conversations.from: system
conversations.value: Welcome to the future.
  
  The ice caps have melted, the sea level has risen, and the map of the world looks very different. New York is under water. So are Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Washington DC, and large parts of Sydney. Our coral reefs are dead or dying, and water temperature variations mean that fish stocks are greatly depleted.
  
  The vastly reduced human population struggles to survive as tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and other natural disasters become both more frequent and more severe.
  
  With the world's oil and gas reserves either run dry or now too deep under the sea to make drilling viable, mankind exploits solar and wind power, but even that is not without problems, given the climatic turbulence.
  
  Higher temperatures mean that wildfires are a constant threat, and while air pollution is down due to cessation of fossil fuel power plants, automobiles, and aircraft, the smell of smoke often lingers in the air. Many more isolated areas have become effectively 'third world', relying on seagoing sailboats for transport between their archipelagos of what had once been higher ground.
  
  Scavengers search coastal areas for the remains of towns and cities, taking what they can use or sell. Life is tough, but humans are tougher. When the winds come, they close the shutters, head for their storm shelters and pray that it will pass them by.
  
  This short story will place player characters on one of the scattered islands caused by these rising waters. Will you work together to survive what nature throws at you, or will it be every man or woman for themselves?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You search coastlines for washed-up treasures, dive to retrieve goods from submerged towns and villages, or anything else you can think of to turn the junk of the old days into treasure.
conversations.prefix: Scavenger:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Buy from scavengers, sell to customers, but always, *always* make a profit. That's how you get by in this strange new world.
conversations.prefix: Trader:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're from around these parts--born and bred. How do you make a living on this big lump of rock?
conversations.prefix: Local:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The social and trading hub of The Stump, Theresa's bar is where everyone comes, sooner or later.
conversations.prefix: Theresa's Bar--Topsides:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Sometimes it seems everyone knows everyone else in this place. Certainly the locals do, but how do you get on with the others here?
conversations.prefix: A Sense of Community:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You heard the lady. She needs food, water, blankets--anything needed for a prolonged stay underground while you ride out this storm. Go to it!
conversations.prefix: Supply the Cellar:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: There are vulnerable people out there. Get someone to safety, or help them bring something/someone they really value with them.
conversations.prefix: Save the Locals:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Not many people know that the leader of the Red Rollers has seizures. That's because they threaten his status, maybe even his life. He'd give a lot for some of these babies. Maybe even spare someone's life.
conversations.prefix: Rare Meds (Jack):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: But a whole new, shiny carburettor. That would keep your old hunk o' junk running for a while longer.
conversations.prefix: Not Just A Hose Line (Daniela):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Of all the places you thought these might turn up, you never thought it would be The Stump.
conversations.prefix: Solar Panel Parts (Finlay):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're going to be one of the people Mason comes back with. Play this card on the challenge and you'll get a wild strong next scene.
conversations.prefix: Volunteer!:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Thirteen souls--and a lot of useful kit. That's worth the risk, right?
conversations.prefix: Rescue Party:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: There are 13 men, women, and children aboard. Plus potentially game-changing equipment. Can you save them?
conversations.prefix: Blue Dawn:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Genuine mystic, religious nut, or just a woman who is trying to help people. The jury is out.
conversations.prefix: Mother Maria:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Trader, drifter, decent enough guy.
conversations.prefix: Gannon Burt:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: He's got an offer you can't refuse.
  .
  
  
  
  (See other side of card of you are going to play on this.)
  .
  .
  .
  
  
  He wants what the Blue Dawn brought, and he's prepared to do almost anything to get it. He will expect you to play dirty, too.
conversations.prefix: Pinstriped Suit:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: This hasn't been easy for anyone. How are you holding up? Optional. Individual.
conversations.prefix: How Are *You* Doing?:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Somehow, you've got the message that shit's about to go down. Whose side are you on, or are you staying well out of it?
conversations.prefix: Pick a Side (Daniela):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: So things haven't gone well up Topsides, and things are looking grim. Looks like you might have to set aside your differences for now, if any of you are going to get out.
conversations.prefix: All In This Together:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: He's no pirate. He's a botanist. 
conversations.prefix: Otto Krause:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Help Ahab, or do what you can to slow him down. Which is it to be?
conversations.prefix: Hostage or Hero?:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: "An efficient thug" who previously helped Mason, he has been recruited by Ahab.
conversations.prefix: Harris:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: He's a pirate, and he'll stop at pretty much nothing to get what he wants.
conversations.prefix: Ahab:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: (Only to be done after the Ahab challenge.)
  
  Completing this will gain you one weapon to use against Ahab, but will slow you down, allowing him to get way ahead of you.
conversations.prefix: Get Jacks's Gun (Optional):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: (Only to be done after the Ahab challenge.)
conversations.prefix: Get Jack's Gun (Optional):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You need to put the firing pin back, but it should be in working order after that.
conversations.prefix: Jack's Gun:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Events have shown you can work together. Can you put aside your differences and tendency to isolate yourselves for just a little while longer?
conversations.prefix: Pull Together:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Deal-maker for P950, and probable source of Ahab's knowledge of the satellite array. But is he friend or foe?
conversations.prefix: Yves Morton:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You three are now in possession of a sought-after piece of equipment. What are you going to do? Keep it? Destroy it? Give it back? Make your cases, and make them good.
conversations.prefix: It's In Your Hands Now:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Tidy up any loose ends and wrap your story as you wish.
conversations.prefix: Denouement: Finlay (Optional):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Tidy up any loose ends and wrap your story as you wish.
conversations.prefix: Denouement: Daniela (Optional):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: It may not look like much (and trust us, it doesn't) but the good ship Duct Tape and Hope has saved lives, served as a storefront and a base of operations, kept men sane in an endless watery wasteland, and given Finlay something to tinker with when he's bored. It's a source of transport and, if you dig around the mess of containers lining the floor long enough, a source for all sorts of tools, equipment, and potentially-useful junk.
  
  The USSDTH's source of buoyancy has changed over the years. It started out as an inflatable life raft, but is now mostly styrofoam and inner tubes. Plus the duct tape, of course.
conversations.prefix: The USS Duct Tape and Hope:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: As the old song says, you gotta know when to hold 'em, and know when to fold 'em. Unfortunately, all too often Finlay's first instinct is to go "All in;" his second instinct is to flip the table.
conversations.prefix: Has a Hard Time Letting Go:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Finlay has many, many plans, most of which involve electricity. This means scavenging an inverter, a battery or two, a heck of a lot of wiring and circuitry--and the actual panels, of course.
conversations.prefix: Scavenge the parts for a Solar Panel:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You know a little bit about a lot of things.
conversations.prefix: Jack of All Trades:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You don’t do well with rules or people telling you what to do.
  
conversations.prefix: Independent:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're just trying to make it one day at a time.
conversations.prefix: Survival:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You never stay still in one place long. Always on the move, you're a traveller at heart.
conversations.prefix: Keep Moving:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Finlay is no engineer, but he can bodge, patch, knot, & kludge with the best of them. But it isn't just jury- rigging Finlay excels at. He can fake it 'til he makes it with conversations as well.
  
  He's managed to get pretty good at knowing when to apply a little self-deprecation and tact versus when to be blunter than a wooden mallet. 
  
  Perhaps "has his lateral thinking cap on" would be another good name for this card.
conversations.prefix: Knows the Right Tool for the Job:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Legitimate work is hard to come by. Illegitimate work, on the other hand, is everywhere. Scrappers steal from the past, you steal from the scrappers. Well, you *did*, until you got yourself blacklisted.
conversations.prefix: (Ex-)Pirate:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You've seen some awful things. You've been in some bad situations. It was your routine for so long that you had to become numb to it. As a result, it takes a lot for you to lose your wits.
conversations.prefix: Steeled:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You've made some friends over the course of your life, but you've made more enemies, and you've been bitten by your past more than once.
conversations.prefix: Burned Bridges:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Out of work and into a bottle, you're determined to pull yourself up and, y'know, *be decent from now on* - whether that means righting past wrongs, or not making so damn many new ones.
conversations.prefix: "Get right":
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Inventive and genious, you can engineer almost anything. Your mechanical dive suit is only one of the few wonders you have made.
conversations.prefix: Tinkerer:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: He has struggled with his feelings for a long time. In the old world, this would have been diagnosed as bipolar disorder.
conversations.prefix: Emotional:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: There are millions of people in the world, and plenty of them want to see you crash and burn. You're the only one whose intentions you know. Why role those dice? Isolationism: It's just good math.
conversations.prefix: Distrusting:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: "What do you mean, you know what you'll do if the Earth's magnetic fields suddenly shift?" 
  
  "I'm just saying, a man's got to do something to keep his mind off the fact that he's eating seagull meat for the 20th straight day."
conversations.prefix: I Made a Plan for Just This Situation:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: When it comes time to make a decision you do so quickly and follow through immediately.
  
conversations.prefix: Decisive:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: When it comes time to make a decision you do so quickly and follow through immediately.
  
conversations.prefix: Decisive:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You know the sea like the back of your hand. It's almost like you were born to the water.
conversations.prefix: Waterman:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Finlay has seen the waves claim too many homes, loved ones, and supplies to handle losing gracefully. 
  
  It wears on a person to watch everything people have worked for drift out to sea yet again.
conversations.prefix: Haunted by Loss:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You’re a quick thinker, and rather intolerant of those who aren’t.  
conversations.prefix: Impatient:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Maybe it's the high stakes, or the feeling of being in control. There's something about crafting underhanded plots that gets you a special kind of high. Lucky for you, you're also damn good at it.
conversations.prefix: Schemer:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: There are moments that you are so absolutely certain that you are right that you blind yourself to the many millions of ways everything could go horribly wrong.
  
  Whoops.
conversations.prefix: Cocky:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: When it comes time to make a decision you do so quickly and follow through immediately.
conversations.prefix: Decisive:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Turns out, you can't make up for past deeds by keeping to yourself and drinking. You've accumulated a karma debt, and you're going to have to actively pay it off. If that means more violence and subversion... well... so be it.
conversations.prefix: Payback:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You are consumed with a singular purpose. You're ready to throw everything you've got at the problem that faces you now, and boy do you have a lot to throw.
conversations.prefix: Tunnel Vision:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Finlay has proven to be a resourceful adventurer, a savvy negotiator, and even a half-decent leader. 
  Sometimes, though, all the personal virtues in the world pale in comparison to a sturdy blunt instrument.
conversations.prefix: Refreshingly Direct:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You might get lucky once in a while, but the whole idea of you protecting yourself against a real opponent is laughable. You might think you look cool in your head throwing a punch, but reality is quite another story.
conversations.prefix: Not a Fighter:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Caught off guard, you don't know which way is up, anymore. Secret players, dark machinations. You're in over your head. Who do you believe?
conversations.prefix: Conflicted:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The only way to get a good profit margin as a trader anymore is to find your own loot. You can make a shovel out of a turtle shell and scavenge with the best of them, should it come to that.
conversations.prefix: Treasure Hunter:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Ultimately, it was the thing that made life as a pirate impossible for you - the sense that there is some kind of objective right and wrong, the sense that there is something you owe your fellow man.
conversations.prefix: Sense of Justice:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your father told you the stories his father told him, of the civilizations long since swept away. Maybe you can help build something like that.
  Sure, it won't be built in a day, but it'll never happen if you don't start now.
conversations.prefix: A City On A Hill:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Once you put your mind to something, you stick to it. No matter the cost.
conversations.prefix: Dedicated:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Once you set your mind to something, you are rarely moved from your path. 
conversations.prefix: Determined:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Maybe you don't know what the right thing to do is, and maybe you don't need to. Goodness is in your DNA, so just trust your instincts.
conversations.prefix: Point toward the moon: