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

[A few long moments of contemplative thinking, leaning back with arms crossed. Seconds might feel like minutes as a few bubbles of beer foam pop in the silence, and then Jayce leans back in again, holding his beer mug by the handle.]

Okay.

[That's it, that's all it took.]

[ It really is that simple sometimes. It's also the closest Jayce will get to an apology. ]

Good. Now, I spent a lot of time blaming you for not knowing anything about Zaun. I can't imagine there's a lot in Piltover to help anyone learn about us down there, so, how about this? You ask whatever you want. I'll do what I can to answer.

[It’s a decent offer, and one he intends to take her up on, but he feels the need to preface first:]

I don’t know what I don’t know. I’ll ask what I can think of right now, but there’ll be gaps no matter what.

[It probably would be a surprise to no one that The Man Of Progress’ worst subject in school was “history.”]

If you understand that, we can start. What’s a realistic play-by-play of what would happen if Zaun was given Hextech? Not just access to the Hexgates.

[ It's just a fact she'll have to accept, so that gets a nod, if only so he knows she's acknowledged it. However, what he asks? That wasn't what she expected the first question to be. ]

If Zaun was given Hextech? What, was that even being considered?

[ It's a very good question if so. She has to think it over for a minute, filling that time with a long sip of beer. Hm. ]

I'd say it depends on how we were given Hextech. If it were the gems directly, there'd only be so many people capable of making anything with them. [ Like Jinx. ] But if you mean the weapons, well, they're going to be used as weapons. That's kind of a given. Although, I can't say those mittens you gave Vi were that much better than my chemtech arm.

[ Because apart from the gates? Sevika's only seen Jayce's inventions as that. Weapons. ]

Edited 2025-01-04 19:11 (UTC)

Giving Zaun Hextech was always our plan.

[Not that he expects her to know that. He fucked that one up. If he had made that announcement during Progress Day…

How different things could have been. He takes an equally long sip of his beer, to fight longer contemplation.]

It wouldn’t have been the gems themselves. We had been developing devices with the intent of making manual labor less taxing and exhaustive. And before you get angry about that too- yes, I understand now, how that could be seen as a bad thing.

[His free hand picks at a splinter of wood on the counter.]

I didn’t make the Atlas Gauntlets to be weapons. They were my prototype for safer mining tools.

[Not mittens.]

What chemtech arm?

[He never saw it, and also the way he says it sounds much worse than he intended.]

[ There's just this... moment. A moment where Sevika simply stares long and hard at Jayce like he's said something so unfathomably stupid, she can't comprehend it. He made those to be mining tools. Mining tools. Those? Those. ]

...you have a really funny idea of how mining tools should look.

[ Just saying. Admittedly, if she thinks about it long enough, she can see how they could be useful for that, and yet? ]

Well, then, you've already experienced how we'll turn anything into a weapon. I was able to disable one of the gauntlets, but the shield took me off-guard. She tore my arm out while I tried to recover.

[ Yeah, she doesn't appreciate how he said that. What chemtech arm? What chemtech arm?! ]

Did you think I never had a left arm or some shit? I had a prosthetic. One I really liked. The hydraulics were too fucked for me to fix after that mess.

Oh yeah, the shield!

[He brightens up immensely, remembering adding that feature. Somehow Vi had managed to activate it without any instruction? She really just had an intuitive way of understanding his devices, didn’t she?]

I added that to ensure the user wouldn’t be caught by falling debris. Three foot radius on all sides, about five second duration.

[Oh wait, this is about Sevika’s arm right now. And about them being used as a weapon.]

Disable it? How?

…And I’m sorry about your arm.

[ This guy... ]

Forget about the arm. [ Sevika won't linger on the topic. It's not like she's incapable without it. ] Putting a sword through the thing did a pretty good job of wrecking it. Pity I couldn't get both.

[ Not that it needed to happen. Jinx took care of the rest, unfortunately. ]

You... put a sword through it?

[Horrified. His babies.]

There's a power down button! You didn't need to destroy it!

[He's been completely sidetracked.]

[ There's a— ]

Did you forget she was trying to beat me to death with them?

She wouldn't have killed you.

[He says, full of confidence for no good reason.]

But I see what you're saying- this is what my Professor had warmed me about. He told me I needed to refine the design to ensure they couldn't be used unsafely...

[He sighs, and takes another long sip from his beer again.]

I guess it's lucky for you Vi didn't steal the Hexclaw instead.

[ "She wouldn't have killed you." ]

[ Wouldn't she have?! Hello?! ]

[ IT IS SO DIFFICULT NOT TO CALL HIM STUPID TO HIS FACE. Sevika is suffering here. Truly, truly suffering. ]

[ She's trying to engage with him as an equal, she is trying to engage with him as an equal, she is trying to engage with him as an equal who doesn't haul off and smack him across the side of his empty head, holy fucking shit, y'all.

She finally finishes going through the immense struggle not to rattle him like the empty-headed fool he is and simply asks, with somewhat growing dread, ]

...what's the Hexclaw?

[Sevika starts going through all the phrases of grief for a second time in front of him, and like the first time, he waits patiently and sips his beer again. Wow he's drinking this fast, huh.]

A portable laser.

[That's the one that would have killed you, Sevika.]

Right. Of course.

[ He was going to give Zaun portable lasers. She isn't a believer in Janna, but wow, Janna, please help her. Lacking in benevolent wind spirits, though, she'll have to settle for finishing off her beer and turning to grab a bottle of vodka off the rack behind her.

Bottle, two shot glasses, she's pouring one of herself and ~~another for herself~~ one of Jayce. His gets pushed towards him. ]

For... mining. Got it. Here. [ Yeah, let the lightweight mix alcohols; it'll go well. ] Alright, we've covered the whole "yes, we would use Hextech as weapons" thing. Got anything else?

[He's three quarters done with his beer when she puts the vodka in front of him and he frowns.]

I haven't done shots since college.

[It seems like a refusal at first, as he folds his hands again to think.

So Zaun would have used them as weapons- as Heimerdinger predicted- and they wouldn't have had enough time to "refine" them, with Viktor able to see the fruits of their labors. So maybe that wasn't... as much of a screw up as he thought, to refrain from announcing them on Progress Day? He doesn't know right now if that's reassuring or not. It was almost getting easier to just believe everything that had been going wrong had been because of his own bad choices, but this seems like it was inevitable.]

Fine. Yeah, I do.

[This one's going to be a harder conversation. He looks to Sevika, lips pulled into a thin line. She doesn't like it when refuses what she considers a kindness- takes it as an intentional insult to her pride, even. And he wants these answers more than he cares about whatever potential hangover he's going to get.

Jayce reaches for the shot glass, holding it up.]

Cheers.

Edited (a thousand edits) 2025-01-06 05:57 (UTC)

Ha, really? I figured all you Pilties had up there was wine.

[ Sevika knows that isn't true, but she can't let him slide by entirely unprovoked. She's stamped the worst of it down, leaving what is, at best, a light-hearted prod. He's getting off way easier compared to their last chat so far.

But he raises the shot glass, and she'll follow suit. She won't say the word back, but she'll incline her head to him in a little nod — cheers indeed — and then throw the shot back. Click goes the glass against the bartop as she sets it down again. For a mercy, she won't move to refill the shot glasses immediately. ]

[Jayce throws it back with at least some practice, but still squeezes his eyes shut and makes a noise of complaint when it goes down harsh.]

Did you pick the cheapest one on purpose?

[Ugh, it's still on his tongue. He'll finish the rest of his beer to try and settle the taste.

He's only getting off easier for now- he did the shot to ease his nerves enough for what he's about to get into. One of the very topics Sevika vehemently defended when they last spoke like this. With glass empty and on the counter, he can feel the warmth already spreading to his face and stomach. Better go for it now, before it actually gets to his brain.]

Shimmer. You said it was your largest source of defense and income- I checked the shipping manifests for half a year prior to the Progress Day attack. Silco planned on shipping Shimmer outside of Piltover using the Hexgates that day.

[That much isn’t a question, but a statement of fact.]

But for how much of Shimmer Silco was producing, it was disproportionately being used more by your own people than by topsiders. Was Piltover really the target demographic for profits sake, or was it about exerting control over a populace that had nothing to lose? And when you say defense- you mean the shimmer-infused soldiers that I saw, don't you? Were they even conscious people anymore? Or just mindless slaves?

[ ...okay, those will be much more challenging to answer than the one about Hextech. Sevika can't help it. She scowls at Jayce over it but doesn't bite his head off for asking. She offered to discuss Zaun with him and already knew most of it wouldn't be pretty. It does, however, prompt her to pour two more shots. She's taking hers immediately. This time, there's no real push for Jayce to follow suit. Where to even begin?

She's left fiddling with the once more emptied shot glass as she considers what approach to take. It doesn't take long, though. Jayce isn't getting answers without first answering a question of her own. ]

Tell me what you know about Shimmer first.

[He doesn't take the shot immediately, but he's not disregarding it as quickly as he has the past two drinks.]

It's... a drug.

[What does he know about it?]

Highly flammable, enables superhuman-like dexterity and strength.

[What had he seen at the factory? A pulsing-like biomass sitting atop the main chamber, bottles that looked like they belonged to a chemistry set…]

But overuse or over-dosage can cause addiction-forming behavior and leave behind permanent disfigurements or…

[He looks to Sevika. Specifically her left cheek.]

Scarring.

[ Sevika doesn't react to the mention of scarring. Oh, she knows what he's looking at. She just doesn't care. They're battle scars, same as all her others, and there isn't a single one that she's ashamed of. ]

That's all true.

[ And it gives her a baseline to build off of. ]

But you're missing the other pieces. It's a power source. Chemtech can run off of it efficiently. It can offer huge power boosts to machinery when needed. My old arm was designed around using it.

[ Which explains why her scarring is only on that left side. ]

It's also medicine.

[ Which she feels will be the big one Jayce won't be willing to accept. ]

It has regenerative properties even at the safest dosage. Break a bone? Shimmer. Recovering from a factory injury? Shimmer. Managing an illness? Believe it or not, shimmer. It won't cure anything terminal, but it'll sure make your life easier. Shimmer's saved plenty of lives in the trenches, and it's a good deal cheaper and easier to get than hauling yourself off topside and hoping you'll find a doctor willing to treat you.

And that makes it worth it? The stress and pressures it puts on a body isn’t healthy or sustainable. I understand using it for machinery-

[Even Viktor thought Jinx’s Chemtech work was “inspired.”]

-but the side effects of shimmer on people hasn’t been researched or studied, it could span to more than just the obvious. There has to be a cost to something that works that well. Shortened lifespans, birth defects, compromised immune systems…

[It’s a weak argument on his behalf, and he knows it. He’s not that kind of scientist, biology has never been his thing, and he’s never exactly expressed concerns about Zaunites healthcare system. He leans his head into his hands, both palms covering his eyes as he sighs long and loud.]

Counterargument: Zaunites already suffer from those conditions regardless of shimmer use, the risk of addiction and deformation worth it if it means you get to fight another day, and there’s no "easy to afford or access" solution from Piltover because healthcare isn’t a profitable sector unless you’re gouging your clients.

[He’s still leaning into his hands miserably as he adds:]

Am I missing anything?

Edited 2025-01-07 17:52 (UTC)

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1/2

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1/who even knows

2/???

3/4 probably tbh

done

so she's switching to vodka now right

carver was right about the vodka doing the job quick

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