Mystery Box

Oh, great. This again. Exactly what I need right now, another one of these.

Tell me. What's in the Box this time?
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SCENE INDEX:
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Orb of Faulty Replication

Another box.

overly friendly insect

Bulk crayons

a c0llector's editi0n replica 0f R0dney 0otkins... wait n0 its just his entire dead b0dy.......................................... i hate it when that happens

25 waterfalls

>would you shoot me if it were some form of stuffed rabbit

> A sheep.

time

im in the box.

Obviously. I'm asking what you are gonna be.

Another box.

Oh yeah, sure. Nice one. Real original.

You see, bud, everybody makes this joke. Think they're a real smart cookie, or that they can win some brownie points with me for being witty, so I can give 'em a better deal. It doesn't work like that, but that don't stop 'em from trying. Some people even follow through on it, and send me an actual Box-in-a-Box, but you don't want to be one of them.

Trust me. Containers make terrible Pawns. That's basically how we got into this whole mess.

>would you shoot me if it were some form of stuffed rabbit

I don't think I could shoot you even if I wanted to. More's the pity, eh?

25 waterfalls

25 Waterfalls. In a cardboard box.

I wasn't born yesterday, kid. Even if you waterproofed this thing somehow, and fit them all in there, you do realize I'd still be able to hear 'em falling, right? Nice try, better luck next time, et cetera.

Now, why don't you stop pulling my leg and just tell me what's actually in there?

Orb of Faulty Replication

Alright, if you aren't gonna take me seriously, fine. I've had enough of these shenanigans. let's just open this thing, and get this over with.

Show Content

Open the box

Huh.

If I'm not mistaken, that looks like a bona-fide Orb of Faulty Replication alright.

I mean, it's still trash... but hot damn, kid. This might be interesting.

Anyway, if this is really what you want to make your Pawn with, I ain't gonna stop you. But before I do that, and send you into The Crawl, I gotta know a few more things.

Firstly, what's your Name?
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2, What's your Class?
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And C, what are makes you think you have what it takes to defeat a Mystery Master?
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my name is flannery over-easy. my class is working. i have a grudge.

Name:
> Pseudorb

Class:
> Clonemancer

Qualifications:
> Spherical, good at rolling

horgum iii, viriomancer of the pestilent coasts. as for qualifications, i think the orb speaks for itself.

okay maybe it's not great and maybe it's just my very first virus prototype that i mostly created on accident and i cant really control how much it reproduces but at least since it's faulty most of its descendents are sterile and it doesn't spread too fast just please let me in so i can find a way to get rid of this thing i don't want to be a viriomancer i was studying to be an astronomathurge for christ's sake

Name: Glen Glober

Class: 3 (truck weighing between ten thousand and fourteen thousand pounds)

Qualifications: Loyalty to friends, ability to see the positive side of anyone

Name: Big Bootz
Class: Clown. Big clown. They put me in this orb for clown crimes please let me out
Qualifications: I will fuckin STOMP

Name: Wally Q. Fyed
Class: Professional Placeholder
Qualifications: Drew the short straw. No, really. The actual, ah. 'hero'? Eh, sure let's go with that. They were waylaid, and aren't expected to get here for some time. Pity, that.

1. Harold Foch Esq.
2. Class Epsilon Macro-Psion
3. My brain can move objects, hear surface thoughts and maybe more but I'm new to it and it's painful also what do you mean allowed? I thought there was no choice. Can I go home now? I want to go home.

Name: Box
Class: Container
Reason: You're pretty good at containing things. You're sure you could swallow these masters. Those metal metal scales and claws could pretty anti-stabby and stabby respectively, and you definitely did not cry when you were vaccinated.

>Cuerin (pronounced cew-rin)

>'Iterative' replicator

>More agile than most. Probably due to rolling at high speeds. Also I can use stuff against people & such & such.

Name: Wendy

Class: Mail Carrier (my day job)

Qualifications: I'm not really sure, I was just told to deliver this package to get a promotion...

my name is unimportant. my class is important. my qualification is a portent.

Name: The Box

Class: The Box

Qualifications: The Box

my name is unimportant. my class is important. my qualification is a portent.

Great. Cool. Très prophetic and melodramatic. If nothing else, you've got style, kid.

But I still need to know who and what your Pawn is gonna be, before I can Bind you to it. Name, Class, and Qualifications.

Name: The Box

Class: The Box

Qualifications: The Box

Yeah no. You ain't The Mystery Box. If you were, you wouldn't be wasting your time watching me unbox a second-rate Relic like this orb, let alone angling to make it your new home. You'd have put me away, and ended this once and for all.

Naw. You ain't The Box. But, if there's any luck left, you might be the one to close it.

Anyway, enough with the unsolicited exposition. Let's get on with this, shall we?

Show Content

Name?

flannery over-easy

Bootz

iii

Show Content

Class?

Clonemancer

'Iterative' replicator

viriomancer

Mail Carrier (my day job)

working

Show Content

Qualifications?

>More agile than most. Probably due to rolling at high speeds. Also I can use stuff against people & such & such.

Those metal metal scales and claws could pretty anti-stabby and stabby respectively, and you definitely did not cry when you were vaccinated.

okay maybe it's not great and maybe it's just my very first virus prototype that i mostly created on accident and i cant really control how much it reproduces but at least since it's faulty most of its descendants are sterile and it doesn't spread too fast just please let me in

i have a grudge.

All things considered this looks pretty doable, and fits the nature of an Orb of Faulty Replication well enough. Taking everything into consideration, this orb ought'a make a fine Relic to whip up into your new Pawn. As for the nitty-gritty details, here's what we're looking at...

Show Content

Character Info: Flannery "Over-Easy" Bootz III

[box=#808080 width=full border=2]Name: Ms. Flannery "Over-Easy" Bootz III

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Pawn Status:
• Grazes: 0/4
• Wounds: 0/6

Class: Copycatburglar
• Skill: Lucky Break
• Grace +2
• Presence +1
• Insight +1

Relic: Orb of Faulty Replication
• Skill: Doppelmancy
• Insight +2
• Presence +1
• Logic +1[/box]

[box=#808080 width=full border=2]Inventory:

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Equipped:
• Blue-Collar Cloak (Evade +2): The stout denim shroud of the Working Class.
• Boots of Stomping (Jump +1, Stomp +1): These boots lend a boost, whether you're going up or coming down.
• Cat's Ear Hood (Listen +1, Charm +1): With this on your head, you hear more acutely, and look cute too.
• Replica Courier Bag (Container, Disguise +2): From your "Day Job" as a "Mail Courier". Opening a real Courier Bag is illegal, so law-abiding folk shouldn't snoop inside.
• Steel Scalemail (Armor +2): Flexible body armor made out of little metal plates.
• Steel Clawntlet (Hand-to-Hand, Climb +1, Lethal +1): A glove ending in retractable knife-sized claws.
[/box]

[box=#808080 width=full border=2]Lucky Break (Grace):

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When you find yourself in a bind or out of options, you can always look to sheer dumb luck to see you through.

• Triumph (20 or more): You not only get out of the situation, but take something good with you, or leave behind something bad.
• Success (16-19): However improbable, something solves your problem for you, with no strings attached.
• Compromise (11-15): Fate gets you out of trouble, but you leave something good behind, or take something bad with you.
• Failure (10 or less): Luck just isn't with you right now, and your troubles take a turn for the worse.[/box]

[box=#808080 width=full border=2]Doppelmancy (Insight):

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You have the power to copy virtually anything. Trouble is, they're bad copies. Pick a nearby object or being, and say a rhyming Incantation to copy it. The copy generally looks and acts like the real thing. The copy lasts until it's damaged, for as long as you concentrate on it. Take -1 to all actions, for each existing copy.

• Triumph (20 or more): The copy is either indistinguishable from the original, or permanent and real despite 1 Minor Flaw.
• Success (16-19): It's a pretty good copy, but has 1 Major Flaw, or 2 Minor Flaws.
• Compromise (11-15): Your copy has some issues; namely 2 Major Flaws, or 3 Minor Flaws.
• Failure (10 or less): Something has gone wrong with your copy. Very, very wrong.

For each Flaw, the copy you create...
• ...isn't quite normal. It may be the wrong size, color, smell, weight, or have wildly different physical properties.
• ...isn't quite real. It may be insubstantial when touched, shimmer like a mirage, or vanish at inopportune times.
• ...isn't quite the same. Something about the way it works and behaves is worse, opposite, or just plain wrong.[/box]

Anyway Miss Bootz, the way I see it, we're just about ready to get the Pawn Binding Ritual underway. I'll get things started, but I'm gonna need a second to come up with an Incantation for this one. Can't work good magic without a good Incantation, eh?

Meanwhile, what I'm gonna need from you is to figure out what your Pawn is gonna look like. The Crawl is full of all kinds of peeps and creeps, but you're gonna have the best luck if you keep it Human, alright? Trust me. And keep your Gear in mind, or else things might get a little weird.

Once you got that figured out, I'm gonna need you to focus on it. You'll need a real tangible picture of how you want to look, you get me? I'm talking Literal Pictures here. Doodles, fine arte, whatever you got. It doesn't have to be good, it just has to be a picture. Descriptions just aren't gonna cut it. In fact, leave descriptions out entirely; they're just gonna get in the way.

So, show me some pictures, and keep it classy, alright? Once I work out this Incantation, I'll handle the rest.
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