=> Whimsical Underground Adventure 2000: Kids and Fun

[Hivestuck]

Traveling in the late night through the desert was a seemingly endless feat, with the drought making water supplies scarce. Only those deemed most useful, even of the "royally invited" volunteers, are given ample amounts of water to drink. As the lowlier members of the teams make their way through the desert, stands from scalpers selling water at exorbitant prices are the only option. But eventually, the target swims into sight. The plain, grey building in the middle of the desert seems at first like a mirage.

"Here we are," announces the escort of the group, a lone deployment drone. She unlocks the door to the tiny building and ushered the groups inside, revealing a bizarre sight. An empty water cooler and a flight of stairs are the only features of the room - the spiral staircase going down as if to the center of Alternia. "I'll bring up the rear. If your lusus can't fit, they should follow me to the oversized equipment elevator..."

Descending from the surface of the desert into the processing way-station is a tight fit, and clearly suited for drones used to poor working conditions. Down a shaft of loud, lurching metal stairs the parties went, and as you descend, the space grows narrower. Dim lights on cables follow the trail down into the depths. Finally, you arrive at a main cavern hollowed out many sweeps ago. The groups find themselves in a dingy underground station, far from the city of Chittentown.

Flickering lights and the desert heat makes the small way-station space tight and claustrophobic. Larger lusii reappear, looking squashed and disoriented from whatever unconventional mode of travel they had to suffer. The official deployment drone, tired from the military base trek, sits herself down in the station filled with dials and blinking emergency lights. The area looks like an underground construction area - hard, constructed floors make a series of platforms that contain many husk hubs and servers for checking the water processing pipeline. It's a rather haphazard workstation, with tarps covering regularly dripping areas and water-collection containers stacked up in case of additional wetness. Since the plant was built into a pre-existing cave system, many natural rock features stick out here and there, while others have been ground flat haphazardly to add additional walkways. Staircases go every which way in trying to avoid stalagmites and navigate the chaotic terrain of the caverns.

“Other than a drone-led search team, the caverns have been evacuated. So, unless you run into them, all you have to do is watch your horns and your step.” The stoic deployment drone mutters. It is clear that she would not be assisting any of the groups in their investigation. The drone turns in her chair and gestures to the walkways.

“Walkways should take you to the main lines, but they only go so far. Since the flood, the caverns have reclaimed some of our infrastructure, but now that the drought’s happening… Who knows what’s happening down there.” The strobing of the light cast on her face gave her an eerie white glow. The drone dusted off her uniform and vaguely attempted to inject enthusiasm into her briefing.

“Alternia thanks you for volunteering. Good luck.”


This event takes the form of a team CYOA. Each team starts out with 5 HP, representing the team’s stamina. Each day, a choice will be presented to the group that may result in positive or negative results. If the team HP falls to 0, they are considered lost. If a team misses a choice, they must automatically deduct 1hp from their HP and assume their group picked one of the negative results. If a team misses 2 consecutive days’ worth of choices, the team loses 5 HP and is considered lost. A new choice will be posted each day for the next seven days.

Only one member of the team is required to post the team’s choice (250 word minimum) along with the team members names and the team's current HP. The choice must be decided upon by the whole group by majority vote, either in the main meta thread or wherever members can communicate. (If one person is not online for a day, groups can still post, since the majority is online and able to pick.) Apart from posting the choice, teams are free to roleplay among themselves during the event, and if members reach the required word count, this can be counted towards growths.

Any questions regarding this event can be asked in the main meta thread.  

[Hivestuck]

Group Tracker

Quote:

Better Than You HP 5 / 5

PeanutButterpies

Klymen

amicableAggressor

Regina

KitsuneAura

Lorata

thyPOPE

Dictys

Quote:

Cops and Robbers HP 5 / 5

Katanari

Ephias

leon_a_darkangel

Voscil

KitsuneAura

Etsali

quite uneventful

Zindel

Quote:

Group 3 HP 5 / 5

Gl!tch~

Reemus

TanuKyle

Nervit

seekingCylem

Sinter

Quote:

Candy Dandies HP 5 / 5

Sypon

Aandes

purplerosesbeauty

Eostre

Quote:

Group 5 HP 5 / 5

TanuKyle

Alexin

LordPocky

Miache

Sypon

Tamiya

unnamed groups, if you decide on a totally required and utterly serious name please post it in the main meta thread and your topic's name will be updated!  

[Hivestuck]

Tours of the innards of Chittentown’s outer processing plant were scarce (not to mention dangerous), and even the sponsorship of the Queen wouldn’t be enough to spruce up the place. The smell of dust, mildew, dry algae and chemicals combine the best of the desert aromas and the metallic charm of the musty processing plant. Rusted metal walkways look more jagged than any cave structure, and lead into the distance, lit by humming lights. Meanwhile, an immense pipe crooks around a distant corner, while smaller intake pipes connect from its girth and branch outwards. And alternatively, a rickety set of stairs leads into the depths underneath the main platform. It’s barely bolted on. How do you advance?

A) Trek the metal walkways.
B) Go down the stairs
C) Follow the smaller intakes
D) Inspect the main pipe’s source  

[Sypon]

Candy Dandies Team HP: 5/5
(Eostre & Aandes)

Choice: D

Aandes was inside of his head for the majority of the trip. The groups splitting up meant that he would be stuck with one or more strange and unusual trolls, and – as fate would have it – he ended up with Eostre. In his own mind he knew he’d made a fool of himself every time he’d met her. Hiding out of sight at the earthquake, stuffing food into his gullet during Bloodfest, and at his most vulnerable when he was investigating the Four Fronds wishing well. He’d all but given up trying to make contact, and now that luck pushed them back together he was quailing. In his head of course. Outside of that, he was ice cold.

And also blisteringly hot – damn this heat. Aandes had plenty of time on the walk to construct an incredibly convoluted plan for his interactions with the blueblood. With Koalapops on his back, and with the difficulty of the trek, however, he was exhausted. Aandes remained fairly quiet for most of the trip, while occasionally making a stress-induced comment about the attire of some of the other worse-for-wear trolls in the pack.

As they headed down into the station, the hot and sticky feeling disgusted Aandes. He watched Eostre closely to see how she would react – if nothing else, he wanted to be as useful to her as possible. Make the best impression.

“Where to, first?” Asked the troll cautiously. He didn’t want to sound too clueless or too demanding. “I believe the main intake goes around that corner. I’ve heard some weird stuff about plants in the pipes, so maybe there’s something down that way.”

He half-grinned and looked down over the metal walkways into the depths below. It was exhilarating, but a bit terrifying. The cave seemed to go on for miles. Aandes straightened up and the two began walking down the main pipeline.  

[thyPOPE]

Dictys pulled out eir tablet husk to take notes as the debriefing begun, glancing over at the members of the task force ey'd been assigned t -

What.

This was not a lowblooded team of sheep, to be led about by their glorious fine-finned better. This was an assembly of naturally born leaders, one of whom was - Dictys gaped, or would have, had it not been undignified - Regina Marian herself. This squad was far better suited to leading the other groups. How were other trolls expected to find guidance with all of the natural captains here? Whoever'd organized this (clearly not Regina) was making a mistake.

But ah, perhaps this was not the intention. Perhaps if the rest of the group was separated from the wisest of trolls, the military could then see who made a demonstrably efficient subordinate officer - perhaps those trolls might become lieutenants. In that case it was a strategic, if perhaps premature move. Wasn't the Chittentown disaster that required a little more personal attention from trolls' betters? And yet Dictys knew, looking each of these trolls in the eye, that this group would be full of trolls as efficient and attractive (what?) as emself. "I'm Dictys Glauci; it's a pleasure," ey began, nodding cordially to the remainder of eir team. Ey was nearly as tall as Regina, ey was pleased to note - although there was another, older troll ey didn't recognize (ey could appreciate that jacket, though - it was so very slick!), and a little one with a poofy skirt.

The smile began to fade, though, as they actually made their way into the station. Oh, dear - this was in an awful state of disrepair! How were trolls expected to walk like this? Perhaps this was why abovedwellers wore shoes. Blech - Alternia could be so disgusting abovewater.

Dictys glanced at the stairs - no (Dictys remembered well enough what happened whenever ey tried to climb stairs, especially stairs that looked so...fragile!), and then the walkway - eugh, rust - before settling eir eyes on the pipes. There was a large...feeder pipe? Tributary? Dictys wasn't quite sure. Branching off was a network of smaller pipes, and clearly eir answer had to be there. Clearly that was the answer. But which way?

...well, one of the options had only one possible answer. It'd be prudent to check there first: it'd be quicker, right? Dictys walked forward to begin inspecting it. Perhaps it could provide clues.

(Everyone else was also a clever, talented seadweller - clearly that meant they'd have the same idea.)

Team BETTER THAN YOU has chosen option D.
feat. Lorata Gorgos, Klymen Carcha, Dictys Glauci, Regina Marian
HP: 5/5  

[amicableAggressor]

Regina was not doing this for Chittentown. She wasn't even doing this for the glory. She was doing this because finally, finally her advisers had agreed that she could go out and mingle with the general population. On one stipulation. There was no way she would be grouping up with some lowblood potential rebels, no, she would be going in a team with other trolls who would be, no questions asked, irrevocably on her side. And so, while the other highbloods in her party looked at each other, then her, with barely concealed surprise, she gave a smug smile and grin back at them. Whatever. She was out and around as herself, for the first time in too long. Regina Marian, out to kick a** and take names.

She looked over at the first one to break the silence. "Hey. Don't I know you? You were takin' donations at some .. uuh that big earthquake." Of course she herself had been in disguise, but Regina never forgot a face with fins on. Turning to the others, she gave friendly and noncommittal nods to them both. Klymen she recognized, but the little one was a new face. She took a note of it. Always important to know who was swimming around. "Good to see you all out here, gettin' your fins sandy." Noting Dictys striding ahead, she raised an eyebrow a fraction of an inch, but strolled along slightly behind.

better than you - 5/5  

[purplerosesbeauty]

Candy Dandies Team HP: 5/5
(Eostre & Aandes)

She wasn't particularly happy about this situation. Eostre didn't even really like Chittentown, but she knew the right thing to do in a situation like this is to obey your Queen, and try and get the problem solved quickly, and stop lowblood rebellion. She was smart enough, and this time she was unaccompanied by her small feral redblood. Which was a bit strange, but ultimately relieving. She was a lot to handle, and Eostre wasn't going to wigglersit her her whole life!

Speaking of, there was always a lot more wigglers than she expected when she came to government mandated events. Some a lot more.... awful looking than others, she noted with mild disdain. But thankfully the child she was paired with was wearing real clothing.

Eostre put a gloved hand to her mouth as she entered the caves proper. It smelled awful in here. No wonder lowbloods were always sick. The water from these pipes must be filled with disgusting things, unlike the nice clean water in Four Fronds. It was enough to make her gag, if she wasn't so in control of herself.

She pulled her hand down when Aandes spoke. "We'll start following the main pipeline to the source of the water." She looked over at the stairs and the walkways, all incredibly suicidal looking options that she wasn't going to take. Eostre planned on doing very little dying. "If this plant rumor has any credence, it might be the cause of this whole issue after all," she said as she walked along the pipeline.

 

[grayseasons]

All right, time to get this going! Whatever it was. Klymen didn't entirely realize what she was actually supposed to be doing, she was just fine with the idea that she was out and doing something. I mean, true, she had been told to come here but hey it wasn't that bad of a thing. Serving the empire and all that, blah blah normal citizen. She was just glad to be out here and recognized. That was important.

When she turned to see her group though, her eyes nearly popped out of her head. She was in a group with the queen? That was an honor in and of itself. A quick check over the rest of the group proved that everyone else was also of seadwelling type, although only one was lower than her. While she couldn't fathom why she was put in a group like this, she was pleased. Obviously she had been recognized to be of... some merit that was good. Whatever it was, it was time to rub fins.

Dictys, one of the kids introduced themselves as and Klymen nodded. "Klymen Carcha, also a pleasure." She said, keeping note of the name before. She followed behind as Dictys walked ahead and although it wouldn't be her first choice, she wasn't one to argue and followed to the pipe. After all, it could help also.

...And that walkway didn't look very stable, to be truthful.

better than you: 5/5 hp
 

[Green Minuet]

∞ Ephias Sagine

It was a little strange to entrust such a task to a group of children. The fate of Chittentown's water supply rested on tiny shoulders. Then again, they had signed up for it. The best labour was cheap labour, or so seemed to be the empire's slogan. And since when had the empire cared about Chittentown?

As the drone brought them up to speed, Ephias took in his surroundings. The plant was far from welcoming. Though it was bright enough to see by, the light was cold. In the few places where there were shadows, it was impossible to see. He took shallow breaths. The air was chilly and dead, and accompanied by an array of unpleasant scents. That only increased his desire to get this done with as fast as possible.

When the drone had left, he turned to his team-mates. “I think it would be best t-to check things out at the source first: the main pipeline or the offshoots. We might find some-something that they missed.”

Wolly stood behind his charge, sniffing at a small patch of algae.  

[leon_a_darkangel]

Voscil and her lusus had come along with the unwitting group of traveling children and their guardians without much thought. A chance for fun, adventure and a chance to solve the riddled mystery of what had happen to the towns water supply fueled her on the long trek.Now was no different as they entered the plant her only regret about the trip thus far was the smell. Mamaju nudged at her daughter when the girl started to wander from the group keeping her attention on the task at hand.

Waving to the drones parting, she turned her attention on the first to speak. A redblood if his shirt was foretelling. Crossing her arms over her chest, she stepped close to the other trolls. The musty room reminded her of yet another exciting dungeon. "I dunno! I kinda think the stairs look like they'd be fun to cross, but that does make sense." They had already made formal introductions, so she at least could place names to faces.

"Do you guys want to check out the main line maybe then?" Voscil inquired with a tilt of her head.  

[quite uneventful]

With a terse expression on his face, Zindel trailed along behind the group, not feeling particularly talkative with the trolls he was placed with. His group was composed mostly of lowbloods, which was good, he guessed-- allies were hard to come by, and with his recent arrival in New Hemisect, it was almost a chore trying to build them up back again. He hadn't found any of his old OHC friends just yet, but the fact still stood-- he needed to get new ones. And what better place than groaning over forced labor?! He was glad he'd at least get something out of it, at least. Beetles were getting harder and harder to come by in the city-- even Wrenmom, whom currently was perched on his shoulder, couldn’t scrounge up something for Zindel to munch on.

Looking over to the two trolls that spoke first, Zindel's bored eyes slid over look at the trolls faces better before dusting off his dirty shirt and looking at their surroundings. The four options the rest of them looked at were the rusty stairs, the lighted walkway, and the pipes leading in different directions. Crossing the stairs off as a definite no, Zindel listened to the next trolls opinion and found that the brown blood and the yellowblood held similar opinions, wanting to go down the walkway. It was the most direct path, yes, and it was looking awfully appealing, but if they actually wanted to find a reason for this pipe clogging, it would've been better that they looked at the pipes-- maybe the smaller ones, as the main one was... well, why check the big one if there were smaller ones leading toward it? If the main pipe had a problem, it was possible the smaller pipes held the blame. Sliding his hand into his fluffy, curly mess of hair, Zindel gave a small nod over toward the redblood. "If the problem happened in the pipes, then I think we should give them a look-over." He said-- "It's possible the problem be in the smaller ones. Though the walkway is alright, I guess." It was right there. Zindel didn't want to go crazy with his choices, might as well keep it simple or something, yeah?

 

[leon_a_darkangel]

Voscil looked between the pipes and the walkway with a serious expression. The orangeblood really seemed to have the better standpoint on her current mind-set but recalling her trip with the last group of trolls and seeing the plants growing in the pipes she had to wonder. “Well! Last time I went poking around in one of the towns stations we found plants growing out of the pipes. So let’s try going down one of those and if it’s boring we’ll double back around?” She suggested wanting to move onward instead of talking about it all night. She tapped her shoe against the ground looking between them as she reached back for her lusus dragging her closer.

“Maybe we can find something like it?” Voscil grinned then, a wide smile at her companions. Everyone seemed to be in mixed spirits, she’d work with what was going on. “I mean, it’s not like we’re chicken right?” She bolstered, ensuring everyone was good and fired up for the trip. While she lived in NHC, Voscil still liked the idea she could somehow help out as the town hero in the midst of this crisis in Chittentown. No matter how dangerous or shifty the place they’d have to do their best to try and make any progress right? “Let’s just make this quick and easy~” Vos replied in a sing song voice, already walking towards one of pipelines, impatiently wanting to get them going. At least with their blessing, if they didn’t work as a team what was the sense in being in a group anyway?  

[LordPocky]

UGH! Who in their right mind would follow those FILTHY pipes?! Gross....the walkway wasn't looking any better. Miache was a practical troll, he preferred a direct route, and a straight line just always felt more....orderly. However...one MUST make compromises somewhere. His eyes trailed the pipes with disdain, he didn't like the looks of them. If one of them busted open just what kind of.....gooey....disgusting muck would spray out at him? No. He refused to get closer to the source of that FILTH! However.....the stairs looked rather precarious....though, he wasn't a coward, a few bumps and bruises from taking a tumble didn't scare him. He'd faced true fear in the amount of a mountain of trash. Though.....he looked thoughtfully at the smaller intakes and mused, they couldn't have nearly as much potential sewage as the larger pipes.....and he wouldn't get rust on his loafers from the stairs or metal walkways.....obviously he knew the answer.

"Let's go this way!" he announced, not bothering to give the other two a choice. They'd probably choose wrong anyway....though, as highbloods he certainly would put merit in their opinions. He yipped as his lusus swatted his behind sharply. What?! OH! RIGHT! The little troll cleared his throat sheepishly and frowned as he looked at the other two trolls. "Uh.....I'm Miache by the way," he added, a little begrudgingly. He was so bad for forgetting manners....he didn't know what he'd do without Raptordad to remind him sometimes....but his lusus was right.....proper manners were the sign of a true gentletroll....

Team 5: Option C
5/5 hp