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etrayaooc2025-03-07 10:16 am
etrayamods) wrote in etrayaooc2025-03-07 10:16 am
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MARCH MISSION PLOTTING.
 ⏵ APHAIA ⏴ At the request of those inhabiting Etraya, Aurora has adjusted the mission schedule a little in order to send everyone into a world that is actively dying. Which means that, on the morning of March 14th, everyone will be directed to a glowing, purple portal situated just outside the hospital. Aurora will recommend that those with pets leave them behind; given the mission parameters of survive, she anticipates that it will not be a place for companion animals to accompany their owners to. She will not, however, force this: people are welcome to bring their companions if they'd like! Once they have stepped through the portal, it will become clear that survival will not come easily. The sky overhead is fractured into a kaleidoscope of neon colors, artificial stars blinking in and out of existence among shards. Towering structures resembling stadiums and coliseums stretch endlessly into the horizon, their surfaces plastered with massive holographic advertisements displaying the face of past "champions" - many of whom appear to be long-since deceased. From the moment they step through the portal, cameras whir to life around them, zooming in on their expressions while loudly announcing their names, their specialties, and what they are capable of. Applause echoes through unseen speakers when talents worth the excitement are announced: those with fighting capabilities, unique extraordinary powers, or odd talents seem to get the loudest reaction. And once introductions are complete, a loud, booming voice cuts through the noise: There is no introduction to the voice. No explanation. Welcome to Aphaia.  ⏵ MISSION DETAILS ⏴ Aphaia is a neon-lit, chaotic planet. Cameras are everywhere, every action and inaction is judged by the 'audience'. Towering holograms advertise upcoming events while flashing leader boards track the most "popular" players. Contestants are thrown into challenges, many of which are games of skill, survival, and deception all to keep the viewers entertained. Not participating is an option! However, avoiding playing along and not putting on a show will quickly cause participants' score to go down, and scores that reach zero? Well. Unfortunately, there are only so many resources left on Aphaia. Their wildlife has died off, their planet is falling apart, and most others in this galaxy were either destroyed from the inside out, or warring planets trying to gain control of remaining resources destroyed them to avoid others getting involved. Their natural resources are depleted, and only those who manage to keep their scores up are given the luxury of having any supplies. As soon as one steps foot on Aphaia, as soon as they breathe, they intake nanotechnology which tracks their oxygen consumption, their food, everything they do or need. As soon as their scores reach zero? They disappear. There one moment, and completely gone the next. Their communicators go offline, and while everything they were carrying will be left behind, no one will be able to find them. They are simply--gone, erased from existence. This is a death and counts as a death as outlined in the game FAQ! Please keep this in mind. "Points" that go towards their total score will be assigned to contestants from the moment they drop down on planet. This will be visible using the HUD on their earpiece, and will be randomized at the beginning. We have a comment here to get a randomized starting score from the mods! We'll be responding to these ASAP to help with initial plotting. Points go from 1 - 100, with anything above 80 only being given to the favorites. If you are choosing to decide your characters own starting points, please note that they cannot begin above 80. Mods may assign above 80 to a few incoming contestants who choose to randomize their score. We ask that players not start out this high, given we don't want too many people immediately starting as crowd favorites! The possible rankings are: 100: PARAGON 99-80: LUMINARY 79-70: CHAMPION 69-50: CONTENDER 49-30: UNDERLING 30-0: SHADE  ⏵ DISTRICTS ⏴ Aphaia is broken up into four districts: The Colosseum is a massive, high-tech battle arena where combatants are pitted against each other for entertainment. The floors shift, and the environment changes at the audience's whim. Fights can be one-on-one, or free for all. Winning earns favor and points towards your score, whereas losing? Well. It depends on how entertaining you are while you lose. The Symposium is a glamorous, golden spectacle of luxury where the highest rated constants are wined, dined, and tempted to betray their allies for fame. Whispered conversations host deals from alliances to plots to betray others. While attempts may be made to keep plans quiet, the audience always knows. The Backalleys are a network of shadowy alleys and tunnels where the cameras have a few (intentional) blind spots for those who seek to bend or break the rules. The Gamerunner is fully aware of what goes on in the backalleys, and knows where the blindspots are - participants may utilize them to have quiet conversations or to intentionally appear as if they are turning one against each other, but they all know not to trust the blindspots to truly be blind. The Agora is the beating heart of Aphaia, where the audience makes it's voice heard. Towering holographic billboards display live polls, ratings fluctuate in real time, and contestants must engage with the crowd to maintain their popularity. Scripted interviews, public votes, and sudden but mostly nonviolent challenges unfold within the walls of the Agora. It is an excellent location for those who are famed for more than their battle prowess to work the crowd, and up their rankings. The Agora is also where housing units are located. Apartment buildings stacked high include housing units ranging from studios to two bedrooms.  ⏵ CHALLENGES ⏴ There are multiple challenges that one can be issued while in Aphaia. All of them are considered mandatory, although refusal is possible - considering one's ratings are based off of perceived scores though, refusal isn't recommended. Forced Alliances may be pushed by the audience. Maybe someone just really wants to see what happens when they give Jayce a sassy sidekick he has to take along to all of his challenges for a couple days. Or maybe they want Shadowheart and Sevika handcuffed together for the duration of whatever challenges they are given. Mysterious Sponsor Gifts may be dropped onto participants via drone at any time - the contents of the package may assist in an upcoming match, or it may have been sent by someone who doesn't like them to hinder them. A game one may find themselves being pressured into playing is The Oracle's Wager! Contestants wage their score points for a chance at valuable resources - but their loss could mean their untimely death. The more points they give, the higher chance they have of getting those resources: Half their balance will mean a 50% shot of winning, while two thirds will mean a 75% chance. However, there's always the chance they'll lose. Resources they may be going for are: a weapon of choice, extra rations, something to assist them in winning their next challenge, or a ticket into Symposium for those of a lower rank. There can also be others! This is just a list of potentials. Strategos’ Gambit is a battlefield of wits, where contestants have to answer riddles, solve puzzles, and prove themselves to their audience. Groups are locked into rooms, in which they must find their way out. Failure always, always means death. Luckily, these aren't challenges they are meant to take alone. One had best hope those that they go into the Gambit with are well-prepared; groups that go in together will either all survive or die together. Echoes of the Past is a very aptly named challenge. Each participant puts a visor over their eyes. While all the visors are identical, one of them works differently than the others. Most visors work as a very realistic VR set, which brings individuals into the memories of another, which one visor works to pull memories out of participants to build the VR setting they will be entering. A memory is chosen at random, but something is off with the memory. A detail that doesn't belong, a falsehood woven into it. Unfortunately, the person whose memory is being shared will not be able to pick out what is false and what isn't - it's up to the visitors in the shared memory to discern what doesn't belong, and to remove it through whatever means necessary. If they don't? That memory remains permanently changed. They may get called upon to do participate in a Chained Duel, in which two opponents are bound together with a chain to each of their wrists. Only one key exists to unlock their cuffs, but the key itself is suspended high above a treacherous arena. Shifting platforms, swinging blades, and booby-trapped walls full of arrows and other deadly weapons stand between them and freedom. Teamwork is key (ha) to surviving the chained duel together. However, there's always the alternate route of killing one's partner to get to the key without having to worry about keeping another alive or being pulled down by a corpse if they happen to miss a step. A battle of wits and patience is called Tychaios and comes with it's own set of unique challenges. Two enter a room and must choose between two doors leading out of the room. One door does nothing, but the other door can cause a few different effects to happen to the person who steps through it. There is no winning or losing this challenge, but rather, the two challengers who enter together must figure out how to care for the effected individual. Because going through that door? Causes the challenger to rapidly change in age, either becoming younger or older. This change can also affect memories, causing individuals to not remember Etraya, but to remember different lives they could have lived up to the age they have become. If Dean goes in and ages a couple years? Maybe he's lived in a future where he lost his soul, permanently, and wants nothing to do with these challenges. These changes stay in effect for 48 hours, at which point challengers have a 30 minute window to walk backwards to the other side of that same door and reverse the effects. If they don't? Their memories and bodies may start to permanently change. Be sure to only partake of this challenge with a trusted partner! It sure would be a shame to participate with someone who would prefer that permanent change to stick. Any NPCs characters have interactions with will also have running scores! Here, everyone is a contestant, and the prize? Being allowed to live. Reporters are popularized by their ability to gather the hot goss on the local warriors, those running the food stands and working behind the counters are given points based on how well they do their job and how much they please those they're helping. Most residents maintain the status of "contender" or "underling". The Gamerunner is also a contestant. Continuing to come up with challenges that amuse others is what gives them their running score - and digging into the history of Aphaia will show that they have changed Gamerunners several times. If they hit a creative rut? Goodbye to them. There are no children on Aphaia. Those from the planet will find the younger contestants from Etraya absolutely fascinating - they haven't seen children in almost 20 years! This can provide them a bit of an edge in going up the ranks, or it may prove to hinder them if they're not good at handling the attention and garner ire from others. You are welcome to add in your own challenges! We have a comment HERE for player-suggested ones. For the sake of the setting, we just ask that none of these suggest noncon/dubcon, or outright murder. Outside of those limitations, the sky is the limit. We also have a comment HERE to be put into a random challenge with a random group/person. Please add in any specifications, such as if you would like to be assigned a specific challenge, or if there are any limitations - IE, if you don't want your character to have to fight. For Strategos’ Gambit, we are happy to provide room descriptions and pathways to escape for a couple groups! Otherwise, players are welcome to create their own escape rooms. Everyone will return to Etraya on April 11th. Characters who die early on during the mission will not return to Aphaia upon their resurrection, but Etraya! Please let the mods know if this happens, as if we get enough stranglers back on planet, we may have other plots we can throw their way. We do not have a planned mod log for their return at this time! Our intention is to see how engaged everyone still is in the mission, and go from there on if we need to put up a return log. |
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