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

Darkness takes over.

[ Darkness and silence. It's quite relaxing! The effects afterwards are kind of a pain but nothing he can't deal with. ]

...Darker than usual?

[It is nighttime. Or, well, whatever passes for nighttime when they're on a floating island. Mmmnnggghh... it makes her head hurt to think about! A chunk of land orbiting a planet, but not the same orbit as the moonbase.]

You seem pretty happy about it!

[Really she'd love to see him smile, but this neutral excitement is kind of cute in its own way.]

[ Minato nods. It's great how one action can answer both things at once. He looks out to the lake. ]

Everything stops. It's nice.

[ Kind of like the Dark Hour, and probably just as dangerous. But that didn't stop him before! ]

Hmmm... kind of like the feeling behind Satie's Gymnopédies, huh?

[She starts to roll out her bedroll to make herself comfortable. As comfortable as one can be, sleeping outside on grass that isn't at all as nice as the grass in the Quad had been.

Then she realizes that maybe he likes being out here because it's so quiet, and pauses.]

Oh, ummm... do you mind if I stay out here with you?

Edited (adding extra fancy letters and shit where they don't belong) 2019-04-13 04:19 (UTC)

[ He nods again. That song fits pretty well. And she's totally welcome to stay with him! ]

I don't mind.

[ Oh. Hm. Kaede might find it scary? He's not sure. ]

... It gets quiet too. [ Is that an adequate warning? ]

[She absolutely will find it scary, he's right.]

...Is that your way of saying you don't want to talk?

[She tilts her head, giving him a teasing smile in the hopes he won't take it as her being offended. He's a quiet boy! And while she most certainly isn't very quiet herself, she doesn't mind being around people who are.]

No. It's a warning.

[ Why would she think that? Is he being weird? ]

[She just knows he likes the quiet!

A quiet huff of a laugh through her nose, then she goes back to making herself comfortable on her bedroll.]

Honestly... after having three days of that stupid Fantasy Costco playing in my head, I think a little quiet will be kind of nice.

[So she'll take the warning, but not really think much of it! Or-- wait.]

Does that mean our spells won't work? The ones that depend on music...

Probably not.

[ He didn't think to attack the darkness with Vicious Mockery or Sleep, probably because it's ridiculous. Nor has he tried to bardically inspire the darkness, for the same reason. ]

Doesn't that seem kind of dangerous...?

[That seems really dangerous in fact! Being out here in the dark, in the quiet, without knowing for sure whether or not they'll be able to defend themselves with their magic.

Then again, Minato has Orpheus, at least, and if Orpheus fights anything like Loki... they won't be completely defenseless.]

Well, as long as you're here with me, I won't be afraid! [she decides, holding out one gloved hand for what's meant to be an encouraging fistbump.]

[ Minato blinks at her hand for a moment before realizing what she wants. He lifts up his hand and fistbumps her with a nod. He's not sure she won't be afraid though.

He looks back up to the sky, looking for signs of midnight. It's allllmost time. ]

It's approaching.

[The fistbump makes her smile, but even with Minato beside her, she can't help but be a little apprehensive at the thought of the darkness coming. She leans back on her hands to follow his gaze to the sky, though she's honestly not sure what she's looking for!]

Well... see you on the other side, I guess!!

[Quite literally.]

[ Minato lets out a snicker at what Kaede says. That was pretty funny. Ah, but it might mean she's afraid? He should probably reassure her.

He reaches over and takes her hand.

The campfire goes out.

The world is dark. ]

[Oh... that joke was a little dark for her, but at least Minato liked it? And that's really all the reward she needs.

She's admittedly a little surprised when he takes her hand, though. She expects it from Akechi, and she's definitely tugged both Minato and Shinjiro around by the hand more than once, but it's still rare enough to bring an embarrassed flush to her cheeks. Fortunately that and her quiet,] Oh! [are swallowed up by the darkness, so sudden that she jumps a little, her hand squeezing his more tightly.

She blinks a few times, glances around while waiting for her eyes to adjust, though of course they don't. It's the lack of sound that really sets her on edge, though; she's never experienced a stillness so unnatural.]

Arisato-kun? [she ventures, though of course he can't hear her.]

[ He can't hear her but he can feel how she squeezes his hand when it all goes dark, so he gives her hand a squeeze back. He's still here. She's not alone. ]

[The squeeze back is comforting, it's true. If she were alone in this darkness, she would go crazy, she's sure of it. Even being in a library without music playing through headphones is hard enough, but this is so quiet as to be smothering. She'd definitely take off running if he weren't here beside her.

He has to have done this at least once before and come back to it. More than that, Minato actually enjoys this? She'll have to ask him what about it is so appealing, once she's able to ask again.

She doesn't know how much time has passed -- it feels like forever, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes -- when she finally squeezes his hand again and tries to draw it back to herself. Not for long! She just wants to take off her glove and reach for his hand again. Hopefully she can find it in the darkness.]

[ Oh, she's pulled away. Maybe she wants to leave? He supposes that makes sense. Most people have avoided the lake after their first night. He lets go easily. He won't force her to stay.

He's a little saddened by the loss, but he takes a deep breath and lets out a relaxed sigh, leaning back against his hands. It's comfortingly familiar to, though different from, the Dark Hour he experienced most of his life back home. It's much darker. It's a bit more quiet.

Her hand pats against his pant leg. Ah, she's still there. She can't see it, but he smiles as he takes her hand again. Hello. ]

[She almost starts to panic when she can't find his hand immediately; his pant leg is reassuring, kind of, but it could be his sleeping back, and feeling around blindly would be a bad idea. So she breathes a gentle sigh of relief when he takes her hand again, closing her eyes and just focusing on the feeling of his hand against hers now that she's taken her gloves off. It's more comforting this way, warmer and more alive.

But still quiet.]

I was wrong, you know, [she murmurs aloud, though she knows he can't hear her. She can't even hear herself, not really.] It's not Satie's Gymnopédies. It's his Trois Gnossiennes. I'll play it for you after we get back to the base... it's a melancholic, haunting melody, the kind that makes your soul feel heavier when you listen to it. But it's not all bad! There are pieces of the music, parts of it that feel more uplifting, almost surprisingly so! Even if it's just for a few seconds, it's like... a reminder. That even if things seem dark, as long as you have something to hang onto, it can keep you going.

[That's what all her friends at the Bureau are to her, anyway. After everything that happened at home, being able to make new friends, even friends who know what she did and still want to be her friends, is more powerful than any darkness.

She'll have to tell him, when they can hear again. For now, she just shifts a little closer, her grip on his hand tightening a little more as she leans in and rests her ear against his shoulder.]

[ He wouldn't be able to describe the feeling he's having right now. It's some form of nostalgia mixed with... Joy? Comfort? Contentment? Something about the lack of stimuli is so calming.

And he doesn't have to think about talking.

Hm. Maybe Kaede was right. But he wouldn't want her to think he doesn't want her around.

When her ear touches his shoulder he chuckles and scoots closer to her, until one of his legs is pressing up against hers. He leans his head gently on hers as well, being mindful of her hair. Friends are so nice to have. ]

[She can't hear him chuckle, but she can feel the vibration and guess what it is. It brings a pout to her lips at the thought that he's laughing at her, but then he's scooting in closer and well-- it's okay, she guesses. It's warm and comfortable like this, and maybe because there's no expectation of her talking or acknowledging his closeness, it doesn't feel awkward, either.

She exhales a sigh and relaxes against him, letting their joined hands rest against their legs. While she's thinking about Satie and other experimental composers, she'll have to perform John Cage's 4'33" for Minato some time, too. He'd probably find the total silence funny.

It's while thinking about silence as a form of music that she falls asleep, sagging against him.]

[ He shifts a little to get comfortable for the long term. Eventually the hour ends. They don't seem affected by the obvious effects, so he wonders what they've been afflicted with. He's not sure if he knows all of them, or if there is even an end to the things it can hit them with.

He doesn't see a reason to disturb her now though, letting her wake up naturally. He lifts his head when she finally stirs awake. ]

Sleep well?

[Kaede sleeps through most of the night, only waking every now and then to shift herself into a more comfortable position, curling in closer against him. It's not as comfortable as sleeping in her bed back on the base, but just as warm and almost as secure. The few times she wakes up in hazy confusion, she can hear the sound of his heartbeat and feel the rise and fall of his chest lulling her back to sleep.

When she does finally wake up fully, groaning softly from a stiff neck, it's not long after sunrise.]

Huh? Oh...

[She pulls back, about to apologize for falling asleep on him, but the apology gets lost somewhere on the way to her mouth.]

Yeah, I did. Usually I have really bad dreams, but I was able to sleep all the way through the night and feel really safe with you...

[She trails off, cheeks starting to flare pink and both hands coming up as if to ward away any further questions.]

I-I-I mean!! I'm really sorry for falling asleep on you like that, Arisato-kun! It was just so quiet, a-and I was thinking about playing the piano, and--!

It's fine. [ No offense taken. It's not the first time someone's expressed being comfortable around him. He didn't know she was prone to nightmares though... Maybe he should wait until the she's calmed down first before asking about it. ]

Where you thinking about the music?

Ummm... yeah.

[She's grateful he's asking about the music, instead of the dreams. She lowers her defensive hands, bringing one to rub the back of her neck partly in embarrassment, partly to try to work the kinks out from sleeping like she did last night.]

I don't play it very often, but I was thinking about Satie's Trois Gnossiennes. It's more melancholic than his Gymnopédies, but it has moments, especially in the second movement, that are really uplifting. That's how I felt with you! Even if it was really dark and heavy outside, you were here with me.

[Somehow saying corny stuff like that doesn't embarrass her nearly as much as the act of falling asleep on him had.

She pulls her hand back from her neck, holds up one finger, and winks.]

Do you know John Cage's 4'33"? If you haven't seen anyone perform it yet, you have to let me be the first one, okay?

[Telling him about it literally being someone sitting silently with an instrument ahead of time would ruin the surprise!]

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