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stellafortunalogs2021-05-01 11:05 am
stellafortunamods) wrote in stellafortunalogs2021-05-01 11:05 am
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.
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They must have known that, though, but instead, they just sat around praying until the very end...
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Zhongli told me that in Vindagnyr's time, Celestia had a much more direct presence in the people's lives. I imagine that led to the people becoming over-reliant on them. Their society grew because of their gods constant presence.
So when Celestia choose to condemn them ... they probably didn't know how to fend for themselves. Like small children abandoned by their caretakers, all they could think to do was beg for them to come back.
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(Speaking from his own experience.)
A god that would just abandon people who rely on them on a whim, though. I'd say everyone would be better off without them but looking at what happened here...
(It's more than that. The world is better off without the whole rotten system sometimes.)
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It's hard to say. The relationship between humans and gods by its very nature is ... complicated, to say the least. No system a god chooses will be without its flaws.
[An ever present god might cause over-reliance, while a distant god may cause feelings of abandonment and resentment. If there was a system that worked perfectly, Jun's never heard of it]
...If you ask me, Celestia is insane and as cruel as any demon. [He'd been leaning that way for awhile, but the sight they saw solidified that opinion further.] But... I still don't like the idea of outsiders deciding this world's future.
[None of them would have to live with the consequences of what they do here, and there'll be consequences for sure. It should be the Teyvat people deciding if they want to deal with that]
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I agree.
(Celestia is definitely a problem if they believe everything they know about the village. )
It's not that I'm against stopping Celestia and helping this world but it doesn't feel right that we're the ones making the decision. I don't like that we're doing it because another god is leading us in that direction, either...
But this is their world and the people here should be the ones who decide what they want for their future... not a bunch of outsiders that are going to leave as soon as the job is done.
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I'm relieved to hear you say that.
[He means that truly. As different as some of their viewpoints may be, he really did respect Claude's opinion. And Jun was still pretty new to forming his own opinions, so it feel nice to have someone agree]
I did bring it up. [To Zhongli, but eh. Details] Forneus is trying to see what he can do without Celestia noticing. Though I don't know how that'll turn out.
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And if we can't get the people on our side first? What then?
(A question for Jun,)
... Personally, I'm not against carrying on without support. It wouldn't be my first time doing something people didn't know about; or even something that was unpopular.
But at least back home, it's well... My home too.
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I'm no stranger to having a bad reputation. Seal Knights aren't exactly popular back home among the Underground.
[To Say The Least. ]
If we can't get a clear indication from the people what's best for them, we're left with no choice but to follow our own beliefs and pray they're substantial ones. So long as I can see that this course is really in the best interest of the Teyvat people, I'll continue upholding my contract to Forneus.
[He pauses, before adding]
...If nothing else, Zhongli seems willing to go along with this plan. And even if I don't fully trust Forneus, I can't see Zhongli ever agreeing to something that'd be harmful to Liyue. He loves that country more than anything.
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(He could see Jun fitting right in at Garreg Mach. Maybe he'd train to join the Knights of Seiros? )
There's still a lot we don't know and we should probably figure that out before we really go running into things. What exactly happens if we get rid of Celestia, for example? And who's going to stick around and lead everyone when they're really going to need a leader...
(Maybe it sounds like he's thought of this before because he's able to just rattle things off without much extra thought,)
I'm not sticking around here, as much as I'd like to see more... I've got my own world to change back home.
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I don't know...it's been hard enough being without internet and anime for this long while we're here. Can't imagine doing it longer...
[He says it as a joke. He spent most of his life without those things. But he knows as soon as this mission is done, it's back to Earth. He had his duties and he wanted to see Morimiya again, at least one more time.]
...Seems you've given this a lot of thought. [Jun's done the same, but it sounds like Claude might be more politically minded about it. Which made sense, Jun's understanding of government was pretty basic]
But I agree. We need more information on the people of Teyvat. Forneus's plan entails us traveling, so maybe that can give us a good chance to assess things. We can't hold a public election over what to do about Celestia, but maybe we can figure out if the people are ready for the change.
...There isn't an easy choice in this, so I think it's alright if we take our time deciding.
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(Because they're fr...iends........... Friends teach friends how to have fun, right? RIGHT??? Ah but back to the meet of the conversation,)
Hmm... I've been thinking about it for a while. Long before I ever came to Teyvat. (And he shrugs,) Elections are complicated, especially when it comes to changing from an old system to something new. The people already in power aren't going to want to give up what they have, you know? But they might not be the best ones to leave in power...
(How do the governments in Teyvat even work? THING TO HARASS ZHONGLI ABOUT LATER TBH.)
Regardless, we aren't going to change the world or find a great leader overnight.
(So yeah, they can take their time. For now.)
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The kid is easy to please ok.
And...Jun doesn't know much about politics or leadership, so he'll make an "mmm" sound in agreement because what Claude says SOUNDS pretty right to what little knowledge he did have. Though his reason for dismissing elections is a little different]
Mm...and I'd imagine Celestia would crush us if we held an open vote to get rid of them.
[SO YOU KNOW- there's that very real risk too. Still, they're in agreement, gotta keep their eyes on humanity and judge from there]
Yeah, Rome wasn't built in a day. [...] Though, did you say you're planning to change your world after you get home?
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...
(He glances at Jun and seems to really think about if he wants to answer that or not. Like, he really thinks about it before turning away, tilting his head up at the sky and replying,)
Yeah. Back home... I wouldn't say things are a mess, at least, they weren't before. (Now there's war.) Everything's stagnated and become the same old, same old. Nothing's getting better and nothing seems to be getting worse, at least, on the surface. Sinc everything looks okay, there's no reason for anything to change... ever.
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He's probably dodging because it involves the church, so he'll leave that there.]
...But you think things can get better, if the system changes.
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(He says it simply, even if he knows there's more to it than that,)
Imagine a world where your success isn't determined by birth. What if there was a world where everyone could be anything? A commoner could become a holy knight or even their captain. A merchant can join a nation's council. If a leader is poor at their job, someone better could take it. What if libraries could be filled with all of the books in the world instead of just the ones that are allowed?
(Hello, welcome to Claude's world.)
Imagine a world that could grow and be anything instead of small and stuck behind a bunch of walls?
(He might be lighting up the more he speaks; it's clearly something he's very passionate about.)
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...Haha, sounds like you're the one who should visit my world instead.
[With ideals like that, he's sure Claude would love Earth. But he doesn't mean it too seriously, he can understand that Claude wants to return to his home to fix things. And with dreamers like Claude pushing forward, maybe it could catch up to Earth one day]
A world like this is nice to live in. [Earth had problems, for sure, but it was a good world] I pray you're able to cause the change that allows Fodlan to be like that too.
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(To see where they're from. It's definitely... an experience to be invited to things when most people would leave him out.)
I appreciate it. (He might not be a believer but he'll never throw away someone's good wishes.) I might have to take care of other things first but I promise, I'll make it happen.
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[Sure he doesn't know how long he'll be stationed there, but it's the thought that counts!!]