day 117 :: Core Event

[bastionpc]

Who: Everyone who wants to participate
Open: Open
When: Day 117
Where: Prosper Bluff --> Jawson's Bog
What: The PCs go hunting for a core, and get caught up in a dangerous situation
Format: log, action, etc.
Warnings: Some threads will contain triggering material. Those threads will be labeled as such in the headers.


[Some time has passed, and more people have arrived. It seems as though things have been turning around since the last hunt for a core. So when Nathaniel comes to tell everyone that another core has been located, and that they'll need to go get it, his somber attitude might seem a bit strange.]

Alright everyone, I'm getting an energy spike in the general area of Prosper Bluff, so I'm pretty sure a core is there. Unfortunately, I can't get an exact location on it, just a general area, so you're going to have to go down there and root it out yourself. It should be somewhere on the bluff, which will make for an easy recovery, since most monsters stay away from that area.

However, there is a chance that the core might be a bit further East, in Jawson's Bog. If it is, just leave it there. It is not worth risking your lives to go in there to get it.

[Everyone is free to talk to Nathaniel before leaving, if they want, or they can just be on their way. Either way, the NPCs will be waiting for them to return.]




Threadtracking:

Preparation thread
Prosper Bluff
Jawson's Bog
Jawson't Bog part 2
special group goes here

Comments

Preparation thread

[bastionpc]

[If you have any preparations to do, such as gathering supplies or talking to NPCs, do so here. Nathaniel is right there to answer any questions, and other NPCs can be approached too.]

[wayofvoice]

[Nathaniel has probably realized that at some point a dragon has joined the ranks of the Bastion, but, well, if he hasn't... Paarthurnax is approaching him right now, pale eyes focusing on him.]

What makes this Bog so dangerous, if I may ask?

[bastionpc]

There's lotsa weeds there, way more than what you'll find anywhere else. Since they can shoot pins and needles at you, and they're found in large groups there, that makes them all the more dangerous.

And if you stumble into some Lungblossom, you're done for.

Don't need an NPC but in case anyone wants to talk to her

[stormsinbraids]

I'll go out on the Skyway to see if the wind will show me anything to help you search, but I won't go much further than that.

[ Tris has magic, yes, but not exactly the sort that anyone would want to be on the Skyway with when she uses. ]

[windgod]

[Ippo adjusted the light armor underneath his clothing, jumping on the balls of his feet a few times to get used to the weight before he took on rechecking his hand wraps. A few tugs and a slight readjustment near his wrist later and he slipped his gauntlets on; slamming them together for alignments sake with a confident nod. He felt more optimistic about this trip...somehow he had the feeling that things were going to go a-ok, or at least he hoped.]

Well...what can you tell us about the area itself? The more we know, the better equipped we'll be to handle the situation, right?

[bastionpc]

The bluff itself is pretty safe. It's mostly flat, though there are sheer cliffs on one side, so watch out for those. When the Calamity hit, the cliffs turned into cliffs that roll off the Skyway, so you really don't want to fall off.

The one worry is the tall grass. I don't think there will be any really dangerous monsters in it, like Anklegators, but you might come across some Gasfella or Peckers.

Re: Preparation thread

[freedom_engineer]

Ah, my workshop for satellite coverage...

What the heck, I'm in.

[He's nursing a caffeine headache like nobody's business, and he really, REALLY wants to get some physical activity with a group to take his mind off of it...]

Re: Preparation thread

[freedom_engineer]

[Well, if nobody else is going to poke Colin, he may as well do some planning of his own... TO THE DISTILLERY!]

Helloooooo, anyone out there who wants to beat an engineer's head in with a ladel?

Re: Preparation thread

[yinyangfox]

[ Seimei had been standing off to the side, listening and watching without particularly interacting. He left a good deal of socializing to Kaoru and Taisan these days, slipping into old habits.

On the upside he'd been less moody by comparison, meditating on events and doing his favorite pastime - napping. Now another core was available and Kaoru had been showing more and more interest in endangering himself. It frustrated the onmyoji, but he would never deny the boy anything, regardless of how much he wanted to.

Watching the conversation with dragon had been interesting, and he was honestly relieved that great beasts were surviving the end of worlds as well. Yet his attention was not for fascinating creatures.

When there was a spare moment, he moved forward, bowing politely to Nathaniel and folding his hands in his sleeves. ]

Please tell me more about this bog. I understand your misgivings, but with cores as rare as they are for us, and with such large companions joining our cause, we will need more space and the only means of accomplishing this is cores, so far as we have found.

We risk our lives every time we go out - how is this any different?

[bastionpc]

Even back before the Calamity, the bog claimed the lives of most who wandered into it. It's not part of the city, it's untamed wilderness beyond the Ripping Walls. And with how badly you guys got hurt last time, I don't think you'd stand a chance in the bog.

I don't mean any offense, but I don't want to see you guys die either.

[superdrowningskills]

And if we are forced into the bog?

[Best to be prepared for all possibilities, given how the luck that they'd had so far was remarkably good. If there's one thing about luck that Alucard knows, it's that the longer things go well, the more likely things are going to go horribly wrong. Lady Luck is a harsh mistress.]

[bastionpc]

Then leave as soon as you can, and stay away from the plants.

Thread 1: searching the Prosper Bluff

[bastionpc]

[This is where the search starts. Explore here with everyone else to look for the core.

Just watch out for the stray monster or two. While most monsters do avoid this area, some are brave enough to make it their home.]

[notduchess]

[ Duke's here, tonics in a pack and sword out but in a fairly casual grip. The knight still prefers to focus on making sure that anyone who needs healing gets healed, but doesn't see any problems with poking about a little bit ahead. ]

[windgod]

[Ippo stayed towards the front of the group, his fists clenched tightly and his muscles firmly tensed in case they ran into any resistance. He was an in-fighter first and foremost; meaning that the faster he could get into an opponents space, the better off he'd be...it only made sense for him to be where he could do that. Not to mention that he'd rather himself take an injury before anyone else here...partly because he knew he could withstand the abuse, but mostly because he cared.

He might have felt a sense of good tidings at the Bastion...but now that he was here, those feelings were giving way to a nagging feeling in the back of his head; all of the times he had stepped foot out on to the skyway...something had gone terribly wrong. Would this time truly be different? He looked down at his fist and nodded to himself in affirmation...he would do his best to see to it.]

[yinyangfox]

[ Walking in calm silence with Taisan resting on one shoulder, Seimei kept the greater portion of his senses focused outward, beyond the immediate area. Ears strained, nostrils flared, lips slightly parted. He focused less on his eyes and more on other sensory input.

Before leaving the Bastion he had prepared several ofuda, weary of being unable to cast spells freely without such implements. The one he held before himself between two fingers was specifically for alerting them to the presence of anything alive - anything. Friend or foe was irrelevant anymore. Anything alive was worth investigating - or eradicating, in some cases. ]

[wayofvoice]

[Hi guys, bye guys, that sure is a giant dragon flying up ahead with Aoi on his neck.]

[He doesn't land right away, instead circling inside the perimeter as he keeps an eye out for anything that seems odd.]

Let me know if you wish to land.

[blackblooded]

[Crona lags behind the group at first, then eventually pulls away from it entirely, looking around for anything unusual. No obvious weapons, but the meister is never unarmed.]

i think i'm late to the party, but i suck at timing ):

[heptagram]

[Patchouli approaches with care. She had her magic, yes, and it's decently powerful and has a decent area of effect, but it's limited in how many times she can use it. Wasting a powerful spell on something tiny.]

Please stay close. [Who is she saying that to? YOU DECIDE.]

Jawson's Bog

[bastionpc]

[In their exploration,Duke and Colin managed to find a path that leads to Jawson's Bog. Normally it would be a bad idea to go anywhere near the bog, but anyone who is sensitive to the presence of energy will be able to feel an immense power coming from within the bog. It's still a distance away, but the party is definitely going to have to go into the bog to go after the core.

What do you do?]

[yinyangfox]

[ Following along the main route and keeping in sight of the others was easy enough, and Seimei felt confident that as a group they were doing well enough, all things considered. No senseless bravado, no rushing into danger.

Yet.

Now the bog, and Nathaniel had warned them. Still, he had not arrived entirely unprepared, carrying spells written to cleanse the air - with any luck, though that was sparse of late - and of course, Taisan.

The shikigami hovered nearby, flapping his flaming wings lazily with a complete lack of interest until issued orders. ]

Well. I appears if we want the core we have little choice but to proceed. I volunteer, of course. I have spells that may help but I refuse to send others in armed only with uncertainty.

[ He withdrew a small stack of ofuda from a sleeve, gesturing vaguely. ]

Anyone that goes is welcome to try.

Jawson's Bog part 2: protecting people

[bastionpc]

[Though everyone has been careful in their exploration of the bog, eventually things start to fall apart. Those pincushions aren't watching where they fire their needles, after all, and soon enough one of the needles ends up hitting one of the strange purple plants. The plant- one of the many Lungblossoms in the area- erupts, spewing out a large cloud of green gas.

Seimei's ofudas are actually very useful here, and they end up protecting most of the people from this gas. However, Alucard, Crona, Ippo, and Seimei are not able to avoid the gas for various reasons, and they will fall to the ground, paralyzed and unconscious.

Everyone else is fine, and the gas eventually dissipates. But there are now four unconscious people within the swamp, and more trouble is on the way. See, the Core was actually inside the lungblossom that has just exploded, and now that it is exposed, monsters are going to start flocking to the area to get it.

Everyone who is not currently unconscious has but a few minutes to decide what to do and prepare for the incoming rush of dangerous beasties.]

Re: Jawson's Bog part 2: protecting people

[wayofvoice]

[Landing is going to be a tad... difficult for Paarthurnax. The bog is just too thick and full of trees. Not impossible, mind you, if he decided to put his full weight behind it, but that's not what he has in store. Instead, he keeps up in the air over them all. It's a pretty good view- perfect, in fact, for helping him spot all the beasts off in the distance. He calls down to those still on the ground.]

Beasts are approaching, quickly- we must leave.

[In theory, he could try and eat everything, but he doesn't want to risk Aoi's safety. Besides, he already understands that the Core is their priority. Now that it is in sight, the only thing stopping them is the four unconscious individuals.]

[Regardless of the choices anyone makes, Paarthurnax speaks again-]

Su Grah Dun!

[-with his Thu'um, the words getting right into the very being of those still conscious. They'll feel lighter, somehow, like they're the very wind themselves, and quicker especially when it comes to attacking. Not Sonic's level of speed, mind you, but something to make more than enough of a difference.]

special group :: triggery stuff is in here

[bastionpc]

[As for Alucard, Crona, Ippo, and Seimei, after they fall unconscious, they will 'wake up' in the same shared dreamlike state. It still appears that they are in the bog, but everything is hazy, and movement is difficult.

Everything else, both monsters and people, are nowhere to be found.]

Re: special group :: triggery stuff is in here

[yinyangfox]

[ Evidently first to wake, Seimei rose and dusted himself off, angry evident in his expression - not at anyone in particular, but more at himself. He reached up, touching where the ofuda had been on his chest, confusion warring with anger, pride and disappoint in varying degrees until being overshadowed by concern for the others. He went the inspect, touching and gently shaking each one. ]

Tss. Hm. Wake up. Are you alright?