thebastion | Event: Day 265 [OPEN]

Entry tags:

Event: Day 265 [OPEN]

Who: Several NPCs and you
Open: Open
When: Day 265
Where: The Bastion in general
What: Everyone adjusting to the new land, plus some bad news from Nathaniel.
Format: action
Warnings: Lnone

[First, the good news: everyone came back more or less alive and well, and they had a core! After some deliberation, eventually it was decided upon that adding more land to the Bastion (as well as improving the efficiency of power use in the Bastion, so that the extra land is not a strain on the already limited power) is the best use of this Core.

Once the core has been integrated into the Bastion, the land expanse is almost immediate. Several chunks of the nearby Skyway (monster-free, thankfully) attach themselves to the Bastion, nearly doubling the available land. In addition to the flat plains, lake, river, and hills, there is much more flat land, and a few sharp peaks (nowhere near tall enough to be actual mountains, but they are made of rock and have the same jagged edges and steep inclines that a mountain would have) have attached themselves to the north-eastern side of the Bastion.

In addition, several empty buildings have sprung up in the south and western parts of the Bastion, along with a large empty area clearly left open for tents or more structures. With all of the new land and buildings, the Bastion should be able to hold several hundred residents comfortably. Provided the people could be found to fill those spaces, the Bastion could be a small town now!

But today is not entirely a day of good news. Around midday, Nathaniel calls a meeting by the monument to discuss some things, and he doesn't look happy at all.]

Okay guys, I'm just going to be honest here. We've got some trouble brewing.

For starters, I haven't been able to pick up the energy signal from that other core. Either it's been buried, or it fell off the Skyway, or something else got to it. It may come up later, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Along with that, we've got another mess on our hands now. Remember that group of Ura that you guys have been talking to? Well, they left this letter in the place where we leave written communication with them. Zahi translated it for me, and long story short, their crops failed and they're asking us for help.

We can give them supplies, but the farm doesn't grow enough to feed both us and them. If we found another core we could expand the farms to make it feasible, but there's no telling when we'll find another core. Our other option is to start growing our own farms on top of what the automated farm grows for us, but that won't actually help for several weeks, even months. They could possibly starve by the time that pays off. There's also the problem of how to get the sheer volume of food they need out to where they are. Their numbers are about equal to ours, and it's not a trip we could make every day, and most foods would spoil by the time we got it to where they are, so that's something to keep in mind too.

As near as I can tell, we can either help them out until they can grow more food, or we can ignore the request and let them fend for themselves. If any of you guys have another idea of what to do, we can discuss it.

I'll leave the decision up to you guys, but whatever you choose, make the decision quick, so that whatever you decide to do can be put into motion as soon as possible.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[Ah to dream]

I'll keep it in mind if I find anything that might be useful. I'll have to find a decent place to do this. Maybe near the river.

Near the edge that drops off could be best. I know that the river is used for swimming...

And thinking about it, there are a few children about. Live traps would be better anyway. [ Duke would suggest the skyway but that would let all sorts of things close that they probably would rather not have around. ]

[ Okay lets see if he can wrap his brain around this to ask what he thinks he is asking- ]

The energy - would it be better used if I just.. gave it to the monument? .. getting it to make me things doesn't.. take energy from it? [ .. he sounds like a warrior. ]

[It's Zulf who speaks up.]

We use shards as well, but certainly not to the extent the Caels have. They're convenient light sources, but technology-wise, both people took considerably different paths.

No big surprise there, tech divergence I mean.

[Colin's still considering this.]

Would the Ura have any reason to collect them in bulk? ... And would they be willing to contribute to my work, if it meant I could get them better facilities out of it?

I can't think of any immediate reasons why they would... but I'm certain that if they were told what we could do with them, they'd be able to find plenty.

[Colin nods, seemingly satisfied with this train of thought.]

All right. Any shards they can bring to the table will definitely help us help them.

Don't push 'em too hard, though. The monument is still a Cael monstrosity, and I don't think we need to get them thinking too much about it.

[He doesn't call technology a "monstrosity" lightly. Its functions STILL baffle him... and he doesn't like that.]

When we send the delegation isn't up to me, but I think that we need to get a response to them quickly... And we'll be making regular trips out there if we want to bring them stuff, so I think there will be plenty of time for the ostrich horses to learn.

[He gives a grin then.]

I can ALWAYS use unskilled labor, and I'm going to need a lot of it in the next few days. And yeah, coming out to the observatory will be fine. But make sure you finish the stuff that needs to be finished. It's not a short trip. It will probably take half a day to get out there, another half a day to harvest, and then ANOTHER half a day to get back. We're looking at a two day trip, if we rush things.

As for the rabbits...

[Colin makes a face.]

I've put up some minor fencing, but as any gardener will tell you, fences have never deterred rabbits. I think it would be better to keep the rabbits away from there until we can get some people out there long term to watch the crops. Or at least get enough good will with the Gasfellas out there to have them take over managing the food supplies.

I really need to figure out their language...

[He nods.]

Building the cart comes first. Then I guess loading it? Or whatever urgent stuff needs to happen as soon as possible. And the hydroponics. Hm. Maybe if there's extra wood left over I should make some quick crates or bins to transport stuff in.

[Rob calling himself "unskilled labor" is probably misleading, because even if he doesn't know much about hydroponics he's intelligent and has a broad enough knowledge base that he'll probably be more helpful than grabbing a random passersby.]

Yeah, rabbits without someone to scare them off is probably a bad idea. And with the Ura needing all the food they can get surprising them with something that'll eat their crops if they aren't paying attention's probably not the best idea either. I guess I can tell whoever goes to see them to let them know that the offer's open when they think they're ready.

But do you really think those things'd be able to look after crops?

[He's still firmly in the "things that vanish when killed and drop shards are like RPG monsters" mindset because if he lets himself see them like the rabbits he'll have to deal with the issue of the dozens of Squirts he's already killed.]

Some crates would actually be a really good idea. Easy to make, and endlessly useful. I've been making do with containers I've scavenged or thrown together, but... if we're doing a big harvest, we're going to need more.

[Colin tilts his head and looks at Rob then. He already knows most people don't think too highly of the Gasfellas, but...]

They were basically Caelondian slave labor. They're definitely smart, definitely communicative, and they can do quite a bit. They're just different from life as most people know it.

Don't be fooled by the squirts, the Gasfella are definitely a population worth getting to know and befriend, if we can. I just... don't think most squirts have a long life expectancy. They're fragile, and not the smartest of beings, and... well, the name "Squirt" really says it all.

[Yeah, that's the big problem. Xenorelations suffer until people realize that the things they're shooting at have their own lives, minds, and objectives... It's something he knows well with the Silicoids from his universe.]

It'll depend on how much wood is left over; making planks takes a while so if we're in a hurry I probably shouldn't spend time on something like that right away.

[Rob's only seen them when he's been out in a group for events; he doesn't go out very far on his own so most of what he knows about non-Squirts comes from stuff he's overheard others saying.]

So... the Gasfella are the smart ones, and the Squirts are like squirrels or something?

[It's not like he's been actively hunting them - okay a couple times he's stumbled across an inattentive Squirt and taken advantage of the situation, but generally speaking - so he can justify it to some extent as self-defense, but he'd really rather what he just said to be the reality because the alternatives are not things he wants to think about.]

Just don't neglect the basics in favor of the advanced. A cart will be amazing, but if we have to throw food into the cart at random, we're going to lose some of it to damage. Cargo capacity doesn't help much if there's no cargo consolidation.

[He smiles slightly.]

The Gasfella are what the Squirts grow into. They're smarter, stronger, and a lot less trusting. With good reason.

EVERYTHING preys on the Squirts. Peckers eat Squirts. Anklegators eat Squirts. SQUIRTS eat Squirts. Hell, the Caels turned Squirts into booze while using the Gasfellas as miners and waste technicians.

There's high numbers of them because not a lot of them will survive into adulthood. Similar to why rabbits reproduce so quickly and in such high numbers.

[He's not going to call Rob a murderer or even try to put the thought in his head, but he's hoping he can impress upon him gradually that killing the squirts isn't a good idea...]

... That said, the population at the Observatory is not to be harmed. They're generally remaining peaceful towards me and the people I'm with, and I'd like to keep it that way. And the Gasfellas WILL protect the squirts... both there, and out on the skyway. Something to bear in mind.

True.

[He didn't need to call Rob a murderer to that thought into his head or get his point across, if the look of dawning horror on Rob's face is any indication. ...Well at least it's only been the pre-sentient larval forms he's been killing, right? In (mostly) self-defense? ...What follows is the sound of someone desperately trying to justify something.]

They, they do attack people who go out on the Skyway. It's not unreasonable to kill them in self-defense, right? And, I mean, it looks like the shards people've gotten from them have been put to good use, right? Would this place be as far along or even be surviving without the shards that drop from them on top of ones that've been found just lying around?

[Colin looks at Rob, and he sighs.]

Rob, look at me.

[He reaches out to put a strong hand on Rob's shoulder.]

You didn't know better, and yeah, they do attack people on the Skyway. A lot of them are hungry, and won't survive more than a few weeks out there. You're justified in defending yourself, and you're just as justified in not knowing better. They are small and they don't speak a language you understand, or can even understand as a language.

Just don't try to sell yourself excuses. Own what you've done, and own what you're going to do.

There are still shards lying around, and there are still plenty of things that are going to attack you out there. Conduct yourself in a manner that you can live with. If that means killing things, then go ahead and kill things. My wife is a serial killer, I UNDERSTAND needing to kill stuff.

If it bothers you, bring some food with you next time. I tend to bring some food with me, and I give it to the squirts I find. You'll make some squirts very happy. You won't save all of them.

Everything has a hard time out there, and everything is more or less surviving off of the hardships of something else. A lot of the people here? They're killing stuff because it lets them live more comfortably. The Ura? They are doing some awful things out there to survive, and because of what was done to them.

You do what you gotta do to sleep at night. Just don't try to justify it, because if you have to, it's gonna keep bothering you.

Don't worry, I'll be sure to tread lightly.

[He knows this old dance and song, after all.]

[The Emissary, of course, raises her hand.]

It's probably obvious from the title, but I have a lot of experience in diplomacy. I'd be happy to help out, if you don't think my appearance would put them off too much. The Ura are human as well, correct? [Zulf is, she knows, but she wants to be clear on whether it's an ethnic group or a conglomerate.]

You're right, of course. Or if nothing else, the resources to find such a means.

[Something he said a moment ago pings her, though.] You said you're an ambassador?

It's not a perfectly efficient process. I haven't been able to map the power distribution of the monument, and...

Yep, bored to tears, sorry, sorry.

It's a complex process that I'm still trying to figure out the particulars of. Yes, storing some shards for power purposes is a good idea, but right now, the monument's purpose is to restore as much of the world as we can. ... Little bits at a time.

[Rob's shoulder is quite tense when Colin touches it, but he does look at him somewhat reflexively. He starts taking deep breaths, his exhalations being jittery. He really doesn't want to start crying in a crowd, and for the duration of this particular tag at least he succeeds.

When he does manage to speak, his voice is lower than usual and comes out a bit hoarse.]

Are there any other monsters out there that're actually sentient or will be, or just those two?

That's right. I came from the Terminals to Caelondia before this all happened.

There's the Scumbags, named by the Caels I'm sure. You won't often run into them. They're the oldest of the squirt line. The look like... well... they're giants, you really can't miss them if you run into one. And you should run if you find them anyway, they're huge.

[He squeezes Rob's shoulder once again, he really has no idea what else he can do here...]

Look, if you need a few minutes, we're not going to get terribly far ahead...

[Colin could try something and maybe get lucky, but really there's not much more he can do after dropping this on Rob.

Rob nods and silently walks off to his cottage to be alone for a bit to try and work out where to go from here now.]

I'm not the best at live traps but I'll do my best. Used to hunting more than trapping either way.

If these ideas happened to include killing a mammoth or two, would the population survive? I was told you were the...dragon to ask?

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Event: Day 265 [OPEN]

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