expiationlogs | {EVENT #1} ADVERSITY 131425.845119

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm the type who knows that dead is dead.

[ If ghosts were real, he'd be haunted by a lot of them. ]

It's a forest. There's dangerous things in forests. [ And he's turning back to said forest, scanning the gloom for threats. ]

[The type who knows that dead is dead... Someone Ritsu got along very well with once gave him a similar answer when asked about ghosts. Even though Joel's temperament is entirely different, Ritsu can't help but be reminded of him.]

Dangerous things...

[What level of dangerous, though? Dangerous like a hungry wolf that sees humans as a hearty meal, or dangerous on a much worse level?]

If there were something seriously bad in here, the locals would have mentioned it... right?

[Or would have at least shown more hesitation about taking part in an expedition that involved trekking through that forest, surely?]

[ Joel shrugs. ]

They wouldn't have sent us on this little expedition if there was no chance we'd make it back. But what's the alternative? We starve to death if we can't get a regular source of food and a way to store it.

True... Even if they thought it was dangerous, they had no choice but to try to go for it, huh?

[But if the locals thought it was dangerous and didn't warn any of them beforehand, well, that might still be worthy of complaining about. On the one hand, they might have thought that very few people would be willing to volunteer for the expedition if they knew it was dangerous — and that could have affected any expedition's chance of success. On the other, to send people off without any knowledge of what they're in for just means that they're likely to be ill-equipped to deal with any danger. It's iffy, and he wonders where Joel would stand on the subject.]

They've seemed friendly so far, but... it would be naive to put too much stock in that, right?

Doesn't matter how friendly someone is - if something dangerous needs to be done, you send the people who are most capable and most expendable to do it.

[ Joel has no illusions. ]

[Most expendable. It's a harsh way to put it, but it's likely true. The Chosen were outsiders; the locals had no reason to feel any attachment to them. On top of that, they were people who'd been accused of a crime.]

In the end, we're still just prisoners.

[With whatever stigma that came with.]

Yeah, and they might try to make us forget it, but we shouldn't ever forget it.

[ Because you can't get complacent. ]

Maybe this kinda thing is all they want from us. Maybe what they want is way worse.

[Ritsu is silent as he mulls on that. A lot of the people he's conversed with here seem to be trying to think the best of the situation, of the people here. While Ritsu understood that that was likely their way of protecting themselves from falling into despair, it also made him sort of uneasy.

Joel's outlook is sort of refreshing, in comparison. Ritsu definitely agrees with his view, even if he's a lot less open about it than Joel is.]

The "sentencing" that they mentioned...

[He can't help it. He wants to hear Joel's take, since it seems far more likely to be a grounded assessment and not just someone trying their best to comfort themselves.]

What do you make of it?

That at some point, they'll decide what kind of punishment to hand over, and then we'll see how benevolent these jailers really are.

[ And the tone of Joel's voice suggests that he doesn't expect them to be very nice. At all. In fact, he expects violence. ]

[Yeah... That sounds about right.]

They probably wouldn't go to all this trouble for a simple death penalty, would they.

If they wanted to kill us, they would've done it by now. Anyone with the power to bring us here could've killed us just as easily. More easily.

[ Joel rolls his shoulders, stretching his muscles a bit. ]

And I know I'm not dead.

[Ritsu isn't as sure he isn't dead, so for a brief moment, he's silent. All of his memories tell him he should be dead.

But maybe death didn't actually claim him before he was taken from his world. He doesn't intend to throw that kind of wrench into the conversation, anyway. Not when Joel is so sure he isn't dead.]

Anyone with that kind of power can probably also fix a simple food crisis like this pretty easily.

Yet they haven't.

[It's weird. Suspicious, even.]

It's some kinda test, for sure.

[ Whether it's a test just for those who've been kidnapped, and the villagers are playing along, or if the villagers are also under the thumb of these kidnappers, Joel can't be sure. It's even odds. ]

You think they're watching us to see how we respond to being cornered?

[It makes a lot of sense, come to think of it.]

Whether we turn on each other and steal from each other, maybe even cannibalize each other... or we work together to overcome this... Do you think that's what this is about?

[A sigh. If that's the case, then they still have plenty of chances to fail this test.]

No idea. It could be a lot of things. It's fucked-up, regardless. Either the locals are in on it or they're being experimented on, too.

If they're in on it, then their acting isn't half bad.

[Not that he trusts them.]

Most of 'em probably aren't. In my experience, most people aren't that good at playacting. Maybe a few know what's really going on, but they'll be tough nuts to crack.

[That makes a lot of sense. The more people are in on a secret, the harder it is to keep that secret under wraps.]

Have you experienced something like this before?

Like this? Not really, no.

[ Joel shakes his head. ]

Usually when someone tries to kidnap me, I know why.

[That's... quite a statement, on its own. Most people can go their entire lives without even being kidnapped once.]

Were you someone famous back home, sir?

[ Joel nearly laughs at that question. What does being famous have to do with anything? No one has been famous in twenty years. All the famous people died, probably. Most of everyone died. ]

No.

{EVENT #1} ADVERSITY 131425.845119

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