View source for To The Cleverest

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<blockquote> ''“He who dies with the most toys wins.”'' <br> '''-Malcolm Forbes''' </blockquote>

A most mysterious object has shown up in the Seattle Metroplex without explination: a statuette of unknown origin and providence, apparently quite magical and seemingly having appeared out of thin air. Looking upon it fills one with a strange sense of satisfaction if it's in their possession, or else a quiet but insistent yearning to own it for oneself. As well, taking ownership of the statuette imbues one with the knowledge that in just a few short months time this little 'contest' will be at end, and 'The Cleverest' will be chosen. What exactly this entails is currently unknown, but it's kicked off a shadowrunning spree as the movers and shakers of the Metroplex vie to steal the strange statuette for themselves.

==Owners==

The statuette changes hands frequently, going from faction to faction and person to person as others become aware of and subsequently put into action plans to steal the item from its bearer. The goal of the metaplot is to use either existing or new contacts as the 'possessor' and 'seeker' - i.e. the target and employer of the job. As the item changes hands, please list each owner listed here for posterity. A full chain of custody does not have to be established; the item can just as easily change hands 'off-screen' as suits the needs of the GM running a game involving it.

====Goals====

* Obtain (and keep) the statuette.
* Be 'The Cleverest' when time is up.

==The Statuette==

The statuette in question is about a foot tall and made of solid gold. It depicts a chimpanzee in the pose of the famous 'The Thinker' statue, sitting in a ponderous position with its chin resting on one hand. Anyone who lays eyes on the statuette feels a mild compulsion to possess it; anyone who lays hands on it gains immediate knowledge of the 'contest' and the title of 'The Cleverest', though not the significance of either.

The statuette is seemingly indestructible; no force brought to bare on it will damage it in any way. As well, any attempt to lose, misplace or give it away will invariably fail, resulting in the statuette being found amongst the owner's personal possessions. The only known way for the object to change hands is for it to be stolen in a suitably 'clever' way - however, one can employ agents to act on their behalf in this capacity.

The statuette itself seems to be possessed of a mild form of sentience. It occasionally moves when unobserved, seemingly unobstructed by barriers, often to a prominent position where it will be most likely to be observed by others. When an act of particular 'cleverness' is performed in its immediate vicinity, the face of the monkey can be seen to briefly smile or wink at the perpetrator before returning to its pensive expression.

==Assensing Results==

The statuette actively resists attempts to assess its magical properties either via assensing, detect magic or other means; GMs should use a pool of 20 dice to oppose any tests relating to discerning its aura or function, as well as impose a -5 penalty on the observer's roll, and present deliberately conflicting results to different observers in order to achieve the most amusing results. Treat a glitch on this test as if the observer had failed a test against the Accident critter power; a critical glitch results in a proportionately misfortune outcome, per the power. These results are best used to make the observer appear clumsy and foolish, or otherwise stymie attempts to present themselves as 'the Cleverest.' Should an observer manage to achieve any net hits, present the information as follows:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Net Hits
!Information Gained
|-
|1
|Has a faintly perceptible magical aura. Unknown class.
|-
|2
|Has a radiant golden aura that immediately draws the third eye. Appears to be a power focus.
|-
|3
|Has a humming electric blue aura that stings the third eye to look upon. Appears to be of a higher force than the observer. Has an almost-imperceptible astral signature present upon it in the form of a runic maker's mark on the bottom of the base.
|-
|4
|Has an aura of a colour one can't quite put into words, and requires a Threshold 3 [LOG + WILL] Test to retain memory of. Appears to be Force 10. Astral signature was placed there by the creator in order to magically track the object as it changes hands.
|-
|5+
|Has a constantly-shifting kaleidoscopic aura of ever-changing colours and sounds - it seems to be in a state of Flux. Appears to be an artifact.
|-
|}

==Runs==
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==News==

{{#ask: [[Category:News]][[hasMetaplot::{{FULLPAGENAME}}]]
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[[Category:Metaplots]]