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{{Character
{{Infobox Character
|name=Thisbe
| title =Thisbe
|pronouns=she/her
|pronouns=she/her
|appears_in=|player = [[Janine Hawkins]]|appearsIn = [[PARTIZAN]]
|player = [[Janine Hawkins]]
|relatives = [[Sombre Sky]] (avoidant)
|people = [[Synthetic]]
[[Mourningbride]] (uncanny)|affiliation = [[The Society of Banners and Bright Returns]]|aliases = Diesel (callsign)}}
| affiliations = [[The Society of Banners and Bright Returns]]<br />[[Millennium Break]]<br />[[Blue Channel (party)|Blue Channel]]
|aliases = Diesel (callsign)
|color_theme=pzn|season=[[PARTIZAN]]<br />[[PALISADE]]|playbook=The Artificial (''[[Beam Saber]]'')<br>The Incandescent (''[[Armour Astir]]'')}}


'''Thisbe''' is a character in [[PARTIZAN]]. She is a synthetic person built to resemble the [[Hypha]]. Her playbook is '''the Artificial'''.
'''Thisbe''' is a player character in ''[[PARTIZAN]]'' and ''[[PALISADE]]''. She is an ancient, [[Synthetics|synthetic]] being built to resemble the [[Hypha]], though she recalls nothing of her life before she was discovered buried in a farm on [[Partizan (moon)|Partizan]].


== Backstory ==
==Appearance==
'''Thisbe''' is a robot created to work - she was meant to be a multi-purpose tool. The people who built her wanted to exploit the skills of the Hypha; she has abilities to sense and scan technology.
She is a sleek, glassy and shiny robot in a muted blueish color based on the [[Hypha]] or the Ashen. She has large, exaggerated legs like Drossel from Fireball Charming and a stylized face - cuter than the Hypha, looking more like a deer. She has extremely intense ram's horns, like a watch spring's spiral but more conical.
 
She is very tall—about two feet taller than the other party members—and has a scar across her face from when she was dug up. The scar was filled with clear polymer-like material. After meeting with the [[Sable Court]], the scar has been filled with silver white opal [[memoria]] dust with slight hints of rainbow.
 
She has a DOS-prompt-like computer built onto her hands. After the [[PARTIZAN 38: The Red Light|Red Light]] over [[Obelle]], she has a thigh tattoo (a solid black design where a garter belt would be) and transparent fingerless gloves to protect her hand screens.
 
While on the [[Isles of Logos]] in ''PARTIZAN'', she purchased a wraparound tropical print sarong which she wore as a skirt for the occasion.
 
In ''PALISADE'', the screens on her hands have been scratched and clouded with wear, and she has a simple grey cloak.<ref name="pal01">[[PALISADE 01: Into the World Pt. 1]]</ref>
 
{{Spoiler block|spoiling=[[PALISADE 37: Reach In / Reach Out Pt. 1]]|text=After taking on [[Integrity]], Thisbe's horns are replaced by more 'solid' golden [https://web.archive.org/web/20130218161456/https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photography-ram-nice-horns-image16013472 ram's horns] with a gold band between them coming to a vee at the nape of her neck.|theme=pal}}
 
==Personality==
Thisbe is responsible, dependable, and implacable. She views herself as a tool more than a person, but doesn't resent that. She refers to those she allows to make use of her as 'operants'. She is opposed to "the kinds of systems that could create things like her"<ref name="pzn30">[[PARTIZAN 30: A Cemetery for Heroes]]</ref> as she was created in the image of a colonized people to serve the Principality's imperial advancement. She also does not think of [[Divines]] as gods, but rather beings on the same continuum of existence as her: "I am to them what Mow is to me."<ref name="pal28">[[PALISADE 28: Honesty and Integrity Pt. 1]]</ref>
 
On the train ride in "[[PARTIZAN 07: Ambush in the Sand|Ambush in the Sand]]", Thisbe's vibes are that of "a dog looking out the window": "So you sort of...you sort of stare and look until you find one thing to fixate on, but then your head moves very fast, because it’s gone immediately." However, when there are no accommodations for her, she just stands in place with her head locked into position.
 
Thisbe appears to like documentaries. For movie night, she recommends a documentary called ''Is Corn Grass?'' that is about whether or not corn is grass.<ref name="pal12">[[PALISADE 12: Worth the Trouble Pt. 1]]</ref> She also lent [[Brnine]] a DVD of a documentary about space trucking to try to cheer them up when they were recovering in the ''[[Blue Channel (ship)|Blue Channel]]''<nowiki/>'s infirmary.<ref name="pal29">[[PALISADE 29: Honesty and Integrity Pt. 2]]</ref>
 
In ''[[Questlandia]]'', Thisbe's role is Messenger, her drive is Change and Progress, her personality is Gentle and Powerful, and her weakness is Cheat.<ref name="pal46">[[PALISADE 46: A Palette of Colors Pt. 1]]</ref>
 
===Drive (''[[Beam Saber]]'')===
 
*Find the farmers of her planet and return.<ref name="pzn01">[[PARTIZAN 01: The Seaside Town of Obelle]]</ref>
 
===Scars (''Beam Saber'')=== 
*Reckless<ref name="pzn15">[[PARTIZAN 15: Divine Attention]]</ref>
*Relentless<ref name="pzn41">[[PARTIZAN 41: Orbital Decay]]</ref>
 
===Hooks (''[[Armour Astir: Advent|Armour Astir]]'')===
*My presence is a liability to my operants.<ref name="pal01" /><ref group="Note">Loosened as of "[[PALISADE 23: An Impossible Ideal Pt. 2|An Impossible Ideal Pt. 1]]".</ref>
*I must strive at all times to demonstrate my utility.<ref name="pal01" /><ref name=":0" group="Note">Loosened by [[Dust]]'s influence in "[[Seize the Chance Pt. 4]]".</ref>
*Fighting is not my purpose, but there is nowhere else for me until the fighting is over.<ref name="pal01" /><ref name=":0" group="Note" />
 
=== Goal (''Questlandia'') ===
 
* Mend the scattered shards of Divinity.<ref group="Note">Referring not to the [[Divine Principality]] but to [[Divines]], [[Afflictions]], [[Delegates]], etc.</ref><ref name="pal46" />
 
==History and Involvement==
 
===Origins===
Thisbe is a "Servide" model robot created to work she was meant to be a multi-purpose tool. The people who built her wanted to exploit the skills of the Hypha; she has abilities to sense and scan technology.
 
{{Spoiler block|spoiling=[[PARTIZAN 41: Orbital Decay]]|text=Thisbe's first operant was the Divine [[Space]]. During the Principality's first [[Divine Principality#Ascendant Millennium|era of colonization]], she was one of many units that were sent to colonize the Orion arm.|theme=pzn}}
 
She was found by farmers, who dug her out of the ground on their farm. In the process, they damaged her face with their shovel, leaving a scar. She does not have any memories of her life from before that time.
 
Since she was too dangerous to live on a farm, she was purchased by a team of mercenaries, who later sold her to the current crew after most of them got killed in a mission. The team believed Thisbe was just a regular robot at first, but soon realized she was sentient, and a real part of the crew. She does her best to anticipate what people need of her.<ref name="pzn01" />
 
===''PARTIZAN''===
{{Spoiler header|section=section|spoiling=''PARTIZAN''|theme=pzn}}
Thisbe participated in SBBR's support of [[Oxblood Clan|Oxblood]] during the crash landing of Past in [[Obelle]]. Cymbidium sent out a last psychic message to Thisbe, who he thinks was a Hypha sent by [[Mourningbride]]: someone rethreaded [[the Strand]] to go "where they must not", and they must be stopped. During downtime, she climbs to the top of the Pique Ridge and, taking cues from Cymbidium, uses Mow’s amplifier and her antlers to send a message to [[Mourningbride]]. When she returns, SBBR agree to visit Mourningbride at Lake Timea and confirm the message is received.
 
In their next mission, SBBR helped drive away the 301st from the [[Sable Court]], and received clarified memoria in exchange, while Thisbe learned that there are unmapped worlds, one of which may be her home. During a visit to the [[Isles of Logos]], Thisbe was made uncomfortable by Valence's attempts to bring her into conversation, but they helped her search for her home at the observatory.
 
Thisbe and Broun were part of a staged fight with Oxblood for SBBR's next mission, which became a real fight against Imperium's Plume. Back in Oxbridge, she scheduled an appointment with [[the Divine, Arbitrage]] to find information about her home. She also aided Valence's organizing of the [[Millennium Break]] conference by informing the Sable Court of their plans.


She was found by farmers, who dug her out of the ground on their farm. In the process, they damaged her face with their shovel, leaving a scar. She does not have any memories of her life from before that time.
Thisbe aided Millennium Break where she could, such as physical labor and moderating election debates. When Courage attacked, she was damaged and had to be hotwired by Broun, but in the end was instrumental in capturing the Divine without further casualties. She joined the Vigil City attack, and worked on the Icebreaker hydroponics, and attempted to recruit Clementine Kesh into these efforts. Thisbe was also a medalist in mech sumo during the [[Summer Passage of Arms|Summer Passage]].


Since she was too dangerous to live on a farm, she was purchased by a team of mercenaries, who later sold her to the current crew after most of them got killed in a mission.
Thisbe was part of an operation with [[Big SBBR|SBBR]] to steal Memoria from the Principality which went bad. She was ordered by Valence to take Sovereign Immunity and the Memoria and leave, which she did. Valence was left behind, and died killing Crysanth Kesh.


The team believed Thisbe was just a regular robot at first, but soon realized she was sentient, and a real part of the crew. She does her best to anticipate what people need of her.
Upon returning to Oxbridge, Thisbe had her meeting with the Divine, Arbitrage, which was intrigued by her and informed her of the name, history and location of her home, [[Collier]]. She also brought Broun a plant in a Bing 32. Thisbe joined the evacuations into the Reflecting Pool during the arrival of the Red Light, using the Past library to find more about Collier and connecting with Sovereign Immunity, with his own history with the planet.


Her drive is to find the farmers that saved her and be of use to them.<sup><ref>[[PARTIZAN 01: The Seaside Town of Obelle]], 0:45:58</ref></sup>
Thisbe was on the ''Blue Channel'' during its launch off Partizan and helped defend it against Motion's forces. At the Portcullis, she interfaced with the gate and learned why she was originally manufactured. During Operation Shackled Sun, Thisbe and Phrygian helped retrieve Kalar and the Figure and their vital information. Thisbe helped attack Motion directly in the battle by using the ''Blue Channel''<nowiki/>'s onboard gun like a rifle from the outside of the ship. As a consequence of her notoriety, she was unable to retire to Collier.


==Appearance==
===''PALISADE''===
She is a sleek, glassy and shiny robot in a muted blueish color based on the [[Hypha]], or the Ashen. She has large, exaggerated legs like Drossel from Fireball Charming and a stylized face - cuter than the Hypha, looking more like a deer.
{{Spoiler header|section=section|spoiling=''PALISADE''|theme=pal}}
As of [[PALISADE 01: Into the World Pt. 1|''PALISADE'' episode 01]], she has been in hiding for several years, due to her highly recognizable appearance and public identity as the mech sumo champion from the Summer Passage of Arms. She has remained part of Millenium Break during this time, but in the years between ''PARTIZAN'' and ''PALISADE'' she did not work directly with [[Kalvin Brnine|Brnine]] until her recent assignment to the ''Blue Channel''. Also, a spark in her core has awakened magic within her frame, granting her arcane powers.
 
While the crew is on a mission to find a [[Fundament]] in the [[Diadem]], Thisbe, Figure and Brnine encounter two Twill people who are attempting to resurrect the Divine [[Palisade (planet)|Palisade]]. Their plan fails, and instead the person who wakes up is the [[Delegates|Delegate]] [[Partial Palisade]]. The crew then help to relocate the Twill's village, which had been forced into the Diadem by the Principality. Thisbe takes a special interest in aiding the Twill because of their incorporation of plants into their bodies.
 
During the next mission, Thisbe, Figure, and Cori attempt to apprehend Gem, a person of interest to the Cause, while she travels via gravtrain. Thisbe diverts the train, enters, and confronts Gem, who transforms first into Constantina Malady and then into an Iconoclast. Gem offers to build Thisbe a world where others can understand her perspective, but Thisbe rejects this. After a discussion with the rest of the crew, she agrees to deliver Gem to the Witch in Glass to protect Figure from the Witch.
 
For the next mission, the ''Blue Channel'' crew arrive at the Isle of the Broken Key to weed out BIS spies. Thisbe and Figure investigate the archives there and learn that Chimera's Lantern may be able to provide Figure with an alternate source of magical energy. They encounter an Iconoclastic [[Kenneth Marian Colver]] and Thisbe accedes to the ''Kestrel White''<nowiki/>'s demands to return him in an attempt to prevent further conflict. Unfortunately, Colver continues to attack until Phrygian destroys the Kestrel White, allowing the crew to detain a number of spies.
 
In part because of the ''Blue Channel''<nowiki/>'s actions on the Isle of the Broken Key, [[Stargrave Elcessor]] arms her [[Stellar Combustor|stellar combustor]] and delivers an ultimatum: if any movement is made against the [[Bilateral Intercession]], she will detonate it and end trillions of lives, and she will only disarm it if every leader of the Cause turns themselves in. While Phrygian, Routine and Brnine head off on a risky mission to stop the detonation, Thisbe leads the rest of the crew to Chimera's Lantern, where they dodge Divine creatures and fight off Nidean forces to meet with the Chimeric Cadent. Thisbe is intrigued and begins to think about the nature of Divines and wonder if they can be protected.
 
Although the stellar combustor mission was apparently successful, Phrygian, Routine and the captain do not return to the ship. To her discomfort, Thisbe is left in nominal command until Figure manages to teleport Brnine (and the DIvine [[Integrity]]) back to the ''Blue Channel''.
 
In the next mission, the ''Blue Channel'' is sent to acquire the [[Filigree (Divine)|train brain]] directing the Palisade gravtrains, giving Thisbe a chance to use a new ability to create illusions. Thisbe is mid-combat when the Affliction Dust's effect hits, making a doppelduster of her and sending her into an alternate universe dream. In the dream, she is the leader of many similar units on Collier for the service of Millennium Break. Midway through the dream, Brnine is caught in the dust as well and joins her for an uncomfortable conversation in a local bar. The dream is broken by Cori escaping her own dream, and Brnine successfully negotiates with Dust for the train brain while Thisbe serves as an intermediary to prevent it from overwhelming them.
 
After the mission, Brnine speaks to Cori and Thisbe about having Integrity on board. Thisbe decides she wants to let Integrity integrate with her, and after Brnine agrees, she does so.
 
==Relationships==
{{Construction|section=subsection}}
 
===Sombre Sky===
In character creation, Thisbe was said to be "avoidant" of [[Sombre Sky]] because of a bad interaction where Sombre was "a little too interested" in her between Thisbe leaving her home planet and being picked up by [[The Society of Banners and Bright Returns|SBBR]]. However, Sombre never interacted with the SBBR crew in the podcast after this.
 
===Mourningbride===
In character creation, it was mentioned that Thisbe once met [[Mourningbride]] briefly while on a job bringing supplies to the Sable Court. Their relationship is "uncanny" due to Thisbe's uncomfortable visual resemblance to the Hypha. In the aftermath of the crash of Past, Cymbidium entrusted a message for Mourningbride to her. Thisbe attempted to relay the message psychically, but in response Mourningbride gave her a sort of psychic slap, forcing her to come to the Sable Court in person.
{{Spoiler block|spoiling=[[PARTIZAN 25: Millennium Break: Courage in the Shadow of Opportunity]]|text=Thisbe was among those who helped take down Mourningbride and Courage when they attacked Icebreaker Prime. Although Mourningbride used a Principality code phrase to deactivate her, Broun brought Thisbe back online and she and Eiden immobilized Mourningbride and Courage.|theme=pzn}}{{Spoiler block|spoiling=[[PARTIZAN 38: The Red Light]]|text=When Mourningbride and Law attacked Oxbridge, Thisbe gave her a return psychic slap before evacuating the city.|theme=pzn}}
 
===Kal'mera Broun / Kalvin Brnine===
 
===Coriolis Sunset===
 
===Integrity===
{{Spoiler block|spoiling=[[PALISADE 37: Reach In / Reach Out Pt. 1]]|text=Thisbe becomes the Elect of [[Integrity]] during ''PALISADE''. After Brnine unintentionally brings Integrity back to the ''Blue Channel'' following their assassination of [[Dahlia]], Thisbe tells Brnine that she would like to let Integrity integrate with her, and Brnine agrees.<ref name="pal37">[[PALISADE 37: Reach In / Reach Out Pt. 1]]</ref>|theme=pal}}
 
=== Relationship Mechanics ===
 
==== Beliefs (''Beam Saber'') ====
 
===== Valence =====
*<s>[[Valence|Operant Valence]] seeks my obsolescence.</s><ref name="pzn00">Starting beliefs from [[PARTIZAN 00: The Divine Principality]]</ref><ref group="Note">Removed as of [[PARTIZAN 30: A Cemetery for Heroes]].</ref>
*Operant Valence's priorities are beyond my understanding.<ref name="pzn14">[[PARTIZAN 14: Deception in the Canyon City]]</ref>
*Operant Valence is not forceful enough to lead.<ref name="pzn29">[[PARTIZAN 29: Buried Beneath Golden Leaves]]</ref>
 
===== Kal'mera Broun =====
* [[Kal'mera Broun|Operant Broun]] will sell or trade me in the moment my usefulness is expended.<ref name="pzn00" />
*Operant Broun will protect me.<ref name="pzn37">[[PARTIZAN 37: The Gravity of Absence]]</ref>
* Operant Broun lies to me because they believe I am a person.<ref name="pzn39">[[PARTIZAN 39: Escape Velocity]]</ref>
 
===== Ver'million Blue =====
*[[Ver'million Blue|Operant Blue]] will not ask for help when she most needs it.<ref name="pzn39" />
 
==== Gravity clocks (''Armour Astir'') ====
*<s>Brnine is like everybody else.</s><ref name="pal02">[[PALISADE 02: Into the World Pt. 2]]</ref> <s>They are not a uniquely privileged operant.</s><ref name="pal04">[[PALISADE 04: I Would Like to Help You Pt. 1]]</ref><ref group="Note">Advanced to +2 and rewritten as of "[[Honesty and Integrity Pt. 2]]".</ref>
**<s>Brnine is capable but brittle. Their success and survival is the only way forward.</s><ref name="pal31">[[PALISADE 31: Seize the Chance Pt. 2]]</ref>
*** Brnine is capable but brittle. They deserve to live a better life than this. Get them to it.<ref name="pal58">[[PALISADE 58: Above the Earth Pt. 2]]</ref>
*<s>I will tend to the [[Twill]]. They need to be shown care, and I am capable.</s><ref name="pal14">[[PALISADE 14: Upon Our Grace Pt. 1]]</ref><ref group="Note">Completed and erased as of "[[Reach In / Reach Out Pt. 2]]".</ref>
*If I am a bullet, [[Coriolis Sunset|Cori]] is a grenade. If she is not stopped she will self-destruct and take others with her.<ref name="pal23">[[PALISADE 23: An Impossible Ideal Pt. 2]]</ref><ref group="Note">The first part of this clock was originally written as "If I am a gun..." but it appears as "If I am a bullet..." beginning in "[[Seize the Chance Pt. 1]]".</ref>
*[[Leap]]: ...he exists. TK TK TK TK<ref name="pal57">[[PALISADE 57: Above the Earth Pt. 1]]</ref>
 
====''Questlandia''====
 
*Cori has been poisoned by conflict, but she is not beyond saving.
*Brnine has been my anchor. [Exhausted]
 
==Abilities ==
 
===''Beam Saber'' ===   
*''Purpose-Built'': Thisbe may take an extra dice when fulfilling the purpose Labor.
* ''Connect the Dots:'' Thisbe can spend spark to ask an extra question while gathering information. (From the Memoria gifted to SBBR by the Sable Court.)
*''Internal Mechanism:'' Thisbe can declare a piece of gear as part of her body at the start of a mission.
*''Will Not Stop. Ever.:'' Thisbe can choose to stay in a scene after receiving a scar or vehicle breakdown, at the cost of harm to her or Mow.
*''Like Looking Into A Mirror:'' Thisbe can tell when someone is lying.
*''Tough as Nails:'' Thisbe takes less penalties from harm.
*''Super Charge:'' Thisbe may act with extreme strength or speed when pushing herself.
 
===''Armour Astir''===
 
*''Internal Codex'': Thisbe can take advantage to Dispel Uncertainties related to her original purpose in a mission.<ref name="pal02">[[PALISADE 02: Into the World Pt. 2]]</ref>
*''Animation Matrix'': Thisbe can communicate with ardents of any type or level of awareness.<ref name="pal15">[[PALISADE 15: Upon Our Grace Pt. 2]]</ref>
*''Deny'': When Thisbe uses magic to temporarily restrict the actions of another, she rolls plus Channel.<ref name="pal23" />
*<s>''Unstable Charge'': During a Sortie, Thisbe can attempt to change her or [[Mow]]'s Approach.</s><ref name="pal30">[[PALISADE 30: Seize the Chance Pt. 1]]</ref><ref group="Note">It's not entirely clear, but Janine seems to have replaced Unstable Charge with Tactical Illusions between "[[Seize the Chance Pt. 1]]" and "[[Seize the Chance Pt. 2|Pt. 2]]", after she realized that Unstable Charge did not allow her to do what she hoped with it.</ref>
*''Tactical Illusions'': Thisbe can use illusions to distract her foes. They may distract someone else as well in the process.<ref name="pal31" />
*''Worldwide Resonance'': During Downtime, Thisbe can Glide Through Currents (essentially, astral project) in order to either ask [[Austin Walker|the Director]] a question and gain useful information, or lay a trap against the Authority for the next [[Faction Game (PALISADE)|Conflict Turn]]. Anyone who participates in her Glide Through Currents scene may spend a token to: add a D6 to Plan & Prepare; start or advance a long-term project; or advance their Gravity with someone else in the scene.<ref name="pal43">[[PALISADE 43: Where They Are Pt. 1]]</ref>
 
==Possessions==
 
===''Armour Astir''===
 
*Grappling hook (Tier 1)<ref name="pal04" />
 
== Mech==
Thisbe's mech is called [[Mow]]. He is very big and has the build of a gorilla — top-heavy, with big arms. There's a little horn-like protrusion on his back that Thisbe hangs onto. He is kind of battered, but lovingly maintained; he's seen better days, but is washed and waxed.
 
In the years between ''PARTIZAN'' and ''PALISADE'', Mow got a new paint job. It makes him look like the mech equivalent of an antique milk truck.<ref name="pal01" />


She is very tall - about two feet taller than the others, and has a scar across her face, from when she was dug up. The scar is filled with clear polymer-like material.
==Trivia==


She has extremely intense ram's horns, like a watch spring's spiral but more conical.
*Thisbe's voice cast if ''PARTIZAN'' were adapted into live action is Gillian Anderson.
* The name Thisbe is a contraction of "this being". She began to call herself Thisbe instead of "this being" when she realized that the farmers who found her wanted to be able to call her by a name.<ref name="pzn12">[[PARTIZAN 12: A Call From an Island]]</ref>


== Mech ==
==Gallery==
It's called [[Mow]], it's very big and it has the build of a gorilla - top-heavy, with big arms. There's a little horn-like protrusion on the back. It's kind of battered, but lovingly maintained; it's seen better days, but it's washed and waxed.
<gallery>
File:Thisbe Si F Sweetman.png|alt=Thisbe depicted wearing a grey cloak|Thisbe fanart by [https://cohost.org/SiFSweetman/post/1177524-final-one-of-the-set Si F Sweetman]
File:Palisade PCs Vlasdygoth.jpg|alt=Group fanart of Cori, Phrygian, Thisbe, Figure, and Brnine|Thisbe and her colleagues in ''PALISADE'' by [[:Category:Vlasdygoth|Vlasdygoth]]
</gallery>


== Beliefs ==
==Notes==
* [[Valence]] seeks my obsolescence.
<references group="Note" />
* [[Kal'mera Broun|Broun]] will sell or trade me in the moment my usefulness is expended.
* [[Valence]]'s priorities are beyond my understanding.
* Broun will protect me.


== References ==
==References==
<references />[[Category:PARTIZAN Characters]]
<references />
[[Category:The Society of Banners and Bright Returns Members]]
{{NavboxPZN}}{{NavboxPAL}}
[[Category:PARTIZAN characters]]
[[Category:PALISADE characters]]
[[Category:Society of Banners and Bright Returns members‏‎]]
[[Category:Janine characters]]
[[Category:Millennium Break members]]
[[Category:PARTIZAN PCs]]
[[Category:PALISADE PCs]]
[[Category:Synthetics]]
[[Category:Elects]]
[[Category:Millennium Break arc]]
[[Category:Operation Shackled Sun arc]]
[[Category:Into the World arc]]
[[Category:I Would Like to Help You arc]]
[[Category:The Canvas of Dreams arc]]
[[Category:Worth the Trouble arc]]
[[Category:Upon Our Grace arc]]
[[Category:In Their Fear arc]]
[[Category:An Impossible Ideal arc]]
[[Category:Honesty and Integrity arc]]
[[Category:Seize the Chance arc]]
[[Category:Reach In / Reach Out arc]]
[[Category:A Mechanical Whine arc]]
[[Category:Where They Are arc]]
[[Category:A Palette of Colors arc]]
[[Category:Above the Earth arc]]

Latest revision as of 12:18, 11 August 2024

Thisbe is a player character in PARTIZAN and PALISADE. She is an ancient, synthetic being built to resemble the Hypha, though she recalls nothing of her life before she was discovered buried in a farm on Partizan.

Appearance[edit | edit source]

She is a sleek, glassy and shiny robot in a muted blueish color based on the Hypha or the Ashen. She has large, exaggerated legs like Drossel from Fireball Charming and a stylized face - cuter than the Hypha, looking more like a deer. She has extremely intense ram's horns, like a watch spring's spiral but more conical.

She is very tall—about two feet taller than the other party members—and has a scar across her face from when she was dug up. The scar was filled with clear polymer-like material. After meeting with the Sable Court, the scar has been filled with silver white opal memoria dust with slight hints of rainbow.

She has a DOS-prompt-like computer built onto her hands. After the Red Light over Obelle, she has a thigh tattoo (a solid black design where a garter belt would be) and transparent fingerless gloves to protect her hand screens.

While on the Isles of Logos in PARTIZAN, she purchased a wraparound tropical print sarong which she wore as a skirt for the occasion.

In PALISADE, the screens on her hands have been scratched and clouded with wear, and she has a simple grey cloak.[1]

Palcover.jpg

This section contains spoilers for PALISADE 37: Reach In / Reach Out Pt. 1.
Click here to reveal.

After taking on Integrity, Thisbe's horns are replaced by more 'solid' golden ram's horns with a gold band between them coming to a vee at the nape of her neck.

Personality[edit | edit source]

Thisbe is responsible, dependable, and implacable. She views herself as a tool more than a person, but doesn't resent that. She refers to those she allows to make use of her as 'operants'. She is opposed to "the kinds of systems that could create things like her"[2] as she was created in the image of a colonized people to serve the Principality's imperial advancement. She also does not think of Divines as gods, but rather beings on the same continuum of existence as her: "I am to them what Mow is to me."[3]

On the train ride in "Ambush in the Sand", Thisbe's vibes are that of "a dog looking out the window": "So you sort of...you sort of stare and look until you find one thing to fixate on, but then your head moves very fast, because it’s gone immediately." However, when there are no accommodations for her, she just stands in place with her head locked into position.

Thisbe appears to like documentaries. For movie night, she recommends a documentary called Is Corn Grass? that is about whether or not corn is grass.[4] She also lent Brnine a DVD of a documentary about space trucking to try to cheer them up when they were recovering in the Blue Channel's infirmary.[5]

In Questlandia, Thisbe's role is Messenger, her drive is Change and Progress, her personality is Gentle and Powerful, and her weakness is Cheat.[6]

Drive (Beam Saber)[edit | edit source]

  • Find the farmers of her planet and return.[7]

Scars (Beam Saber)[edit | edit source]

Hooks (Armour Astir)[edit | edit source]

  • My presence is a liability to my operants.[1][Note 1]
  • I must strive at all times to demonstrate my utility.[1][Note 2]
  • Fighting is not my purpose, but there is nowhere else for me until the fighting is over.[1][Note 2]

Goal (Questlandia)[edit | edit source]

History and Involvement[edit | edit source]

Origins[edit | edit source]

Thisbe is a "Servide" model robot created to work — she was meant to be a multi-purpose tool. The people who built her wanted to exploit the skills of the Hypha; she has abilities to sense and scan technology.

Pzncover.jpg

This section contains spoilers for PARTIZAN 41: Orbital Decay.
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Thisbe's first operant was the Divine Space. During the Principality's first era of colonization, she was one of many units that were sent to colonize the Orion arm.

She was found by farmers, who dug her out of the ground on their farm. In the process, they damaged her face with their shovel, leaving a scar. She does not have any memories of her life from before that time.

Since she was too dangerous to live on a farm, she was purchased by a team of mercenaries, who later sold her to the current crew after most of them got killed in a mission. The team believed Thisbe was just a regular robot at first, but soon realized she was sentient, and a real part of the crew. She does her best to anticipate what people need of her.[7]

PARTIZAN[edit | edit source]

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Thisbe participated in SBBR's support of Oxblood during the crash landing of Past in Obelle. Cymbidium sent out a last psychic message to Thisbe, who he thinks was a Hypha sent by Mourningbride: someone rethreaded the Strand to go "where they must not", and they must be stopped. During downtime, she climbs to the top of the Pique Ridge and, taking cues from Cymbidium, uses Mow’s amplifier and her antlers to send a message to Mourningbride. When she returns, SBBR agree to visit Mourningbride at Lake Timea and confirm the message is received.

In their next mission, SBBR helped drive away the 301st from the Sable Court, and received clarified memoria in exchange, while Thisbe learned that there are unmapped worlds, one of which may be her home. During a visit to the Isles of Logos, Thisbe was made uncomfortable by Valence's attempts to bring her into conversation, but they helped her search for her home at the observatory.

Thisbe and Broun were part of a staged fight with Oxblood for SBBR's next mission, which became a real fight against Imperium's Plume. Back in Oxbridge, she scheduled an appointment with the Divine, Arbitrage to find information about her home. She also aided Valence's organizing of the Millennium Break conference by informing the Sable Court of their plans.

Thisbe aided Millennium Break where she could, such as physical labor and moderating election debates. When Courage attacked, she was damaged and had to be hotwired by Broun, but in the end was instrumental in capturing the Divine without further casualties. She joined the Vigil City attack, and worked on the Icebreaker hydroponics, and attempted to recruit Clementine Kesh into these efforts. Thisbe was also a medalist in mech sumo during the Summer Passage.

Thisbe was part of an operation with SBBR to steal Memoria from the Principality which went bad. She was ordered by Valence to take Sovereign Immunity and the Memoria and leave, which she did. Valence was left behind, and died killing Crysanth Kesh.

Upon returning to Oxbridge, Thisbe had her meeting with the Divine, Arbitrage, which was intrigued by her and informed her of the name, history and location of her home, Collier. She also brought Broun a plant in a Bing 32. Thisbe joined the evacuations into the Reflecting Pool during the arrival of the Red Light, using the Past library to find more about Collier and connecting with Sovereign Immunity, with his own history with the planet.

Thisbe was on the Blue Channel during its launch off Partizan and helped defend it against Motion's forces. At the Portcullis, she interfaced with the gate and learned why she was originally manufactured. During Operation Shackled Sun, Thisbe and Phrygian helped retrieve Kalar and the Figure and their vital information. Thisbe helped attack Motion directly in the battle by using the Blue Channel's onboard gun like a rifle from the outside of the ship. As a consequence of her notoriety, she was unable to retire to Collier.

PALISADE[edit | edit source]

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As of PALISADE episode 01, she has been in hiding for several years, due to her highly recognizable appearance and public identity as the mech sumo champion from the Summer Passage of Arms. She has remained part of Millenium Break during this time, but in the years between PARTIZAN and PALISADE she did not work directly with Brnine until her recent assignment to the Blue Channel. Also, a spark in her core has awakened magic within her frame, granting her arcane powers.

While the crew is on a mission to find a Fundament in the Diadem, Thisbe, Figure and Brnine encounter two Twill people who are attempting to resurrect the Divine Palisade. Their plan fails, and instead the person who wakes up is the Delegate Partial Palisade. The crew then help to relocate the Twill's village, which had been forced into the Diadem by the Principality. Thisbe takes a special interest in aiding the Twill because of their incorporation of plants into their bodies.

During the next mission, Thisbe, Figure, and Cori attempt to apprehend Gem, a person of interest to the Cause, while she travels via gravtrain. Thisbe diverts the train, enters, and confronts Gem, who transforms first into Constantina Malady and then into an Iconoclast. Gem offers to build Thisbe a world where others can understand her perspective, but Thisbe rejects this. After a discussion with the rest of the crew, she agrees to deliver Gem to the Witch in Glass to protect Figure from the Witch.

For the next mission, the Blue Channel crew arrive at the Isle of the Broken Key to weed out BIS spies. Thisbe and Figure investigate the archives there and learn that Chimera's Lantern may be able to provide Figure with an alternate source of magical energy. They encounter an Iconoclastic Kenneth Marian Colver and Thisbe accedes to the Kestrel White's demands to return him in an attempt to prevent further conflict. Unfortunately, Colver continues to attack until Phrygian destroys the Kestrel White, allowing the crew to detain a number of spies.

In part because of the Blue Channel's actions on the Isle of the Broken Key, Stargrave Elcessor arms her stellar combustor and delivers an ultimatum: if any movement is made against the Bilateral Intercession, she will detonate it and end trillions of lives, and she will only disarm it if every leader of the Cause turns themselves in. While Phrygian, Routine and Brnine head off on a risky mission to stop the detonation, Thisbe leads the rest of the crew to Chimera's Lantern, where they dodge Divine creatures and fight off Nidean forces to meet with the Chimeric Cadent. Thisbe is intrigued and begins to think about the nature of Divines and wonder if they can be protected.

Although the stellar combustor mission was apparently successful, Phrygian, Routine and the captain do not return to the ship. To her discomfort, Thisbe is left in nominal command until Figure manages to teleport Brnine (and the DIvine Integrity) back to the Blue Channel.

In the next mission, the Blue Channel is sent to acquire the train brain directing the Palisade gravtrains, giving Thisbe a chance to use a new ability to create illusions. Thisbe is mid-combat when the Affliction Dust's effect hits, making a doppelduster of her and sending her into an alternate universe dream. In the dream, she is the leader of many similar units on Collier for the service of Millennium Break. Midway through the dream, Brnine is caught in the dust as well and joins her for an uncomfortable conversation in a local bar. The dream is broken by Cori escaping her own dream, and Brnine successfully negotiates with Dust for the train brain while Thisbe serves as an intermediary to prevent it from overwhelming them.

After the mission, Brnine speaks to Cori and Thisbe about having Integrity on board. Thisbe decides she wants to let Integrity integrate with her, and after Brnine agrees, she does so.

Relationships[edit | edit source]

Sombre Sky[edit | edit source]

In character creation, Thisbe was said to be "avoidant" of Sombre Sky because of a bad interaction where Sombre was "a little too interested" in her between Thisbe leaving her home planet and being picked up by SBBR. However, Sombre never interacted with the SBBR crew in the podcast after this.

Mourningbride[edit | edit source]

In character creation, it was mentioned that Thisbe once met Mourningbride briefly while on a job bringing supplies to the Sable Court. Their relationship is "uncanny" due to Thisbe's uncomfortable visual resemblance to the Hypha. In the aftermath of the crash of Past, Cymbidium entrusted a message for Mourningbride to her. Thisbe attempted to relay the message psychically, but in response Mourningbride gave her a sort of psychic slap, forcing her to come to the Sable Court in person.

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Thisbe was among those who helped take down Mourningbride and Courage when they attacked Icebreaker Prime. Although Mourningbride used a Principality code phrase to deactivate her, Broun brought Thisbe back online and she and Eiden immobilized Mourningbride and Courage.

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When Mourningbride and Law attacked Oxbridge, Thisbe gave her a return psychic slap before evacuating the city.

Kal'mera Broun / Kalvin Brnine[edit | edit source]

Coriolis Sunset[edit | edit source]

Integrity[edit | edit source]

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This section contains spoilers for PALISADE 37: Reach In / Reach Out Pt. 1.
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Thisbe becomes the Elect of Integrity during PALISADE. After Brnine unintentionally brings Integrity back to the Blue Channel following their assassination of Dahlia, Thisbe tells Brnine that she would like to let Integrity integrate with her, and Brnine agrees.[10]

Relationship Mechanics[edit | edit source]

Beliefs (Beam Saber)[edit | edit source]

Valence[edit | edit source]
Kal'mera Broun[edit | edit source]
  • Operant Broun will sell or trade me in the moment my usefulness is expended.[11]
  • Operant Broun will protect me.[14]
  • Operant Broun lies to me because they believe I am a person.[15]
Ver'million Blue[edit | edit source]

Gravity clocks (Armour Astir)[edit | edit source]

  • Brnine is like everybody else.[16] They are not a uniquely privileged operant.[17][Note 5]
    • Brnine is capable but brittle. Their success and survival is the only way forward.[18]
      • Brnine is capable but brittle. They deserve to live a better life than this. Get them to it.[19]
  • I will tend to the Twill. They need to be shown care, and I am capable.[20][Note 6]
  • If I am a bullet, Cori is a grenade. If she is not stopped she will self-destruct and take others with her.[21][Note 7]
  • Leap: ...he exists. TK TK TK TK[22]

Questlandia[edit | edit source]

  • Cori has been poisoned by conflict, but she is not beyond saving.
  • Brnine has been my anchor. [Exhausted]

Abilities[edit | edit source]

Beam Saber[edit | edit source]

  • Purpose-Built: Thisbe may take an extra dice when fulfilling the purpose Labor.
  • Connect the Dots: Thisbe can spend spark to ask an extra question while gathering information. (From the Memoria gifted to SBBR by the Sable Court.)
  • Internal Mechanism: Thisbe can declare a piece of gear as part of her body at the start of a mission.
  • Will Not Stop. Ever.: Thisbe can choose to stay in a scene after receiving a scar or vehicle breakdown, at the cost of harm to her or Mow.
  • Like Looking Into A Mirror: Thisbe can tell when someone is lying.
  • Tough as Nails: Thisbe takes less penalties from harm.
  • Super Charge: Thisbe may act with extreme strength or speed when pushing herself.

Armour Astir[edit | edit source]

  • Internal Codex: Thisbe can take advantage to Dispel Uncertainties related to her original purpose in a mission.[16]
  • Animation Matrix: Thisbe can communicate with ardents of any type or level of awareness.[23]
  • Deny: When Thisbe uses magic to temporarily restrict the actions of another, she rolls plus Channel.[21]
  • Unstable Charge: During a Sortie, Thisbe can attempt to change her or Mow's Approach.[24][Note 8]
  • Tactical Illusions: Thisbe can use illusions to distract her foes. They may distract someone else as well in the process.[18]
  • Worldwide Resonance: During Downtime, Thisbe can Glide Through Currents (essentially, astral project) in order to either ask the Director a question and gain useful information, or lay a trap against the Authority for the next Conflict Turn. Anyone who participates in her Glide Through Currents scene may spend a token to: add a D6 to Plan & Prepare; start or advance a long-term project; or advance their Gravity with someone else in the scene.[25]

Possessions[edit | edit source]

Armour Astir[edit | edit source]

  • Grappling hook (Tier 1)[17]

Mech[edit | edit source]

Thisbe's mech is called Mow. He is very big and has the build of a gorilla — top-heavy, with big arms. There's a little horn-like protrusion on his back that Thisbe hangs onto. He is kind of battered, but lovingly maintained; he's seen better days, but is washed and waxed.

In the years between PARTIZAN and PALISADE, Mow got a new paint job. It makes him look like the mech equivalent of an antique milk truck.[1]

Trivia[edit | edit source]

  • Thisbe's voice cast if PARTIZAN were adapted into live action is Gillian Anderson.
  • The name Thisbe is a contraction of "this being". She began to call herself Thisbe instead of "this being" when she realized that the farmers who found her wanted to be able to call her by a name.[26]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. Loosened as of "An Impossible Ideal Pt. 1".
  2. 2.0 2.1 Loosened by Dust's influence in "Seize the Chance Pt. 4".
  3. Referring not to the Divine Principality but to Divines, Afflictions, Delegates, etc.
  4. Removed as of PARTIZAN 30: A Cemetery for Heroes.
  5. Advanced to +2 and rewritten as of "Honesty and Integrity Pt. 2".
  6. Completed and erased as of "Reach In / Reach Out Pt. 2".
  7. The first part of this clock was originally written as "If I am a gun..." but it appears as "If I am a bullet..." beginning in "Seize the Chance Pt. 1".
  8. It's not entirely clear, but Janine seems to have replaced Unstable Charge with Tactical Illusions between "Seize the Chance Pt. 1" and "Pt. 2", after she realized that Unstable Charge did not allow her to do what she hoped with it.

References[edit | edit source]