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]

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[ An exhalation of amusement. ] Yes, sir.

[ Now he gets a 'sir'. When she is mocking him.

They enter the tunnels and Chyler's demeanor changes. Here, she's a soldier with every expectation of ambush, clearing each bend and branch in the tunnel with military precision before she allows Jeff forward.

She slows when they're about half way out, signaling Jeff to stop, silently. Whispered voices drift out of one of the tunnel branches.

The people guarding these tunnels, the people helping the kidnapped, have no reason to whisper.

Chyler is tempted to switch her weapon to full auto. She has no idea how many people are around that corner. She also has no idea if they have prisoners.

She holds up a closed fist again, another signal for Jeff to wait, and then slides forward as lightly and as quietly as she knows how.

Edging a look around the corner shows her three cultists holding a whispered argument over the body of a Perimeter Guardsman. She can't tell if the downed guard is dead. Chyler adjusts her grip on her weapon, takes a deep, silent breath, and lines up a shot at the closest target's head.

She can't pull the trigger. Finn's face is in her mind's eye, the look in his eyes when she shot that prisoner.

She hesitates too long. One of the cultists whistles a warning and the three of them fan out, all of them shooting at her at once. She yanks back, their weapons taking chunks out of the wall next to where her head was.

That Guardsman is probably very dead. ]

Down!

[ An order snapped at Jeff, one she hopes will be followed. The first cultist has already cleared the mouth of the tunnel, still shooting indiscriminately. Chyler feels impact, numbness, pain in her left arm, and shoots the cultist's knees out from under him. ]

Axios!

[ The second cultist runs out screaming. That one gets shot through the hand, then twice more, once in each leg. The third gets the same treatment.

Cultist number one is down, two is screaming and holding their leg, but number three is crawling toward their dropped weapon. Chyler strides over and kicks it out of reach, leveling her gun at the man's head and glaring at the other two downed targets. ]

You're not dead. Stop whining.

Edited 2018-06-26 12:19 (UTC)

[ That's even worse! Don't do that!

Luckily, Jeff is used to teenage sass and disrespect, so he goes with it. It's good to see that even kids with military training can still be kids. Kind of refreshing, after the nightmare of the past few days.

Unfortunately, their trek out of the cave is rudely interrupted by some lingering cultists. Startled, fearful (he's fine admitting that, yeah, he's afraid of them), he follows Chyler's orders, because his mind's kind of going all WHITE NOISE OF PANIC and she's the one who knows what she's doing here, not him.

Yeah, he'll suffer the indignity of following a teenager's orders and ducking for cover when she tells him to. Like, come on, if he took this moment to go all "EXCUSE ME, MISS, I AM THE ADULT HERE, GIVE ME THE GUN AND I WILL PROTECT YOU" it would just end in both of them dying.

Also guns are scary and the sound of bullets flying isn't something he's used to, so all he can really think to do is listen to Chyler. (Note to self: learn how to fight and shoot a gun after all this is over.)

When the firing stops and all he can hear is a man screaming and Chyler having none of it, Jeff figures it's safe enough to... get up and stride over to her. And by 'stride,' we mean 'walk nervously and tentatively as if afraid that an army of cultists is about to leap out from the dark any second.' ]

Holy... shit!

[ OOPS, forgot not to swear. He's just looking between the various cultists on the ground, trying to figure out how he can help. ]

Are you okay? [ Yes, Chyler, he's going to fuss over your health for a second. ] Or is now not the-- should we... what're we gonna do with these guys?

[ SORRY YOU'RE STUCK WITH THE MOST USELESS BARD IN THE WORLD. ]

Edited 2018-06-26 12:22 (UTC)

[ Chyler's arm is starting to throb. She glances at it, then at the back of her arm, notes the blood seeping slowly into her shirt, and deems it a problem to be dealt with once they're in relative safety. ]

I'll be fine. It looks like a through-and-through.

[ It's gonna hurt like hell when she's not flying high on adrenaline. This is only the second time she's ever been shot, and the first time... well, it was a lot more on the fatal side.

The cultist at her feet groans, and she kicks him lightly, bracing her gun against her side with her wounded arm. She uses her free hand to grab her communicator and give the patrolling PG members their location.

Chyler looks at Jeff, sizing him up, trying to determine whether he's up for what she's going to ask. It's not much, but he's... well. ]

Can you pick up their weapons and put them out of reach?

[ She's keeping them covered with her gun.

Eventually she'll have an internal monologue again, but right now she is all business. ]

Edited 2018-06-26 12:29 (UTC)

[ He is so about to protest her taking that bullet so casually, but then that cultist groans, and Jeff's so jumpy he actually startles at the sound and looks down at the man like a rabbit contemplating a wounded fox or something, I don't know, it's too early for literary devices. ]

Uh-- yeah. Sure. Nooo problem.

[ Said in a way that it's probably pretty clear that he's trying to convince himself that this task is no problem. Jeff does it, he snatches one cultist's weapons and tosses them aside, then the other's, then the other's, and each time, it doesn't get any easier. He's touching their guns in that cautious, unsteady way that just telegraphs his discomfort, his expectation that they're just going to explode in his hands or somehow go off and spray bullets everywhere.

btw Chyler: ]

You are seeing a medic as soon as we're outta here.

[ YOUNG LADY. ]

[ ~~This poor man.~~

It's more than just strange for her to see an adult struggling so much with violence. From her parents to her Corbulo teachers to John and Finn, the adults in her life have always been relatively comfortable with and even well-versed in violence. Watching Jeff handle the guns like explosives (twitching over how he holds them and resisting the urge to direct him) is surreal.

Then comes that order in that particular tone that makes it an order but not an order and she scowls. ]

I know that.

[ GOSH. Only John can use that tone with her and have it go unprotested.

Voices in the tunnel--this time louder, and she recognizes them. ] It's fine, they're with us.

[ The guardsmen come into view, one human guy, one woman, one uncategorizable purple-skinned white-haired humanoid with giant tessellated eyes. They take charge of the cultists, one of them tying them up while the other two keep them covered.

"You need medical attention," says the woman, and Chyler does her best not to roll her eyes in sixteen-year-old exasperation. ]

I know!

[ Well, Chyler, while you're rolling your eyes (with expertise and mastery that his own daughter would applaud), Jeff lets out a triumphant: ] Ha! See? [ Which the PG members don't seem to appreciate all that much, coming from a civilian. ] Sorry. Sorry, shutting up now.

[ Chyler glares at the other guardsmen as severely as she was looking at Jeff a second ago. No one gets to treat her charge badly until he’s out of her care. ]

Are we good?

[ As soon as it’s clear that Chyler isn’t needed, she shifts her grip on her weapon to manage it with her good arm and jerks her chin in the direction they need to go. ] We’re past the half-way mark.

[ And her arm is starting to throb.]

Oh, good. Cool.

[ Cool, cool, cool, halfway out of this nightmare. God he hopes he doesn't just spontaneously combust or go blind the second he sees sunlight again. As they go, Jeff keeps casting little, worried glances over at Chyler. Yes, he's mentally fussing over your arm, still. ]

So... You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but. What does 'Axios' mean?

[ She might be sweating a little more than she was when they started the walk, her arm tucked up in the opposite strap of her tac gear to try and keep it more or less elevated. The bleeding at least is slow. That says they didn't hit anything too important.

Except, y'know, her arm.

Chyler is a little surprised by the question. She hadn't even realized she'd shouted it in the moment. ]

It means I am worthy. It was the last word of the Roman commander, General Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo, when he fell on his sword in loyalty to the Emperor. My academy is--was named after him.

[ On the one hand, Jeff's a history teacher.

On the other, he pretty much just teaches US History. So Roman commanders aren't in his wheelhouse, FORGOTTEN TO THE SANDS OF TIME. ]

Oh.

[ HUH. ]

Please don't fall on any swords anytime soon.

[ ~trying to keep the mood light~ ]

[ PLEBEIAN.

She smiles, blinking sweat out of her eyes. ]

I don't think John would like it. He's put too much work into me.

[ That's Chyler for JOHN'S PART OF THE REASON I DON'T WANNA DIE ANY MORE. ]

[ PLEBEIAN: ANCIENT ROMAN SHADE FOR 'COMMONER'. Nailed it. See, he still remembers some Roman history. ]

Ahh, one of the people who made you hate this place a little less?

He's my CO--my commanding officer. [ Translated from military for THE USELESS CIVILIANS IN THE AREA. ] I'm with Riverview Reconnaissance.

[ Chyler can feel herself getting distracted, focus pulled more and more toward the throbbing in her arm. She hoists her weapon one-handed again, glaring at their surroundings like somehow the caverns themselves are to blame for her own slipping attention. ]

Where are you from? What's it like?

[ THANKS FOR THAT, he would've otherwise assumed corrections officer!!

Jeff casts a nervous look at her, worried, still, about the wound in her arm. He wishes he had anything at all that could help her. But about the only thing he could even do is cast some, like, euphoria spell, which is not exactly something he's keen on attempting for a number of reasons. Let's list them out:

1: He's so rusty with magic.
2: He's dehydrated, so you know his voice is shit right now, which means any spell he would even try would probably be shit, too.
3: He's afraid of casting anything at all, thanks to his shitty past.
4, and most importantly: HE DOESN'T WANT TO INDUCE A STATE OF EUPHORIA IN SOMEBODY HOLDING A GUN.

...so, at least he can help distract her from her discomfort with some nice conversation. ]

Uh... Early twenty-first century America? [ He hopes that's an adequate enough frame of reference. She knows about some Roman history, so clearly the time and place she's from isn't impossibly removed from his own. ] It's 2018. I'm from California, originally. [ He may have spent the past 16 or so years TRAPPED IN VIRGINIA, but he'll always call California home. ] I have no idea if any of this means anything to you.

Oh! And there's magic! [ That bombshell's added like an afterthought. ] Some people here think that's weird, so I guess that's worth mentioning. And technically, we're not supposed to call it magic, but it's totally magic.

Twenty-first century. [ She shakes her head. ] A lot of people from then. Where's California? Why aren't you supposed to call it magic?

[ She knows 'America' at least. LOOK THERE ARE A LOT OF PLANETS IN THE GALAXY, SHE'S NOT GOING TO KNOW THE GEOGRAPHY OF ALL OF THEM, even if it is Earth. ] Before this place I would have called you crazy for talking about magic. Before this place I would have called you crazy for saying you were from the twenty-first century. I would have called a lot of things crazy.

It's where all the cool people come from. [ SHAMELESS CALIFORNIAN PROPAGANDA.

Anyway, Jeff shrugs. ]

People who can't do it feel more comfortable if we call it something it isn't. [ He shoots her a teasing smile. ] Because it's crazy.

Are you sure that's where you're from?

[ The reply is quick and pert and doesn't come with a horrified snap to attention. John has ruined her. ]

Funny, it always seems like magic... like in the worlds that people come from, not everyone can do it. I know I could go to Gramarye here and learn if I really wanted to. I don't, but I could. But on all these worlds, it seems....

[ She shakes her head, not sure where she's going with all this. ] I don't know. There's nothing like that, where I come from. Anyone can do anything.

Positive. So just imagine a world where I'm the standard of coolness. [ DAD WINK.

But then Jeff goes quiet, listening to her feel her way around what she wants to say. ]

I like to think of it like... your legs being a certain height. It's not something you can really change, and maybe it gives you an advantage in some respects, being taller than somebody else, but... [ He gestures to Chyler. ] Obviously being tall doesn't make you the toughest guy in the room. [ WHICH IS TO SAY: ] Magic's not everything.

[ She listens, silent, considering, and--at the end--feeling a little better. Chase is so smug about what he can do. It's nice to hear magic compared to something as mundane as long legs.

She smiles up at him, briefly, before focusing on their surroundings again. ] I have the second-fastest bunk to field time in the school. Fractions of a second off the record.

[ So she is used to being the toughest guy in the room, basically. AND SHE'S STILL PROUD OF THAT, proud enough to forget for a moment how quickly things went bad after her small victory.

They turn another corner and walk into the sun, not quite to the mouth of the caverns but close enough for sunshine to make it to them. Chyler exhales in relief, and immediately bites the inside of her cheek. Don't complain, cadet. It's going to take a lot longer to lose some habits than others. ]

See, even with magic, there's no way in hell I could do that.

[ Look, he gets up early, because he has to, but if left to his own devices, he will take his SWEET FUCKING TIME getting out of his bunk, thanks. ]

It's like any other skill. You've got a little bit of talent, sure, but it's mostly hard work. Practice, dedication, lots and lots of mistakes. You've really got to want it.

[ They turn a corner, then... Oh god, there's sunlight. Jeff lets out a breath, too, like the sight of the sunshine makes the escape from the caverns real. There's an end in sight. ]

I swear to god, if I combust in the sun after however-long stuck underground...

[ She snorts, leading the way out into the sun, tilting her head up and closing her eyes for a moment to let the heat sink in. God, her arm is k-- Not killing her. She doesn't remember how much the gut shot hurt, bodies are merciful that way, but she knows the shot to her arm isn't the worst pain she's ever had.

She'll deal with it.

There's a sudden outbreak of barking and Chyler opens her eyes, face lighting up as she kneels. Her dog comes racing across the grass toward her and Jeff, a sizable Malinois with a mission. He slides to a halt in front of her and starts licking Chyler's face and whining. She splutters, laughing more honestly than she used to with anyone but her squad. ]

Dom--Dom! Sit. [ Dom sits, squirming unhappily. Chyler lets her gun hang on its clip, safety on, to rub Dom's ears one-handed. She looks up at Jeff. ]

I didn't want him down there. He's not trained for military action.

[ Unsurprisingly, Jeff is a total dog person. Even though he would normally be marveling at the sunlight and freedom and grass-- grass!!-- right now, after spending an untold amount of time trapped in an underground cave dungeon, all that flies out the window as soon as THERE IS A DOG.

AND IT IS ONE DAMN GOOD DOG.

Please allow this stranger to pet you, Dom. Look, he'll even extend a hand for a sniff, to show he COMES IN PEACE (and really wants to pet you).

Sometimes, Jeff is a very simple man with simple needs.

Also, it's really sweet to see Chyler smiling, laughing, and looking her age. Right now, she wouldn't be out of place in the halls of the school he teaches at. Er... if she weren't armed and wearing tac gear. ]

I can relate to him on that.

[ BY THE WAYYYY: ]

Oh look, there's the medics.

[ Did you see how casually he transitioned to that? He's a master of subtlety. ]

Edited 2018-07-07 15:07 (UTC)

[ Dom leans toward Jeff's hand without quite coming in sniff-range, watching Chyler out of the corner of his eyes. She smiles and takes Jeff's wrist, guiding his hand in front of the dog's face. ]

Friend, Dom. Good boy. [ The dog immediately starts licking Jeff's fingers and wagging his--well, his entire self, really.

Chyler grunts as she gets to her feet, spreading them apart enough that she doesn't sway. Yeah, she needs those medics, even if she gives Jeff a Look at the way he points them out. ]

So I see.

[ Dom keeps pace as they head to the medical tent, and as soon as the blood on her sleeve gets spotted, she's relieved of her weapon and made to sit while they cut off the sleeve of her shirt.

To Jeff: ]

You don't have to stay. I'll be fine.

[ Because he strikes her as the type that will. Stay, that is. ]

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exploration mingle: CAPTIVITY

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HOW MANY TIMES MUST I ATTEMPT TO RESUBMIT THIS TAG

TEN MILLION

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