TRAVEL LOG #3

[synfluxmods]

TRAVEL LOG #3

CONTENT WARNINGS: cult-like symbols and implications, abduction.

▶ 001. TARGU MURES AIRPORT.

In the early morning of the 1st, Outsiders will receive a message in their oculars.

"Oh, seriously? You’re putting this on my plate now when I have so much to do? Tch … Outsiders currently caring for Imugi eggs, bring them to the medical bay. I’ll take over for now. Captain Yamakawa needs everyone to report to the hangar right away. There’s been a distress call from a distant land and we’re noticing some strange readings. We need you to go investigate this.

…Put some catnip on my plate, Alex. It’ll be a long night."

True enough, a SPECIAL ALERT will blare through the implants shortly after, asking those who would be willing to help with a distress call to head to the hangar. The reward will be an additional bonus pay, as this seems to be different from detecting a kaiju. There, they will see a familiar sight: the LILITH SKY CRUISER, a spacecraft capable of carrying 80 passengers. There is little time for seat assignments, so seating will be on a first come, first serve basis (hopefully you don’t get the middle seat!) and the flight will last about 10 hours. Just like any aircraft, Outsiders may stand up and walk around once the seatbelt signs turn off. There is inflight entertainment consisting of AI movies or virtual reality games (see TRAVEL LOG #2). Characters with inhuman features are required to wear their cloaking devices.

The plane will touch down at Targu Mures Airport, Transylvania, Romania, which appears to be abandoned and desolate. There isn’t a living soul to be found.

"Most of the country was destroyed decades ago, so there shouldn’t be anyone still living here. Yet, these readings ….. And we can’t ignore that call for help. We’ll need to investigate further. My Angels, go the rest of the way on foot..."

There isn’t a data portal in Romania, and there’s just no way to transport the number of cars needed for over 60 people via plane. Let’s hope you managed to get proper rest on the way here, because the hike will take about 5-6 hours through the dense forest, with the Captain feeding directions through the ocular based on where the kaiju readings are most pronounced.

All teams will be traveling together along a treacherous terrain which will include both harmful flora & fauna. Outsiders can expect to come across brown bears, wolves, European lynx, golden jackal & wild boars. Although the forest is dense, these animals are scarce to come by, but they can appear, especially when the hike takes place at dusk and into the night.

In this time of the year, hay fever is a common occurrence in these forests. Those sensitive to pollen may be sneezing and feeling fatigue through this hike. There will be steep hills, slippery ground and eerie sounds of the night to serenade the Outsiders. It doesn't help that the further they travel, the thicker a dark fog gathers around them, making the surroundings difficult to make out. Everyone will be provided with flashlights, but those with abilities to see in the dark or cast their own light will be encouraged to lead small groups. Everyone is going in the same general direction, but giving each other some space might be helpful. There will be no time to rest, no matter how tired Outsiders may be.

Just when it feels like they might need to trek through the forest forever—is that smoke coming from a fire up ahead?

▶ 002. BRAȘOV, TRANSYLVANIA.

Wander further through the bushes, and behold, it does appear to be smoke—but not from any natural fire. It’s coming from a chimney! The Outsiders will stumble upon the historic region of Brașov, known for its Gothic architecture and medieval towns. Romania has been classified as a desolate region for a very long time, and as far as LILITH is concerned, this city should be completely destroyed and abandoned. Yet, there is smoke coming from the chimneys, fresh laundry hanging on lines and the faint chatter of children playing. There are very clearly people living here, and this has LILITH completely dumbfounded.

"So it’s true … The resilience of humanity cannot be understated. I’ll need to report this to the Commander right away. My Angels, embark on the town. We need to find the source of this distress call and investigate these kaiju readings. I know we’ve had setbacks recently, but I’ve always had my faith in you."

One thing Outsiders will notice when they step into the town is how it appears to be lost in time. The date is still 2278 as far as anyone knows, but there’s no sign of any modern technology—no computers, telephones, or any sign of electricity or plumbing. Each and every house looks like it could have been plucked right out of the 1700s, and there even appear to be horse-drawn carriages parked along the pavements.

The townspeople themselves also look plucked out of time, with the women donning petticoats and aprons, and the men sporting waistcoats and riding boots. They welcome the Outsiders with warmth, delight, and over-the-top hospitality; more than happy to show the visitors around Brasov on their carriages. With how rarely they meet anyone from outside the village, the children are full of curiosity, following the Outsiders around and poking at their technology while bombarding them with questions, such as where did you come from? Do you know how to play any games? What do you like to eat?

Outsiders will be presented with food, clean clothing, and a room to stay at the village inns (2-3 people per room). They are free to roam and explore the village, where they will find taverns, fresh food markets, shops, inns, and a church dedicated to the village god.

One notable aspect of the town is the fact that they appear to have fresh, non-lab grown food. The vegetables taste fresher and are vibrant in color. The meat tastes much richer than it would back in Neo Tokyo. This is owed to the fact that the people of Brasov actually tend to their own farmlands, a lost practice in these times. Venture a little out of the city and you’ll find it: acres of farmland, growing wheat, corn, oats, potatoes, grapes and sunflowers. They even have livestock!

The people of Brasov are more than happy to answer questions about their town and way of living. Outsiders who go around gathering information from the villagers will learn the following:

• Why is the land so fertile? This is all owed to their benevolent village god, the Lord of the Forest. No one goes hungry because their god takes care of them. Observant Outsiders will see a common symbol plastered around town: a canine skull.
• There was a distress call. Is everyone okay? The townspeople would respond in confusion and assure the Outsiders that nothing is out of the ordinary. They have been living peacefully for centuries and it’s because their god protects them. They don’t seem to know anything about what’s going on outside their town and the word ‘kaiju’ is lost on them.
• Who is the Lord of the Forest? The townspeople will sing his praises, telling the Outsiders about how he has been providing for and protecting their town for many years.
• Where is the Lord of the Forest? He lives in the forest and mountains that surround the village. Sure enough, if the Outsiders look around, they will see they are completely surrounded by foggy forest and mountains as far as the eye can see.
• Can they go into the forest? The villagers will look worried. While the Lord of the Forest keeps them safe, the forest is still filled with dangerous creatures. Also, the thick fog and trees makes it easy to get lost. Only the most skilled hunters venture out to catch prey like deer and bears. Characters who venture into the woods will get turned around and lost but will eventually find their way back to the village, to which others will reply it is the lord's guidance that brought them back to safety.

Outsiders can do as they please. The villagers are very friendly and will try to accommodate them however possible. There seems to be very little crime in the town and the people look happy. LILITH has been quiet for some time now. Maybe this is a great opportunity to have a well-deserved break? How can you not when the people are so kind and the food looks and tastes so delicious? In fact, the longer that Outsiders stay here, the more some of them may begin to feel like they belong here.

▶ 003. BONFIRE FEAST.

On the night of the 7th, the villagers will knock on doors inviting everyone to a bonfire party! It’s just about time to harvest their crops so food is abundant. They can’t think of any better way to use it than to prepare a feast. The bonfire will be held in the council square. Tables and benches have been set up and an impressive spread of fresh food is laid out for everyone to enjoy. Outsiders can enjoy bread, cheese, fresh pork, stew, roasted chicken, seasonal vegetables and free flowing alcohol. There are live musicians on the scene as well, playing merry tunes on their instruments. Some of the villagers have even started dancing around the bonfire and they’re pulling people in to join them! At the center of the table, a canine skull is placed, and the villagers give thanks to their god before partaking in the food.

Nothing seems out of the ordinary … Full and content, everyone will feel tired and want to retire for the night. Characters that do not need to sleep will also feel tired.

Night passes, and daybreak comes. Outsiders might notice that their numbers have dwindled; certain people have gone missing and are nowhere to be found. There won’t be a trace of the captured Outsiders aside from their belongings that they may have left behind.

The villagers do not seem bothered and everything seems normal in the village. Asking the villagers about these disappearances will result in no answers—they claim to have no clue as to the missing Outsiders' whereabouts. It also won’t be possible to contact them, or even LILITH for that matter. It is almost like communications have been cut off completely and their implants receive weak reception.

Observant characters may notice that a heavy fog has descended upon the village overnight and though it gets better during the day, it never lets up.

Captured Outsiders are as followed:

Aventurine
Choso
Dan Heng
Denji
Ereshkigal
Hiyori Iki
Kabru
Kaga
Lucy/Kaede
Maki Zenin
Makima
Malkuth
Loop
Nanami Kento
Rover
Sampo Koski
Taryon Darrington
Wriothesley
Yzak Jule
Zagreus

▶ 004. THE CHOSEN (KIDNAPPEES ONLY).

A separate log for KIDNAPPEES ONLY can be found HERE.

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our third travel log!

There are no assigned seats this time, so characters may sit wherever they choose. Inhuman-looking characters will need to wear their cloaking devices so as to not alarm the people of the town. A separate log has been prepared for kidnappees only. An additional prompt will go up for non-captured characters before the kaiju fight. The scheduling will depend on actions in the captive log. We will announce it on plurk.

All tags on this log are worth 2 points and will count towards October AC.

EVENT BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. TARGU MURES AIRPORT: There has been a distress signal. Characters caring for eggs must leave their eggs with Dr. Spim and report to the hangar to board their flight. The Outsiders will touch down in Targu Mures Airport, and will need to hike the rest of the way through the forest.

2. BRAȘOV, TRANSYLVANIA: Romania was thought to be a desolate country but one village seems to be thriving. The town of Brasov has historic, medieval architecture and the people seem plucked out of the 1700s. They are friendly, welcoming and curious, having never seen technology like what the Outsiders have. Outsiders are provided free lodgings, fresh clothing, food and water. The villagers raise their own livestock and grow their own food, which is unheard of in these times. They don't know anything about a distress call. All around the village, the symbol of a canine skull can be found. This is the Lord of the Forest, the god of this village whom the villagers worship.

3. BONFIRE FEAST: The villagers invite the Outsiders to a bonfire party where fresh food is abundant. After a night of merrymaking, they find that certain Outsiders have disappeared from their numbers and nobody seems to know what happened to them.

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Comments

[fursuit]

Oh, yeah, they patched me up. And yelled at me. [ Which, honestly, deserved. ] But, hey, I make it easy for ‘em at least. Can at least do the basic manipulations so I don’t just bleed out any time I start offerin’ up my organs, but… Yeah, can’t totally fix it on my own.

[ Or that’s how I’m assuming it works, anyways. Who knows! It’s clear that he’s not that bothered by it, though. Taryon is probably more concerned about it than he is, but that likely makes sense. While it might not be a routine thing for Tezcatlipoca to do, it’s something that makes perfect sense to him within the logic of his cosmology.

In fact, he seems much more bothered by the question about the afterlife. It’s not that Taryon is asking, but just the fact that he hadn’t liked his “answer”. ]

Nah. Wish I did.

[ Genuinely, he does. He sighs out a puff of smoke, then runs his other hand through his hair in an idle, pensive gesture. ]

Didn’t get a “no”, for what it’s worth, more like a non-answer. A “I can neither confirm nor deny” kinda deal, which is some bullshit, considering I have some claim on the afterlife myself. Same for Ereshkigal, and she didn’t pick up anything either.

[likemybooks]

[Taryon angles his body towards Tezcatlipoca with a frown as if he wants to join in on the company-wide scolding, but says nothing. Even if he was a skilled doctor capable of curing any wound, including organs that were ripped out of someone, he'd be upset at this reckless behavior. If he can panic over his party members' disastrous decisions, then he can at the very least disapprove of friend's harm.] At least you were in good hands. Please don't try anything like that again.

[The roombas hang heavily in his backpack. One is stored in his hammerspace gloves, which Taryon pulls out and quickly infuses with a healing spell. All of this talk of disembowlment and death has him on edge, and if he can prevent an accident no doubt being tempted by their conversation, then Taryon will have done his part.]

So what you're saying is that you can't get in contact with the gods of this world. Maybe you have to worship them for a few years before they can talk to you. Or human sacrifice isn't their thing. That can't be a common thing.

[Little does Taryon know how common it was in Tezcatlipoca's time.]

I suppose our best bet is to simply not die. We've been doing a pretty decent job so far, wouldn't you agree? Despite all the worst things happening. [Which means that as long as they are aware of the fight, everyone will continue to live despite their injuries.]

1/2

[fursuit]

[ He certainly feels that scolding vibe… He looks at Taryon seriously, like he’s challenging him to say something about it, but that intensity doesn’t last. His plea takes the proverbial wind out of his sails, since he’s expecting to be criticized or scolded. Something gentler is… unexpected. It brings up a complicated set of feelings, because it’s a kind thing, and of course he appreciates that, same as anyone would. It just also feels like it’s misplaced. Like, he’s the god here, he’s supposed to be the one worried about people? In his way, at least.

Outwardly, it’s clear he hadn’t expected that response too. He reaches up to rub a hand through his hair with a quiet ”Sheesh”, and though it’s mild and brief, it seems like it flusters him. Just a little. ]

…No promises. But I won’t use it so casually if I try it again. I’ll give you that.

[fursuit]

[ Anyways!! Moving on!! ]

—Yeah, dunno. The history of this world’s essentially the same as mine, least till the last couple centuries, so I figured it’d be similar enough for me to get something outta it. Could be that they can’t really chat anymore, but…

[ He trails off indistinctly, since it doesn’t matter, he guesses. He’d found his (non) answer regardless. ]

You’ve all done a good job of it, yeah. That’s part of why I was wanting to look, since that luck will run out eventually. [ lighten the mood? never ] Not dyin’s still the best course of action, but that basically goes without saying.

[ And after a moment's consideration, he nods to Taryon's backpack. ]

You wanna lighten your load some, by the way? I can carry some of that.

[likemybooks]

[A god is an unreachable being that only speaks to its most devoted followers, or when events demand that they make an awe-inspiring appearance. Not to disregard Tezcatlipoca's power, but Taryon sees him as another man traveling by his side who can be regarded as a fellow mortal. It's not like Taryon would talk back to the Raven Queen, but a guy who ripped out his guts in the hopes of getting a good spell to work out? Taryon can remind him to be careful.

The surprise in Tezcatlipoca's face is noted, and Taryon thinks it's exactly because that he's not being treated as an all-powerful god in this moment. When he turns away to run his hand through his hair, Taryon can't help but smile to himself. It's nice, knowing that he's flustered a god. Tez is a pretty cool guy, and he deserves someone as caring and thoughtful as himself to worry about him.

He angles his head back to check on his backpack, which thankfully hasn't been damaged at all during the trek.] I would greatly appreciate it. [And it's better to think about handing off supplies than about the gods of his world disappearing. He slides one strap off his shoulder, leaving it hanging off the other, and pulls out one roomba.] How much space do you have?

[fursuit]

Plenty. I travel light.

[ He slips his own backpack off his shoulders to move it to the front instead, and indeed, it does look significantly lighter than Taryon’s. He only brings as much as he thinks he truly needs, which is a very short list. Considering his domains, he’s a natural survivalist. When they’re in a natural environment like this, he could get most of his needs met by the forest if necessary.

So, he holds out his hands to take a roomba and tuck it into his bag, then nods, since there’s definitely room for another. He holds his hand out again. ]

I’m two-for-two on roughing it while hunting the kaiju since getting here, and that suits me just fine. It’s no jungle, but forest’s a forest.

[likemybooks]

[The roomba beeps, confused as to why it's not going into its usual backpack, but it accepts that this man's sack is where it belongs.]

You do have some domain over animals, that makes sense. [Animals, natural terrain, similar types of expertise. He takes out a second roomba and hands it over, then pauses to see how well it fits.] They're heavier than they look, huh.

[fursuit]

[ He’s a little surprised by the beep, but it easily becomes a laugh. They’ve got some personality, huh? Who knew. It makes them just a little more charming, since that’s cute. ]

Dunno. Looked heavy to me.

[ It’s why he offered, after all! But it’s just a light bit of teasing given with a smile. Once the second Roomba joins its “sibling”, he closes the backpack up and shifts it back onto his back. Luckily he’s not totally playing by the rules when it comes to his strength, since despite his rather skinny frame, he’s supernaturally strong, so this is no problem. ]

Just not a good place to fall behind, yeah? Not like we really know much about where we’re goin’, so we get lost and it’d be a bitch to figure it out.

[likemybooks]

[Good thing Taryon handed over two roombas that got along well when left alone in his room. They will behave nicely when stored in an unfamiliar place together. Now, the two remaining ones - the troublemakers - are stored in individual locations: the backpack and his gloves.]

Metal is deceptive like that. [Ignoring Tezcatlipoca's comment.] But you make a good point. We have to stick together. [He hoists the straps over his shoulders and straightens with the lightened load.] Alright. So, let's see how far we can go before it gets dark.

🎀

[fursuit]

[ He chuckles, but with a self-assured nod, he turns his attention ahead again. He’ll refocus on leading the way, but at least it’s getting easier. Somewhat. The incline isn’t as steep, so he hopes that means they’re getting close to their destination. ]

Exactly. We’ve been at it for a while, so figure it’ll be time to set up camp soon. Or we get to wherever the hell we’re meant to be findin’.

[ Another nod, but he turns his back to Taryon fully at this point to focus. And I’m sure they had a nice little hiking trip through the woods and nothing bad happens in the rest of this event. Clearly! ]