The Beta sector quickly proved to be more dangerous than anything in Alpha. The gang managed to escape the giant sandworms in level 16 and survived the quicksand that nearly swallowed them whole in level 17. When they were transported to The Grid to discover what level 18 had in store for them, they appeared inside dark cells, hearing roaring sounds in the distance.
Eventually guards appeared to free them from their shackles and escort them with the edge of blades and spears pressed to their backs. The gang was separated, led away in pairs by their captors and released in the open space of an arena. Mad and vicious cries were heard from all the programs gathered to watch their gladiator match.
For a moment the two avatars think they’ll be forced to fight each other but soon enough two gates open opposite from where they stand and their two opponents walk out: Warrior programs ready to kill them.
The mission is clear. Fight together or die.
OOC information below:
The members of the gang will be paired up (a randomizer will be used to select the pairs) and taken to different fighting areas of the arena to fight against their opponents. The arena is heavily guarded attempting to escape isn’t an option. The matches are to the death, so the pairs will have to give it their all to defeat the warrior programs before they kill them first.
Please comment this post with your character(s) name to know you wish for them to participate so I can randomize the pairs. I will post the list of pairs in the ooc before the event starts.
Plot drops will take place during the event to give necessary information to the players.
The event will start on Saturday November 3rd at 12:00 AM (Central Time).
Date: Thursday March 18th to Sunday March 21st
Location: New York University & Airbnb loft in Lower East Side
To continue fostering great collaborative relationships with other universities across the country as well as bringing eclectic groups of people to develop innovative ideas, Turing Academy as well as other nine universities have been invited to participate in a student, staff and faculty retreat. This year the host is NYU and the dynamics as well as the workshops will be focused on cross-disciplinary explorations of AI and its social implications.
The group’s flight for New York City will leave on Wednesday March 17th, so they are ready to take part in the retreat’s activities starting on Thursday, and they will fly back to Boston on Sunday evening. They will stay in the designated loft in the Lower East Side, which is only a 23 min. away from the university (walk to Allen St/Hester St and take the subway to 2 Avenue & East 3 St). Workshops, lectures and dynamics regarding the retreat will take place from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Attendance to all is mandatory. The rest of the time, the group is welcome to go sightseeing, to museums, plays and Broadway shows, etc. but they are expected to be back to the loft by curfew. The curfew is strictly at 10:00 PM, so all participants must be back in their cabin at that time.
The group that takes part in the retreat will have justified absences at the academy but must ensure that they do not fall behind with homework or other assignments.
The fall semester comes to an end on Friday December 18th and the last social event on campus will take place on Sunday December 20th for those who wish to attend before Turing Academy closes its doors for the holiday break.
Gifts will be exchanged. Local musicians will set the mood of holiday cheer. A Christmas bazar will be set up on the main quad. There will be free hot cocoa, eggnog and home baked cookies available as a treat from the faculty to the students and staff.
Date: Thursday April 9th to Sunday April 12th
Location: University of California, Los Angeles & Beach Houses in Venice Beach
To continue fostering great collaborative relationships with other universities across the country as well as bringing eclectic groups of people to develop innovative ideas, Turing Academy as well as other nine universities have been invited to participate in a student, staff and faculty retreat. This year the host is UCLA and the dynamics as well as the workshops will be focused on social conscience and sustainability.
The group’s flight will leave on Wednesday so they are ready to take part in the retreat’s activities starting on Thursday, and they will fly back to Boston on Sunday evening. They will stay in the designated beach houses in Venice Beach, which are only a 17 min. drive away from the university. Workshops, lectures and dynamics regarding the retreat will take place from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Attendance to all is mandatory. The rest of the time, the group is welcome to go sightseeing, to the beach, visit the Santa Monica Pier, etc. but they are expected to be back to the houses by curfew. The curfew is strictly at 10:00 PM, so all participants must be back in their cabin at that time.
The group that takes part in the retreat will have justified absences at the academy but must ensure that they do not fall behind with homework or other assignments.
“Suddenly, everything started to glow, with the intricate patterns on the walls and floors being filled with gold as the idol began to melt. And then, the temple started to shake and rumble.”
The idol is returned to its rightful temple and everything is quickly swallowed in bright, golden light. It feels like the whole level shakes violently, about to fully crumple upon them, stealing away whatever lives they have left. Panic sets in as they scream for their Mastermind friend in the outside world to help them, but with the virus finalizing its intending purpose, he can’t pull them out.
Is this their end?
The Hacker calls out for the wounded Timebomb. The Phoenix no longer mounts his loyal beast and can’t feel it anywhere. The Maverick has completed the task but more than giving them a victory, they fear the idol has brought doom. The golden liquid that was once the idol flows until it reaches each of the users and pools at their feet. That is when everything stops, like time freezing instantly.
Holographic letters hover before each of the users: NEW SKILL UNLOCKED. Each user has their avatar information displayed in front of them where their new skill and its accompanying limitation appears listed next to the ones they already possess.
The virus is 100% loaded, taking hold and spreading all across The Grid. The level finally fades and the four users wake up in their world.
OOC information below:
The four users (Jack, Sal, Bas and June) that took part in this event have gained a new skill. Please message the main with the new skill and its limitation so that the character bios can be updated to reflect this.
Level 40 was the last level of the Gamma sector. The next time the gang enters The Grid, they will do so in the first level of the Delta sector, Level 41. Changes will be made soon in the main to reflect what the users can expect to find in Delta. A notice post will be made once the information is available in our sectors page, so stay tuned!
Also, regarding the Delta sector, I’m letting you guys pick what it could be! I’ve had the general outline for all sectors for a long time but I’d like to include you in our building of The Grid and let you choose the order in which we’ll venture into those worlds. So click here to vote!
As always, depending on what your character went through during Level 40, The Grid can take its toll on their bodies and mental state. Make sure to reflect this in your following threads.
In the last level of the Beta sector the group retrieved a stone idol. Throughout their journey to pass the levels of the Gamma sector they hadn’t yet put that strange relic to use. Until now.
With the ups and down both inside and outside the virtual reality, some members of the group finally venture into level 40, the very last of the Gamma sector. If they have learned anything from their previous forays into The Grid is that the last levels of a sector can be more dangerous than most...
There will be vicious sea creatures lurking in the dark, ready to make their kill. The Ruins of Kandam will prove difficult to navigate due to its maze-like structure. And of course, there will be simple programs guarding the sacred temple where the idol must be placed as well as System Monitors tasked with attacking intruders. Neither will allow them to get close or to enter so easily.
However, venturing into this level can be the perfect time to test the virus a hacker and the timebomb rogue created. Will the programs that are meant to end the users turn against the AI that created them? Or will their programming be unchangeable and they’ll annihilate the intruders that dare face them?
OOC Information below:
The end goal of level 40 is to pass the obstacles in order to deliver to stone idol to its rightful place in a temple. Navigating the maze-like ruins will be hard so the group must device a plan to avoid getting lost. They must be careful against the attacks of the sea creatures as well as the programs guarding the entrance of the temple.
Important note: the closer they get to the temple, the stone idol will begin to glow. They can use it as a tool to make their way, following the right path dictated by the idol’s mysterious glow.
Plot drops will take place during the event to give necessary information to the players.
The event will start on Saturday January 4th at 12:00 AM (Central Time).
Tentatively the event will last two weeks, but if it’s necessary it can be extended. You are welcomed to post non-event related threads too to keep exploring your characters in the real world or in The Grid.
I hope you all enjoy this event! And you know, if you have any questions/comments, don’t hesitate to send me a message!
Thanks to Jack’s idea to host a dinner at their place the group will get a chance to get together for the first time in months. Will the group’s bond strengthen after this or will it continue to fall apart? Only time will tell.
The event will begin on Thursday October 10th at 12:00 AM (Central Time).
