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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)
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:
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:
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.
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.)
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. 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.
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:
❀ 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.
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:
no subject
I am.
[ though maybe not as much of the Thessyx at this moment. The fact that he can sense life also hearkens back to Illumi's powers from before, but Bruno remains unsure what their relationship is. He'll have to try and suss it out during this conversation. ]
They've made it clear they have some connection to us specifically. I'm not going to assume it's a positive one.
[ it sounded culty, which is worrying... ]
no subject
Sure. It's not clear yet what they want. But, judging by their offerings, they'll be back.
[ The fact alone that they had never showed up to this camp until the Hatchlings arrived implies to him that the Thessyx will be checking in on them semi-regularly now. So, he's sure more will become known to them over time. At present, he doesn't seem pressed to figure out their motives— just careful about letting them know too much about him. Illumi half-turns, as if he's going to resume walking again, but waits up to see if Bruno will follow. ]
I spoke with them briefly about the "Children of the Leviathan." If they have something to hide, they didn't act like it.
no subject
Really? They talk in riddles a lot for having nothing to hide.
[ it's annoying, though it may be a simple cultural difference. ]
If they are being truthful, then they're religious zealots. We should still be careful in how we deal with them.
no subject
It's not like I trust them, but if they really didn't want us to know anything, they wouldn't have answered anything we asked.
[ Illumi has his doubts about the Thessyx... but his running theory is that the Children of the Leviathan must fill some sort of sacred role in their society, or bring about some special event. Fulfill a prophecy. Something mystical and altogether superstitious. For the time being, it doesn't seem like they have calculated bad intentions, but he won't rule it out. What he does do is start leading himself and Bruno off to a more secluded area - the memorial wall, where there's seldom anyone at this time of day.
He wants to be alone (sans Bruno) if he's to take these pins out. The other's suspicion of him doesn't register to him, which is also probably why he doesn't think he's being suspicious by cornering off Bruno to a secluded area, either. ]
Nothing they gave us had been tampered with. [ Poisoned or laced with anything, at least as far as his tastebuds could tell. ] So their efforts seem more of a show of worship than anything.
no subject
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.
no subject
It is painful.
[ He admits, and as soon as more than a handful of pins have been removed, his hair color begins to shift, his skin and bones stretching and bending in ways that certainly don't look comfortable. It's very similar to what had happened to those rats when Illumi had struck them with these needles, his nen forcibly manipulating bodies to unnatural states - and not more than fifteen seconds later, his face has radically molded back into it's original shape, his raven hair falling down to rest at his back. A breath escapes him, and he meets Bruno's eyes, his stare familiarly bottomless. ]
That technique is hard on me. But valuable at a time like this, with so many unknowns.
no subject
understandably, Bruno's taken aback by the sudden transformation - he takes a short step away, and Sticky Fingers is standing with him at once, arms crossed defensively in front of its master and ready to counterattack. Of course, that first strike never comes. Instead, he's left watching with reserved disbelief as the intimidating man from before slowly turns into the also-intimidating-but-smaller Illumi.
Luckily, he's seen stranger than this, so he doesn't panic. That doesn't mean he's not surprised by it. After a moment or two of waiting to see if anything else happens, he sighs, too, almost in sync with Illumi's, and his Stand relaxes, beginning to fade away. ]
... You're full of surprises, Illumi. [ to say the least!! So he has that ability, too? His needles must be able to manipulate the structure of living things, or something along those lines... ] I wouldn't have expected you to be that concerned about the thessyx.
no subject
I'm not. [ That much comes out bluntly, and he mulls over for a moment how to put into words his feelings towards these weird aliens. ] Well, not exactly.
[ The truth of it is that he began to think that if the Thessyx expected something out of the Hatchlings, or if things turned south in their relations at some point in the future, he could pop off his disguise and remain uninvolved. Maybe. That, and he thinks first of being cautious when confronted with something he doesn't understand. Stay in the shadows whenever possible, something like that. ]
It's better the less they know. Until we know more about them. If I can avoid them knowing more about me, I will.
[ He considers Bruno for a moment, trying to think back if he saw any of Bruno's conversations with the Thessyx themselves. ]
Aren't you thinking the same?
no subject
He doesn't answer directly, only shaking his head in a vague fashion. ]
I can't say you're wrong to keep them at arms' length. [ a beat. ] Did you notice? They seem to have some sort of telepathic ability. That's how they knew we were here.
[ in other words: he's not sure how persuasive a physical disguise will be against them. ]
no subject
Then, we'll know very soon the extent to which they can read minds. [ If they see right through him, that is. Illumi remains nonchalant despite the reveal, and despite the potential for him to get exposed as a weirdo who purposefully bent himself out of shape to disguise himself. ] It should provide us with some useful information.
[ That should be his course of action here, if the their telepathic powers turn out to be real; he needs to test to what extent they know what he's thinking, then. Would they know his true name, without him telling? How easily could they connect him with his disguise? Maybe he can spin this into a good turn of events. ]
I doubt anyone else on the camp is taking such measures. [ It's said without condescending or judgment, but it is true that his current impression of the Hatchlings is that they are not inclined to being sneaky and to the right of nefarious like this. ] So this would be the only way we'd find out for certain, anyway.
no subject
You're the only one I noticed... Or, rather, the only one I didn't recognize.
[ which made him stick out in a place this self-contained. ]
I'm guessing the thessyx didn't treat you any differently from the others.
[ Illumi seems like the perceptive type. So either they saw through his disguise and didn't care, or they didn't see through it at all. ]