EVENT ★ GHOST TOWN

[futurologists]

BONEYARD JUNCTION Thanks to efforts from your teammates, the path to Boneyard Junction, the abandoned town at the end of the rail line, has been cleared. The train will not go this far, so recruits will have to walk the rail from the next stop over at the Fracking Fields. Most of the danger has been removed, but there still may be a few straggling giant lizards or bandits along the way, looking for a quick meal or an easy robbery. The ghost town itself is smaller in scope than Perdition's Rest, with several familiar-looking buildings -- the mayor's office, the sheriff's office, a general store -- but the main difference is that the town is halfway sunken into the desert. The ground here is shifting and unstable, with sinkholes and quicksand a constant threat. Venturing inside the crumbling buildings, left to rot in the desert for the past thirty years, is equally dangerous; there's a good chance that upper stories will simply collapse underfoot or overhead, and many venomous, aggressive reptiles and arachnids have moved in since the Qorral moved out. The Qorral have not been back here since abandoning it, so there is a lot to scavenge, from tech to money or tools to toys, both businesses and residential buildings are ripe for the plundering. The bandits have been through here in the past three decades many times, stripping the town of many of its valuables, but determined recruits ought to be able to find secret caches or overlooked boxes. Those who venture into the lowermost parts of buildings, however, will find objects of the greatest value, though not necessarily monetarily -- familiar-looking tech, corroded with sand and rusted with age, is littered about basements filled with sand and debris, as if the further the buildings sank into the desert, something beneath the town rose up to meet it. Upon further inspection, the tech will react when placed next to jewelcomms, lights blinking and static-filled screens turning on: this tech once belonged to ALASTAIR, its age clearly dating it much further back than the Qorral's arrival on this planet. But before Audentes can investigate further, there's an interruption . . . AMBUSH There's a sudden cacophony of shouting and gunfire from all sides of Boneyard Junction as heavily armed figures storm in, on the attack. They aren't from Perdition's Rest. They could be bandits, but bandits usually ask for money first -- plus, these people seem much too well-equipped to be bandits. Their clothing isn't haphazard, their weapons are well cared for. If recruits survive the initial onslaught (better be good at dodging bullets!) and pay attention to the shouting that can be heard above the gunfire, the identity of the attackers may slowly become clear: they speak of salvation and digging deeply. These are the Deemers. Previously unseen and ostensibly peaceful, the Deemers are now showing themselves to be anything but. They fight recruits with a savage intensity, injuries seemingly not slowing them down. Their only weakness appears to be injury to the head, after which they will immediately disengage and attempt to flee. Though they shout about salvation as they attack with a religious fervor, they also occasionally say something about recruits getting too close to something -- perhaps something in Boneyard Junction itself. Jonathan Black, leader of the Deemers, makes an appearance, spouting fire and brimstone in an unnaturally loud voice that can be heard above the gunfire and screaming. Any attempts to confront him will be met with vicious attacks from his bodyguards, a pair of shrouded Deemer women who fight with curved swords. Eventually, though, one recruit manages to break through. Once Black is dead, the Deemers will fight with more desperation than before, now trying to flee rather than attempting to kill recruits. Any Deemers that are captured will not share information, even under torture; they will only babble about deliverance and redemption found through drilling deeper into the planet. After they are driven off into the desert (or disposed of in other ways), the rest of Boneyard Junction is free to be explored without interruption. Perhaps collecting more ancient ALASTAIR technology will bring answers. OOC NOTES IMPORTANT: After the Deemers have been driven away, upon return to Perdition's Rest, Miz Poppy and a vast majority of the saloon workers have mysteriously vanished. The remaining workers have no idea where they've gone. All entertainment at the saloon has been postponed. Please direct all questions pertaining to the mission to the dossier page to keep questions and responses in one place for easy player reference. General game questions should be directed to the FAQ. If you haven't already, make sure you check out the Bounty Board for side missions! Remember you can also request bounty missions or submit player plots at any time.

Comments

[dailydouble]

I see. Lifting boxes is within my abilities.

[ It's said seriously, but not even Ahad could say something like that without internally being amused. He'll head toward the box Keith indicated; there's no need to Keith to waste strength when Ahad can retrieve it effortlessly. ]

[secondnature]

Wow, I'm so surprised. I wouldn't want you to break a sweat or anything, but hey, if it's within your abilities ... [Keith should probably curb the attitude, but after that unnecessarily drawn out conversation (in his opinion), he's not feeling overly appreciative right now.]

[dailydouble]

[ While Keith is still talking, Ahad will effortlessly lift the box. He'll even do it with one hand.

After picking it up, he'll turn to Keith as if he's waiting for instructions on where to put it down. ]

[secondnature]

[Instructions don't come.

What does arrive is this: Keith falling off the self-control pillar and ending up considerably angry.]

We had that whole very >stupid argument, and you can just do this? Are you serious?

[dailydouble]

There was no argument, except on your end. A demand was made and I refused to comply, because I am tired of being ordered around. It is only in recent memory that refusing was an option.

[ Without direction, he'll drop the box in front of Keith. It's not a hard drop, which should leave anything delicate intact. ]

[secondnature]

If you can just pick that up like it's not a problem, you can probably beat me up however you want, too.

[Just saying. He bends down to begin to examine the box, opening it quickly to ... find a lot of dirt at first, but it seems like there's something hidden underneath, at least.]

[dailydouble]

I don't want to kill you.

[ It's stated rather matter of factly, and as if Ahad were discussing something as mild as the weather. He does lean in to see what's in the box; after all that trouble, Ahad would prefer that there be something useful in it. ]

[secondnature]

Um—thanks? I'm glad?

[Sorry, Ahad. Conversations with Keith are about 99% of him missing the point.

The other one percent is currently dedicated toward helping pluck out books, and it's here that the holodisc is planted.]