October Event: Crystal Clear

[lifeaftr_mods]

OCTOBER EVENT: CRYSTAL CLEAR

Who: Everyone!
What: Your exploration takes a turn.
When: October 20th - 26th
Where: The caverns situated underneath Ensō
Warnings: Character death, body horror, descriptions of illness. Please mark any additional warnings as needed!

Part I: Attack, Attack!
Congratulations! You've successfully gone where no Storyteller has gone or can go, and woken up in the network of subterranean caves buried beneath the island's mass, along with your designated supplies: a miner's cap, a week's worth of food, and both your knapsacks and their collective contents. And the further along you go, the vaster and more sprawling these almost labyrinthian tunnels seem to get. There’s certainly evidence that civilization once thrived here - old buildings hewed from the rock of the cave walls may very well contain old tools, or even salvageable supplies. Careful examination of structures and cavern walls alike will reveal sigils resembling those carved on the doors, each of which will need to be destroyed entirely at the Storyteller's behest. Whatever was down here was advanced enough to dwell without sunlight. But that raises a rather pertinent question...

If there were once people here, where did they all go?

Fortunately, one will soon discover that there's plenty of natural light underground, exhibited by the crystalline growths on the walls. None of them appear to be dangerous, and those attracted to shiny things might even find them useful for picking up or chipping away in order to better light their way. The crystal has about the thickness and hardness of quartz, and bathes its surroundings in a luminous green glow.

The closer you come to the center of the mass, however, the denser the crystalline growths seem to become, until one has to be quite ingenious in navigating them. Eventually, they'll simply be too dense to be squeezed through, even by the smallest and most agile of your number.

That’s when they it will start to become apparent.
Something in the crystal is moving.

Huge chunks of crystal are starting to detach from the center and move slowly, inexorably, toward those unfortunate enough to have explored the caverns. Unmistakably humanoid silhouettes, distorted by awful crystalline growths, most of which have completely swallowed any recognizable features.

...most.

The good news is that the creatures can be shattered, and beaten back. The bad news? Well...

Part II: Retreat, Retreat!
Those who get close enough to the crystalized beasts to get a good look at them will soon make a horrifying discovery - the fact that, underneath those thick layers of luminescent quartz, there was once something that might have been recognizable as human. These quartz monsters aren't native to this region, or indeed, to any region of the island at all. They were formed.

Formed out of the very crystal that you explorers have been touching, picking up, sleeping on, and just generally remaining in prolonged contact with ever since you set foot down here.

Indeed, anyone who has been in contact with the crystal for extended periods of time - sleeping on it or getting dealt a swipe from one of the crystalized monsters, for example - will find that tiny, quartz-like growths have started to sprout on their skin as well. Once the virus has taken root, it will spread rapidly until it has swallowed you whole. Indeed, the unpleasant symptoms will reveal themselves within twenty-four hours of the initial exposure: in addition to clusters of crystalline growths pocking the affected areas, the inflicted will begin to experience intense stabbing pains all over as the crystal begins to grow - both inside and out. The transformation is slow and arduous and painful, and vocalization tends to be one of the first things to go once the crystals sprout in the mouth and throat. Within the span of about three days since the initial exposure, the transformation will have sheathed most of the physical body in crystal entirely, sealing the victim in a humanoid cast of glasslike green.

It has not been confirmed if the inflicted are sentient and aware of their state of being once they are completely consumed. Whatever their intentions, those are easily overridden by the virus's innate desire to spread to as many organisms as possible.

As this is an event with a high risk of death, the Storyteller will impose death penalties for one week only. Additionally, deaths succumbed during the event count towards the character's total. There is no known cure to the virus, but that doesn't mean characters can't or shouldn't try!

Event Timeline

[ ♆ ] October 20th: Spelunking begins. Points of interest will be provided.
[ ♆ ] October 22nd: The Quartzalcoatl make their presence known.
[ ♆ ] October 24th: The final sigils are broken, and the Storyteller will return all uninfected to the Islets.
[ ♆ ] October 26th: All deceased will be returned at midday, suffering from a reduced death penalty.

Event Specifics

[ ♆ ] If your character perishes in this event, please let us know!
[ ♆ ] For those who opted out, please see the top-level below!
[ ♆ ] Item claims can be found on the OOC plotting post here!

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

Ignis Scientia | OTA!

[shatteredlenses]

Oct 20th: A Spelunking We Will Go, A Spelunking We Will Go... (Mid-Caverns)

[The gods, Ignis has finally decided, really need to get a life. One that doesn't, he will quickly add, include shuffling around humans at their slightest whim. If the Storyteller needs them to look into things, fine, but how precisely do they expect Ignis to do that without a little help? Drop him in a small group. Even just one other person would be fine.

But, leaving him by himself, in the middle of a dark, damp cave? Really? What kind of information is he suppose to gather when he tumbles off a ledge and then drowns in a pool of water?

Ignis sighs, moving very slowly and carefully until he can place his left hand against the cavern walls, bare thumb brushing over the harshness of rock before sliding across smoother...crystal? Sadly, without another pair of eyes, he can't verify that for sure.

Hopefully, it won't be too long before he comes across someone with pair of eyes they'll be willing to lend. He's certainly not going to be of much use to this little expedition otherwise.]

Oct 22nd: This Voice in my Head Says 'It'll Be All Right,' but I Can't Make Myself Agree (Upper-Caverns, Early Infection Onset)

[Are you really letting being stuck in these caves get to you already, Scientia?

That's the logical side of his brain talking. Ignis and his logical brain tend to get along very well. They agree on most things, but for some reason, no matter how many times he tells himself that the bumps he feels each time he runs his fingers over his left thumb are nothing more than roughed up skin from when he was guiding himself along the caverns walls, he just can't bring himself to believe it. It feels wrong somehow. Like he's looking for the simplest answer when he knows there is none. Objectively, he feels fine, if a little tired, but considering he struggled through dark caverns for several hours blind, he's due a little rest. He's earned it. That and some companionship. As much as Ignis likes his time to himself, he works better in a group now. He needs to be around others.

Yet, as the day passes, he drifts farther away from those he searched so long and hard to find. His left hand remains, almost constantly, tucked into his pocket. It's harder to help one handed, but...

...it's safer. Just in case--for once--his logical mind is wrong.]

Oct 23rd, Late: The Exhaustion Runs Deep, but My Mind Won't Sleep (Base Camp, Post-Infection Transfer/Curing)

[It's wrong; it's wrong; it's wrong; it's wrong...

Ignis was still young when he first heard the tales of the Accursed. Young in body anyway; his mind was never that young. Always moving, learning, storing away information for later. And this information was important, even if the stories left him wide-eyed and clinging to his knees at night when he was alone in his dark room.

The Accursed, so evil his true name was lost to history. So terrible all they could do was wait until the Chosen King came to save them from his dark touch.

It's wrong!

Ignis draws in a shuddering breath. It's exhaustion that makes breathing so hard now when not long ago it was shards of crystal filling his throat.

How can evil hide such light inside? How can darkness incarnate be so warm?

The advisor is relieved when the sounds of people talking around the base camp drive those thoughts from his tired mind. Quietly, he lets himself slide to the ground, sitting propped against a rock. He's safe here now. Whatever it is the Storyteller wants found, the others can see to it for now. He's done.

And yet, his feet itch to go back down and find that 'terrible' creature the stories spoke of so that he doesn't have to suffer alone...]

[power_of_dominance]

[From monkeys to caverns, Soma can't be too upset about being tossed from one danger to another. He'd managed to avoid the strange crystal after seeing others with the stuff growing out of their bodies. Back at base camp, he does what he can to help anyone wandering in to rest, so when he sees Ignis slumping against a rock in apparent exhaustion he hurries to the blind man's side.

A cool hand touches Ignis's forehead briefly before settling on his shoulder, accompanied simultaneously by the teen's gentle voice.]

Don't worry, it's Soma. Are you hurt?

[shatteredlenses]

[The coolness of Soma's touch is oddly more comforting than Ignis will admit to. To distract himself from the thought, he focuses his mind on other things. Scolding himself for letting his guard slip so far he didn't hear the teen approach is a good place to start.]

I was. I'm fine now.

[Denying the evidence that clearly is presenting itself in his soft voice is another. The statement may be true when applied to his physical condition, but he's very obviously, not fine when it comes to his mental condition.]

[power_of_dominance]

[Not hearing his approach isn't entirely Ignis's fault, Soma's footsteps are far quieter than most.]

... you're rattled, I can hear it in your voice. What happened down there?

[Now he's worried. He doesn't smell anything odd in the man's blood, but that doesn't mean that weird crystal infection isn't present. He'll start by checking any exposed skin, but he knows he'll have to ask permission to go further.]

23rd : I cannot see what flowers are at my feet

[crosslaced]

[Laurent is worried about something else entirely- Ignis is missing, and he's smart enough to guess what that might mean. He's seen Ignis earlier, briefly, who only mentioned he was “tired”. A blind man in the tunnels seems like the feasible idea it's pretending to be when you aren't paying attention.

Unfortunately, at this stage of things the infected are either far in the caves or up here- if they could've, wanted to, made it. Laurent makes one trip down and finds a bunch of mangled bodies, and too many Quartzlcoatls, and so he's taken up to waiting. If Ignis can make it, and wants to make it, he will.

And so he does.]

Ignis. Are you ill? Don’t bother hiding it- we’ve got a pandemic.

[shatteredlenses]

[For some reason, Laurent's straightforward statement of fact makes the corner of Ignis' mouth tilt upward. A pandemic is it? An incurable plague? Ah yes, he knows about those. So does the person he left behind in the tunnels. Alone. Suffering.

By the Six, why can't he let this go? Ardyn's the one who all but drove him from the caverns. He wanted it. One could even say he was used to it.

Not that it makes it right.]

Exhausted is what I am. I don't suppose there's been any cure found for our little plague, has there?

[Of course not. Ardyn was lost to one plague. Why would the gods be kind enough to spare him from another?]

[crosslaced]

It spreads by contact- at least from the crystals to us- so this'd better not be stubbornness.

[Imagine if Ignis got someone infected. Wouldn't that be a terrible thing?

Well, Laurent can't force a confession- if the prospect of Noctis dying awfully doesn't shake the man, it's beyond him. With a 'tch' of annoyance he settles down beside Ignis- there is no contact, but he's never been fond of contact.]

You guessed it. The only cure seems to be death- at least with the kind of healers we have.

Maybe blindness is your good fortune today- it's not pretty.

[Do you want to hear about it?]

Oct 23rd

[alittleditty]

[Again, it's been her job for some five years now to notice new arrivals, and as harried and distress-ridden as the past 48 hours have been, Ignis is no exception. She doesn't immediately rush over, much as she wants to. Instead she waits until she's tied off the last thread on the seam she was working on before setting her work aside.

Joints protest as she rises stiffly to her feet, reminding her she just spent the last couple of hours hunched over her work, but she disregards them as she slips over towards the familiar face.]

Thank the Twelve... I was beginning to worry that something had happened. [Still, his overall slumped posture...] Though it looks like that isn't entirely out of the question.

[shatteredlenses]

Something is always happening, Tataru.

[There is a weariness in Ignis' tone that hints very clearly to how bone-deep his exhaustion is. It's not exactly a comforting sound, especially coming from someone who is usually a lot more steady and strong.]

It's what we do with the results that counts. I'm just not sure what to do with these.

[alittleditty]

[Wow is that borderline sass she hears? And she was only worried about him too. Thankfully she's had far too much experience dealing with prickly responses to be phased. Not to mention, with everything going on, it probably wasn't even fair to call it prickly.

Instead she sighs, settling down next to him.]

Well, you don't have to tell me that. Whether it's here or back home, it's always something, usually upsetting things we all rather would be left well alone.

[beat]

Though to be fair, I can hardly say I know the circumstances of your own situation at the moment.

[A gentle sort of statement, easily inviting more detail, but just as easily brushed off if he doesn't feel up to sharing.]

10/20

[esper_magic]

[ Fear not Ignis, for he is not the only one to have been dropped into the caves in the middle of his sleep, alone. Terra was not a fan of being alone - she could sense the presence of many others, faintly, but that was small comfort. Ah, but there was one that was closer! Bless whoever that is and hopefully they're a nice person who won't mind Terra tagging along a little. She trotted through the cavern anxiously, glancing around with a bit of nervousness until she rounded the corner, her steps echoing ahead of her. ]

Hello...? Is someone there?

[shatteredlenses]

[Ignis hears the echoing footsteps and pauses to give whoever they belong to time to catch up to him. He has no idea who it is--though by the sound of the steps, he'd wager a female or at least someone of a smaller and lighter build--but at this point he would almost take Ardyn's special brand of 'company' over being alone.

Almost.

Thankfully, the voice is someone who he likes a whole lot better than the Chancellor and he can't help but smile as she draws near.]

Terra? Is that you? Are you all right?

[esper_magic]

[ Oh good! Someone she knew and liked a lot - that's a huge relief. ]

Ignis! Yes, it's me. [ Her hurried pace slows to a more relaxed padding until she's reached his side, relief in her voice. ]

I'm fine - I woke a short distance away. [ And... wait... ]

Are you alone..? Noctis and Prompto aren't with you? [ Does... does the Storyteller not know Ignis can't see...? ]

oct 23

[catpiper]

[It was only a matter of time before this gremlin found him, honestly. It's a small camp site for an entire island of people to be shoved into and it's only getting smaller by the hour with every explorer's return. She's heard inklings and rumors of the creatures spawning, the sickness plaguing some, and it's a welcome sight to see any that make it back relatively unscathed.

A part of her hoped his vision would return by now. The caverns were unsettling enough with the small bit of light they were given, let alone having to manage your way around blind. It's troubling that doesn't look to be the case and she can only hope someone was there to hold his hand the whole way. It takes her a moment to look him over from where she stands, a couple feet away. He looks okay. He's breathing. He's alive. That's enough for now.]

Iggy?

[shatteredlenses]

Ren?

[Ignis slowly turns his head in the direction of her voice, exhaustion clear in his expression despite the small smile he forces to his face.]

Are you well, darling?

[Even with his current displeasure at just about anything calling itself divine, Ignis finds himself praying to whatever Astral might be listening that she hasn't come down with the crystal plague. He's not sure he can handle the idea of her suffering as much as he was not long ago.]

[catpiper]

I'm okay.

[The illness plaguing Ren doesn't come from a crystal and isn't contagious in the traditional sense. If Ignis was worried about her being sick, he doesn't need to. With all the talk of monsters and illnesses, she's more concerned about his state. She's been at the camp since the rumors first began to spread and this is the first she's seen of him. He must have been down below for a some time-maybe long enough to run into something awful.

There's an expression on his face that almost rivals the one he made the day they met. He might not be turning into a crystal, but he's clearly tired.

And if he is sick, she almost doesn't want to know. He made it back and that's more than she can say for the unfortunate few that remain in the caves. He's going to be okay now.

She takes a few steps closer and sits down about an arm's length away.

Do you want a blanket?

[It's nighty night peanut time for Iggy.]

october 22

[encircling]

[ It's a little after being cut by those monsters that she runs into him. Not literally, thankfully, as she stops herself just before that. Mira does look a little frazzled, though, as she backs up, quickly hiding her wounded arm behind her back. It's been bandaged with a scrap of fabric she'd torn from her shirt. ]

... Ignis? That is you, isn't it?

[ She's fairly sure she's hallucinating because she hasn't been able to sleep well here at all. ]

[shatteredlenses]

Mira? Yes, it's me. Are you all right?

[Despite the fact he can't see how she's hiding her arm, Ignis--oddly enough--moves in a strikingly similar way as he makes sure his left hand is tucked tightly into his back pocket. He hides the motion somewhat by taking a few cautious steps in her direction.]

You're not pushing yourself too hard, are you, dear?

[encircling]

I'm...

[ She intends to lie--even though she's really bad at lying--in order to keep him from worrying. No one here should be worrying about her, not when she was stupid enough to get her in this mess. At the same time, though... she somehow can't bring herself to lie to Ignis.

How strange. ]

... I could be much better. [ She drops her gaze, shuffles in place a little. ] I made a big mistake earlier.

[want_to_belong]

24rth

It was after they had escaped the caverns and were returned to the islets. Prompto was exhausted and he just wanted to find his crew. Being separated for days and traveling in a dark, cramped cave... Well, the guys knew about his feelings on dark, cramped places. He couldn't even blame Noct for leading them there this time.

Only his will to meet up with his friends was keeping him going by the time evening rolled around. What he would've given for a bath and a hotel room at that moment. Just a normal night with the guys. This island hadn't been so horrible to start with, why did it have to start throwing angry apes and crystal monsters at them?

And Ardyn.

He practically dragged himself across the sandy shores, looking for some form of light. Where should he head? The ruins? 'Home'? Where was even safe anymore? Where would everyone else be?

Whatever the answer, he was determined not to rest until he found them.]

Iggy? Noct?

[He called out, but his voice sounded fatigued.]

[shatteredlenses]

[The response that Prompto finally gets probably isn't anything like he was expecting. Once he starts getting near to the cottage the three of them share, he will find himself surrounded by three rather agitated Bludrocs. They waste no time leading him back toward the cottage and the reason for the agitation soon becomes clear.

Against the wall near the door into the cottage, Ignis is sitting, with his arms wrapped around himself and his head resting against his chest. From his positioning, it's clear he was trying to wait for Noctis and Prompto to return, only to have sleep catch up to him before they did.

Someone should probably get the poor guy inside so he can get some real sleep. He needs it.]

[want_to_belong]

[Happy as he was to see the birds, relief didn't completely enter his mind. It would be like finding his chocobo without the rest of his teammates. He'd be glad to see the chocobo for sure, but it was no replacement for finding everyone else.

He paused to brush their feathers with a hand before being rather easily led towards the house, where he made out Iggy's figure in the dim lighting. Was that ever a sight for sore eyes. His uneven steps quickened until he practically slid down onto one knee next to him.]

Iggy!

[He gently shook the other man's shoulder. All he wanted was to see that Ignis was okay.]

[thekingsglaive]

Ignis!

[The second Nyx spotted Ignis from the other side of the base camp the Glaive is warping the majority of the distance before running the remainder, dropping to his knees and skidding to a stop beside Ignis. There was a fraction of a second where he remained still, fearing the worse. He's been hearing about what's been happening to people, seen it to a degree. What if-

It didn't matter. Even if Ignis was infected he was here now and he was... He was alive, right?

The moment of fear was quickly pushed aside almost as quickly as it washed over Nyx. He presses a hand to Ignis' forehead, then moves to press two fingers against the Advisors' neck, searching for a pulse.]

Remind me when you're feeling better to kick your ass.

[shatteredlenses]

[When Nyx finds him, Ignis has finally fallen asleep bundled into the blanket that Ren got for him. Said blanket is finally starting to drive the chill from his body and that is a big part of the reason it takes him so long to pull himself back into wakefulness. As he wakes, a small smile crosses his face and he leans into the fingers resting against his pulse.]

As if you stand a chance against me, my dear, old friend.

[Well, it looks like the sass is awake even if nothing else is quite yet.]

[thekingsglaive]

[He rolls his eyes at that, but if Ignis has the strength to sass then he'll probably be okay.

The fingers leave his pulse, Nyx moving to ruffle the already messy hair. The hand stays put on the top of Ignis' head, however, as he lets out a laugh.]

We'll just have to see about that. Maybe when you're up to it we can spar.