stellafortunalogs | MAY MINGLE

MAY MINGLE

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Like a small child, he's led out. He doesn't resist it, only letting Zhongli guide the direction as he puts one foot in front of the other. Even as he's not looking at the scene, the emotions and imagery stick with him- making it hard to focus on anything else.

Finally, they're outside. Thanks to Zhongli's elemental shield and getting him out of there, Jun had avoided his life being in danger. A good thing too, since who knows how long he would've lingered in there if he'd been there alone.

As his hand is let go of, his walking slows. Being outside does help clear his head a little, allowing him to breath. The air is so cold it hurts the lungs, but it's still fresh air. ]

That temple ... it reminded me of the chapel back at the Orden.

[There were differences, obviously, what it being a place to worship different gods in a different world. There were no crosses, or stained glass windows. But the parallels were strong enough, and the core intent had been the same. A place of worship. Where people can go to be closer to the gods, and be protected in turn. ]

I knew Celestia had turned on them, but to see it like that...

[He shakes his head a little, as he fails to find words that felt adept for this feeling.]

[ Perhaps Forneus had been too cruel in intending the outlanders to see things firsthand, but this too is a trial - of their fortitude. And once again, he has left Zhongli to clean things up after his tactics. ]

Celestia gives and takes away in the same breath. That was what he wanted to prove to you.

[ Because it was fated, because it was written in the stars, a destiny of ruination. The price of peace for some is the destruction of others.

Of course, Zhongli never went against fate. It was in his contract. He could not, and would not save them. ]

[Jun squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, before opening them, trying to shake off the imagery. Tears won't form, they never do, but he does feel more emotional than he can usually claim to. ]

...He presents a persuasive argument, I can give him that.

[Rare would it be the person that isn't moved by this horrific scenery. He can only imagine how the others must be feeling right now. ]

That large obelisk in there...that's the source of the cold?

Yes.

[ The Skyfrost Nail looks uncannily similar to the Statues of the Seven. Such a powerful artifact can only be produced by the gods. ]

It appears to have fallen through the ceiling, from the sky above. [ And what would constitute a high enough place for the Nail to land with a huge impact... Celestia's floating island, of course.]

[He considers the observation, before nodding]

Mm. It'd need to be from a great height, to shatter a Spirit Tree like that... and have divine power as well.

[He thinks of how much work it takes to harvest branches from the Orden's grove. It took months to carefully gather and process enough for Aegis's operation. To have such a tree destroyed in a single blow - it had to be the work of gods. ]

...To make a place of refuge into the source of their demise, they're as cruel as any demon.

[ Zhongli is silent for a few moments, a long sigh perceptible through the falling snow. ]

I cannot agree with their methods. But I too am at their mercy.

[ The contract he signed before the beginning of it all determined all that. With power comes responsibility, obligation, and rules. To defy the contract is to face oblivion. ]

My contract binds me to Liyue. I could not have interfered here, even if I wished to. [ Because disobedience is punished, even for the gods. ] This place was sealed before the Archon Wars. After that time, Celestia stopped governing directly. They chose lesser gods to act as intermediaries for them.

Edited 2021-05-05 04:29 (UTC)

[Jun is quiet in turn as he looks over at Zhongli for a moment, observing him. ]

I don't blame you for this, Zhongli.

[He turns his head to look out towards the falling snow, closing his eyes. As sick as he feels about what he saw, it had to be hard for Zhongli, considering his position. ]

Even a god can only do so much, and your duty was to protect and guide Liyue. Interfering with Celestia would've only led Liyue to suffer a similar fate. [Because he has no doubt in his mind that Celestia wouldn't have stopped at just punishing Zhongli.]

...It's not like I agree with everything my Lord or the church has done, but I'm limited in what I can do. [He gets it, in other words. ]

Edited 2021-05-05 05:11 (UTC)

[ That's good, then... he had the slightest reservation that Jun might express his displeasure at him, after seeing such a horrible scene - but Jun is able to keep his composure. ]

This city would have been forgotten for eternity if you did not come here. Now, its memory lives on in you.

[ Forneus forsaw all of this. He knew what would come to pass, and sent the outlanders here for a reason. ]

[As upset as he is- he knows and trusts Zhongli. And more important, he understands the limits of gods - even his own. ]

...Mm. Don't think I could forget this even if I wanted to.

[The burden of this memory would be a heavy one, even if its important. He lets out a breath as he crosses his arms. The air is cold enough that it's visible in the air]

The priests with the Orden always taught me not to have emotional attachments. I can't say any of my memories of them are fond. [They were obstacles to completing his missions, after all. For as long as he could remember, it was drilled into him day after day] And yet, seeing a place that's so reminiscent of the chapel in such a state, with those people frozen ... there's part of me that wishes I could check on them.

[He's aware of the irony of it all. They raised him not to care, and were the ones responsible for all the damage onto him that he had only begun to assess thanks to his exposure to people he met on the outside. And yet here he is, still feeling empathy.]

You are human. Your emotions are natural. You are kind, and so you feel empathy, even for those who have already passed on.

[ He keeps his voice calm, gentle. ]

They were earnest in their prayers, that I can tell. [ And so, there's some measure of wanting to set things right, so that their end would not be completely tragic. That those who come after them would have tried to give them their last rites. ]

[The frozen priests weren't exactly who he was talking about, but he won't correct Zhongli. He's glad he's wearing a hood that hides his face. It's not the first time he's heard himself be described like that by someone, but he's yet come to believe it himself. So he just gives a simple "hmm" noise in response before moving on]

You'd have to be to continue praying even when you're freezing to death. [There's no way their deaths could've been painless, and yet they persisted.] I wonder if they even listened to their dying prayers.

[ The silence is longer before Zhongli replies ]

If you seek my personal opinion... they are likely to have not.

[ Celestia may be cruel, but they never did waste their efforts on inefficient things. From what he knows, they would have just dropped the Skyfrost Nail and then moved on. ]

[He'd even already been thinking along the same lines, but to hear it confirm by someone he respected and trusted the word of -- it hit with more weight. These people died praying for salvation, and their gods who had personally condemned them didn't even have the decency to be with them in their final moments.

Jun is silent in response as the emotions swell up again. They were overwhelming, and he needed an outlet- but he didn't know how to put any of them to proper words. Any sentence he formed in his head just jumbled into something non-sensical before evaporating. Just like when Hu Tao tried to teach him poetry, his own limited experience was hindering him once more.

Soon enough, he gives up on trying to put it to words and opts for an outlet he was taught. He whirls around and punches the nearby wall hard. The stone cracks from the sheer force of the blow.]

[ He says nothing, watching Jun crack the adjacent wall. It doesn't make the building likely to come down on them, so there's no need for him to intervene. Celestia's surgical attitude isn't unfamiliar to him either - once upon a time, he too was like them.

When Jun looks up again, Zhongli will give him a knowing, tired look. ]

[Without any intervention, Jun will punch the wall a few more times with the same force. The cracks grow, and a couple pieces even break off. Luckily, the structure of the building still holds.

Finally, he backs off. It's only then does it sink in that punching walls with your human fist tends to hurt your hand. Especially, as he briefly forgot like a true moron, when you don't have super healing ability.

Shit.

Well, he's wearing gloves, so maybe Zhongli won't notice- or so he hopes. He just does his best to pretend like he's not in pain, loosely crossing his arms (read, nursing his injured hand) and looking over at his grandpa. Yeah, he looks tired - no need to bother him with this]

...So what now?

[ Unfortunately for Jun, Zhongli does pick up on that posture - but only the posture. He had assumed Jun would also have the tenacity of stone given that his powers have somewhat returned. While he doesn't appear to do anything, a warm golden light appears around Jun's bruised hand and takes the pain away. ]

Shall we explore elsewhere?

[ He figures staying around here would only make Jun feel worse about everything. Surely there's something else they can occupy their time with. ]

[He's caught a little off-guard by the sudden healing spell, staring at it with surprise as the warm golden light fixes his hand. But it's a familiar enough feeling to healing he's had before that he's able to process what's going on - oh right, gods can heal]

...Thanks.

[His hand now fixed, he'll lower it to his side and consider the question. He did want to get away from this place, though he's not sure how many more frozen bodies in this city he wants to see. He needed to clear his head.

...]

You said this mountain had a good view?

[He remembers Zhongli saying that, way back when they were climbing the base of the mountain]

Yes. You can see Liyue on the west side.

[ Better to talk about a living city than a dead one. He starts making his way through the snowy roads ]

If the weather is clear, you will be able to view the twin monoliths that stand at Liyue Harbour's gates. North of that is Jueyun Karst, where most of the Adepti live. [ Hopefully Jun can get excited about this instead of thinking about dead bodies. ]

Liyue? I didn't realize it was that close.

[Well it certainly gets his attention, considering he's been hearing about Liyue for months now. He follows Zhongli, the distraction working perfectly]

Those monoliths must be massive if you can see them from up here...

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.

[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.

[ That gets a slight chuckle from him. ]

Do take your time and rest, though.

[ Can't have Jun all exhausted from rock climbing and run out of energy for other things. Nwo that they're rounding the side of the mountain, he makes his way to a ruined tower so that they can look out below. ]

Jueyun Karst is over there.

[ The skies are a beautiful clear blue for hundreds of miles, with the gray stone peaks of Liyue visible above sparse clouds. ]

I will, don't worry-

[But oh check out that ruined tower. Jun's attention is immediately caught by that. So much so that once the direction of Jueyun Karst is pointed out to him, he'll teleport himself to the top of that ruined tower because of course Jun is drawn to the highest point possible like some height-loving cat. Sorry Zhongli, you'll have to climb yourself, he got too excited.

He'll even risk the cold to lower his hood, so he can have a clear view without his shroud blocking anything. His eyes are wide as he stares out, completely in awe as he speaks loud enough for Zhongli to hear him.]

Oh, wow...! I see them! They're taller than those clouds!

Edited 2021-05-17 15:26 (UTC)

They are.

[ Zhongli's voice sounds light - he's proud of Liyue and the land he shaped with his own hands. ]

You can see other nations from those peaks. [ The closest that the earth could get to the sky. ] No matter what season graces the land, the air in Jueyun Karst remains clear and pure.

[ It's one of the reasons the Adepti like it so much.

It's beautiful...no wonder the Adepti would make it their home.

[The view was picturesque by its own right, but after spending several weeks on this frozen mountain that's covered in ice, snow and ruins? The beautiful colors of Liyue's landscape pop all the more.

But he also said he could see Liyue harbor, so he'll look around until he points southward, to what looks like some populated area by the ocean]

Is that Liyue Harbor? Over there.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject