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 Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 8:25 am
 Survey Mission 3CGeneral debriefing: In the rural outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia there have been a rash of murders, and though they are not an uncommon occurrence around the area, these particular victims' bodies have all been branded with an insignia in their skins: a strange backwards spiral curving into a hook. Most of the rest of their bodies are horribly mutilated. The mission is to find the perpetrator and dispose of it. * C class difficulty level (must have a team of three, at least one of them must be an intermediate trainee) MECHANICS * MECHANICS: RP assembling a team, as necessary, before heading towards the Lighthouse portal to request a portal to Survey Mission 3C. Once there, roll a 100-sided dice and match the roleplay to the results below, as well as any reactions. Players can continue rolling until any of the players roll a HALLOWEEN ENCOUNTER, in which case the BATTLE PHASE begins. See below for battle phase mechanics. 1- 20: You notice a lack of people in the streets even though it is nearly mid-noon their time. Several of them give you strange looks, wary. 21 - 40: You notice a strange, pungent smell, like something rotting, and as you look around, notice the influx of pests, from flies, to roaches to even what looks like dead locusts littered along the streets. 41 - 60: You notice that the signs, the neighbourhood stop signs and posts have all been painted and engraved with a strange symbol, a backwards arced spiral. They line up almost eerily against each other as far as you can see. 61 - 80: A hot gust of wind blows through the streets, tasting oddly of sand and rot. 81- 100: BOSS ENCOUNTER: - You spot a ??? figure clothed in tattered rags, though your weapon can sense its unnatural scent of Fear. It is clutching a something in its arms, which you slowly realise is actually a piece of rotting human bone. - BOSS MECHANICS: This boss has 75 HP. Every time you attack it (following the general battle rules), you TAKE 8 damage. Make sure to tally the boss's total HP (the damage you did to it) at the bottom of your post as well as your total HP and the damage you did that round. If the boss's HP hits 0, you have defeated it, and your team can now take the portal back. * 4 mission reward points for completing this successfully
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 8:59 am
Two text messages were sent to two specific people on Gale Gentry's contact list:Text to Ofelia Mission. 10 minutes. I'm in the portal room. -G Text to Wilson Mission. 10 minutes. I'm in the portal room. -G
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 2:44 pm
Ofelia still didn't know how to properly use her phone, but at the very least she knew to respond to the beeping quickly. Of course the response meant she couldn't throw it at the wall but whatever, she would just mash buttons and hope for the best. Ofelia wasn't really sure who 'G' was, she didn't have anyone in her contact list (because she didn't know how to add contacts, even while reading that boring guide) and Ofelia figured that whomever it was they knew her and that was plenty fine. kuromeez DDHSAHAMIISSSSIOON OOOKAAYYYYZZZZ OOONNN RREENNFFRTT
Reaching the portal room she was super excited to see that this mystery 'G' person happened to be Gale (the dots connected shortly after) and Ofelia darted over, grabbing the smaller boy into an strong and full-body embrace. "Howdy Gale. S'good ta see ya!"
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 3:49 pm
It had taken Wilson a brief moment to realize who G was, but there weren’t that many people he could peg as ‘G.’ Especially people he knew on the island. Smiling, he texted back a reply.kuromeez on my way. give me a few minutes.
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Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 6:44 am
"Ofelia," said Gale, his voice muffled, but distinctly displeased. "Kindly let me go."
With that said, he gently, but firmly pushed away from her, scowling and smoothing down the front of his shirt. Glowering, he added "I am not a teddy bear."
He supposed he was being a tad grumpy over it, but Gale had never been particularly fond of hugs to begin with. There was only one person on the island who could get away with them - for good reason - and, at least in Gale's mind - they only served to remind him of both his height and his age.
Not to mention he was still extremely tense from their last mission. Mostly Gale still refused to admit that he was still in a great deal of pain from that ordeal (which he had started to refer to as The Second Incident inside of his head) - and not the physical kind, either. The reason he was doing this mission in the first place was to distract himself, to give himself something to think about other than the churning blackness that had started to settle itself inside of him. Ofelia and Wilson were here because before The Second Incident, Jinhai kept nagging him about broadening his horizons and to stop hanging out with the same old people every time and actually make new friends.
And speaking of Jinhai...
<< I didn't mean...that you had to do this right now, you know. >>
The rifle sounded oddly subdued, Jinhai's voice quiet and slightly wary.
You were the one who said it, not me.
<< Yes, well...that was...you know, before anything happ - >>
I don't want to talk about this anymore.
Stuffing his cell phone back into his pocket (he had still been holding it stupidly in his hand), Gale pulled the clipboard in his other hand up to look at it, his eyes skimming the neatly typed text on the page.
"There's been a report of murders in Atlanta, Georgia," said Gale to Wilson and Ofelia. "A whole string of them. Ordinarily this would not be our place, but each body has been found with a certain strange brand inset into their skin and disgustingly mutilated afterwards. We have been asked to find the killer - most likely a Halloween creature of some sort - and dispose of them."
He swung the bag on his back around and stuffed the clipboard back into it, zipping it up and turning back to look at the two trainees.
"If your'e both still interested, we can take the portal now and head on down to Georgia."
Gesturing first to Ofelia, then at the portal, he added quietly "Ladies first."
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Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 8:40 pm
Ofelia let go at Gale's request, mostly because he pushed her off (she was content to snuggle him for a while), and she playfully pouted and crossed her arms at his unhappy expression. Gale had always been adorable to Ofelia, even if he was above her in rank, and eventually he'd just have to get over the fact that hugs were basically Ofelia's wonderful greeting to people she knew. As proof of that Wilson received a hug too, Ofelia's tan arms wrapping over his shoulders and pulling him close before letting him go. "Ah never think of ya as a teddy bear Gale, tha's jus' silly. Yer a human bein', jus' one who happens ta be someone Ah know so therefore ya get hugs from me. Plain an' simple. Th'same applies ta Wilson too." She winked at both boys before fishing around in her pocket for something, mumbling a few words, when -
"Georgia?! Didja say we're goin' ta Georgia?!" If it were possible for a human to explore then Ofelia would have been in many pieces with the sheer amount of volume and excitement she put off. "Ah'm from Georgia! Mah hometown's 'bout five or so hours from Atlanta, but Ah grew up there!" The fact that something horrible was happening there seemed to be completely ignored over the fact she was returning to her native soil. "Man, Ah wonder how long Ah been gone from there. Am Ah still eighteen or has too many years passed? Wonder if they got the aquarium up still, or finally got them dolphins in." She was rambling, yes, but talk of Atlanta brought around fond thoughts and memories of a home that she surprisingly spoke little of the more time she spent at Deus.
Not a bad thing, really. FOCUS, HICK. Then came Rue's voice into her mind, shattering her blissful thoughts. People are dying and you're going to go find out why. I wonder if you'll be successfully killed this time since the last mission we went on failed to do you in. Ofelia's brow crinkled, and she shook her head. Why was Rue acting so upset now when, at the time, she'd been screaming for Ofelia to survive? Mood swings maybe? "Ladies first then indeed. Ah'll see both'a y'all on the other side." With that she stepped in, so glad that she was properly dressed for temperatures.
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 5:35 pm
Wilson snorted, throwing Gale an amused grin. “Are you sure? I think you would make for a fantastic teddy bear.” He would have walked over to give the lad a hug himself, but the disgruntled expression on the blonde’s face persuaded him otherwise. Perhaps another day. [Or perhaps never.] Gramps! [What?? Youngin’, I’m just giving you some possibilities.]
“Hugs? I’m always up for a hug.” It didn’t matter who the hug was with, either. Ofie could have been a complete stranger to him and as long as she didn’t have some sort of concealed weapon on her—dying was not good, okay? Just because he was a death trainee didn’t me—he would have gladly accepted it.
His mouth was set into a small frown once Gale recited the mission summary. Murders? In Georgia? Sure, Wilson might have carted around dead bodies around before, but he imagined he would never get used to the sight of a corpse. He could only hope they would have the luck to not encounter one on their visit to the town. But at least he could manage a smile at Ofie. “Your hometown? Really? That’s pretty neat.” He began to look thoughtful. “I’ve never been to Atalanta, actually. I wonder if we’ll have time to walk around for a bit?” Probably not, but a man could dream.
He wondered if one of the external missions would ever happen to be his hometown. A part of him hoped so—he wanted to see it again—but then again it would also mean there was a chance someone he knew had died. Besides, they had been specifically told never to contact old acquaintances.
Wilson stepped aside as Ofie headed for the portal. Once the redhead slipped through the portal he looked at Gale. “See you on the other side, then!” Then he followed after her.
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kuropeco rolled 1 100-sided dice:
42
Total: 42 (1-100)
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Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2012 12:27 pm
"I would not," said Gale, resisting the very strong urge to glower at Wilson. But although he was feeling distinctly unlike his normal self - or maybe it was that he felt too much like himself - he clamped his lips down, instead keeping as stoic a face as possible.
He was not weak. He could do this.
"No hugs, please," he said quietly. "Please."
It was hardly audible, the last word, and Gale moved on quickly, his expression impassive as though he hadn't even said it. Atlanta, Georgia was their destination - and apparently somewhere near where Ofelia was, not that she would be able to travel the five hours towards wherever that hometown was. It made him slightly hesitant, Gale's eyes narrowing slightly, wondering if she could be objective, but she seemed calm enough as it was, even if she was going on and on about things he had no idea about - something involving aquariums and dolphins.
The last to cross through the portal, Gale took the smallest of seconds to close his eyes and take a deep breath.
Jinhai.
<< You'll be fine. >>
They clashed heads most of the time, certainly, but there was no denying that when it came down to it, the dragon's voice was just what he needed to hear. Gale opened his eyes, squared his shoulders, and stepped through the portal.
Upon arriving at the other side, the trainees would find themselves in the middle of a darkened neighborhood. It looked to be nearing midday, but it was grey and rainy, clouds smearing the skies overhead. The houses on the street looked very quiet and very stiff, and only one or two even looked inhabited, a dim flickering of light behind one of the curtains, though Gale had the distinct feeling that there was someone in all of them.
Gale's eyes traveled upwards, focusing on what had appeared to be a street sign.
"Look," he said quietly to Ofelia and Wilson, and pointed, one gloved finger reaching up to gently trace the outline of the black paint marring the metallic surface. "Someone's painted over these."
It was the same symbol described in the file - a black, backwards curved hook, and it was on every single sign in the area, all neatly and horribly lined up, one against the other.
"What do you suppose it means?"
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Rown rolled 1 100-sided dice:
48
Total: 48 (1-100)
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 8:16 pm
Ofelia was putting a patch over her eye by the time the other two joined her and she stretched her arms above her head, enjoying the feel of the southern humidity that wrapped her frame like a hug. It felt good to be back in a temperature she knew, to recognize the sounds of Georgia. Deus as a club was so clean and quiet it felt unnatural but now, somehow, she enjoyed the noises of the evening and even the bitter smells of the spray used to kill the bugs as the evening wore on. Of course it wasn't the evening and all she could really feel and smell was the gross nature of an oncoming storm; her hair started to instantly puff as a surefire sign of its approach.
The teen didn't really waste any time getting to explore, her feet carrying her here and there she she looked up and down each street and at the houses. It was creepy and quiet, not unlike Georgia normally was anyway, but something was unsettling. When Gale mentioned the signs she took a notice of them, glancing to see if there was anything else. "Oh hey - more of 'em over here! It looks like all the signs in this area got that mark on 'em." Ofelia walked over to a stop sign and leaned close, narrowing her eyes as if to properly inspect it. "Symbol kinda reminds me of. . . .that one band. Their album cover thin'. Dun Fear the Reaper an' all that."
If there was inner turmoil to be had by one of her teammates she was rather oblivious to it.
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Syusaki rolled 1 100-sided dice:
34
Total: 34 (1-100)
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 9:43 pm
It took Wilson a couple seconds of rapid blinking before he fully adjusted to the slightly dim lighting of the area. He stared down the rows of houses, the undulating glow of lamps behind curtains occasionally caught his eye before he stared up at the dark, grey clouds that covered the sky. It was dreary, but it reminded him of home during the rainy season. Wilson followed Gale’s finger toward the street sign, a black swirl painted on it. He stepped closer toward the sign, but an answer to Gale’s question failed to pop into mind. “Honestly? I don’t know.” The realization bummed him out. “I want to say it is a sign to mark territory or something, but I’m not sure.” He followed after Ofie, staring at each sign he passed, hoping that each look would reveal more information, but it didn’t.
Then he caught a sharp smell. He frowned and plugged his nose with two fingers. “Ew. Do you smell that? It smells like something’s rotting.” This time, when Wilson looked around he began to notice the bugs. His eyes narrowed when he watched a couple flies buzz away while roaches skittered behind plants. What unsettled him the most however, was the dead locusts on the ground. “There’re locusts. They aren’t native to this area, are they?”
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kuropeco rolled 1 100-sided dice:
63
Total: 63 (1-100)
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Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 6:27 am
Still scrutinizing the signs, Gale almost missed Wilson's question, reaching out a hand to smooth his fingers over the black paint marring the signs. It was not something he recognized, not at least right off, and Gale slipped his phone from his pocket. He held it up and snapped a few quick pictures before tucking the phone away and turning back to face Wilson.
"I don't smell anything," said Gale, frowning a little, but even he could see the dead insects littering the ground. It was rather foul, and it unnerved him, Gale taking a few steps back and lifting a hand to rub at his nose.
Now that he had mentioned it, there was an odd sort of scent to the air - a thick, heavy pungent smell that wafted around them. Gale pulled his scarf up more securely over his face, rubbing at his nose in an irritated manner.
The locusts reminded him of something, but he could not put his finger on what.
There was a sudden gust of wind that whipped through the dark street, rifling Gale's hair and bringing with it the scent of something else, something horribly, brutally familiar to him -
Sand.
No.
Bile rose in his throat. He swallowed hard, forcing back the nausea with a sort of angry frustration, and turned away from the others, looking for a clue, something to distract him from his own thoughts. He could not break down, not here, not when he was leading a mission and these two trainees were under his care and supervision.
Sand everywhere.
Gale closed his eyes briefly, inhaling slowly. Then he exhaled, opened his eyes, and turned back to the others.
"What else do you see?"
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Rown rolled 1 100-sided dice:
74
Total: 74 (1-100)
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Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 8:20 pm
"No smell here, jus' more sand. It's like its everywhere an' havin' that wind blowin' is doin' us no favors. Stuff's gettin' in mah eye." Ofelia rubbed at her face with the back of her hand, her nose and mouth filled with the taste of grit and rot. The rot taste was horrible, unknown (she knew grit from just being dumb), and Ofelia sucked a bit on her tongue to try and erase the taste. There were still the marks on the signs as far as she could see, and even though Wilson had specifically mentioned the scent she still couldn't notice it. "Rue, ya feelin' anythin'? FEAR maybe?"
Nothing here. This is a waste of my time - your homeland is as backwards and as inbred as you are. The boo hag sounded....unhappy, or perhaps a bit bored. She could feel the excitement that Ofelia was leaking from being back home, but other than that there was nothing. No FEAR, no danger, just a boring southern place that was hot and gross. It made the weapon miserable. I hope the others are just as miserable as I am
"Hard chances. Ah'mma keep lookin' over - Gale, are ya okay? Yer lookin' kinda rough, the humidity not workin' witcha?" Ofelia noticed for the first time how pale the Brit looked. While she seemed to be thriving and getting more energetic with each step (in spite of how horrible everything seemed) the younger boy appeared to be wilting. The teen looked over to Wilson with a nervous frown. "Are ya gettin' sick too?"kuromeez Apparently Ofelia is just gonna do what Gale does. Forever.
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Syusaki rolled 1 100-sided dice:
7
Total: 7 (1-100)
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Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 2:52 pm
“Sand?” he echoed. He didn’t see any sand, but then a gust blew, bringing in warm air and more befuddling scents. This was a town. While Wilson could rationalize the rotting stench, he couldn’t understand the presence of sand. He only briefly noticed Gale’s turned figure, his back to both him and Ofie. Wilson thought nothing of it. Gale was probably examining something else. Overall, he appeared fine.
He kept looking at the bugs spread across the ground. His brows were furrowed as he took a few steps forward. Crunch. Wilson made a face as he lifted one of his shoes. He had stepped on one of them. Great. At least they weren’t poisonous or anything like that, right?
Wilson turned to face Ofie and Gale at the mention of humidity. He directed his attention toward the blond lad. His eyes settled on Gale’s expression for a moment before he spoke up worriedly, “is the smell getting to you? Do you want to rest for a bit?” It was warm, warmer than what he was used to. He rolled up his sleeves and stared at the sky. The sun was high up. It was probably a little after noon right now.
He stopped. Shouldn’t there be more people here? Wilson peered down both directions of the streets, but was only met with wary looks from the few civilians walking about. “You know, I thought more people would be outside around this time.”
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kuropeco rolled 1 100-sided dice:
48
Total: 48 (1-100)
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Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 5:48 pm
He felt sick, his stomach churning. Why the sand, Gale thought, glancing around at the mostly deserted street, his eyes tracing the hard black lines of the markings on the signposts. Why do I smell the scent of sand?
Horsemen, isn't it? Somehow they always have to do with sand...
He did not understand, but the information on the smell - along with the signs and the locusts on the ground - were all filed away within Gale's mind for later use. He took out his phone and took a few more snapshots of the surroundings before tucking it back into his pocket.
His head felt light. He didn't look over at either Ofelia or Wilson as he said quietly "I'm fine."
<< Gale? >>
Not now, Ginny.
Somewhat embarrassed that they had noticed his discomfort, Gale went back to scrutinizing the signs before he answered Wilson's question.
"It is odd," he said, with a glance around. "Why isn't anyone out?"
What's going on here?
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Rown rolled 1 100-sided dice:
19
Total: 19 (1-100)
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Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 10:04 am
"This ain't right - Atlanta or even its skirts ain't supposed ta be so dead like this - there is sommin' goin' on." Ofelia moved away from Gale's side after he insisted that he was okay and she frowned, unsure if she honestly believed it. Instead she figured the best thing to do would be to focus on their mission and get everyone home so if whatever it was here that was making Gale sick would be long gone and away. "An' these people . . .the south's friendly. Sure it's mostly superficial 'cause we honestly dun give'a damn but at least we always said 'howdy'. Sommin' ain't right."
The teen moved towards one of the people and frowned even harder as that person seemed to scatter at her approach, their worried look only serving to piss her off a bit more. "Hey ya asses! At least one'a'ya needs ta say hello b'for Ah decide ta make ya!" Her yelling at the people didn't help either as the one who happened to be walking her way quickly turned on their heels and went back in the direction they'd come from. Ofelia frowned and thought about going after them, demanding answers the old fashioned way but her brain told her she should't leave Gale or Wilson behind.
Something dangerous was happening here. Her gut told her as much.
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