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

[ Ugh, that mess. ]

No. I wasn't.

[ Although she won't be expanding upon the crime this time. No extra tidbits, no fun facts, nothing. ]

[Unhelpful. Though she really shouldn't expect helpfulness from Sevika, of all people.]

The smuggling incident at the hexgates, then. Jinx shot one of her own people. [At least, she's fairly certain it was Jinx. The shots were fired from a minigun – of the same sort she now knows Jinx uses – and in the sort of erratic manner Caitlyn now associates with Jinx.] Were you involved in that?

Now you're getting somewhere.

[ Because for Sevika, this is all old news. There's no longer any secret about what happened on the airship. ]

That one was me and my crew. As you saw yourself, it went to shit real fast once the Firelights attacked us.

[Caitlyn had seen the Firelights throw the same sorts of crystals at Jinx that she'd found at the crime scene; most of the missing pieces of what happened on the airship fell into place rather neatly once she'd spoken to Ekko and learned of the Firelights' intentions.]

Why did she shoot one of her own people? And one who was restrained at the time, no less? Or is she simply too irrational to care?

Doubt it was on purpose.

[ So, irrational? Yeah. Irrational. ]

One of the Firelights got their mask knocked off and just happened to have pink hair. It set her off, and she started shooting up the place indiscriminately.

Edited 2025-01-03 19:47 (UTC)

She thought the Firelight was... Vi?

[Though she'd call Vi's hair closer to red than pink, the implication seems fairly clear, especially given that Vander described a younger Vi as having pink hair.]

I'm hardly surprised. She's certainly shot at Vi, or threatened to, enough. [And still, why Jinx would want to kill her own sister, she can't understand. Especially since Jinx was all Vi has cared about from the moment Caitlyn set her free.]

Couldn't tell you what she thought, only what I saw. She always has a lot going on in her head. Best I can do is guess, and even I'm only right half the time.

[ Despite helping raise that crazy brat. Well, half the time is probably better than what most people can figure. ]

[That Sevika has no real idea what's going on in Jinx's head doesn't surprise Caitlyn either. The girl truly is mad.

She glances once more at their surroundings, trying and failing to pierce the darkness, but there's nothing in particular to see. And another rattle of her cage door accomplishes nothing.]

I don't suppose that confession of yours had any effect? [Her eyes flick to the door of Sevika's cage.]

[ Did it? Time to find out. There's the resounding clunk of the metal door being kicked hard, followed by a rattle. ]

Hm.

[ Another kick, harder this time, but there's no telltale creak of it opening or being forced open. Well then. ]

It gave a little this time but still won't open.

Your confession wasn't scurrilous enough to warrant your release, I suppose. You haven't got any murders you'd like to take credit for, have you? Kidnappings? Perhaps something along those lines would be enough to appease our captor.

[If admitting to an instance of smuggling isn't enough of a confession, Caitlyn truthfully doesn't know how she'll make it out of this. Yes, technically she's broken the law once or twice... or three or four times... but... would admitting to forging documents or impersonating an officer or taking case files she wasn't assigned really be considered a more worthy confession than Sevika's?]

Edited 2025-01-08 08:16 (UTC)

Maybe I do.

[ She does. ]

But I've already confessed something. Your turn, enforcer. For all we know, it takes two to get these open.

[Caitlyn frowns. Should she confess to one of those instances of law-breaking that her mother was so incensed about? Should she try to think of something else? What, exactly, is their captor looking for?]

You offered to confess to anything you'd done that I might ask about. I suppose it's only fair that I offer the same.

So what is it? Stole some cookies when you were a kid? Crossed a street without looking both ways?

[ Yeah, she isn't expecting anything too depraved from Caitlyn over there. ]

I...

[She probably has crossed a street without looking both ways at least once in her life. She's never stolen cookies that she remembers, but she has failed to wipe her shoes on the mat. Once, when she was very angry with her mother, she even failed to do so on purpose. She's snuck out of galas after her mother specifically told her to stay until the end, she's kissed a girl or two of whom her mother would not approve, and various other youthful misdeeds.

The creature that's locked them in cages in the dark might not care about kissing waitstaff or tracking mud across the rug, though.

She presses her lips into a very thin line, her brows drawing down sharply as she contemplates which thing she'd least like to confess to, as she imagines that's the thing most likely to get her out of this cage.]

I may not technically be an enforcer at present. I was fired by the Sheriff the day after Jinx bombed the fairgrounds, and I arranged to see Vi in prison based on the pretense that I was still an officer. But, [she adds quickly,] a corrupt Sheriff's actions can hardly said to be official.

[And if a corrupt Sheriff's actions don't really count, then, in a way, she was never truly fired and she is still an enforcer. Never mind that her parents were also involved in her firing. She'll worry about that if it becomes a problem.]

[ There's... silence, at that. Outright silence for a minute, two, and then? Sevika starts laughing. Oh, how she laughs. Of all the things to learn— ]

I can't believe it. [ No, she can, actually. ] There I was, telling Talis he was just trying to play hero, but it was you all along. Fired? The day after the fairgrounds? Yet you kept going. Damn, you couldn't let go, could you?

[The silence seems to drag on for ages, and when the sound finally comes, it's not at all what Caitlyn was expecting. She tries to find a little bit of humour in it, to force a smile across her face to match Sevika's laughter, but she can't quite find it in herself.]

Of course not. [Oh-so-earnest and sincere.] I'd spent months investigating a myriad of seemingly unconnected crimes. Missing children, strange experiments, robberies and murders, and they all had too many things in common to truly be unrelated. I was certain one person had organised it all. I only needed proof. And when I met Vi--

[Everything had changed quite rapidly once she'd met Vi.]

I couldn't give it up and go back to being-- To being 'Piltover's little princess.' [As Sevika had so succinctly put it.]

[ A myriad of unconnected crimes Sevika might be able to connect, although there was no way she would offer. ]

Why not?

[ It's an honest question, with no hint of sarcasm or an accusation hiding in the wings for once. It's strange to her. Someone who had everything in the world, wouldn't need to work a single day in her life if she didn't want to, throwing that much effort into a world that wouldn't have touched her life otherwise? Was it all because of Grayson's murder? Was there more? ]

Why put yourself through all that bullshit when you don't have to?

To find the truth.

[Not a particularly complex or interesting motivation, but it's honest.]

And because...

[It feels odd, to the say the least, to be discussing this with a member of Silco's gang. And she barely knows Sevika, yet here she is, confessing the sorts of things she would so much rather keep to herself. But that's the point of this, isn't? If they confess, they'll be set free. With a sharp sigh and a frown, she continues.]

My family name carries a certain amount of weight. As I'm sure you can imagine, [she adds ruefully.] People make assumptions, when they hear it. That I'm sheltered, or pampered, or incapable of anything more difficult than sipping cocktails at a gala. Even my own family insists on treating me like a child in need of protection. If can prove that I'm right, they'll see that I'm not— that I'm more than just my name.

[With barely a pause, she keeps going.]

And once I'd met Vi, I cared too much for her to leave her. She brought me to the deepest parts of the fissures, and I... I saw what shimmer is doing to the people there. I thought if I brought proof of Silco's crimes to the Council, they would do something to stop him. I thought they would help those people.

Edited 2025-01-14 09:05 (UTC)

[ At least her name protected her. There are no family names in Zaun, though would it make any difference if there were? ]

Sounds like you saw the worst of shimmer, but... you can't exactly save people from themselves.

[ Where had she ended up to see that? All the way to the bottom? Silco hadn't included her on that little hunt, so she was left guessing. Damn him. Making everything worse the second he stepped out of the office without her. ]

So? Did you? Bring all the proof to the Council and ask them to be valorous for once in their lives?

I did. They declined the opportunity.

[With a bitter little frown, she tries the cage door again. It gives this time, but doesn't quite open, as though the latch is barely catching on something.]

What more do you expect me to confess? [Oh, she's frustrated. Not speaking to anybody or anything in particular, given that their captor is nowhere visible, but making her feelings very clear in her tone nonetheless.] That I forged Jayce's signature on Vi's release papers? That I once purposefully refused to wipe my shoes before entering the house and tracked mud all over the rugs because I was angry with my mother? That I once snuck out of a ball to show a waitress my firearm collection after my mother tried to set me up with a visiting diplomat's daughter and informed me in no uncertain terms that I was to stay and make a good impression? That I was formally disciplined for taking case files I hadn't been assigned? That— that I have romantic feelings for Vi?

[One of those things works, because when she gives the door a jerk it unexpectedly opens, causing her to lose her balance, topple forwards, and — despite her clumsy attempt to catch herself — flop into a long-limbed sprawl on the ground beneath the cage.]

[ Frustration apparently works against Kiramman if the way she begins rattling off confessions the way she does tells Sevika anything. Forgery... is the only actual crime in any of those. She would have pointed that out, amused, right up until the last one. She has what for who now? Seriously? No, let's not keep that a silent thought— ]

Seriously?

[ The absolute fuck? But it seems the piling on of confessions does Sevika a good turn, as well, as she's able to push the door of her own cage open right after she hears the younger woman land poorly on the ground below. Sevika has no such issue and slides off the edge of the cage, landing with ease in the muck below. Her crouch absorbs the shock of the distance, and then she rises to stand. ]

How long have you even known her?

[ She steps over to loom over the enforcer, but there's no offer to help her up. On the bright side, there's also no attempt to attack her, so there's that! ]

A week. [Which she knows is a little fast, but she and Vi have been through so much together in so short a time, Caitlyn feels as though she's known Vi a lifetime.

She can't help but interpret the very large woman looming over her in near-darkness as potentially threatening, especially given that her first encounter with Sevika was far from peaceful. So she pushes herself to her feet, making her best attempt at appearing tall and intimidating.

Never mind that she's a little unsteady after that fall.]

A week...

[ Can't believe destabilizing the entirety of the undercity was all a fun romantic romp for one Caitlyn Kiramman. It's a thought she won't verbalize, but it still earns a roll of her eyes — thankfully hard to see in the dark — before she digs into a pocket and takes out her lighter.

There's an audible, metallic click of her lighting it, and then? Light, or what little the gaudy gold-plated device can handle. Closer inspection would reveal it's emblazoned with a very fancy F on both sides. Hm, wonder who that's from. ]

On second thought? I don't care who you're getting all wet for. Let's just find a way out of here already.

I— I am not— That is— How dare—

[How else is she supposed to react to Sevika's extremely blunt and mortifyingly vulgar way of phrasing it but with barely coherent sputtering? It takes her a moment, but she finally manages to get the sputtering under control, punctuating it with a loud scoff.

In an attempt to reclaim some measure of dignity, she tries to wipe some of the muck off her uniform, and then looks upwards, peering through the darkness, looking for movement in any of the hanging cages.]

There may be others in need of help. We should check the other cages.

Edited 2025-01-17 05:19 (UTC)

[ Ha, how daaaare she. If that was her reaction to a little bit of vulgarity, Sevika had to wonder how long she would last trying to hook up with a chick from the undercity. Seems grim, to be honest. But Sevika rolls her shoulder in a shrug, like, whatever, and looks up at the tree, at the other cages dangling from the branches. ]

Pretty sure they would have said something if there were.

Edited 2025-01-17 06:34 (UTC)

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