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« november: open log »

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.

TOPLEVEL DIRECTORY (Updated November 25)

ELTRUT

With the Ghoul's Moon festivities over, it's time for everyone to clean up and prepare for the coming winter season. Of course, with the leviathans capable of moving and keeping to warmer waters, it's usually not much of an issue. But it never hurts to be prepared, and the crops and products are always great for export.

One of the biggest products that will be sent off this season will be everything pumpkin. The giant pumpkin shell Eltrut created for Ghoul's Moon will start to shed and the leviathan will need some help in gathering the large chunks before it falls completely into the ocean. Harvesting the pumpkin shell off of Eltrut is no easy feat, but not only is it edible, the rind is also tough and durable.

🔪 Harvest. Using carving knives and pickaxes, everyone must head out of town and into the forests to remove the pumpkin and clean off the shell beneath. Large tubs and wagons will be provided to help haul off the goods.
🐢 Pumpkin Spice Turtles. Drawn by all the pumpkins are small little pumpkin turtles. They are forbidden from being harmed or caught, however, they produce a special "pumpkin spice" and "pumpkin cinnamon" dust that can be carefully collected. While most will respect the law, others will be greedy and try to capture these turtles. Help protect and catch any who try—or perhaps get some extra cash by successfully catching and selling them off.
🔨 Build-A-Pumpkin. To help spur motivation and creativity, there are numerous competitions centered on building the most interesting and durable creation using only the pumpkin rinds. Some small things like nails and bits of wood can be used to help, but it must otherwise be made out of the rinds. From unique artwork to small buildings to carriages to boats and ships—the possibilities are endless. Just don't mind the mess.

Of more concern, both Eltrut and the Naughtilust were weakened from the attack from the Ghost Ship and are dozing a bit for the first week or so. Those in charge are requesting help in preparing special food that will help with their recovery. But to help keep spirits up and to hopefully provide some positive energy to the leviathans, a special hotpot gathering will be hosted for anyone to come and help cook, either for the leviathans or for others. A perfect chance to socialize and catch up with others. Just keep an eye out—someone may try to spoil the food.

To aid the two weakened leviathans, a list of key ingredients is provided for volunteers to head into the forests and out to sea to gather. Large tables and several grills, pots, and other cooking equipment will be provided for anyone to use.

🔥 Fire Sprites. Instead of normal flames, the food for the leviathans needs to be cooked over a special fire created by special fire sprite. They will only appear around campfires or bonfires where stories are told, so time to create a suitable fire pit and get to storytelling! Any kind will work.
🌰 Chest of Chestnuts. One of the most prized ingredients is a special type of chestnut that can only be found in special acorn chests buried underground by squirrel scavengers. These squirrels specifically gather these chestnuts because they are so rare, delicious, and known to have medicinal properties. Said squirrels will also gladly relinquish their store…if they can remember where those chests are. Time to go on a wild treasure hunt!
🐡 Fish Puffing. There is a special type of pufferfish that will be carefully collected and brought to the pier where volunteers must wear special gloves and carefully squeeze the fish to force it to secrete a special fluid that has potent healing properties. Soothe the fish and make them more willing to be handled by singing a cheerful tune. Whistling and other music can help. Feeding them special kelp and gently petting them will also keep them calm and less agitated.
🍲 Cookoff! Whether it's for the leviathans or just cooking a meal to be shared with others, the cooking stations are constantly in use. Who can prepare the most delicious meal?

ELAH

Things are a bit hectic within Baleen, the capital city of Elah. A wild flock of singing turkeys have been set loose and they are running amok, causing a disturbance to everyone. They are getting stuck in chimneys, popping into bathrooms, and swimming in the many fountain pools found all over town. What makes them more disruptive is their singing, which, unfortunately, sound more like nails dragging down chalkboard. While some may be ready to roast them to send to Eltrut for a feast, perhaps some may try to catch them.

And send them to Nogard. (They likely came from there, anyway—)

Researchers would especially appreciate it if these turkeys could be caught and removed as they are busy studying the tombstone relic brought back from the ghost ship. What secrets could it hold…?

At the Archives, researchers are hard at work studying the broken pieces of the black tombstone that was brought back from the ghost ship. They believe it's the reason the ship and its undead crew appeared, but how?

💤 Energy Drain. Although precautions are set, those who are exposed to the relics start feeling a bit drained, as if their energy is being sucked away. Quickly remove any affected and find a way to seal or contain the relics without being affected as well.
🪦 Undeadly Experiments. Although now in pieces, the tombstone relic still holds some power. Thus researchers decide to perform direct tests and experiments to see how it affects the undead. There are requests made to those who have previously died either in their world or this one, and some venture to graveyards where dead and ghosts are sometimes active. When in close contact with the relic, all who have experienced death in some way will become more hostile and aggressive, some even outright attacking any nearby. Help protect those performing the experiment and subdue the affected until they calm down.
🏃‍♂️ Thief! Those damn Corsair, they can never respect important research! A few bad eggs are breaking the agreement and are trying to steal the fragments, perhaps to sell them off to someone else or for some other purpose.

NOGARD

In Nogard, the island the leviathan has settled in is teeming with wild beasts, and perhaps due to being in a warmer climate, they are appearing more and more often, as if coming out of hibernation. It makes for a perfect opportunity for hunters to head out in hopes of collecting rare meat, materials, and hides that can be used and sold. To prevent overhunting, a competition is hosted with rules and regulations that all participants must abide by.

As such, there will be a group to help ensure security and they will even request assistance from Paladins, who are also allowed to participate in the hunt if they wish. Thus those who prefer to go after people will be quite useful to keep track and go after anyone who is poaching, hunting creatures under the "protected" list, or wasting the kills. To any who are caught…well, the Paladins may fare nicer compared to a Corsair.

While most predators and creatures of large populations are eligible for the competition, there are a few notable hunts that will reap great rewards for those who dare. Those who turn in their kills will receive a decent portion of the profits and first choice in what to keep for their own. The rest will be turned in to be sold, with the Elphantin tusks going straight to Eltrut to be used for the recovery efforts.

🦈 Goblin Shark. This deep-sea shark has a distinctive long, flattened snout and protrusible jaws, making it look quite unusual compared to other shark species. All parts of its body can be used so it makes for a profitable hunt—if one can brace the cold depths to take it down.
🐍 Coibara. Head of a cobra, body of a bear, and tail and coloring of a koi fish, this snake chimera can be found in dark coves and anywhere near deeper bodies of water. Capable of sprinting over the ground and swimming, beware of its poisonous fangs, which can also fetch a pretty penny along with its hide. The venom can also be collected for both poison and anti-venom purposes.
🦚 Pexeo. An equine beast with the body and markings of a zebra and plumage and head of a peacock that roams the greener valleys. Although not hostile, it can be dangerous if attacked, its beak revealing sharp rows of teeth that can tear up anything that gets caught in it and its hooves sharp as blades. Rather than killed, the feathers are the real prize and can be carefully plucked instead. But its meat can be considered a delicacy in some areas.
🐘 Elphantin. This giant elephant like creature is considered as the top hunt of the list. They can only be found deep within the forests and only appear at dawn when the foggy mist is thickest. While every part can be used, what makes this the top prize is the medicinal properties of its tusks. But it is very difficult to track and hunt and will take a group of skilled hunters to take down.

Afterwards, a large feast to celebrate is thrown, though of course it can get rowdy and with the alcohol fountain brought in, fights and brawls are bound to happen.

But there will also be a "special guest" rushing into town: wild boars. Perhaps agitated by the hunts or out for revenge against those who targeted them (which was allowed), the boars are crashing and charging into everything they see. While this may look like a good opportunity to prepare some BBQ Boar, the conservationists of the Corsairs would like to drive most of them back into the wilds.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Dongfang Qingcang arrives on Atnam because of the 'quest' listed on the Manta Board in Nogard asking for cooperation between Corsairs and Paladins. While Daqiang didn't really think of himself as a Corsair, he was still nominally among their number. And the reward sounded intriguing. A 'otamatone' (whatever that was) of rare value. It also sounded relatively simple.

So to Atnam he traveled when he found a ship going that way. And on Atnam he put his name down as a 'Corsair' willing to partner with someone of the 'Paladins' for this trust exercise. Not long after, he was told a partner had been found and he was to meet 'Red XIII' (pronounced 'red thirteen' apparently) at a specific spot near the cliffs. Arriving at the predetermined location, he came face to face with-

A cat demon.

He tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow in consideration before declaring, "Acceptable."

Edited 2023-11-07 03:47 (UTC)

An otamatone is something Nanaki has never heard before, but it sounds intriguing enough for him to give it a try. He was told to meet his appointed Corsair here at the cliffs, and so Nanaki sets out to go and meet them. Though, meetings with those he doesn't know always makes him a little wary, so he'd given the name "Red XIII" for this challenge instead of his given name.

His ears flick as he hears someone approaching, and he turns to look at his appointed partner with his good eye. Hearing the one word makes him let out a low hum; he's had all kinds of reactions to his non-human appearance, so this one was somewhat better than others he's heard.

"Hmm. Two legs are better than none, I suppose." He says calmly, tail flicking. At least he's not being called someone's pet. "So. How would we like to approach this?"

"This venerable one assumes the intent is for one of us to go to the top of the cliff and the other to the bottom," Daqiang replied, eyeing the cliff face. If Red was used to others assuming he was a pet or somehow less intelligent a person for his shape, he would not find that same attitude present in Daqiang. His tone was coldly neutral, but he spoke to Red the same as he would any other person. "If one of us is to catch the other and then reverse our positions..."

He turned to look at Red directly, "Are you able to fly or catch this venerable one before he hits the water? Or should this venerable one expect to be 'fished out'?"

For a moment, Nanaki is a bit perplexed as he listens to the man beside him talk. This venerable one? Was he referring to himself? In any case, it looks like he's not talking down at Red for his form, so that's a pass in his books. Nanaki looks up at the cliffs, then down at the water, before turning back to the man.

"No, I'm not able to fly. But I can swim well enough. And I've pulled people out of the water when they arrived here before, if you don't mind being dragged around." Thinking on it, that could be some interesting magic to look into with that tattoo octopus... but that's something he'll have to consider later.

"And you? Are you able to fly or swim?" Might as well ask.

"This venerable one can do both," he answered, not looking particularly pleased at the idea of being 'dragged around', though the bored tone did not change. A moment later, he shrugged, "This venerable one will go first. Retrieve this venerable one after he has landed."

That was the downfall of having no hands; Nanaki would have to grab his partner by the collar of their shirt and haul them back to shore. At least dog-paddling with four paws was easier than with two hands. Still, he nods, taking a few steps forward.

"Alright. When you dive, I'll be sure to pull you ashore. You have my word."

Daqiang gave a non-committal hum and turned away to walk up the trail to the top of the cliff. He didn't trust anyone, really, but other than hoping to humiliate a stranger that happens to be nominally aligned to the Corsairs, Red had reason not to perform his part of the 'quest'. Particularly if he was interested in the otamatone as Daqiang was.

Dongfang Qingcang made his way up the trail on foot. His pace was not leisurely, but neither was it rushed. He spent the walk studying the cliffs and the water below to judge whether he would have to actually jump to clear the rocks at the bottom, or if he could simply let himself fall off the edge. When he reached the top, he had decided it would probably be better to simply float out a few paces from the edge and let himself drop.

At the cliff's edge, he looked down to see if Red was in position.

Though Nanaki may have his own cool reception for humans and their quick judgments, he doesn’t have a desire to cause harm to them if they aren’t actively harming him or those around him. So when he says he is going to give Dongfang his word, he means it.

While Dongfang goes up the cliff, Nanaki takes his spot at the base of it. He looks up at the man above, offering a nod when their eyes meet. He’s ready when the other is!

Dongfang Qingcang took a step over the edge of the cliff, and floated out several feet to a point where he could reasonably meet the water without chance of hitting any rocks beneath. He the tucked both hands behind his back and let himself fall forward, stiff-backed and not unlike a statuette might tip of the edge of a table if pushed. His fall from there to the water was quiet. Calm. Utterly boring.

With a hope that Red wouldn't take long to 'fish him out', he heaved as small sigh just as he hit the water.

And then the water hit his throat. And his lungs. He choked and coughed. A sudden burning in his chest that had nothing to do with fire overwhelmed his senses. His body thrashed as he tried to orientate himself, find his way back to where there was air. All around him was the clearness of water lit by the sun and it's light bouncing off every surface.

He attempted to push the water away, blue fire exploding out from him. The water he'd been cocooned by suddenly replaced by open air. A moment's reprieve in which he managed one, two gulps of air between coughs trying to force the water out of his lungs. But any hope that it would do more give him a few seconds to be seen clutching at his throat and clawing at the empty air lost as all that water rushed right back and pushed him further down, away from the surface.

Above him, the water settled back to it's normal, lightly choppy waves.

Nanaki watches the moment Dongfang drops into the water, and makes to jump in after him. But what makes him pause is the strange blast of energy that seems to burst from the water, making Nanaki's eye widen and his hackles raise. What was that?? Some sort of attack?? The eerie stillness of the waves doesn't do well to ease his nerves. No, something bad must have happened, he can feel it.

It's with that thought that he runs forward, leaping from the rocks and jumping into the water. Though not as good at diving as an aquatic animal might be, Nanaki can manage to maneuver through the waves, and after a moment he can see a familiar lump of clothes sinking further down. Didn't he say he could swim?? Something definitely must have happened.

It might be several heartbeats for Dongfang, but eventually he will feel a sharp tug on the back of his collar, jerking him back and then slowly up as Nanaki kicks his way back up to the surface.

Daqiang was, unfortunately, only half-aware. Struggling to remain conscious while his lungs burned for air that he couldn't give them. The tug on his collar startled him and he gave a momentary struggle that he was unable to sustain between fighting to stay aware and fighting not to open his mouth and swallow still more water. He couldn't tell what had him, but he had not the ability to fight on three sides when two were already dangerously close to bringing him a death that shouldn't have been possible.

Nanaki wants to know what happened to put Diaqiang into such a position, but that can be a question for later. He kicks his feet and pulls hard, tugging Daiqiang against the current and back towards the surface. It might take a few tense seconds, but eventually, the two of them burst through the surface of the water. Nanaki takes a moment to let them breathe and get air in their lungs again, before he begins to tug them back towards the shore.

"I've got you. Just hold on." He says as he dog-paddles, though his words might be a bit muffled with the mouthful of clothing.

As soon as he felt air on his face, he attempted to breathe in and was forced to cough instead. The water that had gotten in needed out. He was reduced to clutching at his chest as he coughed heavily and roughly, almost violently. It takes what feels like centuries before he can suck in a breath big enough to begin relieving the pain in his lungs. Once he does, he becomes more aware of where he is and what is going on.

The cat-demon has his robes in his teeth - he assumes. He can feel the muscles of the beast on his back and side and the tension on the cloth at the back of his neck. How embarrassing. To need rescued in such a manner.

Daqiang continues to take a few deep breaths, then rolls his body carefully toward Red. An arm gets slung over Red's back with enough strength to keep Daqiang in place even if the cat-demon decided to release his robes at the last second before they escaped the water.

Embarrassing or not for Daqiang, Nanaki will keep his promise and make sure that the man doesn't drown or fall back under the waves. He doesn't buck or protest as that arm is slung around him, glad to know the other is aware enough to do so.

Together, the two eventually make their way through the water, and soon enough Nanaki can feel the sand beneath his paws again. He pulls Daqiang further out of the water and onto the shore, not letting go of the other's clothes until the two were at the very least out of the reach of the waves. Then, with dry land beneath them, Nanaki lets go, but stays nearby as he looks at his impromptu partner.

"Are you alright?" He needs to shake out his waterlogged fur, but that can wait until he's sure the other is ok.

Once on land that was firm enough to put his weight against and push himself to stand - and Red had released his hold - Daqiang did so. He got his feet under him and about halfway up before he had to stop and balance with is hands on his knees and his head tucked. His legs felt strangely weak and raising his head caused an odd dizzy sensation that he didn't like. He had to take a deep breath. Two. Before he was able to push himself to walk a few steps to where a couple scraggly bushes grew next to a larger rock that wasn't quite big enough to be called a boulder. Upon reaching it, Daqiang lowered himself to rest against it. Putting distance between himself and both the water and Red.

Just in case.

He took a few more - shallower - breaths before he lifted his head and looked over at the cat-beast with wary eyes. He nodded, a slow and careful action because of the dizziness that came with moving too fast.

"This venerable one..." he started and then stopped, coughing again because it was hard to speak his lungs still aching so. When he was done, he forced out a shorter word that didn't hurt so much to say: "...yes."

While Daqiang goes to walk further onto the shore, Nanaki will take a moment to give his fur a good shake, getting as much of the water droplets out of his pelt as he can. Once he does, he steps forward and follows Daqiang to the rock, watching the man with a concerned face. Given the haughty and refined way he spoke before, the shorter words were quite a surprise. It's clear that something happened under the water, even if they were safe now. Nanaki's ears angle down as he approaches.

"You need to rest. And get yourself dry, before the water chills you to the bone." He looks around, spying some nearby driftwood. If Daqiang can't get himself dry, he might have to step in. It's a good thing he has a Fire materia with him...

The cat-beast backing off long enough for him to get settled before approaching in an obviously non-threatening manner did little to quell the... fear. He hated to name the emotion as such but he recognized it. Fear. He was feeling fear. Orchid had felt it enough for him to know what it as. The way his heart hammered. The way he wanted to shrink away from all potential threats. This fear was something he had not known for himself since long before he had reached true immortality. Had he become so reliant on the knowledge that he could not die that he now feared death? It shouldn't be possible.

A lot of things shouldn't be possible that this world had made short work of ignoring.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to acknowledge that Red was not his enemy this day. The fear he was feeling was not natural. It was not logical and should be ignored. If Red was his enemy, he'd have left Daqiang to drown. And not been concerned about getting him dry.

Getting dry. He couldn't help a laugh at that. Turning his eyes back to Red, he nodded slowly. "Yes," he said, agreeing with Red's assessment and speaking slowly so as not to further upset his throat. "This venerable one will need to dry. As will you."

Then he waved his hand, "Come. This venerable one will dry us both."

The laugh is a bit concerning, but truthfully, Nanaki is just happy to hear Daqiang speaking. Though a part of him wants to insist that he doesn't need to be worried about (given he wasn't the one who almost drowned), Nanaki feels like the other man needs to do this, if only to regain some control. So he nods, his tail flicking as he follows carefully.

"Alright. If you need any help, I have fire magic that can assist us." Not that he has any doubts in the man's abilities, but moreso he feels that the other should be focusing on recovering. It's why he doesn't push the other for answers on just what the heck happened yet; he'd rather the other be settled first before he's interrogated.

"Fire is not beyond this venerable one," he replied and reached out to touch Red on the shoulder. Rather than actually light anything on fire, however, he simply allowed his own internal heat to increase enough to warm them both to the point that they began to dry without overheating the cat-beast in the process.

After several quiet minutes, Daqiang murmured very quietly, "You saved his venerable one's life."

It was an unfortunate truth that he had to acknowledge and face. And he was not one to shy away from the truth. However inconvenient it was.

"Why?"

Nanaki is surprised by the action, but he holds still as he allows the warmth to slowly permeate his pelt and warm him. It's a good trick, and soon they'll both be feeling much warmer than before.

Nanaki merely hums, his tail flicking as he inclines his head in acknowledgement. But the question catches him off guard, and he looks up at Daqiang with a curious look in his good eye.

"I wasn't about to let you drown. Anyone with a conscience would have done the same." Did Daqiang really expect Nanaki to leave him to die? He must come from a harsh life if that was to be expected.

"You speak as if I would have left you to be swallowed up by the sea. I may not always like two-legged things, but I wouldn't just let someone who's suffering die needlessly. And besides, I did give my word I would pull you ashore."

Daqiang closed his eyes and nodded, satisfied with the answer. While Red had started with justification born of compassion and emotion, it sounded merely as a way to justify his desire to obtain the promised reward to someone who might not take kindly to being treated as a commodity in grand scheme of it all. Red had promised to pull him ashore because they had come to do a task with a specific reward. All the rest was just noise.

"And you have kept it," he responded after a long moment, pulling his hand away from Red's shoulder once they were both dry enough not to be in any danger.

"This venerable one will do the same," he continued, setting aside the fear he had felt to be dealt with later now that he had found no reason to owe Red a return favor. Finishing the 'quest' would be enough to be even. He pushed himself to stand and tucked his arms behind his back. "Let us finish this and be gone from this place."

It’s a shame that Daqiang thought that, because Nanaki truly did help Daqiang out of a sense of honour and compassion. He wouldn’t just leave someone to die, not unless they were some foul and evil being set on destroying the land. Truthfully, he’s not even all that motivated by monetary rewards, even if the quest’s reward sounds interesting. Still, he looks up as Daqiang stands upright, a small frown on his face.

“Are you sure you don’t need to rest more? An injured beast is little more than prey in the wild.”

"This venerable one is not an injured beast," he replied coolly, taking offense at the mere suggestion he was somehow vulnerable just because of an almost drowning.

"I never said I considered you one. Just that even the fiercest of warriors have moments of vulnerability, and pushing ourselves would only make it worse." Nanaki says with a flick of his tail. "I'm not trying to belittle you. I'm concerned over the fact you nearly died."

The problem was mostly that Daqiang had not had so many moments of vulnerability prior to being freed from Haotian Tower by Orchid... well, actually, the first moment of vulnerability could probably be measured at the time Chidi Nuzi sacrificed herself to stop him and his army. She could not kill him, but she had forced his spiritual presence to separate from his body and separated as such, he'd been captured and imprisoned by Shuiyuntian. So he supposed he shouldn't blame Orchid for the start of this embarrassing streak. She was only one step in the path.

"This venerable one will be able to catch you," he replied after a moment of clearly struggling with his frustration. "Near death is not death."

« november: open log »

ELTRUT

ELAH

NOGARD

Leap of Faith - Closed to Red XIII

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cw: partial drowning; man learns he can't breath water the hard way

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