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

[LKWayvern]

*insert dramatic entry here* Yoo-hoo, llama deity! It's the big scary renegade centipede! Strike me down with your divine lightning, because I'm in a very tempting-fate kind of mood!

...I'm searching the Temple to the Light if you couldn't tell.

[Neo Emolga]

Alright lets get this stuff done! Let's go hang out at (42) Southwarren Sunrider Auto Store. Look around a bit.

You arrive at the large gray auto-dealer store that looks to be in pretty good and presentable shape considering the rest of the town is a bit worn and dirty from the industrial activity. Thankfully, this dealer is far enough away from most of that and doesn't seem to be affected by any of the smoke or smells coming from those factories and manufacturing plants.

You look around the outside lot where it's row after row of many vehicles for sale, suited for all types of Pokémon sizes and shapes and come with configurations that would allow most Pokémon to drive them. The engineering behind them seems pretty fascinating and you'd love to see how one of these drives, but knowing the mission you have at hand, now's really not the time.

Most of the vehicles are brand new, but the dealer also carries plenty of used vehicles as well. You check them out, but nothing really unusual grabs you. However, you find one particular vehicle that seems pretty distinct and when you get closer to it, you recognize it as a hearse. While it is jet-black and somewhat bulkier than hearses you've seen before, it doesn't seem all that ordinary at first until you check the back compartment.

It seems there is already a coffin inside...

You get in the back to take a closer look and it seems very unusual. The coffin, instead of being made of wood or metal, is covered with a reflective, mirror exterior and you can easily see your reflection in it. You're not sure why a coffin of all things have a mirror finish, but you decide to try and open it up and take a peek inside. However, it's locked and then you realize there's actually a keyhole to it.

Locked Container {Locked Mirror Coffin: Mirror Keyhole} has been noted in the Team Records.

You definitely feel there's something strange about that, but seeing as you don't have the key, you decide to leave it alone for now.

You check out the rest of the Sunrider Auto Store, but besides finding a lot of interesting cars and vehicles you'd like to try driving sometime, you don't find anything else significantly unusual. You decide to head back and let the others know what you've found.

Julia the Weavile (M: Dark/Ice)

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

[Scytherwolf]

Interview #17 Caka the Scyther

[Neo Emolga]

Lita decides to check out the police station to get up to speed on the mission

You decide to head over to the Southwarren Police Station, wondering if you can figure out what they know without directly asking any of the police officers. It seems the brick building is pretty old and was likely one of the original structures that existed here since Southwarren's founding. In recent years, it seems as though most of the renovation work has only been touch-ups and not really full work that the building needs. The wood trimming could definitely use a new coat of paint.

You start your search on the outside, wondering what you might find possibly besides the building itself or in a container on the outside. Besides, it's anyone's guess as to what this old building might be hiding. As you search around the perimeter, you catch sight of a small patch of yellow fur that looks like it got caught on the razor wire that's coiled around the top of the thick metal fence that serves as extra protection against Pokémon in lockup trying to escape. It seems whoever this yellow-furred Pokémon is tried to see if they could scale the fence but didn't get too far and gave up. Oddly enough, it seems as though they tried to get in from the outside, which strikes you as unusual. Regardless of their reason, you decide to take the yellow fur with you, wondering if it may reveal something later on.

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

You complete your search around the exterior and then head inside to see what the story is on the inside of the old building.

Inside, most of the furnishings and lighting arrangements are mostly old in style, but the equipment, furniture, and technology is much more up to date with computers, phones, and radios in use. You take note that besides police chief Lexin the Flygon, Britera the Braixen and Kanja the Kecleon also work here as police officers and Sten the Bellossom is a detective here.

You look around the rooms and you see in the meeting rooms, the Southwarren Police have been actively meeting on potential leads for the Stalkers. However, everything is a sea of whiteboard markings and scribbles, photographs of victims, photographs of potential evidence, witness reports, and what have you. It takes you a good while to sort it out, but you're able to draw a few conclusions.

• One Stalker named "Bloodwish" appears to have the signature of stabbing their victims many times, resulting in heavy blood loss. Several of their kills have been found and photographed.
• Another Stalker seems to be named "Overkill." It seems there is quite a lot of evidence that shows the Stalker's name appearing on notes, on walls, and scattered around. The photographs also appear to be feverish and often incoherent. It's unclear exactly how this Stalker kills Pokémon, but you get the idea that it's likely very grizzly considering Kanja leaving a note of "let's not talk yet again about what Overkill left behind last week" on Sten's desk.
• The police have found one Stalker that seems to force-fed victims before boiling them alive, leaving them as horrid, bloated corpses that have been boiled and deep-fried. The police aren't sure about the name of this Stalker but it definitely seems to be a signature.
• Another Stalker seems to have a fascination with fire and definitely has been using it to kill other Pokémon. Naturally, the police suspect a fire type to be at fault, but as Britera's notes confirm, it seems that the victims found were not killed by fire-type attacks given chemical residue testing. It seems they're still trying to investigate this, however, and they don't have the name of the Stalker yet.

The rest of the evidence doesn't seem as conclusive. It seems the Southwarren police have already spent hours debating other possible hunches and theories but judging from what you see, it can be right or wrong. You feel you might need to ask them in person to get more of a story regarding what their individual thoughts are so they can shed more light on this.

You decide to check out one of the areas that the police use as a waiting room, either for witnesses or family members. It's empty at the moment, but you spot something that seems unusual. One of the cabinets looks like someone recently engineered a makeshift lock for it with a word combination lock. You take a closer look at it, but the dials can be rotated around and the letters on them can form one of seemingly hundreds of possible words.

Locked Container {Password Encoded Cabinet: Four Letter Lock} has been noted in the Team Records.

Seeing as how it could take days to try and figure out the word by trial and error, you decide to just leave it alone for now.

As you walk out of the police station, you definitely feel you've learned a lot and the trip was definitely worth it. As the sun begins to set, you head back to base to let the other Emissaries know what you've found.

Lita the Pikachu (S: Electric)

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

[Neo Emolga]

*insert dramatic entry here* Yoo-hoo, llama deity! It's the big scary renegade centipede! Strike me down with your divine lightning, because I'm in a very tempting-fate kind of mood!

...I'm searching the Temple to the Light if you couldn't tell.

Against your better judgment, you decide to do something a Pokémon hasn't done for a while. Search the Temple to the Light.

As you approach it, it doesn't even seem that suspicious at first. The building has an usual curved L-shape with some nice-looking statues and stained-glass windows, but you don't immediately find very much that strikes you as alarming.

Things get a little unnerving as you draw closer and approach the temple, however. You just feel something dark and horrid coming from within the temple itself and something has definitely corrupted it from the inside. But you're not sure what, exactly, and you feel better knowing just what is going on here. When you try to look through the stained-glass windows, you don't see very much. There's absolutely no light coming from the inside, ironically given the name of this temple. But after checking all around the perimeter, you decide it's time to just approach the front door and step on in to get the full story behind this place and just why thirteen Pokémon went completely insane.

Things change when you get the front door. You see something nefa̧̛̗͎̟̬͖͋̉ͬ̔͒ͬrious̳ͭ̈́͌ͭ͛̾ͤ͜ and it suddenly fells like it's d̴̞̥̖̱͉̺̞̪̳͟a̵̢̻̥͉͓͚͘ͅŕ̛̖͔̤k̶͔͎̫͖̳̞̱̦̹͞ image is d̶̶̩̘̘i̴̞͖̗̳͈g҉̗̰͔̤̦g̷̲̮̤͙̯̞̞̲͘͞i̥̲̱̩͈͔̖͟͢n͉̝͓̞̹̥͜ ͈̱ǵ̡͏͕̱͈̯ ̛҉͎̫̣͈̝̮͎͔ͅa̷̱͘͝w̜̻a͉͓̬y̠͞ ̯̠͢a҉͔͇͇t̨̯̝̟̹̪̼͕̀̕ ̙̼͔̭̥̣̗́y̛̖̬̱̼̙̝ͅo̡̪̺̟̪͓͚͉̝̕u̵̝͇̬̣͖̥̘͠r̬̩̲̞̣ ̘͍̠͚͖͚̘̮s͚͠o͙͕͎̤͠u͏͎̥͍̟l͎̼̻̖ ̶̡͓̼̭̪t̥̲̯͍̕͟h̢̹̪͕r̴̳̟o͕͓̯̯͉̦̝͉͟ų̩̖͖g̡͎̭̝͓̗̙h̞̳̀ͅ ̝̗̙ ̛͉͚͍̙͘y̢̮͕̳ò̧͏̳̗̣͎u͔͖̺̲̗͚͟r̞̦͓̳͢ ̗̜̲̞̙̬̱̗̕͟e̸̵̲̦͝y̸̙̯̙͚͍͚̻͈͟e̢͕͕͈b҉̝̗a̙̯̺l̺̠̼̰͈͕ļ̛ ̰̖̹̪s̼͘.̧̱̻͘



Laura has suffered 1 damage to Sanity.

Depiction =The Wall at the Temple= has been noted in the Team Records

Meanwhile, the entire front door has been stained with blood, as though some Pokémon was violently killed right here and no one ever cleaned up the bloody mess, despite the fact there's no body to be found. Still, upon taking a closer look at the door, you see groves and trenches in the center that look like there used to be metal components here, but now they're missing. From what you can discern, it seems like several shapes, a ring, a cross, and a triangle are nowhere to be found but have places for them to be inserted. Meanwhile, even after trying despite what you've seen, the door is locked and this mechanism that wasn't supposed to be here in the first place is now barring your entry.

Locked Door {Bloodstained Door: Missing Ring, Missing Triangle, Missing Cross} has been noted in the Team Records.

It seems you've gotten as far as you can go when it comes to this place, which is a lot more than what a lot of other Pokémon around town can say. You decide to head back to base, not really enjoying that creepy sanity-torching you just felt.

Laura the Giratina (L: Ghost/Dragon)

Health: 6/6
Sanity: 3/4
Perk: Diplomacy | Learned Abilities: Restrain
Failed Assassinations: 0/2

[Noblejanobii]

So, Dr. janobii, what should our destination be today?

Well, Mr. Hatter, I say we go check out (38) The Escapist Bookstore!

[Neo Emolga]

Interview #17 Caka the Scyther

Interview Rapport: POSITIVE, VERY MODEST
+1 Shared Pokémon Type
+Modesty (Fighting to Flying)
+Modesty (Fighting to Bug)

You track down Caka the Scyther and discover she has a day job of working the factory line at the Overland Metalworks, but when her shift is done, you meet with her and though she hasn't met with you, she seems to like you. You explain that you're trying to get to the bottom of the town's Stalker problem and she nods.

"Nothing these Stalkers do makes any sense," Caka tells you, looking into your eyes. "The police can't get it together, either. I've even tried talking to Kanja about it and she just gets all philosophical about it and I'm not a fan of that kind of thinking. It's just not even being realistic anymore."

She tries to recall any particular incidents that might help, trying to remember the exact details. As you come to realize, Caka is a stickler for accuracy and details and she doesn't like to even share information that could possibly be false.

"I wish I had exact information," Caka explains. "Trust me, I don't like rumors and gossip considering how outright wrong it can be. I need proof and evidence. And even then I usually end up wanting more before taking action. You know how it is."

"There is something I might be able to help you with," Caka tells you. "One of you investigators might find it handy. I know quite a few things about how to pressure Pokémon for information. It's not a pretty process and it involves a lot of talking down to them, but so often, they'll never confess otherwise. So if you're looking for some tips about how to squeeze a confession out of some schmuck, talk to me, I'll show you how a real pro gets that done. It might be helpful for what you're dealing with out here."

#17 Caka the Scyther has been recognized as a teacher for the Restrain Skill.

"Well, that's all for now," Caka tells you. "I'm still trying to validate those damn rumors, but until I do, I think it's better wait for that confirmation rather than rely on false information. Acting on a lie never makes anyone thrilled."

She then heads back to her apartment at the Dayshare Apartment complex.

Carly the Heracross (M: Bug/Fighting)

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

[Neo Emolga]

So, Dr. janobii, what should our destination be today?

Well, Mr. Hatter, I say we go check out (38) The Escapist Bookstore!

You decide to head over to the Escapist Bookstore, which at a first glance, doesn't even look like there's anything wrong and you can tell Devis the Torterra hasn't been dead for long considering if you didn't know, you could have sworn the store would be opening up any minute now. Despite this small area of town appearing to be quiet, you could see why this used to be an interesting place to check out.

You check the front of the store and the back, traveling around the Deckler Apartment Building and the A Goal in One Sporting Goods store, but nothing really seems that unusual. This dark gray building seems to be in okay condition as well, so you're convinced that's not really a factor.

You decide to head inside and check out the store itself. The wooden interior seems somewhat dimly lit from the outside sunlight. And while you are able to flick the lights back on, the amount of light they provide seems a bit limited especially in the darker areas toward the back of the store. Nonetheless, it's more than enough to make your way around the store and not crash into anything in the dark.

Out of respect for Devis, most of the books have been completely untouched, though you're convinced would be thieves would be more out to steal something higher in value like jewelry as opposed to literature. As you search around the shelves, you find a lot of very interesting novels that beckon to be read and delved into. Even just flipping through the first few pages strikes your inspiration. At first, you find a story titled "Unbound by Fate" about an Unfezant with multiple souls and then a novel entitled "Wishchaser" about two Chespin brothers and their sister who gain the ability to grant wishes, but it only works for others and not their own. The premises behind most of the stories seems quite captivating and you're convinced you could easily spend a lifetime in here delving into all of them. Unfortunately, given the current state of affairs, you know now's just not the time.

As you search around the store, you also discover that Devis was a collector of rare antiques and artifacts. Many of them are fascinating as well and add to the mysterious ambience of the store. However, turning around one corner of the back of the store, one of the items that you thought was one of Devis's harmless relics doesn't appear to be something that belonged to him. Not̡̡̤̳̗̬̺̮͕ͫ̇ͬ̄̉̉̚ at al͇̼͖̮̟͙̪͌̿͑́́͑́͊ͅl. Someone hid it here and you know for certain this is not something Devis would have put here himself.

It looks like a metallic display for... h̟̜͖͇̭͜e҉̤̭̝̩͓̪ͅa̡̨͔̗d̵͖͈̘͕͜͞s̵͇̹. Like a twisted, deranged version of a bust display. You're only further convinced there's something seriously wrong with this when you read the plaque on the bottom.

"THERE IS NO PURPOSE IN RELINQUISHING THE TOKEN OF SACRIFICE UNTIL THE HEADS OF THE KING AND QUEEN ARE MOUNTED HERE FOR ALL TO SEE AND DISPAIR."

As soon as you read the word "despair," a sudden macabre presence thrusts into your spi͊̉͗͌̿̔ͨͣ͘͝͏̳͉̘̩͈̱̥̝̮͙ne a͑̄͌͋͆̔͌҉҉̮͔̱̪̪̗̣̠́͟͢nd your mi͊̉͗͌̿̔ͨͣ͘͝͏̳͉̘̩͈̱̥̝̮͙nd, causing yö̶̠̠̼̲̜͚̥͉̤̮̭͙̲͔͈̼͉̬́̀̉̊̈́ͧ̍ͣ͠u to feel a sudden, dea͑̄͌͋͆̔͌҉҉̮͔̱̪̪̗̣̠́͟͢thly chill unlike a͑̄͌͋͆̔͌҉҉̮͔̱̪̪̗̣̠́͟͢ny ö̶̠̠̼̲̜͚̥͉̤̮̭͙̲͔͈̼͉̬́̀̉̊̈́ͧ̍ͣ͠ther you've felt before...

Madder has suffered 1 Damage to Sanity

Object {Head Display: Missing Head of the King, Missing Head of the Queen} #Disturbing Presence# (1 Sanity Damage) has been noted in the Team Records.

You then decide to get away from this thing and head upstairs to see what Devis had in his apartment. As you discover, it's locked, but it doesn't take much to force and disable the lock to head inside.

From what you find, Devis was slightly aloof and strange with his obsession for fantasy and fiction, but he did gather a lot of interesting things over the years. Things that probably belong in a museum, but nonetheless, you find he believed in a lot of supernatural presences and forces. You also discover he had books regarding Abyss and Utopia, and while many would have dismissed those as silly fiction, he believed it.

It almost seems like it was for this reason that the Stalkers killed him early...

You don't find too much else upstairs, so you decide to head out. Your nerves are still feeling a bit singed from that head display, and you don't feel inclined to give it another look on your way out...

Madder the Mimikyu (S: Ghost/Fairy)

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

[Shruikan]

OK, I'll search (18) Southwarren Medical Center

[Neo Emolga]

OK, I'll search (18) Southwarren Medical Center

You approach the medium-sized medical center and begin your search around the outside. The building is mainly comprised of gray stones and concrete, but it seems to be in good shape and definitely seems modernized. It also seems that while it isn't the newest building in town, it's at least average compared to some of the much older buildings and has been updated throughout the years.

Outside, you don't really find too much besides a little debris here and there. Nothing that would signal any alarms.

Inside, it doesn't seem overly busy. As you can quickly tell, the Stalkers only focus on filling up the morgue, not the hospital beds. As a result, things are much quieter here.

The halls are painted white and have been kept clean and well-maintained. The lighting also seems adequate and while the small hospital doesn't have too many specialized areas, it has enough address the needs of each patient. At the moment, things don't seem too busy. Before the Stalkers arrived, things might have been more active around here, but now it's much quieter with an eerie feeling in the air.

On the second floor, you go through each of the rooms and find that most of these rooms are empty and inactive. You do, however, find something odd on one of the stretchers in one of the surgical rooms. It seems to be a dark-purple shred, like a piece of fabric was torn off. It seems like it belonged to a Pokémon, but you're not sure if this belonged to a patient or one of the staff. Nonetheless, you take it with you, figuring a use for something like this may come up later on.

Pokémon Sample [Purple Shred] has been added to the Team Inventory.

As you finish searching the upper floors, you head downstairs and begin going through the administrative areas. Things seem a bit more active here than in the rest of the hospital, but you do find one particular desk that looks like it hasn't been officially taken by an employee. Or at least it shouldn't have been.

What you find leads you to believe someone is using this desk when they shouldn't be. The desk itself is locked, but no name and no belongings can be found. Meanwhile, the keys to it should have been nearby had this empty desk been reserved for a future employee. You make note of it, thinking someone is hiding something in here and chances are good it's definitely something of value.

Locked Container {Medical Office Desk: Brass Desk Lock} has been noted in the Team Records.

You're not sure where the actual brass key is, but it's got to be somewhere in town.

Hope the Alolan Vulpix (S: Ice)

Health: 4/4
Sanity: 4/4
Perk: First Aid | Learned Abilities: Rescue/Escape
Failed Assassinations: 0/2