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

[justicefang]

I'm not. [He'd made the error of mentioning it but, no going back on that now.]

...but yes, they can be. [He looks off into the middle distance then shakes his head. Shirou starts down the empty street with his hands in his pockets.]

We should look for traces that someone escaped this massacre. It's a preserved site. Any trail should still be here.

[whiteshroud]

[He makes a "mm" sound and takes a closer look at the crown, thinking to himself for a moment]

If I'm not mistaken, that's made of wood from a Spirit Tree. They're a type of tree with special magical properties. They usually only grow in places with high spiritual energy, so they're often associated with gods if not outright worshipped themselves.

Wood from these trees are very versatile, from protection wards to holy weapons. However, it's a difficult task to harvest and carve the wood. Spirit Smiths on Earth will study for years to hone their technique, and the few who manage to master it often become rather renown among the Underground.

[He makes a thoughtful sound as he puts his hand to his chin] There was a dead spirit tree in the temple. Based on that and this circlet, I'd imagine the Vindagnyr knew how to tend spirit trees and work with the wood. Not sure if they used it for more than ceremonial purposes though.

[icariot]

I. Landing

[Hawks leaned over the edge of his makeshift perch on the broken stone wall, silently judging the distance down to the ground where he had climbed from. It was only a couple meters, but it'll have to do. His wings felt heavy and tingly on his back but they respond well enough to flexing--no obvious obstructions, damaged feathers, or gunk. No (visible) reason for them to be acting like they lost bloodflow (that they didn't even need). He hadn't expected his quirk to be perfect but still... the loss of so much sensation was causing him to feel paranoid.

One flap, two.

Baby (bird) steps mean if he can't take off from the ground, he should try starting with a boost--

Pain... Hawks spits some snow out before levering himself onto his elbows. He managed to glide a bit, but that was very much glorified falling compared to what he's used to accomplishing. His wings rustle along the trampled snow and dirt trail he landed on but refuse to make themselves useful otherwise. He grumbles as he moves to stand once more.]

Ugh, this will take a while.

II. Ascension

[Hawks was very grateful he managed to borrow that bedsheet from the camp and perhaps less enamored with the idea to go up the mountain at all. The sheet helped keep his (very very red) wings hidden from the odd creatures on the mountainside and at least a little bit of heat trapped close to him. He can't fly, he can't send feathers out independently, he can't detect enemies in his blind spots. He can glide a bit, which is the only reason going up where the citizens pointed was a better idea than going across flatter ground towards the city just yet. The little jeweled marble in his pocket felt as heavy and foreign as his wings do at the moment, but perhaps he'll find something of interest up here. Certainly, it was what the people at the camp felt was most pressing for 'adventurers' to concern themselves with.

If this doesn't produce some kind of useful information, he might just have to regroup and go the other way anyway.]

III. Wildcard

[go wild!]

[sufferean]

[Rean just closes his eyes, frowning deeper.]

I can't say that I disagree with you there.

[He's seen more than enough to know the pain that humans can bring all on their own, after all. But even so.]

Well... if we know it's at least a possibility, we can look for clues going forward, right? That's at least a path to take that isn't just... this.

[sufferean]

But her fur is so soft.

[You don't understand, Jun!!]

Yeah, playing fetch is good! Or tug-of-war, if you can find a short rope. Just something where he can get some of his energy out.

As far as feeding goes... I haven't looked for any specific dog food at the market, but if they have any, that ought to be just fine. If they don't, just plain old red meat or fowl. And a bowl of water, either way.

I imagine Koromaru's the kind of dog that will just let you know when he needs to go outside, so that'll be easy enough.

[sufferean]

[Somewhere, in the back of Rean's mind, there's the tiniest notion of a thought that maybe this statement also applies to him? Just maybe?

But naturally, it's gone as quickly as it came.]

I mean... I'm sure he's given it plenty of thought. When you're the god of time, I can only imagine you've got, well... a lot of time to think it over. But even so...

If he wants to stop this so badly he's willing to die for the cause, does he truly deserve to die? And he can't be alone in thinking that way, right? I can't imagine every single god here on Teyvat wants to watch the people suffer.

[sufferean]

[No kidding, it's not a good idea. In fact, Rean's immediate reaction is to jump, and his hand even briefly darts like he's going to draw a weapon, but...

Oh. Oh, it's just another traveler. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly before responding.]

...Sorry.

Yeah, you're right. I just... I can't think straight, and if I try navigating like this I'm bound to wind up in worse trouble than if I just stay still.

[sufferean]

[Elliot certainly does have best friend privileges, as he's the first person Rean doesn't immediately go on high alert for. He does jump slightly, but he relaxes easily enough. ...Well, as much as either of them can relax, after what they've just seen.]

...Yeah.

[His voice cracks, and he doesn't even try to hide it. There's no reason to. After all, he knows Elliot is suffering the same way he is right now, and there's no fear of judgement.]

...I never wanted to see anything like this again. It's like the worst of Celdic and Hamel...

[sufferean]

[Okay, okay. He needs to compose himself. There is no use crying in front of a god.

Rean takes a deep breath and tries his best to sound mature and rational. Which doesn't really work, but hey, an attempt was made and therefore no one can criticize him.]

...Then all we can do is try to find another way, I guess. I can't imagine most of the others will be on board with this, either.

[At least, not the ones he's befriended!]

I... guess that's all I had for you. I'll be off to speak with the others now, if that's all right.

[Well, first he's going to go scream into something, probably, but Forneus doesn't need to know about that part.]

[whiteshroud]

[ 💧 ] Rest in peace, Rean.

[He is going to die by cat. Jun just knows it]

All of that sounds...easy enough. Just do things to get his energy out, let him out when he needs it, pet him, and feed him meat and water.

Anything else?

[sufferean]

There couldn't have been. Look... all the tributes they have to their gods. There's no way they wouldn't have listened if there was a message.

[Rean refuses to believe otherwise. But as far as the rest of what Ledah has to say...]

...I don't believe they are, either. There's... there's nothing any god could say to me that could convince me there was a reason for this.

[His voice softens a little as he continues, still just staring at the corpse with glassy eyes.]

...Everyone... all the people of this world, their fate is written in the stars, isn't it? Why create a future for people where they have no choice but to suffer and die?

[stellafortunamods]

[ Forneus seems like he's about to say something, but closes his mouth. He waves a hand before answering ]

Even if I go against Celestia, I am still counted as a being aligned with them simply by being a god. Abyss agents would never trust me with that information.

[whiteshroud]

Don't know, I didn't ask too many questions. [He shrugs] Forneus has an agenda, so I figured he'd used the narrative that benefits it.

[His trust in Forneus isn't high, but thinking back with conversations he's had with Zhongli]

...But I do know that every human born in Teyvat has a constellation. This constellation dictates their fate. Though, I'm sure these "fates" are manufactured by Celestia.

[stellafortunamods]

It's definitely fine.

[ As Forneus has said, he doesn't want to force people to do what they don't want. ]

Come back anytime if you wish to speak to me again. I appreciate what you are doing for me. Also, please get some rest.

[whiteshroud]

[Yeah, humans suck, such is life. Jun gives a nod.]

Right. If a solution like that is viable, I think that would be much better.

[Because murder is wrong! ... Ok so maybe Jun doesn't care about sparing the other gods so much as he doesn't want to kill the one here he is emotionally attached to so bad he'll gladly grasp at straws for an alternative.

But hey, whatever reasoning works right?]

[evilisnotatoy]

[Throughout the speech, Sooga remains still, listening intently. Upon its conclusion, he nods in understanding, unfolding his arms.]

I admire your dedication. However, if you would truly defy those who dictate fate...

[He raises a hand, placing it atop the god's head in a manner that was perhaps intended to be comforting.]

Live.

[stellafortunamods]

[ A soft chuckle, as he straightens up after accepting Sooga's headpat ]

I thank you for your concern, traveler. But to dissolve a predestined fate will be to render the concept of destiny redundant.

[ He raises a hand as to emphasise a point ]

Gods do have to embody their aspect, you know. I am the God of Time, the divine manifestation of destiny. When the world does not need me, I will disappear.

[evilisnotatoy]

[He looks like he'd burn to a crisp within five minutes of stepping foot in the desert, at least by Sooga's estimation. It works well for blending in up here though, and looks warm enough besides, so it's hardly a bad choice for all that it's clearly one made for aesthetic rather than function.]

Your Vision prevents you from helping to collect firewood?

[It's mostly something to lighten the mood, though it is a little bit genuine question since he's still working out the ins and outs of how the Visions work.]

[evilisnotatoy]

[A long pause.]

...We will just have to find a way to make you mortal then. If that proves beyond our abilities, then at least be sure to reincarnate.

[stellafortunamods]

I'll keep that in mind.

[ Is he joking? It's hard to tell. ]

I'm rather touched that you would care for my survival.

[extinctive]

...Nice place you got here.

[ an icebreaker, for a rather chilling situation they've now found themselves in. but as always, figaro isn't as terrified of the reveal compared to the rest. just... intrigued.

which is why he's here. ]

Let me cut to the chase, if you don't mind. Is Celestia obliterating an entire city their way of sending a message to humanity as a whole?

[stellafortunamods]

This place has been forgotten by most of humanity.

[ So, a pretty bad way of sending a message if few lived to tell the tale. ]

entombed city

[extinctive]

I doubt that there's anything left to steal here anymore.

[ figaro pipes up beside him, a melancholic smile as he looks over the nearby bodies. sure there's some tech lying around, maybe some jewelry that have withstood time and the cold, but he isn't really interested in any of those. ]

At least someone's kind enough to honor the dead first and foremost. [ gestures at the flowers. ] Someone who's durable enough to withstand the cold without a Vision, it seems.

ii.

[extinctive]

Ah, I apologize if I scared you.

[ it's just the friendly neighborhood doctor looking over what rean's doing with an assured smile. ]

You sure are prepared for anything, Rean. What else did you put in these boxes?

[extinctive]

True. But there's always a chance that something like this might happen again in the future, right? They can't just stop at one city.

[ humanity is always advancing, their customs and traditions changing as time goes on. figaro himself has lived long enough to see it happen in his world, after all. ]