Outlaw Field: Welcome Party

You indicate your readiness, and your escort pushes open the door. On the other side of the door is a large open room. The floor and walls are made of cement blocks, although there is enough dirt on the floor that if it wasn't brushed away in some placed you wouldn't know. The ceiling is made of solid stone, which has been chipped away at some points to allow for man-sized creatures to walk upright. The same glowing ore laced through stone lights this room as well. 

To your left and right, the walls are lined with crates stacked nearly to the ceiling. An open door across the room leads to a more dimly lit area, and all you can make out from where you're standing are a few cots. To your right are two other doors, each made of wood and closed. To your left is a large vault door, one that you might expect to see in a bank, with a large lock mechanism.

There are three tables in this room. One is empty, a young couple sits at another, and two men who appear to be guards are seated at the third. The young couple is eating a meal, while the two guards are playing something similar to chess. Each guard is wearing huntsman armor, but neither appears to be carrying anything more than a pistol.

A hush suddenly falls over the room when you enter. The guards' hands fall below the table, and you presume that they have at least rested them on their sidearms. The young couple, each perhaps in their teens, are on the edge of their seats as if to sprint for cover at any second. 

"Relax!" your guide calls out. "I bring friends! Where is Dukav?"

One of the guards replies, "Friends? Who are they? And where's the rat? Weren't you supposed to find the rat?" He points at the teenage boy at the other table. "Get Dukav."

The boy walks toward one of the doors on the right side of the room, but before he even gets there, the door swings open and a man walks through. He's wearing a blue hooded robe that conceals his entire body. As he enters, he shakes his head in such a way that the hood falls back to reveal his face.

"I knew you were here," he says in a monotone voice. "Have you come seeking enlightenment? Or just safety from the dangers of a corrupt world?"

Outlaw Field: Underground

The man visibly relaxes when you agree to follow him. He even slings his rifle over his shoulder and begins talking candidly. "The test? I can't tell you about it yet, but I passed it. Dukav will tell you more about it. He's our leader now. We're safe down here as long as we're with him."

The narrow path through the cavern slopes down and turns to the right. As you begin turning, you see that the light here is not from a generator as it was above. Rather, the stone itself is glowing with a faint yellow light... not all of the stone, perhaps a specific vein of some otherworldly ore that somehow ended up on Earth. You continue walking, and wonder if you've walked far enough in a downward spiral that you're actually under the entry chamber with the pile of dead bodies. Occasionally, there is a branch in the path and another passage leads off to the side, but these are not lit as brightly as the main passage and the man never strays.

Finally, you come to an old wooden door that is just slightly cracked open. You hear faint laughter on the other side. "This is it!" the man says. "Everyone else is in here." He is grinning widely, like a kid about to introduce his parents to his best friends at school. "Ready?" He begins reaching for the door without waiting for a response.

"Just a moment," Myra says, interrupting him before he grasps the handle. "I would very much like to speak to my friends for a moment first." She smiles at him as she asks, "That okay with you?"

"Oh, sure! Didn't mean to rush you," he smiles back at her, but you can see a bit of disappointment on his face as he responds.

Stepping back away from the door and your guide, Myra whispers, "Something is not right here. I can feel the evil, and it is strong. I'm pretty sure this guy is okay, but... I don't know... this is different. I've never felt it in this way before. It isn't like any deevil or entity I've ever sensed. It's just... different somehow. I don't know how else to explain it."

OOC: Frederick senses only pride and happiness in the man escorting the group through the cave, and his sixth sense isn't triggering.

Outlaw Field: Underground, Entry Room

The footsteps get closer and closer. Finally, you hear them just on the other side of the door. Everything on this side is completely silent, as everyone is tense with anticipation.

The door handle moves a bit, as someone on the other side touches it. You hear a faint beep, probably a key card of some sort being swiped, and then a loud click as the door is unlocked.

Moments pass and the door remains closed. Then you hear footsteps again, slower and more deliberate this time, growing fainter as someone on the other side moves away from the now unlocked door.

Outlaw Field: Trap Door

The rat accepts your help and finally comes out into full view. Still, he takes his time to size you up before he moves too far from the cover of the desks that he could leap behind if necessary. He's wearing little more than a pair of pants and an empty pistol holster on one hip. He stares at each of you intently, one at a time. Finally satisfied that he isn't in any immediate danger, he says, "Yes! Come. Follow me to the hole."

The rat leads you to a closed doorway in the very hallway you scrambled down in order to avoid his fiery attack. The scorched mark on the floor is still there, and you can't help but think about the near miss when you pass it.

The rat crouches as he pushes the door open, as if trying to be as stealthy as possible. He points across the room at a trap door leading down. The trap door is on the ground off to the side, and a narrow staircase leads down into darkness. "Over there," he whispers. "Door with lock is down there, down long hallway. They lock door and won't let me in!"

"Well, guys," Myra says. "Looks like this is it." She glances down at her pistol to make sure that the safety is off, and then she takes a deep breath. "We ready?"

Outlaw Field: Fire!

Behind you, you hear Myra scream, "Run!"

Just as Frederick shouts out his warning, Kendrick sees a rat-like humanoid stand up from behind a desk and turn toward the door. It lets out a primal scream as it turns, and a pillar of fire appears out of nowhere, completely blocking the doorway. Luckily, both Kendrick and Frederick are able to back up in time for the pillar of fire to cause anything more than discomfort.

The pillar of flame continues to blaze just inside the hallway, concealing the door and the room beyond from your view. As the heat in the hall grows, you hear a voice from the other side of the flames shout out, "Just leave me alone!"

Meanwhile, Myra stops running at the end of the hallway and turns back to face the flames. "I can sense him now," she says as she approaches again. "Powerful psychic... I know some can mask their power. He was trying to hide."

OOC: Matt... No, Kendrick couldn't see what Frederick was seeing. I guess I could have sent him an email detailing the psychic stuff that only he can see/feel/whatever, but I don't plan on doing that unless it benefits the story. Quim, if there is ever a time that you want to keep something like that a secret, just let me know.

Outlaw Field: Welcome Center

Image included as a reference point for what the building
looked like hundreds of years ago. Now this structure is
just slightly protruding from the tree line of a light forest.

You approach the abandoned building with caution. The structure itself looks stable, although the years have definitely taken their toll on the building. What was once glass in the front of the building has long since been shattered and replaced by a makeshift wall of wood and other materials nailed together. The front doors have been taken down altogether recently, and they are resting against the rest of the outside wall to the left of the opening where they once were.

There is a slight buzzing sound coming from a power generator that you can see to the side of the building. The unit has a large Madcap Mercenaries stamp on the side, and thick cords run from the generator through the front door and to some kind of light source.

It is easy to see inside, as the lighting that the excavation group set up is apparently still on. The front room is mostly empty, except for trash and the smells that accompany it. You can see where the workers cleared paths through rubble and trash, which probably accumulated over the years from various squatters using this place as a temporary residence. There are two doors in the front room, and each has a rubble-free path leading to it from the entrance. One door is barely on its hinges, and looks like it leads to what might once have been a waiting area, a large room with lots of old metal and plastic chairs. The other door is closed, and although the door itself has obviously been replaced recently, there is an ancient sign above it on which you can barely make out the words, "Employees Only."

Myra closes her eyes to concentrate again for a moment. "We're closer now... that's all I can make out. We're not alone."

Outlaw Field: Arrival

The workers shove three small crates of supplies onto the chopper, and you're off. You get a chance during the flight to check the crates. One is filled with various medical supplies, and another contains a day's worth of field rations for four people. The last contains extra e-clips and a matching set of four walkie-talkies. The flight from Merc Town to Outlaw Field takes less than an hour, and although you spot a pair of winged draconic creatures during your flight, they ignore you and don't even change their course to investigate.

For imagery only... much has
changed since this pre-cataclysm
photo was taken... see text.

You make a quick pass over the old airport, and everything looks still. There aren't any signs of movement below. Over the years, it looks like the forest has reclaimed much of the west side of the airport, and the buildings that once stood apart from the trees now stand just inside the tree line. It is clear that Madcap employees have chopped down and removed some of the trees for better access. To the east, there are more forests off in the distance, but plenty of open fields in between with not much more than very high grass. Breaking the monotony, to the east there is also a building that looks to have been built on the foundation of the large home on the map Prestin showed you.

Your landing is smooth, and Valen begins powering down the chinook. As the chopper blades slow and the noise of the machine subsides, you find yourself in the open field to the east of the main buildings. The grass is about waist high here, but closer to the buildings it has been cleared or trampled to a much more manageable height. One of the smaller hangars has been completely demolished, but the rest are standing, even if they are in serious disrepair. The main building to the south is overgrown, surrounded by trees and covered in moss.

The remains of what looks to have been a camp are strewn about in the elbow of the "L" of the hangars, and there are a few vehicles parked nearby.

All is silent except for the grass rustling in the breeze.

What do you do?

OOC Notes: Unless Eric responds, I'm going to assume that Valen stays back to guard the chopper. Also, if you want to back up and interact with the draconic creatures, that's fine as well... just let me know.