What Lies Beyond

[bravenewmods]

After weeks of repairs, tightened sanctions on incoming immigrants and the general feeling of unease that hangs heavy around the city of Union, the Council finally comes to a decision. It is not unanimous by any accounts, and there are many that wonder if this is the right approach. Union has existed for generations behind its great walls, and there were those who felt that it was that way of life that they should return to—one of solitude and skepticism. However, in light of recent events, the desire for security has own over the need for seclusion.

An announcement comes over the Warp Band, still hazy from the attacks on the Signal Tower. But it is not the face of a Councilmen that the citizens and visitors of Union are met with, but, rather, the youthful face of one of the leaders of the Seekers.

“Citizens and friends of Union—is that seriously what they wrote? Man, it feels weird talking like that, can I just say ‘hey you guys?’ Whatever. Everyone. We’ve got some big news, so listen up.” Maeve groans at the feed, tossing aside some paper, likely an official statement penned by some Council member. “So, the Council has decided that they want to take a more proactive approach after the attack by Sveta, Alina and their friends, and it comes to me to give you the juicy details.”

Okay, actually maybe she did need that paper. Leaning over in her chair, she ducks off the stream to reclaim the statement. “The Council has asked for volunteers to come together and investigate three possible leads for both our ‘friends’ with the Elite Four, Gigas, as well as some interesting goings-on in and around Refuge: a settlement to the west with supposed ties to Gigas; the inner caves of Refuge; and to the east of Glacier, in the direction which the great dragon fled.

“Now don’t all come flooding in all at once, I know how you Unionites get excited about stuff like this. Groups will disembark immediately, so get any supplies you can and meet up at the Seeker’s HQ before heading out. You’ll be given briefs upon your assignment into a group. If you have any questions, you can ask me or Captain Pirate Krabbypants, Ceilto. Maeve, out.”

Once they arrive, each person will be assigned a group, and after a quick briefing, begin moving to their destination within the day. Most take no more than a few days to arrive at their destination, and will immediately be put to work.

[All event logs are now live! As usual, mod tags will come every 24 hours. Feel free to post all IC questions to the Maeve top level and all OOC questions in the standard mod top level. During this log, several NPCs from prior events may appear. The event is scheduled to last a week and will end at midnight on the morning of March 5th.]

Comments

[bnw_ax_npcs]

We've been getting odd reports about this area since shortly before the attack by Reshiram. We just haven't had time to really investigate, but by the frost I had no idea it was so bad.

[The silence grows more and more ominious as they get closer, Ingrid growing more quiet.

At last they crest a ridge and look out into a small valley. Ordinarily it probably would be frozen over, but thanks to whatever it is...the whole area is filled with black, rotting fungus, a horribly bleak landscape that smells like death. Mushrooms blossom from everything, giving off most of the smell, and several Pokemon shamble along down there...obviously ill. Stantler, mostly, but a few Beartics too.

And at the center of it all is a huge black and red object. It seems to have been crafted entirely out of crystal, shards of jet and ruby littering the ground all around it. An oily black sludge spills out of the sides, looking remarkably like an egg. An egg large enough to house a family of Tyranitars...]

In the Frost's name! What is that?!

[guitar_case_vagabond]

[A sort of silence had fallen over the group as they rode on and Ryuko didn't really feel like being the one to break the quiet. So she remained silent as she road behind Michiru, scowling at their surroundings and keeping her hand on her weapon, ready for whatever might come their way.

... Or that's what she thought anyway, but nothing could have prepared her for the sight that eventually greeted them when they arrive at the valley. The overwhelming stench in the air, the horribly sick Pokemon wandering about and of course the monstrous... thing in the middle of it all. An egg to her admittedly untrained eye. A really big one and apparently whatever had hatched out of it had just murdered its way into the freaking world.

She spends a few seconds gawking before artfully speaking the first thing that comes to her mind. The only words she can think of to properly describe what she's seeing right now.]

Oh, FUCK THAT!

[actsmagnificent]

[ Haruka tries to steer closer and World Shaking refuses to go, turning his head and grunting; he can feel the wrongness here, and she trusts him enough not to push it. Sky the Beartic, lumbering behind him, clasps her paws over her muzzle in a dainty expression of dismay. This is the first time she's seen Pokémon who look like she does now since she left the mountains, and she hadn't wanted it to be like this. Despite her girth, her knees knock together. This is....it's... ]

....it's spreading this just by being here.

[ Is this where the creature that'd attacked Glacier came from? But that had used fire. This doesn't fit. Haruka unslings her sword from her packs. ]

[child_of_luv]

What... what is that...?

[Though, the people below might not have heard her question. It was mostly whispered in the shock of seeing it.]

Star...

[Rico didn't like it either, and started to back away. Minako patted his neck from where she sat.]

Let's land.

[He came down next to the group now, landing near them.]

[mightydemacian]

[ It gets harder to keep up his expression of stoic preparedness as they all get closer to what can only be described as a big toxic egg. Even Nika seems to prepare keeping away from it, and it's not often that a Venusaur would care much about poison at all.

But he has no time to be afraid. That's a privilege granted to other people. Garen Crownguard must always stand strong, so his mind is already whirling, seeking a solution. ]

Don't break it, that might just release all the sludge at once. We should get everyone as far away from this thing as possible.

[ As for how they're going to do that... ]

I'll have Nika spread Sweet Scent as we leave. That should lure the wild Pokemon towards us, and further from this... thing. After we're gone, we should seriously consider scorching this blight so it doesn't spread further.

[ A plan! And a rather extreme rider attached to it, but they can discuss that bit later. ]

If anyone wants to study it closely, I'd suggest doing so quickly. It's obviously not good for anyone's health.

[incousinswithyou]

[Rapidash's flames flare as it uneasily paws at the ground. The only thing keeping it here is Trainer's steady presence.

Either way, there's no trace of a smile on Michiru's face now.]

My Roserade has Aromatherapy. We can see if that'll work on those Pokemon.

[and if Aromatherapy can't heal it, then it's not just a common status effect - even if it's obvious they've never seen it before, it won't hurt to try.]

[bnw_ax_npcs]

You're welcome to try...but...

[Ingrid looks at Garen, a very serious expression on her face.]

I'm going to take your advice, sir. We'll get every Fire-type in Glacier if we have to, but this is going to burn. I can't...we can't leave this like that. It's only going to spread.

[She keeps her poor Aurorus under tight control by rubbing it's head, but it's not happy. It wants to go. Now.]

This is...this cannot be Reshiram's work. That was just fire. This is something wrong. The whole place smells of death...but if you're going to investigate, do it now. Photographs, or whatever it is Unionites do. But don't touch it.

[child_of_luv]

[Minako definitely wasn't planning on touching it, that was for sure. Rico's unnerved reactions to the whole place were enough to keep her from touching anything.]

Does anyone have one of those cameras? [She didn't have one herself, but she knew some people did. They weren't common, though...] Rico and I can fly over and take some pictures before we go.

[mightydemacian]

It's unfortunate. Even if my plan works, we won't be able to get every Pokemon out, but perhaps compared to this fire may be a mercy.

[ His lips are pursed tight. Firebombing everything is not something he really wants to consider, but unless they can heal these poor Pokemon they really have no choice. A blight like this can't be allowed to spread. ]

Michiru, give it a try. I doubt it will work, but we can pray for a miracle. After that, you can join me in spreading the Sweet Scent.

[actsmagnificent]

[ We're cooperating? Okay. Haruka takes her cue from Michiru and hops down off of World Shaking so he doesn't have to make this trek with her. ] I'll walk the perimeter.

[ She doesn't have a camera, but she wants to try and find hints of where this thing went.

She keeps her sword with her just in case, but given the state of the Pokémon around here, she's not expecting active trouble. ]

[guitar_case_vagabond]

[Ryuko sits silently as the plan to deal with the thing is hatched. Try to lure the sick Pokemon out and then torch the place...? She glances down at her Warp Band as she considers the Pokemon inside. Squawks would have ditched this shitshow as soon as it started, Blob might actually like it, but a Pokemon like Skullface wouldn't have anywhere to go at all....]

Me too. [Her feet hit the ground and she's walking before anybody can argue.] If we're gonna torch that bitch we gotta make sure everything that can get out does, right?

[incousinswithyou]

[Michiru looks over at Minako.] If nobody has a camera, we'll make do with a Warp Band.

[she nods at Haruka before dismounting herself.

Activating her Warp Band, Michiru summons Roserade and Gardevoir. The Grass type takes a look around, gasps, and then huddles closer to Trainer. The Psychic type is better at hiding her surprise.]

Lulu, let's try and use Aromatherapy on those Pokemon. Waltz, Heal Pulse, please.

[might as well go for broke]

[bnw_ax_npcs]

[The heal pulse has no lasting effect, only really seeming to make the mushrooms grow taller. The Aromatherapy and Sweet Scent, however, do have some gains. The Beartics and Stantler all seem to perk up a little bit, shambling towards the party. Their evade is also lowered, if you're sadistic enough to attack them.]

I'll start...making calls.

[Ingrid heads away, mumbling into a Warp Band of her own, since Glacier had rather quickly adopted some of that tech, for the guards at least.]

[child_of_luv]

[Minako nodded. Warp Bands would have to do.]

C'mon, Rico. I know it's scary, but one sweep so we can record what we see, then we'll be done, okay?

[She patted the Staraptor again.]

We'll be up high.

[He ruffled his feathers a bit, so Minako leaned down to speak quietly to just him.]

You would impress Wind with your bravery.

[She was referring to Rushing Wind, Haruka's Pidgeot. That got Rico's attention. He tilted his head, looking upward towards the Pidgeot in question, and then puffed his chest. Yes! He would be brave and handsome all at once! Look at his amazing wings!

He spread them to full span for a moment, giving a enthusiastic cry of STAR! before taking to the air once more.]

[mightydemacian]

[ The Sweet Scent works. There's no time for relief just yet, but at least this plan is getting somewhere. ]

Nika, lead the Pokemon as far away from this place as possible.

[ He slaps the Venusaur's flank lightly, and it heads off, with all the grace of a big dinosaur-toad-flower-thing, a trail of scented pollen floating behind it, a welcome respite from the smell of death and sickness.

It's the Pied Perfumer of Glacier. ]

And Ingrid, there's a chance this thing might survive survive whatever we throw at it, so you might want to consider a trench or wall too.

[incousinswithyou]

[not too shabby]

Lulu, go with Nika, please. [the Roserade nods bravely] Once you're far enough away, keep them together.

[setting them loose without having at least a medic look at them seems cruel. The word 'quarantine' comes to mind, too.]

[actsmagnificent]

[ Haruka continues making a circle around the egg, scrutinizing it. When she finishes her loop, she rejoins the party. She doesn't have a Fire-type with her, so: ] Not much else we can do here.

[ So she....keeps walking. World Shaking follows her, as does Sky (after a moment) and Rushing Wind. Who does not even appear to have noticed how Very Brave Rico is being.

Life is cruel. ]

[guitar_case_vagabond]

[It looks like the plan to get the Pokemon to get away from that egg is working out. Healing doesn't seem to be doing the trick but at least they're getting away from it.

Ryuko takes it slower on her trip around the area, dodging any puddles or flows of that sludge on her way. She doesn't come back around to the group either, instead stopping partway across to watch the retreating Pokemon. Keeping an eye out for any stragglers or ones that look like they won't make it on their own.]

[bnw_ax_npcs]

Of course, Southlander.

[Ingrid gives Garen a very grave look. Very grave indeed.]

If the burning fails, then we'll isolate this place as best we can. Have no fear.

[She turns to watch the procession of Pokemon leaving the area, waiting for her fire support.]

((ooc: This concludes the log! Thanks for threading! Feel free to continue threading as you like, however the mod involvement is done! If there are direct questions for Ingrid feel free to ask them, though. Results will go up with the Event End announcement!))