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

npc interaction toplevel

[stellafortunamods]

As of October, Forneus' office can now also be accessed from Second Camp. The interior of his office is also more normal-looking, if you excuse the fact that the windows open out to an expanse of pure white space. Once again, the screens show textwalls in an illegible language, though the cupboards and fridge are stocked with edible snacks.

[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.

[bowfaire]

Entombed City

(Claude shivers, pulling his cloak tighter around him and stepping through the snow. He'll save his complaints for when they aren't in a ghost town of a city. Once he finds his first body, he begins to piece together what happened and what he can expect from here. He lets the gravity settle on him like a heavy weight and looks back out the decrepit window to the rest of the city. He doesn't recall seeing signs of anyone else being around before they arrived and yet, the coverings over the bodies and the flowers suggest...)

Someone was here before...

(After everyone died but before they ever came. However long ago that way.)

The Temple

(He's after information and the temple(?) up ahead seems like the most important place in the city. He ignores the cold and presses forward and when he comes to the entrance doors, he stops. He isn't really suer what to expect once he goes inside.

But he won't know until he sees for himself, right? Presumably, you've come up with him but if you're just now arriving, he'll put his hand on the door and look back,)

No telling what's inside... Give me a hand?

(Pushing the door open?)

Wildcard

Wildcard

(Choose your own adventure. You can reach me on plurk eski, discord (eski#9874), or check out my plotting comment. )

[nefilim]

[It's a quiet, peaceful afternoon in Forneus' office.

And it's promptly ruined by a storm of anger and distress in the form of one Anastasia who bursts in, slamming the door open. He isn't to blame for what they saw, but that doesn't mean she'll be reasonable about this.]

What the actual fuck is all of this, Forneus?!

[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.

[stellafortunamods]

[ Poor Forneus, just minding his own business looking over data. He quickly raises his arms in a sign of surrender ]

Whoa, whoa, whoa there young lady! I'm gonna have to ask you to be more specific.

[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.

[cranelike]

(Vindagnyr. He commits it to memory and takes it to heart, the same way he does during all of his journeys into the past,)

Do you know anything else?

(He's listening... and not much else. He's rooted to the same spot, not really moving or doing much of anything right now.)

[whiteshroud]

[he gives a slide nod, hard to see with that hood on.]

They were killed by Celestia. Their "crime" was using forbidden technology, allegedly. The mountain has been a frozen wasteland ever since.

[So you know, the gods are just full on crazy here.]

entombed city

[pragmatism]

Indeed.

[ Zhongli is not dressed heavily, unlike Claude... unlike most of the Travelers. Strange. ]

Someone was kind enough to perform rites for these people.

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]

(That gets him to react a little more, this time, glancing back and tilting his head curiously over in Jun's direction.)

Killed by Celestia?

(He doesn't sound too certain,)

Did Celestia come into their homes and put them down?

[bowfaire]

I wonder where they went.

(He looks back at Zhongli,)

Did you know about this place?

(He is, after all, from this world.)

[nefilim]

You knew what was up here! And you didn't warn any of us!

[It would be more potent if they found it themselves, yes, but that's not the point!!!]

And where were you when this happened!?

[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.

[stellafortunamods]

I was in the interdimensional void doing time maintenance.

[ It's true!!! ]

You didn't ask, so I thought you wanted the surprise.

[whiteshroud]

[He shakes his head, then looks around at the frozen scenery. No, not quite.]

This mountain would be considered a foothill compared to the Himalayas, and yet the entire thing from the base to the peak is trapped in an endless freeze like it's Everest itself. What more, these people froze to death. The climate change happened so quickly, they had no chance to adapt or move on, as humans are prone to do.

Do you think that's the work of anything natural?

[nefilim]

Time - [Huh???]

Time maintenance? No, whatever, that's not - [Deep breaths, Ana, deep breaths.]

The... surprise? What the hell would make you think anyone would want the surprise of something like this?

[stellafortunamods]

Well, I don't know. You didn't tell me to tell you, and I did say this place would demonstrate Celestia's cruelty to you.

[ vague handwavy time god motions ]

[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?

[nefilim]

It's a mountain full of corpses, and you didn't think it warranted any warning. Any at all.

[There's a number of ways to respond to this. Many things a rational, calm person would do. But Ana is neither of those things right now.

So she decides to storm closer, rearing her fist back to aim it right towards his face.]

[stellafortunamods]

[ To his credit, Forneus doesn't flinch. He just stands there as Ana punches him in the face... through his face. There's a clear, gaping hole where her fist went through, but there's no blood or gruesome innards that one might expect from smashing another's skull in.

Of course. Gods don't have skulls. Gods don't have organs... ]

[nefilim]

[There's no resistance, no feeling of flesh and bone, no... anything. Her fist goes right through his head, and she flinches back as if she's the one been hit.

And just like that, her anger evaporates; instead replaced with shock and confusion.]

What? You aren't... solid?

[cranelike]

(He follows Jun's gaze, looking around them,)

I wonder... What I think, what I think...

(He hums to himself. As ever, he keeps most of his comments to himself, preferring to listen and observe as he's done before. He has his own thoughts, questions he'd like to ask, answers he would like to find, and maybe this would be easier if was more direct but he isn't.

Instead, he raises a finger to his lips in a shushing motion,)

It isn't my place to say. And if it was, this wouldn't be the place.