lostcompass | hale and whole

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 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.

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.

■ 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:

Threaded | Flat

When it comes to blowing things up, it's a race, not a marathon.

Please sign up by 23:59 on 12 November by +1-ing one of the options below. Please aim to carry out threads over 14-24 November and reveal the findings to the group!

Ah, the man in white.

This is optional, but you can record your character's answers here, if you're sure they'll be used in the event log. You might get a surprise in a later Arc or journey, based on this.

PLAYER: Lia
PREFERRED CONTACT: Discord (cosmology#1563) or Plurk (

cosmology)

CHARACTER: Yelena Belova
GENERAL PLANS / NEED HELP WITH:

Definitely fighting some horror mannequins.
Yelena will be planting wards at the docks. She will take the boat ride and lie to the man in white. Once the boat capsizes, she can either rescue someone who has also fallen in or someone can rescue her.
She will be infiltrating the Academy, stealing those entry codes, and fighting off guards while the cure is completed.
Yelena's cover is as canteen cook in Minaras, so infusing food and drink with the cure is a possibility if anyone wants to help set up and/or fund a canteen.
She may also infiltrate some larger facilities to plant cure diffusers in the air ducts.

PLAYER: beck |
PREFERRED CONTACT:

CHARACTER:: Leonard McCoy
GENERAL PLANS / NEED HELP WITH:

• He's raring to go, so he'll briefly be at the docks and tell the truth to the man in white.
• He'll need help getting into the Academy and therefore the clinic afterward.
• Bones kept a sample of the herbs Sizhui gave him, so he's got a head start on research and copious notes to throw at other lab buddies.
• Anyone who's particularly mechanical-minded is someone he'd love to partner with to aerosolize the cure!

PLAYER: ruxi

CHARACTER: Lan Wangji | The Untamed

PREFERRED CONTACT: PM!

GENERAL PLANS / NEED HELP WITH:

■ Lan Wangji knows ghosts, so he's going to hit up both the docks and the mansion. He is getting on that boat and probably foolishly attempting wholescale exorcism of the docks, because so many sad dead dead things. He might try to attack the man in white and immediately capsize your boat, if you're in it with him, but these things — they happen.

■ ...he needs to be the taken in by ghostly mansion children, so he'll either walk hand in hand with spirits there, or end up the unwitting 'guest' paralysed in place while they brush his hair. I also want the roof to fall on him. Pls pick him out of the rubble.

■ For the cure distribution, he's absolutely the guy who'd try to take over one of those waterways, please come be a brute with him in dark, wet spaces.

■ I am otherwise very, very happy to offer him as muscle or protection for smarter people looking to further their ventures. He'll demolish some mannequins for your cause.

Edited 2022-11-10 21:41 (UTC)

PLAYER: Jack
CHARACTER: Wrathion
PREFERRED CONTACT: PM, or ping me on disco

GENERAL PLANS / NEED HELP WITH:

✘ Cleansing rites: Wrathion would like to visit the docks and the mansion both! He can drag people out of the water, beat back undead creatures, and probably... wait to be served tea. He'd likely insist he was a guest, not a servant, and be forced to answer inconvenient questions or wear irritating outfits. He has no direct healing ability or exorcism type abilities, but will use Karsa's wards to help!

✘ Herb picking: Wrathion will head out to help search for things, since he can in fact... fly. I think of the limited people he'd allow to hitch a ride, most (save Anduin) have an Eidris flier. That said, if anyone wants to see him change (he'd probably try not to do it publicly) or wants to be like 'oh, a black dragon' and unwittingly pet him and not realise it's him, we could do that.

He can defend people from vermin and spooky barbed wire while they pick flowers once they arrive, and stand around moodily staring at dragon bones.

✘ Lab Defence: Wrathion has some scientific ability, he has made potions before! Usually involves infusing them with magic, however. He is, though, also a fighter. So if anyone is doing Cure Things, I can offer him to yell advice while fighting off things, and also unhelpfully try to hurry everyone up because he's anxious. If anyone else is also defence, they are welcome to trade quippy remarks about his impatience while they beat back stuff with him. He can deploy fairly decent distractions as well, since he can do illusions!

✘ Force-feed cure to small dragons: If this cure is made, and the anchors are broken, he will smuggle at least some directly to the baby dragons. Sorry, Serthica, he cares more about them than the rest of you folk. He might feel one whole emotion if it succeeds and nobody is ever allowed to mention it ever you saw nothing.

✘ Spreading Cure: Once his fixation on sick dragons is calmed, if they have cure to distribute Wrathion can leverage some mildly positive interactions with Arabella to see it done! What he'd need is a face for this cure. He's an investor, not a scientist. But if someone wants to buddy up with him, he will pitch it to her as their 'health tonic' he considered investing in, but thinks should be distributed instead of charged for For The Good of Minaras. He will offer to fund this! He just needs someone to go along with the... persuasive angle, and the continued not-calling-it-coal-sick-cure. Come pitch this Health Tonic with him.

Edited 2022-11-10 23:13 (UTC)

PLAYER: Cloude

CHARACTER: Clara

PREFERRED CONTACT: PM or lifewasawillow#5524

GENERAL PLANS / NEED HELP WITH:

➥ Would find it A+ to have Clara's image used for something awful and have that lead to an oops of angsty proportions.

➥ Clara's been rescued in the last 2 events so it's time for her to do some rescuing! She will have a wish, but she won't lie about what she would do for it — I just have to figure out what it is. I'm super into the idea of having her save people this time, either at the dock or in the old house.

➥ ...That's not to say I'm not here for trauma too. Definitely having her get attacked by some ghosts and then state that she's a guest, so anyone looking to be a tea pourer for her/guests at her table are needed!

➥ Would like to have her talk someone down in the greenhouse.

Edited 2022-11-11 00:46 (UTC)

PLAYER: Bluesy

CHARACTER: Five Hargreeves

PREFERRED CONTACT: PM or

lonesheep or ping discord chat

GENERAL PLANS / NEED HELP WITH:
• SORRY... okay, so some of that was his bad. Traumatizing the child seemed like a good idea at the time and he realizes that wasn't the best approach. He's going to be team We Need to Trap the Child and fix this problem. Feel free to come at him to encourage your ideas here.
• The idea of mannequins raging after Five appeals to me, so into whatever you want to do for this great irony.
• No solid plans yet, but Five is definitely barely holding it together by this point so expect more great decisions. He'll probably pass out of exhaustion at some point, try not to step on him.

PLAYER: CJ

CHARACTER: The Doctor

PREFERRED CONTACT: PM | discord (bluebox#8972) |

geekorthodox

GENERAL PLANS / NEED HELP WITH:

▸ If you would like your character to be chased by a creepy mannequin that looks like the Doctor, hit me up!

▸ He can save you from the dead trying to drown you around the docks, join you in the boat, etc. etc.

▸ The Doctor loves a haunted house/ghosts so spending time at the good ol' haunted mansion is right up his alley. He's here for all your 'rescuing from rubble' and tea party needs. He does love a good party, especially a ghostly one! Also keen on the greenhouse aspect of this, happy to either have the Doctor trying to help your character with crippling fear/loneliness, or vice versa.

▸ Liberating labs: the Doctor is a smooth talker/charmer so he would 100% be your guy for talking people out of giving up codes. Note that he also has psychic paper which he can use to fake credentials - helpful for such situations! He would also be great at brewing elixirs, if anyone could be the muscle and hold back some hellhounds.

▸ Spreading the cure: really anything goes here!

Basically, for any of the big picture stuff, the Doctor talks a lot, talks fast, tries to be affable and endearing so he can be good at talking various NPCs into giving up things/divulging things. He's good at sneaking into buildings, playing long cons/short cons, what have you. He's also very good in stressful situations, doesn't get easily rattled, is generally encouraging/hopeful so whatever happens, hey, we've got this! (~~Though this was tested recently in the tower of terror lmao.~~)

If you're interested in anything not mentioned above, I can almost guarantee I'll be down for it, so the sky's the limit!

PLAYER: Cella
CHARACTER: Hermione Granger
PREFERRED CONTACT: DM, reply to this or shortitude#9741
GENERAL PLANS / NEED HELP WITH:

Well listen, Hermione's very glad we're sticking around and trying to fix this mess rather than running again; once you start running you never really stop, it's how it goes.

I'm trying to get back in the swing of game so I'll keep involvement down to a digestible minimum of sorts:

1. She can be of help with reinforcing wards around the old Mouse House shelter. She's got her own magic tricks but can also assist someone(s) (or go solo) with Karsa's wards.

2. She has been dragging her potions lab with her this whole time and you bet your ass it's double, double, cauldron bubble - aka helping with producing larger amounts of the cure. She'll leave distribution to other companions. Feel free to notice that she's looking underslept and her hair's starting to look wild.

3. Being dragged into other people's shenanigans. Her talents include breaking & entering, liberating books, shoving a lot of loot inside a very tiny bag that seems to hold a lot of stuff, setting up a campsite, and side-along Apparating (95% chances of causing her side-along to throw up on her shoes). Also she's gained in-game experience of the dead wanting a chat, thanks to the whole sucking-energy-out-of-a-volcano thing. Come at me with shenanigans, yo.

Edited 2022-11-11 08:38 (UTC)

PLAYER: Dùlin

PREFERRED CONTACT: The discord or journal PM or here

PLAYER: Jesse
CHARACTERS: Vanessa Ives & Vi
PREFERRED CONTACT: Pactoris#0587 |

cherto | PM

PLAYER: Lils
CHARACTER: Daenerys Targaryen
PREFERRED CONTACT:

ladylils
GENERAL PLANS / NEED HELP WITH:

• (Behind You) Dany's been staying with the dragons mainly, so she's mostly in the open. She's not going to be aware the burlap mannequins are around. That's going to leave her exposed and surprised. If anyone wants to come help her out? She's got dragon eggs to protect, so she'll need someone to watch her back. You know, aside from Drogon.
• (Wet of the Dock's Wet) Dany's going on a boat ride and never been shy at admitting what she wants.

• I'm not sure yet which main plot to stick Dany or if she's going to really leave the eggs to get involved with something else. I'm open to ideas or plotting, if you're interested?

PLAYER: Spider

CHARACTER: Kahl-175

PREFERRED CONTACT: CellarSpider#9984 | PM | this here post

GENERAL PLANS / NEED HELP WITH:

Behind You- anybody want a real big mannequin? Or a real confused Kahl? Let me know!

(Un)sheltered- Kahl can definitely help out here, and has personal history with similar plague-spewing horrors. He can provide security for those with more magical expertise, and do tea-pouring. There's not very much of him that can feasibly be stabbed with cutlery.

The Seed & the Storm- Need a dragon flight out there? Kahl's been learning how to fly.

Spread your joy- Kahl has a background in repurposing military and industrial equipment. AKA, Kahl can mess with heavy machinery. Combined with his dragon-flying, he's got the skills needed to help distribute the cure any number of ways.

Edited 2022-11-12 16:11 (UTC)

PLAYER: Carolyn

CHARACTER: 🎊 Jimmy McGill 🎂

PREFERRED CONTACT: kavalier#7118 @ disco, smugfrog@plurk

GENERAL PLANS / NEED HELP WITH:

Jimmy will be going to the haunted house! He had a really bad time in its analogue during the Unwinding and will be super jumpy, if not outright terrified 🤙 Happy to play out any kind of ghost trickery/property damage(/theft???), but specifically looking for:

- Tea party “guests” who need a “servant” to liberate them. Enjoy looking on helplessly while he tries not to get stabbed!

- Anyone who’d want to deal with him in the greenhouse. He’s overdue for a meltdown (HE DIDN’T ASK FOR ANY OF THIS MAGIC CRAP) so you can expect him to channel his feelings of fear and abandonment into anger and probably ranting! It’s totally fine if this doesn’t result in A Healing Moment of Genuine Emotional Connection (tho I won’t complain if it does)—I’m a simple person who would love to play out two people yelling at each other in a greenhouse, or inept attempts at comfort, or whatever. (And as long as a char doesn’t laugh in his face or something, it won’t outright tank any future cr, just complicate it.)

He will also be helping to infiltrate the Academy, mostly because I want him to pretend to be related to Zenobius (he also wants this).

- He’s good for distracting guards and finagling information, and will be (perhaps surprisingly) confident enough that he won’t attract the clockwork hounds.

- …until he catches sight of one going after someone and it scares the shit out of him. Looking for someone to fight them off (easy mode), come up with a clever plan to mislead or disable them (medium, Jimmy might be able to help), or get him to calm the fuck down (max difficulty) (but you CAN knock him unconscious) (but he WILL be mad after the fact).

MORE GENERAL STUFF:

- He’s still a ROAD HOLE INSPECTOR, which allows him to stop traffic/detain vehicles should anyone’s plans call for it!

- Twist his arm and get him to help with your cure-distribution plans! Or your orphan-liberation plans! Or your scientific plans he has minimal understanding of!

- Although we’ve been given carte blanche to have things go uncannily smoothly, I would love to play out unexpected snags in plans and chars trying to navigate them/having to play roles they wouldn’t normally play (also would love to play out: accidental orphan endangerment). If anything like that appeals, hit me up!

- AND FINALLY, he’d want someone to transfer their talismanic immunity to 🥺 his wife 🥺 (tho I still have to confer with Kim’s player and make sure she would be agree to it…). THIS WOULD ACTUALLY BE HIS TOP PRIORITY and I’d love if there was some kind of tension involved/the other char wanted something in return 😈

- also there's no way there's time for this but imagine distributing the cure through a pyramid scheme

Edited 2022-11-12 18:31 (UTC)

PLAYER: Rose

CHARACTER: Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel

PREFERRED CONTACT: milanobutterfly on plurk or PM

GENERAL PLANS / NEED HELP WITH:
-She actually would set up a lemonade stand to give out this cure!! She's desperate to do something useful since all of this is really complicated and hard to follow for her!!
-I would love to do something with the mannequins
-Yes, basically give Kamala some ways to help out and do her hero thing. For those of you who don't know, she can create light constructs and some other stuff we don't talk about because Marvel hasn't explained it yet.

Threaded | Flat

QUESTIONS

RNG DRAWS

WHAT DO YOU MOST WISH FOR?

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