GM: The terrain is mountainous but of the type with wide valleys and high plains. The area is very forested in most places though there are some areas of broad plains. Ground movement (running) through the forests will be at half movement speed unless you have the appropriate Environmental Movement. Obviously flyers can fly above the trees unimpeded.
GM: The weather is very rough with high winds that prevail out of the north northeast but can gust from any direction. Wind speed is a minimum of 30 mph but with near constant gusts up to 50-60 mph and occasional gusts over 100 mph. Visibility on the ground is better than in the air but is seldom higher than a hundred yards and is frequently less.
GM: Let me know what the team wants to do. Obvious choices are to repair the jet, head to the lodge or head to the impact location.
WHITE LADY: "My flight instructor said that any emergency landing that you can walk away from is a good one." She shuts down the controls, even though the switches are doing nothing, before unbuckling her harness. "Well we know the electronics are a mess. Shall we go outside and see what shape I left the landing gear in?"
WHITE LADY (OOC): One thing missing from your weather report is the temperature. It's summer, but there's still a wide range of temperatures possible above the arctic circle.
GM: Yeah, I also forgot precipitation. The temperature is barely above freezing. Driving rain and sleet is falling, sometimes being driven almost horizontal by the heavy gusts of wind.
IRON DUKE: "We need to evaluate our options. Somebody look through the storage lockers to see what kind of foul weather gear we have -- if any. Green Knight, let's look things over and try to get a sense of whether or not repairs are really an option"
IRON DUKE (TECH): I'll take a look at how we stand for electrical system spare parts and do some diagnosis -- Electronics roll = [rolled 7].
IRON DUKE (GM): Do I have any ideas about what phenomena might have produced that total system overload? Does poking around in the guts of the plane provide any clues? Let me know if I need to make another roll to start forming a hypothesis.
GREEN KNIGHT: "Sounds good." He too gets up and starts looking things over. Mechanic 12- [rolled 10] He will step outside and examine the jet externally as well. He is wearing his Legion uniform, which also provides 4 rPD Armor.
GREEN KNIGHT: Almost forgot his Electronics roll, need 8- [rolled 8]
GM: Foul weather gear is stored in lockers on the jet. If you are OIF wearing armor, you can assume that it has some weather resistant functionality. If you have immunity to cold, you are also fine unless you have some sort of susceptibility to water.
WHITE LADY: "I should be fine here with just my uniform."
WHITE LADY: White Lady joins him outside, curious as to what her nearly blind landing did to the plane. Her Legion uniform is instantly soaked, but White Lady is used to that happening as a side effect of switching back from her ice form. That's why her Legion Uniform is essentially just a swim suit. "I can take the temperature just fine, but I could do with a bit less water," she quips as she takes a quick glance at the landing gear. Not being a mechanic she can only spot the most obvious of problems, such as a flat tire or badly bent supports.
WHITE LADY: Before going back to join the others inside, she remembered the gust of wind and water that came in when the door was first opened. Feeding a bit on the heat in the rain, White Lady forms a temporary wind break to cover the door while still allowing entry.
WHITE LADY (tech): Using Entangle power to make an ice wall to make a small (1 hex) room that's open on one side to shield the door a bit from the elements.
Both Iron Duke and Green Knight begin a quick survey of the jet. Iron Duke quickly deduces that the jet was a victim of some sort of Electro-Magnetic Pulse and repairing it will be a major undertaking. He looks over the various spare parts lockers and is delighted to discover that they are as complete as Silver Chancellor said they were. He thinks that, given enough time, he should be able to make repairs to the point where the jet will be able to fly.
Green Knight's assessment of the mechanics seems to confirm Iron Duke's theory. The mechanics are mostly in good order except where electronic components are involved. Green Knight also agrees that the jet can be made to fly again with parts available onboard. Both conclude that it will probably take a couple of hours to effect the necessary repairs, assuming that the jet can be moved to a more sheltered location.
While Green Knight and Iron Duke survey the jet, Indigo Baron flies off into the roiling fog to survey the immediate area. He finds that they are on top of a small hill. About 200 meters to the north is a sheltered spot at the base of some trees where the shelter can be had from the wind. Green Knight and Indigo Baron proceed to carry the jet to the sheltered location (both have a 60 STR and the jet only requires a 50 STR to lift).
GM: Let me know if you want to proceed with repairing the jet or head out towards the lodge or impact area.
IRON DUKE: "I think Legion One should remain here whether we make repairs now or later. We don't know whether the EMP that brought is down is a repeating phenomenon or a continuous wave of some sort. We do know it's taken out three aircraft so far, ours included, so it's not just a one-shot deal. I think if we try to get her back in the air we could wind up on the ground again, maybe in worse shape than we are now, and either short or out of spare parts. Since we have clothes for the weather, how about we take what maps and survival gear we can, and navigate to the Lodge?"
VIOLET DUCHESS: "I agree we do not want to try and fly the jet until we know more about the storm and what brought us down. I'm torn between hurrying to the lodge or fixing the jet now before heading out. If we repair now, a few of us can scout a bit and observe. The reason to head to the lodge now is to not delay our investigation, but if we have trouble and need to get out of here, the jet won't be available."
WHITE LADY: "While I would like to have the jet repaired first, in case we need to make a quick departure, the distances involved mean we're not going to be leaving quickly. What I'm concerned about is if we start making repairs before we solve the issue of the EM pulses, our repairs could be destroyed as well leaving us without spare parts. Part of fixing things is to test them, and testing the repairs would risk having them fried again."
IRON DUKE: "Looks like we have a plan. The lodge it is. Who's our best navigator?"
The team takes a couple of minutes to secure the jet, lashing it to down to stout trees and closing all access panels. Then they head northwest. The wind is much harder on the fliers than those on foot so, after a short time trying to stay with the group in the air, Iron Duke and Indigo Baron give up on flying and join the group on the ground. The icy wind has everyone except White Lady shivering and even those with insulated armor (Green Knight and Violet Duchess) are forced to use the survival gear to stay warm. When the group reaches the trees, they are slowed even more by the undergrowth and uneven terrain. Nevertheless, the team makes much better time than a non-superhero team would, using their respective powers to assist others across difficult portions of terrain.
After traveling for about 2 hours, and estimating that they have put about 20 miles behind them, the group stops and Violet Duchess scans for minds in the vicinity. She picks up a cluster of them a short distance to the north. The team heads in that direction and, a short time later, sees a cluster of wooden buildings just ahead on the shore of a lake. Visibility has improved a little - just enough to be able to pick out the largest of the buildings, almost certainly the lodge.
GM: Let me know if the group is going to simply head into the lodge or scout around a bit first.
IRON DUKE (TECH): I think scouting a bit before entry is a given. Stealth 13. Here's a roll if I need it. Stealth roll = [rolled 11]
VIOLET DUCHESS: Duchess will attempt to unobtrusively determine the mood of the minds in the lodge.
INDIGO BARON: Definitely scout around first. IB can fly around the lodge, taking a look for any obvious recent activity and getting an idea of the layout of the buildings.
GM: There is a map of Colville Lodge available on Maptool. I revealed the area around the lodge based on scouting by Indigo Baron and Iron Duke. The area around the lodge is mostly clear except for a few trees. Beyond the lodge is mostly wooded. The storm continues to blow fiercely occasionally obscuring vision. The wind is blowing at 50 to 60 MPH regularly with gusts up to 100 MPH. Precipitation continues to fall.
Violet Duchess sneaks forward the peers through some of the windows. Most are shuttered against the storm but she finds a few cracks that allow her to see the dimly interior. The illumination is coming from candles, lanterns and a couple of fireplaces. She sees about 15 people in the great room huddled around the fireplace. Some appear to be worried about this unnatural storm. She uses her telepathy to confirm this mood. She finds no other causes for concern beyond the storm and the fact that they have lost all power. |