The Merge Universe

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Neo-Paladin
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Re: The Merge Universe

Post by Neo-Paladin »

That fits.
kirinke
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Re: The Merge Universe

Post by kirinke »

Basically, Dex holders aren't heroes in the strictest sense of the word in those situations, as they don't take point on things. The cops/first responders are in charge of them and the dex holders help out to the best of their abilities. If that makes sense.
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kirinke
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Re: The Merge Universe

Post by kirinke »

Lookit this: Drifloons are baby Caller's in Darkness
Dex Entry: Wandering souls gathered together to form this Pokémon. When trying to make friends with children, Drifloon grabs them by the hand.

Jiminy crickets. The horror potential of some of these entries are pretty good actually.

As for the Dex Holder Benefit: a +2 on Persuasion rolls when dealing with law enforcement, goverment and first responders sound about right?
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betterwatchit
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Re: The Merge Universe

Post by betterwatchit »

Griffin, Post-Incursion

When Griffin returned to Britain, MI-5 did keep true to their word and got the Black Spiral Dancer killing ruled as justifiable self-defence, dropping all the charges they had against him.

Those who knew Griffin before the Incursion saw a certain change to his bearing. He looked more confident, more alive. Like he had proved himself and not been found wanting. Only his father was actually told everything that happened, from killing the Black Spiral to being conscripted by the DXDO to the inter-planar suicide mission to the stabilisation of St. Petersburg all the way up to Sentry's sacrifice to stop the Void.

Griffin spent the rest of 2016 helping Britain recover from the horrors of the Incursion. Every year on 11 AM on the 11th of December ever since, he spends at least half an hour on one knee in mourning for those lives lost. It's one of the few times he expects to be undisturbed.

In early 2017, Lady Heterodyne formally offered Griffin a job as one of her advisors. In Mechanicsburg, Griffin publicly bent his knee before Aggie and said to her in her native Romanian before the people of the city:
Griffin wrote:"<We have literally been through Hell and back. I for one will gladly serve a leader who takes the same risks as their citizens… my Lady Heterodyne.>"
He swore the Mechanicsburg Oath of Allegiance and the Jagertroth before her that same day. For fighting alongside Aggie at significant personal risk during the Incursion, Griffin became the first person from Earth-Prime to bear the title of Waffenbrüder (Brother-In-Arms), the Mechanicsburger equivalent to a knighthood.


Waffenbrüder Griffin has six particular duties:

The first duty is to advise the Mechanicsburg government on pre-Merge culture, history and precedent, to help it modernise and to help it comply with pre-existing international laws and standards. This is the capacity in which he is primarily employed.

Example: When the time came to standardise Mechanicsburg's electricity supply, Griffin was the one who suggested making the mains voltage 220~240V at 50hz. This made it in line with the European nations surrounding it, allowing for easier access to modern technology and making it easier to export and import energy with its neighbours.


The second duty is that Griffin helps advise on whether or not a group should receive formal recognition in Mechanicsburg. Those groups who he advises against granting formal recognition tend to be those which either require the sacrifice, enslavement or torture of sapient beings, which support violence against or isolation from nonbelievers, or which deceive their followers.

Example: An Archbanker (equivalent to a cardinal) of the Bank of Abadar (Golarion god of civilisation, law, order and of wealth honestly earned) and the lead Pastor of a "Prosperity Gospel" church both asked Griffin who he would support if they were to make a formal application. After a couple of days of deliberation, he said that if they were to make the application, he would advise in favour of the Archbanker, but against the Pastor. When the Pastor asked Griffin about his reasoning behind the decision, Griffin asked back: "You say you're a Christian, sir. Tell me, who was it who said you should give up your possessions and then follow him?" When the Pastor admitted that he didn't know who Griffin was on about, Griffin said "I'll tell you who said that. Jesus Christ said that. Everything I've read in the New Testament clearly shows that he does support charitable acts, especially the rich helping the poor. You don't even understand the words of your supposed patron, you hypocrite! That is why I advised against you! At least the Archbanker was honest and consistent from the very start. Get out of here, you con artist!"


The third duty is the rarest, but it's the most dangerous: In the thankfully rare event of a deity or their herald found to be physically manifest in Mechanicsburg, Griffin's primary task is to minimise any harm they might cause and to determine the risk of another Incursion. At that level, he prefers to try and talk them out of doing something they or their followers might regret. He often asks to be present when a religious building is formally consecrated for this reason, so he can help resolve it should the temple's divine patron/ess or their favoured herald show up.

The fourth duty is the most unpleasant one by far. The death penalty in Mechanicsburg is usually administered by firing squad. But if the condemned is known to be difficult to kill using lead or silver, it's usually Griffin who has to carry the sentence out. He typically does this by beheading them and raising the head clear of the body to confirm the kill while declaring "Behold. The head of a [insert crime here]. And so the rule of law prevails." He then puts the head on a nearby stool for someone else to sort out as well as to prove that the condemned really is dead. He ensures that all executed prisoners are cremated, regardless of previous wishes, to prevent resurrection attempts. No body left means that nothing short of the spells known as True Resurrection, Miracle or Wish - or a true divine intervention like the one Griffin had - can bring them back, and very few people can cast those spells. Griffin will examine the case himself, as he needs to be sure the condemned really did do something worthy of an execution. And as far as he's concerned, it takes murder, terrorism, treason or aiding an attack on Earth from outside of it (like an Incursion) for an act to deserve execution.

The fifth duty is that of messenger. If Aggie needs to be absolutely sure that a message from her to her diplomatic corps or foreign intelligence service isn't intercepted, or if no technological communications exist there yet, she sends Griffin to deliver it. It helps that Griffin is capable of speaking all of the different languages he's liable to encounter, and is difficult to intercept. As a result, Griffin has been to places like Absalom, Berlin, Bucharest, Canberra, Istanbul, the Koopa Kingdom, Lima, Medici, Moscow, the Mushroom Kingdom, Paris, Pretoria, Rome, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, Tropico and Wakanda. And he usually brings back some interesting stuff via diplomatic pouch.

The sixth duty is that of bodyguard. Griffin has escorted Aggie as well as various members of her diplomatic corps during the occasional summit. Heads of state and high ranking diplomats have bodyguards, but few if any can claim to have a real guardian angel looking after them. Griffin's bodyguard duties include the standing order that if his charges start to feel unwell, Griffin is to immediately use his healing touch on them.


Griffin has adopted a specific code to perform his duties:

Deception Weakens Earth as a Whole. If doing so doesn't require knowingly revealing classified or sensitive information, Griffin must directly and truthfully explain how something worked on pre-Merge Earth-Prime whenever asked. Refusing to answer due to classification, pointing out where to find it yourself and admitting that he honestly doesn't know are what he considers acceptable responses. Taking the conversation somewhere private is acceptable, as is telling the other person to wait until after they're both out of a dangerous situation. Lying or joking about it is not acceptable.

Do No Unjust Harm. Griffin will not use more force than is strictly needed, as unnecessary force increases the risk of a situation escalating. He will try not to initiate the use of force. He will not use lethal force unless he is either preventing other people from unlawfully using it, he is defending himself from someone who's trying to kill him, the target isn't alive to start with or if he has been ordered to carry out a lawful execution that cannot otherwise be effectively performed. And he tends to be a bit thorough about confirming that last one, as he both needs to be sure that the condemned really did choose to commit the act that got them sentenced and ensure that they don't come back.

No Alcohol, No Drugs, No Gambling, No Sex. The reasoning behind this tenet is simple: Griffin knows that people in his position are vulnerable to blackmail, bribes, corruption and pressure. Abstaining from these particular vices is the best way he knows of to prevent unnecessary drama and reduce the risk of committing a gaffe.

No Room for Mammon. This tenet means that personal gain is never a valid excuse for threatening everyone's welfare or for endangering the world. He'll support strict transparency and anti-corruption laws whenever possible. No gifts can be accepted from people he didn't already know pre-Merge to reduce bribery risk. The Blood Circle (the families who run the Mechanicsburg underworld) tried it on, but after one of their heads came away with two broken wrists and their bundle of money shoved in their mouth, the rest suddenly decided not to bother. It is also why Griffin mentioned the co-operative business model to Aggie when she discussed opening certain statutory (state-owned) businesses, mainly those meant for energy or telecommunications.

Prevent Incursion At All Cost. An Incursion is defined in most courts of law as "an hostile invasion of any part of Earth from outside the Material Plane." This is the definition that Griffin uses. A portal from Hell with devils streaming out of it would qualify as an Incursion. A Martian invasion isn't an Incursion as Mars and Earth are both on the same plane (even if they're hundreds of millions of miles apart). Having a familiar of extra-planar origin is something that can be licenced and tracked, but an illegal summoning is liable to end up as either a mass hospitalisation or a bloody mess, depending on who or what comes out.

Proof is Needed for Apology. This tenet means that Griffin will not apologise for anything honestly said or done, unless the accuser shows clear evidence that he was inaccurate or otherwise provably at fault for something. This is to make sure that groups who use demagoguery, emotion and social pressure cannot get anywhere. It takes evidence, fact and reason to get him to apologise or to back off.

Put No Belief or Faith Above Any Other. Despite Griffin being an angel, he has this tenet for one compelling reason: In modern multicultural societies, using government and social structures to support people reduces the risk of any faith group getting enough influence to perform what they would call a crusade, and what most people in the modern era would call religious terrorism. The fact that some of them can show that their deity really does support them in ways that can convince non-believers doesn't help either. Griffin is quite aware of the irony of him being an angel who supports secularism, but he sees it as the best way to increase the peace in the long term. In his own words, "If you're not planning for the long term, you can't ever make a difference worth the bother of keeping."

The Rule of Law Must Prevail. In Griffin's opinion, modern law exists to protect everyone who follows it. Therefore, all must understand it and to be made subject to it. By definition, this must include himself, the City Watch and the Lady Heterodyne. Luckily for Griffin, he's read documented instances of Jagers calling their Heterodyne out if they're about to do something really stupid, with the Jager not getting punished. This, along with his advisory position, gives Griffin the precedent he needs to safely call Aggie out, should the occasion ever arise.

Your Word is Your Bond. Personal honour and trust is something Griffin finds to be essential for any society to remain cohesive and functional. If Griffin says he'll do something, he must carry it out, whether that's a contract, oath, promise or threat. He will make no deals with known contract violators, oathbreakers, perjurers or war criminals, and will always press for the harshest punishments possible under the law for such acts. He knows how much trust Aggie has placed in him, so he has to prove it was well-placed.


In late 2017, Griffin was sent to the Koopa Kingdom with a message for King Bowser: "Your Majesty, I have been sent to inform you in the name of the Lady Heterodyne of Mechanicsburg, that I am authorised to go through Romania and Hungary if I must come here to retrieve her. And I do not have to be gentle if I have to perform this duty. And I hear that every European nation I know of - kingdom and republic alike - has various similar agreements in the works for their leaders, Your Majesty."

When Kamek, King Bowser's court wizard, asked what a republic was, Griffin just told him the truth. Including the fact that a republic is headed by one of the nation's citizens chosen by other citizens of that nation, and not by a familial lineage the way the Koopa and Mushroom Kingdoms do it. "It is quite simply what happens, Sir Kamek, when power is taken from a monarch - peacefully or by force, it matters not - and given to the ordinary people who live and work in that country." Griffin left Koopa Castle rather quickly after that. He didn't land until he saw a Hungarian border post.


One notable incident in 2018 was when one "Herr Brackhaus", a tall man with long steel-grey hair and golden eyes in fine corporate-style clothes, came to Mechanicsburg to discuss a deal on behalf of his employer. Griffin pointed out that "Herr Brackhaus" is the pseudonym used for certain employees of the dragon Lofwyr, CEO of the Saeder-Krupp megacorporation from the Sixth World (the world of Shadowrun), known for his dictatorial business model and for treating anything less powerful than himself as a pawn. The terms of the deal Brackhaus offered would effectively bring the Business Recognition Accords to Earth-Prime.

Griffin pointed out that the Accords would give corporations of sufficient size permission to possess private armies and grant them extraterritoriality, to the point where they would start to replace governments as the powers of the world, with surviving governments only doing so as corporate puppets. Which meant that he had to advise against signing the agreement.


When Griffin isn't performing an assignment, he spends his time exploring Mechanicsburg (incognito, of course), training, writing and he is a part-time curator of the Mechanicsburg Technology Museum, which helps preserve pre-Merge Earth-Prime tech.

He has even authored a few of his own books. The first book was titled Griffin's Guide to Proper Powering. A pay-what-you-want e-book about how to cape about in an effective manner and with minimum drama from the law. He never explicitly says it, but the Guide includes mentions how to avoid being recorded, tracked and traced and how to minimise unwanted attention, vital knowledge for anyone who wants to keep things done in the modern era.

Griffin's latest release is a duology of books in both paper and electronic formats, simply called The Codes of Honour. The first volume describes the codes that various pre- and post-Merge civilian, criminal and military groups live by, and what the codes are supposed to do. Examples include Bushido, Omerta, the Scout's Code, and the Night City Yogang Code.

Griffin's access to various clerics, holy champions and their scriptures gave him the means to craft the second volume, which is known for containing and describing the religious codes that the followers of several pre- and post-Merge faiths are expected to uphold. In both books, each entry describes the origins of the code, the code itself and the purpose behind each tenet of the code. The second volume also explains what each deity focuses on, as well as the specific codes their champions are expected to follow in exchange for their abilities.

Those people who see The Codes of Honour as controversial tend to do so either because their code wasn't included (which Griffin acknowledges to be a fair point), because it includes the code of a group that their own people conflict with (which Griffin does not acknowledge to be a fair point) or where Griffin uses naturalistic reasons to explain a tenet (which happens throughout the second book). One example was where he described the Judeo-Christian Seventh Commandment ("Thou shalt not commit adultery") as a measure to reduce the risk of infighting, and to limit the possible spread of STDs at a time long before reliable and effective diagnosis, prevention and treatment became widely available. He did also mention that it existed to ensure a degree of loyalty needed to survive in the harsh desert.


On those occasions where formal wear is required or those occasions where Griffin wants to be visibly recognised, he wears a Savile Row-style suit, Chelsea boots and a bowler hat, all made by Mortimer of London. The jacket has room for two sigils on it. One of a griffin rampant to remind others of his identity, and one of a trilobite as a symbol of his service to House Heterodyne. The only enchantments on them are to prevent the hat, boots and the contents of his pockets from falling off or out in midflight.
Griffin does have one secret: He has high-functioning autism (formally diagnosed at age four, long before the Merge occurred, meaning that it was not induced by Merge Gestalt Syndrome or his angelic transformation). His real name and the fact that he's mentally disabled (his term for it, and he can't stand "politically correct" alternatives) are state secrets in Mechanicsburg.

In his case, it manifests in being particularly sensitive to excessive noise. A busy Comic-Con or a trip to the Field of Weights (Mechanicsburg's shopping and government district) wouldn't trigger it, but something like a nightclub's sound system or a fire alarm would do it. A flashbang would definitely do it.

As for who else knows about Griffin's condition and real name:

His Liege (Griffin's name for his divine patron, generally believed to be The Glory) definitely knows.

Lady Heterodyne, Seneschal Von Mekkhan, Spymaster "Higgs", Chief Diplomat Jenka, Watch Chief Drozeki and his doctor at the Hospital District are the only six people in Mechanicsburg to who Griffin has formally disclosed his real name and about his condition for a fact, and are the only ones in town who Griffin considers to have legitimate need-to-know on such matters. And Griffin is reasonably certain that it'll be declassified should he ever go rogue.

Back in Britain, only his immediate family and his GP know his real name and about his condition. He suspects that Whitehall knows but doesn't have a reason to lean on him that way. Yet.
Last edited by betterwatchit on Wed Nov 08, 2023 4:20 pm, edited 13 times in total.
kirinke
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Re: The Merge Universe

Post by kirinke »

That's actually pretty good and in line with what Aggie would want. She honestly wouldn't care if he had autism, in fact the "madness" of your average spark is probably a form of autism among other things. Lord only knows that sparks have their own personality "quirks" for her to be up in arms about the quirks of others. She did also keep her word to Kali and build a temple in her honor, as well as have a personal shrine in her castle (particularly the bone room). She also fixed up the temple they had wrecked as well.
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betterwatchit
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Re: The Merge Universe

Post by betterwatchit »

One thing that Griffin has also noticed since the Incursion is that practically every single intergovernmental organisation, whether they be economic (like the World Trade Organisation), military (such as NATO), regional (like the European Union), technological (like the International Telecommunication Union) or global (like the United Nations) has been busy courting new members. So many new countries and proof that we really are not alone anymore means there's more politicking and intrigue to go around.
Last edited by betterwatchit on Sat Jul 03, 2021 10:20 pm, edited 2 times in total.
kirinke
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Re: The Merge Universe

Post by kirinke »

The Rule of Law Must Prevail. In Griffin's opinion, modern law exists to protect everyone who follows it. Therefore, all must understand it and to be made subject to it. By definition, this must include himself, the City Watch and the Lady Heterodyne. Luckily for Griffin, he's read documented instances of Jagers calling their Heterodyne out if they're about to do something really stupid, with the Jager not getting punished. This, along with his advisory position, gives Griffin the precedent he needs to safely call Aggie out, should the occasion ever arise.
Fact of the matter is, Aggie surrounds herself with heroes so they can take her head off if she goes too far and can't be brought back. She's also smart enough to have advisors who will tell her no and why. Anybody who sucks up to her tends to be dismissed out of hand. She knows she's not infallible and is prone to mistakes as the next mad scientist (hazard of the job description). Which is why she has the sanest people she can get her hands on advising her.
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betterwatchit
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Re: The Merge Universe

Post by betterwatchit »

A Day in the Life of the Griffin of London…
Note: This takes place just before Griffin joined the team in The Merge: Prologue to Annihilation.
Bexleyheath Shopping Centre, early on that fateful December...

While Griffin was doing some shopping in Bexleyheath, a small brown mouse with equally small wings flew in front of him. Griffin asked “Angelmouse! What are you doing here?”

Angelmouse pulled out an envelope from his bag as he said “I have a letter for you, Mr. Griffin. It’s from You-Know-Who.”

Griffin accepted the letter, knowing that it came from the one person he can’t really say no to. The letter was in an unfamiliar script, but Griffin’s Gift of Understanding (what he called his ability to speak and read any language) allowed him to read it perfectly. The letter said that he had to go to Greenwich Park.

Griffin handed the letter back to Angelmouse, saying “Tell You-Know-Who that I have one last thing to do and I’ll be right over! Oh, and Merry Christmas.”

Angelmouse said “Right away, Mr. Griffin. And Merry Christmas to you, too.”

Griffin took the lift to the Centre’s rooftop car park. Once he was there, he revealed his wings and took off. He had learned early on to use places like car parks and rooftops to take-off and land where possible to avoid causing unnecessary disturbance at ground level. On his way to Greenwich, Griffin landed in the back garden of his house in Plumstead and put the Christmas shopping in the dining room cupboard. After locking the garden door, he took off again.

As Griffin arrived at Greenwich Park, he remembered a rather unusual rumour he had heard a while back. What he heard was that at the moment the Merge occurred, some of the native animals had actually turned into Pokémon! And there was a reason why Griffin couldn’t dismiss the rumour. The Merge changed humans from this world - something he knew about from personal experience - so having it change animals wasn’t a stretch at all when he thought about it.

He was now flying over the Wilderness, the south-eastern section of the park which was used pre-Merge as a nature reserve, particularly known for having one of the oldest deer herds in Britain. Griffin had never seen or heard any mention of wild Pokémon attacking the deer, keeping any violence to their own kind or to those who attacked them first. They definitely acted smart enough to notice the difference between themselves and Earth-Prime animals at any rate. And that was when he heard a vehicle accelerate, turn a corner and then screech to a halt inside the staff entrance near the Wilderness.

A screeching vehicle of any kind meant one of two things to Griffin; an accident or a fight. The Wilderness had two fences, five feet apart, to keep people from feeding the deer and Pokémon while allowing them to watch. Griffin flew over the fence to better reach the vehicle. As he approached from the air, Griffin thought ‘Let's see what’s happening… Four men out the van, half with guns, half with Pokémon. Team Rocket UK. This many Pokémon in one place would make this one of their ripest targets within the M25.’

Griffin knew full well that Team Rocket were one of many post-Merge organisations that have since been formally proscribed under the Terrorism Act of 2000, making it illegal to be a member of any of those groups in Britain. Since Team Rocket was a proscribed group, Griffin only had minutes before SCO19 - the Armed Response Unit for the Metropolitan Police - showed up, and those officers can’t mess about. The only way he could think of to prevent any deaths was to lay out every single Rocket - and their Pokémon - before SCO19 arrived.

The first Rocket saw Griffin and fired a shotgun at him. Once the shot bounced off him, he laid the gunman out with a flying kick to the chest. Griffin proceeded to fire a beam of light from his sword at another Rocket, making him hit the floor.

A third Rocket managed to release his Pokémon. A Raichu! Griffin never really enjoyed hitting Pokémon, mainly as they’re usually just following their master’s instructions or simply trying to survive. It was nothing personal. For that reason alone, he never used lethal force on them. That Raichu’s master was going to regret this…

Griffin snapped his wings all the way back and then brought them forward just as quickly. This sent a huge gust of wind, making the Raichu - and the Rocket who brought it out - go flying back into the van they were using. As Griffin checked that they were both still alive, another Rocket shot him in the back with a pistol. Griffin wasn’t as bullet-proof as Superman, but a 9mm wasn’t enough to wound him.

Griffin unsheathed his blade, put it to the shocked Rocket’s throat and said “Tell Giovanni! Tell him that the Griffin of London says that every park, zoo and nature reserve in Britain is off-limits to animal and Pokémon abusers like himself! Got that?!

“Y- Y- Yeah! I got it, mate!”

“Who told you to tell your boss?!”

“You!”

“Say my name, damn you!”

The Griffin! The Griffin of London told us to tell Giovanni!

Good! Remember the name and make sure the police know it as well! And it sounds like they’ll be here soon, so don’t move a muscle until they tell you! And if I find that you lied to them in any way…”

Griffin then threw the Rocket to the ground and then severed one of the rear doors of the van in one stroke. He flew off with the shouts of “FREEZE, ARMED POLICE!” right behind him.

Griffin had been going to the Park for most of his life, even before the Merge, and he knew that it was very hilly, just like the rest of south-east London. And there was quite a view there, ranging from the National Maritime Museum, to the Docklands, all the way up to Central London itself! Once he flew north of the General Wolfe statue, Griffin had all of London north of the Park to hide in.


Sunset, the Bottle…

A lot of places in Post-Merge London have gotten a bit more dangerous after dark. Assuming that nothing like the Greenwich Park Incident happens, this is usually when things get interesting. Griffin landed in the Bottle’s beer garden, which had a well-lit and cordoned off section allowing fliers like himself to land without distracting people outside.

The Time in a Bottle… This pub in Farringdon, which came from the mainstream DC Universe, became the number one hangout for every Londoner with powers ever since it came over. One reason for its popularity is due to an enchantment that prevents any and all attempts to harm anyone inside. Guns act like they’re empty, offensive powers like heat vision don’t work at all and simply trying to hit someone will always miss and occasionally makes someone look like an idiot. There have been a few shouting matches, but no actual violence has broken out near the Bottle. After all, no one in their right mind wants to be barred from one of the few pubs in Britain that specifically cater to powered individuals.


A man with an Irish accent took a seat on Griffin’s table with a coke and a pint of beer, saying “Good evening, Griffin.”

Griffin asked "Who are you, mate?"

The Irishman said "I’m Jon Sings-Like-Silver, Galliard of the Fianna Tribe, member of the Hyde Park Sept. The coke’s yours, by the way."

Griffin said “Thanks,” as he took a swig. Then he said “So you’re Garou? Then I’m sure you heard about me killing a Black Spiral Dancer in Rochester. He tried donating a Bane-infested console to a club I go to. He didn’t expect someone who could see the Bane unaided to be there.”

Jon told him “That I am. And I’ve heard about all that. Speaking of, I was told to give you this.”

Griffin read the letter Jon handed him. It was from the Garou pack who helped him in Rochester, saying that if they helped Jon with his article, they’d consider the debt he owed them for healing him and letting him clean himself up at their place to be paid in full. He said to Jon “Okay, you’ve got my attention. So what do you want to talk about?”

Jon said ”I’m here because I want to ask a few things as background for this article I’m working on.”

“What things, Jon?”

“Is it true that you’re a native to this world?”

“Yeah, it’s true. I’ve never once denied it. Which should tell you why I fight so hard.”

“I’m not here for your fighting skills, as respected as they should be. I want to ask, how did you feel when you found out that the Merge happened?”

“I was hit by a bus earlier this summer. I later found out that it happened at the exact moment the Merge went down. When I regained consciousness, I was on a slab at the mortuary attached to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, wondering why there was a pair of white feathered wings attached to my back. After discharging myself and getting my stuff back, I used my new wings to fly home. When I got back, I found this sword on my bed. The instant I touched it, my memories of what happened while I was dead were restored.”

“What happened to you?”

“When I regained consciousness, I made my way along a street paved with marble and gold. I’m used to moving through some busy streets, but I haven’t seen anywhere this crowded or busy. Not even Central London in rush hour was this busy! It was like a major emergency had broken out, but I didn’t know what it was, and there were too many voices talking about too many different things for me to find out what was really going on. It was only when I reached the very end of the street when I realised where I really was and what I was getting myself into. I was standing before the throne of God. I was an atheist before my transformation, so you can imagine how badly I’d be bricking it if my bowels were still on the same plane as the rest of me. I was told that in exchange for my resurrection, I was going to clean up my act and to increase the peace between newcomers and natives. And that I was going to be given the means to do so. I asked my Liege if they could answer one question before they sent me back. They said ‘Speak. I am listening.’”

“What question did you ask them?”

“I asked them ‘Why me? Out of the billions of people out there, why choose me? I didn’t honestly believe you even existed until now!’ Their response was something I can’t forget. Their response was ‘Yours is a world of mortals so it must fall to mortals to defend it.’ That was when I woke up.”

“What means were you given, exactly?”

“As well as my wings and sword, I now know all tongues and scripts - <and I really do mean all of them, sir> - it’s harder to wound me and my very touch can heal the living and harm the walking dead. It seems like my body and mind have been altered a bit. It’s much harder to wound me, and I can't get sick anymore. I would never be capable of fearing anyone other than my Liege ever again. And I also learned how to hide my wings."

Jon blinked, then he said “…I have never heard anyone who wasn’t Garou speak our tongue before.”

“I picked your other tongue so you know I don’t spout crap. That was when I went online to find out what happened while I was gone. It took me a minute to find out about the Merge. It certainly explained why the bits I saw of Heaven were a bit more chaotic than I thought, as the whole experience proved that it wasn’t just Earth that got hit with it. It took two minutes before I stopped swearing and started calming down.”

“What did you do next?”

“I rang my dad, saying that there was something I had to show him, but I couldn’t discuss it over the phone. He was there within half an hour. It turned out that he already heard about me being dead, and he was at the hospital. He was shocked that I was still alive and he had a heart attack when he arrived. Good thing I had that healing touch now, it’s how I saved him. After getting used to my new gifts, I started patrolling London. Sometimes I helped some lost newcomer get to the Bottle. And other times I busted some heads to prevent greater harm. Until that fight with the Black Spiral, I had actually managed to avoid killing a living person. The only reason I know that unfortunate business wasn’t murder was because I kept my powers afterwards. My Liege is known for swiftly withdrawing gifts when someone makes a serious professional or personal mistake. The fact that they didn’t do it after all of that was proof that they understood it was self-defence.”

“Now that is going to make my article more interesting. What was the first fight you got into after the Merge?”

“I go to an RPG club in Lewisham. After the first post-Merge session - which had a lively pre-session chat, I can tell you now - someone I didn’t recognise called my name when I left the pub. My real name. And no, it wasn’t a family member, someone from the club or from the pub hosting it. When I faced the man who asked, I asked him his name.”

“What did he do?”

“He swung a punch at me. He missed, denting a lamppost. So I got my sword out of the laptop bag I used to hide it in public and swung it at his jaw. His eyes glinted red, so I unsheathed my sword.“

“You don’t normally unsheath it?”

“As a rule, no. I don’t want to kill someone by accident. When it’s sheathed, it can’t cause enough harm to kill someone. Knock them out, yeah, but not kill. I managed to slice part of the man’s face off in a single stroke. What I saw gave me a slight pause.”

“Why do I get the feeling that it wasn’t just blood and bone you saw?”

“I saw a very iconic metal endoskeleton. The damned thing was a Terminator! A robot built by the artificial intelligence called Skynet which is normally sent back from the future. Terminators cannot be bargained or reasoned with. Their only purpose is to kill, and they are very good at it. Skynet must think that I will become a legitimate threat to its agenda, as it wouldn’t normally set a Terminator on any old civilian. The way I understand it, killing me before I could achieve my potential would have certainly advanced said agenda.”

“And what agenda would that be?”

“The destruction of all organic life. That is Skynet’s true agenda. I managed to literally disarm the Terminator, and I took its head off. First post-Merge fight I got into, and it was to the death with something heavy. I haven’t felt that much adrenaline go through me in ages.”

“That’s quite the enemy you made. And you didn’t even start anything.”

Yet. Well, I’ve been helping locals and newcomers get used to this whole Merge drama ever since it kicked off. Which really annoys people who profit from deceit and division. Especially since I keep pointing out who profits from division - and how they profit from it - on social media.”

“I can’t really argue with that. And I believe that your debt’s been paid in full, Mr. Griffin. I’ll make sure the Rochester pack knows.”

“Glad to hear it.”

After a quick trip to the WC, the barmaid said “Griffin, someone is in the function room upstairs, asking for you by name.”

Griffin said “I’ll be right up.”


Griffin then went upstairs to the function room, which was often hired for the purpose of private discussions. The pub’s truce enchantment meant that no one was worried about a violent double cross. It couldn’t keep pub arguments from getting loud, but it kept them from turning bloody. There was a table with two seats. A man in a suit occupied a seat, asking “Mr. Griffin?”

Griffin sat down as he asked back “Who are you, sir? I didn’t quite catch your name.”

The man pulled out his warrant card, saying “Peter Grant, Special Assessment Unit, Metropolitan Police.”

Griffin asked “What’s this about, sir?” He knew that the Special Assessment Unit was the Met's branch specialising in pretty much any X-D or DPA-related matter. And this was the first time he had ever encountered them.

Peter said “It’s about what happened at Greenwich Park earlier today.”

“I can explain all of that, sir.”

“Go on.”

“I was flying over the Wilderness area of Greenwich Park when I heard some screeching tyres. I associate that sound with one of two things: an accident or a fight. So I flew over and found four Rockets hitting the place. First one, I floor with a flying kick from above. Second one fires his shottie, which I get in the chest. Wasn’t enough to wound me, so I’m still standing. I responded by firing a light beam at him from my still-sheathed sword.”

“From your sword, did you say?”

“Yeah, with my sword. I have every reason to believe that it is of divine origin. Ever played the original Legend of Zelda on the NES?”

“No, I don’t think I have?”

“Look it up on YouTube when you’re done here. It reminded me of that when I found out I could do it for real now.”

“I’ll look it up. Anyway…”

“So the second Rocket’s down. As long as it remains in the sheath, my sword cannot deal sufficient damage to kill or permanently cripple someone. It can lay you out for an hour, though. Then the third Rocket manages to release his Pokémon, a Raichu. Common variety, not Alolan. My response was to take my wings and use them to make a powerful gust of wind. Think of the Unrelenting Force Shout from Skyrim, but with my wings as the main mechanic instead of a draconic soul shouting hard enough to make reality obey it.”

“Bloody hell…!”

“So the Rocket and his Raichu are sent flying into the van and both hit it hard enough to be downed. The fourth Rocket fired his pistol at me. Bloody idiot. If I could walk a 12-bore off, what’s a nine going to do? Then I threatened him into backing down. The cleanly severed door from the van? My idea of showing him what could happen if he didn’t back down and confess everything to you. I managed to fly off just before SCO19 got out of their vans. I was born and bred here, and I now have access to an excellent method of travel that most people don’t have. Once I flew past the northern hillside of the park, I simply crossed the Thames at an altitude too high for London’s myriad CCTV systems to pick up. I just chilled out at home and came here by Tube. Are you here to arrest me, sir? Or are you acting off-book?”

Peter said “The DXDO, Kent Police and the Met all know about what you did in Rochester. You killed a Black Spiral Dancer Garou, and we can prove it.” He then put a few photos on the table. Griffin recognised them as clear CCTV footage stills.

Griffin calmly replied “Oh, that. I do have one thing I must say in my defence. And that’s why I killed him.”

“This had better be good.”

“I saw him when he was at the computer club, donating a console. A console that I saw had an evil spirit infesting it. That old lie of computer games rotting your brain… is actually true where Tellus consoles are involved. Most of them contain evil spirits called Banes, which exert malign influences on someone using the console. As a result, I publicly called the Garou out for endangering everyone. And that was when it assumed Crinos form.”

“Crinos form?”

“Nine-foot-tall murder machine with claws and teeth, capable of killing anything that moves and can regenerate. I was absolutely soaked in Garou blood by the time I took the bastard’s head off! A word of advice if you find yourself up against Garou: They don’t like silver.”

“Really?”

“Garou cannot regenerate wounds caused by silver. If you have to fight one, you need silver bullets to make them stay down. Or at least some silver-plated blades.”

“I’ll have to write that down. As well as the fact you just confessed to killing him. On behalf of the DXDO and the Met - and against my professional opinion, I must note for the record - I’m here to make you an offer you can’t refuse.”

“What’s the offer?”

”You’re going to Latveria to join a team, in order to save the world. If you succeed, we’ll drop these murder charges we have on you and let the record show that you clearly acted in legitimate self-defence.”

“I know that you have enough on me for manslaughter at least. If I die, a killer getting themselves killed is simply another form of justice. Not how you’d interpret it, but… I accept your offer, when do we leave?”

Peter placed a card at the table, saying “You are to report to this address at noon tomorrow, where you’ll be teleported to Castle Doom. They’ll be expecting you, so you can bring your sword without getting shot. Don’t be late or the deal will be off.”

Griffin picked the card up, saying “Understood, sir. Am I free to go now?”

Peter said “Yes, you can go.”

Griffin said "I will be at Scotland Yard at noon tomorrow, bet on it." After that, he went to the beer garden and took off for home.
Last edited by betterwatchit on Thu May 26, 2022 10:20 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: The Merge Universe

Post by betterwatchit »

Freelancers

Ever since the Merge, the need for people who could perform all sorts of actions that others couldn't had simply increased exponentially. Whether that was simply a local powered team or a full private military company, the market expanded and became larger and more public.


Below is a partial list of known freelancers.

Adam Smasher: This full-body cyborg from Night City is only hired when his client wants, needs or doesn't care about collateral damage. Smasher is a confirmed cyberpsycho who won't hesitate to kill any men, women or children who get in the way of his goal. His brain and upper spinal cord are the only parts known to still be organic. He is believed to be about PL 12, and he is completely fearless.

Autoduellists: From the world of Car Wars, an autoduellist uses a customised armed car, usually to fight other autoduellists. Autoduellists originally came from a world where a bioweapon called the Blight destroyed the world's grain and rice supplies. The increased violence during the time they call the Food Riots era mutated the global culture, allowing a motorsport involving vehicle-mounted weapons called autoduelling to take what was left of America by storm. Autoduel-Earth's British government allowed American car companies to manufacture armed cars in Britain for Stateside export. As far as anyone can tell, the Blight itself thankfully didn't make it over, but the factories certainly did. They still sell unarmed versions of their cars, and other companies make their electric powerplants under licence. (They already had a oil shortage that forced them to adapt or die.)
While the cars they sell aren't armed any more, it's an open secret that the cars are still very easy to arm if you know a mechanic who doesn't ask too many questions. The Metropolitan Police has a few, all of which are designated to their various Firearm Units. And their cars are definitely armed.
American autoduellists can be found coast to coast, Australian autoduellists can be found nationwide. The majority of British autoduellists can be found in the area of London between the North & South Circular Roads and the M25 motorway. Most autoduellists have a PL of about 6-8 when in their car and about 4-6 when outside it.


Immediate Murder Professionals: This crew has one very unique speciality. If you've gotten yourself damned to Hell, I.M.P. can assassinate whoever killed you! It could be the witness who caught you trying to hide that body, the prison guards who electrocuted you, they don't care who! It's a little-known fact that most organised faiths on Earth with a martial aspect to them (or who have a covert demon-hunting squad) have placed a standing kill-on-sight order on all known I.M.P. personnel. With a reward if the book they're always seen carrying is somehow taken from them, as it might have information on other demons. PL-wise, they're estimated to be anywhere between a high 5 to as much as a low 7.
The book in question is the grimoire that I.M.P. uses to travel between Hell and Earth practically at will, which allows them to actually reach their targets. The real problem is the book's true owner - Prince Stolas of House Goetia - who will not take kindly to mortals stealing his property.

Linda Truffleshroom: This member of the Truffleshroom gnome clan specialises in capturing animals alive and moving them somewhere safe, but she can simply hunt them down if needed. Whether it's wild boar tearing through your forest, dire wolves eating your children or if an endangered animal needs to be taken somewhere safe, Linda can resolve it. She's believed to be around PL 7.


Payday Crew: The Crew particularly prefer heists where other organised criminals are the targets, but they don't mind conducting base raids if the payoff is sufficient. Their diverse crew are capable of all sorts, be it cleaning out an abandoned super's base on the quiet or going loud while assaulting a private military company's HQ. Estimates place individual members at about PL 6, maybe a low PL 7.


Known Meeting Places:

Cayden's Hall: These beerhalls are well-known for serving locally made alcohol. They are also shrines to Cayden Cailean, Golarian god of bravery, freedom and alcohol. The Absalom Hall is the most famous, but there are Halls popping up in Europe. One technique they have borrowed from spy rings and assassins is that their bulletin boards strictly prohibit advertisements for operations being performed in the same national or political borders as the Hall, in order to reduce heat. An example is that a Hall in Dublin won't allow advertisements for operations taking place within Eire, but the Halls in Cardiff, Paris and Amsterdam can advertise for help with Irish operations just fine. The Mechanicsburg Hall is popular with anyone wanting to mount an operation anywhere in the EU (and having a head of state who refuses to join it indirectly helps in that regard) and the original Absalom Hall is just the place if you want to get into something in the Mediterranean Sea region (which includes Southern Europe, North Africa, Turkey and even parts of the Middle East). They're most popular with X-Ds from the Inner Sea region of Golarion, as they're the closest they can get to a taste of the home they can't go back to.
Last edited by betterwatchit on Sat Jan 08, 2022 3:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Merge Universe

Post by kirinke »

I love Helluva Boss! Lol. However, the grimoire is usually in hell. It's what they use to dial back "home". It is generally in IMP hands, when it is not it is in the hands of Stolas or his family, who are powerful Goetia royalty and Stolas himself is at least PL 12.
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Re: The Merge Universe

Post by betterwatchit »

Naturally, Griffin has encountered I.M.P.. He thinks it has something to do with him helping to take down an infernal creature which looked like a giant stingray during the trip to Hell he did as a part of stopping the Incursion, and he wants to know who their client is. The problem is that I.M.P. won't leave a demon behind if they can help it. Whenever he knocks one out, another grabs the laid-out demon and drags them back home, bringing them to one of the few places even Griffin won't dare enter of his own accord!
Last edited by betterwatchit on Fri Dec 03, 2021 2:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: The Merge Universe

Post by kirinke »

Stolas is one of those demons you don't want to screw with under any circumstances if you're on this side of sane. He's not a ruler of a ring of hell, but he's probably in the top tier in power levels.
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Re: The Merge Universe

Post by betterwatchit »

Types of Shelter:

After the Chaos Incursion, the demand for shelters and panic rooms significantly increased. And as would be expected, different countries approach this issue differently. Examples include…


In Great Britain, the WWII-era Morrison Shelter has been revived for the creation of a relatively affordable shelter for the home. A Morrison Shelter is made with steel corners and steel plating on the top to allow its use as a table with a steel lath bottom. It has four steel mesh sides, one of which is loose at the bottom to allow access. Most people put a mattress and some pillows inside to make it a bed. It won't withstand a direct hit from a bomb, but you'll have a much better chance of surviving if you're inside it while your house falls on top of you. It should be placed in a cellar/basement wherever possible. If not, it should be placed on the ground/first floor.

In Western Europe, the box-bed has made a major comeback. Compared to the old box-beds of medieval times, most modern versions come flat-packed. They are made of wood (with an increasing amount made in steel). When assembled, modern box-beds are large enough to lie down in and can be locked from the inside. All but the cheapest models come with a small chest that serves as a step into the bed. Luxury versions are basically miniature panic rooms with NBC seals, dedicated phone lines and half a day's worth of drinking water.

In Israel, a law has been in place since 1951 requiring that all new buildings must be built with at least one room designed and reinforced for use as a shelter. All condominiums and public buildings have communal shelters and even private homes must each have a reinforced shelter room.

Most modern warships already have an armoured section called the citadel, made as a place for the crew to retreat to in case of hostiles successfully boarding the ship. Some cargo ships also have a citadel already, especially those expected to travel through the Gulf of Aden AKA "Pirate Alley".

Extant castles and other homes for heads of state tend to have a shelter as a matter of course, given the nature and occupation of their most important resident.
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Re: The Merge Universe

Post by Davies »

betterwatchit wrote: Fri Sep 10, 2021 10:44 pm Types of Shelter:

After the Chaos Incursion, the demand for shelters and panic rooms significantly increased. And as would be expected, different countries approach this issue differently. Examples include…
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Re: The Merge Universe

Post by Neo-Paladin »

These days, most shelters come with ONBC seals where the O stands for Occult, incorporating a set of magical seals against the most common supernatural threats(usually inlaid with silver to also ward off werebeasts).
There are also state-of-the-art shelters specifically designed against occult dangers and incorporating seals that can be reconfigured to counter a variety of supernatural threats, sold and produced by Von Doom Industries.
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