Завоевание хлеба!
A week has passed since the party's first foray in the Underground, and they now gather again in the basement of the Central State Library once again to prepare for a second expedition. Earlier in the day, Dr. Galidikas observed Spartak trip on the shrooms recovered last week, and was disappointed by the failure of ancestral memories to surface. When the pair arrived to meet with the others, Spartak was still feeling the residual effects.
Gavril and Professor Semenov attempted to recover the promised payment for last week's expedition from Gennadiy Chupov, citing that they were not warned of the dangers they faced. Gennadiy agreed, but before he could pay them, the Excavator's treasurer, Tatiana Zhutova, intervened, pointing out the job was to find and map the rumored North-Western passage from the Silo, and seeing as the party had been magically bound to deny its existence, they could not protest the claim they had not found it.
"Equality in the world of Capital" 1965
Disappointed in this outcome, the party then decided to take up the graffiti artist Ollie's protection job. They asked him more about the nature of his issue, and he explained that he was an "original and subversive street artist from London looking to spread his message of resistance" and that specific group of gopniks seem to have taken offense. Semenov was able to ascertain that this was basically true and that the brit was simply too narcissistic to understand what faux-pas he might have committed.
Dr. Galidikas, stating that they surely can't abandon an Anglo, volunteers his and Spartak's service. Professor Semenov loudly states that they indeed can and should abandon an Anglo, and decides to spend his time doing research in the library. Gavril, who is happy to be paid for an easy job, decides to join Spartak and Galidikas.
Seeing as there is no way Gavril is going to let Spartak into his BMW, they decide to take the metro to the area known as the Silent Homes, where the gopniks in question hang out.
The View from the Metro
Shortly after stepping out of the station, the party asks three old men drinking in a stairwell where they can find a gopnik in all white by the name of Damir. The old men are more than happy to tell them that they hang out in an old playground not far from here, and ask Spartak that when they see Damir, to tell them that "Afanasiy Dmitrovich says fuck you."
Following the old timer's directions, they find the playground and the gopniks in question drinking and smoking on the jungle-gym. Dr Galidikas tells Spartak that these men are revisionists and knew that Frida Kalo and Diego Rivera were harboring Leon Trotsky and didn't tell Stalin. This unlocks Spartak's gorilla rage and combat begins. Damir narrowly avoids getting his head caved in by Spartak's gunclub while Dr Galidikas and Gavril are slashed with knives by two other gopniks. Dr Galidikas draws his C96 Mauser, but misses his shot. Gavril, on the other hand, draws his Ischezayushchiy Koncerz folding sword and decapitates a gopnik in one swing. This puts the survivors to panicked flight and the group considers this a job well done. They quickly pack the dead gopnik into a duffle bag and flee the scene back to Dr Galidikas's lab in City Sanatorium No. 1
"Drunkenness Leads to Injury" 1980s
While the trio were performing their Anti-Gopnik Aktion, Professor Semenov was researching city archives for information on alternate entrances into the underground. He's unable to find any, but does learn more about the town's founding, as well as things that imply the existence of a Metro-2, and potentially even a Metro-3, connecting various underground facilities. He is also able to learn that there is a large underground Hanger facility beneath the Institute for Experimental Aeronautics, which has underground rail-lines leading east to distant airfields.
After a short phone call, the party decides to re-unite at the Hanger, Mayami Import's black-market located beneath the abandoned Institute for Experimental Aeronautics. A few tough guards see that their names are on the free entry list, and they take an elevator down into an utterly massive underground hanger, where a bustling market existed amid slowly decaying aircraft.
After handing their weapons over to the machine gun toting men in white leisure suits, the party is told Slava is waiting for them at Gastronom, a fancy restaurant inside an old Tu-144. Before they go to meet him, they decide to sell off the remaining shrooms and the salvia they picked off the dead gopnik. They're told to go to Baba Galena's Aptekar' over near the MiGs.
The old crone is very impressed with the quality of their wares, buying them at a high price. She also tells them that she offers plenty of herbal remedies, as well as poisons, should they find the need. The party declines for the moment, but make note of the old poisoner.
Having sold off their illicit substances, the party make their way to Gastronom. The maître d shows them to Slava's table in the back of the old Tu-144. Originally a supersonic jetliner made to be the Soviet response to the Concord, Gastronom maintains much of that old luxury, though it still makes for a cramped restaurant.
Slava tells the party that this job is hush-hush, he wants them to take this duffel bag full of surveillance equipment, and set it up in discrete locations in a sewer cluster, and landfill pit, and an underground frontier in the southwest. He tells them the easiest way to get there is an entrance in the basement of a housing estate in the Silent Homes. Mayami Import knows the Underground better than anyone else, and that getting in his good graces means getting in their good graces. The party takes the job, and Slava recommends they check out "Comrade Cowboy" over near the Tu-22 for more weapons.
On their way out, they are stopped by the maître d, who tells them Chef Mosolov wishes to speak with them. They are led into the crowded kitchen where they meet a Slavic Gordon Ramsey with a pencil mustache. In as rude and as foul-mouthed way as possible, Chef Mosolov tells them he's caught wind of a project by some occult bakers that had gone awry. Apparently they were making some sourdough using water from the Silo and created a Yeast Livliest Awfulness. Mosolov thinks he can do culinary wonders with such a thing, and offers them 500 for it, 1000 if they can him the entire thing.
Gee Gang? Two jobs? Yes! Remembering the thrashing they got from that fucking dough last time, the party decides to take Slava's advice and make their way to the arms dealer "Comrade Cowboy." Under one of the wings of the Tu-22, they find a veritable armory festooned with communist iconography with a broad shouldered man wearing a cowboy hat bearing a red star at its helm. The Texan Tankie immediately starts gawking at Spartak's uniform, marveling at its accuracy. The party begins to negotiate about buying a flamethrower, but it's out of their price range, so Spartak negotiates a rental deal, 200 down payment then another 300 on return. Sensing a fellow comrade, the cowboy spits in his hand and they shake on it.
Armed with a ROKS-2 Flamethrower, the party decides to venture through large tunnels leading to the west from the Hanger. They find themselves in a large combined rail and traffic tunnel that carries on for several kilometres. On the way, they pass by a large opening onto massive natural caverns that seemed to have been used as a staging area for some kind of military operation long ago. A long abandoned T-26 rusts at the entrance.
The Tunnels
Carrying on for several more kilometres, the party finally reaches what looks like a large fuel depot. Making their way through, they see a sign identify this as a service entrance to the "Primary Archaeology Laboratory" [Лаборатория первичной археологии].
Cautiously making their way through the darkened and rusting edifice, they soon find themselves in what Dr. Galidikas immediately recognizes as an operating theater. Though much of the original equipment had been removed long ago, Dr. Galidikas is able to find some old x-rays that fill him with dread. Marked as "Subterranean Hominid" [Подземный гоминид] and show a skeletal structure similar to that of a small man, but with a notably elongated skull and pronounced canines. Searching the area further, Professor Semenov find a framed sample of stretched skin, branded with glyphs he recognizes to be Aklo. Using his translation skill, Semenov is able to identify that this skin sample can be used as a scroll of Project Image, and he quickly packs it away for later use.
Moving on, they come to a large work floor with an elevator platform at the center and various stations seemingly for examination. Overhead are windows and a large portrait of Lenin. Choosing to go through the breached door the to the north west, the party finds a rusting generator that Dr. Galidikas is able to activate, restoring power to the lab. Through the passage ahead, the lights flicker on to first reveal a series of holding cells and tile floors caked in long dried blood, and then intermittent lightbulbs along a mine shaft that eventually disappears into darkness. Confident this would lead them to the Gulag Mines (or just "the Mines" according to Spartak), the party ventures forward.
The path is lit
As they advance towards the mine, they hear the sound of voices that immediately cease. Cautiously advancing, they are soon illuminated by a flashlight, and a man calls out "Who goes there?" The party proclaim themselves to be merely explorers, and the voice of a man hidden in the shadows of the mine chamber confirms that "these are not the men we seek." Walking into the chamber, they see three tall men with fair hair, guns, and Orthodox iconography. They are unable to make out the figure in the shadows the others refer to as "Uncle." This Uncle tells the men to take down the party's names and contact information, then tells the party to be on their way.
Following the path they know well, the party ventures into the Silo, which is still lit thanks to Dr. Galidikas's efforts last week. Making their way into the lounge, they find the door the to accursed kitchen. Developing a plan, Galidikas readies his flamethrower while Spartak loudly bangs on the door. Soon the knocks are answered in kind, and Spartak releases the latch before throwing himself out of the way. The doctor unleashes a gout of flame while Semenov and Gavril open fire. Though the monster is notably larger than it was a week ago, it is clearly not holding up well under the assault. Lashing out with its tentacles at the entire party, it manages to break Dr. Galidikas's left arm. Screaming in pain, the doctor unleashes another torrent of flame and reduces the monstrosity to a large, ashen hulk. The party then rests for a time while Dr. Galidikas tends to his broken arm and Spartak examines the inexpertly baked bread.
"Cherish the Bread" Soviet Pocket Calendar 1987
The party's moment of respite is soon interrupted, however, when the door to the Silo's mezzanine swings open to reveal a youthful man in a bloody labcoat bearing a bone saw in one hand and the chains to two blood-soaked shambling corpses. The party is then forced to make a charm roll to see what this NPCs reaction is and...a pass! The man introduces himself as Arkady, and these two animalistic undead behind him as his mother and father, who he decided to re-purpose after cancer took them both. He soon takes notice of Dr Galidikas's broken arm and offers to treat it, restoring the doctor to full health (though he still takes a -1 to all actions requiring two arms for the next week). Pleased with his work, Arkady then begins to leaf through the remaining records and books while the party decides to explore more of the Silo.
On the eastern end of the kitchen, they find an open door to a functioning pump room, which seems to be drawing a lambent blue water from somewhere deep in the earth. Leading south from this pumping station are a series of pipes with an opening large enough for someone to crawl through, leading to parts unknown.
Exploring to the north of the kitchen, they find a store room where Spartak eats a can of corned beef, and then a barracks where they find the desiccated corpse and a man in military fatigues, still clutching his AKM. Opposite of the corpse is a large section of collapsed wall opening unto a darkened tunnel, a single anti-personnel mine placed at its mouth.
The AKM. It is a distinct from both the AK-47 and AK-74.
Don't ask what makes it different, I don't know.
Deciding they've done enough exploring for the day, the party makes their way back to the mines, saying goodbye to Arkady who wishes them safe travels. As they emerge into the flooded chamber of the mines, they notice a strange fog above the water line. Realizing this fog seems to be animate, they begin to plan what to do, but I was kind of feeling like a jack ass, so the curious fog first encompasses Dr. Galidikas before entering his lungs. Though it seems to cause no ill effect, no one is really happy about this, so they decide to get the fuck back to the surface. As they reach the chamber that leads to the tunnels to the Lab, the fog leaves Dr. Galidikas and begins to explore this new room.
Soviet Boardgame "Chemical Wafare" 1925
Making their way back to the Hanger without incident, they deliver the dead bread monster to Chef Mosolov, most of the charred matter having been knocked away during the trip to reveal more of a golden brown layer. Pleased with their work, Chef Mosolov pays them the full 1000. After returning the flamethrower, the iPhone gifted to Spartak vibrates, his roommate Abram texted him to say he met those two instagram influencers the party met last week at the Shkola Granat, and says they should come to the club. Piling into Professor Semenov's VAZ 2109 hatchback, they drive to the southwest part of town.
Shkola Granat
(photo by Michael Kotter)
Arriving at a long abandoned school, they pay the cover to some toughs who look just like those guarding the surface entrance to the Hanger, and make their way down a flight of stairs carved from the living stone down to a massive brutalist chamber that serves as a nightclub. Filled with fog and lights, blaring music, go-go dancers in berets with arm bands and AK-47s, and a huge flag of a black hammer & sickle in a white circle on a red field strung overhead.
Making their way to the dance floor, they are soon spotted by the rude Cthonist they met in the mines last week. He quickly introduces himself as Lev and apologizes for his rudeness, he was extremely hung over. He tells them he knows where to find Masha and Sergei, the Muscovite instagram star and her photographer, and leads them to a booth in the back. Masha, Sergei, and his roommate Abram are overjoyed to see Spartak and quickly set him up with his own Instagram account, Ape_of_Steel.
After using Spartak to get to sit at a table with people much cooler then himself, Lev begins speaking incessantly about the club and how he's a member of the political party that runs this. Somewhat intrigued, the PCs asks which party that might be, and Lev proudly answers the New National Bolshevik Party of Eurasia. Hearing this, Professor Semenov leaves in disgust to wait by his car. Spartak, only recognizing the word "Bolshevik" is extremely interested, and takes Lev up on his offer to see the Party HQ in the back.
Entering into a large library/living space, Lev tells Spartak to wait while he goes get some people he wants him to meet. After a few awkward moments of staring at a women in blue hair reading a book while spiders crawl all over her, Lev returns with a tall man clearly trying to appear older than he is, and a short woman in a beret. The man introduces himself as Party Leader Ervin Tsitrusovyye and the woman as his Chief of Communications, Petra Borodina. He begins a long spiel about his party, filled with buzzwords that go over Spartak's head. The part about restoring the USSR sounds pretty good to him, and he gladly sings the papers that are quickly put under his hands. A picture is taken, and Ervin welcomes him as the newest member of the Party. He then hands him a sugar cube as "the first step on our long journey." Happily eating the LSD laced sugar cube, Spartak hits the dance floor.
After returning from the bathroom, Dr Galidikas quickly enters a panic when Gavril tells him that Spartak left with Lev. After several panicked minutes are searching for him, Galidikas finally finds him with his tan gymnastyorka tied around his head and dancing the night away. Leading him back to the surface, the party once again pile back into Professor Semenov's VAZ 2109, who goes on a non-stop tirade about Aleksandr Dugin as he drives them to their respective homes.
Plenty of room for Spartak in the back
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