CITY EVENT LOG

[recollecters]

EVENT

The New Administration Wait, what? *[ooc: please be sure to read all mod notes at the bottom!] The third is when everything seems to start with a bang. On the third day of February, several crashes and bangs are heard and the sound of creaky metal ripples through the air. Those who look outside will see a sight for sore eyes. The moon and the stars brighten the sky and the dome is nowhere to be seen. Instead, anyone in Tisse will find yet another addition to the wonderful city of Recollé. At the very top of the Towers sits a penthouse with wide windows and an empty office building, soft lights glowing and illuminating the area. The city goes silent after that, but at the top of the hour every single Retrospec user receives a text from a user named Zee Carlisle. Nice city you've got here. They weren't kidding when they said I would fit right in. I've always wanted to live in a city like this. Jo, Maury and the rest of the team have given you a little bit of a breakdown in preparation for our little project, but they recruited me to step in. Seems like a lot of you want a more personal experience here with us at Retrospec. So let's talk. Get to know each other. I'll go first. Zee Carlisle, Hiring Manager. Nice to meet you, etc. I've been watching you for a while, Retrospecters. Kind of a unique group you've got going. I like it. Here's the thing. We've been experiencing some problems out of our control for a while now. The director's been trying to keep things under wraps for the last year, but HR and R&D finally convinced the higher ups that we need help. So. You want the whole story? Here's your story. The storms are getting worse. You might've noticed. Calls are down, mail's down, communication as a whole is down and isolating you into this teensy bubble of a city. It's why the dome went up, had to protect our resources and start isolating the sources. More areas and more people even outside of your little group here are being affected, but you guys are the only people who can help us. Some of you passed your assessments with flying colors and I've already sent messages. You'll leave for your assignments in the morning at 9am, congratulations. As for the rest of you, welllll…consider this an interview. You see...as a Hiring Manager, I'm looking for recruits for our new project. The Recollé Restoration Initiative (going forward known as the RRI) is a project we designed here to not only help us, but to help you help us help you. Make sense? Cool. You may ask, "Why should we trust you?" which is a completely fair question to ask. And hey, you don't have to trust me or trust them. But I think you might be interested to know that you and I have more in common than you think. As a user on the network, you can contact me via text, phone or email. I'll also have some office hours and more resources than you could ever dream of. But enough about me. Here's your first assignment. I. On the morning of the fourth, users going through their assessment period (i.e. those of you who are working inside the city) receive a diagram from Zee. In this diagram, a dot labelled "Recollé" sits in the center and in the four cardinal directions are different labelled dots. To the south is Pesgare. To the north is Magatus. To the east is Respatrum. And to the west is Bosuma. Citizens will find that they are able to leave the city limits now and can explore the open areas leading to these four points. While they will not be able to visit them just yet, they will be instructed that they must work together to begin structuring paths, roads, or forms of transportation between the main city of Recollé and these four locations. Zee may take requests and provide items should users ask, but it's up to you to work together and start brainstorming the best ways to create maps and connect these points together. But the best way to do that is to start exploring, right? Hit the road and grab a friend to begin getting a lay of the land. Southward leads residents to the beach while northward leads them through the forest, east and west giving way to desert and open field areas the further they travel. The expanse of directions seems endless, but eventually citizens will find that they will hit a point where they're unable to enter. An "ACCESS DENIED" notification will pop up on their phone, notifying them that they've reached the entry points of the special assignments volunteers have been sent on. But even with restricted access, there's plenty to be done and plenty to take care of as part of the initiative. Flora in the area needs to be identified and the fauna may be a bit problematic if you aren't careful. Some of these plants and creatures may even look familiar to you, but many of them won't! Off-roading and camping are encouraged and despite the fact it's February the weather seems to be amendable to these ventures. Clear as many of the monsters as possible to make way for the paths, report your findings to your hiring manager, and look out for each other as you start to shape the land. II. It's not just the outskirts of the city and open areas that need help. Some citizens who have lived here for a while may remember that February 3rd is traditionally known as Founder's Day, a holiday set up by the city to celebrate the foundation. In the days leading up to the third, banners, signs and all kinds of advertisements have gone up reminding everyone that this year is the 100th anniversary of the city's foundation. However, as the third approaches, Founder's Day comes and goes without any sort of large celebration. In fact, the annual parade is cancelled and instead citizens gather to discuss a more trying matter. Breaking news hits the airwaves that Mayor Mayer, the entire city council, the head of police, the fire chief and other prominent figures of the city have disappeared overnight. As newscasters record TV footage in front of City Hall and the police station, Retrospec users will receive a new message. Uh. Well, that was unexpected. I wasn't really counting on something like this coming up but let's roll with it and count it as part of your assessment. You want your city to keep running the way it did? Find your mayor and the others. But hey...it's your city. What if you didn't? Under your feet, blue pulses of light run under the streets and the sidewalks, energy thrumming beneath you as all lights lead back to the subway tunnels again. Will you be a hero and follow the lights to rescue these people? Or will you be a face of change and leave them to perish and redesign the city? Those who do enter the tunnels will find that a new route has opened, a mouth to the left of the main entrance from the city. Unlike the other dirt-filled vine-and-rat-infested tunnels, this one is a sterile and bright silver path with floor to ceiling panels on one side of the tracks and floor to ceiling mirrors on the other. The path seems to stretch miles and miles under the city and the further you walk, the narrower the path becomes. The sound of wild animals echo through the tunnels from the other sides of the panels, and the mirrors to your left reflect skeletal forms of both people and animals alike. The closer you get to the end though, the louder the sounds grow and the panels to the right slide open to release several chimera-esque creatures who will do everything they can to guard the silver door at the end of the tunnel. These creatures can be defeated by normal means, and they will not hesitate to attack anyone who gets close. Is it worth fighting to save these people? You decide. Those who defeat the creatures and find themselves at the silver door will receive yet another message. Hang tight, I am grouping you with some of the others to finish this thing. III. Later on the fourth, no matter where you are, you may find something heavy resting in your pocket. A small colored stone shaped like a heart appears and even while tucked away safely it burns brightly. Holding it, the heart feels as though it's pulsating and you're flooded with an overwhelming sense of love for something special whether that's a person, an item, or an ideal. All users find themselves in possession of a stone, and soon another text comes through. If you're anything like me, you're probably wondering what's up with the rocks. Had the techs run some tests on these. Don't freak out, but you might want to be careful with them? They're working as fast as they can but bits of your soul energy are tied directly to those stones. You break it or make it lose its shine, well, hard to say WHAT might happen. Users who keep their stones on their person in their pockets or in a bag will find that whatever emotions they're dealing with will transfer to whomever they encounter. Feeling happy that the sun's back? Everyone around you will wear a smile. Stressed out that your loved ones volunteered for a mission and they're out who-knows-where? Everyone around you will pick up that same nervous energy. The stone's color will fade if you ignore these feelings and even worse, fissures may start to form if they continue to be ignored. And though you may not know it yet, shattering the heart is the worst thing you could do: if the stone breaks, the thing that you love disappears from your mind completely. All memories and emotions associated with this heart will vanish without a second thought. IV. What's that smell in the air? Is it love? Close, it's cherry blossoms. It's a sickeningly sweet scent that occasionally blows through with the wind, strongest in the city and more faint the further you travel. However, citizens beware as invisible assailants appear to be on the prowl. Without warning, you may feel the prick of Cupid's arrow from behind. Though the effects only last two hours maximum, they're fairly inconvenient while on assignment. These effects include: -Heart-shaped pupils -A violent whirlwind of rose petals appearing any time you make eye contact with someone new -Your emotions are intensified -Your emotions are flipped. People you have a fondness for may now disgust you, or people you normally argue with may become your best friend Inconvenient, yet manageable, right? On February 14th though things become a bit harder. Yet another message comes through. Hope you've been having an easier time with the residual effects than I am. You know what makes everything easier? Teamwork. And that's what today's assignment is all about. Happy Valentine's Day. The first person that you see on this day may be a friend or a stranger, but soon you will find that a strangely magnetic force binds the two of you together. For the next 24 hours, you and your partner will be stuck together and must work together. Whether this is working on the road construction assignment, the rescue mission or just going about your everyday lives you'll have a built-in companion for the day. Who knows? You may even find yourself stuck with up to two additional people, too. But what if you stray too far from your partner(s)? No worries. A red string will bind your hands together and ensure you're always connected, simply falling away once the 24 hours are up. THE FUTURE. So this is life now, isn't it? A year's gone by since Retrospec's impacted so many lives and it may feel as though you're nowhere closer to answering questions. Perhaps you're just starting your journey with the restoration company. Either way, your help is most appreciated and acknowledged. As you work toward the goals assigned to you, you will be rewarded. For an excellent show of teamwork, at the end of your assessment you will find yourself on the receiving end of a brand new memory or vision of a life lost. Some of you may also receive a ticket in the mail to pick up an item at the Retrospec mailbox by Wiffle-Waffle. A message will be sent not long after. Congrats, you passed. Come to my office in March if you're ready for harder assignments. Welcome to recolle's February event! Please read these notes carefully! Prompt I may be played with however you want! There is really no right or wrong answer, and as mentioned Zee can be reached at his inbox to provide you with any tools your character may ask for to connect the four points to the city. You are free to make up plant names and what effects they have on the eco systems as well and report these back to the NPC if you wish. As of right now, the only monsters roaming the grounds are those in the above bestiary though other earthly wildlife may be found. Prompt II will require some coordination! If you complete a thread with someone in which you defeat the monsters and get to the silver door before 2/16 at 9pm EST, please hit up Zee's inbox! ICly (and oocly) your character will be put in contact with the small group of others who have worked toward this endeavor and given the next step to save these important NPCs. Prompt III will have set consequences! If your character breaks their heart, they will lose memories and feelings associated with something they love. Breaking the stone is entirely optional, and there will possibly be a way to regain these memories later down the line as a reward for the future, but please keep this in mind! The Future will only be applicable once you've met your freebie requirements for this log! Remember, the requirements for one free memory are 15 comments spread across at least two threads (min. 5 consecutive comments each) using these prompts. For the free 10-20 point item, one of these threads must be with a character you haven't threaded with before! A mod-posted Retrospec post may go up if necessary to connect city players with group players, dependent on player action! As always, you may also create your own logs or inbox threads based on these prompts. Any questions you have regarding this event may be directed to the mod comment here. Happy anniversary, Recollé!

Comments

[ascertaining]

[If it makes her feel better his own heart stone is in his pocket and positively thrumming with anxiety as well. But also an almost overpowering curiosity. Kills cats and PhD students in equal measures.]

I see. I'm afraid I don't know either. Stab and swing, but there's probably a great deal more art to it than that.

[He ducks his head in acknowledgment and shoulders his bat.]

Let's be careful though. Better if we don't wind up getting ourselves into trouble we can't get ourselves out of.

[nachetanya]

I feel like this one might be pure stab.

[ It's a small rapier, clearly undersized given it's only slightly longer than her forearm. But it's also well made, jeweled, and incredibly sharp. She's not sure what to make of it, really. ]

Okay! Who goes in first? Or together?

[ascertaining]

Hmm. Perhaps so. Then, you're better at it than I could be already.

[Small or not, it's still something. And who knows what exactly is down there.]

I'll go first, but we should stay close.

Ah here... [He'll pull out a flashlight since, well, he'd rather not take chances.]

[nachetanya]

[ Honestly a part of her wonders if she should be ahead of Mr. Lawson. Her past life was... Mmm. Well, no need to dwell on that, because she will get in step behind him, a hand at her waist (specifically the right one near the sword hilt) and the other?

Well, she was going to get her own flashlight and put it into her left like she did all last month, but oh, he got one first.

Excellent. ]

Oh no, of course! Lead on then! I'm right behind you.

[ascertaining]

[And Lin has no memories back yet at all -- though even once he does how helpful any of it would be remains to be seen. For now, he's got just himself to go on.

Turning the beam on, he makes his way into the tunnel, slowly, listening.]

Have you experienced anything like this before? This is all entirely new to me.

[nachetanya]

I don't mean to be coy, but that does depend what you mean by "like this?" I've been in the subway tunnels before, but this looks different than last time.

[ Mirrors? And this is a lot cleaner, too. ]

[ascertaining]

Hmm. That's likely true. It was a vague question. I suppose I meant, mysterious disappearances, being led to strange and likely dangerous places by a very obvious trail.

[And yes the subway thing too.

But this does look different than what he expected too. Huh. Interesting. He wonders if that detail is important or not. It likely is, but why remains to be seen.]

[nachetanya]

Well, no, not quite this, but the subway was inviting everyone down last month, and I did go then. I just had to do something when the sky had up and vanished.

[ascertaining]

You know, I do remember that... in part.

[Like a dream that he forgot and then remembered. Which is strange, actually.

All of this is giving him a headache. But okay. Focusing.]

[nachetanya]

You only were added this month... right? To the app?


[ So... it's a little like when she tried to remember that fog people told her about. ]

[ascertaining]

Yes, that's right.

[He thinks. Small blip before, perhaps. Again it's all strange and half-there. But he hums.]

It's been eventful, even in so short a time. I'm not sure I"m a fan of eventful.

[nachetanya]

It's been like that the whole time I've been here.

[ Siiiigh ]

It's interesting, at least!

[ascertaining]

From what I've heard, it does seem to be somewhat consuming, for people's lives.

[Putting it mildly. The folks he's spoken to have, well, sounded borderline traumatized by it.

He's not sure what to think of that yet.]

Interesting. Yes. That seems like it must be true. Never a dull moment.

[nachetanya]

That too! I know most of my friends or family on here have gained something or another from it!

[ Like her red eyes. Like Cleo's cat features. Like Eleanor's powers and such. Zack's eyes. Mmmm.

She winks though and laughs it off. ]

And here I am, in a tunnel that might well be dangerous.

[ascertaining]

Gained something?

[Color him curious, a glance over in her direction, though he does try to keep his attention focused down the tunnel.

Because really.

Is that movement he hears up ahead?]

[nachetanya]

Memories, abilities, changes to their appearance... a lot of things.

[ But she trails off a little bit here. Mmm. Yeah, that's sure some sound or movement up there... ]

[ascertaining]

Quite the gift bag.

[But Lin falls silent as well, frowning. He lowers the beam of his flashlight so it shines down at their feet instead of ahead, hopefully not outright announcing their presence completely.]

Something is down there... [A low murmur.]

[nachetanya]

... I agree.

[ there's been a lot of mirrors before now, so... well. There's some uncertainty, but she thinks she can hear it too. Some sort of low rumble. ]

[ascertaining]

[He can feel his heart kick up. Hell, given that he has that small little stone heart in his pocket, she can probably catch a wave of the sudden adrenaline spike.]

Then... we should be especially careful.

[He's not advocating turning around though. Is it a death wish?]

[nachetanya]

[ . . . So they're still going in, huh? she can feel his emotions there, and they bolster her own dominant one: curiosity.

Her lips quirk a little and her right hand goes to the hilt of the sword. she's in no way prepared to use it, not really, but somehow it's comforting. ]

Quietly, then.

[ She makes to actually get ahead now, though, crouching and advancing slower. ]

sorry for the delay life went crazy at the worst time

[ascertaining]

Yes, quiet would be the best idea.

[Very quietly. Lin hesitates for a moment as she moves ahead, but she seems to know what she's doing.

So he'll keep an eye on her anyway. The last thing he wants is to be partially responsible for getting someone to come down here.]

Haha well, we'l still get something out of this.

[nachetanya]

[ She's... got no idea what she's doing, really. Not really.

But she is going ahead, and as she gets further a part of her wants to draw the sword she has and a lot of her doesn't.

So instead she'll just... keep low, keep her steps quiet as much as she can even if they do echo a little in the hall of mirrors. Mmmmmmr.

But ahead, there is shifting movement. ]

Re: Haha well, we'l still get something out of this.

[ascertaining]

[Movement, which catches Lin's attention and has him hesitating, reaching out to set a hand lightly against her bicep, a silent urging for her to be cautious.

The last thing they need is for this to turn into a disaster. Though Lin is already mapping the quickest way back out if the need arises. Which is good because it's about now one of the creatures comes into view.]

[nachetanya]

[ And what a creature it is Or well, mostly. Right now, what's visible is the snake head. It's coiling around and inhaling at the air here, as if smelling for prey, or just being aware of the surroundings. It seems they're seeing the behind of the full sized creature but...

That's unclear.

Oh wow. Inhale a little. ]