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: Scavenger: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Trader: Buy from scavengers, sell to customers, but always, *always* make a profit. That's how you get by in this strange new world.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Local: You're from around these parts--born and bred. How do you make a living on this big lump of rock?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Theresa's Bar--Topsides: The social and trading hub of The Stump, Theresa's bar is where everyone comes, sooner or later.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A Sense of Community: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Supply the Cellar: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Save the Locals: There are vulnerable people out there. Get someone to safety, or help them bring something/someone they really value with them.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Rare Meds (Jack): 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.from: human
conversations.value: Not Just A Hose Line (Daniela): But a whole new, shiny carburettor. That would keep your old hunk o' junk running for a while longer.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Solar Panel Parts (Finlay): Of all the places you thought these might turn up, you never thought it would be The Stump.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Volunteer!: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Rescue Party: Thirteen souls--and a lot of useful kit. That's worth the risk, right?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Blue Dawn: There are 13 men, women, and children aboard. Plus potentially game-changing equipment. Can you save them?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Mother Maria: Genuine mystic, religious nut, or just a woman who is trying to help people. The jury is out.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Gannon Burt: Trader, drifter, decent enough guy.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Pinstriped Suit: 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.from: human
conversations.value: How Are *You* Doing?: This hasn't been easy for anyone. How are you holding up? Optional. Individual.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Pick a Side (Daniela): 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.from: human
conversations.value: All In This Together: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Otto Krause: He's no pirate. He's a botanist. 
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Hostage or Hero?: Help Ahab, or do what you can to slow him down. Which is it to be?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Harris: "An efficient thug" who previously helped Mason, he has been recruited by Ahab.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Ahab: He's a pirate, and he'll stop at pretty much nothing to get what he wants.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Get Jacks's Gun (Optional): (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.from: human
conversations.value: Get Jack's Gun (Optional): (Only to be done after the Ahab challenge.)
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Jack's Gun: You need to put the firing pin back, but it should be in working order after that.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Pull Together: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Yves Morton: Deal-maker for P950, and probable source of Ahab's knowledge of the satellite array. But is he friend or foe?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It's In Your Hands Now: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Denouement: Finlay (Optional): Tidy up any loose ends and wrap your story as you wish.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Denouement: Daniela (Optional): Tidy up any loose ends and wrap your story as you wish.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The USS Duct Tape and Hope: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Has a Hard Time Letting Go: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Scavenge the parts for a Solar Panel: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Jack of All Trades: You know a little bit about a lot of things.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Independent: You don’t do well with rules or people telling you what to do.
  
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Survival: You're just trying to make it one day at a time.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Keep Moving: You never stay still in one place long. Always on the move, you're a traveller at heart.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Knows the Right Tool for the Job: 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.from: human
conversations.value: (Ex-)Pirate: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Steeled: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Burned Bridges: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: "Get right": 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.from: human
conversations.value: Tinkerer: Inventive and genious, you can engineer almost anything. Your mechanical dive suit is only one of the few wonders you have made.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Emotional: He has struggled with his feelings for a long time. In the old world, this would have been diagnosed as bipolar disorder.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Distrusting: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: I Made a Plan for Just This Situation: "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.from: human
conversations.value: Decisive: When it comes time to make a decision you do so quickly and follow through immediately.
  
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Decisive: When it comes time to make a decision you do so quickly and follow through immediately.
  
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Waterman: You know the sea like the back of your hand. It's almost like you were born to the water.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Haunted by Loss: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Impatient: You’re a quick thinker, and rather intolerant of those who aren’t.  
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Schemer: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Cocky: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Decisive: When it comes time to make a decision you do so quickly and follow through immediately.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Payback: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Tunnel Vision: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Refreshingly Direct: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Not a Fighter: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Conflicted: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Treasure Hunter: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Sense of Justice: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: A City On A Hill: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Dedicated: Once you put your mind to something, you stick to it. No matter the cost.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Determined: Once you set your mind to something, you are rarely moved from your path. 
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Point toward the moon: 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.