Field Mission 3: Brushing the Sun, Part 2

[balancemod]

I couldn't be more proud of you all. NAVIGATION 1. THE UNRAVELING (CTA RESULTS) A. EVERYONE GET THE HELL OFF THIS CRAZY THING With the Bureau quickly packing up and getting the hell out of dodge, four Reclaimers — Kaede, Komaeda, Minato and Lion — made an honest attempt to evacuate the dwarves and goblins still on board. They were mildly successful in drawing half of all the goblins into their fold, but the dwarves were much more resistant. Ultimately, only five agreed to leave behind their precious forge. Bread and Barry were also handily convinced that it was time to leave. Their chosen method here included a lot of falling with style. With a little help from Lion, a breeze is whipped up to give the trip down a bit more wind resistance. Even though they didn't convince as many as they would like to leave, this is still a very large logistical effort — you may help pass out treats to help evacuees float down. You may wrangle up any stragglers that wander too far away from the group. Ultimately though, everyone who agreed to evacuate, as well as the Reclaimers who are helping, will be able to safely make it to the ground. Except for one. Upon ensuring that Good Girl Cocoa makes it down safe, Minato will find that there are no more magic treats to help him safely evacuate, too. And when Maru perishes, so does he. Additionally, Barry does go down with the evacuation group, but by the time Maru crashes to the ground, he's no where to be found, and presumed dead. This also means that very nearly every dwarf and goblin who refused to evacuate also perished. B. A CHAT WITH A TIRED SPIRIT, AND AN UNRAVELING Akira, Zelda, Maya and Sayori are assigned to try to take on the Whomping Willow so they can reach the forge it's guarding. With an insanely good hit from one of Zelda's Light Arrows, the tree is stunned — and with the unfortunate curse of sentience that drives it, it is humbled by the raw power, and elects to speak to the group. The Whomping Willow is several thousand years old, and so, so tired of this enchantment. After revealing the wisdom of the Beastmaster class, Maya is able to disenchant it, effectively reducing it to a simple willow tree once again — and with the help of a few Persona users, they are able to successfully transplant it to a small alcove in the Quad of the Moon Base. What does this mean for Reclaimers? Well, you now have some very comfortable shade to relax under. You have a monument to your successes. If you happen to know a druid with Speak with Plants, it'll also dispense some of the wisdom it's accumulated over the millennia in the form of advice. Meanwhile, Sans and McCree, with an easy entrance to the forge, make quick work of unraveling the yarn, setting the dwarves trapped there free, and successfully convincing them to leave the forge behind for their own safety. And as they continue to make this mission look outrageously easy, they manage to unravel the yarn without causing damage to themselves and the forge. It's done so well, in fact, that the falling apart of Maru is less of an explosion, and more of a controlled, structured demolition. It's actually quite a spectacular sight, for those of you on the ground to witness it. Like a ship slowly descending to the earth and breaking apart some 100 feet above it, it feels as if the entire planet shakes upon impact. Debris is sent flying in all directions — later reports that make it to the Director's desk indicate that mining equipment was found some 20 miles away from the impact site. Unfortunately, another Reclaimer is lost in the unraveling of Maru. McCree perishes while trying to escape — but he dies a hero. C. ON THE GROUND Two teams — Franziska and Wash, and Akechi and Ryuji — are sent out to try to locate the yarn and, being as buff as they are, try to clear out as many surviving monsters as they can. Along the way, Akechi manages to steal a priceless weapon off of Hethi, the guardian spirit of the paper mountain that once stood on Maru. Also along the way, Akechi says some really cute social link rank-up shit to Ryuji, which in turn causes his Persona to turn into a bear. Later on, Franziska manages to convince Hethi to move to the Netheril, effectively becoming Vista Virs' new guardian. She's so convincing, in fact, that Hethi sees this as a divine intervention, and Wash and Franziska are both incorporated into the mysterious guardian's origin fable as divine advisers. Both groups also find survivors of the fall, and safely evacuate them to Phandalin. While Ryuji and Akechi manage to blast through entire hordes of monsters with little injury, Wash and Franziska are not quite so lucky. Nobody perishes, but the both of them will probably need some assistance. Finally, with the help of Cocoa and her nose, Akechi and Ryuji are able to locate the yarn, and a recovery team from the Bureau retrieves and delivers it straight to the Director's hands. Congratulations, Reclaimers. Your third mission was a smashing success. 2. THE BEFOREMATH AND THE AFTERMATH D. EVERY NOW AND THEN I FALL APART You're only as good as your backup, as they say. And the Reclaimers who are not currently attempting to fetch a wayward overpowered ball of yarn are going to have a lot on their plates, before Maru comes crashing down in spectacular fashion. That plate does not include Maru itself. Every hour that passes that you do not escape on your own, the ground's stability grows more precarious. You can feel it shifting underneath your feet, like it's straining, trying to contract into itself. In the distance, an ominous rumbling. The land is literally cracking apart, and you do not want to be on board when it finally tumbles down to the ground. ○ Convincing those who could be convinced to evacuate was no easy feat, but for those of you on board with immediately helping, there's a shortage of hands on deck to move people as quickly as possible. ○ Much like how the wildlife scatters for cover when a thunderstorm hits, the fauna of Maru are aware that a disaster is looming. To that end, nearly every single creature that has settled inside the mines have started pouring out into the open, making an already unstable ground a little ... crowded. Bring your best weapon and your best spells to this fight — you're going to need both. E. THAT'S UNFORTUNATE Once you're on the ground, if you choose to dig among the rubble yourself, you may find any last resources that the impact site may have slapped to the surface. They're very small, but gems and diamonds are your highest prize here. The forge, however, was destroyed on impact, shooting a massive burst of magical energy straight into the sky, before it dissipates. Should you happen to find yourself anywhere near the remains of the forge, however, one of the following may happen: ○ You will be turned into an animal of your choosing for two hours. ○ Any remains nearby may suddenly be reanimated, again, for two hours, until the magical energy disappears. Enjoy your goblin zombie apocalypse. ○ A curse might follow you home — think things like tripping over your feet constantly, or not being able to sleep properly, or hell, accidentally passing along the curse to anyone you touch. Dr. Tank back at medbay on the Moon Base can remove this one for you. F. THE TOWN OF PHANDALIN The aftermath of Maru's collapse can be viewed from Phandalin, a nearby prospecting town that is now host to a host of floating island evacuees. Well, a whole lot of dust can be viewed, anyway. For those of you who arrived here with said evacuees, or simply evacuated here yourself, consider yourselves put on something of a mandatory two-day vacation. The orbs back to the Moon Base just can't seem to get past the dust choking the air directly above the town. Phandalin is on the small side, and inhabited mostly by prospectors looking for valuable resources deep within the nearby mountains. To say that this is the biggest influx of visitors they've ever had is an unfathomable understatement — and while they are hardly a settlement built for tourism, they're more than willing to take your coin. Or any remnants of Maru you happen to have on hand. Now is your time to rest. Gather your bearings. Or, work more, if that's more your speed. ○ A small group of dwarves need to figure out where to go next, after all. Will you help them find a place to stay in town? Or will you help gear them up so they can set out on their own, once the dust (literally) settles? The blacksmith in town can't make anything new on such short notice — but he does have plenty of tools and weapons for sale. ○ Should you make your way to Stonehill Inn to escape the dust, you may find a Kenku in a corner, ignored by the other patrons as much as he's minding his own business, mug at the table in front of him. And should you decide to engage with him, he'll lean forward, closer, voice so husky it could pull a sled. "Oi, you're one of those visitors, ain't ya? You know what happened. With all the dust." There isn't a particularly discernible tone or expression here. If anything, he sounds on the brink of a personal revelation. "You've seen it then, right? My house. Where the hell's all my stuff?" (Some of you already know who this is — it's Jingler, the owner of the shack on Maru that is now part of a heap of sod and brand new landscape not too far from Phandalin. He is a completely pilotable NPC, meaning you are free to use him how you like for your threads. All you need to know is, he's a bard, that shack held all of his most valuable treasures, and Garfield owes him a lot of money. He won't say for what, though.) ○ Finally, not too far from the town square stands a fortune telling machine. It goes largely ignored by the regulars passing by, and if you happen to ask, it's because of one of the following reasons: It's a waste of money to begin with, or it's a waste of money because it keeps spitting out the same fortune. Pop a single gold coin in the machine, and it'll print out your fortune. It's true that it seems to be running on repeat, though, because you're guaranteed to get one of the following two fortunes: Disaster has invited itself to your doorstep. Or, Mild fortune bears down on you like the sun. Another thing that's guaranteed: Whatever fortune you receive will have to manifest in some form. That's rather unfortunate for the ... more unfortunate ones. G. A REPRIEVE IN THE ORCHARDS An old half-elf by the name of Daran Edermath tends to an orchard just on the edge of town. It's a bit of a locally hidden gem for Phandalin- the old, retired adventurer turned vintner keeps the trees well nourished and tended to all year long. It's spring time here in Faerun, and naturally, there should the crowns of budding apple blossoms coming up and ready to take shape. But wandering in here, you'll notice that they've developed into beautiful looking, ripe apples. Daran is one of the oldest living people in Phandalin and while he hasn't been around long enough to know what happened to the Lost Mine of Phandelver, he does seem to wear a sort of smile when he hears about it. See, in his youth, he snuck down there with only an apple for rations to his name. He doesn't know how he stumbled upon it, or even how he really made it past the monstrosities that lie in there. But Edermath farms remembers. Those apples that are perfectly colored and perfectly ready to eat? They're all the result of that one apple he dipped into the forge. Must be about 100 years ago. The sweet scent of cider, sauces, and butters fills the air in almost every direction. It's a time to relax and enjoy the days before returning to base, and he's more than willing to trade a few silver pieces for a bucket of the stuff. For those of you with a little more adventurous taste buds, Daran offers you to try an apple from a tree that grows many different colored fruits. He'll explain that there's a little bit of magic in those too, but nothing that'll hurt you. Give it a try, see what happens! These will last up to 24 hours. ○ Red - your senses elevate far beyond what a normal human should be able to accomplish. You can hear, see, smell, and touch better than you ever have before. Take a walk out into Phandalin after the dust settles. The color and the scent of the flowers should be amazing. ○ Green - you become incredibly pensive, seeing insightful things about your life that you haven't noticed before. You recall past events with a crystal clear level of understanding, to the level of being able to close your eyes and remember details that are minute- like the sound in a memory you forgot, or the way the breeze felt on a particular day. ○ Yellow - you feel lethargic. Enough to probably take a nap wherever you're currently standing. It's not a bad thing, but if you've been feeling really stressed lately or pushed yourself in battle quite a bit, waking up is going to feel about as refreshing as humanly possible. ○ Blue - you become incredibly confident with yourself. Things that might have scared you to say or do in the past feel like small anthills compared to the mountains they once were. You speak your truth when you want to, you fear nothing and become closer to your true self. ○ Pink - you're hit with a wave of affection. You're all about hugs and hand-holding and being close to people you care about. It provides a sort of blissful state that makes you want to be around other people. Eventually, though, the dust will clear, and with the jutted earth and remains of Maru in the horizon, you'll board the orbs and return to the Moon Base. Because a true rest after this mission is waiting you back home. You could say it's going to be quite the retreat. 2. OOC NOTE Congratulations on successfully reclaiming the third Grand Relic! We hope you enjoyed exploring, and ultimately unraveling, Maru. For people new to the game, you may notice that there isn't an RNG thread. CTA logs generally do not have one, just to give us mods a bit more time to work on the interlude, and the next field mission. You can check out our calendar to see what's coming up next! The TDM will be posted Monday, April 29. Reserves open Wednesday, May 2 and applications open Saturday, May 5. blurb code by photosynthesis

Comments

[forhyrule]

[ Zelda is notably less nervous than Sayori and Maya. Perhaps it is because she has gained confidence in herself over the past few weeks on Maru. Perhaps it is because her role in their plan plays to her strengths. Perhaps it is because she knows the Whomping Willow doesn't truly want to hurt them and has faith that they can disenchant it. Or perhaps it is because her stomach is doing flips after eating that burrito. (Seriously, what in the world is a burrito?)

She sits patiently nearby, a quiver of arrows slung over her back and her bow laying in the grass. She gives Maya a confused look, wondering why she is encouraging the group to break their limbs. That seems really inappropriate, but that's a question for later. Now is the time for poems. ]

I would love to hear your poem, Sayori.

[maskreant]

[ Akira, in general, isn't quite nervous, but he does hope that their plan works. Digging a stable tunnel doesn't seem feasible with what time they have, after all. He may not know his team extremely well, but after some discussion he has a lot of confidence in their plan.

Plus, burritos. It's a good start, maybe too good of a start. ]

I would like to hear it, too. [ To clarify: ] In case I break my leg.

[ With the snap of his fingers, a blue flame engulfs the top half of his face, framing his eyes as they shine an eerie gold. Behind him, Satanael shows himself from a similar crackling flame with his gun propped onto his shoulder. His six wings span wide, capable of shading them all if they wanted to head to a beach. The Persona merely stands there, watching over them... Sometimes distracted by how the blades of grass bend, etc. Well-behaved, basically. ]

[feytality]

It's a saying! You don't have to take it so literally.

[ the saying literally doesn't apply here but you do you, maya. she's already polished off her burrito and is quickly distracted by akira's showing off -- getting super starry-eyed about the whole thing -- but she's able to focus long enough to give sayori two thumbs up. ]

Yeah, Sayori! I bet it's amazing. Let's hear it.

[ it's really hard for her not to try to touch satanael's wings right now, but she's managing. ]

[hxppythxughts]

[Holy shit. Sayori momentarily forgets how to speak language as Akira summons his Persona, her expression one of unabashed awe.

So cool.

But! She can't just stare at his Persona! She has a job to do, too. She clenches her fists and squares her shoulders with a determined huff.] Right! Okay, it has a few different parts, since--I think I have to concentrate on it to make sure you guys stay inspired? So!

[LET'S GO. She begins the Epic of the Tree, Part One. And as she recites the first couple stanzas, the rest of her party will begin to feel their morale build.]

We floated down onto a floating island,
In search of something strange.

We found hulks and bears and basilisks,
Mushrooms and monsters galore.
A lake that plays tricks,
Dwarves and mine picks,
And goblins who made our knees sore.

You can take a mine cart ride down,
Or you could dig right through the ground.
Eventually you'll find some rope pulled taut
And you'll find that Maru's just one big knot.

[forhyrule]

[ It's hard not to stare at Satanael, although Zelda's reserved reaction to it might suggest she is unimpressed. Far from it---the princess is incredibly impressed that one of her party members is accompanied by what must be an actual god.

But her attention returns quickly to Sayori. Zelda listens quietly, closing her eyes in order to shut out other distractions.

As she listens, she begins to feel something unusual. A bit of a tingling feeling, and warm, like some sort of energy is bubbling up inside her. She takes in a deep breath and the feeling spreads out from her chest toward her limbs. It's a sense of conviction, of confidence, that together, the members of this party will certainly succeed in saving the tree and opening the way to the relic. ]

[maskreant]

[ Akira gets the saying, but stays quiet as Sayori starts her poem. Listening intently with big eyes, he finds it really playful (and obviously accurate). He also notices how it transforms him... The new surge of motivation, drive—just energy makes him think that they can do this with ease. They already have what it takes, but now it's definitely in the bag.

You know what this calls for? He, a single person, starts applauding. Do people even applaud for poems? Or do they snap their fingers...? ]

[feytality]

[ from satanael to sayori's poem, maya's going to be starstruck this entire tree mission. she feels how it takes effect right away -- it lifts her spirits, metaphorically and kind of physically. she feels more confident, stronger --- she's filled to the brim with energy. ]

[ she claps enthusiastically, too. ]

[ (it's a really good thing the tree isn't mobile, otherwise they would definitely be attracting attention with all this) ]

That was incredible!

[ someone's going to have to get her back on track, rip. ]

[hxppythxughts]

[Sayori begins to blush as her party members applaud her recital. She lifts her hands to hide her face, giggling airily.

But perhaps this calls for a bow? Yes. She grips the corners of her cloak and holds them out as she curtsies. And then laughs again from the silliness of it.] Thank you, thank you! You guys are really nice.

I'll keep reciting while you guys work! And, um... [A furrow appears in her brow, indicative of some worry, but she keeps smiling.] I'll keep an eye out in case anyone needs to be healed.

[forhyrule]

[ Zelda joins in the applause with the rest of her teammates and watches with an amused smile as the embarrassed bard bows. ]

I believe you will do wonderfully, Sayori.

[ Zelda collects her bow from the ground and gets to her feet. With their pre-encounter preparations complete, it's time to start the assault.

This is far from the first time Zelda has taken up arms to join in battle, even though it's not a princess's customary role. Dire situations have forced her to face danger alongside trained soldiers. But this time, the odds don't feel so insurmountable. Her companions are nervous, but confident. Their strength gives Zelda strength. ]

As we all will. Between us, we have the skills that could topple an army. We are more than a match for a Grand Relic and a cursed tree.

[ She steps toward Akira and Satanael. She can't claim she doesn't have a few misgivings about letting Akira's ---'Persona,' was it?--- carry her up into the air. Especially seeing Satanael up close and how intimidating it is. But she's confident she can trust her teammate. ] By your leave.

[maskreant]

I'll help Sayori with healing.

[ It's odd to not go deep into the fray, but he isn't stupid enough to charge head first when there's so much riding on this. For his team, he will stay on the outskirts while his friend here lifts the team. Literally. Satanael looked like he was about to applause, too, but takes notice of Zelda when she approaches him. With sharing Akira's mind—pretty much being Akira himself—he knows the plan. Likewise, Akira has no worries on this front. ]

Command him as you will. He's a good listener.

[ The Persona lowers himself and gently hoists her onto his shoulder with meticulous care. He doesn't move anymore than that, merely waiting for her to get comfortable and situated before beating his six wings once. They rise a couple of inches, then some feet, and before they know it Satanael and Zelda have ascended quite a distance. ]

All right. Let's pave a path.

[ Fist pump!! Go team! ]

[feytality]

[ maya whistles, and nick junior circles overhead --- for the moment, she herself is going to be stationary, casting spells to disorient and distract the tree, but her bird's gonna be up close and personal as a distraction. he's already poised to circle around the tree -- hopefully the distraction will be ample. maya's ready to teleport if necessary and use her own brand of healing (probably not a great idea, honestly), but for right now, it's backup. she rubs at her shoulder a little self-consciously -- where it had previously scarred her. but, they've got a good team, and a good set up -- she's feeling decisively more confident after sayori's morale boost. ]

Go, team! We're all behind you if you need help.

[ and thus begins operation: tree. ]

UGH i lost track of time i'm so sorry

[hxppythxughts]

[Sayori takes another deep breath as everyone starts getting into position. She's not sure if her morale boost is working--if everyone truly feels so confident or if they're all just pretending like her--but she has to believe it will help.] Yeah! Let's go!

[Ahem! She brandishes her pen (her instrument, as it were,) and continues the Epic of the Tree, projecting her voice from deep in her diaphragm to ensure that she can be heard over any resulting commotion as they begin to distract the willow.]

But where's the middle of it?
It can't be anywhere else!
At the bottom of a tree that usually weeps
Is something strange indeed.
A Forge where magic flourishes
Protected by roots and branches and leaves.

The story goes that a battle was fought
Over the Forge that the Rockseekers sought.
And the story goes that there are no winners in war,
But the Rockseekers knew it belonged to the dwarves.

[She'll recite this throughout as everyone maneuvers.]