lostcompass | (no subject)

THIS IS A MAN’S MAN’S MAN’S WORLD

But it wouldn't be nothing... nothiiiiiiiiiing... without a magical wombat or a talking caaaaaaaaaaarp!

Anurr’s emboldened followers begin to congregate more openly, as ruling warlord Unhalad’s forces within Sa-Haret begin to thaw literally and morale-wise.

The port remains closed until 31 May, after which it re-opens with difficulty for limited periods.

The supply shortages caused by the lack of seaborne imports leave some of Sa-Hareth's population more prone to impatience and violence, questioning Unhalad’s ability to provide. Perhaps some of the surplus farmhouse produce could assist?

Careful how you interact in Sa-Hareth at this time! Tensions are running high, and even a casual, ill-considered comment could get unfortunate characters briefly imprisoned by Unahalad’s forces under suspicion of fraternising with Anurr.

A group of young men from Sa-Hareth sets out in the wilderness to meet with their counterparts from the forest people. They all pledge to prove their worth before Anurr over the next few days.

Characters are welcome to join, but should prepare to pretend deep interest in Anurr’s cause. Those who have previously imbibed the fabled brew that shares Anurr’s strength will be willingly embraced by the group.

Once deep in the woods, characters can encounter traces and even members of the secretive, if not entirely unapproachable forest people — which number both regular humans and those who have been incompletely touched by the same unyielding cold presence as Anurr’s undead.

The forest people will look scantly dressed for the weather, speaking among themselves in a clever, bird-like dialect that the quartz pieces struggle to translate. Very few will take questions.

By midday, the convoy will be brought before an ancient, eerie and resistant tree that emanates a cold aura. Necromancers and magically sensitive characters may sense death and birth both attached to it.

The tree is scarred with marks of chaffing from where the forest people proudly proclaim previous challengers were bound to its bark to withstand the same trials as did Anurr. Stepping closely to the tree will reveal glass and silvered mirror shards at its thickened roots, sufficiently dirtied to suggest they were deposited some time ago. The tree bark also shows nail and teeth marks.

Characters will be invited to take some of the trials inspired by Anurr’s feats. Participation is optional but rewarded. The various tasks on offer:

riddle-me-this (SIGN-UPs): deep in the forest lies a small pond, barely the length and width of ten paces. To the burn of a day-long incense stick, an ancient koi carp will peer its head out every two hours and ask those who have gathered for one riddle from each member or from groups. If they can present a riddle the carp hasn’t heard, it will give characters the answer to one burning question, about the past, present or future — or they can take another turn, two hours later! This trial proves the wit of Anurr.

trial by magical wombat (MORE SIGN-UPs): in one of the tundra meadows, the forest dwellers will summon forth an oversized arctic, peaceful wombat to test challengers for tactical brilliance akin to that of Anurr. To win the trial and be granted one minor wish, characters have thirty minutes to protect an apple in their keep and seize a bell the wombat wears as its collar. It is recommended to work in pairs, but careful! If the wombat steps on your shadow, it will paralyze you in place and approach to claim its apple prize.

a night alone (SIGN-UPs, WITH FEELING): characters may agree to be chained in pairs (with other characters or NPCs) for one night, testing themselves for Anurr’s fortitude. This will be a particularly gruesome experience, subjecting characters to the intense cold, wind voices that madden and question them, along with visits from Anurr’s dead, who might taunt or mark them. By sunrise, if they are particularly suffering, they might hear a lone, bell-like voice asking, What would you give to be avenged?

These events are set to cover the period of 30 May - 10 June, though feel free to pick and choose whether your character will get involved with any of the trials, study the woods and forest people, help out Sa-Hareth locals or, well. Nap.

Plot out character involvement to your hearts' content below, but make your own posts/logs, please!

General questions not linked to the trials here!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Heck yes! You might say we're going to make that koi fish for answers.

we may offishally say we're gonna carp-e diem ask over this pond--

I'm going to try and get some stuff up tonight, would you like me to kick us off the and we can riddle the fish?

That would be spectacular! If I'm not able to get to it this evening (today was a beast and my bed is already calling me) I will definitely be all over it come tomorrow. You could say I'll sashimi my way over even.

all right! so we have at least one riddle to stump the koi, did you have a question lily would want to ask?

wei wuxian's suggestion would be: who should we trust to get all of us out of this region and eastward alive

... because if they're already asking a riddling carp things why not go full in

or! he can say asking what The Merchant's gains are out of helping them out... he'll try not to be offhand because that'll be how the wombat went for him!

You read my mind, I've been pondering this same issue. So on the bright side, we get two questions since one of my riddles stumped the koi. Since Lily hasn't been here long and thus isn't aware of the specific details of everything beyond Karsa's intro and the little bits she's managed to pick up from people she would probably stick to what's striking her as most important about the information she does have, something like:

Where in the east do we have to go to get home?

For the same reason, how often do you best a magic carp and get the chance! I really like both of your questions, though Lily doesn't know enough about The Merchant to really advocate for that option if asked.

On a semi-related note, I'm not sorry that she's going to try and high-five him when they beat the carp.

I'm going to tell you straight up, that's a waste of a question because I don't know the answer, so neither will the carp.

Alright so. How can the process of turning undead be reversed? For the fish, with love.

"Lily,
When you broke your sister's toys, could you mend them back without stitch or seam?"

It took her a moment to say anything, hastily flipping over the piece of paper she had jotted her riddles down to quickly transcribe, word for word what the carp had to say in response, unwilling to risk letting something important slip by. There could be an anagram hiding in that response after all!

Finally, hesitantly she sat on the ground about a foot and a half away from the carp's pool, peering at it thoughtfully. "Are they broken, or are they missing a piece somehow?"

"Lily,
If the toy is broken, stitches must be made, and the toy is sewn. If parts are missing, they must be replaced, and the toy is mended. Wounding cannot be reversed."

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Edited 2021-06-07 20:48 (UTC)

thank you for the heads up!

also kjfngdkgfd did you just edit this so you could use a gif, incredible.

n...................... o

LMF THANK YOU RUXI

There is technically a way to give you guys a non-answer, but I almost feel bad cheating.

You are very sweet to let us try and be more useful in these questions, given my first instinct is usually: what's comedic

LOOK OTHER OPTIONS ARE: how can the process of turning undead be reversed?

................... look i'm trying to think it's just going poorly, uuuh

in what ways can the enchantment on the mirrors like the one on the slave ship be stopped?

also please high five him

OOOOOOOOOOh I like the undead one and your first one, about who to trust, both of those are practical, and the one about the undead is compassionate enough that Lily would be super down to yield her question for it.

Though bringing up the mirror will just have her asking about the mirror to Wei Wuxian.

She's completely going to high-five him at least twice. Once for each victory. Thank you for being on board.

look as long as we go in expecting the who to trust to end up with "no one," "yourselves" or "a flying whale named Chartreuse*" and the undead one to be a "you can't" THEN WE CANNOT do anything but go "awesome we now have koi official answers on these things" and thus be proclaimed winners

I say shelve the mirror for now, but it can be a good thing to bring up that there's anything to know about mirrors, so they can then have that conversation!

*if there are any such flying whales, we love you, and are contractually obliged to screw up your names, given your relative lung capacity and length of whale song notes as otherwise not matched by tiny human lungs

Sure, man, we can make flying whales happen in one of the next Arcs.

Let the musical ones try to learn the equivalent of their toddler language in song—oh no though this is cute

This all works for me!

arright then i shall claim the one about trust to officially pose to ruxi so we can have that for in thread, if you'd like to pose the one about undead to ruxi as well! ... so we can also have that in thread after using a

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