JUNE TDM + SETTING UPDATES

[beleos]

BEARING FRUIT (NEW CHARACTERS ONLY)

It starts out as a pleasant dream. You’re in your favorite place, with your favorite people. It’s a moment of idyllic comfort.

And then, it goes wrong.

The sky turns dark above, and as you look up, you see the black expanse of space spotted with faraway pinprick lights of stars. Yet, they’re not stars. You’re certain. They’re watching you. A billion eyes all looking down, and they spill forth as if sky itself was a dam holding back those dark waters. You reach back to the people you’re with, but they’re frozen in place. Their eyes are black, reflecting only the expanse of dark eyes.

So you run, even though you know you won’t escape it. You glance back and see it not overtaking, but consuming. The landscape around you is being devoured, and you can see it cracking apart. The world itself is breaking, and it cracks under your feet. You fall, and the billion eyes chase after you until the darkness swallows you whole. There’s agony as if you’re being ripped apart, and then—

You cannot see. You cannot feel. You simply are. Yet even so, impossibly, a woman’s voice speaks gently.

I’m sorry it couldn’t be saved. But, come, it’s time to wake.

You wake with a start, cradled by soft, velvety plants, and sticky with a sap that smells faintly of honey and iron. You can see the veins of the leaves that hold you, lit warmly and gently by what looks like a crystal embedded above you. Yet, it’s odd, because that crystal calls to you. When you reach out to touch it, it’s warm. Familiar. Important. You don’t know why, but you know you must hold onto this, because now it feels wrong for it to be suspended in these leaves. So, you pull it out.

The light starts to fade, but only in time to see as the leaves cradling you immediately start to soften and crumble, and with it comes a torrent of dirt. Soft, loamy soil starts to fill the space around you in the dark as you’re buried. Or, rather, you already were. You reach out through the dirt desperately, and your hands finds a root, so you pull while you clutch that precious crystal so close that it almost feels like it sinks into you (in your panic, you don’t notice that it does). You reach out again, and this time, your hand hits open air and plenty of sturdy roots around to grab.

From a seed you’re born, and like a sprout, you make your way out of the ground.

And once you’ve clawed your way out of the soft earth and the roots, nearby, you see the soil shift. Another hand comes up to grasp desperately for something, anything, just as you had been.

TWO CITIES, ALIKE IN DIGNITY

With the new Shard-Bearers present or en route, it is Kathova and Cetina that approach the established ones, requesting that they form mentorships with the new souls to assist them with the integration process. To this end, they have both provided a centralized zone in both Highstorm and Springstar for a small, casual meet-and-greet to be held before the new Shard-Bearers are unleashed upon Kenos as a whole.

Additionally, as Springstar and Highstorm are holding their events on different days, it is possible for the knowledge-hungry to participate in both informational sessions -- the tones and opinions held by both cities are doubtless to differ, and some Shard-Bearers who have chosen to harmonize with either faction may even find their way to the opposing faction's session as well.

However, for those who have attended such events in the past, they'll note a marked difference—Only newly arrived Shard-Bearers and members of the faction are welcome. If you're a member of the opposite faction, you'll be questioned and ultimately turned away. If you want to join the party, you'll have to be a little sneakier, it seems.

SPRINGSTAR, αιώνιος ήλιος

In Springstar, the Seat of the Tribune becomes available for such a forum. While a section of the building itself has been reserved for the meeting between fresh faces and experienced Shard-Bearers alike, the hustle and bustle of Heliopolis continues around them -- acolytes still gather their robes and tomes, hurrying from their quarters to lessons. A score of young militants march in step across the yard to the training grounds.

Tables draped in white-and-gold-trimmed fabrics fare filled with fare typical to Springstar's mild winters-- fruits and wines, savory smoked meats and roasted vegetables, and large bowls of soups like youvarlakia and fasoalda have been lain out to encourage forum participants to snack as they speak. The atmosphere is ambient with informality and friendliness, though topics will inevitably stray towards philosophic or political, Springstar's meeting grounds are decorated with handsome chaise lounges and slouching klismos chairs in small, intimate groupings. This is a forum in the classical sense, where people are encouraged to speak freely, no matter the topic.

However, there’s a little tension in the air at this particular gathering. Whether you’ve recently arrived or you’ve been here nearly a year, it’s not hard to figure out—Meridian has just lost the Iconoclast Oracle, and though the Blight (see below) is improving, letting such an important things slip through their fingers again is painful. Without the Oracles, they’ll never see home again, after all. Yet to make matters worse, Meridian lost an unknown but not insignificant amount of its Shard-Bearers to Zenith’s sway. Even in the Seat of the Tribune, it’s not hard to overhear conversations about “what should be done to ensure they win the next Oracle” or questioning “if Tribune Cyrus is really up to the task.”

HIGHSTORM, луны-близнецы

Eternally in opposition, Highstorm provides the Manor's courtyard as the setting for their informational meeting. Formality is of utmost importance here, with attending Zenith loyalists and residents dressed in beautiful, albeit austere attire -- they are, after all, standing before Lady Yima's home. A buffet-style luncheon is spread alongside one of the largest reflecting pools, wherein you may gaze and find your memories revealed in retrospect upon the water's surface.

There are few places to be seated in the Manor's courtyard, resulting in a milling of bodies as they flow and ebb between smaller gatherings, clustering in small-to-large groups with small platters and shimmering flutes of drink held in their hands. Yet, as you look, you’ll see that the selection is also quite interesting. The foods and drinks on offer are from a multitude of worlds, and so you may find a new favorite! Or something not suited to your palate at all. It’s at least a chance to be adventurous.

The mood of Highstorm is subdued as always, but still seems to be pleasant and joyous thanks to claiming the Iconoclast Oracle. Again, it’s worth noting, as the Oracle was contested and therefore rightfully theirs in the first place. Congratulations are given to more senior Shard-Bearers for their efforts, and those who have just arrived may be regaled with stories of bold heroism at the first battle in the Scorching Isles or stories of wits and cleverness at its reclaiming last month. However, these stories aren’t always true, exactly, as only the Shard-Bearers have been present for either conflict. It seems they’re getting a bit of mythology built around them by the public.

SETTING UPDATES

In both locations, information passes between all in a forum, spread and disseminated among the masses - it's a good opportunity for city residents, faction loyalists and interested new parties to share and share alike. Once the meet-and-greet has concluded, twin missives from both faction leads are read out -- invitations for all present to explore the cities to their heart's content, and warnings about stumbling ill-prepared ( or at all ) into the Below, or worse yet, the Beyond. As Shard-Bearers new and old take in their cities, they'll all see it change throughout the month...

OOC, these are all updates to the setting at large that players both new and old are free to interact with as little or as much as they wish! Feel free to use them as prompts on this post, in your characters on-going lives and arcs, or just let them go "that's none of my business" and ignore it. The world of Kenos is shaped by our playerbase, and these are some of the wider reaching effects of various player plots and actions.

THE BLIGHT (CONCLUSION)

The Blight, a strange, time-related disease that had been ravaging Highstorm and Springstar both is finally being addressed concretely thanks to the efforts of a few Shard-Bearers (game-locked log) and unknowingly, of Aetós. While the cities are both still affected by the Blight, it’s now on the mend as the knowledge gained in the Scorching Isles is applied. For living things, a vaccine and medicinal potion has been developed, and for the environment, a technique has been developed to reverse the effects. Efforts are ongoing for each to eliminate the Blight from the cities entirely.

FURTHER DETAILS

• Though the two cities are at war over the Oracles, the Blight is an area in which they’re unified because of the level of threat it presents to everyone. As such, the people of Highstorm and Springstar will both gladly accept help in distributing vaccines/potions or purifying the Blight from objects, regardless of their faction.
• Distributing the vaccines and potions is quite standard, should you wish to assist with that effort, but both cities are offering monetary incentives for anyone willing to collect or donate its most important ingredients: gold, silver, or platinum (if you’re willing to kindly donate objects containing these materials to the cause), Turquoise Vitalia (a flower that grows in the highlands of World’s Edge), and Blue Lotus (a flower that’s springing up and growing rapidly near bodies of water in Highstorm).
• You can also assist by purging the Blight from inanimate objects that are under its effects. Any Shard-Bearer who has Harmonized can be taught the process by some of the more senior NPCs that are in the bodies of government, but the basic process is simple. It requires a member of each faction, and similar to the purification of Discord, you’ll both push your faction’s energy into the object. As the process starts, you’ll innately sense that there’s a stronger presence of one energy over the other, and you’ll work together to equalize the energy.

CITIES IN RUINS

As part of the disastrous side effects of the Blight once ravaging the cities, large vines and roots have torn through the cities. This has created zones in them that are now uninhabitable because of collapsed buildings (which can be viewed for Highstorm and Springstar). There are efforts to rebuild both cities that are ongoing, but the unusual weather effects that were witnessed seem to be a bit more intense after a new batch of Shard-Bearers have arrived. This “unusual weather” can be pockets of thunderstorms of flurries, but they always carry additional effects such as (but not limited to) causing one to hear voices from the past or future, visual or auditory hallucinations of themselves from different timelines, pockets of space where old injuries, illnesses, or previously known physical conditions are re-experienced as if their body is going back in time. However, there are some new oddities that are also present...

FURTHER DETAILS

• You may see ghostly specters of Shard-Bearers who have come and gone. Sometimes, they seem to notice that you’re there and flee deeper into the districts and disappear. Other times, they just go about what seems to be daily life in the district, though things don’t always match up. They might be leaning against a counter that’s no longer there, for example. Very rarely, you might even find one that you can have a conversation with, though not for long.
• OOC, if your character is one that you’ve dropped, feel free to have them make a cameo reappearance. This is more a chance to give a little hello (or farewell!) to CR and is totally optional. We ask that you not make a toplevel for them (unless you’re planning on reapping them), but we’ve made a toplevel for these kinds of interactions here. We also encourage you to give some friendly (or maybe not so friendly) hauntings to new players!

POLITICAL TURMOIL

After new Shard-Bearers arrive and settle into their new homes (so much as they can), those that frequent Springstar will see that the tension of the welcoming forum wasn’t a one-off. Meridian is a faction with opinions and ideals that are as diverse as the worlds people hail from, and so not all are happy with Tribune Cyrus’s performance in leading the faction to lose the same Oracle twice. Debates spring up in restaurants and bars, but it’s only aided by two notable Springstar residents encouraging such debates. Desmond Ó Ruadháin and Agapitos Voreen both draw crowds in public places as they speak to the people that gather. Their talks are peaceful and encourage people of Springstar to talk amongst themselves… But they’re also distinctly political about the future of Meridian and Springstar.

FURTHER DETAILS

• Desmond is the foreman who oversees how the unique architecture of Springstar is made, and as such as a deep connection and investment in peoples’ home worlds. When Desmond speaks, he brings people together and tells stories from his homeland and well as from others that he’s heard. It’s something he encourages for those gathered, though it does make the sting of the loss of the Oracle more worrying. If Meridian doesn’t get the Oracles, then they’ll never see home again. There’s an undercurrent in his speeches that having been born here and to a noble family that’s living in Springstar for generations, Cyrus can’t truly understand the stakes here. He may be a good Tribune during peace, but this is war.
• Voreen is a businessman whose family owns several large shops throughout Springstar, and as such has a deep connection to the city and its people. When Voreen speaks, he brings people together by focusing on how Springstar itself is almost a miracle, and how it’s brought people from all walks of life together. His gatherings encourage people to get to know each other and to learn more about the people and the worlds they come from, since he deeply believes that the diversity of experience and knowledge is Meridian’s strength (…and frequent cause of arguments, it’s true). There’s an undercurrent in his speeches of a deep distrust of Zenith and especially of Yima. Anyone that offers you exactly what you want always has strings attached, right? Cyrus is too conciliatory towards Yima, and it makes Meridian as a whole seem weak. He may be a good Tribune during peace, but this is war.
• This is also a situation that Yima is well aware of, and she’ll send a brief message to Zenite Shard-Bearers to inform them of the unrest brewing in Springstar… And that for those with a deft hand for such matters, it’s a good opportunity to encourage this unrest in whatever way they see fit. She makes it clear that if Springstar is busy with internal politics, it’ll be much easier to stop their occupation of Alenroux as well as ensuring that the city itself may not be able to provide resources or backup to its Shard-Bearers in the fights for the Oracles.

SMALLER CHANGES

PASTORAL PEACE (ALENROUX)

Thanks to the ongoing efforts of both Shard-Bearers and Springstar’s military forces, Alenroux is now a much safer place to stay at night. While the threat of creatures roaming its lands isn’t negligible, the Southern portion of the island (close to the main Cornerstone) is now a place that can be inhabited by those willing to make the effort. Think of living there as being similar to living on the frontier—you have to build your own place to live and once night falls, you’re essentially on your own to protect yourself. Creatures will naturally gravitate towards anyone that chooses to set up a residence there as if they’re drawn to the life force, but so long as a home is well-fortified, it should be safe during the night. However, this does not apply the further North you go.

That said, while the people that work in (or just generally really like) Alenroux may be grateful to Springstar for its help in this regard, it does now seem unnecessary… Which is in large part thanks to Zenite efforts to undermine Springstar’s occupation. As a small town starts to be built around the Cornerstone, Springstar’s military or those that have been seen supporting it are treated with suspicion, if not openly told to leave. While the burgeoning community of Alenroux can’t said to be pro-Zenith (yet?), they’re definitely leaning decidedly anti-Meridian.

THE BALANCE OF POWER (KOWLOON)

For those that have been in Kenos for a while and frequented the underground city of Kowloon, it’s been clear for a while that the drug den and bar Draumahol is under new management. Or, should we say, Draumah👁l? The establishment is now very openly owned by Silco, but anyone who spends enough time in the city to learn about its loose form of governance would also pick up that this means Silco has likely scooped up a position on the city’s “council”, though concrete confirmation of that is still hard information to get.

However, in a definitely unrelated point (it’s not), Meridian characters may find themselves running into more difficulty while in Kowloon. There’s no open hostility or even widespread distaste. It might seem more like bad luck unless Meri talk amongst each other. They may be more likely to be pick-pocketed or mugged, may find that some shops offer an arbitrarily higher price to them, etc. These are all free for players to decide, but should be on the level of being unlucky or a particularly bad day down in Kowloon rather than anything more serious.

OOC NOTES

Welcome to Kenos! As a reminder, all new players need an invite to apply to the game, which are now open. If you've previously gone through our invite process, you do not need to do so again, that said!

This log is Game Canon. Any characters who are not apped to the game will disappear. If Cyrus or Yima are asked, they’ll explain that this sometimes happens since not every soul has a strong tether to Kenos and sometimes return to the Timestream. They may return to Kenos one day, but for now, weren’t able to make the full journey.

As a note primarily for current players, closed toplevels/prompts are not allowed in this log. If you would like to interact with the setting changes in a way that isn't open to all characters (new and old), we ask that you instead make a log in kenoslogs.

FOR NEW PLAYERS:

When characters emerge from their cocoon/the ground, they may be wearing their normal clothes or nude. Up to you!

At some point in the days after leaving the Tree of Life, new Shard-Bearers will have a dream, even if they're usually not capable of sleeping. All new players should read this post since this details how they'll learn about both factions and their goals and should help them make a decision about which Faction they'd be drawn to.

As a reminder, your character has a Shard somewhere on their body that encompasses their soul, so keep note of where you're sticking it on their person for reference! Additionally, they have a tattoo of their Aspect somewhere on their body. Please be mindful this Aspect will be assigned to you upon approval and whatever you choose for the TDM may be temporary (for new characters)!

For the Highstorm and Springstar prompts, both cities will be fully open and accessible to all characters once they are freed from their rather harrowing ordeal at the Tree of Life. For prompt ideas and any general information about the cities and what you can find there, all locations are listed here, but to make it even quicker! Highstorm + Springstar.

New characters will not have access to any canon abilities on the TDM until they Harmonize, AKA make a choice of which faction they choose to support. For some characters, this may be an easy decision, but it make take others time. We just ask you keep this in mind!

Finally, while absolutely not required for the TDM, if you'd like to get a headstart on catching up on the events of the game so far, we highly recommend giving the Plot So Far timeline a read. New players have found this page very helpful in orienting themselves within the game and its ongoing plot!

CODING

Comments

[hauntedking]

It's all relative. A part of me would rather be fighting the war again than dealing with this... although perhaps I would not think so, were I stuck in that mess again.

[wolfish]

I imagine you'd worry for the hardships of your people, then. At least, I suspect it weighed heavily on the guy back home.

[ Yuri imagines that's a core Dimitri trait, just as his earnest nature is. ]

[hauntedking]

It would. Although at least I would be assured of their continued existence...

[wolfish]

...You just have to have faith for now.

[ And faith, no matter how bleak, degrading, or demoralizing aspects of Yuri's life have been, has never abandoned him. ]

Those born of Faerghus are more tenacious than any other. You're proof of that, aren't you?

[ Yuri lifts a hand. Hesitates. Instead of pointing to Dimitri's eyepatch, he taps his skin beside his own right eye as indication of what he means, rather than encroach on the man's blind spot.

That injury is proof that he has endured, isn't it? ]

[hauntedking]

[ Ah. Dimitri pauses and lifts a hand to imitate the gesture slowly, thoughtfully. ]

I suppose I am. Although when I was in the throes of my own pain and despair... I didn't think of tenacity or trying to endure. I just wanted to lash out and hurt people. But... I've emerged on the other side. Hopefully stronger.

[wolfish]

How moving forward and surviving hardship looks all depends entirely on the person. We have a duty to our dead, to see that they can rest peacefully with no loose ends.

[ They couldn't let go and find eternal repose otherwise. ]

I'm sure you wanted that for yours, even then.

[ He knows, even on the periphery, that his king bore the weight of his own dead. That others didn't know how to help him. Yuri himself questions whether tangibly carrying them in a notebook like he does would lighten that burden.

He remains silent a beat too long, if only because he thinks to say that surely, Dimitri's loved ones would want him to find peace, but... That would be overstepping.

It's strange, to suspect he knows the shape of one's pain at least in part, but also to be very aware that there's nothing he can rightly do with it. ]

...But I'll count myself fortunate you're past that point in your life. I don't fancy being on the business end of that lance of yours.

[hauntedking]

...it is what I wanted for them. To be able to rest. To let them be at peace.

[ And for a long time he had believed he oculd only do that through bloodshed. It had been.. strange to finally break free of that. ]

I like to think I'm past that as well. But... sometimes I wonder if that darkness in me is still there. Waiting for a chance to reassert itself.

[wolfish]

And that's what that therapy business is for, yeah?

[ Yuri takes that brief pause as an opportunity to seat himself on the nearest surface that will support him, whether conventionally accepted seating or not.

Now then... ]

I don't know how all that goes, but I get being angry. Trying to push aside parts of yourself.

[hauntedking]

...it's hard. For a long time, it was the only thing that kept me going. A mixture of anger and a determination that I wouldn't rest until justice was done. But it left me feeling hollow and full of despair. I... don't know what would have become of me if I'd stayed like that.

[ He glances at Yuri. ]

You understand the feeling?

[wolfish]

It may not be exactly the same, but I've had a score or two to settle for others.

[ Yuri wouldn't try to pretty it up. The reality that some lives were ended early and brutally is one they know all too well. For those who were victims, all they can do is ensure that justice is served, even when it's no less violent than the original offense.

He knows just as well that the only family he has ever had still lives, and it seems in more than one world, this isn't so for Dimitri. ]

Were it my own mother... [ The very thought seizes his throat harshly. He takes a moment before he finishes his thought. ] I'd be a more hateful creature than you felt yourself to be, I'd wager.

[ For his mother has only ever been steadfastly kind, despite the hand that life had dealt her. ]

[hauntedking]

...perhaps that's true. We're all human.

[ It's a grim discussion and not one he relishes, but it's also very... reassuring, in a way to know that he's not entirely alone in his own anger and despair that have dogged him throughout his life. ]

I suppose it didn't help that my uncle kept me at arm's length and treated me as if I were a rabid beast.

[wolfish]

I...

[ He trails off, lips pressed into a thin, pensive line. How much does Dimitri know of his late uncle? Word had spread rapidly after his execution, and their continued battles had only served to paint a clearer image, but... The war Dimitri remembers isn't the same.

If he'd never met Shez, if Byleth was a school teacher, if the war raged on over twice as long, how much or how little had he learned? ]

You didn't deserve that, least of all from someone like him.

[hauntedking]

Felix said the same thing.

[ He frowns. ]

Maybe they were right, in the end. Although my uncle was killed by someone else. Isn't that ironic...?

[wolfish]

That may have been a mercy.

[ Strange as it is to say. ]

Having to do it yourself... His Majesty had to, considering the man had committed treason in more ways than one.

[hauntedking]

...I see.

[ He can imagine it falling out that way in another time, another place. ]

No. In my case... I was blamed for it. And was nearly executed.

[wolfish]

Yes, I believe you mentioned something about that. Hell of a thing to pin on a man with no evidence.

[ Dimitri went through an ordeal in both cases. Yuri can't say which is better or worse. ]

In your war, did you learn more about the Tragedy?

[hauntedking]

No. I didn't learn much of anything about it. The war with the Empire ended up consuming everything else.

[ Something in his stomach churns. ]

...why?

[wolfish]

Because in the war I'm from, it was confirmed who was behind that ugly business. I...don't know whether you'd want to delve into that, but you do have a right to know, obviously.

[ Dimitri and Dedue both, for that matter. ]

[hauntedking]

...I know only a little. If... you have more information, I would welcome it. If only so I can say that I know.

[ It's his responsibility, isn't it? ]

[wolfish]

Alright. Then to begin with, how much do you know about the dark mages like Cornelia? The ones that take the guise of other people.

[ He has to gauge how much context Dimitri needs for what is admittedly a mad little journey. ]

[hauntedking]

...I don't know. I can't say. Only that perhaps I am not as aware as I should be.

[wolfish]

Well then... Best as we can tell, those mages have been carrying out their schemes by replacing key figures and using those positions to manipulate events back home.

[ Yuri falls silent for a moment, studying Dimitri's features. According to his men, King Dimitri had suspected Rufus. Does this Dimitri also suspect him? ]

Among those was the Tragedy. The one wearing the guise of Cornelia apparently had her hooks in the regent and pushed him to orchestrate that atrocity.

[hauntedking]

...I see.

[ Dimitri takes a long, slow breath. He closes his eye, as if he's considering something. ]

...then my uncle has already paid for his treachery with his life, at the hands of the very people who helped him orchestrate at. And so too, is Cornelia.

[wolfish]

It sounds like justice found them, in the end.

[ And that's as it should be. Dimitri and those he's lost deserve that closure, though it can never undo what befell them. ]

There were more like her, and they regard us as animals to be put down. Be wary of that, when you get back home. They're dangerous foes.

[hauntedking]

...I think Claude mentioned them to me earlier. They sound like a foul and despicable people.

[ How atrocious. ]