Track 10: Sympathy for the Devil

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

After a brief stay at a Hawaiian hospital known for discretion -- it's often used by Five-Oh agents injured in the line of duty -- Tony is back in shape. A few more days relaxing on the beach isn't unwelcome either.

After some time spent in rest and relaxation goes by, word comes down, through secure channels ("open channel D" is the key phrase, to be specific) that the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement has granted exclusive use of the captured airship to the adventurers. They will, of course, deny any connection to it through their front as a charitable organization. ("Just keep us informed of any THRUSH activities, via this channel.") The adventurers will be allowed to maintain the vessel at whatever base they like, and name it whatever they please.

All seems quiet for a while, as the adventurers ready themselves to face even greater challenges than before.

Spoiler:

Might as well go up a level. Everybody has a total of 18 Hit Points, + 2 Damage on successful attacks (if I don't forget about it), a new Asset without a new Affliction, + 1 to any Basic Characteristic, Liz a new Spell/Psychic Power. Then I'll try to think of something really nasty to throw at you.

[jp1885]

OOC,Added +1 to DEX and the asset Resistant to Disease (that rabies must've hardened him off!)

[SunlessNick]

OOC,Going for +1 Wisdom, and the Asset Fast Learner, which seems like a good knock-on from her memory power. BTW, when you rolled up Zara's powers, you said it was perfect memory and immunity to most diseases. Would she know she has the latter?

How much room is there is the airship's cabin?

Zara makes some portraits of the bad guys who got away, on the theory that they might prove useful later if they show up again.. And reads the airship's flight manual, if there is one. Otherwise she spends Tony's recuperation time drawing pictures of the island and some of the wolf-men.

[Mr. Handy]

Liz spends a lot of time on the beach as well, pleased to get some swimming in without the danger of aquatic nasties taking a bite out of her. No doubt Tony is pleased to watch her doing it.

OOC,I'll have to do my character enhancements over the weekend, when I should have time. Do I get the Spell/Psychic Power instead of an Asset, or in addition to it?

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

OOC,Going for +1 Wisdom, and the Asset Fast Learner, which seems like a good knock-on from her memory power. BTW, when you rolled up Zara's powers, you said it was perfect memory and immunity to most diseases. Would she know she has the latter?

Spoiler:

I suppose she might begin to suspect it when she never gets colds and such, no matter how often she gets exposed to such things.

How much room is there is the airship's cabin?

Spoiler:

Pretty luxurious, I would think; plenty of room to stretch out, have personal effects, etc.

Zara makes some portraits of the bad guys who got away, on the theory that they might prove useful later if they show up again.. And reads the airship's flight manual, if there is one. Otherwise she spends Tony's recuperation time drawing pictures of the island and some of the wolf-men.

During all this sketching, Zara feels a strange compulsion to draw a landscape consisting of a bay into which a glacier is breaking off, forming icebergs. She gets the feeling that some unknown, unseen entity is trying to tell her something, but whether it's an invitation or a warning is difficult to tell.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Liz spends a lot of time on the beach as well, pleased to get some swimming in without the danger of aquatic nasties taking a bite out of her. No doubt Tony is pleased to watch her doing it.

OOC,I'll have to do my character enhancements over the weekend, when I should have time. Do I get the Spell/Psychic Power instead of an Asset, or in addition to it?

Spoiler:

I would say both. I have noticed, by the way, that the Magician/Mad Scientist/Psychic/Parapsychologist classes seem to be much more powerful than the other classes in this system.

[SunlessNick]

Ruefully, Zara shows the drawing of the glacier to the others. "Might be the bat signal."

[Mr. Handy]

Liz comes in to shore on a surfboard, having also decided to try her hand at surfing, and takes a look at the sketch. "Just when I was getting used to the tropics," she says. "It should be interesting. But is it the Arctic or the Antarctic? Polar bears or penguins?"

OOC,Thanks. Yes, they are powerful classes, which is probably why they have lower HP. I think I only got the Ritual and not the Asset for level 2. I only have my starting four Assets.

[jp1885]

Relaxed and fortified from his sojourn, a tanned, toned and, most importantly, coiffured and tailored Tony saunters over to inspect Zara's latest piece.

"Ah, and I was so enjoying the tropical view," he says, winking at Liz. "I daresay we'll discover what gives soon enough, but in the meantime I'll arrange for my people to buy some cold weather gear."

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,I'll increase my Wisdom and take Good Judge of Character as my Asset. I'd like to take Exorcism as my new Ritual, but I'm not sure what level of power I can take. It's a level 3 Ceremony.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

OOC,I'll increase my Wisdom and take Good Judge of Character as my Asset. I'd like to take Exorcism as my new Ritual, but I'm not sure what level of power I can take. It's a level 3 Ceremony.

Spoiler:

Exorcism is fine with me.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Nothing much happens to interrupt fun in the sun for a few days, until Zara feels a compulsion to draw a picture of a zebra, covered with icicles. Although a cartoonish image, there is something sinister about it.

[jp1885]

When given the opportunity, Tony looks at the drawing with some puzzlement.

“A zebra? Poor fellow must be rather lost! I shall make some calls and do some digging - maybe there’s an ice-breaker of research station called Zebra?”

Vic,I’m guessing Ice Station Zebra a the inspiration for out next outing?

[SunlessNick]

Whichever it is, Antarcica or the Arctic, we're going to need clothes a lot warmer than we did on our last adventure, so Zara goes shopping. Hopefully on Liz's dime.

[Mr. Handy]

Liz is more than happy to buy cold-weather clothing and gear for both Zara and herself. It should be relatively affordable if it can be found at all, as there's little need for it in Hawaii. She picks out an elegant white fur parka with a hood.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Playing a hunch, Tony is able to determine from his contacts that there was an "incident" at the Arctic weather station known as Ice Station Zebra. Although designated as "closed," the incident is still classified as Top Secret, so few details are available. What is known is that the tiny weather station, located on drifting ice, has failed to supply the normal daily radio reports from its small rotating crew of meteorologists for some time. Given the movement of the ice, as well as recent radio silence, it is impossible to determine its exact current location.

An old but fairly accurate map of the Arctic ice, found among the many reference materials aboard the airship, may provide a clue.



Of most importance is the fact that dark blue indicates permanent ice, and light blue drifting ice, including ISZ's areas of operation. Given its last known location, as well as the permanent ice and land masses that limit its movements, it seems likely that it is now located somewhere between the southern tip of Greenland and the waters above Scandinavia, north of the tiny bit of land known as Bear Island.

[jp1885]

Tony also orders plenty of polar gear, including a thick parka coat, sleds, ropes and whatever this years stylish polar explorer is using.

“Let’s make sure this new vehicle of ours is able to withstand, and indeed function in, sub-zero temperatures, hm?” he suggests, whilst poring over the map, focusing between Svalbard and Bear Island.

[SunlessNick]

Zara's thin frame isn't suited to the cold, and she picks the warmest-looking polar/mountain gear she can find, regardless of style.

"For sure," she says to Tony's suggestion. "That doesn't look like a good place to get stranded."

[Mr. Handy]

Liz has also bought a pair of matching fur-lined boots to go with her parka. "We could use a sled and a dog team to pull it," she says, studying the map. "Plenty of food and water as well for them and for us. We can land somewhere in the Arctic on the way and hire them there, as well as one or more guides."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

After collecting a good supply of cold weather gear, and checking the airship for polar safety -- the crew will be fine, if a little chilly -- the investigators, having shown interest in the regions north of Norway, head for that remote part of the world, well above the Arctic Circle. (It's fortunate that, after the long rest in the tropics, it's now summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Twenty-four hours of night would be difficult to handle, not to mention the increased cold.)

Spoiler:

CON 13, 8, and 90

A partially torn map of the area -- that's a close look at Bear Island in the lower left corner, a chunk of Greenland in the upper left corner, and Russia in the lower right corner -- reveals a tense geopolitical situation. Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land are Soviet territory. While Svalbard is under Norwegian administration, many of its few inhabitants -- miners and the like -- are Soviet citizens.

The airship glides over the Barents Sea, as the investigators consider a good place to land, and the best way to seek out the current location of Ice Station Zebra.