[Published Adventure] Ashes Of The Daleks

[Rel Fexive]

So my group finished playing this adventure last night. I think it went okay and the GM managed to keep things on track. So I'm going to post the in-character "log entries" for my Time Lord character; they're a bit abbreviated and haphazard because they started life as Facebook posts on our RPG group's page.

CHARACTERS

• Ashurstaberinde, (presumed) last survivor of Gallifery. Academy student lost in the Vortex after Dalek ambush during the Time War, now seeks to explore the universe and live up to the name "Time Lord".
  
• Rangon Kazir, minor draconian lord exiled for being too open-minded about that democracy thing. Captain of a 'crappy little ship' that has seen better days and is much in need of repair.
  
• "Professor" James Hampton, human and one-time Time Agent. His vortex manipulator broke after picking up a new acquaintance in pre-history and depositing them both into Rangon's employ. Seeks to repair his VM and get home.
  
• Alliana Akulma, silurian tech apprentice. Picked up by Hampton and now works as Rangon's resident tech and engineer.

THE ADVENTURE

The crew of the unnamed ship arrived at Vexus 7 to try and find a replacement harmonic particle oscillator (love the technobabble generator) for their ship. The Time Lord went looking for spare parts for his own purposes. They kind of bumped into each other as the adventure started.

Also, it was initially billed to the players as "The Haunting Of Vexus 7" as the original title would've been giving too much away!

[Rel Fexive]

FIRST SESSION

VEXUS/7/LOG/1: Needed sufficiently advanced circuitry to run bypass on recalcitrant console systems. Plus, mercury links leaking again. Aimed capsule at periods and volumes equidistant between applicable time zones - landed in derelict space station, barely suitable. How typical. Evidence present of: systemic breakdown / a form of attack? Physical deterioration, evidence of assault/resistance. Recent? Ongoing? Replay potential?

Crew of indigene vessel also present, seeking salvage/fuel/undefined. Draconian (non-typical, identify: RANGON KAZOR) officer, human (temporal/adrift?, identify: JAMES HAMPTON), other (unknown, on vessel). Initial hostility and questions fended off successfully. Probably. Alliance (temporary) to investigate cause of abandonment/disturbance & locate suitable materials for both parties. Suggestion: limit indigene exposure to capsule to negative quotient if possible.

VEXUS/7/LOG/2: Investigate station for evidence and/or survivors. Unable to access inner ring: security measures physically disconnected. Attempt to gain access fails - indigene tech not suitable for interface. Failure on one side or other - blame security device as normal.

"Survivor" located behind barrier by Hampton - defined as "mad old man with wrench" by witness. Talks about "they" and "them" and to self (or unseen others - psy/tech/mad?) - suggestion of conflict with unknown antagonist. Unable to relocate later. Investigate outer ring; mess contains posed corpses (dessicated) in tableau of meal/celebration. Initial sound/recording of celebration meal upon entry suggests malicious intent behind auditory harassment. Motive unknown, perpetrator unknown, location: hub? Illogical tower of empty containers in store room suggests madness or culturally significant fear trigger am not aware of.

Armoury possibly shielded or been subjected to transmat/port just prior to our arrival at same? Investigate further.

[Rel Fexive]

SECOND SESSION

VEXUS/7/LOG/3: Electrified door to armoury; shocking. Resuscitated by Hampton. Third crew member, reptiloid, technician; identify: ALLIANA AKULMA. Not mate of captain. Gain entry to armoury: all weapons present and correct. No attempt to fight (assumed) attackers? Surprise? Subversion? Gas/biol/nano? No danger at present; change? Too many questions.

Central area: hydroponics/garden, overgrown. Untended? Side-effect of bioweapon? Possible lower access to core area; probably sealed up as above. Interesting fruit; palate test reveals no poison, just unfamiliar taste. See movement and locate human crew member of station. Description matches: Wrench Wielder. Disturbed, suffering effects of isolation? madness? mystery weapon? Questioned; spoke of metal demons, angry spirits, 'they' blame him, posed bodies in mess appeases 'them', 'they' will return, we must leave, we will make 'them' come back. Unstable, possibly damaged. Scan to check vitals/interference/changes - transponder implant in highly active state, data throughput significant in/out. Signal originates in control/computer centre, naturally.

Others investigate entrance to power centre; access via cutting tool. Discovery: DALEK. Inactive/suspended/dead: unknown. All still alive, no exterminations: good news. DALEK: BAD NEWS. Should be gone, like all the rest. BAD BAD BAD.

VEXUS/7/LOG/4: Approach DALEK with care. Scan reveals... dead. Damaged by massive power influx/overload. Old model, pre Clarik/9? Potential new danger: weapon/force that can blow up Daleks; friend or foe? Investigation reveals now deceased crewman used overloaded power cables to achieve effect. Good news: no new danger. Bad news: damaged power systems, one time method barring significant effort.

Access control room via cutting as per SOP. Systems very busy, either highly active or massive breakdown in action. Computer SPEAKS: wants us to leave. Not the most computer-y voice ever. Threatens to deactivate life support to make us leave. Believes is helping Malcolm (identified: crew survivor) to survive; supplies food and entertainment via implant. Possibly not the best protector, considering condition of charge. Machine intelligence/upload/Dalek? Partly: DALEK VIRUS, inserted fifty local-period-cycles ago. Purpose? Study/control/eliminate/overthrow?

Can not trust it.

Announces: approaching vessel. Personal visual identification necessary as computer/virus uncooperative. Worst news: Dalek ship approaching. Purpose unknown; reclaim computer/virus? See previous comment re: unknown purpose. Addendum: NOT GOOD. Attempt to flee certain death foiled by recalcitrant virus-form - blast door halts escape. Virus wants to escape Daleks as much as we do. Slate; hack Malcolm implant to access blast door: open, close. Plan: glimmering of.

[Rel Fexive]

THIRD SESSION

VEXUS/7/LOG/5: Plan solidifies. Hampton comes to virus-to-ship upload plan by own route. Speak with virus; agreement reached, enter draconian/scrap vessel. Kazir (draconian) sees to preparing ship for launch. Crew realise not procured necessary parts for full repair; problematic for them, useful complication. Hampton and Akulma (unknown reptiloid) attempt to boost function of decayed computers to accept virus-form; antiquated, will require trigger of transfer at source for wireless upload. How to access when Dalek presence? Kazir - perception filter, reflective design: makes wearer appear to be same species as viewer. Hampton tests: works for Akulma, gives self headache and personal discomfort. Should allow Hampton to impersonate DALEK: go to computer centre and activate upload. Akulma to sneak into power core and arrange destructive overload.

Stay on ship to actuate later portions of plan unobserved: Malcolm in catatonic state; Kazir too busy; self-importance blinding? Good.

VEXUS/7/LOG/6: Reports from later contact with crew - Akulma spotted by Dalek and stunned; why stunned? For later use/slave/expertise? Higher priorities possible; reported mentioned of Skaro re: rebuild. Troubling. Hampton gained access to computer centre but "extra Dalek" caused problems, possible realisation of intruders present. New plan: set remaining personal weaponry from armoury to automatic fire to cause distraction. Partial success; so Akulma enters power core and sets systems to overload + old ship fuel = remote detonated explosion. But Hampton would not risk entry to centre. Instead used personal device (capacitance flux circuitry present? curious) to engage wireless transfer remotely. All return to vessel.

Virus transfers and Malcolm seems to perk up. Prepare to leave but radiation alarm means danger; evacuate? Crew blame lack of spare part; handy. Suggest retreat to my ship and return when danger over - virus says Malcolm can not leave, however. Must accept the unacceptable. Crew remain ignorant.

Return to capsule; expected awe and confusion as normal. De/materialise outside station with good view of former and ship. Station explodes successfully when command given. Good timing: my rigged radiation backwash cascade reaches critial, warp implosion occurs, ship destroyed. Potentially dangerous DALEK VIRUS destroyed also. Offer Kazir/Hampton/Akulma transportation to place of choosing. No guarantees, also usual.

VEXUS/7/addendum: Destruction of virus absolutely necessary; could not be allowed to continue to exist and risk infection of galaxy when has unknown motives. Could have gone easier route to achieve this goal, but perhaps got caught up in own plan a little too much. Managed to fool others successfully when setting up cascade in secret. Plan also based on possibly faulty assumption that virus would be more belligerent regarding enforcing compliance with upload escape method; convincing others that their ship could not leave unless they took virus with them seemed necessary, although little evidence to support it.

Daleks: how? new form/model? Source for significant concern: no Time Lords to stop them this time. None really worthy of the name. Not yet, anyway.

[Rel Fexive]

And that was that.

[Corone]

Thanks for posting those,
I've been really wondering if people liked the adventures.

Calling it Ashes of the Daleks was a bit of a giveaway I admit,
but I just really liked the title!

[Rel Fexive]

It's kind of traditional though, right? Well, except for all the Dalek stories not called "X of The Daleks" of course