Diff for "RolePlaying/landingplot2018/Experiment_8507B"

Plot started on 10/24/2018.

Plot summary: Kyizl and friends go to explore a world known as 'Experiment 8507B'. The greetings sent before we landed indicated they would welcome visitors, though did not indicate what was on their world.

10/24/2018 Session:

• Arrived on the planetoid, and discovered it was basically a desert.
• Found these signs:
  • YOU ARE ENTERING AN EXPERIMENTAL AREA. PLEASE CHECK IN WITH THE MAIN OFFICE BEFORE MOVING ABOUT.
  • Another sign, again in seven languages, directs visitors to the 'main office' just up ahead. Built into the rock face of a cliff, the office looks long abandoned. The front is composed of a thick metal screwed into the rock face, pitted and rusted from sand over the years. The windows looking out at the desert are badly cracked, slightly broken. The metal door itself has what looks like a simple lock; it doesn't open.
• The 'main office' was locked and clearly long abandoned. Maynard was able to pick the lock and get us in.
• Inside, the group confirms the office is indeed long abandoned, though all the equipment is still there and operational.
• Gwen and Nicholas found a server room in the back, with cabling that goes right into the cave rock.
  • Amy used her powers to determine the cabling goes deep underground and forks off repeatedly. She also detected what suggested an open area in the cave, not too far from the office. There must be a way inside.
• Looking around the office, the group notes the high fidelity headphones in every cubical (Designed for a slightly different species but will work for us) and high fidelity speakers at several listening areas. This suggests the experiment is sound related.
• Looking around, papers are found in cabinets in a language none of us know, but have lots of text, tables, charts, but also sketches of audio waveforms and what could be a map with waveforms attached to certain locations. There are also maps with a 'heatmap' overlaid over it to indicate some sort of activity.
• Maynard was able to use his abilities to hack one of the desktop computers and get access to the data.
• Others discovered stacks of metal cartridges in the cabinets, and note they look like they'd fit in what could be some sort of player in a listening area. No recording devices were found.
• Some of the audio played includes (RP logs):
  • ( The cartridge begins to play through the ultra-high-fidelity speakers, a little rotating icon on the display to indicate speed, with changing glyphs that are probably numbers. It's not hard to see those big knobs are positioned just right to constantly adjust them during playback... the sound that comes out is both alien yet familiar. Strange breathing, rising and lowering tones, irregular chitters, clicks and hisses, even stuff that almost sounds like music. )
  • ( The audio stops, as does the display. End of recording? When it was playing, ti sounded -really- good, like whatever it was is literally right in front of you. )
  • ( More sounds emerge. This one suggests insects or similar, though the sounds suggest an actual language, or some sort of communication besides 'I'm here!' )
  • ( You may find that 'oscilloscope' may closely resemble some of the waveforms on the papers. )
  • ( Also, those of you with sensitive hearing will detect the recording has high frequency chirps beyond the range of (human) hearing. There's a lot of layered sound to each 'conversation'. )
• Nicholas, after listening to the audio for a bit, realized he could understand it due to a quirk in his character's past: "I think...they were talking about agriculture."
• Kyizl searched the front desk and found:
  • ( The trinket is a thin metal wafer with a complex pattern engraved into it. The pattern is a darker color from the shinier metal of the trinket. )
  • Also found a small, black, rectangular object: ( Crimson finds it has a single silver push button on the otherwise black metal surface. One side has a series of slits, like you might expect for a small speaker. )
• The rectangular object turns out to be a translator for the audio. When they held it near one of the cartridges while it played:
  • ( The cartridge is reinserted, and replayed. The first section doesn't seem to translate very well (the ones with all the really strange noises). The second section translates perfectly. As Nicholas suggested, it is about food and agriculture. The voice in the little handheld translator has a strange accent, and is a neutral gender. Whoever it is is having a discussion about the timing for harvesting plants near the 'water area'. "We should harvest in 100 drips." "That should be the right time. They smell almost ready." )
  • ( "When are the fish due to return?" "30 drips. We have more than enough food stores. It is not a concern even if they are late." )
  • ( The recording ends. )
• NEXT TIME: Finish searching the office, then figure out their next move. Perhaps there is something to those caves Amy can sense.

11/07/2018 Session:

• The group continued looking around the office. Crimson found what looked like a map of the area around the office.
• Maynard tried the 'coins' in what looked like a special reader on the server rack. Most came back 'green', while a few were 'red'.
• Following the map, the group went back outside and came to a metal, locked door built into the cliff base not too far away.
• It took a little bit of experimenting, but Maynard was able to get the door to open using one of the coins.
• Once inside, the group found themselves in a sort of natural airlock; the cave tunnel had a similar door a little ways down. A microphone was found embedded in the rock wall (connecting back to the office) and there were dim lights in the ceiling. Using the same coin, the second door was successfully opened.
• Once past the second door, the group found themselves completely in darkness:
  • ( What greets you is complete and utter blackness. It's as if light simply is not allowed. The feeble lighting above doesn't go more than one inch past the second door. You can hear a bit of wind and smell the cool air (and a scent suggesting something else might be in there, but not nearby), but otherwise there's no hints at all as to what's beyond the door. )
• The group finds the tunnel continues as expected, with no drop offs, sharp edges, or anything of the like. It's a natural cave tunnel, though may have been artificially smoothed.
• Nicholas and others set up rope and handkerchiefs so the group can follow each other without losing touch.
• Special, large symbols were found engraved near the door they just went through, suggesting a way to help keep track of where they are just be feeling.
• Nicholas releases little intelligent mice to help sort out where they are and what's around us (Parliament).
• ( We continue walking along. The ground seems smooth enough to not worry about tripping, and the curves gentle enough that we're not likely to run into walls and get a bloody muzzle. In short, nothing dangerous. We continue along, and finally, it feels like we've made progress. There's a sudden, but light, crosswind that wasn't there before. Also new scents. We're definitely not alone, though they aren't nearby. But they are somewhere along the path of the wind. The very sensitive will make out faint chittering sounds not unlike what was on those cartridges. )
• The session ends with the group coming to what they think is a cross-passage (intersection), based on the wind and scents.
• NEXT TIME: More exploration!

11/14/2018 Session:

• The group travelled left at the intersection.
• The rats encountered the first Host!
• Given what the rats found (nothing violent, potentially insectoid, approximately our size), it was decided everyone should continue and meet the Host personally.
• After some initial touching (via antenna on the Host's end, and light paw touches on our end), we found: ( You feel... chitin. Definitely insectoid. Solid exterior, though plated, suggesting it's not a hard exoskeleton all over - more flexible than that. As you touch it, the host backs away suddenly, still chittering at us, or to its friends. The antenae still feel you over though, a bit more tingly! )
• Crimson got the translator working, and now everyone could communicate!
• ( The translator converts our words into chitters and other noises, and for a moment our host is silent. Then, it responds. More chitters.... and translated says, "I am Bwreen. We have always been taught our world is sealed, and that we can never leave the confines of where we are. The elders would be very interested in hearing about this. ... Welcome." Indeed, it shuffles about, and most of us feel tingly (electric, but not painful!) antennae tapping at our fur and such. It's very rapid, quite unusual, but not harmful. )
• Those who wanted to were allowed to lightly touch our host. They found: ( You find armored segments with softness in between, suggesting it's not purely an exoskeleton. The host stands up vertical, like us, and apparently has more than two segmented arms with useful 'fingers', allowing it to manipulate stuff. These are very sturdy arms; really the whole of the host is sturdy. There are no wings or anything of that nature of them; this is not a flying insectoid. It has four legs as well, with a elongated bottom half that ends up sticking out like a tail. )
• Other things said by Bwreen:
  • ( Bwreen says, "Do not take what belongs to others. Since you do not know anyone here, ask before touching them or their things. You are encourage to talk and explore." )
  • ( Bwreen says, "There are tales of monsters... of gods that put us in this world.... of sounds from other realms of existance.... even of brothers and sisters that we can never meet.... but we have seen no trace of any of those things." )
  • ( Bwreen says to Amy, "You can touch the walls. It is normally accepted that light taps are used to navigate, but they should be light and quick, like Alexis. We are social and balanced enough that that is acceptable." )
  • ( Crimson feels Bween's antennae as they feel over the translator, "What sort of rock is this?" "Alexis, those are fables told during periods of rest of before sleep. You....." It stops a moment. "You are one of those fables! This is very exciting. Are you here to take us to a bigger world?" Its chirps, squeaks, chitters get more excited, and it begins to sound more musical. The activity in the village around us comes to a halt. Are others listening? Shuffling sounds are heard, clicks on the rock floor, as the others move about, closer. )
• The group was taken to the village proper, where other hosts took note, and came over to investigate.
• When asked what the group wanted to know next, the biggest question was how do the hosts note the passage of time. To answer this, they were taken to the Drip, which was basically a place where water dripped audibly in a set interval.
  • ( There! You just heard a different sort of plop. "That is the Drip. You can hear several between eating, perhaps about 10. A day is considered as having about 40 drips; many sleep for about 10 after that." )
  • A drip is maybe ~30 minutes or so (but isn't too important for the RP)
  • ( Bwreen says, "Yes, we time our crops based on the number of drips. Sometimes timing is very important to get our food at its peak. We cannot afford many mistakes if we want to keep everyone fed and everything in balance." )
  • ( Bwreen says, "We were placed here by the gods, many, many drips ago. This is the world I know." )
  • Someone is stationed at the Drip at all times to count the drops and note the passage of time. It is considered an important responsibility.
  • Based on the number of drips and the markings on the cave wall to mark time, the hosts have been in the cave for about 95 years.
• Bwreen was also asked when they knew of our presence. Apparently they realized we had come in soon after we went through the door. They could feel the shift of air pressure and wind.
• NEXT TIME: Back to the village to get a proper tour, and meet the elders.

11/28/2018 Session:

• The group headed back to the village to meet the elders.
• Bwreen confuses us for gods, and Amy and Alexis are quick to say we are not.
• Nicholas asks if the hosts have found any door-like areas, and Bwreen indicates that two such places have been found: The one we entered, and one other.
• Amy told the hosts about the microphones scattered throughout the cave.
• A brief discussion about our group being from beyond the cave was had; the hosts were interested because they were starting to run out of space.
  • ( "It is admittedly a very good cave. Everything has felt just right, and it has everything we need except for more space. We have had to control how many young we produce so as not to have more than we can feed." )
  • Amy says, "There's room. But it's a huge and complicated world. Just opening the door and wandering out, you aren't likely to find suitable homes -- no water for farther than you can walk."
  • Based on the description that Amy and others gave of the outside, the hosts do not believe it to be very suitable but want to see it anyway.
• ( There is silence. "You are saying... that we are under observation? That we are.... part of something else? Our distant history speaks of motion, of being moved in a small container, and of being let out here. We still have the container, nearby. We do not understand why all this is true, however. What purpose would they have? Why would they not communicate with us?" )
• Guesses were made by the group as to why the hosts were being observed in a sealed cave.
  • Some sort of science-y thing?
• The group explained to the hosts how the listening devices work. Also explained the translator.
• ( "We would like you to show us one of these listening devices, as well. It is important we understand our cave fully." )
• The topics shifted to information about the hosts, which they were happy to provide.

  • ( "We live about <30 years> and mature very quickly." "Our earliest ancestors did not get to speak with the gods directly, but recall hearing voices outside of the dark container they were in. It was not in a language we understood. Based on what has been passed down verbally and on cave walls over the generations, it would have sounded similar to your own native language, though not identical." )

  • When asked about why there is no light in the cave: ( "There is something that blocks one of our senses. While we do not understand why or how it does this, we know where it is located and have been able to reach it. We have decided not to attempt to disable it to avoid any potential problems. If it disrupts our food supply in some way, it would spell disaster." ) ( "We recognized the thing because it makes our <unintelligible> tingle more. We know we have extra senses, because sometimes we can see flickers of <light> in the farming area if we get very close to the growth. It is just something we know; I cannot explain it." )

  • The noises made by their original captors were remembered and passed down through the ages. When the host's very capable vocal chords replicated the noises, the translator kicked into action: ( One of the elders duplicates the noises, in fact! The language sounds like a variant of ours, though none that we directly understand. The translator, however, kicks into action, "The cave has been prepared, and the eggs and young for sector 1 are in this box. The second box has already been placed in sector 2, the timer has been set, and the door has been locked. The food stores and farm has been laid out. The microphones are working. All we need to do is turn on the light blocker and lock up the cave, and our experiment will begin! The university will look back on this as one of it's crowning psychology experiments!" )
  • Kyizl wants to set them free, though it is unclear how that would work.
  • With the mention of a potential second set of hosts, the group wants to go find them, though have no idea where to look.
  • Maynard asked about any potential fables:

    • ( "Any particular fables? One fable, before we discovered where light was stolen, speaks of us buried so deep in the <universe> that light itself could not reach us. That we are in a place beyond the worlds, perhaps in some way supporting their existence." "In another, the Listening Cave is actually where the universe speaks to us, in music. If you know how to listen, you can learn of many secrets and knowledge. Or so the fable goes." )

• The group decided to check out this 'listening cave', and then go find the second door.
• Everyone headed over to the listening cave, led by Bwreen.
  • ( The wind seems to have something about it. Like.. it is more than a wind. Sometimes you think you can hear voices on it, in your own native languages. It could be a trick of the mind, a trick of cave acoustics... it's really hard to say. But whatever truths it speaks in your ear are for you alone to hear and meditate with. )
  • ( Bwreen talks quieter, "This is a sacred place to us, and is where you go to relax, to ponder the universe, and oneself." )
  • This area of the cave has some sort of small opening to the outside, as fresh air is smelt. It is not big enough to get in or out of, however.
  • ( Whatever wisdom you get is your own. Perhaps by the time you leave, you do feel like you know the universe a little better. It doesn't feel artificial, but you can't quite place what it is. But it sounds nice. It's no wonder this spot is revered... )
• NEXT TIME: Finish up the listening cave, then check out the second door.

12/05/2018 Session:

• The group sat in the Listening Cave, and realized it was speaking to them as the fables said it would. Most people got some sort of message of varying usefulness:
  • Gwen: The Listening Cave suggests trying to eat food made by the hosts.
  • Nicholas: The Listening Cave suggests something about a door leading to the thrumming noise.
  • Maynard: "If you open the other door, you must help them choose"
  • Amy: "Being able to steal darkness may be useful concerning your own world's problems"
  • Mako: "There is much depth to even the smallest civilization"
  • Alexis: "You are the only one who may take the darkness stealer." and, she hears hints and directions of how to see with her eyes, but only for a few moments. It seems to involve the light stealing equipment somehow.
  • Crimson: "There is a second door; a different culture awaits."
• Maynard determined there was something else in the Listening Cave with them. It was alive, or had something alive in it. Whatever it was, it was there well before the Xitka (thousands of years old?).
• The group offered to try and disable the light stealing equipment. In response, Bwreen says, "There would be some trepedation concerning getting sight back; we have lived so long like this. The elders would be best able to decide; they know more about our history than anyone else."
• Back to the elders they go! And they eat!

  • ( A few minutes later, Bwreen returns. You can smell it. Fish, and... something else. You can feel what seems to be bowls set down near each of us. The food is cold, of course, a mixture of the best parts of the cave fish and what suggests fungi or similar. A smaller bowl of water is also nearby. Those who taste it find the fish have a almost sweet taste, and the fungi makes it somewhat of a sushi type of arrangement, soft with a hint of crunch. And very, very fresh, as in, just caught a drip or so ago. Some of you may even enjoy the unique taste (not found on SpinDizzy!), though the texture is not alien. The water is basically mineral water, the type you'd pay up the nose for. )

• The elders agree that the light stealer should be deactivated, if done carefully and with advance notification.
  • Gwen says, "Yeah, we should definitely give some warning before hitting the switch, or we could have a cave-wide freakout on our hands."
• OOCly group given some possibly options: [OOC] Kyizl says, "You can open the second door. Find and open the third door. Do something with the light stealer (if you can find it). Act upon anything else you heard whispered while in the listening cave. Or something I hadn't thought of." They decided to look at third door, then look at second.
• Everyone sets out for the third door, led by Bwreen. He knows the way because it's the area that grows tingly and uncomfortable for the Xitka. He has to stop before getting all the way there, but everyone can find their way as it isn't far.
• We head over: The place gets noticeably quiet, save for that /sound/. The deep thrumming, humming, what have you. it seems to be coming from all around, and there's no more wind. Bwreen says, "This is as far as I can go. I will wait for you here." Most of us can feel a little /something/ here. Tingly around the eyes (even Alexis) and head, but it's just a faint annoyance rather than painful. Otherwise, it feels like a regular part of the cave. Just need to find what secrets are here.... )
• Maynard helps locate the device on the cave wall (an antenna-like thing) that is emitting the signal that causes discomfort. Crimson is able to unscrew and remove it. The antenna is made of some sort of exotic metal, and feels smooth but has a very exotic coloring to it.
• Maynard is then able to easily open the Third door, leading them back into the light.
  • Room description: ( Once the door closes, light becomes normal again and the room seems noticeably warmer. You appear to be in some sort of power storage or generation room. Thick wires lead up into the rock ceiling and into giant (car sized) metal boxes with universal danger symbols on them and only a few buttons and lights. All eight of them hum loudly, and seem to be the source of the drone you hear in the cave itself. In fact, they seem suspiciously loud given what they probably do. From these boxes come many, smaller cables which lead into various parts of the cave wall. An access panel is built into one part of the cave wall, with the 'no light' symbol again. What looks like a simplistic control panel is mounted on a cave wall near the door, but otherwise there is not much here. A second door apparently leads outside, judging from the tiny window in it. )
• The outside light through the window is just as bright as when they entered the caves, suggesting the planet never has a dark cycle, or the day cycle is prolonged.
• Amy went to get Bwreen, but forgot the translator and so the two couldn't communicate. Crimson eventually followed up behind her and the two talk.
  • Amy wants to bring Bwreen into the third door to show him the light, and Nicholas agrees that is a good idea, to see how they react to the relatively dim light in there.
  • The pair explained to Bwreen what has happened so far. Bwreen no longer detects the tingling around the door, though is concerned about what might happen if he enters.
  • Amy says, "Yes, I think you should try and see. *CAREFULLY*. I'll warn you when we're on the threshold. The alternative would be shutting it off and hoping nothing bad happens. We'll keep you safe."
  • Gwen says, "Get a cloth out so he can cover his face if he needs to."
  • Maynard laughs and calls to Amy and Crimson, "Don't let him chicken out now! Hold his arm or something and walk him along."
• Meanwhile, Alexis is able to open the 'no light' hatch, and... As Alexis opens it, the whole room is bathed in darkness. No light exists anywhere. It's like we're back in the cave! She'll close it soon after to return things to normal.
• Nicholas says, "Perhaps we should close it up and bring one of them in here to see how they react to the light?"
  • Crimson says, "Might be best for two people to be there to catch him if the brightness is too much."
• NEXT TIME: Bwreen enters the third door! We do whatever the group wants next!

CategoryRolePlaying