recolle | CITY EVENT LOG

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CITY EVENT LOG

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Lucy is definitely from the wrong genre for this.

She just looks at him, and doesn't even blink.]

Didn't know there were old ones.

[And Lucy started forwards again, though making a wide berth around...that guy. A distance of two meters was just fine. Her first response to he rescue mission question is a grunt that might have been an affirmative. Words take another ten steps to arrive.]

Roommate's boss went missing.

[And Lucy cared about her roommates. Serves her right for getting emotional attachments to people.]

Edited 2018-02-09 20:27 (UTC)

[He definitely feels the awkwardness of the genre clash, and gives a nervous chuckle.]

...Oh. [Kurt scampers along following her, though he feels that a destructive field will emanate if he gets too close to her.]

That sounds rough. Another good citizen to save! Along the with the mayor and co. I... I guess it's time I had a team-up!

[Since Lucy was in front of him now, definitely-not-Kurt couldn't see her eyes roll slightly. But her shoulders did slump forwards a bit in exasperation. Optimism. Her nemesis.

She didn't look back at him, though. There were other things to worry about.

One of the growls sudden became much louder, and something smashed into the panel hiding it, agitated by their voices. It slammed against the door again, and the panel began to slide open.]

[Kurt is startled by the noises intensifying. Even with the powers he's gained, he still can't hide the fear he feels at what could be awaiting them. And then, he practically jumps as he hearts that smashing sound.]

Wh-what was that?! [And then he notices the panel opening and gulps.] ...That can't be good.

[It is indeed not good. Not good at all. The panel doesn't even open all the way before a chimera thrashed its way through, lips pulling away from its many mouths in a snarl.

Lucy didn't flinch, staring the creature in the face. Too far. It would have to come closer, first. Or they'd have to go to it.]

[Kurt, on the other hand, seems almost frozen with fear as the creature surfaces.]

Whoa! That's... that's one bad mama! [He glances towards his new sidekick.] Wh-what should we do...?

[Lucy didn't answer him, still looking at the creature. It wasn't letting them by, bristling its spiny fur and snarling again. The snake-headed tail started to flick--

And the chimera charged, with the horrible quickness of a sprinter.

But once it got within two meters of Lucy, it smashed into something invisible in the air. Like a wall or a shield, with the only sign something was there after all being a slight hum in the air. The monster didn't have much time to build up much momentum, and it recovered quickly, snarling again.]

Are you going to keep standing there?

[Oh, she remembered not-Kurt was there.]

Whoa! [He had flinched as the monster sprinted forward, but then Lucy managed to halt it with some kind of invisible wall. It was incredible!

But as she called out to him, he snapped to reality.]

R-right. Um... I can keep it busy!

[With a familiar bamf and a puff of smoke, Kurt teleports around behind the chimera... and finds itself face-to-face with the snake tail, which tries to snap at him.]

N...neener neener?!

[He sounds frightened as hell as he tries to taunt it. But it's enough to raise the snake's ire. The snake tail-head then drags the chimera body after Kurt, who quickly teleports back out of its range!]

[That distinct noise made Lucy's head snap round, eyes narrowed. The chimera would have taken advantage of this distraction, but its third head pulled itself backwards, away from Lucy.

Of course Lucy wasn't going to leave well enough alone. With the air around her humming, she leapt forwards in a vector-propelled hop--and slammed the rest of them into the chimera's shoulders, throwing it backwards to pin it against the wall. Hopefully Kurt was out of the way by then.]

Whoa! [He is indeed out of the way - in fact he's made his way onto the ceiling, clinging to it as he looks down at the scene below him.]

N-nice move!

[...why was his voice coming from above? Was he stuck somewhere?

Nevermind, she had to figure out what to do with this...thing now that she had it pinned against the wall. Holding the chimera there was a bit of a challenge, but Lucy managed. As clearly monstrous as it was, she didn't want to just kill it straightaway--

The snake head opened its jaws as if to hiss, and spat a stream of venom at Lucy. Startled, she was able to cover her face--but when it hit her arms and jacket, it immediately started to smoke on the cloth and blister the exposed skin. With a shout Lucy's concentration wavered, and the chimera dropped to the ground, staggering but regaining its balance quickly.]

[...That does not look good.]

No! [Kurt quickly leaps down from the ceiling and drops himself right onto the chimera's back, in hopes of distracting it! He also grabs onto the snake's tail and practically dances like his life depending on it, as it kinda does, as he tries both not to get bucked off of the chimera's back and to avoid the snake's mouth getting close to him.]

[The acrid smell of the venom spray and the smoldering cloth made Lucy's eyes water, and the stabbing pain where some of the droplets hit her skin was just a bit distracting. Her vectors snapped back to claw the venom away before too much of it sank through, away from the chimera entirely.

Kurt would have to do this rodeo alone. His sudden reappearance startles the monster, and while Kurt grabbed the snake head, the rest of the monster was still to move and leap and arch its back like a horse beset by fleas.]

[Kurt kept up the rodeo, panicking jut a little as the chimera kept on trying to knock him off.]

G-get to safety! [He tries to call out to his wounded companion. At the same time, he himself doesn't think he can keep this up for much longer. But then a wild idea occurs to him. He had never tried this before, but...

Kurt keeps his grip on the monster, closes his eyes and teleports!

The chimera teleports with him. And they go high up near the ceiling of the tunnel! ...At which point Kurt quickly lets go and clings to the ceiling, while the monster falls down to the ground.]

I-incoming!!

[A shadow suddenly blocking the fluorescent lights gave Lucy an advanced warning; Kurt's shout was a second confirmation. She didn't know what she was avoiding, only that she should move. Her vectors propelled Lucy away, and the chimera dropped
to the metal floor where she'd been standing. Something cracked, the lion's head crushed beneath the beast's torso and the goat head bouncing against the floor. The creature didn't get up, dazed or worse.

But for a brief moment Lucy was in range of the dazed snake head. And this time she didn't hesitate—with a resonant hum, something ghost-silver whistled through the air and cleaved the snake head away from its body. The goat head gave a pained roar-bleat, and the severed snake head thrashed its jaws and sprayed its dwindling venom uselessly on the ground.]

[The beast has fallen, quite possibly for good. Kurt breathes a sigh of relief. And with another bamf, he finds himself on the ground near Lucy and the fallen monster.]

Are you okay- AH! [He practically shrieks at the severed snake head near his feet and backs away quickly.]

[Lucy had been able to get most of the venom off her before it did anything really awful. Her arm was still pocked with angry red blisters and her jacket was full of holes on one side, though, and the pain lingered like an ever-present fog. It made her more irritable than she usually was, and she snapped at him.]

What are you screaming about?

S-sorry! Sorry. [He breathes and calms down for a moment.] That just... took me by surprise.

[And now he focuses on Lucy instead, filled with concern.]

Hey. Are you okay? Is- is there something I can do?

Don't know, I don't know snakes.

[The pain wasn't getting worse, at...least? It wasn't spreading and nothing seemed to be turning weird colors. Like a nasty burn, almost.]

Just...don't touch me.

[For once it was a more practical than prickly request; just brushing her arm herself made Lucy wince.]

...Right. [He frowned and nodded. He really wished he had thought to bring a first aid kit or something.]

Y-you sure you're good to keep going?

[Her roommate's Australian she'll just call her later. Instead of...actually going to the doctor. That'll work.]

I'm not turning back now.

[Not until she found whatever was at the end.]

[Kurt hesitates, but he nods.]

O...okay then! ...Onwards we go!

[He meekly steps away from the fallen beast and starts to walk further down the tunnel!]

[Lucy stepped past the chimera, resisting the impulse to kick the snake's head out of spite as she passed—not with its jaws still working in death throes. It'd probably bite through her shoe, and these blisters were bad enough.

There seemed to be an end to the tunnel up ahead; Lucy started walking faster, though she kept a very wary eye on the panels now.]

Can you see something ahead too?

[Kurt nods quickly!]

Yeah! Yo, let's check it out! [It looks like it might be... a door? Kurt picks up his own pace! He's still a bit wary, but the end is nigh?!]

[It sure looked like a door; a featureless silver door, without any handles or hinges or...anything. Lucy frowned, putting a hand and then her vectors against the door.

She visibly flinched when her phone started to buzz, starting away from both Kurt and the door.]

The hell is this?!

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