Who: Everyone [Narrative]
Where: Town Hall
When: Evening
What: Town meeting to relay the discoveries of the scouting mission.

Once again, the meeting hall was packed with the people of Elysium. Those who had accompanied the scouting mission finally returned that morning, bringing with them survivors and many useful supplies from the outside world. It was important for them to relay the discoveries of their journey to the citizens, to announce to them what had indeed happened to the world beyond their borders and what they had found and the people they had rescued. Dylan stood before the crowd this time, fresh from his return and ready to speak to the awaiting crowd. The other Head Council members, Theora and Constance, stood by his side. They waited as more citizens piled into the seats, a loud murmur of chatter filling the air. He could hear the questions now. What had they found out there? Was the world really destroyed? It was time for them to know what their leaders knew.

"Thank you for showing up today," Dylan began in his deep voice. The talking of the crowd whittled down to a quiet murmur and almost faded altogether as he spoke. "I am glad to see so many of you have come for this meeting. All of the scouts have returned safely, without incident, and we have scaled the outside grounds to the nearest city. Supplies that will be of use to us have been brought back from the outside, such as generators and medical supplies."

A burst of excitement seemed to wash over the crowd, the murmur of their voices rising higher once more at this news. Dylan let them talk amongst themselves for a moment before continuing with a louder voice that hushed the noise of the crowd. "The world outside has indeed been hit by the terrors of war. The land surrounding the haven is untouched, but beyond that, the land is tattered, some of it destroyed, and the city we visited was in shambles from weapons of war. The effects of a war are obvious on the land. However, despite this grave news, we were able to recover a handful of survivors."

Again, the crowd reacted. This time with gasps and loud calls out to each other and towards the Head Council. Some seemed angry, and others sounded relieved. Dylan held up his hand. "The survivors are not to be released until they have been in containment for tests to make sure that they are healthy. This will probably take a day or two to accomplish. We would like to ask for volunteers at the medical pavilion to help us tend to those brought back. Anyone with medical training or medicinal knowledge is especially wanted. Interacting with them will be completely safe if you are properly protected, as we are unsure of their health status. Human volunteers will not be accepted for safety reasons on their own behalf. The survivors are very weak from their ordeals, so no visitors will be allowed. Only volunteers may come by and will be granted access, if approved. Also, the father of one young man passed away before he could be brought to the haven, and there will be a funeral service to lay his body to rest in proper time."

The people began to talk immediately again at the end of Dylan's speech. Everything that needed to be said was said. Dylan nodded his head deeply to indicate he was finished, and he turned to Constance and Theora to see if they had anything to add. People began to rise from their seats and filter out of the meeting hall. Already, a few people arose and began to form a small group willing to volunteer at the medical pavilion. The meeting itself was clearly over, and everyone left the Town Hall to return to their daily lives.


** NOTE: If you would like to have your character volunteer for the medical pavilion, please have them leave a note to any member of the Head Council so that they may discuss it in game. **

Who: Theora, Dylan, Zane, Ide, and other scouts (then Danté & Logan!)
When: Tuesday (beginning late morning)
Where: The forest outside the nearest city, and the city's airport
What: The scouting mission finds survivors and supplies

Traveling further from the haven's entrance revealed that there was indeed damage to the area. Some parts of the land were burned, trees and shrubbery singed and blackened. Grass and earth crackled underfoot and there were even parts that were still sending smoke into the air. Zane's brow furrowed as he pressed forward with his group. The party had divided up to cover more area and Zane's party (lead by Dylan) was headed into the now deserted town.

"Unbelievable..." the doctor breathed as his eyes took in the sight before him. The quaint little town was ravaged and Zane imagined what it could have looked like before it became a target for bombs, armored cars and tanks, even infantry. Parts of buildings were blown off, there was concrete crumbled on the ground and splintered wood strewn everywhere. The smell of decomposition mingled with burnt flesh caused Zane's to wince slightly. It was ghastly but nothing that he wasn't prepared for. He took careful steps through the rubble sighing softly when he spied a severed arm or foot, remnants of citizens who were either victims of the virus or the war. Either way it was a tragedy and Zane was thankful for the chance he had to live in Elysium.

Proceeding through the town the group found the city's small airport that had been converted into a temporary military air base. It was exactly what they were looking for, a place that would have the type of supplies that they could use. Plus, it was still intact unlike the rest of the city. Zane crossed his arms and looked around, things were taking a turn for the better and maybe if they were lucky they would even find some survivors.

WHO: Dylan, Theora, and other scouts [Narrative]
WHERE: Beginning at Town Hall, ending outside of Elysium
WHEN: Starting at 3:00 PM
WHAT: The Scouting Mission begins.

The town hall was bustling with activity as they went through the final preparations for the scouting mission. The horses were saddled and bridled, their hooves stomping at the ground in anticipation of the upcoming trip. Neighs filled the air as the horses shook their manes. Their riders stood beside them, double-checking their bags for all the necessary items. There were two wagons that were part of the expedition, one with the necessary supplies for the survival of the party, the other completely empty and ready to carry back whatever they found. It was indeed exciting and everyone was talking about what it would be like outside of the high mountains.

Centaurs and minotaurs did their own kind of preparation. They readied their bows and arrows, their daggers and long swords. Leather armor covered their bodies, and shields forged in the hottest dwarven fires were strapped to their backs. They stood as the guards of the party, those that would fight and defend if necessary. All hoped that it would not come to that, but everything in the outside world had changed since they had last set foot in it and nothing became predictable anymore.

The wagon filled with various supplies for mission held food, including the nutritious and long-lasting Lembas bread, plenty of water, tents for the overnight journey, extra weapons and armor, plus extra clothing for the scouting party. Two horses carried each wagon, and every member of the expedition rode on the back of their own horse or led it along for the time being. All together, there were twelve horses with the group, all of them sturdy beasts unafraid of battle of dangerous conditions. No one would have to worry about lost horses when they departed from the shelter of Elysium.

"Is everyone prepared for the journey ahead?" Dylan inquired of the party, securing the strap of the bag slung over his body, which also carried important items within it for their task. "Double-check all of the bags once more. Make sure that we have everything we need. We will not be coming back to pick up anything that is forgotten. When we leave, we will be locked out until the task is completed and we are ready to return. Is that well understood?" Holding up his arm, Dylan revealed an alchemical bracelet on his wrist that appeared to be made of silver. It glinted in the sunlight. "Also, make sure you are wearing the bracelets that were handed out to you. These were made by Constance for our journey and imbibed with Theora's magic to protect all of us from any poisons or radiation lingering outside of Elysium. If you are not wearing your bracelet, you may very well die. They will last for 72 hours. We will begin to return to Elysium by the halfway mark to ensure our safety. Double-check your wrists now and make sure you are wearing it. When it is on your wrist, hold up your arm for me to see. When I see everyone's arms are raised with their bracelets attached to their wrists, we will re-check our bags and leave for the path of the guard towers."

Dylan waited for confirmation from those around him as, one by one, people raised their arms to reveal the bracelets. Nodding his head once they were all raised, he pointed towards the wagon and then patted his bag. "Re-check your bags and the wagon now," Dylan ordered firmly. They must have everything or they could not leave. As everyone checked through their gathered supplies once more and made sure all supplies were with the group, he took lead of the scouting party.

They traveled from the Town Hall towards the path that led out of the city to the exit of Elysium that they would be taking. Along the way, they passed by the fortified guard towers filled with their watchmen: constant eyes remained on Elysium, and would remain even while they were away. When they arrived upon the deep tunnel much like a cave, both magically and physically shielded, that dug into the earth and marked the beginning of their true departure from the haven, the group prepared themselves with their weapons in case such action would be needed. Hopefully, it would not be.

( Marching forward into lamp-lit darkness, they would find out soon enough what lay beyond the borders of Elysium . . . and what had happened since dreadful war began. )