apocalypsehowcomm | NPC Interactions

NPC Interactions - August 2023

Player characters aren't the only ones trying to eke out a living and dodge the apocalypse in Gloucester. Beginning in July 2023, Apocalypse How will feature a monthly NPC Interaction post, where we will post any updates about what key NPCs are up to in the background, as well as provide a place for players to tag in and interact with those NPCs.

Please note the following:

To interact, simply place the name of NPC you wish to thread with in the subject line and provide a starter. These do not need to be complex in their set-up and NPCs can be found anywhere one might reasonably find them. In the office or around Gloucester.
Each player will be limited to one NPC thread on this post per month. This is to keep things manageable for the mods and to encourage players to share whatever their characters might learn in these interactions with the broader group.
These NPC threads can be used for AC, but if players are using them exclusively to meet AC requirements across multiple months, the mods reserve the right to request additional non-NPC proofs.
Interaction with NPCs is not required to participate in the plot of the game. This is simply an additional, optional venue for engagement.

Nia Lehrer (she/her)

The Warden (i.e., head) of the Apocalypse Disruption Initiative/Apex Detectives, Inc., and a very busy woman. She is short, serious, and direct, but can turn on the charm when she needs to. She is the public face of the business and directs strategy for the organization. She is also an avatar of the Hunt… or working her way there from an alignment. Her status as an avatar came as a surprise, but she has decided to at least partially embrace it, the better to fight the monsters. Nia has indicated she intends to find a way to get Player Characters home or stop them arriving in her universe and then find a way to stop herself from becoming one of the monsters ADI is sworn to fight. She places the mission and practicality first and has been shown to have the ability to smell Entity affiliation on others, as well as know strategically useful information. Nia is most likely to be found at ADI Headquarters.

This month, she seems to be following up on a potential Situation with the government that a conversation with one of the non-native members of ADI raised. Early in the month, she will be away on a trip in Washington. She will be available via email and phone text only. In the latter part of the month, her agitation and paranoia from the previous month is in full gear, as that sense of someone following her grows.

Reyes Amador (they/them)

Formerly Nia's assistant, currently working in PR for ADI. They have a close, personal connection with Bonnie. When they're not at ADI Headquarters, they might be found out on the town with Bonnie or dropping in to visit her at the Flophouse. They are average height, polite, and eminently calm. They also seem to have a knack for reading other people.

This month, they are absent for increasingly long stretches of times in Dogtown. They return from these excursions bearing more and more injuries. Word on the street is that they're heavily invested in investigating Dogtown. And it seems to be getting more perilous. They are still engaged with their duties, of course. The work to cover up Wolf Trap is ongoing, even now, with so many people who were affected by it.

Pam Ruan (she/her)

HR for New Arrivals at ADI. She is a motherly, older woman who is typically patient, but also has a passive-aggressive snap to her if someone tests that to the breaking point. She is responsible for acclimating new arrivals and for those with a keen eye, she always carries a pistol in a shoulder holster, hidden beneath her cardigans. Due to an event incident, Pam is missing her left hand; she simply covers the stump with a pinned cardigan sleeve when wearing long sleeves or a pretty, fluffy cuff when wearing short sleeves. She's most often found at ADI Headquarters.

This month, she has been worrying after the visibly non-human members of ADI, in particular. She's been wanting to check in on them, make certain they're doing all right. When she hears about the black vans (and sees them) patrolling Gloucester, she'll encourage people to stay in their homes or ADI HQ and offer to run errands outside for them with an increasingly paranoid and desperate energy.

Bonnie Gale (she/her)

Proprietor of the Flophouse. Bonnie is a tall, red-headed woman from another world, one of the first to find herself dragged into this new reality more than a year ago. She's a Bohemian sort with a lot of manic energy. She also places much greater emphasis on retaining one's humanity over being strictly human. Bonnie has a close, personal relationship with Reyes Amador, and will keep the people in the flophouse apprised of anything important ADI is doing so that they can help, if they wish to do so. She's most often found at the Flophouse or out on the town with Reyes.

This month she has been more absent than usual at the Flophouse. When asking other, non-ADI residents about her, the story seems to be that she's been going on long walks, often with Reyes. Maybe rekindling their romance? Hard to say. But Bonnie is around sometimes, trying to get her Etsy Sticker Shop off the ground. It's... still going poorly. Some of it might be her lackluster design skills.

The Visionary (he/she/they)

A young person living in the flophouse as Bonnie's roommate. They are a native to this reality and read a cursed book called The Long Road Ahead around the same time that Bonnie arrived. They now feed on cherished memories to give horrific visions of a potential future to those who wish to avail themselves of the exchange. They are rail thin, sickly, and always keep a blindfold over their eyes. They can sometimes be found in the common area in the flophouse with a white walking cane to guide them. (This NPC provides an IC conduit for OOC 'canon updates.')

This month, as is usual for her, the Visionary is holed up in their room and reluctant to take visitors... though, with Bonnie gone more often, they seem to be coming out a little more in search of things from the kitchen. And maybe even the tiniest bit of company.

Cole Guttuso (he/him)

A young man living in one of the flophouse's unused rooms. He is native to this reality and was originally part of a Desolation-based circus called the Fenix Down Extravaganza. He was called away from the circus on "family business," just before PCs murdered all Desolation avatars of the circus. Formerly known as Pyre, Cole was subsequently known to be lurking around Wolf Pen, WV during the events of Appalachia before he starting lighting fires on his way toward revenge against ADI for the circus and for their murder of his father, Carl Watts, in Wolf Pen. In his search for revenge, Cole attacked a Gloucester Eye cult, thinking it was associated with ADI and was turned from a man made of wax to one made of viscous eye jelly. He has lost cohesion as a being in many ways, along with access to much of his Desolation-based abilities, and is currently trapped in the form of a melted, mostly faceless flesh-blob monster. He lurks in the Flophouse, avoiding contact with people where he can. This NPC was spared by players from death and hidden at the Flophouse as part of a poll that took place in December 2022. As of June 2023, Cole has repaid some of the kindness shown to him by developing a truly private network app just for off-worlders.

This month, Cole remains holed up in his room as he has been since moving into the Flophouse, but he's always up for a chat over his network. After the kindness shown to him recently, he might even open his door for an in-person visit…if you can stomach his blob monster appearance. He's heard about Bonnie's Etsy shop and has been trying to contribute ideas. A lot of them involve fire.

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Threaded | Flat

"Hey Nia?" Cortana pokes her head into the women's office one day not too long after her experience with Hal's coding.

"I've got something to report," She might sound nervous, but there's a growing gravity to her voice that should make it clear that that nervousness has nothing to do with bothering higher ups "and it's a big one."

A widespread piece of medical technology being tied to the vast is, well... disaster might be an understatement.

[ Just a text that's a list of various government officials, senators, representatives, etc. who all would be more receptive to ADI's cause, whether for good (let's stop the apocalypse!) or ill (let's fuck up the other Entities!). Underneath them is one simple message. ]

Talk to these people first.

[ here's hoping she knows Elias's cell because there ABSOLUTELY is no sign this text is from him. ]

[As John wasn't originally visibly non-human until he began sporting a giant crab claw for an arm, needing to be careful about it isn't exactly on his mind, nor is he stopping from going out and exploring Dogtown, though he's starting to notice the black vans.

Nor did he notice Pam checking in on him as he carries a couple bags of groceries and a six-pack of beer (all of which are quite easy to carry when you hang them off the crab claw) to his apartment until he's, well, at his door.]

Uh, hi?

[It is after word spreads of her return from Washington that Rue appears at Nia's office door, knocking politely as ever, but certainly not coming along with the promise of tea and friendly banter.]

I'm sorry for the interruption, but I needed to follow up with you regarding our previous conversation.

[She won't go to see Nia in person, not yet, she's sure they're both much too busy, but she does feel the need to check in towards the latter end of the month, so she calls her.

She resists the urge to start with 'I'm not here to say that I told you so' because she can't imagine the Warden's going to 1. be very receptive and 2. have unlocked the self awareness to understand that yes, she very much told her that hunting and terrorizing monsters is still terrorizing.]

Warden. I hear you've received some rather divisive news.

When Eda spots Reyes on her way back to Bonnie's, she can't help noticing that they... don't look great. She's been meaning to talk to them about what they've been doing in Dogtown even before this, but it certainly looks like whatever it is it may not exactly be going well.

"Hey," she says, deciding to take the opportunity to catch their attention.

"Are you..." Well, alright might be a silly question, they're definitely injured. Not to mention that it's a question she's been tired of hearing herself lately. But she's concerned all the same.

"How are things going?"

In late August, a very tired Raine knocks on Nia's door. They're carrying a small box of something in their hands.

"Nia, do you have a moment?"

QUESTIONS

Nia

Nia

Pam

Nia

Nia

Reyes Amador

A very late Nia!!!