SEPTEMBER EVENT CONCLUSIONS

[asgardmods]

Howdy howdy, guys! Here is the conclusion to the plot event as per the results of the poll and the opt-out plot for those that choose not to go! Let's jump right into it!

PLOT EVENT: Dude, Where's My Soul? ( Sept. 23-28 / Days 514-516 )

Now that the gods know their traitor was deliberately misleading them, the quest for answers has become a lot more clear. This war has been tinged with anomalies and impossibilities all the way throughout, but of one thing, the gods are certain: Thiazi has a secret weapon, and Asgard is going to steal it from her. Or rather, they're going to steal it back. An NPC will explain how.

This plot involves a trip back to Mimisbrunnr in Deep City, but we haven't been back there in over a year and things have changed in that time. There'll be some exploration, some diplomacy, and a little bit of action. There is one special thing of note: those that travel to Mimisbrunnr will get to speak directly to the Mother. More information on this in the plot description!

Day 514 ( Sept. 23/24 )

An NPC post will go up explaining the new information the gods have collected and the purpose of this mission. Any willing Travellers will be invited to go on this excursion to Deep City; as it's an allied territory, they will be able to take the train and reach the oceanside kingdom by early evening.

However, upon arrival to the native village of Salt Side, it will be immediately apparent that things on the coast are not as peaceful and calm as they once were. With the collapse of Yggdrasil, the entire worldscape has been changing, and the ocean has not been immune. From the looks of it, Salt Side was recently hit with a tsunami and the native humans and elves are only halfway through rebuilding their once boisterous community. The nearby water is still restless and overactive, lapping aggressively at the coast though it isn't threatening to overflow at the moment.

When the Lady of the Sea comes to receive the Travellers, she will be generally standoffish and cold. The mermaids believed their kingdom to be free of Ragnarok's graces, deep below the ocean surface as they are, but time has proven otherwise and they aren't pleased about it. She will warn them that the ocean is not pleased and that they must wait until morning to make their venture into Mimisbrunnr, unless they'd like to try their luck with the ocean's newfound darkness.

They'll be given food and shelter in one of the native buildings for the night, where the natives will be weary and some may even be frightened; when asked, they'll say that it isn't safe and it's best the Travellers be on with their business quickly. Curiouser and curiouser ...

Day 515 ( Sept. 25/26 )

With the sun high in the sky and bidding safer tidings, Ran will give each of the Travellers a hemp necklace that will allow them to breathe, speak, and move freely in the water. She will remind them again to tread carefully, lest they provoke the depths of the water; what exactly this means isn't clear yet, but the mermaids will not be pleasant or friendly as they guide the Travellers to the bottom of Mimisbrunnr and the entrance to the sacred cave. The impression is clear: the sooner they leave, the better.

Detailed information of what they'll see can be found here, only the serenity of the ocean floor will be lost to eerie silence and a near tangible tension. The Sea Serpent is nowhere to be seen - for now. Once inside the caves, the Travellers will feel a gradually building pressure and a distant ringing in their ears, not strong enough to be painful but distinct enough to make itself known. The air will be cold and still, and though they will be able to breathe freely, it may leave some with a vague aching - sadness, maybe, or pain.

When they reach their destination, the voice that graces them within their chests and their minds is lyrical, but no longer warm and gentle. It is cold and tired, and speaks without words:

Ask.

The Travellers will be able to ask a single question, either individually or as a group, and they will receive a single answer before the pressure will increase to near-painful and they will feel an urgent ushering to leave.

Past the cavern's entrance, the Travellers will immediately see that the ocean has violently burst into life. It has grown darker significantly, and the water stirs in small pockets of whirlpools and currents threatening to pull any that come too close into the whirlpool of Mimisbrunnr. The mermaids will be frantic, some abandoning their mission to assist the Travellers while the rest desperately work to drag them back to the surface. Those that lose their grip on the mermaids or get caught in a current will drown within seconds, so hold tight and pray for deliverance.

Closer to the surface, it will be easier to see what's causing the ocean's disturbance: the massive Sea Serpent is agitated and crashing through the waters almost haphazardly, whipping things about with its enormous tail and charging forward blindly. Anyone too close to it may be clipped and dragged back to the ocean floor with no hopes of reaching the surface. On the coast, the Travellers will find the natives and the mermaids in a panic as the waves begin to climb over Salt Side once more.

As per the player poll, the Travellers will overall pool their efforts into attempting to save the Sea Serpent from its bid for destruction. For this part of the battle, it will mostly entail trying to get everyone out of the water safely, staying on the defensive against the raging water and the haphazard lashing out of the Serpent's body, and getting all of the Travellers and natives alike to bunker down for the night. As the option was offered and quite a few were onboard for it, it might also be prudent for a few of the Travellers to attempt contacting their gods for backup! For now, though, it's best to shield yourself against the tides before attempting to wade in unprepared.

Day 516 ( Sept. 27/28 )

The Serpent's raging continues through the night, leaving the shore a mess by the time the sun rises - but reinforcements will arrive in the form of a band of human and elven natives lead by the god Jormungand. The Travellers will have to work together with each other and their allies to accomplish a single goal: chase the Sea Serpent onto the land.

They'll each be given new hemp necklaces to allow them to work underwater again, and they will have to band tightly together to keep from being swept away by the currents and the Serpent's thrashing. Those remaining on land can grab the Serpent's attention by attacking directly and pulling back to designated vantage points, where the natives will have as much rope and netting laid out to attempt a sort of capture. Jormungand will join in the fighting, donning the form of his own slightly smaller serpent, but he will need the Travellers to work with him to see this task into completion! Plotting with him can be done in the comments section below.

It'll take the better half of the day, but eventually, they will succeed in dragging the Serpent onto shore and securing it down. It will continue to thrash and struggle, but it will come accompanied with a miserable keening that couldn't be heard over the thundering of the waves during the battle. Closer inspection will show a cascade of open wounds along the Serpent's sides, burns and gashes and rocks embedded in its flesh; the changing of the ocean's surface affected all its inhabitants, not just the mermaids, and the Sea Serpent's agitation comes as a direct result of distress and pain both.

The Travellers will have to work together with the elves to heal the creature of its wounds, and throughout the process, its struggling will die down into grateful compliance. The mermaids will remind them all that the Serpent is not meant to live on land and that they must work quickly to return it to its home, so anyone not assisting in the healing process can still help out by dousing the Serpent's body in seawater to keep it cool and wet. It'll be a huge project, so work together and work fast!

By the time the sun has set, the Serpent will be nearly entirely healed, and it will take one great sweep out from under the nets ( almost as though it could have done so the entire time … ) before crashing back into the ocean and disappearing into its depths. The ocean surface will be still and tranquil for the first time in many days, and the natives will be profoundly grateful. Even the mermaids will be inspired, taking the scant few minutes they can don their human forms to thank the Travellers with elaborate jewelry made of decorative shells and precious gems, all strung together with the same hemp that allowed them free movement beneath the water. These gifts won't work in the same manner, but they will protect them from being soaked in rain or flooding, making them a useful piece of armour to have on hand during times of need.

Ran will give the Travellers her final thanks and tell Jormungand to inform the King of the Mermaids' full alliance with Asgard; as they have shown mercy and respect for the ocean and her children, when the time comes, they will gladly fight beside the gods and their Travellers.

OPT-OUT EVENT: Dream a Little Dream ( Sept. 25-26 / Day 515 )

For those that choose to remain in Asgard rather than joining in on the seaside quest, the city will still be hard at work attempting to coordinate for the upcoming battle. Along with the assistance of Baldr and Loki, the Travellers have begun work on demolishing the ice blockade between Asgard and Utgard. This is important work that will help reopen a major trade route and the biggest cause of the recent supply shortage. Any free hands should consider joining in, either by assisting in the demolition itself or in collecting any stray fragments of the ice for disposal.

This ice is dangerous, though, as Asgard well knows by now, and something strange will happen halfway through the clearing.

Day 515 ( Sept. 25/26 )

Progress through the ice blockade will be slow and narrow, as they can't possibly hope to clear the entirety of the forest that has been buried under Thiazi's black ice. Now that they know the source of her magic's corruption, it might not come as a great surprise when cracking open the ice unleashes a strange burst of magic.

At the halfway point between Utgard and Asgard, a pulse of energy will move through the entire city, immediately putting every mortal it touches to sleep. This part of the curse is mandatory and your character must fall asleep; the dream effects of it are not mandatory, and can be played with at your discretion. During this first wave, Travellers will be granted a brief dream - that does not belong to them. They will see, from the dreamer's point of view, every hope and goal and aspiration that the dreamer wishes to complete before the end of days. Whether it's simply confessing their love to an old friend or saving their home planet or perfecting an Asgardian pie, your character will see someone else's ideal resolution before Ragnarok. More on plotting this below!

Upon waking, the Travellers will be plagued with the indistinct whispering of several voices overlapping one another and a slight headache. Both symptoms will gradually increase over time until it reaches incapacitating pain and nausea. The only way to assuage the symptoms is to find the owner of the dream and either maintain physical contact for an hour or discuss the subject of the dream until a full confession has been made. After that, the symptoms will fade and the Travellers will be free to carry on with their day.

There will be other pulses of magic at random throughout the day; these are not mandatory and you can feel free to have your character experience as many or as few dreams as you wish. All dream-sharing will cease by the end of the day, as the blockade progresses past that centre-point of magic.

PLOT NOTES

• The unconsciousness that comes with the first wave is mandatory for all characters within Asgard.
• After that, you can have your character dream as many or as few times as you wish.
• These dreams are meant to be ideal resolutions, meaning anything the character wishes to fulfil before the apocalypse. This means they should be mostly positive, unless your characters ultimate dream is to drown a basket of kittens, in which case, get thee to a nunnery. :(b
• If your character will be sharing their dreams with multiple people, they don't all have to see the same dream! If your character has several different things they want to accomplish before the end, the affected Travellers could see one or all of those things at your discretion.
• Dream-sharing doesn't have to be unilateral! This means that Character A can see Character B's dream at the same time Character B is seeing Character A's dream or Character A can see Character B's dream, and Character B could see Character C's dream, etc etc. This is entirely up to you. As your characters seek each other out, they might end up with some group therapy!
• You can plot with each other for who will see whose dreams, but we will also be hosting random dream-share partner sign-ups. Comment below if you'd like to participate; sign-ups will be closed on Sept. 24 at 11:59PM CST, at which point we will send out partner assignments before the event begins.

And as one last reminder, please vote in this poll to let us know how you want us to set up event logs!

That'll wrap up our month! Please use this post to plot with each other and let us know if you have any questions!

Comments

MOD QUESTIONS: MISCELLANEOUS

[asgardmods]

Re: MOD QUESTIONS: MISCELLANEOUS

[5thchild]

I'm thinking of killing off Kaworu during the serpent fight, but I'm pretty sure he already died enough times to suffer the death consequence (I... may have forgotten it last time /cries deeply).

In any case, how does that work exactly? Do the mods choose the consequence? And I'm guessing it's something the character will be stuck with permanently, right?

[robosnack]

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but will there be an event log posted for the opt-out event as well? Or is it all you have to find people to tag with ooc and do your own thing?

MOD QUESTIONS: DUDE, WHERE'S MY SOUL?

[asgardmods]

[sings_of_death]

Is Day 515 when Zero would be giving her report to Odin? Also, would I just reply to that particular thread or will there be something separate?

Re: MOD QUESTIONS: DUDE, WHERE'S MY SOUL?

[not_sasuke]

Would it be at all possible for Yuusuke to continue his nosy asshole tradition and ask something like "What is Thiazi planning to do to us next?" or something otherwise to that effect?

[abhero]

Can characters ask a question about their own worlds? Hamel, being a self centered ass, is likely to assume other people will talk about Thiazi/Ragnarok/etc so he might as well ask something for himself.

/forever late

[bythewaves]

....Mags is going to sing lullabies to the Serpant, can he use influence on it at all?

MOD QUESTIONS: DREAM A LITTLE DREAM

[asgardmods]

[selfmadman]

This is kind of dumb and nitpicky, but: will there be some indication that the characters are...uh, on the right track when they first touch or start discussing their dreams? Will the pain start to fade right then?

AND THIS IS JUST DUMB BUT: will the magic have any effect on the dragons/reinhares?

[robosnack]

Just to clarify, are the dreams things that the characters wish to accomplish in Asgard before Ragnarok, or can they include things they wish to do in their own world as well?

Thanks!

DREAM A LITTLE DREAM: RANDOM PARTNER SIGN-UPS

[asgardmods]

Comment here if you'd like to enter the pool for a random dream-sharing partner! We'll only do single rolls for convenience's sake, but you can still feel free to plot with as many other people as you'd like. These dream-shares can happen either with the first wave or at any other point during the curse.

Please fill out the form below to sign-up! Sign-ups will close at Sept. 24 at 11:59PM CST, at which point we'll send out partner assignments!

<b>Name</b>: YOUR NAME <b>Character</b>: CHARACTER'S NAME ( <user name="USERNAME"> ) <b>Canon</b>: CHARACTER'S CANON <b>Dream</b>: Give us a brief description of what your partner would see in their dream! This can be as detailed or as simple as you'd like; we'll let you know who receives your dream so you can plot things further! <b>Unilateral or Random</b>: UNILATERAL / RANDOM / EITHER. This is to let us know if you'd only like to swap back and forth with your partner, or if you'd like to share the dream with one character and receive a different character's dream. If you don't care either way, we'll just slot you in where there's room!

[splendid_solitude]

Name: Penbun
Character: Asuka Langley Shikinami( splendid_solitude )
Canon: Rebuild of Evangelion
Dream: Asuka's one real dream is to save her world and crush NERV once and for all.
Unilateral or Random: UNILATERAL

[made_4_ritsuka]

Name: Aris
Character: Yuiko Hawatari ( made_4_ritsuka )
Canon: Loveless
Dream: A very adult Yuiko working in a daycare helping to teach younger children, on her desk will be several pictures of her and Ritsuka and few group shots of them with the rest of her friends like Yayoi, Natsuo, & Youji
Unilateral or Random: Either.

[saving_sound]

Name: Dani
Character: Hibiki ( saving_sound )
Canon: Hibiki's Magic
Dream: Seeing her loved ones back home, thanking her for helping to find a source of magic that needs no sacrifice.
Unilateral or Random: UNILATERAL

[intelligently]

Name: Kerry
Character: Lydia Martin ( intelliently )
Canon: Teen Wolf
Dream: To save someone's life. Get her banshee powers in better order to save someone in lots of time and be successful
Unilateral or Random: RANDOM!!

[windbreak]

Name: skarme
Character: Yosuke Hanamura ( windbreak )
Canon: Persona 4
Dream: Hanging out with his quirky high school BFFs on a perfectly crisp spring morning in their rural hometown. The scene that will leave the biggest impression is the whole gang sharing snacks around a food court table, chatting excitedly about the seniors' future plans now that they're graduating and the town is peaceful for good - Yosuke in particular is both nervous and incredibly fired up about moving abroad - but knowing they'll all stay in touch no matter what. Other flashes of similarly normal teenage timewasting with the same group of friends are possible too c:
Unilateral or Random: Either!

[brainiest]

Name: Rachel
Character: Hermione Granger ( brainiest )
Canon: Harry Potter
Dream: Hermione wants her friends to be happy first and foremost; she'll be dreaming of them coming out of the war, here and in her own world, whole and content and without too many bumps and bruises along the way. Other than that it will be herself, in the realms of the Ministry, fighting for the rights of "magical creatures"; house elves, werewolves, vampires, etc. Her true happiness is, fundamentally, the happiness of everyone she cares about!
Unilateral or Random: Either!

oh, god, whyyyyyyyy!?!

[alternia_strength]

Name: Latroma
Character: Equius Zahhak ( alternia_strength )
Canon: Homestuck
Dream:
-He has a dream of making the Aradiabot in his basement come to life again, fully aware and making out with it.
-He has another dream of building howitzer artillery batteries and raining death with them and explosive ballista down, laughing maniacally as thousands of trained archers make the sky black with arrows over the giant horde.
-He has still another dream of beating Irene Adler at chess. This dream may... or may not end with him making out with her on top of the chess board, depending on your player's comfort with that thought.
-He dreams of upgrading the robot Kaworu pilots and riding it as it destroys their enemies, right before he... you guessed it, makes out with Kaworu in the cockpit. (no, seriously, he's a creepy pervert. Did we forget this?)

Unilateral or Random: Either!

Note: Due to the third dream being possibly triggery, there's a non-triggery version of it, and people may contact me to decide which or how many of the dreams they see. He's got lots of plans.

[primafamiglia]

Name: Bix
Character: Giovanni Auditore ( primafamiglia )
Canon: Assassin's Creed
Dream: Giovanni just wants his family back home to be safe and happy; to hold Maria and get old with her, watching their kids grow up. Spoilers: not gonna happen
Unilateral or Random: Either!

[selfmadman]

Name: Carolyn
Character: Don Draper ( selfmadman )
Canon: Mad Men
Dream: This list is huge (...and contradictory in places), so feel free to pick a few and then hit me up and I'll either provide more detail or write something out for you (I love this kind of shit). Don would like to: drive a car, see the ocean, go to a country he's never been to, spend a day writing copy, refuse a drink, send the children in Asgard back home, watch a movie in the theater, open a fresh pack of Lucky Strikes, answer to his real name, hear someone say she loves him, feel good about what he does for a living, see his kids grow up, be told it'll all be okay, have sex with a woman he'll never see again, have a kid with his wife, drink himself into oblivion, live to see another summer, die without coming back.

Unilateral or Random: Unilateral if possible, otherwise whatever's easiest.

FOR PLOTTING WITH JORMUNGAND

[asgardsfangs]

[yggdrasilssea]

I request a Jormungand tag, if you would be so kind. 8)

FOR PLOTTING WITH RAN

[yggdrasilssea]

Re: FOR PLOTTING WITH RAN

[samantha_grey]

So... Sam will end up dying in the work to save the serpent. Question is, will there be a chance for these two to speak, complete with lovely lovely tension, beforehand?

And related: Maybe a talk over the network on her inbox afterwards.

FOR PLOTTING MIMISBRUNNR QUESTIONS

[asgardsfates]

Robb / Bucky

[needsnoheadsman]

Yeah okay, change of plans for Robb: he's staying behind, what a dumb, did you oversleep and miss your train is that it. SO BASICALLY he will be staying for dream sharing! His dreams are fairly simple--he just wants his family all back together. So whoever ends up with him gets, like, dreams of domesticity and Starks in either Asgard or, and this is a pipe dream of his, Winterfell. Most likely the former rather than the latter. Jeyne Westerling might show up, but feel free to notice that when compared to the rest of the Starks her features are hazy and vague. Dying sucks, man.

Bucky is headed to Mimisbrunnr! Probably. But yeah, if he does come along count on him to help out by evacuating civilians and also helping incapacitate the sea serpent. Except it's big and he's tiny and all he has are a few knives and some guns.