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

Closed to Ogata and Shuichi

[noblegarnet]

[The Abyss.

Ferran has faced a fiend before, stalled it long enough with words alone for the Director to deal with it. He made it through Wonderland, a place that did its best to terrify him into submission, and picked up the pieces (whether they were his own or someone else's) and walked out of there... eventually. Even death itself, facing Adrian, could have been worse.

None of that was the Abyss. There are no allies here except the three people around him, and one of them just threw an enormous fire spell into their enemies. Ferran stares wide-eyed as the creatures are incinerated, stock-still and his breath caught in his throat. He would have started to sweat even without the oppressive heat.

It's only when Gromph snaps at him that he startles and remembers the need for oxygen, breaths shaky as he scans the surroundings for the sake of strategizing. But he'll be the one concentrating, not fighting—and after a brief moment, he meets the eyes of Shuichi and Ogata.]

[diffidentive]

[For his part, Shuichi is more than a little unsettled by the fine print on the waiver Gromph gives them. He signed it because there was really no other choice, and it's not like he would have blamed Boarbumps for anything, anyway but...loss of soul? Where exactly is he taking them that something like loss of soul would be an issu-- oh.]

[Well that explains that, though it does nothing to soothe the detective's nerves. This is, after all, the first combat situation he's been in that's actually real. That isn't just a simulation in the arena or training with Maki in the dojo.]

[So much for easing himself into fighting. This is definitely a tossed into the deep end, sink-or-swim situation if ever he's seen one.]

[He swallows thickly, glancing between the other three as Gromph explains things, wondering vaguely why he didn't do that BEFORE he decided to drag them to hell but whatever man, you do you. He offers the Drow a small nod as his best attempt to "look alive" before turning his attention to Ferran and Ogata, just in time to catch the former's eyes as he does the same.]

It...it'll b-be okay, Ferran-san. Just worry about the mirror, w-we'll take care of everything else.

[snyaiper]

[Ogata, for all his cool, collected personality, spends several moments being just as shocked at their surroundings as the other two. He's still not fully used to magic just being a Normal Thing, so he really wasn't fully prepared to Go To Hell. Though, the huge fireball their chaperone just threw like it was nothing helps. Clearly this madman knows what he's doing.

And well, Ogata's been told by various people to go to hell several times. Surely it actually happening was inevitable. This is actually all rather funny in a cosmic sort of way. If you die in hell, where do you even go? Do you just stay there? It's all comically stupid.

Speaking of stupid, he glances over at the reedy teenager he's supposed to be working with while the OTHER teenager does some nonsense with a mirror.]

Try not to make this take any longer than it has to take. [To Ferran, as he unslings his rifles from his shoulder, pulling ammunition out of his belt. As he loads his gun, he gestures with an elbow at Shuichi.] I don't trust this one to be much help and I only have so many bullets.

[Well. Rude.]

[noblegarnet]

[Strangely enough, Shuichi's stammering helps to remind him that he does have to focus. He has to step up, despite the circumstances. And Ogata further... "helps," in his own way.

Ferran casts a Haste spell on Shuichi, to help him through the initial volley. It will only last five minutes, but it's something. His bearded vulture familiar, Agate, appears out of a sparkling light to lend her own assistance with distraction. And finally, he conjures several sets of ammunition for the other two Reclaimers at their feet, and turns a serious look at Ogata.]

Shut up and do your job.

[His voice is still shaking as he says it—there's only so much he can do about the adrenaline and the fear—but he then turns to settle down in front of the mirror, leaving them and Gromph to deal with the demons.

Please let this succeed, for once.]

[diffidentive]

[Ouch, that stings. Though it's not like Shuichi can really blame Ogata for saying so. Combat isn't his thing, and that much is obvious from looking at him, even Shuichi himself knows that. So he can't even refute it, though he does manage not to wince or wilt in response. He'll just have to do his best to prove the man wrong. To at least be SOME help...]

[So as Ferran makes a few preparations for them, Shuichi does some of his own. He opens the messenger bag slung over his shoulder, rummaging inside it for a moment before pulling out a crossbow, a small quiver of crossbow bolts, and a small round bottle of a cloudy reddish potion. It's at that point that he notices someone is trying to contact him on his bracer, but that can wait for a few seconds. He's pretty sure he knows who it is, and he needs to do this before Ferran is lost to his magical concentration.]

Ferran-san...drink this before you start. [He holds the little bottle out towards the other boy once he's settled himself in front of the mirror.] It'll give you fire resistance for an hour.

[He saw Ferran's face when he saw that bigass fireball their host cast. He may not know exactly what Ferran's issue with fire is, but he can at least tell that there IS a problem of some sort. And fear only makes it harder to concentrate, even if one specializes in magical concentration. Or at least, that's what Shuichi assumes.]

[He says nothing else, nor does he wait for a response from Ferran. They need to be quick, after all, a full conversation can wait until later. He loads his crossbow as he takes a moment to briefly answer his bracer.]

[Alright. Time to put Maki's training to use and shoot some demonspawn!]

[snyaiper]

[Well, on the one hand, he doesn't much care for the tone Ferran's taking with him. On the other hand, bullets are a precious resource and he can't be fully mad at someone who is giving him ammunition. However exactly he's doing so. He'll have to ask what the fuck that was later. For now, he has work to do. That probably helps him brush it off, too. He doesn't like being idle. So he just huffs lightly as he takes up the ammo.]

I don't need you to tell me that.

[Meanwhile there's this.... teenager. Why are there so many teenagers here? Ogata really doesn't understand it. Look, this one isn't even focused on the mission. What could POSSIBLY be important enough that he has to talk to someone else while they're in literally hell? Once he's done, Ogata fixes him and his crossbow with a vaguely judgemental stare.]

What's your effective range with that thing?
[He's guessing not much, but at least the bolts will do a fair amount of damage if he hits anything.]

[noblegarnet]

[Ferran doesn't get the chance to thank Shuichi for his help, but the surprised look in his eye probably gets the thought across nonetheless—and he downs the potion without hesitation. Although it would never be enough to quash his fear entirely, it's reassurance enough to give him a better start on his meditation. His allies are watching his back, among them a mage capable of transporting them to alternate dimensions. Past that, he doesn't have to think; he only has to feel the mirror. They can do this. He can do this.

Speaking of that mage, Gromph is probably about as pleased with the bracer interruption as Ogata; for all he's capable of throwing fire, ice and lightning at will, he's only one man, and there's already another incoming wave of fiends, some of them diving towards the group through the air.

Nothing like a trial by fire to test out your marksmanship.]

[diffidentive]

[Look guys, he's sorry! But if he didn't answer it, she'd just KEEP CALLING and then he'd never hear the end of it when they finally get back. As is, he's already pretty sure he's going to get an earful for hanging up on her without really giving an adequate explanation.]

[But at least Shuichi is eager to try and make up for the interruption. He immediately takes a shot at one of those divebombing fiends, catching it right in the heart(?). Which...probably answers Ogata's question a little bit, since the thing was only about ten or fifteen feet away. His range isn't very far, but it's seemingly fairly accurate. He dips the next bolt in a vial of something on one of the belts around his waist before loading it, and it's only then that he actually answers Ogata:]

Um...a-about six meters?

[His second shot catches a demon about thirty feet away in the collarbone, but the thing freezes in place immediately, easy prey for a more accurate fireball or bullet. The crossbow itself obviously has a much further range, but Shuichi himself only feels confident in his accuracy for about 20 feet or so. Luckily, he has poison tip and a variety of other poisons to make up for that. It doesn't matter if you hit a fatal point if you can paralyze or poison an enemy, after all.]

[snyaiper]

[Ogata just stands there for a long moment, watching Shuichi shoot. Six meters.

He watches him hit the second demon and freeze it in place. Alright. That seems useful. He can work with that. He can work with all of this, really. Still. Six meters. Six!! Meters!! Children are useless. The worst part is the fact that if Shuichi’s poor competency gets him killed or injured, it will, surely, somehow be Ogata’s fault. He feels this in his gut. Especially the people already looking to blame him for something. Six meters.]

Alright. You stay close to Ferran and pick off any that get close. If you can move and shoot, do it. Otherwise you should change your position every minute or so. Old man, [Old man?! Gromph repeats, offended, and is ignored;] You keep the bulk of them pinned down up front with your magic. I’ll be in back.
[He loads his rifle, five bullets, thumb pressing down on the chamber not quite filled. The way he was trained to do. Pushing the bolt back in and his finger finds its familiar place at the trigger, pressing down, and letting the muted sound of a dry fire ring out. He’s done this hundreds of times. It’s at that precise moment he truly feels at peace with this ridiculous situation.]

Shout if you mess up. I’ll take care of it.
[Helpful? He turns to head off to a good shooting perch in the back. Apparently he’s not interested in answering any questions.]