abraxaslogs | EVENT #22: KHION

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EVENT #22: KHION - IC LOG

Event 22 - Khion

Despite the unsettling tremors from the previous month, the citizens of Abraxas are determined to enjoy their winter festivities. For you, the collective wintertide celebrations - The Dimming, The Festival of Enlightenment, and the Winter Solstice - have often been held in your home territories or Nocwich.

This year brings a change. You'll receive a personal letter from the Nether, signed by Aster, the Guardian themselves. Whether you were there to aid the Nether or not last autumn, the letter thanks you nonetheless for your assistance and informs you that much has changed in their lands...for the better. Indeed, so much so that the Draconae wish to invite you back so you can see for yourself the positive impact you've had.

Their gates will open DECEMBER 16 and close on DECEMBER 20. Because the Draconae do not possess magic as powerful as other races in Abraxas, they kindly ask that you stay for the week since they cannot maintain a persistent portal.

The major plot occurrence will occur at the end. The fallout of this incident will carry over into January.

Above and Below

Previously, only the Obsidian Heart - the volcanic city - was accessible as the area above was far too cold and desolate. Now, with the adult dragons having returned to their full strength and their hatchlings growing by the day, the Draconae have begun to reclaim their territory beyond the volcano.

You'll be able to explore areas within the Heart, but you'll find most of the festivities above-ground. The Draconae are a fun-loving people and they're quite fond of the Summoned after all the help you've given them. They also understand that tensions between the major territories have been high as of late...and would like to grant you some reprieve from a war many of you didn't ask to be a part of.

Accommodations

This time, guests will stay in stone huts built from the Nether's volcanic stone. The stones preserve an unusual amount of heat, meaning the huts are very warm. Bedding is comfortable, if simple, with room to store your belongings. The Draconae believe strongly in mutual respect, so the doors contain no locks. Your safety is assured, but if you're nervous, you can ask for a guard to watch you at night.

If you don't do well in the cold, the Draconae will offer you warming potions and thick furs. Curiously, the furs closely resemble what the werewolves in Luna wear, suggesting that the Nether and Nocwich have resumed more active trading in recent months.

◎ A larger community hut is in the center of the small village that's slowly being built. The dining area consists of open-fire grills, pots, and raw ingredients - including spices and fiery hot peppers. As great believers in self-sufficiency, the Draconae will leave you to make meals to your taste and liking.

◎ You can hunt and fish your meat, as well. There are numerous spots for ice fishing. Since the natural world is steadily being restored, game and fish found are of the common variety like deer, bison, and trout, as opposed to the stranger creatures that were found inside the Obsidian Heart's lava pools. Feel free to share your catch with your friends or offer to cook for the culinarily challenged.

◎ Hot springs can be found to the north. You'll have to hike to reach the area but it's a lovely walk. The waters themselves are crystal clear. At night, they glow with hundreds of tiny unknown creatures. These creatures are believed to be the result of the previously sickly hatchling, Anthusa, who creates bioluminescent algae. Now that Anthusa is much healthier, it can be spotted playing in the hot springs and lakes.

◎ Large fuzzy rodents the size of a small cat will occasionally invade your sleeping quarters or eating areas. They're easily chased off but they can be a huge nuisance by stealing your food and chewing holes in your blankets. You're warned only to chase them off not injure them. Unfortunately, their blood is quite corrosive and can cause a harsh burn to the skin. While the burns will heal up in a few days, it's best to avoid the situation altogether.

Sights & Activities

Opal Flats

The Opal Flats are natural wonders that have recently come into being with the dragons' increasing strength. The pearlescent icy surface glows at night which makes it the perfect place for ice skating after sunset. You can borrow a pair of ice skates and join the Draconae on the ice.

◎ When you're done with the ice, you can join one of the tents nearby that are hosting spiced cider workshops. Here, you can make your own spiced cider blend. Flavors include clove, cinnamon, and berries unique to the Nether. You can test infusing your blend into small cups of cider until you're happy with the results. Your final personalized blend will then be packaged into a jar and tied off with a ribbon. Enjoy it yourself or give it to someone special!

◎ Keep an eye out! The young dragons are troublemakers and will sneak into the workshops to steal cinnamon sticks, drink from the steaming cider pots, and knock down hanging decorations. You can help rehang decorations or remove the dragons from spaces they shouldn't be in...though they'll soon find their way back again. The Draconae seem exasperated but tolerant of the hatchlings so you shouldn't worry too much about the mild chaos. It's to be expected.

◎ Once more, Khloris is the biggest menace and it's grown larger since. While Khloris has learned to better control its powers, it's still prone to causing flowers to sprout in your hair should you come into contact with too much of its pollen. Fortunately, the effect is temporary - just a few hours.

Dusk Falls

Each day, starting at dawn, two Draconae guides will lead a hike up the mountains. Make sure you bring your hiking boots! The slopes are frosty and can be dangerous but they'll keep you safe as much as possible. Otherwise, it's a lovely trip and takes about two hours to reach the top. You'll encounter a beautiful view, fresh mountain air, and a cavern at the peak where you can go inside and look at some frozen waterfalls.

◎ Unusual ice-like spiders infest some portions of the cave. While they're quite big (about the size of a wolf spider), they're harmless and seldom bite. On the occasions that they do, the bite is easily treated with a bandage and a few days to heal. However, they do have a bad habit of dropping down from the ceiling onto the heads of passersby wandering through the caves. The experience can be startling if you're not expecting it.

◎ Once you've all finished enjoying the sights, you can return to the bottom. Luckily, you won't have to climb down. Instead, the group will get to ride one of the two adult dragons in the Nether: Hierus, the Obsidian Drake, and Kruos, the Glass Serpent. They'll bring all of you safely back to the base of the mountain.

Cinder's Core

Walking through the Ashlands no longer requires any special potion. The air is now clear. Cinder's Core lies at the southern end. Previous visitors will recall that it was full of petrified trees and fossilized bone. The detritus of a fallen ecosystem remains, but alongside it is new growth of flourishing green thanks to the young dragon Okenus. This includes the trees growing the unique kydros fruit.

◎ You can help harvest the kydros fruit to contribute to the feast above the surface. Now that they're growing freely again, the Draconae are no longer reserving them for the potions and have reintroduced the fruit into their regular dishes! Mildly sweet with a hint of citrus, it tastes somewhat like a pomelo.

◎ Be careful when harvesting or traversing the area! While the jungle is starting to recover, it's still a jungle full of tripping hazards, slippery vines, and high cliffs - some of which now have refreshing waterfalls. There might also be a hidden snake or aggressive birds. These creatures aren't dangerous to any real degree, but if they bite or peck, it'll leave a mark!

Mysterious Gifts

While the Draconae participate in traditional gift-giving, this occurs only between the closest of mates and friends. More common is an activity they call Krypto's Box. Krypto's Box is a massive jar in the middle of town with a hole carved out at the bottom to function as a sort of dispenser. Filling the jar are hundreds of vials containing a mystery potion. Each year, the batch of potions is blessed by magic from the young dragons of the Nether. In other words - these mischievous creatures have influenced the potions' effects.

You can take a potion and gift it to someone. Neither of you will know what the effects are until the recipient opens it, but you can trust it'll be something mild, temporary, and amusing. During Khion, it's not unusual to see the Draconae wandering around covered in glitter, swirls of flowers, or hovering 2 feet above the ground. Accepting a mystery potion is part of the fun. The local Draconae will gift you some alongside your Summoned friends!

If your character has received a potion - whether from a Draconum or another Summoned - comment HERE to see what effect they'll receive. If you don't like the effect, simply disregard your character having received a potion to begin with.

Making Friends (NPCs)

The occasion is less formal this time, so Anneth and Aster will each be available for you to meet regardless of your status. There's also one surprise guest that some of you might recognize from last year's Epulum event in Ikorr: Babis, the cheerful Draconum who was merely looking for a good time and found himself embroiled in a mysterious theft.

Descriptions about the three NPCs and where they can be found will be in their character comments below. Depending on who you talk to, you can learn a little more about neighboring Endsmuth, the dragons, and relations with Nocwich. The meetings might not last very long, but you'll be able to get in one or two questions!

Characters of any rank can speak with one of the three NPCs available.

To do so, TAG IN with your character under the NPC you want to meet.

Renewal

The Nether's limited magic means that they seldom feel the effects of the Dimming. However, even the Draconae begin to notice something is wrong as the final day draws near wherein the Singularity should go completely dark, falling into its usual state of hibernation. The dragons, in particular, are disturbed and have communicated as such to both Anneth and Ermis, the Keeper.

Before anyone can determine what's truly happening, a massive quake strikes all of Abraxas. As far away from the epicenter as the Nether is, even they feel the effects, a tremor that knocks over decorations and cracks foundations.

For any who are near the cliffs overlooking the ocean below, they can observe a giant tidal wave that consumes the island where some of you recall being held captive on.

Portals Awry

Naturally, you want to return home after such an unexpected event. The Draconae hurriedly open the portals to your individual territories and assure you they will assist in any way possible, though they are equally unsure of what's just happened.

Stepping through the portal, you expect to pass through and face the familiar sights and sounds where you reside. For a small handful of you, that may be exactly so. For many others, however, you'll find yourself in a completely unexpected place.

Indeed, it seems that whatever force has caused the quake has also disrupted the Singularity's no longer waning magic, corrupting the portal magic and sending you into an opposing territory. In a time of war, this could be disastrous for all involved...and it's clear from the locals who greet you on the other side that they are as baffled as you.

Players can choose to mix things up and send their characters to a new territory for the duration of January. Since this will be temporary, feel free to separate close CR or put your character somewhere they won't enjoy. It won't last long!

Characters will not be placed under any restrictions for accidentally landing in a strange place. They will, for the time being, be treated as guests while officials determine what to do next.

The Wrap-Up will detail how characters' experiences will go once they are in their new territory.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

{ starters to follow!
plotting comment |

muttonchops // poultrylegs @ disco }

[ Eddie is not particularly interested in the cider workshops, but it’s where he’s ended up. He’d spent most of the previous trip to the Nether babysitting the hatchlings, and this is where he’s followed them, larger and healthier than they were last autumn. He’s clearly fond of the little creatures, even if they did a number on his hai and stole nearly all the rings straight from his fingers last time, and he does nothing to prevent their chaos in the tent.

If anything, he’s opted to aid the hatchlings in their mischief. He's not subtle about it, but he'll slips cinnamon sticks to them, point out the best opportunities for them to steal sips from the bubbling cider pots, and even reaches down to carefully lift the walls of the tent to allow them in once more when they’ve been removed. ]

Oh no. How could this have happened again?

[ He doesn't bother to mask his sarcasm as the hatchlings bound in once more, knocking down decorations and tipping over cups of cider. He's bound to be kicked out of the tent soon enough himself if he doesn’t stop. He doesn’t seem particularly interested in skating either, but maybe you can drag him out onto the ice if you’re lucky. It would be a funny sight. ]

[ A quick look at Eddie will tell you everything you really need to know when it comes to this trip: he has the physique of a cooked noodle and is probably more hair than muscle. This is the most strenuous physical activity he’s completed in years, and he doesn’t seem to be having a good time at all, actually.

The higher up they go, the more he struggles to breathe and the harder it becomes to deal with the cold, even in his borrowed furs. Indiana winters were brutal, sure, but they never required that he go further than from his door to his car and inside again—lather, rinse, repeat. Even cigarettes were smoked indoors through a barely cracked window in the deepest, darkest part of winter.

He’s clearly not here for the joy of hiking, or for the view, or for the fresh mountain air. He’s here because he’d heard from one of the first groups up the mountain that they got to ride a dragon back down, and the idea of missing out on a lifelong dream like that is gut wrenching. Though, as he nearly loses his footing for the umpteenth time and swears loudly (such a common sound from him at this point that the Draconae guides barely bat an eye), he’s beginning to think this was probably not his best idea. ]

Hey—

[ When he’s steadied himself again, he scrambles gracelessly to a fellow Summoned, whether it be someone fitter than him or simply someone he knows well. ]

So, uh, what do you say to helping me out here?

[ It seems that Tifa and Eddie are here for completely opposite reasons. Yes, she heard about the chance to ride dragons down from the top of the mountain, but she isn't sure how to feel about that. On one hand, it sounds amazing — much more exotic than riding a chocobo (or even a dolphin). On the other hand, she's only ever known dragons to be ferocious beasts. Clearly that isn't the case here, but suffice to say, the main draw for her had been the hike itself.

She's a fitness nut and originally from a mountain town where she was a tour guide. This is absolutely up her alley, and she's been bright-eyed and bushy-tailed since they set out.

She's having a great time, pausing to admire the breathtaking views but otherwise just enjoying the hike itself. That's not the case for everyone, though. Eddie seems downright miserable. When he almost falls and swears a blue streak yet again, she can't help but exchange a glance with one of the guides, who gives her a look that seems to say "You deal with it."

Not that she has to do much. Eddie's already sidled over to her. ]

I was wondering when you might ask. Are you all right? You haven't hurt yourself, have you?

[ She looks him up and down. He clearly wasn't ready for this level of physical activity. Tifa feels bad for him, she truly does. On the other hand, he probably should have realized what he was signing up for... ]

[ It’s true, he probably should have realized what he was signing up for, but the lure of dragons blinded him to how difficult a hike this would be and how much effort he’d really need to be putting in.

Eddie can’t imagine why anyone would enjoy doing this on a regular basis. Then again, he never got the allure of sports, or running for pleasure, or the goddamn jazzercise that all the suburban moms went wild for either. He’s always preferred the activity that can be accomplished indoors—music, reading, drawing, making sure no one beats his score at Dragon’s Lair—and while he’s aware that the view is incredible, feeling like total garbage dampens the glory of it quite a bit. The outdoors are totally lost on him.

But Tifa seems to be totally unaffected by the altitude and the cold and the physicality of the hike. It’s why he sidles up to her first, like he’s hoping to absorb some of that magic. He brushes dirt off of his hands and huffs out a laugh. ]

Yeah, well, I was kind of hoping someone would take pity on me without my asking. I’m not hurt, though.

[ He knows must look pitiful, but that’s not always a bad thing. ]

Let me guess: this is just a regular Saturday morning for you, right?

[ While Tifa does take some pity on him, there's also not much she can do about his situation at this point. They're too far up for it to be a good idea for him to turn back. Not that the mountain trail has been dangerous, but still, wouldn't it be a shame to give up and turn around after coming this far?

She could offer to piggyback him, but somehow she suspects that might be a step too far. Then again, she doesn't know Eddie all that well. Maybe he'd be fine with it. ]

Well, that's a relief.

[ If he was suffering from some scraped up knees or elbows, then maybe one of them would have had to turn back with him after all. But it sounds to Tifa like he can keep going.

His question does draw a laugh out of her, though, and she continues to walk up the trail, managing her pace to hopefully encourage him to do the same. ]

More so when I was younger. I grew up in a mountain town, although we weren't really supposed to wander the trails on our own. That was an easy way to get targeted by a monster.

[ Thankfully, that doesn't seem to be the case here. So it could be worse, right?

She sends Eddie a careful glance as they walk. ] Do you think you can push through? I'm pretty sure it'll be worth it.

[ Eddie is irritated by how easy this climb seems to come people like Tifa and Steve and even Nanaue, but he can acknowledge that his shortcomings are really his own fault, and coming up here is his own fault, and a little exercise won’t kill him so he should suck it up. He’s aware that, at this point, he’s better off finishing the climb than he is trying to go back down, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t entitled to a little more complaining about it. ]

Uh huh. Yeah, well, you wanna now where I grew up?

[ He smacks his hands together loudly, a serious look on his face. ]

Flat as a board.

[ Well, the outer edges of Indiana aren’t all that flat, but he didn’t grow up there so they don’t count as far as he’s concerned. The point he’s trying to make is that he’s rarely been more than 700 feet above sea level. ]

But, uh, most of the monsters are in the weird alternate dimension underneath the town, so…no worries there.

[ Plenty of worries there, but that’s not the topic of the day. He lets his head fall backwards and groans loudly and dramatically. ]

It's either push through or rot here, right?

[ If it really sounded as if Eddie was considering turning back now, Tifa might have mentioned that in some ways that's even harder, as it puts a lot of pressure and tension on the knees to manage one's balance going down a slope like this. It doesn't seem it'll have to come to that, though, as their conversation is distracting him from how exhausted he is.

She laughs when he pauses for dramatic effect before describing his home. He had no real means to get used to this kind of hike then, it sounds like. Though even if he did live in a more mountainous area, she has to wonder if he'd have gone out of his way to go hiking. She'll hold that thought.

Except then he almost casually mentions monsters in some alternate dimension below his town, and Tifa has to take a few seconds to let that sink in, her pace even slowing for a moment or two. ]

I wouldn't let you rot, but...

[ Wait, wait, let's go back. She looks him up and down again, as if taking him in under a new light. ]

... What was that about an alternate dimension?

Edited 2024-12-30 20:31 (UTC)

Eddie Munson | Solvunn | The Devil

opal flats; OTA

dusk falls; OTA

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Re: dusk falls; OTA

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what it's only a MONTH LATE 🙄

mystery potion; OTA

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portals -- thorne; semi-open