Stalkers RPG: Dustwoken - Main Action and Team Status [SEASON 1]

[DayBreak]

012-shocked.jpg
I just realized we had both Shadow Eyes (this is what I get for falling behind on my reading up).
000-normal.jpg
Anyway, I feel like it'd be oddly fitting for me to head to Southshore Chapel and put those things on the Latios statue, considering one of my incarnations is a Latios.

[Deliver the Shadow Eyes to the Latios statue in the Southshore Chapel]

[Chakramaster]

I feel like I'll keep searching around for now. Until I have need elsewhere at least.

Search: (24) The Percho Mill

[Neo Emolga]

I'll take a look around the (49) Emerald Fields Townhouses.

As the sun rises, you decide to help yourself to a few of the muffins that Benni baked early this morning and you head west to investigate the Emerald Fields Townhouses, which seem to have an odd amount of rumors and urban myths behind them. You’re not sure which ones are real and which ones might just be old wives tales, but you decide the only way to really find out is to see for yourself and put those rumors under your own validation process.

The other matter in the whole ordeal is the fact if the Stalkers had anything to do with the place, you need to know and find those things. Because if you don’t, who will? The answer you feel may be nothing. No one.

After finishing breakfast, you cross the long barren divide between Benni’s farmstead and the derelict, northwestern side of Seabourne. When you finally arrive, you find that at least the place matches the description. One house here, the Elona House, seems to be in perfect condition, as if not only do the inhabitants still live there, but they take extreme meticulous care of the property in an almost obsessive way to make sure it stays looking as new as possible. And considering the state of the surrounding area, it seems completely unnatural for something to be this way and you’re quite sure something else is going on. But then the other thing you’ve heard is that those that enter this place never return. And you’re left unsure if you really want to discover why that is at the cost of succumbing to the same fate… whatever the true nature of that fate really is.

Secondly, the Nowela House seems to be the only thing here that makes sense given the situation and the surrounding environment around the Emerald Fields Townhouses. The house itself lies in ruins with the only things still standing are basic pieces of the original wooden framework. Only half of one side has walls left and even then they’re in terrible condition and provide no shelter at all. You decide to start here and look around through the rubble of a house that must have fallen apart years ago from age. But whatever was left behind is too damaged to make any use of. Broken pipes, rusty metal, shattered glass, and splintered wood are about all you find here besides several broken pots, a crushed wooden crate, and other similar junk.

You then decide to investigate the Dewall house, or at least the vacant, empty plot where nothing exists save for dirt. As you confirm, no grass, no weed, absolutely nothing has grown here for ages, and you’ve even heard that not even grass type Pokémon can bare to stand in this location for any duration of time at all. Thankfully, that’s not something you need to worry about as the Pokémon you are.

Taking a deep breath, you step into the empty plot and you feel ŝ̒͋͊̾õ͖͔̟̑̓m͖̞̓̎e̫̠t̩̝͖͎ͧͭ̅̾h̝̩̭̤͕̻̲̄̆ͪ̆̂̒̓i̐̋̀̑ ̝͎͚̬̝͗n͎g uncanny at first, but you cannot explain it, as if a sense you never realized you had before is being triggered and is suffering for it, but you cannot tell what.

{Foreboding Presence: Location}

There’s something buried here, but you cannot discern where. It all looks the same to you and there isn’t any kind of disturbance in the ground that would clue you in on its location. And then you realize something else that’s bizarre.

You don’t leave behind footprints behind you. You don’t even cast a shadow in this plot of land…

You step out, realizing you could spend all day trying to dig here only to find nothing. As soon as you leave this anomalous area, your shadow reappears and you feel a strange relief, as if you can breathe again. But you cannot even begin to explain just how that was possible.

Lastly, you turn back toward the Elona House. You’re a bit hesitant to go inside, but if anything is lurking in there, you need to know why and what’s the true story behind this place. Looters and pillagers have gone in attempting to pluck whatever they could from the place only to lose everything, far more than what they started off with. But why? And how did it happen to all of them?

You approach the front door of the immaculate, pure-white house and the perfectly clean brass door knob is easily turned and you realize the front door isn’t even locked, as if all guests and visitors are welcome to come on in. You step inside and almost naturally, the door closes gently behind you…

The living room is perfectly clean and homely with plenty of cushy seating for at least eight Pokémon while the fireplace mantle is clean and quite presentable with perfectly polished candle holders and lovely paintings on the wall. Not a speck of anything… dust, debris, or anything of that nature is in sight and you can only wonder how does anyone keep a place like this so clean all the time? You think it would take an army of well-funded and very motivated Cinccinos to keep a place looking like this.

It isn’t until you get to the den do you realize what might be the answer to this mystery. But before you do, you feel a strange but familiar presence wash over you as you look into the Dream Gate…

Scy has inherited 3 Points of Kurosuōbā…

You soon begin to glow as you ascend to become a Tatsujin, and you realize this is a gateway to Yume, a direct portal to the world of dreams…

Scy has become a Tatsujin…

@{Dorimugeto (Dream Gate): Shukufuku no jonzai} – ~3 Kurosuōbā~@ has been noted in the Team Records.

You realize it’s for the [Shukufuku no jozai], the Blessing Tablet that was originally found in the Seabourne Public Library. And that very tablet contains the instructions behind the request, an order to receive the [Kage no Shukufuku] Shadow Blessing as needed for the Majutsu ritual. All you would have to do is carry that tablet back here and insert it into the swirling black and cyan-colored twisting portal. It all suddenly makes sense to you, as if you knew about this information long before and only just suddenly remembered.

And then you realize the truth behind this place. Why those that entered it came here and never came out. It makes you wonder just how many of them mistakenly touched the portal to unintentionally be taken into Yume only to never come out… or at least never go out the same way they went in. How many vandals and pillagers went into Yume and may still to this day be perplexed and unaware of what realm they really stepped into…

As for the Elona House itself… and how it stays untainted by time and withering, you realize the house itself has its foundation built into the portal and the house itself is only an extension of it. If and when the portal closes, you might imagine in time, the Elona House may start to become like the Nowela House. Or at least until your thoughts take you elsewhere and on another track of thinking…

Elona…

Nowela…

Dewall…

E… N… D…

This area itself… it’s a literal depiction of the passage of time. Elona is how it all begins… a nicely and newly constructed house fully furnished… whereas the Nowela House is a depiction of what ultimately every house eventually becomes. Ruins… and rubble. And the Dewall House… is pure nothingness. Where not even the dust of what once was remains… where not even you seem to exist in that space and it is the literal depiction of when all life is gone…

Only when you realize it do you see the similarities, but it didn’t happen a moment sooner. All three houses have the same plot of land and would have had the same floorplan. When you leave, you almost feel like you now have more questions than answers. How is such an anomaly possible, and why is it here? Are you the only one that realized this, yet? And if not, who else knows?

You decide to head back, thinking about the tablet that’s needed for the Dream Gate, but then there was the matter of barren Dewall plot of land. Someone hid something there because they knew it was a strange, uncanny protected area, but why, and what did they hide? Something… something unnatural would have had to drive someone to bury something in such a place and there had to be a good reason for it. They needed it out of the way…

Could even the Dewall house… or at least that plot of land… even wipe away the taint of the Stalkers? Is that why something was hidden there?

…

Scy the Tatsujin Heracross (M: Kūsho)

Health: 20/20 | Sanity: 15/20 | Purity: 20/20 | 10/10 Kurosuōbā | Dodge Rate: 30%
Perk: Repair
Reincarnation Forms: Heracross, Scyther, Centiskorch, Snom, Volcarona
EQUIPMENT:

• Defense Armor: <Empty>
• Jewelry: +|J| Diamond Necklace+ (2S, 2P)

[Neo Emolga]

Okay, the coastguard leader... yikes. I feel bad for the fella, but hopefully the coastguard itself will live on!

But I know what I'm handling! Black Moon Savants, we're not letting this die out! If anyone wants to tackle the shadow Latios, I wish you good luck.

[Deliver the Black Lily Insignia to The Last House.]

When the morning arrives, you awake from your bed and help yourself to the breakfast muffins that Benni has provided to the Savants. After finishing them with a cup of black tea, you take the Black Lily Insignia and you head east toward The Last House, which was recently discovered to be a secret outpost for the Black Moon guild.

Thankfully, the air this morning isn’t quite as stale as it was yesterday. It’s quiet, but it at least feels like there’s more life today, even as you cross the wasteland divide between Benni’s farmstead and the Last House.

When you arrive, you make your way toward the outside cellar entrance and you spot the hidden, dusty hatch with the black lily marking. You then take the Black Lily Insignia tile, firmly place the hexagon-shaped tile into the slot, and press down, triggering the unlocking mechanism.

Colored has used the [Black Lily Insignia].

{Black Sanctuary Hatch: Mark of the Lily}

As the door slides open, you’re not quite sure what to expect. It almost seems like an armory, but you know only a few of the weapons still remain. As the door slides fully open, a stone staircase is revealed and heads downward. And you head downstairs and take a look around.

Indeed, it was an underground armory at one point, but almost everything has been plucked off of the weapon and armor racks. At the same time, there also seems to be a lot of tactical notes and reconnaissance maps on the concrete walls. There’s notes about observations about the demons, activity patterns, and when their targets most likely appear. You can almost envision what the scene must have looked like years ago… a band of Savants like yourself, no longer aware of the humans they used to be, but working as the Pokémon they become to undo this vice of evil that plagued this town before many years ago. Most of their work was preserved, but it seems as though not even the townspeople knew about them or what they were even fighting. And it hits you for a profound moment that you could have been here, here with them and just like them.

On one of the shelves, you find a glass cylinder container containing a kind of black, shadowy energy that radiates a dark violet glow. You see it’s also given the label “Obscurité Shadow Essence” with a piece of masking tape. You take the jar with you, knowing if you’re hoping to reassemble the Obscurité, this is one of the essential components.

[Obscurité Shadow Essence] has been added to the Team Inventory. (Black Moon Relics)

As you hold it in your green hands, you can almost sense you’re not alone and you quickly turn behind you to see if anyone is really there. You don’t see anyone, but you can almost feel them.

And moments later, you can catch a glimpse of them…



…

“I know your story…” you mutter, almost certain whoever this Zoroark is can hear you. “Uxie… Mesprit… and Azelf… they made a mistake. They shouldn’t have taken your memories the way they did. Do you… at least remember your name…?”

…

“Chercher…” he mutters. “But you needn’t worry about us, Savant. Our time here was many, many years ago. We thought our work was done, but they came back. And these Demoni are far worse than what we faced…”

“Is… Obscurité your weapon?” you ask Chercher. “I’m trying to reassemble it, along with the others. Ombre and Létal. We need your help with that if you can lend a hand. We don’t know where the other parts of these weapons are.”

“Indeed, Obscurité was my weapon, the last of which I had and the one I never used in combat,” Chercher replies. “I don’t know where the parts of the other two weapons lie, they weren’t mine, but the other parts of Obscurité… that Dhelmise… Ohu I believe its name is… has the vault key that is located in what is now the Seabourne Office Plaza. That’s where I stored the bow of Obscurité. With that bow, the essence you have, and one of the Aether Prisms we hid, it can be made whole again. And to know my bow finally had the chance to destroy one of these Demoni… it would let my spirit finally find rest…”

For a moment, you fall silent.

“Sorry to hear about your passing…” you tell him.

“It doesn’t matter,” he tells you. “Do what you can while there’s still time…”

At that moment, the presence disappears and now you feel as though you’re in this chamber all by yourself now. You have a feeling this might not be the last you’ll hear of Chercher…

After leaving the Black Moon Sanctuary behind, you head back to Benni’s farmstead to begin your plans for tonight. Despite how dark things have become, there’s still hope that maybe the unused answers of yesterday can still be the solutions of tomorrow…

Colored the Snivy (S: Grass)

Health: 16/16 | Sanity: 20/20 | Purity: 16/24 | 6/10 Kurosuōbā | Dodge Rate: 40%
Perk: Diplomacy
Reincarnation Forms: Morelull, Palpitoad, Mega Audino, Pidgeot, Cinccino
EQUIPMENT:

• Defense Armor: <Empty>
• Jewelry: <Empty>

[Lychee]

ChiChi finally wakes from a hazey dream-state to try to do something.

First, equip the Blessed Armband from the team inventory!

Then, she plans to go out and interview Ohu, using diplomacy.
She knows Ohu tried to sell something to a shop, she knows Ohu probably has a key and would certainly like to know its history! Its cute! I'd buy it!
Secondary to that, ChiChi wants to find out about the politics of the seafarers- does Malco's death affect Ohu? Does it affect Llanas much? Anyone been acting weird and cagey?

[Noblejanobii]

Well recent events it only seems fitting to go search (39) XSHO Freighter 413 for clues

[AgloMe Oen]

012-shocked.jpg
I just realized we had both Shadow Eyes (this is what I get for falling behind on my reading up).
000-normal.jpg
Anyway, I feel like it'd be oddly fitting for me to head to Southshore Chapel and put those things on the Latios statue, considering one of my incarnations is a Latios.

[Deliver the Shadow Eyes to the Latios statue in the Southshore Chapel]

Oh sure! I mean̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏ really, because what could possibly gõ̹̲͙̗ͫͭ̂ wrong? I’ll tell you! Quite a lot!

It’s a beautiful day this morning! Full of frḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅsh air, which Malco doesn’t get to quite en̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏joy as much! You start it all by stuffing your face with Benni’s extra fluffy muffin̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏ breakfast and yet again, she doesn’t say anything like she’s been MUTE for the past few days (did Neo forget to handle his RP accõ̹̲͙̗ͫͭ̂unts again? For shaaaaame!)! And then̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏ you grab both of those lovḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅly, ichor-puking shadow eyes that you know for sure would make a lousy last minute mother’s day gift and you skip your way to Sõ̹̲͙̗ͫͭ̂uthshore Chapel to find out what happens whḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅn you ram those things into the n̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏oggin of that ugly, corrupted Latios statue!

You insert the first eye and it plugs right õ̹̲͙̗ͫͭ̂n it like it’s nothing more than a really grotesque Lego brick! And then you poke in the second! And everything seems fine and dandy beforḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅ the head sudden̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏ly rolls off the dragon̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏ bird’s (or whatḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅver Latios is actually supposed to be) and you instinctively catch it before it crashes to the ground. Yõ̹̲͙̗ͫͭ̂u look at it, and then all of a sudden, it rolls and turns to look back at you, opens its gawking mouth in a lovely and hideous way, and stares in̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏to your soul! Say cheeḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅeeese!

[Severed Hḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅad of the Shadow Brother, Latios] has plõ̹̲͙̗ͫͭ̂pped into your Team Inven̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏tory!

#Deranged Vision of the Demon̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏i – PSYCHIC (6 Sanity Damage, 6 Purity Damagḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅ)# Trap 30% Evasion̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏ Test: 82 out of 100: Failed!

Oops. You look right into it! Hi there! And it smiles back! Nah, just kidding, in̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏stead, it unleashes a delightful Pͮ̽S̬̔YCͮ̽̎̎͒̋̍Ḧ̘͇̠̟̰͇ͫͮͮͥ̽I̿̍̍ͯ̓ͯ̐C̹ͬ ̥̐S̋̋̇̏̇̚C͎̝̑͒R͙̐E̮AM into your facḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅ, which then makes its way into YOUR BRAIN, and also, your soul, because that wasn’t feeling enough tormen̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏t already. As you can imaginḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅ, it actually doesn’t feel too good, unless you’re a masõ̹̲͙̗ͫͭ̂chist!

Lyric enjoys sufferin̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏g 2 Damage to Sanity and 2 Damage to Purity (doubled, Psychic vs Poison mḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅans extra fun!)

At first, it kind of feels like you dreamed you were driving a steamroller, turned somḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅ schoolchildren into Poké-pancakes, and then̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏ ate up some raw body parts before waking up from the most horrible hangover you’ve ever felt only to realizḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅ what kind of horrible, atrocities you’ve committed in your deranged stupor! Your sins crawl all over you like insects in a dire search of their n̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏ext Happy Snack! Go on, feed them, they’re hungry!

Lyric en̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏joys suffering 4 Damagḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅ to Sanity and 4 Damage to Purity (doubled, Psychic vs Poison̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏ means bonus pain and humiliation!)

And then you actually don’t feḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅl anything. At least not for a moment, until you suddenly realize the guilt is gone and it’s like you’ve been possessed by a demon̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏ so bloated with sins that when they burst, you burst and all your sin̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏ essences go flying all õ̹̲͙̗ͫͭ̂ver the place like a really nasty, messy sneḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅze! It’s even grosser than it sounds!

But it’s not done yet! You just gapḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅ with your mouth wide õ̹̲͙̗ͫͭ̂pen, mind half-rotted while your soul is being crumpled in̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏to little twisty pieces that have that special melt-in-your-mouth feḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅling! And then it gets kinda gross, like all brõ̹̲͙̗ͫͭ̂wn, slimy, and gooey. A real messen̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏ce! Ha ha, see what I did there!?

Lyric enjoys suffḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅring 6 Damage to Sanity and 6 Damage tõ̹̲͙̗ͫͭ̂ Purity (doubled, Psychic vs Poison means… oh n̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏o, you’re dead!!)

See, here’s the problḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅm. In normal circumstances, you wõ̹̲͙̗ͫͭ̂uld have gone full on evil and start thinking of eating babies, belching, and turning the leftover bon̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏es into fashionable jewelry! Thankfully for you, your Savant soul resists total termination like that (pansy), but everything else about yõ̹̲͙̗ͫͭ̂u is decaying cadaver! It’s a shame you didn’t don̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏ate your body to science before this happened! Thankfully, I can still attach strings to it and use it as a puppet. Or a piñata. Give me time, I’m still trying to decide!

You’ll reincarnate sõ̹̲͙̗ͫͭ̂on, because death is no excuse to stop working! And yḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅs, you lose some vacation time for this! Complain̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏ to HR about it if you don’t like it!

Lyric Wintḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅrheart the Nidorin̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏a (M: Poison)

Health: 17/20 | Sanity: 8/20 | Purity: -1/20 | Dodge Rate: 30%
Perk: Diplõ̹̲͙̗ͫͭ̂macy
Reincarnation Forms: Brionnḛ͕̱ͬ͑̈̉ͅ, Mega Ampharos, Hisuian Goodra, Latios, Amaura
EQUIPMENT:

• Defen̦̳̻̪̙̺̥͇̬̻̞͕̺̫ͯ̈̐̂̔̊̾̄ͭͫͦ̈̂̏se Armõ̹̲͙̗ͫͭ̂r: <Empty>
• Jewelry: <Empty>

Active Dark Event 1: Kill Counter:
5/15

[Xerneas]

@DayBreak

We must never lose faith, even in these dark times. Defeat cannot happen if we get back up and rejoin the fight. Anything is possible as long as you never quit and never give up, even when facing defeat… even when facing death itself.

And so you must do the same. Light will drive back the darkness and chase the shadows away. I have renewed your soul, refreshing your spirit, and have given you a new body and a new chance to be the hope that Seabourne needs right now.

Arise from the grave once more, and rescue these Pokémon…

Lyric Winterheart the Brionne (M: Water)

Health: 20/20 | Sanity: 20/20 | Purity: 20/20 | Dodge Rate: 30%
Perk: Diplomacy
Reincarnation Forms: Brionne, Mega Ampharos, Hisuian Goodra, Latios, Amaura
EQUIPMENT:

• Defense Armor: <Empty>
• Jewelry: <Empty>

[Neo Emolga]

I feel like I'll keep searching around for now. Until I have need elsewhere at least.

Search: (24) The Percho Mill

When the morning arrives, you grab a muffin breakfast with the other Savants and then you head south toward the Percho Mill to see what might be there. You’re not sure if the Stalkers have used it as a hiding place, but you decide it’s worth investigating to confirm if you were right or not. While it doesn’t seem like the most nefarious location in Seabourne, you never know. After all, holy grounds in this town have seen their share of defilement as you already know…

When you arrive, you start your investigation by searching around the outside, floating and drifting through the air as you look for any signs or indications of anything unusual. Judging by the exterior, you see there’s a lot of daily activity here and this old mill seems to be quite overworked in terms of use. A lot of the exterior grounds seem to be barren and devoid of any vegetation as it looks like a lot of activity happens. The constant moving of supplies, transports, and raw materials of metals, ores, and ingots has caused a lot of the vegetation in the area to be killed off as anything that attempts to grow is constantly being crushed and covered by heavy materials.

Outside, you find a storm drain and it seems as though it was recently accessed. A very slight trace of Stalker essence is here. It’s a tight fit, but you manage position yourself just right so that your star-shaped body can slide in where most Pokémon would never be able to fit in.

{Storm Drain: ^Small Pokémon^}

Once in the large drainage channel pipes, you take a look around to see if there’s anything that was left behind. As you find some rubbish and forgotten trash in the pipe, you discover this area has been disturbed recently. You follow the trail and tucked away, you find a steel valve that was recently removed that appears to belong to a pipe junction, likely to control water flow. It’s a little beat-up, but still in good enough condition to work. While those aspects of it aren’t unusual, you sense a slight trace of Stalker presence on it, making you wonder if a Stalker sabotaged a pipe system and flooded some underground area, but kept this here in case they needed to access it again.

You decide to take it with you, having a feeling there may be more to the story when it comes to where this belongs and where it was used. But most of all, why it was used. You’re beginning to think they’re hiding something and this might just be the key to find it.

[Steel Valve] was added to the Team Inventory.

Besides the valve, you find what appears to be a worn-down metal trunk container that looks like it hasn’t been opened in a long time. You’re not sure if anyone has even seen it, either. There’s no trace of Stalker presence around it, leaving you to believe that even the Stalker that was here didn’t notice this or simply didn’t care about it.

You put your hands on the lid and open it. It creaks as the lid is lifted, but when it is fully opened, you look inside. You only see some old shredded, Styrofoam-like packaging material at first, but after digging through it a bit, you find some solid object hidden under it all. When you grab it and lift it out, you discover it seems to be some armor. It almost seems ancient, but it was preserved well in this beaten-down trunk all this time. You’re not even sure what violet-colored metal compromises these plates, but it almost seems alien to you in nature.

Seeing it is an upgrade from what you have already, you decide to put it on. After you finish fastening the armor over your star-shaped body, it almost gives you a feeling of invincibility and spiritual fearlessness.

Chakra has equipped the +|A| Guardian Armor+ (4H, 2P) and the +|A| Scale Armor+ (3H) has been moved to the Team Inventory (Equipment)

You don’t find anything else here, but you can’t complain, today definitely felt like you had some luck this time.

You decide to head back to Benni’s farmstead and prepare yourself for what might come tonight…

Chakra the Jirachi (S: Steel / Psychic)

Health: 14/16 | Sanity: 11/20 | Purity: 15/24 | 8/10 Kurosuōbā | Dodge Rate: 40%
Perk: Security
Reincarnation Forms: Pikachu, Pachirisu, Minccino, Victini, Mudkip
EQUIPMENT:

• Defense Armor: +|A| Guardian Armor+ (4H, 2P)
• Jewelry: +|J| Sapphire Amulet+ (1S, 2P)

[Neo Emolga]

ChiChi finally wakes from a hazey dream-state to try to do something.

First, equip the Blessed Armband from the team inventory!

Then, she plans to go out and interview Ohu, using diplomacy.
She knows Ohu tried to sell something to a shop, she knows Ohu probably has a key and would certainly like to know its history! Its cute! I'd buy it!
Secondary to that, ChiChi wants to find out about the politics of the seafarers- does Malco's death affect Ohu? Does it affect Llanas much? Anyone been acting weird and cagey?

(Neo Emolga finally wakes from a hazy dream-state to try and do something xP)

ChiChi has equipped the +|J| Blessed Armband+ (1S, 1P) and has returned the +|J| Dreamwatch Necklace+ (Wearer gets notified if they speak or have spoken to a Stalker) to the Team Inventory.

This morning, after enjoying your muffin breakfast, you decide to head out and speak to Ohu the Dhelmise, hoping you can learn something more from it and uncover more about this mechanism it came across recently. You’ve heard Ohu is looking to sell it at a respectable price, but you’re hoping you might be able to talk it down and possibly talk it into relinquishing it completely free of charge.

You find Ohu works and currently lives on the XSHO Freighter 413, which has been ordered to remain docked due to the situation with the Stalkers and due to the situation with a Morgrem being crushed by a shipping container. At first, you think it might be due to law enforcement trying to prevent the perpetrators from escaping, but at the same time, it’s also preventing anyone who might become a victim from escaping as well. And as you are already well aware, the Stalkers have no intention of leaving until the dark mission is done.

When you board the XSHO Freighter and find Ohu, you see the Dhelmise with the broken pieces of the mechanism. You decide to talk to Ohu to see what you’re able to learn about this device and what the full story is. You then introduce yourself and ask about the key and the seafarers.

“Greetings, Chichi, indeed, I do,” Ohu tells you with a seemingly enigmatic voice. As it speaks, you cannot sense where its voice is coming from. Instead of coming from a mouth, it seems to emanate from its body and it almost seems more like a voice in your head as opposed to a voice that your ears can hear.

Ohu presents the broken key mechanism before you, and you see it’s in pretty bad shape and has multiple fragmented pieces, but it seems like everything is there at least. While you’re not an expert in restoration projects, it might still be capable of being repaired, but you can tell Ohu simply wants to sell it as is and has no intention of restoring it before parting with it for money.

“I found this salvaging a short distance off of the coast, and it seems to be very old,” Ohu tells you, thinking there may be a potential small fortune in store if it can find the right buyer. “I may not know its true nature, but I believe it may fetch for a high price. I’m sure a museum or a collector might be interested.”

You can sense a presence coming from this broken device, and you recognize it as the kind of shadow essence found in other Black Moon artifacts, but this one, judging from its age, existed even long before the rest of the guild did and they simply decided to make use of it in their own way. Still, this signature is distinctly something you’ve felt before and you’re confident this definitely has to be related. However, you know you need to get it out of Ohu’s possession and talk it into giving it to you free of charge. You realize it’s going to take a bit of work, but you think you have an idea.

“So who have you tried to sell it to so far?” you ask, looking dubiously at the relic. “Baywill seems to be the only museum in town and I don’t think they’re into broken stuff. Everything there seems to be in impeccable shape.”

“You would be correct,” Ohu replies, its tone changing and sounding like disappointment as it has already realized this. “However, I am still trying to sell it to the local collectors.”

“And who might that be?” you ask.

Ohu falls silent. The sea creeper Pokémon doesn’t seem to have too many answers and you get a feeling it has already failed multiple times with that attempt as well.

“Well, okay, how about this?” you ask the anchor-shaped Pokémon. “I mean, if you had all the money you could ever want, what would you pay for it? And what would you do with it if you bought it?”

Again, Ohu falls silent and still fails to come up with an answer. Suddenly the sea creeper isn’t looking at the broken relic the same way it did before.

“I suppose I must ask what would you do with it if you were in my position?” it asks you, curious to know.

“Sure, I have the perfect idea!” you tell Ohu with a smile. “Find someone I know who can fix it up and together we can figure out what it’s really for! It does seem pretty mysterious and I think finding the answer to that mystery would be much more exciting! Who knows what might happen?”

As Ohu thinks it over, it realizes this is not going down the way it thought it would. It looks over the broken key mechanism, and decides this is going to be a very hard sell, and even in the end, it may not be satisfied with the results and the time and effort that it has already invested into it to no fruition and that continuing to pursue it in this way would only lead to further loss. In another way, Ohu seems to understand your mission as well, and it seems like the whole intention of discovering its true purpose and restoring it to achieve that is a worthwhile intention to pursue.

#45 Ohu the Dhelmise has become Compliant.

“I believe you are wise to take on such an endeavor, but it is not something I can do,” Ohu tells you admirably, offering the mechanism to you instead. “I have tried multiple times to sell this salvage as you have discerned, but I now see that I must part with it and seek new opportunities. Instead, I want to leave it with you. As for me, I will continue my work, seeing what other relics and artifacts might be out there for me and the rest of my team to discover, wherever that may take us.”

[Broken Vault Key Mechanism: <Repair>] has been added to the Team Inventory.

“Wish me luck!” you tell Ohu as you carefully take the pieces of the broken mechanism, assuring the Dhelmise you’ll do your best to figure out the meaning behind this enigmatic relic.

“In the meantime, I am hoping we will not be here much longer,” Ohu tells you, looking off into the distance. “Llanas does not like being told what to do, and she may even see Malco’s death as a blessing in disguise and as a justifiable rationale to plan our escape. However, there is still the remainder of the coast guard that may take legal action against us if she attempts to have the ship leave port without clearance. The alternative of compliance only to be targeted by the Stalkers is a danger in itself. There is no good choice in the matter and I imagine Llanas will be forced to make a decision as the ship’s captain or take a vote on it. My vote, as you likely have already guessed, would be to leave as soon as possible regardless of the law. Things are much too dangerous here and our lives are at stake.”

“I must go, but before I do, there is something I have observed,” Ohu tells you, keeping his tone of voice down. “The coast guard seems disjointed from the local law enforcement. I have been to other towns and this is not usually the case. Normally these kinds of organizations work together in cases that are far less severe than what is going on in Seabourne right now. I think something is undermining them from within and it seems to be intentional. Malco’s death… this can’t be a coincidence, but I fear its not the end of dark events that may soon be coming for us all.”

The Dhelmise leaves you thinking it over, and in turn, leaves you with the wisdom that it would be best to keep a watch out for patterns as to what happens next…

ChiChi the Tatsujin Tapu Lele (M: Kūsho)

Health: 16/20 | Sanity: 20/20 | Purity: 10/20 | 10/10 Kurosuōbā | Dodge Rate: 30%
Perk: Diplomacy
Reincarnation Forms: Corviknight, Milotic, Aurorus, Espeon, Alcremie
EQUIPMENT:

• Defense Armor: <Empty>
• Jewelry: +|J| Blessed Armband+ (1S, 1P)