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    MH Absurdia Arc 1 - Bus Hunt

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    ilikeshinythingsbut
    The document describes a disturbance in the town of Absurdia involving a bus that has gained sentience and the ability to time travel. Several factions in town are attempting to capture the bus, leading to potential conflicts. Key figures and their goals are outlined.

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    MH Absurdia Arc 1 - Bus Hunt

    Uploaded by

    ilikeshinythingsbut
    7 views4 pages
    The document describes a disturbance in the town of Absurdia involving a bus that has gained sentience and the ability to time travel. Several factions in town are attempting to capture the bus, leading to potential conflicts. Key figures and their goals are outlined.

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    The document describes a disturbance in the town of Absurdia involving a bus that has gained sentience and the ability to time travel. Several factions in town are attempting to capture the bus, leading to potential conflicts. Key figures and their goals are outlined.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    7 views4 pages

    MH Absurdia Arc 1 - Bus Hunt

    Uploaded by

    ilikeshinythingsbut
    The document describes a disturbance in the town of Absurdia involving a bus that has gained sentience and the ability to time travel. Several factions in town are attempting to capture the bus, leading to potential conflicts. Key figures and their goals are outlined.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 4

    THE BUS HUNT

    A Disturbance for Monster Hour: Absurdia (Arc 1)

    The Disturbance

    “We’re receiving several calls this morning from people around town claiming to have spotted a
    bus roaming the streets of Somewhere. Observers claim it was a fully articulated model with an
    old Transit Authority coat, and that it disappeared when looked upon directly - which buses are
    known to do. It’s not clear if this noble behemoth escaped from the municipal auto barn or if we
    have a rare wild specimen on our hands - but either way this is quite the development.”
    - Sebastian Strange, WSOM: Radio Somewhere

    Countdown
    1. The Bus appears in town and begins to cause problems (traffic accidents, property
    damage, etc.)
    2. Factions in town begin to mobilize as awareness of the Bus spreads
    3. Tensions escalate as factions become more aggressive in their pursuits, leading to more
    incidents as the Bus attempts to escape
    4. One of the town’s factions captures the Bus (or otherwise achieves its goal)

    Threats

    The Hunt (Conflict)


    The Issue: For the first time in as long as anyone can remember, a wild Bus is loose in
    Somewhere. Noble creatures known for their time-bending properties - along with their
    penchant for unintentional property damage - the Bus’s appearance has drawn the immediate
    attention of the town’s factions.

    The Factions:
    Involvement Resources Strategy

    Bureaucracy The Bureaucracy wants A jury summons to hunt Since most of code
    to capture the Bus to the Bus; a handful of enforcement is very
    restore order to town code compliance busy, the Juror is
    and to study it’s officers patrolling town primarily tasked with
    quantum properties bringing the Bus back
    to City Hall

    Community The Community wants A volunteer search Use their numerical


    to capture the Bus and party outfitted with advantage to fan out
    place it in the Municipal whaling gear, organized and cover as much
    AutoBarn, where a by Normal Brewing ground as possible. As
    variety of other vehicles Company soon as someone spots
    are held in town the Bus, radio the rest
    of the search party and
    converge

    Underbelly Engaged only by proxy n/a n/a


    through Jackie’s
    request that Max bring
    her the Bus

    Entropy Engaged only by proxy n/a n/a


    through Walker’s
    request that Claire
    consume the heart of
    the Bus

    The Bus (Phenomenon)


    ● What is it?
    ○ An overlarge transit vehicle with the sentience of a large mammal, capable of
    bending the “laws” of space and time. The Bus is the focal point of the conflict
    due to both its quantum properties and its penchant for (unintentionally) causing
    problems in town.
    ● What is its effect(s)?
    ○ Quantum Superposition - The Bus exists in a state of quantum superposition
    when traveling: it is simultaneously early, late, and on-time all at once. While
    moving, it can jump forward or back through its own timestream, allowing it to
    teleport short to medium distances.
    ○ Distemporal Carriage - Because of its quantum superposition, the interior of the
    Bus exists outside the ordinary passage of time; different segments correspond
    to different points on the timeline. While the Bus is moving, these sections and
    their passengers are generally frozen in time. When the bus stops, each section
    opens to its relevant place in time.
    ● How does it behave?
    ○ The Bus generally wanders aimlessly around town, sporadically disappearing
    and reappearing as it jumps back and forth randomly along its timeline. If
    approached aggressively, it will defend itself by ramming or swallowing whole its
    assailants. If imperiled, it will seek to escape to another position on its timeline.
    ○ If presented with a functioning bus stop, the Bus will seek to stop there.
    ● What can fix it, cure it, or stop it?
    ○ The Bus’s quantum superposition collapses into a defined space and time when
    it arrives at a designated stop, rendering it vulnerable to conventional means of
    capture (though it is still a dangerous 20-ton vehicle).
    The Juror (Monster)
    ● What is it?
    ○ An ordinary resident of Somewhere who has been summoned for jury duty: a
    Bureaucratic ritual that is part conscription, part possession, part transformation.
    The Juror is given a task to complete (tracking down the Bus, in this case), and
    imbued by the City Council with supernatural strength, speed, and bureaucratic
    powers. The more they resist the summons or encounter resistance, the more
    heavy handed the “direction” from the Bureaucracy becomes.
    ● What does it want?
    ○ To capture the Bus and deliver it to the Bureaucracy
    ● How tough and strong is it?
    ○ 4 harm total (1 for each red tape tendril); 0 armor
    ○ Red Lashing (2 harm close spread restraining)
    ● What are its powers?
    ○ Unnaturally strong and quick; red tape tendrils can attack and react
    independently from the Juror
    ● What is its weakness?
    ○ Removing all four tendrils significantly reduces the danger presented by the
    Juror. As its power is derived from the jury summons, finding a way to get the
    host out of jury duty will end the possession.

    NPCs

    Absurdia GM Principle: “Give Everyone a Name, a Quirk, and an Agenda”


    ● Mina Redmond (Bureaucracy) – The city auditor of Somewhere and a senior member of
    the Bureaucracy. Can “audit” people’s minds and read their thoughts. Seeks to advance
    up the bureaucratic hierarchy and gain favor with the City Council. Claire’s rival.
    ● Stafford (Bureaucracy) – An investigator for the Bureaucracy, tasked with looking into the
    many, many disappearances in town. Has a CCTV camera for a head and talks like a
    hard boiled private eye. Seeks to root out the truth, no matter the cost. Duncan’s friend.
    ● Sebastian Strange (Community) – Co-host of Somewhere’s public radio station, WSOM:
    Radio Somewhere. An inquisitive journalist with a gossipy streak, he endeavors to
    always be in the know about what’s happening in town.
    ● Jeremy Dunlap (Community) – Owner and proprietor of Normal Brewing Company, the
    most ordinary place in town. Big dad-who-homebrews energy. Wants Normal Brewing to
    be a sanctuary against Somewhere’s surreal happenings. Duncan’s rival.
    ● Jackie (Underbelly) – A collector and antiques dealer with a market stall in the Backalley.
    Possessor of many unique objects with peculiar properties. Always on the prowl for new
    curiosities to add to her collection. Max’s friend.
    ● Elodie Saberhagen (Entropy) – A fellow time traveler currently residing in Somewhere.
    She is periodically spotted in town, generally observing or investigating something. Her
    exact motives are unclear, though she frequently states that her mission is to protect the
    principal timeline. Max’s rival.
    ● Walker (Entropy) – An unofficial forest ranger who lives in the woods at the edge of
    town. Was friends with the entropic entity known as Rudy during his time possessing
    Claire’s body. Motives… unclear. Claire’s friend.

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