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expiationlogs2023-03-17 12:00 am
- !event,
- ai tsf: mizuki date,
- arcane: violet / vi,
- bungo stray dogs: nikolai gogol,
- final fantasy viir: aerith gainsborough,
- final fantasy xiii2: noel kreiss,
- fire emblem geneaology: ethlyn,
- my hero academia: izuku midoriya,
- original: astralin turnont,
- persona 3 portable: kotone shiomi,
- persona 3 portable: shinjiro aragaki
{EVENT #1} ADVERSITY 131425.845119
| MOD NOTES: Welcome to the first event! Please direct any questions to the corresponding comment below. Note that characters can be involved in multiple prompts (whether you choose to thread that out or not), and that character decisions and actions taken on these prompts will affect future events, storylines, and relationships with other peoples of Expiation. In two weeks from this event, the moderator team will be posting a poll on the OOC community that will allow players to share what actions their characters took and two weeks after that, there will be an announcement made sharing said results, how those actions have impacted the state of the world, the game's story, what information can be used ICly, and so on. The various prompts are, of course, optional, so you're not required to travel to Rumpitur if you don't wish to. You're not required to help the locals or other Chosen during the food shortage. There is an option to simply not be involved, and that too can have potential repercussions on the future of the game's overarching story and other characters. |
WE'RE STARVING HERE!
HOW TO REPAIR A REFRIGERATOR 101
Do you remember the fishing tournament where a variety of locals and Chosen alike submitted a bunch of fish for a very modest and unimpressive wooden sculpture? Well... about that...
Aldrip's refrigeration has catastrophically failed and as a result, the food stores that the locals have been keeping are now on the verge of total and utter collapse. The townspeople are in an absolute uproar. According to them, this has never happened before and though they would normally just pray to Those Who Were There for a resolution, they kind of need something immediate. Otherwise, all residents of Aldrip are facing the very real threat of starvation.
The good news is that you can help!
The more handy of the Aldrip townsfolk are going to get right to work on repairing the refrigeration units. At present, the only units that exist belong to those who are making food and providing them to the townspeople. This means people like the tavern keepers, the inn, bakers, and other miscellaneous cooks, are those who possess and control these refrigeration units. If you've got some handyman skills, put them to work, though be aware that working on repairing the technological malfunction might just be an electrifying experience. Literally.
THE ALTERNATIVE TO COOKING MAMA
There sure has been a lot of opportunities to cook, but now Aldrip needs cooks and would-be cooks like never before!
Those not necessarily good with repair work might find themselves better suited for hunting the local wildlife, whether that's on the meadowland plains or taking, yet again, a fishing pole into hand. A good deal of the meat, vegetables, and fruit that was already preserved has spoiled and will need to be replaced hastily if people want to continue eating.
With bodies going to retrieve replacement food, there's suddenly an open and demand for people who either already have experience with cooking or just really want to learn. There's no better way to learn than some truly hands-on experience. For those with some cooking in their background, even if it's simple at its best, the kitchens are free and available. You might not have your choice cuts of meat or whatever else you might be accustomed to preparing, but fortunately the dried spices and herbs aren't impacted by the food shortage. Consider making something flavourful or just really spicy. (Alphen, we're looking at you.)
If you haven't cooked before and you're one of those who's just dying to learn, pair up with a buddy in the kitchen, or fumble along. Beggars can't be choosers, after all, and we're facing a crisis. Maybe the threat of having no food will encourage people to try whatever you make, no matter how black, crispy brown it might turn out.
The more innovative and creative individuals may find a way to dry / dehydrate anything caught or harvested. Or we can just have a huge impromptu grilling adventure where people hold raw meat over fire. Your choice!
WE'RE OFF TO SEE... THE NAGA?
WE COME IN PEACE
Aldrip is hardly the only settlement on the continent of Expiation and though the various peoples of these settlements can often stick within their own, when times are hard and adversity encroaches on livelihood, they're not against seeking the aid of others. Some of the more well-travelled of the Aldrip locals are planning an expedition to visit Rumpitur, an impressively-sized village on a peninsula to the east of Aldrip.
They are ready and willing to take all volunteers who are interested in accompanying them to barter for food and other potentially needed supplies. The visit to Rumpitur will require travel through the Pessiria Forest, a thick veil of trees that one can be easily lost in, but if everyone's together, then it shouldn't be an issue.
Consider joining the expedition and getting to know some of Expiation's other peoples.
Rumpitur is home to a race of naga-like people with scaled features, tails, sharp teeth, and forked tongues. Their way of life is considerably more simple in comparison to some of Aldrip's fancier advancements. They are skilled combatants and a fishing people, whose diet primarily consists of seafood. In Rumpitur, one may take note of their many-in-number stone constructs, depicting a notable and perhaps significant naga.
Although they may seem intimidating at first glance and can have terse ways of speaking, they are amicable enough and will be willing to do business with Aldrip and her citizens.
OR MAYBE WE DON'T
The visit from Aldrip, which is a rare occurrence indeed, results in much confusion for the Rumpiturian people, and this may or may not be considered a blessing to those who could be more unscrupulous in nature.
Although the visit to Rumpitur is meant to be one of peace, locals of Aldrip and the Chosen alike have the opportunity to steal supplies from the people. If they choose to do this, they may find that there are no immediate repercussions for this course of action. The likelihood is that this visit has caught the Rumpiturians so off-guard that they're not expecting to be robbed. Of course, how this will impact things in the future remains to be seen...
Individuals may grab as much as they can carry, depending on what they've brought with them. The locals of Aldrip who planned this expedition provided convenient-to-carry containers that can be filled with anything retrieved from the village and her kind. Larger containers will require at least two people to carry when filled, so perhaps you're inclined to work with a partner-in-crime. Just remember that for every action, there's a consequence, even if you're not seeing it right away!
Rumpitur will not notice that they are missing inventory until well after Aldrip has left and travels back through the forest to town, so no one need fear the chasing and hissing of snakes into Pessiria.
Probably.
HOLD ONTO YOUR VALUABLES
IT'S NOT REAL... RIGHT?
Those who've decided to brave the forest will find on their adventure to Rumpitur that it's rather straight forward and proceeds without incident.
The sky above the trees is a difficult thing to see, blocked out by the way the evergreens stretch and imposingly tower above. At times light may scatter through various openings in branches, but it is a largely darker atmosphere, and at night requires the assistance of candlelight or related.
Travellers with the courage to make way through the forest with the others may hear occasional snaps, cracks, whispers, and more enigmatic sounds that are difficult to justify with logic. Of course, whether this is all in the head or something truly more sinister at play is up for debate. Despite the strange occurrences that one may experience, no members of the Chosen will find themselves harmed or otherwise physically disturbed initially. That said, some may later find themselves haunted by strange dreams and visions of the forest in the future if they are especially sensitive to such things.
Were those sounds real? Were you just hearing things? It's probably wisest not to investigate further. At least, maybe not now...
COUNT YOUR NUMBERS
Aldrip has a great many stories about Pessiria Forest and many of the other towns, landmarks, settlements, and people scattered across the continent. Most of these stories seem to depict folklore or a certain mythological feeling about them, implying that many of the locals don't truly believe in any of the more macabre tales. Pessiria Forest has no shortage of poetry and song that pertains to its supposedly 'holy' grounds and mysterious happenstances.
There are several alleged accounts about people having gone missing in the forest, due to how complicated it is to navigate by one's self. The more people travelling together, the safer it is purported to be.
Before leaving for Rumpitur, heads have been counted to ensure that wherever they start is also where they end up, however, for the more observant, one may find that the returning party is short of a few heads. Maybe some of them stayed behind to further the diplomatic efforts with the Rumpiturians. Maybe they're going to catch up later. Maybe they took a different pathway through the forest with some of their mates. Maybe there's something more untoward going on.
If this is brought up to the locals, the leaders of the expedition will warily make note of it and conduct their own investigation. At least, they say they will. Either way, it's suspicious no matter how you may turn it. Perhaps put heads together with another and see if you're just miscounting.
rumpitur field trip — open
His bag is brimming with various odds and ends for bartering (apparently he's agreed to being a middle-man for one or several of the merchants). How successful he is at actually bartering is anyone's guess and he might need a little help because he's rather shit at it. Otherwise, his attention is drawn by one of the large stone constructs that he's furiously sketching into his notebook. Whether or not you've been his unfortunate companion on the journey over, you're taking a bit of a look around yourself, or you're just trying to have a minute to yourself, the Doctor will speak up. It's not clear if he's talking to you or not though. He seems pretty engrossed in his sketch. ]
Do you suppose this might be one of their gods? Or just some hero?
[ And finally before they depart, he might stumble upon you trying to hoist one of the containers on your own. Whether or not they have stolen goods wouldn't even cross his mind; he seems bright-eyed and bushy tailed for the first time in weeks and seems in a decent enough mood too. If you need a hand, he might be so inclined to lend one. ]
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He glances at the stone figure, and shrugs eloquently. ]
Not sure what the difference would be. Like all those statues of presidents they put up, back in the day.
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Ah! The Miller that isn't actually a miller.
[ That lack of nose looks...sort of right. He doesn't make a habit of drawing often, and when he does the subjects usually have noses so he supposes it's just one of those things that will come with practice assuming his attention span sticks around long enough for that. ]
True, but if you had to wager a guess, who d'you think this Rumpiturian statue is? It's not like I'd take any offence if you got it wildly wrong. I don't know anymore than you do at this point.
[ It's an invitation to imagine. To speculate. To play. To just revel in the fact that they're experiencing a new race that neither of them had ever met before. ]
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But sometimes, it's easier to play along than push back. Sometimes, playing along gets better results, a quicker end to a conversation, than resistance. So Joel sighs, glancing up at the statue, and then at its placement - the middle of a bustling public square, with a market nearby. A lot of shops. A lot of foot traffic. It reminds him, in a vague way, of town squares back in the before times. ]
The founder of this town. It's probably named after him, too.
[ There. This is Joel, playing along. ]
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Grand ol' Rumpiter. Although that feels like a bit of an unfortunate name for naga. Do you think they existed here before Aldrip? Or were they brought here like the rest of us?
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[ Joel lets out a breath. ]
The Aldrip people are always talking about people who came before. Like gods, but maybe they were people like us. So this wouldn't be the first time this has happened.
[ Even if that's true, he's not sure what good such information would do him. ]
Not a pleasant thought.
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[ There's perhaps a mention in there that he's run into mushroom-like species as well, but even he's not that forgetful or insensitive to the things Joel has come from. He does raise a bit of an eyebrow and casts a quick sidelong glance towards him. ]
You mean the thought about others being brought here before us?
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[ Joel definitely would not like to be stuck here forever. ]
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[ He hasn't forgotten what Joel's told him of his world. But perhaps there's other things that would be appealing to pull a person back to their correct place in time despite it sounding like an apocalyptic nightmare. ]
Maybe there's nothing left for them where they came from. Or maybe they never attained absolution from whatever it is our hosts think they've done.
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[ He sighs, studying the statue with a frown. ]
Knowing whether this has happened before and what happened to those people if it did could be helpful in figuring out how to get the hell out of here.
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My thoughts exactly. We should go ask one of them don't you think? Might as well come here to do what we came to do and get a proper story out of it while we're at it.
[ It's less a question and more of a decision he's already come to his mind, punctuated by the closing of his notebook. ]
Shall we?
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[ Joel has his doubts. He's following, for sure, he'll hear these people out, but he doesn't expect anything useful. The people of Aldrip, despite their friendliness, haven't exactly been fonts of information. ]
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[ They come across some Rumpiturians soon enough. It's not difficult for them to guess what both he and Joel are there for with their packs filled to the brim with items for trade and the Doctor pulls out the first thing that he can reach for which is apparently several rolls of gauze and bandages. ]
It's been a little while since I've bartered for something how many fish do you suppose these will go for?
[ It's mostly said to Joel because obviously Joel looks like the sort who should know how to do this sort of thing, right? There really isn't much use for bartering when you never stay in a place or world for a long period of time like the Doctor. ]
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The people of Rumpitur are fascinating. From appearance, to what they wear, how they carry themselves, and how they speak. There's not a thing about them she's not enchanted by. Her feelings regarding how they live, the way their homes are structured is much the same way. She's caught herself pausing by the various statues, too, wondering how they were made, how long they took, and so on.
When she comes across the Doctor, she's careful not to interrupt him immediately, content to nosily watch his sketching. He's so fast. She's not expecting him to speak up, so she has to wonder if maybe he's known she was there the entire time.]
Oh...! I don't know. I haven't asked. I wonder if they'd tell us. [After a moment's pause, her focus exchanges between the statue in question and the Doctor's sketch.] This is really good!
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As a result the back of his hand and fingers are a mess, smudgy and black with the stuff. He looks like a kid in an art class though — perfectly content as could be. He'll probably forget about it later too and absentmindedly transfer it to his clothes or his face. That's a future him problem though; it's not like he has a Carer here to fuss about him otherwise. ]
You should ask. You seem like you have the sort of face that people want to tell things to. [ There's a brief pause as he ceases his sketch to pull it back to look at it. ] You think? You don't suppose their eyes are too close together?
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Just hearing it causes her expression to brighten. Not necessarily because she's needed to hear something like that. Mostly because it's amusing and it might not be wholly inaccurate either. It's not as if she hasn't gently pestered information out of others before. She certainly has, but more often than not it seems there's just something about her that makes it easy to talk with her.
It helps that she's a good listener, perhaps.]
I'll make sure to ask before we all go back.
[When he continues, she moves a little closer, content to violate that personal space bubble she was giving him.]
Hmmmm! I don't really know anything about art, but I think it looks pretty true to what we're looking at. [But artists are always doubly critical of everything they do, right? Her gaze lingers on his face and she holds her smile.] Maybe you've been looking at it for too long?
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As it stands, it's not a hug so he'll let it pass for now. His gaze holds hers for a beat before he turns back to the work, lips still slightly pursed in thought. ]
You're right. Best to come back to it later or ask one of them — [ His gaze flits to the motion out of the corner of his eye and he raises the notebook. ] Oi, you!
[ ...Okay well maybe Aerith will get a chance to ask right now assuming they don't completely ignore that very rude call. ]
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What’s the harm in being a little friendly, after all?
They acquire the attention of one naga who slithers over to them both curious and seemingly unamused. Or maybe they just always look that serious. Aerith is pretty sure she knows some other people who are like that, too. The greeting they give is a short-lived hiss of the equivalent of ‘hello.’
Aerith raises her eyebrows and she points down to what the Doctor’s been working on.]
Hi there! My name’s Aerith. My friend here has been drawing a picture of one of your statues. Do you think you could tell him what you think?
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Thankfully Aerith is the face of this operation and immediately takes the reigns which has to mean that this will end well, right? All he has to do is stand there, look mildly welcoming and hold up his drawing. Unfortunately for Aerith, the Doctor's version of a mildly welcoming face is still slightly off putting. ]
I really tried to capture their likeness.
[ And he forgets to introduce himself. Even with a lack of introduction and his slightly off putting face, the naga seems unfazed as they gaze curiously at the offered drawing. There's a moment's silent of contemplation before its tongue slithers out in some sort of silent acknowledgement. Another beat of silence follows before, ]
My translation for snake is a little rusty and I'm not even sure it's the same here. Was that a, "Their eyes are too far apart," or, "I missed my afternoon tea and am extremely thirsty"?
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When her companion speaks up again, she spends a few more moments eyeing the naga for any kinds of clues and finally looking toward the Doctor, she offers him a thumbs up.]
Well, they aren’t brandishing their weapons, so I think we’re safe? Maybe they just think it’s… so-so? I’m sure our ideas of art are probably not the same as theirs, after all.
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But then it's followed by something that catches him off guard."Do you mean to trade for it?" The Doctor's gaze looks confused for a moment before looking towards Aerith as if to say go on then. HE doesn't seem particularly fussed about trading it away. ]
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Unless it's some kind of great honour to get to keep something of their likeness. There is the thing with all of the statues, after all.]
Uhm.
[...It's probably the first idea, right? Looking over to her alien companion, she doesn't seem to know what to say at first, but then she just barrels right along, as she has a tendency to do. Looking back to the naga, she's all smiles again. Almost as if she has to be, all things considered.]
If you mean you want his drawing, you should give something of equal value! [Leaning over to the doctor, she very gently elbows him.] Maybe tell them what you're interested in? You might be able to get something good.
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It was impossible.
His gaze search Aerith's for a moment before – ]
I'd be happy to trade for a story of your people. Specifically whoever the statue is in tribute to. Or books if you've got them. There isn't much literature on your people and I'd be interested to learn more.
[ Physical objects have never done much for him. It's the experiences and the stories that he'd much rather collect. Even though he sounds confident, his eyes flicker briefly towards Aerith looking for a bit of reassurance that that was fine. ]
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And a good way of making friends, too. She couldn't look more pleased honestly.
The naga in question seem to exchange looks, as if using some kind of muted language that doesn't require the usage of words. Which probably means they're using some other kind of body language. Maybe the flick of their tongues that occasionally poke out or the turn of their tails. Either way, they don't seem to hate the idea.
Probably.
Hard to say when one turns their back onto Aerith and the Doctor and slithers off in the direction of one of the... Well. She'll call them homes. That's probably what they are.]
If they come back with weapons we might be in trouble, but I think it's a great idea.
[They're both met with a quiet patient hiss from the other naga that's chosen to stay with them and get a better look at the Doctor's sketch. Must still be scrutinising.]
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[ There's a moment of panicked confusion that crosses his features and another moment before he quickly draws out the stack of cue cards that are a looking a little bent at the edges.
He's quick to flip through them to find one that might be appropriate but can't find anything specific or even remotely fitting for bartering with naga. ]
I didn't sound disingenuous did I? Clara says that my face always looks a little bit angry. It's mostly the eyebrows which I don't have much control over.
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