EVENT ★ TEAM BONDING

[futurologists]

TEAMBONDING TASKS Early in the morning, all characters will receive a message in their personal inboxes encouraging them to help with various tasks around the castle. Characters may either volunteer or be randomly shuffled into a group by accident; once assigned, they’ll be expected to show up and harangued by the castle’s animated suits of armor until they cooperate. The teams are as follows, though all groups besides the Training Center are open to sign-ups until the caps are reached. This OOC post may also be used for questions and plotting! LIBRARY: Anduin, Sigma, Rin, Keats, Papyrus, Adrien, Gumshoe, Sorey, Archer, Rosalind, Mikleo GREENHOUSE: Koltira, Julius, Sieglinde, Alice, Hellboy, Aqua, Dipper, Edna, Rodimus, King, Jekyll STABLES: Undyne, Khisanth, Mabel, Rey, Graham, Dezel, Olivia, Steven, Yata, Saber, Anakin TRAINING CENTER REDS: Shadow, Gintoki, Luciola, Gilgamesh, Ban, Melan BLUES: Kylo Ren, Pearl, Masamune, Poe, Barry, Lancer The Training Center will have a catch-all subthread below, but anyone in any of the other groups (or not in a group at all) is encouraged to make a top level and tag into whichever area you'd like to play in. TRAINING CENTER Once recruits step foot into the Training Center, they’ll find themselves suddenly outside. A voice coming from their jewelry informs them that this is a simulation of the world Asharion. There’s swamp for as far as the eye can see, and it’s dark and… sort of squishy in here. The two teams arrive at opposite ends of the swamp, where their respective “base camps” are located. Each of them will find themselves dressed head-to-toe in the color of their team, red or blue, and will see that a flag of their team color flies above their heads at base camp. There’s no concealing what team you’re on. If you look down, there’s also a HP bar plastered across the front of your shirt. Each time you’re hit, your HP goes down. (Remember, no one is actually getting hurt -- this is just a simulation. Once you run out of hit points, you’ll be kicked out of the simulation and offered a piece of cake from the kitchen as a consolation prize.) All powers are still around, but use anything too powerful, and the game will view it as a “cheat” and detract from your HP bar. A timer, floating in front of your eyes, starts counting down and the voice speaks again: ”There are three artifacts hidden within the swamp, and we’d really appreciate getting them back. The objective is simple: be the team with the most artifacts when the game is over. The game is over when all of a team is kicked out of the game or when the timer runs out. Good luck! Oh, and be careful with the artifacts. They have some… interesting magical properties. The aforementioned artifacts: THE STAFF OF INVIGORATION The staff is very plain and easy to miss. When you touch it, however, you’ll know. You’re suddenly filled with energy, flowing through your entire body. At least, for a little bit. It runs out of charge in about five minutes, and if you’re still holding it, you’ll find it actually starts draining you of energy until you’re too tired to walk. VENKAN STATUE A small, very delicate statue from the world of Venka, made of crystal. Try not to drop it. Whoever holds it will find themselves easily irritated, however, even by their teammates. The longer it’s held, the stronger the effect -- it starts out with mere annoyance, making you almost comedically ornery over small things, but if you hold onto it, you’ll find yourself becoming paranoid and aggravated. The statue is actually of the Goddess of War, and it turns out it might have started a few wars itself. THE RING OF… PUPPY LOVE? A beautiful sapphire ring in the shape of a heart. Once held or put on, the wearer will get an extremely awkward crush on the anyone they see, and be unable to do anything but giggle like a schoolgirl in their presence. The effect will only fade if they drop the ring. How embarrassing. The artifacts can be found anywhere in the swamp -- almost like they’re moving around on their own. Knowing ALASTAIR, they just might be. The countdown hits 0. From this moment forward, the voice tells you, you have exactly two hours. The blue team will end up the victors, but only by a hair. Cherenkov will be available for any questions and feedback afterwards (see subthread below), provided she's not napping. REWARDS: Both teams will receive a pocket watch, with very specific instructions attached. Both are capable of a one-time spell. The blue team’s pocket watches will administer a shock to stun the target when opened for the first time and the first time only, so don’t waste it. The red team’s pocket watches will create a barrier around the character that will shield them from any incoming attacks for three minutes. LIBRARY The library is enormous, with stacks that rise nearly to the vaulted ceiling. Rolling ladders lean up against the sides of the stacks, ready to be climbed, but the burly librarians that usually frequent the library are not found today. They have left only a single note behind, in neat, cramped script: Please clean up after yourselves. Thank you. There is a long wooden table in the middle of the library. Two closed books rest upon it: Escarpan Gardening And You and A History of the Hurricane of 62.516-18 A. Opening the first book will cause vines and flowers and other greenery to sprout up from nowhere, blocking the shelves and making traversing the library quite a difficulty. Opening the second will cause the entire library to be engulfed in wild winds, throwing books off the shelves and perhaps each other across the room. Opening them both will cause both things to happen, simultaneously. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the rest of the books do the same sort of thing. Open a book about medieval weaponry? Suddenly there are swords flying through the air. That murder mystery novella? Everything is now black and white with deep shadows. The encyclopedia? Nothing happens. Encyclopedias are safe, for some reason. How do you make these book effects stop? Shelve them in the proper place. But beware -- every misshelved book will cause another to pop out of place. Try to catch it before it hits the ground and opens, or you just may have a disaster on your hands. HINT: The solution is to shelve the books in order by size, large to small. REWARD: All participants will receive a fountain pen, with instructions: write a character’s name on any surface and you will be able to see through their eyes for thirty seconds. After using it once, it will become an ordinary (but fancy!) pen. Crowley will be available to contact for any general inquiries, though responses may be tardy since the cat NPCs are likely to be asleep on a high shelf together. GREENHOUSE The greenhouse and surrounding courtyard should be tranquil, but more often than not it ends up just as absurd as the rest of Oska. Recruits will be tasked with cleaning one of the giant glass domes that houses a massive, archaic tree at its core. Surrounding it is an entire biosphere teeming with life, but the fauna is limited -- that shift in the corner of your eye? Probably a slithering vine. The snapdragons here will take off a finger if you’re not careful, and the stinging nettles will leave worse than a rash. Some examples of the more fantastical plants are listed below, though players are welcome to create their own: Noxious Nightweed: the bright, glowing flowers of the nightweed are beautiful and full of nectar that smells of berries -- catching scent of it will cause drowsiness, lethargy, and thirst. As enticing as the flower sap may be to drink, it’s deeply corrosive and will burn on contact. Don’t fall asleep handling one! Kukichas: These large, puffy, red fungi are harmless to other plants and tend to grow on just about any other flora. However, they’ll stick to anything that brushes up against them and detonate some time later. Once they explode, characters will be plagued with itchiness, tickling sensations, and sneezing fits. Characters can remove these by quickly finding another person to stick them to. Beware though: kukichas reproduce by budding. Quickly. Mandrake: these plants appear to be normal, tiny shrubs, but when pulled out of the earth will become animate and let out a horrible, piercing wail that only increases in volume over time. They will cease when fed a drop of blood. But none of the compost should go to waste! After gathering trimmings and various plants, herbs, and flowers, recruits will be shuffled off to the greenhouse labs to make use of them. There are gargantuan, dusty grimoires full of recipes for various potions and all the necessary cauldrons and equipment to brew them. The directions are laid out thoroughly, but are quite complex -- one character may have to read an incantation while the other stirs, others might require careful handling of volatile substances, and so forth. The only thing they have in common is that none of them can be properly made without a little aid from someone else, so work together! Worse still, the books are old. Text in some places is washed out and requires quick, smart improvising. Or guesswork. ALASTAIR is not responsible for any toxic fumes, poisonous bubbles, or other strange side effects that may arise from randomly throwing ingredients together. Dagny will be available within both the greenhouse and the labs to offer assistance, feel free to snag her with any questions! There will be a thread below where you may drop links to threads you’d like her to briefly appear in. REWARD: All characters that participate may keep a single, one-use potion of their choice: mandrake potions are essentially magical molotov cocktails, kukicha potions cause euphoria and ease mental status effects (hallucinations, berserker rage, etc.), and nightweed potions will instantly evaporate into fumes that force anyone who breathes them in to tell the truth. STABLES The stables are a mess. It seems like all the stalls have been left open, and there’s animals of every sort everywhere, through courtyard, grounds, and castle. Most of them can be seized by the halter and led back into their stalls easily enough, but there are a few species that are a little trickier than that. Lucky for you, Uruz has a checklist of exactly what’s missing. On it, you will find: Spiked Horkles: These things are enormous, it’s unclear how people are even meant to ride them. They’re giant, bipedal, white-furred monstrosities, with spiked ridges all down their back, intimidating tusks, giant horns, and one single, central eye. The tallest of them are almost fifteen feet high, they look like they could snap you over one knee with their massive hands. They don’t seem to be inclined to violence, but they’re also utterly uninterested in following you anywhere, and impossible to budge. That is, unless you’ve got an instrument or a good singing voice. They’ll happily and docilely follow anyone putting on a musical performance, straight back into their stalls (sized accordingly), if that’s where the route takes them. Sixers: A sixer isn’t really all that different from a horse… except for the fact that it has six legs, and each of its hooves strikes sparks whenever it lands. This is fine if it’s taking a stroll in the wake of a light rain, or over stone, but entire fields have been lost to a herd of sixers. And unfortunately the whole lot of them seems determined to go sightseeing into the castle itself. They’re relatively easy to lead around, all it takes is any sort of food a horse would be inclined to eat, but the route you lead them on is the important part. Try not to cause any more property damage than necessary, please. Boxing Peters: This creature looks like its closest relation might be a giant anteater, although this version is several times larger. Also, nearly hidden along the long, hanging hair of its stomach is several more pairs of legs, tucked neatly into its body as it walks. They’re content to snuffle about in the courtyard, but will resist tugs at their halters, and utterly ignore any attempts at herding. The only way to catch the attention of a Boxing Peter is to challenge it. Drop into a fighting stance in front of it, take a swing at its side (not too hard, Uruz would remind you), shout insults -- whatever it takes. Upon being challenged a Boxing Peter rises up onto its hind legs and unfolds all ten of its hidden limbs, each of which ends in a large, padded hand, ready to fight. You don’t actually have to fight, but it’ll pursue a challenger wherever it might lead, until mutual bows signify the end of the match. Webbed Gliders: These are ALASTAIR’s aquatic environment mounts. And, oddly enough, they’re just tiny frogs with webbed limbs like a flying squirrel. They don’t need to be very large to be useful, as it turns out -- each one secretes a special slime which, when touched, shrinks whoever has done the touching to a size small enough to comfortably ride it. You’ll have to get these little guys back into the tank inside the stables without touching them, and they can be found anywhere outside where it’s damp. Any shrinking will wear off after 5 minutes without contact with the frog-slime. Ferrets: That’s it, they’re just ferrets. They’re enormous rideable ferrets, but still just ferrets. They’re just as energetic and playful as their smaller counterparts, and they have way too much energy to want to go back into their stalls. You’ll have to wear them out first, and it’s suggested you do so by playing with them. Did you know most of these ferrets are trained to fetch? Uruz is very proud of that. Uruz is happy to give pointers for the trickier species, but she’ll have to be found before she can be asked. She’s off wrangling some of the more volatile mounts, and can be spotted throughout the grounds madly galloping after something or another. If you have any interest in snagging Uruz for part of your thread, feel free to drop a link in her thread below for a tag-in! REWARD: As thanks for their assistance, each recruit will be sent away with a small, silver whistle. Blowing it will entrance all animals within hearing range, putting them into a placid trance for about a minute. This whistle will work for about two months before its effect begins to wear out. OTHER If your character isn’t signed up for any of these tasks, you are still welcome to tag into other characters carrying them out! The Training Center will be locked for the duration of its event, but the Library, Stables, and Greenhouse are all open to visitors. Characters are free to stop in and help (or mock) their friends, but they will not be receiving the same rewards as characters specifically contacted for help. You are also free to create open prompts within Oska at large, or your own logs. This log covers the next 2 weeks, so feel free to set them at any time within that timeframe! UNIFORMS: Every character will also find their official uniforms when they return to their rooms, accompanied by a note from Dagny: A reward for being you! :) - Love, Dagny. There is a gold star sticker by her name. The uniforms are instantly respawning, no matter how damaged they get. Whenever a character opens their closet, they will find a brand new one.

Comments

i.

[grunehexe]

[Sieglinde has not been assigned to the library, but she's there anyway- mainly because she has plans to devour as many books as she possibly could before they're shipped off to goddess knows where, and also because assigning potion making to a witch had meant her own training was child's play (never mind that she looks like a child) and she'd finished early.

Except now, trying to make it from a bookshelf to a reading table with five large books stacked in her arms, wobbling off balance on three-inch heels, she's not at all pleased to find...

Rose petals? Why are there rose petals falling inside? The books were higher than her eyes, so she couldn't see the source, or Anduin, either... until there was suddenly wind, too, and had to step back to avoid spilling the books...

Which ended up on the floor anyway when she stumbled and hit it herself in a short shriek followed by the heavy thudding of books and the rustle of long skirts. At least when she looked up, she could see the-

Nope. Petals to the face.]

[fearward]

[ Hearing the shriek-thud combo jostles Anduin out of his dismayed shock at the whole situation (and provides a distraction for his hands, which are still trying to pull open his collar of their own volition). Still holding the book, he dashes 'round the corner towards the sound (long, blonde hair streaming in the mysteriously sourced wind; half open collar flapping against his chest). ]

Oh, Light. Are you okay? Let me help you.

[ He kneels, offering her his hand. He sets the romance novel down nearby, but marks its location--it's clearly the key to this, though he doesn't know much beyond that at this point.

As he worriedly examines her for injuries, he notices the petals dusting her cheeks and blushes. ]

I'm so sorry, miss. I'm fairly sure this is my fault.

[grunehexe]

[When the petals cleared from her face, Sieglinde was met with a vision. Perhaps she had hit her head... because there was a princely figure, fair of hair with handsome features and an undone collar, heading straight for her rescue.

How strange...

She simply blinks up at him for a moment, and there might be some unexplained pink on her cheeks beneath those rose petals, as she reaches up and... brushes some of them away awkwardly, before moving to place her hand in his, unable to yet summon her voice.

Perhaps she'd been reading too many of those "romance novels" Loki recommended...]

[fearward]

[ Oh, no. Did the fall stun her? Can she not speak? Anduin fusses as he gently pulls her to her feet. Meanwhile, the petals keep drifting through the air, settling gently on their hair and clothes, like a sweetly fragrant snow fall. ]

It's this book, I think --

[ He turns to grab it, but--it's gone. Or, not gone, but mixed in with the piles of other books now littering the library floor. He groans. ]

Damn.

[ Wait--he's in the presence of a formally dressed young lady! He shouldn't speak with such vulgarity. Anduin runs a hand through his hair sheepishly. ]

Sorry, again. I didn't mean for this to happen.

[grunehexe]

[What book could he possibly be talking about- he himself seemed like he'd stepped out of one. To a girl who has recently plowed through a certain tricker god's Forbidden series. Not that she needed much encouragement, hastily pushing long black hair back from her face and trying to find her voice.

First impressions were important, Sieglinde, get it together!!]

A- Ah, of course...

[She coughed slightly, clearing her throat, and she didn't actually let go of his hand even once she was stood up- and not because she'd forgotten to let go. In fact, she placed her other hand on top of his, hips shifting, skirts swaying, and it would be obvious to anyone who looked down that her feet were unnaturally small and shaped, her shoes a delicately crafted heel a mere three inches long, and she was holding on to him until she regained her balance properly.]

Your apology is accepted, Sir... ?

[fearward]

[ She's strangely wobbly. Anduin glances at her feet, and he manages--thanks to diplomatic training started early in life--to bury his shock. Something isn't right with her, and her trouble with equilibrium is obvious. Quickly, Anduin covers her other hand with his other hand, holding her steadily upright. ]

Anduin Wrynn. I'm new here.

[ He bows his head slightly. ]

May I ask your name as well, miss?

[grunehexe]

[The pink in her cheeks grows a bit darker as her lays another hand upon hers, but she manages to keep hold of her voice this time, trying to smile, and to do so fetchingly. He was a gentleman, after all-]

Sieglinde Sullivan- the Green Witch. It is a pleasure.

[She didn't remove her hands yet because she'd likely fall again, but she did dip into the shadow of a curtsy, suddenly glad for Sebastian's etiquette lessons... sort of.]

I did not expect to meet such a dashing person as yourself during this trip, do forgive me-

[Wait, has she been opening cursed romance novels, too? ... No, she just. Happened to be raised in all female village with a few peculiar ideas on gender relations.]

[fearward]

[ His eyes widen slightly, as he doesn't miss the peculiar emphasis placed on the phrase 'green witch'. To his mind, this translates as 'hedge mage', though he's not sure if that's the proper context. Few mages referred to themselves as witches, and those few that did were not typically sweet young girls. ]

Ah--

[ Oh, and she called him dashing. His cheeks turn a little pink. ]

--I wouldn't go that far, but. I'm sorry, what do you mean by 'green witch'? Is that a title from your world, Lady Sullivan?

[grunehexe]

[When she'd first arrived, Sieglinde had been a bit more cautious with the title. After all, she had been raised on stories of the witch trials, the constant warnings from the elder that if she left the village, there would be no end to prejudiced people who would see her burn rather than understand. But in ALASTAIR... no one had hated witches simply because they existed.

Not yet, and not to her, at any rate.]

It is the title inherited by the women of my line with the gifts of healing passed down by our ancestors, yes.

[It's made her bolder to tell and share that information- not the lie of it it anyway, the one she'd been continuing to live because it was easier that way. Not that she could hide it if she wanted to, with as many times as she's had to run triage centers out of her flat in Chantes.]

[fearward]

Oh!

[ He smiles brightly, the rest of the situation (partially open collar, undone hair, etc) momentarily forgotten. ]

I'm a healer, too. It's lovely to meet you.

[ He bows his head respectfully. ]

[grunehexe]

[A healer- a male healer! Sieglinde's eyes widen slightly and her fingers tighten on his hand, perking up even more almost immediately.]

Truly? What methods do you employ? Magical? Chemical?

[Growing up in a village of all women had been quite enough to make men novel, but healing had always been the duty of women in her upbringing, so to find a man who was trained properly...

How rare! And exciting. Handsomely disheveled and exciting.]

[fearward]

[ Proudly, because he identifies far more with his status as a priest than his status as a prince: ]

I'm a priest of the Light.

[ Said light--golden, shimmering--limns his hands as he speaks. It swells in brightness and strength as seconds pass, and when he releases the spell, it envelops Sieglinde in a burst of comforting warmth. If she's aching from the fall, she'll feel better--but more than that, she'll feel safe; cared for. ]

[grunehexe]

A... priest?

[Wait, why does she look so disappointed all of a sudden? It doesn't last long, at least, because when the light spreads from his hand and engulfs her she can't help but wonder at it, eyes wide and sparkling with the motes of brightness reflected in them...

But then it's gone, and she feels warm, aaaaand-]

The celibate sort?

[She goes and ruins it.]

[fearward]

[ He blinks several times, taken aback. What a strange question--especially because she looks so devastated by the possibility. Enough so that he clears his throat, nervously, before answering. ]

Ah, no--the Light doesn't demand chastity.

[ Should he really be getting into this with a young girl? ]

[grunehexe]

[Maybe not, but she's certainly not discouraging it. Instead, that seems to be the answer she was looking for, actually, her smile turning up slightly at the corners.

Still holding on to his hands. For... balance, of course.]

And what is the Light?

[She wasn't looking to convert, but she was unendingly curious.]

[fearward]

[ He doesn't mind--and she does seem to need the support. ]

My faith. It's a divine force that permeates the whole universe. I suppose 'holy magic' is the easiest way to define it for the unfamiliar.

[grunehexe]

[She needs it enough to keep pretending to rely on it fully, at least.]

Have you one god, or many?

[She might be a bit dazzled, still, but that won't stop her from continuing her curious line of questioning.]

[fearward]

[ He shakes his head. ]

None at all. The Light is a binding force--an energy that runs through all things. It isn't one specific person or thing. It's -- everything.