Closed Mini-Event - Expedition and Field Study of Marrow Isle

[arcanegrasp]

(This mini-event is closed to those who signed up in the available period, as following: Bart Torgal, Vika, Okami Amaterasu, Tarantulas, John Watson, Cerrit Agrupnin, R' Morgenshtern, Angel, Ylva Wolfsdottir, Zelda, Jean, Gerard Keay, and Laios Touden!)


It's a calm, sunny morning, balanced perfectly on the fulcrum between winter and spring. There's a light chill in the air, a bit of a relapse from the warmth of Merrymeet, but nothing drastic. The gentle bite of brisk morning breeze is bracing, energizing. Which is just what is needed as the expedition group headed up by Dr. Elias Coldwood gathers at the South Train Station.

When those who signed up for the trip begin to appear, one thing is abundantly clear: Elias is thrilled that they're here.

He wastes little time with getting everyone their camping backpacks and supplies, listing out everything that he's brought for their venture (including everything they'd need to camp, weapon maintenance tools for those who agreed to defend, first-aid kids for the medically inclined, and for all, a pouch containing 100B as promised compensation), and, borrowing a short rock fence for a podium, he stands upon it and clears his throat.

"Everyone!" He calls over the chatter, and as the group settles, he grins. "I wanted to take a brief moment to thank you for coming along with me on this study. For much of my time on the island, my work has taken little priority in the interest of our townspeople, and to have so many interested in furthering our understanding of the island around us has meant a great deal to me."

"To begin our expedition, once everyone has their bags on their shoulders and are ready to move out, we'll be heading---" He pauses, only briefly, to point towards the treeline behind Leeds Estate. "Northward, along the train tracks, and into the surrounding forest to begin our studies. We'll be setting up camp just before the train's bridge, near the waterside of Hatchet Lake. Rations have been packed, and we'll stop twice more today for meals. If you haven't had breakfast, I suggest doing so when we stop to set up a base-camp of sorts."

He hops down, spry as ever, and once he's hauled his hefty pack onto his back, he watches the others do the same - and only once they'd seemed to settle does he raise his hand over the heads of the crowd to catch the eye of anyone towards the back of the group.

"Daylight's burning! Let us be off!"

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6TH

As soon as camp is arranged at Hatchet Lake, and there's no sign of anything that could interrupt, the research begins!

The group, for the most part, will divide into pairs or three-person teams, and begin to comb the nearby woodlands to observe both flora and fauna. Field notes on any observed species will be gathered at the end of the day before dinner and carefully stored in one of many waterproof cases for protection against the elements.

While there are many creatures to see, the first day goes without a hitch. Mingling among the expedition members is encouraged, as Elias insists that a good rapport is crucial to team synergy and cohabitation while camping.

THURSDAY, MARCH 7TH

The morning sun rises slowly, and the dew in the forest shines brightly under its rays.

Morning comes, and with it, a new day of study.

The group pushes on towards the bottom eastward base of Crane's Ridge, where the cliffs above the mines pose a new environment, yet one that isn't so easily viewed. Dull-furred goats eyes them from further up the peak as they begin to set up camp, well away from the ruckus of the mines.

Today doesn't quite go as smoothly as the last, however. A Pine Devil sighting sets the tone of the day on edge, and venturing too far away from camp starts to feel less like a good idea. Tension rises, and specimens to observe are fewer and further in-between, frightened away by the shadow of dark wings from above.

Elias is adamant on his refusal to turn back, however. With such competent fighters in their midst, what worry would they have about being stolen away? Buddy up, and all should be well.

FRIDAY, MARCH 8TH

It's early in the morning, when the chiming of a sending stone breaks the silence.

At first, Elias is glad to try to ignore it, but when it chimes again, he leaves his tent in a huff to answer it. He steps away from the camp to try to let the other expedition members rest while he spoke.

There's quiet chatter, and a pause. In the sounds of the quiet morning, with birds stirring and wildlife starting to crunch leaves and twigs gently around them, it's hard to tell what he says. It's mostly a sound of disbelief, but there's a hopeful edge to his voice.

The call ends, and, while he stows away the sending stone, he spots it.

Any other members of the group who are awake at this hour can see him freeze from where his gaze drifted up to the branches of a tree. Perched so high above the ground, starkly visible against the dark browns of the woods, is a vibrant, pink-headed bird.

And, just as soon as it's seen, it's gone.

There's only a beat of silence before the chaos begins.

"EVERYONE, WAKE UP!"

There's an edge to his voice that his usual calm never bears: a frenzied, desperate excitement. He's not wasting time before he's rushing into camp, taking down their cooking tools, and packing everything he can that doesn't have sleeping bodies in it. (If they take too long, he may just try to do so. He won't, but the thought is there.)

"Up, up, we're changing plans!" He urges the group, and as soon as even a fair handful of them have peeled themselves out of their sleeping bags, he gesture's sharply towards the mines, the top of Crane's Ridge ever visible from their camping spot.

"A groundbreaking piece of news has been given to us, and we're going to need to finish the expedition of the mainland another time," He speaks, fast and insistent. "But we've got to get packed now and move, people! With some urgency, please! Any who don't plan to continue, you're free to take the train home."

He whirls back to whoever's closest, and places a hand on their shoulder, giving an enthusiastic shake.

"Anyone who's looking to make the discovery of a lifetime, however, come with me!"

-----

Within the first steps of the deep cavern, so lush with life, Dr. Coldwood is looking almost dizzy with excitement. He's not been treating his body with any kindness or consideration to his age, and he's similarly relented very little with the group in mind. Between the slow, conscious pace of the expedition before, this is night and day.

The first clearing he finds, he shifts his bag off his shoulders, and faces the group once more.

"Here. We'll set camp for the day here, and tomorrow, we'll push on."

Telling tomorrow from today was an unclear practice, all things considered, since no natural light leaked into the caves. Anyone with a watch may be able to tell it best. There's little time wasted in the arrangement of the camp from the expedition's leader - his own usually neat, meticulous arrangements are slapdash at best.

He stresses that the groups need to be in pairs at the minimum, that anyone not yet ready to delve into the wilderness can continue to arrange the camp, and to exercise caution.

And then, only waiting fleeting few seconds before he picks a few possible-volunteers to drag off, the study begins, strange and new.

Paradesium welcomes the exploration party with open arms.

Comments

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/CONCERNS

[pumpkinhollow]

Got any questions? Let us know here!

EXPEDITION DAY 1 [Wednesday, March 6th]

[arcanegrasp]

Post TLs relating to the first day of the expedition under this comment!

Dr. Elias Coldwood | OTA

[arcanegrasp]

Elias is, decidedly, all over the place as the expedition begins! He can be easily flagged down for comment, but he's not sitting still for long - though, if anyone wants to join him as part of a small group to study the specimens he's chosen for the day, he'll never turn down an accomplice who's eager to study the fauna with the gusto that he has.

Those who aren't able to catch him, or not interested in studying, but still have something to say to him can easily find him at the camp's dinner hour, where he's regaling anyone who will listen with a dozen stories about his travels and the things he's seen during them. Should something private need his attention, however, all he needs is a word to pull him aside, and he's there for it.

[tisnotthehouse]

Shortly before dinner, Elias fill find himself approached -- no, downright accosted by a very happy spider with a very full notebook, which he is waving excitedly with one of his pedipalps.

"Elias!" he calls in his hoarse, cracked voice. "These woods are amazing! I've already seen half a dozen species that either weren't active last fall, or escaped my notice! It's wonderful!"

This is the best day he's had in weeks! Possibly even months, if you discount the years of bliss in the dream! And it's only the first day! Who knows what he'll find tomorrow??

[graphomaniac]

Lev decides to join Elias in his specimen study—Lev is not as familiar with natural philosophy and field-work as he is with medical necromancy and pharmacy, but he's not completely ignorant ... but his knowledge is idiosyncratic to say the least. It's not that it's completely inaccurate, it's just that for every fact that's recognizable as the cutting edge of early 20th Century or maybe late 19th Century biology, he knows five from Classical and Talmudic sources. He seems to have about the same amount of skepticism regardless of source, which is reasonable back home—Vegetable Lambs do exist, and the takhash is a unicorn—but on the other hand, if you showed him a duck-billed platypus, he would assume it's a demon or some kind of especially bizarre genius loci, instead of assuming it's a clever taxidermy fake or a guinea pig dressed up for Purim.

He's good at taking notes, however, and he listens carefully to Elias's explanations.

[actuallyawolf]

Ylva is having a great time. She's never done science before! And if Elias is looking at specimens, she is right there alongside, wanting to also see.

"So? I just got here, I don't know everything that's here yet. What're we looking at?"

[theresalwaystheview]

Bart approaches after setting himself up near supper time, holding out a fresh notebook for his approval stamped with the date of the expedition. He's veritably beaming as he flips open the first pages, containing his preliminary notations like a table of contents. Must compare and make sure they're all on the same page, after all!

He'll be sitting near Elias for the remainder of the meal, happily chattering back and forth and swapping stories until they need to turn in for the night.

Cerritos Groupon

[maltesefalcon]

The eagle-eyed Cerrit spends as much time above the rest of the expedition, flitting from tree to tree, as he does down on the ground. Still, when the group stops for breaks, he's glad to swoop back down and check in with people individually. Perhaps, especially, Watson, but he's likely to encourage anyone to drink water and take a rest if they need it.

[lightconductor]

Especially Watson!

He lifts his water flask in a sort of toast, gesturing for Cerrit to come join him while they rest. "Tell me how it looks from the air," he says.

[tisnotthehouse]

Tarantulas -- currently in spider form -- twitches at the shadow that passes overhead, growing to nearly his largest size so he can peer up at Cerrit more clearly. He relaxes slightly when he identifies the hawkman who moved into town over winter, even waving at him with one claw-tipped spider foot.

[graphomaniac]

Lev/Lyubov has been angling to talk to Cerrit for a while, ever since they heard about him from Magne. Sometime towards the end of the afternoon, during a break, they're sitting in the shade of a tree, fanning themselves. The notes they've been taking are laid out on their lap, currently neglected.

Seeing Cerrit stop by to check in, Lev/Lyubov waves him over.

"Friend-Explorer!" they say—the cadence and connotations of "Friend" are more towards "Comrade", clearly meant as an egalitarian term of address. "I've a mind to talk to thee. Mayhap we were both raised under the same sky? Or like, nu, thou might be from a world sister to mine own."

And then remembering that Cerrit has, in fact, been checking in on people, they pick up their water canteen and pointedly swig from it, before Cerrit has time to assume they're angling to collapse.

Angel

[graveling]

Angel's nervous, as much about looking like an idiot around everyone else as about potential dangers. Still, he has a notebook and both a pen and a stick of charcoal, and is sketching animals and taking rubbings of leaves.

He has that silly habit of sticking his tongue out the side of his mouth while sketching. It's adorable.

Also, the first night, he volunteers to stay up on watch. Sleep is not, technically, something he needs. Leave him a fire and he's perfect to protect the camp.

[tisnotthehouse]

Tarantulas stays up late as well, annotating his own moments and fixing up a few of the sketches he made today with all the energy of a chronic insomniac. He has at least gotten dressed again, in deference to the cooling temperatures.

He smiles slightly at Angel from across the fire. "Everyone feels confused and out of place on their first field trip," he advises. "Don't take it to heart. You just need more experience."

[actuallyawolf]

Ylva sidles cautiously alongside Angel, trying to get a look at his notebook in open curiosity.

"Can I see?" she asks.

Tarantulas (cw: public nudity but he's covered in fur so is it REALLY?)

[tisnotthehouse]

Tarantulas is vibrating as the party sets out, extra legs literally twitching in mid-air. Once camp has been set he's ducking into one of the tents right away, appearing a few minutes later a hairy, purple spider the size of a dog, naked except for his backpack and Neil's gift [see icon] pinned to a band wrapped around one of his legs. He scuttles off into the trees, giggling under his breath.

So...at least he's having a good time.

His fellow researchers might encounter Tarantulas at any point in the afternoon, hanging from a tree by a length of thread or carefully stalking specimens through the bushes. He might be anywhere from the size of a normal spider (his backpack carefully stowed in a nearby tree) to the size of a pony, spider-shaped or humanoid. He is always naked, but don't worry: he has no nipples or external genitalia to offend delicate mammalian sensibilities. If in humanoid shape he will definitely be enthusiastically scribbling something into a notebook.

He catches sight of you and greets you with a little wave of a hand or leg before turning back to his research. You're free to join him, but please...be respectful of the science.

[theresalwaystheview]

Bart approaches him during some brief downtime, his notebook held close against his chest as he looks up at whatever might have caught Tarantulas' attention in the trees overhead. He's looking much better than he has in weeks, decidedly in his element once again out here.

He doesn't speak up immediately, simply lingering nearby, happy to let Tarantulas continue to work in peace as the two of them take their notes, Bart making a small sketch in an empty corner of the page. Upon being noticed, he'll wave in return, regardless of the form his friend has taken.

"Slasher Face" Jean | OTA

[restingslasherface]

See Somethin' Ya Like, City Boy?

Given the wilderness environment, Jean has elected to bring Cobalt Scar rather than other weapons or armor to the expedition. What quickly becomes evident is that this generally helpful, enthusiastic, and highly competent nugget is far out of their depth. Zelda has to closely supervise their efforts to set up camp, and the creeping knowledge that they aren't exactly here to take nature in small, safe doses has Jean nervous and on guard. Like many others they've brought a notebook, and their diagram game is off the shits, to be quite honest, but the work is getting done slowly.

They're already tense.

It's Just Coyotes

Angel's offer to take watch is appreciated by Jean, and then nearly immediately gainsaid by Jean; they get maybe two hours of fitful sleep before they wake, dressing so as not to disturb Zelda and slipping out into the darkness just beyond the firelight. This is one they know from urban combat; posting sentries in the light only kills their night vision. You put your pickets out in the dark.

If there's trouble, Jean will be there. Or you might be able to find them yourself.

Vika | OTA

[lastofthefirst]

Least Helpful Member Of The Expedition Reporting

So. Vika is not a scientist. Her interest in organic life is negligible. Her observational skills are rated for 'things trying to kill her'. But she's here anyway, moving with the main pack and scanning the forest around everyone. She's not gonna let Bart get hurt if she can stop it, not after...

...Not after.

Click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click...

What'cha Got There?

Hey, you been taking notes? Vika's looking over your shoulder with that blank, vaguely hostile expression that is her default resting look. She's not commenting, not unless you start it, but she is giving her undivided attention.

EXPEDITION DAY 2 [Thursday, March 7th]

[arcanegrasp]

Post TLs relating to the second day of the expedition under this comment!

L.V. Morgenshtern | Evening | OTA

[graphomaniac]

Just as supper is winding down, Lev/Lyubov finally decides to ask the question that's been nagging them for a while, but certainly tonight. Ever since someone came back talking of the Pine Devil, and set everyone else on edge, Lev/Lyubov has been deeply unnerved—not because they know what the Pine Devil is, and why they should be concerned, but precisely because they don't know.

They've heard the name before, however.

So, as they're sipping broth from a hefty mug, and watching their fellow members of the expedition, they finally bring up their concerns. And given that they're themself, for good and for ill, this is how they put it:

"Okay like," they say, looking around. "So like, is the Pine Devil going to eat us or is the Pine Devil just going to like, mess up our notes and trayf our dishes, and write nasty notes in Elias's journal?"

[maltesefalcon]

Cerrit opens his beak to answer.

Nothing comes out for a long moment. Nothing at all. And then he lets out a choked laugh, wings fluffing, a frustrated, slightly manic sound. Right, he isn't going to be able to answer that question at all, in any way, is he?

Fuck.

Bart Torgal (CW: unprocessed traumatic response)

[theresalwaystheview]

Bart had woken up early, prepared a small breakfast for himself, chattering quietly with any who might approach him about the course of the previous day, or whatever else they might see fit to talk with him about as the morning warms up and he takes inventory of his remaining supplies. It's in the middle of picking up to continue onward that he first spots it.

His stomach drops, body freezing the moment he sees it. The dread is real, and it is palpable.

He does his best not to acknowledge the Pine Devil's presence out there, reminding himself that it was unreasonable to hold on to that terror when it was just a creature doing as it was supposed to do. It's silly. Like being terrified of all dogs because of being bitten by one once before.

He's distracted as they set out again, and stumbles over a thick rook snaking its way across the path. He may grab someone in front of him to stay upright.

Jean 2: The Jean Strikes Back

[restingslasherface]

Invaders Must Die

The Pine Devil sighting sends Jean up a tree immediately, leaping more than a dozen feet into the air to spring off a branch and then scramble up the trunk with incredible alacrity. Not today, not here, not these people that are under their aegis. The beast can find other prey.

At the apex of the tree, Jean takes in a deep breath, and releases a blood-curdling howl, a sound no human throat should make, full of hunger, hate, and pain. If you're looking up, you might see a phantasmal wolf briefly envelop their body.

Then they climb down, peacefully unaware that whatever animals were left are fucking gone now. Oops?

Drink The Water From My Hand

Missing a buddy? Here's Jean. They know there's people here who aren't fighters, or whom they, at least, haven't fought beside. Expect to be fussed over and watched out for. The poor nugget's skin is crawling. This rural environment is wearing badly on their calm.

EXPEDITION DAY 3 [Friday, March 8th]

[arcanegrasp]

Post TLs relating to the third day of the expedition under this comment!

Angel (CW: description of minor injuries)

[graveling]

As the expedition gets down into the cave, Angel almost feels drawn in toward the stenholm, and specifically the deep temple within it. There’s moments when he doesn’t seem to be paying attention to his immediate surroundings, instead looking into the distance like a rabbit that’s just heard something tromping through the woods.

This means he might be stumbling into trouble, falling over obstacles he doesn’t notice, or generally acting strange. Rescue him?

Or perhaps you’re there when he finally reaches the temple and those acquired injuries—scrapes, scratches, potentially even bites (which were not bleeding before) begin to glow with molten golden light.