May Event - Welcome to the Jungle

[pumpkinhollow]

May Event - Welcome to the Jungle

To Kill a Dragon

Since its discovery back in March, the fossil dig up near Ripjaw Falls has seemingly progressed without many hitches. Dr. Coldwood and Dahlia Leeds head up the project, though there are a handful of other locals who have some degree or other of expertise on the matter--- people who came to the island long before the barrier to study and learn, who had put such things behind them in favor of survival until now. You'll hear about it on the news, periodically. Voices of arcane biologists or historians or dragon aficionados or occult specialists on the radio in an interview.

"We have reason to believe that this has been here since before Marrow Isle even meaningfully existed, possibly back when this was just sheer rock face in the ocean above a section of Hepogaia---"

"---and the type of ghost activity that's been reported has been really unusual, lots of non-human entities that suggest---"

"---really is surprisingly complete, most fossilized bones usually have some pieces broken off or missing. You almost wonder what might have happened to very quickly kill off such a powerful creature, possibly even in its sleep, and----"

Some of it is rather lofty, but from the bits you pick up while listening idly to the reports, it's easy enough to get the gist.

Then, one day, the answer to the question, "what killed the dragon?" is given. And if it could do that to a dragon, imagine what it can do to you.

WHAT

The island evacuates to Paradesium

WHEN

May 9th - June 4th

IMPORTANT CONTACTS

Evacuation Procedures

Alarm bells. Just after 1pm on an otherwise idyllic Saturday, they scream out, clanging their warnings. Phone and sending stone trees spring into action, the radio quickly picking up the memo and spreading it, Bizzyboys taking to the streets, all with one message--- evacuate now. Get to the north, to the mountain. Take nothing but what you carry. Go back home for nothing, gather nothing, whatever it is, it isn't worth the risk.

Any questions about what caused this frantic fleeing must wait, taking a back seat to the evacuation itself. If you see the diggers that are coming from the excavation site, however, the way they look certainly offers a few hints. Many of them must be carried, burned skin and maimed faces and exposed bone run rampant. Some of them are missing entire limbs, but they don't look cut or torn--- the ends appear to be dissolved. Eaten, one particle at a time. Some of them look due for a hard reset, as it were. The scene is grim. It's best if you look away. Behind you, as you flee, you can see an eerie fog blooming from the direction of the dig site, hanging over the town like a foreboding blanket in a strange lilac hue.

Paradesium, the magically sustained subterranean jungle discovered some years ago, is where you are led. Determined to be an overgrown cavern once belonging to the sprawling underground nation of Hepogaia, abandoned by its original residents several decades ago and then cut off from the network of cave-highways that connect Hepogaia by the barrier, Paradesium is rife with plant and animal life not typically seen on the rest of the island. But it's also a dangerous wilderness, and scarcely travelled save for the areas very close to the main entrance at the base of Crane's Ridge. The fact that this location was deemed the safest place on the island is beyond strange, and goes a long way toward speaking to the level and spread of the danger in the open air.

Despite the best efforts of constables, public safety board members, and Bizzyboys alike, the evacuation is clumsy by virtue of its unorthodox destination and haste. Not everyone ends up in the same place, splitting off into a few groups. But once everyone's settled in, that's when the details of the situation are divulged. There in the humidity and the mud, you learn what put you there.

At the excavation site, someone's pickaxe hit a pocket in the dirt that released a long-trapped gas beneath the earth. It caused the gas to burst forth, quickly revealing its nature as corrosive, devouring several diggers in seconds and accosting many more. The volume and speed of the gas's spread was daunting enough that the call was made to go to Paradesium, which is so humid and produces so much of its own oxygen from all the plant life that even if the gas were to make it through the entry tunnels, it would have a hard time making it very deep in. This seems to have been the right call, as in spite of the circumstances, everyone seems to be able to breathe easy down here.

In the kerfuffle of getting to safety, it was hard to collect actual data about the nature of the gas or what exactly it's corrosive to. Clothing and held objects on the diggers seem wholly intact, and trees and rocks were of course not impacted, but it's not really recommended for non-organic lifeforms to try their luck, as it wouldn't be unheard of for magical properties to cause the gas to be dangerous to anything sentient. Cleverer pets and Pokémon followed their owners down into the depths without issue, but farm animals weren't so lucky--- however, rumor has it that some people saw Serranai sprinting around the farmland on her powerful satyr's legs, touching livestock animals to turn them to stone. Old fables about this happening are common on the Emerald Isles, the Mother of the Land turning its creatures into the land itself temporarily to save them from disaster. One less thing to worry about.

Which leaves you to worry about yourselves. You have nothing with you except the clothes you were already wearing, your sending stone (if you were carrying it), and anything you normally carry on your person in your day to day. It's next to nothing. There's no plan, no real leadership, no contingency plans, no guessing how long this will take or any idea how to figure out when going home will be safe. Just you, your neighbors, and the jungle.

Let the fun and games begin.

Settlements

The haste of the evacuation and the lack of information about Paradesium made splitting up inevitable, but there was at least enough communication to ensure that groups were able to gather. Ultimately, the town ends up divided into three distinct camps for the first leg of our time in the wilderness --- one at Action Park, the inexplicable water park along the paths near the entrance of Paradesium; one in a cave, at the base of a large waterfall in Paradesium's large and thundering main river; and one deep, deep in the wilds. Where have you found yourself?

Action Park Campsite

Last summer, a mysterious, strangely modern waterpark was erected close to the entrance of Paradesium nearly overnight. Those who come from worlds where the original Action Park existed filled others in on the context--- a recreational park known for its callously blithe approach to safety, beloved by its original attendees but notorious for the abundance of injuries.

The park remains, and has remained. It only makes sense that some people remember from the year prior that the roaring water and stink of chlorine kept hostile wildlife away, and an invisible staff run a small concession stand, causing appropriate fare from their menu to appear upon command. It's nothing glamorous nor healthy---- hot dogs, french fries, pizza, soft pretzels, a small selection of cheap cocktails and off-brand soda. But it is a guaranteed food source, which is nothing to turn one's nose up at. Water park cabanas and adirondack chairs make for unorthodox but reliable shelter materials, and the pools can be used for bathing--- the park even provides its "attendees" with a free swimsuit in its locker rooms.

However, despite the abundance of water, none of it is particularly safe to drink. It's chlorinated and has been used to house many bodies over the past year, thus making it remarkably unfit for consumption, and the concession stand for some reason cannot provide water. So water is something that will have to be acquired from elsewhere.

While this camp is likely the cushiest of the three, it isn't without its problems. Notably, the fact that the waterpark itself is rickety and dangerous, and the layout is bizarre, full of raised platforms and large staircases to reach. The slides and attractions are functional, but at least one contains a vengeful spirit and most of them are good ways to get hurt. Proper drinking water is a substantial trek away, as Paradesium's main water sources are much deeper into the jungle, and while the food is guaranteed, eating it constantly is liable to make you sick. Still, it's hard to deny that creature comforts like proper bathrooms, pools for bathing, and pre-assembled accommodations make the location comparatively appealing. The lack of wildlife encounters is assuredly a selling point. Surely a bit of foraging and hunting will make up for the trouble.

Waterfall Campsite

For millennia, settlers and migrants across all planets and societies have been united by one tried and true practice---- when building a settlement, do so near a source of abundant water, and you will thrive. The same mentality was present when choosing the site of this camp.

There are a number of small lakes within Paradesium, but its main water source is a wide river that cuts through the center of the cave, carving a vein of life-giving water into the heart of the jungle. Clean, drinkable water, almost crystal in some of the stiller sections, as well as plentiful river fish and rich soil at its beds that vegetation favors. To the northern end of the cavern, there is a steep and thundering waterfall with a sizable cave not too far from its base, which is the perfect place to create a small campsite.

The benefits of this site are clear--- the nearby water source means that bathing, cleaning, and drinking are a given, and the noise of the waterfall and the concealed nature of the cave mean that it's a fairly simple matter not to attract any dangerous wildlife. There's also a pre-built shelter, which means that this campsite suffers no exposure to the occasional magically-possible weather events within Paradesium, and tents can focus on privacy more than durability. There are also enough ventilation holes in the stone that it remains safe to build a fire within.

However, food access is a little trickier. There are edible plants and places to fish down-river, but that means straying a fair way from camp in an area that's quite popular with large, hostile wildlife that's also come looking to eat. Larger creatures tend to spook off easier to hunt animals, which means that hunters must go even further afield than foragers to do their work. Thankfully, the camp itself is highly defensible, even if it does take a bit of extra work to get decent lighting.

Deep Wilds Camp

The final campsite is well off any beaten path that remains, situated instead on a brand new one, forged by the island's most capable survivalists. Deep within the jungle, the location was chosen to get the group on somewhat higher, dryer, level ground a healthy distance from the mouth of the cave, eliminating any danger of fog. The mossy, soft patches of ground in the raised clearing make for decent bedding, and the nearby thicket of trees make for decent cover from any wild creatures that might make their way here. Food is fairly easy to find, some foragables growing close by and a reasonable amount of game near the perimeter if one makes a short hike. Water, as well, isn't too difficult to come by--- a nearby lake serves as an appropriate watering hole, but the camp is far enough from it that there's less chance of one of Paradesium's megafauna stumbling upon the camp by mistake.

The odds of this, however, are still not zero. And as it stands, the tree cover alone does not make the area defensible. Being exposed to open jungle on all sides beyond the thicket with no sides facing anything like a rock face, it must be protected manually by the combatants within its ranks, and because it was founded on a completely virgin patch of land, any accommodations must be built entirely from scratch. Tents, shelters, beds, cooking apparatuses, fires, fences, and more will need to be made by hand. Thankfully, some of Pumpkin Hollow's most capable are present, including the Chief Constable who spent the better part of a year surviving this very jungle, a pair of life-long wilders, and a smattering of special ops space marines. Their expertise will go a long way towards making things easier, but by no means will it make things easy. This is by far the most challenging place to camp, but for those with the chops to set it up, the effort will surely pay off.

Unified Camp (Occurs May 25th)

With many people still holding their sending stones and the potential for foragers and explorers to run into each other, it'd be next to impossible for people not to find each other eventually. In fact, it likely happens fairly early on, but the problem is less the knowing where other groups are and more the fact that none of the extant camp sites are large enough to house an entire town. Finding another one isn't impossible, but it would be a great deal of work, which only increases the more established each settlement gets. For the first two weeks or so, it is enough to send messages between camps and make the occasional delivery. Godpoke makes their home at Action Park, but they make daily rounds for deliveries between camps, clever little mail carrier that they are. But as time goes on, it becomes clear that it would be beneficial to find some way to reconnect.

Enter Esmeray, a sphinx who has made Paradesium her home well before it became a part of Marrow Isle. She guards an abandoned Stenholm, a fortress city belonging to a dwarven clan, specifically the subterranean Bedrock Dwarves that live in Hepogaia traditionally. At the center of the city is a temple to Serranai, whose sacred flame still burns in its brazier under careful watch of Esmeray. Some residents of Pumpkin Hollow already know her, but many still have yet to meet her due to how remotely she lives. Upon discovering the disaster levied against the town, she begins making repairs to the abandoned town where she can and clearing spaces for tents and shelters to be placed. Finally, toward the end of May, there is a space cleared.

The Stenholm, you discover, was once named Regnskog, and was home to a healthy population of Bedrock Dwarves who adored this place for its lush foliage and vibrant wildlife facilitated by the extremely rare Yllgara crystals embedded in the ceiling of the cave that simulate the effects of sunlight on vegetation but with a fraction of the brightness. Like most Hepogaians, they favored Serranai for her connection to the earth itself, and maintained a temple with a burning brazier whose fire was never meant to go out or be abandoned. For many decades, Esmeray maintained this tradition, standing watch by the flame, but now she travels beyond it. This might come as surprising to those who know the significance--- until they catch sight of a glass pendant around her neck which seems to carry a living, burning flame inside the round fixture, framed on both sides by flower-shaped beads of carved stone. Clearly the doing of Serranai herself, a flame to carry always with her, relieving her of the duty to the brazier.

This campsite, being in a town, features far more creature comforts than any prior campsite, though they are all constructed for much smaller individuals than the vast majority of the town. Still, paved roads and stone shelters make for much easier days, and old bedding materials can be refurbished by those capable with a needle and thread. Not to mention that the fortress walls are far more protective than anything that could have easily been built in two weeks, even if they are a bit dilapidated.

Even so, it is a ruin, and far from perfect. Getting food and water from outside sources remains a concern. Hunting and foraging are imperative skills. Someone will also need to start investigating whether or not the fog has left periodically--- surely it can't stay forever. At least you hope not. But the only way to know is to brave the mouth of the tunnel.

Points of Interest

This general information about Paradesium and its structure and environment will be applicable throughout the event.

General Environment

Paradesium is a massive cavern deep under Crane's Ridge. The cave is sprawling, the size of a city and then some, and full of lush vegetation both familiar and unique. Many of the plants here feature familiar tropical fruits--- this is indeed where most of the island's citrus comes from. Ferns and mushrooms are also abundant, as are other jungle trees and shrubs, river plants, and hot-weather foliage that thrives in humid climates such as palm trees, kapok, rubber trees, mahogany, gaboon, monstera, bromeliads, and more. There are even patches of thick bamboo in some areas. There are also some more fantastical plants, some of which bear unfamiliar nuts and fruits that it might be worth your time to try!

As for fauna, there are also plenty of familiar jungle faces, but the primary residents are of a more fantastical nature as well. During an earlier expedition, Dr. Coldwood and his team created a fairly comprehensive bestiary of all the unique creatures here, some of which are megafauna and not all of them are friendly. It's worth it to travel with care.

[Mod Note: Feel free to use existing creatures or "discover" new ones! Make up fantasy plants too! We'll canonize 'em. <3]

Landmarks

Entrance - The main mouth of the cave, located to the far Southwest corner of the cavern. A short series of tunnels which contain a multitude of evolutionary stones for Pokemon lead up and out of Paradesium.

Action Park - Located a short distance Northeast of the entrance (about a 10 minute walk on average). It is a surprisingly modern, if not somewhat slapdash, functional waterpark with working slides and a magically operated concession stand. It has a somewhat complex tiered layout with numerous pools. No lifeguards on duty.

Ventureheart River - The main central river that cuts a curve through the entire cavern, flowing in from outside the cavern through openings in the side of Crane's Ridge and exiting Paradesium through a drop off, ostensibly into a deeper underground reservoir that would appear to be where Pumpkin Hollow's wells draw from. It is incredibly clean, in no small part due to the fact that it flows over some of the magic crystals used to sustain Paradesium on its way in. There are a number of bridges, some stone and some wood and rope. They are quite old. There is a waterfall to the northern part of the cave.

Regnskog - The Dwarven Stenholm that has been abandoned for many decades, located toward the very center of Paradesium along the river. Once a small but thriving fortress city, now a ruin. Most of the stone bridges are near the citadel.

Collapsed Roadway - To the Eastern edge of the cavern, an entrance to the Underway, or the Hepogaian road network that connects the various larger caverns that make up the sprawling nation. It was collapsed when the remaining Dwarven residents moved on to prevent any monsters from following them.

Unnamed Lakes - There are a number of lakes that dot the area, most of which don't have names, either due to never getting them in the first place or those names being long forgotten. They vary in size and speckle the whole area.

Fungal Hollow - A small offshoot cave to the Southeast full of mushrooms, a common source of food for Hepogaians. It's hard to tell what's safe to eat. There is also an enormous spider that frequents the cave.

Rubiginosa's Den - To the far Northwest. The Rubiginosa, or Thorned Wyvern, is migratory, but it has a preferred den that it tends to keep close to during breeding season. The great news is that breeding season is right now, so the four of them that live down here won't be migrating too much. The bad news is that they're more hostile while breeding in the interest of protecting their eggs. Do not get too close.

The Vinewilds - An area to the central South that is difficult to traverse due to heavy cover by vines of a predatory plant that grabs whatever it senses movement from. A good place to get eaten by an overgrown pitcher plant. There's a grove of delicious looking papayas and guava on the far side of it.

The Crack in the World - On the Southeast corner of the cavern, near where the river drops off, there is a starburst-like crack in the stone that emanates a strange pale light. It has a powerful energy coming off of it. Surely sticking your hand inside is completely safe.

Skulltree - To the south of the Stenholm, there is a really weird thicket where the trees have fused together into the shape of a skull. There's an eerie glow coming from the eye sockets. Signs around it are not in Emeran (the local language you were given fluency upon arriving at Pumpkin Hollow), but they appear to be warnings. Approaching it will cause a skeletal arm-like section of tree roots to emerge from the ground and attempt to kill you, but defeating it will cause the skull to crack open and present you with an enormous fruit that looks like a brain and tastes like beef for some reason. Success!

Strange Hut - Just a little further South than the Skulltree, you can find a mysterious hut. There are never any lights on inside, but there is a smoking chimney. Does someone live here?

Create Your Own! - Add more as you like! Paradesium is a big place.

Supply Caches

Remember all those "May rewards or upgrades" promised to TAG OR DIE! participants throughout March and April? Here's where those come in. Occasionally, in seemingly random places in Paradesium, you may come across what appears to be an abandoned campsite that once belonged to someone else.

Inside their tents or crates, you can find supplies that will help you out---- conveniently sized clothing, tools, non-perishable foods, weapons, things of that ilk. If you have multiple rewards, you can stack them to make a single item higher quality or more useful (such as upgrading a small knife to a larger utility knife to a machete) or you can separate them out into multiple objects.

I leave it to the players to decide exactly how you classify an upgrade, but please use the above example as a frame of reference and do so in good faith. I am also willing to give a little extra leeway to something if it is funny. Items are encouraged but not necessarily required to be time period appropriate.

Additionally, due to achieving the stretch goal in TAGPOCALYPSE, there will also be a large cache of interdimensional care packages located near the Crack in the World! They come with three items from your character's home world, and there is a package for each character. TAGPOCALYPSE stretch goal contributors may pick one character to give five items to. These items can be nearly anything, but should be relatively small and/or wearable and should be small and light enough that the person they belong to could carry them all back to the unified camp (a fairly long distance) without aid. They also cannot be electronics, as the modifiers to make electronic devices powered by magic must be applied deliberately by someone who knows how.

Return Home

At long last, the report comes in. Godpoke carries the message all throughout Regnskog and sending stones jingle throughout the camp with the good news. It's time to return home.

First thing in the morning on June 4th, you will be able to pack up anything you wish to keep and return to Pumpkin Hollow. Any animals left behind may still be stone for a few more hours before Serranai can come around to undo them, and you'll find that most things are undisturbed, but some thinner trees and swinging signs or lanterns were dissolved. It will be a few more days before research clears up that the fog would disintegrate anything that moved. Good thing you weren't here!

There isn't a lot of time to prepare for the Cucumber Festival when you return, but at least there's something to look forward to. It's been a long month.

Comments

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/CONCERNS

[pumpkinhollow]

[fuelmayor]

Is there anything Fuelweaver can eat (e.g. Nightmare Fuel flavoured soda made with real nightmares, pizza with evil magic sauce) at the Action Park concession? I have some ideas for how he could get his concentrated curse juice if not, or I could burn my Tag or Die item ticket on something of that nature, but the concession stand does seem like the place most likely for it to already be there.

Simon Petrikov | Adventure Time

[simplesimon]

Prologue
No time to think, no time to adjust. He was barely a day or two off the boat when alarms reaped chaos in this nonsense town. I mean- really isn't THAT much nonsensical in comparison to OOO but he wasn't IN OOO! Or Vampire World or Fionaworld or ANYWHERE he probably should be! Instead jostled and dragged into the unknown and deep growths of jungle and caverns with the rest of the befuddled and chaotic masses.. It wasn't that long ago Finn himself dragged him along an adventure like this but that had.. at least more of an air of whimsy to it..

Action Park - Beginning of the Event - OTA
Simon is.. at least attempting to make himself useful. This is both an alarmingly familiar and unfamiliar setting- the concept he got, he's even been to something like this before but he wasn't fond of dressing down then OR now to go for a splash or soak in the lazy river..

You can find Simon in various places during his .. efforts to contribute here.

For some time he picks at the almost-absolutely-not-Halal options at the concession. You might find him entirely dissecting one of those hot-dogs and trying to determine what meat is used in it more than making any effort to actually eat it himself. Maybe you see him rummaging through the stand itself- trying to determine how it functions in its magical means or where it gets the mixers for the cocktails- and what exactly is supplying the drink base or fluid for ice in general.

Otherwise, a week or so in he can also be found skulking around a bit suspiciously even around the actual mechanisms and boilers of the park. Most often lingering where others have made themselves sparse with a utility toolkit he seems to have pilfered from a janitorial closet. Sometimes, when it's late and only some sparse watch is posted.. Simon has seemingly resorted to trying to break into the filters for hot tubs or sauna attractions to try and pick out parts to use for actual water filtration for drinking rather than swimming.

The Southern Caverns - Mid-Event - OTA

It truthfully doesn't take too long for his feelings of insignificance to begin mounting to a frustrating degree. It's suffocating. He shouldn't have been so reckless. He should have watched his back as much as he was trying to keep Fiona and Cake safe- he has no idea what's becoming of them now or what he'd even return to once he earns his way out.. Earns it. He has to EARN it!

It feels futile, so he does what any person a little less than sane with too much to prove does- wander out on his own.

The first place he treks about is Fungal Hollow. He spends most of his time rummaging about the mushrooms and trying to apply any degree of his past experience foraging and mushroom hunting with Betty to use- whose to say if it's all backwards here but he does at least set up a small camp to try and test out distilling and picking apart, cooking or preparing- any number of things to test on the many mushrooms about.. maybe you're drawn in by the scent.

Maybe you come across him scrambling away from a giant spider too once he's lingered too long, or hear him wailing and thrashing about in an unfortunately placed web before it returns..

The second place he ventures out too is probably even LESS safe or smart. He'll definitely be in need of a guide through The Vinewilds. He could be approaching you to get help through it without being swept up into the vines. You could also be once again helping the damsel himself once he gets entwined trying to approach the tempting patch of Papayas across the way, he certainly doesn't seem to know how to swing a machete that well himself...

He also spends a bit of time staking out the Strange Hut.. unsure if it's worth the risk approaching it but with enough cuts and scrapes he seems to finally be mustering the courage to go forth and knock.

Unified Camp - Nearly the end... - OTA
People have hope. That's more than Simon can say. Even as camps gather and congeal.. he doesn't seem all that relieved by combined effort. He's lingering on the outside. Mostly seen stumbling about at night mumbling to himself in Serbian tongue with bitterness laced on his meek voice. He doesn't talk to anyone by choice- you'd need to approach him first. He does seem to idly spend time mending when he's about in the waking hours. Both of clothes and materials for himself but he also seems to hunker down and help patch up others beds or tents and things of repair need around the unified camp without prompting. His hands have enough bandages and gauze to show his pace is less than steady now...

The Crack in the World - ...But not soon enough - Closed to Nyarlathotep
Something lit a fire in him, just barely, just enough to CARE when he hears talk of those packages found near the Crack in the World. He thought about approaching it back when he was exploring but lost his momentum before he ever did. Now? Talks of things from their worlds, things that are helpful, or at least personal to them. What has he left to gain? What does he have left to save him? What is it he needs more than anything now? or when he finally finds his way back..

Simon ventures off in the dead of night, under the cover of dark into the jungle depths too quiet to be anything but eerie and uncanny. Still... in spite of the odds he makes it there in as much of one-piece as he has left after the arduous month. Nobody else is there- so far as he's aware. His eyes are drawn even past the crates and packages- many already rummaged and dug through. People taking their pickings as they came and go far before him.

He feels his stomach turn the longer he stares into the raw energy emanating in a starburst from the deep stone crevices. "..They called you the Star." He speaks quietly without thinking. Not even realizing he was making noise as he thought to Marcy of Vampire world. How he used to resent the crown for the life it led him with her.. only to realize before death itself it was the kinder alternative.

It's ironic.

Crack in the World

[cult_classic]

"Good afternoon! Looking for your package?" There's a man near the cache of little wooden boxes. Unfamiliar, but that doesn't mean much when you're new. He's short and built like someone who's led a comfortable, academic life, with a warm tan complexion and a short crop of curly dark-brown hair. He's not as unkempt as one might expect, but is still down to his shirtsleeves--- a deep red cotton shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the neck unbuttoned, a pair of suspenders, and brown trousers.

"Don't worry. They're labeled. What's your name, my friend?"

Southern Caves

[puremachine]

There are many eyes on Simon as he leaves camp -- and not all of them belong to harmless animals, or even the fierce predators that stalk the cavern. A humanoid presence has been watching him and his fellow foragers for days, studying their routines and preferences, gauging their physical fitness and combat abilities. There's no honor in what he's doing, and his ad-hoc conscience pricks him when he imagines what Little Ed or Lord Jackass might have to say about it. But he has to do this, he has to if he wants to ever make it back home to Darling and Little Ed and the rest of their clan.

And more immediately...as the days turn into weeks he realizes that he also needs to do it for himself.

His outline blurred by a cloak sewn from large jungle leaves and his scent altered to match the intense greenery that surrounds them, Blade follows Simon at a distance, watching him carefully. He wants to wait until Simon is well out of earshot of any guards or his fellow foragers...but not so long that he's targeted by one of the larger beasts that stalk the area. He's already tangled one with the giant spider that lives in the mushroom fields, and would rather not do so again...

Enoch Gloomsmere [New Lore NPC]

[dirgeformoira]

-Gentle Repose-
There is a strange hut to the south of the Dwarven citadel. It's small, modest little place, made of dark wood and stone with a moss-covered roof that makes it blend in with the surrounding area of the jungle, vines hanging down from nearby trees to conceal it. The windows are dark, but the little stone chimney coughs up smoke steadily, and every so often you can see a shadow pass by one of the simple windows.

Runes are drawn on the ground outside--- ones you don't recognize. Effigies of bone dangle from tree limbs, looking like macabre mobiles for some gruesome child, adding a slightly intimidating air to the sight of the otherwise cozy-looking home. Knock on the door, if you wish. But tread carefully, and be respectful.

-Toll the Dead-

Not too long after the unified camp is set up, there is a stranger among your ranks.

An older man, with deep grey skin with a purple undertone. Wrinkles set deeply into his face, and twisting grey veins run through dark, muted-purple locs that are tied back into a thick bundle, looking more like a bouquet than a ponytail. A pair of tall, elvish ears stick up from either side of his head, each bearing a number of bulky silver piercings, and he wears a pair of goggles with round purple lenses that obscure his eyes. Decorative spikes poke up from the metal fittings.

Carrying a walking stick made of gnarled black wood topped with a small skull whose eye sockets are set with amethyst held in place by copper wire, he stands close to a wall, shrouded in purple robes and looking like a corpse someone propped upright. He appears displeased beyond measure, though the reason for this is unclear.

-Gentle Repose-

[twohundreddead]

The forest is dark, well-fed and overwhelmingly thalergetic. Labyrinthine, if that labyrinth had been haphazardly disassembled, and made no less confusing because of it. And something is after her. This is a new normal she's seriously beginning to resent.

Harrowhark runs. She bleeds from three long scratches on her calf. She hadn't noticed it, how well it disguised itself amongst the underbrush. Then it leapt for her— flash of green, gnarled claws and leafy shoulders— a vocal pop-and-click, like the terminal congestion of her House's people. Now, it makes no secret of its pursuit— and it's fast. Faster than she can outrun. One-half crippled by the injury to her leg (and with no time to stop and attempt healing herself), and one-half crippled by her life-long neglect of PE class, Harrowhark will surely lose this race.

The house is a Godsend— so much that she swears, the minute she's safe and alone, to drop weightily to her knees and give thanks to the Kindly King. She spots runes and bones— even better. The truest protection. The pinnacle of taste. The chimney is breathing, exhaling fat gouts of smoke into the tree canopies, and that must mean someone is home. Someone will let her in. They must.

She all but smacks into the door. Her body, that first thud— her fists, the second.

"Please— someone, please— open the door!"

Gentle Repose

[amourtician]

Absurdly, Anzu's clothes have not gotten ruined yet — he's in his summer linen suit, complete with matching dark blue fedora, and carrying the polished blackthorn walking-stick (silver cobra handle and all), and he strolls through the wilds of Paradesium with as much nonchalance as he can muster while feeling not-quite-here-at-all. The gravity of the predicament the town is in has not sunk in yet. He's not allowed it to sink in. If he thinks about it too hard, he'll freak out. And just in time for Shvues, too ... wrong time of year for it, he thinks. If it'd happened around Sukkes, it'd have been perfect, but alas. Expecting unnatural disasters to accommodate the Jewish calendar is clearly entirely unreasonable.

So in trying to avoid thinking about all that, he's taking a walk to try and ground himself. And because he doesn't wish to get lost, he picked the (seemingly) derelict cabin he'd seen when doing quick reconnaissance with Qingqiu earlier. But right now, as he gets closer, he can see there's smoke coming from the chimney. Huh.

Maybe it's not a cabin, he thinks. Maybe it's some kind of monster that disguises itself as a cabin and eats people who knock on the door.

... okay, that's an absurd thought. But he's getting tired — a barely visible old path through the jungle is not a sidewalk — and hell, if he dies, he'll come back after a day or so. Even if he gets et by a cabin-mimic.

He lights a cigarillo to steady his nerves, and knocks on the door. The cabin does not grow no mouth to bite his hand off, which is encouraging.

Waiting for a response, he leans on his walking stick, and fidgets with his hair. He'll have to ask someone to help him braid it or twist it later, to keep it out of harm's way, he thinks.

Toll the Dead

[blackquartz]

"Ah, and he rises from his crypt once more!"

All-too-merry in addressing this corpse, Esmeray wastes little time padding over, her tail hooking playfully on that intimidating skull cane, before brushing past him fully. She plops down on the floor near that very same wall, settling her wings, before giving him a coy smile that might as well be shit-eating, for how she looks up to him.

"What troubles you so, Enoch? You know, if you frown like that, your face may get stuck that way forever. At least, so I've heard."

toll the dead

[hereticofthewilds]

There's a young woman with brightly coloured hair and wings off to the side of him, now, where a moment ago there was only shadow. "Why does the stranger man look so grumpy?"

knock knock grandpa

[abhorrently]

The strange house draws her in irresistibly. What kind of adventurer would she be if she didn't poke her face into odd buildings, chests, and general areas that are open to be poked into? The bone creations outside are fascinating to her, works of art instead of warnings, and the runes draw focus. Nothing she's ever seen of the like before.

It's probably not polite to be crouched down like a frog hovering over someone's magic circle, but she'd really like to not walk into a trap. Or maybe a message? Her solution is to find a stick, and gently poke it over the line, back and forth. Hmm. Is it just decoration?

Aloy || Deep Wilds Camp

[ihadthewilds]

[ Note: for simplicity, I am trading in 6 of my May rewards to just say that Aloy has her spear and bow on her person already. ]

-With your faith, you'll trigger a landslide-

The evacuation is chaos, of course. No amount of familiarity with disaster can ever truly prepare one for the sight of a strange fog dissolving half a tree and a rush of people. But Aloy does what she can. She's strong. She can lead, she can carry. She's fast. She can run back for those who've stumbled. And when she sees the place where they're going, when the maw of the jungle yawns before her and they plunge into a strange wilderness, Aloy knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is her time.

She's no use in puzzle games, has no relevant skills to a castle or a dungeon, but this? This she can do. More than can do, she can excel. She can teach, she can keep people alive. Aloy trained her whole life for this.

When camp is made, Aloy springs into action. She looks around, and quickly ascertains that she is the youngest among them, save for literal children. This does not deter her.

"The first order of business is shelter," she announces, no fear of taking the lead. Dressed in handmade leathers and scrap metal armor, she looks like she belongs here. She's all business. "Then water and food. You can make a lean-to big enough for one or two out of fallen branches and big leaves. Use shiny leaves, they're waterproof. Those of us who are very strong should start looking for long branches, and everyone else should find leaves, as well as sharp sticks and bones that can be used for tools and weapons. If you're quick and have a good sense of direction, we could uses scouts. I'm still armed, so I can hunt for us by myself until we have more weapons. We also need someone to build a fire. Does anyone need help with figuring out what to do?"

Only once does she break from her look of determined fire, and it's to look at Rost, quietly seeking approval.

-To kill off this common sense of mine-

Hunting here is strange. There is no sun, but there's light--- crystals in the cave roof. There is wind, but it's... slight, and uncanny. And the animals here are largely unfamiliar to her, though Aloy supposes that's not too different from hunting new machines as she traveled. Follow their tracks, learn their habits. Figure out what's good to eat. Herbivores tend to be safe choices. This is a different wild, but it can be learned. Anything can.

"Anyone looking for a hunting partner?" Aloy asks at camp early one morning. "I'm also happy to help with foraging."

-Everybody sing like it's the last song you'll ever sing-

Evenings back at camp are spent near the fire, crafting arrows and weapons or tools for others. Very little downtime is taken--- there's a lot of people here, and they all need to be able to defend themselves or have the tools they need for making. You can easily find Aloy sitting on a stone seat by the campfire carving something or other, or near her own shelter field-dressing something she hunted or stringing up a pelt for tanning. Feel free to ask her to help you with anything, or bring her dinner. She keeps forgetting to take a break to eat.

-Tell me, do you feel the pressure now?-

Stay low, stay silent. Tricks learned early in life, mastered over a decade and change. Aloy's Focus never leaves her face, subtle glimmers of light from beside her eye scanning the ground for tracks, picking up signs of movement. Like every day, she is looking for food. But anything that moves catches her eye.

A purple silhouette only visible to Aloy shimmers in the distance, traced through the trees. A powerful looking creature stalks using similar methods to the huntress herself, slim and sleek-bodied with two piercing eyes and an impressive pair of tusks. Silkhide chimera, she's heard these called. Prolific hunters, best left undisturbed. Not worth a fight unless for a specific purpose.

Aloy very nearly turns about face to get some distance between herself and the chimera, choose another, less competitive hunting ground. Until her Focus traces the outline of what the creature stalks---- a human, seemingly unaware.

Bow strings taut, eyes set on the beast, she aims for the chest just as about to make a grab for its target.

Breath held. Release.

The arrow connects, burrowing deep, but not deep enough. These things have thicker skin than it looks like. "Dammit," Aloy hisses, loading another arrow. At least the kill was interrupted.

"Hey!" she shouts to whoever nearly got their head bitten off just now. "Get somewhere safe!" Ideally either back to camp, under some kind of shelter, or behind Aloy herself.

-We were born for this-
[ Wildcard! I didn't have anything specific in mind for the unified camp, but it can be similar. Additionally, Aloy can help with assembling shelters or barricades because she's a beefcake, I just didn't feel like writing a whole prompt for it! ]

Everybody sing like it's the last song you'll ever sing

[chenpathy]

"Hey, wildchild," Alex opens, light and easy, appearing at her side with meals in hand. "You've been doing all that hunting, how about you actually take in the spoils?"

Alex couldn't begin to explain the relief she felt at Aloy's presence, down here, knowing what she does of what she can do, the world she's lived in. By comparison Alex has been... struggling, to say the least, spending much of her time sequestering herself to work on necessary tasks alone as the emotional aura of the camp rises and falls.

Usually, with everyone back in for the night, she'd be over in her favoured shelter, but well. Here she is, instead.

trigger a landslide

[not_the_last]

Cassandra's eye lights on Aloy as soon as she starts talking. Thank gods -- someone who knows what needs to be done and can organize.

She waits for a pause in the ensuing discussion, then approaches. "I'm quick and good at moving quietly," she says, "but I'm not familiar with the wild, and it's clear that you are. I can scout near the camp if you can give me a good idea of what I should be looking for."

Tell me, do you feel the pressure now?

[allfortheloveof]

"Huh?"

The situation, frankly, feels a little bit absurd. He'd been leaned down, inspecting a little dragon with fairy wings, taking notes for how to make his fauna more whimsical for his own tales, when something gigantic topples out of the way, practically shaking the ground beneath his feet. He only just gets a look at the beast, with its giant teeth and freshly-gained arrow, before it vanishes back into the thicket.

"Oh! Aloy, my bedazzling butterfly, it's so wonderful to see you!" Caine waves over to her, and starts over the short distance, opening his hands to show his spoils from his latest wander away from camp: a few shimmering rocks, a crab housing itself in another one of those rocks, and an assortment of strange seeds. "Look! I've found some assorted jungle goods that I think the humans back at camp will really enjoy! Look at this seed! It's purple! Since when could they do that?"

He does not, of course, get anywhere safer in any time of this ramble. Why would he need to? After all, the beast ran off, bested by his friend, the intrepid adventurer! (And, of course, in this confidence, he fails to notice any watchful eyes in the thickets, prowling slowly around them, looking for an opportunity to strike.)

Esmeray of Mountain's Song | NPC

[blackquartz]

Come down from the mountain, you have been gone too long
[ Early arrivals in the jungle ]

For all the jungle to stir as it has, it's hardly a surprise that some of the more sapient denizens of the wilds would be curious to see what all the commotion is about.

Esmeray isn't quite so skittish as she once was, found in the decaying temples by the first arrivals to Paradesium in so long. Though still content in her isolation all this time, visitors to the strange new water fixtures and those who find themselves quite lost (she will have to say hello to Mr. Kennedy, should she see him again), she's still wary to draw too near without some proper investigation.

What would bring people down here in such vast numbers? Why are they so frightened? It's hardly like so many of them to come down at once. Not to mention shaking like frightened kits, looking at the sweeping trees and fluttering critters like they've never seen such a thing.

Should anyone start to let their attention wander the treelines, or perhaps a low canopy, they might find a yellow pair of eyes that looks just as surprised to be seen as they do. (She'll learn how to be more neighborly... eventually.)

The spring is upon us, follow my ornate song
[ Action Park Camp ]

After the initial shock, life settles into a new, strange normal, which means the topsiders are now subject to Esmeray's whims when she deigns to take a break from her latest project.

Today's venture is simple: the odd material that makes the swooping tubes of the slides of Action Park get terribly warm beneath the glowing crystals above, and the sphinx drapes herself over it lazily, broad arms splayed and sooty wings left open to soak the heat up like any self-respecting feline would. And, better yet, the denizens of the strange park aren't the occasional beast wandering through, nor the frilled wyverns who have learned how to say "nachos, please" from past visitors, but human! They make for much more interesting displays, and are much more fun to heckle from her perch.

"This slide will cut you to ribbons, if you aren't careful," she croons to anyone drawing near enough, her lion's tail twitching with lazy contentedness and idle curiosity. "I think it to be a creature in its own right, the way it sinks teeth into visitors and drinks their blood. Isn't that so strange?"

Settle down with me by the fire of my yearning
[ Unified Camp; Festival Night ]

It doesn't take long for all the people of the surface world to congregate fully in Regnskog, once the preparations are made. So many crumbled houses are roofed with moth-eaten fabrics and broad leaves, leaks are sealed with stones and clay, and tents are made for those who are too large for the crumbling stone structures; by the time she's finished with the camp for the refugees and her own personal preparations, she's exhausted.

But the decorations are exquisite, if she says so herself, even if the paints and food offerings are a bit meager. Silks have been preserved with care to line through the frames of iron-wrought fences, and fresh flowers are plucked from their stems, nestled in decorative piles at the town's center. The aged fountain has even been filled with water again, all with the intention of thin peels of bark from trees floating in it, carefully holding little candles.

And, roaring with life only some ten feet away, is a healthy fire tended in a decorative metal pit. Birds and fish roast on sticks beside it, welcome for the taking - should they not mind the obvious signs of fangs having pierced them before.

Not too far from the cooking food, Esmeray sits, a temporary reprieve from her fussing to make sure everything's just-so. If she catches the sounds of footsteps, her fuzzy ears swivel, before her face turns, and she offers a grin, any past uncertainty thoroughly melted off of her by the surrounding glow.

"Here for the festivities, or simply passing through?"

You should come back home, back on your own now
[ Wildcard! ]

(Drop just about anything here! After Serranai puts the flame in her necklace, she's openly willing to be as nosy as possible, dropping by each campsite at varying points, and she's prone to stalking after people to see what they're up to.)

You should come back home, back on your own now

[twohundreddead]

The weathered temples of the Paradesium interest the interloper very little. She doesn't take the time to appraise its old stone or touch the thick pelts of green growing down its front. Who it'd been built for and what might have been ushered in to sing one's fidelity, why this temple has been abandoned when others have not, is utterly insignificant in the face of her most recent discovery.

Bones.

Large bones, still yellow with trace amounts of fat. The mostly-rotten hide of an animal she will never have the capacity to identify. This is fine. Flesh is secondary— maybe even tertiary— in terms of significance. It's the bones that interest her. The bones that beckon her off-path, their death energies wafting, their scent curling like a question she would very much like to answer. She feels possessive of them immediately. She gathers them up. First into a pile, then in a framework, and finally laying them out according to size.

Harrowhark is rapt. She clings to the studying of this corpse for its normalcy, for the way it makes her feel. Old lessons resurface. The sound of Crux's voice. Crux hurling bodies off the highest towers of Drearburh so that she might mend their broken bones for practice. The way he cared for her. Encouraged her. The creature-comforts of spending one's entire day learning, reading, engaging the folds of an otherwise rotten mind. The femur of this creature is twice as wide as her arm. She holds it in both hands and thinks of her nursemaid. She sheens with blood sweat as she works her necromancy, sectioning off one piece of bone, rolling it into the shape and texture of clay.

Then begins the tedious act of arranging it again, piece by piece, into a proper skeleton. She picks through the dirt for tiny fragments. Reanimation is the goal. Alone and with no one to impress, she is not confident in herself. But she's dogged to try anyway.

She has no idea that she's being watched.

Agent South Dakota | RvB

[ownperson]

No, I wish we didn't have to fight in self-defense [for North]

[ownperson]

Two nightmare weeks turn, mid-afternoon, into three nightmare hours and four nightmare days. Down in the jungle, everything that's been building between her and Dmitri feels like it shouldn't matter; there's work to be done, a young boy to look after, and survival to think of. What had felt like the most important thing in the world suddenly feels ridiculous, and South's mouth snaps shut where it had finally, almost, been ready to open.

But we all know that doesn't help.

This morning was meant to be a hunting trip. With plenty of friendly faces to watch Theta, they strode out into the wilderness to take advantage of North's keen aim and instead, ran into a fucking hulking monstrosity using the same damn hunting grounds. Too close to camp. Too big to take out with one shot. It takes only a glance for the twins to know the only plan: drive the thing as far away as they can, then hope to at least wound it badly enough it won't be able to chase them when they bolt.

If only the rest of the fight was so easy.

One thing has been true since the first day they fought together, teenagers in a courtyard: they are synchronised. South could piss off a group and so long as North was there to back her up, they won. No one could match them. A combat team the likes of which no one had ever seen—that's what they heard, again and again, from the moment they set foot in the military. To fight together is as simple as breathing.

And yet here, now, today, they're out of step.

They've drove the thing back a ways, well-timed shotgun pellets and rifle fire, running ahead as a lure while the other keeps it from getting too focused, but more than once one of them misreads: they both run ahead, they fire at the wrong time, they collide. South tries a move they've used a hundred times, launching herself off his back like a springboard to get up into the foliage, and he doesn't feel her coming at all, leaves her skidding to catch herself on the ground.

It's wrong. South doesn't know what to do.

Back to a tree, breathing hard as she reloads her shotgun and listening to the horrible thing tromp around mere metres away, she hisses: "If we don't get our shit together soon we're not gonna make it back."

R′ L.V. Morgenshtern | OC

[graphomaniac]

Wilderness Camp, Early In the First Week [closed to Pokey]

[graphomaniac]

All in all, it could have been so much worse. For one thing, it could've been night-time; for another, it could've been raining. For a third, they could've all ended up captured by bugs puppeting corpses around (again!) or something equally horrid. Ending up in Paradesium with only whatever one was holding at the time the alarm was raised is maybe not ideal, but it is survivable.

It's a couple of days later. The dust has settled (figuratively at least); Lev/Lyubov has gotten oriented enough to spot that the Hollow's little batty mail carrier has resumed their rounds. One really can't help but admire such dedication to one's calling. And one really appreciates, too.

In the late morning — or at least, what's probably late morning according to Nyura's pocket watch — Lev/Lyubov finds a prominent and mostly sheltered rock outside the wilderness camp to sit on and wait for Pokey to come by — notebook and pen at the ready. They do have a vague idea of what they want to ask Pokey about, but the questions aren't really the point.

What they want is to have a nice, friendly chat with the postie, snatch a little bit of normality away from this latest boondoggle. That and hopefully find out how everyone else is faring, and where they're faring.

And maybe pick up some gossip, just to chase away the lurking boredom.

Theta | RvB | Deep Wilds

[n0rthernlights]

Though he's far from the only child, or even the youngest, in town, down here in the deep wilds Theta finds himself both. Most others, they'll hear later, ended up gathered in the higher camps, particularly Action Park. But, clinging to his dad all the way, Theta ends up here, and that's okay with him. Being separated is the last thing he'd want, and North and South are more useful down here where things are harder.

He just wishes he was a little more use himself.

They find him a tent quickly, taken from another abandoned campsite, and he's comfortable enough there making sure that Phi and Twoey don't get into trouble. But he's restless, and wanting for company. Dad spends a lot of time helping around and outside of the camp, and so does Aunt Nat, and he's not very good at being on his own.

So, when he's not found at the Katinas' spot in camp, he's often wandering around asking, "I-Is there anything I can do to help?"

[ OOC: He will also obviously be at the unified camp, and accessible in similar ways there. ]

[ihadthewilds]

Aloy is the right person to ask.

She's sitting at the campfire, carving a spearhead out of bone. The look on her face just seconds before was the utmost seriousness, furrowed brow, eyes and hands locked to her task. But when Theta speaks to her, she snaps out of her task, and smiles.

"I appreciate the offer," she says. "Do you want to learn to make these?"

Agni Azimar | OC (D&D, Curse of Strahd) | OTA

[for_i_have_none]

Waterfall Camp

He's used to living for days at a time in the wild, but most of that time has been on his own, or at most with a handful of others. This crowded cave full of refugees is more like staying with the survivors of Vallaki, except there they at least had the still-standing inn to sleep in. Here ... well. At least they've all made it out of town alive, and there doesn't seem to be anything actively trying to kill or torment them, so it's better than some places they've been recently.

Azimar stakes out a corner of the cave for his own, with his pack and his instruments (and isn't he glad to have kept the habit of keeping certain things on his person), and sets out to make himself useful. He'll volunteer to join hunting or foraging parties, to scout for dangers, to help prepare meals, to heal anyone who's taken serious injury -- and, of course, to entertain while people are resting. (Somehow, people may find that listening to him sing during downtime has a subtle rejuvenating effect.)

The busier he keeps, the more he brightens the situation for everyone else, the less he has to think about ... well, anything else at all, really.

Out Alone

The trouble with busying oneself with other people is that, sooner or later, one gets sick of the sight of other people. And with no room he can step into and shut the door, even briefly, Azimar finds he needs to step away from camp at least a little ways. As the days stretch into weeks, he takes to stepping away every couple of days, just to clear his head.

If you're also out on your own anywhere nearby, you might see him there. Or, oddly, you might hear him but not see him, even if there doesn't seem to be any cover. Maybe he saw you first?

He won't be wandering too far from the Waterfall Camp. At least ... not on purpose.

A Stone's Throw Away

Among his handful of effects, Azimar has retained his Sending Stone. If you're not at his camp but want to talk to him, he'll happily chat for as long as you care to, including late into the night. Who needs to sleep, after all? Though he's not likely to call anyone else late at night, unless specifically asked -- but should anyone call him, it's even odds that he'll be awake at any hour.


[A subheader for the unified camp after May 25th may go up later in the month. In the meantime: feel free to hit me up for a wildcard!]

alone.

[abhorrently]

Perhaps it was necessity that draws him out this far. The creatures that lurk in the depths of Paradesium can give hot pursuit, but cannot run forever. Regardless, there is a point where there is Fever, and there is the corpse of something larger, oozing from the place where its neck's been cut. At the sound of footsteps, she turns around, eyes still wide from the aftermath of the hunt, but instantly lowering her knife when she sees who it is.

"Azimar. You're just in time."

Pomni | TADC | Waterfall & Unified Camps | OTA

[jeveuxpartir]

⭐If I stumble, they're gonna eat me alive⭐

"Okay. Be totally straight with me. What do you think the chances are of this going horribly wrong?"

Word came back to the waterfall camp about the grove of delicious tropical fruit a day prior, and the need to traverse the Vinewilds to access it, and just as Pomni was beginning to feel at the absolute peak of uselessness. This, she had decided, was her time to shine. Why? Because it sounded like insane cartoon bullshit, which is exactly what she's built for. A durable, stretchy body with tiny little feet, hammerspace inside her hat--- there's literally no one better suited for the job.

Except now that she's standing here, she's seeing just how tight the vines are laced along the ground, and she's suddenly doubting if she's toon enough for this. Which is why she's looking to a campmate, brought along for moral support and to get her out of any monstrous plant that might try to eat her. She stares up at her companion with enormous round pinwheel eyes, looking to them to provide a vote of confidence or give her permission to say fuck this, let's get out of here. "Brutal honesty. Do you think I'm gonna get myself killed?"


⭐Hard to be soft, tough to be tender⭐

Pomni's next attempt at pulling her weight is spear-fishing. That can't be too hard, right? Find a good, sturdy, straight stick, sharpen it to a point, go sit on the riverbed, and stab the water till you get a fish. Rinse and repeat. Humans have been doing it for centuries. It's gotta be pretty intuitive.

Except she's been at it for hours with no success. It seems like the fish can see her coming, and she can't figure out what she's doing wrong. The chances of coming across Pomni jabbing a stick into the still water slightly down river of the falls and then grumbling, "oh, motherf er," under her breath are fairly high.

She could probably use a hand. Whether that's actual expertise or just the blind leading the blind, it beats getting pissed off all by herself.


⭐Help, I'm alive⭐

Some people are outdoorsy folks, really built for roughing it, for whom camping can be really fun, actually. Pomni does not count herself among them. It's fine on occasion--- she's even done it voluntarily more than once! It can be bearable for a day or two. But this has gone on longer than that, and with no end in sight.

More than that, there's been a lot on Pomni's mind recently. Being here is strange enough on its own, but this is her second… "adventure," for lack of better words, since arriving here. The anxiety of the first rears its ugly head, that feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Will there be more horrible visions? More death? More false friends and mind games? Or will it be like her time camping at the dig site that started all this, with horrible monsters living in the woods?

On top of that, there's been so much interpersonal stuff lately that's been weighing on Pomni, and the stress alongside the discomfort of camping has just… made it really difficult to sleep lately.

So, she might as well keep watch. She's small and unobtrusive anyway.

When it gets late, and the crystals that light the cavern fade from a warm golden glow to a dim blue, if you leave the cave at the waterfall camp or approach it from the outside, you may spot a tiny, pale figure sitting on a rock near the falls, engulfed in that soft azure light. She takes in the peace of nighttime, lets the nearby falls mist her gently, listens to the distant sounds of nocturnal life that can be heard over the falling water. If she can't sleep, maybe this is close enough to rest to get something out of it, and she can be there for any late arrivals as well. Or if anyone else needs someone to talk to in the small hours.

⭐My heart keeps beating like a hammer⭐

To say the unified camp is an improvement would be a wild understatement. Not even bothered by the smallness of the accommodations due to her own size, the renewed structure of beds and buildings improves the quality of Pomni's sleep substantially and brings back at least a little bit of normalcy. Not only that, but the fact that everyone's back together, and there's a festival now--- well, it's good for morale, isn't it?

This spring festival, according to the sphinx living here, involves painting murals on the stone in town. Pomni's not much of an artist, but she was definitely a doodler in school and can definitely contribute a few fun swirly patterns and some decent little flowers. Maybe it's frivolous, but at least it feels more like a purpose than anything else she's tried to do to help so far.

"Hey, are you using that pot of green paint?" she asks someone else who is helping to decorate. "I ran out. Turns out spring designs take a lot of green, eheh."

Help, I'm alive [cw: gore but weird because it's a doll?]

[raggedydamn]

It's been hours, since Ragatha left camp.

Buddy system, that's what she keeps reminding everyone else—it's the safest thing, out here, and she's sure they've had less trouble because of it. But if Ragatha was good at following her own advice, then, well, she'd have a lot less problems in general.

It was only meant to be a quick trip, back out to one of those abandoned campsites to see if there was anything they missed the first time. The thought just got stuck in her head, and, so, off she went. It should have been fine. It really isn't that far down the river. It would have been fine, if she hadn't made the mistake of approaching the strange glow in the bush.

The jaguar gave up when it realised there was no actual meat to be found in the doll's abdomen, even if it turns out there are guts in there. Who'd of thought? Ha. Hah. (Oh, god.)

For a while, all she can do is lie there in agony. Then, she manages to pull herself together enough to extract a few pins from her hair, tack together some of the worst of it. Finally, she starts pulling herself back toward the camp on hands and knees, one arm hooked under her abdomen to keep it from... trailing.

(Oh god. Oh god.)

Ragatha | The Amazing Digital Circus | Waterfall

[raggedydamn]

Days pull you up just like a daffodil

There aren't a lot of skills Ragatha has that are much use down here in the jungle, but during an early supply run they manage to get a hold of a sewing kit and that, that Ragatha can use. With material gathered from the surrounding area, she's able to start piecing together tents and bedrolls for people.

It's a little slower than she'd like, at times, even now she's getting used to her hands, and some of the pieces for the tents are rather large and hard to manoeuvre. Maybe you see her struggling a little, or maybe you're one of the few she gets brave enough to ask: "Could I— borrow another set of hands for a minute? If you're too busy, I'll figure it out!"

Uprooted from its garden

There's another use for a sewing kit, when you're a living doll, but this one Ragatha tries to keep mostly out of sight. Tries being the key word.

Out here, it's so easy to catch herself on things. Sharp plant-life, the rough edge of the cave, things that wouldn't be much of a hazard for the average person but that are just enough to tear her fabric if she's not careful. (Not to even mention the grime that clings to her and is so much harder to wash off than on normal skin...) It's rarely anything serious, just little cuts that are easily patched up before they split further and that vanish in a couple days, stitches and all, but they do have to be patched up.

Most of the time, she can manage just fine. She tries to tuck herself away, but those at the camp may still spot her around her tent sewing up her own arm, leg, side... and sometimes, the damage is somewhere hard to reach, like her back. Even then, she tries to handle it herself first, hesitant to ask for help—but that doesn't mean she doesn't need it.

They'll tell you what you owe, but know even so

Her own difficulties don't stop her from wanting to do her best to contribute as much as possible, however possible. Hunting is beyond her, even going after the fish, but foraging is doable. Sure, she'll need to patch herself up a little afterwards, probably, but that's okay—she keeps part of the kit on her at all times, and some pins in her hair.

Whether a friend pairing up with her to head out, or someone she's spotted leaving alone that she's come up to and asked, "Need a partner? We should really keep to the buddy system!" she's more than happy to take the time away from the water to bolster the camp's food stores.

Rises the moon

[ Wildcard! Ragatha is going to get seriously damaged at some point and probably have to take some time to recover at camp, but we'll see how that goes. She's around and keeping herself busy, and will be accessible at the unified camp. ]

Uprooted from its garden

[jaxinthebox]

A million different times, he's just wandered away. Hell, he's even walked past, found a joke to make, and didn't bother looking back. It didn't weigh on him. That's just how things were; Ragatha got the stuffing beaten out of her, she patched herself up, and life went on.

Now, though, while he wanders his way to consider sleeping (but likely ultimately fail), her efforts getting somewhere out of reach give him pause. She hasn't even noticed him yet. It'd be so easy to slip away, like nothing even happened.

(Ugh. Since when did he start forming a conscience?)

"You're gonna rip something else if you keep trying to get that, y'know," comes the remark first, but with none of the typical mock-chiding amusement that it'd always used to. This time, once he's taken a look to make sure there weren't any other immediately-prying eyes, he steps closer, opening his hand. "Here. C'mon, I don't got all night."

He does. He literally has all night. But he can't sound eager about it. He's got to save some small fraction of his image here.

Leon S. Kennedy | Resident Evil 4 | Deep Wilds

[nothingbadeverhappensto]

Keep cool down in the quiet of the morning (Evacuation)

By sheer turn of luck, Leon is already headed up the road to Paradesium when the first refugees start arriving. It's fortunate that they're able to explain the situation to him quickly - his instinct eternally that to run towards whatever everyone else is running away from - but once he understands what's going on he redirects his energy quickly enough.

"Go, go, I'll guide people down here as they arrive," he says, lungs and eyes already starting to sting. He wets a cloth and ties it over his nose and mouth, hanging back towards the entrance to the cavern system.

"Watch your step!" he shouts, as he hears footsteps arriving. "There's a sinkhole there!" The very one he fell down a little over a year ago, even. If anyone else were to take a spill there's no telling when or if they'd get found again.

Sweat blood when the sun comes through (Deep Wilds Camp)

Leon stays near the entrance to the caves as long as he can, until the burning in his lungs and his watering eyes start to become too much to bear. It's only reluctantly that he retreats, but the thought that there are people who will not be pleased if he sacrifices himself here, however temporarily, and that he won't be able to help much if he's laid up blinded and with bad lungs the whole time convinces him to relent.

As it stands, he winds up one of the last arrivals to the Deep Wilds Camp, trailing after some stragglers and shepherding them away from the threats he recognizes from his previous extended stay down in the caves. The camp is still being built by the time he gets there, but it's a work in progress, and he takes a moment to watch everyone else's activity before deciding where to jump in.

"Hey," he says, pulling aside whoever's nearest and looks like they have both a moment and the wherewithal to do something productive (as opposed to needing a moment to recover, which would be understandable). "Got a minute? There's some medicinal plants that grow down here. I wanna teach some people where to find them and how to use them."

Thick mist on the pond before the temple (Deep Wilds Camp to start, going to the Crack in the World)

The thing about foraged food and rations is you get really sick of eating them really fast.

Don't get him wrong - Leon loves a good orange or banana every now and again, but the campfire fare and herb salads start to wear on him a bit as time goes on. He's not a picky eater by any means, but it does mean that when he finds a piece of hard candy in his satchel that he forgot about? He has very few qualms about eating it, odd eye-motif to the wrapper aside.

It's just when he's crunched down through the hard sugar coating that he - remembers? Realizes? - something important.

Once again, he pulls the nearest capable person aside, flagging them down or otherwise pulling their attention away from whatever they're up to with a slightly confused but determined look in his eyes.

"This is gonna sound weird," he admits. "But I think I know where we can find some stuff that'll help us down here."

Headed down to the final rendezvous (Wildcard)

[ Need something else? Want to talk to Leon at the unified camp? Feel free to jump in here or plot with me on discord at quodvide!! ]

Sweat blood

[ihadthewilds]

Medicinal herbs. Now we're talking. Someone who not only knows they exist, but how to use them. "Yes, of course," Aloy says, giving Leon her full attention. "Show me. I'll spread the word."

Ashley Graham | Resident Evil 4 | Action Park and Unified Camp

[bbeagle]

And they say that a hero could save us (Action Park arrival and organizing)
As an Enforcer, it's part of Ashley's job to help organize the evacuation - as much as a Go-level evacuation can be organized, anyway. She ends up shepherding a small group of survivors toward structure, safety, and... Chlorine?

"Oh man, it really is just like Action Park... Okay, we need to make sure we can find shelter, food, and water! Let's split up into teams or buddies and see what we can find around here, alright? We'll use this area here as a base, because it's pretty dry and near the concessions. Any questions? Then let's go, team!"

I'm not gonna stand here and wait (Setup and security)
As the group of survivors at Action Park start setting up and settling in, Ashley is floating around helping with establishing shelter, and making sure everyone gets their fill of corndogs, soft pretzels, or other concessions foods.

Behind one of the concessions stands, she finds a back door slightly ajar and slips inside to find a supply crate with a large stock pot and a box of protein bars.

"Look! We can use this pot to boil off the chlorine, so we can start building a stockpile of water."

Someone told me love would all save us (Fun in the sun)
As the days pass, while the novelty of living at a water park starts wearing off, Ashley still sometimes looks longingly at the water slides when she thinks nobody's looking.

"Have you ever been to a water park before?"

But how can that be (Hopital)
In Action Park, it's only inevitable that someone gets hurt.

"Hey, hey it's okay," she says. "Let me take a look, okay?"

Look what love gave us (Gifted kid burnout)
Even though she's one of the younger adults in the camp, being an Enforcer means that she feels responsible for making sure that everyone else gets taken care of first. Usually this means she's just been eating concession stand nachos for days on end, but in the middle of the day, when she's doing a lap around the park to make sure everything's okay, the heat and humidity and too many days of too little water all catches up to her.

Holding her head, she stumbles to a raised wall and slumps down, which quickly becomes passing out with a quiet sigh.

Now that the world isn't ending (Move-out day)
As much fun as a water park is, she's about ready to never see one again for a very long time. When they finally get word that there's a city that's been set up to move into, she helps organize and pack up the camp, doing laps around the group of survivors like a mother hen.

"Everybody here? Okay, let's go!"

It's love that I'm sending to you (Unified camp)
The first night in the fortress, Ashley passes out in a real bed, with air that doesn't stink like chlorine and corndogs, and sleeps for about twelve hours. But the next day she's up and at it again, although she's happy to relinquish control and just...explore the ruined city.

(Wildcard!)
[Anything else? Feel free to assume we can handwave first meetings, especially if your character's been around a while! I can also set up individual prompts if you have something specific in mind!]

Melanie King | TMA | Action Park

[ghostbullet]

Melanie pushes her evacuation out until the last possible minute to keep pushing the alert on the radios, but then she's out of there. Dread Pirate Jones in a makeshift pet sling and cane firmly in hand, she just barely makes it down into the caverns without injury and lets herself be hurried to the nearest camp. Which just so happens to be Action freaking Park.

The layout is... unideal, for a blind woman navigating with a cane and trying to stop a cat causing trouble, but she can't complain about much else. It's not like she's going to be expected to go on water or foraging runs, after all; she just gets to sit back and offer to manage things. Really, she's actually pretty good at resource management, and she's got a yell that can carry across the whole park if you need someone summoned.

Really, the most important thing is keeping on top of information coming from those checking on the surface, and offering what she can to people like the Bizzies and Godpoke to send around to the other camps.

So, most of the time, you can find Melanie sitting at one of the food stands, often answering her sending stone and attempting to scribble on napkins—her handwriting is total shite, but it's legible, thanks to old reflexes—when she needs to take notes of something to give someone else. You probably know her voice from the radio, if not her (eyeless, covered by dark, shielded glasses) face.