ENDPLOT | ROLL THE BONES, PART 1

[ironwood]

Characters: ALL!
Date: Early/Mid November
Location: Under the shell
Situation: It's either Malicant or the Foreigners... and their worlds.
Warnings/Rating: Add warnings as needed.

The Foreigners had begun their counterattack by trying to possess the Great Turtle whom Malicant had taken, and although the movement had failed, some vital information had been uncovered. Under the shell lay Malicant's weakness, and inside the Dreaming was where he could be fought.

Any help from the kedan is uncommon. They're wary, watching, as a group beginning to lose sight of the community. Their family groups are more tightly-knit than ever, and any approach from the Foreigners is answered by suspicion at best and violence at worst. That makes daily life difficult, when the majority of the city refuses to have much to do with them. Why aren't you doing anything? they seem to say. What good are any of you? All you've done is make things worse. We'd be better if you'd never come.

The Foreigners are unwelcome in Keeliai. The cultists are becoming a majority. Now is the time.

There aren't many left of the Foreigners left, but inside the Dreaming the limitations of the waking world no longer exist. For every Foreigner and their worlds, their loved ones, this is the chance to make themselves safe for good. And all of them will be needed.

---

LINKS
Beneath The Shell/Midnight Hotel | Malicant’s Tools/The Vilii Stone | OOC Plot Post

OOC
There are two main headers, one for preparation at the Hotel where Milyn and Eva will be available to speak with The second section where they will be able to search the caves beneath the Shell inside the Dreaming to find the Vilii Stone, and where the boon'd characters will be affected. If you are threading something that doesn't fit one of those categories, just add it to the bottom of the post. Questions go to the plotting post, please! Once the Stone has been acquired the second half of the plot will go live in the logs comm.

Comments

[theideaguy]

"I agree," says Sokka as he surveys the newly laid out flags. "Which means we probably should take this path." He runs his finger along a specific direction, weaving through tunnels through the hallways. "The worst case scenario is that, no matter which way we go, the Creep Lord is going to know where we are... or at least a reasonable idea. This way gives us a few options of how to scatter or divert ourselves if we lose the upper hand on this. Defeat who we can if it's not risky, scatter and flee if we find ourselves in jeopardy, regrouping either here or, better yet, here."

He steps back for a moment to analyze the overall picture. "It's not the shortest path... by far, but so long as we don't get lost, I think this is the among the safer routes, even if it'll be... what, one and a half times longer?"

[onethirdthesoul]

Ryou's brow creased as Sokka explained his plan. While there was a lot about it he could get behind, he had some reservations. "Are you sure it's a good idea for us to split up? If that happens and they run into trouble in one of those tunnels, there's a small chance they could get sandwiched between the enemy."

Sokka obviously had more real-world experience when it came to this sort of thing than him though, so maybe it was a case of the risks outweighing the benefits. Even so, Ryou couldn't help but want to try and write out all possible risks, even if he knew that wasn't how things worked, and it wasn't even how he personally operated.

[theideaguy]

Sokka considers that for a moment before looking at the map one last time. "Ideally, no. Ideally it'd be fantastic for us all to get to the stone without any of the Creep Lord's goons ever knowing it was there. And if we can all make it safe and sound, that's the best plan of all. But here's the thing," he says, casually moving round to the marker for the stone. "If this little stone thing is so important, would he dare trust his cultists with the knowledge? Could the Creep Lord truly know if every single one of them was trustworthy to the highest extent? I... don't think he'd take that chance.

"I'd bet only a handful at worst, none at best, of them know about this stone and where it is. If we're planning for his goons to intercept us on the way there and stop us from reaching the room with the stone, then that means the room should be relatively unguarded. Which means... the only thing that matters is that any of us get there. If we're outnumbered and we're on the run, we'd best do whatever we can to reach the goal at all. And the best way of doing that... is to make it hard to track all of us."

He leans over the diorama, pausing as he looks back at Ryou and everyone else who's listening. "Though, I can't say I really have had any experience with the Creep Lord himself before now. Admittedly, I am guessing just a little bit on this one."

[onethirdthesoul]

Ryou can't deny that Sokka makes a good point; the faster they got to the stone, the better. As soon as they had a chance to destroy it, the rest of the enemy should retreat. If one looks at things optimistically, anyway.

"People are a lot more likely to get hurt this way...," he was concerned for the safety of the group, even if he knew from experience that sometimes safety had to be sacrificed in order to get things done. "If anyone is willing to take that risk, I won't stop them, but I think it should be optional. Because it's easy to get lost down there..."

He pointed towards the larger intersection again, "...and by the time we're this far in, some people might already be hurt."

[theideaguy]

Sokka mulls over that plan before nodding his head. "I'm definitely thinking of the unlikely event where we literally may not be able to make it out alive if we have to fight. Buuuut that said," he says still chewing on the criticism, "I'll agree with you there. This mission is going to be dangerous enough. No sense in turning us all into suicidal maniacs just in case, especially if we've got a lot of injured halfway in."

Sokka clears his throat as he puts his hand on the table, his face even more serious than it was earlier. "However, I'm more than willing to stick my neck out and do the hard work, even if that means going it alone to get rid of this guy. He's been a thorn in our side too long, and we've gotta get the job done one way or the other. Hopefully it doesn't come down to that though. I'd rather see us all get out in one piece."

[onethirdthesoul]

Ryou admired Sokka's bravery, so he didn't dare to say he shouldn't try. "Just be careful, Sokka-kun. I'd rather see you all get out in one piece too. I don't want to see anybody else die..."

With that said, he really wasn't sure what else to add. "I think we've covered everything. I can't go with you guys, so...," he looked a bit crestfallen, but continued, "if you have any more questions about the layout, just let me know."