Paramo Riconquista: Plot Role Info

[powersthatbe]

If you are not a plot infiltrator or someone with IC reasons to share knowledge available to plot infiltrators, please do not read the comments of this post.

If you ARE a plot infiltrator, please comment under your toplevel to let us know you've read it; please also pop over here to announce your plotroleishness to the game at large. We prefer that you do any confidential plotting with other plot-important folks in the comments here, rather than on plurk, and please comment no later than July 27th, August 5th, August 15th, & August 24th with a brief (as brief as 1 sentence; as long as you like) summary of your activity during the week & plans for next week. These comments will help the mods shape mingles and plot events to keep the story dynamic and player actions important to the outcome. Likewise, comment at any time with any questions you may have, and a mod will get back to you within 36 hours at the outside.

Comments

Crownbreaker Corsair Carouser - Chloe

[powersthatbe]

Familiar with Paramo and Puerta Lagunuesta from previous sailing adventures, this seasoned sailor finds it all too easy to fall back into old sympathies and habits, gambling and carousing in the festival. For all that Crownbreaker Isle may be free, it lacks the comforts of civilization - or a ready supply of alcohol that isn’t fresh-brewed in a rugged still - and keeping discipline hardly occurs to you. Sample the fruits of the festival, show off human culture to the mermaids, and trust in your luck not to get caught. It’s worked so far!

Thread Expectation: three threads / fifteen comments per mingle

Check-In Expectation: any threads doing unwise things that may expose you; any threads that get the Crownbreakers closer to recovering their cargo.

Privileged Information: If things get sketchy and naval combat seems likely, you’ll need cannon for the Cornu! You’ve enough pirates and mermaids with you to possibly be able to steal one of the smaller gun-brigs, or to overwhelm its crew and offload a few of its cannons; but the larger ships are a bigger problem. You absolutely cannot sack the port; shore batteries, the cannons defending the upper slopes of the shore, are always huge compared to shipboard cannons - too heavy and too long-range for any ship to face off-against. If you were pondering any action against the port, they’d need to be sabotaged first, which is a suicide mission in all likelihood. You are aware that the water-dragon the Bando rebels brought you is hidden on the Cornu, and should be sunk to help the Thalassian rebels if that is practical, but that the dragon is not entirely controlled or trustworthy.

Outlook: An experienced pirate, originally from this area, you are familiar with local customs and can ask mods about any local knowledge you might need. While you’re realistic about your mission, the familiarity and comforts of home are overwhelming to you.

Goals: Successfully recover your cargo; arm the Cornu in case of trouble; have absolutely as much fun as you safely can, where “safely” is maybe defined a little more loosely than others are comfortable with.

Skill: The Drop. No matter how drunk or distracted you are, whether overboard in the sea, naked in bed, ambushed by soldiers, you are never caught off-guard or unarmed at the opening of any combat. You may always begin a combat with a sword or loaded pistol in hand, and always act first in combat. If you are ever disarmed by stealth or trickery, you immediately notice your weapon is missing (although not who took it or how). (If you have one loaded matchlock pistol and are ambushed by ten soldiers with muskets, this is not likely to help much, but it’s something. You always get The Drop on everyone.)

Re: Crownbreaker Corsair Carouser - Chloe

[desperate_times_right]

Oh this is gonna be great.

Crownbreaker Corsair Carouser - Chloe

[desperate_times_right]

Not much is known about Caterina (Catia to friends and lovers, and maybe allies who can stand her) even by most of the other pirates, as she tends to spin wilder and wilder tales about her past to every person who asks her.

The facts, as they stand, are these: Catia is an experienced sailor who has been on the sea in one role or another since childhood. Her prosthetic left hand (the loss of the original is another litany of absolutely unbelievable stories from "I got chomped by a mermaid in a duel to the death" to "I cut myself while cooking and it got infected") has a bayonet attachment, so she likes to brag that she's never truly unarmed. She's extremely difficult to ambush or surprise in a fight, and is talented with both pistols and blades. Maybe most importantly for the mission, Catia is originally from Paramo, so she's familiar with the local culture and customs.

Unfortunately for all involved, Catia is also a fun-loving flamboyant loudmouth who has been chafing a bit under the rustic conditions on Crownbreaker Isle. So yes, the mission is of grave importance, blah blah blah, but also we're here for a good time not a long time, so she intends to party. (Also if she doesn't get to kiss a mermaid this mission is officially a failure)

[desperate_times_right]

Oh, I did want to ask, though - is the cannon something she should be going for from the start (like arming the Cornu was always part of the plan) or if things look like they’ll come to blows it’s a last resort thing?

Week 1

[desperate_times_right]

Lots and lots of drinking and brawling and flirting with pretty much everyone she ran into this week. Not sure whether this was a wise decision or not, but Catia decided the best way to keep anyone who might know her from suspecting that she's involved in this deal was to be seen in as many not-involved-in-arms-deals locations as possible.

Probably the two most notable things on the bad decisions front are:
- This thread where she unknowingly meets the Xunhuo Captain, since if it gets far enough she's going to try and pick his pocket
- This thread where she's shaking Ilario the smuggler down for information about the missing shipment, because it all goes super wrong thanks to Rose panicking and dismissing her to the Hora Ultima. Now she's convinced that whoever sabotaged their shipment has an illusionist with them, womp womp.

Most of the threads about planning to get the cargo back haven't gotten super far yet but these two are probably notable:
- With Riddick talking about what they're going to need to do to protect their ship if they find who has their stuff and do a straight trade for it back (ie. get the Cornu out of the port as quickly as possible to avoid whatever the rightful owners are planning to do with the mines)
- With Kaimana planning for the worst: they'll need two barrels of salt water per mermaid on the Cornu if they want to safely flee by ship if things really go sideways, and they agree that if they've lost everything else they need to sink the dragon scroll.

Week 2

[desperate_times_right]

First things first, the crew of the Cornu worked on the emergency preparedness plan of loading the barrels of water for the mermaids even though it was hot out. Catia also told some of her allies about being attacked by the "illusionist" (Rose) and speculated with Shokai that the algae bloom might be caused by the Dread Empress trying to push the rebel mermaids into the open (he's agreed to talk with the mermaids about that).

She's still managed to find time for drinking and flirting, notably with the Xunhuo Assassin, who took the pick up line surprisingly well. She also met the actual illusionist this week, though that went significantly less well. Still, she doesn't suspect anything.

On the "actually getting the cargo back" front, she's tentatively hired Teisuu to investigate the illusionist situation in exchange for smuggling supplies to the Bando. At this point in the thread they are going back in disguise to intimidate Ilario again to see if they can replicate the illusion.

Week 3

[desperate_times_right]

Okay, big week.

Teisuu told Catia where the Crownbreaker cargo is and what the Xunhuo crew's plan for the mines is. They're also speculating that Lian is keeping a mermaid in his room (sad trombone) and she knows he's an illusionist. They made a few plans for future meetings, and she gave Teisuu a dagger that will let him onto the Cornu.

Catia ordered Midori to sabotage the mines so they can do a trade, and Midori and Kyou have been working on replacing gunpowder with sand all week.

She also assigned Kyou to play diplomat with the crew of the Hora Ultima.

ETA: late thread so I don't know how far it will get but joining a drinking competition with Min probably counts as an unwise thing that may expose her.
--

Next week she needs to touch base with Kaimana since they know about the cargo now and she's trying to help Teisuu identify Lian's captive mermaid (lol). They should also be meeting with the investigators who want to help. Catia's looking for someone who can't be hypnotized who can act as messenger to the Xiangfan Woniu so we'll see how that goes. If she can find one I'm going to try and make the trade next week.

Week 4

[desperate_times_right]

Not a lot has happened yet but it's getting really close to the end of the week so I wanted to at least get something written down.

The Crownbreakers held a meeting on the first day of week 4 with investigators and a few miscellaneous interested parties. Catia knows that Lian is a Thalassian spy now, and that a Stricken affiliated with him killed Kinji. However, she still refuses to believe that it's a Crownbreaker mermaid, because Kaimana wouldn't endanger the mission by keeping it from her (lol). She's also got Haneul and Jaina on the dragon problem.

On the main post, she's talking to Haneul (who has redirected his ghost spies) about what to do about the explosive barrels the Xunhuo crew still has.

I've posted a toplevel for the cargo exchange but I don't know how that's going to go yet.

Crownbreaker Stricken - Casper

[powersthatbe]

Leader of the infiltrating mermaids, either a warrior or a siren, this mermaid has avoided too-close contact with humans as much as possible, as they struggle to control (and possibly even conceal, at player’s option) their Stricken condition, which is either newly developed or worsening after a long time in relative control. Now in a city full of humans and under constant stress, their honor and self-control are at war with their hunger, and staying focused on the mission is proving more difficult than they anticipated - especially with so many of their mermaids fascinated by this strange, freewheeling human civilization.

Thread Expectation: three threads / fifteen comments per mingle

Check-In Expectation: threads exploring the strangeness of human society; threads dealing with being Stricken and its challenges.

Privileged Information: In an emergency situation, you could send a siren to the Deep Blue and have them sing for help from other Thalassian rebels. While this could gain you as many as a dozen extra mermaids, it would take them several hours to arrive, and would probably also be heard by Thalassian loyalists who would come looking for you - or send sea monsters after you at the Empress’ behest. You are aware that the water-dragon the Bando rebels brought you is hidden on the Cornu, and should be sunk to help the Thalassian rebels if that is practical, but that the dragon is not entirely controlled or trustworthy.

Outlook: You are disciplined but out of your depth by the wealth and confusing distractions of human society, and your constant growing hunger will almost inevitably result in cannibalism (although you are somewhat in denial, believing your self-control can hold out for longer than is true).

Goals: Recover the cargo; load it onto the ships the human navy is sinking; aid your fellow merfolk. While you respect your human comrades, and this city intrigues you, your people come first.

Skill: Line and Lash. You are a superlative combatant with whip, rope, chain, or net - whether those intended as weapons or scavenged from your surroundings. You are especially skilled at entangling opponents and dragging then into or out of the water - whatever most damages their mobility - or attacks which cause garroting, clotheslining, or strangulation. You do not lose this ability when berserking due to Stricken status, and it applies both in and out of the water.

[helborn]

Oh boy, here we go.

Kaimana - Crownbreaker Stricken - Casper

[helborn]

Just putting this here for reference.

A youngish (25 or so) Siren rebel who has found himself in charge of the group of mermaids that are working this operation. He is not the best at organization all the time, but his words are wise. Usually, at least. He is a decently powerful Singer but does not let his power get to his head - he listens to those with information and considers it rather than dismissing them due to their rank. However, when he gives an order, he expects it to be listened to and carried out. He does not understand or trust humans very much and prefers to keep them and their society at arm's length.

Recently, he's been a bit more snippish, but this is a difficult mission, after all...

Physically, he has an orca tail and faint vitiligo up his body. He is fairly slender, with long white hair that flows around him that has a single black stripe down the side. His torso has several scars along it.

Week 1

[helborn]

Most of this week was dealing with learning that the cargo got switched, but he did encounter some new mermaids (Sento and 'Misao' aka Kinji) that he got suspicious about. He did also run into Lian, and the two spoke briefly and awkwardly.

Also he met a baby which he got excited about.

Current plans are to try to regroup and figure out what happened with the cargo, keep an eye out for new mermaids, and keep a low profile. He's realized his skin being patchy color is an issue, so he's trying to find a way to disguise that.

Week 3

[helborn]

So for this week Kaimana cautiously extended protection to Lian after finding out he's a mermaid. They had a lovely swim and everything was nice. He continued to keep working on finding information - he needs to check in with Catia this next week.

(Which should be a little less busy OOCly - sorry!)

Late in the week, Lian and Kinji fought. Not recognizing Kinji as one of the mermaids he'd talked to earlier due to the blood in the water, he dragged the paralyzed Kinji to the bottom and ate him.

Current plans are for him to attempt to bury any piece of evidence of what he did and touch base with Catia. If things go sour he may try to load what he can on the boat that's going to sink and attempt to salvage whatever of this situation that he can.

Xunhuo Captain - Alcuin

[powersthatbe]

You have seen the Emperor’s dragons, and you know nothing can defeat them. The power of Heaven is behind you, and so you are loyal to it. While you know much of explosives and artillery, you have spent much longer in the Empire proper than the Bando, and fought more than one war. Here, you find the customs and language hard to understand, and it has made you a trifle paranoid. As your lieutenant is bloodthirsty, and your magician unmoored from reality, you must provide the practicality and caution on this mission.

Thread Expectation: three threads / fifteen comments per mingle

Check-In Expectation: anything that touches off your paranoia; anything in which you must be the adult in the room for your team; anything which makes you question your loyalty.

Privileged Information: Your capability with explosives makes you absolutely fearless in naval pursuit or coastal raiding - no chase gun or shore battery will ever succeed in aiming at you before you touch it off. However, in a pitched naval battle, when faced with a full broadside, your ability to make one gun at a time misfire is pitiful. If you must, you can probably start this war without any explosives your enemy did not bring with them, but the danger in such a course is much greater, and you are not a fanatic.

Outlook: Practical and paranoid, utilitarian, cautious and resourceful. You believe in always being on the winning side and not taking any risk which does not carry a greater reward. You are not, however, the sort to freeze or hesitate in high-risk situations; you choose the most profitable or survivable path visible swiftly.

Goals: recover your cargo and sabotage the fleet; failing that, spark a war that brings the Paramoese down on the Bando by any means available.

Skill: Fire At Will. You have a small gift in Fire Elementalism, but it has been trained to a very specific end. You are capable of causing any gunpowder-based weapon or explosive within your line of sight to discharge at any time you choose. You may not use this ability to prevent a weapon being fired, or on multiple weapons simultaneously, but you may use it to fire a weapon prematurely, before it is aimed, or to touch off a store of ammunition not yet loaded. No gunpowder-based weapon or explosive is considered too wet to fire, even if it is underwater.

Re: Xunhuo Captain - Alcuin

[willyousee]

Checking in!

The idea is to sabotage the Paranoese fleet? Preferably with subtlety?

Re: Xunhuo Captain - Alcuin

[powersthatbe]

How's Week One been going?

[cloudpotter]

Head's up in Week 3, Cassandra's going to be finding out Lian's position as the Thalassian Spy and after that the Investigators on the Jaunt are probably going to be after his hide. To add to the Captain's list of problems: people are now trying to kill his magician.

lian didn't want this either, captain

Re: Xunhuo Captain - Alcuin

[willyousee]

okay.

I know Eren is making shaped barrel charges.

I know Thace attempted to sneak on board and narrowly evaded notice.

I know Thorne scared him into deeper paranoia by showing up at the ship.

And I know that the ship was moved to the outside of the crescent arms.

Xunhuo Assassin - Haru

[powersthatbe]

Ninja-trained in the Bando, you are fearless, unmatched in combat, a blademaster of the highest order, stealthy, perceptive, ruthless. As the second in command of this mission, your purpose is to remove any obstacle that challenges your success. That could be your enemies, the Paramoese, whoever stole your shipment - or your own companions, if they are unmotivated or disloyal. You never hesitate to engage in violence when it serves your purpose, and seldom question the will of those you serve. You must not let this barbarian decadence distract you…

Thread Expectation: three threads / fifteen comments per mingle

Check-In Expectation: any time you kill someone, any time barbarian decadence does distract you or makes you let something slip.

Privileged Information: The Emperor trusts your loyalty but not your prudence. He trusts the Captain’s prudence but not his resolve. He trusts the Illusionist’s skill but not his perception. If the others falter or endanger the mission, they’re fair game.

Outlook: You are bloodthirsty, but not mindlessly so. You like being superior, but you like being challenged. You’re a thrillseeker, essentially, drawn to threat, not to mayhem. You don’t have scruples about murder but you won’t kill anyone for fun; it’s just that you don’t hesitate when violence solves a problem quickly and neatly (and you are not always the best judge of how neatly that is).

Goals: remove any obstacle to the success of the mission, whether enemy or ally. You prefer bloodier courses to safer ones, but you’re capable of thinking long-term about this - if you die now, you can’t have any really challenging fights later.

Skill: Sword And Sheath. You are so skilled at using both the blade and clublike scabbard/blowgun of your ninja-to that you can engage two opponents at once without any penalty; fight in ranged and melee combat at the same time; and in single combat, hit a melee opponent with your off-hand weapon every time you parry, unless they have a combat skill which would prevent that from working, or have height and reach too superior. These hits, since they are probably made with your blowgun or sheath, are not likely to be instant deathblows, but you do have access to poison during the jaunt and you are welcome to get creative with your applications of this skill.

Re: Xunhuo Assassin - Haru

[rebellioninbloom]

Checking in!

Re: Xunhuo Assassin - Haru

[powersthatbe]

How's Week One been going?

Weekend break

[rebellioninbloom]

Letting people know here: I'll be away from today until late on Sunday 11th. I'll have phone access but not computer access, so heavy tags and plotting will likely not be practical?
Thanks for being patient! I'll get back to business as soon as I can!

Xunhuo Illusionist/Thalassian Spy - Yakumo

[powersthatbe]

DO NOT ANNOUNCE ON THE INFO POST THAT YOU ARE THE SPY.

Trained by the Akuryu in illusions, but never swearing to their ways, you are a strange, withdrawn ascetic whose practice of illusion magic blurs the line between the real and imaginary for both you and those around you. Vital to the secrecy of this mission, you have many secrets…

...Such as the fact that you’re a mermaid in disguise, who answers to the tyrannical Empress of the Deeps. Make no mistake, this secretive mermaid is a heartless, treacherous villain, bent on confusion and mayhem - like delivering the wrong shipments to the wrong crews.

Thread Expectation: three threads / fifteen comments per mingle

Check-In Expectation: Threads causing chaos between factions; threads where your altered perceptions get you in trouble; threads where you knowingly interact with another mermaid.

Privileged Information: That you’re a mermaid, obviously. You are along on this mission because your illusions can keep your disguises convincing, hide your accents, and silence explosions - but you were placed in En Zhenming a decade ago at the command of your Dread Empress in Thalassia. You hide how vulnerable your illusions make you, but the fact that you tend to take everything literally sometimes trips up your ability to convincingly mimic speech - you make people say some very odd things at times.

Outlook: Your mixture of mermaid shapeshifting magic and Akuryu illusions truly has clouded your mind. While you can appear as you like, you also tend to accept things you see and hear at face value, extremely literally. This makes you appear mad to most humans and most mermaids.

Goals: Your mission is to prevent any human nation from achieving naval supremacy. Paramo’s navy is superior to En Zhenming’s, so you do want the Xunhuo mission to succeed - but you want it to be as messy as possible and prevent a clean victory. If you learn of the presence or activity of the Rebel mermaids, thwarting and exposing them will become your top priority.

Skill: Shifting Echoes. You have perfect auditory illusions. Whether or not you can see your target, if you’re within earshot, you can enact both auditory and visual illusions. You can silence noises, up to noises of cannon, gunfire, or explosions; can perfectly mimic speech; or alter the words people seem to say in real time. However, while you are doing this, you can neither see nor hear anything save the illusions your produce. You may use visual illusions and Siren Song simultaneously, but while using Siren Song, the only sound you may alter with auditory illusions is the Song itself. (You start this Jaunt with Mermaid Icon Transformation, Illusionary Magic, and Siren Song II, but to keep them post-Jaunt, you must acquire proofs for them normally; they do not count as Plot Role Skills for you.)

[cloudpotter]

i love that this is Yakumo's second disguised role with an undying loyalty to a queen

With the goal of preventing any fleet from gaining supremacy, is that because of deeper reasons like stronger fleets = potential trouble for the Empress?

[desperate_times_right]

I’m assuming that if the smugglers are found and shaken down they’re going to believe they sent each crew exactly what they asked for? Due to the illusion magic.

[powersthatare]

Yes

[desperate_times_right]

I’m assuming none of the week 2 water phenomena are normal for this area/time of year but I thought I’d ask just in case.

[fridgeninja]

They are not completely unheard of in sailor lore, but they most emphatically have not happened here in living memory.