⇨ POLARIS AFTERMATH

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 115-118
Where: Polaris/Wyldlands
What: After killing the Mother of Invention, the majority of the carnival has decided to take some time and sort out the Polaris refugees before heading to the Summerlands. This log covers miscellaneous post-Mother Polaris drama, as well as some light camping in the Wyldlands down below.
Warnings: Idk, stuff, I guess.

ADAPTATION↴ After the battle, the majority of carnival members will opt to remain in the secured section to Polaris, hoping to spend some time making sure that the rest of Polaris is liberated. Many of the staff are not capable of coming to grips with the fact that the Mother is dead so quickly, and the remaining Alphas are doing their best to keep Polaris under their sway. It will be a busy few days of changing minds and exploring the remains of the station. Thankfully, with everyone's powers intact and allies at their side, they finally have the advantage. ► SHIFTING STATES: Right off the bat, about 10% of the staff will immediately change sides upon hearing whats become of the Mother. They are actively eager to get away from Polaris, and will do whatever they can assist the carnival. This is mostly Gammas and a few Betas, who were working primarily under duress. Over the next day or two, those numbers will grow to at least 30%, with some of the staff managing to convince their colleagues to join them. About two days after starting, one of the Alphas will surrender to the carnival, encouraging those beneath her to support their cause. That leaves four Alphas remaining, and staff cooperation at 50%. ► CAPTIVE ATTENTION: The loyalist staff's main tactics are trying to create defensive points within the various test group areas, using the prisoners as hostages. Luckily, the carnival (and the staff on their side) will be in a position where it's possible to push them out with a mixture of convincing and force. Once prisoners start being freed, there will be even more force backing the carnival's efforts, meaning that it will essentially become a matter of cleaning up the remaining staff rather than any uphill battles. Most of this is being left vague intentionally, as most of this action is being handwaved. However, you can play out parts of it if you want and NPC technicians and rescuees. Other test groups can be filled with basically whatever kind of residents you like, since they are grabbed from across the multiverse. Most of the test areas are similar to B7. ► THE JACKPOT: Alongside cleaning up the staff, some members of the carnival have expressed interest in convincing the staff to help them with armoury issues as well as hunting down some of the Mother's most private loot. This will be handled in investigations, mostly through summary, because I don't have it in me for another megathread right now. Post your plans, and I will respond! However, know that I also don't have time to generate five million special items, so loot drops will be limited to my availability. Also, the techs aren't really blacksmiths so they generally won't really be able creating weapons from scratch or anything. Meanwhile, Ignatius is going to set up a camp ground outside of Polaris, mostly because he doesn't want to be there anymore. He'll keep a fire going and they can drag things from Polaris down there for camping purposes, and mostly Ignatius is just going to be chilling and making sure that the campground doesn't get assaulted by magical creatures. The Gilded Mark will create a portal between the campground and the station so that people can go back and forth as required. It also creates a handy escape route. You can even see Polaris from here, floating up there in the sky. How picturesque. ► WYLDERKIN: Apparently not everything in the Wyld Lands is a full Wyld Fae - there are also a lot of less powerful creatures called 'wylderkin' - apparently lesser forms of the Wyld Fae, who are more akin to animal level intelligence. They can be a variety of expected fantasy type creatures, such as flower sprites, weird bugs, and general prey animals they probably spend most of their time getting eaten by bigger dudes. All of them are sort of weird and fantastical, and none of them are exactly like earth varieties, though they may resemble them. They are more of a pest than a major threat in this part of the Wyld Lands, and Ignatius will scare away any that cause too many problems. ► FLORA AND FLUID: There are some plants that you can eat down here, that Ignatius will tell you about. Mostly weird berries and roots. There is also some pools of clear water, thought hey are filled with weird fish. Try not to bitten by any weird leeches. You can safely make up some of the creatures you find as long as they fit the general theme of lesser faerie creatures. This is just a rest stop.

Comments

[chronosynthesis]

"Do you think you are entitled to know?" It doesn't really make him feel better. He narrows his eyes. "And what 'one more thing'? What secrets do you think I'm keeping from you?"

[kingsroads]

"I was speaking generally," Strange grumbles, with a vague hand motion. The summoned shield vanishes as Strange continues. It's no use bitching to Syrlya...but he's gonna bitch to Syrlya.

"As for you specifically, I would have at least liked to have known a vague outline about the plan to rescue Ignatius-and before you point out that I was in Theta, so was Lambert and he somehow knew what was going on. There was no reason to not tell me the same."

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya, not knowing the secret keeping drama with everyone else, is mostly just confused. Why does generally matter to him?

"It was a mission, Strange, and those details were on a need-to-know basis." He gestures with the hand still holding the cape. "You've been in the army, right? Not every pieces of information is filtered to every soldier. I told those I intended to take along, and Lambert because he is the Nightrider."

His supervisor, which Syrlya's going to take seriously even without the Ringmaster. He's pretty sure Lambert does. "I wanted his input and to work together with both of our teams, because we were both infiltrating unfamiliar territory."

[kingsroads]

"I scouted out some of that territory via the vents," Strange pedanticly points out. "It wasn't entirely unfamiliar."

But even Strange knows that's being nitpicky. And Strange also knows there's no way to say that he's got a complex about secrets and a complex about Ignatius without looking like a total fool who can't get past his own personal problems (despite the fact that yep, that's him.)

Strange awkwardly looks at Syrlya for a moment, like he wants to say something before he settles on, "I've just felt that recently, my place in all of this is damn confusing. I just wanted to hear your explanation."

That is not at all the answer Strange wants to give and he looks a little confused at himself as he tries to piece out what he wants to say but not sound like a damn moron.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya could be equally nitpicky and point out it didn't map out the other sectors, but there's no point trying to argue details when it's not the real point of either of their decisions.

Syrlya raises a brow, pausing with uncertainty what to say to that. Then he moves forward, slowly, to try and offer Strange his cloak again.

"My explanation is that it was a very delicate mission, and I only told those directly involved." And those he decided to involve didn't include Strange for those 'don't trust' reasons they've already been over. "Is this because you were put into the research department instead of the militia?"

He remembers that little tantrum on the radio.

[kingsroads]

Strange takes the cloak and wraps it around his shoulders. The shirt's a lost cause, might as well use this until he finds a new one. Syrlya's explanation makes sense. And at least 'delicate mission' makes more sense than 'simple spite' (and reassures some of Strange's worries as well.) But with Syrlya's last question...hell, maybe getting a second thought on this would be good.

"It's because both the Ringmaster and Lambert said they didn't want me to be a soldier...then the Ringmaster tasks me with protecting Ignatius, Lambert draws me into an agreement where I should kill him if needed, then Lambert suggests I put myself in harm's way and scout ahead through the vents."

Does this make sense? He hopes it makes sense. For everybody not trusting him to be a soldier and wanting him to stay safe, they keep saying here Strange, have a fun time with people's literal life and safety in your hands.

"The carnival as a whole still acts like I'm militia. I led a rescue mission when the Hunt attacked and I helped organize the destruction in Polaris. So why even take me out of the militia if everyone is going to treat me like I'm still in it?"

[chronosynthesis]

"The carnival has a... very fluid approach to anyone's actual jobs." Syrlya wrinkles his nose a little. That might even be putting it kindly, it's more like the carnival pretends to have structure. "But violent contracts for a personal relationship or a unique mission are not the same as being in the militia. It's just--"

Syrlya takes a deep breath, folding his arms as his shoulders rise and sink. "You are hard to work with, Strange. You refuse to be wrong anything and you're uncooperative with tasks that aren't what suit whatever it is you want to do! And then when you go off on your own, it is usually reckless and dangerous. The militia is a team that works together, not simply a title."

That had been some of Syrlya's bigger concerns when Lambert had approached him way back when he was considering asking Strange to step down, and given how things have gone since the Athenaeum he feels he's probably right on that.

[kingsroads]

He can't help it: his hair flares up in a brief moment of anger as Syrlya lists off his percieved flaws. Strange is biting down so hard on his tongue that it's practically bleeding to keep from pointing out how wrong Syrlya is.

"I go off on my own because again, people keep charging me to do so. When was the last time anyone trusted me enough to let me work with them in the first place?" Strange points out.

"Besides, none of those reasons were why I was removed from the team."

[chronosynthesis]

"Being tasked with something on your own doesn't excuse the times you go off on your own anyway!" Syrlya waves his hand around, exasperated. "Nor does the consequence of not being trusted now, because you are absolutely impossible to work with!"

He pinches the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut. "Why do you care?"

[kingsroads]

That's the million dollar question, isn't it. Why DOES he care. It would be so much easier for him to not care but here he is, caring about things. It sucks.

"Because I'm an idiot who cares what people think of him," Strange sighs. When did this happen? He didn't care what people thought of him back home, why has it started now?

"And because people's level of trust in me is all over the place. I want to find out why."

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya gives Strange a disbelieving look. "Do you care what other people think, or do you just care that you are not getting approval for your behavior?"

He remembers some of the books from that shared dream, distantly. Something just feels disingenuous in that statement, to him.

[kingsroads]

"I do care what others think," Strange buts in. "Just not everyone."

Said as he looks directly at Syrlya. He cares about Lambert and Childermass. Back home, he cared about Arabella. He just doesn't really care about Syrlya.

And let's be real, he's never going to admit that he does care that people don't approve of him.

[chronosynthesis]

"Then why don't you ask those whose opinion you actually care about," Syrlya sighs, rubbing his temple. Why is he fielding these questions, anyway? "Instead of looking to me for answers you don't want to hear."

[kingsroads]

Because occasionally he's a glutton for punishment.

Strange frowns a little, still in that mindset of obviously having no idea what to say before he nods. Maybe that is for the best. After all, it's not like Syrlya's given him anything of use so far.

Ridiculous. How can he be hard to work with when so few people give him the chance to work with him in the first place?

"Perhaps you're right," he sighs. "For what it was worth, thank you for our conversation so far."

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya wishes he could say the same, but he's sure anything he's said here is going to be forgotten and meaningless. It's exhausting.

"I suppose. Was there anything else you needed before I go?"

[kingsroads]

"Not that I can think of. Seek me out if you want any more help with that fire."

Which Strange doubts Syrlya would do. Stubborn idiot, he wants to help. With a little nod, Strange starts to walk back to Polaris proper and leave the farm.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya will get help from people who don't make him want to tear the foliage out of his head.

As soon as Strange turns around, Syrlya quickly teleports out of the farm to some other spot in Polaris. And then he sighs in relief.