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etrayalogs2025-05-16 08:15 am
etrayamods) wrote in etrayalogs2025-05-16 08:15 am
SOLMARA
 ⏵ LEAVING ETRAYA ⏴ Whilst most individuals will be making their way to Camp Etraya, the select few that have volunteered (and those who Aurora chose to be the fifteen she could support travel for) will be directed to come to the hospital, where a portal made of a swirling purple energy awaits. Aurora will meet them beside it, several backpacks placed by her feet by companion bots on their way out to their camp duties. "I'm sorry I cannot be of more assistance," Her voice is soft, hesitant in a way Aurora generally is not. "I would send my back up in this body to accompany you, but I am... using an extensive amount of my own resources just to keep this portal open, and I want to ensure our city is safe, too." Each name has a name on it, or a symbol that represents the character it has been brought for. For those who do not recognize their packs, Aurora will lift them and offer them out herself. They all contain basic survival needs, including breather masks, modular tool kits, hydration capsules, thermal cloaks, solar-charged lanterns, ration packets, medkits, as well as items specific to them that they may require - medication they may require, sunscreen, anything Aurora could think of that they may need that she could pack away. Once they've all gathered their packs, she raises a hand to gesture them towards the portal. "Your earpieces will continue to function, but will not be able to reach outside of their protective barrier. I understand some of you may have the means to communicate over long distances without the assistance of technology or magic," her eyes linger on Nate Grey momentarily, before she addresses the group as a whole once more, "And I would, if you can, lean on that to reach out to those who remain behind. While they may be on their own mission, I have left it... open, as best as I am able to. I wish all of you the best of luck. And please do be careful - I cannot guarantee your return from death should anything happen to you on Solmara." Lips press together tightly. Aurora hesitates, before offering, "I would, if you could, keep a look out for Ithaqua. He is still registering as one of mine, but I have not been able to find him within Etraya." The portal awaits them. Aurora will still be beside it to answer any further questions as best as she can, but she cannot step through alongside them.  ⏵ OUTSKIRTS ⏴ Once they've stepped through the portal, they will find themselves in a small forested area full of barren trees called the Mirkwood Strip. Even the air in Solmara smells different: stale, and musty, despite how dry the environment around them looks. Where Etraya was covered in greenery, Solmara is covered in sand. It's a ruin of torn up roads, steel skeletons where buildings had once been, and jury-rigged machinery can be found throughout the city bubble. Scorched earth beneath a blood-orange sky, it barely feels habitable, let alone like a place for those competing to save their own worlds. Its outskirts are near-empty, full of those who have left Alrys' good graces and a few patrols to keep the half-starved deserters from rising up against her. There are a few individuals wandering among old buildings who may look a little less torn up: city bubbles are initially designed to suit those who will be arriving, after all, and some of these citizens look at home in sands and heat, even if the lack of nutrition is less than ideal. Some don't require it, but are fed by the bright light in the sky itself. Everyone outside the large barrier Alyrs has put up around the hospital and the numerous buildings around it are either fighters, scavengers, or left over torn-apart corpses, waiting to be revived or worse: too torn apart to be revived in their original bodies. Either way: most this far out will know they aren't meant to be here if they blend in well enough: Alrys may have eyes on the hospital to look for any new arrivals, but outside of her scouts, who would know? If they wander closer to the barrier surrounding the city, they may find small cracks in the shell that protects them from the planet's hostile environment - not quite big enough to fit an entire body, but big enough to pry open so one could make it out. Perhaps this is where the warning of the incoming Solmarans had come from: someone slipping out and trekking across the planet to leave behind the banner. Where Etraya has wildlife, Solmara has predators. Large creatures hide amongst the dunes, in the trees, the caves, and mountains, just waiting for the opportunity to get a nice-sized bite out of an unfortunate traveler.  ⏵ SOLMARA ⏴ But they didn't arrive here as tourists: the Etrayans came with a mission: figure out what's wrong with Borealis, and free the citizens of Alrys' control. And do so so - they'll need to get passed Alrys' defenses, break through the gates she and her people have put around the main buildings, and infiltrate the hospital. This is where her defenses are strongest, where they will find multiple groups of her soldiers ready to take them on, if they aren't careful to avoid them. And just like Etraya: they have a varied bunch. Some are strong, powerful. Some may be able to see the Etrayans moves two steps before they decide to make them, may be able to easily remove them from the equation. But the further they get, the more hesitant her forces may seem. Those who had been on Solmara previously will note: this isn't normal. Something's wrong here, different. This log is only for the characters chosen to visit Solmara, as discussed with Aurora. Please feel free to reference Ashlee's map, as this is what we will be using to guide characters through Solmara! As mentioned previously, we mods will be watching this post closely and will be guiding characters along to assist them in getting to their goal. Our intention will be to boomerang tags back as quickly as possible, until this mission is finished. To this end, we ask that any tag that you want the mods to respond to directly have "@mods" in the subject line, so we don't step in when it's not our time yet, and don't miss anything directed our way. Feel free to respond to this log in any format that works for you! We would recommend breaking up into smaller teams to make navigating the city easier, but do ask that you keep to at least teams of two or more, to make it easier for us mods and allow your character to have interactions that aren't just against NPCs/mod tags providing guidance on moving forward. If an OOC thread of what happens as characters move forward is easier for your group, please begin that in the mod queries comment on the Solmara Plotting Post. We'll get back to these threads as quickly as possible, too. This can be used to ask a question such as "What if Accelerator sneaks in passed the barrier and tries to blend in as a guard, what could he find?", "What monster is outside of Murkwood and how would they respond to intruders?", or something like "Max will be going up to some of Alrys' guard and reporting he was able to successfully complete the mission, how will they respond and can he get to Alrys directly like this?" For all questions relating to this log, please refer to the Solmara Plotting Post. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ. |
no subject
Instead, he raises his free hand over to his glasses, adjusting them slightly and probably bringing attention to them, but honestly he was just trying to formulate everything that he wanted to say in a clear way. Small breath, okay, go on, Summers. What are you anxious about anyway?
Oh right, that he's never really been on a mission like this before.]
Um, so you're clearly a genius. [...] I was wondering if you would be able to make something that can help control my powers a little better.
no subject
...
This guy just called him a genius.
Gorgug stares at him, which isn't too out there, considering Scott is speaking to him. Externally, it may all look fine when Scott is dealing with his own nerves to ask what he wants to. And internally, on Gorgug's side?
This guy just called him a genius. And he's asking for help with his powers, which--he knows nothing about, but again, for the third time: this guy just called him a genius?
He needs his help. And Gorgug has just been called a genius. ]
I can make something. [ There's no uncertainty in that response. He looks over the guy slowly, trying to figure out where his powers might come from. Like a genius should instantly know. Hands, head, brain?... ]
...
What kind of powers?
[ Okay, so maybe even a genius needs help. ]
no subject
He notices the staring and Scott does his best to remain outwardly still and nonchalant, even though he feels just a little bit awkward about what he said. Asked?? Guess it was kind of short notice to ask something so specialized in such short notice? He doesn't feel like apologizing, but he's about to tell Gorgug to forget about it--]
Oh, you can? [He's just too relieved by the offer to really think about it in depth. Maybe Gorgug was just thinking of logistics and how much time he had before they go on this trip? Sure, yeah. It's definitely not because he called this dude a genius--]
And my power is optic blasts. [He points at his shades-- well mostly trying to point at his eyes.] They're... powerful concussive beams that shoot out of my eyes. I tore down a giant tree once.
[And he almost killed someone--]
no subject
Pressing a forefinger against a small stone sticking out of the side, the lens of his goggles turn smoky as they start to scan the guy, more focused on his biology and face than going for a full body scan. He just wants to get an energy reading coming from the guy, while also asking as that gets to work: ]
So you, uh-- what are you thinking? You want to control them-- you wanna make different shapes? Turn them big or small?
no subject
He might be able to note that there's a constant sort of force shooting from his eyes. There's a unique gene in his DNA that causes said powers, if he's able to analyze that deeply.]
Yeah, controlling them mostly. [Because he can't. Even now, after a month of having them. Or apparently ever, based on what Sophie told him. Why?? But not getting into that...] I-- there's something I use later on that controls the output of them?
[That's not a weird thing to say--]
But if you can do anything at all, that would be great man.
no subject
Gorgug studies the energy behind the shades for a little while longer, before pulling up his goggles to look at the guy with a furrowed brow, his brain ticking and tocking as he thinks. ]
Uh, I could make something that lets you control the...size that they come out, with time. There's crystals that attune to the brain so you can think what you want, but I would have to... [ Know more, especially those shades he's wearing that Gorgug's paying more attention to than trying to look at Scott himself. ]
What are your glasses made of? Is the material special?
[ Man made? ]
no subject
Really. Why can't he control his powers when the other mutants can? Even Jean's able to now. The older one. At least he can tell his Jean about that whenever he gets home. Something encouraging when she's been struggling all her life.
But snapping his attention back to Gorgug, Scott nods.]
Yeah, the lenses are made of ruby quartz. They're the most important part, the frames are normal material. [...] Something about the quartz being able to reflect my powers-- one of my professors at home made these glasses for me.
no subject
Rubies are good. We use them, too. [ Differently, but-that's fine. What can he propose right now? Not much, but after a small silence, kind of knowing what he'll have to say, anyway... ]
Are you okay coming to my workshop so I can take a closer look at your glasses and your eye energy? I have a better machine for reading energies there. And then I can... help you control your output by...
[ ... ]
...how do you want to control the output? [ ... ] If you had a choice.
[ Said in a way that Gorgug totally has an idea of what that means, but what does it mean for Scott Summers?! Not because Gorgug doesn't know how he wants to control it!!
(Find a way to turn it off without the shades? Like, it's already coming out of his eyes...) ]