voidtreckermods: (train)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] middleofsomewhere2022-01-19 06:02 am

Fissures of Time: Ongoing


FISSURES OF TIME: ONGOING



... POI 10-12

FOR SOME, THE MISSION HAS BEEN MORE MENTALLY EXHAUSTING THAN PHYSICALLY. Distortions sprout around the domain without rhyme or reason, and the camps must be moved every new day to meet them, as well as stopping a distortion from deciding to form under them from their presence.

While there's bare-bones vegetation, at least they have their own resources to help one another, as well as what can be retrieved from the Ministry base during return trips to take misplaced civilians to safety. It's straight-forward so far...

...but that wouldn't be standard for the Voidtreckers, and some in their ranks don't want straight-forward. Starting during the early hours of Poi 10, there will be occasional rumblings throughout the land. They last for a few seconds and then stop, seemingly for hours; but then they return, and as the days go on, so do the tremors increase.

It seems the distortions too have become affected...

THE UNQUIET CITY. (CW: People unable to die/rising from the dead, body horror)

A city of rubble and ruin stretches far out around them, where once there were hills and vegetation. Much of the rubble is still smoking as fires smoulder. The fighting isn't over, heard before it's seen.

It must be connected to the same skirmishes seen in other distortions, and so most of you are prepared to meet warriors on foot and mount. But what awaits isn't only the horror of bloodshed. No: the reason that the fighting still continues even as the city lies in ruin is because fighters fall and rise again, as if death were nothing but a short rest.

Puncture marks litter skin and armour, holes from weaponry and blessed-magic visible in torsos, even the spaces of where portions of one's skull and brain should be.

Yet they cannot stop fighting. They cannot fall to the ground, rest. Whatever drove them to fight this war still inspires them to continue, screaming as much in pain as in some sort of twisted ecstasy. Perhaps they are too shocked to do anything else. A city locked in eternal war, distorted in time, doomed to repeat itself.

It's hard to set the equalisers here. Not much is stable and fights are likely to break out wherever there are people. The people of this city have their factions, but they will not hesitate to band together to fight intruders.


EYE OF THE STORM. They might feel this distortion before they enter it. A spine-chilling thrill, the feeling one might get at the edge of a storm.

—For a storm it is. The moment they enter it their vision will be obstructed, winds howl around them and rain lashes down furiously making a swamp of the ground below them. It's freezing cold and as they walk they will feel something in the storm. Almost as if there are icy hands, reaching out to grab at them, to pull them further into the worst of the weather.

It's hard to know where to place the equalisers, hard to see where the edges of this distortion are. Easier, not by much, to move further in, to find the epicentre and try and take it down from there.

It's a treacherous journey, but the centre truly is calm, water frozen like crystals. Yet temperatures are dangerously low, so it's in everyone's best interests to set the equalisers quick and get out.


MEAN AND GREEN. As the rumbling continues, there comes a strange and worrying distortion. Worrying, as this distortion can be seen from the outside. A hazy blur that seems to move across the countryside, along the left side of the camp you're stationed at. It gets dangerously close at times, and when it does...

Green tendrils of plant life burst out, entangling people to pull them into the distortion. Or chains of flowers spread from the distortion out across the countryside. Beautiful and colourful in the otherwise sparse environment, but those flowers work as anchors, spreading the distortion, expanding it.

To get rid of it they will need to enter, and inside is a thick jungle of vines and bright colourful flowers awaiting them. The foliage is thick and the air musky and sweet. It's easy to get separated, and getting lost is only a matter of getting turned around. The leaves are sticky and vines move seemingly on their own, curling around unsuspecting limbs, trying to trap people in this colourful paradise forever.

And up in the sky above, a woman's laughter can be heard, the heat of the sun bearing down that becomes uncomfortable quick. But don't look up - you may find a large yellow eye - yellow iris, yellow pupil, golden yellow everything - peering back at you, and find yourself being pulled in by the very ground itself by a powerful force.


NO SANCTUARY. Protecting the camps hasn't been difficult, despite it being a Purple task. Other than rowdy refugees breaking out into fights, little else has appeared to disturb them.

'Eiiiiliiifii.... Siiiiliiifiii...
Merios? Herios?
Don't hide... don't hide...

Everything will be so perfect soon...'


People are woken abruptly in the early hours of Poi 11. If by some special sense, or by a grab at their throat, by a body falling on top of where they sleep, someone else stopping the refugee who was about to take a knife to them.

The refugees have become uncontrollable, raving about wanting 'their Gods back'. The ground rumbles as the woman's voice from the hazy jungle - ethereal, so divine - speaks from below. Grass rises and the sky above burns with a brightness like an approaching sun.

Setting an equaliser will calm the refugees, but only those in the camps. Starting from lunchtime, more warriors and civilians will be found appearing from the distance and from thin air, seemingly knowing where to find the Voidtreckers' camps - and after some very specific people.

Those with divinity, control over weather, nature, and death will be especially targeted, along with anyone who received blessings from the Gods.


OOC NOTES
OOC post. Ask questions here. Let us know about shenanigans here. NPC requests here, set up a thread here. Rewards go here.

TL;DR: Starting on Poi 10, there will be odd tremors around the domain, and more aggressive time distortions. From Poi 11 refugees will lose control of themselves and start attacking Voidtreckers, in and out of the camp.

It will happen abruptly to begin with, but some keen to reading energy will find that it is shifting; like something is breaking in from somewhere else (similar to the time distortions).

  • Extra equalisers can be picked up from the Ministry base and they will be there to help, but there are also more distortions happening around the domain, so they'll be dealing with those. The Ministry will advise that any non-combatants should stick to the base, and even use the scouting drones to help from afar, if they really need to help.

  • Undead warriors can be found outside of time distortions, and not all of the people outside of distortions will be 'permanent' people. Equalisers can be kept going for a few hours to keep these people away, but will also need go into recharge/cooling mode.

  • Don't worry if you're still busy with the Starting log! Or if you've been meaning to tag, jump in here!
  • mystic_mongoose: (Mina2)

    [personal profile] mystic_mongoose 2022-01-21 05:16 am (UTC)(link)
    Mina watched in surprise at what Faux had made before her. "Wow...! That's so cool!" she said. With a nod, she pulled out her blade and followed Faux inside.
    ranoutofbuts: (Tank1)

    [personal profile] ranoutofbuts 2022-01-21 06:41 am (UTC)(link)
    With Mina inside the, honestly, pretty cramped conditions for him at least, he positions himself back into the drivers chair with the wrapped screen projecting his whereabouts. The tank isn't really meant for anything outside of grid-games, but as he steers it through the buffeting winds and sleet-like downpour, it moves along as commanded. He pats the seat next to him for Mina to sit at.

    He de-activates his helmet, "Much better inside, I'd say. Let's just hope we can make it through this thing." And out the other side.
    Edited 2022-01-21 06:46 (UTC)
    mystic_mongoose: (Default)

    [personal profile] mystic_mongoose 2022-01-21 06:25 pm (UTC)(link)
    Mina took the other seat and let out a sigh, shaking out her hair a bit.

    “Much better. But, let’s not sit around. It could get worse before it gets better!”
    ranoutofbuts: (Tank1)

    [personal profile] ranoutofbuts 2022-01-22 02:42 am (UTC)(link)
    His expression hardens, serious again. "Agreed."

    He steers the tank directly through the worst of winds, and even it's sturdy form is feeling the weight of it's force.

    "How many equalizers do we have?" It would be great not having to call in anyone else to help, "I have 1 set. I'm thinking, this storm could have a calm center within it. We could try and position them within there if it's possible."
    Edited 2022-01-22 02:55 (UTC)
    mystic_mongoose: (Mina2)

    [personal profile] mystic_mongoose 2022-01-22 03:53 am (UTC)(link)
    "I got a spare." Mina said, nodding. "I hope two's enough. If not, it'll weaken it enough someone else can jump in and finish it off."
    ranoutofbuts: (Tank1)

    [personal profile] ranoutofbuts 2022-01-22 06:00 am (UTC)(link)
    "Great! Two full sets should at least reduce the size of this thing." Perhaps the best they can achieve for now. They'll have to figure out what to do afterwards.

    As they agree on the plan, the tank trundles forward in what Faux can only hope is the right direction. The worst of the cyclonic winds hits them, and he feels the tracks starting to slip fractionally now. Not nearly enough to lift them, but its disconcerting. Unsure if they've hit the middle of the storms peak, an unpleasant feeling sets upon his circuits when the temperature dips even further down, enough now that he can recognize cold and colder.

    Suddenly, a clawing sound emanates across the tanks casting. Slicing and a definite crackling get louder. A warning goes off at his screen now. Something is outside trying to get at them, and his tank is starting to loose chunks of itself from the strength of it.
    mystic_mongoose: (Mina8)

    [personal profile] mystic_mongoose 2022-01-24 04:43 am (UTC)(link)
    "Woah, not good!" Mina shouted, hopping off from her seat and looking up, trying to figure out where the sound is from above. She drew her sword again as she kept looking.

    "Keep driving if you can!"
    ranoutofbuts: (Tank3)

    [personal profile] ranoutofbuts 2022-01-24 02:04 pm (UTC)(link)
    He checks his feeds again, finding no shape outside, only the turbulent weather. The sounds get louder, as something keeps clawing away at the hull of his tank.

    "Definitely not good."

    Faux is very happy to be in a tank right now. How long though...

    The treads start to tighten as more pressure is put onto them, sliding them back as he brings the tank through to the other side of the wind peak. It's gradually getting there, but it's a fight with the controls. Then a thunderous blow hits the side of the hull, almost knocking it over. The lighting on the tank cuts out for a moment, returning to reveal glowing cracks on the inside where it had been hit. What looks like a giant hand print!

    There are only scant few times that Faux has felt truly afraid in a tank; that was one of them. Something pushed his tank! A nervous sensation settles in him as the weather itself starts to feel as if its the one screaming at them, tearing, fighting, that the force that is trying to get at them is all around them.

    "There's nothing there, but something IS! I know it sounds weird," he faces Mina, "I think it's the storm!" He has to get them outta here, the tank isn't gonna be able to take too many hits like that. Luckily, he thinks he sees a break in the storm up ahead.

    Managing to maintain control as he moves them along and out to the interior, he gains more traction. "Okay, let's get us outta here."

    Then clawing starts to spread to the front of the tank now, trying to prevent them from getting to their target.
    Edited 2022-01-24 14:06 (UTC)