[1969] For Every Beginning

[shibrogane]

There is no concert.

The beach is empty, save for those who echo the presences of another world.

To the north, by the embers of a fire, Juniper and Nasir stand a pace apart, dark circles around their eyes and not even acknowledging one another. Algernon stands with them now, blood streaked down his front and a black eye in full bloom. Rabbit clutches his head and sits on the stones nearby.

To the south, around the smaller bonfire sit Rylan and Finn. They stare off towards the too-dark ocean. Leila has her head between her knees, all pretenses of watching her charge forgotten.

To the west, where the stage was, Ezra stands between Melany and Preacher.

Vivien and Sunny stand together at the shore. Vivien holds Sunny's hand.

Full cast bios here.

 

[shibrogane]

persuasion.
Making it successfully through the meta will be largely predicated on the characters' ability to find the information they need in a timely manner. Persuasion is not an easy thing in an era where the player characters don't belong, so this is much tougher than it sounds. Persuasion is based on a single d20 roll for every question you ask or favor you request. This means if you make one roll to get an NPC to give you an answer to your question, that doesn't carry over and mean they'll answer your next question. You must roll anew for every new question.

Please remember we are roleplaying. Just because you roll high doesn't mean that a character will automatically open up to you and spill all the beans; you still have to earn their trust first! Consider spending a little while buttering them up or intimidating them first: particularly successful attempts will earn persuasion roll bonuses at the discretion of the GMs.

Each NPC has a different threshold for persuasion, which is in the cast post of your main thread. The lower the number, the easier to persuade. Low-rating NPCs are unlikely to have valuable information to share, however.

Sharing information will be vital to the event. You may create your own PRP threads in the event forum for this purpose.

If you chose to purchase an upgrade to your ability to persuade in phase one, please note this at the top of your post. There are three or four people handling each thread, so this makes it easier for all of us to keep track of who's got what bonuses.

Quick Reference of Persuasion Rolls
Sunny Shore: N/A
Maren Greenmantle: N/A
Leila Townhome: 16
Cam Rylan: 10
Preacher Maria: 14
Melany Dubhslaine: 8
Juniper Wilcox: 6
Rabbit Vaughn: 4
Algernon Mixlin: 14
Nasir Vasile: 4
Finn Derouen: 10


Please quote iloveyoudie to interact with:
Algernon Mixlin
Leila Townhome
Cam Rylan
Nasir Vasile
Finn Derouen


Please quote kuropeco to interact with:
Maren Greenmantle
Preacher Maria
Juniper Wilcox
Rabbit Vaughn


For any NPCs not listed above (Ezra, Melany, Vivien, etc) please quote shibrogane.

 

[shibrogane]

combat.
Combat will be very simple. Combatants roll 1d20 per round. The lower number takes five damage. Everyone has a pool of 25hp, which is persistent throughout this section of the meta: unless healed by another character, your hit points will not increase or decrease outside of combat. Should both combatants agree (oocly), the fight can end or be interrupted before a combatant is knocked out. Reaching zero means that your character cannot join any other fights for the rest of the meta unless healed. Some fights have the chance to end in death or incapacitation: these will be clearly labeled and clearly avoidable.

There are some exceptions to the five damage rule:

>Your character has a firearm. Firearms inflict 10 damage, but they also subtract 3 points from your roll. You must call that you're using a firearm when you make your original roll and this cannot be retracted.
>Your character is using magic. Magic inflicts 10 damage, absolute, no matter what your opponent rolls, but it takes a round for your character to focus enough to make it do. So you'd call magic (with no roll) in the first round, take 5 damage from your opponent, and in the second round (if you're still standing) your opponent takes ten damage from you. You must still roll to dodge their attack.
>Your character is healing another. Healing doesn't require a roll. You just post that you're healing and who the target is, and they regain 5 health.
>You can't perform two actions on the same round. You can't attempt to block and heal at the same time; nor can you attempt to attack and heal.


ADDENDUM:
In a 2v1 situation where one character is attempting to block for another, all characters still roll. Blocking doesn't automatically succeed. For the block to be successful, both characters (blocker and blockee) have to roll above the attacker. The attacker takes no damage in this situation.

Formula:
A = Attacker
B = Blocker
C = Defended

A outrolls B + C: A succeeds in attacking C, C takes 5 damage.
A outrolls B, but not C: B takes 5 damage, block is successful.
A outrolls C, but not B: B fails to block, but does cause damage to A. A + C take 5 damage.
A is outrolled by both B and C: No one takes damage. Block is successful.

 

[shibrogane]

As the scene begins once more, Sunday's voice echoes in all of the travelers' heads:

This is the final reset. I can't hold the memory together any longer.

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Shun Kuroda 21/21 | Shore

The sirens wailed once more. Bodies all around. Something rocked him, and then things reverted once more. There was no concert and all but a few had remained in the area.

Shun's head throbbed with pain as he placed a hand to his head. He could feel some blood matting his hair.

"s**t... we need to get to the cliffs," he hissed as he looked around to see where everyone was. Vivien, Leila, and Preacher knew the location. Upon spotting the child, he paused as he could see Sunny there as well.

Narrowing his eyes at the woman, he went on and approached the two.

"Hey. I am new around here and I heard the cliffs in the area are pretty great for climbing. Know any good spots?"

Shibrogane

 

[chiickadee]

Chel stuck to Shun this time. Her head hurt this time around, the imagery wasn't right and she saw ...

Things.

Whatever friendly conversation she'd had before had left her, like a ghost. Now she wasn't much for talking.

blade kuroda

 

[lizbot]

America Jones p+1-2 c-1 Hp 18

And back again for one last chance. Pain blossoms along America's arms in the form of small scratches and light bruises. Gingerly touching one throbbing cheek she guesses time travel decided to pick a fight with her and had decidedly won this round. Her earlier quiet panic subsides into an odd calm at Sunday's voice. Fatalism comes easy and when the options come down to succeed or fail, it simplifies the world, culling away the maybes.

Seeing Sunny again helps too. A touchstone of time and magic and very simply, her friend.

Inhaling deeply, America opens her (now blank again) notebook to gather her thoughts and what she remembers of it, as Bitterberry flies up to take in the last remnants of the gathering. He soon lands on Shun's shoulder and helpfully informs Sunny, It's all breaking. The popcorn is gone.

blade kuroda

chiickadee

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Sunny turns to look at Shun, but it's Vivien who answers. "Yeah," she says. "I can show you."

Sunny adds, quietly, "You should bring Leila and Preacher."

"Miz P's alright," says Vivien agreeably.

Blade Kuroda

Sunny is surprised to see Mr. Bitterberry. "Mr. B, what are you doing here," she asks, and she extends a hand to the jay.

lizbot

chiickadee

 

[chiickadee]

Chel didn't want to say what the bird looked like under her eyes right now. If nobody else was reacting to the skeletal monstrosity ...

"Why should we bring them?" Chel asked Sunny. "Are they important?"

shibrogane

blade kuroda

lizbot

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Shun Kuroda 21/21 | Shore

Shun cast a brief glance at the blue bird that landed upon his shoulder. He wasn't sure if he should be surprised or not that Sunny knew of the critter.

"You know Mr. Bitterberry?" he asked, raising his brow. Chel had already asked the other question he had in mind. While he did wonder why they needed those two in particular, he glanced over towards where they were exactly. Leila wasn't too far off, but Preacher was over by the stage.

"Mr. Bitterberry, please let America know to bring Preacher here," he requested.

lizbot

Chiickadee

Shibrogane

 

[lizbot]

America Jones p+1-2 c-1 Hp 18

The bluejay hops into Sunny's hand without hesitation with a pathetic warble, My America misses you. There's a pause and then, The glasses man was mean to me. He bobbed toward the younger Algernon, still holding enough of a grudge to Tell On Him.

At Shun's order the bird went still and thoughtful, trying to remember the sounds to give back to America. After a moment, the bird gives Sunny a gentle peck and then launches into the air, flying back to his human who was a lot better at remembering what's been said to her than what she's read.

notebook pages

- cliffs have a special spot vivian and sunny and preacher know it
- has magic in it that people catch or something
- three missing kids were here but not really here just everyone seemed to think theyd always been here when they just sorta turned up instead
- deer triplets here
(thats a lot of threes - three kids three deer three tears in the veil thingy)
- theres been fires in the woods
- magic talk ******** people up they gotta no-speaking whammy maybe
- ezra the band guy seems awake to whats happening with the rewinds
- some folks were just total window dressing looks like the ones left might be the ones sunday was talking about the folks kept here who were really part of things

LAST CHANCE

At Mr. Bitterberry's return, America startles out of her concentration.

This Sunny is still nice.

He starts with the most important information, and the girl brightens immeasurably as her gaze darts toward the shore. She can't help but give them a happy wave, even as the bluejay continues.

Preacher. Bring. Shun.

Blinking, America turns toward the nearby band, now without the props of stage and instruments. "That's the drummer right? The one that was upset last we saw? He said she knew about the cliffs..."

Inhaling deeply as the bird bobs in approval, America got up to make her was over to what was left of the band. Approaching the girl after giving Ezra and Mel a friendly glance, she begins, "Hey, I'm America. Pretty new around here, gotta say, just started working for Eddie, the bar at 3rd and Baker? Anyway, I heard you know this area pretty well."

She holds out her hand, trying her best to pretend that she wasn't hurt from traveling back to the start of the concert, that the girl across from her hadn't been either.

bladex kuroda

shibxrogane

chiixckadee

kuroxpeco

 

[shibrogane]

"Because I want you to," says Sunny. "Unless you want to be bound into the fabric of the cage?" She reluctantly lets Mr. Bitterberry go, but waves warmly to America. "She's my friend," says Sunny of America. She smiles. "She will be my friend. One day."

blade kuroda

chiickadee

lizbot

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Shun Kuroda 21/21 | Headed to the south bonfire

Shun tilted his head at Sunny's words. It made sense for her to know of the hidden magical things, but... he had to wonder just how much she knew of what was going on here.

That was a question to come shortly. For now, he went on to fetch Leila as requested. He held a finger up to indicate 'hold on' as he turned to make his way to the southern bonfire.

Once he located her, the detective crouched down besides the girl.

"Hey. Vivien wants to go to the cliffs. Would you like to come along? You look like you could use a nice walk."

iloveyoudie

shibrogane

Chiickadee

 

[chiickadee]

Chel watched Shun and America go. She didn't have much of an option other than to wait for both of them to return. She could maybe help, but at the moment ... She was trying to decipher reality from fiction. Shun's hair matted in blood. Algernon had bloodstains. Skeletal birds and crying children.

She didn't meet Sunny's gaze as they waited.

shibrogane

blade kuroda

lizbot

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Leila seemed static, head tucked between he knees as if she were ill and arms wrapped around her legs. At Shun's approach she didn't move until she heard his voice and the young woman lifted her head and blinked.

She looked haunted and pale.

"I-" Mention of Vivien reminded her of the girl it seemed and she looked for her again.

Her voice was strained but there was no fight in her, "Okay.."

Leila unfolded quietly and rose to her feet to follow the man.

blade kuroda