Field Mission 3: Brushing the Sun, Part 1

[balancemod]

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

Comments

[shootstyles]

i. Rowdy Rumble

[Izuku's in trouble. He sort of stumbled onto a Goblin horde and started investigating all of their treasure. Not to steal just to look! If there's a place that's all locked up, you have to go see what it is, don't you? That's just natural.

No, he's just a little nosey fuck.

Which is why he's currently strung upside down by his foot in some sort of trap like a total dumbass who forgot how dulled his reflexes are here while the goblins poke at him with a long stick.]

Hey, can't we talk this out, I really wasn't here to steal anything I swear!

[H E L P]

ii. Gonna lose my mine (the weird room).

[Remember how curiosity got his ass in trouble with the goblins, GUESS WHO LITERALLY LEARNED NOTHING. He's found a strange room in the middle of the mines that gives him a funny chill when he enters it.

That has to mean something right?

He reaches out to touch the chest when a screaming fills his ears. He cries out and covers them in an attempt to muffle out the sound that's so loud that it feels like it's tearing his head apart. He stumbles out of the room and collapses onto the his knees, dry heaving a little.

Then he notices there's blood dripping from his ears.]

Do not go in there.

[He gasps to anyone who happens to be in the area. It takes him a good 20 minutes to recover.]

iii. Deku vs the Whomping Willow
[You fools thought he'd learned his lesson about messing with things.

N O P E.

So when he finds this strange tree that's 1. aggressive 2. protecting something, he's got to figure out what that's all about. He's clearly tried to approach it as he has a cut on his cheek and one on his arm.

But he's dropped into a crouch as he writes into a notebook, muttering furiously to himself. On the pages are a diagram of the willow and notes about how he's approached it.]

It doesn't seem to have any blind spots. Even when I tried to create a distraction further away, it could still attack me. But there has to be a limit right? It only has so many branches. So if you could create a big enough diversion, it might be possible for one person to reach the base.

[STOP HIM...]

ix. wildcard

[This is Deku's first mission so you can find him exploring and doing various things like:

-TRYING TO LEARN THE VIOLIN. He's playing some really basic songs. So be prepared to hear songs like this over and over again until maybe you yell at him.
-Hanging out in the mines cuz there's stuff down there!
-Fighting off some goblins with his bare hands!

ANYTHING. Hit me up at mythal if you want to plot!]

Barking up the wrong tree

[unrecovered]

[Wash has developed a habit of checking the perimeter of the animated murder tree - not to try to get at what it's guarding so much as to make sure his fellow Reclaimers aren't about to get themselves needlessly killed.]

[Speaking of which...]

[He approaches Deku from behind, as silently as anyone can in full power armor, and hovers over his shoulder for a few seconds - long enough to hear what he's muttering about and see the diagram in the notebook.]

Nope!

[Which is all the warning Deku gets before Wash makes a grab for the back of Deku's shirt collar with every intention of bodily dragging him away from the murder tree. How about we not die today?]

[shootstyles]

Hey!

[Instinctively, he kicks out at whomever, or whatever, is grabbing him. And while his power might be nerfed here, his kicks are still pretty strong for a boy his size.

And either way, he hates being manhandled.]

Let go!

[unrecovered]

[JESUS CHRIST OW. It's a good thing he's wearing armor and that Deku didn't kick a little lower; otherwise he'd be nursing a broken kneecap instead of a bruised thigh. Still, he readjusts his grip and keeps dragging. Sorry, kiddo, his bodily injury is absolutely worth your not dying.]

No way. Not when you're planning on taking on the murder tree. Youou can walk with me or I can drag you all the way back to camp; either way, you're not staying here.

[shootstyles]

Are you seriously just going to pass up looking at that thing? If we're supposed to recover a relic and save our worlds, we can't just ignore something because it's dangerous. I have people counting on me.

[He resumes trying to twist out of his grip, not kicking or attacking but just trying to wrench his way out. And he's pretty strong.]

[unrecovered]

[Oh dear God he's just a kid. He still thinks his world can be saved. This is going to be rough regardless.]

Yes! I am!

[They're far enough away to avoid the risk of getting walloped by the tree, so he lets Deku go for now.]

Because that thing is going to take a team effort, none of us are prepared, and the most dangerous thing around isn't necessarily the right answer! What are you, Kenpachi?

[...that may have been uncalled for. He takes it down a peg.]

Look, we haven't exhausted all of our options yet. Let's look at the possibilities that aren't certain death first.

1/2

[shootstyles]

Huh?

K-Kenpachi?

[His roommate? He's not quite getting the connection here but he also... can't imagine it's flattering.]

ii

[hxppythxughts]

[Bards are helpers. She's a helper. So, when she hears someone's pained cry, Sayori makes a beeline in that direction. And thankfully she isn't far away from the scene of the crime--or so she assumes when she sees Deku crumpled on the ground outside of some creepy room.

She begins to rush over.] Hey! Hey, are you okay?

[She kneels in front of him, cloak fluttering, trying to see what might be wrong. At his warning, she peers over his shoulder into the room. But she doesn't see a monster in there...] What happened?

[shootstyles]

Yeah...

[He shakes his head, trying to clear the ringing in his ears. He reaches up to feel the wet blood in running slowly down his ears.]

Yeah. There was just a... I don't know, a sound in there. Like a screaming but it was like it was screaming inside of my head and tearing apart my brain.

[hxppythxughts]

[Sayori tries to listen to what he's saying, but she becomes distracted immediately as her eyes follow the motion of his hand and catch the sight of blood on his fingers.] Oh no. [Oh no, oh no...] Um, um--

[She doesn't know first aid. She didn't study that. There was so much in the books, and she's not ready, she doesn't know what to do--] Wait! [Wait, there is something.] Um, I don't know what could've done that, but I think I can help with your ears!

[shootstyles]

Oh!

Um, it's really okay, it looks worse than it feels, I think. Even then, I've had much worse injuries. I wouldn't want to waste your magic or anything!

[She looks pretty upset and he feels terrible about it. Please don't worry about him!]

[hxppythxughts]

[Sayori shakes her head resolutely.] No! It's not a waste, I promise! This is my path, so I'll help!

[She wrote something for this. What did she write? She clears her throat and begins to recite.]

Listen to my voice and find a healing word,
Let my magic in and find your pain cured!
Whatever hurt you, I'll make sure it's gone,
I'll fix you up so you can keep keeping on!

[As she speaks, a nervous tremble in her nonetheless determined voice, the pain begins to ebb and the bleeding stops.]

wildcard!

[grakraka]

[While making a trip back down into the mines, he becomes lost. This seems to be the general way of things but this time, he can't figure out the route to where he was before. Frustrated, he follows the sound of water to its source: the small grotto of perfectly still water with the odd but beautiful bioluminescent walls.

He's distracted enough from his annoyance and his senses that he almost misses the sound of someone else coming. He turns to see one of the newer kids.]

Ah, you've found a dead end.

[That feels important to note.]

[shootstyles]

Hmmm.

[Izuku is sort of wandering around the tunnels, his nose pressed into a notebook as he takes various turns. He, of course, felt the need to map this place.

It takes a few seconds for him to raise his head and look at the other person he just ran into.]

Yeah, I guess so. But if you double back and take a right, that shouldn't be a dead end. Do you need help getting back to the entrance?

[grakraka]

[An amateur cartographer? That seems useful.]

No, actually I'm trying to get back down into the deeper mines. I haven't been having too much trouble but this round seems to have been rather difficult. Are you mapping all of the mines?

[shootstyles]

Well, at least trying to map routes that seem useful, like going deeper or getting out. If something happens down there, we don't want to have to spend time trying to figure out where we're going.

It's mostly pretty basic but hopefully it will help.

[grakraka]

I hope so as well. It feels as though parts of the mine shift of their own accord but even if that turns out to be true, a map might help us find the places that shift.

[Sometimes there is a logic to the chaos of the world, so it's worth finding out if there is some here.]

i

[feytality]

[ well, the goblins sure are proud of themselves! poking their find with a stick. and here comes maya, looking fierce (???), flanked by two goblins. she's here to help (???) ]

A likely story!

[ the goblins nod in agreement. maya is their bodyguard, after all. ]

If you weren't here to steal, then what were you doing, huh?

[ despite the dramatics, she does give him a wink, so she's probably going to actually help. probably..... ]

[shootstyles]

Uhhhh.

I... was looking... for the bathroom?

[HE'S A TERRIBLE LIAR. MAYA SAVE HIM.]

[feytality]

[ the goblins discuss his lackluster answer among themselves, obviously not convinced. ]

Why would the be there a bathroom with all this treasure? No one keeps gold close to the toilet! Unless it's a toilet made of gold!

[ this is going great. ]

[shootstyles]

Well, I mean I didn't know there was treasure when I entered! I was just trying to see what was inside!

Also a toilet made of gold sounds like a poor investment!

[DEKU. STOP.]

[feytality]

[ the goblins don't appreciate his commentary, especially the part where he's talking shit (winks) about the gold toilet. it sounds like a great investment to them, actually!! so they jab him angrily with sticks. ]

[ maya lets them get a few good pokes in but then puts up a hand to stop it. ]

Alright, that's enough. This dangerous liar is clearly too dangerous to leave like this. As your bodyguard, you should leave this to me. Cut him down and I'll march him off and deal with him!

[ is it finally time for the rescue? apparently so. ]

i

[lamentingly]

[ Gohan wasn't sure what he'd been expecting to see when he broke through the foliage. He could sense the goblins in the area, but he hadn't expected the other energy he sensed to be... well, a reclaimer hanging from obvious trap. It was a ridiculous enough sight that Gohan had to pause for a moment, blink owlishly, and just... take in the moment.

Somehow, this felt like something that would've happened to Trunks. ]

... Could you... please let him down?

[ It was a simple request, nothing to get too worked up about. But maybe the fact that a big muscular man just happened to sneak up on the goblins from behind was more of a concern. Not that Gohan looked particularly worried. ]

[shootstyles]

[The goblins his and point sharpened sticks at Gohan's direction. So the basic jist is they're mad because they found Deku poking around their storerooms and assumed he was out to steal their treasure. And, let's be honest, that's not an unfair assumption to make. So it's not like they're being jerks for no reason.

Izuku flails his arms.]

No! I was just trying to find information about the relics! I really have no use for gold or anything like that.

[lamentingly]

[ Oh, he could certainly see how this kid could come off as the bad guy, given the evidence. Opened treasure chest? Frantic flailing? Paranoid goblins? Either this kid tried to investigate the chest, or the goblins had laid an obvious trap.

Most likely both.

Gohan moved his hand up, gently nudging one of the sticks away from him. Not knocking it off their hands, just... a gentle nudge, so it wasn't aimed at him. He' wasn't here to fight. ]

How about this: you let him down, and we'll both leave right now. [ He wasn't even sure if the goblins could understand him. He was kind of hoping they could. ] Sound good?