♥ May (Ealom) Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

May (Ealom) Event Log

Despite the fact that spacetime has been a bit questionable in recent days, the seasons carry on as they should. Spring has begun to grow warmer, the scent of flourishing local flowers often in the air as they are set out to decorate native shops and homes with a burst of lively color. On a larger scale, the march of time flows as inexorable and steady as ever; the question is if that will remain the case for long.

---

❥ PROMPT I: Days of Future Past

Randomly throughout the city and following days, the scenery immediately before you may begin to waver as if rising steam distorts the air. The aura shimmers, then suddenly solidifies into a thin, golden line that abruptly opens sideways and upwards forming a window, which cannot be physically interacted with. Stand before this "window" long enough, and you may begin to see imagines of a past Havenwell...

1. For those who have explored the city limits of Havenwell, they might be familiar with the ruins. If a character is atop a roof and looking out at the city scape, this vision depicts these ruins as destitute no longer. Instead, the buildings remain upright, tall, and in pristine condition. The tops of these buildings are crowned with small gardens, and their terraced architecture allows for flower-covered vines to spill all the way from the roofs to the paved streets below. The metropolis glimmers like a treasure trove in the waning sunlight, peaceful and grand. Continue watching this vision, and little lights within the buildings begin to blink on as evening dips into night. Within some buildings are those still toiling late at work, while other residents greet their families as they return.

Curiously, some of those preparing to have their dinners with their family seem to engage in some sort of familial prayer, joining hands and reciting words. Others link hands and stand with their backs touching, tipping their heads so that the back of their heads touch, a ritual that some off-worlders may recognize.

As for appearances within this window to the past, the locals are now flesh-and-blood. They are humanoid in appearance, bipedal, with two sets of eyes, one nose, and a mouth, but some have a few others features. Some sport feline-like ears puffing atop their heads, others have some that are distinctly more mouse-like, rounded as they converse. A family of those with scales, horns, and a tail, similar to the statues in Rawna's temple, begin to dine. A loving couple toasts to each other, and as they raises their arms, their luxurious wings almost sweep the ground.

2.For those who are walking by the research towers, another window appears, depicting how the facility appeared before. Two researchers leave the campus in good spirits, sitting on a bench just outside. One of them holds a clipboard while the other sports a briefcase and thermos. While you cannot peer further into the vision, a snippet of their conversation can be heard clearly.

"OM1 was a success, wasn't it?" The research chimes, bringing a hand rub at the feathers upon his chin. "That's great news. Thing's get better for the planet soon."

"Yeah, I can't wait to get out of this body in general," the second researcher laughs as her pointed, fluffy ears atop her head swivel in the direction of her companion. "I'm tired of these ol' bones already."

"Old? You're a decade younger than me!"

3. Outside of the temple of Ainea, two locals, their bodies fully metallic, are having a discussion. One is draped in the stole of a priest, while the other wears a white lab coat.

"The satellite didn't work," the researcher says. Frustration and defeat can be heard within his voice. "We haven't given up on making a beacon, but we can't afford to send another. It's up to the congregation now."

"Peace, friend," the priest replies. Although his tone is calm, it is no less morose. "It's in the gods' hands now."

These scenes, among others (which you are free to write, taking inspiration from the lore collection along with some newly released entries!), can play out for passers-by, scattered throughout the city for the rest of the month. Some are unique, some will repeat; some are inconsequential, some feel startlingly important, as though you can feel what those in the memory must have felt in the moment. It's a strange experience, overall. As if the world is remembering itself.

❥ PROMPT II: The Antiques Homeshow

With all the windows to time opening up here and there in town, the city is buzzing with excitement and nostalgia as the natives' memory banks are jump-started by familiar sights thought long gone. Seeing their old selves and visions of their old haunts has them invigorated in a way most haven't felt in centuries. But as time wears on, people will start to notice that the windows aren't just for looking through.

It starts with a giant tree, nearly 4 stories tall and meters thick, popping up in the middle of the Entertainment District's streets. Then scattered reports of outer city buildings and areas suddenly disappearing, replaced with tents or campfires. Finally, it happens - your own home is now host to these weird time windows and your things are experiencing the same problems as areas around the city.

Maybe your replicator has just turned into an actual pantry, with perishable food items that may or may not be familiar to you. Weird fruits and vegetables, something that seems like flour? Or is it salt? A salty flour that’s apparently some sort of yeast? Who knows! Good luck finding out. What about your bed? What used to be a comfortable double with plush pillows is abruptly a straw mat with mice! Or a giant four-post canopy king-sized bed made for a room that is definitely 6 times bigger than what you have, and it has completely subsumed your room to the point where you can’t open the door anymore. Hopefully you’re cool with climbing in and out of the windows instead!

Maybe the changes are less obtrusive for some. Their favorite coffee cup is now a jeweled goblet. Their clothes have gone from the height of modern fashion to the height of “what era is this?” fashion. Their carefully cultivated garden is now a wild, overgrown jungle! The time windows seem to be sending in objects from every era, past and future, creating havoc both big and small across the city.

Thankfully, however, these changes don’t seem to be permanent. If the object is removed from its window area, it reverts back to its original form over time. However, damaging anything from the past has unforeseen consequences in the future, so do be careful. Cutting down that tree could mean a building in the future doesn’t get built, or removing a flower from the jungle may lead to the extinction of a known Havenwell plant! Or maybe it does nothing. Time is weird that way. Good luck with stepping on that butterfly effect!

❥ PROMPT III: Powering the Conduits

Another joint announcement comes from the researchers and priests, and they are happy to report they've been investigating and fine-tuning the prototype crystal conduits as developed by a few off-worlders. These past two weeks, they've been vigorously testing and retesting the prototype's effects on the caustic atmosphere of the outside world. Whereas the first version caused a thinning of what heavy, mysterious miasma hangs in the air, it was unable to project a proper barrier or last long. They hope to refine what the dedicated off-worlders started, and for that, they need volunteers.

Specifically, they need volunteers to help charge these individual crystal-conduits' with the power generated through touch! Researchers will be handing out these small, amber-colored crystals to those who are interested in helping, encouraging the off-worlder to wear the and hold someone's hand, hug them, or be especially lovely-dovey-kissy-wissy with whomever their SO may be. This is in the name of science, it's very important. But be warned, since these are still being tested, a few unlocking people may have experience a couple side effects:

Creating One's Own Personal Barrier: It seems rather counter-intuitive, but when the crystals are overcharged, they may automatically project a barrier that expands, pulses in an unstable fashion, and then shrinks around the wearer and whomever they're engaging in touch, trapping you both. Thankfully, this will last a few minutes at most before the barrier vanishes.

Siphoning Power: Some of the crystals may have been accidentally programed to take too much power from those wearing the crystal-conduit, causing whomever is wearing the gem to rapidly begin to deteriorate in energy and health. Effects can be a little as feeling tired, to outright collapsing.

When your crystal-conduit is fully charged, the researchers ask that they be delivered back to the towers for further analysis.

---

This event will run from 15 May to 31 May. 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

[wakemelater]

[Nico finds his footing-]

Thanks. I'm fine.

[-and gently extracts himself from the helpful hold on his shoulders.

He gives Teo a quick once over as he (carefully) steps backward.]

So is this pre-death you, or a projection of how you want to be?

[ghoulserrand]

[Nico steps back and he jerks his own hands away. He flounders for a minute before hooking his fingers into his pockets, looking apologetic. He doesn't say it though, best to not make things weirder.

He gives a vague shrug.]

Not sure how to answer that. Option C? It's just how I am in this place. Not really on purpose but I can't tell you much about who I was either. Think it's me, though.

[He nods his head back.]

Want to follow me to the diner? It's a lot more solid than out here.

[wakemelater]

[Nico nods, accepting the answer without question. He always looks the same, in or out of dreams - only here he wears an old, weathered, oversized aviator jacket and a silver skull ring.

He leans around Teo to see what is behind him.]

Diner?

[ghoulserrand]

[The note of faint surprise in Nico's voice makes him grin wide. Nico might look but behind him there doesn't appear to be much of anything but the same foggy expanse.]

Come on.

[He steps along the stones with relative confidence all the same. A hop to one stone, a couple steps along another, and then he stops.]

Mind the gap!

[And with that, he leaps over water into a flurry of fog which close around where he was.

With no transition at all, he's within the diner, pushing the door open to the tune of chimes and holding it for Nico to follow.

It's early morning, the golden hour of dawn streaming through the windows like spotlight and highlighting the steam of nursed coffees and the sparkle of microdust. The air is filled with the soft chatter of early risers and the occasional yawns of the opposite hoping this next sip of caffeine will be the one to rouse them. The sweet scents of baking combine with savory breakfast meals in a perfect salty-sweet fusion. Dishes clink lightly as they're delivered and then whisked away while the radio plays some turned down rock music. Teo, for his part, leads Nico past the counter seats and to an empty booth.]

[wakemelater]

[Shoving his hands in his pockets, Nico follows Teo, hopping from one stone to the next. He hears Teo's warning, and then watches him vanish into the fog. On that final step, he pauses long enough to reach out and run his hand through the fog before jumping through.

He's expecting a diner, because that is what Teo said would be here. He did not expect it to be so bright and lively.

He takes in the light and the people and noise as he joins Teo at the booth.]

After what you told me about your world, I wasn't expecting this.

[ghoulserrand]

[There's a twinge in his smile, pain settling into it. He looks down at the table, mostly pristine beyond the average wear and tear, simple scratches. Nothing apocalyptic.

The lights flicker for just a moment, but no more than that.]

It's a memory. A place that was. I worked here once. This place is... something special to me.

[He looks back up, shrugging.]

But that's all I know. My world definitely doesn't look like this anymore.

[wakemelater]

It's nice.

[Nico had spent a lot of time roaming around. There were a lot of diners, in the city and out on the long, lonely roads to nowhere. The faces weren't always friendly, but most people didn't ask questions and left him alone. (And he could just disappear if they got too pushy.) In a way, this was familiar, comfortable.]

It's nice that you can still revisit it here.

[ghoulserrand]

[His smile warms again.]

It is.

[He'd been focused last time on being whole-- and on showing Faust. But he really did appreciate the memory itself. It had given him the last piece of his name. It had given him a singular point of grounding.]

I think the powers from the last world were a part of this. My friend had a place too, an old memory he'd liked once. I don't know if he still has it since he got his old powers back though.

Do you have a place you got to? In your dreams?

[wakemelater]

Is this the friend you mentioned before?

[He hums uncertainly.] Kind of. I'm better at moving into other dreams than building my own dreamscape. But there are some peaceful memories I like to visit.

[ghoulserrand]

Yes. [He nods.] That's him.

[He'd outright say that he's a wizard, but Faust has taught him too much about the prejudice he'd faced for Teo to simply drop the fact like that.]

I don't know if I'm that good at dreamscapes either. This one sort of just happened. I can control it a little, like, if you want something specific ordered. And- [His smile falters just a little.] I accidentally made it go all bad once. But that's the most I've done.

[wakemelater]

That you were able to build one at all is amazing. Where I'm from, this would be an incredible feat for someone who isn't a child of a Hypnos.

[It may not show, but he's impressed.]

But what do you mean, made it go bad?

[ghoulserrand]

[He smiles crookedly. It's strange, getting praise like this from a kid, but Nico is different from the kids he's met and he's met some pretty weird kids.

Still, it's shortlived. His mouth presses and his hand moves to rub at his arm.]

Same friend and I had a fight. I sort of... shut down, I guess. The lights went out. Everything cracked, went rotten. The people weren't people.

He dragged me out to his dream after that.

[wakemelater]

I see.

[Not quite the same as when his dreams turn dark, but it's not hard to imagine.]

It's good your friend was here to pull you out.

[ghoulserrand]

It is. I... I don't think it would've hurt me, to stay in the dream. I know what I am and what it feels like. At worst, that's what I'd be.

But he pulled me out anyway and we settled things and we went through his dream instead. He was good at making it change, but, he's had magic for a longer than I've even existed.

[He glances around.]

Still, I'm glad it looks everything repaired itself. If there's anything you want, just say the word. I've heard the replicator food isn't as good.

[wakemelater]

[A very good friend, then.]

The replicator food is terrible. You can upgrade them, but...

[But he can't really afford it, and he's not great with the touching aspect of this place. Thanks the gods for the cafes.

He sits back, thinking.]

How are the chocolate milkshakes?

[ghoulserrand]

Nothing like the real deal.

[He nods, understanding. Well done food made all the difference. Of course, for himself, he's just grateful to have something that works.

He grins at Nico, taps a rhythm on the table, then closes his eyes in concentration. It takes a moment and then a waitress with a wry smile comes on up with a serving tray of two tall shakes in old-fashioned glasses, straws and cream on top.]

One for you, and one for the fool who comes to work on his time off.

[Teo laughs at this and further grins at her, not knowing her exactly, but knowing she knew him, at least a little. He draws his shake to himself. He doesn't waste a moment in bringing the straw to his lips. He keeps his noises to himself, but just barely.]

Pretty good, I'd say.

[wakemelater]

[Nico thanks the waitress. She may be a dream, but respect is respect.

The shake looks like every other old-style diner shake he's ever had. He pulls his shake close and gives it a sip. It tastes like every diner shake he's ever had, as well. He nods his agreement - it's good.]

Did you really work here, or is that only a dream-thing?

[ghoulserrand]

[He looks up, thoughtful. He takes a moment to think but ultimately has to offer a helpless shrug.]

I don't know. I figure I must have. It seems like a memory? And, last time, she said my last name. I hadn't known what it was before, so I figured it must be a memory. But then, maybe it is all in my head.

[Technically, yes-]

I'd think if it just that though, I'd dream of something... I don't know. Bigger. Like my own place.

[wakemelater]

[His lips curl up. Technically, yes.

And he looks thoughtful.]

This place must have been important to you. The safest place in my dreams is the place I feel safest when I'm awake.

[ghoulserrand]

[He lets out a breath through his teeth, leaning back. He looks around over the ceiling, the people, the light...]

It feels comfortable. I don't know that... I don't have a lot of memories like that. So, it makes sense it would be important.

[He looks back to Nico, head tilting.]

You got a few safe places?

[wakemelater]

[He can empathize with that. There are places in his dreams that feel familiar, but he doesn't actually remember them.

The safe places, though. Those he knows.

He nods.] A few. There's one I can't reach here because it's not mine. But I can still reach the others.

[ghoulserrand]

[His brow furrows.]

Not yours? What do you mean? Like... it belongs to someone else?

[wakemelater]

[Nico nods with a hum.] Clovis. His father is the god of sleep. His dreams are so strong that I sometimes get pulled into them, but he only ever dreams of his own cabin. It's...comfortable. And safe.

[ghoulserrand]

Man... I envy that.

[He laughs softly, looking down.]

Don't get me wrong, I love this place. But I definitely have nightmares more often than I see this. Sweet dreams every night sounds like a pretty good deal.

[wakemelater]

[Nico hums his agreement. Though he knows children of Hypnos are not immune from nightmares, or from entering someone else's. Neither is he. Imagine his surprise when one marched into his own personal hellscape and dropped him in a grassy field, siting the "noise".

A little puddle of condensation has formed at the base of his glass. He pokes his finger into it and drags a swirl of patterns over the table.]

They can't always be avoided. The nightmares.