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

bar;

[waytodie]

Yelena has to admit that as random job assignments go, hers was a pretty good match. She can make a decent drink, no matter how ridiculous she thinks some of them are. All sugar, no burn, what's the point? Still, she does well with it during her shifts, and she's done her best to

"Ah, it's The Riddle Man," she says when she spots Dean at the far end of the bar where he seems to have basically set up camp for the time being. Being trapped in that room with the Sphynx and it's children's games feels like it was awhile ago now, but that maze was memorable, and he has a pretty, memorable face, too. "Have not seen you since the labyrinth, I think, yes? How are you liking our new temporary home?"

[venatoris]

Being jobless is weird, but the longer it drags on, the more he's kinda cool with it. Like, this is probably all going to blow up in his face somehow, but for the moment, it's a chill mission. For the moment.

"In the flesh," he says with a wry grin, hands folding on the bar top in front of him. "You know, it could be worse. Could be a labyrinth repeat, or those stupid stuffed animals that turned on everyone. So, tame so far."

[waytodie]

She laughs once and nods her agreement, "Could definitely be worse. Still is pretty weird, though." she admits with a slight crinkle of her nose. "I was never meant to be a wife or a mother," she purses her lips. "so I am little weirded out by that."

[venatoris]

Dean had to not only be a brother to his bratty little sibling, but also father, mother, mentor. Protector. It's not as weird to him, but he'd never imagined any kind of domesticity for himself. So, that's weird.

"It's a little Stepford," he admits, dragging a hand over his jaw. "The robobabies kinda freak me out. We didn't get one, but some neighbors did."

[waytodie]

"It is, isn't it? Too cookie-cutter. Where are the cracks?" She supposes with enough time, they'll find some, but it's not quite obvious just yet. Too early in their strange little field trip in this place to notice too much.

She laughs softly, "I did not get one of those either, at least my 'children'," yes, there are air quotes, "are actual people, and are both old enough to mostly fend for themselves."

[venatoris]

"Yeah, my 'son' is a teenager. Little mouthy, but he's a good kid." And Dean's definitely claiming him as his own from now on and will be checking in on him consistently.

"Least that's a relief."

[waytodie]

"Agreed," she nods. "I have no idea what to do with babies." She almost points out that she can't even have them, but... then there might be questions, and when she explains it would just get awkward, so... she leaves it at that instead.

[venatoris]

"Me either, I'm glad I didn't get one." He'd calmed one for a friend of his, but man he is glad there isn't a screaming creature in the house with them. No thanks. "I wonder what the actual point of this mission is. The labyrinth was obvious, the plushies became obvious. This is just all...suburbia."

[waytodie]

"I think perhaps it is to see how good at subterfuge we are," she says in a thoughtful tone. She drops her chin in her hand, elbow resting on the counter to lean in, almost conspiratorial in nature as she talks low and quiet, just for Dean, "If the rambling man I heard grumbling the other night wasn't just drunk off his ass, their mission is to identify outsiders."