Character Sheet
Character Sheet
Isabelle Morgenthau
A Fisher

Isa (left) and her boyfriend Arren (right)

Hard Keen Calm Daring Wild
+4 -1 +4 +1 -1
Moves
Creepy: When a comrade sees you perform a ritual, overhears your prayers, or sees signs of your alienness, they lose Trust in you. Once they learn one of your Moves, they are no longer affected, but they gain Creepy as well.
Deep Ones:When you call out to your patrons, they give +1 forward on your next roll.
Blessing: When you dab fresh blood on an item roll +Calm. On a 16+, take both. On an 11-15, choose 1. Effects last 1 Routine.
  • Take +1 Ongoing with this item this Routine. (+5 Handling for a plane)
  • The item cannot break or be lost this Routine. (Armour 3/8+ for a plane)
On a miss, make a bigger sacrifice or the machine is damaged.
Ideomotor Response: Your plane effectively has a programmable autopilot. It does not have to be switched on and off; it "knows" when you are behind the controls.
Soul-Bound: When you paint a rune in blood on an aircraft, you are linked. While in flight, you can take incoming Structure damage as Stress, 1-1. You can take a hit that would strike a Component as Injury, or give incoming Injury to your Engine.
Written in Ink: When you get a tattoo to mark an major milestone, take 3 Stress , describe the tattoo and where it's inked, and link it to a Fisher move. Whenever you use that Move, lose 1 Stress (max 1 time per Routine per Move).
Bond: (Witch move learned from Wulf) When you hold an object of significance and make an emotional connection to it, take 1 Stress. The object becomes a magical Focus, and you learn it's Nature (Earth, Air, Water, Fire, Iron, or Blood).
Whispered Answers: You get visions.
Gifts from the Abyss: Your connection to the Deep Ones is physically changing you. Name the physically obvious mutation you have received and describe how it frightens or disgusts the unfaithful. It can be hidden, but not perfectly, and just seeing it will trigger Creepy. All XP advances now cost 1 less XP (minimum 1).
Strategist: When you lay out a plan of action, anyone following the plan (including you) can opt to use your stats on the roll if they are better, and roll Seize the Initiative with their best stat. This lasts until a comrade is wounded or events go drastically off script.

Mastery
The Bushwack
Ambush Predator: When you strike an enemy who is unaware of your presence, roll with Advantage.
Forced Evade: When you fire to scare an opponent off, spend 1 ammo and roll +Hard. On a hit, instead of dealing damage, choose one: Target dives 1, target climbs 1, target loses speed in a forced turn. On a 16+, roll attack dice on them anyway.
Momentum: When you dive onto a target, add +1 AP.
Scissors Snip: When you disengage, give an ally +3 towards dealing with your target.

Familiar Vices
- Drinking
- Prayer
- Dancing
- Cannabis

Intimacy Move
When you are intimate with another, choose one of you to get a hold. They can spend that hold to give the other a command: if followed, then forward to their next +Stat move, they will always score at least a partial hit, regardless of what the dice say.

If you use this move in the air, there are two holds, and they can be distributed however you agree.

The Company
People
  • Isabelle (Fisher): The PC. Was once an acolyte training at her village's temple, but fled abuse at the hands of the cult leader. Possibly the mortal avatar of the dark gods, and remarkably calm and patient, Isabelle is the world's most mature 19 year old. Which isn't saying much. 1 thaler per Routine.
  • Arren (NPC- Confidant/Observer): Your cute fish boyfriend, Arren is a sweet boy in way over his head, but he loves you more than anything. Artist, deeply empathetic, quietly devoted, everyone finds him hot. 1 thaler per Routine.
  • Wulf (Witch): Your girlfriend and a former bandit leader with a fractally tragic backstory. Basically incapable of impulse control, she puts on a confident mask to hide how much she's hurting. Her dad was a wolf. The world's only transgender pansexual half-fae witch. 1 thaler per Routine.
    • Hard +3, Keen +3, Calm -2, Daring +0, Wild +3 (Avenger)
  • Minna Hammerl (Soldier): Highly trained soldier from a military junta, who exiled her due to her autism. The squadron's second in command, the most beautiful woman in the world, and the only person on this crew of idiots whose life doesn't revolve around getting laid. Does not use contractions. 1 thaler per Routine.
    • Hard +4, Keen +1, Calm +2, Daring -2 (Professional)
  • Heinrich Engel (Student): Political science student working on his thesis-slash-manifesto. Mentor in a queer society back home, he's the one who actually knows things about stuff. Deeply camp. "i think if heinrich tried to not say stupid things he would suffer a toxic buildup and fucking die"
    • Hard -1, Keen -1, Calm +2, Daring +2
  • Anny Meldgaard (NPC - Mechanic): A young half-Fischer, half-Himmilvolk woman from Piav, trained by the mechanics there. Looking for adventure and her origins. Blushes pink?
  • Ronja Devapala (NPC - Non-Combat Pilot): Anny's friend from Piav, descendant of Skyborn but adopted by locals, unsure who she is. Enthusiast of sarcasm and the only person on the crew with her shit mostly together.
Temporary Members
  • Marcus (Farmer): A Macchi native. He goes where Lyse goes. Flies a specialized seaplane with a precision rifle.
  • Lyse (Scion): A bastard child of a Sopwith noble family. Flies a V-engine triplane conversion.
  • Ann-Lise Holms (Revenant): The ghost of famed Great War ace Stormcloud, the best female fischer ace of the war. Flies a 200hp KW-AN.

Aircraft
  • Isa & Arren's Plane: A Teicher Möwen seaplane. Steel frame, liquid-cooled engine. Deeply possessed. 1 thaler per Routine.
  • Fang Howl: Wulf's helicopter. An experimental pre-war model. Liquid-cooled radial. Three wolf moon. 1 thaler per Routine.
  • Pup: Wulf's Kreuzer Skorpion prototype retrieved from a sealed hanger. Gets a lot out of an underpowered engine.
  • Minna's Kobra: An inline-engine powered, wood framed fighter. All around an excellent machine. 1 thaler per Routine.
  • Heinrich's Reconstruction: A canard plane with a 30mm cannon in the nose. Awkward and unstable but hits like a train. 1 thaler per Routine.
  • The Pioneer: A huge 3 engine'd cargo plane with capacity for two airplanes and an additional eight people. 3 thaler per Routine.
Stress XP Mastery
7 3 2
Cash Expenses Value
22 14 11
Vice Track: ☐☐☐☐☐
9 Victories​
You're welcome
 
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That's a thing I find frustrating when I write but I do myself a lot: I feel like I wouldn't have any useful contribution so I don't write anything as comments.
 
Also, sorry for the slow updates. I burnt out a bit on this quest because I felt like there was very little engagement, like I was doing it for nothing, but I wanna keep going. I like these folks too much to give up.
Personally, the recent arc feels somewhat directionless compared to previous arcs, and as a result I have more of a tendency to wait rather than actively plan.

[ ] The crew heads to the remains of an old port city, long bombed out. There was once an underwater research facility there.
For example, we totally forgot to actually visit the underwater research facility.

Similarly, now we have an open vote, a submarine we need to figure out what to do with, and several major open plot threads that need to be adressed before they explode, but it seems we're going for a beach episode.
 
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Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm trying to take to heart the stuff about having a defined antagonist and direction for the story this time, so it's not meandering like the last one, but it's really hard to do that without railroading? So I had to have a villain and give hints who the villain is... but also I have to make sure that its vague enough that I can adapt it to whatever direction you take the story and whatever decisions you make. I have to give information, but not so much information that it feels like you have no choice, or so much information that I paint myself in a corner later when the plots don't line up. I have to have evidence that is specific enough that it feels retroactively like a hint, but flexible enough that if you take things in a totally wacky new direction I can make the evidence work.

In other words, I have to plan, but I'm not allowed to have a plan. It's really hard, and I'm just not that good a writer.
 
[X] Beach Ep or Bust!
- Nail Down a the money that Sopwith is going to be pay for the Sub/Crew/Clockwerks
- Heinrick grabbed some papers from the City, may be a clue?
- Get the Hang of Reefer, Spend time with our significant others, and instruct the group Party Harty!
- Start the Trust Rebuild Tour, we scared everybody with the Blood Rite, we need to start mending fences (thus the Party Harty!)


I think this is a good start, though.
 
Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm trying to take to heart the stuff about having a defined antagonist and direction for the story this time, so it's not meandering like the last one, but it's really hard to do that without railroading? So I had to have a villain and give hints who the villain is... but also I have to make sure that its vague enough that I can adapt it to whatever direction you take the story and whatever decisions you make. I have to give information, but not so much information that it feels like you have no choice, or so much information that I paint myself in a corner later when the plots don't line up. I have to have evidence that is specific enough that it feels retroactively like a hint, but flexible enough that if you take things in a totally wacky new direction I can make the evidence work.

In other words, I have to plan, but I'm not allowed to have a plan. It's really hard, and I'm just not that good a writer.
I think maybe relaxing the "not allowed to have a plan" thing a bit may be in order. The approach you normally take, and advocate in the gm section of the book, seems to work great for a freeform, episodic sort of story, but applying it fully to a more defined plot seems like asking for just this kind of trouble. It also runs the risk of making it feel like our choices don't matter because no matter what we do, it will retroactively be made to have been the right choice.
 
In other words, I have to plan, but I'm not allowed to have a plan. It's really hard, and I'm just not that good a writer.
I don't think it's your fault, it's more that you've given yourself an impossible task.
You're trying to write a consistent planned narrative based upon the unguided choices of people who don't quite know where to go.
 
I mean, I appreciate that there's obviously been a clear theme with the clockworks for this particular plotline, but the focus has sort of shifted enough that it's kind of clear that the actual plotline is being left up in the air, if that makes sense? At least in my opinion.

I think the biggest thing is that we had the sense of the Significance Of The Key, and now it's been kinda cast aside? Heck, don't we still have the damn thing? You'd think we'd be looking into that more, but instead we've gotten a thread about Lyse having this locket that allegedly lets her control the Leviathan, and it feels... well, not necessary for one thing, and for another thing tonally incongruous?

Now, it's possible that the Leviathan that killed the fish mom and the Sheeta are different machines, but that doesn't really sit right with me in terms of narrative economy. You can certainly make it work, but I dunno, I don't feel like it's been set up right.

If they're the same machine, though, that leads back to it being a bit tonally off? We saw a metal devil in our dream, something inhuman and monstrous. Whereas the Sheeta... as Heinrich said, people did this. This is a human monster. And there's something weird about that dichotomy.

It's definitely not insurmountable either way, though. Just something to worry about. Writing is an infinite list of things to worry about ;;




Here's a more pressing question:

Are Lyse and Florentia/Woldemar/the Sopwith clockworks going to start shooting each other the moment they make eye contact? And are Lyse and Marcus coming to Kromer's Retreat with us? because uhhhh

we might want to get on top of that :V
 
[X] Beach Ep or Bust! And talk to Lyse
-[X] Nail Down the money that Sopwith is going to be pay for the Sub/Crew/Clockwerks
-[X] Heinrick grabbed some papers from the City, may be a clue?
-[X] Get the Hang of Reefer, Spend time with our significant others, and instruct the group Party Harty!
-[X] Start the Trust Rebuild Tour, we scared everybody with the Blood Rite, we need to start mending fences
-[X] Ask Lyse for her side of the story. What does she know about the weapon? Offer to pay her a bonus, if ncessary

I like this. It will get us the bounty for the clockwerks, see if there's a buyer for the sub or ransomer for the captives.

Those papers might give hints about the superweapon

We could definitely use a good beach party with the crew. I'd like to see the fischers enjoy the (non-hideously dangerous) ocean.

I've added a sub-vote to ask Lyse for info.
 
[X] Beach Ep or Bust! And talk to Lyse

Yeah, I'm down with the addition. Curious for more Lyse interaction in general, actually.
 
Okay, I've given it some thought and I think I know how to tie things together and run with a bit more speed. I've nailed down all the details behind the scenes now and I think I know how to make everything connect.

I have made one retcon to tie stuff neatly together, to update 3-1, regarding the key Isa sees in her vision.

Embedded in the center of the bow was a green gem which glowed faintly, covered in writing you didn't comprehend.

You gripped the key and pulled it free.

The way I'm going to structure the next scene is that Anny and Ronja are going to come and get you in the evening, and will end up staying overnight. They invite Lyse and Marcus along for what they figure will be a post-mission celebration, especially because they managed to get some valuables and they have no idea what's Going On.

So do me a favour and roll...

2d10+3 for Anny and Ronja's haul.

A +Calm from Isa for mending fences.

A +Daring from Isa.

A +Keen from Heinrich with assistance. Heinrich's Keen is +1, and he also applies his two points in the History & Mythology Skill, because Students are bullshit. So +3.

Also, feel free to throw fun snippet votes for stuff to do on a beach.
 
Calm? Isa? Are we talking about the same fishgirl? :V

Also, I'm imagining Heinrich getting on a tangent about gill cleaning for some reason, and like, something something sandy beach something something weird platonic examination of gill slits something something.

edit: oops I threw an extra die because I don't know how this works lets just ignore that third one

also RIP my dice luck o well
Twei threw 3 10-faced dice. Reason: dat student boi Total: 11
3 3 4 4 4 4
 
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Calm? Isa? Are we talking about the same fishgirl? :V

Also, I'm imagining Heinrich getting on a tangent about gill cleaning for some reason, and like, something something sandy beach something something weird platonic examination of gill slits something something.

edit: oops I threw an extra die because I don't know how this works lets just ignore that third one

also RIP my dice luck o well
Isn't it supposed to be 3 dice since its 'with assistance'? If so, then thats actually a partial success, meaning that if i did my math right we got at least partials on all the rolls :)
 
3) AIRSHIP! We'd need a gasbag, and some better control surfaces, but we can do it. Question is, why would we want to? Unless we make make it into a flying dorm to go along with the Pioneer being used to haul spare bits.

I know this is a late response, but I need to chip in here.

That will not work.

A submarine needs to be neutrally buoyant in order to actually stay underwater, that means it has an overall density that is similar to that of the water that surrounds it. That's 1000 kg per metre cubed. That is WAAAAYYYYYY too heavy to turn into an airship.

We definitely want to keep the zubmarineU-boat in case we need to do any more underwater excursion during this adventure - we can always sell it off later. Or even gather a crew of daring fichervolk to man it as it goes on undersea adventures (spinoff quest when?).
 
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4-11: Retreat
The town was tiny, maybe four hundred people, and judging by the armed seaplanes tied up nearby, their economy relied at least a little on banditry, but that wasn't your problem. You walked through the soft sand with Arren, waiting for your friends to make it to the shore and taking it all in.

Eventually, the little rubber dingy with everyone else in it gathered on the beach and met with the representatives of the locals, and within a few minutes you'd traded for some local currency and started throwing some money out to get food, drinks, and even some replacements for your soaking clothes. They were probably the most colourful outfits either of you had ever worn, white and black and patterned in multicolour stripes in between, loose and airy for the weather.

"So what's the plan, then?" Florentina asked, as you gathered around the table that, for a few tiny bronze coins, a group of men had pulled out of one of the nearby houses and placed in the sand for you.

"Payment." Minna said simply. "You said that the Sopwith Kingdom would pay for your return, and for your clockworks."

"Yeah, so let's work out how we're gonna arrange that." you added, between bites of the stringy noodle and excellent sauce that had materialized before you for a handful of coins. "This is so good. These people can really cook!"

Woldemar looked doubtfully at his plate, clearly suspicious.

"Right. They recently reestablished the telegraph line across the ocean, so I imagine you could contact them through that, if you can find a telegraph station."

"Hey, you, any telegraph here?" you called to the nearest local, who shrugged helplessly. "Cool. When Ronja gets here with the Pioneer, we'll take off for a place like that."

"My apologies for all this, but we have operating expenses, you understand." Minna said. Florentina waved a hand dismissively.

"I'm just glad Woldemar and I are in one piece, to be honest." she said.

After he finished eating, Heinrich spread his papers out over his quarter of the table and started hunting through them. While most of them were just prewar scientific papers and books (Heinrich said he'd post them back to his university, which apparently had a bounty for such things), some of the ones from Florentina's sub included sketches of the Leviathan Machine in question, plus some other relevant-looking objects and notes. He also had a third pile you noticed him quickly stash away in his bag, next to your holy book.

"This," he said, sliding one of the papers in front of you all, "looks like a truncated technical summary of the machine, which will likely be useful for disabling it. And this... I imagine this is the locket which controls it."

You glanced at the paper. On it was a reproducted photograph of what just looked like a small, smooth stone in a gold frame.

"I was expecting, like, gears and stuff. Technology." you said.

"So was I, to be honest." Heinrich said. "Still, this is something."

It was getting to be late afternoon by the time you finished going over the papers, and you'd mostly spent that time just talking about the mission and, in part, you.

"Hey, everyone? I haven't really... been able to say this, but I'm sorry for everything I put the team through." you said, feeling cold with shame. "I... I really messed it up. I'm sorry, I don't even know why I did it, really."

That wasn't entirely true. You did and you didn't. You remembered performing the action, you remember the motivation, to bring Her back. But it didn't feel like your actions, it didn't feel like you were the one doing it. Nothing you did, from when you pushed the whispers out of your head until you got them back, felt quite like you.

"There is no need to apologize, Isabelle." Minna said, looking a little taking aback.

"You went through a major traumatic event." Heinrich added. "That does stuff to people.

"Yeah, we were just worried about you, not like, mad or anything." Wulf said.

"You're doing a lot better, though." Arren said proudly. "Though, maybe it's best if Minna stays in charge for a while."

"Yeah, no need to rush. Besides, she's doing a great job." Wulf said, the first compliment she'd had for Minna in weeks.

"... Thank you, Wulf." Minna said, looking very pleased. "I am doing my best."

"Moot anyway," you pointed out, "the whole team needs to be here to vote on change of leadership anyway. And I don't really care who is in charge, I just wanted to make things right."

"That's what we're here to do." Heinrich said, and Wulf grinned at that.

"And get rich. Don't forget that part!"

Finally, you heard the expected sound of incoming engines. The Pioneer swept over the beach, turning to land at the airfield, but to your surprise there were two other planes. Lyse and Marcus seemed to be following and likewise coming in for a landing.

"Oh boy. Time for a pay dispute, I bet." Wulf muttered.

"We paid them up front, didn't we?" Arren asked.

"Yeah, but they wouldn't be following us unless they wanted more. Seen this before." Wulf explained.

"Well, it's convenient, because it means we can do something about Lyse." you said.

---

Urgh, this update has been a long time coming and isn't happening easily.
Next update, the plane lands, Lyse gets out. We'll continue with the party trajectory (the Minnows are going to tear this town apart, I'm making a point this book to show their wealth kinda going to their head). So the above plans and snippets will be valid, but I wanna continue story momentum, so...
[ ] Write In: What questions do you ask Lyse?​
[ ] Write In: And how do you ask them? (ie: confrontational? lie to her? take her prisoner and search her for the locket?)​
Sorry this has been such a mess. Once I find a groove again things will be easier.
 
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[X] Minna prepares Last Resort against Lyse if she has the move.

If there was ever a time to use the move that lets you instantly kill someone without rolling if they hurt your friends it is now. I recognise the irony of Last Resort being my first resort here.

[X] Be up front. Confront Lyse with the accusations, ask her to explain her actions.

Right now she's a suspected Deicide. I do not have the inclination to fuck around playing twenty questions. Frankly I'm not sure I have the inclination to not shoot them all and let The Great Old Ones sort them out, everyone gets to paradise except whoever murdered our god so in a fishy way that's actually an acceptable solution. Fatalism isn't just for yourself.

[X] Pay Marcus whatever he asks for to get him out of here before things go south.

North? We're in the southern hemisphere, which is the direction in which bad things happen?
 
[X] Minna prepares Last Resort against Lyse if she has the move.

If there was ever a time to use the move that lets you instantly kill someone without rolling if they hurt your friends it is now. I recognise the irony of Last Resort being my first resort here.

[X] Be up front. Confront Lyse with the accusations, ask her to explain her actions.

Right now she's a suspected Deicide. I do not have the inclination to fuck around playing twenty questions. Frankly I'm not sure I have the inclination to not shoot them all and let The Great Old Ones sort them out, everyone gets to paradise except whoever murdered our god so in a fishy way that's actually an acceptable solution. Fatalism isn't just for yourself.

[X] Pay Marcus whatever he asks for to get him out of here before things go south.

North? We're in the southern hemisphere, which is the direction in which bad things happen?
Things go east in Himmilgard, as the eastern coast is the more inhospitable one. #makingitupasigo

Actually thinking on it, I'm pretty certain that's not an expression in German, sooooo translation convention I guess.
 
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