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

thebrideoffire: (Default)

[personal profile] thebrideoffire 2021-12-23 08:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Dany will be working to rebuild the badly hit homes and businesses. She's going to focus a lot more on those who are homeless.
soloritur: (154)

[personal profile] soloritur 2021-12-23 08:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Marcos will want to help with this. He spent enough time around them to have some feelings about leaving their bodies to rot, so he'll do the decent thing.
bearshermark: credit: <user name="morninglight"> (u wot)

[personal profile] bearshermark 2021-12-23 08:34 pm (UTC)(link)
So canon updated characters permnantly lose everything they gained in-game? DDD:
binghua: (27)

[personal profile] binghua 2021-12-23 08:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Xingchen ain't so great at the sneaking bodies out bit, but he would definitely want to help bury them properly.
beitangmoran: (Default)

Re: RECONSTRUCTION

[personal profile] beitangmoran 2021-12-23 08:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Moran will reluctantly try to instill some sense of reality into Macaluso with some political advice and Xie Lian will continue trying to help feed people and unearth stuff from the rubble.
soulmonger: (Default)

BLOOD GOLEM

[personal profile] soulmonger 2021-12-23 08:38 pm (UTC)(link)
who wants to help a tiny go after some blood golems??
lancifolium: (pegaeae)

[personal profile] lancifolium 2021-12-23 08:38 pm (UTC)(link)
One highly experienced gravedigger reporting for duty.
bearshermark: made by penbeetreewood (camping)

[personal profile] bearshermark 2021-12-23 08:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Hm okay. I can see him leaving his spirit sword and journal behind- things I definitely can't abide him losing. The rest is fine, even if a little sad- those things can be replaced.
elfuego: (and sweat)

[personal profile] elfuego 2021-12-23 08:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Ayooooo!
soulmonger: (Default)

[personal profile] soulmonger 2021-12-23 08:54 pm (UTC)(link)
look two capable teens! we can totally handle this!
soulmonger: (Default)

[personal profile] soulmonger 2021-12-23 08:56 pm (UTC)(link)
are there any places they're more likely to find the golems than others??
elfuego: (Default)

[personal profile] elfuego 2021-12-23 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
we've got fire and swords what could go wrong!
soulmonger: (Default)

[personal profile] soulmonger 2021-12-23 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
i feel like a lot of things.....
elfuego: (Default)

[personal profile] elfuego 2021-12-23 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
i mean yeah we know where we live but still!
blackscales: Commission, Do Not Take! (8)

[personal profile] blackscales 2021-12-23 09:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Please direct me to it if there's a post this is already described in -- but what are the blood golems used for? Are they normally controlled in some specific way?

I'm trying to work out, really, if Wrathion could help round one or two up and then maybe set them to helping with construction work or something -- but I wasn't sure if they were sentient in some way or just absolutely unsuited to work. He could (potentially) do some magical Legendary Artefact Creation style tinkering with someone who already knows about them if it shouldn't be easy?

Since, yknow, he'd like to help rebuild but he's not really the bricklaying sort. He will expedite anything with magic if he can.
bearshermark: credit: <user name="morninglight"> (pray)

[personal profile] bearshermark 2021-12-23 09:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Eleven will help. He'll remember one of their schools helped him, and feel terrible about their slaughter. An Attempt to set the souls lost in Taravast free will be made with probably an ineffective rite.
notsansa: (063)

[personal profile] notsansa 2021-12-23 09:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Cue a curious girl offering to help with said rites if he could use an assistant! If not, she'll just be nearby to observe respectfully. She doesn't know these foreign death customs but she's absolutely there to learn.

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