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  1. #21
    Aaaand the submission period comes to a close!

    Hopefully within the next day or so, the responses should all be up. :]

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    Lychee 

  3. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Neo Emolga View Post

    It's showtime!

    So who feels like getting out there and nailing some Stalkers? >:3

    -------------

    First Action: I think I'll Search and check out #41 Manufacturing Plot (Abandoned) to see if there's anything nifty that I can fix up into something cool.

    Second Action: And then I think I'll spend the afternoon talking to #24 Marisha the Flaffy and see if she's seen anything weird or freaky lately.
    FIRST ACTION:

    Skills at the ready, you venture from your safe, cosy quarters in the Emissary Clubhouse and into the town of Salvage Keep. As you wander around, you take in the wide, open, dusty valley's end. Most buildings are fairly casually upkept, and the area itself is clearly not populated with wealthy citizens. Nevertheless, most pokémon you come across are happy to go about their daily business, despite the presence of the Stalkers.

    As you get closer to the abandoned manufacturing plot toward the western end of the town, you see the climbing mountainside behind it. You also begin to feel progressively sick in your stomach. When you're close enough, there's a creeping sensation that crawls across your skin. You frown, unsure where this is coming from, until you get to the outskirts of the once-functional plot of land. The cracked, filthy concrete stretches out before you, and despite the fact that it's clearly daytime, you realise that you can't see any further into the property from your vantage point. It's simply too dark.

    You slip between two massive pieces of equipment and head in closer, but the d̸̢̾́̍͊̈́̔̀̄̇͐͛ͅį̷̡̖͕͍̝̭̜͔̳͒͠͠s̴t̷u̸rbin̸g̵̅͋̓̔̒̈́̃ ̘̩̣̝̖͚͙̼̦̺̺̻̦͛͗͆͝ feeling only increases. The short fur across your body begins to stand on end and the tips of your ears, fingers, and tail grow colder. As you walk closer, it suddenly occurs to you that it might be a good idea to get a better vantage point. You spread your arms and glide up on top of a manufacturing equipment, only to behold something very strange.

    Most of the property is caked in a layer of twisted darkness. Veins of pulsing, twisting and slithering red and blue energy course through it, darting between objects, ruined buildings, and machinery. Even though the sight is haunting to look upon, you feel yourself being...d̶̘̦̿̈́̍rą̵̢͈̐͆̎͘w̸̺̋͋̌̒̐̑̑́̈͂̚n̸͑́̅͗̽̈́̏̆͠ ͓̭̑ ̵̺͈̜̱͕̏͗̎̅tó̶̬̾̏͋̇͠͝ ̴̮̗͙̂̋̇́̒͐̈́͠į̶̛̱̜̯̥̹̜̹̍̊̿̈́͗t̶̤̤͒̃̀̾̂̀̑̆̈́̇͝. It calls you.

    Neo the Emolga sustains 1 point of Purity damage.

    Suddenly something invisible but viciously powerful slams into you from behind, casting you down into the crawling, creeping darkness below. You manage to catch yourself before sustaining any damage, but as soon as you make contact with the ground, your breath escapes you. You try to breathe in, but the air around you seems to flee, leaving you in a bizarre vacuum. You begin to panic as you fail to inhale oxygen, and your legs carry you further in, whispers infiltrating your head and hisses piercing your mind.

    I̵͉ ̧̦̥c̦̙̬̭̪̮͍a͚̞̟̣̩ͅn̷ ̵̘̤͚̣͇s҉̙͔̼̳e̱ṋ̳̱̫͖̜s̬̥e̞̳̻̠͚͇͞ ̡̥̗̣̣̹̣y̢͚o̤͈͚̝͘u͕̼̤͈͢,̡͎̪ ͙̜̯̬͖͇͘E̞̲̯͉͚̟ͅmi͉͍̦͓̼̳͟ͅs̳̹̭̮̀s͞a̱͈̥r҉y҉͓̩...

    The voice grates on you, tugging at your will and your spirit as if it's trying to unravel you one thread at a time.

    Neo the Emolga sustains 2 points of Purity damage.

    You shake your head, grasping it with your paws, and try to shake the feeling. You scream, but nothing escapes your throat. Everywhere you look, the face of death stares back. Your feet are burning with cold fire with every step you take, and when you try to fly away, a grasping hand reaches up and encases you effortlessly. The touch sears your skin, and another hand springs up before you, swirling with black, blue and purple. It rushes at you, its fingers entering your large, round ears and wiggling into your head. The pain shakes your spirit as you once again try to s̢̳̟̯c̷̤̞̻̭̯̮r̀e̛͖͚̩͇ͅa̞̬͖̬ͅm̰͇̮, but fail to make a sound.

    Neo the Emolga sustains 3 points of Purity damage.

    The nearby screech of an unfamiliar voice shakes you from your daze. It was a distinct screech--from someone real. You blink a number of times and start moving, desperate to get away from the evils around you...but there are no hands. There are no faces. There is only swirling darkness. The dark voice that spoke to you previously fades in and out of your mind, but your will to find the source of that screech is enough to force the evil whispers away. You claw your way through the dark energy, blood red sparks crackling around you and grazing your skin as you wince, but force your way through.

    "Please...help," a voice rasps, and to your shock, you realise you're right beside the one you had been looking for. Your eyes fall upon a crumpled pidgeotto whose form you, at first, cannot confirm is real. However, the flying-type sees you too. "E-emolga, please... Help me. I'm trapped here and...I don't know how much longer I have."

    You reach out to touch the pidgeotto, and for the first time since you have been here, you know what you are seeing is real. This pokémon looks badly injured, and his wing is bent and probably broken. Spots of blood cover his feathers, and a small pool is gathering beside him. You desperately try to think of anything that would help, but it seems to be out of your realm of knowledge.

    {Injured Pidgeotto: <Medicine>} has been added to the Team Records.

    You stay with the pidgeotto for as long as you can before the darkness again attempts to pierce your mind. You explain to the pidgeotto that you will come back for him, and with help. He appears grateful, and while he seems to be suffering from his injuries and the shadowy energy around him, it does not seem as if it takes a toll on him nearly as quickly as it does you.

    Ensuring you remember to relay this information back to your team members at the end of the day, you bid the pidgeotto farewell and manage to slip away from the property without sustaining any further effects of the dark influence.


    Neo the Emolga (S: Electric/Flying)
    Health: 8/8 | Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 6/12
    Battle Stance: Fight
    Perk: Repair



    SECOND ACTION:

    Interview Rapport: POSITIVE
    +1 Shared type

    After that horrific experience, you figure that it would be a good time to interview one of the locals. After settling on Marisha the flaaffy, you eventually find her working busily away at the abandoned vehicle yard. After a quick glide through, you note that there isn't too much around here aside from the stacks of destroyed, rusted, and collapsing vehicles at a first glance, but you also know not to always take everything at face value. The plot is quite large, but after the ordeal at the manufacturing plot, you figure that searching this place is best left for another time. At least there are no evil shadows to be seen.

    You stop gliding once you're at a suitable distance, and land softly on the dusty ground. Marisha is at a workbench wielding a tool of some kind, equipped with a dirty pair of goggles. Her wool is matted and her skin is smeared with grease and grime, and you estimate that she has not washed in at least a number of days. She is too distracted to notice you as she tinkers with what could be a pocket watch, so you have to clear your throat to get her attention. She jumps, dropping her tools and backing up against a sheet of corrugated iron.

    "Woah!" she shouts, breathing frantically as she takes a paw to her goggles and slides them further up her head. "Y-ya scared me there, little one." She breathes out slowly, then picks up her tool and places it back on her workbench. She takes a few steps forward. "I-I'm Marisha." She gestures to what you can now see is almost a suitable work space. "This is my, uh...sanctuary, where I fix stuff up for the folks around here. I-I know it ain't much, but...my work is better than my workspace, I promise! I'm what you'd call a repairmon. Say, uh...what're you doin' here? Need my assistance?"

    It's then that you introduce yourself and share your knack for repairing things, and Marisha's eyes brighten. The two of you begin a hearty conversation, and you notice the blue orb on the end of her tail beginning to glow. However, you know that you can't spend the rest of the day engaging in idle chatter, so you enquire about anything "weird" or "freaky" that she might have seen lately. As this leg of the conversation begins, you can see the orb progressively losing its light.

    "Ah...right. Yeah, um..." She pauses and pulls back from you a little, moving a matted wad of wool out of her eyes. You can immediately see that this is not a conversation that she finds comfortable. "Weird and freaky... Well, that seems to be the norm these days." She pauses again, hesitant to continue. In a lowered voice, she asks, "Have you heard about the Stalkers? Well...they've moved into town lately. Since they've been here, folks'a been turnin' up...murdered. There's been some gruesome stuff. Folks turnin' up in boxes as...mush, folks bein' melted down into goo, stabbed to death with anything and everything pointy...hell, there's even been cases o' pokémon bein' stuffed full o' food till they explode! Some'a been skinned alive and left to rot, then there's the other one...mummified or some'm. Ya know, it's all just so horrifyin'."

    She winces as she continues. "Ain't nobody in town to investigate, either. Say, is that what you're doin'? Workin' for some external police force or some'm? If so...please, be careful. These Stalkers catch wind o' what you been doin', they might just come right after ya."

    "But you ever find yourself in need of a repairmon, I'm ya gal!"

    #24. Marisha the Flaaffy has been identified as possessing the <Repair> Perk.

    "Look, I'm sorry if I wasn't much help. Maybe the mayor might know more, or even Orin? Oh, the mayor is Shilamora, although, it's...kind of a stand-in job. Salvage Keep ain't all that organised, you know. Anyhow... I, uh, better get back to work. But you ever want to hang out, you let me know, Neo." She gives you a warm smile and slips her goggles back on, then gets back to work.


    Neo the Emolga (S: Electric/Flying)
    Health: 8/8 | Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 6/12
    Battle Stance: Fight
    Perk: Repair

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  5. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by Scytherwolf View Post


    Okay! I'll search #(34) Bizzie's Fruit Farm first. Partly because I love berries. xD

    After that I'll talk to Orin the Vivillon, a fellow bug type, about anything suspicious happening lately.
    FIRST ACTION:

    While Neo takes off toward the west, you decide to investigate the northeastern reaches of the town. Specifically, a lovely little farm that you have been told is owned by Bizzie, the local cutiefly. You briefly wonder how such a tiny creature can maintain a whole farm, but he must be capable if the farm is still running well.

    As you flit towards the property, a seed of dread begins to swell in your stomach. The discomfort is present but weak, so you keep heading toward it, curiosity at the forefront of your mind. The closer you get, however, the darker the world seems to get. You know it's daytime, yet the growing murkiness around you might suggest otherwise. This seems peculiar, but perhaps it's one side-effect caused by the presence of the Stalkers.

    You reach the outskirts of the farm and come face-to-face with rows and rows of tall, dense fruit crops. All appear to have been planted consciously in straight lines, but there are stray plants here and there which must have sprouted up as a result of seedlings spreading naturally. The crops tower above you, so you ascend to get a better view. Once you clear the tops, you realise that you can barely see ten metres in front of you. This strikes you as odd, as if an opaque fog cloud moved in all at once. You turn around to look out towards the distant buildings, but to your concern, everything seems to be covered in inky blackness.

    Your heart begins to race somewhat faster as you hear a high-pitched screech. The screeching continues in intervals until it sounds like something sinister and foreboding is swooping you, screeching all the while. You duck and weave in an attempt to avoid whatever seems to be suddenly after you, and you panic as you make contact with something that brushes you. You pivot in midair with your powerful wings, only to see that you hit one of the berry plants. You almost feel settled until you watch it rot before you, a blood-curdling s͇̙̰c̳̺͞r̵̻͚̮̹̬̱̤e͏̰̼̼̹͍͔̫a̷͚m̭̼̲̜ͅ accompanying it as a face seems to appear while it melts.

    Carly the Yanmega sustains 1 point of Purity damage.

    You barely have time to react as something yanks your forked tail and your wings suddenly seize. Without the assistance of flight, you slam against the ground as you are continually pulled through the crops, black ene̪̩r̖͠ͅg҉̱̫͖y̛̗̺̥̯͖ swirling around you and red sparks flying off the parts of you that touch the cold, painful ground. You attempt to struggle free, but n͂̓͑͠o̎tȟ̿̀̾̒̇̚͏į̊ͤ̀̄̌nͤ͌͊̍̀ͫgͥͥ̏̒͐̍͂͜ ͯ͂͜s̸͒̇͒ͦͬ̒eë̓̾ͣ͟m͗ͨͦs͜ ͪ͗̒t̀̃ͨ̏͂oͬ͑͜ wͧ̈́ͩ̚o̽rķͯͧ̈́ͭ͊ͤ. A malevolent incorporeal hand of swirling purple and black bursts from the crops and glides towards you, fingers open in a menacing taunt. A crooked mouth appears in the palm, and from it sharp whispers curl and penetrate your mind. The pain shakes your core, but you can only panic as the hand begins to g̅͒ͥͯ͏̰͇̝̩͚͉̩ä̛̠͚̥̫̲̑̋̅͠i̇̓ͪ͏̻͔͚̻n̍ͣ̓̑́̿͏̯̩̫̰ ̏̂̅̍͒҉̸̥̹̗͉̣͜ on you.

    All at once, the thing dragging you releases its hold, and you can only attempt to scream as the hand's chase comes to an end and engulfs you, flooding your body with bu̝͈ͭ͒ͬ̊̓̽̚ŗ̠̦̼ͨ͞͝ņ̣̩̌ͪ̆̈́ͫ̃̈́͟i̴͇̜̟̩̩͇̗̓ͣ̀ng, sḩ̸̺̀̑̿̆ͯ̋ͅa̮͋̐͐ͣͭ̇͑d̗̙͓̑̾owy c̡̧͈̞͙̖̩̙̟͕̘̯̻̤̜̹̗̟͕͚̽͗̈͞o̡͍̥̪̙͇͖͍̒͊́̑̌̆ͤ̆̔̈́̓̌̔͊ͨ͜ ̝͉̱̞̘͕͕̳̫̲r̭̪̞̩͛ͫͬͯͮ͛ͩ͑̄̍͂̽͆̇͘͝r͙͕̝̠̰̈́̅ͨ͆̐ͨ̂̊̒͘͘͢͜ ̥̦̻̞͕̟̖͔͖ú̴ͧ̽ͥͩ̐̈́̐̑̿ͫ̀҉̸̛͚͚̤̲̗͔ͅp̴ͧͬ̆̉̊̓̌̌̆̕҉̮͍̠͘ ̥̰͉͇̝͎t̨̬̖̳͓͇̱̼͚̖͈ͦ̓͋ͫͫi̡ͨͭ͒ͭ̐͛ͥͬͬ͂̌̿̐̏͠͏͎̠̫̝o̒̓̎ͥ ̸̦̖͚͚̹̺̦̟̱͎̖̬͓̮̘̜̰̝̬ͭ́̕͘͢n̏ͩ̏͊ͫ͆ͯ̽͂̽̚͏̦̭̗̦̟͟͞͠ ̣̜̱. You writhe in its hold, trying to bite, or stab with your tail, but the hold is paralysing and ago̡͍̥̪̙͇͖͍̝͉̱̞̘͕͕̳̫̲̒͊́̑̌̆ͤ̆̔̈́̓̌̔͊ͨ͜n̏ͩ̏͊ͫ͆ͯ̽͂̽̚͏ ̦̭̗̦̟̣̜̱͟͞͠ising.

    Carly the Yanmega sustains 2 point of Purity damage.

    The hand curls on you you further, and although the thick, shadowy fingers simply pass through you, you can feel your body being progressively twisted and crushed. Whispers louder than jets rake through your mind, attempting to reach your spirit. You try your hardest to resist, making every movement you can think of, trying to conjure an attack, or just trying to get your wings working again. The panic is cultivated and nurtured as the surrounding crops close in on you, slicing at you with leaves like knives, and shedding blue poison over your skin. Your eyes are tugged on, your belly is sliced at, and your mind is being ripped to shreds bit by bit.

    Īͭ͐̋ͪ͒̌̽͑͊̒ͣ̒͐̋̒́҉̶̨̛̘̙̘̜̤͖̤̳͙̺̲̻̹̗̥̫̼̻̣͢ ̸̴ͯ̽ͨ̀͋̾̍̊ͮ̃̂͌͐͊ͨ̔͂ͪ̚͏̴̛̬̬͍̖̘̯̮̜̤̩̣͕̺̲̙̼̙can̅ͣ̈́̄͂ͯ ̴̪̝̫̺̳̘̯̦̯͉͍̓̓̓͋ͬ̂ͥ́͢͝ ̸̜̣̥͚̺͔̱͉̗̖̱͉̗͓͇̭̃ͦͬ̂ͯ̊̾͊ͩ͊̓̊͌̀ͫ͛͞͠͝ fe͛̾̐ͨ̾ͧ͐҉̷̵̧̣̫̦̰͉͚̗̹͇̳͈͚̭̹̪̘͚͠ē̟̪̫̯̘̦͙̻̱̩͆ͥ̆̀̕͢͠ ̘̰̙l y͍̖͉͉o̻u̦̘,̬ͫ͑͐ͪ ̬̩̼̤ͫ͌̌E͙͒͑ṃ̼̝̆̏̌͑ͮ̒̐i͉̖̝̔́̔͒s͇̭̭̰̓ͨ̆̃ͦ̋͛s͍̙̞a̝͕ͅ ͔͍r̖y̻̟̰̭͇.͔̘

    Carly the Yanmega sustains 3 point of Purity damage.

    The voice is chilli͉̖̝̔́̔͒ng, but the mention of your role as Emissary seems to take a hold on you somewhere in your resolve. You remember Mew, your fellow Emissaries, and the mission to defeat the Enthrallers. This, what you're suffering inside of now, must be some kind of technique created by the agents of Abyss, and now that you recognise that, you feel a renewed strength.

    You snap your wings back out and take off at once, barrelling through the crops as hisses and whispers try to grasp at you. But you remain strong, and continue through. You came here to help dissolve the Stalkers, and that's what you're going to do.

    "H...help," you hear suddenly, and you find yourself surprised.

    You grind to a halt and eventually follow the voice until you find the small form of a yungoose lying between a few berry stalks. Upon seeing you, the normal-type grows hopeful.

    "C...can you help me, please? I was just going to see Balene...and I got stuck...here," he explains, spluttering.

    You rack your brain for anything that you think could help, but your specialties lie elsewhere. However, you are aware that some of your fellow Emissaries might be able to help, so you explain to the yungoose that he must wait for a little longer until someone is able to come to him with help.

    {Wounded Yungoose: <Medicine>} has been added to the Team Records.

    The yungoose seems grateful but sad, and although you hate to leave him, he seems like he should be okay for now. Given how long he has been here, you figure that he is not as susceptible to the evil shadows as you seem to be.

    Steeling yourself, you power out of the property and find somewhere to recover for a bit before you head out again.


    Carly the Yanmega (L: Bug/Flying)
    Health: 12/12 | Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 2/8
    Battle Stance: Flee
    Perk: Technical



    SECOND ACTION:

    Interview Rapport: VERY POSITIVE
    +1 Shared type
    +1 Shared evolution stage
    +Intimidation Flying > Bug
    +Modesty Bug < Flying


    Your first instinct is to try to find another Emissary who might be able to help the yungoose you found, but upon reflection, you realise that you have no idea where your fellow Emissaries chose to go or what they decided to do. Not the ones with medicinal knowledge, anyway. Besides, you had a mission to complete, and the yungoose could surely hold on for a few more hours.

    Through asking around a little, you find Orin at the fortress from which the town got its name: Salvage Keep. You come to the Keep's entrance, where a male zweilous with a down-turned gaze stands guard. As you flit past him, you notice him muttering strange things under his breath, and it's as if he doesn't notice your presence at all. Noting it as strange but not important enough to switch your trajectory, you head inside, coming to a courtyard. You stare up at the large stone building before you and fly upwards toward the top, where you find a window big enough for your form to fit through.

    You pop out into a hallway with a stone floor and multiple doorways coming off it. There's also a staircase, which you elect to fly up. At the top of the stairs, you nearly run into Orin as he seems to be making his way down.

    "Ahh!" he screams, taken aback by your presence.

    His eyes seem to flare momentarily as he readies himself for battle, but you calmly explain that you're a curious investigator who was hoping to find some answers by coming to him. The vivillon waits for a moment, looking you over with his large, black eyes with white patches, and purses his lips. Half of one of his antennae is missing, which you find yourself distracted by for a moment. He remains silent, contemplating something - whether it's you, your words, or your intentions - for almost a minute.

    Finally, a smile licks the edges of his mouth. "You're lookin' for information on the Stalkers, aren't you?" When you confirm his statement and bring up suspicious things he might have seen, the bug-type merely snorts, maintaining his smile. "Very well." He turns around, making his way toward what you can now see is the only door on this floor. When he reaches it, he turns around to you. "Well, come on."

    You follow Orin inside the circular entrance, only to realise he has led you into his quarters. It is a fairly large set of rooms, and its own apartment by all rights. Many natural plants are placed around the room, and the floor is not stone, but dirt. Flowers sprout up in a few places, and the ceiling is almost entirely one big window looking out into the sky. All-in-all it seems like the perfect habitat for a bug-type pokémon. You find a nice rock to land on, which is thankfully big enough for you.

    "Looks like they got you already," he chuckles, settling on a branch growing from a small tree in the room. "You run into 'em or something? Or you just...ran into those shadowy places. Heh, yeah, they've been cropping up here and there. Some folks have died from overexposure to the soul-crushing intensity of the evil in those parts...or so I've heard." He clears his throat. "So, what exactly do you want to hear about them? Let me guess--you went to Shila first, but she was too busy for you?" He pauses to wait for an answer, and when he gathers he's wrong, you notice a look of smugness creep onto his face. "My, my, you're actually smart. She claims to be all 'for the people,' but that lardy grime-ball revels in the attention she gets for--" He stops himself there, watching your reaction carefully. Then his tone seems to shift.

    "Right, so you gotta know one thing about Salvage Keep--the town, not the Keep. Gods, Shila and her brilliant ideas. 'Let's call the town the same name as the Keep!' ...Ah, whatever, anyway--we ain't got no police force or anything like that. No, apparently it's not important enough to worry about. So who's left to do the cleanup? Mercenary Guild, Bounty Hunter Guild, or anyone who damn-well pleases. Post-cataclysm times aren't too easy to navigate, so we do what we can, right? I like to think of myself as capable, though the fact that I'm hardly included in any important decisions around here anymore doesn't help my pursuits. Carly, I can't tell you how relieved I am to see that some pokémon are actually reasonable, decent folks who want justice. Well, the Stalkers don't understand what's just and what's not, so you got your work cut out for you.

    "They say there are...six Stalkers," he begins, averting his eyes as he thinks. "First, there's Indulge. It stuffs its victims to the brim with food until they're so full that their sides split. Doesn't sound so threatening, but once the food bursts the stomach and spreads into your other organs, you'll think it is then. Apparently it keeps forcing food down the victim's throat until their body is incapable of containing it any longer, and their flesh starts to split. Or exoskeleton, or whatever.

    "Repose, the fluid parasite. Yeah, gross, I know. Sucks the life out of its victims, or more specifically, the moisture. Captures them, probably...ties them down or something, then drains all moisture until they're dry, cracked husks of their former selves. Mummified afterwards just to top it all off. Bodies are just left in random locations.

    "There's Payload, the Stalker obsessed with demolitions. Evidence of black powder and bomb shells have been found linked to Payload, whose victims are exploded into bits and pieces, then scooped up and places into little boxes, like sick gifts. They, uh...get delivered to their loved ones. Sick bastard, that one.

    "You got Abatis, who seeks out sharp, pointy things and sticks them in its victims. I don't know how they get lured into places where a stabbing with a javelin is possible, but it's happened. First victim was found jammed onto, funny, the Keep's abatis. Goes right the way 'round. Abatis ain't one to show mercy, either--pidove a few days back was littered with needles. Death by a thousand cuts, or, uh, stabby things.

    "Gravemeld. Ain't that a creepy name? This one...skins its victims while they still live. Keeps them until they're breathing their last breath, then releases them onto the streets. Can't help but die of pain, shock or infection. Mm, this is why you don't buy real fur.

    "Last, Netherfall. I dunno, seems a little try-hard to me. But you won't catch me saying that around a Stalker. This one, well...kind of hard to tell. Victims been turning up with no brains. Surgically removed. I don't know if that's the extent of its efforts, but...seems pretty lackluster if you ask me. I wouldn't be surprised if this thing was testing something on its subjects. Maybe you'll be able to find out more if...more people get murdered. I know that's messed the hell up, but I don't know what else to tell ya.

    "Carly," Orin begins, sailing down from his position and landing in front of you. His yellow wings trimmed with orange and tipped with black move slowly as he breathes. "You came to the right 'mon. Shila thinks she knows it all, but when you're cast aside and ain't busy with diplomacy and meetings, you see things others don't. You find anything related to the Stalkers, you make sure you tell me, alright?"

    He gives you a slap on your back, about where he thinks your shoulder would be, and opens the round door for you.


    Carly the Yanmega (L: Bug/Flying)
    Health: 12/12 | Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 2/8
    Battle Stance: Flee
    Perk: Technical

  6. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by LKWayvern View Post
    For my two actions, I'd like to interview Yasha the Absol and Eclipse the Houndour!
    Interview Rapport: VERY POSITIVE
    +1 Shared type
    +1 Shared evolution stage


    Yasha the absol, you learn, is Salvage Keep's priestess. You find her at the sacred temple, a partly ruined old building in the very southwestern corner of town. You constantly keep a look out for anything peculiar on your way there, but seem to come across nothing in particular that stands out.

    She sees you enter the temple, but appears to be in the middle of her duties. You wait around for a minute or so before approaching her, and she finishes up what she was doing and closes a book with the jewelery-adorned curved horn protruding from her head. A chunk from it is missing, but it looks to be a very old wound. Her red eyes fall to you as she keeps her head angled low, so you cannot see her mouth. She is dressed in simple white cloths that do not fall too far off her back, and one side bears an embroidered insignia. You don't stare at it too long, but you gather that it appears to be ocean waves.

    "I have not seen you before," she begins, her voice deep and calm. You feel a little put on the spot as she looks you up and down briefly. "Might you be here to worship?"

    You explain the reason for your appearance, and she listens, never removing eye contact with you.

    "I see." She moves her gaze away, leaping down from the raised stage she had been standing on. She turns to you again, but looks around for a moment. "This temple was built before the cataclysm, but the gods saw fit for it to remain standing even after disaster struck. Ever since I arrived in Salvage Keep, I have ensured that this place was a safe haven for any pokémon in need of guidance or hope. Many different Legendaries are worshiped here, and all are welcome. Violence here is forbidden, and I assure you, you will find no other place in this entire valley which can promise the same safety." She fixes her gaze on you again. "That is why the elimination of the Stalkers is paramount."

    She walks past you and towards the long rows of seats - all different shapes and sizes - her pawsteps barely making a sound aside from the soft clicks of her claws. She stops at a row partway down and looks at a seat a few places in. Once you meet her and look at the same one, she looks at you again.

    "Many pokémon come to this place to seek shelter and inner peace, such as Iona. Her presence brought smiles to every face she came across, and she visited me almost daily. She never judged me for my past and always treated everyone equally. She devoted her life to making others' lives better." She breathes out slowly. "Iona was the first victim of the Stalkers. She was my sister.

    "I am a priest of light, if the Stalkers are instruments of dark. I do not sit idly by as these evil forces devour our town piece by piece. I know of the Sin Purge ritual. It has been completed before, and it can be completed again. It is not something I can accomplish alone, even with the strength of the Storm Lord on my side. If you can prove to me that you are here to do good and bring prosperity back to this land by banishing the Stalkers, I will help you. If you find anything pertinent to the ritual, please bring it to me, and I will have something to contribute in turn."

    The absol appears difficult to read as she thinks for a moment.

    "It might also be worthy of note that I am skilled in a particular skill known as Clairvoyance. Should you or your fellow companions like to learn this skill, I would be more than happy to teach it. Come and see me any time. And, please, if you wish to come to the temple to worship your deity of choice, I welcome you."

    Yasha the Absol has been identified as a Skill Teacher for: Clairvoyance

    SKILL UNLOCKED: CLAIRVOYANCE!

    Spoiler:
    CLAIRVOYANCE (ANY CYCLE) - 1 Action
    Clairvoyance is an extremely useful skill if you want to learn the location of a particular item, or a place to use an item you already have, rather than having to search every location until you happen across it. It is somewhat of a shortcut for finding items, provided you have somewhere to start. By meditating on one single item for one action, you can use your expert abilities to hone in on the specific numbered location that the item in question needs to be used. If the place that the item is used is obstructed by a first step, your senses will let you know that something stands in the way to the item. Alternatively to an item, you can focus on a specific {Bracketed Interactive Object} that requires an item, and one of the items required will have its location revealed to you.

    Clairvoyance will still work if the wanted item is in an NPC's possession.

    How to use:
    Simply state something like: "Use Clairvoyance on [Blue Dagger]," or "Use Clairvoyance on {Locked Container: Blue Slot}."

    "I must be back to my work," Yasha tells you, and returns to the book she was studying when you first walked in.


    Daniel the Umbreon (M: Dark)
    Health: 10/10| Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 10/10
    Battle Stance: Flee
    Perk: Seinaru



    Interview Rapport: POSITIVE
    +1 Shared type

    After discovering where Eclipse the houndour spends his time during the day, you find him at the Valley Wellness Centre. It is a small building which you can see from pamphlets and signs is a centre focused on mental health. It appears that the two counsellors that work here, Eclipse and Timpani, work almost daily to ensure that the inhabitants of Salvage Keep are getting the help that they need.

    As you walk in, you meet eyes with Eclipse, who is resting on a floor cushion going over some schedules. He promptly gets up and scurries over to you, face curious but inviting.

    "Hello," he begins, dipping his head a little. "I'm Eclipse. Welcome to the Valley Wellness Centre! I...don't believe you have an appointment today."

    You explain to him that you are here for a different reason, and he appears a little surprised that you have come to see him specifically for matters unrelated to his work. He listens all the while.

    "Anything strange?" he asks, frowning slightly and angling his head toward the ceiling as he thinks. "Well, I guess you might have heard of the Stalkers... They are...very evil creatures. I cannot stress enough how horribly this town has changed since their appearance here. The murders, the pain, the suffering... It's been awful. And extremely frightening. To make matters worse, clients who used to come here don't, and those who have lost loved ones to the Stalkers should be booking appointments, but aren't. Loss can take a terrible toll on a pokémon." He looks wistful as he explains, then begins to pace a little. "Vex and Trinket were very close, but I am yet to see her after his passing. She likes to put on a brave face, but I know there's hurt behind that mask. Imeida used to come to me, but since she lost her son, I haven't seen her once. These Stalkers are destroying people's lives. I sometimes feel like the work I do is pointless, because I'm not out there investigating like people such as yourself, or out there training to defend innocent pokémon..." He goes quiet, but gives his head a small shake. "No, I know what I do is important. And ordinarily I wouldn't reveal all of this to someone - let alone a stranger - but I think it's important that you know the impact that these horrible creatures are having on this town."

    "I'm sorry, but I really must be getting back to my work. If Timpani were here, I'd pass you onto her, but it's a quiet day, so she's absent. Oh, but before you go, I do possess something that might be useful to you in your investigation. If you want to learn how to do what I can do, I'll be here. I might have an appointment at the time, but...I'll surely be able to squeeze you in."

    Eclipse the Houndour has been identified as a Skill Teacher for: Escort/Protect

    SKILL UNLOCKED: ESCORT/PROTECT!

    Spoiler:
    ESCORT/PROTECT (DAY OR NIGHT CYCLE) - 1 Action
    This skill works in two ways depending on which cycle you use it for.

    Escort - During the Day Cycle:
    This will allow you to talk an NPC Pokémon into using a Perk they have or a pokémon attack corresponding with the pokémon's type(s) at a certain location. This is useful for the fact that if they have a Perk or pokémon attack type that you do not, you'll be able to use their know-how to aid in the completion of your objectives. This can be done without fail, regardless of the rapport score.

    How to use:
    Simply state "Escort #32. Nepp the Sableye and use his Security Perk on {Locked Steel Door: <Security>} at (32) The Roland Building." This will persuade NPC Nepp the Sableye to use his Security Perk on the door. As another example, "Escort #34 Nepp the Sableye. Use Shadow Ball on {Shadowy Patch: +Ghost Type+} at (32) The Roland Building."

    Protect - During the Night Cycle:
    There are several NPC pokémon that might be of value to you for various reasons, and you may want to prevent them at all costs from being killed by the Stalkers. Using this action allows you to protect them and keep them alive during the Night Cycle, which is when the Stalkers strike. However, protecting an NPC may subject you to a Stalker attack if a Stalker just so happens to target the NPC you are guarding.

    In this circumstance, you will automatically roll a Stealth check, which will determine whether or not the Stalker notices you. Upon being noticed, the Stalker will either be dissuaded from attempting a murder, or will attack you in an effort to complete its original goal. If you manage to stay hidden, you will automatically attack the Stalker with two surprise strikes. If one hits, the Stalker will be driven off. If you do not successfully remain hidden and the Stalker attacks, there is a possibility that you will take damage, but after a few exchanged blows, the Stalker will be driven off. Being equipped with a weapon or armour will help you defend yourself and perhaps inflict a wound or two.

    How to use:
    Simply state "Protect #34, Nepp the Sableye." This makes it impossible for the Stalkers to kill Nepp during that particular Night Cycle.


    Daniel the Umbreon (M: Dark)
    Health: 10/10| Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 10/10
    Battle Stance: Flee
    Perk: Seinaru

  7. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Lychee View Post
    Lillian the Lopunny is a chatty gal, so she is also going to have a talk to a few townsfolk.

    If her diplomacy can be used once per round, it would be lovely to use it on Frinottie the Girafarig~
    If its only once per game, then she wont use it yet.
    Also, she will have a nice chat with Cliff the furfrou about what's been going on in town lately. Gossip is good! It's a lil gossip group about anything social or spooky happening. Ooo!
    Interview Rapport: POSITIVE
    +1 Shared type

    Frinottie the girafarig is engaged with a customer at the Invincible Drifter, a specialty store in the bazaar. As you walk in, you note the many colourful, shiny, strange items and objects in display cabinets and set on tables. Trinkets, orbs, gems, equipment, and other bits and pieces are present here, among goods of other kinds. Your eye is almost caught by a particularly interesting object before you hear a voice chime.

    "Welcome to the Invincible Drifter!" Frinottie trots over to you, then settles into a sensible walk. She offers you a genuine smile as the side bag strapped across her neck dangles by her front leg. "What can I get for you?"

    You introduce yourself to the dual-type and begin to explain to her your mission in just enough detail so that she understands the importance of your work here, but not enough for a potential Stalker to catch on. You make good conversation, bringing up talk of her business, which Frinottie seems to very much enjoy speaking about. She asks questions in turn, and you gather that most of her enquiries are vague enough that they are probably just a citizen's interest. You skillfully guide the chat into useful territory, and you can clearly see that the girafarig is keen to help you in any way she can.

    Frinottie the Girafarig is now COMPLIANT.

    "It sounds like your work is of utmost importance," she says. She then seems to think of something and rushes past you, the tiny head on her tail biting your wrist fluff and dragging you along for a few steps. She stops at the cabinet you passed when you entered, and points to it with her snout. "That there is some kind of ancient medallion," she tells you, awe in her eyes. "It came into my possession not too long ago when a travelling merchant came through. I snatched it up before he knew what was happening, and it's been in this cabinet since. For some reason, nobody has shown any interest in it, but...it's mesmerising." She stares at it for a few seconds, then turns back to you. "I was selling it for two-hundred, but...well, you're just really cool, and for some reason, I really want to help you. So...how about this. If you come back to me with $50 SP$, I'll sell it to you. I-I would give it to you for free, but...it cost me that much to buy it, and, well, splinters aren't too easy to come across when you're a specialty retailer!" She tries to get out a little laugh, but it just ends up being awkward.

    She walks past you and back to the till, where she begins rummaging through the shelves behind the counter. After about half a minute, she gives up and sighs.

    "I don't think I can provide you with anything else useful, but... You want to get rid of the Stalkers, right? Well..." She rounds the counter and comes in close. Her voice is barely a whisper as she says, "I think Orin might be one of them." She winces, trying to gauge your response. She looks around to double-check that nobody is listening in, then whispers again. "He's a grouchy old 'mon who hates this town. He's jealous of the fact that Shilamora gets more attention than he does, because she's the face of Salvage Keep, while he's a washed up old coot. You didn't hear it from me, but...he's suspicious. I'm not the only one who thinks so."

    Just as she pulls away, you hear a customer enter through the door, drawing Frinottie's attention up. She greets the customer, then wishes you luck for your further endeavours. She watches you leave the shop.


    Lillian the Lopunny (M: Normal)
    Health: 10/10 | Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 10/10
    Battle Stance: Fight
    Perk: Diplomacy



    Interview Rapport: POSITIVE
    +1 Shared type

    You find Cliff the furfrou among the guild sector. Asking around leads you eventually to the small section of the Misc. Guild area, specifically the Barking Brigade. There is one small building dedicated to each guild in this section, and as you come into the Barking Brigade hall, you can see why: there are not many pokémon here.

    Cliff is conversing with a herdier, who you gather is probably from another part of the valley, but he pauses upon your entrance. He appears almost confused about why you have entered, but he politely excuses himself from his conversation anyway and heads towards you.

    "Yes, hello?" he asks. "If you're here to ask if you can join, I'm terribly sorry to inform you, but we only accept those who can procure a specific vocal burst. Usually snappy in feel and loud in volume."

    Before he can go further into the spiel he seemed so well prepared to give, you stop him and explain that you are here to question him about anything peculiar that he might have experienced or seen lately.

    The furfrou seems horridly embarrassed and backs up a few paces. "Oh, dear, I beg your pardon, my good lopunny. How rude of me to assume your intention, and without giving you a chance to respond! By the gods, I am such a fool sometimes." He lets out a small, gruff bark which you can only imagine is his definition of self-scolding. "Allow me to make it up to you; I shall tell you everything odd I have been party to lately."

    Cliff begins to explain to you the politics of each guild, and how many of them clash with one another. He seems genuinely frustrated as he mentions how Fliscinco often uses the Barking Brigade as the subject of his amusement, and how Typhen is much too serious. He informs you that the only pokémon he can have a decent conversation with is Shrulop, whose tales can sometimes be lengthy, but appears to always have time for Cliff.

    "Oh, and something very peculiar is happening at the Mercenary Guild. I can feel it every time I walk past their grounds! I occasionally see strange things happening there at night." He jumps suddenly, startling you as well, as something seems to come to his mind. "Shrulop and I were talking yesterday, and it seems as if his guild has been completely overtaken by hideous darkness. It's simply unbecoming of those lovely travellers. I would very highly recommend not setting paw there at all. My word, it is just abhorrent."

    "Anyway, I must be getting back to my schedule. Bark practice is on soon, and I must be prepared. It was nice to meet you."

    You watch as Cliff returns to his previous station, and figure it's probably time for you to leave as well.


    Lillian the Lopunny (M: Normal)
    Health: 10/10 | Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 10/10
    Battle Stance: Fight
    Perk: Diplomacy

  8. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Chakramaster View Post
    First Action: Search (6) Starplace Gems

    Second Action Search (50) Jeek and Zundy Leisure Centre
    Starplace Gems is a somewhat colourful shop in the centre of the bazaar's strip of shops. You first begin to look around the exterior in search of anything particularly useful, all the while avoiding the gazes of those around you. After about half an hour of searching, however, you do not find anything that strikes your fancy.

    You head inside the store and appear somewhat undetected by a persistent but genial sounding spoink tending to a few customers. Contained in glass cabinets, you see gems, each of a different colour. Yellow, blue, red, green, and more. You look closely at a smaller cabinet which has only a single gem inside: a rainbow one. Its shimmering colours glisten under the light of the store, and you quietly wonder if these are just materialistic or if they have real uses.

    You waddle past a shelf with a few books, mostly ones with titles relating to gemstones and other rocks, and three scrolls. As interesting as they may be, and as pretty as the gems are, you are not here to buy anything, so you focus on searching. You get low to the floor and scour the place, ensuring you pop up and act like a regular customer perusing goods when eyes fall to you. At one point, you wait for an opening to dart behind the counter and into the back room. You figure that if anything here is worth hiding, it would be away from prying eyes. Well, most prying eyes.

    After a few minutes of looking around, you conclude that nothing here is of concern, until you come across a rusted silver safe hidden under some cloths. You are unsure if it contains treasures, or secrets worth hiding. You inspect the lock mechanism, and discover with a tinge of a smile that this lock is electronic. Electricity happens to be your specialty.

    {Locked Electronic Safe: <Security> / +Electric-type+}

    Using a small spark from your cheeks, you fry the system and the safe creaks open. You wait a moment to ensure the sound didn't attract any attention, then hear a hearty laugh from the other room. Figuring you're safe, you go ahead and open it.

    [Red Gem], [Green Gem Dust], [Obsidian Ore] and $22 SP$ were added to Sparkstrike's Inventory.

    After spending a tiny bit more time looking around, you figure that it's time to go. You exit through the back way and slip back onto the street without anyone noticing.

    Shop: Starplace Gems discovered!

    Spoiler:
    (6) Starplace Gems
    1. [Blueprints: Safeguard Gem]: $250 SP$
    2. [Blueprints: Cure Gem]: $250 SP$
    3. [Blueprints: Status Gem]: $250 SP$
    4. [Yellow Gem]: $500 SP$
    5. [Blue Gem]: $500 SP$
    6. [Red Gem]: $500 SP$
    7. [Green Gem]: $500 SP$
    8. [Purple Gem]: $500 SP$
    9. [Orange Gem]: $500 SP$
    10. [Clear Gem]: $400 SP$
    11. [Rainbow Gem]: $700 SP$
    12. [Black Gem]: $1,000 SP$
    13. [White Gem]: $1,000 SP$
    14. [Grey Gem]: $1,000 SP$
    15. [Mystic Crystal]: $300 SP$



    Sparkstrike the Pikachu (S: Electric)
    Health: 8/8 | Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 12/12
    Battle Stance: Fight
    Perk: Medicine



    After your success at Starplace Gems, you figure that you might as well give searching another go. So, you head across the street to Jeek and Zundy Leisure Centre, figuring that a games club could be a good place to hide some secrets.

    You spend the better part of the afternoon scouring the inside and outside of the centre. Inside, you discovered that the resident fraxure, Fjord, runs the place. He is busy with work as you wander around inside, and apart from him, nobody else seems to be here. You figure that during the day, the younger residents are at school, and most others are working. A leisure centre that specialises in games does not appear to be the type of shop that would be constantly busy in a town still recovering from a cataclysm.

    Vex, a decidueye, appeared and left a few times, and you gathered that she also helps to maintain the centre. She and Fjord seemed to barely look at one another when they briefly interacted, but rather than a lack of respect for one another, you gather that they might be old friends who don't have much of a need for pleasantries anymore.

    You search takes you outside, where you eventually come across a door that you don't recall seeing the other side of inside the centre. Curious, you try to open it, but find that it doesn't budge. Without trying to make too much noise, you manage to break it open with good old fashioned persistence, and a dusty, unused room appears before you. It is filled with cobwebs, dirt, and a few pieces of old furniture such as broken stools and half a bedside table. You wander in, taking care not to touch the filth around you, and spot something in the corner. You go closer and see what looks to be a strange safe, but built into the floor. You conclude that it could be a trapdoor, and take note that it's asking for a very specific code, and a particular pokémon type.

    {Hidden Room's Basement: GAMMA Code, +Ground-type+} was added to the Team Records.

    Figuring there isn't much here you can do, you give the rest of the room a look-over, then double-check the yard. Happy with your searches, you begin to make your way back to the Emissary Clubhouse to report your findings.


    Sparkstrike the Pikachu (S: Electric)
    Health: 8/8 | Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 12/12
    Battle Stance: Fight
    Perk: Medicine

  9. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by Noblejanobii View Post
    Alright it's time for our first action. Jan, where do you want to go?

    A museum sounds cool! Maybe we can learn some of the history of the area there.

    I wonder if any serial killers lived here.

    Oh boy...

    ~~~~~

    First Action: Search (47) Fragments from the Past to see if there's anything or anyone of interest there.

    Second Action: Speak with the curator, Anguleri the Dhelmise.
    Fragments of the Past, located by the theatre and close to Bizzie's farm, seems to be a museum of some kind. The building itself, from the outside, is definitely post-cataclysm and seems to be fairy sturdy. There is a large garden surrounding it, stretching all the way to the theatre which, although its nearest neighbour, is still quite a distance away.

    At first, you see fit to search the exterior of the building. You figure that a nice garden would be a crafty place to hide something of worth, so you get to work, first scouting the perimeter and moving in bit-by-bit. When walking feels too slow, you extend your shadowy, ribbon-like arms which propel you a whole lot faster, but you never skimp on the being thorough.

    After a while, something white catches your eye. You stop, retracting your shadow arms and sinking back down to a tiny mimikyu size, and inspect what you found. It appears to be a bone, and it's not clean. It reeks of rotten flesh, and it looks filthy, like it's been sitting here for days or even weeks. You hope you don't need this and leave it where it is, and use it as motivation to find the reason why it's here. With a little more searching, you begin to feel the skin under your pikachu costume prickle. This is an unusual occurrence for you, as normally you're the creepiest thing in the room, so you figure it must be bad. With a little more searching, you find where the property takes a dip, and at the bottom of the small hill is some kind of tipped-over pot. The earth then curves back up on all sides, as if this dip was almost carved out solely for whatever lies down there. Surrounded by trees and plants, you figure it's well hidden enough for nobody to have noticed it yet.

    You head down the hill, trying not to slip, until you come to the base. It is a pot of sorts, but more specifically, an old, rusted, grimy cauldron which seems to have fallen off the apparatus that held it due to it collapsing. It has a similar stench to the small bone you found, and littered around it are fragments of similar bone, meat scraps, blood, and what could be someone's insides. Just looking at this makes you want to gag, but you maintain your composure...until you round the fallen cauldron to peer inside.

    Resting in the remaining puddle of a foul liquid substance, a rotted face stares back at you, voids for eyes and skin almost completely fallen off. You can't even tell what this used to be, but the sight of it completely disgusts you. You keep your eyes on it a little too long and its horrific odour snakes into your nose, and you can almost taste it in your mouth.

    Madder the Mimikyu suffers 1 point of Sanity damage.

    You pull away, scrambling backwards a little as you try to regain your composure. This...must be a Stalker's doing. As creepy as a floating head in a cauldron is, the mental toll it took on you can only be the influence of the Abyss. You figure this is where the bone must have come from, but you're not quire sure how this cauldron could be of any use right now. Regardless, the stand it was resting upon looks broken, so perhaps that's something you could relay to your fellow Emissaries.

    {Hell-Cursed Cauldron: <Repair>} was added to the Team Records.

    You leave the cauldron where it is, and are relieved to breathe in fresh air once you make it to the top of the dip. Well, perhaps serial killers do live here. You search the rest of the exterior, then head inside and scour the building's interior. However, nothing else catches your attention. But you do stick around, noticing that the dhelmise who runs the museum seems to be present.


    Madder the Mimikyu (S: Ghost/Fairy)
    Health: 8/8 | Sanity: 7/8 | Purity: 12/12
    Battle Stance: Fight
    Perk: Seinaru



    Interview Rapport: VERY POSITIVE
    +1 Shared type
    +1 Shared evolution stage
    +1 Intimidation Ghost > Ghost
    +1 Modesty Ghost < Ghost


    Shortly after your search of the museum and its grounds, you elect to target Anguleri, the museum curator. You find them floating around the museum, clasping a painting gently with reeds that seem to wrap around their body. As you walk up to them, you comprehend just how incredibly massive this pokémon is, and how tiny you feel by comparison. To quietly compensate for this, you find yourself extending your shadow arms again and propping yourself up somewhat. It's only then that the massive pokémon notices you.

    "One moment, small thing," they say, somehow drifting above the floor towards a storeroom. The doorways in this museum are almost fifteen feet tall and ten feet wide, and you watch as Anguleri easily manoeuvres through one and back. "You're here to see the art?"

    You tell them that you're here for another reason, and that you're helping with an investigation of the Stalkers. You intentionally omit the part about the cauldron.

    "The Stalkers?" they bellow, their voice almost a rattling, churning sound constructed like words rather than a voice. "I do not know why you are asking me, as clearly I have nothing to do with them. Nor will you find anything of import in my museum, so if you are not here to peruse our exquisite collection of art, I bid you farewell."

    You stop them from leaving by extending your arms until you come right up to what you imagine is their face, and explain that their cooperation would be very much appreciated, and that anything could help. They catch onto your persistence and seem to produce what you imagine is a scowl.

    "You tiny folk pretending to be menacing is adorable. And a pestilence. I do not know anything. Do you understand? The only thing that has changed around here is that, for some reason, a rancid stench wafts through every now and again. No, it is not me, and no, I do not know where it is coming from." They stare at you for a moment longer, then push past your form, floating toward the storeroom again. "Perhaps you can ask Krenta what he's been seeing of late, rather than bothering me."

    The door slams behind them, and you're left alone in the museum until you decide to leave.


    Madder the Mimikyu (S: Ghost/Fairy)
    Health: 8/8 | Sanity: 7/8 | Purity: 12/12
    Battle Stance: Fight
    Perk: Seinaru

  10. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by EmeraldSky View Post
    Lita first decides to check the perimeter and the basement of the Keep to get a feel for this new place.
    Just a reminder, you need to submit both actions at once!

    This, to you, seems like the logical place to start. It's the fortress where this town's construction began, as well as its namesake. The Keep itself is massive, and you gather that it has the space to accommodate for many rooms. You wonder how many residents live here, or if it's even an option that Orin or Shilamora opened to the public.

    Around the outside of the Keep, a well-fashioned abatis stretches all the way around. This makes it difficult to get up close to the Keep's walls, but you stick as close to it as you can, hopping on some of the less sharp logs that you feel safe leaping across. Occasionally you find debris and rubbish, and a rotten log here and there, but nothing particularly out of the ordinary.

    When you're nearly the whole way around, you spot something snagged beneath a rock. However, it's under some of the logs, so you very carefully squeeze yourself underneath it and use your paw to push the rock aside, then reach in and grab what looks like a piece of paper. You pull it out and take a look.



    =Strange Picross= was added to the Team Records.

    Judging by the condition of the paper, you gather that it's easy to conclude that it was fairly recently left here. It also strikes you as completely odd, and you have to wonder why it's lying outside on the ground. It also mentions something called "Epsilon," and you're also not sure what that means. As you spend a few minutes going over this, you wonder if it's even possible to complete in its current stage. It's possible that you might need another piece of the puzzle to help you solve it...

    You scour the rest of the exterior, but find nothing beside the piece of paper with the picross puzzle on it that stands out. Well, one thing is better than nothing!


    Lita the Pikachu (S: Electric)
    Health: 8/8 | Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 12/12
    Battle Stance: Fight
    Perk: Security

  11. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by ARandomTool View Post
    "Well, I should probably start by... OOH, SHOPS! I wonder how their security is...?"
    Search (3) Disaster Defense and (11) The Invincible Drifter for poorly-guarded wares free samples.
    You stand in the Salvage Keep bazaar, wondering which shop to enter and explore. One that piques your interest is Disaster Defence, an armour and weaponry shop. You check around the exterior first, trying to sniff out anything of use. You see something sparkle in the dirt, only to find out that it's a bottle cap. A useless, partly shiny bottle cap.

    There are scraps of metal out the back, as well as an outdoor workshop. Tools of all kinds lie here, as well as a forge, and various materials. It seems as if the rhydon who owns this place makes a lot of her own wares. As you're scavenging through some of the materials outside, something in particular catches your eye.

    It looks to be a long, wooden rod. At first you wonder why it got your attention, but then you notice how finely carved it is. It's been preserved nicely, and when you look closer, you can see strange runes in it. You survey the area again, and see nothing quite like it. Perhaps the rhydon came across this rod somewhere, as opposed to making it. There's also something about it that seems to draw you in, like it's soothing you. Something in your mind tells you to hang onto it, so you decide to take it with you.

    [Staff Shaft] was added to the Team Inventory.

    You rest the staff in a secure-looking nook and cover it with some larger materials before you head inside Disaster Defence and begin to look around for anything interesting. Weapons, armour and equipment are for sale here, as well as materials that look to be used to craft some of these items.

    Shop: Disaster Defence discovered! Added to the Map.
    Spoiler:
    (3) Disaster Defence
    "Buy something, get [Blueprints: Dagger] free!"
    1. [M:Padded Strips] $20 SP$
    2. [M:Iron Ore] $30 SP$
    3. [M:Titanium Ore] $60 SP$
    4. [M:Wood] $10 SP$
    5. [Blueprints: Padded Armour] $100 SP$
    6. [Blueprints: Scale Mail] $140 SP$
    7. [Blueprints: Chain Mail] $200 SP$
    8. [Blueprints: Plate Mail] $300 SP$
    9. [Blueprints: Gemstone Headband] $70 SP$
    10. [Blueprints: Elemental Dagger] $200 SP$
    11. [Blueprints: Dagger of Dispersion] $200 SP$


    You hear shifting in the back room before a thud, and then muttering. You figure that the rhydon is probably in a storeroom of sorts, and you hide before she emerges. You hear the clatter of several weapons against the main counter, which you use as cover to slip into the back and look around. Aside from a few silver splinters, you don't see anything that stands out like the rod did. Nevertheless, you pocket the splinters.

    $12 SP$ was added to Nicklefool's Inventory.

    You manage to slip out the back, then find the staff again and head to your next location.

    Nicholas "Nicklefool" Foligan the Mr. Mime (M: Psychic/Fairy)
    Health: 10/10| Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 10/10
    Battle Stance: Fight
    Perk: Diplomacy



    You next find yourself at the Invincible Drifter, the store in the bazaar that is by far the most colourful. Again you start with the exterior, scouring every inch of it to the best of your ability. Again you find nothing of real worth, so you head inside, hoping to find something--whether it's loose cash, stray items, or something similar to the rod you already found.

    You are met with display cabinets filled with items and objects of many kinds. There's one particular shelf with a line of different boxes, and a sign near them reading "Single-use skill boxes!" You wonder what this means, but you know that the box labelled "Silver Tongue" makes you immediately think of your proficiency with diplomacy.

    Shop: The Invincible Drifter discovered! Added to the Map.
    Spoiler:
    (11) The Invincible Drifter
    1. [Aqua Gear]: $150 SP$
    2. [P:Lockpicking Tools]: $200 SP$
    3. [P:Silver Tongue]: $200 SP$
    4. [P:First-Aid Kit]: $200 SP$
    5. [P:Blessed Charm]: $200 SP$
    6. [P:Old Tech]: $200 SP$
    7. [P:Tinkerer's Tools]: $200 SP$
    8. [M:Elemental Orb]: $300 SP$
    9. [M:Smoke Ball] $350 SP$
    10. [M:Light Ball] $350 SP$
    11. [M:Focus Ball] $350 SP$
    12. [Adrenaline Orb]: $300 SP$
    13. [Ancient Relic]: $200 SP$


    Out of everything there, the strange, faintly glowing relic near the entrance draws you in the most. To your surprise, it gives you the same feeling that the rod does, and you can't help but wonder why. You consider breaking the cabinet and taking it, but the store's owner, a girafarig, has her eyes fixed on you as she pretends to work away at the counter.

    You spend some more time wandering slowly around the shop, and eventually head back outside again. You notice that the door to the back rooms is open, and you creep inside, hoping your fellow psychic-type doesn't notice. As you rummage quietly around inside, you come an odd piece of paper. You pick it up, and it's just...squares.



    =Mysterious Squares= was added to the Team Records.

    You pocket it despite not knowing if it's significant at all. You also find a small coin purse and chuckle as you pocket that as well.

    $17 SP$ was added to Nicklefool's Inventory.

    Aside from those things, you can't see anything more. You exit the shop and head back to base, keen to share your findings.


    Nicholas "Nicklefool" Foligan the Mr. Mime (M: Psychic/Fairy)
    Health: 10/10| Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 10/10
    Battle Stance: Fight
    Perk: Diplomacy

  12. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by Arrow-Jolteon View Post
    Oh, my mistake. In that case...

    First action: Go to (38) Black Dart Apothecary

    Second action: Speak with Irston the Dedenne
    Black Dart Apothecary is a somewhat large facility that seems to have been constructed out of the ruins of a building that was built a long time ago. Although the property is rather large, only a small portion of it is actually used by Kaskin, the croagunk who serves as the town's healer. You wonder how effective just one healer could be, considering the size of the town and the fact that travellers come through as well. Nevertheless, it's not your job to worry about the details, and you set off searching the area.

    The exterior mainly consists of a garden, and you can see that Kaskin - if it's he who takes care of it - seems to be apt at maintaining the plants and the flowers. There are a few rusted or broken seats around the place, though they do not look recently used. The search outside does not get you anywhere after a good portion of time spent searching, so you elect to head inside.

    The interior is warm, but you can immediately smell some sort of disinfectant or ointment wafting through. It's simultaneously unpleasantly strong, but also mildly comforting to know that whatever is being used here is probably very effective. You hear someone pattering around, and figure it's probably the croagunk, who you decide to avoid so you don't have to engage in unnecessary conversation.

    You continue searching about until you find the medical cabinet, which seems to contain many things you don't think you will need, but there is a roll of bandages that you think could come in handy for something. Maybe those with medical skills could put it to good use.

    [Gauze Roll] was added to the Team Inventory.

    Nothing else is significant here, so you wrap up your search and move on once you're satisfied with your efforts.


    Arrow the Jolteon (M: Electric)
    Health: 10/10 | Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 10/10
    Battle Stance: Flee
    Perk: Security



    Interview Rapport: POSITIVE
    +1 Shared type

    Your next goal is to speak with Irston, who you find in his shop at Fabulous Furnishings. He seems to be busy chatting with Mittlee, a mimikyu who appears to be unable to maintain eye contact with Irston at all. As you get closer, you note that Irston is berating him for an order he must have messed up. However, upon seeing how deflated his companinon is, he seems to be able to switch the conversation quickly to something more positive. Mittlee perks up again, and nods, then scurries off into another part of the store.

    Irston sighs, shaking his head slightly as his manufactured smile drops. It's then that he looks up and sees you, his little ears twitching somewhat. He once again adorns his business smile and heads over to you.

    "Welcome to Fabulous Furnishings! The only place in Harbour Valley where we design your furniture for you." He holds out a tiny paw and slaps it on the side of yours, unfazed by your lack of participation. "There something you'd like to order?"

    You decline his offer politely and begin to explain why you're here and the things you'd like to ask him. His smile wilts until he notices, when he props it back up again. "Those shadow killers are...not a subject we like to discuss in front of customers," Irston tells you, although when you look around, nobody else is in the store. Irston flicks his head toward the back of the shop and says, "Come chat out back."

    He leads you through the shop and between the many couches, beds, tables, and all other manners of furniture. Eventually you come into a dusty back room where Mittlee sees the two of you enter, then hurries back out to give you some privacy.

    Irston digs through a pile of papers before pulling out a card of some kind. "I've been getting death threats from one of them. Now I didn't do anything to piss it off, I swear. I'm just a simple business dedenne." He hands you the card, which smells of stale blood.



    =Threatening Card= was added to the Team Records.

    "It's blank on the inside. I don't even know which one sent it to me, but I'm sure it's one of them. Who else would send something like that?" He shakes his head and sighs again. "Look, sorry to cut this short but I got orders to fill, and we're nearly closed for the day. Mittlee might know something if you want to come back tomorrow. Said he found something odd the other day."

    "By the way, if you have use for a smooth talker in a pickle, don't hesitate to call on me. Us electric types need to stick together."

    Irston the Dedenne has been identified as possessing the Diplomacy perk.

    Irston almost politely tries to escort you out, and you take the hint and leave.

    Arrow the Jolteon (M: Electric)
    Health: 10/10 | Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 10/10
    Battle Stance: Flee
    Perk: Security

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