Whispers from the Deep - Biplanes & Bisexuality

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Character Sheets
  • Informational


    • Character Sheet
    Isabelle Morgenthau
    A Fisher

    Isa (right) and her boyfriend Arren (left)

    Hard Keen Calm Daring Wild
    +4 -2 +4 +1 -1
    Moves
    Creepy: When a comrade sees you perform a ritual, overhears your prayers, or sees signs of your alienness, they lose Trust in you. Once they learn one of your Moves, they are no longer affected, but they gain Creepy as well.
    Deep Ones: You can call on your patrons to Help you on a roll. On a 1, you Break after this mission.
    Blessing: When you dab fresh blood on a piece of working equipment, roll +Calm. On a 16+, take both. On an 11-15, choose 1.
    • Take +1 Ongoing with this item this Routine. (+1 Handling for a plane)
    • The item cannot break or be lost this Routine. (+1 Armour on 1 Section of the Plane.)
    On a miss, you need a bigger sacrifice. Don't disappoint.
    Ideomotor Response: Your plane effectively has a programmable autopilot. It does not have to be switched on and off; it "knows" when you are behind the controls.
    Soul-Bound: When you paint a rune in blood on an aircraft, you are linked. While in flight, you can take incoming Structure damage as Stress, 1-1. You can take a hit that would strike a Component as Injury, or give incoming Injury to your Engine.
    Bond: (Witch move learned from Wulf) When you hold an object of significance and make an emotional connection to it, take 1 Stress. The object becomes a magical Focus, and you learn it's Nature (Earth, Air, Water, Fire, Iron, or Blood).
    Contemplation: When you draw a ritual circle and stay within it, roll +Calm. On a 16+, you come out of it about an hour later refreshed; strike 3 Stress or 2 Injury. On an 11-15, it takes the whole night, and you're unreachable in that time.

    Mastery
    The Bushwack
    Ambush Predator: When you strike an enemy who is unaware of your presence, roll with Advantage.
    Forced Evade: When you fire to scare an opponent off, spend 1 ammo and roll +Hard. On a hit, instead of dealing damage, choose one: Target dives 1, target climbs 1, target loses speed in a forced turn. On a 16+, roll attack dice on them anyway.
    Momentum: When you dive onto a target, add +1 AP.
    Scissors Snip: When you disengage, give an ally +3 towards dealing with your target.

    Familiar Vices
    - Drinking
    - Prayer
    - Dancing

    Vice Progress
    - Breaking Stuff: ☑☐☐
    - Cannabis: ☑☐☐

    Intimacy Move
    When you are intimate with another, choose one of you to get a hold. They can spend that hold to give the other a command: if followed, then forward to their next +Stat move, they will always score at least a partial hit, regardless of what the dice say.

    If you use this move in the air, there are two holds, and they can be distributed however you agree.

    The Company
    People
    • Isabelle (Fisher): The PC. She's out to find her way in the world. 1 thaler per Routine.
    • Arren (NPC- Confidant/Observer): Your cute fish boyfriend. Artist and recently trained observer. 1 thaler per Routine.
    • Wulf (Witch): Former bandit leader. Actually half wolf. Hot as hell. Ex-Goth. 1 thaler per Routine.
      • Hard +3, Keen +3, Calm -2, Daring +0, Wild +3 (Avenger)
    • Minna Hammerl (Soldier): Inexperienced but highly trained soldier and passionate duelist. Speaks all formal-like. The most beautiful woman in the world. 1 thaler per Routine.
      • Hard +4, Keen +1, Calm +2, Daring -2 (Professional)
    • Heinrich Engel (Student): Political science student working on his thesis-slash-manifesto.
    • Anny Meldgaard (NPC - Mechanic): A young half-Fischer, half-Himmilvolk woman from Piav, trained by the mechanics there. Looking for adventure and her origins. Blushes red?
    Aircraft
    • Isa & Arren's Plane: A Teicher Möwen seaplane. Steel frame, liquid-cooled engine. Deeply possessed. 1 thaler per Routine.
    • Fang Howl: Wulf's helicopter. An experimental pre-war model. Liquid-cooled radial. Three wolf moon. 1 thaler per Routine.
    • Pup: Wulf's Kreuzer Skorpion prototype retrieved from a sealed hanger. Gets a lot out of an underpowered engine.
    • Minna's Kobra: An inline-engine powered, wood framed fighter. All around an excellent machine. 1 thaler per Routine.
    • Heinrich's Reconstruction: A canard plane with a 30mm cannon in the nose. Awkward and unstable but hits like a train. 1 thaller per Routine.
    ​
    Stress XP
    3 7
    ​
    Cash Expenses
    41 10.5
     
    Last edited:
  • Informational
    • 4-18: Heuser is Terrifying
  • Threadmarks
    • Burgermeisterin Heuser was a stern old woman with horn-rimmed glasses who greeted you with the sort of professionalism due real pilots (and not, you know, a bandit and a lost fisher). After a short wait while she dealt with somebody else's problems, you took a seat in her office, which was a little worn but quite nice.

    "Hello Wulf. Who is this." She said, after a moment's pause. It wasn't a question, it was a demand.

    "Isabelle. She's a pilot. We want to go deal with the Goth problem and we're looking for your support." Wulf laid out quickly. "With her help, we'll have a wing we can take up to dislodge them and clear the trade route."

    "Hmm. You want my money, then."

    "Yes ma'am. I imagine trade will pick up considerably around here, so I believe it is in your interests to ensure we succeed."

    The old woman just stared at the two of you for a while, her eyes boring into your soul.

    "You have my support. We'll be willing to break into the town's mercenary coffers for this, thanks to your upstanding relationship with our community. The Skyborn trade balloon leaves tomorrow morning, it might work well to use them as bait, then trail them home. 27 thaler upon completion."

    According to the agreement you and Wulf had made this morning, that'd be 9 thaler going to the crew staying here, with 18 thaler for the squadron of you, Wulf, and Arren. Pretty good money.

    [ ] Accept the offer.
    [ ] Negotiate for more.

    Negotiation is a +Calm roll. Every 2 additional Thaler you ask for (your company value is 2) adds a -1 to the roll.​
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [x] Accept the offer

    This being said, I feel the need to obtain intelligence on the Goth Problem. Who would have such intel?
     
    Crasian01 said:
    This being said, I feel the need to obtain intelligence on the Goth Problem. Who would have such intel?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Well, the Skyborn have been traveling around a lot. They probably know some things.

    [x] Accept the offer
    Finishing this job means we get paid for the last one too, which is going to be a lot of money.
     
    [X] Negotiate for more.
    -[X] 2 additional Thaler

    Isa has good Calm, this is like 80% to get 11+ (which I think is all we need?) so might as well give it a shot.
     
    4-19: Wulf Needs a Dictionary
  • Threadmarks
    • [x] Accept the offer

    "Danke, Frau Heuser." Wulf stood up, they shook hands, you left quickly.

    "She's scary." You said, the moment you were out of the building.

    "I know. She's the most terrifying person I've ever met. Which is probably why she's in charge."

    The two of you headed down to the hangers to check on your aircraft. You were surprised to see your aircraft had been hastily repaired, with yellow canvas stretched over the hole behind the gunner seat and a similarly yellowed aileron installed. Talking with the mechanic, it was revealed that Ewald had got the mechanic started, but you had the settle the debt, which you did. Between the currency exchange you had to do to pay your way here and the repairs, you were back down to a single thaler. But your plane was back in order and fueled up, which was good!

    Wulf stuck out her tongue when she saw it.

    "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" She said.

    "Nice. Come on." You said, walking under the wing as you inspected it. Everything looked in order, more or less, so you followed Wulf to check on her fabled helicopter.

    "You should at least get it painted. It's embarrassing, a total mess." She said. "Wait till you see my Fang though!"

    "I thought you called your knife Fang?" You remembered her saying that this morning.

    "There's not a huge number of wolf words, okay?" She said indignately, pulling open the door to the hanger.

    Inside was... a helicopter, you guessed. It was very skeletal, with a three bladed rotor atop powered by a liquid-cooled, two-row radial engine. It's sole armament appeared to be a light machine gun, fed from a pan, mounted in front of the pilot. There were just a few pieces of canvas on the sides, painted a dark mustard colour, one blank and the other featuring a painting of three wolves howling at the moon.

    "How does it fly?" You asked, and Wulf began explaining. Honestly, it didn't sound possible for a human to perform all the actions needed to keep it flying, but you nodded along.

    "And wait till you hear the engine!" She said. "I pulled this thing out of an old zeppelin wreck, we're pretty sure it was cutting edge, right at the end tech. 230 horsepower!" After putting in what looked like earplugs, Wulf grabbed a cord on the machine and pulled, and after a few tries the engine roared to life with a ghastly scream. You covered your ears immediately as she revved it, then she let it wind down.

    "COOL, HUH!"

    "IT'S REALLY LOUD!"

    As you were walking away from the hanger, a thought struck you.

    "What about Howl? Like, to name the helicopter. For the engine?"

    "Oh dang, that's way better." Wulf admitted. "What about yours? Has it got a name yet?"

    Not yet. You'll add that to the to-do list, after this is all over.

    At some point today you should fly out and pick up Arren, and probably return the girl if she was in a state for it. It would be wise to get more information on your foes as well. It might pay to relax some before the mission... and maybe you could meet the rest of Wulf's crew? If you had time, that is.

    [ ] What do you do? (And in what order, and how?)​
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [x] Check on girl, see if she's fit for travel
    [x] If yes, take her with you to pick up Arren
    [x] Discuss threesomes with Arren while visiting
    [x] Hang out with Wulf's crew a bit if there's still time later
     
    Okay, here's my plan

    -[X]Get Wulf to talk about her team (short introduction) and our foes (longer intro), move across the mountain to switch the girl for Arren*, then return and have poke Wulf until she regales you with a tale from an adventure.

    We know that the upcoming mission is going to be bad. We need to know what we're dealing with, and who we're dealing with. After that we can trade girl for fish, and then there's time for fun, which I'm using to get the GM to spill more worldbuilding.


    *Sounds like a riddle. You have a fish, a girl and a wolf. You want to cross the mountain, but your plane only holds 1 person in addition to the pilot ...
     
    Artificial Girl said:
    [X] Fly out, drop off the girl, and pick up Arren. Then talk to him about poly stuff.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Hrm. I was and remain in favor of clear communication but do we want to be having a possibly-stressful conversation prior to the combat mission rather than after it? Not sure we can afford the distraction if things go poorly.
     
    [X] Unfuck that busted alieron on your baby.
    -[X] Ask Wulf how fast that whirlybird goes- you've already had to push your Vnaught with one "wingman".
     
    4-20: PIcking Up The Boy
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Fly out, drop off the girl, and pick up Arren. Then talk to him about poly stuff.

    You and Wulf headed your separate ways to prep for the mission: you didn't know what Wulf needed to do, but you knew it would be best if she didn't come with you to the village she raided with some frequency. Instead, you swung by the doctor's house where you first woke up: the doc greeted you warmly and let you in, updating you on the girl's condition. She was currently stable, enough that he'd be willing to let his apprentice take over, but he shoved a huge bundle of doctor stuff in your hand as he explained.

    "Now, look, she'll be fine up there, but if she isn't, just... eh, put that one in her mouth, that one on the wound, and tilt her head back. And try not to crash, right?" He explained.

    As you moved through to retrieve the girl, you met a man lying on an examination table who was probably Wulf's crewman Benedikt, judging by the horrible mass of red scab tissue where his knee ought to be. You waved weakly and tried not to look.

    Elke was wheeled out to your plane in a wheelchair, a few assistants helping to get her in the cockpit. The plane itself had been wheeled onto a damp farmers field, where it rested lightly on the long grass. You made your checks and one of the ground crew started your engine, and you were off.

    The flight to Zinkstadt was quite uneventful. Paranoid from the doctor's instructions, you kept up a constant conversation with Elke, who this time seemed much more lucid and aware. You kept her talking about her life back home, and avoided as best you could touching on Ewald and what had happened.

    Finally, you reached Zinkstadt, gliding to a soft landing on the muddy path that served as their airstrip. That crowd which had formed the first time returned, this time watching silently as you cut the motor and climbed down out of the plane.

    "Elke is okay." You explained. "I need some help getting her out. Carefully."

    A few people came over, one of them the person you thought was Elke's sister, and together you carried the girl out of observer seat and into a length of canvas serving as a stretcher. She was carried away towards a shack, and you found yourself staring at the bemused faces of the villagers. Not... not hateful, not grateful. Examining you like a strange animal that had wandered into their town.

    "Can I see Arren now?" You said eventually, breaking the silent confrontation. There were some murmuring and rustling in the crowd, but nobody said anything to you. Then, the administrator, Dennis, pushed his way past the miners to you, pulling Arren by the hand. Arren looked exhausted and dirty, like he'd spent the whole night awake and fearing for his life.

    "Oh good. Good good good. You're here. Now there's just a matter of-"

    "Herr Reger, shut up please." You said, pushing past him and grabbing Arren by the straps on his flight harness, pulling him to you and kissing him.

    "Wow. It's nice to see you too." Arren said.

    "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" You asked, and he shook his head.

    "Nono, I'm fine. I'm really fine." He said. "I was so worried, we heard gunfire over the mountain..."

    "Get her started, we're coming with me. There's a bed and a shower with your name on it. I'll explain on the way." You kissed him again and started heading back for the plane, pulling his hand along.

    "Wait, um... fraulein Morgenthau..." Dennis protested weakly behind you. You paused. "What about the bandits?"

    "The raids are over. Irma will know. I'll see what she says when I get back to her, but in the meantime... I hope you have stockpiles. You might have to strike." You explained. The mummers in the crowd intensified.

    "That's it?" He said, face falling. "We're on our own?"

    You shrugged. "I guess. But if everything goes to plan here, you'll probably get more visitors." You said, and you climbed in your plane. "Good luck!" Arren swung the prop, and you slid along the mud and back into the air.

    You felt bad, but you weren't sure what to do about it. Your own personal wealth totaled a single coin in your satchel right now. They had a fairly well built town and a mine; they'd probably make do. You hoped.

    ---

    You were passing under that beautiful waterfall again, the one where you'd almost gotten shot, trying to figure out the words to say to Arren. After a few false starts, you'd switched off your end of the intercom so it wouldn't catch you saying anything stupid. He was sitting quietly, watching the scenery, sketching loosely in his little book, and doubt struck you as you watched him in the rear-view mirror. The wind played at the long curtains of hair around his eyes as he took in the natural beauty around him. Gods, he was perfect. What if you ruined this? What if you threw it all away for some dumb fling?

    On the other hand though... you thought about how restricted and regimented your old life was, how you were here to escape it. To figure out who you really were, and that was... a lot more complicated than you thought. It'd be less than two weeks and you'd learned a lot about yourself you'd never had imagined. How you could be a hero, a killer, a lover. What you'd stand for. Who you'd lie with.

    You flipped on the intercom switch.

    We're about to Get Real. What do you tell Arren, loosely, to explain the situation and what you want?

    This doesn't need to be giant and comprehensive. Give me some themes to work with, basically. Then we'll roll and make this happen.

    Don't worry, I'm not going to end things with your perfect fishboy over one roll and one bad decision. But there might be some tension for a while.    ​
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Are we sure we should be having this conversation when the need to fly the plane makes it hard for them to keep up eye contact consistently?
     
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