♥ June (Dianir) Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

June (Dianir) Event Log

There's a lot going on this month, plenty of work to be done. But as they say, many hands make light the work! And to make up for the grim and grey atmosphere awaiting those who decide to venture outside the barrier, the weather within the city limits is clean and clear, that perfect spot resting between hot and cold. The middle of Dianir brings to Havenwell the start of perfect summer weather. Be sure to give yourself a lovely break when you need to get away from the endless storm outside.

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❥ PROMPT I: Corridor of Lights

Compared to how the weather and world beyond the barrier was a few years ago, the wilds these days appear far less harsh. While the constant storm of dust and debris appears to maintain its viciousness further out, and it is yet strong enough to obscure whatever source of light there is beyond the atmosphere, its tumultuous gusts are noticeably less harsh closer to the city itself. And, in fact, there even appears to be patches of green just outside the barrier, although the growth rapidly stops at a certain near-distance from the city. All together, this prompts those of the researchers to make an announcement: that they are allowing– no, they are asking the off-worlders for help in Phase I of repairing the mysterious train station to the south. What do they want the non-locals to do? To make a corridor meter by meter or even inch by inch if necessary, by placing the charged up crystal-conduits of last month on poles either side of a path, stringing them together with reinforced cable.

1. As mentioned above, characters will be setting off beyond the barrier. The further characters trek as they set up the corridor, the more hazardous and darker the environment becomes. Further away from the city, even before reaching the train station ruins, light is scarce, and the world is cold, dry, and with winds as harsh as sandpaper. At some point, one's only source of light may be the flashlight attached to the exosuit front or the dim glow of the conduits themselves. Safe travels.


2. Characters will all be given exosuits to wear beyond the barrier, which are custom-fitted to their body, as well as a conduit. While researchers encourage characters to continue engaging in touch as they march into the open, it isn't necessary to participate.They will also all be given a flare to use in case of emergency.


3. Despite the improved quality of air beyond the barrier, staying out too long can still result in contracting a mysterious illness that involves chills, fever, malaise, and fatigue. The locals know of this illness as being borne from a mysterious miasma that permeates both air and ground outside. Touch alleviates the symptoms, but it takes time. If one is exposed while still beyond the barrier, characters can use their flare to signal for (player-discretion) NPC support to bring them back to the city. Tents will be set up by the locals to take in any injured or ill characters.

Once the corridor is fully finished with the conduits strung together by poles and cables, the makeshift highway will come to life by a dim, golden light reminiscent that of the barrier. Starting with the conduits nearest to the city, a shimmering, semi-translucent shield appears to dome over each section of the path until finally spanning its entire length, seemingly dispelling any miasma within. Just in case, though, the locals suggest to not remove one's exosuits just yet. This golden-lit corridor has an ethereal quality to it, muting the howling wind outside, as well as providing a sense of safety and warmth. A few local helpers can be seen standing in awe of this grand accomplishment, holding hands or linking arms as they marvel at the replicated barrier, walking down the path slowly. Some of them may even come up and thank the characters for their hard work. If they hadn't been made of metal, they are sure they would be shedding tears of joy.

❥ PROMPT II: Chaining the Supply

With the highway finally established, the researchers are calling for the initiation of Phase II, involving more sets of volunteers (they know, they know, they're needy; but don't worry, they promise they'll compensate you with dora!).

• Help with Supplies: Become a runner of supplies from point A to point B on the corridor, passing off items, cords, metal, electronics, to the next volunteer.
  
• Help with Charging the Conduits: Regrettably, the consistency of the barrier surrounding the corridor is patchy in some areas. The locals are asking for help: simply engage in any form touch with someone next to a dimmer-looking conduit. They have even provided plush couches for characters to relax upon. What do you mean, that's not comfy? No worries, they'll also provide a privacy curtain for you. Alternatively, these couches can be used as a resting station for characters in need of a break.
  
• Protect the Corridor: The light of the corridor is bound to attract a few curious and hostile wildlife to its source of light. Those who are brave enough may depart the safety of the corridor's barrier to combat or capture the creatures that would threaten its integrity. Please see below for list of potential wildlife encounters, and note that any engagement with these creatures generates a big risk of exposure to the miasma that may make a character severely ill and lethargic. Working with a partner is encouraged.
  
  For those who opt to attempt to capture some of the infected creatures, specialized nets will be provided to allow for safe catch-and-transport without making contact with the poison they exude. There will be an area designated for the captured creatures until they can be transported to one of the research labs. Some of the crystals have been moved to clear the area, and while they are held there, offworlders are encouraged to attempt a new experiment: can the crystals also purify the poison inside living creatures, as well as the air itself? If offworlders make contact within the creature's and the crystal's vicinity, can they be saved?
  
  If your character ends up capturing one of the creatures, please comment to this comment here noting which ones and how many.

These are the creatures that can be encountered on a character's path. Next to their names are the frequency with which they can be found and level of hostility. Characters can encounter either untainted or poisoned renditions of these creatures, if a regular version exists.

• "The Apparitions" (uncommon - very hostile): a creature new to those both native and offworld, these ghost-like creatures can take any form, humanoid, robotic, animal. They are translucent and mostly featureless/faceless, floating from place to place and trying to stay out of sight. They prefer to perform sneak attacks, and should they make contact with someone's bare flesh or (if you're unlucky) phase through your suit, they are able to stun most people, capturing and preventing your escape as they begin to steal your thoughts. Whatever fleeting thing might pass through your mind as you make contact with them is devoured, whatever you're feeling is consumed. This effect can be halted by another person interfering and forcing the apparition to break contact, but they can only be harmed by those who have formed a physical connection with one another. Basically: don't be caught alone by one, or there will be no escape unless someone comes to your rescue. (Apparitions cannot be captured, only slain or driven away.)
  
• 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.
  
• 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.
• 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 III: Pop-Up Mouse Café

This month, the clergy of Ainea's temple are excited to announce a pop-up café for which people are free to volunteer or attend as guests. Whether a character decides to serve others or be served, the staff of the pop-up offers a headband with metallic mouse-ears on top for all to wear. They come in a variety of different hues of pinks and purples, colors that characters may recognize as being associated with Ainea. These headbands are wired to shift and turn with the moods of whoever is wearing them. The rest of the uniform, which includes formal black-and-white attire complete with frilled aprons, is optional. Featured items on the menu include teas and hot chocolates as well as a variety of (synthetic) artisan cheeses. Volunteers who decide to don the mouse-ears of the café will also be encouraged to serve snacks and drinks within the recovery tents set up for the workers who venture outside the barrier. Feeling ambitious? Those who manage to serve tea or cocoa to over five people in the recovery tents will be awarded a golden pin of a mouse they can proudly display on their uniform! Look your cutest, and get out there! You can also keep those ears.

At the end of the day, the staff will gather the group to take a photo together, local and off-worlder crew alike, to hang up on the temple wall. Supporting each other, coming together, and community through difficult times is a cornerstone of Ainea's teachings.

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This event will run from June 15th to June 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

[wakemelater]

Yes, I believe so.

[Not to be confused with lemur. Different beast altogether.]

If I died out here, I'd be pretty angry too.

[tempusfinis]

[ There's a short exhale through his nose, a bit of a wry tug at the corner of his mouth. ] Agreed... We're probably the only source of excitement they've gotten in-- however long they've been dead.

[ He can't imagine lingering after being dead...

But Machina slows in his tracks, looking to the side. ] --Hold on. Did you hear something?

[wakemelater]

And then we killed it. [Well, vanquished it. It was already dead.

He goes still to listen. After a moment, he thinks he hears something hidden in the dark and says quietly,] Yeah.

[He yanks his sword out of the shadows - it won't harm a specter, but they don't know what's out there yet.]

Ready?

[tempusfinis]

I brought one of those nets with us... Let's see if it'll work.

[ He doubts it, seeing as even fire went right through it. But it'll be helpful to try. Machina still wants to attempt to restrain it somehow, if it means they can try extracting some sort of information from it.

After a few moments of tense silence, another apparition emerges. This one is humanoid, again, but appears to be taller than the last. Also unlike the last, instead of charging toward them, it seems to more slowly approach, which makes it seem all the more dangerous by its unbothered gait. ]

[wakemelater]

[A net... Nico looks doubtful, but he nods and mentally prepares himself.

He's still got the headache from the last one, but he's nothing if not stubborn. Though...this one doesn't seem all that bothered. It's not charging and lashing out. It's bigger, too. That doesn't necessarily mean it will be stronger, but in his experience, bigger always means stronger.]

I should be able to hold it.

[But for now, he watches it advance. Maybe exerting control over it won't be necessary if it's not hostile.]

[tempusfinis]

[ Machina's well aware that some predators make a slow approach, or if there's a wild beast that doesn't immediately charge at you, it may mean they're confident in that a soldier won't pose any threat.

In which case, he'd rather move first. ]

Okay... [ He lowers his voice. ] Rea--

[ "Ready?" is what he had been about to say, but the apparition decides to charge at him just then, reaching out to Machina instead. Machina, in turn, attempts to leap back, tossing out the net-- to no success, it falls right through it. In the next moment, it's phasing right through him.

Machina comes to an abrupt halt, suddenly held rigid by the apparition. ]

[wakemelater]

[It happened so fast... Nico has barely processed the net falling harmlessly to the ground before realizing that Machina isn't moving. Rushing forward, he tries to haul Machina backward by the arm while sending strong Fuck Off vibes toward the apparition.]

Hey! Snap out of it!

[tempusfinis]

[ What... was he doing, again?

He was outside, he thinks. And maybe-- there was someone with him? Oh, there he is, he's dragging him backward, but Machina is unable to stand the reason why. ] Uh...



[ Nico might notice that his efforts to halt the spirit will be more effectivee when he remains in contact with Machina. As for Machina himself, he's stumbling back with Nico, compliant but dazed. ] Nico...? What... what are you doing here?

[wakemelater]

[The specter isn't putting up as much of a fight as the last. His hand flexes on Machina's arm and he frowns. Either this is a weaker opponent, or - predictably - contact is the key. Regardless, it's easier to split his attention and turn an incredulous look on Machina.]

What are you talking about?

[He glances at the apparition. It's still staying put. He turns his worried attention back to Machina.]

You don't remember?

[tempusfinis]

[ At the question, his brow pinches together as he attempts to put the suddenly scattered thoughts within his mind back together with the context of him being with Nico in the darkness, and a specter-like thing stalking them. ]

Sorry, I'm-- [ But isn't this where they just were? They were fighting this same thing off. And then... It charged at him, didn't it? Or something... ] ...Feels like my thoughts got scrambled.

[ His voice drifts, and then Machina's head snaps toward the direction of the apparition. ] Looks like you're holding it off better.

[wakemelater]

It had a hold on you. [He is...concerned. Ghosts should not be able to scramble thoughts.

The apparition is still staying put. It has no features, but he's pretty sure it's pissed.]

Yeah. It not nearly as hard as the last one.

[tempusfinis]

[ He's managing well, it seems, and Machina uses the opportunity to reorient himself further.

They're... fighting these things, and before, it had been difficult for Nico to control them. Is this one simply weaker than before, or--

Machina glances down at the contact Nico's hand has upon his arm, then back at the lemure. ] ...It can't be that obvious. [ He mutters, and then he raises his hand, conjuring a flame within it. After a moment, he releases a small fire towards the apparition-- where it strikes it with a small, smoky explosion. Not enough to vanquish it, but just enough to prove that it can now affect the ghost. ]

[wakemelater]

[The fire works this time. It is, apparently, that obvious. He assumes this is also why he has more control over it, and not that this apparition is weaker than the last.

Though even back home, his power isn't limitless. He can't hold the specter forever.]

Do you still want to try and talk to it?

[He's not sure how a featureless creature like this might communicate, but if there's a chance, now would be the time.]

[tempusfinis]

[ "He's not sure how a featureless creature like this might communicate--"

Machina's thoughts, exactly, but he is determined to try. ] Hold it for just a bit longer...

[ Machina's also not sure exactly how remaining in contact helps with any of this, but just in case, he keeps his forearm positioned against Nico's hand. He takes a careful step forward. ]

Can you tell it to say its name?

[wakemelater]

[Nico nods, lips pressed together as he focuses on the apparition.] Do you have a name?

[He braces for...anything, really. He has no idea what to expect. A voice, a garbled mess, nothing. What he does not anticipate is feeling the ghost's intense need to consume. To take and take until there is nothing left. It leaves him feeling sick and dizzy.

Nico readjusts his hold on Machina's arm so he can pull the other back, away.]

We need to get rid of it...

[tempusfinis]

[ He can't help the disappointed look when the ghost doesn't so much as say anything, but it's not an expression directed at Nico. Best not to push the demigod, though, when he appears to be struggling to hold the lemure back with all he's got. ] Alright.

[ If contact means (or had meant) that Nico can hold the apparition back a little longer, maybe his magic can do the same. Machina extends his hand outward, throwing out something significantly stronger than fire: a bolt of lightning.

It pierces through the apparition, but it seems to do the trick: the lemure stumbles back, struck, convulsing in what could be agony from the shock. Machina takes a step forward-- still remaining in contact-- and throws out another cast of lightning in its direction. ]

It's working!

[wakemelater]

[He moves forward as well, to ensure they stay in contact. He can feel his hold on the apparition is slipping, but that probably doesn't matter so much now. The lightning is more impressive than the fire, but that may be a personal bias. His best friend could throw lightning - a rare power, that only children born of Zeus could wield.]

Here, I can... [He stomps the ground, and a fissure opens up near the apparition - not under it like he'd planned, but he's tired and losing focus.] Can you push it into that?

[tempusfinis]

You got it!

[ Machina breaks from throwing lightning at the apparition, switching to use fire instead. With the fissure created by Nico, the flames force the phantom to stumble backward, causing it to collapse into the earth.

Although Machina cannot be certain, the flames appear to scorch the apparition, causing its form to take on a more charred tone. Machina holds his magic against the apparition for a few beats longer then whips his hand back to himself, making a fist to snuff out the flame at his palm. ] Did that do it?

[wakemelater]

Probably.

[The apparition looks pretty fried, and it doesn't seem to be moving. But he can't really sense if a dead thing is...more dead.]

Just to be sure, though. [He gives the ground another little stomp and the fissure slams shut, leaving behind a puff of dirt and a thin scar. As the dust settles, he sighs.]

It's too bad we couldn't learn anything.

[tempusfinis]

[ Machina watches the ground as Nico makes it close in front of them. Perhaps this will be a fitting grave. ]

...Don't sell yourself short. [ He comments, taking his arm back from Nico's contact. Afterward, he raises that same hand to give a brief, friendly pat on his shoulder before stepping away. ] You confirmed that it's not just some sort of illusion, but was a living being at one point. We know that because you were able to control it. [ Not completely control it, but still.

Machina walks towards the edge of the shallow, make-shift grave, pressing his boot into the ground. ] ] It follows that they roam these wastes instead of moving on. Maybe they don't want to, or maybe they're being prevented from doing so.

[wakemelater]

[He makes a noncommittal sound, not entirely convinced. It still feels like failure to him, even if communicating with the apparition proved to be impossible.]

On my world, lemures linger in the place where they died. And those deaths were usually traumatic, or undeserved. [The spirits that roam Pompeii come to mind.] It's their own anger or pain that keeps them tethered to the living world.

[tempusfinis]

[ Machina conjures another flame into his hand, using it as an additional light. ]

This maybe a ignorant question, but does your father ever… go up and fetch those souls that linger?

[wakemelater]

[Nico shakes his head.] No. As king of the dead, that would be beneath him. Thanatos is the god of death, and he collects souls.

[The line between God of Death and God of the Dead is a thin, but it's a line nonetheless.]

I should add, they are only concerned with Greek souls. Lares and lemures are Roman. [Another thin but important distinction.]

[tempusfinis]

[ That certain gods can have claim over certain souls depending on (what Machina assumes) is nationality isn't too far-fetched. The four Crystals do a similar thing. The other part-- about there being a god of the dead and a god of death-- piques his interest further. ]

So... There can be more than one deity interacting with souls. [ He seems he may have more to ask, but he pauses here. ]

And just in case, since we're exploring further and may run into them more... [ Once more, Machina offers his hand. ]

[wakemelater]

Yes. There are many gods and spirits in the Underworld who serve under Hades.

[Nothing would get done otherwise. The line to Judgement was already far too long.

His initial reaction is thinking that they could hold off on the hand holding until the danger actually arrives. But he reconsiders. Who knows how quickly one of those apparitions could attack. So, yeah, just in case, he takes the offered hand.]