epidemiology | 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

Seems like it won't matter. [ _{he's only a LITTLE growly. maybe he bonded a little better with the wyrmling than he'd meant to.} ] Doesn't seem like they'll warn us beforehand if we're going to end up destroying the world this time. Don't think a lot around here would bother doing the missions if they did.

[ _{him included, probably.} ]

That or they would actively work against any of ALASTAIR's goals. [ Which is a possibility anyway. There's enough people among their group that seem to feel mislead or betrayed by the results of their last mission. They may be less likely to follow orders now. ]

At least the goal seems to be reconciliation, this time.

As far as we know. Last time it seemed like a rescue mission. Which, [ _{he shrugs a little, wobbling his head from side to side,} ] I mean, it was. They just didn't tell us why we had to rescue the little bastards. There's no real way to know what they're aiming for, especially since we're just supposed to, what. Get information? Doesn't really mean shit, at this point.

It would be more than we have, at the moment. [ At least they would have a better idea of why the two sides were in conflict, if they gathered information. Not that Ahad believes any of their likely sources are without bias. ]

I guess that's true. You could always bother them or something, not that it'd probably get you anywhere. I'm not even sure what the hell kind of information they're interested in gathering.

I assume it likely is something about why the humans and goblins are in conflict. [ Not that he sounds like he believes that will get them much of anything. ] I expect the stories will be contradictory and heavily biased.

Maybe they're just interested in hearing about it to see if it'll change their mind on some decision they've already made. They seem like the kind of .. people who go into this sort of thing with an end already in mind.

Our last mission would seem to indicate that. [ Not that it's necessarily true. It's difficult to determine what to take as fact when you've only been on one mission and ALASTAIR seems so secretive. ]

[ _{Sebastian snarls, finding himself a little angrier than he'd realized. goddamn bullshit, these ALASTAIR people and their assholishness. he swallows it a little, fists clenching and unclenching as he tries to ignore the rage.} ]

It's tempting to refuse to help, just to see what happens, but there'd have to be enough of us doing it to make a difference. I don't think we could ever convince enough of us to do it.

[ Ahad does raise an eyebrow at that snarl, but is otherwise unchanging. He's not happy at all, but has always worked to hide his emotions. ]

It also begs the question of what will happen to this world if we refuse to help.

It's ... some kind of fucked up catch-22. If we help, they could die. If we don't, they could die. [ _{ffffuuuuuuuck.} ] Fuck.

In either case, we are left to blunder around. [ What a mess. Ahad's more annoyed by the lack of information than anything else, but he does have some interest in keeping the universe going as it should. ]

Great. Sounds like a plan.

[ _{jesus christ, this is such a cluster.} ]

Should I wish you luck?

[ They're likely going to need it. ]

Pretty sure you could wish us all luck for seven straight goddamn days and it wouldn't be enough, but. I'll take it.

[ _{he nods at the guy decisively. it's happening. he is going to Do This.} ]

I'm Sebastian. You need anything, you let me know.

I go by Ahad, but forgive me if I do not echo the offer. [ There's the hint of a smile on his face, when he says that. ]

If you need anything that falls within my abilities, I would be willing to consider assisting you.

That's fine. [ _{he opts not to follow up with "I don't give a shit" because it sounds gruff even for him.} ] Ahad. Right. I'm sure I'll see you around.

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