Khu Ioduan Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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ioduanlogs2019-05-10 09:54 pm
khuimods) wrote in ioduanlogs2019-05-10 09:54 pm
[EVENT] STRANGERS AND SHADOWS
Characters: Anyone and everyone
Date: May 10 - 30
Location: Cape Averi, Bejichi Town, Mas'Inge River Basin, and Sulhat Maf
Situation: The manhunt for Chihuelan insurgents begins in earnest and across the archipelago - but more mysteries than enemy intruders are at hand.
Warnings/Rating: Combat violence, death, illegal drugs, body horror, monstrosities and significant skulduggery.
In the early morning hours after the incident at the docks, Sentry and Alliance officials make an announcement confirming that there are Chihuelan insurgents in the archipelago and a massive manhunt is being organized. Unfortunately, no one knows exactly how many Chihuelans have slipped into the archipelago. More concerning still is the possibility that these people are not themselves Chihuelan, but are allies and sympathizers. The port is shut down except for Sentry use, as is the trading port of Bejichi Town. Quite suddenly, people in Aifaran do not know who they can trust.
Owing to the assistance Dreamfolk have recently provided investigating certain incidents, and due to the… insatiable curiosity many of them display, the Sentry would rather coordinate efforts than be at odds with them. Search teams will be dispatched to several nearby settlements along the coast, including Cape Averi and Bejichi Town. Others will be directed inland and towards the mountains, where vulnerable areas have been identified.
Dreamfolk willing to participate in the search will be briefed on where the Chihuelans are suspected to be fleeing to and given a choice of location to pursue. A grave-looking member of the Aisling Tower will join the briefing to inform everyone that while the Chihuelans' military technology gives them a significant advantage, they are also suspected to be utilizing some kind of planar magic. Exactly what and how, no one knows - only that their appearance and the recent incidents around Aifaran are potentially correlated.
The goal is to capture the Chihuelans and anyone who may be helping them - the use of deadly force is permitted only if there are no other options. Bringing them back alive could be the key to avoiding an all-out war.
It makes sense - back when the Archipelago first formed, a large portion of the money to build Bejichi came from the notorious gang - The Snakes. While the gang fell from power nearly two centuries ago after a lengthy reign, their influence is still prominently felt throughout the city.
There's no solid lead that the Chihuelans are here, but you'll be accompanying Sergeant Ilkana who has a chip on her shoulder and a feeling in her gut that there's at least a few who are hunkered down and hiding out in some dank, slimy corner of Bejichi.
The roots within the fissures are potentially more of interest to the investigating parties. They're thick and persistent, and seem to glisten even in the darkness of the underground canyons. As the investigators continue onwards, they'll soon discover why. The roots are part of a series of lightning trees that have established themselves. With a little bit of study, it becomes obvious that when the trees initially took root, they needed so much energy so quickly that they essentially fossilized the area.
Further down into the plains, a quarter-mile from the initial discovery of the root systems, the soil returns to normal, and the fissures shallow out. The lightning trees stand tall against the sky, except for one that's girdled by what even from afar looks like a nasty strangler vine.
As any groups get closer, they'll be able to see that Al'Amar, one of the crewmembers of the Narrakra, is tending the vine. Her eyes are glassy and she doesn't respond to external stimuli unless someone tries to remove the strangler or take her away from it, at which point she will become violent.
It doesn't take long for a search party to find two disturbing things in the caves: one, a hastily-abandoned camp, likely kept by Chihuelan insurgents or sympathizers, and two, evidence of unusual geological activity. The Arybar scientist accompanying the party is speechless for a moment before putting her head in her hands, and it takes a little bit of prodding to get her to talk.
"It's impossible," she says. "They can't be separating this fast."
On foot, the trek will take close to a week under ideal conditions - but the search team is warned this may be anything but ideal. There is no intel on how well-armed the Chihuelans are, nor how well they know the mountains, and so the assumption is to hope for the best and expect the worst. What the search teams do have going for them is numbers: there are estimated to be 6-8 Chihuelans, and the search team will have close to 30 (which will split from time to time for scouting and overwatch duties).
Three days into the trek at a narrow, steep section of path that offers scant cover, the search team is ambushed. To the Dreamfolk sensitive to such things as souls and with enhanced sense, they will not be detectable until just before the attack - as if they came out of nowhere. It quickly becomes obvious that the Chihuelans are well-armed with energy weapons, but do not utilize any explosives. The terrain limits movement and options to those below
Most of the injuries experienced in the ambush are cauterized wounds and mild burns from the energy weapons, some of which are resistant to magical healing if it's available. If the bodies of any of the dead are left where they lay instead of brought to Sulhat Maf or buried, they will have vanished when the team heads back to Aifaran.
The leader will also explain that there's another archway here inside a massive lightning tree grown directly from the mountain, and they take team members who are hale enough to hike a bit to see it. The tree is not white but a multitude of colors, crystalline and stone and yet still a living tree. It towers over any others that have been seen in Aifaran and the mages say the tree continues to grow (although the arch stays the same size, wide enough for a car to drive through). The archway has flickered once or twice with light, coinciding with the time when the ship archway was carved, but nothing else had come of it.
The stonemasons and mages will also express concern about the ridges where the young continent turtles are joined - that they may be weakening in a way that's unexpected, particularly here in the mountains. The turtles will of course separate eventually, but that should take thousands and thousands of years. This pace is wrong; thus far, they haven't been able to determine the cause as the problem was only noticed a few weeks ago.
The Sentry team leader does not intend to linger here; those with severe injuries will be cared for in Sulhat Maf and retrieved in the near future. Anyone who can make the trip back to Aifaran is ordered to be ready for departure in three days.
---
OOC Notes: For most of the encounters, the characters must choose as a group (i.e. the group cannot fight the Chihuelan ambush to Sulhat Maf and also retreat from it), but outside of combat the characters may split up and explore on their own. Please remember characters do not have all the OOC info available here when considering their options.
The choices characters make will have an impact on the information and events moving forward. Mods may also intermittently tag into threads as we see fit to provide additional information or necessary response to queries. Please use thiscomment in the OOC post for questions.
Date: May 10 - 30
Location: Cape Averi, Bejichi Town, Mas'Inge River Basin, and Sulhat Maf
Situation: The manhunt for Chihuelan insurgents begins in earnest and across the archipelago - but more mysteries than enemy intruders are at hand.
Warnings/Rating: Combat violence, death, illegal drugs, body horror, monstrosities and significant skulduggery.
In the early morning hours after the incident at the docks, Sentry and Alliance officials make an announcement confirming that there are Chihuelan insurgents in the archipelago and a massive manhunt is being organized. Unfortunately, no one knows exactly how many Chihuelans have slipped into the archipelago. More concerning still is the possibility that these people are not themselves Chihuelan, but are allies and sympathizers. The port is shut down except for Sentry use, as is the trading port of Bejichi Town. Quite suddenly, people in Aifaran do not know who they can trust.
Owing to the assistance Dreamfolk have recently provided investigating certain incidents, and due to the… insatiable curiosity many of them display, the Sentry would rather coordinate efforts than be at odds with them. Search teams will be dispatched to several nearby settlements along the coast, including Cape Averi and Bejichi Town. Others will be directed inland and towards the mountains, where vulnerable areas have been identified.
Dreamfolk willing to participate in the search will be briefed on where the Chihuelans are suspected to be fleeing to and given a choice of location to pursue. A grave-looking member of the Aisling Tower will join the briefing to inform everyone that while the Chihuelans' military technology gives them a significant advantage, they are also suspected to be utilizing some kind of planar magic. Exactly what and how, no one knows - only that their appearance and the recent incidents around Aifaran are potentially correlated.
The goal is to capture the Chihuelans and anyone who may be helping them - the use of deadly force is permitted only if there are no other options. Bringing them back alive could be the key to avoiding an all-out war.
I. CAPE AVERI
Cape Averi is a close knit seaside fishing town. Everybody is about two degrees of separation from everybody else and it's the kind of place where no one locks their doors at night. Or it was, until the storm wrecked most of the settlement. The idyllic little town is in ruins - what few buildings remain impossibly intact carry the scent of ocean and lavender - and the lighthouse looms offshore, eerie and implacably strange. The Sentry here are working closely with those from Aifaran, however, they're woefully inexperienced in this sort of thing. Those who aren't obviously out of their depth are over-eager to help - often to the point of jeopardizing the job. SNEAKY PETE: Fortunately, someone who had been living at the settlement was an inside informer is offering a few different plans to capture the wayward Chihuelans, helping them infiltrate a small band of smugglers, of whom have mentioned that they've met with Chihuelans before and know where their suppliers wait offshore. This is probably one of the Sentry's most solid tips and will largely pan out.
A small schooner, oddly enough not of Chihuelan make, is anchored among a protruding sea stack. It's well hidden by the rocks and navigating there is difficult. One can take the long way around in a dingy under the cover of darkness- definitely safer and you'd be harder to spot, but there's only a handful of you and if spotted, the schooner is close enough to open waters to get away far faster than any of you can paddle after it.
The quicker, albeit more dangerous route involves taking a Sentry schooner. More people would be with you and you can easily catch up to the other boat even if they spot you coming - but to get there in time, you need to navigate the maze of rock formations and the dangerous reef.
If you are able to reach and board the schooner, there will be a brief tussle. There are no Chihuelans aboard it - only group of sympathizers. Interrogations won't get much out of them. One has to have a vial of poison wrested from him and be promptly restrained before he can take it, and the others are just sullenly quiet. Characters can take multiple routes to interrogation. Most of the sympathizers will crack at the threat of violence, though the present Sentry may encourage a more lawful approach. If characters have powers of mind reading or truth potions or w/e, they can apply those skills here and get around the whole process altogether.
What they can learn:
MOST UNORTHODOX
Another man, an elderly Dreamfolk who has been on the archipelago for decades may pull you aside, with the suggestion that the Chihuelans are hiding out there - specifically in the lighthouse. The man is clearly unhinged, and doesn't really belong at the camp, but the Averi Sentry claim that they have searched the broken town and lighthouse and have found nothing. They've kept him for questioning just in case they can get anything useful out of him, but that prospect seems bleak and they assure you he'll be escorted to the temporary communal shelters where the rest of the residents of Cape Averi have been staying.
If you decide to investigate the town anyway, you will find a dead lightning tree growing out from the lighthouse. The settlement is like a ghost town and there's no real evidence of a struggle except inside the lighthouse itself, which has…unnervingly impossible dimensions. The size of the inside and outside don't match, and seem to shift slightly every time one enters and leaves. The smell of sea salt and jasmine hangs in the air. Light shines down heavy in through the windows and shadow leaves one's hands damp. The Sentry catching you may not be your worst problem, it seems.
You see, the old Dreamfolk man wasn't lying when he said the Chihuelans had been hiding out in the lighthouse. And they're alive.
...If you can call that alive.
The three Chihuelan fugitives have been fused together in a tangled, grotesque mass of a flesh abomination. They're barely sentient now, let alone capable of answering questions. The kind thing to do would be to put them out of their misery. Their possessions may hold some clue as to what happened and what they're planning.
A small schooner, oddly enough not of Chihuelan make, is anchored among a protruding sea stack. It's well hidden by the rocks and navigating there is difficult. One can take the long way around in a dingy under the cover of darkness- definitely safer and you'd be harder to spot, but there's only a handful of you and if spotted, the schooner is close enough to open waters to get away far faster than any of you can paddle after it.
The quicker, albeit more dangerous route involves taking a Sentry schooner. More people would be with you and you can easily catch up to the other boat even if they spot you coming - but to get there in time, you need to navigate the maze of rock formations and the dangerous reef.
If you are able to reach and board the schooner, there will be a brief tussle. There are no Chihuelans aboard it - only group of sympathizers. Interrogations won't get much out of them. One has to have a vial of poison wrested from him and be promptly restrained before he can take it, and the others are just sullenly quiet. Characters can take multiple routes to interrogation. Most of the sympathizers will crack at the threat of violence, though the present Sentry may encourage a more lawful approach. If characters have powers of mind reading or truth potions or w/e, they can apply those skills here and get around the whole process altogether.
What they can learn:
- >Chihuelans have been sneaking in and out of the archipelago for years, interested in the tech here. Particularly the Opara Core
>The group they were supposed to smuggle to safety was long past overdue to arrive
>Their destination was a small island about 70 miles from the archipelago. They suspected that their passengers would be met there by their actual ride back to Chihuelo.
>The cargo contains several illegal weapons shipments, food and water supplies, and a sealed crate of a drug long since thought to be eradicated from the market - Red Mist.
MOST UNORTHODOX
Another man, an elderly Dreamfolk who has been on the archipelago for decades may pull you aside, with the suggestion that the Chihuelans are hiding out there - specifically in the lighthouse. The man is clearly unhinged, and doesn't really belong at the camp, but the Averi Sentry claim that they have searched the broken town and lighthouse and have found nothing. They've kept him for questioning just in case they can get anything useful out of him, but that prospect seems bleak and they assure you he'll be escorted to the temporary communal shelters where the rest of the residents of Cape Averi have been staying.
If you decide to investigate the town anyway, you will find a dead lightning tree growing out from the lighthouse. The settlement is like a ghost town and there's no real evidence of a struggle except inside the lighthouse itself, which has…unnervingly impossible dimensions. The size of the inside and outside don't match, and seem to shift slightly every time one enters and leaves. The smell of sea salt and jasmine hangs in the air. Light shines down heavy in through the windows and shadow leaves one's hands damp. The Sentry catching you may not be your worst problem, it seems.
You see, the old Dreamfolk man wasn't lying when he said the Chihuelans had been hiding out in the lighthouse. And they're alive.
...If you can call that alive.
The three Chihuelan fugitives have been fused together in a tangled, grotesque mass of a flesh abomination. They're barely sentient now, let alone capable of answering questions. The kind thing to do would be to put them out of their misery. Their possessions may hold some clue as to what happened and what they're planning.
- >Weapons - small, short range energy weapons. Easy to hide. Nonfunctional as the keys to them are lost amidst the Chihuelan flesh ball
>Food Supplies - rations. Oddly enough, anything not in a tin can has also seemed to fuse together. A strange orange mold that looks oddly similar to salmon roe is growing on the metal.
>Journal - contains entries in encrypted Chihuelan, along with unusual diagrams. One appears to be a star diagram that does not align with any constellations visible from Konryu.
>A locket - unusual as Chihuelan society treats sentiment as subversive. This is well hidden in one of the packs and contains locks of dark hair.
II. BEJICHI TOWN
Bejichi is a fortified sea-side city that resembles the wall around it - glittery and ornate at first glance, but its foundations are rotten and crumbling under all the glitz and glamour. The streets are a three-dimensional maze - this is a city that expands up, not out. The literal upper echelons are quite lovely to behold - tasteful and elegant buildings made of white concrete with only a thin patina of green moss beginning to grow. The further down you go in the winding and crisscrossing skywalks and paths, the more run-down the place appears. Shady deals go down in the narrow alleys. The buildings are made of crumbling brick and rotting wood - at least every other business one passes is a sketchy bar, a brothel, a pawnshop, or all three. And if the civilians weren't shady enough, the Bejichi Sentry has them all beat. Crooked cops is an understatement and they're almost all, to a one, corrupt. They don't like their Aifaran counterparts nosing around their jurisdiction, but Bejichi is a great city to hide in if you're up to no good and it's the main place smugglers do their dirty dealings.It makes sense - back when the Archipelago first formed, a large portion of the money to build Bejichi came from the notorious gang - The Snakes. While the gang fell from power nearly two centuries ago after a lengthy reign, their influence is still prominently felt throughout the city.
There's no solid lead that the Chihuelans are here, but you'll be accompanying Sergeant Ilkana who has a chip on her shoulder and a feeling in her gut that there's at least a few who are hunkered down and hiding out in some dank, slimy corner of Bejichi.
FOLLOW THE LEADER: Following Ilkana's lead is… difficult. She's hard to work with, and stubbornly does everything by the books. Which isn't good in a city that's apparently allergic to anything legal. Anyone she questions clams up instantly, and the Bejichi Sentry seem to be getting in her way any chance they get. Nothing overt, but the small obstructions start to add up.
While patrolling the docks looking for any lead on Chihuelan smugglers, you notice that there is someone tailing you. They're not in uniform, but if you manage to get a good look, they resemble one of the Bejichi Sentry back at the briefing room, albeit in plain clothes.
>If you slip away and confront him without Ilkana knowing, he'll run. If Ilkana is left alone, she will be killed under highly suspicious circumstances that the Bejichi Sentry will try to pin on your group. None of the charges will stick once the Aifaran Sentry gets involved as any "evidence" will be found to be completely bogus. But it does make for quite a diversion from the task at hand, and if there were Chihuelans in the city, then they've had more than ample opportunity to vanish into the ether.…
>If you confront him with Ilkana, he'll call in back-up or if you carry on without mentioning the follower, you will be ambushed and there will be fight. If you manage to take someone alive, interrogation can lead to the revelation that there is a small group of Chihuelan sympathizers working within the ranks of the Bejichi Sentry.
FEAR AND LOATHING IN BEJICHI: There's nowhere better to blow off steam than in Yunxu Casino - and dealing with Ilkana's stubbornness in this city creates a lot of steam. Besides, the Yunxu Casino has a reputation for being a center of black-market deals. If you're going by intuition, this is a good place to check.
This stately structure overlooks the entirety of Bejichi and is not only one of the oldest buildings here, but on the entire Archipelago. The interior is richly carpeted, every support pillar gilded and ornate as red silk lanterns float serenely through the air trailing gold tassels. There isn't a lot of activity during the day, but a few notorious gang bosses and wealthy merchants are sharing drinks or talking business.
While patrolling the docks looking for any lead on Chihuelan smugglers, you notice that there is someone tailing you. They're not in uniform, but if you manage to get a good look, they resemble one of the Bejichi Sentry back at the briefing room, albeit in plain clothes.
>If you slip away and confront him without Ilkana knowing, he'll run. If Ilkana is left alone, she will be killed under highly suspicious circumstances that the Bejichi Sentry will try to pin on your group. None of the charges will stick once the Aifaran Sentry gets involved as any "evidence" will be found to be completely bogus. But it does make for quite a diversion from the task at hand, and if there were Chihuelans in the city, then they've had more than ample opportunity to vanish into the ether.…
>If you confront him with Ilkana, he'll call in back-up or if you carry on without mentioning the follower, you will be ambushed and there will be fight. If you manage to take someone alive, interrogation can lead to the revelation that there is a small group of Chihuelan sympathizers working within the ranks of the Bejichi Sentry.
FEAR AND LOATHING IN BEJICHI: There's nowhere better to blow off steam than in Yunxu Casino - and dealing with Ilkana's stubbornness in this city creates a lot of steam. Besides, the Yunxu Casino has a reputation for being a center of black-market deals. If you're going by intuition, this is a good place to check.
This stately structure overlooks the entirety of Bejichi and is not only one of the oldest buildings here, but on the entire Archipelago. The interior is richly carpeted, every support pillar gilded and ornate as red silk lanterns float serenely through the air trailing gold tassels. There isn't a lot of activity during the day, but a few notorious gang bosses and wealthy merchants are sharing drinks or talking business.
- >If you look like you belong and are good at schmoozing, you may just hit the information jackpot. Play your cards right and you may overhear someone mention a deal on a 'Chihuelan import'. Discretion is the name of the game here and if you can follow this lead without getting caught, you can interrupt a drug deal which may result in a fight.
Successfully obtaining the goods reveals several bricks of an odd, pinkish crystalline substance with black flecks scattered among the facets. If the dealer or the buyer survive, questioning will reveal the effects of the drug is lowered inhibitions, dampening pain receptors, and a burst of incredible strength. Tests will confirm that the chemical compounds would indeed cause such effects, especially because a considerable portion of this new drug's composition is the infamous Red Mist. The black flecks seem to defy analysis, however...
>If you don't (or worse, look like you're working for the Sentry), you'll be gently encouraged to leave. And while you'll never quite catch anyone looking at you, you'll feel the constant weight of eyes on your back.
IIIa. MAS'INGE RIVER BASIN - THE TREES
The deep fissures that have appeared in the river basin are more than just geologically interesting - though that's not to say they're not. The soil is rock-hard, with the footprints of small animals frozen in it, and the impressions of unlucky plants that had pressed into the mud before are still there, clear as day. It's almost as if the area near the delta was flash-fossilized.The roots within the fissures are potentially more of interest to the investigating parties. They're thick and persistent, and seem to glisten even in the darkness of the underground canyons. As the investigators continue onwards, they'll soon discover why. The roots are part of a series of lightning trees that have established themselves. With a little bit of study, it becomes obvious that when the trees initially took root, they needed so much energy so quickly that they essentially fossilized the area.
Further down into the plains, a quarter-mile from the initial discovery of the root systems, the soil returns to normal, and the fissures shallow out. The lightning trees stand tall against the sky, except for one that's girdled by what even from afar looks like a nasty strangler vine.
As any groups get closer, they'll be able to see that Al'Amar, one of the crewmembers of the Narrakra, is tending the vine. Her eyes are glassy and she doesn't respond to external stimuli unless someone tries to remove the strangler or take her away from it, at which point she will become violent.
SAVE THE TREES: Despite Al'Amar's violent tendencies when anyone attempts to interfere with either her or the strangler vine, the party may wish to remove her from her curious fixation with the tree. If she is interfered with more than twice, she will suddenly take out a wicked-looking serrated knife and begin stabbing at the nearest individual, her eyes still glassy. Any wounds inflicted by this knife are a combination of what one would expect and chemical burns, and anyone wounded will soon complain of a high fever.
If and when she is finally subdued and taken into custody, the party may then attempt to dispose of the vine. It's tougher than it looks, and after some trial and error it is discovered that the only way to destroy it is with fire. People will have to stay with it in order to ensure that the burn stays controlled until the vine is eliminated.
SNAKE IN THE GARDEN: If the party chooses to back off and leave her to her gardening, whether permanently or with the intention of returning, three hours later there will be a grating sound of stressed metal that is loud enough to hear for miles, and all of the local lightning trees will suddenly die.
Later that night, there will be an earthquake. It won't last very long, but it'll leave the scientists and researchers ashen-faced.
Anyone hoping to take Al'Amar in for questioning after that will only find her dead. An autopsy will reveal that she died approximately at the same time as the trees did, but there isn't a mark on her.
If and when she is finally subdued and taken into custody, the party may then attempt to dispose of the vine. It's tougher than it looks, and after some trial and error it is discovered that the only way to destroy it is with fire. People will have to stay with it in order to ensure that the burn stays controlled until the vine is eliminated.
SNAKE IN THE GARDEN: If the party chooses to back off and leave her to her gardening, whether permanently or with the intention of returning, three hours later there will be a grating sound of stressed metal that is loud enough to hear for miles, and all of the local lightning trees will suddenly die.
Later that night, there will be an earthquake. It won't last very long, but it'll leave the scientists and researchers ashen-faced.
Anyone hoping to take Al'Amar in for questioning after that will only find her dead. An autopsy will reveal that she died approximately at the same time as the trees did, but there isn't a mark on her.
IIIb. MAS'INGE RIVER BASIN - THE CHASMS
No matter what happens with the trees, the fissures are still left to explore. Before they shallow out near the plains, there are exposed cave systems, which any enterprising adventurer may explore if they so choose. But the Arybar earth scientists, when made aware of the cave system, warn people about entering, because the fissures have likely made them unstable.It doesn't take long for a search party to find two disturbing things in the caves: one, a hastily-abandoned camp, likely kept by Chihuelan insurgents or sympathizers, and two, evidence of unusual geological activity. The Arybar scientist accompanying the party is speechless for a moment before putting her head in her hands, and it takes a little bit of prodding to get her to talk.
"It's impossible," she says. "They can't be separating this fast."
IVa. SULHAT MAF - THE CLIMB
The city of stonemasons and where most of the archipelago's natural mages come to learn and practice is nestled high in the Orolis Mountains. A small contingent of Chihuelan insurgents were spotted in the foothills about two days after the incident on the docks. The individual responsible for carving one of the ships is believed to be among them. The path that the group was last sighted at leads to Sulhat Maf, and the Sentry believe they are heading there to disrupt the archipelago's largest gathering of natural mages.On foot, the trek will take close to a week under ideal conditions - but the search team is warned this may be anything but ideal. There is no intel on how well-armed the Chihuelans are, nor how well they know the mountains, and so the assumption is to hope for the best and expect the worst. What the search teams do have going for them is numbers: there are estimated to be 6-8 Chihuelans, and the search team will have close to 30 (which will split from time to time for scouting and overwatch duties).
Three days into the trek at a narrow, steep section of path that offers scant cover, the search team is ambushed. To the Dreamfolk sensitive to such things as souls and with enhanced sense, they will not be detectable until just before the attack - as if they came out of nowhere. It quickly becomes obvious that the Chihuelans are well-armed with energy weapons, but do not utilize any explosives. The terrain limits movement and options to those below
GIVE NO QUARTER: With the search team pinned down, the easiest way through is to clear the path forward. This plan does not leave room for error or mercy:if the group chooses to take this option, all of the Chihuelan attackers will be killed. As a result, there will be no one left to question for more information, but the bodies can be searched for clues. There are seven people in total; four Chihuelans, one kedan and two Castians. The team will find detailed maps of the mountains, including topography and a geological survey. One will have a journal that is full of inanities, suspected to be coded. Another has a strange compass-like object attached to their belt; it resolutely refuses to point north, or in any consistent direction, and has markings unfamiliar to the archipelago around the rim. All of their communication equipment is native to the archipelago and none of the Chihuelans have identification on them; the other three may be identified if their bodies can be returned safely to Aifaran (which will be possible but difficult). Further forensic investigation may yield more information in the future. Their weapons may be collected; Dreamfolk will not be permitted to keep them permanently but they can arm themselves for the remainder of the mission.
This plan will also result in the death of three search team members, major injury to two, and moderate-to-minor injuries to another ten.
CAPTURE OVER KILL: The primary goal of this mission was to bring in as many Chihuelans alive as possible. Capturing any of them is going to be the most difficult plan, with the highest cost - and the highest potential reward. Two Chihuelans and one Castian will be captured with minor injuries; the other Chihuelans and Castian are killed, and the kedan escapes. The Sentry will split them up for the remainder of the trek up the mountain, intent on interrogating the prisoners once they reach the safety Sulhat Maf. For now, they refuse to speak to anyone even when coerced, and the team leader orders that at least two people must be with a prisoner at all times. When searched, the prisoners will each have maps of the path to Sulhat Maf, but no topography or geological survey. The journal is damaged but retrieved, and the compass retrieved undamaged.
Part of the urgency of reaching Sulhat Maf is to seek medical attention. Seven members of the search team are killed, five seriously wounded, and another ten have moderate-to-minor injuries. The team will lose a day of travel due to the slower pace but arrive in Sulhat Maf without further incident.
JUDICIOUS RETREAT: This plan will save the most lives, but no intel or clues can be gathered from the insurgents, who will disappear by the time the team reaches Sulhat Maf. When the search team withdraws to a safer location, at least two hits are confirmed on the Chihuelan party, meaning there are injuries among them. There is no way to tell if any were killed and the mountains do not yield much in the way of tracks or trace evidence.
One member of the search team is killed, and five have moderate-to-minor injuries. No one in Sulhat Maf reports seeing the Chihuelan group.
This plan will also result in the death of three search team members, major injury to two, and moderate-to-minor injuries to another ten.
CAPTURE OVER KILL: The primary goal of this mission was to bring in as many Chihuelans alive as possible. Capturing any of them is going to be the most difficult plan, with the highest cost - and the highest potential reward. Two Chihuelans and one Castian will be captured with minor injuries; the other Chihuelans and Castian are killed, and the kedan escapes. The Sentry will split them up for the remainder of the trek up the mountain, intent on interrogating the prisoners once they reach the safety Sulhat Maf. For now, they refuse to speak to anyone even when coerced, and the team leader orders that at least two people must be with a prisoner at all times. When searched, the prisoners will each have maps of the path to Sulhat Maf, but no topography or geological survey. The journal is damaged but retrieved, and the compass retrieved undamaged.
Part of the urgency of reaching Sulhat Maf is to seek medical attention. Seven members of the search team are killed, five seriously wounded, and another ten have moderate-to-minor injuries. The team will lose a day of travel due to the slower pace but arrive in Sulhat Maf without further incident.
JUDICIOUS RETREAT: This plan will save the most lives, but no intel or clues can be gathered from the insurgents, who will disappear by the time the team reaches Sulhat Maf. When the search team withdraws to a safer location, at least two hits are confirmed on the Chihuelan party, meaning there are injuries among them. There is no way to tell if any were killed and the mountains do not yield much in the way of tracks or trace evidence.
One member of the search team is killed, and five have moderate-to-minor injuries. No one in Sulhat Maf reports seeing the Chihuelan group.
Most of the injuries experienced in the ambush are cauterized wounds and mild burns from the energy weapons, some of which are resistant to magical healing if it's available. If the bodies of any of the dead are left where they lay instead of brought to Sulhat Maf or buried, they will have vanished when the team heads back to Aifaran.
IVb. SULHAT MAF - THE CITY
Once in Sulhat Maf, the team will be welcomed and given lodgings; injuries will be tended and any prisoners secured. One of the town leaders will explain that while they're free to pursue investigation, entrance to the workshops and learning halls is not permitted without escort. The leader will also explain that there's another archway here inside a massive lightning tree grown directly from the mountain, and they take team members who are hale enough to hike a bit to see it. The tree is not white but a multitude of colors, crystalline and stone and yet still a living tree. It towers over any others that have been seen in Aifaran and the mages say the tree continues to grow (although the arch stays the same size, wide enough for a car to drive through). The archway has flickered once or twice with light, coinciding with the time when the ship archway was carved, but nothing else had come of it.
The stonemasons and mages will also express concern about the ridges where the young continent turtles are joined - that they may be weakening in a way that's unexpected, particularly here in the mountains. The turtles will of course separate eventually, but that should take thousands and thousands of years. This pace is wrong; thus far, they haven't been able to determine the cause as the problem was only noticed a few weeks ago.
The Sentry team leader does not intend to linger here; those with severe injuries will be cared for in Sulhat Maf and retrieved in the near future. Anyone who can make the trip back to Aifaran is ordered to be ready for departure in three days.
TALK TO THE TREE: Don't expect it to reply, however. It lives up to it's stony appearance and behaves much like Melias' ships - for those sensitive enough, it will acknowledge an attempt to communicate but only give vague impressions of being too busy to engage. If touched, the tree will feel slightly warm. If any Dreamfolk who went through an eddy touch it, the tree will vibrate slightly beneath their fingers. Later, the azure part of their tattoo will have expanded by another few millimeters.
TALK TO THE PRISONERS: Mum's the word here, too, if one can even get past the Sentry. Even with the assortment of Dreamfolk abilities that may be on hand, the Sentry team leader in charge doesn't want anyone to have access to the prisoners right now. There is a great deal of missing information that other teams may supply upon return, and in any case the prisoners haven't said a single word since being captured. Any magical means of interrogating them will leave one with the sense that something is twisted awry deep within each of them. Attempts to sneak around the Sentry guards will not be met kindly if caught.
TALK TO THE PRISONERS: Mum's the word here, too, if one can even get past the Sentry. Even with the assortment of Dreamfolk abilities that may be on hand, the Sentry team leader in charge doesn't want anyone to have access to the prisoners right now. There is a great deal of missing information that other teams may supply upon return, and in any case the prisoners haven't said a single word since being captured. Any magical means of interrogating them will leave one with the sense that something is twisted awry deep within each of them. Attempts to sneak around the Sentry guards will not be met kindly if caught.
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OOC Notes: For most of the encounters, the characters must choose as a group (i.e. the group cannot fight the Chihuelan ambush to Sulhat Maf and also retreat from it), but outside of combat the characters may split up and explore on their own. Please remember characters do not have all the OOC info available here when considering their options.
The choices characters make will have an impact on the information and events moving forward. Mods may also intermittently tag into threads as we see fit to provide additional information or necessary response to queries. Please use thiscomment in the OOC post for questions.
no subject
Do you really think you're the guy for that, Gene?
"Besides - it's been five hundred years. The Chihuelans' technology may have developed beyond yours."