epidemiology | OPEN ★ ARRIVAL LOG

Entry tags:

OPEN ★ ARRIVAL LOG

ARRIVALS ( OCT 2 )
The dragons are taken from you, sent off to a safe haven. You're back in Oska for less than a day when you hear the announcement and head to the rendezvous point. You blink, step through the portal, there's a loud crack, and...

You're thrown into darkness. You taste copper and, for a moment, your ears won't stop ringing. All common side-effects of portal travel. The entire crew arrives just beyond the city gates, so you might also be feeling a little bit claustrophobic.

It takes a second for the eyes to adjust, but one can make out buildings and the cobblestone beneath their feet. To the right is the Trade District, where all the vendors are gathered to sell their wares. Up ahead is the City Square, where the rest of the citizens out and about seem to be gathered. To the left of the square is the Commoners' District, and to the right of it is the Nobles' District, the two main residential areas. Further travel west will come to the outskirts, a makeshift residential area, this one densely populated with goblins. Many of the people are holding candles or lanterns. You might want to try getting your hands on one of those.

If you have not already done so, your enchanted jewelry will manifest words in front of your very eyes — or sounds in your ear, if you're illiterate — asking you to identify yourself. A quick look around shows that you seem to be the only one able to see it. All you have to do is think or say how you wish to be identified. After that, you're immediately given a message.

Those who participated in the dragon mission at Anwick will first receive this:

We appreciate your help at Anwick. The wyrmlings will live to grow up and bring about the world's natural end. Thank you.

-- ALASTAIR

Afterwards, the crew will be given an abridged version of this, then told to familiarize themselves with the city and natives, report all information gathered back to ALASTAIR, and wait for further instruction.

At the end of the night, wherever they may be, everyone will receive a letter with the royal seal thanking them for their efforts to end the goblins' defiance and inviting them to the Festival of Illumination on the 4th.

FESTIVAL OF ILLUMINATION ( OCT 4 )
Candles are sitting on windowsills throughout the entire city, but the main event is in the city square. In the fountain float lit lotuses, and people all around are holding lanterns, waiting to light them.

There's a minstrel playing songs, and several of the vendors have pulled their carts up to the square in the hopes of making a sale. Many sweets are for sale, including baked apples, gingerbread, cherry tarts, pudding, and more. There's also some drinks for sale.

Some children are playing games in the corner, and others are dancing to the music or writing wishes on slips of paper to be sent into the sky with their lanterns. Everyone seems merry for once, but you'd better be careful. This is an ideal place for a pickpocket.

About an hour and a half into the festival, the lanterns are sent into the sky. They're sent flying, the sky becoming filled with bright lights, until...

A strong gust of wind sends all the lights out. At least, you think it was a gust of wind. What else could have done that? On closer inspection, however, you'll see that even the candles sitting on windowsills inside have gone out. For a minute or so, there's only darkness and chaos.

Suddenly, the flames begin to burn again, revealing a message in the cobblestone in the center of the square. It almost looks as if it's been burned into the ground: IT IS COMING, followed by a symbol of a creature with a lion's head, goat's body, and serpent's tail.

[MOD NOTE: This is a catch-all log for the first few days. For the sake of organization, all arrival threads should be posted under the subheader ARRIVALS and all festival threads should be posted under FESTIVAL. Threads that don't fall under either of those categories can be top-levels. Also, please remember to add your character's tag to the post! Thank you, and have fun!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[An omen.

Even objectively knowing that her upbringing had been contrived, an invention built around her, it had still been years of her life- her entire life.

It isn't hard to fall back on that way of thinking. That magic was real. That gods unseen controlled the lives of those below and could be called on to aid those who made appropriate offerings. They've been here long enough that she's heard of the god whispered of, heard of sacrifices and fear.

At the sound of a question, she looked up, the glow of her lantern casting an eerie light upon her face.]

It's a warning...

[ at least her answer goes along with his gut feeling, although beyond that he's got nothing. masamune approaches now that he's actually gotten an answer, not at all put off by that shadows cast from the lantern she's holding. ]

Any idea over what?

[ let's just say he's been privy to enough people playing 'god' that he has a hard time believing in the possibility of even a semi-legitimate one and would have not bothered even thinking of that possibility—and that's even if he had bothered retaining that information from what's been floating around here in the first place. ]

[Despite her inability to force her body to move as she'd like it to in these moments, largely frozen in place in a combination of shock and fear, Sieglinde's strength is in the mind- and hers is moving a mile a minute, tracing the paths of conversations she's had since her arrival, the briefing that had appeared as if by magic before her very eyes.

Considering the time spent in darkness, the press of bodies- it would be difficult to imagine someone could have written the message out without being noticed or interfered with, let alone finishing in time- not impossible but difficult. The whispers, though, the fear of the human population-]

Ydite- the God of the goblins... I heard they were making sacrifices to it-

[A wrathful god, it had said. Sieglinde knew all about the fear of feeling trapped in your own home with supernatural creatures on all sides... A bias that unfortunately colored her perception of the current situation.]

[ although he does hear her answer his question, Masamune reaches out to offer a hand to her. ]

Hey, you okay?

[ she seems competent mentally but she doesn't look to be that old and does look possibly a bit frightened even if her responses don't indicate it too much. She reminds him of Itsuki, if only because of her age and her not being accompanied by anyone else and that prompts him to be a little bit more sensitive to any feelings before further discussion. ]

You're in good company, now, so need to worry.

[Fear was something new to Sieglinde. Even though the pressure had always been there, the burden of her position and the threat of the werewolves in the woods, it was rare that they ventured to attack her villagers- and that fear paled in comparison to that born from the revelation that they hadn't been werewolves at all, that it had all been lies, constructed around her to point her life in a singular, driven direction.]

Chimera can breathe fire... They're fast, I read that once-

[The fear of tank fire, running for one's life, being responsible for the creation of a poison that could kill thousands- millions. Was some mythical beast like the Chimera an impossibility when they'd been transported to this world as if by magic?

It took root and came out at times like these. She knew that now. Knew she shouldn't be so trusting, she didn't know him at all, but she reached out and took his hand, fingers gripping as tight as she could, trembling. If she tried hard enough, she could be brave- that was how it should be. If she tried hard enough.]

Are you a warrior?

[His appearance was somewhat foreign to her eyes, but she knew armor when she saw it. Knew blades.]

Yeah.

[ he offers a small smile, even going as far as to give her hand a gentle squeeze in return, as he answers her question about what he is.

Concerning the chimera, he hadn't really considered it to be possibly real, but Masamune realizes that he can't comfort her with truth by saying they don't exist. What he can say, however, is: ]

There's no way its fire burns hotter than a tiger of Kai and it can't be faster than a demon king of hell. Which means it's nothing I haven't faced before. It's something killable.

[ but helping her out also means distracting her from more thoughts on the creature for the moment, so Masamune refrains from sticking to the subject of the chimera and the words that have been scorched into the ground not far from them.

It can wait. ]

So, what's your name, anyway? Seems rude to be demanding answers from a comrade that I don't even know the name of yet. I'm Date Masamune.

[ she's western, he's almost sure of it, but even so he sticks to introducing himself with his surname first. ]

[Its comforting in a way Sieglinde is loathe to admit, that reassuring squeeze of her hand. Even though it makes her feel childish, that she would need it, reminds her of how powerless she was without the trappings of her fake village, her tools and potions... At its basest, it's simply something that makes her feel slightly safer despite the all too clinical knowledge that the gesture would do little to actually safeguard her.

But she didn't let go. Instead she kept her eyes up, on him instead of the message, (that part of her did itch to examine, even if she couldn't quite make her knees unlock just yet), listened to the name and repeated it in her head until the pronunciation was right. Someone from another land- probably "another world".]

I am Sieglinde. Sieglinde Sullivan.

[ he is quiet for just a moment, trying to do similar to what she had done seconds before with his own name. ]

Nice. I like the sound of it. We don't have anything close sounding back where I come from. I'll remember it.

If you're here by yourself, too, stick around with me for a bit. I could use the company and you seem pretty well-versed in the stuff that is troubling this place. Maybe I could learn a thing or two.

[ it's the only way he can think to twist the offer around so it sounds as if she can stick around to benefit him. If it works to make her feel a little more at ease with hanging around until her fear leaves her and she becomes bored of the company, then it's worth trying.

Besides, they're actually partners when push comes to shove (them and the rest of the team scattered about this place currently), and it never hurts to be able to trust a partner just that much more. ]

How about it?

[There is a moment of hesitation, when he asks her to stay by his side- to trust him. What had trust gotten her? Largely betrayal, still fresh and heavy on her small shoulders, still shaken by the truth that her life had been a lie, she was not a witch, the villagers were not her allies, and her own mother had used her for an experiment. All people she thought she trusted.

But... She had put her faith in Ciel, in Sebastian... And they had helped her escape. She had trusted Wolfram, and even though he betrayed her, that trust had returned to her along with him. So, maybe...]

If it's a chimera, I know the tales- and it's weakness.

[If it was a chimera, if it was like the stories. But she said it, to prove her potential usefulness, to accept his offer.]

I will aid you, Date Masamune. So-

[Without thinking to explain, she simply... Held her arms up slightly, expecting instinctually to be picked up and carried.]

[ while glad for her help (and he expresses it with a bigger smile), Masamune is thrown at her gesture, looking momentarily dumbfounded. He's not surrounded by children normally but as a child who had made the gesture on his own many times in the past to Kojuro, he also isn't foreign to its silent request.

(He also, of course, isn't aware of the actual reasons.) He's just surprised, really. Blinking, he hesitates a moment before rather awkwardly reaching down to pick her up, although assuming she makes no sudden protests, he settles said awkwardness pretty quickly. ]

Okay~! You wanna take a look at the message?

[A second longer and she would have noticed the awkwardness herself, jerked her hands back and tried to pretend she hadn't just done that, tried to walk by herself. But thankfully for her dignity and her aching feet- he picks her up. It's a simple thing, but she's far more used to that mode of transportation and in a place as strange as this... Even the smallest of familiar things helps.

That, and her unnaturally small feet, now swinging freely near his side in tiny leather heels, had been aching since their first "mission", slowly blossoming into more noticeable pains the longer she stayed standing- even though there was no helping it. Wolfram wasn't here. The amount she had walked since her recruitment was more than she'd ever in her life.

So she sighs when she settles herself comfortably in his arm, physical relief, before putting a steadying hand on his shoulder. That's right. Business. Turned her head to the message burned into the ground and nodded, lips turned down in a studious frown.]

Yes- there may be something there we can use to better decipher its origin.

[ ah, her feet. It makes sense now, and it sobers and remaining awkwardness of how to deal with a young girl he's just met that he's going to carry around. For a moment, as she settles herself, he feels a slight aggravation twist in his gut.

Not at her. But he's heard of these foot binding practices. And the idea pisses him off. If it were just women doing it to themselves, then whatever, but young girls that have no say and are spoonfed whatever crap excuse...

Maybe it's his bitterness towards his own mother and the way she treated him, but he blames the mothers of the girls for insisting or otherwise allowing such a painful process be undergone by their daughters.

Masamune has taken care in his thoughts not to focus on her feet, instead having averted his attention of towards the town center, staring at nothing in particular.

When Sieglinde speaks up, however, he clears his thoughts and refocuses seamlessly, nodding at her words. ]

So, what do you know about chimera?

[ he asks as he starts walking, making his way towards the event, although he's minding the fact that the townspeople are crowding awkwardly at a distance from it which means pushing through a crowd. Not a big deal, but he's got the kid to be mindful of now, too, so he can't just man his way through like he might normally do. ]

[Its hard to notice things you are simply used to, but Sieglinde would be grateful for the consideration if she noticed it. As it was, that was simply what she was used to though- Wolfram was large, and strong, but he always was gentle when he carried her, always careful and mindful and let her sit in the crook of his arm so she felt as independent as possible-

But now Wolfram was in a sickbed recovering and she wasn't by his side, she was here in this place, and she has... Well, for now, she has one Date Masamune.]

It is a story from the days of the ancient Greeks... A monster beget of the fell beast Typhon and his mate, the snake woman Echidna.

[Just a story, one could have thought... But she had been raised to believe that monsters were a reality, even if days previous she had been shown the monsters in her own life had been fake... But what of others?]

With the body of lion, snake, and goat, it breathes fire and moves at a terrible speed. It took attacks from the air and the use of lead that melted in its fire to kill it in the tales.

[The image matched the one burned into the cobblestone street, her eyes glued to it as they pushed closer, fingers threading through the straps of Masamune's armor and holding tight- not just for balance, either.]

Aerial attacks and lead, huh...

[ he vaguely knows about chimera as a myth. mostly, it was just the name and it being bad news.

(—Where the hell are they going to get lead if that becomes a necessity, anyway?—)

Finally getting past the last person between them and a full look at the etched ground, Masamune will set Sieglinde down if she signals in any way wanting to get down for a better look as he himself will remain standing to observe it for now. He's not exactly great at "reading" into stuff like this, but there could be something for him to notice all the same. ]

I think we can count out that the fire used here to make this wasn't from a chimera, then. Ground isn't scorched enough for the amount to make this suggesting anything hotter than normal flame.

... In the tales, at least.

[The caveat to the whole thing being of course that to her knowledge, it was a legend. At least, so considered by humans. In this world, where goblins were real... In the last, where there had been dragons... What was to prevent there being a chimera? But surely if there had been, they would have heard it's fell cries or the beat of wings over the sounds of panic at the abrupt darkness. - was the chimera even intelligent enough to leave a message, or simply a beast?

But she does ask to be put down, not even bothering to try and get her balance, following the easy collapse from stand to knees, heedless of potential danger in the face of curiosity. Though she reached for the gloves she usually kept ticked at her chatelaine when working- they weren't there. With an irritated furrow of brow she instead reached forward bare handed, jerking fingers back at the heat she encountered yet.]

Yet if it was man made... I cannot imagine they had the time to do something so complex by hand- surely they would have been jostled or interrupted...

[ his eyes half-mast for a moment as she touches and then yanks her hand away from the heat. Well then, curiosity hasn't taken many lives from this kitten yet, has it? He said it wasn't hotter than anything normal, not that it wasn't capable of burning skin right off—a standard of any flame. Masamune holds his tongue, though, making no move to scold her, especially since she doesn't complain.

He'll pretend he didn't see that, for now.

Closing his eyes fully, he folds his arms, considering. She is of course, right. It could be magic or... ] ...Hard to imagine it wouldn't be disturbed with all the movement around here tonight, but if it was planned ahead of time, preparations could have been made to be able to only need to spark a flame at one point and it ignite itself the rest of the way. While not really needed to be seriously considered just yet... things are often deceiving. Human or goblin—deception leading to a desired result is not past them.

[ it never will be, either. ]

Keep it in the back of your mind throughout this, for now, yeah? You never know when it might end up useful in a situation to always keep that reminder on hand that's it's not always what it seems.

[Without tools, she has only her own hands to measure, and despite the brief threat of burn she's back at it soon enough, fingers spread as she carefully edged closer and closer, trying to gauge the actual heat by sensation alone, only drawing back once it became painful.

But when it came to deception...

She had recently learned quite a lot about it- not days past she'd found out her entire life was fabricated, that she had been betrayed into such a life by the very woman who bore her.

If she began to think about deception, then nothing would come of it. So she shoved it far further back in her mind than Masamune was likely intending, forcing herself to ignore it entirely and instead focusing only on the writing in the stone.]

If it was planned beforehand I would imagine it would appear much less clean than this does... people were trodding here during the festival, were they not? surely that would have disturbed any present oils or tinder...

[ slightly disapproving face. note to self: bring this kid shopping for some gloves or something, at least. ]

Would be pretty convenient if they avoid this section with all the moving around. Too convenient, really.

Looks like the locals are going to have to help us get a idea.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

OPEN ★ ARRIVAL LOG

3

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject