♥ November Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

November (Malom) Event Log
The chaos of Lasohm's invasion is still fresh in the mind, but it's over. The ugly scar of the hole in Havenwell's wall is a jarring reminder that this world is dying and nothing goes quietly into that dark night. The phantom is gone as Malom overtakes Lasohm, the weather turning colder and chillier with each passing day. Still, the city of Havenwell has all of you offworlders to thank for its survival, and the fearful citizens make sure you know just how much they appreciate you by stopping you on the street to say their thanks. Your new home still needs your help to recover from their ordeal though, so will you lend them your strength once more?

---

❥ PROMPT I: Rebuilding Effort

The magic barrier over the hole that unknown monster punched through Havenwell's wall is repaired, stopping the onslaught and encouraging any other nightmares that lurk outside to move on and away, but the hole itself remains. Throughout the month of Malom, robot natives are working tirelessly to gather bricks and stone and patch the breach, but they could use some help. Work together with other offworlders and natives alike to repair the wall and be rewarded with a handsome bump to the Dora in your bank account. They need all sorts of help, from clearing away the dead bodies of the spider-like creatures for cremation, to retrieving and hauling stone for the wall, to actually slotting the heavy blocks into place to cement them back together.

Outside the barrier, now clearly visible through the hole, a storm rages on, obscuring the view of the world beyond it. Gray and black clouds whip against the invisible barrier, and occasional debris slams into it, causing the impact site to light up with silver, pink, blue, or white hues before it fades away again. It seems even without monsters, the world outside is as inhospitable as was rumored.

Work together or take a break along the base of the wall and get to know your fellow offworlders a little better. It's going to take a while before this mess is cleaned up.

❥ PROMPT II: Air Sickness

Those who worked at or were near the breach in the wall for any extended period of time will notice that, over time, it gets harder to breathe. Then they begin to feel feverish, even if they don't have flesh bodies or are immune to disease. Their bodies ache and groan and it gets harder to move about without help. Once the natives notice, they set up a recovery area away from where the breach occurred: a giant tent with cots and pillows, thick rugs and blankets to keep the chill away. Unfortunately, they don't have medicines available to treat flesh bodied people, so they're at a loss of what to do otherwise. The priests gather anyone who is ill and brings them here...which is when a curious thing occurs.

While conventional medicines and healing spells seem to have no effect on the illness, staying in contact with another person alleviates the symptoms. After a period of contact with another person or persons, the fever breaks and it's like you were never sick at all.

Return to the wall, however, and you'll notice your symptoms coming back with a vengeance after a few days. It seems that making regular trips between the wall and this recovery tent is the only way to keep working. At least it's an easy fix so long as you're not a germaphobe.

❥ PROMPT III: A Tasty(?) Reward

Toward the end of the month as the hole in the wall is completely repaired and the risk of illness declines, a message is sent to all the offworlders' communication devices. Those who choose to open it will find a very official looking message from The Havenwell Council that reads:

Greetings, Saviours of Havenwell!
We of the Havenwell Council greet you and wish to express our eternal gratitude for your valiant efforts to keep our wonderful home safe. Without you, we would not have survived this terrible onslaught. As such, we wish to express our gratitude in a more concrete form. Your emissary, Magolor, has been in contact with this venerable Council and has brought to our attention that your greatest concern is for the food available. We apologize that due to our inability to taste we have been unable to supply you with satisfactory meals.

To that end, we invite you to work with our scientists to improve upon the taste of currently available offerings from our replicators. Please come to the Northern Research Tower (map included) at any time this month to sample what our replicators can produce and give us feedback on their flavour and textures. We ask that you be as specific as possible in your criticisms so we may improve upon your general quality of life. Please feel free to bring as many friends as you wish.

May the Gods Protect You,
Havenwell Council, Community Liaisons

Those who take the invitation will arrive at the Northern Research Tower and be taken directly to the 40th floor, where a large banquet hall has been laid out. Five rectangular tables, over 5 meters long each, stretch down the room, creating aisles for people to walk down. At the far end are several high round tables, covered in white cloth, and high round stools for those who wish them. The tables are overflowing with food, much like the welcome dinner, but at each table and scattered throughout the room are scientist robots with arm bands that read "Experiment 73" in that peculiar Aellyn script you saw during your time at the Archives. They invite you to taste the foods - both raw and cooked - and to give your very honest opinions.

Enjoy the food, help them improve the flavours, and walk the room to talk with the others who have come. Those who participate will receive a small synthetic fruit basket to take home with them on their first visit. Feel free to come back as often as you like, however! Each time, they'll be changing and adjusting the food available so your first and last visit may be very different. Perhaps that strawberry actually even tastes sweet, finally.

❥ PROMPT IV: A Virtual Spa

The VR cafes are uncharacteristically quiet while the rebuilding effort goes on, but there are still those who come to plug in to unwind after a day of intensive labor. And what better way to unwind than with a hot bath, right? Since the people of Havenwell can't actually submerge themselves in water, they're doing the next best thing: going to a virtual hot spring. There are several types to choose from and despite being digital, their calming and soothing effects on the body seem very real. Choose from:

• The Classic Outdoors: a rock lined hot spring with natural rock floors and steamy mineral infused waters nestled in the mountains. All around you is beautiful greenery like a sweeping pine and low fragrant bushes. The serene air and the calm forest is only occasionally broken by the sound of a wooden pipe thudding hollowly against a rock at a steady interval or the sound of birdsong off in the trees. The relaxing atmosphere is enough to set even the tightest wound nerves at ease.
  
  
• The Marbled Columns: white and painted marble columns lead to a series of different shaped baths with statues of the gods pouring water into them. Each bath has a different healing property, which is clearly marked with a plaque at the rim of each: good for your circulation, your bones, your aches and pains, even acne and metabolic rate. The columns support a beautiful open ceiling that shows the perfectly blue sky overhead dotted with the occasional cloud.
  
  
• The Steamy Sauna: though seemingly austere in their white tile and deep blue bath basins, the air here is thick and steamy and the baths are deep with hand-rails leading down steps to help you enter. All around the basins are stone or wooden benches with towels laid down for those who wish to simply sit and let the warm air open their lungs. If you get too hot? Grab a bucketful of cold water from one of the freestanding tubs and douse yourself to get a shock and cool off.
  
  
• The Milk-and-Honey: a beautifully tiled bath with a large shallow rectangular basin. The surrounding walls and ceilings have blue, white, and gold geometric designs laid out with loving care in pleasant designs that ease the mind. The bath water here is filled with a concoction of milk and honey to soothe and smooth the skin, filling the air with a pleasing sweet scent. The effects of these baths on a person's skin is said to make them glow from the inside out for at least a day after bathing.
  
  
• The Theme Park: the first thing to greet you is the comically oversized bottle of red wine tipped to pour a continuous stream of red liquid into the large crystalline bath basin. The smell of wine is heavy but pleasant in the air and the crystalline basin is round and shaped like a wine glass. Climb up the glass steps and give yourself a good old soak in the red water. You might even find that taking a dip here gives you a heady happiness that lasts all day. And if it feels like you're a little drunk while there? That has to be your imagination! ...Maybe.

Hot springs are great to experience with friends to deepen that feeling of skinship you have with each other, and several Havenwell natives are doing just that. But what about those who don't have a friend to log in with? Don't worry! The game will randomly select another player from this or another facility and match you together. Isn't that nice? We're sure it is! Who doesn't want to talk to someone else while naked, right?

---

This event will run from November 14th to the 31st. 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 here.

Comments

iii;

[wifeacle]

[Noctis literally what in the name of Shiva are you doing?

Honestly, she isn't even a fraction as surprised as likely should be, considering she was pretty sure she knew exactly what she was getting into with this dork. But to actually see it in person is definitely something else.

However, she has noticed that all he seemed to have gotten was the meat dishes. Which means there's going to be another plate being placed in front of him; this one filled with various sides. And are those? Oh yes, she definitely put some vegetables on there as well.]

I believe you forgot these.

[carbungle]

[Noctis glances over, first looking at her, then down at his new plate. Then back at her, with increasing concern.]

I didn't forget anything.

[Their omission was incredibly intentional, excuse you!]

[wifeacle]

[Do you see this look on her face right now, Noctis? It says that she knows how intentional it was. It also says that she does not care.]

Then it is an especially good thing I got them for you.

[carbungle]

[She doesn't?? care?? That's not how this usually goes. Clearly it's been too long. She needs a reminder that vegetables and Noctis do not mix.]

...Thanks.

[And then he unsubtly nudges the plate away from his spot. No thanks.]

[wifeacle]

[And she pointedly nudges them back in his direction.]

You are very welcome, dear Noctis. Now please, make sure you at least try them all.

[For some reason, she's going to get up and actually walk away. Even though she's absolutely certain he is not going to do what she asked.]

[carbungle]

[.......is

is she testing him

Because he is absolutely not going to try all of them. He is going to go back to eating his beautiful meat platter like the rebellious brat that he is.

He does give the plate a once-over while she's gone, though, and takes at least a nibble of whatever doesn't look like a vegetable. If she picked them out, maybe it's food that she likes.]

[wifeacle]

[You know, it's entirely possible that she is.

Especially considering when she returns a few moments later she does little more than look over the plate critically, taking in just how little he had eaten.

And that's fine. That's perfectly fine. Because she is not above playing dirty to win this.

Picking up her fork, she carefully goes about making the perfect bite; roasted potato with a bit of onion and green pepper.]

I will give you something very nice if you eat... let's say four bites of this? [And then she holds up the fork, clearly intending to feed it to him herself. Because she honestly doesn't think he's above being a sneaky brat to get out of it.]

[carbungle]

[Luna. Luna, come on. He's not five years old.

....

His gaze darts briefly between her and the fork.]

Like what?

[He wants something nice. But what is it? Is it worth vegetables!?]

[wifeacle]

[Are you sure? Like really, are you sure?]

Name three things you would like most, and I will chose one of them.

[Is she not worth eating a vegetable to you, Noctis?]

[carbungle]

[He's growing increasingly less sure the longer this goes on.

Three things... three things...? He'll have to think about that. But first-]

Two bites.

[He's going to be king, so clearly he needs to have quality negotiating skills, right?]

[wifeacle]

[She was never sure to begin with honestly.]

Three.

[As Oracle (and apparently future queen???) it was her job to attempt to aid him in these attempts. That it got him to do something she wanted only made it all the better.]

[carbungle]

[There is a brief and stubborn staredown as he considers these pros and cons. The fact that it's her weighs very heavily in her favour, but on the other hand... vegetables...

Finally, though, he leans in and accepts the mouthful right off her fork, chewing with great reluctance as he holds up a finger. That's one.]

[wifeacle]

[For a moment she honestly doubts the validity of her plan. It had seemed pretty foolproof when she had conceived it. But Noctis was a variable that couldn't always be accounted for.

When he leaned forward and actually took the bite from her fork, it was impossible to stop what could only be described as a smirk from crossing her face.

Taking great care in putting together the next bite, she makes sure it had the potatoes, although this time it also comes alone with green beans.]

You know, you really do look very handsome right now.

[carbungle]

[She gets a skeptical eyebrow raised at that. Handsome, eating vegetables? Somehow he has doubts.]

And you look like someone who just came out on top.

[So much for an even trade. If he didn't actually like her, he'd be concocting three really terrible things for her to pick from.

Regardless, he does lean in for the second bite, because a deal is a deal, and he doesn't back down from a challenge, even if the green beans have him grimacing. (So nasty.)

Two fingers up, now.]

[wifeacle]

[It's called positive reinforcement, okay. Maybe if she compliments you enough for being a good boy and doing as she ask, you'll begin to equate things you don't like with something good. For instance, vegetables with whatever she's going to end up giving you.

And honestly she should be a lot more leery of what he's going to ask for than she actually is.]

What would give you that idea?

[She is obviously the very picture of innocence.

Two bites down, one to go. This time it's the potato, along with a piece of broccoli. There's at least cheese on it, so perhaps it won't all be bad.]

[carbungle]

Joke's on you, you agreed to a deal without knowing the full terms.

[He could be! So terrible! And he won't and they both know it but he could be...!

The third bite is a challenge all by itself. There's so much green, it's like staring down the jaws of death. He'd rather fight a Mindflayer. He did agree, though, so he steels himself and takes that last bite. Chews. Blehhh.

...Oh, hey.]

Was that cheese?

[wifeacle]

What an awful misstep. To doubt such a brave soul. Please have mercy on me, oh noble king.

[Oh yeah, that's right. Your girls got jokes. Is egging him on wise? Probably not. But she is banking that he can't be as terrible to her as he probably wants to me at the moment.

Does that mean she's done? Not. At. All.

Using that very same fork she picks up another piece of the broccoli - and it's pretty appearent that it's covered in cheese - before popping it into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully.]

So it is. How strange.

[carbungle]

[Luna in person is quite different from the polite and elegant writer of their shared letters. Not that she isn't still elegant, of course, but the playfulness is going to take some getting used to. It's familiar, in a few ways. Her gentle razzing would fit right in with quite a few of his everyday conversations with his retinue.

But that doesn't mean he appreciates being the target...!]

I'll take your request under consideration, my lady Oracle.

[He ducks his head in an informal bow.]

Now let's see... what should my demands be?

[wifeacle]

[There were plenty of times when she has wanted to, but was never entirely certain how it would be received. Tone was a difficult thing to convey using only the written word. Would he realize her teases for what they were?

Which meant that now she had a lot of missed opportunities to make up for.]

Your lady Oracle, hm?

[Like she didn't tell everyone that was very distinctively his oracle.]

I suppose I must hold up my end of the bargain now that you've completed yours. What would you ask of me?

[carbungle]

[Oof, she got him. Right in the doki doki with that Oracle comment. Who knew his own words would come back and bite him in the ass?]

Mm... rrrgh. Let me think.

[You'd think he could have come up with something while he chewed, but nope. The criminal combination of beans and broccoli in his mouth was very distracting. After a long moment of pondering, though, he finally nods, again holding fingers up to count them off.]

Option 1: you come fishing with me next time I go. Option 2: help me write a pitch for this VR thing I'm gonna float to the cafes. Option 3: you help Iggy figure out an old Tenebrae dessert we've been trying to pin down for years.

[Maybe not what he wants most, but it's on the fly and he wants all of these things. Help him, O Blessed Oracle of Eos. Help your king in his time of need.]

[wifeacle]

[Luna: 2 Noctis: 0

One would think he would have this all planned out by now. It had been a handful of minutes since the arrangement had been made. Apparently the mixture of her teasing and the awfulness of the vegetables had been a bigger distraction than she'd intended.

And those are - how can she actually say no to any of them?]

Are you certain those are the things you truly want most?

[carbungle]

[Took her less than a week to get him wrapped around her little finger. She should be proud for winning a battle Ignis and his father have fought for his entire life.

Since he's been freed for the moment from vegetable hell, he grabs himself a forkful of a flaky meat pie to purge the flavour of green from his tongue.]

It's what came to mind, anyway. I don't need that much here.

[Most of his urgent goals still wait for them back on Eos, and- what he'd really wanted was to see her again, and there's little need to ask for something he already has in abundance.]

[wifeacle]

[She will be far prouder when she doesn't have to resort to such lengths to get him to do something as simple as eat vegetables. But for now she'll take it for what it is; a victory.]

Then it would seem I have a very difficult decision to make.

[While she wants to give him all three, she also knows she can't be too lenient. Growing up with a brother like Ravus had taught her a few things.]

Option three. Although... the others could also be earned.

[carbungle]

[Good luck, Luna...]

That one might've been too easy. [Oh well, it's worth it to sate his 12-year long curiosity.] You know how to bake?

[wifeacle]

I am certain that I'm not as talented as Ignis, but my mother taught me how to make a few things. [She was pretty sure she remembered most of them.] Please, tell me all you can about it.