Event Log: July, Seeing Red & Hot and Cold

[faileas]

Event Log: July, Seeing Red & Hot and Cold

I. Underground (18th on) The Matriarch presents herself around mid-month to announce that the tunnel leading to the city will remain open to Mirrorbound indefinitely. With that said and done, visitors may find residents of the city setting up more permanent signs to point the way, and a guard station just past the curtain of moss that covers the tunnel entrance, manned by friendly enough Monsters who only want to make sure that nothing too important (like scrolls from the library) leaves the city. The atmosphere is overall fairly welcoming, now that the Mirrorbound have earned the Matriarch's approval, but it's also around this time that the locals become rather distracted by a new issue cropping up. Not a new problem, but a problem beginning to escalate. The gray-green protective moss that grows over all the entrances to the great cavern like membranes has sported flashes of a new color in the last several weeks, a bright red algae-like organism that creeps over the stone walls, and attaches itself to the moss sheets. It seemed benign at first, but as it spreads further and thicker, it starts to eat holes in the moss, from small pinholes to holes the size of a fist. The protective moss seems to be fighting back, now trying and failing to consume the patches of what locals are beginning to call Red Death. If you've breathed in the red algae's spores, the moss will wrap around you, creep into your mouth and nose, trying to remove the spores but not trying to absorb you. Trying to protect, perhaps? Mirrorbound are welcomed with open arms to assist if they are brave enough to do so; no doubt providing help with this vital matter could cement their position as allies of the Underground. a. Root of the Issue Removing the algae and healing the moss becomes number one priority around the city. Small groups of both fighters and researchers venture out into the tunnels, the smaller and lesser used ones, to try and track the source of the algae. It seems to first show up growing out of thick veins of Cwyld in the stone walls some miles out from the city, and have grown toward the main cavern. Careful eyes might spot patches of red algae that are much less vibrant, more of a pink color, and seem entirely benign. Maybe the Cwyld has mutated it? But be careful researching. The tunnels are dangerous on a good day, even putting aside the risk of infection, and the risk of the mutated Red Death giving off clouds of spores that threaten to choke and suffocate. The infected creatures out here are much bigger, and hungrier - massive, carnivorous blind armadillos with impenetrable upper shells and soft underbellies, dog-sized bullet ants with a bite that feels like you've been shot, and more rock-burrowing moles, most infected to some degree, will ambush any unaware travelers. With a potential source found, elimination of the Red Death becomes the next step. The people of the Underground have not seen something like this before, and do not entirely know where to start; they're willing to try anything that will not blatantly harm the protective moss as well, and a multi-pronged approach of different solutions may be the answer. b. The Side-Effects Number two priority is battling back the infected creatures that take this opportunity to squeeze and tear through holes in the moss without being eaten, as they normally would be. While many of the citizens are warriors themselves, there are plenty who are not, and the infected blood-sucking bats, fat white venomous wasps, and sharp-fanged earthworms quickly become an issue, spreading minor infections to the locals with their bites and stings. Many hands and weapons are needed to perform pest control. They've set up a pyre in the center of the city, safely surrounded by stone, to drop the infected creature corpses into, and open use in the streets of magic and Monster abilities alike will not be scolded as long as it's meant to be helping with the problem. Just try not to catch any bystanders! So too will people need to be healed of minor, new infections. Those who have been taught by the Coven or the Wilders are considered quite helpful here, but there is another option - moss from The Ruins above-ground can be eaten to act as an antibiotic for the Cwyld, so fetching containers of it to bring down below and distribute is a job that any Mirrorbound can do. The Red Death can be cleared out in multiple ways, including magical herbicides, manual scouring with heat, spells or potions, use of Faun magic to encourage it away from the moss, finding or creating plants or fungi that will kill the algae, discovering small creatures that will actually eat it (the wormipedes will not), purging the Cwyld infection from where the Red Death seems to begin, etc. Feel free to be creative with how your character would tackle the problem, we will be accepting anything short of fire as a partial solution. Just drop us a note in this thread what your character does!

II. The Northern Outpost (17th-22nd) In the thick of winter, this section of the Wilde could be a cool relief from the Juril heat that takes over Aefenglom. Easily reached by teleporter, the Northern Outpost has made strides in setting up as a true outpost, especially with its new importance as the closest location to the tunnel that leads Underground. A few more cabins have been built up in a little mini-settlement, offering a place to shelter and rest from exploration and research. Thankfully, because the snow is manageable but steady outside. They're not surprised by these snowdrifts forming, but around mid-month, it just grows worse. A flock of summer pixies sweep across the land, leaving large swathes of ground around the Outpost cleared of snow as they throw off sparks and heat, and they bring patches of lingering summer with them. They don't stick around for long, moving on quickly as they head toward Aefenglom, apparently drawn toward a real summer. This flash of the opposing season angers something else. Where before there was a winter of normal severity, now blizzards howl and snow piles up waist-high or better, freezing over a chunk of the nearby river and threatening to overwhelm ill-prepared travelers with frigid temperatures and treacherous ice build-up. Bundle and cuddle up, because it's about to be a long winter. It does make reaching the Ruins, a long-abandoned, now fully exorcised settlement just south of the Northern Outpost, more difficult, even if the cold doesn't seem to kill the valuable infection-curing moss that covers its tumbled buildings and broken walls. With the situation Underground threatening to turn dire, something needs to be done up above to keep the path accessible. The culprits behind the blizzards are discovered to be semi-tangible frost elementals, angered by the procession of pixies that threatened, however briefly, to bring an early summer. They can be dealt with in many ways: fighting them (they wield powerful ice magic and flit in and out of being solid, so it isn't easy, but it's possible), appeasing them with wintry offerings or kind words, or other creative solutions. They do not speak, but their otherworldly faces are quite expressive, and once they've been driven away or settled, the blizzards will end, making traversing this area of the Wilde much easier.

III. Aefenglom (18th-22nd) While the Wilde is a winter wonderland, Aefenglom is suffering from a Juril heat wave. The temperatures are high even before the procession of summer pixies reach the city. Like their icy counterparts from Deceuer, these tiny, Fae-adjacent winged beings are semi-sentient, and bring their season with them wherever they go. In shades of red and orange, with fluttering wings of fire, these pixies ride fist-sized fire-scarab beetles that throw off sparks and raise the ambient temperature wherever they fly. In these dry conditions, it could spell disaster. The pixies seem to only have mischief in mind. Their language is long lost to time, but they're delighted to chatter at unsuspecting passers-by while they set fires; these are mostly insults, and they seem to know some crude human hand gestures to go along with them. Needless to say, they are unpleasant little beings, and the Coven regards them as dangerous pests. They can be eliminated if necessary, by dousing them with water or ice, or by trapping them in metal or stone containers. They can also be distracted or appeased with various offerings, opportunities to cause controlled chaos, or with sufficient deference. Separating them from their fire-scarab mounts will also cut their power in half. Just be careful when squashing the beetles: they go up in flames when they die, and instantly burn to a pile of ash. Regardless of how they are dealt with, they need to be dealt with. With the procession comes: lengthened days, the sun remaining high in the sky for longer than it should; a heatwave like Aefenglom has not seen in quite some time that starts to evaporate the River Temese, lowering the water levels and making algae bloom in the water; gardens wilting from the heat, the soil drying out more quickly; and of course, building and market stall fires throughout the city as errant sparks catch wood or fabric. The Coven Witches are out in force trying to do damage control with water and ice spells, and any help is welcome from Witch or Monster. Special classes also turn toward learning these water and ice spells, along with how to enchant umbrellas to cast a perimeter of night-time darkness (for Vampires and other nocturnal Monsters), and how to enchant items into sprinklers - both to beat the heat and provide some wet relief to Merrow and other water-needing Monsters. These items are available already enchanted to anybody who needs them, and citizens languishing under sprinklers become a common sight on the streets. The more pixies are removed or appeased, the quicker the effects will abate, returning to a somewhat warm if otherwise pleasant summer, but the pixie procession will take its leave by the 22nd regardless, forming up and erratically flitting away, following a similar path to the ice pixies back in Deceuer.

Welcome to July's event log! All weather effects in Aefenglom and the Wilde will ease off after the 22nd, and the weather will return to whatever is normal for that area. The Red Death will continue to be an issue for the Underground if not solved - player solutions should be dropped here! It will take a combination to fully clear up the problem but we encourage many different creative solutions. As always, please direct your questions here!

Comments

[futhark]

[ Cu stops and stands before Yona, effectively stopping them in their tracks right on the entrance to the ruins. The snow begins to fall and he turns his attention to the loose ties of Yona's hood. ]

You are making fun of me, I can tell. [ He grouches as he starts to adjust them and tie together, so it keeps the warmth even in the biting wind. Though he can also feel the pride, she really means her words. Being a guide, a druid, is a true thing he's not used to. ]

Being right or wrong never really mattered when I was just a weapon to be pointed at something. [ Then, to escape the seriousness of his words he pulls the hood down onto her face. ]

[darkestbefore]

[ She gives a muffled protest from beneath the hood as he yanks it closed around her face, scrambling to clear her face once more.

Then she quickly moves to latch onto his arm, wrapping around it with her own weight as she tugs him out towards the ruins. ]

You are no mere weapon any longer. Far from it.

[futhark]

[ That's not wrong, but also opens so many doors... ]

Of course, now I'm a Witch. And your bodyguard [ Oof, he follows, he follows at the tug without as much as a protest ] That would make me a shield.

[ Distant figures moving between the walls suggest the activity of other Mirrorbounds and Wilders, with how quickly the weather is changing it might be hard to tell the details. Normally, he'd be warier, but they made this trip already— and there's a lot to uncover in this ruin, so rather to expect an attack, he expects allies ]

[darkestbefore]

[ She rolls her eyes faintly. ]

Most still consider a shield a weapon on its own right, you realize.

No, Cu, you are no tool for someone else's use. No one to be wielded for someone else's purpose. Don't diminish your own standing, your own presence here, in such a way.

And learning something new does not mean you're going back on your word. It just means you're trying something new. You may not have had a need or use for it before, but that you are broaching it now is not a failure on your behalf - it is a success. You are discovering something new. You are searching for more ways to protect those you cherish. It makes you stronger, not weaker.

[futhark]

[ That, that stuns him into silence, in all honesty. The joking conversation turning serious and with a statement that he has no idea how to respond to. He takes the words in, listens carefully, and takes it inward.

Yona doesn't know what he is. He hadn't spoken to her about it, nor about his past. Things that entailed long ago— yet even without that knowledge she hits the bullseye, on so many aspects ]

You're wise, princess, and I am grateful for your consult and advice. [ It pushes him into a formality, for once ] Both in life and in and death my life was given to another to command. I do not begrudge or bemoan that fate. I am merely unaccustomed still to live without it.

[ It's... freeing... and it's a concept he still has not fully grasped ]

But you're right. It's all about learning and growing.

[darkestbefore]

[ She watches him absorb that statement with a serious expression, but when he replies, his tone shifting to a more formal address, she reaches up to cup a hand against his cheek, warm fingers brushing lightly against his skin. ]

Then this is another new experience you're adjusting to. Your actions are your own to command now, Cu. Your paths are your own to choose and follow and change, as you see fit. And I'm glad of it. It can be a scary thing, taking control of your own fate. But I think you will accomplish incredible things.

[futhark]

[ Had he won a Grail... having a new life and freedom was exactly the kind of wish he would never make. Satisfied with the life he left behind and the mark he made, it felt simply pointless.

But then, the wish that never was his own got fulfilled and he was made alive again here. This truly must still be an alien concept to him if this girl, if his flame-haired princess, can see through him so easily. ]

I could say, I cannot disappoint you, but I feel like you would chastise me for that. [ As this, once again, makes the whole thing reliable on someone else. His hand covers hers, keeping close ] So I will thank you instead.

[ He'll have to digest these words some more, but right now they also have a mission on hand. The fire magic burning him from within, touch coming warm even in the midst of winter ]

—and make sure you don't freeze here.

[darkestbefore]

[ The heat wraps around her like a warm embrace and makes her smile. It banishes the faint shivers she'd been feeling - she'd never been fond of the cold. Having his magic chase that away has her squeezing his hand with an affectionate smile.

And then she leans up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. ]

Then I will thank you in turn. I appreciate not having to freeze. Shall we go find this moss we came here to find, then?

[futhark]

[ Even if it might be him that is the warm, fire witch here, the gesture, the kiss melts his heart a little bit more. ]

We are on a mission. [ He agrees ] We'd probably work quicker if we split, but in that case— we should agree to a point to return to.

[ Like maybe the cabin that's within their sight ]