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Lieutenant Arisukawa Haruna

Balance Stats
❁ • Work / Life • ❁
❁ • ❁ Warrior / Princess ❁ • ❁
❁ • ❁ Radical / Respectable ❁ • ❁


Tactical Stats
Gunnery 0, Navigation +2, Command +2, Technology -4, Personal -2, Strategy +3

Stress: 3


PLEASE READ THE QUEST RULES BELOW

You collectively vote on the actions of Arisukawa Haruna, the first woman to serve openly in the Imperial Akitsukuni Navy.

This quest is set in a universe which is much like our own circa 1910, but with different politics, cultural norms, and ideas about gender and sexuality, as well as some unusual and advanced technology in places.

We are using this quest to explore themes like breaking the glass ceiling, divergent outlooks on gender and sexuality, colonialism and imperialism, and the place of royalty.

Content Warning
This quest goes some dark places.

There is violence, often explicit, often unfair, often against undeserving targets.

There are not always good options forward. The protagonist is not necessarily a good person.

There is implied content and discussion of sexual harassment and assault.

This is a world where people are often racist, sexist, queerphobic bigots. Sometimes, even the PC and the people they are friends with.

Voting Rules

We will tell you if write-in votes are allowed. If we do not say that write-ins are allowed, they are not. This is to prevent people from unrealistically hedging their bets.

You may proposal other options in a non-vote format, subject to approval, on non write-in votes.

We will tell you when a vote allows approved voting. If we don't say the answer is no, pick an option. We like making people commit.

Discussions makes the GM feel fuzzy.

Game Rules
When we ask you for a roll, roll 3d6. You are aiming to roll equal or under the value of your stat. If you succeed, Haruna gets through the situation with no real difficulties. If you roll above the target value, Haruna will still succeed, but this success will cost her something or add a complication.

Whenever Haruna loses something or faces hardship from a botched roll, she takes Stress. The more Stress Haruna has, the more the job and the circumstances she's in will get to her, and it'll be reflected in the narrative. Haruna must be kept under 10 Stress: if she reaches 10 Stress, she will suffer a breakdown and the results will not be great for her.

Haruna loses stress by taking time for herself, by making meaningful progress on her dreams, and by kissing tall, beautiful women.

Meta Rules
Author commentary is in italics so you know it's not story stuff.

Please don't complain about the system or the fact we have to roll dice. We've heard it before, we've heard it a thousand times across multiple quests. We're not going to change it, and it wears at our fucking souls.

Just going "oh noooo" or "Fish RNGesus Why!" is fun and fine. Complaining at length because you didn't get what you want less so.

If you have a question, tag both @open_sketchbook and @Artificial Girl. If you only tag one of us, you will be ignored. Seriously, we both write this quest.

And yes this is an alt-history type setting with openly gay and trans people, ahistoric medicine, and weird politics. Just... deal, please?

This quest employs a special system called Snippet Votes. Please read this post for more information.
 
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They're not ready for a fight, so if we cut down the bridge now, they might flounder? It'll give us time to react at least.

Otherwise, any of the guns before they can get them aimed and ready also works?

I don't see the point in the rudder as much, though. Like sure, it'll stop them from coming at us properly and let us evade but they'll still probably be in gun range by then.
 
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The machine gun can be brought to bear on us fastest and is perfect for wiping out the deck party. If we don't hit it first we won't be hitting anything else.
 

Maybe we can just bring them along and find a tailor back home?

And make sure you check their pockets!"

Yeha, like you have to tell sailors to check the pockets when looting salvaging enemy materials.

"The lifeboats all seem to be missing--or at least, several of them, so they must have abandoned ship before getting stuck.

Worrying, you don't go into lifeboats this close to the ice unless you are desperate AF, or feel there's no alternative.

"Shame we can't take this with us." You remarked off-hand.

Why not? It ain't going anywhere, just do some relay teams.

The closer you got to the engine room, the warmer it got.

That's a worrying sign, either they're still running, or it's a recent departure.

"That's a bomb. Those are bombs."

Oh hey, they did have scuttling charges!

It was incredibly hot, and it looked like somebody was still shovelling coal down here until very recently.

Hmm, that means nothing. IIRC, home based, IE, what you use to heat your home, it's like a hour or so. This, depends on how much power they were putting out beforehand.

There was a body in the furnace, half turned to ash amid the smoldering coals. From what little was left of the clothing, a sailor of some kind.

That's..... odd. Why not just toss him over the side? I mean, you take some sack cloth or other cloth, wrap him up, stuff a empty shell casing or something down his belt, and heave-ho. Instead they leave the body in the mess hall, then this guy's in the boiler of all places?
 
Plan : Don't die
-[] Hit the machine-gun post.
-[] Knock out their main guns.
-[] Smash their rudder.
-[] Go for the bridge.

The logic is tremendously simple. We're standing on a submarine deck, which has a grand total of zero meaningfull cover. If we don't destroy the machine gun before it fires, we're dead.
Secondly, that's a 100 mm gun. If we don't take that out before it turns, we're dead.
Third doesn't really matter anymore, but I'd prefer to keep the Captain alive so that he can surrender.
 
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Leveling the bridge won't stop the gun crews from firing on us, so I wouldn't prioritize that. Two hundred yards is scary close. Initially, I was thinking hit the rudder while they're still coming about and hope to lock them in a turn, but we're so close that it won't really screw up their gunners enough. So yeah, take out the machine-gun fast, hope we can somehow knock out all the main guns, roughly in that order.

I doubt we're going to win this gunnery duel, so we need to just buy time for the torpedoes.
 
*ahem*

There will be a voting moratorium of two hours.

Crews are already scrambling for the guns, so a bridge hit wont stop them from shooting us. Any main gun hit will sink the sub. We're very exposed, so the machine gun is also sufficient to probably sweep our deck. However, if the ship is stopped from turning, either via a bridge hit or rudder hit, that makes the main guns harder to bring to bear properly and actually hit us.

I think in terms of priority is to stop the machine gun from sweeping our deck, then stopping the enemy ship from maneuvering, then knocking out the guns that are actually in position to line up on us.
 
Machine gun should be priority one, then the bridge. We need the MG out so the deck gun isn't under direct fire. With the bridge out they'll lose coordination and we should be able to maintain the initiative. Third target should be the main guns, particularly on the aft so we are at less risk if they turn tail and run.
 
Plan : Don't die
-[x] Hit the machine-gun post.
-[x] Knock out their main guns.
-[X] Smash their rudder.
-[X] Go for the bridge.
[X] Go for the bridge.

Uh, guys?

Assign priority in a plan: first, second, and third. There will be a voting moratorium of two hours.

Leveling the bridge won't stop the gun crews from firing on us, so I wouldn't prioritize that. Two hundred yards is scary close. Initially, I was thinking hit the rudder while they're still coming about and hope to lock them in a turn, but we're so close that it won't really screw up their gunners enough. So yeah, take out the machine-gun fast, hope we can somehow knock out all the main guns, roughly in that order.

I doubt we're going to win this gunnery duel, so we need to just buy time for the torpedoes.
Problem is, any decent destroyer is gonna have armored turrets. We don't have enough armor to resist small arms.

Oh, and our gun is totally exposed. So those MGs must die. It can take some time to get the range on us with those bigger guns though, so they're not as urgent. In theory.
 
Problem is, any decent destroyer is gonna have armored turrets. We don't have enough armor to resist small arms.
At this time period there is no such thing as decent destroyer then. I think most destroyer guns were entirely unprotected. At best there is a shield at the front. I don't think there were any fully enclosed turrets on destroyers before the Fubukis.
 
Problem is, any decent destroyer is gonna have armored turrets. We don't have enough armor to resist small arms.

Oh, and our gun is totally exposed. So those MGs must die. It can take some time to get the range on us with those bigger guns though, so they're not as urgent. In theory.

At two hundred yards, I think our gun will probably go through the shell splinter covers on a destroyer, but it really depends on how armored the turret mountings actually are. It's entirely possible they don't have any armor or gunshields or just canvas covers.



 
Anyway, here's my theory for the mystery.

The captain and many of his/her officers are involved in a complot. While crossing the artic alone, they take over, eliminating the disloyal officers, as well as those crewmembers who would dare interfere.

Once that task is done, they meet up with a different ship (likely civilian) that's part of their conspiracy. They utilize the lifeboats to transfer valuable cargo and themselves to this vessel. They leave behind a skeleton crew with no option to escape. Their task will be to continue onwards (pretending everything is alright) and then scuttle the vessel. This will buy the conspirators time to escape.

The scuttling crew isn't entirely on board with this suicide mission thing. Stuff gets out of hand, and some start fighting the others as they prepare to blow the ship. The side which doesn't want to scuttle wins, and tries to make a desperate, probably failed escape shortly before we arrive.

We arrive, loot what remains, and finish the cover-up.
 
Anyway, here's my theory for the mystery.

The captain and many of his/her officers are involved in a complot. While crossing the artic alone, they take over, eliminating the disloyal officers, as well as those crewmembers who would dare interfere.

Once that task is done, they meet up with a different ship (likely civilian) that's part of their conspiracy. They utilize the lifeboats to transfer valuable cargo and themselves to this vessel. They leave behind a skeleton crew with no option to escape. Their task will be to continue onwards (pretending everything is alright) and then scuttle the vessel. This will buy the conspirators time to escape.

The scuttling crew isn't entirely on board with this suicide mission thing. Stuff gets out of hand, and some start fighting the others as they prepare to blow the ship. The side which doesn't want to scuttle wins, and tries to make a desperate, probably failed escape shortly before we arrive.

We arrive, loot what remains, and finish the cover-up.

That doesn't entirely explain leaving personal possessions behind.
 
At two hundred yards, I think our gun will probably go through the shell splinter covers on a destroyer, but it really depends on how armored the turret mountings actually are. It's entirely possible they don't have any armor or gunshields or just canvas covers.



In that case, we might survive this. It's not as bad as I thought it was.

That doesn't entirely explain leaving personal possessions behind.
Or how there's so few bodies. It's a icebreaker (Using the Yermak as a reference), crew of 102. Even if we assume the ship's captain and most of the officers were on board, that's what, 15 guys max? To corral a crew of 102? Not happenign, even with guns.

Plus, what cargo is gonna be on a unescorted icebreaker in the assend of nowhere? Add in the fact someone stuffed a body into the furnace, as well as Ser Jawsalot.....
 
That doesn't entirely explain leaving personal possessions behind.

They clearly had time to clean out (the captain did), so I'm assuming the first officer wasn't in on the scheme, and got killed.

Or how there's so few bodies. It's a icebreaker (Using the Yermak as a reference), crew of 102. Even if we assume the ship's captain and most of the officers were on board, that's what, 15 guys max? To corral a crew of 102? Not happenign, even with guns.

Assume a bunch of the crew were on board as well.

Plus, what cargo is gonna be on a unescorted icebreaker in the assend of nowhere? Add in the fact someone stuffed a body into the furnace, as well as Ser Jawsalot.....

Why would an icebreaker be on it's own in the middle of nowhere? I assume something valuable that needed to be kept secret, and probably quite small.

The furnace guy could have been burned alive as vengeance/torture, or as a warning to others.
 
Assume a bunch of the crew were on board as well.
Need a bit to force them off the boat onto the ice this far north, that's for sure.

So let's assume 1/3rd the crew is involved.

That still leaves a fair bit of people, and more to the point, little signs of violence. Sailors, much less naval ones, aren't gonna back down easily.

Why would an icebreaker be on it's own in the middle of nowhere? I assume something valuable that needed to be kept secret, and probably quite small.
Or just doing it's job and clearing a path. Which again, is par the course. The radio message, or at least the legible one, says they got stuck in the ice, HQ was all "Np, call in next morning".

And nobody went "Christ, we're going onto the ice, pray for us"? I smell something sudden. Bad enough nobody went into the radio room.....
 
I concur with the plan. Machine gun nest first, then the destroyer's main armament, and frankly if we're still alive after we manage to silence those we're doing better than we have any right to ask.
 

HELLO BEFORE I ACTUALLY START READING THIS QUEST I MUST PROFESS MY PROFOUND DISGUST FOR YOUR IMPERIALIST WAYS STOP

AND MOREOVER I MUST EXPRESS MY DISLIKE FOR THE RIGID AND BLINDED DEVOTION TO THE HIERARCHY ENGENDERED BY THE IJN STOP

IN ADDITION THE SIMPLY TOXIC FRATRICIDAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AND WITHIN THE DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF THE IMPERIAL MILITARY MADE IT PARTICULARLY DYSFUNCTIONAL EVEN FOR A EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY NAVY STOP

I JUST DISLIKE THE IJN STOP
 
HELLO BEFORE I ACTUALLY START READING THIS QUEST I MUST PROFESS MY PROFOUND DISGUST FOR YOUR IMPERIALIST WAYS STOP

AND MOREOVER I MUST EXPRESS MY DISLIKE FOR THE RIGID AND BLINDED DEVOTION TO THE HIERARCHY ENGENDERED BY THE IJN STOP

IN ADDITION THE SIMPLY TOXIC FRATRICIDAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AND WITHIN THE DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF THE IMPERIAL MILITARY MADE IT PARTICULARLY DYSFUNCTIONAL EVEN FOR A EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY NAVY STOP

I JUST DISLIKE THE IJN STOP

HELLO MAYBE READ THE QUEST BEFORE YELLING ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU HATE THE IJN STOP

IT'S KIND OF JARRING AND RUDE STOP

LIKE I GET THE IJN WASN'T GREAT STOP

THAT'S PART OF WHAT WE EXPLORE IN THIS QUEST STOP

THE MAIN THESIS OF THIS QUEST IS "IMPERIALISM IS BAD MKAY" STOP
 
Aw shit, this is a nightmare scenario for us, we're at point blank range, so our size isn't going to help much, we can't dive, so stealth is gone, and we're utterly outgunned. Our only hope is our torpedoes and audacity. Pray they don't have a minimum distance of less than 200 meters.

I'll be a fourth to targeting machineguns then gun emplacements first, there's no need for a bridge to tell the guns to "shoot at enemy submarine right next to us".

At two hundred yards, I think our gun will probably go through the shell splinter covers on a destroyer, but it really depends on how armored the turret mountings actually are. It's entirely possible they don't have any armor or gunshields or just canvas covers.



They probably look something like these:




So yeah, pretty much no protection for the other gunners assuming they are based off an OTL Pre-WW1 Russian design. However the "four guns" makes me think it might be a bit newer than the ships in the pictures. It still shouldn't have much protection though.
 
Wait... How did we even hear the contact if it was on bearing 185? That should be in the baffles of the submarine right?
 
Aw shit, this is a nightmare scenario for us, we're at point blank range, so our size isn't going to help much, we can't dive, so stealth is gone, and we're utterly outgunned. Our only hope is our torpedoes and audacity. Pray they don't have a minimum distance of less than 200 meters.

I'll be a fourth to targeting machineguns then gun emplacements first, there's no need for a bridge to tell the guns to "shoot at enemy submarine right next to us".


They probably look something like these:




So yeah, pretty much no protection for the other gunners assuming they are based off an OTL Pre-WW1 Russian design. However the "four guns" makes me think it might be a bit newer than the ships in the pictures. It still shouldn't have much protection though.

Sounds a bit like a Novik:



Which doesn't have any kind of gunshields.
 
So, thinking caps on. Four bodies.

Three gunshots in the chest, but properly taken care of and given some kind of Caspian death rite. Likely killed in the mutiny. Enlisted mutineer, maybe?

Man in the boiler. Likely an officer, judging from the hat we found.

And the last two, killed while setting scuttling charges. I don't think they killed each other, though. I think someone else killed both of them with the hatchet. Whoever it was probably wanted something on the ship to be found.

So: mutiny happens around the time the radio transmission we intercepted was sent. Mutineers abandon ship, leaving a skeleton crew to clean up. Some sort of dispute breaks out, an officer shoots and kills a sailor with his handgun (hence three rounds rapid) and is then thrown in the boiler as retribution. The mutineers decide it's time to scuttle, start packing up to leave, but someone with a hatchet kills the scuttling crew. Why? And why mutiny in the first place? They weren't low on supplies.
 
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