Rhinomaly

Hook:

How many mounts could a scout's mount count, if a scout's mount could count mounts?

Observation 1
“Passed by the herd en route to the perimeter. Counted seven. One by the statue didn’t look familiar—maybe a new calf? Coat had a strange sheen. Didn’t seem unwell.”

Observation 2
“Pretty sure we’ve got one more than before. One of the younger recruits even named it ‘Brassnose.’ Was gone the next morning. Clint headbutted the spot where it had been. Could be nothing.”

Observation 3
“Saw seven during sketching drills. Realized one of them didn’t cast a full shadow—maybe I shaded it wrong. Didn’t follow up.”

Observation 4 (transcribed from field audio)
“...herd looked normal... wait, that one just walked backward. Like, fully backward for five steps then stopped. Uh... what? [pause] Okay. Maybe I’m tired.”

Addendum (verbal relay from Jeffrey)
“Geoffrey says the count is correct. But also wrong. Says it’s not part of the herd. Says it’s watching.”

061 - 260107 - Rhinomaly

Date:

446 PC, Highflare 45

Players:

  • Sorrel (Blu)

  • Krishna (Steven)

  • Dev (Paul)

  • Draylor the Drunk (Raph)

Loot:

  • Doughbler (1 claimed by Sorrel, 1 claimed by ???)

After Actions:

Dev

Report to Steve

Filed on Highflare 45

Per your request, I led Scouts Sorrel, Draylor and Krishna on an investigation of the reports of an extra Rhinuffalo siting in the herd. We discovered a Tower security system from the pre-collapse era was still partially operational in the new Rhinuffalo pasture. We were attacked by two guardian statues, but we were able to defeat them without any serious injuries.

Scout Sorrel was able to recover and identify an oddly-shaped stone, which appeared to connect to the larger network of Tower infrastructure to help maintain the decorative garden. At some point after the collapse, the garden was repurposed as farmland and a drainage ditch severed its local devices from the Tower network. The Banner probably has the resources to restore that network connection, if leadership deems it an appropriate goal.

During testing, Scouts Sorrel and Draylor connected the recovered stone to a plinth, and managed to perform a reset of the local network. This triggered the appearance of the illusory Rhinuffalo. Out of caution, they shut the systems down to the best of their ability. I do recommend the Banner to issue a warning about the defensive system near the Tower, in case any parts of it are still active.

Scout Dev

Unresolved Threads:

  • item 1

  • item 2