MISSION 004 (part 1)

[etrayamods]

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: July 19th-July 27th.
WHERE: Moorecroft Village
WHAT: Enjoy life in your new suburban neighborhood!
NOTES\WARNINGS: Potential death.

⏵ welcome home ⏴ Welcome to Moorecroft Village, where the sun casts a gentle glow through soft white clouds. Pavement paths wind around the village, adorned with wildflowers in every hue. Birds sing a soothing melody, while a few content cats lounge in sunspots or on benches along the streets. Cars hum by, ferrying residents to work, the store, or back home after a busy day. It looks almost perfect. The ideal little village, occupied by individuals from all over. Orcs, elves, faeries, werewolves, vampires, and dhampirs coexist harmoniously, each contributing to their quaint little town. Despite their varied backgrounds, they appear to embrace this place as their own. They take their baby carriages out during the day for a stroll, chatting with friends and neighbors about current happenings, discussing their most recent mission (a ‘game’ of Whodunit, in which one of theirs, Theo, was tasked with killing one of their own each day and they all had to figure out who had killed them before they could come back to life) and the difficulties therein, new job assignments, weird things the teens in their houses are getting up to... generic, neighborly conversations. The village is full of life. There are numerous facilities to wander and things to do! The library houses a vast collection of books spanning history from countless other worlds and whimsical children's tales. Teens gather at the ice skating rink, while the movie theater screens films spanning generations. An aquarium full of wonders: glowing rainbow fish, miniature great white sharks, a colorful octopus with patterns running over it that almost look like ivy, and numerous others. In the daytime, everyone can explore clothing stores, indulge in gourmet cakes from the grocers, and partake in leisurely pursuits without financial concerns; just like on Etraya, money does not exist here. ⏵ help wanted ⏴ Moorecroft surpasses Etraya in its development, offering attractions and activities to engage its inhabitants throughout the day. But with these advancements come additional responsibilities. By day, at least one adult from every household is expected to fulfill their shifts at 'day jobs', lasting anywhere from four to eight hours. Meanwhile, the youth are expected to go to school, absorbing knowledge in various disciplines. Each job duty requires different skillsets, but whether or not those required skillsets are matched to those who are expected to work them... well. They’ll have plenty of time for training, won’t they? Or perhaps they’ll get dropped right into their job and be expected to figure it out all on their own. For the younger residents, education is structured into two main institutions: "Sandalwood Lower" for those twelve and under, and "Maplewood Upper" for older students. These schools offer a broad curriculum encompassing Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education, Technology, Fine Arts, and a diverse array of Foreign Languages. Electives range widely, from specific sports to Survival Training, Creative Writing, Journalism, and Sociology. At lunchtime, the school cafeteria presents an array of choices. Options range from standard fare like school pizza to other offerings such as vampire's blood, brains, and hearts—just in case an unexpected guest should drop in. After all, one never knows who might show up in Moorecroft. ⏵ honey do's ⏴ But life extends beyond work and school. A structured routine of what is expected of each household is kept on digital calendars, and installed on the wall in the kitchen of each house. These calendars update daily with smaller tasks, and weekly with larger ones, detailing what is expected of those residing within its walls. Typical tasks include simple activities such as: Take the child(ren) for a walk outdoors. Visit the local park. Bake a pie for the neighbors. Tell your spouse(s) how important they are to you. Share a secret. Shop with your child(ren). Mow the lawn. Don’t forget to attend your child’s school’s PTA meeting! Help with homework. Take family photos. Go on a date. More complex tasks are found under weekly checklists, and may involve: Host a neighborhood barbeque competition. Volunteer at the hospital. Teach your child a sport. Start a soccer league. Create a garage band. Get a part time job. Join a club. Eos will check off each task as it is completed. At the bottom of each calendar, a tally records the completion of tasks, providing a visual measure of productivity and community involvement. ⏵ night watch ⏴ As the sun lowers over the horizon, everything shifts. Every long-term resident understands the consequences of curfew and the threats within. They retreat to their homes, urging those unfamiliar to them who may not understand the rules just yet that they, too, need to return indoors for the night. Within the confines of their houses, life continues under a fragile veil of normalcy. A peek into some of the homes of long-term residents will find them playing board games with their family units, completing homework or work assignments they were unable to finish during the day, watching a few family-friendly shows on their couches, or enjoying a late dinner. Eventually, they’ll return to their beds and wait for the sound of their alarms. In Moorecroft, no friendly companion bots roam the streets during the day. In their place, highly advanced robots emerge to enforce curfew once the time comes. They silently make their way through the streets, sweeping away anything that isn’t part of Eos’ design: trash left out on the street, bugs left by suspicious men wearing cowls that have ears on them, graffiti, new decor that Eos decides she doesn’t like. No winds shake the trees, there are no cars on the road, but noises can be heard coming from outside that don't sound... normal by any means. Croaks, whispers, scratches against doors and walls alike. Those who defy curfew will be asked, once, to return to their homes. If they opt not to listen, they are met with force: physically restrained, subdued, and dragged back to their homes. If they decide to fight, the bots are not above killing them and dropping their limp bodies just inside the front door of their houses. They will revive after 48 hours but not without cost. Each return carries an absence—a missing memory, a lost skill, or a fragment of their very essence, stolen away in the process of their revival. Even those who manage to evade capture will awaken in their beds with no recollection of their death or what they may have witnessed before dying. They will instead have a vague feeling that something horrifying happened. ⏵ NOTES ⏴ Daily and weekly tasks can be chosen by players! We won't be listing these out for each household, but relying on players to choose what's most fun for them to play with within their households. As noted on Mission Plotting, we're open to one group successfully staying out past curfew, but would like to keep this to one thread. We have a separate log for NPC interactions for this mission! For any questions relating to the contents of this log, mod queries thread on the initial plotting post to assist us in keeping all mission-related information in one place. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ. ⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Comments

[tinflower]

[ Otto sounds indifferent to it, and yet....Gorgug is pitying the guy. Have you seen his machine arms?? They're so cool... Gorgug knows he made them!!

It makes him feel conflicted with the question he's given, and he rubs at the sleeve of one of his arms. ]

Yeah, but it's--it's nothing like the schoolwork I was doing. The maths is easier, and-- we do woodwork, and that's been interesting, but I-- I feel like I'm wasting my time.

[doctopoda]

It's probably true. Don't get me wrong, education is important, but in a place like this?

[It seems likely that none of it's useful. Especially when you consider the wide variety of kids getting shoved into the same system.]

One of the kids in my house - well, I call her a kid, but she should be in college. The work they're giving her isn't at all on her level. I wouldn't be surprised if they're underestimating you, too.

[tinflower]

I don't blame the teachers-- they didn't pick the job. Even my friend's a cop, and his family are pirates. He's far from being a cop.

[ That has to be the most anti-cop lifestyle! ]

But if the girl in your house should be going to college, people usually get to pick what they study. I wouldn't mind if I got to pick to do my work at the school.

[ It's so close, yet so far!! ]

You can do better than tech support.

[doctopoda]

Oh, of course. I met someone who actually was a teacher back in his world, and they had him working as a tailor. At least mine is something I can do - though, of course, I could do better.

[He doesn't have to be building another reactor to go into something that approximates his normal work a little better!]

[tinflower]

[ Hm. ] You think you can get a job change if you ask?

[ That would be good for that guy too, but... is that too much to ask for this weird set-up going on in the first place? ]

[doctopoda]

...I wonder if anyone's ever tried?

[Huh!]

I assumed you couldn't, given the whole setup, but maybe we all just did that.

[tinflower]

I don't think we can get out of the family setups, [ unfortunately!, ] but, uh, a teacher being a teacher instead of a tailor sounds useful when you're running a school.

[ Is this too logical to hope for? Maybe! But... ]

It's worth a shot? The one running the place might even like it.

[doctopoda]

AI can be rather...rigid in their thinking, in my experience. It may not have occurred to her to deviate from the job assignment protocol, in certain situations.

[Maybe he'll give it a shot, then.]

[tinflower]

Will you tell me how it goes? I talked to them about this place, but I didn't ask them why they sort people the way they do. I wanted to know if there was a reason they set everything up like this?

[ As opposed to how Etraya is rather sparse in comparison. ]

I thought it had something to do... You know, with the missions. But it sounded like a personal choice. It doesn't have to do with the missions or making us learn anything.

[doctopoda]

[Otto nods.]

Of course. I'll let you know. If this - [gesturing broadly with a claw] - is just a personal choice, maybe she's just watched too many horror movies.

[it's a joke, but like, the vibes are off]

[tinflower]

[ Huh. Horror movies... ]

That could've been it, except-- she didn't mean to make it a horror. But she said about making a good community. So this is her idea of a community.

[ He guesses? It kinda fits, right? ]

But she's not waiting for people to hook up or make families. [ A beat. ] Or actually get a degree.

[doctopoda]

[Otto snorts.]

That sounds like AI to me. Seeing a goal, and just - getting there by the most direct means possible.

[but it's fine he's not like bitter or anything]

[tinflower]

[ Gorgug has to nod to that. ]

Our vice principal was kinda like that. He followed a bunch of rules installed in him to the point that he was chasing us outside school for breaking rules.

You've gotta be careful about that.

[ It's important!! ]

[doctopoda]

Yes, you do.

[Otto replies with a slight chuckle. Rulesy school administration isn't really what he had in mind...but, yes.]

That's why I designed these to always be subordinate to the human user's decision-making. [dont worry about how that went its fine]