MAY MINGLE

[stellafortunamods]

May Mingle: Entombed City
Welcome to Teyvat - a vast magical world of adventure.
Everyone's hard work resulted in the gate to upper Dragonspine opening. These ruins have not been traversed in years, if not centuries - everything within has been lost to time and living memory. An entire city has been buried in the snow.

People once lived there. The broken buildings host damaged furniture and weathered streets. There are various cloth-covered mounds in a house here and there, accompanied by a sprig of blue flowers. Someone has laid these people to rest after they passed away.

Traces of technology can be found in the city - golden boxes that contain crystals capable of recording and playing back holograms. One of the boxes introduces this place as Vindagnyr; a land once full of greenery and life. Just what happened to these people? What caused the eternal winter?

The highest point in the city is occupied by a temple built into a Domain. Within the Domain is a pale white tree, split in half by a strange object that has fallen through the Domain's ceiling. This temple was once a site for worship for Vindagnyr's people, and even in death they continue to pray for salvation. The priests have been frozen in ice, and the sheer cold emanating from the Skyfrost Nail makes it obvious that it is the cause of winter.

The city's inhabitants worshipped Celestia. Why then were they left to die?

State of the World

On October 1st, the entombed city of Vindagnyr becomes open for exploration. Travelers can choose to look for clues or try to scavenge the city for ancient materials or tools. Recording boxes all around the city tell stories of Vindagnyr's greener past, and of the days when winter suddenly arrived. This is the cruelty of Celestia that Forneus wished you to see.

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

Comments

[stellafortunamods]

We are. You're right about that, but as a god who transcends dimensions, I certainly can copy some tools from other worlds.

[ Like, you know, a fridge. Maybe he just likes the aesthetic. ]

[stellafortunamods]

They are round. And white. Which... does not help in our current situation.

[ Considering that Dragonspine is full of snow, it's way worse than looking for a needle in a haystack. ]

Hmm... I think there might be another offspring tree nearer the base of the mountain. Try looking around the eastern side. What you want is something like this.

[ Forneus holds up a hand, and a very geometric shape appears above his palm as a hologram. ]

They look artificial, so that should be enough to distinguish them from mere snowballs. And they feed off magic, so if you try to imbue one with a strong enough elemental force, you might see it sprouting. Then you'll know it can still perform its recycling function.

[pragmatism]

Yes.

[ The Skyfrost Nail looks uncannily similar to the Statues of the Seven. Such a powerful artifact can only be produced by the gods. ]

It appears to have fallen through the ceiling, from the sky above. [ And what would constitute a high enough place for the Nail to land with a huge impact... Celestia's floating island, of course.]

[justicefang]

The seed has to be planted at the source of corruption. I was told the seeds look...unnatural. [If he were able to be himself he could track it by scent.]

I can draw what I was shown. And if anyone has heightened sense of smell it might help locate them.

[nefilim]

[It probably helped that, for once, she wasn't her usual loud and boisterous self. She hangs back still, arms wrapped tightly around herself as she sighs heavily - the flame still bobbing next to Jun as he steps away from the nail.]

It's a fucking sick joke.

[To put it mildly. They had certainly been told of Celestia's cruelty, but seeing it like this was... Well, it's a lot to take in. And even with her own aversion to religion, using the holy ground as the center point of all this pain is too much.

This was where they had worshipped Celestia, and this is all they got in return. It makes her sick.]

... We shouldn't hang around for too long.

[justicefang]

[His eyes widen then narrow. That has to be it.]

We need to feed the seed magic for it to sprout. If it does it can still recycle magic. That’s what those white trees are for. Where did you find Durin’s heart?

[There’s a pause as he says.] It was suggested we look on the east side for another tree.

[whiteshroud]

[He considers the observation, before nodding]

Mm. It'd need to be from a great height, to shatter a Spirit Tree like that... and have divine power as well.

[He thinks of how much work it takes to harvest branches from the Orden's grove. It took months to carefully gather and process enough for Aegis's operation. To have such a tree destroyed in a single blow - it had to be the work of gods. ]

...To make a place of refuge into the source of their demise, they're as cruel as any demon.

[nefilim]

Huh, that's handy.

[With apple slice devoured, she now makes a start on the bread; unwrapping it and nibbling at it for a moment. Though she has little interest in fridges, instead turning her gaze to the screens and lines of odd text.]

And what about all this? Is tech from where you're from or another world?

Hell yes

[justicefang]

Yes it would. [He doesn’t look up from where he crouched by one of the strange boxes left out. He runs his gloved fingers along the edge.]

There’s no signs of a struggle. But these weren’t left out by these people. [He rises to his feet and glances at her. Unlike at the camp where he seemed off balance but steadily finding his feet, he has the serious kind of face one sees on field scouts and soldiers.

Shirou gestures to the bodies.] It was probably our employer.

[justicefang]

[He stares at the seed in the hologram. He reaches out and moves his hand before it, noting the side of it compared to his hand.]

Do they have a distinctive scent? [Someone might have the tools he no longer has. But even if they don’t when he can change again he could be aware of this and track them down. Maybe.]

Do they do anything else that could help give them away? Temperature changes. A change in the air itself. Boosting or lowering of magic? Something that could hint we are close.

[nefilim]

[There's a cant of her head at the sight of the box, curious since it does... really look out of place amongst everything else here. Stepping closer and shaking her head, lips tugging down into a curious frown.]

No, I haven't. It looks kind of weird. [Especially since all the other ones were busted. Though crimson eyes widen as the message plays, and throughout it she's quiet. Almost eerily so, and the tension from before now weighs heavily around her.

Once it ends there's a sharp inhale from her, body trembling from barely restrained fury. Being angry will do nothing now. But the fact the priests kept the people here, despite the constant snowfall... She almost feels sick.]

They were slowly freezing to death, but they didn't let anyone leave...

[pragmatism]

[ Zhongli appears to think. ]

Records of the Archon Wars show that this mountain was already sealed in snow during that time. Thus, its era of greenery would have to be at least three thousand years ago.

[ No human can live that long. The story of Vindagnyr was passed down through descendants, though Zhongli did have knowledge of this city through other avenues. ]

[pragmatism]

[ Time goes on, and the fate of the forgotten continue to fall into obscurity, unless someone brings news to the outside world. ]

What do you think?

[ He gestures faintly to their surroundings. ]

[stellafortunamods]

I'm afraid they don't. Though, does the absence of scent count? They were created for recycling, and tend to draw things into themselves.

[ He inclines his head at Shirou's next question ]

Hmm... well, I don't suppose you could carpet the area with elemental energy... let me think. [ Forneus turns to a drawer and begins to rummage through it. ] Ordinarily, I wouldn't need to use anything like a dowsing machine - the White Tree is a creation of the gods, after all - but I did pick up a small trinket a couple centuries ago that might have some use.

[ He produces a white stone on a string, and holds it out. ]

This is a piece of White Tree wood, preserved by alchemical methods. It will try to return to its brethren - that is, other White Tree parts, which include seeds. Give it a try.

[stellafortunamods]

Technology? Nah, you wouldn't really find tech in Teyvat. By the way, you're standing in a pocket dimension right now, which is why there's tech I copied from other worlds.

[ Technology may or may not be frowned upon by Celestia... but that's a story for another day. ]

This is like, my house? I can decorate it however I want.

[whiteshroud]

[...

Jun is quiet for a moment, looking at the priests frozen. From the looks of it, they prayed until the very end. Prayed to gods who left their dying prayers unheeded as they had already condemned them to damnation. No one had given them a funeral or their last rites.

It's wrong to leave them without doing anything, the idle thought passed by, only for his mind to grab onto it and form it into an idea. And as Ana was about to learn, once an idea forms in Jun's mind? There's little stopping him.]

Forgive me, Father. I can't call upon you this time. [He can be heard saying that quietly to himself as he steps forward once more towards the frozen priests. When he can get as close as possible without touching the priests, he kneels down on one knee, clasps his hands together and starts to pray ... to Barbatos.]

Lord Barbatos, please take these souls upon your winds
Guide them to the land of eternal rest.
May the souls of these faithful departed,
through the mercy of Barbatos, rest in peace.
Amen.

[As Jun says the prayer, he appears to be in pain. Part of it is the cold, but there was something more to it. It's enough pain to cause him to stutter once or twice, and yet he endures it until he finishes the prayer.

When he does finish, he'll staggers back to his feet, unsteady now. His hand moves to clutch unto his upper right arm, as if he hurt himself. Going to be feeling this one alright.

Finally, he nods to Ana.]

...Alright, let's go.

[justicefang]

An absence is something. Everything has a scent. A lack of it is like a hole in a wall. [He had nailed people with that. People who don’t have a strong sense of smell don’t think about it. He doesn’t blame them. People do what they know.

Shirou reaches out and takes the white stone into his hand. He holds it carefully like he would something delicate. It looks like a lodestone. He shifts his grip to the string but holds his other hand below it just in case.]

[fortuna_tenax]

( too true, too true.

jinx gives roxas a neutral look before returning her attention to the mountain. )

Yeah, I get that. It'd probably be worse alone. ( not that she expects happy murder snow mountain time to be great. ) Soooo... I guess we're going up?

[nefilim]

[His... house? Well, she guesses that makes sense. Cue another moment of thought as she munches on her bread a little more.]

Hmm... It kinda resembles some of the fancier places in my world.

[There's a glance out the window, looking into the endless white space beyond it. She seems content to eat quietly for a while, only to glance over at Forneus once more.]

But don't you get lonely, at all?

[stellafortunamods]

I'm no expert on smells. I'll defer to you on that.

[ By being a god, he's able to locate the trees using his sense of magic. However, he can't interfere; he can't exactly leave this pocket dimension without good reason.

The string holds - it's smooth and cold to the touch, and the white stone has a sort of empty presence, as if it's subtly drawing in the ambient magic. ]

If you come close to a seed, it'll start to pull on the string. On the very very off chance that this fails to work, come back to me again and I'll think up another solution.

[ It'll work, luckily. ]

[stellafortunamods]

Eh... not really. I am everywhere and nowhere at once. I've no lack of sensory stimulation.

[ This body is just one of the end-points. Forneus is very busy, even if he doesn't show it. There's just another part of his existence doing work offscreen. ]

Though I am used to just observing. I rarely go out of my house to talk to anyone.

give the child SNACK

[fortuna_tenax]

( don't mind her, just slipping in because... well. when you are willingly isekai'd, you at least try to go in with some idea as to what you're doing? )

So now that I'm here, what do I need to know?

( ... wait why does- is that a fridge? is that a tv. what the fuck. )

YES

[stellafortunamods]

[ You know, maybe he shouldn't be dropping the child into Death Corpse Mountain... but it's too late. She's already here. ]

Everyone's trying to get to the top of the mountain. There's a lost city there, though it's not in good shape. You could go along with them, but it's very cold. I wouldn't fault you if you wanted to stay at Second Camp.

[ Yes, there's a fridge, and a TV. They look hilariously out of place in Ye Olde Fantasy Land. ]

[fortuna_tenax]

( she's resigned to it by now, really. even if she does complain about the cold under her breath.

walking around slowly, jinx takes the office in- the technology distracted her, she'll admit. the white void sure is a thing. kinda makes her wanna take paint to something. )

That would probably defeat the purpose of even coming here to begin with. ( translation: she might be bitchin but she ain't no weak bitch. ) What's so special about the mountain or the city?

( ... if she can come in and make the time god watch competitive cooking shows with her, that'd be the funniest thing and she's really, really tempted. )

[justicefang]

[He notes the emptiness. His senses might be dulled but odd things still stick out. He gathers the white stone and its strong up, tucking it into a coat pocket.]

I’ll come back if this fails. For now, I’ll tell the others about it and see what we can do. [Normally he wouldn’t interfere so much but this hit an issue so close to home. His dreams will be full of the past tonight.]

...Thank you.