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[IronyOwl]

This is the second mission thread for Arcane Utopia.


Current Mission: World 9 (Again)


Previous Missions:
Investigate World 12
Investigate World 9

[IronyOwl]

Turn 0: Almost

You appear in a flash, gazing out over what seems to be a jagged arctic landscape. It takes a moment to realize the mottled white and blue you're looking at isn't snow, and a moment longer to figure out the ground is actually warm, contrasting with the cool but not oppressive dusk air.

A few experimental pokes establish that the mottled white and blue is a squishy sort of muck. It's hard to tell how deep it is without committing fully, but the fact that there's giant piles and mounds of the stuff seems to suggest it's a coating over much sturdier stuff.

From your perch, you can see more rolling hills and squat pillars in most directions, and what looks like a clearing in another.

Spoiler: Players (click to show/hide)

Fedelmid Cowhunter (voliol)
5/5 HP
+5 Hunter (0/5)
+3 Leatherworker (0/3)
-
Large Jug of Water

The Dilettante (ATHATH)
+5 Air Mage (0/5)
+3 Life Mage (0/3)

[ATHATH]

Attempt to draw life mana from the ground. If I succeed, attempt to train my xenobiology skill by inspecting the muck. If I fail, attempt to train my geology skill by inspecting the muck.

Absorb air mana from the air surrounding me, then make a floating house out of solid air a good 50 meters or so above the muck/ground/whatever it is. Fly up to it and inspect my handiwork, thus training my inspection skill.

Summon an air elemental using air mana and ask it to check on the clearing for us and report back to us after it has or if it encounters trouble. Draw air mana from the surrounding air (NOT near my house), before and after doing this.

[voliol]

Explore the realm while keeping sure that I know how to get back to the portal. Try to see if I can spot any life on the way.

[ATHATH]

Can I substitute life mana for food and water?

[IronyOwl]

Turn 1: Just Completely Awful

Attempt to draw life mana from the ground. If I succeed, attempt to train my xenobiology skill by inspecting the muck. If I fail, attempt to train my geology skill by inspecting the muck.

Absorb air mana from the air surrounding me, then make a floating house out of solid air a good 50 meters or so above the muck/ground/whatever it is. Fly up to it and inspect my handiwork, thus training my inspection skill.

Summon an air elemental using air mana and ask it to check on the clearing for us and report back to us after it has or if it encounters trouble. Draw air mana from the surrounding air (NOT near my house), before and after doing this.

[1] You can indeed sense life mana in the muck, and so proceed to study it in detail. Conclusions: IT BURNS YOUR EYES WHY DID YOU DO THAT IT BURNS.

You do not get around to building a house.

Gained [Eye Pain]

Explore the realm while keeping sure that I know how to get back to the portal. Try to see if I can spot any life on the way.

[2] You begin walking, which soon turns into trudging, which soon turns into slowly falling off the edge, which soon turns into digging your way out, which soon turns into more trudging.

Out of breath, you conclude that this place is terrible and, as far as you can tell, nothing but varying shapes and thicknesses of white and blue gunk that is an absolute pain to slog through. You're not seeing any plants, animals, or even really noteworthy terrain features.

Can I substitute life mana for food and water?

Probably, but there may be side effects.


A weird bug-guy appears on the platform in a flash of light.

Spoiler: Players (click to show/hide)

Fedelmid Cowhunter (voliol)
5/5 HP
+5 Hunter (0/5)
+3 Leatherworker (0/3)
-
Large Jug of Water

The Dilettante (ATHATH)
[Eye Pain]
+5 Air Mage (0/5)
+3 Life Mage (0/3)

Bruva Bugert (Yotta)
+5 Bug Mage (0/5)
+3 Cook (0/3)
-
Pots and Pans

[ATHATH]

Absorb air mana from the air surrounding me, then make a floating house out of solid air a good 50 meters or so above the muck/ground/whatever it is. Fly up to it and inspect my handiwork, thus training my inspection skill.

Summon an air elemental using air mana and ask it to check on the clearing for us and report back to us after it has or if it encounters trouble. Draw air mana from the surrounding air (NOT near my house), before and after doing this.

So, did looking at the mana hurt my eyes, or did I accidentally get some muck in my eyes or something?

What does [Eye Pain] actually do? How painful is my eye pain?

[IronyOwl]

You were attempting to use mundane examination, so you got muck in your eyes. Your eye pain rather interferes with attempts to use your eyes. It stings obnoxiously, but not so badly that you couldn't carry on doing other things if you really wanted to.

I can also tell you now that building a house is going to tend to require the settlement phase, and using solid air as a material is going to require a great deal of processing and effort.

[ATHATH]

Move on to the settlement phase first, then. Rub the gunk out of my eyes first, of course.

[voliol]

Get back to the teleporter, this world is terrible and there's nothing to hunt
(no offense to the GM, this is just IC )

[Yottawhat]

Start poking around in the dirt and see if I can find any bugs.

[IronyOwl]

Turn 2: Pestilence

Absorb air mana from the air surrounding me, then make a floating house out of solid air a good 50 meters or so above the muck/ground/whatever it is. Fly up to it and inspect my handiwork, thus training my inspection skill.

Summon an air elemental using air mana and ask it to check on the clearing for us and report back to us after it has or if it encounters trouble. Draw air mana from the surrounding air (NOT near my house), before and after doing this.

So, did looking at the mana hurt my eyes, or did I accidentally get some muck in my eyes or something?

What does [Eye Pain] actually do? How painful is my eye pain?

Move on to the settlement phase first, then. Rub the gunk out of my eyes first, of course.

You try to relax, take your time, and start up some long-term projects, but the constant flitting about of your allies is really distracting. Also technically you're supposed to report the state of the world and so on, but eh, they'll probably just declare you legally dead or something if you don't.

[3] You rub most of the gunk out of your eyes instead.

Get back to the teleporter, this world is terrible and there's nothing to hunt
(no offense to the GM, this is just IC )

You head back to the teleporter and press the button, whisking you back to the main atrium.

Goo.

Everywhere.

Start poking around in the dirt and see if I can find any bugs.

[1] You sift carefully through the muck, trying to find any evidence of higher life. It takes you a few coughing and sneezing fits to realize you seem to have gotten sick... which, given the short timeframe involved, most likely means you have a problem.

Now [Mysteriously Ill]

Spoiler: Player (click to show/hide)

The Dilettante (ATHATH)
[Light Eye Pain]
+5 Air Mage (0/5)
+3 Life Mage (0/3)

Bruva Bugert (Yotta)
[Mysteriously Ill]
+5 Bug Mage (0/5)
+3 Cook (0/3)
-
Pots and Pans

[ATHATH]

Oh !@#$.

OH !@#$!

We're wading in viruses/bacteria/disease, aren't we?

Start draining life mana from any gunk that's on/in me and teleport back to the hub area (continue draining life mana from the gunk while I'm there). Report what happened to the bug lady and ask for medical assistance (preferably not of the "BLAM! There, now you won't have to worry about being infected any more, since you're dead now." kind).

Hey, on the bright side, now some mages with the disease magic and/or pestilence magic skills can have a field day here (once we leave, of course).

[Yottawhat]

Follow Dilettante back to the atrium.  There is no way in bug hell that I'll be able to survive here for long.

[IronyOwl]

Mission Complete

The Dilettante begins desperately trying to extract life mana from the gunk, to no avail. He and Bruva quickly flee this curses realm.