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

Redstones

[justicefang]

The red stones we've found around the mountain are the frozen blood of a corrupted dragon named Durin.

[He crosses his arms over his chest. This is information everyone needs to know. Before it's too late and the mountain is possibly unfrozen.] The curse and his will linger in the blood.

Forneus said there's a possible way to purify the corruption. The seeds of the white tree in the temple.

[unfriendliest]

[ hello you have kara's attention instantly ]

How do we get the seeds? It was hard to get close to the tree even with a pyro vision.

[justicefang]

I was told they're possibly scattered all over the mountain. We also need to locate the source of corruption. The purification has to happen there. [Or it just won't work.]

[unfriendliest]

Do we know what the seeds look like? Or anything about the corruption, or how to use them to purify it?

[justicefang]

The seed has to be planted at the source of corruption. I was told the seeds look...unnatural. [If he were able to be himself he could track it by scent.]

I can draw what I was shown. And if anyone has heightened sense of smell it might help locate them.

[unfriendliest]

...A visual would help.

[ "unnatural" doesn't give them much to go off of, on its own. neither does smell? hm. ]

How many of them would we need? Just one?

[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.]

[fiddlestick]

Do we need to do anything with the seeds once we scatter them?

As for the source...one possibility is Durin's heart. Figaro and I found it in a cave, and...well, it looked pretty corrupted.

[justicefang]

[His eyes widen then narrow. That has to be it.]

We need to feed the seed magic for it to sprout. If it does it can still recycle magic. That’s what those white trees are for. Where did you find Durin’s heart?

[There’s a pause as he says.] It was suggested we look on the east side for another tree.

[fiddlestick]

[Feed the seeds magic...ok, good to know]

In the northwestern part of the mountain, near Wyrmrest Valley with the rest of his remains.

If we could really purify it, that'd do a lot of good. I say it's worth a shot.

[justicefang]

[He nods once and reaches into his coat. He draws out a white stone on a string.]

Normally I don’t directly interfere with a people not my own. But things like this get out. They always do.

[He grips the string and the white has a subtle kind of empty presence. One might feel it drawing on the ambient magic around it.] He also gave me this. It’s supposed to be drawn to other parts of a white tree. Including the seeds.

[fiddlestick]

[he nods]

Stuff like this has a way of causing problems whether you like to get involved or not.

[Speaking from experience. It was why the Radiant Wings wound up with so many allies from very different walks of life- it was pretty easy to agree with the notion that the end of the world would be bad for everyone]

Oh, I've used one of those before. Should be easy to use.

[justicefang]

[Shirou gathers up the stone and string. He stares at it then slips it into one palm. Should he keep hold of it?]

I'm more familiar with a compass. ...do you want to keep it with you?

[He holds his hand out to him, fingers slightly curled as if he had claws. It's a habit years and years old.]

[fiddlestick]

Sure, if that's easier I don't mind.

[He'll reach out and take the stone, noting his hand. He's polite enough not to pry in front of everyone about the odd hand position, so he just pulls away and pockets the item]

We'll have to make sure we're prepared before we go searching. I don't know anything about that side of the mountain, so who knows how long it'll take.

[justicefang]

[Shirou drops his hand once the item is taken and nods.]

And we have to be careful of the corruption. It goes without saying but I’ll say it again. We should not touch or go near the bloodstones. It was advised anyone who goes near the corpse not to linger long. He will start talking to you.

[It is not a good thing. Not at all.] ...we could mark what trails had no reaction with some kind of marker. Likewise where the corpse of Durin is.

[fiddlestick]

[He nods. All this sounds like standard procedure to him] Right. This isn't anything to take lightly.

Trail markers would be a good idea. With all the snow, things do start looking the same after awhile...it'd be better not to wind up going in circles.

[justicefang]

Sturdy markers we can easily see and possibly tied with something that blows in the wind in case of a storm.

[Standard procedure. Or at least standard in Anima city. He almost suggests something else then catches himself. This would be enough for them, right? Still.

His brow furrows then he looks up.]

We don’t have any flyers, do we?

[fiddlestick]

Right. I'll look into what we can use for those.

[Making a mental note! Maybe he should ask the Adventurer's guild. They might have some idea]

Flyers?

[justicefang]

I wouldn’t advise anyone fly here but those who can need the signs to at least catch light. Anything reflective would do.

[It doesn’t have to be colorful. Just reflective.] I can help pick it out if they have anything like that.

[fiddlestick]

Oh! You mean people can fly. [THAT MAKES SENSE] Good thinking. They should probably be colorful too, so they don't blend in with the snow...

It's fine, I'm pretty sure I can handle it. I was just going to ask the Adventurer's Guild what they use for markers, and then decide from there.

[extinctive]

The bloodstones aren't so bad.

[ local doctor chiming in, hello ]

They provide you with enough warmth to survive this climate, but you shouldn't keep them on your person for more than a day. That's when you start seeing things.

[justicefang]

[There’s a subtle relaxing of his shoulders but his eyes focus on said doctor like a wolf catching movement between the trees.]

Seeing things. What was seen at that point? [It could be how the dragon spoke.]

[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.

[justicefang]

That matches up with what he said. [Shirou says as he writes it down in his journal.]

He said it was the curse of the abyss. Does that sound familiar to you. [And even if he is suppressed by the magic of this place he absolutely can’t touch those stones anymore. The risk of what he would become is too great.] I was told they are in direct opposition to Celestia.

[extinctive]

So it all goes back to the Abyss... Yes, it does sound familiar. Abyss magic was the reason why another dragon, Dvalin, went berserk a while back. Too bad the Mages aren't so keen in revealing secrets regarding their wicked practices no matter how much you punish them.

[ and he really tried too... ]