Lagan System, Part II

[spaceshipit]

Whatever the fantastic passengers of the Drift Fleet have been up to, here is more information to fuel your adventures!

And as with all of our updates for this event, all players are welcome to play with this at their own pace, ignore whatever parts they would like, and backtag to their hearts' content. Enjoy!



THE DERELICT SHIP.

Without a nearby place to land, and with equipment used for navigation and scanning not quite behaving on the surface of the planet, it takes passengers several days to make it to the hulking wreck that peeks above the treetops. As they finally draw near, it becomes obvious that no one has visited this vessel in a very long time.


The hull of the ship is absolutely massive--easily on par with the host-ships, Marsiva and Maldua. Seemingly of the same class of ship, it likely bared a strong resemblance them when it was whole. Now, after so much time forgotten in a crater on the forest floor, all that remains of her is a rusting, hollowed-out husk. Large sections of the ship have fallen entirely away, now decomposing under plant life. What may have once been a smooth exterior hull is now jagged and falling apart. There do not appear to be any windows or doors built into the outside of the ship, but it hardly matters--collapsed walls and ceilings have created huge, sun-lit passageways for characters to climb through and explore the ship's inner workings.

Spilling from one particular hole in the side of the hull is a waterfall of foliage, fat with fruit and vegetables compared to the surrounding green. It looks like the original plants may have spread from a small interior garden room, now wildly overgrown and fed by the energy of the planet. All of the plants are impressive, but the star of the show are the pumpkins. Fueled by the magic of this planet, the heaping pumpkin vines have fruits in all shapes and sizes--ranging from very small (about the size of a fist) to humongous, ten-foot-wide gourds. If anyone wants to take cuttings or seeds to cultivate in their own ship gardens, the plants will take, but they (like all plants taken from this planet) will only grow into average, everyday pumpkin plants once removed from the magic found here.

Beyond the flourishing plant life, the inside of the ship does not look much better than the outside. It is easy to imagine that the massive, high-ceiling rooms may have once been shining and flawless like the interior of the Marsiva--but now the rooms are barely standing, and hauntingly empty despite how much of the forest has moved in from outside.



Points of interest on-board include...

• The ship is ransacked, but there is no sign that anyone has been on board in ages. There are no signs of a crew, or any definitive indication that there had ever been one. The only remnants of previous inhabitants are scrapped remains of old robot butlers, like those that had been found on the Maldua. While the robots are far from functional, bits and pieces might be salvaged by those who could use the parts.
  
  
• Once passengers get this close to the source, the SOS signal is strong enough to track to one set of computer banks tucked away within the ship. The terminals are being powered by some energy source that must still be functional, but it will take the passengers some time to trace it to its heart. In the meantime, those with Communications and Engineering augments can scrounge some information from the wreckage of the ship's databanks.
  
  
• The SOS signal has an encrypted message attached to it, which will play once Communications officers unlock it for anyone to listen to and possibly record. Spoken in robotic tones, the message is in a language that cannot be understood by anyone’s augments, but bits and pieces of it begin to sound strangely familiar as the listeners spend more time on the planet. We will put up a short post for some message-decoding fun in a few days.
  
  
• Only a few bites of information can actually be pulled from the corrupted computers: this ship is indeed a Host-class Vessel, traveling without an accompanying fleet, and her name is Virsua.

THE WORLD ITSELF.

As passengers spend more time on the planet, a few more things can be noticed...

• For those who were around to remember the last planet that had been little more than a sea of trees, the resemblances between the two are striking. All of the singing planets have had similarities between them, but Lagan is in the same wild, teeming, raw state as that specific previous destination had been.
  
  
• Like its cousin (and other singing planets), there is a 'voice' here that gets under people's metaphorical skin. There may not be any real songs this time, and passengers may not feel an inexorable call into the trees, but there is a presence all the same. Any characters who may be particularly sensitive to such things (psychic abilities in particular), who have spent at least a day or so down on the planet, will be able to feel that the world is reaching as if it has its own sort of personality. This place feels more alive than just the organisms living on its surface, and it is trying to communicate. The more time spent on the planet, the more this feeling becomes pressing and clear.
  
  
• Another startling similarity to the last forest-sea planet is the titan form that can be glimpsed rising above the distant treeline at night. However, this time, the shadow seems to be watching instead of hunting, and will evaporate and melt into the surrounding darkness if anyone tries to get closer to it. It will never get closer than the far distance, and seems disinterested in interacting or communicating with the visitors. It's only there to keep an eye on things.
  
  
• Explorers can also find bits and pieces of other ships that have crashed into the planet over time. They are all much smaller than the corpse of the Host ship, and none of them are salvageable for anything other than scrap. The ships range from short-range shuttles to heftier scavenger ships, and there is no sign anywhere of surviving crew. All that can be recovered from the wrecks are scrap materials and the occasional small item (flashlights, binocular goggles, sturdy containers full of rotten rations, decorative bobbleheads, etc.)
  
  
• Back on the way-stations, they’re very interested in buying any scrap that passengers can bring back from the world. So, if anyone wants to make a quick buck, they can peel off panels, spool up wire, and gather up tubing from the wrecked ships to sell. However, it may be a point of character conflict for anyone who doesn’t want to disturb the scene of a mystery, or rifle through the belongings of the dead...

MEANWHILE, ON THE MARSIVA...

And just as things are becoming interesting, the beaming presences of the Hosts cut in to catch the Fleet's attention with an exciting bit of news!

• The hosts are announcing a new, temporary game room open on the Marsiva itself! They’ve worked very hard on it for the Fleet's second anniversary... Or so they say. It’s up to passengers to decide how genuine they are being, and whether or not they are going to take advantage of the Hosts' temping graciousness. This room will be open only for the duration of this event!
  
  
• This room is clean and bright, with plenty of space for the passengers to mingle and stretch their legs. Like a glimmering carnival, there are all sorts of games set up for passengers to win credits toward prizes that are listed in an impressive digital menu on the wall. The games seem to shift and change periodically, to where any carnival-style game imaginable, no matter how high or low-tech, has a good chance of being found here. Even those who might not be great at such competitions will probably find something here tailored to their particular abilities, so that everyone has a chance to win! Just spend enough time here, and the rewards are sure to roll in...
  
  
• And speaking of rewards--the Hosts sure know what their beloved passengers want. The rules for what might be found in the menu of prizes are a little loose for this event, including objects from home, so ask the mods below if a certain prize is allowed to be won. However, prizes are going to require that the character does spend a large amount of time in the Party Room instead of on the planet in order to win something that they really value. Also, anything at all can be listed in the menu, just to tempt the passengers, but only certain things can actually be won. So, your character is free to see anything that you'd like listed in the menu, but if you want them to actually win a weapon or something very valuable, ask first.
  
  
• The other amenities found in the party room are upgraded, posh versions of things found on most ships--showers, comfortable rooms, a few cozy nooks to rest in--as well as a buffet area that is constantly stocked with a dazzling array of food. Has your passenger been craving a hearty steak, a warm cup of fine black tea, roasted vegetables from home, or junky candy bars? Odds are that these treats will show up while the passenger is browsing the tables and warming trays. Everyone is welcome to eat their fill and use the amenities to their hearts' content (pillow fort, anyone?), but if anything other than fairly-won prizes from the menu are taken from the Party Room, the objects will be cleanly vaporized.

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If anyone has questions about this, or anything else in the event so far, feel free to ask in the QUESTIONS comment below!

Comments

QUESTIONS

[spaceshipit]

Have any questions about the event so far? Fire away!

[dontthinkaboutelephants]

whoops does this mean Arthur could win a PASIV from home instead of building it? With Somnacin in the vial holders inside hopefully? Sorry for two questions in one day sfdkjl :x

[virgocat]

Rider to this question, if yes can people work together to get a prize?

[spaceshipit]

I will confer with my better half on this! In the meantime, what exactly would it allow him to do within the context of the game?

And if the answer is yes, it will definitely be something that he'll pretty much have to stay in the party room and keep playing to win. Atroma wants you here and not anywhere else, and they would absolutely scale the point price to that end for something like this.

[witheringlotus]

I'd like to request a lotus flower encased in a glass for Kanda-- it's mentioned that he keeps one in his room at home, and he kinda misses it.

This may be contingent on if there's Japanese food in the party deck.

[spaceshipit]

That can absolutely be in the prize menu, and there is definitely Japanese food in the buffet. Tastes just like home~

[aigue]

If the prize is a movie what format would it come in? Also would there be any issues re: fourthwalling if said movie is either something Godzilla or King Kong?

[spaceshipit]

It would be in a format viewable on any computer terminal or communication device in the fleet-- either as a purely digital download, or a file on a little thumb drive.

As for fourthwalling, the movies would probably be called something like... Godlizard... Emperor Kong...

[geonomy]

What other kinds of fruits and vegetables are inside the Virsua? Are they Earth-like, or are there some not native to Earth?

(in other words, could there be a papaya tree)

[spaceshipit]

They seem to be Earth-specific species! Or, at least all of the surviving ones are.

And yes. There could be a papaya tree. :}

[lord_wizard]

How posh are the rooms on the party deck, exactly? Any examples?

Also what constitutes 'especially valuable' in terms of the prizes? Would high-quality clothing or jewelry qualify?

[spaceshipit]

I will see if I can drum up a visual example of what the poshest example of the rooms on the party deck might be.

In the meantime, there is absolutely high-quality clothing and jewelry offered as prizes (because they know Felix is looking.) There might be other things to tempt him as well-- luxury goods such as ornate mirrors (hand or wall-hanging), combs, slippers, book jackets, exquisite trays and vases. Really, the menu probably lists anything shiny that Atroma thinks has a chance of keeping him interested in the party deck instead of anything else. It will likely take a lot of work to actually win a few things off the list, but yes.

Re: QUESTIONS

[helluva_pilot]

While there's no ability to land at the wrecked ship, could someone--say, the most daring pilot of the Resistance--figure out how to air drop people (low flying and letting them down on a line, for example) and tools/supplies?

[exothermia]

Is it possible to win dinky carnival-style prizes in the party room with less time/credit? I'm thinking stuff like plastic toys and stuffed animals.

Re: QUESTIONS

[helladoomed]

Could someone win a cat? Or some kind of alien cat-like animal.

Chloe needs something to care about.

[save_the_souls]

HERE'S A THROWBACK QUESTION:

Okay so regarding the voice of the planet/forest. I don't know if you two remember from Paradisa, but the castle had it's own "voice" that'd try to lure anyone who visited the Dead Zone to come back to the castle, right? So I know this is a different mechanism, but for a character that's experienced that in Paradisa - just about how similar/different would it feel to them from that?

Re: QUESTIONS

[kill_switch]

Could Furiosa get the original steering wheel from the War Rig that she could outfit on the First Breath?

[sansseraph]

Could Lailah win the cloak a certain former Shepherd wore when he was 12?

Why? Because I have no chill.

[namisan]

So what are the chances of weapons or weapon pieces being prizes?

...asking for a friend

Re: QUESTIONS

[killedwithlove]

Cole is an empath and psychometrist. If asked to use his powers to learn about the history of the ship and what happened, would he be able to read it?

And if he can, what will he find? I am okay with instead saying the magic and wariness of the forest has over saturated everything and he can't read it if that works better.

[lightbends]

At the risk of getting too deep into the plot progression, how much would Korra and Raava be able to sense re: the planet surface, the ship, etc. if anything at all about it is spirity - for example Sokka asked in their thread if anything has communicated with her. I tried to keep it vague but I'm curious how much she might pick up on via her Avatar abilities and connection to spiritual energies.

thread in question

Basically similar to Cole-mun's question, given their abilities are smiliar just how much would she pick up on etc. if it's plot related etc.

[goldenglasses]

The power cells in the ship. If Vash attempts to "poke" at it with his Plant powers (because he will after seeing those teraformers in the past) will he notice any signs of Plants having once been there? I'm assuming not, but thought I'd check.

prize question!

[survivalistcookbook]

If Eugene could score a music-player with some familiar tunes, that would be awesome. If he could actually get his hands on his partner's iPod? That would definitely keep him in the game room almost constantly until he managed to snag it.

[deviances]

idea for a ridiculous prize.......

Eithan wants some nice, decent, quality cigarettes to smoke. And he keeps griping that he'd kill for something better than the shitty ones he got back on Insert Generic Station Here. Could they be listed as a game room menu prize? And if so, can they be like just out of his reach so he can bitch about playing for hours and still not being allowed decent smokes? ♥

i might be nice and let him actually win them. I haven't decided yet because i'm terrible. jsfdkl

[stefanged]

Belated question about the wreckage: is there a source of water for all those lovely plants? Or would people be unable to find a [river / stream / waterfall / insert body of water here]?