TRAVEL LOG #1

[synfluxmods]

TRAVEL LOG #1

CONTENT WARNINGS: potential mentions of drugs, suspected mind-control, alcohol, and gambling, gore.

▶ 001. A RUDE AWAKENING.

On the morning of the 15th, the Outsiders will hear an alarm sound in the early hours. No matter what you’re doing, the alarm will not stop sounding, and it’s because they’re playing directly into your oculars. If one is sleeping, they may even be roused by the spark of colors on their oculars dictating an emergency. After a few minutes of this, the following message will appear:

PLEASE REPORT TO THE DATAPORTAL AT THE TOKYO BRANCH AND BE PREPARED FOR DEPARTURE.

"Captain Yamakawa speaking. You’ve done a great job in testing the data portals. Now that we are able to travel, we were sent a call for help in another city due to lack of personnel and resources abroad. You will be looking for evidence of a new kaiju around the rendezvous point. It may be a difficult journey, so prepare yourself. SYNTHIA will still be online to help you make it to the city. Report to the POD CHAMBER where we have installed an international dataportal and prepare for transportation."

Following the success of the dataportal testing, the engineering department was able to fine tune its abilities and widen the reach of the portals. The portals can connect even abroad now!

Despite their best efforts, however, they cannot guarantee that the same symptoms won’t appear, and ask all Outsiders who are utilizing them to practice caution. Additionally, through all their testing, they found that people who hold hands or make contact with others as they pass through will be hit with less issues.

▶ 002. WELCOME TO LAS VEGAS.

When one passes through the data portal, they will see the refuge city of Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Similar to Neo Tokyo, it is also rich in life and known as the city that never sleeps. Incidentally, it is also famously noted as a place of endless vice. The city is built up around a strip of land of roughly 4.2 miles. A vast majority of the city was built up over the wreckage of the old, and some fixtures were simply made new with whatever was left preexisting. The Mojave Desert has expanded towards surrounding cities, though it will take a vehicle to get there in a timely manner.

The city has no shortage of hotels and with each hotel, a casino. While Outsiders here are on a mission, there’s no stating they couldn’t participate in the fun of Vegas while LILITH crew begin their investigation. While some hotels will be clearly abandoned or less traversed, there is no end to all card tables and slot machines, all asking for your KRYPTOS.

The hotel the Outsiders are slotted to stay over the course of the next few days is one where they built directly over the hotels of the old. While it offers a decent place to sleep, it’s not without a refurbished pirate themed bed, or the columns of what appears to have been from Caesars Palace. Is that a giant clown face staring at you in the room? Don’t worry about it. The hotel offers that this is the best place to depart into the desert from. For this mission, Outsiders may bunk up with whoever they would like, and each hotel provides two queen sized beds.

Excited to venture out into the city? Even under the threat of kaiju, the city doesn’t sleep. Outsiders may venture through the Las Vegas Strip and treat themselves to a fun night of drinking, gambling, shopping, partying and circle-style performances. The Grand Canal Shoppes, a Venetian-inspired high end mall, boasts a man-made canal with gondola rides for a fee, along with many retail outlets and restaurants. There are also numerous spas and carnival-style rides to enjoy. Las Vegas was once known as the ‘Marriage Capital of the World’, and in a world besieged by kaiju, the people don’t seem to think they have anything to lose. Outsiders may spot a few bride and grooms-to-be partying in the street.

(LILITH does not have a stance on whether or not Outsiders are permitted to get hitched as long as it does not affect their performance. )

▶ 003. TROUBLE BREWING.

It’s normal for fights to break out with so much alcohol being passed around, but something … isn’t quite right with some of the locals here. Outsiders who keep an eye open might notice people acting erratically, and not just from being intoxicated. There are people ready to pick a fight from just being looked at, people falling into despondent sadness and lethargy, people wandering mindlessly and people becoming distressed from seeing things that aren’t there. Ask the locals and they will tell you these cases seem to be popping up more often the past week.

The most concerning of all are the stories of people disappearing completely. One little girl will tell you she cried as she saw her mother mindlessly walk into the desert, as if called by a voice no one else can hear. There are many other accounts of this happening. In fact, all the people acting erratically seem to disappear within a few days …

Outsiders may interact with civilians who are acting erratic and aggressive, but asking questions they may receive answers that do not make sense, are perverse and inappropriate or may trigger aggression. Any Outsider to gets into a fight and is severely injured may report to a local hospital here and will find they are pretty packed with other civilians acting strange, hurting each other and themselves. Certainly, this was the main cause for concern that got LILITH's attention anyway.

▶ 004. FOUR FOR THE ROAD.

Within a day or two, the Outsiders will once again be called to action by a blaring notice in their implant.

YOUR VEHICLES ARE PREPARED. ASSEMBLE OUTSIDE THE CITY IMMEDIATELY.

When they gather at the location provided to them, they will find a fleet of armored campervans waiting for them. Each campervan comes equipped with beds, a kitchenette, and bathroom facilities, and will fit about 4 people. Within the campervans, they will find desert-appropriate attire designed to protect them from the scorching sun. These campervans also come with some basic artillery such as a mounted machine gun. There are also supplies in the form of water bottles and MRE ration packs.

Those who have driven large vehicles in the past are encouraged to take the driver’s seat. If the group does not have any driving experience, they will be given a crash course on driving recorded by the man himself, Seok Dang. (He probably shouldn’t be doing this with the stunts he’s pulled, but the Commander does not have any time to be teaching anyone driving, and Seok Dang volunteered so eagerly…)

"Listen. If you’ve ever handled a ▄▄ before, the joystick is exactly like that. You gotta tug it, but not too hard. Gently, yeah, like that, that’s the path to ecstasy … "

If it eases anyone’s worries, the campervans are armored and highly shock resistant, so they should withstand a crash or two.

(Those who finish his course and successfully drive 100km while supervised will receive an international driving license.)

▶ 005. THE HUNT IS ON.

With everyone settled into their campervan, the large scale road trip begins. LILITH has a general idea of where the biggest energy signal is located for the rift and they will feed the coordinates to the Outsiders. The journey will take about a few days into (and around as LILITH is searching for both people & the source of the rift energy) the Mojave Desert, and Outsiders will be permitted occasional rest stops to give drivers a break and to investigate the terrain. The terrain itself is a harsh desert, with cacti and small local fauna abundant. (Those not wanting to eat ration packs can take this time to hunt the local fauna such as birds, lizards and desert foxes.) While there is nothing else around, observant Outsiders may notice signs of human life - footprints in the sand, a shoe or torn piece of clothing being left behind, and even the odd human carcass being torn apart by vultures.

The logical conclusion would be that those missing humans have been here, and the only thing left to do is find them … but Outsiders and civilians aren't all that lurk here, and time will tell what lies beneath the desert surface ...

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our very first travel log! Each campervan will accommodate anywhere between 3-5 people, with 4 being the ideal and 5 being a squeeze. Players are encouraged to connect with each other to fill up a van but the mods will not be enforcing it. If you need help finding roommates, there is a FIND A ROOMMATE header below that you can make use of.

If you'd like to test your gambling luck, we also have an IC SLOTS HEADER for you to comment to for you to see how well your character does at the slot machines. This is entirely for fun, and of course you are always welcome to have your characters winning or losing at the slot machines as much as you want in your prompts so long as they aren't winning jackpots.

Following this log, all characters who have purchased style upgrades will receive an update to their chip enabling them access to desert attire and popular styles within Las Vegas.

All tags on this log are worth 2 points.

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Comments

iic

[astarion]

[Far be it from Astarion to rush Winter and his routine in the bathroom. The vampire himself sometimes takes just as long, which is a feat unto itself, given that he can't even see his reflection in the mirror.

Instead, he's lounging on one of the beds, half-propped up against one of the headboards, making A Face at the somewhat terrifying clown face painted onto the opposite wall, staring at him in turn.]

Eugh. No thank you.

[circus of the last days flashbacks]

[icyspicy]

[ Pokes his head out of the bathroom. His hair is all wet and he’s clearly in the middle of whatever weird conditioning thing he has to do to make sure his waves don’t turn into frizz. ]

Something the matter?

[astarion]

[POINTS AT THE CLOWN FACE ON THE WALL]

That atrocious thing is the matter. It's awful, just look at it. Watching us while we sleep or try to relax...

[icyspicy]

[ A laugh. ]

It really is an eyesore, isn't it? I take it you're not fond of clowns.

[astarion]

Clowns were firmly in the "take it or leave it" category until very recently.

[Now they are very much in the nope category; not so much in a feared way, but an "ugh" and exasperated sort of way.]

I suppose I never told you about the time I was attacked by a shapeshifter masquerading as a clown?

[How very specific.]

[icyspicy]

[ Slooowly arches a brow. ]

You did not. Was this before or after you were turned into a wheel of cheese?

[astarion]

[Why does he have to bring that up, too.]

Shortly after.

[A beat.]

Need help with your hair, love? I can tell you the tale then. Two birds with one stone.

[icyspicy]

[ Because it's really funny and how could he not bring it up? ]

I'll not say no. Taryon will throw another fit if I take too long, anyhow.

[astarion]

Does the man not know that good hair takes time and patience?

[It's a universal truth!

For now, he swings his legs over the side of the bed and stands up, heading towards Winter and the sanctuary of the bathroom.]

In front of the mirror with you, now.

[icyspicy]

He does. He's got his own hair to tame, so therein lies the conflict.

[ The three of them are too vain to be sharing a single room, probably.

Anyway - he does as told and steps in front of the mirror. He dimly realizes this is the first time he's seen Astarion in front of one. ]

[astarion]

Hm. Well. He'll have to fight us for it now.

[What divas, honestly.

Astarion, as expected, has no reflection. Is it strange, seeing your hair seemingly move on its own as the vampire runs his fingers through it? Well, that's exactly what happens while he reaches with his other to grab some leave-in conditioner.]

As for the clown, his name was Dribbles. Or it was. He was murdered by a shapeshifter and his body parts hidden and lain all around town. Said shapeshifter was putting on a show during the carnival itself while pretending to be him, you see. Trying to lure our party in and, eventually, attack us unwittingly.

[icyspicy]

[ This is how the Bathroom War starts.

It is strange, watching them in the mirror and seeing only himself there, his hair lifting and moving seemingly of its own accord. It really drives home just what Astarion’s lost, what he’s been missing these last centuries. An ache pangs through him, and he reaches back to coast his fingers along Astarion’s side, his hip, as if to remind himself that he’s really there.

And then of course, that moment sits really oddly next to the story he’s being told. A snort. ]

Darling, I think that’s more ridiculous than being turned into cheese. Just how much of a stir had you all been making that people were going out of their way to kill you?

[astarion]

[They will be the winners of this bathroom war. With their powers combined.

Ah, the gesture of fondness and... empathy, he thinks, does not go amiss. Astarion smile grows just a bit softer--not that the warlock can see it reflected back--tilting his head as he works. Yes, a lack of reflection is the cruel reality of his state, so blatantly on display, but he's grown used to it. He stands in the bathroom every morning these days, seeing no reflection gazing back at him as he prepares for the day. Repetition of this sort leads, eventually, to apathy.

Though he thinks, lately, the dull ache of what he's lost as a mortal is soothed more often by Winter's love and care rather than the dire acceptance of his fate. Funny how that happens.]

True, though this is one of the rare cases in which I'd take being turned into cheese any time of the day. The shapeshifter was a follower of Bhaal. Baldur's Gate has always had a bit of trouble with that one. [Wry.] And apparently, when you stir up the attention of the Dead Three, people try to kill you for it! Imagine!

[icyspicy]

[ Astarion may have no reflection, he might have lost that part of himself, but Winter sees him. Always. He just likes to remind him of that fact, with little looks and touches and gestures. Astarion deserves no less.

He glances over his shoulder to frown lightly at the vampire. ]

You are truly in deep, aren’t you?

[ He thinks that perhaps Astarion undersold his party’s importance to the whole ordeal!! ]

All the more reason to lend you a hand once we’re done here.

[astarion]

[Ah, maybe just a little bit. Perhaps he didn't want to focus on the dire circumstances of home when... the hotel had been such a departure from all of that. A relief, a vacation. Nothing dogging at their heels, not even the threat of the parasite to gnaw away at their brains and transform them into an illithid. This place? Could only grant him one of those blessings.

Winter frowns at him, but he forces a smile. Wry and barely-there.]

Just a bit knee-deep in shit, yes.

[He sighs, and one hand abandons its attempt at putting product in Winter's hair, all for the sake of roving the back of a knuckle down the side of the warlock's face.]

The idea still scares me, you know. [Not news, but. Worth reiterating.] We need all the help we can get, but I wonder if it should ever be worth it if I end up losing you.

[icyspicy]

[ He leans into that touch so easily, head tilting and eyes falling shut for a brief moment just to enjoy the contact. Astarion doesn’t have to say anything for Winter to know he’s thinking about what they left behind – what they were taken away from. That hotel was a blessing in a lot of ways. ]

I know, darling. I know. Not news at all. You know me. I’m not one to do things for the greater good. But for you? I’d do anything for you. That doesn’t mean I’d just roll over and die, though. I can be a difficult man to kill. You’re quite stuck with me.

[astarion]

[And that touch lingers, just long enough for him to take in the sentiment, the realization that the man he loves is doggedly determined to not go anywhere anytime soon. Astarion, too, will do his level best to make that a certainty. They need only survive this world... so that they might one day survive home, too. With that comes dread, and fear, but also hope. Perhaps he'll focus on the latter for now.

Finally, he retracts his hand, then combs his pale fingers through Winter's dark hair. Evening it out into three -- someone's going to try to tame this massive mane into a braid, if at all possible. He's sure he can manage it with his dextrous touch.]

Good. If you die on me, I will be very cross with you.

[and forever depressed

Another beat, a long consideration.]

Do you ever wonder what the others are up to? Back at the hotel.

[icyspicy]

That goes for you, too, you know.

[ His time with Astarion has felt far too short, and infinitely too precious to let it end anytime soon.

He huffs a sigh, turning back to face the mirror while Astarion continues to fiddle with his hair, the locks seemingly levitating as he watches. ]

I couldn't even begin to guess. Whatever it is, it's likely much less harrowing than whatever we're about to walk into.

[astarion]

[Into a nice, thick pleat. He can manage it; not too tight, and not too neat. But loose, casual, and flattering enough. (And a proper hairstyle should they ever go for another motorcycle ride in the future.)]

Ugh. How agitating. ["Agitating" is not the proper word, but of course Astarion is not going to use another in its place.] I guarantee you Gale is off somewhere knocking back wine and burrowing himself in the pages of an inordinate amount of books.

[While he's out here! Toiling.]

The bastard.

[icyspicy]

[ He speaks fluent enough Astarion to know what "agitating" means in this case anyway. ]

Well, perhaps he'll have earned his wish whilst he's there and he can save us all a major headache. ... Literally, in your case.