usir | Event #6 Arkoda's Awakening & the Wyrm Moon

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Arkoda's Awakening & the Wyrm Moon

🜙 Arkoda's Awakening.

	With the emergence of hibernating creatures and the arrival of the thaw, Arkoda's awakening is being celebrated across Idan. In Krimnos, King Sitka, adorned with the white laurels of peace, announces the opening of the Krimnos Greenhouse to all of Idan, the many magical plants within it available to any in the general public who might have need of them. The Hymn of the Mountains tolls out gently from the crystal bells in Arkoda's temple, and the Krimnos knights hold a competition of skill in Hippogriff Flight Courses, Aerial Jousting, Archery, Armed Combat, and Unarmed Combat that is open to all. Participants have the chance to take on the mantle for themselves and join Krimnos' Knights, with the winners of each category potentially acquiring a rare Hippogriff from the Krimnos Aviary or a horse from the stables and a hefty sum of gold. In Didymos the celebration is split between the quarters. In the overlook quarter Queen Adira pardons a number of people from serving out time for their crimes with the option of joining the crew of any of the large fishing fleets or assisting the academies in keeping the buildings orderly, and a celebration of the Didymos justice system includes debates and elections for the Queen's staff of judges and advisors. In the ocean quarter, the fishermen are celebrated with sea shanties, shoreline bonfires, dancing, music, and a jubilee for the upcoming spring, all culminating in a grand feast where the main dishes feature fish, berries, boars, rabbits, fruits, nuts, and various honeyed sweets and drinks. No one talks about the shortage of fish in the bay, or the dragon that emerged from it last month. In the chaos surrounding the City of the Free Peoples, a group of rebel fighters in conflict with the city's current self-proclaimed leader are holding a celebration for anyone to attend at the Immortal Duke well into the night that focuses on bolstering spirits and joyfully, loudly, singing and dancing in spite of Captain Koroc's threats. Oddly, the Defenders seem unwilling to make a move on the heavily warded inn and everyone who joins in seems to lose their worries and cares the moment they step foot over the threshold. An elf with blond and brown streaked hair offers support and uplifting words and gives a speech at one point in the night that seems to really rally the crowded inn's crowd, promising that brighter days are soon to come and that before long the city will belong to the people once more, with no need to fear their true leader. There is even a mocking play that makes light of the former and current rulers. An armadillo beastfolk depicts Captain Lykos as timid and uncertain, waffling over decisions and eventually curling himself into an armored ball and rolling away off stage. An orc with horns on his head plays Koroc as a bullish brute that charges a mysterious masked and taunting character with a cape, careening right off the stage behind him and into a pile of prop boxes where he is 'slain' by his own stupidity.

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🜙 Arkoda's Awakening: Potion Seller

	The black markets of the three cities are constantly moving, never lingering in the same place for long. You may not have even known you were in it, were it not for the battle-scarred hyena and his human friend calling out to you with a gruff barked "Hey," followed by a smooth as silk sing-song "I know what you've been searching for." Against your better instincts, you find yourself compelled, stepping one foot after the next over to the harmless looking alchemy market stand. Nearly a hundred colorful bottles and vials of assorted shaped are stacked and stored around the lantern-lit stand. "You'll know which potion you need when you find it." The singsong voice of the woman washes against you like a reassuring touch, and she holds both hands out palms up, gesturing to her many wares. The leering hyena beastfolk beside her grins dangerously at you, winking. "If you think you can handle them." There's something unusual about them, they almost seem to shimmer in the light. As you pick up one of their offered vials you feel a dizzying sensation as if the earth has suddenly gone out from beneath your feet. You catch yourself on a tree and look up to find yourself standing in the middle of a mostly empty marsh somewhere between Didymos and the City of the Free Peoples. You're disoriented, confused, and your head is pounding. It feels as if you just went on an all-night drinking bender. The vial is gone, as is the market, but you aren't alone. Another individual is picking themselves up out of the marsh beside you, feeling the same effects of an unfortunate encounter with the tricksters or perhaps they were just out for a walk when you appeared out of nowhere and knocked into them.
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🜙 The Wyrm Moon: Wolves of Atrómitos

	King Ardis and his men have set up camp in an abandoned village near the outskirts of the City of the Free Peoples while the roguish leader of Didymos' ocean quarter attempts to get Captain Koroc to agree to assisted mediation from him and his men. So far his request has been repeatedly scoffed at by the towering red orc who views the man's attempts at diplomacy as a power grab. Dozens of rebels remain locked in custody of the Defenders and the knights of the City of the Free Peoples seem on edge, an air of anxious and paranoid tension rampant in the warcamp while a feeling of distrust and fear permeates the city itself. Prior to the Wyrm Moon, Captain Koroc declares that King Ardis' presence is an act of war and that the city is now under his rule. The City of the Free Peoples is still in a state of internal conflict. Their unofficial leader, Captain Lykos, has been missing since the end of December and in the wake of his disappearance, a red orc named Koroc has declared himself the new leader of the Defenders of the City. His greed for power has progressed over the months he has been in command of the army of Defenders, and he has now claimed himself King Koroc, rightful ruler of the city and its people, calling the city once more by the more familiar name of Atrómitos. His erratic, increasingly violent behavior and the fairly fresh scars covering one of his arms make him an even more fearsome sight than the already over-sized orc had previously been to behold. Even his most trusted fellow Defenders seem nervous in his presence. Dervish, the smaller orc that has been at his side since Captain Lykos' disappearance is quieter, remaining behind him rather than beside him. Dozens of citizens are locked up in cells in a makeshift Defender's warcamp prison and a struggle for power has risen to the surface. King Ardis is willing to help find a diplomatic solution by force if necessary, waiting outside the city with a small force of soldiers and putting out calls for information on the situation to help him help the people of the city. The newly recovered Captain Lykos is laying low, assessing the state of the city and searching the network for supporters to reach out to while he waits out the full moon. The rebels numbers are depleted but their current leader, an enterprising elf named Lorna with connections willing to fund her attempts to take back the city, is reorganizing her people and recruiting people to the cause of putting the city in saner, more capable hands. Koroc's new leadership seems to involve enforcing militaristic force and overbearing control over the city, but he is making broad claims of returning the city to its former glory, assuring his people that when he is in power, Didymos and Krimnos will give their city the respect they've been denied since the fall of Atrómitos Things have come to a violent final head, and the actions of everyone involved over the next few weeks could alter the City of the Free Peoples forever. As the full moon rises over the city's internal conflict, fearsome howls fill the brightly moonlit night and dozens of werewolves emerge from the shadows, attacking the newly re-named Atrómitos and the city's outskirts with a pack mentality rarely seen in the usually lone, cursed creatures. They hunt together, clawing their way from the wilderness toward the city, eyes blood red in the night, their black fur allowing them to melt into the shadows. The defenders can be seen all over the outskirts of the city, armed and ready, their response time impressive. Dervish leads them, and they beat back the werewolf attack. It's clear the werewolves are out for blood. Some of them make it through the Defenders' defensive lines, but many of the creatures retreat and turn their claws and teeth on the farmers and King Ardis' camp.

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🜙 The Wyrm Moon: Dawn of Dragons.

	Under the light of the larger than usual wyrm moon, the claimed dragon eggs scattered across Idan begin to hatch. The dragons that emerge from the eggs have no magical abilities, no flight, and no voice, but their personalities will grow and define rapidly. All but one of the hatching eggs found its way into the clutches of an awakened, for better or for worse. A lone egg, hidden away in a crate on Didymos' shore is found by the Didymos guards on patrol sometime after the waters have cleared. They take their discovery to Queen Adira, who is faced with a startling discovery. Another dragon outside Didymos. A proud denizen of truth and justice, she makes a courier post visible to all of Didymos, allowing them to see the hatchling for themselves, and explaining the circumstances of its discovery. She admits she is unaware of whether or not there may be more such creatures but assures her citizens that her scholars will be closely monitoring the hatchling. It is a frightening awakening for Didymos, but Queen Adira insists that until they know where it came from, if there are more of them, and if this creature is a threat, she and her advisors will be keeping it contained and monitored. Its kind may have destroyed the kingdoms of old, but she implores her people not to let that color their judgment. Frowning, she reluctantly admits that the actions of the people and creatures of the past must not be used to sentence people and creatures of the present and that if they travel down that road it would darken the clarity of justice they uphold in Didymos. Understandably, reactions throughout the city are wildly mixed.

🜙 Note.

	April's plot write-up will feature a follow up on both the Einjar Excursion and the Wyrm Moon events. Next month players will be helping to decide the future of the City of Free Peoples: Its name, its leader, and how it reforms following the conflict that has divided it and caused a rift of fear and confusion between its people.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Shura probably would have mentioned the plan of capturing one of the werewolves if the opportunity arose to Billie, but as an ~official knight~ of the City, Shura found herself trying to bounce between what she had to do in order avoid someone suspecting her of dereliction of duty and her other plans. But since it seems like the Defenders have things under control in the City proper, Shura sneaks away as soon as she can, patrolling the rooftops and trying to find any weak spots before she moves out of the city.

It's that inhuman shrieking that catches her attention, and look, she knows those guys! Billie seems to have things under control, but Shura still hops down from the roof, landing behind Strange with a soft thump. That werewolf isn't dead yet, but that could be a good thing.

"You have him under control?" Restraining him was going to be a problem, but she'd get to that once he was knocked out.

Good bye little barrier, you saved Strange from getting eaten.

Billie is holding on for dear life so Strange is still tense and at the ready. Her pulls out a silver fork turned prison shiv out from his pocket, ready to magically send it in the werewolf's direction...when hey, Shura shows up. Strange visibly looks relieved but his focus is still on the werewolf as he tries to spot a moment of opportunity where he can strike but not hit Billie.

"Well, Billie shot it, I stabbed it with some silver, and we've pissed it off. We could probably use some help."

Especially since Strange's aim needs a bit of work.

Only if by 'under control' Shura means 'having a werewolf rodeo', as it ends up being the case here as she arrives. Billie doesn't answer immediately, busy trying to keep her grapple on the werewolf's neck locked. With one arm, though, the most that's going to do is keep her on its back as it starts bucking wildly around, from two legs to four as it tries to dislodge her.

When she does finally yell at them, it's mostly due to the fact that Strange has yet another silver shiv in hand and her immediate reaction to that is, "Don't! You even! Dare!"

It's all a little stilted since she doesn't want to bite her tongue off every time the werewolf shakes violently. Inwardly, she's already wishing she'd gone rat form for this. Claws are just better at boots sometimes and that's about as far as that thought goes when the damn thing realizes it can try and scrape her off against the side of a building, which it promptly attempts by crashing sideways into a wall.

That has the intended effect, unfortunately, because it loosens Billie's grip enough for the next round of thrashing immediately after to send her flipping heels over head into the cobblestone and dust.

Okay, fine so maybe not as under control as Shura hoped. Nothing wrong with being an optimist, right?? She'll shove past Strange, since he's the last rodeo clown they need, sword drawn.

"Ugly, over here!" Billie's down, Shura has no idea if she's injured, and then there's Strange in the back. She'll have to do more than yell to distract him, and she moves in to strike at him, aiming a slash at his leg to see if she can disable him that way. Alas, the fur and hide are a bit too much for just one well-place hit to take care of, but now she has his attention. Shura wanted it! But damn, she was hoping he was going to be a bit easier to stab. There's just a moment before the wolf jumps at her, and Shura's going to use that to ask a quick question.

"Wolfsbane--did you use wolfsbane?" Shura calls to Billie, hoping that her little roll around with the werewolf didn't knock her out. That'd make things really inconvenient for Shura. There werewolf is going to be totally rude and not wait for Billie to reply before leaping at Shura. Time for some fun trying to dodge those teeth!

Jonathan 'my only form of attack is ranged attack' Strange honestly doesn't know what to do. Billie's down, Shura's moving in to slash at the werewolf's leg...any form of attack that he does is liable to hit them and any form of terrain shift that he does will inconvenience them as well.

Though he is a bit miffed that Billie shot down his stab the wolf again idea so fast. It's a marvelous idea, she's just wrong.

He's still ready to cast his manipulate metal spell. Why not use that? Strange moves a little to the side so that he better see the silver shiv stuck in the werewolf's shoulder. With a wave of his hand, the shiv sinks a few inches further down into the muscle.

Down but not out, thankfully, though it does mean Billie's had the wind knocked out of her. She won't answer immediately thanks to that but once she can, she'll push herself up to sit and answer Shura by wheezily yelling back to her, "On the crossbow bolt!"

The same one still sprouting out of the werewolf's back. That means the werewolf's strength is ebbing, even if that doesn't make it less of a danger just yet. It's still after Shura, snapping at her.

Of course there’s no sort of fast acting wolfsbane poison out there. That sure would make things super convenient! But the more Shura can force him to move, the faster the poison should act. Hopefully. Shura was more familiar with straight up murdering werewolves than she is with trying to capture them alive.

Speaking of her plans, was Strange aware of her plan? Crap, probably not. And she couldn’t really stop in the middle of trying to dodge this guy’s snapping to explain what she was trying to do. She’ll try to sneak a glance over at him when she can to try and see if she can tell whether or not Strange is doing anything stupid, but most of her attention is focused on wearing the wolf down without letting him get a nibble.

Unfortunately, Strange is not aware of the 'capture the werewolf alive' portion of the plan. This thing had tried to attack him, Billie, and now Shura. His focus is squarely on killing the damn thing and keeping everybody else alive.

He's still focused on the silver stuck in the werewolf's shoulder. Magically manipulating it from here would be tough, but doable. Murmuring under his breath, Strange continues the spell. The silver wiggles itself out of the werewolf's shoulder, pausing in the air for a moment before it goes for wound number two. Unfortunately, Strange's aim is a little off on this one: it slices the werewolf on the shoulder instead of stabbing it.

But hey, there's now a floating shiv if anybody wants to grab it.

Billie is rolling back to her feet and absolutely snatching that shiv out of the air, thanks. She could just use her own sword but it, unlike the shiv, isn't silver, albeit far better made.

"Strange, get my crossbow! You just have to point it at the right target!"

Trueshot is nice, guys, really nice, she just hopes he doesn't break it. In any case, she's taking herself and the shiv back towards the werewolf, moving to try and flank him as he recovers from the new cut Strange gave him. That slowed him down again, giving Shura time to put some space between herself and his jaws.

Edited 2019-03-25 03:35 (UTC)

Thanks Billie, you're a pal. If Shura had been more careful, she would thought about the fact that Strange is reckless enough to go out on the front lines even if he's a terribly squishy wizard.

The wolf is slowing down, which is great, but it's still not unconscious, which is less great. Shura very much appreciates the reprieve and will take a step back, taking a minute to yell at Strange.

"Do as she says! We ain't gonna kill this one!"

Wait, does Strange know how to use that thing? Well, here's hoping that this isn't about to end poorly. She can keep it distracted while Strange figures things out.

Strange just looks at the two women a little dumbfounded. This thing tried to eat him! What were they going to do with it if not kill it?

Still, he's not going to question either of them. The crossbow is a little closer to the action than Strange wants to be, but he thinks he can reach it without getting mauled. Strange scampers over towards the crossbow, complaining all the while.

"It would be easier to fire at the right target if you two weren't so close to it!" He gets the crossbow without any trouble, though this does put him pretty close to swiping range. Strange squints, points it at the werewolf, then fires...and it straight up would have fucking missed, this guy has used projectile weapons like twice in his life. Thank the gods for trueshot as the bolt corrects itself mid-flight and sinks in the werewolf's flesh.

Billie hasn't one fucking clue since that's news to her, too, but she could probably give it a few good guesses. She won't, of course, since right now is for trying to deal with the damn thing.

"Then don't bring magic to a melee next time!"

Her back and lungs are killing her, so yeah, she's a little cranky. Not really sorry, Strange, although on the bright side he can at least aim an enchanted crossbow correctly. It isn't completely foolproof but close enough to it. With how much the werewolf has been moving, going between trying to get one or the other, the wolfsbane really has begun to circulate. A second bolt helps, though that means the werewolf is turning Strange's way again to snarl and stagger towards him for a second round of Try and Eat the Elf.

Moving slower, though, Billie isn't as worried as the first time, not to mention that if Shura wants it alive, she really shouldn't close in on it again with the silver.

"Exactly how are you planning on catching this thing? Wait until it gives up?"

Try and Eat the Elf sounds like a terrible game, even if it might save Shura some headaches in the future. She needs that elf for his magic if they can capture this guy alive. Strange should know how to make things float, right?? Shura might have to kill him if he doesn't.

"Wolfsbane oughta knock 'im out if we're careful!" And if they aren't careful, they'll just kill him, so it's a win-win so long as no one gets nipped. So fine, Shura can put herself in danger once more, rushing in to strike at the werewolf's shoulder, aiming where he's already been hurt. It really pisses him off, but the second dose of wolfsbane is hitting him hard. He rears back, trying to remember just who he was trying to munch first--and can't. So fine, he's just going to go after who's closest, which is Shura. Fine, she'll play with him some more. Hopefully he'd just collapse in a minute??

As the werewolf staggers towards him, Strange scurries backwards at the same time that Shura goes to strike at the shoulder. He's still tense, holding the crossbow and pointing it at the werewolf, while obviously not knowing what the hell to do.

At least he's slowing down. That's a good sign?

"Should I shoot him again?" Strange asks, ready to shoot the werewolf if needed, but honestly not sure if the thing needs another dose of wolfsbane or not.

There werewolf will answer that himself by way of turning sluggishly and takes a few now half-hearted swipes after Shura once more, again turned around by the new assault from her. Between the double dose of wolfsbane and having to rush between three assailants one after another, his energy flags and he falls to one knee, growling still even as his sides heave with exertion.

"If it gets back up, then yeah," Billie tells Strange. She closes in a few steps, keeping to the werewolf's flank as she had been before, still on the defensive but now waiting. She won't take her eyes off the creature but she does address Shura next.

"You want to question this thing, right?"

Because why else would someone capture an additional werewolf?

Edited 2019-03-27 02:39 (UTC)

Because werewolf collecting is the newest trend, gosh!

On the one hand, great! He's slowing down. On the other hand, he's not quite down yet, and he might still have just enough strength to do something stupid, so Shura is still on guard. It does give her the time to answer Billie's question, maybe give Strange a bit of an explanation of just why they're doing something that might be just a little crazy.

"Yeah, I wanna see if we can find out anythin' from 'em." There's a thump as the wolf's other leg gives out, then a second, much louder thump as he collapses on the street. He's still very much conscious, but it's not as difficult to handle a werewolf who only has energy to snarl and glare.

"Strange, see if you can't use some of that silver or something else to muzzle 'em." Use that metal-bending for good!

When the werewolf collapses, Strange is visibly relieved. He takes a few tentative steps closer, though still keeping a good distance between himself and the werewolf.

Shura's suggestion gets a shake of his head. "I already know I can't do that," Strange points out. He's baby level with his metal-bending, okay? He can draw out a point or move an object a little bit and that's it. "I can use plant life, but he might be able to break through it."

Though after a few doses of wolfsbane, he's not so sure.

"I am curious to know if they're just more Defenders or some poor bastards with bad luck..."

Though Billie isn't liable to stick around long enough to hear that tale. There's still an entire night to deal with. Anyway, she lowers the silver shiv and steps over to stand next to Strange, holding a hand out expectantly for her crossbow. The whole while, she's still watching the werewolf, just in case, but it seems it'll growl and whine uselessly for now, chomping at air but not finding the strength to get up again.

"And use thick enough plants, maybe, but didn't you make a whole wall out of dirt and stone before? Couldn't you use stone?"

"Worse comes to worse, Lykos can use 'im to bolster some support. They'll probably be dealing with the outbreak for a while after this if they can't stop the one behind all of it."

But that's all planning and scheming that Shura isn't good at, so she'll leave it to someone else. She'll gather information and take him her pay, that's what she's good at. Catching and subduing the werewolf was all just part of the job, and she'll just keep her sword raised for now.

"A stone muzzle will work just as well. You see how he's lookin' now, don't you? It's an extra precaution for when we move him, not somethin' that has to last forever. I know you can come up with something or other to keep that trap of his shut."

"The problem with stone is that if I'm not here, someone else will have to take it off."

Still, that's somebody else's problem. Strange gestures to the werewolf and mutters something under his breath. A combination of mostly rocks but a little of packed together earth starts to rise from the ground. It snakes around the back of the werewolf's head and then around his snout, making a slightly impromptu yet very solid muzzle.

"Keep the silver, by the way. And I've got some for you as well, if you want it," Strange says, as he nods vaguely in Shura's direction.

"If it's formed to a muzzle, that goes away later," Billie points out. It'll still suck but a more human-like face shouldn't be bound. As for the werewolf himself, he does whine and growl some more as he's muzzled but any attempts to get back up are useless.

With Strange saying to keep the silver, though, she'll do just that. It's pocketed, disappearing into somewhere in that big red coat of hers.

"We'll deal with it if he lasts through the night," is Shura's answer, since she has no idea if they'll be able to get the thing somewhere safe or not. It's a bit of a pathetic sight, watching a werewolf struggle like this, but Shura isn't able to come close just yet.

"I'll take it in a minute. You think you can float him? Draggin' him's going to be a pain." Good job bringing back presents, though.

"Of course I can float him." Strange is a little bit useless in a lot of ways, but not this. He sighs, gestures to the air, and winds start to move around the werewolf, lifting him a few inches up off of the ground.

"You just have to tell me where we're taking him."

"Somewhere secure, hopefully," Billie adds. With the werewolf muzzled and floating, there's not much else left for her to do here other than observe.

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Event #6 Arkoda's Awakening & the Wyrm Moon

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