balance_logs | Field Mission 3: Brushing the Sun, Part 1

Field Mission 3: Brushing the Sun, Part 1

	Are there really no bananas on board this thing?
	NAVIGATION

1. FIRST, YOU DRAW A CIRCLE

Click here for the RNG thread!

A. IT'S TIME TO GET TO WORK

That certainly isn't to say that your previous efforts have not been hard work. But one half of this mission has been fine tuned, a logistical machine of well-oiled cogs, the creative efforts of a man who has so much to make up for.

After the three-hour journey across the sky, you and the three other Reclaimers you boarded the glass orb with will be deposited right in the dead center of Maru, where the Bureau has set up a small camp for gathering, sorting, and sending off supplies. It's chilly, but not unbearably so. The air is thin, but up here, it's probably the cleanest you've breathed anywhere else in Faerun — new and old Reclaimers alike.

Whatever goal you decide to work toward during your stay here, after a quick rundown of how supply gathering will work (it's pretty simple: You bring supplies, the unnamed Bureau members assigned to the base will send them off), you're turned loose to the gnarling wilds of the floating continent.

Because, as the header says, it's time to get to work.

And you most certainly haven't gone unnoticed.

2. USE YOUR PATH ACTIONS WISELY

B. ROWDY RUMBLE

Those of you who aren't quite combat ready might be getting something of an instant crash course in the art of a hostile encounter — though, perhaps in a bit of a lucky streak, goblins, like the pack of three of them that are leading the charge here, are, uh. Well, they're morons.

But these particular three see a bunch of humanoids flying in on what are very clearly cursed globes, and they see a bunch of humanoids wandering the lands and attempting to cash in on their treasure. They were here first, you know! Even if they don't entirely understand why the mine they were here first in isn't exactly on the ground anymore. Or where exactly they are to begin with now. Or ... well, frankly, nothing about any of this makes any sense.

Whether you're back at the base at the center of Maru, or whether you're out in the fields, toeing at the ground for hints of treasure underneath, you, and whoever you happen to be traveling with, will be approached by a rather bold trio. And whatever treasure you may have on your person? They're rather keen on taking it.

What will you do? Fight? Try to reason with them?

For those of you with the combat experience, there are, of course, much bigger fish to fry. Take a look at the YOLO's guide to monsters for a full list of the hostile critters you can challenge to a wrestle during your stay on Maru.

C. NIGHTLY WHISPERINGS

You've probably heard the rumors by now — the fact that nobody seems interested in going to the small lake and waterfall on Maru once nighttime rolls around. Seems pretty silly, right? Superstitious, even. It's a rather beautiful patch of the floating continent, and if your previous expeditions digging through the ground are any indicator, there's a wealth of valuable items to be had underneath the surface.

Hubris might lead you to camping out near the water's edge, for just one evening.

And sometime around midnight, provided that same hubris hasn't put you to sleep, the light of your campfire, or the light of the moon, suddenly extinguishes. It's like being wrapped up in a cloak of vantablack, in very nearly every single sense, not just sight. No rustling of leaves, no sound of the wind passing through every nook and cranny of the continent. No light. No nothing.

If you decide to book it out of there, be careful, lest you accidentally wander into the lake, without a clear sense of where exactly the exit is. But if you choose to hold steady, after about an hour, the silence and darkness clears — and the scenery returns to normal, as if nothing happened.

Something did happen, however. Whether you stayed there for just a moment, you sat through it, or you slept through it, if you were anywhere near the lake at midnight, you'll be subject to a nightly enchantment coming from an unknown source. You may pick one of the following:

○ The next time you are asked a question, whether it's what you had for dinner or whether you're all right, you will be magically forced to answer it truthfully. The effect wears off after one question.

○ When you speak, you'll hear yourself speaking normally. Everyone else will hear you either making an animal noise, or repeating a sentence you've said before, regardless of its relevance. That goes all the way back to your canon! The effect begins at sunrise, and lasts for three hours.

○ Whenever you try to leave, it feels as if your shoes are suddenly made with two tons of lead. You will not be able to move away normally. Someone's going to have to carry you out of there.

○ When the sun rises, you will be magically reduced to half your height. The effect lasts for five hours.

3. MINE CART MADNESS

D. I'M ABOUT TO LOSE MY MINE, UP IN HERE, UP IN HERE.

Eventually, you'll probably find yourself down in the mine's labyrinthine system of tunnels and networks that seem to sprawl out in nearly endless directions. Be careful when you turn corners, as there may be an Umber Hulk or a Basilisk waiting for you in the darkness, but as you look down, you do notice tracks that head in nearly every direction. Whoever had initially excavated this area was quite laborious and thorough with the pathing down in its deepest delves. One turn leans to another long corridor, and maybe another turn leads you back in a circle. Mining equipment can be found almost everywhere, left to rust and decay with the passage of time that could only indicate hundreds of years of being completely unbothered.

You step forward, and look to see a path that carves out into four directions- straight, left, right, and back.

And you quickly realize something doesn't feel right. That's true- as you begin to step forward and take a path, you find yourself back to where you started after walking for a little while. Turn back, and you might notice that you're in the exact place you just were as well. Maybe you brought some chalk with you, or maybe you managed to drop something here like a breadcrumb trail to tell you which way you've already headed. Or maybe you don't even notice it until you've been walking for hours, but you're stuck in a loop.

Of those four directions, you'll notice something peculiar if you start to take notice.

○ One direction will always lead you back to where you started.

○ If you listen close enough, down one hall you'll be able to hear the sound of a coastline, weak waves echoing and crashing against the shore. Follow that sound and you'll come to the source of it: a large standing pool of water that sits absolutely still, no tide. You can swim to the bottom of it, not a problem. There doesn't seem to be anything there. But the walls are bio-luminescent, coated with weird fungi that you definitely don't want to eat.

○ When you look on the ground, you can always find baby fire beetles at the mouth to one of the spokes. Follow those markings long enough and you'll inexplicably be sent back to the mine's entrance.

○ One direction is completely nondescript, but unlike the first one that sends you to the beginning of the maze, you enter a new area that doesn't hold any of the signs that you were there previously. You can follow this lead for several iterations, and eventually come to a four-way that has no features noticeable whatsoever: no beetles, no sound of rushing water. But you head down one of them and you're back to where you started.

E. I'LL FOLLOW BEHIND YOU ON RAINBOW ROAD.

Mind boggling puzzles aside, you're welcome to explore the depths of the Lost Mine of Phandelver. One of the more ridiculous, albeit, fun adventures you can take is a mine cart ride through the mine down to the farthest reaches. It starts off relatively bumpy and doesn't seem to smooth out at any given point, but it's the closest thing you're going to get to a roller coaster ride down here in Faerun. Reaching the end is a matter of waiting the cruise- and you eventually come to a dead end.

There's stuff you can mine down here as it empties out into a vast, damp cavern. Iron, several types of cheap gemstones, and rocks can be found pretty much anywhere. If you're looking to rebuild Vista Virs, this is a good place to start. If you're looking to make a little cash on the side, that's possible too. We're not here to judge your moral intentions.

Getting back isn't as fun as it was coming down here, as you're pretty much stuck pushing the cart back to where it was if you want to take things out. Don't worry about the logistics too much; there always seems to be a cart available for you to descend, and oddly enough, it never feels like it's the same journey down and back twice in a row.

F. BEEN HERE ALL NIGHT. BEEN HERE ALL DAY.

There are a few notable places to explore while you're down in Phandelver:

○ An administrative office, complete with desks that haven't been touched in years. Several papers are still there, with dates that go far and wide back into the past. Touching them causes it to disintegrate into dust. For anyone who makes it down there, there is a lockbox to be found that can be opened by smashing it on the ground or attempting to unlock it with thieves' tools. While the contents are up to you to decide, nothing in there should be magical beyond a simple potion of healing, aged... several centuries.

○ An old room that seems to be barred from the inside, about an hour's walk past the mine entrance. Outside, you can find several skeleton carcasses of humanoid creatures that have long since died down here. If you try to make it into the room by force, you'll be greeted with a barracks that once housed the dwarves who worked down here. You get the sense that a battle happened in these parts, but beyond that, it's kind of hard to tell what went down.

○ A large quarry with a practically neolithic drill in the center of it. It hasn't seen use in quite some time, but be careful as the drop can be upwards of 100 feet. Another prime locale for mining, this area seems to house sturdier metals. Hence, the drill being necessary. Be careful, this is prime Umber Hulk territory.

○ Various storerooms that housed supplies for the workers of the cavern. You'll find wine and spirits down in the depths, and who wouldn't want to try some 300 year old whiskey? The climate down here is particularly perfect for keeping and storing these rare and fine vittles. Drink up, it's on us.

○ One peculiar room that when you enter, you feel a chill sort of feeling take over your body. There's a bed in here, with a storage chest at the base of it. Attempting to open it or touch it or even having an intention to steal/uncover what's inside will cause you to hear incredibly powerful and loud screaming in your head, enough to make you clutch your ears and take psychic damage from it. Hm.

4. WILDCARD

The floating continent of Maru is your world to explore, and your story to write! You may use any of the prompts we've given you here, or you may come up with your own prompts — you can utilize any part of the setting provided in the OOC post.

If you'd like the outcome of a particular thread randomized, or if you'd like to investigate a particular part of the setting, feel free to drop a note in the RNG thread and we'll set up a roll for you.

As always, be amazing. You're two for two on reclaiming Grand Relics, and we can't wait to see what you do here.

blurb code by photosynthesis

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ A - Where a Million Diamonds Shine ]

i[This has not been the easiest task.

Roxas doesn't usually do resource collecting. Or at least, what collecting he's done in the past has been easy enough, usually found dropped by enemies or in a conveniently placed treasure chest. So mining is something he hasn't really had to do. It's kind of scary to descend down into the mines and he's got his guard up for enemies, especially since it seems he has to go deep for what he's looking for.

But he strikes a rich vein and is able to find diamonds. So you might be able to hear his shouts of excitement echoing up from the cave he's in]

ii - [Of course, while he's down here, Roxas is taking the time to explore. He can't ignore a weird sense of nostalgia for being in a mine, but he's also pretty sure he's never been in one before so he's trying not to focus on that feeling. Not that he's able to for long, as he soon comes across a door in a place that doors usually aren't. Which brings back a different sort of nostalgia. Dread. But it doesn't look like that door, and so Roxas goes to open it.

The lock doesn't resist too hard to a few strikes from a pickaxe, but it seems the lock was also the only thing holding the door closed and a whole bunch of papers comes spilling out shortly after.]

Fantasy Costco? Really?

H-how?

iii - [The price of success is a heavy one it seems. Literally in this case. Roxas has a minecart full of diamond, and some papers, that he's gamely trying to push up the track. It's slow going though, and he looks like he could use some help.

Please don't steal his diamonds though. They're for the Bureau.]

[ B - Is Any of this Real or Not? ]

[When he's not in the mine or helping to explore, Roxas finds himself drawn to the lake and the waterfall. It seems to be where he goes for downtime, and that's where he is this evening. He sits on the shore, staring out into the lake and trying not to focus on the memories of a promise to go to the beach. It's not quite the same, but the meeting of sky and shore and water is enough to bring it into focus.

It's times like these that he misses Axel. A lot. But it also brings to mind questions of Sora. Either way, Roxas looks thoughtful, and might be compelled to offer some of those thoughts if someone offers him a penny.]

You can really see the stars from up here.

[ C - Beetle Battle]

[Well, it wouldn't be a mission without some sort of creature to fight, and right now Roxas is mixing it up with some Fire Beetles. He seems to be doing pretty well, and maybe looks pretty cool with his dual wield of sword and keyblade, which is really starting to gain some finesse.

Or he's at it with a spear, which is a bit more unwieldily but he's managing with the basics. At least until one lands a lucky hit and he jumps back with a wince.]

Ouch!

[ D - Wildcard]

[ooc: Want to hit me up with something different? Did we have plans and need a starter? Go for it or hit me up at

urbaninja and we'll make it happen!]

Edited 2019-04-09 05:57 (UTC)

( Franziska, too, is drawn to the lake, but not for any particular reason. She just think it's pretty. So she'll be setting up her bedroll one evening when she overhears the boy musing to himself, and Franziska being Franziska, she is more than happy to offer her two cents: )

They are not the same stars from our homes, however.

( And that's what she's been thinking about lately. Although she doesn't have much attachments in her life, the few she does have? She misses. )

Not really, yeah. They're nice though.

[He doesn't really know any constellations to watch out for, though. Not that he knew back home either.]

And its nice to see them without the moon base lights.

The artificial lights are overpowering, I agree.

( Although she'd always lived close to the city, Franziska had always had a certain fondness for nature. )

How long have you been here for?

( Does she mean in this world as a whole, or sitting by this lake? Who knows! )

Since this whole thing started, actually. This is my third mission.

[Which, when he thinks it, is kind of hard to believe. He's still a lot in such a short time.]

( At least it's clear which way he took her question. )

I see. You must have more experience with such ... adventuring ( she gestures at their surroundings with one hand ) than I.

This is my first one.

( Although now that she says it, she wonders if it's obvious. )

A little...this is my third mission. Though before all of this, I didn't have a lot of experience with like, camping, and that kind of stuff.

[And he's a little proud of that fact. They're two for two after all.]

You didn't adventure a lot back in your world?

Oh, I did, but it was a different type of adventure.

( With an almost wistful look on her face, she leans back on the heels of her palms and glances back up at the stars. )

Less nature, more... courtrooms.

It seems like you have gotten accustomed to camping quickly enough.

Courtrooms?

[It's a question. He's not quite sure how a courtroom can be an adventure, but then no one really gave him a crash course on the legal system.]

But yeah, it's not that bad once you get used to it. Kind of nice.

( That's certainly a sentiment she can agree with. )

It is, isn't it?

( She'd always enjoyed the outdoors, even though she'd never truly spent much time amongst nature. )

And yes, courtrooms.

( And because they are in a strange, magical world, she asks: )

Are you familiar with the concept?

Sort of? I've heard of them, but never really been in one.

[He knows about rules per se, rather than laws specifically. But he has some basic knowledge. Axel probably pointed out one in Twilight Town or another world.]

It's where you go if you break the law, right?

That's correct.

( She gives him a little affirmative nod, the corner of her lips curling into a smile. )

And do you know what a prosecutor is?

[It takes some thinking, but he can puzzle it out.]

A kind of lawyer, right? I think Axel told me about it once.

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wildcard; i can change this if it doesn't work!

looks good!

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