Coile

Once upon a time

"This time was not made for me,
I have nowhere to land, no place to rest,
Like a bird, without a nest, I'm gliding
Under the clouds, forevermore"
- Sonata Arctica

When the mystical blooms-once-in-every-hundred-years blue flower that Coile had brought from the distant slopes of Khan Tengri had been returned alive though not intact he had taken it away from Steel Canyon to Talos and planted it to a safer and less crowded spot. The signs of combat around the university park didn't much catch his attention due to Paragon City feeling like a war zone most of the time. It was only after Subaiku had not answered any calls for a week that the worry started spreading throughout the Tempest. When Samuel Blayne was the last person to reportedly see her a week back a search was launched.

Sam's contacts in university circuits proved to be of vital help. Security cam footage was pulled from a camera and it showed Subaiku arriving to the uni park and ending up fighting a horde of well prepared and armed Council troops taking some nasty hits along the way. After making a strategic retreat she returned to the then vacated scene, planted the flower again to the spot where she had taken it from two weeks before and then vanished into the shadows as per usual. It was only the next day that image enhancing by Sam brought a new angle to light - after planting the flower Subaiku had collapsed into a heap which had faded out of existence. Instead of just leaving it was suddenly possible that she had left for the one final time.

Tempest's remaining mystics Odurson and Dustine tried their hand at locating Subaiku but the results were less than conclusive. If she was to be found at all remained a doubt and there were no leads as no one knew quite what their missing comrade was. Her origins remained still shrouded in guesswork and assumptions and without clear knowledge of her nature the tracking was like looking for the last mob in a giantsize Council base. A breakthrough occurred when Sam convinced a contact of his to use her mystical powers to divine the roundabout location of the missing Tempest member. That was somewhere underneath Perez Park.

The area was a hundred meters wide circle, any more precise estimate than that was out of their reach. Odurson came to aconclusion that the depth was fifty to a hundred meters so she was deep, somewhere around and what's more, also hiding. She was actively shielding herself from searches. Having no better strategy at hand the Tempest divided up and headed into the tunnels. There they remained for a day until Odurson somehow managed to locate their quarry and bring her back to full health.

Prodigals

"Hundred thousand changes
everything's the same."
- A-ha

People come, people go. That's the way of life and there's no use of being glad or sad hoping it would change anything. Still we tend to be, every time. When the people come back we are extra glad. Just as Tempest learned that Kitia had returned from wherever it was that she had gone to and were looking another familiar voice was heard on the Tempest frequency. It was the hithhiking youngster who had left three or four months ago, Rakila.

Kitia was worse for wear. It wasn't found out just how she had managed to pass through the gate leading from Steel Canyon to Boomtown through the police guards while being wanted, or how she had in less than fifteen minutes managed to end up in the faraway sewer system, fall prisoner to Circle of Thorns and be held behind a magical barrier. She had and Tempest ventured after herbreaching their way to their comrade. The magical barrier took some effort to open and Coile's attempt to blast it open resulted in some yelling from Odurson and Dustine as well as him being teleported out of the way. Opening the prison the rune way wasn't successful eaither unless you count a big magical explosion, singed flesh and damaged Kitia a success. Frankly it could have ended even worse. Kitia's tale will be heard when she is awakened and released from her medical restraints. Her being feral doesn't breed innate trust.

Rakila had way back when had to admit that Coile with his insistence had been right all along. She had powers, whether she wanted or not. Instead of facing it she had left the city for months. She had returned when Paragon City had still been the best place for her and by her own words Coile the only person who could help her. Since the school the Tempest leader had been running had been also closed rakila received the same offer than Phi - join the Tempest and receive the training on the field with all the risks involved. Rakila accepted. She had also been fearful about returning, having the horrible feeling that everyone had died just as Sword had. On her return she found out that Sword was alive but Coila had died.

All this brought the past months to Coile's mind. He wondered where Dawn had gone off to. He wished he could even meet Inhilde, talk to her and say that she did the right thing by turning in to Longbow. He was starting to seriously consider the option of calling his father and directly ask what had become of ND-4, his robotic mother.

With Subaiku back in health, Steel Guard having returned from his family matters and Dark Rose finding her way back to good old hero capital of the world the ranks of the Silent Tempest are once again swelling.

Time to achieve something real.

Time to hit the Crown.

Hard.

[ QUOTE ]
So this is really a character update forum?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's what we make of it!

Just look at the first post.

And waffles.

Coile is busy as a hummingbird on crack with plenty of things. Crey, Tempest, younger generation, wife, Kitia returning, their operation against Crown gearing up, keeping contact to Militia and at some point being sad for a moment.

Winter is still waiting for legal procedures. As she stays cooped up with her mom in a hotel room she has plenty of time to memorize the countless Power Words that Spellsong has been teaching her. Expect a new magic user to make an appearance sometime near when Pyr and Inny return and this time there's no taking those powers away.

Jiffy is again in a pickle after declaring war on Crey. Will he ever get his interview?

Freja busts heads and takes names in the name of Longbow. "And stay down!"

If you keep Telum I promise to occasionally play Freja!

Sword has said to be there tonight. That means Coile will be too. Also Dustine, perhaps Odurson and possibly Chiaroscuro. See you tonight, zerglings permitting.

(( Tempest access only ))

Sam contacted me about MAGI. They can't be positive based on the footage that Subaiku is dead. It's all inconclusive. We don't know.

Dustine, Odurson: this falls on your lap. I don't know anything about magic. Considering Subaiku's origins you have the best chance at finding out if she is somewhere healing, or if she perished. If you need anything for this, just ask. My contact network isn't all that big but I'll see what I can get when I know what is needed.

I have buried two Tempest members already. One returned, but that's still two too many. Find Subaiku for me. I don't want to bury a third.

Attached is again the Steel Canyon university park footage.

Surveillance footage. The camera was bit off to the left side and at distance.

00:03:17 Subaiku appears out of the shadows, standing at the place where Coile's flower used to be. She is wearing her white and blue Tempest outfit and carrying something. She kneels and with care places the item she was carrying next to her. It is about ft long cubic box, and she handles it like it is something very precious. She then appears to be digging the ground.

00:09:21 Subaiku takes the box, opens it and takes some small object from it. It is hard to say what it is exactly, but probably no longer than couple of inches and cylinderic.

00:09:42 Subaiku moves like she is about to put the object to the ground, when she suddenly jerks sharply, and is hit by a bullet to her chest (The white in her chest becomes dark). She reels and it takes a moment for her to get back on the game. There is more gunfire a few seconds later and Subaiku shields the box with her body. Holding the box, she rolls to the side, trying to evade most of the firing.

00:09:49 Council troops enter the camera's view and Subaiku bounces at them, leaving the box behind. The council keep firing at her and somewhat just generally around, and it is possible she is hit again. There is 10 council members, 6 more "basic troops", 2 with different headwear (lieutenants?), one sniper and one who appears to be in command. They try to move around Subaiku to surround her (or to get to the hole/box/whatever, based on what happens later).

00:09:57 Subaiku has downed two of the troopers, and slides behind a third. She twists his neck in a way that is not very likely to leave him alive. She seems to be able to fight, but is slower and rougher than usual, lacking grace and finesse.

00:10:06 Subaiku notices some of the troops moving towards the flowerspot (no one has been firing that direction yet), and instantly abandons the fight to intercept. The men she left seem reluctant to continue fighting and are shuffling around. One of the lieutenants (from the group that was heading to the spot) fires his flamethrower, aiming for a sweeping motion from Subaiku to the box. She doesn't dodge, but moves to close range to grab the weapon. For a brief moment, she is engulfed in flames before she gets the weapon. She does something to him, and he drops like a sack of potatoes. Subaiku, her hair still smouldering flees to the box, grabs it and runs for it. Council troopers shoot after her, more for the show than to harm her.

00:10:16 The leader yells at his men, the fallen are looked after and rest gather around him, at the place where Subaiku digged. They search the ground extensively, until one of the raises his hand. The leader rushes to him and grabs something from him. He studies it briefly and then nods.

00:23:33 Council leaves, carrying three fallen men with them.

00:31:42 Subaiku returns, she is moving considerably slower and more careful and tensely than usual. She kneels down, opens the box. She takes out the flower and places it respectfully to the ground. After the flower is returned to it's place, she sinks down where she was kneeling. She lays still for about fifteen seconds, then her form slowly dissolves into shadows.

In case it makes debugging any easier, I have a non-hotmail address and got the password without any problems.

I haven't browsed much so far but I was stunned by Nightsparrow's scrapbook. Especially the LIFE cover with Keening Banshee was very fab! ...and right now I spotted even a Tempest reference. Unless there have been previous news pieces by someone else that's the first time Coile got his photo in a paper!

Occasional Militia references have been made in the IC Tempest thread here on RP forum and in recaps in GG thread over at Union Heroes forum. More will probably appear as encounters accumulate.

Tempest update 10.10.2006

Subaiku missing
She has gone missing. No replies, no sightings. I want everyone to try and find out about this quickly. If the Crown caught her we'll go in guns blazing and show them what's what. Just - I can't stress this enough - do NOT let Ripmind get near you. If for some reason she's fallen into the hands on the Council, well, we clashed with their troops during Requiem War so much that we should know their by now.

Jorn Odurson
Two days back me, Sword and Dustine met this guy Odurson who says he's a half-god. I don't know if he is but I know gods of the old walk the Earth, so he might be. And he sort of feels like one. It's not how hard he bashes the Crey goons because it seemed about the same as the rest of us. It's his voice. It's like listening to a fireplace. Anyway, his past associates have retired so he's looking for company to work with. So far he's been sound and friendly. I'll see what the local files have on him, and ask Pyr to do a check. I saw Pyr last night but she got busy so I had to postpone it.

The Militia
Me and Sword met a few days ago a girl called Dragonfly in Pocket D. She belongs a group called the Militia. Someone called the Minister seems to be a leader. She mentioned about maybe them wanting to work together with us. Last night me and Dustine ran into two more of them, Nightsparrow and Lady Cobra. We worked together in Dark Astoria for a bit. The cobra lady said she'd heard about something about a possible alliance forming. I have to look up some leader of them, maybe the Minister, and see what they really want.

I don't know if we'll form formal ties with them. Might be a difference in how to handle the thugs. Dragonfly killed clan enemies back in her home country. She's switched to using the blunt edge of her blade here in paragon City, she says. Nightsparrow says she doesn't care if people she's bringing in get killed. No regard for any life by what I understood. Then again Lady Cobra was not comfortable with killing the Rikti. So, we seem to be dealing with extremes. How they can work together is beyond me.

Even if we don't commit us to anything I think we can work with these people, at least for now. It's actually needed seeing the number of our active operatives. One thing I'll make sure is that they don't have any Nicti among them. The real deal. Warshades are okays, I think.

The Rikti
I want this to be clear. The Rikti war is not over. The Vanguard and all the heroes of the world put a stop to the Rikti getting constant reinforcements only. They threaten us still. Given the chance they will wipe us out. They are an invading force and must be dealt with. Harshly. We apprehend our perps and I know, sometimes they end up back on the streets. We can't help that, we just bust them up again if they go back to crime. However the Rikti are to be dealt with with extreme force. If some of you don't wish to take part in this, at least don't get between me and Sword and Rikti troops.

Crey Industries
I suggest you don't use any Crey products if you can avoid it.

Next meeting
Tonight. Try to find out things before that. Subaiku, Odurson, Militia. Odurson might attend to introduce himself.

I have male characters.

I have female characters.

I don't expect it to matter much to people which gender I am, and neither does it interest me what gender the people I play with are.

I understand why some folks have trouble roleplaying the opposite sex and that's cool. What I don't understand is when someone *else* playing opposite sex toon is a problem to someone *else*. I might be generalizing but I don't think there's much point playing with people like that.

[ QUOTE ]
Creative use of some powers + tactical sense can transform the gimpest character into a good team asset.

[/ QUOTE ]

...and the lack of tactical sense can turn a team member into an agro magnet who's well on his way up the last debt badge.

I tried to recall but I don't know if the orange numbers that I make have two or three characters in them. However I do know that I can one-shot orange minions with aim + build up + snipe which is sort of obligatory since after going Invincible oranges are the easiest I as a rule get.

Last night I got Level 41 and Epic pool. I picked one from Force Mastery (makes an old SW fan giddy) because Coile is about channeling energies. I didn't even look at the other sets because their names didn't sound like they would fit. If I made a screaming error I can always complete 1st Respec Trial and fiddle.

I think I have a fair build, from asking around the wiser folks, except I have few oddities like triple slotted group fly for RP purposes. It's mostly my style of play which might be called gimped. Of course, after twenty defeats one tends to grow wary of Nemesis Snipers. I expect to learn to respect Sappers after a few run-ins too. Oh, and Warhulks can rip your head of if you're a squishy and stand too close. (I could really write a manual about getting your hiney handed to you in this game.)

Coile is a mutant who is discovering the full extent of his powers slowly which means that as time goes by he finds new ways to channel the energies. That has meant that I pick whatever power that seems to strike my fancy and go for it. He learned to fly to his own amazement and slowly learned to expand his 'flight field' so he could 'carry' others in his proximity. So, for this character I have picked the powers and reasoned them in. Mind you, I'm not going to take any other travel power even if Recall Friend would be useful. Those things don't fit the concept.

For Freja it has been concept only powers. She is a Longbow agent and will not have travel powers unless jetpacks come available. Also I started to play her as a blapper/tanker as in she went into the mob group and started to brawl around. I've now added Kick and Boxing and declined to take any new arrows related powers. I'll continue with this if she gets played again - Air Superiority, Jump Kick (or whatever it is) etc. Anything close proximity physical violence related. In the end she'll be an impossible character to solo anything with but I have an idea about a concept and won't compromise it.

I have no idea what would be the most efficient build with the power sets that I have picked. While I'd be interested to know them I don't think they'd influence me the least as I choose the next power in line.

They pour in from left and right! Conga rats, and some moshing rats too, Sol-me-boy!

Hello, Day Dream!

I read the story. Just casually, which is more than I usually do.

The elements are all recognizable, tho they say that there are about six original plot consepts and they were invented when people sat around fires in caves. Since then it's been repeating the same stuff, just told differently. The story elements didn't make the origin story a very original one.

But!

The story had a feel to it. The character became alive as the telling progressed. By the end the tale the motivation had been established, the characteristic dilemmas laid out. I had an idea who Emma Knight was. You took the pre-existing elements and created something new, something that works. For that, kudos.

(Just so that there are no misunderstandings this is what I do too - pick up stuff and use it to tell my own stories. Sometimes it's 'loaning', sometimes 'paying tribute' and sometimes 'just blatant stealing'. It's how literature works. Just add your own voice.)

Judging from just one post I think you're a good roleplayer. Welcome to the flock. Because of some IC stuff Coile isn't likely to come hanging around the statue so just bumping into each other isn't probable. If you would like to hook up sometimes for an IC mission or other stuff, send a /tell. Hero Corps have occasionally sent someone to help the Silent Tempest, for a mission or two. Sometimes they just drop by, sometimes they stay for longer.

In any case, welcome. Looking good.

First of all, many thanks for your comments and feedback. Primarily for that you shared your thoughts, and it was good that you liked the stories too.

[ QUOTE ]
I'm curious to know how experienced you are at writing short stories.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm more experienced in short stories, or analyzing them, than writing. I've been the president of Finnish Science Fiction Writers' Association and edited their magazine for a few issues. I've worked for (a hobby thing, no payment involved) a critique service for sf short fiction and belonged to quite a few juries for different writing competitions, as well as edited about 50 fanzines which partly involved reading submitted short stories and picking some for publication. At one point I read for a reward thingy all published Finnish science fiction and fantasy short stories, for five years. I can say I've spend time thinking what makes a story good and working.

Does this in the slightest connect to writing short stories? Only a little. I've dreamed about writing stuff since I was a kid. Winning awards and the like. I've only written about five short stories with any seriousness and despite most of them been published it's not such a feat as the mags they were in were quite small and one a self-publication. On the serious publishing front I lack all merits, and even any genuine, real attempts by the standards I have today. I'm lazy.

I started writing more when I went into SWG RP scene and began doing recaps about stuff that went on in-game. Very quickly I had created a series of stories that were recounts of IG stuff. At some point it evolved into telling stories that happened, but not on-screen. When SWG came to an end I counted the individual stories and was surprised to note that I'd done about fifty of them. That's my major feat in the area of writing short stories - fifty fanfics about my Star Wars characters. (Said stories still exist and if someone is morbidly interested in them a few links can be obtained via a PM.) In broader circles that would be classed as "sad".

However they say that there is good stories in every writer, they just have to write a thousand pages full of bull to get to the good stuff. In other words you learn to write only by writing. If I begin counting my somewhat consistent writing career from NaNoWriMo of 2003 I've been at it for three years now. I'd like to think that meanwhile the quality has gone up.

My biggest accolade of any sort for now is "Creative Genius of July 2006 of City of Heroes European English boards". Not a big thing to brag about when meeting guys like Jeff Long and Ken MacLeod or having Michael Swanwick over for some barbecue, but I'm still proud of it. It's something I wanted to win and something I believe the people I am now writing to see as an achievement. It's a big thing to me.

Of course some day I'll go and win a load of Hugos and Nebulas abd maybe a Clarke award or two. Maybe a Tiptree. Well, if not, at least I'll die having a nice dream.

My next aim is to write an "A for Android" novel for this year's NaNoWriMo. It'll for example tell the reason why the series is titled the way it is. Maybe before that I get an urge to write a shortie. We'll see. It's about being in the mood and having a nagging voice that wants to be words on the screen. Coile must want to tell a story, and I'll tell it for him.

Thanks for the interest. /cheer

Well done, Ringy! That's two (that I at least know of).

Harlequin Noir next?

Woohoo!

Conga rats, dudes!

So, how many mobs did you take out from L1 to L50?

Friday 22.9.2006 - Daily Comet
Ground Zero by Jiffy Blakes
"We don't dare to print that"

Hey hey hey, readers. It's again Jiffy Blakes at the epicenter of mayhem. Today I'm going to talk publishing politics, censorshit and the struggle against destabilizing organizations in our city.

Some time ago I got whiff of a major effort by our most prominent hero organizations against an unnamed target. It was supposed to be something big, plenty of groups pooling together to make a big strike. I took to the streets to find out more.

What I found was some foul attitudes by the hero crowd but after I got past the hostility there was a bonanza of exciting operations going on. The target at the time was the Freakshow. I got an interview, I made the story - and my editor backed down. Went on all fours and bent over in fear of retaliation.

My story got shelved and to drive the point home I spent the next two months on a foreign assigment. Two glorious months making notes about how Hero Corps established an office in Uruguay. The point that was made was "do not write about sensitive matters, do not draw fire". That's cowardice in my book. I still am not allowed to write about all the things I see going down in the Heroic Affairs section. I abide by the office policy.

Ground Zero is my pedestal. Here I can shout out what's on my mind. Here I can take names and get down to business. Maybe it's time to shake things a bit, what do you think?

So, the Freakshow was the target back then. Those cybered up weirdos who have traded their hands for mallets and scythes, who sport an 80's punk look and fart electricity. Do you ever wonder how they blow their noses? Do you think they will now hunt me down for making fun of them? Calling them names? Fear works only against the timid.

Heroes don't worry about that, and neither do journalists. Not true heroes or true journalists anyway. We tackle the problems and conquer them. Heroes by taking out the thugs and me by telling you how it is. Oh, you are all shaking in your pants, is he going to write about Hellions bumming around in Galaxy City? Let me tell you who my next target is.

Crey Industries.

You people love them. You use their products and by doing so endorse their brand of evil. Only thing that they do better than public relations is making damaging evidence vanish along with the people who uncover the truth. It's time to shed some light into the darkness that is the Crey.

There is a hero that has been taking out Crey operations that they themselves always dub as "rogue elements". I will look that hero up and interview her. Ask questions about what she has encountered. About the so called Paragon Protectors. Then I will load the story to you.

Be on a lookout for when the nuke goes off in the middle of the Crey empire. There will be a new Ground Zero. What remains will be the Truth.

** Jiffy Blakes, Reporter on Heroic Affairs and free columnist, Daily Comet **

[ QUOTE ]
what do ya mean by pulp? lol

[/ QUOTE ]

Wikipedia is your friend: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulp_magazine

Dove's mad monday xp dash delivered.

For other nights maybe the Egyptian goddess would like to team up with a worshipper and his lady friend for some Nemesis / Crey / Council / Thorns bashing. Good, wholesome family fun for the entire congregation.

[ QUOTE ]
((... i say this here cause... i... don't know what PM is lol))

[/ QUOTE ]

A PM is a Private Message, a message you can send directly to one person. Check under "My Home".

I was asked for more details how this works. The short and sweet answer: your activity is everything. All I need to know is who does what, how and what is the aim of the said actions. I will reply with results.

The longer answer is a repost of a guide written by Jisha during our SWG days. The examples would fit better if replaced with CoX related ones but the points come across still.

*************

(( Written by Jisha. ))

PLOTS FOR DUMMIES

One of the scariest words in roleplay jargon is ”plot”. We’ve nicked it from TV-series, or at least use it in the same way. Plots can run for a single episode (in our case, a single evening), or play our over weeks and months. Even initially single-night plots may spawn spin-off plots later.

Plots are also the hardest part of play for casual players to get involved in. Most think that unless you happen to be at one of those big one-night events, or have a GM willing to throw you hooks and pull you in, you don’t stand a chance. This isn’t true – you just need to know a few tricks.

The current text deals with how players can get into plots, interact with plots even if they can't make big online plot events, and generally get more out of the story-oriented side of roleplay. Eventually, there'll be a second guide for aspiring GM's on how to plan and run plots.



1) Use the Forums, Luke!
They’re the single best source of what’s happening in Phoenix and Be-Serat Slaret. We have sections for public announcements (where most events are announced), we have sections for rumours (where gossip on plot stuff gets posted), and we have IC chatboards. We also have the BSS Citizen grid chatroom in-game, which is IC. Skim these, pick up bits that might catch the interest of your character. Another good trick is to listen in at player events, and start following up on things you may hear there.

[ QUOTE ]
Posted in the [old] Phoenix Rumours section, Aug 19th: Those damn cats!

Someone's gonna have to do somethin about em.
Whaddaya mean, bout what? The damn-em-to-hell-tied-to-a-tree-an-burn-em cats! Tha' damn collection 'a jax kits that pansy-[censored] baker-gone-geneticist left behind! Left in a real hurry, 'e did ... didn't even take down tha' snack-stand he'd put up, the Corp jus' got militia go pull it down. Knowin' the mayor's temper, I'll betcha a few hirelings got their ears singed takin' the order, too... Wonder why the sucker took off like tha', anyway. Empire after 'im for tax evasion, maybe?
Anyway, the frickin' cats. Got left behind when the pansy shipped off, see, which was just fine an dandy while they was kits. Now they's gettin' ta be big ol' cats, and y'know how jaxes get when they go hungry. So far they's just stalkin' the vermin, diggin' up people's gardens an pissin' all over the place, but don't say I didn't warn ya when some poor sod passed out in a ditch gets is face chewed off. Or onea them rugrats the punters the Corp's got workin for it pop out ta share the joy'a livin' in this armpit a civilisation.
Come ta think of it, might be a job in that. Y'figure I could maybe get the town brass to cough up some creds for baggin' their rogue pussies?

((Hru Forra, Bothan trapper, over several beers at the Firebird's Nest))

[/ QUOTE ]

So, it’s a drunken Bothan complaining about stray cats. It’s also a hint that there’s a problem in town that needs dealing with. If you’re a hunter, you could head to the town authorities and offer your services. If you’re not, you could still talk to them about the town not doing it’s duty to protect the citizens. Either way, you have a reason to go talk to people, and let them get to know you.



2) Talk to people. Get interested.
So you have your info. PlayerX has been asking about rebels? PlayerY has been acting strangely ever since going in for medical treatment at a shady facility? OrganizationZ has been accused of being just a front for Imperial Black Ops? Hot damn. Maybe your character is out to make a personal profit out of blackmailing another player, maybe you want to help them instead, maybe you want to sign up with the big bad or join the good fight against it. How do you make that happen?

A news article in the Phoenix Call tells of the town being threatened by one gang and offered protection by another. The article mentions several player characters, who have been present for these events. What can you do to get involved? Well … that’s the wrong question. The real one is, how do you want to be involved?
* Maybe your character is the heroic type, always ready to help the underdog. Would it be like him to seek out some of the players named in the article, find out a little more about the situation, and maybe eventually offer his help in defending the town from the gangs?
* Maybe you’re a negotiator type. Again, study the situation by talking to people, maybe contact the GM’s for any additional info your character can dig up about the gangs, and try to resolve the situation peacefully.
* You’re a noncombatant, and scared silly by the gang threat? Then raise hell! Send the Phoenix Call and town officials letters from a concerned citizen. Badger them in person. Or stand up, and try to organize the people who can fight to do so. Or, if you’re really scared … call the GM’s, and tell them you’ll sell out to the gangs and spy for them, because if you’re useful they won’t hurt you.
* Or … maybe you’re a no-good mercenary, who doesn’t really care as long as there’s cash in it for him. Call the town, get hired as protection. Or call the gangs, and hire out to them, as muscle or a spy. Or go all the way, and do both. Just make sure you have a fast speeder at hand, in case you’re found out.



3) Ask questions. Ask more questions.
This is the trick. The game world is part what the game engine shows us, part the plot elements, NPC’s and other things us roleplayers make up to populate it with. Only the game engine part is there 24/7. The other part you get at by talking to people. Ask questions – IC from other players if it makes sense to do that, or OOC from players or GM’s.

Player: “I’m mightily [censored] off at this corp. I want to get back at them – but they’re too big for me to take them on alone. I need allies … I’m gonna start looking for other enemies of the organization.”
GM: “Well, public info on the Holonet says they have a lot of financial competitors. They have problems with gangs in one of their colonies.”
Player: “What about the unofficial word? I can’t hack stuff, but I got reasonable bounty hunter contacts … not above bribing people, or getting them drunk for info, either.”
GM: “There’s a gang rumour on the streets … A Tatooine gang was in a few months back, to torch a lab owned by the corp. It got hushed up, not even a mention in the holomags. Gang’s called GangY”
Player: “Bingo – does the guy know where on Tatooine they hang?”
GM: “No, but someone in Mos Eisley probably will – that’s the obvious place to find criminals on Tat.”
Player: “Right. I head over, find a bar, ask the bartender. They usually know who comes and goes. Moderately generous credchip on the counter with the question.”
GM: “He tells you you’re late, GangY’s fallen apart. Most of their people migrated to a criminal freehold town, and joined what passes for law-enforcement there.”
Player: “Eh? I know that town … or well, I know a guy in the force there. Time to go talk to him, I figure…”



4) GM’s lie IC.
Your investigation succeeds! You get your answers. They’re not what you thought they’d be. What does this prove? Either that you were wrong … or that some of the information you’ve found is tainted. Misleading IC information is one of a GM’s best tools – just because your character is told something doesn’t mean it’s true.

OOC fact: Ben murders Bill
OOC fact: Bob had a fight with Bill the same night, in front of witnesses
IC announcement by GMs: Bill’s dead! He had a fight with Bob, and afterwards Bob followed him home and killed him! With a hacksaw!

Players who didn’t know Bill or Bob will probably not give a damn. Players who did know one of both of them might have a hard time with this. Time to ask those questions: what’s the case against Bob, really? What kind of evidence is there? Does anyone else have a motive, or the opportunity?
Most of the time, GM’s will give out information and suggest the most obvious way to interpret it. A lot of the time it’ll be true. Sometimes … it’ll be a secret, just waiting for players to chase it down.



5) GM’s never lie OOC.
So the GM’s lie. Is playing a total waste of time then, because they can just make up stuff on the fly? Are the GM’s just messing with us because they can?
No, and no. OOC facts are hammered in stone and do not change. IC information is usually twisted for a reason. Maybe the IC source of the information may not have all the facts? Maybe they have their own opinions of how things are. Maybe they have reasons to lie. Whatever the case, you can find out. Just grab a GM, and start asking questions.

Player: “Okay. So Bill’s dead, and Bob had a fight with him.”
GM: “Yeah. It was loud, and Bill hit Bob at the end. A lot of people at the bar saw and heard it.”
Player: “Ok … then one of the waitresses on shift that night can probably tell me if Bob followed Bill out. I’ll kinda slip a tenner across the table, to make it worth her while.”
GM: “She pockets the money and says Bob left about an hour later. By then, he’d cooled down a lot. Said he was gonna go home and sleep it off, and apologise to Bill in the morning. Ben told him not to be an idiot, Bill was dead wrong.”
Player: “So Ben was in on the fight too, huh? I wonder when he left the bar…”

(( This following is a personal journal entry and not IC accessible by others. I have actually thought whether or not make this even OOC available, but decided to do so. The tone is rather negative as Coile wrote this in the middle of the night and feeling somewhat depressed. ))

** Journal entry - 16.9.2006, 4 am **

Dawn
She has withdrawn. Any and all attempts to maintain a contact have fallen through. She goes to lengths to stay away from the team and especially me. She is hardly ever around except for organized occasions and even so she seldom says anything. She is bordering hostile and is at least aggressive. She makes it very clear that any contact attempt by the team will be seen as intrusion and if I ask someone else to check on her it's "putting others to do my dirty work".

Her nanobot reserves in her suit have been fixed, so her life is not in danger. Xan also says that with his tech she eventually could be cured and leave the confinement of her suit. She refuses. She actually prefers to be imprisoned in her suit. She has made a conscious choice to separate herself from us and maybe the rest of humanity. I have no idea how to stop it or reverse it. I don't know if a romantic relationship with me would have prevented this, but it's useless speculation since that's one thing I can't give her. I failed to save Coila from herself and now it looks like I'm failing Dawn.

Marcella
I thought getting Marcella into Tempest would have been a good idea. She has been a good fighter and good company so far. I've liked working with her. Maybe it all was because she had a thing for me? Judging from her behaviour so far she is not a team player. Right after the meeting where she was accepted into Tempest for two week trial she just left saying if we were going on patrol we could call her. Meaning, she blew us off socially. She was available for a job, not for getting to know each other better.

Then another time she came after me and Sword to ask if there had been a problem at the statue. When we explained the problem she just disagreed with us and left. Just like that. She isn't interested in team perspective or seem to care about her supposed team members the least. She has ten days to turn around. If she doesn't, we either decline her or have another unbalanced non-team loose cannon in our hands.

Dark Rose
No sign of her in two weeks. No word, no nothing. It seems to be how she operates. Alone. She doesn't seem to regard Tempest as anything more than a resource. To her the team seems to be means to her own ends. She comes by when she likes, takes an offense way too easily and storms off, putting it all on her inability to have the male mind control the female hormones. Is this excuse supposed to explain whatever unpredictable whims she throws in our way?

As Sword says Rose takes the easy path. That will mean she'll fail when it comes time to make hard decisions. She is fickle and will leave when she feels like it. Either by quitting altogether or just storming off at a bad time. How can we depend on someone like that? Subaiku might have been correct in questioning her loyalties. So far they are severely lacking.

Kitia
She is my oldest friend. What's left of my childhood now that Coila's gone. And she's not Kitia anymore. What happened to her? She was a considerate girl. She was the first girl I had feelings for, the first girl I kissed. She stayed my friend even after breaking up with me and I didn't make it easy on her. Time and again she seemed to find the middle way when me and Andrea clashed. And now she is something else.

She wasn't able to cope with the duties that the hero license imposes on her, her [censored] relationship with Coila until Coila aborted it, or with just any change. The city got to her in a bad way. She cracked in her mind and the foul magics changed her inner being. She has turned from a friend to a parasitic wraith and a threat. She is an invasive force that destabilizes everything. She has created a horrible dependency which she imposes on me and Nadia without any regard how it affects us. It could destroy Nadia. That is something I will not allow.

Kitia is now gone which is her usual state of being. She comes and goes at her very own pace while claiming any prolonged separation from us would mean her death. I hope sincerely that wherever she now went she will find her balance. And live. If she comes back I'll be forced to take action. Find a cure for her even if deep in I know she would want one just as much as Dawn does. Even so I have to. Currently her adamant dependency is the biggest threat to Nadia's sanity. I want my friend back. And I can't. Instead I'll move heaven and hell to shield the love of my life from her.

Nadia, Sword of Truth
Who am I kidding? There is no Sword of Truth any more. I've destroyd it. She is now Nadia, not a fierce warrior woman completely taken over by her conviction in serving the Justice, but a woman in love with a man. She bent her rules for me until they broke. She traded her principles for her own happiness. Henri says his daughter is cold like the statues in front of court house. Now the marble has cracked and fallen off.

Sword of Truth has ceased to be. There is no call of Justice, no Truth to pursuit for her. She is surprised to be able to wield a sword without cutting herself. She is operating blindly. She doesn't have the self-assurance anymore. Now she can make mistakes and get really hurt, or worse. Her fierce belief in the righteousness of her actions has evaporated. So far it has been the old steam that has driven her. A strong shove is likely to cause her to stumble and fall. Permanently.

In combat she gets distracted if I take a blow and go down for the count. She always had an eye for smart fighting. Now she gets distracted by me. At first it felt good to have her show concern, even hug me after a fight and make sure I was not hurt too badly. Now she sometimes seems to be beside herself when I open my eyes again. Frantic. Without defenses. Her feelings for me are pushing through more strongly. I wouldn't mind if it wasn't in the middle of combat. Since she joined the team I've always relied the most on her skills and tactical eye. For how long can I do that?

I think she's hanging by a thread. Any false move and she loses what she has now. Then any aspect of Sword is gone and only Nadia the attorney remains. It will be as predicted - she'll be just a woman who has a job. I'll stand by her, of course. I'll grow old with her and marry her when she's ready. Maybe when Sword is totally gone she'll let go the last piece of control that she has of her independent life and commit to matrimony.

She puts out a face that she'll take whatever comes as she has made her own choices. But I know she'll resent the situation if she drops out of the hero game. I'll do whatever I can to keep the balance and help her redefine her role, to arrange her thoughts. I believe it's possible for her to be both Nadia and Sword, she can love and hear the call of Justice. I know it's possible. I just have to find the way and get her to walk it. It's just a such thin line to walk and I'm mostly blind too. Two blind ones trying to see the light before we step off the path. If Kitia returns the path will crumble and Nadia will just fall destroying whatever chances I have of rebuilding the Sword of Truth.

Students: Rakila, Inhilde, Phiseeque
Rakila ditched the town. She left without a word and sent one postcard three months later. That's how much she needs me. Inhilde did the right thing on my urging and turned herself in with the Longbow. I couldn't keep her out of the prison. I think. Longbow tells me nothing. Phiseeque practically lives in the hospital, for months now. None of them needs a teacher. I'm closing down the school since it's been closed for an eternity anyway. I'll give it another thought if it is needed again.

Fletched Alliance
Meadow and her nictus are troublesome. No respect, no regard for inter-team efforts. Akkarin lacks the guts to take steps. He'll just try to affect the situation. He evades the responsibility by distributing it around to his co-leaders so that no one is really in charge. They have until next Tuesday to pull their act together. Otherwise I'll present to Tempest that we break the coalition that so far has had no meaning at all. If they can't get a member of theirs to behave we can't trust their ability to keep themselves organized in the battlefield either. What we need is allies who can aid us, not fluffy vampires without fangs and spines with a ragtag posse of explosion junkies who can't tell one stupid girl not to rain on other people. Doesn't Akkarin see that this directly reflects on his ability to run an efficient team?

Conclusion
I haven't written anything about Subaiku's secrets. Or Nadia's argument with our allies in Ghost Tiger Investigations. Xan is still steady as a rock but after his return from search for Dawn I see him only rarely. Steel Guard has turned completely around from reclusive and snide to supportive and almost nice. I'm not sure how to relate to him now.

All in all the alliances are boiling to nothing, the team is fragmenting, our recruits are more weakening the whole than strenghtening and the woman I love is constantly in danger of losing herself.

It would be easier to let it all just fall apart but then I would be failing the team in all the ways I'm critisizing others. We can't do everything, we say, but we do what we can. It applies also to running a team. I have to make my very best effort to salvage what I can and discard what would end up damaging us more than helping. Make the hard decisions that Rose can't. Be the team player that Marcella isn't. Make the contact that Dawn won't. Have the backbone to deal with harmful members unlike Akkarin, to deal with Kitia if she resurfaces. And be the conviction and guidance to Nadia until she finds it within herself again. If I can't do that I may as well pack up and go back home to fix robots and blast at wooden dummies.

Sky goddess above, this ended up being more negative than I intended. There's a lot of good stuff going on too. Still, maybe it's better to vent out all the negativity, give it a positive spin and talk to the people. Give them the truth without the stinging undercurrent.

** End of personal entry **


** Journal entry - 18.9.2006, 7 am **

Dark Rose is back and says she has something important to share with us. Marcella took part in another operation along with us. Maybe I can help them to become a real part of Tempest yet.

Nadia is rediscovering the Sword of Truth. That scares me. She's not an agent of Justice anymore. She's a woman fighting for what she thinks is a worthy cause. While her reflexes are the same her mindset is not ready. She is too afraid that something happens to me. My impulsive fighting style isn't helping.

It looks like it's now 'make or break' time. She's dropped down all her defenses where I'm concerned. Last night she said "yes". Sky goddess above watch over me and my wife.

** End of personal entry **

(( This has sparked some interest over PMs and stuff.

This isn't a Big Plot in itself, it's part of stuff that goes on and has been going on for some time now. Still 'a plot' might be the best word to describe this. You can all consider me as a GM for this plot, at least as far as getting information is concerned.

People are free to take part but a few things should be considered. The actions taken can cause one or more characters to be removed as playable IC characters due to various reasons. If you don't feel comfortable causing such a thing best not to get too involved. The other side of the coin is that any character who feels threatened by actions of others may take pre-emptive measures to secure their continual survival.

This is not to say that anything drastic is forced on anyone. However it pays to think in advance how far you might be willing to go if push comes to shove.

If anyone wishes to investigate the events please send me a forum PM. Describe your actions and ways you see relevant in obtaining information. I will use invented NPCs as sources, meaning you won't get to talk to the warden directly, but some frontman. This is for two reasons. 1) I don't have enought lore knowledge to say who are the established characters in the Zig and 2) lore characters are usually unkillable while totally invented NPCs are not.

I try to read and answer all PMs within one day but it's perfectly acceptable to prod me IG too by telling me there is a PM waiting. Global is @Coile. ))

Thursday 14.9.2006 - Daily Comet
Ground Zero by Jiffy Blakes
"Come and follow the path to my kingdom"

Hey hey hey good readers. It's Jiffy Blakes back from Zigursky Penitentiary facility known mostly as 'The Zig'. It houses the criminals that our heroes have put behind the bars. All of us here in Paragon City face the fear of gangs which mug the good citizens in the broad daylight and conduct dangerous rituals in the dark of the night. But what happens when the fear strikes back at the criminals themselves?

Last night something happened in the Zig. Something that raises a lot of questions. Last night the Zig was the kingdom of nightmares. Last night the terror that grips the soul visited those that only a few of us would argue did not deserve it. Those facing their inner demons were the men who have terrorized us. The question is does it still make it right?

The higher echelons of the prison administration remain tighlipped of the whole affair. The investigation is on, statements will be given later. The instant truth was found down in the damp cells and forbidding corridors that lead to them. The truth was there in the plain view for all who cared to take a look. I was the only one.

At nine-thirty last evening it all began. Inmates who were in sleep started to mumble and shout, wail and trash. And they could not be woken up. Despite their cellmates' best efforts they remained bound to their dreamscapes. This happened in every wing, every ward. Except for those that were sealed against psionics. This also happened to those guards who were taking their rest period or were just derelict in their duty.

Was it an experiment in prisoner control conducted by the staff itself? Was it a retaliation of an embittered psychic hero? Was it a new show of power from that mysterious group that calls itself The Lost? A few hours after the incident answers do not yet exist. All that is known is that the mass nightmare lasted for an hour and a half and touched thousands of prisoner. Afterwards many had to be treated medically and even so refused to sleep again. I would not be surprised if the suicide numbers go up after this.

I saw a man tho had clawed out his left eye in his madness. I saw a man who had bashed his head repeatedly to the wall. There were a lot of men I did not have the chance to see. Even if the terror has now left the shock effects remain. Men huddled in groups repeating over and over things as if they were mantras or nursery rhymes. Things like 'Come to my Kingdom', 'Follow the path' and 'Laughing men, lust for pain'. Over and over. Some of them cried.

Whoever did this, for whatever reasons - they need to be found. Fear and terror is never acceptable. Not even against hardened criminals. If we take away their human rights we are no better than the worst of them. Still there is already in the air the sweet bleached stench of a whitewash. Mark my words no other paper will print a line about this.

And so a major crime goes again unpunished. Right here. In Paragon City. In the city of heroes.

It sickens me.

** Jiffy Blakes, Reporter on Heroic Affairs and free columnist, Daily Comet **

I have in theory a reporter character. He had gotten wind of something major going down (beginning of Requiem war) and went to get a story. Eventually he was like a champion (kept in the dark and fed fertilizer) and did a piece about a major effort against the Freakshow that he had been told was the big target.

Too bad at the time I was writing my longest CoH piece (Touch the Sky) and couldn't get the actual news piece done in a decent time and with plausible quality. I've written a few articles and reviews, and edited fifty magazines worth of stuff so in theory I know what a good piece of reportage looks like - it's just such an amount of work to do.

Haphazard pieces of five minute writing I can get done easily enough (just check the recaps) but with "real" articles I'd like to aim higher. And I don't have the time for that.

Hence Jiffy Blakes has not made a second appearance. Hmm, maybe if I visit the Field Writing Analyst and lower the standards from decent to shoddy... I sort of would like to throw Jiffy in for an hour at times. Write short pieces about extravagant escapades of established, enigmatic enforcers of 'eroic efforts. (looks like I found the analyst already.)

Hmm, maybe tonight, way late unless I just drop after the gig.

What size is the team? 2+. If I team-up with someone it's a team. With eight we get a right mayhem going!
How many of each AT is there? Uh, I'm glad to be aware of my own AT. And that is with my main only. So I don't really really care what ATs the others are.
Which power sets do you need to avoid in rpg terms? RP is about bringing in-character sense into game mechanics. Easily done. It's the RP'd additions that can sometimes be difficult to fathom.
How closely linked the charecters need to be? They don't, at all. But it helps.

And yeah, Longbow teams were fun. I play Coile as a reckless blapper but I try to have some sense into him. Freja, heh, she just charges the whole bunch of them, agros all the groups there is and opens a large can of whoopass in the best Stone Cold Steve Austin style. She's had two healers working full time to keep her up and in combat. Really priceless stuff.