Fated Pair Old IC Thread

Quest - A quest action requires no roll to initiate, and dumps you in a 1-3 scene long adventure where the full PTU mechanical rules apply. There will be no shortage of quests made available to you, and the risks and rewards will usually be stated well in advance, and you can also come up with your own based on your character's beliefs, values, and knowledge of the world. You may take more than one quest a Weekly Turn, but you may usually only bring each of your Pokemon to one quest per week, as this will allow me to keep time abstract without worrying about tracking injuries (Spirits heal fast, so trainer injuries go away as soon as a quest is over). For each quest you will receive a set of gear - usually adventuring equipment and level appropriate Pokeballs and Medicine. If you choose to spend a research, seek advice, or manipulate action to learn more about the specifics of your quest, the gear you recieve will be more specifically useful.



Seek Advice - Ask the NPCs in your life to advise you on specific issues. Each Seek Advice action will yield five specific pieces of information. This means you may ask five NPCs one question each, one NPC five questions, or any combination in between. You may seek advice from any NPC you are on speaking terms with, although NPCs with an agenda or a dislike of your character may give bad advice. You may choose to make an intuition roll, to check for deception and/or ill intent, for each NPC you seek advice from while taking this action, but I will use RNG to decide which of those rolls apply to which NPC, so you will not necessarily know who your particularly good or bad rolls apply to. You may seek advice up to twice per weekly turn. Seek advice should only be used to ask what do you think should be done about X, and will usually only yield opinions. Most other specific requests for NPCs fall under the manipulate action.



Sit the Throne - Taking the Sit the Throne action represents spending more of your time than is required at court. Sitting the throne is a passive action that requires no roll and allows those who wish to approach you with problems and opportunities to do so. Expect to weigh in on minor local issues and legal proceedings, which are not usually handled at times the monarchs are scheduled to appear, and listen to the petitions of those who would usually be considered too unimportant to address you directly. If you are sitting the throne without your spouse, there is a good chance the assembled court will bring up ideas and topics they fear he/she might not approve of. You may sit the throne once per week on your own, and an additional time per week with your spouse.



Decree - As one half of a nearly sovereign monarchy, your power is limited only by the royal budget, a handful of Lugia's imperial decrees, and the laws of common sense. If both King and Queen spend an action to declare a decree in unison, said decree becomes the law of the land without question. If one of the monarchs decide to make a unilateral decree, they must make a (often difficult) command roll to convince the assembled court to approve it.



Explore/Hunt - The Explore and Hunt actions can be used on any location you have seen on a map or have been made aware of through a Quest, RP, or another weekly action. Explore/Hunt actions use various skill rolls. Survival is used in untamed wilderness areas, Stealth in hostile locations, Athletics or Acrobatics if you intend to explore/hunt while mounted, Perception or intuition in highly populated areas, Command in territory you control, and Charm or Guile if you intend to conduct your hunt/exploration via socialization with the local NPC population. On a roll of 8+, an explore action yields interesting and often positive results of the GM's choosing that are never directly harmful to your character. A hunt action has you looking for something specific, and the DC for finding it varies based on how rare/difficult/specific your quarry is to find in your chosen location. To hunt for an exact Pokemon or item, you must have learned through research, RP, questing, manipulation, or other means that your specific quarry is in the area. Should your character take fewer quests than his/her counterpart on a given turn, or if you are hunting something crazy like a Master Ball or exceedingly powerful Pokemon, the GM reserves the right to ignore your roll and turn the Explore/Hunt action into a proper encounter at his discretion. You may take as many explore/hunt actions as you like each weekly turn.



Research - Research is the act of using a library or archive to find either general or specific information on a given topic. To conduct research, you must have knowledge of and access to a library or archive. Each library and/or archive is different in terms of information contained, the skill used to research within, and the difficulty of research. A collection of maps and military orders from the Blue Front, for example, might require combat skill to study, and yield all sorts of information about the military tactics and history of the Front and their enemies. You may conduct research specifically in pursuit of another action you wish to take on this or a future weekly turn, and if successful can expect some sort of boon or reduction in DC to help you along. You may conduct as many research actions as you like on a single weekly turn.



Experiment - To experiment is to use a lab/workstation to fiddle with an item(s) and/or a willing or helpless NPC/Pokemon. You must have knowledge of and access to a lab or workstation to conduct experiments. The exact lab or workstation you are using dictates the risk, difficulty, material and subjects used, skill required, cost, and expected results of the experiments you are permitted to preform. It is possible, albeit usually difficult, to learn new homebrew recipes through experimentation. Experiments on oneself or ones' Pokemon is a very high risk and high reward endeavor.



Training - Training is the art of honing the physical and mental abilities of yourself and your Pokemon at some public institution such as a dojo or under a willing instructor. This is somewhat different from the basic training rules given by the PTU rulebook, which are covered under Private Labor. The costs, skill roll, DC, and rewards of training depend on the institution or dojo. Depending on the trainer or institution you can gain Pokemon EXP, Trainer EXP, tutor points, temporary boons for your next encounter, and progress towards homebrew feats/edges/abilities/moves/ect from successful training. You may conduct as many training actions as you like per week, but there are limits to how many times you or one of your Pokemon may benefit from training. Each individual may only benefit from a weekly number of physical training sessions equal to their athletic skill rank, and a number of mental training sessions equal to their focus skill rank. On weekly turns with little questing going on, a training session may be resolved with a proper encounter as opposed to a simple skill check.



Private Labor - Private Labor is the use of a weekly turn action to account for time spent conducting the extended actions allowed by the PTU rules. When conducting private labor, you may use as many of your non-combat features, recipes, Pokemon abilities, and edges as you like, apply your training features to your all your Pokemon (which will last through the end of the week), break down any items you wish for scrap, and conduct five days worth of EXP training. When crafting, you have a budget of 800 monnies times your trainer level in addition to scrap and funds you have managed to secure from elsewhere. You may conduct private labor once per weekly turn.

{Roommate} or {House Staff} - The Roommate or House Staff tag simply means that this NPC can be easily found around your place of residence. Roommates and House Staff are always available for RP. If a Roommate or House Staff decides to act against you, they will likely be in a better position to cause you harm than most.

{Personally Trusted} - This tag indicates an NPC that you trust and have allowed access to your home. Such NPCs may approach you unsolicited with quests or opportunities that may not be safe to discuss at a public meeting of the royal court. If a trusted NPC decides to act against you, they will likely be in a better position to cause you harm than most. If you are dwelling with your spouse, a Trusted NPC has the same upper hand towards harming them as well. If you have many Personally Trusted NPC friends, conducting Private Labor in your home will also become a private Sit the Throne Action, but you will have to sleep with one eye open. You may declare any NPC to be Personally Trusted at any given time via Free Social Action. Revoking your trust without good reason is a great way to piss an NPC off.

{Personal Partisan}, {National Partisian}, and/or {Willing (Personal/National) Partisan} - A Partisan is somebody who has your back and is always willing to take your side on a given issue. Manipulation actions to ask reasonable favors of a Partisan always succeed. Personal Partisans might not care about the intrests of the kingdom or your spouse, and in turn national partisans might react poorly if used for personal gain. You will almost always have plenty of warning before a Partisan turns against you. To gain a Partisan, you must have multiple positive interactions with your chosen mark until they gain the {Willing Partisan} tag, at which point you can make them a Partisan with a Free Social Action. You may have a number of personal partisans equal to your command rank. The kingdom may have six national partisans, and these slots may be filled by either monarch. Most partisans will take being fired or replaced poorly.

{Personal Minion}, {Personal Minion (Mobility X)}, {Personal Minion (Small or Tiny) or {Willing Minion} - A personal minion is a friendly NPC who seeks glory and adventure at your side. When gaining a minion, you will be given some basic instructions to gen that character up yourself. It is a free social action to request that a minion join you on an upcoming quest. Manipulate actions to convince a minion to seek out specific and reasonable training is automatically successful. To gain a minion, you must use a manipulate action to request the service of an NPC of unremarkable rank or station, or to request that an NPC with command over others grant you an underling. You may have as many minions as you are willing to gen up, but you are generally limited to only bringing as many minions to a quest as you can carry on your back in spirit form via your mountable capability. Small minions take up only half a mountable slot, and tiny minions only a third. Minions who live in an area where you are partaking in a quest may always tag along regardless of carrying capacity. Convincing your spouse to carry extra minions for you on a quest you are tackling together is allowed. Minions may have a means of keeping up with your Hypersonic Flight over various distances, which will be reflected with a mobility value in their minion tag.

{Personal Lobbyist (Faction)} or {Court Lobbyist (Faction)} - A Lobbyist is an NPC sent by some faction or another, most often a neighboring kingdom or spiritual order, to try and influence your actions. Manipulate actions to seek a quest or opportunity that benefits a Lobbyist's cause always succeed and never require a roll. If you have a history of aiding a lobbyist's cause, almost all manipulate interactions against said lobbyist will be made easier.

{Personal Antagonist}, {Personal Rival}, or {Enemy of the Kingdom} - These tags all represent NPCs that you know are acting against you. Personal Antagonists are individuals who act against you with some personal ill will. Personal Rivals are seeking to complete some shared and often mutually exclusive goal before you do. An enemy of the state is somebody who actively seeks to harm Magikarp Pass or undermine its interests. You can declare somebody an Antagonist or Rival as a Free Social Action. You can declare somebody an Enemy of the Kingdom with a Decree action. Of course, some NPCs will declare themselves as such with no action required on your part. These hostile NPCs will act independently, and you will likely hear of their progress at court from time to time if you don't keep tabs on them yourself. Struggling against and cleaning up after Antagonists, Rivals, and Enemies will of course grant extra opportunities of all sorts.

{(Physical/Mental) Instructor (X Pokemon, Y Trainers)} - This tag indicates somebody willing to help you complete a training action. The tag indicates if the training provided is phyiscal or mental, and how many trainers and/or Pokemon can be taught at once.

{Delegated}, {Delegated (Time Remaining)}, or {Awaiting Check-in} - These tags indicate that you (or your spouse) have used a manipulation action to assign this NPC a task. Sometimes the NPC will give you a fairly accurate guess as to how long it will take to complete the given task, and after that amount of time elapses their tag changes to {Awaiting Check-in}, at which point you may check in with them as a free social action. If you do not get an estimate, you must use your best judgement as to when it is okay check in with them; Constant badgering of an NPC over a task may piss it off or throw it off its game. If the delegated task is not a sensitive matter, the NPC may approach you in court when they are finished.

Crocus' fish like face and body endowed with gems matches the description of The Theif of Lightning, one of the three Timeless who stole a spirit form from Ho-Oh, as given in the book your brother gifted you.

It is tough to tell for sure at this distance, but it begins to dawn on you at this point that some of the metal decorations on the body of Crocus resemble emblems of Regigigas - images banned in Battlescar for obvious reasons.

You spot tiny sparks flying from Crocus' clenched fist as it speaks about the triumphs and mistakes of the very being you suspect they might actually be.

It is quite apparent to both of you that Crocus does not count itself amoung the timeless who have 'forgiven and come to terms'. There is a deep simmering resentment towards the emperor in the soul of the being addressing you.

In addition to the above, You are fairly sure that in spite of its feelings towards the emperor, Crocus harbors no ill will towards you or your new wife.

You both notice a distinct tension in the room as Pòsǔn approaches. It is apparent that this woman makes the assembled court nearly as nervous as the Champion does.

Before she speaks, the intimidating woman stares Champion Shi down with her single eye. The Drunken trainer returns the gaze, but only after beckoning his Nidoqueen to his side. After several seconds they both break off the stare down.

In addition, you note that the scars on this woman are all old burns. It would appear that at some point she was engulfed in flames and survived.

Your are fairly sure the blue metal is Winter's Silver, a super lightweight copper and aluminum alloy with anti-undead properties. The exact formula is unknown to all save a few elders among the Blue Knights, but is rumored to require the blood and/or feathers of an Articuno to produce.

As it so happens, you have in fact heard of this broach before.

The Gentleman Knight, a wandering warrior who lived in the early days of man, is considered a founder of both the Guild of Tutelage and the Questing Blades. During his travels he codified many social rules and norms relating to honorable competition, highborn gatherings, love, and courtship.

The Knight eventually met his end when he attempted to best an Orcish witch queen, which spurred the three woman who loved him most to put aside their differences to avenge The Gentleman Knight, retrieve his body, and ensure that his soul was not misused. After much hardship and adventure, the three woman accomplished their first two goals, but discovered that their lover's soul was already far too damaged to make it safely to any known afterlife.

One of the three heroines, a half-elf trained in the elven tradition of white witchcraft, decided to improvise, and forged the Knight's soul into the legendary broach. From there most versions of the story state that the three woman wound up killing each other over possession of the broach, but your favorite version has the half-elf cursing the trio so that their souls might join the knight's within the broach after death; The trio would then go on to have individual adventures, with each woman, in the words of your brother, "Dying in the commission of a heroic act, while still young, beautiful, and pure. Earning for herself an eternity with her true love within the broach, aiding great heroes across the generations of humanity."

The broach is said to be able to generate weapons made from the Gentleman Knight's Soul, and gain additional powers as said soul becomes more closely aligned with its owner through acts of noble competition such as duels, jousts, or hunts and by socializing with members of the knightly orders."

As the Ninja speaks, you can't help but find something familiar about his voice, but it is only when he drops his cowl to look you over that you recognize him. Kazmir spent a semester at the university almost two years ago, as training in architecture is a requirement to join the Hyacintho Nocte, and during that time he proved to be a major thorn in your side.

He first rubbed you the wrong way by becoming a toady and snitch for the deplorable Dean Tepth, and after you called him out for it, Kazmir began to take personal interest and pleasure in driving you batty. With a silver tounge, the lowborn ninja trainee could talk circles around you, often getting you to lose your temper or say something foolish in public.

The worst humiliation came about a week before Kazmir wrapped up his studies in Battlescar. The Ninja began to boast that you were so weak of a trainer that he could beat your Metang with a poison type. Although by this point you knew enough about Kazmir to suspect that he would have something up his sleeve, the teasing eventually reached the point where you felt you had no choice to accept the commoner's challenge.

The Battle took place in front of your entire class, and was, of course, over before it could begin. It turned out that Kazmir owned a Gengar, which he was somehow able to keep a secret for the entirety of the semester. Sentinel put up a decent fight of course, but was quickly dismantled by powerful ghost moves. Kazmir's induction into the Hyacintho Nocte took place at the university a few days later, and although you did not attend, word reached you that he had been given the call sign 'Princebane' in honor of the humiliation he dealt out to you.

You had hoped that you would never have to see Kazmir again, and find the fact that he is friend and adviser to your wife to be fairly disturbing.

You have heard of this artifact before. Stories say it is kept in a Righteous Force temple called Nightmare Peak deep within a terrible and undead infested forest beyond the borders of the empire. Many heroes have sought the crown out in hopes of receiving divine counsel to aid in their quests, and a handful have even had their adventures, and lives, cut short searching for Nightmare Peak.

All that said, you hadn't imagined that the Crown of Realms and Dreams would look so silly.

You also, to your dismay, recognize the Monk from the landscape painting of your parent's wedding ceremony that hangs above your father's throne. Archpsion Jie was a friend and confidant of your mother in her youth, and pen pal well into her married years. You know only a bit about him - He was supposidly trained in the psychic arts by Lugia itself, and supposedly completed a handful of highly dangerous spy missions for your father.

What concerns you, however, is that according to a few letters sent between your mother and the Archpsion that you managed to intercept shortly after discovering your spirit form, Jie was a major proponent of keeping you locked up in your room 'for your own good.' If he was giving such advice to your mother, you fairly sure he is not somebody you want in your husband's inner circle.

You catch Shā, your wife's cousin and adviser from the guild, displaying a profane hand gesture and mouthing a curse in Archpsion Jie's direction at a moment when she thinks nobody is watching her. You are fairly sure the old Psion notices the display, but he fails to give any visible reaction or acknowledgment.

An Arc-Rod is a powerful weapon and tool given to important University Dignitaries. It can generate bolts of flame and molten metal, which can be lashed like a whip, fired like a gun, or carefully manipulate with extreme dexterity and precision.

Although at least somewhat effective against all targets, the Arc-Rod is most devastating against inorganic beings such as those made from Rock, Ice, or Steel. On the other hand, however, it also enables fast and effective repairs to be made upon such creatures.

You note that Gyarados Falls, one of the nations you are being offered influence over, is marked as 'hostile' on the ranger's map, which still looms above you. You actually believe you can recall at least one of the causes of the conflict:

Gyarados Falls seeks, with the university's help, to build a tunnel under the mountains and challenge the trade-route monopoly held by your new Kingdom. You are fairly sure your nation is the aggressor in the conflict, and has been diverting rivers into construction sites, enforcing a trade embargo, and assassinating engineers to stall the project.

You note the tears begin to once more flow down the Champion's face as your husband is offered the Rod of his Dead Wife. When he thinks nobody is watching, he briefly ducks behind the throne, produces a flask, and takes a good long gulp of whatever is inside.

Kazmir's antics have the assembled gallery eating out of his hand. It is probable that the Ninja is working the crowd on purpose rather than blindly causing mischief.

Clearly the strange sandstone defies most of what you know about engineering and physics, but even most of the 'normal' stone buildings seem too big and complex for the material they are built from.