Research & Development (CK2)

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Uncover the mysteries of the universe while trying to appease the mad whims of your boss.
Prologue: The Foundation

Inkbones

No Glory Save Honor
Location
Where you can still smell the sky
The rules of power are changing.

Power is no longer restricted to a chosen few, those with armies, or wealth, or weapons.

Increasingly, power is being bestowed randomly.

The media calls some of them heroes, and some of them villians, but the difference matters little.

Every day, any random idiot could fall into a vat of nuclear waste, or get bitten by an alien bug, or any numberof utterly impossible accidents that could give them the power to level buildings and single-handedly conquer countries.

This has made a lot of people, mostly old, white men, very nervous. Generals are having discussions with politicians in dark rooms, and suddenly a very large percentage of the country's budget is open to anyone who can promise to change the rules back.

One of the men who has made such a promise is CEO Xanatos Sable. Sable Industries has never done anything very special, mostly weapons manufacturing and electronics, but with new and shiny federal backing it's shifted into more...exotic pursuits.

That's where you come in. Sable has chosen you to lead his new Paranatural R&D Divison.

[ ] Write-In| Your name, pronouns

[ ] Write-In| Your appearance


You're flattered, really, it's just...

You don't think you've ever seen Sable smile. He laughs occasionally, after crushing a small business or ruining the life of one of his enemies. And it is a little weird that he never takes that glove off of his right hand. And there's something about the way he swirls a glass of wine while staring into the gigantic marble fireplace he had installed in his office...

And that joke he made, about how finding recruits for human experimentation "won't be a problem." He was joking, wasn't he?

But...he's a good guy. Donates to charity all the time. Sure, the things he's sold to the government have probably killed a lot of people somewhere in the world, but that's not his fault is it?

This is what you've always wanted. Staring into the depths of the universe and discovering the truth. Bringing humanity into the future. Sable is a professional, he won't...misuse, the things you discover. It'll all be above board. That's what you tell yourself every morning, before you put something special into your coffee and don't think about it.

Anyway, you've got a lot of work on your plate. Sable managed to secure a huge windfall that should put the department several steps ahead of the competition.

Windfall
[ ] Demonic Horn: about a month ago, a giant red...thing the size of three-story apartment rampaged through Harmony City spreading fire and devastation in it's wake. The city's heroes managed to send it back through the burning rift it came out of, but not before knocking this off. [Potential Unlocks: Pyrokinesis, Infernal Magic]

[ ] Alien Crystal: Some sort of spacecraft blew up spectacularly while entering the atmosphere. One of the pieces that survived contained a sliver of luminescent crystal. Whatever purpose this component could have served is unknown, it could be anything from a hypercomputer to a trash compactor. [Potential Unlocks: exotic energies, coherent light weaponry]

[ ] Psionic Helmet: A (heavily damaged) hypertech helmet confiscated from the supervillain Submission, which apparently allowed him to mind control an entire country before he was defeated [Potential Unlocks: Mind Reading, Mind Control, Psionic Blocking]

[ ] The Shards: jagged pieces of a black, glass-like material that visibly vibrate in and out of existence. Hypothesized to either originate from or have been acted on by a parallel universe with different physical laws. [Potential Unlocks: Phasing, Dimensional Spelunking]

[ ] The Deathless Hand: A desiccated severed hand which retains functionality and mobility, and constantly attempts to escape it's container. [Potential Unlocks: Necromancy, Undead Countermeasures]

[ ] Fluffikins: A teleporting cat contained in a Faraday cage, gifted to us by the Nocturne police department after three months of pursuit, on the condition that we do not let it escape again. [Potential Unlocks: Teleportation, Genetic Mutations]


Yes, this will be a good place to start, a good foundation upon to build.

Then, of course, there's you.

You've always had a talent for learning, of course, that's how you got this position, but managing a whole department requires more than that.

Secondary Skill
[ ] Martial|
There's a very real possibility that some of the experiments could turn dangerous, or that the department could be targeted by a Super. If that happend, you might well be the last line of defense.

[ ] Diplomacy| In a perfect world, you'd be able to pursue science for it's own sake. In the real world, you'll have to constantly prove to Sable and the Board of Directors that your research is providing dividends, have to haggle with other departments for resources, not to mention having to wrangle a laboratory of scientists and lab assisant.

[ ] Stewardship| And of course, let us not forget the most vital of all skills in the modern world. Bureaucracy. Cutting red tape, filing forms, dotting t's and crossing i's.

[ ] Intrigue| And sometimes you'll have do to do things you're not proud of. You'll have to lie to people's faces, commit fraud, maybe even steal. It's not preferable, but it'll definitely be necessary.

This is your chance to make a difference. If you have to make a few compromises to do it, then that's the way the world is.

But sometimes you wonder. The rules of power are changing. Perhaps you could change the world as well.
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This is a Quest specifically for those people who like those supervillian CK2 games, but wished they would focus on only the science fiction tech development part. That's not all that we'll be doing here, but it'll be a big chunk.

If you want to build tech with a supernatural effect, you'll need to find something with supernatural properties and analyze it. Creativity and write-ins will be rewarded. I obviously have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, so if you have questions please ask them.
 
[X] Luna (she/her)
[X] Fluffikins: A teleporting cat contained in a Faraday cage, gifted to us by the Nocturne police department after three months of pursuit, on the condition that we do not let it escape again. [Potential Unlocks: Teleportation, Genetic Mutations]
[X] Diplomacy|
In a perfect world, you'd be able to pursue science for it's own sake. In the real world, you'll have to constantly prove to Sable and the Board of Directors that your research is providing dividends, have to haggle with other departments for resources, not to mention having to wrangle a laboratory of scientists and lab assisant.

Good ol genetic engineering and being good with people is a fantastic skill for a mad scientist.
 
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[X] Luna (she/her)
[X] Fluffikins: A teleporting cat contained in a Faraday cage, gifted to us by the Nocturne police department after three months of pursuit, on the condition that we do not let it escape again. [Potential Unlocks: Teleportation, Genetic Mutations]
[X] Diplomacy|
In a perfect world, you'd be able to pursue science for it's own sake. In the real world, you'll have to constantly prove to Sable and the Board of Directors that your research is providing dividends, have to haggle with other departments for resources, not to mention having to wrangle a laboratory of scientists and lab assisant.

@Inkbones

Can the appearance be in text or are you looking for a picture?
 
[X] Luna (she/her)
[X] Fluffikins: A teleporting cat contained in a Faraday cage, gifted to us by the Nocturne police department after three months of pursuit, on the condition that we do not let it escape again. [Potential Unlocks: Teleportation, Genetic Mutations]
[X] Diplomacy|
In a perfect world, you'd be able to pursue science for it's own sake. In the real world, you'll have to constantly prove to Sable and the Board of Directors that your research is providing dividends, have to haggle with other departments for resources, not to mention having to wrangle a laboratory of scientists and lab assisant.

@Inkbones

Can the appearance be in text or are you looking for a picture?

Either will work.
 
[X] Plan Igor!
-[X] Write-In| Name: Kara Yigor; She/Her
-[X] Write-In|Appearance: Looks like a kind, professional human woman. Think Kara Danvers (civilian) from Supergirl
-[X] Fluffikins: A teleporting cat contained in a Faraday cage, gifted to us by the Nocturne police department after three months of pursuit, on the condition that we do not let it escape again. [Potential Unlocks: Teleportation, Genetic Mutations]
-[X] Stewardship|
And of course, let us not forget the most vital of all skills in the modern world. Bureaucracy. Cutting red tape, filing forms, dotting t's and crossing i's.

Mr. Sable is many things: charismatic, brilliant, and a loud, long laugher. What he is not is someone who actually looks at the nitty gritty of things, such as knowing the best way to build a particle accelerator within a city...with the correct permits. Or the ways to build shadow corporations to make dummy buys to hide the completely near-legal research that they do.

Which is why, when he needs his brilliant R&D done, he calls out "Yiiiigoor! Build me a death ray!"
 
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[X] Alien Crystal: Some sort of spacecraft blew up spectacularly while entering the atmosphere. One of the pieces that survived contained a sliver of luminescent crystal. Whatever purpose this component could have served is unknown, it could be anything from a hypercomputer to a trash compactor. [Potential Unlocks: exotic energies, coherent light weaponry]

[X] Diplomacy|
In a perfect world, you'd be able to pursue science for it's own sake. In the real world, you'll have to constantly prove to Sable and the Board of Directors that your research is providing dividends, have to haggle with other departments for resources, not to mention having to wrangle a laboratory of scientists and lab assisant.

Let's befriend some aliens (eventually).
 
[X] Plan Science Will Rock!
-[X] [Name/Pronouns] Dr. Buck "Buckaroo" Banzai; He/Him
-[X] [Appearance] Slim, Caucasian, dark brown hair kept short-ish. Tends to dress in comfortable-looking suits with either a loose necktie, or a bowtie. Likes to play guitar.
-[X] [Windfall] Alien Crystal: Some sort of spacecraft blew up spectacularly while entering the atmosphere. One of the pieces that survived contained a sliver of luminescent crystal. Whatever purpose this component could have served is unknown, it could be anything from a hypercomputer to a trash compactor. [Potential Unlocks: exotic energies, coherent light weaponry]
-[X] [Secondary Skill] Intrigue| And sometimes you'll have do to do things you're not proud of. You'll have to lie to people's faces, commit fraud, maybe even steal. It's not preferable, but it'll definitely be necessary.
 
[X] Diplomacy| In a perfect world, you'd be able to pursue science for it's own sake. In the real world, you'll have to constantly prove to Sable and the Board of Directors that your research is providing dividends, have to haggle with other departments for resources, not to mention having to wrangle a laboratory of scientists and lab assisant.

Lets just hope our meglomaniac of a boss stays just long enough to possibly allow us to join a more sensible company. For I smell a crazy meglomaniac, hope he wont get close to being like HIM.
Edit:can't decide between the alien crystal or the teleporting cat.
 
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[X] Plan Science Will Rock!
-[X] [Name/Pronouns] Dr. Buck "Buckaroo" Banzai; He/Him
-[X] [Appearance] Slim, Caucasian, dark brown hair kept short-ish. Tends to dress in comfortable-looking suits with either a loose necktie, or a bowtie. Likes to play guitar.
-[X] [Windfall] Alien Crystal: Some sort of spacecraft blew up spectacularly while entering the atmosphere. One of the pieces that survived contained a sliver of luminescent crystal. Whatever purpose this component could have served is unknown, it could be anything from a hypercomputer to a trash compactor. [Potential Unlocks: exotic energies, coherent light weaponry]
-[X] [Secondary Skill] Intrigue| And sometimes you'll have do to do things you're not proud of. You'll have to lie to people's faces, commit fraud, maybe even steal. It's not preferable, but it'll definitely be necessary.

If this wins I'm gonna have to watch that movie, aren't I.
 
[X] Plan Puck

-[X] Write-In| Owen Vogel, He

-[X] Write-In|

-[X] [Windfall] Alien Crystal: Some sort of spacecraft blew up spectacularly while entering the atmosphere. One of the pieces that survived contained a sliver of luminescent crystal. Whatever purpose this component could have served is unknown, it could be anything from a hypercomputer to a trash compactor. [Potential Unlocks: exotic energies, coherent light weaponry]

-[X] Stewardship|
And of course, let us not forget the most vital of all skills in the modern world. Bureaucracy. Cutting red tape, filing forms, dotting t's and crossing i's.
 
If this wins I'm gonna have to watch that movie, aren't I.
I have actually not watched it. Somehow. I feel like the movie is tailor-made to appeal to all of my "guilty pleasure" buttons but I have yet to watch it.

...I think it's on Netflix and Amazon. Might try to watch it this weekend.
 
I have actually not watched it. Somehow. I feel like the movie is tailor-made to appeal to all of my "guilty pleasure" buttons but I have yet to watch it.

...I think it's on Netflix and Amazon. Might try to watch it this weekend.

I believe the main jist is that he's a pulp novel character with a comic publishing company's worth of continuity, backstory, and side characters, with none of it actually existing prior to the movie.

Do you have any idea how much I fun I could have writing that.
 
so, if the 'fluffykins' option does not win, would it still be around in the setting? Since I am pretty sure it sounds like mew.

Edit: If it is mew, I would like to select that option, only for the inevitable hilarity as we try to do our job XD.
 
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[X] Fluffikins: A teleporting cat contained in a Faraday cage, gifted to us by the Nocturne police department after three months of pursuit, on the condition that we do not let it escape again. [Potential Unlocks: Teleportation, Genetic Mutations]

Teleporting cat is clearly superior to all other options.
 
so, if the 'fluffykins' option does not win, would it still be around in the setting? Since I am pretty sure it sounds like mew.

Edit: If it is mew, I would like to select that option, only for the inevitable hilarity as we try to do our job XD.

*finger on the monkey's paw slowly closes*
 
[X] Fluffikins: A teleporting cat contained in a Faraday cage, gifted to us by the Nocturne police department after three months of pursuit, on the condition that we do not let it escape again. [Potential Unlocks: Teleportation, Genetic Mutations]
[X] Diplomacy|
In a perfect world, you'd be able to pursue science for it's own sake. In the real world, you'll have to constantly prove to Sable and the Board of Directors that your research is providing dividends, have to haggle with other departments for resources, not to mention having to wrangle a laboratory of scientists and lab assisant.
Voting for cat shenanigans.
 
[X] Plan The Calcium Brigade
-[X] Name: Mary Walton, She
-[X] Appearance:

By 近藤途轍 from Pixiv
-[X] The Deathless Hand: A desiccated severed hand which retains functionality and mobility, and constantly attempts to escape it's container. [Potential Unlocks: Necromancy, Undead Countermeasures]
-[X] Diplomacy| In a perfect world, you'd be able to pursue science for it's own sake. In the real world, you'll have to constantly prove to Sable and the Board of Directors that your research is providing dividends, have to haggle with other departments for resources, not to mention having to wrangle a laboratory of scientists and lab assisant.

If we're going the necromancy route, might as well name our char after references from Frankenstein. :p

That, and it sounds like a fun challenge convincing the public that our use of the dead is totes and 100% Ethical. Being able to make deals with ghosts and such sounds like it'll be essential too, so diolomacy it is. Necromancy just has so many applications!
 
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[X] Plan The Calcium Brigade
-[X] Name: Mary Walton, She
-[X] Appearance:

By 近藤途轍 from Pixiv
-[X] The Deathless Hand: A desiccated severed hand which retains functionality and mobility, and constantly attempts to escape it's container. [Potential Unlocks: Necromancy, Undead Countermeasures]
-[X] Diplomacy| In a perfect world, you'd be able to pursue science for it's own sake. In the real world, you'll have to constantly prove to Sable and the Board of Directors that your research is providing dividends, have to haggle with other departments for resources, not to mention having to wrangle a laboratory of scientists and lab assisant.

If we're going the necromancy route, might as well name our char after references from Frankenstein. :p

That, and it sounds like a fun challenge convincing the public that our use of the dead is totes and 100% Ethical. Being able to make deals with ghosts and such sounds like it'll be essential too, so diolomacy it is. Necromancy just has so many applications!
...

You have my attention.
 
[X] Luna (she/her)
[X] Fluffikins: A teleporting cat contained in a Faraday cage, gifted to us by the Nocturne police department after three months of pursuit, on the condition that we do not let it escape again. [Potential Unlocks: Teleportation, Genetic Mutations]
[X] Diplomacy|
In a perfect world, you'd be able to pursue science for it's own sake. In the real world, you'll have to constantly prove to Sable and the Board of Directors that your research is providing dividends, have to haggle with other departments for resources, not to mention having to wrangle a laboratory of scientists and lab assisant.
 
[X] Fluffikins: A teleporting cat contained in a Faraday cage, gifted to us by the Nocturne police department after three months of pursuit, on the condition that we do not let it escape again. [Potential Unlocks: Teleportation, Genetic Mutations]
[X] Intrigue|
And sometimes you'll have do to do things you're not proud of. You'll have to lie to people's faces, commit fraud, maybe even steal. It's not preferable, but it'll definitely be necessary.

First we figure out the power then we apply it to ourselves, what could go wrong?
 

...

Is it too on the nose to make her a catgirl? >_> W/e I'm going with it

[X] Luna (she/her)
[X] Appearance: Dark-skinned with thick curly black hair (which has tufts that look like cat-ears) and bright green eyes. Tall and limber.
[X] Fluffikins: A teleporting cat contained in a Faraday cage, gifted to us by the Nocturne police department after three months of pursuit, on the condition that we do not let it escape again. [Potential Unlocks: Teleportation, Genetic Mutations]
[X] Diplomacy|
In a perfect world, you'd be able to pursue science for it's own sake. In the real world, you'll have to constantly prove to Sable and the Board of Directors that your research is providing dividends, have to haggle with other departments for resources, not to mention having to wrangle a laboratory of scientists and lab assisant.
 
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