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

[tocastashadow]

[Shadowheart shakes her head, her hand flexing and relaxing as she tries to fix her posture, to act like it never happened.]

It's just an old wound that's never healed, that's all.

[Aerith's been so kind to her, she probably deserves a bit more of an explanation.]

It was given to me by the goddess I used to worship. She... punishes me, from time to time. But it always passes quickly. It's nothing to be concerned about, really.

[anciently]

Gotcha... [ The initial explanation is all well and good, but what follows has her dip her brows first in question, and then a sort of guarded protectiveness. What kind of goddess would do something like that? ]

...I'm sorry. I don't know why she'd be punishing you, but I doubt you deserve it. [ Shadowheart has seemed nothing but good to her core, as far as Aerith's concerned. ] I'm glad it passes quickly, but if you ever think a little healing would help, I'd be happy to give it a try. ...If not that, maybe I can try squeezing your other hand really tight when it happens, to take your mind off it?

[ Doubtful, considering how painful the surge looked, but she's willing to do what she can to help the other woman. ]

[tocastashadow]

[Whether she deserves it or not, she couldn't say. She's done enough wrong that perhaps she does.]

I've tried healing it. Nothing works. [After the Shadowfell, she'd tried everything. The agony then had been so overwhelming she'd been sure she was going to die, and she'd never wanted to feel that again. This, at least, wasn't anything like as bad as that.] Thank you, though. I really don't know what I've done to deserve a friend like you.

[Shar is hurting her in retaliation for being happy, probably. For being excited about something. Should she pursue this? Will trying to plant a garden only bring more pain? Is it worth it, if it does?

Well. She wants it. Maybe she's just being petty, but Shar's already taken so much from her, Shadowheart doesn't want her to take this too.]

I'd much rather focus on planting flowers and vegetables, wouldn't you?

[anciently]

[ Not one, but two maladies that can't be healed? Aerith's troubled expression persists as she reflects on how unfair that is...and how badly she wants to be able to help.

(She may or may not have a famous stubborn streak.) ]

You don't "deserve" friends. You make them by being you. [ It's an easy enough response, and an honest one, and her face shifts again to something more at ease. If Shadowheart doesn't want to focus on the mark anymore, Aerith won't continue that part of the conversation (for now, anyway). Instead, she reaches back out to the seed packets to examine one or two, settling on one and lifting it for the other woman to examine.

Yellow roses. ]

Definitely! Know what - let me run back to the church to get a few things, then I can meet up with you later. I have a spare watering can, plus some extra tools that I'd be happy to share. Sound good?

[tocastashadow]

[You make friends by... being you?

How is she supposed to be herself when she doesn't really know who she is? How has she managed with Aerith?

Fortunately, before she can worry too much about that, Aerith is already moving on, talking about tools and plans and gardening, and Shadowheart is swept along by the tide of the conversation.]

Yes. Yes, of course. It sounds lovely. [It sounds like just about the loveliest thing she's ever heard.

She accepts the yellow rose seeds before grabbing a few more packets from the shelf and dropping them in her shopping basket. For variety.] I'll see you soon, then. [To garden. Gardening with her friend. It's surreal and thrilling, and the tiniest bit frightening. She's never done anything like it before.]