Balin's Journal (Main Entry)
Following Riza's example, Balin has started working on his own set of notes about the town, possible dangers, and strategies for dealing with them. Given the tactical importance of this journal, Balin will be guarding it jealously, though he'll allow his housemates-and anyone who has earned his trust-access to it. This journal will be updated whenever important information comes into Balin's hands.
(Balin's notebook uses the handwritten font "Daniel," which is freely available here. If you don't feel like grabbing the font, then this entry will default to whatever script font you have on your computer; just be aware that it's going to look a LOT different than intended. Different fonts, different sizes.)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Mayfield Notes - Time
Mayfield Notes - Family
Mayfield Notes - Drones
Mayfield Notes - Dairy
Threat Assessment - Enemy Order of Battle
Threat Assessment - Spring Culling Event
Threat Assessment - Truth Serum Gas Event
Threat Assessment - Possible Hostiles
Perimeter Defense / Remote Ambush - Brainstorming
Perimeter Defense / Remote Ambush - Explosive Compounds
Perimeter Defense / Remote Ambush - Plastic Explosives
Perimeter Defense / Remote Ambush - Munitions Ingredients
Perimeter Defense / Remote Ambush - Safety Measures
Mayfield Notes - Time
Need to get a copy of Dist the Rose's "welcome letter" for myself and stick it in this journal. Contains a lot of valuable information I'd rather not spend time writing down again. The town seems to be perpetually stuck in the 1950s, no indication of what exact year it's supposed to be. Dist's letter simply refers to years numerically. So what I'll do is refer to dates as 195X+Y, where Y is however many years it's been since Dist started keeping track.
(Was Mayfield around for longer than Dist's arrival?)
That means I arrived here on July 11, 195X+3.
(July 22, 195X+3)
Virginia says that time works differently in Mayfield, and that it involves "relativity." Someone from her world said they saw her in Mayfield just before they were brought in, even though she'd been here for months already. Need to find out more.
Another girl who ran into me on my morning run said time doesn't pass in Mayfield. She also said that she's seen people "lose their souls and never come back." I wonder what she means by that?
(July 29, 195X+3)
Yekaterina (Ukraine) confirms: when we return back to our homes, we're returned at the exact moment we left. Oh MAN am I glad I won't be court-martialed for this shit.
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Mayfield Notes - Family
Present family: Wife:
Virginia Dependent #1:
Caesar Dependent #2:
(Drone girl)
Lt. Riza Hawkeye let me see her notebook; apparently someone else told her that these family photographs of people in the household update overnight. So if or when someone in the "family" is replaced, I should know pretty quickly. I'll just need to check the pictures.
(July 22, 195X+3)
Virginia told me there were two other men before me, named Axel and Lucius. No clue what they were like (does it matter?) but she called them "useless." Wonder what she'll think of me.
Was there a second dependent here before the drone girl replaced them?
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Mayfield Notes - Drones - 01
Dist's "welcome letter" said that Mayfield's population has two kinds of people; prisoners like me, and drones. "Drone" is a damn good word for it; they all say I've been here my whole life, that I've been a construction worker this whole time. They all act like they're right out of Leave It to Beaver or Father Knows Best, and they don't seem to be bothered by anything unusual.
Dist also wrote that droning is often employed as a punishment for stepping out of line; they brainwash you into acting like one of "them." Occasionally a prisoner will be turned into a drone permanently. I've already been hearing phone calls by heartbroken "citizens" over this. People seem to think that a permanent droning coincides with returning back to where you came, leaving behind something or someone that looks like you here in Mayfield.
(July 21, 195X+3)
In the wake of the truth serum gas event, someone on the phone revealed that Officer Grady was not only really dead, but that he was also Evan Olney. So "Grady" was just a role filled out by an actor named Evan Olney. . .the guy also said that Evan Olney looked significantly different than before-but not as dramatically different as the person who was murdered, Jane Smith (whom he identified as Samantha Achewood).
He was implying that droning not only changes behavior and memories, but can also change appearance. . .which is a scary thought. Could we "captive citizens" really just be Mayfield's original citizens, reshaped and reprogrammed to think we're someone else? What if, instead of being kidnapped and brought here, then sent home later on, we're just transformed into a new person? If this is all "real," that is. I'm still having trouble not thinking this might be a virtual reality simulation, with our consciousness wired into reprogrammable "avatars" that change as we jack out. It would make more sense, but I really want to find out what's going on and how they're doing this before I draw conclusions.
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Mayfield Notes - Drones - 02
(July 22, 195X+3)
Ran into Garviel today. Damn they make those Astartes huge. He told me the drones might be actively getting tortured, also seconded the drones may be a power source.
(August 05, 195X+3)
Talked to this girl who called herself Sara, who'd just been un-droned. She was fully conscious during the period she was droned. She was aware of everything, but was completely unable to control her body; like someone else had complete control of it. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't fight against the droning. She doesn't recall having done anything that would have brought the droning on; said droning can happen at random, for no apparent reason. Lovely.
So does that mean all the other drones in Mayfield are fully conscious? That would back up the thing Dist wrote in about the "prevailing theory" about drones, but it conflicts with the account from Yekaterina about being sent back. Or does it? Do some people get to go home, while others are locked in their own bodies? How will I know the difference?
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Mayfield Notes - Dairy - 01
Caesar, my "son" here in Mayfield, asked me if I knew any explosives strong enough to knock down an armored building. He says that the local dairy is home to an insane milkman that poisons the milk he delivers each day. I'll need to find out more, but it would be a good idea to put an asshole like that out of commission.
(July 21, 195X+3)
The guy who announced Grady's death went on to tell me that we may all be a power source. The town citizens raided the Dairy in March and discovered it was using the souls/consciousnesses of the droned to power the town. However, it could have been an elaborate "April Fool's" gag. (Why did he say "we" if he just meant the drones?)
He also said the town may also be some sort of shelter in the wake of a global nuclear war. He really seemed to like that idea. But what if it's part of that whole April Fool's gag? Either way, this must why Caesar asked me to check out the Dairy.
(August 07, 195X+3)
Finally had a chance to see the Dairy for myself. Spent some time looking for any evidence of armor or structural weakness, but as far as I can tell it's both unarmored and structurally sound (for what it is, anyway). Couldn't even see anything in the windows, either. Several people stopped by to talk to me about it; found out some interesting things.
One of them says he's a magician specializing in gravity, force, and necromancy. I think this may have been the same guy on the phone last month, but I wasn't sure of it at the time. (How many other necromancers are in town? Don't know. Exobiologists were a common sight back home.) He thinks the Dairy is magically shielded, but he's been unable to figure out what it is that's shielding it. If it's magically based I think the only thing I can do is try to punch through it with as much explosive force as I can manage, which fucking sucks. If it was armor I could have figured out the best way to beat it without resorting to "hit it hard and hope it works."
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Mayfield Notes - Dairy - 02
He went on to say that the assault on the Dairy resulted in its complete destruction, but that the dairy "respawned" just like people usually do here. He earlier remarked that any damage is instantly repaired the next day. That means successfully destroying the Dairy will be symbolic at best, but hey, nothing beats a good "fuck you" like destroying a critical facility.
The other guy, I recognized him from the phone call on the 29th about Grady. He said the Dairy has resisted damage from most attacks used on it that he's seen. Didn't tell me exactly what he's seen used on the Dairy; he was apparently involved in the assault, but was an early causality. He believes the Dairy may be weak to "supernatural abilities." That would be just my luck as a Demolitionist. He's not entirely sure that it's vulnerable only to magic; a nuke might work. At least I have a plan of possible actions to take on the Dairy now; I just hope one of them does something when I'm ready to implement it.
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Threat Assessment - Enemy Order of Battle - 01
Dist's letter mentions a number of people in charge of Mayfield; Officer Grady, The Mayor, The Postman, The Milkman, and the Smith Family. Need to learn as much as I can about each of them, what they can do, and what can possibly work against them if necessary.
(August 08, 195X+3)
Riza's "son," Crowe, has been a huge help in giving me information and details on a number of our "captors." Added it all to my notes. I need to remember to talk to him more; he seems to have a lot more experience with this than I would have expected from a kid. Fucking sick, our captors are.
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Threat Assessment - Enemy Order of Battle - 02
Officer Grady (Confirmed KIA)
Real name: Evan Olney
Demonstrated powers: Capable of instantly teleporting, disarming, and droning a target according to Crowe.
Additional Notes: Killed by the town leadership as of July 21, 195X+3; wanted posters confirm his title was "Chief of Police" in Mayfield. The Mayor was afraid of Grady from Crowe's eyewitness account. Insane, and very violent.
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Threat Assessment - Enemy Order of Battle - 03
The Mayor
Real name:
Demonstrated powers: Able to paralyze targets instantly; appears to still allow the paralyzed to speak from Crowe's account.
Additional Notes: Does not have a house in town according to Crowe; apparently living in the Mayor's office. (Does the Town Hall even have any living facilities? This might be important as to how the town operates.)
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Threat Assessment - Enemy Order of Battle - 04
The Milkman
Real name: N/A; apparently an avatar for Lucy Smith(?!)
Demonstrated powers: Teleportation(?), poisons milk he delivers, possibly a reality warper as Lucy's avatar.
Additional Notes: Was temporarily elected Mayor during an election according to Dist's letter, which caused a lot of violent and unnatural weather, as well as failure in town infrastructure (unsure of extent).
Crowe says the Milkman is an avatar for Lucy Smith (or he called him "a puppet"). He once staked out this guy. He walks out of the front door of the Dairy at 0500, makes his deliveries across town. When he returns, he parks the truck and literally vanishes, doesn't even get out. That'd lend weight to the theory at least, but why even walk out of the Dairy at all if he's just an avatar?
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Threat Assessment - Enemy Order of Battle - 05
The Postman
Real name:
Demonstrated powers: Instant removal of memories, body parts, or tangible and intangible things
Additional Notes: Runs the Post Office. Has posession of all tangible and non-tangible things belonging to Mayfield's "citizens," will either mail them as a reward for enduring certain incidents or trade them for body parts, memories, or previously "regained" items.
Apparently a relative newcomer to Mayfield; Crowe says he showed up in the summer of 195X+2. He's apparently on his own side, neither an ally of the "citizens" or his fellow "captors." Not noted to be dangerous unless you make a deal with him. . .I wonder if I could try asking him some questions?
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Threat Assessment - Enemy Order of Battle - 06
Jack Smith
Real name:
Demonstrated powers: According to Dist, a reality warper.
Additional Notes: Mentioned alongside Lucy in Dist's pamphlet as someone to avoid at all costs; I'm assuming this is the father of the Smith family. "Billy" sounds too obvious for a kid's name, at least. The way Dist worded the section on the Smith family implies that Jack has reality warping powers like Lucy, but isn't apparently as sadistic. Still a good idea to stay away from him and his whole family.
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Threat Assessment - Enemy Order of Battle - 07
Jane Smith (Confirmed KIA)
Real name: Samantha Achewood
Demonstrated powers:
Additional Notes: The "wife" of the Smith household. Nothing was said about her in Dist's pamphlet; I only learned her name and real name after it was reported that she was really dead. I'd thought she just respawned after the "truth serum gas" bullshit, but Crowe says that's really someone else.
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Threat Assessment - Enemy Order of Battle - 08
Lucy Smith
Real name:
Demonstrated powers: According to Dist, a reality warper.
Additional Notes: Thought to be the one actually in charge of Mayfield according to Dist's letter; said to be "pointlessly cruel." I should probably treat encounters with Lucy like the deadliest game of "cat and mouse" ever devised; if she knows you're there, you're dead.
Crowe confirms: Lucy Smith was the girl on the "news" before and after the "truth serum gas" incident.
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Threat Assessment - Enemy Order of Battle - 09
Billy Smith
Real name:
Demonstrated powers: According to Dist, can force obedience.
Additional Notes: Dist says it's an ability "similar to mind control." I wonder what he means by that? I'd rather not find out from experience, though.
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Threat Assessment - Spring Culling Event - 01
SPRING CULLING
This one happened before I arrived in Mayfield. As of this writing, exact time period is unknown; however, Dist's welcome letter didn't report it when I read it. Last event described was in March of 195X+3, so it could have happened at any point between April and the first day of summer (so late June). I'll use Caesar's phrase for this; he was the first to tell me about it.
Started with a census, included blatant demands asking if people were communists. (I'm sure McCarthy is rolling in his grave.) They then had the town's citizens kill one another in a bout of so-called "spring cleaning." Some did so willingly, others had to be forced. Caesar said they turned everyone's fears against themselves in order to do it. He also said neither he nor Virginia killed anyone. Was oddly hesitant; will need to verify.
(July 14, 195X+3)
Touko gave me an in-depth account of what happened. The census was no sane census at all; in addition to asking if people were communists, it asked what people feared the most, what or who means the most to them. Filling out the census forced people to answer it truthfully. After completion the form was indestructible(?!). . .then some time later, Mayfield took away everything it gave back to people; no powers, no abilities, nothing.
I'm also assuming that during the "spring culling" everyone who isn't human was made human, based on the phone call from the alien robot that admitted to killing people indescriminately. He'd said Mayfield made them human when they arrived here. If Mayfield does that when stripping non-humans of all their powers and abilities, then it probably would do so again. . .need confirmation.
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Threat Assessment - Spring Culling Event - 02
SPRING CULLING
A number of people in the town received a letter in the mail, assigning them another person in the town to kill. Not just fears, but desires were used as incentives against them, and Touko says after the 4th day people were hallucinating involving their fears if they didn't kill anyone yet (fuck!). Killing a target returned one of their "regains," and another letter would arrive with a new target assigned (usually the person the original target was assigned to kill).
Respawn was "turned off." The dead stayed dead for the week that this "spring culling" went on. However, after the week was over, everyone was revived like "normal" (for Mayfield that is).
Anyone who killed people was given prizes, including a trip to a beach, new cars, and other bizarre "sweepstakes from Hell" bullshit. (Did Ed McMahon show up on their doorstep with a big check?) According to Touko, this reset button extended to "regains." Nobody kept what they got back during the killing spree, instead reverting back to whatever their status was prior to the incident-though some people did get some kind of additional "regain" after it was all over.
If possible, I need to verify who all "participated" in this "spring culling." It'd go a long way in telling me who is most liable to kill non-combatants and allies for personal gain. I'll have a good idea of who badly needs a bullet in their brain first. Also need to verify when exactly this took place; as of this writing I still don't have solid information on that.
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Threat Assessment - Spring Culling Event - 03
SPRING CULLING
(July 22, 195X+3)
Ran into a coworker from the construction yard today. We talked about the incident a bit. He says it happened sometime in May, but he doesn't keep track of time much. That's fine. Narrows things down. More importantly, he was one of the guys who got a letter, but he didn't act on it. Refused to play the game. Town tried to make him, said he had gone "half-to-batshit" because the town "brought back some old jerks" to torment him.
Said he couldn't really blame some of the people who resorted to killing. I don't know, I guess I'll need to investigate circumstances. Still, this man has my respect for not giving in. I think I can trust him a lot. I'd know if he was lying to me, too. He's told me that the roller rink in town has a trophy room for everyone who killed people; I don't think he'd tell me about if he was lying about not killing anyone. I need to check that out as soon as I can.
He also mentioned that the trophies are not removed if someone is "permanently droned." That's fine. Never know if they might actually come back, and it's not like taking a vacation from this place is going to change what they are in the dark.
(August 07, 195X+3)
Visited the roller rink. . .un-fucking-believable. There's like three, four dozen trophies here. All of them proudly call the trophy bearer an "Accomplished Murderer." Almost half of them killed more than one person. How many people died for this fucking blood sport? There's a few people on this list people have told me were "trustworthy." Bullshit! Do they even know about this trophy room?. . .Maybe I'm judging too quickly, but I need to find out the circumstances here. Until then. . .I can't trust anyone on this list.
Need to plan against possible attack. Understand them, then kill them.
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Threat Assessment - Spring Culling Event - 04
SPRING CULLING
List of "Accomplished Murderers" from Rink Trophy Room
Killed 5 People
Doc Scratch
Killed 4 People
Bernkastel, Deadpool, Nanashi the Shrouded
Killed 3 People
Archer, Beatrice, Ryougi Shiki, Scott J. Pilgrim
Killed 2 People
Ciel*
Chell
Juri Han
Klaus Wulfenbach* LeChuck
Lithuania
Nusakan Oliver Armstrong
Patchouli Knowledge
Ples Tibenoch Romana
Sho Minamoto
Schuldig
Killed 1 Person
Abel
Adrian Veldt
Alice Margatroid
Annie Goldstein
Banika Conchita
Black Mage**
Cormag Cyuss Warren
Edward Nigma
Estonia
Eirin Yagokoro
Fenris
France
Hiccup
Kohaku Lilly Pendragon
Marisa
Pokey Minch
River Song
Rudolf Ushiromiya
Sanae Hanekoma
Sideswipe
Shichika Yasuri Spades Slick
Stefan von Basini
Utsuho Reiuji
Vayne Aurelius Vietnam
Warren West
Zeyran Arainai
* People recommended to me.
** Black Mage's last name is "Evilwizardington." The fuck?
Confirmed: Neither Caesar nor Virignia killed anyone in this incident.
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Threat Assessment - Truth Serum Gas Event - 01
TRUTH SERUM GAS
July 12, 195X+3 to July 17, 195X+3
Started with a weird evening news broadcast; someone in Mayfield was murdered. Never seen a news station so frank about "exploiting a tragedy." News said Mayfield would begin "anti-communist procedures as outlined in the town charter." If this were a TV show it'd be an over-the-top parody of McCarthyism. Something REALLY off about that interview with the dead mom's kid. Smiled the whole time, didn't seem to have any news crew with her. Acted like she was trying to assure the whole town the murderer would be caught.
The fuck? Nobody sane would smile over losing someone they loved.
After the news signed off, there was a weird lavender-like smell in the air that lasted the whole week. Clinged to everything, couldn't get away from it-not like I could since the fucking town assigned me as a construction worker. Drones started acting different; daughter in the house was following us around telling us to not get into trouble. I started feeling different, too; weirdly relaxed while getting this growing urge to tell people anything I didn't want to talk about. Phone rang off the hook with people yelling confessions throughout the week. A lot of people started claiming to be Communist despite clearly not knowing what the hell it meant. Someone nailed it: it was some kind of truth serum dispersed into the air. Or more like that and a mind control scheme to make people think they were commies. None of the drones seemed to care, though, beyond warning us not to get into trouble. Not one word about the recent death.
The gas lifted later that Sunday. Drones returned to normal. There was a news broadcast right before then; Apparently they caught they guy they were looking for, Evan Olney. (They sent him to "Communist prison?" What the fuck is that? That wasn't in my history books.) And Police Chief Grady, one of our "wardens in disguise," died bringing him in. If it were true, I'd've given Evan a medal, but I don't fully buy the story considering this crazy "respawn" mechanic Mayfield has. Speaking of which, the girl's mom apparently respawned, but she doesn't look the same to me.
Looks creepy actually.
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Threat Assessment - Truth Serum Gas Event - 02
TRUTH SERUM GAS
Record of Confessions from Possible Hostiles
(July 12, 195X+3)
Name:
Guy who sounded a little older than me on the phone. Said he'd been in jail for five years due to killing two people. No indication of why, just that he did. Thank you, Mayfield, for bringing convicts to town. I feel so happy to be here.
(July 13, 195X+3)
Name:
Another caller. . . oh boy this kid is dangerous. Admitted to working with aliens to invade and destroy Earth, conspired to kill his next door neighbor for heading up the counterattack. Also killed several times in Mayfield, including a "dork with glasses" during the "spring culling" incident. Something about a human sacrifice, too.
Name: Harley Quinn/Harleen Quinzel
Apparently fell in love with a criminal and is his accomplice; openly admits she doesn't know she's lost her mind. Why does Batman sound familiar?
Name:
Another kid gave an advanced warning that if he gets his "blood and original form" back, he'll go mad and be unable to control himself. Came with an advanced apology for killing people. Great.
Name:
Young adult this time. Fucker admitted to being a necromancer and mass murderer. All just to make one person suffer (his father?). FBI summarily executed him on the spot, he was already dying from the spell he cast. Thanks a lot, Mayfield. . .But, he says he deserved everything he got. He's sorry he did it. Still not going to trust him.
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Threat Assessment - Truth Serum Gas Event - 03
TRUTH SERUM GAS
Record of Confessions from Possible Hostiles (cont.)
(July 14, 195X+3)
Name: Medusa
Caller claims to be THAT Medusa, from Classical Greece. Admitted to killing men without discretion, even her sisters. Can't tell if she regrets it now or not, but this truth gas means she's being honest about the rest of it.
Name:
A girl said she killed a lot of people, but "the Empire" used a mind control device on her in order to do so. I can't hold this against her, but it's something to keep a watch on. Also something about being half-Esper, whatever that is. (Maybe like being a Receptive?)
Name:
Another kid said he was created to be an "angel of death" by bringing war to his world. I'd call him "agent provacateur," myself.
Name:
Alien android capable of transforming into vehicles admitted he arrived on Earth (different reality than mine; he came to Earth a year after the Bane would have invaded), tearing up traffic all around South America (sounded like) to catch a rival android. Killed a lot of innocent people just because they were in his way. Didn't care about collateral damage at all at the time, but says he regrets it now.
Name: Neal Caffrey (AKA Nick Halden)
Admitted to being a con man and let slip he'll try to con people here. May or may not be dangerous depending on his con acts. Hoping he'll just be annoying.
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Threat Assessment - Truth Serum Gas Event - 04
TRUTH SERUM GAS
Record of Confessions from Possible Hostiles (cont.)
(July 15, 195X+3)
Name: Lt. Riza Hawkeye
Met her today while in town. Told me she's a war criminal. I had a talk with her. . .I don't think she is. She wasn't ordered to kill non-combatants, she didn't target them. Her nation was manipulated into fighting a civil war by a conspiracy in the government, but she did nothing I would condier a war crime. She's also working to unravel that conspiracy. She's okay as far as I'm concerned.
Name:
A REALLY young girl claimed to be a supervillain where she's from. Some place called Townsville (what?). Said she's rich enough to buy all the weapons and supplies she needs. Bizarre, but she's not lying. . .
(July 17, 195X+3)
Name: Adrian Veldt
Killed 15 million people to stop global nuclear war. From talking with him, he clearly didn't like having to do it, but saw no other choice. Reminds me a lot of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. May possibly take similar drastic measures in Mayfield during a crisis.
Name: Spades Slick
Guy's got anger management issues; someone stole his beer and he threatened to stab them in the face a hundred times. Fifty if they confessed. Keep an eye on this one, it might not be bravado.
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