The Stalkers RPG - Main Action and Team Status Thread [SEASON 3] *SWEET VICTORY!*

[Neo Emolga]

Search: (46) The Morning Chime Motel

You head to the southern area of Southwarren, where you find the Morning Chime Motel. According to some of the locals, this motel isn't even within city lines, but at the moment, you don't think that's a factor.

At a first glance, it seems the place is very empty. Even though the building is large and has plenty of rooms, you don't seen anyone coming or going at all, and it easily seems like none of the rooms have been rented out to anyone for the past few weeks at least. You're really not sure how Vols keeps this place going, but somehow he does.

You search around the exterior, but you don't find anything that stands out besides some trash, junk piles, debris, and other signs of litter and neglect. You get the idea that Vols doesn't hire anyone to take care of the grounds and isn't too concerned with the state of the motel. It seems like a "take it or leave it" situation and most Pokémon have decided to just leave it. Between this and the Copperplate Hotel, Southwarren doesn't seem to have their hospitality industry covered very well.

You start searching the motel room by room. Most of the rooms aren't in bad shape, but they're just not inviting. The beds, as you discover, aren't much of an improvement over a prison cot. There's only one lamp for each of the rooms, the bathrooms are disgusting, and not all of them have running water. But, as you already know, it's take it or leave it to Vols.

You do find one room that looks unusual. It's in a far corner of the motel on the first floor and it seems like it hasn't been used for a while. Or at least you think that's the case until you take a closer look. Oddly enough, someone has been using this and you feel a bit of Stalker presence by the doorknob. You open it up and decide to see what's inside.

You quickly and easily discover someone is using this whole room as their own personal chamber. They've even built a makeshift altar made of gray stone slabs and strange, creepy symbols beyond Vols's scrutiny. When you approach it, you sense something in you suddenly s҉̼i̖̪͎̜̜̯͔͟n̙̳̮̮̟̺̲͢ķ̯̩͈̩ ̝̞̻̜́y̤̹̩͕̼̹͠o͈̤͉͉͘u̵͙̯̞r̹̯̞̼ ̶̬̪̮̺̠̰̺s̳͉̬ṕ̟̦̹̭͈̜i̶̥̝͕͔̮̣r͕̝͉̭̟i̯̖͖̖͔̘̫͘t͏͇̥̪̰̘ s̘͍̮̜ ͓͙̩̤͚͝d̢o̶̯w̡n̰̹̣.̷̞.́.͙

@-Hopelessness Aura@ (1 Sanity Damage)

Pixel has suffered 1 Damage to Sanity.

For a brief moment, you feel like everything you're trying to do is for nothing and never before have you felt so... insignificant. Meanwhile, as you take a closer look, the altar seems to have some groves in it where things seem to be missing. There's also an inscription here...

I can't bear to look at myself like this. But yet I want to, just to see all the ways I can die and finally make that last payment. So many ways to die. All I need is one.

Objective {Depression Altar: Missing Mirror, Missing Sigil} @-Hopelessness Aura@ (1 Sanity Damage) has been noted in the Team Records.

You decide to leave, as the altar just doesn't seem to stop making you feel more and more depressed the longer you stay around it.

You search throughout the rest of the rooms at the motel, but you don't see anything else that's unusual. You can't help but get the feel this place is a lot more depressing than when you first started searching it...

You decide to head back, hoping to maybe get your mind off of this for a while...

Pixel the Porygon-Z (M: Normal)

Health: 5/5
Sanity: 2/4
Perk: Science | Learned Abilities: Investigate
Failed Assassinations: 0/2

[Neo Emolga]

One sanity adventuring? Not today, dumb thoughts in my brain! I'll just rest for the night.

After feeling a bit overwhelmed from your brutal fight with RttnCrps, you decide you definitely need a break to rest your mind and recover your spirits. With your Sanity on the brink of near-collapse, you decide resting tonight would be wise so you can refresh and be ready.

At the same time, the beds in the Emissary base are nice, cozy, and for a moment, they help you forget about some of the brutal and macabre things you've faced recently. You get comfortable under the sheets, close your eyes, and let the peace and quiet try to relax you.

Quincy has recovered 1 Point of Sanity.

The dark and shadowy visions are still skittering about your head like frenzied spiders, but at least the mental trauma is slowly going away. You still feel like you're going to need some more time before you can handle something like that again...

Quincy the Victini (S: Psychic/Fire)

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

[EmeraldSky]

I will clear out Silverdike

[sammy0295]

I'll take the newly disarmed heads to (38) The Escapist Bookstore (Abandoned)

I'll head to (25) The Copperplate Hotel (Abandoned) with the [Burning Icicle]
And the [7734 Key]? Is that where that goes?

[ARandomTool]

Man, taking heads was gonna be my job... Oh well. Investigate Zell the Greninja because I don't think a simple conversation would go over well. Plus, he's probably a Repair teacher! Fixing things is always nice NEVERMIND APPARENTLY INSTEAD... (On phone can't cross out worth jack)
Dagnabbit people. Taking the Royal Heads (Nidoking, Nidoqueen) to the Escapist Bookstore!

[Shruikan]

I'm rather behind the times, so I'll just stick to random searching again. I'll try "(36) The Law Offices of Veckly, Jeb, and Grenner" this time.

[Neo Emolga]

Woooooo cars and engines and yay fun! So much fun~ I'm going to take the 9DX ignition key to the machine depot #2 and use it after repairing the machine myself!

You head to Machine Deport #2 tonight to see what the deal is with the 9DX Engine.

At night, Dali is long gone and you figure it's probably better to look into this while she's not around. When you locate the 9DX Engine, you look it over and it's not a big repair job. Some components have become misaligned and one of the rotator belts came loose and fell off. Thankfully, it's not a job where you would need replacement parts. You're able to work with what's already there and you manage to get everything back into working condition once everything has been realigned and recalibrated using your repair skills.

{9DX Engine: <Repair>, 9DX Ignition Key}

With that all set, it's time to see what the story behind this is. You take the 9DX Ignition Key, put it into the ignition, and you attempt to start it up.

{9DX Engine: <Repair>, 9DX Ignition Key}

Item [9DX Ignition Key] has been removed from the Team Inventory.

With a few clicks, it starts up again and begins to roar loudly. For a moment, the engine keeps vibrating, but out of the corner of your eye, you notice something popped out of it. At first, you begin to think this was one of the components that was loose before and maybe it just needed to be placed in a bit more securely, but when you take a closer look, you see it's not related to the engine at all. You pick it up, examine it, and you find it's a small figurine of a Pichu. You can't help but notice it seems quite happy, cheerful, and innocent. Meanwhile, the mount seems to be made of wood. You can't imagine how someone managed to hide this in the engine itself, but now that you have it, it seems like it's leading up to something.

You take it with you.

Item [Pichu Figurine] has been added to the Team Inventory.

You then head back to base for the rest of the night.

Julia the Weavile (M: Dark/Ice)

Health: 4/5
Sanity: 4/4
Perk: Repair | Learned Abilities: Exorcism
Failed Assassinations: 0/2

[Neo Emolga]

I will sort through the traps on the items. That mirror with the note on it is the one I go for first.

You decide to take care of the rather nasty effects of the [Suicide Mirror], which seems innocent from a distance, but you know better. You find it laying face down and with a warning note for good reason.

As you can tell, the mirror, which feels slathered with Stalker essence, is capable of unleashing a very nasty, psychic-based mind-ravaging effect that drives those that look into it into suicidal tendencies. Not only does it drive them insane by making these viewers behold their own deaths, but the effect gets even worse when it actually makes the whole prospect of suicide seem inviting. As a result, anyone falling under the effect would end up mutilating themselves pretty badly, unless they were a dark type.

You handle the mirror very carefully, making sure not to look at the reflective side for good reasons. You find that trying to disable this effect without compromising the mirror's ability to perform its function is tricky. Simply duct-taping the reflective surface isn't enough due to the psychic effect. You find black, electric tape is really the only thing that can maximize a simulated darkness and still block out the affliction caused by the mirror's reflection. Of course, very few Pokémon would be aware of this.

You tape up the surface of the mirror with your paws, making sure to only cover the reflective area. Then, as the final step, it has to be coated with a black sealant to block out and lock-in the psychic effect but still keep the integrity of the mirror so it could be used for whatever locking mechanism it's intended for. You manage to do this with a spare sealant jug from the supply cabinet and a paintbrush. Once you're done and the sealant dries, it's now safe to look at from any angle.

The #Mind Ravage: Psychic# (2 Sanity Damage, 2 Health Damage) trap on the [Suicide Mirror] has been removed.

You shudder a bit to think about what you might have seen if you looked into it, but thankfully that's something no one needs to worry about anymore.

Arrow the Jolteon (M: Electric)

Health: 5/5
Sanity: 4/4
Perk: Security | Learned Abilities: Rescue/Escape
Failed Assassinations: 0/2

[Neo Emolga]

I'll search (20) Arrowsaw Manufacturing Plant

In the southeastern side of Southwarren, you find the Arrowsaw Manufacturing Plant, which doesn't look to be in very good shape and it seems like even when the company was still around, it looks like renovations weren't in the budget either.

You start by searching around the outside. It seems to be a pretty big exterior, but you manage to cover a lot of ground quickly. Outside, the exterior of the building looks pretty beat-up and a few of the windows have been broken. There's also graffiti scrawl on the concrete walls, but you don't find anything that looks related to the Stalkers. Some of them look like old gang tags and other incoherent gibberish. Meanwhile, the walls are slightly cracked in a few places and some of the other walls have fallen apart a bit. The back loading dock garages also look like they've been rusted shut for a while now.

You search around this loading dock and you find a yellow feather clinging onto an old wood pallet that has started to rot and splinter apart. It definitely seems like the feather is from a living Pokémon and wasn't artificially-created. Whether it belongs to an actual Stalker or not is a bit of a mystery, but you take it with you. You never know what Tashy might find.

Pokémon Sample [Yellow Feather] has been added to the Team Inventory.

You then head inside to check out the interior and what might be around here. Inside, most of the factory was stripped apart. Most of the machines are gone and only the junk remains. Meanwhile, the painted walls have been peeling apart, the large stone floor tiles have crack all over the place, and nothing seems to be powered anymore, forcing you to use a flashlight and headlamp to find your way around.

It seems as though Arrowsaw was mostly creating ceramic and porcelain sinks, toilet bowls, vases, and the like. It seems a lot of the leftover product was destroyed, as there are broken pieces of these everywhere. It looks like they were trying to liquidate the rest of their remaining inventory and then just gave up.

You do find one wooden parcel box that was leftover from the neglect and fiasco that resulted from all the machinery and processes getting stripped out. However, the box isn't in good shape and it looks like it wasn't handled very well. You carefully open it and when you look and rummage inside, you find most of the ceramic bowls are cracked, broken, and in pieces, but you find two ceramic bowls that are still in really good condition and can hold a cup of water and can also hold a candle. They definitely seem like something Tashy could use for the Sin Purge Ritual.

Item [Ceramic Bowl] x2 has been added to the Team Inventory.

Unfortunately, everything else is either too damaged or too small to use for the ritual. Meanwhile, the box also holds plates, toothbrush holders, and vases, but unfortunately these are also damaged and can't really be used for the Ritual as none of them would work for holding both holy water and having a candle inserted into them.

You search through the rest of the factory's administrative and office areas. It seems odd, but you can tell whoever used to be here left everything in disarray as they were probably disgruntled and disgusted about the lack of business and being unable to afford to stay open. Papers are everywhere, broken furniture is all over the place, and it seems like everyone left in a bitter, foul mood.

While you search, you find an old metal safe that looks like it has remained shut for quite some time. You notice someone tried to force the lock and break it open, but they weren't successful at all and the only thing they did was scratch up the lock all over the place. You figure the key is probably long gone, but someone with the right skills might be able to pick this and see what was locked away, forgotten about, and kept here for a very long time, long before the Stalkers even showed up to Southwarren.

Locked Container {Old Safe: <Lockpick>} has been noted in the Team Records.

You search a little more, but after digging through more collapsed furniture and piles of papers, you don't find anything else. You decide to head back and take all the useful things you've found with you.

Carly the Heracross (M: Bug/Fighting)

Health: 5/5
Sanity: 3/4
Perk: Diplomacy | Learned Abilities: Rescue/Escape
Failed Assassinations: 0/2

[Neo Emolga]

I'll disarm [Nidoking Head] #Disturbing Presence# (1 Sanity Damage) with my security perk.

Seeing as how these heads will be used very soon, you decide to remove the grizzly effect this head has on whoever looks into its eyes.

You look at what was done for the Nidoqueen head and it confirms your hunch about what needs to be done for the Nidoking head. It seems the only real working component of the head is on the neck where the protrusions will go into the mechanism. You just need to dig out the eyes, cover them when they've been removed, and dispose of them without looking at them.

You keep an old rag ready as you chisel out both of the Nidoking's eyes. You imagine looking at the face of this thing isn't exactly going to be uplifting when it has no eyes, but at least it won't be haunting. As before, you perform the careful chiseling work and make sure to cover both of the removed eyes with the old rag as soon as they come loose and fall out. Once both of them are out and you've covered them with the rag, you then dispose of it all like you were tossing out a dead cockroach, making sure you the bundle stays together as it lands in the trash.

The #Disturbing Presence# (1 Sanity Damage) trap on the [Nidoking Head] has been removed.

As with the Nidoqueen head, the eyeless and headless expression still doesn't look jubilant by any standard, but at least it won't haunt anyone anymore.

Sarah the Archen (S: Rock/Flying)

Health: 4/4
Sanity: 3/4
Perk: Security | Learned Abilities: Escort/Protect
Failed Assassinations: 0/2