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Aboard the Inithari Snow Express

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On the edge of what used to be Abbera, away from the crowded ancient core of the city, in what someone back in Inithar would’ve called an outer suburb, a snowplough moved smoothly; silently speeding through the blizzard that had enveloped the landscape along a forgotten piece of railway – its plow sending snow flying to either side of the vehicle as a fine mist as it did.  From the quiet confines of the beast’s cabin, Atu was cursing the ever-present cold that seeped in even through the thick isolation applied to the locomotive’s walls. The metal body of the Kepuala creaked and groaned as the second railway engine shifted in the storm, to which Atu responded with a few strokes of the command paddles, bringing it back to bear by adjusting its suspension yet again. The command bridge was a clutter of controls and instruments marked by nothing but colorful bands, while behind him were wooden tables on which lay heaped charts and itineraries; mappings of this strange world hand-drawn since the expedition’s arrival months ago. Indeed; the first thing one would notice upon entering the bowels of the mighty Kepuala were not its construction, but the characteristic tang of Inithari tobacco, and the scent of alcohol and treated leather worn by its crew; Atu and his men, Tahwiti and Manoa, whom were passed out on a small couch not far behind – and technically the farwatchers too, though they came from the Navigator’s Fellowship and remained unseen, separated by a sheet of metal and padding in the upper sections. They were as much under his purview as was the time, though they were as accurate.

This mundanity ended at the cab’s windshield, before which an alien world unfolded before Atu’s eyes – scarred by whatever cataclysm was unleashed upon Harren and made its mark. Even after months since the landing, even after he had walked much of it – and even after he had a hand in changing its face once more by building roads, reclaiming infrastructure and constructing a permanent colony – still Atu found it fascinating. But did he ever hate the cold. There were cities turned into fortresses by beings who had lived here, and remade their world, and vanished – blown themselves to bits no doubt!

His thoughts were interrupted when the shriek of the alarms sounded.

‘Not again…’, Atu thought as he made the brakes screech from below. If he was ever in doubt of if his crew were awake, he was certain they’d woken up when a silent thud emanated from behind and the usual groans that came with every urgent break reared their ugly head. Of course, the farwatchers had seen the acursed trees blocking the track ahead just in time, despite the low visibility in the storm, but it was a pain all the same, and the engineers cursed the cold season once again as they prepared to exit the relative comfort of the locomotive.
 
No matter how many times an Inithari walked out into this frigid wasteland- no matter how many layers of clothing stood between him and the frost, the wind always made you feel as if icicles like needles pierced your skin from all sides. It was not long after the three men had moved the first of the trees off the tracks and already they felt exhausted – grizzled men that had worked in the confines of Kona Town for months already weakened by the weather, and despite the heaters no less! Atu cleared the snow that had fallen onto his cowl in this short while. The other two seemed even more distraught – no doubt beset by a hangover; he could see by what little of Manoa’s eyes showed through their masks. He yelled to the man so as to be heard through the storm, muffled by a thick scarf.

“You need not squint so much, Manoa!”

“I’m angry, Atu. When I’m angry, I squint!”

“Yes, I know, you also grind your teeth!”

“No I don’t!”, he said a bit more quietly- the three now closer together so as to be heard more easily and, at least among themselves, for warmth.

Tahwiti decided to capitalize on this obvious lie- “Of course not! And I don’t speak Inithari.”

Now Atu reminded them calmly of the issue at hand: “Well whatever the case-“, Atu ignored Manoa’s attempts at a comeback, accentuating the last part of the sentence, “- I understand you’d both love for nothing more than to retire, but for all the grumbling, this is our job now.” A morning of convincing them to join in the affair had soiled his mood, even before the eventual excursions outside, and one would never leave the colony without the other. ’You can’t leave him in the same spot as my Mahake, Atu! And the other… He’s had his eye on my wife ever since the landing, and now he’s leering at my daughter, Atu! I swear, my friend, I swear!’

Manoa replied tactfully, “All I want, chief, is for us to get our asses back to Kona Town before a damn Pact demon blows us to kingdom come. Well if it weren’t for the Engineering Fellowship…” Indeed.  Had it not allowed its engineers to ferry along their families, Atu was sure they’d have strangled each other by now.

Tahwiti was the first to break off and inevitably the rest soon followed. Their spirits restored, they had managed to get the rest of the felled trees onboard the train for supplies at their destination – material for everything from furniture to the inside of vehicles – and continued along their way.

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The work of Atu and a dozen others like him would prove pivotal for Inithar’s ability to remain in these lands for long. Ever since the landing, the Expeditionary effort has grown exponentially- pressed on by the matters at stake and fuelled by the tight, although cold, at times, cooperation between the Fellowships. Having rightfully identified the danger of ever dropping temperatures, proper snow fences and heating units were placed along strategic railways during the summer to allow for the transport of resources to the factories of the main colony, and makeshift snowploughs like the Kepuala constructed to maintain them through-out the season. Of course- this was the minimum needed to keep the colony ticking, for if the flow of materials were to stop, the flagship and the supplies could only keep them alive for so long. Work was hard out in the wastes, and ever harder as the Cold season advanced.

Quote from: Leonardo8 on November 30, 2019, 03:21:44 pm

Quote from: Glass on November 30, 2019, 01:34:23 pm

Acter - having been busy with a wide variety of things - finally returns their attention to the world, and thinks for a while.
And so they come to an idea.

Acter weaves into the Iavodell around Yil a season of Improvement, such that there is a quarter of the year wherein all beings are more motivated to accomplish their goals and find it easier to improve themselves; mortals may take the time to train new skills or hone their craft, a wolf may challenge their alpha for leadership of the pack, a tree may simply grow taller to gather more of the sun. This shall be a time of action.

Can we introduce this IRL please? Possibly coincident with the finals.

Lol, yeah, it really would be helpful. Unfortunately, I am neither God nor a god in real life.

Midterms tomorrow. Why you gotta do me in like this man?

Incognito

While incognito is interesting -- our previous adventuring team was underwhelming, whether due to bad luck or otherwise. It's basically the mystery option.

I wouldn't mind it winning; but Lich Queen seemed appropriate after her transcendence.

Quote from: Naturegirl1999 on November 29, 2019, 11:21:51 am

Quote

a winged two-legged dragon with a barbed tail.

You literally linked to google. I presume your result was something like Wikipedia, which also contains the explanation that wyverns are not, in fact, dragons, just a little bit down the article.

If we're being pedantic:

A wyvern (/ˈwaɪvərn/ WY-vərn, sometimes spelled wivern) is a legendary bipedal dragon[1] with a tail often ending in a diamond- or arrow-shaped tip.
...

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...
Wyverns are very similar to dragons, and in many languages, cultures and contexts no clear distinction is made between the two. Since the sixteenth century, in English, Scottish, and Irish heraldry, the key difference has been that a wyvern has two legs, whereas a dragon has four. However, this distinction is not commonly observed in the heraldry of other European countries, where two-legged dragon-like creatures being called dragons is entirely acceptable.

But seriously. Its not important.

Quote from: Thanik on November 28, 2019, 04:31:05 am

Shapeshifting's already a part of their roster, as is limb manipulation, but neither I nor Sensei (I assume? He might have to confirm this) had a reason to highlight it. Now- "touched before" seems absolutely untenable?

Even ignoring the fact maintaining magic at a distance becomes harder (due to the bulk of the threads you have to will simultaneously increasing) and the fact their magic should be shorter range still (due to their threads being constantly at war with the rest of the Worldmind), the thing would have to sense what every part its ever touched can "see" etc.

And seriously. I doubt they need any boosts. Its not a game of "who can exterminate the other side" unless you make it that. There's a line where "interesting opposition" becomes annoying. :V

...A’ight, fair enough. Have changed action.

Ooo. "The Dragon-riders of Yil"! I love it.

Amidst the ferns and bushes of a plain field was a lone Celadar, sitting peacefully on the ground. The sound of waves in the distance and the fluttering of wispy leaves in the newly created wind echoed through the night as a curious rose face watched the starry expanse of the heavens with an innate curiosity. It enjoyed the peace of this place; the time away from its extended Family left its flow of thoughts unobstructed -- and from that flow spewed outwards webwork, lining the space between the stars with stories.

And yet, unbeknownst to it -- the webwork stared back. The petals of Attaein's crown gently lowered themselves against the God's head and, just as quickly, the environment dissappeared from view; once more bringing into focus the monolithic white walls of the shrine room with its intricate relief. He spoke no words, for words could be misconstrued (it was for this very reason that he had gifted the Celadar the ability to speak through thoughts), yet he already knew Morrak would understand his message. Ever since the corruption of his first sons by the Thought of Conflict, Attaein had known the deep pain of loss, and felt a great resolve to push his creations onwards.

Yet knowing the Death God's ways, he knew it would not be enough. The heroes that would defend their family would be great indeed, but without direction they would surely lose their way. Sowing the seed of conflict in both those who felt greed and in those who feared them would only lead to sorrow, loss and rage festering like a plague upon the first beings like the Gods themselves -- and this he could not allow.

Thus it was that he would bestow upon the Celadar three gifts.

Upon the most curious of his creations, he would bestow a crown of divine metal and name him Ahneros -- Hero of Sight -- for while others would think and ponder the Dream, his connection to it would be greater still, and his mandate over them in place to assure they lived morally and prospered. He would thus be their greatest teacher and the one to keep the Family together.

Upon the crests of thirteen others, whom he would name Akrekoi (Those who cry), he would embed shards of the metal; their role to engage eachother in debate, and execute matters that concerned rulership so that work was done well and the Family would accomplish many works of grandeour.

Finally, his last gift would be a vast sheltered landscape throughout which beautiful emerald and ruby flowers would blossom, thusly called the Emerald Fields. These, when consumed by the Celadar, would keep their furnaces alight for years and allow them to live peacefully -- concerned with higher things.

With that done, Attaein again let his focus step among his children -- eager to walk once more in the footsteps of innocence. The shrine room, as silent as before, was now also empty, and the only sign that something had transpired would be the relief of a tall white tower amidst a field of bright red and green.

[X] Attaein crafts a crown and thirteen shards of divine metal and bestows them upon those Celadar he finds to be the purest in their amazement with the world. These would enhance their wielder's connection to the Erdanous, making them uncorruptable, and would possess a natural inclination to act as the rulers of the first society on Yil. These select few will gather all the Celadar and, directed by Attaein, arrive in the Emerald Fields, where they will build their first city. This complete, he will watch over them to assure their survival; as despite the Ahneros' foresight, some matters may simply be outside their ability to address.

Might join this depending on the next sitrep.