etrayalogs | 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⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

... I'd say this is an authentic camp experience. There are almost too many options for activities, though. It's difficult to decide what to do. I would have had fewer, with counselors paired or teamed up for stations. Or have more assigned to the mess hall, the laundry area, the showers, the necessary management. Even managing the supply deliveries from the main city to here. But I'm not the director.

[She props an elbow on the table and lean forward with a smile.]

Today, or another day if something memorable happens while you're here. It's for you to keep.

[ Today, or another day. Gorgug gives it one last look, and then decides to fold it up in his hands. ] Okay, I'll save it.

[ Either for later, or as Mayuko said--after some important event. He holds it in his lap with it turned into a square shape. ]

Have you run anything before? I know you said you worked in a library, but, is that the same? You had a lot of ideas about what you would do. [ And, after all: ] I haven't thought about any of that.

[ Granted, he hasn't been at the camp as long as Mayuko has, but would his mind have gone into how he would run it? Probably not. ]

Run anything beside the library? I teach in a high school back home. There's a lot of planning and management there that students don't get to see. And in the place that Echo took me from, I managed a mess hall and community kitchen....

[Mayuko doesn't have a niche like that in Etraya. Not yet, at least. She pauses, thinks of how to phrase her thoughts.]

In this situation, I'm observing what Aurora has organized and considering what I would do based on my own experience. I bet you have had thoughts like that. Is there anything about the camp you don't like, Gorgug?

[ The place that Echo took her from? He would ask, though he thinks he understands after a moment--that's not the first he's heard of a situation like that, right? But trying to remembering where, who or how, putting a face or name to why he's heard that before -- he'll need time to figure that.

For now, the question about the camp is one Gorgug gets stuck on. A slight squint to his eyes, a frown at the edges of his mouth, near his protruding tusk teeth. ]

...I don't like being in it. [ If he's honest? That's what's been on his mind. ] I know it's easy as far as missions go, and I know they're important for grading us, but... I guess I haven't been paying attention to what's or good about it. What I don't like.

[ About the running of it, activities, whatever else. He speaks more down spirited than usual, still close to mild, but--bummed.

Sometimes, even a camp setting for your world-saving mission can't make you feel good. ]

[That response derails Mayuko's line of questioning. After "what don't you like" would be "what would you do differently," but when the problem is engaging with the premise as a whole, what would be the solution? That's a puzzler...]

That's fair. Sometimes you just have to slog through a situation. But I do hope you encounter something interesting or nice with your friends before it ends.

[She stands with a stretch. It's not her job to relax in the Quiet Zone during free time, after all.]

That's what camp is for.

Yeah-- thanks.

[ That's what camp is for. Maybe that's what the purpose of this camp is, too. Gorgug understands the sentiment, and he won't push back against it, no matter if he can't really agree to it in this situation. But just because he might be bummed doesn't mean that he needs to be a bummer.

So he'll feign agreement instead, and add, as awkward as he usually is: ]

I hope you have fun, or... have more fun.

[ He's real good at this... ]

MISSION 009

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