Offscreen Activities

[Jackie Cat]

Wes wanders Main Street until he finds a tinkerer to hire him on.

He eventually finds a little shop at the very edge of town belonging to Galvantula Alejandro, professional tinkerer. We could do a short scene about this, or you can give me some idea as to how Wes would approach this.

What information can the locals (and/or the local library) share about specific dungeons in the Frontier Town/Sojaveña area?

The nearest dungeon is a small, 'natural' dungeon at the Silver Ravine. It's been near-dormant for years, but was once much larger and more active, decades ago.

There are other natural dungeons dotted around the frontier, many of which are like this, and others which are much more dangerous, either due to their supernatural activity, or due to being in hostile environments to begin with. Some provide resources to local communities, and others are delved by prospectors bent on striking it rich by scouring them for dungeon gold.

There is a persistent rumour that old mining sites in the Soja' were actually abandoned because workers ran into dungeons on the worksite.

 

[Butterfree]

Dave spreads word among his fellow offworlders at the Traveller's Haus about what Gerome told him and Wes regarding the human supremacist group; he's pretty sure this might be the crisis they were sent to resolve, and if so, they're headed for the Commonwealth. Sometime when they're no longer made of wet tissue paper, anyway.

He holds off on telling them about this daughter of Jesse Stranger for now. He tries to find directions to the cabin Gerome talked about to check on it.

GM attention: Does Dave find the cabin unoccupied? Does he meet Alejandro?

 

[Jackie Cat]

GM attention: Does Dave find the cabin unoccupied? Does he meet Alejandro?

We need to do a scene for this.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

After departing from the Square, Steven wanders Frontier Town to familiarize himself with the town's layout. Despite trying to be low-key, he garners many strange looks and can't figure out why.

Spoiler: Well...

He's naked.

So he heads to the town's outskirts instead, and sees a flyer asking for help in the local mines. He can hardly contain his excitement and applies right away. He knows it will be hard work, but is determined to prove that beldum are good mining workers (as he knows this firsthand) and maybe he'll even get stronger in the process, too.

He also realizes that if he gets the job, it could prove a good source of information about the town and its locals, and maybe even give a hint about this trouble they'd come here to help with. Steven isn't much for gossip himself, but he's been told he's a good listener, and working 'mon love to talk.

In the evenings, he heads back to the Haus for some rest and to try to meet more of his fellow heroes who have been summoned here*. He also gets into a habit of finding a copy of the Gazette to stay abreast of current events (and so he can better make conversation with his fellow mine workers.)

*Steven is available for 1 on 1 scenes at any Haus location

 

[Jackie Cat]

help in the local mines.

He gets the job easily, considering a levitating steel-type is at an advantage in such working conditions. He stops getting so many weird looks any time he's using gear and equipment on the job.

source of information

Steven catches a fair bit of gossip. None of it seems relevant to why the party have been summoned.

The miners tend to talk about how pay is low, but at least there's work they're good at and it's not insufferably urban out here like the cities back east. They talk about how the Soja' is goddamn hot, have you noticed how hot it is, it's really very hot. They talk about how Big Paul the Slaking never came back from his last day in Grand Quarry, and it's because it's a mystery dungeon now and he got taken by the spectres there – but also about how that's bullshit, Jake, you're always full of shit, Slaking Paul just done fucked up his shoulder and retired. Nothing spooky going on with Grand Quarry, it's just a dangerous worksite is all. Oh, and dungeons don't take people. Don't you know Beldum Steven got spat out by a dungeon over in Sunward? No, not a dungeon in Sunward, it was a dungeon somewhere else, he got spat out in Sunward. Yeah, the new guy. What dungeon? How the fuck should I know what dungeon, Geoffrey. Honestly. Quit jawing.

It all kind of blends together, but Steven might catch a useful hint or two down the line.

---

Laura has spent a lot of her free time taking detailed notes on the party composition and all the info she can gather about Forlas, Frontier Town, and so on. She has some messy pencil-and-paper spreadsheets she's filling out, a stack of notebooks the size of her head, and is determined to become the group's most dependable curator of information. It's a tough task, and she wishes she'd spawned as something psychic, or otherwise better-equipped for this shit.

Realising she badly needs a job, she swings by the offices of the Frontier Gazette, looking to land a job as a PA or delivery 'mon, or something.

Instead, editor-in-chief Shiftry Nathaniel spots her detailed notes, and after a brief impromptu job interview, hires her as the paper's newest correspondent and instructs her to write a debut column about the 'plight' – or should that be 'achievements'? – of the two-score mysterious strangers.

She's not quite sure she actually agreed to this, but neither does she want to decline...

Laura is now a reporter for the Frontier Gazette.

 

[ShadowVulpi]

Lavender notices the Wanted Posters of the Las Picaras Band, the Sonora one, and the Wolf one. He begins asking around town for more information about all of them (mainly what their crimes were and where they were last seen), but is especially interested in the Sonora one. He remembers that name being used by Hob and Nero and has vague memories of a feline figurine before he abruptly fell asleep when with the Las Picaras gang...

 

[Mr.RMA]

Upon the completion of the pebble-finding mission, Corey goes back to Frontier Town, excusing himself from the company of Archie and Tarahn for the time being. He proceeds to shut himself back into his room, the depressing reality of his present situation once again sinking in. He wallows like this for about a day before his conscience finally convinces him that this isn't going to make anything any better, and if he doesn't want to be brought down by the truth he's learned, he'll have to find a more productive distraction.

Having passed by the wanted posters on his sulk back to the Haus, he heads back to them and focuses his attention on the Las Picaras Gang. He makes it a point to make note of their names, species and appearances, and from there, proceeds to ask anyone who will listen around town for any most recent sightings of this group of outlaws.

 

[Jackie Cat]

what their crimes were and where they were last seen

proceeds to ask anyone who will listen around town for any most recent sightings of this group of outlaws.

Sonora is the leader of Las Picaras. This seems to be a relatively recent development, as she and her gang members each had bounties before they are known to have joined together.

Sonora and her gang are wanted for highway robbery. Older posters not yet taken down call them "petty thieves and burglars". The oldest mentions "disturbing the peace" and wants them alive with a $5 reward per member.

The locals tend to be evasive about whether they've seen these outlaws. One Passimian – "Why're you askin', pal?" – is outright hostile. One distracted – possibly inebriated – Granbull says he saw Sonora at Nina's Place.

---

Word on the street is that "the Wolf" is a rogue Escarpa warrior. Some say he was exiled for killing another clanner. Others say he failed to defeat Chieftain Sierra in a leadership contest and was cast out. He hasn't been seen near Frontier Town of late, and his crimes were mostly committed within a day's travel of Blaguarro.

His posters say he is wanted for aggravated assault, destruction of property, and attacking agents of the law. They warn that he is "extremely dangerous" and should not be approached by anyone but experienced rangers, bounty hunters, and lawmon.

 

[Weazel]

Archie, having taken Bellatrix's advice, continues doing odd jobs off the bulletin board. He often seeks out bounty hunters who are willing to allow him to tag along on their missions, offering his services in return for a small cut of the reward. Occasionally, he instead takes a mission that seems within his power to complete, and instead asks Corey, Tarahn, Bellatrix, or whomever else might express interest to join him for that job. He'll respect an answer to the negative, but will continue to ask about joining different missions on different days unless told to stop.

 

[Mr.RMA]

Corey realizes that playing detective isn't going to get him very far whilst still under suspicious scrutiny by the majority of the townsfolk. He suspects that, either said townsfolk are inclined to believe he's seeking out the outlaws to join them, or they have some stake in said outlaws remaining free for some reason. It's all speculation of course, and finding proof is going to be very difficult, so he resorts to taking on whichever missions Archie invites him on, and even starts to seek out bounty hunters looking for tagalongs as well.

 

[Chibi Pika]

After bidding good-bye to Laura and Kimiko in the town square, Jade wandered vaguely in the direction of the house that she'd been told of, almost walked past it in her exhaustion. Once inside, she stopped just long enough to sign her name on the check-in sheet in the lobby before she was led to a room and promptly crashed for the rest of the day.

She woke up in the evening as the sun was setting. She really wasn't sure what to focus on first, but she did end up flipping through the sign-in book to see the huge uptick in names as of a few days ago--when the rest of the team had arrived, no doubt. She spent a few minutes trying to commit the name + species combinations to memory, but was pretty sure she'd forget it all instantly. Also half the species were new to her (what the heck was a Graydian?). At least she learned that Kimiko was a Snivy...

On the next day, Jade headed to the library looking for information on the Escarpa. Her eyes sort of glazed over from looking at too many newspapers after just two hours in, and she ended up taking a break.

She'd had breakfast at the Haus, but money was quickly going to be a problem. She'd need to find a job... somehow. That was the sort of thing you were supposed to learn in high school, after your training journey. Well... she'd figure it out eventually, but in the meantime, there was that bulletin board she'd heard people talking about at breakfast. Maybe a simple item delivery or something would be up her alley...?

 

[Tetra]

After his unfortunate run in with an annoying blue dog named Wes, Koa committs himself to training harder, and spends a great deal of time in solitude on the outskirts of town experimenting with moves and adjusting more to his new body. For the time being, his other goals of research and getting to know his team members is sidelined... After all he won't be much use if he's not strong enough to fight whatever enemy they're meant to face.

He's determined not to screw up in a fight when the time comes...

When not honing his moves or earning his keep at the library, he tries his best to pay attention to scraps of knowledge he picks up from fellow team members. He also spends his time in the library learning what little he can about moves and abilities.

Finally he tries to look up anything he can about both past crises and disasters, and look into stories and folktales about those heroes.

 

[Inkedust]

It's hard to sift truth from fiction, and useful information from the irrelevant.

(Bunch of Lore™)

Bellatrix begins to keep detailed notes of the above in her room in the Haus. She seems particularly interested in the most recent instance and tries to find more info on them (species, what direction they went in when they left Frontier Town). Her means of doing so remains relatively unchanged but her questions begin to be more direct and specific.

Occasionally, he instead takes a mission that seems within his power to complete, and instead asks Corey, Tarahn, Bellatrix, or whomever else might express interest to join him for that job. He'll respect an answer to the negative, but will continue to ask about joining different missions on different days unless told to stop.

Bellatrix seems willing to let Archie tag along on missions with her on the sole basis that Archie is able to prove himself as someone worth keeping around on such missions.

Upon seeing Jade in Frontier Town, Bellatrix's response is a deadpan, "So you didn't die in the wilderness after all. Congratulations."

 

[Jackie Cat]

seeks out bounty hunters who are willing to allow him to tag along

taking on whichever missions Archie invites him on, and even starts to seek out bounty hunters

willing to let Archie tag along on missions

Regulars at the board start to recognise you as worthwhile extra hands and eyes, even if you aren't able to hold your own in combat against seasoned outlaws just yet. Doing these missions earns enough pay to get by, although each one runs the risk of serious injury should something go wrong.

We should do a scene (possibly a combat side mission) next chapter with a bounty hunter NPC or two.

playing detective isn't going to get him very far whilst still under suspicious scrutiny by the majority of the townsfolk. He suspects that, either said townsfolk are inclined to believe he's seeking out the outlaws to join them, or they have some stake in said outlaws remaining free for some reason.

I would have liked to do an actual investigation scene of some kind of this chapter, if time had allowed! Let's discuss Corey's experience and get on the same page about the narrative OOC.

looking for information on the Escarpa

Jade learns some portion of what you already know OOC.

a simple item delivery

Jade is able to find enough small-time courier jobs via the bulletin to pay off her stay at the Haus, although it's awfully tight. She discovers she an odd knack for spotting loose dungeon gold and Commonwealth coin, semi-precious items, and the like. These help her get by a little easier.

spends his time in the library learning what little he can about moves and abilities

It seems documentation on the natural combat capabilities of pokémon is very limited in this institution. Commonwealth academics are more concerned with the economic applications of abilities, and much of the material on battling reads to Koa as old-fashioned and incomplete. He finds a booklet explaining the rules and regulations of formal duels, though it warns that frontier roughnecks tend to play fast and loose with these rules at best. Being a qualified journeying trainer from a modern mainline world, Koamaru already has practical and theoretical expertise in battle strategy compared to the average Frontier Town resident.

Koa does learn that dungeon items, also known as 'artefacts' and 'talismans' among other terms, are valuable tools for explorers, bounty hunters, outlaw gangs, law enforcement, and rangers.

past crises and disasters, and look into stories and folktales about those heroes.

the most recent instance and tries to find more info on them

I think to reveal more info that I've already given on these via Offscreen, it might be better to do a scene.

 

[RJr3:2]

Out of curiosity, Aige spends time looking around to figure out what Frontier town's main source of food is and where it is stored.

If there happen to be any rocks lying around outside, she tries to cover herself with dirt and pretends to be a rock to eavesdrop on anyone passing by.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

After his conversation with Andre, Steven makes it a priority to visit the tailor after his next shift at the mine. However, when he finds a worn leather pouch at the mine, he comes up with a new plan based on one of Andre's suggestions.

He doubles down on his efforts at the mine and comes away with enough small ore deposits (some accidentally stuck to him) to craft a simple, yet decorative metal clasp for a belt to hold his new bag. He just needs to find someone who can do this for him.

With that social norm addressed, in between continuing to explore Frontier Town and its surrounding wilderness, Steven finds the time to look into finding more information on the Sun faith he learned about from the wardens in Sunward. What are the followers' beliefs, what virtues does the order preach, how popular is the faith in Sojavena? He also tries to find any literature about the history of Sunward, or any stories of the Sun's sacrifice told by others outside the faith.

 

[Ambyssin]

Following some vivid dreams, Nova decides to try and pursue his original line of thinking with regards to the team's intrepid summoner. He tries asking around the construction yard for rumors or gossip about the Commonwealth, particularly anything legally dubious.

 

[Neirdae]

After being convinced by Felin to practice battling, Clover joins in on missions about once a week, preferring to partner with others from the Nexus.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

After a certain dream, Gladion finds himself left with a mixture of creeping dread, curiosity, a restless drive to know more. He's not entirely sure what he should or shouldn't do with it, but he can't just ignore it. He can see a few angles of attack.

His new employer keeps the pieces for study and counts it as full payment.

He is much more interested in the results of this study now, and further, what his employer thinks of it. He wants to know if it's normal and understandable to the people here, or if it's something that's beyond their current technological means.

Looking for any dex-style encyclopedias, especially anything documenting species that aren't from the area or are particularly rare will be his other main idea, but the fact he's unwilling to ask about/admit to anyone in direct terms that he's looking for info on his own species will limit the ease of his search. He'll want to check the archives first for convenience but he's also heard from Andre about this place called "Little Scriven" if there's not enough locally.

If and only if he can get any info on the history of Nulls in this world in general, there's a follow up thing he would try in turn: Looking for info on any rumours of humans in the specific time period and location he found info about Nulls in.

This, of course, might not be a process he has time to fully see through before the end of round 1 and so could end up an ongoing project instead.

 

[Virgil134]

The day after his sparring match with Silver, Rodion tries to look for any available jobs that involve working in or around the Silver River.

After noticing the wanted posters of the Las Picaras Gang, Rodion tries to keep an eye out for any of the bandits while going about his daily business.

At some point, Rodion meets up with Lyle at the Sun Stone Saloon. The two get along pretty quick and they both make a habit of meeting up for some drinks after working hours.