THE SUN NEVER SETS ON AMARYLLIS GROVE: VOTING POST FOR THE CONCLUSION

[ximilian]

● ● ● THE SUN NEVER SETS ON AMARYLLIS GROVE: VOTING POST FOR THE CONCLUSION

The time has come for the team to decide how they wish to proceed through the conclusion of the mission. As a refresher, here is the information from the first log. The following is additional information discovered and shared from the second log, all found in this post:

• the Sun (giant eye) continually monitored Kanan's conversation with the Mayor

• there is currently no known way to communicate with the Sun

• the Sun appears to have gained control of the Companions, though it has since shut them all down

• the Mayor is not aware of the orb: what it is, nor where it could be

• as of right now, the only possible lead on the orb is a proposed connection to the Sun

Additionally, be aware that the current conditions of the town as of this NPC thread are as follows:

• the Companions have all shut down and are nonresponsive

• several faults run throughout the town, cutting through every street and walkway

• with the barrier around the town dissolved, all one will observe is nothing surrounding the town but barren land and oceans of dark water; overhead the sky is unchanged, with a normal sun visible during the daytime and a normal moon visible during the nighttime; at every moment of the day, the giant eye (what the townsfolk used to call their sun) remains, hovering closer than it's ever been

• many of the townsfolk have begun to act out in violent, hysterical, and/or debauched ways

• there are a few who do not participate, instead remaining holed up in their homes in the hopes of avoiding attention and blowback (Players are free to assume any of the NPCs who have sheltered them during Log 2 would continue to do so after this thread)

• the Mayor and her team initially work hard to run interference and calm who they can, but ultimately become overpowered and are forced to board themselves up in her office for their own safety

• the giant eye continues to watch over them all, and from a far closer distance than ever before

· THE VOTE

For this mission, the team can decide on two things, and each character gets one vote to either suggest a solution or +1 one suggestion of their choice.

For the vote, your character has to decide on:

1   How will the crew locate and obtain the orb?

2   Will they do anything to help the people of the town?

Keep in mind that characters are not required to vote on either of these, nor are they limited to these two choices. These two were noted simply because of the mission's objective and the suggestion posited in the last info-sharing post. If you think anything else needs to be addressed, do so here.

Voting ends November 30. The conclusion goes live December 5, when characters will return to the station.

Comments

QUESTIONS

[ximilian]

If you have any questions regarding the voting process, please feel free to ask them here.

[evicerated]

Less a question about the voting process, more just a mechanics question for the event.

If it turns out that the Orbers are going to throw their cover stories out the window, Arctic's going to try and cast a spell for the first time since arriving in game. He'd find (or, steal, probably) a piece of jewelry from somewhere in town and use his Animus magic to enchant it, commanding it to "reverse whatever magical influence has been placed upon the wearer and return them to their natural form."

Basically, he's trying to AT LEAST undo Degar's magic to return to his on-station size, but he's also absolutely hoping it might free him up to be his normal canon size which is like. Pretty darn big. Would this spell work, and to what degree?

[ximilian]

Hello and we apologize so much for the delay. Arctic's spell will cause his disguise to flicker a total of three times, revealing his true form for a few minutes each time, but ultimately Degar's magic will hold fast and he will revert back to his disguised form.

Because we were not prompt enough in answering your question, we would like to extend the voting deadline for you. Please note your suggestion for the conclusion, if any, in a response to this message before December 3, 6PM GMT.

VOTING: THE ORB

[ximilian]

Leave your suggestions for where you think the orb is and how to retrieve it! The more detail you can offer, the better.

Others can then comment around and +1 the suggestion their character would agree with, and provide additional details if needed.

Voting ends November 30, 6PM GMT.

+1

[servesyouwright]

This sounds like a risky but not terrible plan. Phoenix doesn't really have any way to help, though.

possible voting option in case it's needed, adjusted

[shadysided]

Okay, back with something slightly altered! sorry my bad

Ziggy's been informed that the eyeball can affect technology, so she's fallen away from the idea of jetpacking herself up there. However!

She will still recommend to the team, if they're game, that they all just... try to reach out to the eyeball (possible orb??? unless eyeball is the deal-maker??? then this will all fall apart but it's fiiiine) and try to bargain with it! If crew needs to be closer/higher up for the eye to respond, she's still definitely willing to risk getting up higher via jetpack or someone's magic/flying abilities to converse, but -- maybe while the eyeball is distracted by the work of those trying to temporarily blind it down below, some of the willing orbers can develop a united front and all equally reach out to try and talk the eyeball through this logically?

They've been able to reach out to the orb before, and though it may not work, it's something they might be able to work with...!

Ziggy personally would try to reason with the orb as such: in exchange for leaving the town be as it is, they could reunite the orb with the others and cause it to have even more power and longevity, especially since it seems its frustrated at the state of things in the town. A free ride out of there, and a chance to feel more complete and whole and stronger -- why not, right?

(Ziggy will still also be willing to sacrifice some of her personal goal power that she's stockpiled for 2 years, if the orb needs something to ripen the deal and get more out of it than their word. This is just Ziggy's own individual choice, but anyone else can obviously feel free to throw something out there to bargain with if they feel strongly about it!)

+1

[alternatives]

let’s try to talk it out 🥹🫶

+1

[softshoes]

a vote for orblomacy (orb diplomacy)

+1

[legalcy]

Minimus is going to propose meeting in some sort of building that feels formal, like the mayor's office or a municipal building, and work on making things diplomatic and thoroughly discussed.

+1

[drawsblood]

After giving it careful thought, Joric will go for the option that isn't "punch first, ask questions later." Knowing that the orb can transform its holder (like Jun), he's considering the possibility that it's a person up there. And he looks at this situation like his where he has no control over what his body does because his consciousness is suppressed. He's hoping that unlike him, if there is a person up there, it can still hear them and maybe they'll get through to it. He'll let Ziggy handle most of the talk, only adding that he knows what it's like to do awful things without meaning to, and they can help the eye be free of it.

If any kind of punishment results from this that he can intervene with, he'll bodily protect the ones he's with like a human shield.

+ orblomacy

[hallowing]

despite his shenanigans, he's actually an advocate for diplomacy here. he will point out with some amusement that if the orb can hear/watch everything they do down on the ground floor that they probably don't need to physically approach it, though.

but he probably still built a trebuchet for fun and profit*

*it may or may not be actually operational on purpose or by design.

so he'd suggest a town hall with the relevant folks/orbers to negotiate (prob a small group). if the orb isn't The Artist Formerly Known as Sun, there's another bag of cats to untangle, but honestly starting with the weird sentient glowing ball seems like a decent starting point since everyone else in this town is basically clueless.

(he'd also ask folks about whether or not there's any Entrenched Cultural Knowledge that suggests it'd be wiser to try approaching the moon or if they're just fundamentally the same thing, no diff??)

+1, other ideas

[medicative]

Emily would be 100% behind trying to negotiate and reason with the orb because the other option of trying to sneak around and manipulate an otherworldly entity frightens her, but she will muster up the courage to say that if they need someone in front to speak, she can do it, and hint that she's used to dealing with beings that can't be hurt or hindered when time calls for it. If it all goes haywire, they'll need someone to take the blow. Better her, who's newer and doesn't have those years of work to lose, than someone who's striving towards actual change - additionally, she's able to keep a calm head under stress. She'll argue from the side of compassion and sympathy, that one does like the world to go as they would and things to be predictable, but as it can see, all it is doing is causing people to lash out worse. Coming with them to reunite with the others not only gives it a chance to be around those that understand it, but the chance to give it some new sights to witness and experience, instead of the same town and the same people, as well as the power upgrades and the promise that it won't be made to serve someone else's will the same way it did to the people of the town. Because turnabout would completely suck.

If negotiations fail, she'll be once again putting forth the idea that some of them need to look like they'd make prime Companions, to bait and get scooped up and changed so that they might get physically near the sun and perform a heist, but this she will stress is a last ditch effort and extremely, extremely risky.

She would reject the idea of an organized town hall, though, and point out that they have little to no time to get everyone in agreement, since everyone will have things to say. "We should have started this a week ago" would be among the reasons given. However, she would ask if Chantilly Stuart could be convinced to join the delegation.

+1

[rootlessly]

vash is also down to help with this! esp if the sun is like, outside the atmosphere since he doesn't require Breathing

+1

[romancekiller]

Clarke is definitely on board with this plan for talking it out and trying to reason/bargain with it.

+1

[astudyinviolet]

If it'll listen and reason, great! Sherlock will still work on Plan Other Letter just in case. He has too many issues with giant eyes and constant surveillance and giant eldritch entities to just put his votes towards this....

+1

[deadanimemom]

Yuri will be all in for trying to bargain with the Sun. Hopefully to actually convince it to try and come with them willingly and leave these people alone, or if that fails then at least the chatter is a distraction while other people get in position to laser it in the face or something.

Carrot vs Stick

[homeostatic]

Like Cy, Bones would suggest a town hall to square away what to focus on first.

As he's not quite sold on the sun being the orb, he'd offer a different tack: instead of going up to meet the sun and keeping the convo to one person, which he'd say is too reckless/dangerous (and from an ooc standpoint limits the accessibility factor for a lot of new folks to get their feet wet in orb tangling, just sayin'), he'd suggest they try seeing if they could lure out the orb-in-hiding.

Call back to Kilnan's "look at our tasty-and-powerful carrot there's more where this came from", with Team Magic being said carrots– offering up a show of power as a group effort, and someone(s) there to ultimately negotiate if it shows itself.

This could work with those planning to blind the sun, perhaps– if the orb isn't the sun, then maybe they get some extra time to work without being stared at, and if it is the sun, then they could (hopefully) knock it for a loop first before dangling the carrot?

attack the sun + hide the people

[buckkeep]

fitz's first inclination will be to reason with the eye re: ziggy's plan, but in the event that it doesn't work, and assuming there is a certain level of sentience to the eye, he will try to mentally connect + attack it using the skill ( reference: here on my app for easy grabs ). essentially it's a form of telepathy that works in a long range format, so he isn't worried about being able to reach the sun, if there's some sort of mind there to attach to. fitz is of the mind that the orb is the moon 🥹 but he'll try to grab hold of the sun and get it to reveal its secrets anyway, to try and confirm the orb's location/how to get it. if worst come to worst and he gets nothing out of this interaction, he'll still try to break the sun's mind using the skill ok

i ALSO propose we try to keep everyone going crazy locked indoors, since the people hiding away seem to be unaffected by the frenzy taking place? maybe we can make a safehouse and bodily move feral people inside and try to help that way?

potential downsides: what happens to your brain when you connect to the sun? 0 idea, fitz doesn't care. also can this place function without a sentient sun? hopefully yes, but probably good to have something in mind to help the people here if fitz ends up fucking up their ecosystem really badly. magic shields/atmosphere like the attempt with the dragon world? possibly exploding a star seems like it would be...bad.....but it might end up happening so protecting everyone here would be a good idea.

wanted: anyone to help booster fitz's skill, any magic or telepathic people who can help in breaking down the mind of the sun. also people to help try and contain the people in a frenzy outside.

VOTING: THE TOWN

[ximilian]

Leave your suggestions for what, if anything, should be down about the town and its people. The more detail you can offer, the better.

Others can then comment around and +1 the suggestion their character would agree with, and provide additional details if needed.

Voting ends November 30, 6PM GMT.

The People

[coordination]

Regardless of what happens with the other choices - this is a suggestion to protect the people, even if they're all lowkey on Yzak's SHITLIST RN for putting HIM on all of theirs!! They seem to be rebelling and not wishing to live in fear and not wanting to remain "perfect" here anymore according to the Mayor's thread with Kanan - so if the general consensus of the team is that they want to break out of this cycle and this seems to be the only way to create waves to make progress there, sure let's make some chaos (in hopes of finding the orb in the process).

But essentially making sure, you know, those people who are getting hysterical and wilding out don't hurt themselves or murder each other or anybody else especially if they're getting influenced by the silent companions (or get teabagged by the sun as it gets closer). If the town cracks and falls apart more, help them if they're in danger. They have been RUDE TO MANY ORBERS but they are still civilians and scared and victims to whatever the hell is going on here.

And as always, in the aftermath leave all choices to them - ie: if they want help from the Orbers (with THAT sidenote of "within a reasonable timeframe because lol" AND "if it's possible at all because they might just touch orb and yeet on out of there").

VOTING: ANYTHING ELSE?

[ximilian]

Is there something we're missing? Leave your suggestions here!

Voting ends November 30, 6PM GMT.

THE SUN

[unjedi]

Ahsoka and Kanan are going to gather the townsfolk and create a hullabaloo. A moment of chaos and confusion so that the Sun would be distracted and focused on the event, rather than Ahsoka and Kanan themselves.

They're also going to try and gather enough reflective surface, bind them together and use them to blind the Sun at a critical moment.

Darkness

[cruelyethuman]

Should it be needed, Aleksander is very ready to black out the sun with as much shadows as he could possibly summon. Should they need a diversion or cover, he'll be there, raising Shadows like they're going out of style, trying to block the sun from seeing Amaryllis Grove.

fighting god/sun

[rehandle]

Lots of people have already mentioned this in +1s here and there so I wasn't quite sure where to target myself SO just to say that if attempts to reason with it don't go so well and 1. the sunballthing is close enough to be physically reached by a man with a flying cape and portals and isn't about to burn him alive and 2. it starts attacking the town and there doesn't seem to be any alternative, Stephen will join in the effort to fight god(/Sun) alongside anybody else who is doing this

Big battle magic (and Fighting God) is half of his deal so he'll launch himself at it and/or at the effort of playing support and bodyguard to anybody who might be better suited to fight this particular foe (ie Daisy/Arctic/Aleks/anybody else I've missed in my scrolling)

Among other magic attacks, if this thing is literally an eyeball or has one, he will not hesitate to take Cy too seriously and poke (stab) it with any big stick he can find/conjure. It worked for him last time.