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etrayaooc2025-09-12 08:28 am
etrayamods) wrote in etrayaooc2025-09-12 08:28 am
Entry tags:
SEPTEMBER MISSION PLOTTING
CONTENT WARNINGS: Psychological horror, hallucinations, paranoia, body horror, violence, death imagery, loss of autonomy, existential horror.
❬ Ashen Veil ❭
There have always been shadows cast over Etraya.
Im'mari may be the first one remembers when they think of the darkness surrounding them: how it had ruled over Moorecroft's nights and controlled a few individuals in Etraya proper to spread its influence. The spacecraft that had crash-landed through parts of the barrier may be another: a boy forsaken in the crumbling remains of what had been his parents' home. Dolls that had once taken in negative emotion only to expunge them back onto those they had been protecting. Regardless of where the darkness had come from, what's evident is that it has always been simmering under the surface of Etraya, and given the nature of everyone's arrival to the city, the purpose behind their existence, it's doubtful it will ever quite fade. Saving lives at the cost of other lives is not a light process, but everyone here knows what's at risk, what they are fighting for.
What the meaning behind that lingering darkness is.
And while the darkness has always lingered, on the night of September 18th, it rises. A dark, thick fog rolls into the city bubble from the open vent, but from the moment it appears, it becomes evident it's no normal fog. It feels heavy as a memory, tastes similar to iron on one's tongue. One can try to hide from it, covering their faces in masks both magical and scientifically advanced to try and filter it out, but no mask seems to function well enough to keep them safe. They breathe it in, and any extraordinary, more-than human ability they once had to keep them safe becomes impossible to reach: touchable but not solid enough to grasp onto. Those that keep them alive remain intact, but do not provide any additional assistance: healers whose ability to heal keeps their body functional will be functional, but further injuries will heal at the speed they would on an average human.
Yet it is not only the people inside the fog that seem to shift, but the city itself - buildings twist into something both familiar and alien, but they feel more like they're straight out of one's nightmares: facilities long-since destroyed that had once caused severe grief, places one has only seen within their nightmares, things best left avoided and yet... here they are, standing in Etraya.
Feeling like a nightmare that has come to life.
No one enters the fog unchanged. It drags forth what is buried deepest: regrets and sins, the things that lurk under the bed and in the closet when one is trying to lull themselves to sleep. Regardless, it's here now, and those of Etraya must find a way to overcome it.
Im'mari may be the first one remembers when they think of the darkness surrounding them: how it had ruled over Moorecroft's nights and controlled a few individuals in Etraya proper to spread its influence. The spacecraft that had crash-landed through parts of the barrier may be another: a boy forsaken in the crumbling remains of what had been his parents' home. Dolls that had once taken in negative emotion only to expunge them back onto those they had been protecting. Regardless of where the darkness had come from, what's evident is that it has always been simmering under the surface of Etraya, and given the nature of everyone's arrival to the city, the purpose behind their existence, it's doubtful it will ever quite fade. Saving lives at the cost of other lives is not a light process, but everyone here knows what's at risk, what they are fighting for.
What the meaning behind that lingering darkness is.
And while the darkness has always lingered, on the night of September 18th, it rises. A dark, thick fog rolls into the city bubble from the open vent, but from the moment it appears, it becomes evident it's no normal fog. It feels heavy as a memory, tastes similar to iron on one's tongue. One can try to hide from it, covering their faces in masks both magical and scientifically advanced to try and filter it out, but no mask seems to function well enough to keep them safe. They breathe it in, and any extraordinary, more-than human ability they once had to keep them safe becomes impossible to reach: touchable but not solid enough to grasp onto. Those that keep them alive remain intact, but do not provide any additional assistance: healers whose ability to heal keeps their body functional will be functional, but further injuries will heal at the speed they would on an average human.
Yet it is not only the people inside the fog that seem to shift, but the city itself - buildings twist into something both familiar and alien, but they feel more like they're straight out of one's nightmares: facilities long-since destroyed that had once caused severe grief, places one has only seen within their nightmares, things best left avoided and yet... here they are, standing in Etraya.
Feeling like a nightmare that has come to life.
No one enters the fog unchanged. It drags forth what is buried deepest: regrets and sins, the things that lurk under the bed and in the closet when one is trying to lull themselves to sleep. Regardless, it's here now, and those of Etraya must find a way to overcome it.
❬ Into the Dark ❭
There are a few guidelines to utilize when characters are stuck within the Fog:
- You can only see a few feet ahead. Shapes will appear, vanish, and reappear at random intervals.
- Not everything one can see through the fog is real or truly there.
- Footsteps will echo oddly, and sometimes, one could swear they hear a second--or third--set when there truly isn't anyone there.
- Time does not move the same within the fog. Minutes may feel like days, months, years.
- Reality shifts within the fog. It may feel impossible to tell truth from lie.
- Characters may become separated despite their best attempts at staying together. The fog works in mysterious ways, bringing people together and forcing them apart.
The longer one lingers within the Fog, the more it manages to seep into their memory, tainting them from within. What began as a clear mission, to find the opening allowing the nebula's particles into Etraya, begins to fade. Why are you wandering outside? Was there purpose to your venture? Were you alone? Did you lose the people beside you, or were they never there to begin with? The past may feel like it's unraveling, pulling threads of core memories and warping them into nightmares - or perhaps tangling threads together until one cannot tell what was a dream and what was reality.
One's body is not spared from the effects either. Focus on the Fog, on the mission, and one will find that breathing itself becomes a difficult task - as if they are drowning on air itself. The ground may feel uneven, as if walking through dunes coated in blood. As their focus shifts away from the mission, their breath comes easier - something does not want to be found and is working hard to keep Etrayans from focusing too hard on it.
But the Fog is not all those of Etraya will need to contend with. As it spreads throughout the cityscape, beasts arrive with it. Twisted creatures that may be familiar to those they approach - perhaps a beast they've fought before, or a mangled version of someone they had once known. These creatures are not real but illusions cast by the Fog itself as it weaves through their heads, pulling memories and nightmares out into the open. However, while they may not be real, they will feel very real until the moment their victim realizes their true nature. It's possible, too, that these illusions settle over loved ones and friends, making them appear to be enemies when they are truly allies encased in treacherous illusions.
Every so often, however, the Fog seems to thin and leaves only the truth behind. Perhaps your friend you were walking beside sounded as if they were whispering how much they would love to rid themselves of you, but you turn and see their bright smile, and you know in that moment, you are safe alongside them.
But those moments are far and few between, leaving uncertainty in their wake. Perhaps the Fog is all there ever has been. Perhaps this is what is deserved. Maybe, just maybe, this is where one belonged all along.
One's body is not spared from the effects either. Focus on the Fog, on the mission, and one will find that breathing itself becomes a difficult task - as if they are drowning on air itself. The ground may feel uneven, as if walking through dunes coated in blood. As their focus shifts away from the mission, their breath comes easier - something does not want to be found and is working hard to keep Etrayans from focusing too hard on it.
But the Fog is not all those of Etraya will need to contend with. As it spreads throughout the cityscape, beasts arrive with it. Twisted creatures that may be familiar to those they approach - perhaps a beast they've fought before, or a mangled version of someone they had once known. These creatures are not real but illusions cast by the Fog itself as it weaves through their heads, pulling memories and nightmares out into the open. However, while they may not be real, they will feel very real until the moment their victim realizes their true nature. It's possible, too, that these illusions settle over loved ones and friends, making them appear to be enemies when they are truly allies encased in treacherous illusions.
Every so often, however, the Fog seems to thin and leaves only the truth behind. Perhaps your friend you were walking beside sounded as if they were whispering how much they would love to rid themselves of you, but you turn and see their bright smile, and you know in that moment, you are safe alongside them.
But those moments are far and few between, leaving uncertainty in their wake. Perhaps the Fog is all there ever has been. Perhaps this is what is deserved. Maybe, just maybe, this is where one belonged all along.
❬ REALITY IS THAT WHICH ❭
... when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.
Some players may be looking for a more intense, customized horror experience, and we welcome them to sign up below. The mods will offer a custom scenario suggestion for your character(s).
Sign ups take place as individual characters or as small groups (1-3 characters per group) and have the potential to either have a detailed prompt write up or a mod-driven thread. The number of mod-driven threads will depend on the level of interest we receive, and we can commit to active responses for the duration of the mission (Sept 19 - Oct 3) and not beyond. Individuals will be randomized to partner with other individual sign-ups.
We're interested in tailoring this to your horror trope preferences and ideas, so please mention on the sign up form if there are any particular favorites or limits you'd like for your custom scenario. Some suggestions for you to consider: body horror, eldritch / cosmic, psychological, atmospheric, religious, gore, ghosts and hauntings, science fiction, comedic, folk myths, survival, existential doubt.
Small groups who enthusiastically and actively engage with their scenario may receive a visit from a newly introduced NPC who will give a plot hint, either around Echo or how and why this current event is taking place. We will assess this towards the end of the mission period and contact your group if you're selected.
Feel free to use the plotting comments here as a way to find others interested in forming a small group around similar themes!
Sign ups will close on 9/17 EST midnight.
Some players may be looking for a more intense, customized horror experience, and we welcome them to sign up below. The mods will offer a custom scenario suggestion for your character(s).
Sign ups take place as individual characters or as small groups (1-3 characters per group) and have the potential to either have a detailed prompt write up or a mod-driven thread. The number of mod-driven threads will depend on the level of interest we receive, and we can commit to active responses for the duration of the mission (Sept 19 - Oct 3) and not beyond. Individuals will be randomized to partner with other individual sign-ups.
We're interested in tailoring this to your horror trope preferences and ideas, so please mention on the sign up form if there are any particular favorites or limits you'd like for your custom scenario. Some suggestions for you to consider: body horror, eldritch / cosmic, psychological, atmospheric, religious, gore, ghosts and hauntings, science fiction, comedic, folk myths, survival, existential doubt.
Small groups who enthusiastically and actively engage with their scenario may receive a visit from a newly introduced NPC who will give a plot hint, either around Echo or how and why this current event is taking place. We will assess this towards the end of the mission period and contact your group if you're selected.
Feel free to use the plotting comments here as a way to find others interested in forming a small group around similar themes!
❬ OPT OUT ❭
For those who would like to opt out of having their characters experience any of this, including the fog, those characters may find that the ground beneath them has simply swallowed them whole and dropped them into a large dome-like structure underground. The drop, while severe, will not cause them any physical damage. Their devices will not connect to those still in the city above, and a mysterious crate full of basic necessities. The dome is full of greenery, and a synthetic sun circles around the outside of it.
There is a purpose behind this dome, but given the nature of this mission, we will not be answering questions regarding it. Characters stuck in the dome will suddenly drop into a deep slumber near the end of the mission and awaken in the hospital. This will be a plot we explore in the future!
❬ MISSION NOTES ❭
📌 — Players may use their judgment on how much to depower their character. We want them to interact with the mission and feel real risk, but not to the extent that it makes it difficult for anyone to play their character.
📌 — Boundaries around reality are blurring. Things do not need to make sense for this mission. If you're looking for ideas on what to have your characters encounter, feel free to try the SCP Archive.
📌 — We realize the purpose behind this plot is to close the vent Aurora opened allowing particles from the nebula in! However, we do want to note this will not be possible through finding the vent and instead will need to be done through the NPC interaction listed above. Surprise!
📌 — For all questions relating to this mission, please refer to the mission queries comment on this post. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.
📌 — Alex Won, please report for the consequences of your actions.
📌 — Boundaries around reality are blurring. Things do not need to make sense for this mission. If you're looking for ideas on what to have your characters encounter, feel free to try the SCP Archive.
📌 — We realize the purpose behind this plot is to close the vent Aurora opened allowing particles from the nebula in! However, we do want to note this will not be possible through finding the vent and instead will need to be done through the NPC interaction listed above. Surprise!
📌 — For all questions relating to this mission, please refer to the mission queries comment on this post. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.
📌 — Alex Won, please report for the consequences of your actions.
❬ PLOTTING FORM ❭
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