raiamods: (Default)
raiamods ([personal profile] raiamods) wrote in [community profile] ethyraia2021-06-10 06:01 pm

EVENT #01 —

WHO: All PCs
WHAT: Guests arrive at the basecamp
WHEN: June 10 - June 17
WHERE: Basecamp Leviathan
NOTES/WARNINGS: None currently (let us know if we should update this because we missed something)


EVENT LOG 001 — JUNE ❀
CONTENT WARNINGS: None currently (let us know if we missed something and should update this!)

Please note that several of these sections have deadlines, so it's a good idea to prioritize your plotting for the earlier section of the event first.

A calendar of events and deadlines is as follows:
IC:
June 10 -
The thessyx arrive with the shell.
June 11 - Dinner with the thessyx, gifts distributed.
June 12 - Scrimmage interrupted by the formation of a sinkhole.
June 14 - Critters emerge from the sinkhole in the gymnasium.
June 13-17 - Two more sinkholes open up, with more critters emerging within the day.

OOC:
June 13 -
Last day to ask about your character interfering with the shell.
June 16 - Last day to ask about your character joining the closed-door meeting with Childe and the thessyx.
June 30 - Last day to register the way your character engages with the thessyx and the critters directly. (Mods do not anticipate replying to these comments.)
❀ UNEXPECTED VISITORS


At noon on June 10, a dozen visitors arrive. The Thessyx carry themselves quietly, moving through the base as if they were attempting to enter a body of water without disturbing it. Lightweight robes of some native skein cover their green-grey amphibian skin, but do not obscure the fact that each of them possesses four arms. Once inside the base and in the leviathan’s embrace, they will lower their hoods and additionally reveal fins of varying colors along the back of their scalps. These creatures have slit noses; wide-set, irisless eyes; and mouths that stretch the full width of their skull. With them, they bring a great shell about three meters long and as tall as a small adult human.

The security force of the Adamant greets the visitors on their entry to camp. These strange amphibious creatures inform the security force that they are the Thessyx, and that the shell is full of gifts. The security force is ordered by Chief Security Officer Rémi to lock the shell away until Captain Childe has had the opportunity to decide what will be done with the contents. If you intend for your character to interfere with the shell in some way, please reach out in the QUESTIONS thread below BEFORE JUNE 13TH — this includes if your character would try to stop others from interfering with it.

Three of their number with blue fins on their head go to speak in a closed-door meeting with Captain Childe. If your character would like to attempt to get access to this meeting, please reach out in the QUESTIONS thread below with an explanation of how they would attempt to do so BEFORE JUNE 16TH.

The next day, more Thessyx arrive, and they will remain on the base for about one week. They move around the camp fairly casually, mingling with the Adamant’s crew. They are particularly interested in the hatchlings. If your character would like to ask specific questions of the Thessyx they encounter, please direct them to the QUESTIONS thread below.

Just before dinner the next evening (June 11), Captain Childe announces that there will be a special celebration in the mess hall, courtesy of their guests — all of their guests. The announcement is as follows, and goes out on the communication devices camp-wide:
I'm sure some of you have noticed the Thessyx walking among us. In light of their arrival and the gifts they've brought with them, we've decided to have a joint celebration in the mess. They have agreed to have guards from their city patrol our perimeter, so everyone has twelve hours off. Attendance isn't mandatory, but it's strongly suggested.

They've brought gifts for our new arrivals as well. These gifts are to be distributed later. I know some of you will think it's unfair that the Thessyx are favoring them, and that in three years of being here this is the first time they've initiated contact with us. Tensions are bound to be high — but the first person who picks a fight is getting thrown in the brig, I don't care if you're a civilian or not. We could all use this break.

Don't offend them. No fish jokes.

Childe out.
At dinner, a few crew members get out their instruments, and Captain Childe even looks the other way when Senior Engineer Thorkil Bjørnson opens up a barrel of the moonshine he’s just finished. It means going without later, but they’ll share some of their modest wealth with the Thessyx. The mess hall is cluttered with revelry, and some of the tables have been pushed together to make room for people to dance.

The feast is made up of various mosses and seaweeds, pickled insects, and a few mollusks. Whether this sounds appetizing or not, it’s the freshest food anyone on the base has had for a while, and it seems it’s only intended for the Children of the Leviathan. Some crew members look on jealously or externalize their bitterness. Others may be pushier — after all, they’ve been providing for the hatchlings out of their own supplies for a while now. Still others will be surprised if any of the hatchlings offer trades or pawn the food off on them preemptively — they may be inclined towards favors and good will.

A few notes:
  • The Thessyx refer to the hatchlings as ‘Children of the Leviathan.’ They do not appear to sleep, nor do they step out from under the leviathan’s embrace when the sun is out. The three blue finned Thessyx who meet with Captain Childe are not the Thessyx’s leaders, only representatives. They prefer to ask the PCs questions about them and where they came from rather than answering questions about themselves.

  • To interfere with the shell, attempt to be involved in the closed-door meeting between Childe and the thessyx, or to ask questions of the thessyx, please visit the QUESTIONS sub-thread. These options have staggered deadlines so that we can account for each stage while responding to the next; these actions of some hatchlings will reflect on others.

  • By JUNE 30TH at 21:00 EST, please respond to the mod comment labeled THESSYX GREETING with a brief description of how your character would greet the Thessyx. Feel free to write multiple characters in a single comment. We just want to check the temperature in the room.

  • ❀ A DISTURBANCE UNDERFOOT

    On June 12th, the thessyx’s visit is disrupted by the appearance of a sinkhole in the gymnasium. The basketball court, which was already in disrepair, suffers the worst of the damage. In the midst of a scrimmage between PCs and NPCs, which the thessyx observe quite rapturously, a 5-meter hole opens in the middle, with concrete and steel and earth crumbling underfoot. Any injured PCs will have their sprains and scratches treated well by the medical team, and the gymnasium will be closed until further notice. Don’t worry! The Adamant’s engineers are on the case, figuring out how the soil’s stability gave way. This could be bad news for the entirety of the basecamp if it’s an ongoing issue. The engineers could probably use some help addressing the issue — to volunteer, reach out to us in the QUESTIONS thread.

    Over the next couple days, two more sinkholes appear — one near the Memorial Wall, and one in the showers (though it thankfully doesn’t seem to have affected the plumbing). Anyone injured by a sinkhole will also have their sprains and scratches treated well by the medical team. Cartagena shares a helpful (“helpful”) PSA about the dangers of sinkholes and how to protect yourself, which is clearly dated and has nothing to do with whatever is going on here on Ethyraia:

    Hello, Children of the Leviathan! Isn’t that a silly name? I guess it’s the most accurate, since you did come from eggs. Soon you will be one month old! Hahaha! Biology can be odd sometimes.

    It’s not just biology, though! Ecology is certainly strange and confusing, and nothing is stranger and more confusing than the ecology of Ethyraia. I’m sure you have all noticed the sinkholes appearing more and more often these days. Do not be alarmed! Not because there is nothing alarming, but because alarm leads to panic and panic leads to more danger!

    For the time being, please follow these helpful tips for sinkholes:
    1. If you see a sinkhole, go the opposite direction.
    2. If you fall into a sinkhole, try not to cry. Instead, yell for help!

    I think these are sufficient enough guidelines to follow, yes?

    Remember, be careful out there! And protect your squishy selves. You never know when you might be useful later. Then it would be a shame if your squishy self was gone. We’d all be very sad. Or most of us. Or some of us. At least me, to the capacity that an AI can be sad.

    Stay safe! Cartagena out.

    On June 14th, the first of the critters emerges from the sinkhole in the gymnasium. These creatures are roughly a meter tall at the shoulder, blind, with enormous clawed forepaws and supernumerary hind-legs that appear shrunken and shrivelled and barely provide function. These creatures have tough, armored hides and truly, truly awful breath. They are capable of tearing through metal with their claws, and small arms fire does nothing to them. Within the day, dozens of them have skittered into the base. They seem as confused and afraid to be in here as the basecamp’s residents are to have them here. However, these are wild animals; they react to their fear with sharp teeth and claws. A few perseverant critters find their way into the cafeteria, sniffing out food, while others can be found gnawing on cables that power the lights for the basecamp.

    Chief Security Officer Rémi will be quick to pursue an extermination plan. The problem is big enough that the PCs are encouraged to help out, and those who volunteer will be quickly accepted, as long as they aren't trying to offer their own bright ideas.

    A few notes:
  • To volunteer to help out with engineering, please visit the QUESTIONS sub-thread.

  • If your character would volunteer to help security exterminate the creatures, or if they would disregard the security force and go after the critters on their own, please let us know in the QUESTIONS thread so we can talk about what this would look like. Rémi isn’t well-known for liking people who subvert the chain of command.

  • By JUNE 30TH at 21:00 EST, please respond to the CRITTER WRANGLING comment with how you vote the critters get dealt with — extermination, rehoming, or something else. If someone has already commented with your characters’ IC preference, please add your +1 under other people’s comments, so it’s easier for us to sort.
  • angerberg: (Default)

    [personal profile] angerberg 2021-06-29 12:22 am (UTC)(link)
    More or less.

    [ she's never been burdened with an interest in lengthy discussion of the philosophy of magic — it was part of what drove her from the formal structures of the brotherhood and aretuza. but only part. ]

    Chaos is its own energy in a sense. It appears I'm not as cut off from it as I'd feared. [ its own energy or not, it still needed fuel. but her eyes as she says all of this stay fixed on the beast, sincerely doubting its survival until she sees a claw twitch. well. ]
    angerberg: (pic#13922748)

    [personal profile] angerberg 2021-06-29 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
    This won't win us any allies. We have something they want, and we don't even know what it is.

    [ they'll be resentful. already, yennefer can see the threads of discord beginning. her frown deepens. eivor is right: the adamant's survivors were clearly already aware of the thessyx, and they're eager to have an even-footing discussion with them. not like the hatchlings, who'd wound up imprisoned and interrogated. they wanted something from the thessyx, surely. ]
    neversmall: (008)

    [personal profile] neversmall 2021-06-29 12:45 am (UTC)(link)
    [ ...that's oddly terrifying. Because the only reason she can think of for something to make only children fly is to steal them away. ]

    And this comes with no warning to keep them away from the fairies? [ A quick flicker of amusement. ] It's certainly not a Ravkan story.

    [ No dire warnings, just pleasure and adventure? No monster in the closet or under the bed? What a pleasant fantasy. ]
    sunmon: (pic#14981170)

    [personal profile] sunmon 2021-06-29 12:47 am (UTC)(link)
    Neverneverland, [ she says this like she's reciting something she was told, ] is a wonderful place free of adults and responsibilities.

    [ absurd. truly absurd. a little lopsided smile and she says, ] Sounds alright, doesn't it?
    neversmall: (004)

    [personal profile] neversmall 2021-06-29 01:02 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Nina gives Alina a wry smile in return. ]

    I suppose we all want to run away sometimes.
    ulfrkysst: (ou mi galdr maðr áss áss æt)

    [personal profile] ulfrkysst 2021-06-29 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
    [The Adamant's crew were aware of the Thessyx already, true, but it didn't seem like they were great friends. Why else would the hatchlings have been kept in the dark about their existence? Perhaps the survivors simply didn't expect the Thessyx to be relevant.]

    Otherwise they would not have come, [she agrees, touching her mouth in thought.]

    We must appear to be under Childe's rule, if they would speak with her instead. There is no leader among us.
    morozova: (pic#14879891)

    [personal profile] morozova 2021-06-29 01:46 am (UTC)(link)
    [ his first thought is how much she sounds like nina. his second thought is how much he hates that. ]

    Don't do that. [ quick but firm, since she's evidently mistaken his concern for something of a less personal nature. and after they'd had so many delightful discussions on this very subject. ]

    You're not my subordinate, Alina. [ he exhales slowly, lifting a hand to rub at the bridge of his nose. ]

    I was worried.
    sunmon: (pic#14873917)

    [personal profile] sunmon 2021-06-29 01:55 am (UTC)(link)
    Worried on you looks an awful lot like angry.

    [ she can't reach her own anger, just now. the fuzzy warmth of the fever and a whole body feeling of lightness keep her from it. it's the same kind of lightness that she had associated with him before. the butterflies-in-stomach, easy flirtation that made her feel important and valued. ]

    It's not my favorite look for you. [ her mouth twists a little. if she's not his subordinate, then should he really be giving her orders on what to call him? so, this time, she adds with a coyness that's just firm enough to be deliberately contrary, ] Sir.
    Edited 2021-06-29 02:01 (UTC)
    morozova: [ used with permission ] (pic#14956905)

    [personal profile] morozova 2021-06-29 02:02 am (UTC)(link)
    [ his brows lift. it's going to be like that, is it?

    aleksander's never been one to back down from a challenge, but pulling her over his knee, especially now with her injury, might be taking things a touch too far. but his fingers still flex, like he's considering it.

    then, chin lifting— ]
    And what look is that, pray tell?
    sunmon: (pic#14850614)

    [personal profile] sunmon 2021-06-29 02:06 am (UTC)(link)
    Happy is good.

    [ she misses his smile, doesn't she? it strikes her like a knife through the ribs. she misses his smile and knowing she'd been the one to warrant it. despite the pang of grief, her own smile widens, coquettish. she sets the water cup on the little tray table alongside her cot. ]

    Surprised is better.

    [ she sits up more fully, stubbornly. she wants to be more upright, wants to be on even footing with him, as much as that's impossible with him towering at six feet and she's prone or even sitting. but her back is straight, now, and that's something. she still has to crane her neck to look up at him. actually, she has to crane it more. maybe she'd made a terrible mistake. ]
    mylawn: (pic#10467983)

    [personal profile] mylawn 2021-06-29 02:12 am (UTC)(link)
    Well, that makes one of us.

    [Not entirely true--76 grew up on a farm, but he's just going to tell himself that's a vastly different scenario than shepherding alien creatures out of a base on a similarly alien world. It could be worse, he guesses. They could be violent.

    He keeps leading, then grabs the door when they get to it, making sure the entire entourage can proceed unimpeded.
    ]

    Careful nobody thinks you're going to use them for some nefarious purpose.
    morozova: @axisandallies (Default)

    [personal profile] morozova 2021-06-29 02:17 am (UTC)(link)
    [ a smile flickers across his features despite himself, a mirror of hers.

    saints. he's meant to be furious with her. is furious at her but mostly at himself and his powerlessness, and then she does this and he loses the thread of his anger, if only for a moment. ]


    I suppose I should be grateful you're in such high spirits, considering. What would I be, if I didn't have you to keep me in check.
    trassel: (17.)

    [personal profile] trassel 2021-06-29 02:19 am (UTC)(link)
    And they are not subtle.

    [ — though he does glance at her with more wariness, when she mentions the spell. Magic and a witch hunter don't mix well, and he always goes with the pull towards distrust. ]

    Why is that?

    [ He asks, unable to stifle curiosity. ]
    trassel: (08.)

    [personal profile] trassel 2021-06-29 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Matthias waves them out, chasing them a bit of the way outside and then beating a retreat back to the doors. ]

    Such as what?

    [ He says, with some amusement. Yes, what nefarious purpose? Maybe he can serenade them and have a critter army, take over the base. And it's not as though they look very edible, either, or he might have agreed to killing a few for their meat. ]
    sunmon: (pic#14982477)

    [personal profile] sunmon 2021-06-29 02:44 am (UTC)(link)
    That's better.

    [ her smile widens. less coy, smooth, and more genuine. ]

    They gave me something for the pain. I think it's — [ she makes a loose gesture, wrist twirling. she reaches out for him after, but he's a bit too far. she holds her hand out anyway, palm up, beckoning him. ] Come here.
    annoyware: (pic#14869582)

    [personal profile] annoyware 2021-06-29 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
    [It takes awhile, but... eventually... he does come back.

    But it's not at the top of the sinkhole again.

    Instead, Claptrap wheels up from elsewhere in the chasm, somehow having got himself down on her level. His voice precedes his appearance:]


    Hellllooooo, Alina!
    mylawn: (pic#12190500)

    [personal profile] mylawn 2021-06-29 03:53 am (UTC)(link)
    I don't know. Controlling them with your mind. Hostile takeover of the basecamp.

    [It's said half-jokingly, but 76 still makes sure all the creatures are properly ushered out and Matthias is back in before he closes the door again, ready for another trip.]

    Is that the last of them?

    [He doubts it, but hey, maybe he caught Matthias on the tail end of this thing.]
    trassel: (11.)

    [personal profile] trassel 2021-06-29 04:24 am (UTC)(link)
    My personal army? That is not a bad idea. Only - Trassel would not stand for it. So, sadly, I must decline.

    [ A soft heh. Just enjoying the mental image of himself leading one such. Nina would probably find it very funny, he will tell her, when he sees her. ]

    There are a few more I saw on the way out - we can track them down.

    [ A hopeful uptick to the statement, it's easier with two than one. ]
    unfastens: (so i'm asking from above)

    [personal profile] unfastens 2021-06-29 04:52 am (UTC)(link)
    [ i mean, there might be people in there. Bruno only saw it for a few minutes before they locked it up... not that he's about to tell Claptrap that.

    The question gets him to raise an eyebrow. ]


    Meaning?

    [ this robot better not be suggesting they break in. Aren't robots supposed to be logical?! ]
    hootlem: (Why do I always think that'll work?)

    [personal profile] hootlem 2021-06-29 04:55 am (UTC)(link)
    [Eda's mouth twists to the side thoughtfully, as if reconsidering. But, no, she'd made a decision: it didn't matter how much she hated talking about it, as long as Eda didn't have a solution in this weird dimension, the curse was everybody's problem as long as it endangered them, too.]

    I've got... a condition. Back in my own dimension, I've gotten by just fine for thirty years—had all the stuff to manage it. Here?

    [She waves a pale arm vaguely overhead, at the decrepit, supply-barren ship.]

    Nada. I only crawled outta that egg with three bottles. The more magic I use, the worse I get until I find a replacement. [Her hand pats the weathered satchel, crammed plants and roots and rocks visible through the acid-burned holes.] So if you find anything weird and rare growin' out there, it'd be great if you brought me a piece; never know what's gonna make the right medicine.

    [Her voice loses the solemn tone abruptly and returns to upbeat.] But that's a problem for the Eda of tomorrow. Who're you, anyway? Or should I keep callin' you the clawbeast whisperer?
    unfastens: (we could be free)

    your boomerang knocked me unconscious

    [personal profile] unfastens 2021-06-29 06:21 am (UTC)(link)
    [ "I'm fine" is exactly what he was expecting from Trish based on the short amount of time he's known her. Charmingly consistent. Bruno knows to read between the lines when she continues on; her real answer is much more understandable, and he makes a noncommittal noise of understanding. This girl has had to spend too much time waiting for something bad to happen in the past few months. ]

    We have no way of knowing that. There's an equal chance that this is the point where life starts improving for us. These people are familiar with the land, and they're not hostile yet.

    [ while he's practical, he's not cynical, especially not when he's talking with Trish. He casts a glance over at the other partygoers, briefly. The refugees, the hatchlings, and the thessyx, all mingling somewhat awkwardly. There's an air of unease, but there's no sign of conflict, and after working with the personalities in Passione, that seems like as good an omen as anything. ]

    You're already thinking as you're waiting, [ he continues, looking back over to her. ] That's the best thing you can be doing now. It's what I'm doing, too.
    unfastens: (this lovesick hungry wild coyote)

    [personal profile] unfastens 2021-06-29 06:28 am (UTC)(link)
    [ it's more like he's tied with secco even bruno thinks that man was an absolute freeque

    he is aware they're wandering away from the group here. Part of him believes that a suspicious stranger appearing out of nowhere to try and pick people off from the group is simply too obvious to actually be the case. The other part of him knows that tells are tells for a reason. But he's confident in his own abilities; if this is some kind of trick, he believes he'll be able to handle it. So he continues to follow. ]


    It's not that I distrust them, but we haven't seen what's inside that shell, either.

    [ this conversation could go back and forth forever when both of them essentially agree. The thessyx's intentions are up in the air until the other shoe drops. Instead, Bruno gestures mildly to the multitude of needles sticking out of the other man's face. ]

    What happened to your face? Those look painful.
    needfully: (pic#14777353)

    [personal profile] needfully 2021-06-29 09:12 am (UTC)(link)
    Interesting. My power comes from energy, too. Nothing so unpredictable as "chaos," though...

    [ For what it's worth, he doesn't seem particularly interested in the extreme details, just curious about finding a power similar to his own. Feeding of energy, especially of the self, is commonplace among skilled fighters in his home. Illumi takes a step closer to the beast, remembering that he'll need to collect his needles - you know, when they're not piping hot from all the fire. ]

    I take it we're both unsuited to take on another one, [ He offers, glancing to the doorway of the gym. Her magic feeds off energy, and Illumi is a poor matchup against an alien beast of this kind, his abilities primed for silent, far away attacks, and most importantly, to be used on humans. ] Let's find someone to clean this up.
    annoyware: (pic#14869489)

    [personal profile] annoyware 2021-06-29 01:10 pm (UTC)(link)
    [He is absolutely suggesting they break in.

    He leans in conspiratorially, positioning his claw on one side of his face like he is whispering. Even though he doesn't have a mouth. Or a face, for that matter.]


    What if we, say... practice a little espionage.
    dissemblance: (pic#14842218)

    same hat... heatwave's been merking me.

    [personal profile] dissemblance 2021-06-29 02:11 pm (UTC)(link)
    she puts her plate down on the table and slides in across from him.

    Really? Guess we've been speaking to different aliens.

    she says that with amusement. but then — she's playing on the downlow. not really letting in on the secret that she is not, in fact, a normal civilian.

    (it's been kind of nice. her life was dumped out across the wild hinterlands of the world almost a decade ago, and she's had every piece of it turned over, examined, poked at, prodded, and having some level of anonymity back is — refreshing. she feels more protective than ever of the life and times of natasha romanoff.


    What've you seen?

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