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lostcompass2022-11-10 06:56 pm
groundrules) wrote in lostcompass2022-11-10 06:56 pm
hale and whole | arc iv finale
Hi everyone! Last stretch of the Serthica road, it’s go time: most characters voted to stay in Serthica and attempt to scientifically & magically cure the coal sickness, before the beacon activates.
We’re currently on track for a good ending, with the unexpected possibility to revive some of Serthica’s population, if cards are played right. Please don’t blow the place up.
Our next event log goes up on 13 November, lasting until 30 November. You can find a summary of the major points below. The log will largely add more atmospheric details.
The November & December have been updated — in short:
- ■ An aftermath post tying up Serthica’s loose ends — and starting up her beacon — will go up on 1 December.
■ You can assume recently dropped characters are returning home through the beacon. You can also canon update your character at the time. New characters will be pulled in then.
■ Invite-only applications reopen over 30 November-3 December. Each player gets one invite/session, but you can get in touch for more, if we have capacity.
December is a lively month, between end-year celebrations and calendar work year coming to a close. So:
- ■ Activity requirements are waived in December, unless you’ve got a previous AC strike to clear.
■ December will have a lighter cooldown event letting characters lick their wounds, bond and experience opt-in effects in a more protected, temporary setting. For the plot-itching, there will be some signs of haunting and you can investigate a small ghost mystery — once again opt-in.
HALE & WHOLE
With a wealth of talismans burned, characters can enjoy the previously discussed view of Serthica’s undeath, with the following perks:
The Merchant presents the Serthica findings, recommending evacuation. Outvoted, he agrees to sponsor the group until the beacon’s annual start-up. To heal Serthica, the party must destroy the magical anchors of the curse-sickness, develop its science/herbal cure, then distribute it across the overground citadels.
You do not need scientific or magical abilities to play out most scenarios.
BEHIND YOU
Courtesy of Five Hargreeves, the burlap mannequins released from Remembrance actively hunt you.
A MAGICAL SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
The corrosive magic that spreads throughout Serthica is anchored in two areas: a port dock and a former Mouse House shelter. Cleanse this sorcery through exorcism, purification, healing spells, or by planting wards borrowed from Karsa.
Long exposure to the corrosive stokes anger, bitterness, doubt or violence in you.
✘ WET OF THE DOCK'S WET
At first, locals don’t remember the putrid inactive dock exists as a distant part of Serthica’s port.
✘ (UN)SHELTERED
The inside of this formerly grandiose shelter of the Mouse House reminds you of the ruined mansion of the Unwinding. Locals say the house — which preceded Ma’am Mariol’s shelter as an orphanage — is haunted. The coal sickness spread overground after a child was adopted from this shelter.
THE SCENIC SCIENCE ROUTE
The science-based cure requires retrieving resources and researching an answer. Godspeed.
✘ THE SEED & THE STORM
The Unwinding revealed special strands of juniper and rosemary that can help the sickness. Cain d’Ubiq confirms quantities of each plant remain cryogenically intact aboard the Serthica Aerial Healing Unit ships that were caught in the crossfire of the Sibilant Sands, when Eidris and Minaras fought their last battle. Hunt down the vessels to retrieve the goods.
✘ THINK, TANK
Time to liberate a lab. Minaras’ foremost medical unit is the Conclave Healing Academy, comprising research labs, libraries, equipment rooms and sample collections, including some of the coal sickness.
SPREAD YOUR JOY
Mass-production time: take over the former underground Remembrance headquarters, one of Cain d’Ubiq’s factories, or make potions in your back yard. The cure can be drunk or absorbed through skin and must be spread in Eidris and Minaras.
You are free to come up with your own ideas, but some optional suggestions on the house:
NOTES:
GOT PLANS?
Need a partner in what is likely to be crime throughout this event? Comment to this post with your definitely not-recycled planning form, and spam around:
With a wealth of talismans burned, characters can enjoy the previously discussed view of Serthica’s undeath, with the following perks:
- ■ The situated dragon eye allows everyone to access the undeath-sight pendant feature at any point. Use it 15 minutes at a time, with a 45-minute cooldown.
■ Those who burned talismans (our delivered the dragon eye) have residual immunity: they cannot be sensed by mannequins or by undead linked to the curse-sickness. Karsa advises this is transferrable once, to one person. Choose wisely.
The Merchant presents the Serthica findings, recommending evacuation. Outvoted, he agrees to sponsor the group until the beacon’s annual start-up. To heal Serthica, the party must destroy the magical anchors of the curse-sickness, develop its science/herbal cure, then distribute it across the overground citadels.
BEHIND YOU
Courtesy of Five Hargreeves, the burlap mannequins released from Remembrance actively hunt you.
- ■ They are constantly watching, stalking ,hunting. Some bear an uncanny human likeness, but most must cover up in excess clothing and swarm you in crowded spaces to stab. They borrow your appearance to attract their next victim, if they touch you.
■ Some devolve into eldritch forms. They mimic voices or puppeteer husked corpses to lure people into dark alleys.
■ Each mannequin has a one-word code on its nape or right calve. Speak it out and the mannequin glitches, letting you run.
A MAGICAL SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
The corrosive magic that spreads throughout Serthica is anchored in two areas: a port dock and a former Mouse House shelter. Cleanse this sorcery through exorcism, purification, healing spells, or by planting wards borrowed from Karsa.
Long exposure to the corrosive stokes anger, bitterness, doubt or violence in you.
- ■ Finn’s mannequin can stay alive if she’s supplied life or magical force (think 5% of someone’s reserves) — either through weekly transfers or a rewiring of the magic that sustains her (by a competent party magic user, or Finn can pick up the skills in later travel.)
✘ WET OF THE DOCK'S WET
At first, locals don’t remember the putrid inactive dock exists as a distant part of Serthica’s port.
- ■ Persist, and you learn this dock was once used to smuggle in illegal arrivals from Ke-Waihu. Later, it loaded the bodies of the plagued that were burned at sea.
■ Rotten wood planks can break, dropping you into the paralysing waters. The dead might reach out from the depths to drag you in.
■ Ships no longer call here — yet a small boat stops for you. You might feel compelled or curious to join the lone passenger — a man in white. As the boat drifts, attracting the swimming undead that seek to climb in, the man offers safe return, if you answer: What do you most want? Where would you stop to obtain it? Lie, and the boat is capsized, leaving you to swim back amid undead. Answer honestly, and you return unharmed.
■ Activate your spells or Karsa’s wards in the dock site.
✘ (UN)SHELTERED
The inside of this formerly grandiose shelter of the Mouse House reminds you of the ruined mansion of the Unwinding. Locals say the house — which preceded Ma’am Mariol’s shelter as an orphanage — is haunted. The coal sickness spread overground after a child was adopted from this shelter.
- ■ Spirits jump to throttle you, trip you down stairs, or lock you in. House fixings might collapse.
■ The ghosts of orphanage caretakers are enjoying a tea party. They ask if you are a servant or a guest. Answer ‘servant,’ and you must pour tea, as attendants stab you with cutlery when you’re within reach. You are dismissed once you finish pouring. Answer ‘guest’, and you must join them at the table and perform whatever they ask: slap yourself, dress up as a doll, answer inconvenient questions, etc. You can leave once someone else has poured the ghosts tea.
■ Find the dark magic source in the house greenhouse that has been overrun by ruinous mould. While physically unharmed, you feel overcome by crippling fear, loneliness, abandonment or futility. Talking about it helps soothe it.
THE SCENIC SCIENCE ROUTE
The science-based cure requires retrieving resources and researching an answer. Godspeed.
✘ THE SEED & THE STORM
The Unwinding revealed special strands of juniper and rosemary that can help the sickness. Cain d’Ubiq confirms quantities of each plant remain cryogenically intact aboard the Serthica Aerial Healing Unit ships that were caught in the crossfire of the Sibilant Sands, when Eidris and Minaras fought their last battle. Hunt down the vessels to retrieve the goods.
- ■ Take your transport flier or one of Cain d’Ubiq’s martial, fire-breathing dragons to traverse the Sibilant Sands, roughly one day’s flight each way of Serthica. Martial dragons challenge inexperienced riders, but fly sturdily through intermittent sandstorms and whirlwinds.
■ The ships can be found near dragon bones and human skeletons, in stages of burial or disrepair.
■ Beware barbed wire animated by dark water that jumps up from the sand. Just as vile are buried vermin-like creatures who send their razor-blade-ended tentacles to strike out from below ground.
■ Members of protest group Remembrance are also unearthing ships. They plan to board mannequins on the vessels, pass them as Minaras units and conduct more attacks against Eidris.
■ Their volatile leader Chrichter is personally fixing a ship. Sign up for a RNG draw to chat with him — though you’ll need to capture him.
✘ THINK, TANK
Time to liberate a lab. Minaras’ foremost medical unit is the Conclave Healing Academy, comprising research labs, libraries, equipment rooms and sample collections, including some of the coal sickness.
- ■ The Academy connects to the centre that treatsZenobius and brims with healing apprentices. Bring juniper and rosemary samples, pose as a bright-eyed novice healer or a concerned relative of Zenobius, or barge in.
■ Several basement laboratories are marked for the study of the coal sickness. Steal the entry codes from guards or tease them from a lowly medical intern — but don’t linger on the corridors long. Large clockwork hounds patrol and are attracted to biological signs of fear.
■Take over a lab to concoct a cure elixir from the herbal strands and test it against the coal sickness samples.
■ Hold the fort until your cure’s done, while guards and hounds try to enter your lab through air vents, windows or ram the door. Fight back, distract them or persuade the Academy protective droids they’re the enemy.
■ Anyone affected with the sickness can drink the cure without needing to wait for the destruction of the magical anchors. Symptoms fully disappear within 24-72h. Characters remain sensitive to the un/dead for the rest of their stay.
SPREAD YOUR JOY
Mass-production time: take over the former underground Remembrance headquarters, one of Cain d’Ubiq’s factories, or make potions in your back yard. The cure can be drunk or absorbed through skin and must be spread in Eidris and Minaras.
You are free to come up with your own ideas, but some optional suggestions on the house:
- ■ Take your dragon or hijack a Minaras airship and a diffuser to spray down an incense mix that contains the cure. Minaras airships sleep in secured bays you’ll have to break into. Careful taking a dragon into Minaras or an airship to Eidris — local authorities may perceive this as a security breach.
■ Reprogram or con some hapless droids to feed the cure as ‘novel vitamins’ to their owners.
■ Commandeer the Mouse House train that ferries supplies from the Serthica ports and spray the cure on produce and grains.
■ Minaras High Councillor Arabella has been previously targeted by Remembrance and could be persuaded to help by her rescuers, if they play their cards wisely.
■ Vanessa’s good criminal underworld boss Artemius Bale might also have his people sneak the cure into waterways… if you cut him a deal.
■ …lemonade stand?
NOTES:
- ■ QUESTIONS
■ While everyone can help the cause, we only need one finished thread from each scenario to strike gold for the Best Ending. You've all done good.
■ Sign up for a final RNG draw to talk to the Child.
■ Lie, cheat and steal. Use your false identities liberally.
■ Courtesy of Jim and the Doctor’s efforts to move Ma’am Mariol’s orphanage overground, you can count on tips, information and help with legwork from her street-smart urchins.
■ This all requires big-picture movements (hijacking vessels, misusing infrastructure, entering high-profile buildings) — so take liberties with NPC stupidity or circumstances to help the cause. (ex: the samples of the herbs you’re using take an incredibly short 10 minutes to react to your test cure, neglectful custodians left easy access to water pipes, so on.)
GOT PLANS?
Need a partner in what is likely to be crime throughout this event? Comment to this post with your definitely not-recycled planning form, and spam around:
CANON UPDATES
Give a shout until 23:59 on 29 November if you want to canon update your character, and to what canon point, please. Thank you!
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closing my eyes and looking away for the rest.
It's not a huge leap from the last canon point, but the main thing is: she'll know her sister isn't dead, and is in fact in her Darth Vader era.
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If it is still possible, I think this is an apt time to canonbump Vanessa to the end of/just after the Penny Dreadful season 2 finale (2x10: And They Were Enemies). Closure, yay! Depression, oh no.
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