epidemiology | EVENT ★ GHOST TOWN

EVENT ★ GHOST TOWN

BONEYARD JUNCTION

Thanks to efforts from your teammates, the path to Boneyard Junction, the abandoned town at the end of the rail line, has been cleared. The train will not go this far, so recruits will have to walk the rail from the next stop over at the Fracking Fields. Most of the danger has been removed, but there still may be a few straggling giant lizards or bandits along the way, looking for a quick meal or an easy robbery.

The ghost town itself is smaller in scope than Perdition's Rest, with several familiar-looking buildings -- the mayor's office, the sheriff's office, a general store -- but the main difference is that the town is halfway sunken into the desert. The ground here is shifting and unstable, with sinkholes and quicksand a constant threat. Venturing inside the crumbling buildings, left to rot in the desert for the past thirty years, is equally dangerous; there's a good chance that upper stories will simply collapse underfoot or overhead, and many venomous, aggressive reptiles and arachnids have moved in since the Qorral moved out.

The Qorral have not been back here since abandoning it, so there is a lot to scavenge, from tech to money or tools to toys, both businesses and residential buildings are ripe for the plundering. The bandits have been through here in the past three decades many times, stripping the town of many of its valuables, but determined recruits ought to be able to find secret caches or overlooked boxes.

Those who venture into the lowermost parts of buildings, however, will find objects of the greatest value, though not necessarily monetarily -- familiar-looking tech, corroded with sand and rusted with age, is littered about basements filled with sand and debris, as if the further the buildings sank into the desert, something beneath the town rose up to meet it. Upon further inspection, the tech will react when placed next to jewelcomms, lights blinking and static-filled screens turning on: this tech once belonged to ALASTAIR, its age clearly dating it much further back than the Qorral's arrival on this planet.

But before Audentes can investigate further, there's an interruption . . .

AMBUSH

There's a sudden cacophony of shouting and gunfire from all sides of Boneyard Junction as heavily armed figures storm in, on the attack. They aren't from Perdition's Rest. They could be bandits, but bandits usually ask for money first -- plus, these people seem much too well-equipped to be bandits. Their clothing isn't haphazard, their weapons are well cared for.

If recruits survive the initial onslaught (better be good at dodging bullets!) and pay attention to the shouting that can be heard above the gunfire, the identity of the attackers may slowly become clear: they speak of salvation and digging deeply. These are the Deemers.

Previously unseen and ostensibly peaceful, the Deemers are now showing themselves to be anything but. They fight recruits with a savage intensity, injuries seemingly not slowing them down. Their only weakness appears to be injury to the head, after which they will immediately disengage and attempt to flee. Though they shout about salvation as they attack with a religious fervor, they also occasionally say something about recruits getting too close to something -- perhaps something in Boneyard Junction itself.

Jonathan Black, leader of the Deemers, makes an appearance, spouting fire and brimstone in an unnaturally loud voice that can be heard above the gunfire and screaming. Any attempts to confront him will be met with vicious attacks from his bodyguards, a pair of shrouded Deemer women who fight with curved swords. Eventually, though, one recruit manages to break through.

Once Black is dead, the Deemers will fight with more desperation than before, now trying to flee rather than attempting to kill recruits. Any Deemers that are captured will not share information, even under torture; they will only babble about deliverance and redemption found through drilling deeper into the planet. After they are driven off into the desert (or disposed of in other ways), the rest of Boneyard Junction is free to be explored without interruption. Perhaps collecting more ancient ALASTAIR technology will bring answers.

OOC NOTES

IMPORTANT: After the Deemers have been driven away, upon return to Perdition's Rest, Miz Poppy and a vast majority of the saloon workers have mysteriously vanished. The remaining workers have no idea where they've gone. All entertainment at the saloon has been postponed.

Please direct all questions pertaining to the mission to the dossier page to keep questions and responses in one place for easy player reference. General game questions should be directed to the FAQ.

If you haven't already, make sure you check out the Bounty Board for side missions! Remember you can also request bounty missions or submit player plots at any time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ When returning to the town, it's not difficult to tell something's wrong.

It's harder to tell what, though. Lucina sees the residents talk hushed among themselves, words spreading like wildfire, the atmosphere restless. There's concerned glances being thrown everywhere, the less friendly ones occasionally directed at her. Her eyebrows furrow, footsteps hurrying along to the saloon; her injury long forgotten, in the hopes that maybe a familiar face there can explain what's going on. The staff are usually nice, but —

they're not there. The bustling in the building is different than the one she's grown accustomed to, and immediately she can tell this is the reason for the mood in the town. ] Nami! [ The only familiar face she sees at the moment, as she rushes over. ]

Nami— [ She tries again, once she's closer to the girl. ] What's going on?

[ Nobody wants to talk to her. It's frustrating, it's annoying and worst of all, she gets it. Townsfolk are generally wary of outsiders, it's a fact she's run into more than one island during the travels of their crew, and this time, they've got more reason than usual.

Nami doesn't believe any of Audentes truly have anything to do with the disappearance of he saloon staff, but her tries at pointing this out to the locals haven't exactly gone well — not that it stops her from trying, and she's in the middle of a pointed rant directed at one of the remaining saloon workers when Lucina rushes over to her and she promptly drops the conversation in favour of paying attention to the girl. ]

Lucina! [ She sighs, placing her palm against her cheek. ] Ah, it's a mess... it seems Miz Poppy and most of the staff are gone, and no one knows where or wants to talk to me about it.

Wait— Miz Poppy?! [ It's never a good feeling, realizing that the suspicion she had is correct. But — why? Or how? The grimace that crosses Lucina's features is an immediate thing, filled with concern. She expected a fair number of people to be missing, but for the proprietor to go missing, too...

Briefly, her head turns to look at the rest of the bar, only to be met with suspicious, wary eyes. It's expected, surely, but Lucina doesn't like any of this in the slightest. ] Nami...

[ Her head tilts in the direction of the door. ] We may have more luck outside, if you would like company in searching for them. [ Mostly because no one inside apparently won't tell them anything, and the likelihood of them being able to explore the employee-only zones are unlikely. Also — staying here and aggravating the locals of Perdition's Rest may not be the best idea. ] I can join you.

[ The "why" and the "how" are both mysteries to her, though she doesn't intend them to remain such for too long. But it's obvious she's hit a wall, if only metaphorically, with the locals she'd been bugging with her questions — their borderline-hostile glances are enough for her to think Lucina's suggestion is most likely their best bet, right now.

She nods with a sigh, tossing her hair over her shoulder... if some of the strands happen to hit the guy she was talking to straight to the face, well, an honest mistake, right?? ]

Mm, that's probably a good idea! Thanks, I could use some actual help.

[ Still said very pointedly so that everyone who refused to answer her questions can hear. A step closer to Lucina and she can link their arms together and promptly start marching the both of them out of the saloon. ]

[ Her eyes flicker to the sputtering man who seems to grumble too much for her liking, but ultimately doesn't speak up. He doesn't seem like the type who's going to confront her friend, anyhow; which means they'll be able to get out of here that much quicker. ]

Shall we? [ She lets herself smile, just a brief one, before allowing her arms to be linked and walk outside side-by-side ( linking arms being something she admittedly doesn't have a lot of experience in ). Once they are back out in the open, she slows down, just a bit, letting Nami take them to where every she wished to go. ]

... Do we know when they went missing? [ She speaks after a moment's pause, blue eyes flickering to Nami again. ] Perhaps that may give us some insight ... on where to look first. [ The saloon's a pretty safe bet, but ... the exterior of the building is still pretty big, regardless. ]

[ A nod and a bright smile — it's nice, to see that smile reflect back at her, even if it's a dimmer one... but Lucina doesn't seem like the type to smile overmuch, anyway, so she counts it as a win.

Back on the street, Nami pauses, turning back towards the saloon as she taps her chin in contemplation. ]

It can't have been too long ago... hm, maybe we should see the back door, if we can sneak into the employees' quarters. [ Yes, sneak into. She doesn't believe anyone would just let them in... but there could be clues there, and she's not willing to let it go without a try. ]

The back door— [ Her eyes widen, perhaps not expecting Nami to go for the... most direct? Sneakiest? Approach possible. If they're found out, this is likely the end of their stay in the Saloon.

Lucina considers her words, for a moment longer. Weighs the moralities of it — though really, there's only been one answer from the beginning. ] Lead the way, then.

[ Complete with a nod. She'll allow herself to be led by Nami to the back of the building, arms still linked together. A move is made to let go, naturally, once they reach the back door; Lucina reaches to turn the knob, only to realize that the knob definitely isn't turning. ]

... It's locked. [ In a moment of stunning observation. ] Er— you wouldn't be familiar with lock-picking per chance, would you?

[ WELL that's too bad, isn't it, however will they survive without the rooms in the saloon.............................

That earns her a bright smile — Nami is, if nothing else, an opportunist and a pirate, and pirates don't exactly go for the legal approach. Lucina had, until now, seemed much like someone who would... so it's a nice thing to see, her appreciating sneakier methods in favour of possibly getting results.

Once they make it to the door and disentangle their arms, Nami sighs and taps her temple... of course, should have guessed. ]

Ah, of course... it couldn't be that easy! Well, we're in luck, as it happens I am. [ She pulls a hair pin out of her curls, twists it a little and crouches down. ] Let's hope there's no one inside...

[ ESPECIALLY SINCE everything burns to crisp sooner or later, yolo.......

For as moral and proper as Lucina tries to be, she can't complain when sneakier things get results. She's definitely not happy about it, but she's also far from unhappy, either; it's a means to an end, after all.

Nami's confidence earns her another smile, expression warming significantly. ] I hope the same. [ But aside from that, there's only curious gazes as she waits for Nami to finish. ]

[ a few seconds later, the lock makes a quiet click and Nami grins, pushing the door open. ]

Hah, there we go! [ she turns to Lucina, smiling still, though her voice is now quieter than before, just in case there's someone inside. ]

Ready to break and enter?

[ Ready to break and enter— some part of her should be appalled, probably, or even wary. But there's a certain sense of adventure to this that she can't ignore, especially with a girl like Nami.

Which means there's a small smile on her lips in return, complete with a nod. ] Yes, let's.

[ She waits before Nami steps inside first, following quickly behind ( with the door closing behind her ). Luckily, the room is empty. ] I doubt we'll have long. [ Her voice is just above a whisper, eyes scanning the room — ] I can start on the far side.

I knew I liked you for a reason!!

[ beaming at her companion, Nami laughs quietly (as even though the room is empty, it's smart not to make too much noise) and nods. ]

Mm, that sounds like a good plan! We should be as quick as we can. [ of course, should someone come in, she could still hide them, but the mirage tempo needs some time to cast and so it's better to avoid being discovered altogether. ah, it's good she's accompanied by someone as nice and helpful as Lucina! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ★ GHOST TOWN

closed to nami.

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wrapping up? and then they investigated and probs found little