asgardmods: (Default)
ᴀsɢᴀʀᴅ ɢᴇɴᴇsɪs ❧ mod account ([personal profile] asgardmods) wrote in [community profile] asgardchrysalis2020-01-17 06:53 pm

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! ]
imahealerbut: (Default)

[personal profile] imahealerbut 2020-01-21 02:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Having lived among the blustery heights of Qishan, Wen Qing has experienced many cold winters. She’s thus among the more well-prepared members of the caravan- the fur-lined coat wrapped around her keeps out whatever chill Honir’s magic might have missed. She has a place on one of the carts for most of the trip, which she holds without fuss; but during one of the pit stops Wen Qing weaves her way to where Wei Wuxian is.

“Nasty weather,” she comments, as she rearranges the thick coat around herself. "It's worse than anything we've seen back home." Even she hasn’t gone as far north to see this kind of landscape, she’s half-convinced they’re headed into an ice monster’s lair.
yiling_laozu: (Sideways.)

[personal profile] yiling_laozu 2020-01-21 10:31 pm (UTC)(link)
"I have never seen ice and snow like this," says Wei Wuxian, only to correct himself a moment later. "Well, when I went into the enchanted snow for Lan Zhan's bunnies it was worse, but I didn't have Honir's magic to keep me warm."

He grins towards the front of the caravan where the god surely is. "He is so much livelier than Heimdall." Even so, they are going into battle yet again. A god like Heimdall is precisely what they need.
imahealerbut: (unsettled)

[personal profile] imahealerbut 2020-01-23 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
"You're always like this. Think before you rush into dangerous situations, you can't outrun trouble forever," she grumbles, thumping him on the shoulder- but there's significantly less bite to her admonishment today. Something's on her mind.

"...Wei Wuxian, do you know what date it is?" Wen Qing gazes out across the desolate landscape, her face unreadable. "I think the New Year is soon. In a week or two."

The Chinese celebrate their new year by the lunar calendar, on the first new moon at the onset of spring- usually in late January or February. It's a fairly major festival- a festival about family and tradition, which makes the fact that they're alone in the middle of nowhere a bit more awkward than usual. At least they're not in Yiling. But then again, you could still celebrate the New Year in Yiling, as long as there was family around to celebrate with.
yiling_laozu: (Unexpected.)

[personal profile] yiling_laozu 2020-01-23 11:50 pm (UTC)(link)
"Ey?" Wei Wuxian blinks. In all the fuss of the new threat, Wei Wuxian hasn't kept track of the days at all, but he smiles sadly now. "Another spent far from our preferred homes," he says, daring to link his arm through hers.

"At least we've brought our red garments," he says with a more proper smile. The pair of them are rarely without at least bit of red, after all. "Perhaps we will scrape out some time for nián yèfàn," he continues, "Even if it's just bread and bits of dried meat."
imahealerbut: (unsettled)

[personal profile] imahealerbut 2020-01-24 08:04 am (UTC)(link)
"Some Reunion dinner that'll be," Wen Qing says contemptuously, "with just Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing alone. That's worse than at Yiling, it's shameful." After all, with cultivational families clustered in their Sects they would be used to massive dinners, multiple generations all gathered at round tables as big as the moon. She's preoccupied enough with those thoughts that she tolerates Wei Wuxian's affection- but perhaps that was only an excuse and she was never truly disdainful of Wei Wuxian's entire existence.

"I've thought about asking Ye Zun or Lan Wangji, but the Lans are so decorous." Don't worry, Lan Wangji; Wen Qing does not think any less of him after seeing the man knee-deep in cold mud. "Do you think Lan Wangji will join the Reunion Dinner of strangers or eat alone? He didn't stay in Yiling, so I'm doubtful, but you know him better than I do."
yiling_laozu: (Fields.)

[personal profile] yiling_laozu 2020-01-24 09:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Wei Wuxian nods at once. "Of course he will come, he is family to me just as you are." Though it is...different, and for a host of reasons. Wei Wuxian had never set out to make a new clan, but it's what was necessary and so Yiling happened, and Wen Qing is part of that. They will always be family. And Lan Wangji is...well, he's Wei Wuxian's heart and soul. His brow furrows, but there's no way around it. Wei Wuxian is now faced with the harrowing task of telling Wen Qing that he and Lan Zhan have discovered kissing.

"He did not stay in Yiling because he felt he couldn't, but neither of us plan to leave the other ever again."
imahealerbut: (unsettled)

[personal profile] imahealerbut 2020-02-01 01:34 pm (UTC)(link)
She’s about to tell him that he accumulates “family” faster than a dog gathers lice, but something in his next reply gives her pause. Wen Qing has spent the majority of her life as an eldest sibling, she can sense when her youngers are hiding some weird shit.

Goodness. Maybe she should’ve thought more about their haphazard farming attempts.

“Oh, are you saying this for real?” -it’s not judgemental. This is a genuine thing she wants to know about.
yiling_laozu: (Side wary.)

[personal profile] yiling_laozu 2020-02-02 12:08 am (UTC)(link)
Wen Qing is not a woman who hesitates, and Wei Wuxian feels the sudden reordering of her thoughts as firmly as a flinch. He nods, looking down at her, searching her face for thoughts she may not give voice to.

"When I fell, he waited sixteen years for my return," he says. "He loves me, and I love him." She hadn't turned from him for necromancy - Wei Wuxian doubts that she will turn from him for this, but his heart throbs anxiously all the same. "Is it very shocking?"
imahealerbut: (annoyed)

[personal profile] imahealerbut 2020-02-03 12:20 pm (UTC)(link)
“Of course, the Lan Sect is the last place I’d have expected you to run to for partnership.” It’s true, she doesn’t often hesitate. “They’re esteemed for good reason, but- you know of their Three Thousand Rules, don’t you? Can you live like that?” And Wen Qing certainly is shocked- about the choice of sect, not about the sexuality implications. Wei Wuxian, whose nickname might as well be Wei No-Shame, talking courtship with the Lan Sect’s flawless second heir? There’s no reason that it would definitely fail, so she’s not going to talk Wei Wuxian off it- Wen Qing's judged many things in her life without condemning them.

But really. Even in matters like these, Wei Wuxian makes the most troublesome moves. Tsk tsk. The courtship rituals? The Lan elders are going to blow a fuse over it.

“If we ever return and Lan Qiren comes demanding to know why you’ve corrupted their Second Young Master, I’m not going to speak for you.”
yiling_laozu: (Smiling downward.)

[personal profile] yiling_laozu 2020-02-04 11:42 pm (UTC)(link)
The tension in Wei Wuxian's shoulders disappears at once, and he smiles down at her. "Lan Qiren once made my barred entry to the Cloud Recesses a rule, but we have reconciled." It is a generous term for Lan Wangji's uncle no longer believing him to be the greatest threat to the cultivating world, but it's enough. Besides, at home Lan Wangji is now the Chief Cultivator, not even his own uncle would cross him on his choice of partner.

"Lan Zhan is not as stodgy as he seems," he tells her. "He's actually quite funny, and delightfully mean when he wants to be. If he weren't so afraid of you, you two might enjoy trading barbs."
imahealerbut: (y'know like nya)

[personal profile] imahealerbut 2020-02-09 02:01 pm (UTC)(link)
“Of course he would,” Wen Qing jibes, with one of those mock-accusatory jabs one gives to their siblings that ultimately doesn’t hurt at all. “Working it out with the in-laws will be your business, Wei Wuxian, and I’m sure Lan Wangji’s branch of the family is a main one. He must have a great number of in-laws for you. Good luck next New Year’s.”

(She is assuming that Wei Wuxian will get home by then, but why wouldn’t he? This nonsense ought to be temporary.)

“And why would he be afraid of me? I’m just a physician.” Okay, she’s being a little playful here, but who doesn’t like to hear validation about their abilities. Better than commenting on the claims about Lan Wangji’s “vibrant” personality, which she has not seen, and frankly isn’t convinced of. Wei Wuxian has exaggerated a lot in his lifetime.
Edited 2020-02-09 14:03 (UTC)
yiling_laozu: (Charmed.)

[personal profile] yiling_laozu 2020-02-15 10:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Wei Wuxian laughs. "A physician whose tongue is sharper than a blade," he answers. "And the Lan sect is very..." Rigid, inflexible, weird. "Proper," he decides, "When it comes to women, they cultivate entirely separately from the men. He hardly knows how to speak to women at all. The few words exchanged between you might be his longest conversation with a woman yet."

He laughs again and shakes his head. "When our home near the rice paddy is built, you must come for dinner. You will see."