EVENT LOG: (UN)SAFETY MEASURES

[asgardmods]

Who: ANYONE leaving Asgard to build an outpost
What: the (Un)Safety Measures event
When: January 14 - 22
Where: three days north of Asgard's kingdom
Warnings: claustrophobia

❧ january 14-16: departure.

On January 14, the gods summon everyone to the castle ground to announce that Asgard is moving out to face the newest threat on the horizon. what seems like the whole of Asgard prepares and departs the kingdom. From the youngest to the oldest of the able and willing, all hands are needed as this mission serves two highly critical purposes: to defeat the current threat and to build outposts that can be used as midway safe houses on missions like these.

Similar to the last time Asgard embarked on such a journey, a long train of wagons guided by the eight-legged horses and several of the gods passes through the thicc barrier of the forest into what appears to be a blinding light for any that remain in the city. As the caravan breaks through the treeline, that brightness barely fades as a blistering sun gleams off of what appears to be a solid landscape of pure ice. An odd chill travels from the top of your head to your toes as Honir calls out "Hold onto your limbs!" in a strangely cheerful warning to match the unusual warmth that envelops you afterwards.

Over the course of the next three days, the caravan travels northward through the strange landscape of Yggdrasil in winter. It seems like ice and snow rise and fall at whim, clear skies turning into a swarming blizzard from one stretch of land to another. It's like it can't quite decide what type of winter it would like to be, and the caravan is left to navigate and make camp through this fitful weather. On January 16, the caravan halts as the gods declare this to be the safest point between the kingdom and where the Qliphoth is growing. Construction of the outpost will begin here in the morning, as those moving on to destroy the wretched tree prepare to confront the demons of another world.

❧ january 17-18: setting up camp.

On the morning of January 17, everyone sets upon their separate tasks as those prepared for combat continue onward to travel. All of the wagons and most of the horses are left behind at the budding settlement - the terrain ahead is far too treacherous to risk losing them along the way. But all thoughts of demons and infernal trees seem distant compared to the pressing immediacy of the task at hand.



The gods weren’t wrong: This is likely the safest point between Asgard and whatever mayhem is occurring farther north. Tucked safely out of the elements in shallow valley between two small mountains, the outpost benefits strongly from the sun peeking out over the ridge as it balms the chilly sting of the wind with a diffuse sort of warmth. It’s a warmth that Wanderers will need as they set to work constructing a fallback point for the unimaginable things that those who continued might endure. There’s a job for everyone, big or small, from building temporary housing to assembling defenses to taking stock of all the medical supplies they’ve brought along for the trip.

Honir, meanwhile, has chosen to stay and protect the outpost. Though he doesn’t seem to actively dwell on it, those who knew him before the Battle of Wights can likely tell that he was humbled considerably by his experience. It more than suits the needs of the moment, as he and any willing volunteers scout the immediate area outside of the mountainous inlet to make sure that the outpost is safe.

Alas, even Honir doesn’t think to account for threats from below.

❧ january 19: hidden intentions.

( ! ) content warnings: claustrophobia

On the morning of January 18, your characters will wake up to discover that some of you are missing. Surely they were there when you went to sleep, but an odd number of Wanderers and native Asgardians alike seem to have vanished in the night. Searching the encampment and the surrounding area turns up nothing of use, awkwardly delaying construction between the need to finish this project within a few days and the absence of those that came to build it. A scant few more disappear suddenly throughout the day without anyone seeing or hearing anything more than a vague crunching sound and then silence.

As it turns out, answers come with the still of the night: Those who find themselves awake near the edges of camp hear a faint but unmistakable shouting, coming from beneath their very feet. Characters that have disappeared up to this point are buried underground beneath a thick layer of solid earth and stone. More people begin disappearing, this time in plain sight as stone shifts and pulls them into the dirt. Screams fill the campground as people try to save their friends or find the source of the chaos… Not to mention the shouts of alarm as those who try to dig too violently find the ground itself throwing things back at them, betraying this as the work of some sort of subterraneal creature.

But even as that chaos erupts around them, most of the Wanderers seem to vie for a peaceful resolution (based on the comments on January’s event post), and in fact, some go so far as to attempt to calm those reacting violently.

At first, it doesn’t seem to matter.

But then, the earth starts to shift. Those who have yet to be unearthed seem to be spat back out onto the surface, gently and with what could almost be considered deference. And then comes a gnomelike figure, about the size of a football with stone-brown skin and hair down to his feet, crawling up from a hole that didn’t seem to exist before he had need of it.

“I believe an apology is in order,” he says, twisting at a corner of his beard. “It has been quite an age since the Steinnbregðr have seen humans in these parts, and with such magics.”

“We just wanted to take a look atcha,” comes a younger voice not far behind him. It’s now that you see a number of other figures peering up out a dozen more inexplicable holes in the earth, though these new arrivals keep themselves hidden from the nose up. The girl who spoke had popped up a bit in her excitement, but she too ducks back into her hole under scrutiny, tacking on a - “Gorbit says you brought gods.”

The others all murmur with quiet agreement, some nodding, others looking nervous. They, too, just wanted to look at these humans. To learn.

“We made you fear for your lives and your kin, yet none of you harmed us,” the first gnome continues as if he hadn’t been interrupted. He looks from Wanderer to Wanderer, from face to face, and even in his generous age his eyes glow with an almost childlike intrigue. “Do you think it possible that we might... try again? From the start, with quite a bit less borrowing of your people.”

The Steinnbregðr people have extended an olive branch. If rejected, they’ll disappear back into their holes, nary to be seen again. If accepted, they’ll answer Wanderers’ questions, share their knowledge of local resources, and assist in assembling the outpost to the best of their ability… All the while taking every opportunity to observe the Wanderers with wide inquisitive eyes, or even tug at clothing to ask a burning question about the Wanderers, the gods, Asgard, or humans as a general concept.

(Though we won’t be outright NPCing the Steinnbregðr, there will be a top-level in which we’ll gladly summarize or handwave interactions with your characters, answering questions and perhaps even forming a budding CR.)

❧ january 20-22: return.

With the Qliphoth destroyed and the outpost established as best it can be, the caravan makes its way back to Asgard on January 20. While the load is a bit lighter for the supplies it took to build and battle their way back home, some carry new burdens and memories of the strange happenings that took place here. The magic the gods warned of has shown its powerful capacity to overwrite the landscape of Yggdrasil, and new creatures in the world are becoming increasingly aware of the Wanderers' presence.

All along the three day journey back to the kingdom, the gods and the natives can't help but discuss and speculate what this means for the future. A nervous energy travels back to the city with them in spite of their victories, the vast and mercurial landscape of Yggdrasil providing a frigid reminder of their isolation at the heart of it. Asgard may come to contend with the fact that they are safer within their kingdom and the veil of obscurity - and the fact that the veil has been lifted, leaving an open window for them to see out into the dangers of the world, and for the world to look back at them.

[ OOC NOTES: This is the event log for the (Un)Safety Measures event! Your characters are in the process of building an outpost to serve as safe housing for ventures beyond the kingdom when a clan of rock gnomes begins "stealing" characters underground for observation. Because the majority of you elected to proceed with caution instead of aggression, you were able to entreat with the gnomes to understand their presence and motivations, and enough of you actively sought to make peace with them that they have become tentative allies to Asgard for the time being. If you want to discuss interactions or ask questions about the gnomes, you can do so in this thread below. If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to hit us up on the mod contact page! Enjoy! ]

Comments

Héctor | Coco

[vagabone]

Departure

[He's bundled up and quieter than normal throughout the three day journey, feeling the chill in his bones once they reach the winter land, and every bump the wagons hit. Not fun, to feel old and be traveling. In a strange land. Towards what will certainly not be a good time. They're in deep, deep trouble, he thinks. It's hard to be optimistic after nearly a century of bad luck.

Gotta give him credit for trying, though! He's casual about everything on the outside, if not his usual grinning self. Decades of practice, of swallowing his feelings most of the time. It's the only way he can keep going at all.]

setting up

[There's so little he can do, and that's frustrating. Always has been. Can't try to lift anything heavy, especially with his bones unable to separate, he knows from experience that's a good way to end up with cracks. And then everyone would fuss. He's useless dead weight, and not skilled at building anyway. But he can cook! And this many people will certainly need to be fed!

Like it or not, a skeleton has wormed his way into makeshift kitchen duty, merrily ignoring all protests (if there were any). It's fine! He washed his hands first! He's not a bad chef, weirdly enough. At least he's enjoying himself?]

hidden intentions

[It's Héctor. Héctor, who apparently has never had a day of good luck in his entire afterlife. And perhaps the little gnomes are curious about one of the stranger looking people on this trip. Yes indeedy, he's one of those sucked into the earth around nightfall, in front of witnesses and everything, with barely even time to shout before he's gone.

He'll be returned unharmed, of course. Wide-eyed and twitchy, blinking upon seeing light again. There's some nightmare fuel for him. Buried alive, more or less, clawing at the earth until his fingers ache, screaming his nonexistent lungs out, minutes feeling like hours...

Poor fellow could definitely use a hug.]

wildcard

[Anything else goes here! He did come along to offer healing services. If anyone comes back from the battle near death (or thought to be), he's around to help! Just let me know.]

setting up

[brother_cadfael]

Cadfael for once, wasn't with those in charge of making the make-shift hospital, but rather helping with the actual shelters. Rest and recuperation were just as important to health as medicine, after all.

Passing by the kitchen shelter was only incidental when he saw Hector, and was grateful he'd encountered the skeleton earlier. There was enough to be done without him gawking.] And what is it you're making?

[vagabone]

Soup.

[He shrugs, jerking a thumb at the pot. It is indeed stew. Meat, potatoes, veggies, onions. Kind of tame, in his opinion, but he's doing the best with what he has.]

Some bread too, if you want? [With fruit baked in, yay!]

[brother_cadfael]

A fair meal in this weather and after such work. [The most he could make was tea and oat cakes.]

[He helped himself to a portion of soup and bread.] Certainly I don't see it going to waste.

[vagabone]

Good choice, then? You live in the part of the world, you think you could be more creative than me?

[Though perhaps no one should be 'creative' until this is over. He's not taking any of the food. He had enough of a taste to be sure it's decent, that's all he needs.]

[brother_cadfael]

[He shook his head.] My skills revolve around making medicines. The most you could expect from me for food is roasting over a fire or making oat cakes.

[He never starved, but food was always a means of staying healthy, never entirely an indulgence.]

[vagabone]

Don't sell yourself short, making medicine and doing doctor-y things is a lot harder than cooking.

[Then again, the guy might be talking about leeches and mercury, who even knows. The past was like that.]

hidden intentions

[tealeafs]

[ It's definitely obvious who has been buried under the sand, even once everyone is fully back on their own feet again. Not that Chizuru blames them for all looking so upset - it can't have been a great experience. There's a reason she was so desperate to get the people out, despite having been pelted with rocks for her effort.

But among the affected people she immediately spots someone she knows. And so she quickly makes her way over to the skeleton, brows knitting together with worry. ]

.. Hi.

[ For a moment she doesn't say anything else. It's hard to think of what might make things better.. ]

I'm.. glad that you're okay. [ At least physically, even if it must not be that way emotionally yet. ]

Re: hidden intentions

[vagabone]

[The bewilderment is taking its time to fade, as he brushes all the sand and dirt off himself. He was shot back out of the ground as quickly as he was swallowed up, and he still doesn't know how or why or what.]

Seems like I am, hah... what the heck is going on now? Did everyone come back?? Are you okay?

[tealeafs]

I-- I think everyone is fine now. [ At least that answer comes pretty quickly. She can only imagine how shaken up he must be right now, so the least she can do is at least assure him that everything looks like it's finally getting better now. ]

It seems that what got you and those others under there were.. um..

[ How to even describe them. ]

They're tiny creatures.. they look a little like humans.

[vagabone]

Little people? Not the demons, okay, that's good. [And they returned everyone unharmed. They didn't do anything to him, obviously, and he's one of the easiest targets around.

On the other hand, it's a little creepy to be watched by little people while you're trapped in the dark. Boy oh boy...]

Are they wanting us to scram or what?

[tealeafs]

[ Since Chizuru went over to the people who just got out of the sand before fully hearing the creatures that appeared out, she's not entirely sure.. She glances back to some of the people who are still talking to them before turning back to Héctor. ]

.. I'm not sure. It did seem like it.. They were really trying to stop us from getting you and the others out. But right now they seem less hostile than before.

[vagabone]

We can't leave, someone has to take care of that tree or they're dead too.

[...Although, maybe the earth people would be safe hiding in the dirt. Maybe he should beg to be buried again. He looks over at the little guys, staring for a good minute, hand on chin.]

Huh. What do you know, they are being friendly.

hidden intentions; after rescue

[yiling_laozu]

Wei Wuxian's back and belly are on fire, and the path the thorn had taken through his middle a steady, smoldering ache, but the taken Wanderers are free, and the satisfaction of that makes it difficult to feel the pain. So long as he...doesn't move too much.

Resting on a cot now, his hands and face still streaked with dirt, Wei Wuxian's brows lift in concern as Hector limps his way. "Uncle!" he calls. "You were beneath the earth?"

[vagabone]

He's filthy and tired too, after who-knows-how-long trying to claw his way free before being tossed back to the surface, more exhaustion than usual making his head buzz. What an interesting day.

But. Well, he's free now, and though Wei Wuxian is hurt, he can take some comfort in knowing the guy will heal. His skeleton primos are too weak for their broken bones to mend, after all. Not true with the living, he keeps having to remind himself. And there's always Frigga, if it comes to that. He plops right down with a clatter, undignified and not giving a damn. "Yes, of course, had to get in on the good times." Har har. "How are you holding up?"

[yiling_laozu]

"I was not swallowed by the earth," Wei Wuxian ventures. As dire as things might be, they can always get worse! "Even if the threat is passed, I think I will sleep in the trees from now on."

He smiles. Of course he cannot climb a tree in his current state, but the wisdom still holds. "Was it very frightening, Uncle?"

[vagabone]

"I've had worse days." Much, much worse. Goodness knows what that says about him and his unlife. "At least I knew I wasn't about to suffocate to death, you know? Must have been even scarier for all the other guys."

He leans backwards on his hands, tempted to call it a night and start fresh tomorrow. But... he's not the one injured. "You want me to bring you anything? Are you hungry?"

[yiling_laozu]

Wei Wuxian is, in fact, but Hector looks so miserable that he shakes his head. "Only a friend to sit with for a while," he says, lifting a hand to rub Hector's back. He doesn't know if it's actually comforting without warm flesh stretched over bones, but he tries.

"I hope the tree is defeated soon, and we may all go home."

[vagabone]

He's been nothing but bones three times as many years as he was alive--it's what he knows best, really. And he grins a little. "Home, or back to the city? You want this to be your home now?"

Departure

[theprezident]

[ The cold is fine enough he happens to just be walking through the city, as long as he's dressed for it. Now he can't tell if it seems to be colder because it's actually colder, or if it's because he has to be sitting in a wagon. Even a thick jacket doesn't seem to help too much. ]

How you doing there, buddy?

[ He sees at least some of that misery through the casualness. He does the same, with varying degrees of success. He Knows. ]

[vagabone]

[He's burrito'd himself fairly well, as it doesn't take much blanket to wrap around a skeleton. Now if only he had more body heat of his own! Or kittens to snuggle.]

About the same as everyone else. [His best??] I've got to say, I've done some crazy stunts, but nothing... you know, adventurous. Not like this.

[theprezident]

It'll be fine. At least you don't seem to stay dead if you die? So there's that.

[ Yay??

And yes, he's well aware that's not particularly encouraging. ]

[vagabone]

Oh, I heard about that. That the gods don't want to let anyone go, or something. But...

[He shrugs underneath the blanket. What kind of madman counts on people rising from the grave, yeesh. He's not there yet. Too, too weird.]

[theprezident]

Yeah, no, I know. It's creepy. Pretty sure that also just applies for us Wanderers, so ...

[ Of course, it only seems right. They shouldn't be here in the first place and definitely shouldn't be dying to anything that happens here. But it's pretty weird and messed up. Are they even really here? ]

[vagabone]

Maybe just you Wanderers. I mean, not me. I'm still dead. [A huffy little laugh.] You probably noticed by now.

[It would be Héctor's infamous bad luck to be the only exception or something, right? He's the only bracelet-wearer to not be fully alive. Who even knows. He could ask the gods, but... they're gods. They have better things to be doing.]