Offscreen Activities

[Sinderella]

Odette returns to the Haus for a rest, and after a night of wrestling with her proficiency in sleeping lightly and having a really, really, really odd dream, she felt at least slightly more acclimated than she was on day one. It was just baby steps from there.

She spent the next few days getting more familiarized with the town. She worked her shifts at Sun Stone, managing to pull together a fine mix of local favorite tunes, as well as some from her world that she felt fit the scene (and could convince the crowd she wrote herself to avoid having to explain the ‘other world’ shit). She put her acting skills to work and used her draw as one of the performers to shmooze and chat up the patrons, taking care with any who might have looked particularly wealthy, keeping her ears out for any information she might have picked up from them (and her hands open for any extra tips ‘cuz a bitch had to eat).

She spent her down time eyeing the bulletin board and frequenting the library to do some reading and culture research. She also found a place, separate from the more populated areas, where she could freely remove her jaw’s chains and let them gnaw on things that might toughen them up and make them more useful in a potential fight.

On one particular day, she ended up deciding to go see the unfinished train station, where she ended up running into Bellatrix again.

 

[Namohysip]

Mhynt seems at least vaguely interested in Nova's news about an interview. Maybe she could consider reaching out and left a note as one person they might be interested in interviewing. However, Mhynt had little intention of giving more information than necessary. If anything, she was going to try to extract information from them about just how the news operated here, and if they could be trusted going forward.

 

[Hap]

Following his conversation with Odette, Ridley finds lodging at the Traveller's Haus. He also locates a source offering very temporary low-paying jobs (ie, payment for running errands); while he hasn't managed to secure anything solid yet (he's still looking for a source of stable income which makes use of his skills), he now has access to Literally Any Money At All and can pay for minor expenses like food.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Nova puts in an application to join the railroad construction team, mainly as a lifter/mover.

Hired. Nova is immediately popular with the site foreman and many of the 'mon on the same work crews for his diligence and sense of humour. Others find his species unsettling, but it's nothing serious, and tapers off faster with another 'Graydian' also working in heavy industry in town.

She worked her shifts at Sun Stone, managing to pull together a fine mix of local favorite tunes, as well as some from her world that she felt fit the scene (and could convince the crowd she wrote herself to avoid having to explain the ‘other world’ shit).

The off-world tunes are controversial. Which naturally, makes them successful – Sun Stone pulls in more evening patrons on her nights, curious about the odd Mawile with the unique songs. Not everyone is a fan, but even tough crowds buy drinks, and Whimsicott Greasewood is very pleased.

Odette gets some good tips, too.

left a note as one person they might be interested in interviewing.

Mhynt may be contacted for interview.

very temporary low-paying jobs (ie, payment for running errands)

This works out quite well for Ridley. The town's Post Office often has a noticeboard with odd jobs pinned to it. One-off fetch quests are enough to get by on.

 

[canisaries]

Andre searches for jobs and manages to find out that the Post Office is hiring deliverymon. He applies for the job, but also notices the noticeboard of odd jobs. He decides that those are how he'll make ends meet for the time being if he doesn't land the job.

 

[windskull]

The night after the second dream, Nip does not sleep well. Despite knowing it likely has something to do with their arrival, he is clearly unnerved. But he is not willing to divulge why to anyone at this time, if they ask.

A few days later, he discovers that he still has some control over his ice powers, albeit to a very limited degree.

 

[Jackie Cat]

He applies for the job

He gets it. He is given a local route to deliver within Frontier Town, which lets him become more familiar with the town's locations, layout, and inhabitants. Sometimes he gets a mail sorting shift.

 

[AdamArtDraws]

Felin continues to associate herself with fellow pokemon frequenting the bulletin board for jobs. Once she came to know a few mon past an acquaintance level, she tries to get a bit of information. During conversation Felin asks about what Lucien makes of the bulletin board, if the makeshift guild that formed around the board has a guildmaster running it as well as what previaling rumors there are on the bulletin board's true nature.

 

[Namohysip]

Mhynt being well-watered has led to her scales growing tougher and leafier. Her scales deepened in color and she seemed to be in a generally better mood, though her usual snark did not leave her. And she also seemed to be growing moss along her tail, which she remarks she may use for tea later. She continues to go on little expeditions for the bulletin board, keeping an ear out for any potential job openings for someone nimble.

She listens in on if their odd powers are starting to get known around town.

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova has developed a routine for himself with his construction job. He's also added in some hunting and foraging excursions outside the city in order to avoid having to buy food and pay his portion of what Lucien's been crediting him as fast as possible.

After a few nights where his dreams continue to be plagued with blurred memories of the past and a garbled voice he doesn't recognize, he begins focusing on the same thought while falling asleep: "Voice of the Desert?"

 

[Goat]

Astrid travels to the Town Hall in Founder's Square -- and then the library in Little Scriven, if necessary -- in search of a cartography job. She offers experience with photogrammetry and surveying, as well as that of a diplomat carrying out those tasks among obscure cultural groups in distant lands. And of course, she claims she has the legs and lungs for it. She hopes that the murkiness of the frontier at large will work in her favor and help her avoid needing to explain specifics.

Astrid asks any credible historian (as far as she can tell) she can find at the Scriven library about the Escarpa Clan and their history with the politics of Frontier Town and any associated government. What's this looming specter of an invasion all about?

 

[Namohysip]

Upon waking up from the dream, Mhynt informs who she can of their group about their goals: the team should start looking for reliable allies in Forlas, and seek out a Mystery Dungeon. Mhynt presumes the latter is for training or practice, but she suspects they may be too weak to be heading into Dungeons anyway. She personally recommends finding allies first while they build their strength.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Felin asks about what Lucien makes of the bulletin board, if the makeshift guild that formed around the board has a guildmaster running it as well as what previaling rumors there are on the bulletin board's true nature.

@Namohysip gets to answer the guildmaster question.

Much of Frontier Town either discredits the 'instant update' phenomenon as clearly an urban legend, or believes it's simply a piece of new technology that very rapidly flips the board, perhaps incorporating a rare dungeon item. Others believe it's a Saint's pet project.

She listens in on if their odd powers are starting to get known around town.

It's not entirely unheard of for 'mon to sometimes know unusual moves, and it's not considered polite to gossip much about it. Naturally, this means there is quite a lot of gossip about it. However, it's currently limited to individuals, and there is not yet a conception that the entire party are unusual in this way. Most of the gossip focuses on genetic parentage and 'foreign cultures'.

avoid having to buy food and pay his portion of what Lucien's been crediting him as fast as possible.

He is moderately successful in this, in that diligence gets results, but time spent on this is also inefficient in a way. The benefits of this are more that Lucien takes note of Nova's efforts than that he is in the black very much faster than the rest of the party.

he begins focusing on the same thought while falling asleep: "Voice of the Desert?"

This will be acknowledged in the next dream.

a cartography job

There isn't a specific job being advertised for, but some interested parties in town have wanted for good maps of the Soja', and meeting demand with supply can mean profit, if one is prudent – and never swindled. Astrid is able to find some investors in town who will pay commission for up-to-date and accurate maps of the region, and is given an advance to fund her efforts.

the Escarpa Clan and their history with the politics of Frontier Town and any associated government. What's this looming specter of an invasion all about?

As best Astrid can tell, the 'invasion' rhetoric is mostly from paranoids, blowhards, and hawkish politicians. However, there was a genuine spectre of invasion when Mayor Oriane oversaw the first substantial wave of Commonwealth colonisation a couple generations back. Tensions escalated to the point of outright skirmishes between Frontier militia and Escarpa warriors. Eventually a peace agreement was reached, but tensions still flare up from time to time. A couple decades ago or so, a couple of young clanners were hanged on suspicion of theft and murder, and there was very nearly a retributory raid. The 'mon who oversaw the summary trials was themself hanged for apparently unrelated crimes, and there was no further escalation at that time. Some years later, now-chieftain Sierra Escarpa was the lead suspect in the murder of a local industrialist, but the case has long been cold. Even so, it gets brought up often by hawks as a casus belli to attack the Escarpa. The latest tensions focus on the planned construction of railroads through disputed territory along the established border, but Frontier public figures assert that the tracks are legally sound. The peace holds, for now.

 

[Inkedust]

Bellatrix seems to have adapted to the life of running errands for both the bulletin board and the local gentlemon well. She seems to be interested in attaining a more permanent position handling paperwork.

Her recent encounter with Odette has gotten Bellatrix thinking back to their encounter with Jaak and, finally paying heed to Kimiko banging pots and pans about it, Bellatrix looks into any tales or rumours of human in the area before their arrival. She accomplishes this by asking the locals and going invisible to eavesdrop on any conversation that strikes her as interesting. Perhaps she could find out more about that Jesse this way...

 

[JFought]

After getting familiar with the strange board and how it works, Isidora focuses on fulfilling its requests, sticking to smaller ones that she feels she can perform solo. Her first few days in town are spent handling board requests and spending spare time at the library. With what incomplete information she has, she's come up with a few different theories regarding the nature of this "human summoning" business, though finds that they each have some glaring ambiguities and isn't particularly confident in any of them. She doesn't think she'll find anything, but just in case, she checks to see if this "Jesse Stranger" is credited to any other books in the library.

Isidora takes a short trip to the outskirts of town to test her powers. She comes back to the Haus shaken and with a light wound on her left shoulder. She doesn't want to talk about it.

Every night, in the hours just before midnight, Isidora can be found stargazing just out in front of the Traveller’s Haus. She might be more talkative at this hour.*

*(translation: assuming that both Isidora and the Traveller's Haus are available, then I am willing to do a night scene there with anyone at any point in this chapter (within reason, realistically there are only so many nights to scene on). I may extend this offer to future chapters as well, whenever there's a slow moment that allows for it.)

 

[Namohysip]

Felin asks about what Lucien makes of the bulletin board, if the makeshift guild that formed around the board has a guildmaster running it as well as what previaling rumors there are on the bulletin board's true nature.

There does not seem to be a Guildmaster of any kind present for the bulletin board. The closest they have is the board itself. As for rumors, mostly fragile offhand theories are present, such as perhaps it's due to the magic of a Teleporter, a Dungeon, or both. Some think it might be the return of the great messenger god, Latios, and he's invisible due to some kind of rumor about their kind being capable of that.

And then Dayle shows up. Felin is then subjected to a long and disorienting theory about how the board was eventually going to rise up and destroy them all as the great Mission Golem, and that they were simply feeding it by accomplishing tasks. He eventually leaves when adventurers call him out on his baseless rumors... by screaming and running through the crowd, kicking them over like bales of hay. He's alarmingly strong...

 

[Jackie Cat]

Bellatrix looks into any tales or rumours of humans in the area before their arrival.

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

Even so, Bellatrix learns that every so often, rumours circulate that certain individuals are human. The received wisdom is that humans appear out of nowhere with moderate to severe amnesia, proceed to solve problems with fearsome determination and fighting ability, then disappear into obscurity when their stories come to a close. Delphox Jesse Stranger fits this perfectly, though he remained a public figure with a reputation for eccentricity and an aura of mystique after his 'adventures' concluded.

Bellatrix' more clandestine eavesdropping lets her overhear on one occasion that Jesse is believed by some to have fought the 'Entropic Crisis' as a young Braixen alongside a 'Luxio Sierra'. Documentation is patchy, and Jesse apparently rarely talked about his experiences directly, but the open secret is that an aggressive uptick in the creation and relative hostility of dungeons in the region threatened to entirely uproot civilisation in Sojavena. Implausibly, Jesse and Sierra are said to have arrested a single pokémon held responsible for this crisis after nearly five years of assorted relief efforts and ranger service, after which dungeon activity returned to typical norms. Some locals believe the timing was coincidental.

Occasional whisperings indicate that Jesse and Sierra's daughter, local ranger Luxio Brisa, was abnormally strong in battle and came off as 'uncanny' to most townies. Half-human, perhaps?

The latest rumour-mill holds that a young feline 'mon who turned up in the company of this same Brisa about a year ago was the latest human to walk the Soja'. Nobody can support this claim – she didn't spend much time in town.

Bellatrix and her party are largely exempt from suspicion of being human as of yet, presumably given the size of their group, relative weakness, and due to the lack of a contemporary apocalyptic crisis that would merit their arrival.

she checks to see if this "Jesse Stranger" is credited to any other books in the library.

Jesse Stranger does not appear to have published any works under that name, but on more than one occasion has autographed books about humans or that mention them.

Gliscor Tlalli, the librarian, notices Isidora's investigations and points her towards some non-fiction archival materials that mention Jesse. It appears that he was the subject of editorials in several issues of the Gazette at various times, and had a mundane life for many years as the town's informal sheriff and as an accredited member of the Sojavena Guild of Rangers, aka the Ranger Union. As such, he has left a legal paper trail like that of any normal person for such things as the freehold land where he lived, or his attendance of select town meetings. He is also a cited source for a handful of non-fiction texts.

It appears that he arrived in Frontier Town as an adolescent Braixen nearly thirty years ago with no personal history or documentation whatsoever. The name 'Stranger' was an epithet connoting mistrust, commonly used at the time for non-local individuals with no family name, and Jesse seems to have adopted the moniker as his legal surname. It's no longer a common pejorative.

He appears to have left town about five years ago.

 

[HelloYellow17]

After visiting the bar and meeting Dave and Gerome, Wes wanders Main Street until he finds a tinkerer to hire him on. He then bumps into Koa on Main Street* and they have a great time getting introduced. He retires to the Haus for the evening.**

*currently writing this scene with Tetra in DMs and will post to the thread when it’s open.

**open for a short scene with anyone at the Haus for the next couple of irl days!

 

[canisaries]

Andre spends a lot of his free time practicing his drawing. He's happy to see improvement in his dexterity, but he's still a long way from what he used to be able to do. Still, he manages to have some fun sketching the passersby at the Haus lobby, albeit with a strong knock to his ego given the results.

 

[Phoenixsong]

Conveniently, the suggestion making its way through the Haus—that the muted dream-voice asked the group to investigate mystery dungeons—lines up perfectly with what Leaf's been itching to do anyway. Armchair theorizing about how these things work in general is a start, sure, but now they need to know what they're gonna find in the dungeons around Frontier Town. Leaf asks around for any locals (especially those who frequent the Indubitably Ordinary Bulletin Board) who have stories about the nearby dungeons: where are they, how big/weird/dangerous/awesome, what's commonly found inside, any weird stories or warnings, etc..

Additionally, as agreed in her fruitful brainstorming session with Espurr, she puts the word out to any other Nexus heroes who use the Basically Boring Task Signpost to keep an eye out for anything unusual about the jobs they read and/or take, on the off chance there are any patterns (requesters, locations, items asked for, anything) or other unusual or hidden things that might relate to why they're all here.

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