kaisou | JANUARY EVENT LOG

Entry tags:

JANUARY EVENT LOG

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: Kaisou + First Gate
WHEN: The Month of January
WHAT: January Event Log
WARNINGS: Psychological danger, death mention, noots

January Event
Dominant Element: Water
Waning Element: Fire

※
After a idyllic holiday season, the full depths of winter has reached Kaisou. Throughout the month, temperatures will remain stubborn in a deep cold. Every few days, snow falls and adds a few more inches to the ever growing snowdrifts.

Winter Carnival: January 9th - 16th

The holidays may be over, but that doesn't mean this is a month without celebration! Over in Blue Fish Lake Park, Kaisou's Annual Winter Carnival is in full swing! Scattered across the snowy park, magnificent ice sculptures have been set up as part of the yearly sculpture competition. The crown jewel of the ice sculptures is an extensive ice castle maze, which visitors are welcomed to venture through. Different games and activities will be found throughout the maze, most of them typical carnival stuff like aiming snowballs at a target or answering trivia questions about snow. The prizes for completing these events range from candy to small toys to winter-themed plushies. Fun for the whole family or a date, really!

The winter carnival is more than just ice sculptures of course. A section of the lake has been set up with holes to do ice fishing, while another section is reserved for any ice skating you want to do with a ice skate rental plate included. The skateboard park has been converted into a spot for snowboarding and cross-country skiing. The park restaurant is serving lots of warm foods and drinks to help stave off the cold. Hot chocolate, funnel cake, fried cheese curds, poutine, mulled ciders, and a whole host of other items. And of course, one of the soccer fields has been converted into a full on battlefield for snowball fights. Build a fort and trench and hunker down, it's gonna be a long war.

However the most famous part of the carnival is the medallion hunt. Every year, the Winter Carnival medallion is hidden somewhere in the city. Traditionally, the person who finds the medallion will be rewarded $10,000 (if a group finds it, the prize is split among the group). With a prize like that, it's no wonder so many people try to find it. However as the festival draws to a close halfway through the month, there's still no sign of the medallion. You'd think with this many people looking, it'd turn up by now. Right?

Penguin Resolve

Remember that question about New Years Resolutions on the network a few days ago? Seems like it was more than just an icebreaker question. Throughout the month whenever you're doing an action related to your resolution, you will be sporadically visited by a group of penguins. If you're keeping to your resolution? This group of penguins will cheer you on, clapping their wings and rewarding you with fresh fish. If you're breaking your resolution, the penguins will be quite displeased and begin to throw snowballs at you until you apologize or try to amend your behavior. Didn't make a resolution? Don't think you'll get off easy. The penguins will then act as your lifecoach and try to push you into doing what THEY think you need to do to improve your life. Go run some laps, call your mother more, catch some fish -- it's a new year so it's time for a new you!

When the penguins are satisfied with your progress, they will waddle on to find the next person to check on. Any attempts to harm the penguins will magically fail, and likely result in more snowballs being thrown at you.

Helheim: The Frozen Hell

On January 17th, a new message from Zodiac is sent out.

SHIFTING GATE IDENTIFIED IN KAMI STATE PARK.
Element Classification: Water
Danger Level: B, Environmental and Psychological Hazards
Designation: Helheim
A new shifting gate has been located in Kami State Park. It's been linked to the freezing of at least four civilians. If you plan to investigate, bring winter clothing and means to defend yourself. You will be compensated if you bring the plant Hel's Bramble to the Zodiac office in Undertown. Supplies necessary for gathering will be loaned upon request.

Going to the Zodiac Office will yield only an little additional information from the customer service representative. A potentially dangerous gate to the Spirit Realm has been identified in Kami State Park. It's been linked with the freezing of at least four civilians who stumbled across it. Zodiac won't force anyone to go, but if you decide to investigate it yourself to see if you can figure out what's going on or gather resources for them? They'd be happy to compensate you with a generous sum of money. A bag's worth of Hel's bramble, a type of plant found in this particular realm, will yield about a week's worth of pay at a full time job - with an even higher bonus if you deal with the source of the gate's appearance. For those of you who need supplies for a dangerous mission, Zodiac is willing to loan some out to you, with an understanding that they should be returned once the mission is complete. Weapons made of silver and/or spirit tree wood, infused with elemental energy. There's a variety to choose from, so characters can pick whatever type of weapon they'd be most comfortable with.

Once one is geared up and ready to go (or you skip visiting Zodiac altogether), it's off to the park. When you arrive, the Libra app will act as a navigator, leading the way. Deep in the forest and near a pond, a large stone gate stands erect. This gate was never here before this week, anyone whose been to this park before can verify that. A deep cold emanates from the glowing portal that stands open within the gate. Around the portal, you can find the four civilians the text messaged mentioned; all thoroughly encased in ice. Studying them it'll look like it was a group of male hikers somewhere in their twenties, all who look like they were in personal anguish as they froze.

Once inside the gate, you'll find yourself in a completely different landscape. A frozen and desolate landscape, with a cold so sharp it cuts through the bone. It's a dreary land, with no sign of sunlight and a persistent veil of fog. Scattered across the landscape are more frozen figures, but these ones appear much older with clothes and braided hairstyles that indicate the Viking era. All of them appear to have spent their final moments in torment and agony. In the distance, characters can make out an impossibly large tree, one so large that it'd dwarf the skyscrapers of Kaisou. You cannot see the top of the tree, as it's grown so high that it vanishes in the foggy clouds above. Built into the tree is an entire city's worth of buildings, all of which stand empty and falling into ruin. Habitant wise, there's almost nothing but flocks of ravens that fly around the scenery. You get the sense they are watching you, as if it was their duty. And if you weren't feeling watched enough, on one of the tree's large branches sits a bird-like creature the size of a ten-story building. It watches over this land, monitoring for any disturbances. Harming the ravens will draw its attention further, and continuing to do so will eventually cause the large bird to spread its wings and swoop in for an attack. Be warned, trying to fight it would be nothing short of suicide.

Thickets of Hel's Bramble can be found scattered around this desolate landscape, overgrown and wild with no one around to tend it. It's a tough plant, only harvestable by using elemental powers or an enchanted blade (better hope you stopped by Zodiac). Touching it without any gloves will result in pain from the sharp thorns, and prolong contact could cause painful rashes and potential poisoning. Eating it is definitely not recommended. The thickets become more plentiful the deeper you go into the realm, so if you want to get that bag full as Zodiac requested, you'll won't be able to loiter around the entrance. Best that you be dressed for the cold, as the persistent cold and icy winds could prove deadly if you went in unprepared.

However the characters will soon discover it's not the cold or the Hel's Brambles that are the real threat of this realm. On occasion, the fog will condense and play out echoes of one's past regrets and sins, from this life and the one before. Anywhere from a great atrocity to an embarrassing moment you hate to think about. They are visible to anyone around and have sound, the words holding a distant echo to them. Even memories that you have yet to recall are fair game to the fog, adding an extra level of confusion and distress to the situation. These echoes don't last long, but they appear frequently enough that they can torment a soul if one lets them. But the more someone gets lost in the echoes, the deeper the realm's chill will become. An unfortunate soul who gets too lost in them will have ice start to form on their body, as the realm attempts to entrap them here forever.

The Valkyrie

If one makes it halfway to the tree, they'll hear a woman's voice, calling out in a haunting melody that's being carried on the wind. Following it will lead them to the city built into a tree. Most of the buildings have been abandoned and are in total ruin, much like most of this realm, save for a single light that's flickering from the city's arena. Inside the arena is a winged woman with full battle Viking battle garb: a Valkyrie. You best prepare for a fight before you get too close to her, as that's exactly what you'll get. She does not speak, but draws her scythe and lunges in for an attack. With superhuman speed and strength, she's a formidable foe. She unleashes brutal ice attacks and even her feathers can cut flesh. It'll take skill, determination, and teamwork to bring her down.

Nothing short of a fatal blow will stop her onslaught. Should one managed, she'll choke out a single word of gratitude, before disappearing into light. On the ground where she fell is the medallion from the Winter Carnival. After her defeat, the conditions of the realm will become less severe, making it easier to gather any Hel's Bramble you wish to collect.

Aftermath

With the Valkyrie defeated, the gate to the Spirit Realm will close by January 31st. The four civilians will be thawed out, still alive but with no memory of what happened to them. Interestingly, anyone who pays attention to police reports might notice a missing persons report of a woman in her early twenties who went missing around the same time as the gate's appearance. There's been no leads on her case.

Zodiac will pay for up to four bags of Hel's Bramble, for those who want to spend that much time harvesting. Failure to return their loaned out weapons will result in being sent a bill of $2000 and a mild curse so anyone who uses your name will call you "THIEF" instead. The curse will last until either pay your bill or set up a payment plan with their office. Returning the weapon after this point will get the bill reduced down to $500 (a late fee, they explain). As for the medallion, you're welcome to turn it in-- but since you found it well after the carnival ended- that grand prize has been reduced down to $100 and a free meal voucher to the Cheesecake Factory to anyone who helped find the medallion (aka fought the Valkyrie). Great!

OOC Notes

The dominant element this month is water! Anyone with an affinity to the water element will find themselves boosted throughout the month. This could mean a boost to their power, having more energy, feeling more inspired with creativity, having better luck on different attempts -- the boost can manifest in all sorts of different ways. By contrast, anyone with an affinity for fire will be experiencing the opposite. Perhaps their powers will be weaker, they have less energy, they're having a creative block or general worse luck - again it can manifest in all sorts of way and players are free to play with this mechanic as they'd like.

Any fights or interactions with NPCs will be handled by the players! Feel free to thread out things however you'd like! If you have any questions, please ask them on the plot questions thread below!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I - angry pingu army
[Ris was going to go wander around the carnival today, but instead, she can be found on the track at the university.

Ris does not want to be here, and that much is evident by the look on her face, flushed red mostly from exertion as she runs laps in not much more than leggings, boots, and a long but not particularly thick sweater with the sleeves rolled up. However, judging by the small group of penguins chasing her around the track, it doesn't seem like she has much of a choice.]

Oh— for fuck's sake—

[She's panting as she tries to yell back at them.]

Will you— will you just leave me alone?!

[A chorus of angry noots from the penguins is the only response she gets, and she whines as she keeps up with her running.

She's pretty quick for her small stature, but she's going to burn out soon enough.]

II - someone has a sweet tooth
[At some point after the penguin escapades, Ris can be found in the park restaurant. She is clutching a mug of hot chocolate for dear life, and has two other items of food on the table in front of her— a partially-eaten funnel cake that she's been picking at for a while, as well as a glass of ice water.

She's focusing pretty intently on the ice water, eyebrows furrowed. The ice clinks against the glass as it swirls around, as if she were moving the straw in the cup, but both of her hands are pretty firmly against her hot chocolate mug.

Neat magic trick, huh? But she is pretty deep in concentration right now. ...She'd probably be pretty easy to startle, like this.]

III - mad because weird bullshit
[Okay, so. Ris isn't happy about it, but there's no denying that this whole Spirit Realm thing is real when she's standing inside of it. She hasn't ventured very far inside, but at least this time she's appropriately dressed for the weather.

She's clutching a sheathed knife within her gloved hands, clutching it close to her chest. Her posture betrays her nerves, but she tries to keep up her usual disdainful tone of voice as she glances over to whoever's had the misfortune of following her in here.]

...We're probably not going to get lucky enough to find this stuff right away, are we?

IV - wildcard
[Reply with a prompt of your own and I'm more than happy to play along! If you want to plot something up, hit me up at

needlemouse or needlemouse#1681 on Discord!]

Edited 2022-01-10 01:19 (UTC)

[Come to the Winter Carnival, they said. It'll be fun, they said.

Yeah, Zelos isn't one for these wintertime activities. Ana is off somewhere probably having fun, while he's keeping near the park restaurant. He's drinking some coffee and seems not to notice Ris, too busy lost in his own thoughts. But for Ris? Well, there's no hiding that vibrant long red hair that makes him stand out. ]

[Eventually, the clinking of the ice stills, and Ris sighs into her hot chocolate.

Well, given that nothing else in the restaurant appeared to be rattling or sliding around, there's no denying that. That was 100% Ris just pulling some Mathilde-level bullshit with ice cubes.

That's something she's going to actually have to figure out how to unpack. Which sucks, because she has a storied history of not doing that with just about anything, but here she is.

And speaking of being here...

She sets down her drink and looks up from her own table. Her plan was to just stare off somewhere random for a bit, but her eyes get caught by vibrant red, and— oh, hey. She knows that face.

...And also probably quite a bit of the rest of him, for that matter, but that's not the point right now.

For a second, she taps at the sides of her mug thoughtfully, fingernails clicking softly against the ceramic. Well, given everything else happening in this apparently godforsaken city, she guesses she's not surprised to have stumbled across him in the wild, but what does she do with this information? Is it even a good idea to make her presence known?

The logical part of her says probably not. But the part of her that really doesn't want to think too hard about her own problems has other arguments: that he's all by himself, so it's not like she's interrupting anything; that his antics at least made her smile a little during everything else going on with that Libra app; and that she could really do with giving someone else a bit of a hard time right now.

So, abandoning her funnel cake for a moment, she stands and makes her way over to his table, hot chocolate still in hand. He can rip that out of her hands when she's as cold and dead as he sure doesn't seem to be.]

Looking pretty healthy for a dead guy, there.

[She keeps her voice low, not wanting to attract the attention of any other patrons, but she's not so quiet that he won't hear her.]

[He was lost in his own thoughts up until she approaches. Feeling someone in his personal space snaps him out of his thoughts, and he looks over. A young looking girl. One that is acting rather familiar with him, despite never seeing him before. Not too unusual, he got that most of his life, but. Well. Referring to his post-life state is something of a clue, at least. The number of people he's shared that factoid with is rather limited.

He'll snort softly, giving something of a smirk as he jests. ]

Well, they say the cold is excellent at preserving corpses.

[He says it dryly, but still with some cheer to indicate that he's joking]

Ris, right?

Ehehe. I suppose that is true enough.

[She quirks her own lips into something like a smile. He gets points for a clever comeback.]

Oh, good, you know how to read the app. Some of your fellow "otherworlders" [She doesn't actually make air quotes— she's starting to move beyond the denial stage. It's more that she doesn't know what other word to use, so she's just making one up.] had me losing faith in mankind.

[She pauses for a second, briefly considering if she actually wants to ask what's on her mind, before just going for it. What's the worst he can say, no?]

Mind if I join you? I was getting pretty bored of picking at my funnel cake by myself.

Edited (html hard and cold tiddies soft and warm) 2022-01-13 02:27 (UTC)

Ha, is that so? [she still sounded skeptical of their story, but that's to be expected. To the people here, it's gotta sound crazy] Well in defense of the other otherworlders, I think only Adol and I would be counted among mankind.

[Amal and Ana were clearly not human. No two ways about that

Ah...company. Well, sure. It probably would be better than sitting here alone brooding huh?]

Sure sure! Pull up a chair, my dear. I can always make room for a lovely lady like yourself.

[She has ice magic for no explainable reason. She doesn't want to go along with the idea that she's talking to a dead guy from another world, but previous arguments she had against it are pretty much shattered by the whole magic being real thing.]

Well, Adol was one of the worst offenders... [That smile widens a little. Ah, he was fun to play with, though.] Still, I more meant just... sentient creatures, in general. I guess the actual species isn't that important.

[She sets down her hot chocolate on the table across from him as she waves a hand dismissively along with her last sentence. Once that's done, she turns back to her old table.]

Just a second...

[She heads back to retrieve her funnel cake, but leaves the water where it is. She only got it for practicing, anyway, she was really here for the sweets. She returns with it in hand, and sets it in the center of the table before taking a seat.]

You're not wrangling more money out of me this time, but you can have some, if you'd like. It's probably too much for just me, anyway.

Adol? Oh yeah, he's a weird one. [No dancing around that bush. He found the man starting a fire on the beach. He does get what she means though, even if he shrugs at it] I getcha. But somehow I doubt we had much to do with your faith level.

[Ris seemed jaded and cynical long before any of the off-worlders had a chance to open their mouths. Not that he can blame her, he wasn't any better.

As for the offer of food...well, it could be seen as a nice gesture, but after years in Meltokio and picking up on the clues that she disliked giving him even a little bit of money for a service- he's already seeing strings attached to any of the food offered

He doesn't call that out directly instead shrugging]

Ha, thanks, but I've already eaten. Gotta watch my figure, you know?

Ehe... you can say that again. [...She does sound a little fond, though, with that. He is strange, but she can't deny that infecting him with cringe was one of the highlights of an otherwise weird and kind of stressful day. As for Zelos calling her out on being jaded... she pauses for a second, then just smiles.] And I guess I have to concede to that point.

[At his refusal of the funnel cake, she just blinks a little. Really, it has nothing to do with attaching strings... it's just that she already has one playboy with his hand in her— well, really, her stepfather's— wallet, and she isn't particularly looking for a second. Although, making the executive decision to join this one at a café isn't really helping her along toward that path, is it? Still, she shrugs, tearing off a piece.]

Mm? Your loss, then.

[She pops it into her mouth, taking the moment to think over how she wants to word things. Swallowing, she speaks up again.]

...For the record. It's not that I don't believe you — at least, not anymore. I can't deny I thought you were all a bunch of lunatics to begin with, but I've had to come to terms with a whole lot of things being real over the past couple of days that I was pretty sure people just wrote novels about before.

It just... feels like Zodiac came in and upended everything I ever thought I knew about how the world works. [...] Although, I imagine you have it a lot worse.

[He watches her eat the funnel cake, not commenting more on the refusal. Instead he listens to her explain. And really....he can get it. If anything, he expected her to be in denial for longer.

And at the show of empathy towards him, he gives a shrug]

Ha, it's not the first time I've had things upended for me. [His mother's death, learning the truth about Cruxis, learning about the second world. Honestly, off all the times he's had the rug pulled out from under him- this is the easiest one

Not that he'll elaborate]

I get it though. You think you know how the world works and suddenly everything's upside down. Anyone would struggle with that.

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higanbana - 2022-01-21 01:10 (UTC) - Expand

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higanbana - 2022-01-21 01:15 (UTC) - Expand

Ris Bancroft | Normal Modern AU | Water

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