Scene #8020: A Questing Request

Owner	Pose
Chains Knight	SECUNDUS ZONE 8604 Chains Knight has been splashing money around, and hasn't been subtle about it. Specifically, he's bought an entire 15-floor office building in the middle of a major city, and has been splashing yet more cash to get it renovated and outfitted. Attempts at bargaining result in more cash being thrown and flat responses to stop wasting his time or he'll go elsewhere. Even if he wasn't literally advertising 'Chainquest', the moves being made here would ping on anyone's radar. Lots of hiring, lots of acquisitions, lots of advertising. Chains is using the resonance surge to stretch out his 'generate quest rewards' power, and even with that boost he's stretching that out as far as he can take it. The building is a constant buzz of renovation, construction, and staff coming and going. It's only this morning that there's any outward sign of just what is going on - in the form of a large banner hung across the side of the office building. CHARACTER CREATION (Recommended Levels 1-5) Shortly thereafter, there's a media blitz. It feels like every billboard's advertising Chainquest this afternoon. "Real Adventure, Really Today!" shouts every radio host. A million goblins explode into a million gold coins on a million television screens. There's rumor that the baseball stadium was going to be quickly renamed to Chainquest Field, but that fell through last minute. And then this evening, there's an invite only event. Tickets to Chainquest normally cost a flat twenty dollars for when it opens properly next week, but if you are on this select list, you get in early and for free. For... whatever Chainquest is. The advertising is a little bit vague. It's not hard to get on the list, though, whether that's honestly as an elite or surrepticiously under another name. The first floor lobby of the Character Creation (Recommended Levels 1-5) building is holding a small reception, with wine and light adventure-themed snacks. People are being gathered near the elevators to head up for guided tour groups of whatever the rest of the building is. The walls are lined with what look like a mix of game concept art and photographs of a picturesque but random assortment of areas.
Karlan Nobles	SilverAsh: "It could be a trap." Pramanix: "One this heavily advertised to everyone within shouting distance?" SilverAsh: "I did not say it would be a good trap." Pramanix: "Of course you'd know, being the expert in those." Somehow, a pair of nobles from the holy mountains in some messed up world got a hold of the invite-only tickets to Chainquest, and their curiosity has gotten the better of them. They certainly stand out amongst the crowd in their fancy coats, dapper hats, and bushy tails that are wrapped around their arms to keep them away from whoever might be trying to grab them unknowingly. Pramanix in particular has her eyes peeled for that for some reason. They're mingling in the lobby for the time being, eyeing the concept art and sampling the snacks more out of curiosity than actually enjoying the flavors of everything.
Chains Knight	The snacks are pretty good, though the adventure 'theming' is questionable. It's mostly just using little cocktail swords as olive and cheese skewers, and sugar cookies dyed to look like gold coins, and stuff like that. As they're snacking another group goes into an elevator and heads upwards. There's been a lot of people going in, and there hasn't been any sign of anyone leaving yet. A few members of the public assume the noble pair are part of the event. Someone moves in and takes a selfie with them before they can say no. A few of the staff apparently assume the same thing. "Oh good, you're here early," says a business lady in a suit, approaching Pramanix and Silverash. "The offworld consultants, right? We need you right away in the seventh floor meeting room - go right on up and in, that'd be great."
Alexis	Something something about never being early or late but precisely the time one needs to be... which doesn't really apply because Alexis is indeed a bit late because she had been on the tail end of the recovery from dealing with Midway the other day. So when she arrives it's in a bustle of motion, coming through the doors while still on her rollerblades. "Oh, crud!" She twists to the side and leans back to brake, then retracts the wheels into her boots to come to a stumbling stop finally. Stands, adjusts her hoodie, and flicks a hand through her hair and swatting the ponytail out of her face. "Okay, this looks like the right place." Nonchalantly grabs a gold coin sugar cookie and ambles into the activity like that haphazard entrance was entirely intentional. "Sorry, someone want to give me a quick rundown of what I missed?"
Staren	Alright, she'll bite. While she disagrees with most of Chains's values, she can't help but wonder just what he'll build with the level of resources Secundus can provide. Cats are known for their curiousity, after all... Staren helpfully looks like she might be a character from a game, with her distinctive coat and scarf, although the camera drone and rocket launcher diverge a bit from the expected fantasy aesthetic. She takes one sip of wine without realizing it was alchohol, makes a face, and puts it down, getting a different drink or sipping a water bottle from her bag before trying the other snacks. When mistaken for part of the event, Staren explains, "Oh, no, I'm actually a real adventurer, just checking this place out..." that might just make them think she's in character though. "Hey Alexis, nothing yet." Staren answers. "Thanks again for yesterday, by the way! Hope you're feeling alright after that." "So does anyone know just how this is acting as 'character creation?' Is anyone like, picking a class or something?" Staren's not exactly an RPG junkie but she has played pencil+paper RPGs and MMOs a few times and recognizes such concepts. When the staff mention 'off-world consultants', Staren asks them the same question before also hurrying to the meeting room. Somehow, she feels vaguely Concerned about anything going on with enough urgency that the elites are needed Right Away for something that is supposed to be a game.
Karlan Nobles	The coin cookies get the most attention from the two, but for different reasons. Pramanix is in it for the sugar, and Silverash studies them to remember what the coins might look like in the game itself. Luckily for the selfie-taker, the nobles are actually quite photogenic! They don't go quite as far as striking poses, but they play it off easily enough between SilverAsh standing unblinkingly so there isn't a single bad shot of him and Pramanix just giving off that serene aura she often does while she's at work. The staff approaching them, meanwhile, has the pair assuming that the special invitations are what's being referred to. "I believe so, yes!" Pramanix guesses, waving Silverash over as she puts away one more cheese skewer while he finally stops posing/not posing. "Seventh floor... Alright. Be well, friend." Alexis asks for a rundown, and SilverAsh obliges... Sort of. "A new story shall be revealed to us soon. It seems that no expense has been spared in its presentation, so do be prepared for the unexpected."
Chains Knight	The quartet gets waved into one of the other elevators, and the seventh floor meeting room is easy to find. There's a motley mix seated inside - some suited businesspeople, a handful of gamers (identifiable via t-shirts with slogans such as 'A bad day raiding is better than a good day crafting'), a wizard, someone in SpaceTrooper cosplay armor, and what are clearly three kobolds wearing a trenchcoat. "Oh good, you're here," says the head businessperson. "We were told there'd be two of you, though - but that's fine," he adds quickly. "We could use the help." "Right. Zone four." He points a laser pointer at the meeting room's screen, which is displaying a powerpoint slide simply reading 'Zone Four'. "Zone four," he helpfully repeats. "The traitor princess arc we were going to use fell through, and we need to come up with a replacement storyline, and quickly. Blue skies, no wrong answers, Give me what you got. Go!"
Staren	Staren blinks. It's... actually kind of an unusual sight for her, to see Gamers (besides Arthur); even during SAO and related incidents, they almost always interacted with the players as their avatars, only meeting them outside the game a few times. "Traitor princess arc? Are you asking me to be the princess? I dunno, after last time..." Chains Knight seems like someone she absolutely shouldn't trust that blindly helping will work out. But then, she's supposed to be trusting her allies... Staren holds fingers to her chin thoughtfully. "I can't just suggest ideas in a white room, I need context. How did the arc fit into everything else? What else is going on before and after it?"
Alexis	And appreciative nod is given to SilverAsh. It's vague but it's enough for her to go on, she's use to getting explainations that are more a point at what's going on than an actual explaination. Once in the meeting she grabs a chair, twirling it around so she can sit on it straddling and lean on her arms against what would be the back rest, that's now in front of her. At least at first, as once suggestions are asked for she raises her hand. "Who was the Princess suppose to be a traitor to? A kingdom? The 'players'? Can some of the the arc idea be used with a different figurehead type role? Maybe someone more relatable to help engage other's interest..."
Karlan Nobles	Pramanix: "Two groups of two, right!" SilverAsh: "I doubt that is what they meant." Pramanix: "Oh, it's fine. There's certainly more than just two of us here, if we count everyone else." Seeing the decently large crowd inside, Silverash and Pramanix only have enough time to take their seats among the crowd before seeing the laser pointer. They follow it without so much as blinking, only pulling their attention back once the speaker continues. They quickly realize why they were being called consultants. With little more to work off of than the context of 'not traitor princess', the two quickly start pulling at their deep reserves of questionable media consumption to proceed. SilverAsh: "Perhaps it need not be scrapped entirely. The princess was never a traitor at all, but those around her were and plotted for her downfall every step of the way. Convenient ambushes, warring ambitions, and a genuine love for her people at the wrong time simply makes it all too easy to pin such accusations on her." Pramanix: "Something involving historical revisionism, then? Or... It could be kept open-ended, depending on the choices being made. Why, it could even split off into another path where an unscrupulous player might somehow pull her away from her life of living as a caged bird to... The open seas!" SilverAsh: "... Into piracy?" Pramanix: "Absolutely."
Chains Knight	"You're just rehashing the reasons why the traitor princess arc didn't work out. We need something new!" says the business person. "Have you considered making the zone all about worshipping Ygthera, She Whose Scales Shine Sapphire?" suggests one of the kobolds. "Riddle me this, what if the players are the traitor princess?" says the wizard. "(Hey, um,)" whispers the SpaceTrooper sitting next to the elite group. "(Do you have any idea what's going on here either?)" "Okay, okay, blue skies might not work, let's start from a prompt maybe. We'll have some player-guiding figure. An NPC that'll get them on the right path and give them their intro quests. No wrong ideas, as long as its not a princess. Go!" Pramanix's pirate idea gets written down on the screen, and 'Non-Princess Traitor' gets written down from Alexis. "What else?!"
Alexis	Alexis grips the chair as she leans closer to the CosplayTrooper. "It's brainstorming. I don't think we really -need- to know what's going on. Just spitball any ideas you have." So helpeful. Then sits back up. "Maybe the first few quests should be just that. An introduction to the world and how they're going to interact with it. You can start laying down plot points and proverbial breadcrumbs to follow, but don't throw the newbies directly into the arc until they've had a chance to get situated." She pauses, then makes a face as she recalls a few past events of her Trainer career. "If you do have traitors, they should meet them as 'normal' people first. So the eventual upsurping has a connection to compel adventurers to act."
Karlan Nobles	Pramanix puffs her chest out a bit at her idea getting written down and not Silverash's. Silverash keeps his cool, although there's still a lingering hint of disappointment around him. He does raise an eyebrow at the kobold's suggestion, though, but continues pretending not to notice the disguise to instead address the SpaceTrooper. ("Not in the slightest.") He answers truthfully, steepling his fingers together as he gets into the thinking bastard pose once a prompt is given to start out with. Pramanix: "Oh! What if the guide is working for the antagonists? Someone personable and friendly enough, to give the player enough reasons to consider where their allegiances lie by the time they come a fateful choice of who to represent and who to oppose once they've gotten their bearings straight and their minds set?" SilverAsh: "That would be assuming two entire paths are within their budget. I've heard of many ambitious projects involving multiple perspectives that ultimately had only a few real choices with such scattered quality throughout. But if that isn't a concern...Perhaps a traitor arc isn't even needed."
Staren	Staren shrugs at the various suggestions. What if the players were the traitor princess? "I kinda like that one, they should get to try it." She looks at the SpaceTrooper. "We're building an adventure experience." Staren considers the executive's prompt. "Um... how about someone friendly and understanding. Comforting to be around, a familiar face they're happy to see again." "...Wait, is the plan for this character to betray them later?"
Chains Knight	> "...Wait, is the plan for this character to betray them later?" "Hey, you're the consultants, you are the ones telling me, right?" 'Traitors as normal people' and 'guide is working for the antagonists' are both written down, alongside 'non-princess traitor' and 'piracy'. "What if the guide was an acolyte of Ygthera, She Whose Scales Shine Sapphire, and the players are guided down the rightful path of worshipping her?" asks one of the trenchcoated kobolds (a different one this time). "Okay, okay, I think we're onto something," says the suit, looking over what they have so far. "Maybe we'll have budget for the split path, maybe not, but let's just focus on what we have for right now. It just needs... something more." "Some je ne sais quoi. Some hidden element. Some secret sauce. Something that'll make it go viral. Some x-factor. You get me? I listed like five things so that should be specific enough." "What's our traitor versus traitor pirate not-princess zone missing?"
Alexis	Alexis hmmms, but doesn't have much else to add to the matter at the moment. She'll let other people pitch more ideas. Instead she works on eating the rest of the gold coin sugar cookie. There's a bit of a shuffle from the pack on her back, and a soft hissing noise as eyes peer out of the open zipper at the kobolds-in-a-trenchcoat. But Alexis calmly reachs over her shoulder to push the Sylveon back down before she does more than make annoyed faefox sounds. "Stop it. Just because they mentioned something that may be dragon related is no reason to have a hissyfit."
Karlan Nobles	The second kobold gets another look from Silverash. He's not quite as subtle about it this time, almost as if he wants them to know he's looking at them. He still doesn't say anything, though, almost like he's doing it to see how they take it. Pramanix: "Fair enough... If we focus on just the single path like this was a novel rather than a choose-your-own-adventure, then that should narrow things down better." SilverAsh: "Indeed. We have the primary conflict, the theming, but that missing element is..." For once, the siblings look at each other, nodding once (Pramanix doing so begrudgingly) before turning back to the suits and answering in unison: "The terrain." Pramanix: "It should be snowy." SilverAsh: "Pirates are often associated with the sea, but that would be far too basic." Pramanix: "And it can't be sand, because just doing the opposite of the ocean is too predictable." SilverAsh: "The snowcapped mountains, hwoever, would provide the ideal selling point you seek." Pramanix: "You could make snowmen! Go sledding! Maybe even have snowball fights." SilverAsh: "Perhaps even a mechanic of managing one's temperature to remain conscious, or... Managing your combat noise levels to avoid causing an avalanche." Pramanix: "Mmn... That might be a little too much to deal with that early." SilverAsh: "Players crave realism, do they not?"
Staren	Staren considers this. "Maybe... if there's two traitors... a way for the players to figure it out and pit them against eachother?"
Chains Knight	"Snow?" "..." The suit turns this idea around and around in his head. "... Yeah, snow! A tale of traitors in the snowcapped mountains, among which the only ones you can trust are the pirates! And not a princess in sight!" He slaps the table. "We have our zone story! We'll get started populating it with monsters and quests right away. Great work, you're worth every... whatever it is you use for money in your country. You can drop your invoice off at accounting as you go."
Alexis	That's... not a bad idea. It's certainly not what a lot of people would be expecting, and Alexis feels like that would get her interest just for being different if she wasn't an experience explorer to begin with. Still it does get her to pitch one more question on the matter. "But what are the -pirates- doing in the mountains?" It's probably not hard to answer, but she's making sure it does actually get asked.
Karlan Nobles	Pramanix: "Only trusting the untrustworthy? No wonder you recommended that." SilverAsh: "Whatever do you mean? Any similarities to real world events are purely coincidental." Despite Pramanix's initial weariness at that, even she's looking rather satisfied with the ideas coming together. Silverash, of course, has his resting smugface on as he considers the method of payment. "Thank you for inviting us. We most certainly will, and we also ask you to consider the matter of distribution rights at your convenience." SilverAsh provides a business card (fancy), and Pramanix just looks at him like he grew an extra head. "'We'?"
Chains Knight	"Why are the pirates there? Who cares!" "Right - distribution rights..." the suit takes the card. "You'll want to talk to the head honcho on floor eight about that. This whole thing's his baby. I don't even know if it can be exported, the whole thing's some sort of magic or technology or... something. Floor eight, big office, wearing a bunch of armor, can't miss him." The meeting room is more interested in moving onto other topics now. The group has access to an entirely unguarded elevator right now. The directory is marked with the lobby and various offices, including the eighth floor they've been directed towards, but there's also 'Tutorial Floor', 'Character Setup', 'Gear Storage', and 'Encounter Testing' labeled.
Alexis	Alexis taps a finger to her chin. "I suppose it doesn't matter at that point. But maybe it could be a connection to more pirate activities down the road. Just something else to think of, to keep it interesting. Players will feel more engaged towards NPCs they see and interact with more than once." She takes her invoice voucher, and gives a nod to the administrator of the meeting. "You've got a new start either way, so I wouldn't worry too much about it." She has little interest in higher business stuff, so she'll leave that to the snow leopard duo. She'll probably come back to investigate the actual game later though. Just to see how the ideas they've pitched pan out.
Karlan Nobles	Pramanix: "We'll find out if these things can be transported or not if it happens, I'm sure." SilverAsh: "Although I do not relish the idea of leaving such massive things to chance, I suppose it is the only choice we have in the matter. How perplexing." With little else to do in the meeting, they head towards the elevator to get to the eighth floor as directed. Before they actually step inside, Pramanix takes a moment to offer Alexis a brief goodbye wave (and also finally remembering to introduce herself as "Pramanix, normal game consultant!"), and SilverAsh just hands her and Staren one each of his fancy embossed business cards indicating himself as the president of a big fancy corporation. Once they're in the elevator heading up, though, Pramanix just sighs. Pramanix: "You know there's no point in a cover story if you're just handing those out, right?" SilverAsh: "What cover do we need? There is nothing for us to fear here of all places. "
Chains Knight	Up to floor 8. The big office is in the first hallway past the elevator, and hard to miss. Chains Knight sits in the middle of the large office, behind a large ornate desk, which is simply covered with things. Papers, books, diagrams, figurines, and... dice and game pieces. In fact most non-walkable surfaces in the room have a high concentration of game memorabilia. He's engrossedly watching a bank of monitors on the opposite wall when the two walk in, which are displaying several feeds from around the building. He only looks up when the pair make themselves known. "Yes? May I help you?" he asks, politely, but does not get up.
Karlan Nobles	Although they're distracted briefly by all the STUFF, the nobles eventually reach Chains' desk and introduce themselves with polite bows and other such gestures firmly indicating them as 'actually learned rich people' rather than 'inheritors of shit'. Pramanix: "Good evening, friend. My name is Pramanix, Saint of Karlan. It's good to meet you, friend." SilverAsh: "SilverAsh, President of Karlan Commercial. A pleasure." As Pramanix steps back to start looking at stuff, Silverash stays where he is to continue THE TALKING while sliding over another one of those fancy ass business cards. "In short, I'd like to discuss distribution rights for Chains Quest. Karlan Commercial is always looking for promising new products to market within Kjerag, you see..." He's going to be at this for a while, and Pramanix clearly has no interest in paying attention to all that nitty gritty stuff.
Chains Knight	Chains looks broadly disinterested until Silverash starts showing his bonafides for distribution. "... Well, we might just be able to work something out..." he says, the suggestion of a glint in his (blocked by the helmet) eye.