Field Mission 3: Brushing the Sun, Part 1

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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

[grakraka]

[This really might be the best discovery he has ever made.

Cocoa, much like another dog, understands sad children and welcomes Shinji's attentions, tail wagging happily. Akechi comes to a stop when he notices it and smiles, walking over. Rather than point out how surprising it is, he decides to be a little more delicate.]

I named her Cocoa. She quite likes people, so don't worry.

[petsthedog]

[It's been so long since he's petted a dog, Akechi. He'll never admit he missed it but he really missed it. The only thing that has him restraining himself now is the presence of another person, really.]

Cocoa. That's a good name.

[Shinji wonders if Akechi will be allowed to bring her back with them; he's never seen any pets on the base, but considering their current Floating Death Island circumstances, maybe the Director would make an exception. But Akechi's probably already thought of that, and it'd just be a bummer to bring up the possibility of a parting if she says no, so he keeps that to himself.

Instead, Akechi will get the distinct privilege of learning a second soft thing about Shinji today:]

Our team used to take care of a dog. Koro-ch...Koromaru. He had a Persona and everything, it was pretty badass.

[grakraka]

['Koro-chan' is filed away and noted. A dog with a Persona? That might be the weirdest thing he has ever heard but he supposes it makes sense. If the only requirement for a Persona is a strong will of some type and a rebellious spirit—possibly even an 'either/or' situation—then it isn't surprising.

Morgana, as a weird talking cat, does not count into all of this. In fact.]

They— Ah, we, I suppose, had a cat, but he was an unusual talking cat that they found in the metaverse, so he wasn't much of a team pet-slash-ally. [He has trouble not sectioning himself off from the other Phantom Thieves, so he can't help the slips. But he continues.] A dog would have been nice, though. I like cats but I always wanted a dog.

[Still, seeing Shinji like this, he wonders if it isn't a similar situation. Minato said Shinji was an orphan as well. It might make sense for an orphan to become attached to pets especially—something loving that won't be likely to reject you.

Or maybe Koromaru really was just a special dog. A dog like that must have been. He feels a little sad he won't get to meet him.]

[petsthedog]

A talkin' cat, huh? That's still pretty cool. Koromaru couldn't talk, exactly, but he understood us, at least somewhat. We had this robot in our group, Aigis--she could translate his barks and stuff.

[It's how he got busted to the team that he could cook, whooooops.]

But he definitely wasn't just any dog. Used to belong to the priest at this one shrine, and after his owner died, he just kept on protectin' it, right up until it got attacked by a Shadow. He ended up with us, after that. Turned out he had the Potential.

[Without realizing it, his hand's sunk back down onto Cocoa's head, and he's started petting again out of old habit while he indulges this moment of nostalgia. In the end, Akechi's not quite wrong about Shinjiro, but it's different, too. He didn't grow up as affection-starved as Akechi, having always had Aki in his life in some form or another as far back as he can remember, but....well. Animals are uncomplicated. He doesn't feel that same need to protect them from himself, that urge to flee when things are getting too close, too emotional. They give him an escape from the crushing burden of guilt in his heart, because even if Koromaru could understand the words he'd say, could even understand concepts like loyalty and protection--he was still a dog, in the end. Even someone like Shinjiro could give him the kind of things he needed to be happy....if only for a short time.]

Ah, shit. I'm ramblin', ain't I. [Just like that, the petting stops. Looks like he's just. Self-conscious about it.]

...For what it's worth, I hope you get to keep her.

[grakraka]

[So Koromaru really was just a regular dog but a strong one. The story reminds him of Hachiko. What an amazing dog.

Cocoa notices the shift in Shinji and tilts his head as she looks up at him, tail wagging slower, uncertain. Akechi, much more observant than his dog, still can't be sure what is bothering Shinji but he guesses he might miss his furry teammate. Or maybe any of them. It wouldn't be surprising. After seeing him opening up like that, it feels like a shame.

Hesitating, he clears his throat and gestures at Cocoa.]

I do, too. Very much. Ah, but... I imagine she was enjoying having more friends treating her so kindly. It must have been lonely here.

[Cocoa still looks at Shinji. Akechi hopes it might be enough to let him know it's okay to play with her like that.]

[petsthedog]

[Ah. Caught in the ultimate dilemma; dog looking expectantly at him versus .... actual human person looking at him at all.... Shinji might be the only person alive to be embarrassed about having soft feelings for animals tbh, but he flusters slightly at the invitation to go back to petting nonetheless.]

Yeah. Strays always have it rough. Dogs need people.

[...Cocoa keeps looking at him.

...

Oh hell, why not. Ear skritches time. Shinjiro doesn't notice, but when he finally gives in, he starts smiling again.]

[grakraka]

[Cocoa's tag goes crazy in happiness, paws padding the ground for a moment, and Akechi can't help smiling, too. He hasn't seen Shinji really look happy before. It's a nice change of pace.]

Are you more of a dog person or a cat person?

[petsthedog]

Ah, uh.

[His hand starts slowing again upon the question, but he resists the reflex to stop this time. That's starting to get embarrassing in and of itself.]

Dunno. Ain't ever had a pet before. Koro...maru didn't really belong to any of us. But dogs are pretty cool. I hung out with the strays sometimes, when I was--

[Shit. No. There's no need to get into his self-imposed homelessness here; it's depressing.]

Uh. Ain't ever spent much time with cats, I mean.

[In other words, definitely a dog person. But he probably at least tried to feed the stray cats too, honestly.]

[grakraka]

[Despite Shinji not getting into it, he nods in understanding. Wherever it was going, he can at least relate in some way. He crouches down by them with a thoughtful hum.]

I could only ever find stray cats, so I usually played with them when I was a child. But I always wanted a dog.

[petsthedog]

Mm, I didn't think about it much, when I was a kid. That kind of thing wouldn't've been allowed at the orphanage, anyway.

[Maybe if Miki had really wanted one he might have tried to sneak one in. But Aki probably would've kicked his ass for it.]

...But it was nice, havin' Koromaru around. 'S a shame he can't be here. he'd like you, I think.

[He doesn't know Akechi well, of course; they haven't talked very much since that first awkward meeting. But it's obvious from how happy Cocoa is that he'd be good to Koromaru as well. It's the best thing about dogs, really; all you have to do is feed them and show them kindness and they'll love you forever. It'd be nice if the rest of the world was that simple.]

[grakraka]

Mm, yes. They were always strict about animals.

[In some ways, he liked the facilities better than some of the families he wound up with. But other families were marginally less terrible. None of them would have dreamed of allowing him an animal either way, though.

He looks at Shinji for a moment, quiet.]

I hope so. Ah, that he would like me, I mean. [It is a silly thing to want a now dead dog from a now dead world to like him but his emotions have always latched onto any idea of affection.] But I'm happy that it looks like Cocoa will be well-loved. Poor thing deserves a home.

[petsthedog]

Judging from how happy she looks, you'd treat him right, and he was a friendly dog.

[Ugh, was. What a depressing thought.]

...Anyway, I uh. [He hesitates on offering, because it's another thing that's vaguely embarrassing for him to admit, but it's practically an open secret at this point that he knows how to cook, and Akechi's now seen him hanging out with his dog, so.]

If they let you keep her....I used to make food for Koromaru sometimes. So if you ever need a hand with that or whatever, uh. Hit me up.