usir | June Event: Carnival of Tsakál & The Deeper

Entry tags:

🜙 Mod Note

	The Deeper's resolution was dependent on player choices made on the June Plot Rundown. Characters are not required to agree with or go along with the decisions made during this plotline and may make their own actions and decisions to do as they please with the plot that is posted. While the ultimate resolution for this plot has already been chosen, that resolution does not dictate how characters must act during the course of the event.

🜙 Endless Rain June 1st-30th

	June and July are monsoon season in Idan. The rains fall frequent and heavy across the land for these two months, bringing much-needed water to the crops, rivers, and lakes of Idan to help creatures and plants alike survive the dry summer months ahead. Every hundred or so years monsoon season takes an intense turn, bringing more dangers than the usual risks of flash floods and mudslides. During the hundred year monsoon, Idan falls victim to a persistent storm cell over the Glass Sea. As smaller storms break off from the oceanic superstorm they are pulled westward across Idan. This 50-60 day monsoon drastically raises water levels, erodes roadways, drowns fields, and forces the rivers to overflow their riverbeds and flood the plains, valleys, and other flatlands. As June progresses it begins to become clear that Idan is in for the long rains. The rain shows no sign of stopping other than over small, isolated pockets of land, and the storms that come with the rains fill day and night with the distant rumblings or loud, window-rattling cracks of thunder. As the rains continue and the water levels rise buildings and farmlands will be destroyed, lives will be lost, and an effort to save the crops and farm animals will have to be launched to avoid a potential famine. Creatures from the flooding wildlands will begin to seek higher, safer ground and become more violent as their food sources and territories are lost and they are forced into closer quarters and higher competition for survival and food. The flooding brings other risks, as well, most markedly the spread of disease and rot. Illness spreads with the damp conditions and flooding, most notably swamp sickness, mold and mildew-based illnesses, and any illnesses spread by muck and polluted waters. The sick are often quarantined and sent off to the temples for treatment, and anyone showing signs of pale or clammy skin, dizziness, wet cough, rashes, or nosebleeds may be kidnapped 'for their own good' and locked up in a temple to be seen to by dhampirs, chimeras, shiftlings, or other outcast medics and healers that have been cordoned off from main society.

🜙 Carnival of Tsakál June 8th-June 30th

	The Carnival of Tsakál is canceled due to greater concerns, but that doesn't stop the red-backed jackal from celebrating her own month in the spotlight. As more and more lives and homes are lost to the monsoon Tsakál attempts to bring a little light to the cloud-covered gloom hanging over Idan and provide its people with some much-needed hope. People all across Idan will catch glimpses of the jackal herself in one of her less splendid forms, running across the flooding waters or watching over the struggles of the living from higher ground. Wherever Tsakál goes light breaks through the clouds and once dead creatures are re-created into new and living creatures. Her first creation is made to help people. She creates a pod of exotic river dolphins from a pack of drowned wolves and sets them to the task of rescuing other drowning creatures and people caught in rushing currents, carefully guiding them back to shore. Tsakál continues patching and recreating unfortunate victims of the monsoon season into a diverse pool of never before seen creatures. Lily frogs create stepping platforms bridging across flooded rivers. Water Horses swim toward the lakes, letting the drowning cling to their bodies to keep their heads above the water. As monsoon season continues the jackal gets carried away and her creations drift away from helpful salvation and towards crafting unusual hybrids. She makes bogcats and serpines in the swamps to give back to nature, and then a few litters of strange, young pups in the Free City, Didymos, and Krimnos to bring some light back to the suffering people in the cities.

🜙 A Deeper Problem June 7th-June 9th

	The return of the inquiry ship Perspective to Didymos brings with it the knowledge that the merfolk attack was not meant as a violent act but as a warning to the people of Didymos to try and keep them from leaving Fisher's Bay. A meeting with the merfolk near Logistykon's Reef led to the discovery that Logistykon's skeleton apparently rests on top of a sea creature of some kind that the merfolk call the deeper. The deeper has been trapped beneath the skeleton for years past its usual awakening and return to the deep sea which had led the merfolk to believe it had died. Apparently, recent events have weakened or removed the power within Logistykon's sunken skeleton that kept the deeper trapped and now the creature is trying to forcefully break free from the weight of Logistykon's bones. The merfolk are worried that the enraged creature will attack both Didymos and their own city when it emerges due to its anger, and say that the creature believes that it was purposefully trapped. While the archmages, scholars, and fishermen of the court insist that Logistykon's reef needs to be protected and strengthed, and that preserving the reef and its ecosystem is more vital to the city than the release of a potentially violent and possibly cataclysmic creature so close to their shores, the knights and a percentage of citizens of Didymos strongly disagree, fearing the wrath of both the creature and the merfolk if they do not assist in freeing the creature and dealing with it as soon as possible. Those with connections to the merfolk and the king and queen of Didymos manage to sway this decision by offering a solution that might be the best possible solution to satisfy both sides. Suggestions are made to free the creature without destroying the reef and try and communicate with it through or alongside the merfolk to soothe its rage. Plans are made to evacuate the city, starting with the docks and Ocean Quarter, and those plans are put into motion immediately. Queen Adira sets up lodging both in camps outside the North of the city, and temporary housing at the Academy and at the Roost. She recruits anyone willing to help keep people moving, hand out supplies, and watch over the crowded temporary living spaces or abandoned homes to protect from conflict, looting, and other acts of violence, aggression, or dishonesty. Meanwhile King Ardis assembles three ships into a small fleet, filling out the ranks with a collection of merfolk ambassadors, mages, healers, beast tamers, hunters, knights, and skilled fighters in the hopes of covering his bases. As is typical of the wayward king, he chooses to captain one of the ships himself and stocks the ships up, intending to keep them out at sea until the problem is dealt with, one way or another. The Sunset Gate's entrance is covered with a large drop net, and both the net and gate are covered with warding enchantments and manned by two ships solely there with the purpose of being a delaying defensive front to buy the city time in the event of an attack from the Deeper following its freedom. The ships lay anchor around the reef and work begins alongside the merfolk as mages and wild magic specialists work together to dig a trench into the sea floor, using the merfolk's aid to keep the waters clear and estimate the size and depth needed to give the Deeper passage. The larger the channel in the sea floor becomes, the more anxious the crew of the ships visibly become. Over the course of the two days worth of efforts, the skies above the reef grow black, flashing with yellow, white, and blue lightning. Even the merfolk can be seen occasionally turning their gaze upward with uneasy glances.

🜙 Rage in the Waters June 9th-June 12th

	The ships are backed off from the reef as the merfolk add their magic to give the final clearance to the creature beneath the reef, and the waters turn dark and murky as dirt and sand are thrown and mixed about, large waves rocking the ships to the furthest their anchors will allow them to drift back away from the reef. As the massive waves begin to slow and shrink in size, all eyes are fixed on the dark, clouded water. Rain and hail begin pounding the decks of the ships, cutting small holes in the sails that are hastily pulled back up and secured. Blinding flashes of lightning split the sky and the boom of thunder shakes the deck beneath the feet of those watching and waiting. Just when it seems as if the Deeper must have taken off in some unknown direction, a massive beast breaches the surface of the water with a horrible roar. Its body is covered in jagged electrical burn scars and its eyes are white and blinded. It towers above the ships, its blind gaze turning left and right, and with another roar the wind kicks up, tossing the ships about on the rough seas, pulling them dangerously taught on their anchor chains until wood begins to creak and groan. The crew scramble to their positions, searching for safe purchases or diving below deck as waves crash and roll over the deck. The Deeper slams back down into the turbid depths, out of sight, and the merfolk begin appearing near the edges of the ships, rushing to the aid of those washed overboard in the aftermath. The knights begin arming up, intent on fighting the beast and killing it if possible. Confusion abounds as not one, but three separate creatures, each far too large and horrifyingly reminiscent of dragons that have adapted to the sea, begin emerging from the waters, each attacking a separate ship. None of the creatures ever strike the ships directly, slamming into the water nearby to create waves, but lightning strikes the ships each time one of the creatures nearly impacts the vessels. The knights and mages focus their efforts, trying desperately to fight off or kill the creatures and attempting to constrict or restrain them but no weapons or magic seem to do the trick. The fight to slow the Deeper creatures down and keep them from turning toward the bay spans three days, and by the end of those three days the merfolk and the weary mages are running low on energy. The beasts, too, seem to be slightly tempered and restrained. Their thrashing shows minimal effort and they barely crest the surface, physically subdued but still lashing out through the storm above, blocking all efforts to retreat towards the shore. In the momentary calm the awakened, one after another, find themselves swept off the ships by a seemingly sentient wave of water that goes directly for them. They find themselves submerged and in the arms of one of the merfolk. Air bubbles appear around their heads and the merfolk attempt to get their message across. They must not fight the deeper. Its anger only grows as they fight it, and in its anger it is indestructible. Returning them to the ships, the awakened will have to figure out how they were singled out later, for now they have been set to a task: Drop the sails, lift the anchors, and lead the attacking creatures out further to sea at the risk of all lives on board, on the word of a race they have barely come to know. It's a large task to be handed, and one that needs to be handled quickly and decisively before the ships burn or sink and the city of Didymos falls prey to the Deeper's unquelled rage.

🜙 Deity of the Depths June 13th-June 16th

	Heavily damaged and taking on water the three ships of King Ardis' fleet manage to slowly kite the now slower creatures out to the deep, dark waters of the Glass Sea. They sail far enough out that Idan, and even the Wavecrest Isles are out of sight. There they view clear signs that the attacking creatures have been substantially weakened, lagging and slowing down heavily, their spines and heads only just cresting the surface. The exhausted and bitter crews are even more inclined to put the creatures down. Their ships are sinking from damages sustained in the voyage, and with the shore nowhere in sight it seems unlikely even the merfolk could save all of them on such rough, open waters. The storm vortex of the monsoon swirls above their ships. They sit almost motionless on the calm waters of the eye of the storm, nervously watching the dark sea around them. The merfolk and a few members of the awakened crew approach the largest of the three creatures, attempting to calm it with a melody higher in pitch than a whale's song but hauntingly similar. As communication efforts continue, first one, then another, and then the last of the three creatures disappears. Each appears to melt into the water itself. The sea beneath the ships glows with blue light, and what looks like underwater lightning starts flashing beneath them, lighting up a massive dark silhouette in the deep waters. Its rage spent and its pain subsided, both the Deeper and the cause for its apparent inability to free itself are revealed. The massive manta ray floats near the surface, the lightning scars across its body glowing with blue light, magic trailing visibly off of it as it slowly, and gracefully, circles and passes beneath the ships. Each of the ships in engulfed in blue light and though initially this causes panic it quickly becomes clear the magic is not being used with an intent to cause harm. Broken planking, torn sails and snapped masts are pieced back together with magic, and a healing rain falls on the crew of the three ships as they are repaired. The deeper is glimpsed one last time, fins cresting the surface, before it and the glow that covers it and the ships disappear down into the depths. A parting gift of a westward wind and the company of a merfolk escort is all they are left with on their return trip to the shores of Idan. On the way back, Tási, ambassador between the merfolk and the landfolk, extends a promise telepathically to the awakened. They are now allies of the merfolk, and someday soon, they will be permitted to visit Lau Mei, the hidden city of the merfolk. Back in Didymos, the crews of the three ships are given a hero's welcome and showered in praise, despite the monsoon still buffeting the city in rain. For their efforts, they are rewarded with free food and drinks, opulent temporary housing provided by the Queen, and an open invitation to a special profession within Didymos. Some may find that not all rewards are as obvious as others.

🜙 Top

⤛ Navigation

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Strange looks up at the cat and the bird...then shrugs a little as he turns back to look at Billie. Even if he suspected the cat was actually a dragon, he's too far away to actually check on things. The 'wait a moment, if Billie's here and her animas is here then where's the dragon' thought will happen later.

"Hopefully someone will feed it," is all Strange says, before he looks back on the ocean. "I honestly don't know how long we'll be out here. This trench plan might not even work to begin with."

"It'll be fine," Billie can't help but find that a little funny. Out here, with Deirdre at his side, Red's going to have more fish than he can ever hope for. "My bird's gotten pretty attached to it. Talk about a mother hen."

A bird taking care of a kitten. Billie herself really doesn't like cats, which makes this all the more humorous, but that might be lost on Strange. Overall, it's all ridiculous, but so far no one has questioned it. The damn things were everywhere not too long ago and not all of them left.

"You know, there are theories that animas share the personalities of their other half." Strange is teasing, giving Billie a grin. Because her? Maternal? That's something he honestly can't picture, ergo he is going to tease her a little about it.

He leans back against the ship, relaxing a little as he does so. Because yes, a bird taking care of a kitten is absolutely ridiculous and he is going to enjoy this mental image for a bit.

Now there's something Billie's rolling her eyes at.

"Careful," she says, glancing away from the tern and kitten, back to Strange. "I can toss you overboard out here. I could probably get away with it, too."

Admittedly, she is taking care of a baby dragon (said dragon currently appearing as the exact same kitten Strange is speculating about right now). She doesn't feel like that should count. Chances are it does, considering she's already joked about Daud giving her parenting advice... Although, now that Red's back on her mind — he isn't really ever far, honestly — there's something else she's been meaning to ask Strange. The fun part is doing it without mentioning dragons.

Looking up at the kitten and Deirdre would be a dead giveaway, though, so she turns to look out across the sea instead.

"I wouldn't know how a mother acts, anyway, so I don't know what she would go off of." She's had absolutely no role models there. "But speaking of raising children, any idea what to do when they get to their artsy phase? Because Red's starting drawing."

It takes Strange a moment to piece together what Billie's implying. Red's started drawing? That's odd, how should he be able to pick up a crayon in the first place, oh no Red's a standing dragon. Strange looks absolutely charmed at the idea of a tiny little dragon drawing all over the walls, but he quickly schools his face into something more serious.

"The obvious answer is hide the paints. Maybe you could give him something that could easily wash off? Chalk perhaps? Because I wouldn't stifle his drawing: the more dexterous and the more practice he can get with his hands, the better."

And then, like a soccer mom talking about her kids, Strange just focuses the conversation on the dragons.

"Better drawing than climbing. Alistair's scaled almost every object in my house."

"Oh, he does that, too," Billie says, once again adamantly not looking at the kitten and tern hanging out in the rigging, although now that he's heard his name, Red is peering down towards them. "But I scale all sorts of things, so it's practically a family trait at this point."

If anyone can even call whatever she has going on 'family'.

"I did get chalk. Those stupid little building blocks, too." Colorful, wooden, annoying to step on in the dark. "You may want to consider adding something about that in your next edition. You didn't cover that kind."

She's assumed he was a true dragon all this time. It made for a big surprise. Of course, she still has no idea what Red actually is, since they're not using the word 'dragon' while out here at sea.

"Standing dr—ah, the standing type are rare. I didn't get to seen any behaviors of them as children so any information about them I know is secondhand."

Though Strange caught himself before saying the d-word, he knows just how weird this conversation is going to sound to anybody else who might be eavesdropping. Hey, one can only talk in circles for so long.

"And I'd be happy to add something about that in my next edition—after more study, of course."

Standing dragon? What a stupid name, even if it does fit. Billie wrinkles her nose a little over it but, otherwise, keeps the opinion to herself. She looks up at the kitten and Deirdre again, finally deciding to give a whistle to get Red's attention and motioning for him to come down once she has it. It's not just her waving him down, but a clear sign that she gives him, and one he recognizes after months of training.

Whether a chirping noise could be considered uncharacteristic to a flying cat or not, that is the noise he makes before spreading wings — made feathery by the illusion — and hopping off of the rigging. The glide down is unsteady in this kind of wind but he manages, landing on Billie's outstretched arm and immediately digging claws into the thick fabric to keep his place.

Deirdre, for her part, makes a series of disapproving seabird noises and flies down to land somewhere closer now.

"You hear that? You're rare," she tells the kitten, who looks up at her curiously. "Just my luck."

And then Strange connects the dots between the flying cat and Billie saying that he's rare. His eyes widen for a moment but Strange manages to school his expression into something close to neutral.

"Good gods," he can't help but mutter, equal parts impressed and worried. "I left mine with Bell back on land. You brought him here?"

He's not sure whether he should be impressed by Billie's ballsiness or horrified by the fact that she brought a baby dragon on a potentially dangerous mission.

"I'm not going to own a cat who's afraid of water," Billie has just that to say about it, reaching up to scratch the "kitten" under his chin while he's perched on her. Red may not be a real cat but the same applies to dragons, as far as she's concerned. "And I can't just leave him locked up all the time, either, so, yeah, I brought him here."

Strange can't help but frown a little as he looks from Billie, to her cat, then back to Billie. It's obvious he has some reservations about this whole thing that he's not vocalizing for the moment.

"That's risky. Still, I hope you know what you're doing." Strange pauses for a moment before he continues talking. "Bell refused to go into the water. The skeleton or whatever it was nearly electrocuted the poor dear. I'm not going to make her do something she doesn't want to do, so she stayed back home with Alistair."

"It seems to be working out so far."

Of course, so far all they've done is stand on the deck and watch everyone else work. Boring is good, though.

"But that's fair," Billie adds in regards to Bell and Alistair remaining on shore. "I know the dangers better than anyone else with—" Right, not saying dragon. "A cat. I wouldn't expect anyone else to take the risk. Still, I've already gotten lectured on it, so you can breathe easy and skip over that part if it's on your mind."

"You didn't get lectured on it by me," Strange teases. "And as the foremost expert on, erm, cats, I feel like I should at least get a tiny bit of chastising in."

He doesn't though. This is very obviously Strange teasing Billie for the sake of teasing Billie. The boat lurches slightly: nothing dangerous, but in that way that boats often do when they're on the ocean. Strange moves to place his hand on a nearby mast, trying to keep himself more steady.

"Though the lecture will probably wait until we're back on land. Who lectured you, by the way?"

"Come on, Strange, you're a smart man," Billie can't help but tease him right back in return. She does pause to shift her footing and move with the lurch that overtakes the boat, a natural on the sea as ever, before finishing with, "You know exactly who does all the lecturing when it comes to me."

"See, there's the problem." Strange gives Billie a wry little smile as he talks. "I can think of who would lecture you, but lecturing you about your cat would mean that said person cares about what happens to you and your cat. And, if I may be blunt, I doubt that Daud would ever admit that."

At least, not in so many words. Maybe Billie's worked with him for long enough that she can parse the meanings behind his annoyed noises or one word sentences.

Alright, there's an immediate end to finding this funny. Mind you, Billie won't show it, making sure to let the slide back into general indifference slow in a way that, she hopes, won't give it away. See, this is why she likes having that damn mask for everything she does. It makes everything so much easier.

"Yeah, probably."

It's a very vague reply, leaning more towards confirming that than not but still. She moves her arm, ushering Red up to her shoulder and turning to look down into the water, where the work is still ongoing.

"How long do you think that's going to take?"

Unfortunately for Billie, the question is vague enough that Strange can be annoyingly nerdy about magic in response. Fortunately for Billie, talking about magic is a good way to distract him from continuing to shittalk Daud.

"At least the rest of the day, probably longer. None of the mages actually have visual on the spot we're supposed to be digging: we'll have to base out magic off of calculations given by the merfolk. That's feasible, but I've always found my wild magic easier when I have eye contact. Likewise, nobody wants to break Logistykon's skeleton any more than necessary so the work will be slow by default."

"You know, for how much people hate dragons these days, they sure still want to benefit from that skeleton," Billie mutters quietly, voice pitched low for only Strange and not the others lingering around the ship's railing.

Edited 2019-07-07 22:59 (UTC)

Strange can't help but raise an eyebrow slightly. At least in his opinion, it makes perfect sense why people might want to benefit from the skeleton.

"That skeleton is a historical artifact," he responds, equally quiet. "Considering that there are only three dragon skeletons out there that can be studied, of course people would want to keep it intact."

Billie gives an immediate snort of laughter to that. Sure, sure, of course, Strange would see it that way, but the reality? She knows the real reason the larger population of Didymos doesn't want it destroyed. Spend enough time on the docks and anyone would.

"If I didn't already know how far your head is up in the clouds, I'd ask if you were joking," she says, turning his attention up from the water and back to Strange. "You and your bookworm pals think that. Everyone else just wants the reef intact. It makes hauling in fish a lot easier."

Strange gives Billie a very blank look for a second. Oh. This is certainly news to him. While he was alive, he spent most of his time in academia and that hasn't changed since his resurrection. The amount of minutes Strange has spent talking to an actual fisherman is probably less than ten.

"Can't it be both?" he asks, trying to hide his slight embarrassment at being laughed at. "One can benefit from the skeleton because of the reef as well as the scientific discoveries the body holds."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

June Event: Carnival of Tsakál & The Deeper

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject