Chapter 5 OOC Plotting!

[thenine]

Chapter 5 Launch

Chapter 5 Event Log is up for your review. Please feel free to post there or your own logs for the event - whichever works best for you.

Chapter 5 Calendar / Timeline is available here for the timeline of the month.

To help you get started, here are some potential quick notes for things you could do with these prompts--but feel free to expand or come up with something entirely on your own!

Prompt Notes

The Nine

While publicly unified in their approach to quell unrest in the best interest of all inhabiting the Quad, the Nine families remain in quiet discord. Land Hyponia still seeks to help the common man, but their every move is watched by the other houses.

What they're able to do is little, but House Hyponia does not pass over its opportunities. Putting out warrants for recon missions on Westerley, reaching out to possible sympathizers in other houses, and making an anonymous network post asking for the 'state of the Quad', Hyponian leaders are attempting to lay the groundwork to offer much needed aid to the citizens of Westerley.

The Company

Using the food shortages on Leith as justification, the Company has begun to reallocate its forces from Westerley to the agricultural moon. Those born on Westerley have likely been left behind to maintain what shreds of order remain, while all others will be shipped to Leith to carry out the Company's new twofold directive.

One: Solicit compulsory donations from well-to-do Leithan families. Funds, food, wine, any commodity held in what the Company has deemed 'excess' is required, though with a strict non-violence stipulation, some enforcers may find themselves out of their depth in verbal diplomacy. Once acquired, the resources will need distributed to places in need, though Company officers have been warned to be on the look out for both Resistance and Leithan raids.

Two: Total shut down of Resistance activity on Leith. Lethal force has been authorized across the board, though suspicion is not grounds for action. Enforcers are required to keep any displays of violence out of the public eye, and any mistakes will be punished swiftly and severely.

What seems like a mere change in backdrop to busy work to some will ring far more ominous to others. Such a mass exodus from Westerley means only one thing: an escalation of Company recourse. Those high ranking enough in the Company will see the writing on the walls, the exit strategy currently being undergone only the beginning of a far more explosive solution to the disarray of Westerlyn society. No official notice of such a course of action has been given as of yet, but any seeking to dissuade the plan will need to act swiftly.

**EDIT:** We just wanted to provide a quick bit of clarification for the Ch. 5 game plot so that we can, hopefully, outline a bit better what the Company actions actually are this month and clear up a bit of confusion we're seeing... just in case anyone is feeling pigeon holed or limited in their possibilities because of the Ch. information. Namely, that while those 'in the know' at the Company will know that they are slowly pulling out of Westerley and leaving behind a skeleton crew of local-born officials, there is no actual or definitive proof as of yet that there's going to be massive bombing. Suspected, yes. But there's nothing in the data steams that indicate actual proof that it's going to happen for this chapter.

Westies

Things are quieting on the surface on Westerley, but there's a deep undercurrent of something not being right. The common person isn't going to be aware of the Company's plans, but the decreased presence of Company forces is hard to miss. It presents opportunity for those who have the means to take it, at least so long as Westerley is where you want to stay.

A decreased Company presence means more opportunity for less than legitimate businesses to gain strength. If you own one, it's a good time to try and make some smart business moves, or if you're looking to get involved, business is booming for odd jobs and recruits. There's ground work to be laid for these kinds of endeavors while the Company is busy on Leith.

However, if this makes you never, it might be time to get your house in order. It's far from easy for a Westie to leave, but there are still opportunities. From signing up for next years hokk harvest to working on passing ships that might be cargo ships or slave ships (it can be hard to tell), securing something else isn't a bad idea. Just watch out for opportunists that might take advantage of that desperation.

Leithians

Leith is falling into chaos that's always characterized its neighbor Westerley more than Leith, and it makes the effects almost worse. Leith isn't used to strife like this, and at all levels, the effects are not only felt, but responded to.

For the poorer residents of Leith, unrest grows as food storages go down. The very poorest find themselves going truly hungry, and other lower classes may have to struggle to find food to feed themselves and their families. People are being hurt in fights over food and eventually, the violence increases to murder. It's no surprise that the Company comes out to Leith in full force to keep the peace, though as always, this could easily seem to escalate things even more.

For the richer, you'll still find your bellies full, but your political situation is precarious. Some choose to protect their investments, and there are official warrants and simply odd jobs to camp out on remote Leithian farms to protect their land. Sometimes it's nothing more than a boring camping trip born out of a rich person's paranoia, but other times, you might find yourself camped right near a Resistance camp hidden in those woods. On the other hand, the less greedy Leithians give back how they can, as fundraising and other charitable works to help with hunger relief are in vogue. Throwing them or being seen at them is a quick way to increase your social standing, though the people you're helping out may not appreciate their strife being used as leverage.

Resistance

Each of the cells have been given a component of a remote-controlled device that must be completed by the end of the chapter. Unfortunately for them, they may not be trained or otherwise capable of building said component with their current skillsets, therefore, they may need to branch out and… borrow… through force or coercion, the individuals that can help them complete their tasks.

Their only limitation in doing so: bring in any outsiders in such a way that does not compromise their respective safehouses or identities - especially if they happen to know the elected hostage on a personal level.

Once volunteer sign-ups close, the Hyperion Mission page will be updated to include any additional team members Hyperion has recruited to replace lost members as well as hostage volunteers and dossier info.

The RAC

Personal diligence is the watchword this month, as each character undergoes an Internal Affairs assessment to determine if their agents have begun to let their own neutrality become compromised.

Equally important, however, is re-establishing their own perceived neutrality - both within the Quad and within the J-Star Cluster at large, else their credibility becomes lost due to a suspicion that the RAC has become yet another arm controlled by the Nine. The focus will be getting support for Hyperion missions - though they claim not to know the source of these warrants in order to retain plausible deniability - and for missions in opposition of coddling the Nine… even if they still allow for those very same coddling missions to continue.

Theirs is a complicated tight-rope to walk, and the Killjoys must prove to everyone that they can still manage it.

Major Plot Points

Metaplot: Glitching Nanites

All interference between the meshwork and the memory modification implants has been repaired. Characters will resume their normal sleeping habits, though some residual headaches or restlessness may continue.

However, the fix contrived to cut off such an open avenue for memory conflict was a hasty one, and in the coming weeks another difficulty will emerge. Any character using nanotech to support their combat or passive abilities will be subject to wild and unpredictable disruptions in their use of this technology.

Sometimes, this may manifest in the nanotech not responding at all. Other times, the tech will overload going out of control and causing unintended destruction, or causing backlash on the user with varying degrees of severity. Rarely, the nanotech may even respond better than expected, leading to a 'miracle' of sorts.

These incidents are random though they may increase as the month wears on, and cannot be replicated with any form of consistency.

Resistance - Hyperion Missions & Recruitment

Due to some drops, we'll be opening up the Hyperion teams again for recruitment. Depending on the number of characters who sign up, we may create an additional team and safehouse set up. Please sign up using this top-level! Sign ups will remain open until 4/15. We will also have hostage/kidnapping sign ups for other PCs to interact with the Hyperion cells during that same time period. Please sign up using this top-level.

RAC or (in the cases of odd worker PC's) delivery persons are needed to transport cases to and from the Hyperion teams! Please sign up using the Warrant Page!

RAC - Promotions (or Demotions)

We did not have any Level 5 sign-ups, therefore you're free to say your Level 4 tried and failed, or just did not request evaluations.

CR Meme Template

<b>Character</b>: <b>Location</b>: <b>Primary Faction Goals</b>: <b>Secondary Faction Goals</b>: <b>Desired CR</b>: <b>Offered CR</b>: <b>Anything else?</b>