<span style="font-style: italic">Ooof, sorry about the long delay here guys! I've had a heck of a couple of weeks - one of my grandparents has been in and out of the hospital and relying on me to give him rides... and just as soon as the last medical visit was taken care of I got slapped with jury duty for a couple of days. Fortunately I think that is all taken care of now, in the short term at least, and I should be able to resume a semi-regular schedule. I had a semi-complete post yesterday but it ended up getting eaten by a windows update rebooting me. I'd learned my lesson about browser crashes and kept it in text files but that didn't save me that time XD I can be a fragile flower when it comes to writer's block and an incident like that is enough to knock me off the horse for a day or two. I'm ready to start things back up now though!<br/><br/>Anyway, since the group has come to a consensus to stay and rest I'll go ahead and roll a random encounter die to keep things interesting. A couple percentile dice are rolled, and a d4 (parameters listed in orokos logs) - and another group of travelers from Bucovina lands turns out to be at the depot... as well as some possible other new friends.</span><br/><br/>"N-no, this isn't comfy at all! Maribel, c'mon, you hafta get me... ou..." all of the shouting Julie-Ann had done, easily provoked by Arcea and Celrie's taunts, was wearing her out fast unfortunately... and before long the silly, lazy cooness had lapsed into unconsciousness and was forcing Arcea's belly to do all the work. As much as Marek might have enjoyed toying with his meal, and as much as Sevana might have enjoyed getting a little "appetizer" on hers, the real star of the after-battle show was Arcea (with a little sexy elven assistance) making a gourmet meal out of an common and unwashed yet adorably cute sharpshooter who failed at her old job but succeeded at giving Arcea a truly memorable meal. Although Glana was clearly still a bit uncomfortable about the matter and focused on congratulating Celrie, some of the other visiting Taileton dignitaries were clearly enchanted by the merciless taunts and the view of Julie-Ann squirming and struggling, crying out in alternating pain, embarrassment and pleasure as the catgirl's sloshing gut did what it did best. Arcea was clearly the envy of many of the other Cal'Drua tribesfolk who had come; most of the other warriors had been fearful of those guns and heavy artillery and had only shot arrows and held their ground, not managing to snag a succulent meal of their own. The whole experience being complemented by Celrie's voyeuristic psychic abilities was just icing on the cake, as was the last bit of affection shared with Maribel before she and her cousin went off to start the difficult task of reforming their clan of hooligans.<br/><br/>At last, the hovertrain pulled back into the station, and those who accompanied or followed it inside found it to be marvelously warm and toasty compared to the chill breeze of lingering winter outside. Unfortunately, the smell wasn't as pleasant as the temperature; the entire place reeked of coal smoke, charcoal and engine oil. While the power for the trade depot's doors and other vital systems were powered by a high-tech etheric generator, it looked like the squatters here still got their heat and cooking with cast-iron coal stoves and campfires. The high, dark metal ceiling gave all sounds a cavernous echo - it felt more like being in a cave than a proper building. Trash was scattered everywhere, and stray cats and rats were constantly rustling around in the shadows.<br/><br/>Apparently unconcerned by the shooting and artillery fire outside, about two-dozen shabbily dressed commoners approached the hovertrain even before it slewed to a halt, shouting for attention and holding up wares they were offering for sale or trades they were willing to make. Such vagabonds were a common sight at any public transportation station - so long as they remained in a station available to the public and didn't go hunting or foraging on Imperial lands, such people weren't considered criminal squatters like the bandits had been. They scratched out a meager living with the pelts and meat from the few animals that wandered close enough to the depot to be considered "a nuisance to travelers" and thus fair game. Most of what they had to trade and sell wasn't particularly attractive - moose and elk pelts, tallow made from rendered fat, unfashionable home-stitched garments, whiskey brewed from bitter local herbs in a rusty still, etc. But several of them were brazenly hawking "magical" trinkets as well, a trade that was highly regulated or forbidden outright in most domains.<br/><br/>In the midst of those peddlers who were hawking talismans and 'spell scrolls' was a tent of fine silk and embroidered with noble patterns, standing out from the shabby lean-tos surrounding it. This oversized tent seemed to be illuminated from the inside, and Sevana at least would recognize the style as being from a Bucovina domain she'd visited in the past. Alexis remarked that it looked familiar to her as well when she caught sight of it. There were a series of 'Spiritual Shows'(?) listed with times on a placard hanging out front. After a minute, a sound comes from within like several dozen people gasping in fear - then silence returns.<br/><br/>There was also a lone permanent structure - an elongated log cabin built up against one of the walls, with a painted sign in flowery script declaring itself "Wooly Molly's Bedde and Brekfast". Technically, as the new owners of most of the property in the nearby town, the traveling ladies were entitled to stay in establishments owned by commoners free of charge - not that the asking price would be very much anyway in a little place like this. To the disappointment of many of the traveling nobles, there were to be no inns with feather-beds, velvet drapes and mints left on pillows here. Most of them would most likely stay in the adequate conditions of their sleeper cars rather than lower themselves to mix with the rabble.<br/><br/>In the center of the depot was an elevator leading to the administrator's office. According to the conductor of the train, the administrator was still sealed up tight in her office up there, too unnerved by the attack to come out for fear that there might be another ambush waiting. Furthermore, a few of the visiting nobles were gossiping among themselves and saying that if THEY were in authority here, they would have the administrator sacked immediately for allowing such a disgraceful attack and claim this whole station using a 'eminence of the domain' legal maneuver, to "civilize this rabble". Perhaps the administrator was holing up out of fear of punishment as well as worry about more bandit attacks.<br/><br/>That meant that the traveling nobles were essentially on their own as far as clearing the obstruction. Though the conductor had just suggested hiring any of the local squatters to remove it and accepting the decent possibility that they would fail and blow themselves to bits, even an out-of-the-way place like this might have a few local clockmakers who could assist Sevana and Quill in disarming the charges, should they care to risk themselves. In addition, these locals would probably be more familiar with Catspaw itself than the people who were nominally meant to rule it, and may make a good source of information.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Either here or soon after we may have a new player joining us! Also, items can be bought or bartered away here, but not sold for direct coin. I have to run for now but will post more in-depth descriptions of the interior of the Bucovinan traveling show's tent and Molly's Inn later today/tonight, hopefully!<br/><br/>Roleplaying here will grant the players a large degree of latitude and discretion. Specific NPCs can be created, described and controlled by the players within reason. Furthermore, social skill checks and purchases can be roleplayed out with as much or as little detail as the party wishes. To keep things moving I plan to move on to the next day and the journey to Catspaw proper after just a couple-few posts of tooling around the depot, though as described, it may become part of one of the players' domains in the near future.</span>