riverviewlogs | 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

[He may not be quite sure about that -- though Tony can acknowledge that it's probably more his personal paranoia at the moment than anything solid -- but if Dorian says he's fine, Tony has to trust him. He lets out a breath and nods once, a large enough gesture to be seen through the helmet.]

I'll be back.

[ He smiles warmly. ]

Of course you will.

Be careful.

[Something about that look makes him pause for a moment, but Tony just pats Dorian's shoulder wordless and turns to head back into the tunnels.

Luckily he's done enough work on Dorian's system to be able to tune his scanners into exactly the right compositions, and any of the stragglers seem to have been taken care of. It's not too long before he reappears with a couple of detached limbs.]

So I hope these are yours, or someone else is having a really bad day.

[ Dorian takes them with his one arm, scanning them to see if they had been tampered with before nodding. ]

I don't think it could be anyone else's. Thank you, Tony.

Yeah, maybe save the thanks until we get them reattached.

[Once Dorian's finished inspecting his parts, Tony reaches down to offer him a hand.]

Want a lift? I can start on it now.

[ Dorian takes it with his one functioning arm. ]

Sure. Where are we going?

My place, unless you have some other preference.

[It takes a moment to juggle Dorian and his various limbs, but eventually between the two of them they've got everything sorted.]

Kinda figured you'd like to be in one piece as quickly as possible.

That would definitely be a plus.

[ Part of him hangs limp. ]

That's what I thought. Okay, hang on.

[He pulls Dorian's good arm around the armor's shoulders and wraps his own arm around his waist as he carefully takes off.]

You in one piece otherwise?

I'm still functional. Which is the best case scenario.

[ If anything happened to his head . . . Dorian isn't know what would happen. ]

Fair enough.

[He sounds okay, at least, though it's a little hard to tell with Dorian sometimes. Tony's never completely sure if that's an android thing, or just Dorian himself.]

We'll get you fixed up, don't worry.

[ Dorian nods, accepting that. ]

Are you all right? I haven't seen you in a while.

[That gets a bit of a pause from Tony as he tries to figure out exactly what to say. He has no doubt Dorian genuinely wants to know, but it's not the kind of thing he wants to drop on an unsuspecting friend. Even if he could find the right way to put it into words.

What he finally lands on is:] Complicated. But managing.

[ Dorian watches him, inscrutable. ]

You'll let me know if you need anything?

Sure.

[He's not sure how much Dorian could actually do in this case, but it's a nice offer.]

Let's get you back in one piece first, though.

That's easy enough.

[ Dorian please. ]

You say that now.

[ But he's not wrong, exactly. And Tony's honestly kind of looking forward to something being easy at the moment. ]

Dum-E might try to take off with something. He's got a thing for arms, lord knows why.

Is that right?

I'll let him borrow mine once in a while then.

[ Also not a Ken doll but whatever. ]

Please don't encourage him, I get enough of that from Barnes.

[ But Tony sounds as fond as he ever does when talking about his idiot robot, so he clearly isn't too concerned. Though the warning is real. ]

I think you'll be happier with your pieces attached, anyway.

Oh, definitely. I prefer having all my parts on me.

exploration mingle: CAPTIVITY

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