Field Mission 3: Brushing the Sun, OOC post

[balancemod]

We're flying! NAVIGATION 1. A FLOATING, TWISTING MASS PREGROUND, OR WHAT TO DO WITH A NERD There's a trial that takes place in the last days leading up to the next mission. It's not a broadcasted affair, although people are asked to come and give testimony as to the nature of Lucas Miller's character, his resolve, his grief. He doesn't sit there defending himself, or his actions, he accepts the inevitable punishment he's going to be given. That's what this is all about, right? The courtroom is adorned with everything that one would expect of a rather stately affair- aside from a vase of begonias that sit in front of an empty chair. It's unspoken as to the symbolic meaning behind it, but it's pretty clear to anyone who had spoken with Lucretia regarding the untimely passing of Maureen Miller. She's here, too, in a way. And speaking of Lucretia, she's not... actually behind the bar, arbitrating. No, she knows too well the importance of checks and balances and it doesn't make sense for the Director in charge of the entire Bureau to sit and pass out judgment. She's too rational to give in to tyranny. Sitting in the judge's chair is a man with a mustache, parted and combed over hair. He sprouts a set of wings behind him and lacks a bracer upon his wrist. This is Judge John Hodgman, a celestial that's been requested to hear all sides of the argument. The trial goes smoothly, but maybe Lucas' lack of defense is the telling feature of who he is as a person. The Judge returns later to hear the plea of the jury. Guilty, but not guilty. The testimonials clearly indicate that Lucas has done wrong, that he needs to repay the horrors he brought down upon Vista Virs, but it doesn't warrant ending his life. His sentencing is swift. Davenport brings a Bracer of Initiation and the bailiff, a tiefling who, by all intents and purposes looks infernal and powerful, affixes it upon his wrist like a cuff. The price Lucas has to pay for his crimes is hard time and the lack of his freedom. He'll be working for the Bureau now, on official terms, and it brings Lucretia a set of mixed feelings. Mostly, though- relief. Lucas is safe. Lucas is with the Bureau now. She can keep her promise to Maureen, but it also comes with the unhappy feeling that his independence has been cut from him. It's not something she wanted for him, but as Madame Director of the Bureau of Balance, it had to be done. BACKGROUND The past two months have taken quite a toll on the Bureau. Reclaimers who witnessed the destruction of an entire city. New faces reckoning with the idea that everything they've left behind had been destroyed by the Hunger. The Director, caught between her duty and her own emotions, watching a man sitting and working in The Brig, waiting for whatever justice was eventually going to find him. Despite everything, though, in spite of the tragedies that unfolded, time continues its lurch forward. There is work to do. You have successfully reclaimed and destroyed two Grand Relics, one at a cost much higher than the other. And at some point, while most of you were out in the desert, fighting to reclaim either a pen or yourselves, or while some of you were living your lives back home, largely unaware of what you'd be stepping into, The Director glanced out the window from her office, down at Faerun below. And, uh. Huh. Wait, what in the devil is that? 2. IT ORBITS THE WORLD, MEANING FAERUN IS ITS FAESUN In the past month that the Reclaimers have been recuperating, The Bureau of Balance's Seekers have been collecting and sending back data on a giant floating landmass that brushed right past the ridiculously large Candlenights tree in late February. A day or two before you are sent off after it, you will be gathered in the Arena, and you will be briefed on what they've learned. The floating land, which the Seekers have named Maru for now, is approximately two square miles wide, twisted and gnarled, as if someone scooped up the earth, molded it to their liking, and flicked it with two fingers, sending it on its journey across Faerun. Speaking of, judging by its current speed, the Seekers on this assignment estimate that it would take about a year for Maru to complete one full orbit around the planet. Which is to say, since this is the first time we're seeing, it, the first tidbit of information that we're getting on it, the floating island hasn't been around for very long. The Moon Base is likely the only bit of civilization it's passed since it was formed. Which is to also say, whoever's stuck on that thing? They're probably pretty pissed. BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE DIG 'EM FOR But that's really only half of it. Whatever extremely powerful sort of magic pulled Maru together didn't pick a simple plot of land to rip up and toss toward the sun. There are mining tracks that twist up into the air like trees, creating patches of metal forests straight out of a post-apocalyptic setting. Mining equipment, from broken carts to pick axes to shovels and who knows what else in between, litters the landscape, spreading outwards from the center of Maru. There is so much stuff to be mined here — assuming you don't fall to the folly of greed, dig too deep and literally fall through the landscape and down to Faerun below. It's not entirely unreasonable to think that if something exists, it may very well be folded right into Maru's very being. The Seekers giving you this briefing would recognize that confounded look on your face, if that's what you're feeling. Some of them are pretty familiar with the landscape, unrecognizably twisted as it is. Some of them used to be adventurers like you. And they know when a Grand Relic's gone and pulled the Lost Mine of Phandelver right out of the ground. Your mission here is twofold: You will need to retrieve the Grand Relic, as always. But this is also your opportunity to find some sorely needed supplies or even the raw materials needed to rebuild Vista Virs, before Maru is split apart, and what remains of it returns to the earth. Lucas will be the one spearheading the logistics of the mining efforts. He has a town to be rebuilding, after all. 3. POINTS OF INTEREST As always, you'll be loaded into glass orbs in groups of four that will rocket you at intense speeds toward a speck in the horizon. In about three hours time, the speck increases exponentially in size, and you will be deposited on Maru, your home for the next month or so. The ground you're standing on is solid enough, though you get the impression that if you were to start digging, it might start to feel ... a little hollow. The air is thin, too. Not unbreathable, not unlivable, but you may find that you tire out a little bit more quickly than normal. You'll want to mind the edges. It is a long, long way down — slipping off is guaranteed to be fatal. If you would prefer not to acknowledge how high in the air you actually are, there are plenty of places toward the center of Maru that hide the truths of its altitude well enough. Personally, we recommend grabbing your bedroll from your Explorer's Pack and bringing along some camping chili. If you enjoy the height, though? You'll be treated to a spectacular view of Faerun, as Maru slowly inches by from above. You'll see farmlands. You'll pass by expanses of grasslands, mountains, and if you squint, even the occasional giant roaming the landscape. Here are major points of interest for you to explore: ○ Cobbled together with the junk they've managed to break free from the depths of Maru is a small goblin settlement. This is the only semblance of a town on Maru, and they are not necessarily keen on sharing their shelter with strangers. Truth be told, these gerblins are not the brightest creatures to be rolled up into the sky — you've got an equal shot of convincing them you mean no harm or convincing them that you're here to steal all their treasure. Some of the Seekers who came before you note that they've been here since Maru's, uh. Creation? Yeah, let's go with that word. The goblins probably have more intel for you, if you can wheedle it out of them. ○ One of the safest areas in Maru is toward the dead center of the landmass: A grotto with lush grass and giant mushrooms. The mushrooms are safe to eat both raw and cooked, though they taste absolutely awful, and have a gritty, wet sand texture to them. What makes the grotto so safe, though, are the various nooks and crannies and small caves to hide in should the need arise. And you never know what surprises you might find in there. ○ While the Bureau will be ferrying supplies to and from Maru, it couldn't hurt to know where a secondary water source is. It's a small lake and waterfall on the northeast corner, formed when the land twisted into a crevice and filled with the waters of weeks of bad weather. The gerblins tend to avoid coming here at night though. There's ... there's something strange hiding there. ○ About half a mile north of the goblin settlement is an old abandoned shack. It's run down, and its supplies useful to living on Maru have since been looted. What the shack does have, however, is an absolute smorgasbord of random shiny trinkets. Tiny goblets, keyrings, bits of silver and nickel that are too small to be of particular value, you name it — if it's small, shiny and largely useless, it's probably crammed somewhere in here. Please don't steal anything though, that would be so mean. :( ○ Mount Mâché is the tallest peak on Maru, sitting on the southeast corner of the landscape. You'd think, considering how tall it is, that it would cause Maru to tilt dangerously to the south, but that's not actually the case. And if you happen to take a few steps on board the base of the mountain, you'll understand why — and why Maru's inhabitants tend to avoid it. It's ... kind of suspiciously crunchy. And if you lean over and rap at the ground with your knuckles, you'll find that it sounds hollow. This absolutely is unsafe to climb, but if you want to take the risk, and if you want to get to the interior of Maru, this is probably one of your easiest routes. 4. PEOPLE TO TALK TO, THINGS TO KILL, NOT IN THAT ORDER. A. NON-PILOTABLE NPC'S Barry Bluejeans. An adventurer who was hired to help the Rockseekers locate the Lost Mine of Phandelver, he rendezvoused with the dwarven clan somewhere near the town of Phandalin. Barry Bluejeans is best described as a stout man who wears, you might have guessed it, the purest of raw denim around his legs. Barry's attitude can best be described as brusque to anyone who meets him and hasn't really earned much of his trust. A trusting, logical sort of man, he wound up on Maru by... more or less happenstance. What started out as a way to earn a little extra cash has officially made him an astronaut, stranded on a floating landmass with a fabled mine deeply plunged into the core of everything. And judging by the long almost-year he's been here, he's more than ready to get back down. Now, does anyone want to explain what a bunch of bracer wearing murder hobos are doing, landing in a place like this? Bread. Wait, what? What are you doing here? This is Bread, captain of the watch for New New Aspen. For those of you who have never met Bread, he's a giant cat. He speaks Common, and is extremely friendly! He loves bananas, and he's also always willing to offer what bits of information he knows, provided you do provide him with said bananas. Or any food, really. He's not picky. He must have hopped aboard when Maru passed by the Candlenights tree. Goofy cat. B. PILOTABLE NPC'S Goblins. The main inhabitants of Maru, they were caught in whatever Grand Relic catastrophe led to the creation of the giant floating landmass. They trend toward evil tendencies, but they are not particularly intelligent, and not always particularly hostile. They are most dangerous in large numbers, and favor scimitars and shortbows, but are quick to disengage — assuming their flight instinct kicks in quickly enough. If you can catch them with a bowling ball type maneuver, they're toast. Rockseekers. Gundren Rockseeker, of the Rockseeker fame, entrepreneur extraordinaire. He needed some able bodied hands to help him and his two brothers (Tharden and Nundro) reclaim a mine that his grandpappy allegedly had been the owner of. Keeping most of the details around his business aspirations to a quiet lull of "no, I'm quite alright, and stop yer askin' 'fore I get antsy," he's often the type to plot and scheme to make his ventures pay off. Rumor has it that the mine he's highly invested in has a forge within it, equipped with the power to enchant weapons to make them magical. Rumor also has it that he's recently gone AWOL, and no one seems to know where he, Tharden, and Nundro have been wandering off to. That said, there are a number of dwarves around the neighborhood. Ask any one of them and they'll tell you they're a Rockseeker. Whether or not that's true is yet to be seen. C. YOLO'S GUIDE TO MONSTERS Dire Bears. Ferocious creatures that are known to wander around the landscape of Maru, they typically can be spotted flying solo and hunting around the rivers. Make no mistake about these fuzzy wuzzies, they're predisposed to kill on sight, and will display hostility to anyone who approaches or happens to be unhappily near it while it's going about its rounds. They don't necessarily distinguish between animals like deer, antelope, or goats- they've been known to take a few goblins (or dozens, actually) into their mighty maws and chow down for a midday meal. Keeping distance is probably the best idea if you're looking to take one down. Note, though, that since this is essentially an MMORPG, it seems like killing one bear may or may not alert every other Dire Bear in a mile radius to come find you. Yikes. Umber Hulks. A large monstrosity that typically burrows underground and waits for unsuspecting prey to wander into its domain. Particularly dangerous in underground caverns, mines, and caves, they have a particularly good ability to hide and get the jump on adventurers by utilizing its tremorsense, an ability that allows it to feel vibrations in the stone around it. It can burrow through solid rock of up to 10 feet long, but worst of all is its Confusing Gaze attack, which makes its eyes glow when activating its power. One good look and it'll cause some serious confusion - enough to maybe even turn on your own party. Basilisks. Monsters of the deep. They typically stalk by listening to the sounds of footsteps in the dark, and lay in wait around corners before attacking. Adorned with rocks that seem to naturally grow like armor around their otherwise soft and scaly skin, these creatures are most known for their petrification quality. If the Basilisk can see you, it's going to try to turn you into stone with one strong gaze. Best to avert your eyes when you think you might hear something along the way. Failing to do so will turn you into a statue- permanently, or at least, until curative magics are used to soften you up. You can probably find quite a number of dwarves down in the Phandelver Mine that have died this way. Fire Beetles. Fire beetles are typically seen at night, and noticeable for the bright light that glows from the glands under its neck. Not much of a threat physically, miners have often killed them to leave trail marks in caverns, as a fire beetle's corpse may stay lit for up to 6 days after it's been killed. The downside of killing them to make light is that they typically let out a rather nasty smell that gives off sulfurous, unhappy notes of flatulent. Best case scenario, it just reeks for a bit. Worst case? It attracts a hunting Umber Hulk or a Basilisk, as they seem to love eating these things. D. HUNT MARK: WOMPING WILLOW DANGER. DO NOT ENGAGE. We can tell you not to try to fight this thing until we're blue in the face, but when put up against a challenge, adventurers will rise to the call. Generally speaking, the Womping Willow is what seems to look like an average willow tree, until someone gets close enough for the branches' reach. Protective of its territory, it comes alive and begins thrashing with thousands of whips that can maim a person to within an inch of its life within seconds. Sturdy and enchanted, it completely resists fire damage - trying to burn it down will instead cause its tendrils to become whips of fire, serving only to damage the average explorer even more. And that's just the warning shot. Its limbs are myriad, but the real danger is the grappling effect that they can have on a creature, overwhelming a person and tying them up into place to become thrashed about. Once in its claws, it's incredibly difficult to escape, and the Womping Willow will, more or less, throw a person down onto the ground over and over until it stops moving, or, worse. Constrict itself around a body until suffocation occurs. Interesting enough, the Womping Willow is completely blind and does not have the ability to see its assailants. It judges signs of life by movements in the air or changes to pressure in soil. It's hard to tell what brought this thing to life, but its sentience is rather notable. Territory is this thing's most prized possession, and if you get close enough and live to tell the tale, you might notice something at the foot of its trunk. Something that doesn't seem to be quite right when compared to the ground around it. blurb code by photosynthesis

Comments

[feytality]

ru!!!! i was dead in march so i missed your intro but let's do something in the mission!!!

[shootstyles]

Yes please!!! Maya and Deku will be cute

[feytality]

yeah!!! maybe they can climb the mountain together?