In The City that has been tainted, scourged by the incomplete Light. Seeds of which that rot. Unable to blossom nor bud. The City still stands, indomitable above all. Change is coming for a spark of Light is still Light.
And now we ask this to you. A sinner drenched in Envy.
Can a cog within a machine become something greater than the forgettable, useless parts of a whole? Can a sinner condemned to self-destruction, defy their destined fate? Or will you fall prey to your past and vices like many upstarts in your place? Are you more than the hollow words you speak for a better life, a brighter future? Will you become a pillar of Light?
It is an abhorrent thing. This is where people are born by the hundreds of thousands, die by the millions, their insignificant lives gasping for a single breath and are snuffed out in the same.
You don't choose how you will die. All you do know is that you're going to die either today or tomorrow. And god do you hope it's tomorrow.
All you can do is to devote yourself within the cogs that grind you and the others down to pieces, the grand machine where the people are fuel and The City is its maker. An eternal cycle where there are only two things you can do: work to gain money and spend the money you gained to survive for another day. It's the only thing you can do. Learned to do. The only way everyone around you who had a shred of kindness in their hearts told you to do: Survive.
And that's what you do. In The City where lives are a fraction of a Ahn. Where the faces come and go, they blur in your head from the first day you meet them grinning, frowning, laughing, crying - to the next hour as they lay upon the streets, their entrails spilled out onto the concrete ground as greedy hands, just like yours, grab inside their fleshy cavities and dig for more.
Because the organs their bodies keep are more valuable than the living person they once were. In The City, you are not valued for your talent. But the bodies you can give, the people you push into the line of fire until you, yourself remain.
But at least it's better here in The City where a semblance of peace is guaranteed. Where the only monsters are humans who can have a reason behind their motives within the bloodthirsty chaos. Where there is order within the madness. Where there can be a minute of silence late at night that you lean your head against the wall and think to yourself, shaking and shivering: Was it all worth it?
That is a luxury you can afford in The City, not in the Outskirts. Better here, than out there.
Here is the story: You are a 'Feather' from the snapped off, fallen Wing ofL Corp.
A once great Wing, so indomitable that it seemed like it couldn't fall. A Corporation so great, so grand, it encompassed a whole district, an area that stretches for thousands of acres. Like feudal lords and their kingdoms. They mold and shape the culture of a District as the District that once raised the fledgling company into a great Corporation shaped it until the two are indistinguishable from each other. Feeding onto each other into a great ugly cycle that the Head, the triumvirate alliance between three of the most powerful Corporations, oversees and administers.
How could anyone expect you of all people to be a feather? You weren't born into becoming one, a privileged person who had the luck to be born in a Nest, a luxurious area that the Corps would care for and safeguarded from the savage nature of mankind.
You had the fortune to be related to a true Feather. A person worthy to have a Corporation gaze upon them. Your older brother. It was your big brother who dug and clawed his way with sweat, blood, and bodies to be employed byL Corp. They chose him of all people, from all sorts of other privileged Feathers, dirty gifted Backstreets trash, and nameless fucking Rats. They chose him.
And your older brother gave it all, signed up for a contract where he stepped into the main branch ofL Corp and never walked out, in exchange for you to live comfortably. For an apartment where all utilities are paid for, and a cushy budget to spend and splurge if you wanted to stretch your toes out for. Not too much, of course. But enough for you to breathe.
You once lived in the Nest, the Nest of L Corp.Lobotomy Corporation. And you were there, near the epicenter when the White Nights and Dark Days happened. When the great and colossal Wing fell and a glorious pillar of Light shot out from its remains. Like a bird cracking out from its hollow shell. It was a sight too beautiful, too indescriable, you would get choked up in tears remembering the sheer warmth. But such a holy sight cannot last forever. Especially in The City. When the Light died on the 4th day, you were there when the whole world around you went mad.
You survived in the end. Your brother, however, his fate is unknown. The man is most likely dead. Just like the other employees of the Main Branch facility ofL Corp.
Now a feather no-longer and a soon-to-be body amongst bodies that will pile to reach the skies just like District 9. It was like fate was ticking down against you but somehow... through some indeterminate force, you managed to survive.
With no safety net to catch you, there was a burning desperation inside of you, a primal fear that warped and shaped each of your actions. Begging you to take any advantage, steal any chance to get ahead. And then burning down every bridge and building a new one to burn it again just so you can wake up the next day. Again and again in an endless cycle. Until somehow, you found yourself one night thinking, weary and exhausted after one bang up job: something's gotta give, something has to change. You need to change. You need to do more than just Survive.
It's all you've been doing since the incident. Four years of surviving.
So here comes the question.
How did you survive during those dark years?
[X][Fixer]
The well-trodden path people in The City often fall onto.
A mercenary who will do and can do everything for a price. And the price is the blood that keeps The City running: Ahn. Whether it's from the mundane such as finding lost pets on the street and being a general handyman on call to the more exotic - exterminating a plague of mutated blood rats in the sewers to finding the cause behind the disappeared Feathers from Nest K. It's dangerous work. Blood and bodies are on the table and you intend to make sure it's not yours buried in an unmarked grave.
If there is a job you can do, you can take it. And any bit of Ahn counts to stop the Head knocking on your door and your stomach filled with a grain of rice.
Pros:
[Start out with Average Sanity]
[Established at a Fixer's Office of Choice]
[Average Amount of Combat Experience]
[Average Amount of Personal Time]
Cons:
[Low Funds]
[Low Quality of Living]
[Nobody of any Renown]
[X][Syndicate Member]
Morals aren't necessary for a better life, and you need to survive.
You're a criminal and you're proud of it. Rules are not tangible things and they don't apply to you, well... just as long as you avoid stepping on the toes of a few important people and skim under the radar then you're alright. Yet the world of crime, the shady and unknown, is a whole new world of opportunity. Possibilities that weren't open to you before if you played 'nice', and all of that is for you to plunder. And you intend to reap the harvest from many and profit as quick as you can, even pulling up the ladder that you once climbed to secure your position. While you're not a part of the main five syndicates, instead you follow a subsidiary gang of one. You're still among the grunts, not taking any higher position than one would expect in your shoes.
You do dirty work, you knock on a couple doors and shake down people for racketeering, and for some people who think this is their time to have a moment of glory, you snuff them out and sell the spoils. It's not glorious work, far from it, and you have yet to feel something less than regret. But at least it isn't you facedown in a pool of your own blood, and it's enough money to pay the rent and keep your head down. Membership is lifetime and you've made your vows at initiation. Just expect to be busy and to wash your bloodstained clothes every week.
Pros:
[High Funds]
[High Amount of Combat Experience]
[Established at a Syndicate of Choice]
[Known Reputation]
Cons:
[Start out with Slightly-Low Sanity]
[Gain a Debilitating Detriment (Roll 1d6)]
[Little to No Amount of Personal Time]
[X][Rat]
You fell from grace and you fell from it hard.
You were worse than dirt. Lower than trash. The absolute bottom of the totem pole and people knew it.
You had to do everything to survive, even if it meant backstabbing your closest comrade when rent was getting tight. And in your line of work where you had nothing, people had everything. And you intended to exploit them for the fact.
Especially for the valuable organs their bodies contained. They were walking currency to you. Each body is an opportunity and a risk. And it's enough to feed you for a week and pay the Head's monthly tax.
You were the shadow that haunted the streets, the rats that scurried in the alleyways, the target of fearful and paranoid eyes that searched for an inkling of your presence, the terror of the streets, all of that was you. You were the ghost that stayed your hand onto a shoddy knife, the trash that people would whisper and point at, the biting and nibbling scavengers that feasted onto the already looted and dead, the dredges of society that people would use as the bottom benchmark, glad they aren't you.
And just like rats. You had other rats by your side to build some semblance of comradery. But that can only go so far when they are willing to put you on the chopping block the next day. And with each life you take, that sense of shame inside of you grows and grows until you choke on it. There was no other choice.
Pros:
[Established as a Leader of a Pack of Rats]
[Low Amount of Combat Experience]
[High Amount of Personal Time]
Cons:
[Zero Funds]
[Start out with Low Sanity]
[Gain a Debilitating Detriment (Roll 1d6)]
[You're Scum of the Earth]
For every potential and upcoming star, there is something about them that makes them stand out. A certain type of trait.
What is that notable trait for you?
[X]Fortitude: People might as well call you superhuman. You're strong as fuck, tough as shit, and sturdy as all hell. There's something within your biology that makes it so you can take punishment and deal it out twice-fold, and hell, you don't seem to run out of energy. Congrats, you're mighty favored by the whatever deity above because you're Peak superhuman.
[X]Prudence: Lookie here of who won the lottery. You've got the brains that many jealous parents would whisper and point at, wondering why their kid isn't as smart as you. Information and data is like water to you, you can absorb and comprehend all sorts of things like a sponge. If this was regular Earth, you would already be on a full-ride scholarship to an Ivy League school and graduate several years early. Yet this isn't, and somehow your talent managed to be overlooked. For what reason? You don't know. Either way, you're a budding genius with the potential to become a true Feather.
[X]Temperance: Somehow in The City, you managed to not lose your sense of Empathy. You're a social linguist, a speaker of tongues, a true maître du peuple. You can navigate sticky situations around strangers, charm up a belligerent Syndicate Member and get them dancing under your tune with the right smile and choice set of words. Yet with such a skill comes with an equally as heavy heart. Not that you would abuse your social skills, no sir. The thought pains you. It's not your fault that you're just so charming.
[X]Justice: You were known for your stubbornness. Your sheer willpower. When you have a goal, you have a goal. Period. You become fixated onto your championed goal, obsessive and paranoid. You dream about it at night, thinking about how to achieve that goal at every ticking second you're both awake and unconscious. You demand to be pushed to the very brink until it's completed. People might call you insane, but you know what you are, what you're capable of. You're a person destined for great things, and you know it. Nothing beyond a god can stop you from achieving your dreams. Nothing.
And because of that trait, you suffer from a deficit. All things come with a cost, and this is another one.
What is your notable flaw?
[X]Fortitude: You're squishy. Strange in the line of work you're in but you can't take a few hits. You'd crumble with a punch. Heck, you run out of breath easily and have to force yourself beyond the limits every day to work and it sucks. Only the vices of The City can keep you moving. God knows why you're not improving the way you should.
[X]Prudence: Smarts are not one thing you're known for. Books, research reports, hell anything longer than a paragraph and you won't get it. It's not your fault that you were born the way you were. It's hard to grasp fancy-schmancy things like 'non-contextual problems' or 'material emancipation grid'. Whatever, you leave it to the bigger brained people for the thinking. There's always a reason why people hire them. It's not that important anyways.
[X]Temperance: People can sense that you're off. Not from the way you talk but how you look at them, how you act. And you can agree, people in your view are lesser. Stranger. Like objects but with more complexities and variables. You don't get them. For the better or the worst.
[X]Justice: It's easy to fake being strong, and you know that. And you crumble so easily under pressure, anyone could in your position! Well not exactly everyone. But in a tough situation, you're the first to fold and scurry away. But hey, at least you're alive.
And from flaws, comes a deadly sin. What colors do you dream? What crime have you committed that haunts you in the past? What sin do you fall prey to the most?
You dream of:
[X]Wrath:Red. All consuming red, the color painting the walls, the floors, your face. It's all you can see, all you can feel. You were always so short-tempered in your youth. People feared you, rightfully so. Though you have outgrown those childish times, the blood still seeps down from your fingers, that potent anger, never dormant, writhes underneath your skin, boiling and crackling. When you snap, you snap.
[X]Lust:Orange. Like the burnished color of human flesh, like the burning fire within your gut that will never be quenched. You were not known for your lust in the human flesh, but you have a desire that itches deep within your soul. An unquenchable thirst that demands to be satiated. It's a primal instinct. You craved. You were a hedonistic creature, tempered by your restraint from The City's demands, but when you desired - it's a fickle thing that can become an addiction. It goes to show if you can consume it or be subsumed into your vices.
[X]Sloth:Yellow. Within silken sheets and the daze of a morning sun. It's so easy for you to stop your routine, to drop your chores and fall down into the arms of your siren singing bed. You were meant to be stuck in place, watching the world pass you by while you remain the same. A creature of passivity, a self-made victim waiting for a savior to come down and sweep away your troubles. You're just an unfortunate sack of waste.
[X]Gluttony:Green. In the verdant fields, a snake gnaws and feasts upon its own flesh, voracious and unable to sedate its bottomless appetite. And you were the epitome of indulgence, unable to control your habitual wants, your rapturous edacity. To it, you cannot fathom to exist in a reality where you lacked. The thought was incredulous, a hellscape to you. You have to have more, you need to get more, more and more. The numbers grow - food, drink, Ahn, resources, until the digits blur, until you cannot distinguish them from the paper altogether. You are an endless void, seeking to fill an ravenous desire that cannot be filled. And when the hunger begins, it never ends.
[X]Gloom: Light Blue. Like water, like Waves of the Great Lake, ever-changing yet the essence remains the same. And in it, you drowned. Constantly in the deep, tied to the bottom and unable to gasp for a single breath of oxygen. The cloud loomed over you at every waking moment. You were misery incarnate, self-loathing and in terror of yourself. You are your own monster. And for that: guilt runs deep in your veins, yet you survive. But at what cost?
[X]Pride: Dark Blue. If there was one attribute a person could name you, it would be arrogance. It's embedded into your DNA, you were created and sculpted by the very best. Like of conquerors and kings, you were painted a fine shade of Royal Blue as your mantle, so perfect that the peasants below would demand it as your only flaw. You have ground blood, sweat, and dust into your veins, polishing your skills to the height of perfection. And you never let an insult let you lie down, you would rip out their very hearts if they thought to lower your great august self to their level.
[X]Envy: Purple. You were a purple-eyed beast whose teeth gnashed and gnawed in the shadows, starving for the limelight. It was not your fault you weren't born with a silver spoon and a gold crown upon your head. The Gods of This City have sought to find other people in their grace than you. You were a byproduct of their creations and you knew it. And for that, you envied like a pathetic mutt forgotten in the sewers, begging for the slightest bit of attention from the light before you lunged for their throat. You were the dog that bit the hand that feeds them. An undeserving worm that hates and hates and hates- Yet in a strange contradiction, you follow their footsteps, whining for the eyes of your betters to look at you, shadowing their figure in a strange torturous cycle of love and hate because deep down, you want to be them, to become every bit of them and surpass them. You thrive for the spotlight yet you shun the attention.
Don't Vote until all Reserved Posts have been posted.
QM's Note: Hello! This is my first quest and I've always wanted to do one, especially a 'Project Moon' quest! I wasn't sure how until I've read a couple of quests that inspired me so I think I got a gist of what I'm doing even though it's through heavy lurking and not much if any interaction. Though I appreciate any criticism for the way I do stuff and quests just to make sure everything is coherent and consistent.
A lot of this is directly inspired from Tinker of the City, Spark of Light, and Palace of Greed, El Dorado. And some others quests not named but that I very much appreciate! Thank you to the authors/QMs/GMs/DMs who wrote and gave the audience a beautiful and narratively gripping story!
I'm still tinkering around with this current system in order to understand it and better integrate it into writing. Much of it half baked to be honest. Some that were directly referenced from the quests mentioned above and I give credit towards with some that I'm still trying to figure out. Especially the combat and stat system to calculate so it'll take me a while to get used to it. Hopefully not many hiccups pop up as I write and plot out skills, combat skills, storylines and etc.
Things to Note on How to Vote:
Please Vote by Plan Format
Example:
[X]Plan: 'Insert Name'
- [X] Action Part 1
-- [X] Action Part 1 Extra Info
- [X] Action Part 2
-- [X] Action Part 2 Extra Info
- [X] Action Part 3
-- [X] Action Part 3 Extra Info
Detailed Example:
[X]Plan: Grass grows, birds fly, sun shines, and brotha' I hurt people
- [X] Rat
- [X] Justice
- [X] Prudence
- [X] Pride
More Character Creation will come soon after, I just want to get essentials down to help get a better understanding. And also of what plotlines and storylines to help engineer to work with the character created. (Much of which is still a WIP and some that requires research. I have to buy a few books to reference other literature yippee)
And uhhhh the start of the quest takes place a few years after the events of 'Lobotomy Corporation' and a few months before the events of 'Library of Ruina' start.
Vote will probably be open for around 3-4 days as I finish procrastinating and get back to working on my last bits of college assignments and studying for my last final hehe.
[X] Plan: An Offer You Can't Refuse
-[X][Syndicate Member]
-[X]Temperance
-[X]Fortitude
-[X]Envy
What a terrifying contradiction you are, hm?
You were a soft child with a big heart, too big that the rest of your body couldn't keep up. In the backstreets where you grew up, you were labelled the runt amongst the children. A sickly child who wobbled on their legs and could barely complete a lap if well-rested. In this world, you were never given the opportunity to have a good rest even as a child. Nor could you be given the luck to be born as a coddled Nest-dweller, no, instead, you were just ordinary Backstreets trash like 90% of the population who had to find a way to survive before being ganged and feasted upon by either kids, wannabe Syndicate members, or Rats. When other children grew up with bleeding fists and rusty knives, scars and missing limbs to match, you were left untouched and unmarked.
It was not luck that you found the answer to your weakness.
Ay, you found your talents elsewhere instead of trying to fix your terrible, stunted constitution, focusing inward on the kind, big heart many adults complimented you on in the past.
Kindness could be more than a weakness. And in your hands, it can become a drug. One that you sharpened and made potent with each conversation and person, one that you weaponized to sway others onto your side with oozing sugar in your words. It was to no one's surprise that you were considered the Darling of your Neighborhood in your youth. Where even enchanted Nest-dweller children put aside their disgust, disobeying their parents to follow you around like baby ducklings every week.
What a duplicitous child, you were. Having the potential to be the next Syndicate leader if you could stomach the cruelty of it.
But at least, you held a gentle heart in your chest. A tender heart. A strong sense of empathy that no other City-dweller had. An instinctual kindness. A light in the darkness of The City.
Perhaps too strong that it would lead to your downfall. Because who thought that inside of a kind, compassionate, and innocent child such as you, there would be a horrible, monstrous beast hiding underneath?
Kindness is a Virtue. And in the dark reflection of Kindness was Envy. Funny how things work?
Because while you nurtured that silver tongue of yours, interacting with other children who were more gifted, more talented, and more fortunate than you. A seed of Envy was planted. Budding and blossoming with each use of your sociable nature, tainting your pure heart until you weren't able to restrain your infected impulses.
You were a child. But so were the others.
[Eyes of Envy: Your obsessive stare has rewarded you with a perception worthy of a fictional Sherlock. You gain the ability to glean more details from a target of choice than from a normal person, as though their inner voice is whispering their secrets to you. Because of that you are able to peel out hidden information that wouldn't be found through mundane means.
Activating this passive skill when observing someone long enough changes the color of your eyes to a purplish-hue until you have finished your observation. There is a (0.1%) chance of fixating onto the target as a 'Target of Envy.' The percentage has a chance of increasing as more factors about the target are known that can induce Envy.]
[Glass Imitation: Again and again you rot in the shadows, your efforts always subpar and outshone by another. A mere hollow imitation of something greater. This is no different. Gain the skill to duplicate a lesser degraded skill of choice from a 'Target of Envy.' Each 'Glass Imitation' copy of a Skill has a 25% chance to mutate it when acquired said skill.]
[Degraded Music-Weaver (Glass Imitation): Gain the savant skill to pick up any instrument and play it like a Skilled musician. Enchant the crowd for your fake musical prowess yet they will not adore you. Something within your music grates at them, inflicting -5 SP damage to your listeners per turn.]
It was to no one's surprise that you would grow up and end up as a [Syndicate Member.] Your neighbors would click their tongues, shaking their heads in disappointment, knowing in their hearts. Because they knew you would turn out like this after the incident.
What an irony.
And even before the incident happened, when you were young and idealistic, you had dreams to change the world as a righteous Fixer, to make The City a kinder place like the tv shows and comic books would illustrate. Oh, I could go on and on about your past -
But I can't just spoil the whole story just yet.
Because there are a couple of basic questions that I need to know first before we can move on about what sort of Syndicate you would end up falling under.
Like all people, you were given a name to distinguish yourself from others. It might be the same name that you were given from birth or it could be a name that you have claimed as your mantle as your previous one fits you no longer. Either or, it's up to you.
Some prefer the feminine mystique that entrance and enhance, while others hunger for the male prowess and its glories that traditional and archaic myths celebrated, perhaps some prefer a mix of both or none at all, or perhaps a curious quest for something beyond the binaries. The possibilities are endless.
This question is inconsequential in The City where all and everything is accepted, as long as it's human at its core.
Note: Appearance vote will come in the later Character Creation votes and will be affected by your choices, write-in's will still be an option though for said later vote. It's entirely cosmetic but it can help determine personality, attitude, etc. for the QM's benefit. But if you already have an Appearance in mind for your character in your plan, feel free to put it in. The QM will still have an Appearance Vote in the next post but will ask if Voters want to stick with the current image or an alternative one since this voting period is much more lax.
And from other frivolities comes age. You are young but how young?
How old are you?
[X] 16
[X] 18
[X] 20
[X] 22
[X] Write In
QM's Note: Oh, and before I forget, can I get someone to roll a 1d6?
[X] Plan: Original Sin
-[X] Cain
-[X] Male
-[X] 18
What an interesting name you have.
Named after one of the first Sinners in Biblical Mythos.
Your parents must either love you or hate you.
So your name is Cain, the youngest son of two.
(There would've been a daughter. That's what your mother murmured, focused on undoing the knots in your hair. The child version of you couldn't help but wince from the pain.
Your parents wanted one so badly. Of another child, a little sister running around and kicking up a fuss. Surely, spoiled to all hell. Sadly they couldn't support another child, there just wasn't enough money to go around.
They were already struggling with just two children. No matter how much you wanted to fit yourself in a neat, small box. So you don't have to make them spend more money on you. It's better that way, to be less of a burden. Mother and Father had always talked about money, how much things cost, how much things would continue to cost with the increasing prices. Everything was getting more and more expensive.)
The memories began to distort. They always did when you thought about your past.
Though as important names are, so is your appearance. It's part of your identity, how you always distinguished yourself from your older brother. The more excellent and prodigy son. (He was the firstborn of course, it was all too expected of him.)
What do You Look like Now?
[X] Image 1
Image 1
[X] Image 2
Image 2
[X] Image 3
Image 3
Note: For appearances that make it so your character looks like he has an impressive physical build with a 6-pack and looking generally broad/bulky, it doesn't change the fact that Fortitude is your demerit. It'll just add a Perk to make people think twice until they actually engage you in battle and find your physical prowess doesn't live up at to your appearance at ALL and invite a lot of mockery to your reputation.
[X] Image 4
Image 4
[X] Image 5
Image 5
Note: For appearances that make it so your character looks like he has an impressive physical build with a 6-pack and looking generally broad/bulky, it doesn't change the fact that Fortitude is your demerit. It'll just add a Perk to make people think twice until they actually engage you in battle and find your physical prowess doesn't live up at to your appearance at ALL and invite a lot of mockery to your reputation.
[X] Image 6
Image 6
[X] Image 7
Image 7
[X] Write-In
Note: If you plan to put an appearance image that makes it so your character looks like he has an impressive physical build with a 6-pack and a five o'clock shadow, it doesn't change the fact that Fortitude is your chosen demerit.
It'll just add a minor trait to make people think twice until they actually engage you in battle and find your physical prowess doesn't live up at all. In fact the opposite and it'll invite more mockery to your reputation.
Charming, aren't you? With such a pretty tongue, it's the rule of law to have an equally impressive face.
Moving on from these vain matters, I'll have to ask you since you did say you spent the last 4 years as a part of a Syndicate. Or well, not all four years with your 'stellar' reputation. As sociable as you are, the past always finds a way to catch up.
Of the Four, Which Syndicate do You Call Home?
[X] Church of Re-Establishment
Threat Level: Urban Plague
Affiliated with the Thumb
Earnings: $$$
"Our God's dream still remains unfulfilled…"
"We can wait decades, or centuries and still be kept waiting. We will not wait. Today, we are gathered here to pledge to fulfill that dream."
"That This City will burn and we will hold the match to create a New Kingdom of God."
[X] The Orchestra
Threat Level: Urban Legend
Affiliated with the Index
Earnings: $$
"The sound of Music beckons you. And you seek to be etched into the heart of The City, Flute."
"Do you hear it? Do you hear hervoice like I have?"
[X] Moon Beasts of the 12th Pack
Threat Level: Urban Nightmare
Affiliated with the Middle (For a Family needs a Dog in every family picture to be perfect.)
Earnings: $$$
"Answer the Call, for the Hunt comes to District 12 once again."
"Pffft… Rebuild the pack? That's what they always say. Nah, we only came here for one thing and one thing only."
"Ol' Pack Leader wants to settle the score."
[X] The Vagabonds | Commedia Del'la Arte Troupe
Threat Level: Urban Myth
Affiliated with the Ring
Earnings: $
"The whole world is but a stage. Why cry, when you can laugh instead?"
"And so close your eyes and perform to the thunder of their applause. This is a story that will never end."
"For an end to this play would be a terribly, sad one, indeed."
QM Note: Note that the earnings don't matter much on the decision to see if you can pay rent, food, amenities like air conditioning and heat, and the Head Tax. You can easily pay all of it with your current salary no matter which Syndicate you joined. It's just the extra amount of money that you can get at the start, if you want to decide to buy augmentations and replace your current ones from the get-go. With the base amount being $ (No extra money with some savings incase of a medical emergency) to $$$ (Hefty amount)
And as every Syndicate is a subsidary Syndicate from one of the Five Fingers, you too must pay monthly tribute to them. For most, it's money. For the Index, it's Prescripts. And for the Ring, it's Art. None from the Pinky since not much info has been revealed about them yet to create original content or something inspired from them. Other people would say otherwise but I don't got much ideas tbh.
This one took a far longer time to post LOL. Apologies about that, I'm very finicky when it comes to reformatting and making stuff look good so I had to reread and recheck this post since some of this was copy and pasted from notes and the other half was improv on the spot so it's always a tossup to make sure things don't break. But man do I love the spoiler text tab and its tab functions to make things look neat. It looks pretty that way...
You swallowed your pride and forsaken yourself once again? You thought that you washed your hands clean from the deed and picked up an instrument when you swore you wouldn't do so again after what happened in the past.
It's no surprise. You were never good with your own promises, weren't you?
Yet you lie to yourself; you had to survive. You need to survive. Morals and principles were useless when it comes to your own survival, isn't it? You had to compromise them, seeking for every ledge to grip on to secure your life for another day.
It's the same thing you told yourself when times were tough and your savings dried up; the three figures of a zero imprinted in your head. You couldn't afford to rely on honest work to Hustle, you were denied a right to become a Fixer, and you had too much pride to become a Rat. So when a man came up to you with a knife and an offer, you accepted; uncaring about the consequences and pitfalls just so you can pay next month's Head Tax.
It wasn't a regular grunt who gave you such a prestigious offer. Nor of a higher level member.
But instead, you were sought out by the Conductor of the Orchestra.
The Conductor [Rank ??? of 10] [Syndicate Leader] [The Orchestra]
As every band needs a Conductor, so does this mad, kill-happy gang needs its equally as insane Conductor and this man runs a tight ship for a gang destined to crash and fail. Was once known as a highly regarded ex-Grade 4 Fixer, the Conductor lost his marbles after losing everything to the Pianist and sought to recreate himself in the worst way possible. Don't be decieved by his well-composed erudite and scholarly disposition, this is a man who has lost all of his previous principles and will leave you dead in an random alleyway if you cross him. This so-called 'Conductor' claims to seek to create the Greatest Music the City had ever seen, and to spread it into the hearts of every District just like the Pillar of Light.
Either way, let me cut off my ramblings because you're so eager to start the story, aren't you?
I would be too in your place.
Don't fret just yet, I just have one last question for you before you set off on your journey.
In every story, a protagonist must wield a weapon. One that they have long since known that they will forever wield.
Even if each iteration will break or be discarded in favor for a better, upgraded version; that protagonist will stick with one specific weapon type no matter what. And you likewise, operate under a similar mentality if you can afford it.
What is your trusted weapon of choice that you wield now?
[X] Silver Flute (Gain Title: The 'Distortionist')
You have accepted the title that the Conductor granted upon you with all the reverence of a newly converted believer. You are a Flute within this Orchestra and you will soon practice to play a grand Solo for the whole District to hear.
For that: you are gifted a beautiful, silver flute. It is a exquisite instrument, not too out of place to be distinguished from a Nestling's own expensive flute one can imagine dream of buying instead of held in your grasp, with the elegant and intricate engravings inscribed onto the metal. Etched into it were swirls of white and black, reminscient of clouds that were graced with patterns that meant something more than just meaningless finery. And above it all, it is your Flute, gifted to you by the Conductor in honor of your loyalty. You are still grateful of this gift to this very day. Pros
[Ranged Pierce Attacks]
[Skills inflict Sinking] Cons
[Incapable of Melee Attacks until Disarmed of 'Flute']
[Skills inflict Sinking towards Self]
[Most Devoted to the Cause]
[X] Bladed Tambourine (Gain Title: March of the Orchestra)
You have neither accepted nor denied your Title as Flute. Even though the weapon you wield says otherwise, you instead stand on the fence. The boundary which you lean precariously, either to accept your fate as Flute or Rage against this so-called chosen Destiny. For now, you took up this Bladed Tambourine and wonder as your deadline approaches, looming over your head to choose.
This Bladed Tambourine is a modified tambourine where many of the small metal jingles that would decorate its frame has instead been replaced by sharp knives that stick out from its membrane. It is a gruesome and crude instrument, often stained by blood that you couldn't bother washing it out after every battle or musical practice. It's a old thing, falling apart and seemingly one battle away from the sheet breaking in again but it is your weapon. Pros
[Melee and Ranged Slash Attacks]
[Skills inflicts Bleed and Tremor]
[Ambivalent Reputation with the Conductor]
[X] Hurdy-gurdy (Gain Title: Disharmonious Grunt)
You reject the title of Flute and you reject the instruments that you have been offered and know you could pick up and play with the proficiency of a musical genius. (And you reject the position you are in. You know you're meant for something better than this Syndicate.)
Instead you picked up an odd weapon that seemingly no one has ever played. It is a large wooden string instrument that has a guitar shaped body but a violin-form with many of its string rubbing against a wheel operated by a handcrank with a small keyboard placed in the middle that controls the whole mechanism. If you wanted, you could strum the strings though it be hard to do so with its complex design. This unusual instrument is sturdy enough to be wielded as a bludgeoning device when you're not struggling to practice playing a harmonious music piece. You know it would be easier to tap into your latent, cursed talent to master it for combat but this is a new start. A new beginning and you're determined to not rely on your Sins to play and wield this weapon. Pros
[Melee Blunt Attacks]
[Skills inflicts Tremor and Rupture]
[Potential Man Weapon]
Cons
[Low Reputation with the Conductor]
[Unfamiliarity with the Weapon]
[Inability to use Ranged Attacks until Proficiency is Achieved]
[Potential Man Weapon]
[X] Flesh Horn (Gain Title: The Wretch) [Favoured Attribute: Temperance Negates this Option from being Picked] Going against your own nature, this is your act of rebellion. You endeavour to not be a Flute but a Trumpet that will be heard.
You thought what the Pianist did was horrid? You sought to become an even worse monster. This was not a Trumpet that was encased in rotting flesh. No, this oozing and bleeding mess was shaped into a figure of a Trumpet. Such a sight can horrify any spectator and made them blauch.
Made from the body of the first person you killed during your time with the Syndicate, this Flesh Horn is a horrifying abomination that isn't subject to the same law of Decay from the sheer atrocity its existence represents. Pros
[Ranged and Melee Attacks]
[Inflict a Special Debuff against Enemies]
[Skills inflict Sinking and Rupture] Cons
[Highly Favored Reputation with the Conductor]
[Negative Coins]
[What the Hell is this Instrument?]
QM Note: ahahaha this took a long while. mb, thought I'd get to post this part sooner than later but I've spent a lot of time procrastinating ngl since i told myself i'm gonna take a chill break and catch up on all of the story content in other gacha games ive been playing (this took more than 3 days than planned as i spent nights, staying up at odd hours of the morning to grind content frantically before the next update came out. And said update comes out and now I gotta grind that new content to get ahead and oh boy that other game updated too and now here we are).
Another reason beyond being overwhelmed by my supposed short vacation during winter break is that I got stumped on trying craft/theorize combat mechanics. Hopefully when that gets shipped out, it won't crash and burn first battle in. idk. And also thinking about creative weapons and weapon mechanics/types that have a musical theme and ig aren't seen in canon so it looks more unique that way, so another excuse/reason this part stumped me too. we love quests dying halfway through in character creation lol
But yeah I'm trying to go more of a limbus mechanic inspired route with this Quest as you can see, with the potential of your character uptying evolving as the quest goes.
[X] Hurdy-gurdy (Gain Title: Disharmonious Grunt)
You reject the title of Flute and you reject the instruments that you have been offered and know you could pick up and play with the proficiency of a musical genius. (And you reject the position you are in. You know you're meant for something better than this Syndicate.)
Instead you picked up an odd weapon that seemingly no one has ever played. It is a large wooden string instrument that has a guitar shaped body but a violin-form with many of its string rubbing against a wheel operated by a handcrank with a small keyboard placed in the middle that controls the whole mechanism. If you wanted, you could strum the strings though it be hard to do so with its complex design. This unusual instrument is sturdy enough to be wielded as a bludgeoning device when you're not struggling to practice playing a harmonious music piece. You know it would be easier to tap into your latent, cursed talent to master it for combat but this is a new start. A new beginning and you're determined to not rely on your Sins to play and wield this weapon. Pros
[Melee Blunt Attacks]
[Skills inflicts Tremor and Rupture]
[Potential Man Weapon]
Cons
[Low Reputation with the Conductor]
[Unfamiliarity with the Weapon]
[Inability to use Ranged Attacks until Proficiency is Achieved]
[Potential Man Weapon]
Starting from the beginning: After the 'incident' in your past, you have long swallowed your pride. A broken pride immersed in nostalgia and found yourself still desperately clinging to your former image of becoming a good person. A virtuous person with no flaws, and no burdens to speak of, a kind hand, a soft and friendly smile, a warm shoulder for a person to rest their tired head on, the upstanding person who people thought you once were.
So dedicated to chasing that ideal of a Saint: cultivating your heart to be soft and gentle, warm and kind, the type one can find in fairytales. Until you have become attuned with your friends, swaying them with dupliticious actions that preserved such a image. If they hear rumors about your little old self, they would scoff at the hearsay. 'Like my dear friend has the stomach to commit such a vile deed.' Until you stabbed them in the back when rent was getting tight.
In your attempts to become something like a living Saint, your body suffered in turn. For you sacrificed food, water, and sleep. Giving them out to others that were more worthy of help, more pitiful than you, more noble than you in such performative actions. [No matter how much you grind your molars, wishing that were you instead. Instead you choke down those evil thoughts before they begin to surface. Before they infect and rot your mind once again.] Something that will pay heavy consequences down the line.
Because if there was one person, one person who you wouldn't push off a cliff, it would be your older brother.
You cultivated all your energy into your brother who needed the extra food, the extra money, the extra everything to ensure your family's survival. He was that special. Because it's just you and him. Nobody else. [Why should it be just you to sacrifice everything? Why should it just be you to carry this self-inflicted burden?]
And when you reach the top of the world. Situated in the Nest of L Corp after pushing your brother off the precipice. The final sacrifice to the mound of bodies you piled high to get to this point.
It all fell down when the sky was filled with Light.
It was so wonderful. So glorious. Days passed and it felt as though everything was fine. Everything was going to be better. And everything will stay better, permanently. Your teeth ache so badly from the thought, you hungered from the possibilities of a brighter future.
And as though the skies responded to your sinful thoughts, the light faded and everything fell to Darkness.
You refused to think about what happened during that horrible, horrible time.
And so you survive. The only thing you can afford to do. And when the money ran out, you forsake yourself again and joined a Syndicate filled with sinners just like you.
The Orchestra is beget with madmen. This is not a simple orchestra that you would see in District 12's Official Concert Hall at Entertainment Square during your time in the Nest when Old L Corp did not fall.
This is an Orchestra who found a twisted sense of music in torturing humans, making each second of breathing a perpetual agony as their flesh is torn and threaded asunder, turned into 'music notes' to play for their instruments. 'For each body is a song that is waiting to be heard to The City. For only through our beloved instruments can their songs be free. Heard to the Public.' The Conductor announced to his cheering performers while you retch off to the side.
You couldn't get used to the sight. Yet only through this horrible music can it pay your bills and ensure you wake up to another tomorrow. Human Suffering is an acquired taste that all rich Feathers seem to share, paying an exorbitant amount for a recording or a personalized live stream. They call this new genre of music 'Bodyism' or to the fancy tongue 'Feroce.' A leading movement of music they spearhead.
All this fame however doesn't satiate either the Conductor nor the Clients. And they're wanting to see something more, something new. Better exotic victims, fellow Syndicate members, higher grade Fixers, one childish client from W Corp wanted to see the dismemberment of a Color. Things that were so out of your paygrade, you were forced to tackle to fund your lavish lifestyle.
Somehow you manage to succeed at climbing the ranks but all this luck is guaranteed to run out because it isn't until you were beaten to an inch of your life during one scuffle gone wrong when attacking and capturing the members of the Kurokumo Clan from one of their safehouses, did it alert you to this dangerous situation you find yourself in. Are you going to keep going down this path, either to outscheme the Conductor or find yourself agreeing to their ideals to keep the statuos quo? Or are you going to give up, becoming something less than more?
So here we are now, in the present. Post battle.
I hope you bring something exciting to the table. Something a little more extra to spice up this timeline.
[Event Roll (1d100): 72]
Syndicates
The Orchestra: Celebratory. They've recently finished one of their biggest missions yet to celebrate the recent change in rating as a threat and one step closer to their grand, sick goal. Having killed two birds with one stone by taking up a meager buyout for a personal revenge mission against the Kurokumo Clan's Captain and broadcasting the film to the general public. You're still an Outcast. Nothing's changed about that. You don't know when you might get kicked out if such a thing has ever been done. And you might be the first. You just don't know.
Church of Re-Establishment: Been recently reclassified as a Syndicate from its prior non-combatant Religious Organization status. Everyone's been expecting them to turn violent. It's no surprise after they've attempted to stake claim over the former remains of the Old L Corp's Main Branch building from the Seven Association's temporary hold. Just don't travel to 'Old Downtown' this week.
The Vagabonds: Rumors of them spreading after their supposed 'voyage to another district' failed to bear fruit. Instead they changed plans and decided to plant roots in District 12, many of the members seen in public and wearing their affiliated masks, breaking their age-old tradition of moving to a different District after one year of 'performances' in the current District. What is the reason for this Troupe to break the pattern?
Kurokumo Clan: Disoriented. Scattered. One of their many Captains was captured and systematically tortured and turned into thread for the Orchestra's newest member and future uniform. Expect to see them strike back soon, they will get revenge sooner or later.
Rats: Quiet. They've been growing more frequent after the last purge and more courageous. Expect to run into one if you're by your own lonesome during the daytime.
Wolves?: Rumors about people seeing Wolf-like humans wandering around at night. This is NOT the bio-prosthetics Wolfspeople that was a fad a few decades ago. This is different and they've been traveling in groups.
Other Syndicates: Business as usual. Some Syndicates from other districts have been popping up to fill in the hole that the Middle left behind after the Black Silence's Rampage.
Fixers and Offices
Color Fixers: It seemed as though the Black Silence's rampage was over. Whether snuffed out by one of their victims or if they found themselves satiated from the violence, there have been zero reports of their killing presence. The streets are becoming alive as a result, with Syndicates becoming more cocky to fill in the power vacuum.
Shi Association: More and more reports about the Shi Association greedily taking up all the requests and missions that would've been assigned to other Associations and their Offices. It's odd seeing a team of Shi Assassins take up a job that would've been preferred for the Liu Association instead, a sight becoming more and more commonplace. Is this a power play by the Head Director of the Shi South Association?
Other Offices and Associations: Business as usual. Some Fixers are complaining about the recent lack of jobs being posted. Either from the Associations picking it all up or the people who keep dying before they can post it.
Misc
General Public: Combat has been spilling out into the streets and in daylight. People are skittish. A general sense of unease has been never more tangible than ever.
[POV: Cain]
You push aside your bangs, groaning in pain. Pulsing pain that wreaked havoc through your body, a sight that your colleague didn't sympathize with. Louise sneered instead, plucking a bit of metal shrapnel from your wound with a bit more force than required.
"A waste of resources." The beautiful woman muttered, not a speck of blood on her pure white dress. "Would've kept our K-Corp ampules in stock if it weren't for you."
The sole Soprano of the Orchestra. How did this crazy gang manage to convince a pretty woman like Louise to join its ranks is a mystery. But the reason becomes clear in battle. In another life, she would've been a famed Opera singer in the City, in this life she's a dangerous combatant who disables enemies with her voice and finishes them off with her deadly bladework. Louise vies for the position of being the Conductor's second in command for whatever reason and she views you as a threat to the organization.
"H-have you considered t-that," A crude pinch. Clink. You wince but push through. "Kicking a m-man-"
She twists in and pinches your open flesh. Oh fuck her.
"Whilehe'sdown!" You practically had to hiss the last part out in one giant breath. "Is t-terribly and-and… a-awfully rude." You finish lamely. If you were a petty man, you would've lashed out and masked it as an accident.
A scoff. Then a clunk of metal as she tossed the tweezers back into the tray. But you were not a petty man, you had standards. She didn't.
Yet you relax, for the worst part is over.
Those Shatter-blades were a surprise. It was a thing trending in the black market with the advent of an up and coming special Alloy Company. You didn't expect those mooks would all have their hands on them. Captains and Wakashus? Sure. But not the average grunt. It was your arrogance that got you in terrible shape.
You're just lucky that you got out of it without any limbs amputated even with low tier augmentations. Your arm was close from having the blade hewed straight into your shoulder. Thankfully, that special blade alloy broke into pieces, like glass, and embedded into your flesh for a maximum dose of pain instead of a sewn-off shoulder for your troubles.
Either way, you were the only major casualty from the scuffle.
Injured: Gain a -1 Base Power to all Skills and -5 SP modifier until this status is removed. When the Injured Status is removed, remove all conditionals associated with this status and heal 5 SP.
Time Limit: 3 Weeks Remain until Status Wears Off.
"Status?" A baritone voice chimed in. A slight shiver went down your spine. You still can't get used to the strange filter attuned to the Conductor's voice. Made him sound like he was always singing when he spoke, like every word was a symphony that enticed a stranger to keep listening. It was different from your practiced way of weaving around people, it was supernatural. Not something that can be waved away with a prosthetic or augmentation. Perhaps a lost, fallen Singularity the man found and coveted. It would be no surprise to you.
The Conductor was an enigma who couldn't be read for whatever reason, even relying on your special eyes couldn't pick out his secrets. [There was some sort of barrier that kept his secrets from being read by your envious eyes, it was the main reason why you disliked the man from the get go.]
Louise perked up, you rolled your eyes at her enthusiasm as her wandering hand grabbed the numbing agent instead of straight towards the rubbing alcohol. [Always wanting to look like the perfect Angel in front of her crush. What a pathetic form of flattery.] Your vision blurred a little.
"Wounded but he'll recover." She chirped. "Give it…" She then let a frown slip, closing one eye in concentration as she tore a bandage from the roll. "Two weeks."
"Three then." The Conductor concluded, having a strangely accurate third sense to these types of things. As though someone is whispering the answers to him? Or perhaps instead something alike to your power? "Take three weeks off. Your payment should show up in the next few days. I expect to see you back in top shape when you get back."
Major Quest: Rest and Prep
Take the three weeks off to heal yourself but also prepare for the next major mission. You expect to either tackle and raid a Syndicate or a Association, either of the or depending on the Conductor's fancy. It has to be big to celebrate the Syndicate's upgraded rating. Try not to break yourself a little more than you already have when preparing for the next mission.
But the underlying note is that you have to prepare somehow. You're asscheeks and no better than a normal unaugmented Grade 9 Fixer even with Grade 7 Augments. Somehow you gotta improve your combat abilities whether through augmentations, training, tattoos, or whatever technology to be justified and fight on the same level or at least a durable challenge to a Grade 7 Fixer at the very least.
The Orchestra Syndicate is an Urban Plague. Match up to the ranking, Cain.
Time Limit: 3 Weeks Rewards: Increased Reputation with the Orchestra (Tolerated), +100 Friendship EXP with the Conductor, Increased Weapon EXP with Equipped Weapon, and +10,000,000 Ahn Penalty: Decreased Reputation with the Orchestra (Loathed), +5 Sin (Envy), Become Exempt from the next Mission (The Orchestra)]
"T-thanks-" He clapped a hand onto your uninjured shoulder. You wince out of reflex.
"Think about my offer. The position is always open. Just for you." [Check: Auto-Pass]
To be a lapdog? To participate more in your sick schemes than is required? It's the same tired offer with the same tired response you give.
You faked a smile. "I'll keep that in mind." You lied. No thanks. You repeat.
"And only for you." Your fake grin flickered, stuttering a bit under the harsh pressure of his grip before reinforcing itself. A power play like always. Damn him.
The Syndicate Leader only smiled in response, a placid thing, noticing your attempts in dissecting him. How much you loathed the man.
[+10 Friendship EXP to the Conductor]
[Location: Palisades Apartment Complex, Suite 304]
You collapsed into the chair of the dining room. Having agonizingly made your way home after you got kicked out from the makeshift clinic. You were given many strange and wary looks of your too-bloody appearances, but knowing how frequent Rats and their attacks were starting to pop up, nobody bothered to care nor confront you on your way back.
A dinner plate filled with food was set in front of you.
"And I thought I was having a bad day." Seon Myung-Ki let out a low whistle. Your Roommate of many years, a stubborn man with an equally as stubborn tendency to meddle in your social life since he finds it more interesting than his lack of. "Got attacked by Rats again?"
Seon Myung-Ki [Rank 7 of 10] [EXP: 22/100] [Long-Time Roommate]
An overworked office worker who has long given up on his dreams. He is a data-entry broker for a low level distribution company on a contract period, a regular salaryman who somehow got entangled into being your roommate and has remained as one for several years and counting. As a result, he has become a stable pillar preventing you from total collapse despite his numerous complaints. Seon Myung-Ki owes you a [3] couple of favors that you have yet to cash in, some of which loom over his head. At least he doesn't have to worry about rent because you're such a nice guy.
You sigh. "I wish." Picking up a fork with your arm that is not wrapped up in a cast, you feasted into the meal. Grateful that your roommate read your text and prepared dinner for your arrival because there's no chance you can squeeze your way into a restaurant with your bloodied appearance. Hell, not even the food stall people would serve you.
With the sound of a chair being pulled up, Seon Myung-Ki sat right across from you. Folding his hands together, the brown-haired man seemed to find the wall behind you interesting instead of digging in his plate. [He wants to ask something from you.]
You let out a mournful sigh. Halfway through the chicken. "Alright, spit it out. What do you have twisting your tongue?"
The man spluttered. "I don't have anything twisting my tongue. I just needed to know that since you're well," A gesture to your disheveled and bloodied self. You have yet to change your clothes and you're too numb from the anaesthetic to bother trying right now- Oh… whoops. You're getting blood stains all over the furniture again. "Look like shit."
"I'll clean the chair later..." You mumbled, adding that task to the list of chores to do.
Minor Quest: Clean up your Mess.
Clean the Dining Room you've bled and tracked dirt all over before the Week ends. Time Limit: 1 Week
Rewards: +100 EXP, +10 Friendship EXP to Seon Myung-Ki, and one clean piece of furniture that won't be tossed out this week. Penalty: -40 Friendship EXP with Seon Myung-Ki, +1 Filthy Room
"Uhuh, sure you will. I'm not paying for that." You can already imagine the dent in your wallet if you take the lazy route and decide to replace it because you didn't want to go through the hassle of rubbing out the bloodstains and ruining the material. "- but what I could pay for is for this month's rent. The whole rent." Your head shot up.
"Huh? What? Why?" Now that was a head-turner, is he smoking the old, old L Corp cigars?
The man in question shrugged. "I feel bad having you cover for me. Might as well pay you back, especially since you can't work in your fucked-up state. They give you a paid vacation?" You shook your head. "Yea, that's what I expect. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. And I need to scratch yours a whole lot. Call it crossing out the checkboxes on the take backs while we're at it."
And now to ask the other shoe that has yet to drop. Things don't come for free so easily.
"And what do you get out of this? Did something happen to you to offer me all of this so suddenly?"
Seon Myung-Ki shifted in his seat. Hook. The guilt visible in his demeanor. Line. "Can't a friend pay back-"
"Seon. Myung-ki." He flinched. Sinker.
You knew it. There's no such thing as a free lunch.
"Just dealing with more jackasses recently during the commute to work." He sighed, sinking into his chair with a cross of his arms. "Think I'm being followed or used as a stakeout. Don't know if they're rats or Syndicate-wannabes harassing me. It's annoying but also getting dangerous out there. Have you seen the news? But I really can't expect a guy in a cast to deal with them, now can I?" What a shitty joke.
"Give me time to think about it." You shovel more food into your mouth, it feels less tastier than you thought. Really thought you could get a freebie with no strings, huh?
"You know, you don't have to deal with it. I'll find-" Another deep, heavy sigh. "I'll find someone, anyone, buy a Zwei Protection Service or other Office for a few weeks."
"Just… the offer is up on the table. Talk to me." Seon Myung-Ki backtracked, looking guilty for asking you, the fucked up injuried guy, to deal with his Stalker problem. You shove your emotions down your throat, eyes focused on your plate.
"Yea, sure I will." You feel like shit. "Sure, I will."
Optional Quest Gained: Help Solve Seon's Stalker Problem
Someone out there is harrassing your good ol' roommate, giving him the freaks. He's a simple salaryman and often a target for opportunisitic rats or Syndicate members who think he's a bank account to rob or a future victim that fits their motto. It's not a surprise that he's being stalked. Issue is, who is it that staking him out?
Shadow Seon Myung-ki's commute and figure out the guy doing this and confront them. Knowing Seon, it's probably some new coworker that he pissed off with his abrasive attitude and shitty luck. Just some small fry that you can scare around once you throw around your weight as a known Syndicate Member.
Difficulty: Hard [Possible Combat Encounter] Rewards: +200 Friendship EXP with Seon, +1 Major Favor from Seon Myung-ki, Social Contact with ???, Unlock ??? Storyline Penalty: -100 Friendship EXP with Seon Myung-ki, possibility of Seon Myung-ki becoming Injuried/Murdered/???, Unlock ??? Storyline
Another coin and another Ahn.
Today should be the 4th Anniversary since your whole life has been uprooted and changed. And here you are, wallowing in your own filth. Maybe in better circumstances than before. At least the people outside haven't started massacring each other like during the Dark Days phenomenon.
Money situation is fine and stable alright but you know better that reputation is all that matters in the end, especially in these chaotic Backstreets.
You said you were going to be better by the time this Anniversary came. Promised things will be different yet here you are, the same as always. Stagnant. Unchanging. Never improving. Left behind as deadweight dragging down the group, even in the notorious 'Orchestra', a Syndicate that recently had their rating changed to an Urban Plague, you cannot match up to that same rating.
And recently you've been given a free unpaid vacation from your Syndicate Member duties while you heal. Knowing your luck, once you heal up you're going to be roped up into a major mission that will land you front cover on the newspaper.
You've gotta do something with the time you've been given to improve yourself. To do something better with your time instead of wasting away.
So what the hell areyougoing to do now?
[On Medical Leave. 3 Major AP has been freed and dedicated to whatever you can to recover. Three Weeks Remain until you get back to your normal duties. You have 5 APs (3 Major Actions, 2 Minor Actions) remaining for this phase.]
Major Actions [0/3 MP]
[] YOLO
Fuck it, you only live once. Might as well vent your frustrations by going outside and picking a fight with someone who could be considered Fodder. [Difficulty: Easy, Increase SP if you win a Combat Encounter]
[] Go Rat-Hunting
Might as well vent your frustrations in a productive manner and exterminate the vermin that terrorizes the streets. At least you would use your talents for murder in a healthier and morally good manner than if you did it while under orders of the 'Conductor.' Rats are becoming common nowadays. Be a good Samaritan, why don't you? [Difficulty: Medium, Increase SP if you win a Combat Encounter]
[] Buy a K-Corp Healing Ampule (-15,000,000 Ahn)
Fuck it. It's expensive as shit but might as well cheat the system and spend most of your savings and order a K-Corp Healing Ampule and wish-wash your injuries away. New Year, New You, right? [Difficulty: Easy]
[] Go Window-Shopping
You've got enough money in your savings account to splurge a bit. Might as well head to visit the Shopping District in Downtown, go to a workshop or two, buy some gears to help you out. Hell, maybe you can find someone who can fix up your Hurdy-Gurdy.
For What?
[] Fix Your Weapon
[] Buy Augments/Enhancements
[] Buy Supplies
[] Just Browse the Stores
[] Visit the Black Market
Ah, this is the more riskier shopping option. Now you're playing with fire. Expect to see either golden opportunity or a whole lot of scams waiting to suck out the money in your pocket. Salvaged Weapons, Stolen Goods, and Illegal Contraband can be found here. Here you can visit a few vendors, trustworthy or not, who can do something a little more extra like the famous Tattooists that the Kurokumo Clan and the old Middle Syndicate's Southern Branch used to frequent… well before they got wiped out.
For What?
[] Go to a Trusted Tattooist [The Orchestra] [Difficulty: Easy]
[] Go to a Tattooist [Difficulty: Medium]
[] Buy Enhancements
[] Buy Augments
[] Go Window Shopping [Difficulty: Medium]
[] Miracle Cures [Difficulty: Hard]
[] Head to the Hana Association Branch
Might as well fulfill a few requests. Even if you don't have a Fixer License, nothing is stopping you from fulfilling a few requests that are usually dedicated towards Fixers. Oh, people might complain but in the Wingless District 12, people are more desperate and willing to look the other way as long as you help keep the order stable and happy. [Unlocks Commissions]
[] Explore the Unknown
You've been doing the same routine, taking the same old routes, doing the same old actions you've done for the past couple of years. It's time to break that pattern. Walk to someplace new and exciting. Meet new people. Maybe there is a surprise waiting for you in store? [Difficulty: Normal]
[] The Magic Flute
Accept the Conductor's Offer. An offer you've always declined but now there's no use running from. It is your fate to become a Flute. Might as well drop your ambitions to become something self-made and accept your sins. They've always haunted you. [+5 Sin, Change Equipped Weapon to Silver Flute, +500 Friendship EXP with the 'Conductor']
[] Help Solve Seon's Stalker Problem
It might require some setup but there's no one who can say that you're a bad friend. And when you have close friends, you make sure they get their problems fixed so they can fix yours even at the cost of risking their own necks. Knowing Seon, it's probably some new coworker that he pissed off with his abrasive attitude and shitty luck. Just some small fry that you can scare around once you throw around your weight as a known Syndicate Member. [Difficulty: Hard, Possible Combat Encounter, Gain a Social Link with ???, +300 Friendship EXP with Seon]
Personal Minor Actions [0/2 PA OR 0/8 PA]
[] Clean up your Mess.
It's the little things you've got to start with. Better to do it now than later. Try not to give your future self hell. Not every journey starts off with a big bang. And this is your start, slow and simple. Easy task, right? Clean up the bloody mess you've track in and reorganize your side of the apartment. [DC: Easy]
[] Alternative Option: Better New than Old (-290,000 Ahn)
Just buy a damn new chair. You're injured and tired and can't be bothered to spend your vacation tearing your hair out and cleaning the stains out of the furniture. Cut off some slack off your back.
[] Practice makes it Perfect
This is what… the 6th Weapon you picked up and dedicated to learning, and this time you recently picked up in a fit of rage to prove the combative Louise wrong. This time, you're not going to call it quits and resign to your fate as Flute or keep running away and picking a more oddball instrument. Keep pushing up the boulder up the hill and keep practicing, hell you'll show them. [Increase EXP to Weapon Proficiency (Hurdy-Gurdy)]
[] Blade to a Whetstone [-360,000 Ahn per Week]
Yeah you can't simply read music notes on a music sheet and practice just like that when you don't exactly understand your instrument. You're missing the fundamentals with an oddball musical instrument compared to something basic like the Piano. (And less than said you could ever mention that short stunt, the better because in hindsight trying to stubbornly train your pisspoor strength and lung around a Grand Piano for combat was naturally a terrible idea.) [Increase EXP to Weapon Proficiency (Hurdy-Gurdy), -1 PA Slot each week, Find a Music Teacher, Difficulty: Hard]
[] Leave the Orchestra
Nobody said you can chicken out of your decision. You hate being in this position and you hate the job you do. It's terrifying that you've become numb to the bloodshed. Work up the courage to call the 'Conductor' and beat it. You wanted to start over on a new leaf, right? [DC: Improbable]
[] Take Up Seon's Pity Offer
Might as well if he's offering, you need to save your money either way. And you've busted out the salaryman's ass a couple of times like he busted out yours. This is just another favor that you will repay sooner or later. Don't pay this month's rent and utilities, save up 1 million Ahn for this month, it gives you less pressure to pay this month's Head Tax on time. [Don't deduct 1,000,000 Ahn from your Savings for this Month's Cycle. You still have to pay the Head Tax.]
[] Increase Friendship: Seon [-200,000 Ahn]
What's got Seon down in the dumps lately? You're not a dick, you know how to repay a favor and you figured this man needs some time to unwind, with a few packs of alcohol in store and a lighter wallet. [+25 Friendship EXP with Seon]
[] Increase Friendship: Louise [The Orchestra] [-??? Ahn]
Louise is a massive, raging bitch but she's the Orchestra's massive, raging bitch. It doesn't justify much but by god, has she busted your ass during fights when it matters, especially the last battle when you went down hard. You know that you and her have a terrible relationship, she in particular views you as a burden, maybe you can change that? Alcohol would probably help in keeping her calm? Third time's the charm right? [DC: Very Hard]
How fancy?
[] The Bare Minimum (-15,000 Ahn) (-5 Modifier)
House Liquor. Cheapest shit you can find and start a fire with if you're feeling adventurous. She likes tequila right?
[You know this would piss her off. She's a lady who enjoys expensive delights. You're making friends, not enemies.]
[] Acceptable (-145,000 Ahn) (No Modifier)
It's a common brand, gift wrapped with a few delights like chocolate and flowers. Hell, you'll also invite her for a cafe visit. Girls like her are classy and like coffee and liquor, right?
[] A Little Pizzazz (-725,000 Ahn) (+5 Modifier)
Name brand alcohol, an extra white wine bottle, and a steak dinner that you'll cover all expenses for. Tip and mandatory smuggling fee for the liquor, of course. What else would she ask for? Beyond you emptying your bank account.
[] Extravagant for the Little Lady (-3,700,000 Ahn) (+10 Modifier, Guaranteed Friendship XP increase)
You had to pull a few strings, call a few numbers, and swing around your weight as a Syndicate member, and dangle your 'close' friendship with the Conductor over the phone but you managed to skip the line to book a table for a private restaurant and premium service. One who somehow hasn't abandoned ship when the Old Wing fell but it's satisfactory enough, rich enough for you to feel buyers remorse when you look at the prices on the menu. You've busted your ass for this so she better be grateful for the lip-service and flattery.
[] Increase Friendship: 'The Conductor' [The Orchestra] [-??? Ahn]
Yeah okay maybe you've never talked to this guy outside of official business but might as well improve your standing in this Syndicate by cozying up to the big boss man himself. I mean, he still likes you. Objectively and as a tool to help further his schemes but still likes you to tolerate your actions and favor you in missions. You hate him but well, might as well repay that kindness. It gets one less self-imposed burden off your back. [+??? Friendship EXP with 'The Conductor'] [Difficulty: Improbable]
[] Connect with the Orchestra's Newest Member
Perhaps you can find a kindred and possibly sane soul with the Orchestra's latest recruit. While you only saw glimpses of them in battle and haven't been paying attention prior to the organized attack, you know they're fairly talented and are a part of the String's section. (He? She? They? You don't know.) Surely they can be a rock within this fucked up gang. [Create a new Social Link with ??? [The Orchestra], Difficulty: Medium]
[] Consolidate Your Connections: The Orchestra
You have to admit, because of your clear dislike with the Syndicate you're apart and the unwillingness to put more effort than the bare minimum, your current upkeep with your connections beyond the 'Conductor' is… kinda messy. Some of the contact information you've been given about most of the members' contact info including the Inner Echelon of the Syndicate have long since gone dead, changed, or missing. Do some spring cleaning and update your journal, figure out the current status quo within the group beyond the surface level. [Difficulty: Easy]
[] Investigate a Syndicate
Why not? They're going to be your enemies so might as well pull up some more research and ask around about them. Or they could be potential allies instead if you can give them the right impression after a bit of research. More research than you already have. [Difficulty: Medium-Improbable]
Which Syndicate?
[] Church of Re-Establishment
[] Blade Lineage
[] The Vagabonds
[] Wolf People?
[] Kurokumo Clan (Hell no, you literally just attacked them. Keep your head low, goddammit)
[] Musicians of Bremen
[] Stray Dogs
[] Write-In
[] Find a Hobby
You've got the Internet, you've got the money in your bank account, and there are some hobby shops still open. Not a lot. But still a few. Pick up a hobby that is beyond your job, improve your mental health or whatever. [Unlock a Minor Action that can increase your SP as long as the Minor Action is taken every week.]
[] Writing
[] Poetry
[] Books
[] Movies
[] Sewing
[] Write-In
[] Write-In Minor Action
Note: Requires QM Approval and Discussion
QM's Note: WOW! that took longer than I've thought to fully write this out. This was supposed to be released a few weeks prior but I got overwhelmed by schoolwork and work too. That was fun. Though a lot of it was motivated by procrastination too for this quest part to be fully written and cleaned up. I was going to do a lot prior research for storylines but I got a little lazy, it doesn't impact much beyond what is already written in notes but oh well. That's a task/duty looming over my head. Haha. Hopefully next update won't take too long.
If I somehow missed something during my editing and messed up formatting, I'm blaming it on my messy and poor sleep schedule (I had 3 hours of sleep today!) Though I will come back and reformat and re-edit and make sure everything is standard later.
Also! I commissioned a artist for Cain's appearance with his weapon and uniform for a little treat towards the audience. It might change depending on votes but oh well. Here's what he looks like. I'm pretty proud/smug about it.
Voting Period will last for a couple of days. Around 4 days. Voting is by Plan, feel free to discuss about what possible plan to create. For Plans, you can take the typical 3 Major Actions, and 2 Personal Minor Actions or if you prefer to do a plan filled with only Personal Minor Action Points, you can do a max of 8 whole Personal Minor Actions for a plan as a conversion rate of 1 Major Action Point = 2 Personal Minor Action Point. Or a combination between the two.
Also note: should I put a conversion for USD next to Ahn figure to help get a sense of scale for money? Or no?
![Crave the Light [Project Moon Quest]](/data/threadmark-index-icons/l/80/80012.jpg?1734308782){kind=icon}
Seon Myung-Ki [Rank 7 of 10] [EXP: 22/100] [Long-Time Roommate]