Goals: A.Earn Cash *Potential Leads "Harbinger" Dangerous Individual *[External Starnet Link] *It isn't clear whether or not a bounty is, or will be offered for this person, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Adolf Dangerous Individual *[External Starnet Link] *It isn't clear whether or not a bounty is, or will be offered for this person, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Judge Hawthorn claims that a bounty may be set for Adolf, but didn't quite confirm it. I should look into this, but I haven't seen any new information on Starnet for a while. Snake-Dogs at Flashpoint Mines Infestation Snake-Dogs have been running amok at the Flashpoint Mines; the mines have been sealed off to prevent further injury and to stop the creatures from escaping. I should ask around to determine whether or not anyone would offer a reward for clearing them out. Information on Snake-Dogs can be found in the Fernbrook library. Ignis, kin and local blacksmith on Fernbrook seems to have experience in dealing with these creatures, as well as some knowledge of the Flashpoint Mines. I should talk with him, and see what he knows. Green Geodes at Flashpoint Mines Treasure Hunting Ignis had written a small entry at the Fernbrook Library about tiny green gems that closely resembled emeralds, but not quite. If I'm going to be heading into the Mines any time soon, I should keep a lookout for these. Medical Supplies Wanted Scavenger Hunting The Herbalist Anisazi is asking for any unneeded mecial supplies that can be provided. It's clear that no reward is being offered, but this could be a good way to earn favors. Anisazi is located within the cottage West of the wash house on Fernbrook. B.Find a Safehouse *I landed the Comet over top of a small exposed cellar on Fernbrook. Nothing was found inside other than a large empty rusted crate and an oil lantern. The cellar is next to a run-down building with several sleeping bags inside it. I don't know who they belong to. After a few days, I moved the Comet to another location slightly west from where I had it before. It's in a deep valley between a couple of huge hills, or maybe mountains, but there's enough space there to take off and land. The one side is nearly inacessable and the other has a passage through the mountain heading East. The passage is rather large and cavernous, not to mention pitch black, but a relatively easy walk after going back and forth a couple of times. I'm hoping the cavern will deter anyone from walking through, and I haven't seen many signs of habitation on my side of the mountain. At the very least, no-one seems to be living there. *Some Fernbrook locals apparently take shelter within various caves near derelict ship. A while ago, one of the caves was left vacant by the previous occupant; I should take a look. I found two caves that seem to be unoccupied near the top of the mountain. The first is a tight squeeze to get into, and has an old wooden ladder that leads down to a small, somewhat cramped alcove with a wooden floor; someone definitely lived there. The second is a rather large and roomy cavern, if somewhat damp inside. It doesn't look to have ever been inhabited. *The local tavern appears to have rooms available for rent; not a permanent solution, but it's always nice to get a good night's rest. *I have a standing invitation to visit Refract Valley, as well as an offer to rest and refuel. If things get too heated on Fernbrook or the work dries up, I should ditch the place and make my way over there. I just hope it's not strictly under Council Control... C.Make Connections *Audrey "Peridot" Ohsaka Human, Female Audrey is an avid scavenger and collector who turns a profit by selling her finds both informally and professionally. She is the owner of the pawn shop, "Audrey's Oddities" located at the Caelestis Station. Audrey has just recently gotten married, and seemed very proud about her new wife. Audrey seems to be friends with Thilda. *Crown Avian, Male An interesting, but relatively honest-seeming fella, Crown works as a farmer on what's apparently universally known as, "The Ranch". I've heard about the place a few times, but I have yet to visit. He offered to get me a job there as well in a sort of round-about way, but I declined. I'm not quite looking for farm work at the moment. He's a straight-forward kind of guy, despite how he offered to get me that job; he seems like a nice guy to talk with. Perhaps I should visit "The Ranch". *Hiroto Hylotl, Male I meat Hiroto while conversing with Isabella in the radio tower on Fernbrook. Hiroto is a master to the ninth degree in one of the Hylotl martial arts. At the moment, he's traveling around the sector looking for work in order to raise funds to build a dojo where he can teach students in the way of his art. I'm fairly interested in learning some hand- to-hand from a traditional teacher, but I'm too short on funds at the moment to make a donation. Instead, I suggested that he look to Refract Valley as a potential area to have his dojo built. With the way Mairi designs houses and buildings with incredible skill and ease, I figured getting her to design, and perhaps build a dojo could be incredibly feasible. *Ignis Novakid, Male A local resident of Fernbrook, Ignis runs a blacksmithing forge to the East of the town hall. His business seems a bit traditional and old-fashioned, archaic even, but he must make a profit somehow since his forge is still running. Ignis has a notice on the Fernbrook public bulletin board advertizing the sale of Machetes for those he trusts to use them responsibly. I wonder if this is his main source of income, seeing as combatting the intrusive plant-life is apparently a daily struggle for the locals. *Ino Hylotl, Female I first met Ino at the Fernbrook Library. Initially, she walked right past me, and back out of the room without a single word. A couple minutes later, she was back, and introduced herself. She was new to Fernbrook, and the sector itself and asked me for directions and advice on what to do and where to find work. Ino apparently has a degree in Robotics, so I advised her to seek out Smokestack, as I did for Rayne. Our conversation was cut short when a ruckus started from downstairs. *Isabella Cruz Human, Female I spoke with Isabella briefly in the radio tower on Fernbrook. I wasn't previously aware the tower was meant for public use, but she seemed to be making use of it just fine. Isabella is a medic who primarily does relief work on a case-by-case basis. she's new to this sector, and will likely be traveling around for a while before she leaves. *January Human, Male, Deceased I never knew January, but his footprints keep showing up here and there. I first heard about him when I was browsing for work on a dark corner of Starnet. I came across a link titled, "End This Game", which detailed it all. As always, I skimmed the first message, and then jumped to the end to see the current status. For some reason, 45k was being offered to get rid of this January kid for reasons unexplained. No picture was given, just a physical description. Apparently it didn't stop the bounty hunters from getting to it. At the bottom of the timeline, three pictures were uploaded of the same person from different angles; lead slug head implant and scrambled eggs for legs, blowing the kid up wasn't enough. I can only imagine he hadn't died after whatever explosion wrecked his body, which prompted the finishing blow. That's the last I saw from that page, and that was a little bit ago. Rest in peace, kid. January's name came up again when I was perusing the Fernbrook Library; he'd written an entry in what seemed like the local beastiary on these little fungus critters that hop and bounce around. It read something like, "If one of these gets stuck to you, don't try to yank it off. Poke it gently a couple of times, and failing that, get some Wretchwood. If that doesn't work, you're SOL." That's all I got about him. Doesn't really tell me much about the guy, but it makes me wonder why someone would want him dead. If he went through the trouble of going to write down a helpful passage, sounds like he at least had the dedication to help people. Guess it could have been demons from the past... Judge Hawthorne brought up January somewhat indirectly, referencing a, "Young man that got blown up." He didn't seem too torn up about it. I wouldn't go so far as to accuse him from being behind it all, but I wouldn't rule it out. With his whole deal on order and control, I could see him going to extremes to maintain it. I wouldn't want to be on his bad side. *Judge Hawthorn Human, Male Towering over almost all he meets, Judge Hawthorn is a terribly old and crooked- looking man who's much sharper and capable than he seems. Speaking with him is like playing a game of poker. I first encountered him at the West wing of the town hall, in front of the bulletin board. He was confronting Thilda almost as if he were on a crusade. He seemed quite fixated on her necklace, which he called a "Phylactery". His Counsil-appointed position lets him keep control over the goings-on in Fernbrook, even though he paints it in a brighter light. He claims to offer advice, and act as the standing law in this town. He seems like a total control-freak, and likes seeing people squirm. I did my best to play it off as if I were completely new to the area, as well as if I were a bit of a ditzy airhead. If it's a game he wants, I'm gonna stack the deck. Hawthorn cleary holds complete and utter contempt for Thilda, and the feelings are apparently viciously mutual. He seems quite wary of the necklace she wears, similarly to Audrey. *Krieg Human, Male I ran into Kreig at the Taproot Tavern on Fernbrook while he was in a conversation with Rayne. I wasn't entirely sure what they were discussing at first, but it eventually became apparent that Rayne had been involved in some sort of incident that took place during a tour of a genetic research facility called GENA.CO. I was planning on attending myself, but I ended up missing it. I guess I can count myself lucky. He claims to be, "28 with a full head of gray hair," which is an oddity amongst humans. Krieg seemed quite interested in this lab, talking about "clearing it out," and developing some sort of personal project. Apparently those who had been on the tour were attacked by supposed experiments gone wrong. Rayne described it as people under mind control. Rayne had left the facility with a key card that Kreig seemed to be quite interested in, which she eventually relinquished to him before he left. The last thing he said to her was that he'd promise to pay her back. I've sure heard those words before. The most suspicious part was when Krieg stopped to have a messaging conversation on his device, and revealed he wouldn't be able to take anyone into the facility with him, not even a hired gun for safety. I'm not sure if Krieg is part of an organization or a small group, but he's certainly working with someone on this. *Logan Human, Male Logan is a mercinary who was hired onto the GENA.CO genetic research facility team as a member of security. His contract only lasted about a week before things went South, and some sort of containment breach took place during a tour of the facility. Logan gave some details on the incident, stating that small "creatures" attached themselves to the heads of several employees of the facility and effectively led them around like puppets. The "Puppets" didn't seem to experience pain, and couldn't be stopped normally with bullets. Logan described it as having to "shoot them until they bled out." I'd always advocate for a good, clean shot to the head, but he's obviously got more experience fighting these things than I do. Other than that, the guy didn't seem to take much away from the facility. Fortunately, he didn't seem too shaken up about it. Must be a strong guy, or had a hard past. In the past, Logan was a Marine who was stationed in Antares after his initial four years of service. He left the USCM after sustaining a head wound, and has been doing mercinary work since then. I offered to buy Logan a drink. He accepted, and we talked for a good while about life. He seems like a pretty simple man, but I think he's kind of charming. *Mairi Novakid, Female An "interesting" gal, clearly misbranded. Her symptoms seem pretty severe; she seems to have the headspace of an airheaded child, and might possibly have obsessive-compulsive impulses. Interestingly enough, Mairi is apparently a complete prodegy, capable of designing impressive arechetectural feats, teaching classes to children, and other marvels. Sai says she might also be suffering from a bit of shell- shock; perhaps something terrible happened to her in the past. Sai revealed Mairi's dark past regarding her feet. For some reason or another, Mairi's feet are misshapen and covered in sun- spots. It terrifies me to imagine what kind of horrible things could have happened to her- or been done to her... Before leaving, Mairi insisted on giving me some sort of "care package", containing a rather comfortalbe, but flexible mattress, some blankets, and what she called "lasagna". It was some sort of layered noodle and meat dish, with cheese. Wasn't terribly filling, but I ate it none the less. As much as she makes me uncomfortable, I need to remind myself that she's not a bad person. I guess there's some things even I still need to learn. *Nate Human, Male I met Nate for the first time just briefly, before our conversation had been cut short. Nate is supposedly a history teacher from Refract Valley who was apparently recently on leave due to some sort of medical problem. He's currently still recovering. *Okalani Uluwehi Cythrus Human, Female Bright and bubbly, Okalani seems to be quite an eccentric human with a seemingly free-spirited personality. She arrived on Fernbrook with a bang, literally, and excitedly exclaimed that she was planning to start a bakery there. How well that will go for her has yet to be seen. She's apparently "Hawaiian", and originated from ther, or from those people from Earth. Strange culture she has... *Rayne Human, Female A young, misplaced girl, I was apparently the first person she met upon reaching this sector. She's been on her own for a long time, and seems to be looking for a partner to settle down with in an attempt to re- build a family for herself. Rayne is an unskilled drifter who's only notable skills are a light mechanical knowledge of human-built spacecrafts, as well as supposed musical inclination with an instrument. I talked with Rayne for a long time and gave her some advice on what to do with her life, since she seemed a bit lost. she was very thankful, and said she was glad I had been the first person she'd met here. When she was younger, Rayne had left her home planet of Earth as a stowaway on a merchant ship, only to learn of Earth's eventual destruction years later. She seems to be very emotionally effected by the loss of her family, but isn't actively searching for any who might have survived. I gave her some advice that might help her move on and make a new life for herself. After talking with Rayne some more, we stumbled upon a gap in her memory. Rayne claimed to have left home four Years ago- four Years after Earth's destruction. I noticed a scar on her head, and she says that before arriving here she knocked her head on something and fell unconcious. I'm not sure what really happened, but it seems like Rayne suffers from partial memory loss. Aside from this incident, she hasn't shown any other symptoms. *Takashi Hylotl, Male I first met Takashi while I was talking with Rayne where I'd landed the Comet on Fernbrook for the first time. Takashi claimed to be a Peacekeeper, and asked where the nearest town was before heading off. His behavior was strange, but more awkward than menacing. Still, I feel like I should perhaps guard my possessions more closely. Despite claiming to be a peacekeeper, Takashi appeared to be unarmed. *Tetsaiga, "Sai" Hylotl, Male Sai is clearly a doctor or a physician, and seems to be caring for both Nate and Mairi. With the way Mairi acts, caring for her seems like a full-time job. Sai is employed by Raybina Primfeather, who runs Refract Valley. Mairi and Sai left me with a standing invitation to go visit Refract Valley. Maybe after I've done a bit of work here, I'll take a small vacation. *Thilda Human, Female Thilda is a current resident of Fernbrook who came from a very simple-sounding world. Her customs and mannerisms are are incredibly foreign to me, along with several of her speech patterns and favored words. Combined with her drab mud-colored full-length dress, her entire presence seems very traditional, or old-fashioned. She seems to be a very quiet simple person, but I can't help but think there's more to her. When Thilda is nearby, I can sense a strange humming that Humans don't seem to be able to hear. Audrey, who seems to be friends with Thilda, seems a bit wary of her, and claims strange things happen around her quite often. Audrey seemed a bit concerned about a strange necklace Thilda was wearing, especially upon learning about the humming she was unable to hear. I wonder if the two are connected. Phylactery. Apparently that's the name for the necklace that Thilda holds. I overheard it while listening in to a conversation between Thilda and a vaguely threatening-sounding old man. He also mentioned something about Thilda's Glitch, as in the people. I'm lead to believe Thilda may have been either raised by Glitch, or spent an awful lot of time with them. That would explain a lot. The old man turned out to be Judge Hawthorn. Thilda seems to have a horrible history with Judge Hawthorn including both verbal and physical abuse. Thilda seems to enjoy living in Fernbrook, but i'm certain that man doesn't make it easy for her. I kinda feel bad for the gal. She clearly holds complete and utter contempt for the Judge, and the feeling is evidently viciously mutual. It appears Audrey isn't the only person who's wary of the necklace Thilda wears. I'm not sure what a Phylactery is, but I'd like to find out.
