Knights Of Orion

Session/Game: Savage Worlds Orion 10 Date: 3/5/2006

Episode 10: Frosty Chocolate Death Shakes

Campaign Date: Royal Orion Year 313, Day 281-289

Characters:
Sir Hollis Dupont, human, seasoned (Andrew Smith)
    Squad of five science interns (NPC)
Sir Ashon 'Ka 'Linor, human, seasoned (Mike Miller)
    Squad of six jackal-men laser gunners (NPC)
Sir Connor O'Reardon, human, seasoned (James Gallagher)
    Squad of five human soldiers (NPC)

GM: Dave Nelson

Log:

Day 281--Orion

Sir Connor, Sir Ashon and Sir Hollis were called to Sir Eustace’s, Knight Commander, office. It seems that Sir Bloodblade was overdue from a routine courier mission to Metapontum. Since the knights summoned were his companions, it seemed logical to send them as a search party. Bloodblade had been sent to deliver some ore samples retrieved from Yellbane to the Outworlds Education Foundation ¹ on Metapontum for analysis, but was late and this caused some concern because Metapontum is a quiet, safe planet not known for any dangers. Sir Ashon summoned 3 of his jackalmen, and Sir Hollis three of his interns (“Legs”, “Test Tube” and the irrepressible “Stick” a.k.a. “the Hooligan”). They all teleported off to Metapontum.

Day 282—Metapontum

The knights discover from Sally Parlour, the lodge manager, that Bloodblade had been critically injured in an explosion at the famous Joe Waffler’s Malt Shop². Sally Parlour sends Joe Driver in the lodge space bus to pick up the crew and take them to Metapontum hospital. Dr. McGorfer explains to them, with plenty of gruesome photographic exhibits, that Bloodblade has had his lower jaw blown off by a explosion from inside his mouth, his head is virtually ruined, but his brain suffered no permanent injury. There is little that can be done for him on Metapontum apart from keeping him stable, so it would probably be best for him to be returned to Orion for more advanced treatment.

The knights then go to Joe Waffler’s to investigate the scene of the crime. Detective Stilton Cheesewright gives them a sample of the banana-chocolate milkshake that Bloodblade had been drinking. Intern “Test Tube” determined that there was a DNA triggered “Finster Crystal”³ explosive within the shake which caused the damage. As “Stick” canvassed the crowd, the knights questioned the manager on duty, a Frodan named Stan Waffler. Waffler showed them the shake-composing computer and it was determined that the program had been tampered with. After gaining admittance to the security room⁴ , the knights found that a black-clad assassin had entered the kitchen the night before the explosion and tampered with the computer, inserting the Finster Crystals.

The knights then proceeded to the Outworlds Education Foundation, where they met with Professor Wanda Finkle, head of the grants department, who told them about Bloodblade delivering the ore samples. She mentioned that she had suggested that he go to Joe Waffler’s, but then everyone suggests that visitors go to Joe Waffler’s. Sir Hollis invites Dr. Finkle to the lodge for a dinner date, and she agrees to come.

The knights then have Joe Driver take them to Bloodblade’s campsite outside of town, where “Stick” forces “Test Tube” to make an unnecessary analysis of the great pile of ape poop that Bloodblade left behind. Joe Driver explains that he himself had driven Bloodblade to Joe Waffler’s after he dropped off the samples. At first Bloodblade had refused to go, but then Joe had said, that Bloodblade wouldn’t be allowed to go, so he insisted on going.

That night, Sir Connor teleported Sir Bloodblade back to Orion, while Sir Hollis managed to charm both Sally Parlour and Professor Finkle into bed.

Day 283—Metapontum

Connor discovered that the most likely source of the Finster explosives was Prince Oswald, the outlaw traitor of Dendricon 5, who had been allied with Mavorians in a plot to over throw the Dendricon High Wizard, but who had been foiled by Sir Hollis, Sir Bloodblade and Sir Sleestack the previous year. He then returned to Metapontum to confer with Hollis and Ashon, bringing his squad of 5 soldiers this time.

Hollis and "Stick" search some seedy dives for a clue to where anyone might have some Finster crystals for sale. Eventually, "Stick"'s street savvy paid off and they were directed to a shady dealer named Clem, who hangs out at the Salty Spittoon. It was deemed prudent to send Sir Ashon undercover into the bar, as he is a much better investigator than the hapless Sir Hollis.

Sir Ashon removes his armor, but retains his scary Anubis helmet, and so is immediately taken for a super-villain by Clem. Clem tells him that he has some Finster crystals he bought from a certain Sybokian named “Mr. Jones” and offers to betray Jones for 5000 crowns⁵, which Ashon hands over. Jones is said to be hiding at the Fleurie Hunting Lodge, south east of Metapontum city.

The knights and their retainers swarmed the hunting lodge, guns a-blazing. “Mr. Jones” turned out to be Prince Oswald himself, and he was defended by a mercenary captain named Bolt Jackson and 7 of his men, one of whom carried a deadly plasma gun, the others shotguns. In the attack, 2 of Connor’s men were killed by shotgun fire, 1 of the jackalmen was killed by a plasma bolt and Sir Ashon was seriously wounded by another. "Stick" was also seriously hurt by a shotgun blast, and Hollis took some lesser injury. The mercenaries were all killed, including Bolt Jackson, but Prince Oswald was beaten up and surrendered. The knights found a letter from Sir Sylvester LeRoy to Prince Oswald, detailing how LeRoy had fronted Oswald money⁶ to kill Bloodblade as part of a joint project of revenge and how they would meet again after LeRoy’s business “in the Forbidden Zone.”

The knights returned to Orion.

Day 284-5—Orion

The injured are healed of their wounds. Bloodblade was beginning massive regeneration treatments. Sir Connor retires his three remaining gunmen “Shecky, Earl and Wayne” to be the sheriff and deputies of New Dublin, the colony to which he had recently been appointed prefect.

Day 286---Beamis III

Figuring that “The Forbidden Zone” of LeRoy’s letter must be the one on the wretched desert planet Beamis III, the knights set off for there. They talk to their old friend Ebo the Merchant at a wretched trade village. He indicates that Sir Sylvester had indeed been on planet, and had warned them all off of following him into the Forbidden Zone. Ebo’s neighbor, Shamas, was seen by Sir Ashon sneaking off, presumably to warn the Priests of Slag-Bah, and so he shot him.

Day 287—Beamis III

They walk through the desert to the place where Sir Sylvester was rumored to be.

Day 288—Beamis III

They find a ruin with signs of starship landings nearby. They enter to be greeted by a holographic projection of Sir Sylvester, welcoming them to a trap. To their surprise they are set upon by a set of 9 deadly Killbots⁷. As the trap closes in, Sir Ashon teleports himself, Sir Hollis and Sir Connor out to safety, leaving the three jackalmen whom Sir Ashon had brought, to meet a grisly death. The knights fled to a safe distance and then returned to Orion.

Day 289—Orion and Metapontum

The revelation that Sir Sylvester⁸ had somehow revived the ancient machine menace filled the palace with outrage and horror. The king called an emergency conclave of knights where Connor, Hollis and Ashon swore out oaths of testimony as to what they had seen. Some, like Sir Byron Mustafa, were unwilling to believe the tale, but most were overwhelmed with wrath. The king imposed the sentence of instant death without trial on Sir Sylvester and commanded all knights to prefer him to any other target.

Sir Hollis and Sir Ashon were each granted command of 6 royal marine troopers, and Sir Connor was granted the use of powered assault armor when they were granted the quest to return to Beamis and destroy the machines there.

They teleported back to Beamis and quickly assaulted the ancient base. The machines at first held them off, killing and injuring several marines. But Sir Hollis and Sir Connor teleported into the middle of the complex drawing much of the fire. Sir Hollis was severely wounded, but the massed laser and bullet fire from the marines, supported by Sir Ashon’s magic from one angle, and Sir Connor’s heavy machinegun from the other, turned the tide and the machines were destroyed.

The base turned out to be an old machine manufacturing plant, and troublingly, the fabrication machinery had been recently removed. The knights returned to Orion and were granted various royal boons for their service. Bloodblade was nearly regenerated in the Warm Liquid Goo tanks by this point.

1. The Outwolds Education Foundation is a famous university on Metapontum that trains many of the professionals needed for the frontier planets.

2. Joe Waffler’s Malt Shop is Metapontum’s premier tourist attraction, a sprawling complex of eateries run by an immense and irritating clan of Frodans, who use the latest technology to serve classic cuisine.

3. Finister crystals are an explosive substance produced by the Sybokians of Dendricon 5 by a secret treatment of Finster Weevil urine. Such crystals can be programmed to explode when exposed to an individual target’s DNA sequence.

4. Frodan security devices often require a long complicated dance in place of a password or biometric reading. This time was no exception.

5. As betraying is all part of pirating, Jones should have known better than to entrust his location to anyone who hangs out at the Salty Spittoon.

6. Prince Oswald had been broke and on the run since the failure of his coup attempt on Dendricon. He had sold his excess Finster Crystals to Clem in part for money to keep his mercenaries loyal since he had not yet gotten the final pay out for killing Bloodblade.

7. Killbots are one of the warrior types of the ancient life-hating machine race. They are about 7 feet tall, shining metal and humanoid in configuration. They have saws and drill bits for hands and fire laser beams from their eyes. For some mysterious reason they always appear in groups of 9.

8. It is surmised that he manages to control the robots using the shard of the mirror of Sir Vinnie in some unknown fashion.