recolle | TEAM FOUR EVENT LOG

Entry tags:

TEAM FOUR EVENT LOG

MAGATUS

READY: START.

Roster: Noah Isaacs + Gunther Schwarz, Gintaro Suzukaze + Elda Marker, Dave Strider + Byakuya Kirigiri, Shouto Todoroki + Akira Kurusu, Eren Jaeger + Yusuke Kitagawa, Soleil Beaufort + Vera Weisz, Alessandro Vinsmoke + Yu Narukami, Cleo Ritter + Minako Arisato, Penelope Raban + Olive Freya Yun, Orihime Inoue + Matthew Murdock, Ryouta Ono + Baren Kaiyou, Prompto Argentum + Keigo Higashino, Zaveid Taleb + Ragna Edgson, Amelia Wagner + Kasen Kaneda

On the morning of the fourth at 9am, you'll find yourself gathering at the Recollé Zoo and Aquarium. Many of you will find yourself partnered up and with a name in mind, and awaiting in front of you is a large bus with the Retrospec logo on the hood. A text comes through not long after, Zee's name attached.

I'm no Ms. Frazzle, but I think this bus will do the trick. Hope you packed a book or something.

Upon boarding the bus you'll find that's it's equipped for a longer road trip. There are snacks, books, video game consoles, and even a few beds and bathrooms. Just as well, seeing how you're going to be traveling north of the city, traveling through the woods for about seven hours. As you travel, the sky begins to change colors and the temperature drops toward the end of your journey. Outside the window you'll see a mountain range and snow on the ground, and stars streak across the sky as you enter the beautiful region of Magatus.

Permanently semi-dark with beautiful colors streaking across the sky, Magatus is filled with rivers, grass, coniferous trees and snow-capped mountains. The temperature is quite frigid, so travelers will need to bundle up!

The region known as Magatus is fairly open and while there may not a huge population like Recollé, there are small clusters of buildings and homes that characters can find by exploring this region. There is roughly 1,500 square miles to cover in the area claiming to be Magatus and some parts of this region may experiences changes in weather including heavy snow, ice, and blackouts.

Most of the towns are quaint and friendly though most people appear to mind their own business. If spoken to, they will explain that they’ve been enjoying their time alone and away from the hustle and bustle of city life, though it may be a little hard to know if this is actually true. Some of the younger ones will say they’ve lived here their whole life, but most will shy away from the topic of where they came from. Shops that can be found seem to range in the realm of basic general stores, hardware stores, mini foodmarts, and weaponry. The Magatus people truly live a simple life.

The true nature of this region doesn’t seem to come out until nightfall, however. As the light fades and the sky darkens, the colors brighten above and the sound of wolves begin howling nonstop. Depending, you may even hear the sound of snarling and growling, quick footsteps crunching through fresh snow and irritated barking. The townspeople know better than to stay out at night when the wolves run and the shadows dance, and they would advise that anyone from out of town take cover.

Too bad they won’t invite you in. You’re on your own out in the wilderness.

This is the Team Four Event Log! You are free to toplevel and thread as you choose on this log, but only team members may utilize this log.

Remember, your activity to qualify for your two free memories and one item is supplying at least 30 comments spread over the three objectives per group (minimum of 5 comments per objective!) with at least three members of your groups. You will not be eligible if you do not participate in all three objectives somehow, and you will not be eligible if you only stick with your preferred partner!

People who are paired with partners will experience some of the following:

-Telepathic connections, but only the thoughts you don’t want your partner to actually hear. You can also use this to influence your partner’s thoughts.
-Color fades when you’re not cooperating, it brightens when you are.
-Cause and effect. If something happens to your partner, you feel it (i.e. if your partner trips somewhere, you’ll feel the effects.)
-Timers. You and your partner will have a countdown embedded somewhere (hand, foot, chest, whatever) and if you don’t complete your missions and see each other before the timer runs out, consequences occur.

These are not required and you may play with these as little or as much as you want!

Important links to mod toplevels are: Mod Questions, Participation Reporting, NPC questions. Please be aware you are responsible for reporting your own participation & objective completion efforts with links. You must ICly tap into the log within the first 48 hours, or you will be removed from your team.
If your activity is low per objective, the moderators may reach out to you about reassignment as well.

The schedule for Team Four is as follows:

Feb 3rd: Objective 1 posted (9PM EST) | Threading for Travel to Location | Threading for Objective One
Objective 2: Info about Objective Two | Threading for Objective Two
Objective 3: Info about Objective Three | Threading for Objective Three | Objective Three point Five
Mar 3rd: Outro

Objectives will be given in mod toplevels to this post with instructions; please check the log currently for Objective 1 to see how this will work.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ there really were a lot of supernatural entities to be dealing with here, weren't there... keigo's sixth sense was getting quite the workout. but he gave akira a look, something crossed between apprehension and some mild surprise at akira's rather nonreactive mannerisms. ]

Y...yeah. I'm guessin' that's what they are, if you guys can't see 'em...

[ with some mild trepidation, keigo took a few steps forward, towards the mysterious spirits. ]

Um, they don't look dangerous, at least... I guess I'll go talk to them...

[ he wanted to get as much information as possible, but he looked between ragna and akira for any sign of objection, or input, before he did so. ]

[Spirit, noun: the non-physical part of a person manifested as an apparition after their death; a ghost.

In other words, what they're trying to tell him is that this guy here can see ghosts and there are, in fact, a bunch of them in this place. As his brain struggles to process this new piece of information, Ragna reacts to this development with all the dignity he can muster ─ by letting out a short, high-pitched squeak and immediately jumping to hide behind Akira (which is kind of difficult considering he's a little too tall for that). Apparently disturbing his personal bubble is not much of an issue anymore.]

W-Why the hell would there be s-spirits in here?! Tell 'em to go away!

[Because that's not 100% counterproductive to their objective.]

[ Akira shakes his head. He may be able to see certain things, but spirits and ghosts are definitely not one of them. Of course he isn't much of a believer nor a denier. It still piques his interest seeing as he comes even closer to Keigo to partake in this ritual they might go into.

Just in case, you know? If anything goes back, he will be quick to protect all of them, seeing that Ragna is already losing it. Sorry, buddy, you must come with him if you want to hide. ]

We might luck out if they decide to be cooperative... The spirits might know something about this place and give us some insight. Ask away.

[ Do you need a pet, Ragna? He turns a bit so he can pet him. Shhh. ]

[ oh. that reaction... was not expected. keigo blinked as ragna had his little freak-out, trying his best to not start laughing as he hid behind akira. a guy like that, afraid of ghosts? ]

Heh, I don't think they're gonna hurt us.

[ keigo offered ragna a smile, then gave a nod toward akira. ]

Ah, alright... let's see... Um, hey!

[ keigo lifted his hand in greeting to the closest group of spirits, giving a nervous laugh. ] So, I--

You needn't be afraid, Keigo.

[ oh........... that's... not creepy. in fact, keigo was startled enough to stop in his tracks. the spirits continued: ]

We won't harm you, Ragna. There's no need to hide.

[ neat. apparently it was disembodied voices hour. ]

We will tell you what is needed to proceed.

[ For some reason, the voice lights a fire inside Akira and it shows in his sharp eyes. It cools down when he hears that the ghosts don't seem to be challenging them at all. There's only an inquisitive expression on his face, like a cat that wants to paw at a strange moth.

This is so cool. He has always wanted to talk to spirits at least once! ]

Thanks... Should we even ask how you know our names?

[ ................ ]

I guess that isn't important. Tell us more, spirits.

[Ragna would be more than happy to stay where he was (or better yet, get the hell out of this place) but he reluctantly follows Akira in a pitiful attempt to hide. Shockingly, he doesn't even threaten to rip Akira's arm off for petting him; he keeps his eyes shut, too, as if to avoid seeing the ghosts that he... can't see in the first place? Don't question his logic, okay.

At first, it works pretty well, but then he hears a voice; he's not entirely sure where it's coming from, but it certainly doesn't belong to either Keigo or Akira. It sends shivers down his spine, causing him to suck in a deep breath while trying not to panic.

It fails.]

Wrong! You got the wrong person!! I don't know any Ragna!!!

[It's a good thing the spirits are probably Too Wise to concern themselves with this little spectacle.]

[ poor ragna... keigo couldn't help but stare a bit at his outburst, but the spirits didn't seem that affected by it. kinda like they expected it, almost... hm. in either case, one spirit decided to take akira up on his question regardless. ]

We know everything. This is a place of endless knowledge and only those who are worthy may enter.

There is something of a disturbance we have detected on the supernatural plane, something that is of a great danger to you and the others in the lodge. In order to overcome this, you must retrieve nine gems from each of the temples further beyond this valley. Only then will the door open to the final obstacle.

[ that was a lot to take in... it was almost like a quest in an rpg... taking in a breath, keigo nodded towards the group, though a few spirits seemed to take particular interest in himself and akira. creepy. ]

Um. Did you guys get all of that?

[ Jesus Christ. He knows some people get pretty spooked by ghosts, but to this extent? From only a voice... A rather calming and friendly voice, at that? He would feel bad for Ragna if they weren't on a mission. With a sigh, he pets him more while he can before the man kills him.

Bask in pets. Good. The quest description doesn't at all faze him... August has prepared him mentally for all the strange things to come. As long as it has little to do with his memories, he's good to go. Giving Keigo a thumbs up with his free hand, he signs him off. ]

I'm guessing those are the temples.

[ The structures in the distance. They can kind of make out that they're color coded. ]

I'm good. Did you guys want to ask them anything else?

[ keigo pursed his lips. this wasn't exactly anything different from august and the weird bullcrap that went down, but it was still jarring. maybe ragna's background input was giving it that vibe. ]

Um. I guess I just wanna know... [ he glanced up at the spirits, tilting his head to the side. ] ...what are you, anyway? You're not ghosts, right? Like, not people that've died here or somethin', yeah? [ pressing further, keigo took a step closer to them. ] And what the heck is that darkness anyway?? Is this crap gonna hurt us?

[ the group only gave a moment's pause before speaking again. ]

We are merely spirits of knowledge, nothing more.

[ well, that was good and vague. ]

The darkness itself is a plague on this region. It is slowly consuming and altering the very essence of all things by use of black magic. But reaching the Door of Nine is the key to solving this puzzle.

[ Akira blinks slowly as they’re given... How much more information? Whatever. They’ll take what they can get. Ragna, on the other hand, is grumbling a chant like the spirits would go away. It kind of reminds Akira of this one prayer... How did it go? Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I shall die when I'm wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take or something.

He fiddles with his bangs as he whispers the keyword “Door of Nine.” Simple enough. ]

It’s almost suspicious how all of this is planning out, but we don’t have any other leads right now. At least we know what we’re getting into.

[ Hmmm. With a squint, Akira tries to make out the temples— ]

Let’s start with the red temple.

["Spirits of knowledge" is not very comforting, but when the voice in his head finally goes quiet, Ragna tries to regain his composure. Keyword being tries, but he's rather determined to retain whatever's left of his pride and the best way to do so is to pretend none of this happened.]

R-Red one, huh? No problem. Piece of cake.

[Oh look, he was listening. Sort of. Or maybe he just filtered the information that was close to "getting out of here". Surely those temples are free of ghosts, right? Well, Ragna is willing to give it a try.

Which is why he stumbles off in the direction of the building of Akira's choosing, awkwardly zigzagging across the valley in an attempt not to walk into any of the spirits.]

[ keigo wasn't exactly thrilled by the vagueness of the spirits' explanations, either, but if that was what they had to work with, it would have to do. as ragna made a beeline for the temples in the distance, keigo took one last moment to thank the spirits before following after him. ]

O-oi! Slow down!

[ why was he walking like that... ]

You ain't gonna pass out, are ya'?

[ ??? He wasn't expecting him to do that, so he's left there with a befuddled expression, watching the poor man wander aimlessly towards some kind of direction. ]

I hope not. Even with the two of us, we'll have a hard time lugging him around.

[ Just saying. Akira trails after Ragna and sticks to his side to make sure the man doesn't fall over. The valley seems vast, but their traveling feels short. Don't mind that Akira takes photos of... Everything, themselves (SELFIES), and the temples in the distance. ]

[While he has no real proof that's the case, Ragna assumes (hopes?) the closer they get to the temples, the less spirits there would be around, so he seems to finally get himself together.

And that includes shouting angrily at his companions for daring to question him.]

I'M FINE!!

[Hopefully that settles it and they can now stop discussing that thing that Never Happened. Since he's back to his usual attitude, Ragna can't help but judge Akira's priorities. Why take pictures of this place? He'd rather forget all about it.]

We're not here for sight-seeing, y'know.

I know, but it’ll be helpful to have some visuals when we report back to our team.

[ Though, for sure, he wants to document them for his personal reasons. Memories are great and this is an adventure worth shooting. Ragna’s question and demeanor doesn’t stop him from taking more photos, mostly the red temple as they make it to the steps. As they ascend, they’re blocked by a wall of fire that crackles wildly, fanning heat right into their faces. It practically melts whatever frost on them, forcing them to forget the winter wonderland outside the lodge.

Huh. Akira blinks slowly before noticing there’s a set of potions.

And a riddle. ]

Of course there’s a riddle.

[ good thing they made quick work of the valley, because keigo may or may not have been taking a few photos of his own at ragna's expense... look, he hadn't really gotten an opportunity to take many pictures before then and this valley was ripe with spirits and other cool stuff, okay?! and... probably no shortage of ragna in the background, doing his frantic shuffle maneuver.

anyway, once they get to the temple, keigo took a few pictures himself (mostly to send to prompto, at this point), and then shoved the camera into his bag. though he was certainly tempted to bring it out again when he saw that roaring flame wall. ]

UWAH!! Holy crap!! Look at that!!

[ ...sorry everybody. ]

How're we supposed to get around that? Is there a fire extinguisher somewhere?

[ look, y'all can hit him if you want, there probably aren't any consequences. ]

[When has this become a trip for the upcoming instagram stars? Ragna rolls his eyes, but otherwise gives up on commenting on them taking photos. Someone's gotta be an adult here and focus on the task on hand, duh!

The temple they arrive at looks promising enough, though being greeted by a literal wall of fire is rather unexpected. Not so much that there's any need to yell, though, at least in Ragna's humble opinion.]

Gee, thanks, we'd never notice that without you pointing it out.

[Sarcasm aside, he directs his attention to the potion puzzle Akira mentioned. Not that he's really good at these... back in August he relied more on dumb luck than logic and critical thinking.]

So, what does it say...? We... pick two of these? Something to do with colors?

My Persona is immune to fire, but... It won't help all of us get through the barrier from hell.

[ Akira shifts his glasses as he squints at the engravings on the table. He reads it to himself, parsing each word. It reminds him that he hates riddles ever since that water temple in August, but he runs his fingers along the grooves of the letters. Seeing that the first part isn't too important, he starts with the clues listed: ]

The three that will ensure your demise are ones created by surprise,
As you can see all are different size, the larger ones won't hold your prize,
Though your two victors will taste the same, they are called by different names,
Separate though they burn slow, together they'll create a fire's glow.

[ Theories have already woven together in his mind as he gently touches the rims of the vials. Do they drink these? ]

Definitely sounds like colors to me. It has to be two of the smaller ones, but not mixed.

[ Akira separates the vials. ]

[ eat shit, ragna, keigo's a beacon of knowledge.

ok not really.

anyway, with the excitement about the literal firewall out of the way, keigo shuffled on over to their little table of riddles. reading over it sorta made his eyes cross, but he tried his best to parse it.

though it looked like akira was a step ahead of him in that regard. ]

Colors, huh... so... If it's somethin' that'll make fire...

[ time to look over akira's shoulder. sorry for getting in your personal space, bruh. ]

[He was hoping hearing the so-called "clues" being read out loud would help, but it honestly doesn't tell him much; and why does this kind of stuff always comes in rhymes, anyway? It's just distracting.]

Red one, then? It's the smallest one and pretty damn fire-y.

[Also he likes the color red so it only feels natural to pick that one to try and conquer the wall of fire with it, dumb riddle be damned.]

Then yellow since it's a primary color.

[ Akira picks that vial up, one that is almost twice the size of red's. Swerving its contents around, he doesn't look keen on taking it. Two vials isn't enough for three of them, so he downs half before placing it in Keigo's hand. It's the moment of truth. ]

I'll go first.

[ To say he isn't nervous is a lie, but he should be fine with Attis switched in. The wall burns strong, heat intense, and glow bright, but he doesn't turn away from it. Wish him luck? He walks through with no issues, not even a single sear on his clothes or body. On the other side, he meticulously checks himself to make sure nothing is on fire. What rests before him is a treasure chest... Asking to be broken into. ]

There's a chest here, I'm going to try picking it.

[ Hear that clanging? That's just him kicking the chest first. ]

[It's not so much that he wishes him luck, but Ragna can respect that lack of self-preservation instinct and silently hopes Akira doesn't not end up as a human torch. He doesn't, which comes as both slight surprise and— he'd die before he'd describe it as relief, but he's content with this outcome, that's for sure.

Figuring it might be for the best to check the other side of the temple himself, Ragna grabs the vial with the red-colored potion and downs its contents. He doesn't exactly feel any different afterwards, but it should still work, right?]

Well, here goes nothing.

[Easier said than done; despite what his earlier, ah, incident with the spirits might suggest, Ragna is no coward, but he's also not suicidal enough to try and walk head-first into the fire. There's a first time for everything, though, and after a brief moment of hesitation, he steps right into the blazing inferno and walks through it unharmed.

Right in time to see Akira kicking the poor chest.]

I ain't expert or anything but I'm pretty sure that's not how picking works.

[Of course, Akira is free to prove him wrong.]

[ There’s a sign a relief with the drop of his shoulders when he sees Ragna, but... Oh. Right. ]

I was checking to see if it might be a monster or a trap.

[ Totally. He rubs his neck as he drops to his knees to check the lock. It seems archaic, so this should be easy. It takes a second or two for him to fish out his lock picking tools, then possibly another five minutes before he can get it unlocked. Quietly, he focuses on finding the right angles in the keyhole, but they have time to kill before they get their treasure. A little paranoid, his eyes do dart around this side of the temple to make sure they’re safe. ]

Keigo, are you going to join us?

[ If something happens on that side, he can’t guaranteed they can come to his aid. Potions are usually temporary on video games. ]

[ keigo had been left holding the last bit of liquid in that vial, watching with much trepidation as the other two in his party decided to defy the laws of nature and waltz right through the inferno before them. unlike his partners in this mission, keigo held a great deal of self-preservation instinct, to the point of being a bit cowardly. part of him was wondering if they actually made it across at all, and if the voices and sounds he was hearing were just some kind of illusion made by a creature waiting behind the flames. something to lure him in to his doom, so to speak.

his lips thinned into a tight line, keigo continued to listen to their conversation, effectively stalling out until he decided to bite that proverbial bullet and down whatever was left in the vial akira had left him with. ]

O-okay, okay. I'm comin'...

[ he was nervous. that fire felt real, alright. pocketing the empty container, keigo took a deep breath, closed his eyes and...

...practically sprinted to the other side. ]

HYAAAA!!

[ and he emerged with his arms crossed over his face, like he was a firefighter escaping a burning building. elegant. graceful. obnoxious. ]

[ Though he's waiting, he doesn't feel at all impatient. He does have this lock to pick and that takes up more of his attention than worrying about Keigo bursting into flames. He drank the same vial, so his teammate should be fine. When the shrill trademark scream echoes in the temple, Akira looks over his shoulder with a questioning look.

But then he laughs a bit. It's strange. This trip has been stressful in a different way from August, yet a lot more comical. Is that a blessing? ]

Welcome to the underworld.

[ Back to breaking into this chest. It takes another half minute before it clicks open. The stones glisten in their respective color, likewise does Akira's eyes. Beaming, he feels the thrill of breaking into a chest, stealing treasure... ]

It doesn't look like there's anything else here.

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