groundrules: (Default)
let's set d o w n some ([personal profile] groundrules) wrote in [community profile] lostcompass2022-01-18 07:42 pm
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the lighthouse & plot rolls


Did someone say to… turn off the lights? Brace to explore Ellethia’s ghostly lighthouse — and help with a freshly baked plot roll. The below should tide us until 6 February.

If you’ve received a plot roll and want to rally the troops for assistance, feel free to top level for your search here, or do your own [community profile] lostcompass post, hunt down a carrier pigeon…

Note: Ellethia is surprisingly fertile ground for plot opportunities, and there is "spare plot" for about four more character. If you missed the 'deadline' to ask for a roll but still want one, drop a line in one of the subsections! But don't feel pressured: the people who have received a plot roll will need a lot of support, and there're plenty of ways to get involved with their roll. Allocated, thank you!



THE LIGHTHOUSE



Crawling, clandestine or crumbling, you’ve made your way to the mist-drenched lighthouse of Ellethia-Hamsour — a gargantuan, converted tower that regularly flashes an eerie green light signal. Those who know MORSE code can recognise a strange mix of BEWARE, STAY AWAY, DANGER — and COME THIS WAY.

The compulsion to possess the lighthouse disappears when characters come in a 3km radius of it. In the tower surroundings, they can find sweet water wells, vegetable gardens, chicken coops and sheep, all seemingly well looked after and self-replenishing overnight. These plants and creatures are not subject to Ellethia’s life-death-rebirth cycles. Characters who stay within the aforementioned 3km range of the lighthouse can now safely remove their haute couture red gear, Enam reveals. He urges the party to reside at the lighthouse for the next three weeks, at the end of which one of the Merchant’s ships will collect them to travel east.

Characters can journey back and forth to Ellethia-Allayar over this period.

The tower spreads over 12 floors, featuring exceptionally high and vast rooms with emptied bookcases, sturdy tables, and scatterings of technological tools on the ground. On the walls, mindful visitors can spot discreet engravings of an eye with a sun instead of a pupil. A room on the ground and first floor each have cracked signs, spelling out IN TI T OF TE N LO and IBRAR O AR S, respectively. The 8th and 9th floor house well-used sleeping quarters, with bathing rooms located on the 6th floor. The 10th floor is all one large room, barren except for the wealth of very thin, crushed shards of various mirror types. The 5th floor hosts several long, ornate discussion tables — at night, those who travel it can hear ghostly whispers of vitriolic conversation, with speakers insulting each other and their impudence.

Those who spend time in the 1st to 4th floor past midnight will sometimes hear screams urging everyone to retreat, as “they come from above.” Sometimes, the long staircases will grow wet overnight with blood and decay, which disappear come morning. Across the various floors, the nightly ‘soundtrack’ includes panicked shouts, glass smashing, feral screams similar to those of the undead and running steps.



The lighthouse keeper Zenobius takes little notice of his visitors, allowing them to make their quarters where they please and partake of his resources. Enam’s helpers supply Kaneki some lugged-around stale dead meat, or he can fish undead mermaids. Using a fluffy sheep as bait is always recommended.

Zenobius is often found on the 12th level, absentmindedly using mirrors, lantern lights and glass panes to flash MORSE indications. He is often rushed, distracted and unwilling to converse. Sometimes, he appears to forget the people he has already encountered; on other occasions, his own name eludes him.

Swarms of mermaids encircle the coastal area close to the lighthouse, furious, feral and trashing to crawl onto shore. Every few days, Zenobius brings broken glass pieces from the 12th floor and throws them in the water, briefly appeasing the creatures before their fury stokes once more.

Every day, Zenobius spends several hours on the 11th floor, whose main entrance is sternly locked and enchanted. Characters can still climb to the 12th floor — where Zenobius sleeps — without entering the 11th floor hallways. To the right of the 11th floor main hallway door is a mechanical device that requires a palm print, which Zenobius seems uses for entry. On the door, a sign asks, WHAT DO YOU WISH FOR? Scratched beneath it, possibly by human nails, TURN BACK. For each time they want to enter the 11th floor halls, characters must speak a different wish and face the consequences.

Inside the room sleep 10 men and women of various ages, seemingly comatose on stone slates. Some show signs of scratches or healed bite injury. Depending on the hour of entry, you might find Zenobius sponge washing their bodies, combing their hair, mending their clothes or massaging their limbs.

The Sleepers live.


PLOT ROLLS

Lily, Joker and Anduin

Five and Daenerys

Yennefer, Eleven and Moiraine

Lorna, Wrench and Marcos

Zuko and Slick

John Connor and Kaneki

Hermione and Jon Snow

chosenbylight: do not take (Default)

[personal profile] chosenbylight 2022-01-19 02:11 am (UTC)(link)
Sorry, I know it's a bit confusing. Basically, Mind Vision allows Anduin the ability to see through the eyes of who/whatever he has cast the spell on (friend or foe). From there, if there is something/someone else in view of the person whose eyes he is seeing through, he would have the ability to cast the spell again and then see through the eyes of them, and so on and so forth. It's not a mind-control spell or any sort of a communication spell, they carry on doing whatever they are doing and he just sees it all through their eyes for the moment, it's very passive. If the target is sensitive to mental manipulation they might be able to sense this happening but most are otherwise unaware of the presence of the spell.

ALSO possibly this might be better to do with birds than mermaids, considering how MISTY it is, or crossing from mermaids TO birds then maybe to the boats themselves? tl;dr a very complicated way of getting a closer look and get some idea of who these people are/what the state of their boat is, I am presuming the telescopes don't give them this information already.
bearshermark: credit: <user name="morninglight"> (pain and happiness)

[personal profile] bearshermark 2022-01-19 10:13 am (UTC)(link)
For Eleven's likely inevitable return for plot roll shenanigans:

"I wish I was wiser than I am now."
soloritur: (3)

plotting!

[personal profile] soloritur 2022-01-19 03:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Tentatively would like for them to explore the cave to see if they can find out wtf is making the mermaids so feral. After becoming aware of it there might be a network post to ask for stealthy help to follow up?? And also warn about sirens because that's a thing.

These are my own thoughts for more visible plotting, so opinions welcome. :>
in_theworks: (pic#13877369)

[personal profile] in_theworks 2022-01-19 03:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Wrench is also on board for exploring the cave! And hey -- he actually can be stealthy, when he wants to be!

... yeah, that's all I got.
chromiums: (i wanted to run you down rambo style)

[personal profile] chromiums 2022-01-19 06:17 pm (UTC)(link)
lorna would also like to explore the cave, but while she's got some experience with those with mind control powers, she's interested in sourcing from others!

should the network post be a joint effort?
somebadnews: (154)

plotting!

[personal profile] somebadnews 2022-01-19 10:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay, so we've roped Jon Snow, Mingyu, and Lee Chang into this evil jigsaw puzzle venture. (More can join if they'd like, of course!) We'll structure something with (2 or 3) breakouts of subthreads for different % of completion when we actually thread this so it'll be easier for everyone to reply to and follow.

With that many people helping, they could potentially get the max possible amount of the mirror done. (Or 90-95%??) I'm all for this, but I wanted to pose that to anyone involved who would like to weigh in.
soloritur: (Default)

[personal profile] soloritur 2022-01-20 01:01 am (UTC)(link)
It could be! They could always do a video post of the three of them showing off... this horrible situation and explaining that it's A Situation.

But three votes for exploring the cave, we've got this.
soloritur: (135)

[personal profile] soloritur 2022-01-20 11:02 am (UTC)(link)
Subject to any ideas they can get from phoning a friend on the network (Marcos does know a lady who can make rock walls??), my only thought is to have one of the three act as bait to distract the lead mermaid while the other two sneak inside as they're sleeping. Or two distract, one goes in. It depends on how that would go.

Marcos can make bright lights/signals or shoot off rocks and things with his laser hands, but if they are blind they wouldn't see the light probably, and exploding rocks could compromise the cave and wake the sleeping mermaids. This is what I'm working with...

I'll have more thoughts later I'm sure, just brainstorming!
in_theworks: (pic#13877380)

[personal profile] in_theworks 2022-01-20 02:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Wrench suggests someone go chat up the lead mermaid. This is a terrible idea, and we will ignore him.

Otherwise, his distraction skills boil down to screaming "Hey, asshole, over here!" and then running / swimming away as fast as possible. ... though, hm. He might have one (or more, depending? mods, what say you?) of the water serpents in pokeballs from the coup, because he took one for himself but never used it. That might be something they could use?
chosenbylight: do not take (Default)

[personal profile] chosenbylight 2022-01-20 06:35 pm (UTC)(link)
IMPORTANT QUESTION: are they all adults/people of working age or what is the age range of those on board (that he'd be able to tell)? it is a commercial ship and anduin is already keen on ensuring these people survive this one way or another, but if there are younger people that might tip other people towards agreeing with him (maybe HAHA)
cairhien: (Default)

[personal profile] cairhien 2022-01-20 07:35 pm (UTC)(link)
chiming in to say that moiraine would also be down for mercifully ending their lives. she'd only be able to use her dagger to do so but you bet she'll do it! (talk to the others then make attempts)
binghua: (Default)

Re: QUESTIONS

[personal profile] binghua 2022-01-20 08:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Can any of the ghostly voices/screams/commotion be conversed with or are they more like permanent echoes?
binghua: (2)

[personal profile] binghua 2022-01-20 08:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Well

This is a lovely place
weifinder: (soup | ten billion decibels shattering)

[personal profile] weifinder 2022-01-20 08:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Lily having wanted to bring Wei Wuxian into this: to what degree would he be able to bard influence the mermaids?

In this case, he'd be wanting to wrangle a few out of the mist to be very feral looking nuisances to drive the boats back, likewise using them as the forward guard to try and keep the other undead mermaids from having a festive meal right there off the coast. Would this be feasible?
binghua: (8)

[personal profile] binghua 2022-01-20 08:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Spoopy~

Thank you!

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