Welcome to the Jungle : A Mage Quest

[Vindictus]

"Aid anyone investigating something suspicious- Who may very well be us"

That sounds like you're asking to be put to working a beat, to me?

 

[Pipeman]

I don't think we really have assessments to make on most of those problems.
If I recall correctly, our only contact with the supernatural was with a couple of other mages, which fell though pretty quickly, and Fae.
We also have no real education or ranks in Occult.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

"Aid anyone investigating something suspicious- Who may very well be us"

That sounds like you're asking to be put to working a beat, to me?

Click to shrink...

Riiiiight. Because detective work is all about being a gumshoe and walking about the scene of the crime or whatnot, and nothing behind a desk. Nosiree, if there's a file with pictures of claw marks and a gruesome scene, certainly we could not be given that file and asked to narrow down what the suspect may be.

Really, with all the crap they've got on their plates, they must have a whole stack of unsolved files where they simply don't know what they're looking at. Investigation is research and bookwork too ya know.

Although Pipeman is right about us not having Occult ranks, well, better not advertise that one. And we're still better off than these guys.

 

[Jans]

I don't think we really have assessments to make on most of those problems.
If I recall correctly, our only contact with the supernatural was with a couple of other mages, which fell though pretty quickly, and Fae.
We also have no real education or ranks in Occult.

Click to shrink...

This is true. "Monsters" aren't terribly surprising to hear about, you've just never seen one before.

Working on the character sheet before I hit the next round of questions.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Way I see it, we have three big assets to bring to the table that are along the lines of prevention: enchanting equipment, our Faeire, and pointing the cops in the right direction with Investigation and Fate magic. Hopefully we can buy a rank in Occult, but either way, if the police are to be proactive then they need to strike first instead of waiting to see smoking rising in the sky.

If they've got someone better than us at Investigating, by all means, buff and brief them. If we're tapped for duty, and I trust the chief to make an informed, intelligent decision on when to call us in, better to be ready.

But they've also probably got plenty of unsolved cases, and I see no reason why we can't take a look and see if something comes to mind. If nothing else our Faerie may know what's what.


Also, apologies if I was too snippy Vin. Wasn't my intention.

 

[Jans]

Getting a rank in Occult is as simple as allocating a Training action when you get the chance and hitting the 100 threshold.

You can get bonuses to that roll (and any other involving the Occult or Academic skill) with a library or other research materials. Public libraries will usually be a small bonus, though that may vary by size and age. Private libraries will depend on the contents of their collection, but usually offer a larger bonus. Specific collections and locations, such as the Los Angeles Central Library, The Vail Collection at MIT, or the Miskatonic University Library provide serious bonuses.

They're almost guaranteed to have a better Investigator than you on hand or on call, but that doesn't mean your rank is useless. There are a lot of things you can use it for that, don't involve criminal cases, aren't detective work, or you simply don't have the opportunity to get a second opinion. Investigation synergies well with Research, it'll give you a higher chance of noticing something out of the ordinary or amiss.

It also represents little bursts of insight in dialogue, though this is more of a passive effect.

 

[R.A.G.]

X] "That....is a lot of problems. Still, at least we aren't entirely out in the cold."
[X] Give a summary of our assessments of the problems described, precautions to take, et cetera.
[X] With all of these problems, it seems our first order of business will likely be enchanting the police's gear as best they can for improved offense and defense. Possibly get started on a Fate ritual to aid anyone investigating something mysterious.
-[X] Which may very well be us. Got any cases for us to chew on?

[X] If appropriate, broach the subject of our familiar. Being Fae, it's an enormous pain in the ass to almost anyone who catches their attention....except you. Bastards like you. We could ask our Faerie familiar to start marking its turf, so to speak. Have it work on shoving out all of its competitors, making their lives miserable, or sniffing them out. But a faerie is dangerous. We can work with it, but the police should be warned not to antagonize it. In fact don't draw its attention at all if it can be avoided, suck up if it can't. Otherwise, we'll keep our familiar pointed at our enemies.

[X] Find out what the hell is wrong with the local mana.

 

[Jans]

[X] "That....is a lot of problems. Still, at least we aren't entirely out in the cold."
[X] Give a summary of our assessments of the probl-

"Look, kid, I'm serious here. Don't do any work before we get you on the books and start paying you for it."

You blink, perfectly willing to get started now.

"Why?"

The Lieutenant sighs are rubs the bridge of his nose.

"Because that's how the world works? Money paid for services rendered. Right now you don't officially exist, until we get that squared away go take a load off and get some sleep."

You hesitate, but he does have a point. Sunrise can't be more than an hour away.

[X] Sleep?

 

[Vindictus]

[X] Shrug, and get a bit of sleep in.

 

[Fellgar]

[X] Shrug, and get a bit of sleep in.

 

[Darik29]

[X] Shrug, and get a bit of sleep in.

Lets get this Party Started!

 

[Happerry]

[X] Shrug, and get a bit of sleep in.

 

[R.A.G.]

[X] Shrug, and get a bit of sleep in.

 

[Pipeman]

[X] Shrug, and get a bit of sleep in.

 

[Jans]

Someone roll me a d20 please.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

*shrugs*

[blockquote]Rolled 1d20 : 6, total 6[/blockquote]

 

[Emral282]

[blockquote]Rolled 1d20 : 11, total 11[/blockquote]

 

[Jans]

The next day is busy. You catch a couple hours of sleep here and there, but the unfamiliarity of this place gets to you. The cops had done a pretty good job making this room soundproof, but you could feel the ebb and flow of people in close proximity. There were plenty of reasons that mages avoided cities and this was one of them. You were going to have to set up a barrier or some sort or that was going to wreck havoc on your sleep schedule.

A little before noon you wake up to the feeling something settling on your head. You blink and roll over, dislodging the weight for a moment before it settles back down on your forehead.

"Puck."

"Good morning master! I trust you slept pleasantly?"

He's grinning about something, that's never good.

Puck is a lesser fairy, and your familiar of a couple years now. Most fairies of this kind look like tiny barely clothed humans with dragonfly wings. They usually range in size from one to three inches and are the biggest pest in existence. They break things, take things, move things, and generally cause petty mischief. Fairies literally thrive off of chaos, have a species wide case of ADHD, and are virtually indestructible. Not that you can't KILL the little bastards, that's pretty easy. The problem is that they'll be back on their feet with the next sunrise and twice as ornery. Even severely maiming a fairy is only going to slow it down for a few days, and they hold grudges like no one's business. The upside is that they're not terribly dangerous, even one that got ahold of a weapon would have to work at hurting you. No, they'll just make your life miserable if you piss them off.

Puck was different.

Only a couple of years bonded to you and he had changed significantly, though how much of it was because of that bond you didn't know. At six inches he towered over most fairies and was only getting bigger by the day. He was toned and fit, unusual for a fairy. Most use their magic for everything and fly everywhere, Puck actually made it a point to improve physically. He kept his hair slicked back and had an intense stare. Most fairies couldn't look you in the eyes for more than a few seconds before bursting into giggles or flying off, Puck could do it all day. He wore clothing much like a human would, tending toward business casual or tight shirts and pants. They didn't make clothing in his size (Ha) but it wasn't terribly difficult for him to shrink things down to his size.

He was... calm, for a fairy. Still prone to pranks and mischief but he was just as content to sit down and read with you as he was to rearrange the pictures in someone's hall so they were all slightly tilted. He was Obsessed with human culture, always looking for new things, people, or ideas. He had confided to you one day that he would make a killing back home by rebranding ideas as his own. Home was a bit of a touchy subject, as no matter how much the Fae liked me they weren't going to reveal the inner workings of their society to a human (especially not a mage). You could ask Puck to tell me outright, but that would damage was a highly beneficial relationship between the two of you.

He was also a violent little bastard.

Something that you knew was the bond's work for certain was the increase in Puck's strength. Both physical and magical. You suspected that that was the answer for most, if not all, of the changes. Physical, magical, emotional and intellectual. Everything he did was more intense than was normal for a lesser fairy. It lend to some interesting situations when he met up with his fellows.

All of that could wait though.

"I take it they're going to come for me soon?"

"The police? Yes. They've been talking about you all morning really, very very interesting. They're also having problems~"

"Oh?"

You slip out of bed and root through your satchel for a change of clothes. There was a bathroom attached to the room you had crashed in, and while there was no one here now the three other beds implied that there could be any minute.

"Oh yes indeed! I don't know who they pissed off but someone~ isn't pleased. Their recent string of misfortune is definitely fairy work."

You grunt, having suspected as much. The strange mana flow wouldn't be caused by fairies, but the little accidents sounded too much like their M.O. for you to ignore.

Lieutenant Harmon may have asked you to hold off, but he wasn't going to be putting your familiar on the books now was he? This way you'd have something to offer right away.

-=-=-=-

Your meeting with the HR people went smoothly. They didn't question why you needed new paperwork or who you had been before. Instead they ran you through your new background, coached you on your new name, and explained how to use your new bank account. The two of them, Marcus Kendall and Richard Wayworth, were clearly old hats at the new identity business. An... odd trait, for the police, you'd think.

The salary they set you up with isn't much, cheap food and bus fare, but they had a small apartment with utilities rolled into the deal. It was right down the street from headquarters, and housed quite a few officers and support staff for the police.

The "commission" based work was vastly more lucrative. As long as you were making notable contributions to the Special Weapons Department you were getting paid a nice lump of cash on a regular basis. You, Kendall, and Wayworth spent a good chunk of the day hashing out what constituted a notable contribution and you came away from it pretty satisfied. They weren't looking to screw you in the details, they just didn't know what you could do. You also get setup with an expense account for materials and equipment. You have to do some paperwork explaining what all you need it for but the process is fairly straightforward.

((In game terms, every time you spent a monthly action that assists the NDPD you get paid. Major contributions net you 5-7 mundane resources, minor is 1-3. Enchanting all of their gear would be major, doing research to catalogue what the hell the thing they killed last night would be minor. Figuring out what they were fighting while they were fighting it in time to help them kill it would be somewhere in-between. Your salary nets you a +1 monthly profit, and your base upkeep is -1 as they're paying for your housing and most of your bills. Your expense account represents 5 floating resources a month specifically for purchasing, though you can catch hell if you abuse it.))

-=-=-=-

Research & Development Department isn't an accurate term. The police don't usually do the R&D side of things, their job is field and casework. Still, in recent days they've been cataloging and storing any number of interesting things they've ended up confiscating or killing on the streets. Officer George Bentley got his leg broken a month back and had managed to weasel his way back into the station long before his medical leave ended. He's been using one of the four defense bunkers below headquarters as a makeshift lab and is slowly identifying what little information they do have. The man is a bit manic, being introduced to the supernatural hasn't exactly been a kind experience for him, but he's enthusiastic and friendly enough.

There's several feet of concrete and steel plating surrounding these bunkers, with their own independent air supply and filtration. There's a bunch of other safety gizmos too, but most of it went over your head. This is a pretty good place for an amatuer lab though, and you could probably use it or grab one of the others.

-=-=-=-

As the day comes to an end they show you to your office. You're sharing it with two other cops, though not at the same time. One of them is there when you are shown in, and rises to introduce himself. Detective Ian Jacobs is polite but clearly suspicious, he doesn't even bother to hide it. The man probably won't give you trouble, but you suspect he doesn't want you here. The other officer, Sam Connell, works graveyard and doesn't spend much time in the office. You have a desk, a chair, a computer, and a filing cabinet. Pretty standard. You get settled in here, and then head off to your new apartment to get settled there.

-=-=-=-

Thus ends Day One.

=========================================================

And now we pull back from the Personal Action part of the Quest and begin the Long Term stage. You have three actions you yourself can take over the next month and a limited one for Puck. The actions are Training, Discovery, Casting, Research, Influence, and Personal and are reproduced from the first post below.

Puck can only take Research and Influence actions at the moment and his Influence options are limited to supernatural groups you are familiar with. He can also Assist you and provide a small bonus to all rolls for the month. Puck can also be assigned to certain Events, such as Fairy Fight below.

There is an Events section on the first page that will keep track of unique occurrences, quests, and meetings that you have access to. I will post new Events in the thread as they become available, but the total list will be available there. Unless the Event has a listed time limit they are of indefinite duration and can be attended to at any time. Next to each event is a short description and the type of Action (usually personal) that it requires.

I'm perfectly happy to answer any and all questions on how you would achieve or go about getting any result you want, or at least explain why you cannot.

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May, 2025
David Hart's Actions:
[X]
[X]
[X]

Puck's Action: (Research: Topic, Influence: Person or Group, Assist)
[X]

-NEW EVENTS-
1. The Night Shift: You can get plenty done during the day, but the action happens at night. Time to introduce yourself to the front lines. (Personal)
2. Vote for Saxton: The man himself wants to meet with you. Time to see what it takes to run this madhouse. (Personal)
3. Fairy Fight: Someone's ticked off and taking it out on the cops. Time to lay down the law. (Personal or Puck)
4. Lay of the Land: Bosworth has some files for you on the movers and shakers of the city. Time to meet the neighbors. (Personal)
5. Homeland Defense: As safe as you feel surrounded by heavily armed police officers, you'd feel safer knowing what was causing the ether to react so violently. Time to put on your robe and wizard hat. (Personal)

-REWARDS-
Prologue Complete! You may assign a +5 bonus to one Action this month.

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Rolling: Everything is going to be done with a d100, +/- various modifiers. Each rank you have in the action adds 15 to the roll. 1-50 is a failure, 51-100 is a success. There will be varying degrees of both depending on how good (or bad) the roll is. There are two exceptions (Discovery and Training) that work differently and are explained below.

If set up properly, circumstance modifiers can make a failure outright impossible in some situations. Proper planning, correct tools, quality material, expert help, all of these things can positively contribute to a roll. This is especially true for spellcasting. Words of power, extensive chants, elaborate rituals and meaningful reagents can all lead to a success. I'll give examples if they're needed, but Rule of Cool will preside in most cases.

Types of Actions:

Training: Raising mundane skill ranks. The physical, social, and mental aspects of being a person. Each skill has a threshold of 100 x the Rank you're going to.
Discovery: Raising Field of Magic ranks. Each skill has a threshold of 150 x the Rank you're going to.

Each month spent on one of these actions rolls 1d100, plus any bonuses, and adds that number to your progress. Only truly abysmal rolls will actually hinder your progress, and even then modifiers can make that a non-issue.

Casting: This is not "I want to cast spell "X" I make a roll for it. The casting action usually covers a range of spells and the preparations made for them. For example. "Enchant all of the heavy infantry's weapons and armor to be more durable. I set up the ritual like such, have so-and-so do this, have each soldier contribute a drop of blood for their gear, etc. etc. etc."
Research: Or, finding out things you want to know about things you don't know.
Influence: The social action of choice. You attempt to raise your standing with and control over a certain group. You may also choose to raise the Loyalty of a Contact with this action.
Personal: Sometimes you need to get up close and do things yourself. This is the kitchen sink option, anything you want to do that isn't covered by the other five actions can be done as a personal action. The month role on a personal action provides bonuses (or penalties) to rolls made during said action. Personal actions are usually an adventure in and of themselves that will allow the voters closer control over the MC's actions.

Click to shrink...

EDIT: It occurs to me that I forgot the magic explanations and the inventory/assets/whatever section. It'll have to wait till later tonight, but throw out ideas and I'll field questions until then. Barring work that is.

 

[Pipeman]

May, 2025
David Hart's Actions:
[X] Training: Occult
[X] Personal: Lay of the Land
[X] Casting: Enchant the infantries gear to be more durable
- +5 Prologue

Puck's Action: (Research: Topic, Influence: Person or Group, Assist)
[X] Research: Supernatural Lay of the Land


All I've got for now.

 

[Vindictus]

[X] Pipeman

Seems fine to me.

 

[Fellgar]

Yeah... we literally should have a training action each turn for the forseeable future I think... I'm putting the +5 into training since we need it sooner rather then later.

May, 2025
David Hart's Actions:
[X] Training: Occult
- +5 Prologue
[X] Personal: Lay of the Land
[X] Casting: Enchant the infantries gear to be more durable

Puck's Action: (Research: Topic, Influence: Person or Group, Assist)
[X] Research: Supernatural Lay of the Land

Do write in's give modifiers to rolls? If so the casting.. well everything really could have a minor write in. Basically a plan on what we are actually going to do.

 

[Pipeman]

Added the modifier.
Not to Occult, because we only need to get that one to 100 and have a decent chance to manage that in two rounds with or without the +5.

As for the write-in, I think I read something regarding that in the introductory text.
Not sure though.
Adding one shouldn't hurt however, so feel free to go ahead.

 

[Jans]

Write-in will in fact help.

Do you guys just want everything to be blanket more durable or do you want to focus on something specific like armor/weapons?

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Do we need to specify us doing a Fate ritual to aid one of the actions, and how much of a boost would a Fate ritual give?

 

[Jans]

Yes you do. Any rituals or extras you want to throw into an Action, especially a Casting Action, need to be mentioned. At Fate I you're looking at +5-10.

If people are looking for an example I'll write one up when I do the stuff I missed after work.

 

[Emral282]

[X]Plan Pipeman

And looking back at the votes, it looks to me like Navi won over Puck. ???
Ah well.

 

[MrGazzer]

That description of Puck sounds...familiar. I just can't place my finger on it.

 

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Reminds me a bit of Crowley.

 

[Jans]

=D Finding any of the three actors/characters that I'm basing Puck's appearance off of is worth a floating +5 to any roll you, the poster, would care to add it to.

 

[MrGazzer]

=D Finding any of the three actors/characters that I'm basing Puck's appearance off of is worth a floating +5 to any roll you, the poster, would care to add it to.

Click to shrink...

I don't know why, but I'm somehow reminded of Neal Caffrey.