Glacial Wastes Mission Report 4: A Grim Diplomacy Saves McGraw Harbor!

#1

Part 1: A Grim Negotiation

Grim was getting really tired of the continual cycle of violence and death. He decided to try something different this time. Maybe the forces in the harbor would listen to reason. If not, the others would show up and level the place like always. And with those thoughts running thru his head, he set out for the Harbor. Riding on a summoned True Nightmare, his mind turned to what he should bring Bliss next time he visited her, wondering if she would like a True nightmare of her own as a mount.

Approaching the Harbor, Grim dismounted and dismissed the Nightmare. No point in it suffering, if I have made a mistake, he thought to himself. Walking toward the entrance, He raised his voice, “Hello, My name is Grim the Bastard. I’m hear to have a word with being in charge here.”

The Cambion who met him led him through the minimalist defenses that the Sea Kings had set up. Grim noticed a strange smell of oil in the air, possibly petrol? He wondered. Then his keen eyes picked up trap after trap set up around the camp. He had not seen traps this elaborate since the K’ias Wars.

In fact Grim suddenly became worried for the challenges they would be facing in the future. If their enemies were taking this much time and care in their set-up the usual run in guns blazing philosophy would do little except lead to a quick death for all.

As Grim passed the hostages, he saw they were all lean looking. A few had obvious signs of frost-bite. Grim watched as the Cambions drenched them in the same foul smelling oil. The Cambions took no joy in their work. Their blue faces were sullen, long compartmentalized beyond being the present pain suffered by the victims of their master.

Grim walked up into the office where the Illuminated Tiordane waited. Tiordane said, “Welcome Grim of Jemison Post. I have been told many a great thing about you from the Rurik Scepter.”

The Illuminated opened his hand revealing the Scepter in his hand. He spun it a few times, watching Grim’s eyes go wide.

“The K’ias Emperor Mar’un’ga wanted this Scepter to see the future,” said Tiordane with a dismissive tone, “But the problem of the Rurik Scepter is it does not show you the future. It shows you the Warmonger’s version of that future, and will guide you to it…if you believe it is your true fate.”

“But Rurik was no servant of Warmonger, and the Usurper that possessed him and this Scepter, usurps all power, even the Warmonger’s. So if you know that it shows you the warmonger future…it gives you an advantage.

I alone know the Quall-Avatar is doomed to betray my people. If he succeeds in stealing the body of the End of Worlds Dragon, then he will consume this planet as his first meal. An end to my family and their families. Yes there would be other Illuminated on other planets, but I do not care about them…

If the Quall-Avatar fails in his campaign it will kill countless of my people in his wasted effort.

Neither is a good idea for my people.”

“Well that is good,” said Grim, “Because I came to make a deal. Your withdrawl and all the prisoners you have taken out front. In exchange for the prisoners we took at the mine.”

“The Bestial?” asked Tiordane.

“Yes,” said Grim, “Yours for ours.”

“A Bestial has no value in our society, and while this particular one was a good overseer, I would be a laughing stock to my people. No…I need a real prisoner exchange. These people out front for the Bestial AND Ikuz Drella. A few handfuls of slave-stock for an Illuminated Captain, now that shows me as a wise negotiator.

And will prevent Unixah from taking my head for failure when I leave this place.

Before you decide…take hold of that Scepter and see the Warmonger’s Future…”

Grim lifted the Scepter, waiting for any element of treachery.

#2

Part 2: Sights and Sounds
a battle of sorts

Nuria stood off in the distance and watched. Grim was gonna try talking. Hopefully that worked. If it didn’t, things were gonna get ugly real quick.

She watched as the cloud surrounding their allied Tempest Airship moved across the sky, filling it with a storm that soon wracked the sea. Waves high enough to capsize lesser ships rocked the shore. Lightning struck again and again.

Nuria suddenly realized why some of the folks joked that her new friends were walking weapons of mass destruction.

Nuria also realized the meet had gone down bad, when the Tempest dropped a Missile down onto the deck of the ship out at sea. The explosion tore a hole through its hull, but the return fire from the Sea Kings vessel tore the tempest apart.

Before it was completely rendered inert, a form could be seen leaping off the back end of the airship.
With sniper rifle in hand, Eli was falling, tapping headshots out like it was going out of style.

Three cambions were already dead from gaping head wounds, and Nuria took that as Eli’s signal to move into action. She jumped into the air, and fire leaped across the ground. Taking two more giant leaps she was across the field, and into the town. One Cambion looked at her, and she tossed a pair of fireballs at him. She hit him, but his natural leyas resistance allowed the blue skinned giant to survive the attack and rejoin his ally.

She arrived right as Eli landed. Smoke grenades and Flash grenades were going off everywhere but the pair spotted the remaining Cambions taking shelter behind an overturned cart. The cart was about twenty feet from the hostages, and the Cambions were using their swords to create a steel wall of added protection.

As the flash grenades sparked and the smoke grenades gave off their white phosphorous flakes ignited the ground there was an explosion so loud that it was heard for miles around.
When the smoke cleared there was a crater in the center of McGraw Harbor, the buildings falling down. There were no hostages left to save, and ashes of Eli, Nuria and Lurtor strewn across the ruined harbor.

McIvinson had that bit of Lurtor brought out from cold storage and had him rezzed by a camp medic.

As Lurtor looked out across the destruction, he realized their plan was not quite as stealthy as he had hoped. At the shoreline bestials and cambions were climbing up, preparing to take the harbor. Some were wounded, but even without their vessel, they outnumbered the defenders ten to one.

Lurtor really wished that Nuria had left something behind to resurrect. As for Eli, Lurtor needed to find some nanites to bring him back. And Grim had been missing since disappearing into the office. Lurtor began gunning down approaching Cambions. As trigger pull after trigger pull downed Cambion after Cambion, Lurtor was finally overcome by the sheer number of attackers, and had to flee back abandoning McGraw Harbor to its new masters…

#3

Part 3: Do we choose Warmonger’s vision of our future?

Grim nearly dropped the Rurik Scepter, but the Illuminated was already there, taking it in silver-gray hands. Grim could not believe how vivid the image of the future had been. He had heard rumor of how the Rurik Scepter, and wondered how it worked. Perhaps it used its k’ias powers over a stolen da’uhnb to time travel to a different time, then turn into an Uthvelor and use their powers as a psychic fallen commander to transmit the information and visions back. He could easily see how one might be fooled into believing it showed the most likely future.

Tiordane put away the Scepter saying, “If your vision was anything like mine, this battle was the first step in the Sea Kings setting up a permanent residence on this beach. They see your sinking of this vessel as an affront needing a response of immense power. Twenty vessels follow up this attack, and the EEF does not mobilize fast enough…

So is it agreed ? The Illuminated Captain and other prisoners for your hostages back, and these buildings back. I will withdraw with my prize, the Captain Drella.”

“And what about the Rurik Scepter?” asked Grim.

“I know its truth, and I will use it as I did here. To help my fellow Illuminated see that the Warmonger will only destroy the future of our peoples,” said Tiordane, “But Unixah will never see the truth. She is a true believer. A zealot for Warmonger. She will continue her ways…and urge others to follow her.

There is one in the court of the Warmonger who might be reached though. The Captain One-Eye Willie, among a species with only a single eye, he names himself for it. He is an outsider to the court of the Illuminated Pharoahs. He is an equal in rank to Captain Unixah.

If you see the Illuminated arrive on your shores in force, look for Captain One-Eye and maybe you might find him open to negotiation. Especially after I show him the Scepter…”

Grim said, “Drella and the Bestial will be delivered to your ship off shore.”

Picking up his commcrystal he said, “All Clear my friends, we are going to have an unexpectedly peaceful day.”

#4

Rewards

Grim gains A Grim Diplomatic Solution, Grim gains Profession: Hostage Negotiator 3.

Eli gains Memories of Buffy part 1, Eli gains the skill Profession: Sky Diver 3.

Nuria gains Artifact Test Run: Success, her new slow-fall fire leap boots are an epic success. In fact she has been able to gain enough speed when using them that she gains Move 12 (Fiery charge) that can cross very unstable terrain touching the ground rarely. She gains the Running Skill 3.

Lurtor gains +1 to his Diplomacy and +1 to his Heraldry and can now recognize basic Sea Kings Heraldry.

Lurtor, Nuria, Eli McGraw and Grim each gain:
1x - Sea Kings Water-Proof Cauldron Bomb (As big as a wrought iron cauldron. Does 30 Missile dmg, x3 dmg to ships, Area Effect). Nearly impossible to conceal.

1x- Sea Kings Water-Proof Satchel (not currently artificed, stitched from aquatic nightmare hide. Keeps anything inside it waterproof. Has an S.A.R. of 5 against people trying to cut it open once it is sealed).

2x- Sea Kings Water-Proof Canister Grenades (does 18 Missile dmg, Area Effect. Twist the top and throw.)

1x- Sea Kings Grapple Springshot – (8 Missile dmg, If used against a wooden, metal, crystal, stone or composite material it will instead lock into place allowing the user to wind themselves up using the built in winch.) This weapon requires 2 hands to use unless you have a strength of 8 or higher. The line it uses is made of finest raiti silk, and has an S.A.R. of 7, but takes half dmg from Bludgeoning attacks.