You're doing some nice and clever things with color formatting, and I always appreciate a story that's creatively unusual like that. Use of visuals also adds to the unique tone.
The way that people that people react to the protagonist with 'oh shit' or 'oh no' is also variably intriguing and amusing, and I'm looking forward to seeing where that thread of the character/backstory goes.
Having to actually found a faction, rather than starting with one is interesting. Starting from the bottom like that also means that there's a lot of room for building up that faction over time, adding to its capabilities through recruitment, equipment, resources and so on.
Normally it's rather difficult for you to get discretely get information. When you show up, all eyes tend to be on you. Which tends to make listening into conversations or asking things pretty hard.
However with the Sharks running amok and the police obsessed with keeping the down locked down, you find a rare opportunity where people aren't that concerned with you.
According to some older people around town, Frankie was an original resident of Onnet who immigrated out into The City to fight work. If the gossip is to be believed, Frankie tried to get a job at Wily Corp. And he did...only as a mail clerk instead of a roboticist. At least if gossip is to be believed. Since then he's apparently held a mad grudge against Wily and his creations, and once when he was drunk he went on a tyraid claiming he'd: "SHOW THAT WIZENED MUSTACHIO'D PLAGERIST."
While it might be easy to assume he's simply an old man on a power trip who has to hide behind his officers, the reality of the situation is that you've heard first hand accounts of him beating up groups of criminals entirely by himself.With his bare hands. Most of the 'criminals' were kids your age, but the fact it's clear he deliberately walks around without weapons to make a point.
You don't know how they intend to do it, but it's clear the O.P.F intend to make Onnet a 'crime free city'. And once they've done that, they intend to tighten their influence over all of Onnet. Though you have no idea how they plan to do that, and maybe they don't know yet either...
...However, given what you've recently learned about Captain Strong, a little poking around has made it clear that's not the case at all.
Because Captain Strong is obsessed with order and the status quo, it means that despite having significantly more influence and leverage the Pirkle, he always tries to abide by his decrees. Since, as the local corp, he's the local 'government' and thus the issuer of the law Strong wishes to uphold.
"Of course, just because someone's powers are awakened doesn't mean they're aware of them. PSI is the power of the mind after all. If you aren't aware, or don't believe, you can do something then why would think to try it?"
Hopefully the crows leave us alone this turn, it'll be nice to get something that could constitute additional proof of a new alien invasion from Visiting The Hill
You were starting to wish you never got the mirror from Lars.
It was undeniably an incredible artifact, something that would show possibilities and what-ifs, alternate worlds where people made different choices and came up with different results. At first, the plan was to look through it for worlds similar to this one, to see if you could gather information on Giygas and his plans.
As if it could ever be that simple…
When you asked the mirror to show you "worlds like this one" as far as you could tell most things were the same. You were still you, your family was the same, but everything was just a little bit different. A little bit wrong.
A world where Captain Strong was more ruthless and willing to attack. That world's C.D. had to deal with a limp and a months-long setback when she drew his ire and a vicious leglock.
A world where Captain Strong was a calm and reasonable man, which was why the Mayor called in mercenaries from far away. You can only assume someone very powerful pulled some strings, how else did you explain the soldiers from Outer Heaven? This world's C.D. knew all too well that rubber bullets and beanbag rounds didn't hurt any less than the real thing
A world where Franky of the Sharks was a greedy goblin of a man who didn't hesitate to cut deeply when it came time to fight. You took over the Sharks but had to spend a few days in the hospital getting stitched up when it was all over. The bill was enormous and a month was lost making money to keep the house.
A world where everything was the same except for you, you possessed a powerful control over lightning. Fight after fight ended with you taking out a broken Taser and using it to disguise your use of PK Thunder. Everything went well for you until it was time to fight a man who had the same talent. Your own lightning was cast back at you and the electrical burns would never fade.
It slowly dawned on you that there was so much variance to everything, even in these worlds that were very, very close to yours. So many of these versions of yourself had powers you didn't, or allies that you didn't, or even enemies that you didn't. Could you really use it to look for information when so much of it wouldn't carry over?
Eventually, the idea came to you, to ask the mirror to find a "happy" world. If it was a happy world, Giygas wouldn't be coming right? Or he would have already been defeated?
Or maybe you were just tired of finding world after world that had problems and solutions that had no bearing on you
So you closed your eyes and asked the mirror to find you a happy world.
You found one.
The first thing you notice is that you had a father in this world, one who shared your mother's burden. Both of them worked and instead of the monolithic hours that your world's version worked, they were far more reasonable.
With the benefit of financial stability and money in the bank the family knew less hardship and could afford to spend more time on less important things. Instead of a cracked wooden bat, this C.D had a new and shiny aluminum one.
This C.D woke up to home-cooked breakfast and went to bed with a belly full of home-cooked dinner. No more microwaved meals or struggling to cook for yourself.
Perhaps the biggest change was in yourself.
Without an absent parent and with the benefit of financial stability, this C.D was less cynical and more emotionally stable, though you couldn't help but notice that she still had a dry streak. That appeared to be something most C.Ds shared.
Her social life was hardly booming, but compared to yours she was flourishing. This C.D was friends with the treehouse kids and a random collection of kids from school. They play baseball together regularly, you providing the bat and the kids providing the ball. Together you basically have a baseball club.
You were never going to be an academic and this C.D is no different, but she puts in more effort and has better grades than you. She has a couple of friends at school she studies with and with their help, her lowest grade is a C+
By almost every metric, that version of C.D lives a better life than yours. But there's something missing.
That C.D is an only child.
Kart and Floppy don't exist, and that world's C.D doesn't miss them, doesn't even know that they should be there.
At that point you gave up for the day, stashing the mirror somewhere safe and trying to go to sleep for the night.
You can't.
Tossing and turning as if your turbulent inner thoughts had to manifest physically. You can't help but wonder…
You never found out what happened to your father in this world. You have vague memories of him when you were really really young, but they're so faint you can't create more than a fuzzy image of him in your head. You tried asking mother what happened a few times, but a straight answer never came.
What if he left because he couldn't handle being responsible for more children? The idea comes to you, unbidden and unwanted. But as soon as it occurs to you it becomes lodged in your skull. Is that why your father is gone?
Again and again, you shake yourself, trying to dislodge the thought. It's stupid and selfish, and it's not like your siblings had any choice in the matter. What were they going to do? Ask not to be born?
You know it's stupid, you know they can't help it. It's a whole universe away where more things are different than just your parent's marriage.
And yet you can't help but think about it. Extensively. The only world you saw where you had two parents was the one where your siblings didn't exist.
Was that some kind of universal constant? Were your parents staying together reliant on your little siblings not being born? Did they somehow doom the marriage?
The idea gnaws at your heart like a flame, leaving behind burning resentment even as you do all you can to stamp it out. As if the image itself was poison, and you greedily gobbled it up like a fool.
Out of the corner of your eye, you swear you see the mirror glinting at you…
Sleep never found you that night.
I had a lot of difficulty drawing out the emotions of this idea. I could see this kind of thing royally messing with C.D as she grapples with her appreciation of her siblings, and the delicious angst of having to split time money, and attention with them. But it was giving me a lot of problems. I'm an only child myself so, I never really had to deal with this kind of thing personally. Also writing in first person was hard, since I usually do 3rd person. Anyway enjoy.
Also the alternate worlds, for those not in the know. One where Captain Strong is extra aggressive, there's no cameo there. One where Outer Heaven Mercenaries are hired which is a reference to Metal Gear. And one where C.D had masterful PK Thunder skills, only to get bodied by Mr Carpainter, who if you don't know has control over lightning. Initially, I considered having her downfall be because of the Franklin Badge.
The satisfying crunch of your bat making contact with the first crow is almost electrifying.
Just the sound of the bird's hollow bones breaking like straw under your blow reverberates through your own as it's sent sailing into the distance.
A trail of black feathers left spinning in its wake.
Crows are smart, but learning requires surviving.
As soon as you start up the hill, they attempt to play hit and run again.
So you play first up to bat.
Hit and run tactics don't work very well if you're not allowed to run before you can make your first hit.
They try to swarm you, and you swing as hard and as fast as you can. Trying to strike them all in order of arrival, like an attempt to match a 'rhythm'.
Your swings arc wide, striking multiple of them at once.
As their numbers begin to thin out, it gets easier, if more time consuming.
By the time you reach the top of the hill, your arms ache and not a single flying creature resides on the hill.
There's not a doubt in your mind that, unlike last time, you did more than just injure the ones you fought.
You're very certain that they're all dead.
Very dead, or dying.
Normally, you'd feel terrible for hurting animals.
But after the last time up the hill?
Fuck the birds.
Inhaling you turn on your heels and look down the hill. Down at the city as the sun begins to set. Cresting its orange light across the urban slab.
Making it glow with a bright intensity…while simultaneously enhancing its shadows.
Causing them to elongate and distend backwards, like outstretched fingers ready to grab the very planet itself.
Reaching into your pocket you fish out the baby monitor as you walk towards the very peak of the hill itself.
"Buzz Buzz, can you hear me?" You ask, looking intently down the hill, in the direction of your house.
Your shoes crush tall, unkempt grass as silence permeates the air.
"Hello? Ugh, I thought this would work-"
"I can hear you." A familiar voice buzzes over the baby monitor.
"There you are, what happened?"
"This is a very unorthodox communication method. I'm used to something more complex. Is this device really meant to be used like this?"
"Not even fucking slightly." You say flatly as you continue forward.
"These are Kart and Floppy's old baby monitors. Pretty sure some local manufacturer just made walkie-talkies with most of the buttons and knobs left off. That or someone really needed baby monitors with this kind of range."
"Isn't your mother usually very far away?"
Reflexively you glare down at the baby monitor.
A moment of silence passes before Buzz Buzz quickly speaks.
"I'm sorry-"
"I'm on the hill now." You cut him off. Pushing past the strange, uncomfortable feelings within you. "The crater is pretty obvious to see. Is there anything I should look out for?"
"Whatever danger my pod would have presented would have come from the heat it collected on reentry. By this point it's likely long since cooled. As for anything of value, I don't recall there being anything."
At the very peak of the hill you find the crater. About as big around as an inflatable pool and almost as deep as you are tall.
Staring down into the hole you expect to see some glowing chunk of rock, or some silvery saucer.
Instead you're left staring into the hole for several seconds, briefly wondering if it was taken before seeing it.
"...This is your ship?"
Sliding down into the crater, loose dirt covering the hem of your pants, you stand over what appears to be a featureless, warped metal bowling ball.
"No, that's what's left of my landing pod." Buzz Buzz explains. "Or I assume so. I can't see what you can see, but the tone of your voice tells me enough."
"A 'ship' implies it's meant to come to and from a planetary body. This was simply meant to land, ideally with me still intact."
"I was expecting something-" You kick the metal ball with the flat of your foot, getting a hollow 'chung'.
"Bigger? Anything bigger would have been blown out of the skies by the orbiting defenses. At least with my window of opportunity anyway"
You can hear a flittering sound over the monitor as Buzz Buzz speaks.
"The drop pod's for Giygas's forces are meant to carry his lieutenants and personnel down to a planet. They're designed in such a way that they don't have any meaningful technology in them and whatever components they do have fuse together some time after collecting the heat of reentry. That way they just come off as scrap metal. I'm afraid the pod itself is inadequate as evidence of any kind."
"It certainly does its job of looking like garbage." You mutter in irritation, noticing how rusted the exterior of the ball looks.
Was all of this for nothing? Did you nearly lose your eyes for SCRAP?
Sliding the baby monitor into your jacket pocket, you bend over and grunt as you turn the orb around.
On the other side is a hole with a bit of metal folded out to the side. Likely what used to be the door.
Just the act of moving it however, causes something to bounce around inside.
"Hmm? I think I found something."
Reaching into the darkness of the sphere, something smooth touches your fingertips.
You pull it out to the light and immediately you're hit with disappointment.
"Nevermind. Just a stone."
Reflexively you go to toss it, when a single word from Buzz Buzz causes you to freeze mid pitch.
"...OH!"
Realization, a genuine tone of surprise you'd never heard from the alien until that point, is clearly audible.
"I forgot about that."
"You forgot?" You ask in disbelief, glaring at the baby monitor as if hoping your frustration alone would be transmitted through.
"I only had the potential fate of an entire species riding on my shoulders. I think I can be excused for something slipping my mind after falling from space." The alien stated lightly.
"Why didn't you take it with you?" You dust off the stone as you speak.
"Pockets are a foreign concept to my species when it comes to objects as large as my thorax."
"I thought I had landed somewhere remote, the sudden reaction by the local populace to my arrival forced me to flee faster than intended."
"What is this thing anyway?"
As you hold the stone up to the light, you notice odd things about it. It's clearly made of stone, or some sort of ceramic. Yet it doesn't feel natural.
The stone seems hollow, like broken a piece of something larger. You can even see small holes in it here and there.
"I believe it was part of some instrument. Or a shard of one." Buzz Buzz's tone shifts, like he's trying to actively remember the details.
"In the human tongue I think it was called…a Macarena? Something like that, but with an 'O', anyway…"
"The previous group of humans that fought Giygas used it back when it was complete. One of the humans apparently threw it at the ramp of Giygas's ship as it left, likely out of anger or spite after having 'won'. It shattered, and only this piece remains."
You stare down at the pink stone in confusion, rolling it around in your palm.
"And? Giygas felt the need to keep a piece of junk some kid threw at him? Were his feelings hurt that much by whatever they did?"
"No, he kept it because it's a PSI Artifact."
"Normally when a chunk of physical matter absorbs enough latent PSI energy over time, it becomes a 'PSI Stone'. Effectively a battery of sorts for PSI. They are quite rare as they can't be made artificially, only found. Normally they're only useful for draining, letting a PSI user regain PP from them until the stone goes dead. However…"
"In even rarer instances, certain objects can be permanently changed by their exposure to PSI. That stone you're holding is one such object."
"Giygas named it the 'Sound Stone'. Instead of acting as a battery, it's capable of resonating with and even detecting places affected by PSI. Like Sanctuaries. It can even 'record' and 'remember' certain sounds. Though I fail to see the significance of that aspect of it-"
"Why do you have it?" You ask Buzz Buzz, unconsciously clutching the stone.
"Or better yet, why did Giygas keep it? If I had something that reminded me of when I last ate shit, I'd probably hurl it into space."
"Well, forgetting what made you lose the first time is an excellent way for it to be how you lose the second."
"Giygas gave it to me shortly after the first war. When I was selected for PSI training and before they…"
Buzz Buzz abruptly stops talking. Audible discomfort creeping into their voice.
"-He wanted me to specialize in finding PSI capable individuals." Buzz Buzz starts again "For reasons that are now very obvious to me. With that stone they hoped I'd be able to find Sanctuaries, since it had the capacity to react to them."
"After Giygas changed, however, they seemed to instinctively know where the Sanctuaries were. So it wasn't useful anymore, at least to him. Now that we have it, you'll be able to find them yourself with a bit of effort."
You shake your head, suddenly realizing something was being brought up that you didn't fully grasp.
"Sanctuaries? As in some sort of base or safe haven?"
"Places where ambient PSI energy pools. To the average person, they won't seem like any place of significance. But to those with PSI, they're akin to 'ley lines'."
"There are eight 'Sanctuaries' on this planet. Concentrated specifically in this region. As far as I can tell, the people who settled this area might have been subconsciously drawn to them. If someone, like yourself, were to claim them all and make them Your Sanctuaries, then you could potentially wield that energy against Giygas."
You look up towards the sky. Finding it hard to believe anything of importance could reside in the Eagle Quarter. It's almost harder to believe then the concept of an alien invasion.
"If he knows where they are, doesn't that mean he's even stronger with them?"
"Frankly? I don't Giygas can get any stronger at this point."
Buzz Buzz's voice peters out, almost like he's talking more to himself then you.
"Giygas having his lieutenants claim them would be more so others can't potentially use that power against him, at this point."
"If they're a threat, and he can't benefit from them, why doesn't he just destroy them?"
Breaking shit that was useful to others but not to you was a fairly simple concept. It simply needed to be scaled up depending on the circumstances.
"Even if a Sanctuary were to be 'destroyed' it'd be like diverting a river, the energy wouldn't disappear it would simply show up somewhere else. Besides…"
The insect pauses.
"Giygas wants to avoid that. Intentionally trying to destroy those locations could have grave consequences. You can't try to simply destroy a place connected to that much energy without some kind of reaction. And if it's enough to make Giygas hesitate, even in their current state, then it must be very dangerous to do so."
Just the sheer concern in the alien's voice causes you to falter. Eventually nodding along with his words.
"Alright. So we just have to take them over. Do you know where they are?"
"I know where one is. At least the general location. I believe it's called "Giant's Step" here. It's the reason I chose this location to land in."
Giant's Step? Nothing comes to mind as you hear the name. But your mind wanders quickly, thinking on what Buzz Buzz said previously.
"If Giygas has his goons squatting on these spots does that mean one of his cronies is somewhere in Onnet?"
"I'd be shocked if they weren't." Buzz Buzz sighs over the baby monitor. "They're likely hiding where the Sanctuary is."
"Well then. I'll just have to beat their ass and make it My Sanctuary then."
You pocket the stone, balling your hand into a fist.
Moving to leave, your eye is drawn to something color and you stop.
"Did your pod have a horn?" You ask, bending forward.
"No, it was perfectly spherical. Why?"
Sticking out of the side of the sphere, previously concealed by the other side and the dirt of the crater, a jagged chunk of dark rock protrudes from the bowling ball sized pod.
The dark color of the stone seems almost unnatural with the green ore-like veins radiating through it being too bright in color to amidst the sea of dusty browns and grys.
"There's something stuck to it. This weird dark rock with these pretty- I mean, with these weird bands of green running through it."
"Oh, that's likely genuine space debris. Giygas had a meteor swarm 'nudged' towards the planet to obscure the arrival of his troops and I took advantage of that. Raw xeno-materials help make it feel more authentic to sensors, better slipping past sensors."
Taking the butt of your baseball bat you smack it into the base of the protrusion. You hear a 'crack' as the brittle dark stone breaks cleanly off from the metal surface.
Picking up the large stone, still staring into it's strange colored veins, you tuck it under your shoulder and climb out of the crater.
"Alright. I'm coming back now."
As you start back down the hill, walking past dead or dying crows, you can't help but feel like a little kid again.
Returning home with a bunch of 'cool' and colorful rocks...
[You've gained a 'Meteorite' Shard!] [You gained the Sound Stone!]
Get Closer with the Treehouse Boys (Diplomacy)
DC: 35/75
1d100 = 38+7 = 45 [Tier 1 Success!] You had gained access to the reclusive hangout spot.
You knew where it was and no one objected to your presence, or at least no one had the guts to.
Yet when you showed up the atmosphere always shifted.
Drastically.
To say it was awkward in the treehouse was like saying the Earth had been mildly inconvenienced by the Invaders.
Conversations petered out, laughter stopped, and everyone walked around like they were barefoot and the floor was covered in broken glass.
If there was a clock on the wall you could imagine the boys counting down the seconds until they could justify needing to leave.
The whole scenario wasn't out of the ordinary for you.
It was how most people usually treated you. Apprehension, suspicion, and (maybe rightfully) fear.
Until now you had been able to accept that.
As long as you had your little brother and sister, you could survive being alone.
But you can't fight this war alone.
Sitting in the treehouse, watching the boys make awkward small talk, you stare into the floor. A growing frustration in your chest as you struggle to think of what to do.
If it was a matter of punching a person out or intimidating someone, it'd be easy. Or at the very least you'd have some idea of what to do.
Yet as your eyes flickered to the table, there was no recognition of what needed to be done. No clear line of action or experience to guide you.
You could easily make enemies.
But how the fuck were you supposed to make friends?
Unable to stew any longer, like you had for the past several days, you stand up and take a seat at the round table.
Around you sit the four boys that made up the reclusive little club from the start. All of whom you had come to exclusively know by their nicknames.
Fedora - The 'leader' of the group in loosest and most watered down of senses.
Mr. B - Named after the Mr. Baseball Hat he always wore.
Looker - Usually stuck on lookout duty, perpetually dirty.
Stander - You had never seen him actually leave the clubhouse.
"So-" You start, chest tightening as you see the boys awkwardly glancing between us. "Do you know why I'm here?"
All four of the boys look at you in silence before Mr. B speaks up.
"You mean today specifically? I thought it was because you wanted to hear us talk about the rumors my cousin quintuple removed told me about."
"Oh god-" Looker covers his face as Stander shook his head.
"We're not talking about that dumb made up story again, Mr. B"
"It's not a story! My cousin quintuple removed used to know someone who worked for that defunct Zanzibar corp. And they said they were told by someone else that there's a group of armed crazy people in the Outlands trying to resurrect some small-mustached guy from the uh, middle ages? Or something."
Stander and Looker share a look, with Looker making a circular motion around his ear.
"I figured there had to be something you wanted from us." Fedora spoke up over the bickering, staring intently across the table at you.
You stop yourself from gritting your teeth.
The accusation in his voice, however light, angered you.
But were they really wrong?
You did need something from them. As much as you wanted to get to know them more, it was because of ulterior motives.
If the world wasn't in danger would you ever have bothered to talk to them?
Would you ever have bothered to do any of this?
"Something fucked up is going on in Onnet." The words tumble from your mouth. "And I'm not just talking about the lockdown. It's bad. Very bad. And it's going to get everyone killed."
"Then just go to the police-"
"The police are in on it." An edge creeps into your voice and you fail to keep yourself from glaring at the suggestion.
Everyone around the table slides back their seats a little.
"And so is the CEO-Mayor. The Sharks aren't, but you all know how they are. They have no idea what's going on and by the time they do they could be part of the problem."
You look between each of the boys, breathing deep. Trying to keep track of your own facial expressions.
"Something needs to be done. But that's not going to happen unless someone steps up to the plate."
"Why should we believe you?" Fedora visibly tries not to break his gaze from you, but falters a little.
"I mean, we hear about a lot of supposed crazy stuff here. I mean, you all heard the nonsense Mr. B just said, right?"
"My cousin quintuple removed isn't a liar! There's a bunch of guys in red outfits running around in the Outlands with a weird pinwheel as their flag trying to resurrect some ancient dead guy!" Mr. B crosses his arms in stubborn refusal to make sense.
You glance towards Mr. B, realizing you have your work cut out for you being believed if made up rumors like that.
"Do I look like a liar to you?"
Three of the boys immediately close their mouths, but Mr. B speaks up.
"I think you look pretty scary." He admits. "But outside of that, I don't think we know anything about you."
At that all of the boys hesitantly nod, looking between one another.
"I don't even know where you live. I assumed you slept in the woods." Stander exhaled as he spoke.
"I heard you eat spiders." Looker scratched himself
"I assumed you were the symbolic physical manifestation of a dying child's out of control immune system come to purify the world of all you saw as diseased and wrong."
Everyone in the room turned their heads and stared at Stander as he idly flipped through a comic book.
After a few seconds he realized he was being stared at.
"Uh, I mean, I thought you...liked sports?"
You exhale from your nose, because anything else would come off as an irritated sigh as you lean forward.
"I've lived in the same house in the 'suburbs' since I was born, I eat pizza with a distinct lack of spiders, and the only thing I'm a physical manifestation of is my own frustration with how fucking stupid this world can be."
Just the statement of simple facts, clear realities of your life, leave you feeling uncomfortable. Like you're exposing yourself, just begging to be struck.
You have to fend off the impulse to escape the situation, escape the feeling.
"Now what about the rest of you? I don't...I don't really know much about all of you either. Outside of what crap you're willing to eat."
Each of the boys seem surprised, in their own way, by your point.
Once again, it's Mr. B who speaks up first.
"I've always wanted to go on an adventure." He says, discomfort quickly following his admission. "I-I mean. When I'm stronger. Leaving the house without feeling like I'm going to throw up is an accomplishment most days."
"I like collecting old or banned media from Earth." Fedora follows Mr. B's words, as if emboldened to share. "Like the esoteric spy thriller series Rocky and Bullwinkle. I'm sure you've never heard of it."
"When I was in 2nd grade I smoked an entire pack of cigarettes' in the span of 2 minutes and lost most of my sense of taste for a year." Looker added.
"Everyone thinks my dad works in another area, but he's really one of those new-age retro hippie people." Stander admits with visible discomfort. "Like, I'm pretty sure most of my lunch money is drug money."
The discussion continues. Slinging back small facts about one another.
It's uncomfortable.
You feel so exposed.
But after a while it's clear you're not the only one feeling that way.
For the first time you're apart of the discussion.
Then the q̷̡̨̧̛̲͚̦̭̘̗̗̣̖̟͔̻̝̯̠͕͈͐̊̓̈́̃̓͌̎̀̊͋̈́̇̓͆̎̀̽̚̚͠͠ͅų̶͚̯͔̠̜̫̞̎e̷̛̘̳̱̭̦͚̞̖͕̦̩̯̯̺̫̬͓̘͊̓̈̆̋̉̐͛͑͐̋̃͗͊͛̉̅̑͋̚͝͝ș̷̛̟̜̀͐̈́͐͗̄̆̏͗̈̒̕̚͘͠ţ̶̨͎̫͕͓̙̜̗̟͕̞͇̻͖͉̉̏̄̑̔ǐ̵̧̻̦̮̖̰̞͔̦̇̊̉̃̅̂̑̀͋̑̽̏̿͐͒́̀̿̕̕̕͜ȯ̷̡̡̨͍̘̱̫̼̣̮̤̠͇̺̱͇̙̪͎͇̜̪̯̽͊̀̓͐͐̃̇̈́͐̈n̵̗̮͔̪̤̞͚̝͖̿̀̿̋͊̊̔͋́̌ comes up.
"Is it true?" Mr. B asked, likely without thinking. "What everyone says I mean? That you-"
Your heart thuds to a stop.
Without meaning to you turn and look at Mr. B. Your expression changing on reflex.
The boy looks back, his mouth hanging open. As if paralyzed.
As if afraid.
"B, shut up right now."
Fedora raises his voice, cutting B off.
All of the boys stare at you. A grand discomfort smothering the previously blooming atmosphere of jovial conversation.
After a few seconds you realize something.
You'd begun to dig your fingernails into the table upon hearing Mr. B's question. Dragging lines clean into the wood, the tips of your fingers aching.
Whatever anger you feel withers away into regret. Embarrassment. You're ready to get up and leave when Fedora clears his throat and speaks up.
"Look. Maybe you're not like everyone says or some spy for the Sharks come to throw us out of our hangout." Fedora does his best to look you in the eye, or at least stare at your forehead to pretend he is.
"But that doesn't change the fact you came here because you wanted something from us. So I think at the very least you should be up front with what that is."
Part of you aches.
There's no point in trying. Your words haven't done anything before, why would it do anything now? People aren't going to suddenly listen to you because you want to.
You grit your teeth, ready to bark out a defensive insult.
But you stop.
The image from your dream briefly flickers in your mind. The looming, all consuming horror...
"When I ask you to, I want you to gather people up and bring them here to listen to what I have to say."
No superfluous words are wasted. You bluntly state what you want, what you need. Choking out the words as your chest tightens with apprehension.
"This isn't something everyone can know, but I'll tell you all what I know then."
"And...that's it?" Mr. B asks. "What if there's nothing we can do to help? What if uh, we don't want to help?"
"Then you won't." Standing up from the table you walk to the exit hatch in the floor and flip it open with your foot. "No one twisted my arm to do this, so I don't intend to twist yours either."
The boys all watch as you descend the ladder, dropping out of sight.
"Every asshole in this town wants to make other people do what they say. If you do help me, it'll be because you chose to."
As you slip out of sight, the treehouse is left silent. The boys sit, forced to ruminate on your words in your absence. What previously left them feeling relief suddenly leaves them feeling disquieted.
The silence is abruptly broken as Mr. B slaps his hand together, remembrance flashing across his face.
"Oh yeah! The guy they're trying to resurrect is named Hitler!"
A chorus of groans echoed out through the tree house. "Shut up B! You almost got use murder by C.D! No one cares about some guy you made up!
Check the Local Stores (Stewardship)
DC: 30/60/90
1d100 = 68 +7 = 75 [Tier 2 Success!] Onnet is a city, but it feels like a small town with it's limited shopping options.
Groceries, burgers, pizza, baked goods, and convenience store crap.
Unlike Fourside, there are no department stores or malls.
Almost everything in the stores was made in the Eagle Quarter. Which, outside of the baseball bats, meant shoddy quality in regards to anything tech related.
And anything imported from the outside of the city was usually questionable. A lot of corps saw the Eagle Quarter as a dumping ground for failed or cheap products. 'Monkey Models' of things were commonly sold in place of the actual product itself.
Of course, people's low expectations of what was available often meant that there were diamonds in the rough waiting to be found with enough looking.
And you definitely looked.
The shop keeps stared you down as if you had a sign above your head that read "I'M GOING TO SHOPLIFT."
But that didn't deter you.
Though you didn't find guns, or lasers, or a tank for sale, you did have two things catch your eye over the length of your search.
The first was a high quality resin. It was marketed as a "synthetic wood replacement gel" for repairing damaged antique furniture. Buzzwords aside, it seemed capable of repairing wooden objects to a greater degree then glue.
With a crack in your baseball bat, there was always the knowledge that it could break or that you couldn't get your full swing out of it. The resin could easily fix that and spiff it up a bit.
Secondly was a jumbo can of "Xterminator Spray".
It was an old can of insecticide. A kind you had used once as a child to kill a roach.
Said roach literally melted before your eyes after spraying it.
You'd thrown the can away out of fear that the same could happen to you, or your then baby siblings. And while your fears could very well have been justified, you were now in the market for making things melt.
It'd only really be useful against bugs, at least according to the label, but it was also stated to be flammable...
After thinking it over, recognizing you had limited funds, you decided to buy...
[] Quality Resin: Repair your baseball bat and gain an additional +1 to Martial. -1 Funds
[] Xterminator Spray: A single use item that can be used on a check. Adds a +10 to Martial Checks vs insect, or insect approximate enemies. May effect rolls unrelated to insects. -1 Funds
[] Nothing. Save your money.
Investigate The Entertainer's Shack (Intrigue)
(Buzz Buzz)
DC: 30/60
1d100 = 35 + 3 + 15 + (Buzz Buzz's Loyalty Bonus = 1.5 rounded down to 1) = 54 The Entertainer's Shack north of town had never been a ritzy place.
It was essentially a large cottage backed up against sheer-walled hills. Surrounded by trees and with little more then a dirt path leading up to it.
As hard as you try, you can't really remember why it was built.
Maybe it was built as a hostel of sorts to attract traveling entertainers in some desperate attempt to make Onnet into a tourist spot. Or perhaps it was just a massive grift by the mayor to profit off a shack that looked like it was perfect to be squatted in by some ring-user.
Looking at the shack from the forest however, you could barely recognize it.
A large wall had been erected beside the shack, turning it's front into a solid barrier that blocked off access to everything behind it.
The wooden front door had been replaced with a metal door that looked like it belonged in a bank.
And there was an endless list of other plainly visible efforts to reinforce the building.
"The mayor didn't just lock the front door, he turned the place into a fucking bunker."
You think to yourself as you squat in the woods, watching the shack from afar. Keeping a look-out as Buzz Buzz flies around in the distance.
Buzz Buzz had been the one to insist you take things slowly. Your initial plan of simply walking up to the shack and trying to crowbar your way through the front door had seemed sound in your head. Especially when you saw there was seemingly no one guarding the place.
Yet after two straight hours of watching the place, with night slowly approaching, some part of you is glad you didn't.
Just staring at the building makes your skin crawl. You have a bad feeling for some reason.
"I'm back, and it's not good."
You jump a little, turning and glaring at Buzz Buzz as he flies up right to your ear.
"Don't sneak up on me like that-!" You hiss under your breath in anger.
"The purpose of this is to remain unseen. If I can't hide from you how could I hide from our adversaries?"
"That's not-" You're prepared to snap back in irritation when the sound of shoes scuffing across dirt reaches your ears.
Immediately you fall silent and duck down. Listening and watching intently as a man strolls into view.
Dressed in a filthy suit and tie with unkempt and seemingly unwanted facial hair, the man walks down the dirt path towards the shack with intent.
Narrowed eyes and a crowbar makes his intentions abundantly clear.
You watch with anticipation as the man grows closer and closer. He walks forward unimpeded, his eyes focused on the shack.
But from the distance you're watching him at, your eyes soon become focused on something else. As a white object slides out from under a rock and into view.
The man doesn't notice it, not until it's directly at his feet.
"Huh-?"
He looks down and sees what you see. A white slug the size of a soda bottle, four red dots signifying eyes visible as it's revolting pointed antennas(?) undulate at the man.
All the slug needs to do as look him in the eyes to cause the space in front of him to subtly warp in a strange array of barely visible colors and shapes.
The man's face becomes vacant. His eyes glassy. The crowbar falls from his hands as he turns around and walks backwards, as if in a daze.
You continue to watch the man walk back the way he came. After he's mostly down the road, you see him shake his head. As if snapping awake.
After looking around in confusion...the man continues to walk down the road soon disappearing out of sight.
"That was-"
"Hypnosis."
Buzz Buzz lands on your shoulder, glancing at you with an impressed dip of his horn. "Yes. A PSI user like you or me would just be put to sleep by that. But a none-PSI user is left open to suggestion when it's used on them. It also makes them forget things."
You watch as the large white slug slides back out of sight as quickly as it had come. Suddenly you realize that dozens of those things could be sat, waiting along the path to the shack.
"What the fuck are those things? Are those aliens? Giygas's forces?"
"In a sense. But they're clearly artificial in nature. Likely birthed quite recently."
You side-eye Buzz-Buzz. "You can tell that just by looking at them?"
"If a human ran into view naked, bald, and lacking any distinct features would you be able to assume they were a clone? While I am not a bee, it's clear humans aren't as observant of insectoid features as I am."
Buzz Buzz gestured with their horn towards the shack.
"There are also ants, or I suppose 'Antoids' as well. They and the slugs appear to be guarding the shack. There's a cave directly behind it. It's been sealed so a human can't get inside...but deliberately left gaps so 'bugs' can exit."
"How many did you see?"
"A few dozen. Most of whom are watching the entrance to the cave. I couldn't slip past them if I tried."
You grimace at the thought of dozens of slimy, skittering insects that big.
"And that's probably not counting all the ones you didn't see. If they're coming from the inside of that cave, and they're 'artificial', then I assume one of Giygas's men made them?"
Buzz Buzz simply nods. "Yes. And that means, without a doubt, that cave is or at least leads to the Giant Step. It's a Sanctuary."
"Fuck." You curse under your breath, leaning a shoulder against the nearby tree. "Do you know who it could be? If you worked for Giygas, does that mean you know who his Lieutenants are?"
"Not...quite." Buzz Buzz admitted, displeasure in his small voice.
"Giygas kept many things secret for the sake of succeeding where he had failed during the first invasion. All I know is that he is just as likely to have used an alien as he was to have warped or coerced a local being into serving him. Animating objects and influencing wildlife isn't the sole extent of his abilities. Giygas is not above recruiting disenfranchised, non-human beings to his cause."
The beetle shakes his head. "Though, I can tell those creatures weren't born in a lab. The fact they seem to have paltry PSI abilities seems to suggest they were...born from something. And likely have a direct connection to them."
You're unable to stop yourself from wincing at the genuinely disgusting thought.
"Outside of guard duty, what do you think these things are up to? Are they around town yet?"
"No. I think they're likely regulated solely to his location for the time being. Keeping their master safe. Perhaps there was some issue with the birthing or egg laying process that limited their initial numbers? Either way, they seem to not have the numbers to do anything else without jeopardizing their safety. Though...I'm not sure how long that will be the case."
As night fell, the subtle glow of insect-like eyes became more visible.
You and Buzz Buzz retreated, knowing finally where your enemy was located.
And knowing their hands were not idle.
[You discovered the Giant's Step Sanctuary! (Location unavailable due to Entertainer's Shack being locked)] [The Alien presence in Onnet G̴̥͎̰̐̓R̶̼͙͒̓̑̅͜Ő̴̘͉̘W̸̡͙̎S̶͓̭͊...]
Research Organization Types (Learning)
DC: 25/75
1d100 = 41+7 = 48 [Tier 1 Success!] In the confines of your room you pour over books and feel an exhaustion you haven't felt in a while.
Mental exhaustion.
The strain of having to guide your thoughts, wrangle your attention, and stay on task. To say nothing of actually trying to understand half of what you read.
It reminds you of doing school work, back when you used to go to bother going to school.
It helps that you're researching something you actually want to know, or at least need to know. Instead of the garbage they went on about during classes.
Writing down all your findings in a battered notebook, half-filled with old 'history' notes from your time at school, you flip through and review your findings.
In The City, there are three types of Organizations:
[Corporate]
[Criminal]
[Archaic]
[Corporate] organizations are any business or group established primarily around the pursuit of profit. Most are structured like an actual corporation with workers, internal hierarchies, professional attire soulless monkey suits, and an expectation of payment for services rendered.
Even if those running or a part of corporations can have personal or ulterior motives, Corporations ultimately thrive or die in pursuit of wealth, control, and power.
They have a degree of 'officiality' to them.
Even if they're a small, nobody of a company, they're ultimately still playing ball with the status quo of the city and perfectly fit into the expectations of most City residents.
As rightfully cynical as those expectations typically are.
A fresh [Corporate] organization starts with a positive reputation and a small bonus to Stewardship related tasks, due to their focus on profits. However they require existing capital or a revenue stream in order to exist in the first place and have to at least pretend to operate 'legitimately', which can hinder underhanded actions when they don't have total control.
[Criminal] organizations are any organizations that fall outside of the law or societal norms of the city.
They can include petty street gangs, organized crime, and even terrorist groups. However, not every group that falls into the [Criminal] category has to be inherently malicious.
Technically rebel groups and resistances are classified as [Criminal] organizations. Since anyone who goes against those in power isn't exactly going to be seen as law-abiding.
[Criminal] organizations can have a variety of motives from subversion of control, the private collection of wealth, to ideologically driven goals and practices.
Of course, the line between [Criminal] and [Corporate] groups is often very thin in The City.
[Criminal] organizations still need profits to operate so it isn't unusual for them to own and operate businesses or smaller shell corporations themselves. Some criminal groups even strive to subsume control of corporations to restructure themselves.
And you'd be hard pressed to find a corporation that was run entirely above board and didn't stoop to 'illicit' means to gain the upper hand or get what they want.
The primary difference is how they present themselves.
A corporation that does illegal acts is seen in a different light than a criminal group that does, well, crime. Especially if the corporation is the one making the law.
[Criminal] organizations start with an inherently negative reputation from the get go and will have difficulties possessing wholly legitimate forms of passive income.
However, they don't have to play by any rules they don't wish to abide by and can attract people who would either never work for a corp or would actively oppose a corporation.
Lastly there are [Archaic] organizations.
Tribes, feudalistic kingdoms, democracies (whatever that is). Any organization that is an intentional or unintentional throwback to earlier forms of governance on Earth are considered [Archaic].
The benefits and downsides of [Archaic] organizations can vary depending on the specifics. Some people see them in a positive light due to old memories of Earth, others seem as destined for failure for the same reasons.
Within the boundaries of the city, [Archaic] organizations are more difficult to establish than in the Outlands. Some people find the ideals of a feudalistic society pretty silly when there's a working convenience store down the street.
Still, at least you know your options.
Corporate
Starting Reputation: +10
Pros: + Greater sense of 'legitimacy' and ease of doing business officially.
Cons: + Held to certain standards and expected to try and play by certain rules.
Criminal
Starting Reputation: -40
Cons: + Seen in an inherently negative light from the outside and difficulties running 'official' operations.
Pros: + Unrestricted in their operations and capable of attracting those who would never work for a corp.
Archaic
Starting Reputation: Varies!
Pros: Varies!
Cons: + Inherently polarizing and very to difficult to establish outside of the Outlands.
In order to establish any organization you'll at least need:
A location to operate out of.
A passive income, a chunk of cash, or some means of enticing others to want to join.
People willing or present to join.
Evidence to your claims or some form of 'legitimacy' to ride off.
To found an organization, or to take one over...they're not mutually exclusive you suppose.
But you will need one for what's to come. That much is apparent.
[You have learned of the organization types!] [You now know the explicit requirements to found an organization. The organization you found or take over will receive a small additional trait]
(Buzz-Buzz) Learn More About Human Technology
1d100 = 100 SMAAAASH! SUCCESS! My name is Buzz Buzz and I am writing this down to properly process my thoughts.
I am not a scientist by any stretch of the definition. I am as capable of explaining the exact scientific and mechanical workings of Giygas's technology as you are of detailing the precise knowledge needed to build a compact fusion reactor.
However I have experience with it and my time as a 'plate' jockey certainly gave me more insight then I would have otherwise.
While what I write here is purely my opinions and observations, understanding the potential lack of parity between humanity and Giygas's forces will be vital in our decisions going forward.
I have separated my thoughts into different categories, written on different sheets, for the sack of organization. Going down we have:
If you had told me during the initial invasion that humanity would have proper interstellar spacecraft just a few years afterwards I would have probably shot you.
I would have likely shot you anyway at the time, but that's besides the point.
Even if it's the result of reverse engineering another alien race's technology and a healthy dose of desperation, it's still impressive.
I've only been able to read a little about these 'colony ships' that brought humanity here, but they sound like marvels of engineering.
It's concerning however that they appear to be the only meaningful mention of spacecraft since my arrival here.
This planet doesn't appear to have commonly available spacecraft, nevermind combat capable craft of that type.
Even if it's clear that the 'Big 3' have the capacity to launch orbiting satellites and defenses, it seems all but one of them has neglected space entirely.
Zebes is owned by one of the Big 3 and I've heard mentions of some 'Defense Fleet' in charge of protecting the system. Apparently they're uplifts from some destroyed world called Corneria?
Regardless, those in power seem content with ensuring space ports and crafts of the extraplanetary kind are not common. Since I have nothing to measure them against, I will simply detail what I know about Giygas's fleet.
Exact numbers are unknown. It is compromised of a number of saucer-type craft. All armed to the teeth and capable of operating in space or in atmosphere.
They are capable of carrying troops and storing large numbers of living or suspended beings. Likely intentionally given Giygas's plans of genocide.
Giygas's fleet would likely have little effort blowing through orbital defenses that could be mustered. Attacking the planet would be easy, but unlike the 'Invaders' they don't have the numbers to totally overwhelm the surface. And I imagine that mankind's ground based defenses have only improved since the loss of their home world.
And that's not taking into account the unknown capabilities of this former Corneria fleet. Which for all I know could be quite formidable.
The fact of the matter is however that there's no vessels or installations in the Eagle Quarter that could do anything to Giygas's ships. Thankfully, he has no way of employing them in any meaningful capacity as doing so would expose him to the powers that be.
So unless Giygas is able to find a way to have his ships fully avoid detection, he won't be able to unleash their might on the Eagle Quarter.
Back during the invasion it was assumed humanity was limited to physical projectile weapons and we were mostly correct.
Since then it appears humanity has developed both large-scale and handheld energy weapons. I've read old weapon magazines mentioning 'Zapper' direct energy pistols and a military grade 'Super Scope' weapon. To say nothing of mentions of laser and plasma based weaponry affixed to robot models produced outside of the Eagle Quarter.
However despite them being semi-common place in certain parts of The City, the Eagle Quarter appears to have an overall lack of firearms. Both energy based and physical.
Giygas's forces during the first invasion were diverse.
Those that couldn't rely on raw physical destructive power or PSI abilities, often relied on energy weapons. Most of Giygas's robots and cyborgs have some form of integrated energy weapon in them, Starmen especially. Handheld energy weapons were less common since not every alien race is suited to firing something akin to a human pistol. Mooks however I believe had an energy side-arm they could rely on.
Though I don't know the composition of Giygas's forces now, I don't think much has changed in regards to their policy on weaponry.
Given humanity is someone 'new' to using energy weapons compared to Giygas's race, I'd hazard to guess that the majority of human energy weapons falls below the strength of what Giygas's forces use. Save for some of the more impressive and rare things I've heard mentioned idly in regards to Earth tech.
However with such weapons being generally unavailable in the Eagle Quarter at this time, Giygas's forces have a distinct advantage in ranged armaments compared to us at this time.
Giygas's race has access to sophisticated robotics technology. However it's resource intensive. Especially the artificially intelligence aspect of the machines.
Because of this Giygas had made of his machines use living 'components'. Either in the form of operators like myself, a former pilot of a miniature UFO attack platform, or integrating living tissue and brain matter to create what are essential cyborgs.
The few machines Giygas does have that are totally automated are usually considered high-quality, elite equipment. We had no shortage of dangerous robots during our initial invasion, but their numbers were limited compared to our living troops.
Out of all of them the most formidable and scarce were the R70 Series.
Three massive machines designed for the demolition of human structures and the 'assassination' of dangerous human targets. Though given the size and sheer destructive force of the machines, extermination feels like a more appropriate word then assassination.
I only got to catch a glimpse of one of the machines, R7037, before my initial deployment. And it was a truly terrifying sight to behold. I couldn't imagine anyone fighting such a thing on foot and surviving.
Yet, after the war I learned that not one but all three of such machines were destroyed completely. One engineer I spoke to after the fact vented to me of how they had extensively upgraded the final unit, the R7038XX, to the point they felt it was nigh invincible to human efforts to destroy it.
And yet it was destroyed.
By a human built robot of all things!
It led to the mutual destruction of both units, and the human robot was reverse engineered from technology taken from Giygas's people, but it still shows one important fact.
Even during the invasion mankind's capacity for robots far outshined Giygas.
From my initial delving into what humans now possess it's become clear that the machines produced by this 'Wily' fellow make Giygas's robots look like abacuses in comparison. At least as far as their artificial intelligence and practical costs go.
However...such robots appear to be next to nonexistent here. What robots I have heard of in the Eagle Quarter have left much to be desired. I fear that, much like many things I've brought up in this analysis, we are left at a disadvantage in this regard.
Thankfully I can say without a doubt that after the invasion Giygas dropped large, expensive machines like the R70 series. What he does have humans are capable of fighting, albeit with much danger and difficulty.
I've seen little in regards to cybernetics in the Eagle Quarter, though C.D has gone on quite a lot about how this area of the city's quality of medical care is...severely lacking.
Outside of the Eagle Quarter, cybernetics aren't too uncommon. Cybernetic and 'bionic' limbs, even people being reconstructed from a near death state via such measures is possible. Apparently this 'Metapharm' group is highly sophisticated in regards to both cybernetics and organics.
I only have pamphlets and limited reading material to base my assumptions off of course. Though it does seems advanced even at a glance. Almost...familiar.
But I'm sure I'm simply imagining things.
Giygas uses cybernetics extensively in a sense.
Machines are incapable of using PSI, at least under normal circumstances. Which is why Giygas often has other beings implanted or processed to act as organic components. Whether a machine with a living brain is a robot or a cyborg is up to semantics. What matters is Giygas using living tissue as not just a shortcut to subvert costly materials, but to allow the majority of his forces to wield PSI abilities.
Having the strength and durability of a machine with the horrific mental powers of PSI has proven, time and time again, to be a frightening combination.
The Starmen are the prime example of that. Robotic bodies with living brains.
Oddly enough it's not necessarily the 'organic' part that matters in regards to PSI.
Objects animated through PSI abilities will sometimes develop a capacity for PSI themselves. So I personally believe the element of consciousness, however controlled or artificial, is vital for PSI.
But that's getting off topic. Giygas's use of cybernetics largely ties back into his use of robotics, so what I said regarding that still stands.
I could go on and on, but I believe I've stated the important elements.
The City is particularly diverse in it's spread of technology.
Some clearly have tech that matches or far exceeds Giygas in certain respects. Yet many areas of The City have technology that isn't too far removed from what was being used on Earth at the time of the invasion. And areas beyond the city are even more primitive.
This has made judging the parity between Giygas and humanity very difficult.
Yet while I wrote this...I had an epiphany.
For all of Giygas's power, his fleet, his legion of robots and 'aliens', he is bound by his efforts to keep this war a secret.
His more devastating technologies and weapons simply cannot be used, at least immediately in this war.
I've also come to the realization that the surge of animated objects and berserk wildlife might not simply be Giygas following the strategy they did in the first war.
We suffered casualties during the first war. Not to such an extreme that one would write us off, but nothing to dismiss casually. And while Giygas had many years to rebuild his forces for this moment, in the grand scheme of things he couldn't conquer this planet by force even if his technology did give him enough of an advantage to do so.
His dream of genocide and extermination relies heavily on a methodical plan. Of turning any local assets he can to bolster his army and to slowly kill humanity from the inside out.
This war will be fought almost entirely on the ground. And any units of value, especially his lieutenants, cannot be replaced quickly if at all. And I have a feeling C.D has no intention of giving Giygas any time to work with once she gains her footing.
The technology of Giygas's forces will have us on the backfoot when his proper forces show themselves, but like with the R70 series they are not invincible. Merely dangerous.
Plus, anything Giygas loses to us, we can potentially learn from or turn against him...provided we find people academically equipped to do so and give them the resources to achieve that.
In fact, I feel I have some entertaining ideas as well. It has been some time since I've piloted one though...
Do not be anxious about the future, for it's course is in our hands.
-Signed, Buzz Buzz
[Buzz Buzz's Learning has increased by +2!] [You've unlocked additional Reverse Engineering projects for later down the line. These R&D options will become available once appropriate alien tech is found and once you have the capacity for actual research!]
The reaction to that question concerns me deeply. On the other hand a huge part of the reason Ness had to go to every Sanctuary was to kick the evil out of his head - being a game the details are sparse but extrapolating somewhat and just plain guessing it was probably mostly Giygas' influence with shades of his own problems. In any case if we ever end up in Magicant that will probably be a major issue.
While we aren't establishing any sort or organization yet I'm inclined to go for the archaic option when it comes up - sure it's unpopular outside of a specific area but the state of the world makes it clear that the corp route is one full of people who have already kicked the ladders down. A criminal organization is an interesting option but seems like it could run into huge problems later down the line when stuff starts going down in earnest and we need people to be willing to ally with us/join up (it seems like the growth potential could be stunted by "legal" entities) - though the ability to attract people who would never work for a corp puts me more in mind of some old school Robin Hood shenanigans than it does hardened criminal activity (which is just the corps but more honest about it lets be real).
As to the vote
While our current greatest ally is a bug the beings that block our way to the first sanctuary are as well and an ace in the whole could be useful. I'm torn on this one but I think going for the spray is a good bet.
[X] Xterminator Spray: A single use item that can be used on a check. Adds a +10 to Martial Checks vs insect, or insect approximate enemies. May effect rolls unrelated to insects. -1 Funds
when stuff starts going down in earnest and we need people to be willing to ally with us/join up (it seems like the growth potential could be stunted by "legal" entities
I will say, just to clarify what I explained, that the [Criminal] designation for an organization is broad.
It encompasses everything from die-hard terrorists like ATARI to more well meaning groups. If you all decide to start or take over a [Criminal] group, it simply means that your organization works outside of the law (without the justification of 'business' like a Corp).
And while that may naturally have some downsides, following the law does not equate to doing good. Especially in The City.
All of the options have positives and negatives, but there's no penalty to recruitment for [Criminal] organizations. In fact I stated in the post that some characters will outright refuse to work for a [Corporate] organization.
There's always the risk of someone trying to interfere with things, but I'll say the risk isn't any greater for a criminal group then a corp. At least mechanically.
Sure you'll butt heads with more 'proper' groups, but who knows? Maybe trying to work with such groups would be worse then merely fighting them? You can't be sure~
I just wanted to elaborate on that so you can all make informed decisions.
There are no inherently incorrect choices, as just about everything on offer will lead to something interesting. Good or bad.
Wow, I think that's the first time ever a unit nat100'd their personal in a Quest like this.
Overall a great turn! Setting up the foundations for our future organization, we acquired a PSI item, and we FUCKED. UP. THOSE. BIRDS!
[X] Quality Resin: Repair your baseball bat and gain an additional +1 to Martial. -1 Funds
Will talk more later, namely on org types, but for now I think the resin is our best bet. A perma bonus to martial while the other is a one-time use item on a very specific enemy.
[X] Quality Resin: Repair your baseball bat and gain an additional +1 to Martial. -1 Funds
The corporation stuff is interesting, though personally I think swinging to Above Board Corporate or full on Criminal Shadow War would be best either way.
Well we are currently 16 - any organization made will not start out as a huge power but I do like the idea of going criminal more than going corp. fits into that bad reputation heart of gold idea that went into character creation.
Clearly we need to start an evil super sentai organization that kinda looks like a corp but is super illegal and yet somehow has better employee benefits, good anti discrimination practices (evil super sentai organizations are always willing to hire honest and upcoming mutants/monsters), and the kind of terrifyingly excellent logistics that let you easily stay afloat despite somehow losing all of the time.
Also in the og Earthbound the criminals we're about a thousand times nicer and more helpful than the cops and the only ceo we saw was basically possessed so you know.
Will talk more later, namely on org types, but for now I think the resin is our best bet. A perma bonus to martial while the other is a one-time use item on a very specific enemy.
I'd actually argue in favor of the bug spray. Considering first Sanctuary is, iirc, filled with slugs and ants (including Sanctuary Guardian), +10 bonus to martial action to take over the Sanctuary is nothing to scoff at. Never underestimate the value of single-use items.
As for the rest of the update, now that I can actually dedicate time to writing an extensive "analysis":
Martial: Not only we recovered the Sound Stone, which is *the* thing we need to discover Sanctuaries, we also discovered the Outer Space Material(tm). Neither are something we can make use of short-term, but both are valuable.
Diplomacy: Broke the ice a little bit, one step at a time. We want something from them, and they know it, but we also made it clear we aren't going to strong-arm them into doing it, or that we aren't with the Sharks.
Also, I will point out that only Mr.B had colored speech text. Curious.
Stewardship: Already argued in favor of bug spray. I considered taking the resin, just to prevent potential scenario of our bat breaking, but while unpleasant, this is not a loss we can't recover from.
Intrigue: Discovered the Sanctuary, and the alien presence there. Important thing to note is that they are explicitly not idle, and thus their presence will continue to build up. This means we want to tackle the Sanctuary as soon as we can get the shack unlocked.
Learning: I am biased against Corporate type, just like many others in this thread, I presume. Can't say much about Criminal or Archaic, but I suppose we'll decide when we get there.
Buzz-Buzz: Natural 100, nice. We got comparison of stuff Giygas has at his disposal vs what The City has. Someone can probably outline this better than me, but essentially, we've got advantage in that Giygas can't fight an open war from the get-go, and is forced to stack deck in his favor as much as he can before attacking. This obviously gives us time to build up.
The Resin is a permanent +1 and probably the first step in any attempt to make Bat-calibur, but we also have a bug infestation and the +10 with the Spray is Big.
[X] Xterminator Spray: A single use item that can be used on a check. Adds a +10 to Martial Checks vs insect, or insect approximate enemies. May effect rolls unrelated to insects. -1 Funds
Type advantages, even temporary ones, could mean the difference between life and death
Honestly, I really want the resin, but can acknowledge the insect spray, whilst one use, is still a way bigger bonus…
Honestly though think I'm going to go with the resin. Our bat breaks, we need to spend even more cash to get a new one, and I imagine that taking on enemies without a weapon will have some kind of penalty. Sure the insect spray is a bigger bonus, but long term costs im thinking resin will end up paying for itself.
[X] Quality Resin: Repair your baseball bat and gain an additional +1 to Martial. -1 Funds
I'd actually argue in favor of the bug spray. Considering first Sanctuary is, iirc, filled with slugs and ants (including Sanctuary Guardian), +10 bonus to martial action to take over the Sanctuary is nothing to scoff at. Never underestimate the value of single-use items.
As for the rest of the update, now that I can actually dedicate time to writing an extensive "analysis":
Martial: Not only we recovered the Sound Stone, which is *the* thing we need to discover Sanctuaries, we also discovered the Outer Space Material(tm). Neither are something we can make use of short-term, but both are valuable.
Diplomacy: Broke the ice a little bit, one step at a time. We want something from them, and they know it, but we also made it clear we aren't going to strong-arm them into doing it, or that we aren't with the Sharks.
Also, I will point out that only Mr.B had colored speech text. Curious.
Stewardship: Already argued in favor of bug spray. I considered taking the resin, just to prevent potential scenario of our bat breaking, but while unpleasant, this is not a loss we can't recover from.
Intrigue: Discovered the Sanctuary, and the alien presence there. Important thing to note is that they are explicitly not idle, and thus their presence will continue to build up. This means we want to tackle the Sanctuary as soon as we can get the shack unlocked.
Learning: I am biased against Corporate type, just like many others in this thread, I presume. Can't say much about Criminal or Archaic, but I suppose we'll decide when we get there.
Buzz-Buzz: Natural 100, nice. We got comparison of stuff Giygas has at his disposal vs what The City has. Someone can probably outline this better than me, but essentially, we've got advantage in that Giygas can't fight an open war from the get-go, and is forced to stack deck in his favor as much as he can before attacking. This obviously gives us time to build up.
We are still not fully prepared to face the sanctuary, and we have ways to make more Funds. I say that we get the resin now and reap the benefit of that 1 Martial in our actions and go get the spray once we feel more confident to strike at the bugs, since I doubt it will be gone any time soon.
Will write more later, but for now I'll note that the bat seems like a good candidate for a psi-altered item down the line. A lot of history and emotion is invested in it, and going further on that path by fixing it up may be the next step.
I'm a bit doubtful whether either of the items are worth their price just by their on-the-face benefits, but that may just be me overestimating the value of 1 funds.
Much like a lot of others, I'll write up my thoughts later - but the Quality Resin is a good long-term move for preserving the health of our Martial stat. As much as the idea of whipping out the Xterminator Spray against (what would probably be) Titanic Ant would be cool - it doesn't provide much for us past that.
[X] Quality Resin: Repair your baseball bat and gain an additional +1 to Martial. -1 Funds
