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 Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 2:03 pm
Quote:  Reconnaissance Mission S86
Location: The Sahara Desert (North Africa)
Images:: x, x, xx
General debriefing: The Sahara has been a strong hold of the Horseman Clans for millenia. Current events have created a demand for more widespread observation of the area, as well as a need for greater experience with the region among Hunters and trainees.
Duties include: Upkeep of base. Acclimatization. Regular patrols. Observe and record any aberrations found within the area. Capture specimens. Destroy threats to the human populace. Flagging A and S class threats for special dispatch.
Bring supplies for at least a three day stay as a base. Modified desert uniforms and gear are available from the Quartermaster. Extra charged runes are recommended.
* C class difficulty level (must have a team of three to five, at least one of them must be an intermediate trainee) MECHANICS * MECHANICS: RP assembling a team, as necessary, before heading towards the Lighthouse for Reconnaissance Mission S86. You will roll at least 1 daily prompt for each of the hunters on the team, unless the mission ends early due to injury or further enemy interference. Daily Prompts: roll 1 d100 1: The ground shakes beneath your feet and cracks begin to appear in the distance when out of the sand a massive sand worm the size of the Empire State Building bursts out. Between its many segments you see tiny flashes of light that upon (dangerously) closer inspection appear to be suits of armour and weapons. Weapons with glowing runic marks. It towers above you and then smashes down upon the camp, destroying it easily. Roll 2d20 to determine your injuries. Your options are to either portal home and report, or stay and fight the creature known as The Armoury (HP: 9999) 2 - 10: Nothing happens. 11 - 20: An unusually large swarm of insects pass by the camp. They seem to pause and hover, blanketing the camp for several moments before moving on. 21 - 30: You find a stone stairway that leads to vine-covered underground temple, red flowers blooming all along its walls. You begin to hear voices, both strange and familiar. Should you get injured at any point during this, the vines will enter your body and begin growing inside your hunter. They will grow more paranoid as the days pass as well as hallucinating, the vines becoming visible under their skin after one day, and then blooming the next. Bringing them back to Deus will end their part in the mission, as they will need a two day day infirmary stay to be rid of the plants. A flower or vine-like scar will remain on their person. 31 - 60: Horsemen appear and attack your camp or patrol group. ((These can be either player character horseman you invite to battle (which will make your base RP points PVP points and worth 2 instead of 1 rp point) or you can battle against an automob who you will be able to possibly capture.)) Horseman AutoMob (clan/appearance/name are your choice, though do follow the horseman guidelines for such) HP: 60 Auto Damage: 5 Special: Should you bring their HP to either 0 exactly or 1, then you may viably capture them and bring them back to Deus. (Bonus Pay: $3000) otherwise they simply escape or dissipate. 61 - 70: Nothing happens 71 - 80: You discover an underground oasis. It's very enjoyable. 81 - 90: You fall through the sand into a stone room. Along the floor are piles of body parts. One of the piles begins to move, then several more. Roll 1d20 to escape back up the way you came or destroy a wall with your weapon. You must roll 11 or higher to succeed. Failure causes you to be mobbed by the creatures. Before you pass out, you notice their features changing to match your own. When you wake up, you are naked and alone except for your weapon's totem. You either escape under your own power or are rescued by your teammates. 91: Nothing happens. 92: You're attacked by figures of bone and rotting flesh, they move both mindlessly and as a unit, as it they were puppets. Corpse Mob: HP:30 Auto Damage: 3 Special: Every time you miss the auto damage is 6 instead of 3. When they are defeated they simply collapse into parts. 93: Nothing happens. 94 - 99: A sandstorm locks you into the base for the rest of the day. No more prompts may be rolled for that day. 100: Moths shot through with silvery veins begin to form a female figure. (post quote lizbot) * 3 mission reward points for completing this successfully
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 2:36 pm
Lawrence had not been pleased when he received notice that his name had been pulled for a short term mission.He did not like hard work or danger, he was especially restless at the idea of hard work which took him further away from America.
His briefing papers made him pause and re-read them just to be certain they said what he had suspected. Location - Sahara.
Perhaps it wasn't all bad, he reasoned. Perhaps there would be a chance to get a few more years off the top, to force the red haired siren to take back her comments about age and appearance. The desert was after all, /very dangerous./
This logic turned his mood around and he was a little keener as he gathered his things, spartan but with books, sunscreen and light but skin-covering clothing as important parts of his arsenal, many of which he had brought previously. It would be lovely not to be cold for a time.
He was early to arrive and did not linger around the portal, but instead headed on ahead, placing his possessions tidily on a cot in prime position within the camp like a German reserving a sunbed. He was rather keen to see who his unfortunate companions were, as the quartermaster and the hunter who had delivered his briefing and summons had not been forthcoming at all.
Someone weak, and /disposable/ he hoped.
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 3:24 pm
America, on the other hand, had been informed that a trainee was in her mission group and so waited patiently at the portal for them to arrive. The assignment was one she was familiar with and, despite the looming deadline the doctor had given her on their "date", a welcome break from both Svetloyar and the island. Rodney would find her waiting with a mission bag over one shoulder and, after a brief introduction ("You look a little less grey than I remember"), a request that he go over everything he was bringing on the mission.
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 3:42 pm
"It's an artifact," Rodney said, moderately embarrassed and looking like an extra from Lawrence of Arabia. He could even have been a member of Famine, if you didn't look too closely, with a gauzy outfit, perfectly fitted slippers, and a combination veil/hood that jangled with gold.
He smelled warm, and summery, like spices.
Rodney introduced himself with a very light handshake, then unpacked his small knapsack at her request. He didn't yet have any runics, but he did have a change of clothes, a camera, a sketchbook, and a worn pocket Bible. He had also bought liberal amounts of fragrance-free sunblock. The pendant and phone were on him.
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 4:16 pm
There was a brief, genuine smile at the artifact. "Good find, hun, bet a lot of hunters would like fancy magic clothes." The lack of runics was sighed over, and America gave Rodney a pointed look. "They don't really go over this with folks enough, but having personal runic equipment can make a big difference. Living and dying sorta difference. I hope you plan on getting one after we get back, and at least bring a regular first aid kit until you've got some sciencey magic'd bandaids. Sunblock is wise, it'll help your weapon out a bit, camera is decent though your phone will do in most instances, same with the notebook." Though she didn't know why he wouldn't bring one with lined paper. The bible was ignored. "Now," her smile turned grim, "why didn't you bring any emergency rations?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 7:21 pm
"I thought about it." Rodney smiled sheepishly, "It's my mistake, I'm used to bringing my own food, but I thought I'd um, eat whatever everyone else was. I haven't stayed out longer than a day yet." He hadn't been expecting vegan fare. He was capable of eating meat products socially, even if he didn't enjoy it, and spent the majority of the time privately and fervently thanking the animal for what it had given up. It was just easier for him to swallow when he knew the process wasn't facilitated by a miserable life for social, intelligent creatures followed by a terrifying and bloody end. He had tried to set aside the dietary restrictions for the trip for the sake of solidarity. He didn't know they were actually supposed to be responsible for their supplies.
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 8:56 pm
"There'll be provisions at the base camp," America reassured him and let Rodney repack his belongings. "But this is the Sahara and s**t goes wrong on a lot of missions, but this region is ********' brutal. Things can wrong and fast, and it's too easy to get separated and lost there. Phones and pendants aren't always reliable, and storms can keep portals down for days. If there's anyplace you wanna over-prepare for, it's this one." With that she gives him a slap on the shoulder, "Don't worry too much though. I've got your back and I was told our third is an intermediate with experience with the place, so you'll be good in hands. There's worse ways to get introduced to it." Like being chucked through a portal by Caelius and into a base full of dead hunters and giant monsters. The memory held, horribly enough, a touch of fondness. Looking around she noted the time and the lack of a third, "Hummm, welp, either they're late or they went ahead, so may as well move out. Be sharp when you come out the other side, sometimes there's a monster waiting."
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 9:06 pm
The words The Sahara had little meaning to him. He had read about it when he got his assignment, of course. His last mission had involved giant bugs, and being there while they had been killed had been an awful experience. The problem was humans coming into their territory, not the other way around. He wished they'd been able to communicate, and work something out.
He started at the slap on the shoulder though, flinching but giving her an attempt at a gloomy smile.
Rodney did seem genuinely cheered by the prospect of monsters. "Do you think there will be?" He asked, keeping the camera strap on his wrist, just in case.
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 9:11 pm
"Decent chance of it, they tend to be big. Some are really ******** big, like skyscraper big," America drawled easily. "Some are just people-sized, those'll either be Horsemen or Horsemen bug-puppets most likely." There's a pause and then she clarifies, "If you see another Hunter out there and they're acting off, probably being controlled by bugs n's**t running around inside them."
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 9:46 pm
"Oh, wow," Rodney said. It was really a privilege to be able to be here and study something that large that had gone undiscovered, like exploration in the deep ocean.
"And, okay. Mind control," Rodney repeated, although he wasn't sure if he knew either of hunters he was working with well enough to tell what was "off". The very idea seemed more like Magic than Science. "Do we know if...biologically, does their anatomy function? I mean, with...hearts, and a nervous system. Or, because of how they're made, does that not matter?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 9:54 pm
They are not attacked, outside the blast of sun and heat, as they exit the portal. "No really my division, hun," she comments absently, scanning the area before moving toward the base camp. "I'd imagine they do have bits and pieces of sorts, but mostly the thing to remember is: even if you cut out those bits and pieces, they'll just grow them back. I've decapitated this one a*****e like three times."
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 10:05 pm
Rodney flinched at that, too. "A...ah. R-right..."
I told you it doesn't hurt them any.
"But they can still feel-?"
Why even think about it, geez.
Rodney stepped out onto the blazing sand, and was a little disappointed by the vast and burning emptiness. The desert was beautiful, almost like another planet, but for now it was quiet. The only sound was the slap of canvas from the tents.
As they headed over to the main living area, he lifted the flap for America to come through, the Saharan version of holding the door.
"You've...seen a lot at this point, haven't you?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 10:10 pm
"Yeah, hun," she grins, all teeth, as she looks across the tent and sees Lawrence. "I see all sorts of s**t."
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 10:24 pm
Rodney followed, lowering his bag onto one of the empty cots. He was startled by the sudden grit of frustration in her tone, and followed her gaze...
Ah.
"Hi, Lawrence," he said shyly, privately happy to see his friend, although he wasn't entirely sure about the relationship between the other two. He knew about the clone, and that Lawrence had been in Russia in order to be closer to America. But, even though they'd been spending a lot of time together, it seemed like there was some...tension.
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 10:56 pm
Lawrence had been hoping for someone naive and stupid, someone easy to kill and say it was all just a horrible mistake, someone they might actually believe. He was optimistic, his thoughts mostly about how much he wanted more years and more time.
He had not so much as entertained the fact they might send her, nor the problems that would present, so when America made her way into the tent in an unmistakable flash of eye-catching red hair he actually looked as close to surprised as he got, freezing completely still where he was sitting on the edge of the cot.
He didn't swear but he was, in the moment not sure if it was appropriate to do so.
His fledgeling hopes that there would still be another hunter were absolutely dashed when Rodney followed her, dressed like a damned harem girl in gauze and a bloody veil. Sometimes he wondered if the man was here simply to try him in some sort of divine judgement. He wouldn't be able to kill either.
It was awful, frankly awful and the steep horrible awkwardness of having both America and Rodney in the same place sunk its claws into him immediately. He wasn't sure who he was going to be, nor how he was going to deal with the conversations which could ostensibly occur. There was a momentary desire to ignore both of them, but he knew he couldn't do that, especially not with her, never with her.
Trying to be cordial he smiled easily at Rodney. "Hello." he said, "They sent you out here? Did they warn you it is horrible here?"
He couldn't help his cold blue gaze flicking back to America at the word horrible.
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