Field Mission 6: A Day in Thay, Part 1

[balancemod]

oh man best of luck out there dudes NAVIGATION Click here for the RNG thread! Ready or not, rested or not, it's time to get moving, Reclaimers. You've got a very, very long day ahead of you. And another one. And another one. And, you get the joke. Early Friday morning, with the Director there to see them off, the Reclaimers load up into the Bureau's transportation orbs for the sixth time since this whole ordeal began, and make their way to about a mile or two outside of Thay. It's important to try to stick to the story, at least — that you're all visitors from a faraway school, here to spend some time with the students and faculty of Boarbumps. As much as Lucretia would have liked to join you, she can't. None of the other leading members of the Bureau of Balance can. Whoever enters Thay, after all, is entering a bubble, after all. A time trap. Nobody will be able to leave until the Relic, the Lamp of Undoing, is either retrieved or destroyed. Someone needs to be able to continue if you all can't. 1. SEVEN O'CLOCK ALREADY As we noted in the OOC post, prompts on this log will be a quick few sentences of specific things happening during each hour. It's expected that Reclaimers will be seeing all of these events multiple times! So feel free to play with them as you see fit. If you're not sure if something you want to do would warrant a roll, please ask us in the RNG thread. ○ The Reclaimers have arrived in Thay, much to the curiosity of the highly intelligent, occasionally highly ... suspicious ... residents. Nevertheless, they recognize you as visiting, esteemed students, and, though perhaps still suspicious, welcome you into their fold. Also, as a note: Every time the relic is used, time is reset to this moment. ○ Boarbumps Academy for the Magically Inclined opens its doors to the Reclaimers. This is your first opening to explore the school — afternoon classes begin in an hour. ○ Rainer Arunsun, The Regent of Thay and Highest of the Hermetic Order of Red Wizards, can be seen watching the new arrivals by the entrance to the Red Keep. It's difficult to discern any emotion on her face. Shortly before 1 p.m., she retreats back inside. ○ Afternoon classes at Boarbumps begin, starting with a lecture on the magical circuits of the common toad. If you happen to sit in on this one, as a visitor from another school, you may be asked to assist in the dissection. You will be heckled by the rest of the class as deemed fit. ○ Erinne and Adriel can be seen within the hallways of Boarbumps arguing in a very heated manner. Some... less than choice words are exchanged between the two before one, or both of them take their wands out and begin throwing magic missiles at each other. No one knows why the fight starts, but the two have had bad blood before, and this isn't the first quarrel to happen at Boarbumps between them. A staff member arrives on the scene and is accidentally paralyzed by a misfire. ○ The town proper, surrounding the Red Keep, is open for a farmer's market. A bountiful harvest of goods are on display, but in particular, Thay is known for its amazing quality of medicinal herbs and magical reagants, many of which are rare without travel to the area. The merchants typically shoo students off, unless they have a hall pass provided to them by the faculty to retrieve something of import for class. ○ The second afternoon class at Boarbumps begins. Are you three or four time loops in and in desperate need of a nap? This class, The History of Boarbumps, is for you. You will be treated to a long and droning lecture about how the students attending during Boarbumps' very first semester banded together to stop a particularly plucky troll. Which you'd think would be an interesting tale. It is not. ○ Someone's enchanted several books at the library to begin rattling and shaking from the shelves themselves. All over the racks, spines pop out from their homes and fall to the ground, magically lift up and return to some other, non-Dewey decimal approved locale. Other books begin dancing — yes, you've read this correctly — dancing on the tables. Leon would be going into cardiac arrest at the moment, but it looks like someone's playing a prank in here. Again. This librarian looks far less tilted by this. It must be a somewhat normal afternoon for her. ○ Over in the center of town, music, a single violin playing a mournful tune, begins to play. It's unclear where exactly it's coming from. ○ The third and final afternoon class at Boarbumps — Fighting with Fire — begins. The professor, known to be slightly more unorthodox in her teaching methods, will recruit any Reclaimer who happens to be there to defend themselves from the students' incoming fireball spells. The potency of the fireballs themselves range from the tickle of a candle, to that one time you ate a ghost pepper, to one particularly fiery spell that might actually hurt you. ○ There's a scream in the girls' bathroom on the 3rd floor of Boarbumps. Anyone who enters realizes, very quickly, that no one is actually in there. Apparently, this particular lavatory is haunted. ○ Szass Astrosz dips class to go visit the local shrines within the town of Thay. He's been known to skip class before, so his departure from the halls of Boarbumps is rather nondescript. He spends time there praying quietly to his god. ○ There's a slight catastrophe over in the Town Square. That is to say, a giant spider seems to have escaped from Boarbumps and is terrorizing the vendors, to everyone's surprise. Subdue or dispatch it, it's up to you. ○ There's a scheduled council meeting to take place within the Red Keep, a usual weekly affair where Rainer, Casariel, Onerion, Gromph, and the rest meet to discuss matters of the town. Today's is canceled, as Gromph is called out to take care of the arachnid chaos currently convening around the Town Square. ○ Someone places a standing mirror around the corner of Boarbumps. If you happen to stand in front of it, it doesn't show your reflection — rather, it shows the person that you desire most. The mirror is gone by 5 p.m. ○ Cleanup of whatever damage the spider did is underway. In the meantime, the faculty of Boarbumps and the Hermetic Order of Red Wizards invite the Reclaimers to a small dinner in one of the public meeting rooms at the Red Keep. Every member of the Red Wizards are present, aside from Onerion Wyvernspur and Brian Darling. ○ The shops around the town of Thay begin to close for the evening. People are somewhere between annoyed and blase — the spider escaping was new enough, but weird Magic Things are, as you can imagine, pretty commonplace. ○ Over at The Sleepy Willow, cozy, fluffy pillows are arranged on the floor around a large fireplace. The owners will also serve you dinner, if you decide to skip the meal at The Red Keep. This may be one of the only peaceful moments you have to study everything that you've learned thus far. ○ No matter where you are in Thay, you'll feel the ground rumble underneath your feet. The residents largely pass it off as an earthquake, but will note that they have become much more frequent lately. ○ Towards the latter half of the hour, the rumbling within the school grounds causes several of the animal cages used in Onerion's Wondrous Beasts class to come unfastened as they begin to escape. Shortly thereafter, various beasts of all shapes and sizes are set free and begin running for freedom. None of them seem intent on hurting students, but they look to make an exit out of town in the quickest way possible. ○ Droves of the skeletal undead that are used around town seem to freeze in place, no longer retaining their animation. Whatever they're holding currently falls to the floor. Whatever task they're working on comes to a halt. No one understands why that is, but even the best necromancers around town can't seem to wake them back up. ○ With a sudden loud roar, the ground of the town square suddenly begins to split. People, shops, and everything else begin to drop into the chasm, despite the Red Wizards, and everyone else's, attempts to save them. ○ In the last split second you remember, if you happen to look down in the chasm, you'll notice a pair of bright, glowing eyes. Whatever exactly is down there begins to claw its way to the surface. ○ And then, just as suddenly, your vision turns white, and you're briefly overtaken by dizziness. When the haze clears, you are standing at the entrance to Thay. The sun hangs directly overhead in the sky. You have returned to 12 p.m. 2. OOC: A SPECIAL SHOUTOUT You are welcome to keep track of how your character experiences these time loops as much or as little as you're comfortable with — we'll also be tracking what you all are doing! Our Minato player Kel came up with some extremely snazzy coding if you would like to track how each loop plays out for your character more closely. Thank you, Kel! Of course, this is completely optional. Keep up with as much as you'd like, have fun as you see fit, and we hope you enjoy this mission! blurb code by photosynthesis

Comments

[gambolshroud]

[Damn it. She hadn't dared to let herself think that this might be going a little too smoothly, but even expecting to be thrown curveballs, she hadn't foreseen that. While she has no doubt that 2B can fight without her sword, those pincers tell her that neither of them wants to get any closer than they have to— it could very well be venomous, which could cause a whole host of problems, even with 2B being inorganic.]

We have to disable its ability to use its web!

[The thing itself is gruesome, and she clenches her jaw as she looks it over for some sort of weak point. She knows where the spinnerets are on a normal spider, and she can only assume it's going to be the same for one that's jumbo-sized.

She inhales sharply, diving to retrieve 2B's sword for her, very narrowly evading being tangled in web herself as the spider struggles to snare her, the webbing hitting the ground a fraction of an inch behind her heel as she dashes.]

Be careful, we don't know if it's poisonous!

[She snatches the sword up by the hilt from the stall it had landed in, giving the merchant a rushed apology in the process.]

Here— catch!

[conciliant]

[2B catches it with ease and rounds on the spider once more just in time to spot its futile efforts to capture Blake in its web. It can't move, so this is the only way it can either attack or protect itself – it's hard for 2B to tell exactly which one it is. She skids back until she and Blake are side by side again. Right back where they started.]

How are we supposed to disable this thing!?

[She's never fought a giant spider before, let alone faced off against a smaller one in person. She has no idea the anatomy of one, where the web is even coming from, or what it's made of. All she knows is that avoiding it is their top priority, along with its pincers.

Her eyes go wide as she realizes Pod is still hovering next to her.]

Pod, scan for a weakness, and initiate long ranged attack.

[Duh, why didn't she think of this before!?]

Proposal: Unit 2B and Blake Belladonna should attack its rear.

[gambolshroud]

[There are certainly worse places to be, at least. Blake is glad that neither of them is here facing this thing down all on their own.

Whatever her Pod needs to do in order to determine the spider's weakness, it seems to follow the same line of thought that Blake had briefly entertained. She exhales, tightening her grip on the hilt of her blade. 2B's Pod really is handy— they could have used something like that back in Remnant.]

Well, no beating around the bush. It might be gross, but if we damage its spinnerets, it won't be able to use its webbing against us anymore. I have an idea—

[Even as she speaks, she reaches behind herself to pull a small cartridge of something blue and nearly translucent from her pack, her expression one of determination.]

I've been saving this for a rainy day, but I'd say guaranteeing the lives of the civilians here is well-worth it. I think I can freeze it, and you're more than strong enough to shatter it to pieces once I have. I just need a guaranteed shot.

[conciliant]

[2B's gaze moves to the item in Blake's hand, stepping sideways to get closer and a better look at it. She has no idea what it could be, but if she thinks that this will work, then 2B trusts her with it. She's learning to put her faith into others rather than relying on calculated certainties, and what good would they be as a team if they had no sense of trust between them?

They are, after all, not just roommates.

2B gives her a firm nod just as Pod begins to fire off shots from its Gatling gun at the spider, and it hisses wildly as the stalls around it begin to shatter from the bullets.]

Alright. I'll cover you.

[Pod halts its firing at 2B's command, revealing the giant creature sitting immobilized in the settling dust. With her sword gripped tight in her hand, she's prepared to get in there and shatter this thing to bits...]

[gambolshroud]

[Hopefully Thay has some insurance against collateral damage. Taking care of the spider is more important than trying not to hit the stalls, either way— as long as there are no civilians hurt, Blake is going to consider this successful if they manage to take the spider down for good. She ducks reflexively as 2B's pod opens fire, nodding even as she begins to reconfigure her weapon and proceeds to scan the area for slightly higher ground.

Perfect.

The hail of bullets stops, and she runs to scale and swing herself up onto the roof of one of the stalls, one foot braced against its support while the other precariously leaves part of her weight on the awning. Sliding the dust cartridge into place, she draws in a sharp breath as she takes aim, but there's still a chance the spider itself could spring upwards again.

Better not to take that chance.]

2B, pin it down!

[Her sword is the perfect tool for the job, right?]

[conciliant]

[It definitely would be.

2B doesn't miss a single beat as she rushes in with her sword up over her head. She leaps several feet into the air in a single bound and allows her weight to bring her back down to the spider, using the end of her sword more like a spear than anything else. Gee, it sure would be nice to have Virtuous Dignity right about now.

But this will have to do.

She pierces its body, dead center, and then sets it into the ground before spinning away to give Blake room to do whatever it is she's about to do.]

Ready!

[gambolshroud]

[It gives Blake the clear shot she needs, and once 2B has the spider pinned in place, she wastes no time in taking it— she fires her reconfigured weapon, making her mark as she hits the spider square in its oversized rear, but instead of leaving behind a bullet-hole, ice begins to spread from where her shot had connected.

The spider lets out a high-pitched shriek, what remains of its severed legs attempting to thrash in response, but its movements slow as that ice quickly begins to make its way across the surface of the creature's body. It spreads over its torso and the stumps where its limbs had been, over its dangerously large mandible and around 2B's sword, leaving the blade itself untouched aside from some frost. Within moments, the spider is frozen solid, perfectly still.

It won't last forever, but it will be enough.]

Now! Shatter it!

[conciliant]

[With her sword pinning the spider down, 2B has another idea.]

Pod!

Affirmative.

[2B lowers, arms coming up over his head to shield herself from the inevitable burst of ice that's going to follow the attack. Pod's square body opens up to reveal a pair of lasers that light up and fire as soon as her order is given and the area in its range are clear. Two bright beams shoot across the marketplace and shatter the spider into pieces as soon as they find their mark.

Shards and bits of ice scatter into the air, as well as wooden pieces of the nearby stalls, and 2B keeps low to avoid being hit until it clears and the combination of frost and dust settles.

Her first priority is making sure that no one is hurt, but with the area now cleared, she searches for Blake.]

You good!?

[gambolshroud]

[Blake drops down from the awning as the ice scatters, landing in a low crouch to duck away from the worst of it. A few smaller splinters end up in her hair, but frozen spider bits are much better than the alternative, and when she raises her head to survey the scene, the spider itself is no more, shattered to pieces thanks to their joint effort.

She exhales slowly, relieved as she draws back up to her full height, and she waves one hand over her head to help 2B get a read on her location before she runs to meet her, closing the distance between them.]

I'm fine— what about you?

[She has a feeling she doesn't need to worry about 2B too much in this situation, but it's still in her nature to ask. She turns to scan their surroundings, looking for signs of anyone else who might have gotten caught in the crossfire.]

I think all of the civilians got away safely, but we should sweep the area just in case. 2B, you were incredible.

[conciliant]

I'm fine.

[She's careful not to slip on the ice covering the ground as she strides over to the remains of the frozen spider to retrieve her sword, which has fallen several feet away from where she left it after the explosion. She wipes the ice off along her skirt and sheathes it behind her, sweeping her gaze over the area, but at the compliment, she can feel her face heat up.]

Type B's are created for battle. It's just part of my job.

[Talk about a girl who can't just take that for what it is – a compliment.]

You did well, too.

[gambolshroud]

[She feels a faint flush creep into her own cheeks as she offers a small, grateful smile in reply. They really had made a pretty good team, hadn't they?]

Huntresses fight monsters. Sounds like our jobs aren't so different.

[All the better— the Reclaimers can always use more frontline fighters. It will be easy for 2B to find her niche here, Blake thinks.]

I'm glad you were here when you were. I don't want to think about what it would have been like trying to take that thing down on my own. Barring the property damage, I'd say this was a job well done.