Shared Files

Routine

Image pile%20of%20cubes.jpg
Type File System

Responses to Functions

Function Message U Result
Offense = 1 The entire system is a mess of files. You try to wipe them out, but there are just too many. 2
Offense ≥ 2 The entire system is a mess of files, but you methodically wipe them out. 2 Gain 1 XP
(removes routine)
Offense ≥ 2, after finding tests The entire system is a mess of files, but you methodically wipe them out.

At the very least, that should get rid of those copies of Dr. Myers's tests.
2 Gain 3 XP
(removes routine)
Command ≥ 1, before indexing You command the server to catalog its contents. It'll take a while, but it should help if you want to find anything. 2 (see discussion)
Command ≥ 1, after indexing You tell it to recatalog the files for good measure. It can't hurt, after all. 1
View ≥ 1, before indexing You poke around a bit, but nobody turned on cataloging. It'll take forever to find anything in here.

It seems weird. Other than the cataloging being off, the site is well-maintained. It's almost as though they don't want programs to find anything.
1
View = 1, after indexing Even with the data cataloged, there's an absolutely absurd amount of files in here… most of it utter dross. You poke around a bit, but can't make a dent in the sheer number of results. 1
View ≥ 2, after indexing You run an in-depth search over the whole catalog. It takes some time, but you get back some interesting hits.

Then, one of the following:
2
Defense ?
Other The files don't seem terribly interested in you. ?
  • Offence takes priority over Command or View.
  • 1 Command takes priority over 1 View. 2 View takes priority over Command.

bat25.jpg Sports
Circuit25.jpg Hacking
CD25.jpg Music
TV.jpg Television
paper.jpg Cheating
Eclipse.jpg Eclipse
filledshotglass.jpg Partying
Dynamite25.jpg Pyro
defaultitem.jpg Miscellaneous

Note: these categories need a lot more spading, and they are not hard and fast. Eg. I've found a sports post and a music post on the same blog. The area you are adventuring affects the results you get to some extent, at least anecdotally, you seem to get more hacking/engineering in the computer lab, and more music in the Happy Hour.

Sports bat25.jpg

You find a stream for pirated Cyberbowl preliminary games and grab a couple that look more like highlights than whole games.

And then, one of:

You catch the end of an Integrated Rams game. There's some back and forth, but they clearly outmatch their opponents. Their benefit mostly seems to be in their cyberwear, granting them completely inhuman strength. You could try to apply some of their techniques, but you'd pull… everything.

You've earned 2 XP in Strength

Or, with certain cyberwear (observed with mover arms+bulky cyberlegs or integrated cybergun or just Midgard Neural Expander):

You catch the end of an Integrated Rams game. There's some back and forth, but they clearly outmatch their opponents. Their benefit mostly seems to be in their cyberwear, granting them completely inhuman strength. You could try to apply some of their techniques, but your cyberwear probably won't stand up to that kind of stress.

You've earned 3 XP in Strength

Huh. There's a few clips from the last game played by the now-defunct Midgard Serpents.

Watching, it quickly because apparent that they were both not very good and also didn't have a lot of fans. That probably explains why they're not around anymore.

That said, it's nice to have the reminder that Midgard isn't all-powerful, just the biggest fish in this little pond.

You've earned 2 XP in Will

Someone's constructed a series of clips from the Free City Heroes, a team sponsored by a group of companies in Hong Kong. They all dress up as superheroes, which is gimmicky as hell, but the fans seem to love it.

It's pretty hard to avoid cheering for them.

You've earned 2 XP in Will

There's a compilation of players from 'The Source' getting torn apart… literally rather than metaphorically. It's incredibly gruesome, even for a sport advertised based on its brutality.

You spend a second looking it up on the Net. Apparently the Source is a hiring agency with a reputation for taking out other teams' players and offering replacements to fill the sudden vacancy. That explains the hard feelings, at least.

You've earned 2 XP in Perception

Or, if you have Ghoultouched (active?), the above three lines is replaced with:

There's a compilation of players from 'The Source' getting torn apart… literally rather than metaphorically. It's incredibly gruesome, even for a sport advertised based on its brutality. Damn it, now you're hungry.

Or, with a raging effect active(?):

There's a compilation of players from 'The Source' getting torn apart… literally rather than metaphorically. It's incredibly gruesome, even for a sport advertised based on its brutality.

Damn, that looks like a great idea. Check out those moves!

You've earned 3 XP in Strength


Or, with an Integrated Rams helmet equipped:

You catch the end of an Integrated Rams game. There's some back and forth, but they clearly outmatch their opponents. Go Rams!

You've earned 3 XP in Will

There's a quick clip of the OmniTech WildCats going up against a minor team in a preliminary game. It's interesting to see how they move… scary fast.

You've earned 2 XP in Reflexes

Or, with Midgard neural expander or any cyberware?:

There's a quick clip of the OmniTech WildCats going up against a minor team in a preliminary game. It's interesting to see how they move… scary fast. Your cybernetics can't begin to match that… but you think that's because they didn't bother with any feature involving the words "safety" or "limiter".

You've earned 3 XP in Reflexes

They have a real mix of different sporting events, just snippets of each. You take a while to sort through and take it all in.

And then, this was with cyberbowl ball, arms, rams hat, and cyberbowl rush/rams play in deck:

You find a bit of Cyberbowl stuff. There's probably a bigger repository somewhere else, but it's still amazing to watch the greats in action.

You've earned 2 XP in Reflexes

You've earned 2 XP in Strength

Or, with a sword or sword techs in your active deck:

You find some good fencing coverage with famous matches. It's really inspiring.

You've earned 4 XP in Reflexes

Or, with Leaping Dodge in your active deck(?):

You find some good gymnastics coverage, although it focuses more on objectifying the gymnasts than highlighting their athleticism. Still, there's some good stuff in there if you keep your mind out of the gutter for a minute.

You've earned 3 XP in Reflexes

First time:

You dig a bit and find a bunch of numeric codes. On further inspection, it looks like someone's gathering a bunch of promo codes for something. They seem to be from Zaibatsu's caramel bars like you can buy at the University bookstore.

You found: 5-10 Cyberbowl promo codes

Further times:

You dig a bit and find a bunch of Cyberbowl promo codes from Zaibatsu caramel bar wrappers. Well, that's certainly a lot cheaper than buying them yourself.

You found: 5-10 Cyberbowl promo codes

You find some pirated baseball games. They're interesting enough but… you just don't have time for that.

You'd think students wouldn't either, but they obviously aren't spending their time studying.

You've earned 1 XP in Perception

You've earned 1 XP in Will

Or with OJ drugs taken the previous day(?):

You find some pirated baseball games. They're interesting enough but… the statistics are the really fascinating part.

You churn through some simulations, build a couple of models, revise the simulations, really start digging, and… what were you doing again?

You found: baseball statistics

Hacking Circuit25.jpg

With some digging, you find a set of files about securing Novos sites. It uses some live examples, including an active link to <some University Net site>.

With a bit of digging, you find that someone's left credentials for logging into Novos News Network here. It's probably some sort of shared account, but it should serve your purposes if you want to pay NNN a visit.
You found:  NNN account

You find a group of files dedicated to understanding the University's site deletion policy and sharing links to sites that are in danger of being deleted. Most of the links are already dead, but you find a live one to <random University Net name>.
From what the files say, the University should delete that site shortly.
(The site comes pre-indexed?  Or maybe it links to a site already indexed?)

You find a group of files dedicated to understanding the University's site deletion policies. From the sounds of things, it does a simple search for contraband data that can be sidestepped by not indexing files.
Hmmmm… that probably means this site doesn't have long to live. 
You've earned 2 XP in Will

After some serious digging, you find a collaboration between several students. It seems they've decrypted a file from somewhere called "Roy's" and are in the process of building a prototype.
It's apparently some kind of wearable memory that you can weld into clothing… or armor, more likely, given that you're welding it. They're having trouble finding memory cores, so you're already a step ahead of them.
You've learned a new quest recipe: Mimetic Sheet - Create a flexible circuit board with two Polysteel, two Gold Foils, and four Formatted Memory Cores

Music CD25.jpg

Someone's shared a ton of music here. You queue up a random track and see what you get.

You've gained 10 energy of: 571, Bitter Song, Brain Staples, Classical Recital, Dance Music, Emerald Gift, Garage Metal, Shrug Off Your Chains, Spooky Music, others?

Or if you have music playing:

Someone's shared a ton of music here. It takes a bit of a search, but you find some more of what you're listening to.

You've gained 20 energy of Classical Recital, Dance Music, Shrug Off Your Chains, etc.

Or with extreme bass player, Imported Metal, Idol Metal, Midgard Player songs or Halloween Lament:

Someone's shared a ton of music here, but you're already listening to something and there doesn't seem to be more of it in their database.

It's probably for the best. Their taste looks terrible.

You've gained 2 XP Will

You do a bit of digging and find a convenient archive of music files. You download a few to see what the people on campus are listening to.

You found 2? of: classic game music, derivative piece, Emerald Gift track, garage track, pop recordings, Shotgun Saints track

A lot of the traffic through here seems to be people trading music files of dubious legality. The most popular file you can find is a cracked copy of a sample track Emerald Gift handed out a while back.

You found: cracked sample track

You find that someone has shared a recording of Emerald Gift playing at one of Metroplex University's Halloween parties. A lot of people on campus swear by "the Gift," so you start up the stream.

They're… actually pretty good.

You've gained 20 energy of Emerald Gift.

(Only with a formatted memory core in inventory)

You dig a bit and find a neural scrape that claims to be from an Emerald Gift concert. That seems pretty unlikely, but you download it ago a formatted core to see.

You found: Emerald Gift memory

TV TV.jpg

You find some pirated clips from Matsuo the Demonslayer episodes and hit the highlights. It'd probably be better if you could really follow the whole thing along on TV, but it's not a bad introduction.

You've earned 1 XP in Perception

Or with a sword equipped:

You find some pirated clips from Matsuo the Demonslayer episodes and carefully watch the sword sequences. They lean on the actor more than special effects, which is nice. You actually learn a couple things.

You've earned 1 XP in Perception

Or

You've earned 2 XP in Reflexes

Or with the replica sword equipped:

You find some pirated clips from Matsuo the Demonslayer episodes and follow along with the sword sequences. It probably looks funny, but it's neat to follow Matsuo's sweeping strikes.

You've earned 3 XP in Reflexes

Or with Channeling Matsuo:

You find some pirated clips from Matsuo the Demonslayer episodes and feel an almost physical revulsion towards watching them. Yeah, better to keep to the real thing.

Somebody's put together a bunch of pirated clips from different Zalian Team shows, trying to assemble a theory that the characters are all the same across universes.

They construct an interesting cosmology, but it could just be the animation studio is really lazy and only wants to draw a dozen characters.

You've earned 2-3(?) XP in Perception

Judging by these files, there's a My Little Idoru cartoon. From what you've heard of Zaibatsu, that's not exactly surprising, although the fact that people watch it is a little weird.

And then one of:

They seem to get really into it, though. Well, more power to them.

You've earned 2 XP in Will

They seem to feel really guilty about watching it, though, pointing out repeatedly that it's been pirated so Zaibatsu doesn't get any money.

"Stealing" twenty minute commercials and watching them seems like a strange form of political activism, but it's hard to say what any of these students are thinking sometimes.

You've earned 3 XP in Perception

On closer examination, they just seem to be watching it "ironically," whatever that's supposed to mean.

You've earned 2 XP in Perception

You dig a bit and find that someone's uploaded the entirety of "Drone Warriors of Valhalla" onto <the owner>'s site. The show only lasted one season, but it's pretty easy to see why.

The entire thing is just a giant ad for Midgard drones. Which is kind of weird… there's certainly no shortage of children's shows trying to sell them toys, but drones?

And then, one of:

That said, the people who love it really seem to love it. The gushing praise etched on the files seems entirely genuine, which is strangely heartwarming.

You've earned 4 XP in Will

The gushing praise etched on the files starts off as being sarcastic, but becomes more sincere towards the end, as though the constant one-upsmanship lead to some people actually convincing themselves they like it. That's more fascinating than anything in the show proper.
You've earned 4 XP in Perception

Nothing really jumps out at you, but there are a lot of good videos.
You've earned 1 XP in Reflexes

You've earned 1 XP in Strength

Part 1:

You dig until you find a set of short films, apparently long-forgotten and transferred over from older hardware. They're definitely low budget, either students or some sort of public access.

Part 2, without knowing about the Vigilante?:

The whole thing focuses on a masked vigilante with no name and his quarreling sidekicks, Watson and the Hammer. It's not a terribly strange concept for a show, but it's darker than you'd expect from the concept.

Part 2, if you know about the Vigilante?:

The whole thing focuses on a masked vigilante with no name and his quarreling sidekicks, Watson and the Hammer. That… sounds eerily familiar.

Part 2 if you are wearing the Vigilante's Mask

The whole thing focuses on a masked vigilante with no name and his quarreling sidekicks, Watson and the Hammer. They even have toy props to look like the real thing. It's… kind of cute.

Part 3:

The notes on one of the files suggest a specific time signature. Checking it out, you find a scene of the actors beating up a filthy man… who doesn't seem to be acting.

Part 4, if you are sober:

You learn a thing or two about unnecessary brutality.

You've learned a new technique: Brutality (1-2)

Part 4, if you are Etheric? Or not always - see discussion:

After a distressing long scene of them kicking him over and over, he turns towards one of the actors and the younger man just… writhes, with chunks of blackened flesh falling off as though he's suffering terminal frostbite in timelapse.

There's a glimmer in his eyes… something between desperation, hatred, and unfettered malice. You can imagine feeling that way yourself, in the same situation. Perhaps the same thing will happen… you've seen weirder.

You've learned a new technique: Evil Eye (1-2)

Part 4, if you are Etheric, and have Evil Eye in your deck(?):

After a distressing long scene of them kicking him over and over, he turns towards one of the actors and the younger man just… writhes, with chunks of blackened flesh falling off as though he's suffering terminal frostbite in timelapse.

It looks like the Evil Eye, but there's no flame for some reason. Maybe the flame's a hallucination but… then where do the burns come from?

You've earned 4 XP in Perception

You learned a new Technique: Evil Eye (1?-2)

You dig some and find a packaged video titled "Celebrate Metroplex Day." It looks pretty long, but it's easy enough to download for later.

You found: Celebrate Metroplex Day

Cheating paper.jpg

You find some cheatsheets has written up. They look… like they'd be pretty helpful if you were a student.

You found: 1 student cheatsheets

With some digging, you find a stash of cheatsheets <the owner> has been accumulating. They look… like they'd be pretty helpful if you were a student.

You found: 2 student cheatsheets

Before talking to Dr. Myers about cheaters:

It looks like <the owner> has a substantial cache of tests here, which isn't too strange… but they mostly seem to be Dr. Myers's tests from this year… the date listed on some of them hasn't even been reached yet.

After talking to Dr. Myers about cheaters:

It looks like <the owner> has some of Dr. Myers's tests. You'll probably have to take down this whole file system to make sure there won't be backups, but here they are.

(Gives special results for taking down the Routine - see above)

You find a bit of a code repository. There's some data in there you'd probably hide from the law, but nothing really too bad. It's probably just kids cheating at classes or somesuch.

You found 3 of: networking functions, command script, crash script, filtering script, search script

You find a bit of a code repository. It must be hidden because they're used in classwork, because most of them seem relatively harmless.

You found: networking functions, 2 of: filtering script, search script

You find a massive set of files that claims to be a design archive, but looks like it's just people sharing answers for class. In any case, there's a lot of electronics information in there.

And then one of:

You find an extremely annoyed report detailing the process for making gold processors like they used to back in the day. Apparently, it doesn't come up much anymore.

It wouldn't be hard to whip up, as long as you had some gold.

You've learned a new quest recipe: Gold Processor - Coat a Processor Chip's connections with Gold Foil

You find one file that the author seems honestly excited by: repurposing a controller used in military aircraft to "totally rock face in Shotgun Saint." Strangely, it looks like the military controller was originally based on designs for games, so the whole thing's come full circle.

Videogames and aircraft aside, it should be pretty handy for hacking.

You've learned a new quest recipe: Twitch Controller - Rig up two Optical Sensors with a Biomonitor Circuit for lightning fast control

They're working on a group project including sight links and optical processing. The body doesn't entirely make sense, but you grab the basic design it's based on.

You've learned a new quest recipe: Optical Array - Interface four Optical Sensors through a Signal Analysis Circuit and a Targeting Circuit for control

Someone's gone through a few designs for signal buffers, probably so the professors don't catch on that everyone's copying. You don't need to avoid professorial scrutiny, so you can just grab the easiest.

You've learned a new quest recipe: Signal Buffer - Pair a Signal Analysis Circuit with a Capacitor Array

Apparently they've been working on needler coils. It's hard to say whether that's for class or some sort of bizarre hobby.

In any case, it hasn't been going very well, but you take the results so far.

You've learned a new quest recipe: Magnetic Coil - Charge two coils of Thick Cabling with a Capacitor Array

You find a massive file filled with basic circuit designs. On closer inspection, someone just cut out the relevant parts of their text books and dumped them here, which probably saved them a lot of money.

You copy them down for future reference.

Learn a new quest recipe for: Signal Analysis Circuit, Biomonitor Circuit, Thick Cabling, Targeting Circuit

Or, after knowing all the above:

There's nothing in their design archive you haven't seen already, just a few alternate approaches. You feel a surge of pride.

You've earned 3 XP in Will

Eclipse Eclipse.jpg

You find several videos of searches on campus, with Midgard Security ignoring students openly carrying Eclipse. In a few cases, they even confiscate alcohol for underage use or prescription drugs intended for someone else, but leave the Eclipse alone.

And then, one of:

In one video, a student tries to strike up conversation about Eclipse and why it's not banned. The guards wave it away as "orders" and continue with their search.

In one video, a student tries to strike up conversation about Eclipse and why it's not banned. The lead guard flashes a toothy smile and says "somebody upstairs likes you, clearly," but no display of teeth hides the horror reflected in his eyes.

In one video, a particularly insolent student pops Eclipse in front of the guard, who glowers but doesn't comment.

In one video, a student tries to strike up conversation about Eclipse and why it's not banned. The searching guard mutters "fucking management" so quietly the comm microphone barely picks it up.

And then:

You've earned 2 XP in Perception

You dig a bit, finding a high-rated file that looks like a… fraternity party?

After a few minutes, to no signal you can tell, the partiers howl and tear into each other like wild animals.

Normally:

Wow. That was pretty intense.

Or, if you are Etheric:

As you turn your focus to each of the madmen, they seem like simply that… but the ones outside your focus seem like something more… something more primal than humans driven to madness by drink and drugs.

You learned a new Technique: Sudden Savagery (normally gain 1 copy, but if you are Raging, gain 2 copies)

You've earned 4 XP in Will

It seems <the owner>'s friends have made a game of sneaking into the art museum after hours and popping Eclipse, then seeing how long they can stand to stay. There are dozens of videos to that extent, so you queue one up to see what's gotten them so riled.

And one of:

The video moves through the museum, finally stopping at a painting of a sunset. The view warps strangely, like ripples of heat. The cameraperson curses explosively and tosses the camera to the ground. Your last view is a figure hurling itself out of the museum and dropping to the ground to roll.

The video moves through the museum, finally stopping at a still life. The cameraperson lasts about twenty seconds before they scream and the comm's lens is covered with a bloody smear.

The video moves through the museum, finally stopping to point into a dark corner. The cameraperson mutters "staring back at me, staring back…" then screams and drops their comm on the way out.

The video moves through the museum, finally stopping to view an immense and detailed landscape. The cameraperson mutters "it's okay, it's okay, it's not real" as their hand shakes more and more. Eventually they slowly back out of the museum… their camera trained on an invisible menace the entire time.

The video moves through the museum, finally stopping to gaze lovingly at a painting showing a woman under a parasol. The cameraperson stands there motionless for what seems like ages, until the hand on the camera grows unsteady and it falls to the ground.

And then:

The videos are all pretty intense, but the same people seem to keep going back.

You've earned 2 XP in Will

You find a number of files, talking about crazy stuff people have seen on Eclipse. They vary from pure wish-fulfillment to hideous monsters to basic visual hallucinations to deeper cosmic truths.

And then, one of:

<The owner>'s gone through the effort of cross-referencing and concordancing them, giving some interesting statistical results. It seems like most visions are unique, but the ones that aren't are closely clustered.

The commonalities <the owner> points out seem centered on Midgard drones. Lovecraft admits it wouldn't be surprising for someone seeing hound drones to hallucinate about wolves, but dozens of subjects seeing them as crystalline stalking creatures with black pits for eyes? That might point to something bigger.

You've earned 2? XP in Perception

Only a handful touch on that strange feeling of displacement you get when you take Eclipse. That handful are much more consistent, talking about the same strange vistas and terrible monsters.

You've earned 2 XP in Perception

The commonalities <owner> points out center on the computer lab. Almost a dozen students have seen tentacled shapes in the lab, usually immediately before or immediately after unexplained hardware failure in a lab terminal.

According to <owner>, several witnesses claim they were attacked by the tentacles and one was rushed to the hospital… although it's inconclusive whether the wounds could have been caused by the computer next to them exploding.

You've earned 2? XP in Perception

If the data's to be believed, hallucinations can be shared by all nearby. The owner hypothesizes that it's due to evironmental triggers causing consistent hallucinations among users.

You've earned 4 XP in Perception

<Owner>'s gone through the effort of cross-referencing and concordancing them, giving some interesting statistical results. It seems like most visions are unique, but the ones that aren't are closely clustered.

The most interesting part of the data probably centers on unexplained injuries. A few dozen students claim to have been attacked by monsters, presenting strange injuries that were mostly written off as self-inflicted, even if they required treatment at the Midgard hospitals downtown.

You've earned 4 XP in Perception

The data's tenuous, but <Owner> believes that certain individuals being present affects the hallucinations of others nearby. A commenter points out traditions of guided hallucinations stretching back thousands of years, but <Owner> doesn't seem convinced by that explanation.

You've earned 4 XP in Perception

For example, someone who's seen the hounds that patrol campus are also quite likely to have felt a chill in the Combine Labs building or heard strange songs drifting on the night wind. Possibly more interesting is that people seem to slowly drift towards that group, although there isn't enough data for <owner> to untangle why.

You've earned 4 XP in Perception

You dig deep into the file structure and find one file in particular, that's massive and tagged in a foreign language. A quick check verifies it's a neural recording.

Well, only one way to find out… you download it to your formatted memory core.

You found: foreign memory

Partying filledshotglass.jpg

Several of the files here are shared videos of partying students with flickers of light playing between the dancers and inhuman whispers behind the music. It could be cheap special effects, but something about it reminds you of Eclipse… maybe the light's color or the the way it wavers?
You've earned 2 XP in Perception

Or, if Etheric:

Several of the files here are shared videos of partying students with flickers of light playing between the dancers and inhuman whispers behind the music. But you can see… more than that.

The flickers are the barest suggestion of streamers of energy, connecting the dancers and binding them. The whispers are in a dozen languages that don't exist, each belonging to a dancer, each unique in its own terrible and beautiful way.

You learned a new Technique: Life of the Party

(if you have a formatted memory core in inventory:)

You dig a bit and find an old neural recording. It takes a while, but you manage to download it to your formatted memory core for later.

You've found: night on the town

The files you can find are just people sharing embarrassing incidents back and forth, mostly about drunken fights. Any fighting is technically illegal, but these look more likely to draw laughs than law enforcement.

And then, normally:

You can't help but feel a little superior.

You've earned 2 XP in Will

Or, with a Drunk effect:

Some people just can't hold their liquor.

You've earned 3 XP in Will

Or, with a Raging effect:

You can't blame any of the people fighting, though. You'd take a swing at them too.

You've learned a new technique: Drunken Swing

Pyro Dynamite25.jpg

You dig a little and find some discussion of the accelerants Midgard Security uses in its gas grenades. It looks like, with a basic chemistry kit, you could extract a decent explosive yield from them.

On the down side, it'll take quite a few.

You've learned a new quest recipe: Nitro - Extract the Nitro from four Gas Grenades

A lot of the shared files are videos of people using and abusing various explosives. Frankly, it's mostly idiots blowing themselves up in gruesome manners.

The results are sickening, but give you lots of good ideas of what not to do.

You've gained 25 energy of Idiotic Deaths.

Or, if you have Idiotic Deaths?:

A lot of the shared files are videos of people using and abusing various explosives. You don't really need to see anybody blowing themselves up, though.

A lot of the shared files seem to be stories about using and abusing various explosives. The stories are completely absurd and the students telling them are either lying or lucky to be alive.

You've earned 2 XP in Perception

Or unknown condition (not for knowing both Frag Grenade recipes):

A lot of the shared files seem to be stories about using and abusing various explosives. The stories are completely absurd, obviously lies to anyone who's used standard explosives.

The only question that remains is whether <The owner>'s friends have ever seen, let alone felt a real explosion.

You've earned 2 XP in Perception

You've earned 2 XP in Will

You find some results from lab experiments you don't think were authorized by the school.

One looks interesting enough it might be worth repeating.

Then one of the following:
You've learned a new chemistry recipe: Unmarked Grenades - Arm a Gas Grenade with Nitro

You've learned a new armory recipe: Frag Grenades - Add Polysteel shrapnel to an Unmarked Grenade

You've learned a new armory recipe: Frag Grenades - Attach some Scorched Glass Shards to an Unmarked Grenade very carefully

Otherwise if you know the above:

You already know what's going to happen before they start, though.

You've earned 2 XP in Will

You dig a little and find an article the owner wrote about those white flakes you've been carrying around. Apparently, they're made of a stable compound of phosphorous, used in explosives.

From what the owner says, the Blind Legion who are always passing out pamphlets on campus use the stuff in grenades and even flamethrowers to generate 'purifying flame.' You're not sure about that, but with the temperature readings in the article, you're pretty sure a grenade laced with some of those flakes would purify just about anything.

You've learned a new quest recipe: incendiary-grenades - Top off your Unmarked Grenade with two piles of White Flakes

You dig a little and find a popular video marked 'The Fireshaper'. It's presented without commentary, showing a bespectacled student somehow pulling the fire off an unmoving figure with her hands.

The whole thing lasts all of thirty seconds, but it's a nice bit of heroism.

You've earned 3 XP in Will

You dig a little and find a popular video marked 'The Fireshaper'. It's presented without commentary, showing a bespectacled student somehow pulling the fire off an unmoving figure with her hands.

The whole thing lasts all of thirty seconds, but that could just as easily be their special effects budget running out. It's a neat idea, though… could come in handy.

You've earned 3 XP in Perception

Or, if Etheric?

You dig a little and find a popular video marked 'The Fireshaper'. It's presented without commentary, showing a bespectacled student literally pulling the fire off of an unmoving body. She somehow grabs the fire itself rather than the fuel beneath it, tossing it aside in a flickering sheet.

The whole thing lasts all of thirty seconds, but it leaves quite the impression.

You learned a new Technique: Shape Flames (1-2)

While watching it sober after having learned the technique already:

You dig a little and find a popular video marked 'The Fireshaper'. It's presented without commentary, showing a bespectacled student somehow pulling the fire off an unmoving figure with her hands.

It's hard to remember why you thought this was so earthshattering. It seems like a dream sequence in a mid-grade movie now that you're watching it again. It's actually a little embarrassing.

You've earned 3 XP in Perception

With a bit of digging around, you find a set of drone schematics. For a moment, you entertain the idea that it might be the holy grail of hacking in Metroplex: the original schematics for one of Midgard's drone lines.

Closer inspection reveals that it's a student trying to reverse engineer Midgard drones, which isn't as good, but could be interesting in its own right.

You found: drone schematics

Miscellaneous

You find a widely-shared file that contains what looks like a keypad combination. It has something to do with class work, but they don't bother to say what.

Or, if you know about Room 16:

You find a widely-shared file that contains what looks like a keypad combination. It has something to do with class work, so probably in that Room 16 lab you saw mentioned earlier.

(unlocks one combo in Engineering Lab)

A while back, too recent in everyone's memory, one of Metroplex U's dorms collapsed. <The owner>'s friends have gathered a collection of videos and images of the collapse. It's hard to say whether it's a shrine to the fallen or a morbid joke.

Normally:

In either case, it's obvious that the students who took the images and videos cared deeply. The pain-wracked sobs in the videos… the best actors know better than to try and duplicate them.

You've earned 3 XP in Will

Even in all that tragedy, it's nice to be reminded that even the spoiled kids here are really just people underneath.

Or if you are Etheric:

Looking at the files you can feel, almost see the forces pulling the dorm into the earth. It's no simple bomb or structural failure. Instead, it's like a great fist pulled the building into the ground.

(Unlocks Awaken Students from adventuring in the dorms. Even if you get this result multiple times, you only get one copy of Awaken Students (so you must alternate between Novos and dorms to get multiple copies.)

You find a series of video clips, all from news coverage of one of Metroplex University's dorms collapsing during an illicit Halloween party. It's all technically pirated, but what really shines through is the honest concern of the students and their rooting for the paramedics.

It's really kind of touching and actually makes you feel a bit better about how they act when people aren't in danger.

You've earned 3 XP in Will

As you dig deeper into the system, you find that <the owner> has been using it to access a surprising number of remote sites. In fact… that looks like some cached information from their bank.

You found: bank information

You dig a bit and find some hidden videos of other parties held in other cities. It's hard to explain why the files are hidden… until you watch them. Wow.

You found: blackmail material

With a formatted memory core in inventory

With a bit of digging, you pick up a massive file hidden in the tags of several innocent looking documents.

It's a high grade neural recording. Hard to say what it is without playing it from a chipdeck. You download it to a formatted memory core for later.

You found: Benny Smith memory, compromising memory core, front row memory

It looks like somebody here's been maintaining a mailing list. These things can be pretty valuable to the right people… or annoying advertisers as the case may be, so you make a quick copy.

You found: mailing list

You dig a bit and find a video of a party, popular despite its low quality, tagged simple "Herald".

The party starts normally enough with students in costumes drinking punch and enjoying the decorations. Eventually, however, it becomes apparent something's wrong…

The cameraperson swivels towards the sound of urgent screaming, just in time to see a young woman consumed by green flames. As the flames rise higher and higher, the partygoers turn on each other. Blood is spilled and the fire spreads in great arcs, burning some partiers to skeletons while others are erased from existence entirely.

Worse yet, some of the skeletons rise, flesh stitching back over their bones as they hurl themselves at the flaming woman again and again. While that battle rages, uncountable students die in the greater melee, tearing each other to pieces with animalistic fury or collapsing from wounds you can't place the source of.

The video ends in a single jumbled second, splashes of brilliant red and fuzzy brown, followed by corrupted data.

And if you never met the Herald of Fire in 2009(?):

You feel as though you have seen that flame before.

Or if you killed the Herald of Fire:

You feel a surge of undirected anger in the aftermath of the video.

Or, if you tried to save the Herald of Fire:

You feel a pang of regret well up in the aftermath of the video.

Or, if you knelt to the Herald:

You feel a strange pride well up in the aftermath of the video.

And for all of the above:

You've earned 4 XP in Perception

Or, with Emerald Gift active:

In the final melee, you think you hear someone whisper something about the Emerald Gift, but the timestamp is from before the band even existed. You try rewatching that bit a few times, but it's not clear over the din. In fact, you're not sure why you can hear it at all.

You've earned 6 XP in Perception

Or, with ??? (I had: emerald gift playing, killed the herald in 2009, redeemed myself maybe a couple years later, and also every single technique I have in my deck, including starry gaze, evil eye etc. Also rage.):

You've seen those flames before from far away, burning with the light of thousands of stars or thousands of minds with all their thoughts turned inward.

You've earned 4 XP in Perception

You've earned 4 XP in Will

Or, without meeting the herald in 2009, while Etheric, and with Evil Eye in your deck:

Those flames are the same fire in your eyes. What is this?

You've earned 4 XP in Perception

You've earned 4 XP in Will

You find a database labeled 'Language Study for Midgard.' It's pretty hard to pass that up.

(With a mysterious puzzle box?)

You download the massive file. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem related to the runes on the puzzle box. However, the database appears to have something to do with that strange document you tried to read before.

You found: mysterious language database

(Or, with a black tablet shard?)

You download the massive file. It looks faintly like some of the runes on that shard of tablet. More than that, however, the database appears to have something to do with that strange document you tried to read before.

You found: mysterious language database

* These results require at least 2 View, and for the site's files to have been indexed. It seem some sites start already indexed? Or perhaps it's shared across players so as long as anyone indexes a site, it's okay to View.

Sources

History

At some point in the past, it seems that the text was changed from "whole index of results" to "whole catalog" to be less confusing. (Unless this is a separate triggered message, in which case, what triggers that?)

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License