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

Nice to meet you, too. [Even with the circumstances being what they are.] I was one of the first— at least one of the first to come from another world.

[There were some natives working as reclaimers before then, she's pretty sure, but it hadn't panned out for the Bureau the way they might have liked. Her end of the handshake is both firm and brief, and she releases his hand as she answers him.]

It's been a learning experience for all of us. I've been on two missions down to the surface so far— they were so different from one another, it was almost like going to entirely different worlds.

[Ferran folds his arms, a curious frown forming on his face. He understands it being new to someone from another world, but... does the whole magic thing make it more than just differences in culture and climate? (And how much will he have to prepare for?)]

Really? Different how?

There's the people, for one... the first place we went to was New Aspen, a town among the branches of a giant tree and covered in snow. Most of the people there were humans, but there were giant cats serving as the town guard, too.

[Cats she got along rather well with, fortunately for her— it had come in handy when it had come to gathering information.]

Vista Virs was an oasis in the middle of a wasteland, and the culture was completely different. No native humans, but the Kitsune and Needlers seemed to have a sort of symbiotic relationship.

[So not only culture and climate, but species too? It's strange to think about. Even if he's been talking to the kitsune, it's been... kind of him forcing himself to ignore the whole walking talking animals thing.]

I see... I probably would have felt the same, then. There aren't anything but humans where I'm from, as far as sapience goes.

[...]

That I know of.

[At least Blake herself might serve as a good transitional walking-talking animal? She's closer to human than the kitsune, at least, but she'd definitely felt a strong kinship with them upon arriving in Vista Virs. It wasn't only the way they looked, but the way they lived reminded her so strongly of how things worked back in Menagerie that it had made her a little bit homesick.

She tilts her head slightly to one side, thoughtful.]

You're not the only one from a world like that. A lot of people have been surprised by what they've seen here, in that regard. There's a lot more variety than most people are used to— there's some where I'm from, but it's not like this. We have humans and Faunus, but beyond that, just animals and monsters— Grimm.

[And Grimm certainly don't have a society of their own, not the way humans and Faunus do.]

[Blake is a good transition, yes, even if she barely counts as non-human because she looks so normal, but with cat ears on top. ~~And pretty.~~]

Yeah. I didn't even know there were monsters in my world until a few months ago. I had a lot else on my mind at the time, so I just pushed past it then, but... meeting actual people who don't look at all like us is definitely different.

[He hopes his next question isn't too much of an assumption.]

Are you a Faunus, then?

[All features that contribute to a good midpoint!

She smiles faintly at his explanation, sympathetic. She can't imagine ever knowing a world without monsters in it, not truly, but that can't have been an easy transition. It sounds like he'd been able to power through out of necessity, but that could only last for so long. Everything caught up to you eventually. Nothing could ever really be outrun, for better or for worse.]

I imagine it was a pretty rude awakening, finding out for the first time. It says a lot about you that you can talk about it calmly now.

[As for his question, she nods.]

But yes, I am. I look closer to human than some, but we're all different.

[Ferran's gaze moves just to the side when she compliments him, more avoidant than sheepish, but his tone doesn't change from the casual one he's taken so far.]

There's not much of an alternative. [He had no one to confide in about it, he thought. Out of breaking down and keeping his head, the former hasn't really appealing for the most part, so he's shoved it all down. It'll come out eventually, but for now he's good enough.] But... thank you.

[He nods at the confirmation, but the clarification doesn't do much to explain things to him. He is sadly from a human-only world and so cursed with the limits thereof.]

What do you mean by different?

[Her immediate reaction is that she's not quite sure how to word it, but she settles for giving a faint, lopsided smile and giving the ears atop her head a brief wiggle to draw attention to them. Not very dignified, maybe, but it tends to get the point across.]

Well, I'm guessing you look at these and think 'cat.' There are Faunus who resemble monkeys, rabbits, bats, spiders, bulls— even Faunus who are part-fish and spend most of their time in or near the water. There are as many of us as there are animals.

[The word 'animal' itself is often used as a slur against them, but she doesn't want to let that keep her from using it when it's appropriate. There's nothing wrong with the word itself, after all— it's the people who insist on looking down on them.]

That is pretty different.

[Especially between fish and cats. And spiders. That's not even in the same category. There must be a pretty big difference in how they all live, even if they are relatively humanlike. He looks between the top of her head and her face, and a Question slowly arises.

...... he's gotta know.]

Do those work?

[She stares at him for a moment, disbelieving, and her first instinct is to recoil and ask him if his ears work in return— but this isn't her own world, and he's just being curious. She can't fault him for that, and at least he's being mostly polite about it.

All the same, her cheeks flush.]

I— yes. They do.

[Nng.]

Better than most people's, even.

[Apparently that wasn't a good question to ask. Her embarrassment is clear enough that he feels a bit of it sympathetically. SORRY.]

C-cool.

[Nice save. Nailed it.]

That must be really useful. Uh, not that you've probably known... any different.

[He made a mistake.]

[She huffs a sigh, but he's earnest and well-meaning enough that she's able to crack at least a small half-smile in reply.

He's doing his best?]

I can see in the dark, too— though that's not as unusual here, apparently. Plenty of races in this world have 'darkvision.'

[Still, pretty up there on the useful scale.]

Relax, it's okay.

[He rubs the back of his neck, an apologetic expression on his face. Great, they can completely forget about that embarrassing moment now that she's sharing more about herself. Moving on!]

That's pretty great.

[It would be redundant to call that useful too, because... well, duh. Not losing much clarity in low light is an incredible advantage in pretty much any situation.]

How many races do you think there are here...?

More than we've met so far, at least.

[She can't even count all of the races she knows of on both hands at this point.]

The most common ones besides humans are the elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, goblins— and of course you've met the needlers and the kitsune. I've heard something about dragonborn, as well, and I think Garfield is a 'tabaxi?'

[She's pretty sure that's what the cat people here are called.]

[Ferran holds back a sigh—there's a lot he's unfamiliar with here, and he has no way of knowing if he might end up making mistakes with people because of it. He doesn't know how far claiming ignorance will take him, not that he'd even want to unless necessary.]

That's a lot to keep track of.

I don't think any of us are expected to memorize everything about this world, but if you want to get to know it a little bit better, I can show you where some of the most useful books in the Artificer's Library are?

[She's spent a fair amount of time there, herself.]

It does help to familiarize yourself a little.

[Maybe they aren't necessarily expected to by the Director or the Bureau, but Ferran himself hates being stuck in unfamiliar situations without any way to make them familiar. The more he can learn ahead of time, the better.]

I'd appreciate that. There's so much in there it's impossible to just browse...

[The artificer needs a proper system of organization that everyone else can comprehend. The Leon Decimal system isn't working out.]

Come on.

[She smiles, beckoning for him to follow.]

The kitsune won't miss you for a little while— they're getting settled in, too. I'll show you what's worth reading.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Lunar Interlude 3

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wrapping it up!