OOC Info The Syka Calendar - Winter 517 AV

[Gossamer]

✨Summary✨

While the rest of Mizahar experiences a lack of Winter, things in Syka seem the same as ever. Traditionally Winter in Syka means an end to the hot noontime sun. Clouds roll in and rainstorms are more frequent. However, this year, the mild weather of Fall continues well into the middle of winter. Around the middle of winter, the mild weather of Fall changes to the mild weather of Spring. Nothing really changes, not even the rainstorms that come at the same frequency (early morning and early evening) as ever...

That is... until people begin to notice strange things afoot.

Footprints are spotted in the jungle. They don't match any of the usual Syka residents nor do they seem 'normal' to the foot traffic in the jungle. Odd scorch marks are found on trees that show no evidence of fire. Dead animals are found here and there without any sign of a cause of death. The jungle denizens don't go near these corpses.

And sometimes at night there is a peculiar fire in the sky that looks strangely like the aurora borealis that's seen up near Avanthal. Such fire in the sky have never been seen at the equator near the tropical zones. It is accompanied by a peculiar rumbling that fills the jungle from a distinctive direction - the same direction as the lights are seen. The lights don't last long - just a few breaths - nor does the sound.

And finally a dead man is discovered. His strange dress and odd coloring have everyone in the settlement abuzz. While humanoid, the man does not look remotely human.

And finally, on the morning of the 50th of Winter, the residence wake up to their world covered with.... snow.

✨Plot Points✨

Please keep a running tally of the plot points you hit. At the end of the season you will be able to choosing reward from a reward center that will be posted on this thread in the future.


✴ Take a Skill to the next level - 10 pts
✴ Mention/See/Hear The Main Seasonal Theme in a thread - 10 pts
✴ Search for evidence as to whats happening - 20 pts
✴ Research The Fire In The Skies In Some Fashion - 25 pts
✴ Have A Stranger (like the dead one) Attack - 30 pts
✴ Create A Theory - 20 pts
✴ Receive a Wound like the scorch marks on the trees - 50 pts
✴ Rally help to go investigate (ie Round up a posse!) - 150 pts
✴ Discover The True Name Of The Person Found- 100 pts
✴ Discover How "The Person" got here - 500 pts
✴ Discover Where "The Person" came from - 250 pts
✴ Discover evidence and the real truth as to why it snowed - 500 pts
✴ Help The Settlement In Some Way - 120 pts
✴ Capture another "The Person" alive - 80 pts
✴ Explore The Maw - 45 pts
✴ Interrogate/Question another "The Person" - 30 pts

Feel free to suggest more plotpoints.

✨How Do I Know...✨

When running threads on Fire In The Sky Plotline, feel free to PM me with any questions you might be asking, investigating, or any information you need as it comes up in thread. I will release the information to you as you do the thread work. If there is enough interest I will do moderated threads or hop into threads if the need arises. You, as a player, have a lot of freedom on this plot. But when it comes to certain things, run it by me...

Here's some examples:

"I want to capture a stranger by....." (Yes, I can tell you if it will work or not.)
"I checked the _____ searching for clues.... did I find anything? " (I'll let you know if you did!)
"I tried to search the jungle in the direction of The Sounds/The Aurora Borealis. Did that work? (I'll sure have an answer for you on that for sure.)

I answer my pms daily and won't hold up anyone's threads. Plus I'm almost always in the Discord chat so you can feel free to send me a pm on chat if you want instant answers.

Some of my answers will depend on random dice rolls in chat.

✨What About An Actual Calendar With Complete Dates?✨

I'm glad you asked! We'll be making one up as we go and filling it out as PC's interact with the plotline and build a timeframe. How quickly or how slowly we finish this plotline depends on the PCs that are here and how much they participate.

I've taken the initiative to fill out a few storyseeds you guys can use, but feel free to use your own as well. We will add them to the Calendar!

[Gossamer]

✨It Happened On...✨

1st - Winter Season Begins
11th - First of many strange lights/sounds seen in the sky.
15th - Strange footprints found in the jungle.
19th - Scorch marks on trees found.
22nd - The Veronica leaves for Riverfall.
27th - A completely strange animal, doglike, turns up in the Settlement. It's friendly with a collar.
31st - Dead animals found in the jungle, bodies seemingly untouched. Predators avoid them and scavengers won't feed on them.
37th - Body found in the jungle.
40th - A rare gemstone is discovered on Swing Beach washed up. It turns out to be a huge chunk of a Watchstone. Settlers speculate The Sunken City has a Watchtower.
42nd - The Veronica Returns.
44th - The waves turn red and James claims its a red tide and to not eat from the sea until its well and clear.
46th - An earthquake shakes the Settlement. Stair Step Falls doubles in size briefly and turns the bay brown with flooding.
50th - Snow falls in Syka. The residents are stunned.
61st - ✴ Fire In The Sky Quest & The Veronica leaves for Riverfall
66th - One of the settlers stumbles into The Flooded Ateliers and it is discovered.
79th - The Veronica Overdue - does not return. Juli panics.
83rd - ✴ Syka is attacked by unknown forces whom attempt to overrun the city. (Moderated Thread)
91st - Winter Season Ends

✴ To take place in a Moderated Thread, you must be an Active PC this season and have acquired at least 50 Plot Points before the start of the Moderated Threads. Moderated Threads will start towards the end of the month (Dec 2017) nearer the Holidays to give people a chance to be active.

The Veronica is taking only two runs this season (normally due to the weather but also because James has been warned that the Seas are going to be lower and change things). I suggest you get your orders in on the first run because the second run will not return this season if at all.

[Gossamer]

This season you will be earning plot points for participation. My ultimate goal is to get every player and every PC heavily invested in Riverfall and what goes on in this city. To this end, I've created the Riverfall Plot Points System and its subsequent Treasure Chest. The Treasure Chest is filled with gear, pets, magic items, unique items, god-blessed things, all sorts of weird and wonderful creations. All these Treasure Chest items cost points. The more points they cost, the more exotic and cool the item will be. Each item will have stats and any bonus' or magical properties clearly outlined before the item is purchased. You will have your SS thread noted where you got the item. See the list of points you can be awarded in the first post in this thread. That list might very well expand as time passes this season.

Plot Points can be saved and carried over to the next season.

✨The Rewards✨

Grab Bag~ 20-50 Plot Points

• Player receives a mystery prize that is the Storyteller's Choice. It will be designed for the character specifically. Player gets no say in the prize rewarded. Some prizes will be incredible (1 out of every 10) in this category others will be average (9 out of every 10), but all will be worth the points spent on them.

10 Plot Points

• Tiger Claws - These strap on gloves sport long wicked steel claws that look exactly like tiger claws. They remain sharp always and give the wearer a +10 bonus to his brawling skill.
• A Map To Reclaimed Knowledge - This is a rough drawn map on leather that will lead the bearer to Pavena's long lost library.
• Neverstain Isuas Cloth - A bolt of Isuas that is equal to ten yards, dyed to the choice of the recipient. This Isuas never grows dirty. Perfect to take to your local tailor and have a lovely new dress ..or shirt made

20 Plot Points

• Bioluminescent Chalk - This eerie green chalk glows in the dark and is incredibly hard to remove even though it will write on just about anything. This is a MUST for professional dungeon crawlers everywhere.
  
• Eternal Ice - These five small stones appear to be quartz crystals. However, when dumped into a beverage, much like real ice, they cool the beverage to just above freezing temperatures. They are reusable.
  

30 Plot Points

• Monkey - This lovely monkey comes in the small species of your choice in the color of your choice (as long as it fits with the species) and decides to be your bestest pet friend for life.
• Neverending Tube Of Travel Rations - A small tube of tasteless dried jerky provides a strip of jerky an hour infinitely. The jerky will sustain a person, but will not fill their stomach nor satisfy their taste buds.
• - A quill that comes in a variety of colors and patterns, it can write with no ink needed, never running out, and never blotching.

50 Plot Points

• Ivak's Candle - A simple bright orange candle marked with Ivak's symbol can be lit by blowing on it. It will burn indefinitely providing a fuel source. It can be pinched or blown out to turn off just as if it were a normal candle.
  
• Priskil's Torch - This pale wooden torch will ignite and provide light for upwards of 20 feet for the entirety of the night or in underground situations for up to 12 hrs at a time. It needs another 12 hrs to recharge.
  
• Predator of Ionu Charm - This simple charm bracelet once triggered gives the wearer the appearance of being a huge predator of the wearer's choice. This works once per day.
• Pet Parrot - This large parrot comes in the species/color of your choice. It is inherently an asshole, but it likes you enormously and sticks by your side faithfully. Anyone else around it gets treated like shit.
• Tracking Bracelets - These simple chain bracelets come in pairs, one gold, the other silver. Someone wearing the gold bracelet will be able to find the person wearing the silver one, no matter the location, and vice versa.
• Instant Shelter - This tiny square of canvas when tossed down on the ground becomes instantly an 8 man tent. To retract into a simple square of canvas again, one must vacate the shelter and ask it to fold up.

75 Plot Points

• Bottomless Backpack - This item has enormous storage capacity. Well able to hold anything that can fit through its opening without being heavier than 15 lbs.
  
• Flar Glasses - Made from a unique golden glass, these see-through glasses will reveal the heat signatures of any warm creature in the immediate area.

100 Plot Points

• Coiled Snake Armband – This lovely silver armband will fit either a male or a female. The armband grants immunity to ALL snake bites while worn and poisons made from snake venom or parts.
  
• Waterproofing Oil - This is a vial of oil that will first off never run out and secondly waterproof anything that it coats. After it's vial is used completely, it will take exactly 24 hrs to magically refill .
  
• Revealing Lens - This singular ocular lens will reveal, when worn, hidden entrances. The lens must be held in place with eye muscles and will not work if in any way restrained against one's face in any other way than the normal use of an ocular.

150 Plot Points

• Mud Boots - These sturdy boots will allow the wearer to walk across any muddy or infirm ground as if it is solid hard packed dry earth.
• Fish Finder - This small blue-green gemstone will glow brightly when the person holding it is above a school of a specific kind of fish the bearer desires. The bearer must announce what kind of fish it is looking for ie "Tuna" before taking it out of its burlap carrying bag and placing it in his or her palm as he or she sails to and fro.
• Cloak of Winter - This cloak will keep the wearer (and anything else they can fit under it) at a cool 65 degrees beneath its folds. It appears as a plain green cloak.

200 Plot Points

• Icebox - This box is the size of a large chest and keeps absolutely everything inside of it frozen.
  
• Wand Of Purification - This wand of gleaming silver, when plunged into water, will cleanse the water of any impurities and make it safe to drink. Even the worst smelling off colored water will turn into pure crystal clear water.

500 Plot Points

• Toy Casinor - This artifact level item has the appearance of a child's toy boat. However, when its keyword is spoken (the owner will know its keyword) it will expand out into a full sized Casinor. It can be deactivated as well and tucked back into ones pocket. All contents will be shrunk as well. Living occupants will perish.
  
• Complete Overwater Tavern - This elaborate tavern has a kitchen and six sleeping rooms though they will be all made out of bamboo and in the tiki style decor.
• Self Writing Map - This roll of parchment is waterproof and fireproof. It contains a map that reveals itself (including landmarks) as a person walks. The map shows one mile on either side of the person's pathway as well as a mile ahead of them. One must walk over specific sites in order for them to be filled out on the map. The parchment will grow as the person travels. Even if the person sails, the map will continue writing itself though its writing and landmasses may show themselves smaller if the traveler travels excessively.

1000 Plot Points

• Your Own Posh Ruins - This elaborate set of pre-valterrian ruines will house 100 people comfortably and is equivalent to a Simple Keep. It will come with a few mysterious modern conveniences though.

Create Your Own Prize ~ Various Plot Points

• Approach us with a proposition. Your Plot Points can be traded in for the 'widget' of your dreams. We'll entertain all ideas and assign a value to what you want. If you put in the effort, you'll earn the reward!

[Gossamer]

✨Scorch Marks/Burnt By Them✨

Question: "Not the marks on the trees themselves, the one a little ways down that says "receive wounds like the scorch marks" or something to that effect... can you give me more info?"

My Answer: "Yea, you get shot at by lasers.
which you can't call them that or know that.... but that's what it is... so you have to describe that in Miz terms."

✨Strange Dead Animals✨

Dead animals are found here and there without any sign of a cause of death. The jungle denizens don't go near these corpses.

Question: "How strong is the repulsive effect? For example if Ashka found a dead bird and used feathers from it to make a decoration, what would be the effect of the decoration?"

Answer: "It depends on what part you used and how big the animal was. For example, your bird feather might repel insects for a while but eventually it would fade. I'd say it'd work for a week or so. "

Question: "What sort of animals carcasses are we allowed to discover? Anything, except the most exotic and rare creatures? "

Answer: "Standard jungle things.... deer, boar, hippo, elephants, tigers, etc.... monkeys, birds, etc. Anything standard found in a jungle. "

✨Plot Points✨

Question: "If I grade a bunch of old threads this season and raise my skills, does that count for plot points?"

Answer:"No, the work must be done (writing) during this season."

Question: If I write Flashbacks this season, will they count for plot points?

Answer: "Nope. Flashbacks don't count. You need to write within the time period of this season. Whats the point of developing complex plots if people are just going to write in the past and avoid it?"