A Short Stay in Niv Lova, PT 2.

The Story of Olmak

Photo by victor asensio on Unsplash

Name: Olmak

Stats: MUScle +1, FINesse +2, VIGor +2, MINd +0, PREsence -1

Background: MISTAKE → Was accused of a crime he didn’t commit and sent here.

Goal: UNCOVER → The zone is a manifestation of the Divine. The essence of this divinity must be found at the Center.

HP: 3/5

Gear: Backpack,

1: Bedroll

2: bandages (2), d6 Food (4), 5 rounds of buckshot, 2 matches, 2 scrap

3: Sawed-off

4: cookpot,

5: knife

6: police baton

7: broken SMG

8: large Remnant

Skills: None

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Olmak left the three corpses in the office building behind, replenished with supplies and ready to continue on his journey to the center of the zone. His two comrades had fallen but that was as it should be. They were not meant to accompany him all the way. They had served their purpose. All happens as it should in the zone.

North, he believed. North was the direction of the center of Niv Lova.

There was a cool, light drizzle as he set off, his pack much more full than it had been before the previous day’s events.

He came across an old village, overgrown with vegetation. Vines spread across the walls and over the roofs, spilling into broken windows. He idly wondered who had lived here, what had their lives been like, before the incident? Before the divine arrived?

He decided to look for scrap in the hopes of fixing the broken SMG.

Scavenge: d6 = 6. 5 + random gear

Random gear rarity: 2d6 = Uncommon

Uncommon: 3d6 = 9 = d6(3) caffeine pills

In the village, he found an garage with rusty parts and tools, as well as a small bottle with a few caffeine pills.

“The zone provides…” Olmak muttered to himself. He decided to stay in the village for the night, gathering wood scraps and starting a fire (-1 match, 1 left). He poured a can of food (-1 food, 3 left) and let it warm up before eating it. He couldn’t remember that last time he’d had warm food. It filled him up. (+well-fed) In the light of the fire, he went to work on the broken SMG.

Spend 5 scrap. +advantage from well-fed. 3d6kh2 = 7

scrap lost (1d3) = 1.

Unfortunately, the machinations of the gun eluded him, and he busted one of his tools trying to make it work. He put it away and laid down, ready to sleep.

-1 Food, 3 left

Night time encounter: d6/d (disadvantage from fire) = 4, 2*

Encounter → 2d6 = 6 → d6 (2) Soldiers

Range → Close

Reaction → 2d6 + PRE (-1) = 11 → Critical Success!

Late in the night, he awoke, hearing boots on the cracked road of the village outside the garage he’d holed up in and seeing light from a flashlight strobe by.

Olmak sat up, grabbing the sawed off, as the figures approached. Trust in the zone, he thought. “If you be peaceful,” he called out. “Then I’ve got shelter and food. Otherwise, piss off or take a mouthful of buckshot!”

He heard laughter outside.

“We come in peace, just looking for a place to shelter.” Two soldiers approached the garage, hands up, flashlights pointing at the ground as they approached.

Olmak nodded, then placed the shotgun at his side, easy to grab if needed.

The two soldiers sat by the fire. “Ain’t too many folk out here who ask before shooting,” one of them says.

Olmak shrugged. “It’s the decent thing to do.”

The two looked at each other, shaking their heads and smiling. THey introduced themselves as Petrov and Bakev.

“My name’s Olmak, welcome to my fire.”

Petrov spoke up. “We appreciate it. We don’t need your food or anything else, the fire and shelter is enough. Here, have this, for your hospitality.”

Random gear rarity: 2d6 = 4 → Uncommon

Uncommon: 3d6 = 10 → Food or Scrap stash (d6).

d6 scrap = 2.

The soldier handed over a small bag that clinked, a couple of random metal pieces and things inside.

“Appreciate it,” Olmak said. “Thanks be to the zone,” he whispered, closing his eyes. When he opened them, he noticed the two soldiers staring at him.

“You’re one of those, huh?” Petrov asked.

“What? Crazy?” Olmak smirked and gestured around them. “I believe this place is touched by the Divine, yes. It is a holy place, where the natural order is different, changed, affected.” He shrugged. “Call me crazy but what other explanation is there?”

Petrov shrugged, setting out his bedroll and lying down, with Bakev following suit.

“Whatever works, I guess,” Bakev said.

---

In the morning, Olmak replaced a bandage around his wound, which was mostly healed (Heal 1+1 VIG, health at 5/5. 1 bandage left) and asked which direction they were headed.

d6 = 5 → SW

“South-west,” Petrov said.

“What’s there?” Olmak asked.

Mission: d6 = 6 → Secret

Petrov smiled. “Can’t tell you that, Olmak. It was nice to meet you. Perhaps we’ll see you again".”

They shook hands.

“If the zone allows,” Olmak replied.

Bekav shook his head. “Right,” he said and the two headed out.

Olmak shouldered his pack and headed north.

The rain had let up, leaving a few clouds in the sky but otherwise a clear day.

Olmak left the village behind. He didn’t see much other than the vast, tundra, a spot of ragged trees here and there, a rusty vehicle, long ago left behind, evidence of the culture before the incident.

An uneventful day, he camped near some scrubby brush as night fell. He saved his matches, ate a can of soup (-1 food, 2 left) and decided to try his hand at fixing the SMG once more.

Repair (5 scrap for broken): 2d6 + MIN +2(+2 scrap) = 10

Success! broken (Unusable) becomes poor (disadvantage to use)

Taking out a few busted parts, replacing them, jamming the clip back in, he felt it could actually function, albeit not in a great way. Still, he needed ammo if he was ever going to use it. He put it away and laid down on his bedroll.

Night encounter: d6 = 4 → No encounter

The night passed uneventfully.

Olmak got up, packed up his things and headed out.

More clouds covered the sky but luckily the day remained dry.

He decided food was running low so he scavenged, checking out every burnt-out vehicle or ruined building he passed on his way.

d6 = 2 → Nothing

Unfortunately, he found nothing.

Navigate: d6 = 4, not lost

Even with the unchanging landscape, Olmak was able to stay the course north, making good time.

He camped out next to a large metal shell of what was once some kind of farming machine. He ate one of his last can of beans (1 left) and laid on his bedroll, looking up at the black sky. With the cloud cover, he couldn’t see any stars. He tried not to think about the fact he only had one can of food left. “The zone provides,” he whispered to himself, over and over, until he fell asleep.

3 days have passed. IN those 3 days, Olmak interacted with soldiers, repaired his SMG, and attempted to scavenge, I’d say this was a solid session. +1 XP. 0 → 1.

Olmak becomes lvl 1.

Choose: +HP or +Stat. I’ll take +HP.

Roll 6d6 = 26 > 5. +d6 HP. d6 = 6. HP = 11

At lvl 1, I also get to pick a Skill. I take Mad: Roll with advantage when using a Remnant

Night encounter: d6 = 5 → None

In the morning, he headed off quickly, hoping the zone would provide, as he would soon run out of food.

Weather: d6 = 2.

Navigate +1 = 5 → not lost

The cloudy sky had partially cleared up.

Olmak took this as a good sign. He scanned his surroundings as he traveled, picking through any remains of human existence looking for food. He found a hollow tree and a pack within, containing a handful of old food cans (5). “The zone provides!” he shouted with glee.

POI: 3 → None

Encounter: 5 → Yes

d66 = 44 → Squad of d6(3) Soldiers

Range = Immediate

Reaction: 2d6 + PRE (-1) = 8 →

Leaving the hollow tree behind, Olmak turned and found himself facing three soldiers, guns in hand but held at their sides, not pointed at him. They each had a 9mm.

“What are you doing here?” one of the soldiers asked, designating him the leader of the squad. His voice was heavily accented.

“Just a scavenger passing through,” Olmak said, raising his hands to show he wasn’t a threat. “That’s all.”

goal: d6 = 1 → Find remnants

“Do you have any Remnants on you, or have you seen any in your travels recently?” the leader asked.

“No, none,” Olmak lied.

2d6 + PRE (-1) = 6 → Failure

“You’re lying,” the leader said. The soldiers on either side of him raised their handguns. “Why are you lying?”

“Okay, okay!” Olmak said. “I’ve…got one in my pack. Let me take it out.”

“Slowly,” the leader said, crossing his arms and nodding his head.

Olmak slowly took off his pack and set it on the ground. He gulped, taking a deep breath. He opened the pack and reached in. He pulled out the black box of rubber.

“Holy shit,” one of the soldiers whispered.

Olmak held it, thinking. He needed to figure out how to activate it. It might be the only way to get out of this alive. The zone provides…

Identify how to activate: 2d6 + MIN (0) = 5 → Failure

Spend Fate Point! 2d6 + MIN = 10 → Success!

Olmak realized if he concentrated on the box, it began to…do something.

“Hand it over, nice and easy,” the leader called out.

Olmak concentrated, attempting to activate the remnant.

Activate the remnant: 3d6kh2 + MIN(0) = 5 → Failure

Nothing happened. The box remained inert, lifeless, useless.

One of the soldiers had holstered his 9mm and held out his hands, stepping forward to take the box.

Olmak let him, offering up the box, feeling nothing. The zone had failed him.

The soldier took the box and stepped away.

“Wasn’t that hard, was it?” the leader spoke. “Let’s go,” he said. The three of them walked away, leaving Olmak feeling as hollow as the tree behind him.

That box had been the biggest and strongest remnant Omak had ever seen or experienced. He’d felt its power even though he hadn’t been able to activate it.

Why would the zone take it away from him?

Was this a test?

Was he supposed to have let it go or fight for it?

Was he supposed to move on? Or follow them and get it back…

Olmak watched the soldiers leave.

Direction: d6 = NE

They were headed north-east.

Olmak followed.

Photo by Jayde Keroi on Unsplash

Thanks for reading this. It was generated completely through the dice rolls, prompts and results from my upcoming game, Niv Lova, a system heavily adapted/inspired from Kal Arath, by Castle Grief and a setting inspired by Roadside Picnic, the Stalker film, and the Stalker video games.

I hope you enjoyed! Olmak lives! For now…

I realize I put the rolls right into the narrative instead of using footnotes. Oh well, not changing it now. What do people prefer?

What’s next? I’ll keep this going for a time. It’s handy to play my game as it keeps giving me ideas to tweak or add on to. If you’re interested in playtesting, shoot me a message or subscribe. I’ll be sending a play test document to all my subscribers and those interested once it’s ready. Paid subscribers will get the full digital game for free, with art and everything.

If I have time, I’ll write up a review of 2024, but that might come out in January.

I’ll update the Table of Contents one of these days as well.

Thanks to Andrew Wylde, BuddhaRandom, and Eric, for being paid subscribers.

Thanks for reading!

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Check out the Table of Contents for previous games I’ve played as well as other stuff I’ve written.