COTERIE INTERACTIONS (IC) - CHAPTER I

[treasuremap]

COTERIE INTERACTIONS

NAVIGATION

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RULES/FAQ

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COTERIES

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LOCATIONS

The leader of each coterie, all colloquially known by the same name as their group—Jaguar, Eagle, Viper, and Salamander—will play a major role in the story, oftentimes appearing in events and even, during major plots, accompanying the player characters on their quests. While having constant access to them in threads would be difficult to keep track of and may lead to unfair advantages for some characters, and they will never directly comment to any network or log posts made in incensed or incenselogs, we do want to offer the opportunity for characters to interact with them. Therefore, with the exception of the aforementioned event posts where the NPCs might appear, all direct interactions with the coterie leaders can be done here. Simply comment below with the leader you'd like to interact with and whether it is in person or via medallion/journal in the subject line.

Note that it is fine to handwave minor interactions with the NPCs, such as in the case of exposition or receiving their quest orders, and you do not need to thread that out here nor ask permission from the mods. Relationships beyond passing familiarity as leader/subordinate cannot be handwaved however—in general, characters will not "build CR" with their leader to the degree they might with other characters in the game. They will still get to know them well over the course of the story, though.

Please also note that the NPCs are played by the mod team and are subject to the same tagging speed or question-answering expectations. We will respond as soon as we can!

Comments

[cyberlife]

Ma'am, (he begins, ready with an impassioned response.) I'm used to taking risks to get results. If I fall ill, it'll be a new experience for me; I'd like to try.

We have an opportunity here... and you have a willing volunteer. Isn't that enough?

[treasuremap]

That isn't the sort of 'new experience' you should want to try...

I'm afraid it isn't. I can't condone endangering anyone. It's true that living here is a danger, and we ask for your help more than we already should by inviting you to work with us, but that doesn't mean we should risk your lives even more. Surely there must be some other way.

[cyberlife]

I'm open to suggestions.

(the tone is diplomatic, genuinely open to alternatives. her expertise should be listened to, but his proposed risk-taking is a part of a larger problem; connor feels he must do something.)

Your coterie values your insight and so do I. I wouldn't have come to you with this if all I wanted was permission.

[treasuremap]

Well, should we manage to keep such a compound on hand without the mist disappearing, is there any other way you could analyze it? Besides... ingesting it.

[cyberlife]

By scanning things, I can pick up on surficial qualities, but that'd be the extent of it.

However, I'm not human. I wouldn't be ingesting it as such, as most substances don't absorb into my body, but I would be touching it to my tongue. That's the only way I can take a look at the chemicals in a sample. Even a pinhead amount would be enough.

(but, you know, the same hazards still remain.)

You said something about unaffected samples... do you know what those are comprised of, if not the incense itself?

[treasuremap]

[ She knows she's making it all too obvious that she's considering it when she falls silent the way she does and feels bad about it, but that doesn't stop her from really giving it a second thought for a second there. ]

I don't know if not being human would make a difference. It certainly hasn't stopped the incense from wreaking havoc before now, and... forgive me for sounding pessimistic, but I wouldn't expect that to change. Even just a small amount in such a concentrated way could— mm, no. I don't like it. It isn't safe.

At any rate, what I mean by unaffected samples is that once the incense disappears from the container, all we're left with is whatever was in it aside from that. The compounds seem, at least to our knowledge, the same as if it had never been exposed in the first place.

[cyberlife]

(her hesitation is understandable, but the fact that she overrides considering his idea is what connor ultimately focuses on. it's touching, only able to think of one similar circumstance.

markus told him that going to cyberlife tower alone would be suicide... and connor went anyway.

the memory only solidifies his decision.)

With all due respect, "safe" is a luxury none of us can afford. I still feel that this coterie is the best fit for my forensic capabilities... and while I can help—and I intend to—your "no" is preventing me from doing so. This directive, therefore, conflicts with my mission.

I'm selecting my priority, which is minimizing future casualties among your people.

[treasuremap]

So you'll do it no matter what I say.

[ Ever eternally patient, she doesn't sound aggravated. I'm Not Mad, Just Disappointed, if you will. After a long moment, she sighs. ]

Then this must be done safely. Under observation, with assistance. If you become a danger to yourself or others, we will need a team standing by. I would be there as well. Not everyone is as particular about handling individuals under the influence of the incense and its effects gently as I am.

[cyberlife]

(

connor takes the Tone on the chin, trying not to let his people-pleasing subroutines go haywire. he returns her pause, finding the weighty words the situation deserves.)

... thank you, Aminat. What protocol exists for a situation like this will be followed by me and whoever would like to join us. I'll make it known beforehand that you are my voice while I'm incapacitated.

When the distillation equipment is ready, I will contact you again.