balance_logs | Lunar Interlude 3

	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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Here Emil realizes that Lalli scratching at doors is actually just a thing he does, and not something he did to improvise because of the language barrier... fascinating.

Well, anyway, he's stumped. He shrugs, like, nooooo??]

I'm not even near the door.

[He's innocent! Now he looks back at the table, which has all this crap on it and nothing really helpful, except... the note saying not to use this crowbar. Why would it say that??

...damn!!]

Lalli... You don't think this is...?

[He can't even finish the question, it's so embarrassing? They're so dumb.]

[Lalli is... eccentric? Let's put it like that. Anyway—what is this supposed to be, Emil? What? Lalli isn't putting two and two together here, even with Emil's spot-on reaction; it's why he, you know, wanders over to the table to do some investigating of his own. Silverware, toy weapons(?), a plate of noodles, a set of something that Lalli has absolutely no idea what to do with, and...

...Well. He eyes the note attached the crowbar, reading through it two times before he sums it all up with an:]

Aha.

[Is this the test? This is the test, isn't it? 1. This is all Emil is getting out of Lalli for the time being, and 2. They're Fucked.]

[Lalli! Please use whole sentences! Emil gives him a Look, waiting for, like, a whole sentence that he'll never get. After a moment of this he sighs and gives up, picking up some silverware... cool... now what.]

Soooo... what do we do? Don't say "get out of here"!

[He's watching you, sassy boy. But seriously what the hell is the point of anything on this table? Why is there a spaghetti dinner, most of all...]

[Wow, way to put the pressure on him? Like, sure, he's a scout, but—whew. Lalli glances left? Lalli glances right? Lalli studies the ceiling before shifting his gaze down to the floor.

...Nothing, which is why Lalli looks back over at Emil and... hesitantly shrugs. He's not an all-knower!]

Find the door?

[Which is why he, too, picks up one of those... butter knives. If he can find even the slightest crack and slip that sucker right inside, maybe he can, like, pry something open?]

[Oh my god!!]

That's sooo... hmm. That's nearly the same as saying get out of here.

[In fact, he marches right over to where the door used to be and slaps his hand there, pointedly. Look, he found it and it SUCKS.

Remember when he embraced death after 20 minutes locked in a bathroom? This is similar. He's getting there, slowly but surely.]

Okay! Step two!

[Step two: Wait for someone else to open it. But okay, okay—with an audible sigh, Lalli heads right over to the bit of wall Emil has helpfully smacked and runs his fingers over a good bit of it. It's perfectly smooth, Emil, do you SEE this.]

No? Step one. [You stupid boy, you.] Find the door, and then—

[Explaining this... is so hard, so watch him mime sticking a knife in something and slowly prying it open. Like, what one would do with a crowbar, but with a teeny tiny knife instead.]

I found it, it's right here. It was right here. Doors don't move.

[Doors also don't magically fuse into the walls, but he's got only so many disbeliefs he can suspend at a given time. This is a lot of effort, Lalli.

He raises an eyebrow at this... strategy.]

That's prooobably going to snap the knife?

[Emil, can you not feel the fact that the door is no longer here? Like, Lalli gives the wall one more pointed once-over, really trying to drive that fact home, before he takes a step back.]

Maybe? Just find the door. [A beat, a shrug, and then:] If it's here.

[He doesn't understand this stuff, either, but there's no sense in panicking about it. Tough situations call for... a cool head, you see, which is why he leaves Emil to his door-searching in order to wander back over to the table. He'll poke at various things—yes, even the spaghetti—as he continues trying to think of ways out of here. That requires more staring at the plain white walls? Boring. Stressful, but boring.

...He's yawnin'.]

You're not going to help?

[Is he correct in that assumption, because that's the vibe he's getting here from the yawning and the disinterest. Lalli is usually more on top of things in a crisis (and this IS a crisis!!) so what does Emil do now...?

Tap on the wall a little? He's doing that. After that gets him nowhere he returns to the table as well, to frown at all of these "supplies." Are any of these useful at all...?

Aha.]

...If you don't want to help, I'm just going to do whatever I want.

[Cool? Is that kosher? He picks up baby's first chemistry set and gives Lalli a little wave to go yawn somewhere else. Under the table, maybe.]

[He is on top of things... in the sense that he realizes that finding the door over there probably isn't going to pan out. Why did it disappear? Where did it disappear to? Those are questions that a) Lalli doesn't know the answers to and b) force Lalli to think about some rather strange things, so—the table! The table full of junk. That's what he's focusing on instead of, like, a new type of magic, or the fact that they're here because their world is no more.

...It's going great, obviously, which is why he shoots Emil a Look when he oh so rudely states that Lalli isn't helping. Um! Go ahead and grab whatever floats your boat, Emil, but don't be rude.]

Pfh. I am helping. [In his own quiet way, but listen. He shifts his eyes down to the... chemistry(?) set.] That's not going to do anything.

[Is he going to stop Emil from grabbing it, though? Nope. He's just going to fully turn away, continuing to stare at these plain white walls as he tries to think of other options. It's making him sleepier, but he's so stubborn...]

That's what you think. Don't you know what this is?

[He clearly does, which is why he's calling it "this" and shaking the box a little instead of doing something informed and intelligent. He has a basic understanding of chemicals in that he knows they can blow up if mixed together... and that's about it. He crosses the room to where the door used to be, sitting down with the box to open it and ready the materials for some Real Science.

Stay over there, please. Only one of them need die a horrible death right now.]

I'll have us out of here in no time! Just wait!

[Here he goes... beginning his best plan: dump the entire chemistry set into one of these plastic, child-friendly beakers.]

[No, Lalli doesn't know what the heck that is. Is he curious now that Emil's, you know, acting all high and mighty about it? ...Maybe. Maybe that's why he even glances back Emil's way before his friend heads over to the opposite side of the room, but asking about it... is out of the question, because Lalli is feeling awfully stubborn right about now! Awfully determined to figure this shit out on his own, which is why Emil's confident claim is met with a clearly doubtful—]

Hn.

[Dumb boys! Dumb, dumb boys, because while Emil is over there pouring oddly colored liquids into a beaker, Lalli will be here, staring up at the ceiling and trying to ignore the clinking happening behind him. There's nothing on the walls, but on the ceiling...? Maybe...? Well, it's worth a shot, he supposes, which is why he grabs the (surprisingly heavy) table and tries to drag it over to the opposite side of the room. That scraping and squealing sure is lovely, isn't it... enjoy it as you continue your scientific experiment, Emil...]

Lunar Interlude 3

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okay....... take 2