balance_logs | 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 body'? This is actually amusing.]

Did you loot a corpse?

... technically?

[ See, when he puts it like that, it sounds bad. ]

It was cloth and bones by the time we found it, so I presumed it was okay? That's not a particularly fast process by any means...

[ In true 'anxious brat' fashion, they immediately turn to start freeing the umbrella from it's temporary holster. ]

And it seemed rather dangerous to just... leave there.

[It sounds like being smart to him but fine! Don't listen to the murderer!]

I'm sure it was more than fine to take. Though I'm very curious what makes you think it's dangerous?

I hope so. I'm not sure if that person had any family that would want it back.

[ That's a slippery slope and he knows it!! Next thing they'll be looking at closed rooms and then nobody gets to be happy. ]

It's either alive, or carrying some kind of enchantment, as it... well.

[ Despite spending the past five-or-so months living on the moon in a Highish Fantasy setting, they still feel ridiculous even thinking about the next sentence they're about to say. It probably shows. ]

When Aragaki-san tried to pick it up, it threw him across the room, but it didn't react to me. So it seemed safer to bring it with me instead.

[ The missing bit here: the fact that Lion saw that happen and decided to try picking it up too. Because yeah. ]

Edited (ugh the last sentence was clunky!!) 2019-04-12 10:53 (UTC)

[What a fascinating umbrella. It reacts rather violently to some but not others? Akechi taps his chin as he looks at it, curious.

Why put an enchantment like that on an umbrella? If it was out of spite or pettiness, he could understand but it seems unlikely. It's possible someone cherished an umbrella that much but he doubts it. There must be more to it.]

I wonder what the condition is to be allowed to touch the umbrella. Have you tried having other people touch it?

[ It's a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in cheerful red canvas, to be sure. While they don't... quite hold it out for Akechi to grab, they do lift it up to allow him a better look. Sure is just a plain ol' umbrella though. ]

Not yet. The idea did occur to me, but it seemed rude to just surprise people without context, and I doubt anyone would try it if they knew prior. After all, who would agree to something like "here, touch this and tell me if it hurts"?

[ So awkward, no thanks!! Admittedly, the idea is kinda funny on the surface, but they can't help but cringe at the thought of any accidents. What if it yeeted someone off the island? They'd never forgive themself. ]

Edited 2019-04-12 11:34 (UTC)

Fair enough, yes.

[Lion isn't the type to thrust such a nasty surprise on others. But it doesn't really help them figure out more about the umbrella. Thrown across a room, hm? It's a stupid idea but frankly, well, why not?]

What about a volunteer, then?

[ "Who would agree"? Akechi, apparently. ]

A volunteer would make things easier...

[ Which means probably Will, because he's a sap like that. Or Akechi, if he really is offering like they think he might be, though they can't help but worry that he's also underestimating the situation. ]

Are you sure? It looked rather painful.

[That is definitely at least part of the problem, yes. But also he is just that reckless.]

I've done stupider things for far worse reasons.

[You know how constantly solo'ed Mementos with no healing spells or items? This guy.]

[ Akechi please love yourself for once in your life. ]

That's... a valid reason, I suppose. [ They honestly can't help but sigh. This is their life now. ] If you're sure, Akechi-san, then I certainly wouldn't say no.

[ Even if they're kinda maybe judging him a bit. But only a little bit. ]

Would here be fine, then? It's less of a risk if we're not, ah, too close to the island's edge.

[He has never once loved himself so why start now?]

Yes, it would be best to make sure my back is facing an open area as well, just in case.

[Look he has promised like five people at this point he won't die and Lion is one of them so he will actually be sure he is not going to be impaled on a tree or some metal debris or something.]

Don't worry. I know this will not be pleasant if it does indeed throw me but it also seems prudent to at least try it on a small sampling of people if possible.

[Like Will and Qrow or something. Possibly mix in some genders and ages and cases and all that.

Science!]

[ Fake it til you make it, Akechi, c'mon. ]

A 'small sampling', hm? That sounds rather specific.

[ This is the face of someone who 100% knows that he just wants to see Qrow get flung into space for shits and giggles. And... okay they might actually be considering it, if it hurts Akechi less without anything to slam into.

For science, of course. Purely science.

When all is said and done, however, that's enough of a confirmation for them to get on with it with minimal guilt attached. The umbrella is placed gently down at their feet, hopefully far enough away from any Unfortunate Trees, and they take a few big steps back to get completely out of range. ]

When you're ready, try to pick it up.

[Akechi nods. Truthfully, he has a feeling this won't end well for him but his stubborn curiosity about it has him interested nonetheless. Stupid? Yes. But he's done stupider, so why not.

Approaching the umbrella, he crouches down over it. It looks so, well, average? Normal. It does not look magical at all. Yet if it protects itself from most people, it must have a tremendous power inside of it—probably not relic levels but useful power nonetheless.

With a deep breath and bracing himself for the worst, Akechi reaches out and grabs it.

And just like that, just as they both assumed, the inevitable happens: a magical force launches Akechi away. He hits the ground, bounces, rolls, and allows it to just kind of happen because that figures. When he flops onto his back with a groan, he sticks up his arm with a thumbs up before Lion can worry too much.

He's fine. Bruised, definitely, with the reeling feeling of the wind having been knocked out of him, but fine. Just. Let him lay here for a bit.]

Field Mission 3: Brushing the Sun, Part 1

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