Welcome to the Family (Sidekick Quest)
- Thread starter Gally
- Start date
- Original
- Location
- USA
[x] Call Augur
Tyrant_Rayne
Probably Not Evil… Maybe
- Location
- Canada
[X] Call Augur
Who would we rather lose points with, the vast organization we hope to run one day or the ex-con that likes getting under our skin? I don't think this is much of a choice.
Who would we rather lose points with, the vast organization we hope to run one day or the ex-con that likes getting under our skin? I don't think this is much of a choice.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Yes, but plans fail sometimes. If they get away - like they seem to have done for the last who knows how long - you will be left with a costly mess on your hands. It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission, but that's only if your bet pays off, and you were just advised to stay off gambling.
Still, perhaps the Family needs someone with an unconventional approach. Times've been changing... and mostly for the worse. We are barely keeping up, and can't afford stagnation.
We are playing a straight man in this duo, and though I may like the contrast, I can't say I like the archetype. It's not about scoring points with someone, it's about the methods.
[x] Go ahead with the investigation
Let's back her up on this. We'll take the fall together if it comes to it.
Last edited:
- Location
- USA
[x] Go ahead with the investigation
Is call augur asking for permission, or just informing of our actions before we take them? Bit of a difference there.
Is call augur asking for permission, or just informing of our actions before we take them? Bit of a difference there.
Gally
Got the whole word talking King Kiba
Probably just informing her of what's going on, but there's always the chance she could call you off.
Sol d'Trauer
"Maybe progress should lose for once."
- Location
- Beast's Lair
[X] Call Augur
Preferably, we'd just give Augur the broad strokes summary, to minimize her trying to keep either of is from going.
But beyond the reason of protocol, Cardinal reporting in (even if just for Dissent) makes sense given the Family would have a place to start if something happened to her. After all, something happened to the Blackbird that was Cardinal's parent…
Preferably, we'd just give Augur the broad strokes summary, to minimize her trying to keep either of is from going.
But beyond the reason of protocol, Cardinal reporting in (even if just for Dissent) makes sense given the Family would have a place to start if something happened to her. After all, something happened to the Blackbird that was Cardinal's parent…
- Location
- Somewhere
[x] Go ahead with the investigation
I like her already. Also while yes it might be a little smarter to follow procedure in general, at some point Wyatt needs to learn to trust those he works with if he wants to lead them.
I like her already. Also while yes it might be a little smarter to follow procedure in general, at some point Wyatt needs to learn to trust those he works with if he wants to lead them.
- Location
- US
[X] Call Augur
Gally
Got the whole word talking King Kiba
I messed up the timing on this one a little bit but it's not too late, so I'm going to go ahead and call for it now.
Throughout the quest I'm going to try to strike the right balance between the PC-ness and NPC-ness of the other Oriole candidates. This is actually kind of a big deal, because in PBTA games, NPCs never roll - if their action is contested by a PC, the PC is the one that rolls to see how it resolves. This, plus Masks being designed as a team game that works best when there are multiple PCs, means that I need to give the candidates some agency. But this is ultimately Wyatt's story and we want to keep the focus on him. So that balancing act is going to be a little ad-hoc at first. Please bear with me.
That being said, I realized just now that Dissent actually pulled a move on Cardinal - she is Provoking Someone, trying to get Cardinal to take her preferred course of action. The great thing about this move is that it never requires a PC to do anything the Player doesn't want them to do. But it does provide a guide to the consequences of whichever action the PC decides to take.
Sometimes, the flow of the game will force me to roll for the other candidates, but I'm going to try to let y'all roll as much as I can, to keep things transparent. So if somebody could roll a 2d6+0 for Dissent's Provoke Someone roll, I'd really appreciate it.
Throughout the quest I'm going to try to strike the right balance between the PC-ness and NPC-ness of the other Oriole candidates. This is actually kind of a big deal, because in PBTA games, NPCs never roll - if their action is contested by a PC, the PC is the one that rolls to see how it resolves. This, plus Masks being designed as a team game that works best when there are multiple PCs, means that I need to give the candidates some agency. But this is ultimately Wyatt's story and we want to keep the focus on him. So that balancing act is going to be a little ad-hoc at first. Please bear with me.
That being said, I realized just now that Dissent actually pulled a move on Cardinal - she is Provoking Someone, trying to get Cardinal to take her preferred course of action. The great thing about this move is that it never requires a PC to do anything the Player doesn't want them to do. But it does provide a guide to the consequences of whichever action the PC decides to take.
Sometimes, the flow of the game will force me to roll for the other candidates, but I'm going to try to let y'all roll as much as I can, to keep things transparent. So if somebody could roll a 2d6+0 for Dissent's Provoke Someone roll, I'd really appreciate it.
- Pronouns
- Reader
We need to fight some badies, and if this ends badly well, It actually was all Dissents Idea, and she owes us for giving her a chance. Having one over on this very contrary individual seems like a plus to me.
[x] Go ahead with the investigation
[x] Go ahead with the investigation
- Pronouns
- Reader
Well I waited 5 minutes. Lets see what I got in the tank.
4 dice, three 6s, and a 3.
4 dice, three 6s, and a 3.
Last edited:
Green Light
Gally
Got the whole word talking King Kiba
[x] Call Augur
"This is who I am," you tell Dissent, "and I don't need your approval."
Dissent shakes her head. "No," she says. "Just theirs. You're a coward."
"A coward?" You take a step towards her but she matches you, until the two of your are practically nose to nose. You open your mouth to argue back, but no words come. You find yourself at a complete and utter loss.
Nobody has ever called you a coward before. You've been an active crime-fighter since you were twelve years old, a profession that sees you venturing out nightly to trade blows with armed gang members and adult meta-humans. You throw yourself off buildings so often that it's practically become routine. In the last hour alone you've driven a motorcycle through four live intersections at eighty miles an hour. Three different therapists have accused you of being suicidal, after you finally convinced them that you weren't completely oblivious to the danger you face every day.
At any moment, you could be gunned down while enjoying a party with friends.
That was how they got your mother.
You can't speak. You have nothing to say. And so Dissent steps up into the silence. There is no smile on her face now, no shine in her eyes. She stares directly into your goggles and you know – with a certainty that chills you – that she sees straight through the callsign.
"You're a coward," she says again, her voice no more than a whisper, "so scared of taking responsibility that you'll let anyone else make your choices for you."
You step away and press a finger to your ear, pinging Augur. She's with you immediately. "Cardinal. Is everything alright?"
"I…have Dissent. We're fine here." Dissent turns away, to look out over the city. It would be easy for her to jump on the line, but she doesn't. "How's the rest of the Family looking?"
"Peaks and valleys, like in all things," Augur says. "It's quiet now, but that never lasts. Why did you call? Not just to check in."
Another glance at Dissent. Why are you doing that? What are you looking for? "Dissent has a lead on the KMA." It only takes a moment for you to catch Augur up to speed – it takes significantly longer for her to respond. You stand still, rigid, trying to give away nothing in your body language.
"I don't like it," Augur says finally. "I'm seeing a lot of ways this could go wrong."
"I thought that was the business we're in." Dissent turns, mouths something at you – something dangerously close to "I told you so" – and you wave her away.
"The only business I'm in is keeping you alive," Augur says. "The KMA is big leagues, Cardinal. This isn't Tommy Two-Fist, or the Jackass. They're the KGB with nicer suits."
"Which is exactly why we need to do this," you say. "If it's too dangerous for us alone, then get Blackbird out here to run point." Dissent's eyes widen and she takes a step closer, shouting something at you in utter silence. You stiff arm her, which gives you space but really seems to piss her off.
Augur sighs, "Blackbird still isn't back in New York." The "and I won't tell you where he is" is only implied, but you can practically feel the guilt worming its way into Augur's system. You have never once seen the woman on the other end of the commlink, but she has been a constant presence in your life for as long as you can remember, and you know her. "I...suppose...that this is too good an opportunity to pass up. I'll give you the green light."
You can't help but pump your fist. "She said yes?" Dissent mouths. You spread your arms in a
"what can I say"-esque motion, and she actually does an excited little hop.
"But this is serious, do you understand?" Augur asks, oblivious to your shared celebration. "You keep me informed, you take this slow, and you get out at the first sign of trouble."
"Third sign is the best I can do," you say, unable to keep the grin out of your voice.
"Cardinal." There it is. Flat and sharp as a sword, driven right through you. Your best efforts in the precinct were no more than a paltry imitation of the real thing. "You take this seriously or I swear to Christ, I will lock you both in the aerie for a month."
"Right. Of course. You can count on me." You cut the connection and look back to Dissent. She's still smiling, but without the call between you, the tension rears its head again.
You wish...you wish having permission didn't make you feel so good. You wish Augur had killed the op, so that you could defy her and run it anyway. A completely ridiculous thing to wish for, but you can't stop the thought from popping into your brain. It's frustrating to wonder if you'd even have the guts to disobey Augur, had she not given the green light. It's far more frustrating to not know the answer.
There is no banter on the bike ride to Hell's Kitchen. Dissent sits well back on the seat, busying herself with keeping her balance as you throw the motorcycle into more and more reckless turns. Light and steel and concrete all coalesce into a single, continuous line – but you find no relief in it. Your mind refuses to quiet, to submit to instinct.
You take the last few blocks by grappling gun, to better hide your approach from any KMA agents that might be watching for you. Dissent guides you with with curt monosyllables, but you catch her watching you pensively when she thinks your attention is elsewhere. You struggle not to do the same. Dissent's swinging is clumsy, unpracticed, but she keeps herself in the sky.
She points out the bar where the meeting is to take place. "Only in New York City could a rooftop bar be a dive," you mutter, identifying the best spot from which to provide overwatch. The carved image of a woman's torso, done in the grandiose art deco style that saturates your city, sticks out from the side of a nearby skyscraper. It will provide cover from prying eyes, and a vantage point with which to survey the battlefield.
It is also a blindingly obvious choice for a masked vigilante. "The KMA and the Family have been tangling since tangling was a thing," you tell Dissent as the two of you touch down on the roof of a building on the opposite side of a bar. "They know how we operate, so we can't always go with the best choice. I'll be…" you pull the blueprints up on your HUD and take a moment to scan them, "61st floor, third window from the right. The office space is listed as for sale, so you won't have to worry about being interrupted. "If you need anything-"
"You'll be on commlink the whole time," Dissent says. She strips her coat off and turns it inside out, revealing it to be reversible, then starts unstrapping the plated body armor that covers her upper half. She's about to take it off when she arches an eyebrow at you. "Hopin' for a show?"
"What? I-no, you just-" You turn away rather than continue to embarrass yourself stammering.
Dissent only laughs. "Relax," she says, the armor hitting the ground with a heavy thud. "I'm decent." You give her a half a minute or so, just in case, before turning back.
She's removed her mask and piercings, and wrapped herself in her reversed coat – and as you watch she redoes her hair, winding it around her fingers into complicated knots that cleverly disguise its length. It's somewhat remarkable to see the transformation, completed by removing the colored contacts she wears when out in costume. If it weren't for the cuts and scrapes across her face, even you might struggle to recognize her. "Well," she says, glancing over at you, "this is where I get off."
It strikes you all of the sudden just how precarious this whole plan is. "This is the play?" You ask. "You're going to walk in there with no mask, no armor, no weapons, and sit down for a chat with the fucking KMA?"
Dissent shrugs a shoulder. "No plan survives contact with the enemy. With luck, I'll have a nice conversation, maybe a drink, an' be on my way in twenty minutes. It goes to hell...well, on me to survive. Ain't got much use for plans beyon' that."
"I'm seeing a lot of ways this could go wrong," you say, flinching as you as you hear Augur's words come out of your mouth.
"Ain't that what overwatch is for?" Dissent asks. "Besides. A mask is just cloth and armor only slows me down." She smiles at you then, but it's different from before. Almost hesitant. "An' I got a weapon on me."
You look her up and down. "You got a knife in the coat? Brass knuckles?" A terrible thought strikes you. "Don't tell me you've got a gun. Seriously, don't."
"No need." Dissent spreads her arms and strikes a pose. "You're lookin' at the weapon."
–
{} Wyatt is now Insecure
{} Wyatt now has influence over Charlotte
Roll +Superior (2d6+2) to assess the situation. On a 10+, vote for two of the questions below to be answered. On a 7-9, vote for one. Take +1 while acting on the answers?
[] What here can I use to _____________?
[] What here is the biggest threat?
[] What here is in the greatest danger?
[] Who here is the most vulnerable to me?
[] How could we best end this quickly?
I will answer these questions truthfully as Wyatt sees them. There's no complaining if you ask a question with an obvious answer and then get said obvious answer.
"This is who I am," you tell Dissent, "and I don't need your approval."
Dissent shakes her head. "No," she says. "Just theirs. You're a coward."
"A coward?" You take a step towards her but she matches you, until the two of your are practically nose to nose. You open your mouth to argue back, but no words come. You find yourself at a complete and utter loss.
Nobody has ever called you a coward before. You've been an active crime-fighter since you were twelve years old, a profession that sees you venturing out nightly to trade blows with armed gang members and adult meta-humans. You throw yourself off buildings so often that it's practically become routine. In the last hour alone you've driven a motorcycle through four live intersections at eighty miles an hour. Three different therapists have accused you of being suicidal, after you finally convinced them that you weren't completely oblivious to the danger you face every day.
At any moment, you could be gunned down while enjoying a party with friends.
That was how they got your mother.
You can't speak. You have nothing to say. And so Dissent steps up into the silence. There is no smile on her face now, no shine in her eyes. She stares directly into your goggles and you know – with a certainty that chills you – that she sees straight through the callsign.
"You're a coward," she says again, her voice no more than a whisper, "so scared of taking responsibility that you'll let anyone else make your choices for you."
You step away and press a finger to your ear, pinging Augur. She's with you immediately. "Cardinal. Is everything alright?"
"I…have Dissent. We're fine here." Dissent turns away, to look out over the city. It would be easy for her to jump on the line, but she doesn't. "How's the rest of the Family looking?"
"Peaks and valleys, like in all things," Augur says. "It's quiet now, but that never lasts. Why did you call? Not just to check in."
Another glance at Dissent. Why are you doing that? What are you looking for? "Dissent has a lead on the KMA." It only takes a moment for you to catch Augur up to speed – it takes significantly longer for her to respond. You stand still, rigid, trying to give away nothing in your body language.
"I don't like it," Augur says finally. "I'm seeing a lot of ways this could go wrong."
"I thought that was the business we're in." Dissent turns, mouths something at you – something dangerously close to "I told you so" – and you wave her away.
"The only business I'm in is keeping you alive," Augur says. "The KMA is big leagues, Cardinal. This isn't Tommy Two-Fist, or the Jackass. They're the KGB with nicer suits."
"Which is exactly why we need to do this," you say. "If it's too dangerous for us alone, then get Blackbird out here to run point." Dissent's eyes widen and she takes a step closer, shouting something at you in utter silence. You stiff arm her, which gives you space but really seems to piss her off.
Augur sighs, "Blackbird still isn't back in New York." The "and I won't tell you where he is" is only implied, but you can practically feel the guilt worming its way into Augur's system. You have never once seen the woman on the other end of the commlink, but she has been a constant presence in your life for as long as you can remember, and you know her. "I...suppose...that this is too good an opportunity to pass up. I'll give you the green light."
You can't help but pump your fist. "She said yes?" Dissent mouths. You spread your arms in a
"what can I say"-esque motion, and she actually does an excited little hop.
"But this is serious, do you understand?" Augur asks, oblivious to your shared celebration. "You keep me informed, you take this slow, and you get out at the first sign of trouble."
"Third sign is the best I can do," you say, unable to keep the grin out of your voice.
"Cardinal." There it is. Flat and sharp as a sword, driven right through you. Your best efforts in the precinct were no more than a paltry imitation of the real thing. "You take this seriously or I swear to Christ, I will lock you both in the aerie for a month."
"Right. Of course. You can count on me." You cut the connection and look back to Dissent. She's still smiling, but without the call between you, the tension rears its head again.
You wish...you wish having permission didn't make you feel so good. You wish Augur had killed the op, so that you could defy her and run it anyway. A completely ridiculous thing to wish for, but you can't stop the thought from popping into your brain. It's frustrating to wonder if you'd even have the guts to disobey Augur, had she not given the green light. It's far more frustrating to not know the answer.
There is no banter on the bike ride to Hell's Kitchen. Dissent sits well back on the seat, busying herself with keeping her balance as you throw the motorcycle into more and more reckless turns. Light and steel and concrete all coalesce into a single, continuous line – but you find no relief in it. Your mind refuses to quiet, to submit to instinct.
You take the last few blocks by grappling gun, to better hide your approach from any KMA agents that might be watching for you. Dissent guides you with with curt monosyllables, but you catch her watching you pensively when she thinks your attention is elsewhere. You struggle not to do the same. Dissent's swinging is clumsy, unpracticed, but she keeps herself in the sky.
She points out the bar where the meeting is to take place. "Only in New York City could a rooftop bar be a dive," you mutter, identifying the best spot from which to provide overwatch. The carved image of a woman's torso, done in the grandiose art deco style that saturates your city, sticks out from the side of a nearby skyscraper. It will provide cover from prying eyes, and a vantage point with which to survey the battlefield.
It is also a blindingly obvious choice for a masked vigilante. "The KMA and the Family have been tangling since tangling was a thing," you tell Dissent as the two of you touch down on the roof of a building on the opposite side of a bar. "They know how we operate, so we can't always go with the best choice. I'll be…" you pull the blueprints up on your HUD and take a moment to scan them, "61st floor, third window from the right. The office space is listed as for sale, so you won't have to worry about being interrupted. "If you need anything-"
"You'll be on commlink the whole time," Dissent says. She strips her coat off and turns it inside out, revealing it to be reversible, then starts unstrapping the plated body armor that covers her upper half. She's about to take it off when she arches an eyebrow at you. "Hopin' for a show?"
"What? I-no, you just-" You turn away rather than continue to embarrass yourself stammering.
Dissent only laughs. "Relax," she says, the armor hitting the ground with a heavy thud. "I'm decent." You give her a half a minute or so, just in case, before turning back.
She's removed her mask and piercings, and wrapped herself in her reversed coat – and as you watch she redoes her hair, winding it around her fingers into complicated knots that cleverly disguise its length. It's somewhat remarkable to see the transformation, completed by removing the colored contacts she wears when out in costume. If it weren't for the cuts and scrapes across her face, even you might struggle to recognize her. "Well," she says, glancing over at you, "this is where I get off."
It strikes you all of the sudden just how precarious this whole plan is. "This is the play?" You ask. "You're going to walk in there with no mask, no armor, no weapons, and sit down for a chat with the fucking KMA?"
Dissent shrugs a shoulder. "No plan survives contact with the enemy. With luck, I'll have a nice conversation, maybe a drink, an' be on my way in twenty minutes. It goes to hell...well, on me to survive. Ain't got much use for plans beyon' that."
"I'm seeing a lot of ways this could go wrong," you say, flinching as you as you hear Augur's words come out of your mouth.
"Ain't that what overwatch is for?" Dissent asks. "Besides. A mask is just cloth and armor only slows me down." She smiles at you then, but it's different from before. Almost hesitant. "An' I got a weapon on me."
You look her up and down. "You got a knife in the coat? Brass knuckles?" A terrible thought strikes you. "Don't tell me you've got a gun. Seriously, don't."
"No need." Dissent spreads her arms and strikes a pose. "You're lookin' at the weapon."
–
{} Wyatt is now Insecure
{} Wyatt now has influence over Charlotte
Roll +Superior (2d6+2) to assess the situation. On a 10+, vote for two of the questions below to be answered. On a 7-9, vote for one. Take +1 while acting on the answers?
[] What here can I use to _____________?
[] What here is the biggest threat?
[] What here is in the greatest danger?
[] Who here is the most vulnerable to me?
[] How could we best end this quickly?
I will answer these questions truthfully as Wyatt sees them. There's no complaining if you ask a question with an obvious answer and then get said obvious answer.
Birthday
Have a Happy One!
- Location
- Somewhere
Oof. Insecure. It definitely fits though. I'm also surprised that Wyatt got influence over Charlotte and not the other way around.
Welp, I might as well give rolling dice a shot.
Edit: Looks like we get two questions.
[] What here is in the greatest danger?
Is probably the least important question since it's most likely going to be Dissent.
[] What here is the biggest threat?
Feel like this is probably the most important question since it's helpful info regardless of whether we end up retreating or pressing the attack.
Welp, I might as well give rolling dice a shot.
Edit: Looks like we get two questions.
[] What here is in the greatest danger?
Is probably the least important question since it's most likely going to be Dissent.
[] What here is the biggest threat?
Feel like this is probably the most important question since it's helpful info regardless of whether we end up retreating or pressing the attack.
Last edited:
- Pronouns
- Reader
Okay lets get a roll going... what? Did you think I was gonna roll them all? Nah. Time fore someone else to step up.
- Pronouns
- Reader
Nice Roll.
[X] What here is the biggest threat?
Gotta agree on this one. For the second question?
[X] What here can I use to bail Charlotte out without exposing her connection to the family?
Seems like a good one. Personally I think a fire would do the trick, but I'm not sure what he has available or what kind of fire supression system the nearby buildings use.
Last edited:
Birthday
Have a Happy One!
- Location
- Somewhere
I like it. The only problem with that question though, is that Charlotte has to agree with Wyatt that she needs to bail without any kind of verbal communication. And judging from their interactions til now, I don't think that's very likely.
- Pronouns
- Reader
Oh thats pretty simple. Plenty of people bite their nails when there nervous or fiddle with the buttons on their jacket. If things get out of hand it wouldn't be hard to pass off either of these as a nervous habit and signal Wyatt that she'd like an excuse to leave.
Tyrant_Rayne
Probably Not Evil… Maybe
- Location
- Canada
[X] What here is the biggest threat?
[X] What here can I use to bail Charlotte out without exposing her connection to the family?
[X] What here can I use to bail Charlotte out without exposing her connection to the family?
Birthday
Have a Happy One!
- Location
- Somewhere
Fair. It does still have the problem of leaving up the decision to bail to Charlotte, but Wyatt needs to start trusting her judgement sooner or later if they plan to work together in any capacity.
[X] What here is the biggest threat?
[X] What here can I use to bail Charlotte out without exposing her connection to the family?
- Location
- St. Petersburg
There is a strange line break here.
On one hand, she is right. Bravery comes in many forms, and one of them is thinking for yourself without the weight of the organisation behind you making the choices easier.
On the other, what use is you taking responsibility if it leads to a disaster? You only have your own life to pay for your blunders; how do you make up for harm done to others?
Dissent risking her life is her business - we already have that brand of bravery examined by therapists - but can she accuse us of being unwilling to risk hers?
A leader has to make those calls, and it is a role we strive for, but we aren't the Blackbird yet. It's a chicken and egg thing; should we be taking those decisions bigger than what is expected of us to demonstrate maturity and excellence, or is biting more than we can chew a sign of immaturity and hubris?
It'll likely be judged by one's success, regardless of how sound or unsound a decision is by itself.
[x] What here can I use for extraction if things so south?
[x] How could we best end this quickly?
Our job is to intervene if things go wrong. What should we be aiming for? Either grab Dissent and run, or try to fight it out... but what for? To take in some of the goons? On what charges? It's unlikely that they'll have anyone too important here.
A quick extraction looks the best a team of two can manage.
The question of who is going to be in danger is not entuirely pointless, since there is a possibility of collateral damage and civilians getting involved, but that's why we want to be quick about it. The less time it takes, the less opportunities there will be for things to go even more wrong.
Last edited:
- Location
- USA
Don't they know she's family? Isn't that part of the point for this meeting?
[x] What here can I use for extraction if thigs so south?
[x] How could we best end this quickly?
[x] What here can I use for extraction if thigs so south?
[x] How could we best end this quickly?
Last edited: