phantasmalrift | DUNGEON LOG: AMESTA FOREST

Hello everyone!

Up and the others think that we have enough stabilizers ready for the next expedition! We're going to the forest to the south this time, but it shouldn't be too far for anyone to walk. If you're REALLY going to complain, you can talk to Top on the roof and catch a ride on one of the drones like before.

The scenery's really nice, but there's definitely some kind of magical effect going on in there - as far as we can tell, the day doesn't progress inside the forest. It's stuck a little while after sunset - probably when the Fissure first appeared? (°ヘ°)

Be careful out there! Don't be afraid to call for help if you need it and we'll send a drone your way! o(^▽^)o And Strange says no stupid stunts this time, got it? (；¬д¬)

You'll probably see a big tree on your way there, before you're under the cover of the forest! That's the Infinity Tree, it's a really big willow. Charm can probably tell you more about the mythology if you're interested. He's gonna meet you guys there at the end of the expedition, so try to work your way in that direction as you go!

(｡･ω･｡)ﾉ See you when you get back!

After Down's message, characters will find things set up much the way they were last time on the roof. Top is making last-minute adjustments to the drones, and there's tables with food and medical supplies set out - the latter a little sparse compared to last time, so hopefully you kept your first aid kits from before. The table of stabilizers, on the other hand, is much more full.

On your way, you might also see some of what the construction drones have been putting together so noisily these last few days - there's the metal shell of a building, similar to but smaller than the Station, to the immediate west, just off your path to the forest in the distance. Nothing much indicates its function as of yet, though there are significantly more windows.

To the southwest stretches the border of Amesta Forest - about a mile distant, though still easily within sight. As promised, the Infinity Tree sticks up from the far edge, easily visible for those who need a landmark either now or later in the dungeon. If you get lost, you can probably find your way up a tree somewhere to get a perspective on it, and which direction to head in.

The silver mist doesn't begin until some distance into the forest, the time of day gradually changing to the eternal twilight mentioned as you approach the boundary of the Fissure itself. There's no distinct border, just a slow shading towards late afternoon and then sunset while the mist increases around you.

And as the mist wraps around you, and exhaustion you might have felt from the walk out here starts to evaporate... You've well and truly arrived, now. Better keep your eyes open.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[That's... actually a decent point.] If you've got some kind of breathing protection at hand that wouldn't be a bad idea - but I'm more worried about getting bitten or gored.

[Whine. No, he doesn't have any breathing protection, so he makes sure his footing in the tree is secure, tugs one side of his jacket over his nose, and pulls the trigger. Blam, blam--and this time, he gets two close-clustered headshots between the eyes. The deer's frenzied attempts to climb the tree stop, as do its cries, and it topples over into the mist.

Dismissing his weapon, Prompto pulls the other side of his jacket over the first and waits, breathing shallowly, hoping for the best.]

...Think it's safe?

[She waits a long moment, listening for any sound of the creature recovering or resuming movement]

I think it's dead, at least. Nice shooting.

[That judgement made, she half-climbs, half-slides down from the tree, sure enough of her foot-holds and hand-holds to let gravity do most of the work of getting her down to the forest floor. She does have an air filtration mask in her sylladex, a beaky-profiled thing that looks vaguely like a plague doctor mask, and she pulls it out to strap over her face. A moment further of hunting in her sylladex and she pulls on a pair of sturdy gloves as well. Her voice is just a little muffled by the mask as she adds -]

I want to get a sample of those mushrooms to take back to the station.

Are you sure you should do that? Isn't it dangerous, if we don't know how it spreads? They could be magic. Like, bad magic.

[There's definitely no good magic that would do that. Prompto sticks to his perch in the tree, since he's in no way able to mimic Jetshard's preparations.]

I'm going to put a small sample in a sealed vial, and then I'm going to put that vial in its own extra-dimensional space pocket until I can ask Strange or maybe Charm how best to isolate it. If it can get out of that, then just "not poking it" is hardly going to be much protection.

[As she talks, she's pulled her her medkit from her sylladex and starts rifling through it for the equipment she wants; she waits until she's got it in hand and the rest of her supplies safely stashed in their captcha card before she goes any nearer to the carcass.]

Uh... hang on, I'll take pictures, too.

[Let's see. Maybe his bandanna is enough? Prompto unties it from around his arm to get it over his nose and mouth instead and drops down from the tree, rolls, and brushes himself off. As Jetshard works, he takes pictures of the deer and mushrooms from various angles, though he shies from getting too close himself.]

Studying it'll help you make medicine for it, you think?

Good call.

[She's quick but methodical about her work, taking several of the smaller mushrooms and a bit of the teal-streaked fur as well. Once the samples are collected and safely stowed - she's glad she brought plenty of spare captchalogue cards, because while the sylladex would have accepted putting the biological sample inside her med kit, it does feel safer to keep it quarantined from anything else in her inventory - she stands, and quickly backs off from the carcass.]

At the very least, it'll help determine the appropriate course of treatment. We might be able to figure out how to slow or stop the spread in the deer population, as well.

[He breathes out and steps back from the carcass.]

That'd be good... Wouldn't want something like this to get out of hand. Especially if people end up coming here to hunt.

Not much good to find a source of large game if it's not reliably safe to eat, huh?

Or not reliably safe to hunt. Or, you know, safe-ish. Guess you're always putting yourself in danger, hunting predators.

Generally speaking, I think it's safe to assume that anything large enough to be worth eating is going to have some way of trying to keep things from eating it. But yes, the deer not being fungus-addled would definitely help.

Fungus. Yeeeuck. Even the word sounds gross.

[She nods, glancing back toward the corpse.] Indeed. Looks like a pretty advanced case, too.

[After looking at it for a couple of beats, Prompto gulps and turns away.]

...I didn't know mushrooms could do this to living creatures, too.

Most of them can't. [This seems like a really good time not to be hanging around this particular patch of forest, though, and she starts walking as she speaks, gesturing for him to follow.] Most species of fungus would strongly prefer a substrate without an immune system.

[He trots along after her, happy to leave the poor deer behind.]

That makes sense. But how come it... changed it? The other ones were mean, but not like that.

I don't know for certain, but my guess is that the fungus probably needs to get into an open wound to spread to a new host. If the infection effects the cerebral sponge, it may be able to influence the animal's behavior, but at the very least many predators can become aggressive when they're ailing and disoriented.

[Ah. That makes more sense, and he rubs his arms, trying to suppress a shudder.]

Oh. Yeah. Guess I've seen that back home, too. ...I guess I wouldn't feel very friendly if I had stuff growing out of my back, either.

You see why I wanted to keep clear of the thing. It's the only one I've seen with the mushrooms or the teal staining, though. Not that I've seen a lot of deer, but most of them seem to be healthy.

[Phew.]

That's good. ...I really hope you and the 'droids can figure out how to stop it from spreading. This is nightmare fuel, seriously. Super, super gross.

Oh, agreed. A concentrated effort to cull all the infected animals would definitely help, but it's probably best to wait on that until the fissure is stabilized. And if there's a solution that doesn't require engaging directly with the creatures, I'd really prefer that.

Yeah, no kidding. How would you even take care of something like this, though? Put the medicine in the water?

DUNGEON LOG: AMESTA FOREST

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