2021-11-12: Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky (Side E)
- Log: 2021-11-12: Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky (Side E)
- Cast: Ethius Hesiod (GM), Ida Everstead-Rey, Seraph Boudicca, Zed, Tidus, Lulu
- Where: Celesti Wastelands
- Date: November 12, 2021
- Summary: With a powerful Hellion presently working to make their idea of paradise on the same landmass, it's Oracle business to look into claims of another would-be paradise. Rounding up sympathetic friends and acquaintances to see for themselves... one of them definitely does not like what they see! (Fifth of seven runs of the one-shot Alcidamas Village Dig.)
============================<* Celesti Wastelands *>============================ Decades ago, the nation of Celesti ripped itself apart in a vicious civil war. Outside of a handful of settlements, its former territories are lifeless. The remains of trenches, bunkers, and barbed wire lines serve as lingering reminders of the conflict--scars that have yet to heal. The earth is dry and barren, and much of the groundwater has been contaminated by biological or chemical weapons. Travel through the Wastelands is treacherous. The roads are pockmarked with shell craters, and Reapers have been known to haunt its blasted plains. A handful of functional rail lines cross the wastes, but these travel directly to their final destinations. The shattered remains of ghost towns dot the landscape. Some may yet hold things of value, but experienced travelers know better than to go treasure-hunting on a whim. The war-dead of Celesti do not rest. Ghosts aren't even the strangest things one can find here. As the war dragged on, both the Congressional Knights and Aquvy Union dug up ancient weapons to aid their efforts--including, it's rumored, ARMs from Zeboim. These rumors draw both the daring and desperate into the wastes, and more often than not, to their end. BGM: Shin Megami Tensei IV - Blasted Ichigaya
DG: A party led by Ida Everstead-Rey is now entering Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky.
============<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky *>=============
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Wood You Lend A Hand *>=====================
|Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
Alcidamas Village, as it's called - it's more of a proper town by now - is
easy to approach by foot. Skilled warriors have come together to help patrol
the roads and keep it safe from ne'er-do-wells. All remarkably cheerful, if
cautious. They're happy to give you directions to the place. The grass gets
greener and the sky clearer the closer you approach.
It turns out the people of the village are currently organizing a whole lot
of freshly cut lumber along the route you are taking. Turns out the route
you're on isn't one people usually take, and they accidentally blocked it
off. With your help in moving the lumber aside, you'll be able to clear the
way for yourselves - or anyone else that might be taking this off-beat path.
=Dungeon Conditions: Exhaust==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
The wastelands of former Celesti - and much of Zoara, as the many years-long conflict saw fit to spill out pretty much anywhere anyone had any pretense to burn something to the ground - will serve as a reminder of the short-sightedness of mortal lives when driven by the need to destroy one another. (Slayheim says 'hello, us too' and is salty about being left out of this statement.)
There is a very good reason that nearly all the major settlements and cities about this part of Aquvy are connected by railroad via Guild Galad: one is taking their life into their own hands going out there. And yet, people have insisted there is something wonderful out this way. The accounts keep matching up, and all there needs to be is confirmation by more reputable sources. After going so long through hostile, barren land where life is simply not suitable to be any longer...
There are blades of grass. Healthy, vibrant, and in defiance of the blasted sands and poisoned earth. Then there are more of them, rustling about a gentler breeze than the dust-filled smoky skies between here and established, surviving society. It's a gradual but marked change, with a few handy roads that appear well-traveled. An illusion? A ruse?
Patrol sentries up ahead - somewhat rag-tag in that they're mish-mashes of equipment scavenged throughout the region, but warriors through and through - wave to the approaching. There may be momentary worry about hostilities, but--
"Hello there! We weren't expecting anyone to head in from this way!" Someone approaches, in salvaged, mix-and-match uniform pieces from both sides of the Celesti Civil War (he looks too young to have fought in it, at that). "The village is currently sortin' out some fresh cut lumber ahead, so... uh, it'll be a bit of a wait before you can get through."
Fresh-cut lumber? In this part of former Celesti? It's more likely than they might believe, at first glance - but as the group grows closer, indeed, fresh-cut lumber has been laid along the path! ...They don't mind if the group chooses to help out.
There are a handful of communities that still manage to eke out an existence, away from the grasp of Guild Galad. Their existence tends to be marginal at best, and closely guarded lest bandits and their ilk take what little is left.
This place does not have the atmosphere of a marginal existence - it seems open, friendly, and without many of the outward emotional scars the survivors about Zoara bear. First things first, though, wood you lend a hand?
(ha ha ha)
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
It's always strange, going from the lush woods of Sylvaland to anywhere else on Filgaia. And yet, now that things have calmed down--relatively speaking--Ida's decided to check into rumors circulating through the Drifter community. The evolving situation with the Rose Queen has made her wary of anywhere people claim to be "paradise", but that's all the more reason to check into it.
Ida's motor-coach drives down a lonely dirt road, and the first sign something's strange is that this road isn't as neglected as many others. Someone's made an effort to fill in potholes and pack them down, and sweep for debris that could puncture tires. The car itself seats four--five if those in the back seat get comfortable with one another--and it has tinted windows, a hot-air blower, and upholstered seats. The body has been reinforced after The Drake Incident, not that it's visible without a careful inspection.
Slowly and steadily, things to change. When the patrol approaches, Ida slows the car to a stop, and rolls her window down. "All right," Ida says. There's something a little hesitant in her voice, as if she has issues believing what she's seeing and hearing, but she puts the car in park, clambers out, and hoists out a certain fluffy companion of hers. Ida sets Lola down--the papillon immediately trots to the end of her lead to attend to urgent dog business--while Ida...
Stops, for a moment, and stares at the massive pile of lumber.
Ida reaches out and touches one of the logs, taking in the grain of the wood, the texture of the bark. "Is this from Halim?" she asks. Halim has trees. Not many, but it has them. "Or elsewhere?" But she gets to work anyway, picking up a medium-sized bundle of firewood and hauling it to the side.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Wood You Lend A Hand.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Boudicca has posed.
Some people might say it sounds too good to be true...
And then some people are Boudicca, who is just genuinely enthused that something so good is supposedly happening in Filgaia. "Ida!" She exclaimed, when she first heard the rumours. "Perhaps your planet has found some method to heal! Is this not wonderous? We must investigate with all haste!"
Boudicca, who cares about Filgaia but doesn't come from the Blue Star, is hardly the only foreigner who has come to look into the rumours of green-grass salvation.
"Ah... look!" Boudicca, who of course is seated on the roof of Ida's automobile, calls out for the benefit of those inside. (The pointing is really just for her, because there probably isn't a skylight.) "There..."
The car is moving, of course, so it's just a fraction of a moment that her finger forms a bow-point, from her body to the clump of green. A fraction of a moment where what she calls her finger curls, wrist rising, coiled in. Oh! She realises, a moment later. They just went over a bump!
"... it is grass!" Boudicca finishes her sentence, just as enthusiastic. It is not the only time she points the grass out. There's a running grass counter coming from up there.
Tragically, eventually all good things must come to an end. What's better than grass??? Trees.
Boudicca jumps off of the roof (there's a little gust as she floats back down to ground, a little poof of dust), and looks up at the lumber operation. She waves a hand in front of one of the villagers, experimentally, with a smile, but she doesn't really expect anyone to be able to see her.
"Worry not!" She says, regardless, because at least some people here can see her. "With Moor Gault's support, you will find the burden light!" She grasps her brazier, and lights the coals inside, holding the light aloft so as to spread the warmth and strength to her human compatriots. ... and Zed, who is helping them right now, so he probably as such won't at least get burned by it.
The trees are a little odd, but... well, it's fresh lumber, in Celesti. That's not surprising, right..?
DG: Seraph Boudicca has used her Tool Bestial Brazier toward her party's challenge, Wood You Lend A Hand.
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.
There is... someone already here.
It probably shouldn't be too much of a surprise. Alcidamas has attracted all manner of curious explorers, both well meaning and not, with all the rumors swirling around the bizarrely prosperous settlement out in the middle of nowhere.
And it seems word has already reached the ears of... This guy in particular.
"Huh, this grass is WAY too green. I'da thunk it would've been more silver-y if it were Kalve's doing..." muses a CERTAIN GRASS-HEADED DEMON, who almost blended perfectly into the turf that he's face-deep into inspecting. "Well, maybe it's not him? Those trees... are made of too much wood. Not enough metal. Hmmmmmm... Probably not him, then?"
Probably not, Zed! If it were, this situation would probably be substantially more dire.
And then! A car pulls up behind him! Zed peers around owlishly before finding several familiar faces. "Oh!" He chirps, waving cheerfully. "Ida! And everyone else! Hello! It looks like there's... something interesting up ahead! But to get to it, we must first deal with the very uninteresting thing right here."
Zed stands up and dusts himself off, then reaches into his scarf and extracts a steel ball that's wider across than his shoulders are broad. There's a chain attached to it. "Don't worry! I've got this! AAAAAAA!"
Video games have taught that fallen lumber is weak to being steel ball'd. Some old Galadian elemental superstitions that presaged the present-day tetrapodal understanding of the ley would also agree: metal defeats wood, that's just the rule.
But maybe... someone should stop Zed before he just smashes all this fallen lumber into so much pulp and paper???
DG: Zed has used his Tool Berserk Hammer toward his party's challenge, Wood You Lend A Hand.
<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.
Tidus is used to Spira, which is a lush and fertile land, so the sight of grass in the middle of the desert doesn't hit as hard as it might for some other members of the band. But it *is* nice to see, and Tidus is easy to get amped, so as Ida's car passes by those patches of grass, he enthuses after Boudicca, "Heck yeah it is!"
Zed says it's TOO green, though. Tidus pauses. "Uh... is that a bad thing?" he wonders.
More importantly, though, there is lumber in the way. And villagers! They seem happy! And they're busy with carrying around that wood? "Hey, it's no problem!" he reassures them. "You guys need any help with that?"
Whether the sentry says they do or not, everyone *else* gets in on it, so Tidus does too. Or he would, before Zed starts smashing everything to bits. "Hey, HEY! They probably need that lumber in one piece, you know!!" he shouts, waving his arms in front of him in an attempt to curb *his* enthusiasm. Hopefully he doesn't get a hammer to the face?!
DG: Tidus has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Wood You Lend A Hand.
<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.
Lulu is riding in the car, thank you. It's a little strange, to be frank--she still isn't used to this kind of vehicle. But it's fine. It will do. She is surprised to see the wasteland give way to greenery, but not in the same way as a Filgaian might be--it's more...
Something else. But: Lumber... Frankly, it's not Lulu's problem, but they'll be through faster if they take care of the lumber--and it gives her a chance to investigate a little. She leans down to set a doll on the ground, and Mog walks over to the lumber pile on adorable limbs. So Mog is helping Ida with her power, and that's all fine and good.
"Don't destroy it, Zed," Lulu advises. "Be careful." She also wonders where the lumber is from, though. That's a good question.
DG: Lulu has used her Tool Power Mog toward her party's challenge, Wood You Lend A Hand.
============<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky *>=============
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Wood You Lend A Hand *>=====================
|Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
Alcidamas Village, as it's called - it's more of a proper town by now - is
easy to approach by foot. Skilled warriors have come together to help patrol
the roads and keep it safe from ne'er-do-wells. All remarkably cheerful, if
cautious. They're happy to give you directions to the place. The grass gets
greener and the sky clearer the closer you approach.
It turns out the people of the village are currently organizing a whole lot
of freshly cut lumber along the route you are taking. Turns out the route
you're on isn't one people usually take, and they accidentally blocked it
off. With your help in moving the lumber aside, you'll be able to clear the
way for yourselves - or anyone else that might be taking this off-beat path.
=Dungeon Conditions: Exhaust==================================================
=======<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky - Round 1 *>========
============<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky *>============= =======================< Results - Wood You Lend A Hand >======================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(15)--> 15 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tidus 0 --(15)--> 15 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zed 0 --(15)--> 15 Pass Berserk Hammer 3 Brute Effects: Strengthen and Sacrif -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lulu 0 --(15)--> 15 Pass Power Mog 3 Brute Effects: Rally -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seraph Boudicca 0 --(15)--> 15 Pass Bestial Brazier 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(20)--> 20 Pass Conditions: Exhaust(1) Effects: Strengthen(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw. DG: Lulu has drawn a new Challenge.
============<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky *>=============
======================<* CHALLENGE - No Pause For Alarm *>======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
Everything is going fantastic in this village. Spirits are at an all-time
high, and odds are you have never seen a happier, more optimistic bunch of
people in all of Filgaia. They have been nothing but kind and accommodating
to everyone who has come to visit.
Some of the volunteer militia have experience dating back as far as the
Celesti Civil War. A handful of such individuals approach you and express
doubt in your good intentions, for this is the closest they've ever seen to
hope for this region. They want to believe you're not here to spoil it, but
they have been wounded too much to let their guards down before strangers.
(Worst case scenario, someone will come by to cool down hostilities before
it gets too heated.)
=Dungeon Conditions: Exhaust==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
It's difficult to believe, and there's every reason to think this could be just another Rose Queen-like problem. Doubtless that a Hellion or two popped up along the way to here, but... there's no whiff of Malevolence in the air. As Ida takes in the grain of the wood, she may have a faint memory of holding something wooden that feels like this, some time ago. Maybe some important person's desk when she was a child? It doesn't feel like the trees of Halim...
"They're from here!" One of the villagers nearby answers. "The kind that grew here before - and now well after - the war!" He smiles as he pats a log.
Boudicca helps with the blessing of Moor Gault upon those who would join for this juncture to an unlikely paradise, but there's already something a bit... off. The fire is still warming, still invigorating, and not burning Zed, but... it feels like there's some other force involved in the way the heat and warmth disperses? It's tough to put a finger on. There isn't an equivalent to her recollection. The end result is the same, but... huh.
A villager wonders why a piece of lumber is walking off on its own in the correct direction, and appropriately recoils in surprise when it's just Power Mog. They look to Lulu and point as if to ask if she knows what this is, but they think better of locking eyes with Lulu directly.
"We're always down for a helping hand! C'mon in," another villager calls to Tidus. Tidus has been in communities of people who seem to just go along with a stiff upper lip with only the occasional Blitzball for distraction. Here, they seem happy. Excited, even. Maybe not to the fervor of the Zanarkand he knew, but there's a real zest for life that is scarce seen... anywhere.
Then Zed happens. This single sentence alone will suffice.
There's shouting, worry, and noise everywhere as some of the militia start to circle about while some of the fresh splinters rain about the place - to invoke Berserk's power is to invoke chaos, ruin, and stuffing nerds into lockers. (Since there are no lockers, one would have to double down on chaos and ruin.)
The group seems disorganized in terms of communication, without a completely unified approach or set of words to say in regards to rabble-rousers - the most experienced of them, an older man with a heavy rifle (it looks like it may have a similar lineage to an infamous one they've heard of - it's not the 'twin spears' sniper rifle but it probably had the same manufacturer) who already has it raised.
"You all didn't come here to raise a ruckus, did ya?" The old soldier asks, even looking Zed dead on despite the size and weight of the thing he just swung around. (Technically, the road is completely clear, at least.)
This could get out of hand quickly unless someone rolls diplomacy.
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.
Look. If the lumber did not want to get smashed, it shouldn't have been in the middle of the road! Hrmph and harrumph!!
"It's fiiiine, I only smashed things up a little!!" (By which he means that they can probably still use the sawdust and wood chips for fertilizer, and might be able to make some furniture out of whatever remains. So, 'a lot' is what he means by 'a little,' but to be fair Tidus did get him to stop before he smashed up too much, but it's all f i n e.)
Or not, because there's a guy here! Pointing a gun at Zed!
Does this result in Zed immediately going into BATTLE MODE, his eyes dilating like a cat that just had its hunting instincts primed!? Does his butt stick up into the air to wiggle like that very same terrestrial terror-species!?!?
No, actually. Zed just sort of shrugs, "Me? Nope! I'm just here for the tourism. And because I'm looking for a friend. Have you seen a feller in a sombrero with a big old poncho that looked like it could contain six, eight, maybe sixteen quicksilver arms?"
He seems... extremely not-worried about the rifle pointed in his face.
But to be fair, this is also Zed.
DG: Zed has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, No Pause For Alarm.
<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.
Seeing people who are *happy* and *excited* AND living in a place of greenery sure is a fine sight to Tidus! Even Zanarkand had parks over the place, and their happiness is infections. With a grin, he moves to help out--and then, yes, Zed happens.
Some militia guys approach, disapproval writ all over their faces, as they ask if they've come to cause a *ruckus*. "Hey, no!" Tidus protests, waving his arm. "This guy's just, uh..."
He looks over at Ida and Lulu for help; Tidus doesn't actually know Zed all that well personally. (Then again, you don't really need to know Zed for long to get a solid grasp on his personality.) Zed himself speaks; Tidus makes a face. He reaches into a pocket and pulls out a certain sphere for potential advice. It lights up, and plays... and someone is squawking about chocobos as a Chocobo Eater stomps around in the background...
"You know what, never mind," Tidus declares as he puts it back in his pocket. "Look, the point is, we're not here to make a ruckus! On purpose. We just heard there was this really nice, peaceful village out this way, and we wanted to see if it was true!"
DG: Tidus has used his Tool Jecht Sphere toward his party's challenge, No Pause For Alarm.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Hauling lumber is a brisk workout, but nothing Ida can't handle. Looking at her, it's hard to imagine there was a time when she struggled to lift anything substantial with her right arm--a consequence of almost losing it when a field expedition went horribly wrong. Once Lola is finished with her business, Ida reels in the lead, letting her dog trot along beside her. Lola darts about, smelling the grass, people's shoes, the wood--and once she notices the small doll that's helping, she detours to follow Mog, sniffing. She barks, once, and looks back at Ida, as if to say 'did you see that?"
Ida nods, and smiles as she sets her armful of lumber down.
Then things go sideways. Ida takes off like a shot, grabbing Lola and tucking her tightly to her chest as mayhem ensues; the sharp CRACK of splintering wood is Ida's world for a good second, but it feels like much, much longer. When she opens her eyes, maybe a third of the lumber is now splintered.
"Zed," Ida says, her voice tight. "I think you owe them an apology, at minimum." Lola whines, and paws at Ida's arm, clearly distressed. Ida carefully sets her down...
And it's then that the man with the rifle steps forward. Ida shakes her head. "I apologize for my friend's overenthusiasm, sir," she says. "We heard rumors of a refuge in the wastes, and thought you might need the sort of freelance help we provide." Lola, meanwhile, trots forward until she reaches the end of her leash; her ears are pricked, and she yawns, showing tiny teeth and a bright pink tongue. It's a canine expression of stress.
Is that how you want this to go, village guard? Do you want to stress out this innocent little dog?
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Boudicca has posed.
Something about the distribution of that warmth...
It's fine, Boudicca tells herself. It's fine. Everyone seems so happy here; there's no reason to feel unsettled.
A touch less fine is -- "Zed! Please, contain your enthusiasm!" But luckily, Tidus is On It, which saves at least some of the wood. It doesn't save them from becoming instantly suspicious, though.
Boudicca hurries between Zed and the rifle, though, frankly, she's more worried about Zed deciding a fight would be fun at this point. "Please, wait a moment!" She waves her hands, between them. "We come in peace! Zed, tell them you come in peace, would you not?" She might need him to translate! Peacekeeping as a ghost is hard!
UNLESS...
Boudicca reaches around to rifle through her backpack for a moment, and hurries over to one of the militia who doesn't have both hands occupied with a rifle. As soon as their hands are in a reasonable position, she proceeds to hand over... some shiny gella! It's not quite trail mix, but it can be used to BUY trail mix.
"Here!" Boudicca says, perhaps fruitlessly. "This should cover the damages, should it not?" Her freaky ghost money may or may not actually cover the cost of lumber. On the other hand, it's freaky ghost money. Maybe that's enough!
DG: Seraph Boudicca has used her Tool Emergency Supplies toward her party's challenge, No Pause For Alarm.
<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.
No Malevolence. But the fire feels strange; it's warm, yes, it's hot, all those things fire should be. But Lulu notices a change in the way it works. Is it just because of Boudicca's power? She can't be sure. But it's there. Lulu is attuned to the elements--she reaches out, to feel the earth around her, the water in the air... the storm on the horizon. And she is quiet.
It's best that nobody makes direct eye contact with her. When they look at her and point, Lulu nods. "She's helping," Lulu says simply, and leaves it at that.
"..." Lulu shakes her head at Zed. It's fine. But there's a man showed up, and now there's all of these people, and one with a rifle...
"We did not," Lulu adds. "Your weapon isn't necessary. He will keep his enthusiasm contained enough."
"What he says," she gestures to Tidus, "Is true." The others handle matter with dogs and money, so. Lulu leaves it at that.
"...We don't want trouble."
DG: Lulu has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, No Pause For Alarm. DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Lola toward her party's challenge, No Pause For Alarm.
===========<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky *>============
=====================<* CHALLENGE - No Pause For Alarm *>=====================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
Everything is going fantastic in this village. Spirits are at an all-time
high, and odds are you have never seen a happier, more optimistic bunch of
people in all of Filgaia. They have been nothing but kind and accommodating
to everyone who has come to visit.
Some of the volunteer militia have experience dating back as far as the
Celesti Civil War. A handful of such individuals approach you and express
doubt in your good intentions, for this is the closest they've ever seen to
hope for this region. They want to believe you're not here to spoil it, but
they have been wounded too much to let their guards down before strangers.
(Worst case scenario, someone will come by to cool down hostilities before
it gets too heated.)
=Dungeon Conditions: Exhaust==================================================
======<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky - Round 2 *>=======
===========<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky *>============ =======================< Results - No Pause For Alarm >======================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ida Everstead-Rey 15 --(16)--> 31 Fail Lola 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tidus 15 --(0)--> 15 Pass Jecht Sphere 2 Wits Effects: Stalwart ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zed 15 --(16)--> 31 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lulu 15 --(16)--> 31 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Seraph Boudicca 15 --(0)--> 15 Pass Emergency Supplies 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 20 --(20)--> 40 Pass Conditions: Exhaust(1) Effects: Cleanse ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw. DG: Zed has drawn a new Challenge.
===========<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky *>============
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Hands-On Logistics *>=====================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
With increased attention to the settlement has come an interest in some
neighboring villages getting in on trading. Rather than hoard their newfound
wealth to themselves, the people of Alcidamas have been nothing but kind and
willing to trade "at a loss."
That said, they did not organize what they were going to send to another
village across the region all that well, and could use help sorting them out
into crates... or alleviate some of the burden of a wagon that has far too
many things loaded. They could use some practice in efficiency with the
beginnings of a bustling economy, but for now, they need anyone with a
strong enough back to move things around.
=Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
"Lookin' for a friend by makin' a fuss, huh. That's some funny tourism," yeah, it goes without saying that Zed is going to need someone a bit more socially sensitive to Trigger Happy Zoaran Filgaia Man. "Never heard of 'em--"
Ida apologizes for Zed's behavior and better explains the situation - and there is a sad little innocent dog. You can see in his eyes, the 'awww.' "Now look here," he says to Zed as an aside, "you just made this cute puppy stressed out."
oh, no.
Lulu speaks with authority with that slight tinge of threat to her words, and Tidus hurriedly tries to speak up to ratchet it down, and the man's eyes follow the weird sphere in his hand.
"Hey, kid," he asks of Tidus, "mind if you show that thing to me? That... dome thing with the water in it, that shines. Was it talking?"
Someone has shiny gella in their hands, all of a sudden. He can't hear Boudicca speak but he feels some weird change in the air's temperature in her presence, and he's distracted enough he doesn't join in the gun-drawing. On the other hand, should they take up the guy with the gun on his inquiry...
He's going to find all this weird stuff about a man of a distant and alien land really entertaining to watch, and in his own way, Jecht saves the day. (ugh)
Time passes. Things settle down, people have time to talk with one another, hash things out, and move large quantities of wooden product away from anywhere Zed may look. In summary, it turns out they have an absolute excess of natural wealth to give out. So much food, so much lumber. The village - more of a town now - is lush. A breeze sweeps through the clean skies, a nearby river flows with cleaner and clear water that might impress a certain Water Seraph. Even the fish seem happy!
"Now, uhh, I hope you don't mind us askin' you all," says a sheepish beanpole of a man, "we're sort of new to the whole... packin' stuff to move on caravans thing." He looks off to the side. "Them fat cats in Guild Galad make it look easy, ha ha... uhh." He breathes out. "I'm not going to ask any of you to go over... lists, or anything, we just need help packing and sorting things... there's a lot."
HE IS NOT KIDDING
The food smells delicious. The healthiest, juiciest fruits anywhere. Anywhere! Even Lunar or Sylvaland might be envious, but, they need help sorting and moving all these heavy crates about. Did they overload that wagon over there? How much can that horse safely carry? How do you spell 'invoice'?
(please disregard the last question)
All the while... there's still that strange feeling that only those deeply sensitive to the Ley might have, the way it all comes together. It's not 'bad,' per se, but it is... different, off.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
'--you just made this cute puppy stressed out.'
Lola is smart enough to follow the man's gaze. She looks back at Zed, whines softly. Ida steps in to scoop up her companion and holds her like a baby. "It's all right," she says, her voice softening as she bounces Lola up and down. "You're okay."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Boudicca has posed.
Boudicca should really be thrilled to see everyone thriving so well. Even on Lunar, the pastoral villages she loved so much would have trouble matching the bountiful luck these people have. But, going through the village...
She does try to hide her misgivings, at first. It was easy, when it was a prickle at the back of her neck. It's more difficult, now, looking over the fresh, cool breeze, a pristine river, trees laden with fruit.
... at some point her smile started fading, a little, though certainly she does still try to muster enthusiasm.
"They are... new to this," Boudicca hangs back to reflect to Lulu, and by this point doesn't bother trying to talk to them, because Resonance is tricky like that. "So, this luck has happened only recently... oh, I am sure there is no reason to worry. These elements... they are not untoward, no?" Lulu knows an awful lot of elements, after all.
"Ah-- in any case, please, allow me to bolster your strength!" Boudicca raises her voice, and her clawed torch, to lend power to her fellows. "Only, Zed, please do not smash the carts..."
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
After a minute or so in Ida's arms, Lola is placated. She's an easygoing, curious, friendly creature, but Ida knows she was on the verge of alarm-barking, or even getting aggressive. But the best thing Ida can do is to deal with her own tension, and once she feels centered, she sets Lola down. The papillon yawns and shakes, and trots along at her human's side.
"Does the Ley feel different here?" Ida asks, sotto voce, as she turns to Boudicca. Her own senses aren't quite as rarefied--Ida can sometimes tell if they're right on top of a major current, but at best, that's a warm prickling, and only if it's aspected to Fray. As the villagers show her a breathtaking bounty--something hard-pressed Zoara peoples might literally kill for--she looks back Zed. "I miss him, too," Ida says, her voice barely a whisper. It speaks volumes nevertheless. "I just--"
Ida shakes her head. Focus. You can't ask them how this came about because you'll look like yet another wealthy merchant-lord looking to sink their claws in. Gain their trust. Show them, truly show them, that you mean no harm.
Secretly, Ida hopes Boudicca's right, that this is Filgaia healing itself--but she's more than prepared to be wrong.
As they start to load the wagons, Ida makes conversation. "That Sphere," she says, "when was that recording made? I recognized that Fiend from one of the Travel Stations, but I wasn't aware there were more of them." As the owner of a precious, dear chocobo herself, that is a relevant detail to know.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Hands-On Logistics.
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.
Apologize? APOLOGIZE!? And now they're accusing him of STRESSING OUT A DOG? Zed considers the possibility of such a thing for a short time. Zed comes to the conclusion that perhaps he was somewhat rude, but also that it's rude to accuse a person of stressing out a dog when said dog was out taking care of SERIOUS DOG BUSINESS at the time!!
"Sorry?" Zed says with a half-hearted shrug, before slipping this small dog what looks like a strip of jerky and probably is in fact that. Bribery, as Zed has learned from Boudicca this day, seems to smooth over all troubles and disagreements.
But then, it looks like there's even MORE WORK to be done. Zed arches a brow, and he sloooooooowly hoists his gigantic hammer again...!
(You don't need to load wagons if there are no wagons to load, after all!!)
But it looks like he's just doing it to shove the gigantic thing back into his scarf. He knows well enough at least that he should probably not smash boxes, despite every instinct in his Wild Arms Protagonist brain demanding that he spam the bomb-deployment button around these very explodable world objects to try and find the hidden stat apple. "Ehhh, it's fine," Zed says with a shrug, "What's the worst Kalve could be getting up to anyway?"
(ANSWER: PRETTY BAD SHIT)
DG: Zed has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Hands-On Logistics.
<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.
"Huh?" Tidus blinks at the man when he asks to take a closer look at the sphere. He has a point that trying to find someone by raising a fuss is a weird way of going about it, and not really knowing Zed, he doesn't have a comeback for it. But he *does* have something to show, and it's harmless enough, so why not? So Tidus ends up showing a total stranger some comedy reels of his dad... It's a weird feeling.
But it does the trick! Somehow!! He really doesn't know how that works. But afterwards the villagers seem more relaxed and willing to trust them. They even bring up packing up food to pput onto caravans! Tidus *does* know how food-scarce things are on Filgaia, so it's a big step.
"Sure, we can help out!" he promises with enthusiasm. "We'd be happy to, even, to make up for earlier!" He shoots Zed a Look, as probably they all do, then gives Boudicca a thumbs-up at her support magic. "That's the ticket! Now let's get this stuff sorted!"
It's very boring, but somehow Tidus manages. At least Mog is here to help, and as they all know, Mog is all-powerful.
DG: Tidus has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Hands-On Logistics.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Lola gives Zed side-eye as he approaches, and sniffs the jerky as he offers it to her.
She then takes the jerky, sits down, and braces it in her forepaws, cat-like, while she gnaws off bits of it.
<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.
Lululooks to Boudicca, who people can't see as a rule. Boudicca reflects to her, and Lulu doesn't nod, because then they would definitely see that, but. She does murmur back, "Recent, as you say. I don't know... It's strange. Of course, prosperity is a good thing, but even so... it is strange." The elements. "Do you detect anything... strange?"
It might not just be her.
Lulu looks to the others again as things get sorted out, and it's fine. Super fine. But the matter of packing, and moving...
"I can help you organize," Lulu suggests. "I'm traditionally in charge of supplies for the people I travel with. There are a few things you might like to keep in mind..."
She glances to Tidus, and shakes her head, but smiles. It is nice, to see him able to do something good with that.
Lulu doesn't actually dispatch Mog to help this time. She is busy instead working on the logistics end.
DG: Lulu has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Hands-On Logistics. DG: Seraph Boudicca has used her Tool Bestial Brazier toward her party's challenge, Hands-On Logistics.
===========<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky *>============
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Hands-On Logistics *>=====================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
With increased attention to the settlement has come an interest in some
neighboring villages getting in on trading. Rather than hoard their newfound
wealth to themselves, the people of Alcidamas have been nothing but kind and
willing to trade "at a loss."
That said, they did not organize what they were going to send to another
village across the region all that well, and could use help sorting them out
into crates... or alleviate some of the burden of a wagon that has far too
many things loaded. They could use some practice in efficiency with the
beginnings of a bustling economy, but for now, they need anyone with a
strong enough back to move things around.
=Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
======<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky - Round 3 *>=======
===========<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky *>============ =======================< Results - Hands-On Logistics >======================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ida Everstead-Rey 31 --(5)--> 36 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tidus 15 --(5)--> 20 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zed 31 --(5)--> 36 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lulu 31 --(18)--> 49 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Seraph Boudicca 15 --(5)--> 20 Pass Bestial Brazier 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 40 --(20)--> 60 Pass Conditions: Injure(2) Effects: Strengthen(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw. DG: Seraph Boudicca has drawn a new Challenge.
============<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky *>=============
==========================<* CHALLENGE - Good Game *>===========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 1 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
One of the benefits to the restoration of the local flora is that the fauna
have responded in kind. Though the environment can now support their numbers
just fine, it may not be a bad call to help keep some of it in check. Your
party has been called upon to help hunt some game.
Alternatively, if your party is not into that, you can still be tasked with
helping bring some economically useful creatures into captivity.
=Dungeon Conditions: Exhaust==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
It's a novel situation for the lot of them, just having so much to give. There isn't any miserly greed at play here - these are people who visibly had to have lived within scarcity and squalor in a scarred land, and their response to coming across something like this isn't to jealously protect it. Maybe it is more than just the land healing... maybe even their hearts?
Boudicca, once again, musters her strength, and the torch's flame flickers in a way unexpected like there's another... force, or step, present involved in the end product of what it does. It's difficult to describe. It 'gets' there. The strength is bolstered.
When Lulu goes to help organize, there is thanks given but everyone seems a little intimidated to talk to her or with her - but her work is still precise and flawless on her end. It's just tough to get some messages across... and to an elementalist like her, an expression of her sorcery might be a good way to test some of her strange feelings about the place, once an opportunity arises. (More on that soon.)
"Hey," the older soldier guy that almost tried to plug Zed full of bullet holes asides over to Tidus, towards the end of all that - Tidus doesn't have anything interesting happening during the boring moving of stuff, looks like it all gets to wait for after. He's got a gentler look on his face. He's old, he's tired, and... based on the lines on his face, he hasn't smiled in a long time. "Thanks for showin' that to me. Can't... say I know who or what that all is, but," he faces down, "there's people I had in my life I wish could've left me things like that. So I wouldn't forget how their voices sound... or how they looked when they did somethin' dumb. Ya might be a little young to really know now, but... whoever, whatever that is, I hope you keep it close."
While Ida's loading, one of her crates start to split open. Three apples fall out. They are expertly caught by a nearby villager, who playfully juggles them and then holds them out to her - two in one hand, one in the other. She can tell looking at him that he's someone from Guild Galad - the shirt he's wearing is common along the lower Voids.
"Have you tried any of 'em yet?" He asks. "Looks like there might've been too many in that crate anyhow." He doesn't seem suspicious or distrustful of her - it seems this place and its values have rubbed off on him.
Zed does not smash anything. Zed manages exacting competence with adult supervision. Zed is rewarded with an apple or two, too, because another crate was a bit too packed. (The apples are great and there is no sense of a Guardian bearing down and wondering if it is acceptable for him to enjoy it, if he chooses so.)
Everything more or less works out in packing and re-packing, and the wagons and other caravans are waved off towards deliveries. Then there's someone complaining about the deer getting into the gardens again - and a sheepish question asked if they might be willing to help hunt some of them.
It's not just the plant life - the wildlife populations have bounced back in ridiculous record time. Ida may even recognize the species in question as having been thought critically endangered since the war, if not outright extinct - but here's a healthy population of them right now. This does not appear to be the case for their natural predators.
While the situation at Alcidamas is presently okay in terms of supporting their numbers, the population could explode with just how much there is to eat and then there might be problems...
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Boudicca has posed.
Ida and Lulu, quietly, have those questions for Boudicca, and Boudicca, in turn, looks conflicted. "I... do not like to say there is a strange feeling about this place. They seem quite content. But -- but there is, here... a third force... unseen, and everpresent."
Quietly: "The perfection of this nature... it is... screaming." She says that, but even that fellow trying to fix Zed's apple crate is smiling... Boudicca can't help but feel guilty, worrying the way she is.
"... no, perhaps... it is fine. They are happy... let us continue, yes?"
Boudicca sneakily takes one of Ida's apples. She tries eating it. Shortly, an apple with a mysterious bite taken out of it might be found underneath a cart. No one would dare half-eat any of these delicious apples, so it must be the work of an apple ghost.
Soon enough, packing is over, and they come to the next problem: deer. "Oh, bother," Boudicca exclaims. "Were I in my statue, I would be far more adept at herding these beasts!" Did Boudicca herd a lot of things when she was the Beast..? Obviously yes. She still looks a little disturbed to see just how well-to-do the deer are, but a hop, skip and a breezy jump later, she's getting into the fray, using gusts of wind to try and guide the herd away from those gardens.
DG: Seraph Boudicca has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Good Game.
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.
Zed does indeed munch on this apple. It's a strange feeling, doing so-- not because the disapproval of the Guardians is tangibly absent, because *that* particular curse was successfully lifted from the vast majority of his people a while ago. But because he's used to sensing their influence on some level, having been oppressed by it for so very long. But there's just... an absence, when he bites into the apple. Not like there wasn't on Lunar, but... different.
It's hard to explain. What's not hard to explain is that there are deer that need to be hunted!!
Zed has heard-tell that humans use hounds to aid in such tasks. At this thought's emergence, the swordsman cranes his head toward little Lola and wonders if this small dog is up to the task, before deciding to play it safe instead. He lifts his fingers to his lips and blows, producing a... sound.
It's a whistle, sure, but it's also a strange, keening, beep-booping kind of whistle. Basically, it's the sound of a dial-up modem, as rendered into an eerily harmonic melody. Soon, the ground begins to rumble and part, before...!
Bark, says a horrifying alien space-dog clad in gold armor and equipped with a pair of tertiary scythe-arms mounted to her shoulders. "Goldie," Zed chimes, "We're hunting deer! You know what a deer is, right?"
Bark, answers the dog, who seems almost offended. Of course she knows what a deer is. All dogs do. Just like how all dogs know what squirrels look like, or cats, or other dogs! Goldie's terrifying grabby-claw-tipped tail waggles as she looks in Lola's direction for a moment, before sniffing at the air and taking off into the bush.
"She's a good dog, that Goldie," Zed comments with a nod, before... He looks to Tidus and smiles a little more wistfully. "He's right, you know. I know a few people who... probably wish they would have kept more things like that with them."
Maybe if they did, things wouldn't have gotten as bad as they did. Maybe Sieg would have endured the passage of time with his heart intact. Or maybe the problem was that he didn't and couldn't forget...?
DG: Zed has used his Tool Goldie Whistle toward his party's challenge, Good Game.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Wood creaks splinters. "Uhf," Ida grunts, as she rebalances the cracking crate, and sets it down on the wagon's bed. "Good save," she says, to the villager. Her gaze flicks down to his clothing a moment, and her heart tightens. "Thank you." She shines the apple on her shirt, and takes a big bite. It's every bit as juicy and delicious as its counterparts from Lunar, which is at once a blessing and deeply alarming.
When they're alone, Ida turns to Boudicca with hooded eyes. "A third force," she says, her whole face tightening. "Of course. Of course it's too good to be true. Is it draining the land to do this?" Her mind flicks back to what she saw in the depths of the ritual cave on Claiborne, and she shudders.
Beside her, Lola whines, and rubs up against her ankle.
Ida's finished the apple by the time they set out on their next objective. "Red deer," she remarks, after the villager's done giving their description. "Those--I thought they went extinct." Everything's wrong. This shouldn't be happening, and yet it is, and she can't even be happy because she's already wondering what secret horror is lurking behind the facade of bounty.
Idiot girl. Why can't you just be happy? This is what you wanted, isn't it?
Zed whistles. Ida blinks; Lola snaps to attention, ears pricked, tense at the end of her leash. As Goldie erupts from the earth, the papillon eyes the much larger, alien, funny-smelling dog. She keeps her distance. Ida watches Goldie like a hawk, ready to pull her dog away at the slightest sign of aggression.
Lola barks. It's a friendly, playful bark. She follows Goldie, only stopped by the leash. "I think you'd better stay close, girl," Ida says, and despite Lola's whining, she picks her up and clips her to the bandoliers she wears beneath her coat.. Symbological runes glimmer against the black leather of a very expensive dog harness.
Ida follows Goldie as best she can. Once she gets close enough, she whips a flashbang from her belt and throws it at the herd--trying to separate them, to help Goldie get one or two alone. "Subdue, girl!" Ida shouts. Will Goldie listen? Ida's not sure, but she does want to see just how healthy these creatures are. If some could be relocated, even to Sylvaland, well--there's still the problem of the missing predator species, but it's something.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Flare Grenade toward her party's challenge, Good Game.
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.
'Subdue' is an order that metal beasts aren't frequently trained to learn, but Goldie is both: A) Older and much better-trained than most metal beasts and B) in possession of a LIGHTNING CANNON. Bark, answers Goldie, whose trifurcated mouth opens along three lines of symmetry and extrudes a crackling pylon. Electricity coruscates in arcs of blue-white energy as she begins attempting to shock the deer into temporarily paralysis with her high-tech alien TASERFACE.
<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.
Lulu... does not lower her intensity levels. She's just not the type to, and there is something strange going on, she is increasingly sure. An opportunity may arise indeed for her to test some feelings...
But first, Lulu looks to Boudicca, as she expresses her conflict. "...We should keep looking," Lulu tells her. "Sometimes happiness conceals something else."
Sh watches the emotional reaction to Tidus's sphere, and regards Tidus for a moment as a result. She does feel something for this individual, a kinship in the moment despite coming from different worlds; indeed, she understands what he means, though he would surely assume her not so much older than Tidus in the scale of human aging. ...But Spira teaches loss young.
Lulu hunts deer with magic. She has done a little hunting before, as needed, though primarily of Fiends rather than of animals. Accordingly, because these are animals, she avoids fire, ice, and lightning, because all of those could easily spoil the meat. Poison, similarly, is right out. But she has a focus handy--the Cait Sith doll--of a particular kind of magic that is especially good at handling things quickly and cleanly.
That's how Lulu cast Death on a bunch of deer. Just lift her hand, focus, and there goes the Deer Reaper to do its work.
This probably does little to make her less intimidating to the villagers. But she doesn't kill all the deer, at least. Just a few. Enough. They die without a mark on them.
DG: Tidus has used his Tool Baskar Hi-Ether toward his party's challenge, Good Game. DG: Lulu has used her Tool Ominous Cait Sith toward her party's challenge, Good Game.
============<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky *>=============
==========================<* CHALLENGE - Good Game *>===========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 1 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
One of the benefits to the restoration of the local flora is that the fauna
have responded in kind. Though the environment can now support their numbers
just fine, it may not be a bad call to help keep some of it in check. Your
party has been called upon to help hunt some game.
Alternatively, if your party is not into that, you can still be tasked with
helping bring some economically useful creatures into captivity.
=Dungeon Conditions: Exhaust==================================================
=======<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky - Round 4 *>========
============<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky *>============= ============================< Results - Good Game >============================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ida Everstead-Rey 36 --(0)--> 36 Pass Flare Grenade 2 Combat Effects: Embolden -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tidus 20 --(0)--> 20 Pass Baskar Hi-Ether 1 Combat Effects: Cleanse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zed 36 --(0)--> 36 Pass Goldie Whistle 2 Combat Effects: Embolden -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lulu 49 --(0)--> 49 Pass Ominous Cait Sith 2 Combat Effects: Stalwart -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seraph Boudicca 20 --(0)--> 20 Pass Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 60 --(20)--> 80 Pass Conditions: Exhaust(1)|Injure(1) Effects: Cleanse|Embolden(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.
Moving stuff happens! At the end of it, that soldier approaches Tidus to thank him for showing him that sphere earlier. It's... honestly a surprise, and Tidus blinks rapidly at the end of it. "I--you're welcome," he says quietly. "It's something I came across by accident, but... I guess it didn't feel right to throw it away."
He scratches his head when Zed chimes in to agree; even Lulu seems to understand what this soldier guy is about. Tidus... doesn't exactly NOT understand, but... well, his relationship with his father is--complex. In a word.
Deer happen. Tidus is honestly kind of relieved for the distraction, and casts some magic to help speed everyone along. A little sip of Hi-Ethers he got from a Baskar village will keep people's magic/arte juice high, too.
DG: Zed has drawn a new Challenge.
===========<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky *>============
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Everything Is Fine *>=====================
|Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
"So you're the travelers I'm hearin' so much about!" The voice belongs to
large, aging (60's?) beastfolk of a vaguely pig-like form who still looks
strong enough to knock just about anyone flat. Not that there appears to be
any mean bone in his body, as he approaches your group. "Thanks for stoppin'
on by Alcidamas. I'm the mayor, Homer Mecone! You can just call me Homer. I
sure have been sayin' this a lot lately to people like yourselves! Gah ha ha
hah!"
After a brief chat, he makes a peculiar offer. "I bet you're wonderin' how
we've been doin' so well, and... hey, I figure the cat's outta the bag. I
warn you... you ain't never have seen anything like what you're about to."
That sounds ominous, but he waves it off. "Ahh, don't worry bout nothin'."
Homer takes you to see a large shrub-tree... thing, atop a hill. It seems
colored a hue that just bleeds outside of the visual color spectrum. It
seems to be on fire in an equally improbable color, surrounded by leaves and
fruits making fractal patterns that come shy of breaking three-dimensional
comprehension. Though utterly alien, there is nothing untoward about its
surroundings. Around it, the air is at its freshest. The ground at its most
fertile. It also happens to have a horizontal, glassy 'window' with a
smiling face that seems to lean forward to look at you in a way that doesn't
involve any part of it moving.
"Meet Demetrioi!" Homer introduces them. "Friendliest li'l... uh, maybe not
so li'l? Friendliest... Demetrioi you'll ever meet!" Homer seems to struggle
to describe it, but doesn't linger there. "Brought it with me here from
further out, some time back." He doesn't say where, and abruptly changes the
subject. "B-But as you can see... Demetrioi here gave em clean water, fresh
air... brought the soil back to health... and all it seems to want in turn
is to have friends." What a bargain, his grin says! "Go on! Say hello!"
:o hello and salutations i am demetrioi :) today is a wonderful day :D
Its voice is difficult to describe, but it is outwardly friendly and in good
cheer. Aside from its unsettling appearance, there is nothing untoward about
its actions or manner.
Go on, make a really freakin' weird friend today. (Unless you'd rather
disengage, politely or otherwise.)
BGM: Star Ocean Faithlessness and Integrity - Like a Lost Child
=Dungeon Conditions: Madness==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
The Deer - Red Deer - ultimately do not stand much of a chance. They are but wild prey animals - wild prey animals that should be gone. A cursory examination of those that are caught show that they are the real deal - nothing weird or funny comes up. These are actual, factual Red Deer. The ones that were killed instantly by Lulu's spellcasting can be safely taken to someone to dissect to be extra certain.
Boudicca's helpful winds find that sense of strangeness to it. The wind ultimately 'goes,' but it seems to happen and exist across a method and path that's... weird, like something else has a finger on it. Between some deer flopping over dead outright and some very interesting large beast that of course has to be attributed to Zed, there's a little bit of unrest among the villagers again... but the one Tidus befriended makes sure to calm everything down, and then...
"So you're the travelers I'm hearin' so much about!" The voice belongs to a large, aging (60's?) beastfolk of a vaguely pig-like form who still looks strong enough to knock just about anyone flat. Not that there appears to be any mean bone in his body, as he approaches your group. "Thanks for stoppin' on by Alcidamas. I'm the mayor, Homer Mecone!" A beastfolk, holding a position of unironic leadership over one of the most (formerly) inhospitable environments on Filgaia? "You can just call me Homer. I sure have been sayin' this... 'bout five times by now? Gah ha ha hah! I've been keepin' a runnin' tally."
(Due to the time... going forward a bit.)
Homer knows they've got questions, and he is not at all afraid to share - he only warns they've never seen anything like it. To the likes of Boudicca, it's more than 'never seen.' It's something more. It's beyond definition as they draw closer to that hill...
The hill where a thing is introduced. Calling it a thing is appropriate, even if there are just enough descriptors to latch onto for a comparison to more mundane... concepts and ideas?
It is some sort of shrubby tree, large in size, colors just outside of the visual spectrum for most, and on fire in an equally improbable color. Leaves and fruits bear fractal patterns that seem ready to do away with the pretense of being in three-dimensional space. And yet...
o hello and salutations i am demetrioi :) today is a wonderful day :D
That's... a sound like a voice, coming from a similing face on a flat glass-like plate on the trunk. There is nothing untoward about its manner. The air around it is the cleanest ever. The world around it is... perfect for sustaining life, like little else. The thing is, that exists.
It is utterly alien and unnatural and to those deeply attuned to the natural world, it's something that shouldn't be even if nothing itself is 'bad.'
Homer introduces them without any fear, no ironic smile. Nothing weirdly unnatural or forced about his body language, like this thing were a friend as much as any other. Go on, say hello, he says - that Demetrioi likes to meet and have friends.
Will the collected be their friend?
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Boudicca has posed.
Boudicca can see a great many things.
Her eyes are a courtesy given to the people she loves. She does not comprehend the importance of things like rods and cones; they are damp because eyes are damp, with white parts, and dark parts, and green drowned to grey by old sorrows. They 'see', in approximately the way human eyes see, in that she absorbs information about her world and translates it to visual context.
The world is generally kind enough to colour within the lines, when it comes to information in the various channels. Sound acts like sound. Colour, like colour.
Here, now, a child's drawing, more crayon than page.
Hello, and salutations.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE--!!"
Boudicca clutches that horned helm on her head, thrown back, thrown forward, all writhing, all disconnect. It is a scream which almost seems like it could not have come from a man, but more a wounded beast. Nature screamed, she said. She is screaming.
She lurches forward, one heavy step, another. A gauntlet thrusts down to grasp the earth. Her lips pull from her teeth, a rictus-snarl. Breath pounds from her, more out than in, as if she could supplant what THIS has brought with her own self, her own power.
Boudicca trembles. She is still, for a moment.
And then she pushes herself from the earth and grasps her tonfa, lunging for that thing which is no bush, which is no tree, face on a monitor and no words to speak.
"INTERLOPER!"
DG: Seraph Boudicca has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Everything Is Fine.
<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.
This group probably is a little too strong to actually be wholeheartedly accepted by the villagers, huh? But it's good that the soldier who liked Tidus' sphere is willing to go to bat for them because of what he shared. It means that a beastman is willing to assure them that everything's good, and then show them the secret to their success. Show them a place that's bleeding color beyond color, a face that's unsettlingly friendly...
"Uh... howdy!" Tidus tells the little face, raising a hand in uncertain good cheer. He's... friendly enough, but it's clear he's weirded out by everything that's going on.
That being said:
"Woah, woah, WOAH!" Tidus utters as Boudicca LAUNCHES herself at this creepy but seemingly harmless face. "What in the world are you freaking out about?! This little guy isn't hurting anyone!" 'Yet' and/or 'as far as they know.' But still!
(He's not sure sharing his father's sphere would be a diplomatic breakthrough at this point. But if he has to, he WILL.)
DG: Tidus has used his Tool Jecht Sphere toward his party's challenge, Everything Is Fine.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"Good girl," Ida says, and she reaches down to scratch Goldie's neck. Not the gentlest way of incapacitating a deer, but a more conventional hunting dog would use teeth. She takes a knee next to one of the stunned deer--a good-sized female--and starts to check her over, careful to stay away from hooves that could lash out at her. Without even the most basic medical equipment, she can give only the most cursory examination, but it's something.
"I've only seen these mounted in museums," Ida explains, as she gets back up, and backs out of the deer's personal space. "But I didn't notice anything untoward--no odd growths, no skin infections. A few external parasites, but that's just how wildlife are." (Ida took the liberty of crushing a few deer ticks with gloved hands, as a small compensation for the deer's time.)
"This doesn't make any sense," she continues, and Lola whines, fidgeting in her harness. Ida lets her down, and she brushes up against her human's leg before approaching Goldie. At first the papillon is a little wary, but Goldie's mannerisms, if not exactly dog-like, are close enough for government work. Lola dips into a play-bow, and barks.
As the villagers cart off their haul of venison, the mayor makes his appearance. Ida makes a polite introduction, using her full name out of transparency--and makes polite small talk, complimenting Homer and praising his town without being suspiciously obsequious. Her family's name is a known quantity. Their accord with the villagers of Halim is noteworthy for being far less predatory than most such relationships, but it isn't perfectly equal. Her being here raises uncomfortable questions. And then...
She sees it. Hyadean augmentation has broadened Ida's vision, allowing her to see the full riot of color surrounding the tree-entity. The fractals almost remind her of the Echo Fruits Kalve forged, if they were extended into a fourth dimension by one of those mathemeticians her younger sister follows. Ida focuses on the glassy face, because that is the part she can process without feeling like she's hallucinating, like she's come unmoored from reality and is drifting in a strange wilderness where nothing makes sense.
"Hello, Demetrioi," Ida says, and then Boudicca screams. Ida's eyes snap open. Time starts to slow as her dear friend charges, showing the sort of anger only the likes of Harmaus can summon. "BOUDICCA!" Ida tears off after her, boots churning up the rich, fertile earth. Boudicca might out-mass her, but she launches herself at her anyway, leaping for the Seraph's back in a diving spear-tackle. Ida's moving on autopilot. She goes for the arm-lock, even though putting a Seraph in a submission hold is probably an exercise in futility. Distantly, she is aware that outsiders will see her wrestling with nothing, but she can't bring herself to care.
In the chaos, Ida drops Lola's leash. The papillon races after Ida, whimpering--and she comes to a halt before the tree. She is the very image of canine caution, tempered by visible anxiety over her human's bizarre behavior. She sniffs at the dirt beneath Ida, and then: bark. Bark bark. Alert, but not aggressive. People are distressed. They need help.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Lola toward her party's challenge, Everything Is Fine.
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.
Goldie is in fact a very good dog and responds to Lola's dog-greeting with one of her own. An alien doggo is still a doggo, no matter what kind of metamaterial or terrifying super-metal its carapace is made of. She bounds back and forth, left and right. Is it time... for zoomies?
(It may be time for zoomies)
And then, there is a mayor. He seems like a nice sort, if a bit porkly. It's probably the result of living in such a prosperous town for so long, he's gotten himself a little pot-bellied as a result. All in all, it gives him a jolly air that matches well with his somewhat hammy attitude--
And then Zed sees... it.
"You..." Zed says, thoughtfully, the scintillating rainbow of colors flashing across his eyes. He wonders back to that day when he met the Guardians, when they mentioned just how... delicate the biosphere of Filgaia was. The thing's aura reminds him vaguely of the aurora that the Demon Mother could sometimes conjure, but...
This one... seems much more friendly?
Boudicca is not having it, though.
"You're not from this world, are you?" Zed asks, almost in awe of the artificial creature. "But not Hyadean either. Where are you from, friend Demetrioi...?"
Boudicca is... probably handled. If not, Zed is awkwardly in the way of her charge.
DG: Zed has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Everything Is Fine.
<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.
Lulu turns to look at Homer Mecone, watching him thoughtfully for a moment. About five times by now, is it? They are not the first to come here. "Hello, Homer. My name is Lulu. You have a lovely village." Despite her misgivings, this much is surely true. So Lulu waits along to this thing they've never seen... and sees it.
She sees the strange 'tree', this children's drawing, and she regards it with her eyes fully open. It has strange patterns, unthinkable colors... but it is not fire. She knows that much. The thing speaks, in its way. The air is so clean; the world is perfect. And yet--
"...You..." She is thoughtful, but before she can respond to anything, Boudicca happens.
Lulu looks at Boudicca, and as the others move to restrain her, Lulu does not move; she sees Zed in the way, and Zed is good enough on that front. "Hello," she says to it, and then looks to Homer. "The invisible one is a nature spirit who seems to be agitated for some reason. We will not allow her to harm your friend. I think that we should be going before we cause any more trouble."
Lulu makes full use of her Authority Voice here--and many villagers have seen her use magic at this point.
There is a lot she will have to discuss with Boudicca later. But now is not the time. Not if they don't want a mob on their hands.
Then to Demetrioi, "...Please don't hold our rudeness against us."
DG: Lulu has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Everything Is Fine.
============<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky *>=============
======================<* CHALLENGE - Everything Is Fine *>======================
|Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
"So you're the travelers I'm hearin' so much about!" The voice belongs to
large, aging (60's?) beastfolk of a vaguely pig-like form who still looks
strong enough to knock just about anyone flat. Not that there appears to be
any mean bone in his body, as he approaches your group. "Thanks for stoppin'
on by Alcidamas. I'm the mayor, Homer Mecone! You can just call me Homer. I
sure have been sayin' this a lot lately to people like yourselves! Gah ha ha
hah!"
After a brief chat, he makes a peculiar offer. "I bet you're wonderin' how
we've been doin' so well, and... hey, I figure the cat's outta the bag. I
warn you... you ain't never have seen anything like what you're about to."
That sounds ominous, but he waves it off. "Ahh, don't worry bout nothin'."
Homer takes you to see a large shrub-tree... thing, atop a hill. It seems
colored a hue that just bleeds outside of the visual color spectrum. It
seems to be on fire in an equally improbable color, surrounded by leaves and
fruits making fractal patterns that come shy of breaking three-dimensional
comprehension. Though utterly alien, there is nothing untoward about its
surroundings. Around it, the air is at its freshest. The ground at its most
fertile. It also happens to have a horizontal, glassy 'window' with a
smiling face that seems to lean forward to look at you in a way that doesn't
involve any part of it moving.
"Meet Demetrioi!" Homer introduces them. "Friendliest li'l... uh, maybe not
so li'l? Friendliest... Demetrioi you'll ever meet!" Homer seems to struggle
to describe it, but doesn't linger there. "Brought it with me here from
further out, some time back." He doesn't say where, and abruptly changes the
subject. "B-But as you can see... Demetrioi here gave em clean water, fresh
air... brought the soil back to health... and all it seems to want in turn
is to have friends." What a bargain, his grin says! "Go on! Say hello!"
:o hello and salutations i am demetrioi :) today is a wonderful day :D
Its voice is difficult to describe, but it is outwardly friendly and in good
cheer. Aside from its unsettling appearance, there is nothing untoward about
its actions or manner.
Go on, make a really freakin' weird friend today. (Unless you'd rather
disengage, politely or otherwise.)
BGM: Star Ocean Faithlessness and Integrity - Like a Lost Child
=Dungeon Conditions: Madness==================================================
=======<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky - Round 5 *>========
============<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky *>============= ========================< Results - Everything Is Fine >======================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ida Everstead-Rey 36 --(101)--> 137 Fail Lola 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tidus 20 --(101)--> 121 Pass Jecht Sphere 2 Wits Effects: Stalwart -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zed 36 --(101)--> 137 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lulu 49 --(101)--> 150 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seraph Boudicca 20 --(101)--> 121 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 80 --(15)--> 95 Fail Conditions: Madness Effects: Cleanse ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey is too exhausted to continue! DG: Tidus is too exhausted to continue! DG: Zed is too exhausted to continue! DG: Lulu is too exhausted to continue! DG: Seraph Boudicca is too exhausted to continue! DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey has been fully Exhausted by Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky! DG: The party will now draw a conclusion.
============<* Alcidamas Village - Oasis of Land, Water, and Sky *>=============
========================<* CHALLENGE - Mixed Signals *>=========================
|Type: Landmark |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 2 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
Your conversation comes off as a bit one-sided. A bit awkward, although the
smile on Demetrioi doesn't seem to fade. Is it listening intently, or is it
just like you - confused at what it's seeing, or what it's talking to? There
is no perceptible change in the atmosphere beyond everyone appearing to be
at a loss in this novel situation.
Homer steps up and gives the whatever-the-hell-it-is a friendly pat, its
shrubby branches bristling with one may hope is happiness. His hand does not
seem to be burned at all by the strange flame that is dancing around it.
"I'm sure they're pleased to meet you all! Gah ha ha hah!"
:o there are a lot more here :o everyone is so different :o
They're not displeased, one guesses. Homer's not displeased, even if you
might have reacted less than positively. "Don't worry 'bout any of it. Sure,
a li'l strange to you, but ain't nothin' ever been wrong since the two of us
arrived in Alcidamas... and I sure don't see it goin' wrong from here. How's
'bout we call it a day together?" Homer gestures along back to the village.
"Get us all a nice supper."
It is, as he says, a nice supper. Not a whole lot is said that's memorable
along the small talk, but there is one question that stands out.
"Mayor, don't you think it'd help if everyone knew more about where
Demetrioi came from?" An older woman asks. "We all know they're a
sweetheart, but we can't expect everyone about Zoara would be
understanding."
"Ahhh," Homer throws a hand down, "it's fine, the past is... it's all just
sad and difficult stuff. Ain't nothin' left for either of us other than
memories. I'd say we're all done dwellin' on that, 'n I'm sure everyone
else'd feel the same. What with all our new friends comin' by, and their
friends... 'm ready to forget about everything before and enjoy life in
Alcidamas!"
The older woman gives a quizzical look, but doesn't dwell on it. It's true,
there's a whole lot of sadness they may be ready to, at long last, fully put
behind themselves thanks to Demetrioi. There isn't much of a chance to
interrupt before a toast is called.
It's a good evening, even with unanswered questions. The next day looks
exactly as good as the last.
BGM: Star Ocean Faithlessness and Integrity - Spending Time With You
=Dungeon Conditions: Save Point===============================================
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
It is a situation, is what it is. Maybe not a bad one? But it is a situation without much in the way of anything to draw upon for likeness - even if Ida's heightened senses gives her a slightly better grip on... those colors, those shapes, as Zed asks maybe the most important question.
) all i have ever seen and known is here so this is the world i live in :D i like that the world around me is happy i try very hard to make it so :)
To take it literally from its perspective, then, it was 'born' here which... can't be correct, can it? Greetings are made, but among one of them, a nature spirit... reacts. Demetrioi's face makes a subtle change, from a smile... to...
o is that pain are you hurt are you unhappy :o it is all right i can try harder to make this world happier for you :)
Concern, like it isn't some thing that simply can't exist naturally. Homer looks mystified, a bit slow on the uptake - a revelation that he lacks the Resonance to see and understand Boudicca's righteous indignation. Or how thin air is being wrestled with.
Lulu steps in and explains. "Oh, I... I get it, yeah, different places... different people can see 'n hear different things," it is strangely accepting and strangely worded from the beastfolk in question. He laughs a bit and waves. "I get ya. I get ya, uhh... Boudicca? Demetrioi's a friend!"
Demetrioi does look down upon the barking Lola with a smile despite the scene going on around them, eyeing all of them. Tidus comes to Demetrioi's defense, and those words may in fact be true - there's nothing outwardly showing that this is having a bad effect on... anything.
o you are not being rude :) i just need to do a little more :D
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Boudicca's fury will not be quelled so easily - even in the company of powerful friends, she is the one who speaks for Moor Gault, and with power over wind and flame alike - against something like this, the situation can't possibly calm down until everyone moves away from it. Homer just signals everyone closer to him, taking a seat. "Don't worry 'bout any of it. Sure, a li'l strange to you... but ain't nothin' ever been wrong since the two of us arrived in Alcidamas... and I sure don't see it goin' wrong from here. How's 'bout we call it a day together?" Homer gestures along back to the village. "Get us all a nice supper." He looks to Ida in particular. "Now, uh, can't say for sure one way or another 'bout the whole Guild Galad thing, haven't, uh, paid much attention to it the... last few years," he waves his hand a bit. There's a noticeable pause in those words. "I don't see any harm in doin' any dealin'... but we'll talk later 'bout it!"
Some time later, the supper happens. The food's tasty! The quality of the cooking itself is... predictably not-the-best, if only because they're still learning how to make the most of their excess and bring it out. The ingredients themselves are great! Tasty, safe, good.
"Mayor, don't you think it'd help if everyone knew more about where Demetrioi came from? I know I asked this before, but... we can't expect everyone about Zoara would be understanding."
"Ahhh," Homer throws a hand down again, "it's fine, I'll say it again - the past... it's all just sad and difficult stuff. Ain't nothin' left for either of us than memories. I'd say we're all done dwellin' on that," the guard that Tidus befriended is all 'hear hear' in the background, "'n i'm sure everyone else'd feel the same. What with all our new friends comin' by, and their friends... 'm ready to forget about everything before and enjoy life in Alcidamas!"
Meanwhile, over the hill, Demetrioi's gaze follows Boudicca. They smile, and rustle their leaves like she didnt' declare herself a mortal enemy.
) we can all be friends when you're happier :D a happy healthy harmonious world where every day is the best day :D
...
It does feel imperceptibly windier tomorrow.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Boudicca has posed.
Boudicca, courtesy Ida, eats dirt before she can impact Demetrioi. She cries out, more frustration than pain -- outside the clear and present pain she's in just being here, around that -- but Boudicca, who has always been a bit of an odd duck amongst Seraphim, does not think to phase out of existence to get out of Ida's grasp.
(She got so mad, she forgot she is a ghost.)
"Are your eyes so LIMITED you cannot SEE?!" She howls, canting back and forth against the earth like a ship in turbulent storm. "It IS NOT! It CANNOT! Fain doth furthest reaches miren and disteinen, INTERLOPER!" She accuses Demetrioi of wilfully staining this world, ensnaring them in troubles; hers is a hot anger, stoked deep enough to forget the way language has advanced.
But even if she were to struggle herself standing, Zed's between her and that horrific visage, too...
It's not a voice, and it's for her. Boudicca keens, the side of her head impacting, heavily, with the ground. Does that mean she's unhappy...?
But thanks to Lulu, Homer actually manages to talk to Boudicca, or at least the place where Boudicca presumably is.
"... you... ahh-- no-- everyone here... you were all... I wished to think it was..."
It's entirely correct that the core of Boudicca is not only one, but TWO excellent reasons to be enraged, right here, right now. For the Guardians -- for the Ley. But Boudicca has always loved the common folk, and Homer's attempts to reason with her, at least... has Boudicca turning into a mote of light, vanishing into that long, long ribbon. "Away from here," she pleads, and she can't be near tears, because she is the concept of air, but she sounds that way regardless. "Away!"
Boudicca stays in her ribbon, but if that ribbon stays on Ida's person, she might, at least, hear Homer's justifications, later.
Sickness is a metaphor, too, hearing something like appeasement.
You can't lose the contents of your stomach when you don't have one.
... for a long time, Boudicca says nothing at all.