kenoslogs | april event, phase one: seeds of unrest 🌱

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april event, phase one: seeds of unrest 🌱

THE BEGINNING

Summertime in Springstar has been on its way out, heralding the arrival of fall; winter has likewise given way to spring in Highstorm - at least, according to the calendar. Yet there is an unseasonable bite on the breeze - one growing as frigid as the mood among Meris and Zenites in their cities. Between Alenroux’s occupation and talk of ‘the Blight,’ worries have been on the lips of the citizens with increasing frequency - and with good reason. The reports of plant life dying, of objects crumbling, of people whose bodies are deteriorating are dominating the rumor mills and local papers.

Everything comes to a head early in the second half of Pelu.

After an unusual pocket of commotion in the Seat of the Tribune and the courtyard of Yima’s manor, an urgent announcement is made on behalf of both cities: both Great Trees have been quarantined, and no one is permitted in either location without clearance. New rumors spread of an ‘incident’ that saw those in the immediate vicinity of the Trees rapidly demonstrating symptoms of an illness that was becoming all too easy to identify. It had stricken with frightening speed; not long afterward…

The unrest had spread into the streets, and it wasn’t just about the Blight anymore.

Cetina and Kathova wasted no time in reaching out to the Bearers via Communion to offer them guidance from their leaders and incite them to action.

SPRINGSTAR: THE ROOT OF THE ISSUE

Day by day, changes unfold that render the city increasingly dangerous...

ROOTS:

Vine-like roots have begun to thread the streets, creeping upon and over buildings, spreading outward from the Tree in Heliopolis. Over the next two weeks, they will continue to grow in size and become more troublesome, slowly blooming ice-like leaves that radiate a sickly glow.

GROWTH: Contrary to the Blight’s normal behaviors, some people and things around clusters of vines or leaves can experience a burst of vitality, growth, and splendor as if transforming to beyond peak condition. In a normal citizen, this may result in an almost manic level of energy, reckless behaviors, and aggression. In objects, they become more durable and efficient, but dangerously so - for example, a stovetop cooks faster but burns uncontrollably hot. In plant life, this results in overgrowth that can overwhelm and choke nearby flora, objects, or even people. Then, they burn out an hour after exposure and immediately succumb to a dire state of Blighted.

CHILL: The temperatures will continue to drop throughout the next two weeks. It will be coldest where vines have clustered and outright dangerously so near where flowers have budded or bloomed in great numbers. This will force some people from their homes.

TIME POCKETS:

In seemingly random parts of the city, areas referred to as ‘time pockets’ have populated. There is no way to identify a time pocket but to stumble into one.

REGRESSION: NPC’s in these areas will appear to freeze in time once a Bearer has breached the pocket’s radius but appear normal from the outside. Time within has halted at the point the pocket manifested ( typically covering an area like a city street or inside a single large building that sees regular use ). Objects can be freely manipulated but will not fall if thrown, etc.
- The pocket cannot be left until the Bearer has achieved their objective. Attempting to exit the way they entered, they’ll run into an unseen barrier that is painful to the touch, a sensation of frigidity that travels to their Shard.
- Their goal will be to locate a past version of themselves hidden from immediate view. This past version of themselves can be from any point in their lives but must be from a moment when they felt extremely vulnerable, isolated, wounded, or fearful.
- Once finding this past version, they will feel the compulsion to either find a way to reassure their past selves somehow or kill them. Whether it is the Bearer themselves who performs these acts or another Bearer in their company does it for them, as long as their past selves are pacified enough ( to player satisfaction ) or dead, they will gain immunity to the pocket and may leave. The immediate area will remain frozen, however, and the past version will be revealed to be made of roots that will shrivel and die.
- Note: Bearers will be able to see other Bearer’s past selves, even after they have been freed. Whether the past reflections are capable of speech while functional is up to player discretion.

HIGHSTORM: THE ROOTS OF CHANGE

The snows continue to fall over the city, feeling brittle against your skin...

ROOTS:

Vine-like roots have begun to thread the streets, creeping upon and over buildings, spreading outward from the Great Tree in Yima’s manor. Over the next two weeks, they will continue to grow in size and become more troublesome, slowly blooming ice-like leaves that radiate a sickly glow.

SACRIFICIAL: [ CW: self-harm ] Where the roots snake and gather throughout the city, NPC’s in several locations are falling victim to the quiet, slow pulse of the flowers and their buds. They will sit and stare at the flowers for hours, unblinkingly, as their body begins to succumb to the Blight. If they are disturbed in any way - a loud noise, an attempt to move their person, etc - they will calmly look up from their worship and crack off a piece of their brittle body before returning to their reverie.

In order to save them, a pair (or more) of Bearers must sneak up on the NPC - one using a pacifying spell given by one of the faction leaders while the other crushes the flower. If the NPC is not pacified before the flower is crushed, they will become hysterical and the Blight will rapidly consume them, causing them to perish. If they are pacified and the flower is not crushed, the spell will wear off within ten seconds with the same result.

CHILL: The temperatures will continue to drop throughout the next two weeks. It will be coldest where vines have clustered and outright dangerously so near where flowers have budded or bloomed in great numbers. This will force some people from their homes.

TIME POCKETS:

In seemingly random parts of the city, areas referred to as ‘time pockets’ have populated. There is no way to identify a time pocket but to stumble into one.

REFLECTIONS: NPC’s in these pockets are moving in surreal blurs, pieces of them moving forward as others move backward, some changing as if time were rapidly passing as others remain frozen still. The Bearers’ surroundings are distorted as if reflecting multiple realities simultaneously.
- Their goal will be to locate a tall standing mirror situated alone in the center of the time pocket’s radius. The Bearer who first touches their reflection ( henceforth called “mirror-Bearer” ) will cause the world inside the pocket to suddenly stop, reflecting a comforting environment they have fond or pleasant associations with. The mirror will be gone.

Something or someone the mirror-Bearer highly values, deeply misses, or sees as imperative to their character, goals, or desires will be present. If they make contact with this object or person, the Time Pocket loops and sends them back to searching for the mirror - but they will have no memory of this occurring. Their partner, however, will recall everything.

Both Bearers will be released if five loops occur without the mirror-Bearer being stopped from causing the loop or if the mirror-Bearer is stopped from reaching their goal for five minutes ( willingly or otherwise ). The longer they refuse to make contact with this object or person, the more tempting and dire the need becomes inside of them.

Once the Bearers are released, the Time Pocket disappears. If they manage to avoid contact with the temptation inside the Pocket, the roots and flowers in this area will be withered and dying, buying the NPC’s and buildings in this location some time. Otherwise, they will be thriving and dangerously blooming.

Note: the mirror will not respond to the non-mirror-Bearer once it has been touched the first time.

ENTREE-TING HELP

The Tree of Life is in danger, and you know it. Both Yima and Cyrus have directed all Bearers who might listen to increase visitation to the Tree and monitor it for signs of the Blight - of its leaves changing color, of any frostbitten bark, of its roots withering.

And then, during a moment in which you find your mind at ease, at rest... you dream, even if dreaming is unnatural for you. You dream of yourself sitting beneath the massive bows of the Tree's breadth, at peace. The perpetual dawn's glow warms your skin in a way that seeps into your bones, leaving you certain you are safe from harm. The Tree reaches out, and though it cannot speak to you in words, you feel it is trying to convey a message: one of urgency. One of plea.

But you cannot understand...

Soon, the branches of the Tree are reaching out to others. You cannot see them, but you know they're there; a spiritual tether connects your Shards together, bringing you all into a place of wordless unity. And once your fellows have been summoned, you know what you are here for.

You feel it rather than see it: some meager, barely-there brush of something cold in the warmth of the island's comfort. The Tree is already infected, and the clock is running down for all of you.

When you wake to yourself, a feeling of dread not entirely your own will chase you, and you will find a single violet leaf in your hand.

MISC NOTES

Bearers start with immunity to the Blight. They will not succumb to the effects of the Blight even if they handle the vines and flowers directly without precautions or care.
The above effects will occur in small clusters and are not yet spread city-wide during phase one. The escalation of frequency characters will come across problematic clusters or Time Pockets will be slow building.
For context, it takes about a month from infection to death or dissolution for the average person or object to succumb to the Blight. By the 21st, it will be three days to a week.
Bearers will be directed by Cetina or Kathova to make efforts to protect the civilians and investigate the manifesting changes around both cities. Both factions are working on their own methods to attempt to counteract the Blight, but neither has produced a failsafe solution.
The roots will remain mostly outdoors, for the most part, these first two weeks.
Tensions will slowly ramp up in Alenroux, and there are checkpoints for any non-PC visitors to screen for signs of infection.
Player characters who die inside the Time Pockets are dead and need their Shards brought to the Tree of Life for revival.
HAVE FUN!! ♥

CODING

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ just closed starters for this part of the event, but please feel free to hit me up through PMs, discord or plurk if you'd like to do anything! ]

[ He thinks he's having some sort of bizarre dream, at first. Because yeah, he'd heard about the encroaching blight and the overgrowth of greenery but, like, whatever. None of that was supposed to apply to him, not really. So when he drowsily turns the corner and steps into the familiar alleyway that he takes as his usual shortcut to the Viomichanikós District, he sure doesn't expect to run face-first into some random person frozen in mid-step like a mannequin.

At least the shock immediately chases away whatever tendrils of sleep had been clinging to him.

It takes Gen a few moments to realize that something's afoot (during which he rudely shoves aside the frozen man to lean against the nearby wall so he's not clogging up the alleyway), then a few moments more to attempt simply leaving the scene. No dice, of course. All that earns him in a fabulously icy chill that immediately tells him a quick retreat isn't viable. ]

Shit.

[ So it's an irate mutter that he lets loose between huffed breaths as Gen peers through the alleyway, seeking some hint of how to escape this predicament.

Except he sure wasn't expecting to run into this guy here. ]

-- what the hell are you doing here?!

[ There's no masking the startled annoyance in his voice when Gen spots Atsumu further down the alleyway. Dirt grits underfoot as he promptly falls back a step to regard him with caution, ears canted back and ... face flushed. Quite flushed, actually. His memories of the masquerade might be hazy from the obscene number of drinks he'd had, but what little he does remember is more than embarrassing enough to fluster him, and Gen bristles at Atsumu from where he stands. ]

[ There's something to be said about the foolhardy nature of a teenage boy to think they can just ignore the inconvenient problems around them when they start sprouting up. Springstar has been a more dicey area to visit of late for Atsumu given the tension that's building between the factions, but it also has a lot more of the things he wants than Highstorm does.

The fact that the Blight is starting to spread is also something he's been ignoring for the time being, assuming that the flower gathering mission he went on with Kaeya surely can't all be for naught. As if a handful of carefully transported flowers is actually going to stop the spread of an entire disease.

The signs he's starting to see in Springstar are telling him another story though, and the hints at things getting worse are making him start to wonder if it's a good idea to try and carry on like everything is normal, and spotting someone else frozen in place, veers into the alleyway on the other end to try and avoid them--

Only to see Gen heading in his direction. You know, up until Gen blanches at the sight of him before flushing.

This is a very serious situation. They're in serious trouble right now. Everything should be treated with the kind of gravitas it deserves.

But instead as Gen reacts to the sight of him with obvious embarrassment, Atsumu pauses himself for a moment, before snorting out a loud laugh, and having the audacity to smirk as he starts to stroll casually towards Gen. It's not all bullying bluster, he really does want to get the hell away from the creepy frozen guy near the mouth of the alleyway, but if Gen's going to get all worked up about something he started? Fine. Easier to focus on that than something way over Atsumu's head. ]

Why shouldn't I be here? There some kinda problem with that?

[ At least Gen doesn't have to deal with his bullshit for long, because he spots the guy Gen propped up against the wall, and stops dead in his tracks. ]

Ugh... they're here too?

-- shut the fuck up. [ The laugh's barely left Atsumu's lips before Gen bristles, ears canted forward aggressively and teeth bared. ] Just shut the fuck up.

[ Look, he knows that now's not the time to worry about ... all that, okay. It's just that it's hard not thinking about that shit at least for a moment, not with how much quiet anguish things of that nature have given him for as long as he can remember. Ugh, whatever. This guy's an idiot anyway, he'll probably forget it soon. And who cares what some idiot jocks thinks ... or says. It's not like they're back in his shitty hometown where gossip spreads like wildfire; it's not like this dumbass will talk about what happened there. ... whatever!

Gen does silently seethe at Atsumu for a moment too long, but at least he's capable of prioritizing once that moment of surprise has passed. The furrow between his brow deepens as he looks to the frozen man he'd shoved aside. ]

... yeah, there's another one a little further back, too. I think it's everyone in a certain area. [ He pauses in his explanation to glance upward, where a pigeon is frozen in mid-flight. ] I tried just leaving, but there's some invisible wall, or something. Can't get out.

[ His tail lashes tensely behind him as he returns his gaze to the frozen man, expression hardened as he tries to think. ]

But -- if it's just an area, there might be something to undo it. Maybe at the center. [ Because, like. That feels right, doesn't it? Get rid of the center of this area, and it'll break down those invisible walls. That sounds logical, doesn't it? ] C'mon. Let's go look.

[ At least the fact that they're of the same age, and from relatively similar backgrounds means Gen can put aside his embarrassment to boss Atsumu around; just in cacse whatever they're looking for is dangerous, he could use the backup of someone else being present. Especially since, as he peers down a side-alley, his ears perk up and his shoulders stiffen -- because he can hear the sound of muffled footsteps, he thinks. There's something else in here with them. ]

[ In another situation there's a good chance that Atsumu would dig deeper at that sore spot just for the hell of it. Gen was the one that came onto him from the start, and the one that had wanted to kiss. It didn't matter much to Atsumu that Gen had also pretty clearly been drunk off his ass at the time it happened, it was still something Gen was gunning for, not something Atsumu has been angling after.

If he was embarrassed about kissing him now, that seemed like a Gen problem, not an Atsumu one.

The thing with the creepy frozen people though? That was a problem for both of them, and the possibility of them both being stuck in this frozen horror show is definitely a two of them issue.

Atsumu visibly balks, taking a step back away from Gen as his nose scrunches up in distaste at the idea that they're stuck here.

But the idea of being stuck amongst the "statues" by himself is worse, so he does reluctantly move closer to Gen as the other boy starts poking around. ]

You know where the hell the center is?

[ The perked ears and stiff shoulders go unnoticed by Atsumu as he glances uncomfortably over his own shoulder. The fact that there are distant footsteps are also lost on him, without those extra ears that pick up on sounds better. ]

[ That's a stupid question. And Gen makes his assessment of it clear with the scathing, dead-eyed stare he fixes on Atsumu for a moment. ]

Do I look psychic to you, dumbass? [ A disdainful little sniff before he jerks his head towards the direction he'd walked from. ] But I'm from that way, while you're from the other side. So at least we know two directions headed towards the edge of this area. Just gotta comb towards either direction and we should be get closer to the center. ... probably.

[ It makes sense, he thinks? But also, he's clearly distracted -- his gaze had wandered away from Atsumu's face at some point to fix back onto the side-alleys, his brows furrowing more deeply, and that last word comes out half-hearted.

He's really sure he's hearing movement down there. ]

-- c'mere.

[ There's no further warning before Gen grabs Atsumu by the forearm -- hey, has Atsumu noticed he has a prosthetic arm? Because that sure is the glint of metal peeking from his wrist, past the hem of the leather glove that's latched around Atsumu's arm -- and starts dragging him off in that direction. Not that he expects much help from Atsumu, but he should at least serve as a decent meat-shield if there's something dangerous here.

But as Gen stalks down the alleyway, gaze sweeping cautiously from side to side and ears perked up as he listens for any further sound of movement ... maybe Atsumu spots something out of the corner of his field of vision. Some shape sliding past the exit of another alleyway branching off of the one they're walking down -- what looks like a child covered in blood, walking with shambling, listless steps. Very J-horror! ]

[ It was a reasonable question! Atsumu thinks it was a reasonable question anyway, and has about a half a second to look defensive at Gen's retort, before the other boy turns away from him. He will get in a quietly muttered- ]

How was I supposed to know?

[ Even as he creeps along behind Gen. Not that he's really relishing the company right now, but given his other option is to solo these creepy, frozen alleyways, it's really not that bad to have crappy company.

And whether or not Atsumu actually notices the metal or not, he does notice that Gen seems to be up an arm he didn't have before. It takes a second, but the complaint about Gen grabbing onto him dies in his throat as his brows knit together.

He was almost certain this guy had one arm, so that is a pretty surprising turn of events. He can ask (rudely and insensitively) about it later though, because Gen acting jumpy and weird is a more pressing concern than where and when he got the cool new metal arm.

And the way he catches sight of a bloody looking child (definitely straight out of a horror movie), really chases all concern about the arm right out of his head.

Atsumu likes to think for the most part he isn't a coward. He plays horror games sometimes, watches horror movies more often, and rarely gets that freaked out. Maybe a start here or two during a particularly effective jump scare, but he weather most frights media throws his way.

Fiction is a lot different from reality though, and Atsumu is wrenching his arm out of Gen's grip as he plasters himself to Gen's back, trying forcefully to push him down the alley away from the ghost(???) child he just saw. ]

ROOTS:

TIME POCKETS:

ROOTS:

TIME POCKETS:

gen ( closed starters )

for ATSUMU

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for CASSIAN

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for DEXTERA

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for DOKJA

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