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expiationlogs2023-08-23 06:10 pm
feintofhart) wrote in expiationlogs2023-08-23 06:10 pm
[ OPEN GROUP LOG ] emergency planning & diplomacy
Who: Everyone! Please use this as an event log -- put up your own starters, and also tag around to your heart's content!
Where: Aldrip's neighbouring towns, the spooky forest, and throughout Aldrip.
What: The Chosen, reeling from the recent forest attack, decide to organize for future attacks, whether that's diplomacy with neighbouring towns, reinvigorating farmland, or getting some combat training in. Please see THIS OOC post for more information!
Warnings: None anticipated; please let me know if I ought to update it!
In the wake of destruction wrought by the strange beast of the forest, Claude and Marianne - both people far more well-acquainted with the ramifications of damaged farm grounds and unprepared civilians than they would like to be - have taken it upon themselves to try to prepare in advance for the next attack, whatever that may be. After discussion with the leads of Aldrip, they’ve come up with a list of what most needs to be done – and they can’t do it alone. With the community of the Chosen at their heels, new and old, for reasons of altruism and for reasons of simple exploration, they have set forth with the following tasks: an excursion through the eerie Pessiria Forest to get to Rumpitur to exchange goods and services for aid from the dubiously friendly naga-like people who live there, restoring life to the destroyed forest and farmlands so that nature can once again thrive, and to properly stock up safehouses with preserved goods, shelter, and weaponry.
What’s in it for you, you ask? Well, when the next attack comes, you don’t want to be the one going hungry.
EXCURSION THROUGH THE PESSIRIA FOREST
Rumpitur is a full day’s trek away, and not a straightforward one; in order to get to their destination, the Chosen must first hike their way through Pessiria forest. They meet with their packs and wagons at the entrance of the forest, a thick, lush wall of foliage greeting them along a winding, unsteady path. If you’re prone to listening to rumours, you may hear some of the locals buzzing about uncertainly: “no business being on that land, none at all”, “Did you hear? That’s where that Froste boy disappeared – when you go in, you never come back out”, “Going in there? They’ll be cursed!”.
No such dangers will greet the Chosen, but the more paranoid among them will be confronted with the grim reality of an entire day’s travel spent on edge, jumping at every flutter of wings from overhead and snapped twigs from the fauna skittering through the brush. During this trek, there will be ample time for the Chosen to stop and rest a while, replenish their flasks and perhaps share a story or two, but be careful; in forests this dense, it’s easy for someone to get lost. Wouldn’t it be a shame if someone was left behind?
To add insult to injury, once they arrive in Rumpitur, they’ll realize that there’s nowhere for them to stay, and the scaled denizens of the place will firmly - though not unkindly - refuse to let them into their homes. That means that to get anything done, the Chosen will need to make camp right outside, a great opportunity to swap stories around the fire, try to rustle up some dinner, go stargazing, or just complain about the effects of the hard ground on your poor old backs. Happy bonding!
DIPLOMACY OF RUMPITUR
Once diplomatic meetings have come and gone, the representatives of Aldrip and Rumpitur have come to an agreement: Rumpitur will provide its aid, but only at a cost. They have their own interests to protect, after all. But they’re flexible on how such a debt is repaid and ask only that the Chosen provide whatever they are able to – and you wouldn’t want to give Aldrip a bad reputation, would you?
Here, the Chosen can truly shine as they’re asked to give what they can. For some, this means sheer manual labour as they haul water from the wells, transport crops and goods from one place to another, or provide much-needed assistance to the smithies and shopkeepers of the land. For others, this means providing gifts, whether that’s their own handiwork of artisanal goods, of art, of culinary delights, of weapons and toys and trinkets that only the Chosen know of. Other civilians may yet yearn for entertainment; a fussy crowd they may be, but with the same people coming in day in and day out, they’re hungry for new music, new acrobatics, new shows.
Be creative in what your characters can provide – and have them ask for help too! This is a true group effort in showing Rumpitur the Chosen’s goodwill, and showing themselves as a steadfast community that can be trusted.
RESTORING RAZED LANDS
Back home in Aldrip, the Chosen are faced with the farmland and lush forests that were decimated in the wake of the attack. Now that the bulk of rebuilding has been completed for the townspeople, it’s time to turn their attention to the abundance of the earth’s gifts that were ingloriously sapped. Here, the Chosen have been asked to replenish destroyed crops by irrigating and milling the land, planting new crops, and tending to the displaced animals that require assistance – though strangely enough, there seems to be some new flora and fauna that’s popping up. Are those plants glowing? Wait, is that a giant bird? It almost looks as though if you caught it, you could ride it… and the villagers of Aldrip seem just as familiar with them as you are, commenting that new life seems to be drifting into Aldrip’s territory on a regular basis.
Have your characters mill about on the farmland together, nurse wounded animals back to health, plant seeds, and help rebuild farms. Nothing says bonding like a good old-fashioned group activity.
Just watch out – those summer storms can be absolutely dreadful, and on more than one occasion, you may find yourselves taking cover in one of the abandoned old farmhouses to wait it out. Get out of those wet clothes, get underneath those (admittedly musty smelling) blankets and use the stove inside to put on some tea. Get nice and cozy – you might be here for a while!
STOREHOUSE SCRAMBLE
Last on the Chosen’s to-do list is to build up their stores so that if an attack of this scale happens again, they’ll be ready for it. The Chosen are to come together as a group to help dig out safehouses and cellars for citizens to hide in during the next attack, and to help bolster their stores. Now that some of their ranks have brought home goods from Rumpitur, it’s time to figure out what to do with it all.
Chosen may assist in hunting and gathering resources, working together to dry and pickle vegetables, dig out safehouses (careful – there are vermin and minor cave-ins aplenty!), and to solicit local smithies to shore up their stores of weaponry – just in case.
That said, weapons aren’t much good without the ability to use them. The Chosen are welcome to test out the wares in a nearby clearing set up specifically for training, especially if they’re from worlds where they weren’t stuck with swords and bow and arrows. There are scarecrows and targets set-up to practice on, but there’s really no replacing one-on-one combat – take a shot at it, and you may even gain a small audience! And are they placing bets…? Well, you’d better do your best, or else more than your pride might wind up bruised.
Where: Aldrip's neighbouring towns, the spooky forest, and throughout Aldrip.
What: The Chosen, reeling from the recent forest attack, decide to organize for future attacks, whether that's diplomacy with neighbouring towns, reinvigorating farmland, or getting some combat training in. Please see THIS OOC post for more information!
Warnings: None anticipated; please let me know if I ought to update it!
In the wake of destruction wrought by the strange beast of the forest, Claude and Marianne - both people far more well-acquainted with the ramifications of damaged farm grounds and unprepared civilians than they would like to be - have taken it upon themselves to try to prepare in advance for the next attack, whatever that may be. After discussion with the leads of Aldrip, they’ve come up with a list of what most needs to be done – and they can’t do it alone. With the community of the Chosen at their heels, new and old, for reasons of altruism and for reasons of simple exploration, they have set forth with the following tasks: an excursion through the eerie Pessiria Forest to get to Rumpitur to exchange goods and services for aid from the dubiously friendly naga-like people who live there, restoring life to the destroyed forest and farmlands so that nature can once again thrive, and to properly stock up safehouses with preserved goods, shelter, and weaponry.
What’s in it for you, you ask? Well, when the next attack comes, you don’t want to be the one going hungry.
EXCURSION THROUGH THE PESSIRIA FOREST
Rumpitur is a full day’s trek away, and not a straightforward one; in order to get to their destination, the Chosen must first hike their way through Pessiria forest. They meet with their packs and wagons at the entrance of the forest, a thick, lush wall of foliage greeting them along a winding, unsteady path. If you’re prone to listening to rumours, you may hear some of the locals buzzing about uncertainly: “no business being on that land, none at all”, “Did you hear? That’s where that Froste boy disappeared – when you go in, you never come back out”, “Going in there? They’ll be cursed!”.
No such dangers will greet the Chosen, but the more paranoid among them will be confronted with the grim reality of an entire day’s travel spent on edge, jumping at every flutter of wings from overhead and snapped twigs from the fauna skittering through the brush. During this trek, there will be ample time for the Chosen to stop and rest a while, replenish their flasks and perhaps share a story or two, but be careful; in forests this dense, it’s easy for someone to get lost. Wouldn’t it be a shame if someone was left behind?
To add insult to injury, once they arrive in Rumpitur, they’ll realize that there’s nowhere for them to stay, and the scaled denizens of the place will firmly - though not unkindly - refuse to let them into their homes. That means that to get anything done, the Chosen will need to make camp right outside, a great opportunity to swap stories around the fire, try to rustle up some dinner, go stargazing, or just complain about the effects of the hard ground on your poor old backs. Happy bonding!
DIPLOMACY OF RUMPITUR
Once diplomatic meetings have come and gone, the representatives of Aldrip and Rumpitur have come to an agreement: Rumpitur will provide its aid, but only at a cost. They have their own interests to protect, after all. But they’re flexible on how such a debt is repaid and ask only that the Chosen provide whatever they are able to – and you wouldn’t want to give Aldrip a bad reputation, would you?
Here, the Chosen can truly shine as they’re asked to give what they can. For some, this means sheer manual labour as they haul water from the wells, transport crops and goods from one place to another, or provide much-needed assistance to the smithies and shopkeepers of the land. For others, this means providing gifts, whether that’s their own handiwork of artisanal goods, of art, of culinary delights, of weapons and toys and trinkets that only the Chosen know of. Other civilians may yet yearn for entertainment; a fussy crowd they may be, but with the same people coming in day in and day out, they’re hungry for new music, new acrobatics, new shows.
Be creative in what your characters can provide – and have them ask for help too! This is a true group effort in showing Rumpitur the Chosen’s goodwill, and showing themselves as a steadfast community that can be trusted.
RESTORING RAZED LANDS
Back home in Aldrip, the Chosen are faced with the farmland and lush forests that were decimated in the wake of the attack. Now that the bulk of rebuilding has been completed for the townspeople, it’s time to turn their attention to the abundance of the earth’s gifts that were ingloriously sapped. Here, the Chosen have been asked to replenish destroyed crops by irrigating and milling the land, planting new crops, and tending to the displaced animals that require assistance – though strangely enough, there seems to be some new flora and fauna that’s popping up. Are those plants glowing? Wait, is that a giant bird? It almost looks as though if you caught it, you could ride it… and the villagers of Aldrip seem just as familiar with them as you are, commenting that new life seems to be drifting into Aldrip’s territory on a regular basis.
Have your characters mill about on the farmland together, nurse wounded animals back to health, plant seeds, and help rebuild farms. Nothing says bonding like a good old-fashioned group activity.
Just watch out – those summer storms can be absolutely dreadful, and on more than one occasion, you may find yourselves taking cover in one of the abandoned old farmhouses to wait it out. Get out of those wet clothes, get underneath those (admittedly musty smelling) blankets and use the stove inside to put on some tea. Get nice and cozy – you might be here for a while!
STOREHOUSE SCRAMBLE
Last on the Chosen’s to-do list is to build up their stores so that if an attack of this scale happens again, they’ll be ready for it. The Chosen are to come together as a group to help dig out safehouses and cellars for citizens to hide in during the next attack, and to help bolster their stores. Now that some of their ranks have brought home goods from Rumpitur, it’s time to figure out what to do with it all.
Chosen may assist in hunting and gathering resources, working together to dry and pickle vegetables, dig out safehouses (careful – there are vermin and minor cave-ins aplenty!), and to solicit local smithies to shore up their stores of weaponry – just in case.
That said, weapons aren’t much good without the ability to use them. The Chosen are welcome to test out the wares in a nearby clearing set up specifically for training, especially if they’re from worlds where they weren’t stuck with swords and bow and arrows. There are scarecrows and targets set-up to practice on, but there’s really no replacing one-on-one combat – take a shot at it, and you may even gain a small audience! And are they placing bets…? Well, you’d better do your best, or else more than your pride might wind up bruised.
no subject
Mm... No, not necessarily. However, it would be good to keep these berries in pristine condition. My magic allows that, so I do not see the harm in it, I suppose.
[To even further protect the berries in hand, the palm of his hand hovers across the basket. Quickly creating a wall of ice to protect them from the elements, and basically. Well. Keep them in their fresh condition.
Listen, he's a farmer ok he likes things to be GOOD.]
May I help you, though, Miss? Is everything alright?
[She doesn't look injured, and his eyes give her a once over to make sure that she didn't need any healing magic.]
no subject
[ Ange looks pokerfaced enough at the moment that it's hard to tell why there was such a slight pause before she spoke up. (It's entirely because she's not used to people asking her if everything is alright - though she can at least brush it off a little easier here by realising he's probably just asking since she approached him out of nowhere, keeping her from feeling too weird or flustering over the idea.)
And while she could just shrug and walk off, she's still thinking about the magic, especially with the man conjuring up yet another display of it so easily.
So after considering it for a split second, she decides to just bring that up. Ange's never been one to be very indirect, after all. ]
I just haven't seen a whole lot of people using magic in this place. [ Even though she's been here for quite some time now. ]
no subject
Yes, that is true. I only knew, and know a handful of people who use magic. I suppose not everyone is born in a world where you are gifted with magic at birth.
[He readjusts himself, and tilts his head in curiosity.]
Miss... You would not happen to use magic as well, would you?
[He figures he'd ask, cause you know. You never know!]
no subject
It only takes a moment for her to take it in, which means she replies rather quickly to his actual question. She doesn't have to think about whether or not to be honest or lie here. ]
Yeah, I can use magic.
[ She's told other people here that as well, so there's no point in hiding it now. ]
I think it's different from yours though. [ Ange's gaze momentarily drops to the berries and the magic protecting them, before she raises it to look back at him. ] I really can't do all that much with it.
no subject
Might I inquire what you can do with it?
[He's already at the next bush -- his head halfway through the leaves as he reaches in to get the fresh berries from within the bush. Quite the forager this one.]
If you do not mind me asking, of course. Miss...? Ah, how rude of me. I did not catch your name.
no subject
[ Apparently the girl doesn't seem to be very bothered by the slightly belated introductions, since she offers her name without complaint.
Instead she actually does follow him as he gestures for her to do so. One might think that she could as well help him with the picking of the berries, but it seems like she isn't about to do that.. yet, anyway.
She's still just watching the other. Like she's observing him, even as she's the one giving answers to his questions here.
Answers that, despite the lack of emotion in her tone, might sound a little ridiculous. Like: ]
And I can summon demons.
[ You know, said casually. Like it's a totally normal thing. To be fair, if the other guy can really use magic like this, she figures it probably is kind of a normal thing to him. More so than it'd be to most normal powerless people, anyway. ]
no subject
[Surprisingly, he doesn't seem to mind her company in the least. In fact, he seems to be enjoying the fact that there's someone here while he's occupied with this task. Eyes seemingly on him, but again, not seeming to mind, even though his past self would be a bit uneasy. However, it doesn't seem as if the girl is really dangerous. She seems unsure about her powers if anything, and he can understand that, being in Expiation for so long now.]
Demons? I see. There are some who can summon demons from the deep circle back in my world, but I personally cannot. That is quite the power, though. Does it work here, Ange?
no subject
And since she has told some of them about how her power is limited here, it feels like it can't hurt to tell someone else too, when the truth is already out there anyway. ]
It only works halfway. I can summon them here, but not in their full forms. [ Which is a pain - and it's the exact reason she's feeling so worried about her powers. They were already so limited back home, and it only seems like they're even more limited here.
Which is not a good thing when this place can be so dangerous at times.
--Not that she's going to confess to all of that so easily. There's a whole lot of feelings of vulnerability tangled up within it, after all, and Ange hates sharing those. ]
It doesn't seem like it's limiting your magic in that sort of way though. [ He's out here freely using it, after all. ]
no subject
[Very strange... He doesn't know the extent of Ange's powers back at home. She sounds like a very powerful summoner if she can summon demons. It's unfortunate that her power may not be able to help her here, but then again... His powers really haven't helped him either. The fact this place even let him keep one of his powers at full is a bit strange, but he doesn't want to question it. Who knows when, or if his offensive abilities will ever come into play.]
That is the strange thing about this place. My ice abilities are at their full potential. My spirit magic, what... I believe humans called 'nuclear' magic is non existent here. I suppose that is for the best, though, as I hear nuclear energy is quite strong. As for my healing abilities, those have been muted to an intense degree. I cannot heal people from the brink of death. Now I can only manage broken bones, and fractures... Simple cuts and bruises.
[He pauses, and almost wants to burst out laughing when he realizes how much he's admitted to Ange already.]
Forgive me. This old man is quite the chatterbox. I suppose what I am trying to get at is that, I do understand your plight with our powers not working to it's full extent.
no subject
.. no, it's fine.
[ At least she says that much - it's about as close to being polite as Ange gets, despite the rather emotionless tone. ]
I guess you might want to watch that habit though. Are you really so sure you can trust everyone here? If I wanted to hurt you, you just laid out all your strengths and weaknesses for me, you know. [ Not that Ange has any bad intentions.
But she's just paranoid enough herself that she can't help but point this sort of thing out. ]
no subject
Perhaps. I used to be rather paranoid as a young adult; having been kidnapped for my powers. But... Not anymore. I do not mind that you know such things, as I know how to defend myself. But that is not all; I just do not get that feeling from you. That you are nefarious. And even if you were...
[There's an odd smile that appears on his face as he trails off and turns his head away.]
It is quite alright.
no subject
[ Ange-- Ange, girl, are you actually offended at being called not nefarious at your first impression? Something about the girl does sound faintly huffy, but it might be since she's interpreting it as him thinking that she looks weak or not dangerous, and Ange isn't too sure that is the impression she wants to give off..
Especially not around here, where things can be dangerous. Where sometimes it feels a little bit hard to tell who she can or can't trust.
Maybe that's why she's quickly brushing it off, trying to sway the topic back around from her to him. ]
Besides, why would it be alright if you were saying that stuff to someone nefarious? Are you really sure you'd be able to defend yourself from someone like that? They could be strong, you know. [ .. and now she's scolding him..
Though lightly. Poutily, almost. ]
no subject
I would say so, but I do appreciate the scolding. It was many, many centuries ago, but I was kidnapped and tortured for my powers. So... It is not like I have not had any bad experiences when it comes to my power. I am well aware of the risks, having told you.
[Living in a small town at birth, and with people spreading information about you, it was bound to happen, to be completely honest.]
Would you like to scold me more?
no subject
That gets him pretty close to the witches from her world, though that isn't necessarily a good connection. He seems a whole lot more normal than them though, but the girl isn't sure whether that's just a guise. If he's pretending to be more innocent than he really is, in order to trick her.
It wouldn't be the first time a witch tried that. ]
Yes.
[ And yet that answer rolls off her tongue practically instintively. She doesn't even have to think about it before she's already puffing up - figuratively, anyway, more like a pout - like a pufferfish. ]
I mean, secondly, you can't just mention awful stuff you've been through that casually to other people! Even if you think you could hold your own if something bad were to happen again, are you just going to trust anyone at all you come across that easily?
no subject
Forgive me... You remind me of my daughter, Camille. I believe she gave me the same scolding that you are giving me now. It is... Quite nostalgic, but I do not mind. It only means that you have a good heart, and mean well.
[He has a bit of the giggles because of it now. Still, she did have a point, just like his daughter did, and it makes him want to laugh more.]
You two would get along quite well, but ah... Another time. For now, shall we go back to Aldrip? I must make this delivery and then go back to my farm to ensure that the animals go back to the barn before night time.
no subject
What a thing to say.
Honestly, for a moment Ange feels like he's teasing her - making fun of her in some way, because that's what she's used to. It's what all her senses have been trained on, and so they tend to see it even where it doesn't exist. Surely he can't be comparing her to his own daughter for real, right? That's too much. Family is too important for that.
And then, on top of it all, he gives her a compliment. About having a good heart, when Ange is trying so hard to hide away all of her goodness, making sure other people can't take advantage of it.
Her face only starts to take on the same shade as her hair more and more, and despite not having a mirror, Ange can tell it's doing that. It's the way her face heats up that tells her, really, and she turns away from Astralin in embarrassment, already taking a step or two in the direction of town. ]
Don't say that like we're going together! [ .. even going to protest that one, huh.
A true teenager. ]
W-We just happen to be heading in the same direction!
no subject
But none the less, it was time to move, and he tucks the basket by his side as they walk together. Astralin focused on the fields in front of him, as he can't help but smile again. Ange genuinely bringing a smile to his face, but he wouldn't say that. It seems as if the girl wasn't used to compliments, and he understood that well.]
I do have a farm that you are more than welcome to visit at any time. It is in the meadowlands, just outside of Aldrip. If you like animals and want to visit them...
no subject
[ Ange, what a thing to say in response.. And before anything else, too...
It's part of her still being stuck in this embarrassed huffy mood. Which means that even though Ange does kind of like animals, she's going to deny it to hell and back. Imagine having even one trait that makes you seem vaguely soft.. It's clearly not allowed. Ange won't allow herself to display vulnerability, nuh-uh. ]
Besides, I'm busy. [ She exhales, trying to force her facial expression closer back to something like her usual pokerface, even if the embarrassed red hue still lingers on her cheeks. ] I'm trying to find a way out of this place.
no subject
[Simple, to the point, and surprisingly, it doesn't sound like he's mocking her. She genuinely seems like the type of person that would enjoy them, but if she doesn't, then that was fine. He would take that at face value, and he simply smiles at Ange, despite what she says.]
That is fine. I have been here for quite some time, so I did not think we could escape, even if we tried. But, if you do find a way, then full glad I will be.
no subject
It'd be easier if he was cruel, she thinks. At least she knows how to deal with that, even when it hurts.
What is she supposed to do here?
.. or rather, what does she want to do?
Ange's shoulders draw up, the girl almost hunching a little in uncertainty and embarrassment, not directly looking at the guy in the slightest, even attempting to turn and hide her face. ]
Maybe I'll stop by sometime.
[ D-Don't read too much into it though, Astralin! S-Sheesh! ]
🎀
As well as perhaps a new friend that he possibly made.]