[OPEN] OUTPOST HAVEN [player plot]

[distant_one]

Who: Anyone and Everyone
What: Open Post for Player Plot
When: Second week of July Onward
Where: Staging Point in Crenshaw and Outpost

Content Warning: None in the main post

[Ooc: This is an open log place for the Outpost player plot, plotting post here and location post here. Feel free to post starters here and tag one another.]

DAY 0

The day before construction begins there's a flurry of activity at the staging point which is now marked with banners of a red sun over blue waves on a white field. Supplies are checked and sorted and the first sets to go out are organized and ready to be taken the next day. Plans are covered with people involved in them and the order of next day's operations are finalized. Any last minute questions are covered.

There are also notices placed on the wall, such as the one with a sketch of Sharon's pyramid head indicating it and anything else wearing a sash version of the banner is not to be attacked as well as instructions not to destroy/remove plants except from certain areas.

A helpful note reminding people to take regular anti-corruption measures, information about Blood Hounds and their ability to remove corruption, and suggestions about getting blood-proof gloves and boots are also stuck to the walls with small sharp pieces of wood.

DAY 1: STAGING

All the supplies are ready to go and it's just a matter of diving up into the groups for the day. The first wave out is going to set up Palamedes' barrier around the whole area with the help of Sasuke and his Susano'o and any of the guard force ready to go along.

D will ask for volunteers to rest up during the day and help him guard at night. The first day is going to be long and brutal but the first night probably won't be much better.

DAY 1: PHASE 1

The lamp point for the outpost is placed at the old ruins of a church, and it won't take long after people arrive for monsters to begin attacking. Incense is lit and people are directed to place it along what will be the outer perimeter.

The goal is to get Palamedes to set up his blood ward as quickly and safely as possible in the midst of frequent monster attacks and to avoid tearing up the perimeter, destroying what's left of the ruins. During any moments of quiet, D will drag and haul monster corpses to a point outside the perimeter to pile them up. It's going to be crazy and chaotic and the only remotely safe place is to stand uncomfortably close to either the lamp or the ongoing warding efforts.

DAY 1: PHASE 2

Once the outermost warding barrier is up it and the continuous incense will provide a little room to breathe, and it's time to put in the lodestones for Sarona's barrier ward. D will send out the call to the people waiting with these supplies to arrive and defensive efforts will focus on protecting a smaller area that includes part of the ruined church and an area of dirt. These stones need to be put into place, which will involve some amount of digging, but it won't take the several hours of the first barrier.

As the outer perimeter of incense is burned down, a smaller circle will be lit up between it and the barrier ward location. Fighting has been going on for hours at this point with only a few breaks and the outpost is less of an outpost and more of a gory battlefield.

DAY 1: PHASE 3

As soon as Sarona's protective barrier is up, real construction work can begin on a shelter that will house a couple dozen people on built in bunk benches that will line the walls, but the first step is walls an a roof that will keep people out of the rain and whatever other bad weather might be thrown at them. Sarona's barrier gives people a safe place to retreat to in an emergency, but danger is still constant around the area. Few if any of the beasts or other threats to make an appearance were once human, and the corruption is severe.

Crates of supplies of incense, a few first aid supplies, a small supply of safe drinking water, and other anti-corruption supplies are brought in to be placed inside the barrier

DAY 7 THROUGH THE REST OF MONTH 1

By this point, the shelter is finished and the already stocked emergency supplies are increased to include preserved food. Everyone might very well be sick of the smell of incense at this point as it's kept going twenty-four hours a day and the shelter might smell of it for years afterwards but it's still necessary, as attacks on the outpost are still frequent. A small garden has been started inside the barrier which includes blood roses that feed on blood in the ground to reduce blood pollution and a curious hybrid graft of guardian sapling twig onto a blood rose bush.

Construction efforts from here on focus on digging for the foundation of the outer wall and placing very large stone blocks into position. Whenever people working on construction need to retreat to wait for fighting to calm down they can flee back to the barrier and shelter and take a moment to catch their breath and guard efforts can work to keep the fighting further out and away from the perimeter wall construction.

Comments

Last Week of Month 1 - OTA

[onerthes]

Vira-Lorr didn't make an appearance as she'd promised until late in July. Unfortunately, her own death had complicated her presence in the outpost. Nevertheless, she was there with those who were helping to build the perimeter wall. While others handled the actual building, she was on defense for the most part.

She could be seen patrolling several times during the latter part of the month, gun-blade at the ready and an old oak staff strapped to her back while she did so. Her eyes were a little weary, but just seeing this new portion of land was making her smile a grim little smile. Between the periods of fighting and building, she glanced at whoever happened to be there.

"Feels like we're actually doing something doesn't it?"

Day 1 | Phase 3 (Construction)

[martyrofduty]

Incense burns away all other smells. Clashing and clatter, the dragging of bodies, those familiar from battles on any number of planets, creates an unusual harmony for the construction work. When it hits the right note, it sings in her blood. Some level of corruption, in this place, despite the incense. Pyrrha doesn't act on it. She keeps to her task, as involved with digging the foundations and setting stones as any construction worker. Well, the darkbloods sweat less. Pyrrha doesn't mind. In a vest, the sweat evaporates off her arms so much as is possible in the humidity.

Part of her attention constantly scans the surroundings, not entirely trusting the various barriers—magical and Sleeper. Pyrrha doesn't pause as someone approaches the barrier. She squats, taking proper form to list and move everything. Her body's ability to heal from it is no excuse for sloppy habits. She grunts in acknowledgement and keeps going. The shelter isn't going to built itself.

[umbraportation]

Day 1

Fighting

[ Nico's on guard duty when they hit the ground running. He positions himself out far enough that no plants may be harmed in the process. There's an eerie black sword in his left hand that he wields with practiced ease. Should a fight commence, Nico is careful to not use the blade against a Beast - not all of them, anyway. It appears as if he's very picky about his targets.

Which is amazing because any creature that he does use his blade against seems to grow weaker until it exists no more. ]

Resting

[ Eventually, after several hours, Nico does need rest from the endless fighting and retreats back to the main building. He sleeps for a while, a couple of hours at most, away from everyone else - finding himself a spot where it may be unlikely to stumble upon him. Waking him is not going to be a good idea. When he does wake on his own, it's with a start and he's very much disoriented - blinking and looking around. ]

Where...?

[ After that, he finds himself something to eat - it's not much, but it fills his belly enough to see him through. ]

Night

[ For night duty, Nico posts himself somewhere high on the old church. It doesn't matter how dark it may be, for his senses are sharp ]

Rest of July

Random

[ He will sign himself up for regular shifts of guard duty at the watchtower, sometimes night or evening but never in the morning as there's a lot of sparring and training he does then. So it'll be easy to catch Nico here doing what guards do on their shifts - patrolling, watching, and waiting. His yellow bird perched upon his shoulder during the long hours. ]

DAY 1: PHASE 3

[drawsghosts]

Having the Force is quite useful in a situation like this, though he doubts that most Sith masters have manual labor in mind when it comes to using their powers. Manual labor is for 'the help' as far as they're concerned. But, there was a time when Talwyn was 'the help'.

Holding a hand up, Talwyn using the Force to levitate some boards and lift them up to the top of the shelter, to help build the roof. After setting them down, he again uses the Force, this time to leap up onto said roof to begin laying out the boards.

7/18 -- Thread with Pyrrha/Duty

[xiaoxiuya]

Maybe taking refuge from a madman he knew wanted to kill him in the middle of a forest full of monsters that would probably want to kill him wasn't the most outwardly sensible move, but Shen Yuan thought there was a certain degree of logic to the move nonetheless. Varre wouldn't know to look for him here -- by sheer luck, Shen Yuan had managed to avoid ever outwardly expressing his interest in the outpost on the network, and so the masked madman might end up wasting entire weeks scouring the city for him. Maybe even months! Which was good for Shen Yuan for several reasons, not least of which was that working in the outpost would give him the chance to meet new people. New fighters. Maybe even a few examples of the "honorable warrior" character type who'd feel honor-bound to help him, if he were suddenly set upon...?

You can't rely on the help of others forever, Xiu Ya grumbled in his head. But on the whole this venerable one approves of this plan nonetheless. It will do you good to hone your skills in the company of like-minded others.

Oh yeah, he could talk to his sword now. Or at least, he could hear her, since Xiu Ya insisted that she'd been speaking to him ever since they'd been reunited in this world. It might be more accurate to say he could talk back to her now, if he wanted to, and do a few more cool tricks with her besides. Guess he wouldn't be needing a scabbard for her after all!

Disrespectful! This blade is not a formless spirit to answer your beck and call! Xiu Ya scolded him; he shushed her with a quiet hum. Even in this world, carrying on silent conversations with others probably didn't look the most professional -- and he had come here with every intention of doing the job he'd signed up for, even if he was technically using the entire project as a refuge in the process.

Shen Yuan takes a moment to get his bearings once he's made it through the lamp, taking in the new construction and the obvious perimeter. D had implied there'd be someone on-duty to tell him where he needed to go and what he needed to do when he got here; they probably wouldn't be too far from the lamppost...?

Re: 7/18 -- Thread with Pyrrha/Duty

[martyrofduty]

Her job is construction. Most of the crew knows each other, but new people still turn up from time to time. Sometimes for the guards, sometimes for her. No one else is immediately close to the lamp at this moment. Pyrrha tells the crew to take five. They need rest and water much as everyone else. Even magic makes people sweat after they use it long enough.

No weapons are immediately visible. The new person could be an adept of some sort. They don't look entirely well, but the month has been harsh on everyone. That doesn't say much since construction and guards both take both types. Pyrrha walks over, water bottle in hand, and gives the newcomer a nod of recognition. She does not offer a handshake or anything requiring physical contact. "Greetings," she says, voice deep, "I haven't seen you here before. New?" Ironic, given she's not been in town a month straight.

[xiaoxiuya]

Whoa. That's...damn. That's a lot of muscles. Why is it so hot out here all of a sudden?

Do try not to embarrass yourself. Or me, Xiu Ya mutters in his brain, which is. A point. He's not here to admire the obvious dedication and masculine grit that clearly has to go into maintaining biceps like that, he's here to be useful. Professional, and stuff.

Ah, too late.

Shen Yuan ignores his sword and nods to the muscular gentleman, saluting him with a bow of his head and a closed fist tucked into the opposite palm. "Indeed, sir," he says calmly. Professionally. "This one is called Yuan, of the Shen family. I spoke to D earlier," he explains, straightening back up. "I thought to offer my serves to this endeavor, perhaps as a guard...?" He glances over at the perimeter with its apparently full complement and smoothly continues, "Or whatever else needs doing, my only wish is to make myself useful."

[martyrofduty]

No shortage of people in Trench who know how to fight. Distinctly fewer farmers or construction workers. Yuan sounds undecided or not confident in what role he can help with here. Guard duty's important. The instinct to face the beasts that attack the outpost is there each time something attacks. The point, however, is to make the space safe. That's what Duty's working on.

"D is around," Duty says, gesturing vaguely to the perimeter. Possibly burning beast corpses. "If you're good for some heavy lifting," Duty pauses a fraction of a second, "We can always use another hand." She motions to the structure well on its way going up. After that, the barrier wall.

"What do you say?" Duty asks in his deep voice slow and unhurried, for all they could get attacked again at any moment.

[xiaoxiuya]

"Oh, sure," Shen Yuan says immediately. There's something about this guy...the calm and confident way he speaks, as though he knows exactly what he's talking about and trusts whoever he's speaking to to rely on his expertise without question...it's so cool. And almost...paternal? Yes, that's definitely the word for it.

"Feel free to put me wherever you want," he says blithely. "Actually it's probably to my personal benefit as well if I work in construction, since I'll probably be camping out here for the foreseeable future."

[martyrofduty]

Duty doesn't blink, but he lifts one eyebrow a few millimeters. This place will become an outpost, a refuge, a fallback point. Despite all the work they are doing and the smell of incense Duty has not successfully washed out of his clothes, the incomplete outpost is not a safe place to stay.

"What threatens you in Trench?" he asks.

[xiaoxiuya]

"Uhh..." Shit, has he said too much? He'd been so freaked out when he made that network post, and too ashamed of himself to take it down afterwards, that it seemed like of course everyone in Trench would know. But of course someone like this would have better things to do with their time than waste it on the internet like some kind of shut-in.

"There was an...incident, the day of the big thunderstorm," he says. Truthfully, if not the entire truth; he couldn't just lie about it all when it was a matter of public record, not if he didn't want it to sooner or later blow up in his face. "I'm no longer welcome in the house where I was living. But D said there wouldn't be a problem with my camping out here, as long as I made the daily trips back to Sanctuary with everyone else."

As a cultivator, he had already understood the importance of regular spiritual cleansing with dealing with hostile energy. And now that he'd experienced Trench's own version of corruption for himself, he had no problem with taking whatever steps necessary to make sure it didn't happen again. He'd just make sure he made the trip from the lamppost to Sanctuary and back as part of a group, it'd be fine, probably!

[martyrofduty]

Other people have drama is calming. Even if this incident happened because of Mariana because of her anger with John, it's something otherwise unrelated. Lives continue oblivious(-ish, possibly) to or without concern for John and his temper, without the payback and blood that comes with it. That's the way it should be. Duty does not wish pain and trauma on this newcomer. He only appreciates not having to add it to his burdens.

Trench has plenty of empty housing. If Yuan only needs a new place to stay, there are options closer to home, safer. "Sanctuary has offered space to those who need it," Duty says. Unstated—not needed to be said—it is safer than here.

He lifts one hand to forestall a response that it is none of his business. "Your life is your own," he says, "You do not owe me explanation or justification." He pauses. He could, probably should, leave it at that. He waits longer, the air thick and damp, and the silence as heavy.

"None of us can leave this world, purely on will. Whoever you have issue with will likely remain. The outpost can give you some measure of time and distance from them. Sooth your soul with work, but when you are able, you should look to the future," Duty states. A lesson many people would do better to learn. A lesson difficult to follow even once learned.

[xiaoxiuya]

Nine times out of ten, he'd be annoyed to find himself so summarily shushed. But from someone like this, so cool and confident, he finds he doesn't really mind. He wants to know everything they have to say to him.

The fact that he's being given genuinely good advice just proves that Shen Yuan was correct in his first impression of the man's character.

"Yes, exactly!" he says eagerly. "Better to do something productive than sit around idly worrying, right? And I'm not ignoring my issues with that other person, my former housemate, though I understand how it might seem that way. It's just that, of all the options available to me, this one truly seems as though it offers the most long-term benefits." And that's all he's willing to say about that for now! The last thing he wants to accidentally start encouraging questions about exactly who he's having issues with and what he thinks they intend to do about it where there's no need. So instead he smiles encouragingly and says, "So if that's settled, why don't you show me where I can start work? And how should this one address you, anyway? I don't want to be rude."

[xiaoxiuya]

"It really does," Shen Yuan agrees, smiling back as he hands over a full water bottle from the collection draped over one arm. With how hot and dry the weather's been, it'd be hard to say who exactly has the dustier job, construction or guards. But that's why they have people making the rounds with water every hour, that and to make sure nobody passes out from unnoticed heat stroke.

He takes over watching the perimeter while Vira-Lorr drinks, keeping a sharp eye out as he says, "Call me crazy, but even with the monster attacks I somehow feel more secure out here than I ever did in Trench."

[martyrofduty]

The young man sounds just that, young. He chooses this path, and it will benefit a great many people. If it's a personal mistake, there are worse ones to make. Word of another household dissolving is curious. This month The Reckoning is Coming. Tempers are high. What that means, how that goes— everyone chooses for themselves.

"The outpost needs to be completed to accomplish that," Duty says. The words accept the end of the topic. This may not be Oscar's Remnant, but strong negative emotion and interactions can cause corruption. That process feels amplified here. All the better they get along. "We're building with stones, a place people can stay first. Once that's done we'll start on the wall."

Duty also needs to introduce Yuan to the rest of the crew. "You can call me Duty," he says, "It's time you made your bed and laid in it." His face curves into a wry smile.

He motions Yuan back toward the construction crew.

[onerthes]

She nodded in thanks for the water and held onto it for the moment, looking out over the grounds. There weren't any fights going on at the very least. "Thank you. It's good to keep everyone's spirits up." His other comment made her laugh while she finally opened the bottle, musing to herself.

"I could see why Trench doesn't 'feel secure.' It's because we feel the Pthumerian presence there directly. Some of that's perception, but some is not. I will say that being farther from the ocean at least makes me feel distant from Mariana, which is not a bad thing."

Night

[fogsong]

[ It's well into the night during a moment of downtime that Sharon finds Nico. She's exhausted, worn from the constant use of her abilities, but not enough to think she should pull back. She makes certain not to push herself past her limits. An orb of fire hovers in the air above her, casting a warm glow on everything in the nearby vicinity. ]

How you holding up? [ She's checking in on everyone while things are quiet. ]

[xiaoxiuya]

"Not bad at all," Shen Yuan agrees. "You must've had a pretty rough time around the middle of the month, if you're particularly sensitive to Mariana. My condolences." He tries to keep his voice sympathetic without being prying. It's not really any of his business whether someone had a hard time or not, but...it's a potential connection, isn't it? A point of common ground.

(...ugh, he's kind of an asshole sometimes, isn't he?)

[umbraportation]

[ He blinks at the light coming closer, half-expecting a torch and not some magic fire. Nico turns his gaze from the fire to look over at Sharon, making a small motion to the spot next to him. They might as well rest when they can get it. ]

Not bad, took a nap earlier. [ So long as he doesn't overextend his powers, Nico has more stamina than an average individual. ] Fighting monsters is pretty normal for me.

[xiaoxiuya]

Witty too? Was there nothing this man wasn't capable of~?

Once he's been introduced to the construction crew, Shen Yuan begins working hard in a way that would probably have shocked his fellow peak lords in his second life or his family in his first. He performs every task he's given without hesitation or complaint, no matter how dirty to difficult, and though Xiu Ya quietly supports him he's a little shocked himself by how little work adapting to the work turns out to be. Pastoral tropes he'd always dismissed as classist nonsense, about the satisfaction of building something with one's own hands, actually turn out to be a little bit true after all. Who'd have thought?

He also tries his best to be friendly and patient with his new coworkers, and to set aside his own embarrassment when he isn't sure how to accomplish a task he's been assigned. He doesn't mention joining the guards again, seemingly content to remain in construction, but neither does he shy away from combat the few times the guards are nearly overwhelmed. In fact, he's one of the first people to join the fray in those situations, a silver sword appearing in his hand in a brief flash of light. The fact that he can sometimes be overheard arguing with that sword isn't really so strange, is it? Not in this world of god-like beings and monsters, soul-bonded companion animals and whatever that horrible oyster-thing somebody posted a picture of the network the other day could have been...

Now, the fact that he keeps insisting people should really be traveling back to Sanctuary in groups, and even goes as far as suggesting to Duty that they come up with some kind of schedule so everyone working in Outpost can make the trip without leaving it understaffed, that might seem a little strange to some hypothetical neutral observer. But it's just common sense, isn't it? With how dangerous Trench has been lately, the last thing they want is to end up under-staffed because some of their people were set upon by random, purely hypothetical assailants...?

...Yeah, it's pretty obvious he's seeking safety in numbers from someone specific, isn't it? But that doesn't mean he's wrong, probably!

[onerthes]

"Well, in my case, it is not Mariana but the Reckoning that complicated the last lunar cycle for me... but yes. It was a bit of a ... rough month." She sighed a bit and shrugged before glancing over at him, her smile strained to an extent. "I would prefer not to get too deeply into it, though suffice it to say I was not mentally stable mid-month."

He was definitely a bit of a blunt one, though she dealt with Albert a lot, so she was somewhat immunized to such things.

[fogsong]

Color me jealous. I can't seem to turn my brain off out here. [ Her adrenaline, even when not in the middle of it, has just kept pumping out here and every time she tries to hunker down, something manages to startle her already sensitive nerves.

She plops down next to him, pulling her knees up while leaning back on her palms. The orb of fire flickers and pulses before it dims considerably; it casts a softer glow now. ]

Yeah, I kind of figured as much. You handle yourself well out there from what I've seen. [ She hasn't had much time to pay attention to what other people are doing, too focused on not making a fool of herself or accidentally setting an ally on fire. As it were, her guardian monster, the Red Pyramid, has already had to swoop in a few times to save her and rip apart a beast that gave her too much trouble and got too close. ] I'm still trying to find my footing, honestly. Monsters weren't exactly common back home and Hunters usually take care of most of them in the city that I've never dealt with so many at once.

[umbraportation]

You can get used to it. It's important to take advantage of the quieter moments in between all of the fighting. [ Maybe it helps that when Nico is fighting, he pours all of his energy into it so when it's time to rest - he can slip into sleep like it's nothing. Work himself into exhaustion so even his brain wants to shut down.

Nico offers out some fruit, better to eat it now than potentially let it go to waste. ]

A kid like me has to learn fast where I'm from. There's even camps where we can train. [ Her guardian monster is pretty awesome in the death teen's eyes, but he figures there's probably a story behind it. ] Guess you could think of this as good practice, then. There's a lot of us around so chances are good someone will notice when you get in serious trouble.

What kind of monsters do you have back home?

[martyrofduty]

Once a beast shows itself, Duty is hardly surprised that a young man originally intending to work guard duty rushes off. It's expected. Coming back, afterward, and separating himself from whichever peers he may have worked with during the fighting (Duty keeps working, only with enough awareness to see if something breaks through), that's a touch surprising. Construction isn't glamorous work. Slow, sweaty work.

At the end of their shift, that one for construction not for guards, Duty gives everyone a few minutes to rest and to stretch and whatever else before they go to Sanctuary and ensure any corruption gained during the workday is driven back.

He approaches Yuan, their newest crew member. "I don't manage the guards and their rotation," Duty says, "but we will all go together." A pause. "I can accompany you back to the outpost. There should always be guards here, so it will be... as safe as it ever is." Not that safe, whether from beast or corruption. But people, but whatever person in particular, it can be.

[fogsong]

[ she takes the offered fruit with a mumble of gratitude and bites into it between moments of speech. she didn’t realize she was hungry until she took a bite. ]

Camps? I guess that explains some shit. [ she’s gotten used to the fact other worlds are fundamentally different than her own but she still has issues when it comes to children dealing with monsters. even if they have insanely badass abilities. ] You know, that’s exactly what I was thinking. I’m using it as a learning experience. [ one she hopes doesn’t end with her making a fool of herself and realizing this isn’t the place for her. some silly part of her doesn’t want to disappoint D.

His question gives her pause and she takes a moment to mull on it. ] They’re not easy to explain. They’re like… walking nightmares—things born from the darkest parts of people.

But they don’t exist in the world everyone else sees. They live under the surface, in a place that some think of as hell. That’s where my guardian is from.