eastern mission

[promittere]

LACRIMOSA FOR THE CLOCKWORK MOON

It's just as dawn breaks on this dreary morning when Lazuli seeks out Shinjiro, Yamato, Mikaela, Phillip, and Ginger. He isn't gentle with the way he handles them, and though he is typically stoic, things are a little different this time—there's an urgency, a pensiveness to the way he ushers them into the lounge.

Tatara is waiting for them there, pacing, uncharacteristically. Once the five are sat down, Lazuli locks the door and casts soundproofing over the whole room. Whatever this is, it's a sensitive matter.

"I know this is sudden," Tatara begins, still standing, his voice low and even. "But a letter came in from the City of Rain and I don't think this can wait."

He pulls out a letter from behind his back, bloodsoaked, and begins to read aloud:

On behalf of the City of Rain, we hope this letter finds you well.

We would like to thank you once again for your assistance in cleaning up the blast site outside of the city. Our gratitude cannot be overstated.

However, we have another urgent request: Despite our best efforts and precautions, the city has fallen under siege by the very clockwork automatons we were attempting to scrap the week prior. It seems not all of the affected pieces made it to the scrap pile, and some have even found their way out.

We are unsure why or how these automatons have come to life—they speak and move as though they have sentience. They are hostile and aggressive towards us and refuse to let us leave our homes until their "plans" are ready. We do not wish to wait long enough to find out what those are.

Please help us at your earliest convenience.

When he's finished reading, he folds it and hands it to Phillip.

"What with the blast, its possible connection to the moon fragments, and the City of Rain's role as a witness, I can't help but think this mission is going to be crucial. I need you to go to the City of Rain and free them from this siege immediately."

Afterwards, Tatara and Lazuli escort the five wizards to the manor tower. Tatara expresses his regrets that neither he or Lazuli can go with you, but he bids you the best of luck. He drops a mana stone into the mechanism, pulls the lever, and waves you off.

OOC NOTES

Welcome, Eastern wizards, to your mission!

Missions are mod-guided events that are partial CYOA, partial play-by-post instances. In general, you are free to interact with a scene as you please, and the mod will tell you how the scene reacts as a consequence of your actions. Some scenes will allow for more flexible threading, such as exploration or conversation, while some scenes will require strict turn order to preserve rounds, such as combat or other time-sensitive conflict. The mod will inform you if strict turn order is required at the start of a scene. Regardless, always be sure to bold any important actions you take.

This mission has been specifically tailored to Eastern disposition, attitudes, and magic. If you find yourself struggling to tackle a situation, refresh yourself on the description of the East on the locations page, and make sure to confer with your teammates too!

As a bonus, here's your theme music!

You will have until 11:59 AM EDT on Saturday, May 18 to reach a conclusion for this mission. Good luck!

» NAVIGATION

Comments

EN ROUTE

[promittere]

[ When you arrive in the Eastern Country, the sky is blanketed in a thick cloud cover, and the rain roars in your ears as it pours.

You've been to the City of Rain before, of course, and you know that it's going to be about an hour or so by broom to get there. Use this time to chat amongst yourselves and come up with a plan of action. You are also free to inspect the letter, since unfortunately the sender is not around to answer your questions...

Besides the sound of the rain, it is completely still and silent, as though the world is holding its breath. But should you take a moment to close your eyes and listen, you'll feel the spirits rejoicing in your presence. Without the noise of your fellow wizards around, you'll feel comfortable, at ease—the spirits are welcoming you home. ]

[dadsandals]

[ This is. Lol. Lmao. Yamato looks especially exasperated at the prospect of having to fight these things for Reasons, but he glances at the other wizards. ]

I think we need a plan before we charge in head first.

[ LOOK HOW THAT ENDED UP FOR CENTRAL.... ]

[mirristry]

[Phil looks... somewhat less bothered by the idea of having to fight things than one might expect of someone who seems to be a complete shut-in!]

Yes. While it's clear that some sort of combat will most likely be necessary, the fact that our opponents are automatons means that there might also be a way to weaken them before we even engage with them.

[Holding up the letter!]

Would anyone like to take a look at it for themselves?

[dadsandals]

Sure. I'll take a look.

[ He'll hold out his hand out, take the letter, and inspect it. What can he garner from it, mod-chans... ]

[promittere]

[ The letterhead on the letter is official, which means it is a legitimate request, and not a trap. The paper is also fresh, which means it had likely been sent out the day before, or two days ago at most. This is a very recent development.

The writing is neat, indicative of someone who was hoping to preserve some sort of decorum, but hurried. This situation was not anticipated, and measures were not in place to prevent this.

The bloodstain looks as though it has seeped through layers of other things before reaching the paper of the letter itself. It also seems fresh, and though it is no longer damp, the blood is still bright red. Whoever had this must have been attacked not long after it was written. It seems the attempt to send this letter was a life-threatening one, at the very least... ]

THE CITY OF RAIN

[promittere]

[ As they make their way towards the city on their brooms, there is no sound besides that of their chatter, the rain and the wind in their ears. The world is still and silent at this hour in the morning.

Nothing changes as the city comes into view in the distance.

...Except, there is one change. As the city emerges from the rain fog, another sound joins the rain in their ears: singing. It echoes empty from the streets of the City of Rain, past city limits and into the air around them. Longing, reaching for, celebrating, something.

Closer, just outside of city limits, they see the golden bodies of the sentient automatons roaming the streets of the city. Many roads have been piled high, blocked off, by scrap and other debris. Any of the wizards may take the time to carefully look into the streets of the city, and they will find that there are no human civilians to be found anywhere outside.

From this vantage point, they will also notice that, past the main entrance of the city and the central plaza, they'll see one particular building more heavily guarded than any other, with the faint glow of a magic circle around it.

However, as they pass through city limits, it seems the singing automatons do not take kindly to their presence. It's as though thousands of pinpricks of purple light suddenly turn to look at them, even from a height, and those armed with crossbows and spears begin a relentless attack.

...Though their aim is not particularly great. Arrows and spears fly past them, and Shinjiro, Yamato, Phillip, and Ginger dodge with relative ease, sailing into the heart of the city. However, the assault will continue if they remain in the air above the city.

Mikaela, however, is not so lucky. An arrow and a spear catch on his clothes and drag him from the sky, dropping him just on the inside of the entrance gate.

From above, you can see there's three automatons in this area, but only one seems alarmed and ready to react to Mika's impending presence. You have one round to do something. ]

[shortleash]

( Dark as the sky may cloud with rain, he can feel the sun's beat from the other side. The rain's scent is thick with morning, and every buffeted drizzle tells him to go back and hide beneath the earth, within the dark; dim as it is, the day still doesn't want him.

It all discomfits him; knots his stomach. And as much as the rain feels right around him, both the hour and the weather prove troubling for his senses: the sound and scent and sight of rain overwhelm him - and straining to spot enemies before they arrive proves an impossible task.

He hears the faint and mechanical hum of the automaton's song not much sooner, if at all, than anyone else - the sight of the singing city emerging from the mist like a phantom in a fairy tale unnerving. It's infested, which is the outcome he was hoping wouldn't come to pass - but is about what he expected. )

... That building—

( He's about to broach the subject of the guarded building with its magic circle before they become the target of the automatons' affection. Mika's generally confident of his ability to dodge on his own two feet, but on a broom, when he's still got a rough handle of his magic? It's a little tight, but he's got no one to rely on but himself for this.

He dips down low to dodge an overhead arrow and accelerate past the onslaught just as the second arrow and spear pin his jacket and cape with their aggressive momentum. He slips free from his broom—accelerating on without him—as he hurdles to the ground without so much as a whimper on impact, disoriented and injured and probably bleeding from some nasty scrape or rupture, but it's nothing that would last given his vampiric healing.

(He realizes belatedly he told East to help each other, but he realizes he should've emphasized his mental caveat, which was "except me;" the idea that they might follow him down troubles him just as much as his present situation.)

He jumps to his feet and takes a quick survey of the surroundings; seeing one's attention fixed unto him, he makes a quick judgment: no fighting where he can draw the attention of the two others. Rapier drawn, Mika takes a far, backwards leap back toward (or through) the entrance, trying to draw it away from the other two automatons in the area. )

[lustro]

Mika-

[ And Mika should realize that when he had said 'help each other,' Ginger would know he wasn't including himself. And like hell, that's gonna fly. Eternity exists for two.

The instant Mika drops, Ginger whips his head around. Flying with broom works - but it's not something instinctive to Ginger - so the moment fear kicks in, his wings burst out and then he's really moving through in the air how he's meant to, diving for where Mika is.

Through gritted teeth, he forces out: ]

Tell All One's Heart.

[ Come on, it was a trick of the light. You didn't see (17) what you thought you saw. Look away from Mika. Keep singing. Now's a good time as any right? To test out what they talked about. Surely the others will appreciate that. He hopes the automatons listens; he hopes it sings.

Either way, he lands by Mika's side. Quietly, because this is the City of Rain and he doesn't want to draw more attention, he asks: ]

Your injuries?

[ Where? Are they healing? Does he need blood? ]

[dadsandals]

[ Oh, that's no good. Yamato's eyes widen as Mika drops down, and he's quick to try to move, but Ginger's faster. Understandably so. Yamato looks at Phil and Shinji and gestures at them to go down, too. Probably better if they fight together.

Regardless of whether or not they do, though, Yamato is notably and visibly pissed. For what reason, he doesn't say, but his eyes are sharp and his gaze is intense as he descends down to an area near Mika, but not quite around him and Ginger, either. Ginger is trying to keep him safe, after all.

In the meantime, he'll serve as a distraction and grab the automaton aiming at Mika. He'll hold his hands out at distance to attempt to place a curse on it, in an attempt to freeze it in place, but...uh. Maybe it doesn't go so well (1). Sorry. He's a bit disturbed by something, after all... ]

[mirristry]

[Phil's descent is more of a function of him getting startled enough by Mika being knocked right out of the sky to lose his grip on the magic controlling his broom than it is an actual conscious decision, but the end result is the same. He too swoops down, opting to hop off the broom rather than try to remain mounted when he knows that his attention is about to be focused elsewhere.

Lifting one hand to brush his fingertips against his monocle, he tries to toss out a couple of semi-transparent purple shields (16) between Mika and the approaching automaton. They're not solid, but they will slow it down should it come in contact with them, dissipating upon impact.

He'll hold off on any actual offensive artes unless and until it attacks directly...]

THE TOWN SQUARE

[promittere]

[ The group makes their way past the entrance area and into the town square. What they find is quite a sight to behold.

This area is mostly open—besides the fountain in the middle, and a few stone buildings facing the center, they can see three paths branching each in different directions from the square. Two go left and right, presumably to the markets and administrative buildings they decided not to visit, and one goes straight on, to where they saw the building and magic circle from the air.

Four automatons are gathered around the fountain, and they are busy. As they sing, they slowly and meticulously take apart the mechanisms that make up the fountain. The fountain sputters, attempts to complete its function, but most of the water just spills onto the automatons and onto the ground. Bolts and cogs and gears and springs and all sorts of parts litter the neat flagstone paving of the city streets, either pulled from the fountain or from the scrap pile just outside of city limits, it's hard to tell. Among the debris are half-scrapped automatons, the purple lights of their eyes flickering in and out; their mouths move and gape, but no sound comes out.

Atop the fountain stands one automaton. Her arms are outstretched to the heavens, and she is the one that sings the loudest, all the others harmonizing with her. Can an automaton lead a choir?

Two more stand one each at each path to the left and right, but their backs are to the square and the fountain.

Beyond the fountain, the Eastern wizards can sense a faint presence of magic in the next district over. It must be the building, or the magic circle.

No automatons seem poised to attack at the moment and do not pay attention to the group. ]

[lustro]

[ Ginger stops short of the entrance to the town square, looking around carefully. He tries to sense (3) if there are any hidden automatons around - and maybe it's the rain, but he doesn't think he's going to be successful with that.

If he's mathing correctly (dubious bc he failed the perception check), that's seven automatons they need to watch out for. Five of them more dangerous than the other two, if only because the five are clustered together and the two are spread out.

He turns to the others and says very quietly, only barely audible over the rain. ]

I think we should try to take out the left one first. Then the right one. As quietly as possible. I don't want them to surprise us if the other five attack as a group. What do you think?

[shortleash]

( Mika, haunted by the wet cat smile and the way Ginger still said his name, nevertheless nods at Ginger's assessment. We must put aside our personal problems on the clock. )

... I can try to drag the first target away, ( with his vines, he means. ) so the one on the right doesn't notice us going for it.

( Mika takes a look around - is there any nook or cranny or corner of town square that they could provoke the left automaton toward to try to take it out without drawing the attention of the others? )

[mirristry]

If they attack as a group... I can take them all at once as long as they're close together.

[But even as he says this, he can feel the slight painful catch in his breath on the next inhalation, the faint taste of copper in his mouth.

No, not now.]

I'll just need someone to cover me for a few moments while I cast. I would prefer if it didn't come to that, of course, but we aren't out of options if it does.

[He swallows hard, but the metallic taste remains. Damn, of all the bad timing...]

[dadsandals]

I can cover you.

[ Said confidently, even if he's not entirely sure himself. But he'll try, anyway. ]

I'll stick with Phil, in case he needs to cast his wider spells. As long as we don't alert them all at once, it should be fine.

THE ARTISAN DISTRICT

[promittere]

[The automaton on the fountain continues to lead the chorus, arms lifted to the sky in supplication, but none of the ones centered around it abandon their work. The guards remain focused on their duties, eyes trained on the paths before them. At least, as far as it seems, their glowing eyes giving very little indication for where they're looking...

They seem uninterested in little else, all of them going about their duties with what seems to border on obsession, a fervent belief in the Calamity hidden by the heavy rain clouds. The wizards can pass through to the Artisan's District, the heart of City of Rain's ingenuity. The air in the district is heavy, imposing, a malaise lingering that causes the hair on the backs of their necks to raise. Magic permeates the air, the source obvious by the magic circle surrounding one building in particular. The magic radiates out, something about it feeling... twisted, incorrect, unfathomably wrong and imposing.

Three automatons guard the building, but it's not those that they should be worried about. While no automatons were guarding the path out of the town square, there are two automatons on the other side of the path, guarding passage into the artisan's district. (I tricked you! Ha ha ha!) The two automatons lurch forward, though one misses wildly (2), their stolen sword clattering against the cobblestones with a lopsided swing. The second one manages a hit (15), catching Yamato with the blade.]

You won't stop us from embarking!

[Their voices warble, words almost incomprehensible.]

[shortleash]

( Guess their instinct the first time around was right - unguarded passages aren't all that better than the guarded ones. The only fortune Mika is relieved for here is that there are two automatons to fight instead of more (for now).

He clicks his tongue as Yamato gets hurt and he steps in front of Yamato belatedly - too late to protect him, but maybe enough to keep him from getting hurt again?

Muttering his spell under his breath in this flurry of motion, Mika attempts to cast a curse - one that drains will and optimism and purpose from the two automatons before him (depression curse, really), and splits that stolen physical and emotional vitality among the rest of the party, excluding himself. It's possible, though, that he takes too little and is able to give less to his party, considering the automatons' strength of will... (2, 7). )

[lustro]

[ Yamato, no -

Ginger hurriedly whispers his incantation, intending to keep the armed automaton from doing more damage. Yellow rope (not unlike enforcement barrier tape) shoots out from all directions (7, 13) to bind both automatons. Crime scene, keep out, do not cross. Regardless of how effective he is, he tosses Yamato a healing towel from his pack - it's warm; it's dry; it should help surface-level wounds.

Hang in there, Yams! ]

[mirristry]

[Oh, this is not good... Phil rapidly realizes that he's the only one left completely uninjured so far, which isn't saying much when every breath he takes still burns. Still, he shoves that thought aside for the moment and almost starts into an offensive spell before realizing that it would likely attract unwanted attention to them.

So instead he opts for another seal (4, 14), hoping to seal or at least slow whatever magic or power source is keeping these automatons functioning. It's far less visually obvious than something elemental would be...]

[dadsandals]

[ That hurts, and Yamato grits his teeth while he tanks the blow. It's nice of Mika to step in front of him, but he's also not going to not do anything, either. He refuses to be a liability and feel helpless when everyone else is working so hard.

Yamato lets his blades manifest again, and he swipes at the automaton that hit him< (11). He's not half-assing it this time. This is personal. ]

THE WORKSHOP

[promittere]

[ Before you venture inside the workshop, you notice an intricate symbol on the door. There's no doubt about it—this is the Collodi workshop.

You open the door and head inside. But before you can see or hear or smell anything, your magical instincts immediately stand on edge. An overwhelming sense of anxiety leaves you on edge, pricks at your skin, as though your hair stands on edge. It will take quite a bit of willpower to remain in the building. There is a staircase on the far side of the room leading down, where the feeling of dread seems to be coming from.

But once you overcome the initial hit of anxiety, you'll notice a few things about this upper floor.

One, is that the wall is covered with certificates and awards. Collodi is clearly a decorated and celebrated craftsman.

The second is that the shelves and worktables are covered in various kinds of clockwork trinkets of all sizes, and piles of assorted spare parts. Unlike the automatons outside, the trinkets here are still. If he looks closely, Yamato may recognize the trinket he was shown at the ball amongst all the others.

And finally, a man sits slumped at a desk in the far corner, his face to the table. There is a book open beside him, and the lamp nearby has burnt out a while ago.

What do you do? ]

[fullspbar]

[ Getting bad feelings in one thing. He's tasted electricity in the air from a shadow, felt an oppressive presence that seems to weigh on your shoulders....but this? This is something else entirely.

But despite the anxiety that seems to settle in his throat and the threaten to draw it closed, Shinjiro swallows it down, white-knuckled grip on his axe the only indicator of how it's stressing him out. He tugs the sopping wet hood off his head for a better look, and while all sources indicate down is the way to go-

His gaze falls on that figure in the corner, and he clicks his tongue as his gaze swerves. ]

...Shoulda guessed.

[ Still, he turns to look at the others, then at the slumped form again. Then he's going to slowly approach, just to see if he can see if he's still breathing...? As well as look at that book. ]

[shortleash]

( Mika (probably sopping wet like the rest of everyone) steps inside, bracing himself against the dread until he can focus and take stock of the room. Though the atrocious vibes affect Mika, it doesn't show on his face, nor does he remark on anything.

Shinji has the body and book covered, so he'll inspect the tables of trinkets for anything noteworthy. )

[mirristry]

[Phil is attuned enough to mirristry and magic in general that this oppressive anxiety likely hits him more strongly than the others; for a moment he pauses, suddenly unsteady, sucking in a deep breath as though that will somehow make what feels like a weight crushing his chest go away.

Every single instinct in his body is telling him to flee this place.]

... be careful.

[He doesn't need to say it, not really, not when the anxiety is writ plain on Shinjiro's face as well. Something here is very, very wrong, but in what way Phil isn't exactly sure, and that only makes things worse.

Trying to calm his rattled nerves, he'll take a look at the certificates and awards on the walls.]

[promittere]

[ Shinjiro slowly approaches the man, but he does not move... As he gets closer, he'll notice he is perfectly still. He does not breathe. And once he stands beside him, he'll see that his eyes are wide open in shock, his cheeks sunken, his mouth gaped. A dark bruise stains his neck. Joseph Collodi is dead. And has been for a couple of days, it seems.

Shinjiro may flip through the notebook, and he'll see it's some sort of log. Most of the entries seem to detail a day's work or income, but there are a few notes here and there that seem more diary-like.

Going backwards, he will see:

"They're rebelling against me."

"I met one of the new sage's wizards at the ball. He suggested a vocal function for my automatons! Genius."

Towards the beginning of the log, long before his and the other new wizards' arrival, is another curious note:

"As blasphemous as it sounds, using parts of the moon meteor make for smoother mechanisms. Theoretically, my automatons will move in a more lifelike manner."

Mikaela, on the other hand, takes a moment to look over the trinkets on the shelves and tables. There are beautiful pocketwatches, different types of fancy and experimental clocks, little dancers meant for music boxes, and novelties like nature scenes with birds, a cityscape with a sun that rises and sets on a track, but nothing particularly incriminating. It's all very beautiful, though.

Phillip takes the time to look at the certificates and awards, and he'll see these framed pieces of paper tell one man's life story. A graduation from an apprenticeship, his first novice crafter award, certificates of recognition for innovation, which all eventually culminate in countless awards for craftsmanship, year upon year. Recognition from the esteemed Blanchett family, and so on. The last paper on the wall, pinned, is a formal invitation from Granvelle Castle to a ball. It has yet to be framed. ]