lostcarnival | ⇨ POLARIS 3.0

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 115
Where: Polaris
What: On the morning of day 115, a couple hours before the technicians would come to pick up the test subjects, the escape plan will officially come into effect. If your character has been left out of the loop up till this point, feel free that someone hastily explains the plan during the initial phase! The meat of everything else will be played out via megathreads and any private toplevels people want to make.
Warnings: Probably violence.

PEER REVIEW↴

The plan starts with getting everyone out of their cells. Childermass is going to be using his Gilded Mark to enhance his shadow movement abilities, unabling him to teleport himself and other people out of containment. If your character has other ways of escaping they are free to pursue that, but on a base level, it can be assumed that everyone gets out thanks to Childermass. (Thanks Childermass!) Once everyone has been removed from their cells by some means or another, they will be forced to split into teams as swiftly as possible, as the moment people start breaking out, negative attention from the staff will start building. The area is poorly guarded at first, but as people become aware of the breakout, more will arrive.

Gild, speaking on behalf of her inside plant, will say that those that 1) want to get their stuff back, 2) want to find Ignatius, should get the assistance of their allied Deltas to access sector A5. From there, they will have to access Polaris's storage in A3, a neighbouring sector, and find access to C2, the station where Ignatius is being held. They should expect to be met with armed resistance, but with any luck allies will be there to assist them.

In general, characters will be most effective if they back one of these major objectives:

► TEAM LOOT: This team is trying to get back the items and pets that were confiscated when the group was brought into Polaris. Their objective, according to their allies on the inside, is to get to A5, and then make their way to A3. The important thing is being able to locate their stuff among a sea of other items, and to make it through security in order to reclaim it. Gild's plant has said that they will assist with this. After getting these items, Team Loot may wish to merge with Team Rescue.

► TEAM RESCUE: This team's primary focus is to get to A5 and then make their way to C2. If desired, they may wait for or join with Team Loot, or they may strike out ahead in order to take advantage of the element of surprise. The key factors are obtaining a way to access C2, as well as being prepared for armed conflict with the technicians guarding it, as well as possibly the Mother of Invention herself. Though, the ideal is that Gild will be distracting here at that time.

► TEAM DISTRACTION: This team can do their thing wherever they please, as their main intent is to sew general discord and distract the staff from the teams doing more important things. They should be prepared for armed resistance, but what tactics they pursue beyond that point are highly variable.

► TEAM FORTRESS: This team is attempting to set up a protective base of operations in the original sector in order to survive the conflict and protect their noncombatant comrades. How they accomplish this is also highly variable.

Other objectives may exist, of course, and can be made with their own separate top levels. Chunks of these megathreads will have to be played out in summary form, so when characters are simply trying to get from place to place and specifics aren't necessary, feel free to stick to that format. Assume that everyone is already out of their cells for the purpose of the megathreads.

Here is a shitty map of how the sectors connect, from a side view of the central Polaris hub.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Honestly, probably. Rose Queen is nuts.

Syrlya glances sideways at Steven. "How much are you able to communicate with it? I know that you can sense its desire, but can it hear you?"

Getting the Rose to be agreeable has been a lot of placating, but he at least can use that at a tool to get it to cooperate. It won't mean much if Steven's plant empathy doesn't extend to plant language.

"Yeah, it can," he says, sighing. "I just don't think it really cares that much." Which is also a lot like the Rose Queen herself. "The first time I met it, no matter what I tried to say, it just knew I was like it and wanted to be part of me. Or... me to be part of it, I guess. It's always like that."

He shakes his head, disapprovingly.

"I've talked to other plants before and they've never been that rude. Not even the ones that actually tried to eat me in real life and not just in a magic way."

"Not every--" He lets out a short hiss. "Not every plant has a kind disposition, and unfortunately few of them can learn to change themselves."

The Sylvari are pretty unique, having a fully realized brain and conscious. Syrlya's expression twists with wry humor.

"Mostly, I have been assuring its desires. It seems less inclined to fight with me if it senses agreement."

Steven considers that silently for a little while, concentrating on his work. He licks his palm again to apply some more healing magic and then moves on to Syrlya's crystalline rose arm, frowning thoughtfully at it. He starts applying his healing magic, and feels the will of the Rose rise up within him.

It's noisy enough that he remains silent for a while, and then pulls his hand away. He shakes his head.

"I guess... I don't know what to agree with. Or if I can," he says, helplessly. "It wants to take over, it wants to listen to my mom... what if I agree with it, and something bad happens?"

Syrlya feels it, too, and he curls his fingers tightly. Having gotten used to its pull doesn't mean he has it down perfectly.

He raises a brow as he watches Steven. "Is that what you hear from it now? The Rose Queen's desires impressing on it?"

"Kind of," Steven says, though he doesn't sound sure. "Maybe it just feels that way, because the last time... it was like she was reaching through me, to get to it. And she was trying to make me more like it to make the connection stronger, so... every time I've really talked to it, it's just wanted to get closer to me."

Closer in the kind of way where it eclipses him completely, probably.

"So what if agreeing with it means it will try to take over? Fae have all this stuff, where if you accidentally give them permission for something they're allowed to do it..."

Ah, trust issues. Not that Steven doesn't have reason, given what happened the first time he tried to commune with the Rose.

After a moment he lets out a breath, deciding the bleak honesty is best for Steven's safety. "It likely will try to encompass you, because it desires to grow insatiably. Its will is... simple, but strong."

When he has the room, he lifts his forearm, slowly flexing his fingers. "It listens to the Rose Queen because she knows how to coax its actions very well. But that takes a strong mind and an understanding of the Blue Rose as an entity."

Something the Rose Queen has had eons to grasp over the both of them. "I'm sure, like we continue to feel its connection despite the difference, she can too. But we cannot feel each other without being nearby."

Degrees of separation, or something. "Is it causing you trouble?"

He frowns, shrugging his shoulder uncertainly.

"I'm okay," he says, managing to start healing Syrlya's arm despite the interruptions from the Rose. "It's just annoying sometimes. It doesn't always bug me or anything. It's just... whenever it gets excited, like right now."

He's quiet for another few moments, and then sighs.

"Sorry that you have to deal with now, too."

Syrlya shrugs a shoulder. "In truth, it has been eerily quiet being this far from my people anyway. Although the Rose would not be my... first choice to fill the silence."

His expression twists wryly. "If it is not causing you trouble now, then I believe you have plenty time to find a way to attune to it that it will not overwhelm you. Without worrying about it before you are ready."

Given what happened both times, Syrlya's not going to encourage him to try and do it now and risk Steven still not having the magical or mental strength to prevent turning into crystal boy again.

It's at this point that Steven looks a little bit cagey, glancing at Syrlyra and then looking away with a certain shyness. As he continues to work on healing, he tentatively asks:

"Can you do any... um... Rose magic?" he asks. "Like... the kind the Blue Rose does. Since the infection got worse..."

"Hm?" Syrlya raises his brows, briefly confused by the question. "Well--I have always been able to communicate with other plant life. I..."

He furrows his brow. He didn't think it gained any additional magic, but... "I have not really been able to use my magic very much since the seeds were planted. What sort of magic were you thinking of?"

Steven looks embarrassed, and then lifts his palms away from Syrlya's body. He concentrates for a few moments, and then his palms light up with a familiar feeling blue flame.

"Kinda like this, I guess?" he says

"And that... does not come from your gem." No, it definitely doesn't.

Syrlya pinches his brow. "I think right now it is ill advised for me to try and cast anything. Especially fire."

⇨ POLARIS 3.0

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