Non-mission
((Have I mentioned I really like the effort you put in your character's reactions?))
Your doll gets up and tries to attack the twisted doll. The strike connects but the twisted doll immediately flickers back out of the way. It sports a gash now, but it doesn't look like it's in any way impeding it. It's only making it angrier. It suddenly rushes forward and tries to grab your doll. The two struggle for a bit, each trying to overpower the other.
While the two fight, you try to overpower the presence through sheer willpower. For a moment it feels like it's working, like you're reaching into the doll, your mind overpowering the presence and regaining control of the doll. But then you feel something shift, like the presence suddenly gained twice the mental strength it had. It easily overwhelms you, rendering all efforts to regain control useless. Did it really grow stronger? Or was it holding back, conserving its strength, toying with you, trying to torture you? Whatever the answer may be, one thing is certain: going head to head with this thing will most likely not go well for you.
With no other option left, you leave the still fighting doll to its doom and run along with your one remaining doll into the nearest door. You get inside and slam the door behind you. That should buy you a few seconds.
Beyond the door is a service area, a large kitchen from the looks of it. You bet that when this place had people living in it (if it ever did), this place would had been full of servants carrying platters and trays and chefs with tall white hats standing over fiery ovens ands huge bubbling pots, stirring their contents with big wooden ladles while their assistants sliced vegetables and chopped large stakes. However, at the moment, it is as empty and lifeless as the rest of this place, all the cooking implements and protective clothing neatly arranged on hangers and shelves and inside various cupboards. The only light comes from a lamp sitting on a wooden table, surrounded by 3 wooden chairs. You can't see the entire room from here, but for the sake of expediency, if you go further in, you'll find a flight of stairs leading down and another hallway with two doors, one leading into the large dining room (you don't know where the other one leads).
The alien presence recedes from your mind but its aura remains in the form of the two of your dolls it now controls, still connected to you but obeying the thoughts of their new master. You see through their eyes as they approach the door you've hidden behind, you hear their approach. You can't see the twisted doll but you know it can't be far.
(I had a feeling that you'd liked it and, at the risk of sounding like Napoleon, sometimes I'd even impressed myself. Also, are you going to update your Tv Tropes page to account for the additional characters or would you like to wait a bit later?)
Slamming the door shut, Napoleon struggled to hold down his rapid breathing as he pressed against it. Though he knew that the fight wasn't over yet, a creeping awareness of his own inferiority rose inside of him. Despite all of his boasting and displays of superiority, Napoleon is nothing more than a puny and strange human who is just playing tactician. Hell, the nickname he'd chose for himself, 'The Doll Prince', is appropriate given that he isn't worthy of considering himself a real prince. Perhaps he should just throw open the door and let the twisted doll rip him to shreds. Perhaps his father was right to treat him as worthless-
Suddenly, the thought concerning his father filled Napoleon with anger. With a vicious shake of his head, Napoleon dispelled the worthless thoughts. Sure he wasn't a tactician who can concoct plans that have zero chance of failure and sure he doesn't qualify as a real prince but so what? If things always go according to plan, would the resultant victories eventually become boring? Would things get to a point in which he would purposely fail just to obtain even a modicum of excitement? Sure he may be faced with a conundrum at the moment but if he survives this ordeal and this place tonight, he'll be bragging about it later. After all, he is the Doll Prince and he isn't that fond of empty boasts.
Encouraged, if only adequately, by his self-assuring thoughts, Napoleon did a quick reevaluation of his foe. Not only does the twisted doll has the ability to commandeer his dolls and to blink sporadically to move but its mind was strong enough to resist even his own. Whether it became such a monster because of either some sort of influence this place have or due to the actions of an unknown entity, Napoleon didn't know. However, what he did know was that it seemed to only be capable of assuming direct control by making direct contact with the dolls and its reaction time doesn't seem to be all that supernaturally fast as the second doll was able to injure it before it too was turned. Unless the twisted doll is actually holding back on its agility, Napoleon saw no reason why it would risked getting injured or even killed just to toy with him. Therefore, he surmised that while it was fast, it was vulnerable to ambushes. Sure it was very risky to form such a conclusion about his foe but a risk is often better than inaction.
A plan forming in his head, Napoleon thought about his crown. Whenever he took it off his head, it always disappeared in a puff of red smoke and gold sparks before reappearing on his head after a few seconds. Incorporating it into his plan, Napoleon glanced at the lamp on the table and the doll next to him. With a small smile, Napoleon snuffed out the candle he was still holding and pocketed it. Satisfied, Napoleon begin to execute his plan and any possible contingencies:
Lock the door or use any objects within reach to wedge it shut, knowing that this may temporarily keep them out. After changing the doll's color to black to help it blend in better with the darkness, Napoleon will go with it to the table. Positioning it in the shadow of the table, Napoleon will sit in a chair with his back to the door, pretending to moan in despair as the twisted doll and its new puppets enter the kitchen. Once he sensed that it was near, he will remove his crown. If all goes well, the burst of smoke and sparks will stun the twisted doll enough for Napoleon to deliver the coup de grace with the sword, summoning two more dolls to engage the commandeered dolls in melee. If the twisted doll somehow survives the sudden attack, the doll hiding in the shadows will leap onto the table and throw the lamp at it as Napoleon moves out of the way, hopefully hitting it and stunning it or, better yet, setting it on fire. Napoleon will unsummon any doll who gets grabbed by the twisted doll as he engages it in melee. If all else fails, Napoleon will unsummon any dolls that are still under his control and make a mad dash for the stairs.
((I think I haven't messed with TV Tropes, beyond correcting some spelling that were bothering me. Go ahead and edit away if you want, I don't mind.))
You run, grab a chair and wedge it behind the door to keep it from opening. You can hear the dolls trying to open the door, banging on it constantly. After that, you hide your doll under the table, modifying it so that it perfectly blends in with its surroundings. You do such a good job that you think even you yourself would had trouble knowing it was there if it wasn't for your ESP.
You continue with getting ready to enact your plan, positioning the chair and sitting down on it while your doll acts as your eyes and ears. You have waited for a little more than half a minute, but it feels like it's been a lot longer than that. The dolls keep banging on the door but don't appear to be any closer to breaching it. In fact, you don't think they're trying with their full strength. Sure, it could damage them, but they could land punches a lot stronger-
You notice a sound at the other end of the kitchen. You've been so focused on your other senses you completely missed it. The twisted doll has made its way around and into the kitchen from the other side. Despite the sudden change of plan, you manage to maintain your composure and continue your performance. It flickers closer to you and then stops, looking at you moaning in despair. The distortion around it recedes somewhat. You think it looks almost like it's... curious? It doesn't approach you, at least not in body. You feel the whispers in your mind again, but it's not an attack, merely a brush against your will, like a shark curiously poking something he is not sure is edible.
It also comes to your attention that the dolls at the door have stopped banging and are merely standing there.
I tried to make things more interesting for our two new contestants and gave them little adventures instead of a straight intro. This helps in three ways:
1) It lets both me and them test their abilities and get a feel for them.
2) It lets me test their playstyle and their character's... character and see if the entity I chose for them is a fun match.
3) It keeps them occupied with something more interesting than talking and dicking around in the staging area while saving me effort since I don't have to plan as much as a regular mission. Also, I don't know if I can run a good mission with just two people. If we get three now, I might just run a small one with smaller rewards, maybe just 1 Upgrade Point for victory.
4) I find it fun. The fact that they have interesting abilities and put some effort in their backstories helped, of course. I hope they find it fun too.
(Very interesting. For the record, I appreciate the effort that you're putting into Stephano's adventure. I'm finding it enjoyably challenging.)
Stephano Falcone
Stop moving, turn around toward the security station, and speak out loud in a polite manner with a friendly smile on my face.
"Sure. What can I do for you, Sir?"
Cooperate with the security officer. Be friendly. Then do the following based on what happens:
If the guard asks me for more information or identification:
Provide the identification I have available to me. If he wants to know why I was here, tell him that I was interrogating a certain person as part of my investigation of the terrorist group known as Rockslide. If he wants to know more details, tell him that he'll need to speak to my superiors, as I am not permitted to go into further detail.
If after cooperating, the guard lets me continue:
Then continue toward the stairwell and the exit.
If the guard identifies me as an escapee at some point:
If the guard is out of my reach, then run to the stairwell, and try to follow the signs as I rush toward the building's exit.
Otherwise, if the guard is close to me, then take out my multi tool and stab him in the neck with the sharpest instrument on the multi tool. Afterward, wrestle him to the ground and grab any weapons or radios he has on his person and toss them away while I remain on top of him. If he's still significantly struggling, stab him in both of his legs. Then get up and quickly back away from him, while keeping my concealed eyes on him. Grab up the items I had tossed away from his person. If he is on the verge of dying or makes any sudden dangerous moves, then remove my sunglasses and stare at him until he is fully healed. Afterward, while he is suffering the side effects from my ability, replace my sunglasses, go over to him, and strangle him into unconsciousness.
In any other situation:
Adapt as best as I can to bypass the guard peacefully. Prioritize actions that can prevent the guard from alerting the rest of security. Resort to violence only as a last resort.
"Sure. What can I do for you, Sir?" you say, turning around to face him.
: You forgot this. : he says, tapping a holster with a revolver in it against the bulletproof glass of the security station.
"Um... Oh, right, hehe, that would had been really embarrassing, right?" you say with an awkward laugh as you nervously approach the security station.
: Eh, you'd be surprised how often it happens. : the guard says, looking more alert now.
As you reach the security station, the guard opens a shutter covering a rectangular hole at the security station's glass and slides the gun through it.
: Here you go. :
"Great, thanks." you say as you grab the gun and start to turn away.
: Waaait. : the guard says again.
You turn around to face him once more.
: You also gotta sign. : he says, tapping on a book standing next to the glass.
"Oh! Yeah, right, sure.": Now, let's see here... Where was it... : he says as he flips through the pages until he finds the one he wants.
You do your best not to fidget.
: Ah. 'ere we go. : he says and slides the book along with a pen through the hole, holding the shutter open so you can give the book back when you're done.
You take a second to examine the book. You find 'your' signature and mentally rehearse how to duplicate it.
: It's right here. : the guard says, tapping on the blank space besides the original signature, sounding a bit impatient now.
"Right here?": Yes. :
You do a good job copying its shape, but you do it more slowly, resulting in it being quite bolder. You slide the book back towards him. He pauses and doesn't pull the book all the way through the hole. He is looking at you curiously. You look into his eyes for a split second. You think he suspects you, if he hasn't already realized that you're bad news.
You could try deflecting his suspicions. Or you could try shooting him through the hole. Or you could just run away. Or maybe you're simply being paranoid and you should just keep calm and carry on. Or you could try something else.
Campaign
Sir Nikolai the generous, Campaign
"Comrade squire, what's your name?"
Jokes on the squire, Nikolai is going to actually try to get to know him a bit and give him a bit of training. Nikolai isn't actually that great at fighting but he thinks he is and maybe he can instill that same confidence in his squire.
First though, get to know him. Maybe have a few drinks together and trade stories.
Treating NPCs like people? What is this madness?
His name is Lune Hook, though the other recruits have taken to calling him Lune the Deft after he accidentally let go of his sword while practicing a swing.
You learn about his past over shared drinks and shared stories. Like most men of the kingdom, he has no trouble holding his liqueur despite being a bit older than 15. He is one of the recruits you picked up at Chizra. His parents brought him there a few years ago after losing most of their property (turns out people have more important things to spend their money on than buying handcrafted rock toys when there's a food crisis). At risk of becoming beggars or being imprisoned, they instead chose to flee to Chizra. Like many people down on their luck going to Chizra, he feels they've been treated slightly better than slaves, forced to do demanding manual labor to earn their meal and a warm place to sleep.
He's been working there for what feels like ages and he doesn't want to spend his entire life there, hoping things will get better. He wants to do something more with his life but most of all he just wants to escape from where he is right now. He sees this army as his way out. He thinks it's for the best that you people came along when you did. One of his friends had recently joined a gang and was trying to convince him to join as well. He believes it's better to be fighting for a good cause instead of robbing people.
You make plans with him to start training him, aiming to improve both his body and his skills. Having spent the last few years working hard without adequate food for a growing man, he is a bit malnourished and not in a very good physical shape. Despite that, you think that now that he'll be eating and training properly you'll be able to shape him into a proper fighter. He definitely seems willing enough. You think the most important thing in his training might be maintaining that confidence and will to improve. You seem to be doing a good job at it for now. He certainly looks excited to be mentored by 'a mighty warrior such as you' (as he states after hearing your stories) and believes he was incredibly lucky to be chosen.
((Okay, so I figure any Alan-related-retcons that might have occurred would have by now, so time to go ahead and start posting actions / reactions / questions))
how did Ike's new recruits react to Irine? From what I was reading about Chizra they might have some rather strong reactions to her and TriSword.
Well, they're not stupid enough to disrespect you in your face, if that's what you're asking. There are certainly those that aren't too happy with you being there or you having the Sword (despite the fact that that means they have better odds of surviving, people are illogical like that) but they're certainly not going to tell you that. They are still afraid of you. Give it a few days and depending on your behaviour they might get used to you and start making stupid comments.
There are also those that see you or the Sword as somehow chosen, as being special or even divine or merely as a really cool/powerful weapon on their side. Some simply nod and smile as they pass you by, some bow in respect or greet you with such titles as Great Defender or Chosen One or Queen of Fire. There was even one that asked you to bring his lover back from the dead and was disappointed to find that the Sword was only able to revive Nikolai because of his Soulsphere. Still, it might be good to consider what you should do if they start requesting less impossible things from you. You're no stranger to people treating you like god and asking things from you, but this situation is certainly different than what you're used to.
Like, for example, that woman in violet accompanying Nikolai (master of Alchemy is what he called her, from what you remember). She approaches you with great excitement and asks you a great deal about how your connection with the Sword works, how being the avatar of a god works, how being altered by a bond former works, how your transformation works, she keeps asking and asking and shows no sign of stopping. She wants to run some tests on the Sword and you to try and figure out what it is. The Sword tells you it will submit to the tests (up to a point) if you order it but isn't too fond of the idea.
However most of the people with Ike simply keep their distance and don't bother you. You don't know if they're afraid, indifferent or merely unsure of what to do and adopting a 'wait and see' approach. Maybe things will change once they get to know you. Or when they see you in action.
You receive a debriefing from Ike on all the
murder events that occurred while you were away and about all the
horrible magical WMDs supplies and assistance you received from Chizra. I don't know how much you read on what happened but assume you know stuff. Ask Ike if you want to know more stuff.
Campaign, Ike!
"Damn, he's either learned some next level urine tricks or something real unusual has happened to him. Either way this trail ain't getting warmer."
Can some of the guys point me to, say, the bed of said known ne'er do well so that I can pick up his scent? Seems like a valid suspect or at least the last known contact.
Whatever the result, introduce Irine to everyone. Especially the Headwater. Show off all the cool shit we got and tell her all about our adventures in the process.
"... and this is a glass container full of dangerous void magic shit, let's call it witch-jelly, and if the glass sphere should rupture it ought to have an effect not unlike a dirty bomb in an unclear, but presumably wide area..."
Well, Alan really wanted to go to the top of Chizra for some reason. You're certain that if he peed from there, he could spray a pretty large area, though probably not so evenly.
You regale Irine with tales of your amazing adventures. Also, I assumed you would just keep moving on, but sure, let's say you're all back in Chizra for now, unless Irine objects. I'll hold off the introductions in case Irine does not want to go back to Chizra.
As for Brad, after some searching, you think you manage to pick up his scent, his particular mix of sweat and stench of alcohol. He's heading east and moving quickly from what you can tell. You could always try following him.
((Okay, so I figure any Alan-related-retcons that might have occurred would have by now, so time to go ahead and start posting actions / reactions / questions))
how did Ike's new recruits react to Irine? From what I was reading about Chizra they might have some rather strong reactions to her and TriSword.
Theri sticks by Irine and River and San, and generally acts as a hopefully-efficient support unit to the IKE ARMY.
General Ike gains a follower: Theri. Army upkeep reduced by 1. Army morale increased by 1. Army gains trait: Hand-to-Hand training. Theri appears as a separate unit during combat.
Other than that, you mostly rest and prepare for the journey ahead. You spend your free time with your friends, chatting with them and making sure they're all right. Some of the recruits have taken a liking to San and spend time teaching him games or telling him stories, so he doesn't spend all his time with you. However he still returns whenever you want to teach him something or when it's time to rest or whenever he wants to feel safe. River on the other hand doesn't leave your side, always walking next to you or lounging nearby, but doesn't speak against spoken to.
Alan, Sea Guy
<Well, after I put that magic kool-aid in my eye, I turned into the ocean! I also met this guy/girl named Ocean. So yeah. I'm an ocean man!>
Keep talking to Brad; ask him how the heist went. He get anything cool, or manage to get through that door?
Oh, and can I see Zech anywhere?
Zech is with the rest of the guys, being his own particular combination of brooding and helpful.
After his initial surprise, Brad quickly regains his composure and continues running away.
"Oh, I got past the door alright. I used your eyes and the thing just popped open. Beyond the door, oh man, that was a whole other story. I gotta tell you, they've got some weird shit up there. It wasn't a horrible hellscape or anything, it actually looked kinda nice. It was like a whole different place, full of trees and grass and clouds, really cool."
"But then there were those wierdos around and they were aaaall staring at me. It was giving me the creeps. I knew that like an incontinent man who's eaten too many beans, I was going to have to make a run for it and hope for the best. I managed to get away and made my way further into the mist. I picked some strange colorful fruit I'd never seen before but I don't think it's going to be that valuable, it's already started to rot."
"That's not the most important thing, oh no. The biggest, the weirdest, the most unbelievable thing there was the Head. The head of a... like a bird thing thing in the middle of it all, no body, just a huge head with a long neck, all made of pure, transparent ice. All the water, it was coming from it, its bill mostly. I knew that whatever it was it must be worth something, so I went in and grabbed a feather or two. Didn't risk too much though, I played it carefully. Good thing I did (and I've got some magic resistance), 'cause I'm not sure I could had made it out of there. It wasn't a trap exactly, it didn't look like one, but it still hurt like hell."
"After that, I started running towards... a friend. I figure they might be looking for me and it might be better to get someone trustworthy to give me a checkup ASAP. Plus, I can get an estimate for all the stuff I'm carrying. Not too much in the end, there was surprisingly little lootable stuff up there. I wonder where those guys sleep..."
"That's more or less all about me. So, what about you? Are you like a ghost or something? Are you going to haunt me 'till I get you your body back?"
The Maximus
<Svajoklis, water near Maximus>
Try not to bleed to death, hope that with turret gone our ship with totally existing medical faculties can come over and put me back together.
You hope really hard that you don't bleed to death. It's the best you can do at this point.
Kosak Durar:
There's a guy with a shotgun bleeding out? If I can reach him, pull him down to the hull... and do nothing else because Kosak doesn't have any doctor skills.
Kosak, like a good dwarf, goes and performs the 'recover wounded' job, but since nobody has turned on his surgery profession, he doesn't do anything else. He manages to keep swimming, even while carrying Svajoklis with one arm, bringing him down to the hull and holding him there.
: Good job. I'll work on first aid when you've delt with the turret. We can give him a proper prosthetic when we make our way into the ship. : John, on the Maximus
"Making progress!"
Can I cut power to the turret itself? If that way isn't obvious, then try to just close the doors on the turret, now that I'm closer to that source.
If I can indeed cut power to the turret, do so, then try to configure the doors so we can get in.
You switch the system to use the local power source and activate it, causing the locks holding the armor pieces to unlock and the giant motors to come to life, causing the armour you're standing on to shudder and start moving. You quickly retract your spear and detach from the armour, warning the rest to do the same.
The huge sections of hull slam onto the turret from all sides, bounce back with the terrible cacophony of a motor moving the wrong way and then slam into the turret again with less speed, this time remaining in place. The momentum of the armor pieces is enough to cause huge dents on the spherical difference of the turret, however the motors alone are not enough to keep causing damage. The motors merely keep the doors in place, presumably for as long as the batteries have charge since it hasn't been locked in place..
Brian Hoss, hull of the Maximus
Keep my eyes on the turret and hand Saevus's healing gauntlet to Svajoklis when I can.
Well, you only have two eyes and I don't see anyone helping you with this, so rather than start stumbling around blindly, you remain in place and focus on the turret. John may have hurt and immobilized it, but it can still launch missiles and shoot from its point defense, so you make sure it can't do that. It's very easy, now that it doesn't move around like crazy.
The Phoenix moves further away and out of your sight. Maybe he's hoping the turret is less likely to try moving or shooting if it can't see a target.
WMD, After the End
Follow the tiny man's directions in the most expedient way possible, which includes tearing through obstacles if the tiny man doesn't indicate I shouldn't. Keep charging and hoping for an RME to save me, like allowing me to breath the liquid or providing a stable breathable air supply for me or something. Use my Willpower to help this happen.
You start treating through the wall, following the man's directions. On the other side you find another hallway, this one having a lot less pipes. You tear through the next wall and the one after that. By this point the hallway has become quite smaller and completely empty.
You light up with a small release of energy but nothing happens, at least nothing that you can see. That's unhelpful. You're starting to run out of air.
The hallways shudder and begin to move, twisting and breaking with the sound of bending metal. It would be hard to maintain your orientation if it wasn't for your tiny friend floating in place.
You tear through the next wall. This one is much thicker than the rest and keeps moving around. During that time, you light up and produce some bubbles. Helpful, but not that helpful. You finally break through to the other side and are immediately hit by a stream of that liquid. That, along with the wide open area, make you think that you've reached the surface. You hastily jump out of the moving hole only to find that the metal floor, unlike the wall you just tore through, is not being pierced. This will make holding on to it harder.
You look back at the wall, only to realize it's no longer attached to the floor and has started moving away, taking your tiny bodyguard with it. And it doesn't look like a wall at all, it looks more like a dark mass of... something alive.
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Topic: Special People: Mechanical Syndrome (Read 1144949 times)