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

[missingache]

I could do that... There'd be a lot of people to write to.

[Though he could make the one for his household just be one big letter. Though if Sora wasn't home yet, then those letters would just sit for a while.

It still would be something to do.]

I'm not gonna write while on this mountain, though. I don't want them to fall into the snow.

[stellafortunamods]

I guess not.

[ She's definitely not on his side. ]

We'll worry more about that when we get to her territory, though. Or I will at least. If you ever go home before that.

[justicefang]

[Shirou pushes on the other side of the doors the moment he catches what is going on. Wind and fire, they'll be fine.]

What happened to this city, this is likely the source.

[Then he doesn't say anything else as the doors give way in near silence and they're within the temple proper. It looks like the buildings outside, but there are heaps of snow and ice on the floor and walls, as the cold wind flows, seeming to come from deeper inside.

He forces himself not to breathe in and calls a small amount of wind to his hand, holding it close enough to the fireball that it turns orange and red, carrying that warmth in the confines of the wind.] I don't see any bodies.

[Not yet. But there will be more bodies for sure.]

[justicefang]

One, it seems but it can't hurt to get others in case it's not enough. We're looking for a seed that's strong enough to grow there. We'll test them by using magic near it and see if it draws it in.

[He reaches into his coat and produces a journal. He tabs to a marked page and holds the book out. A drawing dominates the page. It's not too bad. Roughly enough to give a gist of the seed itself.]

[justicefang]

[Shirou only nods.]

Alright. And yes, I do. [He pauses and pulls out his journal he'd bought in town again. He turns the pages and shows Elliot the rough drawing.] This is what the seeds seem to look like.

Sorry, it slipped my mind to share this. [He'd been so focused on wondering why it didn't have a scent.]

[fiddlestick]

[Oh thank the goddess, he'll nod and gladly putting those thoughts aside. Perhaps he's not longer under Aidios's direct influence by virtue of being in Teyvat, but all this stuff was still confusing as heck to him. Better to focus on something he can relate to.]

Now now, don't assume that's true for every Teyvat god. You can't paint everyone with the same brush. [He crosses his arms. Sure, in general he believes stereotyping is bad. But he actually has a more pragmatic reason] ... During the Erebonian Civil War, the Noble Alliance fought for Erebonian aristocratic supremacy, but those views didn't stop them from making allies with Calvard, Erebonia's historic enemy, to gain a tactical advantage.

[in other words, even the most xenophobic are more than happy to temporarily put their prejudices aside if it works in their favor. There's no ruling out that Celestia might do the same if pressed]

...But, that does explain why you feel willing to trust us so easily. You feel a type of kinship, being an outsider yourself. I can understand that.

[fiddlestick]

Oh, in that case...it might be worth a shot.

Thank you.

[fiddlestick]

[He looks over at Ledah when he speaks up. Yeah...that's a good point. They can worry about the curse later, but they needed to do something for the poor souls here. It's too bad the ground is too frozen to give a proper burial...or even get a cremation going.

Feeling no need to linger in a place where he'd freeze to death himself (he is pure human after all), he follows along with these two, close to the fire so he can feel it's warmth]

Yeah ... if there isn't, maybe we can get some on the next supply run to Mondstadt?

[unfriendliest]

I don't need thanks.

[ he should probably offer to go with, pyro vision and all





but he doesn't

good luck out there elliot ]

[fiddlestick]

[ .... 💧 ]

A pleasure as always, Ookurikara...

[Yeah, he's heading off on his own to get flowers. Hopefully he won't freeze to death]

[beatnest]

[ He leans back a bit on the nearest object (which is probably a tomb lbr) with a huff. ]

I'm not good at that kind of stuff, so I don't think it's worth wasting my time when I would probably be wrong anyway. Just tell me what to fight, what to kill, and I'll handle it.

[ Said with that creepy curious energy of his and a small grin. Really he is going to make an effort to try harder but...baby steps. ]

Would it help if I said I wanted to eat them?

[beatnest]

Ahaha, I got it right.

[ He sounds so satisfied about this even if it should be obvious. A second or two passes while he really looks Hawks over with a wry smile. ]

What do you think of spiders? And did you know there's a type of spider that eats birds?

[beatnest]

Now you sound like an old man, haha. [ He will follow obligingly! ]

I wish we had gone to a jungle instead...I'd fit in better there than an freezing mountain! [ alas that is a much later patch. ]

[beatnest]

[ what's up forneus, it's your new spider checking in. ]

Everyone really gets offended over some dead people, huh? [ At the meeting, in exploring the tombs... Byakuya is just here to smh for all the wrong reasons. ]

[cranelike]

Hmm. (He hums, almost thoughtful.) To be betrayed by someone you trust...

(Everything digs a little deeper into his heart.)

If you want to bring down Celestia, you'll have to consider the believers, too.

("you" because Tsurumaru still hasn't chosen a side in all of this.)

[cranelike]

...

(That sure is a question and one he's heard before, even. )

Blissfully and ignorantly? No.

(But he would be content. Maybe. Ah, maybe he'd been in a good mood before. No, that isn't quite right. He'd been better at pretending to be in a better mood before. Now, when he speaks, it feels just a little more removed, a little more distant,)

I do what I'm commanded.

(He doesn't reach out.)

[cranelike]

I can't say! It'll just have to be a surprise!

(He makes no promises. He dislikes heavy and dirty work?)

[cranelike]

Hm? (He tilts his head to the side, looking Roxas over,) A little tiger, huh!

(He doesn't quite see it but maybe Roxas will surprise him.)

I'll have to keep that in mind. (He has expectations now, Roxas.) And what would this tiger's name be?

[cranelike]

(Let's go, let's go. Just going to guide him over to whatever shelter works best for them right now. He immediately makes a face at the mention of a jungle, though,)

Somewhere hot and humid?

(Gross.)

[missingache]

[Just like Roxas doesn't see the crane thing... but hey, judging people is supposed to be bad and all, right? So he just tells himself that before answering.]

Roxas.

[cranelike]

(Please, Tsuru is so obviously a crane!!!)

Roxas.

(He says it once just to make sure it's right,)

You've just arrived?

[cranelike]

A few.

(Mostly broken and unable to be opened on his part, though.)

I believe there's a farm near the edge of the city. Are you hungry?

[stellafortunamods]

[ ]

You're not cold?

[missingache]

I'm not Elsa... [DON'T ASK] All I know what to do with ice is make spikes.

[stellafortunamods]

[ Considering that Zhongli is right there, well... Then again, Zhongli is more of an earthly god than all those guys sitting up there in Celestia. ]

You're a person who believes in working for a better world. That's one of the reasons I picked you.