etrayalogs | Mission 013 Log

Mission 013 Log

Mission Summary

Genre: Survival / Exploration / Spooky

Premise: Mesa is a wild, lawless land of megafauna, from feathered dinosaurs to redwoods soaring stories high. Etrayans must document what remains of a world on its way out and then get out alive, surviving in the wilderness for two weeks while fighting off a hostile environment. Most importantly of all: beware the dark.

Tone: Dark and philosophical. Is this a world worth saving?

Objectives: Take samples and record for posterity what happened on Mesa. Demonstrate appreciation of what is lost and the capacity to preserve it.

❬ all that men presume ❭

While Mesa is full of life even now, with large creatures roaming the continents and making themselves comfortable, there are traces indicating that at one point this wilderness was constructed. The Citadel, a galaxy-spanning empire, had wanted to collect creatures from the numerous inhabited planets they could reach, and selected Mesa as the location for their conservatory given its lack of sentient residents. Once a carefully maintained vacation destination for Citadel elite, landscapes were meticulously groomed and animal husbandry was rigorously planned to create fascinating creatures across generations.

A good idea, in theory. Perhaps even in practice, given that whilst the rest of this galaxy has collapsed and died, this particular planet is still standing, along with all the creatures that had been transplanted onto it to call it their home.

Now abandoned by the Citadel, Mesa returns slowly to its original state: a deserted planet much like Etraya was before Aurora and Borealis's cities had been developed on it. Which is why Aurora has sent the Etrayans abroad: gather data on those who still live amongst Mesa's population, so that these creatures will not be forgotten as their predecessors have been.

Aurora's portal brings characters to a bare base camp, previously visited by a spare few of her bots in order to outfit it with just enough to allow them to survive. Simply called the Lux, their base camp takes the form of a massive spire with a built-in high-powered lamp at the peak, which bathes the entire outside of the building in light at all times. Some rooms hidden within the facility provide darkened spots to allow Etrayans to rest safely.

Aurora had told them that they must make sure to not be out in the dark -- hopefully the spire's eternal light as well as how carefully the entire outside of the structure is lit up offers them enough of a reminder to listen.

Possible Hooks
• Taking stock of your assigned team that you've just met, sharing supplies, and getting ready to leave on your assignment.
• Building up the base to serve as a safe respite for the time on Mesa.
• Returning to camp between assignments for a breather or because you've spent a little too long out in the dark.

❬ a conservatory left behind ❭

Mesa's ecosystems are dominated by megafauna: creatures of immense size and stature, often with lengthy lifespans and narrow biome niches. Most are locked to their environments, adapted precisely to the area they reside in, with little chance of surviving outside of their specific ecosystem. A swamp titan would not survive the cold tundra that the ice leopards call home, and the ice leopards cannot survive in the ashy, hot environment that let horned beetles thrive. Smaller animals may exist amongst them, but they are significantly less common. Many rely on the larger creatures for survival: feeding off of the parasites that attach themselves to their massive bodies, or nesting within their fur.

Much of the wildlife exhibits ancient evolutionary traits, behaviors and patters long-since established with no signs of further development. They no longer evolve with time and generations but instead have settled into their place on their planet.

The megafauna are not the only living beings on Mesa. Scattered across the planet are traces of civilization: abandoned ranger stations, research laboratories, and observation outposts. While these locations appear as if the technology within them was at one time advanced, it has now become nonfunctional, left to rot without maintenance over the generations.

Yet some of these structures still contain life, the descendants of the humanoid beings that established Mesa long ago. One may consider trying to extend a hand out toward them to offer what assistance they can give - but none of them will be friendly.

Long abandoned by those who had once brought them here, these people have become opportunistic predators, fiercely defending what facilities they were able to keep partially functional. The darkness that plagues the Etrayans also appears to plague them, and without light, the same ill fate would be their demise.

They do not travel far, choosing to maintain their own livestock and supplies to ensure they are never far from the light. After all, they know the greatest threat on Mesa is not the wildlife, but the dark.

Possible Hooks
• Encounter various wildlife while out on assignment, and perhaps run into another team.
• Build an observation blind shelter with your teammates and hole up there for a few days, hoping to document your species of interest.
• Discover and explore an abandoned structure.
• Come under threat from the residents... or try to reach out to them.

❬ hatchlings ❭

The chelonians, one of the species in one of Mesa's warmer climates, has struggled to maintain their numbers over their centuries on the planet due to their inability to change their ways.

Hatchlings are born several kilometers away from the beach shores, burrowed deep into soil to protect them from predators that may seek out their eggs during high tide. These creatures are massive, large shells encasing a significant portion of their bodies with only their heads and limbs visible from under it.

These creatures are rare and difficult to spot on Mesa: they breed slowly, live for centuries, and their offspring very rarely make it passed their first few hours of life. They often hatch in the dark of the night, making them extremely susceptible to predators that lurk in the dark, waiting for prey too small and too fragile to protect themselves. Large winged beasts swoop down from the skies, picking up the newborn chelonians to enjoy a fresh meal.

Without them, their ecosystem begins to collapse: kelp beds and forests fail, and entire food chains unravel.

Etrayans with interest could assign themselves a simple, unofficial mission to find the burrows and protect the younglings as they manage to break through their shells, then help them into the ocean so that their kind may survive to see the sun again. They must set up light sources and wait beside the burrows to make sure these massive creatures not only escape their eggs but do not become lost on their journey to the water. Following them to the water is critical, as their eyesight, even with a light source, is quite poor -- and they have a tendency to lose their way.

No one's asked them to do this -- the whole planet is slated for destruction, so maybe this entire venture is pointless -- but maybe this is something worth doing anyway.

Possible Hooks
• Idealistic types see the chelonian hatchlings struggling to make it to a beach and step in to help. Considering how large they are, this might be a struggle for them, too.
• Cynical types question what the point is.

❬ night falls ❭

Mesa's darkness is not merely the conventional absence of direct light.

The planet itself has no moon, and when darkness comes, it is absolute.

Remaining in the darkness has several consequences, and the effects accumulate over time, progressing along a spectrum rather than in tidy stages. This only seems to effect those from Etraya and the humanoids living within their bases, not the animals brought to reside on planet. Remaining within light sources suppresses the effects, but the moment the planet's rotation angles them away from this galaxy's star, any Etrayans caught outside of the light will find themselves succumbing to the effects.

Characters were warned not to stay out in the dark, but they were not told why they should not.

If any of them prefer not to find out and remain at base during one unfortunate night, they'll find out why anyway: the power cuts. The surrounding terrain, once held at bay by artificial light at the Lux, is swallowed whole. The air feels heavier and the atmosphere itself feels weighted.

Blithe apathy sinks in. The ability to listen to reason slowly leaves those left in the darkness. If they do not find a light source quickly, they will be able to feel the physical effects of the darkness set into their skin, potentially ending with permanent changes.

Those remaining on base may work together in order to bring the power back on, utilizing any personal abilities in addition to fixing the damaged circuits in order to bring everything back online. But they had better react quickly -- the longer the darkness remains, the worse the effects become, and maybe someone who was once trying to help is now trying to hurt...

Possible Hooks
• Help restore power after it cuts at the Lux.
• Underestimate the darkness effects, assume your light source is enough, and slowly fall prey to the pleasant apathy. You'll need rescue.
• Stumble onto another party's camp and need their help to be coaxed back to sanity.

❬ MISSION NOTES ❭

📌 — Please make sure to use the major events comment thread specifically to announce character actions that have a significant impact on the mission outcome or other characters.

📌 — For all questions relating to this mission, please refer to the mission queries comment on the plotting post. Other questions can be directed to the FAQ.

🔵FULL NAVIGATION🔵

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ It's true, it'll be significantly harder for Accelerator to navigate the roots. If they get too close to nightfall then John can always carry him, though he's sure that would be met with great protest; still, better than the alternative.

He doesn't know anything about Sunday, but it's curious that he says "system hour." He'll have to remember that for later as he puts together a profile for this new person. Teammate. ]

Are we aiming for something in this direction or exploring?

[Accelerator mutters something under his breath, something along the lines of 'fucking wilderness.' The idea of cheating by using his ability crosses his mind, but he (reluctantly) dismisses that option. With limited battery life, it's better than he reserve it for filling his role as Naturalist.

He'll just have to tough it out. Unsure of what a system hour is either, he at least won't slow the rest of the team down any more than that. He can keep up! He can do it!!

John's question has him glancing over again at Sunday as well, curious about that. It doesn't matter to him either way, he can still do his job regardless of where they're headed.]

[They are questioning his judgment.

Sunday bites back his first choice of words, though his feathers visibly ruffle.]

Both. [He says smoothly and looks ahead through the foliage. The dense wilderness makes him feel dizzy, so he quickly turns his gaze back to the map and its soothing, sensible grid.]

I believe I have already pointed out that it should be a convenient place to survey the local wildlife. There should also be a research station in the middle of a clearing... Or, rather, in the middle of what used to be a clearing.

It might not be easy to find, so if we start running out of time, I would rather not risk it.

[ John isn't questioning so much as asking questions, trying to get a grasp of today's goal. He doesn't understand Sunday's tells yet, but John's not sure he's happy with all these questions. But they're a team, so he'd better learn to live with them. ]

We can always come back again if we think there's more to find.

[ He glances around at the team; what a group they make. Nothing to do for it. ]

Are we ready to move out?

[Accelerator perks up at the mention of a research station. That potentially means technology, maybe a sliver of civilization, and both are things he's much better suited to, so it could mean something of a break for him. It also being a good place to survey the wildlife is an added bonus.

Above all, it means no more tripping over roots and rocks, so he's very quick to nod.]

Yeah, let's go.

[Sunday looks down at his map, then risks gazing again out into the tangle.]

This way.

[He says, confidently, though he has no actual confidence that they will find anything.

For several minutes, or maybe half an hour, he leads in silence, then his footsteps slow to a stop. Before him, beneath the thick overgrown canopies of trees that seem higher than Penacony's sky, is the ruin of a research station.]

There it is.

[Large and squat, as if crushed under the weight of the foliage. Sunday's wings twitch forward, then fold back as he steps aside and casts an expectant gaze toward his companions.]

Mister Reese, please...

[He tilts his head in the direction of the ruin to indicate that he would rather the group Sentinel take the lead and check for any signs of danger.]

Edited 2026-02-09 21:32 (UTC)

[ Sunday doesn't need to ask twice, John is already moving towards the front of their group, drawing his pistol as he goes. He almost hopes there's something to find in there.

The visible window has been pried open by some vines, just enough to fit a fist through, but is opaque with moss and grime, leaving the inside obscured. An attempt at the door finds it stuck shut, so John aims a well placed kick and busts it open, gun at the ready for anything inside. But no threats emerge.

To be certain he does a quick sweep of the small building but it's just overgrown, no lurking dangers. Job done, he returns outside. ]

All clear.

[By the time they arrive Accelerator is more than a little tired, but he keeps his complaints to himself. That is easy to do when he lays his eyes on what's left of the research station, as his exhaustion gets overtaken by a curiosity and desire to explore the place.

Eager to get investigating, he quietly hangs back near Sunday, waiting until John returns from his sweep. Once he does and gives the all clear, he heads towards the entrance to get inside.]

Good. Let's see what the hell this place has to offer.

[Rising, ancient roots have opened cracks in the walls wide enough for Sunday to stick his arm through. He resists an almost overwhelming urge to peer through them, worried he will see something upsetting if he does. Or it will see him.

He walks up to the doors, once glass but long since shattered, and steps through. His boots crunch the shards underfoot.

The doors open into a wide foyer with faded maps and dark screens covered in vines and cobwebs. Something about the sight sends a frisson of unease through his spine, making his feathers ruffle.

A research station and nature observatory reclaimed by the very nature it had been built to study.]

Well, I'm sure we'll find samples and old records here.

[He shifts to look back at his companions.]

Please forgive me for stating the obvious, but be careful as you look around. Creatures aren't the only thing we need to worry about. Parts of this building could collapse at any moment.

[ Sunday isn't wrong about that. ]

There's a collapsed section towards the back that's blocking a door. I'll try clearing a way through. Give a shout if there's any trouble.

[ Not that he's technologically illiterate, but there's a reason he leaves the computer stuff to Harold and Root. Making this trek would have been hard on Harold but John misses his expertise right now, and even wishes Root was here in his place; they were never very close but she was part of the team, and there's a gap where she isn't anymore. Regardless, John doesn't know about Sunday's capabilities but Accelerator he trusts with this in their stead.

Going deeper into the facility is the collapsed section he mentioned. He took a brief note of it earlier but gives it a closer examination this time. The wall and part of the ceiling have caved in, but what's left behind seems stable. None of the chunks of rubble seem too large or heavy either, so John gets to work clearing them away by moving them out the hole in the wall. ]

[In spite of his curiosity, Accelerator at least makes sure to stay behind John and Sunday as they enter the research station. Once inside, though, he peels off and wanders over to some monitors, tapping them experimentally and examining them for any connections to computer equipment. It's all in incredibly rough shape but who knows, maybe some of it will still turn on? At the very least there might be some storage drives they could retrieve to take back to base camp.]

Yeah, yeah.

[He waves a hand at the two of them, already engrossed in his investigation. It's fine if part of the building collapses; as long as he has time to hit the switch on his choker then he'll survive.

Speaking of which! Once he finds a cable connected to one of the monitors he switches modes on his choker, then starts fiddling around to find an exposed bit of wiring to poke at and analyze.]

[Sunday watches as his companions busy themselves and feels suddenly useless now that they've reached their destination. It makes his feathers itch.

He follows up behind John and monitors the removal of the rubble.]

After all this effort, I certainly hope that door leads somewhere useful. I don't suppose there is a way of knowing?

[Golden eyes dart back over his shoulder at Accelerator.]

Please stop playing with those wires for a moment and look for a floor plan [While phrased as a polite request, there is a commanding tone in his voice.]. If this was indeed a large structure once, there may be one.

[ Sunday at least seems to like giving orders. John doesn't mind following orders, but that's because it's Harold giving them; he's not interested in following Sunday's orders, though he does have to work together with everyone. At least those orders aren't directed at him right now, though he doesn't need the supervision. ]

You could help look for that floor plan. We won't know if the door goes anywhere without finding it or exploring ourselves, and this will take a little while longer to clear.

[ John's voice is neither commanding nor snide, it's said in a very casual tone. But there's no reason for Sunday to be standing around watching him and leaving the investigation to Accelerator alone. ]

[Accelerator, being both a person who can't ignore reasonable ideas and a surly teen, settles for the combination of clicking his tongue in irritation and abandoning the wires to start rooting around in any drawers or cabinets for a floor plan. He'd much rather try and salvage this equipment and he doesn't like being told what to do, but Sunday's strategy makes sense. A floor plan might go beyond just showing the structure of the building, and may have labels for the rooms. There may be additional context, and that could be incredibly useful.

So, yes. He'll suck it up and try to find a floorplan, or any other physical documentation that they might be able to use.]

[Sunday lifts his proud head to glance sidelong at John. What he hears isn't a command, but it sounds like a challenge to his authoritative nature all the same. One he refuses to lose.]

Do I seem idle to you, Mister Reese?

[He says lightly, then lifts his eyes to the blocked door.]

I need a moment to think...

If this is an environmental observatory, it may have once watched the sky.

[From the door, his gaze rises further, sweeping along the cracks of the ceiling to places where it long ago caved in. If the sky was ever visible from this building, it was long ago. Trees and vines hang over it now like ancient, looming hands.]

[ Does he seem idle? Well. Yes. That's why John made the suggestion. But he's not here to start a fight so he lets the subject drop; there's no way to continue it that doesn't edge into that territory. ]

Learning about the sky would be useful if there's records about night. Maybe there were stars or a moon.

[ The rubble removal is progressing smoothly. He's getting close to the point where the door will be accessible again. ]

[Accelerator is going to keep on searching, and as he does he keeps part of his attention on Sunday and John. It's probably a good thing that they are only on the verge of bickering (not that he'd do anything if they did).

He pauses when he opens another cabinet, blinking.]

I found some disks. [He pulls them out of the cabinet, tossing them on top of it before closing the drawer.] Dunno if any paper floor plans are still in one piece. This place seems like it's been abandoned long enough that anything paper would have disintegrated by now.

Most likely.

[Sunday says, in agreement with Accelerator, then deigns to walk over to the boy.]

I was hoping to find a display of some kind, but, given our circumstances, maybe that was unrealistic.

[His golden eyes drift up to the ancient screens and wiring hanging around them, and he folds his arms over his chest.]

Are there any functional consoles?

[To read the disks, he means.]

[ The discovery of a disc is good. If anyone can get things working it's Accelerator; Sunday seems to only be useful at giving commands. But while they've made these discoveries John has finished making the door accessible. He sweeps a few small chunks of rubble to the side with his foot, but that's all that's left so he joins the other two. ]

Can either of you get something working?

[ He's going to pretend Sunday will actually put in some effort if asked enough times. ]

[Accelerator gives a small shake of his head at Sunday's question. From the short time he had poking around everything seemed pretty broken - at least, the wiring doesn't seem to be in any functional state to transfer power from a console that might still turn on.

He gives a hum of thought at John's question, looking around.]

I can try. We'll need to hope whatever is powering this shit is still working. That would make our lives a hell of a lot easier, so you two see what you can find.

[Just casually telling the adults what to do.

He abandons the disks and walks over to a nearby console. Switching modes on his choker, he's going to go ahead and rip off an exterior panel before getting down onto his knees to start examining the state of the hardware.]

[Sunday's wings flatten against his shoulders, but he manages to swallow the snarl he can feel forming in his throat. His frustration has little to do with his companions and far more to do with being out of his element. He is a politician, not a fighter, explorer, or engineer. It had been tempting to stay at camp, but he is the only representative of his world in Etraya. If he doesn't push himself to prove his world's worth, who will?

He sighs.]

I doubt I will be of much use in making this place functional. [He admits.]

This technology is unknown to me. Where I am from, I think it would be outmoded in most star systems by at least a couple of centuries.

[ So that's the reason Sunday has been so unhelpful: he simply can't. But John holds back his initial response about that ("was that really so hard to say?") and motions over his shoulder towards the unblocked door instead. There's no need to antagonize Sunday, that wouldn't be productive in any way. ]

Let's see if there's anything behind the door. I'll go first, see if there's anything dangerous in there.

[ Gun drawn, he heads through the door to take a look. Nature has claimed parts of this room too, but not so much as to obscure things. There's cracks and chunks taken out of the walls, vines and moss growing in, but everything seems stable. There's some big machinery in the middle, maybe a power source, maybe something else, John can't tell just from a quick look. There's more desks and drawers, and a couple bookshelves. But nothing dangerous as far as he can tell, so he heads back out to where the other two are. ]

It's clear. There's a big machine inside but I can't tell what it's for at a glance.

[Accelerator clicks his tongue as he works, poking at internal hardware, occasionally removing pieces that seem to be too rusted out or damaged to be functional. Right now he's wishing Harold was here, or someone else more familiar with computer equipment. Even the #3 would be welcome, as big as a nightmare that would be.

He keeps on working while the other two check out the other room. Once he's cleaned out the console he wiggles out of it and opens up another one, this time rooting around for replacement parts to put into the first. When he hears John he doesn't stop working, instead raising his voice to both of them.]

Do I need to take a look at that thing, too?

[Sunday steps into the newly cleared room and brushes a hanging vine aside to get a better look around. The machinery in the center is old and its purpose unclear. He imagines IPC archaeologists might unearth something like it somewhere and spend a few years getting it working again.]

Might not be a bad idea. [He calls back.] It could be a power station or...

[He glances around at the shelves and bookshelves... which would be unusual for a power station.]

...Maybe some sort of optical telescope?

[ Following Sunday's gaze around the room, John takes in more of the details. More broken monitors, abandoned bookshelves and shelves, more nature trying to reclaim the place. The place is pretty cleaned out, whoever left was thorough with taking their stuff with them. The thing in the center is clearly the focus of the room so John starts walking around it, looking for clues.

There's some caging on it, precise welding, and not much else is obvious until he comes around the back side. Bingo. ]

There's a scope on this side.

[ John puts an eye to the scope, trying to see what there is to see, and then pulls back. ]

One of the lenses is cracked and there's moss starting to grow around the edges too.

Mission 013 Log

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