exploration

[inthenightmods]

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:

<b>player name(s):</b> (please list ALL PLAYERS involved with the exploration!) <b>character(s):</b> (please list ALL CHARACTERS involved with the exploration!) <b>area of exploration:</b> (please be as specific as possible! we need to know where your character is/is trying to go.) <b>date(s) of exploration:</b> (you may forward or back date by up to two weeks from the current date.) <b>plan:</b> (what, specifically, are you doing? this is the place to detail the plan in full, so be sure to include all of the relevant details so that we can factor it all into our response. consider questions like: what's the goal? are you bringing supplies or torches? does anyone have experience or training that could assist with your plan? is anyone already injured or impaired? tell us what your plan is! AS A REMINDER, EXPLORATIONS WILL TYPICALLY ONLY RECEIVE ONE RESPONSE TO DETAIL THE RESULT, so it's important to be clear about your intentions and plans!) <b>is your group willing to accept risk of serious injury/death?</b> (a simple yes/no is all we need, and please only give ONE ANSWER for the whole group. a "yes" here doesn't automatically mean you'll all die horribly, and a "no" doesn't mean you won't get anything cool. we'll check permissions posts before injuring/killing characters.)

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

<b>player name(s):</b> (please only list the names of the players ORGANIZING construction/alteration.) <b>character(s):</b> (please list ALL CHARACTERS involved with construction/alteration.) <b>location:</b> (please be as specific as possible so that we can add it to the map!) <b>start date:</b> (when does this project BEGIN? based on the details you provide in this submission, we'll let you know how long it will take the characters to complete the project.) <b>plan:</b> (this is the place to tell us how the construction/alteration is going to happen! hit us up with as many details as you have, as we'll be using this plan to determine the length of the project.) <b>description:</b> (what does the finished product look like? this is the description as it will appear VERBATIM on the setting page.)

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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Comments

[broplaints]

player name(s): Anya, Daimon, Helena & Liz
character(s): Ignis Scientia, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, Noctis Lucis Caelum & Prompto Argentum
area of exploration: They are headed out to the new location given on the SD card Noctis received after participating in the photo scavenger hunt! They will mostly be following the gps directions that will hopefully lead them there!
date(s) of exploration: They will leave on the tenth, and hopefully return on the 15h - in time for the event
notes: They will be bringing some make shirt camping supplies along, stored away in Noct's Armiger - blankets to make a tent and some non-perishable food. Enough for a few days - five, perhaps six. They all pretty much have combat training and Luna will be their healer should they need it. They're also going to borrow a torch from Rastus. Otherwise they will take the most direct path and follow the GPS instructions pretty thoroughly!

[inthenightmods]

Our brave explorers will spend their first day . . . walking. Slightly anticlimactic, but there you are. But maybe just walking is enough. Because that's the thing about the darkness, you know? There's no telling what's out there. Oh, they've got their lanterns and one torch, but that doesn't really help, does it? They can see their feet and not too much farther. The trees are crowded thick this far into the forest, and more than once they have to reroute, finding their way around impassible pathways. Branches drag against their bare skin, leaving scratches. And sometimes they hear whispering . . .

But that's probably nothing to worry about.

Towards the end of the day, their first obstacle looms. Not a spirit, but something simpler: the river. There's no bridge here, and the bank is just a bit too wide to safely jump. How do they propose getting across?

[broplaints]

Why is there always a river?

Noctis will attempt to warp across it by himself at first, simply to ensure that he can. Granted that he makes it to the other side, he'll go back and individually warp each of his companions to the other side. This will, however, take a lot of energy and probably a bit of time, so they'll try and find a place to camp soon after. They'll look for some place that's out of the thick of the trees, but where they'll still be sheltered from the wind and cold, if any such place exist. They'll take turns keeping watch, and set out again early the next morning - granted that nothing goes wrong with the river crossing or during the night.

[inthenightmods]

In a pleasant twist of fate, Noct's plan works exactly as intended. The river lets them pass, and even the trees seem content to give them a little space to huddle. But whomever takes the first watch will find that they can't stay awake. It's not a choice; within ten minutes, their head nods and their eyes grow heavy.

The group is forced to sleep through the night.

When they wake, they'll find their tent flap forcibly torn open, the zipper ripped off. There's bits of dirt trailing in, but that's probably just the wind, right? Nothing is missing, after all. But ah, one oddity: sooner or later, they'll notice each one of them has a mark. They look almost like bruises. A discoloration on Luna's cheek, a few even stripes around Prompto's neck; Ignis has them near his eyes, while Noct will only find his if he takes his shirt off, because they're down the center of his chest. They don't hurt. They're just . . . there, the skin sickly bluish-black, unable to be healed no matter how hard Luna tries.

The next day they find themselves with the growing feeling that they're being watched. It starts slowly, with a creeping feeling, but by mid-afternoon grows into a full-blown fear. There are things watching them, it isn't a feeling so much as fact, because every so often they'll hear a peel of laughter.

It's nice. The sex of the voice changes, as does the age. A little girl, a grown man, an older woman . . . but all of them sound distant, echoing, like they're coming down from the far end of a tunnel.

If they look at their map, they'll find that the voices seem to be leading them right down the path-- and the closer they get to their destination, the louder and more frequent those voices will become. They also being murmuring words and snatches of phrases.

Will the group follow them? Listen to the voice? Or deviate off the path?

[broplaints]

A question before I get further into our reply! How long will the bruises last? Will they eventually go away on their own or will they hang around?

That is all incredibly creepy. They will all admittedly be a little spooked when they wake up an find the camp site in such a state. There will be a little bit of exploring around to see if they can find the culprit, and then a little bit more time spent realizing each of them bears a mark and various methods of trying to heal them; Noct's recovery and Luna's healing, before they decide to forge ahead.

Of course it takes a little convincing of Prompto because he's the only truly wise one in this equation, but Luna is a brave soul who will not leave her boys and Ignis and Noctis are reckless idiots who convince everyone that they've come this far, might as well keep going.

So, they'll head back onto the path and continue following it. Right up until they start to hear the voices. That's. Weird. They'll try and see if they can make out any of the phrases, and at some point even try and capture a clip on one of their tablets. But they've come this far, and the GPS has very clear instructions.

For the sake of their discovery, they press on and continue to follow the path / voices.

[inthenightmods]

The marks will be gone by the time the event rolls around!

As they press onwards, the voices will fade in and out of clarity. But the longer they walk, the louder they get, lapping over each other, seemingly unconnected to one another:

Mother said I shouldn't--
This will be fun, you'll see--
You can see right to the bottom, do you know--
But there's something in there--

After a time, the voices grow harder, crueler, little giggles interspersed between whispered taunts that seem to come from right behind them.

--he's not even the original? Just one in a million, if that, did you see his wrist?--
--I suppose the stars chose the wrong one--
--don't you think it's sad? your whole life caring for someone and he goes and dies anyway--
--what kind of woman kills herself just to let a man live?

They grow louder and louder, unrelenting, cold and cutting in their critiques. They're unable to be recorded: when and if the company plays back the clip, they'll hear only static and distortions. On and on and on, and it seems unending, until at last--

--they burst out of the trees and onto a shore, and it all goes quiet.

Congratulations, guys: you've found the lake.

[broplaints]

And this is how Noctis ends up trying to fight an actual ghost.

Okay no, thankfully he has much wiser people than him to reel him in and let him know that's not a good idea.

Once they reach the lake, they will take some time to explore; poking around the edges with sticks, throwing rocks into the water, trying to see if there's anything actually in it, or if it might be safe to enter. No one will actually enter it quite yet, just in case. Noctis might even get out a fishing rod and try to take it for a spin, just to see if there's anything that can be caught.

They will also try and take pictures of the bruises so they can hopefully show other's, and to keep a record of what's happened. It's here they'll probably try and make camp for a second night, near the shore, although all of them are now thoroughly freaked out.

[inthenightmods]

We-ell, speaking of those bruises, that's the real interesting thing . . .

Because the moment they step closer to the water, they begin to glow.

It's the same bioluminescence that some of the newcomers had reported in the water, and it doesn't seem inclined to go away. If they prod at it, smear it, tug at their skin, they'll find it's embedded in their skin, as permanent as a freckle. It also isn't able to be recorded: it's just pictures of themselves, dark and ordinary.

But! It doesn't hurt, so by all means: throw rocks. Prod at the lake with sticks. There's not much reaction, although the nifty thing about this lake is that you can see clear to the bottom. Not really spooky, just a neat little feature. The moonlight is more than enough to see the depths, and boy, it's deep. Branches and large rocks seem suspended within the crystal-clear water, but sadly for Noct, no fish. He can still try, though.

Making camp, they can certainly sleep. Which, by the way: who's keeping first watch? :)

[broplaints]

You've broken his heart.

This is. Fine. They are the very picture of that cartoon dog at the moment but at least nothing is on fire yet.

Deciding that with the previous nights, well, everything, they're going to choose the buddy system and go two at a time; so first watch goes to Prompto and Noctis. If they somehow manage to make it through the night, they are going to have the smallest amount of common sense and try and head back first thing in the morning.

[inthenightmods]

Tonight, they don't fall asleep. Instead: as they keep watch, they'll notice slowly that there's . . . hm. Something in the water.

A flash. A glimmer that lasts only a few seconds, if that, a flare of light that brightens and dims. It happens twice more, and if the boys are observant, they'll notice that their own marks are flaring and dimming in time with it.

This continues all night, although the pattern varies: sometimes there's only a few seconds between flashes, and then again sometimes it's an hour. Towards the end of the night, the flares get brighter, stretching out over their skin, consuming more of whatever bare flesh can be reached. Which is not great, honestly, but it's not as if it hurts, it's just . . . odd.

The boys may also notice, if they're particularly observant, that there seems to be . . . something way, way out on the horizon. An island, maybe? Or perhaps just a sandbar. It's hard to say from this distance.

Once the evening is done, those glowing marks fade away. The lake is still and dark, and the way back is clear and free of incident.

Good job, guys! Way to find the hell out of that lake!

[broplaints]

Everyone is sufficiently creeped the hell out, but being who they are; they will eventually be back. That's for another day though. Gotta see if they can replicate everything that happened. You know, for science.

For now they'll head back, barring any happenings like on the journey there, pushing through until they're safely back in Beacon.

Thank you so much mods!

[techtype]

Prompto is bringing earplugs next time. Lake Close Encounters is cool, but the trip there is very not. Thanks but no thanks ghost friends.

And thank you as well!