EVENT #12: INVOCATION - OOC POST (PART 1)

[abraxasmods]

Event #12 - OOC Plotting ( 1 )

Go to the: IC event log | Event coordination post

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As indicated in our Volunteer Post, characters are being abducted. Beginning on February 20th, the Summoned - alongside locals - will be going missing across Abraxas. Officials will notice within the week, but if your character will file a formal report about a missing friend or colleague, there will be a comment in the replies where you can let us know.

Those not taken captive will be tasked with investigating the disappearances and rescuing their fellow Summoned. Of course, there's room for sabotage or other nefarious schemes, as well. How characters react is up to players! The fewer who lend their assistance, and the more difficulties caused by rescue efforts (intentionally or otherwise), the less favorable the outcome will be for the abducted Summoned - and those sent to save them.

This event relies on player-to-player coordination and player coordination with the mod team. Please communicate with each other, and don't hesitate to ask us any questions you're unsure of. We'll be on hand to answer as quickly as possible, to help facilitate this plot and move it forward.

For clarity, we'll use the following terms throughout the event write-ups to refer to the two groups:

◎ The Lost will refer to the Summoned who have been abducted and held captive.

◎ The Spared will refer to the Summoned who were left alone and not taken.

The Lost

All groups have been assigned. If you volunteered and haven't received your assigned group, please check your inbox and/or contact us.

Only those assigned to be the Lost will participate in this aspect of the event. Remember that you can withdraw from your role for any reason if you decide you'd prefer not to participate in the scenarios described below. Just be sure to let us know so we can keep track!

Investigation avenues will be provided in a separate post during the IC Event Log. Characters can choose to investigate anything they like however they want. We'll reply with what the result is, which you can use to your advantage when planning the escape.

Abduction

Volunteers assigned as the Lost can decide how they're taken and under what circumstances. We won't dictate the precise situation, as we want players to have some room to determine what works best for their characters in terms of how they'll be overwhelmed by their captors.

You're not required to thread out a character's capture, but you can if you want. Other characters can be involved! If you'd like your character to be captured alongside another, to be with a friend they fail to save or to arrive late to the scene as their colleague is dragged away, these are all feasible options. The only stipulation is that your character is taken as the outcome.

That said, we do have some guidelines for consistency and to help you plan:

◎ Characters will be taken over the course of a week. This will also give players some time to enter the IC Event Log when it's up, without feeling as though their character needs to be there from the very beginning.

◎ Their captors will possess fairly powerful magic, and there will be enough of them (a group of 3-5) to subdue even the strongest of the Summoned.

◎ Their captors will be dressed in long robes and strange masks. They will not be identifiable by voice, scent, or other senses. A spell will encircle them, protecting them from any identifying markers.

◎ Characters will be taken in isolated locations. Examples include dark alleyways in the Free Cities, the desert, wandering empty Solvunn settlements late at night, or outside the walls of Castle Thorne (or in the rural areas of Nott). Where and why you place your character is for you to decide.

◎ Fighting back is possible. Characters may injure their captors or even kill one or two of them (but not all). Decide what's reasonable for your character, but they must be captured in the end.

◎ Once subdued, characters will lose consciousness. They will not be awake for the journey transporting them to their final destination.

Arrival

Characters will be disoriented and groggy. Upon their initial awakening, they'll be trapped in a strange holding space. They'll have to break out of this area before they can join the others. There can be up to two to a space, so players are welcome to find themselves a "roommate" to help them break free.

We'll reveal what this holding space looks like on the IC Event Log, but we can tell you that breaking out won't require a key. There won't be any doors at all, and characters might be in some peril.

Once free, they'll still be trapped. They'll just have room to move around and can help anyone else who's still stuck or later arrivals who need assistance.

Captors

The captors, who call themselves acolytes, will be elusive at most. They will rarely speak, except to utter some ominous phrases or answers. When they appear, they'll emerge from the shadows as if from nowhere. They'll be wearing the same hooded robes and masks. The only identifiable marks will be height and build.

They are not invincible. Characters will have the chance to attack or steal from them if they want, but this must be accomplished using a mod dice roll.

More information will be revealed on the IC Event Log!

Weapons & Abilities

While held captive, characters will have the following limitations:

◎ Reduced abilities and magic. While limited, powers won't be gone completely. Characters will be able to tap into a remnant spark of their abilities and powers. It'll be extremely weak, unstable, and prone to fluctuations - like a signal that's been interfered with.

◎ Confiscated weapons. Any weapons or useful tools will be taken. Characters will be able to keep their clothes and small personal effects such as jewelry.

Network & Horizon

While held captive, characters will have the following limitations:

◎ Limited ability to enter the Horizon. Although characters can step into the Horizon for a few minutes at most, they'll find something's been done to them that affects the concentration required to remain in the Horizon for an extended period or to enter it with any frequency.

◎ Disruption to the Network. Messages sent and received through the network might show signs of distortion (faded handwriting, scrambled words) or be incomplete. Messages can also additionally reach the wrong person or become public instead of private. They also will have difficulty reading messages posted by the spared Summoned who are left behind, including open posts - similar to having poor reception.

◎ Overall, the idea is that characters aren't completely cut off from the Network or the Horizon, but they'll be limited just enough so that exchanging information isn't a breeze. They'll need to try several times, piece scraps of different messages together, and more. Make use of this in whichever way feels fun!

Surroundings

Characters will arrive in a place that's dark and underground. Figuring out where they are is next to impossible, and their surroundings will be constantly shifting, as if under an illusory spell.

◎ There are no cages or holding cells. Different than a typical dungeon, characters will be thrown into a pit together. It isn't large, but they'll have room to spread out. What this space contains will be revealed on the IC Event Log...and there will be opportunities for it to become much larger eventually.

◎ Food is scarce and must be scavenged. Characters will need to decide how to divvy up what supplies are available. Or if they don't want to play nice, they can hoard it for themselves. Scavenge, fight over portions, or step in to make sure everyone gets along. How this is managed is up to you!

◎ Monsters prowl above. Some could notice the captured Summoned below. Take care not to draw unwanted attention.

◎ Improvising weapons and tools will be possible. Characters with a bit of ingenuity can take advantage of their surroundings to lightly arm themselves. It may not help them escape (or will it?), but they can at least have a chance to defend themselves from small creatures (or fellow Summoned), or bind any wounds they receive.

◎ The environment will fluctuate. Temperature will change randomly. What starts as a cold "night" can quickly become as balmy as a summer's day. Odd noises, rumbling, and other disturbances might feature. It won't be easy to get comfortable or sleep.

Non-Summoned Captives (NPCs)

Characters will find the Summoned are not the only captives. They'll be held with other unknown NPCs. These NPCs will be from all over Abraxas, but the unifying factor is that they're from poor or rural areas - people whose disappearances are easily overlooked. A few might be bandits, pirates, and thieves.

You're free to use these NPCs as you like and even make some up, similar to how the rest of the game works. The acolytes don't care what happens down in the pit. Characters can fight NPCs, kill them, or protect them. We'll be sure to telegraph if there are any important NPCs relevant to event progression, but generally speaking, the purpose of these NPCs is to facilitate threads and CR with other player characters.

Additionally, you can have an NPC you previously created captured (or an NPC created by another player, with their permission). Just be sure that it'll be reasonable for them to be taken. A well-known artist is unlikely to go missing, but if you've written an NPC who's a lone fisherman or a traveling merchant, you can bring that NPC into the situation with you...and determine how they fare.

Ascension

Throughout the first week, characters will notice captives disappearing one by one. It might be a friend, it might be a stranger. They won't know where these characters have gone or what's happened to them. The only evident thing is that they're suddenly gone - and the acolytes won't give any real answers about it.

You can determine your character's fate. There's no limit on how many characters will be disappeared or how many will remain unaffected. However, if possible, we'd like to ask you to let us know your decision so we can get a sense of the numbers.

Don't worry if you change your mind later or if you don't decide until the IC Event Log! You can wait to answer or edit your reply if it changes.

Choose Your Character's Fate

Disappearances

Characters who are disappeared will awaken alone in the middle of the night, although they don't seem to have moved. Instead, it's as if everyone else has vanished.

The robed acolytes will approach characters without warning or a word. They will be magically restrained and taken by force. From there, they'll be led to a mysterious site hidden behind an illusory veil and winding paths. You can be taken alone or with others, including player characters or NPCs, or you can skip over playing out the experience altogether and simply thread the effects that occur afterwards.

While the full details will be revealed on the IC Event Log, participants should be prepared to experience:

◎ A moderately disturbing ritualistic procedure involving unknown substances
◎ Resulting physical and/or psychological symptoms (mild to severe depending on player choice. See below for more.)

Afterwards, characters will return to the underground cavern to rejoin the others.

Rejecting or Succumbing

Disoriented and feeling not quite like themselves, characters will need to manage their symptoms while searching for an escape. You'll choose if your character will reject the process or if they will succumb to it. Although we'll provide a list of potential symptoms your character will experience, you're free to pick which effects you want to apply. Rejection will bring on more of those related effects, while succumbing will bring on more of the latter.

Effects last a minimum of 3 days, but can remain as long as you choose. Symptoms can arrive gradually one at a time, steadily increasing in severity, or all at once.

You can mix and match symptoms from both lists at the start as your character wavers. Eventually, however, characters must undergo one path or the other.

◎ Effects through rejection may include: moderate to extreme agitation, unexplained bleeding (such as from the eyes, nose, or mouth), light sensitivity, rare bursts of strength, mild confusion, unexplained bruising or lesions, bizarre growths within the open lesions, exhaustion, and the beginnings of thorny growths on small areas of the body. They will also be able to see past certain illusions, which might give useful clues.

◎ Effects through succumbing may include: an urge to bring others into the "fold" (violently or otherwise), roots emerging from the skin or pores, a modest return of some abilities or magic, unexplained bruising or scratches, inability to sleep, vivid hallucinations including ones that transform the body, odd plant-like growths, and increasing difficulty distinguishing reality from illusion. They will also be able to see past certain illusions, which might give useful clues.

Whether characters reject or succumb to the process, they'll receive the same lore at the end (their ascension), so don't worry about the outcome. This choice will be more about if you want to emphasize the body horror aspect or the psychological aspect for your character.

Succumbing or rejection can occur for any reason! It does not need to be about willpower or strength, although it can be. However, the reasons can also be wholly physical, similar to how the body may reject a virus. Pick what works best for your plans.

The Unaffected

If you'd prefer, your character can avoid being chosen. The Lost who weren't "disappeared" won't experience any of the scenarios above, but it'll be up to them to help those who are most affected...or protect others if they must.

They'll also have the chance to try a cure with a 50/50 chance of success on one character of their choosing, if they like. This will require a mod roll, which could result in consequences for the person attempting to give the cure.

Additionally, as the unaffected will have a clearer perception of things, they could better contribute to investigations. Characters will need to work together, using their combined advantages and information, to plot a path to freedom.

The Spared

Characters who aren't part of the Lost will remain behind in their respective factions. They'll have the opportunity to rally the remaining Summoned, work with officials, and even reach out across faction borders to rescue their friends, as well as the missing native Abraxans.

As circumstances grow dire, some paths might push characters down darker roads in their attempts to save their friends. Characters will need to decide how far they're willing to go - or how far they'll let their fellow Summoned go.

Below are some broad strokes about how each nation will react and what potential avenues of investigation are open to help you plot. More will be revealed on the IC Event Log.

While officials watch the Summoned closely, the unfortunate fact is that disappearing Summoned are not uncommon. However, officials will hear evidence and concerns from the Summoned.

The remaining Summoned should file reports and bring evidence that their friends were taken as opposed to merely vanishing from Abraxas. We'll use any reports to flavor the IC Event Log.

Report a Missing Summoned

Initial Reactions

Once officials are convinced something more is going on, they'll react accordingly, both to find where the lost Summoned are, and to prevent any others from being taken...if they can.

Thorne

◎ Ambrose Rhett, who's deemed responsible for the Summoned he brought into Abraxas, will send a team of mages around Castle Thorne to investigate. By the end of the week, he'll call an emergency meeting in his office. There, he'll inform the Summoned that a number of the Summoned have vanished suspiciously.

◎ Ambrose will admit that there have been other disappearances in the rural areas of Nott - a rumor that's been circulating since the mediation.

◎ Military presence in the castle will increase and anyone living outside the castle is asked to return for their safety, although they won't get in trouble for refusing. The Summoned can continue to leave the castle walls, as well as travel to Nott, but they'll be assigned a royal guard for protection when not inside the castle itself.

◎ Mages will begin to conduct spells and other magical tools to locate the missing Summoned, as well as provide defensive measures for anyone who's venturing out to search. The remaining Summoned will be encouraged to help.

◎ Anastasia Rhett, the Duchess of Hayle, will arrive in Castle Thorne without announcement. For the first time, she appears willing to put aside her differences with her brother to help the Summoned.

Free Cities

◎ Making a report in Cadens is difficult, due to overpopulation in the Free Cities, especially with the ongoing refugee situation. Unless characters have an established rapport with a Free Cities official, they might be stuck filling out forms and facing long wait times while city guards are short-staffed.

◎ Once word reaches the right person, Marlo Reiner, the Prime Minister herself, will call a meeting at Portam Hall to alert the remaining Summoned of the situation. The Summoned are advised to be in groups or to use a military escort, and to limit unnecessary travel to unpopulated areas. Soldiers and city guards will be available to protect anyone who makes a request.

◎ A curfew is enforced on the natives in Cadens, but the Summoned are exempted. They'll be allowed to move freely to help with the investigation. Military jails will begin to fill up as the army detains and questions any locals they deem suspicious.

◎ A few small birds are seen soaring in the sky. Careful examination will reveal that their bodies are shiny metal and that they're traveling in a repeating pattern unlike that of regular birds. Anyone who asks will be told that these are indeed mechanical search birds, meant to help look for the missing or anyone who's in trouble. They don't have a large range and can only fly for an hour at a time.

Solvunn

◎ The Council will first approach the Summoned individually to learn more, as well as review any evidence. By the end of the week, they'll abruptly gather all of the Summoned into a meeting. There, they will inform the Summoned of something especially distressing: not only have a number of the Summoned vanished but many of the locals have also....including Josselyn Creed.

◎ With the Council one down, Isar Hart has stepped in to temporarily fill the role. He joins the other two in reassuring the Summoned that they'll do everything possible to retrieve the lost Summoned.

◎ The remaining Summoned are advised to travel in pairs or groups. They'll also be given a variety of protective charms, spells, and blessings. Rumors will fly, but the Solvunnites appear genuinely upset. Given the exalted nature of the Summoned in Solvunn, natives will provide what help they can and words of comfort.

◎ The Elders will organize offerings and sacrifices to the gods of safe travels and lost souls. Characters will be encouraged to participate.

Taking Action

Where the Lost will be investigating avenues of escape, the Spared will be investigating where the missing Summoned are and how to save them. Each faction will have different resources for characters to rely on. Although officials won't stop the Summoned from working with one another across national borders, they're more inclined to help their own. A character's rank can play a role in what avenues are open to them.

Any divided options between rank thresholds are general guidelines. If you have a Plot Engagement with us and/or an established relationship with an NPC through a plot, rank may not matter.

Players are encouraged to approach us with any plans or ideas they believe are feasible regardless of their Influence rank. Similarly, Rank 6+ characters will still need to take into account what makes sense for their character when proposing an action. We'll prioritize what's realistic based on a character's plot arc and engagement in the game over ranking.

Rank 6+ / NPC Communications

For their status, Rank 6+ Summoned will be able to use their influence to have their efforts sponsored by their nations if requested. This means supplies, publicity, aid, general resources, and more. They'll equally have the opportunity to lead teams and initiatives, especially ones that might require heavy resources or funding, or vouch for someone of lower rank to help them be heard.

Characters can further request a meeting or send a letter to any official they believe will hear them out - including officials from an opposing faction, although it'll help if they've established a relationship with that person first. Characters are not limited to the three major nations. They can also reach out to officials in Nocwich.

Those below Rank 6, but have made connections to an NPC or the world through Plot Engagement can also approach us. While their influence may not be as high, that doesn't mean their actions have no impact. It may just mean they'll need to narrow the scope of what they want to influence. For instance, the locals wouldn't find their face familiar enough if they wanted to give a speech to an entire city. However, if they're a trusted worker at the library, they could possibly enter the library after hours or talk to researchers who otherwise wouldn't meet with the general public.

Since the direction for Rank 6+ characters and interacting with NPCs are widely varied, we won't provide too many guidelines. Instead, it'll be up to you to decide what they want your character to do. We'll consider any suggestion or proposal you have for this event as long as it's based on something your character has been working towards.

For example, former Nocwich delegates could write to one of the emissaries to request a meeting. A character who is Rank 4 or 5 but has established a plot involving research could request better resources to accelerate their work, which might include a meeting with an official in charge. Even if one idea may not work, we'll help you come up with something else!

All Ranks

Characters of all ranks can participate in these options. Rank 6+ characters can also take advantage of their high ranking and use the information below to springboard their plans as outlined above.

◎ Investigations
We'll provide several points of investigation. You aren't limited to these paths, but they'll be available to provide direction and structure. See the Investigations section below for more information.

◎ Cross-faction Coordination
Up until now, officials have discouraged cross-faction interaction outside of diplomacy. Given the situation, however, the Summoned can reach out to each other and arrange meetings. The Horizon is the easiest place, but there are other possibilities in neutral locations depending on what characters can negotiate. For instance, a meeting in Nocwich would require the agreement of Nocwich officials. (Further opportunities for cross-faction coordination will arrive in Part 2.)

◎ Interviews and Interrogations
Characters will be able to knock on the doors of locals to question potential witnesses or seek information. They'll have the full support of officials, as long as they (openly) follow standard procedure. Of course, what's done in the dark might go unnoticed...and if characters are dealing with criminals, pirates, and bandits? Well, officials could be much more willing to turn a blind eye as to what needs to be done to obtain information.

◎ Rank 6+ Cooperation
Characters can work with Rank 6+ Summoned to formulate and execute plans. They might even be allowed to sit in on a meeting, be appointed a leadership role, or more with the support of someone well-known to officials. This is between players to arrange! As with all plot proposals, as long as the circumstances allow for it, we'll work with players to make things happen.

Investigation Paths

Each faction will have its distinct investigation paths, but there will be some common points, too. Characters can investigate solo, in groups, or come across each other accidentally. Play around with conflict between characters or internally over morally questionable approaches, high-risk situations, and any other details you feel will make things interesting.

During the IC Event, a section will be provided where you can comment describing what your character is investigating and how. We'll respond with an outcome to help you progress the plot and reach the necessary conclusions to proceed. Some actions might carry consequences! Further, you can fail to achieve your goal but gain unexpected information.

We've summarized some investigation paths below to help you plan. Full details will be revealed on the IC Event Log.

Thorne

◎ Disappearances in Nott
Disappearances around the rural areas of Nott and near the coastline have been a concern. Characters who feel there might be a link can investigate. They can look at the area or knock on doors to ask witnesses. They can even rough up some bandits if tensions run high...but be careful not to cross the line in front of too many locals or other Summoned who could disapprove.

◎ Mountain Travels
Adventuring types can venture via portal into dangerous locations to search for clues, depending on where tracking spells and witnesses lead them. This could be the frosty mountains or the thick forests surrounding Thorne. Soldiers will be on hand to accompany characters for safety, but characters are free to break away if they want. They should take care not to disturb the nests of sleeping beasts.

◎ Spells & Interrogation
Depending on a character's skill, they can employ a variety of spells from simple ones to more complicated risky magic. Very dangerous spells have a chance of going wrong, but in return, they'll give much more valuable information. If your character is willing to put themselves in harm's way, they might be rewarded...at a cost. Prisoners who are brought in for questioning could be subjected to one of those spells if your character's convinced they know something important.

Free Cities

◎ Deserts and Hills
Disappearances deep in the desert wasteland and desolate hillsides are not unheard of. Characters who feel there might be a link can investigate. Portals will be provided in this rare instance to cut down on the harsh and long journey, as well as the army's trained hounds. Anyone who digs deep might unearth some hidden chambers that should be left closed.

◎ Bandit Camps
Bandits can be a valuable source of information. Characters can approach these camps however they see fit: infiltrating, bribery, coercion, or plain old intimidation. How far a character goes is up to you. Officials won't step in, as bandits aren't citizens of the Free Cities, but the other Summoned around could take issue with certain approaches...and the bandits might remember in the future.

◎ Technology & Interrogation
Characters can help develop or expand technology, devices, and other techniques to aid in the investigation efforts. This can range from the innocuous (such as a high-end tracker) to something much more dangerous or nefarious. After all, the Free Cities has applied harsh methods to get answers out of prisoners in the past...and the Summoned won't be prevented from helping with that if they value their friends over a stranger.

Solvunn

◎ Josselyn Creed
Disappearances near the coastline of the Tertiary Settlement, as well as missing fishing boats, have been a concern. More importantly, Josselyn Creed appears to be a key factor in all of this. Characters can investigate the disappearances, Josselyn, or both. They might find that the sentiments in the Tertiary Settlement are unexpected where Josselyn is concerned.

◎ The Lost Swamps
Adventuring types can venture via portal into dangerous locations to search for clues. This can include the thick bogs and swamps, and the notoriously dense forests around Solvunn. Many of these areas host old shrines, ancient magic, and things best left alone. Characters can decide what forces they're willing to disturb for answers.

◎ Rituals & Witnesses
Where Thorne and the Free Cities rely on standard questioning, Solvunn believes that any events witnessed are done so by the will of the gods. They'll bring these people in to learn what they've seen. Many of the locals won't hesitate to submit to the rituals necessary to "unlock" their memories, though others might take more convincing. Some of these rituals can be dangerous or even difficult to watch. Characters can decide whether they're willing to go through with it or not.

Preview: Escape & Rescue

Part 2 of the event will arrive in March. It'll feature escape and rescue, and will bring the event to its conclusion. We'll provide more details when the time comes for Part 2 to go up, but we're giving a brief outline of what to expect so you can anticipate what's coming.

The tentative date for this log will be March 9th. A brief OOC post will go up a day before to facilitate any necessary plotting.

Escaping

Not everyone will make it out, and those who do will face some trials before they reach safety, including a 1-2 week journey. There will be two main paths to take. You can choose what best suits your character. This will occur roughly at the same time as the rescue and negotiation efforts, and some of it will require coordinating with players of characters on rescue missions.

◎ The escape group will not be in the clear. They'll end up in an unknown and harsh environment, and will need to rely on their wits and skills to survive as they attempt to make their way back home. All powers will return at this stage of the event - if you want. Abilities can come back slowly or continue to be temporarily limited for players who prefer that option.

Escaping will require active participation. Players should be able to commit to more time-sensitive threads in the IC Log. Characters will be able to uncover some lore during this portion, as well as meet up with the rescue team. The emphasis will be on journeying, survival, and monster encounters.

◎ The holdout group will remain behind. While we'll RNG this if needed, we're anticipating some volunteers, as staying behind is what will allow the others to escape. In other words, characters can choose to sacrifice themselves for others to break free while they stay back. They can also be caught behind unintentionally if your character is not the selfless or heroic type.

Those who stay behind can handwave the remainder of their imprisonment until rescue comes. This does not mean staying behind will lack activity options - it only means that you have more room to opt out if needed. Characters will be able to uncover lore around the site they were held, as well as meet up with the relief team. The emphasis will be on environmental and continued psychological and/or body horror.

Escapees will find making it back to their respective factions a struggle - but fortunately, they're not alone. Some help will be coming their way in the form of their fellow Summoned...or so they'd hope.

Rescue & Negotiations

There will be two main paths to take. You can choose what best suits your character. This will occur roughly at the same time as the captured characters' escape, and some of it will require coordinating with players of the kidnapped characters. Both teams will have the opportunity to collaborate and meet up with teams from other factions if they choose.

◎ A rescue team comprised of the Summoned will be sent to rescue those who are trapped in the wilds of Abraxas following their escape. How the team discovers their escape, who goes to help them, and what their plan looks like is up to the Summoned. We'll provide some guidance and an outline of what options are available, but the specifics depend on how the characters involved want to proceed. Rank 6 characters have the option to lead this initiative if they volunteer to do so.

Rescue missions will require active participation. Players should be able to commit to more time-sensitive threads in the IC Log. This team will be able to witness firsthand any on-site lore discovered by the escapees. The emphasis will be on tracking, survival, and monster encounters.

◎ A relief team comprised of the Summoned will be sent to negotiate for the release of those who were unable to escape, then retrieve them. This is not just limited to politically-oriented characters! Characters with healing skills, who want to act as protection or backup, and more, can all join in. How proceedings go is up to the Summoned. We'll provide some guidance and an outline of what options are available, but the specifics depend on the characters involved. Rank 6+ characters have the option to lead this initiative if they volunteer to do so.

Relief missions will require moderate participation. Players should be able to commit to plot-sensitive threads in the IC Log and communicate with the mod team to arrange the scenario. This team will have first contact to free those who remained captive, as well as help uncover lore at the capture site. The emphasis will be on environmental horror and healing assistance.

◎ A variety of support and aid can be provided by characters. This can be as involved or as limited as you want (for example, characters can simply provide healing ointments for the rescue team to take with them).

Players are free to handwave any assistance provided on a smaller scale. And of course, characters don't need to help at all.

Notes & Details

Event Organization

In addition to the IC Event Log, we'll also put up a Coordination Post. Due to the amount of OOC communication that may be required for this event, there will be a separate post for players to use for coordinating with the mod team, requesting rolls, investigations, and more.

The Coordination Post will also have a section for network-style in-person threads for anyone who wants to play out scenes that may not be logistically feasible to do as a log thread. This can include large group meetings, interviews involving several characters, a multi-person argument, or anything of that nature.

The purpose is to let multiple players interact and progress a scene quickly without the expectations or pressures that might come with a standard log thread such as posting order, tag length, or thread length. Threads of this type will be considered Network threads if used for Activity Check.

More details will be provided on the Coordination Post, but we wanted to give you an idea of how the event will be organized so you can factor it into your plans.

Event Schedule

The IN-GAME EVENT will ICly take place February 20 - late March
The EVENT LOG (PART 1) will go up on February 19 for players to participate in.
The EVENT LOG (PART 2) will go up on March 9 (tentative date), with the OOC PLOTTING POST arriving the day prior
The WRAP-UP will go up end of March (date based on how things proceed)

Plotting Form

Plotting forms are available below for your convenience. We've provided two forms based on your assigned group.

The Lost

Use this form if your character is assigned to be one of the abducted Summoned.

<b>Character Name:</b> <b>Arcana:</b> <b>Faction:</b> <b>Capture scenario:</b> (How is your character likely to be taken? You can list a couple of options you're thinking about and/or change your mind about how it happens later! If you're searching for someone to participate in or facilitate a capture scenario with you, you can do so here.) <b>Ascension plans:</b> (Will your character be affected? How much and by what? Do you want anyone to be taken with your character? Will they attack others or try to help if they're not impacted? Do you want someone to stop or cure your character? Are you looking for other people to fight?) <b>General plans:</b> (Anything else your character will be doing while held captive!)

The Spared

Use this form if your character has been left unharmed and will be investigating the missing Summoned.

<b>Character Name:</b> <b>Arcana:</b> <b>Faction:</b> <b>Influence rank:</b> <b>Personal connections:</b> (If your character is close to any of the abducted Summoned, you can list them here to find mutual acquaintances who will want to team up with yours for personal reasons.) <b>Political connections:</b> (If your character has a rapport with any of the officials - whether through rank or plot engagement - and you'd like to offer that connection to others for plotting, you can name those connections here.) <b>Investigation plans:</b> (What investigation paths will your character be most interested in? Are you looking to lead or join a team? Do you want your character to get into a confrontation with someone else over what's morally acceptable?) <b>General plans:</b> (Anything else your character will be doing!)

Questions and Answers

If after reading these you're still unsure about anything, or your question wasn't covered, please feel free to hit up our Questions thread below!

General

Can I investigate something other than the provided options?

This is possible. We want players to get creative! However, for the sake of logistics, we need to make sure there aren't too many branching paths for the mod team to organize, so we encourage you to consider ways in which your ideas can be merged with existing investigation paths. That said, if there's a unique investigation path you're eager to do, please ask us and we'll see how we can help.

I have an idea based on one of the investigation paths, but it isn't explicitly written in the details. Can I still try doing it?

Yes, you can give anything you think might work a try when investigating. We'll do our best to reward thinking outside the box. In some cases, we might redirect you to the mod communication section to workshop a proper event plot if necessary.

Is it possible to unknowingly cause harm through an investigation?

Yes, if you're interacting with any of the investigation points, your character will risk unknown consequences to others, including death. While we'll telegraph when consequences are around the corner, players should be prepared to have their characters face being responsible for something they didn't intend. Not to worry! There won't be jail time or direct retaliation, but much like the Nocwich assignment, they might end up with a guilty conscience or having to ask themselves if they made the right choice.

Will there be consequences afterwards to harming or killing NPCs, whether during interrogations or in the pit?

Not among faction officials, unless your character will be flaunting it or bringing it to attention in a way that can't be ignored. However, characters might face consequences from other Summoned who disapprove or other NPCs at a lower level. For example, if they raid a bandit camp, other bandits might remember their face and retaliate. This could come into play during future plots or you can use it to flavor your character's interactions with unnamed NPCs in the game.

Who is being affected by the Network exactly?

Only those who were taken (the Lost). Characters who are taken will have difficulty sending complete outgoing messages as well as reading any incoming messages regardless of the source. This means public posts by the Spared might not be seen or will appear distorted, as well. Any messages between those who are not abducted (the Spared) will function as normal. Basically, anyone who's been taken will have a faulty reception - so outgoing and incoming "calls" will be disrupted.

The Lost

Once captured, can characters improvise tools and weapons to attack their captors?

Yes! Characters can attack their captors, but you must submit to roll the outcome. Just be aware that if you decide to take action, you're agreeing to accept the mod roll and potential consequences.

Can characters attempt to escape before Part 2 of the event?

Yes, characters can try. Logistically, some structure needs to be in place for the event to run smoothly. Nonetheless, our goal is for characters in-game to feel they have a fighting chance. Even if they fail, their attempt could be a valuable lesson for planning a successful escape later.

Can characters hear of the missing Summoned before they're taken? Could they begin an investigation on their own?

Yes. While officials won't make a formal announcement until the end of the week, characters can notice something amiss before then and attempt to investigate on their own. In fact, this could even be the reason they're taken themselves if you choose.

Can I play out the Ascension procedure with other characters?

Of course! Characters can go through it with others if you'd like some interaction, or they can do so alone. You can also involve NPCs, including ones who don't make it out alive.

Can I decide which aspects of the procedure my character experiences?

Yes! We'll provide "stages" to the procedure so that you can opt into how intense your character's experience is. If you want to go all the way, they can be conscious throughout the full incident. If not, you can have them pass out and the procedure will cease for your character. This won't have any impact on the effects your character experiences or the likelihood of their succumbing or resistance.

Can characters alert anyone as they're being taken using the Network?

Yes, you can have their message disrupted as they black out or they can squeeze out one short message to a friend just before they're captured. This can be one of the reasons characters realize something is wrong as opposed to the disappearances that occur when a character drops.

The Spared

So if my character receives messages from a captured character, it'll be distorted?

Yes. However, if a character is sending a message to someone in another faction who wasn't taken, the Network will function as normal, since nothing will be interfering with either person's reception.

Will there be more opportunities for cross-faction tasks in Part 2?

Yes! While Part 1 is lighter on cross-faction opportunities, characters will be able to gather into groups and meet up with teams from other nations as they put their plans into motion.

Can characters question witnesses and investigate without going through the formal investigation paths?

Absolutely! Threads don't need to be a part of the investigation paths we offer. Characters can investigate as part of a thread meant for CR development or other purposes without interacting with the mod investigations. You just won't receive any plot reveals.

My character prefers to work alone, but I want to force them to work with others. How can I do this?

Beyond plotting with other players for ideas, faction officials might assign your character to assist a group, or your character might be in over their heads. Certain investigation paths will require more than one person, as well. You can tell us that you'd like to team up when performing an investigation. We'll include an outcome that'll push your character to work with someone else.

My character's reaction depends on what the Lost are going through. Will they find out how bad it gets?

Because the Network and Horizon aren't entirely cut off, the Lost can reach out and tell the others what's happening in bits and pieces. They may also find they're unable to hide their true appearance while in the Horizon, thus displaying the full extent of their injuries or suffering.

If my character is meeting with an NPC, will it be a full thread?

Threads will be kept short and to the point, and will involve a combination of dialogue and OOC description similar to the Mediation event, depending on the nature of the request and how much back and forth is necessary. Because of the scope and pace of this event, we won't be able to provide standard log threads. Don't worry! If you want a standard meeting thread, you can approach us through the Plot Engagement page as usual once the event is over.

Comments

Questions

[abraxasmods]

[aquaveiled]

Quick question! If a Rank 6 character would be requesting information/aid from officials in Nocwich, would they be able to bring a lower ranking character with them if a meeting is approved?

MISSING SUMMONED

[abraxasmods]

If your character will file a report to local officials that someone they know is missing, fill out the form and reply to this comment.
Though optional, this will let us and other players know what characters will be noticed missing first, how many of the Summoned are reported missing before the end of the first week, and what evidence has been provided.

<b>Player name:</b> <b>Character name:</b> <b>Missing Summoned:</b> (You can list multiple names) <b>Evidence:</b> (When were they last seen? What evidence and details will your character provide that suggests the missing Summoned was taken as opposed to vanishing from Abraxas as others have in the past?)

[ushiri]

Player name: Jay
Character name: Kyle

Missing Summoned: Jack Townsend
Evidence: Last seen leaving the castle to head into town. Jack is getting nabbed on the first day but Kyle will be reporting this after a few others have already been reported since Jack has a reputation for wandering. He'll detail that he followed the route he knows Jack takes and found evidence of a scuffle: dried blood and traces of Jack's magic. He won't be able to provide physical proof since the magical evidence faded soon after he found it (true), and will press with whatever good will he's accumulated that they trust him that it wasn't just another vanishing.

DISAPPEARANCES (ASCENSION)

[abraxasmods]

If you're assigned as the Lost, let us know what you've decided for your character in regards to the Ascension section.

Don't worry if you change your mind or if you haven't decided yet! This is just to give us an idea of how many will be participating in which option. You can tell us any time or edit your reply if you end up choosing differently in the IC Event Log.

Player Name, <b>Character Name</b> Disappeared/Unaffected (Choose one and delete the other)

[stepping]

Chris, Laura Hawley
Disappeared

bartimaeus | free cities | spared

[sakhr]

Character Name: Bartimaeus
Arcana: Wheel of Fortune
Faction: Free Cities
Influence rank: n/a

Personal connections: Bart is brand new, but he's already made friends with fellow newbie Laura Hawley so I'd love to throw him at anyone else who wants to team up over worries about her safety! He'll also be very vocal about missing folks on the network I think, so we can definitely put together some cross-faction shenanigans that way.

Political connections: n/a

Investigation plans: Bartimaeus is a shapeshifter, so I think his first point of call will be to join the Free Cities' mechanical birds, take to the sky and see if he can spot anything from above. He'll definitely report back to everyone if he notices anything unusual, and will be interested in collating information on those who have been taken to find out if anything was spotted about their abductors. He also has absolutely no qualms whatsoever about putting the screws to suspicious characters, so he'll be all-in on raiding a bandit camp if he spots one, at the very least to see if they know anything. I'd be happy for him to have some back-up on this, or even just an argument about the morals of the "so anyway, I started blasting" method.

General plans: Being annoying and snoopy on other people's posts or at any cross-faction meetings is definitely an option too. He will generally be trying very hard to give off the vibe that he doesn't really care what happens and he's only invested in it to make sure nothing happens to him too, but hidden under that (and not hidden very deeply, tbh) is genuine concern.

Dee's Boys

[magicalarchaeologist]

PS- I updated my cheatsheet with a filter about who is getting captured!

Istredd | Thorne | Lost

[magicalarchaeologist]

Character Name: Istredd
Arcana: The High Priestess
Faction: Thorne

Capture scenario: Currently the plan is for him and Urianger to get caught together because they're distracting nerding out about books and not prepared. Womp womp. He will be shouting at Lucifer before blacking out. He will be one of the first taken early on!

Ascension plans: As of right now I don't plan on it, but I may change my mind! I am definitely open to him trying to cure people and also get in the middle of fights if need be. And also get knocked around himself if he tries to get in the middle of others. 

General plans: Istredd will be pretty shell-shocked as he's never been in a situation like this, but he will be trying to figure out who is keeping them and how to get everyone out. He'll be trying to keep his head together and calm other people down, but he's also a squishy bookworm and could have a breakdown. As we got a sneak peek at the future escape, I know for sure he will be staying behind to help others escape, so that might come up later!

Gideon Nav | Free Cities | the lost

[frontlinetitties]

Character Name: Gideon Nav
Arcana: Strength
Faction: Free Cities

Capture scenario: Gideon will be monster hunting in the desert when she's taken! It would be cool it she is with 1 other person (I don't want to bite off more than I can chew!) who's out on a monster hunting job with her, OR who she maybe rushes in to help rescue but gets caught herself too. She'll have a good go at fighting off her attackers but may stop short at actual killing.

Ascension plans: not sure yet but I think I may go with the ascension for Gideon because it sounds fun!! I'll probably have her reject rather than succumb, but I'll plan out the details more with others below!! I am open to her being subjected to this with one other person..

General plans: she will try very hard to work on an escape that involves bringing people out with her, and will work hard to defend other players/NPCs. I'm not sure what would be more fun, having her escape or not manage it because she's helping others to escape/won't leave people behind but we'll see how it goes!!

[cryptsleeper]

he's going to be so mentally stable about this

aloy | solvunn | lost

[lightkeeping]

Character Name: Aloy
Arcana: The Hermit
Faction: Solvunn

Capture scenario: Aloy will be getting kidnapped with Steve and Nero while investigating villager disappearances in Solvunn. It will not go well for them! Someone may die of fun.

Ascension plans: She’s very stubborn so I definitely plan to have her experimented on. Right now leaning towards rejection, but willing to play this part by ear. If you’re interested in being a Buddy In Suffering, lmk! Happy to have her share the experience with someone, lmao

General plans: get in losers we’re busting out

In all seriousness Aloy has been in captive situations like this before and she has, well, stopped at very little to get out. I’m very interested in having her team up with people who maybe are not afraid of getting their hands dirty and want to stage a violent break out. Obviously the main escape will be in part 2, but she'd probably want to start planning right away, including some test runs on their captors (mod rolls + consequences, eyebrow waggle). If that sounds good to you let me know! Would love to start pulling something together to pitch to the mods.

She’s also a seasoned survivalist and can definitely help with resource gathering, driving off monsters and generally refusing to crack under pressure. During the general holding period she’ll have a vested interest in looking out for people who are maybe not as used to this as she is, so she’ll be doing her best to protect PCs and NPCs, at least until it’s time to bust out. Need someone to punch your ascended guy into submission? She can do that too. Moral support? Slightly less good at it, but here if anyone needs it.

If you like, I'm available on plurk at whitticus.

[earthborn]

Oh this will be neat, they can finally meet in person.

I am absolutely up for being a buddy in suffering, if we both end up going the ascension route. Shepard is a professional appreciator of people with a lot of independent skills and competencies, and of course that's Aloy from head to toe, so Shep would definitely pull Aloy in on any escape/resistance plans.

viktor | free cities | spared

[techmaturgy]

Character Name: Viktor
Arcana: Death
Faction: Free Cities
Influence rank: 5

Personal connections: Viktor is pretty friendly with a lot of Free Cities people and a handful of cross-faction abductees, so if you have positive CR just assume he will be mad and upset about the abductions. He won’t necessarily need a push to lend aid in that department! Also they took Caitlyn, which is Not Great

Political connections: Viktor attends the Grand Academy of Science, so although he is a little bit on thin ice with them right now (he got a strongly-worded letter about his recent bout of human experimentation), he can likely make an attempt to ply Aleksander Klingel for resources. If anyone is looking for an in to the tech side of things, Viktor can make those connections. TBD on how it would actually go, tho (see above, he is in a little bit of trouble).

Investigation plans: Most definitely technology. Stay tuned on some of the weird fun things Viktor will probably cook up—if you want to give him a hand, whether that’s something as simple as collecting materials for him (maybe using political connections? for restricted stuff?), or as involved as actually helping him to build weird shit, he’s going to be focused on support this time around.

General plans: Viktor has tracking devices that he will eventually offer up to the officials—but in the meantime if anyone is looking to get captured on purpose, it might be fun for Viktor to, you know, slip your guy a little something they can keep in their pocket.

He will likely speak out against more violent means to find and rescue the group, and pointedly will not provide anyone with weapons that he believes will advance the Cadens military. If that sounds like a cool fun philosophical debate to you, I’m into it.

Beyond that he and Jayce will be hard at work providing support and gadgetry to the rescue teams. If you’ve got an idea for a weird thing your character might find useful, I would love to collaborate! HMU on plurk at whitticus.

[theidlemaiden]

put hilda down for helping out Viktor with whatever it is he needs to get + help out! she can be the face if you'd like if there are specific things that need getting (idk if that works maybe it's a thing)

also gently flagging that Hilda and Petra could be a potential volunteer for his tracking devices in round 2 if things head in that direction (Chris and I are on the same page on this one)

Commander Shepard ✦ Free Cities ✦ Lost

[earthborn]

Character Name: Commander Jane Shepard
Arcana: Judgement
Faction: Free Cities

Capture scenario: Shepard is unlikely to be taken without at least a brief fight, which for the sake of her biotics will necessarily involve at least some noise. I was thinking it would make the most sense for her to be taken while on patrol duty, or during some late night in Cadens. The fight will be extremely loud, but extremely short, and involve the quick deaths of at least two of her assailants— she'll probably assume she was gassed or otherwise drugged unconscious. It'd be kind of funny for someone to stick their head out to see what all the noise is about, but just a bit too late to stop them.

Ascension plans: I was thinking it would be most dramatic for her to be taken for ascension, but I am open to altering those plans if it's more dramatic/interesting to do so. If taken, Shepard would certainly resist the effects as strongly as her considerable willpower would permit.

General plans: Shepard is quite likely to participate in escape planning, and has no qualms about committing cold-blooded murder on her captives. I would very much like her to team up with other cross-factioned summoned for this purpose— maybe they could mug a guard or two. She would also, as soon as possible, issue an SOS through the Horizon, though it's likely to be quite garbled. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's thought of that though haha.

Various random thoughts:

• making herself a prominent target so that she gets taken for ascension instead of someone else
  
• gruffly comforting someone with old war stories and getting to say "suck it up princess"
  
• making some kind of really stupid inspiring hero speech at some point maybe
  
• having a cool plan to instigate escape and/or take out a guard and pointing at someone and going "you, with me" and then they totally pull it off even if it doesn't necessarily come to anything
  
• knocking people's heads together to force them to share resources properly, while doing without for herself, because "I can take it, I'm fine." (but she is not fine)

[philancer]

War vet buddies! He would also be making himself into a more visible target to protect the others, but i'd love for them to get to meet in person here, since i think they've only talked on the network so far

morgana pendragon | solvunn | the lost

[desolation]

Character Name: morgana pendragon
Arcana: the tower
Faction: solvunn

Capture scenario: morgana will absolutely be putting up a fight when she's taken, possibly even killing one of the captors before she's subdued successfully. i'm down to have one of her fellow solvunnites either be around or come across the incident, whether it's to be captured together or just be witness to it, with the option to thread it out. not picky on the timeline but i figure a little bit later in the week would be better so that she's possibly developed some suspicions based on some disappearing faces she's reluctantly begun to get used to spotting around, npcs or otherwise.

Ascension plans: while i'm still debating if she'll reject or succumb, morgana will be affected. for the ritual itself, i'm up for her experiencing that together with someone, also opening to threading it or not. but i would especially like her to experience the symptoms alongside people, especially in cases where she may be panicked enough to attack someone or feeling weak enough that she'll need to rely on someone's help for a bit. whether she'll allow someone to try curing her will depend on the trust she has in a person. since she's still freshly arrived, she hasn't formed any large enough bonds, but if one could be gradually developed during the capture, that person could attempt a cure with her.

General plans: morgana will be very insistent on escaping her circumstances and will proceed with trying to escape. though she'll primarily try to remain independent for her own survival, circumstances may cause her to have to reluctantly team up with others, so she'll be available as both an ally or an enemy depending on how things proceed with threads. she's been forced to survive on her own before and make the most out of finding food and fighting threats, so she'll be capable for a while, but due to her being affected, she may need help working with others to last, especially since she no longer has her magic to rely on. but she'll very much want to be involved with the escape in part 2.

aside from plotting, i'd love to use this opportunity to have morgana come to terms with the double kidnapping situation she's been put into from a psychological point, especially since she has her own fresh trauma of long-term capture. she'll be shaken, albeit stubborn in admitting it, and will definitely succumb easily to nightmares (which tend to be prophecies or reruns of Big Trauma). she'll be a lot more vulnerable than she'd like to admit, so i'd very much want to use this opportunity to help her form more trust with the other summoned since she has a hard time getting to that point otherwise.

hit me up on plurk at hepburns if you want to get into it more.

[takeatrip]

I have no idea how Morgana and Jayden might get along (or not) in an actual thread, but with them both being somewhat independent types, but also both new, it might work out that they could end up teaming up a little? Especially if they end up in the whole ritual thing together if you're interested in that, and/or trying to deal with things after the ritual/as time goes on in the survival situation.

Len | Free Cities | Lost

[lonedanger]

Character Name: Len Darin (Courier 6)
Arcana: Death
Faction: Free Cities

Capture scenario: Given that he's still fairly new to the region - but also extremely familiar with living in a dangerous desert - Len will probable be taken either in a dark alley in the evening when he's going for a walk around the city, or near dawn/dusk out in the desert. Haven't decided yet in the event that someone wants to witness the taking, so I'm really open! He hasn't met a TON of people yet so if nobody sees it go down, that's also totally fine. He will not be taken without a fight. His initial cell mate prior to release into the main holding area will be Henry Creel.

Ascension plans: Len will be affected by Ascension, because he'll make a point of being a loud protestor about their circumstances. This will manifest with almost all of the listed symptoms of rejection except for maybe lesions, because he will hate this due to its psychologically and physically invasive nature. He's already been the victim of human experimentation once in his life. 🙃 If pressed and put into a tense state he could be reactionary and violent, though it's more likely he'll be repressing everything with all he has in him. He's more likely to push his efforts toward organizing people to overtake their captors rather than harming other captives. UNIONIZE!!!

General plans: This is the third gotdamn time he's gotten his ass kidnapped now and he will be pretty irritated. He will be improvising weapons, trying to work out possible escape routes or means of assaulting/getting information from the acolytes. He's a patient man but has little patience for circumstances like this, and will not advocate for biding time - that's just asking for worse than what they already have.

Note: To chat through or plot anything, please feel free to friend me and hmu on discord at uncalendula#5439!

[takeatrip]

We should do things. >:c Even if it's with a simple 'hey we're both new let's team up' sort of excuse as a springboard for more CR, but also I think they'll share some goals/methods of dealing with the situation and so that'll work out nicely (also potential bonding over the ascension stuff???)

laura hawley | free cities | lost

[stepping]

Character Name: Laura Hawley
Arcana: Death
Faction: Free Cities

Capture scenario: I'm probably just going to stick with Laura being picked up alone while out doing a bit of a wander so I can focus on the kidnapping experience as a whole--if maybe one person wants to handwave being in the vicinity when they were scooped up for future thread references I'm up for that though!

Ascension plans: Girlie's absolutely going to get ascended (: I'm leaning towards the rejection effects for her, and I'm absolutely down to lean as horribly into it as possible. Would love to pair her up with someone for the procedure experience, and if anyone wants their character to take a gamble on curing I'm open to that too! Here for all the disoriented scraps but also trying to make use of being able to temporarily see through some illusions as much as she can be useful while her eyes are bleeding 🙃

General plans: Laura is a long term survivalist despite her trying to sell herself as Just A Normal Gal and though being captive is going to press pretty hard on some Issues that she has, she's pretty good at just getting down to business where needed. Unfortunately she's also not much of a leader and won't be spearheading any efforts at coordination or cooperation, however if anyone needs a support role for those efforts Laura will slot in there quite easily! She will absolutely try and get hold of an improvised weapon of some kind for herself and will most likely try attacking the acolyte captors unless someone convinces her it's not a good idea.

Broadly speaking I'm super interested in leaning into the body horror aspects, as well as the inopportune moment for bonding that a bunch of captives have in a sad old pit :) This is a good chance to glimpse at the sides of Laura that don't gel so much with her very laid back, happy go lucky persona that she wears, she's very capable of violence and will lean into that for the sake of trying to escape without much guilt, which will all be saved for much later anyway. She's got an initial holding space pal set up, but outside of that I am completely open for opportunity!

tl;dr lets have a bad time together! feel free to hmu here, on plurk @ sharknado or discord at sharknado#3914

[frontlinetitties]

Trying to protect and then witnessing violence sounds like it could be fun later in the event!

yennefer of vengerberg | thorne | spared

[vixening]

Character Name: yennefer of vengerberg
Arcana: chariot
Faction: thorne
Influence rank: 6

Personal connections: hahahahahahaha cries. known connections include istredd, anakin, and mat. tho she’s going to find out jack is taken and be SO TIRED OF COURSE HE DID. (and of course there’s ciri and geralt but no one knows about her connection to ciri and the geralt connection is limited-ly known)

Political connections: the obvious one is the queen which will decide…a lot of things. but yennefer also has connections with celeste from ikorr, and then she wouldn’t shy away from pretty much any thorne official.

Investigation plans: i don’t know if she will be joining a team quite yet just because she is going to be very careful with the queen’s eyes on her and who it is she’s going to be going after, but she will be doing a LOT of assisting with reaching out to officials, coordinating supplies for those who need it, etc.

General plans: overall yennefer is going to be very NOT HAPPY in general during this whole thing. she’s not usually patient anyway and knowing that so many of the people she actually gives a shit about ALL DECIDED TO GO AND GET CAPTURED??? it’s going to set her off real bad in terms of what can she do what power does she have here and how can she use it. feel free to chat with me on plurk disarmingly or disco dai#3757

[beloyaltome]

Lenore here is brand new, but she's actively looking for ways to get more involved in court politics and help out with diplomacy, so she'll be shy but eager to help Yennefer in any way she can.

henry creel | solvunn | lost

[vecna]

Character Name: Henry Creel
Arcana: The Hierophant
Faction: Solvunn

Capture scenario: Probably nothing more specific than being captured while in a particularly isolated part of the settlement, but Henry would absolutely put up a fight and maybe kill a few of his would-be captors before he’s finally subdued. I would absolutely love to play this out, whether someone wants to see this take place or your character also wants to be captured at the same time. PLEASE. LET HIM MURDER.

Ascension plans: I’m likely leaning towards rejection but I want to play out ALL of the juicy body horror things associated with it. Also looking for an fellow buddy to suffer together with lol. Mostly, Henry’s amicable mask will 100 percent have slipped at this point, and I just want to have fun playing that out with others. This will make him generally a very angry man when the plot finally transitions to the escape part.

General plans: HE’S GONNA TRY TO ESCAPE and he will be violent about it if necessary. Maybe even if unnecessary. Like-minded Summoned are welcome to help him with this in any way possible, whether it be investigations, other decisions that require a mod-roll, or just overall plans that will aid them in their escape, no matter what it takes. Who doesn't mind getting their hands dirty? Join him!!!

[lonedanger]

hey pal you wanna suffer together 👀 Len tends to come across normally as a pretty congenial and affable guy but will have completely lost his ability to keep his temper under wraps, especially after some thrilling ritual torture. His plans include: potentially assaulting acolytes to gain information/try to escape, violently rejecting his Ascension and dealing with the consequences thereof, and much more!

zero qualms about getting his hands dirty, here

Himeka Sui | Solvunn | Spared

[aquaveiled]

Character Name: Himeka Sui
Arcana: The Fool
Faction: Solvunn
Influence rank: 6

Personal connections: She's buddies with Urianger, Nero, Geralt, Inej! Most of which are located in other factions so she will definitely be interested in teaming up across factions where able.

Political connections: First and foremost, Himeka will want to try to talk to the Solvunn Council about the missing Summoned. We know that NPCs has dubiously gone missing in the tertiary settlement, specifically, but not the Summoned...not like this. So if your character has questions/requests of the Council I'd be happy to try and incorporate as much as possible.

Himeka was the delegate for Solvunn so she will be reaching out to Osanna of Ikorr for assistance. Uncertain if she would be able to take any other Summoned with her if this meeting is available but if you have interest in the Ikorr side of this plot, maybe we can come up with a scenario that would be appealing to offer!

Investigation plans: Himeka is 100% going to try to coordinate and go in swinging with a rescue effort. Since that's kind of her schtick as the Warrior of Light - assemble a team of adventurers willing participants and run into the dungeon.

Of course this won't be something they can do right off because they have no idea what's going on. Even if she won't be taking part in every investigation avenue she would definitely be willing to help assemble Solvunn efforts both internally and externally. Maybe Solvunn friends can have in person info-sharing as they investigate or have Horizon get togethers for privacy? It'd also be helpful to evaluate the skills and capabilities of anyone else who wants to be in on the rescue effort once they have enough info so they can find out where everyone will be best suited to help.

That being said, she already has a track record of going to shrines and appealing to the gods so she's going to continue that. They have proof the gods are real at this point, but their true purpose is uncertain. She'd like to see if gods can help so she will be following the swamps investigation plot. I would love people to team up with her on this! Anyone who wants to travel and do more god-lore since that's her long-term plot goal.

General plans: Not sleeping much. Who needs sleep guys are in DANGER.

But seriously for more plotting I'm also available on Discord freyasaurus#2753 and PM. EXCITED and looking forward to working together!

[widows_kiss]

here to offer a dps for your crossserverfaction raid team!

steve rogers | free cities | lost

[assembles]

Character Name: Steve Rogers
Arcana: The Hierophant
Faction: Free Cities

Capture scenario: Steve will be getting grabbed while he is alone, in some dark alleys of the Free Cities. It will happen quite early on because he wouldn't really let himself be caught unawares once news of people vanishing started to spread. I figure five of these masked dudes just use magic to restrain him and knock him out so his super-soldier strength and resilience would help him little.

Ascension plans: Right now I am leaning toward having Steve go through the ascension process, but having him reject it and receive those side effects, because sheer force of will stuff is kind of his thing. It's really hard for me to resist some messed up body horror, okay. That being said, even while suffering these effects he'll be doing his utmost best to keep a clear head and talk others through the situation. I'm happy for him to go through the ritual with another Summoned if anyone's interested in that!

General plans: Steve will do what he can to take a leadership role of sorts, in that he will want to keep people calm and focused and keep panic at a minimum as much as he can. This means making sure that food is rationed appropriately, interfering on fights that break out, etc. etc. He would not be opposed to attacking their captors to either get information out of them or items off of them. While murder would not be his first choice, he actually won't pearl clutch over it either, as they're basically in a prisoners of war situation.

He broke some POWs out of a prison camp before, so! This is interesting, being on the other side of things, but he'll serve as an anchor to anyone who hasn't been through this kind of thing before. He will also gravitate to others trying to figure out escape options and will offer whatever services he can when it comes to resource gathering, searching for potential paths out, etc.

Oh, and if anyone who has ascended starts to get violent or attack others, he will try to subdue them however possible while not hurting them too much. I am so about these Winter Soldier situations.

Maybe an inspiring speech at some point. We'll see. :)

Please hit me up at demonology or demonology#1725 on Discord if you want to plot/coordinate!

[lightkeeping]

arent you tired of being nice

dont you just want to go ape shit

sam wilson | free cities | spared

[falcony]

Character Name: sam wilson
Arcana: justice
Faction: free cities
Influence rank: 6

Personal connections: to be honest he wouldn’t need a personal connection to dive headfirst into this because even if he’s only met someone once he would go all into this - but these a*holes went and took steve, geralt, ciri, cas, matt AND HIS KIDS (jesper and inej) SO THEYVE GOT IT COMIN!!!

Political connections: so sam’s going uh. directly to marlo with all of this. ;^) as well as most likely making a few passionate speeches around the city itself / to the local soldiers and also citizens about working together across factions to get everyone back. he’s good at those!!

Investigation plans: SAM IS GONNA LEAD THE RESCUE TEAM AND YOU CANT STOP HIM. he has leadership experience, rescue opp experience, and works super well under pressure and giving orders. he’s going to be Very Focused but with the moral backing so if anyone wants to start doing questionable shit and get confronted, he absolutely would be your guy. He’s also got connections across all factions and will be leaning on those heavily, so if you have any worries about how your kid can get involved, he would be your guy. whether or not people ask him he’s going to end up diving into this full ham so. he also has a shield and also his wings AND his bird. Captain America Is Here.

General plans: YALL IM SO EXCITED I CANT EVEN STAND IT I WANT TO DO EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING. COME PLOT WITH ME!!!

[aquaveiled]

Since Himeka is going to be looking into coordinating rescue things from the Solvunn side, maybe they can team up? She definitely remembers his inspiring speeches from his Horizon cookouts!

Claire Fraser | Solvunn | Spared

[beautifullies]

Character Name: Claire Fraser
Arcana: The Empress
Faction: Solvunn
Influence rank: 0 lol

Personal connections: Claire is so new that she doesn't know many people yet to have be in a routine of seeing them regularly. She would want to help if she can, so if a friend has friends or loved ones gone missing, and there was anything she could do to help, she would.

Political connections: N.A.

Investigation plans: At this point, Claire would be best as part of a team, letting someone else lead. She isn't afraid to get her hands dirty if it's absolutely necessary. This isn't her first abduction rodeo (unfortunately). She has an awful (and I mean awful) poker face, so lying or trying to would be out. Still, if there's anything that makes sense for a granny doctor, I'll be there.

General plans: That last bit brings me to: I think the bulk of what Claire would be doing would be in the 2nd half of the plot if people are in medical distress. She has very likely been visible around Solvunn, helping wherever she can. If that visibility would help in any way, then I'm happy to offer her up. She's been gathering where she feels safe enough to go alone, but in a group, she isn't averse to traveling with her (as of now) bare-bones (makeshift) medical kit.

Any other doctor types to maybe help her organize and improve her kit? If people have been taken on a mass scale, she's going to want to prepare for the worst, but yeah, I think that probably comes in part 2. But it never hurts to get organized!

Or give her a weapon, she recently sent a machete through someone's neck, so like. She doesn't like it, but she'll shank if it means bringing someone home safe.

[aquaveiled]

I think someone should absolutely give Claire a machete.

That being said! While Himeka is gonna be more geared to being on the front lines for Part 2, relief effort is SO important. I think it'd definitely be good to coordinate how that is going to play out once (when??) they are able to get people back. She's also a healer herself so they would have something to talk about, even if her methods are more magical.

Also please share her abduction experience...

hilda goneril | free cities | spared

[theidlemaiden]

Character Name: Hilda Goneril
Arcana: The Lovers
Faction: Free Cities
Influence rank: 2

Personal connections: Sylvain and Claude are the two closest folks to Hilda that have been taken at least in the Free Cities but I spy a handful of other CR she's made that are on the kidnapped list too! She'd be worried about Blake and Elrond, but the latter is in Thorne so she may not realize immediately that he's gone.

Political connections: Nothing of significance that would help here!

Investigation plans: Seeing as her two closest friends have inclinations towards the desert, Hilda will probably start there alongside Petra. I'm particularly interested in the hidden chambers aspect because those could be fun.

Even though Hilda doesn't have too much of a problem killing people in a battle/war-time scenario this isn't that. I'm happy to throw her into a good cop/bad cop scenario if anyone is interested in going and trying to bribe or talk to the bandits and then potentially chaos breaking out. She'd try to advocate against excessive violence but listen. Sometimes shit happens and a pink haired delicate flower just might snap.

General plans: As worried as she is about her own friends, Hilda will still be there to comfort anyone that is also going through it and lend a hand where she can even if that means frivolous things to try and distract even if it's for a little bit. She'll probably be found at the Sarstina as home base, and maybe there's a way that FC folks could coordinate (even if it's just handwaved) a place for the Summoned to exchange information that they find out along the way??

She'll eventually be a part of the rescue team so expect there to be some axe swinging and letting out a lot of pent up frustration that is bound to build up depending on what happens during the event. If possible, she'd probably be busy bee helping folks coordinate relief efforts and gathering supplies etc. instead of being a part of it, but I could be swayed either way! I'd love to have some cross-faction interaction going on, so if there's an angle we can take, I'm all for it.

Feel free to hit me up via discord or timescars for delicious plotting.

[aquilus]

Claude is probably Altaïr's fr....frie....acquaintance in Abraxas and he is GREAT at playing bad cop so I feel like we should do us a thing

thancred waters | thorne | spared

[funbreaker]

Character Name: Thancred Waters
Arcana: Strength
Faction: Thorne
Influence rank: 3

Personal connections: The top of the list would be Urianger (and Istredd, they're getting grabbed together). They're getting taken very early on, so he will be aware of this almost immediately and will pretty much be working nonstop to investigate and find where they've been taken because that's how Thancred be. No sleep club, report in.

Political connections: Thancred has a connection with Lyle Vela in Nott. He will definitely be considering approaching him about this, since there was already rumor of people disappearing before this. On the other hand, Lyle sort of brushed it off as "oh, those people just decided to leave," so... he might be a bit wary of him because of that. I'm happy to have him talk the pros and cons of this over with anyone else who might be considering this path.

He might also reach out to Jolene about how she might be able to help with the search. He hasn't yet approached her about treason (and will be shelving that for the moment), but would both genuinely want her help but also would want to see just how invested in the Summoned she is when push comes to shove.

Investigation plans: Thancred will be looking into both the Disappearances in Nott and the Mountain Travels paths of investigation. He is not opposed to roughing some people up if needed to get information out of them, but he's also just as open to using his silver tongue to try and learn what's needed. He's happy to go with either path, it's mainly about what's going to earn him the most useful information.

If he did rough up any bandits, he would be subtle about it. And for the mountain exploration, he would be open to "getting lost" while searching around to break off from the soldier escorts if he thought it was necessary to do so.

I'm open to teaming up with others on any of these things!

General plans: Trying to seem collected and in control while panicking internally. Not sleeping enough. Pushing himself too hard. You know, the usual.

[widows_kiss]

investigation team-ups? >.>

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad | Free Cities | Spared

[aquilus]

Character Name: Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
Arcana: The Magician
Faction: Free Cities
Influence rank: 0

Personal connections: Friendly (well, Altaïr-friendly) with Aloy, Claude, Geralt and Sylvain, also is familiar with/got a good impression upon initial meeting from Alicent, Len/Courier 6, Elrond, Kaz, Matt, and Steve.

Political connections: Nnnnot really

Investigation plans: Altaïr is not a leader, but he has spent an above-average time in the desert and hillsides to learn the landscape as much as possible, so he'd definitely be up for more purposeful jaunts. He'd be more likely to join up on ventures prompted by those chasing a lead, since random searching doesn't strike him as likely to be productive. He is also accustomed to dealing with bandits (however you want to interpet that). He is canonically chill with using means ranging from intimidation to physical beat-downs to just killing dudes for information, and I am totally fine with either teaming up with likeminded Summoned or those who would be absolutely appalled.

General plans: He is pissed that the Summoned's freedom of choice and movement is being screwed with yet again, so whatever happens, he'll want to actively take part. He can be a team player and will want to join the rescue team.

Also, while it's absolutely not going to work for finding the lost, Altaïr does have a short-term/short-distance tracking ability which may or may not be useful somewhere in all this.

[cryptsleeper]

Dealing with bandits with these two could be fun?

Norman Jayden | Free Cities | Lost

[takeatrip]

Character Name: Norman Jayden
Arcana: The Hermit
Faction: Free Cities

Capture scenario: He's both new and likely to wander off on his own at any hour so he'd probably be alone BUT if you wanted to plot something else I'm totally open to it.

Ascension plans: I'm not totally sure yet but I'm leaning toward ascension with the rejection angle, since one: a lot of these symptoms would be familiar and therefore extra interesting to play with, and two: the symptoms plus other previous experiences would probably lead him to think that seeing through illusions is actually an illusion itself, leading to a whole mess of whether or not that would even end up being useful.

General plans: This is such a great opportunity to build CR so I am here for everything!!! But specifically he'll probably get involved in any sort of organized efforts to fight back, deal with monsters, get involved in conflicts between characters/characters and NPCs, etc etc. It's pretty easy to find an excuse for him to be a part of something (or stay out of it) so I'm open to everything, and am particularly interested in anything opportunity to build CR, whether positive or negative.

Lenore | Thorne | Spared

[beloyaltome]

Character Name: Lenore
Arcana: The Lovers
Faction: Thorne
Influence rank: 0

Personal connections: Lenore's brand new so she's met like a few people all of once, but she is immediately very fond of Gideon Nav and will be doing her best to help her, and wants to help out her fellow Summoned in general.

Political connections: Not yet but she will be trying her best to lean on her vampirism to reach out to officials in Nocwich, so she's hoping that might be an in for her.

Investigation plans:
* scouting as bats - lenore has a cloud-of-bats form, she cannot carry anyone (though her clothes and accessories do transform with her) and she is deathly allergic to sunlight so she can only scout by night, but she's planning to do her best to search from the sky
* anastasia rhett - immediately curious about the involvement of anastasia here, so Lenore's going to pull out all her courtly charm and try to do some schmoozing, very interested in rubbing elbows with other courtly/diplomatic types or other Summoned with influence in Thorne.
* reach out to officials in nocwich - gonna try so hard to get to talk to the vampires in nocwich and ok i guess the werewolves too (but she won't try as hard)
* cross-faction coordination - yes!! Lenore is all for collaboration, let's meet in the Horizon or chat it up in nocwich
* mountain travels by portal : more scouting as bats, see above

General plans: Lenore's current priorities (apart from the investigations) are as follows:
- courtly diplomacy / politics in Thorne, gaining influence
- learn fabric / clothing magic, she is very dedicated and working hard on this tirelessly because she is dying here without being able to be properly glamorous
- get a job in a clothing shop, The Gold Needle preferably, she has all the skills of a medieval lady so she's here to do detailed embroidery and lacework.
- learn fine metalwork magic to make jewelry

[cryptsleeper]

Alucard can try and help in talking to the Nocwich officials, if only because he's going to be bad at being a diplomat right now and knows it is in Lenore's skillset.

Sylvain Gautier | Free Cities | Lost

[philancer]

Character Name: Sylvain Gautier
Arcana: The Sun
Faction: Free Cities

Capture scenario:

◎ Sylvain's likely getting taken alongside (or in the general vicinity) of Claude as they investigate things, probably in the desert. Claude is so not going to be able to resist rumors of hidden chambers and someone has to keep his ass out of trouble. (not that that works, clearly, but the thought still counts right?) There will probably be fighting >.>
◎ They're also going to go missing pretty early in the event, so people accustomed to seeing him around the bar at the inn or the stables on a regular basis might notice his absence.
◎ I am looking for volunteers for who wakes up with him in the small chamber after their kidnapping! Come be his cell buddy. >.>

Ascension plans:

◎ I do want to volunteer him for Ascension and will probably go the Rejected route because I'm a sucker for body horror.
◎ If you want your character to have an Ascension buddy to go through this together, pls feel free to poke me, I don't mind threading this out, if someone else is interested in the same!
◎ Definitely looking at all those symptoms in the Rejection section, because that looks like a fun way to be terrible >.>

General plans:

◎ Sylvain's the sort to look out for and defend those around him, especially ones who look like they're struggling. So he would definitely be working or cooperating to see if they can manage safety in numbers and watching each other's backs
◎ It's very likely he'd check in with the other Summoned he comes across to check how they're doing/if he can help at all/try and keep their spirits up. Once people start being "disappeared" in the middle, he would probably double down on trying to protect each other, maybe suggest setting up patrols or try to find a way to minimize their vulnerabilities.
◎ he's used to some pretty rough situations so he'll be handy when it comes to making makeshift weapons and scavenging for food and basically the whole "survival" aspect of this. He's not great at the info-hunting and will leave that to the smarter tacticians, but he can help support and protect the rest to give them space and time to work their magic.
◎ he does have white magic/healing spells in his arsenal, so he could try to help cure people should someone want it, willing to try for a mod roll for success if you need him to. His magic is definitely going to be deeply on the fritz while captive
◎ he will likely be among those in the holdout group that stays behind to let the others escape. if there are others also staying behind, feel free to hit me up!
◎ basically give me ALL THE TERRIBLE the end

[godshattering]

Can't wait to have a BRAND NEW way to suffer as if they haven't suffered enough!!!

Natasha Romanoff | Thorne | Spared

[widows_kiss]

Character Name: Natasha Romanoff
Arcana: The Lovers
Faction: Thorne
Influence rank: 0

Personal connections:

◎ The biggest one of note for her will be Steve getting taken from FC, the avengers are not gonna be happy about that
◎ out of her thorne friends, Istredd's the only one she's had a lot of interaction with, but she has a lot of respect for him and he's been one of her magic teachers, so that would definitely influence her as well.

Political connections:

◎ Natasha's too new to have any of these.
◎ HOWEVER, Josselyn Creed is a name that came up multiple times in her eavesdropping accounts and she'd be very interested to hear mention of that, should it come up from anyone from Solvunn.
◎ She'd also been following reports of missing people after some tidbits she'd overheard at negotiations as well.

Investigation plans:

◎ I really want her to go all in where this is concerned because this is her area of expertise and the lives of one of her closest friends/family is on the line.
◎ She'd be interested in working her wiles in Nott to see if she could get some more information, knowing that they're already pretty dissatisfied with a lot of things and it might make for an easier time getting them to spill if she can manage it
◎ While her spells aren't great yet (and she's been mostly focusing on illusion) she does have a lot of interrogation techniques. She's also not afraid of taking a few risks if the gain seems worth it, so that might be a thing that happens if its an option.
◎ while her first choice wouldn't be to get involved in the mountain option, she's also not opposed to helping someone else should they need a buddy.

General plans:

◎ Cross-faction Coordination! Natasha's pretty sure their best bet of finding the missing summoned is making sure they are all sharing the info they find. She'd be very interested in helping set this up, even if it's maybe getting certain contacts in each faction to be filtering the info back and forth on a frequent basis. She's definitely going to be reaching out to Sam and Wanda at the very least to make sure there's lines of coordination and communication open between the factions.
◎ Interrogating. Yeah, she's uh. She's great at this. Let's see if these morons will give her anything this time around :D
◎ Rescue Team! Yeah there's no way she'd miss this
◎ Relief Team, if she can manage it. Especially considering it's likely Steve is among those who stayed behind after the escape attempt. She wouldn't give up until they've retrieved everyone.
◎ She's also here to drag your character into the action if you're the loner type or need an in with some coordination events. She's great at delegating >.>

[theidlemaiden]

count Hilda in on info sharing! I need to toss these two together some way some how