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

[abraxasmods]

Event #12 - COORDINATION (1)

go to the OOC Plotting Post or IC Event Log

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This post is for coordination to prevent the IC Event Log from being overrun by OOC mod and player communications. Forms and instructions are available in this post.

Use this post to:

◎ Coordinate event plots with the mods
◎ Request a mod dice roll
◎ Submit noticeable actions
◎ Write rapid IC exchanges
◎ Investigate a plot point or track ongoing investigations

If you have any questions, see the Questions thread on the OOC Plotting Post.

Available Forms

For details on each form, see the sections below.
Be sure to reply under your assigned category if applicable.

Mod Communications

If you have an idea related to the event plot, communicate and coordinate with us here. This includes NPC meetings, requesting resources, destroying the environment, or anything else that may require mod permission. If we can't accommodate a request for any reason, we'll do our best to offer an alternative!

Contact Us

<b>Player Name:</b> <b>Character Name:</b> <b>Request:</b> (Describe what you'd like to do)

Randomization Request

Request a mod dice roll at any time for outcomes and consequences. Some actions require a dice roll to proceed, such as attacking an acolyte NPC or attempting to break anything major in the environment (chains, doors, walls). If you aren't sure, you can check with us.

Request here

<b>Player Name:</b> <b>Character Name:</b> <b>Action:</b> (Describe what your character is attempting to do and how) <b>Thread:</b> <a href="urlhere">Thread</a> (Link to the thread where this is taking place) <b>Notes:</b> (Anything else)

Notable Actions

Submit notable actions that are likely to gain attention from other players, such as fights or disturbances.

Submit a notable action

<b>Player Name:</b> <b>Character Name:</b> <b>When:</b> (Approximately when is this incident taking place?) <b>Where:</b> (Where is this incident taking place?) <b>What:</b> (Describe the incident) <b>Link:</b> <a href="urlhere">Thread</a> (If applicable. Actions can be submitted without a thread if they're minor, such as if your character snores loudly every night.)

IC Exchanges

Use this option for interactions you'd like to play out, but setting up a standard IC thread would be impracticable. For instance, if your character wants to speak to several people about an event they witnessed together, you might want to do an IC exchange.

Treat this like an informal IC network thread done in person, where character reactions, snippets of dialogue, and other details can be quickly played out and concluded in-game without committing to a full log thread. Exchanges are game canon and can count towards Activity Check under the category of a Network thread.

Start an IC exchange

Using the provided form is optional. Begin a thread freeform if you prefer.

<b>Where & when:</b> (Where and when is this exchange taking place?) <b>Purpose:</b> (What's the reason for this exchange?) <b>THREAD START</b> (Write the scenario, your character's actions, and any dialogue as usual)

Investigations

Several investigation paths are available for characters to interact with. Each assignment group will have their own set of investigation paths. You can investigate something as many times as you want, as long as there's a reasonable explanation for your character making their second attempt. Interacting with investigations might carry IC consequences. We'll try to telegraph when characters are at high risk of triggering something major. To investigate, fill out the form, then comment under the item you're investigating.

Interact with an Investigation

<b>Player Name:</b> <b>Character Name:</b> <b>Other characters involved:</b> <b>Action:</b> (Describe what your character is attempting to do and how. If multiple characters are taking action, include their actions.) <b>Thread:</b> <a href="urlhere">Thread</a> (Link to a top level or any other relevant threads. This is so we can review what the characters involved have been doing to best flavor the investigation outcome for you!) <b>Notes:</b> (Anything else)

Comments

day 3ish he's tired of this same speech!!!

[vengeanceinside]

[You know there's got to be some asshole who offers a sarcastic clap. He is dealing very maturely with his stress, as you can see.]

Great job, hero. Now you've planted two ideas into everyone's head -- to panic, and that we're gonna run outta water real quick. How long you think it'll take the locals to get ready to fight over it? Haven't you ever seen Mad Max?

drive by.

[gynvael]

[ Geralt will not say he isn't tired of the same fucking speech. Doesn't mean he thinks Nero's helping with the bullshit they're already enduring.

A lizard tail half in his mouth, he smacks Nero in the chest without a glance up. ]

[vengeanceinside]

[Nero responds by throwing the whole rest of a lizard at him.] Don't tell me you aren't tired of this shit.

[gynvael]

[ Geralt splits the lizard in half and tosses the other half back. ]

Eat your dinner.

[vengeanceinside]

I'm gonna eat this guy if we make it to a week.

[wiedzminka]

Now, now.

[ Ciri pipes up without looking up from the fire, over which she's roasting a rat on a stick. ]

Don't eat all of him.

Didn't you hear? We need to ration.

[vengeanceinside]

[A couple of days of rats and motivational speeches can drive any guy to insanity. And Nero's far from normal on a good day, anyway.]

All that muscle, he'll last a good time. We can at least split an arm between just us.

[It's a stupid conversation, but at least it's getting him to settle back down.]

[gynvael]

[ Geralt lays down on the shitty squishy ground and closes his eyes while the children discuss consuming a grown man. They're entertained, so. He's satisfied. ]

[assembles]

[ It's not like Steve would expect any different, especially as the days pass and tensions start to run high. He's mainly repeating himself for those who are newly arrived, but he won't just ignore Nero either. ]

Never got around to that one, actually.

[ But he's not here to exchange pop culture references. ]

There are some kids here. People who've never gone through anything approaching this.

[ He's doing it for them. ]

[vengeanceinside]

[Nero's got a feeling he wouldn't appreciate it. Some guy standing around every day giving motivational speeches, he wouldn't get the fuckin' nuance. That not everything works out. That people die.]

You really underestimate how shitty life is. Even for kids.

[And he sees kids here he knows. From Solvunn. Kids he knows have been in worse -- or participated in it.]

Standing around telling them everything might work out isn't gonna last. If they know better, they're not gonna believe you. You gotta give them somethin' to do. Promise, kids like being helpful. Even if it's asking them to keep your string bean with the water in line.

[He nudges his chin towards Istredd. Sorry, buddy, but you don't look equipped to deal with a water riot when it comes down to it.]

[assembles]

[ Steve shakes his head, because he's aware of kids who've gone through some awful stuff, but that isn't all of them. Not that he's going to get into the nitty gritty of arguing about this. That wasn't the point of this. ]

That's why I've been listing out tasks, but if you're volunteering to delegate to anyone who needs to keep busy as we figure a way out of here, that'd be helpful.

[ A lot more helpful than criticizing, anyway. ]

[vengeanceinside]

A lot more helpful than giving you shit, you mean? You can just say it.

[assembles]

[ Steve can't help but crack a smile at that. ]

I mean, if you're good at multitasking...

[ This is the voice of someone who's gotten a lot of shit from teammates in the past. ]

[vengeanceinside]

[Dammit. It's a shame Nero's an easy sway, because this guy would probably be fun just to rile up. Except he laughs at Nero giving him a hard time, which shows -- maybe there's some personality beyond that golden boy, boy scout shit.

It makes Nero like him. A little. Like, miniscule.]

Yeah, I can count on my fingers and my toes.

[That's not multitasking.]

Just maybe cool it with the speeches until everyone's here. They're just gonna keep comin'. Or, like, an abridged version. You're distractin' me from all the bone-collecting and rat-killing I'm workin' on.

[assembles]

[ That bit of advice does give Steve food for thought, though. (Which is good, because they don't have much real food to go around.) ]

It's slowing down to a trickle, yeah. I can just pull anyone else who ends up here aside if it looks like they need it, but...

[ He glances around at the withered pods they all crawled out of. ]

Is there a certain number they're trying to hit?

[vengeanceinside]

Need a walking, talking, overbearing motivational poster?

[He's gotta keep ragging him on it a little. Seriously, did he write it down and practice before standing up every day?]

From what I know of shit like this, the more bodies you can throw onto the proverbial fire, the better. They're probably nabbing every person they can get away with taking. I mean, the way it's going so far, I'm pretty sure this is gonna end up being some sort of mass sacrifice.

[Obviously they're not going to let that happen. But if he had to guess a goal, there you go.]

[assembles]

[ Please, Steve doesn't need to practice. He's just like this. ]

A mass sacrifice... [ It's definitely a possibility. The Summoned aren't the only ones who have been grabbed, but proportionally? There's a lot of them here. That has to mean something. ] A sacrifice to the gods of this place, I assume you mean.

[ He pauses then, looking the kid over a little more closely. ]

If that was your first guess, I'm figuring you're in Solvunn?

[vengeanceinside]

The gods around here sure react to sacrifices. Ask me how I know.

[That's rhetorical. Don't you dare fucking ask.

Nero looks over him back. It's not really a secret he's ever thought of hiding. Mostly because all of Fortuna is absolutely insane, and out here in the real world, he can recognize how that knowledge helps him cut through the bullshit.]

I knew about this kind of thing way before I ever popped into Solvunn. Get my drift?

[assembles]

[ Gods reacting to sacrifices? Wait. Wanda mentioned something about this, didn't she? Between that and the confirmation that this guy is from Solvunn, Steve can draw some conclusions. ]

You're Wanda's friend. [ They spoke briefly on the neural network, shortly after Steve arrived. ] Nero, right?

[ He'd talked about the disappearances in Solvunn, the mention of potential sacrifices or cannibalism, and the "c-word." (Cult.) Along with having past experience of people messing with gods and it not ending well. It all clicks together now. ]

... Huh. Don't think either of us had any idea when we talked way back when that we'd be the ones disappearing eventually.

[vengeanceinside]

[Oh, no. There's a dawning sense of realization that feels a little like doom. Wanda's warning speaks a lot more than anything he's said to this guy before: Be nice. Steve is important to me.

Well. Guess he failed on that account.

Oh, fuck, remember when he said Solvunn might be throwing people into a pit? For fun? God, he fucking hates being right.]

Yeah. Huh. So're you. [He pauses. The silence is heavy.] And Thor's.

[He is not even going to admit how much he misses that goddamn moron even while trapped, starving to death, in a pit. (But at least he'd have someone to entertain him. If Thor had gotten stuck, too.)]

I sure as hell figured I'd have solved the whole disappearing thing instead. Without missing a beat. [So maybe his head's cooled off. Temporarily. But it won't stop him from tearing someone up later.

He looks him over again. Not really the kind of guy he'd thought Wanda would like. Little sanctimonious, but the humor cuts him some slack. And though Nero's not exactly wiry, he's not built like Steve, either. It's worth noting.] Me 'n you, we're not exactly the damsel type. [Except that one time he got sucked into a giant statue and Dante had to bail him out, but no one needs to ever know about that.] So how'd it happen? Easily? Bet you don't remember much of it, either, huh?

['Cause Nero can't. It's just -- black. Only enough to know he's pretty sure one of those captives, or two, had gotten away in the chaos. But not even being human hadn't stopped the magic from pinning him down.]

[assembles]

[ The moment that Thor is mentioned, Steve gives another firm nod, his gaze flickering for just a second, easily missed in the dim light. Thor may not have been here for that long, and they never got to see each other in person, but his presence had been a welcome one. A calming one, even among the storm of his guilt. ]

... That's right.

[ Either way, the connection seems to count for something, and while Steve can tell that Nero isn't quite sure what to make of him, even now, he'll take what he can get. Especially in situation like this. ]

You're right, it shouldn't have been this easy. I was out late and they cornered me in an alley. Five of them. Somehow they weakened my enhancements, and while I fought back, eventually I just... I don't know. Passed out.

[ He doesn't like it one bit. With that ability to weaken them like this, just how much more are their captors capable of? ]

[vengeanceinside]

[Upfront, too. It gets him some points. Nero doesn't exactly like him, but he doesn't dislike him, either -- at least not when's laid off the speeches. It just comes off too much like a fuckin' sermon, and he's had plenty of that shit to last a lifetime.]

Enhancements, huh? [He knows exactly what Nico would've said about that.]

It took five of them? You not human? [It's a frank question. He's obviously not a demon -- his arm's not reacting, from what he can sense -- and he doesn't really give the... vibes. Enhancements sounds more like what Geralt's described to him, but he said -- what? Mutations?

What the fuck's wrong with all these guys?] Close enough to the same. Fast enough it should've never been an issue, but... me and my guys, we came across a bunch of them trying to shove people through a portal. Figured it wouldn't even be hard to stop them. Knock 'em out, tie 'em up, make sure everyone's got all their limbs -- but it was like. I dunno. Like a black out, right in the middle of the fight. Now all of us're here. Except the two natives who got away, I guess.

[assembles]

So you caught them in the act? Huh.

[ It makes sense that they'd all been brought here by portal, though, given that they'd been grabbed from such a wide variety of places. Steve doesn't remember that part at all; he must have been completely out until they shoved him in that pod with Claude.

Their stories more or less match up, though, and it sounds like Nero is just as difficult to take down as Steve, if not more so. He gives him a brief once-over before answering those earlier questions. ]

Enhancements, yeah. I was part of a military experiment to make a super soldier, so I'm stronger, faster, and more resilient than a normal human.

[ Usually, taking out five attackers wouldn't be much of an issue for him. The elevator ambush comes to mind. ]

[vengeanceinside]

I'd already been sticking my nose in Solvunn's shit. Honestly, it doesn't surprise me they're involved. Seemed inevitable.

[Nero's eyebrows raise up the same moment his tail lashes. It's clear that's about the last response he expected. Though it makes him think of Geralt -- he still doesn't really get it, but all those rooms with chains to hold people down. The blood. The screams.]

That's some crazy shit. [But he's gotta accept it now. No reason to make up some comics-like storyline for his life, right? Besides, the guy's big. There's no way to doubt he's got some resilience.] Wouldn't have expected you to just be upfront about it.

[assembles]

[ Steve isn't sure they can attribute all of this to Solvunn, given that people were taken from everywhere, or maybe it's that whoever's behind this has a lot of reach. Crossing faction lines isn't exactly a simple task, though.

He watches as Nero's tail flicks around, eyes widening slightly because he hadn't even realized he had that until now. It's not like he hasn't seen stranger, though. ]

It's not exactly a secret back home, so I don't mind sharing. [ He shrugs. Maybe other people might have reasons for holding onto information like that, but he doesn't. ] I haven't really come across anything that can limit me like this before. It's... something.

[ He stares down at a hand and balls it into a fist. He feels weaker. He can tell he's not at his best, not even close. ]