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kaisou2022-03-03 10:58 pm
March Event Log
March Event
Dominant Element: Wind
Waning Element: Earth
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It's as they say, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. The early part of March will be blistery and cold, with strong winds and chilly nights. But as the month goes on, the weather will slowly warm and the snow will melt. By the end of the month, it's well into the early spring and the plants already begin to green up once more.
First Signs of GreenWith Valentine's over and done with, there's only one thing that everyone's looking forward to, and that's the arrival of spring. Shops in town are stocking themselves up with new outfits for spring and outdoor furniture. The garden shops are stocks with flower seeds and spring vegetables, preparing for the warm weather to finally come rolling in. Many restaurants will be having a special on Bara Brith (malt loaf) and Cawl (lamb stew), in honor of St. David's day earlier in the month as it's trendy this year. On warmer days, people will be finding just about any excuse to be outside and the streets will be busy with people. Enjoy some much needed sunlight everyone!
For adults looking for activities to do, with the upcoming St. Paddy's day, plenty of bars are doing their own promotional celebrations. Most of these are the standard kind of fanfare, where you get a discount if you wear green or there's beer that's been dyed green. Though there's a few quirkier promotions, such as the Deathmatch bar offering free beer for everyone until someone uses the bathroom. Work together to hold the line and your bladders.
Gacha DayThroughout the month, there's talk in Undertown about being on the lookout for good fortune. On the surface it sounds like the usual fanfare you hear from gossip - someone reblogged a lucky cat photo and came upon some money. Or someone found a four leaf clover and won the grand prize in the raffle. It's easy enough for the more skeptical to dismiss. However for those who are on the look out for lucky signs may find themselves also being blessed by good fortune. A brand new TV will appear in their house, or they'll befriend a new animal friend, or they'll discover they have a new ability. There's no rhyme or reason for what good luck will befall you, but these lucky occurrences seem to have shortly after seeing an omen of good luck. And granted...some of these occurrences might be hard to perceive as lucky. Some may even be downright cursed.
Still! Maybe it's time to keep a closer eye on any patches of clovers you come across, huh?
The DulahanThe night of March 15th is an usually foggy night. There's an eerie stillness to the world, and the wind that blows with an unnatural chill. Even the normal citizens in town feel a sense of unease, as people rush to get home. As for those more sensitive, you can't help but get a feeling of dread in your stomach. Animals too may seem unsettled, not unlike when they sense an earthquake.
It's late in the night when he shows himself, long after the streets have grown quiet. A horseman riding a horse as black as night, with his own head missing from atop his shoulders. One hand holds onto the reins of his horse, while the other carries the severed head of a woman. He trots through the misty streets of Kaisou, occasionally pausing in front of a place of residences and pointing towards those who dwell inside, before continuing on his way. If you attempt to confront him in the street, he will disappear in a sea of mist and reappear further down the road, focused on his task. Repeated attempts to confront him will eventually enough irritation that he'll pull out a whip made from human spines. Being hit by this whip will render them unconscious until morning.
It's not clear until morning what the Dulahan was after, but when the first rays of morning come through, the horror will sink in. Every person that the Dulahan singled out? Is now missing from the city - whisked away into the Spirit Realm.
New Gate: Tír na nógThe following morning, March 16th, a new message from Zodiac is sent out
ALERT: SHIFTING GATE IDENTIFIED IN BRICK ALLEY.
Element Classification: Unknown
Danger Level: S
Designation: Tír na nóg
ALERT! A highly dangerous gate has been discovered in Brick Alley. It's already been linked to disappearances across the city. Zodiac is currently investigating but we ask all available people to help investigate and recover the missing people. Please visit the Zodiac office for any supplies. Use caution when engaging with denizens in the realm.
Going to the Zodiac Office, you will find that it's a lot busier than normal. Several Zodiac employees are coming in and out, talking and using tech as they try to sort out the scale of what they're dealing with. Professor Willow is there too, there to help with consultation. According to him, it's a Dulahan that was spotted last night- though his own information is limited to what's known in popular myths. His specialty is more on animals found within the spirit realm, not mythological figures. Notably, it seems he's managed to befriend a Meltan from last month's gate.
Zodiac will supply weapons made from iron, as well as packs of food. If you press them for more information, they will suggest not to give your name or consume any food while within the spirit gate. If you need motivation than saving your friends to help, Zodiac is more than willing to pay you for your services. As for the location of the spirit gate, they will mention that it might be a little hard to spot this time, so keep your eyes peeled!
Hard to spot will turn out to be an apt description. When they arrive in Brick Alley, there's no obvious standing tall gate as there were the previous two months. Instead, they will have to search around until they find a circle of mushrooms that have popped up on a patch of grass. These mushrooms are impervious to harm, and you'll have to stand in the center of them if you want to enter the realm. It'll take a moment or two to activate, leaving you feel a little awkward as normal people pass by and stare at you standing in a circle of mushrooms, but hold fast, because soon you'll find yourself warped into another realm.
The landscape of Tír na nóg is beautiful, looking like it came out of the pages of a fairy tale. Golden sunlight washes over lush meadows and forests ahead of you. Behind you, are tall rocky cliffs that drop down into the raging sea below. In the distance, there is a castle that stands on higher cliffs and looks like the only place of civilization in this realm. If there's any spot where the kidnapped folks are being held, it's there. You must travel through a long winding path through the forest in order to reach it. The forest is full of wildlife that's more like Earth's, but you can't but get that feeling that you're being watched. You better hope that you ate before you left or brought food of your own, because the trek takes long enough that the unprepared may find themselves feeling famished by the time they make it to the castle.
When they reach the castle, they will find the place guarded by several Fae guards along with a couple mythical beasts. They will allow entry, but only if they leave behind any iron they have on their person. If you agree to do so, they will be rather welcoming, offering refreshments for any weary travelers. Curiously, if you inquire about the other people that were brought here, the fae will seem to be of the belief that the people they're talking about have been guests at the castle longer than they've been missing, by several days in fact. What in the world is going on?
As for those who act with more hostility, well: prepare for a fight. The fae would prefer to talk things out, but they aren't afraid throw down arms when faced with violence. What more, they wield much stronger magic than anything the characters currently have. Don't be surprised to see yourself be turned into a small animal for your troubles. Only apologizing to the fae or leaving the spirit realm will reverse the effects.
Waking up at the CastleThose who were kidnapped by the Dulahan will wake up to find themselves in much nicer accommodations than you'd expect for being kidnapped. You wake up in your own personal guestroom in soft beds. Fae attendants will come in to check on your needs, checking if everything is to your liking while any requests to go home seem to fall on deaf ears. While this place is much more medieval in terms of technology, they seem determined to make your stay as comfortable as possible. You are even allowed to leave your rooms to wander the halls to see others in their guest rooms, though for a least the first morning they block you from leaving the guest wing. It should also be noted that anything made of iron has been removed from your person.
At midday on that first day, the kidnapped characters will be invited down to the main hall of the castle for a grand feast. Any type of food you could possibly desire, as well as foods you've never heard of, are laid across the giant banquet table. The fae are friendly and more than curious to learn about their new "guests", asking personal questions and encouraging them to eat up. The fae themselves come in all shapes and sizes. Some look like classic fairies while others more otherworldly appearance. It's only when they've made sure enough of their new guests have eaten and shared their names do the head of the fae announce their reason for bringing you to their realm: they could sense something special about you, and have decided to have you joined the fae. It's been a long time since they've had anyone bolster their ranks after all.
After this announcement, the fae will allow the guests to travel where they wish. You can explore the realm or spend time with the fae as you like. However if anyone who ate the food or gave their name will find that even if they reach the gate, they won't be able to use it to get back to Kaisou. For now, you're stuck in the spirit realm.
Life among the FaeOne thing will become obvious when the kidnapped meet up with their would-be rescuers: time flows differently in this realm. A single day in Kaisou is several days in Tír na nóg. By the time the would-be rescuers have found the people they were looking for, several days have passed - more than enough time for the kidnapped to explore and experience this realm on their own. The fae themselves aren't too concerned about the new arrivals, and will treat them as guests as well. It's not like they have a way to ESCAPE after all. Though just like those kidnapped- any who share their name or eat the food will also find themselves stuck in the spirit realm. Whoops.
The fae are friendly and playful race. While they rarely give a straight answer, they enjoy playing games and hearing stories about places outside the realm. Some of their games include riddles, fishing, or playing with balls made of sheer gold. However, their good nature will quickly sour if you do anything to cross them. Attempting to cheat, steal, or honestly any perceived slight against them may result in you getting cursed with magic. This magic will either turn you partly or fully into an animal, depending on the severity of their rage. Though at the same time, getting endearing yourself too much to the fae may also end in your body getting changed, with them deciding to "bless you" by granting you fae-like features.
It's not just the fae you need to be wary of. A popular dish among the court is called the "Fish of Knowledge". It's a type of salmon that admittedly tastes extremely good. However anyone who consumes it will find it having an effect on their memories. AU characters may find all their AU memories getting swapped for the memories of their canon counterpart, now even more lost and confused to what's going on here. Otherwise, characters from other worlds (and any AU characters that rather go this route) will find themselves becoming an expert in a random field of study. Never went to medical school? Doesn't matter, you now have a PhD worth of medical knowledge in your head, or any other subject that you feel apt.
The RescueAs much as the Fae want to keep their new friends, it's not like you guys can actually stay forever. Eventually, they'll be able to strike a deal with the leaders of the Fae. If they can retrieve the head that the Dulahan carries and bring it to Gwenffrwd well atop the mountain (there's murmurings among the court whether it's ACTUALLY a mountain, this seems to be a contentious opinion), everyone will be allowed to leave the realm. They'll even be nice enough to give back your iron weapons for this quest -- once you leave the castle grounds, that is.
Finding the Dulahan will take some work, as he wanders the bogs of Tír na nóg. These bogs are treacherous, where taking the wrong step could lead you to fall under the murky waters. No matter the time of day, it's dark and gloomy in these spots. Will-o'-the-wisps appear as lights floating over the bog, intent on leading people off the path. Undead skeletons are also found in these bogs, and they are more than happy to try to get you to join their undead horde. When you do finally find the Dulahan, you'll have to be careful to make sure he doesn't run off before you can grab that head. Not only that, but his power is stronger now that he's in the Spirit Realm, meaning his attacks might do more than just knock you out for awhile. Teamwork is likely your best option here.
Once you have retrieved the severed head (which is the real severed head of a woman, wonderful), it's time to go up the mountain(?)! Away from the bog, the path up the mountain(?) is winding but straightforward, but it'll turn out about three-fourths up the mountain there is one teensy little detail the fae left out. And that detail being that the path to the well is being guarded by a large, fire breathing, red dragon. It seems some fae have even gathered around to spectate the whole encounter, because who are they to turn down free entertainment?
Good luck guys!
If you manage to find a way past the dragon, then the rest of the trip to the well is pretty straightforward. Drop the head into the waters of the well, and there'll be a glow of magic. All characters, regardless of if they ate the fae food, will be allowed to come and go from this realm as they wish.
While for those trapped in the realm, it'll feel like they were there for a month -- once they return to Kaisou they will find they were only gone for 1 IC week (the 15th to the 22nd). You're welcome to deal with the consequences with work or school that'd happen for being missing for a week, though if you rather not then you'll find that Zodiac stepped in and was able to give believable excuses for your absences. It's uh, a little unnerving how good they are at handling explaining people disappearing, honestly
Any knowledge or memories that your character gained from eating the fish will disappear, becoming fuzzier and fuzzier until it's hard to recall anything they learned. As for any animal/fae features they received from Fae magic, it is optional whether or not they will stick around for any amount of time.
For the rest of the month, characters are allowed to come and go into Tír na nóg as they wish. The fae will be sad that you won't be staying with them forever, but they are still happy for your company. With the crisis averted, Zodiac will once again offer paid incentives to bring back items from the realm. Those gold balls in particular are of interest to them, but don't let the fae catch you thieving. And per usual, there'll be penalties for anyone who doesn't return the items that Zodiac loaned out.
The dominant element this month is wind! Anyone with an affinity to the wind 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 earth 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.
Memories gained by eating the fish will not remain, but characters are welcome to retain any animal features. If they were turned fully into an animal, they'll find they are now able to shift between human and animal form. Nice! (EDIT: Details on the feature have been elaborated on here.)
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! The original OOC plotting post for this event can be found here.
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Is not expected. There is a cautious stare, one hand still on her coffee. After a moment she nods.] Go ahead, -ka. If you start getting rowdy though, I was here first.
[Hopefully that won't be the case though at least. She takes a sip, quietly glancing around the eatery though. This couldn't have been the last option...so...]
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[And so he takes a seat! He's quiet for a moment or two, sipping his coffee. He keeps his voice rather low as he speaks--]
I... saw you open Libra as I was passing by.
[Which. Probably explains why he asked to sit here in particular, at least.]
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She's going to hate all of this isn't she.]
............Go on, -ka....
[The tone is low, but somewhat warning- no funny business here, whoever you are, there's some wild folks on that app.]
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... but then something occurs to him--]
I don't know if this is something you'd be able to answer, but... do you know if the app's shown up on phones outside of the city? Or if it's just been here.
[Because it occurred to him and he probably could've asked this on the app but he's really starting to regret his first post being video.
... And the thought has him actually nervous.]
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...Kakakaaaaaa.... [There is a considering chitter, a habit that only stands out more now that there's wings.] ...From what I hear -ka, it's only appeared after people move into the area- no one on the app so far has mentioned living outside of the city after that fact.
[A pause, and she narrows her eyes.] ...Why do you ask, -ka..?
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He visibly relaxes after Kate confirms that the app seems pretty contained to the city.]
Mostly realizing after the fact how idiotic on my part my first post starting out with video was.
[He sets down his coffee to drag a hand down his face. But at the very least that's one less thing to worry about for now... He's still mentally kicking himself, but at least he probably hasn't potentially blown things for him and Mercedes.]
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Ka! Putting it lightly, [She snorts.] Video chats are high risk at the best of times -ka. The internet is only half as secure as you ever think it is.
But like you said- it means I recognize you, but you don't recognize me, -ka...
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Well, the important thing is nobody outside the city has seen it... [Which means his and Mercedes's stepfather has no way seeing it unless he manages to track the two of them down.
Which, y'know, hopefully he won't manage to do it.]
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[Now then. That's certainly something.] The city isn't too big for you -ka, but anything even a little more is? I thought as soon as something passed even 5 people it was the end of the world for most, -ka.
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[He glances down at his coffee... and then puts the cup down with a sigh. Suddenly neither coffee nor malt loaf is sounding particularly appealing.]
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....I am beginning to think, -ka...
That whatever your reasons are, aren't safe for public spaces either... [she starts lowly.]
What kind of trouble are you avoiding -ka...
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You're... entirely correct about that. It's... [... Ughhhh, he doesn't want to talk about it in public. Still, he lowers his voice, since not answering would be rude.]
It's. Well, 'family troubles' would be understating it. [A pause.] My sister and I needed to get away from our stepfather.
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[Her voice as well, remains low and quiet despite the emphasis and tone.]
...And the rest can be said in an office then, -ka.
Do you need help, -ka?
...Legally? [she adds with a low hiss, leaning in just slightly.]
...From what you say I suspect it's just the two of you, and no other, -ka.
[She doesn't ask about what happened to whatever mother gave them a stepfather.]
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[The rest should probably be said in an office, yes, but...]
We had three younger siblings we couldn't bring with us. But... yeah, the full story should probably be said in an office.
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There's a card!
Kate is already back leaning against her seat, sipping her coffee.] I'll see you within an hour then, -ka.
Chances are you don't want any delay- but this is probably something we want a clear head and energy for, -ka.
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Within an hour. [He feels a little more at ease now.] ... Thank you. I appreciate it.
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...
And indeed after she's properly enjoyed her meal she'll be heading out to her firm and setting up for a meeting. Right on it huh!
Ignore the cutifly.]
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... The Cutiefly has his attention for a few seconds before he realizes he's let himself get distracted.]
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Alright, -ka. You said you and your sister are fleeing from your stepfather. What you say in this room does not leave it- what you say in this room is not going to be recorded for that matter -ka. On that, I'll sign.
[Though her nose does twitch a bit after, as if about to sneeze, or as if she smells something. That's weird. Why is she thinking about...
Whatever. Whatever! Carrying on.] So, take a seat -ka...and from there, say what you need on what's going on.
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[He'll go ahead and take a seat. He's quiet, as he mulls over how to put it.]
Back before Mom married my stepfather, he was... weirdly persistent about the whole thing, until she finally said yes. I figured something had to be up, nothing about it sat right with me, but... well, I was the kid whose mother just remarried.
[So, haha, of course nobody listened to him.]
Mom disappeared, too, after a while, and... [... He grimaces, looking distinctly uncomfortable.] Turns out the guy was even worse of a creep than I figured.
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...is increasing. Kate shakes it off, her tone serious, and quiet.] ...Will we need to handle investigations into this man, or is there already one ongoing?
[A pause, and she adds-] ...And are you willing to clarify, -ka, on what 'worse' was?
[She has a distinct feeling that by disappearance, she will be looking for a body.]
jic, cw a stepfather being gross at his stepdaughter
[At the second question, he considers it, before swallowing.]
I have... something I know for certain, and some of my own speculation on the man's motives. [He looks almost sick to his stomach again as he continues, but also quietly furious.] The one concrete thing is... I... overheard him making advances towards Mercedes.
... As far as the speculation goes... unfortunately, my speculation brings magic into the equation.
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As it stands, her own mood is visibly darkening as well- she doesn't like where this started, let alone where this is going.
Kate nods.] ...I'm putting measures in place to handle magical intervention -ka. It's recent...but I'm nothing if not thorough, [she assures, eyes narrowing but briefly.]
So, -ka. How do you suspect it's involved -ka? Also, do you need somewhere safe to stay, given what you've said so far?
[She'd hope they have somewhere lined up already, but frankly that's never a guarantee when someone's just trying to get away.]
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[That sort of thing hasn't really been a focus given the circumstances.
As for the other question...]
The Zeppeli family has had ties to magic for a few generations now. With how persistent the man was to begin with, I can't help but suspect he wanted that for his own family and thought he could get it by marrying Mom. But... the magic came from Father's side of the family.
[Which would likely explain what he overheard.]
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The city is a start- you need somewhere in the city -ka, somewhere you can stay, and safely.
[Kaisou should still be that, if he's going to be her client at all. The question is if he's got somewhere available in the first place.
Now, he listens.] Hnnnnn. So, a power-grab -ka.
[The mosquito feels a bit of a twitch coming on, but she'll push it back.] Do you feel comfortable giving me this man's name, -ka?
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lmffff
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