Search Posts
While I'm sad to read this, it's probably for the best, yes. No hard feelings at all on my end. Thanks everyone—it was a pleasure to play with you.
Ahmad sighs, stands up, calmly walks to a wall with a light switch, and then stares at the Hatter who cracked his neck. “You can skip the exercise, it won’t really help stopping that bullet coming right through your left eye in two days. I am sorry, but your partner will move on and live a better life than if you had remained alive.” He turns the lights off and yells to the other people inside: “if you run away now they won’t really remember your faces. If one of you stays behind they’ll use you as human shields.”
Listening to the TV, Ahmad raises an eyebrow. “So…I guess we are in some sort of alternate reality? This world’s Sara is doing well, I’m happy for her.” He then tries to focus on Oscar and trying to find a future in which the man actually finishes his sentence, but apparently there isn’t one. “You think we should come over to the Hatters and make friends? That’s a wonderful idea. “Actually…isn’t that woman over there lieutenant Provost, the one that was taking care of the murder site back in Sioux Falls? Should I go over? Rani, do they have the marks on their heads like us?”
Two seconds before Oscar points at their table, Ahmad begins waving. “I hope they come over. I can see them coming over, not coming over, and the bunny kicking Oscar in the groin.”
Ahmad welcomes the chance to sit down: it was a very exhausting experience to be blind, but at the same time know exactly where each possible movement would lead him. He doesn’t order anything, ready to take Rani’s plate when she pushes it away. “So. We went through that portal. I remember seeing…some dude. Or hallucinating? He was like me, but older and had that sort of creepy, milky white eyes you see in films, you know? And then, well, when I woke up I was blind? So I guess I am him? Did something like that happen to you too?” Noticing the white bunny, Ahmad takes a bit off his pizza. “Oscar, you’ll turn around in six seconds, see a giant bunny and wonder whether you should talk to him. I think you should. Don’t mention Alice, he’ll get offended.”
Ahmad blinks. “I cannot really see. Not with my eyes, at least. But…I…know things…before they happen?” He turns to the pizza joint, hears the pizzaiola spreading the dough. “She will be very tired in about two hours and will go out for a smoke and then…”
“Oh, the poor thing, she is going to get scared and burn herself. But she might also get a call and it’s girlfriend dumping her? But that depends, the girlfriend is still thinking about it…and I still cannot see the door.” His head hurts, his attention shifts to another strand of fate. “Wait. The hairdresser. He will lie to the cops, if we ask nicely. I see him going out a backdoor.”
Ahmad frowns, confused. He needs to take care of the others—he knows that a part of him knows more than they do and that they depend on him, but he cannot access that part. Not right now, at least. So, with the full wit of a helpless high school teacher out of his depth, he stutters a reply before closing the call. “Uh, sorry, wrong number, pal.” Well, at least that closed down a few possible futures. There’s less to choose from and less to look at. “So, hey, uh, folks? We, well, someone’s set us up. It’s going to look real bad if the police finds us here. Also, that’s Bryce. He’s dead. The police will put his body in a black bag that looks like just a regular trash bag but is much thicker. The woman who will put him in the bag will have a problem with alcohol; mezcal, of all things…” Ahmad continues giving more details about the woman until someone interrupts him.
Oscar’s voice rescues Ahmad from a maelström of possibilities and futures. Part of him wants to say hallucinations, but he knows better know—oh, boy, he knows much better than he actually wanted to. “I…wouldn’t know, to be honest. If I look like a ghost, I mean. I think I’m blind…?” Paradoxically, he takes his phone from his pocket and stares at it. “I think they're calling me.”
I believe my posting rate will improve somewhat as I'm finally reaching something like a "settled" status in the new house, but it will take some time until I reach the 1 post/day rhythm. For what it's worth, it is usually easier for me to post tuesday-friday than saturday-monday.
I'm also interested in continuing, though I understand if the long wait between posts has demotivated the GM or other players.
Ahmad finally wakes up, shakes his head and opens his eyes. Then, he tries opening them again. That’s funny, this really isn’t working, is it? “Where the hell are we? And why is it so dark in here?” He stands up, surprised at how well he can keep his balance even in the dark. Oscar, Rani and Taryn see not the slightly chubby counsellor of Sioux High, but an older and wrinklier version of Ahmad wearing much more austere clothing: a black suit with a white shirt, both clearly very expensive. Perhaps the biggest change of all, however, is how his eyes seem covered by a milky white membrane. Before he can say anything else, his brain is inundated with images, sounds and smells: the alley where they are standing right now, but also in a few moments and also in a month and in a year, all meshed together: the corpse, someone writing something on the wall, a small altar someone will put up where the body was found, a dog giving birth to five puppies (one stillborn) and who knows what more because Ahmad almost passes out right there and then. Oh, wait, that’s important. “Oscar, roll to the left or the rat will pee on you. You won’t get sick but it will take days to get the smell off your clothes.”
Ah, sorry! I completely misunderstood the XP bit. I thought it was one advancement per XP. I'll remove it from the sheet. Regarding the broad tag: got it. I will try to narrow it down some more. Thanks for the patience ;)
I have addressed your feedback (thanks for that, btw!) and chosen the 3 advancements. Let me know if there’s anything that looks weird. In any case, I think Ahmad Tiresias should be ready. Theme: Bastion (Mythos):
Power tags A. What quality or ability granted by your Mythos most often protects you? Can’t die B. What means do you have of extending protection to others?
H. Who or what were your powers meant to protect?
Weakness
Advancements
On a 10+, they take no status and you take the status with -1 tier.
Theme: Divination (Mythos):
Power tags A. What Allows you to uncannily know things you wouldn’t normally know? I can see the future G. In what ways have your normal senses been enhanced by your Mythos?
I. How can you affect others with your power?
Weakness
Advancements
Ahead of the Game
Theme: Relic (Mythos):
Power tags A. What is the main useful feature or part of your relic? Make phone calls to the dead D. What cosmetic attributes does your relic possess?
I. What happens when your relic goes into overdrive?
Weakness
Theme: Personality (Logos): Power tags A. What lies at the core of your personality? Desire to protect C. What interpersonal skills do you have thanks to your personality?
I. What typically interests you?
Weakness
I am almost there and should have all tags done by tomorrow or wednesday. It's mostly a question of addressing your feedback and using XP, so if everyone else is ready, I should be good to go.
Ok, so this is what I have so far. My overall idea: Ahmad/Tiresias is blind, but sees the future so he can move about fairly well; when seeing the future is not all that useful, he has a direct line with the dead via his caduceus-phone; Tiresias can only die when he drinks from a tainted spring and/or is hit by an arrow from apollo's bow. (I'm taking some liberties with the legend of Tiresias.) Not sure I nailed creating the tags: some seem very overpowered (e.g. can't die), but I'm assuming that their usefulness is tempered by the fact they can only be used together with a move? Theme: Bastion (Mythos):
The idea here is that Ahmad basically just throws himself in front of stuff because he knows most of it won't kill him. Instead of dying when he is really badly wounded, Ahmad's body changes: he might become a woman, an old man, etc. Power tags
B. What means do you have of extending protection to others?
H. Who or what were your powers meant to protect?
Weakness
Theme: Divination (Mythos):
More or less self-explanatory, I guess. He's blind, but he sees the future. He can loose track of what is a vision, what is real and whether something he foresees is a certainty or just one amongst many possibilities. Power tags
G. In what ways have your normal senses been enhanced by your Mythos?
I. How can you affect others with your power?
Weakness
Theme: Relic (Mythos):
One of the preferred divination methods of the Greek Tiresias was to consult the dead. He is also associated with the caduceus, which is a symbol of hermes, the greek god of commerce and communication. I joined those two things and thought of a phone-shaped caduceus that lets him talk to the dead to ask questions about…stuff. He can't phone his parents, he tried it. Power tags
C. What essential useful quality lies at the core of your relic?
I. What happens when your relic goes into overdrive?
Weakness
Theme: Personality (Logos): In this world, both Ahmad's parents died under mysterious circumstances. He is pushier in his desire to protect people and with all the power he has now he won't be afraid to force people to do "what's best for them". Power tags
C. What interpersonal skills do you have thanks to your personality?
I. What typically interests you?
Weakness
Just posting to say I am still here and should have a first version of CoM Ahmad this weekend. From what the DM says, the tags are more important than the themes themselves, but for reference I will probably take Divination, Bastion, Relic and Defining Event as Ahmad's themes.
Portal: This was…actually pretty close to what Ahmad was expecting. The void, cryptic sludge-people, promises of power beyond imagination—he had watched enough fantasy movies to know the drill. Most of all, he knew that it was always a bad idea to strike a deal with forces beyond his ken. And yet, the blind man just seemed so trustworthy. Ahmad wasn't ready for that. Perhaps it was the skin colour, perhaps it was the white robes, perhaps the funny accent. Or perhaps Ahmad was just in a really desperate mood. However he later justified his decision, the fact remained that, this time, he didn't fight back. He would have definitely appreciated some foreplay, but Ahmad welcomed the man anyway.
1) Did you conclude the current mystery (the current mystery being around the wolf man, not around the missing little girl)?
2) Did you save someone from certain death (or worse)?
3) Did you learn something new and important about the world?
4) Did you learn something new and important about one of the hunters?
Ahmad watches each one of the hunters enter the portal. What the hell is he doing here? He's just a high school teacher. He can serve as a meat shield, he can throw a punch, and he can drive a van. Are there vans on the other side? Or just some weird sludge world? He sends a message to Fatima: 'mom, a friend of a friend is having a major breakdown. It's in that town nearby, I'm driving now and will probably sleep there tonight. Love you so much, keep safe and don't go out at night, ok? xoxo' He takes another step and a deep breath. Phone still in hand, he sends a message to a psychic hotline: 'Should I step through this portal?' He laughs bitterly — "how long will I keep fooling myself?" — and steps through the portal before the reply arrives.
He returns just as Oscar manages to stabilise the officer. "We should get the hell out of here, first of all. And, from the sound of it, if Bryce is going after the girl, he's probably going to use that portal, right? Subtlety is not these guy's shtick, so I'm guessing we'll be able to see if he passed through easily enough…" Ahmad is basically not trying to think about the blood and the dead and the wounded right now. Also, avoiding eye-contact with Rani, which is childish but he can't really help himself.
Apologies for the lack of posting! I was moving to another country last week and the chaos surrounding it made it very hard to find a moment to read everything and write an appropriate reply. That said, I expect my posting rate to slowly increase as things settle down here. Thanks for the patience!
Ahmad watched the whole scene flashing around him. What the hell was he doing here? He's a high school teacher, not a fire-flinging wizard. And though he was certain his astral charts were nothing to be laughed at, they weren't of much use right here and now. Seeing Alfie preparing to do something that would look very much like shooting police officers to death, he quickly herded all remaining civilians away from the scene. Once that was done, he also takes a quick and frantic detour towards the CCTV terminal, doing his best to erase or corrupt whatever footage there was of the ordeal.
Ahmad hears the screams, looks at Taryn jumping through the half-broken window. Not seeing any gun nearby, he grabs a chair, breaks some more of the window and follows behind her. "Taryn! Watch out, your mars wasn't looking good!" Upon seeing the monster inside, he lets out a little panicked yelp and throws the chair against the creature, unwittingly helping his fellow monster hunter.
Oh, that’s just great. Ravenous wolf people eating normal human people isn’t enough, of course Rani had to show up. She’d at least have an actual reason to review bomb the police station. Ignoring the new arrival, he focuses on the black blob — it was probably not a good idea to let it run away and potentially dominate someone else. Ahmad reaches for a clear plastic rubbish bin and quickly puts over the thing, hoping it is less slippery and fast now that it’s been weakened.
Ahmad looks at the chaos and blood and allows himself to mutter a 'well…s@@*' before seeing Taryn attacking the creature. Half-continuing his escape from the incoming dogman, half-hoping to help her, he runs screaming at the beast, drawing its attention.
Ahmad doesn't know what happened to the creature, but he quickly realises he doesn't particularly care — he uses the opportunity to kick it away and stand up. To one side he sees Alfie who seems alive and well; running towards him would probably change that. And what about the other prisoners? Was there any sort of escape route in the jail? "Alfie! Grab Bryce and run away, I'll keep distracting these things!" Having said that, the counsellor runs back towards the main hall.
I'm down with continuing, if my currently abysmal post rate is not a problem. Can definitely think of some tags for Ahmad, mostly around divination and protection themes.
Ahmad doesn't think: he simply continues running, yelling and dodging anything that comes his way, hoping the creatures will just attack, maim, kill and/or eat one another instead of him.
Ahmad looks at the phone and frowns, then begins a substantial stream of Arabic expletives which Rani hopefully doesn’t understand. “Who are these idiots? Ugh, they’re all fakes! Why do people even do these things? I guess I know what I’ll be doing tonight…I hope I can get them all removed soon, before they scare people away. Thanks for letting me—” he stops talking when he realises that Rani was showing him this because she had posted those awful reviews. “Are you serious? YOU did this? But…why? Do you know how much effort mom has put into this? Egyptian food in a town where most people think brown bread is exotic? Wait, was this so you could get back at me in case you didn’t like my answer?” He takes a step back, shakes his head and sighs. When he next speaks, his tone is very calm and controlled. “Rani, this is not healthy behaviour. You need help — help that I cannot give you given the fact we know each other and that you have hurt me very much. I am going to go away now and message you the contacts of a couple of therapists who can help you. I hope you get in touch with them soon, for your own good.” Ahmad turns away and leaves in his van without saying anything else.
Ahmad looks at the officers being attacked with despair, having seen what the creatures are capable of and knowing that neither himself nor the cops are in any way capable of holding them off for long. They were clearly there for Bryce, so perhaps he could talk some sense into them? Or keep them busy with his own super werewolf powers? “Yo, Fido, come here boy! You want this snack, you’ll have to work for it!” He hits the monster with the rolled up newspaper and runs back to where Bryce and Alfie are, screaming ‘watch out, rabid dog on the loose’ as he does so.
Ahmad’s expression softens at the “I like you“, but his eyes go wide at the “I really like you.” He laughs and blushes, embarrassed. “That’s…wow, a bit unexpected. I can’t describe how flattered I feel…I wish I were half of the things you just said, actually. You’re great, you know that? We’ve seen some ugly stuff the last months, but I feel very lucky to have met you.” He wraps her hands in-between his and keeps his eyes on the ground for a few seconds before raising his head and looking Rani in the eyes. “But I don’t think…we feel the same way about each other? I mean, I do like you very much, but…I’m jut not that interested in coupling and all that? I like romantic comedies, but romantic relationships…not so much,” he laughs weakly at his lame joke. “I understand this hurts like hell, but I really treasure our relationship and wouldn’t want to fool you. I hope the connection we feel can continue growing…though in a different connection than the one you had in mind.”
With lightning-fast typing speed, he loads a 10-hour-long videos of dogs barking and howling, pumps up the volume and walks towards the badly-disguised werewolves, grabbing a newspaper and rolling it along the way. He approaches the deputy with the keys and whispers. “I think they’re after Bryce Campbell. You might want to check up on him.” “Who let the dogs out?” He yells and claps his hands. “Yo, Fido,” he addresses the closest of the invaders, “you looking for your friend? Is it playdate day already? Well, come and get it, you stinky mutt! I’ll show you where he is!” Ahmad slams the rolled newspaper on Fido’s muzzle and begins running out of the station if the creatures follow.
Thanks for the clarification, Rani and GM. Apologies for the delay in posting, busy weekend/start of the week. Will have something up tomorrow.
@Rani: so, before I unadvertently post something that messes up everything you've been building up for the past few weeks, what do you mean when you say you need "acceptance"? Is it more of an acknowledgement("I hear what you're saying," "wow, that's unexpected," etc) or is it reciprocation ("omg, I feel the same way, let's get married")? Or something else entirely?
A few minutes later, he meets Rani wherever she suggested they go. “So, here I am. I did see a funny alignment in your Pluto for this week, but I thought it would only kick in later.”
“Ok, yeah, that’s probably a good idea. I felt bad for him…possibly locked up for no reason on top of everything that’s happening,” Ahmad continues speaking as he tries to peek at whatever might be causing all that ruckus without losing Bryce and Alfie from his sight.
‘Hey, what’s up? Sounds serious. I’m trying to get Alfie out of jail (long story, don’t ask) but we can meet later? Or text?’
Ah, apologies, I missed some of the posts here and didn't realise I was holding up the line. Hmmmm…I mean, I'm feeling Ahmad goes a bit out of his way to twist every bad thing as if it were his fault. The flash drive wouldn't de dramatic enough. Leaving anything short of a five-star rave review about Fatima's Kitchen, though, that would be crossing the line. It can't be his fault Rani has bad taste. If we're still going for something physical, perhaps she can throw the leftovers away because the lentils were overcooked? Feel free to go wild. Get yourself banned from Fatima's Kitchen forever.
Ahmad looks at Alfie and shrugs. Bryce is clearly one of the least reliable people in this room but he knows he needs to stay on the man’s good side to get any more information. “I can try. We barely know each other, so this is going to be an awkward call. But, like, what are the odds a cop is going to go actually listen to his daughter when she asks him to free a suspect? ” After getting his reply, Ahmad unlocks his phone and dials Sarah’s phone number. “Hello, Sarah? Ms. Campbell? I’m…Fatima’s son and, well, I have sort of a weird thing to ask. Do you think it’s possible your father put Bryce in prison just out of, you know, spite? I was visiting a friend and we happened to talk, and it’s pretty clear he is worried about Alice like everyone else. I don’t know, it just sounds…unfair?”
Aware of the camera, Ahmad continues sitting on the ground as he talks to Alfie. “There’s no need, my mother can get that to us. But, man,” he says turning slightly to Bryce, “you have like 1 minute to tell us everything. The cops have no idea what they’re dealing with and I’m not sure what your wife can do against werewolves and talking blobs of…stuff. Who has Alice? Who and what are they? What do they want?”
Ahmad puts his hand to his temple. "Oh. Wow. I think…I think I'm not feeling too well all of a sudden." He leans against the bars then falls on his backside. "Everything's spinning. I need some sugar and some water. Or soda. Low-blood pressure. Can…barely…speak. Please, mister officer!"
I like Oscar's idea a lot, but if that doesn't work out Ahmad seems to be easiest target here. He could have given her a USB stick with loads of "bangers" of which he obviously he doesn't have a backup because Rani promised she'd give him back ASAP.
Ahmad looks at Bryce, then at Alfie, then at the guard, then does one more round before doing a ‘huh.’ “Hey, buddy!” He says to Alfie. “That’s a pretty crappy situation. I tried asking the detective…lieutenant…whatever what’s the deal, but he really wasn’t keen on telling me anything. Anyway, it could be worse, right? You could, I don’t know, have found a weird blob/sludge creature that promised you power and stuff, then turned into a werewolf and done who knows what. That would be way crazier and worse, right?” He’s looking directly at Bryce right now, eyes wide like a maniac. “But, even if that weird thing had happened, I’d totally have your back because if you had done that I’m sure you’d have had a really good reason because deep down you're a nice enough guy in a tough situation.” Still looking at Bryce, slowly turning his head to Alfie. “Can I do anything to help you?”
“A wire which I assume you would be monitoring at all times and would have to be worn in secrecy? That would violate his privacy in a way I would not be comfortable with. As I said, I have been accompanying Alfie for years and have yet to see any hint of dangerous behaviour, so treating him as a criminal is not something I feel comfortable with. I understand you have no reason to trust me, so it seems we have reached a standstill.” Ahmad stands up and amicably offers his hand to the officer. “My offer still stands, if the situation changes. And I will of course notify you Alfie’s situation takes an unexpected turn for the worse.” If the man is willing, Ahmad exchanges phone numbers.
“His delusions have so far always been of a fairly benign nature. I’ve watched many of his “sessions” and it’s a bit like Enya meets grief management. I’ve monitored him from a certain distance in order to make sure this behaviour does not change — say, that the ‘spirits’ don’t tell him to do bad things. Before today there has been no indication of violent behaviour on his part. I am more than willing to sign an affidavit saying all of this. “I understand if you cannot disclose this information. I will keep an eye on him anyway. But understand that if you want someone that has your person of interest’s complete trust, who can monitor him without raising any suspicions that he’s actually being observed and who has the training to handle people during a suspected psychotic episode, you can’t do much better than me.”
She needs something that can hold the bond she is trying to break, then break that thing. Rani needs to borrow something from someone and promise to safely return it. When the time comes to complete the spell, she must break the thing, thus severing the bond both physically and metaphysically. Does that make sense?
Seeing puppy eyes did not work, Ahmad continues on the offensive. “Yes, yes, of course, I understand. You’re absolutely right. It’s just…I’m sure you know the sort of thing Alfie does for a living. It’s not exactly the most sound-of-mind type of thing, right? He’s a good guy, but I keep an eye him, just to be sure these ideas of ‘spirits’ don’t progress into a further detachment from reality. If I know what is happening I can watch out for signs and warnings.”
“Sure. I’m not sure about one of them, actually, she’s more a friend of a friend who tagged along, but here are the other two.” Ahmad gives the officers Rani and Oscar’s contacts, but withholds Taryn’s — who knows what’s her legal status? Would she bite a cop’s neck if they tried to interrogate her? Better not risk it. Before Lt. Carter leaves, Ahmad gives the man his best “reliable guy” look. “So, Lieutenant, can I ask you a question? What sort of trouble is Alfie in? What is this all about? I can see why some might think he’s a charlatan, but I know him well. He’s trying to do help people, in his own way.”
Ahmad scratches his cheek and thinks for a second. “Well, Alfie and I met up with some friends and then drove around the town a bit. A couple of them are not from around the area, so we showed them the woods, outskirts, that sort of thing. Sioux Falls is small, but they liked that we were so close to nature. We thought about eating out together, but in the end everyone was pretty knackered and we just went home.”
|
