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

[ Dion's shoulders stiffen despite himself, despite the knowledge that his father is no more. What the man had done will forever remain a shameful thing he cannot condone. ]

On the contrary, he colluded to crush an allied nation and seize their lands.

[ And so Rosaria had become Imperial territory, tri-unity agreement be damned. ]

Had he the chance, it is more likely he would have sought to conquer all of Storm.

Hmm. A dragon, then.

[ But more like the kind where Vax comes from than the one Dion embodies. ]

Though he would have claimed the goddess willed it so, yes.

[ He'd not have made the connection himself, but it is rather like the very threat Vax and his allies contend with. The difference lies only in the means and methods. ]

I was a child when that subterfuge was carried out, and I had no part in it. Perhaps, had I been aware at the time, I might have been able to intervene.

[ Young as he was, he still could have Primed. He might have been able to spare Joshua and Clive years of hardship... But he can't undo what is done. ]

[ Vax thinks it was better that Dion did not know about it. ]

Or your father might have used you to further his ambition.

[ Would Dion have stood up to his father in that case? Maybe he would have, if Joshua and so many others were at stake. ]

I cannot imagine having obeyed him, in such a case.

[ His voice is quiet, but there is something firm behind it as he pauses, noting another door blocked off by what appears to be an upended bed. He regards it curiously for a moment, then continues following Vax along. ]

Breaking a treaty I was present for the signing of did not serve my people. I believed in the promise peace might hold, in building something better with our neighbors.

[ Vax can't imagine the trouble Dion might have been in had he refused, so he's glad the situation didn't occur, even though Dion might have preferred to be in that position to do something about it.

With the tone in Dion's voice, Vax can't help but place a supportive hand against his shoulder, just for a moment, before they continue. ]

It sounds like both our worlds could have used a change in leadership years ago.

Yes, it seems they could have... Though my father was elected to his position, his fellow cardinals were no less self-serving.

[ And Dion knows well enough that the fact that he's Bahamut served as leverage. It never rested well with him, even when he was young enough to still believe his father truly was a great man.

Something had never felt right, though he knew not what it was. ]

I wish to believe that when it comes time to rebuild, people will remember, and they will make something better. Leaders are meant to serve their people.

[ Vax couldn't agree more, and he about says so, when he spots a movement at the end of the hall. A dark figure disappears into the stairwell and slams the door shut after it. ]

Did you see that?

[ Reflexively, Dion reaches for his halberd, but he stops himself. The hall isn't narrow, but it's not so wide as to make his weapon a practical choice in the moment.

Whatever had fled, it isn't an immediate threat yet. His hand drops, albeit reluctantly. ]

I did, yes. It seems we are not alone.

[ The halberg may be difficult to use in the cramped hall, but Vax can certainly draw both of his daggers. He nods to Dion and takes the lead. He's still careful as they move down the rest of the hall. Once they reach the end, he turns the handle and pushes open the door.

There's a puff of dust as Vax steps over the threshold, and then, in the blink of an eye, a darkness falls, takes hold of him, and yanks straight upward into the stairwell. He barely has time to let out a warning before he's snatched.

All around the stairwell are cobwebs, spiraling up, and a pair of large black spider-like creatures, each the size of a horse with long appendages, are skittering down to meet Dion. ]

[ It happens so swiftly that Dion doesn't have time to react. One moment, Vax is there in front of him. In the next, some bizarre creature has snatched him up and retreated. ]

Vax!

[ Dion's head snaps back to follow his ascent with his eyes, weighing the prospect of leaping after him despite the obstacle the cobwebs present.

Then he registers the presence of two more of the creatures. His eyes narrow, and this time, he does draw his halberd. ]

You're in my way.

[ Already three floors up and rising, Vax is struggling in the grip of several long legs that have hold of him. He pulls one arm free with a dagger and stabs one of the legs, but the metal of his knife clangs as though the exterior was plate armor. He doesn't make a dent. ]

Let go of me you disgusting...!

[ All of his struggling has the spider turn its head down and open its mouth. It sinks its long fangs into Vax's shoulder with a squelch. Vax cries out, then his body goes entirely limp.

Dion's company moves fast along the webbing, one circling around each side to flank him. The spider on the right makes the first move, leaping from the web with the pointed ends of its front two legs coming for him like a pair of sharp spears. ]

[ Dion hears the familiar ring of metal clashing against an unyielding surface. It sounds like armor, which suggests something about these creatures and the challenge of contending with them. Armor has joints, or more vulnerable points like the eyes are a possibility—

His thoughts come to a halt when Vax's shouting abruptly stops. That doesn't bode well.

Neither do the vicious limbs swinging in his direction.

Dion pivots, swinging his halberd up between himself and the blades that cut through the air toward him. They screech uneasantly against the mythril barrier and Dion shoves back to buy himself space, seizing the opening to lash out at the creature's eyes. At the same time, his satellite harries the second creature, circling around it and pelting it with beams of light.

Crowd control is one thing Dion has ample experience with. Two is hardly an overwhelming number, but he needs to deal with them quickly and get to Vax. ]

[ Above, the spider that has Vax secures its hold on his prone form with its legs, then skitters up, carrying him into a large cocoon-like nest with a single hole for it to crawl in and out of.

The spider Dion takes a swing at rears back, sinking to the floor to duck the jab, then opens its mouth and spits a glob of sticky fluid at Dion.

The second spider intended to join the fight and secure Dion as a meal, but it's waylaid by the satellite. As the light moves around it, picking at it with light beams, the spider screeches and skitters away, up a section of webbing to try and swing a leg at the orb. ]

[ Whatever that creature spat up, Dion doesn't care to find out what it does. He steps aside to evade it, hearing the hiss as it strikes the wall behind him. There isn't the time to look behind him, but the sound is enough. Something corrosive, he decides.

Instead of confirming with his eyes what his ears have told him, he steals a glance upward. Vax has vanished from sight, and that bodes ill.

He focuses his aether, calling upon more of his satellites— five more. Four of them speed past the creatures and up the stairwell in pursuit of Vax, while the last joins in harrying the enemy his first one continues to attack. They'll buy him time, he thinks, until he can aid Vax himself.

If he doesn't dispatch these enemies first, it could make matters worse. The thought frustrates him, but he trusts his familiars can run interference for him. In the next moment, he jabs at the creature before him again, feinting toward its middle only to angle his weapon sharply toward its many eyes.

But these creatures must hate the light, dwelling in this dark place. Dion continues to pool his aether, intent to see what magic can do where weapons are repelled. ]

[ As the satellites approach the nest, the first spider-creature leans out from the door, filling the space to protect it and swipes at the orbs with its legs, making a loud hissing sound.

The first few jabs of Dion’s weapon are evaded. The spiders are extremely agile, but as the aether becomes brighter and brighter, the spider recoils from the light, blinded, giving Dion the chance to make a successful stab into the creature's eyes. It screeches loudly as it tries to strike Dion away with its long appendages.

The second spider also hisses as the light shines and turns to scurry away, making a hasty retreat through the door on the third floor. ]

[ One less opponent for the time being suits Dion well enough, though he briefly eyes that door. With one enemy down, his companion satellites move on to the blinded creature, striking at the joints of its armored limbs swiftly and retreating before it blindly swats at them.

This one, Dion aims to dispatch. It poses a danger to other Etrayans that might wander this way, and could prove an obstacle, especially if Vax's silence means he's unconscious.

Once he draws on enough of his aether, he unleashes it, light shooting into the air before it begins raining down on the creature and their immediate surroundings in numerous bright volleys. Magic may do damage more reliably than his weapon can.

Meanwhile, his other satellites continue to attack the spider guarding Vax, buying time by keeping it occupied. ]

[ The spider up top is kept busy by the satellites that refuse to leave. This spider does not seem as willing as the other to flee. Opening its mouth, it shoots a spray of sticky stuff at the satellites. It stands its ground, but it does not go back into the nest where Vax must be. And if he is inside, what state must he be in if he's not attacking the creature from behind right now?

Dion’s light is shot up, and as it rains down, it beats on the spider that's already in pain from the loss of its sight. When the strikes hit, the spider is forced to the ground and battered until it twitches a few final times and goes still. That leaves only one spider left. The one at the nest. ]

[ Given better options, or the assurance others wouldn't be endangered by such creatures, Dion may have avoided slaying these spider-like things. Unfortunately, they seem a genuine threat. That threat has extended to Vax, and he hasn't the time to dawdle when his friend may be in danger.

The continued lack of any sort of shouting only deepens his concern. Vax is many things, and vocal is one of them.

Dion turns his attention to the ceiling, peering up into the gloom. He can see the flicker of his satellites attacking the remaining spider, which appears to be barring the way. A gigaflare could detroy the thing handily, but it would put Vax at risk too.

Instead, he points up to the nest, and his remaining familiars take off to join their brethren. Then, he channels his aether again, this time semi-Priming. His entire body exudes light, forming seams along his skin from which more light spills, though there are no true cracks there, his relatively broad wings fanning out behind him. With a leap, he takes to the air, a beat of his wings propelling him upward.

That last spider is also in his way. ]

Edited 2026-02-07 05:45 (UTC)

[ As the spheres move from the nest, the flash of light is noted by the spider, who dips back into the nest. In moments, sticky webbing has covered the entrance to block it and seal it inside with its prey.

Maybe it thinks it's safe in there, but little does it realize the threads of its webbing are sheer, and with light, Dion can see the shadow of the spider moving within. Working on its barrier and then walking over to an unmoving lump on the floor. The spider hovers over the shadowy object, moving its legs back and forth. ]

[ Dion sees the barrier the spider put up, and he sees his familiars hammer against it. He reasons it must not be flimsy as he continues his ascent, picking up speed and channeling his light into his halberd. It gleams brightly as he raises its bladed end toward the webbing that would bar his progress.

His light or his blade— one is surely capable of cutting through. The blaze of his aether might or might not deter the creature once he closes that distance, but it matters not. If he must fell it, he now knows he can. ]

[ If they kept working at it, the spheres would break through, eventually, but Dion's charged spear is going to do the job much more quickly.

Once he's flown to the nest, a thrust of Dion’s spear breaks through the bared door. As it pokes through, there's a screech inside. The spider begins to move about in a panic, eight legs stomping around inside of the nest.

Deciding it's had enough, it breaks through the roof of the nest and begins to skitter from the top of the nest to the ceiling, its dagger-like feet leaving a trail of fresh blood. ]

[ When Dion tears into the nest, he expects to face another battle. Instead, he's left staring as the spider-creature flees through the gap it creates. He scowls in its direction, his satellites immediately giving chase to ensure the threat is thoroughly run off.

...Then he notices the blood and hurries to the bundled form he hopes is Vax.

Dion's wings break off into motes of light, fast fading as though eaten by voracious moths, and the glow about his form dims. His eyes fade to their usual color, the light tracing phantom veins across his skin fades away. He may have use for his wings again later, but not now. In this moment, he busies himself with tearing at the webbing the body before him is cocooned in. ]

Vax...? Is that you in there?

[ Greagor's mercy, he hopes it is. Otherwise...he doesn't want to entertain the alternatives. ]

[ As Dion reaches the spun webbing around a form on the ground, he first spots blood seeping through. It comes from a perfect puncture in the cocoon. From the looks of it, when the halberd smashed into the nest, the spider frenzied, skittering around the interior, and one of its legs jabbed into the prone cocoon before it made a run for it.

Once Dion rips the webbing away, he does find Vax inside. There's a bleeding wound on the side of his stomach from the leg of the spider, and a pair of punctures in his shoulder when the spider first caught and bit him.

On the bright side, despite his injuries, he doesn't seem to be in pain, as he's entirely unconscious but breathing. ]

[ The realization that Vax is bleeding from a wound arrests Dion's movement for a moment, breathing included. Had that happened when the creature stomped around like that? Try as he might, he hadn't been careful enough to prevent added injury to his friend, and it could easily have been worse.

But he can see Vax is breathing. He's alive. That's enough to spur him back to action.

He levels a hand above the gash in Vax's side and channels his aether. Light illuminates their surroundings once more as Dion works to heal the wound. This is the first time he's attempted to mend something like this, but he's the one who is here. That was the very reason he'd sought to learn. ]

I regret that I didn't respond quickly enough. [ He speaks quietly, eyes fixed on the pale glow emanating from his palm. ] And that I failed to prevent this.

[ Remorse achieves nothing, but he still wishes Vax hadn't come to harm. ]

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