Vanishing Point - Wake of the Plague - Episode 3 - Countrycide

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==Session 3: Coutrycide==
After a good night's rest they move to the outskirts of New London. They pass a number of buildings and vehicles showing an unusual angular symbol as they go past; factories, warehouses, slum housing and elegant town-houses. There are even some libraries and parks, but they seem to have blue coated police officers lurking close by eager to dissuade any "miscreants" from approaching. Although its significance isn't immediately obvious, it's clear that it's the symbol of an established power in this place.As they reach the edge of the caverns, roads feel more like blood vessels moving at strange angles and directions. When the gas lamps stop, they start being replaced by a glowing moss on the cave walls and ceilings.
As they leave the city proper and travel into a cobbled road entering one of the larger tunnels, they are passed by a carriage carrying a strange angular woman made of sharpened black metal objects. She rides in a carriage adorned with the same symbol. One that Andrew recognises as being part of a ring worn by the lesser heads of the London firm crime families, coming directly from Tall Dave. It's going too fast to meaningfully interact with, so they let it pass.
Following shortly behind in both senses of the words is a small female figure, bowed low under the weight of a vast load of assorted furniture on her back.Firuz greets her and in a childish tone she introduces herself as Anasthesia, a Scrounger.
She offers them "Swapsies" and didn't really seem to grasp the concept of money or particularly large numbers, but was delighted to exchange an ankle monitor for a pan and a handkerchief for a few spoons. Carrying a frankly implausible amount of weight on her hunched shoulders. Once her trade is done she continued on, but wished them well and warned them "Watch out for the Chainey Man".
Further outside the city they came to a signpost with a few options:
*New London (1 mile) - back the way they came.
*New Brighton (120 miles) and Hammerton (20 miles) - on a path that curves upward.
*“Corpus Callosum” (20 miles) and Thornton Briar (10 miles) - On a path moving downward.
Deciding to follow the directions of the man on the steps, they travelled down towards the Corpus Callosum.
After a full day of travel they search around for some sort of respite. A sign pointed to a nearby cavern farm off the main road. Travelling through a smaller tunnel they came to a small cottage and a cavern full of plants. A heavily pregnant woman answered the door. She was a human native of the Vanishing Point called Amanda Lichby. She asked them to help call her husband, James Lichby, over. They were sympathetic to the plight of the group, James having immigrated 10 years ago, after stumbling upon a vanity in a hidden camp whilst playing paintball.So the farmers agreed that they could offer them some food and clothes and a sheltered bed for the night, as James would benefit from the additional help around the farm for a day. But as it was late they said they would sit down for a meal first. They served up beggars meat and fried burgerworm slices. The texture was a bit rubbery and the flavour more peppery and mushroomy rather than bread-like, but it was filling enough. The next day several tasks needed to be done:
*Amelia fed the burger worms. Long millipede-like creatures with only a few legs, but long sausage-like bodies.
*Andrew cut down some giant mushrooms for firewood
*Firuz went out and spread mulch on the Beggars meat field. These were bun-like mushrooms with a high nutritional value.
*Albrecht helped James with repairing some fences around the farm.
Through the day, James came to supervise and assist, advising about the best fungi to gather out in the wilds and the ones that they should be aware of for their dangerous or weird properties.They met up at the end of the day for another nights sleep. Firuz was able to persuade them to part with an old rusty breadknife, a map of the Vanishing Point and a small whetstone, as well as a packed lunch before they set off.
Travelling several miles further into the interior they came to a large open cavern filled with giant mushrooms on the floor and ceiling and illuminated by glowing fungi. with strange floating manta rays flying through the air.
Albrecht spotted a hunting party of two Victorian women riding Iron Horses and carrying rifles. They were accompanied by a pack of hunting hounds.
Whilst Albrecht was first to spot them, he was caught out in the open. One of them who introduced herself as Lady Rosemary Rothschild III suggested they play tennis instead which her hunting companion Lady Annabeth Smedlington-Fitzgerald agreed to.
However this left the group rather confused as there were no rackets, nets or markings for a court of any kind.
Instead lady Rosemary pointed out that there was a path on the ceiling as well, with a similar forest of mushrooms growing there. This drew the attention of everybody except Firez and they realised with horror that they were on the ceiling and plummeted to the new "downwards".
Her partner explained that the ladies themselves were firmly on the floor, and so it should be obvious that their orientation was the correct one, causing them to plummet again, although this time Albrecht and Andrew caught each other and their opposing perspectives allowed for a relatively safe landing this time. The game of persuasion continued for a while with even Albrecht attempting to play with his fellows.
However as Lady Rosemary was half-way up a wall on her Iron Horse, there was a loud crack from a hidden position and she clutched her chest which was stained blue with blood.
Lady Annabeth attempted to find the source but was unable to see where it came from. A second shot rang out and Lady Rosemary pulled up the hood of her coat and then once she did so, the coat collapsed to the ground, leaving only her iron horse and steam hounds behind.
At this Lady Annabeth whistled for the horse and steamhounds and fled back away from the tunnels.
Firez was paying attention to where the shots originated from and approached.
There they found a man in a ghillie suit who introduced himself as Major John McBeth. Although strangely his hands are handcuffed and his rifle was hanging in mid-air.
He explained that he's a psychic operative from the US CEPSET based out of Texas. The US Government is well aware of this place and sent him through as a scout to assess and scout the Vanishing Point. He identified the Victorians as a threat which is why he intervened.
He offered the group his foraging skills and was able to supply them with a significant amount of safe to eat food and water. He also mentioned that he could get them home temporarily. Although such an act would be only temporary. He did however ask for a favour in exchange. He has a friend deeper in, who is a bit touchy and he wanted them to bring his friend a care package. The group readily agreed and set off deeper into the Twistings.
After several miles of moving through caves they came to a set of vast ruins that were reminiscent of a cathedral.
A hunched figure was crouched with his back to the altar. His face was covered in modern protective masks and he wore a bandolier of hand sanitiser bottles. He warned them to stay back, as they were all of them likely infected. There was some careful negotiation, where they managed to persuade him that they weren't a threat and weren't infected and he carefully inched out to collect the bundle, devouring its contents greedily but as he did, he rose up not with his arms and legs, but propelled upwards by 8 vast chains that seemed to be tipped with vicious spikes and emerged from the man's back.
He seemed disturbed, but calm enough until Albrecht asked him how he got his cool chains. Something that caused him immense distress. He immediately lashed out with the chain causing terrible injury. Firez also mentioned Victorians which earned a similarly violent response. However upon seeing the blood that now coated the sharp tips of his chains, he became distraught and fled, trying to keep the two blood-soaked chains away from him as much as possible. Leaving the group to lick their wounds and recover.
(6 exp to everybody)
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