TRAVEL LOG #7

[synfluxmods]

TRAVEL LOG #7

CONTENT WARNINGS: memory manipulation, nausea, headaches, references to hunting

▶ 001. IT’S (NOT) LONDON, BABY.

As the last dregs of summer fade into the beginning of true Fall in Neo Tokyo, Outsiders wake up to the sound of sirens blaring, the call coming through their implants - there's no time for relaxation, not when the world still needs to be saved. As soon as everyone has gathered for the debriefing, Yamakawa explains their next destination: a request for aid has been sent by a civilian militia group in Windsor, England, and it's a desperate plea for support for an ongoing kaiju crisis.

While LILITH doesn't have a branch in the area, they're able to work with their contact to ensure that a data portal is set up for the easy transportation of Outsiders from the main base. Travelling feels a little bit easier compared to before, but the common side effects still remain - a little nausea, some headaches, dizziness and some minor glitching. It seems as if caffeine is a solution, and upon arrival, Outsiders are offered a cup of tea to get them settled.

Weirdly, unlike previous teleportation, physical touch seems to make the symptoms worse, rather than better. Anyone attempting the usual form of intimacy will find that being close to people, especially those they’re most comfortable with, will feel strangely awkward, leaving them with an uneasy sensation and the urge to take a step back.

As this is another warp rather than air travel, Outsiders will be asked to bring only what they deem necessary on this journey. Yamakawa reminds the Outsiders that, once they arrive, further supplies will be sent; both those that the outsiders request, and additional medical supplies for the militia in England to support them in their ongoing quest.

Everyone will be given the standard 24 hours to pack and prepare for departure. Once the time is up, Outsiders are transported to the arrival point... In Windsor Castle.

▶ 002. AN OUTSIDER WALKS INTO A CASTLE.

Upon arriving in the bailey of the castle, a beautiful woman who introduces herself as Gwen approaches. She welcomes the Outsiders to her base of operations, promising to provide beds and food for everyone. She’s quick to give an overview of why they’ve been summoned to the castle and what the problem is: they’re a militia group who are fighting against a large kaiju that is threatening the remains of the civilian population of the United Kingdom. They need help from the Outsiders to put the kaiju (and the rebels that are supporting it) down so that peace can continue. With how few people they have capable of fighting, they turned to LILITH in desperation.

As the Outsiders are directed to one of the wings of the castle to settle in, some might notice something… Off. While all the Outsiders who had agreed to go to the mission are present and accounted for, some members of their group are acting a little odd. When spoken to, they behave the same in terms of personality, but some of the things they’re saying are strange, or don’t sound right…

Some Outsiders have come to believe that they have always lived in Neo Tokyo, and don’t remember any other life. They’re convinced that this is the truth, and any attempt to dissuade them is met with resistance, both of the Outsiders feeling nauseated, with the risk of migraines developing. It doesn’t seem as if anything works to break this strange sickness, no matter what is attempted.

That might be a problem to deal with later.

Once bunks have been agreed on (and they will need to share rooms), Outsiders are given free rein to explore Windsor Castle. Gwen - and her generals, a group of women who can often be found around her, peering over maps, reports and other paperwork, giving advice and arguing about the best course of action - tell Outsiders that it would be best to stay within the castle walls, due to the threats of smaller kaiju outside the base. They do ask that, if they have spare time, that they help the people around the castle as much as they can, as there’s a lot of upkeep to do, and they’re running low on people thanks to their failed missions.

The castle is large, and beautifully decorated with medieval tapestries that have clung to their existence despite the impact of time. There are various locations of interest that the Outsiders are welcome to nose their way around: a library, filled with hundreds of books; the stable, where various horses of different kinds can be found (and ridden!); the outskirts around the bailey, with various small dogs; the feasting hall, where meals are served (mostly farm grown foods, and very limited meats) and, finally, the garrison (which, at the moment, only the non-afflicted Outsiders are permitted into, for ‘the safety of the others), with medieval weaponry on the walls.

▶ 003. IT HAS A GREAT KNIGHT-LIFE.

As the Outsiders settle in, the influence of the strange memory manipulation becomes stronger. Outsiders who are convinced they’ve been in this world their entire lives may grow more determined about it, and find strength in talking about their strange new memories. Anyone attempting to convince them otherwise will likely find themselves ostracised and left to the generous mercy of the civilians around the castle. Either way, both sets of Outsiders are generally welcomed around the castle.

The accommodation is good, but there are a few minor issues. Some of the dishes the Outsiders are served taste a little off (perhaps the lack of spice?) and locals urge their guests to stay away from some areas of the castle. If they do decide to go there despite the warnings, there doesn’t seem to be anything amiss. Maybe it’s a British thing?

There are a huge amount of things that need doing around the castle, and the native population are more than happy to encourage the Outsiders to take part and help them with what little resources they have remaining. If Outsiders volunteer to help, they’re informed about the many odd jobs that need doing around the castle and how they can support the locals:

OPERATION: CAN WE FIX IT?

Outsiders are tasked with helping to repair and, in some cases, reinforce the wall surrounding the castle and the bailey.

It’s clearly been damaged from kaiju attacks, and some areas are more damaged than others.

There are limited amounts of brick, so there may be a need to go out on a reconnaissance mission to gather more supplies.

Outsiders will be rewarded with carved items from the civilians - dogs, horses, dragons, and lions.

OPERATION: WE’RE GOING ON A KAIJU HUNT.

Outsiders are asked to go out in small groups to deal with the small, minor kaiju that have been threatening the castle.

The threat is a mixture of various wild kaiju, including vicious wild deer, boar, foxes and badgers. Some are more dangerous than others, and most attack on sight.

Outsiders will be rewarded with small gifts from the civilians - gloves with sheep wool interiors, large cotton blankets and, if they bring back their kills, fresh kaiju meat meals.

OPERATION: CLAYSON’S FARM.

Outsiders are asked to help the castle farmers for the upcoming months, both the livestock and the crops themselves.

The calves will need to be weaned (which might include chasing them around a field), wool from ewes clipped and harvesting the winter wheat, potato and sugar beet before planting the new crop.

Outsiders will be rewarded with small gifts from the farmers - bouquets of dried flowers, their first choice of the harvested crops, bottles of homemade cider, and even naming some of the livestock after the most helpful.

OPERATION: THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT (AU’D CHARACTERS ONLY).

Outsiders are asked to tend to a graveyard deep in the back area of the castle, surrounded by forests.

They will need to clean the graves, tidy up anything that has been left behind, check the records are accurate and pay their respects.

Outsiders will be rewarded with a broach in a strange horse shape from Gwen herself, who says it will permit them into some of the closed off areas of the castle. This includes the ‘spa’ (where the water is always cold); the ballroom (where the curtains are too heavy to move, so it’s always dark) and a special dining hall (which none of the cooking staff seem to know exists).

OPERATION: A PROPER GANDER (NON-AU’D CHARACTERS ONLY).

Outsiders are asked to deal with the rebel propaganda that’s popped up around the castle.

They will need to clean the graffiti, remove posters, try and track down where they’re getting in and ensure none remains.

Outsiders will be rewarded with Turkish Delight candies (hand-delivered by Gwen, as it’s her own personal recipe), nightly offers of hot chocolate and their choice of art supplies so they can add their own murals to the castle (once approved by the generals, of course).

There are dozens of other odd jobs that need done, too, and Outsiders can find themselves tasked with almost any minor task that they can imagine - from novice carpentry, to cleaning, to taking care of the corgi population to even exercising the horses. There are no limits to how helpful the Outsiders can be to their temporary home.

Throughout this time, Gwen and her generals are preparing for the upcoming mission and sharing briefs with the Outsiders as they gear up: there’s been a trace of the beast somewhere near Egham, ironically called the “Enchanted Forest”. If the Outsiders attempt to probe Gwen or question her for specifics, she’ll shrug them off, for now; there simply isn’t enough time to answer everyone personally, and she’s incredibly busy.

▶ 004. HASTY PREPARATION.

Not long into the Outsiders’ stay at the castle, a scouting report comes back with alarming news: the kaiju is on the move and seems to have more humans under its control, preparing to launch a counterattack on the castle and the people within. The generals, Gwen leading the charge, are quick to gather their weapons and supplies and start to consider a way of fighting back before the worst happens: the castle is laid siege.

Everyone in the castle is suddenly part of a whirlwind of motion, all trying to plan the counterattack and how to deal with the kaiju before it’s too late. Gwen is more than willing to listen to what the Outsiders have to say as spokespeople for LILITH, and due to their experience in dealing with kaiju in the past; she’s keen to know what they’ve tried, what worked, and what didn’t work.

The next few days have the castle in preparation mode. Weapons are checked, books on tactics and histories are revised to see for any weaknesses that might have been missed, and Outsiders are encouraged to do whatever they can to help, just as they have been before.

It’s as hard to get Gwen and her generals alone as it was before, but there’s a general feeling of finality around the keep; this could be it. She does make an announcement a day before the march:

"My men and I have discovered what may be causing the strange... Affliction your friends are suffering from, dear soldiers of LILITH. The kaiju seems to have the power to influence emotion, and memory along with it. A previous attack left a relic in the beast, which has healing properties: it is this that will cure your friends. We must defeat the monster and bring this relic home, with all swiftness."

Killing this kaiju might be the only way to free the Outsiders from its influence.

This might be the final push to get rid of the kaiju forever.

▶ AFTERWORD.

This Travel Log #7!

Due to the nature of the final prompt, the Kaiju RNG will be posted in a few days to allow for time for Outsiders to gather clues and plan a counterattack against the kaiju.

The clues Outsiders receive (both AU and non-AU options) will be vital for charting a course for tackling this kaiju, so please add your suggestions (and ICly +1 other people's) before the 10th at the latest. We strongly encourage players to coordinate their clues together ICly to come up with solutions!

The planned attack will be based on character suggestions using this comment.

All comments in this event count for 2 points towards October AC. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask them below.

EVENT BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. IT’S (NOT) LONDON, BABY: Outsiders are awoken to the siren alerting them to a mission and are transported to England to help a militia group with a kaiju problem.

2. AN OUTSIDER WALKS INTO A CASTLE: Outsiders meet the leader of the group, Gwen, who urges them to get settled in. Some Outsiders begin to have strange issues with their memories, and side effects when challenged.

3. IT HAS A GREAT KNIGHT-LIFE: While they settle in, Outsiders are tasked with helping the organization out with various tasks with various rewards for their hard work.

4. HASTY PREPARATION: Gwen and her men prepare for a final counterattack against the kaiju with LILITH's support, and ask the Outsiders to suggest ways to track down and kill the threat to their people. They must retrieve a relic embedded in the kaiju to free their friends.

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Comments

( OPEN ) COUNTER-ATTACK PLANS

[cranekin]

( After receiving news about the kaiju's movements, there is a lot to discuss and little time to do it. There's no time to waste so it's time to get the ball rolling! )

If we charge into battle now, we'll be in for a bad surprise. We should come up with a plan before we go.

ooc: There's clue sharing TL but I wanted to get one specifically for discussing counter attacks. Feel free to mingle and thread-hop!

[cranekin]

Before we strike, we should learn more about our enemy. If the people are supporting the kaiju, we should find out if they're in their right mind or not.

( He has other thoughts, too, but this is the one he will focus on for now. )

They're loyal enough they're willing to try and convert others to their cause but we've fought enemies in the past that have manipulated their followers. If history repeats, it may be in our interest to bring them to their senses before we cut them down.

[eyescar]

If it's like what happened in the Underworld...

[ Yuji doesn't want to fight his friends again, especially being on the other side of things this time. ]

It wasn't just fighting Eresh-chan that worked, right? It was other stuff too. I don't know if fighting the kaiju would make things better right away.

[cranekin]

That's right.

( And he smiles at Yuji! He's proud of him for getting it. )

If we attacked blindly without knowing for certain, some of us may end up carrying burdens that could have been avoided.

[nutkick]

I really don't wanna play the 'let's wait and see' card. Let's just jump into the fire and swing it.

[ he's really not trying to act tough here, denji is more tired of the idea of dealing with another mind game. these kaijus probably have a group chat where they exchange information, and some fucker leaked that turning the outsiders against each other works like a charm. ]

[cranekin]

( Please, god, let there be a kaiju groupchat. Tsuru would love to see the chatlogs. )

I also don't want to wait and see. My eyes are pretty bad!

( No, actually, for real. He's a horrible scout. He's blind in the dark and when it comes to seeing far.)

But if we run ahead blindly, we'll surely be surprised and not everyone here likes surprises.

@durante

[followyourstar]

Sorry for basically texting everyone despite being in the same room, but this didn't seem like the sort of thing to bring up when our hosts could be watching.

...Mainly because both sides are suspicious here if you ask me.

People start acting strangely shortly after they arrive, the food tastes weird (from what I've been hearing other people say), and now there's supposed to be some relic inside this kaiju that's supposed to make everything better?

It's just...
It feels a little too convenient is all. So I think we might be better off with a more cautious approach, see if anything gets strange on Gwen's side when the fighting begins.

[cranekin]

You're so clever!

( Of course, Tsurumaru is going to give praise where it's deserved.)

I agree. We don't know much about either side.
Our problems began here and yet, a far-off enemy is the one to blame.
The enemy is to blame but it also has the solution to our problems.

However, we shouldn't stay still.
Either the bear is coming or we're already in its den.

[followyourstar]

Yeah, that's it exactly. It doesn't make much sense, but the other side isn't here to plead their case either.

I'm not entirely convinced they aren't both bears. Starting off on the defensive might be our best bet--let Gwen's forces lead the charge. If we can keep things even between both sides long enough to see if there's anything strange about Gwen and her group, there's less of a chance we'll be taken by surprise if this is a set-up. And we'll have saved some of our energy for a counter-counter-attack.

@Neon Leon

[makesascene]

How about we pick off the human supporters for the kaiju first? I can use my portals so we can either drop in on them, or portal them somewhere else.

We can handle the kaiju ourselves, leave the people for later. Less collateral and death overall.

[cranekin]

A plan already! I'm surprised.
If the human supporters are being manipulated in some way, I think most of us would like to save them, too.

And in the event they don't need to be saved at all... removing them is still good for us.

[makesascene]

We kinda need a plan ASAP, sooooo- gotta start thinking about it.

I figure we get a bead on their schedules for a day or two, see where they are and how they function.Then portal them away to a location of our choosing after getting a feel. That way they can't attack us or run away somewhere else.

One team tracks, and I join the second team to portal the people away. My portals are soundless. I can drop them where we need them.

[eyescar]

i don't think there's any reason to hurt the people
we're here to save them.

[makesascene]

Hate to break it to you, buddy, but some people here are bloodthirsty. If I don't at least pretend that's an option, no one will actually read my suggestion.

@Bootyyyshaker9000

[soft_shelled]

The turtle has a good plan.

[Enjoy having one of the AU'd folks agreeing with this.]

[makesascene]

Says the other turtle??? what the heck, donnie

SUGGESTION:

[cranekin]

Tsurumaru reporting. 🙇

Most of us are in agreement. We don't have enough information to come up with a confident plan. We could charge right in and launch an all out attack on the rebels. In the past, defeating the enemy commander has resolved most of our problems so acting swiftly has merit.

However, many of us are in agreement on another point: We don't have enough information. We risk running into a dangerous surprise if we move without thinking.

So let's move quickly and wisely. If we know the enemy is on the move, we have an idea of their location. Let's send some people ahead. We can learn more information by observing them like their numbers, their formation, and their supplies. And if the opportunity presents itself, we can reduce some of their number safely. Since quite a few among us are noble-hearted, this will provide some peace.

While the scouting group works, our main force can stay with Gwen's forces and prepare for attack.

( And that's a summary of what's been proposed so far. Tsurumaru will wait a minute to let that sit before continuing,)

Scouting is dangerous. If they're caught, they'll have to make a quick retreat. We should send not only those who are good at stealth and fast but also some who can help defend and provide cover if necessary.

( Basically, he's proposing an intermediary group that will watch the scouts and help them escape/fight off rebels.)

And lastly, there's one more issue to address: Our own forces.

Regardless of what we may think about each other and ourselves, we are divided.

This isn't our first time against a beast that could influence our minds. Be cautious and assume anyone can be an enemy. Including ourselves.

( Just trying to summarize what we have so far IC and toss out my own idea. I proposed this version to the mods if anyone wants to +1 it. We can plot out more on the OOC comm if anyone wants to! Or quickly on plurk/discord too for convenience. )

@gisei

[harboredfeelings]

You've certainly put a lot of thought into this, old man.

If this is how we're going to handle things then I'll provide cover for the advanced group. My aircraft can get them out quickly enough and pick off some of the enemy humans in the process.

Hell, let me work and I could eliminate most of them before the kaiju gets here. Although I doubt that'd be a very popular decision.

@Gojira; voice

[30storieshigh]

A Musing.

Perhaps to "attack" would be a thing of unwise candor. The situation of this territory is... unusual, unclear, yet... hmm.

One is put in mind of the floral being of the jungle that seemed almost a protector until there was shift in behavior. And then there is matter of the Imugi. Before she set to her own ending I had momentary connection, there was a wrongness.

[ He pauses for a moment, sighs. ]

Consider, this world holds evidence of the Kaiju existing in eons past, yet their war on humanity is of recent occurrence within the relevant span of time. Something has occurred. In a guessing of personal nature I hold thought the rifts play a role in this, one remembers too well how sensical the extermination if humans seemed under its poisoning.

Bah, but I ramble. To the point of things, rather than to attack communication, negotiation. I hold intent to confront the kaiju as my true self, "monster to monster" as some may say. This seems the best opportunity we have been given to attempt such a thing. I would ask for the support of the packs in this attempt.

@litanytime

[mace_pray_love]

I don't know about all of the kaiju you've run into in the past, but if this one can talk, we should definitely speak with it and find out what it wants.

If you think it will listen to you, I'll help out however I can so you can try.

[Not sure what this 'monster' business is about...maybe he means something about being a kami...or a berserker movie star?]

[30storieshigh]

You have my appreciation in this, Priestess Jessica.

I am not disposed towards hopeful resolution to the point of delusion. This shall be difficult, there will be violence from both sides. Any effort you are capable of providing to mitigate the impacting of this violence would be of an invaluable capacity.

[followyourstar]

I'm not opposed to the idea, especially if those voices other people have been talking about are coming from this one.

Even if it doesn't work out in the end, there's a good chance we might get some information.

[30storieshigh]

Indeed.

One's primary concern is of the humans we have been sent to support and the more... violently inclined amongst the packs. Though I do not hold belief that either grouping holds intent of malice, I also do not hold much trust towards them.

@mr. viper

[penaltypoints]

You've raised valid points. If your efforts succeed, they may provide us with useful insights.

[ A pause in turn. ]

Can you guarantee that the kaiju's influence won't affect you?

[30storieshigh]

I am Godzilla. None of the beings we have faced have proven of the capability to influence myself. I hold little doubt that such circumstance shall continue to be the way of things.

[ The rift that corrupted everyone back in June sure did, but that technically wasn't a kaiju, so he's not lying! ]