Stalkers RPG Main Action and Team Status [SEASON 4]

[Morzone]

Ow, my head. Not sure what's going on with Orin but I'll leave that for the others to deal with. I need to go talk with Vye the Bisharp about this captive Mienfoo. Hopefully my diplomacy skills can convince them to release them, or at get them to explain why they're so confident Jasper is the culprit. I'll make sure to ask them about anything else suspicious they may have seen around, or any other information on the stalkers thy might have.

[Suicune's Fire]

You are all in shock as the words ring through your ears. The absolute lunacy of this claim is questionable to you all, and there is not one of you that doesn't wish to know what on earth he is talking about, and whether anything he's claiming is sincere. None of you expected any of the Stalkers to come forward and admit to anything, and even after someone did, you have no way to know if his words have any merit whatsoever.

The only thing you can do is ask questions and gauge the credibility of the answers for yourselves, so for six of you, that's exactly what you do.

Truly is the first to scuttle forward.

"I kind of had a hunch. Epsilon, right?"

You hear a small grunt on the other side of the door, which thankfully isn't too muffled. "So you will hear me out." You hear a smile in his voice. "Yeah...that's what this thing inside me calls itself."

"Some of the others wanted to execute you as soon as we found out, but you haven't always been a Stalker, have you. You're still you. Just with a stowaway passenger."

"And what are you, the team detective?" he snorts. "...Well yeah, you're spot-on. Nobody's born a Stalker, kid. We're all just regular pokémon with hopes, dreams and desires like the rest of you. I happen to be an older one, with a much more...intense passion. And unfortunately, Stalker spirits like to pray on that crap." You see him gesture to himself. "Hence the possession."

"So how do you want to do this? Execution, imprisonment -- does that even work? Tell us what you know. Because I've heard Orin's story, and just like him, I'm rooting for the underdog."

"Heh, I am Orin. That's the thing--normally these things take control of the host. I know how it works; this thing tried to do it to me, but somehow - I don't know how - I resisted it. This thing, this evil spirit, is broken or some crap. I got the shitty one in the throw-out bin. As for its story, I don't freaking know. Do you think they share that information with their hosts? Gods no! That would be moronic. These things keep us in the dark as much as they can. We don't even know who the other Stalkers are. When the spirits communicate, they shut us off and lock us away. We have no memory of meetings or exchanges. Stalkers know who the other Stalkers are; we don't."

"You make it out of this, I'll see to it they finally put up a statue of you."

"Yeah, kid, I appreciate you rooting for me. Thing is, I don't know that I should be rooting for me. This thing might be weak and pathetic, but it's still lying somewhere within me, and I don't know if I can overcome it entirely. That's...why I came to you guys. Turn myself in, and maybe we can find a way out of this. Trust me...I don't wanna die."

You take in what he's said, but are still filled with so many questions. Before you can think of more, you watch as Lillilan leaves quickly into another room, and Nicklefool steps up to the door.

"Just a few odd questions before I leave, Orin... What is your Stalker name, what was your wish, and who do you hate the most right now? How much do you hate them? Yes, that is all."

Orin barely misses a beat. "Epsilon, as I know you have all figured out. I saw that someone ransacked my room, and I have heard the buzz about you people from my connections. You don't co-found a town, take up residence in its main establishment, and not implement some kind of information network. Those other Stalkers - the ones who aren't like me - don't function the same way. But I have eyes and ears, and I think with my vivillon brain, not my underworld calculations. They don't pick up on things that I do...hence how I knew it was the right time to show myself."

He takes a moment, his wings still batting as he remains airborne. He still looks to be patient.

"I founded this town with four others; Shilamora among them. Over the years, I have come to resent her...incredibly strongly. With each passing year, she squashed me deeper into the pile of things that no longer matter, and has taken my fame, glory, and rightful ownership from me. She now governs this town and refuses to share ownership or pass any merit to any of my decisions, no matter how much better than hers they may be. And the kicker? She has no idea how much I hate her. She sees nothing wrong with her actions, and feels no empathy for my situation. She took so very much from me and doesn't even care to see it."

His eyes are dark with malice and hate and you swear you can see a lick of his Stalker personality brush through.

"I hate her with every fibre of my being. She has dismissed me enough time for me to want her gone. When a dark, dastardly spirit showed itself to me and promised to help me rid the world of her...how could I say no? But this THING seems to have a wild sense of humour, because the only pokémon I can't seem to target IS HER!" he shouts, his voice booming throughout the clubhouse foyer where you have all gathered. The force and derision behind the yell is enough to make your stomach turn. You return to the peephole and watch as he closes his eyes, then opens them to reveal their returned normalcy. "I apologise for my outburst."

You are all silent once again before you think of one last question, cringing a little before you say,

"Wait, I almost forgot, how is it that one gets possessed by a Stalker? I'm asking your 'better half,' of course." You then switch to a quieter voice. "I just get so lonely in the multiverse..."

You see the vivillon frown. "They ask you. They profile you, seek you out, and entice you into agreeing to their arrangement. Little do we know what actually happens to us once we agree. At least...that's what happened with me." He leans in a little. "Don't you dare repeat this, but...they go after the desperate ones."

Sparkstrike then moves to the door while you step away and allow her some time with Orin.

well first of all, Orin. How "in control" are you? Can you control it? Does it force you to do things or do you have a choice in the matter? Or is there someone you're just trying to protect?

"The only thing I'm trying to protect is myself," he answers flatly. "Once I realised I made a deal with a devil, I fought against its influence and lo-and-behold, I won. Then I heard rabble of you lot going around asking a few too many questions and gathering items. Then my room got searched, and I've been able to prevent myself from killing anyone this week. I'll have you know, I resisted a kill last night. But I'm not an imbecile; I know I can't control this thing forever, and the moment I lose control is the moment you band of convenient heroes decide the innocents in town are worth more than my life. So, I've come to you with a proposition."

Madder takes over from here, nearing the door and speaking next.

You seem like a reasonable fellow, Orin, so I'll ask you this. What's your relationship like with Shilamora? Is she the reason you became a stalker?

And you better not lie to me otherwise I'll rip your heart out right where you stand. Hehehe..."

You watch as Orin nears the door on his side, a smirk increasing across his face. "Don't think you're exempt from the list of potential victims, Emissary. Once the others figure out what you're all doing, you'll all be fair game."

A creepy smile continues to stretch across his face before it seems to dim and then fade, and he shakes his head with a frown.

"Op, sorry 'bout that. Happens." He clears his throat. "Yes, Shilamora's death is what I wanted. I admit, sealing the deal with the spirit was an act of hatred...and I would take it back if I could."

It's then that you notice Lillian runs back in, panting a little. She looks frantic and partially frazzled, and you all wonder what she has just been doing. She wastes no time in marching up to the door bearing a scowl and emitting a rumble.

Lillian practically growls at Orin as he comes to the clubhouse, and runs around trying to make sure the utopian articles are all hidden away nicely before he comes in or looks around. She's highly on her guard, and very suspicious about why a Stalker would give themselves up.

"If you're looking for redemption, you're not going to find it here."

Orin scoffs, but you bring out the picross and keep talking before he can say anything.

"When we interviewed you, you didn't mention the stalker which turns pokemon into goo at all. You didn't mention Epsilon. Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he questions, his face partially bewildered. "What kind of fool would openly reveal themselves to a band of investigators?" He remains with his questioning expression before it changes as he realises something. "...This is different. I'm out of options. A few days ago, I didn't know who any of you were. Some yanmega comes in here asking questions about the Stalkers, and I gotta test the waters. I leave Epsilon out, then hear you're askin' others about the same thing. I was being careful. Obviously, that ain't applicable anymore."

You sneer, still not satisfied with his answers. You hold up the picross, realising he can't see, but hoping he know what you're referring to. "Do you know who made this picross? Who else have you told you're a stalker?"

"I don't freaking know," he grunts, shrugging. "Probably one of my past victims." He pauses, realising that he's further incriminating himself. "Look, I don't know. Wasn't me, alright? Maybe Epsilon saw it when it was in control and...disposed of the witness. I don't tell anyone about the spirit. When I've considered it, it's forced me to keep silent. It's a miracle I can even speak with you now, but like I said--I somehow won ownership of, you know, my own body."

You narrow you eyes at him and bare your teeth again, hissing through them. "Alright, Orin. Stalkers have lairs- I've been kidnapped before, so I know that's true. They're horrible hidden places. So, where's yours?" You pause a moment, then follow up with, "And, what do we need to do to or what items do you use get in?"

"Look, lady, I don't have a lair. My lair is my room; I don't know. Even if I did have one, this thing wouldn't tell me. Like I said, they keep us in the dark. We're ever interrogated, we know nothing. Ya get it?" He sighs, then rolls his eyes. "I find out, I'll tell ya. How about that?"

You try to ignore his attitude. "Your diary entry mentions exorcising... can you tell us more about that? Who? Or where you got the idea from?"

"It was a slip-up. May have been on my mind when I wrote it or something." He quiets for a moment, then pipes back up. "And screw you for reading my diary! That crap's private!" He emits a non-threatening sounding growl, then sighs. "I don't know if actual exorcism is possible. I've...tried researching it, but when I do, the spirit manages to steer me away from it every time. But, just so you know...I do have something to bargain with, as well as more information on what I've gathered from the Stalker."

You watch as Orin reveals a small scroll about the size of the one that Vex gave to Nicklefool. It immediately rings in your mind that this scroll could be related to the passage she had.

...ask Orin about this claim of being a Stalker if I'm still able to after the others ask.

Wanting to ask him, you fly up to the door and raise your voice through it. You ask him about his claim, the reason he came here, and what exactly his earlier-mentioned 'proposition' is, and now it relates to the scroll in his hand.

Orin gives a sly smile. "Carly? That you?" He chuckles a little. "Finally, some progress. You want to hear my proposal? Well, here it is.

"I want immunity. I turn myself in, you prevent me from making kills, and I help you catch and kill the other Stalkers. Obviously, you must agree to not kill me. The only circumstance in which you do is that I permit you to do so, which, I might tell you now, is never going to happen." He pauses to hold up the paper. "You want to know what this is? I hold in my hand the first step to completing the Sin Purge Ritual. Mm-hm, that's right. I know about it. And as of right now, this ritual is the only way you're ever going to get rid of the Stalkers. Unless, of course, you're okay with murdering the poor innocents taken advantage of by these spirits, and send their souls to the Abyss. You know, like myself. In addition to this, I can show you how to restrain a pokémon per night to prevent them from leaving. I will permit you to strap me down every night to prove that I don't want to kill anymore. Without this Stalker spirit active, I'm just one vivillon against a team of capable fighters. This isn't all I can offer; I have more information you're going to want to hear."

"So, we've got two options here. You turn me away, and we continue this game of meowth and pichu. Or...

You let me into your establishment, and I will help you rid this town of the Stalkers."

[Shruikan]

So, Orin is thine name? How did you find this place? If you don't remember anything you do when the stalkers take over, how do you know about emmisaries?

Why should we let you in here. Would not a secure location elswhere fit your purposes just as well, while offering less risk to us?




Confound this stalker. I am loath to leave the base with this potential threat so close, but I wish not to sit around doing nothing...

[Use Medicine to heal 3 HP to Lillian, 4HP to Nicklefool and 1 Sanity to Adrian]

[Suicune's Fire]

Well, this is an interesting turn of events...

I am checking the scholar's guild exterior

While the other Emissaries are busy chatting with Orin, you slip out one of the side entrances and start to make your way towards the Scholars Guild. You think you managed to get out with Orin seeing, but don't look back as the chilly night air brushes your short fur.

You make it to the Scholars Guild and begin to take a look around. The buildings here area fairly simplistic but well crafted, and you imagine that this guild in particular has had a lot of funds and resources poured towards it for research purposes. Of course, it seems some of those funds were used for aesthetic purposes, but it was a while ago, so you don't care all that much anyway.

The only thing you can find at first is some splinters, which you decide to take with you. You don't find them in any personal spaces, so you figure that they were just dropped over a course of time. You know you can put them to good use.

Added $53 SP$ to Lita's Inventory.

You recall hearing from Lillian that after she fought Juparl, she was directed to the Scholars Guild. You brought with you the key she forked over just in case, and you start looking specifically for the thing it might fit into. It doesn't take you long to find, in one of the buildings, a glass display case. You can immediately feel the draw on the other side of the glass, and your eyes fall onto a small item on a pedestal. It seems as if this is a flat badge-like article with a gold rim, and a place for something to be set in the middle. Immediately your mind falls to the Ancient Relic that Lillian bought at the Invincible Drifter, and you wonder if the two go together. You pull out the key given to you by Juparl and unlock the cabinet, removing the faintly glowing item.

{Display Cabinet: Ghost-type / Fine Slot}

[Fine Key] was removed from the Team Inventory.

[Incomplete Holy Infuser] was added to the Team Inventory.

Whatever this is looks beautifully made, and probably ancient. It's rather weighty for its size, and you can feel it weighing you down a little after you pocket it. Regardless, you're glad to have found it, and you give the rest of the guild buildings a quick check before heading back to base. Once you get back, you pair the two items together and notice that they immediately bind together, creating a complete item.

[Holy Infuser] was added to the Team Inventory.


Lita the Pikachu (S: Electric)

Health: 8/8 | Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 12/12
Battle Stance: Fight
Perk: Security | Abilities: Clairvoyance
Trait: Nimble

[Suicune's Fire]

I think for now I'll rest up to recover some purity.

While all the talk with Orin is going on, you depart the room, keen to get some respite amongst the chaos. You know that if Orin was to try anything, you'd need to be fully rested. As such, you settle down into one of the comfortable beds in the clubhouse and keep an ear out as you drift off to sleep.

Arrow the Jolteon restores 4 points of Health.

You wake before the night is done, finding out that you still have a chance to talk with Orin if you would like. You hang back for now, keeping an eye on things.


Arrow the Jolteon (M: Electric)

Health: 10/10 | Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 10/10
Battle Stance: Flee
Perk: Security
Trait: Nimble

[Bulbasaur]

Looks like I missed the action period according to the first post... but in case...

Search (7) Berry House.

[Suicune's Fire]

With questions out of the way, Nicklefool finishes off his tower-safety-check with [b]Searching Trinket Tower, floors 5-6!

You know there is one place left in Trinket Tower that you have to search, as after speaking with Orin, you leave the team to it and depart. You arrive at Trinket Tower, again glancing up to see if you can spot Vex at the top. Once again, she is not there, and you silently hope she's having a peaceful night somewhere.

You head into the tower, making your way to the fifth and second last floor. You begin to look around, but have little success to start with. It's not until you get to the 48th apartment that you find anything at all. The apartment is absent of any pokémon, but you can see that there is a small note pinned to a cork-board. You're immediately reminded of Payload's note a floor down, but upon inspection, this handwriting does not match at all. That, and the distinct lack of explosives clues you in to the fact that this probably isn't Payload.



=Note to Aliema= was noted in the Team Records.

You realise that this apartment belongs to Aliema the helioptile, one of the suspects on the Emissaries' list. You decide it might be worth looking around more, so you start to check more thoroughly, and eventually come across a small hole in the wall behind a couch. You frown, thinking this seems suspicious. You bend down, figuring that you might just be able to fit through here, and try your luck.

{Hole in the Wall: ^Small Pokemon^}

You eventually pop out to the other side, which is an extremely tight space that isn't a room more so than a gap between walls. Your discomfort grows as you attempt to turn around in the small space, and then your eyes fall upon a cloth sitting over a lump. You use your psychic abilities to remove the cloth, noting a small stash of shiny things beneath it. Again you use your telekinesis to transport it out of the hole, and you follow, just barely fitting through and popping out the other side. You breathe a sigh of relief, then inspect the stash.

$289 SP$, [Blue Gem Dust], [Green Gem Dust], [Clear Gem Dust], [Padded Strips] x10 and [Titanium Ore] were added to the Team Inventory.

You ensure to take every last scrap home with you, figuring it's best to share such a large find. You tell yourself that you'll give this back to Aliema once the Stalkers are gone and you no longer need it, though part of you wonders if you will actually bother.

After finding nothing more in Aliema's room, you scour the rest of the floor and then head to the top floor. Nothing of interest catches your attention, so you head to the rooftop for good measure. It's completely empty, but you do get a good look out across the town under the night sky. You remain for a little while longer before deciding it's time to head back.


Nicholas "Nicklefool" Foligan the Mr. Mime (M: Psychic/Fairy)

Health: 6/10| Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 10/10
Battle Stance: Fight
Perk: Diplomacy
Trait: Charming

[Lychee]

Lillian doesn't look pleased with Orins responses, especially since he wasnt fully forthcoming with his information. She growls, letting her companions know that she's ok for him to be let in because he might have important information, but that she doesn't trust him to not snoop or be overcome by his stalker.

Being annoyed and frustrated about the whole thing, still berries up and armed, Lillian will head out to battle Meela-Tay for the quest, as well as talk to her about various frustating things if possible.

[Truly]

IF it takes an action, I'll (learn how and) play jailor to Orin.

If it doesn't, I'll go ahead and Strap Down Orin either way.

I wait until the other Emissaries are out of the room - I urge them to leave us alone, while I tie the vivillion down.
"I'm all about vengeance. Or justice, but that's... I've got my eye on a couple 'innocent villagers,'" I make little air-quotes with my pincers, "my point is, whether you live or die, I intend to leave Salvage Keep better than when I arrived."

I try to give him a meaningful look, indicating I'm not talking about public works.

Then I'm headed to search Yellowback Lake. [edit: I messed it up and confused this with the Murky Pond. Please send me to Murky Pond -- otherwise, please disregard the stuff about the statue.]

Barring any danger, I'm going to try to topple Shila's statue. I know that's probably a long shot and it's pretty petty. But I think it'll mean something to Orin down the road. Call it a show of good faith.

EDIT:
I personally don't have an issue letting him in (worst case we move HQ) but the others do. If we can both move him to a different location and keep him restrained there, I'll do that (maybe we need someone to Escort/Protect?)

My preferred destination is #54b Clutch of Decaying Houses: Collapsed House.

If we can only restrain him in our base, I'm willing to chance it.

[Suicune's Fire]

Just posting to say time for action submission is up!