EVENT LOG: OH, THE COWS IN THE MEADOW

[asgardmods]

Who: EVERYONE
What: the Oh, the Cows in the Meadow event
When: September 10 - 15
Where: all over Asgard!
Rating: PG-13; please take anything higher than that to a private log!

september 10: sudden arrivals

Early in the morning, a vast shadow drifts across the city. You might look to the sky and see its source: a dragon of immense size, flying high enough not to be able to make out its features, backlit by the sun as it casts Asgard into temporary darkness. The creature flies past without so much as flapping a wing and disappears from sight into the distance. This, quite reasonably, makes some of the natives nervous, and the city spends a fraught few hours wondering and waiting to see if emergency precautions should be taken.

When the intrusion comes, it swarms around people's feet and roams through their yards as a flock of chickens spontaneously appears throughout the city. The farmers in Sigyn's district report the sudden appearance of cows in their fields as well, and the city erupts into confused joy. The natives might ask you for help with corralling them into some semblance of order, or you might have your own plans for these new creatures, as they continue to appear randomly throughout the night.

september 11: a cause for celebration

By the next morning, the population of chickens and cows has nearly doubled. The natives begin doubling their efforts to build pens and roosts, following Mimir's instructions and with Sigyn's help. More continue appearing throughout the day, deepening the chaos and excitement of the city, until a handful of pigs appear as well. The natives are overjoyed and begin an impromptu celebration in the streets, cheering and throwing makeshift confetti through the air.

september 12: disappointment

No new animals arrive. Still recovering from the past two days, the natives seem disappointed but otherwise keep themselves busy tidying up the last of the mess created by the commotion.

september 13: anxiety

No new animals arrive. A tangible anxious energy takes over the city, as people may have unwittingly been comparing this magical phenomenon to the last sudden deluge into the city. The natives keep a vigilant eye out for any other possible wildlife, but none are found by the end of the day.

september 14: a somber morning

No new animals arrive. A gloomy air hangs heavy on everyone's shoulders as they try to return to their ordinary daily business.

september 14: a wild night

(NOTE: please use appropriate content warnings if you include graphic content in your tags, such as excessive blood/gore/animal death/etc)

As the night grows darker and most people will have already begun sleeping, you might be woken to the sound of quiet, rhythmic chanting or the flickering of firelight through your window. If you dare to step outside to find the source of it, you will catch sight of the Asgardian natives dancing and singing with each other in the streets, carrying torches and painting each other in blood.

- wait, what?

Oh, yes. They smear the dark red substance across their faces or on each other's backs and chests. They draw on doors and entryways with it, leaving muddied marks across the streets and the city. One cow in each district is in the process of delicate disassembly, while other natives drain the blood into bowls to be passed along in joyous, reverent celebration - a stark contrast to the gloom of the last few days.

They seem happy as they dance their way towards the castle, carrying their macabre sacrifice along as they pray to the Mother and the gods for more livestock. You might want to stop them, or join them, or maybe just go back inside and wait until the horror is over. Whatever you decide to do in the face of this odd display, the gods see fit to let the natives do as they will and leave it up to the Wanderers to discuss whether such practices should be allowed to continue. There will be a network post about this on September 14. Stay tuned!

september 15: community day

To those that may have slept through last night's festivities, the next day might be a little jarring and confusing as city-wide efforts to clean muddied streets and filthy doorways that are vaguely tinted a reddish brown carry on into nightfall. Some awkward conversations will likely be had, but the natives are still in much better spirits than they had been in the last few days, if a bit sheepish for some. A (much calmer) buzz of excitement fills the air as various cooked meats are experimented with and shared widely to anyone interested in giving it a try.

Things return to business as usual… for the most part.

[ OOC NOTE: This is the mingle log for the Oh, the Cows in the Meadow event! Chickens, cows, and pigs will be available from this point onward in the game for their various animal products, although the natives could certainly use some help figuring out how to go about that business. As stated, there will be a network post to discuss whether or not the gods should allow the natives to continue their delightful animal sacrifices on September 14. We will be reading the comments on that post to determine how the event concludes. If you want your character to have input on this matter, please make sure to respond to the post! We will give it the good ol' mod bump when the time comes, so keep an eye out on plurk or discord. As always, let us know if you have any questions! ]


navigation.

Comments

September 11

[demonicbeauty]

[Ariadne knows next to nothing about animals. Alastrians never really cultivated them. Or hunted them, for that matter. So the bulk of her experience has mostly been watching the Elves. From far, far away.

And that experience has taught her several things. Key among them that it's unusual for cows to wander unenclosed.

She makes her way through town, wearing a hooded cloak, trying her best not to get too close. But when she spots Peter talking to a cow, her curiosity gets the better of her. Carefully, she creeps closer, tilting her head to one side like a bird.]

The only person I know who's selling drinks is that Lucifer person. It's free anywhere else.

[momsboy]

[ Peter's patting the cow's neck by the time Ariadne is standing next to him. He gives the woman an embarrassed look for catching him in this position and immediately stands up, acting as if nothing happened. ]

Oh I wasn't being serious. Cows only drink water, it was a joke. Weird how all the animals just showed up out of the blue, uh? I was trying to get some milk.

[demonicbeauty]

[At some point, he'll have to explain the joke to her, because the concept of buying someone a drink is a little foreign. But for the time being, she examines the cow.]

Don't they need babies to make milk?

[Bear with her, Peter. This is not her area of expertise.]

Or something...

[momsboy]

[ He will tell her all about flirting if she wants to know. God knows he has enough experience to give a few tips.

She offers a legit question! And actually answered herself.]

Yes, they do. This is an adult cow and she came near my ship with two calves that are now wandering around the park. She looks healthy and well feed so I figured this was worth a try.

[demonicbeauty]

[Good luck trying to explain flirting to Ariadne, Peter. You'll need it.

She casts a furtive glance from side to side, before cautiously pulling her hood off of her hair. Yup, still blue.]

Won't they miss their mother?

[momsboy]

[ It will be an interesting conversation, that for sure. And the hair is a very nice shade of blue. Peter gives her a smile because he knows that showing herself it's hard for Ariadne. ]

I don't think so? They will come back here, I'm sure, they're just curious about the park. Or the mom cow will go to them.

[ No lie, he's thinking on keeping all tree cows. ]

[demonicbeauty]

[She'll have to trust Peter on that. He clearly has more experience with cows. And possibly mothers. But who knows?

Ariadne takes another few halting steps closer, still out of arm's reach of the cow.

Leg's reach?

Or are those paws? She's not sure. Hooves.]

Where...did they come from?

[momsboy]

[ He has debatable experience with cows but a bit more than her, it seems. He watches closely in case the brown cow lashes out at the woman but it doens't look like that's going to happen. As far as cows go, this one's pretty chill as long as no one is trying to milk her. ]

No idea, they just showed up. Did you see the dragon the other day? Maybe it has something to do with it.

[demonicbeauty]

[She nods slightly.]

I saw it but...

I doubt the dragon was responsible.

Unless dragons here mean something different from dragons back home.

[momsboy]

Before you arrived, month ago we were attacked by a giant dragon. It almost burned one of the districts to the ground. Dragons are never a good omen so I'm trying to be cautious. It must be hiding somewhere.

[ They're cool creatures and fascinating but the Red Death left them all scarred. Doesn't help that she was as big as a mountain and took a lot of group effort to kill her. ]

You have dragons in your home-world too?

[demonicbeauty]

[She nods slightly, tentatively reaching out to touch the cow on its side. Do cows bite? She can't remember. Anything can bite, if provoked. But Ariadne's fingertips are exceedingly gentle. Like most everything else about her.]

Many kinds. Most of them not friendly.

But they're like other animals. You leave them alone and they'll leave you alone.

[momsboy]

Cows don't have top front teeth, they can't bite. [ Peter says as he brushes some grass off of his thighs, figuring out what was Ariadne thinking by her body language alone. ] But they kick really hard. Don't get behind them unannounced or scare them and all will be fine. Also don't get close to them if they have a baby calf, they might get violent.

[ Then again, what protective parent wouldn't do that? He looks with a smile as the cow let Ariadne pet her without moving away. ]

Yeah? I wish the dragons here did the same.

[demonicbeauty]

[Ariadne isn't going to boast, but she'd like to see anything try to kick her. What she lacks in physical power, she more than makes up for her in dexterity. She has a few moves of her own.

Moves she'll hopefully never have to use here. But who knows? Especially with Peter's ominous warning about dragons here...

She frowns a little bit, still petting the cow.]

So I hear. One attacked, right?

[momsboy]

[ Oh when it comes to green ladies, Peter never doubts their skills. that said, he likes to avoid any unnecessary accidents that can lead to violence. The dragons possible attacking is something Peter believes people should be aware of, even if it's only to know when to run to a safe place. ]

Attacked is putting it lightly. it was huge as a mountain, almost burned the city to the ground and it ruined half the forest. that one came from underground, which is another concerning thing.

[demonicbeauty]

[Okay, yes. That is definitely cause for concern. Ariadne gives the cow a final, gentle pat, then turns to look at Peter again.]

What did it look like?

[momsboy]

[ The cow doesn't make a sound but it turns her head towards Ariadne, welcoming the pettings. Looks like this one likes attention. ]

Huge, ugly. It didn't have scales but really thick, grey skin. Hiccup told me that kind of dragon lives inside volcanoes, which explained why was so resilient. It had a lot of eyes and teeth bigger than myself. What sort of animals exist in your world?

[demonicbeauty]

[Ariadne smiles a little, reaching over to give the cow another pat. She understands the need for touch. As a hatchling, she got it all the time.

Now...not so much.]

Most dragons back home are blue or black. I can't say I know a lot about them, to be honest.

The one we have to worry about is the Red Dragon.

[She grimaces at the name.]

But he's not an actual dragon. Just a warlord.

[momsboy]

[ Peter figures that the animals aren't really sure how they got to Asgard or why, so it's not a surprise they would seek some friendly touch. Like Ariadne, he can understand the need for it, it's something he always craves when it comes needing comfort. ]

With a name like that, he must be bad news. [ He takes a few step closer to the woman and the cow, reaching out to also pat the animal's back. ]Did he hurt your people?

[demonicbeauty]

[She shrugs. The fact of the matter is that 'hurt' is an understatement. More like genocide. Except 'genocide' implies more personal malice.]

He hurts everyone.

Anyone who stands in his way.

[momsboy]

[ It's really unfortunate that Peter knows exactly the kind of people she's talking about. There are far to many of those out there in the galaxy. ]

I'm sorry, Ariadne. He sounds an awful lot like Thanos or my father.

[demonicbeauty]

[Her eyes flash up at him in surprise. The kind of surprise that shows the whites, all the way around. She tries to conceal it, looking away again. But what's done is done.]

...your father?

[momsboy]

[ Peter should have keep his mouth shut, but what's done is done, indeed. ]

My biological father, not like he was present at all in my life until it suited him. And Peter wishes that he had never known the truth about the bastard man.

He was a monster. Well, a planet, actually. Something old and god-like called a Celestial. He wanted to eat the whole universe to be the only one in it. But now he's gone and nothing of value was lost.

[ That's the simplest explanation he can give, Ariadne doesn't need to be bored with the whole mess that is Peter's family. ]

[demonicbeauty]

Oh.

[That's a lot to take in all at once and without any warning. But it isn't the strangest or saddest story she's ever known. After all, she works with Lady Adriana's brother. Who would probably say similar things about his father. If you could ever get him to string three sentences together.

She considers her next words carefully. Obviously, it's a sore point and she doesn't want to upset him. But she does want to learn more.

Best, perhaps, to turn the conversation back on Peter himself, then.]

Does that make you a demi-god?

[momsboy]

[ He seems to realize that maybe he could have delivered the new with more grace after her surprised reply. Peter makes a face, scrunching up his nose slightly as if to apologize. ]

It did, once. But with Ego gone, any power I might have had died with him. [ He shrugs after that, giving her a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. ] I'm as average as it comes. That doesn't particularly bother me.

[ Not losing the Celestial powers but the rest is still an open wound even after four years. Some things never quite heal. ]

I didn't mean to make this all about me, sorry. You were telling me about your world.

[demonicbeauty]

[Power based on the parents living? That's a new one. Ariadne isn't even sure what to call it.

But she smiles reassuringly at Peter. Truthfully, she doesn't like talking about herself too much. Even with someone who already knows her secrets.]

Honestly, yours sounds a lot better. You've found a way to defeat your...problems.