(no subject)

[groundrules]

And the votes are in...!

Characters by and large voted to save the miners and not get involved, with some minor differences on whether the captives should be released into the wilderness or taken home.

The results of this beautiful endeavour:

The tides of fortune and a highly questionable array smile upon us! Characters succeed to reach the miners and set them free. The miners’ immediate instinct is to slowly, groggily scatter, attracting attention.

Unhalad’s forces will focus on recapturing the miners. Anurr’s faction will take advantage to slaughter them. Some of Anurr’s people will spot the party and half the contingent will initially set out to pursue them, before withdrawing when they encounter Lee Chang, Xiao Xingchen or Xie Lian. At this point, folks, run home fast. Anyone staying behind will likely be heavily injured or killed.

Of the eight miners, three are slain by Anurr’s men, three run into the forest and two... join characters home.

Sadly, Archeval’s suspicions prove right: the two minors who arrive at the farmhouse progress in their transition to undeath. The transformation can be slowed down by keeping them warm at all times and giving them high volumes of food and water.

The two miners will be terrorised by the nightly voices and repeatedly attempt to escape into the mountains. They will struggle to speak coherently, and will scream violently if they are left in the dark.

In the end, the transition will finalise and the two miners will become fully undead.

The miners held at the farmhouse will be particularly distressed if they are subjected to strong light, or if they see or sense Xie Lian and Xiao Xingchen nearby. Xie Lian and Xiao Xingchen will meanwhile feel an itch to kill them — the intensity of this compulsion is up to the players.

Five can have one of the forest people to teleport home. Please respond here if you’d like it to be a human forest dweller, or a semi-undead one. Also choose whether this captive is male, female, young or middle/old-aged. This will play into the type of information the captive will have available.

The forest captive will try to track down and kill the transitioning miners.


This outcome fell completely a tiny bit out of the mod forecast, so the May calendar has been revised accordingly. As Karsa’s post signals, there are now a bunch of in-character assignments that will need some muscling through, and sign-ups are listed below.

SIGN-UP BASICS: quests are up for grabs, but can only have one character officially signed up as lead/anchor for the assignment. Other characters can still help with the task — ideally, there should be at least two characters helping out with each assignment. Quest leads can ICly make organisation posts or logs to carry out their tasks, and should pretty-please share their findings with the class ICly.

In the spirit of fairness, let’s ask players to only have one of their characters lead a quest. Please propose how your character would try to go about completing the assignment, and you’ll get mod feedback on the price/result!

Available quests:

Interrogate the miners

Interrogate the lone forest person

Find out the farmhouse origins

Investigate the body in the lake

Snoop among Anurr’s followers to figure out anything further about his plans

Get more of that c-c-c-coin

Comments

TALK TO ANURR'S FOLLOWERS

[groundrules]

Keeping up with the Anurrashians.

[scrapgege]

Having talked to these people before, albeit unwillingly, Xie Lian will probably volunteer to go again if no one else can or is willing, or even if they are just for protection (their protection, not his). Although keep in mind that he forgot to pay his fine for public indecency last time he did that, which means there's a chance the city guards will start running after him if they spot him.

(He has shit luck so they absolutely will spot him.)

[groundrules]

Do you... want to unlucky-end him?

[scrapgege]

I mean, I kinda have to, and him being chased by the city guard because he didn't pay his fine is hilarious and exactly the kind of bad luck shenanigans he gets into.

[groundrules]

It seems to me awfully that Xie Lian will finish his interview with his new friends close to four of the morning, before sunrise but well in the night hours, breaking curfew — and, really, isn't that in breach of Unhalad's new rules to avoid public disruption? And worth another 8,000 fine, besides?

[scrapgege]

omg he really will have to fake his death and leave the country won't he

[groundrules]

Also, sounds as if Xie Lian, Lee Chang and Ery could buddy up — Ery's got a Q already here, let me know what you guys have.

[foxable]

Yeah lemme through Lee Chang at em

He doesn't have to head the thing, but him being there will probably Raise Some Interesting Questions

[groundrules]

It sounds as if Lee Chang, Xie Lian and Ery could do a thing? :D

Ery's already got a question here, maybe join in?

[quia]

Sure why not. Ery is new to these parts so she'd like to get a better idea about this rival Anurr and what his draw is. Ery would play the part of a very tired woman looking for something to believe in. So what if it's not that far from the truth?

First of all, she'd want to know what exactly Anurr's followers think they can expect of Anurr and why they believe he might be able to challenge Unhalad.

[jeoha]

Lee Chang is definitely also into those questions, and I think he would probably let these guys do most of the talking. (Like having Mu-yeong ask all the questions while he puzzles it together. )

He would also suggest the questions such as:
Why is he gaining power / support now? Did something new happen? even though he's pretty sure he knows the answer to it, and Why the arm thing because he thinks it's symbolism but hey might have some other actual reason.

Depending on how the previous questions go and if he's recognized he may straight up ask So how would one be able to meet him...

[groundrules]

Answers to Ery's questions and Lee Chang's!

[corvis]

Can Lee Chang possibly carry a question for Gil to Annur's buddies and ask if there have been any mysterious disappearances where someone has gone missing with no explanation from their group and has yet to be found?

Nevermind, something happening before this came up and nixes the question.

Gil would like to know more about Anurr's symbol and where it comes from, if possible. Was it meaningful in any way before it became Anurr's?

[groundrules]

So, the answer to that can be found in the legend of Arne, become Anurr, which Beitang Moran shared in summary here!

[corvis]

Ohh, I did read this but hoping there was more about it.

I'm assuming now that that's about the sum of it (what you just linked me)? Like it became a symbol during the point at which the legend says and had no meaning prior? (Aka it wasn't a symbol of another tribe or belongs to any gods/goddesses/cults before becoming what it is ... )

sorry, that first comment cut off early!

[groundrules]

Ah, a lone and tired woman, seeking God in the frost. Noble! Inspiring. And do we not all yearn for something bigger, better than us?

Ery will find the dock groups friendlier and more easily infiltrated by the young and frail-looking. They take in all sorts, particularly urchins, and weave them a pretty tale about the milk and honey that will pour from every end of the world, once Anurr returns to Sa-Hareth as liege and lord. Some, and they are forgiven their distrust, might wonder whether these well-spoken, conveniently spirited speakers haven't been... financially incentivised for their enthusiasm. But the storms have been howling for days now, the people need warmth, and these preachers offer hot cakes and fresh milk with their stories, come sundown. Why not?

Ery's question is greeted with condescending patience. Anurr can challenge Unhalad, because Anurr ruled Sa-Hareth for years. He was only ever deposed by luck and numbers and an incident of hazard that forged Unhalad strength and reinforcement from the mines. Now, Unhalad's allies in the east send him fresh forces, keeping the balance uneven — but over a month ago, Anurr was released from the jailhouse, and he has nearly wrested control back since.

What can be expected of Anurr? Exactly what he offered before: fairness, honest leadership, isolation from the east. No more forcible conversion of the people's sons and daughters, to be sent as infantry in the wars east. No more of the liberties that Unhalad's dead take with the living, slaughtering them sometimes like animals, when they covet their heat. Yes, tribute to the free people of the forest, and fewer merchants allowed to come and go as they please, but is that so wretched a thing? To have and respect their own borders? Would the kind lady perhaps not wish a taste of the brew that can let her feel Anurr's strength*, for one night?

*Know that accepting this concoction will afford Ery a series of supernatural skills but also put her mind heavily under Anurr's influence for a night. Consider the pros and cons!

all is good <3

[quia]

And what makes Anurr supposedly strong enough to win when he lost once before? They say luck, but is that just hearsay. Pretty lies for their stories?

Ery will drink the concoction, as she doesn't believe she has much of a soul to worry about who it follows and the best way to get to know someone is directly.

[jeoha]

ahkdjhf oh no

If they are going together Lee Chang wouldn't try to stop her from drinking it, exactly, but he would definitely give her a very warning look after all they've learned about that particular concoction.

Unfortunately his curiosity is only likely to be stoked at this point rather than diminished so if she disregards his warning he will probably just stick around to watch / keep an eye...

[quia]

SORRY SHES NEW AND RECKLESS she still doesn't get how to be human well enough not to take the risk.

she'll partake in this experiment for the both of them!

[groundrules]

And as for Lee Chang's question: Anurr always had the people's support. Live in their hearts. In their souls. Never left them. But he was imprisoned all this time ago, and in truth, even the speakers do not know who released him from his wretched constraints in the jail, but that man is surely blessed. And now that Anurr is free once more, he will not forgive. He will not forget.

The arm... ah, that is only the old way, in keeping with the legend of Anurr: the old chieftain disrespected Anurr and stole his arm in the three ring trials through wickedness. And so, every time Anurr is disrespected, every time something is stolen from him, every time there is shrewdness and foul play, Anurr will take an arm. Is this not fair? To speak in the same tongue as was taught to him? Anurr is just.

[jeoha]

Well at least they aren't collecting arms to turn into some kind of giant undead caterpillar so that's a relief.

[binghua]

I am absolutely not late to this, time isn't real -

But Xingchen, after mentally agonizing over this choice, is interested in going back to try his luck again. Preferably without drinking the kool-aid, but beggars can't be choosers.

He'd also want to take up the offer previously given him to speak to Gorm the Miner, whatever that may bring. It could be horrible! He won't know unless he tries!

Also if no one else has offered to be the fearless leader for such an expedition, Xingchen can take on that mantle or he can just tag along and hope for the best.

[groundrules]

What a kind friend, Gorm can prove! What questions do you want Xiao Xingchen asking (and pls consider either feeding to someone else who'll communicate their findings, or do so on your side...!)

[binghua]

Kind friends are nice, he likes that.

He would like to know what Gorm's standing is among Anurr's followers. Is he something like a club officer or is he closer to Anurr than most?

Xingchen would also like to know if Anurr could, ah, somehow do away with sacrifices at all because while his deal is lot more fair than Unhalad's, it still can't sit right with people, can it? Surely the people Anurr is trying to rule more justly would like to still be alive while they're ruled.

Also, hey, just how does one get turned into the undead (especially if it's against their will)? Is there some sort of antidote or relief to reverse the process? Asking for a friend.

[groundrules]

Gorm has rallied this particular group of honest, patriotic men who seek to rise against injustice and finally right the many wrongs that have plagued Sa-Hareth. He has the honour of liaising between the group and Anurr's close men. He says he is most highly regarded.

...make of that what you wish.

Most of the people, Gorm argues, are of the living. Anurr only ever took the living who meant to join him — an entire and enthusiastic slew, at some points. Though Gorm does not know the process himself and admits that he would not hasten to offer himself yet — he leaves that to the young and the eager. Our Gorm, he has a family.