[SEASON 2] The Stalkers RPG - Main Action and Team Status [ENDED... FOR NOW]

[Morzone]

Hey Krysari, Sorry You're not feeling well enough to help, but do you think you could teach me your Seinaru Ability?

[VeloJello]

Hello? Suj? May I get a word? I was hoping a psychic like you might be able to give me a few ideas on where to find some of the Stalkers in town. Trust me - anything you can tell me helps!

Also, do you by any chance know a Pokemon who might go by "Juniper"? I heard the name and it sounded unfamiliar; I was hoping you might know of them.

Interview 4. Suj the Hypno.

[azura evley]

im going to escort Skikk the Skorupi [Poison/Bug, Basic] to Locked container {Type Lock A2: +Poison Type+, +Flying Type+, +Fire Type+, +Ice Type+, +Bug Type+} at (27) Beacon Restaurant (Abandoned)

[AD]

Guzma returns in a illustrious blinding light, amongst his brothers and sisters; the emissaries. He sates their uncertainty with a simple and warm gesture of his hand, before returning to his mission. He appears before the small Carbink and gives a warm smile.

Guzma interviews 64. Jarck the Carbink.

[Neo Emolga]

Udipheign seems certain there's something up with Talm so I should probably look into that if nothing else than Udipheign's peace of mind. I don't think we've heard anything about Talm though so I'm not sure what I'll find out... If he is a stalker he's done a good job of hiding his tracks from us at any rate.

{Investigate: 105. Talm the Throh}

Kames's Investigation into Talm has been completed.

Home Location: (34d) Jetstone Apartment Building, Floor 39
Work Location: (82) Dhalshaw Laboratories
Profession: Scientist
Traits: Welcoming, decisive, polite
Hits: The park, salty food
Misses: Harmful concoctions, cockiness
Hobbies: Writing educational pieces, experimenting
Friendships: Fynn, Hyrer
Relationships: Younger brother to Vern
Items: No items of interest were found in Talm's possession.
Taught Skills: Talm is not a skill teacher.
Proficiency: Talm does not have any perks the Emissaries can leverage.

Your investigation into Talm's life started last night when you watched Talm at his 39th floor apartment at the Jetstone Apartment Building. From what you gathered by watching him, Talm does have some welcoming and polite traits. He's very sociable on the phone and doesn't ever make any rude gestures or use vulgar language. You also find out that he's the younger brother to Vern the Machoke simply by delving into his text messages while he wasn't watching.

From what you've gathered, Talm, while passionate about his work, keeps a pretty stable work/life balance. Even when he gets home from his Dahlshaw Laboratories office desk, he's still deeply ingrained into his work and makes it his hobby as well. You get the idea that he's one of those rare few that landed their dream job and it shows. Considering he works at Dhalshaw, you get the idea that he's working on some extremely complex and intricate technology. In particular, combining biological neural systems with robotics along with linkages to advanced nanotechnology.

During the day, he also takes a break during lunch to head to the park. You've also noticed he takes a liking to salty food. He purchased a pretzel from a street vendor and also had a bag of salty potato chips as part of his lunch.

You also discover Talm is friends with Fynn the Heatmor, an engineer, and Hyrer the Tyrunt, who also worked at Dhalshaw Laboratories as a biochemist. Talm and Fynn seem to often meet for lunch and they often discuss very deep scientific theories and concepts. Hyrer, you gather from previous text messages, was a little more on the eccentric side while Fynn enjoyed the in-depth conversations and seemed to be the main topic carrier.

As someone who takes his work seriously, you can tell Talm doesn't like it when people abuse science. He seems to have a strong dislike for drug dealers and cocky people (especially cocky drug dealers!). It also seems to link with a particular concern about his recent interactions at the Rhombus Medical Research Laboratories and Calstone Medical Offices. In his emails, he's written about his suspicions about both of them and how he feels there's some kind of link between the two and the overbearing security concerns. He's also noted that areas of the buildings that he once had access to had their locks changed and he was never given the appropriate access, which he feels is extremely fishy.

Unfortunately, you haven't found anything in Talm's possession that bears traces of Stalker presences or signatures that can be tied to the Utopia Angels. Talm, while very knowledgeable in science, seems to be very skilled in writing very complex study logs, but he doesn't have the skills necessary to teach others quickly. Talm also doesn't quite deal with the kinds of science that the Emissaries would be able to leverage. His knowledge of hacking into computers and knowledge of forensics is a bit on the limited side. He's definitely more into biometrics and robotics than those fields.

Overall, you don't feel Talm is a Stalker. He hasn't come into contact with anything that bears a Stalker signature and after observing him for a full day, you don't feel he has done anything that a normal Pokémon wouldn't do.

Kames the Lampent (S: Ghost/Fire)

Health: 4/4
Sanity: 3/4
Perk: Repair | Learned Abilities: Investigate
Failed Assassinations: 0/2

[Bulbasaur]

Surprised no one has searched here. Seems sketchy.

Search (68) Giphlin's Estate

[ErIf s'eNUciUs]

I would like to take the Tragic Trumpet, Foolish Flute, and Grieving Guitar to the Monument of Mourning at Seventy One Manufacturing!

wow that totally did not sound ominous

You come upon Seventy-One Manufacturing with slow steps and heightened wariness. The sensation that injects itself into your mind begins to fill your entire body as you near the Monument of Mourning. Every breath you take begins to feel like a task in itself, and when you see the monument itself, the feeling only intensifies.

The Bonsly, Cubone and Azurill seem to be exuding misery, which you find a little too easy to absorb the closer you get. Finally you are standing right before the monument and swallow hard as you pull out the three instruments with appropriately shaped indents: the Foolish Flute, the Tragic Trumpet and the Grieving Guitar. However, upon pulling out the latter, you begin to feel the strength of the sorrow swell. Your breathing increases and you begin to blink uncontrollably. Then itches in various places on your body explode in tiny little irritating areas, causing you to widen your eyes in fear. You see ṃ̸̶̵̹̮̌̀̑̎ͧ̾̐̈ͅu̠̱̬͗ͤl̩̹̜̞̞̘͂͢t̡̉̎̍ͥ̏̀̈́̚͏̦͚i̴̟̍̍͢ ̫̗ṗ̸̴͍̹̱̙̺̻ͧ̕l̥̘̙̅͝ȅ͖̙̺̪͛͆̈́̈́̽͋̕ bugs borrowing ͔͍͖̲ͨ̈́̿t̹̜͇͍ͥ́̍̏͋ͧ̔ͦ́͞h̸̬̗̩̰̝͚͉̺ͯ̎̒r͚̤̹͙͔̙̤̳̝̍̚o͊̓ ̪̭̪̤̳͍̻̟́ͫ̀͟͠u̷̷̝͗̽͌͟g̭͍͖͇̜̯ͦ̀͂̇̕͠ḫ͓͇͙̞ͪ̿ͩ̃ͭ̓ͪ͆̊͞ ̺̫̖ your fur and ̷̬̖̖ͫͯ̂ͅi̷̶̱̜͕̪͖̞͛̄̋́̄̃n͖̗̟̤ͦ̔͑̊t̥̞͎͙̻̮͚͎͓̾ͤ͛ͤ̆̓̾͘ ö̫̗̘́ͩ̍̆ͤ́ ̲̣͚̦͚̣̼͂̽̑ͤ̽͆̿͘͘ỹ̡̛̻̞̳͍͈̟̝̠͍̉ͭ̉̚͜ơ̰ͩ̍ͬ̾ͥ͢u̷̒̈̉̈ͬ ̮̳̠̟r̡̙̰̣͕̻͍ͧ͆́͘ͅ ̟͓̪̙͇͕̮̝̎ͅs̶̻͇̑̎̓͐ͣ͝kinͦ̐̏ͥ͋̈́̅͜҉̤̻̟, p̶̝̲̞̜̒̈́́͑́͞ơ̞͔̹̪̗͊̇ͪ́͞p̶̩̩͚̦̒̉̒̔͊̚̕p̶̧̘̩͋̅ͤ́ͫ͌ͫ̓ ͅͅi̶̤̪͈͈̯̗ͮ̅ͯͫͭͣ̚͘̕n̶̶̝̳͖̪̞͍̞̽̊̄̔ͨ̋͒ͥͭg̵̥̣ͦ͂̏̓̊̍ͫ́ ͖͎͔ out again to take a breath, then diving back in.

You gasp, scratching wildly at all affected areas, trying to convince yourself that this isn't real, that your scratches are hurting more than they're helping. But your in̈́͌ͮ̄͂̎̓́͏͇̭̪stin̈́͌ͮ̄͂̎̓́͏͇̭̪̯̖̯̤͓ͅcts won't listen and you only scratch harder until you start bleeding on your foreleg. It's then that you pause, taken aback by your actions. Yó̡͚͖̩̺̱͈̜̯ͣ̉͘u can still see the bù͍̗̲̟͚̹̲̜̄͊̊̈́̀͢͞g̸͎̰̻̾̀ͪ̒ͭ̆̽s burrowing in̈́͌ͮ̄͂̎̓́͏͇̭̪̯̖̯̤͓ͅ and out, scurrying through the strands of your fur and making nests a̩͓͓̞̭̅͒round your body, but you attempt to turn a blind eye. Attempt.

Laura the Umbreon has sustained 2 points of damage to Sanity.

You slam the guitar into place first in an effort to dispel its effects, then hurriedly fit the other two instruments into their respective slots.

[Grieving Guitar], [Foolish Flute] and [Tragic Trumpet] have been removed from the Team Inventory.

The bugs continue, digging and scratching, but you try to brush them off and pay attention as the monument begins to hiss. It's too late to notice that the monument is spilling gas before it begins to creep into your lungs, filling your body with toxins they have never before withstood. You scream as they take over your mind, throwing you into a deep sadness as you begin to see the Bonsly, Cubone and Azurill come to life and descend to the ground before you. They're screaming, crying and shouting, begging you to stop their pain as you start to feel it too. The pain welling up inside of you takes over your entire thought process, gripping you in an inescapable sorrow.

Y̢̹ͦ̑̀̕ͅờ̷̼͖̹͍̼̪ͫ͋u̴̫̫͂͑͂͂̈́ ̨̣͙̺̯̬̱̌̒ͫ̆ͩ́͟a̡͎͂̓̓ͣͮͥ̔r͎͓̫̫̰̭͇͍ͧ͗̈́ͤ̚͟͞e̛͛͒̕͢ ͙̩̖ ̶̛͚̝͗̽ͩ͂̋̊͘a̩͓͓̞̭̅͒l̷̲̯̯̾̑̓ͦ̅͝ͅó̡͚͖̩̺̱͈̜̯ͣ̉͘n̈́͌ͮ̄ ͂̎̓́͏͇̭̪̯̖̯̤͓ͅe̶͙̬̦̰̥̺̮͙͔ͮ̈ͬ̇

You witness friends die, family get slaughtered, and the Stalkers take over the city. Soon, nobody is safe as the Enthrallers emerge from the underworld and consume the world that you know, destroying everything you cared for. Sadness is flooding through your face, making your cheeks hurt, your chest heave and your paws become weak. The rings on your body are dimming into nothing, ripping the life from you as tears are drowning you and peace becomes a distant memory. You know nothing but burden of depression and the loneliness of grief.

Laura the Umbreon has sustained 1 point of damage to Sanity.

You open your eyes, only to find the monument in the exact same state you had first seen it. The carvings of the haunting children remain on top, while the instruments, the guitar still humming with disturbing Stalker essence, sit in their allocated spaces. You shake your head, noticing that the bugs are gone but the echoes of despair still plague your mind. You take a breath, steadying yourself while you turn around and nearly jump in surprise. A brick wall has appeared, and on it are some particularly disturbing words. You take note of this, figuring they're Extol's musings.



Object =Rejection Scribbles= were added to the Team Inventory.

At the foot of the wall rests one thin stone tablet. You approach it and take a look, unsure what it is but able to recognise that it holds some significance for discovering Extol.

Item [Page of Rejection] was added to the Team Inventory.

Knowing this is all you're going to get from this place, you high-tail it out of there, trying to rid your mind of the horrendous images still flashing before you. You feel cold. Much, much too cold. And upon arriving to the Emissary Headquarters, you start to feel your limbs seize up. The icy feeling is spreading through your body at lightning speed, and while you're trying to call for help, the ice incapacitates you completely. Then, you feel hollow.

Laura the Umbreon is FROZEN.


Laura the Umbreon (M: Dark)

Health: 5/5 FROZEN
Sanity: 1/4
Perk: Diplomacy | Learned Abilities: Escort/Protect, Exorcism
Failed Assassinations: 0/2

[Suicune's Fire]

All right, let's do this. Come along, little Shaymin, these instruments aren't going to carry themselves. We need to get the Spiteful Saxophone, Callous Clarinet, and Vicious Viola to the Sculpture of Curses at the Dakin Apartment Tower.
Easy for you to say! You're not carrying the viola!
Now now, no complaining! Come on we've got a sculpture of curses to get to!
Why did I agree to this?

You feel sick to your stomach as you come upon the Sculpture of Curses. You wonder if it has caused anyone else in the city grief or fear, and are slightly concerned about why it has not yet been removed from the Dakin apartment building block. At least, you figure, this grotesque carving will give you further insight into the Stalkers and their plans--or so you hope.

The sculpture is sickening to witness. The dead look in the Linoone's eye is almost as frightening as the rage built up on the Primeape's face, but not quite so. The concentration of the anger which was somehow conveyed perfectly in this twisted art piece makes you marvel at the same time that you cringe in disgust. Trying to push all this from your mind, you waddle up to the statue and take the three instruments needed to complete this disturbing puzzle, then fit them into their correct spots.

You back away, watching as the Primeape's eyes suddenly light up with a dangerous fire. Suddenly it grips you, holding you in place as an invisible force pushes itself into your mind, twisting and turning it. You feel a hot flush of anger course through you and your muscles tighten. You let rip a scream of rage, swiping at the energy around you in an effort to dispel it. You're not scared or worried--you're just furious.

Soon you're firing off attack after attack as you boil with wrath, unable to contain the emotions bubbling within you. Your body is trembling terribly as you lash out left and right, up and down. Your screams of fury echo throughout the apartment block, but you are blind to the potential consequences as you continue, until finally one of your long ghost-like arms springs back and knocks you straight in the head.

It was not hard enough to do proper damage, but now you're lying on the ground in slight confusion. Your head is spinning and you sit up with a groan. The sculpture has been completely destroyed. In your fit of rage, you must have reduced it to rubble without realising. Among the rubble, you see something that wasn't there before. Slowly you creep up to it and pick it up.



Object =Revenge Note= was added to the Team Inventory.

You also notice a stone tablet which looks almost identical to the one found by Laura. This one, however, has a different inscription.

Item [Page of Vengeance] was added to the Team Inventory.

Thankful you were not injured or affected in any way, you scurry back to base to show your team what you found. However, upon arriving at the quarters, you begin to stumble over your words and find that you cannot form a proper sentence. Then you wonder where you are and how you got here. Who are these Pokemon again?

Madder the Mimikyu is CONFUSED.


Madder the Mimikyu (S: Ghost/Fairy)

Health: 4/4 CONFUSED
Sanity: 4/4
Perk: Lockpick | Learned Abilities: Restrain, Exorcism
Failed Assassinations: 0/2

[Neo Emolga]

I ask Solok the Electrode what he knows of the Stalker incidents, and if he has any info to help us out

Interview Rapport: VERY POSITIVE
+1 Shared Pokémon Type (Electric)
+1 Shared Pokémon Evolution Stage

You find Solok the Electrode works during the day as a prison guard over at Silvercoal Correctional. It seems outgoing and optimistic despite its line of work. You figure dealing with inmates all day with their insults and uncooperative behavior would easily wear out any Pokémon quickly enough, but it seems it doesn't bother Solok in the slightest. You could imagine it must have a will of fire in order to withstand the kind of harsh and brutal environment it works in, but somehow, it does.

You approach Solok while it's at the watch tower. For now, the prisoners are having lunch in the mess hall so there's no one outside to watch. You greet and introduce yourself to Solok, and it seems friendly enough to you.

"Hello there, ma'am!" the Electrode greets you. "You aren't lost, are you?"

You smile but explain what you're doing here and if it knows something about the Stalker incidents. Solok nods, looking a bit iffy, but it decides to give you as many details as it knows.

"Well, there's something going on around the prison and it's ugly," Solok tells you. "I got Chief Pormalu on the phone about some of the things I've been seeing around here and he told me it definitely sounds like the work of a Stalker named Nightlust."

"First, there's the 'Insanity Hall' as one fellow Charmeleon guard named Krant called it,' Solok explains. "It spooked even a guy like Krant and he's tough as nails. So I checked it out myself and I'll admit it did light my nerves up a bit for a moment. That's unusual. That thing is on the third sublevel and I'm not even sure how or when this Nightlust got into there without anyone noticing, but now the lock has been retrofitted with something grizzly, demanding something called Evangtin, Anaksin, and Xetdan... whatever those things are supposed to be. We tried to break through it but that didn't work and now there's something going on down there that there's definitely Stalker-related work."

"We've got a similar problem on the thirteenth floor," Solok continues. "One of the prisons that belonged to an inmate named Culkan the Staraptor was also renovated by this Nightlust. Culkan was found dead looking like his soul was spooked out of him and now what used to be his cell is the 'Doom Prison.' Again, the other guards hate looking at it. I'm the only one that seems to even tolerate just walking by it. It is unsettling, but I guess I've seen enough to be desensitized to it."

"Lastly, Damnation Prison, up on the 29th floor," Solok further explains. "It's a similar story, only in this case, Nightlust killed two inmates. It was creepy the day we found it. A Plusle and a Minun, one painted almost all black while the other was almost all white, save for a spot on their forehead, which was the opposite of the other's in a creepy Yin-Yang kind of way. We didn't know what to make of it. They both died looking absolutely horrified at each other. How no one heard them scream is a mystery, but that's the nature of it. Their prison was turned into one of Nightlust's hideaways. Or one of his secret stashes. We can't get in there now and it's a bit unsettling how a Stalker is using our maximum security prison as their own play-place, but my guess is the other Stalkers are doing that all over town. Someone's got to put an end to that, along with all the other things they've been doing. Unfortunately, I'm needed here to keep these inmates under control. We can't afford to reduce the staff here to go on investigations. I guess that's where you Emissaries need to come in."

"That's as much as I know, Lita," Solok tells you, still trying to keep a smile despite the tough situations. "I definitely did my background checks, looked at Pormalu's case files, and there's definitely links to Nightlust here. You and the rest of the Emissaries have my authorization to search the prison, just be careful. I'm sure these places are extremely dangerous."

For a moment, it seems Solok was about to return to his station post, but then it remembers one more thing.

"Oh, and one more thing," Solok tells you. "I happen to be one of the head instructors for the security team. Because of that, I'm in charge of training new recruits in situational awareness and security. I suppose that's also the reason why I'm a lot more resistant to the effects of these... things the Stalkers keep setting up to keep others out of their way. Listen, you already seem pretty knowledgeable in the field of security, but if the other Emissaries need some help in that field, I'll be happy to work with them if I get a free moment."

Solok the Electrode has been identified as knowing Security.

"As always, be ready and prepared for anything," Solok tells you with a confident grin. "When you work here for as long as I have, well, that tends to come naturally."

Lita the Pikachu (S: Electric)

Health: 4/4
Sanity: 3/4
Perk: Security | Learned Abilities: Rescue/Escape
Failed Assassinations: 0/2

[Neo Emolga]

I'll interview number 104 Barnaby the Popplio!

Interview Rapport: VERY POSITIVE
+1 Shared Pokémon Type (Water)
+1 Shared Pokémon Evolution Stage

You find Barnaby lives on the 40th floor of the Seawish Tower. When you knock on the door, he opens it and the sea lion Pokémon beams with a smile as he welcomes you inside.

"Hey, hey, welcome to my apartment!" he tells you, welcoming you inside his fun and friendly casual living space. "What can I do for ya!?"

You accept the friendly gesture and join him inside, where he has quite a comfortable crib here with cushy sofas, a nice holoscreen television, and cool and fun knick-knacks around. For just but a moment, it makes you feel cozy enough to forget about why you came here in the first place, but you quickly remember despite all the cozy distractions.

You explain about how the Emissaries are looking for details about the Stalkers and you're hoping Barnaby could help out. He nods, feeling he could be on to something that might prove useful.

"Hey, ya know, I just might!" Barnaby tells you with a smile. "Thankfully, I have a job that allows me to work from home all the time. I'm a professional blogger! It's a great job as long as ya get lots of readers and always have a great new batch of writing material! Okay, so I have one blog called 'Dream Job Day' that talks about matching dream jobs with the actual Pokémon that have those jobs! I managed to get an interview with that music star, Sharley! And she's HARD to get a hold of! I've also interviewed a few Pokémon over at the Platinum Tower Skyscraper. CEOs of big, major corporations and stuff like that. So many people want to be a CEO, but you know, it's tough work. It's not just about big money. But I try to make the blog fun and the Pokémon I interview know it too!"

"So, what does that have to do with the Stalkers?" Barnaby asks with a smile while looking a big bashful. "Aww, okay, I was hoping I'd get you interested as another reader! Anyway, I did some research and put some pieces together. Now, I don't think the police would believe me if I told them, but I kind of noticed a pattern between some of the Stalker-related deaths and the nature of them."

"This is going to sound really strange, but... there's a weird Stalker that can somehow make a Pokémon rich and famous... before they kill them," Barnaby tells you. "Okay, did you read the article on how Utab died? Supposed he wrote that thriller series, Restless Awakening, but HOW? I read it and it's genius, but it doesn't match his background! He was just a diplomat. He couldn't have written that, and yet, he did and no one claimed he stole it. A known-to-be panicky Bouffalant writing seriously amazing novels. So it doesn't make sense. Before him, there was Danzi. Do ya know who Danzi the Lopunny was? She was a new pop star singer killed by poisoning too, but she was another one of these pop star overnight stories. I read up on her and she was working at the flippin' Market Basket Grocery Store before whoa, suddenly she's a superstar singer extraordinaire! Before dying a few days later. It's creepy. I've heard of Stalkers doing all kinds of grizzly stuff, but this is on a whole other level."

"And that's how I found the pattern," Barnaby tells you. "I was all ready to interview both Utab and Danzi to see just how this revelation came about, and then boom, they're dead. Star novelist overnight. Pop culture singer. Overnight. Dream jobs Pokémon would adore to have, and yet... they're dead. Won it all to lose it all. How?"

"Now, most Pokémon would suspect a poison-type of doing something like this," Barnaby explains further. "Nah. Whoever this Stalker is would know that. There's a different pattern I've been noticing. There's poison, but if you check out the crime scenes in the photographs, there's signs of water. Meanwhile, whoever has been doing this to these Pokémon has been spending a lot of their own personal money just to buy them fancy clothing and jewelry to be found dead in. Danzi was found in a fancy white dress she never brought herself. Now that's suspicious as heck. I read up so much on her because she had such a fascinating story and I swear, her music... if it really was her music, was amazing. Somehow there's a Stalker that knows exactly how to match any Pokémon's trait as a talent with something that just works amazing. And Danzi was... one of those Pokémon chosen."

"Now, I've been following my readers and what they've been saying," Barnaby tells you. "Some of them suspect it's a water Pokémon. One of my readers thought they saw a shadow or something jump into the water close by to where Danzi was killed that night, and another kid hoping to get an autographed copy of Restless Awakening from Utab thought they might have seen something similar with the water and how there were streaks of water and small puddles around. Yep, the very night and area Utab was killed. If that's the case, we're dealing with a Stalker that lives in the water. And that must mean whatever they're doing and where they're working has to be close to the water, also."

"Whew, sorry about that!" Barnaby flushes with a bit of embarrassment. "I tend to talk a lot, but I hope ya don't mind. Bloggers naturally have a lot to say! Well, thanks for stopping by! I hope ya find this guy before he hurts anyone else! It's one thing to have a dream to go big, but we want our stars to be safe and sound, too!"

Marta the Buizel (M: Water)

Health: 5/5
Sanity: 3/4
Perk: Lockpick | Learned Abilities: Investigation
Failed Assassinations: 0/2