Nantas shakes his head, struggling to grasp the concept of having a planet with suck a big extent of surface water that the dry "continents" are just a minority of the planet surface.

"And yet you fight quite well," Aeryn nods, "Patterson claimed to be a soldier in combat somewhere on Jasoom and John Cater to have been one as well earlier in his life.  Do Jasoomian's like you train for war in readiness should it occur?"

"I am told that scientists of Helium have scopes which can view Jasoom and gaze upon the wide, blue expanses of its oceans.  Upon Barsoom we have but the underground Sea of Korus but it is closes to all now that the Black Men of Mars have returned to their raiding and pillaging.  No nation can commit to the fleet it would take to break their lines and no two nations will ally together."

Demetrius leans back and shakes his head. "No, I'm one of the few in my homeland who know how to fight. I trained under a private teacher for a long time, so I'm better than most. The average person from my home would have died in that arena."

At this mention of the Black Men of Barsoom, Demetrius leans in. "I'd wonder how you all came to be so different. Some of you are more like the men of my world than others. I have several friends at home who would enjoy studying your origins to no end. Mind you, they are among those who would not have survived the greeting we received."

"Maybe some Barsoomsan scientist would love to study your body to no end as well... this isn't necessarily good for you and I guess that there are many scientists on Zoodanga..."

Demetrius' eyes narrow. "Oh, I'll make them pay if they try to turn me into a specimen. Trust me.

"But that's my story. What about you, Nantas? What of your life?"

"Well... you are already a specimen: you are in chains and in a cage...
My story isn't very interesting: my tribe traded me to the Warhoons as a kind of tribute. My tribe is too small and weak to fight the Warhoons and we have been paying this kind of tributes for long time. If I will be able to survive and go back to my tribe, I will have a high status. If I die.... anyway my tribe lived to fight another day.
A win-win situation, someone may say..."
It is difficult to say when Green Martians are sarcastic, with all that tusks coming out of their mouths.

Demetrius' face tightens a bit at this. "Yes, a hard world, Barsoom," he says. He turns back to Aeryn, smiling. "Tell me more of yourself, Aeryn."

The red woman describes her home city of Helium and her life in the royal navy where she holds the rank of Dwar commanding a company of scouts.  You each have the sense that she is a fiercely honorable person and clearly longs to escape captivity and return home.

The conversation fades with the setting of the sun, the transition to night so swift in the lesser atmosphere of Barsoom.  The meager sleeping silks you are provided barely ward the cold as you three huddle together with the rest of the cargo while guards make their rounds.

This continues for another two days until the nighttime slumber is broken by the sounds of sudden rifle fire and horns from various parts of the caravan.  Nantas immediately recognizes a raid has begun, such caravans would be tempting targets for Green men tribes though he cannot say for certain which tribe it might be.  There is confusion and shouts from guads and  other cells, hope from prisoners but also fear.  An occasional rifle bullet ricochets or embeds itself nearby, at least one in a guard who topples from the walkway near your cell and disappears.   Your captors focus on rallying the defense, occasionally running past as the battle shifts and sallies come from different directions; for the first time since leaving the Warhoon pens you are relatively unobserved.

What will you do?

Scene:
You are locked inside your cage/cell, 4 walls of bars like an old timey jail.  The space between the bars is wide enough you can reach through but not fit your body through.   There are 2 doors each with an impressive lock (you suspect they are wary of Jasoomian strength).  You can tell the other nearby cells are not so reinforced.

This is meant to be a top-down view, each square is a cell, you're in the X and the D's are cell doors.

____________________
                     > the outer balcony
+----+-D--+-----+
|    | X  |     |   > more cells in this direction
+----+-D--+-----+
                    > walkway between row of cells
+----+-D--+-----+
|    |    |     |   > more cells
+----+-D--+-----+
                    > walkway between row of cells
+----+-D--+-----+
|    |    |     |
+----+-D--+-----+
                    > walkway between row of cells
+----+-D--+-----+
|    |    |     |
+----+-D--+-----+
____________________ > opposite balcony



You have only meager sleeping silks, a bucket (for....you know...needs), the harnesses you each wear and your determination.

If you think of anything else it might be reasonable for slaves to have feel free to ask.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:35, Thu 29 Oct 2020.

"Let's lay low to avoid random bullets and be ready to take any opportunity..."

Demetrius is not nearly so passive. He moves away from the door and starts jiggling the bars back and forth, twisting them, to see where he could start loosening a couple of them closer to the bottom...

Demetrius finds the cage to be strong, extra reinforcements are clearly evident that are missing from the adjoining cells (to your right one holds a pair of Thark slaves and to your left a red man).

Strong but not necessarily impossible.

Aeryn taps Demetrius as a pair of slavers run by the outer balcony, moving to repel a new thrust of the raiders.  They do not appear to glance your way and you are able to continue.

To try to break out with raw force will be a Dire[D4] Might + Cunning test (please indicate which cell wall you make the attempt at)

Should you move instead to attempt to pick or break the lock it will be a Daunting[D3] Cunning + Reason test (please indicate which cell door you make this attempt at)

Spending Momentum (does anyone have any?), adding Threat or spending your Luck can all be used to add dice or pre-roll a 1 for success.

Max of 3d20 can be added for roll.

Additionally others can assist if you can justify how they could contribute to the action.  This allows them to roll a single d20 and compare to their own attributes.  This does not count toward the 3d20 max additional dice for test.

Be bold and inventive.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:36, Wed 04 Nov 2020.

Although doubtful that the prison can be sprung open and hopeful that a better opportunity will present itself soon, Nantas helps the Jasoomian in his attempts.

Demetrius tests the bars and finds them sound. Given time, he might have loosened them with time. This was not the time for this, however. He instead found a splinter from one of them and tore it off, marveling at the native strength of his hands here. He then moved to the lock and began quickly to try to jimmy it. He slips his hand in and, feeling it quickly, twists it ably. Lucky angle--the lock pops open with a snap.

He grins broadly and opens the door. "Quickly, everyone--out. Nantas, take point."

Burn one point of Luck to get a natural 1 for 2 successes. Then rolled well with Cunning + Reason and got 2 successes, for a net of 4 successes. I bank one Momentum!

19:12, Today: Demetrius Esper rolled 8,14 using 1d20,1d20 with rolls of 8,14.  Picking lock: Cunning + Reason, 15/7.

Aeryn smiles to Demetrius and Nantas, "Well done!  But we are unarmed.  Let us search for a store on this level where the guards keep supplies."

Another raider's round strikes the ceiling of your cell.  The attackers must be close as their shots seem to come at a steeper angle.

"And hope the raiders prefer to kill slavers more than slaves, possessing eyes keen enough to tell the difference."

She is ready to follow Nantas' lead from the cell
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:46, Sat 07 Nov 2020.

Nantes is a bit surprised by Aeryn's comment, then he realises that he's a Green Martian and noticing the difference between him and the slavers is easy, while it may be more complicate for his companions. Anyway, fighting with a rifle against an unarmed opponent would be very dishonourable.
"For me, the best weapon is the sword!" he walks out of the cage, looking at suitable places where the guards may keep weapons.
"Maybe we should release some other prisoners, just to avoid being singled out by the guards, if they turn around..."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:31, Thu 05 Nov 2020.

Demetrius nods and examines the other cages to see who else is their fellow prisoner...

"We cannot tarry long," Aeryn warns, eyes alert for guards shifting positions once more, "Our captors focus on the raiders but if they come upon us they will not spend more time than it takes a bullet or blade to deal with upstart prisoners."

As Nantas suggests, Demetrius considers the prisoners nearby.  Most have simply dropped to their bellies, keeping low lest a chance bullet strike.  The pair of Tharks in the cell to your right appear unconcerned.  One happens to catch your movements from the corner of her eye and pats her cellmate with a lower arm and points quietly.  The red man in the cell to your left looks much more concerned.  He is backed into a corner, as far from the outer balcony an he can get, with his sleeping silks covering him.  As yet he is unaware of your presence.

These cells do not share the extra reinforcements of your own, neither for the bars nor the locks.  Demetrius "lockpick" however was ruined in springing your cell door, something stronger than wood would be ideal.

There is a large, crashing sound from the distance and cries both of cheer and despair that ring through the dark.  If you had to guess you surmise one of the vehicles accompanying the massive wagon has been destroyed by the raiders.

Clarify something for me:  Which cell door did you open?  The one opening to the outer balcony or the one opening to the inner walkway between rows of cells?  See msg 18 above for top down view

Reduce difficulty to open other cells by 1: Daunting(D3) Might + Cunning to break them with raw force or Challenging(D2) Cunning + Reason to pick simple locks without proper tools.  If you wish to hurry these actions add 1D.

Again, to assist justify HOW you will assist and roll 1d20 and compare to above to see if you contribute a Success or not.

Feel free to direct NPCs as you see fit, including Aeryn.

Demetrius turns to Nantas and Aeryn quickly. "Which ones do we free?" he asks succinctly.

"Let's release the Green Men. The Green Men are better on the open desert and, if we leave this transport here, we'll be on the open desert: Zoodanga is still far..."

Demetrius does not hesitate. He moves to the spot by the tharks' bars and says, "If you want to be free, push. Nantas, help me pull." Then, with a mighty tug, he pulls....

And whiffs. Burn my momentum for only 1 success and a Complication. Yippee.

18:23, Today: Demetrius Esper rolled 15,20,16 using 1d20,1d20,1d20 with rolls of 15,20,16.  Might + Cunning w/1 Momentum: 15/7.

Nantes swiftly helps with all the strength of his four arms.

[OOC: 21:25, Today: Nantas rolled 5 using 2d20 with rolls of 3,2.  Cunning 9; Might 6.
four successes 8)   ]

One of the Tharks slaps the other to move and quickly four more hands grab the same bars Nantas or Demetrius hold.  Together they strain and slowly you feel the metal give.  With a final, screeching sound the bars part far enough for the Tharks to squeeze their massive frames out of the cell and into the walkway.  But the noise is enough that other prisoners in the nearby cells take notice.  Desperate faces push to the bars, red and green hands reach through and pleas for help begin to rise, swelling in volume.  The red fellow you considered earlier is especially vocal in his pleading.

"Look there! Those crates!" Aeryn points down the walkway towards the front of the wagon where stacks of crates tied.  Nantas recognizes the symbol for weapons stamped upon several.

At nearly the same time you hear a shout.  Though the rows of cells you see one of the slavers staring in shock at your group from the far balcony.  Were it not for the several walls of bars that he would need shoot through you would surely already be under fire.  Instead he attempts to draw the attention of the others of his ilk who are currently aiming their weapons at the raiders below.


The Tharks failed their assist rolls but Nantas added 2 successes to meet the needed 3!  You have 2 allies but you are discovered!

20:23, Today: Aeryn Arj rolled 10 using 2d20 with rolls of 8,2.  Find weapons D2 difficulty, Daring + Reason 14/6.
- 3 successes, bank 1 Momentum

As they are on the far side of this level, should you or the slavers wish to fire upon each other it will be a D3 difficulty (trying to shoot though 3 cells worth of metal bars).

This message was last edited by the GM at 02:36, Fri 13 Nov 2020.

Nantes knows that getting the weapons is a risk, as honour rules on Barsoom require the two sides of a duel to fight on equal terms, so if they get a rifle, the Red Men will be free to attack with a rifle... but Nantas doesn't trust much Red Martians' honour and he feels his hands want to wield some blades once again, so he shoots to the weapons, hopefully followed by the Tharks.
As he runs, he turns back to the two companions that shared his same cell: "Release as many prisoners as possible! We'll try and hold the guards."

Demetrius shrugs and moves to the red fellow and says, "Back away. You better be ready to fight."

He begins pulling...

First try is a fail.
16:59, Today: Demetrius Esper rolled 16,9 using 1d20,1d20 with rolls of 16,9.  Might + Cunning 15/7.

Demetrius is stymied in his initial attempt to stretch the bars enough to allow the red man to squeeze through.  The fellow is of little help and possibly berates the Earthman as he works; it's difficult for Demetrius to be certain as the Barsoomian language is still very new and the red man communicating so rapidly and animated.

Nanta, the Tharks and Aeryn rush for the crates and the towering Martians waste little time in sending two crashing to the deck, spilling their contents.  The first contains numerous blades while the second a cache of pistols.  Wasting little time the Tharks and Aeryn grab one of each.

Meanwhile the alert slaver moves to his nearby comrades and apprises them of the danger to their rear.  With angry cries a group of five rush towards to front of the ship, intending to round the corner and confront those looting the crates of weapons, while another group of five rush towards the rear and will likely circle round from behind, perhaps coming down the very walkway where Demetrius yet remains.  Undoubtedly they intend to catch the group in a crossfire.

Zones: Fore (Nantas, Aeryn, Tharks), Walkway 1, Walkway 2, Walkway 3 (Demetrius), Outer Port (Salver Groups 1 & 2), Outer Starboard, Aft  - Basically this level is a big rectangle with 3 walkways going through it between the rows of cells.

In same zone you are considered Near - Characters can shoot at, speak with, and generally interact with anyone Near.  You can easily move to Immediate and engage in melee.  Normal distance for pistols.
In adjacent zones you are considered Away - Normal distance for rifles.  Increased difficulty for Pistols.
2 Zones distance is Far - Increased difficulty for rifles.
To move from one walkway to another you must 1st move to either Fore or Aft

The space is not tidy.  There are various crates, items, etc about so it is always assumed characters have cover or otherwise are not at a disadvantage during combat.

You always get a Conflict, Move (1 zone), Spoken, & Free actions on your turn.  You may forego your Conflict action for another Move (move additional zone).

Slaver Group 1 appears headed towards Fore to engage you in Close or Immediate attacks.

Slaver Group 2 appears headed towards Aft and then presumably will either come down one of the walkways or go around to Outer Starboard.

You may declare you actions 1st and either wait for your opponents where you are or move to meet them.

This message was last edited by the GM at 01:16, Tue 24 Nov 2020.