Luthien's suggestion was one she took in earnest, the animals now seeming more docile than when she had first met them, and thus, probably willing to accept pets from overenthusiastic travelers.
Another passenger aboard this... sleigh train was none other than the Beastfolk who had kept a cool head above his shoulders, a trait none shared throughout the vents that preceded the assault on Camp Hope.
Staring at a reindeer who was doing quite the same, Rael observed the interaction, eyes darting back and forth between the two as if wondering about the Beastfolk having an innate ability to communicate with animals without the usage of words.
"I think it was a pet...? You should try it."
Without a forewarning of sorts, she tugged at the cuff of his sleeve and brought his hand closer to the reindeer, Rael herself doing the same on the opposite end of him.
But @Rael was already pulling his hand towards the giant reindeer before he could muster any resistance. His hand impacted the snow-dusted reindeer with a soft paft. He could feel the wiry hair, even through his gloves, and the musky smell was pretty bad...
Other than another snort from the reindeer, the sort that carried the vibe of "It's about time", there was no particular reaction from either of them. Ash stared blankly, then looked over to Rael. "...well, it's certainly a reindeer."
▣ Attire: He's got a hat now.
▣ Action: Socializing
▣ Travel Progress: 128
A shiver ran along her spine when she noticed her kidnapper - that damn reindeer - staring at her. It's eyes drilled into her and made her blood run cold. Animals in Terrasphere had a personal vendetta against her.
However, before the train departed, the lead reindeer appeared to want a "truce". Or to eat her. Considering the circumstances, it was probably the latter but.. those big brown eyes drew her in.
"This better not be a trick.."
she muttered as she reached for the reindeer that invited her to.. Well, she wasn't exactly sure.
after roll
The fear of the almighty gods - the almighty gods of Christmas had been thoroughly instilled in her head. Yet, for some stupid reason, she trusted the reindeer. His antlers gently scooped her up and tossed her on the magnificent animal's back. He seemed to be.. apologetic? Perhaps he didn't agree with his comrades.
"Holy sh- night. You're letting me ride you.. and not via impaling me with your antlers. A Christmas miracle."
A childish light danced in her eyes, a toothy grin reaching from ear to ear, as she waved excitedly at @Nai and mouthed, "look at me! look at me!" to the stranger.
Attire: Over-sized, baggy (ugliest/cringiest) Christmas sweater. Jeans. Holiday socks with festive lights that poke out of otherwise stylish boots. Traveling Progress: 138
There was not a lot she could do. Other people were much more specialized in what they did, so she did what she could do best; chilling and letting the adventurers do the jobs. As Eva was walking around enjoying the snowy scenery, @Nai came and presented refreshments. "Ah, thank you." She took a cup of what appeared to be tea, but with questionable multiple colors.
Upon drinking it, the woman showed no extreme reaction other than trying to feel her tongue (if it was still there) and looking at the blonde beastfolk with a confused face. "It's an... intriguing taste," was her only comment, which must have been a total understatement for how fucked up that drink was, looking straight like nuclear waste.
As the fungal fiasco subsided, Schilva decided that he'd had enough of this embarrassing treatment of someone of his status, hopping sleighs towards the front with little regard for seating constraints. Leaping the distances between each sleigh with increasing momentum, the fear of slipping and falling didn't once cross his fuming mind as he bounced like a deranged hedgehog from one train-car to the other.
Flitting past passengers, gifts and goods, Schilva was going to protest for a seat at the very front of the train from anyone who would listen, or failing that at least secure somewhere that wouldn't destroy his posture for the rest of the trip.
With a wriggling bag of captured fungal creatures held high, he stopped, huffing and puffing, among those in charge of the trip; Childress, Kiryuu, Uzuna and Zeuster Claus himself (@Raid Boss).
Listen thee all! If it weren't for my valiant capture of these vile little mushroom things at the back of the sleigh-train, we'd all go hungry for the rest of the trip; I demand a seat up front be freed up, tis only fair to my merit!
▣ Attire: A thick navy overcoat over his usual robes with a fluffy collar and clumsily stitched Christmas-palette scarf
▣ Action: Socialise
▣ Preparation Progress: 155
It was just as well that @Nai had a firm grip and a steady hand, as one wrong move or flinch could have cost her a finger joint from Ludmilla's jaws clicking shut, sharply shearing the treat off at its stub.
Licking her lips, Ludmilla expectantly braces for the surge of caffeinated energy to hit, but after a moment of doubt is slammed with something different, something far stronger than even she could claim to have expected. The effect is immediate, her pupils contracting to but points before dilating to almost fill their concentric irises.
She tries to speak, but no voice comes out. Instead, a breath reminiscent of a dense, solid mist rolls from her open mouth, a squeal like a shrilling kettle pouring out with it. Ludmilla could not stand still, would not stand still, felt like she could run around for hours, days, weeks, forever, WHEEEEEEEEE!!!
When she was finally put into her seat upon the sleigh train, it was very nearly in restraints, but the time and exertion it took for Kiryuu to chase her several laps around the area had helped Ludmilla come off her high enough to only be constantly jittering and lightly foaming at the mouth as she awaited departure.
Eventually falling into a long dreamless slumber after a metabolic crash answered her previous exertions (enabled by a certain Beastfolk), Ludmilla awoke to find the journey still underway. Though it was a shame to have missed some of the scenery in her sleep, now was as good of a time as any to sit quietly and enjoy the passing sights. Not much else of note occurs in the next couple of days, the Faerin observing the changes to the lands below impassively, watching snow fall.
In time, the great fungal jungle of Islus transformed by frost passed beneath them. When the outbreak of stowaways occurred, she treated herself to a nice snack; in the ensuing chaos, she managed to get away with eating the few that she could get her hands on. Nobody would miss those.
It seemed that Nai, who was in the next sleigh over, was also thinking similarly. The smells of brewing and cooking reached Ludmilla, who stuck her nose in the air and took in a deep, cold breath. Clambering to the edge of her assigned sleigh, she peeks over at the goat-woman dishing up their goods and feels her mouth water immediately.
When the Travelers who were offered these refreshments refused them tactfully or else looked as though they didn't particularly enjoy it, Ludmilla pouted at their waste of good food and stuck her hands over the gap to catch Nai's attention.
Me, me! I wanna try some! If they won't have it, I will! Pretty please? Promise I'll eat it all!
▣ Attire: A laurel of holly on her beret and a set of small bells cinching her collar in addition to her usual outfit
▣ Action: Socialise
▣ Preparation Progress: 158
100 / 100 85 / 115 Scene: Traveling Isulus - Night "That was three days ago," Nai responded flatly. But she wasn't going to force @Erick Stryker to drink it, just point out that he ought to work better on his lies. @Eva was more willing to oblige anyhow, the Magia absolutely befuddled by what she had just experienced. That was fine, however. The point of the brew wasn't to maximize its tastes, but rather its effects, and as the fungi-juice dripped its way into the mechanical organs that made up the machine-woman, she would feel something.
Something that had not only robbed her of her sense of taste, but also scrambled her other senses too. Her eyes saw sounds, her ears understood light, and her nose appreciated the textures of aromas. Drug-induced synesthesia sank deep into the steel framework, rendering a world psychedelic and yet wholly rational.
Of course, it wasn't as if Nai had known beforehand that such results would come from preparing the fungi in such a manner, so when @Ludmilla Orphys showed up, eager for another bite, the GOAT obliged, handing over both the julienned fungi salad and the [REDACTED] to her Faerin acquaintance. "Share some with @Aerial over there as well," she spoke. "Pretty cold out there, even if she's having fun."
They had no warm home awaiting them, thus caution was necessary.
"It's so good to see you both again! Thank you, ah, excuse me, I'll just... grab a seat." "Ah, Rael. Good to see you again," the raven-haired man as the pink-haired elf sat down in their cart, alongside a familiar redhead. "Zel, long time no see." It had been a long time since the two had last seen each other. And boy was Yu glad that the man was a walking space heater.
Where Luth found success, Yugam found only failure. And pain. And reindeer saliva. As the man held out his hand with his sacrificial offering to the reindeer, the beast approached closer to him slowly, sniffing at the mushroom in his hand curiously. Gently, it nudged it with it's cold, wet snout before opening it mouth up wide and...
GLOMP!
"Hey, hey, hey! The mushroom, not my whole hand! Let go! Rael, gimme a hand here!" the Hunter exclaimed half his arm disappeared into the reindeer's mouth. Yugam pushed with his whole body, trying to free himself from the reindeer's maw, only to suddenly pop free and land on the snowy ground with a thud.
"Yuuu…! I'm petting him, I'm really petting him!"
The man's Santa hat landed upside down on his face as Luthien's whispered call reached his ears. His head turned in the general direction of her voice, his vision blocked by a fluffy red mass. "That's great, babe, I'm so happy for you," he deadpanned.
Kamala looked on in amazement as @Ayna Nietzsche and @Chrys took out the rest of the tiny fungal devils in their car! She had been worried for nothing, it seemed, which wasn't really anything out of the blue. Although she was more carefree in the real world, outside of the game, she noticed things changed a bit after she started playing. Or more believably, after her first death. It seemed that after her brutal death, alone and separated from her friends, she started to be more paranoid, more worried than ever, especially regarding her friends' safety.
Shaking all those negative thoughts off of her head, though, she began to prepare some refreshments for them. Kamala used her Nature Magic to make some healthy snacks, this game's version of pita pockets, and even added a little something that would make them feel warm and good, courtesy of her Spirit Magic. With a wide grin filled with excitement, she scrambled to share them with her friends and everyone else in their car, only to realize Chrys was already sleeping. I'll save some for him so he can get a good meal when he wakes up.
"Here, Ayna! Have some! They're fresh and warm!"
▣ Attire: Kamala with a Wintersday hat
▣ Action: Provide Refreshments (Food and Drink)
▣ Fungi Caught: 30/30
▣ Travel Progress: 182
While salad and...whatever that third dish was...couldn't exactly be called festive food, Ludmilla was more than happy to share in the festive spirit. Sure, she was hungry for new sensations herself, but she was also curious as to how the body of one not accustomed to such exotic cuisine would react.
Graciously accepting @Nai's errand, Ludmilla takes the foods into her UI inventory and throws back a bright grin.
Okaaay, I can share, it's Wintersday after all! Blue lady!
Bounding away to find @Aerial, Ludmilla was already entertaining herself with hypotheses of how such substances would wreak havoc on the human body. While she herself was talentless in toxin and poison synthesis herself, lacking the prerequisite masteries for such, her tamed beasts were able to produce some; perhaps with the right aide, a mutually beneficial relationship...
Hi blue lady! Nai has a thing for you! Here, we go halfsies!
Being unwittingly vague upon arrival, Ludmilla presents the gifts from Nai without mincing words. Proffering up the salad with one hand and something that defied culinary definition with the other, she waits expectantly for Aerial to get off their high deer and try some before doing so herself.
▣ Attire: A laurel of holly on her beret and a set of small bells cinching her collar in addition to her usual outfit
▣ Action: Socialise
▣ Preparation Progress: 186
Erick was usually pretty good at hiding his true feelings, but with food like what had been offered he did not attempt to argue with the woman's reminder of how long it had been since they had eaten properly. He offered a polite shrug and smile, then returned to maintaining the boundary he'd created to ward off the cold.
He was surrounded now by the likes of Zelrius, Rael, and Ash Vargold, but also @Luthien and @Yugam as they conversed. Erick, being polite, made no attempt to interrupt their conversations, instead taking a seat and nodding off to keep his spirits and his energy up for the next leg of their journey.
"Wake me up when we stop," he said to no one in particular.
Chrys' dreams were unexpectedly quite wholesome. While those who knew him in the game would expect his dreams to exaggerate the wishes of his greed, and those who knew him in real life would no doubt expect more of his sleazy lifestyle to become magnified by thousands, none would ever expect Chrys to dream so contentedly about...dogs.
Puppies, to be more precise. In his head's imaginarium, where Morpheus himself has bequeathed him a small portion of his realm, Chrys was lying on the floor of his L.A. apartment, grinning from ear to ear, as ten or maybe even twenty puppies of different breeds flooded him, licking his face and barking at anything and everything. He could feel his heart getting bigger by the second as he laughed and laughed and laughed.
That was until his nose woke him up, having taken a whiff of Kamala's freshly made pita pockets.
"Oh, are these for me? Thank you, Kamala!"
Chrys wasted no time in savoring his meal, having needed to replenish his hunger meter anyway after dealing with those small miscreants from before. Satiated by the delicious morsel, he gave Kamala an appreciative nod.
▣ Attire: Bargain Bin Santa
▣ Action: Socializing
▣ Fungi Caught: 30/30
▣ Travel Progress: 194
When the sleigh train was coming to a full stop at the nomad camp, you saw Feodan waving at you while surrounded by a bunch of fur-clad faerins looking curiously at you and the rest of the entourage. The way they looked at you was akin to children seeing animals at the zoo for the first time, which made sense... considering that they don't really stray far from Zalra.
The nomad camp was surrounded by half-crystalized trees that bore normal-looking fruits. Even from a distance, you can see children climbing up the branches to retrieve the fruits barehanded. It was rather brazen knowing how Zalrisis worked. But, a more careful look at the hills, the tents, and the abundance of non-crystalized beasts in the area suggested that the thick layer of snow covering everything provided some level of safety. So much so that the tents from which smoke where furrowing up to the sky did not have any kind of security whatsoever, though you weren't exactly sure why that was the case. It was really the first time such a big group of starcalled had made contact with one of the Crystal Nomad clans.
Uzuna was the first to hop off the train to run to her family, hoping to introduce her community to the funny foreigners, only to receive a direct shot to the face by a snowball that immediately brought her down.
SNOWBALL FIGHT!
That was when all hell broke loose as a bunch of faerin children stormed out from behind Feodan and began barraging the sleigh train with snowballs. Anyone caught in the crossfire would have been caked in snow in the no man's land.
Kiryuu, you're with Team Green! Come to me and don't get hit! Red will score points off of you. Everyone else, grab a colored band and get together with your team. The children of the Uwuru Clan have initiated their yearly snowball fight. As guests, who are imposing on their goodwill, we must repay their gratitude with a hearty competition!
Oy, you could have told me earlier! Ou-ouch, wait, you cheating bastards, I haven't even grab my band yet, stop throwing snowballs at me!
· - · ❄ · - ·
You hear that, old man? Hatboy and the mountain is challenging US to a snowball fight. Are you going to be able to step up to the plate with one one arm? Want me to roll a snowball or two for you?
OHO! I may have one LESS arm, but you KNOW what they say about BIG HANDS! You can just grab a BUNCH of snow and PACK THEM with just ONE HAND! RED TEAM, WITH ME! WE SHALL WIN THE FAVOR OF THE GODS!
(Let out a muffled scream.)
W-wait, I'm not ready yet!
It didn't matter, however, for the children were already split into the two teams equally and didn't give you or anyone else much time to split and prepare.
[ Pride is at stake. How are you going to do this? ]
Journey to the North
Guidelines
Up to 2 characters per OOC account can participate in this mini-game, you may interchange them throughout the event.
Each OOC account may make up to 4 posts every 24 hours.
Each post has a max wordcount of 200 words.
A post can either be a line of dialogue or a small paragraph.
If you would like to expand on your interactions with other characters, you may do so in the official Zeusterday Express comms.
It is okay to jump into this megathread at anytime.
If your character is together with the Crystal Nomads for some reason, they can hop onto the train this cycle.
Mechanics
Unlike regular events, you must write your post first and then use the site to roll. Put a in your forum's roll comment!
After you post, go back and edit your post, adding your roll to the total tally in your post template.
If you accidentally forget to roll on the forum, you may roll on Discord using: ?r 1d10 CharacterName | 1560C2
To interact with an NPC, ping @Raid Boss, you may get a faster response in comms.
A new cycle will be posted every 24-48 hours.
(New) Energy. Since death is disabled for this event, we will be using EN as a resource in its place. Everyone starts with 100 EN, +10 for heavy, +15 for medium, +20 for light armor.
Cycle 2.5
▣ Current Location: Uwuru Camp, Northern Zadaken, Zalra ↳ Next Stop: Uinterland
Each character may join a team RED or GREEN. Roll a 1d10 each time you post, aiming at a person from an opposing team (make sure to tag them).
I will publish a list of who is on what team. Be sure to track the scores carefully! You may aim at NPCs from the opposing team. (Red: Zeus, Childress; Green: Feodan, Kiryuu). NPCs will be throwing balls as well, so watch out!
At the end of the match, all attempts must be equal, which means that if one team has many more attempts than the other, I will roll for them, so their attempts are equal.
Scoring
(Nat-10) your team scores 2 points
(6+) your team scores 1 point
(5 or less) missed, nothing happens
(Nat-1) enemy team scores 1 point
You don't need to do anything but:
Code:
[metercolor=1.00]teal[/metercolor][metertext=#35cabb][fa]fas fa-heart need-icon[/fa] 100 / 100[/metertext]
[metercolor=0.80]yellow[/metercolor][metertext=#efc738][fa]fas fa-bolt need-icon[/fa] 100 / 100[/metertext]
[B][COLOR=#b8312f]Team Red[/COLOR][/B] / [B][COLOR=#339c2e]Team Green[/COLOR][/B]
Post here
▣ Attire: Describe or link to a reference picture of what your character is wearing here
▣ Target: @Name
▣ [B][COLOR=#b8312f]Red: 0[/COLOR][/B]
▣ [B][COLOR=#339c2e]Green: 0[/COLOR][/B]
The red warrior checked for the cause of the fuss. A snowball fight, this was sure to give him a rush! Without a second thought, he rushed to Zeus's side, "Let's show them the might of the Lion's Pride!" Standing alongside Zeus feels nice, as he stood undisturbed by the ice.
He bundled up snow in the palm of his hand, and let it fly across the land. His target was the green team's command, his snowballs went for Feodan as a gift from his hand. The red warrior had forgotten the fun, of throwing some snow until the fight had begun.
▣ Attire: Regular attire with a Santa hat and fake beard.
▣ Target: @Raid Boss (Feodan)
▣ Red: 1
▣ Green: 0
Disembarking in Zalra, the man was amazed by the crystalline scenery. The view while travelling didn't quite do the region justice. Dangerous, but beautiful. The nomads had adapted well it seemed.
"SNOWBALL FIGHT!"
The first shots had been fired though, war had begun. And Yugam would show the enemy no mercy. Having donned a red band, the first set of targets were already in sight. Release the hounds of war! The man scooped the powdery snow into his hand, packing it together into a ball only slightly larger than a baseball, before hurling taking aim and hurling it at Kiryuu, a face he vaguely recognized from the Embertorch and other League activities.
A snowball to her face saw her staggering backward, a giggling faerin child darting over to avoid all consequences of their actions as soon the world around everyone exploded into relentless combat, and she was on the side with the... less bulky than Zeus and Childress combined people.
A fighter's spirit rose from deep within her, the proclamation of war taken in earnest.
"Y-You may have a big hand, but I also got helpers of my own to make up for size!"
With a snap of her fingers, the storyteller brought forth her aetherically conjured summons, who discarded all conventional weaponry aside upon taking to the stage, and began scooping up their would-be weapons for the fight at hand.
"Three... Two... One... Fire!"
A barrage of snowballs took to the skies - all targeted towards the bulkiest, loudest of individuals on the opposing team.
They weren't really something he was familiar with. By the time it snowed consistently enough where Aisling grew up, she was too old for them. Technically, Ash still was too old for them, but...
He picked up a handful of snow, vaguely patting in into a snowball shape...
...and proceeded to plop it right on @Rael's head.
"...tag!"
Ash bolted.
▣ Attire: He's got a hat now.
▣ Target: @Rael
▣ Red: 2
▣ Green: 2
Those were the words that greeted many players dismounting their cars, the statement soon backed up when a shower of snowballs pelted them all even as childish giggling rang through the air. "RED TEAM, WITH ME! WE SHALL WIN THE FAVOR OF THE GODS!" It was then Zeus' voice boomed all around them, and the elf couldn’t help the wide grin on her lips as she joined the others and picked up a red armband.
Already two snowballs had been fired from their side, the first smacking the mountain of a man on Team Green while the second just narrowly missed Kiryuu.One neatly struck Zeus then, the blonde surprised to see that it had come from @Rael as the pinkett defected over to the camp team. Feodan fired back, missing his attacker, before she witnessed @Yugam get a snowball to the face from a well aimed throw of Kiryuu.
"Pffft," She did her best to contain the laughter at the sight, her hands already scooping up snow and compacting it neatly into a baseball sized lump, before the blonde returned fire on the man—blissfully unaware he’d been the reason her revival on Sven had worked a few months back. "Can’t dodge us forever~!"
Her throw was joined in by one green colored @awoo, the man sticking to Team Red as he pelted Rael with a snowball of his own.
)
in your forum's roll comment!
