...intermission 01
entering the sinkhole
Where the ground had sagged, it broke right through the railway tunnels and down into the depths of earth. It is quite a long way down in between the masses of rubble and fallen concrete.
On the exterior, the tunnel that has been revealed appears to have a coating of something like reinforced concrete, leaving just enough space between the ground and the structure itself for jutting piping encased in an unfamiliar blue-black metallic material. The sections of the tunnels themselves are marked by sprayed on numerals, suggesting that each section was individually placed into the ground before being buried. It takes some serious excavation and manpower, before you are capable of finding a hatch, above which there is a lengthy tunnel leading directly upwards to an indeterminate location.
intermission structure
The intermission will be split into prompts consisting of tasks which your characters can undertake. The completion of each task will enable you to fill up a gauge that will measure your capacity to progress with the intermission. More information will be given upon the completion of gauge, proceeding the exploration further.
exploration gauge
The gauge is split into four quarters, each quarter consisting of five tasks, which makes it twenty-five tasks total.
Refer to the below prompts for task completion. With the completion of each five tasks, more will be added to facilitate progress. This will include various lore drops and mini events.
In order to vouch for your completion, document it as you ordinarily would (and do not forget to collect your e-coins...!) and paste the appropriate link to a log or an artwork in the #deposit-money-exp channel, tagging Kura who will manually update the webpage to reflect the task completion.
THE UNDERTOW ❖ TASKS
For those of you who are keen to explore the underground structures found following the collapse in South Ward, there are a few requirements. Use #squad-setup channel in order to delegate the tasks amongst yourselves. Not a team player? You can claim the tasks solo.
Pathway to the Underworld
You must clear out the area surrounding the hatch in order to proceed with the investigation.
Sentry Hunt
Successfully capture or dispose of one of the sentries in order to present the technology before your researchers. Perhaps they will be able to determine the date and origin of these mysterious, ancient constructs.
Hide and Seek
Successfully traverse the tunnels without being detected and proceed with your exploration in a narrator-supervised mini roleplay event.
A HELPING HAND
Aid civilians in evacuation from parts of South Ward that were affected by the collapse and investigate the rubble for any trapped individuals or faction mates. Beforehand though, ask Vega about Ratthew.
WAIT... THERE ARE LAYERS?
ITS DEEPER THAN IT SEEMS...
It seems as if, the researches claim, that the structure is more expansive than it initially appears. The tunnels must go somewhere, right...? Filling up the gauge will enable you to explore additional layers of the underground structure. Multiple teams can claim the same task.
THE UNDERTOW ❖ LAYERS
U-LAYER
status: unlocked
You must clear out the area surrounding the hatch in order to proceed with the investigation.
You descend down to what seems to be a barren white-paneled tunnel. Dust and sand settle at your feet as the corridor recedes into the darkness. You are accompanied by the ambient howling of wind, while the rest of the atmosphere remains quiet and oppressive. There are no protrusions in the tunnel, no windows or door. The corridor leads ahead, sometimes sharply turning left or right in a labyrinthine manner. This network of tunnels seems to be never ending, labyrinthine. Some of them even sharply plunge downwards at a ninety degree incline into complete darkness.
And as you linger there, you hear a noise. A rhythmic beat of limbs against the metallic lining of the tunnel. Pacing, then periodically stopping.
DANGER
Sentry Type B resembles a quadrupedal, feline construct with adhesive paws that aid it in swiftly traversing the tunnels. Any normal explorer would be able to tell that these machines are senile, ancient pieces of technology that wander this network on a search and destroy mission, aiming to eliminate anything that dares to cross its path. They are blind, although they possess very potent auditory sensors, so make sure that you proceed quietly and dispose of the Sentry quickly if you do dare to come across it, as it may alert the other constructs in its proximity.
G2-LAYER
STATUS: UNLOCKED
If the scale of the tunnels was impressive, it was just a fraction compared to the real deal. As you proceed, you soon realise that the tunnels are not all that could be gauged from the structure you encountered. In fact, from what you gathered they only served as methods of ventilation, transportation and maintenance for something much, much bigger.
What the group explored was just an outer crust of a structure of monstrous proportions. Where the vents had plunged or opened up into tall frames obscured by disused fans, the shutters covering the exit opened up into a vast cavern, sharply plunging down, connected by a network of dark, industrial pathways of reinforced concrete and blue-tinged metal. In the distance there was an impressive construct of what could be only described as an impressive skyline receding into darkness, buildings piled on top of one another like a complex termite hive, completely dwarfing the human form by diminishing it to the scale of an ant.
There was no life, but there was movement. After centuries of disuse, something has been keeping the subterranean city alive, however, that upkeep appeared to be utterly irrational as the machines that expanded the already impressive scale of the city had gone senile, defaulting to autopilot, adding impossible builds that were visually jarring and nonsensical, desperately piling onto one another and expanding sideways into the labyrinth of pathways and structures inhabited by no one except the very machines that built them.
DANGER
Sentry Type A resembles a bipedal construct, wielding a long, sharp blade. These artificial forms appear to be far more intelligent than their quadrupedal predecessors with the capacity to reason, pursue and eliminate whatever happens to stand in their path.
G1-LAYER
STATUS: UNLOCKED
You miraculously manage to find some type of mechanism that functions as an elevator allowing you to descend further. Inside, you find appropriate labels for buttons that will lead you back to what is listed as G2 TERMINAL or allow you to descend to G1 TERMINAL. However, there is another button indicating that there is a layer further down, G0 TERMINAL.
Despite your best attempts to push the button, it does not respond. On one of the attempts you only get a weak flash of ACCESS DENIED across the screen overhead before it flickers and fades to black.
When you exit, you find the surroundings to be fairly similar to what you have seen before. But something is off… The glistening pathways simply look strange. It is until you gaze overhead and see the tumbling depths below.
Somehow, defying all laws of physics, you are standing upside down. But neither your body nor your clothes reflect this. The winding pathways look wrong and impossible, from connected archways to Penrose steps, as if you found yourself inside an M.C Escher piece. The air is dense and for the first time, this is nothing like you have ever encountered before.
You, my friend, have walked into something far beyond your comprehension.
But maybe you will finally get some answers.
G0-LAYER
STATUS: ACCESS DENIED
...
AFTER THE STORM
MAINTENANCE
The storm did not leave Cradle unscathed, collapsing disused compromised structures and dealing a considerable amount of damage to the faction headquarters. Your task is to rehabilitate your faction headquarters and fix up any potential damage dealt to either. Of course, you are welcome to collaborate between the factions during a time of adversity. Make the most of it while you can. Multiple individuals can claim the same prompt in this category. You have the freedom to interpret each prompt as you want!
The prompts are non-faction specific and can be applied to either faction. For every mission completed for your respective headquarters, one day will pass in-world.
HEADQUARTERS ❖ MEDBAY
You find your resources largely depleted after having to treat an influx of injured. You have the option to either voyage out and salvage more medical supplies or if you happen to be one of the medical personnel, attempt to seek out for one of those who were injured during the event and provide them appropriate treatment. Be mindful that the infirmary spaces are crowded and thus need constant upkeep.
Helloooo Nurse!
Non-medical personnel may assist one member who possesses sufficient medical knowledge in treating the injured.
Dogsbody
Assist the infirmary in bringing in medical supplies or sorting out through what's left. Clean and disinfect the space. Make sure it looks like Disney on Ice.
Call an Ambulance, But Not For Me!
If possesses sufficient medical knowledge, seek out and help one of the player characters that were injured during the attack.
HEADQUARTERS ❖ GENERAL
Certain parts of the headquarters are in a state of unsalvageable mess, it seems. It is your job to salvage and clean those areas, or maybe even spruce up preexisting spaces.
For Leisure
Communal areas are necessary for leisure as well as the socialization with other members of the faction. Clean your faction’s communal area or areas and give it some personality by discussing your character’s needs and preferences. This prompt is wholly collaborative for each individual faction, allowing you to decide what the space will look like and how it reflects the faction’s character. This prompt will accept both roleplay and art entries and give you the chance to be the Pinterest mom you always wanted to be.
Confirm with each respective faction what areas are available for decoration.
This is MTV and Welcome to My Crib
This prompt will encourage you to think, write or draw your character’s personal space. Do they inhabit a room alone or do they share? How tidy is their personal space? Think about how they may feel about a space of their own and how they may choose to decorate it and think about its upkeep. You may also consider whether this is a space where they feel at their loneliest or their space where they feel the safest.
Man of Arms
You have been tasked to sort through your faction's armory (or in some cases… A space where arms are stored.) It is an absolute mess and some weapons desperately need to be looked after. This is where you may find knives, crossbows and perhaps even some firearms. You may have the option to either fix something up yourself with an INT roll or… Take it to somebody else for repair.
Pest Control
After the worst of the attacks is over, you have been riddled with an overabundance of D-rank anomalies, which keep popping out from the most unexpected of places. Eliminate as many D-rank anomalies as you possibly can.
Toilet Duty
Sucks to be you. You have been deployed with one or two other recruits to clean up the toilets and communal showers of your respective factions. If you look closely, who knows, perhaps you will find a hidden Danny DeVito shrine…
Psych Eval
You really thought you’d get out of it psychologically unscathed, yet a major event like this is taxing on both your body and soul. Use this prompt to explore your character’s mental state either through art or writing following Black Storm.
Video Killed the Radio Star
Any method of reliable communication from faction to faction or to other areas external to Cradle is currently down due to the effects of the Black Storm. Cooperate to return communications to life & to gauge how well other settlements are faring in wake of Cradle’s own anomaly attack.