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Not Quite Lovecraft

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[X] "The blood.. called to me. I could not rest until I have had another look."

Retreating means heightened security and paranoia the next time around. Dropping the glamour and frightening them will also result in much higher scrutiny for Oliver. I'm in favor of trying to play the stupid novice option.

I don't like this option much either, because it puts the initiative out of our hands. Still, there's not much for other options I think.
 
[X] "The blood.. called to me. I could not rest until I have had another look."
 
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    Beginner Cultists
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    • You looked at the cultists, and did not let yourself look guilty. "The blood here...it called to me. I could not resist drawing in."

    The cultists looked at each other, unnerved by your words. One brandished a machete and stepped closer. "Who do you think you are, breaking in here?" Ah, it seemed these were low level cultists, ones only beginning to enter the world of the occult. They didn't understand your words.

    [ ]Brush them off as people below you
    [ ]Offer to educate them
    [ ]Write-in
     
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    • [X] Plan: Bad Trip
    -[X]mess with them. They know, even if at only a subconscious level, that there's something strange with this place. Lean into it. Use the connection with Nemo to gush water from the mouth, nose, and maybe even ears. Fall to our knees, stretch out our hand to them, cry for the blood. As soon as one gets close, snatch at their arm. Subtly use Nemo's claws to scratch bloody the hand or arm. Cry it joyously that they have the blood. Demand the blood from them. Chase them for it. Fight as needed, but drive them out and bar the door behind them.

    I'm just feeling a little extra today, and also like making that a problem for these NPC pests.
     
    Okay time for me to be the voice of sanity again. We don't want to lean too far into the eldritch. The given vote options already show perhaps an unhealthy mindset. And I don't want to risk our acting becoming perhaps a little too real and connecting us with the blood in a bad way. Also if they leave they can raise the alarm and come back with more.

    [X] Plan: Down from the high
    -[X] "Ah, but who do you think you are"? Acknowledge them as the people they are, no more, no less.
    -[X] Prevent them from raising the alarm. Disarm them and otherwise prevent them from fighting. Then interrogate them. Who are they. Who knows where they currently are? What is their connection to the cult? What do they know about the cult? Meeting places. Superiors. Recruitment methods. Previous missions?
    -[X] Can you sense any trace of the supernatural on them?


    Even low level cultists are still people. And people are ever so useful...
    We are after all here for information. Information we need to cripple the cult's local operations and thus prevent further attacks on Jackson.
     
    JayTar said:
    We are after all here for information. Information we need to cripple the cult's local operations and thus prevent further attacks on Jackson.
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    I agree, but would detail that statement with us being here for useful information. My plan is certainly based around the assumption that the goons know nothing and I could be wrong, but I think you're making the opposite assumption.

    That said, I would ask if you are considering the risk that we'll run out of time to investigate the basement due to focusing on these guys?

    Mechanically though, I do have a criticism for your plan. Your second of three sub points is vague. How do you propose disarming them? How do you propose interrogating them? Violently? That's my impression, but I don't find it inconceivable that you intended appealing to their better nature. Should we use our connection with Nemo? Purification through isis of any preexisting occult influence?
     
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    JayTar said:
    Okay time for me to be the voice of sanity again. We don't want to lean too far into the eldritch. The given vote options already show perhaps an unhealthy mindset. And I don't want to risk our acting becoming perhaps a little too real and connecting us with the blood in a bad way. Also if they leave they can raise the alarm and come back with more.

    [X] Plan: Down from the high
    -[X] "Ah, but who do you think you are"? Acknowledge them as the people they are, no more, no less.
    -[X] Prevent them from raising the alarm. Disarm them and otherwise prevent them from fighting. Then interrogate them. Who are they. Who knows where they currently are? What is their connection to the cult? What do they know about the cult? Meeting places. Superiors. Recruitment methods. Previous missions?
    -[X] Can you sense any trace of the supernatural on them?


    Even low level cultists are still people. And people are ever so useful...
    We are after all here for information. Information we need to cripple the cult's local operations and thus prevent further attacks on Jackson.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...


    I like the option of socializing with the cultists.. but perhaps this isn't the most ideal of settings. First shouldn't we make an approach for them to lower their guard?

    Digging for info might be the next step. Is there something we can do to outright charm them instead? Or say that this is an emergency. You need to do something for the cult or.. I'm running a blank.

    If we manage to scare them off though that still gives us a minute to check out the basement. Other than that we should integrate ourselves to them I think.

    Edit: Going with the blood option kinda still keeps our cover. They could if the rolls go well end up thinking the blood painting drove Oliver crazy. And that he's still a candidate to be swayed on the cult still. Bit problematic, but it would be a wealthy pateron.
     
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    • Scheduled vote count started by Blacksheep on Jun 16, 2024 at 9:07 PM, finished with 8 posts and 5 votes.
    • [X] Plan: Down from the high
      -[X] "Ah, but who do you think you are"? Acknowledge them as the people they are, no more, no less.
      -[X] Prevent them from raising the alarm. Disarm them and otherwise prevent them from fighting. Then interrogate them. Who are they. Who knows where they currently are? What is their connection to the cult? What do they know about the cult? Meeting places. Superiors. Recruitment methods. Previous missions?
      -[X] Can you sense any trace of the supernatural on them?
      [X] Plan: Bad Trip
      -[X]mess with them. They know, even if at only a subconscious level, that there's something strange with this place. Lean into it. Use the connection with Nemo to gush water from the mouth, nose, and maybe even ears. Fall to our knees, stretch out our hand to them, cry for the blood. As soon as one gets close, snatch at their arm. Subtly use Nemo's claws to scratch bloody the hand or arm. Cry it joyously that they have the blood. Demand the blood from them. Chase them for it. Fight as needed, but drive them out and bar the door behind them.
    Click to expand...
     
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    • Questioning Cultists
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    • "Ah, but who do you think you are?" You stepped towards the cultists, casually grabbing the machete one held and taking it. He could have resisted, but he was so baffled by your actions and the odd nature you carried he didn't resist. That made it even easier to take the weapons from the others. You made a show of examining them before shaking your head and putting them aside. You looked back at the cultists. There was barely anything to them occult wise, mere traces from interacting with others that interacted with the occult.

    "Do you know what is here? What is done?" you asked softly. "Do you know what calls are created here, and heard?"

    "It's power," one mumbled.

    "We take care of each other. We don't let outsiders mess with us," another said more boldly.

    You gave a crooked smile. "So you become thugs and killers, in the nebulous promise of power. Has it been delivered?" They looked at each other. "Has what you've done to outsiders been worth it?" They looked even more uneasy now. By the looks one was shooting towards the machetes there was regret that he let you take them so easily. "Tell me, before me, what was your last grand mission?"

    "Ritual to help one of us get a promotion at her job," one admitted. "It was a good sacrifice."

    [ ]Ask about the sacrifice
    [ ]Ask if the ritual worked
    [ ]Tell them to head home and think if it's worth it
    [ ]Write-in
     
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    • Something along the lines of:

    [ ]Ask if the ritual worked
    -[]"So you knew you didn't deserve the promotion, but you managed to earn it a different way? Otherwise, how would you know that what you sacrificed actually did anything, instead of you earning that promotion through your work and somebody else took credit for your efforts and told you that you needed them?"

    I'm not sure how to expand past that at the moment, and I think it needs a step 2.
     
    Haha that was great. Very "Disappointed parent". I'm happy it worked out, I admit I was worried.

    If they are so easily motivated by material gain, that presents an easy lever for us. While I wouldn't trust them in the long term, a handful of cash could buy their short term loyalty.

    ... It also bears consideration: Were we invited back to be a participant, or to be a sacrifice? It might be worth asking how they source their sacrifices.
     
    So we actually need to vote on something. We're holding up the story otherwise.

    [X] Ask if the ritual worked. And..
    -[X] How could you be sure that your sacrifice actually made a difference? Perhaps someone else took credit for your hard work, and they convinced you that you needed their help..
    -[X] And what did they take from you..?
    -[X] Seed doubt among their ranks and persuade them to go back home. Give them a discreet address to meet with you later. Where you promise to tell them the truth. But not tonight. Tonight, you must be undisturbed.
     
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    [X] Ask if the ritual worked. And..
    -[X] How could you be sure that your sacrifice actually made a difference? Perhaps someone else took credit for your hard work, and they convinced you that you needed their help..
    -[X] And what did they take from you..?
    -[X] Seed doubt among their ranks and persuade them to go back home. Give them a discreet address to meet with you later. Where you promise to tell them the truth. But not tonight. Tonight, you must be undisturbed.
     
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    Vote closed
  • Voting
    • Scheduled vote count started by Blacksheep on Jun 18, 2024 at 9:56 PM, finished with 7 posts and 3 votes.
    • [X] Ask if the ritual worked. And..
      -[X] How could you be sure that your sacrifice actually made a difference? Perhaps someone else took credit for your hard work, and they convinced you that you needed their help..
      -[X] And what did they take from you..?
      -[X] Seed doubt among their ranks and persuade them to go back home. Give them a discreet address to meet with you later. Where you promise to tell them the truth. But not tonight. Tonight, you must be undisturbed.
      [X] Ask if the ritual worked. And..
      -[X] Seed doubt among their ranks and persuade them to go back home. Give them a discreet address to meet with you later. Where you promise to tell them the truth. But not tonight. Tonight, you must be undisturbed.
      [X] Ask if the ritual worked. And..
    Click to expand...
     
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    • Arbitbit39 said:
    [X] Ask if the ritual worked. And..
    -{X] How could you be sure that your sacrifice actually made a difference? Perhaps someone else took credit for your hard work, and they convinced you that you needed their help..
    -{X] And what did they take from you..?
    -[X] Seed doubt among their ranks and persuade them to go back home. Give them a discreet address to meet with you later. Where you promise to tell them the truth. But not tonight. Tonight, you must be undisturbed.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    not sure what happened, but your brackets (bolded here) are messed up. it needs to look like this:

    [X] Ask if the ritual worked. And..
    -[X] How could you be sure that your sacrifice actually made a difference? Perhaps someone else took credit for your hard work, and they convinced you that you needed their help..
    -[X] And what did they take from you..?
    -[X] Seed doubt among their ranks and persuade them to go back home. Give them a discreet address to meet with you later. Where you promise to tell them the truth. But not tonight. Tonight, you must be undisturbed.
     
    Bitter Words, Bitter Truths
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    • "How do you know if the ritual worked? What if she had earned that promotion on her own?" you proposed.

    A sharp bark of laughter answered that. The men looked at you with well banked anger and years old wells of bitterness. "She has, ten times over. But she was never going to get that promotion. Not with her boss. Not that you would know anything about those kinds of struggles, would you?"

    You hesitated thrown off balance. That wasn't what you'd expected to hear. You'd thought they would doubt, wonder what they were doing. That wasn't what you were facing.

    "You don't care," another threw out. "No one cared before we started caring for ourselves. You just care we found a way to use this power for ourselves." You took a second look at them, the rough hands and care lined features of their faces. They were angry, and more than ready to seize what they saw as held out of their reach by others.

    [ ]Write-in
     
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    • [X] "Think again.." Unravel your glamour, briefly, before pulling it back. If the men are still in a state to talk tell them they think it's hard to deal with people? If only they could look they would know what people not as fortunate as them had to face.


    Just an idea. Not fully committed to it but what if we play I'm not even human card, you think you have it bad? Obviously San damage.. and we out Oliver. It might not go well. Alas my vices.

    I'll see if I can think of another option to descalate or rapport build. Ideas gang?
     
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