groundrules: (Default)
let's set d o w n some ([personal profile] groundrules) wrote in [community profile] lostcompass2021-12-23 07:52 pm

taravast - finale

Happy holidays if you are celebrating any in this period, folks. Well done on putting another challenging year behind!

There is no December activity requirement, minus Xue Yang’s, so there will be no AC post on 1 January. Instead, the monthly calendar and plot notes will go up around 3 January, detailing the upcoming journey Arc. Rolling apps remain open until 23:59 GMT tonight, but will close until 2 January.

As an Eastbound gift — your Taravast badges are ready.

For newcomers: badges are a purely optional and OOC “achievement of shame unlocked” sticker you can add to your character’s collectibles. It’s entirely up to you which and how many badges you want to claim for your character. You can find a wallet code to hold your badges, along with general mood & previous Arc ones archived here.


AFTERMATH





THE CLEANSING

Appeased by Jon Snow and Allison Hargreeves, Bessis leader Margherita Moretti instructs her sisters to back down from putting Taravast to fire at Bonaccorso Spina’s behest. As she was promised, she expects Macaluso Spina retrieved and carte blanche for her faction to annihilate the witches of Attaryl.

Not one Attaryl present in Taravast survives the day.

Following his consultations and conversations, a freed but jaded Macaluso opts not to flee, and to instead show strength by silently sanctioning the witches’ slaughter and assuming Taravast’s leadership with (fire-)armed support from the Bessis.

Informed of her grandfather’s attempt to possess her body and extend his life and leadership, Vannozza spares no mercy for the deposed and detained Doxe Bonaccorso Spina. She ends her cousin Macaluso’s balcony speech to calm the rioting masses by presenting Bonaccorso’s head. As she confessed her fears to Lily, the public is grateful for the death of the man who ordered them burned. But the people are weary of the loving niece who was nearly overtaken and who eliminated him so ruthlessly. Popularly embraced, Macaluso pardons his cousin, so Vannozza can retire into an advisory role and a quieter life in the Spina hunting grounds.

Remembering Diego Hargreeves, the foreign suitors he recently rescued during the Brotherhood’s dinner offer aid to reconstruct Taravast. Much of the citadel has burned, but Daenerys’ sanctuary has sheltered many innocents.

Spared by Anduin, lady Rigarda briefs Macaluso on the sordid realities of the weapons tribute Bonaccorso has been paying to keep Taravast free of the undead. Macaluso’s next move is uncertain — but Rigarda is not banished.



THE BEACON

Now Ilia Doxe, Macaluso Spina commands the ancient beacon of Taravast unearthed, to repay his supporters. Absent other witches of Attaryl, the newly embodied Hatisse, chained to Wrath, must open the beacon alone.

She requires frequent energy donations that characters can volunteer: those who have magical or spiritual energy will find that sapped first, while others can give up their stamina. Hatisse takes as much power as possible until characters (nearly) faint. Most of the energy is redirected into the beacon. Scraps remain as Hatisse’s fixer’s fee.

After a day of transfers, the beacon opens as a translucent, quickly coagulating bluish sheen that feels crackling to the touch, not unlike low-wattage electricity. Characters queue up to be ferried into their homeworlds: recently dropped characters or those who were AC-swept in early December head in first. Characters who are set for canon updates are the last to cross the beacon’s gate before the beacon depowers, barring further entries — despite Hatisse’s best efforts, the beacon is too drained to revive again.

In the last of its power throes, the beacon spits back the now-updated characters — alongside newcomers Thistle and Moiraine.

For those who cross in/out of the beacon, the transit experience can feel anywhere between completely physically neutral or crackling electricity. Some might feel their skin tightening, or as if their organs shrivel, while others experience a light-headedness not unlike intoxication.

Those who arrive in their home worlds do so without memories of their time in Akhuras, and without injuries or changes in physical or skill attributes from when they departed. None of the Taravast inventory goes with them, nor can they have it when they return back.

Arriving back in Taravast, the canon-updated gang and the newcomers will find their powers do not work initially. They can recover within 1-3 days (dealer’s choice on the intensity and duration of this process). They have full memories of both their time in this world, if they were here previously, and of their recent time at home. They will have been gone no more than a few minutes in Taravast time.


Emilia, Wrath and Eleven are slated for canon updates. If that’s changed, or if any other characters want to canon update, speak now, or forever hold your silence. Until next time.



ONWARDS AND UPWARDS

The beacon’s unfortunate demise galvanises the Merchant to restart travel efforts for our merry group. He requires a few days of preparations, during which characters are housed in the Doxe Palace on Macaluso’s coin and can:

■ Help rebuild Taravast. The residential district needs construction, while the necromancers want assistance with recapturing their blood golems, and healers could use someone to rummage for rare herbs in nearby gardens or dubious merchant stalls. Drop a line if you want to group up for rebuilding efforts. Anyone who goes ahead with logs or posts on it can receive small rewards.

■ Assist with burying rites for the slaughtered Attaryl. Some of their sisters outside of Taravast write in begging succour but fear the Bessis too much to return. This will require stealth to steal the bodies from where they’re guarded and displayed by the Bessis, but efforts can win later influence with the Attaryl. Group here.

■ With so much death and destruction behind them, the people of Taravast organise a motley, if heartfelt masqued fete in the streets — wine, foods, fair and new friends, sorcery-enhanced fireworks. Some of the various concoctions contain elixirs to greatly lighten or improve spirits. A Taravast custom of peace asks fete participants to pay a compliment or kiss the cheek of whomever they spot wearing the same mask colour as they are. Masks are randomly assigned by street performers.



Around 28 December, as they head to report to the witch Karsa for lessoning, Yun Yifeng and Yan Zhengming find the door to the sorceress’ quarters ajar in wait for them — only to hear her viciously screaming at an unresponsive someone within. The name Rigarda is repeatedly uttered — before Karsa realises her company and shuts the door closed and locked in their faces.

Two days later, Akira Kurusu is the next and last person to see Karsa — in the stables, preparing to mount her horse. Her face is generously covered by a full mask, but a watchful eye can spot bare bone peering through skin on the right half, from her forehead down her neck.

Karsa rides out of Taravast and leaves the party by the end of the month. She is no longer available in the NPC inbox as of 28 December.

Vannozza and Macaluso are no longer available for NPC threads.




AND ON AND ON WE GO

With the destination vote now closed, the characters will be heading to the village clusters next. This is not known to them at this time.

En route, they will be traversing the Merchant’s shattered home of Ellethia — the elusive magical citadel that was first to fall to the undead. A point will be made.

QUESTIONS

TARAVAST BADGES

valeas: (☾ s t e l l a t a)

[personal profile] valeas 2022-01-03 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
I'll be better, too!! We'll hold each other's hands and skips skips into this new chapter together. That is definitely something I'm going to want to pick back up on after the huge beacon fail. Maybe what we can do is establish they got the job done but then didn't have a whole lot of time to talk afterward? That gives us room to explore more for when they do meet up again. I imagine traversing through Ellethia is going to give a lot of openings for that.
soloritur: (126)

[personal profile] soloritur 2022-01-03 12:44 am (UTC)(link)
Yes, that works! He would have been pretty emotional, so focusing on the task was probably a reasonable choice. Meaning to say more but the moment not being right etc.

Marcos and Lorna tried to use the beacon too, but it failed before their turn, so after that Marcos was extra in his feelings about missing a chance to get back to his daughter. Eleven sent him a message after he got back about time not moving when he got to his world and nobody knowing he went missing, so he's got a lot on his mind. He'll be grateful to have Emilia to talk to about her experience and wtf this all meant. ;;
valeas: (☾ r i m o r s o)

[personal profile] valeas 2022-01-03 02:01 am (UTC)(link)
I can 100% see them both being emotional about it in different ways, Emilia using that as fuel/resolve to get shit done, you know how it be with her.

Marcos ;; she'll be able to confirm this same thing that Eleven did because she was among the few canon updated. Maybe they'll be able to talk about his baby girl, too. I'm already having feelings thinking about it tbh.
soloritur: (121)

[personal profile] soloritur 2022-01-03 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
Yes good, use it as a lesson to be proactive, he'll find that very inspiring. Marcos needs something to cling to that gives him a purpose and makes him think they're not just wrecking everything they touch.

Also yes;; He was so close... again... Having hope just for it to be forever out of reach really wears him down.