◣ OPEN ◢ CATCH THAT THESSYX

[sunmon]

WHO: anyone signed up for this player plot
WHAT: a band of merry hatchlings followed the thessyx as they left, in an attempt to find their city!
WHEN: august 1-5
WHERE: north of basecamp
NOTES/WARNINGS: animal mutilation; for other warnings, please utilize subject lines

preparation;

in the last days of july, whispers spread amongst the hatchlings of a planned excursion north of the city, following the trail laid by the thessyx who had left before the window closed. friends of alina starkov — or anyone with skills useful enough to keep her alive long enough to get to the thessyx's underground city — might have received a personal invitation via text or in person, but anyone else might have simply jumped on via word of mouth.

there are rain shields to wheedle out of remí, food to hoard wherever possible to support the excursion, and other preparations to be made. those heading out on this journey don't really know how long they'll be gone: better to be ready for anything. hopefully, those coming along have weapons. you never know what you'll find in the ethyraian wilderness.

the journey out;

day one
to a skilled observer, the tracks left by the thessyx originally appear to meander without purpose across the desert-like landscape. the terrain is easy to traverse, dry and covered in scrub. serpentflies flutter around, glinting in the faint light that leaks through the threatening cloud cover. the tracks gradually veer over the course of the day to join what seems like a migration or herd route of some kind... almost like a well-trodden road.

the good news is that the road offers excellent visibility and makes it hard to sneak up on the group, though it is pocked by a variety of animal prints. amidst the prints of animals that use the path, the thessyx's prints run the risk of getting lost in the noise.

when they rest for the night, just off the edge of the trail, a male scorpiug plunges into the camp looking for offerings to attract a mate. the scorpiug will attack, its claws and teeth equipped with a toxin that can induce sleep and paralysis on the victim, leaving them defenseless for a female scorpiug to sniff out and come devour later. at 30 ft tall, the scorpiug proves difficult to combat, and trailblazers should team up to take out this tank!

day two
the next day, when everyone is tired from the interruption to their sleep, and once they've left the camp out of sight and out of mind, the journey takes a turn for the disturbing as they discover the next stretch of road is marked by animal carcasses. these don't look like they were merely hunted by the inhospitable wildlife of ethyraia either. mangled bat bones, discarded rat tentacles, and golden cliff viper heads have been left behind in disarray. they don't look like they were left there by the thessyx or the kind of animal that would have been hunting them in the wild...

a downpour starts in the early afternoon. light at first, but after half an hour of sleet, the mild flooding around their feet and the intensity of the rain prove too much for rain shields and shielding abilities to completely correct. they are going to need safe harbor. fortunately, in the nearby mountainous landscape there appear to be some caves, nestled amongst boulders on higher ground ...

the cave;

still day two
on the interior walls of the cave are ancient-looking paintings, wall art depicting dragons drawn to massive scale, taking up much of the wall and some of the ceiling! around them are also creatures that look quite like the thessyx themselves... and there are other drawings that don't seem to match them? taller figures with flatter heads and broader limbs. the art depicts all the featured creatures in harmony.

as night falls and people find places to settle, eivor wanders deeper into the very extensive cave. the number of tunnels and depth of the cave may be surprising or discouraging to other wanderers, but as eivor persists, she comes across an ancient, feeble, malnourished thessyx curled up in a corner.

provided she communicates with them, the thessyx explains telepathically that all elderly thessyx leave their subterranean city to go and 'join the ocean' on a final journey. however, this Thessyx does not think it will make it, and seems to lament this fact.

what they found didn't find;

day three
the next day, as the group gets ready to go, there are decisions to be made: what to do with the thessyx, and whether to turn back themselves in the face of the weather. after some debate between bringing them along and returning them to basecamp, the group settles on the latter, sending a few of their number (sam, balthier, and natasha have volunteered) back with them.

those who opt to remain continue after the trail left by the thessyx, but it goes cold later that day at the side of the mountain, as if the entire envoy simply vanished or teleported. low on food and other supplies, and threatened by rain and monsters, the group will have to decide whether to continue blindly or to turn back as well.

Comments

alina starkov (open)

[sunmon]

day 00: preparation

[ to anyone who alina knows personally and might have useful skills for the journey, she sends a text: ]

i think we should go after them.

day 02: the caves

[ alina protests taking cover under the caves longer than anyone else, with such hits as: what if the rain washes away the trail? and it's just a little rain — we have shields! this second one is at least a little more understandable, given that she is using her own powers to form a blue-gold dome of sunlight around herself, kirigan (whose side she has been glued to for the duration of the trip), and potentially one other. it's not doing anything for the splashing around their ankles, though, which is going from itchy to painful quite quickly.

and that's how she winds up in the cave, perched at the very mouth of it, watching the storm like ocean waves. waiting for it to die down just enough that she can justify demanding they go back out into it. the heat and the rainfall are oppressive, so the air from the interior of the cave actually feels like more of a reprieve, coaxing her further in, but alina is stubborn. she strips off her jacket — worn for protection, not warmth — and wiping sweat off her neck, announcing her intention to stay close to the entrance even as the sun sinks lower. ]

day 03: end of the road

[ there's nothing. whether the rain had washed it away or something else, the trail ends, and when alina gets the news, denial and outrage come first. ]

No. We're not turning back now. If we keep going, the trail will pick back up. It has to.

day ??: wildcard

[ hmu at protects for a closed starter, or drop your own based on my plotting comment! ]

00 Preparation // Private Text

[portolan]

I can bring my hovercraft -- it might be worth putting our supplies in it.

Are we alerting Childe or going stealth?

[sunmon]

We're not Childe's people. I don't see a reason she needs to know, do you?

[ all it could do is get them in trouble, as she sees it. but she can be persuaded. ]

[portolan]

We fall under her political command. If we say nothing and are caught, there could be consequences for us or other Hatchlings.

I don't advise that we not go; rather, a plausible explanation -- a scouting trip, a trip to the adamant for supplies -- would certainly prevent unnecessary consequences when we return.

[sunmon]

Telling her is just giving her a chance to say no.

[ she's also not planning to return, if she can help it. ]

[portolan]

You may act as you wish, but I intend to keep what little I've built here and the safety of those I've worked beside. You have my craft if we tell Childe it's a mission for supplies or scouting; otherwise, I remain here and advise others to do the same.

[ Alina is impulsive, not stupid. After his successful meeting with the thessyx and handling of the sinkholes, his opinion has some weight around camp.

His father would be proud. ]

Day 2

[unclesam]

How you holding up?

[ Sam approaches quietly, eyes on the cavern entrance. He's still in his flight suit, but he's pulled the goggles off his face for now, rubbing at his eyes a little.

Easy to tell Alina's not happy with them having to take shelter, and he gets it. That drive to keep pushing, keep looking, especially when you're forced to be more cautious than you wanted to. ]

I can send Redwing out ahead for a bit, try and get a read on the trail in the rain. Enough to get us an idea in case some of it's washed away by tomorrow.

[ It's not gonna save the whole trail if the rain doesn't let up - it's more an offer to give her something to hold onto in terms of hope. ]

[sunmon]

[ her head lifts up, and the first smile she gives him is tight, terse. a force thing as thin as their rations are getting. just enough to be civilized, but by no means a warm fire to share.

but then he mentions the trail, and the frost chips off her disposition. she loosens up, straightens. ]

He can do that? [ it assuages all at once every fear she had, sitting here. they won't lose anything but time and food — and they have the kind of people in their company who can work out food. it's tracking that's irreplaceable.

and, just a little bit, it's because the need for tracking at all has reminded her of mal. ]

[unclesam]

[ Sam taps his wrist panel. The small, kite shaped drone detaches from where it seamlessly melds into the slim metal pack on his back and hovers in the air above his shoulder as he takes a seat with Alina. ]

To an extent. He's not specifically designed for wilderness tracking in conditions like this, so don't expect any miracles here. But he can get some visuals and do some basic tracking, so he should be able to give us at least some pointers and starting points. Aint't that right, buddy?

[ The last comment directed at Redwing, as if the small metal thing were a pet or in any way, shape or form able to respond. A moment later, at some input on Sam's wrist panel, the drone shoots off into the heavy rain. The acid hisses slightly on contact, and Sam knows that it's likely he's sacrificing most of the red, silver and blue paintjob on the drone to help Alina out here, but that's fine. Paint is a small sacrifice. ]

You wanna see what he's seeing?

[sunmon]

[ the data that redwing is pulling is probably more useful to someone like matthias than her, but the truth is, alina likes that sam is coming to her like this. she likes to feel adult and important. it makes it feel like this is still hers.

so she nods her head a little, redirecting her gaze from where redwing vanishes into the downpour to sam's wrist panel. she points. ]

He reports it back here? [ like the watches. ]

[unclesam]

Better.

[ Sam throws her a small smile, then holds up his goggles with a small flourish. The red lenses look just like that at the moment. Sam presses something on his wrist controls, and something glowing flickers across the goggles instead. ]

I can watch along if I want, or just get the data to read on here.

[ She's young, but he's not gonna treat her like less because of that. She put together this excursion, and he won't do her the disservice of scoffing at that and pretending like he knows better.

Well, not unless she does something that would be a collossal fuck-up for the entire group. He might carefully intervene then. But hey, not like he hasn't been there - young black man in a notoriously white special ops group? He'd felt the need to prove a lot, too, and been glad for every person who didn't require him to work twice as hard for half the respect. ]

You wanna take a look?

3

[ulfrkysst]

[The elder thessyx has departed with its guards, much to Eivor's disapproval, but that still leaves four of them (well, five... if you include Tina, a child, which Eivor doesn't) to continue on. She's hopeful at first, but then the trail ends, and their food supply isn't far behind.]

We do not know what direction to take. Even Sýnin cannot find a trace.

[She sighs defeatedly, making a vague gesture.]

The animals in this realm are not fit to eat. We will starve if we continue. [She glances surreptitiously toward wherever Tina is doing Tina things, hoping Alina will catch on to her meaning; the weakest among them will suffer if they don't turn back.]

[sunmon]

We won't starve if we find them. The thessyx have plenty of food.

[ the outburst, full of childish passion and frustration, should humiliate her. she knows that everyone else has seen what is obvious, what she can't accept. there's no path this way.

it had been true since they'd left, since she had failed to shake kirigan at the camp. even if she found the thessyx, his presence meant she wouldn't really be free and clear.

brimming with maturity, she kicks a gravel-sized stone. it pings spitefully off of a tree and snaps back at her calf. ]

[ulfrkysst]

[Far be it from Eivor to judge: she's prone to foolish and stubborn outbursts herself, so really, it's a little funny to be on the other side for once.

She watches Alina get counter-attacked by a rock, then takes a step toward her.]

And how long until we find them? We are the scouts. There is no one ahead of us to say how far or what way.

[sunmon]

If we turn back, the answer may be never!

[ teenager logic. but she's possessed by a powerful sense of righteousness, and beyond that, desperation. she has to get away from kirigan — which is a stupid thought, really, when he has come along with them. she'd already lost that battle long ago and she just can't admit it to herself that she's failed. again. ]

If you want to turn back, I'm sure there's still hope of catching up with the others. [ there's not. not with them in balthier's hovercraft. they'd already be back at camp by now, in all likelihood. but she's swinging at whatever's convenient at this point. ]

[ulfrkysst]

[Yeah, there is something going on here that isn't all about the immediate problem. Eivor is silent for a moment, studying Alina dubiously.

More calmly:] They are interested in us, for whatever reason. There will be other chances.

Why is it important to go now?

day two;

[morozova]

( they've settled in as best they can. the makeshift camp serviceable rather than comfortable.

aleksander doesn't go to alina immediately. rather, he wanders the tunnels a moment before finally moving to join her at the mouth of the cave. he sets himself against the wall, arms folded, eyes focused on the sliver of outside rather than the sullen teenager perched across from him. )

Do you ever wonder how the animals here survive such conditions?

[sunmon]

When you go your whole life drinking poison, I imagine it goes down easier.

[ she doesn't look at him. she's moody, and she does not owe the black heretic the effort to manage her stormy emotions. instead, she picks up another rock and throws it out into the rain. it vanishes, the downpour so heavy that it darkens the air and erases evidence that the stone had ever existed. ]

[morozova]

In small doses, some poisons are a curative.

( and some are still just as lethal. )

Come, I want to show you something. ( it's not a question, not really, but framed as one in order to soften the blow. the rain isn't going anywhere and neither are they for the foreseeable future. )

[sunmon]

[ she stands, but not to follow him. when she pivots to face him, it's with heat in her expression. ]

Don't order me around. [ he's too used to it, she thinks. everyone around him bending immediately. but this isn't the little palace. isn't even ravka. and he'd claimed she was his equal, his balance. he has no right. ]

[morozova]

( he stills, surprised.

it's true, of course. despite their distance from ravka, from the war, he still seems reluctant to sacrifice his standing as general even if it means absolutely nothing here. )

Forgive me, ( his head dips, tone apologetic. evidently she's angrier than he thought she'd be. )

But I found something rather interesting I thought you might like something other than the rain to look at for a moment.

02

[portolan]

[ Balthier has seen the way Alina floats to Kirigan's side, only to bound off and return again, like a magnet with its polarity switched back and forth. He can't get a read on their dynamic, but he can certainly put together Alina's desire to flee anywhere else and her impatience at being bottled up.

He sees her at the cave of the mouth, ready to bolt the second it lessens. The light she summons around herself is mesmerizing. And hard to see through. He comes to lean nearby. Honestly, the sound of the rain is soothing, and he's appreciate some time to collect his own thoughts. ]

How much did I tell you about when I left home?

[sunmon]

[ feeling ungenerous, Alina says, ]

A lot.

[ as if she had not happily listened, at the time, to his narrative. she is sour now, and young enough that her present sourness is all that matters. ]

[portolan]

[ Ah, children. ]

It doesn't go away, you know. No matter how far you run. Whatever it is that's eating you, it just keeps on eating, until you find a way to fill the hole or tend the wound. It took me seven years to realize that.

[ She's not going to hear it right now. But some day, when she's ready to, it'll be there. Someone gave him that when he was lost and angry.

There's little else he can do now. He's made it clear he's there for her, and she's made it clear she'd rather storm. He retreats back toward the cave without another word, though goes slowly enough that she could come if she wanted.

Strange that her General is not comforting her or is he mentoring her through this. ]

[sunmon]

[ she draws a deep breath, blinking away wetness that glosses over her eyes. she wipes a hand over her mouth rather than draw attention to her brimming tears. ]

I don't have a choice. Filling the hole, tending the wound. That's not an option for me right now.

[ it's a plea, of sorts. to leave it well enough alone. to let her live her pitiful lie as long as it will carry her — what happens when it's over, she knows, will be far worse. ]