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

[Alex watches the girl's hand in the dim light, because she wants to be mindful of anything like the broken bone that Laura is currently sporting. Fresh anger towards their captors blooms in her chest, but she swallows it back down because right now, her anger isn't helpful and it's only going to end up causing Laura more hurt in the long run which is the opposite of what Alex wants to do.

Instead, Alex gives Laura a quick smile and a mindful, reassuring squeeze of her hand, not wanting to cause any more damage to that broken finger. Taking it as a good sign and not breaking contact, Alex carefully scooted closer to Laura and then spoke softly, leaning in a bit to keep the captors from hearing what they were saying. Or rather what Alex was saying.]

I know it doesn't make the nightmares better, but our friends are coming, and they're going to make all these bastards very sorry for the things that they've done. But you're not alone until they get here. You've got me, okay? I'm not going anywhere.

[She nods after a moment. She's not sure how many of her friends have managed to avoid capture — but no matter what, she was sure that whoever was out there would do everything in their power to find them. It's hard to keep the faith too high, when she's spent her whole life never being saved until the day the nurses said enough was enough.

And so many children had died that day. That week. So many people had died.

She squeezes the hand gingerly.]

Gracias.

... I'm sorry I cannot do anything.

De nada.

[The words come quickly and with a little smile along with an apologetic return of the squeeze.]

Sorry, that's about the limit when it comes to my Spanish. I'd always considered trying to take it up, but I was busy at home. Maybe I can try now and you can help?

[Something else to focus on as her heart was breaking for the little girl in front of her apologizing for not saying anything. What Alex would like to do is give Laura a hug, but she doesn't, at least not until she knows her better. Instead she just holds her hand with one hand and pushes some hair back from Laura's face with the other, trying to meet the girl's eyes.]

Hey, this isn't your fault, Laura. There's nothing that you have to do right now, okay? I know sometimes sitting still and being still is the worst, especially when you're used to be active, but these bastards are doing everything they can to make you powerless. They stole you, and they're stealing from you, and it's not your fault.

[She swallows hard, not for the first time feeling thirst that never seemed to completely leave after a drink. She flinches minutely at the hand, but when it cards her hair back, she relaxes and looks at her more earnestly.]

It is not my fault, but I am still sorry.

If I didn't have this collar, I could have...

I know you could have.

[Alex didn't actually know what she could do, because she'd not seen it, but given the girl's pain tolerance and how well she was handling everything, Alex could guess that there was a lot more to Laura than met the eye. If nothing else, there was the fact that she'd been fitted with both the collar and the cuffs that most everyone who had super-powers or magic did, and she remembered what Peter had said about the time that he had nearly been kidnapped before Alex had arrived here. Whatever the collars did, it had interfered with what people could do, and Alex had already earned a bracelet of bruises around her wrist when she'd tried to remove them from someone else, so he wasn't stupid enough to try again and end up with a broken arm, however much she might want to. Keeping her voice low she added, even if might not have been the healthiest thing she'd ever said to someone: ]

When our friends show up, they'll get this thing off of you, and you'll make them sorry that they put it on you.

[There's a dark gleam in her eye, her father's words forgotten for a moment. She nods.]

... They won't get away with it.

[They've hurt too many people she loves, now. Too many friends. Even if it hadn't been her, she would have had an anger and outrage left unabated.]

[Yeah, definitely not the healthiest thing that she could have said to a kid, and Alex regretted it a bit, but in the end it was true, and they all needed whatever hope they could find in order to get through this. So, Alex just gave the girl's hand a gentle squeeze once more.]

No they aren't. But until then, I'm not going anywhere. And I'll try and keep the bad dreams away.

[It's okay, Alex.

Really, if only you knew.

But regardless, Laura seems appeased — appeased enough to lay her head back down on the ground and close her eyes, drifting after some time. She feels terrible, but she hasn't let Alex's hand go... And surely, that must count for something, in this ugly place.]

[Alex doesn't know, she only has her impressions and they're that life hasn't been good to the poor kid in front of her, and despite her protestations of not being maternal or ever wanting kids, she does actually care about them.

Which is why when Laura lays back down still holding her hand, Alex just hums softly, hoping that someone at least will get some sleep.

And of course she's ready to step in if those assholes try to wake her up again.]

exploration mingle: CAPTIVITY

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