{EVENT #1} ADVERSITY 131425.845119

[expiationmods]

THUS DO WE HUNGER

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.

Comments

[prophylactic]

[It's not hard to notice just who exactly isn't loving this romp through the woods— primarily because it's most of them, honestly, but Shinjiro knows how to spot someone who's a little more in their head than gelling with the group. You know, as one of those people, and so on.

Which is to say, he's not trying to make fun of her, but if it sounds that way because of his resting jerk face and chronic inability to sound upbeat and casual, then. Oops. He didn't mean it, really.]

Not long. .....A bike'd get the attention of whatever's watching us in here even faster, but at least you could hit 'em with it.

[Haha, jokes?? Ahem.]

[usarinpa]

[ Jokes? Haha. Mizuki absolutely could hit anything and anyone with hers, by hand, though in the moment, she forgets that that's not a normal thing you can just do. She picks up her pipe that'd been lying close to her on the ground, taking the suggestion seriously, yet with a playful smirk. ]

Yeah, but I only just got it back, so I'm glad I don't have to do that.

[ SHE DOESN'T KNOW YET what eventually happens to that bike back home... RIP. She stretches her arms, and already she can feel that feeling of being watched hasn't gone away. ]

Seems like it's got a mind of its own nowadays anyway, though.

[prophylactic]

[....You know. He'd raise an eyebrow over the pipe, but as the Guy With Axe currently in this party, maybe he shouldn't. An advanced pipe is new and different, though.]

....Your bike has a mind of its own?

[Bikes sure are getting, uh, smarter? He doesn't know anything about bikes, honestly.]

We're lucky. Whatever's out here is keeping its distance. [for now......]

[usarinpa]

[ He heard what she said.

At the mention of that something, Mizuki starts to glance around, but just like before she fell asleep, she doesn't see anything. When she looks up, she catches sight of lights that look like they could be eyes, but they could also just be moonlight, poking through the canopy.

... ]

I meant that in a, "starts when she feels like it, cuts off when she doesn't" kind of way. [ Still better than nothing. For now. ] I had to have a lock made and everything. I left her back at Aldrip.

[prophylactic]

[...Is her bike alive... Is it a Persona??]

Sure. ....I'm not a bikes guy. You know how to fix it? [uh,] Her?

[God, no, he can't call this bike her, it feels too silly. Truly, he is not a bikes person. He coughs and also looks out into the dark, scanning for anything moving too much to be just the breeze.

Also, wait a second-]

Your bike just turned up one day?

[usarinpa]

. . . [ It's a her. Clearly if she knew how to fix her, there wouldn't still be a problem. She doesn't bother to answer though, his next question making her feel more guarded than before, simply because the experience called forth less than pleasant memories. ]

Yeah. It came wrapped in ribbon with my name and everything. Right in front of the inn.

[prophylactic]

[It's a her, it's a her, he gets it... He doesn't get the concept of things they used to own back home just appearing? Gift-wrapped with a pretty ribbon? Something about that feels... off. Unsettling, in a way he can't quite describe.]

That's weird. Wish we knew who was keeping an eye on us.

[Because the vibes are Wack, frankly, in his professional opinion.]

Dunno what the point is in giving us gifts from home if we're supposed to be criminals. ....I guess there's not much point in wondering about it, either, though.

[usarinpa]

[ The vibes are definitely Wack. Mizuki helplessly shrugs, like she's not too keen on the idea of getting hung up on it either, though the curiosity is always there at the back of her mind.

As she lets out a quiet sigh, she can see her breath, but she can't tell anymore if it's just that cold (and she's gone numb), or something else more supernatural. ]

I did ask around eventually, but nobody saw anything. Just another spiel about Those Who Were There...

When we get ourselves out of this mess, I'll make sure to ask them where They were when everyone was running out of food.

[prophylactic]

[That gets a dry chuckle out of him, only a little Annoyed at these Those Guys people keep talking about.]

That's a good question. They dropped us here, They might as well make sure we don't all starve.

[Kind of infuriating, now that he thinks about it... It's harder to brush off the Those as not his problem when everyone is trying their hardest not to completely deplete all the food resources. He hefts his borrowed axe onto his shoulder with a grimace; hm, fuckin' Those, hm.....]

....Although, if we're making a list. [shinji, "let's not worry about it," also shinji, "but personally..."] I want to know how they're picking who to mess with. Some of us being here, for "sentencing"... it's bullshit.

[usarinpa]

[ ...Or was it deliberate? When he puts it that way, she wonders just how much stake these gods have in their well-being. She always was suspicious about how welcoming the people of Aldrip have been in light of everything. ]

Probably has to do with what we were "Chosen" for, but I haven't really figured it out yet. I haven't exactly seen any courthouses, so maybe "sentencing" means something different here.

I can't even make out the date on mine.

[ Clearly they have bigger problems to worry about, though. She wonders how stupid it would be if they tried to keep going when it's still dark out. ]

[prophylactic]

Neither can I. Didn't try for too long, though.

[He's, hm, accepted his crime, in the sense that yeah he did do that thing and probably deserves something for it— it's other people here who don't, which is where the whole thing starts to chafe. For him. Some of them deserve cottagecore prison.

But anyway.]

....Right now, it feels like we were "Chosen" to run errands.

[usarinpa]

[ ...Yeah, that's a good way to put it. It's not as though she went around asking people for their parchments either, but she's seen at least one other and it has the same blotchy wear and tear, almost like it's been burned—though she knows now that wouldn't have worked. ]

Even now. [ Trekking their way through this forest... ] Though I guess this is a little more than that... Everyone's gotta eat.

[ Even sinners. ]

...I'm Mizuki, by the way.

[prophylactic]

[Running errands, not asking too many questions... It's not all that different in the abstract from being with SEES back home, if he thinks about it like that. Everyone's got to eat; everyone's got to be safe from Shadows. There are some immutable facts of any given shitty situation that push them to keep following directions, it feels like.

Even if thinking that they're being pushed to help people not starve makes him feel weird. What's the punishment part? When does the other shoe drop? Ugh.]

Shinjiro. ....Everyone's gotta eat. [yes, for real. he nods. wise words.] You don't think— hn.

[How does one phrase this question.]

You don't think someone did this on purpose, did you? Whoever put us here?

[usarinpa]

Do what? Mess with the refrigeration?

[ Mizuki thinks back, and she remembers seeing a few different groups working to fix them, to...varying degrees of success. She doesn't deny the possibility. As an investigator, she's taught not to, so she's just trying to remember what Boss was always preaching. (Jeez, this is how Bibi felt, huh...?) ]

...I wouldn't be surprised. People were working together to fix it, to cook... Heck, now we're making this journey to an unknown town together. If this is some ploy to get us to band together, maybe what we were "Chosen" for is... rehabilitation.

[prophylactic]

Rehabilitation... [He repeats it, then frowns, brow furrowing; no, he doesn't really like the sound of that, if he thinks about it. It's better than pure punishment, sure, but do most of them deserve being put through the paces like this, still? Leaving aside the tangled mess of emotions he'd have to pick apart to decide whether he himself is worth the time and effort, but ehh--]

Wonder what'd that mean when it comes to waiting around for "sentencing." ....Not everyone helped, either. If they want us to do something, sitting on their asses until we figure it out's a waste of time.

[usarinpa]

[ Yeah, he's got a point there. Some people were really out for themselves, and even now, she can't say this trip was an entirely collaborative effort. She simply shrugs, because ultimately, she doesn't know and can't guess anyone better than he can. ]

They've probably got other plans for the ones who're found guilty. But... I guess there's no use in worrying about it for now.

[ ...... ]

Let's see what we can find out in Rumpitur.