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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. | |
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| 🜙 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. | |
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| 🜙 Carnival of Tsakál June 8th-June 30th | |
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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. | |
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| 🜙 A Deeper Problem June 7th-June 9th | |
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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. | |
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| 🜙 Rage in the Waters June 9th-June 12th | |
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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. | |
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| 🜙 Deity of the Depths June 13th-June 16th | |
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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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no subject
There's worse things to think about, probably. Like the fact that Alucard's been here for a bit, and the other two may be starting to worry about his absence. Or the darker stormclouds that seem to be rolling in overhead.
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"I don't know for certain, but I suspect that relations will be better between the two groups. There were a few options being floated around that the merfolk didn't like," says the man who came up with one of those options, "but the current one was met with a wave of approval."
Both of his puns are absolutely deliberate, as shown by the slightly doofy grin remaining on his face.
no subject
"Were you responsible for one of those disliked ideas?" he asks, offhanded and a little too casual with how damn certain he is about this.
"And my phrasing was accidental!"
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"Hopefully you sea that whether it was accidental or not doesn't change the fact that it happened." That's three for Strange, one for Alucard, he is winning this contest that only he knows is going on!
No comment about those disliked ideas because yep, Alucard's right, Strange came up with a terrible idea.
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"Anyway," he intones, with maybe too much gravity. "The skies looks like they'll open up again soon. You should get to shelter, as should I."
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"We should," Strange admits, as he looks up at the sky. "Alistair doesn't mind a little rain, but I would hardly call these storms a 'little' rain. I think I saw some caves in that direction," Strange says, gesturing to his left. "I think we'll camp out there."
It's a calculated choice telling Alucard where he's staying. Because really? Alucard hates his dragon. It would be a terrible choice for all of them to bunk together.
no subject
Alucard does hate dragons, on principle. But he also isn't about to do a murder for the sake of a hunch, not when he has two solid restraints staying his hand from anything that would border on acting like his father.
"If you do end up at the bones, let me know. I'm curious to know if my hunch was right."
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But, they're talking about dragons so unsurprisingly, Strange will continue that line of thought. "I will. I'll send over a message via the courier when Alistair reaches wherever he's going—you do have your courier on you, correct?"
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Sypha and Trevor are probably nervous that he's taking this long anyway. He needs to get moving.
"Try not to drown in the mean time, hm?"
That's the worst good bye ever, Adrian.
no subject
Jonathan, your goodbyes also suck. But, this is nearing the end of the conversation. So, with one last small wave, he turns to head off in the direction of the caves he mentioned earlier.