Eli Begins his exploration of the Coast near McGraw Expedition Harbor

#1

Eli was having good news all around. His first set out scouts had been simple workers, with clear instructions to look around but come back and report anything they found.

As he was doing his own explorations deep below the Glacial Research Facility, they gathered up notes and map segments. When Eli returned to his office, he would find them arrayed on his nearby wall.

One map segment showed the coast south of here, riddled by human-sized caves possibly inhabited by some local creatures. The people who saw the caves noted bones of stalefish and bones of vinvir scattered outside them.

Another part showed a section further inland, where the ice fields sloped into depression. In that snowy depression was twenty rough hewn stones, erected in a style unfamiliar to the explorers. The stones were high in concentrations of gold ore.

Now with two separate locations to explore, and limited staff to do so, Eli had to decide whom to send where.

Would he look for the source of the gold, or visit some neighbors?

#2

Eli “All that glitters is not gold” McGraw sends his staff to visit the neighbors down the southern coast caves. No sense in being un-neighborly. Weird looking gold stones would have to wait for another time if luck on his side.

#3

At the caves they found evidence of Bestial Pirates. Often sent out as servants of the Sea Kings, it seemed these Caves had a pack of at least eight of them. Eli wondered if they were all that remained of the vanguard force that it was rumored that Lurtor and Grim had defeated.

Now came the hard choice. What to do about slaving and cannibalistic next door neighbors?

#4

Let’s try talking. If that doesn’t work, then shooting.
(Fast Talk 3 (plus 1 Cha mod)
(# of Range attacks 4(8 with double handguns/Gunslinger) Handgun skill 7(plus 3 Agi mod) with Quick Draw)

Eli “Zela Balls” McGraw goes up to these people and asks, “Hi there fellas! I’m Eli McGraw and I’m your new neighbor. What the hell are y’all doing here?”

#5

A larger pair of Bestials dressed in fishing nets were the first to greet him. Their greeting involved hurling a pair of spears just short of him, and grunting.

One said, "Ungath, I am, and I greets you and wonders are you friends or foes. You are furless which means you are a prey species, or a slave species, probably prey. But you do not smell like fear.

Ungath and Family use these caves for Rites of Spring, and Rites of Autumn.

The Great Sea Kings say these lands are perfect for the Rites."

#6

He gave a great sigh.

“You’re part of the Sea Kings really? Don’t suppose you know the land around here, do ya? Could make it worth your time.”

#7

Ungath belched loudly, "Yes and Family know the full ways of the tides and the rocks and the caves here.

But you make things worth our while? What do you offer? We have bellies full of food, and pelts of weaklings to keep us warm.

Ungath and Family not need baubles, heavy metal just makes one sink in the water.

What you offer? and what you ask in exchange?"

The bestial seemed intrigued.

#8

Mr McGraw look confused, “Full bellies… Oh really? I find that hard to believe in land like this? What’s your trick other than importing from better places?”

#9

“You know what? You’re too slow to answer. Never mind… catch this!”

Eli McGraw throws a gasoline can full of gas at the slavers.

“Eat lead and fire gog eatting slaver scum!”, screams Eli.

Eli shoots a energy bullet into the gas cas, ducks and rolls and fills the rest of the slavers full of lead.

Hopeful they are slaver and cannibals because this would be pretty embarrassing if they weren’t. If things go bad for Eli he runs away. If things go good he check out the rest of the cave.

#10

As Ungath and his family of Bestials was stuck with fire, they roared and tried to put it out. But in that moment Eli McGraw was already gunning the distracted Bestials down. Their bloody bodies were heaped together, as their last moments they stood as a family.

Once he passed the dead bodies, Eli found a small water craft pulled up inside the cave. The craft could hold seven folk of various sizes, and had a wide silver sail made from the sunbleached skin of Cambions. It had a harpoon springshot at its prow, and a pair of boarding springshots at its rear.

[ V.A.R. Melee 20 Missile 20 Energy 20, move 8 at sea, move 12 high winds]

Now suddenly Eli could extend his exploration further up and down the coastline.

Deeper in the cave, he also found piles of Olgog bones, and at least twelve white fur Olgog pelts drying on racks. No meat though, it seemed the Bestials were feeding on local olgog tribals.

He also found an altar to a Sea King leader known as Unixah Kal Hobtla Mag’ol. The Altar was clearly where the white furs had been killed. But Eli’s trained eye could not find any sign at all that the Olgogs had been dragged here. In fact it seemed they marched in willingly.

Eli wasn’t sure what to do about the altar. It was as large around as a sports hovercar back in dusk, and marked with runes that looked unsavory.

#11

Eli walked out if the cave and picked up a sledge hammer from his truck. Returning, he raised it against the alter then stopped in mid air.

“Whoa, whoa… lets not be too retarded,” he said to himself. “Trying to bust up this altar with this sledge is insane and disrespectful.”

Eli takes the bones of the "victims that were eaten and puts them in the truck. He’ll get 'em rez later. He then takes the craft (sail down) and ties it to the back of truck.

“Time to deal with this altar and the dead bodies of my foes in a manner fitting of their importance.”

He place the dead bodies of the guys he just killed in a line, poured more gas on them and got some gunpowder and pour a line from the altar across their bodies to just outside cave. Eli then set up enough TNT with a fuse on the gunpowder near the altar to blow it into hell (Ammo Smith 5, Int 4). He got into the truck near the cave entrance and lite a match.

It went out in the wind.

He lite another one.

The wind laugh in face as that too went out.

“Yeah, I’m dumb.”

He drove a little bit away and loaded energy bullet or three into his six shooter. Aiming for the gunpowder, Eli shoots until it lights up and he starts to drive away.

#12

The explosion caused the entire cavern to collapse. As Eli drove away, he thought he saw a dark cloud drift up into the sky…

#13

(Week 10+)

Eli was out taking a private ride with Buffy on her hoverbike. The snow was bad, but it was the glacial wastes so having at least forty feet of visibility meant you were doing pretty good. They took it slow to not be a smashed fly on a tree.

They came across a cove with a natural bay, and it looked very familiar to Eli, but he couldn’t place why. Buffy brought the hoverbike to a stop and pointed out the gorgeous terrain. There were five pools, bubbling away with the heat only naturally volcanic pools presented.

She stepped off the hoverbike and walked over to the edge of the hot springs. There was snow near it, but she didn’t care. She stripped off her parka, the armored jacket underneath, and her undies followed suit. All landed in a neat little pile on the hoverbike’s seat cover. How she did that, Eli never did know. He claimed it was the Leyas, but she kept assuring him that she was an Immutable. Which he laughed off. He had seen her do to much crazy stuff to believe that. He did notice she kept her wrist sheathed daggers and ankle sheath mini-crossbow.

Buffy left her boots at the shore and dived into the shallow pool. She swam back and forth for a bit. Her beautiful naked body glistened in the sun reflected off the snow. She stood up, water vapor cascading off the warm surface and her as she yelled out, “Come on in the water is beautiful!!!”

Eli nearly laughed as he finally recognized the terrain. It HAD been the old Bestial caves, now it was a perfect tourist destination.

#14

Eli was thoughtful. “Could set up a nice little Spa resort here. The good thing is it’s warm. The bad thing is it’s out of the way, way out. We need to get going back. Got some heating plans that need brain storming for the settlement.”

“Oh come on in willy worry wort,” teased Buffy. Some bubbles escaped behind her. Eli drew his weapons. “Woah, woah… calm down Eli. It’s just some gas.”

“Gas? Oh. Yeah.”

“Yeah, from the canned food I’ve been eating since I got here.”

“Heh. If we had enough of you farting, we come warm the whole settlement.”

“Eli. You can be such pig at times.”

Eli was thoughtful, again. Somewhere in the universe, an ancient evil lost a bet.

“Buffy? Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“We could drill baby, drill near the harbor or ship the heat from here to there,” Buffy offered.

Eli replied, “We could import pigs and cows to use their bio gas for heating.”

“Both?” The asked at the same time. “Both,” they agreed.

#15

After Eli returned to McGraw Harbor, he contacted Olim Antwerf and explained the whole situation about the Hot Springs to discuss natural gas bubbling up. It seemed the Banking Guild had extensive experience extracting natural gas from Hot springs without damaging the natural beauty and ecosystem. They even had prefabricated buildings that could safely bottle natural gas using a mekanoid crew.

Olim listened to the plan about the pigs and cows and said, "Okay so the expense of pigs and cows is huge. You can only get them from Saragosa from the cloning lab there, and they would have to be shipped here by airship. The cost was be significant. Then you would need feed, because there is nothing here to graze on, and some way to keep them alive.

If you can figure out what to feed them, and where to store them so they don’t freeze in the first blizzard, I can work out some deals with the Borvis Merchant House to ship the cloned animals here.

Now to pay for it all, the Banking Guild will set up a natural gas harvesting site and small resort at the site you showed me on the map. The Banking Guild will take 30 percent of all profits from the natural gas site at the hot springs and the one we set up where ever you figure this methane farm will be.

The other 60 percent will be donated directly to the City of McGraw Harbor for its civic projects and expansion.

Unless you have a better idea for that 60 percent?"

Eli looked at the paperwork and was impressed by the buying power represented by a 60% stake based on a monthly projection. This month alone they could either buy a new freighter or build a full dockyard just in the funds from the first month.

#16

“60 percent into expansion looks good. Might want to kick some of that towards the Freeloader’s for defense,” Eli mused.

“I’m working on transportation, feed and housing for the animals. I’ll going ask to borrow an airship for Lurtor and Grim. Going to build an Air Depot before that. Might go a different route than cows and pigs? If so, don’t worry about Saragosa and House Borvis just yet,” smiled Eli.

“I do want to go ahead with the Banking Guild and transportation of gas. Got some ideas juggling for that Hot Spring. Even got a person in mind I want to hire to run the resort. You’re not like my pick, though.”

“I’ll get back to you when I have more details worked out.”

#17

Olim said, “That works. Who did you have in mind for the spa?”

#18

Eli put his coat on and turn to Olim. “It would be Belinda Frost, Queen of Cloud and Ice,” he said as he open the door and left.

#19

(DR2220+ After Mission 5)

It was at Belinda’s Spa and Hot Springs that Lurtor and Eli were soaking off the stress of their trip into the now much more dangerous Yyan Citadel. With them was Utaph Pren who had extended roots into one of the hot springs and was sighing like he was loving it.

He said, “Lurtor, Eli, tell me anything important I will need to know before I return to my people?”

#20

“Alright, you should have a seat. This is will take a long, long time,” Eli said as he got a pamphlet title “Getting Up To Speed On Refuge”.

Eli will fill in Utaph Pren on the last 2000 years from the Earther perspective living on Refuge. He’ll mention what little he knows of the Northern Border War, Space War and Southern Goblin War.

“It’s been pretty hectic the last few years on good old Refuge. Oh, and did we mention War Monger is dead? I forgot if we did.”