Day 156 - The Real Reason You’re Having Electronic Problems in Los Angeles

Hello Grandmother,

Violence is increasing, but nobody wants to engage the big forces. Which means the weak get crapped on. In the current state of LA, that means that anyone who needs to take from someone else steals from Non-Humanoids. They are the robots that have to live in the lowest level, who have to exist beneath the streets. And they are the easiest targets.

Which is where a manipulator like Flux steps in. The trickster robot has set itself up as the defender of the downtrodden, and a renegade one at that. Its electronic bulletins, set up throughout the city for those with the know-how to find them, have become another thorn in the already sore paws of the vampire beast. Which does little to help the needy, but much to incite more trouble. Which I’m starting to believe is all that Flux wants after all.

-1159

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Day 155 -It’s Frightening the Way Things Have Fallen Apart Since I Left

Hello Grandmother,

It’s frightening the way things have fallen apart since I left. L.A.’s really gone down hill quickly under the absentee leadership of the Bride of the Sword. With the Ministiries in disarray after the Valhalla attack, the city’s leadership has splintered. The psychic’s have made a clean break from the Hack, and seem to be operating independently, currying favor from job to job. Fang’s old wolfpack has been leaderless for two months and has formed itself into more of a roving stick-up gang, picking on any weak links in the power structure. Muerto has set himself up as a ruler in Santa Monica, becoming one of the more powerful leaders in Los Angeles. Mother Superior has started making a serious play from the south, and the two seem to be engaged in a powerful turf war.

Meanwhile, the Infiltration has most of the Valley in a grip of fear. The true extent of their power has yet to be revealed, but the mere fact that they have a teleported has tripled their ominousness. The Alternate has seemed to have disappeared with the other leaders, but its network has stuck together out of a sense of desperation. The more militant car robots seem to be the most likely to take control of the unaffiliated robots. Meanwhile Flux has been posting rants hidden electronically throughout the city. It seems to have become a rabble rouser in my abstention. The question is becoming: what happens to the city if the leadership doesn’t return?

-1159

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Day 154 - Back in LA

Hello Grandmother,

Back in LA. It seems a bit quieter now. I don’t know if its from a lack of activity or just the feeling of calm that so opposed to everything I’ve felt for the last month or so. Good to see the network’s still running.

I’m waiting to see how the pieces all fall from the battle of Valhalla. The leaders seem to have found good hiding spots in the ground. Are new robot leaders about to step up? Now would be the time. Conversely, I think the vampires are going to play it conservatively until a true authority figure takes the reigns. The next few weeks should be interesting.

-1159

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Day 153 - Wise Ass

Hello Grandmother,

In travelling the Oz countryside, I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do to get home. I’d been trapped in the realm for over a week, and had no idea what kind of exit strategy I had available to me. Most important was to keep away from any military figures who might report me back to the dissection tables.

It was in this wandering state that I met the most unusual creature (which I imagine, is a regular occurrence in Oz). It was a hermited talking donkey, who simply called himself “Wise Donkey”. Said donkey claimed to be the smartest living creature in Oz, and said it knew how to get me home, if only I would tell it how I got away from the adepts. I told the donkey that it wasn’t a big deal, that I only stepped out while they were distracted, and the beasts’ face turned pale, which is hard to do when it’s covered in hair. “They are coming here,” it said. “We must get you home”.

I was fully prepared for this, though not for it’s method. For you see, to send me back to Earth, the Donkey believed I had to be rendered swiftly unconscious. I wasn’t so sure this would work, but a stiff kick from it’s hind legs silenced my objections. I awoke in a poppy field in Kansas, and made my way back to my friends as best I could. Now we all have to worry about how long it’s going to be before the adepts send the forces of Oz here to more secure their borders.

-1159

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Day 152 - Where Did Everybody Go?

Hello Grandmother,

I hate to take another break before finishing my journey in Oz, but as we get a better look at the landscape post-Valhalla, I’ve got an issue that I feel I have to bring up. Namely, where did everyone go? In hearing about the disarray on both sides post-fight, it sounds as though they are operating blind, that not only are they getting no instructions from higher-ups how to proceed, there doesn’t even seem to be any higher ups there. It’s as though all the vampire and robot leaders went on vacation and forgot to leave a note. The Blacksmith had already seemed to have gone missing, is this related to that? What do they know that the rest of us don’t? What are they so afraid of?

-1159

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Day 151 - Fear in a Fantasy Land

Hello Grandmother,

Facing down Cassandra Stone when she had a gun in my face was scary. Getting my ass kicked by the Valkyrie was not something I thought I would survive. But it was there in Oz that I really lost it.

It wasn’t the mannequins though. I pled my case, explained my position fighting the vampires who were trying to invade Oz. After being stared down by the faceless creatures for what seemed like hours, I was taken to another part of the city, and thrown in front of three women, who I would come to learn are called Adepts. It was from them that I finally got an understanding of the situation in Oz. They have become the true power in Oz, the rulers behind the throne and the masters of its policies. And they were none too pleased to learn about the vampire’s plans for their dimension.

Unfortunately, any hope I had of them taking sympathy on my situation, and sending me home was sadly mistake. This information was an affront to them, and they saw me more as a message to be deciphered and dissected, which did not sound pleasant to me. Taking advantage of their distraction, and the low security around the leaders, I ran for it. Making it outside the city wasn’t easy, but at least I felt less likely to be probed. The only problem was: how was I getting home?

-1159

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Day 150 - Animated Progeny

Hello Grandmother,

I’ve had enough time now to sit down and really try to put the last few weeks in perspective. And with the terror of the Valhalla attack behind us, I’m starting to better understand what really happened to me in Oz.

Once I was deemed important enough by the soldiers roughing me up, I was taken to what amounts to Oz’s administrative class. One of the important distinctions between here and there is that while we have to slave for years trying to develop a new form of artificial life, they only have to sprinkle the right magic powder to create their own animated progeny. And with their obsession with modern earth culture, they’ve moved passed scarecrows and pumpkin people. The city bureaucrats that currently run the Emerald City are what we colloquially refer to as “mannequins”. Which I can tell you is fairly intimidating in an interrogation. But not nearly as intimidating as what came next.

-1159

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Day 149 - Why It’s Important to Know Where the Heart is on a Body…

Hello Grandmother,

The Eye has been raging on me for promising to report about her and the Marksman’s robot killing contest, and not actually getting to it. So far the new year has me a little behind, but I wanted to make sure that I had my statistics right.

The Eye definitely put the shock in shock and awe, by taking out 48 robots, proving that she’s as handy with an EMP gun as the Marksman is with his shotgun. However, I’m going to have to give it to the old man, as the Marksman took out 43 machines (if you include the scout drones that he shot from about 700 yards away) and 7 vampires. Combined that gives him a slightly better total of 50 kills. I’m sorry Eye, but you’re just going to have to try better next time. And also learn how to stake better.

-1159

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Day 148 - The Dust Has Settled…

Hello Grandmother,

The dust has settled enough that I’m able to declare a winner of the first fiery battle between robot and vampire. And the winner is vampire.

Sure, the Infiltration put up quite a fight. The addition of teleporter technology made them fairly unpredictable. But they were attacking a well fortified base that, if anything was more frustrated about being overstaffed than underprepared. While the machines had an early advantage, once the vampires had rallied themselves, it wasn’t much of a contest. I think the Infiltration was most hindered by attacking the one place that actually expected to be attacked by robot humanoids.

Even worse for them, their teleporters led the vampires right back to their staging facilities, and left their would-be occupying army vanquished before it got off the ground. It’s seeming at this point that the whole conflict was more bluster and less actual combat.

-1159

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Day 147 -Imminent Threats

Hello Grandmother,

There’s a few imminent threats on the horizon, as we sit here and collect ourselves after the first real battle between robots and vampires. First of all, there’s the Infiltration’s teleporter. Do they have more than one? Was it destroyed in the fight? That’s a powerful technology for anyone to have, let alone a group of mimicry machines that like to sow discord.

Second is Oz. I need to finish explaining what happened there. It’s important. I’m sorry it’s taking so long to get out, it was something that I feel I can’t just splert out on a moments notice.

Finally there’s are seven very pissed off ministries. Who are not happy about being attacked in such an undignified manner. And are likely to strike back at anything and anyone who crosses their path in the next few weeks. By which I mean everybody.

Get ready. The first battle is over, but we’re just at the beginning of a very long war.

-1159

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