LogApocalypse World: Black Rain-Jason-16

Game log for the 2021/07/25 session of AW: Black Rain, as taken by Jason

We open where we left off, with String and Xander on the other side. String cautions Xander against trying to open his mind, because it works differently on this side of the void. They decide to try using the dumbwaiter shaft to get down, with Xander in the lead. As he gets to the kitchen level, he hears voices, including that of Captain Maxwell. He decides to wait for people to leave, but while the Captain does so, the other voice doesn't. He decides to take his chances on slipping out without being noticed. He does so, but has to duck before he has a chance to close the door.

This universe's version of Bento comes over, hands covered in flour, notices the open door, walks over, and looks inside. She sees String looking down at her, makes an "eek" sound, slams the door, and runs. Xander sends the dumbwaiter back up so String can hurry down before anyone arrives. She makes it but they're both in the buttery when a bunch of armed people arrive. Cadbury's wearing junta gear and a Captain's hat, giving orders. When Maxwell arrives, Captain Cadbury arrives and tells him to go find Xander, because there may have been a breach. Bento explains what she saw to Captain Cadbury. After discussion, the Captain orders the keep locked down so they can search it. Bento, Slingshot, and Deadeye are all kitchen staff on this side and leave. A bunch of people who String thinks of as kitchen help seem to be fighters on this side. Not-Xander shows up, hears the whole story, and says that they need to check the door, since "one of them" may have come back. Not-Xander climbs into the dumbwaiter and heads up.

String gestures to Xander to let him make the call, and he decides they should try to sneak out. He takes a rolling bread rack, shoves it out, and pushes it into one of the guards, then goes running for the kitchen exit. Not-Butters gets his gun around and fires a burst, most of which goes wild, but String takes a flesh wound. They go running at top speed, Xander calling out directions because he knows the bowels of the keep inside out, and goes running down into the cisterns. At one point String tries to make a false lead out of her blood trail by taking a side passage and then bandaging it.

They end up leaving through the secret passage, with Xander having made the door look like it's still locked at first glance. It's daylight and dry but they're still on the side of a steeply sloped hill. Xander suggests checking out the grotto, but String worries that the locals may not respond well to seeing her. They decide to go to where the Airstream used to be. String climbs down but Xander slips and falls, rather a lot. When she gets to the bottom, she lays her hand upon him and gives him a little healing. She then asks the maelstrom what the situation's like at the grotto, and while she once again has the sensation of transmitting rather than receiving, she gets the feeling that the grotto on this side is either deserted, or occupied by people who aren't receptive. Oh, and when they stop to look around, they realize they're in the middle of a sprawling city.

They go looking for the Airstream in its old location, and it's not there. They go looking for it and realize it's somehow up on the roof of the keep, with no obvious clue as to how it got there.

Back on the original side, Captain Maxwell gets word that String and Xander crossed over, and goes to investigate. He sees the rope connecting the two worlds through the void, and when he asks, Depthcharge informs him they've been gone for about 20 minutes. The boss tells the guard to be careful and not get shot, and to close the door if he has to. Maxwell's about to leave when he hears Xander's voice calling, "Hello?" from the other side. The Captain asks what they found out. The Xander-voice exhales and introduces himself as "Xander," and then the boss realizes he's not talking to the person he thought he was. This Xander didn't realize that there were duplicates on this side. Maxwell tells him about their encounter with not-Fisher, and when not-Xander asks to talk to him, tells him a story about how not-Fisher was looking for something they didn't have here and left. When asked, the boss stammers out something about not-Fisher needing lithium and going out looking for it. Not-Xander then asks to talk to our-Xander, and the boss says he's out. Not-Xander then asks if our-Xander is a moron, and Maxwell says something about his lack of social skills. Then not-Depthcharge shows up and makes a mean joke at not-Xander's expense. Then they talk about how Maxwell isn't in charge on their side, and they laugh at the very notion. Not-Xander doesn't get too deep into that, he just wants to talk to our-Xander. They agree not to exchange fire across the void, but not-Xander does express some concern about their missing door, and asks how many people Maxwell sent. He says they were running some experiments and makes a couple vague notions. Before answering, Maxwell asks if they know about the black winged things living in the void. They do know about them. It's why they miss having a door. Maxwell asks how many people they sent over, and hears that it's Fisher, String, Sybil, and a fourth guy who came back. Their Sybil is not a pain in the ass, apparently. Maxwell warns them that any un-accounted for Sybil they meet is ours, and probably crazy, and they should be on the lookout. Maxwell then complains about how one of the people who came over to our side killed people, which makes him edgy and not long on trust. Then the people on the other side push to close the door, which Maxwell is working himself up to doing. The people on the other side are willing to keep the rope in place, since this is a good connection, but that means they need to keep the doors guarded. Not-Xander wants to talk to our-Xander ASAP.

String asks a random person where the clinic is. The person recognizes Xander, calls out, and suddenly a bunch of people come and hustle him into an infirmary. String finds a nitrile glove and covers up her hand. The doctors put Xander under and go to work, while String waits outside. At first they think String must be Xander's assistant, but when she says she's from out of town and just a friend, they send a runner to Captain Cadbury instead.

Fisher, solo, packs for a multi-day excursion and heads out into the wilderness. He doesn't usually go south to the Goat Clan, which isn't a direction he's travelled much. It gets toward dark, and suddenly he begins to think maybe he's being watched. He looks around and sees concrete in the wash he's in, like this used to be a city once. There's a lantern deep here, and that means there might be scavengers about. If keeps on the surface, he'll be observable, so he should either get underground and try to make his way through, or else try to hurry through the top. The biggest worry would be running into a band of scavengers, like the ones who own the group of horses over yonder. He decides that's bait and goes underground.

He figures out the location of the cave where the ambushers are, works his way above them, pulls up some scrub brush, sets it alight, and tosses it into the cave to smoke the recreants out. He tells them to drop their weapons and surrender their shit. The boss actually orders the rest of his crew to come out too. It turns out to be like three extended families. One of them tells Fisher they didn't know it was him. One of the small girls sees Fisher's face and starts crying. Fisher's about to confiscate some of their weapons, but one of the women offers to let him take a horse instead, which he does. He strips down all the weapons, just to give himself a margin of safety, then gets a horse. Fisher rides off into the sunset, and makes it to top of a table mesa before things get ugly. He has to tether the horse part of the way.

Captain Maxwell sends for Luna, and Slingshot brings her in and then leaves, closing the door behind her. He asks her about her interest in the void, and she assures him that she's done with the void now. He reads her body language and concludes that she's curious and likes to know her surroundings, but isn't necessarily out to cause trouble. She doesn't want anything concrete from him, just to go about her business. Meanwhile, the charcoalers are in town, and usually the smiths follow after them. The smiths will be problematic, since they were involved with the syndics.

Luna, back in her room, opens her brain and wonders who to trust. She sees a distorted version of her own face, like it's in a funhouse mirror. The reflection says, "come to me." Actually, it's the chorus of whispers from the maelstrom saying it. The mirror is actually the curved mirror that the Seekers wore. She wakes up when Slingshot starts shaking her and telling her she's late for her set.

Everyone's waiting for the entertainment, which is running late. The advance party of the charcoalers is there, and one of them wants to make it clear that their guild wasn't mixed up in whatever happened with the smiths, and yet, the charcoalers can't trade properly where the smiths aren't welcome. The Captain's a little unwilling to tolerate armed insurrection, though, and now he's responsible for the good of the entire hold. One of the younger members of the advance party doesn't seem to like this change, with the syndics not in charge anymore. He asks whether a hold that doesn't welcome one guild is truly welcoming to any of them. The boss takes a deep breath and explains that he's not looking for recriminations but he's not going to tolerate any armed group in the hold that isn't under his control. They'll accept that but they want him to publicly welcome the smiths. He does, but also reminds the hall that there are new rules for this town.

That's when Luna arrives, and begins her performance. Somehow her performance chills the entire room out. In fact, one of the charcoalers leans in to Captain Maxwell between songs and apologizes for making things tense. Word is out that the Captain's building something here, and he's willing to see if that's the case.

String knows she's going to get found out if she sticks around. Xander's unconscious, so they can't just bail out together. One of the orderlies comes up to her and says she thinks she knows String, she's the disciple of Avaya. String says the orderly must have her confused with someone else. The orderly's confused, since the disciple had a fake hand on the other side, says "never mind," and goes back to work. String can tell the woman doesn't quite believe her. This infirmary seems to have been built on the assumption that sunlight is the best disinfectnt, so the walls are sheer and designed to be pulled aside to let sunshine in. She leaves and heads back up the cliff, hoping to get back in to the secret door. She finds an easily climbable route and whooshes right up, then goes looking for cistern #4.

The cisterns have half-circular inspection hatches. The first one she checks is just a cistern, full of water. The next is bricked over and the doors removed, meaning it's permanently sealed. She then sneaks over to the laundry and pilfers some nondistinct clothing, wrapping up her old clothes and sticking them in her belt. This disguised, she goes to the great hall to see what's up. Captain Cadbury's sitting at the head table with two Seekers. She's headed across, going to the stairs, when someone rushes up to her, says "the boss's pecan pie! Get it to him now!" and hands her a pie. She says she has to go to the wine cellar and can't, because the VIPs will care more about alcohol than pie. She and String will both go get the wine. String goes along for a bit, then goes the opposite way and goes up the stairs. Their version of the hallway door outside the old office looks a lot like the one on our side, but it's guarded by a not-Butters with a gun. She hastily moves along.

She goes up to the roof and enters the Airstream, which is full of weird-ass electronica, and swipes a handful of wiring. She hears a clanging, rustling sound and discovers a scrawny teenage kid with glasses in the junkyard. She walks up to him, saying, "You're Xander's assistant, right?" She cheerfully walks up to him and then lunges for his throat. He stumbles backward, gets to his feet, and makes a run for it. She tries to catch him but he's too quick her. She tries to deescalate by saying she needs information and didn't mean to scare him. He's not real eager to buy into this. She figures he's in the Airstream, and sees that he has a pistol now. She taps on the window and he's so surprised he fires a round into the ceiling. That was loud. She asks what he needs to finish his part of the plan. He's all manner of confused, but he tells her to back up, hand where he can see it. She communicates that she's from the other side, and asks again what they need to complete the plan, but the kid doesn't seem to know. Just then, not-Butters comes onto the roof, and String rushes to hide in the junkyard.

She can't find a spot that conceals her from everyone, so she picks a spot where Butters won't see her, even if the kid can. The kid ducks down in the Airstream. Butters asks where she went, and the kid tells her. She leads them a merry chase, and by the time Butters has a line on her, she's at the top of the stairs, headed down. Unfortunately, the door's locked. Not-Butters orders her not to move, so she puts her hand up.

Xander wakes up to find not-Xander saying, "Well, well, well" to him. The local asks Xander why Captain Maxwell didn't tell him that our-Xander was here, but Xander doesn't know. Not-Xander asks how Xander got hurt, Xander says it was a truck, and not-Xander says it makes sense, because of course people drive on the other side of the road here. Our Xander explains that he's been working on startint up the power station on his side. Asked why, he spins a tale about researching evaporative extraction of lithium. Our Xander mentions finding notes, and their Xander says something about how the author had a heavy burden. Also, when our Xander asks about the Airstream, their Xander explains that moving it there took all the fuel they had. Not-Xander pushes the infirmary staff to move Xander up to the keep, with a nurse attending if needed. Their Xander asks who came with him, and our Xander says only String came with him, but he can't speak to anyone else who came through the door separately. Our String apparently has enemies she doesn't know about on this side.

Up on the roof, not-Butters holds String at gunpoint while the kid zipties her ankles. She tries to interest him in hearing about the other side, but not-Butters gives absolutely zero fucks. As they approach the Airstream, she hears bells, and sees an enormous domed temple with a tall spire. The kid confirms that Butters has her, and then goes off to a different part of the roof, where he starts genuflecting in the direction of the temple. When asked, not-Butters admits that the Seekers come and go, but then he remembers himself and tells her to stop talking. He refuses to treat her earlier gunshot wound.

Fisher wakes up and finds his horse still there. He gets to the goat clan just before nightfall. They're in the ruins of an old building down in a canyon, made defensible because of the ruins. Fisher approaches at a measured pace, keeping his hands in site, as the clan starts bringing their goats in. They tell him where to tie up the horse and where to leave his guns, and he obeys. The ruins have four floors still intact. The ground floor windows are all sandbagged, and there's just one door. Fisher wouldn't want to take this place all by his lonesome. He asks if they have a Cabot or Dyke there. They deny any such thing. He tells them that Cabot and Dyke and starting shit with Running Rock by going after Luna, who's under Captain Maxwell's protection. If they're going to harbor people who go after the Captain's guests, they might not always be welcome in the hold. The person in charge calls out that welcoming people is the Syndic's choice, not the Captain'. Fisher tries to tell them different, but they don't believe him. He doesn't have that trustable manner.

Since their business seems to be as soon done as begun, Fisher peacefully backs off, but tries to keep an eye on the building exit. They see him doing it, and send a scout to see what he's up to. Fisher sees the scout coming and backs him off, but realizing that he's busted here, he retreats again, and makes camp a couple clicks back toward Running Rock.

After Luna's set, she tries to make nice with the boss, but he's not real interested. As she's taking off her makeup, some kid says, "Mistress Luna?" She's not sure if he was hiding in the room or just snuck in, he's that quiet. She thinks his name is Tensing. He tells her that someone wants to meet her, people who are interested in her singing voice. He doesn't know names, but they're tall, robed, and have mirrors for faces. He can take her to them. She's reluctant, and he asks if that's because of the mean man who wants to take her. It is! Tensing is very disappointed that she can't come. She suggests that they should come to the keep. The kid kind of figures they can't, or they wouldn't have sent him. He's disappointed that Luna won't come with him to meet them.

She opens her mind to try to find out more about the Seekers, and wakes up outside the keep, in the marketplace.

Up on the roof, String keeps trying to engage not-Butters in conversation until he slams the butt of his rifle into her mouth. She spits out a couple teeth.

Not-Xander puts Xander up in the Great Hall. Captain Cadbury and two Seekers come to visit. The Captain is sad to realize that Captain Maxwell was not straight with him, and asks why Xander's there. He tries the same tale about research for the power plant, but they don't believe him. Captain Cadbury tells not-Xander to talk to String and figure out what's going on, and to put Xander and his medical orderly in a cell. Xander makes a show of giving them directions to a cell he likes, but they actually take him to the old storeroom with a bricked-up door. The Captain apologizes for this treatment but tells him they need honesty. Xander keeps insisting on his "power plant for lithium extraction" story.

Butters found String's bundle of wire and took it, setting it aside in the Airstream. Not-Xander comes up and asks what happened to her, then asks not-Butters what he did. Without waiting for an answer, they start to take her downstairs to the cells, but not-Xander makes them stop because he has questions he has to ask right now. Has she seen her counterpart? Yes. Does she know where she is? Yes. Are they working with her? Fuck you. String refuses to answer questions until she gets medical attention. They put her in a room on the cistern level, with a new lock put on the door and a guard outside. The guard is Captain Cadbury's son.

Through the door, String asks the son what he did to String. He insists he did nothing. She asks why String killed the version of him on the other side, then. He refuses to believe she did anything of the sort. He talks about the heavy responsibilities she carries, the baggage she carries so other people don't have to. He makes mention of having to carry the Hand of Darkness. The kid finally tells her to shut up before not-Butters comes back. String realizes this kid is just not going to believe her. She gives up on him and opens her brain, hoping to find out what's up with the temple. The door opens and not-Xander talks in, saying, "It's the temple of Avaya, OK? God! Also, how do you do that? Make me hear you?" Apparently only people from her side can do the thought projection thing. She suggests that she might up the volume. He says that's a bad idea. She asks if someone's going to beat her to death over it. He gets tired of her attitude and reminds her that this is the safest place for her. Almost at the same time, they both acknowledge that her side might be safer. Not-Xander mentions that her Captain Maxwell might not be on her side, though, and she happily agrees.

They move on to discussing missions. He was hoping not even to involve people on the other side. She points out that it might have worked out if they hadn't started killing people. He can't believe that the people they sent, specially chosen for their skills (not-Fisher being the most diplomatic person they know) and wouldn't have killed people. She can't quite process diplomatic Fisher, but she does tell him that the Seekers are bad, inhuman, and the source of the wingbeats in the void. She wants him to distrust them and stay away, but he says that the information they've provided about the void has proven true. Anyway. They compare timelines on not-String, and not-Xander explains that she slipped and fell into the void, so she must have found a way out. String reminds him that the same thing happened to her Sybil. They move on to comparing differences between the worlds, and String tries to show him that her porcelain hand is not the Hand of Darkness. He reaches out to take it. It starts whispering. He acknowledges that this hand is different, though disturbing. She tells him this hand heals. That's why her-Xander is alive. She offers to demonstrate. He sends for not-Butters, and tells him to leave his gun outside the cell. He makes not-Butters hold out his hand, and not-Xander jams a screwdriver through it. Not-Butters makes a strangled grunt but doesn't cry out. He's reluctant to let String touch him, but not-Xander insists that he allow it, and she makes the wound close up. Not-Xander expresses surprise. String, feeling her position improved, asks to include her Xander in their conversation. He wants to clear some things up first, like what happened to his String. She tells him that bodies started piling up, and this was received negatively. He asks what the wire was for, and she tells him her Xander needed materials to examine from this side. He tries to ask her questions, but she isn't enough of a scientist to answer his questions. Now they need her Xander.

They go to him, and he immediately asks about their Fisher's mission. He was making an initiation device, for a uranium fission device. When Xander asks if they really have refined fuel for a device, not-Xander says, "maybe," and affects to seem unconcerned. Xander presses him for design information, and also for the details of the effect they wish to achieve. They start comparing which things are valid on both sides and which things are opposite. The voids, certainly, are common to both sides. Their Xander reiterates his conviction that Fisher is a superior diplomat, and mentions again that String volunteered but fell. Our Xander brings up the Seekers again, assuring that seeing one unmasked would pet not-Xander's weird-shit-o-meter, and tells him that they're native to the void and the source of the wingbeat noises. Anyway. Not-Xander says that for his part, his total goal is to keep "this" from happening anymore. Xander asks about power plants, and discovers that the plant on this side is also weird, haunted, and creepy. Not-Xander tries to bring things back around to the need to get them back to their side for them to do their research, and to his need for lithium. Xander actully wants to stay here, though, and suggests a Xander swap so that the research can continue on both sides. (Appealing as that idea may be, he also knows that String wants to kill everyone on this side, so if not-Xander goes home with her, he's not going to make it.) Not-Xander sends someone to get a copy of the relevant designs, and talks to Xander about what he thinks has to happen. It's the same stuff that not-Fisher said. Not-Xander's teenage assistant shows up with a large binder full of notes, and asks the kid for the rest. The kid gives not-Xander the wires, and he hands them to String. Xander explains how he needs them to test out the polarity of stuff on this side, which he already knew was a problem because of some artifacts he'd worked on. Not-Xander catches a whiff of something hinky there and doesn't like it, but he doesn't figure he has a choice, so he hands Xander the notebook. He tells Xander he doesn't want to see his face until he's built both initiation device, for which the plans are in the notebook. The designs for the bombs in that notebook should work on both sides. It's total energy output that counts, not the spin.

Discussion complete, they give Xander enough painkillers to make him mobile, and send them up the dumbwaiter to the office. Depthcharge is still watching the door on this side, but it's Cochise back home. Cochise asks String for instructions, and she asks for some safety ropes, carabiners, and raindrops. Cochise is confused but String tells him to go ask Depthcharge, who confirms the password. Captain Maxwell goes to the office. They get the ladder bridge rigged again and String and Xander make it home. Not-Xander admits that he doesn't like having a portal open, but once it's closed, it's hard to get a good one going again. It actually seems harder for them than it did for String. Captain Maxwell asks Xander if he got what he came for, and Xander says yes. Not-Xander asks Xander to make the call about keeping the portal open. Captain Maxwell says not-Xander will see Xander tomorrow when he comes to install an iron grate over the portal. String leaves the room so she can pass out in the Airstream. Captain Maxwell leaves the portal open but orders a doubled guard.

Luna's still in the marketplace, and goes running for the keep. Someone steps out of an alley into her path, calling out, "Wait, wait, Mistress Luna, wait" and grabs her arm. "I'm glad you came. They're waiting for you, this way." She asks him to let her go, but he won't, so she pulls a knife. He accepts a stab wound in order to pick her up and take her into the alley.