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

[inthenightmods]

When he turns, there's a rustle of fabric behind him, and the candleflames flicker. Still, he'll see nothing.

"Lantern repair is intricate work. I apologize if my work has left you less than whole."

[evulsed]

Maybe he should be more upset about this idea, but he says: "I've always been less than whole."

Which might have been almost boastful, if he were talking to anyone else. Instead, there's a sort of melancholy in it. He turns around to face the candles, following the flicker, trying to follow where she might be.

[inthenightmods]

As he searches for the voice, he'll notice that the shadows in the corner near the entrance seem to have materialized into a solid form. Two eyes glow softly, trained on Vanitas.

"It troubles me that you say this as accepted fact."

[evulsed]

His heart leaps into his throat when he spots the tell tale glow, but its excitement instead of fear. Both hands curl into fists at his sides, an effort to keep still.

"I've accepted my fate. I know what I am."

A beat.

"Someone I know had a dream about this church when the spirits attacked. A vision from the past."

[inthenightmods]

The eyes are unmoving, unblinking, as they watch Vanitas in silence for a long moment.

"It is admirable that you are sure despite your existence in this world. However, I've found that continued existence may lead us down new paths we had not yet thought to search for. I advise you to keep your mind open."

Silence, again.

"Will you tell me of this vision?"

[evulsed]

She speaks in a very formal way, which is another thing that only soothes him. The cadence is familiar enough without rubbing him the wrong way and reminding him too heavily of his Master.

"He said they went into the past. The church was whole, until it wasn't." Vanitas' yellow eyes are trained on the unblinking lights, as though afraid that if he looks away the evidence of her will disappear too.

"It broke down before their eyes. The bell didn't ring. The walls oozed black tar. He said, it seemed like disease came to this place. There was a note someone left behind: We're all going to die."

Vanitas stares a moment longer, then starts moving forward down the aisle, closer to her. He stops, and puts his hand on one of the pews. He destroyed them before and knows they can move, so he pushes it, like he could show the picture, even though there's nothing there. It screeches loudly.

"There was a picture on the floor. He called it Oroboros."

Vanitas has no idea what that is, which is clear in the way his tongue moves around the syllables. He stops, a lonely island in the middle of the church, looking at her.

"He said that he thinks he heard you underground, but when they went down there, all they saw were people in white sheets."

[inthenightmods]

The figure remains still until the mention of the Ouroboros, when the eyes tilt upward suddenly.

"I see."

There's a click, and the figure takes proper shape in the darkness: Something humanoid, taller than Vanitas and cloaked in a black hood. It moves toward him in slow, careful steps, its heavy boots thumping against the floor.

"Tell me, child. Who is it that you think I am?"

[evulsed]

His heart leaps into his throat, kick starting with excitement. It has so little to do with the conversation and so much to do with drawing her out. The closer the figure comes, the more he has to tilt his head back to look into the shadow of the hood, where a face should be.

His hands curl into fists in an effort to keep still, to not reach out.

"I think you've been here a long time.

I don't think you're the same as the other spirits.

You don't get involved.

You keep the Lights."

His back is to the candles, so he can't glance at them, but...

"You fix the lanterns and bring us back when we die."

1/2

[inthenightmods]

The figure stops once it's just out of reach. At this distance, Vanitas will be able to make out what looks to be a modified gas mask under the hood, its visor flipped up to reveal the glowing eyes within.

"You are correct in every detail but one, child."

There's another click, and Vanitas will feel the hairs on his arms stand up as he's frozen in place by some sort of paralysis. He'll be able to breathe, speak, and move his head, but otherwise he's stuck where he's standing.

Two long-clawed hands reach up to undo the bottom clasp of the mask, pushing it upwards...

2/2

[candlemom]

"I am not a forest spirit."

The woman under the mask looks very much human, in fact, save for her pale gray skin and glowing eyes. She opens her cloak to fish through a pocket, and Vanitas will catch a glimpse of a brightly-glowing lantern attached to her middle by a bandolier.

Out of the pocket comes a pen and notepad. She scribbles something on a page, tears it out of the pad, and gently clasps Vanitas' hands in hers. He'll realize then that the claws are manufactured, designed out of what feels like heavy duty plastic and attached to fitted gloves. She tucks the scrap of paper into his hand.

"Write to me, and have the others do so as well. Tell me of these visions in as much detail as you can remember. The Postmaster General will know how to find me."

She gives Vanitas a hesitant smile, patting his hand.

"I'll be in touch."

Then, she steps back, slipping her mask back on as she again disappears into the shadows. There's a click, and another click, and Vanitas is free from whatever had been holding him still. He is alone.

On the scrap of paper, written in elegant script:

Dr. Maridel Solis

[evulsed]

[evulsed]

This sensation is familiar, this paralysis. He'd experience something like it the first time he saw her in person, and like that first time, it prevents him from reaching out.

Then he sees her face, and his eyes go huge.

He could never have guessed what she might have really been. He knew she was different but not... this. Vanitas stares into her face, his expression wide and almost childlike in his wonder. It's almost enough to stop him from really taking her in— but she moves and his eyes go to the bright shine of her lantern, to her hands when she writes.

The touch and her smile are seared into his body and his mind, so much so that he almost forgets, once he's freed, to look at the paper she'd given him.

But he isn't the kind of person to go running to share the news. Instead, he folds the paper into both hands and holds it against his chest, like it's as precious as the little blue flower she gave him, and exhales shakily.