Event - Appalachia: Confabulation (NETWORK)

[apocalypsehowmods]

Who: Rae Hargrave
What: An IC discussion for sharing information and making plans
Username: ambulatory
Warnings: Please add appropriate warnings in subject headings!

On June 5, everyone with an ADI-issued device will be added to a group channel by Pam Ruan, who immediately transfers control of the channel to an account with the username ambulatory and an ID picture of a world-weary caucasian woman. Within minutes of the notification that they’ve been added, characters will receive the following message:

un: ambulatory
This is Rae Hargrave with a mission status update for all ADI personnel currently stationed in Wolf Pen.

First, I apparently need to remind you that it is of the utmost importance that you do not inform the locals of the true purpose behind our visit. Not only does exposing ordinary bystanders to the supernatural place their lives in danger, but you also run the risk of handing information about yourself and about our operation to an avatar, either directly or via an unwitting informant. If you are questioned directly about your reasons for being in town or asking the questions you’re asking, deflect, deflect, deflect. It’s better to look like an idiot than to feed our enemies. If I catch wind of any more of these incidents, I will literally sit on you. If you think a local has already been exposed to one of the Entities and that it would do more good than harm to bring them into the fold, bring that to the higher levels before you act.


Second, and to the main purpose, this channel has been established for the purpose of sharing intel gathered since our arrival. Learned something? Tell the group. We’ve got a deadline looming in less than two weeks, and that’s assuming our assessments are correct and the Rumble Down Under is the intended ritual. You don’t need to have things all figured out to be of help here. We’re all putting this puzzle together, together and the piece you bring to the table could click with another person’s intel that you never would have thought was connected.

I'd like to see reports on the following, along with anything else you've picked up in your time here:

• Layout and any suspicious activity in and around the Bluestone Mine: what's the situation with the concert space and where are our entrances and exits? What have you been able to get out of the museum staff?
• Ditto for the Keppler Mine: who have you talked to and what have you seen? We may be running short on opportunities for additional recon here as reports indicate that the OSHA cover story is wearing thin. If you return to the Keppler, have a contingency plan for getting back out.
• Locations and movements of Avatars in the area, confirmed or suspected. Katie Dunn and Deepthi Anand are almost certainly in the area, and we have reason to believe the Desolation Avatar known as Pyre may also be involved. There may be additional Avatars we have not yet identified. While previous experience has taught us that Avatars of different Entities don't usually play well together, there's a first time for everything.
• Supernatural sightings in and around Wolf Pen: we have not yet ruled out the possibility that reported phenomena in the woods and the dump could be related to the ritual attempt.
• Public attitudes and interactions with town leaders: who seems to be allied with whom, and what are their connections to FYRE and the mines? Additionally, have you met anyone you believe may pose a security risk to the mission?

Third, action plans. Our aim is disruption, prevention, and ultimately complete nullification of the ritual attempt and its principal actors. We can expect that regardless of the specifics of the ritual, they will plan to inflict mass casualties, and I hope I don't need to clarify that we don't want that. While disrupting the ritual once it is already in progress is a tried and true method of forcing the dissipation of gathered Entity power and thereby preventing a rebound attempt, incapacitating the Avatars before they can enact the ritual also works as long as they stay incapacitated.

Brainstorm, spitball, whatever you want to call it. Try to be constructive, but be smart and speak up if you spot a potentially fatal flaw in someone else's plan. No idea is too weird or stupid to bring to the table, but some may be too weird or stupid to stay there. Whether we concentrate our forces in one place or plan a multi-pronged attack, we will identify the best plans brought forward and implement them to make sure the ritual doesn't get off the ground.


Fourth and last, Sheriff Ron Porter is currently under evaluation for recruitment to ADI and can be considered a resource with no need to withhold darker truths about the supernatural. However, as we are still performing a background check, we ask that you not share specific information about ADI's home base and regular operations with him as of yet. Again, no other locals are to be informed of supernatural threats without going through the proper channels within ADI.

To those of you who have spoken to Cindy Parsons, the newscaster, we'll be talking later. They are not an appropriate resource and should be treated as an innocent civilian. We do not want to pull them into any further danger than they already have been. Do not speak to them or to Wolf News.

Comments

un: GOLDENGUARD

[cardinalrule]

((A readable version of Hunter's report summary can be found over here for everyone's sanity.))

wOLF pEN rECONNAISSANCE REPORT SUmmARY
ADI-HR-TUSOAWVWP-S001
WOLF PEN,,wEST VIRGINIA, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, EARTH, THE HUman REALM
JUne 05 2022

coMPILED FroM REPORTS,ADI-HR-TUSOAWVWP--A001, ADI-HR-TUSOAwvwP-A002,,ADI-HR-TUSOAWVWP-B001,ADI-HR-tusoAWVWP-B002, adi-HR-TUSOAWVWP-B003, ADI-HR-TUSOAWVWP-C001, AND ADI-HR-TUSOAWVWP-C002..//

ForestS SURROUNDING hOWLING.MooN iNN/

sEEREPORTS ADI-HR-TUSOAWVWP-A001, ADI-hr-TUsoaWVWP-A002.,

LOCALStorIES OF "/WHITE THINGS"HAVE Some BASIS IN truth.white-FURRED CREATURES AREROAMING THE FORESTSatNIGHT ANDareAGGRESSIVE tOWARDS OTHERpRESENCES AND WILL ATTACK ON SiGHT.THEIR  ,INJURIES AREa, FORM OF ILLUSIONARY MAGIC:thEYARE ABLE TO INFLICTthe FEELING OF PHYSICALpAIN, BUT PHYSICAL DAMagE ISnonEXISTENT. MEDIcal ATTENTION WASNOT,NECESSARY FOR INJURIES ANDtHE PAIN faded WITH TIME.,

vISUAL OBSERVATIONhaS CONFIRMED THESE AREnOT SLITHERBEASTS NATIVE TO THE bOILING Isles. NO evidence OF WILD PORTALS CREATED BY TITAN"SbLOoD COULD BEFOUND IN THE AREA.iT"S UNLIKELY THERE IS ANYCOnnECTION TOTHE DEMON REALM..

FERGUSON'S dUMP

SEE reportS ADI-HR-TUSOAWVWP-B001,,ADI-HR-TUSOAWVWP-B002, ADI-HR-TUSOAWVWP-B003...

ANunKNOWN CREATURE{OR CREATURES) AREluRING INDIVIDUALS ONTO THE GROUNDS THROUGH ILLUSIONARY MAGIC.iT UTILIZES HUMAN TRASH WITH AROUGH LIKENESsTO OBJECTS FAMILIAR OR OWNED byTHE INDIVIDUAL, THEN HAStHE TRASH MIMIC THAT OBJECT IN SHAPE,. TEXTURE ANDwEIGHT. WHEN THE INDIVIDUAL'''S ATTENTIONisON THE OBJECTS THECREATURE STRIKES FROMbELOW, AIMING FOR THE AnklES OrLEGS./

ITS METHoD OFATtACK IS REMINISCENTofPLANT COVEN HEADtERRA SNAPDRAGON'"S PReFERRed FORMoF UNDERGROUND TRAVEL,,bYDISPLACING THE EARTHTO PULL INDIVIdUALS UNDerTHE GROUND..hOWEVER, NO PLANT LIFE WAS INVOLVeD INthE ATTACK,,wHICH WAS CLEARLYmeaNT TO SUFFOCATE aNdnotFOR TRAVEL PURPOSeS./

bLUESTONE mINE ANDbLUESTONE MINE GiftSHOP

See RepoRTS ADI-HR-TUSOAWVWP-C001, ADI-HR-TUSOAWVWP-C002,.

INTErRoGATION OFthE MERCHANT, auDREY (SURNAME UnkNOWN},dID NOT Yield ANY USEFUL INFORMATION.,SHE WAS ODDLY,skEPTICAL OFtHeMINE'"/S PROPRIETOR FOLLOWing STANDARDsAFETY And WORKPLACEproCEDURES IN,REPORTING ACCIDENTS TO THE proPER AUTHORITIES.,THIS STANDS in,CONTRAST TO HER OpinION OF THE TRAIN OPERATOR,toDD (SURNAME,UNKNOWN), WHO she STATES "REPORTS EVERYTHING''' (PARAPHRASED}.,

AFTERWARDS, THE MINEwaS INVESTIGATED. THOugH AUDREY,WARNED THEREwAS THE POSSIBLEdanGER OF CARBON MONOxide POCKETS, fLAPJACK DID NOT SUFFER ANY ILLEFFECTS AT ANYpoINT.

FOUNDinONE OF THE TUNNELS CLOSED ToTOURISTS ARE A NUMBER OfcRATES CONTAINING EQUIPMENT, POssIBLY FORthE UPCOMING CONCERT..REACHING THAT SECTIONoF THE TUNNEL,tOOK TIME ANdaT ONE Point,NARROWED/TO THE POINT WHERE AN ADULT {huUMAN OR WITCH) WOULDhaVE DIFFICULTY MAKING IT thrOUGH.,

OVERHEARD WAS A,cONVERSATION BETWEEN,an INDIVIDUAL WITH A YounG MASCULINE VOICE,aND A PERSON REFErreD TOaS "DAD' (PRESUMABLYtHEIR FATHER). THIS INDIVIDUALmAY BE A TOURopERATOR,THEY STATED A CHILDin THEIR grOUPSAW A MONSTERanD THEY MAyHAVE SeeN,SOMEONE GOING/iNTO A NORTHErnTUNNEL. THE conVERSATION,ALSO ENTAILEDwORKING ONsOMETHING.REFERREDto.AS THE CATHEDRAL. THEY QUESTIONEDwoRKING.ON IT WHILE,PEOPLE ARE HEREaND THINKS THEaDI IS HERE,.

[friendsfordinner]

I can't fucking read this

[cardinalrule]

[Guhhhh he hates phones, he hates them so much.]

iF i COULDWRITE oUTMY REPORTSUMMARY THERE WoULDN"TBE A PROBLEM,

[friendsfordinner]

[ Hickey, who spent so much time just kind of blatantly creeping on people so he'd at least have the slightest idea how phones work, has zero sympathy. ]

Looks like everybody here uses these devices.
Better practice more, Masks.

[cardinalrule]

iDON"T SEETHE POINT,aS SOONAS WE FINISHhERE i"LL GOHOME AND nEVER USEOne OF THESEaGAIN,

[friendsfordinner]

Mate
What makes you think you're going home?

[cardinalrule]

oF COUrSE I"m GOINGHOME. We"RE ALL GOING hOME AFTER WEhELP THE ADI.

un: valentine

[outofthepast]

[Wow, thank god for his non-case sensitive parsing.]

Odd that they'd keep the equipment through such a difficult passage. There must've been another route to get there, or else they couldn't fit the crates through, right?

[cardinalrule]

[Nick is so insanely lucky.]

tHEoTHER PARTOFTHE TUNNEL seEMED MORE OPEN,THEY lIKELY BROUGHT tHE CRATeS THROUGH THATenD.

[outofthepast]

It might be kind of tricky after the fact, but do you think you could trace the route you took on a map?

[cardinalrule]

YES,IT"WOULD BE NO PROBLEM.

[Saying 'no' isn't an option, in his mind.]

[outofthepast]

That'd be great. Here, I'm sending over the files for the maps I drafted. I didn't make it down all the tunnel branches, but if you can find the direction you went, we can fill out some of the blank ones.

[cardinalrule]

[The... files. Oh Titan, more phone things. He can barely manage texting.]

wOULDN"T ITBE EASIERFOR ME TO LOOKAT A PAPER MAP,i COULD DRAWOUT THEPATHi TOOK.

un: badgirlcoven

[edalyn]

You alright there, blondie? Typing like me after my fifth (5th) glass of apple blood. =/

[cardinalrule]

mY TYPINGISN"T THATBAD.

[Not that he would actually know what she's like after she's had that much apple blood, but it's the principle of the thing!]

i'MJUST NOT USED TOUSING APHONE AND,TYPINGTHAT"S ALl.

[edalyn]

Suuure it's not. And we had scrolls at home, these things aren't exactly much different.

[Besides, Luz kept borrowing Eda's scroll to text him, didn't she? Maybe she should take a closer look at that conversation.]

[cardinalrule]

iNEVER HADONE., Belos THOUGHT THEYWERE A DISTRACTION.,

tHEY WERE,GIVENHOW CERTAIN COVENHEADS WOULD BEPLAYING WITH HISiNSTEAD OFpAYING AttENTION DURINGIMPORTANT MEETINGS.

[Darius.]

[edalyn]

...Of course he did.

[Leave it to Hunter to make the whole thing slightly concerning. He used to be so much more fun to mock!]

Wasn't Luz texting you for a while there? [Or was that... later? Ugh.]

[cardinalrule]

No,,howCould shetext meif i don"thAve a scroll?

[He's so confused.]

un; mkblackwood

[lowficharm]

Let me know if this is wrong because I'm not sure I read this right, but- you spoke to Audrey? Someone let me know she saw something really dangerous. I think she knows more than she's said.

[cardinalrule]

yES,Idid.

[And apparently, his line of questioning wasn't good enough. There's some good ol' shame bubbling up at the realization of that.]

ifshe,sawSOMETHINGTHEN SHENEEDS TO BE,INTERROGATED,AGAIN.

[lowficharm]

I'm not sure interrogation is exactly the way to go here. It seems like she's being haunted. I think she needs to know we can help her and make her feel like her fears are valid.

[It's okay buddy, try being nicer??]

[cardinalrule]

we"re,here,on,business, notto make friends. bUT if,she"s being.haunted there,are waysto remove,the ghost,

[lowficharm]

I don't think it's a ghost, exactly. And we're here to help people. I'd say that counts as making some friends along the way.

It sounds like she's probably seen one of the avatars we're tracking. Maybe if we're nice she can help us figure out where they're hiding.

[cardinalrule]

DO,YOU NORMALLY,EQUATE WORK,WITH MAKING,FRIENDS? OR,IS THAT,A COMMON PRESUMPTION,IN THE HUMAN,REALm iN GENERaL?, THAT,ISN"T HOWIT WORKS,INthe BOILING,iSLES.

oR maybe,we,shouldn"t waste TIME,TRYING TO BE,SOMEONE"S FRIEND,IF THEY HAVE,IMPORTANT,INFORMATION WE NEED., We"RE ON A DEADLINE,AREn"t WE?/