DECEMBER MINGLE

[etrayamods]

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⏴

Comments

[ascarylady]

[ Thankfully, it's too dark for Caitlyn to see the look of utter offense she gets from Sevika when she has the audacity to put her arm out like that, as if she's protecting her and not the other way around. Of all the...

But the creature is moving. So is Caitlyn. That means that Sevika, too, moves, similarly circling the tree while the trunk is kept to their back. It carries on with its circuit until they've all done one big circle around the tree.

Then, it stops rather than leaving. There's a soft sniffing sound, followed by a low growl; quiet sounds for something that big in a place so silent may as well be bone-rattling screams, though, and even Sevika finds herself worrying they've been found out.

She holds her breath, waiting, waiting... and then there's the scuff of its feet on the cavern floor, turning away, footsteps receding. It feels like forever for it to leave but, eventually, it does. ]

[clavesregni]

[It feels like a lifetime of shuffling quietly around the tree and then waiting, frozen in place, for the creature to depart. There are long moments that she fears she's going to die, killed by a monster in a dark pit and her parents will never know her fate and she'll never see Vi again. But finally it leaves, and the only sounds are the creak of metal as the cages sway from the branches.

Caitlyn takes what feels like her first breath in minutes.]

I think it's gone, [she whispers.] We should leave before it returns. [As though Sevika hadn't been urging them to do that exact thing before the creature showed up.]

[ascarylady]

Wow, really? I would have never thought of that.

[ Sheeee had already said they should gooooo, okay, right. Look. Annoying little girls refusing to listen to her is a regular part of Sevika's life. She'll deal. She'll also swat Caitlyn's arm out of the way and step away from the tree to scan the darkness around them.

A darker spot on the wall, she needs to find— ]

There.

[ Being a born and raised Zaunite helps a lot when navigating ominously dark spaces, although she will get her lighter out again and flick it on to offer them the smallest amount of light. ]

I see a tunnel entrance.

[clavesregni]

[Caitlyn jerks her arm back when Sevika smacks it. It's a blow to her pride more than a physical harm, but she holds it protectively against her chest for a moment nonetheless.

And, in another blow to her pride, Sevika seems comfortable navigating the area while Caitlyn feels nearly blind. As soon as the tunnel is pointed out to her, she strides towards it, determined to appear both confident and competent.]

Let's go.

[ascarylady]

[ Really, Caitlyn shouldn't try to measure herself against Sevika. With how many years she has on her, the gap in experience may as well be a canyon, and if she knew she was bruising the enforcer's pride, she'd surely laugh and call her a moody brat. Which, frankly? As far as Sevika is concerned, she is, right there alongside Vi and Jinx.

She does lead the way, though, even if Caitlyn may hate that. A few steps ahead, the tiny flame of her gaudy golden lighter casts the bare minimum of illumination but at least makes it easy to follow her. There is a tunnel there and at the mouth of it, she pauses, checking it before daring to step in. ]

Seems stable enough.

[clavesregni]

[In her rush to be taken seriously, as a leader and as someone who knows what she's doing and doesn't feel overwhelmed and scared and can't quite see where she's going, Caitlyn hadn't even considered that the tunnel might not be stable. There's a visible hitch in her step as she grinds awkwardly to a halt behind Sevika.]

Good.

[Of course, unless there's another escape route, they'll have to chance it, won't they? And Caitlyn is not one to risk another person's life in place of her own, or send anybody to do a task she wouldn't do herself. So, she squares her shoulders, takes a breath, and says,] I'll go first.

[Sevika will need to step aside, though, since she's taking up the entire entrance. Caitlyn might be willing to risk her life in a hypothetical tunnel collapse, but shoving Sevika out of the way is another matter.]

[ascarylady]

[ Oh, Sevika does step aside, though it's so she can watch Caitlyn walk into the tunnel with absolute disbelief. This girl... Well, fine. If Miss Would-be Detective wants to lead, she'll let her. ]

Go right ahead.

[ Click. Sevika flips the lighter back off, plunging them both into complete darkness once more. ]

Be sure to scream real loud if you find a hole.

[clavesregni]

[Into the tunnel Caitlyn goes, trying terribly hard to hide her nerves, only to have the light snuffed out as soon as she steps in. She stops abruptly, flinging her hands out to either side in search of the walls.

Very slowly, she inches forward, gingerly tapping the ground with her foot as she goes to make sure she doesn't stumble over uneven rocks or put her weight on something that will only give out beneath her. Or — a terrifying scenario that she can't get out of her head now that Sevika's brought it up — step out into nothing and plunge to her death at the bottom of a pit.]

A light would make this easier, [she snits, pointedly.]

[ascarylady]

Would it?

[ And yet, the light doesn't reappear. If Caitlyn is so intent on being the leader here, why would she need Sevika's help? There is the scuff of boots behind her, though, as Sevika steps up close and leans down to speak directly in her ear.

While she can't see in the dark, she's much more used to it, so it's simple enough to do. ]

I don't know. I might consider it if you say the magic word, Kiramman. Well?

[clavesregni]

[Sevika's close enough to tickle the hairs behind Caitlyn's ear, and, with a sudden horrible sinking feeling in her gut, she's reminded that this woman very nearly killed Vi. And Vi — powerful, strong, muscular Vi — is far less killable than Caitlyn, especially unarmed and blind and standing on uneven ground as she currently is.]

The more time we waste, the higher the likelihood of that creature returning. And I doubt either of us want to find out what it would do to us, should it find us here.

[She tries her absolute level best to sound unflinching. Tough. Like she knows what she's doing and cannot be intimidated. And really, there's hardly any fearful quaver in her voice at all.]

[ascarylady]

Tch, that didn't sound like a please, princess.

[ Those are the last words to be breathed against her neck in a low, growly voice, and then the flicker of the lighter returns, illuminating the area. Sevika moves, pushing past Caitlyn and taking the lead without further ado. ]

Come on. We want tunnels with an upward slope. If you feel a breeze, say something.

[ Assuming Sevika doesn't notice it first, which is unlikely. She strides ahead in the tunnel with far more confidence than Caitlyn had, very used to the narrow, claustrophobic surroundings. ]

[clavesregni]

[Caitlyn doesn't breathe until Sevika is no longer looming over her shoulder and whispering ominously in her ear. And once the other woman is shoving past her, she scrambles to catch up, only to trip, just barely catch herself, and only avoid scuffing both palms by virtue of the thick leather gloves she's wearing.]

There's no point being so antagonistic when we should be working together to get out of here.

[ascarylady]

I haven't ditched you yet, have I?

[ As far as Sevika is concerned, this is working together. ]

[clavesregni]

What if there had been a hole, and you'd turned off the light and left me to fall into it? I could have died!

[She keeps hurrying after Sevika. Her eyes occasionally glance upwards to check that the ceiling isn't crumbling above them, but they're mostly glued to the ground in case that hypothetical hole makes a sudden appearance.]

[ascarylady]

Huh, yeah, you could have.

[ There's a pause. Maybe she's considering apologizing! Maybe! Maybe. Well, actually. ]

Oh well.

[ Nope. ]

[clavesregni]

W— Next time, maybe you should think of that before you—

[Her voice has gotten louder. Possibly too loud. As she glances up, she notices a crack in the ceiling and hears what she fears is a soft rumble that presages the tunnel collapsing. Acting purely on instinct, she shoves Sevika as hard as she can into the wall to get her out of the way, and ducks her head and braces for the impact of falling rock.

But only a few pebbles and a bit of sand crumble from the ceiling, some of which goes down the back of her collar and sticks uncomfortably between her back and her uniform.]

[ascarylady]

[ Sevika does not react well to that. She whirls around once Caitlyn's feared "cave-in" doesn't happen and grabs for the collar of her shirt. If she gets it, she's being hefted up to her tiptoes by it and pulled close so that they're face to face. ]

You need to stop, or I will drag you back to those cages and leave you there. Just shut up and follow.

[clavesregni]

[As soon as Sevika grabs hold of her collar, Caitlyn's hands shoot up to try to pry Sevika's hand off. She twists helplessly as she feels her feet lift up until she can only barely touch the ground with the very tips of her toes and her face is only a perilous few inches from Sevika's.

Once again fearful for her life, she says nothing, and instead scowls silently, digging her fingers a little deeper into Sevika's hand and preparing to kick if Sevika doesn't drop her soon.]

[ascarylady]

[ They stay there for only the barest of moments, but it seems to linger nonetheless, time dragging on as they stare one another down. Finally, she sets Caitlyn back on her feet and shoves her away. It's rough. ]

Wouldn't have thought Vi would be into a flighty thing like you.

[ It is, perhaps, the cruelest of insults she can level at Caitlyn. She won't say anything further, instead dipping down to pick up the lighter she had dropped in the sudden scuffle and then setting off up the tunnel once more. ]

[clavesregni]

[The shove sends her stumbling back into the tunnel wall, her back hitting rock hard enough to make her grunt in pain. But she forces herself to recover fast, straightening out her uniform and trudging after Sevika, that scowl still plastered across her face.

That barb stings. Badly. Mostly because Sevika's right.]

She's not.

[Oil and water. Even if Caitlyn doesn't believe Vi truly meant it, that's what Vi had said. Before she'd left.]

She made it clear she was uninterested in my affections.

[ascarylady]

[ If only that were true... but this is pre-meeting so she ain't saying shiiit ]

Hrm.

[ That's all. Sevika had no interest in discussing Caitlyn's terrible love life aside from using it to mock her, only now she's busy navigating the tunnel with a dinky little lighter flame. She carries on, pausing at a fork in the tunnel, where she stands for a few minutes before deciding on the left one. ]

[clavesregni]

[She really shouldn't have expected Sevika to care.

As they approach the fork, Caitlyn crouches down, looking for footprints or other signs of passage that might indicate that someone has been this way before, and which way they should go. But the lighter barely casts enough light to see the ground, let alone any details on it, and she hasn't got enough time for a proper look before Sevika's already moving away.]

What makes you think this is the correct path?

[ascarylady]

The air smells fresher.

[ Though only by a margin. There's no real way to explain why Sevika knows this or why that means anything at all; she just does. It's something you pick up through experience. This means she carries on up that route without too much concern. ]

[clavesregni]

[Caitlyn follows after Sevika with a frown, and takes a slow breath in through her nose. Does it smell fresher? It's a subtle distinction, if so, one that Caitlyn isn't sure she's picking up on.]

Is that a skill you learned living in the fissures? Did you ever work in the mines?

[ascarylady]

[ Why must she ask so many questions? ]

No. It's a skill I learned smuggling stolen shit through worse places than this. You either figured it out, or you died.