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

[whippings]

( Franziska's lips purse slightly in disapproval at all the swearing, but she chooses not to comment on it for now. It does mean that she now looks positively dour, though. )

Oh, are they particularly noisy?

[rancori]

[Maria, for her part, only smiles at the change in expression, completely unapologetic.]

You bet they are. It gets real damn exciting here sometimes, trust me.

[She shrugs.] But some of 'em are okay, I guess.

[whippings]

( Well, that's a relief. She folds her arms across her chest. )

So is this noise an understandable reaction to this so-called excitement or is it simply the needless chatter of easily over-stimulated fools?

[rancori]

[Easily over-stimulated fools? That's a new one. Almost sounds like something an old friend of hers would say, huh...

Whatever.

Maria laughs.]

I'd say both, y'know? Hell if I know why they all get excited sometimes.

[whippings]

( Well, that sounds typical of people in general. Franziska smirks in return. )

What would you say is the most exciting event you've experienced here thus far?

( While she hadn't been in the mood to talk, she can't reject an opportunity to collect more information. )

[rancori]

[Ugh. Well, that sure is a question.

She laughs again, lower this time, and crosses her arms. Oh, to hell with it. It's not like she died.]

Getting lost in the desert sure was exciting.

[whippings]

The desert?

( Franziska frowns. )

Why were you wandering aimlessly in the desert?

[rancori]

[She wasn't... It's not like...

Well, she's certainly not going to say "I made a stupid-ass decision."

She sighs.]

I told ya, I got lost! We all got sent there and... [She waves a hand.] I found someone. He'd found some caves. Real riveting shit, trust me.

[whippings]

( This conversation just gets more confusing with every sentence. Her desire for a nap is rising... )

Why did you simply follow some stranger into the caves?

[rancori]

[She is, admittedly, not trying very hard to tell a good story, but.

She's just not that great at it.]

'Cause I knew the guy?! He's one of us. A real fucking asshole, but one of us. And he was acting all... [She points at her temple.] All crazy? I wanted to know what was up.

[She realizes, belatedly, that doesn't help her case at all. Oops.]

[whippings]

Did you take others with you when you followed him?

( She asks it as though she's trying to assess just how foolhardy the other woman is. )

[rancori]

Fuck no! It was just me and him!

[She doesn't usually drag people into her things. Honest!]

He did say he had someone working with him, but hell if I know who.

[whippings]

( Well, at least this woman isn't needlessly getting others into troublesome situations. )

And what was it that you found in this cave that was so 'exciting'?

[rancori]

Nobody was trying to kill us in there, that was pretty damn exciting.

[She taps the fingers of one hand against her other arm, frowning in thought.]

Shit, I don't know, it was a better story than "a sandworm tried to kill me."

[whippings]

( Well, that certainly is something...

Getting more and more exasperated, as though she's been sent on a wild worm goose chase, Franziska clicks her tongue. )

What precisely is a sandworm?

( It doesn't sound so threatening... )

[rancori]

Uh.

[Frankly, she was pretty confused at the time, too.]

Huge worms in the desert. Seriously. Fucking. Huge.

[whippings]

Ah.

( She's not sure what to say to that for a moment, eventually coming up with: )

I didn't imagine they would be quite so big.

[rancori]

[She grimaces.]

Trust me, neither did I. You don't wanna have seen them.

[whippings]

( Yeah, you know what, that's an experience Franziska is totally fine with having missed out on. )

Is that what they expect from us here? To fend for ourselves in dangerous situations?

[rancori]

[A snort.]

Yeah, more or less? And they're damn useless when you try to ask them shit.

They just keep dumping us in different places.

[whippings]

( Franziska frowns. )

How can they expect us to perform to the best of our ability if they do not give us as much information as they are able?

[rancori]

Hell if I know! They're all like "ohhh, you'll get the hang of it," and that's seriously not helpful.

I've figured out more from the other ones here.

[whippings]

That is unfortunate.

( That the people who brought them here are so bereft of information, not that others have been willing to help. Anyway. )

Thank you for the information, by the way. It has certainly helped clarify some matters.

[rancori]

Don't mention it. Seriously.

It's kind of a shitshow anyway.

[whippings]

That certainly appears to be the case.