april event, phase one: seeds of unrest 🌱

[beleos]

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

Comments

[epiprocta]

Huh?

[ It's a strange question he's being asked, under even stranger circumstances. And his first reflex is to lie, deflect, or deny. Of course it is. He knows it's not proper for a boy to be whiny about things, or to say too much, and he's not supposed to talk to strangers. Gen balks visibly, falling back a half-step as he looks from Dokja's gaze, to the traces of blood smeared on his cheek, and back.

But in the end, he ducks his gaze as he mumbles, ]

Nothing ... happened. [ His answer comes halting and uneasy, but he does answer. Because Dokja is an adult, and he knows that he's just a child; whatever is going on for the adults to be fighting over is probably important enough that he should listen. ] I was just talking to my friend. My best friend. He said he ... [ 'Nothing happened,' he'd said. But he can't hide the way his breath catches in his throat for a moment before he can continue. ] ... he's going to be leaving our hometown and moving to Tokyo with his brother. Because he can be happier there. ... that's all.

[ A pause. His voice is softer when he adds, ] ... I'll be okay. I want him to be happy.

[salvageable]

[ It feels like such a simple, normal concern to have. Dokja never had friends as a child, but he imagines if he had, it would have been quite a devastating blow to learn that they were planning to move away. So he tries to understand, to sympathize, the tips of his fingers twitching as he keeps himself from reaching out despite wanting to offer some sort of comfort.

Maybe it's because he knows the adult version of this child that he keeps his hands to himself. ]

Of course you do, [ he says with a gentle smile. It's here that he remembers the boy's declaration of not needing friends, and Dokja starts putting two and two together. ] But you know, just because your best friend is moving doesn't mean you can't still be friends.

[ Funny. Was Gen always capable of having this big of a heart? Worrying about his friend, wishing for their happiness, even going so far as to reassure a stranger that he'd be okay. A lot's changed over the years, huh... Suddenly, Dokja isn't thinking about what time he has left, but about genuine ways to help this boy as he starts rattling off ideas on how they can keep in contact. ]

You guys can write each other letters and talk on the phone. Online chatrooms are popular, too. Oh, and if he's moving to Tokyo, then you have to visit, don't you think so? And by then, he'll know all the best places to take you.

[epiprocta]

[ He listens quietly enough, and Gen's next breath does come a little easier. But still -- even as he considers what Dokja tells him, thinks about letters and phonecalls and maybe even the far-off, abstract dream of ever getting to leave his hometown even temporarily, it doesn't quite ease his simmering anxiety.

Hands clenched to nervous fists at his side, he's quiet for a long moment before finally forcing himself to speak. ]

It's just. Reiji's the only one -- ... It's not the same with anyone else. He's ... the only one that matters. The only one I feel okay around. And he can't stay in our hometown, he needs to leave, but ...

[ He's not making much sense, jumbled thoughts filtered through the limited eloquence of a child. But it's a little easier to understand, when he takes a deep, jagged breath, then looks back up to Dokja. ]

... that other guy. He said something about me being 'unlovable.'

[ Because surely, Dokja, who's speaking to him so kindly, can't have been the originator of those words. Right? ]

You really don't think he'll just forget me?

[salvageable]

[ Ah, that name again. Reiji. He'd had his guess, and so there's no surprise reflected in his gaze when it's proven correct. That same, deep-rooted loyalty that he'd caught a glimpse of at the masquerade is on display in front of him once more, but this time, in an honest form.

He's not left with much time to ponder on it, though. Dokja's smile slips off his face when he hears the very word that he'd used against Gen all those months ago come back to haunt him now. The guilt returns to him, heavier than ever, every part of him filled with regret for uttering that word. It feels especially damning hearing it from such a young boy, whose only concerns go to his best friend, and Dokja hastily cuts in. ]

You're not unlovable. Don't listen to him. Don't listen... to anyone who tells you that.

[ Past, present, and future. This time, Dokja does slowly reach out to gently place a hand against Gen's arm. ]

Reiji won't forget you. How could he? [ His voice grows quieter, and there's something deeply personal about what he says next. ] You don't forget the people who are good to you.

[ They leave a mark. They always do. ]