• OPEN •

[carmesi]

WHO: anyone and everyone in solvunn
WHAT: mingle for the summoned, particularly the new people
WHEN: a day or two after the new summoned arrive
WHERE: in aloy's homestead—crossing some wilderness but close to the primary settlement
WARNING: TBA

A. THE JOURNEY THERE

The invitation to Aloy’s homestead is made shortly after the newly Summoned find their bearings within the Primary Settlement. Aloy begrudgingly agrees to it, but seeing as how their group has grown within Solvunn—it probably is for the best to be a little more open to the presence of others. Much like with the treehouse by the lakes, it’s good to know of another place further away from the settlements where the Summoned might feel comfortable enough to traverse into.

That is not to say that the homestead is very friendly to strangers, though. Aloy has set up tripwires, disguised pitfalls, snare traps, and other devices in the surrounding area, creating thus a challenging attempt for anyone who wants to travel there by themselves. Additionally, a way to avoid most of that (read: not all; consider it a bonus for getting close to the homestead) is to go through the arboreal parkour course that has been set up. A network of catwalks, platforms, and balancing ropes to traverse the woods. Reaching Aloy’s truly is a test of guts and skill. 


(Alternatively, travel with Wanda or Himeka—the path clears up for them. For the ballsy, follow Nero and Rocket; surely they aren’t scheming anything…)

And, past all of that, the woods will open up to a tall, spiky fence, about eight feet tall, and the gate will lead towards the homestead proper.

B. HOME SWEET HOMESTEAD

The seasons are turning, and while Solvunn doesn’t suffer from incredibly cold winters, there is definitely a chill in the air. Storm clouds in the distance by the coast rupture with booming thunder, bringing down the temperature quite significantly. It makes the bonfire burning outside a welcome source of warmth. Despite the threat of rain, there’s a strong chance the skies will clear up, as the wind picks up.

Within, Aloy’s homestead boasts the woman’s survival and technical skills. Making the most of her resources, there are meats hanging to dry, chopped wood on the side of the house, and animal skins splayed out that will most likely need to be stored at some point. The inside of the homestead is a simple affair, but for someone who isn’t in the business of receiving guests, it’s decent enough.

For today, the space—inside and outside—has a few extra wooden chairs and tables, picnic style, and they’re decorated with an assortment of food: recently harvested apples from the orchard, berries, roasted mushrooms and acorns, and more complex dishes thanks to Himeka’s arduous work in the kitchen the day before. At one point, a giant stew will cook over the bonfire, with meats and veggies, with bowls to the side for anyone to take their fill. Additionally, there will be grilled fish, flat breads, baked cabbage with lentils and, for those with a sweet tooth, apple pie. Wanda will also be sharing sarmale, a pot of goulash, spinach and cheese pastry—gibanica, and a table of assortments to build their own burgers. Additionally, there will also be apple cake and mandelbrot cookies. All in all? No one’s going hungry at the homestead.

But, worry not, all that food needs to go down with something. Barrels of mead and ale will be available for all to drink. For those who don’t want anything alcoholic, there is apple (and other fruit) juice available.

Make merry and mingle, new faces and old faces alike.

And, of course, please take one of the pamphlets.

C. THE STORM THAT IS APPROACHING

Lightning strikes, and almost immediately the boom of thunder brings an eerie quiet to the homestead and the forest past its fences. There’s the awkward laugh the tries to break the silence, shaking the jitters away. Some are quicker than others in mobilizing, perhaps feeling the pinprick of raindrops that others don’t, and start moving what they can salvage from the food and miscellaneous items into the cabin. Some may choose to spare themselves of the rain, pushing the way inside or hiding under the roof’s awning at either side of the cabin; others may be entirely unbothered by the rain, as heavy drops fall fast from the darkened skies.

More thunder rumbles in the distance, roiling ever closer from the mountains in Thorne’s southern border.

A few Summoned might notice it first, that it isn’t really the rumbling of thunder that shakes the muddled earth. The grunts of approaching beasts are mixed with the sound of hooves drumming up in rhythm of an uninvited approach. Birds fly away in flocks as the mammoth boars make their way through the forest, inadvertently towards the homestead.

They are due their mating season, and traveling to the wintry mountains of Thorne has been delayed by the appearance of the beasts in the rifts, the journey now a toll on the boars as the continuous lighting and thunder confuses, frightens, and angers them.

They ram into the fence at different points, and chaos would soon ensue, but thankfully all the Summoned have their powers back.

Right?

D. CLEARING UP

After a few boars were felled, the rest scrambled and escaped, continued their path northward. Killing some of them was inevitable, but nothing ought to be left to waste. The skies clear, the waning moon appears over a colorful sunset, and the rain stops. The fire is built again in earnest, and meat is, quite literally, back on the menu at the grilling station, as per Nero’s helpful suggestion. Some fences need a little mending, and a general amount of cleaning up within the homestead needs to be done, too.

As sunset gives way to nighttime, the sky—once marred in dark tones of gray—gives way to a beautiful night sky, with stars and constellations to be delighted by many. Wanda will be offering to dry the wet clothes of those still sticking around, and Himeka hands over warm cocoa or warm cider, something for everyone.

Now that things have quieted down, and with folk sitting around the fire or standing just by the edges of it, Rocket and Wanda inform everyone of the letter from the Nether that they received—something, perhaps, so they can get a general idea of what everyone thinks; about getting involved, about helping, about Solvunn’s interests in all this. It’s not meant to start an argument, debate, or a long conversation, but it’s something to have everyone think about — to know that they might be sent off somewhere else, soon, for a while, and brace for the trip.

Those who have been in Solvunn for a lot longer will be around, to ask questions or start a conversation about what has happened, what is currently happening, and theories for their futures, here.

Aloy didn’t mention anyone can stay to sleep, though, so best feel ready to head back at some point.

Comments

STAGGERS BACK AS WELL

[exuviage]

No, you're fine.

[ Scritch scritch. The boar's body is beginning to gain shape. The only reason he hadn't bothered getting up close to the once living boars that had arrived earlier was his lack of weapon. ]

As far as planets go, this one seems like it has pretty standard ecological baselines... [ And notably, despite their size, the boars livers did not immediately explode into a giant cancerous mass the moment they were removed from the body—the easiest way to immediately identify organisms touched by Yaoshi. ] ... so I'll find a live specimen if a formal study ever needs done.

[ Augh. Pressed a little too hard: the charcoal in the pencil crumples, creating a smear of shadow right at the top of the boar's spine. Dan Heng frowns, and lightly flicks at the pile of pigment, trying not to disturb the rest of the drawing. ]

[carmesi]

[that's not quite what wanda expected if any conversation was to uncoil between them. it's not something wanda is very familiar with at all—ecological 'baselines' and studies of specimens and the like.

she glances down at his current situation with the crumbling charcoal, but tries to not make it too much of her business.

except when she leans forward, reaches for a small, smooth and rounded stone, and hands it over. instead of the hard object, a kneaded eraser is lodged between her fingers. maybe it'll be of help to him.]

—how would you know that this planet has a 'standard' ecology? Is it based off of your own world?

watch me make this up and then have canon joss it in like a month.

[exuviage]

[ :o That's convenient...! ]

... Thank you. [ Gingerly, Dan Heng accepts the offered eraser, and deftly uses it to clean up the smudge of black on his sketch, listening quietly to her questions. ]

It's just a guess. The IPC ecological rating system is used for gauging what sort of extra infrastructure they'd need for resource extraction on any given planet. Lots of interstellar ships use it to measure human habitability too. [ And as the Express' current onboard amateur biologist... that's his job! Technically... his species was once from an ocean planet. So it's definitely not standard for him. Jarilo-VI might have looked something like this area before the Stellaron corrupted the ecology.

For such a quiet kid, he sure has a lot to say about nerd shit. ]

But I can't say for sure without... [ ummm. He glances up at the stars in the sky, as if they'd be able to see the glint of the Express itself in orbit. Maybe that's just wishful thinking. ] ... an orbital survey. The gravity, air and water around here are within an acceptable range though, or most of us would have a lot harder time breathing.

[ Dan Heng says "most", because. Well. Nanaue's here. And he hasn't quite figured out what the situation there is yet. ]

i'm so canon blind i won't tell the fandom police

[carmesi]

[wanda is a little lost with all the terminology that he uses. she barely had a high school education that would qualify as an education proper, and so she missed the time frame where she would show any real interest in this more niche observation of the world and the relevant jargon.]

—are you a scientist?

[is all she can manage to add to the conversation, looking up as he does the same.]

I think some explanations for Abraxas are as simple as saying 'magic'. The Summoning ritual might have changed a lot about us—made it so that we can handle existing here without issue. It's probably why we all speak the same language, too, despite being from different worlds.