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balance_logs2019-09-02 04:13 pm
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Entry tags:
- ace attorney: maya fey,
- ace attorney: mia fey,
- carmen sandiego: carmen sandiego,
- danganronpa: kaede akamatsu,
- danganronpa: kokichi oma,
- danganronpa: shuichi saihara,
- doki doki literature club: sayori,
- final destination: alex browning,
- good omens: aziraphale,
- jjba: guido mista,
- original: ferran gallagher,
- overwatch: jesse mccree,
- overwatch: soldier 76,
- persona: minato arisato,
- red vs blue: agent washington,
- sailor moon: minako aino,
- umineko: lion ushiromiya,
- umineko: willard wright,
- undertale: sans
Field Mission 5: Il Prigioniero, Part 1
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![]() 1. IL PRIGIONIERO: WELCOME TO CORMANTHORA. A CRASH BETWEEN TWO FERNS Lucretia has given the orders and locale for the next Grand Relic to be reclaimed and destroyed, a task that will present itself with many new and weird dangers that the Reclaimers haven't come across before. For anyone looking to brush up on their history of Myth Drannor, the Netheril, and the forest of Cormanthor, some of you have already learned a great deal of what occurred here, in bits and pieces. Leon, the Artificer of the Bureau of Balance, had described the tale of a very unfortunate city facing a major energy crisis that was bleeding out the land. You've already met the culprit behind one of the worst decisions humanity has ever made (Spoiler: it's Karsus, a god-tier shit wizard who sacrificed himself to get some of you out of dodge back in Lyrabar), and seen the destruction, first hand, of what happened to the Netheril via the events of Vista Virs. Phew, that's a lot of lore to take in all at once. ![]() But that's all ancient history at this point. No one's been able to make it deep enough into the woods to find out what really happened. Most often, they find the city of Shadowdale instead, and with that... Wonderland. Speaking of which, you'll be blasted down to the outskirts of the forest. The entire balance of magic in this area is highly off kilter, which isn't entirely new to some of you veteran Reclaimers. When a Grand Relic is used, it often leaves behind a very distinct path of destruction that makes even the most learned scholars scratch their head. Magical interference runs nigh high throughout all of Cormanthor, which makes this mission particularly dangerous. Bubbles are not able to penetrate the canopy of Cormanthor or land directly at Wonderland. As Lucretia had said a few months ago, these missions are going to get harder and come with higher consequences. She has faith in all of you to make better decisions. You're the most amazing and stalwart people she's ever met, after all. Blasted down to Cormanthor in parties no more than 4, you land somewhere near the outskirts of the forest. Look behind you, and you can see the yellow-hued mountains of the Netheril behind you, boasting a land of pure desert and its own uniquely cursed roster of flora and fauna. Pitter patter, Reclaimers.
2. THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASSB. EMPTY WOODS The woods of Cormanthor were stunningly beautiful once. Before most people who walk among these trees were born, sure — but once upon a time, this was a beautiful place. A living, thriving forest, like any other great wood. When the Reclaimers enter, however, the first thing they'll notice is the silence. Unnatural, ubiquitous, and oppressive, silence is the single unifying factor throughout these woods. The trees themselves shift, first sparse pines, then white ash and beech, and finally towering oaks, maples, and hickory. The silence doesn't change. There is no noise but the wind rustling the leaves on the trees — and as you get further in, even that begins to fall away. It will become quickly apparent that there's no animal life here. This is a forest in stasis, certainly, but it's utterly devoid of birds flying overhead, four-legged creatures scurrying through the leaf debris. No deer, no wolves, no bears. No monsters. No insects, even, if you're paying attention. Those with the ability to speak with animals will notice very quickly that life simply doesn't seem to exist here. Those with the ability to speak to plants may be even more alarmed, because while the trees and other plants do respond, their replies are sluggish and distant, somewhat reminiscent of speaking to someone suffering with a severe fever, drifting in and out of consciousness. Travel through Cormanthor's forest takes a few days' time, and so much time spent in silence begins to take a toll. Never mind the fact that no matter your Boy Scout badges, you can't forage for anything useful out here: nothing from the forest that is eaten provides any sustenance. Eat a bucket full of berries, and you'll still be as hungry as if you hadn't eaten a thing. The trees press in on all sides, and you know each one is different from the last, but after a while they all start to look the same. Some will be more affected than others. Those with a madness effect (RNG'd or chosen from the list on this mission's dossier) will begin to feel it by the end of the second day. There are infinite options of how to play with this in the frozen forest, but here are a few possibilities: ○ If you have forgotten something important to you (1), it can happen quickly or slowly. Perhaps you're camping with your bubblemates, talking about someone from home. That Greg Grimaldis, was he really that bad? the Reclaimer to your right asks. Who, you ask, perplexed, brow furrowing, is Greg Grimaldis? C. EMPTY CITY ![]() Then you look up. You can't help but look up. Stretching so high you've got to crane your neck to see to the top is a great gold tree sprung from the center of town. You couldn't see any of it from outside of Shadowdale's borders, but the town, it seems, wants you here. It wants you to see Wonderland. This could be paradise for a while, a place to stay safe from prying eyes and protected by the vastness of the forest as the Reclaimers track down this latest relic. Except, not to put too fine a point on it, it's kind of creepy here. The whole place is empty — not everyone-got-up-and-left-in-a-rush empty, but ghost-town empty. Nobody wants to stay here, it seems. Maybe there's somewhere else they'd rather be. Regardless, it leaves you with plenty of lodgings to choose from. If you don't mind making your own fun, there's plenty to do, too: bookshops to visit, bakeries to use, butcher shops to — okay, maybe not that one. There's a courthouse, though. Who wants to play Judge Judy? Consider any shop or government building one might find in a small town to be fair game. After a few hours, though, it becomes clear that this place isn't quite empty after all. You aren't the only ones investigating. D. A FAMILIAR FACE (OR TWO) ○ The first face you see is a friendly one. Upon seeing the bracer on your wrist, Matthew Hollyweather walks right up to you, all the more readily if he remembers your face from New New Aspen. Despite the setting, he's clearly and genuinely pleased to see Reclaimers here. To those he's met before, he's eager to share all the positive change going on in New New Aspen: the newfound peace, the booming economy, pictures of one bajillion bouncing new spider-nieces-and-nephews. To those new to him, he introduces himself as Mayor Hollyweather of New New Aspen with just enough good-natured self-derision in his tone that he comes off as authoritative but kind of embarrassed about it. Of course, you can't stay in Shadowdale forever. Literally: you can't. Every Reclaimer's feet are inexorably pulled to the entrance to Wonderland after not very long at all. The golden tree at the center of town is impossible to ignore. Step into the elevator at its base, and you might very well find yourself elbow-to-elbow with Matthew or Angus, staring as the numbers tick up . . . up . . . Carrying you to Wonderland. 3. WELCOME TO WONDERLANDE. A BEARY GOOD TIME ![]() Yeah. You know what this guy is all about. Chutes and ladders will take you all over the various places of the park, all branching out from Terminal Square. The entirety of the complex is, at scale, ridiculously large. All throughout Wonderland, you'll be treated like a king if you let yourself be pampered. The sheer amount of gilded perfection that went into crafting this place is at a scale even larger than the Moon Base. Gorgeous fountains spouting golden water are not infrequent, stands selling food of every type imaginable pepper anywhere there's space, and often as you pass by, you can hear people having the time of their lives here. F. PLAY WITH ME IN THE SPACE! There's so much to do in Wonderland. So much. Honestly, you wouldn't be the first to say it's overwhelming. That's part of the fun! Wonderland sweeps you away with all of the fun it brings. We could fill pages with the wonders in Wonderland, but why don't we stick with a few highlights and let you fill in the rest? ○ Wonder Square: When you first enter the confines of Wonder Square, you'll notice it looks and feels sort of like a casino... minus the strong and pungent smells that usually accompany those types of areas, typically. The wide birth of the room overlooks a beautiful vantage point of the top of Cormanthor's forest; pale greens look out into a sea of leaves for miles on end, as if the rest of the world doesn't exist outside of Wonderland itself. And why would you think it does, when you're here? Everyone gets in on the fun here in Wonderland. No matter how reticent one might normally be to do so, something about this place just puts pep in everyone's step. Nine times out of ten you might be the kind of person who finds rides, games, and having fun to be childish or beneath you, but guess what? Here in Wonderland, you're at least a little into it. So are the few non-natives you see. Angus is here, trying to figure out the rules of all these arcade games. Matthew is here, getting lost in Ghost Square and wandering the food court. A couple of other faces, too. Anything in the dossier is fair game for your use. But keep in mind, Reclaimers: those madness effects? They're still very much in effect. You're still in Cormanthor forest, after all. The longer you stay, the more you play, the worse it gets. Little by little, hour by hour, day by day. Have fun, kids. Be yourselves. Don't do anything Lucretia wouldn't do. ![]() ![]() ![]() 4. OOCIn order to keep to our goal of providing the most personalized Wonderland experience for all of you, we're setting a limit of 3 RNG attempts per character this log. Additionally, please be aware that while more mundane rolls will have standard-level DCs (for this log, anyway), any RNG with the potential to uncover plot information is high-risk high-reward and will have a very high DC along with steep penalties for failure. As always, we will let you know of this before we roll, and you have the option to decline any roll at any time. Other than that, 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. blurb code by photosynthesis |
audio, un: garnet
That'll teach him to trust any magical artifacts at all, he guesses.
When he calls for help over the bracers, the cheery voices of the Rolands can be heard saying things like "Chin up, buddy!" and "You'll warm up to Wonderland in no time!" Ferran's voice is decidely the opposite of cheery, and honestly it's a miracle he managed to hit the button to open a call at all with his hands being such a mess.]
I need-d healing on the r-reeducation ride...
[MAYDAY :(]
D-don't trust the bears... If that wasn't... obv-vious.
audio, un: million
Is it bad that their only thought, upon seeing this on the network, is "well that was quick"? Oy vey. ]
Do you, um, need someone to come pick you up, Ferran-san?
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[Even with his newfound wariness of The Bears, he... doesn't think he's in any continued danger right now, as long as he doesn't do anything major. The healing is the main priority right now, and he's going to be stuck on this thing for a while...]
I j-just have some useless m-magical glass where it s-shouldn't be. I don't care about the r-ride.
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[ Who??? Puts someone on a rollercoaster??? While covered in broken glass????
Bears, that's who. ]
Or, at the very least, I can try to get you out long enough to help. [ Cleric powers, holla. ] I'm on my way.
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Thanks.
[But even if Lion can't, it's not like the ride is crazy enough to cause any more injury. ... as is? Ugh, he doesn't want to think about this right now, his head hurts.]
I'm not g-going anywhere.
CW: some blood & gore (involving broken glass)
fun times here in wonderland!! already!!!
this is why i opted out of body horror. :D
probably a good idea, upon reflection ;)
can't have anyone cracking under the strain!
finger guns
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and then my inbox ate the notif
rude, inbox! >:0
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audio, un: dearsunshine
I'll be right there! Um, can you tell me what happened?
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[It's almost a relief to hear Sayori's voice, but he doesn't really want her to see him injured, even aside from the other Problems he's having right now. Still, she's got some healing from what he knows, so he won't turn her down.]
M-my mirror... for looking past illusions b-broke. Violently.
[Go figure that the first time he'd get to use it it would do that! Thanks, fantasy gashapon.]
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[He's probably got glass everywhere... She spots a Roland and calls to him, away from the bracer: Hey, Mister Roland, where's the-- I need to get on the Reeducation Ride! --no, I don't need a hug now, I'll--
There's the sound of some rustling and incomprehensible words, and then she's back.] Okay, I'll be there soon! I'll make sure my hands are clean and we'll get you fixed!
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[Even now he's trying to play it off with some humor... but it's not like he hasn't gone through worse.]
B-be careful.
[He says, sitting next to several cursed bears with a face and hands full of glass.]
audio; un: therealdavinci
When she calls, the sound of arcade games can be heard blaring in the background, coupled every now and then by gleeful shouts. It sounds like she's hanging out in the Wonder Square's sprawling casino-arcade.]
Are you off the ride yet?
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[He's still a little dazed... and perturbed... but he'll live and not get an infection. He sounds appropriately exhausted, though, healing or not.]
Thanks.
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[Even as she scolds him, there's a note of concern to her words.]
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I just wanted to see what those bears actually are. That's what it was supposed to be for—seeing through illusions... so I just put it in front of one of them.
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audio; akapassionata
[That "horrible bear" hasn't done anything to Kaede personally yet. But she has a history of not trusting bears, and this just seems like more evidence.]
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[He's not sure if he can blame the bear specifically, but he's starting to not like bears on instinct. It could be just some creation of the relic's magic without having any ill will, but...]
Something doesn't want me to know what the bears really are. I tried to use my mirror of truth and it shattered...
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[She has a lot of follow-up questions to that kind of statement, but first and foremost,]
I know investigating is really important, but you have to take care of yourself too, okay?
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audio; un: joker.
I've never met a bear that I've trusted.
[ a bit dryly. but after that: ]
Did you get the help you needed?
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Me neither, now that I think about it.
[Even Ryuji's new bearsona introduced itself by charging straight at him. No thanks.]
But I did... thanks. I hope no one else has run into any trouble like that so far...
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What did they do to you, exactly?
[ morbid curiosity, but also to make sure to avoid said bears. ]
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Well.
He's looked better.]
Ferran...
[She frowns, her brow furrowed as she picks up her pace, closing the distance between them and grabbing his shoulder with one hand.]
What happened?
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Ferran himself is out of it, though, and doesn't even notice her approach until she's right there, grabbing his shoulder and causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. The bird, Agate, simply adjusts itself to make sure neither of them fall off balance.]
B-Blake.
[The shock only lasts for half a second, but he still doesn't seem happy to see her after that, diverting his gaze. His face is still pretty raw despite the healing—more than a few scratches radiating up from his left jaw—as well as several on his left palm visible as he reaches up to hold each side of his hood, like he wants to bring it down further.]
Ah, my mirror of truth, from the Artificer... reflecting one of those bears was enough to break it.
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It was bad enough that he'd had to call out for healing. She doesn't want to think about anything more than that until he tells her himself, and though his hood is drawn and he's turn his gaze from her, she can see the raw ends of some of the scratches before he reaches up to try and pull his hood over them, obscuring them with his hands in the process.]
So you saw the truth and they attacked you?
[If it broke, maybe he hadn't seen anything at all, which somehow made this even worse. She frowns, kneeling beside him.]
Ferran... you don't have to hide.
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audio
Hey, Ferran-kun! Did you get helped out? You're not still hurt?
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I'm fine now, Honoka. Thank you.
[He sounds tired, though. It's pretty quiet where he is, actually—there aren't any chattering people or park noises on his end.]
I hope you haven't been on the wrong end of anything so far.
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[ The irony of Honoka Kousaka saying this to literally anyone is almost palpable. At... at least she means well... ]
I'm doing okay so far... I've kinda just been trying to stay on my toes, you know? And investigate a little but there's so much going on all over the place it's sorta hard to tell what's something important and what's Wonderland just being... Wonderland, I guess.
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