EVENT ★ MAT GATHERING

[futurologists]

The investigations in the sungazing log have lead to a number of discoveries, including trace amounts of solar radiation and seemingly temporary lights in the sky that match no known star charts currently in Chantes. On the 15th, Rick will announce via the verdict over the network: the sun isn’t gone. un: 82736775 Those of you who actually did your job instead of screwing off (and breaking my shit! Yes, I know all about it), congrats. We've made headway on our dumbass situation. The sun isn't gone (obviously). There are radiation levels suggesting that it's still there somewhere, but it's weirdly faint. Concerning item number one. Concerning item number two: there are lights in the sky but they're not native stars. They're red in the west in the morning, and in the east in the evening. This suggests a solar cycle that we just can't observe (with a western sunrise apparently). There are no moons visible; supposedly there should be two. Go figure. The most interesting observations came from the storm, during which the "star" readings went off the charts, dawg. All lit up like Christmas and shit. Hypothesis: the darkness is not because homeboy made anything "vanish with magic," but because he stuck a big "blanket" between the planet and the sky. The "stars" are likely just holes in his dumb bullshit. So let's get this solution rolling so we can get off this godforsaken rock. This is where you losers come in. I need things . . . The mystery of the disappearing sun might be clear, but that doesn’t mean the problem’s solved. Now’s the hard part: creating something that will dispel the darkness. Fortunately, with the right ingredients, science might be able to win the daylight back. All recruits will be encouraged to help with some good, old-fashioned teamwork and fetch quests. SCAVENGER HUNT The list is as follows: Iron ore. Collecting it seems easy enough, but a dangerous serpentine creature capable of breathing electricity known as a Behir lairs nearby. If hungry, it will ambush characters and will not stop unless it succeeds or is slain. Following the rich iron supply, characters will also find a series of winding underground caves and caverns. Inside are items such as glowing cave mushrooms that are likely radioactive. Blue mushrooms maintain their coloring due to a rare solute in the cave water, helpful for optimizing fuel. Green mushrooms are useless and if you collect them you should feel bad. Bat guano. Bats indigenous to the caves also seem to be affected by the contaminated cave water, however -- they’re enormous, blood-sucking, and have developed a mild venom. While one bite won’t kill anyone, the bats have numbers, ultrasonic screeches, and bad tempers. Plutonic rocks. The source of the odd cave life, an ancient scattering of some massive meteorite resides deep inside the cave. They’ve got rich veins and chunks of crystal, the bigger the better. (We’d tell you what these space oddities are for, but we think it’d blow your minds.) Cave Minnows. The fish inside the cave lakes are easy to spot since they’re bioluminescent, but only the small, quick ones metabolize the correct oils for this project. The large ones will simply try to drag you into a death roll the -- surprisingly deep -- waters. Glowworms. See those lights hanging overhead? They’re not bulbs, but bundles of strange, glowing cave worms. Reaching and handling them might be tricky, and keep careful watch of them. They’ll burrow into anything, including your packs, your collected materials, or worst of all, you. Rock salt. Delicious! Potassium nitrate. This one is easier to find in Chantes itself: an old woman in town has a giant jar of it that she uses for pickling. Recruits may attempt to wile her out of a cup, or steal from the elderly. Wildcard. If you don't mind volatile reactions, go ahead and science on your own. Or see anything else that might be useful? Grab it and go. As a side-mission for the cave items, it seems the 15th is also the only day of the year that the night-blooming cereus plants are open around the cavern entrances. These flowers must be handled very delicately or they’ll wither and die, and local insects of all shapes, sizes, and aggressiveness will be drawn to them, so collectors beware. These flowers will have no bearing on the sun solution, but the goblin church will ask outgoing adventurers to bring some back with them. These items may come into play in February depending on IC actions, but otherwise they make for some pretty decorations! And finally, a big thanks to ricksybusiness for submitting their player plot and working with us. You go, Rick Sanchez.

Comments

poopsifting time

[ninmu]

[ going through mounds of animal waste seems to be par for the course for this mission. Luckily, Melan's not the type to find it particularly distressing or gross; cleanliness wasn't really a priority for him. That doesn't mean he isn't hovering a good few inches above the cave floor to avoid stepping in it, though.

He's more surprised to see the injured girl from before sitting so close to the entrance and... really digging through it. ]

What are you doing?

[ it looks like she brought it with her on purpose and got it wet, too... gross sieglinde. ]

[grunehexe]

[Now that's someone whose face is hard to forget. There's a moment when Sieglinde looks up and pauses, remembering... before she forces herself to forget it. For now.]

Retrieving saltpeter.

[She pulls out a small chunk of crystal from the guano, pulling her gloved hand from the wet mess and holding it up for inspection proudly.

As if she was holding a diamond, honestly.]

[ninmu]

Saltpeter. [ he repeats the word as he stares at her yucky poo-covered diamond, apparently thinking it over. ] Potassium nitrate. An ionic compound used in the creation of explosives.

[ thank you, mr. dictionary. The unusual expression on her face for that moment goes unnoticed to him, inexperienced in socializing as he is; he simply takes a few steps closer, seeming curious. ]

That is a useful resource. I didn't know it could be found here.

[grunehexe]

That is correct.

[Good, he seemed to know his stuff! She was a bit tired of explaining it to people who seemed disgusted over a little bat refuse.]

There are several ways to get hold of it, of course, but this is perhaps the most reliable.

[As far as her century went, anyway. She continues to hold up the chip of saltpeter for inspection, since he seemed interested.]

[ninmu]

It is created chemically in a laboratory in my world.

[ who would have thought that it originally came from poops. Melan doesn't seem to have any intention of getting closer than he is right now, though. Gunpowder and explosives are fine, but none of his weapons make use of them - he runs on energy, not ammo. ]

[grunehexe]

Is it such an easy process?

[Said half skeptically, half in wonder of the idea, taking her chunk of saltpeter and putting it aside in a jar, hands going right back into the muck.

She could create it artificially herself, but... the effort one needed to put in to do so made it far better to hope for a natural source.

... like bat guano.]

[ninmu]

I don't know. [ you useless lump ] I am a Gun-Swordsman Monomakia. I'm not familiar with the details.

[ sieglinde probably knows more than him, despite him looking like he should have encyclopedic robot knowledge of many things. Expression vaguely curious, he watches her drop off her bounty before going back for more. ]

Are they going to use explosives on the covering in the sky?

[grunehexe]

I am not familiar with... Gun-Swordsman Monomakia...

[Though the way she spoke definitely encouraged an explanation of that sort of term, not at all familiar with robots in general as a concept...]

- nor could I speak to that of yet.

[ninmu]

I see.

[ he nods in understanding. Then he stares at her, quietly, for several seconds, before he picks up that social cue of "wanting more details on that stupid thing you just said." He's getting there...

Lifting his blade, he crosses it against his chest - a way of indicating himself. ]

I am a Monomakia. A synthetic organism created for a specific purpose. In my case, I was created as a living weapon. Gun-Swordsman classification. It is a noble and honorable purpose.

[grunehexe]

["Monomakia". It sounded like some sort of... metallic homunculus. A weaponized one. She had met him in a battle... and his body certainly seemed well equipped for it, but.

She kept her hands moving, sifting through the wet mix of water and guano, gaze darting between the two.]

... and that is all you do?

[Fight?]

[ninmu]

[ her theory is pretty much spot on. Her divided attention doesn't seem to bother Melan; he simply nods at her question, lowering his weaponized arm once more. ]

It is my duty preserve the safety of Brigadoon when the Day of Pasca comes. It's a very important duty, [ he adds, since she sounded slightly uncertain about it! Clearly, the thought that there might be more to his life hasn't really crossed his mind. ]

[grunehexe]

[Sieglinde is starting to understand why it was that people made faces at her when she talked and kept interrupting to ask about words she used.]

What is Brigadoon? And the Day of Pasca?

[ninmu]

[ sorry, sieglinde, he has a tendency to just bring up stuff nobody else knows without thinking about it....... he doesn't even react to her questions, at this point. Someday, he'll realize that most people have no idea what he's talking about. ]

Brigadoon is my world. It's where I'm from. [ a nod. ] The Day of Pasca is the predicted day that it will collide with the planet Earth, causing the destruction of both worlds. I was created to prevent it from passing.

[grunehexe]

[She can't judge (too much). She does the same thing, after all.

A world called "Brigadoon"... predicated to collide with the Earth? Could someone like this really stop such a thing from happening?]

- how will you do that?

[Not that she didn't think him a competent fighter, but. Worlds were. Large. And he was so small, to be able to prevent such a collision?]

sorry this is late aaaa

[ninmu]

I am part of a process known as the Pasca Ritual. I am a bodyguard to the Creis, who is able to purify and stabilize life on Brigadoon. Once she has completed the Life Purification, myself and many other Monomakia are able to combine our collective biological energy to repair the false warps in space-time and revitalize life on Brigadoon.

[ it sure would be nice if canon explained how any of this worked... regardless, Melan explains it as if it's very normal and makes perfect sense. He also (miraculously) seems to pick up on Sieglinde's implied meaning, adding: ]

It is a cooperative effort. I cannot do it alone.

[grunehexe]

[Well, that made much more sense- at least, it seemed more plausible, in a weird way. Believing he could save a planet by himself was one thing, but believing a lot of... strange robotic people could was at least slightly easier.

She'll suspend belief for now.]

And can monomakia gather bat dung?

[ninmu]

[ that's the spirit...!!

Melan stares at Sieglinde for a moment, then looks down at his hands - or, rather, the blade and rifle where hands should be. This is turning out to be more of a problem than he'd ever thought it would be in his life. ]

I don't know. [ maybe they can tie a shovel to his sword ] I haven't tried before.

[grunehexe]

[Melan, that is definitely problematic for life doing... literally anything beyond being... a monomakia weapon thing.

Sieglinde frowns, thinking a moment.]

Perhaps you would be better off scraping for ore, then...

[If that blade was sturdy, anyway...]

[ninmu]

[ LISTEN... THAT'S ALL HE THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO BE!! now he's stuck like this. unable to hug. or dig through doody, apparently.

his face brightens up somewhat at that suggestion, and he lifts his blade. ]

That is possible.

[grunehexe]

I assume your... hands are quite strong? There's a vein down the lefthand tunnel.

[And they had a sun to bring back!]

[ninmu]

Yes. This blade is made to withstand very large impacts.

[ and it regrows if he breaks it, anyway. ]

Is it easy to locate?

[grunehexe]

[Yeah it definitely looked like it could handle... impacts...]

Without light it could be difficult, but it is five hundred yards in- give or take.

[Which begged the question-]

Do you need a light, or... ?

[Did he have... robot eyes]

[ninmu]

[ a curt shake of the head. ]

There's no need. I have night vision.

[ once he's done speaking, his facemask shifts onto his face with a series of clicks, and he nods. ]

I will return soon.

[ and then, with a rather large burst of air, he's darting off down the tunnel with a zoom to go mine some rocks for Sieglinde. Taking orders from 13-year-old girls is basically his job, anyway...... ]