[EVENT] IN THE WAKE OF XI TIANLONG

[khuimods]

Characters: All
Date: January 2019
Location: Around Aifaran
Situation: The archipelago is recovering from the megastorm, Xi Tianlong, and a Watcher has sailed into Aifaran's port.
Warnings/Rating: Mentions of death and devastation resulting from a natural disaster; use additional warnings as needed.


The force of the storm and the chaos it wrought - both mundane and metaphysical - has given rise to its name: Xi Tianlong. The Black Sky Dragon left devastation in its wake and many areas are still flooded. The first priority is to ensure the safety and security of everyone living in the archipelago. Anyone of sound mind and body is expected to join the recovery efforts.

I. THE WORK BEGINS

Volunteers may report to operation and logistics outposts run by Sentry and city officials to assist with a wide variety of tasks. Each outpost reports to an overarching emergency operations center, where almost all leadership decisions are being made from.

At a given outpost, the scene is one of organized chaos: most people are in constant motion, wearing weariness as well as their uniforms. Most of the outposts have been set up within buildings but a few are located outdoors beneath huge tents. It may be hard to tell exactly who is in charge, but soon enough you'll be directed to a table designated for processing volunteers. From there, volunteers will be assigned to tasks based on their skills - and not necessarily what one may prefer to be doing. Lives are still at stake. It is time to dig deep.

While participating in recovery efforts, people begin to come across… oddities. Things that do not appear to belong here. Some admit to hearing voices calling their names or whispering incomprehensible secrets, though they're chalking that up to exhaustion and stress.

Below are areas where volunteers are needed:

MEDICAL SUPPORT: A wide spectrum of support is needed, from doctors and magical healers to basic first aid. Individuals will be assigned based on their expertise to emergency clinics that are being set up across the city. There is very little time for bedside manner: the focus is treatment, especially in facilities handling more serious injury. Triage is in full effect.

Including, it seems, for injuries that do not have an identifiable cause, or are reportedly caused by one of the storm's more chaotic effects. Patients falling under this category are sequestered in a separate treatment area, or in some cases moved to an entirely different facility to provide adequate care. They must have stories to tell a willing ear.

DEBRIS CLEARING: At first glance, this is the most straightforward task and easily the one that has the most volunteers assigned to it. One hardly needs particular skills to gather up and deposit debris in bins that are bound for the growing mountain of wreckage outside the city walls. Items of a personal nature or anything that may have immediate use as part of recovery are separated out, but a more thorough sorting will have to happen later. The archipelago is not an endless bounty of resources, and everything that can be reused or recycled, will be. It is hard, messy work. Many volunteer crews push back heartache with song and recitation of well-known poetry to keep their minds focused.

The Sentry does need sharp eyes to deal with a few particularly hazardous areas. Anyone with structural engineering knowledge or similar may end up clambering through the carcasses of buildings, locating any survivors and shoring up instabilities as much as possible.

ORGANIZING AND DISTRIBUTING SUPPLIES:Between what the city and businesses provide, donations, and items collected as part of the debris clearing, there is a lot to go through. Supplies from the city and Sentry are already quite organized, but the rest will arrive at collection points in various states of disorder. Volunteers are needed for sorting, cleaning, and distributing supplies. This may be on an individual basis or to bring items to shelters, such as clothing, medicine, blankets, non-perishable food, and so on.

Items of a personal nature (e.g. pictures, anything with a name on it, etc) that are recovered by cleanup crews are set aside for people to try and claim later, but it can be quite a mess. Lost and found is by no means a priority, and those who come to ask about their property will either be turned away or told they can dig through the piles. There's no time to catalog it all until the city is in better shape.

REPAIRS AND CONSTRUCTION:The first order of business with repairs is to sort what actually can be repaired from what must be torn down and built again, better and stronger. So there is a sort of tiered organization: when the nature of repairs has been ascertained, usually by an expert with long experience at this sort of thing, then the task is assigned. There's some demolition, not all of it skilled, for which Dreamfolk with destructive talents or large muscles are in high demand. Priority in rebuilding is given to utilities and those centres where people are being given aid; dwellings are a close second, since the winter is still in full sway, but all efforts are calibrated toward helping the most vulnerable first.

Carpenters and masons are well loved here, but anyone with a talent for reinforcing structures, for hitting a nail with a hammer, or just plain old carrying heavy things and holding them in place, will be valued.

OOC: Anyone who volunteers will receive a unique discoverable based on which volunteer group they choose by responding to the comment below.

II. HAZARDS AND HUSHED WHISPERS

The trees that sprouted improbably from lightning strikes during the storm remain firmly rooted, wherever they are. Most of them grew from rooftops but a handful reside in the streets. Regardless of whether they have soil or sun (and in one unique case of a tree growing in a flood zone, no air), the trees seem healthy and content. They're also quite diverse, including fruit-bearing trees, evergreens, and several from unidentified species. One has a bioluminescent glow at night. Another grows perpendicularly out of the side of a building. None of them show signs of disease, damage, or lack of nutrients. For the time being, the official word is to leave them alone. Given their origin, no one knows how a tree might react to being cut down or uprooted or touched, and in any case they don't seem to be doing anything but standing there. Leaves fluttering a little in a non-existent breeze.

One glaring exception to this ambivalence is the grove of trees rooted in a section of the Skyway. Rumor has it that the cluster grew out of a single lightning strike, whereas all the other strikes only produced one arboreal interloper. About a week after the storm clears, Opara Core technicians erect a containment tent across the entire section to hide it from view, and to cover the roots dangling down through the track. By then, however, enough pictures of the trees have been taken to reveal the gnarled roots and branches are not made purely from wood: they're veined and interwoven with a silvery-blue metal. Even the leaves have silvered edges, giving rise to the theory that they're sharp as razors. The technicians and scientists who come and go from the site are tight-lipped about the situation and will evade questioning.

There's been no improvement or really any change in the status of those buildings now colloquially called 'drowned.' Obviously, no one is allowed inside. Those with a careful ear to the ground may overhear some whispers, that these buildings are -- wrong somehow, strange. But these conversations are hushed quickly. Whatever is actually wrong, it's something that those investigating are trying twice over to make sure doesn't get out to the general public. The clearest thing, perhaps, is that these buildings are not safe.

While it's not the first priority, as soon as there's some breathing space the Sentry has some crimes to look into. The storm's peculiar eddies affected many Dreamfolk, and while there's some debate about the level of responsibility given that many are reporting states of altered consciousness-- crimes still happened. People have still been injured or worse. This is not something that can be simply let lie. Further, cannier minds provide, there's the risk of some having committed opportunistic crimes and then trying to camouflage them under the veneer of a Dreamperson affected by the eddies. Sorting this distinction out comes first; then comes how responsible those under the eddies' influence actually are. Nothing is being allowed to simply slip by if the Sentry catches wind of it. Frankly, they're paying more attention now than they usually do, under the logic that now more than ever their order will be a source of reassurance.

OOC: If a character chooses to touch the lightning trees, please respond to the comment below.

III. WATCHERS IN THE WATER

The two ships that accompanied Melias are of a similar design to her own, but there is no visible cabin on them. In fact, there only appears to be one door on each, at the stern, but there's no visible means of opening them. The ships are cream-colored and almond-shaped, with whorls carved onto them that could be symbolic of the water - and, if one looks closely, there are words carved into them in an alphabet that has been extinct since long before the establishment of Aifaran.

The ships do not dock, but flank Melias' ship in the harbor, seemingly guarding it. If anyone gets curious enough to try and sneak aboard one of the two mysterious ships, they will be met with a feeling of intense amusement projected into their minds before something resembling a tree branch materializes from the hull, grabs them, and gently deposits them on the docks nearby. Any attempt to breach the chitinous hulls by violent means will be met with a wave of anger tinged with disappointment. Hull damage is quickly self-repaired. The ships seem to be alive after a fashion. That's crazy, though, isn't it?

If Melias learns of an attempt to board or damage the ship, she'll scold the Dreamfolk: "All in good time! Honestly, you lot are so impatient."

---

OOC Notes: Melias will be available for threading upon request.

Comments

[lasergrenades]

Oh, good. He's the type to just go and do rather than fuss about better options or whether or not Pepper knows what she's talking about. What he comes back with is optimal as far as material, even if it takes a little while for him to retrieve it.

"Awesome. Okay, put it so it's even across where the column is breaking." If it needs more support on the other side, that'll at least be a stop-gap. "This is gonna be super, super bright so you need to look away," she instructs him. Using a narrow-beam repulsor wasn't unlike using an arc welder, and she didn't want to blind him before they even got started.

She takes a moment to adjust the armor settings, sending additional power to the servos in the armor's leg and shoulder joints - she'll only have one hand to steady the beam and while that won't change much, this would be a bad time to become unbalanced. "Alright, here we go." Once Zephyr has the support piece held in place, Pepper shifts into position and turns on one of the repulsors to seal the two bits of metal together.

"And Tony says I don't know anything about engineering," she adds cheerfully while she works, the armor's speakers loud enough to be heard over the sparking metal.

[spiralpatterns]

Zephyr figures it won't be too much of a problem if it's only mostly even instead of precisely even. "I'll be careful," he says absently, hefting the crossbeam up to where she wants it. He shifts it a little -- yeah, okay, close enough. Zephyr changes pressure to hold it there, squints his eyes shut, and looks away. "Go for it."

Loud and bright, his favorite.

"Who's Tony?" Zephyr asks idly, hoping he's loud enough to be heard. Boring otherwise. "He might need a course in watching you work."

[lasergrenades]

Even if Zepyr were inaudible to human ears over the sound of the welding, the armor is quite good at picking up and filtering sounds. It's nice not to blast her ears with the noise just have a conversation.

"Tony's the one that made this armor. He's my best friend and a technological genius," Pepper explains with some amusement. She pauses for a moment, shifts a little and begins on another section. "I've watched him do this enough times to understand the mechanics of it." Mostly. The armor computer does the rest. She imagines that she'll get a lot of practice when she goes home, too.

Lady, there are many areas of instability. You may wish to make haste, Vee cuts in from where she's supporting another beam, audible to them both.

"Yep, working on it." The redhead finishes the top portion of the welded seam, drops down next to Zephyr and starts on the bottom half with both repulsors this time. "Got enough problems without buildings falling over."

[spiralpatterns]

"Well, the basics are the most important." And he's just going to pretend like it's not concerning for the architectural stability that she's a newbie. She's better than absolutely nothing, and so people and things will be preserved that wouldn't be otherwise.

When she shifts down, Zephyr moves aside, bending a little to keep supporting without being in her way. It both looks awkward and feels awkward, but he's making it work, more or less.

"To be fair, I think the number of buildings falling over might be one of the problems. Got it okay?" Zephyr still isn't looking right at her work, but if she needs him to move anything, I'll be on it. "I can stick with you if this isn't your only stop."

[lasergrenades]

"...You make a good point." That shouldn't be funny. "Yep, I got it," she answers with a nod, turning off one repulsor to stabilize the splint section just in case. It's not a pretty job, but it doesn't have to be pretty. It just has to work.

A few more loud, sparking seconds go by before she shuts the second repulsor off, backs up to let the computer check the column's stability, and nods. "Shiny, that's that." Pepper turns to Zephyr, a grateful smile hidden behind her helmet. "Third pair of hands wouldn't hurt. Vee, what do you need up there?"

The beams are intact but becoming separated.

"On it." Pepper kicks on the bootjets again, rising to where the two beams intersect. The bolts are starting to shear off. "I'm Pepper, by the way," she calls down, utilizing the repulsor again for a moment. "We should probably do a walk-through of the whole structure after this, if you're up for it."

[spiralpatterns]

Zephyr prides himself on making at least mediocre points most of the time.

He waits for the sound to go away, finally steps back once Pepper's confirmed it's good. He looks up and down the column, whistles quietly. "Not bad work." If he does say so himself.

Seems safe to take his cues from her. When she moves Zephyr follows, head tilted back and picking his way through the structure with care despite the direction of his gaze. "Sure, I'm up for it," he says. "It's what I'm here for. I'm Zephyr." There's a considering pause. "You remember I can't fly, right?"

[lasergrenades]

"Zephyr. Huh. And you can't fly? Zephyr's the name of one of the winds in some mythology from my world," Pepper explains after a moment. "Seems ironic. That's fine though - you've got eyes and hands and legs and those are all useful."

It's faintly teasing. Securing the beams doesn't take too much longer, allowing Vee to step away and Pepper to rejoin him on the ground. She opens up the faceplate so they can see each other properly.

"Hopefully there won't be a lot of other high things to deal with. Hopefully there won't be a lot of anything to deal with. Everyone's stretched pretty thin right now." She gestures further into the building, starts picking her way forward carefully. Her ka follows a yard or so to her right. "Oh, and this is Vee. She's... well, she's a part of me, that's probably the simplest explanation."

[spiralpatterns]

On this front, Zephyr can and will lie through his teeth. "Huh, cool," he says absently. "Where I'm from, wind is more likely to be Sylph, or some variation on it. Wouldn't call a kid Sylph, though." No one wants to offend spirits. "Nice to hear I'm useful, though."

This is teasing right back at her. When she's down, Zephyr glances her over a little more thoroughly, puts a face to the name, nods. "I've been doing what I can, but like you said. Everyone's stretched thin, and I'm just one guy. Teamwork might help a bit."

Vee gets a third look; after a moment Zephyr shrugs. "Sure, okay. Soul stuff?" It covers a lot of ground. "She helps, that's good enough."

[lasergrenades]

Pepper mouths 'Sylph' like she's trying to get used to the shape of it. Strange names were hardly news around here.

"Teamwork pretty much always helps," she agrees, brighter now. "Though if Dreamfolk are anything to go by, a lot of them seem to think going it alone is better, mostly because they're stubborn." You're one to talk Pepper. At least she's stubborn in the direction of getting people to let friends in.

She turns a pleased, curious look Zephyr's direction at his assessment. The turtle has a type, doesn't it? "Yep, literal soul stuff. She's called a ka, which is one part of the soul according to Egyptian mythology. And Shadow magic, which is what she's tied to. I can summon other creatures, too, but she's special. Like breathing." The building is a mess but nothing in the next area appears to be imminently collapsing. "I'm guessing you've got some experience with weird soul things, or is that just Konryu rubbing off on you?"

[spiralpatterns]

Zephyr is just... not going to weigh in on the teamwork part. Teamwork for saving lives: yes, absolutely vital. Teamwork for life in general? Well... he knows the appeal, but he's not convinced he's very suitable for it. A bunch of people keep trying to tell him otherwise, though.

Her other question, though. Zephyr shrugs off-handedly. "Don't know anything about Egyptian, but a couple of friends of mine wove their souls together. It kept them together, you know? And there's a power to that kind of choice. But your Vee was part of you to begin with?"

[lasergrenades]

Welcome to Aifaran, Zephyr. You're stuck with stubborn friends. Learn to deal with it.

"...Wow." Pepper actually stops mid-step for a moment to consider the implications of weaving souls. "That sounds-- I don't even know. Wow." Something in her gut tugs at the possibility of using that magic to help Bakura, and she ignores it.

A breath, and she's moving again, keeping an eye out for cracks and bowing walls and such. "Sort of. There's no magic where I come from, so I learned it here. But even if I hadn't chosen to learn how to use it, the potential would always be there to find her. Sort of a Schrodinger's cat thing, maybe. I had to go through a mega scary test to be allowed to keep her, too."

[spiralpatterns]

What if he doesn't want to deal with it, Pepper. What if his dealing method is just running for the hills.

"Yeah," Zephyr agrees. "Wow." This is wistful, and he doesn't say anything more on the subject. Just thinking of those three is... vastly bittersweet. He loves them well, but they aren't here, and it's probably for the better that they aren't.

He keeps a few paces behind her, sweeping a similar scan across their surroundings as he goes. "Everyone's got potential. Not everyone does something with it. Schrodinger?" This isn't a reference he's got.