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

[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...... ]