⏵ APHAIA ⏴
At the request of those inhabiting Etraya, Aurora has adjusted the mission schedule a little in order to send everyone into a world that is actively dying. Which means that, on the morning of March 14th, everyone will be directed to a glowing, purple portal situated just outside the hospital. Aurora will recommend that those with pets leave them behind; given the mission parameters of survive, she anticipates that it will not be a place for companion animals to accompany their owners to. She will not, however, force this: people are welcome to bring their companions if they'd like!
Once they have stepped through the portal, it will become clear that survival will not come easily. The sky overhead is fractured into a kaleidoscope of neon colors, artificial stars blinking in and out of existence among shards. Towering structures resembling stadiums and coliseums stretch endlessly into the horizon, their surfaces plastered with massive holographic advertisements displaying the face of past "champions" - many of whom appear to be long-since deceased.
From the moment they step through the portal, cameras whir to life around them, zooming in on their expressions while loudly announcing their names, their specialties, and what they are capable of. Applause echoes through unseen speakers when talents worth the excitement are announced: those with fighting capabilities, unique extraordinary powers, or odd talents seem to get the loudest reaction.
And once introductions are complete, a loud, booming voice cuts through the noise:
WELCOME, CONTESTANTS! ARE YOU PREPARED TO SEE WHO AMONG YOU IS THE SMARTEST, THE HOTTEST, THE STRONGEST, AND THE SHINIEST? ONLY THOSE AMONG YOU WHO ARE WORTHY WILL SURVIVE. KALI TYCHI!!
There is no introduction to the voice. No explanation.
Welcome to Aphaia.
⏵ SURVIVAL SPOTLIGHT ⏴
Aphaia is a dying world. Once vibrant, now it is little more than a stage - an arena where survival meets spectacle and death is a form of entertainment. Cameras are everywhere, their mechanical eyes dissecting every action, hesitation, every moment of weakness. To the residents of Aphaia, it's all a game. After all, they know they are living on borrowed time - why not make it fun?
Towering holograms flicker with advertisements for upcoming challenges, massive leaderboards shift constantly, tracking the contestants' popularity in real time. Every move is judged, and every breath is measured.
Participation is not mandatory, but refusal comes with some hefty consequences. Those who refuse to play fade into the background, their scores slowly dropping closer and closer to zero.
And when it does bottom out? They disappear. No body, no remains, just - erased entirely from existence.
Now, survival is not just about brute force (although there is some of that too!), but about entertainment. Contestants are not simply fighters, but performers earning the favor of other contestants.
Each contestant has a score, visible using the HUD of their earpiece. Scores range from 1-100, with 80+ reserved for crowd favorites. The moment scores hit zero, they disappear, presumed (and are) dead.
New contestants start with a randomized score, assigned the moment they step onto Aphaia's surface. From there, their survival depends on strategy, skill, and showmanship.
Nanotechnology laces the very air they breathe, embedding itself into their bodies. It monitors oxygen, tracks food intake, measures every potential need for everyone, including alien species whose needs differ. Supplies are scarce - meaning only those who keep their scores up receive rations, shelter, and medical aid. The lower one's score? The less they get.
And there are no second chances.
⏵ DISTRICTS ⏴
Aphaia is separated into four districts.
The Colosseum is where blood is currency. A high-tech battle arena where combatants are pitted against each other for entertainment, the Colosseum is always prepared for any battle one may wish to take part of. The floors shift, and the environment changes at the whim of the audience. It's built to support any challenge that requires physicality: the floors will break into massive labyrinths meant to confuse individuals, or the walls will raise to create rooms that are difficult to escape to test one's intellect. Within the Colosseum, contestants are invited to battle one another and others for glory. Are you a warrior? Built for combat? Do you have capabilities that shine through with physical action, rather than mental stimulation? This is the place for you.
A place of luxury, the Symposium is where alliances are forged - and broken. Here, the highest-rated contestants (those who rank Luminary or higher) are invited to partake in fine dining and lavish parties. Violence is not permitted within the walls of the Symposium; while this may provide the false illusion of safety, it is anything but. Whispered betrayals are passed between contestants within the walls of the Symposium, with deals struck to ensure that those who rank high enough to enjoy all the benefits it offers continue to be able to visit.
In the heart of Aphaia is the Agora. Pulsing with flashing billboards featuring the faces of many past and current contestants and live polls of the current scores of those who are still alive, the Agora is where contestants are invited to engage with the public to shape their own narrative.
In the streets, many contestants can be found putting on quirky performances, participating in challenges, or conducting interviews with other contestants. Charisma can be just as valuable as brute strength, and this is the place for those who rely on their ability to sweet-talk others to make sure their points remain high. This is where the facilities for the non-physical challenges resides, such as Echoes of the Past and Tychaios.
The Agora contains the housing district in which contestants reside. There are a few massive apartment towers stacked to the sky. The high-ranking live in luxury, enjoying rooms up to two bedrooms with plenty of space - the lower ranking individuals reside in smaller apartments, with significantly less amenities.
On the edges of Aphaia are the Backalleys, where rules are meant to be broken. A maze of shadowed corridors and hidden tunnels, there are multiple "convenient" corners where camera blind spots can be found. Here is where people come to converse between one another outside the eyes of the audience or to find temporary sanctuary from their lives being consistently narrated. However, it is also well-known that while they may be able to find areas where the cameras cannot reach, the Gamerunner is also aware of these blind spots.
⏵ RATED & REVIEWED ⏴
While the highest rated contestants get to go to The Symposium, those middling or in danger of falling off get invited to only the finest of trashy talk shows.
Anyone can see how this daily, midday TV show plays out. Stand in front of a television long enough and you’ll see reruns of bruised competitors hashing it out in front of an audience over failed plans, ruined alliances, and broken friendships. If you want to see the worst in others Kathiki Pidón is the show to watch.
Though one might wonder why anyone would ever go on this thing, it is a nearly universal guilty pleasure. There is a chance to raise one’s own rating without risking one’s life. But say the wrong things, and you may become more unpopular than ever. It is a desperate place to go- but they do always give a hot meal to anyone who agrees to come on. It might be your only chance to recuperate.
This is also a great opportunity to try to lower someone else’s ranking by airing out private grievances very publicly. Was the only reason you lost because you were tricked or betrayed? Is there a secret alliance you want people to know about? Or perhaps you need a platform to earn a little sympathy.
Kathiki will be more than happy to host you, donning his usual black and gold suit and holding his slim microphone for you to speak into.
For those who are a little shier, Kathiki has a private booth in the back of the studio where you can pour your heart out in front of a camera. This can have the same benefits, but it may be edited in very unfortunate ways before the public sees it.
⏵ NOTES ⏴
Please use our NPC Threads toplevel on this post for any NPC interactions you'd like! This includes Kathiki.
For all questions relating to this mission, please refer to the plotting post. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.
⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴
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etrayamods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
etrayalogs2025-03-14 11:19 am
chained duel - extra fire edition
"I do not have any sort of magic, so I am at no risk of breaking the penalty." He doesn't seem particularly perturbed by the water, either - which, well, he isn't. He doesn't need to breathe, after all.
He glides over to study the puzzle's blocks, looking between them to find a connection. Do these blocks also depict the stars in the night sky, or is it a question of habitat? Both would make logical sense, but he suspects it is likely to be the former.
"These are likely constellations," he calls to Popp. "But the number of animals and the number of locations are mismatched...I believe not all of them are correct."
He dips his head with an apologetic air. "I may have to rely on you for strength, however. I believe that we must match the correct blocks with the correct animal, and it will change the movement of the mechanisms on this floor...but I do not think I can move the blocks on my own."
no subject
"It's not like I'm much of a powerhouse either... Whatever, I'll manage! What's going where?"
He eyeballs a block. There are like, three stars on it from the angle he's looking at. Is this a real constellation? It could be anything.
"How are we supposed to know anything about Aphaia's stupid constellations...?"
no subject
The game doesn't give me an answer so I have to make one up!"Then we will work together to move them. Since this is meant to be entertainment, I believe everything in this room must be solvable or movable." He'd give one of the blocks an experimental push, but he's also chained to Popp so he doesn't want to move around too much.
"Constellations are often abstract representations of a symbol, object or creature," the Custodian says. "Since we know very little about Aphaia's constellations, we must rely on the information in this room." He glances down at the platforms, looking for another hint - perhaps there's something in the designs or angles of the pictures that will give them a clue.
If it was just him, he would take his time solving it (though no doubt there wouldn't be only water to bother him here). But since this young man looks human - a creature of flesh and blood - he will need to breathe, and he will tire.
no subject
"If we both put our backs into it, it shouldn't take all day."
The animals are depicted from the top down, splayed out to stretch over most of the tile. The human is in a full body standing pose. It's hard to see any finer details through the water - this a big arena, they're not wasting the good stuff on this.
"Not that I have all day - I can swim all right, but not when I'm locked up to a big suit of armor!"
no subject
"My body is made of lightweight materials," he informs Popp politely. "My composition will not slow you down. I agree that we do not have time to spare, as water hinders visibility and movement, though the blocks will become easier to push as the room fills."
His robes are already starting to become soaked. He gathers them up as best he can, so he doesn't hinder their combined movement, and glances again at the pictures on the blocks, searching the representations of the night sky for their respective stars so he can memorize them.
no subject
"Like... your whole body?! That's a weird design choice but I can't complain about it!"
Every single robotic creature or
animated armor he is familiar with is built for combat, after all. Evil combat, at that. He's trying not to judge, though! He doesn't have time for thaaaat.
Popp tries really hard to remember which animal tiles are where. He's pretty sure he's already mixed up the octopus and the squid. His outfit is sort of water resistant; it's made for having adventures in, but he's really not looking forward to wading around. Or worse, putting his hands in it.
"Did they really need to have two tentacled animals?! They're practically the same thing! I guess I can duck down and feel around for the difference if I have to."
no subject
Don't worry, Popp, the Custodian is absolutely not built for combat so you could probably just hit him with spells and he'd fall right over. You could probably push him over, actually.
"Maybe..." He studies the tiles for a moment. "...it is the number of limbs on the creature, corresponding with the number of stars?" He looks over at the blocks. Is there one without any stars at all?
no subject
Popp's brain tosses him the one (1) complex neutral machine he's at all familiar with. Brain please he needs you to work on the puzzle! This isn't helpful!!
There's a brightly lit city nightscape with only the moon visible.
"So all that stuff about shining bright like the stars was a hint? Ugh, these people think they're sooo clever."
no subject
With some difficulty, the Custodian pushes the moon-only block onto the pressure plate with the eel on it.
"It is meant to be a challenge. If they gave us no hints, it would not be interesting to watch for an audience. Their lives are also forfeit if they do not entertain enough, so it is likely in their best interest to look clever."
no subject
The plate clicks down. There's no obvious reaction beyond a little musical jingle.
"I guess we've got to get all of them - the turtle was there, so that would be four stars, right?"
Popp will help put his back into block pushing. He's stronger than he looks, he just does not look particularly strong.
no subject
Between their combined strength they are....probably reasonably effective at pushing blocks around! The Custodian runs through his memory banks rapidly to match each number of stars to the corresponding legs on the number of animal until they've successfully Got Them All (tm).
no subject
"Don't get me wrong, I'm still way more ticked off than sorry for them! I'm not going to get us killed or anything, don't worry about that!"
To work they go! If not for the Custodian, Popp would have mixed up the octopus and the squid after all. By the time they're done, the water's up to his waist and he's very eager to get past the sloping way up that's just opened with a cheery jingle.
Naturally it is trapped, a big log with spikes on it is going to roll down it once they're halfway up.
no subject
While he's soaked, it doesn't bother him unduly. He was made to withstand the vacuum of space if need be, and while it does not have the same properties as water, his internal components are comfortably shielded from outside interference and elements.
NATURALLY it's trapped. Instead of trying to evade it or run away from it (though that is always an option; it will slow down in water), the Custodian bows to gravity and physics, ever-present friends even in this strange parade of worlds. He grasps his staff and looks at the rolling log.
"If we use its momentum against it, we should be able to divert it away from us. But I think I will need your help for this one, as I did the last one."
He's awfully calm for someone who could get flattened by a log with spikes on it!!
no subject
"Okay! Which side?"
He's not exactly calm, but he's focused. There will be time for screaming if they mess up.