AUGUST MINGLE.

[etrayamods]

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: Late August into September
WHERE: Etraya
WHAT: August's arrival log + a crash.
NOTES\WARNINGS: Clown horror, potential graphic violence, & psychological trauma. Please add additional warnings as needed within threads.

⏵ arrival ⏴ Your arrival to Etraya may have unfolded just as anticipated. Aurora, ever the gracious host, greets her new citizens with a welcoming smile and a straightforward introduction to this strange new world they've found themselves in–assuming, of course, that they're courteous in return. Those less inclined to use their manners will find their reception cut short. Aurora dislikes not being listened to and treated unjustly, and this will disappear the moment she receives any backtalk from newcomers. In the hospital's lobby, long tables are arranged with various crockpots filled with steaming soups and chillis. Bread bowls are neatly stacked to the side, and a selection of sides to compliment the meal is spread across one of the tables. Perhaps this isn't the place they had anticipated waking up in. Still, Aurora and her companion bots are attempting to make others feel welcome in the unfamiliar place they'll now be calling their home. Or perhaps, your initial touchdown into the world was on a space station. Individuals who had been exploring the station, lending a hand, or causing shenanigans of their own - find themselves in an entirely different predicament. Without warning, they'll no longer find solid ground under their feet but be plunged into the icy depths of Etraya's rivers. One moment they're wandering sterile corridors of the station–the next, they're drowing, pulled into dark and seemingly bottomless waters. Fish of all shapes and sizes swim around them - some of them even glow a multitude of different colors - swim around them curiously, but offer no assistance. After all, they're only fish. Those sinking will need to try to struggle their way towards the surface themselves. If they reach the surface successfully, they'll find themselves in the southeast of Etraya: in front of them lies an island that looks almost entirely dead and devoid of life. If they cannot reach the surface by themselves, they'll find a new horror: inky black tentacles slither through the water, wrapping around their limbs. They grab hold tight, but don't pull them down further: instead, the creature seems intent on getting them up to the surface. It drags them upwards until their heads surface above water. Before anyone can fully comprehend what has happened, the tentacles vanish, leaving no trace of their existence - save for the cold, clinging terror left behind in their wake. It almost feels as if those who had come into contact with them were touched by a living nightmare: the cold sensation will linger on their skin where tentacles had touched for one week before the feeling will dissipate. On the dead island, many companion bots linger at the edges of the water, eager to help their new arrivals out and wrap them in warm, cozy towels. They'll do their best to calm them down and offer an abbreviated explanation of their situation: the space station is crashing down, but they could pull those meant to safely land in Etraya out before they were in any real danger. Unfortunately, Aurora couldn't control where they landed. Welcome to your new home. ⏵ impact ⏴ It happens shortly after the new arrivals arrive: The space station, while previously far enough away from Etraya to be impossible to spot from the skies, becomes visible in the skyline. Torn from the black hole's orbit and suddenly deposited elsewhere, it spirals towards the islands below. While all assistance in keeping it from entirely crushing the city below it is welcome and much appreciated, no one can prevent its fall entirely. The space station manages to find itself redirected just enough that it falls through the southwest corner of the barrier protecting the city. While it's meant to keep all things out, everyone within Etraya will notice the way the barrier bends under the weight of the station, cracks appearing in the soft, barely visible sphere that surrounds them. Instead of breaking under the weight, it bends and shifts until it allows in part of the space station. Covered in a thick, almost slimy substance, the space station crashes through, barely avoiding Beviin-Vasur Farm and S.T.A.R Labs and covering the island that sits between them. The crash sends shockwaves through the city, leaving the ground trembling and the ground rattling. When the dust begins to settle, the scale of how badly it has damaged Etraya becomes clear: reflective pieces have spread across the islands, much further than they rightfully should have. These shards, remnants from the House of Mirrors, glint menacingly in the sunlight, reflecting distorted images of Etraya and anyone walking past them. While the barrier managed to hold, the crash has left it weakened. Aurora sends a quick message along that anything coming close to the barrier from the outside might cause irreversible damage and asks Etrayans to please refrain from toying with it until she can make repairs. Companion bots rush to assess the damage and remove the bits of the ship around the edges of the barrier. ⏵ shattered remnants ⏴ But it's not damage to the barrier that the citizens of Etraya should be concerned about: it's those shards of mirrors scattered throughout their islands and in their rivers. During the day, it's their distorted images and harshly worded whispers coming from the pieces that they have to concern themselves with: they'll try to coax characters to cut themselves with the mirror shards, to let them in. Anyone who is cut with the glass will immediately enter a near-catatonic state - at least, as far as anyone can see. While their bodies remain empty, their hearts are locked away within the mirrors themselves. They'll see a young boy, sitting among several clown dolls, sobbing uncontrollably. Closer inspections of the boy will show that he looks just as fractured as the mirror pieces: there are breaks along his skin, cracks going over his cheeks, his arms, that threaten to break even worse. The boy does not respond to their words, seemingly unaware of their presence entirely. Those stuck in the mirror universe will be trapped until a solution is found. During the night, the clowns come out of the mirrors in pieces themselves. An arm will escape from one mirror, a leg from another, a head from a separate piece of mirror, and they'll work to try and pull their pieces together so that they can take out any living creature nearby. They seem oblivious to the presence of the mirrors and will not react to others picking them up or moving them. ⏵ decay's howl ⏴With the barrier being in a weakened state and a steep drop where the ship had collided into the barrier, it appears that another living creature has made itself's presence known: wolves now lurk in the forest areas of Etraya. Most of them are as friendly as one would expect an average wolf to be: fine from a distance but may get a little more grumpy if someone tries to approach them. Others - have a black, tarry substance dripping off of them, and will attack anyone on site. The infected wolves linger around dead trees and plants, and do not move all that far away from them unless coaxed. But it does seem like there are several more rotting, dead trees and patches among the grass that weren't there before. . . ⏵ clean up duty ⏴ On September 2nd, Aurora sends a message: Hello, Citizens of Etraya, I apologize for the interruption. As I am sure you have been made aware, we have a significant amount of debris scattered throughout our home. I am requesting your assistance with gathering all of the debris, and delivering it to the hospital. There will be a large bin set outside in which the debris can be safely disposed of. I will be awarding an additional ten points to anyone who assists in cleaning up Etraya. Thank you, Aurora ⏵ NOTES ⏴ Despite how many individuals there were on the space station, there are no bodies found in the rubble. Pieces of the space station are inside and outside the barrier. The pieces of the space station inside the barrier seem to be from the first quadrant. Solving the issue of the mirror pieces and the boy is up to the players. We encourage you to work together and use your characters' talents to try and either break out or break in to the mirrorverse. Feel free to use the OOC comm to put up a post for plotting between players if it will be helpful, and please use the plotting comment below to ask mods for help or to see if your idea for resolving this will work. We'll work with you and give hints if we think it will help! If this does start to cut into the time set aside for the next mission, we'll post up a resolution for getting characters out of the mirror verse. You won't be missing out on any fun missions! Wolves can now be found within Etraya! At this time, there are only three of the infected wolves. Any links involving clean up can be posted to Activity Check to get the promised ten points. For any questions relating to the contents of this log, please use the mod queries thread. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ. ⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴