abraxaslogs | · OPEN ·

WHO: Anyone and everyone in Solvunn!
WHAT: Mingle for the Summoned disguised as Winter Survival Camp™
WHEN: Two days, some time in January after the beached great yawning shark situation has been resolved.
WHERE: Within the boundaries of the Primary Settlement, at the edge of a small forest near a small body of water.

The invitation for camp is made after the beached giant of the sea has been put back into its rightful place in the ocean. It's an idea that had been ricocheting in the minds of those who live in Gardsbruk farm, and after sharing the idea with Aloy, together they've managed to design something that will (hopefully) not raise too many questions. Aloy has scouted a suitable camping area—safe, near water, with lots of space—and has cleared out debris or any obstructions that will make it difficult for people to pitch their own tents.

The Summoned are, of course, all very explicitly invited to join, and they are to disguise this congregation of too many like minds with extending the invitation to children, teenagers, and young adults in the Primary Settlement.

The individuals of the Primary Settlement are, after all, familiar with the majority—if not all—of the Solvunn Summoned. Though cautious as the natives of the commune may be, there is familiarity in the work some of the summoned ones have done to integrate, help, teach, and entertain the younger inhabitants.

And so, for two days, they will continue to integrate, teach, and entertain those who decide to join.

A. WINTER CAMP FUN

Delightfully, Solvunn doesn't suffer from having incredibly cold winters, but it is still chilly and wet enough to make camping a test of wills. However, they're lucky to have Aloy working behind the scenes to get something going.

She will be assigning chores to Summoned and Solvunn natives alike: getting water, gathering firewood, organizing supplies, pitching up tents. Additionally, since this could be new to many, she will be offering instruction in all these things, including how to build a fire, preparing wood for lean-to construction, basic traps for small game like rabbits and fish. If anyone happens to be particularly intrepid (and is not squeamish about it), she can teach them how to prep and cook said small game. Older kids and teens are asked to mind the younger children, and there is always adult supervision around the corner.

Also, maybe check first with someone before eating those mushrooms, and don't go anywhere alone. Use the buddy rule.

It's not all chores at camp, though. Some activities are available to pass the time, from the usual team-building ones to survival to improving a fighting skill. An archery range has been set up, a tightrope for a test of skill and balance, and a drum circle for a moment of singing fun and rhythm blazing are among the activities. Additionally, scavenger hunts in the near vicinity of the forest are set up, with the opportunity to run around and solve puzzles. For those who prefer quieter activities, there is always the small lake to swim into (it's cold! but nothing like a shock to the system—), collecting pebbles from the shore, or simple bird watching.

Of course, every Summoned is welcome to bring their own idea of a fun time to the camp, and whatever spin of an activity they may want to share with the others.

B. CAMPFIRE CHILL

After a long day of running around, jumping into the freezing lake, quiet meditation to garner favor with the gods, and getting energy depleted with the other activities that took place during the day, there is nothing better to end the day with than to have a big, roaring campfire to huddle around while holding onto a delicious, steaming bowl of creamy soup. All ingredients have been locally sourced (with goat cheese and bread available as sides), and now is the time for everyone to wind down. The younger children sleep first, but for those who are older, there is always a drink or two to pass around, stories to tell, and perhaps one of the Summoned will delight the group of Solvunn natives (and other Summoned) with a story of their big feats of heroism (or otherwise) back in their world.

Musical instruments will be made available, should anyone want to break into song. Games like charades will be an interesting concept to introduce the Solvunn natives to. Stargazing is another activity to indulge in should one walk a little ways away from the bonfire to look up at the night sky.

The fire blazes with life with every log of wood thrown into it, and marshmallows roast at the end of branches (some may burn), and the night really winds down the energy of the group, with people going into their respective tents, wanting to build the energy for the last day of camp, full of activities.

C. THE SUMMONED

Obviously, the Summoned are not expected to be, nor stay, during the entirety of the camp. Some can arrive on the last day of, ditch when it's time to set up or put everything away, or simply walk off if they feel bored.

They will, however, be expected to be there for the very first night.

As darkness covers their surroundings, illuminated solely by the light of campfire and torches, and once all Summoned who have decided to attend are in the clearing they had used for the bonfire, Wanda will step up and unfurl her Chaos Magic. With it, she will create a small hex, covering the perimeter of the camp, from the tents to the clearing the Summoned sit at. From the outside, nothing will look amiss: everyone sleeps, the bonfire dwindles as times passes, and from the inside, the Summoned can move about without having to worry that their movements or words will be noted outside of the Hex—an illusion with six walls and a roof, which, from the outside, gives the impression that things are still and without movement, just another night out in the forest.

No one can leave nor enter it, however, without her first bringing the Hex down. Those who are intuitive with magic will take note of the complexity of the spell, but nothing about it will neither change nor modify physical and mental traits of those within it. Its purpose is to solely give them a space to speak while the natives of Solvunn sleep, and remain asleep.

Wanda will have reached to a select few during the camp—those she's aware of magical prowess and mind control abilities—to aid her during the night to make sure the Solvunn natives remain asleep throughout their discussion, and to keep curious ones trying to get into the camp to turn around and return home without getting too close to the Hex.

Here, they can speak freely.

Before the end of the night, and when they have finished talking, she will wait for everyone to return to their tents and bring the hex down with little fanfare. Mind control or other magical trappings are no longer necessary at this point.

( OOC This will take place in one starter thread HERE. It's preferable that it can take place in an e-cats format (quick, short and snappy tags to move the story along), with no order as to who intervenes in the conversation at any given time. As different characters have different information to provide, feel free to start a thread within the starter pertaining with whatever information shared/discussion your character wants to share. Feel free to jump in and branch off, too! It's going to be a little chaotic, but we can suspend disbelief for the sake of info-sharing.

Feel free to assume that your character has heard all the information being shared in the different branching off conversations! No need to respond to claim that they have. If you want to hit a serious or emotional beat, do feel free to write as much as you want; that's fine, too! But be aware that the purpose of the conversation is for it to move along quickly. Feel free to write your own, separate post-conversation threads if you'd like. )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Eddie pauses, lifts his gaze from the strings, and fixes Kai a hard stare that makes it quite obvious that he is not happy with that request. Yeah, he’s perfectly capable of playing the three chords that make up that song, but he’s not going to. ]

Yeah, no. I’ll give you about five seconds to come up with something different.

No? But come on, it's a classic.

( not that he's too attached to the idea of the song. the reaction is about what he expected so he tries to use his five seconds wisely. )

Okay, okay. Putting me on the spot here —

( think think think think. )

Pink Floyd? Always liked their particular brand of depressing but in an enjoyable way rock 'n roll.

[ Another pause, another hard stare, but he doesn't shoot the suggestion down this time. ]

Which era? Syd Barret or Roger Waters?

[ He doesn’t wait for an answer. He snorts, adjusting the tuning on a string. ]

Yeah, never mind. Who am I kidding? You said depressing, and anything’s better than Kumbaya, so—

[ Without even finishing his sentence, he launches into an acoustic retention of Mother, the most depressing Pink Floyd song that comes to mind, though honestly, he may have just wanted to put a special emphasis on the lyric “do you think they’ll try to break my balls” just to make sure people are paying attention. ]

( man, kumbaya was just not getting its just dues. but, he'll let that one go and listen to the song eddie chooses. it's good, really. he's good. kai remembers trying to pick up a guitar and teach himself while he'd been in the prison world and it had been —

not good. he thought he was the world's greatest rock start but realistically, he had been terrible. eddie was good.

kai finds himself bobbing his head along with the song, tapping his fingers on his thigh. )

[ Honestly, despite his rather brash personality, Eddie has never had much more going on his life outside of music and D&D. He’s devoted most of his concentration to those two things alone, and closing himself in his room to figure out the newest Metallica tune or working on his next campaign always just seemed just a little more appealing than anything else.

He knows he’s good. Not good enough for a record deal, but good, and it’s nice to know that he didn’t permanently alter his fingerprints for nothing. When he’s done and the last chord has echoed into the trees, he offers an awkward half-bow and beams. ]

And you wanted me to play Kumbaya.

[ He snorts. Kumbaya will never get its dues, not from him. ]

What do you listen to back home?

So, I'm gonna date myself when I say this and you can't make fun of me because I'm confessing something very personal to you but —

( he leans in, almost conspiratorially and murmurs: )

Eighties music. It's so bad but so fun. Gets the feet moving. Does that make me incredibly uncool?

[ Eddie snorts and runs a hand across his face, chuckling softly. Normally he’d have something to say about a comment like “it’s so bad” (though, some of it is pretty bad), but Kai’s Big Secret is so absurd, he can’t not laugh. He’s learned about the weird time discrepancies between himself and other Summoned already, but it’s sort of different when he’s in the middle of it. ]

Yeah, no, you know what, man? Where I come from, that makes you very hip and modern. Unless you’re into Air Supply? Then, uh…hate to say it, but there’s no hope for you.

I don't even know what Air Supply is so —

( so hey, that makes him cool, right? right. he'd had a lot of time to get acquainted with the music of the eighties and every other decade when he'd been locked away. )

I like a good eighties rock song though. I don't have the hair like you do but I can toss myself around and get into it.

Well, good news: there’s hope for you yet.

[ It makes him…closer to cool than he might have been. Eddie still needs to do a bit of digging before he can officially deem him as Truly Cool, but he’s getting there!

And he grins, because yeah, he knows his hair is an actual masterpiece. ]

Which bands are we talking? I mean, there are some people who think Lionel Ritchie is rock— [ Excuse him while he gags ] —so you’ll forgive me for my hesitation.

Oh no, putting me on the spot.

( but fine, he can do this. he can be normal and pick some eighties bands out of his head — )

Definitely not Lionel Ritchie. Come on, I'm better than that. Maybe some Def Leppard. Love those guys.

Alright, not bad, not bad.

[ Eddie grins, and it’s pretty clear that Kai is inching closer to cool territory in his books now. He’s not really quizzing him at this point. Instead, he’s actually interested in his music taste—now that he knows he’s not into Air Supply and Lionel Richie, that is. ]

Metallica? Iron Maiden? Dio? Holy shit, Dio…tell me you’ve listened to Dio.

Metallica, yeah. Yeah, I like them. Good stuff. Makes me wanna have hair like yours so I can just swing it around and give myself a headache.

( alas, curse his short haired ways. )

But I'm gonna have to admit to being kind of dumb when it comes to Dio. Enlighten me?

Oh my god, dude—

[ He clearly cannot believe what he’s hearing as he drops his head into his hands, praying to the music gods that he educate these people. ]

Alright, you know Black Sabbath, right?

[ He doesn’t leave him room for an answer. Of course he knows Black Sabbath. Everyone knows Black Sabbath, except Steve. ]

So, they kicked Ozzy out around…78? 79? And they brought in Ronnie James Dio. Now, I love Ozzy. Wouldn’t say a bad word against the guy, but Dio--dude is on another level. You know the devil horns? The—

[ He throws up the sign of the horns, further driving home that no one has ever been a more stereotypical metalhead in their entire lives. ]

Yeah, you can thank Dio for that.

Really?

( okay, that's something that had even made it over into the prison world, the devil horns. kai can't resist throwing them up right now, giving his fingers a little wiggle. )

You gonna take away my cool guy card if I say I had no idea where those came from? Just thought someone was going for the 'I love you' gesture once and figured out something better.

I mean, it is better. And cooler. I think it actually comes from some sort of religious background? Or it’s Italian, or something? I don’t really know, but Dio—he turned it into the sign for rock n’ roll.

[ He really doesn’t know the background of the gesture, but he does know that it looks very cool. ]

Like I said, he’s on an entirely different level. You kind of have to hear him to believe him. I’ve got a whole tape collection in the Horizon if you ever feel like dropping by.

What I'm taking from this conversation is that I got a lot to learn about music.

( and lucky for him, he's got a new friend that seems to be willing to educate him on these things. )

Man, I need to get on the ball with the Horizon stuff. Haven't really figured out what I want mine to be.

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