It’s no secret to anybody that the landscape of America changed dramatically after the Great War. New creatures emerged from the irradiated wastes, the land shifted and became filled with new plant life twisted and bent into strange shapes. Even the ground itself was altered in many places. In one such case, the Outer Banks of North Carolina became the shattered, flooded Broken Banks. Flotsam and wreckage littered amidst drenched islands and raft-masses, while the mainland’s coast was filled with all manner of blasted boardwalks, trading posts and shantytowns.
The further south a soul travels, the more flooded the land becomes. South Carolina is a mired, messy swamp patrolled only by the grandest of mirelurks and the most savage of tribes, while the untamed wilds of Florida boast drenchghoul cults and radgators of truly epic proportions. All in all, a severely inhospitable section of the wasteland.

==============================

You have departed from Vault 54, the only home you've ever known, your whole world contained in an underground cavern, one high tide away from being a sunken tomb. Together with three others, you find yourselves inside a capsized ship, your raft having taken you across stormy waters. A rusty bulkhead stands ahead...
Not the QM, just doing them a favor

Then who is the QM?

The torches of your Pip-Boy lights cut through the gloom, focused on the door ahead. Lorraine chose to step forward, checking the small revolver on her hip to be sure the hammer was down, before wrenching the steel door open with a grunt of effort & an ear-piercing screech. Your teeth ground together & your eyes squinted on instinct at the painful noise. Lorraine pulled the pistol & held it out with one hand while pushing the door open with the other, just to reveal an empty, dust-filled corridor. Just as with the stairs that led you here, the entire hall was slanted just so, lending an awkward footing to the path ahead.
>(-1 Agility on Uneven Terrain)

As she began creeping forward with you at her back, she suddenly stopped, noticing a light on her custom Pip-Boy subtley blinking. She turned a dial & a blare of static gave everyone a slight jump & wide-eyes. Over the garbled sounds were overlapping voices, completely indistinguishable.

Todd was quick to speak up, "What are they saying? Where is the signal coming from?" Lorraine merely shook her head for a moment, before turning the radio volume down to a whisper, just loud enough to hear if the signal changed.

"Beyond the obvious that we only picked up anything once we unsealed the door, I can't exactly pinpoint a single broadcast. I would need to triangulate it across a more open area."

Kain juts in, "A single broadcast? I hear more than one voice." To which Lorraine follows up, "Yes, & it sounds the same, just overlapping. Could be an issue with a faulty antenna or poor grounding, or the signal is just bouncing around the inside of this ship & drowning itself out."

The corridor opens at an intersection, surprisingly devoid of rust, leading to a room sloping up & to the left, another leading down to the right, as well as the path that continues forward. You take the lead once again as Lorraine falls back to listen for any changes on her radio.

Choose a path & 3 anons roll 1d20+6 (due to Lucy's 5 points in Luck, +1 from Sharply Dressed)
>Up/Left
>Down/Right
>Forward
>Write-In (may require Perception roll)

>Throw something forward to check if there is any response

Rolled 13 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>6260933
>>Up/Left

>>6260947
I like the way you're thinking, anon. Roll 1d20+4 (Lucy's current Perception)

Rolled 8 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>6260969

Todd reaches out his hand on your shoulder, bringing you to a confused stop until you turn around to face him. "I don't like this. Everything looks intact enough that someone could hide away in here, & the radio signal might be something to draw people into a trap."

Kain tosses a baseball into the air & catches it with the same hand a few times, drawing the attention his way. He smirks confidently, nodding down the corridor. "Well, if someone's waiting for us, they probably already know we're here. If you're worried about something being setup further ahead, I know one good way to find out." He swaggers ahead to the fore, motioning for everyone to get back, before winding up his baseball bat & tossing the ball into the air. The baseball makes a hollow-sounding thud on the ceiling before coming down to meet the length of ashwood, hurtling between the walls of the corridor with a series of loud clangs, before rolling back from momentum along the floor. Silence reigns through the corridor once the echo subsides.

>Compliment Kain's Ingenuity
>Criticize Kain's Recklessness
>Write-In

[Still waiting on TWO rolls of 1d20+6, as well as any other votes for which direction to go first]

>>6261008
>Compliment Kain's Ingenuity

Rolled 14 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>6261008
>Compliment Kain's Ingenuity
>Up/Left

Rolled 11 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>6261008
>Compliment Kain's Ingenuity

Rolled 18 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

Compliment Kain's Recklessness

>>6260953
+1

(Perception Roll: 12)
(Luck Rolls: Non-Natty 20, 19, 17)

As Kain strolls forward to pickup the rolling baseball, you share some words of encouragement. "Good thinking! That's one good way to clear out any traps." He turns back with a confident grin, though you notice Todd looks less than thrilled by all the noise that was made.

You take the lead & walk up the slope of the metal floor to another bulkhead. It moves with a slight creak, bearing little to no rust, but what you see on the other side shocks you. A rotted corpse laying in the middle of the floor. Beyond it there is a cot hanging from the wall, sloped down toward the door, & a gunmetal grey locker stands tall in the corner to your left just as you walk in. You've never seen a dead body before, just bones picked clean. Kain looks a bit squeamish, while Lorraine is merely curious, & Todd doesn't seem bothered in the slightest.

You exhale & realize you were holding your breath without thinking. The clothes on the body are a blanket of rags on a dried up puddle, a halo of grime emanating out in a rough oval. The smell, surprisingly enough, isn't unbearable, likely due to how long it's been here.

You could check the locker & leave, or try to search the corpse, although you aren't sure you have the stomach for it.

>Check the Locker, then Leave
>Dig through the Pockets of the Corpse
>Have someone Loot the Body (Who?)
>Locker, then Body
>Write-In (may require Perception roll)

>>6261342
>>Locker, then Body

>>6261342
>Locker, then have Lorraine look through the body.

>>6261385
+1

(Non-Nat 20 Luck Roll Result)

You take a few steps to your left, trying to avoid stepping in anything left from the body, as well as the ghastly sight of it. The locker swings open without issue, revealing a contraption at the bottom. Nothing else is inside. You scrunch up your face in confusion. "What am I looking at?"

Lorraine peaks over your shoulder, "Looks like a pump of some sort. Not sure what exactly it would be for." Todd chimes in after taking a glance, "That's a fucking bilge pump! Drains water out of a confined space. We could use it on the raft, but if we start taking on water at all we're probably sunk. The Vault definitely could use it for flooded rooms." He's got a huge grin plastered on his face at the find. Lorraine pipes up again, "Yeah, this was one of the items on our list."

Kane asks in surprise, "What list?" Lorraine begins to answer, only to scream & lunge out of the doorframe...

THE CORPSE IS MOVING

You see its outstretched hand reaching for her ankle that's no longer there. It doesn't look like it can see or hear, blindly dragging itself forward.

Your heart races a million beats a minute as panic overrides your brain. What do you do?

>Hide in the Locker
>Run Out & Slam the Door Shut
>Stomp on its Neck
>Shoot it with your 10mm
>"Kain, Bash It!"
>"Lorraine, Shoot It!"
>"Todd, Throw a Wrench at It!"
>Write-In

>>6261444
>>Shoot it with your 10mm

>>6261444
>Shoot it with your 10mm

>>6261444
Aim for the head!

>Try to talk it, while handing it , it’s ankle

>>6261520
(not sure what you meant here beyond trying to talk to it)

You fumble for your pistol, shakily drawing it from your holster; you've never shot anything outside of makeshift targets before. After a few split seconds that last forever in your head, you have the gun drawn & aimed at the shambling corpse. You try shouting a warning, "Stop! Can you here me?! How are you alive? Stop moving!" If it hears or sees you, there's no indication. You hear Todd mumbling, "It's just like a Romero movie..."

(Charisma Roll Auto-Fail, Initiative Roll Auto-Pass, Attack Roll Auto-Pass)

With a shaky hand, you pull the trigger, pointing the barrel at its head from barely a pace away. The whole world explodes with a deafening roar in the confined space, smoke & fire filling your vision, the kick of the gun sending it higher in your hands. The rotten head pops like a melon being pressed into a vice, spraying a dark brown gel into the opposite corner of the room. Your ears are ringing louder than they ever have, & it's hard to makeout what Kain says to you next.
>(Deafened: -2 Perception until your Hearing Comes Back)

He points his bat back out into the corridor while staring at the stump of bone left sticking out of the mass of rags. "We should take the pump & go, nothing good can come of looting the dead." He wears a grim expression, while also holding back from wretching. Todd & Lorraine don't seem very affected beyond wincing in pain from their own ears ringing.

You make a mental note not to fire off a powerful gun in an enclosed space if you can avoid it. Lorraine's pocket pistol likely would have been the better bet. You rack the slide at the front of the pistol, feeding another round from the magazine into the bottom of the cylinder.
>(-1 10mm JHP, +1 10mm Brass)

Ultimately, everyone looks to you. Your reputation established you as the leader before leaving the Vault, but it's clear the decisive action you've taken has solidified that.

>Loot the Romero Movie Extra Yourself (Roll 1d20+6)
>Have Lorraine do It
>Leave with just the Bilge Pump
>Grab Something Else (What?)

Once all is said & done, where to next?
>Back to the Raft for the Night, enough Excitement
>Directly Across, Down the Slope
>To the Left, Further into the Ship

>do a quick and silent prayer for the corpse before looting it yourself
Even creatures like this deserve some amount of dignity before being looted
>Directly Across, Down the Slope

Rolled 9 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>6261700
>Have Lorraine do It
>Directly Across, Down the Slope

Need 1 more Roll...

or plain vote

Rolled 4 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>6261700
>Directly Across, Down the Slope

Update in about an hour

(Luck Roll Result of 15)

You bend down to pickup the spent brass, spotting a glint on the floor amongst the mess of rotten brains. A pale yellow shines as your Pip-Boy light moves over it, & you see that it's a gold tooth. Getting over your disgust, you decide to take it, but first, a small mercy for the Rotten Crewmate. You recite a prayer for his soul, a short passage taught to you by your family. Kain's expression softens upon seeing the small gesture, though you're not sure if he notices you pocketing the gold tooth afterward.
>(+1 Gold Tooth)

Poking around the body itself reveals nothing of note, & you head out of the cramped quarters, back into the intersection & down the slope to the next steel door. It opens easily enough, but the sight within stops you in your tracks. Another corpse, this one hanging off a noose from a fixture in the ceiling. The legs are bloated; the head & neck a permanent shade of purple. Past it lies a locker against the wall, tipped over presumably by the partial capsizing of the ship. The doors look to be pressed closed against the titled wall. How do you proceed?

>Loot the Hangman
>Say a Prayer for Him
>Try to Lift the Locker (Strength Roll)
>Write-In

[I'll get a picture up later for this one]

>Say a Prayer for Him then check if this was self-inflicted or something did this to him

>>6262170
>>Say a Prayer for Him

Roll 3d20+6 (Intelligence) to Investigate the Hangman.

To whom do you recite your prayer?
>Deus Pater, the Merciful Holy Father, while you cross yourself
>God All-Mighty, the Creator and Destroyer, as you kneel with clasped hands
>Lady Liberty, who welcomes all upon Her Golden Shores

Rolled 13, 14, 8 + 6 = 41 (3d20 + 6)

>>6262594
>>Lady Liberty, who welcomes all upon Her Golden Shores

I meant three rolls of 1d20+6 but that works, undecided as to taking the one vote or waiting on more.

>The doors look to be pressed closed against the titled wall.
[tilted]

(Non-Nat 20 Investigation Roll Result)

The Hangman unnerves you to no end. Where the corpse that moved was shocking & revolting to look upon, the suspended husk before you is all that & more. There's something about it that raises every goosebump on your neck. Still, curiosity & the decency with which you were raised keep you rooted to the spot. You should say a prayer for this poor soul as well. First, you decide to try to understand what led to this.

Stepping slowly around the hanging body, your eyes never leaving it, you ask yourself aloud, "Did they take their own life? What could lead someone to that?" Todd speaks up, "If he's been sealed in here since the Atomic Apocalypse, it could have been radiation, or starvation, lack of water even." You look closely at the rope, beginning to imagine the torment of their last moments yourself, before your thoughts turn back again to prayer & you snap out of it. Below his bloated feet you see the shattered remnants of a small wooden step-stool, likely broken by spasmic kicks in his last moments. His hands are unbound, so you doubt anyone else could be involved. Lorraine reaches for the body to check it for something, only for the room to shake with an echoing rumble that stops you all in your tracks & sends the beams of your Pip-Boy lights shaking in every direction.

A tense silence fills the room, before Kain speaks up, "Must have been thunder from the storm outside." Todd mumbles something about generator sounds.

You've seen enough, time to do what you can for the dead man, he was one of your fellow Americans afterall...
>>6262594
>[Still awaiting the results of this vote]

After your brief ceremony, you...
>Try to lift the Locker
>Search the Hangman
>Move on down the Passageway
>Write-In

>>6262830
>Try to lift the Locker

>>6262830
>Try to lift the Locker

Rolled 5 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>6262594
Bo3 right?

>>6262830
>lift the locker

>>6263062
I meant the vote on how we pray for the Ferry Hangman, but we'll proceed with the Strength Check.

I need THREE rolls of 1d20+4

You take a moment to ponder who you should ask to care for the deadman's soul, as late as you are to act relative to their death. Hengist & Horsa, to speed him on his way? Jeshuah the Greek, to heal his ailments of the spirit? Finally you decide upon Lady Liberty, who shall surely welcome him with open arms upon Her Golden Shore. The Five Points made & a plea to the Goddess recited, you turn your attention to other matters. The eerie feeling you felt upon entering the room subsides.
>Spiritual Background Chosen: Sisterhood of the Star of the Orient

Rolled 10 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>6263064

Rolled 9 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>6263064

Rolled 13 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>6263064
Sorry for the late roll, I'm not interested in Fallout, but came from the QTG at your request.

(17 Strength Roll Result)
(19 Luck Roll Result before entering cabins)

You crouch next to one narrow end of the fallen locker & wedge your fingers underneath, before beginning to lift with a grunt of effort. At first it seems like it won't budge at all, & you'll have to ask Kain for assistance, before you reposition & manage to get just the right angle. You flip the locker up & let it slam back down against the wall, the door swinging open as it impacts. Inside you see a strange outfit; a sort of padded jumpsuit with a large metal helm to go on top.

You turn around to see if anyone has insights, & Todd remarks, "Looks like a diving suit, something else off the list. Does it come with an oxygen tank?" Sure enough, one is attached on the back; the pressure gage, Lorraine notes, somehow still high. Opting not to rifle through the pockets of the Hanging Ferryman, you leave the room & head deeper into the corridor.

You reach a point where, although still tilted to the side, the hallway begins to slope upward, before terminating at a single door akin to the others you've passed through. Upon beginning to wrench it open, Lorraine suddenly turns up the volume on her Pip-Boy, the signal becoming coherent.

"opolis, Tampaviv, Paradise Falls, or any other corsair or purveyor who receives this broadcast. We're willing to sell the location of Vault 54, fully stocked with supplies, technology, & healthy people for the right price. This message repeats, but we'll be listening for a reply one megahurtz below this frequency. Make us an offer worth our time, we won't bother answering low-ballers... Calling out to Shermanopolis, Tampaviv, ..." Lorraine turns the volume dial down as a sense of dread drops your stomach to the floor.

Further into the room are two corpses dressed in vault suits, a narrow antenna made out of copper wire running into a crack in the collapsed steel debris of the passageway further ahead. Your light reflects off the glass of a long-dead switch on the wall. Getting closer to the dead bodies, there is an overwhelming stench, & you notice one is covered in makeshift armor that looks like it couldn't stop a stiff breeze. Their jumpsuits are marked, "54."

Kain asks what everyone is wondering, "What the FUCK is going on?!"

Todd spits on the floor in disgust, "Goddamned traitors!"

"What the hell were they trying to do? Sell out the vault for whatever passes for money out here?" Lorraine adds.

Todd begins pacing the room, thinking outloud to himself. "They might have left like us, been unable to make it out here. Why not try to come back in that case? More likely, these are exiles from the war. Motherfuckers wanted to get back at us. Wonder if they have friends still out here, love to get my hands on them..."

It falls on you to keep a clear head.
>Check their Pip-Boys for Information
>Search their Jumpsuits (2 Luck Rolls of 1d20+6)
>Shoot their Pip-Boys to end the Broadcast, no time to hesitate!
>Take down their Antenna
>Write-In

(The Diving Suit found in the Locker)

>>6263682
>Search their Jumpsuits (2 Luck Rolls of 1d20+6)
What can I say. I love gambling.

>>6263742
Nice. Although it looks ancient, we might get some good use out of it.

>>6263682
>>Check their Pip-Boys for Information

You decide to check their Pip-Boys for information, only to find that both are encrypted & require passwords.

I need TWO rolls of 1d20+6 (Luck) to see what you find on them, as well as TWO rolls of 1d20+6 (Intelligence) to try to get access to their Pip-Boys.
You can also always:
>Write-In

Rolled 20 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>6264260
Luck

Rolled 18 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>6264260
Intelligence

Rolled 16 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>6264260

Rolled 12 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>6264260

Inshallah the rolls have been cast, update in approximately an hour.

>>6264672
Is this one Luck or Intelligence?

>>6264734
Does it matter?

>>6264774
Determines what you find if it's the Luck roll, your Luck & Int just have the same modifier.

>>6264644
>nat 20 luck
Sick

No time to have respect for the dead, when they're plotting your people's downfall. You rummage through the two corpses, finding their canteens, utility belts, a box of Pinkies™ snack cakes, a cattleprod of all things, a stimpack, & holy shit.... a fucking LASER PISTOL! Checking the battery ports on both weapons, you find forty charges worth of small energy cells total. You could strip them of their boots & jumpsuits as well, but they would be absolutely disgusting from death & the setting in of rot. There's also the useless looking scrap armor the dead man is wearing...
Gained the Following:
>Wattz 1000 Laser Pistol
>SEC x40
>Box of Pinkies™
>Electric Cattleprod
>Stimpack
>Vault 54 Canteen x2
>Vault Utility Belt x2

Do you also strip the bodies of their jumpsuits, boots, & makeshift armor?
>All of It
>Some of It (What?)
>No

Moving on to their Pip-Boys.....
[Continued in next post.]

The first Pip-Boy, the dead man's, you crack easily. You thought for sure you would need Lorraine's help, but it seems you have a knack for it.

>+1 Terminal Skill

With full access, you see the broadcast is transmitting from this one. Explains why the frame is hot to the touch, running constantly for however long they've been dead or more. Additionally you find a file marked "Daily Maintenance Log" & another labeled "Personal Log." Checking the Daily Maintenance Log, you only find a very long string of characters. The Personal Log on the other hand, reveals much more. You begin reading the last entry.

"Been feeling sick ever since that trader stopped in, but what else could we do? Didn't know we'd catch something & we've gotta eat & drink. Just a bit longer & we'll never have to worry about missing a meal again. Sick or not, nobody fucks with you when you have a laser gun." You read it aloud & a worried look passes over everyone present. Did a disease kill them? Could it still be infectious? You read further on.

"Fucking canoe started taking on water ever since I ran into that goddamn crab, fuck me. I'll fix it in the morning."

"Jasmine says she feels a little guilty already, had to remind her what they did to her older brother, to my mother, to plenty of other people we knew. Decent motherfuckers trying to keep ORDER when everything was breaking down, & the goddamned fishes treated them like the scumbags out here. They get what they have coming, what they fucking deserve. & we get rich."

"Big O don't want to hear me out? Wants to sit on his fat ass & wait while the rest of us scrape by? Well fuck him & the brat he thinks we'll take orders from, WE GOT THE CODES! Jas even swiped some hooch & the good stuff they had brewing, tonight's going to be the best night possible to start our new lives!"

Skimming the rest of the backlog, most were rather mundane complaints, half-baked ideas, & mentions of this "Jasmine," the dead woman, you assume.

>Turn Off the Broadcast
>Download the Personal Log
>Write-In

The dead woman's Pip-Boy, on the other hand...
[Continued in next post.]

Inside you find mapping data showing a place nearby called the "Eden Lighthouse," as well as your current location, simply labeled "The Spot." Further away is a place designated as a city, called "ConTown." Very creative names from these two. Strangely enough, you don't see the location of Vault 54, & the other Pip-Boy had no mapping data at all. Even further away you see "Elizabeth Ruins," with a hazard indicator. Her radio is on as well, but not broadcasting, simply listening in to dead air.

Glancing around further, you spot something under a collapsed beam. Dusting it off, you find an old sea captain's hat. Underneath are three bottlecaps, oddly enough. Probably useless, but pocketing them wouldn't hurt.
>+Captain's Hat
>+Bottle Caps x3

You start piecing together what you've read & heard. You could try to move the collapsed beams that lead out where the antenna was poking through, & deal with that while you're at it. Should you check their corpses to see what caused their deaths? Report all of this back to the Council of Five in the Vault? Clanging sounds echo through the ship, coming from back where you first entered the corridor & break your concentration. That didn't sound like thunder...

>Take down the Antenna & Stow It
>Try to move the Collapsed Beams (Strength Check, Roll 1d20+4)
>Take their Pip-Boys
>Try to Diagnose their Cause of Death (Perception Check, Roll 2d20+2)
>Head back to the Raft
>Equip Laser Pistol
>Equip Captain's Hat
>Write-In

[Last update for the night. Lots of choices here, & as always feel free to write-in & choose multiple options so long as they aren't contradictory.]

>>6264853
>All of It

>>6264869
>Download the Personal Log

>>6264891
>Take down the Antenna & Stow It
>Try to Diagnose their Cause of Death (Perception Check, Roll 2d20+2)
>Take their Pip-Boys
And if we have the time
>Equip Laser Pistol
>Equip Captain's Hat

>>6265080
Supporting

ROLL two good rolls (not bad rolls) of 1d20+2!!!!

Rolled 13 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>6265239

Rolled 14 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>6265239

Deciding to take everything worth anything, you begin to strip the bodies of their boots, jumpsuits, & Pip-Boys, downloading the logs from the latter & rolling up the former into the blue synthetic leathers.
>+Scrap Armor
>+Vault 54 Jumpsuit, Women's (Filthy)
>+Vault 54 Jumpsuit, Men's (Filthy)
>+Vault Boots, Women's (Filthy)
>+Vault Boots, Men's (Filthy)
>+Pip-Boy x2
>+Logs
>+Mapping Data

You dust & shake-off the old captain's hat, finding it to be in surprisingly good condition, & place it upon your head.
>(+1 Charisma from Captain's Hat, synergy from Sharply Dressed = +2 Total)

Additionally, you load up the laser pistol with small energy cells & holster your 10mm for the time being. Next you go to takedown the makeshift antenna, only to grab it & recoil from a burning shock to your hands that jolts through your body. Your hair stands on end under & out from below the hat for a moment. Todd shouts in concern, "You didn't turn the broadcast off!?" You end the Pip-Boy's transmission before continuing, collapsing the makeshift wire antenna & finding another small energy cell powering it, connected at the base.
>+1 SEC

All of that taken care of, you take a closer look at the bodies. Stripped down to their smallclothes, you see no visible wounds. No hairloss that would come with radiation poisoning. They obviously didn't thirst or starve to death since they still had supplies & their builds aren't skeletal. Some blue & purplish coloration is present at certain parts of the body, but there's no sign of strangulation. Curious. Todd & Lorraine aren't sure what to make of it either.

Before you can come up with any theories, you hear a the sound of someone or something approaching down the corridor you came in from.

Roll 1d20+6 (Luck) & choose how to react:
>Call out into the Corridor
>Hide & Prepare an Ambush
>Try to Dig through the Collapsed Beams to Escape (Roll Strength: 1d20+4)
>Just Start Blasting (Roll Luck: 1d20+6 a second time)

[Go ahead & roll for the option you choose if one is needed.]

Rolled 18 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>6266087
>>Hide & Prepare an Ambush

You wave the others into hiding spots around the room, turning off your Pip-Boy lights one by one as you crouch behind a hunk of steel & bring up your laser pistol at the ready. Lorraine draws her small revolver, Kain readies his bat in the corner parallel to the entrance, & Todd lifts up a wrench to hurl if needed.

Faint steps grow louder, plodding sounds upon the metal floor, until you're sure whatever it is must be standing right in the path of your raygun. You switch on your Pip-Boy light & blind the thing, stopping it in its tracks.

What an ugly mug, what is that thing? The split second thoughts are replaced by the need for action.
>THREE rolls of 1d20+4 (Agility) to attack the stunned Mutated Amphibian! Calling an aimed shot will increase the DC, but success means greater effects, naturally.

Rolled 8 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>6266353

[Updating just about every morning & evening, & I'm up for running sessions during the latter, occasionally mid-day as well, but I can't keep a Qst going without Qsters. I have a fair bit fleshed out for worldbuilding, & there's still later stages of CharGen to be interspersed. I'll wait to see if anyone else rolls on this one.]

Rolled 11 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>6266353

>>6266890
Chin up QM

Rolled 7 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>6266353

(Due to the creature being stunned, that's 3 degrees of success!)

You take the shot on the blinded creature, expecting recoil but finding none from the energy pistol. The shot hits along the folds of mottled skin where the elongated neck meets the torso, the red beam visibly refracting across the whole body of the creature as the layer of wet slime it's coated in goes up in a flash of steam. It lets out a screech & flails wildly at nothing, before an easy followup shot strikes true through the torso, a bit to the left & down. The superheated energy cuts through the soft innards of the beast like butter & continues down the corrdidor. One final shot scrapes back of its neck as it goes down smoking. Kain runs into the cone of your light & smacks it on the head while it's down, for all that does.
>-3 SEC Charges

(No recoil penalty/DC increase for each following roll for energy weapons. No initiative contest against enemies that are stunned or caught unawares. 6 Luck Roll result resolved.)

You hear a muffled voice, hands still gripping your laser in case the amphibian gets up or another barges in. After a moment, you realize it's coming out of your backpack, & reach in to grab the dead woman's Pip-Boy. You never turned off the radio module that was set to listen in on the reply frequency for their broadcast. Sounds like an older man, albeit garbled, but you can make out "still" & "offer." You lower the volume down to a whisper as you hear more noise from further towards your raft.

Todd speaks up as you begin to file out, "We should have left someone to guard the raft." Lorraine replies, "Not sure leaving someone alone would have been wise." You all step quietly, despite the slight echo of your footsteps, past the overgrown salamander. A gunshot rings out ahead, definitely not thunder this time. You cut off your torch-light. Creeping as silent as you can, you end up at the first bulkhead door, only to peek out & see a small boat, albeit much more impressive than your raft, moored to the same railing, several men aboard fighting off those salamander creatures with spears, harpoons, & guns on each hip.

You could step in to help, observe what happens, or start taking out the armed men right now.
>Attack the Salamanders
>Attack the Sailors
>Wait & See
>Announce Yourself
>Go Back & Barricade a Room
>Hold Them at Laser-Point (once they've killed the mutants)
>Shoot their Boat
>Write-In

[Would you all prefer hidden DCs or that I start revealing them?]

>>6267406
>>Wait & See

>>6267406
>>Attack the Salamanders

>[Would you all prefer hidden DCs or that I start revealing them?]
I personally prefer revealing them.

>>6267505
+1

Update in a bit, I'm curious though, what have anons been getting out of the noises within the ship?

>>6267976
Mirelurks? Aquatic ghouls? I have no idea lmao

My bad anons, update in about 2 hours.

(No Initiative Contest due to the enemies being Aggro'd.)

Alright anons, Roll SIX 1d20+4 (Agil) to see how your shooting fares against the Gulpers. If there are no Rolls within an hour, the same anon can Roll again until we have all Six. Rolls will be taken in order, with compounding degrees of success/failure. DC 1 / 2 / 11 / 12 / 19 / 20 (Critical Failure / Near Crit Fail / Slight Success / Success / Near Critical Success / Crit Success; assume 1s, 2s, 19s, & 20s will be as such going forward except in specific circumstances.)

Rolled 19 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>6268246

Rolled 12 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>6268246

Rolled 2 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>6268246

Rolled 12 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>6268246

Rolled 9 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>6268246
Rolla

1 more, señors.

>>6268401
Interdasting roll...

Rolled 7 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>6268246

(Not-Natty Crit Success, Success, Mitigated Near Crit Fail, Success, Success, Slight Success)

Getting a closer look, there are four men fighting off the swarm of salamanders, one of them staying inside the cramped cabin of the boat. Of the slimy creatures, you can't get a solid count, as they leap in & out of the water to attack from all angles. They're in their element here, creatures adapted to this world, but they're too engaged with the boat crew to notice you as you decide to even the odds. The men fight the beasts off with long polearms, spears or harpoons by the look of them, occassionally taking a shot with a handgun or carbine, conserving ammo.

You line up your laser pistol's sights & join lancing superheated bolts of light to the fray. The first shot is perfect, taking one of the amphibians in the back of the neck, dropping it instantly at the feet of a sailing man. A glowing hole steams & smokes from the entry wound. The sailor looks up with wide eyes as you move on to the next, scoring a hit on one about to leap from the bottom of the tilted metal stairs onto the boat, going clean through the side of its torso. With a loud thud, it fumbles the landing & smacks its bottom jaw onto the sidewall of the craft, splashing into the brackish water.

The next shot you take is aimed for a mutant aboard the small vessel, its back to you, but it ducks at the last second to make a low lunge at one of the men & for a split second you think you'll hit him square in the chest with the deadly beam. You manage a split-second correction & rake the bottom of the beast's tail, burning a line into the deck of the boat. As he fends it off with a long hooked pole, you see confusion & outrage cross his face. The boat rocks as two more of the creatures leap aboard one side, but you pivot & burn off an arm & a mottled kneecap, sending them both back into the drink. You barely notice another as it runs up from atop your own raft, skipping lopsided metal stairs in its haste to reach you, but turn & fire at the last moment. The shot passes over it, a glancing blow letting off a cloud of steam that blocks sight of its next move. For a heartbeat's time you imagine it leaping through & closing its mouth around your head, but the flash & pop of a gunshot rings out right next to you & you see Lorraine's pistol has made short work of it, a new hole in it's head.
>-6 SEC Charges
>+1 Energy Weapons Skill

(Nat 20 Luck Roll Result from earlier)

A brief moment later, you spot the last sea-lizard swimming off out of the yawning chasm that is the rusted hull of the ship. One man in a hat & goggles lowers his gun & waves, calling over to you. "Thanks for the help, name's Jack, Jack Costner. Let's parlay, little lady, or should I say captain?" He smirks as he motions to the hat atop your head. His men keep a lookout, their attention split between glancing over the sides of their boat, & casting wary eyes up at you & your crew. As he begins to disembark onto the stairs...

...You decide to:

Speech:
>Introduce yourself in kind, as Lucy "?" (Write-In a decent Scots-Irish or otherwise Southern Surname)
>"Captain will do just fine."
>Say Nothing
>Write-In

Action:
>Walk down to meet him on equal footing
>Keep the highground
>Aim your laser at him
>Write-In

Direction:
>Whisper to Lorraine to take aim at him or his crew
>Tell the others to stay back, he's only seen Lorraine
>Tell the others to come out for the meeting
>Write-In

(Choose one of each category for how the "parlay" starts)

>>6268753
>Introduce yourself in kind, as Lucy Macbeth

Action:
>Walk down to meet him on equal footing

Direction:
>Tell the others to stay back, he's only seen Lorraine

>>6268806
+1

You make your way down the precarious steps with a confidence not entirely felt, walking & talking. "Well Miss Lucy, mighty nice to meet'cha. I take it you're the captain of this fine vessel." He gestures broadly with a grin on his face to the rusted hull surroundings. You can't help but be a bit amused, & shake your head briefly. As you set foot onto the small platform of grating that moors both your vessels, he extends a hand to shake, the other still on his pistol, just as yours still holds the laser. "I take it you're the ones (he nods to Lorraine atop the steps) who sent out that message we picked up, looking to make a deal right?"

Action:
>Shake his Hand
>Don't
>Shoot Him (Initiative Contest, Your Agility +4 vs His Agility +6, Pistol +3 vs Pistol +3, Unholstered vs Unholstered so no Penalty, = Roll 1d20-2, Your Charisma 9 Auto-Bonus for First Impressions = DC 10)

Speech:
>"Yes, that was us."
>"I don't know what you're talking about."
>"Actually, we found them dead."
>"What are you offering?"
>Say Nothing
>Write-In

Unless you choose no dialogue option, Roll 1d20+2 (Charisma 9, opposed by his Charisma 7), & I do mean ONE d20+2. This isn't a rehearsed speech or prepared plan; what you say in the moment is what gets said.

Rolled 9 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>6269174
>Shake his Hand
>"What are you offering?"

[Votes/Rolls are Open, there's simply only one Charisma Roll available per Dialogue Choice. The Dialogue Choice itself will change the Hidden Modifiers/DC.]

Rolled 15 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>6269174
>Shake his Hand
>"What are you offering?"

>>6269392
>there's simply only one Charisma Roll available per Dialogue Choice
Wait, does this mean that something like "Yes, that was us." and "What are you offering?" use different rolls depending on which is voted on?

>>6269436
Yes, different modifiers behind the scenes as well since your dialogue shapes their reaction.

Rolled 3 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>6269174
>>Shake his Hand
>>"What are you offering?"

My apologies for the absence, writing.

(Charisma Roll Result: 11)

You shake his hand with a firm grip, as you were taught before leaving the vault in case of any cultural holdovers from the Old World. His hand is calloused & rough, a bit greasy feeling as well, but he shakes politely, matching your grip.

"What am I offerin'? It's more what YOU'RE offerin.' If I'm readin' right, under that jacket it says "fifty-four." Just so happens I've run inta' traders with the same suits, number'n'all, at ConTown. Your signal said you were offerin' up a vault. Well, I can sail out and get a few crews rounded up, enough to take a place over, sure, but how do you s'pose we'd get in? And who all's in on it, if not the ConTown folk?" His tone becomes a bit accusatory, his eyes squint with suspicion.

>"You still haven't made an offer." (Endurance: Willpower Roll, 1d20+4)
>"I happen to have the code to the vault door stashed away." (No Roll Needed)
>"That wasn't actually us, we found them here dead." (Charisma Roll, 1d20+9)
>"You don't seem all that eager for the fortune of a lifetime being offered up." (Perception: Intuition Roll, 1d20+5)
(Perception = 4 -2 due to Deafened, +3 Intuition)
>Write-In
>Shoot Him (Initiative Contest, Your Agility +4 vs His Agility +6, Pistol +3 vs Pistol +3, Unholstered vs Unholstered so no Penalty, = Roll 1d20-2, First Impressions Bonus Removed = DC 12)

(Once again, different dialogue options have different hidden DCs. 1 Roll per Choice.)

Rolled 10 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>6270956
>"You don't seem all that eager for the fortune of a lifetime being offered up." (Perception: Intuition Roll, 1d20+5)
Nice to see this back. I was getting worried for a second.

Rolled 18 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>6270956
>>"You still haven't made an offer." (Endurance: Willpower Roll, 1d20+4)

>>6270956
>>6271162
Changing my vote to
>"You still haven't made an offer." (Endurance: Willpower Roll, 1d20+4)

[I think I should be limiting the Rolls to after a choice wins, but in the interest of time I've been combining them. If I took the highest Roll for any option chosen, would both of you still vote the same?]

(Endurance: Willpower Roll Result: Non-Natty Crit Success)

The man stared through you, expecting a vault dweller of all people to budge, but seeing you wouldn't cave, he changed his tune.

"My offer... I know a crew who can get ya' all the cigarettes and canned smeat you could ever need. I know who to reach out to for a fine houseboat as well, armed and armored, running off 'uh swamp gas turbine. Could even get ya' a doctorin' slave from Sherman...

Now all that said, I would need a damned good reason to call up so many favors, pre-arrange deals, and consort with some of the damned meanest corsairs in the 'Banks. 'Sides all that, the Sound is nice and peaceful-like. Too shallow for the big fish 'round these parts. It's where we make our homes. So if you go calling in all sorts of trouble with that radio signal, or I put my neck on the line, might be there's no more days at the beach for me and my crew. So that's what I can put on the table, if your offer is genuine. Location, means of entry, and just out of curiosity, motive? What brings someone to sell out their own home?"

>"I happen to have the code to the vault door stashed away."

>"That wasn't actually us, we found them here dead."

>"I can show you the location right now, if you pay up-front."

>"The vault is on borrowed time due to flooding, might as well let someone make the most of it."

>"No thanks, need more than that to offer up an intact vault."

>"We have someone on the inside, awaiting our signal to open the door."

>Write-In

>Shoot Him (Initiative Contest, Your Agility +4 vs His Agility +6, Pistol +3 vs Pistol +3, Unholstered vs Unholstered so no Penalty, = Roll 1d20-2, First Impressions Bonus Removed = DC 12)

[Feel free to choose multiple options, if you're so inclined.]

https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6229080/
[Archive for the 1st Thread^
Once we start the next bread in a week or two, I'll be sure to post a standardized character/party sheet, inventory, archive links, etc.]

>>6271272
>If I took the highest Roll for any option chosen, would both of you still vote the same?
Depends on what's being voted on. I can see myself staying to a choice if it's something I really like, or changing my vote so that we don't have a tie.

>>6271307
>"That wasn't actually us, we found them here dead."
>"I can show you the location right now, if you pay up-front."
>"We have someone on the inside, awaiting our signal to open the door."
Hopefully we can trust him with this, and we can get ourselves some trade started.

>>6271334
Still going to wait on more votes naturally, but could you clarify how you want to combine these?

>>6271337
Tell him that we can show the location if he pays upfront, then tell him about having someone on the inside, and finally say that it wasn't actually us that own the place, that we found them dead already.

>>6271334
+1

[Alright, going to work on getting more voters from the forbidden (coomer) qst site at some point soon, but for the time being, let's see how this goes.]

(Make THREE Rolls of 1d20+6 (Int) to piece things together in a way that makes sense to this wastelander who's more confused than you are. DC: 12 / 14 / 16.)

Rolled 6 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>6272268

Rolled 13 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>6272268

Rolled 19 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

Alright, making the third roll.

The cocky grin he wears falters, as confusion creases his face. After a moment of failing to find words, he continues.

"So you aren't the ones who sent out that broadcast? And y'all are lookin' to trade? Well honestly, that's a bit of a relief. The less big fish swimming in our waters, the better. What would you want for the location?"

[Ask & you may recieve, anons. Keep in mind what your vault might actually need, what would benefit you & your crew, what these sailors might actually be able to get ahold of, & what's worth giving up the vault's obscurity.]

>>6273206
From the top of my head, we need purified water, food, guns, ammo, and a map. Information on the local factions at play and what wildlife we'd need to watch out for would be nice, but basic survival tools should come first. We could request some harpoons and nets/fishing gear to fish stuff with (not necessarily for food. Might find something useful underwater if we're lucky).
We could do with some stuff to help us sail, maybe upgrade our raft. I'm not an expert on that, so I don't know what we'd need (an engine? Some radars/sonars?)
Scrap metal, electronics, and sheets of other materials would help as well.

I feel like I'm missing something important that's obvious lol

[Alright, to be fair, I should have clarified your Vault Council-given Sideqsts & Fetch Qst Wishlist before now, but I didn't start the Qst so I couldn't exposit in the beginning, & I was waiting until the day ends when an inventory, summary of actions & affinity/reputation/karma etc. could be given. Lorraine & Todd have the full lists as more technical personnel, while you have broad strokes, & Kain as the muscle has the bare minimum understanding.]

You think back to what you recall being brought up in the Exodus briefing:
>Diving Suits & Bilge Pumps as you've acquired examples of already
>Wet Suits
>Snorkels
>Rebreathers
>Flotation Devices
>Waterproof Headlamps
>Glowsticks
>Flippers
>Hydropacks (like the "Penguin" equivalent of a "Jetpack," whatever those are; the history teacher didn't make it clear)
>Oxygen Tanks (preferably full)
>Fire Extinguishers (preferably empty, yet intact)
>Canned Foods
>Hydroponic/UV Lightbulbs
>Purified Water
>Nitrogen-Rich Fertilizer
>Rafts, Kayaks, Canoes, Boats, & Ships
>Chlorine
>Seeds
>Chopper/Macerator/Grinder Pumps
>Sump Pumps
>Small Energy Cells, Heavy Energy Cells, Microfusion Cells, Fission Batteries, etc.
>Sterile Med Kits & Medicinal Chems
>Polarized Goggles & Sunglasses
>Clean Work Boots
>Water-Resistant Paneling (Stainless Steel, Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, Galvanized Steel, or Copper)
You know other requests were made by specific people or departments within the Vault, but those were all the big picture requests.
All that said, the thought crosses your mind that you have no real obligation to return to the Vault. They didn't kick you out by any means, but your time finally came in the lottery to send out teams in the hopes they could survive & thrive first & foremost...

>>6273309
With the QM helpfully clarifying here >>6273513 I'd like to amend my vote to:
>Snorkels
>Waterproof Headlamps
>Canned Foods
>Purified Water
>Rafts, Kayaks, Canoes, Boats, & Ships (or anything like it)
>Chlorine
>Seeds
>Chopper/Macerator/Grinder Pumps
>Sump Pumps
>Sterile Med Kits & Medicinal Chems
>Clean Work Boots
>Water-Resistant Paneling (Stainless Steel, Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, Galvanized Steel, or Copper)
And if he can't provide all of this, then at least he might be able to point us to where to get the rest of it. I'd like to ask him about where to get the other stuff on the list if possible, too. Though it'd be understandable if it'd be too much to request of him.

[Not dead, working on trying to win the coomer vote by linking to akun. Not looking to shift directions for the Qst either, mature content is absolutely on the table as long it fits the bleak atmosphere of the post-apocalypse, but no degen-maxxing permitted. Can't run a Qst off of 1.5 votes though.]

Partial Inventory for the Protag & Party has been posted:
https://fiction.live/stories/Fallout-The-Shattered-Shore/hgSp8aeKPJ86cHxoP/Inventory/fG82ZvK7QJQikKv2q

More items will be decided upon during an equipment vote, but that's most of it.

Going to post an update on my lunch break sometime in about 2-4 hours

The sailor, Jack Costner, pauses. "I could scrounge up some of that... Might take me awhile, don't suppose you'll be stickin' 'round here too long. As for right now, I can definitely part with a harpoon & a weighted net. Just the one of each on me, though. Ten bottles of water, all boiled & separated. Twenty tins of Smeat™, just as good as Cram™ in my opinion... As for guns & ammo, I've got an old Smith & Wesson autoloader & two full mags. A sharp gaff hook for catchin' critters, & naturally I'll give you the lay of the "land." Sound good to y'all?"

>Accept the Deal; Mark the location of Vault 54 on his Map
>Haggle for a Better Deal (Contested Charisma Roll vs his Will Stat)
>Refuse

>>6275670
>Haggle for a Better Deal (Contested Charisma Roll vs his Will Stat)

No bites yet trying to fish for akunners to come vote here, so I've opened up voting there as well. I'll link to/tally votes from both sites going forward.

Writing shortly, 9 votes on fic-kun:
https://fiction.live/stories/Fallout-The-Shattered-Shore/hgSp8aeKPJ86cHxoP/home

Apologies for the absence, I've been working on a map with marked locations, expanded final inventory votes, CharGen choices to fleshout your crew's backgrounds in the Vault, etc. I've also decided that votes on Qst will count for double that of votes on fic-kun, since I want voters here & lore appendices there. Not sure if I'll be able to update at lunch (roughly 3-4 hours from now) or if it will have to wait until tonight.

"Alright Ms. Captain, I see you mean business. Why don't we all just sit a spell & relax. Not sure who's obliged to offer hospitality here, but y'all are new neighbors so you're welcome on our boat, or we can talk from that raft if'n y'all prefer."

He turns to one of the men watching on from said boat, "Ed, you mind pouring up some tea?" With a reply of a curt nod, the sailor steps into the cabin & out of sight.

Turning back to you, he says "Y'all can come on out of the corridor, I think we's pretty much settled on a deal here afterall. He sits down on the edge of his boat, & pulls out a finely crafted map of the region.

"We're here in this washed up wreck, nothing special really, just a small ship graveyard from desperate souls trying to make their way up river when the bombs dropped all them years ago. Prolly saw Elizabeth go up in smoke n' figured it would be safer inland. Maybe they were avoidin' the great waves that came to suck up the banks. Doesn't matter now, they're all long gone. Occasionally you might find somethin' good pokin' around in the rust, but nothin' worth gettin' your hopes up."

His finger moves from the spot further East & a bit North to "Elizabeth."

"This here was where the Coast Guard had a big fleet, 'long with airships n' whatever else. Just a smoking crater in the ground, but who knows, maybe something there's been left untouched. Wouldn't chance it if I were you though, no easy way to scrub clean a sandy boat."

His hand goes back towards where it was, where you are, but diverts to a town called "Edenton" sat on a bay. "Folks still live here, sure, but it's not the kinda' place anyone who knows anything wants to be. People go missing all the damn time. I recommend you stay the hell away, & if someone says that's where they're from, you row right along."

He cuts across the narrow stretch of the sound to a couple towns, "Avoca," "Plymouth," "Merry Hill," & "Windsor." "Corsairs & Purveyors call these ports neutral territory, which helps keep things nice & quiet 'round here. It ain't pretty, but that's just how it is. They drop anchor at Avoca, sell off what they're grabbed up, buy up what they want & need, & occasionally stop by the bigger trade towns of Plymouth & Windsor for nicer amenities. Keeps a degree of separation between who buys & sells, cutthroat pirates, "honest" merchants, & the trade caravans that travel further inland. Merry Hill's where the traders from Avoca live, & rumor has it keep their storehouses. You'll find a few other towns like ours here & there, mostly living off the scraps of the trade or just stickin' to honest work: huntin', fishin', farmin', buildin', trappin'."

"Speakin' of ours, there's good old Colerain." He traces up North along the Western side of the Sound. "We keep off the radar as much as we can, try to stay out of the dirty business to the South. Earlier I did mention Doctor'n Slaves, so I better clarify: they're good folk in a bad situation, looking to help but forced to tend to all the worst sorts, so most times they prefer some sailin' crew or marsh town buys 'em up. Besides our town entertaining the offer from one who was beggin' to be bought, we've never dealt with purveyors a day in our lives."

He circles the area further North, Northwest, before continuing. "Roundabouts here are the Kauwets'aka Tribe. Decent enough folk, but they do things differently to everyone else, so keep that in mind if you try to strike any deals. They are known for selling small boats, all-wood make, but sturdy enough. Past them are little towns here & there, until you get to the Haliwarnash Tribe's territory. Never met any in my time, but they've got a fierce rivalry with the Kauwets'aka. If you kept on after that, eventually you'd reach Henderson. You'd be their guest for breakfast, lunch, & dinner, especially a pretty thing like you, maybe even alive for some of it. Complexions like your friend packin' the pistol, but nothin' of civilization left in 'em. Occasionally they make the trip to the trade towns here to bring home the bacon, but they mostly wait for the caravans to bring their meals to them, one way or another."

"Course, South of that would be the Raleigh Crater. 'Tween here & there, due West, are lots of rough places & worse people, if you can even call all of 'em that. Men you could barely recognize as Human. But enough yappin' outta' me, what else do you want to make this a done deal?" The sailor from earlier, Ed, walks over with a pitcher full of tea & a few glasses clinked together, starting to pour a couple while Jack awaits your proposal.

Laser:
>Keep it Out
>Put it Away
>Use It (Initiative Roll)

Company:
>Keep Haggling Solo
>Bring Lorraine Down
>Have Everyone Join

Hospitality:
>Enjoy the Cold, Sweet Tea on Offer
>Politely Refuse (in the South, mind you)
>Climb Aboard the Boat & Have a Look Around

[Map got flipped.]

Map Key:
Blue - Home, Vault 54
Dark Green - Friendly, Colerain
Light Green - Possibly Friendly, Kauwets'aka Tribe
Orange - Possibly Unfriendly/Dangerous, Trade Towns
Red - Dangerous, Edenton & Elizabeth
Black - Abandoned Ruins, The Spot/Rusted Ferry

Qst updated on fic-kun as well, with a larger map (by file size) in an appendix section:
https://fiction.live/stories/Fallout-The-Shattered-Shore/hgSp8aeKPJ86cHxoP/home

(Contested Roll, Your Char 9 vs Jack's Will 7)
So Lastly,
>THREE ROLLS OF 1d20+2
AND
>WRITE-IN
What else you'd like to try to haggle out of him, right here & now.

Rolled 17 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>6278657
Laser:
>Put it Away

Company:
>Have Everyone Join

Hospitality:
>Enjoy the Cold, Sweet Tea on Offer

>>6278671
Rollin'
>What else you'd like to try to haggle out of him, right here & now.
I can't think of anything pressing. Unless he's willing to share some more tea lol

(Votes on /Qst/ are doubled, so along with the results from fic-kun, the friendly approach wins:
Put away the Laser
Everyone Chats
Drink the Sweet Tea
No Specific Items in Mind; Simply Haggle for a Better Deal)

[Need more rolls than just one, does anyone know how to setup rolls on fic-kun?]

>>6279879
[Figured it out.]

[An Extra Roll was made on Fic-Kun, but since you accepted his hospitality, I was going to give out a bonus on the rolls anyway, so you get the fourth Roll. With the Near Critical Success here (17+2=19) & two Slight Successes (9s), you get approximately 50% more out of the bargain. Mind you, this is all an up-front exchange based on providing your home Vault's location to a polite wasteland stranger, in the hopes that future trade can be established for the things needed to keep your community going.]

Ed pours the tea & hands you a glass, the taste & chillness are just right. After the first day in your life without air conditioning in the mild humidity of stormy weather, being coated in the acrid scent of gunsmoke, it's the most refreshing thing since ice-cold Nuka-Cola.™ You call out to Lorraine & the rest, "Come on down, we're talking trade." Lorraine begins down the stairs without much caution, but Kain & Todd are far slower to reveal themselves, & both hold a great deal of tension in the way they grip their bat & wrench respectively. Nonetheless, everyone joins you as you put the laser pistol away in the top of your backpack.

Jack caves-in to your bargaining, finally agreeing that for what you're trading, his offer is too low. Unfortunately for you, he really can't offer up much more than he already has. "How's abouts another five bottles of clean water, another ten tins of Smeat,™ a sealed carton of smokes, & an old army revolver? Takes moon clips, but I've only got a half one for it & five bullets. Not sure if she's a Colt or a Smith & Wesson, but she's a nice piece." He offers his hand & you shake, not as firmly as he does, but the deal is sealed nonetheless. Now the question is, how do you handle giving up the location of your Vault?

Todd clears his throat with intention & takes you aside, whispering with urgency away from the rest. "I didn't overhear everything, but it sounds like he came here to make a deal with those damned exiles looking to sell us all out. Could be buddy-buddy with slavers or worse. Do you really want to make this deal? What do you think the Council of Five will say?" Ultimately, the choice is yours. Your crew may need these supplies to survive, & the Vault is on borrowed time if it can't get the things it needs to keep running.
Jack Costner:

>Show the location of your Vault on your Pip-Boy so he can mark it down.

>Show a fake location; hopefully by the time he reaches it, you'll be long gone from this wreck.

>Go with him aboard his crew's boat, your raft hauled along behind, to handle setting up trade yourself at the Vault entrance.

>Write-In (as Always)

[If you choose to give a fake location, mark where on the maps I've provided & post it in chat.]
Todd Steinauer:

>Tell him not to question your calls & to stick to his own expertise.

>Tell him that you've made a solid judgement of this wastelander's character, & setting up trade is the right call.

>Tell him that the Vault is dead if we don't take any risks, so we might as well try to find a way. Plus, Jack can't get in without the Council giving the go ahead every time.

>Tell him to forget about the Vault, it's just us now. They'll all be dead in a few months at this rate either way.