Hidden Orre: Underground Quest

Awwwww, I got in too late to vote. I must make a 5-minute poetry omake with a couple of shoehorned cameos sing a song to ease my pains.

I am a Trainer and I'm digging a hole
poke poke hole, poke poke hole
With my Pokemon we're digging a hole
poke poke hole, pokemon hoooooole

Pokemon of every type, swing swing swing with me
Stomp your feet and clap your hands, sing sing sing with me
With Earthquake, Dig, and Seismic Toss, through sediment and ign'os rock
Fossils, crystals, metals too - we'll never stop a-digging through!

Battling ooon, be it earth or other 'Mons
Profit comes to those who work, the brave, persistent, and the strong
There's self respect and steady check in this refinery
No matter where you started from, friends and goals will make you freeeeee!

I am a Trainer and I'm digging a hole
poke poke hole, poke poke hole
With my Pokemon we're digging a hole
poke poke hole, pokemon hoooooole
 
With over 1000 mon to pick from, even discounting legendaries and some mon that I'm leaving out of this, I'm not really seeing the need to add fakemon. I've see the story where the guy lands in Orre and it turns out that they have regional variants of mon, and while I enjoyed it, I'm not implementing it here.
So will the "chimeric" mon from fusing fossils be more like "normal-looking Pokemon with weird movesets," or will the chimerism display visually in some way?

Sad that I'm too late for the vote, but my fossil choice wasn't going to win in any case and I do like Porygon as our modern option.
 
ah, sad I missed the vote as well, but at least my prefered fossil won, while my modern vote would have gone to Swinub with Ryhorn as a reluctant second choice.
 
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Here is a question: can Berries leave behind fossils? I know that in the actual Pokemon games this is not the case but logically speaking there really should be actual plant fossils since non-pokemon plants do exist in setting. Could then an ancestor to modern Berry bushes have left behind fossils? Perhaps they cannot be revived like fossil pokemon can, but they would still be of some interest to archeologists surely.
 
I'm sad I missed the vote. The ones I liked won for the most part except for the appearance vote.

I would've preferred Look D winning, B just looks rough to use as the official face claim for him.
 
Here is a question: can Berries leave behind fossils? I know that in the actual pokemon games this is not the case but logically speaking there really should be actual plant fossils since non-pokemon plants do exist in setting. Could then an ancestor to modern Berry bushes have left behind fossils? Perhaps they cannot be revived like fossil pokemon can, but they would still be of some interest to archeologists surely.
There's at least one Pokemon that's a grass/rock fossil hybrid, IIRC, so it shouldn't be too out there.

But in a more general sense, plant fossils in general give me the willies in a pokemon setting; waaaaaaaay, way back when I was babysitting my nephew during the initial craze (and before it went to the shit quality it is now), it became a real social event that the local McDonalds was giving out plastic pokeballs with miniatures of the popular ones, and would be swarmed darn near from opening to closing time. The kids would get happy meals and their little pokemon to trade, the rest of us would talk shop, and I ended getting into a deep discussion about pokemon lore with the other resident RPG nerds. Most of us didn't actually give a shit about pokemon, but it was new material for D&D campaigns so off into the briar patch.

We came to the conclusion that the actual danger level of pokemon based strictly on canon statements was basically Old World of Darkness, but with active Champions of Light and a moderately benevolent guardian deity. Also, that (as is tradition) ancient 'Mon world was worse.

So non-Pokemon plant fossils are on my shit list, because I fully expect them to be something like plant-Tiberium, or something.
 
It doesn't necessarily have to be supernatural horrors. The mass exploitation of crude oil causes wholly mundane societal collapse, and what is crude oil made of if not dead Lileeps?
I doubt there'd be such a thing, given that pokemon can and will fight back if humans start destroying the ecosystem and their habitats, I get the feeling humanity here breezed through the industrial revolution to arrive at clean energy much faster
 
Adhoc vote count started by TempestK on Jul 27, 2024 at 12:43 PM, finished with 33 posts and 13 votes.

Sooo, with this I see we need a tiebreaker for the actual focus you guys are going for. I'll give it an hour and then just flip a coin/roll a die. 1 being fossils, 2 being living mon.
 
Alrighty then, tie broken. Time to throw some bones.

Edit: Well then... I need someone else to please roll a 1d5 please?
TempestK threw 1 100-faced dice. Reason: Wall Check 1 Total: 98
98 98
TempestK threw 1 100-faced dice. Reason: Wall Check 2 Total: 11
11 11
TempestK threw 1 100-faced dice. Reason: Searching for Traces Total: 4
4 4
 
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Alrighty, writing has begun, and I'm going to introduce one of the first major pokemon-related mechanics. When encountering a mon I'll do a roll for their gender and nature. Following that depending on the interaction I may end up rolling their ability, or I may hold off until after the capture. This will be added to the mechanics page shortly.

For captured and revived pokemon, Roll to determine nature and gender first. 1d25 for natures, 1d100 for gender 1-50 female 51-100 male. Adjusted as needed for certain species of pokemon like Combee and Salandit.

For abilities, roll 1d100. 1-45 = 1st ability, 46-90 = 2nd ability, 91-100 for Hidden ability. Otherwise there is a 50% chance of either ability.

Edit:

Okay then, so a female Hoppip. Seems to be a pretty lonely girl, with the ability Chloriohyll.
Porygon is Calm, and has the Download ability. It is, of course, Genderless.
TempestK threw 2 25-faced dice. Reason: Natures - Hoppip and Porygon Total: 26
8 8 18 18
TempestK threw 2 100-faced dice. Reason: Abilities - Hoppip and Porygon Total: 143
55 55 88 88
TempestK threw 1 100-faced dice. Reason: Gender - Hoppip Total: 1
1 1
 
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So a Female Relaxed Hoppip with Leaf Guard, and a Genderless Quiet Porygon with Download.
 
Grit and Gravel
After some thought; you had decided to check out that hole to the south. You'd released Hoppip and Porygon, the digital pokemon immediately scanning the area and adding it to your map with a soft ding. Hoppip let out a little chirp, looking up at you expectantly.

"Okay girl, what I need you to do is squeeze through that hole right there, and set off Sunny Day to see how big it is on the other side. Then you can come right back and I'll start opening up the wall.

Hoppip gives a nod of her entire body, rocking back and forth before she moved to the hole and began to squeeze herself through. As she does, you ponder something. Naming pokemon is something that some trainers do, feeling that it increases their bond with their teams by making them feel unique and special. Should you do the same?

[ ][Hoppip Nickname]She doesn't need a name.
[ ][Hoppip Nickname]Write-in
[ ][Porygon Nickname]They don't need a name
[ ][Porygon Nickname]Write-in

Eventually you're knocked out of your musings by the shine of light through the hole. You'd been pretty surprised to learn that Hoppip had been "born" knowing Sunny Day. While the Hoppip line could learn it, normally it required a TM rather than being naturally learned by the species. Furthermore it wasn't a move that could be inherited from parents, a so-called "Egg Move".

Porygon on the other hand, hadn't had anything in particular that stood out about them in terms of moves. You had pondered the logistics of acquiring an Up-Grade to allow them to evolve. But they were expensive and Silph guarded their supply rather jealously. You'd heard about them being offered as prizes at some of the Colosseum bouts, or as prizes that you could receive by redeeming tickets from facing the Gauntlet; the hundred-trainer battle gauntlet that was the core draw of the Colosseum. And the core of their power in the region, having a hundred constantly progressing trainers made for one hell of a deterrent against attack by most bandit gangs.

As Hoppip squeezed back through the hole and shook off a bit of rock dust, she jumped up and down excitedly. You smiled, picking her up and allowing her to nestle in the crook of your neck as you unlimbered your pick. Balling her would probably have been safer, but she enjoyed watching new things. Porygon held back, observing the opening as you worked on it, beeping occasionally. Eventually you got a face full of sunlight as the fading Sunny Day orbs became visible. With a few more choice hits with your pick and smashing some of the outcroppings to pieces with your hammer, you had a serviceable, if rough, passage headed South. Hoppip chirped; while Porygon gave a short burst of interested beeps.

You have opened a passage to the South.

You'd decided that you were going to focus on trying to find signs of living pokemon down here, the small number of pokeballs in a satchel at your waist in easy access. It didn't matter if it was just a single Magikarp in a small cave pond, it would have still made it worthwhile. Unfortunately as you follow the tunnel, all you find are a few small caves that make a decent place to eat something to keep up your strength and take some gulps of precious water.

Eventually though as you're passing through your last tunnel set before you're going to be forced back due to not having any equipment for sleeping underground (at the very least a sleeping bag because even with the surface being a desert it was cold sleeping on bare stone!). You had enough food and water to make it back without worry so long as nothing bad happened.

Sighing, you sat down on a rise in the stone, playing your flashlight over the walls. While having Hoppip able to use Sunny Day was great, using a directed beam of light could help find hints of things...like that metallic sparkle in the wall. Getting up and moving closer, you had Hoppip use Sunny Day once again. Another reason not to constantly use it was because it could cause Move Fatigue from using a move too much over the course of an extended period of time.

Under the light of the false sun, you smiled as you made out the buttery yellow flecks in the stone. Taking out your pick, you began to carefully begin digging around the area, your smile getting wider and wider as you encountered more of that wonderful color. After almost an hour, you're able to pull out the plug of metal with stone clinging to the extremities. Going off the weight and the mass, this was a Big Nugget! A massive find in terms of finances, even if it wasn't something that you could exactly bring back to the Dean as incentive to fund a real expedition. But thanks to Prof. Saguaro's contacts, you were certain that you'd be able to find a buyer for the maximum market price.

You found a Big Nugget. Added $30,000 to finances.

You'd continued casting along the wall trying to find more pockets of gold, but all that turned up was some worthless pyrite. Eventually you had returned to the surface; finding that the Professor had spent his time cleaning up the place, while Titan, his Aggron, snoozed outside; enjoying the scouring sand like most pokemon would a gentle breeze. The wind had kicked up and a real haboob was in the offing. Thankfully the seals on the windows and doors were still good, and no dust or sand got in. Titan would also be a good deterrent to anyone that may come investigating the sudden reactivation of the generator.

As you settled down at the old kitchen table, reflexively taking "your" seat, the Professor smiled as he dished up a bowl of chili. "Find anything good?" He doles out a serving for himself while you prepare some pokechow for Hoppip. While technically Porygon didn't need to eat; they were apparently able to "consume" food by running an electrical current through it, absorbing the calories and granting the return flow of electricity "flavor" for their enjoyment.

So you put a couple of dried Oran berries in a stone bowl, and set them down in front of the mon to "eat". Thankfully the process didn't create any kind of acrid burning smell, but afterwards all that was left was a fine white ash; even the seeds reduced to powder.

Turning your attention back to the Professor, you rummage in your pack before setting the hefty chunk of ore down on the table. "Well, I did a field test with Poison Powder, no discoloration on the metal after application. So, I'd say that I've got a pretty solid find here." You sigh a little then. "But no signs of living mon down there. Or even some fossils."

Saguaro nods, spooning up his chili and smacking his lips at the taste. "We still have a week, Nick; plenty of time when you're more actively looking for them than for new finds in the tunnel walls. As it stands this find of yours means that we can offset some of the budget for the Dean in order to make her more likely to find the expedition. Or supplement the budget if we're able to get it."

[ ][Nugget]Use the Nugget to subsidize part of the budget for an expansion. (More likely for the Dean to release funds even if you come up with minimal results)
[ ][Nugget]Use the Nugget to supplement the expedition. (Adds the Big Nugget's worth to the expedition funds before they set out to buy more things)

After coming to a decision, you idly take a bite of the chili... and immediately begin scrabbling for the shelf-stable milk you'd brought with you. You'd forgotten how much the Professor liked spice!!! The man himself was laughing loudly as you chugged the milk to quench the fire in your throat. "Hahahaha! Just like my little brother! He always had more of a sweet tooth. Not a lot of tolerance for heat."

You gasp as you come up for air. "Tolerance for heat?! I'm pretty sure that even an Emboar would have had trouble with that level of spice!" That just got more laughter, as you went and found that the Prof. had doctored both his and your bowls with some Tomato Spice Hot Sauce. The rest of the chili was actually edible, especially after adding some shredded cheese to further smooth out the bite. You went to sleep that night cursing the Professor's enjoyment of spice and pranks.

The next morning you're feeling decidedly less hostile. Sleeping in your old room had been a combination of bitter and sweet as childhood memories clashed with the reality of Grandpa and Grandma both being gone. But with the new day came new opportunities as your Grandpa used to say.

You have 5 AP. You can attempt to either Explore an excavated tunnel, looking for a specific type of treasure, (Here it'll be whatever you decide to focus on, later you can make choices on what to spend each AP on looking for); attempting to find new passages, or attempting to open up collapsed passages. Some passages will not be able to be cleared without improved equipment.

AN: You get one extra AP because I kind of hosed you on the AP costs last turn. Picking a direction to go does not and will not cost an AP going forward.

Your available actions are:

[ ]Follow an open shaft to the (North, South, East)
Pick a cardinal direction. When you get deeper you will also need to choose if you are going up or down. Currently North, South and East are available. The passage West has collapsed. Picking a direction does not cost AP.
[ ]Check a wall for buried treasures.
[ ]Try to track down a trace of living pokemon.
[ ]Lay out bait and try to bring in pokemon to you
You will need to use berries or other specialized baits. Currently not available.
[ ]Try to clear collapsed passage to the West. Will take multiple AP. Add "x1" etc for how many AP are being applied. With better gear you'll be able to assess how much AP a blockage will take to remove.

Please vote by plan for spending your AP. Everything else is freeform votes. There will be a one-hour moratorium.

AN: Yeah, unfortunately bad rolls are bad. But at the least you got a fairly significant chunk of change to bolster the main expedition? Also, I've updated the character page with the team, including the moves your mon know and their current levels.
 
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[ ][Hoppip Nickname]Write-in
[ ][Porygon Nickname]Write-in

Obviously we have to nick our mons. I'm thinking Daffodil and Data, but frankly there's no nicknames that are really jumping at me yet.
[ ][Nugget]Use the Nugget to subsidize part of the budget for an expansion. (More likely for the Dean to release funds even if you come up with minimal results)


I think this would be more in character until we hit something big. While we believe gramps, there's no telling how deep he went before he got to where he did. Excadrill and even drillbur are great at digging,a nd our mons aren't at least not yet. Better to hedge our bets for now.
 
Hoppip probably deserves a sun related name. Sol? Stella? Solaris?

Porygon can be Ping since he's our radar. Radar also works though. Ding can be cute since Porygon Z is a bit of a dingaling and another sound devices make on confirmation.
 
[X][Hoppip Nickname] Solaris

[X][Porygon Nickname] Ping

[X][Nugget]Use the Nugget to subsidize part of the budget for an expansion.

[X][Plan] North-West Clear
-[x] Follow an open shaft to the North.(down)
-[x] Try to track down a trace of living pokemon.
-[x] Check a wall for buried treasures.
-[x] Try to clear collapsed passage to the West. X3
 
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Okay, I should probably amend things. Choosing a direction to go itself shouldn't cost you guys an AP. I'll amend that in the post.

And as a bonus since I kind of hosed you guys last time, I'll give you a one-time extra AP. That chili put a pep in your step!
 
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