:

"Urgent! Rodan, intelligence reports have confirmed that Shritis T'Rang is planetside. I know you still carry the wound of your father's death, but the good of the Imperium comes first. Our positions are not as strong as we have been reporting—"

"Wait, the good of the what now?"

"The guys we now work for, thanks to you."

"Oh. Them."

"—and under no circumstance can we afford to compromise our mission or engage with the T'Rang forces directly at this time. Shritis can wait for now, I need you alive to direct the final assault. Lewarx, this is a direct order:"

[Clears throat.]

"DO NOT SEEK OUT SHRITIS T'RANG UNTIL AFTER I GIVE THE COMMAND. THE IMPERIUM IS COUNTING ON OUR SUCCESS IN THIS MISSION. THE ASTRAL DOMINAE MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE T'RANG EMPIRE."

"Excellent dramatic reading, R'iskja."

[Nods.]

"I REPEAT: DO NO SEEK OUT SHRITIS T'RANG UNTIL WE ARE ASSURED OF OUR VICTORY. I promise you, Rodan, you won't have to wait much longer."

"Signed, General Yamo, Commander-In-Chief I.U.F." [Shrugs.] "Well, I suppose we might as well deliver it."

The party proceed to the Humpaw-whatsit near the Umpani headquarters and approach the door to the Humpty-whossit with its strange box of blinking lights. Studying the box for a moment, Wrath tries pushing the card pass into the machine.

Inserting the card into the grey box, the lights blink twice and then remain on.

"That seems to have worked. Try the door?"

The door is unlocked! The party find themselves in a chamber with a smaller sub-room partitioned off from it. Looking inside the sub-room, they find a lever.

"Right. So apparently—oh good, Konata has already pulled the lever."

"Wheeeeeee!"

Pulling the lever, orange light fills the room, and you hear a faint hum.

"This seems ominous."

And then the tangerine light disappears.

"Did that do anything? I'm not sure that did anything."

[Looks around suspiciously.]

"This is not the room we were in before."

Emerging from the tingling Humpawhammer, you discover that you are no longer in the City of the Umpani encampment, though the building is quite similar to other structures erected by them; bold, spacious, clean... then, in the next heartbeat, a blazing Umpani titan bursts into the room with muskets drawn and eyes afire!

OH GOD, HE'S GOING TO KILL US ALL.

The massive figure stands before you, nostrils flared, probing each of you with a heated gaze that seems to make your skin sizzle... like in the presence of some angel of the gods, your souls feel held in the grasp of his pupils, your fate hanging in the balance...

[Faintly.] "Eep."

You notice that your eyes have become transfixed upon a shimmering gold medallion which lies draped across his chest, suspended there by a thick chain. Finally, prying your eyes from the glittering emblem, you start to speak when suddenly his deep booming voice tramples your own...

"So, ah—"

"S.T.F NEPS, BY LOOKING AT YOU."

"Yeah, so—"

"WELL DON'T JUST STAND THERE, LET ME SEE YOUR ORDERS!"

"We have them here." [Hands the Umpani the party's orders.]

[Glares at the document.] "IT SAYS HERE THAT YOU ARE TO DELIVER A MESSAGE FROM GENERAL YAMO TO ME! LET'S HAVE IT, PUPS!"

[Eyes narrow.] "Pups?"

[Sighs, and produces the letter, handing it directly over to Rodan.]

Handing the document to Rodan, he tears it open and hastily scans it.

[Lips curl back.] "OH SWEET JUSTICE! SHRITIS T'RANG HERE ON THIS PUNY SPECK OF A PLANET! THE GREAT GOD URRHINA SMILES ON RODAN THIS DAY! FATHER, I SHALL AVENGE YOUR DEATH!

Then suddenly turning to you, he snaps:

"TELL YAMO THAT RODAN SHALL HAVE HIS REVENGE!!!"

...and with that he is gone, dropping the document at your feet, calling for his lieutenants and captains, then storming out the door.

"Well, he seemed nice."

[Nods.]

Kind of feeling a bit shiftless standing there in the empty room, you pick up the fallen document which had ordered Rodan to stay put, finally sigh, and wonder why it is that everything seems to be arranged so that no-one ever does what they're supposed to do, and why it is that everything seems to end up in such a mess. Surely not by grand design. Couldn't be...

"Well. We may as well have a look around while we're here."

The party wander through the now-deserted building, poking around curiously. In front of one door:

A thick red panel has been bolted to the door, upon which are several rows of flittering lights. Underneath the lights on the panel is a small three by three square of nine buttons, each with a number impressed upon it.

[Pokes random buttons.]

[Back away quickly.]

[Curiously.] "Anything?"

"No." [Looks sad.] "Lemme try another combination."

Playing around with the keypad yields no results, so the party poke their heads outside the building to see where they are. Looking around to the plaque mounted just beside the main entrance:

Umpani Detache: Military Personnel Only

Due consideration is given to simply buggering off into this new city instead of heading back to Ukpyr. The party consensus however is that it would be cruel to keep the Umpani back in Ukpyr in suspense. Besides, who knows what that psychopath Rodan has gone off to do?

Everybody piles back into the Humpywhumpy, which (thankfully) takes them back to where they started. The party return to speak to Sergeant Balbrak.

"It's about time you recruits got back! You delivered the message to Rodan Lewarx?"

"Yessir."

"We didn't kill anyone!"

"Rodan must have taken the news well if you're still in one piece to report back to me about it..."

"Well, I'd—wait, what?"

"No-one around here was willing to volunteer for the mission so you got the job. Fortunately for you, however, a few were willing to pay handsomely to escape the assignment."

The sergeant goes over to his desk to count out some gold pieces.

"Let's see, with the 350 gold courier fee...and the 7820 gold pieces contributed by the anxious staff corps...your total pay comes to 8170 gold pieces."

[Cheers up immensely.]

"See Shaana? What comes around goes around."

"Just as long as Rodan obeys orders and stays put..."

[Opens his mouth.]

[Shakes her head.]

[Closes his mouth.]

"Which brings me to your next objective. General Yamo wants a full report from you about Rodan. Here's your orders. Present them to the guards at Command HQ and they'll escort you."

"Sir." [Takes the orders.]

"If General Yamo doesn't have new orders for you, you can report back to me here. Good luck—the General's waiting."

With that, our heroes proceed to the headquarters.

[Counting coins.] "You know, military life isn't so bad."

Wrath hands over their orders to the guard on duty out front. The Umpani looks them over carefully.

"These orders direct you to the office of General Yamo. Follow the corridor straight ahead... turn left at the door... next door on your right... right again... and it's the only door on the right... can't miss it."

The party step inside the headquarters, ignore the corridor straight ahead, and immediately head left, towards a room identified by a sign stating 'security station'.

[Concerned.] "The sentinel told us to go straight ahead—"

"That's not how dungeon exploration works, Wrath."

"This... this is not a dungeon. This is a heavily guarded military compound. I don't think—"

[Sticks her head through the door to the security station.] "Hello! We're lost."

A large Umpani with a particularly baleful expression marches the party back from the station and reviews their orders.

"The General is waiting... you're in the wrong area." [Glares.] "Now clear out, soldiers!"

Everybody backtracks and heads down the correct corridor, turns left to go through the next door, then the door to the right, then the next right, and...

"Hey, that door says 'Map Room'."

"Then we should take a look, shouldn't we?"

[In frustration.] "It also says 'Restricted'!"

Inside the map room:

Several official looking Umpani are busily engaged huddled over a sprawling map table in the centre of the room. As you enter the room, a burly guard rapidly approaches.

"This area is restricted. Let's see your orders."

"Yes, here..." [Winces.] "...we're lost."

"These orders direct you to the office of General Yamo. You're in the wrong area. Now clear out soldiers!"

Continuing down the corridor leads finally to the correct door, at least insofar as the adjoining plaque says so:

C.I.C.I.U.F. General Yamo

In front of the door are several burly Umpani soldiers, who evidently have even less patience than most of the guards thus far encountered.

"Orders!"

"Sir!" [Shows orders.]

[Nods.] "The general is waiting!"

The party proceed into the next room...

Standing with his back to the door, a stern Umpani officer stares blankly at the piece of paper in his hands. With a few low snorts he appears to re-read it several times, each time getting to the end with a slow shaking of his head and then staring blankly at it again...

The good general himself, whose day may be about to get worse.

Finally, he folds the paper up and walks over to his desk, stil acting as if you were not there. He reaches into a pocket of his coat and pulls out a small object, which suddenly begins to burn on one end. Placing the folded paper into the tiny flame, it catches on fire and he holds firmly as it quickly turns into black ash. As the flame reaches his hand he drops the fiery ash to the floor and with a sudden stomp transforms the carbon residue into a flurry of flying wisps. Then he look up and stares you in the face. With a voice stout and calm, he begins to speak:

"I'm sending you on a special mission. It will be very dangerous—but it is a dangerous game we play."

"Well, nice to finally meet you too."

[Ignoring Alva.] "We have intercepted one of the T'Rang shuttles—and upon inspection discovered it full of T'Rang cells."

[Frowns.] "Cells?"

"Fertilised T'Rang cells in incubation... which can only mean that the T'Rang have long term plans to infest this part of the galaxy."

"You mean to say that they're like an invasive species, dominating through uncontrolled breeding?"

"The T'Rang are a hideous lot. Laying their eggs which eventually hatch into entire colonies, destroying the native lifeforms and transforming a bountiful world into a cavernous network of barren waste."

"Well that sounds bad." [Beat.] "Um, sir."

"They think of nothing else save spawning their own kind throughout the universe. And they must be stopped. I want you to stop them."

"Not that we don't think highly of ourselves, but surely you have your own—"

"You will have to infiltrate their established network, far to the northwest in a cluster of abandoned ruins. There must be a Queen there producing the eggs. They would keep her quite protected."

[To R'iskja.] "Do you ever get the feeling that nobody listens to you?"

[Dryly.] "It has come up before, yes."

"You must find her and destroy her. I am sending you because our own forces are far too weak here to try any kind of direct assault, and no Umpani could possibly infiltrate them by subterfuge—but this is how you might be able to succeed where we cannot."

"We shall not let you down, sir."

[Quietly.] "Um. Are we sure? I can completely believe we might."

[Shrugs.]

"The T'Rang and Umpani Empires have made a declaration of war. Conflict on a galactic scale. And this is only the beginning. You must seek out the T'Rang stronghold... and destroy the Queen! I have a special weapon which I am going to send with you.

The general hands Wrath what can only be described (apparently) as a 'thermal pineapple'.

"Ooooohh...."

"It is the only one we have, so you must use it carefully. But it is powerful enough to destroy the Queen and her spore. Wait until you are close enough to use it. And then get out as fast as you can."

"Understood."

"Good luck on your mission. I, the Umpani Federation, and worlds we have not yet dreamed of, are counting on you to elminate the T'Rang invasion. Remember: DUTY, POWER, VICTORY!"

"Okay: duty, power, victory—got it. But first, a few questions perhaps?"

At that point, everything explodes.

Suddenly there is a blinding explosion...

Yes, like that.

The installation of a new ventilation system in the Umpani HQ came at a security cost.

Picking yourself up from the floor, you can feel the earth move underfoot as more explosions rip the surrounding areas outside the command post...

[Somewhere on the floor.] "Wah."

[Urgently.] "Is everybody alright?"

"Oof. I think so? R'iskja?"

"I am adequate." [Sees where Alva's lance had speared a piece of rubble that would have hit him.] "Oh my."

"Help! I'm trapped under—oh, it's you Motoko."

[Lifts herself off of Shaana.]

Looking into the rubble of the General's Headquarters, you see an arm protruding from the debris...

"Ah, crap."

Quickly digging into the fallen stones, you uncover his bloody and ripped body...

"Healer!"

Gazing down upon him, you know that his time is close at end...

[Flies for a close look.] "Hmm... nah."

With a straining gasp he chokes a whisper...

"Duty... power... Victorieeeghh..."

And then the Umpani is still and breathes no more. Soon, the explosions cease and you can hear the sounds of Umpani soldiers shouting orders and the sounds of the dying and wounded. The explosion that hit the Command Center has blasted the side away, and you can see into the din outside. There is smoke, confusion and scattered Umpani everywhere...

The Fall of Ukpyr

The party spring into action, immediately searching the environs in order to provide invaluable humanitarian aid.

"Also to loot the place."

First, the group return to the map room—to look for survivors, of course.

"Oh thank the gods—it appears the map-table survived intact!" [Goes over to look.]

"Is... is that somebody's leg down there?"

Inspecting the large maptable in the centre of the room, you carefully survey the world as the Umpani reconnaissance has mapped it...

R'iskja starts taking notes.

Ukpyr, the Umpani fortification is sprawling with little green triangles all around it. A large buildup of red squares seems to be centred to the far north and west, huddled around a block of ruins.

"That is where the aforementioned T'Rang Queen is to be found? Hmm..."

[In the background.] "I think I've found a live one!"

New City, in the centre of the map, has both red sequares and green triangles along its edges. Dotted around the entire map are various groupings of the green and red symbols, which you conclude most likely denote Umpani and T'Rang strongholds or troop placements.

"Oh, wait—no. He's just died."

The most interesting feature, however, lies circled in the centre of the great Sea of Sorrows, the large body of water south of New City. In the centre of the Sea, a small island is circled in red and a '?' has been drawn over it. Apparently, the Umpani believe that there is something significant about the marked island, but nothing on the map indicates anything further...

"Excellent. Ladies and gentleman, I believe we have a lead on the Astral Dominae!"

"Oh, ick. I can see his brains leaking out..."

The party then proceed to the security station—to look for surivors!

There are several desks inhabiting the small security chamber, but other than that it appears fairly vacant.

"It appears that the guards got out in time."

"We have to make certain. Check the drawers of that desk."

"Wait. What?"

Searching through a desk, you find large stacks of filed reports, far too voluminous to read at the moment, and nothing which appears to be strikingly important...

[Indicates a single folder on a desk.]

Almost by chance however, you spot one folder marked "DETACHE STATION", and decide to open it up. Inside are several official reports and sets of processed orders, none of which seem to reveal anything worth noting. But then you find a card entitled "SECURITY VAULT" and underneath stamped this serial number: "2723539". Continuing to quickly scan the documents, you find nothing else of particular interest...

"Okay, good enough. We should hurry—"

"—to find survivors."

"Yes, yes..."

"Maybe we'll find more treasure!"

[Glares at Konata.]

[Defensively.] "Surviving treasure!"

Leaving the command centre:

Stepping outside, you see ranks of the mighty armsmen fleeing the town, vacating their fortress and seeking safety in the nearby forests. Your own senses are still numbed by the shock of what has happened, but you feel that perhaps there is more here still to be uncovered... and such an opportunity may not present itself for long...

The party look upon the carnage wreaked by the unknown attacker upon Ukpyr.

[Reflectively.] "Well, it was a short military career, but a distinguished one, I'd say."

"I'm not entirely sure our duties have ended here, you know..."

[Cheerfully.] "Entirely at an end. Nothing to be done. Isn't that right, folks?"

[Nod in agreement.]

"We've completed the quest line! Experience for everyone!"

The Umpani have all but vacated the city, but this does not mean that it is now wholly empty. Carrion eaters, in the form of night rooks, attack the party. The city being no longer secure, R'iskja throws up a magic screen to protect against hostile magicks; Alva enchants the party's weapons and armour with her holy powers.

The party enter one of the bombed-out Umpani barracks.

[Grimly.] "No survivors."

[Crossly.] "Yes there is! There's a treasure chest right there!"

[Sighs.] "Of course. How silly of me."

Oh thank god it's alright.

Unattended chests are often trapped. Shaana, for the first time in some months, is required to inspect the chest and find a way to get it open without killing everyone.

"Right. Yes. I totally remember how to do this."

To disarm a trap, it is necessary to disarm the components of the trap in the correct order. Each type of trap has its own components and configuration—for example, a stunner trap uses three of the eight possible components shown in the screenshot above.

To determine which of the half-dozen or so possible traps is actually the one on the chest however, it is first necessary to inspect the trap—this, based on the skulduggery skill of Shaana, reveals for each possible component whether it is possibly, definitely, or definitely not part of the trap. In this case, Shaana was clear that the second and third components (reading them left-to-right, top-to-bottom) were not part of the trap, while the fifth and eighth components were, and the only trap with that profile is a stunner (which would paralyse most in range if triggered).

To actually disarm the trap, it is necessary to select the correct components one at a time while the spinner element next to the name of the trap is green—the spinner cycles between green, yellow and red states randomly weighted by the skill of the disarmer. Select when yellow, and the component selected will not 'stick' in place, and will need to be selected again. Select when red... and boom.

[Tinking with tools.] "That's two... just disconnect the thingy and..." [Click.]

[Collectively hold breath.]

[Grins.] "Done!"

[Exhale.]

Inside the chest is a walriblade (a sword), a suit of flak armour, some powder and shot for the muskets Wrath and Alva refuse to use, and gold for everybody. The party continue their heroic search of Ukpyr.

Most of the other barracks are abandoned, though one more chest is discovered—this one with a poison darts trap, which Shaana duly disarms only after several near-fumbles of the second component.

"It wouldn't be so bad, if Shaana didn't yelp and crouch down every two seconds mid-disarm."

The chest contains much of the same miscellaneous Umpani equipment found in the first chest. Its all good to kleptomaniac adventurers though.

Searching various parts of the city reveals no sign of Sergeant Balbrak or any of the other Umpani explicitly known to the party; however that doesn't mean that there are no Umpani at all left in Ukpyr. In among the ruins, the party encounter one Lieutenant Gruntwrapper passing through.

I bet he was doing a little looting as well.

[Surprised.] "What are you still doing here, NEPS?"

"Looking for injured and absolutely not looting, sir!"

"Ah, good! Report any sightings to your superiors when you're done."

"Yes sir! Coincidentally, would you care to take a look at any of this fine equipment we, uh, legitimately came across earlier?"

"I don't see why not."

Shaana raises a little extra spending money for the party by selling the Lieutenant some genuine army surplus at practically cost.

It's not just the birds that are reclaiming striken Ukpyr. Rattkin have started making their way into the city. The party bump into some just outside the NEPS barracks: naturally, the party respond to this callous and blatant attempt to steal from the Imperial Umpani Federation with extreme force, as befits loyal scouts of the I.U.F.

How DARE they try to get in on the action!

Shaana puts most of the closest Rattkin to sleep; Konata blinds most of the rest. R'iskja throws up a missile shield in case anybody with working eyes tries to throw a knife or something. The Rattkin are quickly dispatched—as looters deserve.

There are still places in Ukpyr the party can't enter—locked doors in the armoury and the spaceport with locks beyond Shaana's ability to deal with them. Though Motoko does notice something curious by the spaceport building:

Peeking in through the window, you see the back wall has been painted black, with lots of colourful speckles.

[Rubs chin thoughtfully.]

"I think we've done everything we can here."

"So where do we go?"

"It appears that the Humpa—the Humpt—the building with the teleportation device was spared the bombing. I suggest we decamp to New City immediately."

"Tell me that we are going to New City to rendezvous with the proper authorities and report what has happened here."

[Frowns.] "Very well: 'we are going to New City to rendezvous with the proper authorities and whatever that last thing was'. Happy?" [Looks at Konata and shrugs.]

[Roll eyes and makes 'crazy' gesture with her hand.]

Thus, using the intact magic-teleporting-thing-with-the-funny-name, the party leave fallen Ukpyr and return to the Umpani Detache in New City. This provides them with the opportunity to try out a certain scavenged code on a certain mysterious keypad...

"Two, seven, two, three, five... three... and nine!"

The security vault in the abandoned Detache building opens up! Inside, there is a chest...

[Cracks knuckles.] "Hold on—I've got this... oh. It's not trapped." [Frowns.] "That's kind of disappointing."

You know, the graphic of the chest full of sparkling treasure is really a tease.

Inside the crate, you find a strange metal case bearing this label: COMM-LINK, AUTHORISED USAGE ONLY, SAVANT IMPERIAL LEGIONS.

Map—Ruins of Ukpyr and its environs

Party review, Level 8

sword 76, swimming 10, climbing 3, oratory 21, ninjutsu 47, firearms 5, artefacts 28, mythology 7, thaumaturgy 42, kirijutsu 44

Wrath's skill as a swordsdracon is returning after the long sojourn through space. He's relearned how to cast fireball from watching R'iskja, and he's probably never going to use it, because stabbing things is so much faster.

hands & feet 64, swimming 10, climbing 5, oratory 34, ninjutsu 43, firearms 5, artefacts 30, mythology 5, theosophy 54, kirijutsu 30

Motoko continues being quietly competent. She can now create an illusion, a horrible phantasms pulled from the depths of her own nightmarish imagination able to fight alongside her against her enemies. Which is a perfectly natural thing to be able to do.

wand & dagger 46, sword 44, throwing 38, bows 42, hands & feet 35, swimming 10, climbing 6, ninjutsu 45, firearms 5, artefacts 40, mythology 4, scribe 26, alchemy 58, kirijutsu 33

Konata is confused about what weapon she ought to be using to hurt others with. Fortunately she has the perfect solution for when she just can't decide: chuck an acid bomb and burn everything.

sword 37, pole & staff 77, shield 15, hands & feet 6, swimming 10, climbing 7, scouting 3, oratory 41, ninjutsu 45, firearms 4, artefacts 30, mythology 5, scribe 3, theology 59, kirijutsu 32

Alva is having fun now that she once again has room to swing her lance around. Being the conscientious sort, she has relearned how to cure poison, which is sure to be needed soon, especially now that Shaana is poking around with trapped chests and doors again.

wand & dagger 41, sword 53, swimming 10, climbing 4, music 47, oratory 37, legerdemain 33, skulduggery 30, ninjutsu 39, firearms 6, artefacts 12, mythology 2, diplomacy 15, thaumaturgy 39

Shaana is struggling to juggle all the many skills she needs to be the party's resident lockpicker, musician, trap disarmer, backup mage and diplomat. She'll figure it out. She can now cast ice shield!

mace & flail 65, sling 27, swimming 10, climbing 5, scouting 22, oratory 50, firearms 5, artefacts 36, mythology 3, scribe 36, thaumaturgy 60

R'iskja cares for little but boosting his own magical power to the heights it had last reached in his homeworld, right before they got on that bloody spaceship with the damnable black dragon. Next on the 'relearn' list: the crucial anti-magic spell, magic screen.