The following materials are available in the pod room in the form of tidy folders full of print-outs, and may also find their way into unoccupied trainee dorms, unused Hunter coat pockets, etc.
The first item in the folder is a brightly-colored pamphlet for newly-depodded Hunters compiled by Cami, her cheery fingerprint evident and Taym's cynical one absent. The rest of the pages are print-outs: a loose map of the Island with particularly dangerous areas marked, as well as the location of major buildings, Town landmarks, and training courses; a schedule of orientation dates and times; and a sheet of contacts split up by division.
Wake-up Pamphlet
Quote:
Welcome to Deus Ex!
Deus Ex is not only the organization that you've contracted yourself to be a part of, it's also an island in the Bermuda Triangle. We'd like to welcome you to your new home.
Divisions
You've noticed the symbol on your coat, I'm sure. It represents the divisions within the overall organization. They are Sun, Moon, Life, Death, and Mist. What do they do? Well:
Sun: Front line offense. Lead: Allan. Moon: Front line defense and aid. Lead: Edith. Life: Research and experimentation. Lead: Doctor H. Death: Intelligence and surveillance. Lead: Caelius. Mist: Everything and anything. Lead: Lance.
It is important that you understand your role in the organization and show respect to your leads. Some are more serious than others but all are deserving of your immediate respect.
Day to Day
What should you be doing with your time? Depending on your division there may be specific goals and tasks. Barring that you should visit the training fields, familiarize yourself with the patrol routes around the islands, and make friends in the infirmary. Why the infirmary? You will, at one point or another, end up there.
Deus Ex is dangerous. Accept this now and live your life according to this rule. Ask for help if you are unsure. If you see, feel, or hear something exceedingly strange report it to someone ASAP.
FEAR and Fighting
FEAR is not just an emotion it is also the power we are given by our weapons. Yes, they talk to you in your head. No, you're not going crazy. They give you two main benefits with FEAR: your shield and your attack. Your FEAR shield is what keeps you from being immediately slaughtered in battle. Pay attention to it. If it breaks, run away. Second is your FEAR attack that should be used, in battle against our enemies, as often as you can manage it.
There are training dummies on the training field as well as other Hunters that you can test these abilities on. It is highly recommended you spend time learning how to at least defend yourself in a fight. There are also various training courses should you feel up to the challenges of them.
Please remember that while you are now more durable you are not immortal. The training fields have dampeners to prevent permanent injury. You should not spar anywhere else.
Technology
Those of you who brought technology to the island will realize that it does not work. You have been given a phone that has been specially modified to work, something we call 'runic tech'. Any technology you have or purchase in the future will have to be modified to be runic before it will work and must be paid out of pocket to the Life technicians. There is no internet there is only the Deus intranet.
Once a month there will be a larger orientation class held in the old school. Please feel free to contact Camille Ryland (###-####) if you have any questions or would like to know when the next orientation will take place.
You are not alone! We are here for you and can't wait to meet you. Welcome home!
Contacts
Contacts
Obadiah Thompson Full hunter, Moon division Training seminar organizer Civilian operations, orientation, training (xxx-xxxx)
Camille Ryland Intermediate hunter, Sun division Training seminar organizer Interpersonal affairs, orientation, training (xxx-xxxx)
Jordan Miller Full hunter, Sun division Hands-on combat training and education (xxx-xxxx)
--------
SUN DIVISION
Bix Wilkins Full hunter, Sun division Combat training (ranged combat specialty), personal networking (xxx-xxxx)
Peyton Creedy Full hunter, Sun division Combat training (xxx-xxxx)
Chelsea Craft Full hunter, Sun division Enemy territory (xxx-xxxx)
MOON DIVISION
America Jones Intermediate hunter, Moon division Towns, repairs, social and personal networking (xxx-xxxx)
LIFE DIVISION Sherry Greyson Full hunter, Life division Tech and infirmary questions (xxx-xxxx)
Ami Raine Full hunter, Life division Library, research (xxx-xxxx)
DEATH DIVISION
Ripley Crowell Intermediate Hunter, Death division General Death division duties; intelligence acquisition and research (xxx-xxxx)
MIST DIVISION
Candace Rainstar Full hunter, Mist Division General training; Mist division focus (xxx-xxxx)
Molly Finn Full hunter, Mist division Personal and social networking, mentoring (xxx-xxxx)
Dakota Rainstar Full hunter, Mist division (former established Moon) Search and rescue, special ops (xxx-xxxx)
Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 10:54 pm
Orientation
Roughly once a month (slightly more often in the case of a big influx of trainees), an organized orientation meeting takes place at the school in the old towns. Here, in a restored and cleaned-up training room, trainees or those looking to brush up on basics are invited to enjoy free food and listen to a series of hunters from various divisions present basic information.
They are also free to ask questions (see next post) and to network with trainers, etc.
While there is nothing to suggest that orientation is mandatory, there is also, quite intentionally, nothing to suggest that it isn't.
Current presenters include, should you wish to refer to them for IC reasons:
Camille Ryland (chromaticore), Sun A cheery, curvy hunter dressed in bright clothing whose enthusiasm is readily evident.
Jordan Miller (prolixity), Sun A friendly-looking hunter with reddish-blond hair, whose information is straightforward, organized, and detailed.
Molly Finn (Lucyal), Mist A thicker and curly haired Hunter with freckles whose appearance and demeanor scream "motherly." She speaks with good volume, although with a slight tendency to shyness.
Sherry Greyson (GrnGrf), Life An average-looking blonde, whose nervousness eventually wears away as she becomes immersed in her presentation. She peppers her presentation with personal anecdotes, and brings a basket of props for demonstration, including runics.
Ripley Crowell (Enoh Love), Death A pale, serious looking Hunter with white hair and glasses who seems more than comfortable in front of a crowd. His presentations are focused and on-point with little to no flavour speech in between.
The following information is covered:
((The wording of the following segments are semi-OOC. Expect that the information is covered in somewhat more detail ICly.))
Basics and Safety
The following topics are covered in brief detail by Ryland during the seminar. This is now information that your character has, ICly!
You voluntarily signed up for this, and signed a contract. There is no out. This is your life now. You are surrounded by allies and friends. There ARE people to help you, and to enable you if there's something you want to accomplish. You are located on a "desert" island in the Bermuda triangle. Due to high levels of FEAR, normal technology and animals do not function as they would in the outside world. More on this later. Your weapon bond is keeping you alive. There are five divisions in Deus. Briefly, they are Sun (front line offense), Moon (front line defense and repairs), Life (research and experimentation), Death (intelligence and surveillance), and Mist (jacks of all trades). Division leads are Allan (Sun), Edith (Moon), Dr. H (Life), Caelius (Death), and Lance (Mist). Reality is fluid in Deus. It is not uncommon to find oneself in a shared dreamstate or alternate reality. It is not always obvious what to do in these situations. Attempt to conduct yourself honorably and do what seems like the best course of action at the time. Reality tends to settle back in eventually. You have a map now. Basic campus includes dorm buildings, infirmary, library. The beach is an especially dangerous area, prone to breaches by titans and other monsters. The Island formerly housed a self-sufficient town which has since gone to ruin. Reconstruction efforts are underway. You are in the gym of the former school, which is in the process of being salvaged; there are also some homes livable for full Hunters. There are "portals" that allow you to leave the Island for leave time and missions. Portals will also get you home, but you will also be issued, particularly for missions, a pendant that allows you to instantly transport back to the Island. Use of a pendant in the field will return you immediately to the infirmary. Understand portals and pendants, as the proper use of them will save your life at some point. Stay busy: there's a library, training courses, job shadowing wherever you want it, and external missions to take on, as well as Titan duty, watch duty at the lighthouse, etc. BE CAUTIOUS. You are now living a life of constant danger. Don't hesitate to ask for help. Don't leave safe areas alone.
Combat and the Enemy
The following topics are covered in brief detail by Miller during the seminar. This is now information that your character has, ICly!
FEAR Shields and Weapons
Your weapon has abilities that normal weapons do not, such as the ability to damage FEAR and FEAR shields Your FEAR shield is the force protecting you now, keeping you alive. It can be damaged and broken. Once it's broken, you are in imminent danger and no longer "superhuman" in terms of damage sustaining abilities. Just as it sounds, it is comprised of FEAR, the energy on which the enemy feeds. A FEAR shield also enables you to heal from injuries faster. Your weapon is also capable of using FEAR offensively or in some cases defensively, once it has been "fed" enough FEAR by fighting FEAR creatures or FEAR shields. You can test your weapon's FEAR ability ("charge") safely on the sparring grounds on either another Hunter or one of the FEAR-imbued dummies The sparring grounds are surrounded by wards to prevent damage once your shield has been broken, but sparring elsewhere can cause serious injury, so don't without approval Jordan Miller (the presenter for this section) will be holding regular combat training courses to educate, answer questions, and most importantly, provide hands-on training and practice.
The Enemy
Shadowlings: Small, living scraps of shadow. Useful for training purposes. Infest various parts of the Island; can be encountered in the Sun Run training course. Titans: Swarming off the shore of the Island, Titans are massive beasts that require special tactics to defeat. Amity/students: The things your weapon used to be. Sentient, sapient, intelligent (mostly). Can be nonthreatening. Encountered on missions, and in the Haunted House. Can be encountered on their territory (more on that later) Horsemen: Our number one threat. Hellbent on destruction of Hunters and extremely dangerous. Shapeshifting humanoids. Come in four clans:
War - Frequently encountered in jungle areas, with a specialization in all forms of combat and a knack for traps. War horsemen are winged and typically armed with swords and daggers, and tend to appear dressed in furs and natural clothing, with tattoos, bone or feather accessories, etc. common.
Death - Death horsemen can be identified by a tendency to dress as if for the cold, with a generally Nordic appearance. Death horsemen are frequently armed with sickles and scythes, and encounters with them are sometimes marked out by use of illusion and hallucination.
Famine - Typically encountered in arid, desert regions, Famine horsemen are marked by their "nomadic" appearance, and at times exposed bones. They have an association with insects and have recently tapped into a form of golem technology (more on that later).
Conquest - Distinctly Asian in appearance, Conquest horsemen are frequently armed with bows.
Assorted monsters: Various beasties and baddies that do not fall into the above categories, typically encountered on missions. Threats from within: A splinter cell of traitors known as O/Ouroboros is active within our ranks and has connections to the civilian world. More on this later.
Island Tech
The following topics are covered in brief detail by Greyson during the seminar. This is now information that your character has, ICly!
Runic Tech
Normal technology does not function as expected on the Island. Technology must be modified with runes. "Runic" tech was formally done by hand and is now primarily done by computer. Basic runic abilities are valuable skills; you can hone your skills by rune diving and carving your own runestones. You have received a runic smartphone with access to the Deus intranet. Further technology will have to be paid for out of your own pocket, including a fee for whatever Life tech runics the item for you. The Deus intranet contains partial mirrors of many websites, but is not connected to the outside world's internet. This includes Twitter. Experimental runic tech can be extraordinarily dangerous. Handle unknown tech with care and exactly as instructed. Completion of various training courses entitles you to the use of runic weapons, including runic bandages, which are an extremely valuable front-line tool.
Consequences of the weapon bond
Although you now heal much faster than a normal person, unusually severe or just plain unusual injuries should be reported to the infirmary ASAP, as should any potentially suspicious physical changes Protected sex is now mandatory. Otherwise our FEAR shield will see to it that anything left in a fleshy receptacle (any fleshy receptacle) is turned into a bouncing bundle of horrifying zombie terror. This applies to men as well as women. For more information please feel free to visit the infirmary for an enlightening demonstration. Condoms are available from the quartermaster and also from the infirmary. Sherry has also provided a basket of them in the back of the room, because Sherry is awesome.
Minipet labs
The creatures kept in the laboratory should be considered specimens, although some treat them as pets. Minipets are valuable resources for learning about FEAR, and should be treated humanely and with care. Acquiring new minis requires golem missions (covered in detail later in this presentation) into Halloween territory. Minipets are fed FEAR candy. Feeding and cage-cleaning rosters are typical trainee duties. You will be trained in their care accordingly when assigned these tasks.
Golems Information
The following topics are covered in brief detail by an unnamed Death hunter during the seminar. This is now information that your character has, ICly!
A particular type of runic tech is golems, which are alternate "bodies" remotely controlled--think Avatar. There are several varieties. Primarily you will be concerned with training course golems (used to attempt Deathsweeper without causing your death) and Amity golems, which take the form of students and are used to infiltrate Halloween's schools and town, whether for reconnaissance, to acquire specimens, or to scout potential weaponization recruits. There are also "princess golems," used for rescue training scenarios. These take the shape of a random hunter in princess garb. W-class golems are experimental runic tech used to give your weapon a temporary shape. They are risky and still in experimental stages. There are various other types of golems. To learn more, please ask a Life tech.
Confidentiality and Leave
The following topics are covered in brief detail during the seminar. This is now information that your character has, ICly!
It is imperative that you do not ever visit your civilian family or friends again, or be recognized. This will endanger the entire organization, and also endanger your loved ones. Caution should be taken on leave not to draw unnecessary attention. Avoid doing things that will put you under legal attention, etc. Confidentiality requirements must be strictly followed to protect the entire organization. If you aren't sure if information from a mission, etc. is classified, ask. Island Twitter is a social tool, but also a valuable channel for public information. Island Twitter is NOT connected to outside Twitter, but at all times one should consider it a fact of life that enemy operatives have access to Twitter and other digital communication channels. Suspicious activity indicative of possible treason or risky leave behavior should be reported to appropriate Death authorities for investigation. Information about on-Island shared bloodlines is available to full-ranked Hunters only at this time.
Finishing Up
The following topics are covered in brief detail during the seminar. This is now information that your character has, ICly!
Island History Please also see this thread if you want more information.
Deus ex Machina has been around since the times of King Arthur in various states of power. Deus's numbers were devastated during events in the winter of 1999 involving Horsemen. Deus formerly housed the weaponized form of Merlin.
Recent Happenings
Ouroboros (traitor splinter cell) has been recently ramped up. O hunters and their civilians contacts are armed with runic tech and extremely dangerous. Please be on the lookout for suspicious activity, and do not hesitate to contact relevant hunters and authorities for more information about identifying O activity and taking on relevant missions. This is a high-priority threat. After the events known as the Tear in August 2013, Merlin escaped Deus confines and is now considered an enemy force. His influence manifests as black crystals with lethal infectious properties and blackened eyes in those under his direction. He and his minions are extremely dangerous and an imminent threat. A recent large mission suggests huge upheaval in Horseman affairs and a shift in Horsemen authority, and has also indicated that weaponization of Horsemen is possible. Famine Horsemen have recently acquired the ability to create things something like golems, and are creating them in the shape of Hunters. They are being deployed by forces loyal to Merlin. At the moment active golems resemble Obadiah Thompson (how awkward, since he's presenting this part) as well as other hunters and are extremely dangerous. They are unable to summon and lack identifying marks. Thompson will readily identify himself if encountered on missions and expects other affected hunters will do the same. FEAR candy is being dispensed among civilian adolescents as a drug. Parties responsible and motives remain unknown.
lizbot Vice Captain
No Faun
Offline
lizbot Vice Captain
No Faun
Offline
Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 10:55 pm
Q+A
This thread can also be used to house IN CHARACTER questions, which will be ICly answered by the presenters (whoever happens to see the question).
Post here for your character to ask his or her question.
Questions can either be asked aloud, or they can be submitted on index cards to a box for those of you who are shy. Questions in the box will be answered before the rest of the Q+A commences.
Although trainees are encouraged to network and find contacts of their own, including neighbors and divisional colleagues, Obadiah Thompson is also available via text (quote) or Twitter (@tomcatachresis) for urgent questions between orientations. His helpfulness is questionable, but he will try, or at least tell you who can Camille Ryland is generally available via text (quote) or Twitter (@chromaticore) for urgent questions between orientations.
Volunteers
If you'd like to volunteer your existing hunter for a contact or to be added to the rotating list of presenters, please contact Nesshime OOC, or Cami Ryland IC!
