♥ April (Lasai) Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

April (Lasai) Event Log
Lasai is a beautiful month. The weather is warmer, the sky is a breathtaking blue again, and with the flowers from Ainir growing nicely, the entire city of Havenwell just feels more alive with every breath. It's a time of renewal, of rebirth, of Ainea's greatest strength as her adherents open the temple gates to invite people and robots from all walks of life to enter and share together. What should be a joyous time, however, is suddenly interrupted as the earthquakes mount day by day through the start of Lasai. Those messages that people have been receiving since Nalom? It seems it's time for the gods to deliver on their promises.

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❥ PROMPT I: The Wild Wild West (East, South and North)

As Ainir gives way to Lasai, one morning the earthquakes, which had been growing more frequent again, suddenly mount in their intensity. The entire city is shaking and the native residents cower despite their faith in their gods' protection. The guards along the wall shout alarm and abandon their posts as the walls start to shift under the strain. When the last of them are safely away from the walls, the barrier and the wall itself quivers. The citizens cry out in alarm and fear until they realize that the walls aren't falling - they're moving. And they're moving further out. As everyone in Havenwell looks on, the walls and its surrounding barrier fluctuates and expands, sliding through the city streets as if on hidden tracks, avoiding buildings and ruins, pushing the toxic air and the storm further away. They finally come to rest and snap back into place, new walls rising from who knows where to fill in the gaps. The barrier strengthens and the earthquakes stop, and as the dust settles, a cheer rises from the citizens.

"Praise the gods! Praise the off-worlders!"

Among the din of their celebration, however, other cries start up among the newly incorporated ruins. Cries that sound like howls and screeches, and certainly do not sound human. Grab your weapons and steel yourselves, off-worlders, with the addition of this new space comes the need to clear it of anything potentially dangerous that got caught up in the expansion. Not all creatures you'll find are hostile, but some certainly are. Docile ones might just fetch a nice price from the Research Towers and the Conservatory if you can capture a mating pair.

OOC: These are the creatures you can encounter in the city as you go through to clear it. It's not an invasion level of infestation, as the majority of creatures will prefer to remain inside their known territory beyond the original barrier, but you will on occasion need to take up arms and fight. Next to their names are the frequency with which you can find them, ranging from common to extremely rare.

• Inky Black Spiders (common - hostile): These relatively small, black spider-like creatures have very basic melee attacks, using their fangs and their sharp legs to bite and claw at people. Those who were around in October when the wall broke will recognize them as the most common enemy back then. Their exoskeletons are hard and when they die, they smash into a black goo. They tend to travel in packs, using sheer numbers to overwhelm their prey.
  
• One-Eyed Lizard (uncommon - docile): An iridescent scaly purple and green lizard approximately 8 to 10cm in length from tip to tail. It has a single eye at the top of its head that can rotate to see 360 degrees around it. This creature's main defenses are its tough hide and a spine on the tip of its tail which it whips at predators to dissuade them from eating it. It's more likely to run than fight, however, and can usually be found sunbathing on exposed rock with its eye closed.
  
• "Bone Giraffe" (extremely rare - hostile): A nearly 20-foot tall, long-necked skeleton of a four-legged creature long dead with a single curved horn protruding from its skull and a sharp snout. It's usually found lying in a heap, as if it laid down and died that way. A black seven-petaled flower sometimes (but not always) grows from the skull and beneath the skeleton is an oily black film. Touching the oil slick activates the creature, which draws the oil up into the skeletal cage. Its main attacks are brute force, using its bony legs and neck to kick and slam against its prey, and its acid breath. It breathes a black fume that sizzles and burns anything it touches.
  
• Rive Talon (rare - hostile - medium): In the past these creatures may have been canines of some form, now they seem to have melded with the detritus of the fallen buildings and creatures of the landscape. Extra spikes, ridges, and protrusions extend from its body at odd angles. Many of them are metal or stone, rather than bone. And some of the bones clearly were not originally its own. (Suggested by Sierra!)
  
• Outskirts Hare (uncommon - docile): A shy creature, roughly the size and shape of an earth hare, covered in fuzzy-looking, curly pink hair and cat-like whiskers. Normally quite timid, this creature's poor eyesight causes it to flee when it feels threatened, and relies largely on a sense of touch to navigate its surroundings. Contact with this creature's fur is markedly pleasant, but its skin discharges an oil that causes mild skin irritation on contact when it's nervous. Active mostly at night time. (Suggested by Mel!)
  
• Ansaurini (rare - annoying): a bipedal feathered bird with sharp claws and teeth good for chomping; some possess flight capabilities, but the majority are prone to a lazy waddle. Mostly harmless and deceptively unassuming until you turn your back- and suddenly it's run off with something it stole off your person! They are excellent at escaping, though they can be traced back to their hoard, and if their collection is raided they will make a lot of noise in protest. Just watch your back- they will try again until you leave their territory. Truly, a horrible thing.
  

❥ PROMPT II: Welcome to the (Urban) Jungle

Once the creatures are mostly taken care of and the newly revealed area is deemed safe enough to venture into, the city council will put out a call for those willing and able to assist the natives with a clean-up effort. The city outside the walls is badly damaged, left to the ravages of the time and the ever-present storm, which means clearing dust, debris, and flotsam is a high priority before people can begin to repair the new districts and salvage material or live there. Thick brown vines cover large parts of the city, grime from the storm is caked onto windows, rocks and scattered rotted bones and twisted metal can be found in roads and crashed through buildings. The atmosphere in this part of the city seems to mirror the decrepit state of the land, too, feeling heavier and grayer and more depressing than it has any right to be. Going out with people and helping together, taking breaks to lean against one another tends to help clear away any negativity that this land seems to bring to your thoughts, however. Since it's dangerous to go alone, be sure to take a friend.

The biggest concern is the vines, so natives offer to lend machetes to the offworlders to help the hack them away. The vines look brown and dead, the leaves withered and curled up. When characters hack into them, the vines release a puff of yellowish dust. Inhale the dust or get it anywhere near your face and over time, you'll begin to get sleepy - very sleepy. It's hard to keep your eyes open, no matter your resistance to poisons or magic, and eventually you'll find yourself falling asleep wherever you are. And once you're asleep? The vines start moving, crawling toward you at a snail's pace. Hopefully you did bring a friend because you'll need their touch to wake up and stay awake long enough to get away from the vines before they pull you deep within their grasp.

❥ PROMPT III: Take a Load Off

Not everyone can fight or clean or even wants to do it, so while those who are more suited to being on the front lines are off doing their thing, those who remain behind must begin the effort of preparing everything that people will need to live in these new areas. At the temples and in the main square, the priests have set up large rest areas with blankets and pillows, and are busily putting together repair kits for mechanics and explorers to use as they go through the ruins. Those who want a place to rest that doesn't require going all the way back to their homes might find these waystations more convenient.

At each, characters can find hot soups with chunks of hearty replicated breads and both hot and cold drinks available for any who wish it. They're trying to replicate pain medications and bandages for people who have been injured while exploring or fighting off the monsters who were unlucky enough to be left inside, and will ask you to try it if you're injured. Taking this medication might have some unintended side effects, however, like a feeling of euphoria or delusions of grandeur or even something as banal as turning your hair a shocking shade of chartreuse - the effect, if you want one, is up to you! The rest areas also have robots "skilled" in giving massages that are looking to test their newly acquired skills and with four pairs of arms, they can work on two people at once! In fact, they're rather insistent about giving you a free massage if they hear even the slightest hint of fatigue in your voice and will usher people into their curtained off booths regardless of whether they know the other occupant or not. These robots are still learning though, so anyone curious enough to try may need to work with their partner to give these robots pointers. They're trying, but not having fragile little flesh bodies is a major obstacle in learning how to have a gentle touch.

❥ PROMPT IV: That Which Remains

With the opening of the city, there seem to be a lot of buildings that need cleaning. Some are so dilapidated that they're better off demolished than repossessed, and most are residential and commercial buildings reminiscent of the ones the offworlders are used to seeing everyday in the Havenwell they've all known up until now. However, among the ruins of these older sections, those intrepid enough to venture and explore may find a few unique gems awaiting them. Just remember: the first rule of urban exploration is to never go alone. You never know what might be lurking in those abandoned buildings or what obstacles might be in your way. Doorways blocked by rubble will need more than one person to remove them. Frightened (and frightening) animals might be lingering in the dark. And, most importantly, you don't want to fall through the floor and vanish into a basement. There seem to be quite a few weakened floors out there. In the following parts of the expanded city, characters can find these interesting ruins:

• Northwest: The Arena - In the northwest of the newly opened area, characters can find what looks to be a ruin of a large open air oval building. The building itself is almost 3 stories tall with walls overgrown with brown vines and dead foliage. There are doorways that have no doors, instead being high archways through which people can access in the interior. Stairs lead up into what looks like worn stone benches and down below is a rubble-strewn open area. Part of the walls have collapsed over time but it's very clear this place was used once as some sort of viewing area. It'll take a bit of work to clear this place until it's usable!
  
  There are archways with stairs that lead downward, but you'll need some help clearing away the rubble to get to what's below! If you're successful in getting beneath the arena, you'll find hallways with empty rooms that vary between large enough to possibly be some sort of training room to small enough to be just enough space for someone to put a slim single cot or bed and maybe a wardrobe to have a small private room. Some rooms have rusted metal that may or may not have been weapons at some point, while others have faded wall paintings, chipped and worn with age. It's hard to make out, but with enough reconstruction work, you may just learn who used to haunt these halls.
  
  
• Southeast: The Baths - In the southeast of the newly opened area, characters will find a domed building unlike the rest of the architecture around it. It's extremely large, for one, and squat, while the rest of Havenwell's buildings seem to be lean and tall. The walls are made of the same stone, but the dome above is broken glass. There are several metal sliding doors set in the walls, but many are fused shut with grime and years of disuse. One main door, larger than the others is sightly ajar, however, and with some help characters may be able to force it open.
  
  Inside, they find an expansive lobby with white floors that must have sparkled before all the grime, dirt, and broken glass took over. The dome overhead reflects the light, making the interior of the building as bright as outside. At the center of the lobby is a dry fountain with two broken statues - four armed humanoids holding urns. Their heads are missing and many of the arms are broken and lying in the dry basin. From the lobby there are alcoves in every direction and two hallways that lead further into the buiding in opposite directions. In each alcove are low stone seats and round basins sunk into the ground that are either dry with a black film around the inside, or full of a dark oily substance that's nearly coagulated.
  
  Go down the hallways and you'll find identical looking chambers. First, you enter an open area with broken sinks and mirrors, with stone cubbies on the walls. Then when you pry open and push past the metal sliding doors, you'll find yourself in a wide open semicircular area filled with baths of different sizes, shapes and depths. Some are free-standing stone tubs, others are large basins sunk into the ground, and still others are rectangular and just big enough for one or two people to lie down in. Each of these basins are like the ones in the lobby, either filled with that same coagulated black ooze or dry with a black film inside. Looks like it's time to get cleaning because each basin also seems like they might be able to be retrofitted to produce water perhaps.
  
  
• Southwest: The Factory - In the southwest, closest to the wall, the characters can find an imposing square building. It has small thin windows and boasts a plethora of chimneys and smokestacks on the roof, some of which are crumbling or broken with age and exposure. There are two square doors, both of which are large enough to drive a truck through and made of metal which needs to be pried open before accessing the inside. Once inside, the characters find a massive operation geared toward ore and mineral processing and metallurgical refinement. The machinery is old, but extremely well laid out, as it seems this plant was used to process huge volumes of minerals and ores before being lost to time. There are stations for every imaginable part of the refining process separated neatly so they can work efficiently, but all of the machines are broken or currently inoperable and will need significant work before they can start functioning again.
  
  Explore the refinery and you may still find one or two of the ores lying about. They contain an unknown metal that gleams a slick oily silver. At the back of the refinery is an industrial elevator which is currently inoperational. Peering down through the cracks, however, reveals that the shaft goes a long way down. The view of just how far is obstructed by a shimmering rainbow-colored barrier, not unlike the one that is just outside the walls.

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This event will run from April 15th to 30th, although due to the areas and effects not technically vanishing, feel free to continue playing with it for some time beyond. Click on each prompt's title to see the text. If you have any questions, feel free to direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread.

Comments

[carbungle]

Yeah... guess now's as good a time as any for some on-the-job training.

[He remembers, of course- his issues are not so much that he'd forgotten, but that there's a dissonance between his memories of "here" versus "there". It happened weeks ago, but it happened months ago. It's been jarring to try and stitch those memories together into one timeline.

Still, even if he had forgotten, he would know. Their souls are connected now, and he can feel his power tied to her. Impossible not to remember that, as that feeling is soft but persistent, stable and unnoticed until you look for it, like a beating heart.

And... almost. Not quite, but almost. His fingers flex a little, feeling the ring and the souls within it.]

...Anything in particular you want to look for?

[iustaegis]

Oh, mmm.... [ She appears to be delayed in thought.

The truth of this expedition isn't primarily about discovering something-- although important, that had been an excuse. The real reason is him, Noctis, in the hopes that he could use this both as an activity and distraction. ]

Ores. Those ores mentioned in the archives. We didn't find any from the one we went out on, but there's bound to be some... somewhere. [ When the locals had asked for help in repairing the wall, they seemingly did not bring supplies from mines, but repurposed materials from older buildings. There should be at least parts of a supply chain involving the ores somewhere in the extended vicinity.

She shrugs, smiling. ] But I'm not a metal detector. But what about you?

[carbungle]

Not... last time I checked.

[He's reasonably certain that was not a side effect of any of the blessings. Her pause is curious, since she takes investigations and research fairly seriously (compared to many here, at least), so it seemed odd for her to come out here without an actual goal to achieve. It sounds kind of like an excuse. He knows he's been kind of pathetic though (his words, not hers), so it's understandable that she'd take any reason to drag him away from his moping haunts.]

I do know someone who's a pro at tracking. Hey, Umbra?

[The dog didn't leave the house with them, and doesn't appear to be anywhere nearby, but Noct is unbothered by these facts.]

[iustaegis]

[ His Messenger's name?

She waits to see what happens, looking fairly clueless as to what he's calling him for. ] Um, didn't we leave him at the house...?

[carbungle]

Doors don't really matter with him.

[And sure enough, after a few moments there's a steady noise of dog paws against soil, and Umbra comes trotting over, tail wagging. Noctis crouches down in front of him, giving his head a rowdy ruffle.]

Hey, bud. Let us know if you find something interesting, will you?

[Umbra barks and heads off ahead in the direction they'd been walking as Noct straightens up again.]

1/2

[iustaegis]

[ A messenger of the gods would be able to come and go as they please, wouldn't they?

She stares as Umbra trots off, as if this is something completely normal to Noctis. ]

[iustaegis]

[ Then, her smile returns. ]

He's playing fetch with information... I hope you brought treats for him as a reward.

[carbungle]

Hmm, maybe. [He didn't, but Umbra will understand.] What treat would you give to a Messenger of the gods?

[iustaegis]

[ Simple! All the messengers are animals, right? ] Only the best, most top-quality ear scritches.

[carbungle]

[Well... most of them, probably...]

Sounds like you've got his number, then.

[iustaegis]

Mm... thought so! [ She seems proud of her silly assessment, nodding to herself. ] Because he's-- connected to you in some way, and you enjoyed them when you had ears!

[carbungle]

Hey, don't pin it on me- he liked them long before the two of us ever met. You can even ask him.

[He may be a Messenger, but he's also a dog. Dogs like scritches, it's practically law.]

[iustaegis]

[ Pyra raises her free hand, yes, she believes him! ] I’m only suggesting that such scritches would be a good reward for you, too.

Or to have just because....

[ Although here she lifts her head. They’re coming upon a crosswalk, and she thought she heard something. ] Er... I know you sent him out, but it’s not possible for them to be injured, is it?

[carbungle]

[His fingers tighten around hers, a shadow cast across his face as he tries to mask it, carefully, and when he answers his tone is equally cautious.]

They can. But he knows to be careful when he's alone.

[iustaegis]

[ Noctis had sent him to scout out without looking too concerned. Her fault for asking, she was only worried! She doesn't know how durable divine entities in his world are...

She gives his hand a tug, as if to get his attention with an unspoken "hey". ] He's traveled through all sorts of dangerous things in his world, hasn't he? A little scouting mission is probably the exercise he's been waiting for a while.

[carbungle]

[More durable than you'd think, less durable than you'd hope. Still, Umbra hadn't looked nervous either as he'd trotted off, and as the subject shifts slightly, Noctis exhales and starts to relax.]

Probably. He used to cross the ocean back home, and whole continents. He must be just as stir-crazy as the rest of us these days.

[iustaegis]

[ Stir-crazy...

She glances at him, then looks forward. ]

Ah, I think... he's just brought back a solution to help with that.

[ Two solutions, because here comes Umbra dashing out of a cross street with two Rive Talons in tow. The canine-like beasts chase after him with a seemingly hungry fevour, slobbering at the mouth, but compared to Umbra's movements and leaps as he maneuvers past debris, they appear comparatively clumsy.

She knows better than to underestimate creatures of this world, though, and so she gives Noctis a nod for direction. He's managed to teach her a few things before he vanished, but she doesn't know if he trusts her to handle one or both of the creatures. ] Awaiting instructions, professor.

[carbungle]

[Oh boy, look at them go. Umbra shoots past the pair with a bark that sounds entirely too pleased for this encounter to be an accident, and despite that, Noctis finds himself smiling a little. Yeah, Umbra gets him.]

Try not to die.

[Okay, even for him that's pretty unhelpful. He reaches a hand out to call Ultima from the armory, stepping between her and the beasts as they approach, prepared to defend until she's ready.]

Sword out- I'll keep their focus if I can. Strike from behind and back off if they try to surround you.

[A simple tactic, but he's never been one for making complex plans, and just because they look a bit like sabertusks doesn't mean they'll behave the same way. With a fling of his sword he warps to the beast in front, striking it in the side and bowling it right over. The other kites around, snarling as Noctis rolls off the one he'd wounded and swings his blade while it's still trying to get up.]

[iustaegis]

[ Durandal appears in her hand with a flash of blue, sparkling light, and she swings it to the side once to reacquaint herself with its weight, feeling the prickle of its elegant light-based energy.

Noctis distracts them with his initial wrap-strike, leaving her to follow up from behind. If she can get one to engage with her while Noctis handles the other, it would be ideal.

She does so, viciously, her blade finding its mark against the beast's side in a powerful upward swing, and she backs off with a leap as it turns on her, snarling and biting at the air. Even wounded, the creature does not appear deterred, and it lunges forward.

Pyra defends by turning her sword broadside as its maw bites down upon it like a toy, not at all bothered by how the edges of the blade seem to cut into its palate and tongue. She cringes as its saliva sprays upon her... and she'll just sit her and wrestle a bit with the beast because, hey, she can't seem too strong, can she? But she's holding her own, some expertise given away by how she continues to avoid being swiped at, turning her blade within its mouth to lodge it between teeth like wired floss. She's trapped the canine with its own attempt to latch onto her, and now it whines. ]

[carbungle]

[It's weird to be the one keeping an eye on someone else in battle, considering it's usually him holding the attention of his retainers. Not that he doesn't watch their backs as well, but theirs is a well-polished system that works and has worked for a long time now, each synchronized to the signs and sounds of their partners in danger. Pyra's presence is a new cog in the system, and it's going to take some effort to figure out how she fits. Part of that is keeping her alive in the meantime- and staying alive, too.

He's pleased with how well she's doing on her own, so for now he refocuses on his foe, releasing his sword to lure it into a false sense of security. It lunges towards him, and at the last second he deftly phases away from its claws, calling his sword back to swing at its hind legs as it flies past him. The monster shrieks and snarls, limping out of reach and turning back around to face him, more wary this time.

Since that one is for the moment crippled enough to be less of a threat, he releases his sword and calls out his shield instead, launching it into a spin towards the one Pyra is locked in a standstill with. One moment it's there, pressed in and snarling... and suddenly it's bowled over sideways by the Royal Arm, the impact tearing its jaws away from her sword. Noctis appears where the shield lands, dismissing it and giving her a thumbs up.]

Nice defense! Round 2?

[He turns back to his own, which is now struggling back to its feet.]

[iustaegis]

[ As the shield barrels through, she slices vertically to split its snout as its forcefully barreled from the deadlock. ]

Round two!

[ She cheers back with a smile, then turns her attention to her opponent, which is already back to its feet despite its injuries. Tenacious, huh. They're build far stronger than they appear. This time she's the one to engage first, lunging at the wounded rive talon in a forward strike, which it scrambles to the side, dripping a bloody trail in its wake. Pyra follows through by dismissing the blade, turning, then swiping striking against with a summon of the sword into her opposite hand, and this time her aim is true, causing another injury. It growls but persists in an attack in return, swiping at her with a muscular, armored tail-- which she dodges by gracefully flipping into the air and chucking the sword like a javelin, pinning its tail down.

She lands with a slide, kicking up dust as she dismisses the blade from the strike, and she already has her arm pulled back in preparation when she recalls Durandal into her hand, hurling it forward once again, missing intentionally.

Round three means she's just going to spam doing this until it spears right through its chest with an questionably inhuman force, finally ending its life. ]

[carbungle]

[His own beast had been in considerably worse state due to its staggered legs, which hampered its movement and made it easy to dodge; still thirsty for an outlet after several restless, anxious days, Noctis dances around it longer than it strictly necessary, phasing or ducking around its swiping claws or snapping hooked jaws. Not for too long, though. They may have attacked first - and attacked Umbra, even, which is super unforgivable - but they were still wild animals out in their own environment, and he's not cruel on purpose. One last phase downwards and he summons his sword as the creature leaps over him, the blade slicing cleanly from belly to spine as its own momentum is used against it. It lands in a bloody heap, dead on impact.

The swiftness of that kill means he can turn his full attention on Pyra's fight, which is undeniably impressive. She has a certain grace and skill that speaks of either spectacular instinct or more training than she lets on- more than he's given her, at least. he doesn't remember teaching her that. She's speedy and athletic, moving with a sword that, with her small stature, could easily hamper someone with less control over their body. Very interesting.

A kill's a kill, though, and he files it away as another thing she's inexplicably cagey about. Instead he claps as the beast finally drops, jogging over to hold his fist out.]

Look at you! Practically a pro already.

[iustaegis]

[ She dismisses the blade, waving her hand through the blue flickers of light as they disperse as if to bid it farewell. She looks to him as he issues his praise, allowing herself to smile. ]

I've been practicing.

[ Pyra raises her hand to his, mirrors his fist. Bump, there they go, and it's back to holding his hand. ]

It-- ah. It almost reminds me of being in that "archer" class, throwing the sword at a distance. [ Think she wouldn't compare RL to video games? Think again. ] It's like having infinite ammunition. [ ...Her sword-- her real sword, does not function like this. She might throws it out and move it at-will to strike another, but it must ultimately be called back into her palm. This is a nice change, allowing having a weapon virtually teleport back into her grasp, as it makes for quicker strikes. ]

[carbungle]

Well, it shows.

[If she's developing her own techs already, they should work on some collaborations. Maybe he can drag Prompto to a training session to demonstrate a few, get ideas flowing.]

If you like that, you should try daggers sometime. Faster and easier to throw, but has a pretty similar effect in the end.

[iustaegis]

Oh, um... It might be best to focus on one weapon, wouldn't it?

[ She won't officially say no, just that swords are easier to manage. ] I'm only starting to get used to this sword.