This is a continuing playtest of the Niv Lova (link)RPG playtest. Previous sessions:
Session 0.
Andrei awakens to the rhythmic creaking of steel and the steady clack-clack of train wheels grinding against warped, rusted tracks. The train is a battered freight hauler converted into a human cattle car—is packed with the lost and the discarded. The air is thick with sweat, desperation, and the quiet murmurs of the soon-to-be-forgotten.
Through a broken window, Andrei catches glimpses of the landscape: abandoned farms, frozen lakes, skeletal remains of towns long since claimed by the creeping influence of Niv Lova. It stretches endlessly toward a hazy horizon, a land swallowed by an Incident no one speaks of anymore.
The train is approaching Limbus, the last stop before the Boundary, the thirty foot concrete wall surrounding the incident area on all sides. From here, there is no turning back. Andrei was sent here because he was expendable and had nothing let to give the 'civilized society' as the judge had put it. Too poor and tired to fight it anymore, and with no other place left for him, he accepted his fate.
Andrei "Ghost" Petrov, once a proud soldier, now just another scavenger-in-waiting.
The train screeches to a halt, the doors unlatch, and a dozen lost souls—including Andrei—are shoved out onto the frozen dirt. Armed guards watch lazily from the checkpoint, not caring whether any of the souls live or die. On the other side of the gate, the only opening in the Boundary, lies the settlement of Limbus. A maze of half-collapsed buildings, makeshift shelters, and a market of thieves, killers, and opportunists.
Checking the weather: d6 = 1: Clear: Crisp and cold, but the sun is out. Navigate or Scavenge with advantage.
Andrei looks upward to get his bearings, the opening and Limbus lies to the north on account of the hazy sun shrouded by thin clouds. The air is cold and crisp but he reckons he has a few hours of sunlight left. The lay guards stare at him with a blank gaze as he is pushed through the gate. Behind him the metal gate is locked. Now he is trapped within Niv Lova.
He looks around and decided this might be a little tougher than he thought, not that he won't survive but a little preparation may might not hurt. Andrei decides to spend an hour exploring and Scavenge for Supplies in Limbus before venturing forth. He checks a few of the closest building, avoiding anything that looks - or smells - like it may be inhabited. At first he is unlucky but then he finds a shelter, not more than a shack that appears to have been occupied recently.
d6 on the Scavenge Table (with advantage so roll twice) = 3 & 6: 5 units of food and a random piece of gear (a 10' length of rope)
Andrei finds a recently occupied shelter, the thought crosses his mind that the owner may not be dead, merely away, but he brushes that from his mind. From the tales he has heard, Niv Lova can be harsh, you had to take what fate gives you and not take chances. He quickly stashes the food and rope in his backpack and gets out of the shelter as quickly as possible, no reason to let the owner be informed of who robbed him.
Back out on the main street, Andrei takes stock of buildings nearby and looks for a good place to hole up for the night, better to start out in the morning under a full day of sun. Perhaps he can find a local and get some intel on the region surrounding the village and what treasures or dangers might lay beyond.
Determine if Andrei discovers a POI (Point of Interest), getting a 5: he does. A Self-storage facility!
Moving farther into the village of ramshackle buildings, he spots the remnants of a Self-storage facility on the edge of Limbus. A long, rusted-out row of metal storage units, some still locked, others pried open and stripped bare. The place is mostly abandoned, but scavengers occasionally pass through, looking for anything others might have missed.
Andrei wanders around the fringe of the facility, finding an unopened door, perhaps this area is unexplored. He scans the surroundings quickly, he seems to be clear of observation from the town's inhabitants. Straining, he attempts to muscle through the door.
2d6 + 1 (Andrei’s MUS bonus), an 8: he crashes through the door with a firm shoulder
Tightening his shoulder, he charges and after a few shoves, busts the rusted out lock. The metal door grates and complains as rusty hinges throw off years of unuse. Inside the small room are cardboard boxes, an old busted tv, and some sort of floor lamp. All are rusted, dusty, and moldy but Andrei decides to continue and digs into the mound of debris. He came this far, perhaps something of value can be found.
Rolls a 2: 1 unit of Scrap and 1 Bandage
Happy with his discovery but still wanting more, Andrei decides to wander through the rest of the facility's open containers and see if anything comes up. Andrei moves carefully through the open storage units, checking behind old furniture, broken boxes, and discarded debris. Most of it is worthless—moldy clothes, rusted tools, broken electronics—but in the back of one unit, he strikes a bit of luck.
Rolls a 5: 5 units of Scrap
At the edge of his hearing, Andrei thinks he heard something, so he hunkers down amid the debris and listens.
Roll 2d6 + 0 (Andrei’s MIND is +0) for his Perception check, getting a 2: a failure
Andrei pauses, holding his breath, straining his ears for any sound in the dim storage facility. But the only noises he hears are the distant winds outside and the occasional creak of rusted metal as the wind shifts through the abandoned units.
No footsteps. No voices. No movement.
He kneels, frozen in place for what seems like an eternity, ultimately deciding his mind was just playing tricks with him after not hearing any noise or motion in the immediate area. Perhaps it was just the wind playing with him. Andrei takes a deep breath and looks in the direction of Limbus.
Strangely, he feels the need for human contact, the need to speak to another person. This is new to him and something he has not felt in a long time. Perhaps being among the debris of a lost people, people who no longer exist, made him want to remember that he is still part of a people. Faint memories, ghosts, of his past life, float through his mind. His eyes water...just slightly.
He chuckles and shakes his head, runs his eyes. This place is getting to him already.
He'd better head back to town.
Roll d6 to see if the trip back to the main part of Limbus is uneventful, getting a 3: uneventful
Andrei keeps his head down and moves quickly through the ruined streets, his senses on high alert. The storage facility fades into the distance behind him as he makes his way back toward the heart of Limbus without incident.
[continued....]
