usir | Event #3 A Tale of Three Cities

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🜙 Mini-Event #2: The North Winds, January 11th

	The Long Night has ended and the sun once more rises and sets with the short winter cycle. Although the cold remains, it has lessened considerably following the harsh freeze of the darkness. Krimnos, no longer having to put all their resources into defending the city from the terrors to come, has been able to clear the heavy snowpack on the cliffs above the city enough to safely begin running two of their three remaining airships. The Skywhale has been making its regular routes since its repairs the previous month, but the two airships from Krimnos to Didymos and the City of the Free Peoples have been grounded in the cliff city for safety since the start of winter. Now two of Krimnos' airships join their sister ship in the skies over Idan. The following routes are traveled once a day by each airship: The *Skywhale* travels from the City of the Free Peoples to Didymos and then back once a day, docking nightly in the City of the Free Peoples. The *Horizon* travels from Didymos to Krimnos and then back once a day, docking nightly in Didymos. The *Valiant* travels from Krimnos to the City of the Free Peoples and then back once a day, docking nightly in Krimnos. The *Zenith* normally travels from Krimnos to the mountain outpost of Preciposte and then on to Einjar. Unfortunately, it is still grounded due to inclement weather and winter threats in the northern mountains beyond Krimnos. The Zenith will not be able to travel until the thaw has begun. A one-way trip takes 4-6 hours depending on weather and wind to go from/to Didymos to either city and 6-9 hours to travel between Krimnos and the City of the Free Peoples. Anyone can take a trip on an airship for a purse of silver coins, or try their luck and stow away. Mounts can get a lift as well, but they require an additional fare. Not bad for a chance to see Idan from a bird's eye view for the first time for most people.
🜙 Thlipa's Tribute, January 11th

	As January progresses, pods of fin whales spend their nights in the safety of Fisher's Bay during their migration. At this time Thlipa is believed to be watching over Idan and many of Idan's people show their respect for the deity. Unlike the Day of Lefkokó, Thlipa's Tribute is a far more somber affair. Though she is the goddess of the seas, storms, and power, she is also the goddess of mourning and it is this realm she is believed to preside over most during the cold winter months. People from all across Idan who are able to travel will make a journey to Didymos to be closer to the ocean, while others observe the fin whale goddess' day in their own homes and cities. Ancestors, lost relatives, and friends are remembered with offerings of handmade gifts and small collections of nuts and sweet-dried fish. Small, enchanted candles are set out on boats down the river and shore to be carried out to the ocean. It is believed by some of the more power-hungry supporters of Thlipa that by calling on and revering the spirits of the departed Thlipa might gift her followers with the magic of the fallen. Gatherings of Thlipa's most devout followers can be seen on the shores or on small skimmer boats in the bay, and vandalism of fishing boats and nets that might endanger the fin whales runs rampant during this time.

🜙 A Tale of Three Cities - Krimnos: An Army Adrift, January 12-20th

	It appears that a large company of former Atrómitos knights has awoken in an isolated and forgotten battlefield below Krimnos' twin mountains. The army has journeyed together through the blinding blizzard to complete their original objective: a full-scale attack on Krimnos. There's something off about the tattered army decked in the green and gold of Atrómitos that shows up at Krimnos' gates. They don't seem to feel the cold, and their eyes, if anyone is unfortunate enough to get that close, are a colorless and glossy grey. They continue fighting through weather and injury, undeterred as they focus their attacks on Krimnos' main gate, setting magical fire to the gate, the wall, and their perceived enemies. The army can be seen using weapons, battering rams, and elemental magic to attack the city's gates. Though their eyes are a blank and glossy grey and they do not seem to be speaking or reacting with pain to counter-attack elements, it is clear there is a hierarchy and the commanding officers seem to still be silently directing their forces. They do not speak, and if captured it quickly becomes clear why. Though they appear whole externally, the soldiers of this army lack functional internal organs. No blood runs through their frozen veins and no oxygen is being pulled into their lungs. There also appear to be no thoughts in their minds, only the howling sound of the wind through the mountains around Krimnos. At this time of year, Krimnos can not afford to loose their main line of defense, nor can they risk the very real dangers of battle sounds and blood drawing out the hungry mountain hunters or causing an avalanche that could bury the city in snow. No one knows why this army is here, but with the familiar colors adorning the fighters, there are whispers in the air of an attempt to start a war. Already tense relations between Krimnos and the City of the Free Peoples could stand to suffer from this and the citizens of Krimnos seem horrified by the prospect. King Sitka's first concern is the safety of his people, and as such he is driving his army hard into the attacking forces and even beyond its gates if necessary, anything to push the battle farther from his people and the dangerous cliffs stacked with snow that tower over Krimnos.

🜙 A Tale of Three Cities - City of the Free Peoples: The Disappearance of Captain Lykos, January 14-22nd

	No one has seen Captain Lykos since the Long Night but rumors and knowledge of his disappearance have been kept quiet by the city's Defenders, fearful the city would spiral into a panic at the loss of its de facto leader. As word comes from traveling Krimnos merchants that the city is under siege from an army dressed in green and gold, the city turns to its Defenders for answers and finds more than they bargained for. The Defenders attempt to calm the rising panic in the city by deflecting, stating that the Captain is out on a peace mission on his way to Krimnos but this backfires as the city erupts into conspiracy theories that he is actually leading the attack and trying to start a war, with reasons such as anger over a lack of support from Krimnos during the city's time of need being used to feed the growing fear. As outrage and panic spread across the city, the Defenders declare martial law and put the city back on lockdown until answers can be found. The stability of the city quickly begins to fray. Chaos, disorder, and dissent spread and talk of overthrowing the Defenders and putting someone else in charge begins to spread. The city needs answers for themselves and for Krimnos and the Defenders begin an even more desperate search for their missing leader. Meanwhile, the citizens of the city begin preparing for a revolt, with whispers of an organized attack on the warcamp of the Defenders quickly gaining traction. The more time passes the less reasonably either side appears to be thinking, and the longer anyone lingers in the city the more infectious this frantic and paranoid energy becomes. Amidst it all, a Siamese with a familiar glowing adornment can be seen surveying the chaos from the safety of rooftops or tree branches, its eyes occasionally glowing blue while its tail flicks in what seems to be either irritation or frustration.

🜙 A Tale of Three Cities - Didymos: Tidal Troubles, January 14-25th

	Starting the morning of the 14th, trouble comes to Didymos on the tides or the lack thereof. The tide goes out during the night and, to the dismay and concern of Didymos' citizens, it never comes back. In fact, it seems as if the ocean waters are only continuing to recede, leaving Didymos' fleet and her fishing ships awash in the shallows or fully grounded. Each day the waters recede further, leaving sealife beached or trapped in tide pools and larger dips in the seafloor. A pod of fin whales finds themselves stranded in the deepest section of the bay just within the Sunset Gate. As the waters continue to recede, shipwrecks, sunken cargo, and unusual skeletons dot the rock and shell covered shores, turning the edges of the bay into an unending expanse of tide pools and dotting the horizon with pieces of warped and barnacle-covered ships usually only visible beneath the clear waters. Within days it's possible for a fully grown human to wade out to the Sunset Gate without ever getting their neck wet. The confusion and complications caused by this unexplainable dearth of water starts a panic in Didymos that the dual rulers have to fight to control. The widespread fear is joined by whispers of a war brought along from people traveling to Didymos from the other cities, and Didymos finds itself caught in a tense place with the prospect of having to outline allegiances if war breaks out. Everyone knows Queen Adira would put her forces behind Krimnos in an instant, but King Ardis seems reluctant, questioning the legitimacy of Krimnos' claims to a possible war and seeking information.

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Thlipa's Tribute - City of the Free Peoples:

Rocket purposefully avoids Didymos during the whale's tribute day. He never bought into the idea of deities much to begin with but it wasn't the worship that kept him from going anywhere near the city most prevalent in the day's activities. It was the pain in his chest that he rarely acknowledged, let alone was willing to let anyone else see.

He sits on the banks of the river just outside of the outskirts, bare feet in the freezing waters despite the risk with his animas hunting in the shallow reeds not far from him, climbing in and out among icy patches as they float along down the river, pushed by the current. A small boat made of wood rests between his hands, balances between his knees. It is nothing more than a child's toy he had taken from the market, but he smoothes his fingers over the polished wood and draws in a cold breath in the form of a rough sniff, using one forearm to rub melted snowflakes off his face.

After a few moments of silence, he gets up and turns his back on the river, dropping the toy carelessly into the shallows on the edge without looking. He starts trudging through the snow back to the city as his animas' head pops up from the water, tilting as she watches him go. The otter considers the boat and picks it up between her front paws, waddling awkwardly after him.

When he notices Rocket groans and takes the boat from her, retracing his steps to actually place it properly in the water this time. Lylla starts to head for it and he scoops her up before she can, staring distantly after the boat carried along down the river.

Where in the world is Captain Missinginaction - City of the Free Peoples:

Missing people has always been a profitable business for Rocket. He was pretty good at tracking people down and even better at haggling with those same people for better pay. You could put a price on love or revenge very easily, no matter what other people said.

This wasn't his typical bounty or loved one run off, though. Finding a leader seemed a lot more dangerous, like the wrong step could end up in him dead, but it would be worth it. After all, the Defenders had to have plenty of gold if they were running things in this misfit excuse for a rebuilt city.

He spends a while asking around, looking for answers as nonchalantly as possible to not give others the same ideas, but it seems like everyone has a different theory and the only common agreement seems to be he was last seen during the Long Night.

He'll just have to demand payment for a corpse if he finds it, and that's what Rocket assumes he's looking for. He finds the seediest taverns and quietest back alley gatherings when he starts begrudgingly looking for help.

"Got a horse?" He asks an unusually familiar merchant, without making direct eye contact, and when the guy just offers him a bunch of likely scam items he moves on, looking for anyone who might be of use. "Look all I'm saying is we get a dog and we circle the city a few times. All that snow out there, we find some bones, give em to the Defenders, collect our gold and relocate to sunny Didymos. In, out, done, and a little bit richer for a lot less work than this wild goose chase."

Tidal Troubles, Didymos, let's go grab some treasure

[Sure, the receding tideline is concerning even for Rocket. He can feel down to his very bones how unnatural it is, seeing Didymos stranded and so far removed from the glass sea like this. It's uncomfortable, it's wrong but what the hell can he do about it?

There's a chance there might be answers somewhere out in the shallows but even if there aren't he has a semi-aquatic animas and a never ending hunger for treasure. It's a win-win situation to get out there and claim what the sea is so kindly offering up before someone else does or it all gets swallowed back up.

He normally avoids shoes, unsettled by being unable to feel and grip the cround beneath his claws, but he puts on some fisherman's waders that go up past his kneeds and tucks his tail up under his leather coat before combing the docks and nearby taverns. He'll need to enlist some help, in case he finds something more than he can carry, or a sea serpent. He's scrappy but he's small and not made for aquatic movement. What might only go up to the waist on some races would have him tilting his head back just to breathe and he's not the best swimmer.]

I hear all the lost cargo from centuries of ships is out there.
[He whispers to the nearest person who seems worth sharing such info with, largely predicated by whether or not he knows them or they have an animal, a 20-sided courier, or a vial on them.] It'd be a shame not to at least have a look.

Edited 2019-01-17 05:59 (UTC)

I'm sure there are plenty of crates full of rotten fish.

[Shura likes the beach, but Shura is much more into beaches that don't carry that ripe smell of decaying sea life. But here she is, trying to dodge the chaos in Krimnos by running back to Didymos and finding more trouble. How odd, all three of the cities are facing crises at the same time!

Seeing as Shura isn't that great at pursuing conspiracy theories, she'll stick to checking out the easy stuff, walking the exposed sands and sticking to familiar faces when she sees them.]

But it probably ain't a bad idea to poke around a little. You got a spot picked out already?

[Rocket's grin broadens at the quip and he shrugs.]

Plenty of goblins that would jump with glee over crates of rotten fish. Big city like this? Just about anything can fetch a price. But those crates of rotten fish and smelly sea creature corpses are our ticket to getting at things before everyone else. Sensitive noses and stomachs can't profit off something like this the way we could.

[It's presuming a few things but near as Rocket can tell so far she doesn't really have a problem getting her hands dirty. A little whiny at times perhaps, but she can get a job done when push comes to shove.]

Yeah. Out along the coast near the route the big ships take toward the gate. Where the water's usually deeper. There's rocks that line the route and I'll bet more than a few boats with fresh-faced captains lost their cargo around that area. Rocks are sticking up out of the water now, makes for an easy to find target if you're willing to get your feet wet.

[He is only sharing this info with her because he thinks she's capable now. Capable enough to either help him or go off on her own after the goods, though she would have to fight him if she tried to snake his loot out from under him. And this time, knowing what she's capable of-]

If you want to tag along with Lylla and me, we'll split what we find with you. 50-50. [See, he can be reasonable sometimes.]

Edited 2019-01-24 01:19 (UTC)

50-50?

[Considering his bargaining last time, Shura's a little suspicious. She's used to dirty work, but government-sanctioned murder and spying were a different sort of dirty than pillaging rotted goods from shipwrecks. On the other hand, there was money to be made and she didn't have a nice paycheck coming from the army anymore. If putting a little extra work meant she got to take advantage of Rocket's familiarity with the market, it would probably even out in the end.]

So easy this time~ Fine, I'll take that.

[Shishi will keep his distance, both from the water's edge and from Lylla's grubby little hands. He hasn't forgotten his mane getting tugged on by the otter. Better to lay in the sun, and Shura's fine with this. It wasn't like he was going to be much use.]

Lead the way, then.

[Following him is easy enough, but she'll make sure to put her hair up before they get out too far. Money was money, and she had to feed herself and the stupid lion, even if the work was gross.]

[Lylla, sensing the direction they're headed, forgoes any interest in the lion in favor of taking to her natural element of the water. Since their last meeting, she now bears a mark in blood red on the sleek fur of her back and a new scar on her shoulder, but neither seems to have affected her eager and enthusiastic nature.

Rocket sloshes through the seawater after Shura agrees, glancing over his shoulder now and then to see that she's following and then scanning the shoreline. Anyone else out on the bay isn't paying them much heed and that's good because Rocket has his sights set on one area, in particular, that no one else seems to be searching yet. It looks like little more than a curve of driftwood jutting out of the water but he knows from Lylla's earlier explorations exactly what it is.]

Part of a cargo hold over here. Got a handful of crates. Probably nothing but there might be some valuables we can polish with minimal work and sell off. Can't imagine anything's in great condition but gold is gold.

[He hops up onto one of the outjutting rocks and peers down over and into the piece of barnacle-covered and sea-warped wood shielding several large and a few smaller crates from the view of the shoreline.]

Probably better to open them out here and see if it's worth our efforts before we lug a bunch of heavy, worthless crates back to the shore.

[They might not be drawing much attention as they scamper to Rocket's targeted location, but Shura's cautiously drawing a small knife from her sleeve once her hair's pulled back, just in case.]

Mm, you don't wanna get a work out from this?

[Hopefully he wasn't expecting too much actual hauling from her. She could hit hard, but that wasn't the same as being able to carry anything substantial for long.]

You got somethin' to pry 'em open? If you wanna smash them, I could probably try a barrier to keep the sound down.

[Though it was possible that some of the crates had rotted enough that they could crack into them fairly easily, Shura doesn't trust that they'll be that lucky.]

I think we can crack them. Don't think they'll be sturdier for all the water damage.

[Rocket pulls out his ax, the handle shortened to suit his size better since the last time he had it. He hops down on the other side of the wood with a splash and balances the ax in one hand, shaking out his arm before swapping and doing the same with the other arm.]

See which ones smell the least rank and we'll start with those.

[There's a small selection around and Rocket picks the largest to break into first. Rather than smashing directly and risking destroying whatever fragile remains of treasure might be hiding within he uses his ax to crack the top open, popping one nail after the next up with careful weight adjustments on the handle, the blade slotted between the crate lid and the crate itself.]

Rocket | OTA all three cities, will match prose/brackets

tidal trouble

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missing in action

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Thilpa's Tribute

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tidal

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