etrayalogs | FEBRUARY MINGLE

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: February 14th - March
WHERE: Etraya
WHAT: The arrival of newcomers, a mini mission, and some new city features!
NOTES\WARNINGS:

⏵ arrival ⏴
Welcome to Etraya!

Arrival goes as expected - characters awaken on hospital beds and are offered an explanation of their situation: that they have arrived in the city of Etraya, and they are their world's only hope. They are welcome to wander the hospital if they would like to - the upper floors are mostly empty, full of pristine hallways and numerous rooms filled with supplies, cots, and things one would expect from a relatively average 21st-century hospital.

In the hospital's lobby are several party tables set out with miscellaneous baked goods: croissants, cookies, breads, cake slices, as well as tea and coffee to accompany them - or hot chocolate, for those who are opposed to the other offerings.

Outside the hospital, the last remnants of snow are melting in the sunlight as the weather begins to warm up. It's still chilly enough one might want to put on a coat, but not so cold a jacket is necessary for wandering around without freezing off one's fingers.

We hope you enjoy your stay.

⏵ heroes return ⏴

As the Quantum Rail train glides to a halt, returning passengers step out onto familiar ground - the train station, right where they had initially begun their mission. When exiting the station, their earpieces vibrate, indicating the automatic download of a detailed map which highlights key locations, transit paths, and notable landmarks. As Aurora promised, she had been working on a few renovations around Etraya! A sleek trolley system now winds through Etraya, following clearly marked pathways through the city bubble to make travel across the city smoother. However, the trolley only moves one way, eternally following the loop Aurora has set it on. And because of this, it takes six hours to complete it's loop all the way around. Don't miss your stop!

Pets and animals have been returned to their usual preferred areas, some awaiting the arrival of their owners, and others keeping to themselves in the forested areas throughout Etraya.

Beyond the small upgrades, things seem relatively unchanged - until one familiar sign catches the eye. One marked by four vertical lines, methodically crossed out one by one: the final slash has now been drawn through. The tally is complete. What it indicates has yet to be made clear, but it has to mean something, right? No one would go through the effort of making an ominous-sounding sign without following through.

⏵ love in the air ⏴

This Valentines Day, Aurora and the companion bots have opted to try something a little different: they have scattered mystery valentines across the city. Hidden within mailboxes, tucked into cafe menus, slipped under doors, on the outside of high windows for those wall-crawlers to spot. There are countless of these little slips of papers, strewn throughout the city. And within each valentine, is a challenge or gesture to complete. Please feel free to make these up yourselves as long as they fit in with the theme!

Some examples include:

Deliver a flower to a stranger.
Write a heartfelt poem for someone.
Share a box of chocolates!
Confess your feelings for another.
Play matchmaker for two people - this can be platonic, or romantic!
Gift a friend with a stuffed animal.
Give five different people a genuine compliment.

While not mandatory, completing five tasks will earn an individual an additional ten points to use towards anything they would like!

Each little Valentine is signed "Your Secret Admirer. ♡", and some of them may even be addressed to specific individuals. Don't be surprised, Eddie, if you see one or two that are specifically addressed to you lurking around your collection of chicken friends!

And while most of these are harmless, some of the valentines cards come with effects for those who come into contact with the paper. Perhaps they thought it was a piece of garbage, or were just kicking it out of the way rather than intending on taking part. It doesn't matter! They get to join in on the fun, too.

Heart Eyes - your pupils literally turn into hearts for a few hours, making it hard to focus on anything other than things (or people) you find attractive.
Love-Struck Stammer - You can only speak in poetic compliments or romantic declarations, regardless of whom you're speaking to.
Chocolate Bliss - Everything feels good. Simple. Easy. As if there's nothing in the world to concern yourself with. You feel happy, without any concerns or worry.
Rose-Tinted Vision - everything looks soft and romantic, as if you're in a romance novel. You know the ones.
Magnetic Attraction - regardless of what you had been doing, you suddenly find yourself unable to leave the side of the person closest to you. Had you been eating chocolates while walking down the street? Well, have fun getting stuck to the guy who'd been out for a jog!
Serenade Syndrome - you find it impossible to resist the urge to sing your words, turning all conversations into love ballads.
Heartstrings - A thread appears, connecting you to someone close by who you share many similarities too. Perhaps you had never met this person before, but the threads tied around your pinky fingers that refuse to let go until you allow yourself to open up to them clearly means you should be a little more familiar with them.

Love is in the air—or maybe just a bit of well-intended chaos! 💕

⏵ NOTES ⏴

Welcome back from the mission, and welcome to Etraya for our newcomers! We've tried to keep this log simple for an easy introduction, as well as some downtime for our mission-goers who worked hard to solve the Quantum Rail mystery.

There is something else going on, but. . . well, no one seems to know what! The computer that had been on the lower floor of the hospital is now missing, and Aurora may seem a little flustered as she flits around Etraya, in search of something.

For all questions relating to this log, please refer to the mod queries comment. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.

⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Sort of. There was a library before I woke up here. I thought it was part of my university degree, but it wasn't on Earth either, so, probably not."

He pushes the burnt croissant plate a little further away on the table, since. Burnt. It doesn't smell amazing. "I know of someone who can travel? To another world, at least? And, um, I've seen someone from that other world. But. I don't know how this works."

He shakes his head, crossing one leg over the other. "Yes, that library was interesting. They knew why we were there. The books seemed to be gateways or containment. I'm not an expert in that kind of magic, but I know what to look for."

All of it supported Aurora's claim about taking them from their worlds. "I talked to someone who has been here a while. He seems to believe Aurora isn't lying if it is true. What is coming after worlds in this number, on this scale?"

"My experience is that magic, um, books sometimes have - magic properties of their own," he says, thinking not-so-subtly of the two-book set he and Eliot tracked down by basically letting them go into a mating frenzy. "So I guess that wasn't a complete surprise to me, but - there were definitely volumes that seemed excessive."

One of them spat a water fountain in his face.

"I don't know. Something terrifying? The, the Beast I saw was pretty terrible but I don't know if he was capable of destroying multiple universes."

"So, it's likely we haven't seen what might be responsible. If it's a creature at all." It could be a natural process. He gets up and sets about making himself a cup of tea. This seems like the conversation for it.

"Magic like that is the domain of people not like me. Ours is fairly specific. Theirs is varied and wide like the ocean." He adds a bit of sugar to his cup. "Want any tea?"

"Sure."

He's not that much of a tea drinker, but he's a bookworm and kind of legally has to enjoy it at least somewhat. Also, Julia's tried to get him into calming teas for his health before.

"What is your domain? Of magic."

He prepares a second cup and sets both down with the sugar bowl in easy reach of both of them. “That’s a little complicated. I think all our ways of understanding arcane are all different and based on different systems.”

He stirs his tea. “Where I’m from magic is defined as the energies of the land itself and fed by the memories of everything living upon it. Whether leylines are made by the Heavenly Principles or not, is a scholarly debate and you have no doubt guessed I am not one. People like me generate our own magic as much as we give to the flow. My domain, or rather what I give to things is ice. Winter. The cold. Genshins can see the flow of elemental magic and things the rest can’t. But we are also subject lThe natural inclinations of our elements. We embody aspects of nature. Technically all life has their share of magic within. Just we have reservoirs that are vast in comparison. I use too much and I will pass out or die. Like anyone would if someone tore magic out of the world. But, that’s how the rules of where I am from is. Beyond it, things are very different.”

FEBRUARY MINGLE

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The Mood(TM)

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