kaisou | JANUARY EVENT LOG

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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

Yes.

[ he winks, ]

But that just makes it more fun~! Look, I wouldn't go overboard if it was just the two of us.

[ they would play some stupid drinking game and regret life the next day, wouldn't they. ]

[Yeah, some of their cheap ikea furniture is going to pay the price for this decision.]

...Haha, alright. I suppose it's only fair if my first drink is with you. I've heard having a drink with your son is supposed to be a big deal for fathers.

[It was thanks to Abel that Jun got to experience so many things he never thought he would. He was aware how much Abel worked to give him that through the years. It was only right to let him share such a rite of passage]

It'll be a good time, I promise~! Ah, it's a shame that we hadn't thought about this before Christmas... there's lots of good seasonal drinks like eggnog and all that, you know? Oooh, I bet we could have some spiked hot chocolate that'd be just as good, though...

[ just two fattydingdongs enjoying some disgustingly high calorie spiked alcoholic drinks, nothing to see here,

not like he's quietly touched Jun would think to share another first with him, n-nope, not at all, ]

--Hey, wait here a sec, okay? I'll go get our skates! Are you ready to fall on your butt five thousand times?!

[ he's going to go trot off and play fetch before he gets misty-eyed. shh. ]

Haha, that sounds nice. I'll leave the drink choice to you, okay? I trust your judgement!

[Or rather, he trusts that they basically have the same sweet tooth tastes.]

Ok! I'll meet you by the rink!

[While Abel goes to get skates, Jun will go find a bench near the rink to make getting their skates on easier]

[ he isn't gone all too long, and when he finds Jun on the bench, he's passing over the skates in his size so the two of them can get fitted up. alright, alright... time to do this!!

Abel's offering Jun his hand (as if he's doing this out of altruism and not because he will be utterly hopeless without his Jun-anchor), smiling brightly. ]

You ready to dazzle on the ice...? --Ooh, let's get a good picture before we leave, okay? Don't let me forget!

[Once his skates are on, he'll take that hand and pull himself up. He is willing to play along with Abel acting like this is altruism and not being Abel's anchor]

Haha- [He plans to fully not remind his dad about the photo] Ready if you are! Let's go, Dad!

[he'll start skating forward. He's a bit wobbly because he really doesn't do this often, but at least the basics are coming back to him along with his own natural grace. ]

[ wow haha why would Jun not remind him, can't imagine,

aww; that enthusiasm is. so cute?? and Abel's all smiles as he wobbles his way onto the ice-- pinwheeling an arm out for a moment before gripping onto Jun's forearms. ]

Wh-- whoa... don't let me fall, okay?! I'm trusting you...!

[ ...
.....
........a six year old girl whizzes by them gracefully as if she was born on the ice. ]

Oh, please. What a show-off. That's just disrespectful.

Whoa-

[He wobbles once more as his dad grips onto his arm since he suddenly has much more weight to balance. It takes him a moment to keep himself from falling, but he just manages]

-- I-It's okay! Got you!

[Juuuust in time to watch Abel get salty over a six year old girl]

Dad, we've talked about this. Don't get jealous over the first graders.

I'm not jealous.

[ he says, jealously. look, he's still watching her fly off... skating like a little swan floating across the surface of the lake on a clear winter's day........ unfair. ]

How do you think she does that...? Magic, right? Withcraft? It has to be witchcraft. We can't be that much worse than first graders. That's not even remotely possible.

[💧]

It's not witchcraft. I'm sure she just takes ice skating lessons.

[In hopes of distracting his dad from his jealousy, he'll start trying to get them moving around the rink. Pay attention dad!]

--Look, she's going backwards!! I told you, it's some kind of magic or-- o-oh!

[ he's cut off from his ranting as Jun gets the momentum going; he flails a little bit before holding onto Jun's coat sleeve and doing that awkward wobble for balance. phew... okay, okay, they're on the move!! ]

Ah-- you know what? I always forget how fun this is until we do it again... we for sure have to look into those lessons!

[ do NOT suggest they ask the girl where she takes hers from. she's a WIZARD. ]

Even if we don't go super fast, it feels... nice, right? Once you get going?

Dad, focus!

[Stop fixating on that poor girl!! He keeps the moving, making sure to not go too fast for Abel to keep up. ]

Mm! There's a really nice feeling to gliding on the ice! I'm not going too fast for you, am I?

[ wow okay listen it isn't HIS fault she keeps breezing by them, tauntingly??

but the two of them are, surprisingly, not immediately wiping out as they shuffle along!! just don't go much faster than this baby pace, son, would you? ahem, ]

No, no-- so far so good! H-haha, you're actually pretty good at this, aren't you?

Haha, well it's not that different rollerblading which I do sometimes...

[In the background, the little girl now does a spin jump. It's very graceful. Jun doesn't notice.]

Do you want to stay at this speed or go faster?

[ .........this little girl is going to be the death of them.

because he is watching her behind Jun's shoulders and out of his son's line of sight, before clearing his throat, puffing his chest out and squaring his own shoulders in response. they can do better than this BABY pace, right??? RIGHT?? ]

Let's go faster, hm? I mean, we've been doing this for years now, right? We can it up!

Faster? Really?

[Dad usually needs it slow, but if he's confident they can go faster, well...sure!]

Well, okay! Here we go!

[He'll pick up the pace by about half a step. Not a big increase, but still a notable one]

Mm, I think we can haAAA--

[ Jun does, indeed, pick up their pace... just a smidgeon, and Abel does a tiny wobble as he adjusts!! but, miraculously..... they're still on their feet, phew!! ]

--handle it, see?! We're naturals!!

[Oh hey! So far so good!]

Yeah! Great job dad!

[But here comes the next challenge-- turning. It's not like this rink goes on forever and ever in a straight line]

- Oh, here comes the turn! [Jun will start to turn himself to move along the curve of the rink.

In the distance, the little girl is doing a full on spin. Jun still doesn't notice]

[ this little girl solely exists to mock him. her entire purpose in life? to humiliate them with her prowess. are they truly to be outdone by this six year old? is this all they will ever be -- two men, shadows of themselves in the face of this... this tiny EXPERT condensed into a child body?!?! no. no. Abel will not stand for this. ]

H-hey, let's try taking the turn a little fa-- ah-- fastER--

[ except just taking the turn

just taking the turn. just....

just taking the turn is too hard, and now he's doing that pinwheeling thing with his free hand as the other clutches desperately to Jun and he's wobbling and oh god, oh god, one of his skates goes out from under him and THEY'RE GOING DOWN, MAYDAY, MAYDAY-- ]

Wha-

[ Unfortunately, even if Jun is more physically capable than his nerd lifestyle would suggest- he's still a rather tiny guy, one that significantly smaller than Abel in both height and weight. Meaning that when Abel starts to fall while clinging to him? There's nothing he can do beyond frantic struggle against the evitable]

AH!

[His skate slips out and he crashes into the ice with Abel, the crumple pile of Nightroads, down on the ice for everyone to stare]

Oof...Here we are again...

[Just like every year.]

[ oh, the dignified Nightroad Pile... truly a magnificent yearly tradition. one can't really ring in the new year without it, can they?? seemingly not!!!

Abel's landed flat on his butt and dragged Jun down with him; depending on which way the poor kiddo was leaning, either he had a nice cushion (his dad) or he is now laying slumped across the ice..... rip, ]

--She's staring at us. Th-that little CRETIN is taunting us while she does SPINS, Jun.

[ yes,

he is still obsessing about the first grader. ]

She-?

[Lumped across the ice no doubt. He groans as he tries to it up properly. Just to see his dad glaring daggers at a six year old]

Oh dear God. Dad, I told you to ignore the six year old. She's just a kid!

She did it on purpose. She distracted us so we'd fall. You know that, right? She's intimidated by our raw skill, so she needed to take us out. Don't underestimate her just because of her age, Jun.

[ this is all whispered VERY LOUDLY while Abel is rubbing his sore butt with one hand... before he heaves a sigh and tries to shuffle to his knees and help Jun up from. you know. the ice. ]

...Ah. You didn't hurt yourself, did you?

Uh huh.... I really don't think that's what was happening.

[He pauses, rubbing his head that feels a little sore.]

I think I hit my head a little, but I'm sure it'll be fine.

[ a-aww... Abel stretches his hand and lightly rubs poor Jun's head with an apologetic look, ]

S-sorry, I think you would've kept your feet if I hadn't tripped you up, there... um-- do you want to try again? --I won't wipe us out this time, I swear!

[ he will absolutely wipe them out again. ]

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