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4.0 June Event Log
4.0 June Event Log
Air Quality Alert
In the ON world, Avisle's storm has fully cleared as of last month, but something still lingers in its usually beautiful skies. Not enough to obstruct trade, not quite, though those steering their airships may grumble a bit about the turbulence. Ash flutters in the air, clouds are replaced with dark plumes of smoke; it gets harder to breathe in a game where that shouldn't matter, and there's a strangely luminescent sheen in the sky, like oil, or the scales of a beast…
The air pollution will have effects over time, so those that overextend themselves exploring (or are just naturally sensitive to smoke) will find themselves with stinging eyes, chest pains, shortness of breath, etc. Overexposure can cause someone to collapse altogether, so be careful out there! Those aligned with fire or water may be able to soothe symptoms somewhat, both in themselves and others.
1. Guild Wars: GBF Do Not Interact
Despite the air quality warnings, the City is as active as ever, eager to carry out another time-honored tradition. Avisle’s Guild Hub has the honor of hosting Guild Wars this year, an all-month event run by the Interguild Alliance (IGA) to test (and reward!) the mettle of its members across Duocaeli. It has the hype of the Olympics, albeit with less sportsball and more RPG chaos.
Historically, Guild members band together to compete for accolades by demonstrating adventure-worthiness: completing quest board tasks, raiding dungeons, discovering new flora and fauna, etc. Guilds can also resort to ye olde methods of competition, like actual sportsball, epic party games, what-have-you.
This year, in addition to the above there is special focus on assisting a family of gemwalkers who have been separated by the ravaging storms from April.
The winning Guild is determined by overall group effort—whichever team brings in the most gemwalkers, bounty, discoveries, and victories will be crowned champions across the skies, and be rewarded with sweet, sweet loot. Participation perks are also quite generous, and all players are encouraged to join in regardless of skill level or willingness. In fact, the entire city seems quite obsessed with Guild Wars, and anyone caught sitting out will be eventually coerced into activities one way or another.
> Gemwalker Reunion
Only one of the golems has made it to Avisle City to request aid after a long and perilous journey, its core barely intact, and the remaining family members need to be located and brought back to the city. These missing golems will be inert after having sustained damage in the storm and are lost in the smoke, meaning each team will need to invent ways to transport heavy rocks through difficult terrain and smoky conditions. (Yahaha?)
Guild members will be given a device that senses when a missing golem is nearby, however they’ll be left to their own devices to figure out a way back to the City. Their search will take them to two potential locations, so players can tackle whichever is better suited to their strengths (or both!):
1. Windhaven Woodlands: The first of the gemwalkers hasn’t been blown too far from its original home, Aria’s Grove, however a pack of mischievous bloobettes of the woodlands have absorbed pieces of the poor golem into their gelatinous bodies. To make things even more difficult, the pervading smoke makes the woods even darker than usual. Characters will be virtually blind in here, and even the guiding wind that periodically blows through the trees is ashy and unpleasant.
2. Dandelion Fields: One of the golems is trapped high up on one of the floating, miniature islands… While typically one could hitch a ride on a wind whale, the smoke has temporarily beached them all to the ground. To make matters worse, the massive dandelion seeds collect soot and ash en masse, and tend to explode with both when they hit any surface. Whether it's by dealing with the altitude, the whales, or the seeds, characters are on their own to reach the golems above!
2. Dandelion Fields: One of the golems is trapped high up on one of the floating, miniature islands… While typically one could hitch a ride on a wind whale, the smoke has temporarily beached them all to the ground. To make matters worse, the massive dandelion seeds collect soot and ash en masse, and tend to explode with both when they hit any surface. Whether it's by dealing with the altitude, the whales, or the seeds, characters are on their own to reach the golems above!
OOCly, players can opt to thread this out if they'd like, but we'll only be reading submissions filled out here. We'll be choosing a grand 'winner' based on creativity!
> Exploration
Besides the main gemwalker event, there's plenty of other ways to score a win for your guild(s)! Two new locations have been released specifically to celebrate the event:
Starstuff Crater: In the furthest reaches of the isle, the land suddenly gives way to a crater that rivals the size of Avis Isle City itself, apparently from the impact of a falling star long ago. Rising from the bottom of the crater are hundreds of tall earthy spires that house an array of bird species and alien flora from the dissolved starstuff. While smoke rises at the higher points of the crater, cool, clean water pools in the rocky crags at the bottom, and those with an alignment with darkness may notice that their powers are stronger here, nearly uncomfortably so. Meanwhile, those aligned with light may feel ill at ease, and drain of mana more quickly.
Bigge Tunelle: Within the mysterious depths of Windhaven Woodlands is an ancient tree that long ago tumbled to the earth, leaving behind a vast hollowed tunnel. Ever since the locals can remember, the tunnel has had a powerful gust of wind running through it, making it near impossible to traverse the tunnel. That is, if you're on the side where the wind exits. Those wandering close to where the wind enters might find themselves getting sucked into a weightless tunnel experience before being spit out the other side. It's possible to get stuck within the air currents of the tunnel itself; being aligned with wind or earth may make it easier to traverse, but everyone else should be prepared to be billowed by the suction and blown about! Try not to hit anything (or any monsters) on the way down.
Bigge Tunelle: Within the mysterious depths of Windhaven Woodlands is an ancient tree that long ago tumbled to the earth, leaving behind a vast hollowed tunnel. Ever since the locals can remember, the tunnel has had a powerful gust of wind running through it, making it near impossible to traverse the tunnel. That is, if you're on the side where the wind exits. Those wandering close to where the wind enters might find themselves getting sucked into a weightless tunnel experience before being spit out the other side. It's possible to get stuck within the air currents of the tunnel itself; being aligned with wind or earth may make it easier to traverse, but everyone else should be prepared to be billowed by the suction and blown about! Try not to hit anything (or any monsters) on the way down.
Exploring these two areas may lead to new discoveries! Players can submit flora or fauna ideas for all to play with here for Guild Wars rewards. A reminder that smoke will be present in both these locations as well, and may agitate the local ecosystems… and also you?
> Earning EXP
Finally, characters can also earn points for their Guilds by participating in any of our the permanent quests and dungeons that are available! Completing threads or meeting a comment minimum is not required to earn points; we'll just be looking for an honest effort.
2. Dungeon Crawl - Smoke & Mirrors
Not looking to traipse about old dungeons? Raring for the newest content? Those Guildies searching for more still to do will be tasked with discovering the source of all the smoke surrounding Avisle to help ease the overall search for missing Gemwalkers. Directed to the very heart of the haze (where there's smoke, there's fire), they will begin to hear muffled voices–familiar ones.
Guess the Gemwalkers aren’t the only ones about to face some reunions.
Chamber 1: Into the Deep
Yet as you step through the smoke, you might suddenly find yourself sinking into the sand, greeted by the distant call of gulls. Blink once, blink twice - blink as many times as you’d like, but the image of the beach surrounding Crane City does not disappear. Weren’t you just in the ON world? You must’ve been. And yet any attempts to forcefully exit or quit the dungeon ahead of time fail - here you are to stay.
Explore a bit if you’d like, but do your best to keep your footing. Every now and then, the ground trembles beneath your feet as an earthquake reverberates through the area. The seas get choppy, but as you look out into the distance you might see a hand reaching out from beneath the waves. Along with it, the sound of a loved one from your home world calling from you. However, you will be the only person who hears this voice - your partner will not.
Will you be able to make it to the second part of the dungeon? Or will you get carried off by the waves before you even try? Once in the water, you will begin to feel deeply fatigued, yet calm. Maybe it’d be alright to let the waves lull you to sleep…
Chamber 2: An Offer You Can't(?) Refuse
Eventually, one earthquake hits harder than any of the others, falling just short of rupturing the sea open. A large silver serpent slides up from the waves, but rather than a roar or a cry heralding its arrival, there is only a flood of whispers.
Listen to me. Trust me. It’ll be okay. Don’t go. Close your eyes.
Different assurances - if they could be called that - flood your ears, but eventually the Serpent’s ask becomes apparent:
Images flash through your mind - inherently, you know the serpent refers to your guildmates, your false memories, your friends here in Crane City. In Duocaeli. Either. Both. (Neither?) Will you accept the whisper and make a promise to let go of these people who might very well be strangers in favor of the ones you can no longer see?
Those who choose to accept will find themselves slipping down the serpent’s throat. Inside the creature, a crimson red engulfs their vision and they will face a nightmare of betrayal. Their companion in the dungeon will also bear witness to the dream. Yet when they awake, they will have completed the dungeon and are free to take their spoils before leaving.
Those who deny the request will have to fight the Serpent in its element. It’s a strong foe - but there are moments in which it seems to entirely glitch out of existence. When it returns, it comes back weaker, more erratic in its movements. When it attacks the characters fighting it, it does not inflict physical wounds - no, instead it only gives feelings of despondence and guilt, and other emotional weights. It seeks to strip your will before your life.
BOSS: S̵̱̆e̴̝͋ŕ̵̙p̶͎͐ẻ̴͓n̷̯͠t̵̞̕
HP: 1̶͉̾0̴͖̃0̷̤̋0̷͍̕0̵̏ͅ
Difficulty: ★★★★☆
Weakness: Light, Dark, truth
Resistance: Water
Attacks
HP: 1̶͉̾0̴͖̃0̷̤̋0̷͍̕0̵̏ͅ
Difficulty: ★★★★☆
Weakness: Light, Dark, truth
Resistance: Water
Attacks
- Traitor’s Twist: Inflicts emotional scars and wounds that linger for hours afterward.
- Sleeping Sweep: Summons dark clouds of ash that linger both in the air and water - getting caught in one will sap at an individual’s strength and willpower. Inhaling too much will cause them to become passive, even submissive, and more likely to yield to the serpent’s suggestion. Mana transfer can dispel some of this effect.
- Sleeping Sweep: Summons dark clouds of ash that linger both in the air and water - getting caught in one will sap at an individual’s strength and willpower. Inhaling too much will cause them to become passive, even submissive, and more likely to yield to the serpent’s suggestion. Mana transfer can dispel some of this effect.
As always, choice submissions will have an effect on the overall state of the game the following month, and can be submitted here!
OOC Notes
June's OOC Event Plotting Post is also here for your reference! Please visit it for submissions top levels, plotting, and results from May's log!
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duocaeli duologs duolingosTaken / Applications / Hiatus & Drops
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It was only after Hibiki waded into the water to force him out of it that he realized he was indulging in an illusion. An illusion that served as a sobering reminder that this world was but a slumbering facsimile. His reality awaited at the end of the dream.
The siren hasn't released his hand since pulling him out of a certain respawn. He hasn't returned the grasp, but he hasn't pulled away either. Clearly shocked by the vividness of it all, Kaito's been lost in his thoughts throughout the dungeon.
That is, until he hears the whispers.
Subconsciously, he curls his fingers in to try and hold Hibiki's hand tighter, but she's already pulled away. Anger wells in her aura, but his is full of a suffocating sadness.
'Yeah. It's true, isn't it? She can't help me. No one here can.' Isn't that why he's fallen so silent lately? Why he hasn't logged in so often. Why he's been passing on his responsibilities OFFline to his subordinates. Everyone here is dealing with their own problems—his current party member included.
Kaito takes a step forward as Hibiki's aura flares. He barely takes notice. A distorted, static-ridden voice sprouts in his mind, but its words are garbled. He can't comprehend them. His focus is solely on the soothsaying serpent sitting on the coastline.
Kaito takes another step forward. A buzz in the back of his head warns him that he's being manipulated. He's trained quite thoroughly in illusions over the months. He's been assailed by so many divine entities back home who have tried to influence his mind. He knows the feeling. He knows it's happening.
But does it even matter?
One more step towards the beast. He's settled perfectly between it and Hibiki. ]
I want to go home.
no subject
This is just a game; death isn't permanent. But she will move heaven and earth to make sure that he survives this, no matter what might happen to her. Even without their link, he's still her Soulmate, and she will move heaven and earth to make sure that he's safe.
But the draw to return home, to return to those things lost that the soul longs for, is incredibly strong. And as Kaito starts plodding forward, lost in the serpent's words, her stomach drops.
That was always his prime objective, and given the power to return, of course he would take it. Standing between her and that monster, Hibiki feels like she's about to lose him forever. Trying to pull him away will only make this worse.
And so, for the first time in a very, very long time, she quietly prays. The kami won't hear her, but please... please, let this work. She can't lose him.
Her gaze focused on him, Hibiki goes through the motions. Reaches for that link that she knows isn't there, doing what she would to open that channel before pouring her all into her words, her voice thick with emotion that she wouldn't dare show him or anyone else before. Even if she knows he won't hear them, she calls for him.
Kaito! Kaito, please, you can't let them win. I don't...
We promised we'd find each other again! I can't lose you like this! Not again! ]
1/3
Yet on the flipside, it only takes one voice to rekindle a dying flame.
Something stirs in Kaito's mind as he continues to shuffle across the sand towards the patiently waiting serpent. It's a nagging feeling not unlike his subconscious mental alarms blaring to warn him about the creature's trickery. It's... annoying. Intrusive. It bores into his thoughts, settling in his mind like it belongs there when it's clearly a foreign presence.
The bothersome sensation is disruptive enough to stop him in his tracks. The instant his feet stop, a migraine explodes in his skull, reminiscent of those full-force headaches he used to feel before being sucked into this foreign world. It blares in his conscious, drowning out the serpent's smooth whispers, the sound of waves crashing, the scent of the sea.
Darkness settles in, and he realizes he's being pulled into a memory; his psychometry hasn't been invoked, yet here he is, drowning in darkness.
. . .
Rotting trees. Dark clouds. Black earth. Ghastly apparitions. The scent of fresh blood assaults his nose. His feet sting. He's running. Sprinting. Barreling down a shadowy path towards a dimly lit clearing.
Towards a voice he's forgotten, yet one he remembers so clearly. ]
2/3
Suddenly, he sees it. A shock of blonde. Her voice no longer echoes. It simply fills the air as he skids to a stop in front of the singer. She's faceless, yet known to him, and she smiles, holding her hand out. He reaches towards her, towards his...
Back in the dungeon, the serpent creeps forward to close the distance between it and Kaito. Its massive jaw yawns open, easily capable of swallowing him whole.
And that's exactly what it does, careening down on the dragon. At the same time, garbled, glitchy text flashes in front of Hibiki's vision and the previously inaudible voice finally resonates in Kaito's mind.
F̵o̶u̸n̵d̸ ̷y̵o̴u̵.̵
A brilliant azure glow erupts from Kaito's body—just in time for him to be gobbled up by the serpent. ]
3/3
Five seconds pass. A bar pops up under where Kaito's portrait had been, indicating that some spell or ability is being channeled.
The instant the bar fills, a muffled explosion sounds off within the serpent's mouth. Its jaws distend as they split open, and Kaito, wreathed in a blue aura, flies out at breakneck speeds. He comes to a skidding landing that stops just inches away from her. Sand flies everywhere in his wake. Kaito dusts himself off as he straightens up, cerulean eyes glowing brighter than they have in weeks. His portrait returns to her UI.
Something else seems a little different about him. It'd be easy to miss in the commotion, but if she's paying attention, she'll notice his title of MOST MOIST has been changed to NETHERWORLD SURVIVOR.
Smirking, the empath reaches out to pat Hibiki's cheek. ]
Sorry for scaring you... But did you really think I'd bail just like that?
[ Features brightening into a grin, Kaito turns on his heel, lashes his tail against the sand, and conjures swirling watery energies around him. They look like little serpentine dragons. ]
Actually, we can talk about that later. Right now, we've got a lying snake to put down.
[ A glance over his shoulder. ]
You've still got my back, right?
1/2
Please--!
[ Barely above a whisper, her voice cracks as she reaches out for him, that one word ripped from her very soul. All the things Hibiki has decisively pushed aside for
neverlater rise to the surface, a tsunami of pure emotion. All consumed by the horror playing out before her eyes, she doesn't notice that she's crying, tears rolling down her cheeks as she forces one foot in front of the other. Screams in her head to just move, dammit!For once in your pointless existence, Hibiki, in those twenty-four years of compromising and surrendering what you want most, fight for what you care about!
But it isn't enough. In a flash of cerulean light, in the blink of an eye, he's gone. Her outstretched hand falls limp at her side, her legs buckling under her as the songbird falls to the sand. At least she can take solace in the fact that he (probably) didn't suffer. He would (probably) respawn, furious about how he died, but otherwise fine.
Or maybe he'll finally find his way home again. That's what he wanted, right? Their time together was only supposed to be temporary. This is for the best, right?
Stupid girl, you got way too attached. You knew what was going to happen. You know what always happens. Looking up at the serpent as it begins to descend upon her, Hibiki wonders if she should just... let it happen.
Ah, she's so tired of this. Tired of losing everything, over and over again. Tired of caring too much and getting nothing in return.
Just end it, won't you? ]
2/2
That isn't a system message.
Her certain death slinking toward her, Hibiki looks up to see a cast bar flicker and fill, storm-plagued eyes widening as she feels her heart come alive. In a flash and a blink, he was gone; and in a flash and a blink, Kaito returns like the godsdamn protagonist that he is. Kicking up a cloud of sand as he slides backward, stopping a few inches away from her, Hibiki looks up at him, eyes wet as she takes a deep breath. If she noticed the title change, there's no way she would be able to read it through the tears.
Nearly coming undone as he pats her cheek, Hibiki doesn't answer him right away, unable at first to find her voice. But as he turns to face the serpent, glancing back briefly to make sure he can count on her, she smiles through the tears, bright as the dawn. ]
Always.
[ A beat, as she tilts her head girlishly at him, smile turning saccharine. ]
But, I'm gonna kick your ass once we're done with this.
[ Oddly enough, Hibiki doesn't stand. She doesn't even move, despite the dungeon boss baring down on both of them. Sinking her fingers into the sand, snow-white hair begins to rustle as a gentle wind begins to rise. Collecting grains of sand and sediment in thread-like currents, the small elf closes her eyes as a question that feels both so natural and so foreign rings through her head.
'Will you help me, just this once?'
Hey Kaito, did you know she's been learning earth magics? A boon this "game" has decided to gift her, Hibiki admittedly doesn't use it much outside of making armor on the fly. It may come as a surprise, then, how naturally she manipulates the sands around her, microscopic bits sharpening as they swirl. Sticking to one another to form jagged, sea glass crystals that dance in the sea-scented air.
Lifting one of her hands, gossamer-thin threads of wind coiling around her fingers, wrapping around her arm and attaching to each construct she forms like strings on a marionette. Her eyes snapping open, still the same bright blue but somehow different
(graphic update??), she lets the crystals fly, biting into scaly flesh, wrapping around it like a rope. As she yanks tight, nearly laying on her back at this point, Hibiki digs deep in an attempt to hold the beast in place.Ah. She might be a little pissed right now. Whoops. Oh well, she can worry about the damage to her person later, after they slay this snake. ]
KAITO!
[ That's your cue, Protag-kun! ]
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Kaito swipes down with his arm, and the water dragons dancing around him surge... into the sand, leaving behind dark, wet patches from the impact. Hissing and howling, the now-recovered serpent coils its body like a spring, head towering high into the clouds as its prepares to whip up a storm to bear down upon them.
Yet the clouds rumble too early, The lightning and thunder that flash and echo across the sky were not called by the boss monster. A quaking rumble nearly knocks Kaito off his feet as the splotches of wetness from where his summons had vanished expand in the blink of an eye, stopping once the entire patch of beach sand below the snake has darkened.
The instant Hibiki snares the beast, the dampened, loosened earth beneath it becomes quicksand. Realizing far too late that it's about to get OHKO'd, the snake screeches an unholy cacophony as its body begins to rapidly sink into the depths. Protag-kun flashes a wolfish grin, shuffling behind the blonde to yank her back to her feet. All the thrashing in the OFFworld can't save this boss from its fate, though it does unearth a shitton of sand in the process.
Slipping his right hand into the elf's (siren's? world ending entity's? girlfriend's???) left, he flashes a thumbs down with the other as the behemoth monster's head begins to vanish into the quicksand. ]
I'm not gonna pretend like you didn't almost have me, Snake Eyes.
Unfortunately, my Soulmate's voice is far more compelling than yours.
[ His left hand shifts to wave. The right squeezes. ]
Now get the hell out of here so we can ditch this dungeon.
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Who will always reach out for one another. Run to one another. Find each other, even when time, space or whatever this place is stand in their way.
Watching Kaito move, unleashing pools of darkened sand (what's up with that??), Hibiki feels it. For the first time since they arrived in this place, something clicks. All they've done is struggle when they fought together, just slightly out of step, feet tangling as they try to find the other's rhythm. But instead of crashing into each other, stepping on each other, the pair finally synchronize in a dance she feels with her whole being. Wait, does he..?
Pulled to her feet, Hibiki keeps a taut grip of the lead with her right as he slips his hand into her left.
'Unfortunately, my Soulmate's voice is far more compelling than yours.'
Her reaction is instantaneous, a torrent of feeling hitting her all at once when Kaito confirms her theory. Pressing her lips tightly together, swallowing the bubble in her throat, the threads of wind wrapped tightly around her arm (too tight, looks like a few bit through skin) begin to unravel, keeping some of the sand spray at bay.
But in one last act of defiance, she slowly raises her right hand, hand held like she might try to pull at the wind once more, she takes a deep breath before pointing two fingers toward the snake. Crystalline shards fly through the air before rocketing toward the quicksand pit, disappearing into the depths and yanking the beast the rest of the way down.
It's petty and unnecessary, but she's pissed. Go die in a ditch, you stupid snake.
And exhausted--not just mentally. Keeping a tight grip on his hand, Hibiki plops back down in the sand, feeling thoroughly spent in a way she never has before. A bit winded (h e h), her lips begin to curl before she starts to laugh, a swirl of emotions rising with it. But above all, a sense of overwhelming relief blankets them, even as she feels the waterworks threatening to start up again. ]
no subject
A cacophony of lights and sirens washes over the pair as Duocaeli congratulates them for successfully completing the dungeon. Kaito couldn't care less. He blindly clicks through receiving their rewards before popping out of the instance—and they are gracelessly deposited on the grass behind the Crafter's Guild building, flat on their backs.
Thoughts and emotions continue to thunder through his mind and psyche, but Kaito never once loosens his grip on Hibiki's hand. In fact, if anything, his hold tightens once they're out of the dungeon—and his title returns to its embarrassing former state.
When she laughs, he can't help but join her, beaming the brightest grin he can muster amidst the absurdity of everything. Breathing large and slow, he finally rolls over and pulls his Soulmate into a tight embrace. ]
Hi there, partner.
Can you believe the Netherworld had to add one last insult to our stay and keep my memories locked up for months?
no subject
Squeezing his hand as hard as she can, her laughter is very quickly accompanied by an occasional sob of relief. That smile of his sends her into the stratosphere, and as Kaito closes the gap and pulls her to him, Hibiki wraps her arms around him tightly, like she's afraid he'll disappear again in the blink of an eye.
Sorry, your shirt is going to get a little damp, Kaito. There's a small elf definitely not crying into your shoulder. ]
Of course it did. Wouldn't be the first time it kept us apart, right?
[ The mistletoe incident. One that they still managed to get through together, since they were finally able to find each other. Would Kaito judge her if she told him she had all but given up hope here? She won't obviously, not that it matters anymore.
Pressing her lips together, her emotions everywhere right now (didn't she normally push those feelings away?), she sighs raggedly before shifting to rest her forehead on him, her voice quiet and thin. ]
I missed you so much.