EVENT #01 —

[raiamods]

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.

Comments

THESSYX GREETING

[raiamods]

(frozen comment) EXAMPLE COMMENT

[raiamods]

Bowser will avoid the thessyx because they make him nervous.

[cryptoherpetology]

Alex will be polite and respectful to the Thessyx, but will NOT be able to hide his curiosity about them, their biology, how their society might work.
He'll answer most questions they have for him (minus anything specific about his family members like names or what cities they live in) and try to ask a lot in turn.

When the critters show up, he'll ask them if they know what the critters are and/or have any experience dealing with them and what they recommend to do with them.

[fortyforged]

Banshee will be quietly wary about the newcomers, although given how his usual demeanor is, it won't be too much of a difference. Experiences with alien species back home have not been the best, and he might have a few flashbacks because the Fallen back home also have four arms, but at least so far that's all the Thessyx have in common with them. He's aware that all of them are technically the ones who are strangers here, and so long as there's no hostility he otherwise won't have any problems with them, although he'll wonder why the 'children of the Leviathan' are the ones getting priority attention.

...and then he'll forget about it.

[neversmall]

Nina's gonna be a bit (unsure) at first, but the Thessyx may have answers to questions so given a few minutes she will definitely warm up to them. (She wants to ask them about the giant fish in her dream and get all their names. She also wants to find out how they heard the hatchlings were here to begin with. Such mystery!!) Whether her questions are answered or not won't much impact her demeanor which will be friendly and relatively open about non-essential things from home.

[fossils]

Steve will approach to ask questions about the Thessyxs, about the Leviathan and their 'hatching', etc etc. He'll offer his own answers in return: his name, where he's from, but anything else will depend on how much they can be persuaded to talk about themselves, and anything they will tell him about the Leviathan.

He'll also attempt to ask them about the sinkholes, and then the creatures if there's a second for that.

[wittingly]

ian's gonna be a little like this:

→ strong aversion of them because trauma
→ recognize that it's xenophobic as fuck
→ try very hard to deliberately shove that down and talk to them
hey man, how's it going
you guys come here much
what's the deal with the whole leviathan thing
so is ur species originally from this planet

→ still extremely uncomfortable but he sure is doin his best
→ get a little drunk, try again, no astounding breakthroughs
hey man, you want a drink?
what's your architecture like
something chat about engineering maybe

→ h'okay that's enough see you around man just gonna go repress some things nice 2 meet u



bucky be like

→ squint
→ observe
→ stare
→ have no discernible opinion or feeling one way or another on the outside
→ do some more staring but this time its recreational

[lifetothefullest]

Lance will be reserved but friendly, and will offer answers to anything asked, but they'll be very surface-level answers unless there's a particularly good reason to be more in-depth. He'll show interest in learning about the Thessyx as well, but won't push for answers--for now--if it seems like they're really disinterested in talking about themselves.

[unclesam]

Sam's going to be interested in talking to the Thessyx. Name and where he's from he shares easily. He will also share about the "Dreaming" portion of the Intro Log, because he wants to know if they can provide answers about the underground lake, the creature he dreamed of, and the lilac mark he found left on his skin after. He'll answer some more questions if he can get insight on that, but he keeps it to non-invasive kinds of information. Either way, he's gonna be casually friendly with them.

[ulfrkysst]

Eivor's interpretation of nonhumans is filtered through her religion: she will assume the Thessyx are jotnar, and so she will treat them with a respectful wariness. She won't ask them any questions about themselves and while she will answer their questions, she will give them very guarded answers.

Claptrap is going to ask really loud, insensitive questions. Why are they not going out during the day? Why are they giving the humans bugs? (It's a joke, right? You can tell him.) Why haven't they, you know, exterminated the humans yet for being an invasive species? Do they like to go swimming. What's it like having four arms. etc etc

[spalten]

vidar would be a bit tense with them considering this will be the first time he’s encountered aliens, but will be polite and respectful. he'd be glad to answer questions they have of him.

questions he’ll ask of them:

- is there anything in particular they want from the hatchlings? it’s generous of them to bring gifts, but they can’t be free, right …?
- about the critters, where they come from, and whether they grow into something dangerous.

Re: THESSYX GREETING

[portolan]

Balthier is used to humanoid species from home, so won’t be too rattled by the Thessyx. He will initially try to socialize with humor. If this does not work, he will switch to charm and then to earnestness. He will try to involve the Thessyx in any activities that make sense in an effort to set them at ease and observe more behavior.

He’s mostly looking to gather information, and the main language he speaks is what drives people. He will try to work in indirect questions about their relationship to the Leviathan, what “Children” means to them, any abilities they may have, religious belief, and their general temperature toward the Hatchlings and non-Hatchlings. If he can get in a why now, he will.

He will warmly answer their questions back, though may omit information strategically. He will not give misinformation.

[brosbeforeprose]

Varric will be about as wary about the critters as about literally anything else. There's no less reason to trust the thessyx as the crew here, after all. But when they prove to be curious and non-threatening, he'll be fine with them.

He'll try to teach them card games, tell them ridiculous stories about both his home city's underworld and nobility, about monsters and dragons and all sorts. And try to do various forms of information exchange - he answers a question, they answer a question, that sort of thing.

[sunmon]

alina will be curious about where the thessyx come from and how to safely get to their settlement. during the majority of their visit, she'll be showing interest in how they live, happy to answer all of their questions in the pursuit of trying to convince them to open their doors to the children of the leviathan.

or at least to her.

[cleaningsolutions]

Mops has zero qualms about aliens and will actually be more inclined to like these just because they have no context for her and aren't afraid of her.

She will be happy to talk at length about where she comes from and ask about thessyx cities. I'll be real it's gonna involve a lot of infrastructure, the problems of keeping amphibious spaces clean, how do they dispose of waste. Mops can bond like a motherfucker over that stuff if she can find anyone who's worked in related fields.

If she can make friends with some she'll ask after them in future interactions.

[psychometries]

cal isn't even slightly fazed at all by aliens with four arms so he will be polite and respectful and curious to learn about them, since he definitely wants to make peace and cooperate with them! he'll readily answer questions about his galaxy and what it's like, along with surface-level details about himself.

[baum]

John will be interested in them! He's more fascinated by alien life than he is nervous of it, and he'll want to try and see if the Thessyx have more information (or even theories) about what they're all doing here.

He'll ask:

• Why they call them the Children of the Leviathan
  
• Why they haven't appeared to the other settlers until now
  
• General questions about their culture, where they come from, what their names are, whether there are more of them somewhere
  
• Whether there's anything they can tell them about the eggs or why they might have been brought here so suddenly

Beyond those questions, he'll try to be generally friendly and welcoming.

[unfastens]

Bruno will be cordial towards the thessyx, and, naturally, curious about their lives here - although he will definitely be a bit shocked to see them at first! They could be a useful source of information, and more importantly, they probably know how to survive on this planet much better than any of them. Of course, this is all served with a healthy dose of caution - but until they make it clear they have ulterior motives, or start behaving in a sketchy way, he'll treat them as peers.

[figlia_morbida]

Trish will be appropriately weirded out seeing the Thessyx at first. They're not ugly or immediately gross, so that's a point in their favor. But she will stare, which isn't polite, but if they can read minds surely they'll understand where she's coming from. Maybe.

She won't ask too much of them, choosing to listen in on the conversations that will inevitably be going on around her, but she will gravitate to the younger Thessyx to talk to, if they come off as less stuffy and more curious. Maybe they have more similarities being youngsters like her....

The longer the Thessyx are around and friendly, of course, the more amenable Trish is to having them around, and will entertain questions that aren't more personal than her name.

[trassel]

Matthias' reaction towards the Thessyx will be polite, he will keep his distance at first but curiosity will propel him to ask about their culture and religion, (especially about the creature in the dream and the underwater city) and about the planet's ecosystem as well.

[needfully]

illumi will greet the thessyx in his aforementioned horrifying disguise! he is not weirded out by them at all, and treats them the same as he would anyone on the basecamp. he'll introduce himself as "gittarackur," not illumi. he's curious and mildly chatty, his attempted deception aside, asking the thessyx about any previous "children of the leviathan."

once he finds out the thessyx can connect him to his less-horrifying form, he'll remain rather casual with them, even lightly commenting on how fascinating their abilities are... his newfound interest in them will make him answer most questions about the world he came from openly!