etrayaooc | SEPTEMBER MISSION PLOTTING

⏵ echoes of fear ⏴

A strange anomaly has begun to affect Etraya. The skies shift colors unpredictably, and the air hums with an eerie, electric tension. Aurora sends out a mission announcement, albeit one that leaves more questions than answers. She also does not, it appears, seem to be available to answer further questions regarding the mission.

Reality bends across Etraya, changing structures into surreal, fear-inducing landscapes.

The Hospital becomes a decaying facility, haunted by phantom patients and endless corridors. Some rooms will appear as massive white padded rooms, where characters may find themselves locked away for hours on end, visited only by specters who come to take them to their 'treatments'. Some of these specters seem intent on getting the attention of those still in Etraya, warning them of the danger they face if they do not succeed in their mission: not only will their worlds die, but they will die without them. Rather than being returned in time to be with their family upon their demise, they will be trapped here - in Etraya's universe, far from home.
The forested areas towards the outskirts of their city bubble become dark and labyrinthine, filled with the howls of unseen predators, waiting for anyone to step off the pathways through the trees and into their reach. While most may travel these areas unaccosted, some may find themselves violently pulled off their paths and deep into the forests, chased by unseen horrors.

Within the forest, a small cottage has surfaced. Whispers of `little scorpion' 'selfish bitch' 'by the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes' echo throughout the cottage.
The river waters become volatile, their currents rough. If one walks too close to them, they may find inky black tendrils reaching out to grab hold of them and drag them under the surface. Characters will find that as long as they do not fight the tendrils pull, they can still breathe. However, if they manage to separate themselves from the creature before it takes them where it wants them to go, they will have to fight their way to the surface. Those who do not fight will be yanked deep down under the surface until the islands are no longer visible. Instead, they will be in a small, covered dome, surrounded by fish of all kinds but far, far below where they should be. Their earpieces will still work and they will be able to communicate with the surface. There is also a large mirror within this dome.

⏵ shadowy haunts ⏴

Once inside one of the zones, characters will come face to face with an echo of fear - a personalized manifestation of what scares them most. It could be an oppressive figure from their past, or something more abstract, such as the feeling of failure, or isolation. These echoes are relentless, feeding off of their weaknesses and digging into what makes them feel most vulnerable.

Characters who fear being abandoned may find all their companions walking away from them and leaving them completely alone. Others who fear death may find themselves confronted with near-death experiences, or being forced to watch those whom they care about die repetitively in front of them while being unable to stop it.

For some, this part will be a mission they must face alone. When they are pulled off into their nightmare, they will not have anyone beside them, no one to face the terror with. Just themselves, and their thoughts. They may, however, still have a functional earpiece on them that will allow them to speak to those they are close to.

They must fight their way out of this nightmare. A character normally afraid of conflict will be forced to learn to stand their ground. Those who are afraid of being left behind will need to trust in their friends to come and pull them out. Those whose strength is their ability to lead may need to call upon comrades and use their combined abilities to free them from their temporary prison.

But they will have to do this while their weaknesses prey on them. While illusions from their past mistakes haunt them, whispering to them about how they'll never be good enough, they won't be able to escape, they are useless, incapable of being anything other than a waste of space.

Those who rely heavily on their magic, or their physical strength, may find some of that strength diminished, forcing them to have to rely on strategy and their wits to free themselves.

⏵ nightmares entwined ⏴

Or perhaps they're not alone. Perhaps they find themselves trapped in their nightmare with their companions - facing the fear of one, but together. They may be in the nightmare belonging to one individual, but the emotional distress will affect everyone present.

For example, if someone's fear is to be abandoned, they may be forced to helplessly watch as darkness devours their friends one by one, disappearing into the shadows while they can do nothing to help. However, their companions may still be present, trapped inside the same nightmare but unable to reach each other without successfully navigating their way through the distorted landscape that has engulfed them. Their earpieces may prove to be essential in guiding them to each other.

⏵ the devourer ⏴

While facing their fears and overcoming them is part of their mission, the anomaly intensifying their emotional response is not. The Im'mari, a small piece of the cosmic horror that had run rampant across Moorecroft, followed them back through the door to Etraya. It has infected the wolves, numerous plants across Etraya, and Vanessa Ives. An ancient and malevolent entity, the chaos-born beast feeds on the very essence of life, often entirely removing others from their timelines as it devours the very thread that ties them to their universe.

Now, weakened but regaining strength, Im'mari seeks to return to its former power by devouring the fears and darkness within those who live in Etraya.

The more characters struggle, the stronger Im'mari becomes. Each time they face their fears, it grows stronger, lurking just beyond the edges of their awareness and feeding off their doubt, their pain, and their moments of despair. Worse yet - with its influence having spread into Vanessa, it's possible others may also become infected with the Im'mari: they, too, may feel the need to make others afraid, angry, push them to their very limits all so Im'mari can grow stronger.

For those who do become infected, the more they allow themselves to be consumed by fear, the deeper Im'mari's hold on them becomes. Eventually, they may succumb fully to the monster's influence, becoming agents of fear who spread its influence to others - or perhaps they too were infected by Vanessa, thus also allowing them to spread the infection among others within Etraya.

At first, the changes will be subtle, difficult to discern. Perhaps a friend seems just a little. . . off. Maybe something they said was slightly out of character, but given the challenges they are currently facing, perhaps it's just related to them facing their own fears. But as Im'mari strengths, so does her agents' influence on others.

"It's easier if you just give in."

"Don't you see? Fear is inevitable. It's part of who you are."

"You're wasting your time fighting me. Let me in. You'll never escape."

Can you trust your friends? What about the others on Etraya? Everyone is here to save themselves and their worlds, after all. Why would they care about yours? Perhaps. . . perhaps they just want you to fail. Perhaps they're out to remove you from the equation. How can you be so certain they aren't?

⏵ contamination ⏴

Those infected will be a crucial part of both the Im'mari plotline and completing the mission as a whole. Im'mari will use the infected to generate more fear, which in turn strengthens it and the illusions others face throughout Etraya. However, the infection itself is reversible if caught in time.

The infection develops in three stages, each with increasing physical and mental side effects:

Stage One: The changes are subtle at first - mostly limited to small shifts in their personality. A normally calm individual may become irritable or quick to anger, while a confident character may begin doubting their abilities. These mood changes may be easy to dismiss as stress from the ongoing mission, making it more difficult to spot the infection in its early stages.
Stage Two: As the infection deepens, more noticeable physical symptoms start to appear. Characters may find that their eyes begin to glow softly in the dark or that their sclera(the whites of their eyes) turn black when they act in Im'mari's interests. They may also feel a growing desire to provoke fear and despair in others, as Im'mari's influence urges them to push their companions to the edge. At this stage, the infected won't realize they're under control - but obviously, others may notice something is wrong.
Stage Three: At this point, the infected individual has fallen almost completely under Im'mari's control. Their eyes now glow constantly, or their sclera are constantly black. Their actions become increasingly erratic, driven by the need to generate fear in those around them. While there may still be a sliver of their true self inside, they are now an agent of Im'mari, actively spreading her influence.

Physical Markings: The infection also manifests physically beneath the skin. The inky black tendrils that may have slipped inside of them at some point will spread through their body and settle in an area where it believes it will not be found easily. It leaves a distinctive galaxy-like mark above the skin, appearing as though a droplet of ink has splattered in the shape of a star-filled void. The mark is small and easily overlooked unless carefully searched for, making it difficult for others to recognize the infection right away. Those that are infected will not notice the mark on themselves but may be able to recognize it on others.

Im'mari holds influence over them, but it does not completely control them - at least, not at first. There are still parts of themselves that others can draw out before it reaches stage three. Fighting off Im'mari's influence will require someone to coax them into realizing they are infected. That there is something off with them. They will need to want to fight it off; the method they use is up to the players! Perhaps it's confronting a personal fear head-on, or simply willing the beast out of them with the support of their companions.

Those assisting the infected may recognize the mark on the infected character's skin where the substance has settled. If they do find it, it may be possible to physically cut out the infection, removing Im'mari's influence from their body. Once removed, the black substance will lay lifeless on the ground, an inert remnant of the creature that once controlled them.

⏵ fear eater ⏴

As the mission progresses through the month, characters will realize the anomaly is not just bending reality but is tied directly to Im'mari. The creature continues to grow stronger, and other buildings will begin to warp to suit. Walls begin to rot, shadows seem to linger unnaturally long, whispers pressed closed to characters' ears telling them how useless their efforts are, that they need to give in, to feed the beast. From out of the corners of their eyes they may spot it: tendrils that first appear to be black and without color, but you could swear you see what looks like entire galaxies imprinted into them. Some may take the shape of mouths towards their ends with massive, pointed teeth. It makes loud, croaking noises, similar to what some may have heard on Moorecroft, but not quite the same. This beast, after all, grew from only a small part of the one roaming free on Moorecroft.

"I can make all of it disappear. Just let me take your fear. All of it."

"You can't win. You never could. They'll all forget you. You're nothing. Nothing."

"You will never save your companions. Give in to me."

"Let me in."

Im'mari feeds on division, fear, doubt, and hatred. To weaken it, characters must not give it what it wants. Without negative emotions to feed on, the Im'mari's influence will lessen. Without hosts to spread those emotions and fuel it further, it will lose its grasp on Etraya and be forced to retreat.

Another means of weakening the Im'mari is by weakening Vanessa.

Vanessa will be easy to locate in the woods around the cottage in October towards the end of the timeline for this plotline! The cairns marking the entrance to the cottage's yard will be painted with blood scorpions, barring those linked to magic or the supernatural, unless their link is to the Im'mari. Anyone else can cross, and objects can go through. With the right means, Vanessa can also be lured out. In her infected state, Vanessa's appearance has changed dramatically. Her sclera have turned black, but her irises glow a fiery red. Shadowy veins now snake beneath her skin, visible reminders of the corruption within. Even her shadow is warped - at times resembling a cobra, and at others, it appears to be a larger version of the Im'mari itself. Small scorpions crawl over her, manifestations of her inner darkness.

Her behavior has become wild and broken, with a feral edge. Knowing that people now see the evil within her, Vanessa has grown resentful, expecting rejection from those around her. In her mind, everyone is a hypocrite, and she views their assumed judgments with bitter anger, believing they are no better than she is.

If confronted, Vanessa may lash out using Verbis Diablo, cursing her attackers with dark incantations similar to the abilities Im'mari uses. However, she needs time to speak the curses - thus giving others a window of opportunity to fight back before she can complete them. If cornered, she may resort to using knives or commanding the scorpions around her. Though dangerous, Vanessa will be significantly easier to overpower than the Im'mari itself, especially given her more human nature.

If they are not able to subdue Vanessa, characters will be forced to confront Im'mari directly. Im'mari will appear as a colossal beast similar to the one that had roamed the streets in Moorecroft, determined to devour entire timelines whole - through characters present on Etraya. It will eat at the thread tethering them to their homes, potentially threatening their ability to save their world.

Abilities the Im'mari may use during this battle include:

Psychic attacks

Possession of certain individuals.

Compulsion to follow it's directives.

Illusions of those which characters fear most, made more solid so that they may attack those who refuse to bend the knee.

Summoning fear-inducing creatures (deathstalker scorpions and cobras specifically)

Defeating it entirely is not possible, but weakening it enough for it to retreat into the depths of the multiverse where it cannot cause damage is. The infection will fade from those it affected, though scars may remain.

Characters who confronted and overcame their fears during the mission may find themselves stronger for it, and more resistant to negative influences.

⏵ NOTES ⏴

Aurora, your friendly AI companion, has a mission for the citizens of Etraya. Im'mari, an otherworldly force, seeks to exploit this to its benefit.

Certain areas of Etraya begin to shift their appearance. The hospital decays into a haunted facility with endless corridors and wandering specters. The forest becomes a darn labyrinth where predators lurk, pulling characters off the path. The river waters become volatile, with inky black tendrils dragging characters under the surface to a domed area far beneath the surface.

For the mission, characters must confront their deepest fears. Some characters may face these alone, others may be trapped in shared nightmares. Characters can experience multiple fears for the duration of the mission.

Im'mari followed characters from Moorecroft, and is feeding on fear and darkness to gain strength. It infects living beings, turning them into agents to spread fear. The more characters struggle, the stronger Im'mari becomes.

In addition, Im'mari has bonded with Vanessa Ives, using her memories and abilities to help strengthen it.

Infection happens in three stages; first including subtle changes, and expands up to Im'mari having almost complete control over characters. Infection can be reversed through multiple methods.

Im'mari warps reality further, rotting buildings and spreading darkness. Whispers taunt characters, urging them to give in to fear and doubt while the beast lurks at the edges of their vision. Im'mari feeds on division, fear, and hatred. To weaken it, characters must unite and resist feeding it negative emotions.

If they fail to subdue Vanessa Ives they may have to face the massive beast Im'mari will become. If they succeed, Im'mari will retreat deeper into the crevices of the multiverse. Im'mari's influence will fade, but characters may carry physical, and psychological scars. The physical effects Im'mari causes may be kept after it's gone if players would like! This includes color-changing and glowing eyes.

We don't have a specific time for wrapping this mission up! As noted previously, this may happen sometime between the fourth and eighteenth of October to give players time to interact with it and impact the results of the mission.

⏵ plotting form ⏴

⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

SEPTEMBER MISSION PLOTTING

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