TDM 006

[etrayamods]

⏵ arrival ⏴ Arrival is absolutely not normal this month. Instead of a hospital bed, you wake in a tunnel with a large group of other people. These are the residents. A woman’s voice in an earpiece hurriedly clues you in with an apology. I apologize; I had not planned to introduce you this way, but we are low on time. Please proceed down the hallway. An image of a shattered pearl pops up on your personal HUD and rotates. I am Aurora. You are joining many others on Etraya in order to save your world from destruction by completing missions. Your current mission is to find the pieces of this object that have become scattered in the library ahead of you. For everyone else, coming in is much the same. The instruction goes out to head to designated areas immediately, where companion bots will escort the residents of Etraya down into the depths, the area beneath where much the same is explained. ⏵ disrobing ⏴ The tunnel eventually opens directly into the foreroom of an expansive library, painted in marvelous hues and patterns with skylights far above. There are wizards milling about, bearded and holding tomes, quietly chatting amongst themselves. The reception area of the library has tall ceilings with equally tall doors Before you get too caught up in the scenery, a voice directs you forward. A gentleman, hunched and bespeckled craws out. "Make a line! Make a line, everyone! You cannot enter the library dressed as you are... Come forward and give me your name." The receptionist asks your given name and then hands over a box from underneath his counter. You can give him any name you want, he doesn’t seem to mind. It is tied with a tagged ribbon- labeling it accordingly. “The _____ robe of _______.” (First Letter of Given Name) (Last Letter of Given Name) A Controlling N Helpful A Melodies N Light B Glimmering O Floating B Discretion O Mind-Reading C Wet P Handsome C Growth P Climbing D Gruesome Q Gullible D Grasping Q Jumping E Observant R Ratty E Flying R Hurting F Powerful S Adhesive F Reading S Guiding G Psychedelic T Sweltering G Dancing T Bug-Speaking H Swift U Cheerful H Shouting U Exploding I Voracious V Anxious I Extracting V Complaining J Soft W Likeable J Punishing W Dividing K Keen X Ruthless K Creeping X Slapping L Fabulous Y Dramatic L Walking Y Charming M Fair Z Demonic M Listening Z Combustion As you read what the contents of the box may be, they form inside- Looking and behaving as your character expects them to. After all, magic is all in the wielder’s mind. Don your robes and enter the library. ⏵ unfamiliar familiars ⏴ For those without a familiar (like one hatched from an egg not too long ago) you may borrow one from the library counter. They all have strengths and weaknesses, but they will all assist in the very important mission. As you roam the library, they will make little indications that you are closer or further from finding a piece of the pearl. Pro • Hardworking • Gives correct directions 75% of time • Won’t run away from you • Very affectionate • Gives correct directions only when paired with another rat, toad, or personal pet. • Gives correct directions 90% of the time Con • Must feed bookworms • Will run away if too close to a cat • Does not care for you • Sleepy • Will run ahead • Gets distracted by rats ⏵ the task at hand ⏴ With robes donned and creature in hand, you must now complete your mission. Find the pieces of the shattered pearl. As you enter the library, you may notice that it’s all very dim. There’s oil lamps around the place that may be moved with you to assist in your journey if your robes do not already emit light. Break off and search the library. There is a directory at the front to point guests to all the different sections. Wings of the Library A General Works B Music C Philosophy, Religion D Fine Arts E History, Auxiliary Sciences F Language and Literature G Magic, General H Science J Geography, Anthopology K Medicine M Agriculture N Hobbies, Recreation P Social Science Q Military R Political Science S Practical Arts T Law W People X Education Y Spiders Each section looks enough like the last, though the books within have immense power. Pick up the wrong book, and you might conjure a dragon or a historical figure! You must persist and avoid making too much noise or breaking too many things. Or else the Librarian, a tall mass of knotted fabric will confiscate your robe and usher you back outside. Your name will be struck from the list, and you must pick a new one to re-enter the library to continue the search. You can try to fight back against him- he may be set alight with the lamp. But should you be starting fires in here? ⏵ NOTES ⏴ Any thread with 15 comments between you and another may be submitted to find a piece of the pearl. There are 20 pieces altogether, and we will determine if the mission was successful by March 28th. A post will go live on the OOC comm for this! This mission occurs out of time, similar to how the spaceship had. Meaning, those currently in game can experience these events any time between now, and March 14th. Please direct all questions to our mod queries comment! ⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Comments

[aimsforknees]

[ John is absolutely not joking about any of this, as it happens. ]

I don't have access to it. As far as I know, it contacts us. When I tried to talk to it I had to talk to a security camera, not much of a conversation. But Finch handles most of it. I don't know if they talk.

[ Harold hasn't given him any reason to believe they do, but John thinks that's Harold's business and not his to give away. ]

[levelshift]

They must.

[He's saying that with certainty.]

He made them. Why the hell wouldn't he?

[aimsforknees]

Not my business.

[ That's truly it. The Machine, and especially whatever Harold's relationship with it is, is not his business. However Harold gets the numbers, John will work on them. John is pretty sure that's all there is to it, from the sparse explanation Harold gave him about how he has to keep the Machine and their access to it hidden. But it's not his to explain, not his to justify. ]

[levelshift]

[Accelerator gives a big sight at that.]

Well, whatever. You can talk to Aurora if you want to, nothing's stopping you.

[aimsforknees]

[ Maybe he will. He suddenly doesn't know if he'd tell Harold. He doesn't think Harold would approve, he's very confident Harold doesn't think of Aurora the way Accelerator does. John is... interested in approaching the situation with an open mind. Harold might be an expert but he's also stubborn. ]

Does she want to talk to us?

[levelshift]

I think so. She's friendly when you aren't being a total asshole to her.

[Friendlier than he is, for sure.]

[aimsforknees]

[ There's definitely a dissonance between what Harold has said of AI and the way Accelerator talks about her. Can a computer be friendly? John doesn't know much about them at the end of the day. And there's an easy quip he could make here about how surprising it is for Accelerator to be friends with her if that's the criteria, but. He doesn't really believe that about the kid. Sure he flipped John off, sure he got pissy when John teased him about being social, but that's all typical kid behavior. John doesn't actually believe Accelerator is an asshole, not even close. And he could make a remark about Aurora, about what could she possibly get out of a conversation that she doesn't already know, but he holds that back too. Maybe she does have feelings, maybe it's lonely being an AI. He doesn't know. Part of him doesn't want to know. Part of him doesn't care. ]

I'll be sure to be on my best behavior.