FTS: The Old Pueblo, Session One

 I have something of an affection for Mellonbread's wonderful Fallout: Two Sun for a variety of reasons: it's a wonderfully written, self-contained series of adventures set in a city that I've long held something of a fondness for. I've had the opportunity to run through it three times with three different groups, and it's become comfortable minicampaign territory for me when friends of mine want to scratch the Fallout itch. I've developed plenty of little additions and flourishes over these past few times, and the base content is well designed enough to be run easily - I'd definitely recommend checking it out.

Saguaro National Park - a place everyone should go if they have the opportunity.

This time, as always, we began with a ragtag group of exiles -

• Amanda Wren, the charming former secretary to the Overseer, was charged with embezzlement after being caught allotting herself an extra five minutes of hot water for showers.
• Dr. Franceseca Rossi, mad scientist and former Vault doctor, was charged with a whole host of crimes, most of which could be summed up under the broad category of medical malpractice.
• Jim Williams, former Vault quarterback and agricultural technician, was voted out by his peers after attempting to step back from the team to focus on his true passion for plants.
• Rufus Dives, former senior engineer, charged with inspiring panic and sedition after publicly ranting to the overseer about the ever-more-serious degradation of the Vault's systems.

The group is less than enthused to be banished together, maintaining something of a frigid silence after a few mean-spirited snipes at Jim's persistent denial of the coming reality of exile. The atmosphere is somewhat warmed by the arrival of Old Dan Watanabe, by far the most experienced wasteland 'scout' of the Vault, having survived three prior exiles, returning intact but ever more ill-tempered each time - he's buzzed, as he always is these days, but he offers them some assistance in the lead-up to their great endeavor. He tags a few locations on their maps and easily answers their peppering of questions as best he can - no, they won't die immediately from radiation, yes, there are people up there, no, there isn't air conditioning.

More importantly, he gives them something of a warning - last time he was up there, about six months before, a group calling itself the Legion was taking over the city proper; they were raiders, by his estimation, but a whole lot more organized than the usual sort that he'd run into before. Whilst before, the city had been something of a patchwork of local planters, tribes, gangs, and other such sorts, it seemed like the Legion was pretty intent on putting the whole place under their heel. He managed to get back underground before having to deal with them too much, bribing his way back into the Vault with a few nice bottles of Mezcal, but he cautions that they punished possession of alcohol or chems with crucifixion, which puts a bit of a damper on spirits.

As a final note, he warns them that the Legion licenses scavenging up above, something that raises serious questions about the administrative capabilities of these raiders, questions he isn't able to enter as Overseer Abelardo Barnabas strides in. Barnabas is a short, stout, bulldog of a man, a former Vault Security sergeant who took power from his predecessor in a bloodless palace coup - he's handled the ongoing resource struggles of the Vault by exiling anyone who complains about them, commits a crime, or is forced out by popular pressure, perpetually kicking the can down the road through regular sacrifices to the wasteland.

He's accompanied by a few heavily armored Vault Security goons, taking only a moment to survey the assembled exiles before reading off some perfunctory charges, telling them they'll be let back in if they find something good enough to justify feeding them for the rest of their miserable lives, before sending them on their way. He does not bother to tell them good luck, only glaring tiredly as they flip him off and call out taunts on the way out the door.

He does not expect them to come back.

Maybe they'll be back one day.

The group of exiles chats for a bit as the Vault door closes behind them, eventually resolving to head up to the surface. The sun is blinding to their ill-prepared eyes, but they take the opportunity to revel beneath the open sky - they've got a good view from up here in the hills, one that shows the great expanse of the city down below. Even from here, they can see that it's inhabited - cooking fires and electric lights, the markers of civilization, at least of a sort. Something that grabs their attention faster is the encrypted distress signal from somewhere in the north - with a bit of effort, Dr. Rossi can access it, revealing that Vault 25, their sister Vault here in Two Sun, needs technical assistance.

With a bit of further deliberation, they decided to continue down the Old Spanish Trail, skirting the city proper in the hopes of answering the distress signal, reasoning that a fellow Vault will either be willing to provide them aid or, absent that, might have something they can bring home to bribe their way back in. Jim takes some time to marvel at the surviving plant life as they travel, noting that there's more of it than he'd expected from the movies they showed down in the Vault - nobody else is particularly intrigued.

They make good time and don't run into any real issues for the first few hours - while they spot some kind of power plant off to the west, they opt not to investigate, remaining focused on their objective. It's only as they begin skirting the outskirts of the city proper that they meet their first people on the surface.

It's a small group - a woman dressed in comfortable linens and fine jewelry, guarded by two soldiers in what seems to be salvaged football gear, and accompanied by a small group of cowed individuals in rough-hewn clothes. They stand off for a few seconds, unsure of hostilities, before Jim cries out with a greeting and the tension diminishes somewhat - the strangers identify themselves as servants of the Legion, the predominant power here in Two Sun, while the exiles identify themselves as Vault Dwellers. There is a short exchange, during which Dr. Rossi concludes these wastelanders are absolutely insane after they make mention of Mars, and ultimately part on amicable enough terms as the dwellers get a basic overview of the laws of the Legion and the local dangers.

As she can understand some Latin, Rossi overhears the woman instructing one of the guards to inform someone by the name of Antonious as to the presence of Vault Dwellers, but thinks little of it.

An innocent face.

After the conversation, and concluding that the Legion seems civilized enough, the group opts to change their course and enter the city proper, reasoning that it's best to get a scavenging pass so they don't run into any trouble transporting back whatever bribe they secure for the overseer. On the approach to the city, they are met by a well-dressed, middle-aged man lounging in the shade near the edge of the road, seemingly waiting for travelers. He greets them with a friendly smile, welcoming them to the city of Two Sun, at which point Amanda calls him grandpa just as the others notice the near-dozen Legionaries positioned in the buildings around them.

Fortunately, the fellow takes it with good humor, laughing as he introduces himself as Caeso - he lays down the basic rules, probes them with some general questions, and plays the part of the friendly tour guide, offering them some useful information about key locations in the city. The conversation with him proves pleasant enough, and he points them towards the Censor's office, where they can secure a license - ever savvy, Amanda asks him what his rank is, and he identifies himself as a humble member of the Officium Frumentariorum. Not knowing what this is, they query a bit more, and he pleasantly explains that his job mainly revolves around knowing where people and things are so he can help others find those people and things.

If they ever get into any trouble, he says, they can just call for the Frumentarii - they are always close at hand! Jim concludes that he's a guide, thanks him for his help, and they head on their way. 

The city is sizable, choked with people even this late in the afternoon, and they take some time to browse in the markets in the hopes of familiarizing themselves with local pricing. Dr. Rossi and Rufus are offended by the concept of bottlecaps as a currency, even more so once they realize that there are minted coins being circulated as well, speculating as to how the two things could have anything close to similar value. This discussion is cut short by the sound of marching and singing, the streets clearing to allow a sizable column of troops to pass by.

These men are older than the other legionaries they've seen before, proper veterans rather than teens and young adults, and their armor and armaments are a good deal more impressive as well. Speaking with a local trader, he identifies them as the Red Okie Centuria, speculating that they might be here to fight the Brotherhood down southwest of the city. Curious, they ask more about the Brotherhood, and he explains that they're tech cultists - Rossi is momentarily excited before deflating as he claims that they worship toasters. As things slowly return to normal, they choose to move on, choosing to visit Five Points Market, a popular local restaurant and inn that Caeso claimed had the best omelets in the wasteland. 

They order dinner and put down enough caps to get rooms for the night; Rufus offers to fix up their staticky radio in the hopes of getting room and board for free, but only manages to kill the thing entirely, putting him on the hook for the cost of a replacement. He tries and fails to talk his way out of it, unhelped by Amanda's intervention, only for Dr. Rossi to casually fix it while they were talking, absolving his debt and winning her a free night's stay. That drama resolved, Amanda glances around for any other travelers, hoping to speak with someone who isn't local.

Her attention settles on a young woman in a bright red Hawaiian shirt who seems to be watching them quite curiously from the bar; whilst not obvious, Amanda clocks her as being somewhat like the Vault Dwellers, fresh sunburns speaking to ill-acclimation to the sun. The former secretary ambles over to greet her, the two of them getting to talking and hitting it off - the woman identifies herself as Hastings, simply laughing and claiming to be from a small community on the outskirts when Amanda asks if she's from a Vault. Swerving the conversation, she notes that she might have some work if the exiles were looking to raise a few caps to fund their stay above ground. 

The omelettes really are fantastic!

 Hearing that, Amanda invites her back over to the group's table, where Hastings buys them a round of drinks - soda, juice, or milk, befitting the Legion's temperance restrictions - and makes her offer. She has a bead on a collection of car parts, but there's a slight snag - a Gila Dragon, a sizable wasteland lizard monster, has taken up residency where they're stashed. If the exiles can help her get rid of the monster, collect the parts, and deliver them to a certain point, she'll compensate them quite handsomely. 

The exiles are instantly suspicious of the offer, first focusing on talking her up to an even more substantial sum before turning over the particulars. In reply to their concerns about the legality of the job, she assures them that it isn't scavenging because she's already claimed the parts, but that even if it was, they would be far outside of the city limits, so it'd be fiiiine. They are less than assured by this, talking her into giving them partial payment upfront and accompanying them on the endeavor; she is talked around on both accounts, which lessens their suspicion that this is some kind of trap, but they still decide they want to get a proper license first. 

All that decided, they head to bed, having resolved to pursue a proper license in the morning before heading off to fulfill their contract with their newest employer.