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 Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2019 11:54 pm
You and a small group of others have chosen to explore the rolling plains. Directly ahead, the expanse of the plains is a little daunting - in the far distant horizon you can see a thick, dark forest. The plains themselves seem to be mostly just flat expanses of grass, but there are small foothills and shallow valleys spread across the landscape. Dr. Horn could be anywhere, or clues that could lead you to him.
You may only participate in this thread if you signed up for the Plains location.
The objective of this game is to explore the map and uncover clues regarding the disappearance of Dr. Horn's expedition.
To explore, move to a square adjacent to your current square. You may move up or down, or left or right, but NOT diagonally.
tab Example: If your current position is 3, you can only move to 2, 8 or 4.
You start at square 3, regardless of when you join the game.
You have one free exploration post per day. If you write 250 words with or since your last exploration post, you may explore again after you receive an update of your current location from the mule.
The mule will update three times throughout the day, quoting you with any discoveries you have made. When you are quoted you will be informed if you have not hit the word count minimum. At the end of the day, the mule will quote everyone with their current location, regardless of whether they have explored or not.
Only ever respond to a prompt that you have quoted for. If you suspect that you were missed for a prompt, please contact staff.
In each exploration post, please clearly note what squares you are moving to and from. Your RP response will be to the prompt you are given for your new square.
tab For the first day, your 'prompt' is the description above.
If a trinket or familiar is posted in your prompt, you may claim it! You may only claim each trinket or familiar once.
You may only RP with others who either share your current square or are adjacent to it.
You may make additional RP posts for flavour/interaction with other players without exploring a new square. These posts can contribute to your word count for extra daily moves.
This thread closes on February 15th at 11pm EST. The amount of clues found as a team will affect the meta.
[size=11][b]Character:[/b] [url=CERT]NAME[/url]
[b]Current Square:[/b] NUMBER to NUMBER
[b]Response:[/b] RP
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 12:46 am
Character: Eir
Current Square: 3 to 4
Response: It wasn't that Eir hated the people in the carriage with her... but she was very glad to get out of the carriage. She had done her best to keep limber, setting aside some time every day to stretch on the carriage roof while the others were busy, but man was it nice to get out of there. Before she strapped her bag and sword to her back, she allowed herself the gross indulgence of rolling in the grass. She breathed deeply the rich scent of the soil and the fragrant grasses before getting up. Perhaps she was letting her young age show when she did so, but she didn't care. She was just glad to be out of the cramped space. Everyone had decided on different places to explore, and Eir had chosen to explore the vast plains. They stretched on farther then the eye could see, but there wasn't much around to cause one to get lost. Even if everyone spread out, they should still easily be visible above the grass.
As Eir started gearing up, she noted that there were new faces with her, and some of the familiar faces from the carriage were gone. Well, that didn't matter. She would do her best to protect them all any ways, even though a couple looked like they could handle themselves. Not that she was judging or anything. That could lead to trouble. "I think I'm going to go explore to the east. Anyone want to come with me?" Spreading out did mean they could cover more ground, but there was safety in numbers.
(wc 266)
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 3:16 am
Character: Sherbet
Current Square: 3 to 2
Response:
As the carriage rolled to a stop and its passengers hustled to disembark, on the upper level Sherbet at last roused in his seat. He had spent the entire journey in a dead sleep, snoring blissfully over the noise of his fellow passengers, after a long night spent frantically throwing together a last minute twenty page essay. The bumping and jostling of the wagon did nothing to stir him, and not even a sharp elbow to the ribs elicited anything but a louder snore.
Rubbing first his eyes, then his sore ribs, Sherbet sat up and blinked against the sun. He squinted, mouth twisting into a grimace as he stared into the blindingly yellow terrain. He never thought it would be so bright. It was like staring into furnace. Or maybe it only seemed that way because he could not have gotten more than four hours of sleep.
Pulling the hair over his eyes, Sherbet hopped to his feet and grabbed the rucksack out from beneath his seat. He bypassed the ladder and jumped right over the edge of the carriage, landing with a gentle thump as his wings fanned out behind him.
“Safety in numbers?” he asked, echoing Eir's thoughts. He did not bother to look at the grimm, too preoccupied with loosening the collar around his neck. “Not a bad idea. I take it that sword is not just for show then.”
He fluffed his poncho and it settled about him in a more agreeable position. It bunched less around about his throat anyway. He swivelled away from the grimm. “Then again—” He licked a finger and hoisted it in the air. There was a pause as he detected the air current. “—I have a good feeling about the west. Just a little intuition.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 7:32 am
Character: Saiph
Current Square: 3 to 8
Response:
It had been a long journey consisting of Saiph unintentially sticking to themselves. Occasionally they had talked to and acknowledged others, especially Troy, but mostly they had their nose in their notebook coming up with possible theories and places to start their search. Honey mint had provided some answers to their questions but a lot was still left unknown. Saiph couldn’t help but be both worried and excited.
When finally the carriage caravan came to a halt, Saiph was glad to stretch their limbs and wings fully. When it came time to pick where to start searching, they added themselves to the rather small number searching the plains. Hopefully the group would still manage to cover enough of the area to really give it a good search.
The fey hybrid watched some of their fellows start toward the sides and decided they would go forward. It was Saiph’s intention to make up for the lack of company members which meant they might do most of the search alone. The thought put a bit of worry in their belly but they tried to be optimistic. They took a deep breath before marching ahead into the open plains.
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 8:22 am
Character: Jin
Current Square: 3 to 4
Response: Jin finished up the last of his initial thoughts in his journal, looking out the carriage window at the stretch of empty grasses and the blue of the horizon line. It looked lonely but it seemed they could see for miles, just stretched out. He closed the leather bound journal that had partial filled with Tabi stories of the sands during the ride. He certainly had a trip to the sands listed.
He left the carriage, making sure to move to the side and keep out of the way before taking a moment to stretch out, unfurling his tails out as far as they could go and curling them forward and back till the last of the kinks had left it. He shut his eyes, breathing deep and took in the scents of the area. Grasses mostly, pollens and earthy scents. It was rather nice. He took the moment to appreciate the nature around him before moving up to catch with the others.
"Mind if I join you Eir?" He questioned, catching the tail end of the conversation. She was jumpy but she also had a small arsenal of weapons on her. He looked out to the side noting that east wards was away from the forested area… which probably was good. The plains was wide and clear and they should be able to see each other.
He took a moment to pull on his gloves and knelt down, examping some of the grass before using his scissors to take a sample and pressed it between the pages of a second journal he had picked up for floral clipping and a quick jolt of notes.
He shoved the floral journal in his bag. He opened a new journal and jolted down a few more words, looking out at the forest and the depressions and shallow dips. He would have to watch his feet a bit. He had hooves and was not looking forward into shoving them into any sort of burrowing creatures home.
(wc 333)
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 8:27 am
Character: Tabi
Current Square: 3 to 4
Response:
Tabi had never been so cramped in her life, in all the expeditions she'd been on. The trip had been long. And while there were a few things that helped - storytelling, for one, and the occasional swapping of books. But nothing quite rivaled being able to stretch your tail out to its full length. Apparently she wasn't the only one who felt this way - Eir, who had been on the carriage with her, took a roll in the grass. Tabi couldn't help but grin at this, although she didn't partake herself. Still, the indulgence was endearing.
"I'll go with you to the east," she volunteered, happy to be able to stick with someone she'd become well-acquainted with, having been with her in close quarters for many days. The Grimm was clearly adept at protecting herself, and others, based on what she'd divulged about her time in the Temple of Enyo. Tabi wasn't below admitting that she wasn't the most physically adept, and in exploring new terrain, someone who was protective would probably be a blessing. And, about the same time, Jin also volunteered to join Eir, while taking samples of the surrounding flora. Tabi wasn't interested in the natural sciences here - she was looking for anything a bit more on the ancient side.
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 11:29 am
Character: Maoli
Current Square: 3 to 8
Response:
Maoli was so excited to finally get out of the carriage. He was practically bouncing on his feet. But… he had to impatiently wait for ‘lupe. Which annoyed Maoli. Especially since he saw people going in every direction so far. He wanted to be the first to make a discovery, it was so frustrating! Maybe he should leave the nixie behind…
Glancing over his shoulder at the sunglasses brandishing, gum popping, water logged idiot, Maoli chewed on his inner cheek in contemplation for a little bit before sighing. No, he couldn’t. As much as ‘lupe held him back, he was his only… friend? Was that what they were?
So, straightening his shoulders and thrusting his observation journal and camera into his bag, he rushed over to ‘lupe. ”C’mon, you slow sea slug, let’s go!” he ushered, not caring if he was mid conversation or not; he really didn’t notice if ‘lupe was talking to someone but he wouldn’t put it past him.
”We need to go find signs soon. Plasma, unknown elements, crop circles, the abducted professor. We need to find them fast before someone else does and shuts down all evidence!” he told him desperately. The idea… made him quite anxious. His ears twitched wildly as he looked around, now wondering if any of their traveling companions were working against him, plotting to sabotage his discoveries and keep under wraps that aliens do exist. Why hadn’t he possibly consider this before?! And ‘lupe had been happily blabbering on to them, probably spilling valuable information. Oh deities, what did ‘lupe say?! He would need to get him alone to ask. But right now… not possible.
”Let’s go this way,” he snapped, irritated by the prospect that the nixie had divulged private information to possible enemies. In a tiff, tail bristled, he stalked off.
[wc: 303]
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 12:12 pm
Character: Guadalupe
Current Square: 3 to 8
Response:
The trip may have taken more than a few days with relatively the same companions across the whole expanse but that didn't mean that he had run out of conversation topics. Quite the contrary, he was still yacking off someone's ear about all the different sorts of sea life that you could find down in little pools on the shore. The sea was wonderful.
His companion, when rudely interrupting him, was not. Guadalupe smacked his gum irritably, glowering at the man. "I ain't a sea slug, I'm a nixie." Different sort of water creature. Maoli sure had quite the imagination on him, he had to admit. But it was the wrong sort of imagination. "The only unknown elements you're going to find are going to be from the earth. Not extra terrestrial." How were they going to even claim it was a new element anyway? They didn't have a chemistry lab. Hell, he was pretty sure they both failed basic chemistry.
How were they even going to find crop circles? "Do you see any crops around, you dolt?" He sighed in exasperation. There really was no stopping Maoli, no matter what he said. He'd either have to follow or get left behind. And he wasn't about to let the bakeneko run off doing dieites knows what and harmin' other people. Let alone the environment.
Still didn't mean that he wasn't going to gripe. "Not like anyone is going to steal your evidence anyway." He casually walked behind him, deliberately a few paces behind him. No point in rushing now. "If you go to fast, you might miss something."
[wc: 268]
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 12:59 pm
Prompt for Square 2
You are standing in grass and surrounded by grass. You peer closely at a few blades in case there's some sort of clue but, unsurprisingly, it's just more grass.
Prompt for Square 4
You come across a single, barren tree on the top of a small foothill. A piece of paper can be seen flitting slightly in the breeze, caught on one of the branches. You carefully detach it and read what appears to be part of Dr Horn's expedition journal:
"Day Nine. There were a few mishaps along the way, but we've finally arrived. The rumours said this area was dark and twisted, filled with monsters and whatnot. Nonsense! This area is nothing but beautiful plains and flowers - I am sure the most sinister thing to happen here is a bee sting. Most of the team and myself will camp here tonight, while Hilda and Nathaniel ensure the neighbouring forest is safe."
You have found a Clue!
Prompt for Square 8
You feel around a small hole of dirt and sticks in a hillside, hoping it would have clues. Instead, you are jumped by an irritated jackelope. It seems you've found a burrow - not a source of clues but perhaps of friendship. Look at that jackalope's cute nose.
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 1:54 pm
Character: Jin
Current Square: 4
Response: "Be a pleasure to have you along Tabi."Jin said warmly. They wandered about towards the east and well, hmm a tree? He looked up, curious and caught a piece of paper. "Okay, well, maybe this has something to do with our missing professor?" He questioned, before slinging down his messenger bag and climbed up the short way to get the scrap.
He came down, holding it tightly and slowly smoothed it out. "Looks like we have something." A piece of diary maybe? Jin read it out loud and looked at Eir and Tabi. "Any ideas what next? I think this first camp has to be reasonably close by if the paper made it here without getting destroyed."
You have found a Clue!
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 2:19 pm
Character: Eir
Current Square: 4 to 5
Response: When Jin approached her, Eir smiled at the familiar hybrid. "Happy for the company." She nodded, watching him as he took a sample of the grasses and wrote things down in a book. She didn't know the point of taking samples, but she wasn't the smart, think about things scientifically type. "Are you taking notes on the plants to… try and help find the doctor?" She wondered, not really sure how that would work, but she thought she should ask. As she walked, slowly of course, to keep close to Jin, Dr. Tabi joined them.
"Oh, hello Tabi. Glad to have you with us." She kept her hand close to her sword, just in case. She kept her eyes focused, looking around for anything. She had decided to walk towards a barren tree to use it as a land mark. But as they got closer, she spotted some paper in the tree. That wasn't normal. She was about to go up to grab it, but Jin beat her to it. Well, he was probably more careful about it then she would have been. "What's it say?" She leaned close and read over Jin's shoulder.
"A few mishaps?" She did not like the sound of that. The idea of monsters was troubling, but more-so, the thought that this doctor wasn't taking the rumors seriously made the hair on the back of her neck prickle. "We should probably keep this safe, and see if we can find anything else. If his camp is near here, there could be some clues." She frowned. She wanted to keep these two close. She… was fond of them… but only because they'd been forced so close for so long. "I wonder why there was a lose page floating about though. What happened to the book? Did the doctor tear the page out? Did something attack and rip the page? I… don't want you two out of my sight…" She murmured.
(wc 324)
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 2:31 pm
Character: Ligeia
Current Square: 3 to 8
Response: Oh, it felt so good to be out of that carriage. Having the open air space on the roof did help some, giving her a place to stretch out some, get some fresh air and views, and the fellow passengers had been pleasant enough, but Ligeia was very much eager to get the show on the road. She took a moment to drink in her surroundings, and they were very much surrounded by the vast rolling plains with the soft susurrant sighing of the wind through the long grass. Dr. Horn was out there somewhere, if not here then one of places that another group went to. Who really knew what was waiting out there, these being the Lost Lands. What would they find? What secrets or unknown life might be hidden in the grassy hills and dales of this place? Had this place always been empty, or seemingly empty, as it presently was? Had there ever been people living here?
Ligeia blinked from her musing as people started to fan out in various directions to begin their searching. Oops! Not wanting to be left behind, the hybrid took a deep, fortifying breath and marched northward. A few others had headed that way, so she wouldn't be alone, at least at first. "Onward and upward," the hallowed woman muttered to herself as she began her march into the plains that lay before them. Any mysteries, or wayward professors, wouldn't be found by sitting on her laurels. A shiver of nervous exhilaration raced up her back. This was a far cry from the cluttered little curiosity shop back home and she was eager to see what there was to see.
{WC: 279}
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 2:54 pm
Character: Jin
Current Square: 4 to 5
Response: "The plants are more to get an idea of the area... or what grows in it. It could be something completely new, and it also gives me an idea of the land and who could have been living here. Does the land have edible grains? Fruit? Mushrooms? Is that forest good hardwood?" Jin gave a slight smile. "Part of archaeology is to see what is here now and use it to help figure out what an ancient civilization could have been like."
Jin sat down to carefully add the note into one of the journals in his bag to keep it from getting any more tattered. Who knew, this could be one of the only remaining notes of the professor they had. "I'm going to take a few samples of this area." He set the journal aside and set about gathering some clippings from the tree, and some more from the grass.
You have found a Clue!
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 5:11 pm
Character: Maoli
Current Square: 8 to 7
Response:Maoli’s furred was still bristled and he scowled at the nixie. ”You can’t know that for sure. I’m sure we would have found a crashed alien ship or something if you had just taken me on that one expedition. That could have been my only chance to discover other life forms.” he was still super sour about that. Who cared if there was protocol to follow?
Of course, ‘lupe had to be a smartass about everything. His teeth grinded a bit more; he could feel his canines digging into his bottom lip. ”A crop circle doesn’t have to be in crops, you slug,” the bakeneko snapped. ”Any weird patterns could be a crop circle. And there’s always someone watching, trying to keep under wraps possible outside lifeforms! You just choose not to see them!” During his rant, Maoli did pay mind and slowed his walk a bit; he may bicker with the nixie but only because their relationship was… complicated. Knowing him so long, even forming benefits that were beyond friendship, the whole situation was complicated. Feelings were complicated. All that Maoli knew for sure was that ‘lupe was annoying… but he made fair points. And, of course, the bakeneko couldn’t imagine being on the expedition without him, nonetheless going on with life without him.
Coming to a hillside, Maoli immediately dropped to his knees at some strange, but small, tracks. ”Look! I found something! Maybe… a sign?” he whispered in awe, hands going to the dirt, feeling delicately, before he began to feel around frantically. Could this be? The clue he was looking for?
What he hadn’t been looking for was a face full of dirty and matted fur and antlers bumping into his forehead. Letting out a shout of surprise, he flung backwards, the angry little familiar scowling down at him. What in the- ”This isn’t an alien,” he said in shock numbness, eyes wide, mouth slack. What in the world? He wasn’t looking for a rabbit!
[wc: 329]
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 6:05 pm
Character: Guadalupe
Current Square: 8 to 7
Response:
On that one expedition. He furrowed his brow. Which one?
Wait..."You mean the one with the clearly photoshopped fennekit with a cockatriel head?!" He shouted, rolling his eyes. "The number was fake, I tried calling it and they were asking for our social. ******** dimwit." He muttered the last bit, kicking at the dirt. The nixie had tried to do one good deed. To actually do a bit of research and thinkin before jumping into danger. But was Mao grateful? No. Instead he chose to complain. "What, are you now sure that we ain't gonna find anything on this expedition?! Did they go out for nothing? Dieties, he was going to murder Mao someday.
Ugh. The crop circle thing again. "It's in the name! Crop. Circle!" He could care less if others could hear him at this point. Mao was being god damned ridiculous. "You see any crops here? Does grass look like corn to you?" The freaking twit. Talking about how there was someone always watching. "You're seeing things again. No one is tracking your every move. People don't obsess over you, or anyone that much unless something is wrong in their head." Duh. There were laws against stalking. "It's not like someone can just put a blanket over a crop circle."
He sighed, his eyes moving towards the sky. Why did he choose to agree to go on this expedition? It had been already a few days too long.
The shout from the bakeneko made the nixie's ears twitch. "A sign?" One of his brows decided to raise, doubtful. "Just like all the other false alarms that you've said was a sign?!" Smacking his gum irritably he still looked...
Those paw prints did look unusual. "What in tarnation." He peered towards a similar set of tracks that didn't stray too far from where Maoli was digging. Well....
If Maoli was kicking dirt around, so could he. It wasn't like he had anything better to do. "Here little alien.." His hands reached blindly inside, scrambling for anything.
What he was met with was quite a surprise.
Guadalupe let out a yowl as something sharp pierced his skin, refusing to let go. The nixie did what any good nightmare would do in this situation---he screamed and flailed until he was able to yank his hand out. "It bit me!" he shouted at his friend. "Mao, it bit me!" The jackalope popped up, glowering furiously at the male before moving closer. Like any sensible nightmare, Guadalupe scooched his a** away. It still came forward.
"Yeah, it sure hell isn't an alien. Come on, Mao, let's get the hell out of here." The bunny trailed right behind him, quite literally, nipping at his heels.
[wc: 453]
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