EoD Pt 2: 2074 Q3 Results (Patreon)

[] Plan: Frustrating Facilities

-[] SECURITY (1 dice; +0)

--[] Local DoP K-9 Unit (New Orleans)

---[] 1 die + 1 Skulder: (0/150 --> 64/150)

-[] AGENT (1 dice; +0)

--[] The Sunken Parish

---[] 1 die: (17/250 --> 56/250)

-[] FACILITIES (0 dice; +0)

--[] Fortified House of Worship (Baton Rouge)

---[] 1 Benoit + 1 Free: (91/200 --> 151/200)

--[] Weather Monitoring Station (New Orleans)

---[] 2 Ecology + 1 Government: (59/200 --> 183/200)

--[] DoP Clinic (Gecko)

---[] 2 Chems: (106/150 --> 197/150) PHASE 1 COMPLETE

--[] AutoMenagerie Complex

---[] 1 Edgar + 1 Genetics: (96/500 --> 201/500)

-[] SCIENCE (1 dice; +5)

--[] Aquatic Atomiplants

---[] 1 die + 2 Edgar (0/250 --> 168/250)

-[] OUTREACH (2 dice; +5)

--[] Community Broadcast Tower (Baton Rouge)

---[] 1 die + 2 Wilbur: (162/200 --> 367/200) PHASE 1 COMPLETE

--[] Community Restoration Program (Gecko)

---[] 1 die: (0/50 --> 33/50)

--[] Lil Patriots Orphanage (New Alexandria)

---[] 1 Edgar: (85/100 --> 96/100)

-[] MISCHIEF (4 dice; +0)

--[] Breaking the Bank (Baton Rouge)

---[] 3 dice (129) SUCCESS

--[] Atomiplants Attack!

---[] 1 die: (0/150 --> 72/150)

=====

Local DoP K-9 Unit [Combat, Personnel, Ecology]: A K-9 unit placed in a community primed to survive would likely be useful for a multitude of reasons post-bomb drop. It was, comparatively, one of the less harmful ways you could improve general security, but less isn't none, and it was very likely they'd wind up being used to assist local security forces in the community. 64/150/250, New Orleans. Increase Police Militarization and Wrath on second phase. Increase Mans Best Friend on first phase. Cost 1 Funding.

“Boss has assigned me to working on expanding the K-9 team: he wants at least forty more handlers on staff in New Orleans. I don’t know why this is my job: I know jackshit about dogs, let alone training them. ‘Skullder, you don’t need to know how to train dogs, you just need to know how to train people: the kennels can train the dogs’, he said. Bullshit. 

I didn’t tell him that, though. I’m not suicidal, and I don’t like my odds of living if I make Wright mad. Past few months he’s been acting weird: no one else has noticed because the fact the man’s lowest setting is still loud enough to crack bulletproof glass, but he’s been tenser, edgier than usual. Look in his eye has been weird, unfocused. 

I’m not going to lie, Edgar Wright scares me. It’s not just the anger: my gut tells me that despite Benoit thinking he’s just a yappy napoleon type that the man is DANGEROUS. And my gut has never been wrong.  

Project has been going slow: most of the recruits are- eh hem. Colored. Their first instinct when seeing a dog is probably wondering whether they should cook it or beat it. Hopefully it finishes soon: the smell has been unbearable around headquarters lately.”

=======

The Sunken Parish [Investigation, Weird]: The super hurricanes had caused significant portions of the state to sink in the past five decades or so. Recently, fishermen looking to catch their dinner in the shallow, watery plains that rested on formerly dry land had reported their boat being attacked by figures in what appeared to be diving suits. 56/250, gain the Sunken Parish Community Card.

“Still working on the Sunken Parish Case, sadly. Mostly in the background: boss says it isn’t ‘immediate priority’, so mostly I’ve been using it to let some of our less experienced team-members get a little field work experience. 

The situation is…weird. It’s not centralia zombies, at least not usually: we’ve identified forty seven people who have been attacked of which twelve were of upstanding enough character to have credible testimony, including the Allerdyce family, who had gone fishing- admittedly without a license, but hell, it’s not like I’ve never done any catch and release now and then.

What each of these accounts have in common isn’t living corpses, like the initial investigation suggested: most attacks seem to feature figures in diving suits, of all things: occasionally what appear to be corpses as well, but those consist of a minority of accounts. I’ve contact the C-Files division: they have no evidence suggesting aquatic zombies have been observed or are possible. 

Meanwhile, I’ve checked, and none of the clothing, items, or medical records of the known victims suggest the sort of radiation exposure you’d pick up in an area with Centralia Zombies. I don’t know what we’re dealing with, but its not what I thought.”

=====

Fortified House of Worship [Population, Construction]: For once, the justification for this one isn't wholly propaganda: analysis indicated that when the bombs drop, churches and other holy houses were likely to be the first place civilians without any substantive options are likely to flee. By reinforcing one of these sites to be bomb-proof, it would significantly raise the odds of survivors in the community. 151/200/600, BATON ROUGE. Increases Divine Sanctuary stat.

"Janet."

"Jeremy.”

“You’re late again.”

“I had to work late: Caroline needed my help filing some paper-work.”

“Jan, this is the fifth day in a row you’ve gotten back later than seven thirty. You need to talk to your boss about your hours. I had to cook the kids dinner tonight and the house looks like a complete mess, for christ sake!”

“Jeremy! Do NOT take the lords name in vain! And for the record, talking to Edgar about this wouldn’t help: I have never seen a more stubborn ass in the course of history. Besides, I’m not the one he’s piling paperwork on, Carol-”

“Janet, I KNOW you want to help your…friend, but you’re starting to neglect your womanly duties as assigned by god, all to help some ki-”

“Jeremy if you finish that word, you are sleeping on the couch.”

“Fine, fine, I’m sorry.”

“Thank you. And for what it’s worth, once we finish reinforcing this synagogue I should be able to spend more time at home.”

“Mmm. Speaking of spending more time together…”

“Not tonight, Jeremy. I’m tired: work with Carol has been exhausting.”

A sigh.

“Fine.”

====

Weather Monitoring Station [Ecology, Government]: The NOAA's creation: these facilities would monitor weather and oncoming storms and were networked in order to help predict storms and perform meteorology based research. 183/200. New Orleans. Each Community contributes to regional Stormwatch stat.

AutoMenagerie Complex [Ecology, Genetics]: The department was planning to construct one in the next few years: why not get a head start? Having a functional AutoMenagerie would be vital for restoring life to the wetlands. 201/500. Gain Louisiana AutoMenagerie Community Card.

Progress continues on both the weather monitoring station and the AutoMenagerie complex. The former is almost complete: at this point, it’s mostly just adding the standard DoP niceties like a years worth of food for the entire staff, a closet full of radiation gear, etc etc, as well as acquiring personnel and finishing the paperwork to make it operational. 

The facility is placed on the city flood-walls: using up a bit of empty space in the southern portion. It consists of an antennae, a doppler, a supercomputer, and the infrastructure to launch and monitor weather balloons over the sea.

The latter, meanwhile, is intended to be a four story complex located in the northern Atchafalaya basin, not that many miles from Gecko, located deep in the swamp. Semi-automated: no CERES unit yet. Excavation has finished, as has the first sub-level: largely server technology, employee dormitories, administrative facilities, critical life support technology.

You keep the DoP abreast of the situation: Warney at least is happy that you’re working on the facility. Apparently, being Clancy’s personal Mengele didn’t stop the man from being an environmentalist. 

====

DoP Clinic [Chems, DoP]: It would be very expensive, but equipping a community with a fully staffed and stocked clinic and hiring doctors to man it would be a good way to improve health both in that community, but also the wider region should the community survive. 197/150/300. Gecko. Increases DoP Goodwill and Community Health. Second phase gains [Genetics] tag and Novel Gene Therapies stat. Each phase costs 2 Funding.

Community Restoration Program [Charity, Ecology]: Occasionally, communities were likely to be damaged by fires, storms, etc. It was technically FEMA's job to help these places repair themselves, but frankly if the DoP didn't step in it was very likely these communities would never actually recover. 33/50, Gecko. Gain progress to erasing status condition. Repeatable. Sufficient overflow will be reassigned to a different community project.

“Personal Log of Dr. Edgar Wright, September 2nd, 2074. 

Another casualty. So far, without sufficient care, about 7 of the residents of Gecko who had been diagnosed earlier this year have died, four of them between the ages of 1 and 13. Another forty who were not initially terminal have, without access to chemotherapy and other treatment it has taken the clinic to finish and begin operation, had their conditions worsen to terminal. 

At the pace it will likely take to finish the gene therapy department of the Gecko clinic, I estimate we will have around twenty nine total casualties, a significant chunk of the community. This is the optimistic estimate. 

I don’t like thinking of the pessimistic estimate. The only good news is that so long as their condition doesn’t take an unexpected turn, everyone else in Gecko who have been affected by ACME’s dumping should hopefully have their conditions improve now that they can at least receive chemo and anti-cancer drugs.

My other recovery efforts are going as well as can be expected, I think: we’ve rebuilt a fair amount of the houses, but there are still a fair chunk of residents who are still unhomed.

So long as the town doesn’t take any more hits, I think it might hopefully recover, eventually.”

[Spoiler=Fate of the Wasteland, Expedition Journal of Rupert Howard, Cavalier of the Knights of the Golden Circle]

This place is a wasteland. I have so far found zero habitation by any peoples, civilized or savage: only constantly buffeting rains and ancient reptilian horrors. The horses died half a week ago: killed by the radiation, alongside a few porters. As a result, our remaining servants have been forced to carry our supplies themselves, forcing us to open our stocks of Rad-Away to prevent them from growing ill from trucking through the polluted water, though I suspect from how indolent they’ve been behaving and their general listlessness that there are perhaps other toxins in the water. 

I’ve placed an order for my fellow Knights: we are not to touch the water. We must remain in our boats at all time, alongside any other vital contributors to the expedition, such as that funny Doctor-man from El Paso, or Lord Rathbone. 

Thankfully, we have located a source of supplies: a town, half sunk. Old world ruins. Most of it was smashed up or water-drenched, but we did locate an intact clinic. Department of Preservation. Twas a godsend: we’ve not just replenished our stores of Rad-Away and Stimpacks, we’ve also found a small fortunes worth of medication we can sell once we return home. 

Success or failure, we should at least be able to recoup some of the costs of this journey and replace any lost servants. We’re going to continue onward: our supplies should at least let us reach the ruins of New Alexandria. God-willing, we’ll get there before that peanut humper Kempt does.

[/spoiler] 

=====

Aquatic Atomiplants [Genetics, Ecology]: Atomicrops was a good idea, but it was limited: there were multiple factors to consider, like the environment. Waterways would be choked and consumed by pollution and radiation. However, you believed you had a solution: you were fairly certain you could use the notes you took studying the program to apply the same modifications to various species throughout the bayou, primarily those that showed promise for helping reduce the amount of toxins in the water or metabolizing the radiation more efficiently to speed up recovery. 168/250, upgrades Atomicrops template, increasing regional Water Purity.

Atomiplants Attack! [Genetics, Prototype]: Venus fly-traps. Grass stickers. Stinging nettles, poison ivy. Some species of witch nettle. There were all sorts of ways one could manipulate floral genetics: with the information that the Atomicrops program had discovered, and your own notes, you could go one step further. You could create weapons. Ones capable of helping you achieve your still nebulously defined goals while simultaneously surviving to repopulate various niches once the bombs dropped, assuming conditions were right. 72/150, Repeatable. Every repetition of this unlocks an additional technology [Gear, Personnel, or Prototype] that raises regional Biodiversity and a random secondary stat.

Edgar’s Mininotes

WHAT IF REPLACE DNA SEQUENCE A-90 WITH CODE FOR PRODUCING CONSTITUENT ENZYMES OF RAD AWAY?

IS IT UNETHICAL TO USE POISON IVY GENOME TO CREATE STD? IS IT UNETHICAL TO NOT MAKE POISON IVY STD?

THINK CAN IMPROVE GENETIC ROBUSTNESS OF SPANISH MOSS

FLY-TRAPS MORE RESPONSIVE TO STIMULA, PROGRESS GOOD. DIGESTIVE PROCESSES HAVE LIKEWISE IMPROVED, CAN METABOLIZE ENTIRE RAT (RIP UNNAMED LAB RAT #192, YOU WILL BE MISSED)

TREES: DO WE NEED THEM? YES

WHAT IS THE LEAST DICKISH THING ONE COULD DO WITH KUDZU? PLANT THAT OVER-RUNS MACHINERY BUT IS HIGHLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO RADIATION POISONING? WHAT IF NORMAL KUDZU BUT MORE TASTY?

NO SOLUTION TO SEABLIGHT PROBLEM THAT DOESNT MAKE IT WORSE

WHAT CAN BE EATEN? WHAT CAN’T BE EATEN

MIGHT BE ABLE TO SAVE AT LEAST 1 FLOWERING PLANT: NECTAR DRINKING INSECTS AND FLORAL DECOR SPECIALISTS THAT WOULD HAVE LOST THEIR NICHE HOLD YOUR APPLAUSE. 

NOTE TO SELF: DO NOT ATTEMPT HYBRIDIZATION OF FUNGI AND FLORA. THAT NEVER ENDS WELL. 

====

Community Broadcast Tower [Education, Media]: Radio, then television. These facilities would play on loop various Department created materials, largely a mix of patriotic reaffirmations and edutainment material aimed at both adults and children. 367/200/400, Baton Rouge, increase Public Preparedness stat. Costs 1 Funding to complete per phase.

“Goooooooood morning greater Baton Rouge, this is Cliff Racer, speaking to you live on 109.7: DoP Radio. Hopefully you’re all having a wonderful morning out there today, and hopefully you’re all enjoying your morning coffee more than me: I’m drinking a cup of departments finest synthetic blend, and I’m not gonna lie listeners, they make better bunkers than brews.”

“Today we’ve got an excellent line up for you: from eight to nine we’ll be playing Elvis’s greatest hits to help you wake up during the drive, with a little Nat King Cole and a few of my favorite Johnny Cash’s for spice. 

At 12:00 we’ll be having Igor Salamance’s live product review, and lemme tell you, he’s got one heck of a line-up prepared, everything from modified seeds for those of you looking to start your own garden to what macaroni you should stock up your pantry on. After that, we’ll be playing a few re-runs of the Build-A-Bunker show: we’ll get back to you on which episodes, dear-reader. 

Around three o’clock we’ll be going over rrrrrrrecent events and department statements! To any kids listening, you’ll want to have your homework done by then, because after the news we’ll be playing the latest episode of our favorite radio play in Captain Cosmos and the Dread Agents of AFTER followed by the Professor Crowtoes Variety Hour. 

And those of you night owls just heading to bed, tune in next midnight for our Tales of the Uncanny, hosted by Sinistra and sponsored by the C-Files: it’ll be a good fun terrifying time!

With that, let’s get to our first song of the morning, a-hunka hunka Burning Love, by Elvis Presley!”

[Spoiler=Fate of the Wasteland: Baton Rouge Emergency Broadcast: The Glowing City]

“IF YOU ARE HEARING THIS, DO NOT GO TO BATON ROUGE. I REPEAT, DO NOT GO TO BATON ROUGE!

My name is Cliff Racer, and I am broadcasting this from downtown Baton Rouge, just south of the cities primary reactor. I don’t have long to live: days, maybe a week if I’m lucky. Three days ago, something went horribly wrong with the reactor. I do not know what happened, but it went critical. If you can hear this, you can probably see the results: a giant green glow in the distance. Every time I look outside, it’s almost blinding. 

Avoid it at all costs. 

If you come here, you will die. 

You don’t need to enter the city itself or even go near the glow: if you have a geiger counter, it should be telling you you’re already absorbing dangerous amounts of radiation.

There is nothing valuable in this city, nothing worth risking your life over. If you can hear this broadcast, I am begging you, get out while you still can. The longer you stay, the closer you get, the more likely you’ll absorb a lethal amount of radiation, enough that no amount of rad-away will fix. And let me be clear, death by radiation poisoning is not quick, unfortunately. 

I don’t have symptoms yet: I’ve been taking as much radiation medication as I can. I don’t think it will be enough. I’m…I’m going to set this recording to play on loop. That way, when the symptoms start hitting and I become too weak to…to continue broadcasting, people will know to stay away. 

If you can hear me, my name is Cliff Racer, and god help us all.”

[/Spoiler]

=====

Lil Patriots Orphanage [Construction, Education] The orphans of today were the patriots of tomorrow! The Patriot Party wanted to help preserve the future of America by constructing a military orphanage for the children of veterans who had perished in the line of duty, and help prepare these sons and daughters of heroes to follow in their parents footsteps, no doubt as they would have wanted, teaching them patriotism, honor, god, and american values as well as useful skills such as marksmanship, wilderness survival, community reaffirmation of principles, and discipline while providing them food, shelter, and other basic needs. 96/100/200/300. New Alexandria. Each rank increases Youth Mobilization by 2. Unfathomable Wrath gain.

Activating AutoComplete Protocol

Please stand by for +4.

Aren’t you so glad to have me as a friend, Edgar? I’m glad to have you as a friend. 

ENFERR would pull strings, helping you get another Lil Patriots up and running, in good old New Alexandria, in the Bricktown district. The new manager opts for generally less ambitious goals, having a small chapel instead of an entire religious wing and compensating by having actual dormitories, a small greenhouse, and, collaborating with the Diocese of Alexandria, a nutrition program that doesn’t want to make you strangle someone.

And BEST of ALL, they were making sure the children were getting a proper education at St. Michaels Reform, a private school for troubled teenagers operated by the corpse of the Catholic church that had been investigated multiple times for child abuse by the state.

When you learn this information during a background check you wind up breaking your mug. 

+50 Wrath. 

[Spoiler=Fate of the Wasteland: Dr. Kemps Field Notes, Feral Ghoulings]

I have encountered another resident of this blighted land. Feral ghouls. Mostly located around pre-war population structures, as is typical. Interestingly, high occurrence of juvenile specimens which I’ve labelled as Ghoulings. You don’t get many ghoul children in most parts of the world for obvious reasons. I’ve encountered roughly three packs so far, all feral. 

Their condition has seemingly permanently stunted their growth. Much like adult ghouls, they seem to be highly social from casual observation: unlike normal feral ghouls, their more plastic brains have allowed them to recover or perhaps merely retain a degree of tool-use. Namely spears made from metal poles topped with Allighoulator teeth, which they use for both protective purposes and, according to my observation, food acquisition in the form of fish.

Behaviorally they seem to be more skittish and less openly aggressive compared to adults who have become Feral Ghouls, being easily frightened off by loud noises like, for instance, gunshots. This may be a result of their small size making them less effective in a fight. 

They are, however, still very dangerous, due to their aforementioned ability to use tools and comparative intelligence: a pack of adult feral ghouls can be frightening, but they at least won’t ambush you with stabbing implements. 

[/spoiler]

====

Breaking the Bank [Crime, Economics]: You needed money. The bank has money. The bank has a lot of money. Money you could take and use to fund things without having to resort to things like Lil Patriots. DC 100, Baton Rouge. If successful, generate 3 points of Financial Unrest and 3 points of Funding. 129

Edgar walked into the bank. “Hands up, this is a robbery.” He announced casually, hands folded behind his back. First Bank of Baton Rouge: the walls were painted that noxious yellow the company had chosen as its primary color. 

It was mid-day: the bank was at it’s busiest. At the angry scientists announcement, a few of the customers stirred, looking back at the man, a few muttering amongst themselves, probably thinking they were being pranked. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a few security guards approach, drawing their weapon. Good, the dracula costume he was wearing was doing it’s job and making the guards take him seriously. 

“Sir, if this a prank-”

“I can assure you it is not.” Edgar drawled. “I am a dangerous criminal, who intends to rob your bank, preferably while committing horrific violence.”

“With what, your right hand?” One renta-cop asked skeptically. 

“In a manner of speaking. Speaking of, would you both do me a favor and take…three steps to the left.” Raising an eyebrow, the one who had just spoke took three steps to the right in a display of deliberate contrarianism…

Only to choke a moment later as a metal arm stretched through their torso, a heavily armored securitron smashing through the wall behind them to punch through the security guards chest, his still beating heart being held by the automaton. Edgar tsked. “People today. Can’t listen to simple instruction. Maxwell, get rid of the other one for me,” He said even as the rest of the banks customers and staff began screaming.

The other guard was shocked out of his stupor by the words, firing his sidearm at the approaching Maxwell, each bullet bouncing off the securitrons body. “H-hey, wait, I surrender, I surrender!”

“Didn’t really ask. Don’t really care,” Edgar shrugged. 

“Sorry sir! If it makes you feel better, you can imagine this hurts me more than it hurts you! It won’t, but at least you’ll die like god intended, screaming and in denial!” Maxwell chirped.

“No no no, wait wait wai-” A moment later, the guard had been reduced to a pile of ash by the bright red glow of Maxwells laser. Edgar clapped loudly. 

“May I have- I SAID, MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION?” He said, attempting to draw the now panicking crowds focus, speaking loudly enough to be heard over its raucous din. “GREETINGS RANDOM CAPITALIST ORGAN NUMBER WHATEVER AND PATRONS THEROF. I AM COUNT DRACULA, AND I WILL BE YOUR HOST FOR THE EVENING. I HAVE AT EVERY EXIT AN ACME BRANDED EYEBOT ARMED WITH A LASER PISTOL: IF YOU TRY TO LEAVE BEFORE THE ROBBERY HAS CONCLUDED, YOU WILL BE SHOT. IF YOU TRY TO ATTACK ME, YOU WILL BE SHOT. IF YOU MAKE MORE THAN FIVE MILLION A YEAR AND ANNOY ME, YOU WILL BE SHOT. HOWEVER, IF ALL GOES WELL, NO ONE ELSE WILL BE SHOT, AND YOU CAN ALL GO HOME TONIGHT A LITTLE POORER INSTEAD.” He made a parting gesture with his hand. “Now, everyone out of the way,” He said, walking forward, the crowd quickly moving out of the way as he approached the teller, who stood there shaking in fear.

“As I was saying earlier, this is a robbery, and I want all your money,” Edgar said. “You will open the vault, or-”

“I’ll be shot, I get it, I get it,” The teller said, giving a shaky breath. “Oh god, are you- are you NEXT?”

Edgar frowned. “No. I am not affiliated with that pack of complete jackasses in the least: this isn’t terrorism. It is only ideological motivated in the abstract and has entirely practical primary reasoning.  I, a man who is dressed like Count Dracula, want money.” …Admittedly, to fund several projects that WERE varying degrees of ideologically motivated, like ‘helping uncancer a town’, but the teller didn’t need to know that. 

“Okay, that, uh…”

Edgar sighed. “Just…just get the money.” He felt his headache throb.

====

Baton Rouge Times, October 21st

Dracula - Agent of Next?!? 

Bank robbed by transylvanian terrorist!

More details inside!

+1 Wrath.

====

+3 Funding. Suspicion roll results: 93 - Pass. 

Please stand by for the yearly Department of Preservation National Convention