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etrayalogs2026-01-23 01:07 pm
etrayamods) wrote in etrayalogs2026-01-23 01:07 pm
Entry tags:
- !mission log,
- arcane: viktor,
- atla: toph beifong,
- circle of magic: sandrilene fa toren,
- co e33: gustave,
- dc comics: barbara gordon,
- dc comics: bruce wayne,
- dc comics: dick grayson,
- dc comics: jonathan kent,
- devil may cry: dante,
- devil may cry: nero,
- devil may cry: vergil,
- final fantasy vii-r: vincent valentine,
- final fantasy x-2: paine,
- final fantasy xvi: dion lesage,
- jl gods and monsters: kirk langstrom,
- metro last light: pavel morozov,
- original: knife,
- original: ranvir al-fayruz,
- person of interest: harold finch,
- person of interest: john reese,
- person of interest: sameen shaw,
- persona 3-r: junpei iori,
- superman (2025): clark kent / superman,
- to be hero x: yang cheng (e-soul),
- vox machina: vax'ildan vessar
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
📌 — 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.
no subject
[ On a planet this harsh with its oppressive darkness, only the strongest and smartest were going to find a way to survive. He doesn't have an estimate on how many people are out there. The group he ran into had something like ten people, but likely they belonged to something larger. It had to be something beyond them. ]
Thing is, these people could probably help with all this. They'd have the know-how to survive in a place that's not exactly....favorable for survival.
[ Junpei takes off his baseball cap for a brief moment, running his hand through his shaved hair in order to diffuse some of the frustration he's feeling at not being able to bring them all back. What could they do? The more he tries to think of something, the more he comes up empty. What would Minato do? Well, Junpei doesn't have an answer for that one either. He would probably be able to keep his emotions in check, though -- whether they can save everyone or not. And to that end, he'd be better equipped to be on this mission compared to Junpei. ]
But we can learn.
[ Junpei slowly returns to his typical optimism. Even if they are all fighters, there's no reason they have to be only fighters. ]
It's probably a better thing to do between missions than say...start a baseball team?
[ He cracks a grin as he puts his cap back on. This had been something Junpei mulled over, after all, there's a whole baseball stadium and no baseball teams! Seems like a real waste, to be honest!! But sports are a just for fun kinda thing. They should probably devote themselves to survival first. ]
no subject
Or maybe it's just Riz who needs it. To-may-to, to-mah-to. ]
But... you've got a good point. Every new person who comes in is gonna come with their own skill-set. [ He flips over to the next page of his notebook, frowning down at it. ] If we could keep a log of what everyone's got going for them, maybe we could sort something out. And what we don't know, we can learn. We've got a great library back in Etraya, and I've always said you could do pretty much anything you can read about!
[ Even if they've got the right attitude about this, Riz knows that doesn't do them much good in the short-term. Deliberately, he lays his pen down to glance back up at Junpei. ]
...just remember before you commit to anything that you're the sole representative of your world here. If you piss off the people in charge, who knows what could happen. It could be bad news for more than just, um, survival purposes.
no subject
Riz goes on to mention keeping a log of people in Etraya, and Junpei gives him a little point as though to suggest it's the perfect job for Riz. Not only because Riz seems good at that kind of thing, but also it seems like something he genuinely enjoys doing. Collecting information. Jotting it down in his notebook. He was so ready to take notes when Junpei started mentioning the similarities between the Darkness here and Apathy Syndrome.
It's the final comment that suddenly shifts the tone from light-hearted to serious. A reminder, perhaps one Junpei needs, to know that they're basically being graded on their worth by some unseen overlords. This is like a prolonged exam, and Junpei's notoriously bad at those. Ughh. ]
Yeah. I know. But isn't that also kinda fucked up? To dump the entire existence of a world on the shoulders of a sixteen year old kid? Like leader of my team or not....it's not the kinda thing I should have to carry alone.
[ He sighs. ]
Then again, you warned me that's what would happen if I came back with you from Auriel. So I made my bed, it's just.
[ It sucks a little. Either way. Junpei shrugs. ]
Being the hero's a lot harder than the mangas makes it out to be. I know all the good stories have their moments when it seems like all hope is lost and then the hero manages to turn it around in the end, but usually they're not letting an entire planet of people die before they turn it around, yanno?
no subject
[ He scratches his cheek. ] I kind of doubt it though.
[ Normally, he wouldn't put a damper on a bit of hope, but it's necessary in this case. They can't be taking risks underneath false hope. Not with what hangs in the balance. Saving the world is what Riz does, what he aspires to do, seems to be what Junpei does too -- so why is it that they've made it so goddamn hard to do exactly that? He can't help but feel as though he's gotten better during his time here. He's only gotten worse, more callous about sentient life, more worn down by the whole sordid affair. He wishes one of the girls was here with him. They were always able to keep him grounded, in their own special way. ]
But you're right, it's suuuuuper fucked up. We're pretty exceptional guys, if I say so myself, but it's not like we're the best of the best of our worlds! They could've gotten warriors or politicians or scientists, and instead they went with a bunch of high schoolers?
[ He heaves a sigh, angrily stabbing at a page in his notebook with his pen, then appears to quickly regret it, giving it a fond little pat. Sorry, notebook. Not you fault. ]
I've kinda saved my world once before, y'know. But all we had to do was kill a dragon. That's the kinda shit they write about. Not saving a bunch of baby turtles just so they'll up and die the next day. I'd love to just -- kill another dragon.
[ Point him at something to kill! No more of these endless moral quandaries! ]
no subject
But Junpei does have something he can offer. Encouragement. He reaches out and plants a hand on Riz's shoulder, offering a faint smile. ]
All we can do is just do our best, man. We can't be anything we're not. No one knows for sure how this test is being graded. But if we keep showing up and doing our best, there's gotta be some reward for merit, right? Maybe they'll throw us a cool dragon fight sometime as a treat and we can rack in those extra credit points!
[ He smiles. ]
Point is, for what I lack...there's people like you to make up that strength. Smart, cool dudes who have the stealth skills and patience to crack open a mystery and solve it! As cool and as charismatic as I am...
[ A playful tug on his baseball cap as though to emphasize the cool part. He branches off into a laugh. ]
I know I can't do this alone. So let's make it a group project, Riz! I know me and Fabian are basically the same character build, but! I hope there's something I can offer you to help both of us keep our worlds from the chopping block.