This month's intro features a recently discovered object, the Monolith and the new crew members asleep within it.
New crew members enter the game asleep in a deep immersion dream after hearing a song in their heads. This dream, while beautiful and captivating, has a more sinister purpose. With their bodies trapped within the Monolith, they must not only be rescued mentally but physically as well. They won't, however, make it easy.
Old crew members, meanwhile, have a lot on their plate. The planet's song will sing them a lullaby, causing some crew members to fall into a deep sleep. There is no special selection process; you can have your character fall asleep or not. Those that are asleep are in a prime position to save the dreamers, while those awake will need to travel to the Monolith to rescue them in another way.
DREAM PROJECTION CLIFFNOTES
As for the cliffnotes, the dreamscape is a place that can be accessed while asleep. Characters here are capable of interacting with other sleeping crew members (and sea life!) through their dream projections. It's a beautiful, surreal place that feels warm and alive to anyone within it. Nothing manmade exists in the dreamscape, so no Aurora, no URSULA, no base, nothing but the sea and it's creatures. These creatures can communicate and even 'talk' in the dreams as well. They will have roughly the personalities you would expect given their descriptions in the Biomes page. Any bonds you make or break with those creatures will be remembered in the waking world. Any damage done to projections in the dream will definitely hurt but won't cause any death or injuries and will not carry over to the waking world.
There are more details here, and you can ask any questions on the question section of this post as well.
DREAMERS
New characters will wake in the dream world as if they're supposed to be there. It will feel that way, at least. It can connect to their memories however you would like, whether this is part of it or not. This deep immersion dreaming is different from the dreaming experienced by other characters through the previously month. New arrivals will find themselves in a beautiful, surreal landscape that makes them feel a strong sense of self-worth, belonging, love, purpose and other positive emotions that would be extremely difficult for them to shake.
To add to this, these dreamers will find the landscape trying its best to meet their needs in a way it didn't last month. Places of comfort and happiness will form as long as the dreamer has a desire for it. Even the ghostly whispers of friends or family soothing them with words they want to hear will tempt them to stay. Their dreams will try to make them resistant towards rescue attempts.
Those characters that feel resistant toward rescue attempts will be able to weaponize the dreamscape for either active or passive resistance against their rescuers. For example, manifesting friends of their to fight for them and being able to direct them or versions of themselves that can fight better based on what they would like to fight like. Other ways to weaponize it are possible, such as calling for other dreamers to help them, including sleeping sealife, or more creative ways of using the pliant dreamscape to capture or stop a rescuer. However, they can also fight more insiduously. Out of their subconscious they can even manifest things that might try to convince the rescuers to stay in the dreamscape with them.
DREAM TEAM
"Oh, no, why was I sleep mode...? More importantly why are you all so troubled? Signs show many of you just suddenly went to sleep. It's usually not healthy to drop suddenly into sleep. Please keep your health intact."
Old crew members in the dream world, meanwhile, will need to shake the new arrivals from their dreams. Though not literally; you can try of course but it won't work aside from irritating the person in question probably. How do they know they need to wake them though? Upon falling asleep, a shadowy figure will warn them the dreamers must wake up, with two hints. "BRING THEM BACK." and "WAKE THEM."
Talking them out of it is an option, though a difficult one. The easier way is to bring them to the dream world monolith where they will be able to sense their bodies and understand this is only a dream. In extreme cases, it may take humming or singing the song that brought the old characters to the dream world to wake them. However, using the song will cause the dreamer to become extremely obedient to the singer's every suggestion for the dream, and for some time after. This consequence should be discussed between players before use.
A general harsh shock to their mind will help wake them, so great creative and have fun!
EVACUATION TEAM
"I also have an important alert. It's very weak, so I can't be sure, but life signals seem to be coming from that strange monolith. It would be wise to retrieve them immediately. I'm not sure if they're out of range or in danger. I do also sense a single Reaper Leviathan patrolling that area. One against so many should be more than a fair fight if needed but your priority is rescue of any living crew members. Please take care."
Meanwhile, URSULA will urge the characters who remain awake to travel to the Monolith to rescue the dreamers while she monitors the sleeping crew. She will give them enough breathers and devices for the amount of life signals she detects.
The entrance into the Monolith is at the very bottom of the structure, a seemingly recently made hole that was created by something large. Luckily the inside hasn't been flooded.
The inside of the Monolith contains a large room similar to the deck of a space ship with three branching pathways down into rooms lined with sleep pods in an upright position. Most of them are empty. Some, however, contain the new arrivals. New characters will be asleep inside of them. Each pod has a monitor set up beside it, with characters' vitals displayed, showing that they are slowly dropping. All characters will have vitals in safe ranges at first, however it is clear this deep immersion dreaming is taking a toll on their bodies.
A Reaper Leviathan is on patrol around the Monolith to deter rescue and aid attempts. This Reaper Leviathan can be killed. As many people can sign up to fight it as want to fight it. For this reason, the fight itself will be handwaved this time. The killing blow will given randomly from those that sign up for the fight. Killing it will clear the path and make it easy to lead the new arrivals back home.
This section of the Monolith can also be explored at this point if anyone likes. New arrivals will also find their belongings tucked away in different storage units throughout the small area.
AFTER EFFECTS (there is usually a post-arrival mingle post, so don't worry about playing out the first week here!)
Once dreaming mind and body have been reunited though whatever means, the effects of the deep dreaming will become evident with a number of symptoms including grogginess, dizziness, fever chills and restlessness. All dreamers will have the almost overwhelming need to return to the ocean and will have strong impulses to swim through the ocean to nowhere in particular for a week. Great care will need to be taken to watch over them. Many will remain sleepy and dream of the song. Any who heard it sung in their dreams will remain prone to suggestion for the week. Babysitting duty and care to their conditions will be vital.
After seven days, the song will fade from their dreams and the dream world will become temporarily inaccessible to anyone except for the distant sense in dreams that something more is there.
OOC Organization
Below, we have threads for QUESTIONS, REAPER BATTLE SIGN-UPS (to roll for the killing blow), and PLOTTING, so that everyone can get things into order if they want! You are also welcome to use the monthly OOC post for plotting purposes but we felt having it all in one place would make it easier to plot out wake ups.
[This spaceship seems like a good place to spend an indefinite amount of time in; it reminds Don a little of the Y'Lyntian Lair his family had spent years living in, minus the vending machines.
However, their Lair was not in space. This ship is in space, or at least a dreamlike sort of space.
Don gets completely engrossed in looking around, and his usual ninja cautiousness fails long enough for Faize to catch a glimpse of him. CRAP. He got distracted again!]
Wait, wait! I'm not here to fight!
[Unfortunately, he does have a bo staff on him, which is totally a weapon. It's across his shell though? He doesn't mean to hurt you, new guy! Really!]
[Faize would have to agree, honestly. Spaceships are quite possibly the best place to spend indefinite amounts of time in. Because being in space is basically the best thing ever. But that is, perhaps, a conversation best left for another time.]
[He seems to mostly take the turtle at his word, fortunately. Though his hand does not move from the hilt of his sword, he doesn't unsheathe it. Sure, he may have that staff on him, but that's just common sense. Who doesn't carry a weapon around, if they're a fighter?]
Then why are you here? It's impossible for anyone to board during wa-- [Wait...wait hold on. Faize's eyes narrow in a scrutinizing sort of way as something seems to click into place in his mind. This guy may not be a lizard, but...he's definitely reptilian. What if...] Are you a Cardianon? Did you stow aboard this ship with the intent to sabotage us?
[Cardianon...? What is with aliens and having -on in their common names? Especially if they're reptiles. Triceratons definitely come to mind.]
Even if I could sabotage you, I'd never want to mess with such amazing technology. [This is a truthful statement, at least.] But I have nothing on me! I'm here for a very different reason, and it's important.
[Don's voice is as earnest as he can make it. It's hard to prove anything in the dream world, but he'll try!]
[Listen...not all aliens do! It could be an alien reptile thing though, who can say.]
[Faize blinks, straightening up and finally moving his hand away from his sword. Cardianon was, admittedly, kind of a feeble guess since turtles and lizards are very different things but. It's not like he knows all that much about the Cardianon. Maybe they have weird subspecies or something! But the fact that this guy isn't one seems to be good enough for Faize.]
[Or maybe it's his respect for technology. That's certainly not making him lose any points here. Technology is great!]
And that very important reason is...what, exactly?
Having tried various tactics earlier, Don is starting to get to the point where he just wants to lay all the facts on the table, as it were. Maybe this person will be receptive to that.]
Okay, so. Have you wondered why your ship doesn't seem to be moving, or why you're seeing fish out the window?
It's because we're all in some kind of... mass illusion. Like a virtual reality simulation. That's how I managed to just... show up here.
You're not in any danger from me, but when I entered here, one of the planet's beings - the planet we're both really on - told me I absolutely had to wake you all up from the dream, or something really bad could happen. I don't like to trust things without evidence, but at the same time, if anything does go wrong... [He doesn't want to just wait if people could be hurt, or even die.]
[Laying all the facts out on the table is the definitely the best way to go with this one, however...the dream world isn't exactly making it as easy as it would normally be. He's noticed a few inconsistencies, sure, but none of them have been strong enough to completely shake his mind free of the dream world's grip. Faize frowns.]
The ship is in warp, this is exactly how it's supposed to feel and look. [The non moving stars are actually completely normal! It's a warp thing. Hence why Faize hasn't been paying much attention to the windows. Though he does take a quick glance at the windows behind Don to see if he can spot one of these fish that are supposedly out there. He sure hasn't seen any. But, once again, he's been far too busy to spare them a thought.] What you're saying makes no sense. We cannot be on a planet, we're still en-route to...
[Faize trails off, expression going oddly blank. There's that feeling again. That vague nagging in the back of his mind that something is off. He shakes his head, resuming his stern frowning and continuing as though he hadn't just had a moment of doubt.]
It's simply impossible, we have not landed anywhere yet. And I am certainly not asleep.
[Don crosses his arms lightly over his chest, already feeling the pressure of the alien's denial. He doesn't know how long they have left. He doesn't know whether whatever's happening will affect him, too. All he knows is that something is horribly wrong with this place.]
Check your ship's readings. They're not going to make any sense, trust me. They'll change from minute to minute, or something. Dreams do stuff like that all the time.
[Don also knows for a fact he's asleep, but he doesn't have any way to corroborate that statement for now.]
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subnautica2016-06-30 07:35 pm
A-hey-hey
However, their Lair was not in space. This ship is in space, or at least a dreamlike sort of space.
Don gets completely engrossed in looking around, and his usual ninja cautiousness fails long enough for Faize to catch a glimpse of him. CRAP. He got distracted again!]
Wait, wait! I'm not here to fight!
[Unfortunately, he does have a bo staff on him, which is totally a weapon. It's across his shell though? He doesn't mean to hurt you, new guy! Really!]
no subject
[He seems to mostly take the turtle at his word, fortunately. Though his hand does not move from the hilt of his sword, he doesn't unsheathe it. Sure, he may have that staff on him, but that's just common sense. Who doesn't carry a weapon around, if they're a fighter?]
Then why are you here? It's impossible for anyone to board during wa-- [Wait...wait hold on. Faize's eyes narrow in a scrutinizing sort of way as something seems to click into place in his mind. This guy may not be a lizard, but...he's definitely reptilian. What if...] Are you a Cardianon? Did you stow aboard this ship with the intent to sabotage us?
no subject
Even if I could sabotage you, I'd never want to mess with such amazing technology. [This is a truthful statement, at least.] But I have nothing on me! I'm here for a very different reason, and it's important.
[Don's voice is as earnest as he can make it. It's hard to prove anything in the dream world, but he'll try!]
no subject
[Faize blinks, straightening up and finally moving his hand away from his sword. Cardianon was, admittedly, kind of a feeble guess since turtles and lizards are very different things but. It's not like he knows all that much about the Cardianon. Maybe they have weird subspecies or something! But the fact that this guy isn't one seems to be good enough for Faize.]
[Or maybe it's his respect for technology. That's certainly not making him lose any points here. Technology is great!]
And that very important reason is...what, exactly?
slow tagging is slow, whoops.
Having tried various tactics earlier, Don is starting to get to the point where he just wants to lay all the facts on the table, as it were. Maybe this person will be receptive to that.]
Okay, so. Have you wondered why your ship doesn't seem to be moving, or why you're seeing fish out the window?
It's because we're all in some kind of... mass illusion. Like a virtual reality simulation. That's how I managed to just... show up here.
You're not in any danger from me, but when I entered here, one of the planet's beings - the planet we're both really on - told me I absolutely had to wake you all up from the dream, or something really bad could happen. I don't like to trust things without evidence, but at the same time, if anything does go wrong... [He doesn't want to just wait if people could be hurt, or even die.]
no subject
The ship is in warp, this is exactly how it's supposed to feel and look. [The non moving stars are actually completely normal! It's a warp thing. Hence why Faize hasn't been paying much attention to the windows. Though he does take a quick glance at the windows behind Don to see if he can spot one of these fish that are supposedly out there. He sure hasn't seen any. But, once again, he's been far too busy to spare them a thought.] What you're saying makes no sense. We cannot be on a planet, we're still en-route to...
[Faize trails off, expression going oddly blank. There's that feeling again. That vague nagging in the back of his mind that something is off. He shakes his head, resuming his stern frowning and continuing as though he hadn't just had a moment of doubt.]
It's simply impossible, we have not landed anywhere yet. And I am certainly not asleep.
no subject
Check your ship's readings. They're not going to make any sense, trust me. They'll change from minute to minute, or something. Dreams do stuff like that all the time.
[Don also knows for a fact he's asleep, but he doesn't have any way to corroborate that statement for now.]