asgardchrysalis | EVENT LOG: THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS

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EVENT LOG: THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS

Who: ANYONE leaving Asgard to fight the demons at the Qliphoth
What: the Devil Is in the Details event
When: January 14 - 22
Where: three days north of Asgard's kingdom
Warnings: blood, gore, death, ridiculous gross stuff

❧ 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 pass 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: descent into hell.

On the morning of January 17, everyone sets upon their separate tasks as those prepared for combat continue onward to travel through rocky and mountainous terrain, passing solitary homes and small settlements along the way that are all empty and destroyed. While there are clear signs of a struggle, there are no bodies and no other signs of life to be found until you continue onward.

A smell will reach you first, the stench of iron and rot that some might recognize as the telltale signs of carnage, and it won't be long before you find the source. Wicked vines as thick as a humanoid body appear snaking up from the ground and winding around the mountain pass, covered in nasty thorns and pulsating masses of blood that harden for protection as anything approaches. As you follow the trail, you begin to see human corpses impaled upon the vines' thorns, frozen in suspended horror, that turn to dust and fade away if touched.

It isn't long before the crux of this nightmare comes into view as a massive tree rises into the sky and is lost behind a raging storm of thunder, blood, and destruction. The city that was here - and it was itself a developed city, not a settlement or encampment as the minor signs of life you've encountered elsewhere in Yggdrasil - is decimated entirely, the ground ripped up and buildings obliterated by violence untold. The environment becomes increasingly hostile the further in you go as the vines (now more clearly presumed to be the roots of the tree) thicken, corrupted plantlife bare angry teeth, and the ground transitions from solid to unpleasantly organic (cw: blood, gore).

It quickly becomes apparent you aren't here alone, either. While the only signs of human life you find are gore and death, other beings stalk through the ruin searching for new victims. Demons patrol the city, taking various forms like walking nightmares bent on destruction. Their goal is to find more humans to feed the tree with their blood, and they will attack relentlessly on sight, only stopping once they've been destroyed.

Once you've made your way into the city and assessed the present threat, it's unclear where to go or what to do next. Making way towards the tree at the center of it all seems an obvious course, but with demons lining the path and these violent roots twisting into the city with ominous intent, there may be more to contend with than simply the tree itself. To reach the conclusion of this event, your characters will spend the next three days searching for answers and trying to survive in a hellish landscape.

See the event post for broad details on what surviving in the city looks like and this thread to find what challenges your character might face as they seek and destroy various seals to bring down the Qliphoth. Characters that die in this event will receive one death consequence.

❧ january 19: boss faito.

Midday on January 19, as everyone continues searching through the city and fighting for their lives, it will be nearly impossible to miss the moment the battle turns in Asgard's favor. As more of the seals are broken, the roots winding throughout the city begin to wither and die as the blood is drained from them. The demons shriek and howl as the Qliphoth begins to crumble, sending them all into a frenzy. Their attacks become more feverish and vicious, desperate to revitalize their efforts with fresh blood in spite of their clear and obvious failure.

The tree stands, however, and the storm above it roils with thunder that booms over the cries of the panicking demons. With almost every inch of the city searched already, the only place left to look is throughout the Qliphoth itself (cw: blood, gore) and the many challenges that come with it.

It isn't until someone traverses to the top of the tree (cw: blood, gross stuff) that the last seal is found in the form of what may have resembled a fruit given a chance to fully form. As it is, those that come across it find half of it collapsed on itself as blood drains from it onto the ground. With even the slightest of pressure, the fruit shatters like glass - and immediately afterwards, the surrounding hellscape bleeds away rapidly.

The vines and corpses turn to dust, scattered into the air. The demons give a final mournful wail as they vanish from sight. The Qliphoth itself cracks and splinters into jagged shards that crash to the ground in a violent display before disappearing completely. As the magic that brought this nightmare to Yggdrasil is dispelled, all signs of the carnage vanish, leaving only the ruins of a city with no one left to remember it.

It's a victory, but a harsh one. There are no survivors to be brought back to Asgard. Whatever civilization may have been here before this, your characters are left to wander through the abruptly empty and abandoned streets as they make their way back to the encampment. They arrive by nightfall to find the outpost successfully completed, each party with their own stories to tell of the recent days' trials.

❧ 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 NOTE: This is the event log for the Devil Is in the Details event! Your characters will be left to survive in a demon-infested city for three days as they solve puzzles, defeat enemies, and destroy seals to bring down the tree. Details on the quests and challenges you can play with are here; there are solutions to each challenge that depend on what your character tries to do to solve it. The success rate for this event was determined by how many people attempted to solve the puzzles in each route. For the sake of this event, you successfully destroyed all of the seals in time to stop the Qliphoth from fully producing its fruit and inviting a powerful new evil into the world. If you have any questions or need any help, please feel free to hit us upon the mod contact page. Enjoy! ]

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He wants to stop the tapping on his cheek, so annoying! But Wen Ning must hold his arms, he is doing so because Wei Wuxian has asked him to, and he shouldn't be cross with him. Just as he is steeling himself to do so, another voice rings in his ears, and his brow furrows as Lan Wangji's face swims into view.

"This is..." he starts, confused as his heart pumps more medicine through him, both dulling his pain and worsening his confusion. "Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian whispers, his eyes filling with tears. "Please stay with me." He is so warm, and Yiling is so cold. "Please stay."

"Wei Ying," Lan Zhan croaks out, leaning down to kiss his cheek, not daring to touch him with his bloodied hands. "Lan Zhan will never leave you. Lan Zhan loves you. Be brave a little longer and I will hold you," he promises.

He wants to hold him now, to pull him close and stop him shivering. The confusion is worse even than the pain. But he must finish.

He pulls back and moves down the bed again, exposing the wound and readying his needle. "Will hurt. But will be fast," he warns as he pierces the skin, not letting himself look at Wei Ying's face again.

Wei Wuxian's face contorts with agony both present and remembered as the dusty ceiling turns grey and cloudy, replaced by the black of night, then pierced by light yet again. So long. She's been working for so long, when will the end ever come?

He floats in it, an endless, directionless river of uncertainty and pain, until finally it seems as if there is an end after all. Feeling rather like a marble balanced on a pinhead, Wei Wuxian lifts his chin. "Did it work?"

Lan Zhan's fingers fly, eyes never wavering from Wei Ying's side until the last stitch is done and then only to grab more salve to spread over the stitched wound. Then and only then does he allow himself to wipe down his hands and look up at Wei Ying's agonized face.

"Worked. Bleeding has stopped," he murmurs, lying down alongside Wei Ying and carefully rolling him once more, this time to rest on Lan Zhan's front. Wei Ying's skin is ice cold and he longs for his core to be able to heal him faster. He carefully tries to arrange him to keep pressure off the wounds, kissing his face as he works. "Lan Zhan is here. Worst is over."

He feels himself shifted yet again, but this time it is to comfort, and Wei Wuxian's exhausted body all but melts against Lan Wangji's. "Warm," he murmurs, snuggling into him despite the twin fires at his back and side. He has the strangest sensation of squinting through his own thoughts, but no wisdom comes, only Lan Zhan's presence and the shelter that he offers. He remembers that he must stay awake, that he must be aware, but also he must make sound? The last doesn't make sense at all to him.

"Can I sleep this time?" Wei Wuxian murmurs.

Lan Zhan kisses his forehead and brushes damp hair off Wei Ying's forehead, legs winding around one of his. Wei Ying is cold natured on a good day and right now he feels completely icy.

He is not certain if it is alright for Wei Ying to sleep or not. He knows they cannot wait too long before trying to get back to camp but he doesn't have the heart to try and move him.

"Wei Ying can sleep if he needs. Lan Zhan will watch out for him," he promises, squeezing him as tightly as he dares. "Can...can hum. Can hum for Wei Ying, if he wants."

"Hum," Wei Wuxian agrees. He's not certain that he will sleep, only that he feels heavier than before, his lids weighted and his thoughts sluggish. He hates the latter, but if this is the only respite from the pain than a few hours of confusion are worth it.

He settles against Lan Zhan, relaxing into the warmth that never seems to stop radiating from his skin. How could he ever thought this man cold? "Lan Zhan," he murmurs, "Thank you. You saved me yet again."

"Always, always will save Wei Ying," he whispers, fierce and not a little desperate. He failed Wei Ying once. It will not happen again. "Lan Zhan and Wei Ying are family, forever."

He runs his fingers down Wei Ying's face, stroking back and forth along his cheekbone as he works up his nerve. He can do better than humming for him.

"Wén dí sheng dú chóu chàng," he starts, voice soft and rough as he sings as quietly as he can.

Wei Wuxian's lips part for a soft sound of surprise, curving upward despite their situation. Lan Zhan never sings except, it seems, when Wei Wuxian is gravely injured. It's nearly almost worth it.

He hums with him for a moment, then the fact that he is hearing Wangxian's lyrics finally penetrates, and he shuts up entirely, his eyes wide but still smiling into Lan Zhan's robes as he continues.

He pauses long enough to kiss the top of Wei Ying's head as he starts to hum before resuming petting his cheek.

If nothing else, he feels certain Wei Ying would not die without hearing the entirety of the lyrics Lan Zhan had written as a teenager.

"Zhǔ yī hú shēng sǐ bēi huān jì shào nián láng," he sings, ears burning as he remembers how confused and dramatic he was. The lyrics are heartfelt, nonetheless, but he marvels sometimes that he dared to try and sing them for Wei Ying in that cave.

Oh...oh no, if he laughs he will surely rip his stitches. Instead, Wei Wuxian lifts his head, looking at his dear, ridiculous, heartbreakingly earnest Lan Zhan. He raises both brows, but he doesn't speak. If another demon came through the door now, Wei Wuxian would kill it with the power of his thoughts just for interrupting any incredible moment of this.

He pauses yet again, frowning down at Wei Ying and rolling his eyes. "If Wei Ying laughs, Lan Zhan will not finish the song," he warns, certain that laughter will not be good for his wounds.

He takes a deep breath and sighs, flicking Wei Ying's forehead and trying to settle him back against his chest.

The lyrics do not necessarily get any less embarrassing, but he feels the chorus is probably the worst of it. Probably. He keeps singing, forcing himself to finish the song. He presses a firm kiss to Wei Ying's temple once he is done.

"Had many feelings."

Wei Wuxian resettles, but he simply cannot stop grinning, almost breathless with delight as Lan Wangji's teenaged pinings wash over him. "Lan Zhan is precious," he murmurs when it is over, hopelessly fond. "It is lucky I never knew then," he admits. "So much insight into Lan Zhan's heart. I would not been able to handle so much feeling from a man so seemingly aloof."

He would have been gentle, eventually. But oh, those first few moments of realization...he surely would have made Lan Zhan fall onto his own sword just to escape him.

"Very lucky Wei Ying passed out in the cave. Sang the entire song," he sighs, exasperated at his own emotional reaction. To sing such lyrics to Wei Ying at their age, outside of what they are now? Impulsive and ridiculous.

He sweeps his hand down Wei Ying's arm, threading his cold fingers with his. "How is your pain? We will have to move, soon. Lan Zhan will carry you."

Wei Wuxian can't entirely hide the flinch he makes at the thought of moving. But they must. He is a liability to Lan Zhan now, and this place is very dangerous. "Better," he answers, and it's a testament to the pain he'd been in before that he prefers being slightly loopy to feeling all of it.

"I'm sure I can walk, Lan Zhan."

"Absolutely not," he huffs, tightening his hold again just in case Wei Ying tries to prove such a thing. "Wei Ying was impaled. Lost blood and stitches are not yet strong. Lan Zhan will carry you."

He lifts Wei Ying's hand to his mouth, kissing along his icy knuckles one by one.

"Can wait here a little longer. Let Lan Zhan hold you a little longer. Little longer to be grateful you are still here with me," he finishes, voice shaking a little as he allows the smallest amount of panic finally release.

It's true that he's lost blood and half his sense to the pain, but Wei Wuxian is stubborn. If it comes to it, he will walk out of here out of spite, but he will at least let Lan Zhan carry him as long as he needs to.

There is fear in his voice, trembling in his body that has nothing to do with his own wounds, and Wei Wuxian aches for him. "Alright," he says. "Lan Zhan will carry." He winds his arm around Lan Zhan's waist, holding himself close enough that Lan Zhan can feel his heartbeat through their robes.

There had been a moment, a split second when he'd watched Wei Ying be shoved onto the thorn that it had felt as if he were right back on the cliff, watching him fall. That same feeling of being too slow, too weak to stop it. He's waited for years for that moment to stop playing so vividly in his mind but it seems to be going nowhere, never more vivid now than when Wei Ying is hurt.

"Love you," he murmurs, wishing there was a better way to say, better way to encompass years of affection and longing into a few words. "Wei Ying is precious to me."

Wei Wuxian dares a look up. Lan Zhan looks so young and frightened, and Wei Wuxian can't satisfy the immediate need he has to destroy the cause, for the cause is he himself. He pulls their joined hands from near Lan Zhan's lips to his own, letting his breath warm them before kissing his fingertips one by one.

"I'm here," he promises. "I love you and I'm here."

Lan Zhan leans down, shuffling carefully until he can give Wei Ying a soft kiss. He runs his fingers down his face, still perfect even pale and exhausted. "Wei Ying is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

He lets out a careful breath, pulling himself back together piece by piece until he is calm.

"Thank you for fighting. Being brave."

Lan Zhan's hands are so gentle, Wei Wuxian wants to allow his eyes to close they way they're desperate to do, but it's true - they must fight. "It's our oath," he says, trying to blink himself back to proper consciousness.

"Stop evil, and protect the weak."

"Mm, that was the moment I knew I'd been wrong," Lan Zhan says, leaning in for another quick kiss.

He forces himself to pull away enough to carefully lay Wei Ying back down, fixing him with a stern look that he hopes keep him still.

"We must go. Lan Zhan will carry you. Must get back to camp; find a proper healer. Then Wei Ying can rest."

Wei Wuxian stares back at him. Even being laid down was agony, he cannot imagine the pain that will come when he's lifted again. Even after his golden core extraction, he'd finally, blessedly been given anesthetics.

Still, he nods. They aren't safe here, and his injury endangers Lan Zhan as well. They need to flee, and soon.

Lan Zhan thinks for a moment before breaking another pain tablet in half and holding it up. "Wei Ying can take a little more. It's okay if you fall asleep, better than in pain," he insists, kneeling on the bed.

He's unsure he can concentrate enough to get them out if Wei Ying is hurting the way he imagines he will hurt being jostled around this place. "Wei Ying has already suffered enough."

For a panicked moment, Wei Wuxian can't decide. If he takes more medicine he'll be even less alert, unable to watch out for enemies, unable to assist Lan Zhan with Suibian even to a small degree. And if he doesn't, he might faint, becoming dead weight in Lan Zhan's arms, or find he can't hold back his moans and will give their position away.

He swallows, and then Wei Wuxian reaches out and swallows the pill, too. "Please be careful," he says, folding Lan Zhan's hand inside both of his own. "I will keep watch as best I can."

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