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« january open log: avaleci »

This is our Open Log for players to have an easy opportunity to tag others and have fun with prompts that deal with current happenings that are not covered by our MANTA Board quests. Sometimes we provide extra quests at the bottom, but oftentimes we just let the MANTA Board cover it. Players are free to include MANTA Board quests in their toplevels!

For your toplevel, please include the following: Character Name | Canon | Armada Choice.

TOPLEVEL DIRECTORY (Updated January 16)

WINTER LODGE

As part of an annual migration of sorts, the three leviathans will journey north where the waters are cold and small icebergs and chunks of ice will float aimlessly. As if serving as a "boundary point," there is a large island called Avaleci. It is a unique place where one half is an active, submerged volcano and the other is a snow-capped mountain. For a few years now it has become a place to serve not only as a waypoint for those traveling through the area, but a tourist vacation destination. It is here the three leviathans will rest, Nogard attaching itself in the black coastal sands where the mountain and volcanic plains meet.

Riding up a special sky gondola will take visitors high up on the mountain to a luxurious winter lodge that will allow anyone to stay in one of their cozy cabins—for a fee, of course. If one cannot pay with cash or treasure, then earning one's stay through labor, such as hunting for cooks or helping clean and assist others is an option.

The lodge itself will provide for most anything visitors may need, from appropriate clothing to gear and equipment for any sports or activities they may wish to partake in the area. Skiing, snowboarding, sledding, bobsledding, snowshoeing, mountain climbing—most everything is available with marked trails and areas that would be safe to partake in such activities. There are also a few special activities visitors may want to try their hand at.

Along with the mountain slopes and the snow covered forests surrounding the lodge, there is a large frozen lake just a small hike up a trail from the lodge. There are also ice caves that some may try to venture through, but should take caution as there are also natural predators and monsters that live in the area.

🎣 Ice fishing. There are two forms of ice fishing: 1) the usual dig through the ice and drop a line into the frigid waters, and 2) have a net ready to try and catch flying fish that will fly over.
⛸️ Skating. Show off your moves! Just stick to the thicker ice, and watch out for anyone trying to play hockey instead.
🌟 Stargazing. Although chilly, there is a designated platform where one can use telescopes or just lie out on the ground to stargaze. Maybe if they're lucky, an aurora borealis will appear to paint the sky with a curtain of colors.
🦇 Snow bats. There are special little white bats whose homes were devastated by a small avalanche not too long ago. There are now rescue efforts to help rebuild their habitat to create hollows for them to build their nest. Form a positive bond and they may gift helpers with a special powdered sugar that falls from their fur.

Although not the tallest mountain in the world, climbing to the peak can be a challenging feat, especially as it includes venturing through some ice caves. The staff try to keep the trails and caves clear of any dangerous animals and monsters, but they still sometimes come through so be careful. However, should one reach the peak, they can collect a special mountain ice crystal that will stay frozen no matter how it gets. Just beware of potential avalanches. There is a magitech system installed to automatically create a special dome shield in certain areas to help protect anyone who can reach the safe spaces in time. But if otherwise caught, rescue efforts will be quick and should be able to pull anyone out to safety.

Finally, there are a number of wildlife and monsters that inhabit the mountains. For the most part they will leave the busy lodge and recreational areas alone, but encounters are inevitable. Territorial mountain goats, ice golems lurking the ice caves, and the occasional yeti may appear. Some may be persuaded to leave peacefully, especially with food. But others may be hostile no matter what. While the lodge would prefer no bloodshed, they understand if it must happen. Otherwise, for hunters looking for game in the wilderness, they will find the usual variety of animals and will need a permit before venturing out.

HOT SPRINGS

Warmed by the volcano, the hot springs are located at the foot of the mountain, where the snow disappears and the terrain is rockier with short cropped grass and valleys before it fades out to the barren volcanic plains beyond. Built a bit simpler compared to the winter lodge, the hot springs' inn is set outdoors where the pools are, but it, too, has special rooms and lodgings for people to enjoy themselves for a relaxing stay (again, for a fee). Because the hot springs are easier to access on foot, the sky gondola starts down there and connects to the winter lodge above.

In terms of amenities, the hot springs have both separated and mixed pools. They are usually well marked, but sometimes pranks happen. There are several located outside with some near lava streams that flow out from the volcanic crater far from the springs, to the ocean. There are invisible, protective barriers to prevent anyone from accidentally touching the lava. All rooms will have their own small private pool. There are also foot baths, saunas, spa and massage rooms, a gaming room, and several food stalls and restaurants for one to dine at.

Of course, just like up on the mountain, there are some "hazards" that those using the larger pools, especially those that are near the lava streams, to be wary of.

🦎 Fire Drakes. Fire drakes are a common sighting around and in the pools. They are for the most part "friendly," in the sense that they won't outright attack unless they are injured first. But they can sometimes crowd the pools, so one may have to gently "shoo" them away.
🥚 Drake eggs. Nests can be found scattered here and there, and the eggs are a delicacy of the island. Blue eggs are safe to harvest as they are unfertilized, just like chicken eggs. Red eggs, however, are considered protected. Should a drake catch anyone trying to take a red one, then all hell will break loose as the entire hoard of drakes will descend to save their egg and the entire springs will shut down until it's settled.
🐧 Waltz of the Penguins. It just so happens this is the time when large flocks of penguins will migrate down for mating season. They usually won't bother anyone as they are more intent in performing special dances to find a partner, which can be beautiful to watch. Or perhaps someone may want to try and play matchmaker. But it isn't unheard of for someone else to catch their eye…

Some unusual activity is happening outside of the springs, and a local environmentalist will run in distress. Ice giants were spotted attacking and trying to collect a special native breed of tortoise. They grow up to be as large as giant boulders, with their shells made of molten rock. They are formidable in their own right, but the ice giants are larger, capable of picking them up and knocking them over. Rescue the tortoises either by guiding them to the safety of the springs or beating back the ice giants (killing is allowed). Save the tortoises and be handsomely rewarded!

Finally, those in Nogard may find their leviathan's choice of stay a bit…warm. They already had to experience witnessing their leviathan turn into a flesh dragon and engulf them in its gut only to be popped back out to the sweltering heat of the volcanic plains. Good luck to anyone who decides to stay in their homes. Elah and Eltrut will be unaffected.

VOLCANO EXPLORATION

Note: All threads involving prompts in this section will count as "quests" and be worth 4pts.

On the other side of Avaleci where the lava is hottest and where there is no cold to ward off the heat is a dangerous terrain where only the brave and more adventurous should go. Make sure to bring plenty of water and anything else that might help beat the heat. Who knows, even a bit of snow might help. There will be several tunneling entrances leading to winding corridors and wide caverns, some even boasting floors of lava, so watch your step! Fortunately, those who are fleet-footed should be able to make it across on the stones.

Within the caverns, there is plenty to discover: from gemstones and fire crystals to fire blossoms (interesting, they look strangely like the winter blossoms only red), and even some old magitech that appears to be broken. Still, there is no one around to tell people not to collect any of it...

🌋 Floor is lava. Getting across the volcanic terrain will require adventurers to hop from safe stone to safe stone to get to the other side of a lava lake. Beware of lava blobs that will shoot lava balls.
🧂 Sulfur smelling salts. Journey deep enough to find a sulfur field, where smelling salts can be harvested to help ease the nightmares brought on by the sleeping curse. However, too much exposure to the smelling salts will leave one feeling hyper energetic to the point of acting sleep deprived.
💎 Fire crystals. These crystals are a hard sought after item as they can be used for a large variety of magitech and even jewelry. However, they are extremely hot to the touch and can even burn if not handled carefully.
💾 Old relics. Scattered throughout the caverns are odd remnants of what appear to be old relics from the past. Researchers and archaeologists have tried to study here before, but due to the dangerous nature of the environment they've been hindered in their efforts. Those who retrieve pieces to return for study will be able to learn and work with the researchers. (note: Players can come up with any kind of relic that could be found here, from old magitech parts to fantasy genre artifacts. We'll ask for submissions during AC, but you are welcome to ask if you're not sure if your idea is okay or not!)

Roaming around the volcanos, especially in the caverns, are small flame sprites that can talk, sing, and dance. They are mischievous little things with a penchant for trouble, and love playing tricks on people, so keep your eyes peeled for them. Be careful, they also have some very sticky "fingers" and will try to steal whatever you might have on you. However, those sticky fingers are also very fiery, and will burn whatever they get their grubby little hands on!

The sprites will lead you on a merry little chase with your items, over lava pools, through winding tunnels, deeper and deeper into the volcano to take their new items to their secret stash of treasures. They will be hard-pressed to give it up, but should one have the charisma or the charm to convince them, they may instead be swayed to return with you if they are promised a comfortable life elsewhere! A large ship, perhaps? Or a fireplace? Away from that "big, scary, flaming animal" that lives further in the volcano.

Guarding the sulfur fields is what one could surmise is the "big, scary, flaming animal" that lives within the deeper depths of the volcano. Should anyone journey too far, they will no doubt hear its hooves thundering throughout the tunnels. Whether you choose to fight this fiery horse or attempt to tame it will be up to you, but it will not be an easy task… Especially upon close inspection it appears to have a few bones sticking and not quite "whole."

There are some odd things about this area with the flaming horse. Not too far is a small cave where what looks to be remains of a broken altar made of obsidian, the ground charred along with bones and bits of fabric. Dark red stains can be made out as well, but is that just the red rock of the volcano, or something else? Other artifacts can be found, such as torn books, stone tablets, but it all seems made within recent years.

More details about the flaming horse:

Attempts to tame the fire horse may be partially successful. If characters manage, one of two things will happen:

The horse will stare at them as if in a daze before it retreats into the lava, stopping its attacks for a short period of time.
The horse will charge off towards where the strange altar is, attempting to break the remaining structure and dig at the markings on the ground. A strange black smoke will appear and it will retreat back in anger before rushing into the lava and disappearing.

Subduing the horse will be very difficult, but we will leave it up to players on what method will work, and whether it is successful. We will ask for AC submissions, as this will unlock a follow-up quest in February.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She'll thank him later after all the fighting is over.

March moves into action almost as quickly as he does, although not quite quickly enough to avoid teeth catching her on the leg. The sword slash from her bounty partner makes the bite brief and the related bleeding superficial enough to be ignored for now. She responds to the attack by drawing back her bow, creating an arrow of ice, and shooting it practically point-blank into the mermaid's chest.

While Cryo ice does not react to Dendro, it does cause a freezing reaction on the mermaid's skin that causes her to shriek again in pain. She lashes out blindly, her swings easily avoided.]

[There's a brief blink at the sight of the young lady's ice powers, but he gets over it soon enough, taking the chance that'd been created after her attack by lunging in for another quick strike with his blade, making a second Dendro Core in the process.

And just in time too, really, for his Chisel-Light mirrors dissipate almost as soon as he delivers that second attack. But Alhaitham isn't particularly worried, as when he turns back around the first Dendro Core explodes just as planned, causing the creature to screech out loud at the burst of Dendro energy right into its body. It also creates two more cores given all the water that its surrounded by, but at least this time Alhaitham has a much easier way to deal with that.

He glances over to his bounty companion then and doesn't hesitate in instructing her what to do next.] Keep shooting your ice arrows to freeze it in place!

Got it!

[March doesn't hesitate to let another couple of arrows fly, freezing the mermaid and hindering her ability to attack. Those green things he keeps summoning sure are coming in handy, clearly inflicting a good amount of damage each time one explodes. Despite only having just met, they make a great team. She shields and freezes, and he's able to run in and do some real hurting.

Each time the mermaid starts to thaw, she launches another freezing attack. Honestly, now that the two of them are working together (and she's not being hypnotized by its signing), this is a pretty one-sided fight.

It makes her miss fighting alongside her friends on the Astral Express, oddly enough. Not that she has a lot of time to dwell on that.]

[Those ice arrows of hers are defnitely more than a little helpful right now, though Alhaitham is at the same time somewhat intrigued to learn the how as well, if possible. Its obvious that none of these people from Teyvat require a Vision to wield their powers, though the question then becomes what, exactly comes into place instead.

...still, that can be for later. Right now, there is a bounty to take out.

With the mermaid virtually stuck in place its all but a sitting duck for Alhaitham, who wastes no time in dealing blow after blow with both his sword as well as via the Bloom Cores that spawn from each strike. So its really no surprise that it doesn't take much longer for the mermaid to scream out its death throes after one more strike with his blade, then going quiet with the last of the Bloom Cores exploding around it in an almost relentless flash of green.]

[Every time one of those green things explodes, March is glad that she's a good enough distance away that the damage doesn't reach her. If the mermaid's screams are any indication, it hurts to get hit with it.

Eventually, however, she goes quiet. That's one less mermaid sucking on the blood of unsuspecting passers-by. Hooray!]

We did it! You were awesome out there. And I really owe you one, because I...

[She takes a few steps toward him, and the world sort of lurches off kilter. It's as if her inner ear has decided that she's moving when she's not. The feeling stops her in her tracks, and she wavers a bit on her feet.]

Uh... hold on...

[Don't mind her, she's just going to go throw up off the side of the pier now.]

[As soon as the silence stretches on long enough for Alhaitham to feel confident that the creature is dead for good he glances down at his sword and grimaces at the blood and ichor that has gotten onto it. He should have expected this, of course, which he has, but its still an unpleasant sight nevertheless.

Seeing as how the sea is close by Alhaitham steps closer to the water while the young lady excitedly exclaims their victory so that he can crouch down and dunk his sword in sideways so that the next wave that comes rolling in goes over the blade to remove the worst of the mess. He'll have to deal with the rest when he gets back but for now this will be enough.

All in all it doesn't take very long at all for Alhaitham to do all this, yet when he stands up and turns around the first thing he sees is his bounty partner making a rather... worrisome mess at the pier now. He's more than used to seeing people (Kaveh) throw up so the sight doesn't bother him too much, though it is worrying that she is suddenly acting up like this.

He quickly makes his way over to her (making sure to fully turn off his noise cancelling as he does so), holding her by the shoulder to keep her steady should she need it considering the mess that she's already made so far.] What's wrong?

[While she doesn't enjoy the sight of the ichor and viscera, her constitution isn't so weak that she'd lose her lunch over it. No, something's wrong.]

I feel really sick all of a sudden--

[Pause for gagging, although she manages not to puke again. Barely.]

--like the world's gone all out of whack or something. Maybe her bite was poisonous?

[She gestures toward her still-bleeding ankle.]

[Alhaitham frowns at the state of the young lady, then over to the bleeding ankle when she gestures towards it. He hadn't noticed it earlier in the heat of the battle, but now it is indeed quite prominent, and does bring a certain incident to his mind...]

That seems to be the most likely case. [Yes, he remembers now... Kaveh had mentioned something about this happening to Freminet the other time when snuck out to go and help. As annoyed as Alhaitham had been at Kaveh for doing it, he couldn't wholly fault him given the reasons.

In a sense, that whole thing is pretty much the reason why Alhaitham can make the connection now, which means that its probably not advisable to leave March on her own considering how bad it got for Freminet (according to what Kaveh had told him, anyway).]

I'm not sure if there's a treatment, but its best for you to get some rest regardless. [Gives her a once over here now...] Do you think you can keep walking by yourself?

[Ugh, stupid mermaid and her stupid pointy teeth. March would kick what's left of her for good measure, but she's not sure she can manage it without stumbling over. Or getting extra poisoned by her corpse-cooties or something.

Instead, she takes a few deep breaths and tries to orient herself.]

Yeah, I think I can manage.

[She takes two steps, pain stinging in her ankle, before having to stop to throw up again.]

Nevermind. I'm sorry.

[Well, he can't say that she didn't try. And it's really nobody's fault here either so Alhaitham isn't too hung up about it. No point in doing that when there are much more important things to focus on now, like figuring out what to do with his bounty partner being like this.

Alhaitham takes another second to give her another once over, but as soon as that's done he makes his way over to her and rather unceremoniously picks her up into a princess carry.]

I'll take you to see my roommate. [Saying roommate is fine, right? Kaveh did say as much to Rem before the other time he brought her back...] He helped out somebody who'd also been bitten by one of the mermaids a while back, so he'll know what to do for you.

[...and he doesn't really give the young lady much of a choice in the matter really, since he more or less starts walking even before having started his explanation earlier.]

[ March doesn't protest the decision he's made for her, instead squeezing her eyes shut and clinging tightly to him as he walks with her. ]

Okay.

[ She more or less spends the walk breathing in such a way to prevent getting sick all over him. Somehow, miraculously, she's successful. ]

[The way the young lady acts is certainly quite the indication as to how she must be feeling, given how all her pep from earlier has been severely diminished, if not completely gone. Then again, the throwing up prior had already made it pretty obvious.

So Alhaitham wisely chooses to not say anything else from this point on, seeing as they're set on what to do, and simply makes sure to keep a firm hold on the young lady as he starts making the long trek back towards the house. Thankfully they're still on Eltrut which means he can actually walk back, even if it'll take a bit given the distance between where they are to where the house is. Still better than having to take a boat because then it'll be both of them with a problem of throwing up, albeit for completely different reasons.

With such a long trek there is a part of Alhaitham that'd been worried if he could actually manage it all the way with the young lady in his arms, but she isn't too heavy for better or worse and Alhaitham does manage to make it all the way back without any issue. But having both of his arms occupied does mean that he can't exactly open the door, so he's forced to buzz the doorbell with an elbow and hope that Kaveh is inside instead of having decided to wander out.]

[Luckily, Kaveh is home, and makes a noise of faint confusion when the doorbell buzzes. He does come to open it, only to see--Alhaitham and a very ill looking March.]

--Archons, what happened?

[Wait, no, Kaveh, focus.]

Shit, get inside, let me find the first aid kit.

[ March recognizes that voice! She peeks up from where she has her face buried into Alhaitham's chest and gives a weak wave. Her complexion can generously be described as "green." ]

Hi Mr. Kaveh. A zombie mermaid thing bit me.

[ She has to pause to gag, although she manages not to do more than that. ]

Sorry about this.

[There's a mild blink of surprise when Alhaitham realizes that Kaveh and the young lady seem to know each other, but that's something he can go over later.]

You helped Freminet the other day. [He starts with that as he steps into the house once Kaveh gets out of the way, making an immediate beeline for the living room without removing his own footwear. Can't exactly do that while his hands are still occupied after all.] Figured you could do the same to her as well, since you are already familiar.

[The distance from the front door to the living room is fairly short, and from there it's only a few steps more to the recently (re)acquired divan. Once he's there Alhaitham comes to a stop in front of it and proceeds to gently lower the young lady down onto it. Seeing as how the divan is able to comfortably fit Alhaitham and Kaveh when they stretch out to lounge on it themselves, it shouldn't be a problem for her to do the same.]

[Kaveh's not far behind, Mehrak carrying the first aid kit...and a bucket.]

I did, but there's good news and bad news about that. Go get her a blanket while I do this?

[First things first though, which is to dress that ankle. Kaveh has set the bucket next to the couch so all March needs to do is...lean over a bit.] I need to clean this up, Miss March, and it's probably going to sting. Alright?

[ The first thing March does when the bucket is set down is be sick into it. She's been holding it in way, way too long not to. Some part of her is embarrassed by throwing up in front of the two of them like this, but mostly she feels too sick to care.

After she's done, she acknowledges Kaveh. ]

It's okay...

[ Some stinging first aid is nothing compared to how nauseas she feels. ]

[Alhaitham gives Kaveh a brief look at those words, not sure what to expect with this 'bad news', but that's something they'll have to tackle later. For now he quickly relents and nods, stepping out of the living room to go and get that requested blanket.

The errand doesn't take too long at least, since Alhaitham more or less knows where Kaveh has kept everything in the house, so he comes back soon enough to see Kaveh in the middle of bandaging the young lady's—March, he heard Kaveh say her name earlier—bite wound.

He waits until Kaveh is done with that before wordlessly passing him the requested blanket, briefly eyeing at the bucket at the same time, frowning a little at what he's seeing. Looks like the effects of the bite are a lot worse than he initially thought.]

The bad news is, I can't instantly cure this. Maybe someone with healing powers could, I don't know, but you're in for a rough few days. Preventing an infection I can do, but the doctors and healers here didn't say there was any way to cure this, just survive it.

[He smiles a little, though, trying to be reassuring, as he puts some salve on the wound before wrapping it.]

The good news is, I have some stuff that'll help with the nausea, and as long as we keep you hydrated, you'll be just fine. Okay?

[This does mean he's essentially suggesting they kidnap March to the guest room but...that's Alhaitham's fault for bringing her home now, really.]

[ Well... that really is a good news, bad news kind of answer. At least she isn't going to die? Despite how much she kind of feels like she might, given how sick she feels.

March winces a bit at the application of the salve, but she's felt worse pain than this (and feels much more bothered by nausea besides). Sometimes injuries are part of trailblazing, after all. ]

I'm sorry.

[ She's not usually this contrite over her tendency to run ahead, but the consequences are significant and now she's putting the two of them out over it. ]

[There's a mild frown on Alhaitham's face now as he considers this new information on Kaveh. Part of him wants to suggest bringing March to a medical facility where there'd actually be trained professionals to handle this, but their status as riftfarers can make things tricky at times, not to mention he can already more or less guess Kaveh's reaction to such a suggestion...

Well. He did bring her back here in the first place. And if what she needs is just a few days to weather this through, then he supposes there's not much else he can say about it.

He glances over to March when he hears her apologize, silently giving her a once over before letting out a huff.]

It's fine. Just focus on recovering.

It's not your fault. Don't worry about it, we have a spare room.

[He glances at Alhaitham for a long moment, gauging his reaction, before he finishes bandaging March's ankle. There's a whole conversation to be had about the uneven levels of medical treatment here that Kaveh will be very yelly about later.]

Now...I can make some things that'll help your stomach and get that taste out of your mouth. Do you want to stay out here, or go to the spare room now?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

« january open log: avaleci »

WINTER LODGE

HOT SPRINGS

VOLCANO EXPLORATION

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cw: emeto

rip march

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cw: emeto again

rip march x2

I figure one more Alhaitham tag and then we can bring in Kaveh?

sounds gooooood

TIS I, I AM HERE

HELLO

the gang's all here \o/

party tiiiimeeeee

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