expiationlogs | {EVENT #1} ADVERSITY 131425.845119

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{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

Depends how smart they are. How well they know the area - definitely better than us. There are ways to do it, even when the other guy's expecting it.

[ Joel speaks from personal experience. ]

[She listens attentively, hanging onto what he chooses to share. He certainly sounds like he's been through that before. It would explain why he's so composed about all of this. In a way, it's like seeing a different side to him. But no one is ever one way and one way only. Everyone is multifaceted. Why should he be any different?]

Also true. If that's what they want to do, they'll end up doing it regardless of whether we're prepared for it or not.

[She's willing to wager that they aren't.]

What did you think of the naga? I've never seen anything like that before.

I think they're hard to read, and I think I don't trust any of them as far as I can throw 'em.

[ Joel is, if nothing else, honest (usually). Well, he's got no reason to lie, anyway. ]

They probably felt the same way about us. I don’t think they were very impressed. Maybe they don’t see others outside of their kind often. Maybe they prefer it that way. I hope that we can have at least a civilised relationship, though.

[They don’t have to be friends. They just have to not kill one another. How hard could that be?]

That said, I wonder how far you could throw one. Looks can be deceiving, after all.

Of course they do. We're strangers to each other. We got no reason to trust.

[ Joel shakes his head a little. ]

I don't like my odds against one of these guys, not without a weapon. They have claws.

[That’s almost empathetic of him. Aerith fights the temptation to smile. He’s not wrong. Although what he says that follows catches her interest, as most things about him do.]

Hm… You don’t use anything like magic? I guess not all worlds would use it. What about other ranged weapons? I could see it being hard to face them when up close and personal.

[Says she, the mage, who is, in fact, not at all suited for close quarters.]

[ If Joel is empathetic, it's not enough to stop him from killing other people when he needs to. Maybe, sometimes, enough to stop him from killing when he doesn't need to, though that's debatable. Regardless, he's not a sociopath, at least.

When she starts talking about magic, he gives a faint snort and mutters Jesus Christ softly to himself. Which should probably tell her all she needs to know about whether he uses it. It's a "no". ]

I've killed worse things up close and personal. The trick is to get behind 'em, get something sharp enough to penetrate their hide. Get it into the neck, or the brain if you can.

[ A more advanced clicker, the brain is basically gone anyway, so you just stab into the neck until they lose enough blood to collapse. Yes, Joel is strategising about killing one of the lizard people. Or, well, he probably already has, he's just saying it aloud for the first time. Which maybe doesn't make a good case for him not being a sociopath, but oh well. ]

That’s…

[Well. Impressive. Kind of. He obviously knows what he’s talking about. It’s more telling perhaps than others might pull from it. People tend to be shaped by their experiences. She hasn’t yet fully figured out whatever might lie in his history and it’s not that she lacks the courage to ask. It’s that she’s figured out to tread carefully with him. She’s gotten away with annoying other people.

Not Joel.]

Huh. I guess that would require someone to be pretty sneaky. I wonder what their hearing is like. Not… that I think we should go sneaking up on them and killing them.

[At least, not if they don’t have to.]

Hearing's probably pretty good. Their eyes face forward, so peripheral vision's limited. Usually, it's one or the other. It sees good, or it hears good.

[ Joel has way too much experience with stuff like this. Don't ask. ]

[A valid point, though Aerith's quiet is indicating that she'd probably trying to connect peripheral vision to how one hears. She takes a moment to tap the tip of her nose for no real reason other than to pass a fleeting moment while she figures out how she means to express herself.]

Oh, you know what I'm also thinking? They don't have legs like us, right? So those tails. They can probably feel someone before they even hear them.

Might be they do. Even if not, the tail makes a good weapon, would make gettin' behind 'em trickier.

[ Joel shakes his head. ]

Wouldn't like my odds against 'em, that's for sure.

[ He's experienced, been around the block, killed a lot of people, but he's also a realist. ]

Well, hopefully we won't have to go against them. I talked with a few? They seemed... okay. Not horrible. I don't think they're in a hurry to call us friends or anything, but I also don't think they hate us. That's an improvement.

[Kind of. Joel may not be the 'think positive' type, but she is and that will have to do for the time being.]

How about we just how for the best and maybe think up a plan if that doesn't pan out? I can use magic. I don't know what kind will be effective, but I'll figure it out! If I have to, of course.

The fact that they didn't attack on sight was a point in their favor.

[ Joel, however, doesn't have much of a plan if they do attack aside from "defend myself". ]

Just make sure no one pisses 'em off.

That’s true. I was saying something similar to someone else before we actually started the trip here. I think she had similar concerns. That they might not even hear us out, which… was very much a possibility.

[But enough of them know how to fight, she thinks, that it probably still would have been fine. Less desired for her personal tastes, but rarely do things ever truly go according to Aerith’s plan.]

Of course, today could have been a ruse too, now that I’m thinking about it. There’s basically nothing stopping them from changing their minds for later. In fact, they could just come back to Aldrip when we’re all asleep snug in our little inn beds and catch us by surprise. I don’t think that will happen, but I guess it’s a possibility.

Not very logical, to trade with us if they're planning to kill us or take all their stuff back later. A lot of effort for not much reward.

[ Joel is a doomer, but he's also a realistic one. ]

Most people, in my experience, aren't evil just because. I doubt even lizard-people are.

Not necessarily. They could agree to trade to get us all to lower our guard. It’s easiest to betray someone when they trust you. We’re in a situation where we could grow desperate and that means our hands might be forced. But I don’t want to think that of them if I don’t have to. It is, however, an important thing to keep in consideration.

[His input, however, is also incredibly valid. People aren’t evil for no reason at all. Usually. Even the great Sephiroth, strange as he might be now, wasn’t always like that. At least, not according to Zack.]

As long as they don’t see us as a threat, I don’t think it’ll be a problem. I don’t actually know how much contact they’ve had with people outside of their own.

Yeah, they'd need a reason to choose to betray us. We don't have much to offer them right now - no point.

[ He doesn't do much of anything because he wants to. He just does what he has to do. ]

I hope that changes in the future. It'd be good for us to have more friends than enemies. Or as close to friends as we can get, anyway. I might be friendly with the Aldrip locals, but I don't think I'm at a point that I'd consider them friends, exactly. Basically, I think we could use more people on our side.

[Tipping her head from side to side, she takes another moment to consider how they've gotten to this point.]

We're probably okay for now. I feel like we're probably okay. That might just be hopeful of me.

We figure this out, the Aldrip locals will owe us, whether they like us or not.

[ That's Joel's calculation. Friends are fine. But having someone in your debt is just as good, if not better. ]

That's true. Especially now. They could have handled this on their own. Would have, I think, if it wasn't for us. Guess we could use that as leverage if we ever need to. But hopefully we won't.

[She lingers in a pause for some moments and then continues.]

I'm grateful that we had people like you. And the others. I'm grateful we're all here, is what I mean.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

{EVENT #1} ADVERSITY 131425.845119

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If too old, please feel free to drop. Sorry for the wait!

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