exploration mingle: WHAT LIES BENEATH

[riverviewmod]

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: exploration mingle: a dungeon crawl
when: May 15 - June 15
where: The River and what lies beneath.
warnings: likely violence; please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

what lies beneath

One of the major and most highly-valued cultural concepts in Riverview is that of exploration, expansion. Especially now that, with the recent influx of new arrivals, as the portal kicks into high gear for reasons not entirely known, the Inhabited City, already comfortably full, is rapidly becoming overpopulated. With all the refugees from other worlds pouring in from day to day, the city's safe space and resources are being taxed to their breaking point.

Right now, exploration and expansion is key, and each month, the government has decided to focus on a particular objective, in order to unite citizens in expanding, securing, and supplying the city for everyone's benefit.

the story so far

Exploration & Expansion Progress Report ● Flooding in Riverview ● The Guardians of the Deep ● SUBMIT YOUR THREAD

After a successful completion of last month's goal - an initiative to clear out and clean up the amusement park, the Government has turned its attention to slightly more practical matters.

For the past couple of months, there's been some serious flooding in Riverview Quarantine that's resulted in the evacuation of many riverfront properties, leaving many residents in emergency relief shelters. In April, the reason for the flooding was discovered, as the Guardians of the Deep emerged from the swollen river and communicated with mages from Garmarye Magic Research. As April wore down and May began, the Guardians have been gently guided out to sea in the first yearly migration they've had in the many generations before awakening from hibernation.

That's all well and good, but one wonders...if they were called Guardians...what were they guarding?

how it works

● Phases: Each prompt is a different phase of the operation. Characters may partake in whichever part of the operation they choose, whether it is a large and prominent part, or a more of a backseat or support role. Characters may participate in as many phases as they wish.

● Completion: When next month's exploration mingle goes up, the mission featured on this exploration mingle will be considered complete, and game canon, providing the entry has 200+ comments on it.

● Submissions: If your character and/or your character's team has threaded something out to completion, or if you have added and solved a complication to the mission via player plot either on this log or elsewhere in the game, please use the "submit your solution" link above to submit that information so it can be added to the Progress Report.

● Thread Rewards: This month, I have created five different items as rewards with three power levels for each item. Any character participating in a completed thread with at least one other character, for any phase prompt by July 15 will be able to pick a keyword corresponding to one of these rewards when they submit the thread at the link above, threads in each phase corresponding to a power level. Every character participating in a completed thread will be eligible to receive an item. Completed threads must take place on this entry. Details of what the reward items look like can be found at the submission link for use in threads.

● Entry Reward: The reward for completion of this month's exploration objective will be a piece of worldbuilding/lore about the Portal and the first people on the moon.

phase i: the labyrinth

Teams of mages and divers have managed to find what the Guardians of the Deep were guarding. It turns out that underneath the river, there is a labyrinthine maze of tunnels and caverns that appear to be created rather than natural. Divers have managed to bring up a few pieces of rubble that have been dated back approximately 1.8 million years, which is around when historians of the Quarantine theorize that the first sentient people came through the portal and ended up trapped on the moon. Not much is known about these First People, but it is theorized that whatever structure is under the river was created by them, originally beside the river and lost to time, buried by a change in the river's course.

And obviously, everyone wants to explore it!

With a bit of construction and magic, a barrier has been created in the river that splits the flow and allows access to the entrance to the waterlogged underground structure, and initial drone exploration has given explorers a very rudimentary idea of how it might look inside. Circular and at least as wide as the river (perhaps wider), there is a series of labyrinthine tunnels that surround two layers of inner chambers, one in the shape of a ring and one circular.

Phase one of this month's mission is to make it through the labyrinths, mark a path through for anyone following, and clear that path of any remaining monsters or barriers. Characters who complete this objective and hang back to guard the exit route for those going further in will be considered as having completed Phase I for a Level 1 reward.

phase ii: the inner ring

Once the way has been cleared, a smaller group of explorers can move inside the ring-shaped chamber inside the labyrinth. The area looks like it is divided into rooms, living quarters that contain the remnants of lives left behind. A picture of the type of people who lived here emerges through the artifacts that explorers may find - clothing and stone relief carvings not worn away by the river water show what looks like a peaceful reptilian people, druidic and in tune with nature; bipedal with long, serpentine necks, they seem to have achieved peace on their new home before something happened to wipe them out.

Phase two of this month's mission is to make it through the inner ring to access the central chamber, and it's not all safe and peaceful. These were, after all, the homes of the First People, and even in a time almost 2 million years ago, people locked their homes before leaving them - and in this case, they seem to have known they were leaving for a long time and seriously wanted everyone to stay out. Expect every door in this ring-shaped chamber to be laced with traps both magical and mechanical, ranging from rock falls, pits with spikes, poisons, magical thorny vines, and potions or spells that induce hallucinations and elaborate illusions. Pretty much anything you might think of can be found there, as long as it is somehow related to nature, plant life, earth or water or wood or stone. Characters who make their way through the inner ring and stop to guard the entrance, or characters who are felled by a booby trap in the inner ring and have to turn back will be considered as having completed Phase II for a Level 2 reward.

phase iii: the central chamber

Once the inner ring has been mapped out and the traps safely sprung, the way is cleared to the central chamber, the deepest and most protected level of the structure under the river. It seems obvious to anyone who looks at the layout of this place that the whole thing was built to protect the center of the structure and lead people toward it at the same time - to what purpose? There must be something valuable here.

Phase three of this month's mission is to get through the door to the inner chamber and find what treasure might lie inside. The catch? Not only is the door guarded by complicated puzzles that shift and change for each new group that attempts to get inside, ranging from a riddle to glyph reading to games of shape and pattern, but once the door opens, intrepid travelers face another Guardian.

Much like the puzzles, the Guardian inside the central chamber changes form for each team facing it, and quickly adapts to counteract that team's greatest strengths. Whether the team is comprised of regular people or gods, the Guardian will be strong enough to give them an excellent fight. Summoned through magic, the Guardian will take on a different form each time, but has the intelligence level of a dolphin and the ability to understand some speech. Whether the Guardian is fought or tamed is up to each party's discretion, but it must be conquered in order to reach the center of the chamber, where a tantalizing, glowing blue orb sits on a heavily-decorated pillar at the center of the room, along with enough reward items for every member of the party.

Anyone who tries to take the orb, however, will find themselves knocked unconscious for a period of 10 minutes with no ill side-effects. Unfortunately, the orb itself will need to be extracted and studied by a team of senior mages from Gamarye Magic Research - but they couldn't have got there without the help of this month's explorers!

Characters who solve a puzzle at the door to the inner chamber and either tame or conquer the beast in battle, or who are felled while trying will be considered as having completed Phase III for a Level 3 reward.

phase iv: wildcard

Have an idea for a mission-adjacent plot, or want to make up an unexpected plot twist or problem and solve it with your character? Just write up a starter, and don't forget to give yourself props by submitting it for the Progress Report. Your mod will respond to any wildcard submissions with the power level of the reward the character can claim for the original content.

navigation
[Ancient Civilizations: Lost & Found by Alex Feliksovich; bonus inspiration artwork: The Secret Cave by Maxime Delcambre]

Comments

Breq | ota!

[breqintopieces]

i. [ throughout the month ]

[This mission is the kind, Breq can only assume, the Surveyors were created for. More importantly than that, however, she's begun to feel restless. She's lived for nineteen years with a purpose, a sense of direction. Here, there's no Anaander Mianaai to point herself at. She's the spinning needle of a compass, desperately struggling toward her north.

It's the need to be doing something that's driven her down to the depths. Right now, she stands at the entrance of one of the tunnels, peering into the dim confines of it as she finishes giving one final check of her gear.

But some rustle of sound, or the echo of feet, has her turning. One hand goes to the gun at her hip, then draws away.]

You should announce yourself when coming up on a person. [She says it curtly, visibly eying her approacher.]

iii. [ early june ]

It looks like a game of counters.

[This isn't the first tricky door Breq's come across in this exploration of the depths, but it looks a good bit more complicated to her than the other plain old traps do.

In front of her, the door is set up with a series of shallow depressions, an ornate series of tiles raised and depressed into the surface of the door seemingly at random. Breq doesn't reach to touch it, but examines it, her arms crossed.]

Or more poison tiles.

iv.

[If these options don't work for you, PM me and I can come up with another starter!]

i.

[buildsomething]

Sorry.

[The slightly electronic voice comes before the armor makes an appearance around the corner. Being stealthy usually isn't an option, especially when he can't fly, so Tony isn't really bothering. He still stops a fair distance away, trying to project the fact that he's not an enemy.]

I usually assume people can hear me coming.

[breqintopieces]

[He's noisy, that's all there is to his credit, in Breq's mind. Or, well, that's not entirely true. He's also visibly not entirely reminiscent of the creatures that fill the waterways and these tunnels. But in Breq's experience, human doesn't always equate to friendly, and Tony's armor adds to the foreign appearance, and the threat level. She wishes for her Garseddai gun and its armor-piercing abilities, but she'd left it behind, not wanting to waste the special ammunition on everyday beasts.

...She's being paranoid. She crosses her arms, noticeably moving them away from her weapon, and examines the armor.]

Hear, yes. Read your intentions, no. [Whatever she was looking for, she apprently finds it, because she nods.] I'm Breq. What're you looking for down here?

[buildsomething]

Tony.

[He tips his head to the side, careful to exaggerate the motions enough to be seen through the armor. He'd tip the faceplate up but somehow he doesn't think that's the issue, and he's a little bit worried about what kind of result a sudden movement like that would get.]

Same thing we all are, isn't it? Mapping out the maze, seeing what there is to see. Not every day you get to crawl an actual dungeon.

[Unless she's the one looking for something specific. Tony's not going to fight her on it, but he can't help but be curious what exactly she thinks it is that she's going to find.]

[breqintopieces]

They're not always this pleasant. [She says it sardonically, not quite taking her eyes off Tony and the armor as she gestures to their surroundings. The reference is one that flies right by her.]

I don't suppose you've been through parts of it yet?

[buildsomething]

Just got here.

[He'd wanted to see it for himself, before he made any more serious plans. The trouble with having a whole lot of superheroes in his acquaintance is that none of them can sit still for long. No bet that at least some of them are going to want to come down here, and Tony wants to be ready.]

Have you?

[breqintopieces]

[She gestures a negative, then looks between Tony and the tunnels one more time, before shrugging. 'You'll do,' her look seems to say, as she takes in both the armor and the lack of visible weaponry.]

Better to travel together than surprise each other again.

[It's not the most ringing endorsement of working together, but it'll do for now.]

[buildsomething]

Fair enough.

[And he really shouldn't sound that amused about it, but Tony's gotten worse offers. He gestures for her to take the lead, since she's probably the more maneuverable of the pair at the moment, and takes a moment to flip his scanners to mapping.]

Got a name?

[breqintopieces]

[Tony's offer may be well-meant, but Breq can't help but feel twitchy about it. She doesn't like having the unknown behind her. It makes her far too aware that she's limited to one body, how much it matters what happens to her in the here and now.

She pushes it aside. Tony is too noisy to sneak up on her when she knows he's there, and besides, she can react faster than an ordinary human. So she keeps her gun at the ready, and starts to lead them through the winding tunnels.]

Breq. [It probably sounds alien to him, but then, a name like Tony is just as alien to her.] That armor. What does it do?

[buildsomething]

It's a pretty long list.

[Does he sound a little proud? The armor is still his pride and joy, he's probably allowed.]

I've got mapping and offense capabilities, if that's what you're asking. And defense, obviously.

[Nothing like a full-body suit of metal to help with shrugging things off. Tony's not entirely sure what they're going to find down here, but he's seen enough Indiana Jones movies to not want to push his luck unarmored.]

It's Tony, incidentally.

[breqintopieces]

What kind of offensive capabilities? On what reaction time?

[Her look sharpens. The mapping is useful, but she doesn't need to know the parameters of that to avoid getting in the way of an unfamiliar weapon. She's got her armor, of course, and her reflexes, but in a place like this, where everything might as well be the equivalent of alien Presgr technology, she can't count on those things to keep her safe.

She's taking a steady pace as she leads them down the tunnels, pausing at each corner to listen and look down the next length of hallway before making the turn. With Tony along, there's no catching the denizens of this place by surprise. They'll have to be ready for any beasts to find them first.]

[buildsomething]

Yeah, you'll forgive me if I don't exactly want to show you at the moment.

[He gestures vaguely around them, trying to encompass the entirety of being underground in fairly close quarters. Tony's control is good, but bringing the tunnel right down on their heads is entirely too possible, and he'd really rather not find out how easy it would be.

But he watches the way she moves, the wariness in the way she checks all corners, and something tells him that this is someone who's been in a fight or two. Good to know, even if she's clearly not sure about him.

It's something he might want to deal with, but even as he opens his mouth, something flashes on his HUD, and he instinctively puts a hand out to get her to stop.]

Hold up. Heat signature ahead.

[breqintopieces]

Fair enough.

[She'll expect him to have human reflexes, and calculate accordingly. At least she doesn't have to worry about him failing to raise his armor properly the way she would with human soldiers in he Radch.

Breq obligingly stops the moment that Tony holds out his hand, her shoulders rising slightly as she goes on alert. Briefly, she wishes she had an AI to feed her the information she wants to know all at once. Instead, she asks:]

Dimensions? Have they reacted to us yet?

iii

[valr]

[If pressed, Kara's reasoning for being here is that she's bored. Maybe there's a challenge down here, something to think about other than everything else about this place. Fighting is easy, traps are easy. Puzzles... less so, but she can handle it.

Her sword is on her hip and she decided not to bother with a gun; it's unlikely she'll need it and so far her guess has been right.

The inner ring is giving her more trouble than the outer labyrinth, monsters are easy, but some of the more magical traps have given her pause, so when she spots a woman by one of the doors, she decides a little help won't go astray. She's careful to make a sound as she approaches, her footfalls echoing slightly in the chamber.]

If it's poison, I take it.

[She's immune to every poison she's met so far in her life.]

[breqintopieces]

[Breq turns quickly at the sound of someone approaching. She immediately latches onto Kara with a sharp look, watching but not saying anything yet as she approaches. In particular, her eyes linger on the sword. Stil, she lets Kara come up beside her at the door.

The comment earns a raised eyebrow.]

You're quick to volunteer.

[She hasn't touched the door and those strange little hollows, yet, still eying them cautiously. She's in no rush, here-- there will be time to figure out the entrance to the inner chamber and what's beyond it.]

[valr]

[Kara knows a soldier when she sees one and she's careful to adjust her behaviors accordingly because the last thing she needs is to start a fight with someone. Her posture stays relaxed and her hands are far from her sword, a silent gesture of peace.]

I'm immune to that shit, could be rough if it's magic but it won't kill me.

[Not much can, which is always nice.]

[breqintopieces]

[After another moment of searching staring, Breq finally nods, and steps back, giving Kara a path to the doorway. She makes an inviting gesture from Kara to the door, as though meaning to say it's all yours. She's had the time to learn, here, that the range of humans is even broader than she might find it outside of the Radch, and there are technologies, and "magics," that she's never heard of. It's enough to make her twitchy, sometimes, not knowing how to deal with them, but that's not important here and now.]

With any luck, they'll only be a puzzle. Not another trap.

[valr]

[She approaches the door without hesitation, though rather than immediately move one of the tiles, Kara draws a small knife from her belt and lightly taps it on the tiles, trying to see if there's any difference between them.]

Would prefer a trap.

[Traps are relatively easy; spring them and deal with the consequences then move on, but puzzles can be endless if the solution is too hard. Kara knows she's fairly quick on the ball, but her strong point is strategy in battle, not silly little puzzles.]

You good to move quick if shit goes south?

[If it's a gas or arrows or fuck knows what.]

[breqintopieces]

[That little muttered comment earns Kara a raised eyebrow from Breq, but she doesn't try to stop her from poking around at the tiles with her knife. It's rare to meet someone who'd rather chance poisoning than just spending a little extra time on a puzzle, and it resolves Breq to keep an eye on her companion for the duration of this.]

I am.

[Better than a human, but she doesn't say that, just keeps an eye on Kara as the pitted tiles of the door are poked and prodded at. If Kara's looking for it, she might see the sheen of silver flash around Breq's form as she raises her shielding.]

[valr]

[Kara's always looking, and though she isn't sure exactly what the attribute the flash too, she assumes it's something protective. That's good to know.

Her first thought is that they need to align all the tiles to lay flat, that they'll likely move in certain ways if one is depressed, so she starts with pushing one of the tiles in. It moves without much resistance, but two other tiles jut out from the wall even further in response.]

Fuck.

[Seriously, this is why she prefers the monsters or poison or whatever.]

[breqintopieces]

A puzzle indeed.

[Breq doesn't sound particularly disappointed by the revelation, but she's been keeping a particularly bland tone through all of this. She certainly doesn't mind not having to cart Kara to find medical attention-- she could do it, but her hip would ache, and it would be a stupid way to get hurt.

Instead, she steps up next to Kara, reaching out to touch the wall lightly, not moving any of the tiles just yet.]

Let's try pushing those ones in.

[valr]

You're the boss.

[Sort of a joke, sort of genuine, considering Kara is willing to defer to expertise when she comes across it, there's no reason not to use whatever resources are available.

So she pushes in the tiles that Breq suggested, watching the wall carefully as they move.]

[breqintopieces]

{Breq watches as well, as a number of new tiles pop out of the wall, rather than the single one that Kara had pressed before. Clearly there's some sort of pattern to it, but considering the number of tiles on the wall, any solution is sure to be complicated.]

I hope you brought food.

[Breq says it dryly, but her expression is still intent on the panels. There may be a faster way to simply calculate the solution without pressing all of the panels, but she doesn't have the computing power necessary to do that in a particularly timely fashion any more. So...]

Do you have a knife?

[valr]

[Kara sighs, frustration seeping through because she might be real fucking old but that doesn't mean she wants to waste her time on puzzles. She was trying not to brute force her way through this, in case that made it worse, but she's considering it right now.

Still, Breq seems to have some kind of idea, so Kara offers her a knife (handle first, she's not an animal).]

What're you thinking?

[breqintopieces]

Easier to pry off the tiles and work from the mechanisms underneath.

[They might not be able to see all of it, depending how the door is designed, but it can't be any worse than what they're dealing with now. So Breq takes the knife with an appreciative nod, and starts to wiggle the blade of it under one tile that looks particularly loose, patiently prying at the thing until it pops free.]