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

[nefilim]

So they had to outsource the help.

[It makes sense. Though based on what she knows of them, she can only imagine that they weren't happen about it. Sucks to be them, she guesses.]

Though why did you take the role?

[fiddlestick]

Eheh, well it's also used to channel magic. [His thumb will indicate at the gems near the bottom] So they can only make it so small.

A meditation app, I wish I had something like that... [it'd help so much with anxiety!] Mostly I just have music on here. There's a camera too and girl back home got me to install some game, but I haven't gotten around to playing it much yet.

[poisontippedcure]

[As much as Rose pretends otherwise, she's no stranger to doing something stupid for the greater good. That being said, even she has her limits. And "absorbing corruption to see what happens" is far beyond th--]

[Okay, no it's not. But she didn't have a choice that one time. And Ana did.]

You did what? Do you have any idea how profoundly stupid that was?

[She says as she starts healing.]

[poisontippedcure]

["A few minutes, at least" sounds like code for "I will forget how long I am out here and risk bodily injury." Rose is not going to let that happen as long as she can help it. Sorry, Rean, but you're stuck with company.]

[Even if you are asking her the hard questions. The more she thinks about it, the more this scene reminds her of returning to the Waking Sands. The day she found all of her friends murdered. How did she get past it then?]

I have. Enough so that this scene feels almost familiar.

[It's clear that some care has been taken in treating the bodies with respect. That much is good, at least.]

But to tell you the truth, I'm not sure. The first time it happened, I was to stunned to register anything. I was too afraid.

/slams back in

[poisontippedcure]

[Rose takes another look around the field. Shirou certainly isn't wrong; the only one likely to know the bodies were up here is Forneus himself, and he seemed like the type to treat the dead with care.]

I fear you may be correct.

[She frowns, looking again at the scene laid out before her. This level of carnage isn't something she's seen since the assault on the Waking Sands. Had she the choice, she would never want to witness something like this again.]

I wish, were he going to send us to deal with this, that he would have warned us first.

/welcome emote

[justicefang]

[Shirou says nothing. The bodies are treated with respect and the boxes left to be found. If it were a human being he'd immediately think intentional manipulation. He forces himself to think about it and push past his biases.]

I don't know him well enough to say what he was thinking. But it could be intentional. It could be a lack of awareness of how mortal beings react to tragedy.

[He can't say for certain. He stands up and walks along the edges of the walls, looking for any signs these people were aware of their future end.]

This might not have occurred in a single night. We need to check a few houses.

Base Camp

[evilisnotatoy]

[You know who is used to the cold? This guy, who by all rights shouldn't be able to approach as quietly as he does.]

I would advise keeping yourself well fed. Temperatures like these burn more energy than more temperate areas do.

[unfriendliest]

They wouldn't have to be close to be killed by this kind of magic.

[ cryo is too pervasive on this mountain to avoid, no matter where they are... but it will be interesting if they find someone inside, won't it? maybe someone who tried to find the source of the magic to free their people... or just some priests in a block of ice, who knows! ]

We'll know when we find the cause of it.

[extinctive]

I'm not too picky. Just nothing that'll knock me out for now, I gotta get back to the kids soon.

[stellafortunamods]

Because I'm nice.

[ Pause. ]

Oh and I was bored, I guess.

[stellafortunamods]

[ A slight chuckle ]

What if I skipped the hangover for you?

[stellafortunamods]

[ Forneus continues fighting as usual. He's not sure what Jun is trying to derive by fighting him, but he'll oblige. ]

Have you ever wondered why isolated worlds end up developing the same cultural references?

[ Surely it's not a coincidence that Liyue is similar to China, and Mondstadt to Germany? ]

[pragmatism]

This mountain has significant elevation as well.

[ You certainly can't walk to Liyue in three hours like in the games, alas... ]

Liyue is known for its cliffs and peaks, though I did adjust them a little for ease of navigation and defense.

[nefilim]

[He gets A Look at what he says first.

No words, just A Look.]

Becoming a god because you're bored sounds like a bit of a jump. Though I guess taking up something like knitting wasn't plausible.

[whiteshroud]

[Did he just say he adjusted the mountains of Liyue to be more optimal? He says it so casually, yet Jun can only imagine the amount of awe it'd stir in most people to hear that. Jun however, who has long gotten used to Zhongli, chuckles fondly]

That sounds so you, Grandpa.

[Ever thoughtful and meticulous. He can just picture Zhongli deciding to adjust the mountains because he heard of people struggling to travel.

...If only the rest of Celestia was more caring like that. His mind wanders back to that scene in the temple, before he pushes it away again.]

Least this trip has given me good mountain climbing practice. I'm sure climbing the peaks of Liyue will feel like a breeze after this.

[nefilim]

[Ana now believes going to a music academy = learning flowery magic music healing.

And while Ana is always open about her screw-ups, she takes a moment to think of how to word this. Then she sighs, rubbing at the back of her neck awkwardly.]

I took the corruption in willingly, I wanted to try to investigate more about it. I've got some of my original form back, I'm corrupted myself, so I thought I could take it.

[Yes it was Really Stupid.]

[pragmatism]

What is it that you desire, then?

[ It's a genuine, curious question. The information probably won't find its way back to Forneus, because Zhongli doesn't see the need to. ]

[fiddlestick]

[I mean I can't say she's ENTIRELY wrong in that belief.

But boy....that. That sure is an explanation.]

You took it willingly...?

[Ana. Ana why. Elliot slowly takes a deep breath before letting it out. He supposes it's not the....stupidest thing he's heard]

Well...I guess I can see why you might think that on that logic. [And then a sigh] I assume you learned your lesson on why that wasn't a good idea.

[nefilim]

Incredibly stupid. Like, super incredibly.

[It was a dumb move, but she wanted to try. The only thing she's upset about is that she got others involved.

But she is grateful for the healing, a soft sigh escaping her as the pain starts to fade away.]

I'm corrupted again, so I thought it might just... I dunno, give me indigestion. I didn't think I would get possessed like that. But I fucked up.

[nefilim]

I knooooooooow... [He may not have said it was stupid, but she can just Feel that he's thinking it.] It sounds stupid, but I ate stuff like that all the time before! But this is an entirely different world with different rules...

[So what works back home wouldn't work here. She just had to learn that in one of the worst ways possible.]

But I did. I definitely won't be attempting that again. I absolutely promise.

[Luckily, despite... everything else about her, she's a stickler for promises.]

[fiddlestick]

[Wait did she say she ATE the stuff? He can't help but pause at that, before saying exclaiming.] ...Oh, that can't be good for you digestion system...

[Ana he is worried about you and the bathrooms you come across. But seeing how Ana seems pretty sincere in her promising (you holy folk and your contracts), he will lay off the lecturing]

Good, that stuff's really not anything to mess with. [Seriously.] Do you think you can move? We should probably get you back to camp.

[pragmatism]

Alright.

[ He starts down the snowy path towards camp, ever mindful of their surroundings - not that it show much, given that he's employing vibrational sensing. He doesn't say much, expecting Ana to ask him questions soon. ]

[pragmatism]

[ Zhongli nods. He would expect everyone to be shaken by the realization of Vindagnyr's fate. ]

The city has been forgotten. The outside world remains ignorant of what transpired here, and why.

[ Was it Celestia's intention? He could no longer claim to understand any of their actions. ]

[pragmatism]

In a way. They are catalysts which allow you to cast elemental magic of a certain element.

[ He didn't need to ask Jinx what her Vision was to know. He's an Archon, after all ]

A Vision user can only call upon one element, and not any others. It should come instinctively.

[pragmatism]

Most of the humans still alive regard them as the rightful arbiters of this world. They do not know of what transpired here. Yet, to incite rebellion amongst humanity would only spell their ruin.

[ He knew this would happen. Yet, his contract with Celestia forbade him from acting out against them. ]

To free them from Celestia's tyranny would require another approach. Their ways may have been justified thousands of years ago, but to continue their rules in a changing world is beyond unwise.