Vanishing Point - Wake of the Plague - Episode 2 - A city of Desperation and dead ends

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==Session 2: A city of desperation and dead-ends==
As they stepped out into the light of the Square outside, Andrew was greeted by five smiling faces, each covered, dripping in blood that ran in rivulettes down their arms. Their teeth were sharp and triangular like those of a shark. They were so unnerving that Andrew threw a wild punch at him and burst into a fresh round of screams and continued running. This seemed to delight them and they pressed a silver sixpence into Albrecht’s hand in thanks for Andrew’s behaviour.
Albrecht asked them where they were and they confirmed that this was New London, a City in the Vanishing Point.Amelia, whilst she was able to cope with the Faceless, also drew the line at blood soaked people with sharp teeth and she fled with Andrew into the centre of the square where they saw a number of things to investigate.
Amelia investigated a work auction. Here a busy crowd sat around waiting for the monochrome auctioneer to offer work, largely to people requiring work visas. In this instance, three people were needed to haul cargo down at the docks. There was pushing shouting and shoving to get through past the clockwork automatons.
Amelia met a human man in the back of the crowd who said he had a class E work permit, so was eligible for little jobs like cargo hauling. He warned her about the mine jobs. He explained that they didn't require work permits most of the time, but they would always be back for more due to the injuries and fatalities the job carried with it. But there were so many desperate people that they could always find more. Her work in a city bank would not help her here unless she was skilled at using a mechanical typewriter for 12 hours at a time.
Albrecht and Andrew meanwhile investigated teaching hospital. It was a solemn place filled with the injured, but not the sick. One of the plague masks loomed by the door, screening them as they came in. Inside human nurses gave some minimal comfort to the waiting people, who seemed to have been waiting for a while. Sips of water and fresh bandages were about all they had. At the far end was a gaunt figure behind a counter who took admissions. As they were not injured, she asked if they had come to volunteer for elective surgery. The young masters need to practice, which was the purpose of the hospital first and foremost, with care of patients a distant second.
Firez investigated a nearby military recruitment checkpoint. Here a human sergeant extoled the virtues of the military, who would pay a schilling per day with room and board included. You would get a shiny uniform, a shiny gun and have the opportunity to battle rebels and monsters out in the distant corners of the Vanishing Point. Behind him was a Sanguine who was able to lend Firez a map of the New London Underground, although he didn't have a map of the whole Vanishing Point. There was also a Gaunt and a clockwork Automaton manning an aptitude testing facility. It appears that they didn't need work visas either.
Albrecht went over to the general store. He wouldn't be able to retrieve his beloved sword until he had a work visa, which did not seem forthcoming. (Andrew came with him, but immediately left once he saw the Faceless inside.) He tried to sell sword receipt, but the general store owner of Smith and Sons was more in the business of selling fork handles, sealing wax and preservatives than potential weapons. He was however able to point them to an antiquarian just outside the city.
On the steps of the Navigators guild they saw a monochrome Gaunt governess escorting six young children with golden orbs for eyes, and their clockwork bodyguard to a waiting coach, which then pulled away pulled by steam-driven horses.
Firez visited the solicitors on the other side of the square with Andrew and the human secretary there told them that she was unable to help unless they were paying customers, although she sympathised with their plight.
Finally they regrouped and shared what they had learned about their fairly dismal situation. However there were still some interesting options to explore. So together they went into Vanessa's vanities. The eccentrically dressed owner, Vanessa had wild white-blue hair and moved with alarmingly fast jerking motions. Her skin and hair constantly tingled with small electrical discharges that ran across her skin.
Speaking with a hurried and manic tone she explained that she sold equipment that could be used to transit too and from Earth, but you could only return there temporarily. They saw and recognised a kinetic sculpture similar to the one that they took from the Russians and she did recognise the name of Van Braun as a famous inventor of what she called "Vanities". She tried to explain some of the other oddities she had in her shop, but their function was less clear, including some dial-like devices called Node Hounds and a large leather "Scapecoat". But without context it wasn't easy to follow her rapid torrent of words.
Heading out, Andrew thought he was being sized up by the gang. They had been watching him more than others since he arrived. They wore yellow scarves and arm bands and seemed to be doing very little but standing by the fountain.
They decided not to approach the gang or the punch and Judy show. Nor did they meet what appeared to be an ambulatory pile of trash moving around the square.
As they were about to leave, they were given a nod and a smile by a man on his lunch who advised them to get out of the city if they didn't have a work permit, as it's much easier to survive out in the wilds. Whilst there are monsters out there, this close to civilisation they are mostly limited to smaller creatures these days. He recommended an old camp ground not too far outside the city limits. They thanked him, but found him a bit suspiciously eager to help.
But they left Navigator square anyways. Albrecht found the antique store that he knew and sold his sword for probably much more than it was worth and Firez’s jewels at a more modest rate at the antique store, manned by a very sour and unfriendly monochrome gaunt gentleman. With about 27 Schillings in hand, they left and got a cheap meal at a local soup kitchen near a local factory to see what people knew and about the rebellion. The rebellion were always recruiting, but they weren't the sort you could just approach, they were after all a terrorist group, but if you went to the right meetings you could get an introduction.
They also found an old miner who told them about the Victorians, the rules of this world who were once human, but who did "Something terrible in the twistings over a hundred years ago" and their eyes changed to golden orbs, making them quite distinct from humans.
He also explained that COVID recently tore through the purely human population as they had no access to vaccines. Killing off or incapacitating most of the workforce. Mysteriously immigration from Earth also increased after this and the factories were once again filled, mostly with vaccinated people stolen from Earth. But that once demand slowed down, the number of incoming people has been slow to drop off. leading to a lack of work visas for new arrivals. He also said that when the Plague came through with the Fantasts, it changed and started affecting the other genera of people in the Vanishing Point. The Victorians had a variant that they call "The Red Death". He concluded that there was relatively little opportunity in the city.
So with that, they made their way to the outskirts and into the wilderness.
(4 exp to everybody)
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