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

[cranelike]

Entombed City

(When he uncovers his first body, he goes still. Usually one to smile and laugh even at the most unnerving things, he's quiet as he looks down at the frozen body and covers it again, hand lingering on the cloth for a moment as he observes the identical mounds next to this one.

Quiet. Cold. Dark. Lifeless.

Ah. This feels familiar.

When someone enters behind him, he speaks lightly,)

This is a tomb. (He adjusts one of the flowers that had been disturbed by his earlier movements. Interesting. He wonders where they came from.) Look around if you want, but I can't approve of grave-robbing.

(There's information to be gathered and things to find, he objectively understands that much, but all of this feels too close to him.)

Out and About, All Around

(It's cold up here, even Tsurumaru has to acknowledge that much thanks to this human body of his but he's never really thought of himself as human. First and foremost, he was a sword and then a spirit second.

As whimsical and distant as he can be, in truth, Tsurumaru cares for people much more easily than he would ever want to admit. He was forged by people and his spirit shaped by their desires and wishes. Made to protect and named so he could invoke life and fortune, it's only natural that he looks out for those around him.

Which is why when he spots someone huddling from the cold, rubbing their hands together, or blowing into their palms, he sheds his rober and drapes it over their shoulders from behind,)

Careful. You'll catch a cold. (He ignores the chill, ) Or worse, out here.

(Like death.)

Wildcard

(Hit me! You can reach me on plurk eski, discord (eski#9874), or check out my plotting comment. )

Entombed City

[whiteshroud]

[Jun had pieced together that whatever awaited them on the peak, it'd be a sobering sight. Still, coming to that conclusion logically and actually seeing it played out...even someone like him feels a twist in his stomach at the sight of all these bodies. Especially when he knows who it was that killed them. While it's normal to blame a god for seemingly unfair deaths as an outlet for grief, this was a rare case where it was actually true.

He stands by the bodies, watching them as he contemplates what to do. It's too cold to have his hood down, so his voice is distorted through a modulator as he speaks]

I've no intention of grave-robbing.

[cranelike]

(He hums a quiet "hm" in response until he's satisfied with the flower arrangement. He doesn't mind the way Jun's voice sounds and keeps his attention on the bodies,)

Good.

(He means it, even if he doesn't sound particularly grateful right now. It's more neutral and detached than anything,)

Be careful, Mejiro. This is a resting place.

[whiteshroud]

[Ah, that nickname again. Guess Tsuru decided to stick with it Jun, never really being too partial about what people call him, will accept it with no fanfare. ]

I know. [And he actually has some information on this one. Thanks rock grandpa] Vindagnyr, it was called. A city that existed a long time ago, when the mountain was a habitable place.

entombed city

[nefilim]

[This is... unpleasant. While she had a feeling that this is what awaited them at the peak, that doesn't make it easier to see. It's enough to sober someone as jovial as her.

There's anger simmering under the surface of course, but this isn't the time or place to lash out. Even if her tone is a bit clipped when she responds, watching as he adjusts the flowers with an expression bordering on unreadable.]

I don't plan to do something so disgusting.

[She shouldn't let personal feelings get in the way, but she's never been good at that.]

[cranelike]

(This is why he likes you, Ana. He doesn't miss the edge and if anything, it's actually nice to hear. He lets out a small, short laugh,)

Then shall we go together? (He turns on his heel, resting one hand on the handle of his sword, tilting it so it doesn't catch behind him or anything,) Quietly, of course. We wouldn't want to disturb anyone.

[nefilim]

[She wasn't expecting to hear the laugh, and it takes the edge out of her expression. His offer another surprise, but she nods after a quiet moment.]

Mm, alright. I'll keep it down. [A beat, then;]

Is there... anything we could do for them?

out and about

[pragmatism]

[ Zhongli stands out amongst the outlanders, for his clothing has absolutely not changed. He stands in the empty streets of Vindagnyr in a contemplative silence. Perhaps Tsuru is drawn to him by his quiet, firm presence, or perhaps the crane might be worried for a fellow grandpa - regardless, he speaks when Tsuru arrives at his side. ]

The snow has frozen this city in time.

[ The ruins have been like this for centuries; millennia. Vindagnyr predated the Archon Wars. ]

[cranelike]

(Yes maybe he's drawn to him because he's a quiet and steady presence in a bleak situation. Or maybe because he's worried about another grandpa. Who knows? He isn't going to say.)

So it would seem... but time goes on.

(With our without this city.)

[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. ]

Entombed City

[evilisnotatoy]

[Even knowing as little of this world as he does, he'd pieced together enough from the ruins he'd seen on the climb that the sight of the bodies brings somber acceptance rather than surprise.]

...Your opinion is noted.

[Said opinion shall also be ignored if he finds anything not on the bodies that would be of use. What's the point of appeasing the dead at the cost of the living, after all?

Still...]

...It seems wrong to leave them like this. This was meant to be a home, not a tomb.

[cranelike]

(Well, he won't fault him for it. Maybe. It's a touchy subject when you're a stolen treasure yourself,)

Hmm... (He hums in agreement,) We could try to bury or even burn them.

(Give them some proper rites or something along those lines,)

But the ground is frozen is it'll be difficult to make a fire without some help. (A glance at his new friend for the day,) Do you have any ideas?

[evilisnotatoy]

[To be fair, he also calls an abandoned archeological site home, so they're both coming at the whole thing from weird angles.

Speaking of angles, he angles his head enough to indicate that he's looking at his new companion since a sidelong glance just really doesn't read through his mask.]

Electricity creates heat. With sufficient kindling, I should be able to light a pyre. Whether we can find sufficient material to burn even one to ash is another matter entirely.

Out and About

[missingache]

[Having a robe draped over his shoulder out of nowhere makes Roxas tense up. The voice that accompanies this act doesn't sound unfriendly, but he's still going to slowly look back at whoever this is.]

Uh... I think you need it more than I do.

[He does have his coat on. Even if it doesn't keep much of the cold out.]

[cranelike]

(He's fine? In just his kimono and some winter wear (a scarf, some gloves, nothing too fancy).)

Hmm, it's cold! (He won't lie about that,) But you don't have to worry about this old crane~

[missingache]

[That doesn't look very warm at all.]

Crane? Like the bird? [This guy looks human though...]

out and about, around

[beatnest]

[ Byakuya is cold pretty much all the time as cryo users have no rights, and he's scrawny as all hell. So the cloak is a good thing, even if he yelps at the sudden contact. ]

Hey! [ Oh it's Tsurumaru. Wait. ] You're not from Russia! Aren't you cold too?

[cranelike]

(Cryo users have no rights but that's fine. Tsurumaru is used to not having rights. He's also used to suffering tbh. And not caring much for his own wellbeing as much as he should. Hm.)

Russia? (Oh no, that's funny.) Isn't that where the cranes go in the spring?

(it sure is.)

Ah, but I've never left Japan...

[beatnest]

Really? [ Byakuya has learned something today! ]

Me either, but you don't look like you're cold. The only other person who's hasn't been freezing and isn't a fire user is Figaro, but he's from Russia so it makes sense.

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.

[cranelike]

Someone who knew to come here, too.

(Considering how this place was forgotten for so long.)

I wonder who our mysterious visitor could be~

[extinctive]

We weren't the first ones to be summoned here, were we? But that might mean we are going through the same motions as those people.

[ if they fail this mission, does that mean forneus will have to make his next group of adventurers go through a couple more timeloops in mondstadt again? jeez. ]

wildcard C'MERE TSURU

[nefilim]

[The thing about camping with this many people was that there were things to be done, to make sure everyone can camp comfortably in these freezing temperatures. Guard duty, hunting, cooking, supply runs. Everyone takes their turn, even if doing chores in this weather was The Worst.

But tonight. Tonight there is someone Ana knows is meant to be helping with cooking, yet he is nowhere to be seen. Now where has a certain crane gotten to...]

Tsuuuuruuumaaaaaruuuuu~ [Comes the singsong cry from one nephilim. At least she's back to her lively self again after that ""mishap"" the other day. Which might not be a good thing, considering her goal is to get him to help by any means necessary.]

[cranelike]

(Ah, it's that time of day again. When everyone's begun go return from the city and the wild so they can take shelter, regroup, and regain their energy at the camp.

Ah, it's that time again... when everyone begins to settle into their routines and chores and Tsurumaru slips away. It's easy! He's dressed in all white and practically blends in with his surroundings. He was already a master at slipping away from unwanted duties so the snowy landscape just makes everything easier.

But they're beginning to catch on.

He's hiding... some of the emergency camp supplies-- the extra tarps, the rope, and so on. Surely, no one would expect to find him here. Everything here requires heavy lifting! And hard work! He would never be here... that doesn't stop him from grabbing some canvas and draping it over himself. He's going to blend in perfectly.)

[nefilim]

[She will not allow any escape! Granted, it's hard to find him since he's basically all white and she doesn't have a good idea of his hiding spots. But she's also incredibly stubborn and unwilling to give up. It takes some snooping but she soon comes across the supplies... and something oddly shaped and mysterious under the canvas.

She approaches, stops for a moment as she squints, then shifts to nudge said mystery under the canvas with her foot. While Ana could just lift it up, like a normal person, she's more curious about if she would get any response with this. Since whatever's under here is definitely not supplies!!]