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

[crowsfeat]

I certainly have the skill to repair it, had I the materials at the moment... [ Eileen sighed, poking a bit more at the giving cheek. She'd need to take the mask off to truly examine the damage... but it all was well too public for that, evident from the way she looked about and let out a small, almost laugh like sound, though completely lacking in mirth and abundant in anxiousness instead. ]

[tothemetal]

[oh, no...that was the laughter that he gave out whenever he'd been backed into a corner by bullies with no escape. it's the sort of noise that can rattle off into hysteria at a moment's notice, and it deeply alarms Styx. the mask must be really important to her. god, he'd super fucked this one up, hadn't he?]

Do you, um - you know where to get them? I could go get some 'nd bring them back for you, if you wanna wait somewhere.

[maybe somewhere a little more out of the way? it might help, he thought...hoped. it's the least he could do for causing such a damn mess.]

[crowsfeat]

I'd really prefer you didn't. [ Eileen groaned, shaking her head. The last thing she wanted was to send this young man off searching for leather and bone shards... ]

... Haven't you some magic to help with things like this? [ She hadn't really looked over the particulars of the curriculum witches learned in the Coven. But she had seen those offering their skills in item repair... ]

[tothemetal]

Well, yeah, but -

[that Eileen wouldn't want him running such important errands is something that feels natural, and Styx accepts it with the same matter of course that the world does the rising of the sun. why should anyone trust him with anything of real weight? he was a fool even when trying his hardest.

...which is exactly why he was hesitating now when the woman brings up magic. they'd certainly taught everyone simple repair spells - it had been quite early in the course, even - but his handling of magic was exactly how they'd wound up in this situation to begin with. could he really be trusted to do that? could he trust himself

but what was the alternative? just as Styx's worries said, his incompetence was what had thrust them into this moment. to do nothing, even if it was merely because of his own limits, would be unacceptable. he couldn't just try, he had to succeed. swallowing once and steeling himself, he redirects his answer from all of that verbal stumbling.]

...yeah. If you want me to, can definitely use what I've got.

[crowsfeat]

Then let's away to someplace more private, lad.

[ Eileen sighed. There was no escaping that she'd have to pull the mask off in front of him, but if she could help it, she'd prefer it was only him. It wasn't even really a matter of identity. It never was. She just simply felt more comfortable within the embrace of the Crow Hunter's Garb, felt more like herself, like it was the same as her flesh and bone. Being a Hunter for so long could do that to you, one supposed. ]

That alley should do. [ She gestured nearby. ]

[tothemetal]

[he nods quietly, following her lead obediently; although Styx remains a respectful distance away from the woman he's still angled himself as purposefully as he's capable of, shielding her from any curious eyes while they make their brief journey. only when they've reached the safety of the alleyway does he speak again, earnest if hesitant.]

Um...don't gotta look, if you don't want. Could just turn around and have you hand it over like that.

[it was difficult to be stared at during the best of times, he knew that all too well. moments like these...they shouldn't be harder than they had to.]

[crowsfeat]

[ The woman was already reaching to pull off the hat and cowl that held her mask in place, sighing. ]

It's fine... I've hardly the time to go into why I where the mask as often as I do, but it's nothing to do with my face.

[ She pulled down the cowl, the feathers forming crests in her hair getting a rare chance to truly breath, and away the mask came. She turned back towards him, her look decidedly and pointedly neutral as she handed the mask to him, expecting him to handle it with care. ]

Calm down. You'll work better if you take a moment to breathe.

[tothemetal]

Oh, no, you don't gotta explain or nothing.

[why should she? this was something very clearly personal, and he'd only met her today - and because of his own stupidity at that. not even Styx was presumptuous enough to demand something like that of a stranger, intentionally or otherwise.

although she's said that he doesn't need to turn around, he still can't help but avert his eyes respectfully after the first flutter of feathers. unnecessary, perhaps...but it made him feel better.

better enough that he could properly heed her advice, accepted with a deep breath and a grateful smile aimed in Eileen's general direction. it felt as if there was a relic sitting in his hands now, something which carried a history far weightier than anything his feeble mind could understand. it made him feel all the worse for having damaged it, but also grateful that - even if it was only because she had no choice - he was being entrusted to fix it.]

Ok...um, 'm gonna do it now.

[the announcement sounds stupid even to his ears, but the words are out of Styx's mouth before he can stop himself. having sealed this moment irreversibly, more or less, there's nothing left but to surge forward. just do your best, right? there was no other acceptable result but success. you had to do this right. you had to.

...Styx is focused so intently on those simple spells, on the magic coursing through his veins like an eager river, that for several moments he completely fails to notice that he actually is accomplishing that vital task. and when he does? he very nearly loses concentration altogether in his wondrous delight, catching himself in the nick of time with a soft gasp. it's...the first time a spell has worked without unwanted consequences, truthfully. he's more than a bit in awe.]

[crowsfeat]

[ Eileen's reaction was... not much of one in general. Certainly, she was grateful that he was able to repair her mask, and she took it back fairly quickly once it was obvious the damage was healed, but one would think she'd witnessed nothing, from the way she didn't even seem to register it...

... But it had registered... And she hesitates a moment before placing the mask back. ]

You are... unused to success, it would seem.

[tothemetal]

[there's no offense in the lack of reaction over his success. Styx understands that his achievements are massively trivial, no matter how important they feel to him. if it makes him feel good, then what else really matters? some day, if he ever managed to stand on even footing with average people, then others might join in those quiet celebrations. it was something to look forward to.]

That obvious, huh?

[he glances up at her shyly through a partial curtain of his own hair, still uncertain whether it was 'alright' to be looking just yet. his smile is crooked, but good-natured rather than embarrassed about being caught out.]

Stuff usually ends up more like the umbrella did...uh, for everything, not just magic. Kinda caught me by surprise.

[he's glad, though, that this little miracle had been reserved for this moment. Eileen deserved that much out of him.]

[crowsfeat]

Some advice from an Old Hunter...

[ Eileen locked eyes with the young man, still holding her mask, but making certain he knew she was speaking from a place of experience, and likely from a place of scars and pain, as well. Someone who had many successes, many failures, and yet lived still... ]

There is a difference between approaching every battle with the acknowledgement of what defeat will mean, and holding only defeat in your mind. The former accepts its presence, and walks with it and learns from it.

The latter... you may as well already be a corpse.

[ She pulled her cowl back in place, putting the mask back on and securing the hat in place, one more wearing the face she was far more comfortable with. ]

[tothemetal]

[old? she really didn't seem that old...ah, but maybe that was impolite to talk about. Styx instead remains silent, listening to every word with earnest attention.

Eileen is right. he knows this in his heart even before she's completely imparted her wisdom, because it was something that he's felt for more of his life. for as sunny as his disposition was, for how brightly he looked towards the future, there were so many times when he'd looked at something that others could achieve easily and just felt dead over it.

why couldn't it be even half as simple for him? he'd always thought that acknowledging his inevitable failures would help him set up more realistic expectations for himself and those around him, but now the drummer couldn't help but wonder...had that just been making things worse, all this time?]

Almost sounds cool when you say it like that...

[he doesn't mean it as a joke, just a sort of harmless observation to alleviate some of the weight he felt bearing down on his shoulders now - totally ineffective. he can't even try to begin to smile before it falters, his shoulders drooping.]

Guess it's not that easy to turn around when you think like that, huh? 'specially if you've been doing it for a while.

[crowsfeat]

[ Once her mask was secure again, she spoke. ]

Few things worth accomplishing are ever easy, lad. But it's worthwhile work, all the same.

[ She adjusted her cape, as well, brushing it off and letting it flow out before allowing it to once more close over her shoulders... ]

If you're not dead, you're learning.

[tothemetal]

[the woman was right, even an idiot like him could realize that. it was like the drums, wasn't it? even the smallest bit of improvement had felt massively rewarding, all of his efforts coalescing into something tangible. it ought to be heartening when applied to the rest of his life, but even so...

he ducks his head slightly, half apologetic and half just fidgeting as he runs his hand through the loose strands. she was getting ready to depart, he could clearly see that, bur Styx couldn't help asking one last question all the same.]

Does it ever get any easier? Learning, I mean.

[he shrugs, a bit helplessly.]

Always feels like 'm not getting it quick enough, even if I am still alive.

[crowsfeat]

It's not about it being easy... [ A small chuckle, a shake of her head. ]

Patience, child. Patience, always. Rushing along is a good way to wind up in trouble you won't be able to get out of.

[ She turned to start leaving, but let out a soft hum, pausing in her steps. ]

Seek out a man named Shu. If you wish to learn, there is a man with much to teach, for a lad like you...