riverviewlogs | exploration mingle: CAPTIVITY

Entry tags:

exploration mingle: CAPTIVITY

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]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

(Perhaps unwisely, Beverly drops her phaser for the moment so that she can wrap Lucretia up in her arms. Lucretia feels so light, so fragile, so unlike how she should feel: warm and solid and strong. Even if she can't cry, Beverly certainly can, the anger and fear and love all boiling over at once.)

I'm here, (She sniffs in agreement) you're safe now.

(She clutches Beverly back as best she can, ignoring the sickening throb of pain in her shoulder, and muffles a choked sob into her hair. She had no doubt that somebody would eventually come for them, for her and lo and behold, here she is. The warmth of her embrace makes her feel dizzy with tiredness. After a few moments she leans back.)

Thank you. (She's so unhappy that Beverly has to see her like this: powerless, bruised, bones broken. Exhausted and starving. When they get out of here, Lucretia wants nothing more than to sleep in her embrace for days.

She lifts her arm between them, the one with the cuff latched tightly about it. Before anything else:) This needs to come off. Now.

(Beverly will give her all the cuddles she could possibly want, all the most delicious food, all the hot baths: whatever Lucretia wants, Lucretia will get. Including getting rid of her arm cuff.)

One moment...

(She gives another cautionary look around to make sure no one is coming. Fortunately, everyone is occupied with fighting, not paying attention to the two women in the corner. So she reaches for the utility belt that forms part of her all-black tactical suit and pulls out some sort of technical device. As she works on the cuff, Beverly murmurs her urgent questions.)

Where do you hurt the most?

(She watches Beverly work on the cuff, then seems to realise what exactly she's looking at: a tool, pulled from a black utility belt. Beverly is dressed in all black, actually. What is going on, exactly? Her mouth curls a little at the corner in faint amusement; she'll have more than enough time to question her about it later, though.)

My collarbone, (she whispers, and tips her neck with a wince to let Beverly see,) it's broken. That's the worst of it.

(She's keeping an eye on the action behind Beverly as she works, watching her back.)

(What is going on is your girlfriend is a SPY. You're welcome.

Beverly stops working on the cuff for just a moment, all concern and worry for Lucretia as she gently tugs aside her shirt collar to get a better look. A quiet rage boils up inside of her at the sight. Setting her jaw, she turns her attention back to the cuff, determined to help Lucretia unleash hell.)

(Oh, Beverly is getting questioned endlessly the moment they're out of here.)

I'm coming with you, (she murmurs. She didn't miss that angry, determined look in Beverly's eyes. She's angry too: angry that Beverly's been worried about her and for her, angry that she's been hurt, angry that they've hurt others.)

Let's take them down together.

(She should argue, should stop her, should insist that they go back to the medbay first, but she's too angry. The cuff finally snaps off, falling to the floor with a satisfying clatter. Beverly indulges herself for only moment to offer Lucretia a swift, fierce kiss.)

The children. We have to get the children out first.

(It hurts, but she doesn't care. Beverly's kiss coupled with the destruction of whatever anti-magic field the cuff contained gives her a swell of energy, enough for her to get to her feet without staggering. She rubs her wrist lightly, tensing her hand into a fist, releasing it.)

All the cells are in the same place. Let's get them all open and work on getting as many collars and cuffs off as we can.

(The more people with access to their various magic and powers, the better.)

(She gives Lucretia a nod, sharp and determined before picking up her weapon again.)

Show me.

This way.

(They're arranged in a sort of semi-circle around the center of the chamber, and most of them are completely empty. A few have one or two people lingering due to what seems to be exhaustion, but nobody seems to be on their own. This is good. The cultists are all surprisingly absent too but Lucretia suspects they've been drawn away from the cells and into fights elsewhere.

Looking at the cells makes her want to hold Beverly's hand very tightly, but she knows that realistically Beverly needs both hands for her weapon, so she simply sticks very close to her.)

You– somebody received the message we managed to send, then? Is that how you found us?

We did. And there was someone who had escaped his captors. That's how we knew how to take off the suppressors.

(Her chest tightens at the sight of all the cells. It's cruel keeping people locked up like thi, without enough food or water or proper healthcare. Especially children. Two little ones sit curled together in one of the cells. When Beverly approaches, they shy away. She hands Lucretia her phaser and squats down to their level, hands open.)

Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you, I'm here to help.

(Lucretia takes it, thankful that she only needs one hand free to help somebody else out with the tight collar around their neck. It comes off with a quick cantrip, a little jolt of careful lightning that causes the magical override to fail. Lucretia helps to prise it off, then directs them to help somebody else who has wandered over in their direction.

Beverly is helping two little children, who are regarding her warily. Lucretia looks at her for a moment, and the swell of love she feels for her in that moment is a little overwhelming. She's just so tired.)

We're going to help you, (she adds, throwing the broken collar in her hand onto the ground to emphasize their intentions.)

(The older of the two is the first to venture forward, her eyes big as she holds out her manacled wrist to Beverly, who offers her a soft smile.)

There's a brave girl. (She takes out the device she used on Lucretia's cuffs and holds it up so the little girl can see.) I'm going to need you to stay very still for me, okay?

(The girl nods solemnly and Beverly gets to work, first taking off the girl's cuff, and then her little brother's. A small crowd of people freed of their constraints starts to gather around, several other children included. Beverly looks up at all of them and for a moment, feels overwhelmed by how many people are counting on her. But the feeling only lasts a moment and she stands. The little girl immediately clings to her hand.)

Don't worry, we're going to get you out of here. (She turns to address everyone.) All of you. The guards are distracted but they might be back at any moment and we need to get the children out before any fighting happens. (She takes her phaser back from Lucretia.) Everyone, stay alert and follow me.

(She's a good leader. Lucretia is more than happy to let Beverly take point on this one; she's going to conserve her energy for using magic from here on out. She's quiet as she continues to help collars come off, zapping each in turn, showing the already freed people how easily they come apart once you find the disrupted seam of the metal.

Soon they're left with a little group of people anxiously shifting their weight from foot to foot and staring helplessly at Beverly, at a loss for what to do next. Lucretia reaches to touch the small of her back, indicating with a jerk of her head and a wince that she's going to fall behind.)

Keep them moving forward. I can take out anybody who tries to interfere. (They're more inclined to follow Beverly now that she's won over that little girl, after all. And so they do, falling into an automatic cluster as they start to lead the way out of the cave.)

(The selfish part of her wants Lucretia to stay right by her side, but she knows that's not the logical plan moving forward. So she nods then addresses the small group.)

Who knows how to fight?

(A couple of hands go up, fewer than she'd like. Hopefully, she can get them all out without any guards noticing.)

All right. You all stay to the outside of the group. Protect the children and the injured. (She looks at each person, making sure they are ready. Satisfied, she motions everyone forward.) Let's go. Stay quiet.

(She leads the group along the outside wall of the large central chamber, then ducks through a series of side tunnels. Before they can reach their destination, however, there's a shout from behind them. It seems some cultists have noticed their escape after all. Beverly turns to the nearest adult.)

Keep going. More of our people will be waiting for you. (He nods and Beverly pushes the rest of the group forward, even the other fighters. She can't leave the others unprotected. Once they've all run by, she joins Lucretia, ready to fight.)

(It's taking a lot more energy to be constantly alert than she thought it might. By the time they get through a couple tunnels, Lucretia is exhausted, her concentration wavering. It's unfair that her magic relies on being sound of mind to cast, and having her back here is dangerous, now. What if she can't protect somebody because she can't maintain her focus?

She's about to bring this up, maybe reluctantly move herself more toward the middle of the group, when a shout startles her out of her reverie, brings a sharp enough clarity that she's able to set a moving shield around the little cluster of people who break off from her and Beverly.

Lucretia finds that her hands are shaking with the effort. Some food really wouldn't go amiss.)

I'm going to have to go too, (she admits dismally, as Beverly joins her,) I can't–

(But then the cultists are almost on top of them; Lucretia touches her hand to Beverly's shoulder, casts stoneskin on her to give her a good advantage, and falls back a little to try to pick them off with careful spells. They're fighting in a pretty enclosed space, so she can't risk using something that might hit Beverly.)

[Lucretia casts the stoneskin just in time - a bullet whizzes towards Beverly, but pings harmlessly off the magical armor. Still, she doesn't want to take any chances, knowing as she does that such spells have limitations on their duration.]

Move back. We need a better defensive position.

[True, the tunnel is narrow, making it difficult for more than one or two cultists to charge them at a time, but there's also no cover from their bullets, save for what a clearly over exhausted Lucretia can provide. Beverly shoots the first two attackers down, giving her and Lucretia time to move further down the tunnel.]

(She falls back automatically, making sure to keep Beverly in front of her. Stoneskin is able to benefit them both in this way. These tunnels are almost absurdly tiny; Lucretia laughs, but it's a hollow, hopeless sort of noise. She's losing her grip a little. At least Beverly is still fighting, giving her time to get back into the tunnel a little better. Back here, there's a little alcove, crag rock jutting up beside it and she's able to duck down behind it after gently tugging the hem of Beverly's shirt.)

Here–

(This will suit them nicely.

Once she's collected herself a little, she readies a chromatic orb, creating it in both hands with poison as its base. The moment a cultist bobs into view around the bend she throws it, watching it hit him square in the face with grim satisfaction.)

(Though she's still fighting, the emptiness of Lucretia's laughter makes it clear her strength is fading. Beverly is momentarily overwhelmed by it, by the sheer outrage - how dare anyone do this, torture and starve and suppress the woman she loves?)

Bastards.

(Recklessly, she fires off another shot down the tunnel. The laser beam ricochets off the wall, leaving a scorch mark and causing their pursuers to jump back. She's about to shoot again when she feels the tug at her clothing, the reminder that they still have to get out of here.

She crouches behind the rock next to Lucretia and watches as she prepares another spell, sees the toll it takes on her to create it. As the orb hits the cultist, he screams in agony, clawing at the poison eating away at his face. It's a stomach-churning site, but for once, Beverly's natural empathy is dulled. So it's with a quiet calm that she takes out those who rush to their comrade's aid.)

You should go. The exit is not too far now.

(It's true that even the chromatic orb has exhausted her: a first level spell, something she's able to cast almost without thinking. For a moment Lucretia sags back against the rock, shutting her eyes against the pain and the exhaustion, trying to gather whatever threads of strength she has left. She doesn't want to leave Beverly so badly, but– well, her being here in this condition is more likely to put Beverly in danger than help her. She can't be counted on to protect anybody right now. Not like this. It's a hard pill to swallow.)

Okay. (But if she's going to leave, she can at least arm Beverly to the teeth before she goes.

The last spell she casts is contingency, combined with a hardy, good ol' shield of faith. This will keep the shield from being cast until a specific circumstance is met. Lucretia sets it with an attack on Beverly's person in mind: if anybody tries to hurt her, the shield will trigger and protect her instantly. That will give her more than enough time to retaliate accordingly if she gets into a sticky situation.)

Be safe, (she intones, and touches Beverly's face lightly, cups her cheek in her hand. Then she'll go, careful to leave in a way that doesn't give away their position.)

I will. (She'd been expecting more pushback, to be honest. It must be killing Lucretia not to stay, not to be able to fight. Soon, they'll both be able to rest. Only for a moment does she allow herself to look after Lucretia's retreating form before she turns back to the task at hand. She chances a peek around the edge of her hiding place - not good. There are more cultists than she expected and when she looks at the charge on her gun, she realizes she's not going to be able to continue much longer in taking them out one by one. So she does something that's either very smart or very stupid, but confident in Lucretia's spellcasting abilities, she's willing to take the risk.

She waits until the cultists draw a little closer, then sets the phaser gun to overcharge and overheat. At the last minute, she pops out from the barrier, tosses the gun at the group of attackers, then starts to run. There's a final, high-pitched squeal from the phaser and then an explosion. Lucretia's last-minute shielding does its job admirably, protecting Beverly both from the blast and from the falling debris. Part of the tunnel behind her has collapse, killing some of the cultists and trapping others. Only one avoids getting hit and for a moment, she looks as if she'll come after Beverly, but in the end, decides to stay to help her comrades.

Exhausted but pleased with the success of her plan, Beverly makes it safely back to the exit, back through the winding set of passages the infiltration team had mapped out, and finally, outside.]

(It isn't very pleasant to walk away from her lover and leave her facing down a hallway full of cultists, but it's simply what needs to be done. Lucretia's all too aware she can be prone to momentarily forgetting she isn't above death here, and she won't do that to Beverly.

She finds outside easily enough but it doesn't reassure her. She draws up close to the entrance and waits, and then starts to pace out of anxiety. Exhaustion only ramps up her tendency to overthink, so it's easier to walk around and listen to the sound of her feet on the ground and try not to think about Beverly getting into trouble and having no back-up available, or the contingency spell failing for one reason or another, or one of the cultists sneaking up on her unawares, or–

The sudden explosion from deep within the caves stops her dead in her tracks. Her heartbeat pounds wildly in her ears. The dread and disbelief is so strong she simply stands there and stares, and when Beverly appears out of the passages and into the sunlight completely unharmed, Lucretia is still locked into place just outside the entrance, still wearing a horrified expression.)

Istus, (she swears, her voice hoarse, and places a hand over her heart as Beverly approaches,) you– don't do that to me. (Is this how Beverly had felt, after that monster had attacked her at the waterfall? It's awful! She breathes out shakily.)

(Beverly steps blinking into the sunlight, surprised almost to see it there. They'd started the rescue operation in the early hours of the morning, under cover of darkness. Now it looks to be mid-morning, and the rescue teams are busy, taking care of the sick and the injured, while still sending down more fighters to handle the cultists. A few of the said fighters are already running towards Beverly, drawn by the sound of the explosion. She waves them and the accompanying medics off. There are more important things to worry about, such as certain panicking girlfriends.

She pushes past the other members of her team and heads straight for Lucretia to gather her up in her arms. And finally, after everything, she lets herself cry.)

I thought I'd lost you.

(Oh, thank goodness.

She sinks into Beverly's embrace, arms linking tight around her. It hurts to hold her so close but it doesn't matter. None of it matters any more except the soft sound of Beverly crying next to her ear. Lucretia gives her a warm, reassuring squeeze.)

I have to stop making you think that, (she whispers, and swallows hard. Thinking Beverly might have been fatally injured even for a second proved to be too much on top of everything else; she can still feel the unpleasant shock that had rippled through her at the sound of the explosion. She blinks, and tears roll down her cheeks.)

(Wait, this isn't how it's supposed to go - she should be taking care of Lucretia, not the other way around. Allowing herself to linger in her embrace for just a minute longer, she plants a soft kiss along Lucretia's jaw, one of the few places it looks like it might not hurt too much, then rests her forehead against Lucretia's.)

But I found you and that's all that matters.

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