The Bloody Hands REBIRTH: Late Returners, Episode 3 [Tricube + Mythic]

The Strange Case of the Late Returners, Episode 3

Arden spots his brother, Josef, running through the streets at the front of a group of angry blacksmiths and workers. The man they are chasing is wearing another Returner patch. 

"JO!," Arden calls, hailing his brother down while others continue the chase. 

"No time, Ard, we need to get the bastards. They are trying to burn the smithies and well, other things."

Smoke rises from several spots around Yarlkin. People are shouting and confused. Arden knows that chaos is the enemy within, now. He points to Kate. "Junior Guardian Corazon, go with them and take out anyone either wearing a Returner patch or aiding anyone wearing a Returner patch. I do not care if they seem to be helping our side, none of them are to be trusted. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" 

Kate runs full speed, easily catching up to the angry mob and running to their forefront and leads them on the chase. Arden drags Josef back towards the Ulet Smithy. "Jo, we have to organize these folks to put out the fires. You know the town better than I do!"

Over the next hour, Arden and Kate push themselves to their very limits. Dozens and then hundreds of Yarlkin folk end up joining Arden in a series of bucket brigades to keep the fires down. Occasionally, the ersatz firefighters have to break off to fight off another Returner trying to start more fires. A collapsing building singes Arden pretty badly but he stays active. He sees several other Agents and Guardians focusing on attacking the Returners and hears shouts about protecting the towers. 

While Arden is trying to protect the infrastructure of the town, Kate was engaging in a number of fights. She is surprised to find that Returners are matching her strength beyond the capabilities of a normal opponent. Several times they seem to be down but keep getting back up. She takes several strong hits but stays on her feet. 

By the time the last Returner is rounded up and the last the last fire dies down, the city of Yarlkin stands exhausted by triumphant. The people have fought back against the first incursion they have had in years and they won. 

Arden and Kate make their way to the headquarters and find Senior Guardian Gibson overseeing the locking up the recaptures prisoners in chains. A few Yarlkin folk, generally friends and family of the Returners, are now joining them. 

"It was a trap," Arden states. 

"You don't say, Ulet," Gibson clips back. 

Arden walks over to one of the returners and tears back a section of shirt to show a few runes. A corruption of the Order's own tattoos that Guardians use. "A deeper one than you think. My guess is that several of these caravans will have issues meeting goals. A storm. Bandits. Needing to change their path. Things that are hard to prove or disprove. They are working with the Hand and needed time to receive these marks."

It is Kate who notices the missing piece. "Where is Emily?" 

Dr. Regina Mason - as a clerk explains to Arden and Kate - showed up that morning with Izzia Kor. Scholar Kor felt that if mind control was being used (which could not be, on first assessment, magical or it would not have sustained under the Veil for this long) then meeting with a loved one might form a wedge that breaks Emily Mason free of the control. 

Kor made two bad assumptions, it seems. The first was that he knew nothing of The Bloody Hands own modified skin runes which, like those of the Arcane Order, enables some degree of magic to be active despite the Veil. The second, and maybe biggest, is that it never occurred to Kor that Regina might be in on it. Dr. Mason let her wife go but another twist was in store. 

Regina was taken hostage by Emily who used Regina's own medical equipment, including a scalpel, as a weapon. Izzia tried following behind to talk down but shortly thereafter more of the Returners were freed and Izzia found himself (along with another person who had been bringing food to the prisoners) taking hostage as well. 

Most of the Returners went into the town to create chaos while Emily and Emmanuel, along with their three hostages, disappeared. 

It is still unknown by those that witnessed the actions whether Regina is actually a hostage or if that was a ruse. 

The attack hits just as the search part is nearly ready to begin. Shouts and screams are heard from the south side of Yarlkin and then reports come in a group of folks marching into town and restarting the destruction. The one good thing in that news is that these new attackers seemed to expect a town already mostly conquered and are slow to react. Whatever dark beasts they brought are unable to enter because of the Veil. Too many townsfolk, not to mention Guardians and Agents and Retainers already gathering to help protect Yarlkin, are ready for the fight. 

As people pour South to stop the advance, Senior Guardian Gibson orders Arden and Kate to continue the search. "I've heard you work wonders, Ulet. I want to see proof." Arden nods and the two of them head off. Arden's assumption is that the Returners fled with the hostages across the river but he realizes he wrong. Kate and he fend off some attackers trickling around to the east side of the Veil, prompting Arden to send back word to have some Agents watch for folks trying to sneak in and get to the towers. Without those, the dark beasts will be able to enter and it might be hard to hold the town.

Eventually, a lucky chance prevails and Arden finds Izzia's Scholar badge. Kor either lost it in a scuffle or dropped it as a clue. Nearby, a dock shows sign of a boat having been cut from its moorings in a hurry. Arden and Kate run along the bank of the river downstream to see if they can find them. 

Past some rapids (people more used to the water would have been able to navigate them, but not necessarily people trying to speedily flee a town that has gone hostile to them) the Guardians spot the boat. It has taken some damage on the rocks and is listing while Emmanuel shoves a crossbow at Izzia and another man and demands they row. In the back of the boat, Emily keeps a knife pointed and Regina and it is still unclear if this is a ruse or if Regina is working for them. 

Arden makes a plan. Kate takes a small boulder (few hundred pounds) and flings at the front of the craft, smashing it to pieces and spilling its passengers. Using this distraction, Arden swims out and snags Izzia and the other and pulls them back to shore. Emily and Emmanuel have dropped their weapons and have eyes focused only on Kate. They swim towards her (Kate just misses them with another flung stone) and rush to attack the lone Guardian. 

Despite their own runes and enhanced abilities, Kate is a much better trained fighter with years of experience using her powers. She is able to grab both of them and slam them into the ground, rendering them unconscious. Then has to dodge out of the way as a crossbow bolt nearly wings her. Regina has dove down and found the crossbow is trying to reload.

"Leave Emily alone, Order dog!"

"REGINA! STOP! YOU ARE A DOCTOR! You're friends are tearing the town you grew up in apart!" 

She stares at him for a moment and then throws the crossbow back down, racked with sobs. Arden swims out and pulls her to shore as well. Kate gathers up wreckage from the boat and ties the prisoners to them using torn clothing and and scraps of rope taken from the wreckage. 

Then, quickly, the group starts making its way back to the town to see how they can help. 

A week later, Arden is sitting around the Yarlkin square, listening to the folk celebrating the speed with which they are fixing their homes and businesses. The mood is a joyous one. They fought and won. 

Arden and Kate had practically raced back to town with Arden going through scenarios about stalling tactics until reinforcements could show up but they found that not only had the invaders been beaten, but beaten so thoroughly that Yarlkin's people went past the Veil into the Outside and chased some of them down. One of the dark beasts was toppled. The other ran off and faded into the sunset. 

Now, Yarlkin declares itself a victory. Arden is not the only one with bandages and clear signs of the conflict, but luckily the number of dead and critical injured is a complete minimum. The vast majority will heal. 

Gibson gives Arden some credit for this and has acknowledged, not under duress, that the Ulet name might mean something. 

As Arden chuckles to himself over the minor victory on top of the more major one, Kate sits down with a cup of tea and joins him. 

"Reports are coming back. Order has sent out a full stop order to cancel all Return contracts. Unfortunately, it looks like nearly all of them managed to get out of the various towns and cities before any sort of arrests could be made. Probably some sort of mystical communication that their plans had failed. What's the status on our prisoners?"

"Emily and Emmanuel and about ten other folks higher up in the chain have been sent into the Sundered Plains to work in an Outside prison doing manual labor until they are ready to confess just how deep the plans go. Order worked out counter magic to cancel out the ruins. Now they are just tattoos with a particular aesthetic."

"And Regina?"

"Senior Guardian Commander Gibson has deemed her punishment to be assigned to town and to take care of the people injured. As long as she plays nicely, she'll be somewhat free. One mix-up, they will send her south to another Outside prison. Chances of her seeing her wife again are pretty slim."

Arden sighs at this. His memory of Dr. Mason growing up are pretty vague but he still regrets to see someone who had worked so hard to keep this town healthy turning on its own. There is probably a long story there that he does not grasp. At least not yet. 

"Well, Junior....Kate. Our week of recuperation is nearly up and Josef and I got the family smithy back up and running. Going to be a celebration. Good food. More stew. Want to join me?"

After a few seconds he glances her way and sees her turn her face from him. "No, Guardian Ulet. I need to head back to Hub. Things to do."

Before he can call her back she has disappeared into the crowd. 

== RAW MECHANIC NOTES ==

+++Scene, Chaos Factor 6

Expected: Kate and Arden will find the “Late Returners” causing trouble around town. Scene is as expected.

What are they committing: (going to roll 5 crimes on Tricube Solo and then work out 2-3 of them)

• 5, 6 → *Sabotage (the forge and other tower)
• 3, 5 → Grand theft auto (in other words, they are releasing cart and horses)
• 1, 2 → *Arson (self explanatory)
• 4, 3 → Illegal possession (they have brought in weapons)
• 4, 2 → *Hostage taken

Of those, they all sort of work. I think the first one is a given. Releasing horse/carriage stuff can be skipped. Arson and hostage taken make two good other ones.

So, the Late Returners are trying to destroy things around town, setting fire to buildings, and have taken some people hostage. Burning buildings are likely to be the most obvious so Kate and Arden will start there and probably learn more about the other two as they go.

To find out how many fires are burning, we’ll go with 3d6. 1-3 = 0, 4-5 = 1, 6 = 3. Add that to two. 3, 6, 6 = 4 +2 = 6. So quite a few. We’ll put stopping the fires as a Hard Brawny/Crafty challenge. 3 Effort per Guardian so we need 6 total successes.

Since there are six locations being attacked, let’s create 6 locations using Tricubes Solo and then roll 1d6 to figure out which is the first spotted, etc.

1. Local Landmark (using the Guardians image icon we get 5, 1 “little houses” 2, 2 “tentacles”.. The old fishing village along the river which was what Yarlkin was known for before the Ulets and the other Smiths turned into a center for designing Guardian equipment)
2. Bridge (Over the river, which is away from Hub…this would be two things that seem to be trying to stop folks from getting over the river…so the main body of the escaped Returners have fled there, maybe waiting for reinforcements)
3. Smithy (“Is this Josef’s smithy?” Yes. Also triggers a random event, PC Positive, Pursue Outside. So, Josef and some other smiths are fighting back and chasing off some of the returners, so we will definitely start here)
4. Town Hall
5. Graveyard (we’ll add in old church here, a place where people used to flee during the times of chaos when the area was under attack)
6. A studio

Are the guardians actively trying to stop the Returners (50/50)? Exceptional yes. So the guardians themselves are not part of the hostages. This means the likely victims would include townsfolk, including Emily’s wife Regina. Izzia we will say is also caught up.

Did Regina suspect anything about her wife (Very Unlikely)? Yes. Another Random event (we’ll get to this one, maybe next scene even). She knew that Emily was conspiring with anti-Order thoughts. Current Context: Lure News. Regina was swayed enough by the anti-Order talk that she was siding with the Returners until they captured her.

A flashback, here. Dr. Regina Mason approaches the jail under the guise of tending to the Returners. Senior Guardian Gibson lets her in but warns her to be careful. While she is tending to Emily and trying to convince Emily that maybe they should play up the pretending to be mind controlled so they can act like they are cured, Emily grabs Regina and uses her as bait to demand the Returners be released. The Guardians and Agents take heed of Gibson’s warning to not harm anyone. Does Gibson trust Arden (we’ll say Likely): Yes. He trusts Arden is going to try and buy time. As soon as the Returners and their hostages start fleeing town (with several behind to try and wreck things), then he sends out the Guardians to try and reduce the damage (1-2: Put out fires, 3-4: Capture the Returners, 5-6: protect the tower: 3, 4, 6 → so they are primarily concerned with trying to capture Returners and secondly with protecting the Tower(s). This means the fires are left to blaze.

Just a reminder: Arden is at 2 Karma, 3 Resolve. Kate is at 3 Karma, 3 Resolve.

Arden and Kate ride through the Veil, having seen smoke from some time back. Several structures are on fire (Arden fails to note an Easy Crafty check to figure out the worst spot, he’s a bit overwhelmed, thus his immediate interest is to check on Josef). He finds his brother and several other workers chasing off a group of people [Do the Returners wear any kind of easily identifiable clothing (50/50)? Exceptional Yes. 6,6 “compass” + 3,1 “candle”. They wear brown shirts with a sleeve patch showing a map style compass burning bright.

The people being chased are carrying fuel cans and torches while the blacksmiths are are wielding hammers. Arden and Kate’s skin runes glow as they power up and join the fray.

“Kate!” Arden, screams, “You take out the arsonists. I’ll start managing the fire brigade.”

• Kate takes 1 resolve, gets no successes. Arden spends a Karma to get a single success. (A = 1K3R K = 3K2R)
• Kate gets 1 success. Arden gets 1 success.
• Kate takes another resolve. Arden takes another resolve. (A = 1K2R, K = 3K1R)
• Kate gets 1 success. Arden spends his last Karma to get 1 success, meaning he has managed to gather up enough people to manage the fires. (A = 0K2R, K = 3K1R)
• Kate spends 1 Karma to get another success (A = 0K2R, K=2K1R)

By the time the chaos dies down, both Kate and Arden are exhausted. Covered in smoke, bruises, and deeply winded. Kate personally managed to capture 3 of the Returners. The others (7) were caught by the blacksmiths and the Guardians. These 10 represent (5:6, so most) most of the group, only Emily and the group leader are free (with the hostages).
Did the Guardians protect the tower (Unlikely): Yes. This means, despite the exhaustion and things thing went plenty well.

+++ Scene, Chaos Factor 5

Expected: Sending out search parties, but the scene is altered. How is it altered? Mythic Magazine #40, Perilous Situation: 90 Surprise 6 Attack.

Is it the creepy tribe doing the attacking? (Likely) No. This is another group, a more armed group of Returners who thought they were going to find the city in ruins already and were planning on taking it over to set up as a base to launch against Hub (while also crippling the smithies). While damaged, there are a lot of Guardians, Agents, and Craftsfolk willing to defend it.

Arden and Kate are on their own, though, as they go off and try to find Emily + the others.

Standard Crafty Roll: 2 effort. 0 successes, 1 success, 3 successes. Arden is completely drained (0K1R) by the time he locates Emily (though his last roll was a critical success so he will find it with enough foresight to plan an ambush, etc).

Where is it? Using Tricube Tales Solo Wilderness Locations: Raging River + Broken Vehicle.

He was having trouble finding it because they took to the water, not land.

Emily and her group leader (Emmanuel Burgos) have 3 hostages (including Regina) in a boat and are making their way downstream. They have hit rapids that has damaged the boat and right past the rapids they are floundering a bit and taking on water but Burgos, with a crossbow aimed at Regina’s head, is demanding the other two (including Izzia) row harder.

“Kate, pick up that large rock. I need you to hit that boat with a bit of precision. I’ll dive in and and get the hostages free.”

Standard Brawny: Kate gets a simple success as the runes on her forearm glow and she hoists the rock into the front of the boat smashing it to pieces.

Does this dislodge the crossbow and remove the immediate threat from the hostages (very likely): Yes.

Using Kate as a distraction, Arden dives in and Hard Agile (a 6! Simple Success) manages to get the other two hostages and pulls them back away from the remaining three.

Is Regina ready to flee away from Emily (50/50)? No. She is sticking with Emily.

What are Emily and Emmanuel’s reaction to this? Character Action General: 40 Foolish 99 Work. They are going to (1-3 keep escaping 4-6 try and attack)... 6, push the attack.

They swim towards Kate furious. Standard Brawny Challenge. 2 effort (they are wet, disrupted, on shaky ground), Kate will get a “free” swing before the first round of actual combat. She lobs another boulder at them and misses. But, with Karma spent, manages to completely wallop them both with 3 success, making it exceptional.

What does Regina do when she sees this? Again, Character Action: 33 Energetic 59 Lethal…she dives for the crossbow and comes up with and takes a shot at Kate. Kate dodges (standard agile) out the way.

“REGINA!” Arden screams. “YOU’RE A DOCTOR! STOP THIS!”

Hard Crafty, 2 Success! Arden gets through to her and then paddles out and takes the crossbow and pulls Regina in.

They use planks from the smashed boat along with belts and strips of cloth to tie the three people and the 5 standing folk (even more exhausted now), start fast pace working their way back to Yarlken to see how it fares.

+++ Scene, Chaos Factor 4

Expected: Yarlkin is repelling the invaders. Scene as expected.

Will roll 4d6 for Yarlkin’s forces. 2d6 for the invaders. Highest wins (ties cancel out). +3D to the Yarlkin forces, so it is a fairly one side victory with most of the invaders caught or killed. A very few managed to escape and folks took note of them.

Will Emily and Regina be sent to the same prison (very unlikely): No. Curses kind of works as a table and we get 70 Miserable and 91 Separate (so…well, that makes sense). Let’s do another: 20 Danger 86 Punish. One More: 63 Liberty 74 Move.

In fact, Senior Guardian Gibson will have Regina held in custody in Yarlkin to help rebuild the town she helped destroy and to take care of folks in the prison. She’ll be kept under lock and key and observation but will retain some freedom as long as she proves an asset. Emily and Emmanuel, though, are being sent to prison facilities out in the Sundered Plains where they will do hard labor for their crimes.

Other prisoners are assigned punishment as appropriate.

How does Gibson take Arden after all that. 2d vs 2d to start. It went overall pretty well, So +1D to pro. And I’d say Arden capturing the ring leader after about-facing to town also works. So, another 4D:2D. +2D so it’s an overall positive experience, but not as one-sided as the victory. Gibson thinks Arden has some growing to do and maybe slightly blames him for not cracking down on the Returners earlier.

Arden will send out a communication to Hub and inform all members of the Order to relay the message, backed with Gibson’s authority, to immediately cease all contracts with the Returners and to detain as many members as possible. What percentage escaped? 6:6. Man…so by the time the orders get out most of the Returners have fled…somewhere.

Arden spends a few days in Yarlkin and helps Josef rebuild the family smithy while healing up from his own wounds. Once they get the kilns back in operation enough to celebrate, Arden asks Kate to join him for dinner.

Does Kate join him for dinner? (50/50): No, she declines. What reason does she give? Character Motivations: 44 Illness 40 Hide. She says she has to go back and make a report but in reality she is trying to keep the relationship more professional because she is hiding some sort of illness. Arden is too caught up in the events to notice that she is growing sicker (this will get added as a thread, though).

== DOUG'S NOTES ==

Considering this one was played out over a couple of quicker sessions, it's always fun to see how abruptly things can change with solo play. My original idea was that something was up with the "returned" folks. It was only later I realized I needed a name for the company they were working for and had been calling them "The Returners" for long enough I stuck with it.

Then I got the "earthquake" and "chasm" prompts so it was going to be an outdoor adventure type thing with maybe Arden and Kate sneaking in and smashing up a crystal or machine or ritual being used to control the people. Only we got the "you can't find it" sort of random event and alterations.

Getting the fact that someone (and it made sense for it to be the so called "victims") was working with the baddies was fun. Having an entire sneak attack was fun. Having Josef show up in a PC Positive interrupt was fun since the whole campaign started out with a bit about Josef and Arden having been on bad terms for years and they had just started rebuilding their brotherly relationship.

Getting the prompt showing that Kate is struck by a hidden illness also adds some elements.

Next time I'll work on figuring out what is up with the obelisk, I think. An odd aspect is that when I first started playing "The Late Returners" I typed up "A Stone Crack'd" as my working title. I have no idea why.

At any rate, that'll be the title about the search for the strange stone structure and whatever secrets it has.

Until next time, Space Pilgrims. 

== CREDITS == 

This game uses Tricubes Solo, the Tricubes one-sheet "The Guardians of the Shadow Frontier," [both by Richard Woolcock and Zadmar Games] and The Mythic Game Master Emulator (2nd Edition) [by Tana Pigeon]. 

Additional tables come from Cezar Capacle's Random Realities, Ben Milton's Maze Rats + Knave 2nd edition, and Madeline Hale's Table Fables. Other sources should be be credited in the raw play notes.

Graphics come from a variety of sources. Pixabay is a source of some of the stock art and illustrations I use to create the original graphics.

The painting is "Moonlit River Landscape, House on Fire" by Egbert Lievensz. van der Poel (CC-BY-NC 4.0). One of the relaunch ideas for the blog was to give each campaign its own vibe visually. The one for Bloody Hands will be oil paintings from the real world roughly matching the tech level (and mood) of the in-game world. This painting was one of the ones that cemented that.