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

[pragmatism]

[ He's familiar with that. After all, he has been the master of a few people who considered themselves tools. ]

What would your master want?

[missingache]

[Aren't cats and birds supposed to be enemies then?]

Yeah. Went from one "winter wonderland" to another "winter wonderland"... I don't have to shovel snow here, do I?

[pragmatism]

[ Zhongli is not one to take uncalculated risks, but - he appreciates it regardless. ]

Thank you. I will keep that in mind.

[fiddlestick]

[Still case in point! Not that he knows Zhongli is the god. Honestly he's just "hot guy at camp that knows a lot of trivia" to Elliot.]

Haha, you got me pegged alright. [He smiles] My dream's to make my music resound across Zemuria, and use it to help heal and bring peace.

And even if I'm not from here, I want to do the same for Teyvat.

[cranelike]

(He considers himself one because he is one, Zhongli.)

To protect history. Even if it pierces our hearts and only brings pain.

(They protect history.)

[pragmatism]

[ Someday Tsuru will realize otherwise. ]

I see...

[ Zhongli exhales slowly, just long enough to barely count as a sigh. ]

Forneus has offered to proof the time stream in your world. [ To erase the existence of the Revisionists. A difficult feat, but perhaps one that only the God of Time could accomplish. ]

[cranelike]

(Sigh all you want people have been sighing at him from the moment he was summoned!!)

To destroy the Revisionists for us, you mean?

(He taps the sword at his side with his finger, thoughtful. He doesn't sound entirely convinced but he doesn't sound completely unconvinced either. Like certain problematic sword spirits, Tsuru might be a little more creative when it comes to how he'll protect history.)

It's nothing we can't do on our own. It would take more than that, I think... or something else.

[cranelike]

(Most birds don't get along with cats, its true.)

No one has been able to make me.

(Which isnt a yes. But it isn't a no either.)

[missingache]

... They can't pay me enough to get me to shovel snow here.

[He will fight!!!]

[cranelike]

(Claps!!!)

That's the spirit.

(Yes, good, rebel, Roxas.)

Someone like me isn't suited for clearing snow anyway...

(And he'll turn his body juuust slightly to show the Cryo vision at his waist.)

[bowfaire]

No good planning so far ahead we lose sight of what's in front of us.

(He shrugs! He's satisfied for now. Onto more pressing things though. )

Do you think you've made your point?

(If all of this was to convince everyone to rally against Celestia. He never needed much convincing on that front considering how he isn't much of a fan of gods to begin with but...)

[missingache]

[Cranes did look like delicate birds... was Tsurumaru delicate?

Roxas blinks when he sees the Cryo vision.]

Oh. I got the same one.

[Let him dig it out of his pocket to show off.]

See?

To meet, to song and dance together!

[nefilim]

Encounter - Closed

[A lot of things could've happened, when Anastasia absorbed some of the hearts corruption. She could've died, been poisoned... Anything. But she didn't consider being possessed by the spirit of the dead dragon. Maybe she should have.

There's the sound of a dragons roar from somewhere down the mountain, yet the sound isn't right. It's almost human, in a way. And as the spirit takes over completely, all Anastasia can see are the childlike memories of a creature who had no idea what they were doing.]

Aftermath

[Anastasia eventually ends up back at camp after that little... mishap. Bloody and bruised, but none the worse for wear. She's certainly not as bold and jovial as usual though, both the memories she experienced and the fact she had to be beaten into lucidity mollifying her quite a bit. Considering the calls of that... weird creature ended soon before she came back, some might be able to connect the dots of what happened.

She will, at least, be open about what she did. Her only regret is that she got others involved in it.]

[nefilim]

[Knock, knock the resident walking disaster is paying a visit once more. At least she's not storming in like before.

But it's been a day or so since her little "incident", and she's spent most of the time after that thinking. There's a few things on her mind and, after debating on it, has decided her best course of action is to speak to Forneus.]

Hey, are you free right now?

[She imagines he is, but for once she's being Considerate.]

[cranelike]

(Tsuru has been in a bad mood ever since they arrived upon the city and as the one who knows him best, Ookurikara had been keeping an eye on him. It explains why the two of them are together when that twisted roar pierces through the mountain.

He reaches for his sword and heads towards the sound, a carefree smile on his face,)

Finally, something fun.

(A distraction.)

[justicefang]

[He narrows his eyes at him like a beast about to growl.]

No. [Shirou puts his hands in his pockets to help them warm up a bit.] I want to see what was left out there.

wildcard

[cranelike]

(Tsuru is coping with his melancholy. Which means he's out here terrorizing some poor NPC or anyone that crosses his path. If he's going to relive his traumas, he might as well have some fun this time, you know?

So when the right opportunity comes along, Tsuru leaps from the doorway or some dilapidated building or behind a wall and exclaims,)

Wah!

(He's basically a giant flash of white jumping from no where. He's dressed in white from head to toe and even his hair and skin are white and pale. No one could have ever seen him hiding.)

Ahahaha! Are you surprised?!

[extinctive]

Happy to oblige. If you are to reincarnate into something else upon your demise, let me know. Do you drink?

[ priorities................... ]

Encounter - After the swordy boyo beatdown

[fiddlestick]

[A large fight between two swordsmen and a cursed draconic being is surely one to attract attention. By the time Elliot arrived on the scene, the battle had been mostly handled, so he stayed back and let them finish the work as he pieced together the situation.

Just as he had feared...even frozen, this curse found a way to afflict someone.

After the fight when Ana is down and still fighting off the remnants of the curse, she'll hear a violin playing a soothing melody. As she listens, the song will start to heal away the curse, gently washing it away. Also are those flowers popping out of the snow? What is this disney princess stuff?]

[nefilim]

[Even when lucidity returns to her, she's still in a great deal of pain - the remnants of Durin's consciousness lingering at the back of her mind, clinging to the edges. It takes her longer than she likes to process that she isn't flying in blue skies, but is injured and beaten in the snow as the corruption burns in her still.

But then there's a... song? And flowers??? It takes her a moment as she sits upright, her mind clearing as she takes this all in. And finally focuses on the source of it, at least having enough awareness to be sheepish that it would be him to see her like this.]

It's... you? How did you... [The taint that's part of her still lingers, but the possession of Durin has finally lifted.]

[cranelike]

(Scary. Do it again.

He doesn't seem bothered at all. Instead, he gives him a smile-- something that would almost look innocent if his eyes didn't look so mischievous, )

Alone? (Tilting his head slightly to one side, watching him,) It's dangerous to venture out in this cold.

[fiddlestick]

[Elliot's been coping by keeping himself busy. Attending to the people around him, exploring, keeping an eye on the surroundings. A city like this would leave anyone on edge, especially someone whose survived the things Elliot has.

He'd been walking somewhere after he finished tending to an Adventurer's Guild member who thought it was a good idea to eat questionable snow (it wasn't). His destination isn't important, as it's derailed very suddenly by a white form jumping out at him. Elliot didn't see him there, so he's caught by surprise ]

Gah-!

[Unfortunately for Tsuru, while Elliot was most known for being a musician and a healer - he was a seasoned fighter. He already had his staff at the ready in case a monster appeared, and being lunged by an unknown assailant kicks in that fight-or-flight instinct. So before Tsuru can get halfway through that sentence, Elliot is swinging that staff of his.]

No you don't!

[Out from the staff shoots water projectiles at Tsuru like it's a catalyst rather than a melee weapon. Infused with magic, the water will not only hurt with magical damage -- with the abundance of cryo elemental energy in these ruins, it'll stand a real good chance of triggering an elemental reaction and freezing Tsuru on the spot.

YES. HE'S SURPRISED TSURU. GOOD JOB.]

[extinctive]

Blood on your clothes, for one. I heard that you could hear voices when you hold them for too long, but I haven't kept them on me for too long myself. They were cursed blood flowing through that dragon's veins at one point, after all.

[cranelike]

(He didn't expect this to turn on him.

He's splashed with water and lets out a yelp, raising his arms to protect himself. Instinctively, without much thought, he unleashes his own power but in true Tsurumaru fashion, it's nothing but unfortunate. His Cryo vision only adds to the energy around them and what he gets is something like a frozen wall where some of the water had turned in the air. The end of one of his long, flowing sleeves is caught in it and at his feet, where there would have been a puddle, he's frozen in spot!)

Gah!

(Now he's wet and frozen in place in the middle of a frozen wasteland. This should be a real stroke of bad luck and yet--)

It looks like I was the one who was surprised.

(He's calm. Like, weirdly calm.)

[fiddlestick]

[He'll finish out the song, the flowers slowly fading away as he does so. Seeing her look back to normal, Elliot breathes in relief. Looks like that trick still works]

That's the power of music. [He explains, without actually explaining anything. He kneels down so he's next to her on the ground]

How're you feeling?