epidemiology | EVENT ★ WINTER WONDERLAND, THE RECKONING

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EVENT ★ WINTER WONDERLAND, THE RECKONING

HAPPY (NONDENOMINATIONAL) HOLIDAYS

When recruits arrive back at Oska, they'll find the place already full of other ALASTAIR teams visiting Oska, and the castle and grounds entirely decked out in festive cheer. The castle is draped in purple and white finery, with a light dusting of unmelting snow everywhere -- even inside, somehow. Don't worry, the indoor snow has been enchanted to be strangely warm.

Dagny has taken it upon herself to add a little plant life in and around the castle: mistletoe, of course. It can be spotted growing in little sprigs out of chinks in castle walls, around from wooden doorframes, or even sprouting out of other, unrelated trees. You're never really safe from mistletoe. And what would the use of mistletoe be without the enchantment?

Dagny has made sure that there are enough variant species of the mistletoe to offer something for everyone. Recruits may find themselves stuck under any manner of mistletoe, trapped until they fulfill the mistletoe geas.

The Classic: This is the standard magical mistletoe, that traps people in a lightly shimmering sphere until they exchange a kiss. Any kind of kiss will do, just pucker up!
The Papilion: This is similar to the classic, but its berries come in brilliant shades of orange and pink. It will only release its catch after a butterfly kiss.
Clinging Merriment: This mistletoe is all wrapped up in itself, and climbs whatever surface it's on in twisting spirals. All it wants from its catch is a hug, but make it a good one!
The Lively Stepper: This mistletoe seems to shiver in some unfelt breeze, and if you listen closely enough, there's a gentle chime of bells that fades when you lean away from it again. People stuck under this plant will have to dance together, to whatever music they can find or make.
Whispering Mary: This mistletoe comes with deep purple leaves and seems to hide within itself. Only after a secret has been shared from each person trapped under it will it flower open and release them.
Evening Gown: This mistletoe is a gaudy display, with brilliant green leaves and splendid white blossoms instead of berries. It will only release its catch after they compliment each other -- and the Evening Gown always knows when it hears a genuine compliment, and accepts no substitutions!
Catflowers: Dagny didn't put this kind out, and has named them after the suspected perpetrators. She's been trying to take them down when she finds them, but there might be a few she's missed. This thorny sprig of mistletoe will only release its catch after they've punched each other. Sorry about that.

THE WINTER BALL

Exciting news, passed from recruit to recruit and team to team: the castle will host a ball soon! It's set to be on the second night of team Audentes's arrival in Oska, and it's going to be a truly extravagant affair. Nothing to wear? No fear! The wardrobes in each recruit's room will open upon an enormous display of fancy clothing in a multitude of styles. Once you've settled on one (and somehow, the wardrobe knows the difference between trying on and settling on), the rest of the outfits vanish the next time it's closed.

The festivities start as soon as the sun begins to sink. Music filters through the air, growing louder to guide partygoers through the castle and into the dance hall, which was definitely not a room in existence until today. The music flows from no discernable source, sometimes swirling orchestral pieces, sometimes something with a heavier beat, for a different kind of dancing. The selection is as varied as the ALASTAIR teams tend to be. Listen long enough, and you might even hear something from your own home universe.

A large glass flower shimmers in the center of the room, under which various recruits have taken to leaving presents for one another. Be sure to stop by and check the brightly wrapped parcels for your name!

MirrorBowler

Team Audentes in particular gets a special gift. The north side of the room is decorated in an unmistakable Christmas theme, complete with an enormous, glittering tree. The care put into these decorations definitely has a personal touch, it might even outshine the rest of the hall's decor. Each member of the team has a lovingly wrapped box complete with a bow under this tree, and upon opening it will find a small, intricately detailed, never-melting ice sculpture of themselves -- very possibly in a ridiculous pose. Those who were acquainted with former teammate Nicholas St. North will find that their sculpture features two figures: themselves, and North himself.

And of course, what party would be complete without the food? The kitchen has really outdone itself with its spread of delicious foods, suited to all appetites and palates. From gently steaming roasted bird to strangely colored foreign piles of tiny quivering spheres, there's something for everyone. Including the alcoholics among us: the punch is delicately spiked with that incredibly strong drink of Nalawi, which leaves a pleasantly fruity aftertaste and an immediate alcoholic burn. (Any children partaking will find that their cups have somehow filtered out any alcohol and are strangely juice-only.)

ICE MAZE

Outside the castle, the courtyard has been transformed. Giant shimmering ice walls have sprung up seemingly overnight, forming endless, winding pathways: an ice maze.

Stepping into this beautiful, gleaming maze immediately cuts off all sound from the castle life around, so loud just a moment ago. Inside the maze is only the crunch of light snow underfoot, the sound of one's own breathing, and the echoes that bounce faintly here and there.

Throughout the maze one might find bits of warm, inviting clothing. A pair of bright red mittens, a puffy coat that fits perfectly to the wearer, a scarf woven in brightly colored, warm wool. If a maze-goer chooses to ignore and walk past this clothing, they might find that something begins to follow them. It starts as just an unsettling feeling, but put off accepting the clothing for long enough and it may turn into lurking shadows in the corner of an eye, a black shape that's there in one second and vanished in the next. A faint yowl may float down a corridor, vaguely feline if only it weren't so deep. Whatever that came from must have been large.

Accepting and wearing just one of the offered clothing chases away this unwanted visitor immediately, and in just five minutes more the ice maze will finally bring you out the other side. Don't take any of its gifts, though, and the maze may just lead you to meet the Yuletide Cat instead. (Which just so happens to be Cherenkov and Crowley sharing a giant cat costume. Don't laugh, they worked hard on it.)

THE VILLAGE

Far outside the castle, the village has been brought back to warm, glowing life. Or at least, that seems to be the case. Team Hearthstone was recently on a mission to recover an item called the Time Catch, and has used it to temporarily, visually turn time back to a time when the village of Oska was populated and lively.

Humanoid villagers, all in various shades of purple and blue, hurry to and fro, talking and laughing in a language that goes untranslated by the magitek jewelry. They don't react to any of the recruits, though, and trying to touch any of them will have your hands passing straight through them. Even the restored village around them is just an illusion. One can walk straight into one of the villager's houses and find the warmth of the fire and aroma of the roasted fowl to be completely believable -- but trying to take a seat at the set table will send you crashing straight to the ground to sit in the illusion-covered rubble.

THE SQUIDGE PARK

After the festivities wind down, you may want to visit the newest addition to the Oska grounds -- the brand new squidge park. After Audentes's success in its mission on Zeta-12, ALASTAIR has been gifted with a clutch of squidge eggs to look after. Audentes need not worry about the squidges in their absence; there will always be someone in Oska to make sure the jelly-like aliens are being nurtured properly.

The squidge park is located off the greenhouses in the courtyard; it's an enclosure containing many artificial habitats so the squidges may interact with different environments to help them grow. Right now, they are just eggs, but with enough love and care, they may "hatch" (read: their amorphous blob selves will grow limbs and enter the larval stage) before Audentes even ships out again.

OOC NOTES

Blind date assignments for those working to complete the Lonely Hearts Club bounty can be found here. ICly, the match-ups are publicly posted in the ballroom for all to see.

The other ALASTAIR teams present consist of everything from humanoids to strange creatures; feel free to handwave them in your threads! The only stipulation is that transferred characters (ex. those who have dropped) are not present. The party lasts for one night, and the following day the rest of the teams will pack up and leave Oska to Audentes. The ghostly village-that-isn't will revert back to ruins at this point, as well. However, all other winter amenities will remain for the holidays!

Following the party, characters can expect to be in Oska for several more weeks, with the next mission starting in late January. A more detailed calendar for next month will be up soon!

Questions about this log, Oska, or the game in general should be directed to the FAQ. You may submit mission ideas or player plots at any time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Feferi isn't the only one who is a bit too excited for her first grand party, though Sieglinde is doing her best to act as though this is all terribly normal for her. After blackmailing Ban into making her a dress the likes she was used to, she at least felt more comfortable, and the food and drink was quite top notch...

It's on her third trip to the buffet table, moving slowly and carefully to prevent a trip or topple, that Sieglinde feels the tug on her heavy sleeve, turning to greet a...

Was that a... nix?]

... Yes?

[ Just look at that face. This is the face of someone who has literally never seen Christmas decorations of any sort before. ]

Have you ever seen anything like this before?

[ She can't be alone, right? ]

Ah-

[Anything like this? Well...]

Well, no, not quite like this, of course...

[Though Sieglinde presented quite a noble front when she was prepared to speak, she wasn't quite experienced enough wit how to do the same when suddenly bombarded, let alone by someone as... interesting looking as Feferi.

She does try not to stare overly, but.]

I mean, I have read of the traditions of the Outside World many times, but my own village never did such an opulent gathering such as this-

Did they have parties, though...?

[ She seems equal measures hopeful and curious. She feels a little out of place here sometimes; it seems like her fellow teammates have experienced so many things back home that she never could have dreamed of experiencing back on Alternia. ]

We sure didn't. I don't think decorations like this would do very well underwater, though.

Perhaps... ritual celebrations would be the better term...

["Party" implied to Sieglinde a bit more "fun", though she did know that one could have ulterior motives perhaps political or otherwise for holding them. At least- such was what she had read. And in the Wolf Forest, there was very little time for fun.]

You dwell... underwater normally?

[That meant she could breathe both water and air? How intriguing-]

Yes! These fins aren't just for show.

[ To that, she wiggles them, just to show that they are, in fact, part of her body. ]

I have gills too! But I can't show you those right now.

[ She puts her hands on her sides, indicating where her gills are, and hopefully making it more obvious why she can't show them off, even if she would otherwise. ]

But you can breathe both-

[She had read about animals that could do both in her books, like the elusive sea dog, but she had never met one... er, seen one... and the Nalawin race had been able to hold their breath for far longer than a human, but it was still not inhaling water...]

Do you have two sets of lungs?

[She can't help but to blurt it out curiously, even if she knows it's... really not appropriate ball talk.]

Oh... that's a good question! I don't think I really know, at least, compared to humans. And there are way more fun things to do here than a biology lesson!

[ She's not offended, just... well, it's a little awkward, when all is said and done, and she really is eager to keep partying. ]

Do you want to go see the big flower?

[Were there more fun things to do than talk biology? That comment seems to confuse Sieglinde, not to mention that the girl said she wasn't sure about her own anatomy, but.

Was it... really not fun?]

The... decoration?

Yes! Don't you want to see it up close?

[ Which is to say, that's what she wants. She's already started to edge away, but she doesn't look intent on leaving her new friend behind, either. ]

Is there something special about it... ?

[Sieglinde looks down at her messy finished plate, gaze longingly drifting over to the buffet table, but... she supposed the food wasn't going anywhere...]

Well, it's... big, and cool looking!

[ That's... it. That's just how she rolls though. She's on the verge of breaking out the big, round eyes, if she absolutely has to. ]

["Big and cool looking"... Sieglinde is still really not sure if that makes something worth looking at, but the other girl... fish girl... is so excited about it...]

Well, for just a moment, then...

Alright, come on!

[ She's bouncing on the balls of her toes, but takes a moment to hold out her arm, so that they might link arms and walk together. Humans were friendly like that, right...? ]

I'm Feferi, by the way. Nice to meet you! I am kind of new, I have only been on one mission so far. It was fun!

[ Sort of. Except for the part where people died, but... ]

[Having grown up carried about and escorted by her manservant, Sieglinde still half expects to be given hands and offered similar treatment even over a year into her service with ALASTAIR, so she doesn't even blink before laying her hand on Feferi's arm.

Having had her feet bound for years, the balance is also quite helpful. ... not to mention she was somewhat curious as to whether the fishy-looking girl's skin felt different.]

I am Sieglinde Sullivan- the Green Witch.

[Fun...]

I have been on five now.

[ Feferi's skin is smooth, and hairless, and cooler than a human's, almost to the point of being frigid, but she doesn't really notice or look worse for it. Her pulse still beats the same, and despite her aquatic appearance, she's completely dry. She also seems truly impressed at the answer her question gets. ]

Five? So you must be an expert at this now! What were they other ones like?

[Feferi, please don't mind the very subtle groping going on as Sieglinde surreptitiously feels her new conversation partner's skin...]

Unfortunately, the fact that each mission is so vastly different prevents anyone from becoming an expert...

[What is the best way to explain without talking the other's ear off for hours...]

Anwick had trouble with dragons... Chantes with tensions between the races and a rogue mage who had darkened the skies... Nalawi suffered from a seeping loss of magic... Zeta-12 involved assisting a newly born species... and Perdition's Rest was supposedly a matter of mining and cults...

That is... all very different, yes! But that's probably better, right?

[ She's used to weird human things, it's okay. She can handle it. ]

Like, you learn something new each time, and then you can use those skills later! Even if it's not exactly the same situation.

Theoretically yes...

[But with everything that has happened recently, Sieglinde is not too eager to think positively, nor say things that sound like praise of ALASTAIR and their vague mission.]

Their recruitment would obviously benefit from only bringing in people who are already proficient, but...

[At least if they encountered a water world she now knew someone who would be very skilled?]

When I got here, they made it sound like they didn't have much of a choice.

[ And she didn't have any reason not to believe them. She was already there, with no way of leaving, so what would be the point in lying. ]

Is that not true?

I do not know about "true"... but ALASTAIR says very little while saying technically quite a lot.

[Despite their potentially similar ages, Sieglinde seems surprised as she always is at people's willingness to believe what they are told. But then again, she supposes not everyone found out their entire life had been a lie and then began suspecting everything else in the world.

A dubious honor, to be sure.]

That is the version they are sticking with, at any rate.

I guess it doesn't matter! Either it is the truth and there's nothing we can do about it, or it is a lie to get us to be more willing to help, and we still can't do anything about it.

[ That logic makes sense in her mind, at least. She's sure that if there was a way to just leave, someone would have already, regardless of whether or not they're here for a good cause. ]

I think it sounds plausible, anyway!

[Doesn't... matter... Sieglinde gives Feferi a very unsure look, but she supposes there's... not much sense in trying to argue with someone intent on being positive or trusting...

So instead she just points at the tree.]

Is this the sight you desired?

[ Well, it's sufficient distraction, anyway. Feferi gazes up at it with wide eyes and claps her hands together. ]

Yes! Isn't it even cooler up close?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ★ WINTER WONDERLAND, THE RECKONING

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