eye of the storm

[groundrules]

Image source.

EYE OF THE STORM

This is an optional assignment, for those who are done U n w i n d i n g and want something to sink their teeth into until 15 October. Feel free to use this post if you have questions or want to plot among yourselves, but there will be no mod-run log — you're welcome to do your own and/or posts!

✘ OBJECTIVE: bring back fallen dragon scales and/or a crystallised eye from the Sibilant Sands wasteland outside of Serthica.

■ True to his word, Cain d’Ubiq has arranged for a dozen transport dragons to wait at Serthica's ports, reachable through the Mouse House.

■ The dragons accept new riders easily. Cain d'Ubiq's people have equipped them with dried meats, food, light shovels and water supplies, binoculars and climbing hooks. Bring your own weapons.

■ The Sibilant Sands are a long red stretch of withered land with misted peaks and abrupt canyons. Beware the nauseating aridity of the region — and massive whirlwinds that coalesce unexpectedly and can easily pull in skittish dragons.

■ Reaching Cain's coordinates takes you to a valley of fallen dragon bones, half buried in dunes, some peeking. Careful: sand dunes can easily pull you in as you inspect, while local scavenger creatures would delight in fresh meat.

■ White, opalescent scales are buried haphazardly in the desert. Dig long enough — exposed to quick sands, the elements and various creatures, and you might even find an eye. Scales are up for grabs, but sign up by 10 October to RNG for the eye.

■ Bring your loot back to the Mouse House. No pressure, but the eye would be exceptionally handy...

QUESTIONS

Comments

QUESTIONS

[groundrules]

Mmmmmmmmmmm, dragon debris.

[weifinder]

Are characters who did the whole dragon bond thing allowed to make use of any of their bonds, or are the only dragons fit for the journey those our dear king (of the skies) supplied?

-- Also does he want a mustache appointment yet because that's a great reason to get back in touch with him post dragon graveyard! Or he is for the king rather, but look he can show up to groom Cain too.

[groundrules]

Sure, you can call your pre-bonded dragon over! Just meet it at the ports, not in Eidris.

This isn't the king! But the king could use his 'stache fluffed, sure.

[weifinder]

Wonderful, thank you!

Also laughs, yeah that's where being tired had me putting the wrong name to the wrong face -- but yes look. Cain. Don't you also want in on this... weird... thing going on. Or at least the king and we can all weep drftgyuhjkl

[weifinder]

Also I'm so tired I keep late thinking of things: any resentful energies out there with those bones? Or lingering energies at all.

[sansdoute]

This is a former conflict area, so Wei Wuxian can latch onto anything from distressed dragons to dying humans and violence all around.

[weifinder]

Got it, thank you! Gives me good flavour to play around with/be distracted by when they're all out on those sands.

[incantates]

Follow-up question related to the eye. If Magnus were to use it to try and assess Arabella's true nature while investigating, would it show anything regarding her and her cohorts?

[groundrules]

You're not overground yet!

(To clarify: this matters, because depending on what you do in the Halloween event, you won't need this question. And if it's answered prematurely, could spoil you for the Halloween event.)

[incantates]

Oh, I see, I see. I was wondering when to time his investigation with Zhou Fei, but I don't want to spoil future shenanigans. Alrighty ty!

GOT MY EYE ON YOU | RNG DRAW

[groundrules]

Fallen dragon scales are more liberally scattered across the Sibilant Sounds, but crystallised eyes are a scarcer commodity.

We have one to go around — you can drop a comment here with your character's name by 10 October to sign up for an RNG draw for it. Try not to lose it, if you get it! It's about 20cm in diameter, should be... hard to miss.

The winner is required to advertise they have the eye, network-wise!

[weifinder]

Pats down in here for the RNG!

[groundrules]

Scale up, homies!

[unas]

sign me up baby

[groundrules]

Scales for this lovely lady, but they're a treat!

[somebadnews]

Five is getting dragged into this, and for canon-reasons it's very funny to me if he finds it. He's VERY GOOD at not losing eyes.

[groundrules]

Scales this round, but check out the effects!

[incantates]

I'll hop in on the sign up. Could be a good ingredient for future potions.

[groundrules]

Eye on the prize.

[incantates]

He finally leveled up from the jar of dirt he's been carrying around.

[groundrules]

Folks, the RNG gods have spoken, and Magnus gets the eye. However, being just four of you — I'd say, talk the adventure among yourselves here, see who wants to post or thread or whatnot.

Una, Wei Wuxian and Five can discover up to three scales each.

How this works:

The Eye: 30cm in diameter. The bearer can see the true state of someone's undeath or whether they've been touched by dark water. It also briefly reveals their true physical situation to you — they will appear featureless, consumed by mould, entirely dark and tar-covered or, more frequently, made of burlap. Only the holder of the eye can see this, for a few seconds. Hold on to it, it'll be of value in the Halloween event.

The Scales: this acts like a detector for undead and/or dark water-touched creatures. The physically closer you are to them, the more it glows white or warms. The scales cannot give you a clear idea of whether they are undead or under the thrall of dark water — it reacts the same way to both.

Both the eye and the scales only work for the people who actively hold it (in other words, three people touching the eye won't all benefit from the effect), and cutting them in parts annuls their effect.

Good news: you can see or feel no undead/people touched buy dark-water/camouflaged burlap mannequins in the Mouse House. But there are a few dozens in the port you have to go through when you return. They don't realise you've seen and felt them.

...don't scream.

[weifinder]

LAUGHS this is beautiful, my one question is: we don't need to worry about details of the scales until Halloween event, right, I'm presuming we're all staying below Serthica proper until then.

OKAY FOLKS do we want to thread anything specific, does someone want to post what this ends up like? I was going to toss up a "let's go leave for the dragon boneyard!" post, but that might be less helpful if it's just the four of us, in which case:

Hey Magnus wanna tell what you found, and any of the rest of our folks can chime in with the scales? Seems like the best way to figure out functionality will be when they return to port

JOHN, LILA AND ELLETHIA

[groundrules]

Any questions, drop them here — or if you folks want to talk amongst yourselves, this is hereby your tiny thread.

WE HAVE DECIDED TO LOG THE THING.

[strewth]

Ellethia sounds like the name of someone who calls the cops for noise complaints at 5pm on a school holiday, but in reality she's a strikingly beautiful island off the coast of nowhere. The plants, alive and dead, dead and alive, are a wondrous fascination to John, and he furtively nicks a few cuttings, to experiment with later. He's never been one for plant magic-- that was another bastard's bag of tricks-- but he's a respect for the Green, thanks to the selfsame bastard.

He thinks of this while staring up at a lighthouse that looks like it ought to be in a Foweraker painting. "Blimey, ain't this beautiful."

It's the first he's said to the girl since they got here. There was an introduction, rushed, where he swore he heard the name Gemma, but a more careful index of his memory revealed more 'L's. Will every dark-eyed teenager remind him of his niece for the rest of his life? Is that his fate?

No, more like he wasn't paying bloody attention. John saunters toward the tower, trench coat billowing behind him. The wind in his face sends his tie over his shoulder. "C'mon, then, let's get us some coats."

Why this is important, he isn't entirely sure, but it sounds easy, and like a good way to get an idea of what he'll be working with. Everything seems pointed in the right direction. Some'd call that synchronicity.

[littlemimic]

This is a snatch-and-grab job for her, reminiscent of a few of her past missions that were handed down by her mum. It's a nicer place than the last abandoned building she decided to ransack, and much warmer than the snow storm Lila had landed in. While her partner stops every now and then to take samples of the local flora, her own gaze is focused up on the lighthouse. Watching the windows and surrounding area for any potential threat. Years of training too engrained in her actions to simply shrug them off now.

"Sure, bloody beautiful. Love an abandoned building beckoning me in to explore." That isn't sarcasm at all. In fact, she sounds downright excited.

She'd be quick to correct his mistake on her name, and her age, if he thought she was some sort of pimply teenager. While Lila might be short, it didn't make her that young. Unless this Constantine fellow was much older than he looked.

Falling into step behind him, she may be letting him take the lead in case there's danger ahead. Looking out for herself was something she excelled at, so why not allow him to be the front-line defense. "We could probably nick some other useful items while we're here."

A set of weapons of some kind would be nice, for emergencies. As they draw closer, she eyes the marks on the walls. "Think whatever made those is still here? Didn't see anything moving in the windows yet, doesn't mean they aren't in there."