space_aces (
space_aces) wrote in
thegreatspacerace2022-12-06 01:53 pm
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Event #2: But wait there's more!
Glitters is Gold
Thanks to the combination of hard work, cooperation, and a whole lot of cheating, the Möbius Prix trophy is currently in the possession of the Privateer Hermes. Lest it be forgotten among the champagne and confetti, the original question still remains: what made it such a target of interest for SUPERBIA?
It's shiny, very impressive looking, and undoubtedly leaves an impression in any room it's in. But functionally, it appears to be an ordinary trophy, which is to say, it has no functions at all. There are no buttons, secret messages (other than the inscribed names of the current and previous 1000 Möbius Prix winners), nor switches of any kind. But somewhere in it, this trophy contains the next clue to Fortuna.
Good Business is Where You Find It
Word soon gets out about the appearance of the Privateers: seemingly appearing from nowhere, these enigmatic figures are said to be movers, shakers, troublemakers, and generously funded by their sponsor. It is that final detail that catches the attention of a very particular crowd. An influx of new potential paying customers does not go unnoticed; soon countless ships will be swarming the Privateers like parasites to a warm body.
These ships are salesships, piloted by none other than salesmen! These extremely enthusiastic (and, depending on the Privateer's individual character, persuasive) vendors will be shilling nearly any product imaginable, needed or unneeded. The offers are incredibly alluring, in price, quantity, and niftiness, and few could resist.
Those with a more subversive taste in goods may peruse the Black Market for weapons. Whether they be carried on the Privateer's person or outfitted on their ship, nothing is out of the question in these under the table deals.
But buyer beware. While the products on the salesships seem bona fide and will withstand a demonstration or few, the salesmen take no responsibility for their quality after purchase. Only after money has changed hands will the goods inevitably deteriorate, either becoming useless or malfunctioning toward the exact opposite of their purpose. And the Black Market items? Well they have a chance to explode. Hope you're not up to something dangerous when that happens!
There will be a top level in the Event Log to test your luck for regular and Black Market products.
No Ears. No Returns.
Those who decide confront the salesmen over their purchases will face a gauntlet of challenges. First, the salesmen are extremely reluctant to disclose their hierarchy, leadership, or origins. They face all accusatory inquiries, even violent threats, with a calm discipline that in itself is suspicious for mere salesmen. Trying to tackle them on the verbal battlefield is just as difficult - they are salesmen, after all. Those who manage to wring answers out of them will find that the salesmen follow a power structure suspiciously similar to the Privateers themselves, a fleet of loosely allied vessels lead by Captain Leemay and his First Mate Twofingers,
The Captain is off on business, as he apparently usually is. In absentia all inquiries are directed toward First Mate Twofingers. Twofingers is appropriately named; his digits outnumber his ears, however. His species communicates in a language not based on sound. Whatever inconveniences this causes to those seeking returns is of no concern to the sales fleet.