vivala | MISSION #01: SAND AND IRON PREPARATION LOG

Entry tags:

MISSION #01: SAND AND IRON PREPARATION LOG

MISSION #01: SAND AND IRON

With the operation fast approaching, the Crimson Corsairs mobilize to prepare. As is often the case, the Supplier and Infiltration teams take the lead, deploying within Elysium and on the continent of Hesaeth. These preparations will be vital for the success of the operation team, and the Corsairs have devoted significant resources into seeing it through.

The Corsairs have delivered their verdict, and the mining site will be Captured for the benefit of the Crimson Corsairs. We expect this will invite swift reprisal from the Empire, and the Corsairs are expected to prepare assiduously to ensure unnecessary loss of life can be avoided.

The following missions have been registered for completion. For a character to count as having participated, they must have a minimum of 3 comments in the mission thread. Characters may only participate in missions in one of the available regions, but may participate in up to two threads if desired. If more than the minimum number of log participants is available for a given log, it will impact the efficacy of the preparation. As this is the first mission, the numbers have been kept intentionally low, we will assess requirements based on how we see player participation from this event and adjust as necessary.

SUPPLIERS

Gathering Supplies: This will mostly consist of gathering ingredients to make the food and drink to be distributed among the celebrants. It might involve hunting, foraging, farming, or other methods of production or gathering depending on your character’s preference. Failure to properly stock Elysium for the party will make the visiting officers angry and alert, ensuring they can mount a more effective defense of Hesaeth.
Requirements: To participate in this mission, your thread header should read GATHERING SUPPLIES. At least 4 characters will need to participate in this mission among all mission threads to make this a success.
Region: Elysium
Participants: Link, Snufkin, Maomao, Kaine (4/4)

Venue Preparation: This will consist of preparing the venue for the performance and banquet. It involves setting up the area, as well as constructing areas for seating and staging for the performances which will be held in the banquet hall. Failure to properly prepare will make visiting officers bored and restless, ensuring they can mount a more effective defense of Hesaeth.
Requirements: To participate in this mission, your thread header should read VENUE PREPARATION. At least 4 characters will need to participate in this mission among all mission threads to make this a success.
Region: Elysium
Participants: Momo, Musse, Eva, Link (4)

Munitions Development: The assault on Hesaeth will be a sneak attack, but extra firepower is always appreciated. Based on the recent salvage we’ve recovered, we believe we can make either a lethal poison or a sleep gas to be fired at the labor camp barracks. There is considerable argument among the Corsairs over which should be used, the sleeping concoction will potentially allow for the taking of captives. The poison gas will be potentially safer in neutralizing major threats, but there are many among the Corsairs and Imperial citizenry who will find the use of such a weapon abhorrent and this may lower our standing among our allies.
Requirements: To participate in this mission, your thread header should read either MUNITIONS DEVELOPMENT - SLEEPING GAS or MUNITIONS DEVELOPMENT - POISON GAS. At least 2 characters will need to participate in either of these missions to make this a success.
Region: Vault
Gambit: This will make up to two Gambits available - the Sleeping Gas Gambit and the Poison Gas Gambit. Either will be available for a one-time use in a mission log.
Participants (Sleeping Gas): Rezo (1/2)
Participants (Poison Gas): (0/2)

Illicit Substance Development: With the visiting officials, now is an excellent time for Elysium to put some of its finest hedonistic delights on display. To that end, they are developing more powerful alcohol and drugs to ensure the empire cannot mount an effective defense when the time comes. The enhanced alcohol should make the officers more likely to be asleep or impaired, whereas the drugs should ensure the officers are hallucinating and unable to give effective orders. Both should be able to completely incapacitate the officers and keep them from providing any aid to the labor camp.
Requirements: To participate in this mission, your thread header should read either DRUG DEVELOPMENT or ALCOHOL DEVELOPMENT. At least 2 characters will need to participate in either of these missions to make this a success.
Region: Vault or Elysium
Faction: Elysium only
Gambit: This will make up to two Gambits available - the Potent Drugs Gambit and the Potent Alcohol Gambit. Either will be available for a one-time use in a mission log.
Participants (Drug Development): Maomao, Musse (2/2)
Participants (Alcohol Development): (0/2)

INFILTRATORS

Observation and Mapping: Infiltrators will need to get a full layout of the labor camp, including troop movements, locations of armaments, and as many details as possible. This information will be critical in ensuring the team can quickly neutralize the threats on the ground. Failure to properly scout the area will lead to the team encountering unexpected and potentially dangerous threats on the ground.
Requirements: To participate in this mission, your thread header should read either OBSERVATION AND MAPPING. At least 4 characters will need to participate in either of these missions to make this a success.
Region: Hesaeth
Participants: T-800, Id, Itsuzumi, Aerich (4/4)

Prisoner Uprising: Infiltrators will need to steal into the labor camp and prepare the inhabitants for their impending rescue. This includes informing them and arming them so they can assist, if willing.
Requirements: To participate in this mission, your thread header should read OBSERVATION AND MAPPING. At least 4 characters will need to participate in either of these missions to make this a success.
Region: Hesaeth
Gambit: This will make the Prison Revolt Gambit available. It will be available for a one-time use in a mission log, but can only be used on this mission.
Participants: Madeline, Noctis, Harlock (3/4)

Steal Dispatches: Knowledge is power, and the Corsairs can make tremendous use of the maps, dispatches, and orders that flow through prison camps like this. Infiltrators will need to enter officer quarters and sift through refuse to find these missives and bring them back to the Vault for analysis.
Requirements: To participate in this mission, your thread header should read either STEAL DISPATCHES. At least 2 characters will need to participate in either of these missions to make this a success.
Region: Hesaeth
Faction: Vault only
Gambit: This will make the Hamper Reinforcements Gambit available. It will be available for a one-time use in a mission log.
Participants: Donatello, Angelika (2/2)

Players are generally free to play out the mission however they wish in terms of their log. A mission’s success will be judged across all participants in all logs. Players who want to make final group planning may use the top level in this post. Any Gambits will be made immediately available once the log participation requirement is met. The Execution phase will be posted on July 10th, but the cut-off to complete a mission log successfully for the planning phase will be July 15th.

back to navigation
code credit

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There's usually a certain energy that charges the Vault when there's a mission coming up. It's a buzzing, catching thing that makes it almost impossible to do anything else but get swept up in the motion of it all, and it never fails to seem like everyone has a job to do during these times.

Donnie's been here long enough to be able to tell the difference though. This isn't like the usual missions that involve liberating servants. This is going to be something big, and he wants to be a part of it. Somehow. Part of him is a little hesitant to say anything, but as he listens more and more to the specific talks of infiltrating mining site, the more he feels the urge to volunteer. I can do this, he tells himself. I can do this-

"I'll do it," he says aloud, hoping no one notices the slight start he gives himself as though he hadn't expected himself to speak up then. Noting the dubious looks that start to appear, he rallies on. "I'm used to sneaking around and retrieving things, did it all the time back... Well, anyway, I can do this." By that iteration he at least manages to look a little more confident about volunteering, but he isn't that great at reading people and isn't feeling entirely certain he's sold himself on the matter as he tries not to look nervous with all the attention.

"You'll need a partner, this is a two-person mission. Someone who can bail you out..." One of the people organizing looks at the note-taker who is writing down Donnie's name and clasps her on the shoulder. "Angelika, I think it's time you got out of the Vault and put your skills to use."

The girl in question froze up and looked at the person voluntelling her for the mission then at Donnie. "Uuhhhhhh, are you sure about this? I don't want to be a burden-"

"You're not going to be a burden. Just put your skills and knowledge to good use-go on and get over there, I can take my own notes." Her clipboard stolen and cruelly pushed towards Donnie, the girl in question nearly tripped over her own feet negotiating the way through the chair and benches. As partners went, she was extremely suspect at first glance, though she had a certain wobbliness that was as endearing as a kitten.

That he isn't being shot down right off the back is a plus, but he's more surprised at the offer of ~~tribute~~ someone to work with. Donnie has mixed feelings about that since he's only ever really done anything with his brothers and he knows they'd had his back whenever they snuck into Elysium. This is a complete stranger, this is-

He can't help but stare a bit as Angelika comes stumbling forth, hands raising slightly out of reflex to help steady her if it looks like she's about to fall on her face. Not the most confidence-inspiring, certainly. The turtlekin tries to remember what all he's seen her doing. Inventory, maybe..? Has she even been out on the field? ...not that Donnie can really say anything on the latter point for himself.

The others don't look entirely sold on the idea either except for whatever weight the organizer had offered with the suggestion, and that doubt is enough to have Donnie double-down. "We'll be fine," he not quite snaps, standing straighter. Anyway, you all have other things to be figuring out, right? You do your part and we'll do ours."

She manages to keep on her feet, but a steadying hand on her elbow isn't out of place. The Turtlekin is kind to offer, but it's still embarrassing for her and she buries her face in her sweater as she finds a seat besides him. It was a strange stumble too, one where she kept falling forward because every attempt to catch her fall came up short-like her feet are trying to land on stairs that aren't there.

When he says they'll be fine though, she peaks out of the sweater just a little bit, cheeks still flush with embarrassment. "Are you sure? I think I could find someone better at the sneaking-about parts if you like. I'm mostly an analyst right now."

Well there's a reassuring response if ever there was one. Uncertainty flickers across his face as he looks at her again, but he brushes it aside as he steals another look around, challenging anyone for objections. It's only when the others begin to disperse that he relaxes a tiny bit.

"Is this like a test? It's a test, right? If I- we can't handle this then they'll never expect us to do anything more."

Donnie finally sighs, sinking back against his seat. "Analysis is important. You'd just be applying it consistently....what else do you do?"

"They wouldn't do that!" Angelika hissed, then recoiling from her own strong opinion. "It's not a test it's just...we have people's lives riding on us. It's a heavy weight. If we fail, that's for us to bear...and they'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again." Training and review of what went wrong, most likely.

"I have magic? Combat magic mostly, some healing, some minor illusions..." She held up a hand, and a tiny bird orbited her fingers briefly, before vanishing in a shower of sparkles. Internally her mind raced however, trying to figure out how to broach the next topic. "And I know a lot about religious doctrine and theology because I was raised in an church orphanage." That was...mostly useless, but sometimes it came up. "I guess I know a little about disguises to? Makeup, clothes, that sort of thing."

Donnie winces, not particularly convinced by her response, but as she continues, he finds less he can refute. He swallows down the fresh ball of anxiety that threatens to build. We can do this, he repeats firmly, a silent running mantra in his head.

"Then we make sure we don't fail." His brows arch at the display of magic, so casual but fascinating. Illusions could come in useful so he files that note away.

He looks blankly at Angelika as she mentions her religious experience, not really sure what to do with that but okay. Disguises are easier to understand, at which point he looks down at himself. "Well, I doubt short of an illusion I'm going to be more difficult to disguise due to...this whole situation," he notes flatly as he gestures at himself, wiggling his two fingers and thumb to cap off his point.

Illusions were useful, but Angelika could only do single-layer ones, canned tricks that were prepared well in advance and which only affected a single sense at a time. She hadn't had the chance to develop them much beyond that.

"I suppose a turtlekin is a turtlekin to humans, but I do know a few tricks that work with...stature and posture that anyone can use." She was vague but her mind was slowly turning in a direction she didn't like much. "Um. I could dress up as a boy and fool people I think. I'd need to mess around with my vocal register though-How Does This Sound?" And suddenly, the bottom dropped out of her voice, and it was rougher. Not quite 'gargle cigars and salt water' but rougher and much less cute, and from cute and kind to something that might pass for a young tenor.

"Don't worry about me. Dad taught my brothers and I how to stay well out of sight." Donnie's pretty confident in his stealth skills and if he doesn't want to be found, he's usually good at keeping it
that way. He's not sure how great Angelika is at sneaking, especially not after that stumble, but he's hesitant about her being basically out in the open, even if a disguise sounds like it'd work better for her.

"I guess...? I mean- whoa." Donnie blinks at her as she shifts her tone. "You've done this before."

"I guess I've done something like this." 17 years pretending to be a boy so hard that she fooled herself. At least this time she'll be herself on the inside. Even if it was quietly killing her.

"Cross-dressing doesn't sit well with me. But there's not a lot of women in the Inquisition, and if I'm going to be barging in and making a fuss, I need the status that they have to pay attention to. And to pass as a man, I'll need more than just the voice. I'll need to dress the part, and hide...awkward things." She didn't have a lot of chest, but her girls were real and could get in the way of this if they weren't bound up. "Like my hair. I think a wig and a hair-net underneath might work better than dye."

More fun things Donnie's never thought about or known in regards to human culture! He frowns, brow knitting in confusion.

"That's dumb," he says, making a face. "I thought Imperials just liked throwing their weight around when non-humans were involved." He huffs, backtracking quickly from his personal experiences. "Look, you don't- we can figure out something else if you're not comfortable with it."

"Imperials like throwing their weight around any time they can get away with it. Non-humans, women, lower castes, the entire imperial system is founded on the idea that there are people of lower status, and you can bully them." Political theory, yaaay.

"I can do a thing without liking it. I can keep myself going by imagining pulling off the wig at a dramatic moment. Or the cute nail polish I can use when this is over." She rubbed her hands on her skirt, as if they were dirty. "I'm willing to sacrifice my life for the cause of the Crimson Corsairs. Sacrificing my gender presentation to some imperial goons isn't that big of a deal." It clearly bothered her-but her tone brooked no argument out of this. "If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, but if it does I might be able to literally grab dispatches off the commander's desk and read them in front of him."

"Noted," the turtlekin replies dryly. He has yet to find any redeeming qualities to the Empire and its people ever since he'd found out how awful things are. Breathing out a sigh, he forces his fingers to unclench.

"...." Donnie has experience in doing something he didn't like, but that was only after he found out how terrible Imperials could be. He still looks concerned as he listens to Angelika go on, but her positive (?) thoughts to help her cope get a faint smile from him, however brief. It's still coping. But it makes him wonder how far he'd be willing to go for the Corsairs.

"Well, if you're set on this, then I'll let you handle distraction. My methods are definitely more roundabout, but if you manage to get your hands on dispatches to read, maybe you can broadcast them directly over the ENC."

"I don't know if I'd call burglary more 'roundabout', but I'd certainly say that we might be able to compliment each other's efforts. I could map out exactly where and when you need to go, letting you follow up more quickly..."

"But I'll need to build up my disguise, my credentials, my identity for this mission. I'll need some sort of bona-fides that they'll accept. That takes time, so maybe we should wait until the group doing observation and mapping are done? That way, you can have better information on how to enter from them."

Donnie doesn't quite pout but he figures in this case it is technically burglary since he's not going after castoff items... Although that does make him consider. Humans did seem pretty careless and wasteful in what they threw away, after all.

"Do we even have time to do all that? I'm not exactly sure what the schedule is here," he admits. "I don't think we can wait that long if we're supposed to be getting all the info together for the main phase. We might have to go along with the others doing observation and mapping if it'll take time. Maybe even do our own basic mapping if we don't at least get main entrances and best exits down."

Angelika is in full planning mode now, her mind a whir with possibilities, probabilities contingencies and plot after plot. It takes some of the earlier slackness and control out of her features, as a bit of excitement bubbles up.

"We'll coordinate with the others. See about their schedules, the timing for the attack, the window of opportunity..." She ticks each off on her fingers. "I think we have at least a couple of weeks before the attack goes in-but we should leave some time for people to actually look at the patrols and dispatches and plan accordingly." She sighed. "I guess the only thing I have to do right now is figure out how good a boy I can make."

"That...is basically what I was talking about," Donnie mutters as he watches her go through things. "We can't take too long because we need to account for information gathering and then get it back to everyone for further planning and application. But yes agreed. We'll touch base with whoever else is going to be out there and see how they're approaching things and when they plan to head out." Two weeks isn't much when you took into account all the moving parts to things, and that wasn't even including travel time.

"Since you've got experience with this religious stuff and what all the Imperials won't overlook, I'll leave that and the details of prepping for it to you." He isn't sure how much help he'd be in that department.

"And I'll leave the details of touching base with the others to you-coordinate and communicate!" She does a little adorable fist-pump. "I'll need some time to get credentials and a disguise together-when should we meet up to deploy?"

She had quite a lot of things to gather...but a lot of them, she already had. The Inquisitorial uniform, for instance, just needed a few adjustments to fit her new body. The inquisitorial badges and other paraphernalia were similarly authentic. She had to make an ID card, but she knew enough about paper to fake the watermark, though it took a few tries. The short wig and the hair-net to hide her blond locks were the hardest part to get on short notice, but she knew where to find them-even if it meant a run to Elysium and some work with a pair of scissors.

When they rendevoured to deploy, makeup, the wig, the change of clothes, all of it conspired to make her look very different-until you saw those green eyes and the slightly worried expression. "How does it look? I can't tell if I've missed any details..."

[OOC: Sorry for the delay, I'm gonna try to speed things up a bit to get us back on track. Let's get that paper! Literal paper. ]

((OOC: no worries! \o/))

With their tasks set and what he hoped was a manageable timeframe before they reconvened established, Donnie sets to work. He can only trust that Angelika knows what she needs to do, but at least it sounded like she knew what she was talking about. But then she's also trusting him to do his part as well, he reminds himself.

His side of things isn't nearly so complicated if mostly coordinating when the best time to head out is and provide a rough idea of their plans. As the time for their departure nears, he starts to feel that familiar buzz of anxiety making its rounds, hotwiring itself through his system. And then he's met with an unfamiliar face- or at least it is at a glance. Donnie has to double-take, relaxing slightly once Angelika speaks up.

"Wow that is really creepy. Yeah, I didn't recognize you for a second," he admits, blinking.

"Its not creepy it's just...makeup and clothes." She reaches up into her shoulder and removes a pad, showing it to Donnie briefly before re-inserting it to broaden her shoulders. "I hope they pay more attention to the paperwork than the disguise, because this really won't hold up if anyone touches me. I look like a teenager who's not done growing yet but I don't feel like one."

But then she stiffens up and tries to hold her most imperious position, dropping her voice. "Well, beastkin? Do I strike fear into your heart? Fear of the righteous anger of the Divine, and the power of the Inquisition?" The lines of her face hardened, and a kind of snear adorned her face...before she burst out laughing. "Oh, oh, no, that was too much. I can't keep a straight face talking like that..."

"It's creepy when you're not expecting someone's voice to come from an otherwise complete stranger," Donnie points out. "Which means the disguise is very effective. Nicely done."

It's kind of amazing what a little bit of this and that does, but he understands the effect is only for superficial appearances. "Well, hopefully no one grabs you for whatever reason-"

Golly but even though he knows who it is, it's just weirdly convincing when she manages to shift into character. It's both startling and kind of ridiculous for the words, and Donnie's still trying to work out how he's feeling about that by the time Angelika breaks character.

"Ohhh wow that was... Something. Do they actually talk like that? Then again from my experience, I guess it isn't that far off..."

"I hardly changed the look of my face at all-the Adam's apple is just painted on too, I didn't have time to make a fake one and fix it to my skin..." The girl's standards for disguise are clearly very high, but maybe that's why she's so good.

"Not exactly like that. Some of the most effective inquisitors are very...calm." She looked disgusted a bit as she pressed on. "They are extremely sure that you are sinful, they aren't, and they're just going to need to press a bit for you to break and tell them everything they want to hear. That's not what I want to be. I want to pretend to be...someone who's a bit unsure of himself, so he's loud and angry all the time to fill up space so nobody questions his authority. That's a useful character for this disguise. Nobody wants to touch someone like that."

Clearly Donnie has no experience in disguises, but then that's why he and his brothers trained to be good at being virtually invisible. Sticking to the shadows, blending with your surroundings, light as a feather and quick on your feet. Angelika's definitely the disguise expert here for the things she makes mention of, getting another albeit impressed blink from the Turtlekin.

"...I hope I don't run into any," he says with a shiver. He's just had to deal with stuffy nobles who thought they knew everything, but they did know just enough, and it didn't make them any less scary, especially on the other side of a suppression band.

"Makes sense though. Think you can manage throwing your figurative weight around without laughing?"

"Raised in an orphanage, remember? I didn't just run into them, I was raised under their 'teachings'." She shivered a bit.

"I think so. I'll be talking to people with no sense of humor, and it's my life if I screw it up. Unless you can bail me out of that situation-which I hope it won't come down to." She squared up her shoulders. "I'm ready to get started when you are-if you've done all the research you need?"

He shares another shudder at that. "Can't imagine how that'd go but I take it it wasn't pleasant."

Donnie frowns, but nods. "Not ideal for our mission but it comes down to it, I'll do what I can." He's not leaving anyone behind. "I'm set." Ready as he'll ever be, anyway. "Got it all up here," he says, tapping at the side of his head.

"So let's do this." He hopes his smile is a confident one, anyway.

STEAL DISPATCHES Prep aaaah am i doing this right

Re: STEAL DISPATCHES Prep aaaah am i doing this right

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject