♥ April (Lasai) Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

April (Lasai) Event Log
This Lasai marks one year since the outer walls moved, expanding Havenwell for the first time in centuries. The natives are commemorating this event in their own ways, watching the walls for any further changes just in case. With the turning warmer and spring sweeping through the city, it's natural for them and the offworlders to expect something new and exciting to happen. This year, however, it seems they should have been watching for something other than the walls...

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❥ PROMPT I: Life Has Many Doors

Whether closed, open, or slightly cracked ajar, mysterious doorways have begun to appear all across Havenwell. They could be in the entryway to your closet, in the middle of the street, or perhaps directly in your path for you to stumble unwittingly into, and they seem to have absolutely no compunction about appearing wherever and at whatever time.

If one crosses the threshold through the door whether through intent or by accident, they will find themselves in another place, at another time...

Beyond the doors lie moments in time--past incidents a character may regret, wish they could change, or an instance where they were completely happy. Or, even potential futures they worry may or may not come to pass. In order to leave and return to the present in Havenwell, one need only join hands with another and speak about their feelings; why they regret doing or not doing something, what they fear or anticipate about their future, or any such truth that might indicate why the specific moment is being shown to them beyond the doorway. To facilitate this, doorways may either link up to that of another Havenwell offworlder's, or lead into a sort of featureless limbo until the same door is used by another.

❥ PROMPT II: Hatoful Bombardment

With everyone preoccupied with the mysterious doors appearing and whisking people away, the shimmering of the barrier might go unnoticed. The color has been so strong lately that people might think it's oily sheen over the blue sky is even normal by now. Then, one day, that sheen is suddenly dotted with tiny ripples, like raindrops hitting water. Not many people may notice this phenomenon right away, but when hundreds upon hundreds of birds suddenly burst through these ripples? They definitely take notice. Flocks of birds swarm en masse through the barrier all at once and then the ripples harden and disappear. They seem confused and scatter throughout the city, bringing with it all sorts of trouble.

These birds are all different species, sizes, and colors - from recognizable ones like the rainbow chickens to strange ones with inky black feathers and bright iridescent eyes. They appear to be completely wild, completely natural birds, however, and act as birds do: fighting for territory, nesting, eating - and boy do they fight, nest, and eat! Offworlders and natives alike will have to deal with the nuisance of these birds chittering, chattering, and screaming at all hours of the day as they try to nest in the city, in the trees, and in the eaves and roofs of people's houses and businesses. They fight with the temple animals - especially Diacht's crows and Rawna's dragonlings - and hunt Ainea's mice. They hassle people's gardens and the botanical gardens looking for food, and make messes trying to eat the leftover replicator goo and any bits of food or chocolate still hanging around.

People are free to try and catch, kill, or eat these birds if they can, but their meat is usually tough and gamey, and soon the zoo and conservationists are overrun with specimens and refuse to take more. By the end of the month, as the event comes to a close, most of the birds that are still free will suddenly begin swarming back towards the barrier and...disappear back through it? ...huh.

❥ PROMPT III: A Feather A Day

One by-product of all these birds in town is an overabundance of feathers. Long, short, stubby, colorful, black, grey, white, spotted, striped, iridescent - there's so many different types that the natives are going absolutely gaga for them all! This is the first time in a long time that they've had so many natural materials to create things from that the costumers, tailors, artists and other creatives in town are clamouring for more, more, more! The feathers begin to make appearances as decorations for headpieces, capes, sashes, bags, digital pens, epaulettes, bracelets, necklaces, artwork - you name it and it has feathers in it! Some enterprising natives even try incorporating it into food before they realize that they're inedible. With this massive demand comes a big business opportunity for people willing to go out and gather up the feathers, clean them of any gunk, sort them, and bring them to the natives. So long as the feathers are in good, useable condition, native artisans will pay a nice sum of Dora for bags of them and will actively ask characters to sell feathers to them.

However, it seems some feathers carry more than just a Dora price tag. Being in proximity or possession of feathers can sometimes have...unexpected effects on the offworlders.

• Fluff for You, Fluff for Me: Your character will randomly and optionally painlessly sprout feathers. They can sprout from anywhere on your character's body, and can be in addition to or replace parts of them. For example, you can have feathers sprout from your hair, or have your hair turn into feathers. You can have feathers pop out of your wrists or have your fingers turn into wingtips. Pulling the feathers out does sting a little, but new feathers will simply grow back in their place and even runs the risk of having more feathers grow in new places. The only way to rid yourself of these is to wait the effect out after dumping your gathered feathers, or physical contact with another person.
  
• Light as a Bird: After gathering up your feathers, your character will begin to feel lighter and lighter until they begin to lift off the ground entirely! Characters who can fly may have no problem with this, but others might find it quite disturbing when they suddenly float off the ground. No matter how hard you try, or how much control you usually have over your flight, it seems that you cannot return to the ground until you either wait for the effect to end after you get rid of your gathered feathers or grab and hold onto another offworlder for a few minutes. The highest you seem to float is up to two stories in the air, and as the effect wanes you gradually get heavier and heavier until you sink back to the earth. When up in the air, characters usually, but not always, tend to bob around like a balloon as if they're stuck in a zero gravity environment.
  
• I Gotta Tweet About This: After incurring this effect, a character's speech will gradually and randomly turn into birdsong, chirping, twittering, and tweets. It can be every word, every other word, just certain words, or any combination you like, but when your character speaks, what comes out of their mouth will be the call of a bird and not their normal voice. Characters are free to try and interpret their friends' songs to find meaning, and characters can have their bird song be from one bird or multiple if they wish. The tweeting will continue so long as you are in possession of the feathers, or until you are able to get some sustained physical contact.

These effects can happen at any time when the feathers are close to your character, and you can even stack them if you like! They will linger even after a character dumps the feathers for a few hours, but for no longer than 24 hours at a time after getting rid of your feathers, whether it's by selling, gifting, dumping, burning or other methods. If characters pick up new feathers after getting rid of their old ones, it's possible for the effects to continue or for new effects to happen. The type of feather your character picks up has no bearing on what effect they incur.

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This event will run from April 15 to April 30th. 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. You can also use the Havenwell Status page or the General Plotting Comment to give you other ideas for original prompts!

Comments

[necromanswers]

[Lup tightens her frown, but doesn't object. Even if there was an exit from this place, she never thought Honerva would take it. It feels wrong not to offer it, regardless.

The one good thing about silverpoint poison, if it were to have a positive trait, is that it doesn't take long to die from it. Many poisons are wretched, a long, slow death, but silverpoint is a death sentence because it kills too quickly to treat, and even if there was a cure no one would survive the journey to a cleric for one. It's painful, but not for long, so they don't have to wait around much for the end to come. When that final breath leaves the body of the elven woman slumped against the cave wall, so too does a spectral, red-robed figure leave it in turn, looking down at herself with a frustrated noise.

She doesn't have long to linger on her fate. The umbrella resting against the corpse twitches, turns itself towards the specter, and inverts itself, arcane magic flaring around them both as it begins to pull, sucking at the edges of the robe. Too late does the specter realize what's happening, and before she can even try to escape she is dragged, clawing and howling, into the ethereal darkness of the Umbra Staff's magic. Ghostly fingers drag through the dirt, but her hands find nothing to hold on to, and there's not enough strength in her to fight against it. She disappears inside of it, and the umbrella snaps shut, flopping against the body of its former owner. The cave falls silent, save for the occasional drip of water in the corner.

Somewhere in the middle of the memory, Lup's hand had snaked up to curl fingers tightly in Honerva's sleeve, and when it's over she breaks the strangled silence with a hushed,]

Well. That was horrible.

[It managed to look almost as awful as it felt. Who knew?]

[shroudedsecrets]

[ When Lup moves in closer to grab her sleeve she in turn, gently shifts to pulls her close while they see the rest of it through.

Every bit of that was awful, from her previous visceral experience of it to the reminder of Lup's reaction to her own black lines from being poisoned not too long ago, let alone the sheer awfulness of seeing a loved one die alone and in so much pain and the reminder of that, no matter how casually the twins would remark of their varied deaths through their journey, coping with humor, this was far different.

Aside from the awfulness of it all she takes note of their surroundings; should time and space land them all together at different times, it is better to be aware, as much as they needed their bond to pull through for them. It takes a swallow to find her own voice, after Lup finally is able to speak. ]

I'm here. I'm not going anywhere.

[ It goes without saying, but it's one of those promises that needs to be heard. ]

[necromanswers]

I know...

[Lup exhales an unsteady breath, shifting her grip down to find Honerva's hand instead, twining their fingers together. She'd hoped, over time, that this might become easier to handle. Now she's had to confront it multiple times - the original instance, the calibrations ship, the ritual where Honerva's darkness had been dragged into it instead - and here she is again, still about as shaken as the first time. How pitiful.]

It's kind of amazing, isn't it? Nine years, I carried that staff on my arm. Not a single time did I or Barry get our asses killed with it close enough to drag us in. If I'd known back then I would have remade the damned thing to only swallow weapons, not people. [She huffs a bit of humourless laughter.] Except, that very power is what saved Taako's life like three times when he couldn't remember me. Ironic that the thing that trapped me kept him alive, huh?

[shroudedsecrets]

... It is. You couldn't have known.

[ The exhale is softly echoed. As difficult as it is on her part to take in, she knows the experience must only be worse for Lup herself. Especially with how strong she'd had to be otherwise. If she'd had any idea that it would end up like this, any plan could have been different. But that was an entirely different tapestry of speculation. ]

Despite everything... he found his way to you.

[necromanswers]

...Yeah... he did.

[Lup ducks her head, closing her eyes for a long moment. She doesn't want to focus on the cave, or her own dead body.]

I knew he'd find me eventually... even if it apparently takes him a whole extra year to get me out. He can be pretty thick sometimes.

[shroudedsecrets]

It should not have been so long.

[ For her to be so painstakingly carved out of Taako's life that he would not even recognize what might have been her signature focus at the time? For Barry - who was out there, whom she had to commit to memory the name Marleana if connecting to Taako proved difficult? Given the tangible nature of her bond with Lup, she'd be able to sense her, surely... ]

What else was in his way, Lup?

[necromanswers]

[Lup's grip shifts uncomfortably, looking torn for a long moment of silence. Half because she doesn't want to, half because she does but doesn't know how.

The latter wins out eventually, though. The hell else are they supposed to do while they wait for this place to free them?]

When I left them, it was only supposed to be for a few days. Couple weeks, at most. Then this happened, and... a few days became a full decade and change. When he found me, he was with Merle and Magnus, but they were... different. Weaker. They acted like they were strangers, people who hadn't known each other for a whole century already. They didn't recognize the staff, or the robe- hell, they thought I was a dude. [Her lips twist into an ironic smirk, short-lived.] I didn't get it until they brought me back to the Bureau of Balance, and... they met Lucretia. The "Director".

[Her eyes clench at that, pained at the memory. Seeing her from the umbrella... she'd looked so old, so tired. If Magnus hadn't looked roughly the right age, she'd have thought decades more time had passed than actually had.]

They all acted like strangers. They didn't remember her, but... she knew, I could tell. She recognized them. She even noticed the Umbra Staff at one point, but she didn't ask why or where... she didn't check. Even when I managed to get some power loose and write my name on the wall, she... [She exhales shakily, looking back at the body, carefully masking her expression.] She was hunting Barry. As liches, we kept all our memories while the others forgot. Even if she wanted to find me, it would have been more convenient if I stayed missing.

[Easier to leave her trapped and forgotten, else she ruin anyone's plans.]

[shroudedsecrets]

[ She listens as Lup speaks, still holding her as best she can, while filling all those details in with the pieces she already knew... which was already limited, but with her own experiences, there were easily certain nuances she could pick up on. The memory loss, pieces of family that did not quite fit together right, the dangers presented, and yet weighed with the thought that... someone might have known, for all that time and helped. And yet potentially had used this situation to some twisted end by not telling, let alone the discrepancy in all of it. ]

... Convenient, while you were already betrayed once and already bearing the price?

[ Rare that it is for her to show her anger, Lup's seen it a few times and usually for Lup's behalf; a soft little hiss between her teeth and ears abruptly giving a sharp flick in spite of their already downward casting. There were probably some convenient, extenuating circumstances for it, no doubt, but that wasn't the point. ]

[necromanswers]

To be fair, it's not like she knew that. She probably helped them look, at some point. But she did erase me from existence, so that one's a little harder to forgive.

[She probably will, someday. Lucretia is family, whatever her crimes, and a decade-long mistake doesn't erase 100 years of a shared life. She does not envy Lucretia the reckoning she is due from the others, however. Taako especially. If their roles were reversed...

That thought is ugly, so she shakes her head.]

Lucy and Magnus found a creature, halfway through our journey. Fisher... a voidfish. His kind could erase or broadcast whatever content they consumed- stories, songs, dances and creative works, whatever. They shared what they thought was worthy, or some arbitrary basis for judgment, who knows. Anything they didn't want share was just... gone. Lost forever. It's all static in your brain, it's actually pretty disconcerting to hear. His world was consumed by the Hunger, and Fisher was the only one left. From that day on, he never broadcast a damn thing. He erased it all. That's why Lucretia...

[She pauses, taking a shaky breath, then glances at Honerva with that bitterness creeping back into her expression, ears dipped as low as they can go.]

Real twist of a knife, huh? I knew that fish for fifty fucking years and he had a choice, to share or erase, but he decided my life wasn't worth keeping. Lucretia must've fed my story to Fisher and just like that, everyone forgot I ever existed.

[shroudedsecrets]

[ How can you look for someone when you don't even know they exist?

All he hears is static. He couldn't- that first day, he didn't even hear my name.

Lup has told her bits of this and more, but here it is so much more deliberate. She had disappeared and so an active choice was made, to sacrifice her memory for the sake of whatever Lucretia-- "The Director's" plans had been. She notices that, though, also; an alias, a name of power to distance herself from family and likely the world alike, perhaps feeling as though she could not trust or confide in others to the point of destroying the lives of those that had once been close, for whatever ends that might serve. The situation was already messy.

But Taako - she exhales, here. Taako had been with them here, and found a way to remember, so that meant there was a way around this. ]

It was a choice made, when you were robbed of your own. They cannot keep you erased. Whatever it is that can be done to change it, we will find it.

[necromanswers]

[Lup smiles wryly at that, shaking her head.]

Don't stress about that. I know how to get un-erased, at least when it comes to Taako. There's a second voidfish he needs to meet. Barry's got a plan for it, just... gotta watch and wait it out a little longer. [She brushes a hand idly, and anxiously, through her hair.] I've gotten good at that part.

[It's agony of course, bashing her head against the walls and desperately waiting for her chance to break free or be heard. If only Barry looked for her. If only he could hear her voice. But if they were heading into the BoB headquarters and Lucretia had a lich ward up (as she should, going against Barry the way she did), there was a benefit to Lup staying hidden for their side, too.

It sucks, though. All of it sucks. She's tired of waiting.]

[shroudedsecrets]

[ The long game, as Lup tended to say; always easier to say, when circumstances were far out of their hands and relying on others or for something to fall into place which they could then act upon. A life she was long used to when she was Haggar, not so much now when moments and chances could feel ever so fleeting.

She holds onto her, and exhales softly. ]

As long as there is a plan in motion.

[ And the not knowing, of where or how she might fit in -- if she is drawn in with Lup to her time, or thrown somewhere else entirely par the whims of the world and the greater danger it was facing, or if somehow their memories were complicated even if what tied them together was all this time spent in other universes -- was just as bad. They knew all the risks, their bond was true, but it didn't make that less frustrating. ]

[necromanswers]

There's definitely a plan in motion. It isn't my plan, but it's hard to do much of anything from an umbrella.

[She shakes her head, ducking it somewhat low. She shifts slightly, moving the corpse out of her peripheral.]

I believe in them, though. Soon... they'll figure it out. Soon. [Her hand tightens.] They have to... it's the end of the world.

[shroudedsecrets]

They have to.

[ Trusting something entirely to people she hasn't even met is... well. She trusts Lup, and in order to have a future, that world has to exist. ]

Our future depends on that, after all.

[necromanswers]

Well, ideally they'll have you around as well, to push them in the right direction.

[Lup finally offers up a tiny smile.]

Or kick their asses if it comes down to it. Right?

[shroudedsecrets]

That's the plan.

[ It feels better, to have Lup say it, as much as the fluttering reminder remains ever persisting. Knowing more details of Lup's situation helped, no matter how she would find herself there to aid her. ]

Though I have quite a lot of work to do, to not seem crazy.

[necromanswers]

Hmm, that's true. The good news is, my idiot family is used to crazy, so you'll fit right in. The bad news is they're all suspicious as hell about any newcomers. Maybe we should work on your acting skills? Rehearse and get a little wild in the story before you're in the spot for details.

[shroudedsecrets]

You well know I do not like to seem... false. Though I suppose it's being put on the spot that I would have to look out for, in that case.

[ No matter how much foundation a story had, it might all fall apart without ease of adapting to someone poking at the cracks of it. Especially when it involved others being adjusted to a circumstance that she only had inklings to. ]

[necromanswers]

I think you've got a fair reason to feel that way. I was telling Ardyn not too long ago- one of the tricks of lying effectively is base it on truth. Our stories don't have to be misaligned from reality so much that they're hard to pull off, on the spot or otherwise.

On the flipside, you could just be like Taako and I and tell people to piss off if they get too nosy.

[shroudedsecrets]

I imagine he did not take to that so well.

[ It would almost be funny, albeit ironically, if not so relatable, though any potential mirth is dampened by what surrounds them, let alone other encounters she'd had. ]

The choice may come to the circumstances, and in either case, preparation is certainly better than none at all, whichever form that takes.

[ Besides, secrets and distance also caused a lot of problems. ]

[necromanswers]

I'm a very sensible person. I helped him to see the error of his ways.

[Helps that Ardyn is a surprisingly malleable guy. Maybe it's just that he doesn't like fighting, but she'll take it when her advice is solid.]

And the same goes for you! Whether you like it or not, a decent lie can become the difference between life and death in Faerun.

[shroudedsecrets]

You do have very convincing methods, I'll agree.

[ Because she wasn't going to miss an opportunity to give Lup praise for that. Even if the nature of this all was less than comfortable. ]

And you're right that I don't like it, but... I understand. Revealing too little has it's own problems, but too much could jeopardize things in other ways. Let alone other limitations that I may have.

[necromanswers]

It's the nature of balance to be complicated. If it was easy, everyone would have their life under control and there'd be no disasters to laugh at or learn from.

[A beat, and then-]

Actually, I fucking hate that word now. Equilibrium? Symmetry? Stability? Gods, but it's a good word, though.

[shroudedsecrets]

[ She gives a short, uneasy laugh. ]

It comes up often enough here. Although I have the feeling that your hatred for it must spring from some other source.

[necromanswers]

Lucy named her big fancy secret organization the Bureau of Balance. I've heard it a lot since Taako found my umbrella.