thisavrou_ooc | February Event: OOC Plotting Post

Entry tags:

*event

February Event: OOC Plotting Post

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.

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.

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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:

Edited 2018-02-20 23:43 (UTC)

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!

Thank you for your submission! Nate's efforts would have the following effects:

Scan: During the scanning spell, Nate's attention would be swallowed by the flickering light. He would need someone's help to break him free, but would find the following information when he snapped out of it: "An anchor made to hold the Living Energy. Vulnerable to heat and shearing force. Resistant to interdimensional energy."
Thunder: The lightning strike would briefly charge up the piece of the old Ingress. A smell of ozone would result, along with a visible ripple of light in the space around. This would persist with future tries.
Fire: The embedded machinery will spark and overheat. The casing containing it will partially melt. (If he would do this more or not try it at all considering the information above, please let us know.)

To confirm: Nate is with the home team, and working on the memorial there?

Yup, he's at the home memorial, and with the info that it's vulnerable to heat, would not try Fire, just Thunder.

(no subject)

savmods - 2018-02-28 15:17 (UTC) - Expand

Character Name(s): Shiro

Action taken: Using the Magic Space Voodoo Arm on one of the Memorials. It has its own power, and can be used to power up various technological devices though usually it's only shown to power up similar tech. But in the case of the Memorials, he'd give it a try. It's not ... terribly clear how the arm generates power, but it does, and it's capable of transferring it into other systems by some... unknown means. So basically, he's slapping his hand on any solid piece of a Memorial and hoping for the best.

Specific questions: If one attempt is successful at all, he'd continue to do the same to others he ran into. Also would there be any negative physical side effects to note, from... running basically a live current from the arm to the Ingress?

Thank you for your submission! There is only one Ingress memorial in each area: the one that new characters have been regularly imported near (with the recent "flickering light"), and the newly discovered one by the Away Team. Barring teleportation, each team can only access one at this time. Shiro's actions would have the following effects:

Slapping the memorial with his arm would result in a brief but visible burst of silver light while he maintained contact. For the duration, Shiro would be mentally dissociated—he would feel no time had passed when he came back into himself, and only his own exhaustion would inform him that an attempt had happened at all. Anyone present who watched closely would experience the same mental lapse.

Where consequences are concerned: doing it once would result in the above effect. If Shiro did it a second time, he would find the capabilities of his arm drained for a two week period. (It would still be capable of functioning as a normal arm, but it would be unable to serve as a power source, and his body would be physically exhausted.) Once contact broke, however, the memorial he was adjacent to would be changed: permanently topped by a flickering point of light, much like the home team's Memorial became this December. This would be a significant step toward activation.

Please note that another attempt is being made that could have similar results. At your discretion, either character could try it, or they could pool efforts to achieve the same result.

Character Name(s): Vetra Nyx
Action taken: Going to scan a memorial with her omni-tool to try and find an "on" circuit or power source or something to break into and boot up. The omni-tool is apparently capable of doing things like that, at least by the point Andromeda takes place.

Specific questions: If that method is at all successful, Vetra would continue on to other Ingress memorials.

On the home team, sorry! Would there be anything to theoretically plug her power armor resources into, if no one's jump-started the home team's yet?

(no subject)

savmods - 2018-02-28 15:19 (UTC) - Expand

Character Name(s): Cayde's Ghost

Action taken: The Ghost would scan the Ingress memorial to compare with its scans and information gathered from the one at 'home' base, as well any familiar connections between the original Ingress. It will try to directly access the memorial itself and treat it as a virtual sort of interface the way it does with computers and machinery, by merging into it- but not so much to try hacking as to 'communicate' with the Ingress energy as though it is sentient like the Traveler, especially after the detection of particular energies. After all, it functions on its own brand of Light so maybe thinking of the Ingress like some variation of the Traveler might work better than assuming it to be just there.

Specific questions: Is there a light around the Ingress Memorial where the Away Team is like the one back at the home team's position and does it have the same hypnotic effect? Or is the light what we're trying to activate here? Also, would there be anything really to go into or is the base of the Ingress memorial just a decorative structure? Lastly, if the Ghost directly addresses the Ingress power, will it answer back? It would be asking for assistance, implore, even, because it has absolutely no idea of what to do to help its lost Guardian or the people with them against the storm.

Thank you for your submission! There is initially no light around the Memorial found by the away team, but that may change as a result of player action. (Activating that light is effectively one half of the puzzle.) The Memorial itself is a chunk out of the structure of the former Ingress, so it is entirely composed of circuitry, computer parts, and exterior casing—think of it as one chunk of a (skyscraper-sized, bizarrely shaped) shattered motherboard. If anything, it lacks a "base" more than it lacks computational systems. (More information can be found here.)

The Ghost's attempt would have the following effects:

Before the away team's Memorial is activated: The memorial appears to be inactive circuitry, and not a portion with any clear controls or power. The Ghost will feel an odd sense of calm and comfort, but no response from its attempts at merging.

After the Memorial is activated: The flickering light is active, and it has the same effect as the Memorial that Ghost is familiar with. Granting it attention results in a brief lapse of consciousness. Attempting to merge with it, especially in an act of communication, would result in a brilliant flash of light and the Ghost's disappearance. More information will be released at the turn of the month, but this would have a significant effect.

*finger-steeples*

Gah, this is all exciting. Can't wait to see how things turn out. You guys are awesome by the way. <3

(no subject)

savmods - 2018-02-28 15:19 (UTC) - Expand

Character Name(s): Nihlus Kryik
Action taken: Nihlus throws his shoe at it. When that garners no results, he puts the boot back on and attempts to try an appease the Ingress Gods with an offering of tea and fucks off to do a (very small) perimeter check. Assuming the tea doesn't actually appease any gods, he returns and tries something else: he sits down and starts meditating.
Specific questions: None that I can think of! Nihlus has ICly given up on his usual approach since they've all been proven ineffective many times before.

Thank you for your submission! Nihlus' efforts would have the following effects:

The tea, sadly, is about as effective as the boot. (And cold when he returns. :c) Meditating in front of the Ingress Memorial will fill him with the usual sense of peace, but he will also feel the ebb and flicker of its silver light even with his eyes closed.

If he or others persists in similar attempts, there will be longer-term results.

Whoops, I thought I already replied here but Nihlus will have persisted. What would be the longer-term results?

(no subject)

savmods - 2018-03-14 01:15 (UTC) - Expand

Character Name(s): Diana
Action taken: Diana will make two different attempts:
- She will slam one of her bracelets into a memorial, generating a shockwave of divine power that she hopes will power it up. She will attempt this three or four times.
- If the first option doesn't work, she will settle herself in front of a memorial and begin praying to the gods to show her the way to power the memorial. This will including some kind of small offering, whether it be food, burning something, etc. Whether or not this proves beneficial on the first try, she will repeat the ritual twice a day until they figure things out.
Specific questions: As mentioned, Diana will try these things on any memorial they come across.

Edited 2018-02-24 18:45 (UTC)

Thank you for your submission! There is only one Ingress memorial in each area: the one that new characters have been imported near (with the recent "flickering light"), and the newly discovered one by the Away Team. Barring teleportation, each team can only access one at this time. Diana's actions would have the following effects:

Slamming the memorial with her bracelets would result in a brief but visible burst of silver light. Following the contact, Diana will be dissociated for a brief period—she would feel no time had passed when she came back into herself, and only her own exhaustion would inform her that an attempt had happened at all. Anyone present who watched closely would experience the same mental lapse.

Doing it once would result in the above effect. If Diana persisted in these efforts, she would find her divine energy drained for a two week period. This would, however, provide one means of charging the Away Team's memorial, resulting in it being permanently topped by a flickering point of light, much like the home team's Memorial became this December. This would be a significant step toward activation.

Please note that another attempt is being made that could have similar results. At your discretion, either character could try it, or they could pool efforts to achieve the same result.

Praying in front of this Ingress Memorial will fill Diana with the same sense of peace generated by the Memorial she knows. If it has been partially activated (the persistent light) she will also feel the ebb and flicker of its silver light even with her eyes closed. Persisting in these prayers will have long-term effects.

Character Name(s): Yori

Action taken: Yori will try to understand any new data that the away team manages to send home, especially text. She'll read whatever snippets she comes up with to the home Ingress Memorial. Failing that, she'll spend some time talking to it as though it were a User: reporting the station problems, requesting that the Ingress help, fragments of weird program philosophy. Possibly short attempts at meditation, since Flynn seems to think that's useful.

Specific questions: Since Yori worked on a very different version of Ingress portal, I assume nothing is going to strike her as instantly familiar. On the other hand, does anything remind her of the Savrii computer setup she spent so much time memorizing and trying to repair?

While the current form is extremely different, the Memorial itself is a component of the same Ingress she worked on with the Savrii. That said, it lacks any of the direct interfaces or controls she may have learned to manipulate previously; the memorial is a fragment of the travel platform rather than anything that played a role in navigation. (For more information on its nature in that regard, we would direct you to these responses.)

If her repair efforts at any point involved this fragment of the Ingress, you would be welcome to assume direct familiarity with its workings. But the more Yori knows about the Ingress, the more certain she is that this piece alone shouldn't be enough to travel anywhere.

Yori's reports are met with the usual sense of peace and comfort—and, uniquely, familiarity. If she is prone to daydreaming, she may feel as if she is back on Thisavrou, working as an Ingress technician. Regardless of the specifics, the memories and emotions evoked will be positive, a sense of productive interaction and inclusion.

Character Name(s): Commander Shepard
Action taken: On noticing the lack of light, and other's attempts to imbue the memorial with power, Shepard would attempt to assist, by pumping raw biotic energy into it.
Specific questions: Is there any kickback if they all work on this together, or is that minimised?

Thank you for your submission! Depending on the timing of Shepard's attempt, she may find not much requires doing—after a second attempt by either of the other parties, the memorial will be fully charged. If she were to try before or concurrently with them, however, she would experience similar results: a burst of bright light and mental disconnection on the first attempt, followed by a more direct draining of her biotic resources.

This would result in her biotic abilities being entirely used up for a two week period. (She would still be capable of basic functioning, but her body and mental energies would be extremely depleted.) Once contact broke, however, the memorial would be changed: permanently topped by a flickering point of light, much like the home team's Memorial became this December. This would be a significant step toward activation.

If all three work on it together, the power removal and physical exhaustion would remain the same, and last a two week period. They would, however, be less mentally depleted following the attempt.

Sounds awesome, please consider her powers combined to Shiro and Diana's!!

Character Name(s): Kelly Ann
Action taken: Kelly Ann is going to hang out while Nate is trying his magic and play music at it. Prerecorded, mostly bootleg recordings of live performances, various genres. All louder than she probably should bc they're young.
Specific questions: I don't really expect this to do anything, but she doesn't understand any of this and has limited things she can do so this is what she has to offer. If there is any reaction I will have follow-up questions lol.

Thank you for your submission! For the most part, Kelly Ann's music playing will result in the assumed effect: filling the Memorial room with the sound of music, but nothing else. She will experience a sense of peace and contentment during the duration, but whether she considers it unusual or not is up to you.

Keeping in mind that it would be unlikely to change any results she can immediately observe: would she play the music once while there with Nate, and then leave, or would she return and play it again on future occasions?

She'd be more inclined to stick around and just watch what other people are doing. Record some of it or take photos. And keep playing music unless whoever was working on the thing told her to knock it off.

She'd also take requests! And hang around the thing as much as possible bc good feelings are in short supply and also after getting attacked by the other demon she's not in a huge hurry to confront another one.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

February Event: OOC Plotting Post

Plot Responses: Event Part II

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Re: Plot Responses: Event Part II

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