etrayalogs | DECEMBER MINGLE

Entry tags:

DECEMBER MINGLE

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: December 21st - Early January
WHERE: Etraya
WHAT: Newcomers, a surprise gift from Tatianna, and a visitor!
NOTES\WARNINGS:

⏵ arrival ⏴
Welcome to Etraya!

Arrival goes as expected - characters awaken on hospital beds and are offered an explanation of their situation: that they have arrived in the city of Etraya, and they are their world's only hope. They are welcome to wander the hospital if they would like to - the upper floors are mostly empty, full of pristine hallways and numerous rooms filled with supplies, cots, and things one would expect from a relatively average 21st-century hospital.

The lobby is filled to the brim with tables of freshly baked goods. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" banners are taped to the walls, and several other typical birthday decorations can be found in this area. A few of the baked goods tables are lined with massive cakes covered in unlit candles, just waiting for someone to grab a lighter and sing off-key. Is it anyone's birthday? Who knows! The companion bots seem to believe it's every new arrival's birthday and will greet them as such - with friendly waves and cheers as they make their way to the lobby.

A coat rack is situated by the doors leading out of the hospital, covered in warm clothing that fits the new arrivals just right - whether it's to their preferred style or not is something else entirely. Some of them appear normal enough. Others? Well. They can't all be perfect, now can they?

Outside the windows, the grass is covered in a couple of inches of loosely packed snow.

We hope you enjoy your stay.

⏵ an unexpected gift ⏴

Out by the hospital stands a tall, decorated tree covered in candles and golden pinecones with a handsome, red velveteen tree skirt. In front of it are a few oversized wrapped gifts for show- and atop one of those sits a familiar woman. Or unfamiliar, if this is your first time.

It's Tatianna in a slutty Santa outfit with a big ol’ burlap sack.

“Hey, I got something for you,” she says, digging into the bag and rummaging for a moment.

She produces a painted egg and holds it aloft.

“It’s your Winter Solstice Egg! This is the egg holiday, right? Wait, shit. I’m mixing them up, aren’t I? ...Well. It’s a little late to change it. Here you go!”

How one treats their egg is fully up to themselves. They can choose to ignore it entirely, or destroy it and leave the yolk and innards to rot on the ground. They can hand it over to someone else or care for it as if it were something precious. No one will prevent them from doing whatever they please with it!

⏵ naughty or nice ⏴However, how they treat the egg will define how the egg treats them in return.

Those who keep the egg and tend to it will get the benefit of being able to watch it hatch seven days after they are handed the egg. Eggs that are treated with attention and love may yield a loyal companion, or a weapon of choice that always returns to its owner, while neglected eggs may yield a curious, cursed trinket or an animal who treats its new owner very much the same way its owner had treated it before it was born.

Please submit an egg request below for what items you would like your character's eggs to hatch into! Please note that these cannot be things that would be applicable in the game.

Those whose eggs are destroyed or forgotten will simply get the gift of... nothing!

⏵ free your spirit ⏴

With the winter chill gripping the air, a mysterious figure makes their presence known in Etraya - a towering, horned creature dragging a massive sack behind them.

𝓐 𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖊 𝖇𝖚𝖎𝖑𝖙 𝖔𝖓 𝖑𝖎𝖊𝖘 𝖍𝖆𝖘 𝖆 𝖜𝖊𝖆𝓴 𝖋𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓.

Regardless of a character's strengths or weaknesses, they will find that when Krampus raises his massive sack over their head, they are powerless to stop him from catching them. Those capable of great magical feats or other supernatural abilities will sense something... otherworldly about Krampus, but will not be able to place the source of that sensation.

Once within Krampus' sack, they are welcome to fight, but escape is impossible. It will feel as if Krampus is dragging them over every rock possible, dragging the sack in through the rivers to the point it soaks through and drenches them - potentially almost drowning them.

When the sack opens, they will find themselves in an impossibly dark space. Around them are others who have also been captured and dragged here by Krampus, trapped in small cages hanging from a massive, wiry tree.

Krampus will return often, banging clawed hands and birch rods on the walls of the cages and knocking them into one another.
𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖋𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖘𝖘𝖘𝖘𝖘.
The whisper resonates through the darkened area, regardless of Krampus' presence. Confess your secrets, and be freed. Otherwise? You'd better hope someone figures out where Krampus has set up base; those who refuse to confess may find themselves stuck here forever.

⏵ NOTES ⏴

Krampus' base is under Etraya! Deep within the catacombs, he has set up multiple cages to capture those who inhabit Etraya to punish them for their naughty habits. Fighting him is possible! Defeating him by means of combat is not, however, possible. Think of it like fighting a god: Krampus creates the rules in the space around him, including who can use what ability.

For all questions relating to this log, please refer to the mod queries comment. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.

⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Getting kidnapped wasn't exactly on Accelerator's to-do list for today, nor was listening to some old man be offended that he's in the same boat. Though he'd really like to be doing the same thing, because this whole situation is absurd. You don't get away with kidnapping the Board Chairman of Academy City, the #1 Level 5, without being really impressive, but this guy just looks like sad excuse for a goat. Everyone who had tried to do exactly this over the years back home would likely be angry a goat back them to it.

Anyways, he's nearby in another cage, sitting on the floor of it because standing up in something hanging from a tree when you rely on a crutch for balance is a bad time. Accelerator watches this whole scene, then rolls his eyes in that petulant way only a teenager can pull off.]

I don't think throwing a fucking temper tantrum is gonna convince that thing to let you out.

[Or maybe it will, who knows. For all his smarts he isn't actually familiar with Krampus.]

Of course it won't.

[ He snapped it out at the kid, head tipping to give him a full view of... well. The scar — free of any makeup, so it's fetid and stringy — surrounding that glowing pit of an eye. If expression of anger wasn't disconcerting, that eye... looks angry. Angrier than even the man's fervent kicks or yelling.

He looked at Accelerator sitting on the floor of his cage, and he sneered. ]

It's better than mere acceptance isn't it? I'm not giving this thing anything.

[ So... no confessions from him? Yikes. ]

And I'm not going to sit down and just accept my fate. [ After all, he'd been dead. He isn't willing to waste this. Especially when Jinx is likely...

Alone.

A soft scoff, before he turned to the bar again, and he's kicking it again, trying to feel for a weak point. ]

At least I'm doing something.

[Accelerator regards Silco calmly, unphased by his insults, his attention focusing more on the guy's eye now that he can get a better look at it. What the hell is going on there? It looks gnarly, like it's rotting out of his skull. There's no way he can see our of it, so why even keep the eyeball? Stubbornness? Maybe, he seems stubborn. He certainly isn't keeping it for the health benefits....

He clicks his tongue at the kick, finally deciding to respond.]

You want me to do something? Fine.

[He reaches up, hitting the switch on his choker, the light on it changing from green to red. Then he reaches over and taps a bar.

Nothing happens. He hits the switch on his choker again. The epitome of laziness, though he immediately starts rattling off an analysis like it's no big deal.]

The bars are comprised of cast iron and magic. The iron is a pretty typical alloy, 2.5% carbon, 1% silicon, and the rest iron. I can give you the molecular structure down to the subatoms, but there's honestly nothing special about it.

But the magic that uses laws I'm not familiar with. I can calculate them up to a point, but then it's like imaginary numbers get haphazardly thrown into the mix and screwing everything up. I know there's some fucking folklore about iron and fairies or whatever, but I thought it hurt them. Whatever the hell this thing is, it's able to work with the iron and make completely resistant to being broken by conventional means.

[He sits back, his tone dry.]

So all kicking is gonna do is break your toe.

[ Nice assumption there, Accelerator. His mismatched gaze stares at him for a long moment, and it probably feels like it's boring into him. As if it can see through him. He even watches, carefully, seeing that his choker can do quite a bit there. Interesting. Not that it helps him much, it's true that it's a fairly strong composite.

Not something he's rather pleased to remember, but ah, former miner and all. Can't help the history, now can he? ]

I don't do magic.

[ He said, with a wave of his hand. It's not... necessarily dismissive. More like it's beyond him. If Jinx were here, he might have encouraged her to put together something, or worked with the boy. After all, his daughter was a genius. She could do anything (he might be biased) but Silco? He's good with numbers, logistics, bookeeping, planning.

When confronted with things like this? He's kind of out of his depth. Maybe that's why he's kicking at it, although he angled it differently this time. Toward the places where there are connections. Weak spots. ]

Steel-toed boots. [ He said, with the slightest of smiles. ] Don't leave home without them. It's unlikely I'll break my toe, but if I do? [ A shrug. ]

I've had worse.

[Accelerator readily stares back; it's normal behaviour for him, being such a little shit. It helped that over the years, most adults in his life were scared of him.

Eventually he breaks his stare in order to roll his eyes. Not doing magic is fine, back home most people aren't familiar with it and it's still a bit of a mystery to him, but the resumed kicking is excessive.]

There's gotta be a better option than that, even if you have the boots for it. For all we know the noise is just gonna piss that thing off even more.

Oh! Make it upset?

[ He scoffed. Another little kick on the next one. Look, he has ONE BUTTON that he can use. he's going to use it.

Sure, he could confess something, but Silco truly doesn't seem the type. Unendingly stubborn, is more his speed, in fact. ]

What ever will we do? Does it seem like it's attacked any of us thus far? Should we remain meek and quiet just so that it doesn't think to look in our direction? I notice you have not played its game, have you?

[ Another kick. ]

I won't give it what it wants. Whether it is compliance or silence.

.........................................

[It's almost tempting to go back to ignoring the guy, but he's a teenager and the banging noise from each kick is too annoying. Besides, the conversation is actually motivating him to think a little about alternative methods out of here. Brute force won't work, and he doesn't want to talk about his personal life... there must be a third option.

He sighs, giving their surroundings another look. As he does he replies.]

Okay, and if you piss it off enough that it does end up attacking, how's that gonna turn out for you, old man? I'm fairly confident I'd be fine, you don't even look like you can throw a punch without breaking your wrist.

[ Another kick, and then Silco turned to look at him, focusing that eerie eye onto him. ]

You think so?

[ He asked. Another kick. ]

You would be surprised what I can do. After all, that sentiment has led many a man larger than I to underestimate me.

[ Well, most men bigger than him.

He shifted his leg, the weight of the kitchen knife he'd lifted in his boot. That would do, should he need it. ]

.... Right.

[He's a bit skeptical, and he doesn't want to be protecting some old guy if a fight breaks out, especially when he doesn't actually know what this creature is capable of.

There has to be a smarter way to deal with this. He clicks his tongue thoughtfully. There's an echo coming from some corridor but the Krampus doesn't appear to be in the near vicinity. Accelerator shifts over to the door of his cage.]

You know anything about picking locks?

Oh, little old me?

[ he says with a chuckle. ]

Do I give off the aura of someone who would?

[ His fingers dance along the bars now, considering. ]

Well, let's just say that I do. I'm without any tools that would make it possible.

[Oh, this is potentially very helpful.]

Lucky for you I'm not, so tell me everything you know about it.

[Lucky for both of them, honestly. He's never picked a lock before in his life, but locks have vectors like every other tangible thing in the world, so he should be able to crack it with enough time and information. He reaches a skinny hand up through his bars to grab the thing, looking over at Silco expectantly.]

Once I get my cage open I'll do yours.

Hm?

[ The man's eyes are suspicious on the boy. His fingers drift against the metal, and he considers the proposal.

On the one hand, he has literally nothing to lose. On the other, misery loves company, and were the boy to be deceiving him, he would be left having helped him for nothing. Silco's good eye narrowed, and he tipped his head upward, and his fingers move upward to draw along his lips with a curious gesture. Considering. ]

Now tell me, how do I know you will?

I have no guarantee.

Yeah, you don't.

[It'd be stupid of Accelerator to pretend otherwise, so he doesn't. His tone is frank and matter-of-fact as he glances over.]

But in practical terms, it makes more sense to work with someone I might be living next to for the foreseeable future. For all I know you're the kind of person who holds a fucking grudge, so weighing the two options, it's more logical for me to help you out right now instead of risking some unknown consequences.

[It's less that he's a kind person, and more that it's just good sense to help him when neither of them appear to be in mortal danger.]

You can either decide to trust me, or keep on kicking those fucking bars and being useless. Up to you.

[ Boy Accelerator, wouldn't it be terrible if Silco was the kind of person to hold a grudge? Can't imagine what that would be like...

There's a long pause.

Silco's mouth worked, considering. It's a natural suspicion of everyone he hasn't paid off weighing against his want to get out of here and the possibility of it happening.

Being stuck here, however, is worse. ]

Very well. [ He says, stiffly. ]

Do you know the basics, or am I going to have to start like you are a beginner?

[Great. They have a plan, and it isn't a good one, but it's better than nothing and could potentially work.

Accelerator shifts where he's sitting, looking intently over at Silco.]

You may as well explain everything. I don't want any gaps in my knowledge.

Let's start with the basics then. Your tools, you have a few tension rods, and a few hooks and rakes, yes?

[ Here is Silco, in a jail, trying to teach a kid how to pick locks.

Truly, this is his lot in life. Fitting, actually. ]

You're going to start by using the tension tool to build tension in the bottom. Then you're going to start with a hook, and feel for when pins lock whenever you tap them. You have to figure out the order.

[ He goes on to explain in short this. ]

[Accelerator gives a small nod, silent. If by 'tools' Silco means a supernatural ability to manipulate the inner working of a lock indirectly via the vectors of the pins' molecular structure then yes, yes he does.

During the entire explanation Accelerator is quiet, committing everything he's hearing to memory as he quickly builds a plan to substitute his ability for traditional lock picking tools. From what he's hearing it shouldn't be that difficult, it's all just a puzzle of movement and tension, something his power is ideal for.

When Silco is finished Accelerator takes a fraction of a second to run through everything he's just learned, then reach up with his free hand to hit the switch on his choker. The light on it changes from green to red.]

Okay. Give me a minute.

[And he proceeds to tap the lock with two fingers. The first to convert the kinetic energy into the tension that's needed, the second to start moving the pins. Tapping again, he starts building a mental image of the inner lock mechanism in his brain. It seems pretty simple, all things considered, so it shouldn't be that hard --

And then he spits out a curse.]

Goddamnit.

[He taps the lock again. A couple of times.]

The mechanism's just changed.

[Give him a second to rebuild that image and manipulate another pin.]

Changed?

[ Now he's actually invested, because that's different, and odd. He narrowed a single eye at the lock that he's touching, but he can't see anything different, but that's probably not all that surprising. ]

Do you mean the inside is changed?

[ That's impossible. Isn't it? Even the best of locks can't change mechanisms, or else the same key wouldn't work. ]

[Accelerator gives the lock another tap, just to make sure he isn't just mistaken, and frowns.

Nope, this isn't just him being new to lockpicking.]

I don't think there are pins anymore, I'm getting flat pieces of metal instead. [He clicks his tongue.] I'm guessing it's some magic bullshit.

[Sadly, he isn't familiar with the fairly common term, 'lever lock,' and looks over at Silco for help.]

Hm.

[ He rolled his eyes. ]

That's impossible for it to just change. Are you sure I wasn't describing wrong kind of lock?

[ No, Silco... You're just not used to magic bullshit because you're the most normie guy ever.

Well. Except for the glowing eye. Whatever. ]

Flat metal is different. It's still a padlock, isn't it? You're going to need to change where the tension comes from if it's levers now. [ Tired. So tired. Why can't anything be simple? ]

What you do is put your tension rod into the side where the padlock closes. Slip it in and feel for the tension. That's how you're going to trigger the opening. Then you're going to use your pick [ magic, whatever. ] You're going to do something similar. Feel for when the different sheets lift and hold, and then move to the next, same thing as the pins. Just with a different method.

[ He sounds so... bored. Like he's reciting something that should be easy. ]

[Shooting a glare his way, Accelerator bites back the urge to argue. It wouldn't help, and he's still getting information, so he'll just adapt and keep going. It's fine.

He shifts his grip on the lock and taps it again, re-applying the tension, then another few taps as he quickly builds a new blueprint of the lock's interior in his brain. This time, he needs to do this fast, before it can change again. Thankfully it being a similar method as the lock type with pins helps, and after a few more seconds there's a click and he's quickly yanking the lock open. Hopping to his feet, he removes it from his cage's door and swings it open.]

Fucking finally.

[They're running on a time crunch here, so he doesn't hesitate to hop on over to Silco's cage with a burst of air under his feet. Landing on the edge of it, he grabs a bar with one hand and the lock with his other.]

Give me a second.

[ Silco watched him suspiciously from his cage, as the boy finished off his lock, and it clattered to the ground. That was good, it worked, but now... Well.

He half expected the boy to leave anyway. Foolish types often did — and it might have not even been all that foolish, considering that he was limited on resources, power, and prominence at the moment — so perhaps he would have done exactly what he expects of Accelerator.

Which is why he actually jumped, when the boy leapt from one cage to the next. That was a bit far for even a Zaunite, though only just. ]

Right.

[ He said, with a tip of his head, but that eye doesn't blink and it watches him 'pick' it, trying to figure out how he's doing it without tools. ]

[Leaving this guy behind briefly crossed his mind, but he's firm in his stance. An easier short term escape likely makes for a more difficult long term. While Accelerator is antisocial by nature, he isn't looking to actively make grudges in Etraya. Besides, he isn't sure if he would've been able to pick his own lock so quickly without the help, so as far as he's concerned this is only fair.

The second lock is easier to manage thanks to his bit of experience. The interior mechanism changes again, and this time he's prepared for it, so he adjusts according and speeds along until there's a click and he's yanking the thing off the door.]

Got it.

[ It's quick, this time. Quicker than before.

Now mind, they still have to escape, but when he hears the click, and watched the kid yank it off the door, there's an irrational part of him that settles down. The one that would have tried anything other than giving this thing what it's looking for, just to make it through.

He pushed at the door. ]

I'll remember this. [ He says. It half sounds like a threat, but that's just Silco being... Silco. ]

You picked that up quickly.

[ He kept his voice low, in case the thing noticed them. ]

[He's going to go ahead and assume that's a good 'I'll remember this' and not a bad 'I'll remember this,' mainly because the latter would be a big pain in the ass after he's gone out of his way to be helpful. If it isn't, then he'll deal with it when they're out of here.

He leans away from the door of the cage, looking down at the ground.]

I'm a fast learner. [Ha ha, understatement!] Can you get down on your own?

[Seems like a good idea to ask that before attempting to touch the guy.]

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