riverviewlogs | exploration mingle: branching out

exploration mingle: branching out

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: exploration mingle: branching out
when: August 15 - October 15
where: the quarantine, the delta, the jungle, and the forest
warnings: threads may contain violence, body horror, and discussion of injuries and illness; please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

branching out

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 the government is really focusing on exploration objectives, in order to unite citizens in expanding, securing, and supplying the city for everyone's benefit.

the story so far

Exploration & Expansion Progress Report ● Plotting & Questions ● Reward Submissions ● First Teams

It's normal to see drop-ships hovering in the sky over the Quarantine, of course, since the city is not self-sufficient just yet, and receives regular shipments of supplies, technology, merchandise, food, books, movies, and all sorts of other things from the Capital World. However, the number of drop-ships coming down has recently started to triple in frequency.

On August 10th, an announcement started being run on the Quarantine's networks, television stations, and on digital display boards throughout the city explaining the situation - Mayor Dichard explained in an official mayoral address that the Quarantine is in the process of taking in refugees from a planet in the solar system which recently became uninhabitable due to a massive natural disaster. Hundreds of people are flooding the city, and many of them are wounded, sick, or otherwise in acute distress.

How is a city already stretched to the limit for population capacity going to handle all these new arrivals...?

how it works

● ADDITIONAL OOC INFO: The refugee aliens are called the Frysh; they are humanoid mammalian and have a similar internal physiology to humans, however, they look somewhat insectoid, with mandibles, slightly shiny skin that is smoother and harder to the touch than human skin, and delicate wings that aren't capable of carrying the weight of the body (they cannot fly). Their skin ranges from pale to dark gray, and they have mottled or spotted/freckled markings in a wide variety of warm earth tones on their faces, necks, backs, and the outside of the thighs; their blood is dark rusty brown and slightly more viscous than human blood; eye colors are very widely varied. Average height is 6 feet, and doesn't vary based on sex (the species has male/female/neutral). The aging process is similar to that of humans, and refugees come in all ages. The species is very high-tech, but the tech is mostly related to entertainment rather than weaponry, medical, etc. as the planet the species lived on was quite utopian and basic needs were always taken care of by tech that was left on the planet when it was destroyed.

● 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 the next 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.

● Thread Rewards: For this mingle, I have created five different items as rewards - two for the first prompt, and three for the remaining three. Any character participating in a completed thread with at least one other character, for any phase prompt by October 15 will be able to pick a keyword corresponding to one of these rewards when they submit the thread at the link above. Every character participating in a completed thread will be eligible to receive an item. Completed threads must take place on this entry.
ETA August 20th: New characters who complete a thread on August's Test Drive meme with the Tent City prompt, and who are accepted into the game are also eligible for a thread reward for Phase I only.

● Entry Reward: The reward for completion of this month's exploration objective will be expansion of the City, a more reliable electrical and power grid, and some new setting features as the Inhabited City grows in size.

phase i: tent cities

Unfortunately, this influx of refugees is going to be causing a serious overpopulation problem - for now, since it is summer, the new arrivals will be housed in makeshift tent cities set up in Riverview Central Park as well as other smaller parks around the city, any spare empty lots, along the banks of the river, and in a few of the sports fields. The resources of the city are going to be taxed to their limit, and while the Capital World will be contributing funds and helping to get together building supplies, Riverview's intrepid citizens are going to have to find ways to supply more space to build shelters for the refugees, and more power to supply the electrical grid in the city.

However, it's not just the explorers that are able to help out with this particular problem. Any citizen who wishes is more than welcome to attend the tent cities where makeshift field hospitals have been set up with as many medical amenities as possible. While serious and life-threatening injuries or illnesses are taken to the Riverview Hospital, people who need first aid or more minor or moderate tending can attend the field hospitals and recover in their temporary homes. Volunteers are requested to help with many different tasks - medical staff to help heal the injured and ill, anyone capable to cook and serve at soup kitchens, members of the Perimeter Guard, police, or other capable fighters to secure the tent cities and make sure there's no violence or theft happening, and drivers and laborers to help bring supplies from the drop-ships and other parts of the city to keep the tent cities supplied. Of course, there are going to be a lot of other jobs that come up on the fly, so everyone is welcome.

phase ii: the delta

With fall rapidly approaching, and with it the colder weather, it's urgent that housing is set up for these new arrivals, and with new housing comes a need for more electricity. The electrical grid is already stretched to its limits with the current population in the city, and is essentially being held together with duct tape and hope - with all these new arrivals and their needs, there's no way the current grid can handle it.

Thankfully, during a recent exploratory fly-over, an electrical installation set in one of the massive waterfalls near the edge of the Abandoned City was noted. While at the time it seemed too far away from established civilization to risk a large expedition, things have changed with the new influx of refugees, and the installation seems like the best hope to bring more energy into the city. Characters who participate in Phase II will be taking watercraft down the river to the delta just above the waterfalls, finding the installation, and checking to see if it can be restored to functionality so the power it generates from the waterfall can be used in the city.

The dangers faced by people taking on Phase II will be primarily related to the long trek needed to get to the installation, down the river - a relatively straight-forward, old fashioned adventurous exploration mission. While using watercraft will help speed up the process, the river is heavily populated by monsters and predators who have flourished in the absence of civilization. Expect mutated piranhas, crocodiles, carnivorous fish, and just about anything else that lives in or near a river to try to take a swipe at the teams making their way to the installation. Once inside the installation, there will be the hazards associated with a damp building that hasn't been used by people in over a decade - it's in poor repair, will have structural damage, and the likely-malfunctioning tech means that electricity and water are almost guaranteed to meet at some point. This prompt would be well-suited to engineers, skilled laborers/construction workers, and fighters; people who can fix the damage to the installation and those who can protect everyone along the way.

For any thread completed under this prompt, whether or not characters made it to the delta, all participating characters will receive rewards.

phase iii: the jungle

The second line of exploration will be into the jungle north of the city, where fly-overs have located a series of skyscrapers and flat ground, overgrown with plant life and obviously left empty since quite a while before the Abandoned City was left behind. Despite being long abandoned, however, the buildings and land seem to be pretty well-preserved and would be usable with a bit of work and maybe a touch of magic. With the flat area cleared out, it would make a perfect helipad for transport and with a temporary fence that could be easily built up after the area is cleared, this could be the start of a smaller city that could eventually be connected by transit or cleared land and fences with the Quarantine proper! Adding this extra space would easily house all the refugees and some of the excess population from the Quarantine, which would be a major advantage for everyone in the city.The government wastes no time in dispatching teams from the Perimeter Guard and welcoming the inclusion of regular citizens with a taste for exploration, to head out into the jungle and see whether this could be a viable solution.

But why would what looks like such an easy area to inhabit have been left alone and outside city walls for so long?

Well, exploratory teams will soon find out - as they make their way through the jungle toward the buildings, characters will start to notice that the animals and monsters in the jungle are getting increasingly...strange. Rather than otherworldly creatures that still make sense, they look like weird, mutated combinations of animals, a mashup of teeth and eyes and fur and scales and claws that don't belong together. As the teams move further, they'll start to notice that some of these creatures are taking on plant-like qualities as well, vines winding into flesh and extending like tentacled appendages from monsters that are increasingly larger and more misshapen. After a point, they're almost incomprehensible blobs of melded flesh and plant life that can't move, can only sit and snap or swipe or grasp for prey.

It isn't just the monsters either. The trip out to the skyscrapers will take at least four days on foot for the fastest and fittest people in the Quarantine, and going by foot is the only way to get there, considering there's no cleared space large enough to land craft, and due to the unknown nature of the area around the skyscrapers, magic is not to be used to travel there. Day One of the trip will be pretty normal, aside from the surroundings starting to get weird, but on Day Two, characters will start to feel and see changes. Whether they're taking on physical traits of other members of their teams, or the creatures and plants around them, they will start to subtly change, whether it's eye or hair color, scales or claws or even superpowers or abilities, they'll start to 'trade' traits with people and creatures around them. On Day Three, it gets significantly worse, with characters starting to meld together with animals and plants around them, becoming more and more amalgamated with the world around them, whether it's vines under their skin or growing a tail, or any combination. By Day Four, characters will be experiencing intense changes to the very fabric of themselves, their physical bodies morphing and twisting into things that are completely alien while their minds stay mostly the same.

The level of transformation experienced and the amount of physical pain and damage that the transformation causes to individual characters is up to player discretion, and characters that feel unable to handle the effects of the jungle route are more than welcome to turn back whenever they want. However, if any teams make it to the skyscrapers they will find that the buildings are inhabitable and the area would be easily cordoned off with fences, though the buildings are covered with mosses, fungi, and leafy herbs that seem unaffected by the mutations. Teams will find that as they turn back toward the city, the effects wear off as they leave the area, in exact reverse to how they appeared.

For any thread completed under this prompt, whether or not characters made it to the skyscrapers, all participating characters will receive rewards. The first team that makes it to the skyscrapers, collects samples of the fungi and moss, and makes it back to the city should respond in this thread to receive the "solution" to what is happening in the area and how the area can become inhabitable.

phase iv: the forest

The jungle isn't the only option for new areas to inhabit. The same fly-over expedition covered the deciduous forest to the south of the Quarantine, and discovered a sprawling, walled compound, overgrown with thick, lush vegetation. The compound seems to have its own water sources, an orchard, garden areas, and places to keep farm animals, as well as ample space where wild game can roam - just about any herbivorous creature you can imagine seems to have found a home here.

The most important part? Despite looking like plain old tall, thick stone walls that could easily be stomped down by some of the bigger predators in the woods, they are obviously doing their job. There isn't a single break in the walls and despite being in ill repair, the whole area looks pretty safe. On top of that, it's big enough to house the refugees and then some in relative comfort and self-sufficiency, enough that they could easily survive long enough to build a safe method of transport out to the compound so residents there could access the city with ease.

Just like the jungle skyscrapers, though, one wonders why no one is living there anymore. Unlike the jungle, however, the day-long trip out to the compound is relatively uneventful. Besides the usual predators in the area, there's nothing untoward, no unspeakable horror like what's going on in the jungle. At least, not until the team makes their way to the compound and opens the heavy gate to let themselves inside. Once they're there and exploring to make sure the area is safe to inhabit (a task that will take at least four days considering the amount of ground covered by the compound) is when strange things start happening.

It starts on Day One, with team members noticing strange apparitions out of the corners of their eyes. Like ghosts, they flit in and out of peripheral vision, make the sound of footsteps behind the person on night watch, touch an explorer's shoulder from behind when they're not looking, and immediately disappear when looked at directly. On Day Two, the apparitions will start to stick around longer, and look familiar, with explorers seeing things that trigger bad feelings, like fear or anger or grief. By Day Three the apparitions will be an almost constant presence, hovering around, visible to everyone, exposing the worst of every member of the team - images of dead loved ones, the scent of perfume or death, the sounds of an explorer's most guilty memory, all of it is there, ready to expose their darkest secrets to everyone around them. On Day Four, the apparitions will start to become more than that, physically attacking characters, enticing them blindly into dangerous places, and otherwise trying to kill them.

The types of apparitions experienced and the amount of exposure of dark secrets is up to player discretion, and characters who are unable to handle the events unfolding are more than welcome to leave and go back to the city. Teams that remain in the compound and explore for the full four days will eventually find a building near the center of the compound, with heavily riveted metal doors that have the words "Central Hub" spray paint stenciled on them and complicated electronic deadbolt locks.

For any thread completed under this prompt, whether or not characters made it to the Central Hub, all participating characters will receive rewards. The first team that makes it to the Central Hub and gets the doors open (in whatever way possible) should respond in this thread to receive the "solution" to what is happening in the area and how the area can become inhabitable.

phase v: 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 credit by submitting it for the Progress Report.

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit: image i: Daniel Gstir; image ii: Steven Cormann; image iii: Tom Nemeth

navigation

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Even if they managed to avoid traps and confrontations with wild animals altogether, they would still take much longer. They'd move slower for one, and secondly, Owen would be a lot more careful during their trek, checking for said traps and possible animals in their path. He wasn't by any means distracted or relaxed, of course, but running would be much easier with the Lion's aid.

He looked over Keith's shoulder, peeking curiously at the scans. ]

Yeah, sounds good to me. Just need to check there are no wild animals in the area.

[Keith shifted his position enough so that Owen could see the readout. There was a map showing terrain and other things that might be useful.]

Okay. We can check for lifesigns. The Black Lion can alert us if something approaches, too, once we get settled.

Yeah, I figured as much.

[ Comes in handy, when it's just the two of them. This way neither of them has to stay up and stand guard, and even if they don't manage to fall asleep, at the very least they can rest properly. ]

I can set up a few traps around us too, just to alert us if anything big gets too close. Think you can manage the tent on your own?

Alright, sounds good. I can handle the tent.

[So, once they were sure things were clear to start with Black's sensors, Keith started to unpack the tent. The traps would come in handy for anything that might show up later while they were resting.

Keith paused at some point while he was working and Owen was off with the traps to scratch a little at the burn on his face. It had been doing okay since he'd gotten that memory canister that aged him up, so he wasn't sure why it was itching him again now... He took a break, concerned at how annoying it actually was, and went to look for something to take a look at it with.

When Owen came back, he might notice that Keith's scar was looking a little greener than it had been when they first left.]

[ Setting up the traps wasn't hard, but Owen wanted to make sure there were as many as possible around them. He tried to use branches and leaves from the jungle for the most part, hoping to avoid things that, if left behind or forgotten, wouldn't hurt the fauna once they were gone. He also left red markings on trees near to where he'd set up the traps, so he would know where they were the next morning.

Once he was satisfied with his work, he went back to their campsite. The tent was up by now, but Keith was sitting, facing mostly away from him, rummaging for something on his backpack, seemingly concerned. ]

Everything alright? [ As he walked around to face Keith, he saw the color on his scar, and he frowned, reaching for the hand touching the mark. ] Hold on. Stop.

[ He took a seat next to Keith, taking a closer look. ] Your scar. Do you feel anything? Does it hurt?

[Keith flinched when Owen grabbed his hand, but that was the most he reacted to it. It was still a little unnerving to him to have someone reach for that part of his face or something else that might be near it, but he was slowly getting to the point where he could suppress his natural reaction to pull away and protect it.]

What is it?

[He frowned.]

It's itching again... kind of stinging a bit, but nothing worse than it did before. I just... It's weird because it hasn't done that in a while.

[Not since it had finished healing.]

[ Owen's hold wasn't particularly strong, and once he was sitting down next to Keith he let go, eyebrows still furrowed as he studied his face. ]

The skin still looks... healed, for what it's worth. [ Just a different color somehow, exactly as the skin on his side. That was what was tripping him up. Maybe he was imagining things changing with Keith too, now... except he felt that itch. That had to mean he felt the change, in some way.

He gestured to his face, asking instead of just reaching out. ] Can I?

Well, yeah... I mean, it's been healed. It was only just after I opened the canister that it was really a problem, but I got help for it. [Which was why the itching was so annoying and confusing now.]

Okay... what's wrong?

[Owen's comment didn't exactly instill confidence in Keith that he was okay.]

[ Owen nodded and carefully cupped Keith's face at the permission. He wasn't a doctor by any means, but he did know some first aid, so he started feeling around the scar, checking if the skin felt stiff, or if Keith felt any pain when he touched it.

At Keith's question, though, he pulled away, pressing his lips in thought. ]

I'll show you something first. [ Hesitantly, he rolled up his vest and shirt, showing Keith the green patch of skin on his side. It was bigger now, Owen realized, but he kept that to himself. ]

I noticed it this morning, but it doesn't hurt or itch. Honestly, I thought I might be seeing things.

What the quiznak?

[Keith leaned in to take a closer look.]

Are you... so, is mine doing the same thing?

[Keith looked worried.]

[ Owen hesitated for a moment. He didn't want to worry Keith, but... at this point, not telling him might just make matters worse. ]

Around the edges. It didn't look that way until just now.

[ Digging into his backpack, he pulled out a small tin pot he'd brought along for cooking. The image wouldn't be the clearest, but Keith could use the bottom as a mirror and take a look at his own scar. ]

[Keith took the offered pot, eyeing it for a moment. The image wasn't overly clear, but it was enough that he could see where the scar was definitely tinted green. He frowned.]

Is that the only spot on you that you've noticed? [He nodded towards Owen's side. Keith was hoping there wasn't anything else. It wasn't like he could just lift up his shirt or something while he was in his armor. He'd have to take a look over himself later once they settled down for the night.

Or... sooner... because he was feeling weirdly nervous about this, and probably rightfully so.]

So far, yes. [ He straightened up, leaning back slightly. ] But I haven't had time to check all day, and I don't feel anything on this one, so... I might have something else on me and just not be aware of it.

[ He got to his feet, figuring he might as well get a fire going for them. They would need the warmth at the very least, and right now he didn't want to spend too long thinking about the mark on him. ]

If you want... I found a small stream about a hundred meters that way. [ He gestured. ] You can try and check if you have other marks on you. I'll take a look at myself later, too.

That's probably a good idea. The campsite is pretty much set up, so... [He got up.] I think I'll go do that... just to be safe.

[He nodded.]

I'll be back.

[He wanted to get cleaned up a bit anyway, so this would be a good time to do it. Black rumbled slightly as Keith started to walk off, and Keith shook his head, turning to talk to the Lion.]

Stay put here for now, but keep an eye out, okay? [He put his hand on the Lion's nose for a moment, and then headed off to the stream, leaving the Lion with Owen. Black settled in, blank glowing yellow eyes seeming to stare at nothing.]

[ Owen nodded in acknowledgment, as he grabbed what he needed to start a fire from his backpack. He waited until Keith disappeared through the trees, glancing briefly at Black. ]

You should've gone with him. [ Owen could handle himself just fine out here, he'd been camping beyond the walls every other week anyway. He had the skill, and the practice. But he couldn't help worry about Keith.

Once he got a good fire going, he finally decided to see whether he'd gotten any more marks on himself. He took off his shirt first, then grabbed the same pot as before to try and see if he had anything weird on his back. A frown knitted his features at the glimpse he caught of the spot just between his shoulder blades. ]

What the hell... [ He muttered as he stretched his arm back as much as he could, fingers tracing along the edge of what looked (and felt) like the surface of a leaf, color, texture and all. ]

[Black just stared. Robotic lions didn't exactly have eyelids. Still, it seemed rather unconcerned at the moment, if a robotic lion could emote. What Owen couldn't see was that Black was using its bond with Keith to keep an eye on him, scanning the area for threats through its sensors. It didn't need to be right next to Keith to protect him.

Keith did find two other spots that he didn't feel before. One on his left hip that extended about halfway down his outer tight, and one on his right shoulder, around the back of the joint across his right shoulder blade. So, far, the only one that bothered him was on the scar, but that could be because it was a scar and not unmarked skin. His other scars were pretty much left alone at this point, so he couldn't say, either way.

After cleaning up and getting back into his armor, he headed back to camp. He got back as Owen was inspecting his own back.]

Is that another one?

[ Oddly enough, these probably would worry Owen a little less if he could actually feel them. As it was it was just... weird, seeing something that wasn't right with him, and yet not feel it in any way at all. No pain, no itching, not even an awareness that it was there.

He tensed slightly at Keith's approach, but he had seen the new mark now. So there was no point in trying to cover it up and hide it from him. ]

Wasn't there yesterday.

[ He lowered the pot, putting his shirt back on. Then he glanced at Keith. ] Found any others on you, too?

[Keith nodded, looking concerned.]

They weren't there yesterday, either.

[He had paused at the edge of their little camp, but now he came the rest of the way in, touching the Lion's nose again for a second before settling down near the center of their staked out spot.]

I've got one on my hip and one on my shoulder.

It's not just a color change, either, right? Like... I wasn't just thinking they felt different when I touched them?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

exploration mingle: branching out

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