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

"Please, tell me if you are." That is something Six can do, at least, which is more than she might be credited for given her size and the bulk of her muscle. Warrior, people would think of her, not healer. Not someone a little kinder.

Blinking, she leans forward to get another look at the woman, eyes widening in surprise before she nods.

"I think we did meet. I am Six - I worship Seyra?"

"Yes, that's where I know you." Christine's memory is jogged straight away. It wasn't everyday that a woman as large as Six was seen in a temple full of mainly healers.

"Christine," she replies. "What an odd situation to meet again." She casts her gaze around them and out of the corner of her eye spots a werewolf racing towards them. Turning, she braces herself with arms outstretched, a disturbance in the air shining with a pale light the only indication that she's holding a magical shield against the creature.

"Here comes one!"

It's not part of her background she's ashamed of - she's proud of having worked for some time in a temple, proud of what it meant for her to have been so devoted to Seyra. Her time there had been in the darker parts of her life, though, and she hopes the Christine remembers her for the good parts rather than the bad.

"I have it!" Six shifts, moving, and twists her weight. She could stay behind the shield, but it seems a little silly when she knows she can take it down herself; she takes the greatsword in hand and goes straight for the wolf's legs, pressing forward.

Behind her, Two growls, loud, standing on two legs as he settles near Christine.

Nodding, Christine stands ready to assist her, but the growls draw her attention and her heart feels as though it's leapt from her chest as she turns to see another closing in. She has no choice but to switch from defensive to offensive magic, shooting out a bolt of lightning from one hand and into the beast's body. It stops in place, shaking with the jolt of electricity burning through its body, and Christine follows it up with a gust of wind to push it back and create more distance between them. Then she looks back to see how Six is getting on.

The lightning shocks Six for a moment and she breathes out before she pushes herself to her full height. She's not sure how she might compare to most of the wolves, but she seems large enough to tackle this one - all seven feet of her, bulk and muscle designed for fighting. She twists towards the werewolf, slamming her greatsword into the kneecap of the beast before she reaches up with a leg and kicks at it.

With the wolf dropped down to its knees Six can shift, reaching forward and attempting to slit its throat.

As Six does that, Christine stands ready to launch a barrier around her should the werewolf lash out with teeth or claw at any exposed skin. This is the most terrifying part in her eyes. It's not the being killed part, because she's been down that road twice now. It's being bitten and left alive, cursed every full moon. She doesn't want that to happen to Six either.

Maybe the people beneath these wolves would want to be killed. Maybe they'd want the curse to end. And Six can do it faster than Christine can with her wild magic, which would make them suffer. So she stands at the ready to support, but the quickness of the blade is Six's realm.

Six does not seem to care about the risk of being bitten; she has fared worse, and she is strong and tough when it comes to fighting off afflictions and illnesses. Her back is straight, her eyes are set, and she hefts her blade with a serious press of her body, strength likely enough to half crush the wolf.

It's only when she's sure she has the beast down that she turns back to Christine, moving to her side and leaning down. Her hair is falling from her braid and bun now, cheeks flushed from the sudden rush of adrenaline. "Are you well?"

With the werewolf dead on the ground, the chaos of the night seems to subside. It appears like the attack is over — or at least drawing to a close — and Christine lowers her spell casting hands to her sides, feeling her limbs tremble with her own rush of adrenaline.

"I am, yes. Glad the business is over and done with. But how did you come to be here? The last I saw of you was a century ago."

Six is still alert, head tilting to the side as she focusses, trying to see if there is anything else that might happen. She is not so sure that all the wolves are gone just yet, but she is more concerned with making sure others are alright. She can protect herself, but the wolves are fast and quick - and deadly.

"I woke, not so long ago. I travelled here to see what the city had become since my last visit."

"There are more than just us," Christine says, happy to take on the role of the information dispenser here. "All of us carry the same kind of vial of blue liquid around our necks, and we all have an animal companion closer to us than any familiar."

As if on cue, a peregrine falcon that had been circling overhead out of harm's way comes down to land on Christine's shoulder. She doesn't seem surprised by this, because the connection she has to the bird in her mind told her she was landing.

"This is Azoth. And who do you have here?"

It's hard to stay on guard and speak to someone else, but she imagines if more wolves were to come there would be an easy and obvious sign. Her hands lift to touch the vial around her neck and she frowns, thoughtful and considering. She had imagined her revival to be of divine purpose, but if that was not the case...

"Two. He is a bear." Stating the obvious, of course, but at least there's some fondness there already. "I did not know what to make of him when he first found me, but he has proven to be brave, if silly at times."

The bear bawws, as if in complaint.

Christine smiles at the creature. "Well, I'd say a silly bear is better than an angry one. This is the closest I've been to one, excluding beastfolk, of course."

Now she turns her attention to the night surrounding them. Her lips purse in thought.

"This attack seems to bring up many questions than I can't begin to answer. The city is becoming a dangerous place, both inside it and on the outskirts."

"I do not think he would mind if you wished to pet him," Six admits. "He is very friendly."

Which is part of the silliness, she thinks; the bear that sits on his behind and waves at people that pass by.

Turning back to the world, Six frowns, arms over her chest.

"Then it must be protected."

"Oh, I can't say I've had such an opportunity before, and I probably never will again." And so she pets the miniature bear, stroking his fur back on the top of his head. Azoth doesn't appear to be jealous at the action. In fact, she looks curious, with her head tipping this way and that.

"Ordinarily I would suggest becoming a knight of the city, but this one is having an upheaval with its Defenders at the moment. I'm not sure how much you've heard yet, but there was a coup and a resistance group rising in response. I've barely been within the city since all this started." She nods towards King Ardis's camp.

"I've offered my healing services to the King of Didymos instead."

Two looks completely delighted at the attention, making a soft noise as he lifts himself up and presses forward. It's a low, growl type sound, but it's clear that he's content; were they anywhere else it might happen that his leg would wiggle and kick with how happy he is. All Six can do is bite back her wry smile.

"I have not heard much. I had come to help whoever I could, no matter what might be the case." She has no issue with anyone, but she would like to make sure that the people here are safe. Claming a title has never been as important to her as the work that actually came with it.

"A new king, I imagine?"

"A self-crowned one, yes." But Christine hasn't been made aware of much that's been happening behind the scenes with the other Defenders and the Awakened that rescued Lykos. She's in the dark there.

"Which has led to plenty of tensions and what have you. Are you staying at the X Marks the Spot? There's plenty of gossip to be had there."

"I am not, no. I am wandering for now, to see if anything I recognise is still in place." Six frowns, looking forward before she turns back to look at Christine again.

"Perhaps I will speak with him."

"Oh?" She sounds surprised at that. "I'm not sure he's taking audiences right now. Maybe gather some information first before coming to a decision on that? I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

She lifts her shoulder, absent as she faces forward, lips pursed.

"Someone will have to answer for what happened here. The people need help."

"Well, I won't argue that." Christine is free to come and go as she pleases right now, but there are people in the city suffering due to this lack of consistent leadership who can't just pick up their lives and go.

"The uncertainty right now has put everyone on edge. I'd like to see a suitable conclusion reached sooner rather than later."

"That is what this place needs. The defences are not as strong as they might have been once, and with people suffering..." Six frowns, crossing her arms as she breathes out softly.

"I will do what I can for these people. I may not be much now, but..."

"I'm sure they'll appreciate whatever you can offer. And there are always odd jobs you can do for people to earn enough to get you food and a roof over your head." Christine's been doing that as she bounces between cities.

"Who will you go to first? The Defenders or the resistance?"

"It would be good to see some hope in the eyes of people again." She nods her head, feeling a little uncertain of herself, but at least this gives her a purpose. Something to work toward.

"... The Defenders, perhaps. I feel as though I will agree with them more."

Christine smiles faintly. The world has changed a great deal, but it seems that no matter the year, people still suffer. It's a bitter truth that she wishes wasn't so, and the fact that Six wants to help is uplifting.

"Good luck to you. I'm sure we'll see each other around again." She pats Two on the head as she speaks.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Event #6 Arkoda's Awakening & the Wyrm Moon

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