balance_logs | Field Mission 4, Etude in Blue, Part One

	You're not leaving until you've got this shanty memorized
	NAVIGATION

Click here for the RNG thread!

1. ETUDE IN BLUE: WELCOME TO THE SEA OF FALLEN STARS

A. A WATERY LANDING

You'll be going down from the Moon Base via glass spheres, shot by the flight technician staff member Avi. As usual, each capsule can hold up to 4 people, although it does get increasingly uncomfortable the more people are crammed together. You're shot down to the planet in the most horrifying way possible, seeing the landscape violently change quickly and without remorse or guilt towards your possible motion sickness or uneasy feeling. The landing this time, is a canonball. All along the middle of the Sea of Fallen Stars, blips of orbs will be falling straight down into the water. From the Moon Base, Lucretia watches on as the majority of you land. It's quite a spectacle to see the splashes from this high up.

And once you're there, you're... kind of up a creek without a paddle. Without a propulsion or engine system to move your orb forward, you don't have a lot of choices here. If you're lucky, you might find a mercantile ship out in between voyages. If you're extremely unlucky, you're going to have to swim... or maybe you can pop the sphere hatch open and find something to paddle with. Be careful of the sharks? Definitely be careful of the sharks. Your destination? Lyrabar.

2. THE LAP OF LUXURY, THE DANGERS OF LYRABAR

B. THE CITY OF MERCHANTS' DREAMS

Let's get something out of the way first: Lyrabar is a gorgeous city — and when you step off the S.S. Codfather and onto the docks about a hundred yards from the edge of the city proper, you'll be treated to a clear view of the entire skyline: Ornate, twisting towers of marble, stone buildings and finely crafted wooden structures form the city into a neat semicircle, with the marketplace at its epicenter. At the far end of the city stands a castle, a nearly glittering, extravagant structure, a maze of hallways and towers that seems to be stretching high toward the other planes of existence themselves.

Lyrabar is on an entirely new level compared to Vista Virs, New Aspen, or even the comforts of the Moon Base itself. This is by far the most luxurious corner of Faerun that you've encountered yet — even the standard-level rooms you might find in an inn around Lyrabar are well maintained, the sheets are clean, and the food is delicious. The food, though! Pretty much anything you can think of is on the menu somewhere, and, no offense to an enduring and malfunctioning robot back on the base, but his cuisine chops can't even compare to what's on offer in Lyrabar.

If only the people of Lyrabar were nicer. Weren't so suspicious of anyone new who passes through those gates. There is a lot of gold passing through the city gates, after all.

And the pirates who are slowly overrunning the city are well aware of that.

C. THE HOBBY HORSE

A lot of you strong archetype Reclaimers, and even the ones who aren't, will probably eventually find your way to The Hobby Horse, a tavern that is absolutely just a tavern, if a bit more crude compared to the other watering holes nearby and around Lyrabar, and absolutely not a place where pirates higher up on the pecking order go for a bit of Jabba-the-Hut-lair entertainment. Of course it isn't. That would be silly!

In any case, maybe you've signed the waiver, paid your 20 GP, and had a go at The Death Cave — essentially a long hallway, leading from one ring to the next, with waves of aggressive monsters brought in from the ocean and beyond for you to fight through. And for some of you, those of you who have played a hand in reclaiming three Grand Relics at this point ... honestly, The Death Cave might seem a little too easy.

The man taking your payments and signed waivers, a man who goes only by Old Numbers, a gruff, bearded old fart who seems to be more battle scar than human, seems to have a solution for that. He leans forward over the counter, eyeing you near suspiciously.

"Oi ... if it's an actual challenge yer lookin' for, Old Numbers can whip you up somethin' more ... randomized. Y'seen those Sea Quartz around town, right? Those rainbow lookin' stars that the fancier folk keep grindin' up into shampoo. Bring me three of those, and I'll give you a fight worth yer chops."

True to his word, you pay Old Numbers three SQ, he'll have you sign another waiver (essentially, you're going to have to name a next of kin — someone who's fit and willing to drag your corpse out of The Death Cave, because Old Numbers here sure as hell isn't going to do it), then he'll draw a random placard from a stack of three and affix it next to the entrance of The Death Cave. The excited energy in the crowd is palpable. Now the real battling betting begins.

Your goal here isn't to defeat all the enemies: It's simply to make it to the final exit.

Here's what the placards mean (As a further warning, these are highly dangerous encounters! You signed a second waiver for a very good reason.):

○ Sword: In the final room of The Death Cave, you will be pitted against a swordsman who seems to have been taken in by some sort of Faerun equivalent of malevolent corruption — and boy, is he having the time of his life. He is extremely fast, his blade is freshly sharpened, and he will not hesitate to strike down anyone who was unfortunate enough to roll him, while laughing about it. He does have what you might consider an ultimate attack: Gathering up energy into his blade, he swings it, channeling said energy into one devastating plume of magic shot directly toward you. You're going to want to find a way to avoid it.

○ Bow and arrow: As you make your way through The Death Cave, you'll be pursued by the, uh. Boss of this round, a ranger whose accuracy with her bow and arrow is unrivaled. Assuming you make it to the final room without being arrow'd, you'll have to face her head-on, too. She is nimble, and now that you've reached the end, she is much less keen on missing. To make it past her, you will want to disarm her — which means closing the gap between the two of you as much as possible, to force a melee.

Wand: Woe to the Reclaimer who manages to roll the magic user course. When you step inside, you'll find that the entire cave is flooded at about knee height, meaning unless you can figure out a way across it, you'll be fighting while wading.

The Caster — sorry, I mean Wizard — at the end of the line specializes in ice and electric elemental spells. Have fun with that!

D. IN WHICH LITERALLY EVERYONE WANTS YOUR COIN

For those of you who have gold burning a hole in your pocket, the shopping available in Lyrabar is near endless. The marketplace, located at the center of the city, seems to sprawl on forever, with stalls, storefronts and eateries that seemingly cater to every fancy, whether it's fashion or weaponry. If it's souvenirs you're looking to take home, the most popular items are necklaces made out of those ever popular Sea Quartz, that are being used at The Hobby Horse and ground up into shampoo, and very sarcastic postcards: Think, "I visited Lyrabar and all I got was this crappily printed postcard" sort of sarcastic.

Generally, though, as long as the item is not magical, and as long as the tech is not more advanced than what you'd find on the Moon Base, you can probably find it at the Marketplace. If you're not sure about an idea, feel free to ask right here!

Some other things of note about what you'll find while shopping:

○ There are a lot of pickpockets. Maybe you shouldn't actually have a hole in your pockets. Even with the people of Lyrabar as distrusting of each other, and of you, as they are, those looking to pilfer a little extra cash off an unsuspecting visitor will find no shortage of targets. Perhaps you're one of them. Perhaps you're the sort willing to start a brawl in the middle of the Marketplace to get your most valued possessions back. Maybe, if you look close enough, you'll see that many have the same insignia branded on their arm. It seems, if you'd like to join in with, or infiltrate a pirate crew, this band of kleptos might be a good place to start off.

○ The Auction House is located on one of the far corners of the Marketplace. It's large, marble and a bit chilly inside, and the biddings start at around 6 p.m. each night, but it seems there's something ... a bit strange about the auctions themselves. That is to say, you'll have a seat one evening, and about halfway through selling off half of the evening's inventory, you'll watch them bring out the next item: like a pearl, or a particularly large and beautiful clamshell — nice enough trinkets, but nothing at all compared to the other goods that have hit the auction block so far.

And why are they starting the bidding at 1,000 GP? And why are the people around you actually enthusiastically going with it? Man, they can't be that blatant, can they?

E. JUSTICE

Maybe by this point you've had something valuable snatched from you, or you can't quite figure out how nobody's put a stop to some very clear money laundering happening at the Auction House, and you feel the need to serve up some serious justice to the pirates out there who have done you wrong. Who runs the justice joint around here, anyway?

That inquiry will lead you straight to the royal guard — the captain of which is going to groan in exhaustion/annoyance at you questions, or even your bid to help out. You think he hasn't heard that story before? The second a silver-tongued charlatan charms their way into the ranks of the royal guard, they're looking the other way while their visiting pirate friends rob the rest of us blind. He's got no time for this. If you want to truly help, you are going to have to prove it first.

And so, with that, you will find yourself immediately thrown into an undercover operation, one the captain doesn't mind doling out, because at the end of the day he loses nothing from it except for a few disguises. That's right: you'll be given a disguise, whether it's a smelly pile of peasant rags or, if he's feeling less charitable with his budget, a pair of these (look, it's not like he actually cares about your safety here), and a piece of paper with one or two names on it. Your mission? Bring these suspects back to the captain without causing a scene. Or, well, go ahead and cause a scene. He has little shits to give, remember?

Pull this off, though, and consider a private audience with the one member of the royal family who still keeps an audience nowadays, Princess Irene, secured.

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3. OUT ON THE OPEN SEA

F. CONGRATULATIONS, YOU'RE THE NEW OWNER OF A YACHT

Whether you've had your fill of luxury, bar fights, enforcing the long arm of the law in town, or just gorging out on incredibly tasty food, eventually you'll recall that Lucretia had actually sent you down here with a purpose. She asked everyone to find a way to obtain a ship- one that isn't the S.S. Codfather (thank you very much, Sans!)- as the investigation into the Grand Relic can only get so far within the streets of Lyrabar. To that end, there are a number of options and opportunities for you to obtain such a vessel.

○ Steal it. This is how pirating works in a place like this. You find something, you take it, and you put a nice new flag on it to make it yours. Of course, there are some complications with that. Get caught, and you're going straight to nautical prison- don't pass the Hobby Horse, don't collect $200. But the docks district of this port town is known to be rather quiet at night, when the merchant fleets are out swindling cash at the bar, drinking themselves blind, or maybe just settling home with their family after an honest day's work. There are hired guards keeping watch, but it shouldn't be that difficult to incapacitate them. When they wake up in the morning, they'll assume what it always is around here. Someone forgot to pay the red tithe.

○ Buy it. There's always the option of offering something in exchange for a rowboat. Maybe you've come across a bountifully magical item that you want to dispose of at the auction house, or maybe there's a collector out there who's willing to make a fair trade. Renting them doesn't seem to be that much an issue either; transport around the region is always done by boat. Just know that you're going to have to put a down payment and collateral down. You also... run the risk of running into some unscrupulous merchants who are working with the pirates on the down low. Be careful not to get swindled out of everything you own, only to walk up to a tiny rowboat.

○ Mutineer it. You could find some work on boats, but it's mainly hard labor. You'll be loading the ship up for transport, and taking a trip across the Sea of Fallen stars to destinations at other major port cities. You might not need to know that some of these ships are exchanging some rather questionable goods to get the hint that there's a fair share misconduct going on around the sea. Time to throw the captain overboard and take command of your own dreamliner.

○ Other. Well, depending on how crafty you are, there are a number of ways to get a hold of a boat. These were just some guiding ideas, but we think you'll find a way. You always do.

G. 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA

There's some adventuring to do out in the open sea, and treasures both vast and mighty. It's not entirely uncommon to find islands dotted along the landscape, and those are particularly good for docking and getting a sense of what's gone down around here since Captain Ferryn's taken command of the high seas. You might've gotten the sense that loose lips really do sink ships- that evidence is coming up pretty bill in your search for actual piracy going on around here. The good captain is incredibly skillful at both deception and infiltration, and with the Soul Blade helping him, there's almost nothing stopping him from completely dominating the entire sea and crowning himself the new royal in town. Mum's the word around these parts, so you're going to have to do some exploration. Pop some of those shrimp chips and head down to explore the underwater depths of the seabed.

There are an unbelievable amount of ships that have been wrecked and forgotten under the violent chops of the aquatic basin. With a few hours' search, you're incredibly likely to find one, waiting for you to go down and pluck whatever's down there. Be careful, however, since The Drowned are fiercely protective of their death locales. Fight through them and live to the tell the tale, and you'll come back graciously rewarded.

Many of the ships seem to have crates still on them- all with the official royal seal of Lyrabar stamped plainly on their lid. When popped open, you'll notice there's an abundance of sea quartz- the gems that are used to constantly provide a source of energy to the town. Hard to tell why pirates wouldn't be interested in that, when the trade is absurdly lucrative.

You'll also find areas where ships aren't present. Instead, you might come across entire fields of sea quartz. But in their current state, they're pretty useless and look like the trinkets you might have found on the streets of Lyrabar. Devoid of any magical energies, they lay deep on the ocean floor, a nuisance and an eyesore to nature. You'll also notice that natural enemies like sharks and Sahuagin steer clear of these areas, for better or for worse.

Good luck down there, and make sure you have a buddy system set up. Getting a glass sphere down into the water is near impossible, but Dr. Tank is on board the S.S. Codfather for emergencies.

H. NOBODY KNOWS THE TROUBLES I'VE SEEN

Know that the sea is not calm in temperament or safety. There are things to be weary of at every step of the way, and it's best to ensure that you have a good, seasoned crew to man your boat in order to keep you passing through safe waters. While you're out there, though, danger truly does lurk around every corner.

Pirates, for one, are particularly good at various ways of warfare. Many of them don't even look or appear to be like the ones you might have heard of in stories or experienced elsewhere. Some even fly under the banner of Lyrabar, cruising safely without notice by anyone that would be wise to what they're up to. Sail out for too long without a purpose or linger in an area too long, and a ship will approach, lining up side by side with you. They'll tell you that they're part of the Royal Navy, and hell, they might even be wearing the garb of the official uniformed ranks, and when they announce they're here for usual inspection, they'll request to board your ship. Protocol, you see, because of the rampant acts of piracy out in the open waters. Refusing might make you look more suspicious, but letting them on board as inspectors and tax adjudicators can be equally dangerous. Some of them are legit, and some of them will look to take command of your ship and leave you out in the ocean to drown. You're going to have to be cunning to figure out which one is which.

Storms rage all over the Sea of Fallen Stars. With the encroachment of the warmer months ahead, the weather itself battles for its rightful claim to the area. The signs of a storm coming are easy enough to spot, and they're frequent. Some will last 2-3 days and make travel nearly impossible. Getting out of the water is an important step in keeping your crew safe; and spending a night on an island or in a grotto is always better than running the risk of joining the armies of The Drowned below.

Maelstroms are an equal threat of immense dread. If you happen to see a swirling vortex of water, start heading in the opposite direction immediately. There's a certain magnetic pull that they have, and once you've been caught in the outer rings, it's going to take a lot of teamwork to get yourselves out. Good thing you've had a month to build upon that, or else you might be toast. For those of you who are highly less fortunate, you'll notice yourselves getting sucked in, closer, and closer. You can look over the epicenter and- good god, is that a tentacle!? What is that thing!?

The Prespuran Triangle also poses a major issue while traveling across the sea. Legend has it that if you sail too close to its navigable coordinates, your ship will vanish and you'll never be heard from again. It might seem like a wives' tale, but it's absolutely true. Come too close to it and you'll notice your compass begin to spin out like there's no tomorrow. Continue inward, and, well. You'll see something, alright. It's a tower that stretches into the sky, tall and unwavering. And also, completely impregnable and without doors. You're going to have to get yourself out of there somehow, and for your sake, let's hope you know the exact coordinates you came in through or else... you mind wind up on a completely different side of the world.

Last but not least, the pirates aren't the only ones looking to hop aboard your newly crowned baby. Don't forget about the Sahuagins, either. They seem to attack only during the dead of night, when the moon is ripe and full in the sky. They bring with them charming magics and are particularly good at getting people to willfully walk over the edge themselves, without even drawing a blade.

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4. OOC

This is your story to write, and your setting to play with! Anything on the OOC post is fair game, and if there's something you'd like to try, please don't hesitate to let us know on the RNG thread.

But most importantly, Reclaimers, be amazing.

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blurb code by photosynthesis

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Well, Alex tries to, to grab onto something else in the pod--but one of his hands twitches involuntarily, even though he can make them almost close around the seat belt, and he drops it. ]

Damn it- no. No, I can't.

[ This is awful. If he was back in his world, this would be the perfect time for Death to strike. He starts trying to remember apparently the Raven Queen isn't like that, but--well, panic-mode. It's hard to shake. ]

I- I can stand, but...the pod, is it gonna...sink, if I...?

No.

[Mia says just a little too quickly, almost like she's afraid it'll happen if he voices it.]

It's not gonna sink. We have to trust it won't sink.

[And, just to show him, Mia slowly moves as close to the center of the pod as she can.]

See? Nice and steady.

[With the weight shifting a little, the pod does move though. But they wouldn't just let them die on impact, right? There's a whole class on how not to die, they wouldn't just-]

[ And that would be the point something cracks, and they plummet into the depths, weighed down by debris-

...But nothing. The pod shifts a little, but that's all.

He swallows. ]

O-okay, so... You...get out first...and... [ He's been in Mia's body, but he doesn't remember how strong she was. He was a little...preoccupied. ] Think you can, uh, pull me out?

[Unaware her movements help to play out hundreds of disaster scenarios in Alex's head, Mia simply nods and reaches for the guide rails out of this pod. The orb-shaped vessel still rocks with the both of them closer to one side, but still nothing gives.]

We're gonna find out.

[Mia answers, determined. At the very least, she's not going to let a kid be stranded out here, even if she has to go straight to Lucrecia herself to explain why this was a terrible idea. She hoists herself up enough to start... hitting the lever that'll open the door until that gives way.

Despite the ungraceful measure, the lever clicks and the pod's door opens on its springs, illuminating the pod's insides even further and letting the overwhelming scent of the sea splash in along with a few stray droplets of water.]

Alright! Here we go. Two tickets out of here, coming right up.

Edited (overthinking small expressions don't mind me) 2019-06-07 21:54 (UTC)

[ It's unfortunate that his automatic thought upon smelling the salt of the sea and feeling the sun is that he's never almost drowned in open water before. It's a new experience, at the very least. Right?

(They talked about this, he and the Raven Queen, they talked about this, she is not It, and It is not here, and he doesn't entirely believe her but he's trying to--)

He blinks and his eyes focus again. It'd be nice to wait until his little episode is over and he can feel his hands again, but honestly...getting out of here as soon as possible? That sounds much better. ]

Just...take it slow. And easy.

[ And we'll figure out what comes next once we're stranded on top of the orb. ]

Slow and easy.

[Mia repeats, hoisting herself up over the ledge. Slow and steady doesn't give her a good grip outside of the pod, and all of a sudden Mia's legs disappear from view followed by a short shriek and a splash. She's landed in the water at least, and not with some terrible concussion-- so when she's surfaced and close enough to touch the outside of the pod again, she immediately calls to let Alex know.]

I'm okay! [between splashes and gasps--] I'm right here! I'll be right back up!

[It can't just be easy.]

[ A shriek and a splash sends his mind spiraling. She's been grabbed by a monster, and it's tearing off her skin. She's fallen and hit her head, and she's taking in water. Blood's going to spread in front of the pod at any moment, and he's going to watch someone die, again--

The reassurance quells this, but only for a moment. Gasps don't give him a good thought about all of this. ]

Jesus, shit! Fu- fuck, okay--

[ While it's not easy when he can't feel his hands, he does manage to stand, stumbling. The pod rocks a little. (He's going to roll it on top of her, he--) He's not quite tall enough to reach out the pod, but damn, he can try. Slipping one of his arms from his sleeve, he tosses it to try and wrap it around the lever. ]

Just- just try and...and climb back up, I'll...I'll keep it steady?!

[ Will he? Will he really? ]

Okay! Okay.

[Mia does her best to start trying to pull herself up, at least enough so she can get a hold of Alex-- they're closer to their goal if she can pull him even halfway up. But the walls of the pod are slippery and curved, and any footholds on the outside aren't on Mia's side.]

Can you reach out?

[She asks, desperately clinging like a frog, fingers making that loud metallic squeak they do when they can't quite hold on. She slips back into the water once-- and, angered by the failed attempt, jumps back out further-- enough to catch hold of one of the panels. It's not a true hand-hold, but it's enough to give her some leverage for now.]

[ Fuck. He can't... He hears everything sloshing, so it's time to pull. His shirt strains, but he's just able to use it to pull himself up, with a heavy grunt. ]

Sh... Shit, yeah. [ Though he can't grasp the opening of the pod, he can let his twitching hand reach over the side. ] Here.

[ If he can keep pulling with his other arm... Okay, Alex is trying to hoist himself, though it's...with very mixed results, as his other hand twitches again, shaking the sleeve's grip on the lever. ]

Fuck. No, I got it. I-I got it.

[ The more he focuses on this, the less he can focus on how his heart feels like it's going to burst. ]

[Mia can see Alex's fingers over the side and know he's trying-- it spurs her on to push herself up further, desperately grasping the opening to catch herself when her spring of inertia is over. Their combined weight tips the pod toward Mia's side; closer to the water's surface, but also an easier angle for Mia to reach in and finally grasp Alex's wrist.]

All right! I've got you!

[Sure her hand is wet and her grip isnt as good as it could be because of that, but she's holding on so tight Alex's skin may turn white beneath her fingers.]

We're so close!

[They are probably never going to get back in that pod from here but hey, fuck that thing anyway.]

[ Almost, he breathes a sigh of relief. But, Alex knows that's how it gets you. You let your guard down, and then someone's got half a head on the ground.

Still! Still, if they can just...get on top of the pod, stay on top of the pod. This fucking slippery pod. Maybe a damn ship will come get them. Maybe. ]

Hold... Okay. [ Deep breaths. His hand twitches again. It'd be real nice if that could stop. ] Got it.

[ With Mia grounding him? He can hoist himself like he wanted, his other arm wedging itself outside the pod so he can push himself up with his elbow. ]

G- got it.

[ Easy, right? ]

Field Mission 4, Etude in Blue, Part One

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