♥ December (Ranir) Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

December (Ranir) Event Log

As another year winds to a close, the air grows sharp with a wintery chill; the perfect weather for curling up with someone under a cozy blanket with some warm hot cocoa. To contrast the cold weather comes a distinctly festive warmth to the city itself; it's some holiday season, even if the natives still can't quite grasp what. While recovery from the recent worm-based catastrophe is still an ongoing thing, the natives are going through with the festivities as they've learned to celebrate: Decorations strung about the city are a bit haphazard and in all manner of colors both holiday-themed and simply colorful in general, the spirit and enthusiasm are certainly there.

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❥ PROMPT I: See You Next Level

Residents who venture past the wall to the northwest of the arena to visit the fishing pond might find an unusual sight this month: it's frozen over. This is kind of a big deal, because the city hasn't had a substantial amount of open water in- well, no one quite knows how long! It seems to have totally frozen overnight, which is definitely unusual, but hardly the strangest thing to ever happen in Havenwell. Examining the ice will find it sturdy and solid, a good 6 inches thick at minimum. It is safe to walk on, and more importantly...

Excited for a new experience after all the glum and gloom, some local metalworkers are creating skate attachments that can be adjusted for size and connected to the shoes (or the feet, in the case of the local robotic population) of anyone who wants to give skating a try. Visitors to the area will find a booth set up, occasionally manned but mostly left as a trust exercise, with a collection of these devices that are free to use. Please take as many pairs as your party requires and skate to your heart's content! As a courtesy, borrowers are asked to return the skates once they're finished with them, but if you're really itching for a pair, the booth has the equivalent of a QR code you can scan with your communicator and commission a personalized pair.

It seems that part of the city is extra cold this season, because an influx of snow has practically drowned the arena, leaving a thick layer across the entirety and high piles along the sides. Locals have cleared the entrances and done their best to keep it functional, but those wishing to use the facility might find the ground far less sturdy than usual. You can use it as extra training, or maybe just give in to the urge and have fun with it instead. Go sledding, have a snowball fight!

❥ PROMPT II: Fresh or Frozen

Purveyors of the fishing part of the new rink might be unhappy to have lost their hobby, but hey, no one's stopping you from carving a hole in the ice and giving it a go regardless. There's bound to still be something down there, though perhaps not what you'd expect. While you're out at the lake with another person, if you should happen to look into the water through a hole or the ice itself, you might occasionally see a series of dancing lights flitting around beneath you, mysterious but innocuous. Sometimes they disappear if you stare at them too long. Sometimes they follow you. If curiosity gets the better of you, maybe you ought to try dropping a line - or a hand - in to see what it is. If you're feeling really brave and don't mind the cold, you could even take a dive in and see what's going on up close. (Funny: it's not nearly as cold as you'd expect it to be, considering the frigid circumstances.) And there's no reason to worry about the rink, either. Likely through whatever actually turned the pond to ice, any holes carved into the ice somehow manage to freeze again overnight, as though it was never broken in the first place.

Whatever method you choose, these dancing lights will swirl around hook or hands, pulsing gently, until that light bursts and manifests into something familiar. Something you've been wanting, perhaps, or something you once had and have missed dearly. Maybe something you hadn't thought about at all, but would bring you delight. You can pull it from the waters and find it intact and undamaged by the cold or the water, alive if it is a living creature, though it appears to be hibernating. Dry it off, take it home, and check on it in the morning; you will find your gift as whole and well as if you'd plucked it from wherever you'd find it back home. Do with it what you choose, it's yours now. For those who might have the clever idea to try fishing more than once, surprises may await in the form of...a waterlogged old shoe? An empty tin can? A broken fishing lure? The possibilities are as endless as the objects are useless.

For those who may not have any creature or object of note they need or want, it is also possible for fishing to produce a small crystal, faintly glowing with some form of magic. Leaving the crystal by one's bedside overnight will result in a peculiar but pleasant dream; fulfilling one's heartfelt desire. Whether it's wanting to see somewhere back on your homeworld, getting closure with someone not in Havenwell, or hang gliding off of Everest, you will be able to see your desire in a dream and awake comfortable and well-rested in bed the next day.

This is a regain event! One regain is allowed per character, and it can be anything (within reason) that would fit within the Item Regain: Medium (100 point) category on the Activity Rewards page. Like with AC Rewards, regains must be approved by mods prior to regaining them, so please use the form below and comment to the Regain Request thread.

Player:
Character:
Item requested:

<b>Player:</b> <b>Character:</b> <b>Item requested:</b>

❥ PROMPT III: Snow Problems

As the weather shifts to something seasonally chilly, on occasion some small patches of clouds can be seen in Havenwell--specifically, hovering over the heads of offworlders. These localized little clouds find people to stick to and follow them a couple of feet overhead to shower them with a gentle dusting of snow, so hopefully you have an umbrella handy. And while the snow can be just snow and nothing more, to others it might have one (or even several at once) effects to it.

Cheers To You: No matter how much one drinks or how they choose to mix their cocktails, they will find themselves completely impervious to the ill effects of alcohol. No hangover, but also no fun to earn it in the first place.

Hand it Over: Some with their own personal snow clouds may feel nothing odd except for a slight tingle in their dominant hand. Whether one stumbles upon the actual effect or not, it is a very simple change: the power of their unarmed punch becomes superpowered and several times stronger than normal.

Sticks and Stones: Still others may feel completely normal and go about their usual day's business with absolutely no awareness of any change but a persistent snowfall overhead. However, should they meet with anything that might ordinarily hurt, they will find that they have twenty-four hours of complete invulnerability starting from when their snow cloud latched on to them.

Time and Tribulation: Perhaps along with the slight chill comes a sudden awareness that one is a bit shorter than usual. Or taller? It would seem that yet another odd side effect of the little snow clouds is that one has aged an entire decade–in either direction, rendering them either younger or older. Luckily, the changes seem to stop at only physical…at least this time.

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This event will run from December 15-31. 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

[vamptired]

[As someone who can't learn additional skills, what he knows she knows is already more than impressive.]

Faerie dragon? This is my first time hearing about it.

[necromanswers]

I'm betting if I were to start listing off the bestiary of Faerun, it'd be your first for a lot of things.

[Even if his world happened to have some similar beasts, it would be quite a long list...]

Well, the description is in the name. A faerie dragon is a dragon of the feywild, so thus: a faerie creature.

[vamptired]

[He'd lose that bet right away, because she is correct. She also piques his curiosity now that he's got another word to file away.]

If such a compendium exists in Havenwell, I'd be interested in reading it . . .

[His tone is a touch desirous. There's just so much to learn. Thinking back to the state of Petals & Pages' shelves, though, that's pretty unlikely.]

[necromanswers]

I'm not familiar with one existing in town, but if I ever see one, I'll be sure to pass the info along. You'd be in for a long read though.

[She suspects he'd have no problem with that, though. From how quickly he'd asked for a book, she pegs him as a reader for sure.]

[vamptired]

You will?

[She's correct. He even sounds a little excited despite himself. Is there anything more satisfying in the universe than a long read?]

I'd appreciate it. Thank you.

[necromanswers]

[Yep, called it. It's kind of adorable, good for him.]

You'd best share any good books you come across in return! Or I'll sic my dragon on you.

[vamptired]

I'd be more than happy to. If we were back in the Gaol of the Mists, I'd already have a few recommendations . . . but that just means I have some reading to do here.

[This is a task he doesn't mind in the slightest.

Then he pauses.]

Does your dragon read?

[necromanswers]

Good question. From what I know of dragons, it's very much a personal choice, just like people.

[She looks at the dragon, which in response makes a soft growl, almost a purr, and climbs to her other shoulder so that they can peer inquisitively at Louis.]

I'll take that as an affirmative. And lucky for us, this species doesn't breathe fire.

[vamptired]

[He looks back at the dragon, equally curious. Hello.]

I heard you say something earlier . . . Euphoric, was it?

[necromanswers]

Oh, yes! It's the faerie dragon's special ability. Want to try it out? It's a pretty good show.

[vamptired]

What does it do?

[necromanswers]

Nothing much, just a bit of a drug. It can make the affected wander off in search of some kind of adventure. Or maybe you'd be staring into space for a while, dizzily enjoying the moment you're in... it wears off before long, or you can snap yourself out of it. Ultimately, it's harmless, unless you happen to wander into a trap or a monster's jaws. But these little guys just love to watch what happens.

[vamptired]

That does certainly sound euphoric . . . I'm not sure it's for me, though.

[And if it's going to be once a day, surely there are better candidates than himself.]

[necromanswers]

Believe you me, to the feyfolk? Euphoric breath is for everyone.

[Whether you like it or not. The dragon makes a chittering noise, like they're laughing at him.]

[vamptired]

[That sounds almost diabolical.]

Have you experienced it before?

[necromanswers]

I did! One of the little bastards breathed in my face, and I immediately wandered off into the woods. Woke up a mile away, almost stripped down to my skivvies. It was a learning experience.

[vamptired]

That . . . does sound like it.

[Louis is fairly certain that almost stripping down to his skivvies is not meant for him. He hopes Lup got her clothes back.

And now that he thinks about it, it raises another concern.]

As much as I appreciate the offer, I'm afraid I'll have to decline.

[necromanswers]

Aww, it's cute that you think they'd ask first. Fey creatures are mischief-makers, it's in their blood.

[She gives her dragon a scratch under the chin.]

You hear that? He's not into it. Don't come crying to me if you fail to heed any warnings and get yourself into trouble.

[vamptired]

[He'll be careful, then. It is not, however, his intention to make the dragon out to be a nuisance as he watches the curious creature.]

I don't mean any ill will. I just want to be in control of myself at all times.

[necromanswers]

Cannot blame you for that one, my dude. If this were the sort of place where wandering blind would get someone killed, I'd consider a muzzle until this one learned their manners.

[Another hiss, and the dragon tries to gnaw on her fingers. Slightly less effective when the teeth are kitten-sized, too.]

Oh, relax. You're still a baby, you've got time to grow. Manners and all.

[vamptired]

[Ah, they're a child. How big will they grow? It's a little unfair to clamp down on their fun when they're so young, isn't it?]

I'm sure there must be those who are willing to try it.

[If he were still human, he might've been one of those people.]

[necromanswers]

Very possible. But it won't kill the little thing to hold that breath in, either. Fun can be found in all manner of places. To rely purely on drugged breath is to fail in creativity.

[vamptired]

Frankly said . . . but true. What else are they capable of, then?

[necromanswers]

At this age, not a whole lot. A few minor cantrips, illusion spells... they can turn invisible and do a little telepathy, I think.

[vamptired]

Telepathy?

[That's a lot for such a young thing. And there's still going to be more?]