Brownout Part I: Into the night

[UnDfind]

Here's a quick map to orient yourselves. It shows all the known brownouts, but I've only labeled three for now.

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I'm not going to go into too much detail as to how you all arrived where you start at. I'll leave that for your own backgrounds and amazing RP skills to answer.

Sound off with any questions or actions whenever you want.

If your actions invlove any sort of skill check, or an attack/damage roll, please print the results in bold below the descriptive text. I'll take care of initiatives and saves.

I hope I didn't forget anything...

With that, the curtains rise for Act I

 

[UnDfind]

Act I, Scene I

The town isn't on any maps. A general store, gas station, bar, and a gravel parking area that serves as a Greyhound station are what make up downtown Dry Creek. Located just on the Texas side of the border with Oklahoma, Dry Creek is about as close as one can get to the Dallas Brownout and still get a hot cup of coffee.

Every so often, an unmarked rig, or a military green humvee passes through. Sometimes they stop and eye everyone suspiciously as they purchase the latest Maxim and a couple of liters of Mountain Dew.

The townsfolk are resigned and silent, as one can expect from a town that is constantly reminded of a Brownout less than 15 miles south.

About half a mile off main street Dry Creek is a little bed and breakfast called Annie's. It offers three hot meals a day and a warm bed for $65 a day (Wealth DC 8). Local calls are free.

Earl's Bar and Grill is back on the main strip, and serves as the local trucker stop. It doesn't appear to have seen much business in recent weeks, and is all but empty. It has a full menu for a decent price. Try the cherry cobbler, it's great.

The general store doesn't apperar to have a name, but prominently displays large placards exclaiming BEER and CIGARETTES along the front walls. It seems to have an inventory akin to those found at a 7-eleven or a Circle K. And yes, they do have Slushees.

Go ahead and get yourselves comfortable. Introduce/describe yourselves and any actions you may be doing. You will all bump into each other rather easily, as it is a REALLY small town, and outsiders tend to stick out like a sore thumb.

 

[Kalanyr]

Walking out of Annie's comes a brown haired, blue-eyed teenage who obviously needs to get outside somewhat more often. He stops to look around the street for a while before moving back inside getting out his laptop sitting down and trying to get together all the information he can on the Brownouts.


Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 13 rolled + 17 = 30
Computer Use 3 rolled +17 = 20
Research (11 Rolled + 13 = 24
Knowledge (Technology) 10 Rolled + 11 = 21

 

[Ascending Crane]

She looked at her reflection in the window of the diner and frowned. Why did I have to pick red hair..?

Cut short and dyed a coppery red, Angel Petersen looked nothing like the woman she was just a week ago. Baggy and slightly worn clothes completed the picture, making it seem like she's been on the road for weeks.

"More coffee, ma'am?" The waitress asked. Angel looked up and smiled.

"Yes, please." Angel scooted her cup closer to the woman, who began to pour.

"I'm sure they'll come, honey."

Angel looked up, a feigned look of confusion on her face. "They...?"

"Your friends. The ones you keep looking outside for. I'm sure they'll come sooner or later." The waitress gave a warming smile and winked. Her name tag said 'Linda' but she introduced herself an hour ago as 'Heather'. Angel scowled good-naturedly. She folded her hands on the table in front of her, coincidentally covering the notebook and what she had written on it.

"They're always late. I'm always on time. Why can't they buy a watch or something?" Angel shook her head and chuckled with Linda/Heather as she walked away to a different table.

Sorry, lady. Not waiting on any friends that I know of. But you just keep thinking that.

Angel looked down at the notebook and grimaced. Each time a military vehicle drove by, she jotted down some notes. The time, type of vehicle, number of soldiers, and armament. She looked out the window at the road and sighed audibly.

Ok. I'm here. Now what do I do?

 

[Festy_Dog]

Jaque steps off the bus onto the grey gravel. He retreives his suitcase and thanks the driver, who then thanks him for travelling with greyhound. He is adorned with a pair a heavy tan boots, dark jeans, a tan shirt and his desert fatigue jacket. His piercing green eyes gauge the town around him while a breeze fumbles with his black hair.

He walks the short distance to Annie's and books a couple of nights. While walking about he notices the techie kid and gives him a knowing nod, obviously there are a few others here who wish to investigate Dallas. He leaves his suitcase in his room and before leaving ensures that he's carrying his essentials.

Jaque goes up the street to Earl's Bar & Grill. Upon entering he notices a red headed woman with a notepad, she definitely didn't look native. He orders the cherry cobbler and a beer, then appraoches the red headed woman.

"You are not from around here, yes? Therefore I will assume we are here for the same reason. May I sit?" he asks, his French accent still very present after a few years.

He noticed that she seemed defensive of what she had written, when he approached she casually rested her arms across the notepad to protect what was there.

 

[Kalanyr]

When the new arrival walks past Adrian nods to him, and returns to his research, ocassionally looking up to talk to the snow white owl he has sitting on the table, strangely the creature shows no real desire to fly off and actually seems to be watching the laptop screen at times.

 

[UnDfind]

Angel's Notes

Angel: You only notice three vehicles passing north, and then later returning south. Two Humvees and one rig.

Click here---->

 

[UnDfind]

Adrian's discoveries

Adrian (Kalanyr): Wracking your brain over the brownout problem results in you remembering something you read once. It may or may not apply, but things called Anti-Magic Fields apparently once existed. Although it's unlikely, magic nulling might affect electronics.

Your research of the internet doesn't turn up much that you don't already know, but you do stumble across an interesting site:

10 APRIL 2003
Don’t listen to what the media says. They’re all liars and pawns, working for the corrupt government. I know. I worked as a photographer for CNN up until the information blackout started.

I’ve been inside the brownouts. Two of them, actually. Dallas and the Florida Keys. Below is a compilation of photos from inside the blackouts. I apologize for the blurred images. It’s hard to get a steady image with an old box camera and a few disposables. Why does everything run on batteries?!



As I'm sure you'll notice, there's a couple of photos with figures that appear to be running. I had the unfortunate fate of running across a couple of the brown gangs...that's what I've started calling the clumps of people who have banded together in the Brownouts. They've started claiming territories in most of the major cities. Some of the folks I talked to had mentioned gangs composed of stranger things than punks and drunks...weird things. But I haven't seen anything of the sort, and I don't put much faith in those tales.

Oh, and one of the photos shows what happens when the National Gaurd brings their vehicles too close to the brownouts

Can't catch me fellas, I'm the Gingerbread man.

-G


16 APRIL 2003
I've been doing some math. Triangulation and other bits of trigonometry that I had never though I'd see again after college. It seems that if there is an epicenter...that is if the brownouts are generated by some sort of central emanations...then the center for the Dallas Brownout would be smack dab in the middle of the Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport (Hmmm...wonder if there's a connection). Of course I'm sure someone else has already figured that out by now, but if not then there it is.

-G

 

[Kalanyr]

OOC- Those are really cool game aids. . Oh and clutzo me forgot the +1 bonus to the computer use check for the upgraded laptop.

IC-

Having found out what he can from his research Adrian gets up, flips the laptop closed, powers it down and puts it in his backpack, he heads upstairs and puts the owl back in its cage to sleep and walks out to try and see if there's any information from he can get from the locals.

He heads into Earl's Bar and Grill and noticing the gathering of other outer towners walks over.

"Hello, I am Adrian Ronaldson, I assume you're here because of curiosity about these brownouts too ? I've got something funny I found on the internet I could show you if you're interested."

 

[Festy_Dog]

"Tres bien, I am Jaque L'Treugh" Jaque says offering a hand shake, "Please take a seat with us. It appears that we may have a trio of people with similiar goals, well, goals that involve Dallas. I guess if we joined forces we'd do much better, yes? Please, indulge us upon your discoveries."