maskormenacelogs | There must be something in the water

There must be something in the water

WHO: Everyone!
WHERE: Lake Tahoe, the Nevada side
WHEN: May 17 all day
WHAT: Swear-In
WARNINGS: Some violence

Welcome imPorts new and old to the lovely city of Jeopardy! For the five minutes the swear-in is here, anyway. See, there’s been some unusual activity at the (relatively) nearby Lake Tahoe. The Better Believe It Museum of Cryptozology has appealed to the government for help, and the powers that be generously volunteered this Swear-In as a chance for imPorts to be voluntold to help. Of course, you can always skip the swear-in or just decide to kick up your feet at a nice lakeside property in May, but the local natives would really appreciate the assistance. So much so that they’ve rented out a legion of party buses to transport you from Jeopardy to the museum in style. Yes, there’s a bar and snacks (though only juice for the kids). It’s about a three hour drive, try not to get too sloshed on the way over.

Just what is the issue? It seems that Nevada’s most famous cryptid, Tahoe Tessie has...well. Been seen. And, yes, of course, there is that whole museum you are going to at the edge of the lake dedicated to fuzzy, shaky-cam ‘sightings’ of Tessie and other cryptozoological marvels over the years, but this is different. Like, ‘oh no, we actually found her’ different. And by all appearances, Tessie’s pretty pissed at being found. Any boats that attempt to go out into the lake are sunk, divers have vanished to never be seen again (whole, anyway. A few parts have washed up), and police have noted a sharp increase in random, violent attacks around the lake shores.

That’s where you come in.

The museum has requested Tessie be captured and transferred into their crypto-aquarium where she can be studied (and rubbed in the faces of all those ‘real’ scientists that called them crazy over the years). There are other options, though. The police are just fine with you killing the creatures; let the scientists dissect the corpse. And a very well funded individual party is more than willing to pay an exorbitant amount to the imPorts that hand her over to them.

While you ponder about the ethics and money involved, here’s the lay of the land.

First there is the cryptid museum itself. Not the tidiest of places, the museum is three floors of winding narrow aisles between shelves heaped with curiosities and walls covered in fuzzy photographs with plaques explaining what cryptozoological marvel is depicted in them, or poster sized print outs of ‘testimonials’ of alien abductions, bigfoot sightings, etc, along with artists interpretations of events described. There is also, of course, quite an expansive gift shop. Get your BELIEVER t-shirt before supplies run out. Please no powers in the museum, the owner is quite forceful about how everything in there is one of a kind.

For those of you not into monster hunting, or hunters that need to recharge, the cryptid museum is right next to a resort that has thoughtfully opened its doors to imPorts. It’s lingering around 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit at the lake, not exactly swimming weather, but there’s charming outdoor seating, fire pits to gather around, and free drinks and finger foods abound for every one to mingle with. There’s plenty of nice walking paths around the lake, some low-key events like horse shoe tossing or croquet to pass the time with. Just a nice break by the lake to recharge after a rough month.

Then there’s the lake itself. The locals have provided you with canoes, small fishing boats with radar, diving suits and snorkels, fishing nets, pretty much anything they could think of that will help you catch dear old Tessie (if you have a specific request for an unusual item, ask here if it will be provided!). A certain eccentric (the one offering cash money for Tessie to be turned over to them) even provided a one person submarine for use- though it doesn’t have any arms to grab with or much in the way of catching power, the gesture was still nice?

But catching a cryptid isn’t that easy. See, turns out that surge in violent attacks isn’t just dear old Tessie. If you just pressed A and skipped to the lake itself, you’re in for an unpleasant surprise. Those that took time to view the museum first, or chatted with the hotel staff about local legends, will have some warning of what is waiting for them. They’ll learn that in addition to cryptids lake Tahoe has a very real monstrous history- it’s a known mob mass graveyard. Through the 1900s, possibly up to today, the lake served as a very convenient spot for mobsters to send people to ‘sleep with the fishes.’ No one knows how many bodies have ended up under those placid waters, but it’s an unpleasant number. Just an interesting historical tidbit until you actually enter the lake. There you’ll see these dead are, somehow, awake. And not that happy about it.

The lake is crawling with revenants. These angry undead will fight tooth and nail anyone that comes into the waters of the lake, trying to pull you down to meet the same watery fate as them. We’re literal on the tooth part, their bites are strong enough to rip out chunks of flesh. They will follow anyone that disturbs them out of the lake, focused on destroying the life they no longer have. These creatures will need to be destroyed or laid to rest for the lake to be safe again. This can be done through sheer physical assault, break enough of the bones or destroy the skull and the creatures will collapse into the muk. Or they can be put to rest one by one with rituals specifically made for putting the dead to rest (from any religion or philosophy). Those that can talk with the dead and have the dedication can talk the spirits into releasing their mortal coil and returning to the void. Just remember their first emotion is rage at the living, and their first instinct will always be to attack. Those going for a more peaceful route may need back-up to keep the creatures at bay until they start seeing results.

Finally, there’s Tessie.

While legends have reported, and the cryptid museum lead you to expect, a more serpentine creature, characters are once more in for a surprise. Those that finally get past the undead to Tessie herself will discover she is none other than a legendary lusca: half shark, half squid, all attitude. For those still trying to apply biology to this, Tessie’s front half looks like a bull shark, a species infamous for its ability to swim in both salt and fresh waters. There is a little good news: unlike the revenants, Tessie isn’t looking so hot. Some of her tentacles are rotting off and teeth are falling out. She is mostly working to avoid anyone that wants to bother her, darting to deeper waters and running away from close encounters. Anyone that does get too close will face a fight, but it’s that of an animal in its death throes. While an unlimited number of characters can see Tessie, the final decision of what happens to her will be decided by a poll.

After a long day at the lake, imPorts are bused back to Jeopardy in the same party buses. Hopefully still more or less in one piece.

OOC PLOTTING AND QUESTIONS SHOULD BE DIRECTED HERE!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Terrible Plan (closed to Impact and that one guy in leather Apollo just can’t quit)

The message hadn’t been a surprise, not really – this was what Apollo had wanted, after all. Something, anything, that might give him an opportunity to set up some kind of meeting with an OTO operative. At the first opportunity he shares it with his Impact team mates, showing them the message as it appears on his communicator:
They have gone too far. Gather a piece of the creature. They will come for it.
Apollo frowns grimly as he takes back his comms device.

"No idea who has gone too far exactly. Although it’s pretty damn rich coming from a terrorist organisation, I’d say." He pauses thoughtfully, surveying the lake water. "But if we can find a bit of the creature that it’s not going to miss, then this could be a good opportunity."

At The Resort (open to all)

The lake is gorgeous, there’s no denying it. Apollo takes his time appreciating the view, admiring how classically serene the lake looks despite the weirdness going on beneath the surface. It’s probably a metaphor for life or something. He moves away from the cheerful hubbub of the ImPorts gathered around the fire pits and makes his way down to the gentle lapping water edge, where the crystal-clear water meets the pale stretch of sand. It’s quieter here, the water glassy with the reflection of the setting sun on the far side of the lake. He bends briefly, scooping up a particularly smooth and circular rock from the shoreline and hefts it in his hand thoughtfully. He’d done this once with Jenny, down at the jetty at Point Reyes. Wistfully Apollo smiles to himself before flicking the stone out in a neat sidearm, whipping it across the glassy surface to skip one, two, three times before it sinks noisily beneath the water.

He selects another rock. Four skips this time, but he’s not really trying. The third attempt (with a bit of muscle behind the throw) gets an impressive six skips – a personal record – and Apollo turns with a pleased grin to see if anyone back at the fire pits had noticed his small private victory.

"Pretty good, right?"

Wildcard/Custom Prompt

[ Feel free to hit me up on plurk (fizzier) or discord (shaz#0911) if there's something else you fancy! ]

The stone suddenly rises to the surface again, leaving another ring of ripples in the surface. It doesn't move. There's something dark a couple meters beneath it, standing on the lake bed.

Seconds later, Apollo's communicator receives a message.

Your aim is not appreciated.

Rocks don't typically do that, Apollo thinks to himself as he watches the stone hang in perfect suspension against the surface. He's a half second away from lasering the rock in to superheated fragments - he's had enough of weird lake creatures today, thanks very much - before his comms device pings merrily.

The name attached to the message rings familiar but it still takes a moment for Apollo to remember the strange (and slightly awful) man who'd stepped in to help Riptide last month. The stone's return and the dark shadow beneath the surface suddenly make a great deal more sense.

Apollo swiftly types up his reply:

Would it help if I shouted 'fore'?

She offers a small smile. "Better than I could do without the assistance of my telekinetic magic." A beat of silence, then: "I know someone back in my universe who could probably put us all to shame, though."

Apollo throws Wanda a hazy, sunny, lop-sided grin of his own in return.

"Ah, but powers are cheating," He insists with a shake of his head. Briefly stooping to pick another rock, he offers it out to her in challenge.

"Come on, let's see what you've got."

"As long as you promise not to tell." And she takes the rock, and without powers, tries to skip it as he had.

It plops unceremoniously into the water, almost as if it were mocking her all while proving her right that she could not, in fact, be a pro at this.

Apollo spreads his hands in amused protest at Wanda's request.

"Who would I even tell...?"

He trails off as she makes her move, and can't hide the teasing grin as the stone quickly disappears below the water.

"Okay, okay. Maybe you get to use your powers. Call it a handicap for that shocking performance."

"Oh, you know, you might have a book of import gossip." She teases.

"What is the secret anyway to tossing it right?"

He turns his gaze to the beach beneath their feet and selects a flat, smooth stone and gestures for Wanda to come closer.

"Here, see - hold it in your hand like this," He instructs, showing her the way he cradles the stone in a particular way. "And make it a fast, low throw - flick it sharply with your wrist - like this..."

He whips the stone out across the lake for a four-step bounce and beams at the result.

"No superpowers needed."

"Yeah, that was pretty good."

Said Carl, who was carefully choosing his rock before he made a final selection. He picked it up, feeling the smoothness and how round it is. He toss it.

Not even one skip. It just plonks to the lake, like any other boring rock.

"Don't worry, it didn't work for me the first time I tried, either," Apollo confides with a grin. He quickly scans the beach and selects another smooth stone, and shows the boy how he holds it in his hand.

"Try holding it like this, see? With your index finger around the edge of the rock. You need to give it a bit of spin as you throw it..."

He stands back and whips it across the lake with a quick flick. Four skips.

"Try again?"

Carl found another stone and watched closely as the older man instructs. "Okay."

Following his guidance, Carl flicks his rock to the lake. One skip. Better than none, he suppose.

Apollo steps back briefly as Carl lines up his next throw, giving him enough space to do his thing. And yes, on skip is definitely better than one, a thought that's clearly written on Apollo's face as he beams at Carl in approval.

"Good effort. You want to go for speed over strength, see?" He picks up another rock and flicks it quickly, easily, out across the lake for another four skips. "Make it a fast movement, like that."

"Got it." Carl finds another rock, make it skip only once again. He tries again, trying to match Apollo's speed. Two times, now. He's getting better.

"So who taught you how to skip rocks?" Carl ask, trying to make a stab at conversation.

"That's good! You've got the hang of it now."

Apollo pauses thoughtfully in between searching for rocks, crouched over the shoreline and glancing briefly out across the glassy lake.

"You know what? I'm not too sure who taught me. Someone when I was younger, probably." He shrugs, sounding diffident about it all. His memory wipe isn't something he wastes much time being upset over; it's not like he can change any of it. "I don't remember anything about my past, you see. Sometimes I just know things without remembering exactly how or why."

[Kirk quickly looks over the communicator before handing it back. He looks out at the water to where he knows the creature is, trying his best to picture it from the bits that he's seen, his imagination trying to come up with the rest.

He's not fully sure why Apollo has gone out of his way to contact the OTO, but he figures the guy must have a good reason. From everything he's seen, Apollo's got a pretty good head on his shoulders.]

How big of a piece are you looking for?

[ Apollo shrugs helplessly. ]

Who knows? Depends what we can get hold of, I guess.

[ If he sounds a bit confused, it's because he is. But this seems like as good a way as any to try and lure someone from the OTO in to some kind of trap. ]

Sharks shed their teeth a lot, right? [ He glances dubiously at Kirk, seeing as he's supposed to be the scientifically minded one. ] Maybe we could find a couple of those...?

[ At least that way would mean minimal harm to poor old Tessie. ]

[Kirk just stares back. He studied mammal biology, not marine biology.] Are they looking for DNA? They could be trying to replicate this thing.

I'd be more comfortable if it's as small as possible. A hair with no follicles... if it has anything like that.

Probably. But we're not going to let them get that far, [ Apollo replies mildly as he surveys the lake. It looks perfectly serene for now, despite the fabled creature that apparently lurks beneath the glassy surface. ]

Don't suppose you can breathe underwater, can you?

[Kirk snorts, biting back the fact that he's heard "we're not going to let them get that far" before.]

No, Superman, I can't. I can, however, rent scuba gear from the locals.

[ God, that's a bit anticlimactic. Apollo nods in resignation. ]

Scuba gear it is, then. [ He pauses thoughtfully. ] There probably won't be anything unpleasant and awful waiting for us under the surface, will there? Aside from Tessie herself.

[Look, they can't all be gods.]

Now that you said that out loud, there absolutely will be something unpleasant and awful waiting for us under the surface, aside from Tessie.

I'll get something sharp.

[Since he can't exactly bite through his mask.]

Sharp is good.

[ Apollo knows that if something unpleasant and awful does come for them, he'd kick himself if he'd told Kirk not to bother. He gives him a look of amused despair. ]

I shouldn't have said anything, should I?

That is the general rule of things, not to jinx it.

[It takes Kirk a very short while to get suited up and grab a javelin. He looks and feels ridiculous, but he can at least breath underwater now.]

[ Apollo has been busy in Kirk's absence. The numerous locals gathered around the lake to watch the imPorts tackle their resident cryptid problem were more than happy to tell Apollo exactly where they need to go to find Tessie herself. By the time Kirk returns Apollo is already waist-deep in the lake water by the shore, cupping a hand over his eyes as he gazes out across the serene surface. ]

So I think we need to head towards the western shore before heading to the interior, [ He says as he turns, glancing back over his shoulder at Kirk with a faint grin. ] Nice suit, by the way.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There must be something in the water

apollo ( unsettled )

resort

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@ resort

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resort

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terrible plan

absolutely terrible

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