balance_logs | Lunar Interlude 3

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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

... Pretty much. I didn't do it last time.

[ ponders.... ]

I guess we could explode our way through this! Or make acid!

[ maya has no idea how to do that. ]

( Franziska scoffs. )

It is unlikely that a children's chemistry set would allow one to create something quite so potent. ( Unless it would...? It certainly would be a chance for natural selection, at the very least. ) Perhaps there is something else we can use it with...

( Another thought occurs to her. )

There must be a door in here somewhere, right?

( Doors just don't... magically disappear, at least, not in Franziska von Karma's world. )

We would simply have to find the gap.

( Her gaze slides to the flatware set. )

[ wow, franziska!!! don't shoot down her perfectly legitimate ideas. she pouts a little. ]

Well, this is a virtual reality! Anything can happen.

[ they aren't in franziska von karma's world anymore! that being said, despite the little sulk, she's more or less on board with whatever the prosecutor wants to do. ]

What, like cut up the wall with butter knives until we find the door? [ a beat. ] That could work.

[ maya no. ]

Did you not once escape a locked room with little more than a business card? ( Calling card, same difference. ) Surely a knife would be more sturdy.

( Another pause as she continues to consider their options. )

What did your test involve when you were initiated?

Yeah. Pretty recently, actually. [ but how did franziska know about that!!!!! mystery. ]

[ maya take a knife and start feeling up the walls.... ]

Ummm, it was kind of messed up? It was like a mixed simulation of me and my partner. We were in a courtroom.... but people came and tried to kill us a lot. And spirits.

[ she really hopes that doesn't happen here. ]

( Franziska raises an eyebrow in surprise. )

Recently? It was a year ago. ( Is that what's considered 'recent' in Maya's books? )

A simulation... at least you have experience dealing with spirits.

( And you know what, Franziska's going to pick up a knife and start tracing the walls on the other side of the room. If her years as a prosecutor have taught her anything, it's to not overlook the obvious. )

... It's been a year for you?

[ franziska is from the future??? like, maya's seen so much weird stuff, she wouldn't even question it..... apart from the fact that all their worlds were supposedly destroyed at the same time, so why would franziska be a year ahead? ]

Well, not like that. Hopefully we don't run into anything nasty here.

[ time to knife the walls!!!!! ]

Indeed. Why would I lie about something like that?

( Nope, just solid wall here. This is frustrating, but she won't leave any nook or cranny unturned. )

Even if we do, between the two of us, I am sure we will be able to handle it.

( Have faith, Maya Fey! )

Well, no..... but, um, it just happened for me. So that's weird? If the world was destroyed, why are a year ahead of me?

[ maya's still pretty determined, but franziska catches off guard. she'd said to phoenix before that if franziska were less mean, they could have been friends, but.... maybe they are? in the future? or at least on friendlier terms. ]

You think so? Well, we are two very capable ladies.

Perhaps they are alternate realities. Alike, but slightly different.

( It's not the strangest possibility she has considered today, that's for certain. They're almost done examining the walls... )

We certainly are.

( Perhaps Franziska more than Maya, but she thankfully keeps that thought to herself. )

Oh, really? [ she's surprised to hear franziska talk about alternate realities...... she kind of thought she was too much of stick in the mud for that. but maya also doesn't voice that thought. ] Hey, is there anything about your universe that stands out? Like, does Nick have a weird mustache?

[ if she finds out larry is the steel samurai, it will truly be the darkest timeline. also, rude. ]

.... Huh. I can't find anything on my end.

[ nicks at the wall a bit with her knife. ]

Phoenix Wright has no facial hair to speak of. ( It's kind of disappointing in its own way, although Franziska quite can't put her finger on why. )

Does he have a moustache in yours?

( She can't quite visualise it!

Dragging her knife along the last portion of untested wall, it ... slips slightly in the corner of an otherwise empty space.

She frowns. )

Maya Fey.

( Franziska runs her knife over the same spot again, to the same result! )

Do you notice anything odd about this wall?

Yeah, he doesn't have any. That'd just be weird.

[ maya can't visualize it either, either.... not even stubble. ]

[ the second she notices franziska's knife catching on the wall, she nyooms over to look at it. ] Is that... a gap? Looks like you were onto something, Ms. von Karma!

( Franziska jiggles her butter knife in the crack she has identified, until finally it stays in place. They need more leverage.

It truly is a pity they cannot use the toolbar. )

It stands to reason that even across parallel universes, some facets of life remain absolute.

( She glances back at their pile of supplies, a small frown on her face. )

Pass me the wooden sword.

( What are 'please' and 'thank you?' Not words Franziska von Karma deigns to use right now, that's what. She has a job to do. )

Maybe I just have amnesia and can't remember.... whatever adventures you got into.

[ de killer could have hit her on the head with a fire extinguisher. anyway, instead of handing it over, maya grabs the sword and heads over to where franziska is. ]

I can do it! Just tell me where to stab!

[ they're both rude fucks. ]

( At least Maya is speaking Franziska's language now! She points at the handle of the butter knife. )

Hit it as hard as you can.

( She'll at least allow Maya to make an attempt.

And also, privately, she believes her theory is better, but she's not going to press the point. For now. )

[ listen, maya's original theory about time travel was better!!!! also, hitting things is great. ]

What, just whack it in so it goes into the wall? Okay, give me a sec!

[ franziska definitely has more upper body strength (whipping is great for toning arm muscles, probably), but maya steels herself and then gives it a good whack! ]

TAKE THAT!

[ huh. looks like franziska's onto something. ]

( Franziska is privately impressed by the strength of Maya's swing, but apart from the ghost of a smile on her face, there is no other sign of outward approval.

The crack has been jimmied open slightly!

Franziska turns to Maya. )

Mind if I give it a try?

[ if franziska thinks that's impressive, she should see maya attack phoenix with a bottle. ]

[ maya has to shake out her hand a little, but she finally does hand it over. ]

Sure..... though, hey, do you have your whip on you?

[ it's dangerous for maya to remind franziska she has it when she'll most likely be the one getting whipped, but she's a fool. ]

( Franziska shakes her head. )

No, I do not. As it is a weapon, I surrendered it to the proctor.

( Not that it would have been of much use here, unless Franziska wanted to take out any of her pent-up frustration on Maya.

Accepting the wooden sword from the other woman, Franziska takes aim at the butter knife, lashing out with all her might.

For her efforts, she simply manages to jar her arm, hard, after the pesky utensil fails to budge any further. She frowns. )

It seems you must have opened it as far as it will go.

( Now what? )

Knowing you, I thought you would have found a way around that... [ or just brought it in anyway. oh well. there goes maya's wildly impractical plan. ]

Maybe.... we could try this at the other end? It could be like, a secret door or something.

[ wow that's almost rational, and-- ]

.. Or maybe we should just keep hitting the wall until we get somewhere.

[ --nevermind. ]

Try wedging it open at both sides, you mean?

( As much as Franziska is a fan of just hitting things in general, she must say that the former idea has more merit.

Although, that does bring her to her next question... )

What were you going to do with the whip?

Yeah, something like that.

[ obviously she was going to whip the wall!! ]

I was gonna attach the knife to the end of it, and then hit the wall! With the extra force, we could have gotten somewhere.

[ it's hard to tell whether she's serious or not. ]

( You know what, Franziska's not in the mood to get into a discussion of the law of physics (and who knows, maybe they're different in this weird, wacky world, so instead she simply says: )

It sounds like someone should get another knife.

( By 'someone' she means you, Maya.... )

[ why is it always maya!!! get your own knife, franziska. ]

Ugh, fine... We don't even have the whip.

[ despite her complaints, she does go get it. and she also gets the spaghetti, because she's hungry. and the crowbar. someone didn't read the instructions. ]

All this wallstabbing is making me hungry, why don't we take a lunch break?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Lunar Interlude 3

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