February Event: OOC Plotting Post

[savmods]

Greetings! Over the last week, many characters have discussed how (or whether) to investigate the distant life signs found by Wanda, Erik, and Flynn's Cerebro device. Others have concerned themselves with the increasing maintenance issues plaguing the station here and now. On February 10, this month's event will be getting underway with a discovery that concerns both interests: a cascading set of system failures that requires resources from elsewhere in Avagi to repair.

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The Crisis

The arrival of the player characters—both from Thisavrou and the portals—has placed a strain on previously-inactive systems. While sizeable steps have been taken to fix or improve the lived-in spaces, Life Support has always maintained a more delicate balance, kept working as much by taskbot functions as by the few individuals who've taken up the job. On February 10, this balance will tip toward the worse. The barely-visible mold emerging from the vents will give way to a torrent of dark smoke: airborne toxins released as the filtration systems fail. Short-term efforts toward repair will require a full reset of station power, and once shut down, key systems will have difficulty coming back online. This will affect heat, air quality, and electricity through the entire local area. Over the next couple days, in-depth investigating can reveal the fault. To retain a breathable environment, Avagi's systems filter and store toxins: both those created naturally by its inhabitants and the more hazardous byproducts of power generation. Normally, these chemicals would be removed or purified—and systems for both do exist within the station. But the storm outside has prevented venting out to space for the last three centuries, and Avagi's purification modules rely on the presence of a rare crystal: once, imported from the nearby planet of Kauto, and currently... run out.

Stay or Go?

If a more numerous group has stayed alive elsewhere on Avagi, these problems must be ones they've overcome. More, investigation into Sanitation's backstock reveals shelves empty of not just the vital crystals, but the containers they were kept in. At some point in the past few centuries, someone removed these items from this region—presumably, for use elsewhere. It stands to reason that these hidden neighbors might have the answer to your problems. So who's going to reach out? At minimum, the journey will take several days, making it advisable to send a larger group. However, many people may be reluctant to leave their homes unguarded. While the purification crystals will be needed to provide a longterm fix, smaller efforts at repair can make a difference in the shorter term: both in securing liveable spaces for those who choose not to travel and in that ensuring vital spaces like the Greenery survive. While we are not requiring formal signups, we do encourage players to think carefully about whether their characters would stay or go. Both the home and away teams will face different challenges as things intensify, and after February 20th, it will become impossible to change groups. To reiterate: while travel between teams will be possible for the first week or so of journeying, both groups will be physically cut off from one another after that point. The character base will reunite in March.

Upcoming Dangers

Those who choose to stay will do so under extremely difficult conditions. Those who travel will (of course!) be encountering their own. The explosion that tore apart the Ingress Complex didn't just vent most of its inhabitants into the void. It let the void in. The energy-draining storm that surrounds Avagi has penetrated wide swaths of the interior, and a several-day journey will stretch out considerably longer as characters work to circumnavigate the lethal zones. More, proximity to the storm can have unfortunate effects on even the most cautious. If you are interested in signing up your character for a storm effect, comment at the header below. More details on both sets of experiences will be provided with the log. The player characters are neither the only ones to live on Avagi nor the only ones to travel through its halls, and they may come across signs of those who've come before them. They will also encounter much more dangerous hazards. On February 20, a discovery will be made that poses a severe danger to both the home and away teams. While information on this threat won't be publicly posted until the second log, we are looking for volunteers willing to accept a character death for a unique role in kicking off this portion of the plot. If you would like to volunteer your character, comment here. While not strictly necessary for the plot to proceed, we feel these volunteers could add significantly to the experience.

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If you have any questions, drop them off for us below! This is meant to function as an OOC post for both logs in the event, and we encourage players to make their own plotting comments as well. The first log will be posted in two days, on February 10.

Comments

Questions/Comments

[savmods]

[gridfather]

Quick question- would Flynn have been able to access old schematics of the station made prior to Mother's attack? He'll want the away team to have some sort of map, even if it's incomplete/not wholly accurate.

[araignee_du_soir]

About how large are the crystals/containers they were stored in?

[squadgoals]

Would it be possible to intend to stay, but become unable to return, or is that just not a thing that would happen without a character knowing?

[beautifulspaceraptor]

Instead venting the pollution into space, would the crew be able to use the back up filtration and hook it up to a machine that can compress the smog into small units like this?

If so, is there any machine that can do something like this already in Avagi or would they have to build it from scratch?

[alformthearm]

Hi! Not sure if someone asked this somewhere but I didn't see it here.

Question about the forcefield that the bodies are all pressed up against- what happens if something comes into contact with the forcefield? Basically trying to verify if that is the source of the burned out parts of the corpses.

[shiro2hero]

Regarding the corpses again! Is there anything on them that could be used to identify who or what they were? Or are they basically just skeletons at this point?

[notmarieanymore]

Hey! I'm here to ask about further detail with regards to what would happen if Rogue were to touch a Mitros (and now subsequently a half-transformed PC). I'm just gonna post what I wrote on plurk, so everyone's on the same page.

The original question was: What would happen if Rogue were to touch one of the Mitros? Given that her power drains the life of others, in addition to their own powers, would it be fair to assume her touch would be enough to take them out?

and the response was: Unfortunately, a fully transformed Mirtos is not actually a living being! Her touch might harm the partially transformed PCs, but would be unlikely to be able to affect the Mirtos.

So just a few follow-up questions.

-If she touched a partially transformed PC, would that stop their transformation, or just eventually render them unconscious? Would their effects be passed on to her? If so, would it fade as all others' powers do, or would it remain and effect her?

Re: Questions/Comments

[magneticfields]

As the transformation to Mitros takes a while, what is the state of the PCs powers during that transition? I'm assuming that once they are a Mitros that any powers they may have had are gone. If that's the case, at what point in the transformation process do those go away?

I'm just asking bc a Mitros with metal bending powers is a troubling prospect lol

[lavelly]

Regarding part 2 of the event: once fully transformed into Mirtos, will the PCs still be recognizable as themselves, or will they simply become generic horrible zombie creatures?

Also, for more personal reference: assuming said PCs will come back to normal after resurrection, will the manner of their deaths while Mirtos be determined based on resolution of this plot or could/should we handwave that they "officially" die offscreen somehow? Are there any particular repercussions for dying in this fashion?? Or is death not involved at all while they're Mirtos??? Am I getting totally ahead of myself?????

Signups: Storm Effects

[savmods]

During Arc 2, some characters were subjected to a simulation of the storms, which resulted in persisting loss of certain senses. The reality will vary slightly, but the storms do take from those they can.

To sign your character up for a storm effect, please comment below! Note that this option is specifically available to the away team, or those who travel with them for a duration. Signups will remain open throughout the month.

<b>Character Name:</b> <b>Interest in the storms:</b> Describe their thoughts or behavior on observing the storms up close. Provide as much or little detail as you prefer. <b>OOC limits?:</b> Is there a severity you would like to avoid? A preference to keep in mind? Mention it here.

WOWIE IGNORE THAT I POSTED UNDER THE WRONG TOP-LEVEL FOR A BIT HMMMMM

[inconsequence]

Character Name: =)
Interest in the storms: They're going to generally be cautious about the storm since they remember what happened last time, but Chara's instinct for self-preservation is, how shall we say, next to nonexistent? If they see anything or anyone of interest in the storm at all, they'll probably decide it's worth the risk if it means investigating. This thing of interest could be like, Literally Just A Flower and they'd be willing to poke and prod around, whoops.
OOC limits?: Last time they got storm effects they lost the power of speech. Since I've already run with that, I'd like to avoid that particular repercussion again!

[petridish]

Character Name: Nova
Interest in the storms: Not inclined to really observe up close, but thinks her hardsuit will protect her so wouldn't be as bothered by wandering in.
OOC limits?: No death or memory alteration (because she's already questioning the latter) plz

[gainedlove]

Character Name: Frisk
Interest in the storms: Frisk is going to be cautious, since they remember the effects from the simulation, but they also are really really bad at self-preservation so their definition of 'cautious' is 'get a longer stick to poke it with'. If someone needs help or they see something that has the remotest chance of being helpful, they'll wade in to investigate.
OOC limits?: I'd like to avoid a repeat of their blindness, but otherwise I'm open to anything!

[redshitlord]

Character Name: Sideswipe
Interest in the storms: If someone dared him to go up close and personal with a storm, he would. If someone told him not to get close, he'd probably lean toward it just to be contrary. He's ... not that good at self-preservation.
OOC limits?: If possible, I'd like to avoid extreme body horror like... idk extra limbs or something like that. Sensory deprivation is fine.

[alformthearm]

Character Name: Alfor
Interest in the storms: As a scientist it's a given that Alfor is curious about the storm and what it might be. He's heard about things regarding it and from what he's studied from the observation deck it's something he knows to be cautious of. If there's a chance of better understanding what it is this storm is, he'd want to try to find out, but he'll weigh the risks, especially since he has his daughter and the rest of the team to be concerned about.

OOC limits?: Iiii don't believe so.

[notyetsore]

Character Name: Ginko
Interest in the storms: He's gonna try to be careful since he's been affected before, but when it comes down to it he's way too curious for his own good and is probably gonna be like... poking a little closer to them at a time, because he makes good life choices.
OOC limits?: Last time he went blind, so I'd like to avoid a repeat of that! Also memory loss/alteration would fuck with him a lot so maybe not that either :')

Signups: Plot Kickoff

[savmods]

If you are willing to volunteer your character for a role in escalating the event in February's second plot log, comment here! Please keep in mind that this requires a character death, which would occur between February 20th and 28th.

Characters on both the home and away teams are eligible for this, though their roles will differ slightly.

<b>Character Name:</b> <b>Any constraints we should keep in mind?</b>

[lavelly]

this is a poor choice i'm sure

Character Name: Lavellan
Any constraints we should keep in mind? uhhhh none that I can think of? He'll be on the away team and he can defend himself considerably well with magic if that would end up being relevant

Recon Mission planning

[magneticfields]

Ok! So as of today the people who are interested are: Cayde, Widowmaker, Shepard, Soldier 76, Ana, Lena, and Pietro. Counting Erik that still means the team is only eight, so I'm ok if we just cap it there and let everybody who expressed interest participate.

So! Things to deal with:

Do we still want to start this now? Or wait until this mod plot is over? If we do it now, it could mean they start the mission before the 10th, but have to turn back really quickly and end up not accomplishing much. If we do this, Erik is going to keep mum on Mother until they're all settled. (Or somebody else could give that info if he's dead.)

Do you all still want to do this mission?

Let me know if you are still interested, and what your preferences are for when this happens. If we decide to do the first attempt before the 10th, I can set up a log for it today sometime. Otherwise, we can sit tight through this part of the plot and figure out what to do in March or so. (note: if we decide to do it afterward, and Erik is dead when the team sets off, I'm ok with that)

[deal_me_in]

I am cool with this running simultaneously with everything else unless people really want to be involved with the other stuff going on. Either way, I am flexible so that's my two cents. I am game for this mission tho, definitely. :D

Also did we wanna handwave Erik meeting up with Cayde after that chat?

[gridfather]

Welp, time for the lucky among us to use their rebreathers o9 (Flynn is not so lucky, whomp-whomp)

He'll be staying to help Nihlus with life support and electrical systems, and also to ensure the Greenery goes unharmed. The safety of their food source is pretty paramount.

For the away team, he'll assist where he can with preparations- rations, hopefully a map, and one of his castmates will be carrying a transmitter meant to extend communications range. Obv due to plot storm interference it won't work, but he tried.

Let me know if you'd like to plot!

[that_cost]

If anything needs to be melted in order to repair it, I offer this girl here. She is also a wicked powerful telekinetic (seriously she was eleven when she effortlessly ripped a helicopter from the sky), and she'd like to survive being on board, so she'd be for helping repair things.

[petridish]

what an event to come back to from hiatus amirite

Nova will be going with the away team! She is incredibly self aware that her xenophobia makes her terrible for first contact but is going as muscle in case things escalate violently, and to just keep the mission going because she thinks her hardsuit will protect her from the storm for longer. (That said, I am also signing her up for storm effects.)

Nate will be staying behind, as he has a little metalworking training and finite elemental magic and is easily directable. He will also be doing a small magic show to help boost morale so if anyone has a pack of cards he could borrow, that would be much appreciated! (He has other tricks too, of course, but I figured that's a little more interactive.)

[systemsecurity]

I am hoping to send Anon on the away team. A good opportunity for a newcharacter to get some CR with people, plus he has certain perks when it comes to ignoring threats like 'breathing in chemicals' and 'power outages'.

[a_perfect_end]

SOMEONE, THINK OF THE CHILDREN SPACE FERNS.

Home Team: +1 unit that does not require air, water, or sleep?

Hanging back to perform maintenance and/or protective measures on the Greenery specifically. Can help out anywhere else needed; he's pretty strong and breathing is optional. You can probably trust him with software debug and small instrument repair; he certainly has the skills for each.

Don't be afraid to ask him for help! It won't cost you anything too important. Probably.

Plot Responses: Event Part II

[savmods]

While more general questions can be directed to the comment above, this header is for submissions related to the challenge of activating the Ingress Memorial(s). While some solutions may have more effect than others, players are welcome to submit any effort, and will receive mod responses as to what results from each attempt. There are multiple ways to succeed at this challenge.

At the beginning of March, the actions taken will be summarized, and the results posted for the game. As stated in the log, while it can be reasonably assumed not all characters will die, the extent to which PCs can counter the storms and control the portals going forward will be determined by IC responses.


Reply form:
<b>Character Name(s):</b> <b>Action taken:</b> The more detail you give, the more we can reply with. This can consist of anything from searches to scans to throwing a shoe at the memorial. (No, the last isn't likely to result in much.) <b>Specific questions:</b> If you're looking for feedback regarding any particular element of what results, feel free to note it here!

[ascendit]

Character Name(s): Nathan Drake
Action taken: Nate's going to be throwing magic at it! In the following order:

Scan: Shows him basic weaknesses, strengths, and other information about a target; an info gathering attempt, really, but it's one that kind of gives a two to three sentence overview rather than anything specific like "how do you get it going again"

Thunder: A lightning strike

Fire: A brief, medium-sized burst of fire
Specific questions: If he gets a positive-looking response from one of those spells that isn't, like, setting the memorial on fire, he'll try the same spell again, so what would happen with a repeated attempt would be neat!

@ away team!

[petridish]

As above (and my part 1 top level for it), Nova's storm effect is going to make her look like she's in the early stages of turning into a Mirtos, and she's also a more frequent target of them! I would love for others on the away team to suspect she's going Mirtos and I'm pretty much open to however characters would want to handle that, be it restraining or quarantining her or what. The only thing I'm asking is that she's not sacrificed to the Mirtos or mercy killed, because there's still a consequence of her last death that I haven't quite finished playing with yet.