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kaisou2022-05-04 01:37 am
May Event Log
May Event
Dominant Element: Shadow
Waning Element: Light
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After a month full of rainy days, the promised May flowers are in full bloom. During the day, Kaisou's weather is warm and sunny. Colorful flowers are blooming everywhere, with the strong scent of lilac and other spring time flowers permanenting the air. The nights, however, seem darker than normal. Streets lights are dimmer, as if being weakened by the strong darkness. Not only that, but the moon, stars, and spirit vein in the sky glow less brightly as well - as if shrouded by a veil of darkness.
It's Gonna Be MayMay is a busy time of year for many folks in the city. The high schoolers will find their schedules are pretty full between finals, spring performances, prom and graduation - try to remember to rest where you can! College students will have it busy as well, with their own sets of finals and graduations to worry about. And for those of you who don't have to worry about school, there's still plenty to do. With the weather so nice, there's plenty of spring time activities going on. The planting season is in full swing, barbeques are being held, a couple marathons are happening on weekends, and for those of you with good relations with your mother- Mother's Day is fast approaching! And if you're looking for something a little more festive, throughout the first week throughout the town there's a number of Cinco De Mayo day festivals! Catch a Mariachi band playing in the park, visit a Mexican art gallery on an free day, or grab some authentic mexican food from a food stand or restaurant.
If you take the train to Stardew Valley, the town has settled back into its normal spring routines. Take some time to live some peaceful farming life, or get some fishing in. You'll also find that the first ten floors of the mines are now available to explore! These first ten floors will be full of ore, gems, and weak monsters. Every time you step into the mine, the layout seems to change and you need to find your way around once again. It's a great place to go if you want to get some training in, or mine materials to trade with Zodiac for cash. Just don't stay in the mine too late, as you might collapse when 2am rolls around and wake up at the entrance of the mine with your stuff gone.
La LloronaLike any big city, crime is a regular part of life. Theft, assault, drug use, the occasional homicide - all par for the course. But starting the night of May 6th, a new crime will begin appearing on the news at an alarming rate. Bodies will be turning up in Kaisou's various bodies of water, all drowned with no evidence of a suspect. All of them are people who just happened to be out at night by themselves, with no connection between them. One or two of them could be written off as unfortunate accidents, but when a couple are happening every night? It can't be mere chance. Someone, or something is drowning these victims.
While the normal side of the city can't make sense of it, rumors are spreading like wildfire among those who run in paranormal circles. Rumors of a ghostly weeping woman dressed in white wandering the streets at night, usually not far from where the victims are discovered the following morning. As the rumors grow and spread with more sightings, a reoccurring notion keeps appearing amidst the fearful whispers: La Llorona has come to Kaisou. Inquiring or researching more will get you the following tale: La Llorona was once a mother who drowned her two children in a fit of emotion. After she realized what she'd done, she drowned herself, but was denied to move onto the afterlife until she finds her children. Now she wanders the Earth, drowning those she comes across, as she continues the search. Any attempts to exorcise her have never stuck, and the best advice anyone can give is to stay inside at night and away from water until she's had her fill and move on from town.
However if you fail to heed the warning, it's not hard to run into La Llorona yourself. Simply go out into a secluded area at night. If you're quiet, you'll find her wandering around weeping as the rumors say. But if she's alerted to your presence, she will chase after you at an alarming speed. If she catches you, you'll find she's inhumanly strong and will attempt to drag you to the nearest body of water to be drowned. You can fight her off or have someone rescue you, but she's a tough fight. Attempts to exorcise her with holy weapons will seem to work -- only for her to reappear an hour later in another part of town, once again seeking victims. Anyone who is drowned by La Llorona will follow the typical rules of dying, so be careful!
And even if you manage to stay in at night and avoid La Llorona, troubling occurrences may still follow. Starting after La Llorona's arrival, anyone who is dead or possessed might wake up to find their face covered in skull face paint, stylized in ways that represent either their death or the thing possessing them. While this face paint goes unnoticed by normal NPCs, it cannot be washed off. And anyone who is in a room that's not properly lit will find that the darkness seems to play tricks on their mind. Sometimes shadows will move out of the corner of your eye, or you'll swear you heard something scratching at the walls, or someone wailing in the distance. You can learn to ignore it, but for many it'll may cause them to feel a heightened sense of paranoia and unease. Those who keep look into it will find the effect only strengthen - with shadows moving in front of them in the form of monsters and villainous forms, and whispers of words you just can't make out. It can become a real toll on one's sanity, if they aren't careful.
The Black OrderAfter a week of La Llorona terrorizing the city, an alert will be sent out from Zodiac on the Libra App.
ALERT: SHIFTING GATE LOCATED ON CATHEDRAL HILL.
Element Classification: Shadow
Danger Level: Extreme
Designation: Land of the Forgotten
A new gate has been detected on Cathedral Hill. We have reason to suspect this is the gate is connected to the recent drownings in the city. If you choose to investigate, we will compensate you for your work. It's also come to our attention that there's been sightings of Black Order Guardians around the gate. Please use extreme caution around these individuals, as they are highly dangerous and hostile to Zodiac agents.
The atmosphere around the Zodiac offices are tense. Not only has the infamous La Llorona arrived in the city, but the presence of the Black Order has them on edge as well. Honestly, it's hard to tell which they view is the worst part. If you ask about the Black Order, Zodiac will talk about how the Order is unreasonable zealots that don't understand humanity could benefit from the Spirit Realm. Turns out, they have a long, long history of not seeing eye-to-eye. Lend a sympathetic ear, or just hurry them up so you can rent out a weapon. They don't have much information about this current realm, as the Black Order has intercepted any attempts for Zodiac agents to enter - since apparently the realm is classified as "sacred" (yes, they used airquotes as saying this) and ergo admission is prohibited by non-Order members. Professor Willow has a more neutral stance on the Order, saying they mean well but they're pretty rigid sometimes in not allowing P.O.K.E.G.O. to investigate certain realms after an incident involving a cow ten years back. Either way, both Zodiac and Professor Willow feel confident that since you all aren't exactly members of Zodiac or P.O.K.E.G.O - maybe you'll have more luck in getting through!
Maybe.
The gate is found in Cathedral Hill, in an old nearly-forgotten cemetery behind all the churches. It appears to look like a majestic mausoleum of sorts, with a strong dark energy radiating from it. And just like Zodiac said, there are folks dressed in black uniforms that can be none other than the Black Order Guardians. There is one frequently posted at the gate's entrance as guard, while the other guardians investigate the realm inside. Should you be lucky, you might be able to slip past without any of the Guardians noticing. Otherwise...you may either have to talk or fight your way through.
The Land of the ForgottenOnce you find a way past the Guardians, it's time to enter the realm. The sight that lays before you is a grim one. A land of ruins, covered in ash. This is the Land of the Forgotten, where things long gone and forgotten eventually find themselves. The landscape is littered with ruins that have been forgotten by time such as pyramids, towers, and castles, slowly eroding away and turning into ash themselves. As characters born of this world wander these ruins, they will notice some buildings look familiar to them. Places from AU character's memories can be found scattered among the realm: the schools they attended, their old houses, the place they once worked, and so on. These places can be explored in full, though they are in a much more ruined state than they were in the memories. Still they look in better shape than some of the other buildings, almost like remembering them slows their descent into ash. But what are they doing here in this realm?
As you explore these ruins, you may want to be careful as you aren't the only ones in this realm. You might encounter Black Order Guardians that are also exploring these ruins. Or worse, you may run into the denizens of the realm. There's the Tlahuelpuchi, female vampires that can shift between human and vultures or an monstrous form in-between. These vampires are out to drink people's blood, but can be fought off using metal. Any bodies of water (forgotten streams and lakes that are among the ruins) have Ahuizotl lurking within, a dog-sized creature with a hand on its tail that'll grab anyone who gets near with the intent to drown and feast on their flesh. And through some ruins prowls Dzulum, large jaguar creatures who are territorial and have claimed certain ruins as theirs.
However even with these monsters, the most numerous beings are the souls of the forgotten. They have a skeletal look to them, and huddle throughout the realm, all in varying stages of forgetting themselves. A few of them might recognize you and call to you, but it's a person you've long forgotten either in your current or past life. Try to jog your memory as much as you can, but their name and face always slips out of your grasp. Most of the souls have resigned themselves to begin forgotten and eventually fading to ash, some even embracing it and making the best of it. However, some have not accepted their fate and have grown so resentful they've lost themselves in another way. Their skeletal forms are more monstrous and they will attempt to attack the living. Try to avoid or fight them off as best you can. Once defeated, they will crumble into ash.
Xibalba's CastleThe current ruler of this realm is Xibalba, a god of the dead. His castle sits in the center of the realm, surrounded by a river of lava. You must cross the ruins of the realm to reach it. Once you reach the river of lava, there is but one narrow bridge that allows safe passage. Some will find it an easy crossing so long as they don't fall into the lava. However those who are unlucky will happen upon yet another challenge, the two headed lava snake Quetzocoatl who guards entry to the castle. You'll have to either fight it off or outrun it, if you want to make it past.
Inside the castle, they will find Xibalba, lord of the Land of Forgotten and god of the dead. He cuts a tall and unsettling figure, being made of tar and all the filth in the world. Yet even so, he's awfully personable for such a being. He explains that this realm is the place where things that are forgotten go to slowly fade away. It's a depressing realm, certainly, but a crucial one to this world. After all, how can new stuff come to be if the world is full of old forgotten things? In fact it's so crucial that he isn't even the first god to rule over it, he took it over from the last guy 500 years ago. When asked about La Llorona, he will shrug and say that this realm can't sustain itself in the "usual prayers" like some other realms. So it's fueled by the occasional offering of lives, fresh ones. Long ago, humans on earth would offer up sacrifices willingly but now - well, that's fallen out of favor, so he sends La Llorona out to collect offerings. Once she's drowned 68 folks to sustain this realm for awhile, they'll move on from Kaisou - just like he promised those Black Order guys.
This might be the time to turn away, but for those unwilling to accept such a deal that'd allow innocent lives to die- you can keep pushing. Any attempts to fight him directly will end badly, with him moving out of the way of any blow and pointing out that even if they do kill him, another will just have to take his place. However those who try to bargain with him will find him more amendable. He'll recall a ballgame that used to be done for an offering ceremony that was very effective. So effective that it'll cut the required offering down! Though anyone who volunteers themselves should be warned - the losing team will be offered up as sacrifice.
The BallgameCharacters can volunteer themselves to play the ballgame in order to stop La Llorona's killing spree. If there aren't enough volunteers among the player characters, some of the more noble Black Order members will volunteer to fill the roles. Once there's enough for a team, Xibalba will tap his staff against the ground and everyone will be teleported to a ceremonial playing field. Those playing the ballgame will be on the field, their clothes changed to represent their team colors (red or green) while their realm travel companions will be stuck in the audience seats among a crowd of forgotten souls who are more than happy to watch a sports game.
Xibalba will note that the game once placed for this ceremony has been mostly forgotten, and while he could explain the rules, he rather not watch a poorly played game. Instead, he'll propose a game of soccer - as soccer is life, according to many. With that, he'll throw a soccer ball to the the skeletal referee and tell them the game is on! Play like your lives depend on it -- because they actually do. And with that and a blow of the whistle, the game begins. The characters will have to play soccer against one another, all the while knowing that if they lose they will die - and if they win? It will come at the cost of the lives of people they already know.
When the game is over, it's the green team that comes out victorious. The forgotten souls cheer loudly for their victory, throwing dead roses and confetti ash at their feet as they're escorted away from the field, some even being carried on the shoulders of the dead. But then as Xibalba stands, the crowd falls quiet. The red team are herded to the center of the field, along with anyone who may attempt to try to intervene. Xibalba walks down in front of them, saying "You played well, but, a deal's a deal". And with a flick of his wrist, ceremonial knives appear from thin air and fly at the red team - stabbing each one of them in the heart. Their bodies fall lifeless into the ground, and as their travel companions and the winning team are escorted out of the arena by the forgotten souls, you can hear talk of them planning to remove their hearts for the offering. Anyone who attempt to intervene at any point will meet the same fate as the red team.
After the game has concluded, the survivors are given safe passage out of the Land of the Forgotten, their returned trip being escorted by forgotten souls who will make sure nothing dangerous comes near. Once back in Kaisou, the Black Order members will gather together before disappearing into the night. True to Xibalba's words, La Llorona's attacks will stop and the night will return to normal. Even the face painting on those afflicted will slowly begin to fade. Looks like those sacrificed weren't in vain.
Speaking of those sacrificed? They'll wake up in their beds, either the next morning or sometime in the following week, alive and well. As they wake, they will see a beautiful woman covered in skull make up. She will smile and say "Thank you. What you did really impressed my husband, you know, so we thought we'd return the favor." before disappearing. While some may have a scar from being stabbed on their chest and some emotional trauma from the ordeal, they're alive and as healthy as they were before.
Going to Zodiac with your findings will get you paid a handsome rewards. The Realm will remain around until the end of the month, if anyone, um, wants to go back there. Luckily Zodiac won't offer any jobs that'll take anything from the Land of the Forgotten and will instead steer people to bring them stuff from Stardew Valley. Seems they rather not push their luck this time.
And finally, once the issue has been resolved, the Black Order goes quiet once more. They'll hang around town and appear if someone tries to cause problems in the Land of the Forgotten, but otherwise they're content to fade from the background. Once the gate disappears on May 31st, they'll seemingly leave town all together. Strangely enough, as time passes, while you recall your dealings with the Order, you'll have trouble remember anything about the specific members. Personal details such as their names and faces seem to escape your memory. No matter how hard you try to remember them, you can't remember anything about the individuals themselves. Strange, huh?
The dominant element this month is shadow! Anyone with an affinity to the shadow 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 light 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.
If you wish to have your character sign up for the ballgame, it can be done so here by May 11, provided there are slots open.
Death in the soccer game or by La Llorona's hands will be penalty free for player characters (meaning they aren't required to lose regains or get possessed - though they are certainly welcomed). Soccer game deaths can revive in between 1-7 days after the game (roughly around May 13th), while those drowned by La Llorona will revive 1 week after their death, or after the soccer game is concluded - whichever takes longer. Characters that die by other methods OR want to experience the penalties will need to comment to the major character update page. NPCs killed by La Llorona will not revive.
Interactions with Black Order members are done here! Every character can only interact with 1 Black Order member, so choose wisely! If you play multiple characters, we ask that you only tag a Black Order member with one character until Saturday 5/7 to give every player a fair chance to interact. You're good now! Feel free to tag with multiple characters! Group threads are allowed, but in order to avoid overwhelming the NPC players, there is a set number of threads allowed per Order member! Please pay attention to the cap counter before commenting!
Any fights or interactions with NPCs besides the Black Order members 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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Perhaps, but I would not count diving into hostile spirit realms a particularly restful decision either!
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I don't like to be bored?
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[He's definitely teasing her a bit, but also. Rhel. Rhel. He will drag you to a bed if he has to.]
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[It's so easy to forget that Raha doesn't know how hilariously bad Rhel trying to knit would go.]
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[Honestly he is not remotely expecting any of that to actually work, but there has to be something can do while sitting still!!]
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Twelve, if Eorzea had that...they have such a thing here?
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They've become quite popular recently, to the point that they're often even available from the libraries. I can show you where to find them, if you'd like?
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[They pass by what would have been the Pendants, and Rhel has to stop and just. Just stare. Just sort of take a moment to miss her little apartment on the First, and wonder how these ruins are here.]
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He's quiet for a moment, letting her take it in before injecting in a quiet, soothing tone.]
It is extremely unlikely that this is an actual reflection of your world. I'm sure everything is just fine there.
[gods, he hopes so.]
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It's... well. I suppose in a sense you could call it that, but the connotations in Mexican and Latin American folklore are a bit different. There is a land of the dead, but it's supposed to be a sort of... maybe not joyous, but peaceful resting place. And there are times where it's believed that the wall between the spirit realm and the real world thins, and the spirits of the deceased can journey back to visit their loved ones. This doesn't feel like that at all.
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[Yeah, this ain't peaceful. This is awful.]
Could this realm then be corrupted, somehow?
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[He's in academic mode now, trying to scan through his mental library of folklore.]
The Aztecs did have different afterlives depending on how death occurred, but I don't think any of them were outright miserable- the worst one just had a number of trials to overcome, and I don't think that fits either...
[He trails off for a moment, still thinking, before he jerks his head up and turns around to where they came from, spurred on enough to break into a light jog.]
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Raha? What is it?
[A light jog is still faster than Rhel can run, and so she limps along behind Raha.]
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When she catches up to him, he's back with the chakrams, picking the piece up and turning it over in his hands. He looks up at and startles a bit to see how she's limping.]
Ah, please don't push yourself--!
[oh. but he guesses that he did... sort of not explain. He glances back down at the metal and holds it up for her to see.]
I just... when I first found these, it seemed as though any movement would break it apart at any moment. But now, it's certainly not repaired, but it doesn't feel like it's going to crumble apart at any moment.
[Lyna, he remembers she said. These belonged to Lyna, and as he focuses on that, tries to force a memory to come, he's not sure if it's his imagination or not that the decay seems to slow even more.]
I remember reading an article once, that was talking about Dios de los Meurtos- ah, that's the day where spirits can visit home- that talked about the multiple purposes for offering food and drink to spirits and decorating their graves. Part of it is that the journey between the realms is tiring, so the spirits can refresh themselves, but part of it is that the act serves as a beacon to the spirits. So they can find their way.
[He stares at the chakram a bit longer, before setting it back down.]
So for those that are not given offerings, those that are forgotten... they are lost. There are... a number of cultures that believe that the dead are not truly gone until no one remembers them anymore.
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Well.]
And you believe this realm is where those forgotten go? Or rather, where the memories of them go?
[And since he doesn't remember Eorzea or the First, there obviously would be ruins of it here, if this theory is correct.]
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[Oh.]
That's...oh, this poor souls. How awful.
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Unfortunately, I doubt there's much we can do for them.
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[She sighs, and though she can't help him off she can start to just. Dust Raha off because that's what she does. She grooms people she cares about and you, sir, are covered in ashes.]
At least they're not suffering. This is no hell, after all, just...bleak.
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Yes-- a few even seem to be relatively at peace. I hope all of them can get there.
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Rhel quickly stops when Raha starts, clearing her throat and brushing her hands off on her skirt.]
A-agreed. I wonder if there are any rituals this world has to aide them. They deserve it, I think.
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There might be. I have some idea of where I might look... but for now I think we've lingered here long enough.
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