The Ganoltir Project Forum

January 1st, 2013
07:00

The monotone beep of a wristwatch carries through the cramped living room of 1304 Westminster Court. Those not already awake now rise, and you break your fast together in the small home, surrounded by picture frames of an unknown family. A young woman at her high school graduation smiles down from the wall, her parents beside her, proudly beaming.

While many streets in Kings Mill have already lost power, you are thankful that for whatever reason this block was still running, and the milk in the fridge is still safe to pour over cereal. Even still, you have exhausted most of the food supplies. Anything perishable has been prioritized, while anything packaged and preserved has been set apart. Outside, the air is still freezing, but you expect it to warm to melting temps by noon — at least if yesterday's weather was any indication. It's been a few days since you've seen anyone dead or alive.

Lane's radio crackles and you turn the knob up. The same message from the night prior repeats:

“All healthy civilians: report to the Cincinnati Safe Zone, located downtown on the riverfront between the two stadiums. Food, shelter, and safety are available for anyone willing to provide labor, skilled or otherwise. Avoid other population centers and exercise extreme caution on all roads. As freezing temperatures approach, wear appropriate cold-weather clothing and bring sufficient tools and supplies. This message will repeat every hour.”

Even the natives among you aren't sure the best route to Cincy, at least not now. About fifty klicks southwest, as Woody says. But what you do know is that you can't stay here forever.

OOC

Welcome to Kings Mills! Having scouted the area in the past few days, you've managed to do a fair bit of looting of the bungalows and shops. In addition to the hardware shop and the corner store you first hit, you've also seen a post office, a church, and a school.

To your south is Kings Island, where you fled from on Christmas Day. This hex will not count as Scouted yet.

The other hexes around you are unknown and may be Scouted as well. As most of you are at least somewhat familiar with the metro area pre-collapse, you can generally assume most of Greater Cincinnati you come across will be some mix of suburbs, denser pockets of city centers, farmland, or wooded areas.

Cincy itself, your eventual objective, is to the south-west roughly fifty km. For reference, each hex is 5 km from top to bottom.

 

Legend:

 

Happy fucking new year, Nate thinks, peering outside through the blinds, watching the street, as the radio message plays.

"Ok - so we're going right? There's no debate there? It's just a question of how," he asks, looking to the other survivors huddled around the room as the radio returns to static once more.

"I think we should at least check the Island's parking lot. Things might have calmed down over the last few days and a car would make this trip a hell of lot easier."

Lane picks up one of the framed photos, a brief hint of familiarity despite only the faces of strangers staring back at him. Wonder how things are back home. Easier to get a boat down there at least. And it'd be a hell of a lot warmer... He zips up his jacket, still cold even with the home's thermostat set to 68.

"Can't just stay here forever, but yeah, how? The radio said to be careful on roads, and can only imagine how the highway looks," he says, rifling through the pantry one last time. Gotta be something to take the edge off... He thinks, looking for whatever junk food, sweets, or candy tucked away within.

"Worth a try though. Or we could try and find a boat, take the Little Miami down to Cincy."

This city has the stupidest names for things, Nate thinks as Lane mentions the river.

"Yeah the roads are probably dangerous, but so's any other method of getting there. With a car we can at least get there in just a couple of hours," he adds.

"A boat could work, but I don't love our chances of finding one. Maybe if we strike out in the parking lot, we then try to follow the river? It'll take us to the stadium and if we're lucky we might find a boat."

"Guess as long as it's not some piece of crap where you gotta put the seats up to get in the back," Lane says with a shrug. His tone turning serious, he adds, "In a life or death situation, every moment counts. If something happens, we all need to be able to get out ASAP." Seen too many wrecks where someone got trapped like that. A fucking zombie just cracks that emergency up to ten.

"We see what our options are, carefully, and then stick to the backstreets." At least a car would have a heater. Knew I should've visited my folks for Christmas.

"My rental is a corolla, so 4 doors," Nate replies. It's a shame my Prius is back in Seattle. I doubt stopping for gas will be an option.

"If we can't make it to that car, I'm sure we'll find one we can reach. It's not really stealing if the situations as fucked as this."

"Fuck the sedan, man," Woody replies to Nate, as he rubs his eyes to help himself full waken for the day. "We gotta look for a minivan, something with a sliding side door. Like Lane said, quick egress. Stuck in a small car and we're toast if it dies, we run out of gas, or we get into any of dozens of other dangerous scenarios." No survival instincts at all, he thinks, assuming that everyone else in the area is simply a civilian. Guess I am now too.

"But we gotta be real, there's a chance we don't get to drive at all. Streets might be full of abandoned cars, or wreckage if anyone crashed while being attacked. We only saw what happened at that park, who knows what happened elsewhere? There's a good chance we're hoofin' it to the city, so we should make sure we are prepared for that if no vehicles work out. You all got good shoes for hiking? If not, check around the house for any."

Jeez, man's back in the war with how he's barking orders and preplanning. But I guess I should be thankful to have someone else competent around. Lane looks between the two men, frowning as he considers their play. "Say there is a minivan in that lot, with the keys and enough gas. We could always use the Corolla as a diversion. Car alarm, draw anything away from us." He shakes his head, shrugging.

"I don't know, maybe I just played too much Left 4 Dead. But I've got good shoes, so if we're walking, I'll manage."

"It's not a bad idea," Woody responds to Lane's suggestion. "But that's a lot of ifs. Way I see it, we'd be lucky to get any car in good enough shape to go after all the chaos, and after a few days of sitting in the cold unused, we might get some stalls. That means sound when we start it up, which is gonna be dangerous for us. Not sure if it's worth the risk."

He pauses, standing from the chair and stepping towards the window Nate is gazing out of. "Might be a good idea to do some scouting of the roads before we commit to a plan here. We get a car straight away and the roads are packed, we are a much bigger and louder target to those... things for no real benefit to us. A drawback, really."

"I guess we'll have to just play it by ear - like you say we don't really know anything about what's going on out there right now. Head to the Island on foot and take things from there," Nate replies to Woody.

"And you can say zombies - it's fucking crazy but that's what they are," he adds. This isn't The Walking Dead, we've all seen zombie media before. Guess we're never going to find out what happens with the prison and the Governor now - fucking midseason break.

Lane's eyes light up as he spies the treats tucked away in the pantry. Couldn't have sprung for Dr. Pepper? Ah well, beggars can't be choosers. He tucks the snacks into his pack, feeling a pang of guilt as his childhood coping mechanism has reared its ugly head again. I'll hate myself for this but... at least all the walking will burn some calories.

"Fair enough, just gotta be careful where we go. Avoid other population centers, like they said. But of course they set up the fuckin' safe zone in the middle of one," he bemoans, the absurdity of their reality setting in as he hears the iconic Z-word. End of the world could've been aliens, that supervolcano, Republican policy. But it's gotta be zombies."

Tāne thinks to himself "Hm i wonder if they made it out okay.. i fucking hope so regardless i guess only time will tell..damn i hope that one girl is still breathing man she was cute if not i'm going to be pissed" as he looks around doing tricks with his knife as he is looking around taking notes and looking around out the blinds 

"Yeah i agree lets check it out, of course taking it slow because there is no telling what we will find and see what we can find maybe survivors or something to help us i'm ready to move once you all are."

 

"I'd say we should follow the river down. Should keep us on track, but less eyes than the road, plus we might find a boat" Nate says.

"Yeah, agreed. Highway's gonna be bad news," Lane says, putting his backpack back on. "And these residential streets all look the fucking same anyway. Least with the river, we'll always know where it'll lead us."

With your gear and supplies stowed safely in packs and duffle bags, the four of you head out into the chilly January weather. Moving through the forgotten roads of Kings Mills is no challenge — the dead have been vacant so far, it hasn't snowed since the last plow, and the only icy patches are in depressions amongst the asphalt. You reach the edge of the small village, where a dirt road leads toward and then alongside a stream about 20 meters wide.

It doesn't take a wilderness expert to know that this tributary leads into the Ohio River, and thus by following it, you are able to make your way in a winding, southerly fashion. The riverbank is thick with trees, though visibility through them is decent considering the lack of leaf cover. 

Two hours into your walk, you still have not spotted any piers or marinas, though you do catch sight of roller coasters peeking above the treeline off to your right. Another dirt road splits off from the riverbank, and you take a turn on it, climbing a small thicketed rise to the edge of the park's property line. There is a simple chain link fence that appears to wrap around the entire backside of the park, the closest segment nearest you sporting a closed gate. Just inside, the road continues past what appears to be a waste management area with large dumpsters and recycling bins. An aging mobile office trailer sits close-by, the wheels long-rusted in place.

Time

Just after 9 AM now.

"Invertigo. A Vekoma Boomerang - not bad but showing its age a bit," Nate muses, as one of the rollercoasters first comes into view over the treetops.

"Follow the fence to the parking lot?" He suggests as they reach the park perimeter, not wanting to get trapped inside the park itself.

"Lost my phone on that a couple years back," Lane says, looking up at the coaster towering above the dormant trees. Thank god I needed an upgrade anyway. First gen iPhone was showing its age.

He shrugs to Nate, tracing the fence with his gaze. "I dunno, would basically have to walk the whole length of the park to get there, and then what? Plus the highway's right there, now that I think about it."

"Okay, fair point," Nate replies to Lane, thinking for a moment.

"We could break in and see if we can climb a ride, get a good vantage point from which we can check out the parking lot, without getting close to it or the highway, in case they're both fucked, " he suggests.

As you near the chain-link fence, you estimate it to be about twelve feet tall.

The gate that services the dirt road leading inside is locked with a simple padlock.

OOC

To climb the fence, each of you will need to make a Dex/Exert or Str/Exert roll.

To break the lock, you will need Str/Exert and some sort of tool or implement, improvised or otherwise.

"Tall fence. That's gonna be a bitch if we've gotta make a getaway," Lane says, looking up toward the top of the fence. Doubt these guys can keep up with that. Army guy maybe, but even then. With all this gear? "Could try and bust it open with a rock or something, but that's not exactly, you know... subtle."

"Well, it's either that or give up and keep following the river on foot," Nate says, looking around the area, both outside and inside the fence, for any signs of life.

Mechanics

Wis/Notice: [2d6-1]=9-1=8

"Looks like someone was or is hiding in that office," Nate says, pointing out the makeshift window coverings inside the office.
 

"well from the looks of it we gotta follow the river i don't think any of us have the tool for this unfortunately, lets try the right side everyone." Tane will say as he starts walking in that direction looking around and taking everything in

"If we're not willing to go over it or break it open, then I guess you're right," Nate says as Tane is quick to want to move on. "Maybe we'll find a hole in the fence or something," he adds. "If not I guess my rental is a write off. Glad I opted for full coverage," he jokes.