« may: festival of the whales »

[seaboards]

FESTIVAL OF THE WHALES

This log takes place around late mid-May.

Along the shores of Port Hope, both out on the beach and under the surface of the temperate waters, stalls, vendors, and other designated areas of activity are bustling with festival goers from all over. Those who ventured out to underwater villages both known and unknown were successful, and through word of mouth the festival and its purpose to celebrate the whales harmed and lost last year as well as a favor towards the Ancient leviathan Enysos has spread to far distances. Nilatast's rising also caused a stir and became another reason for people to travel to the island.

Although the threat of the dark water and the effects have been ongoing, it hasn't reached this particular region and perhaps a festival could help bolster those who are working hard to figure out and counteract the strange phenomenon. Thus everyone is working hard in trying to keep spirits up and continue to improve relations between the people who live under and above water. Transformation tonics are available to allow individuals to traverse between water and land easily, granting fish tails and ability to breathe underwater, and legs and ability to breathe air.

The Namazu are also out and about, clamoring and muttering about "The Big One" and how this festival will surely help appease whatever god they believe is out there. Could they be thinking of Enysos? Well whatever, don't mind them too much.

The festival will last several days, so enjoy it!

THE BIG ONE

...Or perhaps not. After several days of festive cheer, and when the festivities are starting to wind down and groups have started to leave to return home or venture elsewhere, an alarm suddenly goes off. The dark water is seen approaching the island at a pace faster than anyone can react, and there is a loud clang of the nearby lighthouse bell followed by distant cannon fire as Nogard suddenly roars to action, diving into the water to swim out towards the deeper waters away from Port Hope. It's out there that everyone will see a giant, grotesque black catfish emerge from the water, slamming into the leviathan before crashing back into the water. Although smaller than the leviathan, it's of a size that could crush a small island.

The waves carry all the way to shores, slamming hard against it and smashing into anything that was set up too close to it. With those waves, however, will come strange, creepy fish creatures. Fortunately they seem to have zero intelligence and can be easily fended off, but because they give off the miasma it may affect individuals, especially those from the underwater villages. Who were once friends may turn into unwanted enemies!

If you have any questions about any portion of the event, comment to the designated subthread.

GENERAL

GAMES

BOUNTIES

𝕊ℙ𝔼ℂ𝕀𝔸𝕃𝕊

» GENERAL (4pts)

Underwater Festivities

Reward: Prizes depending on the activity

The party isn't just above water! There is a plethora of activities available for those who dive under:

🦦 Obstacle Race. This version is unique as each paired team will go through various obstacles such as hoops, pillars, various forms of "tunnels" to swim through, and even small puzzle mazes. However, after each obstacle, they will transform into a different random sea creature and must continue the next segment as that creature before changing again. Sometimes the form will be advantageous, sometimes not, and partners must work together to get through each obstacle.

🎯 Underwater Target Practice. Ever tried throwing a spear or wielding a weapon underwater? It's a lot different when water hinders one's movements, yet the mer- and fishfolk of the oceans make it look easy. Carve your own weapon and try your luck!

🫧 Bubble Rings. Try and create your own bubble rings to show off to others. Or try your hand—or fin—at a special bubble ring maze where one must go through a series of tunnels and pass through the rings for accumulated speed boosts. This is important to avoid the eels that will try and pop out and snap at anyone who passes through! At the end of the maze is a feast of sea fruits and even some treasures as prizes. Don't worry, anyone who gets snagged by an eel will just be dragged by them to the very beginning and have to start over.

🪙 Treasure hunting. Those from the deep ocean will bring up various treasures and artifacts that may prove useful to those trying to venture through the oceans, so mostly seafaring and underwater diving items. However, they make it a challenge for those to try to find them, and will even help guide and give challengers tips on how to navigate deeper waters.

Seafood Galore

Reward: 50 dubloons for costume volunteering

As expected of a festival meant to bring in all sorts of people and culture, the food is spread all over the beach and in the shallows under the water for those who are more daring. Grilled, fried, boiled, raw, familiar, unique, and perhaps a few dangerous entreés made from the more poisonous fish and other questionable ingredients. Dare to try your luck?

Because of the Namazu meddling, there are mascot volunteers carrying trays filled with various samples for anyone to try, all to help promote their own businesses in the name of the "Big One." However, the mascots are wearing very bulky costumes that are some random sea creature with some less obvious than others. Regardless, walking through sand and shallow water can be difficult, so they might need assistance, if they fall over. Not only that, while some will volunteer to help, others are more likely to just get dragged in (or conned) by the Namazu.

Bee Begone

Reward: Small jar of honey if help the bees

The flower necklaces that were crafted last month for the festival preparations will be handed out to as many festival goers as possible. However, it seems the bee problem has persisted… Or rather, a hive was on one of the ships and now the bees are attracted to the flowers that everyone is wearing.

Fortunately, these bees are not aggressive—in fact they are quite friendly. Try and help guide these bees to better, fresher flowers beyond the festival area. If lucky, a new hive may be formed and some delicious strawberry honey can be harvested.

» GAMES (4pts)

Musical Shells

Reward: A very pretty conch shell

There are many conch shells big and small that can be found along the island's beaches. One of the merfolk will enchant any specially decorated conches so that any who blow on it will be able to control the waves to a limited degree. Pushing the waves back a few feet, making them rise and stand still, or even swirl around for some more artistic movement. The merfolk encourage everyone with the shells to try and create music in tribute to the whales, especially as the notes will sound similar to whale songs. Of course, some make it a game or even prank others, so watch out!

Whalesome Fun

Reward: Increase in whale favor, especially to those who help with the barnacles

🎨 Crafts. There are many craft stations setup for people to make artistic tributes for the whales. From wood carvings, to murals, to paintings, to even giant sand sculptures. Anything that is made will be gifted to the whales, and perhaps even to Enysos.

🐳 Whale Rides. The whales are, of course, gathering around the island, large pods of different species blowing their spouts and breaching the waters in joy to happily splash those within reach. They will even offer their backs for those to enjoy a brief ride, though some may find themselves being flipped high in the air by their tails. Don't worry, they will be caught by a surge of bubbly, foamy water.

⛏️ Barnacle Busting. They will be more pleased if those itchy, annoying barnacles can be removed. Special scrapers will be provided so they can be scraped off without harming the whale's skin. Some barnacles may also be harvested to be used in various potions and other antidotes.

Competitive Fishing

Reward: A special fisherman's hat and some high grade fishing equipment

Different sorts of fishing contests are being held off shore. From those who cast their rods from their boats, to those who take to the water and try to hunt like the mer- and fishfolk do instead, using spears and other underwater weaponry to catch and trap their prey. Fish, crabs, shrimp, the largest oyster or pearl to be found—anything goes for these contests.

However, with the dark water spreading and slowly encroaching upon Port Hope, more dangerous sea creatures and fish are starting to appear, requiring the "hunts" to turn more into defending the people, especially the fishermen. Fortunately it's only on occasion, however once friendly opponents may turn a bit more fierce if exposed to the miasma for too long.

» BOUNTIES (6pts)

Monster Conches

Reward: 800 dubloons

At some point, reports of giant conches found on the far end of the island come in. They are almost as large as an adult person and ghastly sounds of screams and wails for help are heard coming from within. When anyone approaches to investigate, they are suddenly sucked into the conch through magic and find themselves trapped inside like a prison. There could be other people or creatures already inside—or just bones, in which case it begs the question where the sounds came from…

Regardless, no one knows how they got there and even when one is destroyed another somehow reappears in a different location. Rescue those trapped, try not to get trapped yourself, and destroy them. Just be careful—while the shells may be empty for now, movement from beneath the sand will reveal the true owner of the shell, a fleshy blob ready to slither inside for its meal…

» SPECIALS (12pts)

"The Big One"

Reward: 600 dubloons; honorary badge

Fight back the catfish and deal with the minions to save the festival! All creatures that are manifestations of the miasma are not living creatures and more like animated constructs. They will be weak to the different purification methods that had been developed for Nilatast. Equipment will be provided, such as protective gear, purification bombs, special magic spells, and more. (Players can also be creative as to the method.)

• Fighting the Catfish. It seems to be made out of the strange miasma and has only one mode: destruction. Nogard will help keep it from getting too close, but it's a slippery, fast one and Nogard is, well, large. Just be careful to not get sucked into its mouth as it will have a large inhale attack. If caught inside, one will basically have to try and punch a hole through or make it cough everyone up.
• Defending the Shore. There are smaller "targuppies" that appear and shamble onto the shore. Fortunately they are small and the purification methods work well with them. The problem is they can explode and spread the miasma, affecting the moods and temper of those around them, especially those that are marine. Help purify those who are affected!
• Dolphin Defenders. Enysos will lend some aid through special dolphins made from ocean water that anyone can ride. Those who made the special conches can use them for more distant control. The dolphins have a special property that will purify the miasma, making them very effective against the catfish, targuppies, and those affected by the miasma.

If the catfish is not defeated or beaten back, there's a risk it could evolve into something greater and more dangerous.

Comments

QUESTIONS

[seaboards]

Any questions about the event go here!

[haveaflare]

Since the Big One is made of dark miasma, would Bahamut's light have any more intense effect on it?

Kalim Al-Asim l Twisted Wonderland l Paladin

[carpetrides]

Festival:

[A festival? Oh, Kalim is in his element! He loves parties! He'll absolutely be helping keep the mood upbeat, pulling others in to dance to the music, offering snacks to everyone, chatting and mingling like a professional. Because, he kind of is. In the sense that he's from a wealthy family and thus has plenty of experience hosting gatherings and such, even if just his friends at the dorms back home more recently.]

This is so much fun!

Underwater Festivities:

Bubble Rings:

Whoa! These make us go really fast! So cool! Wai -- ah! Noooooooo~!

[Yup. There's one of the eels. Again. Dragging Kalim back to the start even as he instinctively struggles and whines, pouting as they pull him along. He really did have fun with this, though. Racing and celebrating and all! Of course, it's absolutely his jam! He's just far more used to moving about via running, flying on the brooms or his magic carpet. Not so much swimming like this.

But he had figured the course, the rings, would help him figure it out quicker. He's learning that it must be harder than it looks, for merfolk to learn to adjust to having legs in being more used to this! Even if he is far more used to sand than water. Water is still his thing, given his particular signature spell, after all!]

Games:

Musical Shells:

So, we can blow on them to make music? I wanna try!

[Kalim takes a bit of practice, he's more used to playing drums rather than this sort of thing. But he laughs, excited and amused at his attempts, improving with practice as he learns how to use the shells and manipulate the waves.]

Whales:

[Of course, he's keen for a ride on the whales! It's not quite the same as his carpet, but that makes it more exciting and fun! Kalim bursts out laughing as he rides on the whale's back and is sent soaring up into the air to be caught in their spout of water.]

Woohoo! This is great!

Barnacles:

[Kalim is also found to be helping scrape the barnacles from the whales, imagining it can't be fun to deal with. He sympathizes with the whales, trying to be careful about it as he uses the scraper and pets them with one hand to reassure them.]

This has gotta feel better! I'm almost done, so stay still. You're doing great!

The Big One:

Defending the Shore:

Uh.....that's not good, right?

[Is it? Kalim gestures to the nearby targuppies, one of whom just exploded and let out the miasma. It almost reminds him of blot back home, which immediately has him unnerved when he sees it, trying to step aside out of the way to avoid the stuff and pulling with him whoever might be near, whoever it was. What are they supposed to do against that? He's still so new and figuring this situation out, so he feels a little unsure of how to deal with this. But he's still determined to help if he can, somehow!]

Defending the shore

[sunsetking]

[Kalim might find himself being tugged back further just as there's a gold glitter dancing around them. Then, a rush of sand surges forward, forcing the targuppies back.]

What do you think you're doing, Kalim?

[Leona might sound a little annoyed, but his lips are curved as if excited to have something to do.]

barnacles;

[incensor]

[ Lio was naturally drawn to the whales. They're not exactly a myth in his world but he's never seen the ocean before now, and certainly never seen any whales outside of pictures. It's impressive just how by they are, how gentle in spite of the size, and how they seems to understand on instinct that everyone gathered is here to help them.

He scrapes at the barnacles along side Kalim, some of them clattering along the floating docks while the rest fall into the water. ]

You know. Where I come from, some people eat these.

Davrin | Dragonage Veilguard | Paladin - OTA

[weisshappened]

GENERAL;
[Davrin, for most of the festival, clearly is not in the mood to be here. His expression is distant, and set, and he moves with the air of a man in pain. He's only here because his constant shadow, the griffon always at his side, wanted to see the sights. If Assan seems more attentive to his guardian than usual, that's your imagination.]

[But when he's not keeping an eye on Davrin, it's Assan who can be found nosing around the festival. Poking his beak into other peoples' business, looking at crafts and food, curious, while Davrin lurks in the background.]


⛏️ Barnacle Busting
[The cure for negative emotions, obviously, is work. Davrin has put himself to it. Davrin has thrown himself into peeling the barnacles with abandon. It's hardly a game to him - it's a job that needs doing. A duty to the whales that needs accomplishing. He's a Warden. He upholds his duty.]

[For most of the festival, this is where he can be found. Working himself the majority of the day. Honestly, he probably needs to be told to take breaks. Like he's going to clear this entire whale of barnacles all by himself.]

Pass me the scraper - this one's getting dull.


"The Big One"
[Look at this. Another chance to do a job. And it's slaying a monster.]

[For this, he's sent Assan away - up into the air, out of its range. Not his normal mode of operating, but this isn't a normal time. He's not interested in more of his own getting hurt, or worse. Hop on a dolphin, grab his sword, and charge out to engage the catfish.]

[Even hell bent on doing the job, Davrin's not interested in throwing himself into its path. Harrying it, like smaller birds do hawks, keeping its attention off other defenders. Stabbing at it when he gets in close, then getting his mount away again in, fast as it can.]

The bombs! Get them in its mouth!

[Seems like a solid plan to him...]

The big one

[seasaltkeys]

Got it!

[Roxas is on his own dolphin, doing his best to help. Though it's definitely not how he's used to fighting. He prefers solid ground, being able to jump and hide and not have to keep his balance. Getting in close to whack with his keyblades rather than keep his distance and cast magic. But there is a lot of thunder spells getting used.

And he's not one to question Davrin's judgment at a time like this. So he'll start making his way closer to the mouth.]

Barnacle Busting

[obliviscere]

[ Namine's been at this for a bit, trying to help both to gain whale favor and just because she wants to help. It's not the most interesting game or job, but the whale's seem really happy with it. However, she has noticed that Davrin was here when she got to it and is now is going back for more. She doesn't actually hand him a scraper immediately and instead hesitates. ]

Or we could go take a quick break? There's some pretty interesting food out there!

the big one

[sunbursted]

[ keyleth has been spending some time trying to work out some energy on... well, a lot of things. her mind has been stuck on how much she misses her friends for at least a month. having grog suddenly around is helping that, but she misses vex and pike and percy and tary and scanlan... and of course vax.

so she's out here being reckless as a member of vox machina does and trying to help protect people. or maybe she's just blowing off some steam, who knows...

the familiar voice calls to her and she turns sharply from where she is perched on the back of another dolphin. she'd thought about wild shaping herself, but then she couldn't do a lot of actual fighting out here and this thing is really just too big for an orca!keyleth right now. ]

Uh??? Gah! Okay!! I'm not really that strong, but I'll try!

[ throwing seems out of the question. maybe a tidal wave? ]

Look out!

[ listen, she's just going to try something. it will probably not work, but the effort is what counts, right???

she casts tidal wave, hoping for her usual amount of watery devastation, like the one that extinguished fire on exandria and hit percy for that wild amount of damage that one time. except this time it's... a lot smaller. and sure, it lifts up a bomb like she'd been hoping for, but it's definitely not big enough to get the bomb into the thing's mouth.

instead, what happens is the wave lifts the bomb and then the bomb sinks as the wave crests over it, crashing into the giant whatever this thing is. catfish? thing??? and underwater a tiny explosion goes off somehow, near enough to the thing's feet to make it angrier but not really doing as much damage as either keyleth or davrin would have hoped.

some of the water around it seems less murky, so maybe that's a plus... ]

...Shit... sorry! I'll try again!

Flynn Scifo | Tales of Vesperia | Paladin

[radiantdragonfang]

A - Seafood Galore

[It is fair to say that Flynn has found himself in a bit of a pickle. Not that there are a lot of pickles to be found in the area. Unless you count some of the pickled fish. Which Flynn doesn't.

But he can't say that seafood is his favorite by any stretch of the imagination. And while he'll eat it if that's all there is, right now, he's avoiding it. Instead, he's doing his best to help the mascots. Moving things out of the way, helping them if they've fallen, leading them if they need it. It's hard work.

Maybe later he can go find some stew or something.]

There have to be better costumes out there...

B - Competitive Fishing

[It's been on his mind a lot, in a lot of ways. But when you are confronted with a talking fish about how you don't have any hobbies, it's a thought that tends to linger. For a number of reasons and some that Flynn doesn't really want to get into.

But he figures he can at least try something that's not exactly new. Flynn has fished before, but more out of necessity rather than as a way to pas the time.

Which is why he has a very basic set-up. No fancy lures for him. Just a rod and some bait and a bucket. Followed by a very simple task.

He's not really expecting to win. Just to try.]

C - The Big One

[So, maybe seafood and fishing aren't for him but defending others? That's absolutely something that Flynn can do.

He sticks to the shore, fighting off the targuppies and any other weird fish creatures that come near. Although, being so close and fighting off so many enemies makes the miasma is hard to avoid. And so Flynn might just start attacking whoever is closest.]

D - Wildcard

[Open to any and all shenanigans, plotting can be done at urbaninja or PM]

seafood

[rokubro]

[Guess who Flynn is helping? It's Rokurou in a silly starfish mascot costume, BUT he hasn't said anything for the fun of it, instead using the "arms" and a special "magic face" feature that projects an emoji-like expression on the mascot's face that mimics whatever the person inside is making.

Anyway, Rokurou has a plan, but they have to do this job of spreading awareness about the stall he's helping and give out some balloons. And right now he has some kids starting to overwhelm him, making him flail a bit. Help Flynn!!]

🫨

competitive fishing

[ramuhs]

[Meanwhile, Cid will happen to pass by and while he's not exuding "professional fisherman," he does have a bit more gear on his shoulder. He is certainly in it to win it!

However, what makes Cid stop isn't Flynn's simple set-up—if anything that's fine, he knows many who manage to catch great fish with just as little, and he's not going to question the young man. It's the strange familiarity that he doesn't quite recall.

Well, he was going to pass by because why bother him, but something makes him speak up.]

Not your first time fishing, is it?

Competitive Fishing

[haveaflare]

[Dion has never been a patient man. His actions have always been decisive and once a decision has been made, he has simply pursued it.

The consequences of such has been catatrophic in the past, and when he hears of this pastime, he recalls a suggestion one of his professors once had to cultivate patience, and thus he signs up for this competition at the behest of the odd fishmen.

He does have his halberd with him, along with his modest fishing equipment, as he's heard of the infection spreading through the water, even as he approaches the shore and a familiar face.]

Flynn, good afternoon.

A

[esquim]

[ Lune is decidedly NOT helping out the mascots. They asked her to try on the suit to help out and she had not been interested in doing that. Not now, not ever. She gives a slow gaze to how dedicated he seems to be to helping out and perhaps there's even a ghost of a smile forming there. ]

You're taking your handler job rather seriously.

C - The Big One

[ashadowofhope]

[After seeing some of the targuppies explode, Oswald has prioritized neutralizing them and burning away the remains with his shadows. The miasma feels funny, momentarily ticks at his sanity, but fizzles out shortly.]

[Turning his head, he avoids Flynn's attempting to attack him, even casting his shadow flames to bind his legs. Considering he had seen the man previously fighting against the tide's creatures, he knows something has happened.]

Namine | Kingdom Hearts | Paladin

[obliviscere]

I. General
-(A) Carving For Practice

[ Namine's worked surprisingly hard at carving out her own spear for the target practice. One can find her working on it for perhaps a bit longer than need be, twisting her face as she carves even finer details into it. It looks fine, better than fine actually, but she still seems to be insistent on adding to it or "fixing" small "errors" that only she can see. Maybe someone should let her know that she's done enough carving and should actually give the target practice a try? ]

-(B) Costume Volunteering No, No

[ Have you ever had a Namazu try to con you? It's not really a pleasant experience! They're tricky and it's hard to tell them no when they stare at you with those big soulless eyes. But Namine is doing her best to say no to it as it holds up a costume and tries to insist that she get into it to help hand out seafood. She shakes her head, hands up defensively, and looks around desperately for some sort of help. ]

Uh, no, no, I don't think... [ what to say... ] I don't think it'll fit! It looks too big for me but maybe... [ and she spots you, poor unsuspecting passerby ]

Maybe it'll fit them better!

II. Whalesome Fun
-(A) Crafts

[ At any given time Namine can be found painting various scenes that she spots. Some are of the whales, some are of the Namazu doing various silly things (there's more than a few of them falling over), but the vast majority of of people she knows here or of people from home. There's some people who have left, like Sora, Axel, Saix, a few other Organization members in long black coats, Riku, Roxas, a bunch of kids on a beach making sandmen, and then a lot of different people she's met here. Maybe you'll even find a picture of yourself being done! ]

-(B) Whale Ride, Yes, Yes?

[ For a while she's just watching the whales, shaking her head when they come up to offer a ride. Truthfully, she really wants to go, but not really alone. So when someone comes by she looks up at them from her sitting position with hopeful eyes. ]

Would you maybe want to go ride one with me?

i-a!!

[sparkstrikes]

[Lightning has only ever used her gunblade underwater once, but at least she knows that it works, so while she is interested in trying some other weapons, like one of those handmade crossbows, she plans to try her hand at her own weapon first, see how it fares. Besides, it might actually be good to know that she can still hit a target in the water, should the need for it ever arise.

Spotting a familiar face concentrating way too hard on the spear that she's working on, Lightning swims right up to Namine, her pale pink mermaid tail swishing around in the water behind her.]

You know, you're gonna have to use that thing eventually. Those targets're not gonna hit themselves.

2-B

[seasaltkeys]

I mean. If you want to go?

[Roxas is, typically, a little more cautious. It's probably fine. But it's the flipping in the air that has him a little concerned.

But he has a hard time saying no to Namine at the best of times. So he'll try not to look nervous.]

1 B

[gunbreaker]

[Festivals... These things are the farthest thing on his mind. Squall doesn't have time to waste puttering around stilly festivals or taking part in the food and games that come along with it. He has to find a way back through a rift to get back to his own world. And that's the only thing that matters.

"Uh, no, no, I don't think..."

And yet, here he is. And when a young girl is there, being obviously harassed by some weird fish creature with sauce dishes for eyeballs, he's already automatically walking towards that fish creature and is about to shove it away with one hand. He's about to shove it, tell it to go find some pond to swim in and to leave the girl alone.

... "Maybe it'll fit them better!"

Until she throws him under the bus.]

...? What?

[He freezes on the spot. Right as the Namazu turns to Squall and holds out a very ugly looking fuzzy headpiece in the shape of ... a squirrel. How does a squirrel have anything to do with the sale of seafood treats?]

I'm not wearing that.

II-A

[beshackled]

[Though not quite a long black coat, Erichthonios does continue to wear his long black robes. Upon seeing her, something in his gloomy demeanour perks up, posture shifting as his eyes brighten just a bit.]

Namine. 'Tis good to see you.

Arkady | FreakAngels | Paladin

[hellofishies]

A. Bubble Ring Maze

[ Is it cheating to teleport through a maze? Maybe so. Either way that's exactly what Arkady does and it's possible one may catch her doing so! It's a pop and then she's triumphantly through a bubble, then another pop and she's through another bubble ring in a blink.

Finally there's the ultimate disappear where she just lands herself at the end of the maze, throwing her hands up in the air. ]

I won!

[ Her own potentially questionable way. ]

B. Monster Conches

[ Her intentions were just to help those that she heard screaming, but best laid plans don't always work out. Instead she finds herself pulled into a conch. Perhaps you're there with her? Trapped together in a magical prison with...bones. She points at the skeleton, purple eyes wide. ]

We're not joining the skeleton crew.

[ She thinks she's funny. Nobody else will though because her plan to break out of this prison is...exploding the conch. Her eyes glow a pure white and then there's a ripping sound, followed by a loud crashing explosion that results in rather unpleasant chunks falling down on them both.

But they're free, that's what matters right? And one conch is now down. ]

Whoops.

[ There's no whoops. It went exactly as she meant it to. ]

C. Closed to Tifa

[ Looking for the missing Namazu didn't really bring too much hope to Arkady. Maybe it's a problem with how things are back home: missing never means anything good there. Dead is what it usually means. Or worse. There's worse than dead if one encounters Luke. But a tiny part of her wants to hope that it'll be different here. That missing just means missing and they'll find them okay, having just wandered off from the group or something.

The Namazu do seem rather spacey, which is saying something coming from her. Alas, it seems that hope is not meant to be. What they stumble upon is a Namazu's body, marks all over it, clearly having encountered something far too big for it to deal with on it's own. The strangest part though is the fact that it's body is surrounded by...

chickens?

A number of chickens. They're young chickens too, scurrying around in some sort of panic.

Arkady approaches the body, though she could tell it's dead, and frowns deeply. ]

Oh sweets, I wonder if you were trying to protect them.

[ The chickens she means. She sighs deeply, clearly bothered to a strange degree, and then looks over at Tifa. ]

They're all alone now if that's the case. [ Something she understands all too well. There's a weight to her voice, like she's just letting that sentiment linger there. ]

[starshower]

[Tifa, too, had that nagging feeling all throughout their search that it would only lead somewhere horrible, and just like always, her gut instinct was right. They would have to go back to the catfish that call themselves "Namazu"(?) and break the news that their friend would not be returning, and that was just as horrible as what they'd found. She was not looking forward to that conversation when it got there.

She kneels over the body, leaning down to listen for a heartbeat or feel for breath, but... nothing. She isn't sure why she got her hopes up in those few seconds.

Arkady's voice, along with the sounds of the little chickens, however, pulls her back, and she straightens to look around at their frenzied feathered friends.]

You think they were his...?

Faulkner | The Silt Verses | Corsair

[withermarked]

General
[ Faulkner can be easily found around the Festival, especially on the first day. Sometimes above water and sometimes below, whether just in his enchanted armour if it's a quick nip down to check on something below the waves, or actually transformed.

When transformed, he looks oddly similar to some of the deeper ocean merfolk, specifically the more crustacean ones. He resembles a ghost shrimp, largely translucent and sparkling with bits of iridescence and bioluminescence, but also with many odd limbs and the slightly unfortunate side effect of visible bones.

You might notice that he seems a bit less interested in simply participating in the Festival and a bit more preoccupied with making sure everyone else is having a good time and everything is going smoothly.

Do the vendors need anything? Are whales being treated respectfully? Are the craft tents running low on supplies? Do you need a tour, perhaps?

He can also be found with children now and then, doing his best to help shepherd the ones visiting from underwater, particularly from the deeper ocean villages such as the one Enysos made her appearance at. When they're not directly involved in helping out with the festivities, he appears to be trying both to keep them out of trouble and to make sure they get to see and try plenty of new things on the surface.

He can also sometimes be found spreading some of the stories and history he's managed to learn from various avenues of research, or (sometimes with the help of the children) teaching a song that's apparently used to calm the waves.

The only time he might appear to make himself intentionally scarce is if he spots any island villagers he recognises from the Pearl God incident, or hears any murmurings of the topic in general. ]

Underwater Festivities
[ As the festival goes on he begins to participate more at his own leisure. One thing he can be found doing is focusing intently on carving a spear to use for target practice. ]

If I'm to be spendin’ as much time in the depths as I've been of late, I might as well work on some useful skills.

[ Or perhaps you find him working on those skills in another way, trying his hand at the maze of bubble rings... and likely having to start over a few times. ]

Crafts
[ At other points he can be found working on various crafts, or contributing to one of the large murals. ]

I'm still gettin’ used to the way people do so much art like this here, but it's certainly beautiful.

[ Or maybe he can be found playing with the conch shells, either decorating one or experimenting with the way it can be used to affect the waves. ]

The Big One
[ As much as he was hoping for the whole festival to go without a hitch, he’s not entirely surprised when something goes wrong. Even if he’s clearly not happy.

Happy or not, though, he seems to have some experience handling himself in a crisis. And handling others in a crisis, too. He finds ways to be helpful, making sure people who can’t fight are ushered to safety, and suggesting placements and strategies when it comes to defending the shore.

He can also be found lending his magic to the fight, scratching symbols into the shore as a means of focus. Seaweed and other ocean plants begin to cling to come of the approaching creatures, dragging them back or under. ]

Wildcard Feel free to throw something my way or hit me up at strixoid on discord/badgirlcoven on plurk!

crafts

[hellofishies]

[ Arkady just sort of appears there randomly with a smile on her face as if it's just the most natural thing for someone to do. Her hands are tucked behind her back as she leans to look at the mural. ]

It's very pretty! Do people not do art where you're from?

Tony Tony Chopper (One Piece) l Corsairs

[reindered]

Seafood Galore:

[What is a good teeny reindeer who is practically his crew's mascot back home to do when commandeered to dress up? The outfit might be a little big, somewhere in between his usual tinier toddler size and his larger form, but that kind of works in just making it more adorable somehow? Probably.

Still, he doesn't mind going around offering the food and drinks. Even if he figures Sanji would be far better suited to this, given his experience on the Baratie prior to joining the Straw Hats back home. Oh, he misses his friends. But he tries to focus on the task at hand, smiling as he tugs at someone's shirt, offering up a plate of food.]

Want some?

Musical Shells:

[Chopper tilts his head, watching and observing others giving it a go before he tries himself. Of course, he was familiar with music. Probably mostly sea shanties and the like from Luffy and the rest of the crew, from whatever music Hiriluk and Doctorine listened to while they worked and researched. He tries to imitate a tune he might have heard one of them humming at some point, gradually getting a little less clumsy about it as he goes.]

Ehee! This is kind of fun.

The Big One: Defending the Shore

[Chopper shifts to his Heavy Point transformation to fight, trying to protect others against the Targuppies. He stands in between whoever might be closest and the guppies when one of them happens to explode. He blinks, glancing back to whoever he was trying to defend.]

Um. Are you alright? Wait, what is that stuff?

[The miasma? That's not good, right? Can't be good......]

Wildcard:

[ooc: I'm more restricted/limited with options for Chopper, since lol Devil Fruit. He can't swim. But. I tried. Feel free to react to his transformation and hopefully don't freak out too much???? About it????]

Seafood galore

[seasaltkeys]

[The thing is, even if he's been here for a long time, Roxas is still kind of picky when it comes to the food that he eats. Seafood is not his favourite, and he does get a little sick of fish.

Still, he's at a festival. And you should eat at a festival.]

Depends. What is it?

Fenris | Dragon Age 2 | Corsair | OTA

[magehater928]

Festival

[Fenris can certainly be found around the festival, but his participation ranges from very little to not at all. His usual sour look on his face is a degree bitter than normal, and he seems to just be contented to skulking and keeping an eye on people.

Fenris does carve a nice spear, but quickly abandons it to instead watch from afar. He also tries some of the safer foods, though he mostly picks at what he was served.

An attempt to speak to him may receive an irritated glare, but he doesn’t protest or move away.

Not for most people, anyways.]

The Big One!!!

[Except, of course, when the Catfish attack happens. Fenris can’t exactly ignore the giant catfish and company even if he wants to.

He instead finds himself in the midst of fending off the creatures that have crawled ashore with the catfish. He’s outnumbered three to one, and though he’d still rather skulk alone, anybody that gets close, he calls out:]

A hand might be appreciated!

Wildcard
[Wanna do something more specific? Feel free to tag in with something else for this! If you’d like to talk about it before, you can message me here or Discord!]

The Big One

[dedoink]

[ As Fenris calls out for help, a large axe blade suddenly swings down out of nowhere and beheads one of the three targuppies surrounding him. ]

Heh. Good thing I got two o' those.

[ The tall, gray, mountain of a man that is Grog brandishes his bloodaxe to get the tarry blood off of it, then moves to stand back to back with Fenris. ]

What's yer plan?