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annexedlogs2023-02-05 06:19 pm
modaccount) wrote in annexedlogs2023-02-05 06:19 pm
Mission Log #4
How It Works
Welcome to the fourth mission log in Annexed!
How Mission Logs Work: There will generally be two main missions per month, with different focuses tailored to different skillsets (usually stealth vs. fighting, though other skillsets will be tapped on). Each mission will be posted in phases, with a prompt for the start of each phase. The plotting post will give you a rundown of what the missions are, how they might go, and what might be discovered. Characters may partake in whichever pat of the operation they choose, whether it's a large prominent part or a more supporting role. Characters may participate in both missions, and as many phases as they wish.
Mod Guidance: Players may request occasional scene-setting when they hit a point where they're unsure what might happen next in a log or what their characters might encounter. There will be a "Mod Guidance" comment that players can reply to in order to request this kind of scene-setting.
Completion of Missions: There will be a submissions comment for anyone who's threaded out a portion of the mission. Once a thread has been completed at least halfway, please submit your character's progress and plans for the thread to the submissions thread. These submissions are the main way that the mod will decide how the mission went in the next month's wrap-up post, so they are very important!
Plotting Post: Here!
The Invasion
Several months ago, there was a mission to deliver supplies to an endangered outpost of the Witches Camp. This outpost is called the Northeastern Front, and is in a particularly highly disputed piece of territory. There are constant raids and espionage by the Sylphid, who are trying to claim the area for settlement and to provide a much smoother route of invasion for the Witches Camp itself.
Just this morning, a scout from the Northeastern Front stumbled into the Witches Camp, dehydrated and starving, on foot, to report that the outpost has been completely taken over by the Sylphid, who hit with a surprise attack in the middle of the night. The scout reports that the outpost's inhabitants have been shut into locked cages and are being held without food or water, and that the Sylphid are occupying the camp completely.
The Witch is proposing a mission to retake the Northeastern Front. If this outpost remains taken by the Sylphid, a full on invasion of the Witches Camp can't be far behind, not with such a pivotal location taken over.
The Witch will be calling a general meeting at the Command Center where she will explain the situation and the proposed missions to stop it.
Mission A: Scouting the Scene
Mission Appropriateness: Chipped or Stripped
Mission Focus: recon, stealth
This mission will focus on recon and stealth. Characters will travel on hover-ATVs to the Northeastern Front, where they will park in the jungle outside of the range of scouting by the Sylphid, and approach on foot. They will approach and learn the rounds of the Sylphid guards as well as release prisoners from the cages and take them out of the outpost to be rehydrated and fed.
The first phase of the mission involves the trip to the Northeastern Front, which is a trial unto itself, and working out the rounds of the Sylphid guards that are patrolling around the edges of the city. The biggest challenge of this phase will be getting to the Northeastern Front and parking at the rendezvous location outside the outpost, considering the terrain of the jungle and its inhabitants.
The Northeastern Front is to the northeast of the Witches Camp, nestled in the jungle just at the edge of The Troop. The outpost has been the subject of constant Sylphid attack and espionage since it was founded, but is very necessary for keeping track of Sylphid movements in the area, which is a highly disputed piece of territory. There have been several battles in the area previously, and it is only barely held by the Witches at this time. The trip to the outpost is hazardous, a rough-hewn barely-cleared path that winds through the jungle, and which must be navigated with great care. There are several hazards along the path.
⇝ Jungle Terrain: The path is mostly overgrown and very twisting, which is done on purpose to camouflage the path in the jungle. Only those who have been instructed on how to follow the path can follow it with any kind of confidence or ease. There are shrubs, tree roots, and other natural barriers that threaten anyone who travels the path too carelessly.
⇝ Wild Animals: There are a great deal of wild animals, many of them oversized, that will be both familiar and unfamiliar to people from Earth. There are large sabretooth cats, snakes and insects that have grown to the size of small buildings, wild boars, oversize deer that can take out a hover-ATV with their antlers and hooves, slime monsters, venomous and carnivorous plants, and many others. Be creative and come up with whatever monsters you like!
⇝ Sylphid Agents: The area is also swarming with Sylphid agents - scouts and hunting parties searching out the path itself and threatening the rendezvous point. Avoid these parties, or take them on, either is completely acceptable.
⇝ Magical and Mechanical Traps: Some of the Sylphid scouting parties have found portions of the path from the Witches Camp to the Northeastern Front, though they haven't yet found the rendezvous point yet. These scouting parties have set up various traps of both magical and mechanical types. Some of these traps can be deadly - pits with spikes at the bottom, flying logs, magical tripwires that disintegrate parts of the people caught in them. Again, be creative and feel free to come up with traps of your own.
Once the group has made its way to the rendezvous point, they will sneak up to the Northeastern Front and take their places in the jungle surrounding it, well-camouflaged with gear they've carried on their hover-ATVs such as ghillie suits, and watch the rounds of the guards to get a good idea of the best points of entry. These should be marked on a map of the area that will be provided for download on their personal devices.
Once they have divined the pattern of rounds that are run by the Sylphid guards, the recon and infiltration crew will be tasked with sneaking around the camp and mapping it out, as the Sylphid have rearranged it after taking it over. This includes the movements of the people inside and the location of the cages that the previous residents of the outpost are being held in and the movements of the guards that are keeping watch over them.
There are some notable locations within the camp:
⇝ Mess Hall: Where the Sylphid are being fed and where they congregate when not on duty. The mess hall serves meals but also functions as a sort of bar and communal hanging out location with a few pub-style games like darts and a pool table. Here is where you'll find a large amount of the Sylphid at any given time. Best mapped but otherwise avoided.
⇝ Armory: Where the Sylphid go to collect body armor and weapons. The best place to get armed in the outpost. There's less of a congregation of Sylphid here, but the ones that are seem to be quite ready for a scrap. Another place mapped but otherwise avoided, unless you want to try to steal their weapons out from under them - a dangerous idea.
⇝ Tents: The bulk of the outpost is made up of tents that each house four Sylphid. These were taken wholesale from the previous occupants of the camp and redistributed to Sylphid, without being moved. In the area of the camp that's just tents for housing Sylphid, the maps as they are still apply.
⇝ Cages: Brought in by the Sylphid and with rebels packed into them like sardines, the cages are kept at the 'back' of the camp, in a relatively dark area that's close to the jungle. There are consistently 6 guards on duty, all of which will need to be subdued before any liberation of the rebels within can occur. Each cage holds about 8 rebels, and there are 12 cages in total. The cages are each solid metal and under the influence of an anti-magic spell, one per cage, intended to keep the inhabitants of the cage from doing magic and rendering any spells to unlock the cages useless. The cages will have to be opened using lockpicks or brute force, with saws that will make quick work of the locks having been provided by the rebels for this mission.
The final phase of the first mission will focus on liberating the rebel residents of the Northeastern Front from the cages they've been imprisoned in. This sounds simpler than it is, considering this phase of the mission is meant to be as stealthy as the previous phases, hopefully retaining the element of surprise for the takeover battle that is to follow.
Characters who have been watching the camp will have found that the guards watch the prisoners for a shift of 6 hours before being relieved by a new wave of guards, and that other than these guards, there isn't much attention paid to the cages. The Sylphid are quite confident that the inhabitants are too hungry, thirsty, and magic-blocked to get out of the cages, and that the guards watching them will catch any dangerous business before it happens.
The best bet would be to silence and take out all the guards as quickly as possible after they start a new shift, preferably at night. Under the cover of darkness, these infiltrators can then open the locks as quietly as possible and free the prisoners, taking them back to the rendezvous location. The prisoners will be quite sick from dehydration, hunger, and abuse, but will recover quickly once given rations and water, and be ready to aid in the battle to retake their home. The people of the Northeastern Front are very hardy people, who take pride in maintaining their independence and their hold on this dangerous and highly-contested piece of land - they do not take kindly to being taken over, overpowered, and locked up. They'll have a lot to prove to themselves and, in their minds, to The Witch, once freed.
Try to make the liberation quick, though, because once the prisoners are released, there is only the remainder of that guard group's shift before the next shift arrives and discovers that the prisoners are missing!
Mission B: The Battle
Mission Appropriateness: Chipped or Stripped
Mission Focus: open battle
This mission will focus on open battle to take back the Northeastern Front. Once the prisoners have been removed and taken to safety, a force will approach the outpost on hover-ATV and suit up in body armor and arm themselves with weapons to retake the outpost. This will be a knock-down drag-out battle, straight up, with characters routing and taking down Sylphid, capturing prisoners for interrogation, and trying not to destroy the infrastructure of the camp.
Before the final battle to retake the Northeastern Front, the troops must gather at the rendezvous point for briefing, to help with reviving the prisoners who've been freed from the cages, and to generally get on the same page for a plan of attack. The Witch herself will be at the rendezvous point, ready to give an empowering speech and to personally participate in the battle, wielding powerful magic and carrying a magitech sword that she's very skilled at using.
Characters who are attending for battle will face the same dangers coming to the rendezvous point that the first crew faced, with the jungle terrain, animals, Sylphid scouts, and other dangers applying just as much as it did for the stealth group. Once they reach the rendezvous point, they will find that it's set up almost like a mini-camp, complete with patrolling guards and a tent where they can pick up a bowl of mushroom and rabbit stew to fortify themselves before battle. While they eat, they can look at a map that's been set up in the tent with a cohesive and well-scouted layout of the camp. It's recommended that people coming in to participate in the battle familiarize themselves with the map and know where everything is located within the Northeastern Front.
The battle will be beginning anywhere from 5 hours or less after the liberation of the prisoners, and this time can be spent helping revive prisoners, memorizing the map, making plans with fellow rebels, and coordinating with The Witch and her people. There will also be a round table discussion of the battle's plan of action, so if you have a good plan, this will be the time to speak up and make yourself heard.
Before the opportunity arises for the Sylphid to raise an alarm, the group ready to carry out the attack on the Northeastern Front will sneak their way through the jungle to the clearing and descend upon the enemy all at once, from all sides.
This is to be a relatively straightforward attack, and between the new extrauniversal arrivals and the NPC rebels, there should be enough people to be on an equal playing field with the Sylphid in the area. This will be a knock-down drag-out fight, with both sides going hard and fast, sword against sword, magic against magic, and skill against skill. Both sides will be heavily armed and wearing body armor and will be pretty evenly matched.
About halfway through the battle, however, anyone may find the Sylphid commander in the mess hall tent with the radio, asking for backup. Before anyone has a chance to stop her, unfortunately, there will be a call sent out for backup from Zephyr. But realistically, how could they get here with any semblance of time to spare, right? Right?
Just as the tide of battle is starting to turn in favor of the rebels, the backup from Zephyr arrives in the form of three powerful mages with their equally powerful familiars, arriving via a teleportation spell.
These mages are the most powerful the Sylphid have in their arsenal and won't be easy to win against. The mages and their familiars are as follows:
⇝ Silhara and Dragon: Silhara is the name of the first mage to arrive. She is possessed of powerful fire magic, including fireballs, flmespouts, and the ability to manipulate fire, and has a dragon as a familiar. The dragon has stone skin, almost impossible to penetrate and powerful fire breath, as well as vicious fangs and claws. The dragon stands approximately 12 feet tall and is about 20 feet long from the tip of the tail to the snout. The dragon does have one weak spot - a place at the base of the throat where the plates of the stone skin overlay each other, which must be hit with a precise cutting blow while the dragon is inhaling in preparation to unleash its fire breath.
⇝ Dark'ness and Hydra: Dark'ness is the name of the second mage to arrive. They are possessed of powerful shadow magic, including the ability to take control of a person via controlling their shadow, the creation of complete darkness, and they have a hydra as a familiar. The hydra has 4 heads and with each head that is cut off, two more will grow from the neck, with each head bearing vicious poison-dripping fangs. The hydra stands at approximately 10 feet tall and is about 25 feet long from the tip of the longest snout to the end of the tail. The hydra does have a weak spot - the heart, which must be pierced in order to kill the thing, or all of the heads being beheaded at once so no heads remain.
⇝ Dendrite and Chimera: Dendrite is the name of the third mage to arrive. He is possessed of a type of magic that hits people in their nervous systems, allowing him to cause immeasurable pain without touching someone or to completely immobilize someone with a timed strike of his fists against sensitive parts of the person, and he has a chimera as familiar. The chimera has the heads of both a lion and a goat protruding from the large catlike body, and a snake for a tail. It has powerful headbutting abilities with the goat's head and vicious fangs in the lion's head, along with powerful claws and a venomous bite from the tail. The chimera stands at about 8 feet tall and is about 14 feet long from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail. The chimera does have a weak spot - it is exceptionally weak to beheading, and will lose control and go berserk if either head is removed, completely losing control and refusing to obey its master's commands, though a berserk chimera is a very powerful thing. Best to remove both heads at once if possible.
Once these three mages have been defeated, the tide of battle will turn, and the remaining Sylphid will flee the camp, leaving it to be taken over by the rebels and returned to normal.
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Indeed Vader was getting overheated in his core as he couldn't sweat and was starting to feel the effects of heat exhaustion with a pounding headache and muscles cramping. But he wasn't focused on his body and ignored the discomfort as he'd been taught since toddlerhood.
He could feel Shenan's desire to fight and well. If it wouldn't cooperate...punishment might prove effective. Tech's warning came as Vader steeling himself to further choke the dragon but it was almost too late as the heat blast from the dragon's mouth vaporized the water in the dirt to steam and the vegetation burned. Steam, superheated ash, flame, and teeth came right at Vader and he only narrowly managed to swipe the blade of his saber across the tongue and upper palate of the dragon, cutting deeply into both as he rolled away, mostly thrown by the Force, his clothing smoldering.
Alright, he growled out as he pushed himself to his knees. Now? Now he was pissed off. Indeed his yellow eyes almost screamed red as he drew on the Dark side, and the intense feeling of rot, decay, like slime and maggots others often felt in the presence of such, not to mention the brain's screaming of DANGER wouldn't likely be missed by any of the other three in the battle.
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The sudden sensation that suddenly overtook that portion of the battlefield was unlike anything Tech had ever felt and certainly more than he knew what to do with. It was more convoluted to process and no simple feat when his usual enhancements had been dulled to something closer to a baseline human's. This was far rawer than anything else, with nothing to measure or compare against, nothing to calculate nor break down into more palatable information. Even the lingering burn from being too close to flames paled in comparison to the sudden, inexplicable chill he felt as he saw the Sith Lord rise.
From where she'd landed, Silhara groggily lifted her head, looking in Vader's direction as well, eyes wide with uncertain fear. They had thought they had the upper hand against these rebels. They'd sorely underestimated them.
Tw : Vader graphically killing someone.
Just him and the power under his skin. Even the dragon cowered down and was crawling belly to the ground, torn between fleeing and rushing to Silhara. Vader strode between them, as if the danger flat didn't exist. And the closer he got the more that dread slick wave rolled into them.
He said nothing. A haunting terror on the battlefield whose power had turned lesser beings into quivering messes. Vader lifted his arm, hand extended, and beckoned the mage. She wasn't given a choice. She flew, meters of the ground, to a place within hand's reach of Vader. As he curled his hand into a fist, her hands crunch and cracked as the bones shattered, crushed. Her wrists followed and then her screams, of fear of pain. She couldn't focus enough to sumon her fire. The screams rang out just long enough to be a warning before being cut short as Vader's Force grip tightened on her throat, slowly cutting air off until she was kicking her feet and turning darker shades as her body robbed the remaining oxygen from her blood.
Sand he held her there. Making sure she fully felt the fear of not being able to breathe. On the closing darkness and knowledge of defeat. He pulled her closer, almost face to face, staring her in the eyes through his mask. And then, only when he was sure she truly understood she was defeated, he loosened his grip just enough to allow a mouthful of air so she could see him turn his attention to Shenan, and back to her. She'd lead her beloved power to it's death.
That started her flailing all over again, but it did nothing to help. Vader's grip tightened again, her head snapped loudly at an impossible angle and he tossed her body away, far back behind the Slyphid line.
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Juhani's words rang in his head like a faint echo. Tech felt like he was frozen in place, watching some forbidden event that no one would otherwise have been allowed to witness. He knew he wasn't, and yet he couldn't make himself move to look away, almost as though the thought of doing so would somehow bring the Dark Lord's ire upon him as well, an irrational thought that he for the moment could not quite quelch.
Even as a soldier who's witnessed and been in many battles, never had the clone seen such heartless brutality. Tech wondered that others on this battlefield had their attention drawn to the ongoing. It was no longer a battle here. The fight was over for Silhara.
Tech wrenched his gaze away from them as he heard the weak screams abruptly silenced, and for a precious span of seconds it seemed like that quiet spread in their vicinity, a tense hush as the Sylphid forces registered that one of their heavy hitters had just been defeated.
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But his own men had seen them, yes. In that, he treated by Tech no differently. And also in that only in trying to stop Vader would he turn that ire on himself but even then it would a relative gentle shove back or rendering him unconscious. Not harm.
Vader knew that quiet. That tense hush, that creeping horror, it was a common battlefield occurrence for him. On this side of it, of course.
The quiet was shattered by the roar of the dragon. It took had understood what had happened and it twisted to snap it's jaws as it worked up a firestream, going directly for Vader. Who didn't move. Didn't flinch.
"You had your chance," was his only comment as he rolled the saber, spinning on the back of his hand, feet planting.
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Tech's attention snapped back to Vader and the dragon. For once he didn't feel the need to shout in warning. The Sith knew what was coming, was inviting it, clearly. The clone saw it in his posture, in his repositioning.
He knew who was going to win this fight. And yet strangely he felt no relief in that.
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Suddenly, that made sense. There was even com chetter about it.
The heat of the air should be a warning to Vader, his back palate was dry and aching, his core body temperature rising fractional without him able to sweat to lower it. His left upper arm continued to blister and swell. And yet he paid no mind. Singularly focused on the oncoming storm, despite it's foregone conclusion.
Vader didn't learn into the stance. He stood rigid, braces, even in the face of teeth and claw, saber and Force blocking blows and crushing toes and teeth. Shenan drew a breath, the glow in it's throat finally noticed before the furance-blast roar.
This close even Vader's Force shield could only offer some protection. The flames never touched him but the metal of his body heated until his clothing began to let of whisps of smoke over his limbs. When the dragon relented, Vader Force-pushed it back, flipping it over while the dragon clawwed at the arm, once again pinned.
Vader finally moved, bending his knees and calling on the Force to leap and jump far more than a human would be able to, to land on the upturned dragon.
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Even though Vader didn't seem to flinch from the dragon's heat and fury, Tech knew the levels were at their peak, far beyond anything anyone could hope to withstand unscathed. He could feel it even from where he was, and it prompted him to retreat further back, if only just enough that he wouldn't be scorched from the residual heat as the fires flared outwards.
It was impressive seeing the large beast being flipped by a figure little more than half its height, even moreso to see that same figure nearly flying into the air before coming down upon the dragon.
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Vader doesn't even need Tech's goggles to see the heat build-up in the dragon's throat. It gave him a clear target, and even if he can't feel the heat from the outside of his body, he's feeling the throbbing headache, nausea from the heat and his muscles starting to cramp. He doesn't need to check to know his metal limbs are heating up rapidly and starting to transfer the heat to his limbs - he can somewhat feel that, although his pain nerves are still not fully regrown. Or even half, luckily. But he knows the likelihood of beating the flame-blast and the heat at the speed he can run isn't high, and he's going to need to focus on surviving, not leaping.
Instead, Vader throws his saber at that glowing target, hurling it with his enhanced strength and with the Force so that it is impaled with force. Yes, the dragon thrashes and throws Vader, but all it's doing is thrashing the blade around the vulnerable area of his throat. And Vader motions, helping that along, ripping out the throat of the dragon.
no subject
Vader's finishing blow to the dragon effectively sends the remaining Sylphid forces fleeing, the Witch's rebels giving a rallying cry as they take chase to finish them off or make sure the enemies are completely cleared out of the outpost.
Tech isn't one of them. His eyes are still on the battle that looks to be on its last legs before he looks around for supplies. He runs over to grab the torn tarp from a barely standing tent, dunking it in a rain barrel to soak it thoroughly, the water providing some mild relief to his arm. Dragging the wet material out may leave him slightly soggy in the process but considering things are still hot out there, the clone figures it'll be a small advantage. There aren't many running towards the dying dragon and the dark lord, and the surrounding area is steamy from the dying flames and the residual heat.
no subject
But as Tech gets closer Vader's damaged body and the various ports used to keep him alive become more visible with the burn holes in his clothing. His skin is pale white and bright red between the thick scar tissue. The scars are shiny but dry. The red skin is extremely dry. There's odd movements to his body as muscles cramp and Vader doesn't have the subcutaneous fat to hide it. He's also rapidly panting and not aware of it. Or the fuzzy black at the edges of his vision.
The dragon now dead, Vader focused on his prize. The skin to replace durasteel armour.
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His assessment is quick, and the clone doesn't look longer than necessary as he drapes the wet tarp around Vader. It's a poor substitute for the usual cloak he might wear but that isn't the point of this.
"Sir," he says, the emphasis more to get the man's attention than anything else. "We need to move."
He hears the shout and moves completely by reflex, a quick draw of his pistol, leveled and fired in the next second to blast the soldier who thought he could take advantage of this moment's weakness. He keeps his gun out a moment more, looking to see if anyone else might be mad enough to try.
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Not that he notices at first. Tarkin and some of the other officers spoke of hunting. Field dressing their kills. But they hadn't hunted for food. A small boy on Tatooine once had, household pests and scurriers were common and the occasional faybo, gorg, tatoo-rat, womp rats, and womp weasel. Shmi and Anakin hadn't tanned the skins but traded them. Some to slaves who did tan, some to others for food. He knew how to skin and could do it. Even the heat, the prickles and burn in his mouth was familiar.
Tech's voice gets through the thick blanket off memory, bringing him back to his pounding head and cramping body. He scrambled to get to his knees, arms clearly not working right, but he can heave himself to his knees. It takes concentration to call on the Force to get to his feet. Even still. He weaved while standing.
Tech's got him covered. It's fine.
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Tech is there, within reach should Vader decide he needs the support, or to catch him if he looks to fall. "Status," he prompts, concerned for the lack of a verbal response although it seems that at the very least his presence has been noted.
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Due to the dryness in his mouth and throat speaking was complicated. And mentally sooner part of him was still that boy trying to make sure all useful things got parted out.
Finally, with effort, Vader manages, "Need a bacta tank." It's weak, him paying rapidly between words.
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"I have some water if you can drink, but as far as medical supplies go I only have basics for emergencies. Unfortunately I don't think there would be a bacta tank on hand here. The rebels have however set up a site for medical treatment just within the point of their initial push into the outpost."
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Through his headache, he can't focus terribly well. "Water yes." Slow he reminds himself. Slow. "That skin will make good armor." That's good protest. He wants it, and not just for himself. But he's still panting hard between words.
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"You need medical assistance. I will inform the rebels that you have a claim on the dragon, and I do not think anyone will deny you that." They've seen what he can do, and he's taken a great risk to take the creature down. First choice to the spoils would rightfully be his.
no subject
It's the Dark Side, and it's familiar. Soaking him, bathing him, carrying him. Comforting in its own way and jealous because he's not pulled so deeply on the Dark in a while. And the battle isn't over, and he needs it because of his injuries, but he doesn't need to pull so deeply he lashes out at Tech.
"I do." Finally, he pushed himself up to his feet, but he was weaving back and forth a bit and reached out to grasp Tech's shoulder to steady himself. "Were you injured?"
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But that's not now. There are more pressing matters.
He remains unwavering as Vader finally reaches out to use him for support. "Mostly bruises and extreme heat exposure. The worst of it would be to my right forearm, second degree burn. ...metal is not exactly very effective against fire. Water, sir," he says, prompting again as he holds the canteen up a little closer for Vader to register.
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And he didn't know why.
"No, it's not." The pointed offer of the water is noticed, and Vader took a mouthful, holding it in his mouth. Letting his parched (scorched possibly) mucus membranes soak in the water before swallowing slowly. He still chokes on it, as he does liquids occasionally and that makes him pant to breathe - his vision swims, in black spots and flashing little lights. Finally, he sucks in enough air to even speak. "You need medical too." Which is really what going to get him moving. Not that he hands the water back immediately - his coordination isn't great yet and he wants another drink of water - but he's going to give it back once he does, so Tech can also drink.
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"Acknowledged." He has no reason to argue that point. It would be foolish to leave his injuries untreated. "Whenever you are ready." It's going to be a loooong walk in their current condition.
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Loves them really. And they love him in return.
Foolish but Tech wouldn't be the first to put his more minor injuries behind that of his General. Anakin didn't stand for that. Vader doesn't either. "Lead on." Tech knew the way and honestly? Vader wasn't steady enough to lead.