#toakeraselephas2023

[theofficersacademy]

A village one moment, mere ruins the next. You think you might know the skeletons, gravestones now. You had dreamed with them. Lived with them. Fought them.                                            Cried for them. They are condemned to the past, forgotten by history. But not by you.              Though their dream is over, their memories live on.                             You have seen what desperation comes from tragedy.                                                                      May you never forget it.

                                                                     —Keras Kai Elephas, end.

Closing Procedures (please read carefully!)

The events of Keras Kai Elephas are over. Thanks to Team Guard’s efforts in Rusalka, Celephais has fallen and released everyone who had been trapped in the dreams. You all find yourselves in the village together, except it’s not the village you remember: It’s ancient ruins, appearing to have been destroyed centuries ago by some massive explosion. There is not a trace of any of the villagers, except for one: Mairenn, looking almost on the brink of death. You all are weak from such prolonged malnourishment, but fortunately the time you spent in the illusion had only been a few days, not months like it seemed. A few days longer, however, and you might not have been able to wake up again. 

You ought to return Mairenn to the family she ran away from. The rest of you, including the knights you sought to find, make your way back to the monastery to recover.

You are free to continue any Keras Kai Elephas threads, but you may not start any new threads based on the event settings. You can, however, write epilogue drabbles and/or interactions as long as they all take place post-event. Event posts will no longer count towards the grand prize requirement either.

Discord

All event channels will be closed on February 10th, so save what you want from them before then.

Prizes and How to Get Them

Please read the following carefully before claiming your prizes:

PARTICIPATION PRIZE.

All muses entering the event automatically received the participation prize described in this post. Please message the masterlist if you did not already claim it at the beginning. You will have until 2/12 to do so, but be aware that participation prizes not submitted alongside grand prize claims will be processed last.

Please send the masterlist an ask to claim your Grand Prize during the allotted days for your team (see below).

GRAND PRIZE.

This prize package will be awarded to any muse who reached a minimum of 10 IC event posts.

Knowledge Gem: A special gemstone that grants a drop of knowledge to the user. (One free skill point towards the user’s skill of choice.) Please claim the gem first and then allot your skill points.

Two event-limited prizes from this list. (Your muse must have the corresponding rank to claim.)

And a fragment of the dream: Ruins Fragment: Grants a moderate boost to defense. Village Fragment: Grants a moderate boost to resistance. Battlefield Fragment: Grants a moderate boost to strength/magic. Flood Fragment: Grants a moderate boost to luck. Illusion Fragment: Grants a moderate boost to speed.

SCHEDULE.

2/3-2/4: Team Ruins participation and grand prize claims. 2/5-2/6: Team Village participation and grand prize claims. 2/7-2/8: Team Battlefield participation and grand prize claims. 2/9-2/10: Team Flood participation and grand prize claims. 2/11-2/12: Team Guard participation and grand prize claims. After 2/12: Normal activity (activity points, class access/mastery, etc)

1) The submission period is from 12:00AM EST the first day to 11:59PM EST the second day. We at least need to receive it during this time frame. Use the clock in the Masterlist’s sidebar to doublecheck the date and time if you are not sure.

2) Team submission periods are only for muses within those teams. If you have a muse in Team Ruins, you can only submit your Team Ruins muse’s claims during the Team Ruins period. You cannot sneak in your second muse from Team Guard during that time. Untimely submissions will be deleted without comment, and we consider this message your warning.

3) During the Participation and Grand Prize claims period, we will also process skill claims if you are getting your personal skill or ranking up from the Grand Prize skill point. Please combine these into one message, this helps us out!

4) If you miss the period to submit your Participation or Grand Prize, you forfeit these prizes. Do not procrastinate.

5) If you miss the initial period to rank up after an activity point, or if you claim your grand prize but forget to rank up with the skill point, you’re fine! However, please wait until 2/13 before sending in these claims.

As always, please feel free to ask any questions!

- The House Leaders

[theofficersacademy]

I think I found a way out.  Past the fog of the shared dream, so long as you never lose hope… 

Should you change your mind about staying here, that’s where you need to go.

And that is where I will be. 

Goodbye.

- ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛

What’s going on?

Welcome to Keras Kai Elephas, not just the first Lore event of 2023 but lucky number 7! Please continue reading below for information and rules.

No one in the strange village of Rusalka shows any sign of budging. In fact, the Knights of Seiros who have made themselves at home here continue to protest that they have no desire to return to service for the church, and the locals - though you suspect there may be no true “locals” in this village - insist that you stop meddling. The church, however, is adamant about getting to the bottom of this mystery though, and what’s more, you find yourselves losing the will to return home, too.

A glimmer of hope comes in the form of an old sheet of paper, seemingly torn from a journal of some sort, unearthed from the abandoned bunker outside of the village. Alongside it, some nearly-illegible notes. Not only is the handwriting badly faded, the words themselves are in a language you don’t recognize. Fortunately, one of the villagers is able to translate parts of it: dreams can be entered at will. Or so these notes seem to suggest. It’s your only lead for this mystery, so into the dream you go.

While the strange magic of Rusalka has proven that one can enter the dream of another and interact with companions like in waking life, how to enter a specific dream remains a mystery. So leaving behind one team who has agreed to stand watch over your sleeping bodies while you test these theories, you all settle in for sleep and hope for the best.

Muses who are not participating in the event will be left behind in Garreg Mach. There will be no mission board this month so these muses can either catch up on past threads or thread together about their classmates and colleagues who have left for the event.

Keras Kai Elephas General Rules

Signups are currently closed. If you have not signed up to participate in the event yet, you will be able to on January 5th when signups reopen. The last day to join is January 12th.

Submit your inventories by January 5th, 11:59am EST. If you sign up for the event after this date, you will not have a chance to switch inventory.

Please refer to this sheet throughout the event for teams and assignments.

You will not be allowed to switch teams.

You may only start Keras Kai Elephas threads between January 1st and February 2nd. Event threads may be continued after the event, but no new ones may be started. Likewise, only IC posts made between 1/1 and 2/2 will count towards prizes.

Event-related reactions to non-teammates must take place pre-departure during this initial introduction period. After this period has concluded, event threads will be strictly taking place with your teammates. The introduction period will end on January 3rd with the true beginning of the event kicking off on the 4th.

Please tag all event-related IC posts with #KE[teamname]2023. (Ex. #KEruins2023, #KEguard2023, and so on.)

Discord

There are five new #plotting channels (one for each team) and one new #keraselephas_lobby channel for event-use only. Please use these channels to plan or discuss your Keras Kai Elephas threads.

The #keraselephas_openstarters channel is for any open starters you may write. Please specify the team that the starter is open to.

Prizes and How to Get Them

Two sets of prizes will be awarded for the Keras Kai Elephas event.

PARTICIPATION PRIZE.

All muses entering the event automatically receive one of these prizes upon joining. You may message the masterlist as soon as you have made your first event post.

Canon Lord characters: You are granted access to your exclusive promotional class. This class will have mastery requirements of a Master Tier class and will also require a drabble. Please message the masterlist to claim it. To see muses that qualify and their corresponding prizes, please refer to the fourth page of this sheet.

Non-Lord characters who joined after prior Lore Events: You will be allowed to claim your Personal Skill. Please refer to this post for instructions on how to create and claim your Personal Skill.

All others: If your character is not a Lord and participated in a prior Lore Event, you may claim an additional ability that you qualify for from the ranking chart.

If you prefer to hold off on choosing your prizes (i.e. waiting on skill points, etc.), you may do so. However, keep in mind that you may only feature any new abilities in threads after claiming them.

GRAND PRIZE.

This will be awarded at the end of the event to any muse who reaches a minimum of 10 IC event posts. Contains:

One free skill point

Two choices from an event-limited selection of prizes

And a third prize — unknown for now

More information on that will come at the conclusion of the event, so for now, set aside your House differences and work together!

And as always, feel free to message the masterlist or use the Discord if you have any questions.

- The House Leaders

[theofficersacademy]

                           Julius   Sophia   Julia   Tharja                          Marianne   Nino   Phina   Felix  Flayn                               Sara   Eliwood   Ephidel   Hilda

TEAM TAG: #KEflood2023 BASE CAMP PROGRESS: 51%

WEEK FOUR: Hurricane Blank

The eye of the storm offers a return to normal, or as close to normal as you can get in this strange realm of dreams. You do remember you’re merely in a dream, right? Looking for the soldiers of the church to try and convince them to come back home?

Unfortunately, Blank still cannot offer any leads on that front, though they seem to be growing increasingly agitated, or desperate to be of some help. You’ll let them help, won’t you? You won’t just disappear into the horizon in search of your friends? You can’t. You can’t...

Places & Things of Interest

your Camp - What camp? In a turn of events most unfortunate, the storm had intensified and wiped away most of your hard work. Either you stay outside and brave the whipping winds and rains while looking for a more suitable location. Or... You can follow Blank to their home, they say. It’s... Well. It’s something, at least. It’s got four walls. A few mismatched cots. Crude paintings of your surroundings (mostly). A small desk. Cozy but spacious enough, if a bit sparse still. They don’t mind if you redecorate. There’s another cryptic note on the desk. They don’t think it’s theirs, but they happily translate all the same.

        We are witnessing the end of the world.         Hear my last prayer…         Protection for ▊▊▊▊▊▊. Peace for ▊▊▊▊▊▊▊▊. My eternal love for ▊▊▊▊.         My heart has become as black as the Fell Star’s, for I have lost my son today.         Let the waters take me as well.

the “Chapel” & Graveyard - Augmented now by your offerings, the area seems more at peace than before. There’s a pervading sense of gratefulness about the place.

the Study - Is kinda cramped huh. And starting to feel a little damp - as in, partially submerged, hinting that the water levels have risen. There may not be much else for you here.

the Teleporter -  Its light grows ever dimmer, but still appears usable for the now... (5 exchanges remaining.)

the Abyss - Those of you dealing with the tentacled monster in the deeps may continue your unfortunate series of events this week. It continues to drag you down, down, down - will you fight back?

NPCs of Note

Blank - Pouting over the race... but a deal’s a deal. You can keep the extra sculls, they say. And here’re 20 of those tokens you guys seem to like so much - they’d give more but it’s all they have left. What else, what else, hmm... What else would you like? They’ll try their best to deliver. They admit they’ve enjoyed their solitude, but they’ve come to enjoy your presence! Do stick around, yes? ...Please? ... Please?

Wisp - Happy to have company. So happy! Still can’t form more than base emotions, but they’re happy!! It sticks to your side like glue.

Tasks

Base camp: send F to pay respects - Can continue building/decorating new base according to past specs - 100% will grant +2 to ALL additional player rolls (minigame specifics potentially not withstanding) for remainder of event - 78% will grant +1 instead (does not stack) 

Scavenging / Foraging / Diving / Fishing / Hunting - See week one tasks - Visibility is somewhat restored, light attempting to peek into the sky whilst you go about your day in the eye of the storm. It’s kind of lasting awhile though, isn’t it? Who knows when it will snap.

Crafting: See prior week specs. - Additionally, Blank wonders if you’ve any interest in experimenting to make something new? He’d love to watch.

[theofficersacademy]

                              Sirius   Randal   Kurthnaga   Lyon                         Leo   Forsyth   Cecilia   Deirdre  Sylvain                            Valter   Maria   Chrom   Ares   Micaiah

TEAM TAG: #KEruins2023 BASE CAMP PROGRESS: 100%

WEEK FOUR: All together now.

Things have been going pretty well. Your little family continues to grow as you welcome Aphie and the Mechanic into your fold. What’s more, the Aukes are back, and would love to make amends! ... Rather, it seems almost as though they don’t remember attacking you in the first place. 

Blue skies follow their arrival, sweeping away the smog and dust. Greenery has begun to sprout about the whole of the city. It’s the dawn of a new era, and you’re all invited.

Food consumed: 38 cans.

Places & Things of Interest

your apartments - Central heating, lights that seem to work at the flip of a switch, food that warms within minutes if not seconds... You’ve got all of that plus the comfort of reinforced defenses. Snazzy and functional! How ‘bout that? (+2 for ALL player rolls until end of event (minigame specifics potentially notwithstanding*))

the crater - To all appearances, all of the remaining sentries have gathered here and powered down. A graveyard of machinery sits on your doorstep, and the Mechanic can be seen almost drooling at all the ‘free’ cores just sitting there. Careful.

the crane -  You guys broke it. :( Womp womp. That doesn’t stop Aphie from trying to climb it when no one’s looking, however.

not so abandoned storage - The Aukes have moved back in, but have no qualms about you scavenging in the territory if you so choose. They’ve even cleaned it up a little - no more suspicious puddles of chemicals and corpses laying about.

the Teleporter - Its light grows ever dimmer, but still appears usable for the now... (5 exchanges remaining.)

NPCs of Note

the Aukes - They’re back, but friendly this time! Kind of suspicious, innit? They’re all about peace, and would love to ally with you if you’ll have them. They come wearing the Crest of Seiros, and recognize you as students and staff from Garreg Mach. Seeing them, you kind of remember you had business with them but... what was it, again? Oh, right! You’re to bring them back home. But this is home, they say. Don’t you feel the same way?

the Mechanic - He’ll remember your race for as long as he lives, he proclaims often and with no little enthusiasm. You may have totalled one of the cars, but that’s fine, you can still go for a joyride in the one that’s left. He can usually be seen smiling and whistling away, happy as can be.

Aphie - She too is having the time of her life, though she can at times be seen with a faraway look on her face...

Tasks

You’ve set up your camp, all that’s left now is to enjoy! It’s cozy, and has near anything you could think to ask for. Enjoy a nap in your plush bed, or make use of the excellent kitchen facilities... Sky’s the limit.

Scavenging / Dismantling / Hunting / Foraging - see week one tasks (+2 bonus to rolls) - not necessarily a priority - up to you if you think you’ve enough! - you may now choose which material to roll for

Crafting: - see week 3 tasks - the Mechanic is looking for inspiration for new creations... thoughts?

[theofficersacademy]

TEAM TAG: #KEVillage2023

WEEK 4: Time Flies

“You have every right to hate me!”

The god of the sky wails in sorrow.

“I’ll never forgive myself for failing you. I am a terrible mother, I know that. But please, let me protect you. You can trust me!

“Arke…!”

Her grief shakes these mountains, causing you to lose your grip. Suddenly a hand reaches forward, grabbing yours and keeping you from falling to your death. “Whew! That was a close one! You okay?”

Unexpectedly, it is a person. Even better, their armor is immediately familiar to you, the stark whites and reds of the Knights of Seiros. Your benefactor looks down at your group, concerned and confused. “Wait… I recognize you. Students? What, why… what are you doing here?”

Dream Logic

As in all dreams, you have a vague sense of place and purpose, though they are up to your interpretation.

You’ve made… some progress up the mountain. You’re far from where you need to be, but you have certainly gone Up.

The Knights are shocked to find other people here, nevermind people they recognize. They’ve adapted to their surroundings and readily teach you what they know about traversing the area: to take your time, to allow your body to adjust, and to be wary of the nightmarish creatures that make their home here. So far their only plan is to go up, but they’re eager to hear of any fabulous ideas that you have. They introduce themselves as Isaac, Natalia, and Emil.

Normally they would resting at this “hour”, but Emil happened to spot a wounded woman stumbling about and needing help. They don’t recognize her, so perhaps you guys do? Enter NPC Disheveled Woman.

If you died last week... which, ngl, is a bit cringe... start with 1 HP.

The only way to go is up. Dread washes over you. You better get yourselves prepared.

Goals

The Disheveled Woman looks like she’s been through hell, but when she learns of you guys she insists on talking with you. She will get you out, so she says.

You pool your supplies together with the Knights, adding 3 Vulneraries and 1 Prayer Bead to your inventory. Additionally Isaac, Natalia, and Emil are in good health and prepared to help you out with whatever you need. One of these NPCs can be assigned to any of your resource collecting threads as an extra person, allowing you to gather up what you need faster. Up to three threads can have one of these NPCs.

The only way to go is up, the knights say, so everyone ought to prepare for a long journey. They’d feel better if there were 4 Vulneraries in the inventory by the end of this week.

Tasks

The massive trees that towered over you back on the ground somehow look even bigger up close, with trunks as wide as houses and tops spreading wide. Chopping this down is out of the question, but the slivers of bark that you manage to peel off the tree won’t do either. If only there was a way to get up there without risking your death, or to bring those branches down here...

Grants 5d3 Wood per post.

None of the plants and creatures here are familiar to you. Some are more monstrous than others. More importantly to the Knights, some are more edible than others, and the only way they found out was through trial and error. As you gather herbs, you come across a plant that you’ve never seen before. Even if it’s stinky, you should find out if it’s useful or not…

Grants 2d4 Herbs per post. Every post, roll 1d50. If a 1 is rolled, unit takes 2 damage and ends the thread.

As you’re collecting resources, you trip over something on the ground: some kind of… object? Something big, made of stone with strange carvings on it. The Knights say that there are a bunch of weird “relics” scattered about here—they even have a collection of egg-shaped trinkets that they hope to bring with them.

Grants 3d3 Stone per post.

The source of Chalkos is the same as it was on the ground, but the god is so upset that more falls from the sky than usual. She is a mother wailing for her lost child—do you take advantage of her pain or try to comfort her?

Grants 5d4 Chalkos.

[theofficersacademy]

                                       Ashe   Artur   Roy   Caeda   Azura                                                                          Andrei   Eir   Elice   Python   Leif                                                                              Patty   Est   Byleth (F)   Corrin (F)

TEAM TAG: #KEguard2023 VILLAGE HEALTH: 71% PUBLIC OPINION: RESPECTED [68/100]

WEEK 3 LOG

HP lost during village defense: -20%

Food Needs Met: YES (-7 lbs of meat, -2 jerky, -2lbs of vegetables)

Foraging Yield: 8x herbs (+4 C-rank medicine, +3 E-rank medicine)

Remaining Perishables: 0

Timber: 68 bundles

Dream Crystals: 0 red, 14 yellow, 10 green, 8 white

You begin to realize that you, too, are no longer hungry, nor do you have any need for sleep. No food requirements this week.

Ashe and Roy do not manage to survive their encounter with the giant wolf in one piece. It proves to be too fast for them, and each suffer massive injuries (-5HP each), but they do make it back to the village alive. They also have a new piece of information to show for it. It’s an old scrap of paper, found in the old bunker deep in the woods where the first journal had been found: “▊▊▊▊▊… My love, my light. When will we return to the surface? My sense of time has grown strange and numb in this world, but enough of it has passed that my heart has healed. I know the others just wish to stay here and enjoy what we can before we wake up, but I believe we are ready to retake our lives and start anew. Let us greet the dawn together, hand in hand.”

Thanks to Caeda, Patty, Byleth, Azura, Est, and Eir, the dozens of corpses littered around the outside of the village have been given proper burials. Or rather, returned to their burials. It’s clear that these skeletons, all ranging in age from hundreds of years old to a decade or two, were buried at some point. As you worked, you discovered a ring that resembled the ring that Tieve wears, the bones of a small dog, and a pair of ancient skeletons with some inorganic, wing-shaped contraption laid upon them both. Perhaps the villagers have some answers for you.

Perth has watched your team check on and worry over your sleeping companions in relative silence, but he does make one offer: Would you like to be with them forever, peacefully and happily, in a world free of pain?

This is the final week of the event! There will be one more weekend game, followed by the finale.

NPCs of Note

Perth - Although not friendly to your group by any means, he has been more welcoming as of late. You get the impression that, despite his assertion that their village is a democracy and that he is chief in name alone, he is quite protective of the village and his people. He does not watch you like a hawk because he inherently distrusts you, but because he is the always-vigilant guard of Rusalka. He cares deeply for its safety and the happiness of those who call it home.

Tieve - You learn that the children Tieve care for aren’t her children at all. In fact, they were here before she arrived. She doesn’t remember how long ago that was now. There have been a few birthdays... she thinks.

Balfor - While working on repairing the village walls, you discover that Balfor also seems to know how to use the dream crystals that Lonán babbles on about. Ever reticent though, he carries out his work with diligence.

Lonán - He seems eager for new ideas and asks you if there’s anything you’ve ever wanted - anything at all. He’ll try to make it happen.

Mairenn - The young woman who gifted you the dog collar last week. She’s quiet and keeps to herself, but others in the village assure that it’s just because she’s one of the newer additions. She’s yet to fully settle in.

Tasks [Resource Key]

Explore the forest outside of the village [Max 3 muses per thread] - There are still no animals in the forest this week, but perhaps the giant wolf is still prowling around - Can forage for herbs as you go - Can talk to Balfor during this task

Harvest the fields [Max 3 muses per thread] - Grants 2lbs of vegetables for every 1 post - Despite the fact that the food doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, the villagers still carry out their daily tasks as if nothing is amiss. They’re always chatting about the season’s harvests, or what to plant when the leaves change colors - Can talk to Tieve during this task

Assist with chopping wood [Max 3 muses per thread] - Gains 1 bundle of timber per post - Axe rank grants multiplier for thread [C or higher = 2x yield] - Can now talk to Perth during this task

Wall/Gate Repairs [Max 4 muses per thread] - Trades 1 bundle of timber per post - Restores village health - Can talk to Lonán during this task

Dry herbs [Max 3 muses per thread] - Trades 1 basket of herbs for 1 medicine per post - Faith rank grants higher potency to concoctions. D = 1HP, C = 2HP, B = 3HP, A = 4HP, S = 5HP.

Patrol your companions’ quarters [Max 4 muses per thread] - Restore 1HP to houses per post - Can now talk to Mairenn during this task

[theofficersacademy]

                                Julius   Sophia   Julia   Tharja                           Marianne   Nino   Phina   Felix  Flayn                                Sara   Eliwood   Ephidel   Hilda

TEAM TAG: #KEflood2023 BASE CAMP PROGRESS: 30%

WEEK THREE: The storm is at hand.

Just as quickly as they’d grown agitated, the spirits of the underwater graveyard below calm, either pacified or subdued by your efforts... all, save for one, that is.

As the skies grow darker, one wisp burns all the brighter. They must not be ready to move on quite yet, Blank theorizes, and then promptly goes about their own business of tending their garden of water lilies, clearly unbothered by the presence of yet another unexpected guest. They’ll leave when they’re ready, after all.

Everyone always does.

It begins to rain, it begins to pour. It’s windy. Your shelter threatens to take off into the night.

Food consumed over the past two weeks: all of your fish and birds and 10x herbs, oh no!

Places & Things of Interest

your Camp - It’s windy and cold. Your make-shift shelter was coming along, pretty colourful cloths and wood slapped together painting something of a quaint picture, but now it threatens to take off into the night! Hope you like huddling close together for warmth. 

the “Chapel” & Graveyard - The shadows and wisps have wreaked much havoc over the area during their scuffle last night. There isn’t much to look at here anymore.

the Study - “Reading is for nerds,” Blank had offered oh so helpfully last week. This week, however, a new book in your collection catches their attention. “... I had been wondering where that old thing went!”

The journal is not as ‘blank’ as was advertised in the vending machine, it turns out. They offer to translate.

        Evening: Another fight with ▊▊▊▊▊▊▊▊. She told me that I will kill her brother the same way I did their mother. I am a coward, it’s true. She says that I have no right to be her mother. That, I won’t accept. She will always be family to me, regardless of what she says.

It seems to be but a partial entry... Though a few pages later, there is another:

     Our souls are blighted, our spirits broken.      We are but seven now.

Myself (75)

▊▊▊▊▊▊▊▊▊(68)

▊▊▊▊▊▊▊▊ (17)

▊▊▊▊▊▊▊ (22) though she yearns for death after ▊▊▊▊ was lost

▊▊▊▊▊▊▊(35)

▊▊▊▊▊▊(12)

▊▊▊▊▊▊(10)

and ▊▊▊▊▊▊

Half of us perished to the Flood and the journey. Their names, so that I may never forget them:

▊▊▊▊▊(9)

▊▊▊▊(3)

▊▊▊▊▊▊▊(5)

▊▊▊▊▊(6)

▊▊▊▊▊▊▊▊ (29)

▊▊▊▊▊▊(129)

▊▊▊▊▊(148)

        We must go on, but not like this. Our pain is too great, we lack the strength and willpower needed to survive the winter here. ▊▊▊▊▊▊▊▊▊ had this idea…          A  ██████████████ sounds ludicrous on paper, but I believe her idea is sound. By ██████████████ with magic and ██████████████, we can ██████████████. When spring comes and we’re ██████████████, it will be bitter, but by then we will remember why we came all this way…          As the oldest, our magic stores will be ██████████████ and ██████████████. I dare not even think of what would happen ██████████████ should the magic falter. ▊▊▊▊and I will likely ██████████████, but it will all be worth it. I want my future self to know that whatever happiness ██████████████ is my reason for doing this.

Did Blank write this, you ask? Pffftt, of course not! They simply copied it into the journal at some point, since they were bored and a little bit lonely. It’s an interesting entry to spin stories out of, no? Ah, to have family...

the Teleporter - It seems this can be used to send objects somewhere, and also to receive them... but where are they going? Who is it on the receiving end? ... Of note, every time the strange machine is used, its light appears to dim just a little bit more...

the Abyss - Pitch black as ever, but then, so is everything else. If only you had some light…? Something nice and solidly bright, that might work underwater. . . Blank remembers there used to be something like that, back in the day. Some strange round device you could point and click and behold! Light! ... Too bad there aren’t any of those around here. (Also, they’ve heard tell some of you were thinking of using the blooms, and while they commend your creativity and more than encourage you to go ahead with it if you’d like-- they suspect you might attract the attention of the shadows with those...) Ah well! No risk, no reward, yes?

NPCs of Note

Blank - They still kind of want to race sculls, but it’s gotten a bit dark for it, unfortunately. (Show them your Jackie Seagull pins. Do it. They will be absolutely delighted, promise.) It’s gotten dark out in the midst of the storm, but they don’t seem to pay it much mind in their comings and goings.

Wisp - A mournful, shapeless creature that does not yet wish to leave this plane. It regrets, regrets, regrets so much... For now, it is content to bask in your general company. It does not speak, but it transmits emotion well enough. Lingering regrets mix with the faintest sliver of hope... hope that it will one day be allowed to cross over. But not yet. Not yet.

Tasks

Setting up base camp - every 1 post = up to 7% of progress, capping at 100% - requires up to equivalent of 7 planks, sheets of cloth, or combination thereof per post - Rumour has it reaching 100% may yield something beneficial... But as things are, you may wish to strive for adequate over perfection, before the storm undoes all of your hard work!

Scavenging / Foraging / Diving / Fishing / Hunting - see week one tasks - visibility is much poorer now, but where there’s a will there’s a way, yes?

All above tasks (minus setting up camp) now require 2x Blooms in order to have light enough to manage. Except you guys bought a lantern, so ayy!

Crafting: One of the books in the study denotes the makings of a vulnerary (oh so helpfully translated by your good friend Blank). Five of the Herbs you’ve been gathering ought to do the trick! Along with one two Blooms!

[theofficersacademy]

TEAM TAG: #KEVillage2023

WEEK 3: Where do you sleep, my golden city?

(TW: child death, brief suggestion of suicide)

“Don’t wander off too far!”

It’s not your voice, but your raw throat and racing heart suggests that it is. That girl, she’s always been curious. Always an explorer. Curse yourself for not keeping a better eye on her. Market stalls melt into the craggy mountainsides, a treacherous path through the Oghmas that you had crossed a thousand times before on your way to your missions, a path you now take with caution as you don’t know what lies ahead.

No. You do know. You know it as you see your daughter dangling by her ankle, held over the edge of a cliff by one of the aliens. Their cruel, sinister smiles, their scaled arms and sharp claws that dig into the child’s soft skin, they make a mark into your very soul.

We will take all that is precious to you.

Unmoved, they toss Arke off the cliff. The girl screams in terror, a scream cut short as her body falls upon the rocks.

There will be nothing left for you.

Despair floods your heart. You might feel compelled to run after her, to fling yourself off the cliffs in hopes that you catch her, or that you might not live another second without her.

—

You wake up curled in soft grass, under the warm blanket of night. A soft lullaby hums in your ear.

Yes… this was all a dream, a terrible dream. At last, the storm is over. At last, you can rest.

Dream Logic

As in all dreams, you have a vague sense of place and purpose, though they are up to your interpretation.

Your sense of place is returning to you. Though this location is more surreal than the last, there is also this lucid understanding that wasn’t present in the village. You might even remember what your mission was.  

Speaking of, those of your group are not the only ones here. It’s not something you can really put to words, only that there are people to find. Not just the ones you’re looking for, but a greater presence, almost like a god. She surrounds you all as the night sky, the breeze that cradles you, the moon that smiles down at you, the warm air that embraces you. You can feel her thoughts in your mind, the affection she already has for you, the sharp grief she still holds. Enter NPC: ???  

You don’t quite know what this place is. What you know is that it’s flooded with grief, the grief of anticipated or actual loss of love. It pervades this place, to the point where it’d be easy to drown in it. Worse, whenever you try to find higher ground, you start to feel ill the higher you go. Even climbing up a hill makes you nauseous. It takes a few minutes for your body to adjust to the change in altitude, so don’t rush yourselves when you need to go up.  

Edelgard is here when you arrive. It looks like she is being held by an invisible person, the way she floats up in the air with her hands held close to her chest. For Edelgard, it’s like being held by her mother again. When she thinks about moving or going somewhere, she is unable to escape that person’s embrace and is instead rocked like a fussy infant. She begins the week at 1/10HP and with the KO status: Unit cannot collect materials from threads.

Places of interest:

This place is a dark forest, but not in a foreboding sense. This is a beautiful place, a peaceful place dimly lit by moonlight and fireflies. You hear gentle birdsong in the trees and a low, constant hum as the “god” sings a lullaby. The night sky encompasses this place, covering it like a blanket. The stars shine, pinpricks of light shining through the weave.

Goal:

There is nothing to worry about anymore. 

If you’re set on rescuing the knights and escaping the dream, then you must prepare for the journey. There is nowhere to go but up.

The toys are ruined from the fall, but they can still be salvaged. Take 20 toys, break down what materials were used to make them, and return half of those materials to your inventory rounding up (half the wood, half the stone, etc)

Warning: In the upcoming dungeon, you will be taking continuous damage. Please keep this in mind as you decide what you will craft and how you will use your team’s heals.

Tasks

If you want anything from here, you need to ask for permission from this god of night. Without her say, nothing of use comes to you.

Herbs? Those are easy. The idea that you would want to go and pick flowers endears you to her, and her mind betrays this. She manifests a field of flowers for you, flush with the herbs you need. 

Grants 3d2 Herbs per post.

Wood? She abhors the idea of you brutishly cutting down the trees. You’ll have to make do with sticks and twigs. She also refuses to leave you be, for there are dangerous knights in the woods, those that align themselves with the aliens. Those with white and red armor, bearing the symbol of a dragon… 

Grants 2d2 Wood per post.

Stone? Even if you wanted to, she bans you from the mountains. If you insist on stone, you will have to collect it from the running river nearby where she can keep an eye on you. There are river stones to collect, but also flecks of gold and crystal that flow past your feet. You may be able to filter them out with your shirt… 

Grants 4d2 Stone and 1 Chalkos per post.

Chalkos? The god is no mage, she tells you. That said, she is emotional, and the emotions stirred from holding Edelgard and listening to your requests occasionally causes chunks of Chalkos to fall from the sky. You may have to play with her emotions. 

Grants 4d4 Chalkos.