Mystery Box

I got questions in ascending order of 'self awareness'.

Great. I might have answers.

Are we going to cause harm to Walter, going down the path we're currently going down?

What, you think I can see the future, or read your mind? You'd have to tell me what else you're planning to put the poor guy through first, Miss Bootz...

Any tips 0n fighting baddies?

Sure. Hit Them, and Don't Get Hit.

If you want advice for you in particular, I'd say... fight smart, not hard. Don't let 'em see you coming. Hit 'em where it hurts the most. And if you can't end it all at once, make tracks before you get hit back.

Same advice, really. Just wordier.

So, just checking, are you different from the person we talked to before we were bound to Flannery? They sure made the Crawl out to be a lot worse than this. I thought it was going to be a giant underground dungeon or labyrinth or something, not just a city.

Just 'cause I'm an Idol right now doesn't mean I'm not the same old Elpis the Daemon as I was earlier.

And even if it isn't a grimy underground dungeon or something, that doesn't mean Bigg City isn't a labyrinth full of monsters and danger. Sure, a different Storyteller might've taken it more literally, or been a little more clichéd about it. But I think that was another thing folks liked about Crawls made by Miss Box.

She was always really good at being Creative, within her Constraints...

Actually, was that storybook thing just part of the analogy, or is it actually like theres a narrative?

See, this is the trouble. I'm trying to say something I'm... fundamentally incapable of flat-out telling you, as a Daemon. So I have to dance around it using metaphor and all that, and hope you get enough of what I'm trying to say, without getting confused by it.

A Crawl isn't literally a literary work or something. But it does involve someone we call a Storyteller, who was like the "author" responsible for "writing" it. And in the same way, the "main character" isn't literally the protagonist of a book either... they're someone we out here formally call a Mystery Master.

You can still call them the Tyrant, or king, or main character. Whatever works for you. They're all accurate, in their own way. But if you want a name for this particular Mystery Master... we call them "The Invisible Hand."

Lucity said they got that name since no Chorus had lasted long enough to see who was pulling the strings in this Crawl. There's also apparently a joke to it too. They couldn't explain it to me, for the same reason I can't explain some stuff to you. But apparently it was clever, because they were real pleased with theirself about that one.

how do we merc the tyrant if the whole universe is tilted in their favor

Ultimately that's up to you to figure out. But lemme clarify two things.

First, this Crawl ain't necessarily tilted 100% in your target's favor, so much as it was created to "facilitate their story," so to speak. The Storyteller who was responsible did tend to write these as a bit of a Personal Power Fantasy... so by now, it's safe to assume this Mystery Master will be powerful, respected, and influential here. But that's not to say they're untouchable.

Secondly, if things were still being actively written for your Tyrant, we would basically be powerless here... but with the death of the author, all that's left are the characters, the setting, and what we all make of it. The Storyteller may have tipped the odds in your target's favor to begin with... but she's not around to enforce that imbalance anymore.

Uh... so yeah. Bigg City was originally built to benefit it's Mystery Master, The Invisible Hand, but nothing says it has to keep doing that. And they'll probably be tough to fight, once you find them... but fate itself isn't quite stacked in their favor anymore. It's more like, you know... the existing systems and power structures here in Bigg City were tailored to guide them into a Position of Great Power. And, uh... to entrench them in that power once they took it.

Otherwise they're, uh... they're just as mortal and vulnerable as anyone else.

Question.
What is the acceptable degree of damage/casualties on the future warpath?
This is a concern regardless of ethical restraints. Less is presumed better, but perhaps there was something more specific in mind?

Woah, woah there! Calling our Job a warpath is definitely missing the point, kid.

I'm not saying it's a pretty road. Once Lucity found out that Miss Box went rogue, and her Crawls were trapping folks, there was no choice but to get rid of her. It was the only way to control the damage. I really, really hate that it had to be done. Believe me. But it was all we could do to stop people from being put in places designed to hurt them, and prop someone else up.

Even so, that was only half a solution. With the Storyteller gone, and the Mystery Masters all thankfully unaware of who and what they are... that still leaves us with unfinished Crawls full of trapped people, with no "author" left to finish the story.

There's only one safe way we can close the book on places like Bigg City, and get everyone out. And that's to send people like you in, so you can kill Mystery Masters like The Invisible Hand, and end those stories for everyone stuck in 'em.

This was always about Minimizing Harm to people. At the end of the day, you gotta do whatever you gotta do, to get the Job done. But... just don't forget that these people are still people. Even the one you gotta kill, for everybody else's sake.

No matter what you gotta do while you're in here... I hope you Don't Lose Sight of That.

Does Walter know a lick of any of this? Should he be involved at all?

Sure hope he doesn't. If he starts Questioning His Reality the way you do... that could cost us our only shot at fixing things.

I think it'd be smart if some sort of illuminati in bigg city were set up where pawns were allowed limited self-awareness, to pass on the work of the group to newer pawns.

It's a good idea in theory, but... like I was about to say...

The Storyteller was more or less All-Powerful within her Crawls, but she's obviously gone now. Which means that The Invisible Hand is now the most powerful force here in Bigg City. More than me, more than you, and more than your Pawn, and her Admittedly Very Cool Knife-Mittens.

The only real advantage you and I have, Miss Bootz, is that we know what they are, but they don't. Not knowing that this Reality revolves around them is the only thing keeping the Mystery Master from Taking The Authorial Reins for theirself. A Sufficiently Self-Aware Protagonist, with no author to reign them in, could reshape their own story however they wanted. And you, and Walter, and everyone else in here would be completely at their mercy. At that point, There'd Be Nothing You or I Could Do to stop them, and free the people trapped in their reality.

That's why you can't tell anyone else in there about the nature of the Crawl. You shouldn't even let your Pawn work it out. The risk of The Invisible Hand figuring out what they really are before we can stop them is Too Dang High.

If we're going to stick to avoiding violence, there's always the option of building a structure within this Crawl that's better for everyone, not just the protagonist.

Well, sure, you can always try to leave a situation better than it was when you found it, and all that. Not doing harm when you don't gotta is something I'd definitely encourage too. Just... don't lose sight of What You're There For.

I mean, if you've got Leaky Pipes all over the house, you could get stuck mopping up spills and setting out buckets forever. Don't get caught up with the small stuff, when there's a valve in the place that can Shut Off The Water, and spare everyone more grief.

What is Flannery Bootz thinking right now?

Right now? Apparently she'd be wondering what she was thinking, if she was Conscious. On account of you and your Pawn being parts of the same whole, yeah?

But, since that part of you isn't Conscious Enough to have thoughts at present, she's not thinking anything. All that's left is the bit that's having this little Q&A Session with me. One that the other part of you won't remember when you're awake again. So you'll have to remember it for her.

Sorry if the whole Pawn/Chorus Duality thing is confusing, Miss Bootz. Another good reason not to talk about it too much.

>If I am the chorus, who are my verses? Or my bridge? I guess I don't need a bridge but they're really cool to have.

Oh. That's, uh... that's a good question. I don't really get that terminology either.

In this context, it seems like Flannery Bootz is our 'main character'. Is that because of our influence and/or our view?

I mean, folks always think of themselves as the protagonist of a story. Everybody's kinda selfish like that, far as I've found. One of those things we just gotta grapple with, I guess.

Wait aren't we supposed to be the main character? After all we were controlling the pawn and why should we kill them anyways?

You're just one Pawn, in a city full of them. And your Pawn isn't the "main character" in the metaphor either. She's... huh. I guess she'd be more like your Self-Insert?

Anyway, I'm not asking you to... you're definitely not your own target, okay? We can be sure of that much. The "main character," whoever they are, was the first person in this Crawl. They were here long before you or anybody else started showing up in Their Little World.

Is the 'protagonist' the core of the 'story', or merely the focus?
E.G., will there be consequences of terminating the 'protagonist' for the other 'readers'?

The Consequence is that the book finally gets closed, and everybody has to stop reading it.

But if the book's Bad For Them, and they're stuck with it? If they can't check out a new one from the library until we end this one? Well, far as I can see... that ain't much of a Consequence at all, now is it?

Where do people go when they're 'freed' from Bigg City?

I can't really say where Pawns go, when they're not in The Crawl. Mostly because I don't know. Like you, I'm somewhere outside, looking in. I've got no idea who or what is further out than us, apart from Lucity.

And what little I do know... well, I can't say for other reasons. But what I can say is that, once we take Bigg City and it's Master out of the picture, the people will be safe. And wherever they go, they'll be better off than they are in there.

What happens to us after that?

What happens to folks like you and me, once Bigg City is done with us? That's a hell of a question. And I know I already told you not to stare into That Particular Abyss, on account of what I've seen that do to folks like us... but, to be honest?

I wish I knew, kid.

More than just about anything else, that's something I really wish I knew.

...

Anyway, I'm getting the sense that this Horned Statue is about to run out of juice... so we oughta wrap this Q&A Session up. Better to save a bit for your Conscious Self, whenever she wakes up, eh?

Speaking of... it'll probably be easier if I tell you what sort of Boons I can grant your Pawn now, so you have time to think it over.

First, we can turn one of your Pawn's Experiences into a new Skill she can use. Something like Doppelmancy, or Lucky Break. You'll have to pick which Experience you want to spend, and figure out what Lesson you've learned from it... after that, I'll handle the rest.

Alternatively, if you're willing to offer me two Items, I can Fuse them into something new. You'll need to put them both inside a Container, and leave your offering at the foot of this Idol. It might be a bit until I can get the Fused Item back to you, but I will.

Thirdly, we can make a Second Pawn for you. Someone else you can, uh... be, from time to time. Of course, Being Somebody Else would leave your current self without your guidance, which is risky. You might wanna be sure you can trust yourself like that first... or at least be sure you leave her somewhere she can't get into trouble until you decide to Be Her again. And, like when we made your first Pawn, you'd need to offer me an Item in a Container. And we'd need to settle on their Name, Class and Qualifications.

Lastly, if you expect you'll have more questions later, I've got another idea. I can shut this Idol down now, and use the leftover power in it to give your Pawn a new Skill. Something that'll let you consult me at any time, wherever you are, when you want the sorts of answers or insights someone like me can provide. There'd only be so much juice, so you could only do that a limited number of times... but I could offer you Knowhow About Bigg City that you might not be able to get, otherwise.

Whatever you choose, you'll have to wait until after you Wake Up, but I can start preparing things now, at least.

So, what do you think? Do you want your Pawn to gain a New Skill, combine two things into a Fused Item, make a Second Pawn, or save the Idol's power so you can Keep a Daemon on Retainer?
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Author's Note:Show

To create a New Skill, you don't decide the skill for yourself. Instead, the skill you gain is based on the combination of the Experience you had, and the Lesson you learned. For example, say you wanted to make a skill based on a time you failed at diplomacy...

[box]• Experience: Tried to charm someone into doing something for you, but ended up insulting them instead.[/box]

...along with that, you'd suggest a Lesson that experience taught you, now that you've had time to reflect on it:

[box]• Lesson: People are just as easy to manipulate when they're mad. You just have to redirect their anger[/box]

...then, you'd offer those two to the Horned Statue, which will pick a fitting skill for that Experience/Lesson Combo. In that case, you'd probably gain something based on Taunting people, Manipulation, or Fast-Talking.