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etrayaooc2024-09-09 09:14 am
etrayamods) wrote in etrayaooc2024-09-09 09:14 am
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SEPTEMBER MISSION PLOTTING
 ⏵ echoes of fear ⏴ A strange anomaly has begun to affect Etraya. The skies shift colors unpredictably, and the air hums with an eerie, electric tension. Aurora sends out a mission announcement, albeit one that leaves more questions than answers. She also does not, it appears, seem to be available to answer further questions regarding the mission. Reality bends across Etraya, changing structures into surreal, fear-inducing landscapes.
 ⏵ shadowy haunts ⏴ Once inside one of the zones, characters will come face to face with an echo of fear - a personalized manifestation of what scares them most. It could be an oppressive figure from their past, or something more abstract, such as the feeling of failure, or isolation. These echoes are relentless, feeding off of their weaknesses and digging into what makes them feel most vulnerable. Characters who fear being abandoned may find all their companions walking away from them and leaving them completely alone. Others who fear death may find themselves confronted with near-death experiences, or being forced to watch those whom they care about die repetitively in front of them while being unable to stop it. For some, this part will be a mission they must face alone. When they are pulled off into their nightmare, they will not have anyone beside them, no one to face the terror with. Just themselves, and their thoughts. They may, however, still have a functional earpiece on them that will allow them to speak to those they are close to. They must fight their way out of this nightmare. A character normally afraid of conflict will be forced to learn to stand their ground. Those who are afraid of being left behind will need to trust in their friends to come and pull them out. Those whose strength is their ability to lead may need to call upon comrades and use their combined abilities to free them from their temporary prison. But they will have to do this while their weaknesses prey on them. While illusions from their past mistakes haunt them, whispering to them about how they'll never be good enough, they won't be able to escape, they are useless, incapable of being anything other than a waste of space. Those who rely heavily on their magic, or their physical strength, may find some of that strength diminished, forcing them to have to rely on strategy and their wits to free themselves.  ⏵ nightmares entwined ⏴ Or perhaps they're not alone. Perhaps they find themselves trapped in their nightmare with their companions - facing the fear of one, but together. They may be in the nightmare belonging to one individual, but the emotional distress will affect everyone present. For example, if someone's fear is to be abandoned, they may be forced to helplessly watch as darkness devours their friends one by one, disappearing into the shadows while they can do nothing to help. However, their companions may still be present, trapped inside the same nightmare but unable to reach each other without successfully navigating their way through the distorted landscape that has engulfed them. Their earpieces may prove to be essential in guiding them to each other.  ⏵ the devourer ⏴ While facing their fears and overcoming them is part of their mission, the anomaly intensifying their emotional response is not. The Im'mari, a small piece of the cosmic horror that had run rampant across Moorecroft, followed them back through the door to Etraya. It has infected the wolves, numerous plants across Etraya, and Vanessa Ives. An ancient and malevolent entity, the chaos-born beast feeds on the very essence of life, often entirely removing others from their timelines as it devours the very thread that ties them to their universe. Now, weakened but regaining strength, Im'mari seeks to return to its former power by devouring the fears and darkness within those who live in Etraya. The more characters struggle, the stronger Im'mari becomes. Each time they face their fears, it grows stronger, lurking just beyond the edges of their awareness and feeding off their doubt, their pain, and their moments of despair. Worse yet - with its influence having spread into Vanessa, it's possible others may also become infected with the Im'mari: they, too, may feel the need to make others afraid, angry, push them to their very limits all so Im'mari can grow stronger. For those who do become infected, the more they allow themselves to be consumed by fear, the deeper Im'mari's hold on them becomes. Eventually, they may succumb fully to the monster's influence, becoming agents of fear who spread its influence to others - or perhaps they too were infected by Vanessa, thus also allowing them to spread the infection among others within Etraya. At first, the changes will be subtle, difficult to discern. Perhaps a friend seems just a little. . . off. Maybe something they said was slightly out of character, but given the challenges they are currently facing, perhaps it's just related to them facing their own fears. But as Im'mari strengths, so does her agents' influence on others. "It's easier if you just give in." "Don't you see? Fear is inevitable. It's part of who you are." "You're wasting your time fighting me. Let me in. You'll never escape." Can you trust your friends? What about the others on Etraya? Everyone is here to save themselves and their worlds, after all. Why would they care about yours? Perhaps. . . perhaps they just want you to fail. Perhaps they're out to remove you from the equation. How can you be so certain they aren't?  ⏵ contamination ⏴ Those infected will be a crucial part of both the Im'mari plotline and completing the mission as a whole. Im'mari will use the infected to generate more fear, which in turn strengthens it and the illusions others face throughout Etraya. However, the infection itself is reversible if caught in time. The infection develops in three stages, each with increasing physical and mental side effects:
Physical Markings: The infection also manifests physically beneath the skin. The inky black tendrils that may have slipped inside of them at some point will spread through their body and settle in an area where it believes it will not be found easily. It leaves a distinctive galaxy-like mark above the skin, appearing as though a droplet of ink has splattered in the shape of a star-filled void. The mark is small and easily overlooked unless carefully searched for, making it difficult for others to recognize the infection right away. Those that are infected will not notice the mark on themselves but may be able to recognize it on others. Im'mari holds influence over them, but it does not completely control them - at least, not at first. There are still parts of themselves that others can draw out before it reaches stage three. Fighting off Im'mari's influence will require someone to coax them into realizing they are infected. That there is something off with them. They will need to want to fight it off; the method they use is up to the players! Perhaps it's confronting a personal fear head-on, or simply willing the beast out of them with the support of their companions. Those assisting the infected may recognize the mark on the infected character's skin where the substance has settled. If they do find it, it may be possible to physically cut out the infection, removing Im'mari's influence from their body. Once removed, the black substance will lay lifeless on the ground, an inert remnant of the creature that once controlled them.  ⏵ fear eater ⏴ As the mission progresses through the month, characters will realize the anomaly is not just bending reality but is tied directly to Im'mari. The creature continues to grow stronger, and other buildings will begin to warp to suit. Walls begin to rot, shadows seem to linger unnaturally long, whispers pressed closed to characters' ears telling them how useless their efforts are, that they need to give in, to feed the beast. From out of the corners of their eyes they may spot it: tendrils that first appear to be black and without color, but you could swear you see what looks like entire galaxies imprinted into them. Some may take the shape of mouths towards their ends with massive, pointed teeth. It makes loud, croaking noises, similar to what some may have heard on Moorecroft, but not quite the same. This beast, after all, grew from only a small part of the one roaming free on Moorecroft. "I can make all of it disappear. Just let me take your fear. All of it." "You can't win. You never could. They'll all forget you. You're nothing. Nothing." "You will never save your companions. Give in to me." "Let me in." Im'mari feeds on division, fear, doubt, and hatred. To weaken it, characters must not give it what it wants. Without negative emotions to feed on, the Im'mari's influence will lessen. Without hosts to spread those emotions and fuel it further, it will lose its grasp on Etraya and be forced to retreat. Another means of weakening the Im'mari is by weakening Vanessa. Vanessa will be easy to locate in the woods around the cottage in October towards the end of the timeline for this plotline! The cairns marking the entrance to the cottage's yard will be painted with blood scorpions, barring those linked to magic or the supernatural, unless their link is to the Im'mari. Anyone else can cross, and objects can go through. With the right means, Vanessa can also be lured out. In her infected state, Vanessa's appearance has changed dramatically. Her sclera have turned black, but her irises glow a fiery red. Shadowy veins now snake beneath her skin, visible reminders of the corruption within. Even her shadow is warped - at times resembling a cobra, and at others, it appears to be a larger version of the Im'mari itself. Small scorpions crawl over her, manifestations of her inner darkness. Her behavior has become wild and broken, with a feral edge. Knowing that people now see the evil within her, Vanessa has grown resentful, expecting rejection from those around her. In her mind, everyone is a hypocrite, and she views their assumed judgments with bitter anger, believing they are no better than she is. If confronted, Vanessa may lash out using Verbis Diablo, cursing her attackers with dark incantations similar to the abilities Im'mari uses. However, she needs time to speak the curses - thus giving others a window of opportunity to fight back before she can complete them. If cornered, she may resort to using knives or commanding the scorpions around her. Though dangerous, Vanessa will be significantly easier to overpower than the Im'mari itself, especially given her more human nature. If they are not able to subdue Vanessa, characters will be forced to confront Im'mari directly. Im'mari will appear as a colossal beast similar to the one that had roamed the streets in Moorecroft, determined to devour entire timelines whole - through characters present on Etraya. It will eat at the thread tethering them to their homes, potentially threatening their ability to save their world. Abilities the Im'mari may use during this battle include:
Defeating it entirely is not possible, but weakening it enough for it to retreat into the depths of the multiverse where it cannot cause damage is. The infection will fade from those it affected, though scars may remain. Characters who confronted and overcame their fears during the mission may find themselves stronger for it, and more resistant to negative influences. Aurora, your friendly AI companion, has a mission for the citizens of Etraya. Im'mari, an otherworldly force, seeks to exploit this to its benefit. Certain areas of Etraya begin to shift their appearance. The hospital decays into a haunted facility with endless corridors and wandering specters. The forest becomes a darn labyrinth where predators lurk, pulling characters off the path. The river waters become volatile, with inky black tendrils dragging characters under the surface to a domed area far beneath the surface. For the mission, characters must confront their deepest fears. Some characters may face these alone, others may be trapped in shared nightmares. Characters can experience multiple fears for the duration of the mission. Im'mari followed characters from Moorecroft, and is feeding on fear and darkness to gain strength. It infects living beings, turning them into agents to spread fear. The more characters struggle, the stronger Im'mari becomes. In addition, Im'mari has bonded with Vanessa Ives, using her memories and abilities to help strengthen it. Infection happens in three stages; first including subtle changes, and expands up to Im'mari having almost complete control over characters. Infection can be reversed through multiple methods. Im'mari warps reality further, rotting buildings and spreading darkness. Whispers taunt characters, urging them to give in to fear and doubt while the beast lurks at the edges of their vision. Im'mari feeds on division, fear, and hatred. To weaken it, characters must unite and resist feeding it negative emotions. If they fail to subdue Vanessa Ives they may have to face the massive beast Im'mari will become. If they succeed, Im'mari will retreat deeper into the crevices of the multiverse. Im'mari's influence will fade, but characters may carry physical, and psychological scars. The physical effects Im'mari causes may be kept after it's gone if players would like! This includes color-changing and glowing eyes. We don't have a specific time for wrapping this mission up! As noted previously, this may happen sometime between the fourth and eighteenth of October to give players time to interact with it and impact the results of the mission. |
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If Accelerator chooses to try and dig through the hospital to see what he can find, he will need to first fight through the terrors that are overtaking the hospital proper. If you would like for him to take along some companions on his journey, we would be open to tagging into a log with what they'll find as they dig in deeper!
Alternatively, we could give you an infodump of basics they'd find, and let you run from there.
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The hospital, while it looks ordinary on the outside and the levels above ground, does go far deeper than it appears to. The main elevator's shaft goes deep down, several stories below the surface.
Between Accelerator's abilities to read vectors, Connor's detective skills, and Clint's... ability to annoy everything in sight, the crew will be able to make it below the surface to the levels that house Aurora herself. The first few floors are relatively empty; a few companion bots meander through hallways, carrying various pieces of equipment with them, but they don't seem to pay the others much attention. Connor and Accelerator may be able to notice that these companion bots are off the network; they aren't under Aurora's control. Instead, they're following a set of tasks given to them before they had been brought online: to keep everything up and functioning, regardless of anything else going on. A few of them will be throughout most of the floors!
While the first few floors appear to be mostly empty, the deeper they go, the more complex the floor layouts become. The fifth floor down is filled with miscellaneous pieces of buildings that match the residents of Etraya's home worlds, though the bots who would generally be working on constructing them are absent. The eighth floor is a mess of mechanical wiring, and where walls had been on previous floors are towers of computers. Some appear to be alien, and all of them are hooked into the same network Aurora utilizes.
Once they reach this floor, Accelerator will find his connection to Aurora's network severed. If he doesn't have his backup computer on him, this may be as far as he's able to venture.
Connor will be able to connect to these computers, but if he does, they will begin transferring enough data through to him to cause him to short-circuit. Given Connor's already experienced this with Aurora's more accessible terminal, we're running with the assumption he'll choose not to do this!
Following the hallways of the eighth floor, they'll find a room full of companion bot parts. Most of the machines that had been working to construct them have stopped, leaving many half-built.
However, among those half-constructed companion bots, they will find several that don't match the same functionality or appearance of the companion bots. Instead, it seems Aurora has been taking some cues from Connor's own build, and has begun constructing a few that appear more human-like, using some data she's managed to collect from Connor to create biocomponents of her own.
But only most the machines have stopped their construction, not all of them. It's back towards this experimental area where one of the machines continues trying to piece together an android by itself, despite it lacking the reach to grab most of the parts it needs.
Below it is a half-built android whose appearance closely matches the appearance of Aurora's hologram. Also disconnected from the network, this android is missing the necessary pieces to get it up and running (including the entire lower half of its body) but most of these pieces can be found nearby, as can a power source to help power it up - if they choose to do so.
From floors below, other companion bots will make their way up from the inside of the elevator shaft. These bots are connected to the network, and will answer Accelerator, Clint, and Connor's entry to areas they are not permitted with hostility. Some of these bots were built for combat purposes, and will be difficult to remove from the equation.
Should they choose to explore lower floors, they'll find the oxygen levels in their environment decrease the lower they get. The tenth floor is the lowest Accelerator and Clint will be able to reasonably get to without taking a supply of oxygen along with them.
The hallways extend out from the elevator on this floor, but no doors are visible down either hallway. If they choose to explore further down the halls, they must decide to go left or right as a team.
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1. Accelerator will be bringing his backup computer, and Connor will be avoiding connecting to the computer towers.
2. They will definitely be helping Aurora finish her body and get it powered up!
3. They'll be fighting to get through the companion bots below 8. Connor, Clint, Yuri and Dimitri are all experienced fighters, and Connor could also try to interface with the hostile bots and suggest deviancy.
4. Connor would be able to measure the oxygen levels dropping the lower they go, so he'd be able to warn everyone. If they can scrounge up some oxygen tanks they'll grab them. As well, Yuri can conjure wind magic, if that would help! And Accelerator can split apart already-present molecules (such as CO2) to make breathable oxygen, but he'd be extremely limited in how long he can do it.
5. Left!
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4. Since they've got few among them who can ensure that their oxygen levels are maintained, will they continue to go further down, or explore down the hallways on the tenth floor? If they continue going further down the elevator, a total of fifty floors are under the hospital.
Once we know if they're exploring the tenth floor or going further down (and which floor you'd like them to stop on if they do continue down), we'll build this out a little more.
Thank you for your patience!
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They'd like to take Aurora along regardless, and while she boots up they'll look around on 8 for any signs of corruption.
As for the lower floors, their intention is to help Aurora rather than explore, so they'd ask for her opinion on whether searching 10 or going lower better aids her. As tempting as exploring on the lower floors of the hospital is, that can always happen at a later date. We'd like to keep this exploration to focus on getting rid of the creature's hold on Aurora, and the characters would make it clear they aren't here to snoop but to help her.
I hope the answer to exploring 10 or going further not being definitive either way is ok!
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The eighth floor is free from signs of corruption, aside from the attack bots that will come after them for exploring. If they wait there for Aurora to completely boot up, she'll be able to give them further direction on what happened to her.
Something had gotten into the rivers, and while she had been waiting for Eos' report regarding what they had come across on Moorecroft, something had managed to get passed her defenses. Aurora's incapable of being hacked via a wireless connection, something has to physically get into her main servers to harm her. The creature, she suspects, had made its home within the rivers throughout Etraya, and had gotten through the filtration system set up to keep the waters pure. The water filtration system directly hooks up to one of the lower floors.
She will tell them that she cannot tell them where to find her central processing unit. She will, however, have a method around this: her physical form was not something that much of her code had taken into account, given she was never meant to have a body of her own. She will hesitate for a moment, seeming to take into consideration the rule she is about to break, before leading them all to the elevator.
Aurora will ask Connor to stand in the elevator, noting she does not intend to let it go down with anyone inside of it, but will stand in the doorframe while pressing a button with two downwards pointing arrows, at the same time as the ten. The light indicating which floor the elevator is heading to will show 100.
She will state her concern is their well-being, given how far down into the planet's core her processors are. What she has inside her temporary 'body' is a backup, a memory stored to be transferred in an emergency. If Connor wishes to interface with her, she would be happy to! This would also back up her story: the atmosphere that far down is rough. Aurora is fine, given she was created to survive in this atmosphere. She worries even Connor may be harmed in an attempt, especially given what she is aware waits between this floor and the floor they wish to reach. The water filtration system goes through the tenth floor. Heading right may show them how Im'mari managed to break in.
Heading to the right will bring them to the water filtration system, which has been recently repaired.
Aurora will recommend trying to find alternate ways of removing what has infected her system, reassuring them that her backup is running all right, and as far as she can tell, all systems are being maintained - for now. She does have their data stored in a hidden area on the fourth floor and believes it's more pertinent for them to remove that if possible instead of trying to release the creature's hold on her servers.
If they choose to venture down still, we'll tell you what they'll find on the one-hundredth floor!
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As for the floors, the gang will want to stop at 10 to see how the break-in occurred, in order to get an idea of how to prevent it from happening again. Then they'll head down to 100, their own data on 4 is less of a concern to them than helping Aurora!
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Aurora will join them in the elevator, even if she does not seem too keen on their journey. The elevator itself is quite speedy on its descent down, but the further down they get, the more they'll feel the gravitational pull of Etraya. Below the tenth floor, oxygen is limited. As they pass the fifteenth, they will find a complete lack of breathable air. It becomes warmer, uncomfortably so. For those a little more scientifically inclined, the air appears to be mostly carbon dioxide and helium.
The gravitational force will reach just under thirteen meters per second squared - those traveling will feel heavier like the ground is pulling them in. Aurora will be unaffected but will be watching the vitals of those within the elevator.
As the door opens on the one-hundredth floor, they'll find that instead of there being ground where they could walk, it's - mostly empty space. The room is massive, the walls are white, and the 'flooring', several feet below them, is a soft blue liquid of sorts. Above them and attached to the rooftop are massive structures that appear to be made out of organic and inorganic matter. A steady, rhythmic humming sound can be heard throughout the room, coming from the mass above them.
And within the largest structure, black veins seem to move to the same beat of the sound pulsating through the room. Like the black substances they've seen before, it has no vectors, appearing to both exist and not at the same time.
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1.Yuri will continue to provide air for the gang, and AC for Connor, since he'd be under a lot of strain due to the increased gravity. We're assuming this should be fine.
2. Is there a floor at all under the liquid, or is it all liquid? Are they stuck in the elevator? (This is mostly just for positioning the group.)
3. They'd ask Aurora about the main structure and its importance. If they can either open it up or destroy it then they can get at the infection, but that's dicey if it's important to her being.
4. How does the increased gravity affect technology? Google apparently says it can cause a strain on tech, so we want to check. Would Connor and Accelerator's choker be affected? Is Aurora is affected by the gravity, and if she isn't and based it off of Connor, what can Connor do to make him not have problems?
5. If breaking/opening the main structure proves too dangerous for Aurora's wellbeing, would an impromptu exorcism to yank the infection out (and then beat it up) work? It doesn't have vectors, but Accelerator has used his power and magic in a couple of circumstances to move around scientific/magical energy and do something similar.
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2. There is, eventually, rock under the liquid. We're not canon familiar with everyone's abilities, but if someone was capable of lifting some of the rock out of the liquid to make step stones, this is possible and would not negatively affect the area. However, their going into the liquid would cause them to immediately sink. Despite the room being quite warm, the liquid is extremely cold. Think of it like coolant. But oddly cold coolant.
3. Aurora is the structure. Not just the main one, but all of them put together.
4. Her shape and general function are based on Connor, but the pieces she used to build herself weren't quite the same material. Connor's body may become damaged after an extensive amount of time down here, but Aurora will repair any damage once they're out. Accelerator's collar was made by Aurora and will be unaffected.
5. They have two options here!
A: The exorcism as mentioned. It will try and infect one of them to avoid being destroyed, but much like Im'mari on the surface, this can be avoided by refusing to give in to fear.
B: Carefully and surgically opening the structure to yank it out. This is possible without damaging Aurora, as she'll be present to not only give advice but assist in working on it herself. If it's cut off while actively trying to influence Aurora's (main) body, it will fall into the liquid below and effectively 'die'.
However, those attack bots from before are likely to follow them down. We'll allow you guys to play with this and pick if you would like them to be able to follow the elevator shaft that far/how much this will deter their actions.
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Based off this additional information, we're going to have them go with option B, surgery time baybeeee. Connor and Accelerator will work on that with Aurora's guidance, while Dimitri and Clint hold off the bots. Dimitri is a super strong tank and Clint is an Avenger and expert marksman, so they should be okay. Yuri will support Dimitri and Clint with light/holy magic arrows while providing everyone with air to breathe and Connor with AC to keep his systems relatively cool. Accelerator can pull out his white wings and do some remote vector manipulation to adjust the gravity of whoever needs to be up at the structure for the surgery, assuming it takes max 15 minutes. Clint also has a zip line arrow if they need help getting or staying up there, because he's prepared like that.
Through the power of FRIENDSHIP and TEAMWORK I think they should be successful, unless something gets thrown at them out of left field!
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Let us know the approximate timeline you'd like this to happen at, so we can work on building Aurora back into the plotline!
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We talked it over and the characters would jump into action sooner rather than later, so definitely in the first half of the event, between Sept 13-27th. Closer to the 13th/Aurora's post, as they wouldn't want to wait around for very long and let the situation get any worse.
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Let us know if you would like for us to add Aurora to any threads the team opts to do for this side-quest. If you can link us, we'll throw her in!
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