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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 wanted nothing to do with any of this, but the health of the God-Beasts was enough of a concern that he would do what was necessary. Fortunately, he was not required to do any of the suggested singing and had been directed towards one end of the pier were a musician had been playing for others earlier in the day.]

This venerable one was informed you will sing if someone else does the... squeezing.

[He lifted his hands to show them already covered with the special gloves. He was here to squeeze.]

[ Demyx smiles at him and he nods. ]

Yeah, sure, totally on it. [ He strums his sitar. He considers and decides to sing a song he picked up in Atlantica, but living under the sea.

His voice is pretty good, not exceptional, but he's on-key and the fish seem to like it. ]

[The boy started playing before Daqiang even had a fish in hand. How ideal that was or not he was uncertain. However, when he moved to pick up the first fish and hold it in the small vessel meant to collect any of the strange fluid it was supposed to secrete.

With great care, Daqiang held the fish with one hand and pet it in long, squeezing strokes across it's back and side to encourage it to cooperate. It relaxed slowly in his hands as the music helped soothe it's nervousness from being moved from one small crate of water to another. His hands were quiet gentle and between the two of them, the water in the vessel started to muddy with the fluid from the pufferfish.

As the song came to an end, Daqiang moved the fist to a third crate where it could relax and prepare to be returned to its watery home.]

How long of a break do you need between songs if we intended to maintain this pace for the next two small-hours? ...'hours'.

[ His singing might have ended, but he kept playing all the same, a different tune but more in line with just what he was thinking. Whether it was helping keep the fish interested or not, he doesn't know. It seems to be working enough, the fish are still milling about. Maybe they just like music. ]

I don't need a break between playing at least. I can sing a few more. I'm not much of a singer though.

[ His voice is okay, but he's a musician first and foremost. ]

[He couldn't tell how much the singing helped versus the instrument alone. But the fish were relaxed enough that he supposed that, given no obvious difference, if there was one, it wasn't significant.

As such, he moved on to the next fish.]

Your instrument is unfamiliar to this venerable one.

Oh yeah? [ His fingers don't stop, and he's perfectly fine to play for hours. Demyx does it all the time, as much as he can. ]

It's a sitar. A lot of people tend not to know what it is. It's a pretty rare instrument and mine even moreso. I only have three primary strings.

It is similar in shape to a pipa, but the sound and manner of playing it is different.

[Daqiang's hands remained exceedingly gentle with the fish and his voice, though it was a coldly neutral one, seemed to be soothing as the fish mellowed out faster than the first had. Perhaps because it was a steady and even tone. Either way, seeing that his words did have an effect, he continued speaking.]

This venerable one never learned the pipa. This venerable one once trained on the guqin, but as there has been no reason to play it in thousands of years, this venerable one has not. The guqin has seven strings and is placed on a table or lap to play. The pipa has four strings and is held upright as it is plucked.

A pipa is a lot closer to a lute. [ Demyx says agreeably and music, instruments are something that he actually knows about. ]

I like the sound of the guqin but I don't actually know how to play it. I only know how to play the sitar. Underneath I have eighteen sympathetic strings. I've been playing it for years.

Why'd you stop playing the guqin?

There was no purpose in continuing.

[He had enjoyed it. Once. When he was a child. Before his emotions were killed and he came to understand the weakness and failing in doing something for no other reason than 'enjoyment'.]

This venerable one's cultivation is not based in music. To commit time on a pursuit that will not benefit this venerable one's abilities as warrior or leader would be a waste.

Yeah, my boss thought that kind of thing too. I was able to play because this is also how I fight. [ Which might seem strange, but he also played all the time when it wasn't strictly necessary. ]

That's a drag...and also he's dead now. [ That's what Xehanort got out of everything. A demise and no one who would miss him. ]

I think you should do what you want.

[What a strange comment. He frowned and stilled his hands so that he didn't accidentally cause discomfort to the fish. Daqiang moved the creature to join the fellow that had already been squeezed and set about filtering the bowl of cloudy water so he could continue with another fish.]

This venerable one is doing what this venerable one chooses to.

Then. [ Demyx says cheerfully as he keeps playing, which is at least, pleasant to the ear. He's talented. ]

That's good and if you wanted to play music, you could. That would be enough of a reason.

This venerable one does not desire to play music. Nor does he see the desire to do something as 'reason enough'. Your power is based in it, the reason for you to continue to practice is to maintain your skill for battle. This venerable one has no such need.

[What was with the stress on doing something because he wanted to? He'd already said he was more that able to do what he wanted. Who could stop him?]

Yeah sure, but why isn't it reason enough?

[ Demyx hums along with what he's playing as he considers his thoughts. ]

I have no intention on fighting anyone ever again, if I can help it.

[ He doesn't want to. ]

If it has no purpose then it is a waste of time.

[He answered as if that was obvious, though his tone did not otherwise shift.]

If you wish to waste your time on such pursuits that is your choice and failing. But you will likely not be able to avoid conflict, regardless. There are too many dangers in this world for anyone to avoid them entirely.

Hmph. [ Demyx grunts lightly, looking a little displeased by that. He knows people like this. ]

I might be able to. I won't know if I don't try. [ Fortunately, this job pays so he's not going to just roll his eyes, get up and walk away, but he's thinking about it.

Daqiang must be very boring if art has no place in his life. ]

[If that was the goal and purpose the musician wanted to pursue, Daqiang would not attempt to dissuade him. It wasn't his time being wasted. Though, he did admit, the music being played was helpful for the task at hand.]

Your music is serving a purpose now. Beyond your enjoyment and desire to avoid conflict.

[He offered after a couple moments of silence while he started to coax another fish. An attempt to reassure the young man that it was not a waste of Demyx's time to practice and play, even if it would be for most people.]

You should sing. They enjoy that.

[And if he started to hum along under his breath, it was only because it helped the task get done faster.]

[ Demyx smiles a little bit to mask his annoyance. It's not that difficult to summon one when he focuses on his music. ]

Yeah, uh, sure.

[ Demyx begins to sing another song he picked up in Atlantica from some very friendly fish. ]

[The song was upbeat and despite himself, Daqiang found his head bobbing along to the beat. His expression softening as a small smile twisted his lips.

As it came to an end, without thinking too much about it, he made the offhand comment of:]

This song. You should teach it to this venerable one.

Sure, I don't mind. [ Even if he'd been mildly annoyed before, when it comes to music, he takes it seriously, and if he wants to learn, he's happy to teach it. ]

I'll sing it again. Feel free to join in if you start picking it up.

[ One more time. ]

[Daqiang was a fast learner and he had the chorus down almost entirely by the time he'd asked to be taught it. By the end of the second rendition, he was humming along in anticipation of the bridge and imitating a couple of the flourishes Demyx had played.

He was all but smiling as he began singing it back to Demyx after the young man finished. A little slower than it had been played, some hesitation on unfamiliar wording here and there, his tone clearly not that of a trained singer in any way shape or form... but he was a fast learner.

Obviously, he was only putting in the effort because the music had a purpose in this one specific instance. Not because he liked it. Or that it made him feel... 'good'.]

[ Demyx is smiling back though and he continues to play the music, letting him sing. For the fish, obviously, and they seem to like what they're hearing, milling about and waiting their turn for the attention Daqiang is giving them.

He'll join in again, keeping pace with his slower rendition, it's not a problem. He's adaptable. ]

[He's most of the way through the slower rendition when he looks back at Demyx and sees the kid smiling at him. His voice falters as he realizes he's smiling, too. Then he coughs and straightens himself, stiff-backed and face carefully wiped of all expression.

Daqiang's humming stops and he finishes with the fish he was on and checks the level of the oily secretion in the bowl to the side. The substance that was the entire point of the exercise.

Clearing his throat again, he turns his back on Demyx and lifts the bowl.]

This seems full enough.

[It wasn't.]

This venerable one will take it to... over there.

[ Demyx isn't sure what's bothered Daqiang, but he doesn't get up since he's there to play and he smiles. He's not in charge of how full the containers need to be to get the reward. As far as he knows? That could be true. ]

Sure, no problem. [ Granting him his escape. ]

See you around. [ He waves a little bit, assuming he won't be back, before picking up his tune. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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ELTRUT

ELAH

NOGARD

Fish Puffing

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