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In the Night Moderators ([personal profile] inthenightmods) wrote2018-05-09 11:11 pm

exploration


EXPLORATION


ACTIVE EXPLORATION SLOTS: 0/8

Explorations are currently OPEN. They will close again when we run out of active exploration slots.

Building a structure may be done at any time and does not affect the active exploration slots.

•••

The forest engulfing Beacon is dense and uncharted, but that just means there's never a shortage of cool stuff to discover lurking off the beaten path. There's always new locations, plot clues, or extra resources to be found, so although venturing into the woods is always dangerous, the rewards may just outweigh the risks.

Once you come up with a plan, please fill out and submit the form below. We'll respond in one of two ways, depending on the nature of your exploration:

  • In most cases, we'll respond with a single write-up detailing the outcome of your exploration. For example, characters venturing out into a particular part of the woods may discover a new location! In that case, you'll receive a full description of that new location, along with any other details worth noting, such as forest spirit encounters or difficulties along the way. If your group would then like to react to any of this or explore that location after its discovery, you can then respond with your own write-up of everything your group would investigate, and we'll let you know what happens as a result. And that's it! Then the exploration is wrapped, the location becomes available to the game at large, and you're welcome to thread out any details of the exploration if you like.

  • In limited cases, an exploration request will open a dialogue between the players and mods to determine the outcome of your exploration. For example, characters attempting to interact with forest spirits may get the chance to play out that encounter, whether it be a pleasant conversation or, uh, the forest spirit trying to kill you, since that happens sometimes. Explorations of this nature will not always result in a response like this, as it'll depend on our availability as mods. If you're interested in doing an exploration like this and don't want to leave it up to chance, PM us! We'll work with you to schedule an encounter.

Regardless of which type of exploration you end up with, what you do during an exploration is entirely up to you, so feel free to get creative! We always try to reward creativity in some way, even if it's not a success in the way that you hoped for.

•••

Before you embark on your quest, here's everything you need to know about explorations:

  • Exploring uncharted territory is intended to be dangerous, and there is always a risk of failure, injury, and other setbacks. If you're not on board with these risks, exploration may not be in the cards for you.

  • That said, the exploration form includes an opt-in for serious injury and death. If you aren't interested in having your character(s) at risk for that stuff at this time, you can let us know upfront. Please keep in mind that opting out of serious injury/death does not mean you're opting out of the above risks of failure, injury, and other setbacks. Those risks are always in play during explorations. In addition, while opting out of serious risks doesn't mean you'll get a watered down exploration, some discoveries lurking out in the forest are reserved for risk-taking characters. For example, opting out of serious risks eliminates the chance of running into the hostile green-eyed spirits, so characters interested in pursuing green-eyed spirit plot threads will have to put themselves on the line to do so.

  • If you choose to opt into the risks of serious injury and death, your character's safety is forfeit and you give the mods the right to maim accordingly (though, of course, we'll check permissions posts in doing so). This does not mean that groups opting into these risks will always be tormented and killed! It's just helpful for us to know your preferences and expectations upfront. Please keep in mind that opting into the risk of serious injury or death applies to the whole group, not just individual characters.

  • Explorations into the area of Beacon currently occupied by the Parade will always be extra dangerous. Characters will run the risk of encountering the Parade itself, but besides that, the Parade's presence gets all the forest spirits in the area extra revved up, increasing their hostility. We'll give you the "danger zone warning" at the top of the exploration if you're about to head into Parade-infested territory, as characters may be seriously injured or killed at any point during an exploration within the parade route. You can check the Parade's schedule on the calendar page.

  • Chance of success will be left up to a mix of mod discretion and RNG. We'll typically use a RNG to determine what you find, if anything, but we'll also take player/character ingenuity into account. In short: If you have a solid, creative plan, you're more likely to be rewarded for that. Aimlessly wandering won't always get you nothing, but it's less likely to earn you something neat for your trouble. (However, please do be encouraged to follow the dumb idea that's in your character's heart. We will reward for IC idiocy, too.)

  • Having torches from the bonfire with you will also increase your chance of success, though be careful: If you lose the torches while exploring, someone will have to recover them or they're lost forever. Additionally, you must request torches through the item request page in order to take them on explorations. Torches not logged through the item requests page are not considered game canon.

  • Once you receive a mod response to your exploration, you will have one week to tag us back. If that week timer runs out, we'll consider that exploration closed, and mod responses will stop. You're welcome to handwave your own IC conclusion to the exploration at that point. To be extra clear: the time it takes for us mods to respond to your exploration is not included in that time limit. The timer starts fresh each time we tag you back.

  • Explorations over two weeks old will be wrapped in the next mod response. This is to prevent explorations from dragging on for too long, which will slow up our system, but more importantly, it'll make for awkward timing issues in the game! We don't want to leave players waiting on exploration outcomes to be able to engage with the rest of the game.

  • Characters may only embark on one exploration at a time, no matter how small. Pretty self explanatory! One at a time, please. If you play more than one character, you may send them on concurrent explorations, but keep in mind that we might deny exploration requests like this to give other players a chance to hop in.

  • We will only accept a maximum of 8 active explorations at a time. If those 8 slots fill up, we'll close the queue to new submissions until we're able to wrap some of the active adventures. This number is based on mod availability.

  • Explorations will always be closed during events except under rare special circumstances. Similarly, explorations can't be forward- or back-dated to happen during an event. Go do event things instead!

  • You can also submit an "exploration" to build a new structure on this page! Just use the appropriate form below.


To EMBARK ON AN EXPLORATION, please fill out the form below:



To BUILD A STRUCTURE or ALTER THE SETTING, please fill out the form below:



Please note that with the recent discovery of the medical center, each player may only explore the medical center ONCE for the time being in order to give everyone a chance to get involved. If exploration requests die down and there are still areas to be uncovered, we may lift that rule. We'll make an announcement in the OOC comm should that happen.


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pearlstrings: ((via shithouse)) (Default)

[personal profile] pearlstrings 2019-09-28 05:42 am (UTC)(link)
player name(s): marzi
character(s): bruce wayne
type of exploration: minor? maybe major? please advise OTL
area of exploration: village and outward
notes: bringing supplies or torches? bruce has been staying in the museum doing nerd things up till now, but rastus has been kind enough to provide him with a metal detector and bruce has been making some diligent notes. he's started drafting a map of the town and has brought a length of rope and home home made rigging with him.

he's looking specifically for railway tracks on the belief that a mining town would house miners, who were unlikely to stay in the town hotel. he'll start his search in the village and slowly fan his way outward. he's trying to locate tracks, carts, rails, or even mining supplies- but he's also only making a preliminary run. he isn't about to follow anything he might find all on his own, he knows he's unprepared. he will alternate between tying one end of his rope to a tree and using it to walk into the woods, then to follow back out, casing the area for anything that might ping.
pearlstrings: ((via shithouse)) (fifteen)

[personal profile] pearlstrings 2019-09-30 03:31 am (UTC)(link)
That's alright I planned on waiting! I just wasn't sure what the queue was and what this would... fall under OTL
wheeze I'm sorry I was trying to be Prepared
pearlstrings: ((via shithouse)) (Default)

[personal profile] pearlstrings 2019-10-20 01:07 am (UTC)(link)
Okay! 84 years later-

Bruce has elected not to go charging forward by himself and is instead bringing Jason Grace and Vanitas along. Their dubious motley crew will head out after the hallucinations have ended (because the three of us plan to log this based around whatever- unfolds here) and the plan is as follows:

They will not bring torches, but they will have their ocarinas and they'll take lengths to mute the light of their lanterns. He has a few snacks, drinking water, and a first aid kit strapped to his back because he's neurotic. Bruce is also bringing climbing supplies for the three of them and a whole lot of rope, as well as the metal detector, and tools to draw up a map as they go along. They're going to use the same process as before- tethering themselves to trees with rope as they head in to explore whatever the pings were- and then if possible, to follow them.

No one is injured or otherwise impaired! All three are skilled combatants- Jason can fly and Vanitas can navigate in the dark. Bruce is baseline human and they're probably sharing his braincell.
pearlstrings: ((via shithouse)) (Default)

[personal profile] pearlstrings 2019-10-22 07:12 pm (UTC)(link)
danger is... idk someone's middle name. who knows. i don't think vanitas even has a last name who's counting

Bruce will stop just long enough to take a few measurements, to see how buried the tracks are in some places and to take soil samples. But the group as a whole will continue to follow them until reaching the bank of a river. After hearing about the dangers presented by dipping toes into the last river they elect to avoid interacting with the water entirely and just focus on getting to the other side.

Vanitas uses his dark portals to teleport first and appear on the other side of the bridge instead of trying to test the planks. And Jason does a marvelous impression of the Magic School Bus, carrying Bruce across as he flies. They'll have tied off their ropes to follow on the way back and from here on will need to mark the path a different way. Bruce will try to do this by using some of the flame from his lantern to leave small burn marks in tree trunks as they go.
pearlstrings: ((via shithouse)) (Default)

[personal profile] pearlstrings 2019-10-23 06:48 pm (UTC)(link)
At the first sign of discomfort, Jason will suggest that he leave marks with a weapon he's brought instead, and while Bruce won't discourage him from doing it, he'll continue to leave small marks. He figures that anything following them or trying to make them lost will be able to replicate scratches on a tree. But he hasn't heard of any spirit carrying a lantern and fire is in short supply. It'll be the most difficult thing to replicate.

They'll set up a small camp as the day wears on, once they get to the giant fork in the road, and discuss their options that night. Sleeping in shifts.

In the 'morning' they elect to keep following the tracks north and set off fresh.
pearlstrings: ((via shithouse)) (Default)

[personal profile] pearlstrings 2019-10-30 04:24 am (UTC)(link)
Well that's not a great sign. No one has slept very well but then again they aren't out here on vacation. They're surprised to have reached the lake again and by extension what looks like the end of the tracks- which is strange when what they'd been searching for was the beginning. The tracks have to come from somewhere- that have to have stopped to get the ore from somewhere so it's time to start backtracking. The tracks came from the south and they followed them from that point to the north so- hey must have missed something.

Before setting off again, are they able to see the lighthouse from where they are and get some idea of their location in conjunction with it? For mapmaking purposes.

Assuming that nothing looks out of the ordinary, when their backtracking returns them to the strange fork (https://inthenightmods.dreamwidth.org/1212.html?thread=642748#cmt642748) where they decided to follow the tracks, they'll elect to follow the path instead, since they're here. Instead of using the route that would likely return them towards town, they go in the opposite direction instead- using the ropes to navigate and taking a break on leaving scorch marks on those trees.
pearlstrings: ((via shithouse)) (Default)

[personal profile] pearlstrings 2019-11-05 03:13 am (UTC)(link)
The verdict is keep on heading south, and keeping an ear out for the strange (possibly monkeys?) that they heard when they first set up camp.
notthatjason: (Default)

Question!

[personal profile] notthatjason 2019-11-06 12:58 am (UTC)(link)
Jason is pretty familiar with the wind.

If it is “wind” or something to do with “wind” that is odd, Jason would probably figure that out. Wind magic/power and knowing the winds is kind of his thing. So he would be paying extra attention to that.

So, I guess to make this a question: would he be able to eliminate "that's just the wind" as a possibility?
Edited 2019-11-06 00:58 (UTC)
pearlstrings: ((via shithouse)) (Default)

[personal profile] pearlstrings 2019-11-07 11:21 pm (UTC)(link)
The group has decided to press forward to investigate the structure! (After Vanitas almost has a heart attack seeing the silhouette that resembles an Old Friend.) They'll decide to try their luck and push through exhaustion to make sure that the area is clear of danger, working through the area little by little. Vanitas will teleport to give them an understanding of the perimeter and Jason can fly so that will let them have some kind of aerial advantage. Bruce will use his ocarina to recite a few tunes from the handbook they've been so generously given- to see if anything responds- but the three will be unwilling to travel too far from each other with uh. Whatever it is that's lurking nearby.
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[personal profile] pearlstrings 2019-11-13 05:45 am (UTC)(link)
They're very determined idiots so they're going to head inside. Since it's getting close to camp time, they'll go to the garage like building to make sure it's clear, to explore it and check for supplies, but also to sleep in shifts.

In the 'morning' they'll split up to look for supplies, equipment, and clues without traveling too far from each other. Bruce specifically will be looking for records, papers, photographs- anything that might contextualize this place they've discovered focusing mostly on the garage area and the boat. Vanitas's unversed will be able cover more ground for them- rooting through cars while Vanitas himself will be doing a great impression of that kid sent to summer camp who doesn't want to be there. So long as there aren't any weird doors to open or mysterious buttons to push he'll probably keep his shit-stirring to a blessed minimum. Jason, as their resident superman will definitely get asked to fly up and check out that crane. Sorry dude.
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[personal profile] pearlstrings 2019-11-15 05:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Jason would be interested in snagging any tools that would be useful for the different construction projects, especially if those tools weren’t available in the general store, though mostly he would be keeping an eye out for trouble since a junkyard means lots of places for things to hide.


Vanitas will freeze at first when he sees the spirit dog, but it doesn't look like the ones that attacked him, nor like almost anything else he's seen. What makes him pause is that chain. Vanitas might have broken emotions but he can recognize a kindred spirit (no pun intended). After the initial fear, he'll summon an Unversed in the shape of a more normal sized dog and send it forward to greet the spirit. It'll approach almost nervously, but very much like a puppy interacting with a grown dog, meeting it for the first time while Vanitas watches from a careful distance.


Bruce will unfortunately now have an interest in finding the tragically named "The Seaduction" among the other junk that's found its way here. He'll collect what he can of what's legible so that he can look over it later, including the calendar and the invoices. He'll also collect a few supplies for mechanical repairs. And then, because it seems like the thing to do on his way out- he'll return to the gumball machine and wedge the slot open, manually loosening the crank inside to take all the gum. He hopes Selina would be proud.
pearlstrings: ((via shithouse)) (Default)

[personal profile] pearlstrings 2019-11-20 06:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Bolt-cutters acquired, Jason will begin making his way to Vanitas's direction, following the Unversed that'd been sent his way.

Vanitas isn't sure what he expected. Maybe for the spirit to attack because the Unversed are far from what might be considered normal. Does this mean the spirit recognizes his creatures as something familiar? The dog-Unversed drops to its belly and inches forward, almost dwarfed by the spirit— and watching them Vanitas is reminded of another spirit that treated him without cruelty. He hesitates, then takes a few steps forward- no where near close enough to touch but certainly making his presence known. The littler Unversed puts one oddly shaped leg forward to touch the spirit's paw.

Bruce will be less interested in following the Unversed than he will be in seeing if he can get inside the sad old boat and rummage around the same way he had in the office of the junkyard.
pearlstrings: ((via shithouse)) (Default)

[personal profile] pearlstrings 2019-11-26 12:34 am (UTC)(link)
It looks like a dog, and acts like a dog, so it stands to reason it thinks like a dog- but stranger things have happened. That's why Vanitas speaks to it like it'll understand: "We're looking for a mine," After a moment's hesitation, Vanitas steps carefully closer, watching it almost without blinking. The Unversed creeps forward on it's belly, almost in tandem, crawling between the spirit's legs like it'll hide underneath it. "Do you live here?"

Bruce, no stranger to discomfort, will take his time moving through the hull and will take the ships logs with him before climbing back out and meeting up with Jason- where they both head towards Vanitas and his New Friend.