STAR WARS
SHADOW OF MALACHOR
In the Hands of the Exchange
A KOtOR 2/CK2 Quest
The Republic is in freefall. The Jedi Order is in shambles. Two Sith Lords, following in the wake of Revan and Malak, lead an onslaught against democracy in the galaxy, primarily seeking to purge it completely of any remnants of the Jedi Order.
But the Republic is not without its heroes and agents. While a tiring Admiral leads a desparate resistance against the Sith, a lone droid has seized control of a vast criminal enterprise in order to save the Republic. Through a bounty of countless credits, the droid seeks any living Jedi to help. It has found you.
Marooned on the mining asteroids of Peragus II, you found yourself trapped, drugged, and sold by mere miners, both the ambitious and impoverished alike. Now you are in the hands of the Exchange, and you know not for what sinister purpose they have taken you alive...
...
...
...
3951 BBY
GOTO'S YACHT
:: Awaken. ::
You come to on the floor of a luxurious holding cell. Your head is pounding as you rise to your feet. You're drugged to all hell, and you think you'd feel a lot worse if you weren't.
The holding cell is surprisingly furnished, with a bacta tank, large bed, a comms screen on a desk in the corner, the door to a bathroom area, and a potted plant next to a rectangular viewport. Outside the viewport, you see the distinct blue of hyperspace travel.
You move to sit down on the bed, noticing as you do that it is comfortable for a prisoner's bed. Across from the bed is a locked door leading to the rest of the ship. You don't have to check to know it is locked.
You lean back on the bed, trying to gather your thoughts on what to do. You think the drugs are probably interfering with that. If only you still had the power to flush them from your system with a thought. But no, you have not been able to call on the Force for five years now.
Memories of the reason for said predicament flash through your mind. Thousands of good men and women dead at your command, Jedi and soldier alike. And, of course, even more Mandalorians.
You had defied the Jedi Order to stop the Mandalorians and save the Republic, but you did not think it would take so terrible a price. Although you had ended the Mandalorian Wars as a Jedi General, you had trained in the Order as a:
[] Jedi Diplomat, working to mend the fractured relations of different peoples within and without the Republic
[] Jedi Guardian, hoping to defend the weak from those who would prey on them
[] Jedi Administrator, looking to oversee Service Corps efforts to feed and clothe the citizens of the Republic
[] Jedi Shadow, daring to infiltrate criminal organizations and rogue states who threatened peace
[] Jedi Archivist, laboring to collect and organize the knowledge of the Jedi and the Republic for future generations
[] Jedi Sage, seeking to understand the mysteries of the Force and passing on the knowledge and wisdom gained
Unfortunately, after the Battle of Malachor V and your subsequent exile from the Jedi Order, your connection to the Force was severed and your training seemed to fail you. In the Outer Rim and Unknown Regions, you were forced to adapt to a life without the Force and made your living as a wandering:
(Pick 2)
[] Entertainer, performing plays, music, and comedy for whatever venue would have you (Incompatible with Smuggler)
[] Scout, surveying everything from potential colony locations for governments to rival bases for gang leaders (Incompatible with Doctor)
[] Gambler, playing your hand at pazaak to swoop betting, knowing how to play the odds and cheat them
[] Smuggler, running drugs, luxuries, and fugitives from border to border and black market to buyer (Incompatible with Entertainer)
[] Mechanic, repairing anything if you were paid enough and building different projects for your own use
[] Doctor, healing anyone in need and teaching various apprentices the art of healing (Incompatible with Scout)
Now though, you are simply a prisoner. A shared meal with a group of miners was the last thing you remembered before you woke up in this well-furnished cell. It seemed every power in the galaxy was looking for Jedi, and the miners had no doubt given you to the power that would make them the richest. That meant the Exchange.
:: Breathe. ::
It had been a long time since you had heard any voice through the Force, so although strange, you were comfortable obeying the voice. You took a few deep, meditative breaths. The effect was quick, washing out the steady thrum of a headache and leaving you clear-minded. You were surprised your body was not aching. Perhaps you had been in the bacta tank before coming to. But why would the Exchange want you healthy? You supposed they already had you at quite the disadvantage, perhaps they wanted to indebt you to them. They wanted to control you for some reason, so, for now, it must be the carrot and the stick.
Your calculating meditation was cut short by the flaring of the comms screen. A pretty Twi'lek appeared on the screen, a bright smile on her face as she addressed you. "Hello! Please standby for Master Goto. He will be in your room shortly:
[] Mister Surik
[] Miss Surik
...
Hello, and welcome to SHADOW OF MALACHOR: In the Hands of the Exchange, a KOtOR 2/CK2 Quest. This quest will have many similarities to other CK2 quests but will function primarily on a system of my own making. In this system, there are 6 base stats, representing Diplomacy, Martial, Stewardship, Intrigue, Learning, and the Force. There are three other mechanics in the system of import: Reputation, Alignment, and Money. I will be working on informational posts while this first vote gets started, but be aware that I am not the most experienced in game design and will be reworking the system during the quest at my discretion.
Your primary and secondary specialization votes should be in a plan, but your gender should not be included in the plans. These specializations will determine what your best starting base stats are, with your primary (or Jedi) specialization giving the biggest bonus, while you secondary specializations will give smaller but not insignificant bonuses. Your gender vote will not weigh too heavily on any gameplay mechanics, but it will alter certain aspects of Diplomacy and Personal actions. (For example, a diplomacy action involving Atris will be easier if you are a man, while a diplomacy action involving Darth Sion will be easier if you are a woman.) Your gender will not affect the companions and advisors available to you like it does in KOtOR 2.
[X] Jedi Sage, seeking to understand the mysteries of the Force and passing on the knowledge and wisdom gained
[X] Mechanic, repairing anything if you were paid enough and building different projects for your own use
[X] Doctor, healing anyone in need and teaching various apprentices the art of healing (Incompatible with Scout)
[X] Miss Surik
[X] Gambler, playing your hand at pazaak to swoop betting, knowing how to play the odds and cheat them
[X] Entertainer, performing plays, music, and comedy for whatever venue would have you (Incompatible with Smuggler)
[X] Jedi Shadow, daring to infiltrate criminal organizations and rogue states who threatened peace
[X]Plan Repair
-[X] Jedi Guardian, hoping to defend the weak from those who would prey on them
-[X] Mechanic, repairing anything if you were paid enough and building different projects for your own use
-[X] Doctor, healing anyone in need and teaching various apprentices the art of healing (Incompatible with Scout)
[X]Plan Repair
-[X] Jedi Guardian, hoping to defend the weak from those who would prey on them
-[X] Mechanic, repairing anything if you were paid enough and building different projects for your own use
-[X] Doctor, healing anyone in need and teaching various apprentices the art of healing (Incompatible with Scout)
[X] Plan Record Keeper
[X] Jedi Archivist, laboring to collect and organize the knowledge of the Jedi and the Republic for future generations
[X] Mechanic, repairing anything if you were paid enough and building different projects for your own use
[X] Doctor, healing anyone in need and teaching various apprentices the art of healing (Incompatible with Scout)
[X] Mister Surik
[X] Gambler, playing your hand at pazaak to swoop betting, knowing how to play the odds and cheat them
[X] Entertainer, performing plays, music, and comedy for whatever venue would have you (Incompatible with Smuggler)
[X] Jedi Shadow, daring to infiltrate criminal organizations and rogue states who threatened peace
[x] Jedi Administrator, looking to oversee Service Corps efforts to feed and clothe the citizens of the Republic
[x] Mechanic, repairing anything if you were paid enough and building different projects for your own use
[x] Doctor, healing anyone in need and teaching various apprentices the art of healing (Incompatible with Scout)
[x] mister surik
[X] Jedi Sage, seeking to understand the mysteries of the Force and passing on the knowledge and wisdom gained
[X] Mechanic, repairing anything if you were paid enough and building different projects for your own use
[X] Doctor, healing anyone in need and teaching various apprentices the art of healing (Incompatible with Scout)
[X] Jedi Administrator, looking to oversee Service Corps efforts to feed and clothe the citizens of the Republic
[X] Scout, surveying everything from potential colony locations for governments to rival bases for gang leaders (Incompatible with Doctor)
[X] Mechanic, repairing anything if you were paid enough and building different projects for your own use
[X] Miss Surik
[X] Plan Random
-[X] Jedi Sage, seeking to understand the mysteries of the Force and passing on the knowledge and wisdom gained
-[X] Gambler, playing your hand at pazaak to swoop betting, knowing how to play the odds and cheat them
-[X] Doctor, healing anyone in need and teaching various apprentices the art of healing (Incompatible with Scout)
[X] Jedi Diplomat, working to mend the fractured relations of different peoples within and without the Republic
[X] Mechanic, repairing anything if you were paid enough and building different projects for your own use
[X] Doctor, healing anyone in need and teaching various apprentices the art of healing (Incompatible with Scout)
[X] Miss Surik
[X] Plan Random
-[X] Jedi Sage, seeking to understand the mysteries of the Force and passing on the knowledge and wisdom gained
-[X] Gambler, playing your hand at pazaak to swoop betting, knowing how to play the odds and cheat them
-[X] Doctor, healing anyone in need and teaching various apprentices the art of healing (Incompatible with Scout)
So thoughts on how this quest will work does feel like Goto taking the place of the illusive man looking for someone to go fix things with a badass retinue.
Or an alpha protocol introduction. You get abducted into doing save/stabilise the galaxy stuff.
[X] Jedi Sage, seeking to understand the mysteries of the Force and passing on the knowledge and wisdom gained
[X] Mechanic, repairing anything if you were paid enough and building different projects for your own use
[X] Doctor, healing anyone in need and teaching various apprentices the art of healing (Incompatible with Scout)
[X] Miss Surik
Force severed? Ouch.
Since the original poster of this set of options hasn't provided a plan name, I'll just leave it like this.
[X] Jedi Sage, seeking to understand the mysteries of the Force and passing on the knowledge and wisdom gained
[X] Mechanic, repairing anything if you were paid enough and building different projects for your own use
[X] Doctor, healing anyone in need and teaching various apprentices the art of healing (Incompatible with Scout)
[X] Jedi Sage, seeking to understand the mysteries of the Force and passing on the knowledge and wisdom gained
[X] Mechanic, repairing anything if you were paid enough and building different projects for your own use
[X] Doctor, healing anyone in need and teaching various apprentices the art of healing (Incompatible with Scout)
[X] Miss Surik
Luckily it won tallied by line and plan, so I didn't have to disqualify anyone's votes or anything. It seems we will be starting pretty strong in the force, which will help to mitigate the starting trait Severed from the Force. Your stats are currently:
Traits:
Jedi Sage (+15 Alignment, +5 Force, +2 Learning, start with 1 extra Force Action, add x1 Force stat for Force Actions)
Wandering Mechanic (+800 credits, +2 Learning, add x.75 Learning stat for Learning Actions)
Wandering Doctor (+50 credits, +15 Alignment, +5 Reputation, +2 Force, add x.75 Force stat for Force Actions)
Vetaran of the Mandalorian Wars (+2 Martial)
Jedi General (+2 Martial, +1 Diplomacy)
Jedi Exile (+1 Intrigue, +1 Learning, ???)
Shadow of Malachor (-15 reputation, - 10 Alignment, -2 Diplomacy, -2 Martial, ???)
Severed from the Force (-9 Force, ???)
The next update should be up in 24 hours or less. After that update we will have one more vote session, then an interlude, and finally after that Turn 1.
I'd say minimally dark side with a tendency towards neutral. Considering a lot of what she says tends to advocate for individualism and self-determination (to the point she wants to kill the force), she's got a lot in common with Sith ideals. But she's also probably going to do light side things if it gets her what she wants, and her Reputation stat would come into play heavily, generally trending downward to feared instead of upwards to loved. So maybe I'd revise her alignment would generally be 0, fluctuating light and dark depending on the reputation and money (power) modifiers. This would also serve to minimize the Force's influence over her actions.
She'll be a hard character to write, especially in response to a collective's choices, but I'm more excited for the challenge than anything.
