I finally got a new island today.
It seems like in most fics, the first few roles are all about expanding the warehouse, but somehow this is my first one that does it.
Enchanter's Tower - Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Base Cost: 250cp
Lore: If you aren't a fan of going out and finding, buying, or looting powerful enchanted gear, then you'll probably want to do it yourself. This tower (or room, if you prefer) is completely devoted to the art of enchanting, with a high-quality enchanting setup and a replenishing stock of soul gems. You possess five of each kind of soul gem, all of which restock after a week, yet none of them are filled.
Details: Any enchanting done here will automatically have 2x the potential, with the ability to use more resources to boost potency up to 3X with luck.
Final Cost: 250cp
Bank: 850cp
Granted, it's not a big island.
It's actually smaller than the starting one, since this "tower" is meant to be attached to the player's house in Skyrim if you bought that DLC.
But unlike the starter shack, it's new.
It's got a cellar, a first floor for enchanting, and a second floor for storage that I'm having Clone move into to keep the buff active.
Oh, and I'm glad I've been forgetting to try the golden tools, because I decided to test with some of the copper and ended up with a 9x sharpness copper sword thanks to the different buffs working together.
My inventory lists this monster as doing 45-50 damage per hit.
I'm pretty sure "Standard Human" is 20 health.
So obviously, I gave it to Armsmaster.
Or, well, I asked Dragon if she wanted it, and she asked if I would bring it to Armsmaster to add to a halberd, which makes sense.
…
Sis was right, Armsmaster looks like a robot.
Weirdly though, he looks less realistic than Miss Militia, even with her weeping angel vibe, or Battery with her steampunk robot.
Because he's got a face, but it… Well, it just sits there, with its creepy glowing robot eyes staring at me.
He's one of the most human-shaped capes so far, but he doesn't move or act like a person.
I mean, even Assault's weird elastic-stretched to its limits thing still shows movement when he talks or moves.
And while she doesn't move if I'm looking at her, Miss Militia usually has a changed facial expression when I look back at her.
But Armsmaster has a C3-PO thing going where his face is just his face, and it stays like that, except unlike the goofy bumbling C3-PO, Armsmaster gives off strong "Danger" and "Angry Robot" vibes.
…
In the end, he had some diamond bits himself, so I ended up throwing together the absolutely ludicrous 9x diamond sword (72 damage) that he promised to credit me for if he ended up taking out an S-Class threat with.
So that's nice of him, I guess.
Either way, I've still got 4 diamonds left over from Armsmaster's experiments with copper, so I found Chris and asked him to declare Aegis the Shovel Knight and to give him the 9x damage diamond shovel.
Chris at least played the game, so he understood why it should be a flying brute and not the knight-themed Gallant, and so he promised to do it and send me the footage from his helmet cam.
Plus, I'm pretty sure Aegis will find an excuse to use it, since 45 damage should be the highest damage of anything in the wards, if my guesses as to how my inventory numbers line up with reality are accurate.
Spoiler: A/N Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Reading fiction, noka133, S1m0nWr1t3 and 4 othersOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 37: Monday, March 14th Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#41Wow.
Lots of stuff happened last night.
Apparently, Coil and the Undersiders found out Lung was out of town because they attacked a bunch of his most profitable businesses.
Oni-Lee seems to have blunted the attacks of most of Coil's Mercenaries (through prodigious application of murder), but apparently, the Undersiders cleaned out his casino basically without resistance.
But that's not the crazy part!
Apparently both sides were hiding a Tinker, and they ended up having a showdown over the course of like 6 blocks before the Protectorate pulled up.
Supposedly, Nuwa is claiming to be a hero who "just happens" to be defending ABB territory with the help of ABB gangsters, but I guess if she doesn't actually do crime, there's nothing illegal about being a gang-affiliated vigilante, just super weird.
Meanwhile, Charion was just straight up there with Coil's mooks, so he vanished the moment the heroes showed up.
Oh, and New Wave was apparently in Boston for some kind of costume thing, so have been doing damage control today for why their rival did this huge thing with them doing nothing about it.
…
In less interesting news, I've been experimenting with the enchanting tower, and unfortunately, it doesn't seem to count potions as the same thing, but interestingly, golden apples do count, since it apparently gives Absorption III now.
Even more reasons to not hand it out, but in a pinch, this should save someone's life even if the injury should be mortal.
…
Also, I'm counting my lucky stars for one of my perks operating under Fallout: New Vegas mechanics, because I don't need to make new armor sets for the full boost for Firewatch.
Just like in the game, I can take two perfectly good things and merge them to combine their durability, or in this case, their buffs.
So I can just combine 2 of the armor sets (the two that person likes the least) into a single set of 6x mobility, 6x armor, copper armor.
And the craziest part is this new armor matches the 3x Diamond!
Inventory is calling it 60 armor.
I mean, the diamond armor still looks cooler, and it's fitted now.
So I'm not gonna ask them to give it up, but its really nice to know that Firewatch are getting properly protected, and that the only difference is that the diamond should last a lot longer and be more eye-catching, since whoever's wearing it is probably the tank of that mission anyways.
…
Oh, and speaking of missions there's another one being planned, since Uber and Leet have apparently doubled down and begun arming the people still willing to work with them with actual tinkertech…
Or, well, actual Leet-tech, anyways.
So Emily gave the go-ahead for Firewatch and at least one PRT squad to plan either a single big raid or, more likely, a couple of separate raids on their more distributed network.
…
Also, and I have no clue how to deal with this, but a guy asked to join Firewatch.
Like, asked if they were taking capes…?
Raymond just laughed at me when I said I had no clue, but said he had agreed to be paid in gear rather than money, so I guess we're getting a new Brute.
Some guy calling himself Aspirant, who is some kind of Changer/Brute combo that knows Kung Fu.
I guess his whole issue is that he's a non-bulletproof Brute, and that's messing with his head.
So I asked if the team would let him wear the diamond Armor, and they agreed, so now it's his armor so long as he's working with Firewatch, and in the meantime, he gets paid in stuff I can buy with my Invisibility potion money, like actual bags of groceries, and a decent phone.
A bit of a big advance, but Edmund said it's important to let capes think you value them a lot more than you do; otherwise, they're more likely to become your problem out of spite.
So, ok, I guess.
I gave a guy a bunch of food and a phone, and he's going to spend like 20 hours a week doing bodyguarding in the diamond armor and help out as tank for the next raid.
I'm really not sure how this happened.
I mean, I'm a Ward, having bodyguards has happened, but a minion?
Like an actual cape minion, who takes orders from a guy who takes orders from me?
What??? Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Reading fiction, LogicExtreme11, noka133 and 5 othersOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 38: Thursday, March 17th Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#42I was hoping for another magic system, or possibly more people to help Firewatch, since I know there's a good number of perks that are just pulling people from worlds where videogames are real and making them into your new minion.
My first roll was just another minor charisma thing.
I mostly grabbed it, as part of my ongoing "the easier it is for PR to work with me, the more I'll get away with" strategy that I picked up from Emily.
Call me Darknorth - The Chaosverse: Desolate Era
Base Cost: 50cp
Lore: Seems like you really have a catchy name, when you perform feats worthy of fame, your name sticks around far more than it should, spreading faster than communication can allow.
Details: PR seems more effective for you, and people rarely seem to attribute your actions to others. But keep in mind, taking this perk means your negative actions will be just as memorable, and even actions you take stealthily are more likely to be labeled as "a mystery" rather than being attributed to someone else.
Addons: N/A
Final Cost: 50cp
Bank: 800cp
But my second one worked in a big way!
Tsunade Senju: Legendary Sucker, Slug Sage, 5th Hokage - Naruto
Base Cost: 100cp
Lore: Legendary Medical Ninja and Fifth Hokage. Princess Tsunade is one of the legendary Sannin, renowned as the world's greatest medical ninja. Her monstrous strength terrifies her opponents, while her medical jutsu can heal fatal wounds. Despite her terrible luck at gambling, her leadership and protective instincts make her an invaluable ally and mentor.
Details: Thanks to a particularly wacky noodle incident, a newly rejuvenated Tsunade Senju has decided to move to the same general area as you after giving up the title of Hokage to Kakashi.
Thanks to the Celestial Systems intervention on her behalf and for restoring her to a youthful body, she's willing to waive her usual fees for healing for any ally of yours so long as they bring her at least one bottle of high-quality alcohol per person healed.
Earning her way (and then some) as a Rogue Healer, she's come to view you much like a young Naruto, so will always heal you for free and is likely to barge into your life every few weeks "for your checkup."
Also, if your allies have a favored drinking establishment, expect her to become a regular.
Note: She will not formally join any team (even yours) and values her ability to stay out of both paperwork and politics. (This is post-retirement Tsunade, even if she feels 25 again.)
Addons: -50cp Part of the Celestial System's intervention for Tsunade was granting her legitimate documentation and a minor stranger effect that causes her backstory to be accepted. (She can still be seen as a bad influence, but people won't question her medical, administrative, or combat expertise and won't connect this perk to her if they know about it.)
Final Cost: 150cp
Bank: 750cp
Well, kinda, she's not actually part of Firewatch, since she just kind of popped into existence with a clinic and regularly scheduled check-ups I now need to go to. But at least it's cheap medical care for Firewatch, that doesn't involve owing New Wave any favors or poking the sleeping Nilbog that my memories keep insisting Panacea is.
…
Oh, and I was able to mention the roll to Emily without getting foamed, so that's nice.
I pointed out that I'd been going to PRT doctors before now, then just showed her the description of the roll.
Thankfully, she didn't foam us, just had people look into Tsunade, but I guess that stranger effect worked because she came back nearly as legit as the Firewatch team did.
I'm not in love with spending 50cp for someone who's not even on my team to get a stranger power, but 50cp to skip the whole "3 days in the M/S room" thing is 100% worth it.
I asked Emily to forward the background check to Raymond so he'd know she was legit and to stock up on booze just in case, and Emily told me that I should never order "my men" to buy booze even if I knew they would anyway.
It's another weird adult thing, so I just mentioned I could keep it in my inventory if she thought they were going to drink it instead of trading it for healing, but Emily made the valid point that we'd both get in trouble if anyone found out about that.
So instead Emily is buying the Booze and will keep it in one of the extra rooms in the Director's Suite, for whenever someone on Firewatch or the PRT team that work with us gets injured.
…
In other news, I managed to get all the stuff for a few crossbows and a few fireworks arrows.
It's kinda expensive, but I've now got a weapon in my inventory that fires arrows with 9x force, and those arrows do 9x damage, on top of being "poisoned," though I'm not sure how that'll work together.
Specifically, I'm using the most recent Potion to make it to the "Pending" stage, the 3x "Oganics Damage" potion added to firework arrows that already do damage to people (or at least Minecraft players, and mobs), but not the landscape.
I figure it'll either be awesome or not much.
Either way, it's in the inventory if I need it.
I've learned enough about the Tinkertech process to avoid my instinct to hand it over to Firewatch.
Though I did send off a 3x force crossbow and a few 3x speed firework arrows to the Testing Authority.
So it's even possible I won't need to burn any of my credit with PR by the time I end up needing this, since it's pretty simple, as Tinkertech goes.
…
I also made a few Levers, because I had an idea about Redstone… before all my experiments proved it doesn't actually exist within the stuff I can make.
So I just have a bunch of levers and buttons, but I actually did end up sending them off, because it turns out they can hack.
Or more specifically, you can slap one down and override door controls with it.
It's a pretty nice consolation to the whole "no redstone" thing, along with my other disappointment, "no maces." Since it would've been really cool to drop down from like 400 feet as a bird on Hookwolf, then pull out a mace last second and smash him before getting sent right back up out of danger.
Though the button and lever thing seems to have become a bit of an obsession for Armsmaster, Kid-Win, and Dragon since Sis said they've spent hours working together trying to make a program for the Ward's common room door that a button couldn't just override.
I guess they got it in the end, but it's still really cool that a bit of wood so small I didn't even pay for it is enough to make an infiltration tool so powerful, it takes America's #2 and #3 Tinkers working together for several hours just to invent a door it can't beat.
Plus, with the whole thing about other people's Tinkertech having maintenance issues, I'm willing to bet there won't be many doors that get that treatment.
Spoiler: A/N Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Reading fiction, LogicExtreme11, noka133 and 5 othersOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 39: Saturday, March 19th Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#43I had lunch with Battery, Assault, and Sis again, so I guess this is a thing now.
But in the positive news, Fox is back, and I got to spend a while showing him my new cloak and the bigger bird form.
It was so nice, I think I could probably teleport straight to Battery's apartment, which is good, since Sis lives there now.
Also, assault made a pun and Fox gave him a face so judgmental that even Battery thought it was too harsh, so that was fun.
…
Then they tried to get me into a confined space with the mess of imminent disaster called assault, so I turned into a Bird and just flew above them.
There was a bit where space got really funky, so I teleported to a spot I had nearby and waited until the car started moving, then followed it.
Turns out they were trying to take me to Tsunade's clinic, which they could have just said, rather than doing that stupid song and dance about god damn control, and even roping Missy in as just another leash.
Well, ha ha fuckers, I can teleport, you've got nothing on me.
…
Oh, but Tsunade was cool.
The exact kind of no-nonsense attitude that makes Emily so understandable.
She doesn't have any nonsense for herself, so why would she subject me to it?
Tsunade is the same, just gave me a folder with medical stuff to give to an adult who's "less of an asshole. Because little secret here, brat, when you get right down to it, we're all a bit of an asshole."
So I'm giving it to Emily, and telling her I want to meet assault and Battery somewhere more public next time.
If nothing else, those two are basically brutes, so I can escape, but Missy needs lots of space without people in it to do her thing, so I'll take her Manton limit as a challenge.
I know it makes her uncomfortable, but maybe try not being a traitor if you don't want me to use personal knowledge against you, huh sis?
…
Oh, and Fox wanted me to take a chill pill, so he ended up teleporting me all the way to Canada, where I found out the Professor had come over to Earth-Bet!
He was just chilling in a cabin next to Holland Cove, Prince Edward Island, as if crossing world boundaries without dying horrifically or opening a gate for monsters to spill out is a thing people can just do if they feel like it!
…
But he did bribe me with candy, so I'm just gonna let any monster gates be Canada's problem.
…
Anyways, since Harry Potter is apparently a real place, I figured I'd show off the spells I knew since I was like 99% sure just which old man from England professor with a Phoenix who talks about magic this was.
Even if my memories were saying he should have died in 1997.
Eh, the memories are wrong about all sorts of stuff, who cares?
…
I'm not sure if his poker face really was just that good or if Fox had snitched, but…
Well, who am I kidding?
Fox obviously snitched.
Anyways, the Professor did his best "adult congratulating a child for doing something they do all the time" thing, then did something weird.
He cast a spell on me, and suddenly the Magic tutorial was all in English.
Most of it was even American.
Or, as it turns out, Canadian.
I guess he had some issues with the Durmstrang lessons and thought I'd be better off learning spells meant for English speakers.
So he gave me the best Canadian magical schoolbooks he could find up to the 5th year, as compensation for purging the ones I had for Durmstrang up to the third year.
Not sure how he can effect the Celestial Grimoire like that, when so far the closest has been dragon knowing when I roll.
But whatever.
He's a 130-year-old magical professor who's friends with a Phoenix.
It would be weirder if he weren't awesome.
Not that he looks 130, that's another thing the memories got wrong, they say he should've looked 70 or 80 in the 1990s, but here he is in 2011 looking 65 at most.
…
He did ask if I would roll, since apparently he wanted to see what he could pick up, and I was a bit suspicious, but the thing is, I only really trust like 3 people.
Missy, who's once again proved she'll break my trust for the smallest bit of approval from an adult.
Emily, who's perfectly straightforward but also only cares in so much as I'm useful.
And Fox, who saved my life.
I'm not an idiot.
If Panacea can't see me with her power, and I was dying, which I'm pretty sure I was, then the only other person I know with healing abilities is…
So, well, if the Professor… if Albus has been Fox's friend for more than 60 years…
Well, at this point, what I'm saying is that either Albus Dumbledore is a good person and I'm just paranoid, or the world really does suck and I should stop wasting my time here and start looking for whatever crack in the world Albus used to get here in the first place.
…
Apparently, Albus's response to awkward silences is to offer bribes, so lemonhead in mouth I rolled:
Loyal Ninja Clan - Fate Legends: Land of the Rising Sun
Base Cost: 400 cp
Lore: Having made a deal with the Celestial System to escape a terrible fate, this "ninja clan" will come highly versed in the stealth skills of your world, but will not have access to skills, tools, or powers not theoretically accessible to anyone.
(If your world has schools of magic open to those with the ability, then they know some magic, but if magical knowledge is hoarded by noble families, or in strict master-apprentice lineages, then they won't.)
Thanks to the bargain they made, they consider the Celestial System to be their patron deity, and you the wielder of a Celestial Artifact as its voice in the world. So they will obey, to the best of their ability, any order you give. But keep in mind that it is the Celestial System they consider divine, not you. Should you get multiple of them killed needlessly, they may start a work-to-rule strike during an inconvenient time.
The entire clan includes around 60 members, but there's not much sneaking a great-grandmother or toddler can be doing.
Details: You can expect to have about 10 ninjas capable of taking just about any mission you can assign, with 30 capable of taking lower-level assignments or doing more mundane work, such as information gathering or guarding your property.
Also, keep in mind that while you can order the clan around as a military or civilian force, you are neither a member nor the leader of the clan.
Order the what, and when with as much detail as you wish, but remember that the clan itself will sort out who and how.
Finally, if your reputation with the clan is good, don't be surprised to find their members doing things to help or support you in their free time.
It would look quite bad to order this kind of thing, but if they like you, don't be surprised to find annoyances being quietly resolved, or the occasional meal you like quietly appearing near you.
Addons: -150cp Due to being near to multiple individuals from another world, you can choose to have the Ninja's educated in some of the esoterica of that world. While this won't grant them a full magical education, every member of the clan will become a squib educated in the limited magics such people are capable of and with a limited number of magically derived tools and resources.
Final Cost: 550 cp
Bank: 750cp
FINALLY, a high roll!
It seems even the Celestial Grimoire approves of Albus, if being near him is enough to grant the new forces some magic.
I start writing down the roll for him, but he waves me off.
I'm pretty sure Blank is keeping him from reading my mind, so apparently he picked up on the roll off sheer vibes…
Or maybe his magic glasses let him see unseen things.
It could be either one, honestly.
…
Suddenly, Albus's shack is… bigger and…
Ok, so I guess the Celestial Grimoire really likes Albus, because it just made him into the head of a Ninja Clan.
Even he was startled by it, but apparently he was offered some kind of deal, and in trade he would keep the remaining members of this Ninja Clan Alive until its heiress as of age, and in the meantime he would do his best to organize the clan to help me.
It seems like a lot, but his end seems fairly obvious, since whatever rate wizards age, they apparently still do, but suddenly Albus looks 45 at most.
Losing 20 years of apparent age and probably like 60 of actual age just to lead a small group of ninjas until the 15-year-old Asuka turns 17 probably seemed like a pretty great deal for Albus.
…
For now, he offered to help me even out my magical education for a few days while he gets to know the group he'll be leading, so I guess I'll be driving home the "don't try to confine the girl who can teleport" lesson a bit harder than I planned to.
So just to make it up a bit, I flew off to the nearby town of Charlottetown and sent an email to Emily and Dragon on my tablet that I was on Prince Edward Island and was only a little furious about the car thing but that I'd met a Ninja who'd offered to teach me magic so I'm gonna do that for a few days.
…
I have a sneaking suspicion that email's not going to help, exactly.
But on the other hand, I really wanna be good at magic, and other than the paperwork, this'll cause Emily, I honestly can't say I care…?
Yeah, I mean I've got people I like, and while I'm thinking about it, I send an email to Raymond telling him to do a training thing to get the new guy up to speed, since I'm also doing a training thing, and won't need bodyguarding.
But beyond Emily, who lives and breathes paperwork, and Dragon, who's got a million things to worry about anyways, I genuinely can't think of a reason not to spend a few days learning magic from a 130-year-old-ninja…
other than the whole "don't be irresponsible" notion, but since I'm in Canada, I have the perfect response to that notion:
"Eh." Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Reading fiction, LogicExtreme11, noka133 and 5 othersOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 40: Monday, March 21st Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#44It turns out Narwhal is much less fun than her description would lead you to believe.
I mean, 7-foot-tall Amazon with glowing purple hair and a giant horn on her head.
Even if I saw something different, I'd been assuming certain things from that description.
Instead, I got… Emily, but with a bad first impression.
Though props to her for learning from Battery and Assault, I would've expected the forcefield cape to try to box me in, but instead she just asked that oh so classic "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
I should have let that opportunity pass me by, but honestly, I just didn't want to.
But I should explain, unlike the so far mostly human-shaped capes in the Bay, at least of the ones I've seen. Narwhal is… well, the only real word of it is alien.
I mean, she keeps to the basic form factor of a person: a head and torso with limbs coming out of it, but the details had a distinctly surreal quality to them and would never hold still, even if I focused on them.
Plus, there's none of the symmetry that my monkey brain likes so much, just a bunch of possibly abstract, possibly intentional shapes and forms.
Oh, but it is all glowing that blueish purple color of her force fields, so it's still visibly her, even if it looks like some higher-dimensional entity using the same stuff her force fields are made of to create a form that only bears the faintest similarities to people.
So, when she dropped that line, there really was only one proper retort I could make, and thanks to the tablet from Dragon, I did just that.
"E.T. go home?"
Then I turned into a bird and left.
Or tried to, I kinda forgot how fast she could fly.
Hint: Faster than a bird.
…
Oh, I should probably explain,
Albus did spend a lot of yesterday correcting all the spells and wand movements I know.
But that really isn't much, and I mostly have them down, even if I could make them better with him showing me and explaining the meaning of the root words, so I knew some of the How to go along with the What.
So we were pretty much done by dinner time, but I spent all that emotional enegy on deciding to spend a few days away just for it to be done in a night, so i slept over once again and then decided to explore Prince Edward Island with Fox… right until the gerk led me over to a little shoping area where Narwhal was apparently signing autographs or something.
Oh, and of course Fox got away clean, the slippery bastard.
…
Anyways, I offered to just teleport back, but apparently the excuse was that I'm doing cross-departmental training with Narwhal, so I actually will do that.
I'm like 80% sure she means we take pictures, then I teleport home, but even as a glowy alien, she's still an adult and feels the need to make things needlessly opaque.
…
Oh, and before I forget, I gave the Ninjas their first orders, and they are:
"Settle in, familiarize with the area, and establish connections within New England and the Maritimes. Focus on breadth, not depth."
The idea is that if I need someone or something in the area that they'll at least know of it, even if they don't have specifics until after I ask.
The roll said it's only like 40 people who can take missions, so I'm not expecting miracles, but I honestly don't think they'll be much help in the Bey, since all the factions are pretty dangerous there.
Probably some, but I figure building connections into Emily's entire zone of control is better than hyper-focusing on the Bay where it feels like any spark could be the thing that finally blows things up.
I'm also including The Maritimes because I genuinely can't think of any major heroes from here, so I figure I should keep an eye out for oncoming trains from here.
I figure Emily's been doing the same, but it can't hurt to independently verify.
Also, Albus has apparently manufactured Canadian Citizenship and is confident he can do it for the whole clan, but is less sure about American, so it should just be easier this way.
…
Well, shit, I wasn't expecting that.
She brought me over to the shoreline and said:
"You kept your cool, you communicated, you didn't hurt anyone."
"You left, not ideal, but it could've gone worse, and I want you to know I see that."
But followed up with the kicker:
"But disappearing, even when you're right, makes it harder to protect you."
"Makes it harder for your team to trust you'll have their back."
"So we're going to practice that."
Ouch…
…
After that, I'm glad for the time to just fly, because damn, but that's actually fair.
Apparently Narwhal likes to fly too, because she's not just headed to some town with a PRT department.
We actually go over to Kejimkujik National Park in Nova Scotia.
…
The training scenario is pretty simple, if a bit backhanded.
I'm here as part of a Hero squad to capture a villain team.
The rest of the team split off to go chase down the remainder of the team, but I'd been wounded and was put in charge of waiting for the evac for the two villains we'd captured.
It's vital that I stay put to keep an eye on the villains, even if they're unconscious, until the evac and medical team arrive.
… it's time out with extra steps.
Though, silver lining, Narwhal did mention:
"If you do it right, I'll tell you how I once almost got mauled by a moose while trying to do something like this."
It's basically just a test to see who's more stubborn, me for waiting here or Narwhal for waiting me out.
So I hold on to the "coms device" aka my tablet, and conspicuously do not notice how it suddenly gained signal again when the scenario started.
…
Well, Narwhal, let's see what type of adult you really are.
So, I Lock In.
Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:LogicExtreme11, noka133, S1m0nWr1t3 and 4 othersOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 41: Interlude: Narwhal - The Test Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#45An hour or so across the water, then down into Kejimkujik. Trees spread like a living maze, lakes like polished mirrors between them. Remote, contained, quiet. A place where expectations could be gently but clearly shaped.
The flight was quiet. She didn't need to look back to know the girl was following, tight turns, controlled speed, keeping just behind and above. Smooth. She wasn't trying to get away this time.
Narwhal dropped altitude as the trees broke open, aiming for the clearing she'd picked earlier. Isolated. Open. A good place to work, better still for watching.
She touched down on the boulder at the center, just high enough for a commanding view. Clear lines in every direction. No cover. No tricks. She'd keep eyes on the girl the whole time. And the girl would know it.
Wings rustled behind her.
Phoenix swept in low, quiet as a shadow.
And then, in a blink, there was no Phoenix.
Just a girl, standing exactly where the bird had been.
The transformation was instant, seamless. One second, feather and wing, the next, boots on stone. Not even a shimmer of light. No visible motion. Just presence. There, and then human.
She stood on the boulder a few feet off, arms at her sides, face unreadable. Ice-blue eyes locked forward. Cold. Guarded. Watching everything. Watching her.
Then, just as suddenly, the tablet appeared in her hands. Smooth black glass, no holster, no bag. One second empty, the next, there. Clean conjure. No motion wasted. Her tool, her voice if she needed it, though she rarely used it.
Narwhal didn't comment. Just took it in.
That was control. Not showy. Not loud. But exact. Efficient.
Still no words, but that was fine. They had other things to say.
Narwhal gestured to the clearing and began without preamble.
"You're part of a strike team," she said. "Villain gang. Two members captured, foamed up nearby. You were injured during the chase. The rest of the team is pursuing the others."
She held her hands open, indicating the tablet. "This is how you call for evac. Medical pickup is on standby."
The girl held it with both hands, fingers tight around the edge. No eye contact. No nod. No spoken word. No use of the device. Just acceptance.
"You're to remain in place," Narwhal said. "No flight. No teleporting. No leaving the perimeter. You are not being pursued, but you are vulnerable. If you leave, the team assumes something's wrong. That pulls them off the mission."
The girl's jaw clenched slightly. Not a wince, more like a reset. Narwhal read it for what it was: understood.
She stepped back. No countdown. No timer. She simply turned and walked to the tree line, found a boulder, and sat.
Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. A half hour. The girl sat cross-legged, tablet resting on her lap, glancing around occasionally. No pacing. No testing the boundary. Just sitting, waiting, like a hawk that hadn't decided if the tree it landed in was worth nesting in or just a temporary shelter.
Narwhal didn't move. Just watched. Measured breath, light humming in her earpiece from background comms she wasn't paying attention to.
An hour passed. Then more.
A flicker of movement in the trees, a squirrel or a staged distraction from a planted drone. The girl's eyes tracked it, cold and unblinking. Her body didn't move. Her hand didn't reach for the tablet.
She knew it wasn't real. Or she didn't care. Either way, she stayed.
Narwhal waited longer. Not because she needed to. She'd seen what she came to see. But she knew this girl didn't trust words, not yet. She trusted actions. She trusted silence. So Narwhal gave her both.
When the sun had shifted enough to mark a meaningful change in time, not long enough to hurt, just long enough to matter, Narwhal stood and crossed the clearing.
The girl's eyes flicked to her. She didn't rise. Didn't reach for the tablet.
Narwhal settled back on the boulder and spoke quietly, knowing the girl could hear even if she wouldn't respond:
"A few years back, I was on patrol in northern Ontario. Cold day. Snow everywhere. Quiet. I was flying low, running a solo sweep near a smuggler route. Saw some tracks in the snow, looked recent. Landed to check them out. No forcefields. No alerts. Nothing on radar. I wasn't being reckless, just figured I had it under control."
"I didn't hear it until it was right on top of me. Big bull moose. Huge. Way too big to be that quiet, but it was. It came out of the brush fast and hit me hard. Got one of the antlers in my ribs, sent me flying. I scrambled to put shields up, but it kept coming. I was on my back, trying to keep it from stomping me flat. Couldn't get a clean launch, too uneven. Had to crawl, get clear, think. Took a few minutes before I could get airborne again. By then, it had wandered off like nothing happened."
"I didn't lose the fight, but I didn't win it either. And it stuck with me. Not because it was a moose. Because it was dumb, angry, and didn't care who I was. That's what gets you sometimes. Not the big plan, not the scary villain. Just something you underestimated. Something that doesn't play by the rules. Ever since then, I don't let the quiet fool me. I don't assume I'm safe just because things look simple. And I never take my eyes off the trees."
Then, after a moment:
"That's enough. You can go home."
The girl didn't blink. Didn't nod. She just shifted, feathers forming in that elegant sweep of her shift, then jumped off the boulder and vanished, gone with a single beat of wings into the nothing between places.
No noise. No flash. Just a shimmer of feathers and space pulling in around itself, then nothing. Not even a breeze left behind. Just trees. Silence. The clearing.
Narwhal stayed where she was for a few seconds. Let the quiet settle. She looked at the spot the girl had been, then up at the tree line.
"Alright," she muttered to no one. "That's one way to say goodbye."
She rose slowly into the air, not rushing. Her forcefields shimmered faintly as she angled west, into the sky. Still low enough to see the tops of the trees. Nova Scotia shrinking behind her.
She thought about the girl. The cold stare. Ice blue eyes, always watching, never trusting.
Didn't talk. Barely typed. But she listened. Sat through the whole thing. Took it in.
Didn't argue. Didn't run until it was time.
Not bad.
Stubborn, yeah. But not stupid. That mattered.
Narwhal flew a little higher. Clouds thinning, horizon widening.
She'd been expecting trouble. Resistance. Maybe another tantrum, another flight. But the kid had stayed grounded. Literally. Waited her out. Measured her.
Didn't trust her. Not yet. Maybe not ever. But that didn't mean she wasn't learning.
She ran. But she didn't lash out. Didn't escalate. Gave notice. Handled it clean. Smarter than people were giving her credit for.
Didn't need punishment. She needed space. Choices. Control.
Still dangerous, though. If someone pushed her wrong again… if another idiot tried the Vista trick, boxed her in… she'd bolt. Or worse.
But today, she stayed.
Narwhal angled west again. The wind rushed louder in her ears. The lakes were out there somewhere, the long line home.
She thought of the girl's face again. Sharp. Quiet. Watching every move like it was a test she hadn't agreed to take.
"Good instincts," she said aloud, just once.
Not a compliment. Not really.
Just the truth.
She sped up. She had a report to write, and Toronto wasn't going to fly to her. Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Reading fiction, noka133, S1m0nWr1t3 and 3 othersOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 42: Saturday, March 26th Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#46Ok, so I had this whole thing planned out for meeting Battery, Assault, and Sis on the boardwalk, but the roll today is just too wonderful, so I'm just gonna hope they count for manton and invite Sis to come pet them all with me.
Pack is Pack - Wolfwalkers
Base Cost: 100cp
Lore: Beneath the moon's cold silver glow,
Grey wolves in winter's softness grow.
Fur like clouds, yet eyes still gleam,
A predator wrapped in a gentle dream.
Details: 40 wolves living primarily in a small forest in some far-off corner of the Warehouse.
They'll appear to you in times of danger or emotional distress.
They have the ability to double your mana pool when you are working to directly aid an ally in their presence. (Such as shielding or healing, but not abstract ideas like "avenging.")
By default, they are no smarter or stronger than regular wolves, though they instinctively know how you view people and will act accordingly. However, this is reciprocal, if you find yourself suddenly disliking an ally, there's a decent chance they were cruel to a member of the pack."
Addons: -50cp wolves respawn if killed and will otherwise receive the "long rest" ability of tabletop RPGs in regards to injuries.
Final Cost: 150cp
Bank: 700cp
They're all just so fluffy!
God, I love my power!
And apparently, it loves me right back because these guys are returning affection for affection.
Oh, and they can go in and out of the warehouse, though sadly for clone, they seem to be on some faraway forest island, so no puppy piles for clone to sleep in.
But I can still do that, and totally will!
And I…
Oh, Assault and Battery just showed up.
I guess I have a terrible poker face when surrounded by 40 Grey Wolves because we all went silent and cold in an instant, which is a lot more obvious on 41 faces than it is on one.
Oh, but I guess I'm actually freaking out assault, so that's nice. Though I guess Battery's probably brute enough to win this fight, sadly.
…
Eventually, the adults left, and I decided to just be chill with sis.
The stuff with her is disappointing, but not exactly surprising, and I guess the wolves picked up on that because about 10 decided to go and be fluffy in her General proximity.
It was a pretty obvious invitation to me, but I guess she's still on her maturity thing, because she just sat there looking longingly at all the fluffiness.
I would have told her to go for it, but I was buried in floof at the time, so I couldn't go for my tablet.
I did sort of send a vibe to the pack, I guess, because one of them decided to sit in her lap.
She obviously started glomping it, which made sense, but then she just started crying, which didn't.
Unfortunately, the wolves shared this vibe too, because the ones near her started to back off, which just made her more upset?
Does she like wolves or not?
Pick a lane sis!
…
I'm sure I had things to do today, but honestly, when one has access to 40 wolves, it's surprising how the hours tend to melt away. Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:LogicExtreme11, noka133, S1m0nWr1t3 and 4 othersOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 43: Sunday, March 27th Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#47I got something really annoying today.
I guess the Celestial Grimoire didn't want me to get too comfortable with the "40 wolves" kind of power, because:
Chat Room - SCP: Serpent's Hand
Base Cost: 100cp
Lore:
Shadowed hands that slip and weave,
Breaking rules the sane perceive.
Serpents writhe in whispered schemes,
Guardians of forbidden dreams.
Details:
You and any allies, teammates or vassals of yours now have access to a mental chat.
You are able to create separate channels for different aspects or projects, but all who have access to any of it can access the public chat.
Addons: -0cp You can grant people access to Private Messages, where they can initiate contact with a single individual for the duration of a few minutes without it being logged or others being notified.
Final Cost: 100cp
Bank: 650cp
I mean, granted, I had the ability to talk to 95% of these people through my tablet already, so this didn't seem like that big a deal.
I mean, it's a bit strange for this to be 100cp, but it's probably just that it can't be spied on or taken from my control or something?
Right?
Well, kinda, but it turns out that the Celestial Grimoire takes a really broad view of "allies, teammates, or vassals."
Which is how things became such a mess so fast.
There were like 200 people all thinking questions into the group chat, all at once.
Luckily, I've got some actual old memories to rely on here, rather than the blurry, inaccurate nonsense or memories of games and books that don't seem to exist on either Bet or Aleph.
Granted, I've never heard of Discord, but IRC is a familiar concept, so I quickly grouped people into separate areas, then pinned a quick note about this being my latest roll and them all having access to an IRC with everyone else who can be called my teammate, vassal, or ally.
But like, this roll went really far for 100cp, because it's got everybody from the Wards, and Emily, to Glen Chambers, Dragon, and Weld in here.
So eventually I just muted the entire main chat and put everyone into their own channel, then created a bunch of branching Servers like "Official -> Capes -> Ward's-HQ" or "Phoenix -> Firewatch -> Firewatch-Command" or "Official -> PRT -> Kingslayer's-Domain" and "Phoenix -> Tenkō-no-Tomo -> Ninja-Command."
Then I spent the rest of the day setting up whitelists and naming mods…
and getting requests and demands to make different/new mods…
But I was getting tired, plus there were a few with no clean answer like Addison, who I eventually just dropped into Wards-HQ but didn't add into the Cape group.
Though the funny part was when the Bay Wards accepted Weld, Hunch, Sanguine, and even Glory Girl and Addison into the chat, but got offended that the only Mods of them all were Weld and Addison.
But as the complaints and issues continued, eventually I just gave up on the idea of actually managing this myself.
So I created the "Hand of the Queen" rank that has every ability this power will let me grant, gave Emily, Dragon, Albus, and Raymond that rank, then set up a thing to respond to any pings to me with "Phoenix is sleeping, talk to the hand."
…
I can tell this'll be really cool, but for now, I'm just really tired and want to return to the puppy pile. Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Reading fiction, LogicExtreme11, noka133 and 5 othersOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 44: Thursday, March 31st Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#48The great thing about the pack being Grey Wolves is that they're all around me sized.
I mean, I'm taller, obviously, but the average fully grown Grey Wolf is 100-110 lbs, meaning that I can pretty much go full Glomp mode on any of the non-puppy ones and know they'll be fine.
Plus, honestly, the puppy ones seem to want me to be a bit more intense with them, and they reciprocate.
So this means I've essentially got the ability to glomp a fluff at any time of the day or night, and it's been doing wonders for my chill.
I mean, I'm sure I've got a good enough poker face that most people don't notice when I'm getting upset, just when I've had enough.
But now, whenever I start to get non-chill, I find at least one wolf next to me giving me the "what are you waiting for?" eyes.
I honestly don't think I've been more than "a little bit upset" since Saturday.
I hadn't really thought about it, but Emily pointed it out.
Apparently, I've never really given off a cape vibe to her, but since getting the wolves, I don't even really give a "fucked in the head" vibe anymore.
Which is cool, I guess.
…
Oh, and the roll today was interesting, since it not only buffs me, but everyone using something magic-based I've made, so long as they're in the range.
Spell Obelisk - Overlord
Base Cost: 100cp
Lore:
Quartzite gleams with ancient fire, its crystal veins alive and bright,
Veiling secrets in its depths, a silent song of mystic light.
Polished smooth by countless years, it hums with power yet untold,
A beacon forged from earth and time, where raw magic does unfold.
Details:
You can generate a Quartzite Obelisk, and whenever you are within 10 miles of it, any spells cast are 150% as effective for 50% the cost. (Enchantments are only boosted while in the zone, but previously made enchantments are grandfathered in so long as they are made by you or the Celestial Grimoire).
Addons: -100cp spawn an additional pillar every 30 days. (Effect des not stack, this increases range)
Final Cost: 200cp
Bank: 650cp
Plus, it works out that the PRT HQ is already pretty central for the city.
I mean, most people don't think so, since everything gets pushed up against the coast, and the HQ is more than a mile from it.
But if you draw a 10-mile circle around PRT-HQ you get the majority of Brockton Bay inside it.
…
Oh, and the tablet has become sadly kind of useless lately, since the chat is literally the speed of thought and seems to add anyone Emily introduces me to after a day.
I know, because Dragon seems to think it's a big deal, so she has been pushing for it, to the point that my impromptu "training" with Narwhal is going to be repeated with Kidwin and Hero sometime in the hopes that he'll get added to the network.
They haven't tried dictating how it's run to me yet, but on the other hand, basically the only thing "Hand of the Queen" can't do is override me, and I've been letting them run everything under "Official" how they want, with the same for Albus and Raymond in "Phoenix."
Hell, they can even overrule other hands if they outvote each other.
So they really don't need me unless it's to make new channels permanent, which takes like 5 minutes per day at most.
…
And in other news, I've discovered that I can talk to the wolves, and Emily, but only sometimes with sis, which sucks in a way that's hard to describe.
But also, is kinda nice that even my weird, broken brain recognizes how consistent Emily's been.
Even if it means it's figured out just how flaky sis can be.
Also telling the doggos they're good.
It's very important that they know this fact. Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Reading fiction, LogicExtreme11, noka133 and 5 othersOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 45: Friday, April 1st Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#49I guess Firewatch are getting antsy, since word has been that Uber and Leet are planning something in direct retaliation for the video.
Plus, supposedly, they built some surprisingly stable stealth tech in response to the cloak vials.
So whatever they're doing, the organizing of it hasn't been the kind of thing Firewatch can raid directly.
So instead, they've been looking into the dockworkers, which has been causing them some damage due to their already low reputation and hostile relationship with the PRT.
I had no idea any of this was a thing, but since the dockworkers are less a union of one type of worker and more a network of the Bay's blue-collar types, all using nepotism to throw each other work, discounts, and the like, the PRT has been keeping a close eye on it for years.
Since, on the surface, that seems fine, but I guess they meet like 7/10 of the qualifications of a gang and just keep insisting they're not without ever really being able to prove it.
So Firewatch is investigating the Docworkers association building itself, basically the hub of this whole network.
And that's what caused the current… whatever this is.
Because it would seem that the dockworkers are a bit more gang-like than previously noted, since they've got at least one cape.
And it's a depressingly familiar cape, for all I've never met her.
…
I was doing Overwatch in bigger Birdform for another most likely unsuccessful raid by Firewatch on what is theoretically a building owned by the Dockworkers, but has been connected to Uber and Leet.
But right as they were about to enter, about 100 guys showed up and attempted to intimidate them.
But, well, Firewatch is professional and loaded up with my gear that is borderline indestructible inside that new obelisk's range.
Plus, Aspirant is a kung fu master in diamond armor; the guy has every right to feel tough.
Not to mention the PRT trucks that were with us for backup.
So I genuinely wasn't sure what they were trying to accomplish with the mob, other than possibly some PR thing about police brutality, to obscure that we might have actually found an Uber and Leet location for once.
… And then the cape showed up, and suddenly things had a possibility of getting real.
Taylor tried her best to intimidate our side, so I, well, stopped her.
Because Harry Potter magic is all about utility, even if I don't have much to fight people with from it, certain things can be done easily.
And muting a person for about 8 hours is one of those things.
Plus, the "did I leave the oven on?" charm, which makes people just kind of wander off.
All of this was going according to the plan:
1. Mute the enemy capes/leaders to keep them from inciting violence.
2. Set up the "these are not the wards you're looking for" effect (as Emily calls it).
3. Do not seem threatening, and allow the crowd to disperse peacefully.
But I did run into a bit of a snag.
Because the Wolves apparently decided I was protecting my pack (aka Firewatch) from disaster (our lady of escalation) and so started awooing.
It was adorable, and I knew that it would give some kind of boost when they did that, but I wasn't expecting my magical control to go haywire.
The thing is, the perk did mention getting boosted from their awoos, what it failed to mention was that as I started the "mute Taylor" spell, that my magical reserves and channeling capacity would double.
I didn't just end up overcharging the spell, I massively overcharged that thing!
But part of the plan is to seem calm and in control.
So I just finished it, had my staredown with Taylor, then let her start to leave when she decided to.
...
Honestly, things had mostly calmed down, with the dockworkers slowly pulling away, but I guess one of them was a bit too excited to be evil because I heard a yelp and saw some fucker kicking one of the wolves.
So I did the obvious thing and teleported him to Boon Island, an abandoned rock about 7 miles from shore, and then got back in under a minute.
I quickly turned back to human and had my tablet read out, "The next person to hurt a dog gets left IN the Atlantic, not just near it."
Then Taylor turned a back around and we had an awesome "acknowledge each other" nod and she left.
I wish I could say I walked in the other direction like a badass, but alas for me, there was paperwork that had to be done on site if possible.
…
Oh, and Emily wasn't even that mad about teleporting the guy; she just asked where he was so she could send a boat out… Tomorrow. Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Reading fiction, LogicExtreme11, noka133 and 5 othersOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 46: Friday, April 1st Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#50Seems I'm not the only one branching out lately.
I found out that sis finally got over her endless pining for that chameleon, Dean.
I guess she and Addison have been spending most of their days together since their at the same levels in tutoring, so she finally got sick of his boyscout routine and asked him out.
So as I was having an epic staredown with the Queen of Escalation, sis was going on a date.
Though I guess the whole thing ended kinda funny since there were like 20 people tailing them the whole time, and sis can tell that kind of thing from her "person-shaped space I can't warp" sense.
So eventually she got fed up and decided to take a page out of my "spontaneous Canada trip" playbook while also reminding people why she's got the "evacuate the city and call in an airstrike" rating, by warping a line all the way to NYC and getting pizza with Addison.
So sis is back to being awesome, if she can just manage trustworthy, things'll be perfect!
…
Also, it seemed like such a shame to let April Fools pass me by without rolling, but in hindsight, it might have been for the best if I had…
Partitioning the Gift - Ars Magica
Base Cost: 100cp
Lore: Born beneath a veiled star and marked by unseen hands, you awaken to the Gift: a single window into the secret music of Creation. One Form - and no more. Yet from that narrow keyhole, miracles may yet spill forth: the power to call storms, heal wounds, break minds, or mold stone as clay. Beware: the world recoils from such power, and every boon carries a curse unseen. Wield it wisely, for the Gift opens many doors... but bars far more.
Details:
You gain 50 points to cast spells with, one point per level in a spell.
Points recharge 1 per hour, or 50 after a long rest.
Roll a D10: You can cast any Technique, but only your rolled Form.
(Rolled D10 = Vim )
Addons: 450cp
Your Form is claimed, but 90% of the Gift remains.
You can grant 1/45th of the gift to 45 people who see you as a friend, teammate, or similar.
The gift lasts as long as they are alive unless explicitly specified before it is granted, or if they willingly and without coercion surrender it.
Roll a D5 from the 5 techniques (Creo, Intellego, Muto, Perdo, Rego) then you are able to pick which of the 9 remaining Forms (Animal, Aquam, Auram, Corpus, Herbam, Ignem, Imaginem, Mentem, and Terram) you think would suit this person best. However, so long as there is at least one Form available, you must pick it. These empowered people have the same 50-point pool as you do, with which to cast spells.
Final Cost: 550cp
Bank: 650cp
Because on the one hand, this is an obvious yes, but on the other, I've just gotten used to being a walking unhackable IRC, and now apparently I'm a power-granting Trump, too!
Not to mention that this one isn't so much learned as shoved into my head.
Oh, sure, I'll need to practice the actual casting a lot (and by practice I mean clone will), but I've got a bunch of combinations in my head all of the sudden, and it seems like this roll is determined to make me every kind of trump.
I can enhance people a bit, but importantly, I have the ability to interfere with or even cancel certain types of effects, and I figure there's a decent chance this'll work on cape BS if I use the write spells.
So like I said. I'm the kind of Trump the public is afraid of and the kind capes are at the same time, and it's all from that one stupid perk!
But what was I supposed to do, reject it?
Hah, as if!
...
Still, silver-lining is, I actually have 90 points thanks to the robes Clone wears, and if I'm in obelisk range, the spells will be cheaper and more powerful.
So whenever they decide I'm not Teacher 2.0, I should be able to make the PRT the biggest cape group in the city, by 2 or 3 times! Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Reading fiction, noka133, S1m0nWr1t3 and 4 othersOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 47: Sunday, April 3rd Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#51They put me in M/S quarantine…
There was a tense moment when that robotic voice commanded me to send the wolves away, but I just did a reply:all in the "Official" server:
"Heads up, from the M/S Quarantine Cell - If you assholes foam the wolfpack, then I'm done pretending to be restricted or confined in any way by you or your fearmongering bullshit."
There was a minute of silence that felt different, then the voice just came back with a "message received," and the pack has stayed.
I guess things were getting too good lately.
It's important to remember that no matter how nice they are about it, the PRT thinks of me as a tool, and no matter how much I may like their individual members, I need to remember that the PRT itself is just a means to an end.
One way or another, the current arrangement is Temporary, even if it probably won't be me that pushes things too far.
…
Regardless of what else they're the PRT is an attempt to contain the parahuman problem. One that's becoming clearer to everyone as insufficient as time goes on.
At some point, the demand will be:
"Submit, or Die!"
And my answer will need to be:
"No, you."
…
But you know… more poetic and stuff.
Maybe I'll say some kind of "give me liberty or give me death!" kinda line… yeah, that'd be cool.
…
Still, M/S is a lot more zen in the middle of a puppy pile than as a single person like last time.
…
Oh, and I rolled, since I might as well.
I guess they put the machine in here somewhere, because the voice came back and ordered me to reject whatever the roll was, but a middle finger is a pretty clear response, me thinks. :3
Cult of Mystery - Honey, I Joined a Cult
Base Cost: 100cp
Lore:
You didn't just stumble into this life, you crafted it, weaving half-truths and twisted promises into a tapestry of obedience. Your kingdom isn't forged in steel but in whispered doctrines and shattered wills. Every follower is a piece on your board, every secret kept a blade in the dark. The world outside may sneer and hunt you, but within your walls, your word is law, and your cult thrives on faith, fear, and the fine art of plausible deniability.
Details:
There exists a Cult dedicated to the Celestial System on your world. They have recently discovered that you wield an artifact connected to it (the Celestial Grimoire) and have assigned 20 priests to get to the region where you live and start protilitising in your name.
Essentially, a small group of fairly strange PR agents, they are guaranteed to have your best interests at heart and will do their best to improve your reputation within the community and nation.
They will avoid direct interaction with you or your team, as they would classify this as interference with the will of their deity.
Addons: -50cp the Cult counts as your "allies" for the sake of rolls, and will do their best to work with your team, rather than completely in the background. Also, they have been granted a mild version of the [Blank] perk by the Celestial Grimoire in order to keep up their efforts from being derailed by outside forces.
Final Cost: 150cp
Bank: 200cp
Oh, well, I guess there's the downside to a few medium rolls.
Guess I should hold off for a bit.. Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Reading fiction, noka133, S1m0nWr1t3 and 3 othersOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 48: Tuesday, April 5th Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#52"By accepting this power, you hereby consent to the following conditions: any use of it against Saga Tara Byrne, whether direct or indirect, or any continued association exceeding seventy-two hours with an organization opposed to her, shall result in automatic and immediate termination of the power. The grant shall remain valid for exactly one hundred consecutive days from the moment of acceptance, subject to expiration at that time, with possible reinstatement should materially identical conditions exist."
Man, did the PRT hate me adding that clause!
Especially since they know these powers could be permanent, but after their BS, I'm refusing to grant them without this clause.
So now they're off to do legal stuff over a power they'd have gotten for free if they hadn't punished me for rolling a scary power.
Also, Firewatch, Albus, and the Ninja get first pick.
I've even got their contract made up:
"By accepting this power, you agree that it shall remain with you so long as you serve Saga Tara Byrne and in no way act against her; but if you turn it upon her, or align yourself with her enemies for more than seventy-two hours, it shall be revoked instantly and without appeal."
We'll see how much is left by the time the PRT makes up its various minds.
…
Oh, and I guess there's something new going on with my cape-ovision, since it turns out Taylor not only still has both arms, but her powers aren't even Bug themed, yet I'm pretty sure it's Khepri I'm seeing.
Still, it could be worse; at least she moves and acts like a person, even if the costume is off.
Also, she's still really bad at names, so somehow my Joking submission of "Queen Administrator" has ended up as her working title, while I was in M/S.
Shit, does she have human-master powers?
Do they know something I don't?
I can only see that she's listed as a Thinker-Trump, but that could mean a million things, and with QA, probably literally means a few million things…
…
Oh, also in hindsight, this moves like a normal person, but the wrong costume thing might just be a protagonist thing, since Glory Girl was kinda glowy, but otherwise just seemed like a college student in a sweet jacket.
Missy, Vicky, Taylor.
Yeah, no coincidence that these would be the three least affected by my cape-o-sight.
…
Also, I'm getting worried about the Uber and Leet rumors.
Capes are rarely willing or able to hold off on things like revenge for this long, and Tinkers only get progressively worse with additional time to build up.
But even Dragon can't get much of a Video out of a series of raids on buildings they'd already left, or where the dockworker's non-cape-related shady stuff totally wasn't happening (wink, wink).
…
But since he's both a friend and sis's new boyfriend, I've decided to grant Addison the first roll of the new Power-Grabbing-Trump thing.
I'll just give him the service contract, but replace all the uses of my name with Missy.
Easy as cake. Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Reading fiction, LogicExtreme11, noka133 and 5 othersOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 49: Thursday, April 7th Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#53Well, now I just kinda feel bad…
Though Addison seemed happy enough about it.
…
He accepted the contract for the magic spells I can grant.
"By accepting this power, you agree that it shall remain with you so long as you serve Maeve Vidja Missy Byrne and in no way act against her; but if you turn it upon her, or align yourself with her enemies for more than seventy-two hours, it shall be revoked instantly and without appeal."
And then rolled Creo, so I explained the options, and despite having pyrokinesis and illusion magics available, he decided to become… Panacea but worse.
…
"Creo-Corpus" lets him mostly just heal people, but he's only got 50 points to my 90, so even if he's inside the Obelisk range, he can basically just do a bad impression of Amy like 15 times, then he's out.
Still, I made him a list of spells, since this power doesn't seem to grant its knowledge along with the fraction of the power.
Which is weird, since I can't cast any of this, so why do I need to have it in my head?
…
5 - Stitch the Flesh: Closes minor cuts or rashes.
7 - Straighten Bent Fingers: Fixes small bones and sprains.
8 - Ease the Fever: Removes illness symptoms.
6 - Restore Skin Tone: Removes bruising.
15 - Gift of Tireless Limbs: Strengthens muscles.
17 - Stabilize the Wounded: Prevents worsening injuries.
16 - Clear the Lungs: Relieves respiratory illnesses.
18 - Refresh the Mind: A full night's sleep.
25 - Restore the Fallen Knight: Heals major injuries.
27 - Revive the Fainting: Restores near-death victims.
28 - Purify the Blood: Removes toxins from the body.
30 - Mend the Broken Spine: Fixes severe skeletal injuries.
35 - Regain the Prime Form: Mends grievous injuries.
40 - Renew the Vitality: Cures magical diseases.
50 - Recreate the Lost Limb: Restores lost limbs.
…
And sure, "Recreate the Lost Limb" sounds awesome, until you realize that casting that spell takes forever, and Panacea can do it by moving body fat around as long as she's awake, whereas Addison's got two in the tank, and only if he does both in Obelisk range.
Though it's not all bad, "Refresh the Mind" and "Restore Skin Tone" are probably gonna make him popular with the troopers, so it's all about silver lining's I guess.
…
Still, Emily was pleased, since she was able to talk Dauntless around into making Addison a PRT Ward so he could get some "leadership experience" and, in the meantime, the PRT now has a healer, even if his healings are gonna be rationed.
Still, it works out for me, since if Addison is my "Team Leader," then sis should hopefully take the hint and try hanging out without Assault and Battery trying to shove in every time.
…
Addison even loves the wolves, though it's sad he's too much of a Boy-Scout for any teasing to work.
I even spent a bit calling him "supreme glorious comrade leader," and he just continued on like I said his name, the spoilsport. Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Reading fiction, LogicExtreme11, noka133 and 5 othersOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 50: Friday, April 8th Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#54Today was a lot, so I'm just going to list out all the magic powers that were given and the basic theme of their spells in the order I gave them to people:
Missy (Wards) Creo-Ignem: Firebending, plus it's strangely cheap in terms of points for what it does.
Fox (Himself??) Rego-Mentem: This one's just straight-up master powers, but there literally isn't anyone I trust more than Fox, and he promised not to be mean or boring with it, so I think it'll probably be fine.
Albus (Tenkō-no-Tomo) Muto-Terram: Basically transfiguration, but he really wanted to study how Ars Magica does his favorite subject, so he got this.
Asuka (Tenkō-no-Tomo) Muto-Corpus: Shapeshifting, scale grows with spent points.
Raymond (Firewatch) Perdo-Imaginem: Becomes a master with higher-level spells, but he was mostly interested in the lower-level stuff, which is a bunch of utility spells like suppressing a single sound, up to just muting sound in an area. He thinks this will go perfectly with the 3x invisibility potions (which do nothing for sound, unfortunately.)
Casey (Firewatch) Muto-Imaginem: Illusions, though a bit more focused on hiding things or people.
Edmund (Firewatch) Rego-Aquam: Waterbending, kinda underpowered, but it's unclear how much water he'd have control over, so we'll see.
William (Firewatch) Creo-Terram: Spontaneous fortifications made of stone.
Ansel (Firewatch) Intellego-Herbam: He's a hippy now? I guess he talks to plants, and they tell him things that have happened near them? Seems like a low-level thinker power, but he seems really excited about it, so I guess it's that saying, "One man's trash is another's treasure."
Alex (Firewatch) Intellego-Animal: We were kind of low on good options, but Alex is now determined to get himself a pet Sparrowhawk or Merlin somehow that he intends to bond with using this power.
Sandra (Firewatch) Perdo-Ignem: Another kind of specific one; she can remove fire, but it's the kind of thing that'll be great when it does come up.
Chris (Wards) Muto-Terram: He can shape materials like stone and metal. I don't think this sounded precise enough for tinkering, but he wanted to give it a shot.
Aspirant (Firewatch) Creo-Corpus: Another healer, he was fine with being team healer along with Tank, but this is the other half of his "non-bullet-proof brute" thing. So now he can take it and heal if someone gets a lucky shot.
Aegis (Wards) Rego-Auram: Basically, airbending is kind of expensive for what it does, but he can fly for free, so it's more relevant for him.
…
I wasn't going to do any more wards, but Aegis was on patrol with Chris when I found him, and everyone says he's a good guy, so I went with it. I also discovered he's a protagonist, since he just seems like a guy in costume. Hell, since he was on patrol at the time, I probably was seeing what someone actually looks like for once.
…
Also, I learned I could stop midway because Emily was wary to begin with and didn't like any of the Perdo options (they're all about destroying or killing stuff), so I broke it off.
I can start again, but she's still got Perdo every time, so we're just going to leave it be, sadly. Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Reading fiction, LogicExtreme11, noka133 and 5 othersOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 51: PRT: Uber and Leet, April 9th 2011 Report Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#55Parahuman Response Team: East North East – Brockton Bay Division
Incident Report
Date: April 9, 2011,
Classification: Villain Activity – Uber & Leet
Reference Code: ULLive.2011.04.09
Executive Summary:
On April 9th, 2011, Uber and Leet executed a coordinated, citywide criminal operation designed to maximize spectacle, draw Protectorate and PRT attention, and enable simultaneous thefts by affiliated operatives. The event was broadcast live across multiple online platforms, styled after the aesthetics and themes of the indie video game *Hotline Miami*.
The operation succeeded in spreading PRT and Protectorate resources thin. While the central spectacle produced significant property damage downtown, 19 of 20 planned raids by operatives were completed with stolen assets secured and escape effected. One team was intercepted and neutralized due to effective coordination between the PRT auxiliary squad, Firewatch, and PRT-Ward Phoenix.
Main Spectacle: (Uber and Leet)
At approximately 1840 hours, Uber and Leet initiated their stream by driving a heavily modified van through the downtown district. The vehicle was reinforced with layered armor plating and customized for high mobility. The pair were dressed in Hotline-style masks and retro clothing, with Leet handling technical systems and Uber performing to the camera.
Their actions included:
Deploying strobe grenades, smoke projectors, and sound cannons to disorient civilians and responding officers.Performing staged "executions" of mannequins dressed as PRT troopers, complete with pixelated overlays and score counters projected by Leet's rig.Smashing windows of storefronts and office buildings in a choreographed sequence to maximize visibility and spectacle.Broadcasting a constant narration themed after *Hotline Miami, mocking the Protectorate as "cops chasing pixels while the real players farm loot."Uber and Leet remained highly mobile, drawing pursuit through several downtown blocks. Protectorate members Assault, Battery, Dauntless, Armsmaster, and Velocity engaged in pursuit and crowd control, but the villains continually evaded capture by abandoning vehicles, seeding confusion with decoys, and maintaining unpredictable routes.
Simultaneous Raids: (1900–2100 hours)
While Uber and Leet drew concentrated focus, operatives (16 total individuals, divided into 3-4 person cells) conducted a series of coordinated smash-and-grab style raids across the city.
Targets:
Cash-focused: 3 payday loan offices, 8 ATMs.
Electronics-focused: 1 computer retailer and electronics warehouse, 6 small data centers.
Government/PRT-focused: 1 PRT satellite storage depot, 1 municipal communications office.
Methods:
Crews employed Tinkertech equipment provided by Leet. Each device was deliberately styled to resemble improvised Hotline Miami weapons. Examples include:
Resonance hammers capable of shattering reinforced doors.EMP shotguns disable electronic locks and alarm systems.Plasma cutters used to breach safes and ATM housings.Smoke/strobe generators to create sensory confusion.Each raid lasted 3–11 minutes, with crews entering, looting, and exiting rapidly. Civilian injuries were minimal due to intentional avoidance of confrontation. The crews fled in stolen civilian vehicles, abandoning them for fresh vehicles after each raid, complicating pursuit and tracking.
Exception: Interception at Dockside
At 1950 hours, one three-man crew attempted to breach the PRT satellite storage depot located on Dockside. This target had been previously flagged as vulnerable to attack, and PRT auxiliary squad Firewatch was deployed nearby in anticipation.
Ward Phoenix (in avian changer form) provided high-altitude overwatch. Her surveillance enabled Firewatch to confirm the assailants approach vector and prepare an ambush.
When the crew initiated their breach with a resonance hammer, Firewatch deployed concussive munitions to disorient, followed by foam restraints to immobilize.
Phoenix maintained overwatch, confirming no reinforcements or secondary threats.
Engagement lasted ~90 seconds, ending with all three suspects captured alive and their equipment secured.
This represented the only successful interception among the 14 simultaneous raids.
Damage Assessment
Property Damage: Estimated $8.8 million, with downtown storefronts bearing the bulk of costs due to Uber and Leet's highly visible spectacle.
Stolen Assets: Estimated $3.2 million in cash, electronics, and computer hardware.
Civilian Impact: No fatalities reported. 37 minor and 7 moderate injuries, primarily due to trampling or accidental exposure to smoke/strobe effects.
Operational Costs: Protectorate and PRT resources were severely overextended, with multiple squads diverted to tracking Uber and Leet's movements rather than intercepting crews.
Analysis
Uber and Leet achieved their primary objective:
Maximizing visibility and humiliation of the PRT/Protectorate.Broadcasting an uninterrupted live feed of their activities.Successfully enabling 19 of 20 raids with minimal interference.The coordinated spectacle and simultaneous raids represent a significant escalation in Uber and Leet's operational sophistication. The use of thematic tinkertech gear tied directly into the Hotline Miami aesthetic, reinforcing their reputation for spectacle-driven crime while simultaneously profiting from the distraction.
While the Firewatch/Phoenix interception at Dockside demonstrates that proactive intelligence and coordinated response can yield results, the broader operation underscores vulnerabilities in the current deployment strategy when confronted with simultaneous, citywide diversionary actions.
Recommendations
Expand aerial surveillance capabilities, both parahuman (e.g., Phoenix) and technological, to track dispersed raiding parties.Develop rapid-response "net" tactics to counter Uber and Leet's mobile distraction strategies.Monitor online platforms more aggressively for pre-event chatter, potential leaks, or coded announcements tied to gaming culture.Increase security at known PRT and municipal depots to reduce vulnerability to opportunistic raids.Filed by:
PRT Intelligence Division: Brockton Bay
Reviewed by: Director Emily Piggott and Deputy Director Grant Renoch.
Filed: April 10, 2011
Actions Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Reading fiction, noka133, S1m0nWr1t3 and 5 othersOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 52: PRT: Dr. Grant Renoch, Deputy Director's Fireside Chat (April 10th, 2011) Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#56