August Event Log: Part I

[savmods]

Who: Everyone
When: August 9 and onward
Where: An unexpected destination
What: The newcomers go on a trip and end up far from where they expected
Warnings: Potential violence. Please label your content!

NOTE: PLEASE READ THIS OOC POST FIRST.

When the time comes for the travelers to go on the off-world trip that will help restore Thisavrou, they are not alone. Others who have settled on the planets longer and come to call them home are also prepared to travel; through the Ingress and do their part. Yet when the newcomers step through, whether they stepped through the Ingress seconds or hours apart, they will find that they have arrived at the same time, and only newcomers are in sight.

What awaits them is not a land of plenty. The land is barren, and dark storms in the sky resemble those held at bay by the Ingress complex—but much, much closer. Those who traveled on the Moira may recognize the landscape; though they have come through at a different point from the crash, they are on the Midway Hub. And there is no portal back. They are trapped.

hitting the road

Though some have been here before, the Midway Hub is not as they remember it. The storms fill the sky, leaving it dark and ominous even when they are not sweeping across the landscape—but they have clearly done so in recent times, and often. While never a lush land, large patches of ground an acre or more wide looking nothing more than utterly dead; the thistle that naturally grows is brittle, black and unable to be consumed even with the usual preparations to make it edible, and here and there animal corpses are found twisted into unnatural poses, but seemingly uninjured. These places are particularly concentrated near the broken Ingresses litter the landscape. While Midway Hub as a whole may seem naturally arid, these dead spots leave no hope that anything can possibly live there again.

The travelers have two options: stay where they are, or move on. While it might seem that they've been tricked into coming here and been left abandoned, those with the technological ability to do so may detect a sign of hope: a familiar energy source, far in the distance. Although none of the Ingresses they pass will ever work again, the faint energy shows that one still-functioning Ingress lies far in the distance, days away.

Although technological scanning or impressive memory of the landscape indicates that they are not separated from their destination by one of the gates that divide the land, they are also far from the shelter of the facility at the center of the Hub. Any attempt to travel in a direction other than that of the energy signal will result in a strange disorientation after several hours, bringing individuals back to their original path as though they've gone in circles. Meanwhile, though travelers will feel the need to slake their hunger and thirst through any natural water sources they discover, wildlife they can hunt for food and any supplies they have on them, if they don't find sustenance, they'll find that they will never pass out or reach the point of starvation. Instead, they'll be left alive and awake but feeling utterly hollow.

storm front

At regular intervals, the energy storms above descend onto the land, bringing not rain but violent clashes of negative energy and thunder so loud that nothing can be heard above it. The passing of the storms leaves some strange effects. The ground is warped and rotted by their touch, even solid stone degrading to a spongy surface. The air is tepid and oddly charged. Prolonged contact with air or ground will not supply energy, however — it drains it from organic and synthetic life alike.

Those who remember their last trip to the Hub, or simply explore in the right direction, may come across the cave complexes with their glowing surfaces and streams. The light is dimmer now, a sickly green, but drinking from the streams will still restore the energy lost, for a time. This time, however, the lethargy that inevitably follows is much more severe, and the drinkers are left with a raw, empty feeling leeching in from the wasteland around.

Those who are exposed to the storms, either by finding themselves in very close proximity or even closely observing them for too long as they approach, may lose their sight, or hearing, even much of the ability to feel touch — whatever sense they used in observation. What lingers in its place is a numbness. A hunger. And as time passes, the time between storms decreases; what seemed like hours between the storms becomes scarcely one, and their intensity grows.

wild life

Sentient beings are not the only ones affected by the storms; these creatures, attracted to sound and able to track by scent, and these panthers, which once looked normal but have been twisted by the storms into more monstrous forms, are numerous enough that travelers must be constantly alert for their presence. Though natural predators, the threat the creatures represent is not itself natural. They are also more aggressive. Some strange instinct drives them, not a need for food. While the panthers themselves can be caught and their meat cooked, it has little taste, offering nutrition but not satisfaction.

old familiar places

Although it's difficult to track the passage of time without day-night cycles, after what seems like more than a week of the travelers' unexpected trip, the storms abruptly come rushing in at the group of travelers, as if they're herding the group to move faster toward their destination and the Ingress energy that awaits them. The true nature of that destination becomes clear when debris appears on the horizon; the energy comes from the wreckage of the Moira, the interstellar ship that crashed here months ago.

Despite the trauma of impact, large sections of the ship remain surprisingly intact, though few of them are properly vertically oriented. If travelers are able to make their way inside the damaged sections of the ship, they'll find familiar territory, if they are one of those who traveled on the Moira, as well as shelter—something that's increasingly necessary as the storms seem to center over the ship, leaving little hope for survival outside. Useful items may be scavenged from the ship if they are willing to explore, but no personal items of any kind remain.

Strangely, the deeper travelers go into the crashed ship, the less familiar their surroundings will seem, regardless of their orientation. The inward-leading paths into the ship become generic metal, and as with the travel on the surface of the planet, they may find themselves back where they started. And no matter how far they go or how hard they try, they will find themselves unable to make it to the Ingress chamber itself...for now.

Comments

[tearmeanewone]

[No, it's not great, he just doesn't know that it's insane because he doesn't understand what it is. Once he does that's when his opinion will change, that's how it always happens.]

Slow down a minute, this is different than just making pictures appear, I need you to understand that-- it's important. [Elizabeth's voice wavers at the end. This whole trip has been one slip-up after another, and the stress of her secret getting out is starting to crack the idea that she has all of this under control.]

[But she's never actually had control. That's what makes it terrifying. Even without a siphon, even without a leash or an Ingress interfering, her age and her emotions just made her more and more unstable. She's a land mine.]

Where I came from, this was treated as a problem, and now we've just been abandoned by the Savrii so sentiment towards Ingress travel is probably not at it's most positive, but just... listen until I'm done. Because the explanation is going to sound a lot like what the Savrii study and I promise you, I have nothing to do with them.

The Ingress energy, the phenomenon that occurs between the two planets... I generate that energy naturally. By myself. Half of my pinky finger exists in another timeline, and so the barriers between them... to me, they're doors instead of walls.

But I can't get anyone home-- nothing I create is stable or safe enough to get a living being through, I swear, I would have offered if I could. But I swear to you I can't. [This is the worst explanation, and she knows it, but it's got a very specific purpose at the moment: separating herself from the Savrii and trying to avoid being press-ganged into service as a walking Ingress.]

[shadowblends]

[Poor Elizabeth. She's completely unaware of Kurt's ability to be enthralled with things that are even considered dangerous. See also: his slight fixation with swords.]

I do understand. Also, I wasn't trying to assume anything about what you were doing. As often as I seem to do that, it usually ends up coming back to bite me later.

[The way her voice falters makes Nightcrawler give pause, brow creasing with concern. He doesn't understand why Elizabeth is so shaken up about this, but regardless of his own insatiable curiosity, he purses his lips as tightly as he can manage to keep quiet while she explains.

And when she does, he's left with an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach, a sour taste lingering in his mouth. Her powers were deemed problematic in her world, almost like how homo superior were continuously shunned because of their mutations. Except, as she continues, he's more than a little surprised to hear that she fears people blaming her for their unfortunate circumstances.

Okay, so maybe it's not the greatest clarification. He can understand why she'd be wary about letting people know she can do this sort of thing; a realization that makes him wrinkle his noise then slouch with a mixture of relief and disappointment. Yes, being unable to ask her to send them all home is a bummer, but--]

Elizabeth, please, be at ease. We're friends. I trust that if you had the ability to do so, you wouldn't have hesitated to help people get home— yourself included, I'd hope.

[tearmeanewone]

[Kurt no, no sharp edges.]

[Elizabeth snorts softly, and realizes a little too late that maybe Kurt thinks she's rejecting the idea that they're friends.] No, that was-- I'm not going home. I escaped from that place and no one could pay me to go back. [Largely because it doesn't exist anymore, but those are details.]

[She picks up a chair and rights it so she can sit down. It's tiring, wandering around the Moira and searching for any tear that might open to her, but it also feels like she's having some kind of heart-attack.]

...I would have. I would have sent anyone who wanted to go home back, and anyone who wanted to stay with someone else could have gone that way too. But the Ingress... It has similar properties to a device that was used on me before. It pulls my energy off of me, so I can't use the full extent of it.

It sounds like an excuse though, doesn't it? For all anybody knows, I could be Savrii, and responsible for taking us here and intentionally stranding us. We're in the middle of nowhere, with dwindling supplies and an environment that is anything but forgiving. People are going to panic. I know what happens when people panic, when they need something to blame.

[shadowblends]

[But sharp edges are good for protection!]

Why wouldn't you—? [Honestly, he shouldn't finish that question. People have their reasons and they don't always need to be explained to him, no matter how curious he might be.] ... ah, nevermind.

[Kurt watches her turn a chair upright to sit in, head tipping in an inquiring manner. A haze of midnight colored smoke and a quick bamf later, he's suddenly standing in front of Elizabeth, albeit at arms length, since he isn't looking to invade her personal space right now; she obviously needs a moment. This close, though, he can take advantage of his position to examine her, make sure she doesn't need medical attention. (Which he can totally provide, by the way, should she require it.)]

So, the Ingress keeps you from using your powers to thwart the Savrii's plans for us. Being able to send everyone home with ease would put quite the damper on that.

[He pauses, leans ever so slightly forward and scrunches his nose in contemplation.] I don't think you're Savrii, [admits the blue boy.] And I'm not going to let anyone blame you for something you've taken no part in. If someone tries to harm you, tries to blame you for this ... this mishap— I'll be sure to correct them. [Funny how he decides to be vague on what he'd do to make sure Elizabeth's not slandered.]

[tearmeanewone]

[BUT DANGERRRRR....]

[Why wouldn't she--? Because Columbia doesn't exist anymore and everywhere else just felt... wrong. She didn't have a home. She never had, and she might have forgotten the only home she ever had.]

[The sudden teleport does catch her off guard and she jerks a little when Kurt reappears in front of her. She's not hurt, at all. Maybe a little tired looking, sore, hungry-- but otherwise in one piece. Healthy enough to give Kurt a vaguely annoyed look as he scrunches his nose at her.]

Kurt. [She sighs heavily and rubs her forehead.] You shouldn't get involved in anything like that. It will get ugly, I promise you. Everyone has an opinion on this now, I guarantee it. [He's too good to get mixed up in her violent altercations.]

[shadowblends]

[Her indignation toward his concern is ... almost endearing. It's very Elizabeth, that's for sure, which makes him roll his eyes. The amused quirk of his lips isn't hidden, though.]

Shouldn't I be allowed to decide for myself if it's worth the risk? [Violence or no, Kurt doesn't abandon his friends-- especially when they may need him most.] Besides, I'm not worried about other peoples' opinions at this moment.

[No, what he wants to know has nothing to do with what they're currently talking about.] When was the last time you slept? [Prepared to be flooded with questions, Elizabeth.]

[tearmeanewone]

[Ugh, talk about choices and autonomy. Elizabeth can't reasonably argue with that without feeling like a great big hypocrite. She fixes Kurt with another vaguely irritated but resigned look-- you win this time, Blueboy.]

[She sighs heavily and throws up her hands weakly.] I can't sleep here. No place seems safe enough. I fall asleep when I have to, but I don't stay there.

[shadowblends]

[Yes, success! But he can celebrate later. The way Elizabeth tosses up her hands is more than a little disheartening. His eyebrows knit together, nose wrinkling in thought.]

What if I volunteered to be a lookout while you slept? You could get a decent amount of rest and not have to worry about ... things trying to sneak up on you.