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.
  • portolan: (a r m s c r o s s e d)

    Sinkholes

    [personal profile] portolan 2021-06-15 11:41 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Balthier manages to escape falling into the sinkhole by the sheer luck of quickly ducking right instead of left, missing the lip of the newly formed gaping maw by three feet.

    Water spouts out of broken fixtures, live wires crackle with sparks, and he's immediately at the edge looking for anyone he can help.

    He sees Nat swinging not too far out of reach, and she's good and anchored.
    ]

    I have to get me one of those. [ He says it cheerily, even as he's trying to calculate how he's going to reach her. ]
    dissemblance: (pic#8938089)

    [personal profile] dissemblance 2021-06-16 04:14 pm (UTC)(link)
    Handy, right?

    usually she's anchored by the cuff around her wrist. this is — an uncomfortable but not intolerable variation on the norm.

    she lets the cord wind down a bit more to allow her a few more feet of play, and then she nods to him.


    I can swing towards you. You have to promise to catch me, though, that's the deal.
    portolan: (c o m e a t m e b r o)

    [personal profile] portolan 2021-06-19 01:55 am (UTC)(link)
    [ This Balthier knows how to do, though most recently it's been with stubborn teenagers. He follows her trajectory with his eye, calculating for how much of a range she might have, and gets himself in position. He moves quickly -- she's too precariously anchored for his liking. ]

    Deal. Ready when you are.
    dissemblance: (Default)

    [personal profile] dissemblance 2021-06-29 02:30 pm (UTC)(link)
    does she trust him?

    if she falls, she's not going to have the time to throw another line out. if her anchor breaks —

    (she thinks about a bleak world, red skies, black rock, and clint begging her. she made her choice, but falling always drops the bottom out of your stomach no matter how well you're prepared for it.)

    so, she'll put her life in the hands of a near-stranger. rogers would. did, with sam. and she knows balthier at least a little better than that.

    so, she looks up at the anchor, calculates the amount of momentum she'll need. swings her legs to get her started. something above her creaks, and she grits her teeth. the pipe's going to give, it's just a matter of when.

    it happens at the apex of her next swing, she feels the line go slack and hears the distant screams of metal clashing against metal, she lets go of the cuff on instinct and lets the momentum carry her.

    trust is a funny thing.
    portolan: (h a n d y)

    [personal profile] portolan 2021-06-30 05:44 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Balthier slips into an instinctual part of his mind he hasn't gotten much chance to use. It's a comfort, until he realizes he's anticipating someone else's body and weight, someone else he misses very dearly.

    It's a breath too late to adjust entirely, but he catches Nat nonetheless, albeit less smoothly than he'd like. He's impressed at her wit and athleticism, the way she stays calm. That also reminds him of someone else.

    He helps move her from the lip of the sinkhole, giving her space to recover.
    ]

    Circus background?

    [ They both know he doesn't actually mean this, but he needs something to clear away the memories, that last fiery explosion. ]
    dissemblance: (pic#)

    [personal profile] dissemblance 2021-07-15 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
    How'd you guess?

    she dusts herself off. she had to let go of the bracelet — she couldn't retract it like that, and so it's consigned to the deep, amidst screaming metal and memories as fresh as a wound.

    her stomach is clenched into a hard knot. but she breathes. smiles.


    Thank you.
    portolan: (c o n v e r s a t i o n)

    [personal profile] portolan 2021-07-15 12:37 am (UTC)(link)
    I forgot to mention I'm psychic. Your favorite color is blue and you always hated the smell of lemons.

    [ He glances into the hole as the device she'd been holding clangs into it. ]

    Did you need that back?

    [ He hesitates, because it feels corny and oddly vulnerable to say it, but he's still raw from another loss, and he regrets the things he couldn't say. ]

    And you're welcome. Truly, any time.
    dissemblance: (pic#15035327)

    [personal profile] dissemblance 2021-07-25 07:09 pm (UTC)(link)
    I do hate lemons.

    it's said with a laugh, and a shake of her head as she leans over the hole to look down into it. it's not quite an abyss — she can see the bottom, for one — but it's deep enough she's not sure she wants to risk it for a trinket.

    No — I can replace it easy enough with the technology here. Give me five minutes with that 3D printer of theirs, tops.

    and speaking of vulnerability... damn, son, you live like this? natasha gives him a sort of sideways glance, her jaw jutted off to one side, and then:

    Careful. Before too long I'll be hauling you out of bed at three in the morning to make good on that promise.

    she steps back from the hole, smacks him playfully against the outside of his shoulder and then gestures towards the din coming from the rest of the camp. she's not the only one with a near miss, she's pretty sure.

    C'mon, let's go be cowboys.
    portolan: (a f t e r y o u)

    [personal profile] portolan 2021-07-25 07:39 pm (UTC)(link)
    You can pay me back for the three AM wakeup with a lesson on how to operate the 3D printer.

    [ He's not one hundred percent sure what that is, but if it can create objects with enough strength to hold up an adult human, he can think of a few uses: replacement ship parts, ammunition, an ergonomic and beautiful tea cup.

    He is knocked out of this reverie by Natasha's comment and the sounds of others in the distant.
    ]

    Alas, leading men never rest. Or women, it seems.

    [ They start down the hall toward the direction of the chaos. Balthier checks his magick stores -- solid; he hasn't been to the Aid Station yet today. ]

    Let me know if you have any pain or muscle weakness. I have a few rounds of healing in me. [ He's aware he might need to use that on less fortunate members of camp very shortly. ]