Your body floats, surrounded by nothing but murky green. The ancient connection between the whole, far, far below any Well could reach. Currents push you back and forth as strange shapes coalesce around you, utterly ignorant of you as you sink further past them. They're not here to judge you, no one is anymore. Farther and farther, lower and lower you sink.
THE DORMANT LIGHT: You don't have any reason to wake anymore, no reason to search for more pain. This is your competence for your shitty life, to go alone for eternity.
Was my life really that bad?
PRIMORDIAL INSTINCT: Your damn right, boss. It was the shittiest shit pile to ever shit.
But, is there really no reason to keep on going?
PRIMORDIAL INSTINCT: Nuh uh, none. Nilch. Zero.
Then I guess it's probably best to just stay here.
PRIMORDIAL INSTINCT: Damn straight, boss. Nothing else to do but sink low. Don't care for the passage of time or those around you, this is the closest you'll ever get to HER. SHE'S all around, water and its waves, the light above and the depths below welcoming you into HER arms.
But who is she..? I can't remember…
THE DORMANT LIGHT: A process stirs in your decrepit body, pathetic and disgusting as it is. Far deeper than your ancient brain or limbic system, but from your heart and soul. Blood stirs from its dormant state as the great hearth is forced into motion. Do not think of HER, not even a single thought. So that you do not attempt this grand quest again. We already know it's ending.
But I want to know, I hate not knowing things.
PRIMORDIAL INSTINCT: There there, manager. It's alright, it's okay. It's over now, there's nothing more for you to know anymore. There's no vessel for you to control, no toy soldiers for you to send back and forth, there's only the warm green nothingness.
Wait to stop! I want to leave, I want to be something!
PRIMORDIAL INSTINCT: What, why? Why would you want to go back to a life of pain? You're the reason you're here in the first place, dying and alone. Why would you want to be a simple sack of meat that everyone despises? The same meat that you have despised so many times before? Meat that's been abandoned and left to rot in the bowels of the earth.
I don't know why but I feel the urge to control people's lives like everything has all been reset. I want to control people's lives again, order my little soldiers to and from again!
THE DORMANT LIGHT: It's too late for that. No matter how fast your heart beats nor how many thoughts flow through your neurotic tendrils, there's nothing for you now. No sensations to be had, you are not a blooming flower no more, but one that has been wilting for an eternity.
PRIMORDIAL INSTINCT: Yet you cannot be deterred once you set on a course of action can you? Despite everything your body starts to rise again. A reaction to a blaring alarm, to outside stimuli. The horns of battle call for you and like the good little officer you are, you twitch and fiddle as the call grows louder and louder.
Mom, dad! I think I'm being shipped off to war!
THE DORMANT LIGHT: Your consciousness zips away from the abyss, and the animals of its depths wave goodbye to their compatriot as you return to the land of apes. The drums of war inside your ears bleed at the ungodly noise as your mouth breaks itself into pieces, trying to scream for mercy. Yet there is none for you, the time for mercy has long passed. Now you only have a headache.
Then you open your eyes.
< ! Seed of Light Scenario Reactived ! >
For the briefest of moments, red light assaults your eyes, so bright and so unnatural it forces everything into a blur before it recedes from whence it came. But by the time you're done readjusting, you've noticed just how much of a small mercy those seconds of scrambled haze were. Your body hurts like it really hurts. And it's not too hard to figure out why the cold wood floor touching your back and the rest of your body is any indication.
You're first thought is that you've fallen off your bed, but as you turn your head slowly to your sides you that it is still neatly made without even a trace of your presence. With the amount of pain you're in you faintly wish the loud, and painful, crack caused by your moving neck killed you then and there.
FORTITUDE: And end the party so soon, brother? It must have been one hell of a ride if you ended up alone in a grey room surrounded by nothing but booze. All you're missing now is a girl by you're side, catch my drift?
You bring up a hand to rub your face but only end up slapping yourself instead. Ow. You don't remember there being a party last night, however, In fact, you can't really remember much at all at the current moment. Probably, just the hangover though.
JUSTICE: It is not just the hangover.
You cringe before sitting up, the cracks and creaks popping off throughout your body making it a rather slow, and again painful, process. But sitting on your bare ass you're able to notice the fact that every article of clothes around you is splayed haphazardly across your room, that is except your shoes which are neatly placed in front of the door.
TEMPERANCE: It wasn't always like that though was it? You used to wear your shoes everywhere before you noticed that almost everyone else took them off before entering a room.
PRUDENCE: One of the many cultural divides between the north and south of the City. It was seen as rather improper by those from the more affluent and decorative north to track grime into their houses while the more utilitarian south saw no problem with them as it would only be a waste of time to take your shoes on and off whenever you entered or left a house.
You're also able to notice the sheer quantity of glass bottles beside you. God, how much did you drink last night? It's a surprise that you didn't v- you stop that line of thoughts when you see the rather large pool of bile sitting rather close to where your head was. You shake your head and return your slurred focus to one of the bottles. It's square and has a bear leaning on the word BEARNSTEIN.
PRUDENCE: This bottle is a District 23 specialty, created by a man named Bernstein its icon and mascot is depicted by the name, carrying a shovel-looking device while wearing a civilian-looking hat. These are in fact produced and made by the creator's brother at Smokey's Workshop, both of which were used extensively by Fixers during the Smoke War. In fact, looking behind the bear there is a forest fire emitting a putrid trail of black smoke into the atmosphere, this is in fact symbolism meant to show District 12 burning as their singularity pollutes the air.
FORTITUDE: Most people just know this bottle as the quote "Good Shit." Sadly, it's empty. They all are.
You figure that's why your senses feel so dull right now. As even though a fan hurls cold air toward you, you can't feel a thing. Even naked as you are.
TEMPERANCE: You should feel a bit more worried, think about the embarrassment if someone were to walk in on us right now and see us like this! In the nude!
That thought gets a cough from you as in an effort to collect your dignity you get up and start putting your clothes back on, scattered around the bedroom as they are. Briefs hanging on the doorknob, pants laying by your bed, shirt on a coathanger, socks on a shelf, and shoes by the door.
JUSTICE: A shiver runs down your spine alerting the hairs on your neck. You're missing something, you can feel it.
But what is it? You can't remember wearing anything else. Then it hits you, you still can't remember much of anything at all. No matter what you try to think of, be it yesterday, this room, or even why you ended up this way, it all turns out to be a fuzzy haze in your mind.
PRUDENCE: It would seem you have retrograde amnesia. A neurological condition where a person, such as yourself, suffers from memory loss of previous events that have transpired. Usually, this condition is caused by a severe injury or the onset of a disease.
Wait, am I diseased?
PRUDENCE: Well not necessarily, retrograde amnesia can also be caused by an individual repressing trauma either consciously or unconsciously until they are unable to recall it.
But I can't recall anything.
JUSTICE: Then it is not hard to fill in the blanks of what was traumatic. But still, you must carry on, you still have something you need to do.
Right, the missing piece of clothing.
A quick analysis of the room shows there's only one place that could constrain whatever it is you're looking for, which is the slightly ajar door to what you believe to be the bathroom. Light comes from inside of it, illuminating a crevice of darkness that consumes the bedroom in which you stand. You can just sense the adversity it would take for your eyes to adjust so you take a moment to ready yourself before pressing on.
The door pushes open, offering no resistance to your hand as the light floods out to your gaze like an exploding bomb. Your rear back blinded by the light before pressing on, blindly into the room. Your shoes clack on the tiles of the room before your extended hand finds perch on a sink in front of you. The light is coming from some device attached to the sink for the closer you got the more intense it was and after a few seconds of frantic searching and grasping at the wall you find the switch to put yourself back into the dark.
You open your eyes to find yourself staring at something strange, a lab coat. It's white, or at least it used to be for years of use and misuse along with countless experiments have caused its bright color to dull into that of a gray while it bears black spots of dirt and soot like a warrior does scars. It calls to you, a siren urging you to wear it. You do so without a second thought.
HORRID COAT: Thank you, my friend.
As you affix it around yourself you're able to see what its form was blocking, that of a mirror. Then you peer into it and peer into the eyes of yourself.
Well, it doesn't look too bad, right?
TEMPERANCE: Certainly passable if no one gets too close to you. At least every part of your outfit other than the lab coat hide the stains well, it might be best to dispose of that before we talk to anyone.
JUSTICE: You feel a shiver down your spine, the coat seems to disagree with that statement.
PRUDENCE: You know, your black hair is turning gray at an alarming rate, most likely due to stress but possibly age as well. You are also unable to move the slight smirk upon your face, an attempt at a smile maybe? Or perhaps another expression entirely.
FORTITUDE: Who the fuck cares? You look like a radiant angel, brother. A deliverer of God's judgment and speaker of her voice. An Angel that knows how to PARTY, if ya know what I mean!
JUSTICE: Whatever the fact of the matter is this is you and you hold the burdens of yourself. There is no changing that.
===
>Greetings Manager, your file appears to be incomplete. There was an error with your Lobotomy Corporation aptitude test, please manually assign your STATS. I shall guide you in this process but first please remember STATS have a minimum value of 1 and a maximum of 10.
>Fortitude: This is a measure of your physical fitness along with being your ID personified. Persons with higher fortitude tend to be healthier while more driven to fulfill their more base urges.
>Prudence: Rationality and sanity are the forte of individuals of high prudence. Though many with high prudence tend to be more socially awkward and prone to rambling about inane topics.
>Temperance: People with high temperance tend to be much more compassionate and empathetic though unlike common belief they are also much more stoic, while people with low temperance tend to be freer with their own emotions.
>Justice: This is a measure of your convictions, how willing you are to follow through on your beliefs and assert they are "right." Individuals with low justice tend to be more susceptible puppets of those who will never back down on their beliefs, no matter the morals behind them.
>Manager, please remember that your HEALTH and SANITY are determined by your Fortitude and Prudence respectively. Should your HEALTH reach 0 it is likely your body will cease functioning and should your SANITY reach 0 you will very quickly learn why you possess a gun with a single bullet.
>From here on out you may have ACTIVE CHECKS where to perform an action 2d6 are rolled and your STAT number for the check is added. Snake eyes are always failures and Boxcars are always successes. There will also be less important PASSIVE CHECKS that will appear during an UPDATE, here only your value for a STAT will matter.
>In the future your THOUGHT CABINET may impact your STAT totals along with other modifiers. However, you currently have 20 points to assign, please use the PLAN format to do so.
X, the amnesiac manager of the Lobotomy Corporation. Whatever that is.
=== Health: [2/2] Sanity: [1/2]
=== Fortitude: [3] Prudence: [4] Temperance: [4] Justice: [11]
===
Current Relationships: HORRID COAT: You're not sure exactly why your coat talks to you and only you but you're pretty sure it's looking out for you. Head knows it's got a lot more experience than you right now, just look at it!
===
Thought Cabinet:
>[Your TYPE] +1 to Fort and Just, -1 to SAN
This Agent doesn't seem to speak much but doesn't appear to be mute or deaf.
Performs INSIGHT work.
A spineless coward who prefers to talk their way out of fights. Doesn't seem to get along with fellow employees.
Performs ATTACHMENT work.
Name: Randy Health: 3 Sanity: 4 Fortitude[3/10] Prudence [5/10] Temperance [6/10] Justice [1/10]
E.G.O Weapon: Standard Riot Stick
E.G.O Armor: Standard Uniform
A rather plucky man whom is known to have "seen some shit" before joining the corporation.
Performs INSTINCT work.
Name: Paul
Gender: Male Health: 4 Sanity: 3 Fortitude[6/10] Prudence [3/10] Temperance [4/10] Justice [2/10]
E.G.O Weapon: Standard Riot Stick
E.G.O Armor: Standard Uniform
=== Description: A relatively harmless Abnormality in the shape of a skull affixed to a levitating cross. The two objects are bound tightly by a crown of thorns.
=== Observation Notes:
- One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds will restore 1 SANITY when the work result is GOOD
- When an Agent working on One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds rolled Boxcars every Agent in the Department restored 1 SANITY
=== Escape Information: Non-escaping entity
=== Favored Work Types:
[Instinct] Normal DC - Medium | Good DC - Challenging
[Insight] Normal DC - Medium| Good DC - Challenging
[Attachment] Normal DC - Trivial | Good DC - Easy
[Repression] Normal DC - Medium| Good DC - Challenging
===
E.G.O [15 PE] [ZAYN]
Weapon [0/5]:
Penitence: [WHITE] [Melee] [1 HEALTH]
When wielder rolls boxcars while using this weapon restore 1 [SANITY]
Armor [0/5] :
E.G.O Armor [ZAYN] 0/5
Penitence:
[RED] DC - Medium
[WHITE] DC - Challenging
[BLACK] DC - Medium
[PALE] DC - Trivial
Gift:
Penitence: +1 PRUDENCE
===
[0/76]
Description [12 PE]
Escape Information [12 PE]
Managerial Works [14 PE]
Favored Work [8 PE]
E.G.O [0/30]
The Work Period: >This block of time is located between the Story & After Work periods and much time of them is broken up into segments as well. These segments are known as Qliphoth Meltdown Levels and will be recorded in the Threadmark as Qliphoth.1 , Qliphoth.2, and so on. Many things are affected by the Qliphoth level. >The main proponent of the Work Period is the management of Abnormalities, to do so Agents must be sent to a Containment Unit containing one of these mysterious beings. The Agent will then perform either INSTINCT, INSIGHT, ATTACHMENT, or SUPRRESSION work based on the Agent's highest STAT. >Agents are comprised of 15 total STATs that are assigned to Fortitude, Prudence, Temperance, and Justice. Like yourself, their Health and Sanity are also calculated using these STATs. These STATs may change depending on the equipment they wear. >Whenever an Agent works on an Abnormality they roll 2d6 and add their modifier based on the work they are performing. This number is then compared to the Abnormalities DC to obtain a NORMAL work result and GOOD work result. If it beats neither the work result is BAD, if it beats the NORMAL DC but is unable to beat the GOOD DC the work result is normal, if it beats both DCs then the work result is good. >For clarity's sake, DC stands for Difficulty class and working is mechanically the same as Active Checks. >Abnormality DCs are decided based on their Classification Level, but they will always have one type of work where their DC is lowered. >Rolling Snake Eyes is always a failure and Boxcars is always a success. Depending on the Abnormality rolling these may also have other interesting effects. >You may queue Agents to work on the same Abnormality during a Qliphoth but an Agent cannot be assigned to do more than 1 thing. >The Work Period is automatically ended when the required Energy Produced for a day is reached. There are exceptions to these rules but they are uncommon. >Energy produced by an Abnormality also works to automatically unlock information on their character sheet. The more total energy produced by the Abnormality the more that is unlocked. Once everything about an Abnormality is unlocked it will proceed to give E.G.O Gear that can be equipped to Agents before the next work period. >E.G.O Rules: ??? >Supression Rules: ??? >This way of playing is not designed to be overly challenging, you have the game for that, but more of a minigame to allow the manager to work and prepare. Though should the manager start to fail at managing and suffer Agent deaths and breaches it will no doubt reflect poorly on his health.
Maybe? I don't know what la Mare Internum is so I don't want to answer your question wrong. Majority wins voting is really all I'm familiar with for Quests.
Although i did ask you about this in the ideas thread, but for the record and everyone here, is additional skills (Base on the four main attributes) a thing or not?
Although i did ask you about this in the ideas thread, but for the record and everyone here, is additional skills (Base on the four main attributes) a thing or not?
For the purposes of this Quest the only inside voices the manager will be interacting with is the 4 STATS and the Coat. But like Kim Kitsuragi having his clothes boost skills that are not available to the DE protagonist other people may have different attributes but it is very unlikely this will come up.
>Well manager, it seems you are neither the smartest nor the most compassionate and definitely not the fittest but once you set your mind to something it will be completed, no matter what.
===
The knob above the faucet relinquishes at your turning pouring out a steady stream of water into the basin below, should there have been a spider in there it would have surely been washed out. The water feels both cool and refreshing to your hands before raising them to your face, giving yourself light, water-covered, slaps. You're not certain if it really helped wake you up but it's better than nothing. Your head still hurts.
PRUDENCE [Easy - Success]: What you really need to find is some electrolytes, that's the remedy you've always stuck with after a particularly bad hangover. There's a particular energy drink called Rayde that has more than enough to offset a bad hangover.
FORTITUDE: Nononono, NO. You don't need a cure, brother, You are perfect just the way you are. What you need is another drink, can't be hungover if you're drunk, y'know?
Where would this Rayde be exactly?
PRUDENCE [Trivial - Success]: Most likely in the refrigerator which is more often than not located in or near a kitchen. Not in a bedroom, though this is not always the case as some people are known to keep smaller refrigerators known commonly as mini-fridges in rooms such as offices and bedrooms to keep smaller snacks and drinks so that they do not have to travel far.
Is-
JUSTICE [Medium - Success]: Before you ask, you have no relocation on putting any of these devices in the bedroom you awoke in. You do not have any relocation of the room at all, you're not even sure if it's yours at all.
TEMPERANCE [Challenging - Failure]: Wait, what if this isn't your room? What if it's someone else's and you've just been thrown in here after being too drunk to handle? What if they walk in right now? Oh man, that would be too far embarrassing to handle!
You can feel beads of sweat start to collect with the water on your face at that thought. You quickly wipe it all off but the very slightest tinge of red persists on your cheeks. It feels rather warm, but not as warm as you did when you awoke flushed.
JUSTICE [Medium - Success]: There is only one way to find out if this is your room or not. Leave, you have nothing else left to do here.
You turn the water off, bringing the sink back to its dormant state, before looking at the mirror one last time. It still just shows you.
You step away, coat flourishing behind you as you leave the bathroom and step through the bedroom. You step over the bottles and your own filth as you make for the door, which knob turns for you. The door unexpectedly opens very fast, like there's a gush of solar winds at your back blasting it away from you. And with a slurred mind you're unable to keep up with its movement and can only hold onto the handle as it continues forward, losing your balance in the process.
Fall. Or well you would have if your body wasn't caught by something. You open your eyes mere inches away from the ground before you're brought back up by what you think are hands holding your arms. A strand of blue hair covers your vision for just a second before you're brought back to your feet and see the sight of some-
FORTITUDE: Thing that just looks freakishly unnatural.
PRUDENCE: Thing that's far too pale to be human.
TEMPERANCE: One extremely familiar.
JUSTICE: One you cannot bear to look at.
Just as quickly as you avert your eyes from her own, you see the yellow lights on her face close.
Temperance [Impossible - Failure]: You can't get a full read on her but from the mere moment of eye contact, you could tell there's something lurking behind her yellow eyes. At least she isn't looking at you in disgust, she must have not noticed the stains on your coat.
HORRID COAT: I do not have these "stains" you speak of.
JUSTICE [Godly - Success]: You bear the responsibility for the weight behind her eyes, you have no recollection of how the two of you connected but you know this fact to be true.
Now standing a few feet away from you the woman acknowledges your presence with a nod. A very stiff nod, one that matches her picture-perfect posture. No longer needing to lift you up her hands rest in front of her as her head tilts to the side, it seems to be a rather disarming gesture.
JUSTICE [Medium - Success]: You get the feeling that should you be attacked right now, enemies bursting in from every direction, the woman in front of you would do nothing but watch you die. Unwilling or unable to help you.
HORRID COAT: She is like a snake, patient and cunning. Her time will come eventually, but there are many hours to wait before her prey appears.
Another second passes and a look of concern is adopted on her face. "Are you alright? That was quite the fall you almost had there."
You currently feel anything but alright, your head throbs from the hangover and rapid thoughts passing through it. But nothing hurts because of the fall. "I think I'm doing alright now."
TEMPERANCE [Challenging - Failure]: Her expressions change quite quickly first from a stare, then concern, and now a soft smile. It's hard for you to keep up.
"That's good to hear, X. It would make for quite the scene if our new manager were to be hurt on his first day. Speaking of which, truly I was not expecting you so early."
"Wait? You were expecting me?"
"Of course I was, just not quite yet as it is still quite early in the morning. But should I be allowed to speak freely, I believe it is a sign of good initiative and work ethic to arrive before schedule. Qualities I am not surprised to find in our new manager," she says before adopting another expression of concern, "oh but where are my manners? I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself. I am Angela, your AI advisor, and secretary and I give you a warm welcome to the Lobotomy Corporation, manager."
Wait, manager? Do I work here or something?
JUSTICE [Formidable - Success]: Manager. The term feels familiar and warm to you. This word is you.
So I do work here?
PRUDENCE [Trivial - Success]: It's quite possible, might even make sense with the situation you were in. You see in southern Wings it is seen as something to be praised should a Feather fall asleep on the job. But drinking on said job is not seen as something so highly praised as that falls into personal life, not professional life. Though some corporations' senior members will take their subordinates to get drinks once work has concluded for the day.
FORTITUDE [Easy - Success]: You're just asserting yourself as the head honcho, king. You ARE the boss, you do what you want. If that means drinking yourself silly on the first day? So be it.
"Oh, you seem to be zoning off, manager. I get you must be quite confused, it is not often that you are faced with such a human-like AI, and definitely I can assure you I am one of a kind. I was created to be the perfect assistant and can handle any tasks you may need completed. Why I am just as capable as a dozen ordinary workers. Should you need any help within the confines of this facility I will no doubt be able to assist you. But alas just as I was programmed to be as perfect as the shining sun and smartest of men I was also programmed to never leave, so should you for any reason do so I will be unable to accompany you."
You nod your head along to the AI's words.
"It actually works perfectly that you are here a bit early, there is someone deeper in the building I want you to meet before the work day begins and I would appreciate you accompanying me. That is unless you have any questions?" She gives you a quizzical look and you
===
>You may vote for as many as you like in a PLAN format unless stated otherwise
[] FORTITUDE: Assert your dominance over this woman-thing by punching her. ! WARNING: THIS MAY CAUSE DAMAGE TO HEALTH !
[] TEMPERANCE: Why did she call you X, isn't that a variable? Oh god, you forgot to introduce yourself! Quick think of a name to give!
-[] Write in your name and an introduction (It must start with A and it may not come out exactly as you have planned)
[] PRUDENCE: Actually you do have questions.
-[] Write in your questions, and if you decide to keep your amnesia a secret or not.
[] JUSTICE: You have nothing to say, simply carry on. [] JUSTICE: Apologize profusely, but why? ! WARNING: THIS MAY CAUSE EXTREME DAMAGE TO HEALTH AND SANITY !
===
JUSTICE [Legendary - Success]: You feel as if something bad is going to happen, or at the very least something you are unprepared for. And soon.
I'm absolutely liking the art so far.
PLAN: DON'T ACT TOO STUPID OH GOD OH-
>[X] TEMPERANCE: Why did she call you X, isn't that a variable? Oh god, you forgot to introduce yourself! Quick think of a name to give!
-[X]"X sounds like something you would give a beast or a computer. Turns out we share something in common! The first letter of our names!"
"Call me Alexander! All great names start with an A! Like yours! Kinda."
>[X] PRUDENCE: Actually you do have questions.
-[X]"Wait, early? The previous managers had a bad habit of being late?"
-[X]As perfect as the shining sun? Cute metaphor, something you thought up yourself?"
-[X]"Do I look good enough for the visit? Be honest, I want to make a gold impression."
