Town Meeting

[singmod]

Town Meeting

Town Meeting

With the recent events that have transpired in regards to Young Bill's plan to starve out the Forest Talkers — the eco-terrorist group that has been hounding him and leaving macabre scenes all over the Lakeside area, Interlopers have called a town meeting to discuss what to do on this.

Rather than playing out the Town Meeting, like with the Darkwalker's second attack, consider this post an OOC post of that meeting, for players to share their character's thoughts and feelings on the situation — along with the best approach in regards to Young Bill's proposal.

Players are free to thread out scenes from the Town Meeting in their own event toplevels/open posts if they wish to do so — but this is more of a quick catchall on character's thoughts that's more accessible to everyone — and players can have their characters +1 ideas they agree with!

Please fill out the following form.

<b>Player Name / Contact:</b> <b>Character Name:</b> <b>Character Journal:</b> <b>Character Thoughts/Ideas:</b>

EDIT: THERE IS A POLL FOR INTERLOPERS TO VOTE ON

Comments

[itio]

Player Name / Contact: Ricks extreminator
Character Name: James T. Kirk
Character Journal: itio

Character Thoughts/Ideas:

• Jim would be against starving out the Forest Talkers. Not to mention it being unnecessarily cruel and unethical (for him, anyway), he believes it would be seen as an act of hostility that would have serious consequences that the Interlopers are absolutely not ready to deal with. He will suggest that Young Bill is eager to have the Talkers leave him alone, and they have to consider the possibility that he's willing to use them to achieve that goal, without caring and/or thinking about the consequences that might have for their group.

• That said, he does believe that some action needs to be taken regarding the group. So, he will suggest that instead of taking their supplies, they should find those caches and leave letters or notes, trying to reach out to them in hopes of initiating some form of communication, and hopefully work towards some form of truce. They do all need to coexist in this place, at least for the time being, and doing anything on either end that could potentially push them into a situation of conflict would only end in running through their supplies all the quicker, and the end result would probably be one side being killed off while the other would be severely affected in terms of supplies and infrastructure.

Which isn't to say that conflict may not arise or even lead to violence later, but he believes that they should at least attempt at a peaceful/diplomatic resolution, rather than being the ones leaping to what could essentially be seen as acts of aggression or hostility.

[mordue]

Player Name / Contact: bobby / crowders
Character Name: claudia
Character Journal: mordue

Character Thoughts/Ideas: claudia doesn't really have a dog in this race – she just got here and she doesn't really want to insert herself into the middle of a conflict that appears not to be touching her just yet. but privately she thinks the forest talkers deserve whatever they get, up to and including starvation. she wouldn't be enthusiastic in sharing this opinion and would probably keep her thoughts entirely to herself, but if pressed, she'd point out that this is more than aggravation between groups if they're leaving threatening scenes behind; this is a group of people who seem to delight in causing fear and disturbance, and that's probably going to escalate if they're left alone to keep doing what they're doing.

[guidemyway]

Player Name / Contact: Josh jjabarrett on plurk or discord
Character Name: Ruby Rose
Character Journal: guidemyway

Character Thoughts/Ideas:

• Ruby's been shot along with Wynonna for approaching the Forest Talkers area of operations. So she's aware they are already hostile from the get go.

• She's also aware there could be a lot of reasons that they are hostile, and until they get some form of communication going that there isn't anything from stopping the aggression from escalating.

• Stealing from the cache's isn't her first choice. But she does see it as an opportunity to show that they can stand their ground as well. Also that they aren't totally unreasonable either.

• Her suggestion would be to be raid the cache's but not use any of the supplies from them right away. They could leave notes as a warning, and as a way to possibly open up communication with the Forest Talkers. If they decide to keep things peaceful and meet up with them, then they can have the supplies back. If they continue to be aggressive with them, then the people of Milton aren't afraid to defend themselves.

[solitarysoul]

Player Name / Contact: Cirape ConnectiveTrick or nvrknwsbst on discord
Character Name: Levi
Character Journal: solitarysoul

Character Thoughts/Ideas:
• He's going over to lakeside at the request for help but not going to visit Bill because there are a lot of people and Bill's cabin isn't huge. He'll get the news after someone passes it on and it starts to become public knowledge

• Levi is against taking the talkers food but he's all for taking their ammo/weapons and can easily be talked into taking their medical supplies

• He has worked as a scout and a sniper and will be willing to do so here. Preferably just a scout, but you better believe he's forming a mental list of who might need to be taken out. He just won't share it yet.

• He's also willing to go along with anyone attempting to talk or leave notes as a bodyguard. just not at their encampment. This means he could help kidnap too

[clothed]

Player Name / Contact: Anna weirwood
Character Name: Sansa Stark
Character Journal: clothed

Character Thoughts/Ideas:

→ Sansa would be listening in for most of the discussion, and if asked will put in her two cents: that while she isn't familiar with the ongoing conflicts, they have to safeguard their own resources above anything else.

→ If pushed, Sansa's reasoning is this: Young Bill's intentions may seem cruel, but he's also a desperate man asking for help, and there are favours to be gained from that beyond just the found supplies. Keeping the Talkers' caches hostage could mean they will get attacked, but it could also mean they would be more willing to sit down and talk (or at least stop being so violent for a moment) in exchange for their supplies.

→ If asked in private, Sansa would put this forward: find a way to decimate the Talkers' numbers and force them to negotiate, then integrate their people into their community. They must want something more than just survival, and if they can figure that out, then they may not have to fight with anyone any further.

But she's just a girl, please don't take her seriously! 😌

+1

[itio]

Ruby's suggestion to taking their supplies but not using them right away seems like an acceptable compromise, some kind of leverage to hopefully push the group into talks rather than just escalating their aggression. All for leaving notes for the Talkers, of course, as that is what he would suggest as well.

+1

[guidemyway]

Ruby definitely agrees that coexisting with them is probably they're best bet. Even if the Forest Talkers don't want to directly work with them, it's better to have at least an agreement not to go after one another than walk on eggshells on waiting for a conflict to start.

[guidemyway]

Yeah!

The last thing Ruby wants is to fight when they could talk this out. But they have to play their cards right because they aren't the hostile ones in this situation. A firm but honest peace offering seems like the best way to approach this without hopefully escalating it.

She appreciates Kirk's point of view on this too.

[solitarysoul]

Levi is still on for putting notes out! he doesn't expect anything from them but its worth a shot

[thefifthchild]

Player Name / Contact: Cass / ectoplasmfear
Character Name: Damian Wayne
Character Journal: thefifthchild

Character Thoughts/Ideas:
- Damian will be much more outspoken in this meeting compared to his relative silence of the last one. First off, he'll say that they need to come out of this with a clear plan of action even if not everyone's happy with it, because they can't approach this like the last meeting where everyone talks over eachother and nothing gets done.

-In his eyes, starving them out is a terrible idea if they want to get rid of these people. He'll call Young Bill a stupid blind moron for even suggesting it, because after stealing the supplies the Forest Talkers will have no other option than to declare war on them and steal their supplies. They should only go through with his suggestion if they're prepared to help secure Lakeside fully from external attacks.

-Instead, he thinks they should use the fact that they know where the supplies are as an opportunity to set a trap/ambush, and to take several prisoners they can interrogate and medically examine. His suggestion would be to dump them back out in the woods with a message saying that this was a warning and they would like to negotiate further, but he'll also admit that that strategy is only a hypothetical that largely depends on the state of their prisoner(s). If it's anything like the maddened state of the animals, they may have to kill them all.

[clothed]

secure Lakeside fully from external attacks (sansa nods)

take several prisoners they can interrogate and medically examine (sansa vehemently shakes her head)

[thefifthchild]

He didn't say torture he just didn't not say torture.

He would prompt her to elaborate if he sees a reaction though. You can't just a girl your way out of this one!!!!

[burying]

Player Name / Contact: Cheryl / heolstor
Character Name: Kieren Walker
Character Journal: burying

Character Thoughts/Ideas:

— Kieren is certainly against any violence against the Forest Talkers, and won't want to get into any physical fights/gun fights with them. While he's less than thrilled about the idea of stealing from them, he'd rather take that road over actually going to fight them. He's conflicted over it, there doesn't seem to be a straight-forward answer for it.

— That being said, seeing what they're doing in Lakeside will disturb him and will push him into the thinking of 'they're a problem and they need to go away' territory — not to mention stealing their shit will mean they're not able to get around Lakeside so easily to go after Interlopers.

[dreamaturgy]

Player Name / Contact: Huali cloaked
Character Name: Dream
Character Journal: dreamaturgy

Character Thoughts/Ideas: Dream would likely observe the unfolding drama with a sort of detached curiosity, like an outsider peering into a world that no longer bends to his will. He's yet to fully realize that he's pretty much involved now, that he's essentially one of them, and that he's probably going to have to meddle in "mortal affairs" at some point.

I don't think he'd take sides, at least not in the way we usually think of it. Concepts of right and wrong have never really applied to him, but his curiosity would for sure draw him closer -- not necessarily to intervene but to understand the motivations/actions behind both sides. So consider him a silent spectator.

[sosoruze]

Player Name / Contact: Batty (goodluckmodes)
Character Name: Senku Ishigami
Character Journal: sosoruze

Character Thoughts/Ideas:

• Young Bill already said trying to reason with the talkers failed, so in that case, Senku thinks they need some kind of leverage in order to force negotiation.

• He thinks starving them out could actually backfire and invite attacking milton/lakeside for their resources, though, so he'd recommend only taking what they need rather than picking the caches clean.

• More importantly, if these people’s behavior noticeably changed at the same time things started going south, then they are an important clue as to what happened to everyone, and Senku thinks it's pretty critical to have an opportunity to speak to one directly.

• To this end he recommends setting up traps and an ambush to take a hostage. The benefit of a hostage is that the talkers don't have to know they don't intend to harm anyone and discourages any violent action from the talkers which might risk the life of the hostage. it also gives them the opportunity to negotiate directly w both the hostage & the talkers at large.

• He'd want the trap/ambush itself to be as nonviolent as possible, however, such as a flashbang or something similar as a way to stun them. In other words, using the threat of violence but no actual violence as a means of gaining leverage.

[guidemyway]

Ruby is +1 to securing Lakeside.

She is -1 to taking prisoners at the moment.

[sosoruze]

Senku is ofc down for an ambush + kidnap, though he’d want to keep them as a hostage to negotiate with rather than dump them out in the woods with a warning.

He’d also want to keep forcible medical examination off the table for the moment since it’d likely make other parties less willing to negotiate and more interested in revenge.

If the talkers do open a line of communication & the Interlopers can find out what the talkers want, medical examination could be another bargaining chip though (e.g. we’ll do this thing for you if you consent to an exam)

[thedreamer]

Player Name / Contact: Kris | geekorthodox
Character Name: The Doctor
Character Journal: thedreamer

Character Thoughts/Ideas:
— This place certainly makes it difficult, but nonetheless, the Doctor continues to try and hold true to being a defender, to helping all wherever and whenever he can. He can be ruthless at times only when absolutely necessary, but he wields compassion and empathy and understanding around as easily as others might wield weapons. He prefers thinking through all potential scenarios, trying everything first before risking an all-out war.

— Concrete thoughts: He's worried, compassionate, and concerned for those people and creatures brutalized, first and foremost. He empathizes with Young Bill's plight (while also harboring a healthy amount of withheld trust), he's certainly very worried about his fellow Interlopers, but he wouldn't be the Doctor if he didn't consider what's driving the Forest Talkers, what fears they might hold, what violence they've chosen to wield as a result of that fear (or alternately if it's just straight up sadism with no underlying fears, that's another matter entirely). They may be beyond helping or listening, but he'll still try.

— Actions: The Doctor would advocate for dialogue and open communication, a way to inch towards "we're in this together," and if that ultimately can't be achieved — then other things would need to be considered. He will be staking out caches and lingering near them rather than stealing caches, attempting to offer trades and speaking to them. Though the Forest Talkers won't say much to him and mostly only listen, I did receive guidance from our lovely mod that the Doctor can encounter one of the younger teenaged Forest Talkers and hear a brief amount of dialogue from them. It's his goal to try and talk first, so even though he won't get much out of them, he'll call this a win for now. If anyone wants to be involved when he has this encounter, hit me up! He will ultimately get shot at (and the bullet will miss) or the teenage Forest Talker might just take the cache & run (haven't decided) but if anyone would like to be involved during this encounter, hit me up!

[thefifthchild]

He truly does not understand the moral quibbles (against kidnapping)

[wingbound]

Player Name / Contact: Dem jigglyballs
Character Name: Levi
Character Journal: wingbound

Extra information:

Levi has been spying on the Forest Talkers, and he would share what he learned in the meeting (so if your character would attend it feel free to assume they're aware of his findings):

- there are 40-50 Forest Talkers in the Old Hunting Lodge, which likely means their base;
- they are well armed -- so definitely no storming the lodge directly;
- there are definitely teens among them - presence of young children or sick people unknown;
- there is some sort of a cult leader present (he wears a stag skull and white tactical gear);
- Forest Talker groups sometimes leave the compound, usually at dusk or dawn;
- the leader sometimes goes with them.


Character Thoughts/Ideas:

➜ He doesn't like the idea of starving these people, especially since they have kids among them, and will actively protest theft or destruction of food. However he'll support taking ammo from the caches.

➜ He's willing to try alternative options that other Interlopers are suggesting, such as trying to leave notes OR kidnapping some Forest Talkers to make them, well, talk. (He's made people talk before, though he'd prefer not to.)

➜ As far as the kidnapping idea goes, he will express doubt that FTs will care enough to negotiate about the life of their friend, considering they've been sacrificing some of them. He'll suggest going after their leader, but also acknowledge that such a mission may be too costly/not worth the hassle, depending how many people and/or firepower they could dedicate to it and all the unknowns (like what if that guy has magical powers or something).

➜ If all else fails, he's not above murder where necessary. It's clear enough that they can't just leave the FTs alone if they continue killing their way through the countryside. If it comes to that, however, they should look at taking out the leader(s) and not just blindly target everyone; whatever bullshit is going on should leave kids out of it.

➜ He'll likely just mention that he has experience with conflict and he wants to avoid anyone pointlessly dying, so people shouldn't be wandering near FT territory alone. The OOC rundown of that is that he's fast, strong, decent at stealth/scouting as well as breaking and entering and plenty of other useful skills; if someone needs a bodyguard on their note leaving travels or more people for the ambush team, he's a good guy to have.

+1

[wingbound]

Sounds like something worth a try -- and Levi would definitely like this suggestion more than the bare notes-leaving version, as they would actually have some leverage to make any demands/requests for communication and be less likely to be blown off.

+1

[wingbound]

poison the caches--

The cache hostage idea sounds similar to Ruby's and Levi would support this as well -- it's reasonably peaceful but it also does give them some leverage, something he believes is necessary for any sort of communication at this point.

(He'd rather not think about decimating them but... she's got some good points there too...)

+1

[wingbound]

Levi definitely thinks they should grab some of those people and let them explain what the hell they're doing (as well as assess their general state. He hopes they can be reasoned with but you never know). Maybe they're warding off something more sinister.

Also he's a fighter and can help out with the ambush/kidnapping effort.

+1

[wingbound]

Kidnapping is the best conversation starter lbr.

[sosoruze]

Senku would express the concern that if the Talkers don't actually bite then they're in the wind and it'll be hard to track them down again, but he's down for this if he's outvoted on his own plan!

If they're going to hold the supplies themselves hostage though, he'd recommend still putting traps on them so the Talkers can't just steal them back without talking. He'd also suggest keeping the supplies in a different location from wherever they suggest for a meet.