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⏴

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[Wow, that's one way to never forget a lesson. When it's completely fucked up half your face it's going to stick with you for the rest of your life, whether you want it to or not.]

I was wondering about that. It doesn't look like a normal eye injury.

[He's still seriously wondering if the guy can even see out of it.]

Was fucking up your eye purely out of survival, or did you get something more out of it?

Edited 2025-01-26 17:18 (UTC)

It isn't.

[ He says, but it's not defensive. Just that usual sour tone Silco often adopts. Annoyed, sharp, but... normal. ]

It was a normal injury, up until I decided to... take a dip in a toxic river.

[ The sarcasm is there though. There was no deciding to take a dip. ] I don't know what you mean by "something more".

[Accelerator isn't bothered by the tone, most of the time he sounds overly aggressive. It's fine, and he focuses on this additional information. Immediately his mind is buzzing with possible toxic chemicals that could've caused such an injury. Carcinogenics? Chemicals used in herbicides or paint solvents? Whatever it was, it had to have been really fucking bad.

He's probably going to be thinking on this for a while.

Anyways, he clarifies what he means.]

I mean did you pick a fight because you wanted to accomplish something, or did someone pick a fight with you for the same reason? Or was it all just bad luck?

[Because goddamn, if this was the result of some random mugging or whatever that's really bad luck.]

[ The very near silent scoff escapes, and Silco's lips do this thing where it's almost a smile, an overconfident smirk, but it never quite makes it. Like his thin lips almost, almost lift, before it just vanishes back into the dour look he always had.

That eye stares at Accelerator. ]

Pick a fight?

[ His shoulders shake. ] Yes, I suppose we did. And then, when all was said and done, and we were all licking our wounds afterward, I was the one that paid the price. [ They all did, really, but. well. Silco certainly saw it as himself, given... ]

Someone I was close to decided to take their anger out on me over the result. [ he reached up and tapped his finger against the scar underneath. ] He tried to kill me, but like with most things, he was ineffective at best.

[ Silco... may not uh have the best opinion of vander rn ]

[Despite their only source of light being his cell phone's flashlight, Accelerator catches that near-smile. He has to wonder if that's a question he should have asked. Regardless of how it happened, he supposes the answer is personal (it can't not be, with an eye that fucked up)....

Of course, no one's forcing this guy is answer. He could tell him to just screw off. Accelerator wouldn't complain, it's not like any of this is his business. He's only curious.

He listens, staring back silently.]

.......

[No real specifics. He doesn't ask for them, because he's getting more than enough.

Woof.

A lot of people have tried to kill Accelerator in his short life. A lot. He had stopped counting a long, long time ago. But it was always people who hated him - either assassins from some foreign organization, fellow espers looking to gain clout, more than one of his old researchers who were really pissed off. Never anyone he was close to. He considers this for a few moments, glancing away to recheck their route through the catacombs, and reaching up to fiddle with his choker to make sure he's got enough battery left.]

So you get to wear his betrayal on your face for the rest of your life? That's fucked up.

Hah.

[ it was, wasn't it? ]

You're correct. However, he also taught me a very important lesson that day as well. [ oh boy, here we go... ]

On the nature of power, and what it is to take it, and use it. You see, this person, was the strongest amongst the lot of us. Formidible. A beast of a man. [ ok silco slow down there. ] Enforcers feared him, and our gang was becoming something to behold. We worked ourselves out of the mines, and into business. Unheard of!

But this power, the strength, it can be turned in an instant if something more enticing than our cause comes along. This, of course, was turned towards snuffing out the last vestiges of our cause. [ A gesture at himself. ] Me.

When one has all the power, and the ability to wield it, they get to make the decisions, on how everything else falls in line.

[ His lips were a thin smile. Sharp. ] He is dead now. [ Was. ] [ Not really. ]

And then who had all the power after that, was able to direct the future of our cause.

[There are a lot of things Accelerator wants to ask about. Enforcers (law enforcement?), more information this gang, were they all miners? Is this a case of a low class community banding together for protection, like how Skill Out grew from weak espers wanting to protect each other from stronger ones?

More questions float around in his mind as he listens quietly. Someone rose above, and was strong enough to make actual change for them. He has to wonder what could've been more enticing than whatever their cause was.

It's all sounding somewhat relatable to him, though he knows he's drawing connections without having the full story. It's - whatever, not a big deal, it's just how his brain functions. He isn't taking that too seriously until those next words:

"When one has all the power, and the ability to wield it, they get to make the decisions, on how everything else falls in line."]

.....

[Accelerator mouth twitches and he looks away.

He understands that on a personal level. Aleister had been careful to structure Academy City in a way that allowed the person holding the title of Board Chairman unlimited power. Even the entire Board of Directors working together can't override his decisions. Even being in prison doesn't affect his power.

He has to wonder how long it'll be before he winds up dead, too.]

Let me guess, that person who succeeded him was you?

After I killed him, yes.

[ He says it like it is not something to be ashamed of. Like it isn't dangerous. Like it wasn't a dear... something that he murdered, but instead something in his way.

Silco had done a lot of work to justify who he had become. Left to rot in the dank and deep reaches of the undercity, it shouldn't be surprising that he had become something of a monster. It shouldn't be surprising that he had killed the man who tried to kill him. (Or Tried To, but hey that's not his fault.)

Silco had only done what he had to, to survive, to achieve a dream and a promise that he had long ago made. It was something necessary. A deep need, a drive.

Vander had let them rot. Silco would do nothing of the sort. ]

It is how we dispense justice, in a lawless place like the Undercity.

[There's no reaction from Accelerator at the mention of murder. Violence is something he's lived with for most of his life, murder in particular is something he's committed so, so many times. Hearing about someone else doing it doesn't bother him. The most unusual aspect of it is the complexities of this relationship. It had started strong, devolved, and crumbled so badly that one attempted to murder the other, and one did murder the other.

He can't imagine that happening for anyone he cared about. He'd rather let them kill him than the other way around. That almost happened, once.

Of course, he can't blame someone else for having the survival instincts to fight back. If you want to live bad enough, you're willing to kill. He's aware of that, so there's no appalled argument coming from him. He doesn't even sound disgusted when he asks his next question, he's just curious.]

Are you trying to change that if you're in charge now? Or are you happy with the status quo?

That was the entire point.

[ He says it with that sort of slurring fervor of a true believer. ] I always hated him after what he did to me, but I could have let that lie, had he moved. Done something.

Instead, he let us become quiet, and stagnant. Sick. Barely better than we were before.

[ No, Silco certainly had changed things. Not just the undercity, either. He'd done everything he could to move it forward, change it, warp it. They were stronger now, more terrifying, a bogeyman to terrify topside, and he had hoped they could use that.

They almost had. Up until... ]

I was never happy with the status quo. Even when I was a boy. That is the reason it needed to be changed.

[So this was someone okay with stagnation and someone wanting change at odds, and their difference in viewpoints coming to a head in the worst way possible. It reminds him of his city's Board of Directors, except the majority of them were happy with the status quo because they profited off of it. He doesn't know if this other person this guy is talking about is in that same situation, or if he was just content with whatever he had.

Regardless, he can see how enraging it'd be for someone who wants change. There are some days he'd love to do nothing more than put the heads of most of the directors through a brick wall. The thing is, though, it's one thing to say you want change.

It's something else to actually do it.]

Okay. [He's replying bluntly, accepting all of that.] So what the hell are you doing to change things?

[ Silco's laugh is sharp. ]

Everything.

[ Or he had been, after all. ]

Establishing our own functional systems, building up our power base. We are given what we are given at the pleasure of topsiders. I aim to change that.

[ he keeps walking, but his voice pitches here, and there. Silco had been tight lipped, but the moment his fight is brought out, it's like that spark is lit, and something new comes forward. Silco doesn't belive in much. He believes in this. ]

We have to make ourselves unprofitable to hold onto. I aim to scare them into letting us go, and we are undoing generations of our lot in life. We are poor, and sick, festering in nothing. [ Silco had made them more, but it comes with a cost. Anything for the cause. ] We have found a way to make them... just wary enough. We're on the verge of finally being let go.

[ Which says... a lot of nothing, but then again, explaining the interplay of shimmer, hextech, and the sister cities of Piltover and Zaun requires a history lesson best not taught in a cave escaping Krampus. ]

[There are still a lot of questions in Accelerator's mind but he feels like he's starting to get a clearer picture. This society, unlike Academy City, has an underclass seeking independence from the upper class. It's a case of industrial workers seeking to profit off their own labour, instead of it being funnelled away from them towards the wealthy. It sounds like they want a complete and total split. Meanwhile, for the students of Academy City, that's all there is. There's nothing to break away from, only a rotting core that needs to be fixed.

Still, there are similarities. The uphill battle against people with power to upend the status quo, for one. That's something Accelerator has been struggling with, despite the amount of power he wields back home. He can't imagine how difficult his job would be if his status didn't afford him unilateral control over the city.]

.....

[That thought is making his brain circle back around to having more questions. Logistical ones.]

How do you keep the vultures off your back? They've gotta be coming at you from all angles, right? Trying to use all of that instability to improve their own standing.

That takes someone to anticipate them, doesn't it? A group of people ready to take the reins of different portions of the city, before another oppressor comes in and takes it.

[ Silco has a plan, of course. Several plans. The chembarons would have played their role, putting them into places and having them take up the positions of Zaun's industries and public works — before he installed more and more competent people into them as it went.

It was all some orchestrated plan, one that would never see the light of day, apparently. ]

They were not unknown elements, in short.

[Okay, that makes sense. Split the work among people so every responsibility isn't on one person. That's how the Board of Directors is supposed to work back home, they each have their own area - Agriculture, Constructions and so on - but it's a lot more complicated than that.]

How can you be sure you can trust them? [That's the problem.] If you give someone power, there's a good chance they're going to become corrupt. Then what the fuck do you do, remove them from power and start over?

You want my full plan that I've worked out?

[ He asked, his lazy drawl something a little more insulted now. ] I have people in the wings. Do you really think someone who's experienced betrayal in his life wouldn't be expecting it? We don't trust where I am from.

[ A roll of his eyes. ]

You don't put all of your pieces into one pair of hands. You delegate across the organization. Just like any group.

[Look he's genuinely interested in this, give him a break!! It's hard being a total newbie at running an independent nation with a heavily corrupt governmental system.]

Then what happens if one of those people decide to act in their own self-interest? I'm guessing you're not psychic, so you can't always predict what someone is going to do. If you're expecting it, do you just have a bunch of fucking contingency plans ready to go?

[ And surely Silco will be the best person to teach him!! 😌 perfect ]

Oh yes, actually. You see, I already know what it is to be betrayed. [ A tap against his scar. ]

You know your people. Who is most likely to betray you, what is important to the ones who will stay loyal. You keep hold of those things, because they are the only path forward.

And then you make plans. Plans for when things go south, plans for when one lodestone is crumbling, when the foundation cracks, when threats come from outside. [ A twitch of his lips. ] That is what I am best at, after all.

[Having a variety of perspectives is very important when you're still learning how to be in charge of an entire society. He's learned that.

Accelerator sighs heavily, dragging a hand down his face.]

So knowing who to trust, and having back up plans, and back up plans for your back up plans. [That's a lot of planning and strategy. He doesn't think it's beyond him if he puts his brain to work, but still. He sounds exasperated.] Running a nation is a fucking pain in the ass.

[ Just. Maybe don't take Silco's ultra-paranoid methods as the best way... ]

Of course it is. Anyone who says that they want it is either a fool or lying. It isn't meant to be easy.

[ A shrug. ]

But it is necessary. To be without, I have found, leaves people without direction. Stagnant.

[Ugh, he wishes it was easy.]

There's a power vacuum. That's my biggest worry.

[It's the entire reason he took on the role of running the city in the first place. A power vacuum would've meant some corrupt official would've wormed their way to the top, and nothing would have changed.

There's a tiny sliver of light appearing ahead of them, and after another glance around Accelerator is going to extend his crutch from his arm cuff and switch his choker back to normal mode. From what he can tell they're close to an exit, and with no sign of the thing that kidnapped him he figures it's safe enough to stop using his ability.]

Then you do what you must. Plug the vacuum, and find the person you wish to install afterward.

[ The light is getting larger. Silco's good eye narrowed, and he followed him. His swaying gait looks more casual and comfortable the closer they get to safety.

there's no sound of the creature behind them. ]

Otherwise, you will find that something else will plug it, and it becomes difficult to dislodge.

....

[That feels like an impossible task. Most of the Board of Directors is corrupt and he's in the process of throwing all of them into prison.

... He supposes Oyafune isn't that bad. She was campaigning to give the students a right to vote, so maybe it's less him installing someone and more him making sure all the corruption gets cleared out so that can happen, and so future candidates are all clean.

It's a lot to think about.

Accelerator sighs a little. The light gets brighter, and as they approach it's clear it's sunlight spilling around the cracks of an old door that functions as an entrance to the catacombs. He gives a glance behind them but doesn't see or hear anything, so he supposes they're in the clear.]

Well, thanks for the conversation. It was informative.

Hm.

[ His good eye blinks several times from the light, but they persist. It's good to get out of... whatever this place was.

And perhaps he paid the boy back, with a little information. It was something to chew on, at the very least, and Silco certainly learned a bit about Accelerator as well, just from the questions he asked. They weren't the questions of the idly curious, they were the directed questions of someone putting something together.

Perhaps he'd keep an eye out. ]

The same for... [ A gesture with his hands. ] Being a living lockpick, for lack of a better term.

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DECEMBER MINGLE

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cw: not so much suicidal ideation but being ok with being killed

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