balance_logs | Field Mission 3: Brushing the Sun, Part 2

	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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ where indeed! maybe it's the mining town's adorable mascot. ]

[ the dog tilts its head at her as she talks, then puts a paw on her leg. unhelpful! ]

[ then it whines piteously at her. this clears it all up, right? ]

[Hmmmm, should she be checking if anyone's lost an adorable dog mascot around here?

Maria raises her eyebrows, then reaches out for the paw on her leg.]

Come on, I don't speak dog. What do you want? Food? 'Cause I'm kinda fresh out.

[ probably. or maria can keep this mascot for herself and profit off of its sad puppy eyes! ]

[ there's another low whine at the no food comment, specifically, but the dog paws at her hand cutely... then paws at the ground. if that makes it any clearer. it probably won't. (poor maria.) ]

[If only she could learn to understand dogs first...

Maria looks down at the ground, setting her free hand down near where the dog's pawing.]

Okay, okay! Here? I'm not digging for you, if that's what you want. Aren't you supposed to be able to do that?

[She doesn't know!! She's never had a pet or anything, all right!]

We can always find someone with a shovel.

[ the dog puts both of his paws on her hand as if to signify..... something..... then makes one of those long-suffering dog sighs like it has been through so much. ]

[ the dog has such a hard life. ]

[ it starts to walk away, but stops two feet to look at maria in that kind of 'follow me' way. ]

[Maria can only sigh as well. Puppy... Puppy, please, she doesn't get it.

At least that last bit's obvious enough.

She stands up, brushing off her clothes, and gestures at the dog.]

All right, all right, show me whatever it is. I'll follow, just don't take us anywhere weird!

[ there's a little offended puppy huff at the idea that it's taking her somewhere weird (this whole place is weird, okay!! ), but at least she's following. she'll get it eventually. maybe. ]

[ the dog trots off, checking to make sure maria is following periodically. eventually they reach an area near the remains of the forge, where there's -- something partially buried in the ground. the dog barks at maria and runs up to it, trying to push it out of the ground with its paws, but it's not working. ]

[ maria will be able to tell what it is when she gets close. it's a diamond!! nice. ]

[She follows, she follows! She doesn't even try to turn around!

Though her steps do begin to slow as they start nearing the remains of the forge, until she hears the dog beginning to bark and she hurries to catch up.

And ohhhh, what is this? Oh, this is something that definitely grabs her interest!!]

Huh. Found something shiny, did ya? Good job.

[Maria reaches out for it, testing how deeply it's buried, and huffs out a laugh.]

I don't know shit about dogs, I gotta tell you, but I didn't know you all cared about this kinda thing.

[ good maria!!! but yeah, the dog's hit pay dirt. cha-ching!! one problem, though, even though the diamond is not that deeply buried into the ground (one good yank from her would get it out), the dog cannot get it out with its cute but ineffective doggy paws or even its mouth. the diamond's too big for this little pomeranian. ]

[ and it's been attempting! after another unsuccessful attempt to pull it out, the dog whines at maria. listen, dogs can want diamonds too, don't stereotype!!! or maybe it's for a good cause. ]

[Hmmmm, well, she has no idea why the hell a dog would want this, but. She can think about that after she's pulled it out.

With her other hand on the ground to steady herself, she leans forward to yank it out the rest of the way, then holds it up to look at it properly.]

Seriously. How the hell did you find this?

[ it's a very stylish dog, probably. and a nice diamond! a good, big chunk of it. ]

[ the dog, on the other hand, barks at her!!! which will not clarify the situation at all, but it also starts walking off again, looking back at her to make sure she's going to follow, same as before. it's not done? maybe there are more diamonds to discover. maybe it's trying to be a good neighbor and get maria loaded with cash. ]

[If this dog wants a diamond collar, she wants no part in making it!! ...But she can support it.

Maria furrows her brow, but dusts herself off and stands up again. Well, what the hell? She can follow a little longer.]

All right, what is it this time? Don't tell me there's more than one thing you've been trying to dig up.

[ support the best doggy life, tbh. ]

[ maybe metaphorically. the dog barks more insistently at maria, though, and trots off. this will continue until maria brings the goods over to.... wherever the dog is trying to take her now. a mystery!! ]

[All right, she's following. She's following. She's growing more and more confused by the second, but hey. She's gotten this far, right?]

Come on, how far away is it?

[ maria's having a magical disney adventure with a scruffy dog. as one does. ]

[ the dog whines at her when she asks 'how far away', it's not like it has a doggy gps, wow!! ]

[ but after a good few minutes they will reach their final destination. guess what? it's a corpse! ]

[ it's wrapped in a body bag and webbing, but the cowboy hat on top of it probably gives it away as mccree. the dog reaches the corpse and very dejectedly lies down, making one of those really piteous little doggy whines. ]

[ it's fry's dog. but... mccree's? ]

[Holy shit.

Now, he's not someone Maria's actually spoken to, but she does recognize that hat and...

Well.

Dog, why?]

Christ. What the fuck? That first stop was better!

[JUST... give her a sec.]

[ surprise!!!!! just what maria always wanted. ]

[ the dog tucks its tail between its legs and stares up between maria and the diamond with that same dejected puppy face. ]

[ seems like it's trying to communicate something to her... other than depression. ]

[She wishes, so badly, that she could understand just what the hell the dog is trying to hell her.

She looks down at it, then the corpse, then the diamond, then very slowly,]

Is... this thing... his?

[He doesn't need it if he's dead does he!!!!]

[ honestly? close enough ]

[ the dog barks once as an affirmative. seems like it is his......? ]

[ then it lies down next to the diamond and makes one of those little sad defeated dog wuffs. there's gonna be a lot of that ]

Field Mission 3: Brushing the Sun, Part 2

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