Trinity RPG - Assignment - Proxy Presence

[KingOfDreams]

As I posted in another area, this is a call for help. I am planning on running a series soon. I need some help with Assignment [i.e. adventure] ideas. I figure the Trinity lovers here can share some inspiration. There sure is a lot of it!

This Assignment is giving me the most problems currently. I have a couple of ideas, but I just can't figure out how to put them together. Maybe if I present them someone here can come up with a brilliant plan that I can use for my players.

The players will be a group of Psions [one from each of the six major Orders] who work for the Aeon Society. They will have been posted together for a few Assignments already and somewhat experienced [i hope!]. I was planning on this Assignment to take place in Sudamerica. I especially wanted to use the settings of Brasilia and Pearl City at some point, but I'm open for suggestions if those don't end up fitting into the final story. I'll present some plot points I would like to incorporate. I need help putting them together. As stated earlier, I am open to any thoughts or changes you might have.

I wanted to use the back story of Proxy Del Fuego mentioned in Terre Verde. From my recollection it was stated that one of his duplicates disappeared and he did not know why. There were some theories suggested, but I never recalled a definite answer being presented in the book. I was planning on having the players run into this missing Norca Proxy as a twist for the Assigment.

I wanted to include a Qin dignitary. I figured that the players could be assigned to escort the Qin while the alien toured Sudamerica. Towards then end of the Assignment, the players discover to their surprise that the Qin is actually the missing Pai de Norca in disguise.

I want to throw in a Quantakinetic too. I figured that since the Norca are harboring some of the chibs that it would be a good place to include one since the players would be in that territory.

How do I put this all together? Is the chib already working with Norca? Maybe that psion is trying to get away from the Biokinetic Order or perhaps the Norca are trying to get to the chib before anyone else does. Why would the proxy cut off communication from his other selves and disguise himself as a Qin. I was thinking he needed to do so to get close to the chib. What happens if the players discover that the Norca are harboring Quantakinetics? How can they be persuaded to not condemn the Order? Why would the proxy need the players for his plan?

I need the details filled in. I would like to have a build up to some action. A little setting exposure for the players first is nice. Let them get a feel for the area. Then I'll hit them with an initial bout of action. Start implanting some questions in their heads and make them go looking for the answers. Then I'll hit them with the big proxy suprise. A Biokinetic transforming into a Qin is probably impossible, but I figure the proxy of the Order could get away with it. Guiseppe would have to be a convincing Qin for his ruse to work. He has to fool the Aeon Society to get the players involved after all. Maybe he is working with the Qin and the aliens share a similar goal or interest with the proxy.

So there is the first challenge.

I eagerly await any replies.

King of Dreams

[BlueNinja]

The players will be a group of Psions [one from each of the six major Orders] who work for the Aeon Society.

Why? Why specifically one from each order? If you have a good reason why the Aeon Society put together their team that way, it can help you with other details.

I wanted to include a Qin dignitary. I figured that the players could be assigned to escort the Qin while the alien toured Sudamerica. Towards then end of the Assignment, the players discover to their surprise that the Qin is actually the missing Pai de Norca in disguise.

Why/how is the clone pretending to be a Qin? Why are the Qin allowing/helping/being duped by him? What is the group's best-case outcome when they discover the truth? And especially, consider the Norca of the party, and how he's going to handle this need-to-know information that he didn't need-to-know before.

I want to throw in a Quantakinetic too. I figured that since the Norca are harboring some of the chibs that it would be a good place to include one since the players would be in that territory.

How do I put this all together? Is the chib already working with Norca? Maybe that psion is trying to get away from the Biokinetic Order or perhaps the Norca are trying to get to the chib before anyone else does. Why would the proxy cut off communication from his other selves and disguise himself as a Qin. I was thinking he needed to do so to get close to the chib. What happens if the players discover that the Norca are harboring Quantakinetics? How can they be persuaded to not condemn the Order? Why would the proxy need the players for his plan?

Here's a twist. IIRC, the Qin do have minor psionic abilities, mostly to do with their biotech. Why not have the chib hiding with the Qin to keep him alive? After all, the Qin would probably love to get a psion to help them study things, especially one of the few remaining after the destruction of their order. Then either the clone is working with the Qin to conceal this, or he's trying to infiltrate them to kidnap the chib. The actual proxy doesn't even need to have any awareness of these events, and in fact is probably better without it for plausible deniability. But consider that the characters (though possibly not the players, depending on their Trinity knowledge) are going to want to kill/arrest the chib, as soon as they find out what he is. If the proxy's clone isn't working with the Qin, then you should think about how it'll affect things when it's exposed.

[KingOfDreams]

Thanks for the response!

I had a fixation for the "perfect" team. I wanted one psion from each order to represent all facets of psi [excluding the chibs and Upeos]. I know this is pure opinion. I am not even sure all the players will be happy with their characters. Someone is gonna have to play the clear [or whatever psion they end up not liking]. I just liked the idea of it. Maybe Aeon is conducting a field experiment. If one representative from each Order is able to work together as a well oiled Aberrant fighting machine for humanity, then it could turn into a great PR story. Then again, maybe I'm dreaming too much.

You ask good questions Blue Ninja. Questions I need answers to. I like your idea of the Qin using the chib. Perhaps the chib originally was working with the Norca after the Quantakinetic Order was disbanded. The chib then defected from the Norca to go help Qin, acting as a test subject for their research [though it would have to be a sweet deal!]. I was wondering how the Norca handled the chibs that did run to their Order. Are they treated as honored but secret guests, or as prisoners with protection. I can tweak the chibs motivation with either possibility.

The biggest problem I see is one you already pointed out. When the players do find out that the Norca is somehow involved with the chib, how are they going to react. Either way I feel that the proxy is going to whisk the chib away at the end of the Assignment. This is going to leave the players asking questions. Questions they'll take straight to Aeon. Del Fuego can't afford that to happen. I thought of going the intimidation route. What if the proxy scares the players into keeping it a secret? He could spout rhetoric in the vein of "revealing this information could bring all the Orders down". Maybe if he convinces the players that having the chib in Norca's possession is the best option he can convince himself that they won't blab. What if the proxy makes it appear to the players that the chib dies or disappears?

I'm also still left with the conundrum of why does the proxy need the players help.

[Finbar]

1) How can you have a perfect team with an Upeo? That's just night right...

2) Keep in mind that proxies aren't exactly easy to hide thanks th their psi-glowiness, and that a chib would be looking for someone with a lot of power, but not necessarily a team that's just starting out....

FR

[Jackson Creed]

Dampening down Proxy level noetic disturbance is something that Proxies are able to do (Otha Herzog does it almost all the time; most people even forget that he's in the room). But think of it from the other point of view: A proxy has such a powerful aura because of their incredible finesse with noetic manipulation within their aptitude. Also remember that the proxies are only one level below the Doyen in noetic power (in fact it is likely that each Proxy has greater skill within their aptitude than the Doyen do, since Doyen have unrestricted access to all normal aptitudes; Proxies have the raw power of a Doyen but restricted to a single aptitude). Also note that Doyen have been able to easily possess and inflitrate psion teams, even in the presence of a Proxy, without being detected (Descent into Darkness trilogy). It is logical to assume that a Proxy can easily supress their noetic aura to the point that instead of noetically shouting "I am Proxy, hear me roar!" it instead whispers "nothing to see here, nothing out of the ordinary, move along...".

As for the shapeshifting into a Qin... well if anyone can, the Pai can. In fact he probably doesn't change into a slug-Qin and walk around in a Biosuit, it is more likely that he simply changes into the biosuit itself. With enough research he would probably pass any bio/genetic test and have an internal structure identical to a Qin biosuit... and using Homunculus, he could even create a slug-type Qin inside for the sake of appearances.

Why would the Pai go to such trouble? Not just to get one rogue Chib certainly. He could infiltrate and accomplish his mission far faster than the time that has passed. So why is he still undercover? Two possibilities spring to mind:

1. The Pai has uncovered information that shows that the Qin have a deeper agenda than just the House politics suggest. It is unlikely to involve the Abberants because Quantum and Taint react poorly with a race that all use Psi to some degree. More likely a deeper plot that puts Earth at risk... an invasion perhaps? Military? or more likely (since humanity has better warships and weapons, and greater war experience) some kind of infiltration and gradual takeover (for some pointers have a look at the first 3 seasons of Earth: Final Conflict). Remember, the Qin are subtle... but so is the Pai. He will be watching and waiting and will may even allow it to take place, albeit with influence to turn events in his favour, so long as the Norca and humanity come out on top. His plans are so subtle that he must remain incognito, even from his opther selves, until the mission is complete. After all, the only perosn the Pai trusts is the Pai de Norca.

2. A much more interesting idea is that the Pai's masquerade is so perfect that he has actually forgotten who he is. By modifying his own brain chemistry in a similar manner to level 5 Mentasis (I've always though that this is well within the bounds of Psychomorphing, at least at the Proxy level) he has created the perfect cover. He acts and thinks like a Qin; to all intents and purposes, he is a Qin. This may simply be the ultimate in deep cover infiltration, with an implanted command to revert his mind back to normal at a predetermined point. However, what if the process went awry and the Pai cannot revert on his own? What if the life of a Qin was so much more rewarding and fulfilling than he anticipated and his unconscious is preventing the mental switch from occuring.

Remember, Guiseppe del Fuego has literally taken responsibility for the safety of the world on his shoulders; the responsibilities, commitments and stress that this will cause any person issues. What if the asceticism, calm and elegant structure of Qin society was too tempting to resist? After all, it's not like he's abandoning his responsibilities; there are still his other selves to shepherd the human race. Given his self discipline and passion, it is likely that this course of action was made by his subconscious and if shocked back to reality, he probably would not be happy... at least until he got control of himself.

A good analogy would is Superman: Clark Kent's vision of a perfect life is to be a simple farmer; he is Superman because he feels the world needs him. This is a constant burden that he has to bare and the temptation of a simpler existance is one that is with him throughout his life. But what if there was another Superman he could trust to fulfill those obligations; the temptation to turn to the simple, stress free life would be som much greater...

Anyway, just a few randon thoughts there. Modify, mix and match, maybe it might spur some inspiration.

JC

[KingOfDreams]

The problem of Attunement occurred to me today as well. I was just going to post a question about it, but it seems it has already been addressed. If the proxy is able to use a form of "dormancy", it would solve the problem of his disguise being foiled by his own psi.

Good ideas JC. I especially like your second reasoning for the justification of the proxy going incognito. A friend of mine suggested the following idea which is similar, at least in the vein of mental instability. What if the clone had come to disagree with the original Pai de Norca? Would this be possible? Maybe this duplicate has decided that harboring Quantakinetics is wrong and he wants to capture or eliminate the chib I wish to incorporate into the Assigment. Maybe he has decided to use the players [a rather insignificant representative group for Aeon] as a way to get the original proxy's attention. If they were to stumble onto clues that Norca is possibly working with Quantakinetics, the original proxy would definitely take notice and be concerned. Maybe this duplicate just wants to make the original sweat a little in an effort to change his mind. Once the players eliminate the chib, they take their speculation back to Aeon and the proxy and Norca have to cover their tracks. The players won't have enough evidence to condemn the Order, just cause Aeon to notice a little. As for why the Qin disguise, I'll use Blue Ninja's idea. The Qin are trying to work with the chib in question. The duplicate proxy discovered this and has disguised himself as a Qin to lure the chib out.

I think its coming together. I also wanted to have an action scene using the Yana Llanthu [black Shadows] of Peru. There are a highly effective espionage group that pride themselves on their abilities. It would be easy for them to get involved and tangle with the players. I just need to make it happen in Brasilia and/or Pearl City!

What do you think?

[Rorx]

I presume that you are starting your game in about 2118/9 ready to kick into the Descent into Darkness at the beginning of 2120?

My personal take on the metaplot leading into the Bright Continent - new 'Psi Order' has the Norca chibs at least partially working on the problem of the block on Aptitudes built into the Prometheus chambers, given access to look at the Norca one and at least parts of the QK chamber. Obviously the Pai (or at least one of his clones) is going to be heavily involved/interested in this work, and it wouldn't hurt to get the help of the Qin, as experts of biotech, to have a look at some of the work as well.

So in my version of your scenario the Pai clone would be escorting/protecting the chib while trying to make contact with the visiting/touring Qin master of biotech and either discussing the problem or arranging future contact to do so.

Remember the minimum Psi for the Chib is 6, Willpower 7, which means he will probably be able to spot the team a psions before they can spot him, especially as he should only use his powers if he has absolutely no other choice. Since all Qin are psions to some degree the Pai only needs to turn his power down, not off entirely, and might still be able to use his Pheromone to persuade the team towards the outcome he wants (if they are suspicious afterwards they may suspect Qin use of Empathy to influence them?)

[KingOfDreams]

So in my version of your scenario the Pai clone would be escorting/protecting the chib while trying to make contact with the visiting/touring Qin master of biotech and either discussing the problem or arranging future contact to do so.

Interesting take Rorx. I might use it. I do have one question about your scenario. Why does the proxy need the players? If he is attempting to keep the chib/Norca alliance a secret while trying to set up negotiations with the Qin, how does a group of Aeon psions fit in. I guess they could stumble onto the situation, but I don't like that idea. How would the players sympathize with the proxy and the chib? If they don't they'll have to tangle with a proxy [albeit one who maybe doesn't want to reveal himself]. In any case, it won't be much of a contest.

[Rorx]

Sorry King, I misremembered when I posted my reply I thought that they were meant to be escorting a Qin who was not the Pai Clone.

being the Qin's escort they should be protecting him form any intrusion, and so could be suspicious when another Qin turns up to talk to yours unanounced. If they try to check with Aeon and/or the Qin embassy it may become clear that one or both of these organisations don't know of this Qin in the area and so further raise their suspiscions. If they don't then the Qin(Pai) may simply wak past/through them to talk to the Qin they are escoting and arrange a time the following day for him to meet a visiting businessman (Chib).

Unless the party think to check with Attunement they won't realise the Chib is a psion, or even a possible Latent - and it is difficult to spot the difference unless some one actually uses their powers. Even if they do they would need a damn good roll to get anything other than he is a Psion of Psi 6+, i.e. quite a good/powerful one.

Basically unless the party get suspiscious and stop it or spot the psion then the meeting could go off without any problem - which is obviously the way the Pai would like it. If there is a problem then the Pai would seek to stay in role, but use his persuasion skills and pheromones, in place of the Empathy etc that a Qin might use to influence someone.

[Alex Green]

Maybe he "replaced" a Qin?

[KingOfDreams]

That could work too Rorx. The players are escorting the real Qin. The proxy shows up in disguise to set up negotiations with the real Qin. Perhaps the ruse is to fool the chib, or maybe the real Qin. I would need to determine why the Pai needs the disguise. Once the meeting between the Qin, Pai, and chib occurs [of course the players are there as an escort], the Black Shadows crash the party and all hell breaks loose!

I do like Alex's replacement idea, but just need a reason why the proxy does so. It would be cool to somehow tie in the back story of the missing Pai duplicate to this one.

In addition to the big plot of this Assignment, I am still looking for little ideas. Its because I like to play in a linear story fashion I guess. I prefer to have the adventure written out like a story. I narrate to the players as they move from point to point. I require enough story to last about four or five hours for the players. I need some events to accommodate this time frame. I don't expect my players to do too much on their own, especially when they are only following Aeon's orders.

What scenarios can I include to help pass the time and give the players something to do which requires dice rolling and decision making?

[Alex Green]

I do like Alex's replacement idea, but just need a reason why the proxy does so. It would be cool to somehow tie in the back story of the missing Pai duplicate to this one.

Easy, he finds out that the Slug had *already* been replaced by an Abby. So he killed the abby and took his place.

This is more or less what his crew do anyway, i.e. guard against the abbies pulling this kind of stuff on humans.

[Rorx]

Neither the Pai or an Abby "replacing" a Qin is going to work for very long, indeed it will probably fall down the first time they meet another (real) Qin - remember this is a Telepathic race guys, and neither of the replacers will be able to duplicate the way in which they naturally converse.

So teh Pai Qin will need to try to get the meeting with the real Qin set up through the party in such away that they meet in private (without the party in the room), so he gets a chance to explain before the party can find out.

[Alex Green]

Turncoat could do it.

[Rorx]

Turncoat could do it.

You'll have explain who and why that would be the case.

The Qin largly use a spoken language, since it is mentioned how to learn it in the rules, but they also use Empathy sub-consciously.

An Abberant would need to constantly be using or maintaining powers, which the Qin as psions could detect.

[KingOfDreams]

I'm still trying to come up with filler ideas before the climax. Let's assume the players are escorting a Qin ambassador [either a real Qin or "Pai incognito"]. They are there to protect the alien from any threat, even minor ones.

What kind of minor harassments would a Qin expect while touring Pearl City/Brasilia which could involve the players?

[Rorx]

There is always the minor religion/cult that sort of worships the Qin that was mentioned somewhere (Hidden Agendas?) - they could turn up and cause a disturbance (well intentioned and probably non-violent, but annoying). Or how about a clash between these guys and a group of anti-alien/pro-humanity types?

[KingOfDreams]

There is always the minor religion/cult that sort of worships the Qin that was mentioned somewhere (Hidden Agendas?) - they could turn up and cause a disturbance (well intentioned and probably non-violent, but annoying). Or how about a clash between these guys and a group of anti-alien/pro-humanity types?

Perfect!

These were the types of ideas I was looking for.

Thanks!

[Alex Green]

You'll have explain who and why that would be the case.

Turncoat was able to literally copy minds and was also a shape shifter. He could become his target, right down to believing he was the target.

An Abberant would need to constantly be using or maintaining powers, which the Qin as psions could detect.

Now this I don't have an answer for...

Wait: A really strong abby bio-manipulator could in theory reshape someone into a Qin (albet not with powers). A really strong telepath could in theory reshape someone's mind into thinking he was a Qin. *If* they started with a telepathic psion they could change one into the other... at least in theory. How this would help them I'm not sure about.

Might be easier to just say a strong Abby somehow *broke* or *took over* a Qin.

[Rorx]

Pearl city 1 - an invite to dive with some dolphins - how many of the party can swim or pilot underwater craft?

Pearl city 2 - a media interview and/or invited to do a quest appearance on a vidshow. Lots of techs/makeup/cameramen etc, all potential threats.

[KingOfDreams]

Pearl city 1 - an invite to dive with some dolphins - how many of the party can swim or pilot underwater craft?

Pearl city 2 - a media interview and/or invited to do a quest appearance on a vidshow. Lots of techs/makeup/cameramen etc, all potential threats.

Thanks again Rorx!

My brain just isn't coming up with that type of stuff. Its all good filler!