exploration mingle: CAPTIVITY

[riverviewmod]

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: exploration mingle: rescue mission!
when: June 15 - August 15
where: The River Structure
warnings: violence and/or torture; please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

captivity

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 ● The Guardians of the Deep ● What Lies Beneath ● Plotting & Questions

After some serious flooding at the banks of the river, the cause was discovered to be the Guardians of the Deep, creatures protecting a circular labyrinthine structure underneath the river. Residents of the city explored and mapped the structure, and dealt with a good portion of the traps and other dangers, until they found a little piece of history in the Central Chamber of the structure, revealing that it was inhabited by the first people to live on the moon.

While this news has been exciting scholars and historians in the city, something a little more pressing has been bothering the average citizen - an ever-increasing number of missing persons. People have simply been disappearing all over the city, and only now are residents starting to realize why...

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.

● Entry Reward: The reward for completion of this month's exploration objective will be...well, the safe return of everyone who was kidnapped. And some sweet hurt/comfort.

● IMPORTANT NOTE: Having observed how the pacing of exploration mingles has been going and how they are tagged, I have noticed that posting one exploration mingle each month has been a little hectic, both plotwise and for me as a mod (writing three mingles a month has been tough!). I have decided to space them out a bit further, and post an exploration mingle once every two months, starting with this one - the next exploration mingle will be posted in August!

phase i: the abducted

People don't simply go missing, they don't disappear into thin air, they have to be somewhere. And while those who are missing people keep frantically searching, those who have been kidnapped are the only ones besides the kidnappers who do know where they are.

Abducted by a group who have taken up residence in the structure under the city after last month's exploration died down, the missing are trapped in the Central Chamber, in fear of the kidnappers. Their abductors are a group of people that is starting to slowly take on cultist tendencies, believing that the remaining spirits of the First People still live in the structure, that it is a temple, and that those First People need offerings of host bodies to inhabit so they can return and bring their wisdom and magic back to the moon. Things are getting a little hairy - there's no agreement among the kidnappers as to how 'intact' the host bodies have to be and whether or not the sacrifice is in the form of alive or dead captives. Even worse, some of the kidnappers are only with the group to enjoy having power over others and using it to hurt them.

Captives are held in the Central Chamber of the structure, with next to no amenities. Blankets, food, water, and other necessities are in short supply, and they are kept huddled together, constantly guarded and either restrained, wearing or in the presence of a power suppressor to keep them subdued. But the captives haven't lost hope - they are working on getting a message out, finding a way to contact the outside world so their loved ones can rescue them...

This prompt is to play out interactions among the captives before they are rescued, and may include violence or other character suffering. It is also to enact plotted plans for the abductees to find connections with the outside world to summon help.

phase ii: distraction and infiltration

Once would-be rescuers become aware of where the captives are being held, they start making plans to rescue them - whether someone they love has been taken, they're just a good person, or they just want to feel like a big damn hero, there are lots of people willing to take the plunge and jump into the rescue. But the cult group has been in control of the structure for a while now, they definitely have the home team advantage. They know the lay of the land and where the traps are, and have used some of them to their own advantage.

It's not going to be as easy as storming the castle.

There are two parts to this phase of the rescue: a distraction and an infiltration. Distractions are planned to draw as many of the kidnappers away from the hostages being held in the Central Chamber as possible, while those who are stealthily infiltrating will try to find another entrance into the chamber so they can surprise and surround the remaining kidnappers.

This prompt is to play out any plans for distraction and infiltration. If you have plotted something out on the plotting post, feel free to post up a header for specific groups for threading rather than an individual character top-level.

phase iii: the brawl and after

Distractions only last so long, unfortunately, and so eventually the whole thing is going to break down into a big fight. Rescuers versus kidnappers, on the kidnappers' home turf, and surrounded by traps left over from the First People, while pieces of stationary tech throw out auras and waves of power suppression. It's going to be a doozy of a fight, so prepare for an epic throwdown!

And once the dust settles, there's going to be a lot of injuries to tend to, a lot of people traumatized and hurt and frightened. A lot of hungry, suffering people will need to be transported out, given medical care, and brought supplies.

This prompt is to play out the final fight between the kidnapping cult and the rescuers, as well as anything in the aftermath of the fight.

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.

navigation
[Asterion - Environment Art: Ariadne's Forest by Nicolas Mendoza]

Comments

[madeupnames]

[Hey man, no problem! This is totally his bread and butter. He gets the hostage out of there ASAP and into the hands of a fellow rescuer, catapulting himself with his webs back into the fray (or more accurately, kicking someone in the chest and sending them into a wall).]

Oops, sorry, that was kinda harsh — no, wait, you're awful cultists, no apologies —

[He senses something coming, but it's too fast for him to respond to this time, and before he can register it there's a blinding blue light that slams into his back and gives him the biggest electric shock of his life; it's not pleasant, but like, hey, he was doing so well in not getting hit so far—

There's a ZZZRT like a moth hitting a bug zapper and he goes tumbling across the unyielding floor with the sound of a man (kid) who was zapped by many volts of gun-taser-thingy. The dude who is holding ye big gun stomps out from his hiding spot and is ready for round two.]

[winscenario]

[ Jim doesn't see the weapon, or the guy, in time to stop it either, or even to warn his buddy. By the time he's yelling 'watch out!' it's already too late, and Jim watches helplessly as his impromptu partner stumbles and falls onto his knees, still twitching as he collapses on the floor.

He lifts his phaser and tries to shoot once, twice— but to no avail. Whatever that big weapon is, it's creating some sort of field around their attacker, which seems to be absorbing his shots.

Fine, then. If that doesn't work, something else will have to.

He unsheathes the dagger strapped to his leg. Not his favorite thing to use, but the situation calls for it. His aim isn't the best but he figures if he aims at the center of the cultist's chest, he's bound to hit something. The blade cuts sharply through the air— as expected it doesn't hit the man's chest, but it does sink pretty deep into his thigh. He falls to his knees, howling in pain, and Jim rushes over to him, gaining momentum so he can kick him hard in the face the moment he's close enough. ]

[madeupnames]

[That's cool, man, thanks a bunch.

.......

Spider-Man rolls over and groans.

That's the extent of his help right now, but you seem like you got the guy under control.]

[winscenario]

[ Yup, he's totally got this.

But you know what, just for good measure, he'll get that huge gun out of the guy's hands and shoot him a couple times with it. Just in case a stab wound and a broken nose aren't enough to keep him down.

Then he makes his way to Peter, kneeling next to him so he can help him up. ]

Hey, doing alright there?

[madeupnames]

Owowowowww...

[That's a good reply, at least. It means he's not dying or dead. He does put the back of his hand to his back like he's got a crick in it while he offers the other to Kirk to help him up.]

I'm alright! Man, that sucked. Thanks, though.

This area's getting pretty quiet; I think they're all moving inward now.

[winscenario]

[ Well if he can say 'ow' then he can't be doing too bad, that's true. Jim relaxes a little when Peter manages to move around some, grabbing the offered hand and pulling him up to his feet with relative ease. Guy's pretty lightweight. ]

Then I'm moving inward too. [ He glances down the hallway. ] You joining me, or staying here?

[madeupnames]

You kidding? I'm right behind ya, el capitán.

[He salutes lazily, moving toward the hall himself.]

Here, lemme check the place out — Droney, you think you can give the hall a quick once-over up ahead? [If you're wondering what the fuck he's talking about, Kirk, there's a little black spider logo on his chest that is suddenly flying; yeah, it's a little machine spider-thing, flying on its own. It zips off toward the hallway for some scouting.] Hmmm... Looks like there's at least seven or eight guys waiting for someone to come around the corner. And they've got some pretty scary guns on them.

[winscenario]

[ It's pretty chaotic down here. But one thing he's completely sure of is that at no point did he introduce himself to his new friend. Funny that he should know that he's a captain.

But that can wait until they make it out of here. Jim lets the spider guy do his thing, watching his spider drone buddy check the area ahead. He doesn't look particularly scared by the odds, and grabs a small tactical grenade, looking like a canister with a safety pin at the top. ]

I got this. [ He studies the angles of the walls briefly, then pulls the pin out and tosses the grenade. It hits one wall, then another, disappearing past the turn. There's a yell from one of the cultists, then yellow smoke starts coming out. Jim aims his new big scary gun. They'll either fall back or rush towards them, but either way Jim doesn't plan on letting them off the hook. ] Go!

[madeupnames]

No sweat! Hang back and leave it to me, man!

[Spider-Man's got this, bud! As payment for helping him out earlier.

... And also, primarily to avoid fatalities, actually. He's been leaping into danger a lot just to avoid cultists getting killed; now, he's got no love for them and he'd love for them to be locked away, but he's a no-kill kinda guy. If he can avoid bloodshed, he's gonna damn well avoid bloodshed.

He's already lunging through the air and kicking one dude with both feet in the face; it's his Thing, kicking, because punching is too damn hard when you need your hands for swinging around. He's never been much for it in school either. The smoke's a little much on his dialed up senses, but he'll make it work, like he always does.]

Sorry, buddy, your henchmen skills are super lacking!

[KICK, KICK, FLIP, THWIP.

By the time Kirk gets a chance to round the corner, there are men stuck all over the walls and floor and ceiling, groaning. The red and blue figure standing with one foot on someone's back pops a canister out of his wrist to replace.]

Bless this mess.

[winscenario]

[ Jim's not exactly big on killing people indiscriminately, either. If he can stun people or take them in rather than kill them, then he'll take that chance. But after what he's seen here, after they took Lucy... well, it's been a little difficult to keep a clear head.

He's broken a few more bones than strictly necessary so far, but still, that's better than just shooting them in the head. Which is honestly what he feels like doing at times.

He hangs back as told, anyway. A few seconds only, but it seems that a few seconds is all the spider guy needs. He's greeted by the sight of the cultists stuck all around the cave once he turns the corner, still alive but unable to move. He catches the canister as it's tossed to him. ]

Thanks. [ He nods. ] So— you taking point?

[madeupnames]

Who, little old me? I sure can!

[He gives the A-OK sign, but-]

If you want me to, anyway. I don't wanna seem like a heroic hog. But I can definitely put anyone down quick and painless, if there's anywhere you're needing to be.

[winscenario]

It's fine, I've gotten my dose of heroics for today already.

[ His lips quirk in a vague smile, there and gone. He nods ahead. ]

If you can clear me a path to the main chamber, that'd be great help. [ Whatever prisoners are left to free are there, since all the other areas have been commandeered by the rescue groups breaking into the compound. ]

[madeupnames]

Roger that! I'll get you that clear path!

[When you're a whole lotta' determined in a wiry muscular spiderbod, you get the job done. So he skitters off across the wall, using his webs to zip faster through the halls. It'll take Kirk a little time to catch up, but that's good; by the time he does, anyone in the way will be thoroughly (and relatively painlessly) handled.

You got this, cap'n.]