[Game Thread] Pokerole Mystery Dungeon: Primal Shadows

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

Everyone makes their way to Paradise, and they're greeted by Quagsire at the entrance.

"Hmmmm, I see everyone is here now.  Haxorus has been waiting for you.  Guilmaster Delphox arrived last night as well, hmmmmm.  Follow me."

Braixen gives Quagsire a questioning look, seeming to find something that he said a little strange, but doesn't immediately say anything.

Quagsire leads everyone to the northern end of Paradise, where a small house stands in the middle of the large plot of land.  Haxorus can be seen talking with the Guildmaster, the two of them sitting on piles of hay that have been laid out in a circle.  Keldeo and Emolga are there as well, whispering among themselves.

Delphox notices everyone wandering into the area first.  "Ah, there you all are.  It is good to see you all unharmed."  Her eyes briefly dart to Braixen, whose ears flatten as she looks away from the older fox.  Her gaze also briefly lingers on Platina, and the shiny birdy almost feels like...there's something more to the Guildmaster that she couldn't sense before.  She can't quite place a talon on what it is, though...

"Alright, everyone take a seat.  We've got a lot to discuss.  Quagsire, kindly make sure that we don't have any surprise visitors or eavesdroppers."

"Hmmmmm, very well."

Quagsire takes up a position at one of the paths on the edge of the area, making sure to have a good vantage point of all the possible entrances.

Everyone then finds a seat, and the discussion begins.

"Right then.  To start with, one of the more immediate issues: how long you were all gone for.  I was under the impression that you would be back in maybe 2 days.  3 at most.  The Great Glacier is a pretty far off place, after all.  However...it's been a week.  A bit strange if you ask me."

Strange Happenings: I Saw Something Again... - PMD: Explorers of T/D/S

This comment from Haxorus immediately gets everyone from Paradise, the Expedition Society, and the Adventurers' Guild talking.

"A week?  No, that can't be right!  We were only in the Glacial Ruins for a day at most!  ...right?"

"Maybe I messed something up with the Entercards?  It's possible they could have warped space-time..."

"A week?!  Ampharos, why didn't you tell me that yesterday?"

"You sounded tired, Dedenne.  I didn't want to worry you further.  You needed to get some rest."

"Maybe so, boss, but strange things are happening.  You know what happened last time..."

*AHEM*

Everyone quiets down as Haxorus clears his throat.

"As strange as this is, we have more pressing concerns right now I hear.  And we have guests that I hear have some insight on the movements of involved parties.  Madame Twintales and Zeraora, yes?"

"Indeed."

Zeraora just grunts in acknowledgement.

"Would you mind filling us in on how your masters seem to be involved?"

"Certainly.  I am a disciple of Master Kyurem, a seer training to see the future as clearly as they can.  Master Kyurem appears to have foreseen these recent events, events that I could not perceive, and has seemingly made moves to account for them."

"The directions to find the Obsidian and Ivory Peaks if I remember correctly.  And what about you, Zeraora?"

"I am a guardian of Lord Raikou's domain.  Though in that task, I have seemingly failed.  Lord Raikou was spirited away by an unknown, shadowy power that had taken over one of the Forces of Nature.  I must find Lord Raikou as soon as possible."

"Hmmmm...so the all-seeing Legend has hidden themselves away, and another has been kidnapped by an unknown force."  Haxorus looks at Team Raiders next.  "And you three.  The legendary team Raiders, yes?  How'd you all get wrapped up in this?"

"Guildmaster Delphox asked us to investigate the cause of the strange storms that have been increasing in frequency and intensity lately.  Our investigations gave us cause to believe that they were originating from the Island of Storms just south of the Water Continent."

"We ended up gettin' separated once we got there.  Then this lot all showed up."

"And were it not for them, I believe we would have met a very grim fate indeed.  The island challenged us in many ways that we were not expecting."

"Like that giant Sandaconda Keldeo and Emolga mentioned to me, right?"

"Yes, pokemon like that.  There was an unusual number of Monster Houses on the island as well."

Delphox appears to be deep in thought as she ponders all of this.  "...and yet, they aren't the most worrying things you encountered, are they?"

Gallade shakes his head.  "No, we encountered something far worse, far more foreboding.  Landorus, the Spirit of the Land and Emobodiment of Summer, had been corrupted by the shadowy energy that was looming over the island like a dark, ominous cloud.  I was barely able to hold him off until your guild's members arrived."

Delphox nods, glancing briefly at Braixen, Team Night Wardens, and team Omega Seekers.  "Very brave of them to aid you in fighting a Legendary pokémon."

"It would not have been possible without them, ma'am."

Delphox nods thoughtfully, seeming to make a note of that.

Haxorus looks to Teams Omega Seekers and Night Wardens next.  "I'd like to hear your takes on what happened in that fight.  And what happened afterwards, if you don't mind.  If you know anything that might help us determine a course of action, now would be the time to tell us."

All eyes are on the Bronze ranked teams, the air tense with anticipation.

Guildmaster Delphox is looking at Platina thoughtfully again.

*rolls*

Platina can tell that the Guildmaster knows something.  Even with as little as they told her last night, the Guildmaster still knows...

...but knows what?

And is it related to that feeling she had earlier?  That there's more to the Guildmaster than meets the eye?

The Guildmaster nods to Platina, then turns her attention back to the group as a whole.

Time to report what happened, and hopefully figure out a plan for what to do next.

(Sorry for the wait guys, but you know what they say about time getting away from you... Also, I feel asleep for a bit, so things got delayed even more. Doh!)

For the sake of brevity and not dragging things out further, I shall employ an old classic - The Bullpoint Summary!

- Platina is rather unnerved by the sudden and unexplained new interest her Guild Master has in her AND the mere glimmer of Insight she has about them. She does her best to keep it off her face as the meeting goes on, however - only an amatuar or the truly open hearted lets others divine their thoughts so easily, even when surprised!

- The reveal that it took the Groups an entire Week to complete their Missions....didn't really phase Platina all that much. For one, she doesn't have much of a frame of reference when it comes to usual Missions and Jobs, so the one she's been given being extraordinary in multiple ways fails to catch her off guard since she had zero expectations in the first place. For the other, the shiny bird is taking especial care to manage her reactions, since this is a both A) A fairly important meeting that will determine the future of a LOT of the Group Members, and B) None of them really could afford to let certain things slip if they could help it (Not that Delphox's Insight is helping that any, oh dear...) .

- She briefly glances at Gallade when he 'up-plays' her Group's contributions during the later half of their given Quest, but doesn't react any more overtly. Internally she's both pleased with the recognition by a 'Elite and Veteran Explorer', but she's also frustrated that such a spotlight could Illuminate things she'd rather stay in the dark. Too much attention or the wrong kinds is bad, after all...

- Platina cordially returns Delphox's nod, the very picture of prim and proper. Internally, though, she's freaking out over the revelation that they know something, either about her or the group at large. Or both, worse case scenario. Oh by the Dragon Gods why does she have to deal with Intrigue of all things as an Adventurer?!

- Kee gets a scolding glare for offering an 'unplanned' / unrehearsed take on their Mission (outwardly looking like they dislike getting interrupted from speaking herself) , but given that he doesn't say anything sensitive or incriminating she doesn't try to shut him up. He'll be getting a mild scolding later for this, though, oh for sure!

- Kogeki's succinct summary of events gets a nod from Platina. Giving all necessary highlights without going too much into the sorts of details that could earn them all unwanted scrutiny, and leaving plenty of wiggle room for her to give a more 'complete' review of events. Nice one, good sir!

- Platina is quick to Sing praises for Braixen too, clearly outlining her 'impeccable thoughtfulness and swift execution' in Combat against Landerous and how well they worked together with such disparate Groups as OS and NW, and on such short notice as that. As for why she did so....well, let's just say that Platina has her suspicions about the Guild Leader's ward and that she holds quite a bit of empathy for them due to...other factors.

- As for The Explanation ® that Platina gives.... well, she more or less gives a flowery, verbose, but thorough overview of the events, leaving out all the 'Incriminating/Oh Dear' stuff we mentioned in the Meta Thread, save for one important thing - The Sky Plate. The reason being is that, not having the chance to talk to Team Raiders prior to the meeeting and attempt to request they keep quiet about It, she doesn't want to leave that out and immediately get questioned raised by them for doing so. That, and their is no guarantee they didn't disclose that info already to somebody else before her Group joined the meeting, and as a spur of the moment calculated ploy to focus the Guild Master's attention on THAT in an effort to distract them from other possibilities. She doesn't mention the Dream she had after becoming 'It's Holder' - she tries to downplay how significant her Role is, as well as the potential Divine Power It holds - nor does she show it off, citing that she doesn't want to show it off least 'predatory eyes and ears' catch wind of It, and requests everyone tries not to share information about The Plate's existence in general.

"The Plate's defense is best aided if the entire World remains ignorant of it - anonymity is ever powerful tool if wield correctly, and it helps expose those that do know of Them, both rightfully and less so." is what she has to say about her opinions on the matter. 

- Concerning the Explanation itself, anything her Special Shininess Bonus + Allure/Etiquette Roll + Goodish Instinct couldn't help? She'd try to be Cool and even-headed about how she tells things too, if that helps!

- That should be it, but it should be Noted that Platina is being very Keen Eyed about how everyone is reacting to the various Reveals and Info Dumps going on, with Delphox obviously taking up a large chuck of her attention but also minding how Quagsire, Gallade, Keldeo, Zeraora, and Haxorus react. Knowledge and Insight ain't her strong points, but she's been taught that being aware of other Mons in general is key to success in many a thing and can lead to all sorts of discoveries...