MYZ: The Zone

How did the world end? Some Stalkers and other braggarts say they know what happened. That a great plague swept the world and killed everyone. That the bosses of the Old Age fired their weapons of mass destruction at each other and drowned the world in flames. That the gods among the stars, the Ancients’ overlords, had enough of mankind’s hubris and decided to end it all in fire and brimstone. Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s just lies and tall tales. The truth is, no one knows for sure. Except maybe the Elder. And he refuses to talk about it. We learned as children not to ask, he would curse and rave at us every time the subject came up. But I’ve heard him mumble in his sleep. He said that the Ancients ended themselves.
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silverfoxdmt73
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Re: MYZ: The Zone

Post by silverfoxdmt73 » Thu Jun 16, 2022 12:50 pm

Using only the distant poles as a point of reference, the group make their way northwest. After another hour or so you find yourselves at a crossroad of sorts. You can see the remains of a tarmac road, cracked and broken with hardy grasses and tall shrubs breaking though the grey surface. The boundaries of the road are marked by regularly placed metal poles, some with plastic beacons attached to their tops, others have obviously been torn down by some unknown force and the rusted remains are scattered around the area.

One of the road ways runs roughly east to west and the other intersects it, running north to south. At the point of intersection, one road would have passed over the other some time ago, now however, there is a jumble of huge concrete slabs, collapsed supports and twisted metal reinforced struts.

As you get closer, still some hundred meters or so from the collapsed overpass, you see some small creatures snuffling around in the tall grasses. They walk on four legs and appear to be harmless Grazers looking for food.

These Grazers appear to be some form of mutated pig or boar. They have short, coarse reddish fur and have small tusks that they are using to dig about in the soil looking for grubs or other food.

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Bohemond
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Re: MYZ: The Zone

Post by Bohemond » Fri Jun 17, 2022 5:03 pm

"So, do we hunt them or continue for the supermarket?" Kwine asks Danny. The gearhead has his pistol, and claws if necessary, but he's still nervous about being in the Zone.

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Re: MYZ: The Zone

Post by ManWithDoor » Fri Jun 17, 2022 11:25 pm

Danny taps a finger on his scrap rifle, considering. "We don't have a cart of something to haul them around with, so if we kill and clean them, we'll be walking with their carcasses thrown over our shoulders the rest of the trip. I'm in good shape, but not that kind of shape." He shrugs, then removes his hand from the rifle. "I say we take note of them, and on our way back try to bag a few of them. Or just take down one or two for our own rations now? Thoughts?"
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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Re: MYZ: The Zone

Post by RorytheRomulan » Mon Jun 20, 2022 5:49 am

Mart contemplates and gives his arms a pat, feeling confident they could take on one wildebeest together. He shakes his head. "Nay. Turning the meat into rations would take time. Let us mark the spot and complete our task. If we have the time and the space for more rations, mayhap the beasts will be here upon the return journey. And once we do come around again, t'would be clever to drag those metal beams back toward the river to make safe the second crossing."

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Re: MYZ: The Zone

Post by ManWithDoor » Wed Jun 22, 2022 11:23 pm

Danny lets out a quiet bark of a laugh. "Great thinking, Mart. Knocking down the intact poles would be difficult, but it they've already been kicked over then we can just drag them to where we need them. They don't look too big, I'm sure we could work as a group to pick one up and move it. Heck, if this becomes a path we go through regularly in the future, reinforcing the bridge now will save us a lot of danger and stress in the long run."
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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Re: MYZ: The Zone

Post by silverfoxdmt73 » Fri Jun 24, 2022 10:53 am

Arkod, standing in the background and looking daggers at the three of you for the last few hours, suddenly finds his voice.

"If you lot think for one minute I'm spending the next few hours humping metal beams around just so you can cross that pissing little stream again, then you've another thing coming." He growls angrily. "We came out her to find food for now, not to fanny on building bridges, or to learn how to look after bloody grazers..."

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Re: MYZ: The Zone

Post by Bohemond » Fri Jun 24, 2022 6:01 pm

Kwine, feeling a little irritated, is vexed as his mind seems more distracted then normal. "Arkhod, hears the funny thing about food: people tend to eat it. If we know where the grazers gather, then we'll know where to send hunters. But, we are here to find a supermarket. Look for signs of a road. This place would've likely have needed to be easily accessible if it provided food to all the people before the apocalypse."
Rolled 1 success on a Comprehend check in roll20 (under custom roll), but I'm not sure if that's the relevant skill.

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Re: MYZ: The Zone

Post by ManWithDoor » Sun Jun 26, 2022 2:19 am

Danny nods in agreement with Arkod, even if the man is hostile and terrible at diplomatically putting anything. "Right on, the priority is the mission to find the location of a cache of food supplies, so best be about it. We can put effort into long-term improvements once we have actual food to put in everyone's bellies."
Onward!
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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Re: MYZ: The Zone

Post by silverfoxdmt73 » Tue Jun 28, 2022 8:11 am

With Arkod being awkward, the group spends a few more minutes lingering in the area debating the merits of tackling one or more of the grazers and taking them back to the Ark for food. While this debate continues the grazers in question are spooked, their heads all turning in one direction – towards the shadow underneath the overpass.

Kwine notices the movement first, something in the shadows, or rather some things in the shadows…
A pack of scabby, patchy furred creatures, no bigger than the grazers themselves, but most definitely predators. There are half a dozen of them, and they seem to be moving towards the grazers but as they get closer, these Zone Dogs notice the four of you and change course, heading through the rubble and overgrown weeds towards you. They are around 50 meters away, partially concealed and nobody but Kwine has seen them yet.

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Re: MYZ: The Zone

Post by Bohemond » Tue Jun 28, 2022 4:34 pm

Kwine sees the beasts moving towards them. "We got trouble, guys," he says, pointing to the creatures who appear to be looking for an easy meal. "Stay together, and try to focus on one at a time. If they no longer have the numbers or they start taking heavy damage, we might scare them off." Kwine draws his pistol and makes sure it's loaded.

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