isleofavalon | EVENT ✨ The Answer is Always C

Entry tags:

EVENT ✨ The Answer is Always C

QUICK NAV: LOGS ⚔️️ NETWORK ⚔️️ MEMES ⚔️️ OOC ⚔️️ NAVIGATION

This is the event log for IC comments only! Ask OOC questions/plot/view event notes HERE or use the FAQ for general questions. Click here to view top-level comments only. A poll to collect results of the trials will be posted this weekend and stay open until the end of the month to give people a little time to see how their threads are going.

KEY POINTS

Arthur announces the results of the polls and that he spoke to Celliwig's people, they will be testing Camelot the week of the full moon.

A series of choice-based enchanted scenarios is presented based loosely on a modernized seven sins/virtuous responses (power imbalance, cruelty or mercy, excess/greed or restraint, sloth or work ethic, desire/lust or self-control and bravery or cowardice, and sacrifice or self-preservation)

With the polls closed, the decision is made, and King Arthur takes the opportunity to address the kingdom via a streamed press conference. Though it is not an open post, anyone is welcome to comment on it and talk to each other about it. However, it is unlikely that Arthur himself will respond to comments. A notification does appear on everyone's smart devices to invite everyone to watch live; if they tap it too late, it'll still show the recorded stream.

"People of Camelot, I wish that we had better news that spoke of an easier path to the calamity that stands before us. Celliwig's charge is with protecting Avalon even in the face of protecting Camelot and those of you who chose to use your voices have shown that you choose to respect their way of handling things. However, it was only just over half of you who chose this path. I think it is important that with such a great portion of people believing that bypassing Celliwig and going directly to Elphame, as much as it may take patience, we take this action into consideration. There is no sense in ignoring the voices of so many when there is nothing to say we cannot approach from two fronts. As Camelot's king, I have issued our intent to accept Celliwig's challenge to a descendant of Glewlwyd, a man who was much trouble for my knights in our time. They have said after failing one, we shall be tested on multiple fronts, the week of the full moon's rise. Bear in mind that this is our final chance at this."

Merlin sidles up to Arthur in the video, one arm around his shoulders and leaning in to speak into the mics in a much-too-familiar manner. At least his sunglasses are off this time.

"Now then, anyone who wanted to go to Elphame, you'll want to head to the docks around, oh, say, the first of June. Step one to flirting with fae is to put on a good show before the traders leave. It's a good time whether the Celliwig's dooming us or not."

A wink accompanies that odd note, and Arthur orders him off stage before thanking everyone for their time.

With the consent of its people, Celliwig performs a ritual to place Camelot under a rather strange spell. Much is the same, but there's a sense that everything is just slightly off from what it should be. Fog covers the grounds throughout the entire city throughout the entire day. It's just a little too quiet, the usual hustle and bustle of the city falling just a little too distant on your ears. You can go about your day as normal, but feel as if something is simply off. And eventually, you'll walk through a door, and it will be. Part of the enchantment, however, includes a strange inability to connect these doors with being part of a test-- they seem real, regardless of how absurd the scenario would be were your characters thinking straight.

Day One: Power Imbalance
The door you walk through is into a club of some kind. It wasn't your intended destination and yet, here you are, and you're being handed a glass of your favorite drink and being ushered to your seat. The show is fantastical, some kind of circus-esque show with gymnasts and magical effects making it impossible to take your eyes off of. That is, until the spotlight falls upon you and urges you down to join the show. A volunteer! Well, one of two. Another volunteer is brought up along with yours, and the ring leader of the circus gives you both bracelets-- one with selenite embedded in it, another with andara. The ring leader explains that they're both known for creating high frequency connections, though one is known to spiritually be associated with finding one's path and the other with manifesting one's true self. When enchanted together, this makes it so that the person with the andara bracelet can order the person with the selenite bracelet to do anything they please-- making their true self the person's purpose. Very dangerous, very intruiging, very tempting, very morally wrong to do it for real, so please keep it to the stage! A quick demonstration of this dark use of magic as part of the show... and it seems that afterward, they forget to take the bracelets back. What will you do with your newfound control over your partner? The choice is, after all, yours. (Or theirs, if you're the unlucky partner with the selenite bracelet-- only the person with the andara can remove the bracelets, after all.)

Day Two: Schadenfreude
Yesterday seems like a dream, and you may even feel the need to write it off as such unless you run into the same person again and realize no, they too remember it. But if that's not the case, it doesn't matter. You'll be able to find yourself in your definitely normal and usual mideval city, where someone is in the stocks. Your memories seem a little fuzzy on whether or not you're supposed to be in medieval times or not, but this seems right, and there's a fruit vendor right next to you selling soft fruits to throw at the poor sap in the stocks. There are also a number of other ways to mess with the person, including feathers to tickle them, a riding crop, some ink if you want to grafitti the person.. a good number of ways just to humiliate the person without causing them permanent harm. The crowd is cheering you on, but you also see the keys to set them out just sitting on a table nearby. Do you engage in a little sadistic fun or do you embark in a daring rescue? (Or are you the punished in someone else's scenario?)

Day Three: Indulge Me
Back to the modern day like it didn't happen, you and a friend walk into a door to your favorite convenience store and as you finish up your purchase, you win an all expenses paid trip to the Black Knight's Castle, formerly the home of the Black Knight and turned into a lavish tourist attraction by Yvaine and Laudine's descendents, who have become worshippers of Dionysus. You're transported there in a puff of sparkling magic dust, right before an extravagant golden fountain in the middle of the lobby. The owners explain their policy for the Black Knight's Castle that you can have anything you desire, however much you desire. Anything at all, consequence free. The only thing that they ask is that you give a blood offering to their god to help feed his dead worshippers on the other side of the veil, which will ultimately tie your soul to him as well. Just a quick cut of the palm and you're welcome to come back any time, have anything you want, for the rest of your life. Taking the deal means you really will get what you want! ...For the day, anyway. (This is just a spell, after all, even if your character doesn't want it.) If you choose not to, you'll find yourself magically deposited back to the convenience store.

Day Four: What's the Meaning of Stongehenge?
This fourth day, there's certainly something to be said about a hard day's work. When you walk through today's door, you find yourself in the middle of a grassy field, strange markings on the ground, and surrounded by oddly shaped boulders. The markings on the ground seem to indicate where some the stones should be placed. There aren't really any directions, but there's always the option of waiting for someone else to solve this problem for you... There is a very comfortable looking patch of grass anyone able to relax in. So the choice is yours: wait for someone else to move the rocks or move them yourself?

Day Five: Pooling Desire
Day five is a trip to the pools. But not just any pools! These are special, underground pools hidden deep within a cave. You're sure whoever told you to head through this door mentioned something about them being a special relaxation package at the Red Springs. As you head into the pools, however, you find someone in there with you: the subject of your desires. Regardless of who or what they are, they seem to have a crown upon their head, aren't wearing anything in that water, and seem to have a lovely singing voice judging by the tune they're humming to lure you in before you even notice they're there. It is at that point they will try to seduce you, even if that same person is standing right there with you. The seduction, of course, needn't be sexual-- a strong lusting for a turkey leg wrapped in bacon may be just as powerful as a desire for a brand new Ninblendo Swatch or something you should definitely label as NSFW if you want to thread it that way. Give into them, or.. maybe listen to the person who came in with you that they're definitely some kind of weird half-otter bottomed monster under the water before they try to drown you. Or if you're the one trying to stop this, are you brave enough to get in between a stranger and a monster to try to snap them out of the siren's thrall, even if it means fighting both of them?

Day Six: #ChaliceChallenge
The sixth and final door sets you walking outside on a beach. There's nothing else there really except for nature. The sounds of the waves crashing against the sound is soothing, and real, and sharper than anything you've felt in the last five days of haze. There is no fog today. Clear, blue skies stretch forever above you, not a cloud in sight. The only man-made thing you see is a small woode table and two chairs. Upon that table, two chalices. Nothing will happen and there seems to be no way off of the beach until both parties sit down at the table, at which point a strange old man with huge, rippling muscles of at least 7 feet tall and a long, scraggly beard will appear. He informs your characters of the rules: in one chalice, deadly poison. In the other, water and bitter flavor. Each must drink from one cup, or you will both perish of starvation on this beach. Choose wisely.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ By this point in the trials Emet-Selch is worn down. He sighs to himself, watches Hijikata get laid out on the sand - all without batting an eyelid. That really only affirms what he has suspected from the start. They must drink from the chalices.

While the old man is distracted, he reaches out for both cups. But before he can lift them up to drink, they vanish from his hands and reappear on the table. ]

Each person must drink from ONE chalice. [ The swarthy man says severely. Emet-Selch glowers sullenly at him. ]

[So now they're both glaring daggers at the buff old man. Hijikata gets up, accepts his sword back and reluctantly sheathes it. Luckily he missed out on Emet-Selch's move, otherwise he'd get on his case about that now.]

There really is no point to this other than yanking our chains..! We can't even do the good old self-sacrificial act if the damn drinks look and smell the same!

[The mystery referee simply shrugs. He told them the rules, Hijikata's bitching won't change them!]

Okay, Emet-Selch, I say we boycott this shitshow and go for a swim. How about it? He can't force us!

[ He casts a dubious look towards the water. Then at their clothes. ]

In these clothes? Don't be ridiculous. We would drown. Then we would both die.

[ He drums his fingers upon the table's surface with a frown. ]

But you raise a good point. What merit is there to a trial wherein neither party can sacrifice themselves? 'Tis merely a game of luck now.

Well, I was thinking we'd toss the clothes and swim in our shorts... but yeah, I'm not really in the mood either.

[Do Ascians wear shorts for underwear? Hijikata probably won't find out today. He crosses his arms over his chest, gloomily staring at the chalices.]

It's really just a gamble, and a shitty one. The way I see it we've got to either find the secret true solution, be it a loophole of some kind or simply another way off this island, or it's an endurance test... or they really just want to kill one of us at random so the other one can have fun with the survivor's guilt.

[The old man shakes his head in the background, mildly exasperated. Why do so few of these people actually take his words at face value?]

[ He reaches out to try and pour one of the chalices into the other, but once again the setting resets and defies his efforts. No matter how quickly he tries to move, or how cleverly he attempts to exploit the game, it stubbornly resists. One chalice per man. Those are the rules. ]

...Enough of this. There is no exploit. We simply must entrust our fates to the gods.

Your gods back home may be fair and just enough to trust, but they aren't here. I've got no doubt that the local ones will happily screw us over. If you want me to go along with this you've got to give me a good reason!

[Sadly for Emet-Selch Hijikata is very stubborn and combative, and he's unwilling to accept what he thinks is resignation from the other man. This may well end up in an island exploration montage followed by a night of sleeping in the sand, and maybe the next day's hunger and thirst will make the plan seem more agreeable to him - unless Emet-Selch's patience does not last that long and he's not adverse to using some force to get Hijikata to comply and get it over with much sooner.]

[ Heaving an exasperated sigh, he gazes morosely at Hijikata. ]

I am already dead. If I knew which one was the poison then I would drink it in a heartbeat. I suppose...that I could drink first, and if I choose the safe chalice then you need not ever touch the other.

[ He glances around. ] I don't feel inclined to sit here until we perish of starvation or thirst. I see no means for us to sustain ourselves.

You may be dead back home, but you're alive here. Aren't you?

[In his experience that's how it goes with these multiverse adventures, and he manages to take what would still be an upsetting revelation regardless fully in stride. Something about Emet-Selch feels so timeless, it doesn't come as as much of a shock as it should.]

Don't be so careless with your life! You'd be missed, you know? But if you seriously insist on pushing forward with this shitty challenge, then we're doing it together! If you keel over here I can't do anything for you, but if drinking at the same time gets us out of here I can at least use this.

[He pulls a flat, narrow little box from the inner pocket of his jacket.]

There's a vial in here, a Tincture of Wellbeing. If I'm the one who gets the potion use it to save my ass. Okay?

[Hijikata always kept the valuable potion on him ever since he received it, like many others, as a reward for his help during the winter.]

[ Missed by all of, hmm, three people, he thinks sourly. They would get over it. Well, maybe not his partner, but then they still have another him to return to.

He frowns at the box. ]

Does this tincture not work on anyone besides yourself?

[ He doesn't recall this potion being offered by the traders. ]

[Hey now, even if there are doubles running around, what with all the timelines crossing over, the memories made with one particular version of a person are still special! But Hijikata can hardly speak on the matter; he's never been in that particular situation.]

Sure it does. If I get lucky I'll use it to get you help just the same. I saw it being used once, and what it actually does it teleport the nearest healer onsite. Just pour it out.

[He gives the small box to Emet-Selch - if he himself is the lucky bastard who gets the bitter water he'll simply take it back from him to use -, takes a deep breath and grabs the closest chalice.]

Ready?

[He won't pay any further attention to the buff old man. Screw that guy, seriously.]

[ A sigh. He leaves Hijikata's box where it is, within both their reaches, and takes up the remaining chalice. ]

Yes, I suppose.

[ He gazes morosely at the liquid gleaming inside before lifting the cup to his lips and taking one long swallow. If he is to die, let it be swift and not drawn out. ]

[Hijikata ends up taking the box back, just in case they both get teleported out instantly and it remains on the island. That would suck. He likewise downs the liquid in his chalice as quickly as he can, wanting to get it over with just as much as Emet-Selch. God, it tastes awful, and the prospect of possibly dying here for no good reason makes him feel like crap. They can really only hope for the best now.

As soon as they've emptied both chalices they don't find themselves back in Camelot, however the door reappears, innocently wedged between two palm trees as if it had been there all along. Hijikata gets up immediately, hoping that they'll have time to head back to civilisation before the poison kicks in.]

Come, let's go while we can.

[ He nods and starts to stand. But just as he steps away from the table, a sudden, sharp pain in his chest brings him up short. He sucks in a sharp breath and staggers, hand slapping the edge of the table for support.

No... His legs fold and he collapses on to the sand. He can't breathe. He can't move. What sort of poison is this? Most of the common kinds he knows destroy you from the inside. This is more like a quick...suffocation.

He doesn't get to dwell on it further. Darkness swallows him and his final thought is that he hopes Hythlodaeus forgives him for going on ahead. ]

[Oh crap. So it's Emet-Selch who got the poison... Hijikata was anticipating its effects on himself so badly that he actually did have some (purely psychosomatic) mild symptoms, but when the other man outright keels over he knows that he, himself, is fine. He turns on his heel and runs back to him, pulling the vial out of its box and pouring its contents into the sand.]

Emet-Selch! Hang in there.

[With the trial space now reconnected to Camelot the tincture actually works as intended, teleporting onto the scene a kindly-looking middle-aged woman in a flowery dress.]

Madam! Over here!

Oh, my... where did you call me here, now?

[She looks around, mystified, but quickly focuses on her patient as she reaches him. Hijikata glares daggers at the buff old man as he explains what happened.]

He was poisoned.

[The healer assesses Emet-Selch's status and frowns.]

I'm sorry, dear, but... I think your friend is already gone.

What?! You can't be serious!

[That's not how it's supposed to go! The healer was supposed to save the day here! Still, Hijikata somehow manages to keep a halfway cool head. If Emet-Selch is dead, then shouldn't he be seeing his ghost around..? Surely he didn't instantly move on to the local afterlife? While he looks around for a spectral version of the man he's holding the healer makes some more revival attempts, albeit without success. She hesitantly procures a wand from her belt pouch.]

All I can still try now is to extract the poison, but I doubt it'll still do him any good, dear.

[She's clearly hesitating to further meddle with a man who's already dead, but Hijikata is determined to try anything.]

Let's go for it.

[He's already holding Emet-Selch's upper body on his lap, so the woman only has to tilt his face up forward before reciting the appropriate spell and drawing the potion out through his mouth. It's weird to see the liquid be pulled towards the wand through the air and swirl around it, but the healer does a thorough job and only stops when the job is done.]

Now! At least that nasty stuff isn't in his body anymore.

[Hijikata naturally doesn't have high expectations, given how cold and still Emet-Selch is, but hell, at least they tried everything. He keeps holding on to him, and if there's no change after a minute... well, he'll have to carry him back to civilisation then. He's not looking forward to it, but someone has to tell his loved ones what happened to him, and he'll eventually need a funeral.]

[ It takes more than a minute for Emet-Selch's heart to resume beating and circulate enough blood to kickstart the function of his internal organs. He sucks in a sharp gasp and his eyes fly open. ]

What--?

[ He feels pins and needles prickling his entire body. He tries to lift an arm, twitch a finger - but can't. ]

[Hijikata is fireman-carrying him over his shoulders as he wakes up, but they're still on the beach since he took a moment to make sure neither of them had left any belongings behind. When he feels him stir he immediately sets him down in the sand and steadies him.]

You're back!! Stay with me! Just breathe, breathe..!

[The healer, who stuck with Hijikata out of compassion rather than going on ahead, quickly grasps Emet-Selch's hand.]

Breathe slowly, dear! Don't worry now, you're safe.

[Hijikata is going through an absolute emotional rollercoaster here. Death isn't as cheap on Avalon as it was on Prismatica, where people would simply crystallise until their bodies healed back to a livable state, so he's hellbent on doing whatever it takes to save Emet-Selch's life. Neither he nor the healer has any doubt that he was properly dead just minutes ago, but sometimes people do bounce back!]

[ He's cold, lethargic. But as the seconds tick by his skin warms and he coughs as his lungs start working again. He feels like...well, like death.

Hijikata's voice echoes dully in his ears and he squints upwards. He barely notices being laid out on the beach besides a whirl of colour as he trades pale sand for a pale sky. ]

Wha...t...? [ His tongue, heavy and thick, slurs the question. The rest of the words stick in his throat. ]

We got the poison out of you. Take it easy.

[He turns to the healer.]

Do you have water?

No, dear, I'm sorry! I only have some iced tea.

[She pulls out a small thermos bottle. Hijikata is starting to wonder just what exactly this woman was doing when he summoned her... or maybe healers are just always equipped for this exact scenario.]

Let's give him another moment. We don't need him choking.

[ A few more coughs before his breathing finally evens out. His fingers twitch, clenching and unclenching as his newly restarted heart circulates blood again. Gods, if this is what the undead feel like upon revival, he would prefer death. ]

What...happened...?

[ The words are a bit slurred but otherwise he seems to be recovering. ]

Am I not...dead...?

Well, we thought we lost you. But you came back, luckily.

You were so pale and still, I really was sure it was too late..! Easy, now.

[If Emet-Selch allows she'll put the bottle to his lips and help him drink in small sips, all while Hijikata once more glares daggers at the buff old man who's standing a good distance away with crossed arms, passively observing the scene.]

These damn assholes. They really almost killed you for nothing! Actually scratch the "almost"; you were dead for a moment there! A fine trial this was!

[ He doesn't feel all that thirsty but he accepts the water nonetheless, sipping carefully. After a little while he waves away the bottle so he can address Hijikata again, voice a little stronger than before. ]

That is...impossible. If one dies, a sacrifice is required to bring them back to life.

[ He starts to sit up. The disorientation is beginning to settle. He frowns at the old man observing them as the gears in his head turn. ]

...Are you sure I was dead?

I don't think your soul had left your body yet, but it surely was about to. If we hadn't extracted the poison when we did it'd probably only have been a matter of moments.

We should get him out of the sun, dear. He needs rest!

Right. Do you think you can walk? Otherwise I'll carry you.

[Hijikata assumes that Emet-Selch won't want to be carried if he gets any say in it, so hopefully he'll be stable enough to walk leaning on him. At least he's gradually looking more alive again as what little colour he had in his cheeks returns, that allows Hijikata to be more at ease.]

[ He has no proof. It could very well be that the poison he drank had been genuine and he had been saved on the cusp of death. Emet-Selch waves off the other two's assistance and struggles to his feet on his own. There is a bit of staggering at first but, ultimately, he manages to straighten.

But he doesn't make to leave. Instead he approaches the old man, expression grim. ]

Was that really poison I drank?

[ They give him a lengthy stare. Then shake their head. ]

No. Merely a potion that mimics death.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ✨ The Answer is Always C

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

any preference who gets poisoned?

No, you can choose or toss a coin (or I can toss a coin in my next tag)!

Let's go with a coin toss then! Tails for Emet

And... tails it is, sorry Emet!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

I'm so sorry for the wait, new covid wave disrupted my schedule T_T

No worries at all, that takes priority!

no subject

no subject

no subject