Lunar Interlude 3

[balancemod]

What a mess. NAVIGATION 1. NEW RECLAIMERS A. WELCOME WAGON For the 14 of you who will be arriving today, the story is the same: though you may not remember it, there was a moment where you were living out your life, at home or wherever you were ... and then there was the moment the Hunger came. And amid the television static that is your memory of that moment, a hand reached out to you, beckoning your escape as the tendrils of darkness destroyed everything that ever existed about your world. "Would you hurry this up, please? Your world no longer stands a chance. Come with me, we are the last bastions of hope for all universes everywhere. And we're going to need you." And then, unceremoniously, you are dragged through the universal wringer and plopped down on the soft, though not quite cushioned, grass of the Moon Base Quad. You're not alone, either. Along with the newest members of the Bureau, in a fashion probably not unlike this, there are people waiting here for you. People who wanted to see the heroes the Director has managed to bring in this time. People who are excited to see what you're capable of. You have a few minutes to talk with each other — or maybe lob a few questions at the impromptu welcoming committee, or any of the older Reclaimers who may happen to be nearby. But before long, you're whisked away to a different area of the Moon Base. B. THE VOIDFISH The 14 of you are quickly divided into three groups, and brought to the easternmost geodesic dome, to an elevator in a well maintained, but sparsely landscaped field. There's nothing particularly ominous feeling about the space — in fact, the two guards who greet you at the elevator entrance seem pleased with your arrival. You are, after all, one of the few chosen by the Director, the few who will reclaim what the Hunger has destroyed. And in a few moments, you're about to find that out for yourself. After a tightly packed elevator ride, your group is ushered out to a rather grand looking hall, banners of the Bureau of Balance adorn both sides of smooth metal walls. And inside the Voidfish's chamber stands a tank — impossibly tall, and soaked in a black ink that obscures whatever the tank may be holding. You may notice a melody, someone playing the violin. It's a bard, on his third round of introducing Reclaimers to the Voidfish. When he's finished, he pulls out a few pieces of paper — sheet music — opens a drawer at the bottom of the tank, drops the papers in, and shuts it. And suddenly, it seems you've forgotten everything that may have been ironic about that melody. If you seem alarmed, the bard takes notice of it. "Yeah, man, like... don't think too hard about it, it's like that every time. I'm guessing you're here to be inoculated? Just a heads up, you might want to, like, seriously, hold your nose while you drink it down. It tastes wicked gross, man." You sort of get the sense that he's said this speech once or twice in the past. It's well rehearsed, much like the stories you'd expect a bard to be able to recite. "Anyway, I'm supposed to tell you that you have a choice. If you drink the black stuff, you'll be able to hear through the, uh... Huh, how do I describe it? Through the [TSHCSCHTSHCHSC] sound. You guys like, hear that? Anyway, it's all about knowledge or something. I don't know, I'm just here to, like, feed the thing. We call it the [TSCHHSCHSCH], by the way. So, like. You get a choice. You can drink it and understand stuff, or not drink it and then hear that crackling noise all day every day. If I were you, I'd drink it. But, hey man, I'm not like, your dad or anything." The bard takes five cups and draws liquid from a spigot connected directly to the basin of the large tank. Stormy, muddy looking ichor is drawn into them, one by one. He offers each of you a sip. Drink it (he wasn't kidding about what it tasted like), and you're inoculated to the wisdom of the Voidfish. You try to remember the song this bard played a few moments ago and the melody, the meter, every octave, all come back to you. And if you think back to your arrival, some of the things you may have heard other people in the Quad say, that simply sounded like static, are suddenly clear. Bureau of Balance. Grand Relic. Reclaimers. Yet you still can't remember the Hunger or what it had done to your world. And as you look back to the tank in front of you, the water has become clear. There's a jellyfish, as tall as a building, floating within. You look into the body of the creature and you can almost make out a beautiful, tiny universe floating within it. 2. THE TEST OF INITIATION With your new knowledge on the Bureau of Balance and your purpose here in tow, you are led without hesitation to the Arena, where the final phase of your initiation into the Bureau will be held. You are partnered up, whether it is with someone you drank the ichor of the Voidfish with, or perhaps even a veteran Reclaimer, who either stopped by to help, or simply out of curiosity. After the proctor confiscates your weapons for the test, the room you are placed in is stark white — it sort of gives off the vibe that it was supposed to do something other than look so sterile once upon a time, but for whatever reason, that function is lost. With a sound similar to an airlock, the door is shut behind you, and the outline disappears, the lines of the door frame magically filled in with the rest of the wall. Your task here is to escape. You are provided with the following tools: ○ A small flatware set from the café. Two forks, two spoons, two butter knives ○ A popular Faerun children's toy: "It's Elementary, My Dear Brewer: Chemist Set for the Discerning Beginner." It's essentially a simple chemistry set. ○ An inflatable hammer that plays one progressive note of a jingle a lot of you probably hate by now with every hit. ○ A wooden toy sword. ○ A plate of spaghetti — hear us out, though. Thanks to a Reclaimer who came before you, and thanks to the robot that's making your food, it's the kind of spaghetti that grants you extra strength for an hour after eating. ○ A crowbar, with a note attached to it: "DO NOT USE CROWBAR." Seriously, don't use the crowbar — the purpose of this test is to assess your ability to find a solution outside of the most obvious one. The purpose of this test is to determine if you are capable of resisting the call of a Grand Relic. Use your wits. Use the path actions granted to you when you arrived. Use any ideas your partner has. But do not use the crowbar. 3. NEWBIES AND VETERANS, AROUND THE MOONBASE A. I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN The Reclaimers were already sort of elevated to a certain level in the Bureau, as The Director's chosen few, the ones who were ultimately tasked with saving everyone, and the ones the rest of the Moon base is charged with assisting. And now that the Reclaimers have successfully brought home two Grand Relics, they're ... starting to become something of household names. Moon Base names? The next time you wander into town — an old Reclaimer veteran or a brand new face — you may very well be accosted by a well-meaning, if curious admirer. And they have questions: Did you get to hold the Grand Relic? Is it true that you took out a sandworm by tricking it into tying itself in a knot? Can they see your weapon? Would you spar with them sometime? Maybe they're not quite this annoying. But still annoying. You may need the assistance of another Reclaimer to escape from this wholesome new Adoring Fan of yours. B. MALFUNCTION Resting on the Moon Base is your time to catch up. Maybe there's someone you didn't spend a lot of time with in the Netheril. Maybe you're new, and you're still working on meeting as many of your fellow Reclaimers as possible. Which is fair. These are the people you will have to cooperate with for the foreseeable future, so it's best that you get to know them as well as possible, right? And then, one day, your Bracer buzzes with a message: Hello! Not all that curiously, the message appears to come from a username that you recognize. Whoever it is, it's another Reclaimer — one that you know well. Much more curiously, the message is followed by an odd beeping, and a perhaps familiar two-toned sound of something shutting down. And when you try to message your friend back, you may find that: For the next 24 hours, your bracer's translator feature is broken. You will not be able to understand Common — and when you speak, you won't be translated into Common. Have fun with that! And yeah, that probably wasn't actually your friend messaging you. Add another mystery to your list of weird phenomena that needs addressing. C. POWERING DOWN This is meant to be a few weeks of rest while the rest of the Bureau prepares for your next mission. The Director, however, believes that this free time should be used to better oneself however they might see fit, and she certainly won't stop anybody who'd like to spend time in the areas they've visited previously — and any new Reclaimers who would like to learn a little more about Faerun. Grab a pal and try these options, both on the Moon Base and beyond, on for size: ○ Stop Dying 101: Also known as Fatalistic Fauna, and Danger Sense to channel your inner barbarian. This is a class that was introduced after the first field mission that offers instruction on basic survival strategies when up against the more inhospitable areas of Faerun. The class is open to everyone, but if you have died at least once during the course of Balance, attendance is mandatory (Unless you're an old bird who was talked into teaching a class instead). Yes, that means you, Komaeda! Curiously, the simulators for this class seem to be working just fine. Neither the Director nor the instructor are going to question it. The monster of the month you'll be facing is the Tarrasque (scaled down to size, but that doesn't make it any less terrifying) — are you cunning enough to escape the simulation? Or are you going to go against the point of the class and try to fight it? ○ Winding down room: A small room filled with the kotatsus brought back from Vista Virs, board games, books, and other quiet activities for one of the days where you're feeling a little more restful. At the front of the room, a keyboard and other instruments are waiting — unnamed Bureau members will offer a few quiet, soothing performances throughout the day, but you're welcome to play as well. ○ Visiting New New Aspen: You may have noticed that there's an enormous tree (You say Christmas, we say Candlenights) jutting out past the atmosphere, nearly touching the Moon Base itself. This was the site of the first field mission, and the tree stands as a monument to the Reclaimers first success in recapturing a Grand Relic. At the bottom of the tree, a peaceful town that cherishes the ornaments it makes sits. The mayor of New New Aspen, Matthew, will greet you warmly, and invite you to any number of ornament carving classes, or to dinner with his Aunt Laurel (She's a giant spider, by the way), or to even just spend some time with the giant cats that protect the town. Perhaps worringly, though, the cat captain of the guard, Bread, is missing. ○ Visiting Vista Virs: A town in the middle of an unforgiving desert that was left completely destroyed. If you choose to return, expect to be put to work — you'll be gathering supplies, helping rebuild homes, or just comforting the Needlers, a race of catcus people who inhabited the town, who have lost everything. D. THE MOON IS YOUR SPACE OYSTER (WILDCARD) There are plenty of other locations around the Moon Base that you can explore at your own discretion. Feel free to refer to the Settings page for more ideas on what shenanigans you can get into. Additionally, we'll be fielding Bender rolls again this month! If a food item was destroyed in a failed roll previously, you may roll to try to fix it. Bear in mind, of course, that you may make it worse. Successful food rolls will stay in place at this time, and can be utilized how you like. Keep in mind that only one magical effect can be in place at a time. blurb code by photosynthesis

Comments

[balancemod]

1. Roxas I am so sorry for your lot. You rolled a 2, which somehow managed to be even worse than your last roll for sea salt ice cream.

He'll be presented with a literal block of salt on a stick, which we suppose would come in handy if Roxas ever happened to meet a member of the Cervidae family. If someone happens to be stupid (?) enough to actually try it, they'll become about as conductive as a glass of salt water. That is to say, they probably shouldn't be outside during a thunderstorm.

2. We'll give you a pretty easy investigation roll here. How does a DC of 6 sound?

3. That's kind of adorable, Roxas. The Director will tell him, in his moment of standing there awkwardly, that she's proud of him. She's proud that he found his strength in a moment of uncertainty, a moment of danger there in the lab, and he was able to do what he felt was right.

[seasaltkeys]

1. So much sadness.

2. That roll sounds good.

3. Lucretia is best boss.

Also does he have the opportunity to check in on Killian?

[balancemod]

He sure does! She's been recuperating in her room, which is in another housing complex that you've probably never seen- one specifically made for the Regulators. While your typical dorm has the feeling of being surrounded by lush forests, this one seems... a lot more nautical in nauture? The construction almost feels like it was made at one day to set sail on the sea or something. Either way, you can make your way up there.

She's still a little out of it, but Carey will be there. She looks at you with a little bit of guilt in her eye, but doesn't stop you from coming to pay a visit. She's incredibly thankful for what you did to save her wife, but if provoked, she'll talk about she blames herself for Killian getting caught to begin with.

Killian will open her eyes at that and just point a stare off towards her direction.

"Don't be so thick skulled, Carey. I'm fine."

At least you can tell that they're doing well!

[seasaltkeys]

Aww, these two <3

Roxas probably makes a point of saying hi to them if he sees them around the Moon Base. He's glad that they're doing well (and will probably pass that information around if asked.)

What did his research yield?

[balancemod]

Sorry for the slight delay on the research! As it turns out, researching the Astral Plane is a lot easier than getting Bender to make sea salt ice cream correctly — you rolled a 14.

Roxas will find a book offering more details on the Astral Plane: Getting there, of course, is the easy part. Returning to the Material Plane, to escape from under the rule of the Goddess of Death, the Raven Queen herself is, under normal circumstances, much easier said than done. That's sort of the way it works with the Heartless, right?

It's not completely out of the question to draw a parallel between the Astral Plane, where the souls of the dead are kept, and Kingdom Hearts. And it wouldn't be absurd to find at least a small link between the tools used to fully return a person to the form they once were. Keyblades are pretty effective at that, and rare nowadays. Diamonds are the catalyst the Bureau uses to drag a Reclaimer back from the brink, and those aren't exactly an unlimited resource.

Does Roxas feel up for doing something rather nostalgic and going on a collecting mission? If he can find some diamonds, whether it's by visiting where they've been before, or on future missions, he'll be rewarded handsomely — and he'll know exactly what they're going toward, which might be a far cry from whatever his old Superiors said they were doing with all those hearts.

[seasaltkeys]

No worries and thank you! This is awesome.

I think that could definitely be the sort of mission he'd be interested in so count him in. He is all for transparency and helping his friends come back from the dead (which seems to happen more than he would like it to)