MISSION #01: SAND AND IRON PREPARATION LOG

[vivalamods]

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.

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[fish4science]

Angelika is making headway, bulling her way forward. At the very least, she has gotten inside the front gate, and is now standing ramrod straight as the much taller camp commander upbraids her for her nose being stuck in where its not wanted. "Nobody cares about the spiritual welfare of the workers! They work, and that's their place."

"They work-but is that all they do? Do they truly only work and slave away, or is there more to them? Do they yet harbor hope that, perhaps, false gods and idols might save them from their rightfully divine-appointed fates?" Konrad, for that was the name Angelika had given her alter-ego, sneered. "And your guards are mostly peasant stock. They have no knowledge of proper idolotry, not the bone-deep hate of the Inquisition for these so-called gods."

Gods, Konrad was a prick. But he was a useful one-everyone lower in rank than him was a moron, everyone higher in rank a powerful moron. His contempt for both was palpable, and nobody liked Konrad. So any thoughts about his girlish build and lackluster height were clearly what Konrad was compensating for with this bullying and browbeating. "If you doubt my conviction, then I can bring my superiors here so that they can behold it and your doubts. But all I ask is time with your guards for a few...questions."

As for Donnie-well, the grate lead to where all the ventilation grates in the mines did-the central fan room, where an ether crystal's magic was tapped to...turn a fan to suck air out of the mines and pump clean air down in. But it also was where all the other air-return shafts terminated too, not just the mine ones.

[purplexing]

It might've been entertaining to watch such a slight little Inquisitor figuratively stomping on everyone's toes. It might also have just been more of an excuse for Donnie to question the culture.

At least he's in the right place, letting out a breath as he allows himself a faint smirk. It's too bad these things aren't labeled. He closes his eyes, pulling up a mental image of the rough layout of things. Otherwise it's mostly going to be some guesswork, but at least he can try making sure he's going in the right direction.

He studies the walls where the other shafts open up to, glad it doesn't look like they'd spent much time in making things nice and smooth. Plenty of hand and footholds to make use of. "Okay Donnie, you can do this," he whispers to himself as he stretches an arm out and hooks his fingers on a promising protrusion of rock. Thankfully there's only but a couple of close-calls and nothing but rocks falling into the fan blades below. Donnie breathes out a sigh once he gets to the shaft he'd been aiming for, shimmying on in and hoping his estimations are right.

[fish4science]

'Konrad' didn't care much about what people thought of him-still young and foolish and swinging his power like a club, but he did care about getting what he wanted-face time with the guards, or at least a schedule to do so. "And I want to inspect your servitors as well. Good workers and obedient ones might even get rewards. I have some budget for that-extra food, things of that nature." That got some attention. Starving workers who didn't work hard enough was part and parcel of how the Empire worked but extra rations for good workers, much less generally sufficient ones, were rare at the bottom of the food chain. And these men needed good, well fed workers to do the hard physical labor. Without calories to burn, nobody could wield a pick or shovel. Dangling the promise of extra food was useful for the supervisors as well because if it went only to obedient workers, there was greater reason to obey.

As for Donnie-the shaft was tight, but not impossible to crawl through. It looked like it had the tool marks from when it had been made. If Donnie looked closely, he could see it must have been hand-carved. Some poor bastard, with a pick, or a hammer and a drill, had crawled along here, smashing rock to bits, and then crawling over it. There were better ways to do this-but this was what had been done. At least it meant the shaft-at least the first bit, wasn't the kind of thing that made a lot of noise as you crawled inside it.

[purplexing]

This...is not a very nice space to have to crawl through. The rock-hewn portion scrapes uncomfortably at times. It's only because of his soft shell that he's able to squeeze in at all; any of his other brothers would've had a hard time, pun intended. Raph wouldn't have gotten in past his head.

Donnie's just glad he's not claustrophobic, although he wonders if the poor soul that had been stuck with this job ended up with such. Being in such close quarters does afford him a good look at the handiwork. ...he sure hopes no one died carving these things out, ugh ugh ugh why did he have to think about that just keep going just keep going...

[fish4science]

The rock is red, at least, sandstone red with iron ore, red with the mineral that the mine extracts, red that hides any bloodstain and it's dark anyways. All you can do is crawl along-and listen to the echoes.

Echoes that might carry a 'familiar' voice as Angelika finally gets into the headquarters only to stall out over a rather pointless coffee. Yes, she had food supplies. No, she couldn't say when or how they would arrive, they'd get here (it would probably have to come from Floatsam somehow, or maybe Elysium, and it would be ideal for smuggling weapons into the camp.) It would most likely be dried fish or simple flour that would need to be made into bread. She could see about getting it made into hard crackers instead, but then the workers would need to break it up with their teeth, and she expressed doubts if they had enough teeth-and then they actually sent for a prisoner to be brought so the Inquisitor could examine the slave's teeth.

They were taking the food much more seriously than she'd thought. Was there some sort of trouble here? Were they behind on a quota, and whipping harder wasn't cutting it anymore? Maybe Donnie could find the answers.

[purplexing]

That voice. He knows that voice. It makes Donnie feel a lot better about things because it means he's going in relatively the right direction. He takes care in his crawling so he doesn't accidentally bang against anything because if sound can travel one way it can certainly go the other.

At least trying to make out what 'Konrad' is saying helps distract him from other horrifying thoughts through the red shaftway. What's all this about food and supplies? Sounds like their intervention here might be a timely one if what he's gathering is correct...

He squints ahead as he thinks he sees some light streaming through, which hopefully means an opening of sorts.

[fish4science]

Good news and bad news for you Donnie-good news, Angelika has the base commander paying attention to her. Bad news, he's not given her any dispatches, nor has he called his secretary out of the office. As a distraction, Angelika could be doing better.

Good news, there is a vent that leads to the office-bad news, this isn't it, as Donnie's peering up into some sort of...trophy room? Stuffed animal and monster heads, a few whole taxidermied animals, even the jaws of some great sea-beast, and a painting of the base commander with a huge gun. It's certainly garish-and quiet though. But how would this connect up to any other rooms in the building.

[purplexing]

A room full of open-mawed creatures is not what Donnie's expecting when he manages to get a glimpse through the vent. He manages to clamp a hand over his mouth before he can yelp in surprise, swallowing as he reassesses things.

A trophy room is the last thing he'd expected. He stays still for a moment, listening to make sure there's no further movement as he looks to see if anyone might be in there. Quiet is...good? Hopefully? Well, whatever, it's within the base of operations somewhere and he does not want to have to go crawling through anymore narrow tunnels right now. Now to just try getting this thing open. Boy does he look forward to stretching out...

[fish4science]

Sorry Donnie, those maws and horns and antlers are pretty much all that's in this room. Aside from a big comfortable armchair, and a single bookshelf near the fireplace for ambiance, that's about it. At least there's no reason for anyone but the base commander to come in here, so he can take a moment to close his eyes and recover-once he gets the grate open.

For Angelika, things are proceeding to a...middle. She is making peace with the camp chaplain and assuring him that even if she finds some heresy Konrad won't pin it on him, instead praising his good sense and ample...generosity. Even if she feels her skin crawl for saying that to a man who oversees the spiritual health of a dangerous, maybe even deliberately so, mine.

[purplexing]

Donnie hasn't met a grate he hasn't gotten open and this one's not about to be the first. Once he's made sure no one else is around, he concentrates, four small points of neon light tracing out into screwdrivers just outside before applying themselves to the screws at each corner. Then he pushes on the bottom so it's easier to catch the rest once it separates from the wall and he can ease it to the floor.

There are certainly nicer places to catch one's breath but he can't be particularly picky right now. Unfortunately he doubts he'll find anything he needs to find in here, but he supposes he'll have a quick look while he's there before approaching the door to listen.

[fish4science]

Taking a look at the books on the shelves reveal that they're actually all 'men's stories'. Hunting, wilderness survival, knightly combat, all manly-man stuff for Men who have manly hobbies. Some might even be bound magazines, instead of regular books, a years worth of issues from Manly Life in a single volume. Obviously, nothing Donnie needs, though perhaps there is some attraction to a story like 'Battle with a Titan-Turtle.'

Listening at the door, he can hear little but footsteps-and peering through the keyhole or through the gap under the door, he could see that this place opened out into a short hallway. And perhaps, if he listens very closely, he can hear someone...praying>?

Well, at least it's a good sign that nobody's shouting or yelling about impostors.

[purplexing]

Even with his limited vocabulary Donnie can read enough of the titles to figure there's probably nothing of interest here. A titan-turtle though..?

"No, focus," he tells himself, shaking his head as he tries to instead figure out if there's any place he can safely get to from this room. Otherwise he's going to have to try his luck in the vents again and while he suspects that'll be his best way of egress, he isn't immediately interested in diving back in again. ...but he should probably replace the grate, enough that it can pass suspicion at a glance. He does so, and then it's back to studying the hallway. He listens as he peeks beneath the door before opening it a crack. At least it sounds like Angelika's still managing all right on her end...

[fish4science]

There were no windows in the hallway or the room Donnie was in so..,fully interior, deep inside the administrative building. The floorboards didn't squeak underfoot, but there was the sound of boots on wood as someone moved about somewhere on this floor. There were six doors in this hall, with a L junction at each end, which judging by the light *did* have windows down at their far ends. So... taking the air-ducts into account, the entire building must have been built into the side of the rocks, and Donnie was on the 'side' that faced the rocks. But, now he had to pick which door to open next-one, open a crack, was right out, as it was the one voices were coming from.

If he crept up to the door Angelika's faux-masculine voice came from he might hear..."They are not entirely without hope of redemption, yes. Servitors can learn their place. But they need a firm hand-and, if you will forgive me Father, your hand is kind, but lacks...firmness. Youthful energy. I may be able to make time...if you allow me to take any interesting subjects." Oh. Well, she was either playing the role to a T, or slyly setting herself up to spirit away a couple of people for 'questioning' that would be their liberation instead of their doom. "But at the moment, I am more concerned that the guards remain free from corruption, as I said."

[purplexing]

There aren't many places to hide here in a fix, and the ceilings don't look high enough to unobtrusively stow oneself in a pinch. Donnie looks up and down the corridor for any signs of whoever else is moving around coming in his direction before he has a look at the doors across from him, trying to see if there's any signs of movement from them for the light that might be seen beneath. Not the best way to go, but it'll narrow his options down.

It's only once he's sure he's clear that he steps out of the trophy room, not closing the door just yet in case he needs a place to duck back into, at least not until he's found another room to safely transfer to.

Concern for how Angelika's faring is why he makes his way to that door to listen, but so far as he can tell, she's certainly selling it rather well. She'd be amazing for theater, even if he's only heard from his father about how such things worked. Of course it was probably very skewed because the old man had been talking about the theatrics of the gladitorial battles he'd partaken in, back in the day.

Right, doors. If that's an administration office, then...one of these other doors must have something. Another quick check up and down the hall, a closer look beneath the doors of the rooms beside the one Angelika's in. He tries the handle.

[fish4science]

Angel's a smart girl, with a lot of talents. And a lot of magic, though that's not useful right now. But it seems like she has a lot of practice acting like a boy for some reason. Either that, or everyone here is just so dumb that her disguise is doing all the heavy lifting.

The door opens smoothly and is...some sort of little office, all right. Not administrative-accounting maybe, based on the abacuses on the desks, and the number of them crammed in here? Because there are two desks in a room little larger than a broom closet, and a LOT of papers in the IN and Out trays. And a thick, heavy book on each desk. Probably a ledger.

[purplexing]

Donnie releases the breath he's been holding, looking around as he closes the door carefully behind him. He's not entirely sure that he'll find anything useful in here but he may as well have a look. At least there don't seem to be many places to look around here.

He looks at the papers in the trays, careful to make sure nothing's out of place while he rifles through them for anything with key words that'd catch his eye. A lot of numbers certainly, but at least numbers make much more sense to him. Probably not useful in this case.

If he can't find anything good in here he can at least try listening at the wall to see if anyone's in the other room.

[fish4science]

Well, there were *two* walls to listen to, since he's in the middle of three doors on this side of the hall, neither of which he's been into! The left wall is deathly quiet, so probably not much happening in there-but the right wall is thin enough he can make out someone muttering about 'stupid Inquisitors with their stupid demands, messing up my timetables...' So, someone in there, someone who knows things, but someone who's...aware and active. Very dangerous, very risky. Maybe the quiet room would be safer.

[purplexing]

Yeah, Donnie's not touching that one, not if they're technically not supposed to be here. He steps away carefully, back to the door to listen and make sure that he won't be opening it while someone's passing by.

Hopefully whoever's in the other room won't cause Angelika any trouble, although it might be an ideal room to search if it weren't currently occupied. Donnie slips out once he's determined things safe to do so, and then he's moving to the door of the quieter room.

[fish4science]

The door of the quieter room is locked-but a simple, easily pickable one that should prove no obstacle other than a few seconds. Inside is...storage. File storage, this is an archive, where every bit of paperwork filled out in triplicate sends 1/3rd of itself to live out it's days in a peaceful filing system. Somwhere, in here, must be the kind of records that are needed-just maybe a little out of date.

But they're hidden like needles in a haystack. How long will it take to find them?

[purplexing]

It's a good thing Donnie's well-acquainted with the finer points of lock picking, and this one gives him no trouble. He slips in and...

Well, this looks more promising than the other room but at the same time overwhelming for everything stored within. He grimaces as he knows it would take him forever just to try picking his way through a few written reports.

Maybe the more recent things haven't been filed yet. He's not sure how on top of things they are when it comes to archiving but it sounds like a better idea than poking through everything else. Donnie decides to try looking for loose sheets first, something that might've been pulled out and unfinished, or a stack waiting to be inserted into its proper place- did they even do that here or just move everything that was finished? His overthink's kicking in and he shoves it down as he tries to keep focused.

[fish4science]

Alas, no. No boxes of material to be filed, no loose sheets left unfinished. This is long-term storage, everything boxed up and put into its own place. So it's either go through things based on just their titles and descriptions or...well, what are the other options?

One is to get Angelika in here somehow, and let her do the sorting. Probably the worst-case option if everything else screws up. Maybe the loud guy will leave the room he's in and do something else so Donnie can go loot that office. Everything could be filed under D for dispatches, and all he has to do is check that drawer. Or there's the chance that there could be a secret wall-safe or something behind the filing cabinets that holds the really good stuff?

Maybe he can just pull a bunch of random files and hope that some of them are useful-how many boxes of paper could he get out of here anyways, back down the shaft and...well, how is he planning to get out, bury himself in an ore shipment? Back up over the wall? Sneak into the mine and dig a hole to freedom? Get caught and 'taken for questioning' by the 'inquisitor'?

[purplexing]

It doesn't take much for his notorious overthink to go back into overdrive once it becomes clear that there isn't anything just conveniently lying around to inspect. Grabbing something at random is a thought immediately discarded, he needs to at least narrow it down somewhat.

What are the chances that anything he's even supposed to be looking for is actually here? He frowns and tries to get a sense of how things have been organized and stored. Records of...what? Maybe of people posted for duty? What sort of numbers did they have to worry about? Inspection records? He tries a few drawers that likely promise to be even more of a boring read than trying to get through complicated history texts.

[fish4science]

The files at least are sorted by type. Production quotas in the first drawer, edited production figures passing off rock as 'low grade ore' in the next two drawers. Servitor intake, matched neatly by servitor death rates. Staff payroll. Guard payroll. Upkeep and maintenance on Armor. Timetables for guard patrols and...wait, this was probably it.

There was even at attached map with 'COPY THIS, DON'T REDO FROM SCRATCH' written on it. Flipping through the guard patrols, it was the same pattern, over and over again. The same patrols, and guard stations, because they didn't want to go to the trouble of making a new pattern or something. Instead they saved time by making a copy and filing it as the 'new patrol pattern.' It probably took ten minutes.

Something Angelika was also getting an eye on by asking how many guards were watching the prisoners at any given time-to make sure Konrad knew if any of them had been alone with wily prisoners of course. The poor souls would have to be interviewed in order to establish their guilt or innocence.

[purplexing]

While he's no expert in such matters even he can tell that someone's definitely been slacking around here. Either that or they figure none of the higher-ups (who likely don't even set foot in the place) don't care. Of course that just suggests that nothing much is accurate when it comes to production. Donnie has to wonder how much of those employed here is actually what's recorded, his eyes skimming the numbers to see if there are any variations between the earliest and the latest that's been filed.

He takes the latest of the production reports, servitor records (concerning), payroll lists and the armor maintenance records, folding them up lengthwise before slipping them nto the shaft of his...well they're not really boots when they have an open toe and heel but anyway...

Ah, but this is more like it. He looks through the timetable, frowning as he turns pages. "Wow..." he says under his breath. Well, that's less trouble for them. Making sure things were indeed copied directly, Donnie slips one of them from the sheaf and prepares it to join the rest of the samples he'd gotten.

What else, what else, what else... Reports are all well and good but these are still a bit dated. Donnie looks around for anything that might be records of orders and shipments that have been made. Then he'll listen at the wall to see if the accounting room is still clear to duck back into, because it still feels like the next best place to check would be that noisy officer's room. If he ever leaves...

[fish4science]

See, this is why we have partners. Because Angelika, darling that she is, has demanded that the noisy officer bring her coffee like a good serving boy-and now there's apparently a fight going on where that guy insists he doesn't take orders from Inquisitors to serve as a coffee boy, the priest backs up 'Konrad' and the base commander backs up his man! the door to that meeting room is slightly more ajar, and all four voices spill out into the hall-so better be quick, before either the base commander decides to grab his assistant and steer him back to the office, or Angelika gets so irate about bad coffee she forgets to remain in character.

The base commander's office is the biggest room on that side of the hallway, for sure. Two desks, facing each other, each with it's own inbox and outbox, the smaller one stacked much higher with paperwork than the larger. A huge greatsword on the wall, and a painting of a man decapitating a dragon with it.