MISSIONS | June 2014

[ironwood]

Hello Chelonauts!

As a result of the metaplot progression as outlined in May 2014 State of the Shell, Keeliai is now at war! With Malicant occupying the Palace, missions have temporarily taken on a narrowed and grim focus, as the Foreigners and NPCs of Tu Vishan try to combat the Enemy living literally in their own house. Remember that we also have a new monthly schedule for mission time frames, meaning that the IC play of them now run from the 15th to the 15th of the following month.

This month we have THREE prefabricated missions with plenty of opportunity still for player missions. We also have a comment header where you can suggest the sorts of missions you'd like to see in the months that follow! Feel free to be as succinct or not as you please, as we take these suggestions into account when creating the next month's missions based on this feedback as well as a comment for mission-related questions. Please don't hesitate to for more information or clarifications... we're still fine tuning everything to make sure players are able to get the most ICly and OOCly out of these missions.

MOD MISSIONS
Each month, a player can volunteer a character for up to three mod missions. Like other limited space elements in the game, we ask that each player only submit one character from their roster for the mod missions, though their other characters can be submitted for player missions, so long as it's one mission per character per month. To sign up, fill out the information below and choose your top three missions in order of preference. If there are more signups than available spaces for a mission, we will RNG characters into the slots. If your character isn't RNG'd into the first mission, they'll be added to the pool for the second mission, and so on for the third.

Mod missions will be tallied and their participants notified on the 11 13 14th of the month @ ~9:00PM EST. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee that everyone who signs up a character for a mission will be chosen for one of the mod missions, as it is based solely on the number of signups for each one. In the event that your character isn't chosen for any of your three choices, you can still sign them up for a player mission before 9:00PM PST on the 14 15th.

This month's planned missions are as follows:

→ EKLI'SES (ITEM RETRIEVAL)
→ THEY-LUN (INFORMATION)
→ AKRANON (EXPLORATION)

PLAYER MISSIONS
Player missions can involve either just your character or a pre-planned group, or even have open signup! Once your mission is approved by the mods, including any clarifications or extra information needed, you're set for playing it out. Remember that the mission can take place at any point throughout the month. For convenience purposes, we've also created the %missions tag in the log comm and we'd be very appreciative if it could be added to mission logs when they get posted.

MISSION CREDITS
Each mission your character undergoes (threaded out with at least ten comments from your character, across any number of threads in the log) is worth a credit, and each handwaved mission is worth half a credit. Please note: only missions that you yourself come up with can be handwaved. The 'mod missions' are ones where participation is considered mandatory, as you are filling a limited slot. If we notice a trend amongst any one player of signing up for missions and leaving their mission-mates hanging, we will be speaking with them to determine a suitable outcome.

Mission credits can be claimed on the following month's AC post, where they will be confirmed by the mods and added to a spreadsheet for tracking.

Mod Mission Signups

Player Mission Signups

<b>Player:</b> <b>Character Name & Journal:</b> Name (journalname) <- not coded! <b>Mission Choice #1:</b> <b>Mission Choice #2:</b> <b>Mission Choice #3:</b>

<b>Player:</b> <b>Preferred Contact:</b> <b>Character(s) & Journals:</b> Name (<user name="USER">) <b>Mission Duration:</b> How long will it take ICly? Is it happening on specific IC dates? <b>Mission Difficulty:</b> ★☆☆☆☆ <b>Mission Type:</b> <b>Projected Plot Impact:</b> What changes are the end goal of the mission? <b>Proposed Worldbuilding Changes:</b> What aspect of the setting are you interested in developing with this?

Comments

QUESTIONS

[ironwood]

Any questions you have about Missions, please ask them here!

MOD MISSIONS

[ironwood]

Here are the writeups for the mod missions this month. Signups are in the comment header below.

EKLI'SES (ITEM RETRIEVAL)

[ironwood]

Character(s): 3-4 needed
Mission Duration: Three days in Tu Vishan equaling one day in the Death plane
Mission Difficulty: ★★★★☆
Mission Type: Item retrieval
Projected Plot Impact: Milyn is looking for volunteers to retrieve a locket from the Death plane, while hopefully learning more about the plane.
Proposed Worldbuilding Changes: A better understanding of the Death plane and its effects. See Outcome for details on how the successful retrieval of the locket may impact the world.
Mission Restrictions: Characters must be 16+.

DOSSIER

After the successful experimentation with the Gha'nal Venom, Milyn is now looking to expand its use for more probing exploration. She will be seeking out 3-4 volunteers to use the Venom for entering the Death plane and attempting to retrieve a locket. Though she prefers those with experience in the Death plane, either through Sinbrilee or previous Venom experimentation, the Healer will consider anyone over the age of 16 to pursue the item. She says the locket is located within a temple and that, if all goes well, the group will be able to enter in, retrieve the item, and leave without incident.

The plane of Death is, however, nothing if not uncooperative, particularly given Malicant's influence. Characters may confront manifestations of their fears, ranging from ambiguous (such as the group passing through a cemetery when one fears death) to detailed (such as a specific canon figure appearing to torment a character) before they arrive at the temple.

This will be a mod-guided mission revealed in two parts and based heavily on character participation. Please direct questions on this mission to both Kate and Li via plurk at thedarkfields and sojourney respectively.

OUTCOME
Due to the choice-based nature of this mission, its outcome will be heavily dependent on the characters. Outcomes may include failure, successful attainment of information about the Death Realm, successful attainment of the locket, and complete success - all with the opportunity for character injury or death. Information on the locket will be provided if retrieved, with this mission having the potential to greatly affect Malicant’s hold on the Palace.

ASSIGNED PARTICIPANTS

> Gene Khan (wrathfulkhan)
> River Tam (problematical)
> Skulduggery Pleasant (skeletonenigma)
> Zatanna Zatara (backwordscompatible)

THEY-LUN (INFORMATION)

[ironwood]

Characters: 5-7 needed.
Mission Duration: 2-3 days.
Mission Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Mission Type: Information gathering, a bit of exploring and strengthening the bonds between cities..
Projected Plot Impact: Malicant’s technopathy is really making the life in the turtle a hassle, and making it harder for everyone to make plans against him. The highly technological ship city of They-Lun might be able to help with that.
Proposed Worldbuilding Changes: A way of getting rid Malicant from the consoles. Perhaps not permanently, but enough to make them safer.

DOSSIER

The dossier is thrown at your character right away by Evandau, and there’s been a sense of urgency since they stepped inside room. They have been postponing this mission for too long, he says, but the latest developments have made it obvious they couldn’t delay it any longer. They need the information, and they need it as soon as possible.

The city of They-Lun, the dossier says, is actually not a city but a frankly enormous ship. Built by a group of scientist who wanted to secede from the rest of the population to try to focus on their own particular researches centuries ago, it’s grown into a population of 5000 that’s kept in line thanks to extremely strict family planning, child-bearing and population policies. Their diet seems to be based on plants they have breed to be able to grow all year and to produce all kind of nutrients, and sea water treated efficiently until it’s drinkable. A big variation of nutritional beverages is also available for those who don’t have time for pesky things like eating, and they seem to be quite popular.

The people in the ship look pretty much like the Kedan, but have apparently lost all interest in their shape shifting abilities and some theories say they have actually completely lost them. If the characters managed to visit the city and dig around a bit, they will find out everyone seems to be several years older than they look.

Because they were born out of science, the people of They-Lun live for methodical study and have grown to disregard feelings, religion and other such things. Any attempts to try to talk about religion and such things will be meet with an utter blank look for a few seconds before they resume the work they were doing.

They have also become incredibly xenophobic.

This is the first time in ages the inhabitants of the turtle will try to contact the ship city, and Evandau flat out declares he can’t be sure they will be welcomed and not shot in sight- not to kill, but the people in the ship will make sure they can’t approach if they don’t want them too, and they have the best weapons and barriers thanks to their technological advances. It depends on the scientists’ level of curiosity for the foreigners at the moment.

But if someone has a way to keep Malicant out of invading technology at all, it’s them and they can’t wait around and not take that chance any longer. They will be given a ship to visit the city, but it won’t be anything too big and with hardly any weapons, and no means of communication back home.

Members of the council:

Their form of government is a meritocracy where a council formed by those 5 whose inventions, ideas and/or discoveries have proven the most useful for the inhabitants of They-Lun is the one to make all the decisions. They all have to be referred as ‘Council member’, since that’s the closest translation to our language.

Council member Unhi Fal: A healer, he was able to cure people from a plague that decimated a great part of the population years ago. The oldest in the council, has been part of it for almost 40 years- which is almost the longest anyone has been in it. Surprisingly open to innovations and progressive, he’s a gentle old man with a big sense of humor who will talk to the foreigners with ease and with a clear eagerness to learn from them.

Council member Lava Nuo: A physicist, it’s thanks to her the ship is able to teleport to different points of the sea altogether. She’s been in the council 10 years, and she looks to be almost on her 50s. She’s mistrustful, and will regard the foreigners with an air of disdain- and maybe a little bit of fear, especially if they show any kind of special powers.

Council member Lor Nuo: Son of Lava, he’s the youngest in the council (looks like 19). He’s a mechanic, and he’s made plenty of reparations on the ship- including one that basically saved them from crashing (badly) into the mainland. He has a team of workers that work for him but he seems to He’s only been in the council for 6 years and he feels like he has to prove everyone he isn’t there because of his mother. It’s clear he loves her, but it’s also clear he has a tendency to vote against anything she votes much to his mother’s charging.

Council member Tak Var: Chemist, he’s been in the council for around 12 years. He created a chemical that allowed to alter the brain chemistry of those who committed crimes to be sure they were literally unable to commit again, since killing them or exiling them to the mainland seemed far too harsh and cruel to him and most of the people of They-Lun. He looks to be on his late 30 and he isn’t very talkative, but he doesn’t seem to regard the foreigners with any animosity in particular even if he’ll still try to keep them out of the ship. He keeps a permanent poker face, but seems to smile and be sweet towards his partner Lundau Gar.

Council member Lundau Gar: Also a chemist, she was able to create nutritious beverages that allowed the inhabitants of They-Lun to go on for very long periods of time without eating or drinking, and without the psychological problems that usually carries. She looks to be on her late 40s and while she seems sweet, she’s the one that will oppose the foreigners the most. It is told she often has to remind Tak Var what they are even meeting for. Repeatedly. In every meeting.

OUTCOME

Evandau would let them choose, since it’s their own safety that’s in danger. This is a very open-ended mission, and as such the outcome depends on the character’s decisions- beginning with these three options:

Call me, maybe: Actually give the city notice of their approach and their reasons for it. This would give away any surprise factor if they want them to stay out, but it would make things go smoothly if they accept and would definitely make things easier when it comes to getting the technology or information needed. It seems like the safest option.

We are never ever ever getting back together: No call, surprise visit. This could, again, put them in danger of being attacked (stressing they wouldn’t try to outright kill them) and it would make entering the ship impossible if they reinforce the barriers. But it could make the scientist curious enough to let them in and at least listen to them.

And we’ll never be royals (royals) Trying to enter the city spy-like, infiltrate and gather as much information as possible. This is the most open-ended and dangerous option.

For any questions about this mission, contact Al (PM at crotalus, crotalus, mail at crotalusroleplaying or AIM at daiannecrotalus)

ASSIGNED PARTICIPANTS

> Darcy Lewis (6collegecredits)
> Kaldur'ahm (apologiesmyking)
> Mark Grayson (shorttempered)
> Raine Sage (ruinsprofessor)
> Solomon Wreath (peacefullywreathed)
> Wally West (runrightround)

AKRANON (EXPLORATION)

[ironwood]

Character(s): 4 - 6
Mission Duration: Two to three IC weeks.
Mission Difficulty: ★★★ & ½
Mission Type: Exploration / Intelligence & Recon
Projected Plot Impact: Seeking volunteers to discover Malicant's possible origins.
Proposed Worldbuilding Changes: Introducing the land of Akranon, a vast desert teeming with secrets, and two new races, the Scurris and the Viili.

DOSSIER

Akranon

On the western edge of the world, low, dry scrub along the shoreline gives way to a vast desert, ringed by high mountains. Approximately the size of the Sahara on Earth, the land of Akranon is a test of the most hearty, the toughest, the ones capable of barest survival. Water is both currency and vital necessity. The desert itself has areas capable of sustaining life, a few blue oases dot its area, but they are rare. Dunes dozens of feet high are the norm, whipped into slithering peaks by dry winds. An occasional ruin is visible through the sands, lost temples and civilizations devoured by the unforgiving desert.

Animals adapted toward low-moisture live here, reptiles and small mammals that can survive with limited water intake. There’s also a Turtle equivalent of a camel, a great big thing with a high sloping back and a prehensile trunk. These are called ‘nukks’ and they’re about ten feet tall at the shoulder. Plant life is sparse, mainly cactus-type plants with lots of thorns. The nukks can eat them, but most humans will find them unpalatable. During the day, the temperature in Akranon can reach up to one hundred and twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit. At night, they can reach lows of just above freezing.

There are two main Oases in the desert, and two cities surrounding them: The Curra Oasis, and the Truul Oasis.

Curra is about five miles square, and the only place in the desert where characters can rest, find food and items, and talk with the locals. The central part of the city is a lake of water about a mile across, the largest open water source in the desert, fed by an underground spring. The water is clear, drinkable, and protected by spells and city guards. Don’t mess with the water supply. You won’t get a prison term, you’ll be executed on the spot, no trial. The “city” surrounding the water is closer to a village, with a few low, adobe and thatch buildings for trade centers, but mainly tents are used for housing. That, in turn, is surrounded by date palms, thorn bushes, and other desert plant life that does bear fruit. (Good eating on one of those date palms…)

Truul, located about twenty-five miles from Curra, is much larger, and much darker. The pool of water is three miles square, but it’s polluted and gray, undrinkable. There are several ruined buildings around it, the largest of which is a five story tall temple. It’s made out of granite, a stone not native to the desert. Below the surface, the temple descends hundreds of feet, and is spread out over two miles of labyrinthine passages and rooms.

The Skurris

A formerly nomadic people, the Skurris have finally settled at the Curra Oasis after thousands of years of wandering. The Skurris are short, stocky, and covered with thick scales, like a pangolin. They don’t have tails, but they do possess wicked claws and a snake-like tongue. They aren’t openly hostile to strangers, but aren’t exactly welcoming, either. They speak the language of trade and money, and will happily attempt to rip off characters who don’t approach with caution. They will also discuss the state of the Truul Oasis with characters, if they ask the right questions. The Skurris are led by their chief, a woman by the name of Salm, who is the matriarch of the clan. She has been leading the tribe for three hundred years. She’s very wise, but will not hesitate to put problems down. If that problem happens to be a Foreigner, well…

(Players are encouraged to write their own Skurris NPCs for this plot, using the personality and physical trait guidelines above. Salm will be written by the mod handling the mission.)

The Viili

The Viili are a non-humanoid race of energy beings, which can inhabit physical, non-living vessels. They’re incapable of possessing people, animals or plants while they’re alive, but inanimate matter is just fine for their purposes. It’s not uncommon for Viili to take the form of tumbleweeds, rocks, and entire sand dunes. They can even take over a corpse, but they find this incredibly distasteful. (So do most humanoids, frankly.) Without a physical form, Viili appear as a subtle shimmering of light, like reflections off of water. They are drawn to the oases in Akranon, as these places have the most opportunity to take on a physical form. They can travel great distances without fatigue, and can even live in other climates, but for some reason, the largest population of Viili are in Akranon.

They’ve been living in the desert since the creation of the world, watching other races come and go. Currently, they prefer not to get involved in any conflicts, and in fact will immediately disengage and flee should one happen. Not just a physical conflict, but verbal or emotional as well. It’s not exactly cowardice, but they have their reasons for avoidance. So when the Skurris took over Curra, the Viili gave ground almost immediately. They have no central leader, nor any sort of inhabitable town or house; individual Viili don’t even have names. They speak via telepathy, able to get through to the most rock-like mind, but cannot control others thoughts. Unfortunately, any telepaths that attempt similar communication will find that it’s impossible, as Viili don’t have brains to read. It’s a one-way communication.

The Viili hold the key to discovering Malicant’s origins.

(Players are encouraged to NPC individual Viili for the mission, following the personality guidelines set above. There will also be a mod-controlled Viili for plot advancement purposes.)

PLOT RUNNER
This plot will be run by Lis. She can be contacted at couervider at gmail or on plurk at lisandraface

ASSIGNED PARTICIPANTS

> Bucky Barnes (trainwrecked)
> Hellboy (histruename)
> Hal Jordan (animosus)
> Natasha Romanoff (chernaya)
> Saint Walker (burnseternal)
> Zelgadis (gathersnomoss)

SIGNUPS FOR MOD MISSIONS

[ironwood]

Please use the text box provided in the post to indicate which missions you're interested in.

Re: SIGNUPS FOR MOD MISSIONS

[gathersnomoss]

Player: Stareyes
Character Name & Journal: Zelgadis (gathersnomoss) !

Mission Choice #1: Akranon
Mission Choice #2: Ekli'ses
Mission Choice #3: They'lun

Re: SIGNUPS FOR MOD MISSIONS

[runrightround]

Player: Potato
Character Name & Journal: Wally West (runrightround)

Mission Choice #1: They-Lun
Mission Choice #2: Ekli'ses
Mission Choice #3: Akranon

Re: SIGNUPS FOR MOD MISSIONS

[skeletonenigma]

Player: Amaraq
Character Name & Journal: Skulduggery Pleasant (skeletonenigma)

Mission Choice #1: Ekli'ses
Mission Choice #2: They'lun
Mission Choice #3: Akranon

[peacefullywreathed]

Player: Pur
Character Name & Journal: Solomon Wreath (peacefullywreathed)

Mission Choice #1: Ekli'ses
Mission Choice #2: Akranon
Mission Choice #3: They'lun

[backwordscompatible]

Player: Hina
Character Name & Journal: Zatanna Zatara (backwordscompatible)

Mission Choice #1: Ekli'ses
Mission Choice #2: They-lun
Mission Choice #3: Akranon

[6collegecredits]

Player: AmyJack
Character Name & Journal: Darcy Lewis (6collegecredits)

Mission Choice #1: They-Lun
Mission Choice #2: Akranon
Mission Choice #3: Ekli'ses

Re: SIGNUPS FOR MOD MISSIONS

[burnseternal]

Player: Fey
Character Name & Journal: Saint Walker (burnseternal)

Mission Choice #1: Elki'ses
Mission Choice #2: Akranon
Mission Choice #3: They'lun

[trainwrecked]

Player: Kiki
Character Name & Journal: Bucky Barnes (trainwrecked)

Mission Choice #1: Akranon
Mission Choice #2: Ekli'ses

[animosus]

Player: Michele
Character Name & Journal: Hal Jordan (animosus)

Mission Choice #1: EKLI'SES
Mission Choice #2: AKRANON
Mission Choice #3: THEY-LUN

[vdova]

Player: Lins
Character Name & Journal: Naatasha Romanoff (chernaya)

Mission Choice #1: Akranon

Re: SIGNUPS FOR MOD MISSIONS

[jinzhong]

Player: Zed
Character Name & Journal: Gene Khan (wrathfulkhan) <- not coded!

Mission Choice #1: Ekli'ses

Re: SIGNUPS FOR MOD MISSIONS

[gearshifting]

Player: Kathrine
Character Name & Journal: Kaldur'ahm (apologiesmyking)

Mission Choice #1: THEY-LUN
Mission Choice #2: EKLI'SES

[histruename]

Player: Ash
Character Name & Journal: Hellboy (histruename

Mission Choice #1: Akranon
Mission Choice #2: Ekli'ses
Mission Choice #3: They-Lun

Re: SIGNUPS FOR MOD MISSIONS

[ruinsprofessor]

Player: Makari
Character Name & Journal: Raine Sage (ruinsprofessor) <- not coded!

Mission Choice #1: THEY-LUN
Mission Choice #2: EKLI'SES

[problematical]

Player: Li
Character Name & Journal: River Tam (problematical)

Mission Choice #1: Ekli'ses
Mission Choice #2: Akranon
Mission Choice #3: They'lun

[unobtainableredemption]

Player: Kaitie
Character Name & Journal: Mark Grayson (shorttempered)
Mission Choice #1: THEY-LUN
Mission Choice #2: EKLI'SES
Mission Choice #3: AKRANON

[ironwood]

Mission signups are now closed.

PLAYER MISSIONS

[ironwood]

Submit your player missions here using the template provided! Remember that you can only submit any given character to either one mod OR player mission per month (not one of each) and these will be confirmed with any clarifications by the mods.

MISSION SUGGESTIONS

[ironwood]

Here is where you can suggest what kind of missions you'd like to see come up in the future. There's a wide range of options for what can be used and they can have as much or as little plot impact as you can dream up.