station72 | [mission: hyrypia] i lived on dread

CHARACTERS: Everyone
WHERE: The Red Coast
WHEN: The Night of DAY :038 (man this sucks syntactically, doesn't it? - just go with it)
SUMMARY: The dread returns; the Hosts hatch a plan to ferret out the identity of the Enemy agent and chase down loose ends.
WARNINGS: N/A. Need something added? PM the mod account!

WHALSOME HOUSE
DAY :038 (NIGHT)

GIMME BACK THAT OLD FAMILIAR FEELING
IT'S ONLY JUST FULLY DARK when the nauseating sense of dread - some primal, instinctive fear of the symbiote - triggers for a third time. In the immediate aftermath, a fundamentally commanding voice manifests itself in the minds of all Hosts. Siva'co says:

( Return to our quarters immediately. There is no time to waste. )

In the cramped Carbauschian rooms of Whalsome House, an impromptu and desperate meeting is held and plans are hatched. Utilizing the radiation tracker Pidge spent the afternoon building, a small contingent of Hosts will attempt to infiltrate the Admiral's quarters in the effort to find evidence that somehow links him to the charred circle before the evidence has faded. However, with security so tight and an entire Pilgrimage of envoys milling around in the courtyard out of fear of either being murdered, attacked by some wild creature, or having their stuff set on fire, sneaking anywhere is easier said than done.

Luckily, there are a lot of helping hands ready to change that.

I. THE ONE MAN SHOW
YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT MUSICIANS. It's that they have impeccable timing. Attempting to thin the crowd while more over the top plans can be implemented, Gildor makes his way from Whalsome Home to Tyrisson Town's square. There he'll be staging a Very Enthralling Performance. Unfortunately, the effect only works on those that can actually hear it. Other Hosts will need to help encourage attendance and keep the crowd happy for as long as they can while elsewhere…--

II. OOPS, I ACCIDENTALLY AN ARSON
WHY MESS WITH A WINNING STRATEGY? Setting stuff on fire certainly seemed to do the trick covering tracks made earlier in the day, and that's the go-to plan for the evening. While Gildor's performance manages to contain some of the the area's denizens, it'll take more than sad songs to draw everyone out of the Whalsome Home and thin the guard detail posted there. So let's go big, shall we? The Hosts will compel a Red Coast local deep in his cups to stagger out of the public house to one of the storehouses keeping casks of harvested Garstall fat. There, the Hosts will make sure she makes a very flammable accident.

The storehouse catches fire with all the enthusiasm of a matchstick. With the breeze coming off the water, it isn't long before the fire is raging-- and then threatening to jump to other buildings: neighboring structures containing more Garstall fat, lacquers and glues, and who knows what else. Should those areas be consumed by fire, it's only a matter of time before it travels to devour the rest of Tyrisson Town. The stones won’t burn, but the roofs and the tapestries certainly will.

The immediate and very real danger is enough to drag every able-bodied Red Coast locals to attempt to fight the fire. The guards patrolling the courtyard surrounding Whalsome Home will rush to assist and compliments of individuals from each envoy may be persuaded to help join the effort to save the town. While this won't empty the Whalsome Home or Tyrisson Manor completely (there are more than a few individuals who would rather stay safe in their respective quarters than run down to fight a fire - they have servants to do that), the fire certainly thins the ranks enough to make the mission of the infiltration teams feasible.

III. ONLY YOU CAN STOP DOCK FIRES
LOOK, NO ONE WANTS TO BURN THE PLACE TO THE GROUND. We just want to keep it burning for long enough. Which means hampering fire relief efforts because, as it turns out, the Red Coast locals know how to deal with fire. Bucket brigades are quickly implemented to start soaking the structures closest to the burning storehouses in an effort to keep the flames from traveling; further, it isn't long before the locals are breaking out hoses and technomanced pumps to churn water up from the sea in an effort to douse the fire.

So there's plenty to mess with - whether it's exhausting relief efforts, sabotaging equipment, or pushing people around until tempers flare alongside the literal fires.

Between the Host's efforts to slow the relief efforts and the extremely flammable nature of the Garstall fat, the fire will burn for most the night. Unfortunately, the major envoys in attendance won't be there for the entire night - over the course of the evening, they'll trickle back to their quarters to catch a breather and get some rest. Better be quick about…--

IV. SNEAKY SNEAKS BEIN' SNEAKS
BREAKING INTO TYRISSON MANOR is no easy task. However, thanks to quick thinking to reroute and/or disable the guards and the communication perks of the mental link, a small contingent of Hosts is able to wind their way through the palatial, completely ostentatious rooms of Tyrisson Manor and eventually reach the (comparably) quiet wing where Shee Naraxa and Casiria are sequestered for their mourning ritual. Luckily, the fires seems to have drawn their attendants away from the area; unfortunately getting them to break from their mourning sequester for a quick conversation may be more tasking than reaching them. Further, the demands of the manor's security will eventually trigger a changing of the guard - better to get in and out as quickly as possible before someone catches you in the act. Meanwhile…--

THE ADMIRAL’S QUARTERS ARE UNASSUMING and, at least for the moment, unguarded. That isn’t likely to last long though. The team infiltrating will be able to break in and begin searching through the building for the evidence they seek. It will quickly become apparent that thought the front of the building had little to differentiate it from the standard housing, within the layout of this section of the Descendant housing varies radically from Sam's shared memories. Here, thick dark curtain have been hung to divide the shared room into closed off sections; beyond the last curtain lies a large space which must clearly serve as the Admiral's private quarters, complete with a folding desk meant for frequent travel. This space is dimly lit by several technomagical lanterns, and it is very, very quiet. The desk has several papers on it - the sort that someone would notice if they went missing -, an intricate pen in a stand and a seal, as well as a small dock for an absent communicator, all placed very intentionally.

Pidge’s scanner is working, and with a little Luck it can detect a spot of lingering radiation emanating from a burlap sack tucked away under the bed. Inside it is a set of Descendant clothing soaked in shockingly, unsettlingly fresh blood.* The evidence has been stored hastily - the bedclothes are disturbed and messy in a way nothing else in the room is.

However, it isn't long before the search will have to end. Despite the ongoing fire the Descendant security will return to their posts even if the Red Coast locals and Tyrisson guards continue to battle the flames. The Hosts will need to slip away before that happens and make sure they leave no evidence of their intrusion behind.

V. REGROUP
THE FIRE EVENTUALLY GOES OUT though the air remains choked with smoke and ash, and the lanterns that line the streets give off an eerie glow through the haze of it - sickly red and orange. The envoys are encouraged to return to the Whalsome Home. Exhausted and soot-smeared, the Carbauschians are no different. It will give everyone time to regroup - and report on what they’ve found.

VI. ONE LAST SURPRISE
DURING THE LAST DREDGES OF NIGHT a second interruption arrives at the Carbauschian quarters via a quiet knock on the door jamb of their barracks. It's one of the Red Coast servants and she is accompanied by two clearly exhausted guards. The servant gives the Hosts a short, perfunctory bow.

“We greatly regret the events of the past days, and House Tyrisson feels it would be best for the Pilgrimage to move on from this tragic place as quickly as possible. The House wishes sincerely for you to put these terrible things at your backs as you move on to more promising lands, all with the hope that you remember them kindly when you think of your time here.”

With that message delivered, they depart. The Hosts should be ready to pack their things in the morning.

((OOC Notes: This log serves as a general catch-all for the events occuring the Night of Day :038 and the immediate aftermath.

*PLEASE NOTE: The set of bloody clothes found in the Admiral's Quarters belongs to the unnamed Descendant from the 'Short Handed' prompt on the Garstall hunt log; any Host who both sees the bloody clothes and who went out on the water for the Garstall hunt (or who has both these memories shared with them via the symbiote link) may recognize this.

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 )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ They've gotten this far, but that doesn't really mean much if they can't find anything. Fortunately, everyone seems to be distracted so they probably have some time to find something. Well. Hopefully something. Because if they come up empty they might have to do this all over again. The quarters themselves look horribly neat and Pidge isn't immediately suspicious, but she is a bit cautious. She flicks on the detector in her hands, slowly sweeping it from one side of the room to the other as she starts to pick her way forward. ]

Anything immediately jump out at you guys...?

[ Misato's by the desk, arms crossed in front of her chest to keep herself from touching anything unnecessarily. She is stock still, trying to decipher the meaning of something on its surface, calculating the distances between things, derive some kind of pattern in the lack of chaos. A few beats later, she sighs and turns to watch the others scouring the room. ]

There's something missing from this table. Some kind of gadget. But I don't think we should touch anything.

This guy is a definite neat-freak.

[ It's not entirely alien to Pidge and her own messy environment, but it's worth noting. Everything seems to have a place. She follows the little pings from her detector. There's something here. Somewhere. ]

Try not to leave anything out of place. I have a feeling he'd actually notice...

Keep your eyes out.

[He keeps to Pidge's wake, following behind her without trying to crowd her. It's a fine balance -- but after everything that happened, after murder and the apparent snap of her broodmate's mind, he's got to.]

[Following his own advice, too. Even if he doesn't notice anything right away, maybe someone going through his memory will. So it pays to take everything in, look at it all.]

No one here happens to have photographic memory, do they?

[ She levels a look at Shiro for his suggestion. Belated, considering the makeshift team already assembled here. If there were someone among the dozens or so who do have especially impeccable memory or the eye to look out for clues, they have no higher chance of being here in this room. That question was not raised, and now it's moot. ]

I've memorized what's on the desk.

[ Instead she moves toward the curtains, to keep an eye on the single entrance. ]

[Murphy, already standing watch at the entrance in an instinctive need to keep their exit open, glances back at the proceedings inside the room, dry. Any trepidation he's feeling about the situation is tucked down and away. He hates knowingly walking into danger, but the distraction's solid. He's been in worse.]

Maybe stick with finding something worth remembering, first.

[Focus on what they're looking for, not what they might not be able to do.]

I've got a good memory-

[ Pidge pipes up as she carefully starts to work over one side of the small room. She's not touching anything yet, just letting her eyes travel, trying to find a pattern - or the lack of one. Or a break in an existing pattern. Something out of place. ]

Nothing over here, that I can see...

[The look gets an arched eyebrow, but he moves on. Just a question -- though Murphy is more on point. There's several of them in here, meaning if they pool their memories together, they should have this room down.]

We might have to look in open drawers. Cabinets. Whatever's unlocked. Long as we close them again, they won't look disturbed.

[ That's a value judgment, what's worth or not worth remembering, and one they can't yet make with what little they know. But that's not a hill she cares to die on. If this entrance is covered then she might as well peer over the bed, still keeping her hands back. No touching. She turns, sharp, toward Shiro instead. ]

Don't. He seems the type to set traps on his drawers. Only when Katie's sure what we're looking for is in one of them, then we take that risk.

[ That's a lot of confidence that Misato is placing in her. Then again, Pidge has a lot of confidence in herself. She grimaces and tilts the detector in her hands, trying to get it to ping again. It's drawing her a bit further into the room. Weird. ]

I think it's over there... somewhere-

[ She gestures at the bed and the area around it. It's not an exact science, you know? ]

The... bed?

[It's a rhetorical question. If that's where Pidge's device is pointing them, that's where their clue is.]

[To him, it's looking more and more likely they're going to have to open something.]

Is there any way to get a trajectory on it?

It's a bit generalized, but I think... maybe check under it?

[ She's spitballing a bit, but hey, it's better than nothing. ]

[mission: hyrypia] i lived on dread

IV. Sneaky Sneaking

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