MISSION 009

[etrayamods]

⏵ CAMP ETRAYA ⏴ On May 16th, Aurora and the companion bots direct those not heading off to Solmara to make their way to Camp Etraya. Nestled away from everything else in a large clearing full of wildflowers and redwoods, Camp Etraya is a nostalgic summer camp experience put together just for it's residents! Cabins are assigned, scary stories are told around campfires, gossiping happens among friends on the trails surrounding the cabins - and don't be surprised when something goes awry. After all, this is still Etraya. While the rest of Etraya is still accessible and will not be blocked off, characters are discouraged from venturing far from camp for too long: Aurora will specify that they are on a mission, and that missions do require participation, but she has intentionally left them the freedom to wander. Not sleeping in their assigned cabins, not participating in events, and staying away from Camp Etraya will end with her having to take more extensive security measures, so please be on your best behavior! The last thing she wants to do is start enforcing boundaries, but she will if she has to. Camp is set up much like your generic summer camp! Each cabin is named, housing is assigned to characters as they arrive, there are camp counselors, and rotating daily tasks and chores. There are also multiple activities that characters are expected to participate in, and each activity is worth points that goes toward their camp graduation score. This score will be visible on their earpiece, and follows the A-F grading system. We are not be monitoring this, and are leaving character scores up to players. We do, however, ask that you please report your characters' camp grade HERE for rewards and demerits to be handed out after the mission itself. Cabin assignments can be found here, which also has their roles, and chores assigned to that cabin. Those who are participating in Solmara have received an assigned cabin, too, but their absence toward the beginning will not harm the cabin's ability to compete given how spread out their assignments are. ⏵ WELCOME TO CAMP ⏴ Camp life is meant to instill a sense of belonging, connection with nature, encouragement towards the creative, all on top of a firm foundation of responsibility. Upon arriving, campers will be escorted towards a table of white t-shirts and countless buckets of dye! Each Etrayan will be invited to make three Tie-Dyed shirts- as well as required to wear one as part of their summer uniform. Camp counselors must wear 80s basketball shorts or cut-off jeans. Campers may wear cargo shorts or a skort. For those with physical limitations to what they can wear, accommodations will be provided. Here, bonding is the camp runners' priority. They will be pushed into various ice-breaker activities, such as trust falls, two truths and a lie, and Never have I Ever. As the sun goes down, there will be weenies roasting over the bonfire, followed by s’mores and a sing-a-long! With the stars well-visible, it’s off to bed with campers. Each day after will start much the same: with the ringing of the bell and raising of the flag (Aurora, while unfamiliar with flag designs but an understanding of the concept, has chosen a rainbow flag for the camp. Rainbows make people happy, right?), followed by a meal at the Great Hall, morning assembly, activities with counselors, chores, free time, and then an evening winding down by the great fire. An hour after sun down, campers will be escorted back to their cabins for curfew. Camp Counselors are expected to keep track of their campers, and ensure they're all within their cabins for bedtime. This is part of their grade, too! Curfew lifts an hour before the first bell. ⏵ CAMP ACTIVITIES ⏴ As with most summer camps, Camp Etraya offers a wide variety of activities to participate in. While some of these activities may be mandatory, others are optional. We'll be leaving this up to individual player discretion: perhaps Viktor is mandated to report to arts and crafts, whilst it's optional for Silco to show. Silco, on the other hand, may be mandated to report to the archery contest. Characters are encouraged to participate in a minimum of one camp activity per day. Below is a non-exhaustive list of camp activities. Three-Legged Race - You and a partner are tied together at your ankles, and you must race others to the finish line. Those with abilities that would give them an advantage will find that the rope that ties them together hinders those abilities from functioning. Archery - This can be more traditional, magical, or include moving targets! If you're particularly unlucky, your target may even shoot back. Softball - What instills a sense of camaraderie better than a bit of team sports? Games will be held on Wednesdays, the field is otherwise available for practice. Dodge Ball - Standing diametrically opposed to Softball is dodge ball, the bully’s sport. This is a great opportunity to claim dominance or be sent to the Nurse’s Office. Obstacle Course - You are directed into a large maze with multiple obstacles for them to overcome, such as rock climbing walls, ramps, tires, and nets. Capture the Flag - Small teams are put together in order to take the flag from a particular bot, whose entire goal is to avoid being caught. Canoe Race - Canoes are placed into the rivers just off of the camp, and characters must race to the finish line. Chocobo Riding - Learn how to care for and ride these magnificent birds! Newbies will be taken around the corral, whereas more experienced riders can take the trail around the lake. Arts and Crafts - Make friendship bracelets, bead lizards, paint rocks, learn origami! Or perhaps you're tasked with putting together an enchanted necklace. Don't know how to do enchantments? Now is as good of a time as any to learn. Campfire stories - Share scary stories amongst yourselves around the campfire late into the night. If you're particularly unlucky, you may just hear the thing you were just warning others about.. ⏵ NIGHT TIME ⏴ Once campers have been put to bed, the counselors can still stay up. Unwind with hidden beers and the strumming of a guitar. Don’t get too comfortable, though, since without supervision, no one is keeping the campers in bed. After dark, should campers evade their counselors, they can go exploring in the dark. Eerie lights glimmer from the lake. There’s rumors of a headless spectre walking from the archery field to the edge of the forest. Should you behave, you still might hear a scratching at your bunk house window. And on the very last night of camp, there will be a talent show. Show off your hidden talent and bask in the excitement of wowing your fellow campers! ⏵ NOTES ⏴ Welcome to Camp Etraya! Please enjoy the s'mores and campfire songs. :) Camp will last approximately two weeks, going from May 16th to May 30th. For all questions relating to this mission, please refer to the plotting post. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ. ⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Comments

Content warning for everything probably

[levindicated]

[Unfortunately for Knife, there is one man utterly undaunted. And Barnabas does, in fact, know this man.]

[Any general pissing pantomime does absolutely nothing to deter him.]

There you are.

[He closes the distance and pushes one of his shoulders against the cabin.]

How long are you planning to avoid me?

[rudelanguage]

[being touched in any capacity raises Knife's hackles so fast they can hardly stop themselves from avoiding it; before the hand can touch, they shift on a heel to evade it, eyes sharpening and brow knitting. No touchy!

...What's with all the stubble-havers in this camp. What the fuck.

anyway, focus: avoid? what, like a friend? enemy? business partner? Knife didn't observe this motherfucker interacting with anyone which was why they picked him in the first place!!!!!! AAAAA fuck you Barnabas!!!]

Mind your business. [that covers enough, right? mind your business, you...you friend-thing! enemy-person! business associate!

...sibling? they both have stubble, so--]

[levindicated]

[Cid ignores… literally every physical body language cue Knife is throwing out.]

I am.

[He looks around for a moment, ensuring no one was about, and leans in to kiss him. ]

[rudelanguage]

[Knife raises a hand just in time for that mouth to smush onto their fingers, and they have only heartbeats to readjust their expression from the abject horror and disgust that washes over it (deception: 22 (16+6), clearing their throat.

These two better not be siblings.]

Other business. [they deadpan. if Cid's face stays where it is, they'll slowly start pushing their hand out for some space, otherwise they'll retract the hand and scoot out of arm's reach, back scraping the cabin wall.]

No thanks. Not...right now. [Or ever! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA]

[levindicated]

… [Barnabas has never swerved his affections like this. Also, he has never once said No Thanks.]

[Cid leans back to scrutinize him.]

… What’s wrong with you?

[rudelanguage]

[ffffffuuuuck what would be wrong with this guy to rebuff him?

Knife can't just make shit up off-the-cuff without knowing anything about him, so they try fishing:] What do you think?

[levindicated]

…

[Cid shifts the hand on his shoulder and starts trying to push him down towards the ground. ]

[rudelanguage]

I said no-- [they slap at his arm and slip aside. there's markedly less strength behind the gesture; Knife may be able to mimic the shape and sound, but they can't inherit the strength of the form they're hiding in.]

Back off. I want to be alone. [they step away, too weirded out to turn their back on this guy, looking like they're ready to spring into a sprint.]

[levindicated]

Who are you?

[He crosses his arms, ready to strike him down with a levinbolt as soon as he gets too far away]

[rudelanguage]

Someone already sick of your shit. Take the hint and take a hike.

[outwardly, Knife scowls. inwardly, Knife is panicking. I really should've just said I had the shits or something. I can't back this up. What the fuck.]

[levindicated]

[Cid lets put a loud, surprised laugh.] Barnabas doesn’t curse!

[He summons a fistful of lightning and unleashes it at this imposter.]

[rudelanguage]

[WELL THIS BARNABAS DOES, GODDAMMIT!

their skin tingles with the sudden surge of magic in the air, then throw themself out of the path of the crackling force, rolling and then springing to their feet to book it around the cabin and between two others.

if they fucking die, they'll wind up taking a few people with them, they suppose. that's something.

that sucks!

they wait, listening for footsteps. should they hear them, they're Misty Stepping further along and swinging another corner; they'll ring-around-the-rosie if they have to to get some space!

Think. Can't be Pending. Can't be Antigone.

The child? Maybe-??]

[levindicated]

[of course Cid is in hot pursuit! They’ve got a skinwalker, and that’s a fucking problem! ]

Hey! You! Stop!

[rudelanguage]

[Hey! You! No!!

around the corner they go, hopping a few steps and kicking themselves for not having their longstrider boots on. this is the punishment they get for trying to stay on-model; wear fashionable boots, Realnabas!

there is no time or serenity to pick a shape and outfit, so they kinda gotta do this on the fly. to that point, they strip free of the tie-dye shirt, hesitating only to lob it at Cid when they appear around the corner and Misty Step again. they got like two of those left before they fucking black out from magic use or whatever, so they gotta be conservative with the remainder.

next Cid-sighting, they lob a shoe. YEET!]

[levindicated]

[Even though the consequences are painful, it now feels incredible dire to catch this bitch.]

[Cid roars, pausing his pursuit long enough to power up, then catching up in a single bound, wreathed in purple energy with his hair blanched white. He’s fast like this.]

[rudelanguage]

[Knife, with Barnabas' voice, squeals in horror. truly, never such a sound has been uttered in such fashion, right? congrats. everyone's learning something today.]

LEAVE ME ALONE!

[leaping out of the way had loosened the other shoe, and they kick it off into the air aimlessly while flailing backward onto their ass. they're already shrinking as they go. tinybarnabas. kid-sized with the beard. normal. this is fine.

their complexion starts darkening and limbs thinning in realtime while they scramble onto their hands and knees to crawl away. dignity is for losers and dead people, THEY WANT TO LIVE!]

[levindicated]

[clouds gather. The sky rumbles. Cid calls down a genuine bolt of lightning onto them.]

[don’t die.]

[rudelanguage]

[UNCANNY DODGE MY BELOVED.

the ground explodes with lightningy bullshit, kicking up dust. Knife hopes to whatever god's pissing themself laughing at this is gracious enough to let someone else suffer for this; maybe someone startles and falls out of their bunk and breaks an arm? please god it'd be so funny.

the explosion and sparking light is actually helpful, though: they Misty Step somewhere unseen before the dust can clear, their tinier bare feet padding silently into the dark while they move to put as much fucking distance as they can between them and Kachow Lightning McAngryman.

if there's mercy to be had, they can vanish into the trees and shift again, do some double-backing and meandering to calm the fuck down and get Antigone dressed.

DOES THE CID CHOOSE MERCY [Y/N]]

[levindicated]

[Absolutely not. This is a problem. Try to deceive him or die. (Get incapacitated)]

[If he can evade Cid for five minutes he loses power though. Luck roll?]

[rudelanguage]

[if a 32 (18+7+7) in luck can't save them, little else can; Knife is shit at acting, shit at fighting, but evasion and hiding are their expertise.

scuffed footprints, one last Misty Step for misdirection, the alteration of weight and footshape altogether while they lose themselves in the darkness, praying for no creatures to give them away.

as insurance, they throw their voice back the way they came, but don't bother to brace and wait for result. they just move, slip their skin, and hunker down.]

[levindicated]

[Thats pretty lucky. Cid, having lost sight of him, drops his form and braces as he coughs up blood.]

[He walks around one more time, frowning, and decides to go try to find the real Barnabas. And now he’s got a morning announcement to make.]