[mission: hyrypia] big, but not coarse - merely on another scale

[onemind]

CHARACTERS: Everyone
WHERE: The Red Coast
WHEN: DAY :036 - DAY :037
SUMMARY: A multiverse away, new hatches wake on the Station. On Hyrypia, the Garstall hunt begins in earnest - and wraps up with terrible consequences.
WARNINGS: Animal hunting and slaughter, death, Bad Times at Ridgemont High. Need something added? PM the mod account!

STATION 72
DAY :036

THE HATCH - NEW HOSTS
YOU WAKE UP and the universe and you in it are altered. --No. That's not right. You're you, the universe is as it's always been, and there's no 'suddenly' about it. But it's been a while, hasn't it? It feels like waking from a very deep sleep or coming up from the darkness of some wine colored sea. Nothing is different and yet everything is.

You find yourself lying in a small, hexagonal chamber with a gentle light emanating from its walls. If you were injured during your escape, you're now healed. If you were anxious or frightened or distraught, those feelings have been calmed. There's something peaceful about waking up here - like you belong. That feeling persists until you disconnect the IV running from the base of your neck to the chamber wall.

Then things get loud. A wave of emotion fills that peaceful void - fear, uncertainty, relief, a sense of purpose or loneliness or anxiety. A matching dread. An easy comfort. Some of these emotions might be yours, but they can't all be.

Eventually you find your way out of the pod, having found whatever belongings you brought with you and a change of crisp white clothes in a cubby near your feet. Once you descend to the Nesting Deck, you’ll find you’re not alone. There are a handful others very like you here, all of them somehow intimately familiar.

Welcome to Station 72. Beyond this room, the vast Station is quiet and still. It feels for all the world like a shell for some vast dark thing.

EXPLORE the strange environment you've found yourself in. The Station seems to be both infinitely vast and strangely small. It's possible to wander along halls and through chambers for hours, only to turn a corner and find yourself in a place you've already been because your mind happened to think of it.

PREPARE for what's to come. Not long after your arrival, a pair of aliens arrive in a dark ship bearings mission kits for everyone. Get changed into your disguises, brush up on your mission briefing, and ask what questions you have while you can. It isn't long before you're loaded onto the ship and leave the Station behind.

HYRYPIA - THE RED COAST
DAY :036

A CALLING
A FAMILIAR FEELING to those that know it is sign enough that the elder hosts must depart to fetch whoever it is remains on the station. But this time, it's not just two of them that strike out under the cover of night. Instead, all four of them make their way from Whalsome House.

( We will not be gone long. ) Collector’s voice is a cheerful lilt in their minds as she gathers a book in hand. ( Try to have only pleasant stories for me, when we return. )

And with that Rhan, The Collector, Siva'co and Lyr are gone. They take with them the comatose Hosts and leave the rest to their own devices.



HYRYPIA - THE RED COAST
DAY :037

THE HUNT
DAWN BREAKS over a coastline already bustling with activity. The day has finally come to take those long boats out beyond the shallows and hunt the massive serpent-like Garstall in earnest. A familiar horn is blown and anyone who wishes to participate files down onto the beach and is divided into groups, a dozen or two people for each boat. There's a celebratory air to the whole affair, a true pleasure in taking the boats out into the sea. For all that the Barithian Hunt was anxious and quiet and tense, this is is a day of laughter and shouting and singing rowing songs as the boats slash their way through the open water toward the massive creatures roiling through the deeper water off the coast.

SHORT HANDED might not be the first thought that comes to mind on the bustling ships, but at some point during the hunt it becomes clear that Keya isn't present despite the fact that she's been attending every training session. Should anyone ask, one of the Descendants confesses that Keya skipped the hunt because Shee Naraxa secured a meeting between her and the heads of House Tyrisson concerning "her peace talk idea." The news seems to surprise one of the other Descendants; while it’s difficult to read her expression, it’s clear this is not what she expected to hear. She remains tense for the remainder of the voyage.

FINDING THE GARSTALL is simple enough for the experienced sailors of the Red Coast. They look for signs where the water’s color is more pronounced and where the waves seem to stir in unusual directions. They direct those who have less to do with controlling the fickle vessels to keeping a weather eye out for these signs, and to let out a cry when they spot them. Once a Garstall is spotted, all the nearby boats must rally together to take it.

ONCE SPOTTED what had been a pleasant but almost routine sail becomes something far different. Orders and directions are shouted down the lengths of the vessels. Hunters are armed and those in charge of ballast set to their stations.

The boats maneuver incredibly well for their size, their narrowness slashing through the sea to close on the Garstall that has risen near the surface. The beast is huge - larger than any single boat. It's like a great tree come to life, a twisting trunk of a body in the waves. The ships cut in separate directions, and when the signal horn sounds then the hunt truly begins. Hunters begin to hurl harpoons into the waves, aiming for the Garstall's sinuous body.

When the harpoons find their target, the whole boat shudders and tips. There's shouting and some laughter, the eager deck hands compensating for the drag of the beast by sliding weight across the deck to the opposite side of the boat. On one of the boats, a line snaps and sends the ship springing back the opposite direction - several of the sailors thrown into the water even as the hunters lose their footing. On another boat they fail to slide the ballast quickly enough and the Garstall wrenches them forward as it attempts to dive, leaving the other two boats attached to the beast attempting to compensate. On still another boat, they subdue a smaller beast much more easily. Sailors line the boat's side as one of the crewmen slides down the harpoon line, knife in hand to finish the job.

It’s a chaotic experience - but a successful one.

RAISE A BLADE, RAISE A GLASS
IN THE AFTERMATH of the successful hunt, the Garstall's massive carcasses are dredged up into the shallows. It's hot work to beach the massive animal. Once it's in the foaming purple surf, the most delicate parts of it must be stripped from the carcass before they can rot. The harvesting of the fat under the Garstall's heavy plates can wait, but the exposed flesh must be stripped promptly to avoid rot. Luckily, this work is done under the guise of celebration and the result is half slaughter and half bonfire beach party as night falls over the Red Coast.

BUTCHERY might not be the right work for everyone, but the locals leading the task are good natured and encouraging.

FEASTING on the sweet meat of the Garstall is a given. Huge slabs of meat are roasted over equally massive fires as the work is completed. Drinks are passed around. Music is played. Fashionably late, the heads of Tyrisson House come down for their manor (for a split second in the company of Shee Naraxa before she peels away to join the rest of the Descendants) to give another cheerful speech. The work is hard but rewarding, and for a moment the tenor of this place is so very good.

A DREADFUL DISCOVERY
BUT A MONSTER IS HUNTING and just after the speech, a horrifying sense of dread grips the Hosts. It's sickening - a vomiting, visceral wrongness that reaches out of the universe and finds the symbiote and the Host mind and sinks its hooks there exactly as it did that night on the road from Naerstone. Should anyone follow that dreadful sensation, they'll find themselves in the twisted orchard near Tyrisson House, mist clinging low to the ground in the chilling evening, lit only by a pale moon. What waits for them there is a pitch black circle scorched into the loamy earth - so exact and so precisely like the one discovered so many days earlier. And near this perfect circle: the broken body of Keya, her throat split open and blood still wet on the ground.


NEW FRIENDS (OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES)
NEWS OF THE MURDER SPREADS and all the envoys are encouraged to return to their quarters for their safety while those in the employ of Tyrisson house secure the area-- encouragement which turns to insistence until all the members of the Envoys have returned their respective housing. Lights are lit in every courtyard and at every corner. Tension runs high. During this time, as the Hosts wait in their own row of Whalsome House's low stone buildings, company arrives:

A VISITOR arrives with a special request. An older Descendant wrapped in a heavy cloak with a deep hood comes knocking. When she reveals her face, Lakshmi might recognize her as Keya's aunt. "My name is Casiria," she says. "I believe you knew my niece."

It’s clear from her demeanor that she has far more to say before she goes.

FAMILIAR FRIENDS in the shape of newly hatched hosts and your senior chaperones arrive not long after Casiria's departure. They find their way to Whalsome House in a hush, having apparently faced some difficulty in dodging the added security. Better catch everyone up quickly.

---

((OOC Notes: This log serves as a general catch-all for events from DAY :036 through DAY :037. Please feel free to create your logs outside of this one, though we strongly recommend not forward-dating to the following morning. Please be aware that in the context of this log, new Hosts won't be present on Hyrypia until after Casiria has left. If you have any questions, please hit up either the mission's question thread, the FAQ or MOD CONTACT pages!))

NAVIGATION • GAME CALENDAR • MISSION: HYRYPIA • FAQ • MOD CONTACT • GLOSSARY

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Comments

[forgive]

Years?

[ Her reply is instantaneous, and maybe a bit louder than she intended. But now this was starting to give her some serious cause for concern. Not that whatever monstrous entity that was after her didn't also. ]

So, we were all rescued. But we have to play host to something in our brains until... when? Our lives are over?

[ Her body had already been 'host' to something; she literally escaped death and clawed her way out of hell to even get some semblance of herself back. And now it felt like she was just being tossed right back into it. At least now she's conscious and in control... she thinks. She hopes. ]

[tynacious]

[ Ty thinks about that for a moment, after the bells ringing in xyr ears confirm that yes, xe is still hung over.

Then, xe shrugs. ]

Or until the end of the Enemy's.

[ Whichever comes first. ]

You're not dead, so...the odds are tipping your way.

[forgive]

[ Not dead — guess there was some comfort in that. But like her earlier question, it's not like this was actually living either. But she's come back before, there's that at least. He made some sense.

Kate sighs, exasperated though somewhat resigned. She tucks back some of her hair behind her ear. ]

Okay, so whoever this enemy is — that we're not allowed to ask about. That's why we're all here? To stop it?

[tynacious]

Mmhm. [ Ty nods once. That's as succinct as it can get. ]

The Hive's little footsoldiers, heh.

[ Xe turns and starts to walk, waving for Kate to follow with a limp wave of xyr hand. ]

Hope you like chess because that's what this all is. The Enemy is playing a long con, thinking three million moves ahead, and it's-- [ Xe almost says our job, but glances over xyr shoulder after a second. ] --your job to go fish across the board and yell "king me."

[ ...yeah, so Ty doesn't know anything about Earth games. But xe wields that lack of knowledge with no small amount of leisurely confidence. ]

[forgive]

[ Footsoldiers? This just keeps getting more questionable. But Kate is quiet while she listens, falling in step beside Ty. She takes a moment to check out their surroundings as they move out through the station.

There's a pointed pause, a raised eyebrow and a subtle smirk in her tour guide's direction. ]

...You've never played chess before, have you?

[ It almost makes her laugh (the kind of nervous energy that bubbles up under anxious circumstances), but it also serves as a reminder just how alien this all is. She knew firsthand that monsters were real, why not this — whatever it is — too? ]

Pretty sure I understand where you're going with this anyway. It's not going to be an easy game. So, am I allowed to ask about the The Hive? Like what is it?

[tynacious]

[ Of course xe hasn't played chess. And xe wouldn't want to; it sounds like a very boring game. ]

It's complicated. [ Xe glances sidelong at Kate, then gestures vaguely. ] There is an official explanation but since you're asking me, it's...a connection. You know the term "hivemind?" Then you know what the Hive is.

[ Ty stops as they come up on the first actual room they've encountered since leaving the nesting pod area. Thus far, it's just been impossibly high walls, arches, bizarre architecture, a marked lack of doors and windows, and seemingly endless hallways.

Peering into the room, xe hums. ]

Mess hall. Are you hungry?

[forgive]

[ She doesn't care one way or the other, but the mention does remind her of her father. He taught her how to play. But she buries that thought as quickly as it surfaces. (She's already worried enough about Scott as it is, what might be happening to him holding a permanent spot in the corner of her mind; he would understand all of this weird alien stuff.) ]

I think so. It means we can all, like... read each other's thoughts, right?

[ And suddenly Kate is way more self aware than she'd like to be. It does explain loud feedback that keeps entering her brain, settling right behind her eyes like a migraine.

Her attention is drawn away momentarily, peeking in alongside to take a look. Either way, she stops to address Ty back, before moving forward. ]

Kinda. I probably should be. Are you?

[tynacious]

More or less. [ Less, in Ty's case. Xe doesn't like the idea of invading people's minds, or having anyone randomly drop into xyr own. Xe's old fashioned that way.

Xe also guards xyr mind to such an extent that any attempts at figuring xem out is met with hold music. ]

Hm. Must be, if it wasn't you.

[ Leave it to Ty's base instincts to lead them right to the kitchen. Xe follows after Kate, letting her lead for a while, just to see where they go. ]

[forgive]

And feelings, too? Cool.

[ Considering the internal mess she's struggling with, Kate anticipates that this won't be good for anyone who takes a look behind the curtains into her current state. Or if she unintentionally projects onto someone else. However it works.

The hunger could be is slightly attributed to her, subconsciously. She hasn't eaten actual physical food in a long time. She just doesn't have a particular desire to eat when everything is so distracting. So, it's probably a mixture of them both. ]

I'm Kate, by the way. ... Unless you already know that.

[ Her exploration is tentative, not sure what she should be touching; but mostly she's pinged by how massive the place is, yet so empty. ]

Where is everyone? It can't be just us.

[tynacious]

I didn't, so. [ Ty waves with two fingers. ] Hi.

[ There's really no telling where anyone else is--or rather, there is, but it would take a lot of mental probing to find out and while half of this duo is close enough with the Nest to do said probing, xe is far too hungover to bother. ]

Oh, around. Most are off on some alien planet making machinations, others are asleep, or joining the away team, or...wandering. Best way to get to know the place.

[forgive]

[ Kate flashes a small smile, the first since she woke up in this strange place. It's all ridiculous and disconcerning but comforting at the same time. ] Hi.

[ Then she takes a deep breath, her focus is definitely drawn toward the vastness of the station, and the undeniable pull toward... something, somewhere. The feedback loop in the back of her mind hasn't really stopped. Food will probably have to wait. ]

They're shipping me away too, right? [ Since, by the comment earlier, she wasn't brought here to float through space. A soldier. Still, something was telling her to take the opportunity to breathe and take advantage of exploring while she could. ] Well, if I wander off, promise you're not going to get me in trouble...

[tynacious]

As a rule, I don't make promises...but I've been known to break rules, too. [ Ty smirks, and nods. If she gets in trouble, it won't be xyr doing. ]

They're shipping out newbies as they get here, so you and the rest of your brood. Or, who knows, maybe they've already finished what they were doing.

[ Another shrug. It's not xyr job to keep track of the mission statuses, especially considering xe only got back from xyr own mission yesterday. ] We'll know when someone higher up collects you.