April Event Log

[kaisoumods]

April Event
Dominant Element: Earth
Waning Element: Water

Full Moon: April 5th - April 7th

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Spring has fully sprung. The weather is warm and pleasant throughout the month, with the occasional april shower to help encourage the plant growth. All around town the trees are budding leaves and blossoming their early flowers. The grass quickly retakes it's lush shade of green, and the spring flowers are starting to bloom. The night sky is clear for stargazing, as well as marveling at the warm orange and brown hues that the Spirit Vein is showing this month. Essentially compared to the last few months, the weather will be extremely pleasant this month! Enjoy it while you can, because true to Kaisou's nature it doesn't always last.

Take Your Time

♪- Heartbeat, Hearbreak

Nothing marks spring quite like the cherry trees being in full blossom. Throughout the city of Kaisou, residents will be able to marvel at their transcendent beauty. There's a whole grove in Blue Fish Lake Park, and many people have taken to setting up romantic picnics there, so why not do the same? There's even a food stall that's opened up and selling Japanese bento boxes to share during your picnic. For those looking to make their viewing experience a little more active, they can rent a rowboat or paddleboat to sail across the lake together. The blossoms won't last for long, so you best enjoy it while you can. Just be careful of the trio of geese that are currently roaming the park, going out of their way to make everyone's lives hell.

For the students, the spring activities are in full swing. Spring sports like baseball and track are in the middle of their seasons, and Kaisou High will be putting on a performance of their spring play this year: Pride and Prejudice. Meanwhile in the music department, auditions and rehearsals have begun for the spring music concert in May. The music teacher is once again working students to the bone during rehearsals, so do your best not to get traumatized! Meanwhile at the University, you better believe many students are beginning to feel the pressure of their end of semesters papers and projects.

Shopping Street is full of hustle and bustle. For those looking for things to do, the batting cages and arcades are offering new specials to encourage people to try their hands at them. For those adults looking for some billiard games, the Deathmatch bar is offering specials on dart and pool games. Finally if it happens to be a rainy day, a new chinese diner called Aiya will be offering the Rainy Day Mega Beef Bowl Challenge, in which people will be forced to try to finish off a massive bowl of beef for a prize (a jack frost plushie, a free t-shirt and your name on the wall). It'll take a true test of character or an inhuman apetitute to finish it, and the fact they're able to offer that much meat for such an affordable price might make some wonder if there's a gate to the Meat Dimension in their backroom...but that's a question that'll be left unanswered today.

Finally, for those looking for an unconventional shopping experience might want to check out the Goodwill that's opened up across the street from the Void Denny's outside of Undertown. It's only open on Sundays and it seems to be full of unique curios you wouldn't possibly find anywhere else, anywhere from a massive furby collection to actual archon-bestowed visions (these sell out quick). The only staff member is a person just as mysterious as their shop, only seeming to be referred to as "Shopkeeper". They will evade all questions about themselves, but they seem to know you well enough- enough that sometimes he'll insist that you purchase an item or just slip it into your bag without you noticing. Even not choosing to shop there is enough, as he sometimes decides to mail out items he thinks people will like. All and all, it's an interesting way to spend a free Sunday afternoon before heading home to feed your cat.

Undertown's Woes

♪- Blooming Villain

Undertown was never the most normal parts of the city, but something is very off about it this month. As one enters, they will notice a lot of the usual shops and peddlers aren't around. In fact, there is barely any of the regulars around, seeming to have cleared out. In their place are men and women in black suits, who seem to be patrolling the area. If they spot someone, they will approach and say that there's been a gas leak and they highly encourage you to keep away until they sort out the situation. They will be very insistent about how people shouldn't linger down here. Their persistence will only increase the closer you get to the Zodiac offices.

Should you attempt to fight these suited people- you will find they are not only extremely combatants, but also carrying their own sets of powers and weapons. Even worse, they have their own set of charms that should you get within it's are of effect, will disable any special abilities for 24 hours. They seem to be more interested in incapacitating people and escorting them out of Undertown for now, but if all of this isn't enough to dissuade a person from backing down- they aren't above using lethal force if necessary.

With Undertown off limits, one might find themselves deciding to head to the Void Dennys just outside of the entrance. There, they will find many of the Undertown vendors, making the best of what they can with the limited space to sell their wares. It's a pretty crowded and chaotic atmosphere, even for Dennys. If you ask around, people will speculate that those suited people belong to Zodiac. There's been plenty of rumors that Zodiac had their own armed forces under their command-- and it seems the rumors have turned out to be very true.

The MetaNav

♪- Aria of the Soul

So let's take a moment to recap.

A couple weeks ago, Varian sounded the alarm about what Zodiac's been up to. As it turns out, not only had the company runners turned into demons, but they were planning to become immortal demons by using a Peach sold to them by Moxxie. Everyone knew that they had to act in some way to stop this from transpiring, but the security around Zodiac made it difficult to simply break in. But not all hope was lost, as Jusis from the Black Order contacted his superiors in order to gain the approval to use a method that'd give them a way in, though he cautioned he'd need four volunteers to get it to work. Eventually, the volunteers Jusis, Waver, Takame, and "Shroud" were chosen for the task...though the entire mission was kept in secret.

That is, until the night of April 3rd, when "Shroud" reported some disturbing news to the network about the Black Order's mission. The four "volunteers" had turned out less volunteers and more sacrifices that have been thrown into this realm to face fates unknown. And even worse, something had gone awry and instead of "Shroud" being sent in? Danny Fenton, a teenager who just happened to be nearby when the device was first activated, got pulled in by sheer bad luck.

Worried about their four lost friends and what was to come with Zodiac, many people through the app spent the evening preparing or trying to find someway to make themselves useful - from preparing medical supplies to camping out on the cold Beach where the four had disappeared from. And if anxieties weren't high enough, troubling broadcasts from Waver, Takame, Danny, and Jusis appeared on the Midnight Channel TVs and their voicemails for anyone that attempted to contact them. The broadcasts were nothing short of unsettling. They looked like the lost people, but everything about their demeanors seemed different. Just what happened to them?

After what was probably a sleepless night for many, on April 4th, a new app icon separate from Libra will appear on everyone's phone. The icon is an omninous one, beig bright red with an eye on it. Opening it will grand a message:

JUDGEMENT COMPLETE. THE CONTRACT PRICE HAS BEEN FULFILLED. WELCOME TO THE METANAV.

At the same time, a text from the Black Order will be sent. The number is completely untraceable:
With the contract complete, per the agreement the Black Order has authorized temporary access to the MetaNav to the Libra app users. The MetaNav will allow access to the Metaverse, a realm with the capability of serving as the "other side" to our reality. Preset Coordinates have been set for the following areas. Please visit designated areas in the real world and turn on this app to access:

- "Alcatrez". Real World Location: Midtown Residental Area
- "Castellum Mortua". Real World Location: Bookstore near Undertown
- "Comhartha Mionn". Real World Location: Kaisou University, Chemistry Building
- "Labyrinth of Graves". Real World Location: Kaisou High School
- "El Dorado". Real World Location: Zodiac Offices (ACCESS DENIED TO BLACK ORDER MEMBERS)

Primary mission objective is to enter El Dorado and recover the "peach of immortality". The peach must be destroy. Used caution when handling to avoid its side effects. Please note that destroying a person's shadow in this realm will result in permanent brain damage and potentially death. The other locations designated are where we've detected the sacrifices. Recovery of the sacrifices is optional.

Once both messsages are read through, the MetaNav will turn into a map app with the locations above pinned on the map. Unfortunately, you can't go to the Zodiac offices for information about what you might be facing this time, and the Black Order certainly hasn't provided their members with any real answers about what they might be facing. For the first time since this whole thing started, the app users really will be flying in blind. It'd be best to prepare as much as you can for whatever lies ahead.

Saving the Lost

♪- Backside of the TV

Once you feel prepared, using the MetaNav is simple enough. When a person is physically near the area that was designated, the app will give a pinging sound and will change its display to list which realm they are near -- as well as a large red button asking if they wish to enter the realm. When they do so, the world will shift around them. Should they be targeting one of the areas devoted to the sacrifices, the area will be covered with a heavy yellow-tinged fog, making the rest of the city hard to make out. The only location visibile will be the destination that stands in front of them. They will look as followed:

Alcatrez: Located near Elliot and Rean's home, Jusis's dungeon is a massive prison complex built upon a desolate island. The waves thunder in their fury against the island's shores, and a cold wind steals at your warmth. Searchlights scan the waters alongside patrol boats. There's no life nor warmth to be found there.

Castellum Mortua: Located at the bookstore that sits just outside of Undertown, Takame’s dungeon is a military base barred by spiked metal gates and broken swords that surrounded imposing black steel doors. Both the gates and the door are marred with dents, tears, blood and debris. As if something inside once tried to force its way out.

Comhartha Mionn: Located at the Chemistry building at Kaisou University, Waver's dungeon is a massive antiquated university beneath a black moon and starless night sky. Abandoned to time and overrun throughout by thorned branches of wilting red and gold roses, the building and attached looming clock tower stand in broken disrepair entangled in thorns.

Labyrinth of Graves: Located at the entrance of Kaisou High, the outside of the building will look like the school except much foggier. And once awhile the building will shift, looking like a completely different school building entirely while still covered in a hazy fog. This dungeon belongs to Danny, the teenager who got wrapped up in all this by accident.

[OOC Note: Any threads regarding these four dungeons will be taking place in their own logs! Go ahead and follow the links given and comment there! All four of the dungeons are open to anyone so don't be afraid to check them out!]

El Dorado: City of Gold

♪ - Life Will Change

Whether or not you stopped by first to save the four sacrificed for this mission, it's eventually time to head to Zodiac. With the people in black suits blocking the Zodiac building in the real world, you will have no choice but to activate the MetaNav app from outside the entrance of Undertown. Doing so here will bring you into a completely different landscape. Unlike the other areas that were covered in a yellow fog? This area of the city is completely clear of fog- and completely made out of gold. Every single building, sidewalk, and decoration hanging is made out of gold. There's even statues of people standing around, once again completely made of gold.

The city isn't the only thing that changed either. Characters will find that their outfits have changed to be in the style of thieves outfits tailored to their personality and style, all of them with some kind of mask included. The MetaNav will send out a message as you notice, recommending the use of code names while infilitrating this particular area. Take a moment to think up a good code name for yourself, as it'll make your mission a whole lot easier. [OOC Note: Characters are allowed to bring these outfits into the other dungeons as well. You can't fight if you don't look cute.]

Over the entrance of Undertown there hangs a sign that reads: Grand Palace of El Dorado, City of Gold, Ahead. As you head down the stairs that lead into Undertown (which is also gold plated), you'll find that the people in suits have been replaced with much more sinister looking versions. Try your best to sneak past them, if you can. But should you be the more confrontational type, you can always try to fight them- though they will transforms into various types of monsters. Characters who refused to come up with a code name for themselves or wear their mask will find these fights extremely difficult, as the monsters seem to know and target their weaknesses specifically.

Should any Black Order member attempt to get past this point, regardless of if they used a code name or not, will find themselves heavily flanked by an unending wave of monsters as alarms sound. Zodiac has been keeping too much of an eye on the Black Order to let them further. The Black Order may have carried them this far, but it's up to everyone else to save the day.

After finding your way past the guards, you'll finally reach the Zodiac Building. Instead of the usual office, the entire place has been replaced with a giant golden palace. Gemstones line the trim and any of the greenry is nothing more than paper mache using dollar bills. Trailing out of the door, there are a long line of shadowy people, all holding bags and bags of their live savings that they intend to offer to up to the leaders of this world, "Zodiac". These shadowy people don't seem to react to your presence, but you can hear them talking about how they have to give up everything to please their rulers. This is the vision that the CEOs envision for themselves, endless money, wealth, and greed.

First Floor: The Entrance

♪ - Price

Get through the palace gates, and you'll find yourself in an entry hall that as extravangant and audacious as the exterior. Massive chandeliers made of crystal hang from the ceilings and just about every inch of the place is lined either in gold or some absurdly piece of expensive decoration. The shadowy figures from before are all heading to the center of the room, where they dump all their wealth into a bank chute that fires all their savings into one of the higher floors.

Just like the outside, there are guards wandering the hall. It's your job to get past the guards and find your way to the higher floors. Be careful while you're in here about getting spotted by the guards. Each time you do, the battles will become more difficult and the guard numbers will increase each time until even the strongest of folks would be overwhelmed and forced to retreat. Perhaps the best way to go about it is either sneak past without getting noticed- or ambush the guards before they have a chance to sound the alarm.

Unfortunately some of the guards aren't alone. As you get further on this hall, characters will come across Pokemon that Zodiac has collected and trained for their uses. These Pokemon are just like the ones you find in the Kanto Realm, except they've endured a year of training so they are even more dangerous than their wild counterpart. Try not to get mauled by a Houndoom or poisoned by an Arbok.

Should you need a rest, you will occasionally come across a door where the golden veneer of the palace seems much hazier. Stepping inside the room, and you'll find yourself in a generic cubicle space that is part of the Zodiac office. In these spaces, the guards and other monsters cannot find you, so you have a chance to catch your breath. Not ony that, but if you access the MetaNAV app here, it will give you the option to teleport either back outside of Undertown or to another safer room you've already visited, and vice versa. Consider these your way points, if you don't think you can tackle this mission all in one day. These safe rooms can be found on each floor, spread out sproadically.

Getting up to the next floor is easy enough. There is a grand elevator at the far back end of the floor, once you get past all the guards and Pokemon. It will require a keycard to gain access, but you can pickpocket (or mug) those off of any guard.

Second Floor: Casino

♪ - Whims of Fate

With your current keycard access, you can only get up to the second floor using the elevator. The doors will open onto a grand casino that looks as ritzy as any place you'd find on the Vegas strip. The place is packed with those shadowy figures, who are completely enraptured by playing the various games. While there are some guards around, they are less hostile than the ones on the previous floor, only attacking should you draw enough attention to yourself.

Like any casino, exploring this place is a labyrinth. And once you read the elevator, you will find a price meter attached to the door, clamping it shut. In order to get past this stage, you'll have to pay up- $666,000 to be precise. Most of you probably won't have that level of cash on hand, so it's back to the casino! At least it seems the fee covers your entire group, so you can work together to try to get what you need.

There's a number of ways that you can raise the funds. Playing the games legitimately is an option - theres just about every game you can find from slots to poker to blackjack to pachinko. But playing these games you will quickly find that unless you have extremely good luck, the games are rigged against you and you're going to be here a long time. Your next option of course then? Is to try to cheat. Card sharks and rogues unite, because it's time to use your skills for good. Just be careful not to get caught in your cheating methods, as it'll get the guards sent after you and you'll lose all the funds you earned.

For those more noble types, there are ways for you to earn money as well. There is an entertainment lounge in the casino, where bands play and food is served. Spend some time working as a server, or maybe agree to put on the show. Unfortunately, all the paymments earned through this way are absurdly small (are these even living wages?), but every bit counts! Finally, those bold enough to sneak into the back areas of the casino might get lucky and find the computers they are using to cheat the system. Hack into the computers to make the machines work in your favor, or just destroy them all together if you can do it without getting caught. After you do that, you'll find your luck on the machines turning around a fair bit.

Finally once your group has earned enough winnings, you can go to the prize booth to turn in your winnings. Turning in $660,000 worth of chips will indeed get an upgrade to your keycard, allowing to access the next floor. Though if you have a little extra (or just really bad spending habits), you can buy other prizes such as food, drinks, electronics, and...this Zodiac-Zack mascot plushie? I mean, he's only worth one chip, so why not?

Third Floor: Record Room

♪ - Last Surprise

The elevator this time will only take you to the third floor, before opening its doors. This floor, while still as audacious as previous floors, seems slightly more subdue. Along the halls, you will find doors that will lead you to numerous rooms full of filing cabinets. While many of the files are about various business ventures that Zodiac takes part of and written in code that won't make much sense to the characters, the most interesting room will be the one labeled "LIBRA USERS" on the door.

Inside this room, are walls of filing cabinet. These filing cabinets are arranged alphabetically, and contain the characters' personal files that Zodiac has compiled during their time on the app. These records are thorough: everywhere from their backgrounds, their abilities, their weaknesses, any regains they've ever obtained, and a psychological profile. Even information that characters thought were secret are feasibly found in these files, thanks to the seers that work for Zodiac. There's also a whole section about the characters spending and internet habits - because hey, they are a money-making corporation.

Should you choose to leave the files alone? You can get through this hall pretty easily besides avoiding the usual guards. Just head for the elevator at the far end of the hall.

But where's the fun in that? Instead you can take some time to read through the files, but you can't spend all day here. If you spend more than 30 minutes in the record room, you will start to hear the rattling sound of chains from outside the room and down the hall. The longer you wait, the louder it will get as it gets closer. Continue to ignore this omninous warning, and the door to the record room will be shot open with a rifle blast. Outside stands the Reaper, an extremely powerful gun wielding monster. You can battle it, but prepare for long and grueling battle as it's tougher than anything else that wanders these halls. Your best course of action is to try find an opening to escape its wrath, and make for the elevator on the far end of the hall.

If you wish to not linger enough to summon the Reaper but can't just leave the files -- Characters can choose take or destroy files. However, this choice is also fraught with danger. Any attempts to steal or destroy the files will sound an alarm, and the characters will hear the sound of large doors being open, followed by an all too familiar creature sound for anyone that was here last August. A pack of velociraptors will now be on the hunt for you. Great! Try your best to survive their onslaught. Though that won't be the end of your troubles, as for some very very unlucky folks, when they reach the elevator will be blocked by a very large, (very NSFW) new kind of monster. Try really hard not to think too much on what it looks like, and fight your way through it.

Should you successfully manage to destroy your files or take them off the floor- congrats! Even if your identity gets outted to the guards of this place, none of them will have any familiarity with you. Looks like this was the place they were drawing all the knowledge of your weaknesses.

[OOC Note: Please note, characters can only access the files of characters they've received player consent from. If your character attempts to read through files they haven't been given player consent to read, they will find themselves suddenly going blind or turning into a completely harmless animal for a day before they can read a word. Oops, guess you triggered one of Zodiac's booby traps!]

Fourth Floor: The Board Room

♪ - Rivers in the Desert

At last, you've reached the top floor of the palace. The elevator will flash that this is the "board room" as the doors open. The guards here are all over the place, and are some of the most elite in the building. Work your way through the halls until you come across the "Board Room" - which in this reality has been converted into a massive throne room made of the finest marbles and of course, more gold. There is a red carpet that leads up to a throne, where atop the throne sits a large, glowing vial of peach-colored liquid. No doubt, it's the drink of immortality you've been looking for. Behind the throne? Is the ever growing pile of wealth that Zodiac's been collecting, which looks not dissimiliar to a dragon's hoard.

While the throne room appears empty, don't let that fool you. The moment that you step towards the throne, the same alarm your phone makes every time Zodiac posts on the app will sound very loudly. Down from the ceiling above, seven demons in business suits will fly down and confront you. These are the six members of the board and the CEO, all of which have turned fully into demons with glowing yellow eyes. They screech in corporate slang about your trespassing and attempting to steal company property before going in for the attack.

You'll have to find some way to defeat or evade the demonic board members. Most of them can be taken in a fight by one or two people with abilities and fighting experience, though the CEO will definitely be the strongest of the lot and is powerful enough to give even our strongest combatants a real fight. The true challenge will be managing to fight off seven at once. However, being the greed demons that they are, they do have one weakness. Throw down anything that is valuable, and the nearby demon will be fully distracted and go after the valuable item to add to their hoard. Perhaps you can use this to your advantage.

When the demons are dealt with, you have two options - to either kill them or give them the option to flee. Fortunately, these demons are mostly here for greed so they do understand when it's best to flee and will do so once they realize they are outmatched. Otherwise you can kill them to eliminate the risk of ever dealing with them again [OOC NOTE: If your character plans to kill the board members, please notify the mods by commenting here as it will have an effect on the plot]. Either way, with the battle finished, all that's left is to retrieve the immortal peach that has been causing so much trouble and get out of here.

Aftermath

♪ - Beneath the Mask

Once it's all over, you will get one last chance to drink the immortal-making peach juice (that is, if you're insane and have learned nothing), before the Black Order member Zhongli will come to collect it. Zhongli will explain that he intends to destroy it completely so no one can get their hands on it again [OOC Note: This interaction will be handwaved unless your character strongly objects, if so let us know!]. With that loose thread dealt with, characters will no longer have to fret about the threat of immortal capitalist demons.

As for the Metaverse locations? Those will be accessible to any characters seeking to explore until the end of the month (April 30th), when the MetaNav app will disappear from their phone completely. Take a tour through your fellow app user's disturbing mental states, if that's what you're into. Maybe some opportunistic characters will be at the very least able to ransack Zodiac for all its gold and valuables. Let's face it, it's only fair. The Black Order members and the four characters who had dungeons will also be able to access the Zodiac building at this point, as well get a chance to get some new thief threads.

As for Zodiac? They will go quiet. The people in suits will leave Undertown and business will resume as normal in that area of town. If you ask the interns at the Zodiac office in the real world, they will comment that all their board members suddenly took some time off- and no one knows what's going on. Guess the only option is to wait and see. Maybe go socialize and work on those social links in the meantime.

OOC Notes

The dominant element this month is Earth! Anyone with an affinity to the earth element will find themselves boosted throughout the month. This could mean a boost to their power, having more energy, feeling more inspired with creativity, having better luck on different attempts -- the boost can manifest in all sorts of different ways. By contrast, anyone with an affinity for Water will be experiencing the opposite. Perhaps their powers will be weaker, they have less energy, they're having a creative block or general worse luck - again it can manifest in all sorts of way and players are free to play with this mechanic as they'd like.

Characters will be allowed to keep their thief outfits after this plot! These can be treated as regular clothing or something you can magically change into whenever you enter the Spirit Realm. Live your stylish dreams!

The original OOC plotting post for this event can be found here. Another Zodiac Post will be going up April 15th to serve as an intro post for new characters and allow characters to react to developments over the network.