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  1. - Top - End - #151
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: Princess: The Hopeful

    Erin Watson

    "Gerald, this Cult...It's dangerous. Bad with a big honking capital B," said Erin. "We need to stop them, to protect people...well, people like you. So, everything you can tell us about them would be appreciated. Heck, just describing their recruitment and indoctrination strategies could help prevent them from bamboozling more innocent people."
    She turned toward the others. "But I don't think we can justify conscripting this man, or keeping him imprisoned. We have no real evidence of him being guilty of anything more than association. Staying in San Diego could get him killed, though.
    Gerald...After you give us as much information as you can, I for one would be in favor of you getting the heck out of Dodge. But I'd still rather you moved to a city where someone like us could keep an eye on you - both for your own safety, and because, well, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." Just because he seems sincere doesn't mean he actually is, after all.
    Saga of Soul: Not your Typical Magical Girl Story.
    Where I Watch: My Little Pony

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  2. - Top - End - #152
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Default Re: Princess: The Hopeful

    Quote Originally Posted by sun_tzu View Post
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    Erin Watson

    "Gerald, this Cult...It's dangerous. Bad with a big honking capital B," said Erin. "We need to stop them, to protect people...well, people like you. So, everything you can tell us about them would be appreciated. Heck, just describing their recruitment and indoctrination strategies could help prevent them from bamboozling more innocent people."
    She turned toward the others. "But I don't think we can justify conscripting this man, or keeping him imprisoned. We have no real evidence of him being guilty of anything more than association. Staying in San Diego could get him killed, though.
    Gerald...After you give us as much information as you can, I for one would be in favor of you getting the heck out of Dodge. But I'd still rather you moved to a city where someone like us could keep an eye on you - both for your own safety, and because, well, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." Just because he seems sincere doesn't mean he actually is, after all.

    If provided something to write with, Gerald will quickly begin to detail all the work he's done for the cult, as well as list names and numbers, though most of them he notes are probably no longer living. He related several places and jobs he'd done, compiling it all into one big list.

  3. - Top - End - #153
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: Princess: The Hopeful

    Erin Watson

    Quote Originally Posted by Inedible View Post
    [/spoiler]
    If provided something to write with, Gerald will quickly begin to detail all the work he's done for the cult, as well as list names and numbers, though most of them he notes are probably no longer living. He related several places and jobs he'd done, compiling it all into one big list.
    "Thank you," said Erin, scanning the documents with her smartphone as he wrote. "It may not seem like much, but this data could save lives."
    Saga of Soul: Not your Typical Magical Girl Story.
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  4. - Top - End - #154
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Zombie

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    Default Re: Princess: The Hopeful

    Kim

    "Thank you," Kim said with relief. "You are doing the right thing. I think your help will be precious. But... Now that this is done..."
    Looking around her, she stood up, and placed herself so as to be in view of the other Radiants. She swallowed nervously, looking at each of them in turn.
    "I think... I think we need to adress the elephant in the room.
    We've just met another Noble. She was an adult, and she seemed stronger than us. She has mortal servants with guns that know about the Darkness and seem willing to kill. She's probably connected to that other Princess who killed the Broken Dream covent.
    And she threatened to kill us if we ever met again.
    What are we going to do about that? Because I don't think we can just twindle our thumb and pretend nothing happen. We're bound to meet her again. And then she'll try to kill us. And she's stronger than us.
    So what now?"
    Last edited by Mechanix; 2012-10-19 at 02:41 PM.

  5. - Top - End - #155
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Erin Watson

    "Aren't you overstating it a bit?" said Erin. "I mean...She said she'd kill us if she ever saw Gerald again. That's extra incentive to help him move out of town, but it's not like we're on her hit list by default - she'd probably have attacked us then and there otherwise.
    ...Mind you, if this is her way of doing things, we're probably gonna be in conflict with her sooner or later."
    Saga of Soul: Not your Typical Magical Girl Story.
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  6. - Top - End - #156
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Zombie

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    Quote Originally Posted by sun_tzu View Post
    Erin Watson

    "Aren't you overstating it a bit?" said Erin. "I mean...She said she'd kill us if she ever saw Gerald again. That's extra incentive to help him move out of town, but it's not like we're on her hit list by default - she'd probably have attacked us then and there otherwise.
    ...Mind you, if this is her way of doing things, we're probably gonna be in conflict with her sooner or later."

    Kim

    "...yeah, right. I'm sorry, I'm tired. Her exact words slipped out of my mind.
    In any case, we're likely to end up going against her again at some point. Her, or that other crazy mass killer. Spear and armor, that what he said?
    We've taken a course that is likely to bring us into conflict with powerful people who think we are being "soft" in the combat against the Darkness. Some of them might want to kill us.
    ...what are going to do about that? At the very least, I think we should organize ourselves to minimize the time we spend alone when on patrol or the like."

  7. - Top - End - #157
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    jamieth's Avatar

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    Default Re: Princess: The Hopeful

    Quote Originally Posted by sun_tzu View Post
    Erin Watson



    "Thank you," said Erin, scanning the documents with her smartphone as he wrote. "It may not seem like much, but this data could save lives."
    Shirley
    "Send me a copy, would you? I'll run a check through my channels", Shirley mentions right before leaving, "for that matter, I'll check that Princess's henchmen too... the one you took out yesterday, I think I can make a decent identikit of. He might already have a record with the police... A shame it won't work on their leader. This disguise magic is so handy to have... until it is used against us, isn't it? On the other hand", she turns to Kim, "this works both ways; she has no more idea on who we are than we have on her. I hope. But yes, we definitely need to keep contact."
    Tome of Radiance, a Magical Girl sourcebook for 3.5/PF.

    "Jamie" is fine. TH is mostly there to make sure the name would be free on any forum I'd want to register :-)

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  8. - Top - End - #158
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Erin Watson

    "I'll send you a copy," Erin told Shirley, "and probably share it with some folks in the Dreamlands. Heck, might be worth checking if any Radiant has contacts in the FBI.
    And yeah, we should get organized," she told Kim, "but if we're gonna do that, maybe we should start by getting to know each other. I mean, we didn't really have time for proper introductions yesterday." She eyed Gerald - if they were going to reveal secret identities, which was a big if, it couldn't be done within his earshot.
    Saga of Soul: Not your Typical Magical Girl Story.
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  9. - Top - End - #159
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Storyteller

    "So I can go?" Gerald moved to rise, though he doesn't start toward the door unless they allow it. "I can leave the room. I won't leave unless you tell me. But I want to go." He seemed to be pretty earnest about it. And still a bit frightened of the gathered Nobility.

  10. - Top - End - #160
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    RedKnightGirl

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    Default Re: Princess: The Hopeful

    Sola:

    "I don't think she is linked to the Noble who attacked... I think she is the woman who attacked. I guess that's a link, however. For the disguise, that's something I haven't learned yet, but I guess it'll be handy to be able to change disguise at will!"

    She looks the guy, detailing his wounds.

    "You think you'll gonna be alright? Your wounds were pretty awfull yesterday..."
    I just moved with my gf, and might need some time to find the perfect spot for my cpu. Still trying to keep up with my games.


  11. - Top - End - #161
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Erin Watson

    Quote Originally Posted by Inedible View Post
    Storyteller

    "So I can go?" Gerald moved to rise, though he doesn't start toward the door unless they allow it. "I can leave the room. I won't leave unless you tell me. But I want to go." He seemed to be pretty earnest about it. And still a bit frightened of the gathered Nobility.
    "It's...kind of dangerous for you to be outside right now," said Erin. "I would politely suggest you at least take an escort."
    Saga of Soul: Not your Typical Magical Girl Story.
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  12. - Top - End - #162
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Default Re: Princess: The Hopeful

    Storyteller

    "Will one of you go with me to protect me?" The man asks this, eyes moving between the group. "I just need to go home and get my things. Then I'm going, I swear."

  13. - Top - End - #163
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Zombie

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    Kim

    It's not that she thought she was the best for the job. It's more that she didn't have any idea what to do that could help with their situation right now, and that was a very discomforting thought for her. She could have gone back to her student/daughter duties, but for a moment, she welcomed the break. Even if it presented a serious risk of going bad for her.
    Kim picked up her staff, and looked at a man neutrally.
    "Yeah. I'm coming. If there's a problem, I'll go shooty-shooty-bang-bang on people's behinds. Just... We gotta go someway discreet, 'cause I'm not exactly unconspicious in this outfit, see what I mean?"

  14. - Top - End - #164
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: Princess: The Hopeful

    Erin Watson

    "Who here has a car? Much less risk of running into the trigger-happy crew than on foot."
    Saga of Soul: Not your Typical Magical Girl Story.
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  15. - Top - End - #165
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    RedKnightGirl

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    Sola:

    "I'm the one boys are fighting for to drive, not the one to drive, sorry."
    I just moved with my gf, and might need some time to find the perfect spot for my cpu. Still trying to keep up with my games.


  16. - Top - End - #166
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    jamieth's Avatar

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    Shirley
    "Not me, either... I planned on waiting till I could get a full license... maybe not even then, actually. In the back seat, I can read something, ponder over something, even take a nap... in my books, much better than driving myself."
    Tome of Radiance, a Magical Girl sourcebook for 3.5/PF.

    "Jamie" is fine. TH is mostly there to make sure the name would be free on any forum I'd want to register :-)

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  17. - Top - End - #167
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Storyteller

    With no mode of transportation readily available, Kim and Gerald get to walk. For a little way, until he managed to get a cab. It was a long ride, across town, to a squat looking apartment complex. He didn’t talk very much, spent most of the time peering out the windows, jumping at shadows, or looking suspiciously at anything slightly out of place.

    His home was a two-bedroom affair, modestly decorated, though nothing in particular stuck out as suspicious. There are a few pictures of his wife still around, along with her things, though they didn’t seem to be put to use. He didn’t spend much time, grabbing things he needed, packing them all in a bag. Then down to his car. “Thank you for letting me go, I promise I won’t get involved with anyone like that again. “ And he seemed sincere enough. Then he was gone, driving down the street and out of town.

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    ((Does anyone have anything they want to wrap up with? We’ll move on to the next thing, if not.))
    Last edited by Inedible; 2012-10-22 at 02:27 PM.

  18. - Top - End - #168
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Well, Erin wanted to handle presentations for the whole group...
    Saga of Soul: Not your Typical Magical Girl Story.
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  19. - Top - End - #169
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    RedKnightGirl

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    Default Re: Princess: The Hopeful

    Sola:

    "Okay, girls, I'm Sola Rose! Here is my number. I'm a talented harpist, as you heard earlier, and I'm there to bring passion back!"
    I just moved with my gf, and might need some time to find the perfect spot for my cpu. Still trying to keep up with my games.


  20. - Top - End - #170
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    jamieth's Avatar

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    Shirley
    "Shirley Holmes", Shirley says, letting go of her Radiant getup, "and, before you ask, yes, it IS my real name. Sorry", she smiles apologetically, "I just get this question too often."
    Tome of Radiance, a Magical Girl sourcebook for 3.5/PF.

    "Jamie" is fine. TH is mostly there to make sure the name would be free on any forum I'd want to register :-)

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  21. - Top - End - #171
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Erin

    Quote Originally Posted by jamieth View Post
    Shirley
    "Shirley Holmes", Shirley says, letting go of her Radiant getup, "and, before you ask, yes, it IS my real name. Sorry", she smiles apologetically, "I just get this question too often."
    Erin couldn't help but chuckle briefly. "Erin Watson, pleased to make your acquaintance. Champion of Diamonds, local science geekette, and passionate rationalist."
    Saga of Soul: Not your Typical Magical Girl Story.
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  22. - Top - End - #172
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Zombie

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    Default Re: Princess: The Hopeful

    Kim came back to the warehouse , thinking a lot about what was going on but coming to no satisfying conclusion. Seeing the others talk, she hesitated to interrupt them, and advanced slowly.
    "He's gone," she said neutraly. "Safely, I think. Were you... Introducing yourselves?" She felt a sudden pang of shyness, but nonetheless added:
    "I'm Kim Jameson. I'm a Champion of Swords, and, uh, I do a lot of stuff. Clubs and things. I hope to be an artist someday," she confessed, though it sounded kind of lame to her ears. "Nice to meet you."

  23. - Top - End - #173
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    jamieth's Avatar

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    A little flash forward, if I may

    Shirley, that evening

    Shirley takes an early shower, skips supper and locks inside her room; admittedly, that isn't something her family finds strange or suspicious. Dressed in her pajamas, Shirley builds a throne of pillows and rolled bedsheets on top of her bed and mounts it cross-legged, a Kindle in one hand, a can of coke in the other, with half a dozen more - cans, obviously, not Kindles - waiting in line besides her. Shirley isn't stranger to pulling all-nighters when in need of emergency studying. It's just that the topic of this cram session is something she never expected to ever need...

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    I'd like to use my 3 xp to purchase a normal dot of Occult, if I may
    Tome of Radiance, a Magical Girl sourcebook for 3.5/PF.

    "Jamie" is fine. TH is mostly there to make sure the name would be free on any forum I'd want to register :-)

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  24. - Top - End - #174
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Default Re: Princess: The Hopeful

    Intermission

    The next few days leave the Nobility free to do as they well. Be it work on building up their sanctum, or spending time together in some other fashion of their choosing. The leads Gerald gave required some detective work, and don’t seem to be going anywhere too fast. Most of the people whose names he have seem to have disappeared, but with some work the group may be able to yield something useful from the information.

    In the meantime, school life goes on.

    The boy Erin saved, Jon Bennett, finally returns to class. He’s actually in some of her classes, though he doesn’t seem to be actually paying much attention. Mostly, he keeps to himself. Occasionally she’ll catch him staring at her when he thinks she isn’t looking, but when caught he pointed avoids eye contact, or any contact whatsoever with her.

    Kim’s soup kitchen gets two new additions to the rotating cast of people that come to help staff such operations. One of them is Jonny, a boy around her age, though not from school. He’s kind of odd, he doesn’t really talk to people, and he always seems like he’s really cold. Occasionally he’ll listen to rambling homeless people. The second person is named Katherine, she’s a middle-aged woman who seems much more pleasant to be around. She spends a lot of time counseling anyone who wants it. Which is not many, but she tries.

    In the meantime, all the girls come to hear the following rumors:

    Blood on the Dance Floor
    The Satin Lounge in Mid-City has always been a popular spot for the 18+ crowd. While not as trendy as some clubs, it’s stayed fairly popular due to a well-known student presence and an unspoken agreement to look the other way regarding the underage if one at least makes cursory effort to disguise such. Lately it’s experience an even bigger boom in popularity with students from SDHS. Worryingly, in some cases. Several senior students and one or two younger have been visiting every night and taking friends to do the same.

    One of Mia’s friends in the gymnastics club, Annie Eddison, is one such girl that’s been slacking off from practice and studies to do so, which is extremely unlike her. Sola is, of course, invited by several of her friends to join them and bring whoever she wants.

    Anyone can investigate this, but you’ll need to have some way to get into The Satin Lounge while being under 18. Which is, as rumor says, not that hard.

    Dogs in the Park
    Balboa Park is, as parks go, fairly safe. It’s best to watch oneself at night, but it isn’t rampant with danger like some of the other parks in the city. A few days ago, however, a series of incidents have taken place. Several homeless people in the park have reported sightings of some sort of gang activity of conflict. The most perplexing is one homeless man who was found in the park one morning, severely injured by an animal attack.

    Kim will hear from several of the people at the soup kitchen that there are sighting of wolves in the park. Wolves are roaming around, eating people! She and anyone else can investigate this.

    The Midnight Murders
    In the neighborhood of Barro Logan, just a way south of the school and by the coast, a series of bizarre deaths have taken place in the high-rise apartment complex of Allegro Towers. The community has seen three murders over the past few weeks, each of which police have yet to make any significant breakthroughs on. Two wealthy residents have been found dead in their sleep, while a third was found with their throat slit after a struggle. The assailant, if there is one, seems to have been able to come and go without leaving a trace.

    Shirley’s acquaintances that live in the area also talk about the odd goings on. Anyone can investigate this.

    A New Sheriff in Town
    Gang activity in Mid-City has been very strange lately. Over the past month conflict between gangs skyrocketed, resulting in a mass of fatalities. Most sensational were a series of bodies found that seem to have been killed via archaic weaponry. Just within the past two weeks, however, obvious criminal activity has dropped practically off the map. The police have made no statements or apparent breakthroughs, but the once divisive gangs in Mid-City have quieted down quite abruptly. A few punks at school seem actually afraid to hang around there now.

    Anyone can investigate this.

    Meet and Greet
    Over the last week all of the Nobility have had time to research what they are. Those who look hard enough have found the community has a small presence on the internet, and though nobody is willing to talk too much about themselves or where they are, there’s at least a sense of camaraderie and some practical advice.

    There is one person that both Erin and Sola come into contact with that lives in San Diego, somewhere in south Clairemont, in a neighborhood called Serra Mesa. She’s willing to meet with any other Hopeful in the area, and could use some help regarding Darkspawn in her area.
    Anyone can meet with her.

    Ancient Chinese Secret
    Following the leads that the group gets, mostly thanks to Shirley and a surprising bit of deduction by Sola, some progress is made toward rooting out what may remain of the Cult of Broken Dreams. Most of the people on the list have vanished without a trace, some currently have missing persons reports. There is, however, one specific place they all seem to have had interest in. It’s an occult shop in Chinatown, one that sells mostly to the clientele in the immediate area.

    Gerald has ferried people there off and on, and a lot of them seemed to frequent the shop. Anyone can investigate this.

    Spoiler
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    ((Free time. You can get to know each other, work on your sanctum, debate what to do next, whatever.

    Jamieth, give me two Intelligence+Occult rolls, and two Resolve+Composure rolls, with -1 on the first Resolve+Composure, and -2 on the second for studying!

    Just because I gave your character a way to find out about something doesn’t mean you have to do it. If you’re more interested/think you would be more useful in something else you can do that instead. There are 6 of you, so you can delegate tasks to people as needed. You can even go alone! If you’re feeling brave.))

  25. - Top - End - #175
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    jamieth's Avatar

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    Shirley
    It was a relatively calm couple of days; busy for sure, but it was a more-or-less routine kind of "busy". Going to school, helping with setting up the warehouse - the group still used it, even after Gerald left, and, in fact, Shirley even relocated a large chunk of her library there - well, mostly it was to clear some space in her room for new books, but still.
    She also dutifully fought her way through the Cult's notebook every evening; now, with her increased understanding of the matters discussed therein, it did not become a more enjoyable read in the slightest - opposite, in fact. Of course, it also made much more sense now... Still, Shirley felt her ability to endure these reading sessions was nearing its limit. If only something happened that would distract her for long enough...
    Luckily for Shirley, it did. Unluckily for, well, everyone, it did come in a shape of three people turning dead in a neighborhood not far away. Shirley of one month ago would take interest in the case, and she'd rread every newspaper about it, and probably cut out the articles, and... well, little more, actually. It's not like she could actually DO anything about it, right? Except, now she COULD. Probably.
    More than once before she imagined simply approaching the cop at a crime site and asking casually, "did you found anything?" Doing so for the first time for real felt weird, surreal. I mean, magic and all, but how come they don't realize I'm actually a schoolgirl who rightfully has ho excuse even being here, never mind asking around? And yet, it worked. Somehow, cops were really willing to share some info with... I wonder how they see me.
    Tome of Radiance, a Magical Girl sourcebook for 3.5/PF.

    "Jamie" is fine. TH is mostly there to make sure the name would be free on any forum I'd want to register :-)

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  26. - Top - End - #176
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    The Midnight Murders

    The Allegro Towers are part of a high-rise complex, fairly upper-class, composed of a central building and two towers on either side. The murders have taken place in the west tower, a series of stairs and halls that are kept fairly clean and well lit.

    By the time Shirley makes it to an actual crime scene, it’s the third and final one. By then the case is public enough, though most of the work is already done. She finds a single police officer guarding the scene. He seems momentarily confused at the sight of her, but he reports in short order:

    “We found the victim in here. There were signs of struggle, but none of the neighbors report hearing or seeing anything. No family, a few known acquaintances, but nobody important yet. You can take a look around.”
    Inside is a higher end apartment, elegant furniture, not a lot of clutter. There also aren’t a lot of personal effects, the decorations mostly simple paintings or rugs. There are a few photos here and there, some of the victim. It was a woman, mid-twenties, blonde hair. She was killed in the kitchen, there are marks to indicate such.

    ((Wits+Investigation!))

    Research
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    As Shirley burns away the midnight hours on her research, she makes a thorough analysis of several more pages. The next swath of the notebook is covered in black marker, most of the text blotted out completely. There are, however, some words that can be seen when held up to the light. It’s something about meditation and inner-peace, with more notes scribbled in margins.
    The next part is devoted to a treatise on ludic dreaming. Like before, more notes. Occasionally the instructions seem to veer off into incoherent rambling, or have some fairly questionable steps to achieve the effects.

    As she reads more she begins to put together that this is a summoning ritual, of sorts. For a very specific entity, that seems to be manifested through the subconscious of the person calling it. It’s fairly clear this is not a good thing, but whoever was making notes seemed to have been trying to actually document what it was. It seems like several dozen people have made notes, all of them trying to clarify what this thing is and how to call it.

    ((There’s still a little bit left to go. Next time you have free time you can make another roll.))
    Last edited by Inedible; 2012-10-27 at 09:34 PM.

  27. - Top - End - #177
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Erin

    Question: You are a scientist wannabe who's recently discovered that the magical exists, that a lot of it is downright hostile, and that containing it is part of your job description - what do you do?
    Answer: Gather as much data as possible. Which was why Erin spent many hours on the following days checking occult bookstores, researching the Internet, and asking questions in the Dreamland.
    Part of the problem, naturally, was that there was a lot of incorrect and contradictory data. One source claimed vampires existed and hated garlic, while another claimed vampires were in fact humans suffering from a virus related to rabies and had none of the traditional weaknesses. One source claimed...well, to put it simply, finding data was easy, but establishing hat data was reliable was often the hard part.

    And then there was the information obtained about the Cult of Broken Dreams. An entire cult devoted to warping people into fomenting misery... Something like that could not be allowed to exist. That much she was certain of. And she was going to rip that cult to shreds as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
    For now, she was looking into several paths of attack. First of all, she started asking out, both in Radiant online communities and in the Dreamland, if any among their numbers had contact within the FBI (who better to fight a pervasive cult, after all?). Secondly, after going over Gerald's recounting of the cult's recruitment methods, she started asking another question - if there was any Radiant she could get in touch with who possessed particularly good writing skills. And third...

    Stepping into Chinatown, Erin walked toward the occult shop. There was work to be done.

    Spoiler
    Show
    So, raising a dot in Occult, working on some long-term strategies as mentioned above, and investigating Ancient Chinese Secret. Do I need to roll anything?
    Saga of Soul: Not your Typical Magical Girl Story.
    Where I Watch: My Little Pony

    Avatar by Lord Iames Osari, Grand Admiral Thrawn by Timothy Zahn. Thanks to both!

  28. - Top - End - #178
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Zombie

    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Bretagne, France
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Princess: The Hopeful

    Dogs in the Park

    She had spent a few days inside that old run-down warehouse, working to make it somewhat more acceptable - checking it for traces of the Taint, removing junk and detritus, arranging for an easy and concealed entrance so it still looked lik eit was abandonned... It was work, and she didn't like it much, but it had to be done. After a few days though, the place looked nicer: she'd bleached some walls and even taken a few posters off her own room to make the place a bit more cozy, and found half a dozen disparate chairs. Some day, she mused, they would have stuff like proper desks and a nice sofa, and she would have a painting workshop. In the meantime though, it didn't look like much.

    Every day she swore she'd speak with this Johnny at the shelter, try to know who is was, where he was from and why he was so aloof, but every day she found something more urgent to do with her time and ended up not doing anything. She had spent what little time she had left on her schedule trying to improve her Radiant abilities - shooting at stuff, trying her armor, switching between Invocations. She'd sought some kind of epiphany - that moment in all series where the hero suddenly realizes something that was under his nose all along and triples in power overnight. It had not happened, sadly; unfortunately this world seemed to require actual work to get better at things, rather than spontaneous revelations. Oh, well.

    It was time to put her training to the test, anyway. Some people might have thought that going alone in a park reputed for recent violent events, a murder and the possible presence of freaking wolves would be stupid and/or insane. Those people would probably be right, but Kim wasn't ready to listen. And most other members of their little group seemed to have gone their own ways for the time being, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing; sending six Princesses on a single problem would, in many cases, qualify as overkill.

    And so there she was, in the park at night, fully transformed but hiding her none-too-stealthy Princess dress under a shabby coat, trying to be unconspicuous while investigating the place of the homeless victim's assault. She was cringing her teeth in anger that someone would dare hurt these people whom life had so injured already - and who were under her protection, no less. She would bring justice and safety to them if her name was Kim. Luckily for them, there had been no murder yet - or she would show no mercy for the perpetrators.

  29. - Top - End - #179
    Barbarian in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jul 2012

    Default Re: Princess: The Hopeful

    Storyteller
    Quote Originally Posted by sun_tzu View Post
    Erin
    Spoiler
    Show

    Question: You are a scientist wannabe who's recently discovered that the magical exists, that a lot of it is downright hostile, and that containing it is part of your job description - what do you do?
    Answer: Gather as much data as possible. Which was why Erin spent many hours on the following days checking occult bookstores, researching the Internet, and asking questions in the Dreamland.
    Part of the problem, naturally, was that there was a lot of incorrect and contradictory data. One source claimed vampires existed and hated garlic, while another claimed vampires were in fact humans suffering from a virus related to rabies and had none of the traditional weaknesses. One source claimed...well, to put it simply, finding data was easy, but establishing hat data was reliable was often the hard part.

    And then there was the information obtained about the Cult of Broken Dreams. An entire cult devoted to warping people into fomenting misery... Something like that could not be allowed to exist. That much she was certain of. And she was going to rip that cult to shreds as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
    For now, she was looking into several paths of attack. First of all, she started asking out, both in Radiant online communities and in the Dreamland, if any among their numbers had contact within the FBI (who better to fight a pervasive cult, after all?). Secondly, after going over Gerald's recounting of the cult's recruitment methods, she started asking another question - if there was any Radiant she could get in touch with who possessed particularly good writing skills. And third...

    Stepping into Chinatown, Erin walked toward the occult shop. There was work to be done.

    Spoiler
    Show
    So, raising a dot in Occult, working on some long-term strategies as mentioned above, and investigating Ancient Chinese Secret. Do I need to roll anything?


    The shop was a small one, a squat building with thin and dirty windows displaying several books and figurines. The inside is cramped, lots of bookshelves, tables, all kinds of clutter. Numerous Taoist symbols dotted the walls, as well as a few talismans and figurines. Some of it looked very old, while some of it was clearly newer stuff.

    There was a man behind the counter, an older gentleman with wispy white hair and a dark olive skin tone. He’s dusting a wooden box he’s holding in his hand, and he smiles briefly when he spots his visitor. “Hello. How may I help you?” His English is unaccented, even though his origin was clearly Asian.


    Quote Originally Posted by Mechanix View Post
    Dogs in the Park
    Spoiler
    Show


    She had spent a few days inside that old run-down warehouse, working to make it somewhat more acceptable - checking it for traces of the Taint, removing junk and detritus, arranging for an easy and concealed entrance so it still looked lik eit was abandonned... It was work, and she didn't like it much, but it had to be done. After a few days though, the place looked nicer: she'd bleached some walls and even taken a few posters off her own room to make the place a bit more cozy, and found half a dozen disparate chairs. Some day, she mused, they would have stuff like proper desks and a nice sofa, and she would have a painting workshop. In the meantime though, it didn't look like much.

    Every day she swore she'd speak with this Johnny at the shelter, try to know who is was, where he was from and why he was so aloof, but every day she found something more urgent to do with her time and ended up not doing anything. She had spent what little time she had left on her schedule trying to improve her Radiant abilities - shooting at stuff, trying her armor, switching between Invocations. She'd sought some kind of epiphany - that moment in all series where the hero suddenly realizes something that was under his nose all along and triples in power overnight. It had not happened, sadly; unfortunately this world seemed to require actual work to get better at things, rather than spontaneous revelations. Oh, well.

    It was time to put her training to the test, anyway. Some people might have thought that going alone in a park reputed for recent violent events, a murder and the possible presence of freaking wolves would be stupid and/or insane. Those people would probably be right, but Kim wasn't ready to listen. And most other members of their little group seemed to have gone their own ways for the time being, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing; sending six Princesses on a single problem would, in many cases, qualify as overkill.

    And so there she was, in the park at night, fully transformed but hiding her none-too-stealthy Princess dress under a shabby coat, trying to be unconspicuous while investigating the place of the homeless victim's assault. She was cringing her teeth in anger that someone would dare hurt these people whom life had so injured already - and who were under her protection, no less. She would bring justice and safety to them if her name was Kim. Luckily for them, there had been no murder yet - or she would show no mercy for the perpetrators.


    Most of the park is monopolized by buildings, a golf course, or several high-class restaurants. The spaces in-between, though, are filled with heavy trees that get thick enough to obscure sight in some places. It’s a large area to search, but she can start from where the last sighting was. As she moves through the park she can hear a howl, then several more, and then quiet again.

    About an hour into the search is when she comes across something strange. In the trees there’s a light, small, orange in the distance. It looks like a fire, but it must be a controlled one. At a distance she's was able to spot the barrel and the refuse inside, blazing merrily in the dark. There are two figures next to it, a man and a woman, both dressed in plain clothes, hunched next to one another and speaking quietly.

  30. - Top - End - #180
    Bugbear in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2006

    Default Re: Princess: The Hopeful

    Erin

    Quote Originally Posted by Inedible View Post
    Storyteller
    [/spoiler]

    The shop was a small one, a squat building with thin and dirty windows displaying several books and figurines. The inside is cramped, lots of bookshelves, tables, all kinds of clutter. Numerous Taoist symbols dotted the walls, as well as a few talismans and figurines. Some of it looked very old, while some of it was clearly newer stuff.

    There was a man behind the counter, an older gentleman with wispy white hair and a dark olive skin tone. He’s dusting a wooden box he’s holding in his hand, and he smiles briefly when he spots his visitor. “Hello. How may I help you?” His English is unaccented, even though his origin was clearly Asian.
    She returned a smile. "I'm browsing. Kinda new to this sort of place."
    Saga of Soul: Not your Typical Magical Girl Story.
    Where I Watch: My Little Pony

    Avatar by Lord Iames Osari, Grand Admiral Thrawn by Timothy Zahn. Thanks to both!

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