etrayalogs | MISSION 009

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MISSION 009

⏵ 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⏴

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I can't swim, [she admits, with a trepidatious glance at the river.] And besides, who knows what horrors could be lurking underwater?

[Scratch snuffles around until he finds a branch, and then brings the branch to John and sits, waiting expectantly.]

[ John takes the branch and throws it as far as he can for Scratch. ]

Good thing for you there's life vests and only fish.

[ And then he realizes she won't know what a life vest is. ]

A life vest is just a vest with a lot of foam that keeps you floating if you end up in the water, so it's safe even for people who can't swim. And I could even teach you to swim some other time if you want. It's warming up, after all.

[Scratch goes haring after the branch, barking in excitement.

Shadowheart glances at the canoes again, and the orange vests that must be what he's talking about. She only knows 'foam' in the sense of seafoam, or the froth atop a tankard of beer, and she has no idea how a vest full of frothy liquid could keep one from drowning.]

You're sure it's safe?

[She approaches one of the vests and pushes her fingers into it. It feels surprisingly solid, though there is give to it.]

[ Scratch is a good boy, and John watches him run off, amused. ]

Very sure. Put it on properly and you won't even be able to get your head wet. It'll keep your chest at water level.

[If John's sure...

As though she were making an important decision with long-lasting ramifications, Shadowheart steels herself and says, with great determination,]

Alright. I'll try it.

[Scratch returns and deposits the branch, now quite damp with his saliva, in John's lap.]

[ He is sure, and he gives her a smile in response as he ruffles Scratch's head. ]

I don't suppose Scratch can sit still long enough to join us?

What do you think, boy?

[Scratch ruffs softly, leaning into John's hand.

Shadowheart picks up one of the vests, giving it a skeptical look-over before slipping it on. There are several odd buckles that require a lot of fiddling before she gets them to snap together, which doesn't install a lot of confidence.]

[ John will take that as a "yes" and gives Scratch a few more pets before getting up and putting on his own life vest that was laying on the log next to him. He gestures with his head towards the dock and sets off that way. ]

Canoeing is pretty simple. You have a paddle and pull the flat side through the water. If you want to turn you paddle only on the side you want to turn towards. I'll paddle on the opposite side of you so we move forwards instead of turning.

[Shadowheart knows what an oar is and the basics of how they work, even if she's never, to her knowledge, used one. Or been in a boat. Or been out in open water by any means. Or, really, been within about five feet of open water. It's with great gingerness that she steps into the boat, feels it rock beneath her, and very nearly decides to turn around.

Scratch, completely unperturbed, hops in, which only makes the boat rock more.]

What if the boat capsizes on top of us? Or a fish hits it hard enough to puncture it? Or there is something large and hungry down there waiting for us? Or there's a sudden thunderstorm?

[It's a bright, sunny day, no hint of a cloud anywhere to be seen, but Shadowheart's imagination is running away a bit.

She grips the paddle for dear life. Scratch thumps his tail against the bottom of the canoe and hangs his head over the edge to look into the water, his ears perking up at the sight of some small fish circling.]

Edited 2025-05-18 03:30 (UTC)

[ He has to hold back a laugh, since it wouldn't be appropriate; she's clearly very worried about this. But he doesn't manage to bite back his smile enough that it doesn't show on his face. ]

If it capsizes then we have our life vests to keep us afloat and can flip it back over. A fish can't hit it hard enough to puncture it, but even if we lost the boat somehow I could drag you back to the shore since I can swim. If there's something large and hungry down there then we can have a stern word with Aurora. And if the weather turns around we'll just paddle for the shore.

[ Instead of making the concerned Shadowheart lean over the side to untie them, he does it himself, unlooping the rope at the front of the boat with one hand and holding it against the dock with his other. Rope undone and tossed back in bow, he steps into the back of the boat with more confidence than she did, thought it rocks some with his arrival. But pretty quickly he's seated behind her. He grabs onto the dock so they don't float away. ]

Ready to give it a shot?

As ready as I'll ever be.

[Somehow managing to feel seasick despite being on a placid river, Shadowheart sits and steels herself. She can do this, as long as John is with her.]

Hells, facing down the avatar of the God of Death was less nerve-wracking than this.

[ He pushes them off from the dock and paddles on alternating sides a few times to get them out into the river. ]

Pick one side to paddle on. Hold your paddle at the top with your opposite hand and put your close hand halfway down. You'll want to use your torso as well as your arms to move the paddle through the water.

And really, the avatar of the God of Death? You're going to have to tell me about that one.

[With a certain amount of awkwardness, Shadowheart follows the instructions and starts trying to paddle.]

In my world, most gods act through their Chosen. A mortal who serves as their voice and hands in the world. Most would consider it a great honour, to be chosen by a god.

[Most. Not her. Not anymore. And there's just enough bite to her tone to make that clear.]

My friends and I managed to make an enemy of the God of Death, and when we defeated his Chosen, he usurped the man's body. He transformed it into an avatar, the god himself made flesh. Or, well, bone, in his case. The largest, ugliest skeleton I've ever had the displeasure of laying eyes on. We defeated it, not that that's put an end to what he's up to, of course. A god doesn't die so easily.

[She pauses, thinking back on their trip to Aphaia, and what happened when she walked through that doorway. She hasn't spoken to John since, but... she does want to talk about it.]

The version of me that you met in Aphaia was Chosen. By the Goddess of Darkness.

[ Oh, they're talking about Aphaia, then. The Shadowheart who didn't believe in even friendship. He didn't really think that was her, and then he came back and everything changed. He hasn't had a chance to reach out.

He paddles on the opposite side, matching the pace of her stroke. ]

I walked through one of the door challenges in Aphaia, spent some time as a younger version of myself. Was it like that for you, too?

[She shakes her head.]

I was older. I had memories of what, for me now, is my future. A future, [she adds, her face darkening,] I hope doesn't come to pass.

I think that's who I would have become, had I been chosen instead of forsaken.

[ It's hard to imagine the Shadowheart he knows now turning into the person he met in Aphaia. They seem so fundamentally different. Is it rude to say that he agrees that he hopes it doesn't come to pass? ]

I like spending time with you now.

[ A few weeks ago he never would have imagined saying that. Now, two years later and many lessons learned, he can. The things he left unsaid when Shaw was taken from them, the things he'll never get to say to Root or Fusco now. The way Fusco showed him how alone he was, how he should be more honest, more trusting. ]

[It's an odd thing to hear, that someone likes spending time with her. In her time here, Shadowheart's made few enough friends, and John is only one of two she'd consider close.

Aside from Scratch, of course, she thinks fondly, as she watches the dog stick his nose in the water and startle himself by blowing a large bubble.]

That's sweet of you. [And she means it.] But it's more than what will happen to me. I have memories of a future, now, in which my friends die, or worse. Saving the world is all well and good – not that I believe for a second that's truly what we've been brought here for – but what of saving them?

[ He wishes he had good news to share. That he could say "you'll know, you can change things, this knowledge isn't for nothing" but having been through it himself, she deserves the truth. ]

Unless something changes at the end of all of this, you won't remember when you go home. I went there just after Aphaia and didn't remember Etraya until I came back.

[ No, not good news. Maybe Echo can be reasoned with, but John has his doubts given that no one has ever had contact with them. Which means that Shadowheart will be at the mercy of fate. Not comforting.

Scratch's antics remind him that there's a dog life vest on his boat, maybe he can get a second one for him and take them both sailing with Bear. Let the dogs play in the water together. It doesn't make up for Shadowheart's future, but maybe they can make the best of her time here. ]

You went home?

[She glances back at him, startled and - if she's honest - envious. And in the moment that her head is turned, Scratch decides to leap out of the boat to chase a fish in the water. They're not far from shore, there aren't any strong currents that could drag him away, and Shadowheart could cast telekinesis and simply lift him back into the boat. But her sudden spike of panic is far too overwhelming for her to think of any of that.

She grabs at him, trying to catch him mid-leap, and instead finds herself flailing, her balance lost, and tipping into the water.]

[ Dogs are often good at swimming so John startles when Scratch leaps, but he isn't overly concerned until Shadowheart goes in after him. There's an instinct to jump in after her, but she's wearing a life vest and he recognizes it'll be easier to get her back in the canoe if he's still in it.

Instead he keeps the boat steady, paddling just enough to keep it close enough that she could reach out and touch the side. ]

Don't panic. Your life vest will keep you afloat.

[Despite Shadowheart's best inadvertent efforts to sink herself in a panic, her life vest keeps her afloat long enough that, eventually, her hand slaps against the side of the boat. Once it finally sinks in that she's not drowning – though she has swallowed, and possibly inhaled, a mouthful or two of river water – she stops flailing and clings for dear life to the side of the boat.]

There's nothing under my feet! I can't feel the bottom.

[For all she knows, there could be an empty, yawning abyss beneath her full of sea monsters.

Scratch, having failed to catch his fish, doggy paddles easily back to shore, shakes himself off, and turns to watch.]

[ Seeing Scratch paddle off is a relief, but John really needs to make sure he has a second dog life vest when he invites them on the boat. This does mean he can turn his attention back to Shadowheart.

What's the easiest thing to do here? Should he try to get her back into the canoe or just swim them both back to shore? He's tempted to jump in just to reassure her, but then he'd have to swim the canoe back to shore and the drag would make that hard.

John stows his paddle and goes to the side where she is, extending a hand down. ]

It's okay, we're close to shore, nothing but some kelp and fish down there. Keep a grip on the side with one hand and grab my hand with the other, I'll pull you in. Try to roll onto your side and tuck your legs in as you come in the boat.

[Shadowheart grabs the offered hand, but instead of using it to haul herself back into the boat, she just shakes her head.]

I'm not getting back in that death trap.

[Without bothering to ask permission, she casts dimension door, wheezing out the words of the spell through what she's convinced herself must be entire lungfuls of river water. Pale blue light swirls around them as the landscape shifts. Unless John pulls his hand away before she's done with the casting, they'll both be back on shore, the boat floating out in the river on its own. If John does pull away, Shadowheart will teleport back to shore alone.

Either way, Scratch runs up to her and starts nuzzling her in concern.]

[ It's reflexive for his body to jerk in surprise as the magic swirls around them, but he doesn't let go. Instead he's... on the shore. And the canoe is not.

Well.

He could swim back out, flail back into it, and paddle it back. Or he could let it lazily float along and go get it later. He opts to give her a mock put upon look. ]

You've made more work for me later.

[Shadowheart watches the boat drift slowly past them from beneath the sodden fringe clinging to her forehead and obstructing her view. She coughs a single wet cough and runs her fingers through Scratch's soggy fur.]

Turns out I wasn't ready to get in a boat just yet, [she says with exaggerated grimness.

With a sigh, she casts destroy water, and she and Scratch are suddenly bone dry. She isn't really aiming for the river, but several gallons of water disappear near the riverbank where they're standing, causing a sudden whoosh as more water floods in to fill the gap.

Scratch gives himself another shake.]

I can get it back, if it matters that much to you.

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