conversations.from: system
conversations.value: In 1976 the US and South Korean governments sent an armed patrol into the Korean Demilitarized Zone with the ostensible goal of destroying a tree. (More truthfully, it was a response to the killing of two US soldiers in the DMZ.) Comprised of over eight hundred men, including soldiers, engineers and South Korean special forces, Operation Paul Bunyan was one of the finest examples of military sabre-rattling in history. The show of force cowed North Korea from a response and the engineers successfully chainsawed the offending tree down, thus demonstrating the US and South Korean unwillingness to tolerate acts of aggression from North Korea in the DMZ.
  
  However, paperwork filed after the operation demonstrates a curious discrepancy. While allocation papers clearly show eight-hundred and thirteen men were committed to Operation Paul Bunyan, debrief papers do not show casualty rates or headcounts following the return of troops to South Korea, as would be standard. As such, we do not know how many soldiers failed to come back from the demilitarized zone, nor *why* those soldiers were left behind.
  
  . . .
  
  Peace Eternal is a game set in the aftermath of the (quite real!) Operation Paul Bunyan in the 1970s.  It posits that a small group of investigators was dispatched by the US and South Korean governments into North Korea, using the prior Axe Murder Incident as cover. Operation Paul Bunyan was deliberately large to cow response, yes, but also to create a diversion for the investigators to break away.
  
  Your PCs will be, of course, that investigative team.
  
  There's a lot of scope here for various concepts. US Soldiers, engineers, scientists and the like are obvious, but if you want to play a tae-kwon do master you can: The South Korean special forces were black belts. And you can get a bit more fanciful: A member of a shadowy US government group coming in under cover, investigating the Mythos? That works just fine. There's a LOT of scope here.
  
  I'll be shooting less for pulpy gun and fist Call of Cthulhu and more for creepy, atmospheric mythos stuff. Expect less action, more chill.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Antiquarian: You’re an expert on antiquities and artifacts, known world-wide for your skills.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Appraisal
  
  Suggested Weakness: Delicate
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Archaeology Professor: You teach archaeology at a prestigious New England college and are widely published.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Lore
  
  Suggested Weakness: Slow
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Physics Professor: You stand at the forefront of “alternative physics”—where science meets mysticism.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Sciences
  
  Suggested Weakness: Limited
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Medical Doctor: Your knowledge of the human body and its care is much celebrated.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Medicine
  
  Suggested Weakness: Oath
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Psychologist: The human mind is your purview—you understand how it works and when it doesn’t.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: The Mind
  
  Suggested Weakness: Judgmental
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Field Archaeologist: You blend archaeological knowledge with wilderness survival and digging techniques.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Survival
  
  Suggested Weakness: Reckless
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Dilettante: You ache to make a mark on the world, to amount to something special.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Resources
  
  Suggested Weakness: Naive
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Graduate Student: You’re at the beginning of an exciting career... you hope.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Vital Youth
  
  Suggested Weakness: Impatient
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Soldier of Fortune: Your military training makes you valuable the world over. It’s a dangerous place, this planet.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Hardy
  
  Suggested Weakness: Heartless
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Occult Author: You’ve studied and written widely on matters of mysticism and folklore. Your fans are many.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Mysticism
  
  Suggested Weakness: Bookish
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Appraisal: You’re sharp, perceptive, and quick—capable of appraising situations as well as objects.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Lore: Your intellect is formidable and your knowledge spans many cultures and histories.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Sciences: You have a calculating mind that prizes reason and calm precision above all.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Medicine: You’re adept at medicine, from saving lives to identifying the telling marks of death.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The Mind: The human mind is a remarkable device and you understand how it works.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Survival: You’ve survived the wilderness, bandits, and wolves in your search for ancient treasures.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Resources: You’re well equipped with quality tools, society contacts, and funds.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Vital Youth: You’re energetic, athletic, and hale—ready for adventure!
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Hardy: You’re a rugged, leathery sort. You’re hard to kill and ready to work through pain.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Mysticism: You know the ways of folklore and magic, some of it so much hogwash... some of it not.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Delicate: You’re delicate of touch, of demeanor, and of constitution.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Slow: Your mind may be sharp but your body is slow to keep up.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Limited: Outside your areas of expertise, you’re easily lost.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Oath: You’ve sworn an oath to save lives, avoid violence, and heal the sick.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Judgmental: Your judgmental attitude causes you troubles. If only others would try harder to measure up.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Reckless: You sometimes take chances that put you or others at risk.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Naive: A bit gullible and trusting of the wrong sorts, perhaps, but you mean well.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Impatient: You don’t wait around well. You want to act first and think about it later maybe.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Heartless: The years have left you wary and callous, unwilling to risk your heart again.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Bookish: You’re no athlete. Maybe you’re doughy or awkward or frail but you’re sure no athlete.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Learn an Eldritch Secret: Learning is power, whether you share it or not.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Hunt Something New: You’ve stalked or been stalked by the most dangerous game. Time for a new challenge.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Find Worthy Material for a Dissertation: Stop waffling and wondering and find out what you believe to be true about the world.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Show Your Father You’re Worthy: It’s not about inheritance, it’s about respect.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Push A Mind Beyond Its Limits: Push someone—perhaps yourself!—beyond the limits of reason and then study what happens.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Show Them Your Work is Sound: It’s not enough anymore to believe you’re right. Show them you’re right.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Bring Back A Groundbreaking Artifact: If you can retrieve a never-before-seen treasure, your career will be revitalized.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Get Home Alive: Maybe this work isn’t worth your life? Just get home alive.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Nothing Is Forbidden: Human morals are a human construction. Knowledge of the infinite is more valuable.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Matters of Love: Love may be an earthly concern, but it’s real and it matters.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Deciphering: Read words that have gone unread for generations.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Survive the Wild: Endure and survive the threats of the wild.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Protect Someone: Prevent harm from coming to a colleague you admire or cherish.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Save A Life in Danger: Rescue someone in peril, perhaps bringing them back from the brink of death.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Be The First: Set foot in a new or ancient place before someone else can despoil it.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Protect the Dig Site: Protect the dig site from harm.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Warn the World: Get word out about what’s happening at the dig site.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Make A Friend: The best protections against the harsh realities of the world are friendship and allies.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Photographic Evidence: Get a photo that no one would believe if it weren’t true.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Right Might: Show someone that you’re not to be trifled with.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A Matchbook From The Blue Star: A simple matchbook adorned with a blue star and no words.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Jameson’s Portfolio on the Peru Dig: A collection of newspaper clippings, sketches, and geographical survey maps.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A Stack of Cold, Hard Cash: At least $1,000 dollars American in bright green bills.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The Heavens Below: by Brother Francisco Castillo. Contains occult secrets about pre-Columbian South America.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Revolver: A six-shot snub-nosed pistol.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Shotgun: A long, double-barreled shotgun with a wood stock.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Ammunition: Ammo for a gun.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Dynamite: One stick of dynamite with a long fuse.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Digging Equipment: Shovels, brushes, and picks suitable for quick or fine-detail work.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A Fine Camera: A high-quality camera with tripod.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Dr. Jameson’s Office: All dark hardwoods and plush chairs with a penthouse view.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The Aveline Estate: The sort of place with marble pillars and a hedge maze.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Aboard Butcher’s Plane: The plane rattles and dips in tough turbulence. It’s more for cargo than passengers.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The Blue Star Nightclub: The city’s best-hidden jazz secret is this hole-in-the-wall club, open just twice a week.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Suburban Dining Room: The table is buried under layers of maps and sketches and newspaper clippings.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A Remote Peruvian Village: A quaint, humid little village on the road leading to the dig site.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Swaying Rope Bridge: No way a truck could make it across that. Only foot traffic could cross this rickety thing.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The Abandoned Dig Site: The dig site resembles, at first, just an assortment of low, stone walls and carved pits.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Deep Jungle: This sort of jungle can swallow up a traveler with ease and never release its secrets.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Far Beneath the Dig: A circle of sunlight through the well shaft above reveals a vast, finely carved chamber...
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Turbulence: Avoid embarrassing yourself in flight.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: First Impressions: Make a first impression on the locals that won’t get you in trouble later.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Cross the Rope Bridge: Get across the rope bridge with all your equipment intact.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Rains From A Clear Night Sky: The dig site fills with water and mud. Protect the artifacts!
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Find Your Way: The track through the jungle is perilous and difficult to follow. Don’t lose your way.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Lost Beneath: These strange passages beneath the earth make little sense. Will you ever see the sky again?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Ancient Writings: Who can decipher these ancient markings?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Gunfire!: Someone from afar is taking shots at you!
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The Impossible Creature: It is both there and not there, part tentacle and part grasping mouth. Understand it? Or flee?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The Vision: Are you dreaming or is this real?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Dr. Jeremiah Jameson: Dr. Jameson isn’t brave enough to lead expeditions so he funds others’ trips into the unknown.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Diane Aveline: The widow of Michael Aveline, who was killed on an expedition of Jameson’s. She wants revenge.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Caroline Butcher: One of the world’s great pilots and photographers.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Walter Corrigan: A soldier of fortune hired to protect Dr. Jameson’s investments.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Leonard Crenshaw: A locally renowned jazz musician and expert on folklore of the Americas.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Jorge Quispe: A young driver, fixer, and guide in Peru. He’s been to the dig site Jameson’s curious about.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Mysterious Interloper: Tall and shadowy in a fedora and trench coat. Who is this gravel-voiced stranger?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Mad Cultist: This drug-addled cultist is ready to give his life—or yours—to please his monstrous god.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Tentacular Beast: Tentacles and feathery antennae probe out from a shadowy mass at the heart of this beast!
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Hellish Flying Monstrosity: Wider-winged than a condor, with a bone-chilling cry and gleaming teeth.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Duplicate the beauty you have seen: It is beautiful, and it is elegant, and it is perfect. You must somehow achieve it.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A small book: A play, from the look of things.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Complete your secret agenda.: You know what it is. The others must not, unless their knowing would not endanger your goals. (Also, I don't know what this is. You can decide!)
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Understand your dreams and nightmares: Every night, you've been having dreams, sometimes nightmares. You think they all happen in the same place.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Realise what you have seen before: Something about this is eerily familiar. You must understand what it is that you have seen before.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Swift.: You think fast and move faster still.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A Remote Korean Town: A quaint, humid little town on the road leading to the dig site.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: US Soldier: Your military training makes you valuable the world over. It’s a dangerous place, this planet.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Hardy
  
  Suggested Weakness: Heartless
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: South Korean Special Forces: You've been given the best training Korea can provide; your mind and body are honed for combat. Nothing can surprise you. Nothing yet, anyway.
  
  ...
  
  Suggested Strength: Swift.
  
  Suggested Weakness: Inflexible.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Secret Government Agent: There's a whole world hidden behind the one most know, but you've been given a peak behind the curtain. Thus you know the curtain *must* stand. Or God help us all.
  
  ...
  
  ...
  Suggested Strength: Mind Like a Steel Trap
  
  Suggested Weakness: Heartless
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Mind Like a Steel Trap: You've looked into the cold hard face of That Which Should Not Be and your mind is still intact.
  
  Mostly.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Inflexible.: There are rules and procedures that protect us and guide us. You feel naked and lost when deviating from them.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Ensure the Nation is Strong: Whether that nation is the USA or Korea, it hardly matters. Patriotism calls your heart.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Impress the Major: It never hurts to have the boss optimistic. Get him convinced this will be a success.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Build Trust: In the field, you'll all depend on each other to survive. Now's a good time to get that going.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: What's Gibson up to?: The only guy here not on the level.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Army Engineer: You're a master of the most cutting-edge military technology 1976 has to offer.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Jaded: You're not heartless, not really. In your line of work there is an order of operations to be followed and with the lack of diversity, you've always known what to expect.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Find the Source: People are exhibiting unusual symptoms and it makes you curious. What exactly is the cause of the strange behavior?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Physics Professor: You and your colleagues ensure work hard for the government to ensure that the USA will win the weapons race against the godless commies.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Arrogant and Judgmental: Your judgmental attitude causes you troubles. If only others would try harder to measure up.