stellafortunalogs | APRIL MINGLE

April Mingle: Song of the Dragon and Freedom
Welcome to Teyvat - a vast magical world of adventure.
As time continues to reset itself, a certain restlessness and sense of anticipation begins to build up in Mondstadt, as if the whole world itself is waiting with bated breath. At last, the final light barrier unlocks itself, and Dvalin awaits the outlanders amidst a vortex of howling winds. All that remains is to remove the poisonous spikes that torments him, and his tears shoudl fall no more...

With the passages of long years and amid boudless darkness, even the purest gem will become dulled by dust, and even the noble dragon might be corrupted and cankered by hatred. But never forget that dust can be wiped away, and the power of doubt and poison can be shattered. These are the thoughts that Venti sends off with the outlanders - should any of them fall from the tower, he'll be there to give them a quick hand back up.

Dvalin is a powerful and ancient dragon, but it soon becomes evident that he doesn't have the heart to kill the people who have come to see him. However, a team effort is still necessary to distract him so that others can snipe at the toxic spines stuck through his body. Once the last thorn is pulled free, the curse is violently ejected from Dvalin's body and the howling winds finally cease.

The next five days are a blur - when you wake up, the city has decorated itself in a celebration of love, friendship, and freedom - a perfect conclusion for a rather harrowing period in Mondstadt's history. As repayment for your help in solving the Stormterror crisis, the games and food stalls put up for the festival will not charge anything for participation.

Music, gift exchanges, shooting and gliding competitions are just seeral of the various activities organized by the Knights of Favonius. With the peace returned to Mondstadt, your trip to Teyvat now seems poised to become a vacation - but the job of a hero is never done, and a little nocturnal bird leads you to a mysterious glowing door beyond which answers await.

State of the World

On August 31st, the last barrier in Stormterror's Lair dissipates, allowing characters to ascend to the top of the tower and confront the dragon Dvalin. Battle is inevitable, though the goal is not to kill the dragon, but to remove all the toxic spikes that Abyss Mages have embedded into his body. After liberating Dvalin from his grief and poison, characters return to Mondstadt lauded as heroes - just in time for the Windblume Festival! It's time for a short but well-earned vacation... and it seems your mysterious host has a message for you too.

For all questions regarding April's mingle and events, please head over to our OOC post.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

["Mutually beneficial" is less than reassuring for a guy who works for a god who decided once it'd be beneficial to get Himself crucified. But, whatever, if Father Time says he'll be fine ... he has no choice but to accept it]

...Very well.

[That was the thing he personally cared about. With that out of the way, he can get to actual business]

If I agreed to aid you as you claim, then you must have been told that commissioning a Seal Knight isn't free.

[ Forneus leans forward in his seat, a certain glimmer in his crimson eyes. ]

Yes, I'm aware. I'll reimburse you, as promised.

[Jun gives a nod and reaches into the bag he brought. Out of it, is a stack of papers and receipts from purchases he made his entire time here. The top sheet seems to be a calculation of the total balance.

Before he slides it over, he takes a pen and writes for a moment, doing some last minute calculations. Then he slides it over.]

The first payment includes a backpayment for the past few months. The following payments will need to be paid every thirty days that I experience until my mission is complete to cover my living expenses.

Afterwards, I request three weeks of personal time before I'm returned to my apartment in Morimiya, Japan on October 30th, 2015 at 10:01pm Japan Standard Time. You are not required to cover any fees of my personal time.

[Those last minute edits? Was Jun hiking up the first payment by 20%. Take that dick B( ]

Edited 2021-04-01 15:37 (UTC)

[ Forneus raises an eyebrow, but he takes the stack of receipts with an abruptly serious attitude. He flips through some of the receipts, but clearly doesn't bother to check every one of them. ]

I see.

[ With that, he returns the receipts to Jun without question, and holds out one hand. A hilariously large bag then appears in his grasp, and he sets it down ever so gently on the table between them. Jun can open it, upon which the bag will be filled with a correspondingly hilarious amount of Mora.

Unfortunately, since it's Mora, it can only be spent in Teyvat. ]

There we go.

[That's fine. Considering who his grandpa is, there's no way this absurd amount of money won't end up very easily spent entirely.

He takes the bag. He won't bother to count it all right here, but he does pull out a coin deep into the bag to examine it carefully- making sure it's actual mora and not some illusion. When he's satisified, he nods and pulls the bag off the table next to him.]

Thank you.

[THE CONTRACT IS SEALED. Now that Forenus is a proper client, he'll continue on professionally]

So what's my next mission?

[ The contract is sealed, huh. There's an obvious glimmer of amusement in Forneus' eyes as he steeples his fingers ]

Well... I plan for the outlanders to go to Dragonspine mountain. There, you will witness what Celestia buried with your own two eyes. And if your resolve still remains unshaken, you can help me liberate Teyvat piece by piece.

[ The seriousness of his words now are a distinct contrast to how nonchalant he was prior. The God of Time is quite capricious, it seems ]

After that, we will go to Liyue. And I'll be actually contactable this time, so don't worry.

[Jun listens to his explanation. It's...an ambitious plan, for sure. ]

So you really intend to oust Celestia from power... [No wonder there were a number of god-chosen folk among the travelers. This guy had no regards to maintaining the status quo.

And damn, Liyue too huh? He'd been hoping to visit that place without concerns of work ... so much for that.]

Dragonspine Mountain is that large mountain to the south, correct? Is there anything I should prepare for ahead of time?

Do you know about the name of this world? 'Teyvat'. In the language of another world, it means 'Ark'. A place of salvation.

[ One must wonder how the Archons have knowledge from other worlds, Earth first and foremost, but that too is a secret ]

Celestia's wish is to preserve. Yet humanity is never truly valued in their eyes, like specimens in a glass display case. I think that's hardly appropriate. Humans should be free to choose their own fate, even if it is at the risk of ruin.

[ He tilts his head at the question ]

The mountain is very cold. You should bundle up and have a Pyro buddy with you. The place is a lot more dangerous than idyllic Mondstadt. What you seek is at Dragonspine's very peak.

[Boy that sentiment would be a lot more noble if it wasn't coming from a being responsible for the force that ensures humanity's mortality rate remains ever at 100%. He chooses to hold his tongue on voicing his own opinion, however. Teyvat's business was its own. He was just here to accomplish a mission. ]

I see...

[...]

Then I'll require an additional mora to cover cold weather and mountain climbing gear for myself and any partners. 500,000 mora should suffice.

Edited 2021-04-01 18:29 (UTC)

[ Some things are even older than the God of Time. The deep magic from before time began to flow dictated a few things. Balance, progress, reincarnation. ]

Five hundred thousand, huh? You strike quite a hard bargain.

[ But as with before, he sounds amused more than anything else. This time, he conjures a different item - a shining gem which he places in Jun's hand. It glows with power ]

Give this to Marjorie in Mondstadt. She'll trade it for about that much.

Well, we can't help you if we all freeze to death climbing the mountain, now can we?

[So cough it up bro. He'll take the gem, eying it a little before pocketing it.]

Very well, thank you. Is there anything else I should be aware of?

[ Very sincerely (or as sincerely as Forneus can be): ]

Try not to die. It takes a lot of workarounds to revive one of you should you expire.

[He gives a slight look, like he almost wants to say something dry but decides to hold it in. But really dude, he don't care that you have to do extra work if someone dies doing your dirty work]

Noted.

[He'll get up from his chair, moving to grab the bag of money since he feels his business is about done here]

[ Forneus gives Jun a little wave as he exits their meeting room. For all that he's concerned about, everything's settled and he'll leave the human be. ]

APRIL MINGLE

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