I’m not sure we can validly assert we’re allies right now, due to the fact that one of us is currently very hostile towards the other. One could claim though, that we very much COULD be allies, should it be that our motivations are properly aligned. Surely further combat should be preceded by clearing this issue up? CAN we be allies?

>>1109055
Current hostilities could be explained by the hostile party jumping the gun. Why did they attack us out of nowhere? We don't know that, and positing this argument may clear that up, and possibly give us an opportunity to claim they are mistaken (by lying).

(1/2) kpwlt 2025/06/05(Thu)08:14 No. 1109140 ID: 127310
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>He's another person and he can stop himself from violence. Therefore you would not be too weak if you had another person with you.

This is irrelevant. ‘Another person’ quite clearly meant ‘another person aside from myself or you.’

The spear flashes in the thing’s hand. It’s nearly ready to advance another proper attack.

>counterargument: even a weaker opponent can wound, and a wound can lead to defeat later. It is in both party's interest to avoid a fight.

This is Crown land, and I believe you are an intruder. It is my duty to defend it. Still, leave immediately, and a fight can be avoided.

(2/2) kpwlt 2025/06/05(Thu)08:15 No. 1109141 ID: 127310
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>Unconventional argument: Insist that you two are allies. You share the same color, the same style of clothing, and you don't know what eachothers' motivations are at all.
>CAN we be allies?

Could it be? I see you bear the Broad Arrow of the Executive.

The creature taps its spear to your little blue lapel badge. Its frame relaxes noticeably. Something changes in the tone of its psychic messages now too.

Wonderful! Now we can help each other. I am the Collector-General of Southshoals, but please, call me Erica.

The Collector-General. One of the most prestigious and powerful positions in the country (that you know of). This individual is perhaps twenty times your superior.

Since we will be working together, you may like to know that I’m investigating illegal activity by a private company in this area. I believe that their stronghold may be further along that path.

She gestures to the curved path to the left.

But what is your job here? Perhaps there’s some overlap?

We’re technically investigating a spatiotemporal anomaly, though that’s more of a side mission. Our current objective is a self imposed personnel rescue mission, stemming directly from our previous properly sanctioned personnel rescue mission. But that’s confusing. A teammate was lost during a rescue mission and you are searching for her is a fine summation of the circumstances.

Ha! I knew it.
Tell Erica that your official mission was to find the Minister for Spatiotemporal Anomalies, but you've completed that mission. You briefly teamed up with a member of the Hazard Association but she was dragged into the pit along with the king of the Mole People who had a very unusual firearm. You evacuated the Minister then came back to investigate the pit. Upon your arrival in this strange forest, neither of the two were to be found. You... did try to lower a rope through the pit so you could get back out again after looking around a bit, but now you're stuck.

So uh, in essence you don't have an official mission as such. You're taking it upon yourself to try to find the agents that are known to have gone down the pit, and also the Hazard Association lady. Not sure if you care about the king.

Tell Erica what you've seen since you arrived here, and ask if they have any orders for you, or lacking that, any advice or explanations.

Technically you are still on mission, as your objective is to rescue the minister and he was going to go down here if you didn't.

This private company wouldn't happen to be Woland, would it?

(1/2) kpwlt 2025/06/17(Tue)08:34 No. 1109772 ID: 127310
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>Ha! I knew it.

You make sure to give yourself a quick pat on the back for creative thinking and avoiding violence.

>A teammate was lost during a rescue mission and you are searching for her is a fine summation of the circumstances.
>You briefly teamed up with a member of the Hazard Association but she was dragged into the pit along with the king of the Mole People who had a very unusual firearm.
>Technically you are still on mission, as your objective is to rescue the minister and he was going to go down here if you didn't.

Ah, that’s good of you! Something tells me that your Hazard Association member must be up ahead.

>We’re technically investigating a spatiotemporal anomaly, though that’s more of a side mission.
>ask if they have [...] any advice or explanations.

I think we might be in the spatiotemporal anomaly you came here to investigate. We’ve been hearing tell of a pattern space-bending phenomena pop up in a few locations across the country, and we have officially designated this as one of them.

>your objective is to rescue the minister and he was going to go down here if you didn't.

The Minister for Spatiotemporal Anomalies? Did he come down anyway? I thought I saw him pass by.

>This private company wouldn't happen to be Woland, would it?

You’re quick! I don’t know if you’ve heard of them before. Their parent corporation’s a rival of Hazard Association.

>ask if they have any orders for you

Glad to see you’re ready to serve! We need to continue deeper into the forest. If this place is anything like the other reports we’ve heard, it’ll have layers or levels or something, and I’m fairly certain that WOLAND’s stronghold here is in the next level down. We can more effectively evict them if we can find their leader here.

(2/2) kpwlt 2025/06/17(Tue)08:34 No. 1109773 ID: 127310
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Erica leads along the gently curving path. You follow. As the two of you walk, you feel the prickle of someone’s gaze. Your following becomes subconscious as you tune your faculties to the forest. Soon enough, you pick up on the same cold frequencies you experienced in your misunderstanding with Erica.

Don’t look. Don’t speak. Keep walking.

When you make a concerted effort to act natural, it comes back more warmly, or at least more familiarly.

I’m glad you came, I really am, but what the hell is that thing? What is it doing with you? I’m not coming out until I’m satisfied everything is fine.

You see Erica’s extremities begin to tense up before you. Her brain is about to become aware that her body knows she’s being watched.

Red text? I'm guessing that's Mary. Can you silently communicate that Erica is the Collector-General of Southshoals? Audibly, tell Erica you believe your friend has spotted you, so she doesn't attack first again.

Tell Erica a possible ally is attempting to communicate with you.

Try to communicate back to the voice. Ask it to identify itself.

Yeah, as much as red text is certainly Mary adjacent, it’d certainly help to confirm with this voice that it’s her. It might also help to specify to Erica the possible ally who might have spotted us has a decent chance of being the person we’re looking for.

Let's not forget to tell Erica of the Woland encampment we saw earlier, as well as the dark, armoured individual leading them.
They seemed to have entered through a well and have experience in exploring such places.

(1/2) kpwlt 2025/07/09(Wed)22:25 No. 1111040 ID: 127310
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>Try to communicate back to the voice. Ask it to identify itself.
>Yeah, as much as red text is certainly Mary adjacent, it’d certainly help to confirm with this voice that it’s her.

Yep, it’s Mary! I thought you’d recognise me, sorry.

>Can you silently communicate that Erica is the Collector-General of Southshoals?

That is NOT the Collector-General. That is some kind of monster PRETENDING to be the Collector-General.

>Audibly, tell Erica you believe your friend has spotted you, so she doesn't attack first again.
>Tell Erica a possible ally is attempting to communicate with you.

Dickhead! Why would you tell it??

Mary emerges on the path behind you. She has a sheepish look.
“Hey. Erica. And… you.”
Come to think of it, you never told her what to call you.

Two voices in your head unknowingly try to talk over each other.

Hey, I know this is your friend, but I’m not sure if I trust her. There’s something off about her, I think.

I’m sorry I called you a dickhead, but we’ve gotta shake this thing ASAP. It could definitely strike at any moment. Play along for now, but tell me if you think of a way to get rid of it.

>Let's not forget to tell Erica of the Woland encampment we saw earlier, as well as the dark, armoured individual leading them.

You fill Mary in on the situation with WOLAND, and that you’re looking for a leader who might be on the next level down.

“Alright, great! Shouldn’t be too hard with all three of us.”
...provided one of us doesn’t randomly turn on the others.

You then go on to talk about the camp you saw.

Erica pipes up first. You pass on her message to Mary.

The Quartermaster passed by my clearing earlier, we should seek him first. If we can’t negotiate with him, we can clean up the camp on our way out.

For what I’m sure will be the only time, “I agree with Erica. It’ll be easier to get these guys out of the well if we can convince their leader. Although, I wouldn’t be opposed to more exploring that area back there. I kinda rushed through it.”

And if we ever need to get rid of our monster friend for good, having some WOLAND support might not be a terrible idea.

(2/2) kpwlt 2025/07/09(Wed)22:26 No. 1111041 ID: 127310
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The three of you continue along the path and, although nothing in particular happens, you can’t shake the feeling that something about what you’re doing is wrong. Perhaps unnatural would be a better way to describe it. Perhaps it's the tension between your allies, or perhaps the unfamiliar paramilitary force occupying an unknown location, or maybe that you aren’t sure when you’ll come across this ‘Engelkind’ that’s ‘downstairs’ or what that will mean, but something is distinctly off about this whole affair.

You don’t have too long to ponder this, as before long, you come to some happening.

The path stretches out before you. At the end (as far as you can see) there is a group of WOLAND soldiers with their backs turned to you. They all seem to have weapons drawn and ready.

About halfway between the soldiers’ formation and where you’re standing, there is an opening on the right. Your keen hearing tells you that some sort of machine is humming away there.

Closer towards you on the left, there is another opening. You can hear some murmurs coming through from whatever’s at the end of it. You can’t make out any words, but one of the voices is strangely recognisable. Not a voice you hear every day, but most certainly a voice you’ve heard before.

“Is that..?” Mary begins “No, no, nevermind.”

I think that there is a member of the Executive up ahead. I can sense their energy.

The soldiers up ahead are so focused that they probably won’t notice you sneaking up behind them until you’re in sniffing distance.

You raise a good point actually. What even is our name, anyhow? I feel like it couldn’t hurt to properly introduce ourselves. As for where to go… that familiar-but-not-TOO-familiar voice sticks out to me as something worth investigating.

>something wrong, unnatural
I mean, yeah, Erica sure looks weird, but maybe there's an explanation. Did this feeling start suddenly when Mary joined, or was it building gradually after pacifying Erica? Well, even if Erica is an impostor (which does not match her behavior unless it's a self-delusion) we're gonna need more than Mary's help taking it down. It's possible the creature's self-delusion will break if you bring up its weird appearance, so don't do that before we get extra help.

>crossroads
Hmm. Ask Mary how sure she is that Erica is an impostor. Erica's appearance is certainly abnormal but it could simply be advanced cybernetics, or body alteration caused by an anomaly. Has Mary met her before, or something? Explain that Erica was initially hostile, not stating that she was the Collector-General until she saw your badge. Would an impostor do that?

Come to think of it, if we bring up Erica's appearance now, and she becomes hostile, we can flee to WOLAND to get their help. (even though they're not really allies)
If Erica has a good explanation for why she looks like that, Mary accepts it, and the wrongness subsides, then... hmm, actually. I'm suspicious of the left path. What does Mary think it is? It sounds familiar to you, somewhat familiar to Mary, and feels like an Executive to Erica, but is it possible that it's a mimic that generates a feeling of familiarity to lure in victims? (if Erica is something similar then meeting another one of them would be very bad)
If the wrongness subsides *and* you can't agree on what the left path feels/sounds like, then we go right and investigate the machine.

Look, weather one or both of you are some kind of skinchanger isn't important right now. We're here to stop Woland from committing crimes.

Should investigate the semifamiliar voice

Something is definitely off. Many things, in fact.

Why is Mary so confrontative and potty mouthed, now?

AAnd where did that crazed WOLAND executive she was fighting go to? Shouldn't falling through that pit have gotten him hurt? Shouldn't Mary be hurt?

Andalso, if Erica is an impostor, why wait until *we* risked our necks offering a truce to work together?

Many things off, indeed!

....Oh, and we should sneak by climbing a tree and spying from the canopy. No one ever checks the canopy.

(1/1) kpwlt 2025/07/21(Mon)06:58 No. 1111433 ID: 127310
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>I feel like it couldn’t hurt to properly introduce ourselves.

Your legal name is not something you typically share with people. In fact, it is so seldom used that it takes you several moments to recall it. This is not the name you share with Mary and Erica. You tell them to call you ‘Miller’.

>Did this feeling start suddenly when Mary joined, or was it building gradually after pacifying Erica?

Ever since you came down the well, actually, you’ve been feeling this uneasy feeling. But now, since Mary joined you again, it shunted itself into the forefront of your mind.

>Why is Mary so confrontative and potty mouthed, now?

Erica really seems to be peeving her. As for what she called you, it is a relatively tame word around here. Likely a way to express genuine annoyance at your actions without meaningfully debasing your relationship.

>Andalso, if Erica is an impostor, why wait until *we* risked our necks offering a truce to work together?
>Has Mary met her before, or something?

You inquire telepathically.

Yeah. I’ve met her before. And she definitely didn’t look like that. Same outfit and all but not a weird tall creature. Maybe she buys her own disguise? I’ve s, read about some cases where people undercover actually forget who they are and just live as their character.

>if we bring up Erica's appearance now,

Do you want to do that? I’m prepared to let you, but I’m not actually 100% sure of your intention here.

>What does Mary think it is? It sounds familiar to you, somewhat familiar to Mary, and feels like an Executive to Erica

This, you ask out loud.

“It sounds like our Minister friend. But you took him back outside the catacombs, right?”

[TO BOTH] Yes. I saw the Minister for Spatiotemporal Anomalies earlier. Maybe it’s him? But with some other distinct Executive energies.

>Should investigate the semifamiliar voice
>Oh, and we should sneak by climbing a tree and spying from the canopy.

You climb into the treetops. Erica and Mary are not impressed, and lay prone instead.

The three of you peer down the leftwards path. Another camp. It looks a little bigger than the other one you saw.

The darkly-clad soldier seems to be pacing near the entrance to the centre of the camp.

[TO BOTH] The Quartermaster.

While he’s not obscuring your view, you can see a seated man wearing a suit. He seems rather serene from what you can gather. On his left and right, eyes tracking the Quartermaster, stand two black-suited individuals. You spot the little sky-blue fleck on their lapels which instils a sense of solidarity and familiarity in you.

Mary hazards a whisper. “The Minister?!”
[TO BOTH] The Minister.

Maybe he got here due to the nature of the anomaly? Maybe... maybe it's connecting to a parallel universe? So this is the other universe's Minister, and the other universe's Erica.
It's either that or you suffered some sort of time delay when you went down the hole so that the Minister was able to go down after you but get here first.
Or it's an impostor, like Erica, but better-formed.

I don't get this at all. We need to eavesdrop I guess, gather information and figure out what's going on before we reveal ourselves to a group that could defeat our group.

I wish we had followed the damn rabbit.

Well! This is certainly confusing! It seems like we might be aligned with them? Or at least “Erica” is. Perhaps we could open with a diplomatic approach? Just like, see what’s going on? Maybe Erica knows what’s going on? Or at least could scope out what the situation is solo, due to her being aligned with them?

Can you hear what they're saying?

(1/2) kpwlt 2025/07/23(Wed)08:41 No. 1111605 ID: 127310
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>So this is the other universe's Minister, and the other universe's Erica.

Some scientists and science fiction enthusiasts believe that there may be alternate universes out there. To your knowledge, nobody has ever actually proved the existence of these alternate universes and nobody has ever given a reliable account of actually having been to one.

>the Minister was able to go down after you but get here first.

Maybe. You wonder how long after you he would have come down if this was the case. Enough time to get two helpers, a new pair of glasses, a sword, and what seems to be a cape.

>Or it's an impostor, like Erica, but better-formed.

You hope not.

>I wish we had followed the damn rabbit.

No time for regrets now, Miller.

>It seems like we might be aligned with them?

If these people are truly ‘of the Executive’ then you and Erica are aligned with them, and Mary is likely in decent standing with them too.

>We need to eavesdrop I guess, gather information and figure out what's going on before we reveal ourselves to a group that could defeat our group.
>Can you hear what they're saying?

The three of you listen a little closer. First you hear the Minister’s voice.

“Please, Mister Koroviev, as long as I’m stuck here I may as well help with your… what was it?”

In response you hear the voice of the armoured man. He has a foreign accent that you find difficult to place with much precision. Mid-Eastern Continental, perhaps?

“Honourable Minister, we cannot allow you to come into contact with this Engelkind, it is far too dangerous. Let us deal with it first.”

[TO BOTH] An Engelkind is a kind of monster that WOLAND occasionally needs to deal with down here.

“Nonsense, nonsense! At least let me sneak past this thing so I can finish my report and get out of your hair. They’ll be getting worried about me up there by now. I must reach the centre of the anomaly as soon as possible, and that’s final!”

The Minister springs from his seat with all the energy of a middle aged politician, draws his sword, and does some triumphant wiggles in the air with it. This prompts Koroviev to place his hand to the temple of his helmet.

“Very well, Minister, but please stay behind your bodyguards. We should join the formation ahead shortly.”

[TO BOTH] Shame we showed up at the end of the conversation, hey?

(2/2) kpwlt 2025/07/23(Wed)08:41 No. 1111606 ID: 127310
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???: [ONLY TO YOU] You are not alone. We both work in the interests of peace, order, and good government. Reply ASAP. Show yourself when ready.

Oh dear. It seems that while you were eavesdropping on the Minister, someone else was eavesdropping on you.

>>1111606
Reply to the newcomer, tell them you are surrounded by impossibility and falsehood, how can you trust them? Can they explain the presence of the Minister, and the... strangeness of those with you?

"Apologies, but in light of the anomalous qualities down here I must consider any agents compromised. please identify yourself"

(1/2) kpwlt 2025/07/30(Wed)04:06 No. 1112010 ID: 127310
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>Reply to the newcomer, tell them you are surrounded by impossibility and falsehood, how can you trust them? Can they explain the presence of the Minister, and the... strangeness of those with you?
>"Apologies, but in light of the anomalous qualities down here I must consider any agents compromised. please identify yourself"

MARTIN: [ONLY TO YOU] My name is Martin Paganini, from the Bureau of Disrupted Space under the Ministry of Spatiotemporal Anomalies. I would be happy to show you my ID card if I can come close enough to you. The reason for the presence of the Minister should be relatively obvious. We are in a spatiotemporal anomaly, so he is here to investigate it.

You see Martin strain a little bit to look closer at your companions.

MARTIN: [ONLY TO YOU] I can only guess about the ‘strangeness’ of your friends, as they are surely better known to you than to me. One looks like a member of the Executive, but not quite right. Perhaps it a kind of being that WOLAND calls a well double. How did you manage to tame it? They are usually quite violent. The other just seems to be a regular Hazard Association member.

The group in the clearing begin to leave, walking past you and the others. Martin tails the party and looks you dead in the eye before leaving. Seeing him in the light for the first time, you realise that he is a clown. A member of the second most common extant human species. Of two.

MARTIN: [ONLY TO YOU] We’re leaving. You can come back to the surface with us if you and your friends reveal yourselves now. Otherwise, I wish you the best.

(2/2) kpwlt 2025/07/30(Wed)04:06 No. 1112011 ID: 127310
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Martin flashes you his ID just long enough for you to take it in, then walks away. It looks pretty legitimate. Similar to yours. Only with someone else’s face and name on it.

>>1112010
>well double
Alright, now we know...

>join the clown's group?
You know what, yeah. We need backup.
Also tell him that you "tamed" the well double by accepting its assumed role, since that role was one that should have been your ally in the first place. Unfortunately, it's taken the identity of your superior so at some point you'll have to fight it if you don't agree with what it wants. Also tell him it should not be possible for the Minister to be here; you rescued him from the caves and left him on the surface, without his glasses.
Relay the "well double" terminology to Mary.

which direction did Martin leave in?

Let's not make Erica mad, since she at least thinks she's in charge. Consult her on what to do next, but suggest joining the group to pool resources.

(1/1) kpwlt 2025/08/11(Mon)21:03 No. 1112590 ID: 127310
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>which direction did Martin leave in?

Martin and his group, led by Koroviev, are heading down the path to join the WOLAND soldiers at the end of it.

>Also tell him that you "tamed" the well double by accepting its assumed role, since that role was one that should have been your ally in the first place.
>Also tell him it should not be possible for the Minister to be here; you rescued him from the caves and left him on the surface, without his glasses.

You attempt to beam this into Martin’s mind, but he doesn’t reply. It’s possible that he’s out of range. Or simply doesn’t want anything more to do with you unless you team up with him.

>Relay the "well double" terminology to Mary.

MARY: [ONLY TO YOU] Good to know. Also good to know we can count on WOLAND if she turns.

>Let's not make Erica mad, since she at least thinks she's in charge. Consult her on what to do next, but suggest joining the group to pool resources.

ERICA: [TO BOTH] Great idea! It’s wise to minimise harm by all working together to fight the Engelkind. That’d also put us in a good position to speak to the Quartermaster afterwards. [ONLY TO YOU] And hopefully we can count on WOLAND to protect us if Mary uses this opportunity to turn on us.

The three of you emerge, and you call out to Martin.

You see Martin quickly whispering to the Minister and Koroviev.

The Minister walks a few paces towards you with his arms gently out in front of him, as if receiving a baby.
“Friends and family of the Executive! A pleasure to join forces with you. Allow me to introduce our party. I am Melvin Birtwistle, the Minister for Spatiotemporal Anomalies, this is WOLAND’s Quartermaster, Mister Koroviev. And behind me are two helping hands from my Ministry, Martin and Maxine. And you are?”

You introduce yourself and your two companions.

The Minister turns towards Erica and gives a shallow bow.
“A privilege to make your acquaintance, ma’am.”

Mary, possibly involuntarily, pipes up.
“Miller here was actually sent to rescue you, and we thought we did rescue you. How are you here if we left you back at the entrance?”

The Minister looks at Mary with perhaps a slightly hurt expression for a while.
“Oh, Crown save us! Another me? Mister Koroviev! How was my double ever allowed to escape the well? Nevermind. Miller, did you pick up my beacon?”

Before anyone has a chance to react, the Minister holds his hand over your inner pocket and produces a flash of green light which returns the beacon to him. He immediately starts fiddling with it.

“I’m sending word to the Lower House this instant. Who knows what he’ll do up there.”

Nobody seems to know what to do, so they just sort of stare at the Minister.

“What? You don’t honestly think I’m the double, do you? And if you really think that, shouldn’t you, you know…” he points his chin almost imperceptibly towards Erica “And besides, do you really think I, the Minister, would come investigate the catacombs on my own and without a sword?”

The Minister’s helping hands open a plenary with you, to the exclusion of your companions.

MAXINE: Admittedly… Martin and I did get separated from him for quite some time.

MARTIN: I definitely thought that the Minister we came with had a sword, though.

>>1112590
Ask the Minister to produce his ID. The captured Minister not having a sword makes sense, because it could have been taken from him.
...him knowing there was a beacon at all is interesting, even if his casual way of taking it is suspicious. However, if he is the real Minister, your mission returns to its original state, which is to bring him out of here. Also, leaving the impostor on the surface unchallenged is dangerous. He should return, so that the matter can be settled, one way or the other.

The well will still be here to investigate later.
If he agrees to leave, then... hmm, do we have enough power to take out the well double? Or should we leave her be until we find an exit?

His glasses could also be the ones the upstairs Minister dropped into the pit... His cape, though. That doesn't match. Ask why he has a cape.

Ask Maxine and Martin to elaborate upon their period of separation with the Minister. Press them on whether they have noticed any differences in his behaviour or temprament as well.

Truthfully we cannot be certain that they are not well doubles as well, but mistrusting all of our (albeit perhaps temporary) allies is a surefire way to botch this mission.

Oh, and ask who that man was the Minister's group was talking to.

It would be silly to come without his sword.

Ask if they've had any trouble with doubles before now?

(1/2) kpwlt 2025/09/03(Wed)21:07 No. 1113460 ID: 127310
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>Ask the Minister to produce his ID.

“Of course.” The Minister confidently reaches into his inner pocket, but then suddenly looks panicked and turns out every pocket he has. He produces nothing.

“Oh dear. I think I’ve lost it, mate…”

>do we have enough power to take out the well double?

Currently you seem to be part of a loose group of three civil servants, a Hazard Association member, a minister from the Lower House, and a group of about seven soldiers including the Quartermaster.

There’s no telling how that fight would go. If you were up against the real Collector-General, you reckon you’d have no chance, but it’s clear that this is not a particularly faithful recreation.

MARY: [ONLY TO YOU] You thinking what I’m thinking? I think we can take her.

>Ask why he has a cape.

“Well, I know it’s not exactly the peak of fashion anymore, but I just like wearing a cape. If the other me wasn’t wearing a cape I’d dare say that’s a point against him.”

“That’s true,” says Mary, “whenever I’ve watched the Lower House sittings, he’s always been wearing a cape.”

>Press them on whether they have noticed any differences in his behaviour or temprament as well.

Maxine and Martin mumble between themselves before replying that they hadn’t really noticed any differences that couldn’t be explained by being suddenly immersed in an unfamiliar space. Things like being a bit jumpy until grouping up with WOLAND.

>Ask if they've had any trouble with doubles before now?

The Minister and his helpers say that they haven’t, but now the WOLAND Quartermaster, Koroviev, sees it appropriate to speak.

“WOLAND has dealt with doppelgaenger many times in the past. Always important to figure out which one is real and which one is fake before one replaces the other. Wells in the past have been meek, shy, only copied citizens and weaklings. This well? Very bold to copy such important personages. But aside from those you know, we imprisoned a false Koroviev in this well. We keep him in there.”

Koroviev points at the opening with the humming noise coming out of it.

(2/2) kpwlt 2025/09/03(Wed)21:07 No. 1113461 ID: 127310
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But Koroviev’s pointing is cut short by a call from the soldiers at the front of the pack. Figuring out what to do the Minister and the Collector-General will have to wait.

It’s here.

All at once, truncheons, swords, maces, and more are drawn and ready. You turn to face the direction of the call and come face to face with the Engelkind.

The perplexing and ominous creature you find before you appears to be a marriage of metal spindles and a small amount of muscle and other organic tissue. It hovers on a vicious point and stares at you with three beady eyes, not quite human, not quite animal. It might be angry. But then again, it might be beyond anger altogether.

You lock eyes with the thing, and tendrils of energy emerge from whatever semblance of a brain it might have. Your mind converts its violent intent to a comprehensible argument so that you might clash.

ENGELKIND: WHAT. IS. JUSTICE?

>>1113461
Justice is a subjective concept, existing only inside a social structure. Those that break the social contract are subject to fair punishment, such that fair is defined by the social structure- that is justice.

Justice is the arbitration of conflict.
Without war, there is no justice. Without justice, there is no peace.

That isn't exactly an argument. I'm guessing we're establishing definitions? I'm liking the definitions we're setting, but I'd like to add that as long as we're all getting on the same page, we should additionally ask this creature the same. "What do YOU think Justice is?"

Justice is an unobtainable ideal, of wrongs righted and wrongdoers punished. No judge can mete out true justice, because nothing less than an omniscient can know the facts well enough to discern who is right and who is wrong. We cobble together laws to define what is just, but the real world is full of circumstances that bend those rules. So justice is what we tell ourselves to believe what we are doing is right.

(1/2) kpwlt 2025/09/10(Wed)04:07 No. 1113715 ID: 127310
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>That isn't exactly an argument.

It isn’t, really. In all your years in the Ministry of Memetic Philosophy, this is the first combatant that has ever opened like this.

>Justice is a subjective concept, existing only inside a social structure…

ENGELKIND: Is that justice? Can that be justice? How can justice possibly be if it bends to the whims of the masses? When the people of the Commonwealth came to this land, to Southshoals, and tore it from the hands of its native peoples, subordinated and destroyed them in droves, was that justice?

The Engelkind twitches. It slashes at the WOLAND soldiers closing in on it but it seems to be devoting more attention to you.

>Justice is an unobtainable ideal, of wrongs righted and wrongdoers punished…

ENGELKIND: Justice is not unobtainable. A judge with the blessing of the vision and serenity of the Crown will act justly, and will only do so. Your statutes are incomplete, your judges ignorant, and your agents impotent, but this is not inherent or unchanging. A time will come when your Government will achieve what its forebears did.

>What do YOU think Justice is?

ENGELKIND: Justice is the enactment of the unchanging will of the Crown.

The Engelkind keeps invoking the Crown for some reason. Its arguments are prima facie coherent, the Crown is some kind of concept (perhaps) or philosophy that is considered the head of state in Southshoals. To your understanding, the Crown is also the source of your power, as well as all other Governmental power.

What confuses you is how this rather alien being seems to be channelling the power of the Judiciary.

Without warning, the Engelkind swivels around and jabs straight through the armour of a soldier, and apparently pierces quite deeply into her leg (judging by her scream of pain). Koroviev shoves her out of the way of the other two heads and starts viciously striking the creature.

(2/2) kpwlt 2025/09/10(Wed)04:07 No. 1113716 ID: 127310
File 175750247734.png - (30.05KB , 700x700 , u41p2.png )

>Justice is the arbitration of conflict.

The Engelkind jerks strangely and refocuses. That might be a good sign? Mary takes this opportunity to launch her flail at central mass as you lock baton with blade. Her attack snaps the small, trifurcated pylon clean off, but the Engelkind’s purple arcs only burn brighter.

ENGELKIND: Do you find it just that a repulsive imitator may replace a Minister of the Executive and Legislature? How would a just state resolve such a hideous scenario?

We definitely shouldn’t be replacing people with imposters. I suppose in the event that an imposter has been discovered, measures should be taken such that the proper person is put back into their role. It can be hard to tell which is the real one though. Also, this is a weird argument. It’s just been asking questions with subjective answers, based on our morality. There must be some point it’s trying to make? It’s being awfully roundabout with its line of questioning, in my opinion.

>>1113716
>How would a just state resolve such a hideous scenario?
With evidence. I have little to none. If you have evidence, then present it, in the name of justice.

>When the people of the Commonwealth came to this land, to Southshoals, and tore it from the hands of its native peoples, subordinated and destroyed them in droves, was that justice?
>Justice is the enactment of the unchanging will of the Crown.
When the ownership of the land changed, so did the will of the Crown, did it not? The Crown was in the hands of the native peoples before, now it is the hands of the Commonwealth. Thus, justice changed, even by your definition.

The imitator's motive must be determined, their cause judged. If their reasons were for the good of others, or some kind of self defense, then they should be afforded the opportunity to cease deception and repay the state for their crime.
If their motive was purely selfish then they should be imprisoned or executed according to the severity of the harm they caused.

For another point, consider this conflict right here. Who is on the side of justice? Surely you think you are acting in the name of justice. But what if we think we are as well? You are the aggressor here and attacked without warning; shouldn't that mean it is just for us to defend ourselves with an equal measure of force?

What is the Imitator's intent in this scenario? What was the Originator's intent? As long as we do not have these, we cannot supply an answer.

(1/2) kpwlt 2025/09/18(Thu)08:17 No. 1114010 ID: 127310
File 175820866971.png - (24.66KB , 700x700 , u42p1.png )

>The Crown was in the hands of the native peoples before, now it is the hands of the Commonwealth.

Oh dear, Miller, I’m afraid you’ve a mistaken idea. I really should have jogged your memory of your history and civics classes. Let me do that now.

You don’t make a point of remembering specifics, but you do know that the Crown was always ‘in the hands’ of the Commonwealth, right from its inception to its annihilation. When Commonwealth settlers colonised Southshoals, they brought the Crown with them and imposed what they believed to be its will on the land and native peoples through force.

When you learnt this in school, you were also taught that the Crown’s true will was far more peaceful, and was seriously misinterpreted by the people of the Commonwealth. It seems like the Engelkind also takes this view.

(2/2) kpwlt 2025/09/18(Thu)08:17 No. 1114011 ID: 127310
File 175820867418.png - (28.76KB , 700x700 , u42p2.png )

>There must be some point it’s trying to make? It’s being awfully roundabout with its line of questioning, in my opinion.

You aren’t sure. The psychic fighting techniques you were trained in were intended to be used primarily against people and animals, and it’s not clear if this is either. It’s possible that raw logic may not be enough for this battle.

>With evidence…
>It can be hard to tell which is the real one though…

The Engelkind offers no response as you further bludgeon it. It’s now swivelling its blades around to point at Mary.

>The imitator's motive must be determined, their cause judged…

ENGELKIND: In a truly just state, dishonesty would never be necessary to promote the good of others.

>Surely you think you are acting in the name of justice…

ENGELKIND: Honestly, I might not think at all. This ‘mind’ that you are debating with is simply your own interpretation of my body, drawn to its limits and made aware of its own absurdity. It is just for you to defend yourself, since I attacked you first. But I would also argue that it is not unjust for me to attack you, since I cannot do otherwise.

The thing seems to be keeping at least one eye on you and at least one on Mary.

Hmm, alright, considering all that...

>>1114011
Claiming the Crown determines Justice is simply the logical fallacy of Argument from Authority.

Further assertion: laws and courts are at least partially made to prevent generally unjust actions such as vigilantism and lynchings. What is its aggression if not an attempt at vigilantism? That is not true justice.

(1/1) kpwlt 2025/10/10(Fri)07:09 No. 1114897 ID: 127310
File 176010537516.png - (29.48KB , 700x700 , u43p1.png )

>Claiming the Crown determines Justice is simply the logical fallacy of Argument from Authority.

ENGELKIND: The idea that the Crown determines justice is the idea on which your society is built. The society that you work for. If you wish to reject that, you may see your life unravel.

However, the unseen hand of logic (or, the Crown (or, Providence (or, the Tides, depending on who you ask))) manages to move you close enough to the Engelkind to give it a gnarly bend in one of its blades. Doing this hurts your arms and chest a bit.

>laws and courts are at least partially made to prevent generally unjust actions such as vigilantism and lynchings. What is its aggression if not an attempt at vigilantism? That is not true justice.

ENGELKIND: Unauthorised aggression, perhaps. A lethal arrest and vigilantism may look the same, but the difference is that one is ordained by the Crown and the other is not.


You shift your weight onto one foot and quickly jab the other into the Engelkind, sending it careening off in Mary’s direction. She seems unaware, reaching for something in her bag.

The Minister attempts to parry the flailing thing with his rapier, but it simply bends out of the way. Before anyone can do anything else, the Engelkind has arrived as its destination.

You can see a blade cause a deep, burning gash in Mary’s arm, before a loud crack in the air causes your eyes to defocus.


When you overcome the surprise, you can see the Engelkind broken on the ground, lights dying. Standing over it is Mary, bearing a stern expression and taking the gun from her limp arm.

She points the gun directly at Erica and produces an awkward click. Her eyes widen.

Erica also freezes up, as though expecting to have been shot.

Koroviev steps not quite directly in between them. He is clearly making an effort to appear to mediate whatever happens next.

ERICA: [ONLY TO YOU] Did you see that? I warned you that it would happen sooner or later. It’s just lucky nobody’s been hurt yet.

[color=#ff0d01]MARY: [ONLY TO YOU] It’s time to stop this thing from showing us what it can do.

>>1114897
To Mary: I agree, but that was bad timing. Is that the gun the king was using?

Tell Koroviev that you're not going to give him a choice. Tell Erica to look at her body. It's not supposed to look like that.

Tell Erica to stand down. Their appearance is incongruous with their claimed identity, and impersonating an inspector is a crime

(1/1) kpwlt 2025/10/17(Fri)05:37 No. 1115193 ID: 127310
File 176070466119.png - (18.11KB , 700x700 , u44p1.png )

>Is that the gun the king was using?

It is, you recognise it. Unless Mary had another, near-identical gun.

>To Mary: I agree, but that was bad timing.

MARY: [ONLY TO YOU] I think it would have been pretty good timing if it had actually been loaded.

>Tell Erica to look at her body. It's not supposed to look like that.
>Tell Erica to stand down. Their appearance is incongruous with their claimed identity, and impersonating an inspector is a crime

ERICA: [ONLY TO YOU] What are you talking about, Miller? Is this some kind of joke?

It’s clear that ‘Erica’ is either fully convinced of her false identity or desperately trying to re-convince you of it. Still, it looks like she’s carefully looking over her arms now.

>Tell Koroviev that you're not going to give him a choice.

You take Koroviev aside and tell him. He claps his hands together and chuckles.

“Very good! When I give the word, we will capture Erica. Unless, you wanted me to do something else?”

Whenever Koroviev moves his hands, you can see things trembling in the cover of the undergrowth. As though anticipating their cue.

The Minister and his helpers watch from a distance. They have no intention of involving themselves in this.

>>1115193
Ask Erica, aloud, if she can see that her body is made of wires. It's not supposed to be like that.

Warn Erica that everyone here is perceiving her some kind of monstrosity. If she has an explanation now is the time.

(1/2) kpwlt 2025/10/21(Tue)23:25 No. 1115415 ID: 127310
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>Ask Erica, aloud, if she can see that her body is made of wires. It's not supposed to be like that.

ERICA: [TO ALL] Are you feeling alright? I’m not made of wires. Do you need to sit down?

>Warn Erica that everyone here is perceiving her some kind of monstrosity. If she has an explanation now is the time.

ERICA: [TO ALL] Everyone?? This well must be having an effect on you. Isn’t that an explanation enough?

She holds her spear out before her and backs away.

ERICA: [TO ALL] Get back! All of you!

Mary steps forward. Erica lunges.

(2/2) kpwlt 2025/10/21(Tue)23:25 No. 1115416 ID: 127310
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Another gunshot rings out. Erica catches the bullet with her lower back and collapses. Her psychic field is no longer communicating anything intelligible. Ivory white soldiers close in silently, almost reverently. The Collector-General’s imitator is bound and carried off to an obscured part of the forest.

Mary is noticeably calmer now. Koroviev approaches you sheepishly.

“Excuse me, Government Officer, I assure you that man who fired the gun had a licence. I have sent for him so he can show you.”

You thank him, but tell him that won’t be necessary. The Minister and his helpers approach.

“Well done everyone! I say it’s high time we get out of here.”

“Agreed,” says Mary, “what’s the best way to leave?”

Koroviev now speaks again.

“The way out is just slightly deeper into the well. I will take you there now, unless anyone has anything else that needs to be done before going?”

If you wanted to arrest Koroviev for his alleged illegal activity in this well, now would be the time. Might not be wise to do this to the man who claims he can send you back to the surface, though.

If there was anything else down here you wanted to see or do, you had better say so now. Otherwise, I will assume you want to go back home as much as everyone else here.

>>1115416
There's a doppleganger of the Minister on the surface. The top priority is getting out of here to stop THAT situation. Once that's done, we can return in force to arrest Koroviev.

I uh, don't think we have enough forces to arrest him right now anyway if he resists, and the Minister seems to be working with him. How about we try something low risk. Ask Koroviev if he would come with you to the surface willingly, to speak to your organization and report his findings on the Well. Once he's at your HQ you'd have an easier time arresting him for sure.

Oh, is the sense of wrongness subsiding now?

A shame about Erica but, well, you tried. She shouldn't have tried to fight Occam's razor; it is a far simpler explanation that she is hallucinating than that everyone else is sharing a hallucination.

The situation with the minister is the mission. Arresting people isn't. Better get back topside and deal with it.

(1/4) kpwlt 2025/10/23(Thu)07:05 No. 1115452 ID: 127310
File 176122831877.png - (32.03KB , 700x700 , u46p1.png )

>Oh, is the sense of wrongness subsiding now?

No, it’s still with you. It won’t leave you for a while. A few hours, at least.

>A shame about Erica but, well, you tried.

I suppose that’s how it was always going to pan out in the end.

>Ask Koroviev if he would come with you to the surface willingly, to speak to your organization and report his findings on the Well.

Koroviev checks his wrist for a watch that isn’t there.
“Of course, of course! It is also almost time for me to report back anyway.”

He leads the group further along the path. It doesn’t take long before it starts to dip into the ground.

The ground you stand on softens. It deforms as you step on it.

(2/4) kpwlt 2025/10/23(Thu)07:05 No. 1115453 ID: 127310
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Just as the path gets too dark for you to see, you emerge into light. You’re on a beach under a cloudless sky.

“Cor! Looks like we don’t have to wait until December to enjoy summer at the beach, hey?”
“You will not want to stay here, Minister, the fish are vicious and will throw rocks if we stay too long.”

You look around. It looks like there’s only beach here. As in, a seemingly endless stretch of sand next to water, although there’s also water where you’d expect the beach to connect to the land.

The cave you emerged from appears to go downwards into the water rather than upwards into the forest that was apparently above this beach the whole time. It’s as though the forest wasn’t even there.

Koroviev ushers the group across a series of pontoons towards a platform not far from shore. The Minister and his helpers look glad to finally be done with all this well business. Mary follows behind.

(3/4) kpwlt 2025/10/23(Thu)07:05 No. 1115454 ID: 127310
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Inside the platform, Koroviev has everyone enter a small booth. There are just enough booths for everyone.

“Alright everyone, now flush!” Koroviev calls with glee. You turn the small pole-mounted lever in your booth and hear a loudening hum. It grows louder, until you can no longer hear, or see, or feel.

(4/4) kpwlt 2025/10/23(Thu)07:05 No. 1115455 ID: 127310
File 176122834140.png - (21.09KB , 700x700 , u46p4.png )

Before you even have a chance to consider panicking from your loss of most of your senses, they return to you. Although, you’re not on a drilling platform at the beach anymore, you’re in a bathroom cubicle.

You step into the bathroom for the third time.

“Mate, I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Before you stands the Minister for Spatiotemporal Anomalies, capeless, of course, but now with a sword. Behind him, just beyond the threshold of the open bathroom door, are a number of police officers. You can’t tell quite how many.

“Look, you’ve got to help me. We have to get rid of that other guy.”


Before he can continue, the other, caped Minister waltzes out of his cubicle and draws his sword. It surely won’t be long before Martin and Maxine follow.

Part of you wants to intervene, but another part wants to run. You look to the police, and can tell that they have no clue what to do now that there are two of the same person. Mary, who must have been standing there for a few seconds now, seems to be patiently watching and waiting for you to do something.

I feel like it’d be wrong to run, and I don’t know how I feel about leaving the discernment of which is the real minister to the police. I feel like we should be involved in this process

>>1115455
Alright, tell them to both stand down. You will be doing this the right way, with a trial. Both of them present any evidence that they are the real Minister, and evidence that the other is the doppleganger if they have any. You and Mary can judge the validity of the evidence.
Also, any verbal evidence needs to be stated in separate rooms so they can't copy eachother.

We should also collect additional evidence. For instance, they will have full physical examinations, and all their belongings will be checked for discrepancies. Where did the uncaped minister get that sword?

Oh, and to prevent them from getting mixed up, you will stay with the uncaped Minister from now on and not let him out of your sight. Some other agent can stick with the caped Minister.

A trial's the thing indeed. If they fight each other that won't really prove anything.

A good starting point would be for you and one of the police officers to compare what you've observed of your respective ministers, out of earshot of the prospective doppelgangers. This will form a basis to find discrepancies in the minister's statements.

(1/2) kpwlt 2025/10/24(Fri)00:14 No. 1115471 ID: 127310
File 176129006994.png - (24.58KB , 700x700 , u47p1.png )

>I feel like we should be involved in this process

It’s the right thing to do. Your job was to rescue the Minister and now you have to rescue him from something that looks almost exactly like him.

>Alright, tell them to both stand down. You will be doing this the right way, with a trial.

Both sigh and reluctantly agree. The Uncaped Minister calls through the crack in the wall to “come out”. In addition to the ones that came out of the well with you, another Martin and Maxine emerge, each hand a dagger to you, and return to the side of the Uncaped Minister.

The Caped’s helpers also hand their daggers to you, which Mary takes “to prevent any mix-ups”.

You communicate your plan to Mary, who approves and takes the Caped Minister and his helpers, and a couple of police officers, through the hole in the wall and just out of earshot.

>Where did the uncaped minister get that sword?

“It’s my sword, from my office. I’ve had it for years.”

You take his sword. He’s sweating. You take his pulse. His heart is racing.

You take his coat, tie, and everything from all of his pockets.

“You might want to ask that other fellow how he got past the mole people. And if he says he killed them, then where are the corpses?”

You meet up with Mary to go over things you took from the Ministers.

Here are the things you took from the Uncaped Minister
- A sword
- A coat and tie
- A Lower House ID card
- A printed map of part of the city, with this address circled in pen
- A wallet, containing $12 in cash, a credit card, and a driver’s licence
- A notepad and pen

Here are the things that Mary took from the Caped Minister.
- A sword
- A coat, tie, and cape
- A Lower House ID card
- A small book of Lower House standing orders
- A pocket Constitution
- A notepad
- A distress beacon (he took this from you earlier)

You and Mary immediately think to scrutinise the ID cards. However, they are identical. Aside from a light scratch on one that might be in a different place on the other, but that may as well be evidence of nothing. It’s clear that these cards were identical at issue.

You tell Mary about the Uncaped Minister’s question and part ways.

(2/2) kpwlt 2025/10/24(Fri)00:14 No. 1115472 ID: 127310
File 176129008048.png - (25.40KB , 700x700 , u47p2.png )

You reconvene after confiscating everything from the Minister’s helpers to compare.

Mary says that the Caped Minister allowed himself to be captured and taken directly to the well, where he accepted being dropped in by the king.

Here are the things you took from the Uncaped’s helpers.
- A dagger each
- A coat and tie each
- Martin’s hat
- Maxine’s Bureau of Disrupted Space ID card
- Martin’s Bureau of Lost Time ID card
- Martin’s slide whistle

Here are the things that Mary took from the Caped’s helpers.
- A dagger each
- A coat and tie each
- Maxine’s cape
- Martin’s hat
- Maxine’s Bureau of Disrupted Space ID card
- Martin’s Bureau of Lost Time ID card
- Martin’s pen

These ID cards are also basically identical to each other. That is, both Martins’ ID cards look the same and both Maxines’ ID cards look the same.

>>1115471
Alright, so, the sword's different. Double check the beacon. He fiddled with it, so see if you can see what he did to it.
...hold on, we asked the Caped Minister for an ID when we were in the Well, and he said he didn't have it! That's a contradiction!

>>1115472
...wait, the helpers got duplicated too? Get their testimonies. If they were always up here at HQ, and have witnesses to that fact, then... they can't be dopplegangers, can they? If they claim they went down with the Minister, how come you didn't see them when you went down, and why didn't they assist you in rescuing him? Also, ask what items they usually carry on them. Same question towards the caped-Minister's helpers. Maybe we can figure out why one has a slide whistle and one has a pen. Did the Well get confused about the slide whistle and turn it into a pen? Hmm, one of the Ministers is missing a pen.

Also, crap. The ID Cards being identical means that the Well can perfectly duplicate items. All this physical evidence is useless. ...except, I suspect that the Minister's swords being different is important. Perhaps the Well can only duplicate people and things once they've been inside the well. One sword being bent up is because the Well didn't know what the sword from the office looked like, maybe. Ask where the caped Minister got HIS sword from.

You'll also want to ask other people here if the Minister usually wears a cape (out of earshot of the Minister). Does the uncaped minister have an explanation for why he's not wearing one? Ask about items he usually carries with him. Ask about his usual schedule, ask about his family, ask about what he did yesterday. Ask when was the last time he had a really good meal. Mary should ask similarly mundane questions of her twin. You can compare notes after, and then if there are any differences maybe you can confirm who's right from anyone who knows him.

Mary should check the caped Minister's vitals. Actually, check everyone's vitals. Get blood samples too. Maybe even urine samples. DNA analysis might be useful here, and analysis of other trace chemicals.

...ugh, how do we know Mary isn't a doppleganger, at this point?

>>1115455
...wait a minute how did the uncaped Minister even know there was a doppleganger? He asked for your help getting rid of "the other guy" *before the caped Minister came out*.

The uncaped minister's possessions give the impression of someone who's been at the job for a while, and would be useful for the mission he was on.

The caped minister's possessions give the impression of someone who wants to appear to be a minister. The literature would be of no use on this mission, and what good a notepad with no pen?

Some things to check:
Is anything written in either notepad?
Does the drivers license match the id?
Do those standing orders have anything to do with the well or Woland?

(1/3) kpwlt 2025/10/28(Tue)01:38 No. 1115643 ID: 127310
File 176164071743.png - (17.40KB , 700x700 , u48p1.png )

>Get blood samples too.
>Maybe even urine samples.

These kinds of tests take a fair while, and you likely won’t see any quantitative results during your ad hoc tribunal, but you figure it can’t hurt to just observe these fluids, so you send a copper to get some needles and little cups.

>we asked the Caped Minister for an ID when we were in the Well, and he said he didn't have it! That's a contradiction!

You bring this up with Mary.
“To be fair, it was clipped to the back of his pants and I took it after taking his jacket. It’s possible he just didn’t realise it was there. Still, something to keep in mind.”

>The ID Cards being identical means that the Well can perfectly duplicate items.

Well, if the resemblance between the duplicated people and the originals is surface level, perhaps the resemblance between duplicated items and their originals is too?

>Do those standing orders have anything to do with the well or Woland?

No, they’re just general conduct rules for the Lower House. You could quiz the Ministers about their contents but aside from that they might not be that useful.

>Does the drivers license match the id?

It seems to. The only difference is that the ID gives his name as ‘Hon Melvin Birtwistle MP’ and the licence gives it as ‘MELVIN ANDREW BIRTWISTLE’.

>Is anything written in either notepad?

The Caped Minister’s notepad is full of observations about various spatiotemporal anomalies he knows of. Deepest into the notepad is information about the well.

The Uncaped Minister’s notepad has a number of shopping lists, addresses, phone numbers, and what might be bullet points for speeches in it.

>Double check the beacon. He fiddled with it, so see if you can see what he did to it.

You flip open the beacon but can’t make much out of what you see. You recognise the switch you toggled to deactivate the distress signal when you first found it but not much else.

When you ask the Ministers, both of them give more or less the same explanation.

There is a dial which selects who the beacon is to communicate with, between the police, the Lower House, and the Minister’s office. It is currently set to ‘police’.

There are two buttons, marked ‘L’ and ‘R’ respectively. The inside cover of the beacon has a diagram which assigns each letter and digit a sequence of L and R presses.

As previously mentioned, there is also a covered switch which sends a distress call. The switch is currently off.

(2/3) kpwlt 2025/10/28(Tue)01:38 No. 1115644 ID: 127310
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>Get their testimonies. If they were always up here at HQ, and have witnesses to that fact, then... they can't be dopplegangers, can they?

You manage to speak to the Uncaped Minister’s helpers in private.

Both of them say that they were sent to find the Minister by their respective Bureaus not long ago, but they bumped into the Minister that you rescued having an altercation with the police on their way to the catacombs.

It’s possible that you could verify this with the directors of the Bureaus of Disrupted Space and Lost Time, but based on the glimpses of the sky you’ve had since you emerged, it’s not unlikely that they’ve already gone home for the night.

The police officers that you ask seem to agree with this telling of the facts, at least insofar as the helpers met them after they had gotten hold of the Minister and then took them to the catacombs.

>Also, ask what items they usually carry on them.

Maxine says she usually just has a bag with her wallet, dagger, drink bottle, books, and whatever else she might need in it. Martin says he usually carries his wallet and dagger, but also occasionally carries a sword, and sometimes a pen depending on what he plans on doing that day.

Then you ask the Caped Minister’s helpers. Maxine says she usually carries her dagger and ID card. Martin says he usually has his dagger, ID card, hat, and pen.

(3/3) kpwlt 2025/10/28(Tue)01:38 No. 1115645 ID: 127310
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>Ask where the caped Minister got HIS sword from.

“It’s my sword, from my office... I bought it recently.”

>You'll also want to ask other people here if the Minister usually wears a cape (out of earshot of the Minister).

A few police officers seem to think he usually wears one. At the very least, nobody is adamant that he doesn’t usually wear one.

>Does the uncaped minister have an explanation for why he's not wearing one?

“You know, I just decided not to wear one the day that I came here. It was warmish that day. For winter, I mean”

>how did the uncaped Minister even know there was a doppleganger?

“Because he called the police on me! Good thing my helpers came to vouch for me.”

>the questions

Q: “What items do you usually carry with you?”

CAPED MINISTER: “Usually my sword and beacon for when I’m out and about, and these books and my ID card for when I’m going to the office. Sometimes all of it if I’m doing both.”

UNCAPED MINISTER: “Always my wallet and ID, and just whatever else I think I might need. Usually a map of wherever I’m going.”

Q: “What’s your usual schedule?”

CAPED MINISTER: “You know, spatiotemporal anomalies are a rapidly growing concern for the Government around now, so I’ve been spending a lot of time working pretty closely with the Prime Minister to figure out our party’s policies about them.”

UNCAPED MINISTER: “It really depends on the day. You know, spatiotemporal anomalies are a rapidly growing concern for the Government, so I’ve been visiting a lot of them, but I also do a fair bit of office work.”

Q: “Can you tell me a bit about your family?”

CAPED MINISTER: “Sure! I’ve got a wonderful wife, a daughter, she’s in year 12 now and wants to study law, and a young son in year 5. I’d show you some pictures but I must’ve left my wallet in the office.”

UNCAPED MINISTER: “What? Alright, I’ve got a wife and two kids. They’re both still in school. I’m sure they’d love to know I’m not missing anymore.”

Q: “What did you do yesterday?”

CAPED MINISTER: “I was poking around in here! Then I met up with Mister Koroviev down there in the evening and the rest is history.”

UNCAPED MINISTER: “Well, I spent most of yesterday poking around in the catacombs, but as you know I was captured and then spent a fair bit of time dangling over the pit.”

Q: “When was the last time you had a really good meal?”

CAPED MINISTER: “There’s this place not far from the Lower House that does really good bagels. I’d say probably one of those. I usually have one a week.”

UNCAPED MINISTER: “Hmmm, I’d say the day before yesterday. My wife made this great cottage pie. There might be some left over, come to think of it.”

>Actually, check everyone's vitals.

After you’ve asked these questions, you personally check everyone’s pulse, temperature, and breathing.

The Caped Minister pulse is fairly normal. Not sluggish, but not racing. He is sweating, but his temperature is what you’d consider a normal resting temperature. His breathing is a bit fast. Possibly out of nervousness.

His helpers both have normal heart beats, have normal temperatures, but are also sweating. Maxine breathes shallowly and quickly, but Martin’s breathing is normal.

The Uncaped Minister’s pulse hasn’t changed much since you checked last. It’s still fast. He’s relatively warm to the touch and is breathing quickly as well. If anything, it’s a little slower. It’s possible the questions calmed him a bit.

Maxine’s pulse is quick, like her breathing. She is also sweating and quite warm. Martin is also warm, but his breathing is controlled. You struggle to find his pulse, but it’s quite faint and fast when you do. You ask him if he’s feeling alright. “Just nervous,” he says. You remember reading somewhere that clowns have thicker skin than humans, on average. Maybe.

>>1115645
>clipped to the back of his pants
Ah. That would explain it. He patted his pockets looking for it.

>sword bought recently
>sword had for years
Aha! That's something we can check. Ask someone else who works with him, see who's seen his sword before he went down there. Was it old or new? Oh! We could also ask where he bought the sword and call them to confirm that. Ah, we should also find out if there's any security footage, either for this building or anywhere nearby that would have seen him. That can confirm if he was wearing a cape, as well as if he arrived with his helpers or not.

The other questions weren't too useful unfortunately. Seems like the Well can copy backstories pretty well. We could ask more questions but I think just checking the sword's history is enough to pin it down. Video footage would be better, of course.

>heartbeats are different, as is temperature. breathing not consistent between groups except for Maxine
Interesting! I suspect the high temperature and fast resting heartbeat are a way to spot dopplegangers. That's definitely not normal, unless they're all sick with a disease. I wonder if Maxine has some kind of breathing disorder, actually, considering both instances of her are doing the same thing there.
Did you take any blood yet?

Check Mary's pulse and temperature once you've confirmed which group are dopplegangers.

...maybe we should've asked Koroviev what he knows about dopplegangers and how to identify them. oops. I'm guessing he didn't arrive with us, and used some other exit if he came to the surface as he said he would?

I’m not the brightest when it comes to analyzing evidence, but I do wanna point out, even if we find the right Minister, there’s a minor possibility that the helpers could still be impostors. Even if there weren’t any mixups in gathering them, I wouldn’t blame the right helpers if either of them found the wrong minister, and started helping him unawares. Gotta be careful!

> I bought it recently.
What happened to your old sword?

> just general conduct rules for the Lower House.
You've been a minister for a while right? Why would you be carrying something like this?

>perhaps the resemblance between duplicated items and their originals is too?
Oh, I missed this. Try cutting into the cards. See if they are both made of the same plastic all the way through. Replacements can be issued of course.
Also strange that neither Martin mentioned the slide whistle. We *did* ask what they "usually" carried, so maybe he just doesn't usually carry it? Might as well ask both of them about it, but do so indirectly, like ask if they play any instruments.

Oh, we can use the beacon to call the Minister's Office. Why don't we do that to ask about the minister's sword? I assume there is at least one more employee there we can talk to...

We can also ask if he has a receipt for the new sword.

(1/3) kpwlt 2025/10/30(Thu)06:46 No. 1115934 ID: 127310
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>maybe we should've asked Koroviev what he knows about dopplegangers and how to identify them

Koroviev was definitely the last person to come up, but he surely came up the same way and not long after Martin and Maxine. He has been staying very still, very quiet, but has made a point of always remaining in view of the police. You consult him in private.

“The doppelgaenger is very clever. Everything you say, everything you do, he knows. Even everything you do in privacy, maybe. But he cannot tell what is inside you. Whatever never comes out will always be mystery to him.”

>Even if there weren’t any mixups in gathering them, I wouldn’t blame the right helpers if either of them found the wrong minister, and started helping him unawares. Gotta be careful!

It’s possible, though it’s important to keep in mind that you have a Minister that claims to have been in the catacombs and the well, a Minister that claims to have only been in the catacombs, a set of helpers that have claimed to have been with the first Minister for more or less his entire journey, and another set who have claimed to have had no involvement with this debacle until they met the second Minister leaving the catacombs.

>Ah, we should also find out if there's any security footage, either for this building or anywhere nearby that would have seen him.

You know for certain that this building’s security cameras were disconnected long ago. You could ask a member of the Lower House security staff to check the cameras for you.

>Oh, we can use the beacon to call the Minister's Office. Why don't we do that to ask about the minister's sword?

You turn the dial, work out the exact message you want to send and then key it in flawlessly. Before long, a fellow appears, a security guard, and gets past the blockade of police officers with your help.

“Evening. You the one who sent the call? ‘Fraid I don’t know about the Minister’s sword. I looked in his office and I think there might be something in his weapon cabinet. The cabinet was locked though. Needs a keycard.”

You hand him one of the Ministers’ ID cards at random. You later note that you handed him the Caped Minister’s ID.

Before he leaves, you have a bit more of a discussion with the security guard. Unfortunately, the people guarding the Lower House tonight aren’t able to access the security footage. However, he did see the Minister leave, without a cape, and called out to him telling him to come back and get it so he wouldn’t get cold in the catacombs. The Minister apparently said he had his cape in his coat.

(2/3) kpwlt 2025/10/30(Thu)06:46 No. 1115935 ID: 127310
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You take some time to interrogate the Ministers some more.

>What happened to your old sword?

CAPED MINISTER: “It got pretty bent up. I don’t remember where I put it after I got this new one, but it’s bound to either be in my office or at home.”

>You've been a minister for a while right? Why would you be carrying something like this?

CAPED MINISTER: “Hey, the standing orders are important, alright? I’d be out of a job if I couldn’t quickly and easily reference them.”

>We can also ask if he has a receipt for the new sword.

CAPED MINISTER: “No, I must’ve thrown it away.”

You take some initiative and asked the Uncaped Minister about the security guard’s cape claims.

UNCAPED MINISTER: “Yes… Yes, I did tell Owen that I had my cape. It was a lie, though, I just didn’t want to go back and get it.”

>Might as well ask both of them about it, but do so indirectly, like ask if they play any instruments.

You also take some time to make casual conversation and fish for more details with the Martins. When you finally get to asking them about instruments (covertly, of course), this is what they both say.

CM’s MARTIN: “Sometimes, at festivals. I also sometimes carry a slide whistle.”

UM’s MARTIN: “No. That whistle you took from me was someone else’s. I keep it as a reminder. It usually doesn’t leave home.”

>Did you take any blood yet?

The officer is back with a truly monstrous amount of blood lancets. He must’ve visited every pharmacy in town. In short, you can probably afford to take blood from as many people as you want as many times as you want.

The Uncaped Minister and his Martin watch carefully as you prick Maxine’s finger and the blood squirms, as you prick Maxine’s finger and the blood drips into a little cup. Aside from that trick of the light, it comes out quite normally. Not to fast, not too slow. About as red as you’d expect, and the correct viscosity too.

The rest of the tests go rather unremarkably. You’re no blood expert, but it all seems to be a similar kind of stuff. You take some from Mary, yourself, Koroviev, and a random police officer too, and you make sure to look at all of the blood in as many different lights as you can (two). Nobody’s blood really seems to stand out.

(3/3) kpwlt 2025/10/30(Thu)14:45 No. 1115943 ID: 127310
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Eventually, the security guard, Owen, returns empty handed.

“Something’s up with this card you gave me! Couldn’t open the weapons cabinet, and wouldn’t unlock anything else it should either.”

“Odd,” says Mary, handing him the other card, “try this one.”

Sure enough, Owen returns not half an hour later with a pristine sword, almost exactly like the Caped Minister’s.

After the working card is returned to you, you snap both cards in half. You can see no noticeable difference between the plastic inside them.

“What do you make of all this, Miller?” Mary looks as you as though she’s already made up her mind and is testing you. “Have you come to a conclusion? I think our Ministers are getting antsy.”

Before you forget, you check Mary’s pulse and temperature. Her heart is beating at a nervous pace, similar to the others. She’s also slightly warm, but not sweating, and her breathing is quite steady.

>the Caped minister's ID doesn't work
Well, that seems like good evidence. We should test everyone's ID cards. Those that don't work are now highly suspect as dopplegangers. I think we will find that the Caped Minister's party all have nonfunctional ID cards... and are the dopplegangers. ...wait, we can't test the helpers' cards as easily, they're from different bureaus. So, considering what Koroviev said, I think we can conclude the Well does not know about secret information. It definitely did not know how to replicate the ID cards' security functionality since you can't tell what the code is imprinted on them by looking at them. Hmm, this implies that it somehow does not know what Erica looks like? Has she never come near the Well? It would also mean nobody that has come close to the Well has seen Erica, or simply doesn't clearly remember what she looks like.

Also there being another brand new sword means the Caped Minister's story now doesn't make sense. Why would he have bought a new sword when he already had one? I think we can FIRMLY state that he's a doppleganger. Also, since the uncaped minister is NOT a doppleganger, that means his story regarding his assistants is the correct one, which means they did not enter the well, and the Caped Minister's assistants are the dopplegangers. To be sure, we can get a more detailed story from them about what happened before they entered the well. Was the Minister wearing a cape at that point? I'm guessing they'll say they were captured along with the Minister and dropped into the well, which conflicts with the uncaped Minister's story. At this point, since the uncaped Minister is cleared of suspicion anything that contradicts what he's said is now clearly a lie. They also can't have come down after the Minister was captured, because 1, they would have seen him tied up and tried to rescue him, and 2, he would have seen them since he's directly above the pit.

This also means that those *without* elevated temperature are the dopplegangers, which is weird. Why is the uncaped Minister's group so warm, is that a symptom of anxiety I'm not aware of?

>Nobody’s blood really seems to stand out.
I don't suppose there's a microscope somewhere? If not, we can just send all the samples off to be tested to see if they can be used in the future to confirm dopplegangers.

Lastly, I guess this means the Engelkind's dialogue about there being a doppleganger Minister in place on the surface was wrong. Or, that there's a different Minister that's the problem... Well, if the blood tests are useful then we can recommend every Bureau test their members to see if any dopplegangers have already infiltrated their ranks.

As for what to do with the dopplegangers, well, assuming they don't become violent then I say we keep them prisoner and somehow permanently mark them as dopplegangers so there's no possible confusion in the future. They *seem* to be sapient and fully believe they are real, so they should be treated with dignity. Permanent marker will work for now, like a D on the top of their hands or something. The mark can be refreshed daily so it doesn't wash off fully.

After all that business is settled, arrest Koroviev.

This all makes sense for the uncaped minister to be the real one.
- Grabbed old bent sword out of habit
- forgot his cape
- needed a map to find this address
- has a notepad full of reminders

All this portrays a man who is kind of forgetful. The well copied him while he didn't have a sword, knowing he had a new sword in the office. But when he went back he grabbed the old sword by mistake. And since the real new sword was still in the office, it only makes sense that the caped minister is in possession of a copy, and is himself a copy.

(1/3) kpwlt 2025/11/02(Sun)06:18 No. 1116180 ID: 127310
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>To be sure, we can get a more detailed story from them about what happened before they entered the well. Was the Minister wearing a cape at that point?

As expected, the Caped Minister’s Martin and Maxine say they were captured alongside the Minister and entered the well with him.

>If not, we can just send all the samples off to be tested to see if they can be used in the future to confirm dopplegangers.

There is no microscope easily accessible, so you hand the blood over to your errant police officer and he ensures you that he will keep the Minister for Memetic Philosophy informed as to the lab results.

>We should test everyone's ID cards.

You hammer into your little squadron of coppers the importance of due process and make them promise to figure out a way to test the Caped Minister’s cards when they get the chance. To put your minds to rest, I’ll tell you now that all ID cards were later rigorously tested and only the Uncaped Minister’s party’s cards worked.

Then, you send them in to make the arrest.

All three are cuffed and marked.

FALSE MINISTER: “You’ve made a mistake, mate! Come on! We can’t let that other guy get away like this.”

The False Maxine and Martin follow without words.

The cops tip their hats, say their good nights and proceed right out the door they came in. The room is a lot less crowded once they drain away.

“Well… That was weird,” says Owen, “but I’d better get back to work now. Melv, if you get the chance to explain what just happened sometime, I’d appreciate it.”

He then leaves.

(2/3) kpwlt 2025/11/02(Sun)06:18 No. 1116181 ID: 127310
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However, that’s not all the excitement for tonight. And, unfortunately, it seems the authorities left too early to help you with what you have in mind next.

>After all that business is settled, arrest Koroviev.

You discuss with Mary. She pulls out a long length of cord.

“Alright, you go arrest him, and I’ll wrap him up if he resists.”

You march up to the tall man right before he can say “Thank you, Alexey” to the little guy handing him a large yellow envelope.

“Ah, Government Officer! Forgive me, but whilst in the well I was rudely unable to properly introduce myself. Here is my WOLAND identification card, a licence for WOLAND to enter the Edgar Street well, and a letter signed by the Governor permitting my presence here. Please examine them if you wish.”

You take the documents. Both the licence and letter look quite legitimate at first, and at second, and perhaps at third too. You have Mary, the Minister, and his helpers scrutinise them in case you missed anything, but none of them can find any fault. You can do nothing but thank him for his help and hand his papers back.

“A pleasure to be of service. I must go report to my superior now, but I hope to see you again someday. Goodbye.”

The Quartermaster turns heel and walks off into the night.

(3/3) kpwlt 2025/11/02(Sun)06:18 No. 1116182 ID: 127310
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The Minister takes a deep breath in and lets it back out before speaking.

“I’m really glad that’s all over. Thanks for bearing with us, guys.”

He sneaks a glance at Mary’s watch and a cheeky grin grows on his face.

“Well, the pubs’d still be open. Anyone fancy a couple of after-work pints?”

You could use a drink, honestly. And surely this would be a good opportunity to discuss anything else you need to with the people here, if there’s anything on your mind. What’s your drink of choice, Miller?

>>1116181
Huh. Kinda looks like he knew he was gonna get got, and bribed someone for the proper paperwork while we were busy with the doppleganger trial. That, or he doesn't keep the papers on him at all times and had to call his base to have them delivered. ...well, nothing we can do about that I guess. At least now he's got papers, and we can just hope he doesn't do anything sinister with the Well's dopplegangers and other weirdness.

>>1116182
Yes! Drinks! Tell the Minister about the weird stuff you saw in the well. The rabbit, the fake Erica, the Engelkind... Actually, doesn't he still want to investigate?
Presumably the wrong feeling has gone away now? ...shouldn't it have stayed longer than expected, since we were still partied with dopplegangers after not-Erica was captured?

As for what drink, just get the usual. (nobody can tell what it is exactly and you dodge questions about what's in it)

Ask the minister what precautions he'll be taking next time he continues his investigation.

get the drink that comes in an opaque bottle

End kpwlt 2025/11/05(Wed)06:32 No. 1116391 ID: 127310
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>Kinda looks like he knew he was gonna get got, and bribed someone for the proper paperwork while we were busy with the doppleganger trial.

It’s very odd. You might tell someone about it when you’re back at work. But probably best not to get bogged down in it tonight.

>Presumably the wrong feeling has gone away now?

The streets are fairly empty tonight, so the odd feeling persists until you make it to the pub and see the relatively reserved bustle of people drinking and chatting.

>As for what drink, just get the usual. (nobody can tell what it is exactly and you dodge questions about what's in it)
>get the drink that comes in an opaque bottle

You get the usual. It comes in an opaque bottle.

MARY: “What have you got there, Miller?.”
MILLER: “Oh, you know, the usual.”
MARY: “What’s it taste like?”
MILLER: “Would you like a sip?”
MARY: “I’m all good. Thanks for offering, though.”

>Tell the Minister about the weird stuff you saw in the well. The rabbit, the fake Erica, the Engelkind

You start detailing your journey to the Minister. He takes a deep pull of his drink before speaking.

MINISTER: “That’s some heavy stuff, mate. It’s a bit scary to think that the well could potentially fake anyone. Here’s hoping we find someone it can’t. I’m not sure what to think about the rabbit, though. Anyway, this Engelkind thing sounds sort of familiar to some things I’ve heard of outside of wells before, but I’ll have to have a chat with Mister Koroviev about it later. Still, not really any comfort knowing these wells are all over the country, is it?”

>Actually, doesn't he still want to investigate?

MINISTER: “I sure do! I think the Lower House will be a bit more open to investigation now that we know about the well. I was pretty annoyed they weren’t doing anything about the catacombs, so this seems like a potential win-win.”

>Ask the minister what precautions he'll be taking next time he continues his investigation.

MINISTER: “That other guy had the right idea when he brought a sword along. I’d love to bring some others along, too. Martin, Maxine, you, if you’re up for it. Hopefully some other members of the Lower House as well.”

You have many more conversations with the Minister, and, indeed, Martin, Maxine and Mary throughout the night, but they tend away from the day’s events and more towards casual merriment and socialisation.

It’s a good night. Once everyone decides they’re all rather tired and should be heading home, you ensure everyone has a safe way to wherever they’ll be staying for the night and say your goodbyes.

When you arrive home, you have a quick shower, brush your teeth and go straight to bed. Your day tomorrow will surely be full of verbal and written reports and meetings with your Minister. For now, you can rest, knowing that you have done your part in maintaining Peace, Order, and Good Government.

Thanks for playing!

alls well that ends well

thanks for the good story

And justice was done!