Welcome to Prism, a large continent filled with a diverse mix of peoples, but ultimately ruled over by the capitol Porphyra, a city state with an unmatched military and economy. All trade, technology and commerce goes through their government in some way or another and no other city-state can hope to stand up to it through any means. Because of this, they often abuse their power and take more than their fair share from their subjects.
You are a young man named Isaac living in Prism. You have plenty of potential in anything you wish to pursue, but everyone needs to start somewhere. So...
What are you?
>Soldier: A warrior through-and-through, your life was heavily invested in the military from the moment you came of age. Fantasies of adventure and glory didn't quite live up to your expectations. You are trained in combat in all forms, know a little first aid and have your very own set of armor and weaponry in the form of a rifle and saber. However, because you've only known this lifestyle, all other skills leave something to be desired. You've seen fairly little of the world, to boot.
>Farmer: You've worked the fields since you were a boy. Tilling soil, caring for livestock, growing vegetables and simple trading. You enjoy the value of a hard day's work and enjoy the labor, but what you don't enjoy is having to "donate" a large portion of your livelihood to the capital to "show support" for the troops. You're very knowledgeable on all things physical labor, including building and maintaining, caring for crops and animals and a little trading here and there. However, you've never been in a single fight in your life and have only passingly used firearms to chase off predators. You start without much to your name beyond a pistol and a knapsack.
(Cont...)
>>46379404
>Trader: The open road is your home, the clattering of carts and wagons your lullaby. You live for your next big sale and are actually rather proud of your skill at it. However, the unreasonable taxes, tariffs and fees that the government imposes on all goods transported through the lands puts you in a sour mood. You're charismatic, charming and quick-witted to boot. Few can resist your offers, and you even have a bit of experience defending yourself from bandits, but you usually leave it to hired mercenaries. If money and schmoozing aren't involved however, you're woefully helpless. You have nice clothes and a hold-out pistol to start.
>Criminal: Stealing, violence, smuggling and all other forms of crime are right up your alley. You've never lived by anyone's rules but your own and you like it that way. It's no shock to find yourself in and out of prison, especially if it helps to further your anarchistic goals of causing chaos for the ruling bodies. You're a bit of a jack of all trades, knowing a decent amount of everything, including where to go to fence goods or buy illegal ones. However, you're not particularly good at any one thing. You begin with (stolen) light armor, a pistol and knife to begin with.
>>46379410
Hey AM, good to see this is a thing! Any particular setting you're basing it off?
that being said
>Trader
>>46379404
>Farmer
>>46379473
Thanks! It's actually a mix of a few things, but pretty much entirely my idea. Honestly, the biggest influence I have is music more than anything else.
>>46379473
Can I get a summary on who AM is? Haven't seen him before
>>46379404
>chargen
this better not take half the thread and rely on a completely blank slate character, AM.
>Farmer
>>46379410
>Trader: The open road is your home, the clattering of carts and wagons your lullaby. You live for your next big sale and are actually rather proud of your skill at it. However, the unreasonable taxes, tariffs and fees that the government imposes on all goods transported through the lands puts you in a sour mood. You're charismatic, charming and quick-witted to boot. Few can resist your offers, and you even have a bit of experience defending yourself from bandits, but you usually leave it to hired mercenaries. If money and schmoozing aren't involved however, you're woefully helpless. You have nice clothes and a hold-out pistol to start.
>>46379404
>Criminal
>>46379404
Trader
>>46379404
>Trader
>>46379524
A relatively new QM who ran the pretty good Pandora quest (still ongoing, just switching it up a bit) and is now doing this one, so i'm interested
>>46379404
>Trader
>>46379543
Don't worry, I won't let it drag on too long. I'll leave voting for this open for just a few minutes. I'll try to make this as painless as possible. Don't worry, this is the only chargen step.
>>46379404
>Farmer
>>46379410
I'd go Trader or Farmer.
Criminal and Soldier are pretty De Regurre
>>46379659
I've made each "class" pretty decently interesting as far as story goes. Looks like Trader wins! Stand by for a pretty meaty dose of text!
>>46379410
>Trader
Honestly I'd prefer Soldier for the survivability since this sounds like it may end up as a revolution, or farmer simply because we'd be able to be a jack of all trades. Still, trader isn't a bad choice. We can use our keen wit to make sure we're never on the frontlines.
The straw that broke the camel's back. That's what this latest injustice had been. You were traveling to Ghel for trade in metals, as their almost constant need for building materials made steel almost as valuable as gold there. However, at the final checkpoint before the city, you and all your goods were accosted by the guard, who confiscated all of it on suspicion of "smuggling". In other words, they wanted free goods and knew you couldn't rightly stop them. But they were wrong; you spent the better part of two weeks in the city gathering together your own militia to assault their latest monstrosity; The Beast. An immense flying fortress that was being unveiled today in a grand ceremony. Crash that party and the government would be sure to lose quite a large bit of face. Sadly, a ramshackle militia is little match for trained soldiers and you ended up the last one left. Scampering for your life, looking for a way out.
The frantic tapping of boots on metal and the heavy panging of bullets ricocheting off walls are the opening movement to the symphony of your great story. Shouting of demands the first verse, pants and gasps of exhaustion your chorus. A kicked open door ushers in the crescendo as you and your willing hostages make your way onto the bridge and the instruments all hum to life at once.
The Beast has awoken and seeks it's new master. A role you fully intend to fill...
(Cont.)
Hopeful presses of buttons, pulls of levers, twists of knobs are all you can muster, you pray to any god willing to listen that this is similar to any other aero you've piloted, but on a much grander scale. Through sheer luck, or perhaps the unseen hand of a merciful deity, it's close enough to at least get starting. The roar of colossal engines firing, the hum of immense mana batteries sending incredible amounts of power through the ship, and the soft clicking and warbling of the on-board automatons manning their stations to fulfill the duties they were created for.
There is a heavy clang as the doors from the docking bay to the ship seal themselves shut, locking your pursuers out and preventing them from reaching you and the mother and daughter you brought with you. Freyja, a Tul; Exceedingly rare beings with near limitless amounts of raw magical power to the point of near godhood. Believed to be descended from celestial beings eons ago, it is through her presence alone that this flying behemoth can work, as it feeds directly off her energy like a living battery.
(Cont...)
She is slender, gentle and with a kind face and skin that's almost porcelain and eyes as black as pure tar, but still sweet somehow. Her silvery, almost gossamer hair flows through the air as if always under water, a pale blue glow emanating from her body at all times. Unless speaking, she makes no noise at all. She begged you to take her and her daughter, Lisa, with you, explaining that they wished to separate them, having the young girl raised by the state in a foster facility, but she knows that that facility is a farce and she would be groomed from now on to be yet another tool for the government.
The girl, who cannot be more than 6 at the most, is a half-breed. She does not share many of her mother's characteristics; her hair is flat and brown, her eyes are a murky hazel, she does not muffle any sounds and there is no glow emitting from her body. However, she does have the same pale skin of unnatural smoothness. She, like her mother, is terrified. Of you, of the situation and of the strange circumstances that have been thrust upon you all. She hugs her mother tightly and eyes you nervously between sobs and nuzzles into the safety of her lone parent's arm.
Your first action as de facto captain of the requisitioned flying fortress is to get the ever-loving hell away from the City of Crafting, Ghel. The ship isn't terribly fast or maneuverable, you're no professional pilot, and beyond the limited capacity of the automatons, you are devoid of any real crew. What now?
>Divert all power to engines and attempt to gun it as fast as this monstrosity can out of range of the city's defenses
>Instruct the automatons to take battle stations and lay down suppressing fire to aid your escape
>Radio the city's guard and inform them you have hostages and to back off or you start hurting innocents
>Open fire on the city to draw attention away from you and onto civilians and damaged buildings
>>46379786
>>Radio the city's guard and inform them you have hostages and to back off or you start hurting innocents
Let's put that charisma to work.
Also, I'm guessing pic is what Freyja sorta looks like?
>>46379786
>Instruct the automatons to take battle stations and lay down suppressing fire to aid your escape
>>46379848
Vaguely, though no pointy ears, not quite as tall or slender and hair's literally floating in the air as if she were submerged. Also her skin's more porcelain-colored than...I don't know, would you call that teal?
>>46379786
>Instruct the automatons to take battle stations and lay down suppressing fire to aid your escape
Radioing the guards would work off of our charisma, but what are the chances that they care more about getting their prototype flying fortress back than about a few houses or casualties.
>>46379786
>Instruct the automatons to take battle stations and lay down suppressing fire to aid your escape
>>46379786
>Divert all power to engines and attempt to gun it as fast as this monstrosity can out of range of the city's defenses
Right after I say 'revolution' our guy steals an airship. Dammit AM.
Suppressing fire it is then! Please roll 1d100. Best of 3.
>>46379938
Viva!
>>46379786
>Instruct the automatons to take battle stations and lay down suppressing fire to aid your escape
>Radio the guards "suggesting" they start searching the residential district for bombs.
Rolled 4 (1d100)
>>46379947
Let's try not to cause much collateral damage.
Rolled 59 (1d100)
>>46379947
Rolled 53 (1d100)
>>46379947
Rolled 46 (1d100)
>>46379947
>>46379786
>>Instruct the automatons to take battle stations and lay down suppressing fire to aid your escape
As fun as radioing them would be I'd doubt it'd do much good. While they will do their damnedest to kill us regardless going full bore kill'em all, or even just threatening the civi's, could paint us in a more negative light with other factions/people we encounter down the line. Besides appealing to the better side of the authoritarian military overlords has a trend of being hopelessly naive.
Well, they are only Automatons after all. I'm surprised they found the weapons in the first place.
Much less obscenely perfect rolls than in Pandora. I can't recall the last time anything less than a like 70 was rolled then. Dice gods love AI daughterfu.
Writing!
>>46379947
Is The Beast more like an actual fortress or like a heavy command cruiser?
The automatons, bless their cold, soulless, mechanical hearts, do their best. However, they are, in fact, only machines. They fire on anything and everything shooting back, but only score a few lucky hits. They're designed more for maintenance and heavy lifting than they are for combat. You'll need to either invest in either a flesh and blood crew or specifically combat automatons. Their forces score a few good hits on you; looks like the lion's share of fire is going for the engines. Nothing serious yet, but you better think fast if you want to get out of here alive.
>Divert all power to engines and attempt to gun it as fast as this monstrosity can out of range of the city's defenses
>Attempt suppressing fire again. 1,000,000 monkeys on typewriters, right?
>Radio the city's guard and inform them you have hostages and to back off or you start hurting innocents
>Open fire on the city to draw attention away from you and onto civilians and damaged buildings
>>46380021
Regardless of if it's a command cruiser or an actual fortress you've got to think there were soldiers on board besides the automatons serving as a skeleton crew. I'm worried about being ambushed.
>>46380094
>>Divert all power to engines and attempt to gun it as fast as this monstrosity can out of range of the city's defenses
Here's hoping they put afterburners on their fortress.
>>46380021
A mix of both. Actually, funny enough, that picture is a pretty great approximation as to how I imagined The Beast to look like. Saved for future use.Thanks for nothing, Google image search.
>>46380094
>Divert all power to engines and attempt to gun it as fast as this monstrosity can out of range of the city's defenses
>>46380116
Have another one man
>>46380094
>Divert all power to engines and attempt to gun it as fast as this monstrosity can out of range of the city's defenses
I really imagine we're not the fastest ship in the fleet, but perhaps we can get out of here before the bulk of their pilots suit up and engage us. The farther we get, the less likely a soldier will want to chase us without reinforcements.
>>46380136
Excellent, thanks much!
Punch it activated! Please roll 1d100+10 to get the hell out of there. Shooting? Not so great. But diverting things into other things? Now that's an automaton's bread and butter!
Rolled 79 + 10 (1d100 + 10)
>>46380202
Gotta go fast!
Rolled 15 (1d100)
>>46380202
>>46380231
I forgot to say best of 3, so I'll just give you this one since I messed up. Writing!
>>46380094
>Turn the ship around, shielding the engines while running away backwards.
It's slower, but we can point main guns at the enemy and they need to go through more of the ship to stop us, something they won't want to do.
>>46380202
well holy shit you're speeding through this prologue, aren't you?
>>46380116
>A mix of both
So kind of like this?
Rolled 51 + 10 (1d100 + 10)
>>46380202
The mechanical whirring of metal arms and servos is almost deafening as the bridge is suddenly almost deafening. The automatons work at a fever pace, power being taken from system after system as the guns go silent and the engines rock the whole ship. You are going impressively fast for something of this size. You won't break any records or beat any fighters, but you are making quite a lot of distance between yourself and the city's mounted guns.
You breathe a sigh of relief as the final anti-air shell whizzes by you helplessly. Freyja and Lisa are huddled on the floor, the mother gently trying to calm her sobbing child, singing in a language you've never heard before. You slump into the captain's chair as the ship slows to a reasonable speed. You're headed East and have options. Where to now, Captain? Or would you like to speak to Freyja?
Location info: http://pastebin.com/UNEwuVGn
>>46380440
>is almost deafening as the bridge is suddenly almost deafening
Anyway, let's talk to Freyja.
>>46380285
Not quite, the original pictures fit it better. It's big, very very big, but not "that's no moon!" size.
Here are the specs from what you can tell of the readouts: http://pastebin.com/ba7x0HpX
>>46380483
Oops, typo. Blame it on someone coming to the door right as I started writing.
>>46380440
Speak to our ship powerer.
>>46380440
Talk to the notelf lady
>>46380440
Ask them a few questions like now that being caught and strung up isn't a pressing concern, how are you two doing? Need anything? What can she tells us about the ship and its capabilities? Any ideas on where to go? What will we need to keep this ship running?
>>46380440
Let's head towards Peck or Saffron for now. Ao is tempting too, but it's far and the mother and daughter don't sound like they want to embroil themselves in more conflict.
>>46380440
I legit thought that the name of the forest was Urist forest and I was going to suggest flying to the forest of dwarves.
>>46380489
>Main city-destroying cannon
>Lots of guns
>Aircraft
>Fucking huge
Jesus, was this the Porphyran Death Star?
Also, we need to get the long-range radio working. Communication would be great.
So
>meeting a guy who escaped from Graeg and murdered his way through the Ironwoods when?
>>46380440
>Set course for Hueits
>Thank Freyja for her timely intervention. If not for her you would have faced the same fate as the rest of your comrades.
Hueits is known for it's military and commerce as well as being ostracized by the world. Seems like a great place to set up camp.
>>46380532
If I'm reading the pastebin correctly, Peck for crewmen and Saffron for a quest.
Writing!
>>46380489
What do the stats for our weapons mean?
>>46380594
Ironwood is reeeally close to the capital, so it's almost certainly a bad place to go. Also, we're a Trader with literally no martial skills. We don't want to get our new ship stolen.
>>46380658
Idea, wouldn't an undead crew be supper efficient?
>>46380658
No one said we'd fly to the Ironwoods to meet the guy.
And the escapee could be a 90 y/o cripple.
Who knows?
You walk over to Freyja, her daughter seems to have calmed down for now, but she still hides in the comfort of her mother's bosom. You kneel next to her and she does her best to smile, albeit weakly.
"You two alright?" you ask, "Need anything? I'm not exactly sure where anything on this flying tub is, but I'm sure there's like...food or water here somewhere."
"No...no, thank you." she says softly, "I just...thank you...I've heard stories of what they do to Tul half-breeds. I didn't want to believe them. Just stories, nothing more...and then they said they wanted to take her and..." she looks like she's about to start crying herself. "You saved her. I'm thankful, more thankful than I could ever hope to express..."
"Hey, it's, uh...what revolutionaries do?" you shrug sheepishly. "With that in mind, any idea where we should head? I'll admit I didn't exactly think this far ahead. Sort of a 'we're pissed off, let's steal their toys' kinda mentality..."
She laughs, "Well, Saffron is a pleasant enough place. I've heard they have a very pretty lake and great food. And they're not directly under the shadow of the capitol..."
>Head to Saffron
>Head elsewhere (write in)
>>46380489
>http://pastebin.com/ba7x0HpX
>Twilight Veil: Allows a magical cloaking barrier to surround the ship until it primes it's weapons. Barrier cannot be active with Veil on.
I figure we should get the veil online as quickly as possible. Our ship isn't exactly small, and there'll be quite a few people looking for us.
>>46380728
>Head elsewhere (write in)
Head to Peck. We need some crewmen.
>>46380728
>>Head to Saffron
>>46380734
go full Strahl. With us being Balthir and her being Fran (maybe)
>>46380637
Those aren't stats, those are numbers. You are a flying armada...without crew enough to man them.
>>46380728
>Head to Saffron
I do like lakes desu
>>46380728
>>Head to Saffron
Okay my interest is peaked. Especially with the Harlock pic.
I don't know why, but I'm starting to get Final Fantasy/JRPG vibes from all this
>>46380728
>Head to Urst Swamp
We can leave the ship there and it's in between Huetis and Saffron.
>>46380784
good! they're the only ones to do good airship based exploratory stuff
>>46380784
The fact that you used the "I wanna fuck that unicorn" picture has me worried for my poor quest's purity. Writing!
>>46380710
The cold winds might be tempting to them for a job that comes with free "preservation", but an entire crew of undead while the captain is living and not a necromancer is asking for mutiny.
A place to go to, but not the first stop.
>>46380728
Peck first, then.
>>46380728
>"You saved her. I'm thankful, more thankful than I could ever hope to express..."
>>46380806
>tfw you're trying to call anon on his bullshit but you can only think of bad games with airships
Fugg.
>>46380822
Obviously we need to find a bro necromancer who wants to fly around and shit.
But can't read mechanical mumbojumbo so he kind of needs us.
>>46380822
Are we sure they're really dead? Perhaps they're just misunderstood.
>>46380710
We don't even know if necromancy exists.
Also, robots are superior to zombies.
>>46380882
Hueits, Mausoleum City: The ancient city of the dead, ruled over until recently by the wise and noble King Urst before his power hungry brother staged a coup and overthrew him. It has thousands of the undead, both native and those seeking refuge from a world that scorns them. They are recognized for their military might as well as booming commerce.
>>46380882
>[AMUSED RATTLING]
"Saffron it is, then!" you announce proudly, in your best "captain of this ship" voice. Lisa peeks out at you for a second, then turns away again.
You fiddle with the controls, setting a course for Saffron as best you can. It's similar to an aero, that's for sure, but the sheer size and weight of this thing make it turn like a brick with engines. A very big brick. Gonna take some getting used to, but hell, you've got time now.
You arrive at the little town before long, the lake filled with fishing boats, both personal and merchant-owned. It's pretty big, with a gorgeous reflection of the sun shimmering on the surface. It's peaceful here...or it was until the shadow of a flying fortress covers the fields outside. A small crowd of people have gathered outside, watching you carefully...until they disperse a few minutes later. Huh, you figured you'd draw a little more attention than that. Oh well, at least you're not being shot at.
Now comes the question, what will you do with The Beast?
>Land it a safe distance from the town and bring Freyja and Lisa with you
>Have Freyja stay on the ship and take the lander down
>This is your town now, radio for their surrender
>>46381007
we really need to get the stealth field.
>Land it a safe distance from the town and bring Freyja and Lisa with you
>>46381007
Can we do write-ins?
>Greet the townspeople using the radio
>>46381007
Oh and just so you know, The Beast is covered in symbols of the Porphyrian Navy. As far as these people know, you are part of the capitol's armed forces.
>>46381007
>Land it a safe distance from the town and bring Freyja and Lisa with you
>>46381007
>tfw she looked at us
>and we're the captain now
>>46381048
Absolutely, write-ins are not only welcome, but encouraged! My options are only there as suggestions. If you want to try something else, by all means, vote for it!
>>46381007
>Land it a safe distance from the town and bring Freyja and Lisa with you
Am I the only one terribly afraid of leaving our ship alone after we managed to walk in and drive it off? Do we have keys for this thing?
>>46381091
Yes you do. You also have her daughter.
>>46381091
The key is Freyja
>>46381057
So to them, it looks like the start of a JRPG, when the Empire burns down a peaceful town?
>>46381103
That's something I guess. We still need to worry about stowaways though. Crew that will actually notice someone not belonging on the ship would be nice.
Alright, writing! Gonna land this bad boy.
>>46381007
>Land it a safe distance from the town and bring Freyja and Lisa with you
Does this thing have speakers on the outside that we can say hello with?
>>46381119
Suddenly I realize if we want to keep our ship, we need to keep Freyja on board. I wonder if she even wants to be sky pirates with us?
>>46381148
Maybe we can tell the automatons to terminate anybody they haven't seen before
>>46381225
Who wouldn't want to be sky pirates with Cid?
Shit, wrong setting.
Were fucked.
>>46381290
We just need to gather our own party of weirdos and misfits, along with several hundred crewmen to follow us.
Also, with the big-ass ship and hiring crew, I'm expecting Rogue Trader shenanigans later on.
You scout out a good, clear area to set down. You figure nobody would be fool enough to try and board a ship "owned" by the Porphyrian Navy...present company excluded. The ship lowers itself as gently as something of this bulk can, landing with a heavy boom that shakes the ground around it, a small cloud of dirt and grass blowing up in all directions.You hope they weren't going to use that patch of land for anything.
You, Freyja and Lisa step out, the landing platform pressed neatly into the earth below you. You are met by a small throng of villagers pushing carts full of various goods being led by an older man you suspect to be the mayor or elder or whatever this village is lead by. He gives you a smile years of trading has taught you to be complete bullshit. This man despises you immediately.
"Welcome, sir!" he says loudly, "Saffron is ever the welcoming place for our glorious government! You're a little early this month, though! Your...tithe wasn't quite ready. I hope this isn't to your displeasure."
Behind him is boxes upon boxes of fish, vegetables, leathers, furs and many other commodities you can imagine. Easily thousands of gold in total, though you'd need to get a full count for an exact number.
What do you say?
>>46381343
What is this?
>>46381388
Play along.
Also try wrangle in an aha, emergancy pressgang of men and valiant volunteers.
>>46381418
Supporting this, minus the pressganging. That'd just reveal we're three people and a bunch of robots. Don't need angry villagers stringing us up and stealing the ship.
>>46381388
>Uhh... uhm... The tithe will be collected at the appropriate time. No need to abase yourselves.
This is not a safe distance! Abort abort! 1 in 3 chance they'll hogtie you for free taxs!
>>46381388
>emergancy pressgang of men and valiant volunteers.
Who will immediately overpower the three of us once they realize we're not who they thought we were and turn us into the government in hopes of getting into their good books?
We either need to let them know as little as possible, or tell them the truth and hope there are volunteers sympathetic to our cause.
The latter probably won't go well for a place with sycophants like this guy, so we should probably just take the goods and leave.
>>46381489
They'll know as soon as we have no one to come pick up the tithe.
>>46381418
Do we really want Freyja to see us taking advantage of the people? Hell, we stole the Beast because WE were taken advantage of.
>>46381388
Tell them we ain't here for the tithe, just landed to make some minor repairs, and we'll be off in a few hours.
>>46381518
I vote for coming back in a smaller ship and recruiting as 'freelancers' later. As long as Freyja's willing of course. Any plan involving the beast revolves around her.
>>46381531
All of this will get swept under the rug as a massive fucking embarresment, and they can claim (which we should tell them to) that we impersinated the army and stole the tithe. Add that to OUR rap list instead of theirs.
Thats if we take the supplys. Frankly its all in the air as to how balls to the wall you want to go.
>>46381388
>"Just taking the prototype out for a test run. No need to provide the tithe so early, you still have time to get everything in order. We simply needed to land to perform calibrations and iron out some teething problems."
>>46381572
If we do that, we need to hide the beast someplace no one will find it, like in the mountains someplace near on inaccesable.
If you want to go full sky pirate, we'll need this thing later.
Alright, writing.
>>46381625
Back this.
>>46379404
Criminal
>>46381627
The swamp is real close by. Don't know if this thing is submersible.
>>46381718
You sink it in a swamp your never going to get it back out again.
It'll stink for months and the stains will just not come out.
>>46381744
On the other hand, everybody will think it's a filthy piece of junk, adding another layer to camouflage
>>46381759
Something that big is not going to be dismissed what ever way it looks. If nothing else they'll fear getting rammed at least.
"Just taking the prototype out for a test run. No need to provide the tithe so early, you still have time to get everything in order. We simply needed to land to perform calibrations and iron out some teething problems." you say confidently. Lying is nothing new to you and pretty much second nature at this point.
"Calibrations?" one of the villagers says, an almost ecstatic look on his face, "D-do you guys need the help of a...talented engineer? 'Cause we have o-" he stops with a furious look from the elder, clamming up immediately.
"Aha...please forgive him, sir." the elder gives the bullshit smile once again, "He's tired from a long day of working the FIELDS." he growls this last word, the man scampering off quickly. Several other villagers look a little defeated at this.
"So, would you and your...ah, lady friend like a tour of our humble town? It's much smaller than what you're used to, I'm sure, but we have much to offer!" he gives Freyja and her daughter an odd glance, but only momentarily.
What do you say?
>>46381803
We would love some engineering help if people were to be so generous. Our chief engineer missed the ship, had a bad case of (insert veneral disease here). ben having issues ever since.
>>46381803
That sounds lovely but go on about your business. If that man is a good engineer we definitely could use the help. Ours caught a flu and is bed ridden for now. Necessitating our landing..
>>46381853
Supporting
>>46381803
We don't happen to have a watch or timepiece, do we? Make sure to keep checking it. Agree to the tour. Find the mechanic and offer him a job once we finish the tour.
>>46381898
Yeah, watches are fairly commonplace. Clockwork is a popular alternative to straight up magically powered things.
Writing!
>>46381803
>Take the tour
Don't let the civilian join our crew dudes. Not under false pretenses.
>>46381938
Just grab him for a chat 5min before we take off. Offer him then and there.
>>46381938
Easy to flip, he doesn't want to be here, the Elder is a dick, doesn't like the Gubment, which we aren't, and he gets to work on cutting edge machinery and shit?
Easy to get him on our side.
>>46381919
We should make sure that if a large number of people join, the mayor has the excuse of "mandatory drafts" by dint of several automatons armed with guns.
"That sounds lovely, but go on about your business. If that man is a good engineer we definitely could use the help. Ours caught a flu and is bed ridden for now. Necessitating our landing.." you say. The elder goes a little pale.
"Ah...erm...sir, I'm sure your engineer is more than enough. You wouldn't want to deal with some...aha, country bumpkin tinker in a little village like ours. I'm sure that-"
As if on cue, you hear someone scream, followed by a loud explosion in the distance. A moment later the screaming, jittering engine of a low-quality aero fills the air. Then you see it; something made of more rust than actual metal is shaking itself apart through the air, being ridden by a man in a grimy coat and jumpsuit, helmet and goggles. The sheer size of the engine he has strapped onto what looks like a child's toy is both frightening and impressive. He is laughing hysterically.
"What th-" you begin to say before he swoops in low, barely missing the crowd and yourself. The aero goes faster and faster with each passing second...then you see him bail out, landing heavily onto the grass, rolling to a stop face down in the dirt as the small ship continues on, impacting onto the side of the Beast and exploding into millions of tiny pieces.
"New record!" you hear him shout, before falling into another fit of hysterical giddyness.
The elder is frozen stiff.
What do you say?
>>46382068
Much as I would say you're right, we REALLY need an engineer. Ours is so sick he might have to retire.
>>46382068
Act authoritative, question what the hell he's doing.
Maybe pressgang him because he scratched the ship
>>46382068
Just laugh for right now. Then
>>46382117
>>46382068
Laugh.
What a fun situation this must be for the whole town! "Sorry our resident nutball just dinged your giant, gun-covered war machine! Hope you don't mind!" Writing!
>>46382068
>I... see. Never mind then.
>Ask Freyja covertly what she wants to do here. Was she expecting to quietly assimilate into the town and find a new husband, or does she want to try to stay one step ahead of the law with us?
That man likes toys. And he doesn't mind if they break. Don't let him near our ship.
Honestly I can't think of a good use of our time here. Admitting we're not military could get us in a whole heap of mob-related trouble.
>>46382068
So our engineer is a kerbal.
This can only mean fantastic things.
>>46382068
That's awesome. You're awesome.
>>46382068
>For damaging government property, we are drafting him.
You stare at the smoking heap that, harmlessly at least, just smashed into your brand new ship. You look at the guffawing psychopath that just piloted what essentially was a jet engine strapped to a chair. You look at the horrified looks on the elder and townspeoples' faces. You look at the seriously concerned face of Freyja and the actually amused, smiling and clapping little girl in her arms.
And you laugh. Only a little at first, but it builds and builds and before long you're doubled over, tears forming in your eyes. The absurdity of it all after what you've just been through is too much to take and you just laugh and laugh.
"You..." you gasp, "You certainly know how to make an interesting introduction." The elder is currently babbling out excuses, pleading and panicking, all while the townspeople aren't sure what to do or say.
"Is...he alright?" Freyja asks, worriedly looking over to the giggling maniac lying face-down in the grass.
"He's better than alright!" you assure her, "He's our new engineer! See, ah, we REALLY need an engineer. Ours is, hah, so sick he might have to...mm, retire." the laughter is slowly subsiding.
"S-sir please, you don't know what-" the elder tries to explain, but you cut him off.
"Trust me, he's perfect. What's his name?"
"R...Ruul. His name is..." he turns to the, by now, calmed down man slowly getting to his feet. "Ruul! Come here, immediately!"
"Comiiiing!" Ruul replies in a sing-song voice, obviously rather pleased with himself. "I told you I could get it to fly, old man. Someone owes me a drink."
"Ruul, you...this nice gentleman wants to..." the elder looks sickened by his own words, "Make you his PORPHYRIAN NAVY SHIP'S new engineer." he is glaring daggers at the young mechanic.
Ruul looks at you, then to the beast, then back to you. Then turns to the elder. "Yeah, that's fine, but this guy isn't with the Navy. No uniform, random kid, actually landing rather than sending down a lander? Pirate I bet."
Your reply?
>>46382523
Haha what a joker. Now get on the ship kid. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, it'll reflect well on you and your town.
>>46382523
Well if you don't want to lessen the burden on your town next year? Stay no concern to me.
>>46382523
>I'm not a pirate, I'm a Revolutionary!
>>46382523
He's accusing the guy who has the newest and most high-profile ship of being a pirate.
Yeah, cause someone could totally steal this bigass fucking ship.We did, but that's not the point.
Now shut the fuck up and get on the ship.
>>46382577
>>46382639
>>46382650
>>46382662
Hmm, some pretty varied ideas here. Any consensus guys?
>>46382662
Supporting him I guess?
>>46382798
Kay, writing!
You silently panic for a second, but keep your composure. "Haha! Seriously? Accusing a guy of stealing something this size? This high-profile? Like that could happen. I'm just in civvie clothes right now because the captain gets to do what the captain wants. Nothing wrong with showing the citizens a softer, more human side of the armed forces, right?" you casually put an arm around Ruul's shoulders, quietly whispering to him "Shut the fuck up and get on the ship."
Ruul gives you a mock salute. "Gotta go get my things, 'captain'. Gimme like an hour or something depending on how much damage my place took during my flight." he begins marching off toward the town, shouting over his shoulder, "Why not take in the sights, see if there's anything else you're interested in 'conscripting' with you?" He laughs again.
You turn to the elder, who looks like he's either about to scream or cry. "He does not speak for the whole of Saffron, we are entirely loyal to the crown and support our armed forces in all things."
>Take the tour
>Wander around on your own, you don't need an escort
>Other (write in)
>>46383067
>>Wander around on your own, you don't need an escort
>>46383067
>Take the tour
>>46383067
>Take the tour
>>46383067
>>Wander around on your own, you don't need an escort
EYYYY WERE DA REBELLIOUS DISSIDENTS AT?!
>>46383086
>>46383104
>>46383112
>>46383123
Tie breaker! Next vote wins!
Rolled 2 (1d2)
>>46383175
Uh.
>>46383175
>>Take the tour
>>46383189
Tour it is, then!
Writing.
"I'm sure you do, I'm sure you do." you assure him, patting him on the shoulder, "So, about that tour?"
"Tour? ...Oh, oh! Yes, of course! gladly! Please, follow me, sir!" His mood turns around a bit, rather happy to show off his honestly dinky little town.
The town doesn't have much to it, as you imagined. He spends easily half an hour just talking about the docks and fishing they do, including a story about how some old noble under direct order from the crown visited once to inspect everything, sample the local food and even find a wife for his son. He goes on and on about how the noble's son and a local girl met and fell in love at first sight, her beauty, his charm, her kindness, his class and so on. You've heard of things like this before, odds are the noble kid was some spoiled brat who already had multiple concubines and the local girl didn't want to go, but was forced to by her family. Politics.
The Local Watering Hole, yes, it's actually called that, is a fairly typical pub. Salty fishermen downing pint after pint, travelers asking for information, seedy people probably there for smuggling contracts and so on. However, in the back there's an old bounty board caked in dust, with only a single "wanted" poster on it. Only it's not for a human target.
Something called "The Queen Of The Lake" has a bounty of 30,000 on it's head. Upon inquiring, the elder tells you that it's a local monster problem that has been killing any who went out on the lake at night since he was a boy. Nobody there has the means to take it on and anyone traveling through sees the bounty and immediately passes it up. 30,000 is a pretty sizable chunk of change, so you can understand why.
>Inquire more about the bounty
>Continue the tour, you're no mercinary
>>46383446
>Inquire more about the bounty
We can use our ship's firepower against it right?
>>46383446
>>Inquire more about the bounty
>>46383446
>Inquire more about the bounty
May as well.
>>46383488
Provided you can get the automatons to hit something, sure.
Writing!
>>46383446
>Inquire more about the bounty
I think our ship is a 'bigger fish'. Still, as the proper military vessel we are, we wouldn't go out and catch it. That comes later, when we have a few more crewmembers.
You ask for more details from the elder, who seems a little uncomfortable, but continues.
"They say she's some ancient monster, last of her kind or something. Nobody has any direct description of her, only that she's big, quiet and powerful. She never comes out during the day and must have some underground cave or something we don't know about, because nobody's found trace of her in all the years she's been attacking and she only ever shows herself under cover of darkness when she pounces on unsuspecting boats." he's gotten somewhat hushed, though you suspect he's just trying to build up some tourist-trap local legend,
"They say that you can tell she's out there late at night by a mysterious light coming from the middle of the lake, dancing along the water's surface gracefully, inviting you to come out to your death." he pauses for effect, eyes wide with a corny "isn't that spooky?!" look on his face.
"I see..." you say, "And the bounty, it's really 30 grand?"
"Oh yes, yes. It'd have to be. She's taken more than her fair share of lives, either from townspeople out on the lake for night fishing, or poor souls who thought they could take her."
What do you say? Take the bounty or finish the tour?
>>46383735
>finish the tour?
>>46383735
Let's finish the tour first. Ask Freyja if she knows anything about spooky monsters in this lake, she suggested we come here in the first place.
>>46383779
Finishing tour! Writing!
>>46383735
Finish the tour, we can always take the bounty later.
>>46383735
>Finish the tour
>Talk to Freyja about what she wants to do with her life and hint at starting a crew.
You thank him for the history lesson, though you have a feeling it's just something he does to get word spread and try to bring in tourists. Hell, maybe the story isn't even real. Things like this are often just myths spread by the gullible.
The rest of the tour is even less interesting than the first, he shows off a few of the local shops, the smithy, the town square fountain that the noble commissioned of his son and the local girl embracing romantically, complete with plaque with the words "Love eternal" engraved on it. It's gaudy and ill-fitting of the small-town atmosphere, but it looks like real marble. Quite possibly the most valuable thing in the whole place.
At the end of the tour you pass by a house you assume is Ruul's considering the considerable plumes of smoke emanating from several holes, a smattering of broken down machinery and a sign that says "Ruul's Parts and Particulars" out front. Ruul sees you, waves over, then kicks the side of an automated cart loaded up with all his possessions. It jerks to life and begins rolling toward The Beast.
"This is the part where I would, erh, normally discuss the local...machine shop, but I'm sure you'll learn enough about that...again, he does not speak for Saffron and we have nothing but respect for the Navy." the elder watches the cart roll off, sighing deeply.
Once the elder has left you, you ask Freyja if she knows anything about this Queen of the Lake business.
"I'd heard something about it, but I just assumed it was some old legend they used to get tourists. Though monster problems in small villages isn't completely unheard of, is it? I think, anyway. I'm...not exactly terribly worldly."
"Hey, speaking of that," you ask "what are your plans for this...uh, adventure? Is there somewhere you want to go or did you plan to stay with me and help build my crew?"
Roll 1d20+3
Rolled 6 + 3 (1d20 + 3)
>>46384088
Rolled 12 + 3 (1d20 + 3)
>>46384088
Rolled 4 + 3 (1d20 + 3)
>>46384088
Rolled 18 + 3 (1d20 + 3)
>>46384088
>>46384139
15 ain't so bad.
>>46384194
Blocked a 21 though.
"Not really, no..." she looks at Lisa, who is currently doing her best fish impression, puffing out her cheeks, crossing her eyes and pursing her lips, using her hands as makeshift "gills". She smiles sadly. "I suppose staying with you would be the safest place for me and Lisa. What could be better than an actual flying fortress? Besides, it's not much good to anyone without me, right?" She sighs gently, giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead.
"I suppose so." you say, though you can tell she's keeping something from you. "Well, we'll figure out what we're doing soon enough. Fugitive escapees in a stolen ship aren't known for perfect plans right away, right?"
Do you want to go anywhere in the town, such as shops or the tavern, or are you ready to leave?
>>46384241
Nah, that asshole with the 4 did it.
Fuck that guy.
>>46384125
>>46384194
>>46384241
Just FYI, that was just the first one. d100 rolls will be the best of 3, but d20 rolls will be the first one. Hope that's not too confusing!Back in 5! Discuss your plan for now! There are plenty of places you could visit!
>>46384287
Well Freyja said the food was nice here so do that. Get food.
>>46384326
>but d20 rolls will be the first one
Thus begins the curse of the d20
>>46384326
>d20 rolls will be the first one
Why?
Also, should we rent a boat, put a straw dummy in it, push it out to the lake, and then blast the monster when it appears?
>>46384400
But anonkaiju waifu
>>46384442
No.
>>46384442
She's a siren bud, she'll eat us
Time to blow her up with battle-ship grade guns
>>46384464
You underestimate the power of a yandere giant fish girl.
>>46384530
Underestimate nothing, anon
>>46384372
Players in Pandora Quest have been skating by too easily with their blessed d100's never letting anything happen to her. It's time for some 1's.
>>46384400
Just a system I'm working with. D100 is usually gonna be for ship combat/actions, while d20 will be something Isaac does, such as person/person fighting or social rolls, as well as any bonuses you might get. Like Isaac gets a bonus to social, haggling and other mercantile rolls.
>>46384530
What did I just come back to?
So I saw one for "get food", one for "rent a boat, put a dummy on it, then obliterate anything that comes out with Beast's weapons."
>>46384666
How about both? Get some lunch, then get to work on the trap.
>>46384666
Get food.
>>46384666
>What did I just come back to?
Waifuing man
>>46384716
Sometimes I forget just how scary waifuing can be. But a fish? That's a new one.
>>46384771
>he doesn't want us to Dragonheart the fish monster
>he doesn't want to write how we drag around a giant fish to drop on our enemies
>he doesn't want to describe how fishy the fishy be
You don't understand.
>>46384771
have you ever read Heretical Love Quest? By Papa N?
>>46384771
>Fish
>New one
So pure, QM
>>46384666
Lets check out the local eats. Maybe see if we can't spy on people a bit more...open to talking about the government's negative points.
(I dunno, part of me feels like we should've been upfront with them.)
>>46385021
That only means you have an active conscience anon
You figure a long day of liberating weaponry from the government calls for at least a decent meal. Besides, you rarely get to sample the local cuisine of small towns like this traveling as much as you do. Plus Freyja said they had some good eats here, so why not?
You find a local eatery that smells, you admit, heavenly. Grilled fish, home-baked bread, fresh vegetables, carbon and engine oil. Ruul found you.
"Thought you could ditch me for lunch, eh 'captian'?" He says rather smugly, wiping off his goggles and shaking some of the soot off his jumpsuit. He's got black hair and what looks like permanently dirty blotches all over his face. Positively ordinary if not for the fact you just saw him fly a pile of scrap metal at mach 2.
You enjoy your meal of seafood and discuss Ruul's responsibilities aboard the Beast. Essentially everything, you admit.
"No worries, I get it. It's just you three, isn't it? Stole a big hunk of metal, don't know the first thing about it, hopeless, destitute, no idea where to go. Oh, the horror! The shame!" He makes a dramatic pose, people are ignoring him to their best ability. "Honestly, I don't give a damn what your deal is. I want out of this podunk little hole. Nothing but philistines and plebians here. Wouldn't know a socket wrench from a sock in the mouth. Now that thing, that...that..."
"Beast." you offer.
"Beast! Yes! That Beast is a thing of beauty. I can't wait to tear through that engine and see what makes it tick...don't give me that look, I know what I'm doing. It'll be fine. 'Sides, I'm sure it has parachutes onboard." He gives a "I'm kidding but not really" grin.
"So, that aside, any idea of where you think we should head next?" you ask, finishing off your perfectly-seasoned tilapia, "We're kinda flying by the seat of our pants here."
Cont.
"Well," he replies, a mouth full of bread, crumbs flying everywhere, "Peck's not much better than here in Saffron, but some interesting clockwork there. I've been there a few times for-" his eyes go wide, "Longfall!" he actually shouts this, scaring a waitress and nearly making her drop her tray. "The wreck up there! Big tragedy, something happened, flying fortress up there went boom and crashed into the mountains. No survivors, blah blah, who cares. However, there's bound to be a crapton of scrap, spare parts and maybe even a few surprises."
You recall hearing about that some time ago. Happened not too long before Porphyra announced their latest project that you currently have possession of. They didn't want to chance sending a recovery party up there due to the amount of wreckage and how dangerous the mountains themselves are.
What do you say?
>>46385146
We might but it's best not to discuss where we are headed outside the ship. Operational security and all.
>>46385169
Agreed. First we gotta gather a crew before venturing forth.
>>46385146
Maybe once we get some actual crew we'll fly into the dangerous mountains which have already claimed one flying fortress.
>>46385192
Pretty much agree with this. I'm very interested, but we need more manpower for something like that.
"Maybe once we get some actual crew we'll fly into the dangerous mountains which have already claimed one flying fortress." you say, not entirely sure Ruul's the most mentally stable of tinkerers, but then again, the best ones rarely are.
"Well, if you want crew, you could always bust some out of Graeg or something." Ruul snags another roll from the basket, cramming it hastily into his mouth. You get the feeling he doesn't get to eat like this often. "I mean, they have almost daily riots there and half the place is just devoid of any kind of law. How hard could going in, finding some mooks and giving them jobs on your ship be? Might even find some famous criminals and pirates. Like the State Street Slasher or Donnie Two-Coins or something. Man, this is exciting!"
"You know, t's best not to discuss where we are headed outside the ship. Operational security and all." you say, though you doubt anyone here takes anything this screwball says seriously judging by how calmly everyone is pretending not to hear what he's saying.
Freyja is eyeing him, concerned. Lisa is playing with her food.
If you're going to wait for nightfall to set up a decoy to lure out the Lake Queen, you'll need to wait for a few hours. Will you go back to Beast for now or stay in town?
>>46385336
Explore the beast for anything really
>>46385336
Go back and explore the Beast. Can we name it something different?
>>46385336
Get back on The Beast, explore for supplies and stuff, see if anything needs future fixing
>>46385336
>State Street Slasher or Donnie Two-Coins
They sound like chumps.
Where is "Craig from accounting" or "that guy from the woods"?
>>46385399
Not getting caught is where
>>46385366
Let's just keep the name for now. Naming the ship is gonna be a contentious business
>>46385366
You could if everyone so desired, though that would make the name of this quest very strange!
Writing!
Also, for future reference, here's the "crew" pastebin, which will be updated with notable crew members as you find them: http://pastebin.com/geCWuxCJ
....yeeaaahhh how about we just visit Peck, see what's up with them.
(Honestly, I can already see us having a travel plan. Peck, Vert, Ao, maybe Blakkaz, see what's up with that place if anything, then hit Hueits, after that I dunno.)
>>46385444
>>46385447
Was just curious if it was possible. I don't want to change it yet it has to earn a name. Though having to change a quest title because anons changed the ships name sounds a bit funny though yeah?
>>46385447
>member of a rare race of higher beings
>supplies of magical energy
>living batteries to fuel machines
>>46385460
Longfall too
You decide you really should get to know your ship better considering it's your new home for the time being. Besides, never know what you could be missing. It's sizable, though, and even with a few hours to kill, you might not have enough time to explore everything with just the three of you.
Roll 3d20's to search, one for each of you.
Rolled 19, 19, 12 = 50 (3d20)
>>46385577
Rolled 5, 12, 8 = 25 (3d20)
>>46385577
>>46385598
Well, looks like the dice gods still like my quests.
Writing.
>>46385425
It's true. The most dangerous criminals don't get caught.Unwillingly
>>46385681
Probably should just hire the discontent instead of criminals. Criminals will mutiny successfully, and then go Mongolian on the countryside
>>46385598
Did the new guy get out-mechanicked by a scrub-trader and a walking battery?
You split up, taking different sections of the ship in hopes of widening your search. It takes a while to get your barrings, but eventually you find a small section of the cargo bay with several boxes marked "MUNITIONS". Cracking them open reveals quite a large quantity of weapons, from simple handguns, shotguns and rifles to even some ordinance in the form of grenades. Nothing majorly heavy, as your heavy fire power is all around you, but you have more than enough to arm quite a force. [+50 munitions added to cargo]
Upon meeting with Freyja, she says she found a stash of spare Navy uniforms of varying sizes. Lisa is wearing one of the hats, though it's much too large for her head. The uniforms range from simple soldier uniforms to, and she brought one with her, a captain's uniform. A greatcoat and fancy epaulets command respect and, more importantly, offer an actual disguise.
Ruul found a dirty magazine that one of the soldiers or construction crew must've left on board. Freyja is displeased.
It's getting close to dusk and you still need to rent a boat and put together a decoy. How will you go about this? Who (besides Freyja, obviously) will be staying aboard the Beast and who will be procuring the boat and sending out the decoy to draw out the Queen of the Lake?
>>46385726
Not if you pull a Blackbeard on them.
Just act like the baddest motherfucker so hard they actually believe you're -the- baddest motherfucker.
And win over the only people who will call you on your shit with charisma and lootan.
Really it's a tradeoff, I'm sure the average criminal is more capable overall than the average peasant here. But harder to control. So it's about how far you're willing to go for your crew.
Personally I don't think we should be mutually exclusive, the more walks of life you get the more diverse the skills you find.
>>46385767
Either Ruul mans Beast because he's a mechanic, or he gets the boat because he knows the town
>>46385767
I'm guessing the captain's uniform looks like this?
>>46385833
Similar. Though no medals or giant fancy belt or anything. Maybe closer to a Commissar's uniform.Though the hat isn't quite as impressive.
>>46385767
>Give Freyja captaincy and man the dingy with Ruul.
We've gotta do some heart-pounding male bonding and narrowly escape death together.
Is everybody suddenly dead in here?
>>46385920
Mmm, it is getting a little late, especially on the East coast. Plus it's a weeknight. I wonder if people have gone to bed?
>>46385767
Fryja and her daughter stays we procure boat
>>46385917
Time to go dynamite fishing?
>>46385917
We're using Beast's guns on the monster. We'll die if we're in the boat.
>>46385767
Let Ruul take the boat. If he gets out with the boat unharmed, he gets full permission to tinker with the automatons.
This is mainly a test: if he cant keep a "worthless" object safe from harm, it'll be hard to trust him with anything more.
Also still angling for Peck to pick up a more....precise....engineer to team up. Clockwork is delicate stuff.
Alright, looks like the men shall go fishing while the womenfolk, in typical fashion, man the heavy artillery.
Writing.
>>46386051
this seems decent enough, maybe see if he has any toys he's built that he wants to bring along for the boat ride.
>>46386069
Hey I went to get some food. Decided in walking. Big mistake.
>>46386129
What do you regret anon?
You head back out, procuring a flare gun out of one of the emergency first-aid boxes inside the lander. The plan is the flare will be the signal to unleash hell on the finned bitch once she goes for the decoy. Freyja needs only to tell the automatons what to do and they'll do the rest...you hope.
You manage to cobble together a dummy out of various scraps of fabric and junk to stuff it with. It looks almost nothing like a person, but how smart could a fish be? It'll do. Now, on the subject of the boat, you'll need to buy one rather than rent it. It's pretty obviously going to get either eaten, shot to pieces or both. A small motorboat is going to cost you most of your currently held money (motorboat: 500G, current spending cash, 700G), though you're a trader and never pay full price for anything.
Roll 1d20+3
Rolled 14 + 3 (1d20 + 3)
>>46386244
hmm.
Rolled 18 + 3 (1d20 + 3)
>>46386224
Walking my knee is killing me right now.
>>46386244
Rolled 16 + 3 (1d20 + 3)
>>46386244
WITNESS MY FAILURE POWER!
Rolled 13 + 3 (1d20 + 3)
>>46386244
>>46386244
Back in a few minutes!
>>46386256
17 ain't so bad
>>46385886
Is the hat like a tricorne or more modern?
>>46386350
Okay hold up. Real talk, that a male or female? Either way I'd still fuck it.
>>46386378
I'm pretty sure it's a female.
