usir | May Event Log #2

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May Event Log #2

🜙 Seyra's Serenade

	Across most of Idan spring is in full bloom. With spring has come a swathe of new growth overtaking the land and painting it a rainbow of colors. The farmlands are alive with life and the wild and open lands are full of young baby creatures frolicking in and out of bushes, tall grasslands, and trees. Centaurs have come out from their hidden villages to watch over the open lands and the young folk of the various races are celebrating their vacation from academies or apprenticeships by holding sporting competitions, races through the city streets, or sneaking into taverns and other areas of the cities or off into the wildlands and generally getting up to mischief. During the peak blooming season of spring comes Seyra's Serenade, a day used by the people of Idan to celebrate the speckled doe goddess. As the goddess of growth and healing, she is seen across Idan as one of the benevolent deities and affectionately referred to as the mother of the stars. During Seyra's Serenade the three cities and the lands between them are surrounded and filled with floral growth that is used in the Festival of Flowers. Largely seen as a children's festival, the young ones gather the flowers and decorated their homes and the city streets, rivers, bay, and ledges with flower chains, floral graffiti, and petals. Hunting is severely limited for the month in honor of Seyra and to respect the growth of all young creatures just entering the world. Diets are adjusted to a focus of fruits, vegetables, and grains, and the taverns help the older population celebrate 'healing' by offering floral wines, vodkas, and gins, as well as amaretto-based drinks. Powerful wild guardian creatures wake from their winter slumber and can be glimpsed moving slowly through the forests or out in the plains. Most of them look like creatures found in their respective homes, but much larger and with elements of the wild land about them. They are slow and docile but very powerful. They can be killed and their pelts or bones sell for very high value in the black market, but they are protected creatures and killing them will have consequences. Hunting during the month of May is not explicitly forbidden but is strongly discouraged by the three cities. Injuring young creatures or killing the parents of young creatures is a sure way to draw Seyra's ire during May and find oneself cursed by the Mother of Stars. Those who hunt creatures under Seyra's protection are afflicted by a curse known as Hunter's Remorse, a curse that usually only affects those who kill unicorns and is designed to cripple poachers, hunters, and predators. The curse forces the afflicted to feel a crippling and powerful empathy, especially towards the suffering of the world and the animals living in it. Hunter's Remorse is not widely believed to be a real affliction and most of Idan's population write it off as a cautionary tale and a fictional curse.

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🜙 The Huntress

	A new creature has been sighted in the swamps, patrolling the paths and stealing hunters' injured prey from them. It's said to be fast and silent, able to blend into the swamp despite its unusual coloration. A group of hunters from Didymos have put a hefty bounty on the creature. They say it is large and covered in a mix of scales and fur. It is quick, moves soundlessly through the swamp and by their description looks like a lion, a zebra, and a monitor lizard all rolled into one. They never see it coming but its hide is too thick for arrows to penetrate and they haven't been able to get close enough to hit it with other weapons. If you bring back its hide they'll pay in gold, but you'll have to find it for yourself. That means risking the other dangers of the swamp: sinking pits, venomous snakes, carnivorous plants, predators of the land and water, and ornery elementals. They think its nest is somewhere in the Swamp of Lost Souls. Attempting to track down the creature can either lead to the creature itself, or its nest. Astute trackers will find there are more than one of these strange-looking creatures in the swamp, but only one of them matches the full description given by the hunters and she is much larger and leaner than the smaller members of her pack. The hunters will likely be unable to tell the difference. They appear to be amphibious and capable of camouflage. They are quick and silent in both the water and on land. Their furry manes are actually whiskers that help them sense vibrations and shifts in water or air currents. The creatures are not aggressive toward people unless cornered or attacked but they are territorial of the shoreline and the larger one will grab any wounded animals attacked in the swamplands and disappear with them. Their hides are dense and thick, reflecting or shielding them from most attacks other than those that would pierce metal armor and they do seem to possess earth magic focused around the mud that is prevalent throughout the swamp. They will cause the ground to constrict and pull down around the feet of any threats and coat weaponry in mud that quickly hardens to dull weapons and increase their weight.

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🜙 Friend or Foe

	Along the shore and out further into the bay the spectators that were formerly just observing the city and its people have had a shift of demeanor. Now every boat that tries to leave the docks and every person who approaches the docks or the shore with a boat is met with a very different interaction. From the 14th to the 17th the merfolk observers suddenly grow aggressive, sinking ships that attempt to exit the gate, harassing city citizens at the dock, and using wind or water magic to force vessels back to the docks. Their sudden turn from largely harmless observers to an attacking force demands action from Queen Adira and she prepares her knights for the prospect of a battle on waters where they will not have the upper hand. Retaliation from the Didymos knights trying to protect the ships and the docks from the merfolk causes a matched rise in aggression from the sea dwellers. The knights work to load their ships with weapons and the mages enchant the vessels to protect them, fighting back the merfolk attackers to prepare two of the armed fleet ships for battle. During the preparation on the 17th, the merfolk suddenly and unexpectedly retreat from the bay and the waters go still. Determined to get to the bottom of the strange attacks, Queen Adira puts out a call for those who have been in contact with the merfolk or anyone who might better be able to try and understand the confusing actions of the sea people. She makes plans to send a small fleet through the guarded Sunset Gate to investigate where the rest of the merfolk went and why they launched such a sudden and brief attack on the bay. On the 18th fish briefly begin schooling up on the shorelines and small, aquatic animals begin beaching themselves or becoming trapped upstream in the estuaries and rivers. The actions of the sea-life in the bay becomes erratic, aggressive, and frenzied as diluted red water begins draining into the estuaries and the bay before dissipating, the ocean water diluting and eventually eradicating any sign of the polluted fresh water. The bay calms down once more and the naval vessel Perspective begins its voyage out the sunset gate. Armed with a collection of Didymos knights, a group of scholars and mages, and a small group of volunteers, the vessel travels out to Logistykon's reef, heading for the shelf that drops off into the deeper, dark waters of the Glass Sea. Once they pass the gate they are followed by a blue-skinned, spiny merwoman with a spotted porpoise-like tail. She circles the vessel a few times, passing closer and closer near the hull and pushing back on the sails with wind magic before they finally anchor just past Logistykon's reef, only a nautical mile from the shelf. Several other merfolk can be glimpsed watching from just below or with their heads just above the water's surface, surrounding the vessel at a distance that keeps them out of range from most weapons. The blue merwoman approaches the ship, keeping a shorter distance between herself and the vessel, and seems to wait for them to come to her aboard one of the ship's smaller lifeboats. From where they are anchored, one of the scholars idly comments that the reef looks different and anyone who has observed the reef before will see the skeleton has suffered heavy damage. Cracks now cover the surface of the bones and Logistykon's skull has split down the center.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

{ seyra's serenade }
Seyra has always been an important deity to Christine, as the goddess represents growth and healing. Like the rest of Didymos, Christine is preparing for the festivities, and also like them, she's distrustful of little Fortuna and the dragon's possible influence over the queen. But at least she can celebrate the spring and get her garden planted at home. She travels through the market stalls, buying seeds and tiny saplings to take back north into the woods with her. As she walks, purple and silver petals land in her golden hair and she breathes deeply, using this opportunity to think of growth and renewal. So much has been shrouded in darkness lately, that she's grateful for this moment. She and Azoth can be found at the market, out around the city as Christine feeds bread to the winged cats, or helping the children hang garlands above doorways.

Even though he honestly doesn't want to, Strange can at least try to make an appearance for some of the festivities and pretend like everything's back to normal. But feelings on festivities aside, the fact remains that Strange has multiple mouths to feed and he needs to get food in order to do that. So, he's at the marketplace, stocking his basket with all sorts of vegetables that one doesn't have to actually cook.

As he spots Christine buying a tiny tree (well that's odd), he approaches, wry smile on his face, hoping desperately that she's at least slightly gotten over the 'surprise, I have a dragon' revelation.

"You know that thing will take forever to grow," he says, as he nods at the sapling.

Christine looks up with surprise as she hears Strange's voice. She's still a mix of emotions when it comes to him, but she can at least speak to him while they're here celebrating Seyra, can't she?

"Ordinarily, I would agree, but I happen to have a little something I found that will speed up the process. Or at least I'm hoping it will."

Unsurprisingly, that gets Strange's attention. He perks up, mood shifting a little as Christine mentions the 'little something.' Is it magic? It's totally magic. Gods, he hopes it's magic.

"Is this a little something you can display here or would it be better shown in a more secluded area?"

Says Strange, without even asking if Christine can show whatever this is to him in the first place.

"I doubt anyone would be alarmed by it if I were to show it off, but unfortunately I don't have it here. It's at home." The sapling is placed carefully in her basket, which she hangs over her arm.

"I found two orbs in the bay while the water was gone," she explains. "One simulates sunlight; the other, moonlight. I'm hoping to use both to have a prosperous garden this summer."

Strange is still paying so much attention as Christine explains what she found. That sounds amazing and he's already thinking of ten billion different questions he can ask or experiments he can run. Of course, he's got to start with the first obvious question.

"Those sound quite impressive. Can I see them in action sometime soon?"

"Hmm, I suppose I'll be at liberty, barring anymore disasters that need my immediate attention. You're certainly welcome to stop by." She gives him directions to her home to the north in the forest there.

"You'll have to let me know you're coming. I've been practicing my illusion magic in order to cloak my house. You never know with bandits around what might happen. Oh, also: my house is a large, enchanted tree."

As Christine describes her house, Strange suddenly realizes that her house kicks his house's ass. Still, living in a tree? That's...certainly something. It's a little too woodsy for his taste, thinks the man who legitimately had a crazy woods hobo phase.

"Does this evening work for you? I've got to drop off my groceries and take care of matters at my home—I also have a place in Didymos, by the way. Though mine is more in the city itself." And a lot more run down than an enchanted tree. Wait, back on topic.

"Anyway, my schedule is relatively free. If this evening doesn't work, then I can find another time to visit."

"You're quite eager. Let me guess: you want to run experiments on my orbs don't you?" Because when doesn't Strange want to take things apart or experiment on them to see how they work? She points a finger at him, which he can take as menacing if he'd like. To her, she's simply making a point.

"You can look, but not touch. I know your ways. And yes, this evening suits me."

Strange lets out a small gasp of mock offense. Him? Experiment on her orbs? That.....is entirely plausible and they both know it. His expression shifts into a wide grin: guilty as charged.

Still, taking notes and watching the magic is the next best thing! He'll accept that and not press his luck.

"I'll just have to temper my excitement and content myself with notes. But no matter what, I'll see you tonight?"

"Hmm." She's watching you, Mister. But she concedes to that with a brief dip of her head.

"Yes, tonight. Should I make you something to eat? Goodness knows you probably forget to eat most of the day."

"You can if you want. I'll probably pick something up from the market, but I won't say no to food."

He does forget to eat most of the day. If Strange is being honest, Alistair eats better than he does, only because the little dragon is fairly vocal when he's hungry.

"Then let me know when you're leaving the city and it will be ready when you arrive." Plus she has to take down the illusion around her house once he's close so he can actually find the place.

"I'll give you a message on the courier," Strange says, with a little nod. "I'll see you then."

And then, with a little nod, Strange heads out. Near the end of the day, Strange sends Christine the message and heads off towards her house. Unsurprisingly, he gets there a bit later than expected as he's distracted by a few plants and an interesting bug. When he arrives at the tree, he's not even bothering to hide his impressed tone.

"You know, I can't wait to see what it's like inside."

"And here I thought your interest lay with my garden," she jokes before waving him in. The tree is large, but from the outside definitely doesn't seem large enough to hold more than a bed and table. However, when he steps inside he'll see a mud room where he can hang up any outerwear he may have worn. There's a small bench with a pair of winter boots stored underneath, where Christine no longer needs them. At the end of the room is a staircase, which she gestures to.

"I'll give you a tour. I'm still working on decorating. It will probably be years until I have it the way I want."

christine | ota

market stalls

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fast forwarding a smidge here.

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