« november: open log »

[seaboards]

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)

Azur Lane - Enterprise | Paladin
Baldur's Gate 3 - Halsin | Paladin
Daria - Daria Morgendorffer | Corsair
Dragon Age - Fenris | Corsair
Final Fantasy XVI - Joshua Rosfield | Corsair
Final Fantasy Type-0 - Rem Tokimiya | Corsair
Forgotten Realms - Jarlaxle Baenre | Corsair
Forgotten Realms - Kimmuriel Oblodra | Corsair
Genshin Impact - Kaveh | Paladin
Granblue Fantasy - Eustace | Corsair
Kingdom Hearts - Demyx | Corsair
Kingdom Hearts - Roxas | Paladin
My Hero Academia - Katsuki Bakugou | Paladin
Love Between Fairy and Devil - Dongfang Qingcang | Corsair
Shades of Magic - Holland Vosijk | Corsair
Tales of Zestiria - Sorey | Paladin

ELTRUT

ELAH

NOGARD

COMMENTS

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?

ELTRUT

ELAH

NOGARD

COMMENTS

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.

ELTRUT

ELAH

NOGARD

COMMENTS

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.

ELTRUT

ELAH

NOGARD

COMMENTS

Comments

Jarlaxle Baenre | Forgotten Realms | Corsair

[acheat]

MANTA quests
Claws and Companions

[There's a new addition to the drow's wardrobe today. Some pirates had parrots, some pirates had monkeys.

This pirate has a stubby little black cat all wrapped around his shoulders. It may look like it's mother was a weenie dog, but let him be the first to tell you, tinydancer actually has a perfect pedigree. They are: a cat, and very cute. Flawless lineage.

Yeah yeah he's supposed to let the little beast go mouse catching, he knows, he'll get to it, he'll be there. Just as soon as he's done showing the newest member of Bregan D'aerthe around town to literally anyone who so much as looks at him. Look at this fucking cat, they're perfect.]

Leap of Faith

[There was more than just one person that would call this a fucking terrible idea, for multiple reasons. He wasn't here to entertain any of them. Technically he wasn't even actually here for the trust exercise, that just happened to be a mandatory addition to what was otherwise for him going to be a fun day of cliff diving.]

Care to flip a coin to see who goes first?

[Because lets be fair here. Maybe his partner wants to throw themselves off the top of a cliff first. Wouldn't want to dampen anyone's enthusiasm here.]

Gallows Gambit

[When he'd heard about the whole mess involving a rogue Paladin, warrants and illegal executions, he couldn't bring himself to just sit there at the tavern and ignore it. Think of all the bragging he could be doing right now instead.

Granted there's probably a deeper, nicer, more altruistic reason behind his decision to slip into the gallows and start picking locks, slicing ropes and sabotaging execution machinery. Probably. It's unlikely there isn't one!

But whether you be a prisoner or a fellow ne'er do well doing well for once, you'll probably meet up with him at some point. Either having just walked through a wall with a little bit of teamwork from his co-captain, or having picked the lock, or perhaps he literally just found a few loose boards and unsteady masonry and slipped in without a single sound. Either way, someone here looks much too happy considering what the current circumstances are, he's having way too much fun.]

ELTRUT
[Build-a-pumpkin]

[Someone is in a deeply unserious mood today. Why not unwind after such an... exciting time in Eltrut with a little bit of art anyway? He's not making anything big, though chances are that's just because he's got far too many ideas spinning around in his head to bother with just one creation.

None of them are useful, fuck that. He's got: a pumpkin rind unicorn, bow legged and dopey looking, bearing on it's back a removable rider with a head full of pumpkin guts hair and two thinly sliced rind scimitars in hand. He gets the joke he's making, he thinks he's funny.

There's also, with no apparent joke involved at all, a rotund, hollow pumpkin octopus, it's curling tentacles firmly nailed to the gourd animal's body, two holes neatly carved out for eyes. Flip the thing upside down and find that he'd cut the hole to clean it out through the bottom. He's going for accuracy.

NOGARD
[Pexeo]

[Actually he distinctly remembered promising a certain someone that if he found good enough plumage, he'd decorate a hat for him. It's important, he promised! Have to do it now, hands are tied! It's definitely not because he really wants some of those plumes for himself or because he thinks the whole hunting affair is an excellent time and he's bored out of his mind and wants to see a little blood today.

Okay it might be a little bit of that.

Presently, he's perched up in a branch, regarding a flock? Herd? Of pexeo wandering in a nearby field, thoughtfully drumming his fingers on his chin with one hand... and the other clearly clasping a hand crossbow with the bolt's head looking like it's been dipped in something.]

[Post Hunt (animal gore warning)]

[FEATHERS EVERYWHERE. He came here for a reason, there was one specific reason he wanted to go after these things and he's got them in SPADES. That is one plucked clean Peahorse. Zecock. Doesn't matter, FEATHERS.

There's already one piece of distinctly discarded meat tossed aside, the beast cleanly decapitated as well with the head also blatantly pushed away from the rest, the drow already carefully sorting out offal from usable cuts. He's a bloody mess, this area's a bloody mess, hard to tell if any of the blood is his but he doesn't seem injured so probably no? Probably no.]

[WILDCARD]

[Don't see a prompt here that hits you right? Go ahead and make your own! CR workshop post is here!]

itty bitty kbitty

[psionicmolotov]

Another of your creatures? [ Jarlaxle's affection for Drizzt's leg-breaking panther is no secret, plus he has the hellsteed and his diatryma already (does he even still have those anymore?) so he can't say he's surprised, exactly.

This one looks a great deal less useful, though, with those stubby limbs. ] What is this for?

KIBBY TIME

[acheat]

[He may or may not still have those, but they are not the beasts of the hour here. With an air of glowing pride, like a father about a son, he gently pulls the stubby cat off his shoulders to present it to Kimmuriel.

That is at once both such a long, and impossibly tiny cat. Not a thought in those big green eyes.]

I saw him up for adoption, and I couldn't bring myself to abandon him. He's perfect.

[He gestures, with the cat, towards Kimmuriel. Wanna hold him?]

Mousing, apparently. I was informed what his role here would be, it's for the good of the entire leviathan, you see.

[psionicmolotov]

[ It stares at him with round-eyed innocence and all he can think is something along the lines of What a singularly thoughtless creature.

Years of Jarlaxle just handing things to him has taken its toll, and it's the force of habit more than actual conscious willingness that actually gets him to hold the beast. And once he has the cat, he obviously has to hold it properly, so now both his hands are full of Tinydancer. ]

He does not seem particularly motivated. [ His tone is dubious. ]

[acheat]

[You behold a deadly predator, Kimmuriel, the most dangerous animal in the world, you know. Tinydancer's big, vacant, saucer-sized eyes are locked dead on the drow, the cat's pupils nearly engulfing the vivid green iris. It is not a terrifically dignified look in the slightest.

Jarlaxle looks absolutely delighted.]

Don't judge him too quickly, he's only but arrived. I've been reassured that he's highly competent in his field. Trained, if you can imagine it.

[Training a house cat, yep. By his tone... he thinks it's a hilarious idea.]

But if his credentials have been exaggerated, I'd like to think he'd still be very adept at moral support.

Build-A-Pumpkin

[empyrean_mirror]

[You know. You know. Kaveh doesn't like to consider himself the unilateral authority on art. Yes, sure, with Sumeru the way it was, he seemed to be one of maybe four people who understood the value of aesthetics, and yes, he was quite good at it, thank you. But this is a different world full of people from different worlds and he's trying to keep an open mind. Mostly, he feels like there's a lot to learn.

And then there's this...pumpkin.....horse? He thinks it's a horse. Fuck, when was the last time he even saw a horse? But he was pretty sure they didn't have horns??? And then the rider...and the scimitars....This is such a strange creation.

All he can think to himself is, oh god, his roommate would love this fucking thing.

Kaveh's been standing here staring down the Pumpkizzt Gourd'urden for a solid ten minutes at this point, brow furrowed, hand over his mouth, trying to discern the thought process of the artist responsible. He's not getting anywhere.]

[acheat]

[It is the dumbest fucking thing and the thought process doesn't help it one bit, let him assure you. Even if Drizzt isn't here to be embarrassed, he will continue to tease this poor boy, that's true affection right there.

But he hasn't missed how Kaveh is staring at this stupid dumbass pumpkin man expert work of peerless art, and the smile on his face couldn't have possibly grown much wider in that span of time. Like the Cheshire cat, it's a mile wide and brilliant. He's very proud of himself, clearly, and he gestures both at the Pumpkizzt and at Kaveh.]

Admiring the art, are you? Why don't you join in and make some of your own?

[He taps the rider's gooey head.]

He could use a friend.

[empyrean_mirror]

The...art.

[Kaveh looks up at this man--who looks quite strange to him, but he's not going to point that out, that's rude--with the flattest expression imaginable, before he manages a polite smile.]

I'm a little more qualified to provide him a house than a companion. Or perhaps a grave.

[acheat]

[By all appearances... the tone seems to have flown right over Jarlaxle's head. No, the drow continues to look just as cheerful as he did a moment ago, not a flicker of anything else in there.]

I don't think he needs to be put in the ground just yet, he has at least a couple of days before the mold starts to kick in. But maybe then he'll at least be chromatically more accurate.

[The brigand indicates a spot beside him.]

An architect, are you?

Claws and Companions

[seemagicshit]

[Sorry Jarlaxle, Zhao isn't familiar with drow, so he might just do a double take as you walk by. But you do have a cat and that's something a bit more familiar.]

I guess everyone adopted one, didn't they?

[Zhao's own cat is a scruffy brown tom that's walking near him and then stops with interest, little tail swishing slightly.]

[acheat]

[It's nothing he's not at least somewhat used to. The novelty is in getting that reaction here now, but it isn't followed by fear or threats, so he doesn't seem to outwardly notice the double-take.

No sir, he's much too focused on the fact that Zhao brought up the cat. He reaches up to scratch the oddly shaped animal behind one pointy ear, beaming with a level of pride one would usually only reserve for their all star honor student captain of the football league child.]

As well they should! Charming little beasts, aren't they? And of course all for a good cause, can't have an influx of vermin in such close quarters here.

[He didn't miss the scruffy tom, turning that bright ruby gaze on the other cat next.]

Ah, a man of similar, excellent taste I see. An equally handsome fellow, what might his name be?

[seemagicshit]

[In the back of Zhao's brain, he's trying to process what the hell Jarlaxle is and the only knowledge he has is whatever Kasuga blabbed about in terms of video game characters and his own life experience. The logic is incredibly flawed but amusing:

Long pointy ears = elf, yeah that's the word
Dark skin, uhhhh
Wait, darker skinned people = foreigners and usually soldiers from America
So, dark skinned elf = soldier from America?...sure let's go with that.]

This guy right here? I had to pick him up just because of how metal his name was. Cobrastrike. He seems to be pretty goddamn quick on the draw so it's 100 percent accurate.

[acheat]

[If he could hear this internal dialog, he'd be equal parts confused and amused by it. What the hell is an American?]

Metal? An odd term, I'll assume it's a compliment of sorts. Is he sturdy like the material? Or sharp, perhaps?

[Please teach him, he is from a renaissance coded era, modern lingo is beyond him.]

Regardless, it's a fierce name, I'm sure he'll have all the rats shaking in their burrows. Do you intend on giving him a collar? It only seems fair that he be given something just as stylish as his name.

Leap of Faith

[partybabysitter]

[ See? Xenk isn't the only guy who thinks this is fun! Cliff diving!! Xenk has dived sword-first into a dragon, you think an itty bitty cliff will stop him? ]

Let's. I will call heads.

[ Let's goooo ]

[acheat]

[Can't believe there's boring people out there who wouldn't want to jump off a cliff, their loss. He rifles through his bag for a moment before producing a single coin.]

Then I'll take tails!

[With a cheerful ding the coin is flipped into the air, and then swiftly caught as it spins back downwards and slapped atop the back of the drow's hand. And after a quick look-]

Tails it is! I'll entrust myself then to you, but I'm sure this will be one of the simplest quests you've ever handled.

[Concerned? Not even vaguely. It's Xenk, he may as well be entrusting this matter to Drizzt.]

[partybabysitter]

[ It of course would not ever occur to Xenk that Jarlaxle may have cheated. (Even if he didn't.) Xenk truly trusts Jarlaxle, and is thus still pleased by the outcome. He'll get his turn afterwards! ]

Indeed, I imagine I should have no trouble.

[ He grins. It's just so nice to have friends who trust you, and to see that trust realized. ]

I shall take care to catch you with the care you deserve, my friend.

[acheat]

[He didn't! He won fair and square, he wouldn't have minded waiting his turn to jump off the cliff! Everyone will get a chance to flirt with death today. He's already striding towards the cliffs edge, taking a moment to remove the shimmering cloak and, very carefully, his hat.

Gonna just find a nice place where the wind can't catch it, right over here, real nice and gentle like, he likes that hat.]

And so too shall I went it's your turn, you have my word on that.

On three? Just so that you're not caught unawares.

[Perched atop the ledge with a grin across his face, he looks just about ready to hop right off before he's even started counting.]

One. Two.

[Fuck three, YEET. Off the ledge he goes!]

Leap of Faith

[dragoonoflight]

[ Who doesn't love a good cliff diving experience? ]

Sure, let's flip a coin.

[ Dion loves jumping off of cliffs, it's in his flight loving nature. ]

Are we meant to be catching each other? [ He certainly can... ]

[acheat]

[From his bag he produces a single gold coin, swiftly flipping it into the air before catching it and slapping a hand atop it.]

Make your call!

[He glances towards the cliffs thoughtfully.]

That seems to be the general idea, yes. It seems like an easy enough exercise.

[dragoonoflight]

Heads then. [ Dion smiles at that, not worried too much about who wins. ]

Alright, although I don't mind if you don't catch me. I'm not afraid of the water.

[acheat]

[He lifts his hand, then shows the coin: heads it is!]

Heads!

Now sir, the rules do clearly state I am to catch you ere you fall, let it never be said that I cannot work within the confines of the rules. There will be plenty of time for true cliff diving and swimming later.

leap of faith round three

[netherese]

[This is a far cry from their initial meeting at the masquerade. Gale gives his potential partner vaguely skeptical look before he turns his attention to the cliffside, looking upwards.

Quite a drop— though not so far that anyone hitting the water without their partner's assistance would be in any real danger, aside from the initial sting of the impact. There's always magic to help slow the fall, as well, though he supposes that defeats the purpose of the exercise.]

We may as well— unless you're eager to volunteer to take the first leap. Best to handle this like gentlemen, yes?

[He gives a wry smile before conjuring a coin, rather than waiting for Jarlaxle to pull one out himself, and holds it up between his thumb and index finger.]

Make your call, friend.

[acheat]

I wouldn't wish to be unfair, we should leave at least the choosing up to chance. All that comes after is quite cut and dry, unless you weigh far more than you look.

[Small though the drow was, the way the brigand's body was built hinted at strength greater than what his frame might otherwise suggest. There was a flash of delight as the coin popped into existence, and he was quick to do just that;]

Heads then!

[netherese]

No surprises of that nature, I assure you.

[His build is tall but otherwise rather average; just a bit more muscle than one might expect from a scholar, but nothing compared to what the brigand likely sports himself. Once the call is made, Gale gives a nod and tosses the coin into the air, catching it with one hand and bringing it down on the back of the other before revealing it.]

Tails— I suppose that's me first, then. This ought to be interesting.

[acheat]

You have my word that I'll not willfully let you fall into the sea.

[Though granted, he was sure a wizard would have tricks upon tricks to make the descent into the waves a lot less uncomfortable, if nothing else. As tempting as it was to see what those might be, probably for the best to actually follow both the spirit and the letter of the whole exercise.]