Play@YSDC

Posted: **Sat Jul 09, 2016 4:51 am**

For the actual game.

Posted: **Wed Jul 13, 2016 2:40 am**

Location: U.S. Army Forward Operating Base Turner in the mountains of the Paktika province of Afghanistan.
Date: Summer, 2015

What you know: FOB Turner was home to one Delta Green agent and CIA operative by the name of Tim Ellis. While at FOB Turner Ellis was undercover as an Army intelligence major. Three nights ago Ellis wandered off and he hasn’t been seen since. The next day the FOB sent squads after Ellis in two armored vehicles. Only one returned. The day after that, Delta Green ordered you to FOB Turner. Your mission is to find Ellis without bringing any unwanted attention to yourselves or the group as a whole. True to form, Delta Green has told you nothing about Ellis’ activities or larger mission. The FOB’s commander, Capt. Eliot Byers, is to provide you with “all reasonable assistance.”

The arid desert air strikes each of you as you step off the helicopter and onto the military base. There is very little activity considering the size of the base.

Posted: **Mon Aug 01, 2016 12:36 am**

John Tyner imagines he can feel the dry wind suck the moisture greedily from his body as he exits the chopper. Besides everything else, he'll have to stay well hydrated during this mission. That means drinking a lot of water. Keeping a good supply of that on hand at all times will be a problem, if they have to trek out into that wasteland of rock and sand.

Never known for his patience, Tyner marches forward to greet the first soldier he sees on the surprisingly quiet base with a quick salute.

"Doctor Tyner," he says, emphasizing the title. "I'm to report to Captain Byers."

Posted: **Thu Aug 04, 2016 7:32 am**

Dr. Tyner finds the nearest solider, who's tag reads Spc. Bryant, inspecting vehicles at the motor pool. When addressed he looks the doctor up and down, and then watches Tyner's compatriots as they exit the helicopter.

"Alright. I can take you there."

And with that he will lead you to Byers' office.

When you arrive at the officer's quarters you find a man, obviously Byers, barking orders at two subordinates. The two men are hurriedly rushing about the tasks Byers is giving them, which seem to mostly involve taking paperwork from the captain, filing it, and bringing him more papers. The commotion halts once Byers notices you; he is currently waiting for you to speak.

Posted: **Thu Aug 04, 2016 2:47 pm**

The Captain seems like a busy man, even if it's just typical military bureaucracy. It would probably be best to make this seem like a routine matter.

Tyner salutes Byers. "Excuse the interruption, Captain. We're here about Major Ellis. Perhaps you can suggest a time we can discuss this matter at your convenience."

He watches the officer and his men closely to see how they react to the name.

Posted: **Tue Aug 09, 2016 7:21 am**

Captain Byers runs his hands through his closely cropped hair.

"Right the Major. I was wondering when someone was going to show up about that. You'l have to excuse me for not meeting with you already, the brass doesn't tell me anything anymore so I had no idea when you'd arrive let alone who you are. Now would be as good a time as any to talk about Ellis, I could use a break from all this."
And as he says that last part he gestures to all the paperwork on his desk.
"Please take a seat."

Posted: **Wed Aug 10, 2016 3:01 pm**

"Thank you Captain" says Alex, laying his rifle bag against the side of a chair and removing his backpack.
He takes a canteen from his belt and pours alittle water onto his shemage and drapes it back around his neck."the heat is going to take a little acclimatising too" he says with a smile.
He settles into a chair and glances around the office before returning his gaze to the Capt. " So Captain, what can you tell us about Ellis's disappearance?"

Posted: **Thu Aug 11, 2016 8:01 am**

Byers takes a minute to gather his thoughts before he starts speaking.

"I'm sorry to say that there isn't much I can tell you about Ellis. He came to the base a few months ago, and I was given orders to leave him alone; not that I would have bothered to keep an eye on him at any rate, we don't have enough men here for that and most of my day is spent filing paperwork for the transition. What I do know is that Ellis was a Major with Army intelligence; he never said what he was doing here and he and I only occasionally spoke. It's my understanding that on the day he left he just walked out the base's gates. After he disappeared I set a constant guard on his hut; you might be able to find more useful information there."

At this point you can all make a HUMINT roll if you wish.

Posted: **Thu Aug 11, 2016 7:08 pm**

"Intelligence, eh?" Doctor Tyner nods to his companion. "That's more in his line than mine, but I've had a little experience with it." He rubs his jaw and thinks about it.

Spoiler:

"Actually, the name does mean something to me, come to think of it."

Posted: **Fri Aug 12, 2016 3:38 am**

Those of you who make your HUMINT role notice that Capt. Byers does't really seem to believe that Ellis was army intelligence. You also notice that the more the Captain goes on about Ellis the more agitated the two men who had been assisting him with paperwork become.

Posted: **Fri Aug 12, 2016 6:54 pm**

Byers isn't telling everything he knows. That's pretty typical for Delta Green missions. He'd probably be happy to wash his hands of it.

"Thanks, Captain. We'll be sure to check out the hut. Meanwhile, I could sure go for a cold beer."

Tyner glances at the two soldiers assisting the Captain. "If you or the men can spare a few minutes, I'm buying. Where's the PX?"

Maybe a little alcohol will loosen a few tongues.

Posted: **Sat Aug 13, 2016 4:03 am**

Why don't give you me a persuade roll Dr. Tyner. That will determine how cooperative they are

Posted: **Sat Aug 13, 2016 4:44 pm**

Cotton wrote:Why don't give you me a persuade roll Dr. Tyner. That will determine how cooperative they are

Spoiler:

Tyner gets the idea that at least one of the men might be interested in taking a break.

Posted: **Sat Aug 13, 2016 7:15 pm**

Spoiler:

"That sounds like a fine idea to me doc." alex pats his backpck" Ive got a box of stogies in here just waiting to be opened, if anyone is interested."

OOC: sorry guys i seem to be making a mess of dice rolls at the minute, sure i will get the hang of it

[dice]0[/dice]
[dice]1[/dice]

Posted: **Sun Aug 14, 2016 3:36 am**

After all this time, Craig Reynolds was back in Afghanistan. The first thing that had struck him was how little things had changed, and those that had changed seemed to have changed for the worse. This was already the longest war in American history, and with no end in sight. Something had to give, and he had a feeling that one of these days America would just walk away, leaving a great big heaping mess for someone else to clean up - or, more likely, not. The Afghan government probably wouldn't last much longer at that point, a few years at most. Then the Taliban or someone else would fill the power vacuum. But all that was in the future. Right now, he had a job to do. He let Dr. Tyner, who seemed to have matters well in hand, do the talking while he observed. However, he was too distracted to notice anything.

Posted: **Tue Aug 16, 2016 10:41 pm**

Capt. Byers points to one of the two men and says,
"Lieutenant Jacobsen here can show you around the base. Now if you gentleman will excuse me I really need to get back to this paperwork."

Jacobsen starts leading you toward the bases's PX, and as soon as you are all out of earshot of Byers he turns to you.
"I could definitely go for a drink or two; just don't tell the Captain."

The post exchange is one of the few parts of the base that seems to be populated. Groups of men mingle inside and outside the building, you see both men in American army uniforms and men in uniforms that you recognize as belonging to the Afghan National Army. The two different groups don't appear to interact with one another more than is absolutely necessary.

Posted: **Tue Aug 16, 2016 11:54 pm**

Tyner whispers to Reynolds "Maybe you can talk to some of the locals, see if they know anything. They'll probably respect somebody who speaks their lingo, and you know your way around the culture a lot better than we do."

He speaks more loudly to Baxter "This place isn't much like good old California, is it? Guess you've seen some desert out there, though. Is it at all the same here?"

Maybe I can start some casual conversation about the area, lead into Ellis.

To his guide he says "Strictly on the QT, Lieutenant. Lead on."

I hope the Afghans don't mind us drinking. I know their religion doesn't allow it. They've got plenty of reasons not to be fond of Americans, but I hope they dislike the Taliban more.

Posted: **Wed Aug 17, 2016 2:35 am**

Craig nods and approaches the Afghan soldiers with a ready smile. He greets them in Dari, in which he is most fluent. If they don't speak Dari, he'll try in Pashto, the second most common language in Afghanistan and the language of the Pashtun people.

Posted: **Wed Aug 17, 2016 5:27 am**

The ANA soldiers will greet Reynolds politely in Dari. You get the sense that they don't quite know what to make of you, and are probably not used to Americans speaking their language.

Posted: **Thu Aug 18, 2016 1:44 am**

"I'm a translator," explains Craig in Dari. "My name is Craig Reynolds. This isn't my first time in your country, but I've been away for a while. Has anything interesting been happening in the area lately?"

Posted: **Thu Aug 18, 2016 5:43 am**

As you introduce yourself one of the soldiers perks up.
"A translator?" He asks. "Did something happen to Rahimi?"

After a short pause one of the other soldiers responds to your question.
"Nothing interesting has happened around here in a while. We patrol the area around the base during the day, and stay here during the night."

Posted: **Fri Aug 19, 2016 3:16 am**

"As far as I know, Rahimi is fine," says Craig. "I'm not here as a replacement. It's good that things have been quiet around here. I hope they stay that way. Any scuttlebutt about the base?"

Posted: **Fri Aug 19, 2016 1:16 pm**

Tyner buys a round of beer for Jacobsen, Alex, and maybe any of Jacobsen's buddies, if they want to join in. He refuses one of Alex's cigars, with a touch of the annoying, condescending superiority of the non-smoker to the smoker. He starts talking to Jacobsen about sports, then the local climate, only obliquely leading up to Ellis.

"I understand you lost some men looking for him. Any idea what happened?"

Posted: **Sun Aug 21, 2016 6:27 am**

The ANA solider to Reynolds:
"Some of the American soldiers went out on patrol the other day and never came back, and that has their officers really riled up."

Jacobsen will pause a moment and lick his lips before answering Tyner:
"Part of me feels like I probably shouldn't tell you this, but another part of me insists that if you're going out to look for Ellis you should know. I was in the radio room when the men that disappeared told called in to tell they had gotten lost. Now, they had orders to stick to the roads surrounding the base so there really shouldn't have been anyway to get lost. I mean there's not even really any traffic out there save maybe shepherds with herds of goats. At some point they came under attack apparently but it was pretty much impossible to tell what was going on through all the static. I tried to see if any satellites we may have had in the air caught what had happened but there was some kind of weird interference."

Posted: **Sun Aug 21, 2016 8:14 pm**

"I can imagine," says Craig, realizing that they probably don't know any more than he does at this point. "Well, thank you. It's been nice talking to you. I'll see you around."

Posted: **Tue Aug 23, 2016 4:05 pm**

Jacobsen will pause a moment and lick his lips before answering Tyner:
"Part of me feels like I probably shouldn't tell you this, but another part of me insists that if you're going out to look for Ellis you should know. I was in the radio room when the men that disappeared told called in to tell they had gotten lost. Now, they had orders to stick to the roads surrounding the base so there really shouldn't have been anyway to get lost. I mean there's not even really any traffic out there save maybe shepherds with herds of goats. At some point they came under attack apparently but it was pretty much impossible to tell what was going on through all the static. I tried to see if any satellites we may have had in the air caught what had happened but there was some kind of weird interference."

Sounds like Delta Green business for sure.

"Thanks, Lieutenant. I'll make sure to tell Byers you gave us a full tour of the base. I guess we should check out Ellis' hut now."

Posted: **Wed Aug 24, 2016 3:35 am**

You head to Ellis's quarters in the officer's section of the base. Even just walking by you can tell that the majority of these buildings stand empty. There are two soldiers standing at the front of the building chit chatting. When they notice you heading towards them, the men stand at attention and one of the drops and stamps on a cigarette. They wait for you to address them.

Posted: **Wed Aug 24, 2016 7:39 pm**

"I'm Doctor Tyner. These are my associates, Alex and Craig."

Maybe that sounded a little arrogant. Too bad.

"We're here to find out what happened to Major Ellis. We'd like to check out his hut. Captain Byers gave us the OK. Can you men tell us anything about what happened?"

Posted: **Thu Aug 25, 2016 12:57 am**

The solider who had been smoking pipes up.
"Ellis? They said he was Army Intelligence but he had to be CIA right?"
He looks over to his buddy, who nods his agreement.
"We were told not to go near him, but I know that Booker and Bryant used to talk to him all the time. Wouldn't want to be those guys right about now."

Posted: **Thu Aug 25, 2016 2:30 am**

"Who else has already been through the hut?" asks Craig, reasoning that it would be useful to know who else might have searched it.

Posted: **Thu Aug 25, 2016 2:42 am**

"We were told not to go near him, but I know that Booker and Bryant used to talk to him all the time. Wouldn't want to be those guys right about now."

"Why not? Can we talk to them?"

Posted: **Thu Aug 25, 2016 5:08 am**

The same solider replies.
"Ellis must have fucked up royally. That's the only reason I can figure that he'd just up and disappear, and on top of that the guys we sent after Ellis got killed. They were good guys, and them dying so close to us getting out of this shit hole has gotten everyone riled up. Everyone knows that Booker and Bryant talked to Ellis a lot, and that makes them guilty by association as far as most people are concerned."
He pauses for a moment to think.
"Bryant is usually at the motor pool, and Booker, if he isn't with Bryant, would be at the aid station."

Posted: **Thu Aug 25, 2016 7:18 pm**

Tyner glances at his companions.

"Maybe we should split up. Can't spend too much time just wandering around. One of us search this place, somebody find Bryant, somebody find Booker. Any volunteers?"

Posted: **Fri Aug 26, 2016 2:35 am**

"I'm good with people," says Craig. "I'll go have a chat with Bryant." He repeats his earlier question to the soldiers, as he hasn't gotten an answer from them.

Posted: **Fri Aug 26, 2016 3:42 am**

The soldiers turn to Craig.
"The Captain gave orders that no one was allowed to go in after Ellis disappeared, that's why we're here guarding it."

Posted: **Fri Aug 26, 2016 3:47 am**

"The Captain gave orders that no one was allowed to go in after Ellis disappeared, that's why we're here guarding it."

"That doesn't mean us, of course. The Captain wants us to check it out."

Tyner turns to Alex. "I'd suggest you stick around here and look over the hut. The Captain can vouch for us being on assignment. Meanwhile, I'll go track down Booker. I'll try the aid station first."

Posted: **Fri Aug 26, 2016 7:46 am**

The guards will let you guys into the hut. They know that you three are new to the base and so assumed that you were there because of Ellis.

Tyner why don't you go ahead and give me a luck roll to see if Booker is at the aid station.

Posted: **Fri Aug 26, 2016 7:05 pm**

Tyner locates the aid station and introduces himself. "I'm looking for Booker. He around?"

Spoiler:

Posted: **Sat Aug 27, 2016 12:40 am**

The solider points toward the back of the aid station, and Tyner is easily able to find Booker. Booker is tall and muscular with a linebacker's build. He greets Tyner as he approaches.
"Hello. Can I help you?"

(OOC: Sorry I forgot to say the luck is your POW x5)

Posted: **Sat Aug 27, 2016 2:17 am**

Craig heads to the motor pool to look for Bryant.

Posted: **Sat Aug 27, 2016 2:18 am**

"Doctor John Tyner. My friends call me Doc."

Tyner offers his hand.

"I'm trying to track down what happened to Major Ellis. I understand it can get pretty bad out there. I'm sure you've lost some friends. They tell me you were close to Him. Is there anything you can tell me about what he was doing here, and what might have happened to him?"

Posted: **Sun Aug 28, 2016 6:09 am**

Booker says,
"I wouldn't really say I was close with Ellis. I talked to him a lot because it was something to alleviate the boredom. You'd be surprised how much down time you get on a base that's standing down. Also, Ellis had a seemingly endless supply of booze so that did't hurt. As to what happened to him; thats easy. Whatever CIA spy mission he was on wasn't going as he'd hoped, and that was clearly taking its toll on him. He drank a lot to... to cope, I guess. And when he got really deep into his cups he used to talk about this place. This village hidden away in the mountains; he called it 'The Black Valley' or something like that. When I first started talking to him, he used to say that, if he ever found it, he'd like to drone strike to hell. But later, in the last couple weeks before he left, he started talking about how he'd just like to go there, and see a place so old that it wasn't Islam or Christian or anything like that. So, if you ask me, I think he went off to find his special village."

Posted: **Sun Aug 28, 2016 4:49 pm**

That sure sounds like Delta Green business. I guess we'll have to check out this Black Valley, whether we like it or not.

"Thanks for the info. That helps a lot. Would you have any idea where this Black Valley might be located? It sounds like a place that would interest a lot of scholars. I'd hate to have the Taliban destroy the place, the way they have with so many historic sites."

I wonder if Alex found any kind of map in that hut.

Posted: **Sun Aug 28, 2016 7:47 pm**

Booker replies,
"Ellis made it sound like it was somewhere East of this base, and if he set out to walk there he must not have thought it was too far. Honestly though, if you ask me, if the place ever even existed it was probably destroyed by the Talibs a long time ago. Like you said, it's kinda their thing."

Posted: **Sun Aug 28, 2016 8:11 pm**

"I see. Thanks again. I owe you one."

Tyner heads back to the hut to see if Alex found anything. They can't just head out blindly trying to find this Black Valley, but if it's really close enough to walk, somebody should have run into it by now. Maybe there's a detailed map or some aerial photos of the area on the base. Wouldn't hurt to ask, but that can wait.

Posted: **Tue Aug 30, 2016 10:38 am**

Alex will search through any documents and files he can find around the office, in particular maps. He will also look for any signs of hidden or consealed stores. Knowing Ellis was delta green, he wasn't going to leave anything interesting in plain sight, unless he was careless.

Posted: **Wed Aug 31, 2016 3:25 am**

Posted: **Wed Aug 31, 2016 7:18 am**

Because you guys split up, we'll assume that this happens while Tyner is still locating and talking to Brooks.

Alex Baxter:
Ellis's hut is completely spartan, if you didn't know better you would assume no one had ever lived in it. Looking underneath the bunk reveals a large canvas bag with the U.S. State Department seal and a “Diplomatic Pouch” logo with warnings against opening it without permission. The bag is locked, but breaking it is an easy task. Looking through the bag you find gun-cleaning supplies, 18 used 9mm shells, a laptop computer that has been shot several times, the somewhat charred remains of a notebook, and a small mountain of empty mouthwash bottles. There doesn't appear to be anything else left in the hut.

Craig Reynolds:
Specialist Bryant is short and wiry, with a shock of red hair and a multitude of freckles. He is currently the only person in the motor pool. You find him resting in a back corner, reading a magazine.

Posted: **Thu Sep 01, 2016 3:52 am**

"Specialist Bryant?" says Craig, extending his hand. "Hi, I'm Craig Reynolds. I'm looking into Major Ellis's disappearance, and I'd like to ask you a few questions about him."

Posted: **Fri Sep 02, 2016 4:27 am**

Bryant will sit up and put down his magazine. He is obviously put on edge by the mention of Ellis.

"Um. Yeah. Go ahead."

Posted: **Fri Sep 02, 2016 5:04 am**

"Do you have any idea why Major Ellis left?" asks Craig. He keeps his tone calm so as to reassure Bryant.

Posted: **Fri Sep 02, 2016 2:11 pm**

Alex picks up the shot up laptop and tries to determine if the hard drive has taken any damage, if its ok, then maybe accessing the drive may be possible.
He looks at the mound of empty mouthwash bottles, shaking his head, either Ellis had some serious dental issues or he wasusing the stuff for something, but what it could it be?
Taking up the charred note book, Alex flicks through the pages to see if there is any useful information remaining in it.

Posted: **Fri Sep 02, 2016 3:48 pm**

Tyner walks into the hut and notices the pile of bottles.

"Maybe he hid his booze in those containers. Does it smell like mouthwash or like whiskey?"

Posted: **Sat Sep 03, 2016 8:25 am**

"Is that the voice of experience Doc"Alex says with a grin. He picks up one bottles and unscrews the cap and takes a sniff.

Posted: **Sat Sep 03, 2016 8:50 am**

Craig Reynolds:
Bryant informs you:
"Well. Uh. When Ellis would get really drunk he would talk about this place on Varjita Mountain, sometimes he'd call it 'The Black Valley' and other times he'd call it 'Kali Ghati'. He talked about this place like it was Shangri-La, so I would guess he'd head there."
Reynolds, you can tell that Bryant seems nervous about something, and you're pretty sure he's not saying everything he knows about Ellis.

Alex Baxter:
The laptop's hard drive has unfortunately been damaged. After spending a few minutes examining it you don't think you'd be able to repair it yourself, but maybe there's someone else on the base who could.
Flipping through the notebook you find a few pages that are still undamaged enough to be readable. The only problem is that whoever it belonged to wrote in a code of some kind. Deciphering it would definitely require a lot of time and patience.

Doctor Tyner will have walked in at about the time you finish examining the laptop and notebook. Upon taking his suggestion you bring the mouthwash bottle to your nose for a whiff, and can tell that it was most definitely filled with alcohol at some point.

Posted: **Sun Sep 04, 2016 2:27 am**

"Can you think of anything else that might be helpful?" asks Craig. "Don't worry, you're not in any trouble, and what you say can remain confidential. We just want to find Major Ellis."

Posted: **Sun Sep 04, 2016 6:28 am**

Craig Reynolds:
You know that Kali Ghati means roughly "Black Valley" or "Black Canyon" in Dari.

Bryant hesitates before responding.
"Ellis was crazy. And I don't mean like that weird kid you knew in school. I mean crazy like that homeless guy who's always drunk and shouting on a street corner. One night, a couple weeks ago, Ellis starts telling me about how he doesn't believe in God. I say ok. Tell him that he can live his life however he wants, as far as I'm concerned. But then he starts saying that he doesn't believe in God with a capital "G" because there's more than just one god. He starts talking about how were always surrounded by gods, all the time, and that he wanted to see one just once before he died. He says we can't see them but they're there. We were both pretty drunk at this point and I was freaked out so I just left. I know it sounds crazy, but I think he really meant what he said. So when I heard he'd disappeared I knew he must of gone to that mountain to look for his gods."

Posted: **Sun Sep 04, 2016 6:14 pm**

"Thank you," says Craig. "You've been a great help. If you think of anything else, please let me know. I'll leave you to it." If Bryant has nothing further to say, Craig heads back to the hut to rejoin the others.

Posted: **Mon Sep 05, 2016 10:45 pm**

Bryant still seems kind of nervous, but is obviously greatly relieved to have gotten that story about Ellis off his chest.

You head back to the hut, and since this was all happening simultaneously you will arrive only a couple minutes after Tyner and Baxter discover that the mouthwash bottles recently held alcohol.

Posted: **Tue Sep 06, 2016 12:53 am**

Craig fills the others in on what he has learned. "'Kali Ghati' simply means Black Valley in Dari, or possibly Black Canyon," he says. "I think Ellis meant the former, as that's what he called it in English. Still, climbing gear would be advisable for when we inevitably go out there. Find anything interesting?"

Posted: **Tue Sep 06, 2016 6:11 pm**

maelstrom wrote:"Is that the voice of experience Doc"Alex says with a grin.

That remark hits Tyner hard. After the loss of his wife, he escaped into an alcoholic haze for months. No doubt that's what reduced his state of health, once in top condition, to below average now. He grunts at Alex and says nothing. He turns to Craig.

"Yeah, we found out Ellis was a boozehound. We also found this laptop with a hard drive that might be repairable. I'm not sure if we should let any of the geeks on the base handle it, though. Could be Delta Green stuff. And this notebook is full of some kind of gobbledegook. Code or something. I doubt we have time to tackle the job of deciphering it. What did you find out?"

Posted: **Wed Sep 07, 2016 2:19 am**

"Apparently Ellis has lost his mind," says Craig, repeating what Bryant had told him. "That's must be why he went AWOL, to search for these gods. This definitely sounds like DG stuff to me. I think we'd better find someone who can salvage the hard drive. I can't do it myself, and if you two can't, that means it has to be someone on the base. We'll just have to lay down the national security angle heavy, tell them we believe there's classified material on the hard drive and that they can't divulge anything they happen to see while recovering it. The techs here are military, or at least used to working with the military if they're civilians. They should know the drill."

Posted: **Wed Sep 07, 2016 8:37 pm**

"Sounds like a plan. Maybe we can round out a map of the area of that mountain, without mentioning the Black Valley stuff. Maybe you can ask some of the locals in their own language what they know about the mountain, possibly the best way to get there. I'll go see if I can rustle up the head cartographer. Alex, you want to talk to the techs?"

Posted: **Thu Sep 08, 2016 4:32 am**

"Get satellite photos too if you can," suggests Craig. "I'll go see if the Afghan troops know anything about the mountain. I may need to mention Kali Ghati to them by name. There could be local legends or something." He heads off to find the Afghan National Army soldiers.

Posted: **Thu Sep 08, 2016 7:28 pm**

"Good idea."

Tyler goes off to find whoever is in charge of cartography and imaging.

Posted: **Fri Sep 09, 2016 8:33 am**

Craig Reynolds:
You head back to the PX since you know that soldiers tend to congregate there. While scanning the area you see a group of ANA soldiers that includes one of the men you spoke to earlier. There is also one Afghan man who is dressed in Western-looking civilian clothing. They are chatting and smoking.

John Tyner:
In one of the buildings in the officer's section of the ship you find a short, dark haired man by the name of Lt. Neal Carver and a tall, lanky Specialist named Walter Gray. Because FOB Turner is in the process of standing down, these two men have found themselves in charge of a number of duties including cartography and imaging.

Posted: **Fri Sep 09, 2016 8:44 am**

Alex Baxter will easily be able to find some techs to help with the laptop. (Unless Maelstrom decides there is something else he'd rather his character do when he gets back)

Posted: **Fri Sep 09, 2016 4:12 pm**

Alex heads to the Coms station with the hard drive and looks for the ranking officer in the room and goes over to speak to them about getting the resident tech wizard to have a look at the drive, making it clear this is of a sensitive nature.

Posted: **Fri Sep 09, 2016 6:36 pm**

Tyner introduces himself to the Carver and Gray.

"I know you're busy,so I won't take up too much of your time. We're trying to track down Major Ellis."

I better come up with a plausible cover story. One without any details.

"There's a possibility that some kind of crazy splinter terrorist group captured him, and the men who went out looking for him. It's just a hunch, but we've got to check it out. We want to check out Varjita Mountain. Have you got maps of the area, any idea of what's the best way to get there, maybe some satellite images?"

Posted: **Fri Sep 09, 2016 7:16 pm**

Alex Baxter:
Maelstrom please make a Persuade or a Bureaucracy roll (your choice).

John Tyner:
Carver sends Gray to find some physical maps of the area around FOB Turner and says,
"I'm sorry our knowledge of that mountain is limited. We sent out a drone to that area to try and get some aerial photos but it suffered some kind of malfunction and crashed. I had wanted to send another, but Captain Byers didn't think it was worth it."

Gray will return with some maps, all of which have Varjita Mountain depicted on them in some way. You don't see any references to Kali Ghati or the Black Valley on these. You do however see Quluj Khel, which appears to be both the closest village to FOB Turner, and the only settlement on these maps that is near Varjita Mountain. Perhaps the people who live there know something about the mountain or Ellis?

Posted: **Fri Sep 09, 2016 8:05 pm**

"Thanks for the help. I appreciate it."

I better find Craig and have him ask the locals about this Quluj Khel place.

Posted: **Sat Sep 10, 2016 2:55 am**

Craig greets the Afghan soldiers again in Dari, reintroducing himself for the sake of the ones who weren't there before. "Are any of you familiar with the Varjita Mountain area?" he asks.

Posted: **Sat Sep 10, 2016 6:12 am**

Craig Reynolds:
The Western dressed man seems elated when he first hears you speaking Dari, but his face drops as soon as you mention Varjita Mountain. The ANA soldiers all also look down at the mention of that place. After a beat the man in Western clothing and one of the soldiers both try to explain how they are all from different provinces so that the local Taliban can't come after their families and because of that they really don't know anything about the mountain. You, however, can tell that they are pretty obviously trying to play dumb about Varjita.

John Tyner:
You find Reynolds talking to a group of ANA soldiers.

Posted: **Sat Sep 10, 2016 10:10 am**

Alex will try to be more persuasive rather than bureaucratic.

Spoiler:

Posted: **Sat Sep 10, 2016 4:56 pm**

Tyner doesn't understand a word of what's being spoken, but obviously the Afghans aren't too happy. When there's a pause in the conversation, he whispers to Craig "There's a village called Quluj Khel on the way to that mountain. Is anybody here from there? Might be willing to guide us there, for a price?"

Posted: **Sun Sep 11, 2016 2:43 am**

Alex Baxter:
You are easily able to convince the soldiers of the importance of your work, and a bespectacled man by the name and rank of Spc. Crawford is assigned to help you with the laptop. He will have to first repair the hard drive (and even then only some of what was originally on their will be recoverable) and then decrypt its security software. Crawford is capable of doing both of these but it will take roughly three hours.

Posted: **Sun Sep 11, 2016 2:52 am**

"I gather it has a bad reputation," says Craig, continuing in Dari. "But surely some of you know the local area. What about the village Quluj Khel? Have any of you been there?"

Posted: **Sun Sep 11, 2016 7:31 am**

The man in Western clothing speaks up, he seems eager to be talking about something other than Kali Ghati.
"Quluj Khel is the village closest to this base; it's home to the Quluj clan. I've been there a couple times as a translator for the American soldiers. The town's elder, Zahir Quluj, is very friendly. You and your friend don't look like soldiers, may I ask what brings you to the base?"

Posted: **Sun Sep 11, 2016 4:45 pm**

Tyner notices that one of the Afghans seems to be sort of a liaison with the American troops. When there's a pause in the conversation, he says "Excuse me. Do you speak English? Perhaps it would be better to continue in that language, so we don't upset your colleagues."

Posted: **Sun Sep 11, 2016 7:39 pm**

The man in Western clothing replies in a thick accent.

"I do speak English, I was hired to work here as a translator for the American soldiers. I was just asking your friend here what brings the two of you to this base? You don't look like soldiers, and I know that the Americans are in the process of handing this base over to the ANA so I wonder why they would bring in new people."

His English isn't fantastic but you can understand what he is saying.

Posted: **Sun Sep 11, 2016 8:07 pm**

"I see. We're civilians working for the American government. We were sent here to try to find out what happened to Major Ellis. We want to make sure there aren't any problems when the ANA takes command of the base. Your men are good soldiers, and we want to be good allies."

Posted: **Sun Sep 11, 2016 8:15 pm**

"You must be Rahimi," says Craig, switching to English. "I'm a translator too. This is Dr. Tyner. I was hoping to find someone with some local knowledge of the area."

Posted: **Mon Sep 12, 2016 12:49 am**

"Yes my name is Yasim Rahimi."
Replies the translator in English.
"I am from a neighboring province and have spent a lot of time in this one so I know a lot about it. And I know for sure that that mountain is best left alone."

Posted: **Mon Sep 12, 2016 1:14 am**

"I've heard that it's a dangerous place," Tyner agrees. "But we've got a job to do. I know you understand the importance of duty. Maybe you can tell us anything else you know about the area. Are there any dangerous animals, maybe some waterholes or springs?"

Posted: **Mon Sep 12, 2016 4:42 am**

Rahimi replies.
"I do not know about any springs, but I do know that animals will be the least of your worries if you go their. The Taliban patrol around those areas, and I heard they attacked the last patrol that went looking for that American who went missing. Besides, Varjita Mountain is home to a cursed placed. To go there is to tempt the wrath of God."

Posted: **Mon Sep 12, 2016 5:06 am**

"That explains the reaction I got when I mentioned the mountain," says Craig. "What can you tell us about the curse?"

Posted: **Tue Sep 13, 2016 3:37 am**

"The place is cursed."
Repeats Rahimi.
"Everyone knows this. Even in my home province the village elders and nomads will warn you about Kali Ghati."

Posted: **Tue Sep 13, 2016 4:51 am**

"Is Zahir Quluj particularly knowledgeable about Kali Ghati and the curse?" asks Craig. "I'd like to know more about it: its origin, what form it takes, what happens to those who fall victim to it, that sort of thing." Not only are their lives on the line, but this also interests him as an anthropologist. He is keen to know how legends like this get started and are transmitted down through the generations, and of course the kernel of truth behind them.

Posted: **Tue Sep 13, 2016 6:27 am**

"You would have to ask him." replies Rahimi. "We never talked about it any of the times I went to the village. I wouldn't mind going with you to the village, as long as some soldiers came along too, but from the sounds of it you don't really need a translator."

Posted: **Tue Sep 13, 2016 7:39 am**

Pfc Crawford walks over to Alex and hands him the laptop. “ it's took some doing sir, but I've managed to recover most of the data on the drive and it seems accessible” Alex smiles “ damn good job Crawford, drinks are on me later.”
Alex settles down and starts scanning the data. “the others need to see this” he thinks to himself.
“hmm that name zunbils seems familiar” Alex wrack his brain trying to remember where he has heard it before?

Spoiler:

Posted: **Tue Sep 13, 2016 7:11 pm**

Cotton wrote:"You would have to ask him." replies Rahimi. "We never talked about it any of the times I went to the village. I wouldn't mind going with you to the village, as long as some soldiers came along too, but from the sounds of it you don't really need a translator."

"Thanks for the offer. We better go back and find Alex, see what he's come up with. We'll get together and decide about taking a trip to the village."

Sounds like the village is a safe enough place. Might be OK to let some of the locals come along, but I'll ask Craig what he thinks. he's the expert on these people and their land.

Posted: **Wed Sep 14, 2016 3:29 am**

"Yes, thank you," says Craig. "I can translate, but what we could use is a guide with knowledge of the village and the area around it."

Posted: **Wed Sep 14, 2016 4:33 am**

"I can go with you to the village tomorrow, assuming that Captain Byers is ok with sending myself and some soldiers with you to the Quluj Khel. I believe that I technically work for him." Replies Rahimi.

And I should point out that your characters have spent a few hours going around the base at this point so the sun will set soon, and you all know that traveling around this area at night would be extremely dangerous.

Posted: **Wed Sep 14, 2016 5:12 am**

"That would be great," says Craig. "I don't think getting Captain Byers's permission will be a problem. We should probably leave tomorrow at dawn. I'll see you then." He then goes with Dr. Tyner to seek out Alex.

Posted: **Wed Sep 14, 2016 7:40 am**

Alex Baxter:
You know that the Zunbils were a people native to this area from the 7th century until the Islamic conquest of Afghanistan in 870 AD. The Zunbils worshipped the sun, which they referred to as Zun. You know that some idols of Zun depict him as a dragon, and that worship of Zun was coopted into the Hindu religion and eventually largely forgotten.

Reynolds and Tyner:
Reynolds and Tyner will find Baxter while the tech wizard is still working on the computer; although he will soon be done.

(OOC: You guys can go check out that "spoiler" part I left in the message to Maelstrom a couple posts back if you haven't already.)

Posted: **Wed Sep 14, 2016 1:00 pm**

Tyner figures they all better be ready to leave at dawn. That means not only arranging for Rahimi and a couple of soldiers to accompany them, it means packing the necessary supplies. Plenty of water and sunscreen, of course; some rations; first aid kit; the usual. He hopes the base can spare a jeep or two, maybe a humvee. A sidearm would make him feel good, too.

After talking to Alex about the stuff they found on the disk, he figures Ellis ran into some kind of violent cult. He hopes it isn't much more than that.

As they make arrangements for sleeping that night, he suddenly remembers to take along the coded notebook. He shows it to Craig on a hunch, to see if the pattern matches any language he's familiar with. Anyway, fooling around with it before they settle down for a good night's sleep will kill the time.

Posted: **Thu Sep 15, 2016 3:47 am**

"We'd better talk to Captain Byers before we turn in and get his permission to borrow Rahimi and some ANA soldiers to escort us to the village," says Craig, taking the notebook and examining it.

Posted: **Thu Sep 15, 2016 5:04 am**

Captain Byers will gladly lend you Rahimi, and 12 American soldiers. You will go in two separate Cougar MRAPs (mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle); they both sport a M2 heavy machine gun through a hatch on top. It will be you three, Rahimi, and a driver and medic in one Cougar, and the second Cougar will have the other 10 soldiers (also including a driver and medic) as an escort. He is adamant about this, and you can tell he is probably paranoid about losing more men.

This is an army base so anything you guys want in terms of body armor, weapons, and supplies you could probably get pretty easily; so if you want anything specific let me know, if you're fine with whatever I will give you a list.

SigInt, which stands for Signals Intelligence, is the skill that covers cryptography. It encompasses encryption, communications intelligence, electronic intelligence, surveillance of radio and digital communications, and the making and breaking of codes. None of you have the SigInt skill, but a Bureaucracy roll will allow you to both find someone on the base who does and convince them to decode it.

Posted: **Thu Sep 15, 2016 8:11 pm**

"This cloak-and-dagger stuff doesn't mean anything to me," Tyner says as he flips through the notebook. "I wonder if I find can somebody on base who can handle it."

Spoiler:

After trying to convince somebody to tackle the notebook, Tyner figures he's wasting his time. He keeps running into "hurry up and wait" and Catch-22 and other military red tape. He hands it to his colleagues.

"You guys monkey with this thing. I'm running into a blank wall. Meanwhile, I'm going to check out our equipment."

Spoiler:

Posted: **Fri Sep 16, 2016 2:53 am**

This is what you would be offered in the way of supplies, but you can choose what you'd like to take with you. Rahimi, since he is a translator, will only be taking the body armor, a pistol, and food and water.

M4 carbine- 30 rounds (2 reloads), Damage: 1D12, Armor Piercing: 3, kill damage: 10%
M9 pistol- 15 rounds (2 reloads), Damage: 1D10
M67 hand grenade (x2)- kill damage: 15%, the skill that governs grenades is Athletics
M9 bayonet- Damage: 1D6 (1D8 if affixed to rifle), Armor Piercing: 3
Tactical Body Armor- It is the same kind of armor the soldiers would be wearing, and in game terms would have an armor rating of 5. This means that if you are wearing this and get attacked for 6 points of damage you subtract 5 of those points and only actually take 1 point of damage to your hit points.
Medical Kits
Enough food and water for a few days (just in case)
(I think that anything else you could want that are small things, like say flashlights, we could just hand wave and say that you have when and if those things come up)

Posted: **Fri Sep 16, 2016 3:10 am**

Tyner lets out a long, low whistle when he sees the Cougars.

That's one hell of a vehicle. Byers must really be spooked. Better safe than sorry.

"That damn thing must get about one mile per gallon," he remarks to a passing soldier. "I wouldn't mind having one of those during rush hour."

I wish I felt as lighthearted about this thing as I'm trying to sound.

Posted: **Fri Sep 16, 2016 4:21 am**

Craig can't find anyone willing or able to decode the notebook, so he leaves it to Alex. Like Rahimi, he also only takes body armor, a pistol, food, and water, though he also takes a medical kit and night vision gear if it's available. Failing that, he'll settle for a flashlight.

Posted: **Fri Sep 16, 2016 5:32 am**

Night Vision Goggles are easily available.

Also I realized I forgot to put this in my previous message, but having a medical kit will add 20% to any two first aid rolls.

Posted: **Sat Sep 17, 2016 7:37 am**

Spoiler:

Alex tries to find anyone willing and capable if decoding the note book, but like the others he draws a blank.

Alex will take the offered armour, rifle, pistol and knife. But shakes his head when shown the grenades. " I would probably be a bigger danger to us than whomever I would be throwing it at". NV goggles, maps of the area, rations and a spare med kit will round off his kit.

Alex looks over the vehicles and assembled soldiers. Takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly " Ready as I'm ever going to be"

Posted: **Sun Sep 18, 2016 7:41 am**

Alex Baxter, Craig Reynolds, and John Tyner:
You meet in the motor pool of FOB Turner. Despite the earliness of the morning the summer heat is already oppressive. Rahimi, Bryant, Booker, and a third solider who introduces himself as Private Gibson all await you by your Cougar, their gear already equipped. Booker is leaning against the vehicle looking relaxed, but you all notice that Bryant seems agitated. You see the group of soldiers who are acting as your escort are already loading up into their vehicle. Before leaving you are all informed that the seven of you will be designated by the callsign BEACON for over the radio communication and tactical purposes. So, since the three of you are the ones who are in charge of investigating Ellis' disappearance, one of you must be appointed team leader (BEACON ONE) and another one of you second-in-command (BEACON TWO). That choice is yours.

Posted: **Sun Sep 18, 2016 5:49 pm**

"I don't particularly think I should be in charge," says Craig. "I know this country, but I'm a civilian and not really trained for command."

Posted: **Tue Sep 20, 2016 8:29 pm**

"Im not sure any of us are trained for command, just like none of us planned for being here doing what were doing now. We just roll with the punches and make it up as we go along and hopefully we wont make too big a mess of it."
Looking at Craig and john, " At least you two are professional types, before DG I was Yogi bears nanny!" Alex says with a grin, a cold feeling settling into his stomach. operation is getting close. "What says you Doc?"

Posted: **Wed Sep 21, 2016 7:16 pm**

"Age before beauty, I guess," Tyner says. "Just call me Beacon One. Since I don't hear any volunteers, I'll name Craig Beacon Two, just 'cause he knows the country and lingo. Any objections?"

Posted: **Thu Sep 22, 2016 2:26 am**

"That's fine by me, Beacon One," says Craig.

Posted: **Thu Sep 22, 2016 5:19 am**

In that case the order will be: Tyner- Beacon One, Reynolds- Beacon Two, Baxter- Beacon Three, Booker- Beacon Four, Bryant- Beacon Five, Gibson- Beacon Six, and Rahimi- Beacon Seven. You all mount up. Booker is in the driver's seat and Tyner is riding shotgun; everyone else is in the back of the MRAP. You are informed that your escort's callsign is BABBLE, and that their lead, Babble One, is named Sgt. Ryan Harding.

You set off from FOB Turner heading North through rough, hilly terrain. It's about an hour's drive before you reach the hillside sprawl of poor stone
houses and huts that makes up the village of Quluj Khel. What, if anything, do you talk about on your journey?

Posted: **Thu Sep 22, 2016 7:05 pm**

When Tyner gets a chance, he leans over to Bryant and says "You seem tense. I don't blame you. You want to talk about it? Maybe you'd like a trank from the medkit?"

Posted: **Fri Sep 23, 2016 3:00 am**

Craig strikes up a conversation with Rahimi. "What can you tell us about Quluj Khel and the elder, Zahir Quluj?" he asks.

Posted: **Fri Sep 23, 2016 4:36 am**

John Tyner:
Bryant replies,
"No... no I can't and none of you should either. We gotta stay sharp out here. I'll be fine, just didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night."

Craig Reynolds:
Rahimi replies,
"Quluj Khel is not unlike a lot of the smaller villages dotting this province and my own. The people there are all a part of the Quluj clan; they are nice but very isolated. As far as I know they've never had any ties to the Taliban. They probably don't even think of themselves as Afghanis, probably just as Quluj. Elder Zahir is a very nice man, he'll probably be waiting for us, its pretty easy to spot vehicles coming from there."

Posted: **Sat Sep 24, 2016 5:45 am**

"We'll need to ask him about Ellis," says Craig. "He's almost certainly been to the village and spoken to Elder Zahir before, and possibly others here as well. He had to find out about that place somewhere. It'll be interesting to know who he spoke to, what questions he asked, and what the answers were."

Posted: **Sat Sep 24, 2016 9:34 am**

Alex sits listening to the conversations going on in the vehicle.
Bryant worries me a bit, he either knows more than he is letting on, or hes scared and on the edge. neither is a good option if things head south rapidly. Tyners picked up on it as well, we will just have to keep an eye on him..
Turning to face Rahimi, " How long has the village been there Rahimi, do you know?"

Posted: **Sun Sep 25, 2016 1:47 am**

Rahimi replies,
"I don't know exactly. But it is not unusual to run into some very very old and secluded villages out here, you'll see that the members of the Quluj tribe has kept to the same traditions as there ancestors have been doing for centuries."

Posted: **Sun Sep 25, 2016 1:59 am**

Tyner asks Booker (at a moment when he's not busy keeping his eye on whatever passes for a road around here), "Does the CO always send out the heavy armament just to go out to a friendly village? Are there a lot of unfriendlies out there?"

Posted: **Sun Sep 25, 2016 6:51 am**

Booker replies,
"There are definitely unfriendlies around here, but they usually travel at night since we're almost always better equipped. The original team that went looking for Ellis spilt into two groups and weren't in Cougars, which is probably why the one group got attacked. He's also probably paranoid about losing the government people who got sent after the original government guy who went missing. Quluj Khel is definitely a friendly village, I don't think that we or the ANA have ever had problems with them."

Posted: **Sun Sep 25, 2016 8:28 pm**

"I'm hoping they can also come with us after Quluj Khel, when we eventually go searching for Ellis," says Craig. "Where he went is decidedly unfriendly territory, and we'll need the backup and the armor."

Posted: **Mon Sep 26, 2016 4:41 am**

Booker replies,
"I know that Bryant, Gibson, and I were given orders to escort you wherever you needed to go to. I imagine that the guys in Babble were told the same. Like I said, the Captain doesn't want us splitting up anymore."

Hearing this Gibson starts to nod emphatically, and agrees with Booker's statement. Bryant continues to sulk.

(OOC: So right now you guys are traveling at the speed of plot. Whenever you're ready your convoy will arrive at Quluj Khel.)

Posted: **Mon Sep 26, 2016 7:09 pm**

"This must be the place," Tyner says as the hulking vehicle comes to a halt. "Let's take a look."

Posted: **Mon Sep 26, 2016 9:08 pm**

Alex jumps down from the back of the cougar, pushing his sunglasses securely up his nose, he starts scanning the surrounding area.

Posted: **Tue Sep 27, 2016 3:11 am**

Craig unstraps himself and clambers out of the vehicle, also taking a good look around.

Posted: **Tue Sep 27, 2016 3:52 am**

A few people in old fashioned clothing and domesticated animals, mainly goats, move about the village of stone and wood buildings. Most of the adults look at you and smile politely, but a crowd of children quickly gather around your vehicles. The children keep some distance and stare with a mixture of wonder and curiosity. The Babble team dismounts and spreads out through the village. The residents don't seem to mind, they are evidently used to this.

Within a few minutes, an older man, Elder Zahir, hobbles up to you. He introduces himself in Pashto, and leads the three of you, the three soldiers, and Rahimi to his home. It is somewhat larger and nicer furnished than the others in the village. Once there Zahir Quluj offers you tea, and asks what he can do for you.

Craig are you speaking Pashto (or translating it), or are you sticking to English and letting Rahimi translate?

Posted: **Tue Sep 27, 2016 5:02 am**

Craig speaks Pashto when conversing with Elder Zahir out of respect for him, and he feels that he may be pleased to be able to converse with a visitor in his native tongue. "Thank you for your hospitality, Elder," says Craig. "We are searching for an American officer, Major Ellis. Have you met him before?" He translates what he says and the Elder's replies into English for the others, and he will also translate their questions to the Elder to Pashto.

Posted: **Wed Sep 28, 2016 5:33 am**

Zahir Quluj sips his tea and politely waits for all necessary translations to be made. Craig, you notice that the elderly man does seem quite pleased to meet a foreigner with knowledge of his language and customs, and he appears to be a jovial sort of man even to those of you who do not speak the language.

"I have met Mr. Ellis before, he has come to this village a few times," says Zahir. "He seemed like a very friendly man, and always brought gifts which were much appreciated. You say that you are looking for him, did something happen?"

Posted: **Wed Sep 28, 2016 10:06 pm**

"Yes, he left the base without permission," says Craig. "He appears to have become obsessed with Kali Ghati, and we believe that's where he's gone. I know the place has a reputation for being cursed, and anyone with any sense stays far away from it, but I don't know the details. How did Kali Ghati get this reputation, and what is the nature of its curse? Has anyone ever returned from there?"

Posted: **Thu Sep 29, 2016 2:26 am**

"I'm sorry you must be mistaken," says Zahir Quluj. "I've never heard of any place by that name."

Craig:
You think that perhaps the Elder is lying, and you're suspicion is confirmed when, after you translate, Byrant says that that's bullshit and that he knows they've spoken to Ellis before about Kali Ghati. When you confront Zahir with this accusation he replies,

"No, he is mistaken. Here everyone should have more tea."

You realize at that point that the elder is lying not to be malicious, but because he is afraid.

A persuade roll (which can be made by anyone) is required to push for more information.

Posted: **Thu Sep 29, 2016 3:10 am**

"I understand that you don't want to speak of the place," says Craig. "From what little I've heard of it, I know that it is very dangerous. That's why it's important to know more about it. If Major Ellis is indeed heading there, we need to bring him back before it's too late. He is a nice man, and I don't want anything dreadful to happen to him. I'm sure you don't either."

Posted: **Thu Sep 29, 2016 5:59 am**

"If Ellis has gone to that place he is already dead," replies Zahir. At this point in the conversation he is shaking and it is clear to even to those who do not speak his language that he is afraid. "It is a place of evil. From time to time a group of men, warriors, will come into the village. They are not Taliban or American or even from the Afghanistan National Army who share the base with you Americans. They are an old group, a band of fighters who stand against that cursed place. They come here in search of supplies and volunteers, and we give them these things gladly. They are righteous men, and they do God's work."

Posted: **Thu Sep 29, 2016 9:34 pm**

"It's good that there are men such as them," says Craig. "We would like to meet them. Do you know where we can find them?"

Posted: **Fri Sep 30, 2016 6:30 am**

"I'm sorry to say that I do not." Replies Zahir. "These men do not make their presence known to anyone. These men know what they are doing, let them do it. Go back to your base and forget about Kali Ghati. Trust me when I say that it is sometimes easier to pretend ignorance."

Posted: **Fri Sep 30, 2016 7:07 pm**

"Unfortunately, we don't have that option," says Craig. "Our job is to find Major Ellis, and it's not one we can decline. Has Kali Ghati always been the way it is? How did the curse start?"

Posted: **Fri Sep 30, 2016 10:10 pm**

Tyner listens closely to the translated conversation. Something strikes him as odd. If these warriors are volunteers from the village, then there must be somebody around who has actually been to Khali Gati.

"Ask him if we can talk to one of the volunteers," he says to Craig.

Posted: **Fri Sep 30, 2016 10:28 pm**

Craig translates Dr. Tyner's request to Elder Zahir.

Posted: **Sat Oct 01, 2016 2:48 am**

"Kali Ghati has been a cursed place for as long as I or anyone living can remember," replies Zahir. "Perhaps it has always been that way, but I can not say for sure. I do not know how or why the village came to be the way that it is, but I do know that all those who live there are evil and blasphemous. The young men from this village who volunteer leave, and as I said I do not know where the fighters camp or when they will return here."

Posted: **Sat Oct 01, 2016 3:38 am**

"When the warriors come to your village," asks Craig, "from which direction do they come and which way do they leave?"

Posted: **Sat Oct 01, 2016 6:21 am**

"They usually come from the north, the direction of Kali Ghati."

Posted: **Sat Oct 01, 2016 6:45 am**

From the same direction as Kali Ghati? That sure seems odd. Maybe these so-called noble warriors are recruiting the villagers for something other than fighting the bad guys.

"Sounds we're going to have to go take a look for ourselves, guys."

Posted: **Sat Oct 01, 2016 5:21 pm**

Craig nods. "Maybe we'll run into them between here and there," he says, "or maybe they'll find us."

Posted: **Sun Oct 02, 2016 9:29 pm**

" Maybe its these warriors that Elis has disappeared off with? But if not lets hope its not these guys that destroyed the patrol out looking for Elis, maybe they arn't too keen on anyone digging around in what they are trying to guard." Alex shrugs.
"Guess it's boots on the ground is the only way we are going to know for sure."

Posted: **Mon Oct 03, 2016 6:55 am**

After what Alex says is translated for him, Zahir will vehemently shake his head. "No. no. These warriors only fight the evil that is Kali Ghati they would not attack any Americans. Your war with the Taliban is not their concern. I doubt that any of you would be able to find them unless they wanted to be found. They have an advantage over you in that these lands are their home."

Bryant will pipe up as well. "I don't like any of this. Seems to me that ether these warriors he's talking about are Taliban just lying about what their up to, or there's a whole group of people that might have gone as nuts as Ellis."

Posted: **Mon Oct 03, 2016 5:56 pm**

"We don't really have any choice," says Craig. "Nuts or not, we'll have to try to win them over if they show themselves to us. They'll be good to have as allies, and bad to have as enemies."

Posted: **Wed Oct 05, 2016 7:44 pm**

"Alright," replies Bryant. "I'll follow your lead."

(OOC: What's your next move? Ask more questions, head back to FOB Turner, or strike out for Kali Ghati?)

Posted: **Wed Oct 05, 2016 8:05 pm**

"Time to fish or cut bait," Tyner says. "I vote to head out now. This rig offers about as much protection as we can expect. What do you guys say?"

Posted: **Thu Oct 06, 2016 5:21 am**

"I concur," says Craig. "We're not going to be better equipped than we are right now, and there's no sense wasting time. The trail would only get colder, and Ellis might only have limited time, if it's not already too late."

Posted: **Thu Oct 06, 2016 11:24 am**

"Make that three. I think the Elder has told us all he can for now. Until we have seen the place for ourselves, we are just guessing, and as we are all know, sometimes there is more to these things than is plain to see."

Posted: **Sat Oct 08, 2016 6:39 am**

As you move to leave Zahir's hut, he speaks up. "It seems I can not stop you from going out to find that place, I can only pray that you realize the danger that you are in before it is too late."

You head out through the village and your escorts start to mount up. You gathered and left at dawn, so its still fairly early in the morning. Booker pulls you all aside and says, "I agree that we need to move fast. If there's a chance that Ellis is still alive then maybe so are the men who went after him. But I've got to say that more than likely these warriors the elder was talking about don't exist. These are a very superstitious people you've got to understand."

Posted: **Sat Oct 08, 2016 4:43 pm**

"I don't think the Elder was lying," says Craig, "but the men who told him they were these warriors might not be what they told him they are. Then again, they might be, but we can't count on running into them even if they are. If they don't want to be seen, they won't be."

Posted: **Sat Oct 08, 2016 5:02 pm**

"Whatever the truth of the matter may be, we've got to be ready for anything." Tyner addresses the soldiers. "I don't have to tell you to keep you eyes open. You've been here long enough to know that. I'll keep one of the first aid kits with me at all times. Shout out if anybody needs assistance."

Posted: **Tue Oct 11, 2016 5:30 am**

You all load up into the Cougars and drive for a couple hours toward Varjita Mountain. The Afghanistan mountain road blazes in the summer sun. The two armored vehicles are driving through a ravine that rises sharply on either side and opens into a wider hillside about one kilometer ahead. The road is isolated, stark, barren and blazing. The vehicle smells of dust, diesel fumes, and stale sweat. You are riding along behind your escort vehicle when suddenly there is a massive boom and you find yourself shaken violently as your Cougar rolls onto its side and top from the force of the explosion. You now sit in the dark, smelling gasoline and smoke. You are startled by the suddenness with which this happened, but the MRAP did its job and it becomes apparent that none of you are injured.

You can all make a SAN check. No loss on a success. If you fail lose one point, and be sure to check one of the boxes for violence.

Posted: **Tue Oct 11, 2016 6:49 pm**

Spoiler:

Tyner is badly shaken by the explosion. It brings back a flash of memory that he had thought forgotten. A sudden image of the woman he loved slaughtered before his eyes fills his mind.

What in God's name am I doing here?

He's too upset even to check the other for injuries. Suddenly he wants a drink very badly.

Posted: **Wed Oct 12, 2016 12:39 am**

As soon as he feels the explosion, Craig knows it was caused by an IED. He remains completely calm and collected. After putting on his nightvision goggles to see in the dark and making sure everyone is okay, he finds the nearest hatch so he can help everyone get out of the vehicle. Upside-down, it's a sitting duck. Any followup attack with an RPG will spell the end of them, not to mention the possibility that the fuel leak could blow it sky high even without any further outside help.

Posted: **Wed Oct 12, 2016 10:16 am**

Spoiler:

The shock wave tears through the vehicle and with a sudden lurch the world spins.
What the Hell
His heart pounding like a drum in his ears, Alex looks around. The voices of the others seems to wash over him, coming from a great distance. The smell of smoke wafts around him and he wonders what is burning. The smell of gasoline in the air, have we stopped for fuel. Faces hover in front of him but he can't recall their names.
Then slap.
"Alex.....Alex" Craig shouts at him.
With a sudden rush he comes back to himself and the noise and panic is real.
He unfastenes his harness and gathers his gear ready to move.

Posted: **Thu Oct 13, 2016 5:52 am**

Booker shoves open the driver side door, gets out of the vehicle and turns back to help the rest of you. Bryant is speaking to all of you, "We need to get out and look for cover, if this is an ambush then we're sitting ducks in here." He seems oddly calm for the first time since you left the base. Rahimi is stumblingly attempting to unfasten his harness.

(You can easily crawl out of the vehicle with your weapons and anything on your person, such as armor and comms, but you will have to leave your rucksacks behind. You can all either exit the vehicle or if someone wants to stay inside and start handing out everyone's rucksacks then that person can make a DEX or STR roll.)

Posted: **Thu Oct 13, 2016 4:26 pm**

Tyner tries to make up for his temporary loss of nerve by staying behind long enough to toss out the gear. They'll be in big trouble without it. He attempts to do this with brute strength, not caring if it's done with style or grace. This is life or death.

Spoiler:

He just barely manages to get the stuff out of the vehicle, his muscles sore with the effort. He's not as young as he used to be, but thank goodness for all those sessions at the gym.

"I'm worn out," he shouts. "Can somebody help Rahimi?"

Posted: **Thu Oct 13, 2016 8:45 pm**

Hearing Tyner's cry, Alex looks and see Rahimi struggling to undo his harness.
Turning back into the stricken vehicle, he moves quickly to Rahimi's side. " Rahimi.. easy.. easy. its ok, weve got you." he moves Rahimi's hands away from the buckle and releases it and helps rahimi to his feet. " keep your head down, follow the soldiers lead and you will be fine, now lets get out of here.

Posted: **Fri Oct 14, 2016 3:55 am**

Seeing that the others have things well in hand, Craig exits the Cougar and takes a look around, removing his goggles if they don't detect anyone else nearby so he can see normally in the daylight.

Posted: **Sat Oct 15, 2016 7:47 am**

Tyner:
You are in the process of throwing out the rucksacks. Bryant and Reynolds have already moved past you and out of the Cougar.
(OOC: it'll take two turns to get all of the rucksacks out so while no more rolls are required you will be the last person out.)

Alex:
You calm Rahimi and get him out of his harness. He gathers the gear he can carry and readies himself. "I'm right behind you."

Craig:
You crawl out of the Cougar right behind Bryant, and blink as the sudden brightness of the sun blinds you momentarily. Once your eyes adjust you see two things. The first is Booker hurriedly coordinating with Tyner to get as much gear out of the vehicle as possible. The second is Bryant pointing to an outcropping of rock on either side of the mountain rode about 10 meters back. "There! We're gonna make a run for that cover. Keep your head down and follow me."
(If you want to follow Bryant you can make a DEX roll to run to the rocks.)

Posted: **Sun Oct 16, 2016 3:25 am**

Craig nods and crouches low, sprinting to the cover of the rocks behind Bryant, but he trips and falls.

Posted: **Mon Oct 17, 2016 3:34 pm**

As Alex exits the vehicle, with Rahimi in tow. He sees Craig making a dash for cover, following the lead of Bryant. Alex starts to scan the surrounds for any signs of attackers, when he hears the grunt and scuffle as Craig tumbles to the floor. Alex follows after Craig and tries to help get him back to his feet quickly.

Posted: **Wed Oct 19, 2016 6:10 am**

Tyner:
You've managed to get all the rucksacks out. You're exhausted, but you know you need to get out. Gibson has already moved past you and Booker is still waiting to help you out.

Craig and Alex:
Rahimi has run past you to the rocks. Craig can see that the other Cougar is rolling to a stop and one of the soldiers inside is taking up position on the mounted gun. Alex helps Craig to his feet and both are free to move to cover.
(no roll required this time)

All of the soldiers are shouting back and forth, no sign of any attackers yet.

Posted: **Wed Oct 19, 2016 7:53 pm**

Tyner tries to make his way to cover. He feels like he's swimming through maple syrup; he's about to collapse.

Posted: **Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:35 am**

"Thanks," says Craig, scurrying behind cover.

Posted: **Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:52 pm**

As Craig scrambles to his feet. Alex sweeps his gun around the surrounding hills rapidly, seeking any sign of attackers. He sees Tyner, looking washed out and looking unsteady on his feet. Alex runs back towards him, slinging his carbine across his back.
As he reaches Tyner, he takes hold of his left arm and ducks under it and garbs his belt with his right and half lifts, half drags Tyner along.
" Come on Doc, least we can do is make sure you collapse in cover"

Posted: **Fri Oct 21, 2016 9:41 pm**

Alex manages to get Tyner to cover. The back of team Babbel's Cougar has opened and some of the soldiers have begun moving out and seeking cover. There is still no sign of any enemies. You can all make Alertness rolls.

Posted: **Fri Oct 21, 2016 10:26 pm**

Spoiler:

Tyner is too exhausted to notice much of what's going on. He just tries to catch his breath once he's in a relatively safe place.

Posted: **Sat Oct 22, 2016 2:48 am**

Craig is too distracted to notice anything.

Posted: **Mon Oct 24, 2016 10:25 am**

Alex leans out of his covering position and sweeps his rifle across the hillsides, looking for any signs of movement.

Spoiler:

Posted: **Wed Oct 26, 2016 5:54 am**

Alex spots a black turban poking up from behind a large rock about 150 meters away.
What does he do?

Posted: **Sat Oct 29, 2016 10:34 am**

Alex will keep his weapon trained on the position and call over his companions, pointing out what he had seen.

As soon as no attack has started yet,maybe Craig could call out to them to show themselves?

Posted: **Sun Oct 30, 2016 11:14 pm**

Craig calls out in Dari from behind cover: "We come in peace! We wish to talk to you!"

Posted: **Tue Nov 01, 2016 1:07 am**

Craig begins to speak in Dari, but the last part of his sentence is cut out by the rattle of machine gun fire coming from seemingly all directions. Soon the much louder thumping of the Cougar's M2 joins the cacophony.

Finding an attacker will require a successful alertness roll, Alex already has one in his sights so he can fire if he so chooses. In addition you could also try to hunker down behind cover for extra protection, or any other action that seems appropriate.

Posted: **Tue Nov 01, 2016 4:26 am**

Spoiler:

Tyner has no clue who's firing at them. He tries to lower himself to the ground and ready his sidearm in case someone moves forward.

Posted: **Tue Nov 01, 2016 5:06 am**

Craig looks around for any sign of the shooters. Since he has no rifle, he hopes they're in pistol range. If not, at least he can point them out to the others.

Posted: **Sat Nov 05, 2016 8:40 am**

Craig peeks fro behind cover and sees one turbaned fighter lean around a rock to fire at some American soldiers. At the same time another fighter dash from that same rock to another piece of cover closer toward your position. They are not yet in pistol range but Craig can call out the fighter's new position.

Posted: **Sat Nov 05, 2016 4:25 pm**

Hunkered down, waiting for the enemy to close, Tyner grimly thinks that this is like some old Western movie. C'mon, Alex, he thinks. You're the outdoorsman. Surely you can get a bead on these guys.

Posted: **Mon Nov 07, 2016 5:25 am**

"One of them just advanced!" calls Craig into his radio as he ducks back behind cover, reporting his new position as well as that of the turbaned fighter who remained behind the rock.

Posted: **Tue Nov 08, 2016 12:20 pm**

Alex flicks his rifle to three round burst and fires at the target he spotted

Spoiler:

without waiting to see if he hits he turns his aim and tries to spot the encroaching attacker Craig has called out.

Posted: **Tue Nov 08, 2016 8:47 pm**

Tyner holds his fire until he can see an attacker clearly.

Posted: **Wed Nov 16, 2016 7:55 am**

Alex:
You see the fighter that Craig called out duck behind some rocks. You level your rifle at him and wait. After a beat he pops up from behind cover AK-47 in hand.
Make a firearms roll.

Craig and Tyner:
You can both give me alertness rolls.

Posted: **Wed Nov 16, 2016 1:37 pm**

Spoiler:

Alex fires another three round burst.

Posted: **Thu Nov 17, 2016 1:22 am**

Spoiler:

In the midst of the gun battle Tyner notices something.

Posted: **Thu Nov 17, 2016 3:30 am**

Craig's perceptions are as keen as ever.

Posted: **Thu Nov 17, 2016 6:30 am**

The battle rages on. It has only been a couple seconds since the shooting started but already a couple of the men from the second Cougar have fallen. How many ambushers there are, and how many have fallen is unclear.

Alex:
Roll damage.

Tyner:
While ducking behind cover you see that at least one of your attackers has managed to work his way to a piece of cover that flanks you and your comrades. No one else seems to have noticed, and while he is close you aren't sure if he is within pistol range or not.

Craig:
You see one of the soldiers who left the second Cougar get hit while he is running for cover. He is alive and clearly in pain. He is close to you and your companions, but attempting a rescue would most certainly be risky.

Posted: **Thu Nov 17, 2016 8:57 pm**

"Enemy behind us!" Tyner shouts. He knows he's not the greatest shot in the world, so he takes a moment to aim his pistol before firing.

Posted: **Fri Nov 18, 2016 5:40 am**

"There's a wounded man from Cougar Two nearby," reports Craig as he spins to look for the threat, pistol in hand, "but anyone going to help him will be exposed. Covering fire might help."

Posted: **Tue Nov 22, 2016 3:32 am**

Tyner:
The attacker fires at you, but his shot goes wide.

Roll to hit with a plus 20% bonus. If you are successful roll damage.

Craig:
Bryant has moved next to you.
"Take my rifle and fire there", he says pointing to the position you're fairly certain the attackers who shot the man from Cougar 2 are. "I'm going to make a run for him."

If you choose to provide covering fire make a firearms check with a plus 20% bonus.

Posted: **Tue Nov 22, 2016 3:59 am**

Tyner fires his pistol.

Spoiler:

A hit!

Spoiler:

Looks like the bad guy was just barely wounded.

Posted: **Tue Nov 22, 2016 5:47 am**

Craig lays down covering fire with the unfamiliar rifle. His shooting isn't very accurate, but he hopes it at least makes the enemy duck.

Posted: **Fri Nov 25, 2016 9:57 am**

Tyner:
You aim and fire, hitting the fighter in the arm. Booker who is in cover next to you heard what you said and turns and fires as well.
[dice]0[/dice]

Posted: **Fri Nov 25, 2016 10:06 am**

Booker's shot goes wide and the enemy soldier ducks back behind cover.

Craig:
(According to the new edition's rules a double is a critical. So in this case an 88 is a fumble.)

You fire a couple shots and then hear the clicking noise that accompanies a misfire. You were trained on how to clear a misfire the first time you came to the middle east but have never done it before.
Roll 1D4 to see how many rounds it takes you to unjam the rifle.

Bryant dashes from behind cover as Craig attempts to cover him, and heads for the wounded soldiers. One of the ambushers fires a burst at him.
[dice]0[/dice]

Posted: **Fri Nov 25, 2016 10:10 am**

[dice]0[/dice]

Posted: **Fri Nov 25, 2016 10:19 am**

The shots hit their mark and Bryant collapses in the sand. Blood begins to pool under him.

At almost the same instant there is the whoof of three rocket propelled grenades and the crunch of their impact with the second Cougar. Flames shoot up as its fuel ignites, and black smoke billows from it. The driver and gunner were unable to exit the vehicle in time.

Posted: **Fri Nov 25, 2016 2:21 pm**

This is one of those times when Tyner's instincts as a doctor take over. He forgets about the folks trying to kill him and rushes over to the wounded, trying to triage as quickly as possible. Save lives when he can, minimize pain when he can't, let light wounds wait for a while.

Posted: **Sat Nov 26, 2016 5:29 am**

"They knew we were coming," says Craig on the radio as the realization about the ambush sinks in. He works feverishly to try to clear the jam while staying behind cover.

Posted: **Fri Dec 02, 2016 10:48 pm**

OOC: Tyner:
You can give me a Dex roll if you're going to try to get to the fallen Bryant.

Alex: [dice]0[/dice]

Alex's shot finds its mark and the attacker jerks back from the and collapses.

Posted: **Fri Dec 02, 2016 11:12 pm**

Spoiler:

Tyner has a lot of trouble making his way to the wounded man.

Posted: **Tue Dec 06, 2016 12:46 am**

[dice]0[/dice]

Tyner is shot at but not hit, he is however pinned down. You can either stay pinned down or attempt to move or shoot back, but any action other than staying pinned down causes a SAN check

Posted: **Tue Dec 06, 2016 1:49 am**

Damned if I do and damned if I don't. I'm not the greatest shot in the world, but I'm OK if I take time to aim. If I can just keep a cool head . . .

Spoiler:

Wishful thinking on Tyner's part. He's about to experience something very bad.

Play@YSDC

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