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

[agoddessonce]

I did hear it seemed random, [ she starts, frowning a little - but not disturbed, just thoughtful. ] My... ah, I suppose he is my husband? He was not a tailor in his world, but he is expected to be one, now.

But my position felt quite... targeted, I think. As if whoever was assigned to give us our jobs knew precisely what to give me. One might say that the weather is something of a specialty of mine.

[ She smiles wryly. ] ... I will at least be able to ensure a accuracy rate of one hundred percent. If that is the sort of thing that mattered to people here.

[tinflower]

[ Gorgug is remembering what she did with the wind and offering a rain for a shower to dry him off when he first arrived in Etraya, and with the implication he's feeling here (he feels them, he's noticing!! his eyes are Open), Gorgug is putting these things together, and... ]

...You could make it rain everywhere if you wanted?

[ Is she that cool? The question is being asked with a certain kind of awe already present. ]

[agoddessonce]

If I wanted, yes. Typically. [ Not here, though, is what she hopes she implies well enough. She offers Gorgug a little smile. ]

A demonstration can wait until we get home, yes?

[tinflower]

[ The awe is only showing more and more on his otherwise restrained expression....!

...and he is nodding his head. Furiously. ]

The whole day? [ A pause. ] Half a day.

[ Sometimes a teen can be so easily impressed. ]

[agoddessonce]

However long you want. I'll make time.

[ It's not like they have much to do back on Etraya, after all. There are no day jobs over there. ]

[tinflower]

[ This is so cool. And does Gorgug feel spoiled by this? Absolutely. It's a nice gesture that Ororo doesn't have to do, for what is otherwise a half-orc's giddied interest. Her doing or saying she will says plenty about her, a positive, but that she's not saying she can't--that says a lot, too. Gorgug doesn't miss that. ]

That's really powerful magic. I don't know anyone who can do that--not that long. I don't think wizards can.

[ He doesn't know. He hasn't exactly asked or looked into it, and she wouldn't do it if it would tire her out, would she? Surely not for him, and for his silly little interest. ]

[agoddessonce]

For one thing, it isn't magic. I've dabbled once or twice, but my abilities are genetic and not mystic.

[ It's clear that Ororo finds this distinction important. So she always makes it, even if she can't always explain it very well. ]

I am a mutant, not a sorceress, and my influence over the weather is my mutant gift. If I have any magical potential... it is not one I've tapped into. My mutation feels more natural than spellcasting does - so... it is a simple thing to provide. Please don't worry about it.

[tinflower]

Oh. [ Oh. There's some small awkwardness, but not much, Gorgug admitting-- ] It's not separated where I'm from, but, I get it. I understand. It's part of your identity? So I should call it-- your mutant gift. Your abilities?

[ He doesn't clarify, but he is asking in case he meets other mutants--that's a thing about them, after all. He should probably learn to make the distinction? Probably. ]