TRAVEL LOG #5

[synfluxmods]

TRAVEL LOG #5

CONTENT WARNINGS: death, nightmares, gun violence, survival scenario

▶ 001. EYES WIDE OPEN.

"Angels of Lilith, report for duty in the DISPATCH."

The day starts off with alarms blaring and oculars shining bright lights in the Outsiders' heads, waking them up early for an emergency dispatch. Although the current Rift at Mt. Fuji needs to be explored and examined, the Rifts continue to appear in different parts of the world, and this Rift is no different. Captain Yamakawa continues,

"We have received a distress call from EGYPT. Much of the region fell during the first kaiju crisis. Now it is a desolate land that survives with the help of a generator called an ESSENCE which is currently malfunctioning. We assume the cause is Rift energy—according to our radar, there is a heavy amount of Rift energy coming from that area. We will move out immediately. Pack all the things you may need, but each Outsider will be supplied with a care package of their own containing essentials."

Even though it is 4:00 AM Tokyo time, LILITH hopes you all have slept well. It could be the very last good sleep in awhile. While the dataportal to Egypt is operational on Japan's end, because of the malfunctioning generator, Outsiders are unable to come out on the other side. The old method of using the flying cruiser will be used once again.

There will not be assigned seating for this other than by teams. Everlights will sit with Everlights, Brimstones with Brimstones, and so on. The Outsiders will be encouraged to rest on the flight, and a few hours before landing, an in-flight meal will be provided. The meal is surprisingly delicious and consists of chicken or pork katsu cutlet, but with the warning that all Outsiders will know about: it contains high amount of cyber caffeine. This sort of newly innovative caffeine can keep Outsiders awake for several days, but sometimes it may cause restlessness or hyperactivity, causing characters to have a jittery amount of energy but razor sharp focus. Other times, it simply keeps characters awake and they feel no different. The cutlet will be served with KAIJU™ Energy Drink. Any Outsiders that require a different diet will be provided with what they need, and the cyber caffeine will be added to it if they would like.

Yamakawa gives instructions again:

"We have received more information about the kaiju. Civilians have died in their sleep from horrible nightmares, and we are encouraging Outsiders to sleep together in pairs or groups, or disregard sleeping at all until we obtain more information. We are still receiving facts about this monster, but this meal will help with keeping everyone awake as a safety measure."

Those who do not want to have the highly caffeinated meal can have everyone's favorite: a ration bar that isn't spiked with any energy, but it doesn't taste good at all. Outsiders may be more likely to fall asleep and be in danger by choosing this meal. The balance of a dystopian society.

▶ 002. ARRIVAL IN EGYPT.

When they finally arrive, the air is temperate and dry in Alexandria. The Outsiders might have to check their clocks once more to make sure everything is right; everyone is expected to land in the late afternoon and every clock says it should be close to evening, but the city is already growing dark with the sun setting quite early. Because of the ESSENCE disruption, Alexandria is running on back up energy, which makes for spotty lighting and loss of basic power.

LILITH will be greeted by a small group of researchers at the airport and they will help take the Outsiders to their base: the Alexandria Institute which was once the University of Alexandria. They will give the Outsiders a quick run down of the situation and some background.

1. LILITH does not have a strong defense branch in the region any more. Instead, the branch here seems more focused on research, especially on the origin of kaiju and rifts.
2. This region is extremely prone to spontaneous Rifts. Many of them are small and pass quickly but this most recent one is unprecedented.
3. One evening, in the final week of March, the Alexandria Institute received a corrupt file from their fellow researchers in Greece. It shut down much of their research facility (including their warp portal) and all they have been able to recover so far are the words, "Do Not Go To Sleep."
4. The next morning, they awoke to find the sun rising later and setting earlier. It feels like the days are getting significantly shorter.
5. Many locals developed a fear of the dark and going to sleep. They would then die in their sleep within the next few days.
6. The autopsy of these victims have shown no cause of death, puzzling coroners.

Progress has been slow because the corrupt file shut down many of their facilities. They have not been able to track the source of the Rift or identify the kaiju responsible for it. They believe the answers may be within the corrupt file and will be happy to receive any help they can get from the Outsiders.

When they arrive at the Institute, Outsiders will be set up in the old student dormitories. Each room has 2-4 beds depending on the room, with a common shared area on each floor. Given the current threat, there is also a supply of energy drinks and bars boosted with cyber caffeine. Outsiders have two options:

1. OPTION ONE: Stay in Alexandria and help the researchers with the generators, while keeping themselves and teammates awake during the night by playing games.
2. OPTION TWO: Go out into the Egyptian desert on camel-back, spending time getting to know their camel before heading out.

OOC NOTE: While players may write prompts for both options, we ask that you submit for a clue only once per player (not per character, as we have a lot of characters in game now!)

▶ 003. LEARN & EXPLORE. (ALEXANDRIA RESEARCH.)

Times are hard in Alexandria right now with their generators malfunctioning and efforts being split. The researchers are trying to get the generators back up and uncorrupt the data they received from Greece. LILITH will instruct the Outsiders to help with the research but also warn that they cannot afford to just sit around and wait to crack codes. The researchers also agree. Sometimes the best way to get research data is to go out into the field, but they haven't been able to do it due to not having much protection. The desert is vast, and there have been sightings of other small kaiju lurking beneath the sand and in some smaller cities.

Outsiders can decide to stay in the city of Alexandria to help crack the codes, or they can opt to go out into the field. For the latter, they can choose to stay close to home and investigate within Alexandria.

Those who wish to help with the ESSENCE generators and researchers will stay in Alexandria, using any downtime when not investigating to try and stay awake, slumber-party style. Two Truths and a Lie? Maybe Spin The Bottle? Perhaps some games can keep Outsiders enticed so they don't doze off.

▶ 004. FEELING SANDY (DESERT EXPLORATION.)

For those who wish to explore the desert and smaller cities, Alexandria Institute will supply what they need, such as water, food, essential tools for digging, sleeping bags (no sleeping, but maybe for resting!) and anything else. To conserve energy, the researchers supply camels for the Outsiders to use. The camels are mostly tame, but have their own distinct personalities, so they may need a little more handling and can be coaxed to behave with treats like artificial carrots and bananas. Outsiders can spend time getting to know their camel if they are going to explore the desert or cities. A camel can seat two people on its back comfortably, but also carry any essentials that travelers need to bring along.

In the distant small cities and across the desert, Outsiders will come across Sand Crocodiles, one of the smaller kaiju that have been inhabiting the desert. These monsters are basically crocodiles but with a twist: they can spit fire if angered and they can camouflage in the sand. They hide strategically, and one wrong step will cause them to push their jaws out of the ground, harming a person or camel. The stubby quills along their backs or rounds of their horns aren't entirely covered while hiding, so watch carefully. Fortunately, Outsiders will be supplied with a shotgun. Aiming between the eyes or in the mouth will kill it, but also beating it with the back of the shotgun will also do the trick. And yes, they also taste like crocodile too, if anyone is hungry.

After exploring, Outsiders are requested to report their findings back in Alexandria.

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our fourth travel log!

Welcome to the new and improved Travel Log! Below, you will see the link to the MONSTER DEBRIEF SHEET post that has information about the kaiju below along with RIFT EFFECTS. Fill out the form for RNG Attacks and whether you would like to receive a RIFT EFFECT. This should give characters some ideas for the status of their character in the next log, which will have more action and monsters in it. Outsiders may use the CHAT to report and discuss any findings.

We thank you in advance for your patience as we try out this new format!

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

EVENT BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. EYES WIDE OPEN: Outsiders travel to Egypt after receiving reports of their power generator, ESSENCE, being unstable and malfunctioning, leaving citizens in peril. They are instructed to "stay awake." They are supplied cyberpunk caffeine and told to try not to sleep or stay in pairs to be watchful of any danger.

2. ARRIVING IN EGYPT: Arriving in Alexandria, the Outsiders are confirmed that citizens have been dying in their sleep, with coroners unable to determine the cause. The days are mysteriously getting shorter and people are unable to stay awake.

3. LEARN & EXPLORE: Outsiders are given options to stay in Alexandria to help with the generator or find clues to assist the research team. Between researching, they are asked to continue to stay awake by any means possible. Those who will be exploring the desert and smaller cities for clues are given a camel for transportation. Outsiders are encouraged to get to know their camel before traveling.

4. FEELING SANDY: While looking for any clues out in the desert, Outsiders encounter smaller kaiju known as Sand Crocodiles. They hide in the sand and attack at the opportune time, snapping jaws and spitting fire. Shooting them between the eyes or in the mouth will K.O. them.

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Comments

[blastedass]

it's probably based on something fitting with the nation. an egyptian god of sleep or dreams? or a nocturnal predator.

[intertwinedfates]

mmm yeah, that would make more sense. maybe we need to ask the nerds for more information about local myths and legends. that might give us a leg up on taking care of whatever the fuck it turns out to be

[blastedass]

go for it. they're buried in the computers right now.

we'll end up having to crush this thing regardless.

[intertwinedfates]

and hopefully sooner rather than later so we don't lose anymore people to it

dunno if we can bear to have another repeat of Brasov

[blastedass]

if it's like our last fights, it'll be two weeks until the damn thing shows itself.

[intertwinedfates]

if that's the case, why the hell did we come so early?! who the hell can stay awake for two weeks?? that's asking too much even from a god!

[blastedass]

THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN ASKING AFTER THE THIRD ONE, DAMMIT!!

[showing up early and then waiting for the damn thing to attack. every. fucking. time.]

[intertwinedfates]

we need to start a petition for a strategist or something because that's ridiculous! if anything, they should've evacuated the people here and let us analyze the info back in Japan where it was safe and cool! this is stupid!!

[blastedass]

[... that icon ... this face ...]

no shit. we already have the fucking reputation for death coming whenever we show up!

[intertwinedfates]

[One and the same....]

if I didn't know better, I'd say WE'RE the cause of these terrible happenings!

except for the fact we go where there's trouble and not the other way around. but I don't wanna be a poster child for death anymore, dammit!

[blastedass]

every time we show up to a city or area, a kaiju attacks. we know we're brought in to find and fight it, but all these dumbasses around us are ignorant!

it's not like neo tokyo, where they've had time to get used to us and know the truth.

[intertwinedfates]

why can't we masquerade as the Red Cross or something benevolent and positive... maybe they should start advertising us globally to get word out that we're NOT the cause of their troubles and us showing up is a good thing!

[blastedass]

you think firefighters showing up is a good thing?

yeah, they're here to rescue you and put out the fire, but they wouldn't show up if there wasn't a fucking fire in the first place!

[Meaning their presence was essentially an omen for anyone not aware of the fire.

The Outsiders only show up when something's wrong. And usually that means death, destruction, and ruin.]

[intertwinedfates]

when something's burning? yeah!

I mean, if you know your building's on fire, then of course you want someone to come and put it out! just like if there's people dying, us showing up should hopefully mean an end to the deaths soon!

[Yeah, that's kind of fair, but still... Yato can't help but see it as a positive when the body count's rising. If only the people they were saving would see it that way, too.]

[blastedass]

[] wish we could do that without capping off our help via a giant ass monster destroying a fucking city block.

[He really wants LILITH to issue evacuations to any location the Outsiders show up at. Because they know, a whole damn year of experience, the kaiju is going to attack the city.]

[intertwinedfates]

would be nice, wouldn't it. we do kinda leave destruction in our wake, even if we end up solving the problem...

[Maybe that would make too much damn sense. Or perhaps it's just not practical from a logistic standpoint. Either way, it sucks.]

[blastedass]

if we could find and track the kaiju faster and better, we'd be able to take the fight to it, rather than sit and wait for the damn thing to attack the city.

[It's happen so many times before, Bakugo's vexed over their inability to prevent the tragedy each time. If anything, the Outsiders' presence should demand evacuation immediately.]

[intertwinedfates]

yeah. hopefully that's what LILITH is working on, unless we get some fellow Outsiders with better tracking skills than what we've already got. Kaga's got her little aircrafts she can use for reconnaissance, but if it's some phantasm or something, then none of us will likely be able to trace it until it manifests

[That's something they're in complete agreement over, honestly. Even if they only moved citizens to the next nearest city, that could help minimize casualties.]

[blastedass]

kadaj has his shadow wolf summons and you'd think the gundam would have scanners and sensors for tracking shit.

[But like Yato said, it feels as if none of their tools work until the creature "manifests" into being while attacking. Which sucks.]

This place isn't some packed city at least.

[intertwinedfates]

we're not completely helpless, thankfully, but even with all these options, we're still pretty limited on the detection front. maybe it's got something to do with how the kaiju are from another dimension or world or whatever

[Apart from the rift energy, which they've at least managed to nail down somewhat. It's not surprising the world ended up in the state it is now when LILITH still struggles with pinpointing their opponents.]

right? gotta be thankful for what small mercies we can get

[blastedass]

the imugi and the wolf could phase in and out of another dimension using rift holes. if they're using that while they wait to attack, it'd explain why we can't find them initially.

[intertwinedfates]

unfortunately. too bad we don't have any kaiju fly paper or roach motels or something to lure them out and catch them so we can just move in for the kill

[blastedass]

just a bunch of army ants waiting to rip them apart.

[intertwinedfates]

right?? there's a market just waiting to be tapped into

[blastedass]

i meant us.