usir | June Event: Carnival of Tsakál & The Deeper

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🜙 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.

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"He does a good job listening to me. I'm certain he'll understand 'don't climb up there' when I have to teach it to him." Strange hopes. He really, really hopes. It's getting hard enough to hide a dragon as is, he doesn't want to have to hide it while also explaining how he dislocated his shoulder.

Alistair does not see Aconite pounce on him until it's too late. But once she's on him, he starts the wrestling and starts trying to pin Aconite.

Baby dragons playing and wrestling after learning to fly is a lot like baby dragons playing and wrestling before learning to fly, only now there’s an extra dimension to play in and something’s even more liable to get broken in the fun. But for now, the dragonets are keeping themselves entertained, so Shura can focus her attention on Strange. And she does focus on him, in a way that feels a little odd to her. There’s nothing odd about sitting and talking about something going on in their lives, except she banged him a bit ago, they’re definitely in each other’s personal space, and she usually doesn’t let herself do this because it’s liable to nurture feelings. In spite of the inevitable frustration that’s Strange is bound to cause, there are feelings being nurtured. So fine, she’ll let herself look at him while they talk.

“Teach it to him now, Strange. He won’t like it, but it’ll be harder to get it in his head later.”

In comparison to Shura, Strange is perfectly fine with this closeness. As she focuses on him, he turns his attention towards her and gives her a small smile. He seems perfectly comfortable being in her personal space and looking over at her like this.

Shura's words, however, cause him to sigh a little over-dramatically. "I won't like it either, you know. He'll whine terribly and I'm not good at ignoring that. ...still, I suppose you're right."

What a baby, no wonder Alistair was so spoiled.

“He has to learn soon.” Like yesterday soon. “You know he has to be perfectly behaved whenever people find out about him. They ain’t gonna want to listen to him cry, either.”

Some things could be explained, but a dragon that didn’t listen at all? Tha wasn’t going to be tolerated by the general public.

"Alistair's already more behaved than you think!" Strange responds, a little huffily. He turns around to look at the dragons. "Alistair: present yourself."

At the moment, Alistair is attempting to chew on Aconite's wing. But 'present yourself' is something that the little dragon knows. He lets go of Aconite, waddles a little bit away from the other dragon, then sits upright and perfectly still. Strange looks terribly pleased and Alistair looks terribly pleased at the fact that Strange looks pleased.

Poor Aconite is just getting ignored for the moment.

Aconite, not being a horribly spoiled baby, is used to being ignored. But she has absolutely no idea what Alistair and Strange are doing, sitting still and looking at each other like idiots. Both Shura and Aconite watch the pair for a moment before Aconite moves to sit next to Alistair, looking up curously at Strange. Is this a staring contest??

For her part, Shura just stares at the trio and sighs.

"He ain't bad at that." So yes, Alistair could do a trick so long as he was getting the attention he wanted. "He still needs to learn how to take no."

"He can do other things!" And then, like a parent wanting to show off their kid's talent show video, Strange continues right into show mom mode. "Alistair, show Shura what you do when you meet someone for the first time."

This one takes a little while, mostly because Alistair has to take in Strange's request, figure out what he's talking about, and then actually do it. He waddles over to Shura and sticks his leggie out. It's obviously supposed to be a handshake, but as Alistair is one of the types that don't have hands, it's a little awkward.

Well, isn't that cute. But it's still totally playing into Alistair's love of attention, and Shura just sighs. She won't shake his leggie. He gets a poke to the chest, not quite a scritch.

"That ain't what I mean." She sits back, deciding that the entire discipline problem probably isn't something she's going to be able to convince him of tonight. "Don't come to me if you throw you back out carrying him around like that."

Alistair just kind of stares at Shura. What gives, he knows how this is supposed to go, why isn't this happening? Confused and still wanting a little bit of attention, he waddles over to Strange and sticks his leggie out again. Strange shakes it.

"You're cute when you worry," he teases, giving Shura a wry little smile. "I'll teach him not to climb on me when he gets big enough. But that's a battle I'll fight when I get to it."

She’s cute when she’s worried. That’s what Strange is getting out of this? This dumb elf...

Aconite has been watching the mess quietly, trying to figure out what’s going on. Alistair’s holding out his leggie so someone will touch it? That’s weird, but she can do that. This is going to turn into a three way handshake in a second.

“Whatever you say.” There’s something to be said about an ounce of prevention, but today is not that day. Shura lingers on the floor for a moment longer, deciding that Aconite will probably be fine without her for the moment and moving to her feet.

This is indeed a three way handshake and it's super cute. Strange lets go of Alistair's leg and gently goes to shake Aconite's leg. He entertains an idle thought of My Fair Lady-ing this dragon into some proper manners, but the thought vanishes fairly quickly. He's already going to have trouble with one dragon as is.

When Shura stands up, Strange stays on the ground. "I've some food and alcohol in the kitchen if you want a snack. There's wine, but there's also some harder drinks."

"Nya, you really don't want me goin' anywhere, do you~?" Drinks and snacks might keep her there for the evening, but not much longer than that. Well, she'd humor him. She could use something to snack on, anyway. Maybe she'd get something to drink of her choice tomorrow when she went out. But for the moment, she'll actually leave the liquor alone.

Aconite isn't paying Shura much mind. Strange is busy shaking her leggie and she doesn't know what kind of game he's playing. This must be some weird wrestling thing, right? He wants to play! She can do that, reaching out to wrap herself around Strange's hand and wrist and bite and kick at him like a kitten. Pretty manners might not be something Shura's bothered to teach her, but she does at least have some bite inhibition. It probably won't hurt.

"Of course I don't," Strange responds, as if it's absolutely obvious. Because he's a sucker who's terrible with boundaries, he lets Aconite wrap herself around his hand, letting the little dragon kick and mouth on him. The other hand goes over towards Alistair as Strange starts giving his dragon some scratches behind the ears.

"If I had my way, you wouldn't leave at all. You'd spend the night, we'd go to sleep together, and then I'd wake up in the morning, roll over in my bed, and see you sleeping next to me."

Shura doubts that Strange would have to move much to find her in bed, considering his apparent love of cuddling. To her credit, she holds back from rolling her eyes at that blatant shmoop he just managed to vomit up. She'll even throw him a bone.

"I don't plan on leaving until tomorrow at the earliest." But no more than three nights. She had to get back to the Free City and pretend that she was a responsible person. Before she heads to the kitchen, Shura will offer Strange a quick piece of advice regarding the dragonet currently playing with his hand. "If you wanna let her do that, get a glove or something. She gets excited."

Understandably, Strange perks up when Shura says she's staying for a while. Awesome! Even her just staying for a day is her still staying!

But being schmoopy at Shura will have to wait. As Aconite continues to kick at his arm, one of her teeth nicks a bruise and nope, this game is now over, time for something else. Strange stops petting Alistair (which makes the little dragon start to whine) and attempts to stand up, trying to move his arm away from Aconite's teeth and legs as she does so.

If she still holds on? Well, then congrats tiny dragon, you're getting lifted.

"At least she's got a good prey drive? Has she started catching her own food yet?"

Trying to stand up before making sure Aconite's not attached to him is Strange's mistake. This is no longer a friendly wrestling match, this is a challenge, one that Aconite is eager to take on. So not only is she clinging to Strange, she's forgetting about the entire bit where it isn't nice to bite friends too hard. A snarl might be all the warning Strange gets before she goes wild. It's enough of a warning to catch Shura's attention, and she'll abandon going to the kitchen in order to separate her flapping baby dragon from Strange's hand.

"Enough, scalebrain!" This is definitely not enough, why is she being pulled away from her new toy?? Aconite shrieks as she's tugged away from her toy, and she flails and flaps her wings in a wild little dragon tantrum. By the way Shura's holding her, this probably isn't the first tantrum she's had. Meanwhile, Shura pretends that this isn't happening at all.

"If I don't give her something to try and hunt, she'll find trouble. How's your hand?"

Nope nope nope this was a bad idea. As Aconite's teeth and claws sink further into his hand, Strange winces, biting his tongue in pain. Strange is moving his hand to try and pull Aconite off himself but Shura beats him to it. As Aconite gets pulled away, Strange decides to roll up his sleeve instead, to get a better look at his hand.

Alistair is just watching from the floor, giving Aconite a confused little look as she has her tantrum.

"It's bleeding, but I think she just scratched it up. It's nothing that a bandage and some time won't fix." But man, it kind of hurts? Strange winces as he experimentally prods near the scratches.

Alistair will be treated to a mighty display of writhing and wailing by Aconite. It is definitely a show, one that Shura might have laughed at if this wasn’t her charge. Even Shishi’s bothering to look up at the noise, though he may just be feeling Shura’s agitation.

“Let me see,” Shura says, holding Aconite opposite of Strange as she reaches out with her other hand. It probably wasn’t anything big, but it was her problem child, and she has to take responsibility for it, however reluctantly. She probably can’t do much right here, but she might try out a little trick she learned with the scale she found.

It's definitely nothing big. The scratches on Strange's arm are small, yet deep enough to be bleeding. "I have some bandages in the washroom," Strange explains, though as long as Shura has his hand he's not moving.

Bell is the only one who's not bothering to look up at the noise. She seems bound and determined to keep sleeping. Strange and Alistair can deal with this on their own, right? Right!

Bell probably deserves her nap. Shura isn't about to bother her, taking a careful look at Strange's arm. It isn't anything serious, which is a mild relief. It's almost a surprise that Strange is taking it so well. On her other side, Aconite is slowly quieting down.

"Go sit down, I'll get it." Shura says after she feels satisfied with her quick inspectio, letting go of his hand. She needed to take a minute to really get Aconite calmed down and also to scold her. A trip to the washroom would provide a bit of privacy for that, even if it takes a bit for her to take care of business.

If asked, the answer Strange would give is that he's had plenty of experience with wounds before, he did serve in the army for a bit, after all. But the real answer is that this is just a scratch: one that hurts, but it's manageable. Strange has hurt himself worse than this, whether accidentally on his own time or at the hands of something else.

But, Shura wants him to sit down, so he'll do so. And hey, he doesn't mind waiting until she comes back with a freshly scolded dragon and some bandages. Strange is going to do a little bit of dragon scolding of his own because as soon as he sits down, Alistair decides it's a perfect time to try and scramble up in Strange's lap.

The small blue dragon is downright sulking when Shura returns and makes a small pitiful noise when he spots her. Strange, in contrast, is poking a little at his wound.

Yeah, whatever, soft-squishy-whiny-manbaby wizard. Shura is definitely not going to ask about it when she comes back.

When she returns, she'll have more than just bandages in her hands. Whatever minor first aid things Strange had in there, Shura snagged. For a few scratches, it's a bit much. Aconite clings to her shoulder, her gloomy expression matching Alistair's. Shura spares Alistair a quick look, but doesn't ask about what has him in a fuss. Shura kneels in front of Strange, setting the supplies down in front of her and reaching for his hand.

"Give me your hand," she tells him, then to Aconite, "Pay attention. I ain't gonna' show you twice." And then another pause, and then she'll motion to the other dragon to close closer to her.

"Might as well show you while I'm at it. Come on."

Yeah, this is less about being an attentive nurse than it is about giving the dragons a lesson on first aid.

He's a soft-squishy-whiny-manbaby-complaining wizard, thank you very much. Strange can't help but raise an eyebrow when he spots Shura coming in with more supplies, but her instructions make enough sense. Ah. She's trying to teach Aconite how to do first aid.

Alistair doesn't seem to pay attention to Shura when she talks to him, so Strange turns his attention to the little dragon instead.

"Go on, stop sulking. You'll need to learn this as well so pay attention to Shura."

With a small whiny noise, Alistair turns his attention towards Shura and Aconite. At the same time, Strange offers Shura his wounded hand.

Fussy, cranky dragonets that probably needed a nap. Whatever his mood, Shura will hand Alistair a bandage or something, whatever is small and looks important. Give him a job and he'd focus more. Or something. It usually worked when she was teaching, though the dragonets were a bit younger than she's used to working with.

The lesson is quick. Cleaning the scratches, making sure that they were just scratches, then bandaging them up. Shura's hardly as longwinded as Strange often is, and she doesn't expect either dragon to come out an expert nurse. Clean it and cover it up. Maybe they'd remember that if something happened to them in the future. It's a rather hopeful thought, but it was probably a good idea to at least try. Strange's hand, now perhaps a little overly wrapped up, is quickly put on display for the dragons to ooh and aah over. Aconite, seeing the extent of the bandaging and vaguely aware that this might have been her fault, lets out a little whine.

"What, you're cryin' about it now? Don't whine at me. I'm not the one who got hurt."

Strange remains still, acting as almost a perfect patient as Shura explains how to clean scratches and bandage them up. For once, he's staying quiet: Shura would be better at explaining this than he would anyway. It's only when Aconite starts whining a little bit that Strange pipes up. When he speaks, there's a gentle yet amused tone to his voice.

"If someone got hurt, checking up on them or giving them a gift is a way to show them that you care. Of course, if you're the one who hurt them, then you need to tell the person that you're sorry."

Shura can explain the ins and outs of cleaning wounds, Strange is going to focus on manners. Alistair makes a little noise of recognition. Whether he realizes what an apology is or not is up in the air. Mostly, he's just standing over top of the obviously important bandage that Shura gave him.

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