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Player Plot (Slavers): Conclusion

event summary

Hey, Savrites!

As this post made public, Chara (inconsequence) recently hijacked the Ingress for their own purposes-- namely, to get revenge against the slavers that attacked the Moira's crew last year. We've had a few good questions about consequences, both for them and those who followed them, and wanted to offer a brief summary of what would be observed by the game at large.

While the security breach was unexpected, Ingress tampering is the highest order of emergency among the Savrii, and they would move to intercede as soon as possible. Naturally, this won't be quick enough to stop Chara's pursuers. Players who follow may have done so either by arriving quickly, before Ingress Security cordons off the area, or by talking their way through to go retrieve their friends. (Not all Ingress staff will be inclined to listen, but there are individuals among them who would.)

Once the Ingress is locked down, security will remain to intercept returning parties. In most cases, characters will be questioned, ID-checked via their TAB, and told to stop by their nearest Decontamination Center. However, those lingering nearby at the right time might observe Jane Shepard (squadgoals) approaching the Savrii. Their group demeanor changes from polite to doubtful to wary over a brief conversation, at which point she is held behind their perimeter by a pair of armed guards.

Chara's return draws the rest of their attention. Both Chara and Shepard are disarmed at weapon-point and led off to speak with the intermediaries, at which point they vanish out of any observers' view.

Consequences

Crimes committed outside their domain are not, in the Savrii's estimation, crimes. No parties will be punished for the murders on the outpost, or for any other actions taken there. Unauthorized use of the Ingress is a significantly worse offense, and one that will earn them no small amount of social stigma. In this case, however, the difficulty in distinguishing those who participated from those who followed to prevent harm means that most characters will be let off with a warning.

On May 21, an announcement will go out from the DICC noting new procedures for Ingress travel. In addition to the clearance checks, TAB screenings and ID verification will now be required before letting any party close to the Ingress. Security is heightened, with new surveillance and guards stationed around the clock through much of the Ingress Complex-- as well as automated measures preventing unauthorized parties from accessing the controls. [[The announcement is being handwaved, but if any players have questions, feel free to drop them off below!]]

As for perpetrator of the crime? There won't be any mention. If asked, TOD will state that the intermediaries took care of it, and appear puzzled (and annoyed!) by continued inquiry. Chara's TAB contact remains active, and while they won't be making any public broadcasts on the matter, they can be found among the general population.

It might concern some, then, that Shepard can not. After being taken in for mediation the night of the 15th, Shepard will not visibly emerge. Individual parties will receive messages from her TAB over the next day or two, after which her communicator will go offline.

Shepard will return in The Avengers on July 1. (OOCly, the player is hiatusing during June.) Neither this, nor any other information on her status will be publicly announced, and quizzing officials will turn up opaque references to "prolonged mediation" and "behavioral therapy".

Characters are, as always, welcome to interpret this in whatever way they choose.

We'd like to offer a huge thank you to Zero, Xan, and all the other players who involved themselves in this! It's been a ton of fun on our end, and we're eager to see how these results move forward.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Obviously it can't actually succeed since Xan is on hiatus regardless, but what kind of latitude would characters have in a more organized/concentrated attempt to find out what happened to Shep and possibly respond?

By which I mean what if a group of idiots (or maybe just one solitary idiot) decided to go full moron and try to bust her ~~and/or Chara~~ (I can read) out because fuck the police.

Edited 2017-05-20 16:39 (UTC)

The main difficulty would come in working out where to go in order to break anyone out! Thisavrou has no jails or other standard trappings of a criminal system. As they explain it, no such thing is necessary here-- the intermediaries are capable of working out anyone's problems to mutual benefit at need.

OOCly, characters are welcome to search, but since yeah, the attempt can't succeed this time, efforts at finding Shepard won't turn up much. If Lavellan and/or company made enough of a problem of themselves, they might be asked to speak to an intermediary themselves.

...Could one hypothetically get arrested on purpose.

One hypothetically could! Though it might not work out quite the way Lavellan thinks.

The more it's hinted that this is a terrible idea the more I want to do it, so a few more questions (sorry to bug)! Is it possible to get any kind of further information regarding what "mediation" entails, who else to talk to about it, why only Shepard is being detained and not the rest of them who were there, where is she and why can't she be contacted, etc.? Lavellan would exhaust all avenues he could before jumping to the last resort of "investigate from the inside and possibly stage a rescue" (foolproof!!) but he is definitely capable of making that jump if it comes to it.

Also, Hawke might come along.

Questions are fine!

Depending on who Lavellan talks to, the answers might be slightly different, but the general idea is the same: mediation means what it sounds like-- talking out your problems with a neutral party who's there to help resolve conflict. It's not hard to find Savrii who've undergone the process, and they describe situations such as working out disputed property rights between neighbors or grief counseling after a death in the family.

Shepard's specific situation is less known. Savrii who weren't present for the conflict don't seem to know anything happened, and even those who do seem confident the intermediaries will work it out. As for why, they assume she must have been at fault for the security breach. They suggest Lavellan speak with the intermediaries himself if he's concerned.

What would talking to the intermediaries get him?

An Interesting Experience!

As described on this month's log, anyone speaking to an intermediary will be overcome by a supernatural sense of calm. The sense of urgency would drain away, but they would listen patiently and politely to Lavellan's concerns. When he finished, they would apologize for alarming him. His care for his friend is certainly commendable, and they forget how things look to those coming to this place from outside. Of course they'll do what they can to set his mind at ease.

The intermediary would discuss, in brief, the situation with the slaver outpost. The alarm it created. The surprise, and fear: for Thisavrou. For Chara. For those they took with them. Surely the party responsible can't have intended it, but... children were returned to their owners. Fires were set where enslaved persons are chained down. A galaxy of butchers and pirates was given an open, unguarded path to claim the multiversal hub.

(It will come up, in their expression of confusion: Chara never did visit the outpost before.)

To call it dangerous is an understatement. They needed to speak to the perpetrator at the nearest opportunity, and asked Ingress security to bring Chara in. They were confused when their employer came as well, but expected some testimony on their behalf. But those weren't the answers they received.

Shepard orchestrated it. It was Shepard's fault. Shepard leveraged her position to force Chara to assist. It seemed improbable-- still does, in many ways. But she confessed in full, and they had no other choice. For her manipulations and misuse of the Ingress, Shepard is currently under psychological assessment and prolonged mediation. They need to identify the risk she might pose to others, and work through what caused this, to ensure nothing like it happens again. Separation from those she might harm is, of course, part of the procedure-- though she was given a chance to call others before the assessment began. Did she not make use of it?

Everything about the intermediary's behavior, speech, and explanation would convey a sense of regret, and a genuine desire to make amends. More, please note that the speech given would be tailored specifically to Lavellan's suspicions. He might come away a little embarrassed for the overreaction, or he might leave satisfied and self-righteous, but if he is at all capable of being reassured, speaking with the intermediary would have that effect. (Feel free to contact us privately for more information on that side of things-- there is, needless to say, a little more than meets the eye.)

Thanks, will do!

YEAH LETS DO SOMETHIN STUPID.

PROTAG BONDING

HO DON'T DO IT

I see the words "do it" ty for the endorsement

gdi

though real talk if someone wanted to dogpile chara and demand as to WHAT THE FUCK they might get Some Information

Oh good because he Certainly will do that as soon as it's clear they're walking around with impunity :)

HA HA GUESS WHO'S ALSO SUPER UNHAPPY ABOUT THAT

wanna come get arrested on purpose too chara

ha ha Nope guess who is Never Breaking The Law AGain!!!!!!!!!!!

That's cool he can break it enough for them both!!!!

Lavellan hates the TAB is there another way he could easily contact them?

He could probably just stop by their house in R5. Or around the Normandy Securities place since Chara is gonna be hanging around there for a bit ~~out of intense guilt~~

He does go there often to harass Shepard so DONE. I will put up a log when the time comes?

Also gonna add you on plurk if that's ok :^)

NICE NICE NICE and absolutely yes!!

What would happen if someone saw Chara and Shepard getting disarmed at gun point and tried to intervene?

The Savrii security would prevent them-- and, lacking any ability to overpower their group, keep the individual away along with other spectators. As Asriel is a child, they would do their best to be gentle in his case (restraining him instead of dealing harm), but even if forced to more severe measures, they wouldn't allow him to intercede.

What is a TAB screening?

Also, could you maybe talk about what crimes might lead to consequences that look from here like some form of brainwashing? Is this something that happens for lower level crimes as well? And if someone as a player is not really into the idea playing a brainwashed character, is it possible to avoid this while playing a character who might not be totally law abiding but does take precautions and doesn't announce what they're doing publicly? Or is that an IC consequence that anyone who has a character who might cross a few of the Savrii's line should be prepared for eventually?

Just wondering how this stuff works, especially on an OOC level.

By TAB screening, we meant verifying a person's clearance level and ID with the information on their TAB. As they have a specific signature for use in network interactions, TABs function as the most common type of personal identification on Thisavrou.

And it's absolutely possible to avoid these consequences! This instance was the result of an OOC plot-- players coming to us to discuss a gamechanging action or a plot request with interest in working out the consequences. Interfering with the Ingress is the biggest crime on Thisavrou, and Chara literally sent a recording of it to everyone in Thisavrou. There's a wide gap between that and crimes committed carefully and out of sight, and so long as Wanda doesn't commit anything too egregious, she could absolutely get away with things.

Wanda has taken up graffiti as a form of political protest, and although I'd anticipated it most likely simply sliding by without notice, I also did it without realizing that brainwashing was a possible consequence of breaking the rules. And obviously she's leaving some evidence behind by design (i.e. if paint or handwriting counts as evidence, though maybe she's using a stencil) not to mention the opening for being caught in the act (I was originally thinking that something like a fine or community service might be the most she'd be facing if someone was able to either identify her or restrain her and then decided to turn her in), so if this is something I should delete or hedge more strongly, could you let me know?

Also, if this one's okay, but if this sort of thing comes up again, I'm wondering if she can keep doing things like this or would there be a frequency limit for getting away with it?

And I'm also wondering if the Savrii have any concept of free speech or any kind of protected speech? Also, would it be possible for Wanda to pick up burner TABs on the black market (or maybe fake identities that she can load on her TAB or extra TABs with fake identities, because it seems to me that if people can disappear without warning then fake identities might be really easy to pick up) -- even if free speech is protected, the whole 'names attached to everything you say' is something she'd like to get away from at times.

For the first two paragraphs-- most of that is entirely up to player discretion. If you want Wanda to get away with her actions, she can escape notice. If you want her to get caught and get in trouble, that's an option too. While game-spanning actions might require consultation, players are free to come up with their own reasonable assumptions about NPC behavior. Maybe a building owner yells at Wanda until she cleans up her work. Maybe another charges her for re-painting. The intermediaries might broker such an agreement if the matter was brought to them. But all of that is up to you.

The Savrii have no special concepts of free or protected speech, but they also have no restrictions on it. None of that is anything they see a need to make a law for. As for TABs, there are no black market options or ways to change your personal ID at present. If Wanda wanted to change her name on file, she could speak to an official about that, but it would be an edit to their database and how it recognizes the TAB-- the TABs themselves cannot be spoofed with false IDs.

Okay, good to know. Since I did make it open, I was more concerned about being clear if there were potential consequences that I'd prefer to avoid. I guess I'll just add a note.

Hmm. Out of curiosity, do the Savrii have any concepts of personal rights?

No, Wanda doesn't want to change her name, it's her name, she just wants more communication options. This is something she will be on the lookout for if it ever does become an option.

Personal rights mean something very different when your community consists of a myriad of different species, all possessing their own customs and biological needs. An individual Savrii may not hold the same concept of rights that Wanda does, or may respect a far more extensive set. However, the rights to freedom, life, love, and property are generally respected-- therefore the laws they do uphold.

Could someone contact the Savrii and tell them about the far reaching affects of the slavers and how it might have affected Chara's and Shep's decisions?

Primarily focused on:

-Their slavery had fully permeated the Mini-Colony and had connections to Link'd (at least the Mini-Colony branch).

-You want us to be on the good side of the Artifixx, right? Techno slaves? Could look good if you showed leniency or something?

Whether it would have any effect or not it seems like something he'd try to do.

Someone absolutely could!

Depending on who Miller spoke to, he might receive slightly different answers-- either along the lines of "we'll pass it on", or with a more measured acknowledgement. But overall, it wouldn't have much effect. Slavery is against the Savrii's rules, but they don't set themselves as dictators to police other worlds. If they did, then certainly the wholesale slaughter the PCs perpetrated would count as criminal also.

Their concern is the charge of Ingress tampering, and neither any cause nor the favor of any outside group is worth permitting that. (Miller may also receive some bewilderment at the "leniency" request-- they don't engage in any of those barbaric punishment systems.)

Sweet!

I expected it would fail but he'd at least try. He'd also asked what sort of correctional system that the Savrii use. (I know there are behavioral therapy and mediation mentions but he knows how Ocelot is with his hypnotizing/double-think so he's just going to be curious.)

Miller would be told that the intermediaries work out the needs of each case individually. The examples given tend to be along the lines of community service: a thief working to support the people they've harmed, and coming to a better understanding of their own misdeeds. No one seems to regard the intermediaries' work as a bad thing, and while some might sympathize with his concerns, they'll reassure him that his friend will be better off for the experience.

How much would character be able to know about those who go ~~jail~~ through behavioral therapy? Is this common custom and would there be stories of previous cases? J has hung out with various Savrii and I wonder if she would have heard anything about this beforehand?

If J asked her acquaintances, she would find that it seems to be uncommon-- in all likelihood none of them know anyone who has gone through this kind of therapy directly. They may have heard of it in the abstract, however, and none of them see it as anything to fear.

According to her acquaintances, the intermediaries excel at helping those who break Thisavrou's rules, just as they help those who are harmed by such acts. While some cases may require more intensive work than others (and certainly, whoever is responsible for this crime must be incredibly disturbed), they trust that the individual will be better for the experience.

As a technologically inclined character, if Nihlus wanted to track down the whereabouts of Shepard's location, would he be able to? Shepard would have had her omni-tool on her and he's betting that he would at least be able to get a close dot that way.

He does not intend on pulling her out of the place for the duration of her incarceration. He respects what she is trying to do for Chara.

But he does want to know where she is for some peace of mind.

Unfortunately for Nihlus' peace of mind, any efforts at tracking Shepard by her omni-tool would, at this point, fail. The device appears to be shut down.

Will he be able to find any information on where she might be kept at all by combing through the networks with the assistance of a Virtual Intelligence? He will be looking for communications and talk of/from people who have previously been in this situation.

Nihlus will have difficulty finding any records of other situations that precisely match up-- certainly no one in conversational memory recalls other instances of the Ingress being hijacked. If he and his VI search very thoroughly, however, they may find archived communications regarding others who required long-term therapy, however.

No information is on record as to the location of this therapy, or the details of what went on. Nihlus may, however, turn up that not a single participant had anything bad to say about the experience after.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Player Plot (Slavers): Conclusion

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