Steam and Sand Game Thread

[Nigel Wetherby]

Conlan slipped on the bits of his armor he had worn before, putting his chest plate on last.  Dear's story was terribly disturbing when he peiced it together. He kept his rapier's handle clenched in his palms. The leather handles absorbed his sweat.
His eyes rolled up towards the dark towers of the grayed mansion. The mighty towers and onion dome tops were shaded by tall trees, surviving meagerly on the occaisonal rains.
"So there are traps all over? Can you show us how to pass them?"

[Stella Gaslight]

"Follow me close. Dear keep you safe."  She very carefully picked her way along the overgrown lawns stepping on seemingly random patches of greenery and avoiding others.

[Nigel Wetherby]

Conlan's steps mimicked Dear's almost presisely. That was until a lump of hardtack slipped from his pants pocket and landed upon a patch of grass meant to be avoided. A set of long, sharp spears jutted from the ground, impaling even the tough, crusty bread.
"Bloody..!" He shut himself up quickly, continuing to follow dear and occasionally wondering just what the hell in this house wasnt booby trapped.
A grinning porcalean gnome spat a few poison darts into a tree before turning away, its shots barely missing the brave team of the 7-7.

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Royce sighed. This might be harder than he thought. He nearly ran into a stone post. He scratched away a bit of the moss to reveal a weather-beaten crest. Strange... he'd only seen it briefly, but this looked very similar to the crest of Anglia. He looked up. Concealed in the woods was a looming shape - he realized that this must be the house. The place where the last unlooted treasures of the old monarchy were hidden. Rare exotics from a time when large ships sailed round the world, bringing home fancies for the royalty. He looked to see some more statues among the overgrowth.

"So..." he said. "How does one get inside?"

[Stella Gaslight]

"The clear is gone here so we can go in." Dear pointed to a small empty window that once held stained glass.  She shimmied in to the small opening and called out from inside.  "Inside is good.  Only the most special room has tricks." 

[MWBailey]

The motorcycle din died down after a while; it sounded as if they moved off to the east and away from the coast. Malc looked through the turret's "forward" vision block; no more new dust clouds off in the distance, the one that had been there having drifted off to seaward. He came to a decision, and climbed down out of the turret into the interior of the APC.

the pile of wood scraps against the wall that separated the cargo/living area from the cab, right behind the driver's seat, comprised his supply of both kindling and large tinder, which he used for kindling when the fire went out in the firebox, or when he was forced by necessity to extinguish the fire so that he could clean the clinker out of said firebox. The fire had to be started again when that happened, and using naphtha or some other liquid to start the coal created all sorts of flare-up hazards; so he used the wood fuel and did it the hard way.

From the pile of wood he chose a longish piece of wooden stake, and then went over to the bunk built into the side opposite from the driver's side, and reached into the foot locker type chest under the bunk, and removed his worst undershirt and tied it to the stake, so that it formed a passable white flag. HE then put his helmet back on, fastened the strap, reaxched clambered up and out of the hatch and  down to the ground. He then cleared his throat loudly, and unbuckled his gun belt, wrapped the belt ends around the holster, and lay it on top of the winch that sat atop the cowcatcher/bumper of the APC, and followed that with his sword belt and cutlass,which he also placed on the winch.

He cleared his throat one more time, picked up the white flag from the hood, and belatedly wished he'd banked the fire in the firebox, in case he was a long time in the train rig trying to explain his intent and actions. Well, it couldn't be helped; with luck, the people in the rig would have already noticed his white flag and him divesting himself of weaponry. He held the white flag up so that it caught the breeze, and walked slowly toward the Train-like rig, cleared his throat loudly one more time, and stopped about ten feet from it, about where the steel dome with the firing slit was located. He then called out, in his raucous, cockney voice,  "Hello in the rig? Can we have a Parley? I come in Peace and I'm unarmed!" he waited for what had to have been ten minutes, and then said, Can we hurry this up, in case them Scots come back? it'd be an advantage to 'ave a cannon on your side, you know." He waited...

[Nigel Wetherby]

Conlan shimmied into the window, it took a little wriggling and some help from Royce before he fell over, landing onto his back and thankfully inside the building,
"Very well...I think my agility leaves a bit to be desired."
He quickly sat up, turning to Dear.
"Er...though I'm usually much lighter on my feet. I'm just a bit frazzled is all!"

[Titus Wells]

Red heard the voice behind and shimmied back up the ladder to the roof rails. He dropped to all fours and shimmied along the top of the rig, peering cautiously over the end rails above where the APC was sat.

He noted the pile of weapons lying next to the stranger and took in the cannon on the APC's turret.

"You might have a useful piece of kit there. My name's Red and this is the 7-7. Who are you and what're you doing this far south?" he bellowed across. One hand, out of view of the APC, cocked Red's small flintlock, just in case.

[Stella Gaslight]

Dear couldn't help but giggle.  "Metal man fall down."  She held out a hand to help him up.

[Nigel Wetherby]

Conlan took Dear's hand, righting himself and feeling tremendously foolish.
"Thank you, Dear. But I am not just called metal man." Conlan sat up. "My name is Conlan. Sir Conlan O'Draigen."
He bowed like a gentleman and righted himself the moment he realized where he was. The dusty mansion he was expecting was nothing like the inside. It all seemed so well kept and un-spooky. He expected a terrifying, dark interior with creaking halls and paintings with eye slits cut into them.

[Stella Gaslight]

Dear helped Royce in through the window.  "Come see the room with Dear's treasures in it."  She seemed very at home here and was obviously very happy to show them around.   

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Royce gazed around. This place was more elegant than anything he could imagine. There were still paintings on the walls, still carpets on the  floor, still gold ornaments all around. He looked and saw a great stuffed cat - looking quite like one of those leopards, orange with black stripes. Strange devices inlaid in more gold stood around and carved statues with odd figures and faces. He realized in awe that some of these objects must have come from near worlds away.

[Stella Gaslight]

Dear padded down the luxurious hall to a thick wooden door with the word library picked out in gold. "This is my room."  She pointed to the shelves of books.  "These are teaching things they have pictures and words in them.  Dear sleeps here at night sometimes." There was a nest of thick soft looking blankets under a elaborate wooden table.

[Skinner]

There was a dull thud inside the 7-7 rig, a second's pause, then a loud and colourful string of curses. A window was opened, and Skinner poked her brazen and belligerent head out at Red.
"How long have I been out, man? Has it been weeks? Years, son? I say I've got an appetite more like the latter!" she hissed, seething more at herself for passing out and missing all the fun.
Then she went back in again, presumably to eat something.

[Nigel Wetherby]

Conlan stared in awe as the walls had been utterly stacked with books. A precious little commodity in the carbon wastes of Ireland.
"Dear mother of heaven..." he breathed, stepping into the library. It was as if he stepped into the glorious gates of heaven.

"It's...so beautiful. Look! Fabre's letters to the assembly! Beethoven's The Immortal Beloved! Oh sweet lord, they have the entire works of Shakespear!"
Conlan opened the latches of his sack, stuffing in thick tomes and volumes. "Oscar Wilde, Arthur conan Doyle, Samuel Clemmins!!"

[Stella Gaslight]

Dear looked a little awed.  "You know all the words in the teaching things?  Mama taught Dear some when she was very small but she went away before she taught Dear all of them.  You can tell Dear all the stories right?"

[Nigel Wetherby]

"Well...I'll do my best."
He took a few more books, Grimms fairy tales, Mother goose, and finally Alice in wonderland and Through the looking glass.
"I'll do my best to give you the finest education the knights of Ireland had to offer!"

[JohnSix]

Ben dove straight into the science texts and encyclopaedias.
Many he had read before but some where newly published before the Event.
He noticed there was a particularly large section on botany.

"Royce, have you noticed that this island seems to be all more green than we're used to?"

[MWBailey]

Red heard the voice behind and shimmied back up the ladder to the roof rails. He dropped to all fours and shimmied along the top of the rig, peering cautiously over the end rails above where the APC was sat.

He noted the pile of weapons lying next to the stranger and took in the cannon on the APC's turret.

"You might have a useful piece of kit there. My name's Red and this is the 7-7. Who are you and what're you doing this far south?" he bellowed across. One hand, out of view of the APC, cocked Red's small flintlock, just in case.

 Name's Malc McCrory; might as well tell you now, you'll hear it from the Anglians, and maybe the Villagers too, if we're around long enough for that to 'appen: I'm a bounty hunter, or 'ave been. Came down here from Mercia 'bout a month ago, cause things got a bit too hot foer me to stay much longer.

"Anyway, I saw your rig go by my camp, and decided to follow and see if you was goin' to the Isle, and if I could follow you across if yo uwas. there's precious lil' else out 'ere to attract riggers; and them mudflats are treacherous. I ain't tried 'em yet, but one mistake and somethin' heavy as me Molly 'ere" he pointed back with his thumb at the APC behind him and to the side, "will sink in that muck like a rock." he paused, and then said, " I'm also probably in bad odor with them 'boar bandits' (he jerked his head toward the northeast); I talked 'em into a deal with the villagers awhile back to get a village girl back from 'em (long story), and now they, for some stupid reason, tried to shoot me with a shoulder missile back there as I was followin' you. That was them, just now, and me shootin' back, and the reason I came hell-for-leather down that hill just outside the village."

"Can't figure 'em not comin' after me yet, nor what all that commotion was just now with all them motorcyles goin' by to the west. I just figure there be safety in numbers, if'n ye get my drift. Well, that's my piece. Any chance we can join up?"

[Mina]

Kat was in the kitchen making up a concoction for her aching head when Skinner stumbled in.

"Well, lookie who's up! I can't imagine your feeling too chipper." She offered up a mug of what she had made, waiting to enjoy the look on Skinner's face once she got a taste of it.

[Stella Gaslight]

"See Dear has good treasures and Dear will share, because sharing is good.  So bring food from metal thing for Dear? Maybe more chocket too?" Dear rocked on her heels acting very proud.

[Nigel Wetherby]

"Thank you so much you little angel!" Conlan cheered, hugging her tightly. "So help me I will give you all the chocolate I have! You'll get fat off all the chocolate I'll give you. And I'll teach you how to read every single book I can grab, from cover to cover!"
As payment for her location of an item deemed tremendously precious by his kingdom, he rewarded dear with three squares of chocolate before stuffing the entire works of charles dickens into his now bulging bag

[Stella Gaslight]

Dear was a little shocked by the hug she hadn't had anyone touch her in kindness for quite some time. "Dear...Dear has more treasures. There is a room with the whole world in it and animals on the walls, a big place for making food, a room for fancy clothes and the special room filled with metal things that do things."  She was eating the chocolate slowly now letting it melt in her mouth and smiling at the sweet taste.

[Nigel Wetherby]

"With a library this expansive, the rest of the building must be fantastic."
However, dear's mention of a room full of metal things peaked his interest.
"Metal things? What kinds of metal things..er...can you lead us to the special room?"

[Stella Gaslight]

"They make big noises and send out puffs of hot white stuff. Dear doesn't know how to make them go but they look neat.  There are little ones too but they are in the bottom of the house but Dear wasn't let in there very much back when people were here.  It is all closed now with a trick that Dear can't make open."  Dear was starting to warm up to having people around.