"Hold," Faustite said, and the words echoed out over a barren canyon. The area, a narrow juncture between two broken cliffs, was silent but for the chatter of gathered officers.
Just behind them and to their right was the cave that housed their camp, with only some Generals and the Mauvians that worked alongside them. The reserve teams lingered there, acting as guards to those actively working, should youma return to the area. For now, even they had fallen silent, and watched on to hear what would come next.
The flaming General, poised just before the yawning pit that was their focus of investigation, turned to face the crowd of voluntary officers. "Tama and I will proceed first. Rest of you will split off into your teams as designated on your tablets. Once you receive the signal, want each team to rappel down to the building, one team at a time. It's about a fifty foot drop, so be sure of your footing as you descend. Mauvians are about finished compiling a map from data they scalped from the structure, and that information will be disseminated to you. Once you land, you'll be directed to your assigned area to investigate. As a reminder, stick to your groups. Don't know what we're facing down there.
"Expect teams to report in with any relevant findings on the hour. If you find yourselves stuck, call me – might be of some help. Won't have much to do, anyway," he added in a lowered tone. "Tama," he urged before he summoned the Mauvian to his shoulder.
After mounting their equipment, the pair turned and vanished. They weren't gone long before the teams' tablets glowed with the sound of the Mauvian's voice:
“It's showtime, folks, and get here quick. We’re burning daylight down here.”
Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2022 11:10 am
The two teams were redirected via the transmission on their tablets, with Faustite's static-laden voice pointing them toward a small cargo lift. The walk was uneventful, if surreal for the obsidian-esque tile, elegant glass pipes, and threads of pure light that wove throughout the space. Unlike the initial room into which they rappelled, the cargo lift appeared to be oriented correctly. Once the two teams boarded, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, they disembarked on a slow elevator ride to the lower levels. They passed the first floor, where the previous two teams had been directed, then the second floor, and their ride staggered to a stop at the third.
The rail lowered. They faced shut double doors with a single glass square in the center. Fingerprints were smudged across its surface. The doors had no hinges, and their only features of note were the luminous threads that acted like wires and the metal plates riveted on each side of the divide between the doors. Red writing ran across their surfaces in an ever scrolling fashion, often too quick to read. However, the team is able to make out !!WARNING!! in capital letters.
At first glance, the two doors seem to be the only way into the area. Peering through the glass yields few other clues, beyond a narrow chamber that is well-lit with small, repeating orbs of light. Much like the rest of the facility, it looks made of obsidian with long, delicate glass tubules containing coursing fire, and bundled threads of light mounted atop dark metal frames.
The remainder of the elevator shaft looks much the same as the inner room, though the shaft is dimly lit with floating orange globes. The lift itself does not touch any of the sides of the shaft, offering a few inches of space on either side. A hatch in the floor allows agents to descend into the shaft proper, but perhaps that won't be necessary to reach their target area. It remains an option if nothing else grants them access.
A pair of ducts can be spotted on the walls that flank the double doors. They mirror one another, each sealed off by a perforated metal grate. One is silent while the other emits a rhythmless ticking, like nails on a surface.
Welcome to Area Four! This room's name will be updated as characters learn more about it.
Here's some ground rules:
Event posts will be posted every 48 hours. As the event progresses, these rooms may change in ways that open or close opportunities for characters, or advance the plot. You do not need to solve every puzzle to finish the area, so please do not be alarmed if an opportunity fades! There is no post limit between prompts. However, unless otherwise told, characters may only perform an action once after each prompt. Performing an action may mean interacting with the environment, or trying to do something to advance the plot. Update: If you have received a DM response for your character, you may roll again! Please do not reserve posts! There's no penalty for missing prompts!
Team captains may report to Faustite with their findings at any time during the investigation. They may also contact Faustite for suggestions of what to do next! All teams have one rugose pendant for the duration of the event. This can be used on anyone, but may only be used once during the event, so choose wisely if you decide to use it!
How to investigate:
Before posting for an investigation, roll 1d6 (a six-sided die). Edit the post and fill in for your character. Add any relevant bonuses to your roll (if you're unsure of your bonuses, check this sheet or the quotes on this post!). Characters that have two bonuses get +1, characters with one bonus get +2. Quote me with "[Character] is investigating [noun]! in your quote. Please include your total roll (with bonus if applicable)
Please make sure to include what your character is investigating in your quote – this helps me keep track of everything! The higher your recon roll, the more information may be gleaned from the investigation. The higher your tech roll, the more options may be available from nearby technology. Leadership rolls and combat rolls may be asked for in later prompts!
Have fun, and if you're uncertain of anything, feel free to ask! heart
“Can anyone make out what the warning is for? High voltage possibly?” Jet asked as the teams approached the double doors. No hinges meant it was likely sliding, possibly automatic. He didn’t like the fingerprints on the glass, because he couldn’t immediately come up with a reason for someone to touch the glass unless it was in desperation. They were lucky the word was in English, but he wished they could immediately see something that would indicate what was dangerous about the area.
The amount of obsidian in the area was curious, as if the whole building wasn’t something to be cautious about. He didn’t have to warn the rest of the team to be on their toes. He eyed the glass tubules that were coursing with fire, unsure of the technology behind it, but anything fire, well… He hoped Faustite wasn’t in need of their immediate help.
“Everything good on your end?” Jet asked into the communicator to check in with Faustite. “We’ve got a couple of double doors and a red warning message. Looks like there might have been someone down here recently, before us. Wanted to make sure it’s not going to electrocute Albite if he tries breaking it down.”
Jet cast a playful glance over at the Eternal Senshi. They might not be assigned to the same team, but if they were on the same floor, it was a good idea to work with them whenever they could. Besides, they had a cat with them, and a pair of ducts that seemed perfectly sized for a cat.
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shiningamisgirlx
Guine
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Lonely Explorer
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Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2022 1:11 pm
guine
"Already bored. Just watching my own fire get sucked up into a vacuum.
"Double doors and a red warning message… Place has been off-limits since I started working on this mission. Might have to do with structural integrity more than a break-in. Any way you can look into that warning? Seems most of the displays are touchscreen, if my last visit with Heliodor revealed anything. Maybe one of your tech personnel can look at it."
Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2022 2:59 pm
Captain Leifite Directing Team Monarch to recon
This had the feeling of a containment breach written all over it once the teams spilled out of the elevator. Jet started off with contacting Faustite, so Leifite took up the mantle of leader and started to direct their team.
"Niter, see what you can do about looking into that warning message and getting the doors open. Andesine, support as Niter requires, and keep an eye out for youma," she asked the Super senshi, and directing Andesine to help Niter as required. The idea was to keep each senshi with an agent for safety reason, but also spread out the combat specs across both pairs.
She turned to the other two, Miyamoto and Zunyite. "Zunyite, investigate the air ducts. Miyamoto, support as necessary, and keep an eye out for traps or youma."
By Metallia, this is what she was built for. All the years of being team captain for roller derby had trained her for this moment; all she'd needed was the opportunity.
Niter, who would have been perfectly content with hanging back and watching the chaos (but not too far back, because the elevator left and there was a very big hole to fall down), was sad to hear his name get called. It was probably what he deserved for admitting to being good with technology.
"Okay," came his dejected reply. He wiggled his way between the other group to approach the front, where he stared down the two intimidating-looking doors. What he saw reminded him of a Windows startup protocol — all those words flashing by, command line style. Well, it wasn't just opening by them being there, so Niter assumed it was a little more complicated than an automatic door with a motion sensor. Given that the door was also basically a computer, Niter assumed they had to enter some kind of prompt to get it to open. But without a keyboard… Did that mean it was a touchscreen? Or were their tablets supposed to sync to it?
He'd try using the door as a touchscreen first. Reaching out with a wincing expression, Niter touched the glass face on the left.
a-disgruntled-dragon
Heard and obeyed~ Don't worry, he's always like this when it comes to doing things!
strickenized
Niter is investigating the double doors (5+2 (tech bonus) = 7)
"First of all," said Jadarite, because she had once again ended up as a team lead with Albite, and she was not about to let him get the first word in suggesting they do something stupid, "We are not about to ignore that warning sign."
Each and every member of her team got a look, the steely, difficult-to-ignore stare that she'd learned from her first General. She stood tall, not seeming intimidated by the General-King in her vicinity. Albite got the stare for the longest, since he seemed the most inclined to make terrible choices, although the women who she didn't know, who were wildcards, got it for a long second each in case they also turned out to be idiots. Borax got more of a sideways glance. He'd already proven himself to have a good head on his shoulders.
It was a close thing, but she restrained herself from going into a rant about how there weren't going to be any casualties on this mission on her watch. That was better saved for if people got themselves worked up and actively making mistakes.
"Try to look at anything before you touch it. Maybe we can get to a good angle to see through the slats of those ducts. I'm going to try to look at this message."
Faustite apparently had no idea what the warning meant. Environmental factors could be anything, considering their location. She stepped forwards and squinted at the door through her glasses, trying to make out any other words that she could.
Her eye twitched at the senshi who was touching it already, but he wasn't under her jurisdiction so she was a good Captain and held her tongue.
strickenized
Rolling to investigate the door!
shiningamisgirl
albite
a-disgruntled-dragon
haymitch
shanyume
fluorapatite, lavendulan
seiana_zi
borax
staripop
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Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2022 6:32 pm
strickenized
(5+2 = 7) Niter's fingertip stopped the endless scroll of information, which halted the endless waterfall of information. Some of what was displayed were statistics for the area — power at 38% and climbing, ambient temperature was 25ºC, protocol integrity being suspended, and some information about a generator that had begun charging. Productivity received an abysmally low score. There was a 'last shipment date', but the numbers were glitched.
stari_maga
Thanks to NIter's assistance, Jadarite was able to more easily read the text. !!WARNING!! was roughly halfway down on the screen. Below, it read:
Warning...and finger prints - great. That didn't scream sci-fi horror flick right? He just expected someone to come running towards the glass panel, from the other side, and slap a bloodyh hand on the glass and give them all the jump scare of their lives. It was all he needed - to have a heart attack from shock. Shifting a bit, because he really didn't like how cliche this was starting to feel, he nodded his head once as orders were given. Moving towards the one he was assigned. "Tell me how I can help."
Because he wanted to get the hell out of here, he did not like the idea of being trapped in a shaft with next to now where to go. "Let's get one of these ducts open so we can see what use they might be." He was ready to get this show on the road, though he was really trying to reel himself in. He knew he needed to not push too fast, and jump into things, he might not like being stuck like this but he needed to go about things at a slower pace and not rush into danger. This was something he should approach as if he were in some sci-fo horror flick...and think it through.
"Just let me know what I can do to help." Already heading over to the air duct which was not making noise, peeking into the openings to see if he might catch sight of anything. The other duct had him a bit weary in all honesty.
natsuko-neko
Ok, lets do a thing.
Strickenized
1+2=3 (think this is right. He's going for the air duct which isn't making noise, and peeking inside as best he can.)
Sleet Tempest Snape
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Guine rolled 1 6-sided dice:
5Total: 5 (1-6)
Guine
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Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2022 5:26 am
General King Jet Attempting to place his hand on the door scanner and further investigating the double doors. Roll = 5
“I thought I recognized that fire,” Jet said back into the communicator to Faustite, although he frowned as he looked around at the glass with the flames inside. They would have to get through everything as quickly as possible. He didn’t want Faustite wasting more energy than necessary. “Thanks for the heads up. Looks like it was a touchscreen like you said. We’ll keep you updated.”
He was already walking over to where Niter and Jadarite were working on trying to figure out the door.
“Good job, Niter. Captain Jadarite, yes? If you haven't already figured it out, that’s Faustite’s fire,” he told her as he nodded to the glass tubules, and looked over to where Albite was as well. “We should team up to get whatever information we can as quickly as possible,” he suggested.
He appreciated Leifite’s enthusiasm, but waited for a moment to see if she was going to assist with investigating anything, before turning to face the doors himself. He didn’t want them stuck in that area for longer than they needed to be.
“Alright, if I get zapped… don’t tell Aquamarine,” he half joked with a small grimace as he reached out to place his hand on the door scanner. They'd already established that the warning was likely not due to high voltage, but he was still cautious. If anyone could risk getting hurt, it was him. He was more likely to heal faster.
Strickenized
shiningamisgirl
stari_maga
Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2022 11:16 am
guine
I'm rolling my eyes. Thought you should know.
sleet tempest snape
(1) As Miyamoto peered into the silent duct, he could see no more than darkness. Without a flashlight, there was no way to tell where the duct went or if it was deep enough for someone to crawl through.
But, in a facetious twist of luck, the other vent broke off its hinges and beaned Miyamoto in the shoulder, then clattered to the floor. Standing in the opening to the other vent was a bewildered-looking scorpion youma, if one could rightly say that an insect looked bewildered. For the moment, it was stopped in its tracks, as if the sight of the groups was simply too much for it to comprehend at the moment.
guine
(5) The square glass glowed orange where Jet's fingerprints touched its surface. The glow died down but a second later, then both screens on the double doors cleared. In place of the earlier warnings was a simple message: WELCOME, GENERAL-KING JET.
Then the doors opened swiftly, their only sound a hydraulic breath. Inside was a short hallway, though it was enough for the groups to fan out comfortably. The hallway looked much like the shaft they just left behind — outfitted with numerous metal frames that supported more threaded bundles of light that looped further into the building. A door had once awaited them on the other side of the hall, but it looked burnt and smashed apart, as if peeled open from the inside.
At the apex of the arched hallway were repeating stalks that looked like sprinkler heads, made of dark metal and obsidian, with sharp petal-like pieces of glass that formed a triangular top. These structures responded to motion — if anyone got close, the glass surfaces would slide back and expose a small hole. These holes were aimed at any motion they detected.
Lt. Andesine Keeping an eye out for youma. Picking up the vent cover. Peering toward the newly open vent.
Niter quickly solved most of the matter of the doors, with General King Jet getting entrance open for the rest of the group. Unfortunately, Leifite had given Andesine another order: keeping an eye out for youma. Any intrusions from them could easily make things get extremely messy.
Part of her wanted to be grateful. None appeared to be advancing from outside the lift (not that you could see so easily, or that Andesine had the best view). Sticking close to the others mostly seemed to cloud the view, but she supposed there would’ve been other signs of youma if they’d advanced toward the lift. Noises from somewhere. Possibly smells? Something.
Part of Andesine, though, didn’t trust the quiet.
However, keeping an eye out through the double doors, as much as possible, left Andesine unprepared for the sound of a vent-cover crashing to the floor. Despite trying to bite down on the surprise, her head whipped in the direction of the clattering sound. Lips pursed, she moved toward Lieutenant Zunyite and the now-open vent. She’d been told to keep a look-out for youma, offer support as necessary.…
Pausing briefly, she picked up the vent-cover. It might not do anything, really, but if necessary, maybe it could supplement her jingle bells.
“Captain Leifite,” Andesine said, glancing in the captain’s direction. “Something might be in here?”
Youma might have explained the vent popping off for no apparent reason?
Captain Leifite Calling over Haymitch for the vent search and letting Jet know
Niter was... a little moody, but he did his job and didn't complain otherwise. He'd probably wanted to just stand there and look pretty today, but this was a mission and they all needed to help. She observed the teams for a moment before Andesine flagged her over.
The vent was open.
"Good job, Andesine. Hmmm if something is in there... Haymitch, we need use of your small size," she called, waving down the small black Guardian sitting on Albite's shoulder. Once the cat was over, she pointed at the vent. "There may be something in the ductwork, could you give a look?"
Leifite also flagged down Jet. "Something might be in the ductwork. Going to have Haymitch scope it out."
xguine
xamorremanet
Haymitch Squirming into the open vent to investigate!
Hayhay was content to sit on Albite's shoulder while the agents and senshi did their investigations. Not that Haymitch wouldn't jump off and go do a thing when instructed, but he was going to stay with his senshi for the moment. In fact, he would have stayed there until they left if not for a captain flagging him over. Not one of Faustite's agents, but one of the ones that were part of this group. Haymitch was happy to help, and depending on what he needed to, was probably the best option? He was a tiny little kitten after all. He nuzzled Albite's cheek and jumped to the floor, trotting over to where Leifite and Andesine were.
He sniffed the vent and prepped himself to jump in and go investigating away. "I mean, I am the tiniest here! Of course! If I see any youma, I'll back track as fast as possible, or just lazer beam them!" The words were supposed to reassure the agents (and himself, if he was honest). Who knows if it helped, because Haymitch leapt into the open vent to begin.
It was tight, but not as tight as it would have been for literally anyone else. Reminded him of when he'd lived above the mail room in the post office, and frequently curled up in one of the air vents. This wasn't warm or welcoming like the post office's vents (the little old ladies that worked the front desk had the heat on every day, even in the summer, so Haymitch had always been super warm) but it wasn't breaking under his weight just yet!
xstrickenized
Dice Roll: 6 + 2 = 8 | Haymitch is investigating the ducts now that the vent is open!
He was going to ask someone for a flashlight, so he could get a proper look into the vent, but that didn't happen as the other vent grate fell and landed on him - hard. Yelpiing and jumping away he was glad he had. The sound he'd heard was being created by a youma and one he was pretty sure he didn't want to mess with. Though he did remember, at least eh thought he might remember, that the smaller scorpions were really the dangerous ones. But that didn't have to apply to youma that were scorpions.
"Damn it." He was sore and throbing already, his shoulder was going to be ******** for this mission, he was pretty damn sure no one had an icepack and he knew he didn't. He hadn't thought he'd need one. It was a shame his chilling magic wouldn't help him here, with his shoulder, because chilling the air would not help his shoulder and the bruising and swelling he was sure he'd suffer from. "I thought youma were avoiding this place...so why is one in the vent?" He asked, taking note that a cat, was getting into the vent as well. "Maybe we should keep note of that. If we can run into one so easily so can anyone else." At least this seemed easy to him....maybe it wasn't.
natsuko-neko
Hi, I found a thing..kitty is going into the vent.
