Session/Game: Savage
Worlds Orion 14 Date:
5/21/2006
Episode 15: Go, Go, Battle Monkeys!
Campaign Date: Royal Orion
Year 314, Day 65
Characters:
GM: Dave Nelson
Prologue:
On day 55 of the year 314, Mason LeRoy1 proclaimed himself the “True King” of Orion and had himself publicly crowned “Mason II” on Vindex VI. Simultaneously, 100 worlds declared public support for the pretender, and 100 more were invaded by either Machine Hordes or elements of Mason’s “Royal Army.”
Log:
ACT ONE: DEATH! DEATH! SCREAM THE SKULLTRONS!
Day 65, 314, New New Guinea Prime.
Sir Sleestak, Sir Connor, Sir Bloodblade, and Sir Hollis had been assigned by the king to help the Royal Fleet and Marine elements on New New Guinea to fend off a machine assault. The four knights found themselves rushing in a hover tank, hover APC, and a scout speeder to reinforce 2 squads of marines who were manning a Rhombus 5 Disruptor Cannon and an orbital fire control summoner.
The marines found themselves under strong attack by 4 dreaded Skulltron2 Extermination machines and supporting krylon and killbot infantry. The marines get lucky and call down a torpedo from orbit that manages to destroy one Skulltron3. But the first marine squad was wiped out almost in an instant. The second managed to hold a few seconds longer until the knights arrived. Bloodblade leaped on top of two of the skulltrons and used acid grenades to weaken the roof armor of both. Then he used the legendary “Maul of Grondor” to crack through the weakened armor of one of them and destroy it. Another Skulltron destroyed the hover tank in which Sir Hollis, Stick and Test Tube were riding. Sir Hollis managed to leap clear, in fact he leapt right on top of the attacking Skulltron, but Stick was grievously injured and Test Tube killed by the attack. Sir Hollis then used the Sword of Drogo to attack and destroy the robot brains of the last two skulltrons. The marines had all been killed by this time, as had one of the apemen killed in the APC, but the robot force was destroyed as well. Sir Sleestack had accounted for large amounts of the robot infantry using the plasma machinegun on the scout speeder.
With the appearance of the legendary Skulltrons, the naval command decided that New New Guinea was lost and ordered an evacuation. The knights marveled back to Orion.
ACT TWO: TRAITOROUS MONKS GALORE
Day 70, Royal Council Hall, Orion
In an emergency council meeting, Archbishop Eusebius made a passionate plea that the Lance of Wilson should be recovered from the underground Order of Shadrack, to which Sir Hollis had give it. Also, the shard of the mirror of Sir Vinnie should be immediately recovered from the Third Coming Foundation on New Jerusalem, since all possible relics of the first Robot War would be necessary to save the kingdom from the return of the machines. He also pronounced an anathema for ultimate blasphemy on Mason and the rest of the Leroys for reactivating the machine menace, especially the Skulltrons.
The Brown Monk, however, grew noticeably agitated and argued that the so-called Order of Shadrack were likely just a group of conmen, long since gone, and the Third Coming Foundation were also charlatans who likely did not have the shard at all. Any chasing of either group would be the highest folly.
The king was torn between his two highest advisors. He retired to the meditation chamber, followed by Sir Hollis (guardian of the chamber) and the Brown Monk. Sir Hollis overheard the monk advocate that nuclear annihilation of all pro-Mason planets was preferable to chasing after the Foundation or the Order. The king ordered the monk removed, and Sir Hollis confronted him with a long speech about his own deeds against the Skulltrons, and the good of the kingdom. The monk was in a frantic emotional state (so judged Sir Sleestack who had accompanied Sir Hollis). He broke down and revealed that the Order of Shadrack, the 3rd Coming Foundation and his own Order of Brown Monks were all in fact the same order. They all answered to three mysterious robed masters, whose faces no one had ever seen.
The Brown Monk further revealed that he was saying all this in direct contradiction to his masters’ orders, but the need seemed so great and he had lost all contact with his order. He revealed that Deacon Filbert on New Jerusalem would be the best person to question for further information. He also provided a secret codeword “Stilton Cheesewright” to gain the confidence of the Third Coming Foundation.
Day 71: New Jerusalem
The knights marvel in to New Jerusalem and arrive in a body at the Third Coming Foundation. They use the password to get a meeting with Deacon Filbert. They use mind control powers to force Deacon Filbert to reveal that all branches of the Secret Order are withdrawing to a secret temple on Ingaevonus. So the knights decide to follow the trail there.
ACT THREE: HACK!
Day 72: Ingaevonus
The knights marvel into Ingaevonus and have Assistant Deputy Director Svenson of the Mining Station drive them to the Order Temple. They confront Brother Cryptos and 5 of the monks outside, but when they refuse a royal command to hand over the relics, Sleestack and his gunmen open fire. After a crisp fight, several of the brass hats and all of the psychic monks are killed. The team breaks into the temple and fights another group of psychic monks and some security troops inside. The fight is hard, and at one point Bloodblade manages to kill 2 of Sleestack’s troopers, but they clear their way into the inner chamber.
Therein they find that the masters of the Secret Order are in fact alien Span-Kee mind masters. The mind masters gain control of Sir Bloodblade’s mind (despite his really gay looking mind shield hat) and Sir Sleestack’s as well. At that moment Sir Buford arrives as well and helps clear away half of the Span-Kee technicians serving the masters. Sir Connor using a plasma gun mounted on his assault armor slowly blasts each mind master into jelly. Sir Sleestack manages to accidentally kill several of Bloodblade’s apemen in the battle, and Bloodblade himself tries unsuccessfully strangling one of the mind masters before Connor blasts it.
The knights recover the Lance, the Shard and several other relics that the Span-Kees had attached to a strange psychic device. They then marvel back to Orion.
Day 73, Orion
The knights publicly accuse the Brown Monk of being a dupe or traitor. Sir Sleestack, a horribly vengeful lizard-man who particularly hates Span-Kee, shot the monk and attempted to finish him off with his fangs. Sir Connor uses his mind powers to stop Sleestack and the Brown Monk is whisked away to detention. The king rewards the knights for the retrieval of the relics and all plan for counter attacks against the “True King”, “The Machines” and the other host of traitors to the realm.
1. Mason is the uncle of Sir Harvey Leroy and Sir Sylvester Leroy who had acted as his principle agents on Orion and chief troubleshooters, until Harvey’s death at the hands of Bloodblade, Hollis, Ashon and Connor, and Sylvester’s subsequent exposure and flight from the capital.
2. Skulltrons are about the size of a house and are programmed to mercilessly destroy all life forms by using their Plasma Death Burners (a short range devastating weapon) and supporting pulse lasers. They appear like large brass boxes with a skull-face emblazoned on the front.
3. The Skulltrons are protected by what is called a “Reality Flicker” that causes 5 out of every 6 ranged attacks directed against them to pass harmlessly through them as the device phases in and out of this dimension. The marine’s first torpedo defeated the flicker by sheer good luck.