AW: London Calling 2013.4

It was a very hot day today, but my place was relatively cool enough to allow thought and gameplay. We had a full house tonight, with all three players present. The PCs were all at the recently conquered Barrier Siltway holding.

• Barb plays a Brainer called Marsh, a creepy psychic concealed in androgynous medical-wear.
• Rohin plays a Gunlugger called Keeler, a wild-eyed scarred man with a collection of firearms and the skills to use them.
• +Paul wplays a Savvyhead called LaFayette, a somewhat kooky young woman with a greater affinity for machinery than people.

LaFayette headed out into the poisoned fields to survey the Barrier and see if she could find a way to open it up and restore the river flow to drain away the toxic waste. She was accompanied by Marsh, and Keeler sent along a few gangers to look out for them. LaFayette opened her brain to search for a solution to the drainage problem, and discovered the pylons between barrier plates were mostly hollow. She figured that demolishing a couple would make at least one dam plate fall away, causing a silt-slide and opening up a drainage channel.

Meanwhile, Marsh noticed two of Keeler's gangers, Last and Twice, acting aggressively towards III. Apparently there was still some tension between the Bridge gang and the newly-absorbed Siltway raiders. Marsh touched Last on the arm and strongly suggested (on pain of psychic death) he and Twice go find sledgehammers and knock down one of the pylons.

Keeler was finishing up mounting the Barrier's heavy machineguns to his jeeps when Twice and Last came back looking for hammers. Curious what was going on, he followed them out to the fields and met LaFayette and Marsh coming back. They discussed plans to improve drainage, and all returned to the holding because LaFayette had realised it was probably part of the original Barrier system, and might connect to the pylons by underground access tunnels.

Marsh tried to get a read on the situation at the holding, and noticed the tension between the two former rival gangs bubbling below the surface. Marsh tried opening their brain to identify any impending threats to this holding, but an unfortunate fumble resulted in a mysterious case of toxic waste poisoning. Marsh decided to return to the Bridge with Spatula to seek medical attention. The experience was taken as a premonition that maybe the water table had been poisoned. Marsh also eventually released their hold over Last, and he and Twice gave up their hopeless task.

Keeler and LaFayette discovered a hatch leading to a storage cellar, and an access tunnel which led to the base of the first Barrier pylon. The tunnel further on had collapsed, but they were able to climb the inside of the tower and lever open an unused door at the top, which Keeler plans to use as a back door if they ever need to retake the holding. LaFayette was eager to return to the Bridge to install some newly-acquired medical gear, so the entire gang mounted up and drove back to the West.

Meanwhile, Marsh had arrived back at the Bridge. After a brief visit to the nurse (and rejecting the offer of debilitating narco-stabs), Marsh went to pay a visit to Prim, claiming that the raid on the Siltway had gone well, but that they needed more manpower to drain the poisoned river. Despite Prim's conservative nature, Marsh was persuasive, and Prim gave the go-ahead for a dozen men so long as they were back in a day or two. Marsh provided assurance of this, then went and puppet-stringed Chack, taking twenty men in a convoy of motley vehicles. Marsh threw up, taking more Harm but clearing the psychic poison from their system.

Marsh met up with Keeler and LaFayette around Dog Island, with an hour or more until sunset. They plan to return to the Bridge in force, although they have yet to decide whether to take over the Bridge or the Tower first.

So, their total forces number around fifty, but they are from various factions - the Bridge farm guards who became loyal to Keeler, the Siltway slave-raiders who were persuaded to join, and Marsh's newly-acquired Bridge guards. It's questionable where some loyalties lie, but even if the Bridge guys acquired under false pretences don't want to join up, they are at least isolated and outnumbered, and their departure has depleted the Bridge's defences.

As long as they decide on a plan, next session should finally see them attempt to conquer the Tower or the Bridge, or both!

>>> Session 2013.5