River Mortem

River Mortem (by Lucas Ferreira)

An old friend of Addie's and her former mentor in the Templars, River ran into the party while on the hunt for a rogue Anti-Templar: Marcus Bloom. Though only intending to stay for the mission, Addie convinced her to remain with the group. It was after Marcus's demise that River and Addie began dating. When the NW6's path led them to Junkyard, River used the opportunity to find leads on her father, Richard Mortem, and eventually ran into him in Redwater. She was forced to confront her redhat mother, Anne, in Moscow, Idaho a short time later.

## History

### Pre-campaign

#### Early Life

River was born in 2067 to Anne and Richard (Dick) Mortem, and grew up on a corn farm in Utah with her parents. The union between her parents was always an uneasy one, and River was caught in the middle of it. With her father taking a more distant approach to his parenting, Anne usually became the one to help River with her more mundane problems. As time went on, her parents' issues grew. Anne hid Dick's gambling issues from River as much as she could, but River overheard their fights about money.

In 2081, things finally came to a head when Dick, falsely believing Anne was cheating on him, murdered a coworker friend of hers in cold blood. Dick was taken to prison, and Anne lied to River, letting her believe her father had skipped out on the both of them. A week after the event, Judgement day came, and Anne was forced to look out for River on her own. Anne took River to Denver to find safety with other people. As a nurse, Anne started to help take control of the situation there, and not long after, the Combine rolled in. Anne quickly fell for Throckmorton's sell, and became one of his biggest supporters to the point of punishing her daughter for speaking out against him.

In 2084, when she was 16, River, along with other unwilling residents of Denver, attempted to escape the city and Throckmorton's forces. Though she was successful--where many others weren't--she still bears the bullet scars of that attempt over her right eye. Even before she was trained as a Templar, she was a decent shot, and took work as a bodyguard for other wastelanders.

#### The Templars

A few years later, while guarding a caravan, River ran into the Templar Henry Gram. Through her work, she proved her worth and value to him, and after saving her during a Doombringer attack, he offered her a chance at a home and a family in Boise. She took his offer, and started on her path to becoming a Templar. At the end of her training year, she was knighted, and became a part of the Order.

In 2088, she had taken it upon herself to hunt down a gang that had been terrorizing the northwest: the Silver Stars. While making her way toward a small encampment in their territory, she stumbled across a lone "member" of the group: Addie Kirkland, the daughter of the Stars' leader. After reading her as a non-threat and killing the Stars she was with, River offered Addie a choice: she could come with her to Boise, get the chance at a family, and learn to protect herself. Addie accepted, and River took her to Boise, where she took on Addie as her apprentice. River spent a year training her before Addie was knighted, and the two--along with a couple other Templars--retook Addie's home from her father and his gang. River began to have feelings for Addie around this time, but never brought it up because of her focus on their student-teacher relationship.

#### Possession

In late 2095, River was traveling with a caravan when it was attacked by a road gang. She cut down most of them with ease, and came upon a tied up syker, Noni, in one of their vehicles. It was then that the demon who'd been possessing the syker jumped into one of the caravan members, and he quickly grew hostile to River and his own people. River heavily wounded the man in defense, and that was when the demon took control of her. With the demon driving her actions, she cut down surviving members of the caravan. Despite the demon's efforts, Noni still had enough strength to blast River while she was possessed, causing her to lose her right arm. Through the first few seconds of shock, River won her test of wills with the manitou, The creature went off to parts unknown, and River and Noni began traveling together.

Not too long after, River and Noni started dating. Sometime between then and River meeting up with the NW6, the two got into a fight and decided they needed space, separating to travel on their own.

After the incident with the manitou, River became wanted in the area (to be determined) for her believed crimes. Simon caught wind of the news, and wanting it to be addressed without spreading the word, he sent Addie after her to figure out what happened early in 2096.

### Arc 5: Plague's Servant

#### Reunion with Addie

In March of 2096, while tasked with hunting Marcus, River received a vision of Addie getting attacked in the desert. It was partially by influence of this that led her to New Wells, where, in the group's absence, she took it upon herself to finish the party's delivery to Oasis. On March 6th, not long after the party returned from Dugway, River made her entrance back into town, much to Addie's surprise and distress. Not long after, Addie pulled her aside and told her the truth: the rumors she'd killed innocents had reached Boise, and Simon had sent Addie after her to find out what happened. River admitted that the rumors were true, and proceeded to recount her encounter with the demon months before. Relieved at least to hear her friend hadn't willingly committed atrocities, Addie reaffirmed her trust in River and led her back into town.

Later that night, River pulled Addie aside to ask about her encounter on the way back from Dugway, with the large man in black gear. Addie shared what little information she had, stirring River's suspicions on who he may be. Before River had a chance to head off for the night, Addie challenged her to a casual spar. The two traded jabs for a while, River's speed outmatching Addie's, all the while catching up on what they'd been up to. The conversation took a turn when River asked if Simon had ordered Addie to kill her. Addie assured her she was only there to figure out what happened, and River confided in her the guilt she still felt about killing those innocents. Addie attempted to comfort her, and offered her shelter in her groups' vehicles, which River accepted. As she walked River to the car, she reassured her she'd be at her side until all this trouble was settled out.

The next day, River caught up with Addie, Jenny, and Gregg. Jenny projected the visions the man on the overpass showed her into their minds, which confirmed his role as an Anti-Templar. River gives the details she knew on their kind: he's not exactly dead, the way they are juiced up on that much spirit power, it becomes hard to tell if they're alive. She can't tell if he's still mortal. Their kind is just as dangerous as Templars, and then some. She also mentioned what she said to Addie before: he likely wanted Tom here, to spread the arcane disease. Jenny discussed the idea of fear powering up the Antis, and that they could perhaps drug the town to keep people from making the Anti stronger. River interjected, saying doing that would only really influence one town, to which Jenny responded in saying they could try to fight him where the fear was lower or drug surrounding towns as well. At Addie's mention of asking Tom for details, River asserted she could order Tom to spill the details he had, as she was his and Addie's commanding officer, which Addie found amusing.

River waited with agitation as Addie tried to get what she could out of Tom through gentle persuasion. With Gregg's help, Tom admitted to working with Marcus to become and Anti-Templar himself. River immediately brought out her sword, ready to attack him on the spot before Addie intervened, saying they should try to get as much info out of him as they could. Because of their relationship, River doesn't put up a fight, but voiced her displeasure. Jenny then tapped into Tom's mind, pulling out his knowledge of Marcus for the rest of the group to see.

Once the interrogation had ended, Addie stepped aside and allowed River to beat Tom with her metal arm. After her fill of violence, River mentioned she should take him to Simon, to which Addie remarked was a long ways away. River agreed, and put a bullet in Tom's skull. The two then went to tell Victor what they found out about the Anti-Templar they were dealing with, Marcus Bloom. After the discussion, Addie and River dragged Tom's body out into the wastes and burned it. The two talked about the inevitability of betrayal like this in their numbers, and the need to take them out. River mentioned that if Addie ran into Noni when they separated, to let her know River was looking for her. Addie agreed, but showed slight disappointment to River's plans to leave the group so soon, which River immediately teased her for to Addie's slight embarrassment. Before heading back into town, Addie repeated what she'd told River before: as long as she'd have her along, she'd be with her through her troubles.

#### Golconda

The next day, River went with the group to investigate Marcus's hospital base in Golconda, Nevada. With Jenny's help, they infiltrated the top floor of the building and began their search for more information on Marcus, and Templar swords. While investigating, Jenny stumbled across a captive Templar, whom she led Addie and River to. Addie barely stopped her from punching through the room's window, to keep from making more noise. Furious at the sight, the two used their swords to destroy the ritual circle binding him, and Addie healed the man's, Charles's, injuries and illness.

River went to investigate on her own, and stumbled across Marcus's office. She dug up some files Marcus kept on a computer, about his past and goals, and his fear of Templars. River downloaded the information to the dataslug in her palmcorder, and after briefing Addie, was treated to the sound of tires screeching in the distance. The two quickly made their way up to the roof to meet up with the rest of the group. They made a plan to split up, with Addie and Red taking Charles down and rounding up their allies below, and River reluctantly going back with Jenny and Choc to set Atom's ghost rock explosives. Setting them in an elevator, Jenny said she'd remain behind to make sure they went off, and for the others to go (unknown to her that Atom would set off the explosives remotely). River stubbornly mentioned she wasn't leaving her, and dared her to start cutting, which Jenny did before bolting off with the rest of them. River met back up with the rest of the group in the back parking lot, jumping into the Beta Ray before Atom took off down the road. He set off the explosives when getting out of its range.

While resting on the road back to New Wells, River attempted to comfort Addie after she realized they'd left Gregg back in New Wells. When they get back to town, and meet with Victor the next morning, River gave Victor the data she'd found at Marcus's base. She helped in the town's preparations for combating Marcus's threat.

One night during the preparations, River approached Addie and Gregg during a conversation. The discussion eventually turned to future plans, and for the first time, River told Addie about her experience in Denver, and her relationship with her mother. She also admitted she wanted to find her father, to know what really happened to him when he 'went missing'. The only clue she had was when she'd returned to her home in Utah, burned to the ground, only the fireproof safe they kept their guns in intact. It was a letter written in a mix of Mandarin and English, and she hadn't found someone to translate it yet. Addie proposed they could see if Jenny could translate, then voiced her curiosity as to why River would tell her now, after years of knowing each other. River admitted she was more confident Addie would continue to survive, and she knew the lack of information had been bothering her. The two traded friendly jabs before Addie asked River to come with the group to Junkyard, which River accepted.

On Sunday, March 18th, River woke the group with screams from her night terrors. It took Addie a full minute to shake her awake, tears in her eyes. She chose not to disclose the subject of her nightmares, but accepted Addie's offer of a hug. As the rest of the team arrived to assure no one was in danger, Jenny commented to Addie it'd be a good idea to put River through her syker therapy like Atom had had.

#### Confronting Marcus and Aftermath

That day, Victor gets a call on his radio from a member of the convoy, being attacked by bikers and needing assistance. Despite Jenny's misgivings, the group went to aid them. River caught a ride with Atom and Gregg in their vehicle, and took shots at the hostile bikers they came across. Once the battle is over, and with Jenny's suspicions on the contents of the truck's trailer, the group leads the driver to stop a ways outside New Wells. Addie and River positioned themselves on either side of the truck, and Jenny disguised herself as River through magic before opening up the back. Before she can completely reveal what was inside, the doors were shoved open as Marcus Bloom and four of his undead minions leaped out.

Not long into the combat, Marcus focused on 'River' (Jenny), and looking at her with malice in his eyes, brought down his ax in a lightning strike that split her in half. Seeing 'herself' get cut down put River in a stunned state, not acting for the short duration of the fight as Addie rushed the Anti-Templar and cut him down. After a short time of grieving on the road, River had to convince Addie to head back to town.

The morning after, Addie awoke with night terrors which River comforted her from. Addie confided that she felt guilty for Jenny's death, mentioning Marcus was Templar business, and shouldn't have been involved. She hints at a fear that had come out of it, that it could have been River in her place. River admits it easily could have been. As Addie calms down and the two ready up to meet up the rest of the group, Addie promised River she wouldn't let that happen to her.

A short few days later, Atom invited everyone in the party plus Victor to a gumbo dinner he had made. River arrived with the rest, partaking in the meal and the company. During cleanup, Addie walked out of the kitchen, slightly off, and as she left, hinted to River she wanted to talk. River followed her out without hesitation, settling on Addie's bike as she busied herself with cleaning it. The two briefly spoke about Jenny, bringing Addie to ask how River's doing. She admitted she didn't like people dying for her, Jenny included, and it reminded her of her escaping Denver. At Addie's remark of the hurt being worth it, River agreed, and appeared frustrated before facing Addie and telling her she couldn't take the tension they had around each other anymore. She admitted her feelings for Addie on the spot, which Addie responded to by bursting out into laughter.

When Addie got a hold of herself, she reassured River the response was out of joy and relief, and admitted her own feelings in turn. She also admitted to feeling like that for over 5 years, with River confessing she'd felt the same since Addie had been knighted. Addie assured River she was fine with their more open status in a relationship. After asking about a few of her curiosities, Addie asked if they could kiss, which greatly flustered River. Taking a step back, Addie asked River to settle down beside her, and offered her hand, which she immediately took. The two fell asleep together by Addie's motorcycle.

### Arc 6: Hell Riders

Both due to their new relationship and Addie's stress relating to Jenny's death, both spent the next few days after dinner joined at the hip. On April 11th, River and Addie were resting beneath a tree in New Wells when Addie got a feeling that caused her to look for Gregg. River followed close behind, the both of them running into Warner Page, who offered The NW6 a job.

River gathered up with the rest of the group as Warner briefed them on the Hell Riders situation.

The next day, she attended the group's meeting at Victor's to plan for their mission, listening from outside the house. After the planning was over, Addie met up with River on her way out, jokingly asking if fighting a demon cult and freeing slaves counted as a first date. River humoredly replied that qualified in the apocalypse.

River drove Choc's tank on the way to Aden, while Choc went into the net. She arrived with the rest of the group in the seemingly abandoned town, investigating the ruins for clues pointing toward the Hell Riders' location. She narrowly missed the fight with Red Eye, disappointed she didn't get in on the combat. After Toussaint recovered the demon hunter Derek Holmes's journal and read through it, he handed it off to River to dig for any more useful information on Atheron and the demon's servants.

River traveled with the rest of the group to Burney to face off with the Hell Riders. After Red and Toussaint were able to lead the Hell Riders' captives safely outside of the gang's base, River was tasked, along with Mac, to take the civilians away from Burney and protect them. She begrudgingly agreed and led them off, though not before pulling Addie into their first kiss.

River reunited with the group after the bombing of Burney and Atheron's defeat. Marly and Caleb King arrived with her, and were reunited with their mother. At Addie's request, she healed one of Atheron's tortured captives within the Temple. With the job done, River returned with the rest of the NW6 back to New Wells, freed captives in tow.

During the group's downtime in the town, Choc upgraded River's metal arm by attaching an expandable shield to the limb. She also requested Atom read a letter left in the burned remains of her home, written in Chinese script. It turned out to be a bill for River's father, Richard Mortem, of a few thousand dollars in gambling debt. Her, Addie, and Atom decided Junkyard would be a good next step in her search for Richard, with the amount of people the city attracts.

Shortly before leaving New Wells, River confirmed with Addie she'd stay with her group as long as she wanted her there.

### Arc 7: Tracking Liberty

#### Following Leads

On April 18th, River left with the rest of the NW6 on their trip to Junkyard. Close to the Utah border, the group came across a gang roadblock, the men demanding money for the vehicles to pass. Addie, Bandage, Choc, and Atom argued about getting into a fight with the gang, but before conflict could break out, a Doombringer arrives with Trogs to drag Atom back to Silas. Atom convinced the bikers to fire on the Doomsayer and his minions, turning the fight's tide in the NW6's favor. The NW6 got out unscathed, and after a long day's travel, eventually made it to Junkyard.

The group entered the outer limit of the city, and made their way to the Rusty Nail bar on a tip given to Atom. During Atom's questioning of Bran to find Liberty, he also asked the man if he'd seen River's father, showing him a picture. Bran gives an evasive answer, but one of his people mentions seeing the man, he'd been with a group of people that set up a mechanic's shop in town. Sven's armory was suggested as a good start.

River stepped in to question Bran herself, and was immediately flanked by Bran's people. Addie stepped between them, but Bran waved them off. One of Bran's people told River that Richard was known for fighting in the pits, in one-on-one deals. None seemed to have any more details than that, and River frustratingly headed off to the bar, grabbing some food. River vented about her frustration to Addie, knowing her father that skipped out on her and her mom had been around Junkyard for years.

Early in the morning of the next day, Toussaint talks and bribed the group through the city's main gates. In Addie's search for finding a decent armorer, the group was led to Sven's armory. After an unsteady introduction, Sven tells River he knew Richard, and that he owed him for his last order. Sven directed Addie to a man named H3x, who was more suited to take on her armor request. Sven's apparent assistant, Cassidy Conrad, agreed to lead Addie, River, and Gregg to H3x's shop.

Cassidy led them to H3x's Hacks, where the group was met with H3x's security system: Codsworth. The robot recognizes Addie and River as Templars, and, under Cassidy's request, allows them inside. They entered into H3x's shop, finding the man working on a car. The man greeted them, freezing when he laid his eyes on River. He asked if River is River Mortem, to which River uncomfortably confirmed the fact. H3x loosened up, mentioning he's seen her baby pictures a lot. He introduced himself to her as Xavier, and mentioned he knew her father. River rejected the greeting, saying she wasn't doing this now, and told H3x her girlfriend was here to get armor. H3x took the hint and returned to business, helping Addie plan out her new armor.

While H3x worked on armor designs, Addie got him to open up about Richard, which River listened in on. H3x told Addie that Richard had stolen from their group, something important and dangerous. He described Richard as a straight shooter who talked a lot about wanting to see his daughter and wife again. He gave his all to help their clients, wasn't the type to lie, but was always a bit off. One night while they were drinking, Richard had admitted he was a cold-blooded murderer: he'd violently killed a man he thought his wife was cheating on him with, stabbed him 37 times in the chest unprovoked, and his suspicions weren't even true. Whatever Dick did, H3x believed he really did care for his daughter and wife.

During the conversation, H3x slipped up and mentioned Dick had possession of an artifact. It was only after Gregg's offer to pet her cat and trade her boomerang that H3x cracked and mentioned his group had a heavy hitter as a client who sought out relics: a puzzle box called the Abyssal Maw that contained the soul of a powerful demon. Dick had taken it away from the group after they found it and ran off.

River chose to speak up, mentioning it was easy for her to imagine him selfishly running off with the loot. H3x told her that wasn't the whole picture of her father, that he'd saved kids from a serial killer and done a lot of other good. River questioned then why he ran off on his family, leaving them with his debts, and what kind of hero kills people in cold blood. H3x mulled her words over a moment before telling her if he'd learned anything since the world went to hell it was that people weren't perfect, and Dick seemed to be trying to get better. River didn't reply, instead choosing to walk out, Addie following close behind.

While Gregg stayed behind with H3x, Addie stuck by River's side as they spent their time in the city streets. Later that evening, they headed back to the Yard Arms hotel for the night. Addie questioned River about how she felt about what H3x had told them, and River responded she was pissed, at her mom for not telling her the truth, and her dad for everything else. She looked forward to giving him a few good well-deserved ass kickings.

Gregg returned from H3x's garage, asking if she could stay with the two, and was quickly accepted in. River and Gregg dug into the teenager's weed stash while Addie drifted off to sleep. Later that night, after Addie awoke from a nightmare, Atom returned from a trip to Junkyard's food scene, dinner in tow. River dug into the feast while Addie spoke with Atom about what he'd been dealing with in Junkyard. Addie, with River's permission, offered Atom their room to stay in for the night, which he gratefully accepted.

Later the next morning, the group met up at H3x's garage to discuss the intel Atom had received from Bran. Most of the group headed off to find Atom's Doomsayer ally, Liberty, while Bandage, Toussaint, and Gregg investigated Richard Mortem's trail in the city.

#### Curie

The Curie group found themselves caught in a snowstorm, on icy roads the closer they got to the small town. Atom's car spun out on the ice, and River had to pry him out of the vehicle. Atom straightened himself and his car out, and the group headed deeper in. As the group neared the entrance to the town, Atom peeled off to scout the outskirts. Addie, Choc, and River made their way into the town's center. Along with Choc, River noticed corpses hung up around the vacated buildings in town.

The group followed what appeared to be tire tracks and drag marks leading to a run down elementary school building. They entered from a break in the wall, allowing snow to pile into the cluttered gym. As the group investigated prints in the snow, River mentioned to Addie she had a bad feeling, a sense from her Templar ability, that something bad would happen soon. Addie responded if something bad would happen, it'd be likely to be in this place, and proceeded to enter the locker room and got ambushed by a small, gremlin like creature.

One lept at Addie's throat, whose damage she narrowly negated, and another lunged at her back. River shot the second mid-leap, killing it. More of the creatures appeared from the shadows, and River rushed in to help Addie take them out. Choc threw a flash grenade into the fray, stunning Addie but leaving the creatures only minorly disoriented. River finished off the creatures in quick succession soon after, and ended the combat.

While Addie and Choc argued on the gym floor, River proceeded into the locker room showers, and found a woman tied in chains hanging from the ceiling. It took some time to get her free and calm her down, after which case she identified herself as Liberty Jones, the Doomsayer Atom had set out to find. She told the three she'd come to Curie after hearing of disappearances in the ghost town, and encountered those gremlin creatures: phages, or hobbs. She was chained up by the hobb's master, a witch. Bran's son Samuel had come to find her and gotten knocked out by the creatures, and dragged off.

After hearing Liberty's story, the group went out in the storm to find a better place for Liberty to rest, and later met up with their companions en route from Junkyard in an abandoned McDonald's. With Atom's help, Liberty is healed from her injuries, and tells the group about Samuel and his family: they're werewolves, and rescuing Samuel may include some obstacles if he's shifted. She briefs the group on werewolves and what they should expect before following them back into the school to find him. After a brief encounter with hobbs outside, the group made their way to the school's underground pool and confronted a cannibalistic witch who'd taken some bites out of Samuel.

The NW6 got in a brief scuffle with the witch before capturing her, taking out her minions, and calming down Samuel in his hybrid form. With Liberty and Samuel found and healed, the group returned to Junkyard with a warm welcome by Bran and his gang.

### Arc 8: Redwater

#### In Junkyard

After Curie, River grew more wary of Toussaint, pointing out he didn't exhibit the normal sighs of being alive. She grew more tense and uneasy around him, as if always ready for a fight.

On April 28th, River met up with Addie while she helped watch their witch captive, Tessa. Addie questioned why she looked troubled, and River pulled out a wanted poster she'd found while looking for bounties in the Law Dog headquarters. It read: 'Anne Mortem, Combine redhat, wanted for murder, crimes against humanity, and questioning.' The image showed the same woman who'd attacked New Wells. Realizing the relation, Addie asked River how she wanted to handle it. River responded she didn't want to hunt down her mom and have to kill her, but the world didn't work like that. It had to be her, she had to take care of it. Addie reassured her she'd be with her when the confrontation came. River mentioned she'd looked for her before, but couldn't get a good trace on her, to which Addie mentioned Toussaint had backdoor methods they could try. River shuddered, saying she knew Toussaint was dead, didn't know how he looked as well put together as he did. Addie acknowledged her concern, mentioning however that he'd helped them so far. River agreed to the point, though warily, and followed Addie back to the rest of the group.

Atom and Liberty met up with their companions soon after, telling the rest they'd made contact with Joan, the leader of the Doomsayers. She'd directed them toward a job posting for a delivery, something to look into, but he and Liberty had other work to do for her, and therefore asked the rest of the NW6 to look into the job. The group agreed, and River followed along with Addie and Toussaint directly to the job poster's residence: Doc Simpson's clinic. There the trio came across Combine soldiers guarding the building's entrances. River took out one of the guard, allowing her and Addie to sneak through the back while Toussaint broke in through the front window. They found Doc Simpson being brutally interrogated by the soldiers, and quickly put an end to the threat. After receiving the package from Doc Simpson and meeting up with Gregg and Choc, the NW6 set out to follow the Combine's trail to the town of Redwater.

#### Reunion with Noni and Dick

When the group made their way into the seemingly empty town about four hours later, they were met with two familiar faces: Mac, their ally from Dugway, and Noni, River's other girlfriend. After Noni briefed the crew on the town's situation, River piped up from the back, mentioning she knew Noni had already combed the town over. The two embraced, reunited for the first time in months.

With Noni's help, the group set a path through Redwater's maelstrom to the Redwater army base. While Toussaint scouted ahead, Addie, River, Choc, Gregg, and Tony headed out to the maelstrom's edge. Addie told River she could stay behind if she wanted, to which River replied she wasn't going to let Addie get torn apart in the ghost rock storm. As they started to head in, however, River hesitated, mentioning she should've learned environmental protection. Questioned by Addie again, she relented, and went back to meet with Noni and Mac.

Some short time later, River received a message on her palmcorder from Addie: "Your dad's here." Her goal close at hand, she and Noni headed through the maelstrom, both of them taking a few wounds and a bit of exhaustion as they made their way through. The two arrived at the Redwater base just before the Combine's backup, stumbling in as Addie was blocking the door. Addie fussed over River's wounds, healing them with her magic, and asked Gregg to heal Noni.

As soon as Dick Mortem, River's father, laid eyes on her, his demeanor changed. He perked up, appeared more happy, and as he went to hug his long lost daughter, was greeted with a metal fist to the face. He fell to the ground, admitting he deserved it. River, seething, told him she'd rip him a new one the moment they're out of a firefight. With the Combine closing in, the group headed into a large elevator to take them down far below the base's ground floor.

During the ride, the group was attacked by cloaked Combine soldiers. After dispatching them, they land on the lowest floor of the base, and, with Toussaint's help, enter the opened, massive safe-like door to find a room with a warhead. Within the nuke, Dick pulled out a small bell, what he claimed was a relic called the Bell of Saint Michael.

While the group waited and discussed their next move, River confronted her father about abandoning her and her mom. She told him her mom had told her that he simply left. Dick admits what he told H3x was true: he'd murdered a man that didn't deserve it, and went to prison. He'd gotten into debts, drifted apart from Anne, and got very paranoid, and made mistakes. He admitted he was a shitty person, probably worse than she thought, and he did steal the Abyssal Maw from his allies. River admitted her mom never told her about any of their issues, and Dick said their family wasn't normal. He told her he could leave after this, drop the Bell in someone else's hands, try and be a family again. After a tense moment of deliberation, River hugged him.

Addie waited nearby, watching their conversation, and Dick questioned her relation to his daughter. Addie admitted she was River's girlfriend, which Dick replied to with confusion, unaware River was gay. Addie cracked up while River was left somewhat taken aback, and embarrassed.

Addie then took River aside, Noni following close. Noni mentioned River hadn't said anything about dating Addie, and Addie teasingly questioned why she hadn't thought to bring it up. River blushed in embarrassment before lightly punching Addie for laughing. Addie then questioned River if she was ready to face her mom if she was leading the assault. River replied she'd take care of it, and her girlfriends reassured her they'd have her back.

The group set the ghost rock bomb in the back of a truck, made their way up the elevator that lead to the parking lot, and with the help of Team Pancakes, fought their way out of the Combine backup. With the Redwater refugees in tow, the group made it back into town proper, finding a moment to breath. With River's support, Addie convinced the group the Bell would be safest with the Templars and Simon in Boise.

While the party took some time to recover after the night's encounter, River and Noni spent their short respite in each other's company. Noni prodded River to talk to her father, to ask the questions she'd been carrying with her for years. River reluctantly considered it. They were interrupted by the sound of Gregg confronting Dick and threatening to kill him, which spurred the two women to bolt to the scene. Noni shot the sword from Gregg's hand, while River tackled her father to the ground and pinned him.

After the confusion was sorted out, and Gregg ran off with Addie and Atom, River helped her father to his feet. River brought up her mother, saying she couldn't be the one to deal with the problem alone. Dick admitted he had a role in her mother becoming Bloody Anne, and didn't want River to face the responsibility of taking out her mother. River asked if he was going to return the Maw to his team, to which Dick replied it was part of him now, and he couldn't remove it without killing himself. River catches sight of his ruined face, and worriedly questioned what had happened to him. He told her he'd woken up with the scars after his first possession from the Maw's inhabitant. River reluctantly let him head back to his former team to discuss their circumstances, and went to meet with her own at the Redwater motel.

On the road back to Junkyard, the NW6 got into a fight with a raider gang. Gregg's car was destroyed, and River decapitated the leader: a Templar trainee reject who apparently scrounged up a gang.

Once both teams had made it back to Junkyard, team Pancakes asked the NW6 in for a meeting. The groups met in H3x's garage, River following close behind Addie. While most of them discussed Hellstromme, Addie, Atom, and Choc heavily suspicious of Pancake's patron, Dick gave River a brief on his companions. After a prolonged meeting, River dragged Addie out to get some lunch.

River and Noni sat in with the rest of the NW6 for a group meeting to discuss what they'd learned about Hellstromme.

### Arc 9: The Goat, The Witch, and The Warden

#### The Road Back to Boise

The group spent another week in Junkyard after the events of Redwater. For reasons unbeknownst to River, Addie had been more anxious than usual, deflecting if questioned about it. River responded by sticking by her side wherever she went, being more attentive. The two had taken time to visit with River's father in his Junkyard apartment during their downtime.

River stuck near Addie on May 5th, as the group prepared to leave Junkyard and head to Boise. The NW6 said their temporary goodbyes to Dick, Mac, and Noni, as the three headed off on their own. Dick took the time to tell Addie that as far as he was concerned, she was a Mortem, and don't get herself killed playing hero. He and River shared a hug before he headed off with the others.

River rode in Choc's modified SUV as the group headed out on the road toward Boise. A ways on their journey down the interstate, a car started to follow the group. After some time, Toussaint shifted into a flock of ravens and lagged back to get an eye on the tail. The car eventually got off on an exit, and Toussaint followed. The car eventually returned with five others, gaining on the NW6 and engaging them in combat.

About midway through the fight, Addie caught sight of the symbol on the vehicles, marking the attacking gang as the Wrecking Crew. Addie's postured changed, and her attacks from her motorcycle became slightly more reckless. River took notice of her reaction, and drew her own conclusion, having to work to keep herself calm as well. River covered Addie with her gun, taking shots at the men who'd hit Addie with a few bullets. The group soon finished the fight with little more challenge, most of their enemies having careened off the roadside or taken out.

Addie made her way back to one of the few survivors, uncharacteristically and violently interrogating him on the location of the Warden. After the man spilled the details he had on the Wrecking Crew's hideout, Addie slammed her sword to his throat, decapitating him swiftly and bloodily. Addie stood, shaking, and River immediately went to her side. Worried at Addie's change in behavior and her mental state, River chose to ride the rest of the way to Boise on Addie's bike, reminding her not to lose her values in her search for her dad, and that she would help her put an end to him.

#### Group Stresses

At around 3:30 am on May 6th, the group entered Boise. The group set up near the Temple while Addie and River went to meet Simon. They found him sitting inside the building, in casual clothes, holding his sword. River asked him why no one's been cleaning up the roads around Boise, and Simon responded they didn't have enough people around to carry out the task. Simon quickly got to business, asking River if what she'd been accused of was true: murders of multiple people in a caravan in Farmington. River told him she was possessed, and Addie quickly confirmed that she'd confirmed her story. Simon mentioned he didn't want to have a public trial, as things around Boise were tense. Addie told him it wouldn't be necessary, that he knew River, knew she wouldn't do something like that. Simon agreed, saying neither were anything like Julia or Brad, and he trusted them both.

Simon noted Addie's appearance, blood covering her face and clothes. He prodded for the reason behind it, mentioning she was usually more careful. Addie admitted she was on edge with her father in the area. Simon gave them some of the details he knew, on the Wrecking Crew's current presence around the roads of Boise, and said the rest could be spoken of after a night of sleep. After telling Simon about the deaths of a few Templars on the part of Marcus Bloom, and revealing Saint Micheal's Bell, Addie and River headed off to set up their tent and get some sleep.

Later, in the dead of night, River awoke to Addie yelling at Gregg about her insistence to go after her mom's killer alone. River comforted Addie, and told Gregg she should at least have a backup plan in case things go south. She asked why Gregg was pushing to go on an apparent suicide mission, and Gregg responded by saying she wanted to kill her target now, and if she died, she at least was doing what she wanted. Addie snapped that Gregg could do what she wanted, and accused her of not caring about the rest of the group, telling to to think about not coming back if she survived. Gregg admitted she'd lied when she'd told Addie and Atom she didn't love them, and told her she wouldn't come back if that's what Addie wanted before riding off on her hoverboard. Addie, frustrated, went over to her motorcycle to ride out of Boise. River stood shocked at the interaction between the two before snapping out of it and jumping on Addie's bike with her, telling her to drive and clear her head.

Addie drove the two on the roads outside Boise for a while, calming herself. Addie confided in River that she was wrestling with trying to protect Gregg while honoring her independence, and her own guilt at not finishing her own quest for revenge on her mother's behalf. River reminded her she couldn't change the past, she could only choose what she did next. And she should follow her own advice not to get too reckless. River pushed Addie to follow on her own conscious with Gregg, and make amends. She accepted the data slug from Addie's palmcorder before reminding her she'd better return. The two shared a warm goodbye before Addie set off on her own to find Gregg, Atom searching the opposite direction.

Addie returned in the early morning with Gregg, and left her in her and River's tent with Tony. River and Addie made their way to the Temple as Simon continued on with morning court, listening to the aid requests of travelers. After the petitioners had dispersed, Simon met with the two women. He told them there had been a lot of gang movement through Idaho recently, and hesitated to make a full assault against the Wrecking Crew before knowing Matthew Greene's location. In taking care of personal business before Atom's arrival on the conversation, River revealed to Simon that she and Addie had begun dating, and he gave them his congratulations. Addie was introducing Atom to Simon as Gregg stepped in, and the two made amends. Addie introduced Gregg to Simon.

Three days later, on May 9th, River was stocking up on ammo, candy, and sword oil in the Boise bazaar when she was approached by Addie, a grim expression on her face. She told River that Brad Modeen had sent a message, a challenge to Simon, and Simon had told her to take him on. She also mentioned Simon had wanted River to stay in Boise and defend it, which River pushed back on before reluctantly agreeing. River escorted Addie and the rest of the group to the edge of Boise before they set off.

About a day later, River received a message from Toussaint that he needed to meet with her urgently. The two met with slight hostility before Toussaint asked River to use her Templar powers to burn him. She resisted at first, but followed through, and used her innate Templar magic to summon burning flames over the vampire's arm. Toussaint, satisfied her magic was legitimate in its source, revealed to River that he believed the Templar organization was modeled after an evil holy order for a reason: an ancient and powerful demon, Baphomet, was possessing Simon, and pushing all Templars to fall into corruption. He recognized the demon despite its disguise, and urged River not to take him on alone. Though Simon might not know, he was following the words of the demon, and had to be taken out. The two agreed to assassinate the Grandmaster, and keep it silent from Addie, lest she try to intervene.

Later on May 11th, Boise was attacked by a mix of Wrecking Crew and Combine soldiers, as well as their weaponized walking dead. Simon, Vickers, and River, along with the recently arrived Dick, Noni, and Mac, pushed back against the assault. The New Wells Six pulled into the middle of the fray, helping the defenders finish off the opposition. After Addie delivered her report to Simon, and helped clean up the corpses of their enemies, Addie pulled River aside. Showing frustration, Addie hinted she knew about River's deal with Toussaint, and that they needed to talk after they'd settled some more urgent business. River responded with slight irritation, questioning whether she wanted more ammo to throw at her. Addie took the hint to calm herself, and the two agreed to settle it out later.

After Addie spoke with Gregg on taking Dick's research, she took River out on her bike to the roads around Boise. Addie questioned if she really would've lied to her for the rest of their lives, why she didn't trust her. River replied that she would've if that's what it took, that there were bigger enemies out there than the next Brad, or Marcus. Simon was one of those threats, and Addie was more emotionally invested than her. She admitted she didn't feel as close to Simon as Addie did, that time had passed and things had changed, and there was a bigger picture to look at. Addie faced River, told her she appreciated the support she'd given her in her life, but it wasn't for River to decide what she could emotionally handle, and she'd rather have a part to play in something so important to her than be left in the dark. River accepted that, and the two returned to their group to discuss what had happened.

River, Mac, Dick, Addie, Toussaint, Gregg, Noni, and Choc met up in a gas station outside the Boise Maelstrom. Dick gave his account of how he lost the Abyssal Maw: he'd gone under the control of the demon in the box, Orzathal, was taken to a mine, and ran into Cassandra Harley, the powerful witch that apparently led a coven called the Unbroken. She broke his tether with the Maw and stole the artifact from him, hexing him during the struggle. Noni and Mac had to intervene to save him, and found Cassandra had some sort of magic able to seemingly slow time around her. Mac used the aid of a new potential ally, a communications satellite called ComSat, to show a map of where Cassandra's base was located: the mountains of Montana. The group agreed to rest for the night before deciding a course of action in the morning.

River and Addie settled in their tent for the night, discussing the Anti-Templars, how they'd met, Dick and how to take on Cassandra. River mentioned she was wary around Toussaint, and Addie suggested spending the night in Boise, where he wouldn't want to stay. River rejected the idea, saying she didn't want to stay anywhere near Simon, and proposed heading to the Kirkland inn for the night. Addie perked up immediately and agreed, gathering up their supplies and the rest of the group for the trip. River met with Noni to invite her to Sumpter with the rest of them, and learned her father had started dating Mac, much to her surprise.

A few hours later, River, Addie, Mac, Noni, Dick, Gregg, and Tony arrived in Sumpter. River quickly moved to help everyone settle in, picking rooms and distributing mattresses. Before River and Addie could settle in for the night, Noni sent River a message through their mindlink—she'd found something unusual out front, and wanted some backup. The two met up with her near a large oak by the parking lot, and were presented with an oversized crow sitting on one of the lower branches. At the women's arrival, the crow began to speak, saying it was Dick's familiar who was kidnapped by Cassandra three days before, and carried a message: Cassandra wished for an exchange: the deaths of Matthew Greene and Walker, and the destruction of their gangs, in exchange for the Abyssal Maw. The crow offered information on Bloody Anne as a peace offering: she'd been moving around Montana collecting road gangs affiliated with Toxic Shamans and searching through corporate offices and old air force bases. The crow gives its name as Ellis, and mentions Cassandra wished to meet in Rexburg when all the work was done. After gathering what information she could, Addie asked Noni to check for a psychic link between Cassandra and Ellis, and to sever it if it was found. Noni eagerly agreed, and Ellis soon found itself stark still and falling from the branch. River caught the bird before it could hit the ground.

Shortly after, Choc sent what info he'd gained from Bran about Cassandra. Filled with newfound worries after the night's revelations, River, Noni, and Addie checked on Dick before the three of them fell quickly into sleep.

#### A Lying Witch and a Warden

River woke up the next morning with night terrors, and told Addie she'd had a nightmare she'd had before: her mother eating her, tearing her apart. River said she needed a run to clear her head, and Addie and Noni joined her, encountering a recently arrived Red on the way. Having heard the NW6 were taking on the Nomads/Las Vegas MC, he'd decided to join them for one more mission.

After their run, Addie and River prepared to head out to Boise. River admitted she wanted to talk about her mom, but she couldn't do it yet. She told Addie she was there if she wanted to talk about her own family issues, and Addie replied she just didn't like to remember. The two met up with the rest of the group and left for the fallen Templar ceremony in Boise.

After the ceremony, Addie and River pulled Jo aside, outside the main square in a ruined convenience store. River broke the news to Jo flat: Simon was possessed by an ancient demon, and they're probably fucked. Addie lightly chastised her for the delivery, and elaborated: the demon was Baphomet, the creature Jo and Simon had supposedly taken out years ago in Hell's Canyon. Addie told Jo about their plan: get the Abyssal Maw back, and use it to trap Baphomet without killing Simon. Jo in turn told them things were shifting in the background: the schismatics and their leader, Joan, were coming to Boise in secret, and Ike had extended an offer for an alliance between Junkyard, the Templars, the Doomsayers, and a group of Junkers. They were to meet in Junkyard next month. Jo said she'd stick around and keep and eye on Simon and the Bell of Saint Micheal. The three agreed on their roles and went back to the after-party.

As the NW6 met up and prepared to set off to take on Walker and Matthew, Toussaint walked up to River and tossed her a tablet, telling her that only she could open it. Mab, Cassandra's rival, was supposedly allied with the Combine, and had gotten chipped. River's genetics were close enough to Anne's to open the tablet once, and would just need a small amount of blood on the reader. River unlocked the tablet, and Toussaint mentioned that whenever they ran into Mab, they could simply use the device to blow up her chip and put an easy end to her.

After an eight hour trip, the group found their way to Matthew and Walker's base in Moscow, Idaho. While lingering on the outskirts of the town, the group made a plan: Red would act like he was returning to the MC, trying to make amends by gifting a captured Addie as a peace-offering to Matthew and Walker, as well as a decapitated Toussaint. Toussaint's head would be taken away, where, with the help of Red's blood, he'd heal himself back to a full body later and attack from the inside. Mac and Dick would take out the communications, Gregg would move with them to take out enemies, and River and Choc would help free the hostages.

River stayed with Choc outside the inner walls, waiting for the chaos to start. After Choc broke though the wall and started to get the hostages out, River rode up to the main field on Addie's bike, finding Addie bleeding from a wound in her shoulder, holding Anne in a headlock in one arm, Matthew beneath her boot, and a crashed helicopter buried in the grass. She stared at her mother, while her father said he'd wanted to free Anne from her programming, that he didn't believe she really wanted to kill people. Addie dragged Anne to the vehicles, River and Dick following behind, and the group left Moscow to meet Cassandra.

On the way to Rexburg, Anne needled River in an attempt to rile her up, which succeeded. River shot back that Anne had been trying to kill her for four years, and questioned if this is what she really wanted their first conversation since then to be. Anne replied that she never wanted River dead, she wanted her taken alive, and anyone who got in the way of that deserved to be taken out. She told River she wanted her by her side 'when the harvest' began. River adamantly rejected her mother's vision, telling her she'd respond violently if she asked again.

When the group arrived in Rexburg, River helped scout the outskirts of the meeting place, keeping an eye out for any hidden allies of Cassandra. She met up with the others after the meeting, and proceeded to return to Sumpter. As the group neared the town, Addie stopped them, dragging her father out of the tank and taking the coffin Toussaint had delivered off to the side. As she motioned the rest of the group ahead, River remained with her, and followed her as she started to dig the man's grave. Once she was finished, Addie interrogated Matthew to no avail, receiving his taunts with increasing frustration. Addie soon had enough and shoved him into the coffin, pushing it into the hole, and burying him alive. River watched with satisfaction before Addie broke down, the weight of everything that had happened to then coming down on her. River rushed to comfort her, and after a brief outburst at ComSat and their spying on Addie's part, Addie settled the two of them in their tent and admitted her guilt in a Combine attack on a town called Merton. She confessed she'd nearly let herself die, and she hadn't felt okay in a while. River waited with her while she vented her suppressed emotions, while Matthew's struggling slowly came to an end. River assured Addie she never regretted training her, and everyone trying to clean up the wastes carried their own baggage. The two later returned to Sumpter late at night.

After returning to Sumpter, Addie brought Anne out in front of River to finish her off. River found she couldn't pull the trigger, and Addie, seeing her confliction, had Noni poke around in Anne's head. Knowing Anne's remaining feelings for her daughter, Addie proposed Anne stay at the inn, and undergo extensive syker therapy in an attempt to reform her. River agreed.

The day after Noni returned to the inn, Addie was added to her and River's mindlink.

Over time, River visited Anne with little progress made in their relationship. She threatened to tape Anne's jaw shut if she tried to bite anyone again, which effectively halted her hostile resistance.

### Arc 10: The Summit

#### After Baphomet

On June 6th, the day after imprisoning Baphomet, Addie called a meeting with River, Jo, and Simon, where they debriefed on what had happened with the demon, plans for the Summit, and Hellstromme. River asked if Hellstromme would know about the Summit, to which Addie replied he likely would. River agreed to be on Simon's security detail for the Summit.

#### Anne's Memories

In the time between the meeting and the Summit, River slowly made slight progress in connecting with her mother, enough that they could have short conversations. A few days before the Summit, River sat with her mom in the front lot of the Kirkland inn. The two spoke about memories from River's childhood, what Anne could recall, and River invited Addie to see one of them. Noni connected them all mentally, and Anne ran through a specific memory: a scene in a cornfield, a younger Dick driving a tractor through to a barn. He rode it into the barn's open entrance, the inside circled by stalls for pigs. He had found a six year old River there, stuck up on the second floor, the ladder fallen on the ground. He called to her, telling her to jump down, that he'd catch her. Hesitant at first, River stepped back, and took off a bit too forcefully. She knocked Dick off the tractor, and both of them fell into the 'mud'. The scene of the memory fades.

River said she'd gone up there trying to talk to a raven, asking it to leave their corn alone. She asked Anne where she was one that memory happened, and Anne seemed confused. She muttered she couldn't remember, over and over again. Noni entered Anne's mind again, and found that Throckmorton had rewritten some of her memories, personally edited them with her AI fine tuning them. A lot of memories had her edited out, but the imprint remained. There may be ways to mitigate the damage, but fixing it would be incredibly difficult.

Addie asked River how she was holding up. River told her she was happy her parents were alive, but dealing with all the fallout was so damn hard. She told Addie having her there made it suck less, and they'd be each others' rocks.

#### Leading up to the Summit

On June 24th, River went with the rest of the NW6 to escort Simon and Jo to Junkyard for the Summit. They made their way to the city with few troubles, besides an odd tail of strangely near-factory new vehicles they later shook. The group got into the city and took up residence in the Yard Arms hotel.

That night, all of them sat down for dinner in the hotel's restaurant. River brought up the issue of security. She suggested clearing out about three city blocks, clearing out the residents a few hours before the meeting, doing sweeps, planting claymores, and whatever other precautions they needed. Addie asked if that was necessary to jump to, mentioning Ike probably would have done something for security. River questioned if Addie would really trust Ike with protecting the delegates. She replied she sure as hell didn't, but turning the meeting into a warzone would just attract more attention. River ceded the point and dug into her dinner.

River stuck close to Simon and Jo as the group investigated the mysterious spy. While they searched the third floor, Addie asked River to let Horado in from the emergency escape he'd taken. As she went to open the door, she spotted what looked like hastily thrown together paint and plaster—explosives planted around the frame. Jo volunteered to disarm it, despite Addie's concern. Just as Jo disabled the explosives, Addie noticed one of the doors in the hall opening, and yells for everyone to get down. River, Jo, and Simon drop as bullet holes appeared just above them.

As soon as Addie, Horado, and Horado cleared the mercenaries that had ambushed them, River through Jo and Simon in with them, doing a sweep of the rest of the floor before announcing it clear. As the group discretely headed out to interrogate their captives, Addie had River scout their path ahead, clearing it for her. River followed close and kept guard while the group went to Toussaint's office and interrogated the living mercs who'd participated in the ambush.

River went with Addie, Toussaint, and Horado to take out one of the mercenary teams targeting the Summit. They followed Toussaint's lead to an apartment building a few blocks down: Cawville Heights. River helped sweep the lower floors as Addie and Horado ran into a couple mercs and a flaming undead above. She met up with them in time to stop one of the fleeing mercs cold on the stairs, her gun pointed in his face. She took him and helped clear the building of its residents as the fire from the undead spread through the building.

#### The Summit

Once the merc group's plan was foiled and the summit was relocated to the Pit, River took up her position in the Templars' section. While the delegates were getting into position, River took it upon herself to snap a few pictures, mentioning history should be documented. She started recording the meeting on her palmcorder as it began, along with Addie.

While Addie, Gregg, Heru, Choc, and Ian went into the underground to find Team Pancakes and the Library delegation, River remained with Simon and Jo, keeping guard and watching over the negotiations.

Later, the group had resurfaced and informed the summit of their adventure. After the meeting was over, and before the group left Junkyard, River went to Ian. She offered him a deal: help guard Sumpter, and he'd get help with his own personal goals. Ian agreed, and she took him back to the town.

### Arc 11: Damocles

In the aftermath of the Summit, Addie spent a couple weeks in the underground looking for Gregg, with River occasionally helping her search. When the group finally returned to Sumpter, River dove into research on the Blessed, helping Addie to figure out if Templars could channel similar powers. River had also headed out to Junkyard and offered a deal to Ian McManus: help guard Sumpter, and they'd help him in turn. He agreed, and returned with her back to Oregon.

On July 25th, the Damocles soldier Murphy made his way into Sumpter and was captured in one of Noni's net traps. Alerted by a siren, River and the rest of the group confronted the intruder. After an interrogation to determine his origins, the group agreed to follow up on Choc's lead from the Union and use Murphy's knowledge to search a Damocles bunker.

River chose to remain in Sumpter. Addie, fearing for her mother's safety, asked River and Noni's opinions on giving Anne a weapon. Noni mentioned she was fine with the idea, but River was adamantly against it. After a bit of prodding, River reluctantly relents, and resists talking with Addie further on the issue. Noni handed off one of her guns to Anne, with Anne promising Addie to keep Jennifer safe.

Upon returning from the Damocles bunker, Addie apologized to River for arming her mother and touching on bad memories. Addie promised to be more attentive to River's feelings on her mother and her progress.

### Arc 12: Tiger Claw

After Simon's call to all Templars to return to Boise for training, Addie and River had spent the past few weeks running in drills alongside fellow veteran Templars and new Vanguard recruits. On August 16th, Ian approached Addie with information he'd found on one of his targets: he was in Mountain View, California, and involved with a group called the Sea Dogs. River suggested asking Jo about the group because of her previous experience. They found out that the 'Sea Dogs' were a scattered pirate group operating under one name but made up of squabbling factions. They'd gotten access to heavy firepower from a national guard armory, and there was word they were operating out of an old oil refinery.

River chose to stay back in Boise and return to Sumpter with her mom while the rest of the group set off to Mountain View.

The NW6 returned to Sumpter two days later, on August 18th, and Addie pulled River aside to go on a walk with her. She took her to the place the two of them had first met, eight years earlier. After reminding River how much she meant to her, Addie pulled out a ring she'd commissioned from Victor and proposed. River quickly accepted, and the two became engaged.

### Arc 13: The Denver Swarm

#### In Sumpter

On September 1st, River and Mac were returning from an outing when they spotted a vehicle at the side of the road. They get out to find a man with a wooden mask over his face fiddling around under the hood. Mac greets him, offering help. River stepped out of the car, saying they weren't there to kill them, they could help, and that they live around here and aren't a fan of visitors. Mac told her to stop being an ass; these people clearly needed help. He proceeded to take a look at Anya's van.

River asked Anya where he was going, and he told her he was just driving past the area. She asked if intended to go to Junkyard. Anya seemed confused, and asked Anaazi, his companion, if they were going to Junkyard. They mentioned all the motels were in Junkyard, and they wanted to go to one of those. River told him she and her wife didn't think much of Junkyard, but they had baller food. Mac then walks back around, saying he got the car at least partially functional, but would need further repairs. He offered to fix it up in his shop in town for a tube of toothpaste. Anya agreed, and Mac introduced himself, and River, who looked nonplussed about it. She and Mac towed Anya and Anaazi along with their vehicle back to town.

Not long after arriving, she, Mac, and their newcomers were pulled into a meeting. Addie asked River where she'd been, and River admitted she'd been trying to find a present for Addie. Addie replied she doesn't want a present, doesn't need one, and River replied she doesn't care she's finding one anyone. Choc interrupted to mention the project he'd been working on for her would be done in three days. Addie questioned what he meant, and River called him an asshole. She redirected Addie from the topic, introducing Anya and Anaazi.

Addie continues with business, telling the group that Simon had come to see her and told her trouble was brewing in Denver, and Vickers needed help. River asked if her mom is going, and reluctantly, Addie said she's the logical choice. She tells River she'll be with her, won't be left alone with Anne. Ian continued the brief, declaring two of his targets were in Denver, and they were embedded as double agents in the Resistance.

#### Finding Vickers

River rode with Addie on the way to Denver, the group making their way a ways into the ruins toward the old Agency building. After dealing with some undead outside, the group heard screaming coming from within. Addie cast protection on her and River before bolting inside, River not far behind. Not far inside, the group finds themselves assailed by strange insects that seem to turn the air around them toxic in some way. Addie cast environmental protection on herself, Levy, Na-way, and River, while they attempted to deal with the swarm. After a few patches are crushed, a voice sounds out from an unknown origin, telling the 'children' to 'meet our guests, show them our way'. The insects turned to something akin to ash, and reformed into a humanoid shape shifting with the carapaces of hundreds of bugs.

One large bug creature grabbed River, using her as a battering ram to break through two walls. Addie used her magic to take the damage, and went after the both of them. Addie was able to grab its attention, shrug off its attempt to suplex her, and tripped it into a hole in the ground. River quickly recovered and slashed through another, downing it. An opening made for her, River told Addie she was going to find Vickers, and went to follow the sense of his presence he'd given them. She found Vickers down the hall, appearing around 20 years older than their last encounter, a wound on his neck gushing blood. River immediately put pressure on the wound, utilizing her Lay on Hands to try and close it. She slowed the flow, but couldn't close it completely. She called to Addie through their mindlink, telling her she needed help. Addie bolted to the two of them not long after, healing the wound in his neck with ease.

After their encounters in the Agency building, River helped them set up a temporary camp outside. There, she practiced the litany Vickers had found with Addie, in the hopes of combating their new enemy: the Swarm.

#### Fighting the Swarm

On the group's trip to the Saint Vrain nuclear plant, they came across a massive glom, and a group of Roboknights attempting to subdue it. River mentioned the faction had helped her escape Denver years ago. After Na-way dealt the final blow to the glom, grabbing the center skull and ripping it from the creature, River asked him to toss it to her. He obliged, and River sliced it midair, the skull turning into goo and falling to the ground.

When the NW6, not long after, returned to the Agency building, they found their way into the basement and the cryogenic freezing room: the former prison of the mist fiend they were hunting. Latin runes lined the walls, and River used her knowledge of the language to read them out to the others. She told them they were symbols of protection, mean to reveal if an undead, a harrowed, entered, and also to ward off evil. However, it seems to have been tainted in some way, made weaker, perhaps its power diverted elsewhere and manipulated by someone who really knew what they were doing.

Following a tunnel from the basement, they found themselves in a hospital, one that was where cyborgs were made and given their 'reeducation'. River followed Addie and following a blood trail that led to a fellow Templar, one that was being attacked violently by the Swarm. River and Vickers read the litany, stunning the nanites. This gave Addie enough time to heal the man and carry him out, only to be met by new resistance. Two men wielding guns stepped out from side rooms. River decapitated one before he could resist, and Addie cut the other in half shortly after.

After dealing with Lindsey Brewer, the NW6 moved back toward Saint Vrain to deal with Gale Glover, who it seems was not truly killed in the Agency building. During the journey, a storm of blood rain began to roil above them, thunder and lightning flickering in the clouds. The Swarm began to descend from above, causing the instruments in the party's vehicles to go haywire. Addie struggled to gain control, and River tried to help by getting up on the motorcycle's spokes and getting a hold of the handlebars. She instead ripped Addie's hands away, making both unprepared for a turn on the highway, and both tumbled off the bike and over the side of the overpass.

Joel was was able to launch webbing at Addie's legs before the two went over, holding her dangling from the edge. Addie caught a grip on the collar of River's duster, keeping her from falling. Addie launched River back up over the side of the road, River landing gracelessly on the asphalt. She landed poorly on her neck, nearly braking it. Noni looked her over, concerned, telling her not to move it as Anne helped pull Addie up onto the road. Addie quickly moved over to River, healing her neck and apologizing profusely.

After arriving in Saint Vrain, battling through the Swarm's soldiers, witnessing the entity itself form into a stories-tall insect humanoid, and watching Addie get turned into the same size by Levy's growth serum, River, Joel, and Levy rode on Addie's shoulder as she confronted the Swarm's kaiju form. Addie slashed apart the entity's large physical form, and River began reading the litany. The small nanites that made up the Swarm's body started to crumble, revealing a skeleton at the center. River asked Joel to write down the runes on the bones, and continued reading the Latin. The skeleton began to scream, writing in agony, and burned until it turned into a pile of black goo.

The threat taken care of, Addie asked Levy how long her magic on her would last, to which Levy replied, in playful deception, she wasn't sure. Seeing Addie's concern, River told Addie to put down Levy and Joel, and cast the miracle 'dispel' on her. Addie returned to normal size, River hanging on her shoulders, and Addie gratefully wrapped her up in her arms.

River greeted John Conner with warm familiarity when the man greeted the group. During the clean up, Addie asked River if she was okay to stay in Denver to help the rebuilding, considering her past, and River replied Addie had to bribe her—she'd have to set up their tent and cut out the hero shit for three hours a day. Addie laughed, agreeing to the deal.

#### Downtime in Denver

Not long after the rebuilding began, Jo arrived in Denver with news Addie had been made Head Inquisitor, a new position, and Simon wanted reports on Denver. A few nights later, Addie asked River if she'll help her with all the paperwork, which River playfully confirmed. Addie apologized for all their work getting in the way of their wedding, and asked what date she wanted their wedding to be set. River replied she wanted it on November 22, Thanksgiving, because of fights she'd had with her mom over the holiday. Addie agreed she'd do everything in her power to make sure it happened without any delay.

Addie also asked her opinion on revealing the Baphomet secret to the public, and if it was worth bringing up to Simon and Jo. River mused on how they could manage it while preserving their image, using cyborgs as an example of how a dark secret was spun into something less damaging. Addie expressed doubt at her ability to be a leader in the Templar organization, at being Head Inquisitor, and River assured her she'd manage just fine.

A couple weeks later, Addie was speaking to River one night, and asked her if she'd dated anyone before Noni. River told her she'd dated a guy in freshman year of high school, but quickly found out it wasn't for her. The other was a girl she'd met in Denver before escaping. The two of them made their way out of the city, and tried to make it on their own. A Templar found them, the one that would become River's mentor, and led them to Boise. The girl drank some bad water, got really sick, and died before they ever made it. She and her soon-to-be mentor put down her body.

Addie asked about how Noni and River got together. River told her she'd needed help, a new arm, and wanted to hunt the creature that took their free will. Along the way, she got tired as the quest dragged on, and chose love instead of a fight. Addie told her she wasn't wrong for it, and promised to clear her name.

Later in the month, Addie asked River if she was concerned if anyone besides those who already knew finding out about her parents. River expressed worry at Scott and the Vanguard figuring out who her mother was, believing they'd eye her with suspicion and give her a hard time of it.

### Arc 14: Choc's Way Home

In the early hours of October 6th, River responded to a call from Addie: Junkyard scavengers had been picking around Denver after the Swarm's defeat, trying to loot the town's resources, and she wanted to put a swift stop to that. River followed with Jo and Rat, taking Addie's lead in capturing the scavengers and bringing them into John.

After Choc got news Antoinette needed help, River traveled with the group down to Louisiana. On October 9th, the NW6 ran into a couple of seemingly lost travelers on the highway, and agreed to meet them by a nearby gas station. As soon as the strange duo exited their car, a rocket was launched at the gas pump near them, and the explosion knocked them back. Hartman soldiers revealed themselves, and Ian quickly reacted by driving Gravedigger into the building. Addie asked River and Joel to go after him and cover his back, before heading toward the civilians.

River ran quickly into the building, caught unaware as a hartman soldier opened fire on her. Addie caught sight of the ambush just before the bullets hit, and used her magic to take the hit for River, receiving a wound. After the fight, River complemented Joel on his shooting.

River remained with the group as they made their way into Haven proper, following their guides, Brice and Martha (the travelers they'd met on the highway). After Brice was revealed as a vampire, he puppeted Martha to help him fight the group. Ian downed her after she shot at the group with her shotgun. Later, as the townspeople and most of the group went to the local bar to speak, Addie remained with Martha's body. Addie told River she was tired of seeing people die, tired of nothing changing. River asked if she was going to bring her back, and Addie admitted she wasn't sure if she should, if she was somehow wasting something she had a very limited amount of, as much as she was ashamed of the thought. River assured her she wasn't wasting anything, and waited with her while she resurrected Martha with Clara's Blessing.

River later joined the fight in protecting Haven from Sheriff Grissom's nosferatu and toxic shaman allies. After the fight was over, Addie dug out a couple toxic shaman corpses from beneath the rubble of one of the buildings. River suggested reviving them to interrogate then killing them later. Addie exasperatedly reminded her her resurrection ability was very limited, and River lamented Clara really didn't like any of them then.

During the group's infiltration of Cadson Labs, River stuck by Addie as they snuck inside the building under the cover of Choc's cannon fire. She remained with Addie and Levy while Choc distracted Stoker, searching the rest of the basement. Stoker was later alerted to the threat of the group, and grabbed Choc, turning the both of them into mist and rising up through the vents in the ceiling. Addie yelled for Levy and River to get Antoinette and Sara out before bolting up the stairs after Stoker and Choc.

River told Levy she wanted to fight, and Levy agreed to help Sara and Antoinette get out so River could catch up with Addie. River handed Antoinette over, telling her to keep them safe, and sped upstairs. Addie frustratingly asked if she ever listened, which River replied "Shut up and lead the fray. I'm going to jump off your back". The two of them barreled onto the next floor, Addie breaking through drywall to reach Choc and Stoker. While Addie summoned a circle to keep Stoker from escaping, River took a swipe at the vampire with her sword, and he sidestepped the swing. Addie later downed him.

River followed Choc outside while Addie remained to keep Stoker held captive. She witnessed Choc surrender himself over to Antoinette, the newly made harrowed devouring his heart. River quickly went to get Addie, who stumbled out onto the carnage. Addie held Antoinette down, and summoned up her resurrection powers once more. As Choc mended below her, Addie asked River to hold down Antoinette before she collapsed from exhaustion. River swore in frustration, pulling out her sword and holding it to Antoinette's throat. Choc had to talk her down for her to sheath her blade again.

River tried to wake Addie through their mindlink to no avail, and settled for carrying her back into the labs to wait as Choc and Antoinette brutally beat an already battered Stoker.

Later that night, Addie woke with night terrors, muttering about being left alone again. River assured her she wasn't, that she was there for her. Addie asked River to promise her that if she ever became a monster, tried to do what Antoinette did, River would kill her before she could do any damage. River begged her not to keep her to that, that she knew what she'd do for her. Addie eventually got her to give her word, to River's great reluctance. River told Addie that if she was going to hold her to that, she'd at least need to learn to take care of her better, to learn to be a better healer.

### Arc 15: Chasing Coyotes

In late November, while Addie took a few of her group to aid in the Union rebuilding the ruins outside Denver into a new settlement, River remained in Sumpter to help oversee the preparations for their wedding.

After Addie returned with the others late November 20th, she spent most of her time resting up from the ordeal. On their would be wedding day, November 22, River found Addie dissociating in their shower. Addie admitted she was still overwhelmed and exhausted, and River reassured her they had time, and brought her back to bed. Their wedding was delayed to the next day.

On November 23, the two prepared for their wedding. River walked down the isle with her father, and met Addie in the middle. She spoke her vows in front of Addie and Simon, promising to protect their family. The two had their union sealed by Simon. They later went to an undisclosed area in Sumpter to spend nine days on their honeymoon.

### Arc 16: Rivalries

On December 3rd, River left with the NW6, along with Simon and Jo, to head to Denver for the second Iron Alliance summit. While heading to the meeting, Ghost and King got into an argument, and River stepped in to diffuse the two of them. Atom arrived on the scene not long after, interrupting the conflict. River used the opportunity to push everyone along toward the summit.

While Simon and Addie gave their respective speeches, River stands with them in front of the delegations, along with Jo.

After the group spoke with Lexi, River left with the group to seek out Dickson. Addie convinced her to ride along with King. During their search for the remaining Convoy scouts, they ran into trouble on the road. Six factory new cars drove up behind them, dark tinted windows concealing the occupants. River took shots outside the window at their assailants, the rest of the group maneuvering to combat them. During the fight, Addie got caught off balance while trying to ride back toward Gregg's attacker, and took a hard fall on the road. The fight ended not long after.

River asked King to drive near Addie and jumped out after her, running to her side. It wasn't long before she realized Addie was slightly drunk, and she tore into her about her irresponsibility before heading over with King to investigate the vehicles left behind. She remained with King while the group traveled to meet up with the Convoy.

While resting with the Convoy scouts, River bummed a cigarette off one of them, but stopped before finishing. Before the group set out, River offered to drive for Addie, who silently accepted.

Upon arriving in Crestfall and investigating the debris, the group found some blood in the snow, and pawprints that seemed to follow them. They took shelter in a nearby rundown building. River chose to stand guard outside while the rest, besides Gregg, looked around inside. While eyeing the window, Ian caught sight of a creature standing by a tree outside, and called out a warning before opening fire. River and Gregg ran inside the building, with King applying a trap to the door after they cleared the threshold.

Later, the wounded Mel's chest explodes, sending viscera everywhere. River wiped the blood from her eyes, the red soon fading to pink, then a clear go that sloughed off onto the ground. More strange happenings occurred, all the while a creature outside stalked the group. As the beast lept onto the roof and slammed a paw through the window, Ian and Ghost opened up their weapons into it. The close proximity gunfire deafened Gregg and River. Shortly after, the beast, now revealing itself to be some sort of lion abomination, opened its metal jaw and screeched at them. River's frustrations boiled over. As Gregg attacked Ghost, River snapped at her and went to kick her legs. The two got into a mutually frustrated scuffle, dodging each other's swings until Gregg was able to knock River back into a wall.

King interrupted, seeing the chaos, by sending out their own screeching feedback loop, and River halted her attempted right hook, snapping out of her rage. Later, on the wall of the room, another creature revealed itself: a humanoid thing with a projector for a head. River immediately shot at it, both bullets hitting and agitating it. Ian followed suit, exploding its body into plastic and gore.

After the lion creature was defeated, and exploded its own corpse, River ran out to find Addie struggling to heal a wounded Gregg. Addie muttered about how she couldn't get her healing to work, that she'd stabbed Gregg. River helped pull Gregg out of the hole, and watched as King's nanites healed her. Ian told the group he'd used Sickle to see two spirits in Gregg's body. River put the pieces together and told Addie Gregg is dead, she's been dead, and she had a manitou in her. Addie vehemently denied the information, yelling that Gregg wasn't dead.

At Addie's request, River headed toward the party's vehicles with the rest, while Addie threw around wrecks behind them in a fit of grief and frustration. She eventually joined them, and River once again drove her bike for her, Addie riding behind. On the ride back to Denver, after recovering the other Convoy scouts, the caravan stopped for a rest at a gas station. Addie sat behind the building, telling River she was sorry about the whole bike accident and her drinking without telling her. She admitted she was spiraling, she was worried about Gregg, her mental health bottoming out, and she didn't know what to do. River assured her they'd figure it out together, that she loved her and didn't regret marrying her.

After returning to Denver, River sought out Jo. She told her what had happened with Addie during the mission, and urged her to help stage a sort of intervention. Jo agreed, and met with the two of them back in their temporary dwelling later that night. Jo chastised Addie for letting her mental issues fester, and told her to take a break from her work and allow the others of her order to handle the details for a while. Addie reluctantly agreed, and River set her into a routine. A couple days after the intervention, Addie jotted down the work and files she was investigating and handed them off to River.

## Powers and Abilities

### Templar Magic

As a Templar, River has the ability to learn all magic associated with the order. She has demonstrated the ability to move far quicker than any standard human, fast enough to go unseen by the human eye. She has also chosen to specialize in above-human strength, magic fueling her beyond the limits of her own physical capabilities. This was demonstrated on the party's way to Curie, when she had to pull Atom out of the crashed Beta Ray after his spin-out. Another of her Templar abilities is a sixth sense for danger, giving her a vague feeling of unease when something bad is about to happen to her or in her close vicinity. The warning is fairly non-specific, and generally taken as a sign to be on alert.

When Baphomet was sealed into the Abyssal Maw, Templars gained access to Blessed abilities, and River took advantage of learning a few Blessed miracles.

### General Abilities

Due to Templar preferences in weaponry, River has extensive skill with both her katana and various firearms, though mostly focused on her glock.

## Relationships

### Love Interests

#### Addie Kirkland

> "I swear to defend our family from harm. And I promise to keep the nightmares at bay. Until our last breath. I love you Addie. You are my avenging angel, and someone I aspire to be every day. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."
>
>

Addie and River's relationship began on rocky ground.

## Trivia

* Besides Addie, she has successfully trained one other Templar
* She instilled Addie with all of her own stealth skills
* The scars around River's right eye were made by an automaton's machine gun fire while she was escaping Denver
* When she was a kid, River had a pet lamb named Vivian