biteys: (Default)
NIMBO ([personal profile] biteys) wrote in [community profile] turnout2024-06-29 09:53 am

WEEK 1

WEEK ONE


!
the beginning of the end

That’s what’s playing on repeat on a tape recorder, when the survivors come to.

Characters will find themselves in a humble, American townhouse, which other than being a bit dusty, is still mostly clean. All characters will be sprawled out on the floor and furniture of the living room, in front of what looks to be a giant portal. Characters will also notice they have a seemingly indestructible silver wristband around their wrists, and they have nothing with them but the clothes on their back.

Take a look around, and you'll realize that everyone in the room is likely a stranger. Aside from the tape playing, there's little explanation or proof that what's being said to you is even true. For all you know, one of the people in the room could be responsible for you being suddenly taken here.

Exploring the house's many rooms will reveal that there are small stockpiles food, water, weapons (a few guns, a few bats, a few knives), and maps, along with a large, strange container of blue liquid. The maps all chart a route from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and sport detailed recommended time stamps on them. Strangely, the recommended path occasionally diverges into two separate routes.

Upon searching the house, Haru Okumura finds a set of notes, while Leontuzzo Bellone finds a separate set. They are free to keep these notes to themselves, or share them with the group.

Nothing has anyone's names on it — not the notes, and certainly not the supplies. Everyone will have to compete for the same things. Or maybe all of you can be civilized about this, before anyone goes hoarding weapons and food? Maybe you can even introduce yourselves, while you're at it. For some strange reason, every window and door in this place is locked (and impossible to break), and will be for at least 72 hours, as if someone wanted you all to be cooped up together for a time before heading out.

Most interestingly, in the deepest basement of the house, there's a room with a large, heavy dresser shoved in front of it… and a low moaning and banging emanating from the other side. The door’s slightly ajar, and a closer look reveals a zombie is the source of the sound. Context clues around the basement, like the PhD in interdimensional travel hung up on the wall (for a Dr. Bei), hint that the woman inside is whoever left you this cryptic message - the woman who brought you here, allegedly. But she's long long gone, only this monster left in her wake. It seems she was smart enough to lock herself away to prevent you from being harmed, at least... and it'll give you a preview of the threat that looms outside.
sewer diving
After 72 hours have passed, one and only one door unlocks – in the very same basement that the zombie of Dr. Bei can be found. It leads down to a dark, dingy tunnel that connects to the sewers. Not only is the smell awful, but (non-infected) rats scurry about, keeping to the shadows – but the smell of any of the food you've taken from the house will attract them. Careful!

The party will need to create some light to navigate their way out and keep the rats at bay, or they’ll be bumping around in the dark for quite a while. Now might be a good time to share if you have some matches, or a special talent for being a lantern. Mercifully, there's only one exit that actually opens down in this labyrinth, as if it's a route the Doctor designed to take all the time.

At one point, Puppy falls into the sewage, and loses something they brought from the house.

oh! that's a baseball

Once characters make it out of the sewers, they’ll be a day’s travel to the first mark on the party’s map: “Dodger’s Stadium.” The road they’ll have to hike to get there is winding, curvy, and uphill, which will give the party a good overview of the now dilapidated Los Angeles, along with the many abandoned buildings and cars that litter the place. The stadium itself looks to have been cleared of threats and fashioned into a safe spot a long time ago, as all entrances but one have been completely welded shut. The high walls keep zombies out, and the winding path up here deters most of them from even approaching.

Inside the stadium, there’s some baseball merch (and equipment) to scavenge, not to mention some really old peanuts! Delicious. Maybe there are even some old fireworks laying around this place. Setting up camp here won’t be very comfortable… but at least it’s very safe. A luxury the party won’t have for much longer, if the map is anything to go by. You'll be heading through the city, next, so rest up while you can.

!
week one objectives

➤ make acquaintances with your fellow travelers
➤ decide what to do with the zombie of dr. bei
➤ arm yourself with what you can find
➤ scavenge some portable food from the house and while traveling
➤ make camp at the stadium
rifare: (Default)

[personal profile] rifare 2024-07-05 01:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Leon turns his head to give Mark a contemplative look for a few seconds as he carefully makes his way out of the sludge he stepped into. ]

You are very much the glass half full type.

[ It's not a question. ]
titlecard: (032)

[personal profile] titlecard 2024-07-06 01:05 am (UTC)(link)
[ Oh... that look. It isn't so dark here that he can't read that. ]

Well... yeah. [ Awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. ] We're here to get a job done, right? We'll get it done.
rifare: ('cause my banner's clean)

[personal profile] rifare 2024-07-10 05:08 am (UTC)(link)
Optimistic and perhaps naively kind. That's not exactly how I would describe our reason for being here.

[ More of a kidnapped against their will, and forced into a situation where they have no choice but to risk their lives for a cause that they didn't agree to. ]

You are right on the last point though. We will get it done.

[ They don't have much choice now, do they? Even if that promise of returning home wasn't hanging over their heads, their only other option in this situation was to roll over a die. That wasn't one Leon was particularly interested in taking himself. ]
titlecard: (098)

[personal profile] titlecard 2024-07-10 10:44 am (UTC)(link)
[ Help?? Don't read him for filth while they're in the midst of literal filth.

Mark's arm drops as he continues floating along beside Leon, expression falling into something more contemplative. ]


We're here to help people. [ And sure, those people include themselves now, but the point still stands. They're here to help people, and there isn't a whole lot that's more important than that. ] As long as we're doing that, then we're doing the right thing.
rifare: (by way of selfless means)

[personal profile] rifare 2024-07-13 05:05 am (UTC)(link)
[ Try making it harder for him then, Mark.

For his part, Leontuzzo's heart more or less is in the right place, but for as soft as his fellow mafiosos thought he had gotten, he's still nowhere near as kind as Mark.
]

I was already doing that before I was dragged here.

[ At least he was trying, whether he was going to be successful in his endeavors was a different matter entirely. ]

If I die here or am never able to make it back, then I cannot finish the work I started in my own country.

[ There's just a touch of frostiness in his voice now. ]

Don't misunderstand. I do not blame you for trying to see the bright side in all of this, but I'm not so certain I'll be able to join you in that.
titlecard: (048)

[personal profile] titlecard 2024-07-13 10:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ For a long, long moment, Mark is quiet. Leontuzzo might even be able to take his silence for the end of the conversation, that he's successfully cowed this teenager into seeing why being here at all is a problem, but — ]

You aren't the only one who was trying to make things better for people back home.

[ — he finds his voice again, and while it starts sullen, it regains its optimism. ]

But we're here now, and we can't really do anything about it except the job done here — and by doing that, we help other people too. Maybe an entire planet. We'll make it through, and so many more lives will be saved. How is that not a good thing? How do you not see the bright side of that?
rifare: (free hearts are never broken)

[personal profile] rifare 2024-07-13 06:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Now it's Leontuzzo's turn to be quiet for a beat too long, as though Mark has managed to convince him. Unfortunately he's not, but regardless of what he feels about this situation it's not one he can just remove himself from whenever he wants. He won't be able to see it in the same silver-lined light that Mark is, but he's stuck going through the same motions none-the-less.

That, more than anything, is the reason for the resignation in his voice now.
]

Dangerously optimistic then. I hope for your sake that you're able to hold onto that.
titlecard: (091)

[personal profile] titlecard 2024-07-14 12:57 am (UTC)(link)
[ Another long stretch of quiet, because Mark really doesn't know how to take that. Wasn't expecting the conversation to be flipped back on him like that. Really had thought he'd convinced Leontuzzo, but now he's just... quiet.

And finally, breaking that quiet, a soft voice: ]
Me too.