Hugtopia OoC

The corridor is completed, and after a month and a half of steady work progressing well beyond the barrier, and the sound of tools hammering away above the rumbling southern storm has finally lulled as well. An invitation is sent out across the network:

Residents of Havenwell,

You are cordially and enthusiastically invited to partake in the maiden voyage of the Crystallight Rapids. We are to depart at 0900 on the 15th of Achtom from the temporary southern station. Our journey will take us into the storms beyond the city barrier in search of what else may exist beyond our borders. We intend to journey as long as the tracks are viable, barring any danger too great for the train or our staff to endure. We cannot guarantee the safety of our passengers, but those with great strength or the ability to defend themselves and those around them are especially welcome. If your spirit of adventure is high, please join us!

Those who venture out to the address provided will find an extended track (looped around to meet itself, to allow for it to turn around) through the corridor and into the edges of the city proper, and a small building set up as a much smaller version of the restored station out in the wilds. Resting at the edge of the track is the Crystallight Rapids. Sparsely decorated and built to be structurally sound more than beautiful, it is nonetheless standing out amidst the familiar architecture of the city. The front engine has numerous gleaming crystals embedded throughout its construction, and a line of crystals can be seen across each side and along the top. They are the same type of crystals that built the corridor, of course, pulsing with a soft light and built to create a protective, breathable atmosphere within the train as it journeys beyond the barrier, which means that for the first time, protective exosuits aren't required. It isn't a huge train- just an engine, a handful of passenger cars, and two storage cars. Functional and safe, with room for improvements and luxuries later, if all goes well. Being something of a test drive, this return-trip journey is free for any who wants to come aboard, but space is limited, so be sure to arrive on time!

The train will depart and venture first through the crystal corridor, and then into the grim landscape beyond with little fanfare. The tracks are in surprisingly good shape, all things considered, and those watching the windows might notice a handful of grimy robotic forms scuttling slowly in and out of underground shelters, poking at the tracks before and after the train passes by. It seems that whatever ancient technology existed ages ago had a high commitment to automated railway maintenance, and the shelters were equally well-built, so they're quite durable. Sections where those robots are not found, however, require a bit of extra work. The secondary storage container includes a set of extra pre-built railway tracks, and if the tracks ahead appear to be in disrepair, the train will stop and request volunteers to help out. There are a few options on how to proceed:

1. if you can't or won't help, swing by the dining area of the 1st passenger car. A few replicators are available for self-serve, and if you're feeling generous, maybe put together some lunch for everyone hard at work outside. You can get food, mingle with your friends, and admire the... gruesome wasteland out there. Maybe keep an eye out for whatever might be lurking outside.
   
   
2. assist with track repair. Brute strength and gentle mechanic hands are the combination they're looking for. Can you hold that tool for a minute? Can you hammer that metal bit into place? Shine that light a little closer? Oh, perfect, thank you for your help.
   
   
3. search for the automated repair bots. For them to not be mending the tracks, something must have happened, and the train staff will ask for volunteers to do some search and rescue. A group will be handed a decent-sized crystal that one person will need to carry (they have backpacks available, don't worry); the carrier of the crystal should stay in the center of the group, so the light and the purifying magic covers everyone. The bots themselves are quite large, perhaps the size of a horse, so you'll likely need help to drag one back with you. Locals will be on hand to help with repairs at the train site. If all goes well, the automated bot will be fixable. If not, the map will be marked, the bot will be stored, and it'll be mended as soon as possible and returned to its duty. Be sure not to venture out too far while searching, though. It's quite dangerous still, and you wouldn't want to be left behind. When you hear the train calliope, it's time to go. Two toots, and the train's rolling!
   
   
4. guard the train. It's a wild and angry world out there still, and plenty of danger can sneak up on those at work while the train has stopped. The usual suspects can still be found out and about, but the further south the train goes, the harsher the storm, and with it brings the occasional miniature tornado, carrying within some odd-looking large shellwalkers that, when thrown loose, scuttle around in angry confusion and lash out at anyone (or anything, be it train or track or that crucial steam vent required to run your transportation) they come across with their huge claws. Sometimes they fall out of the tornadoes. Sometimes they'll try to snap you as it spins by. Sometimes, if you're unlucky, you might be picked up and carried off, in need of a rescue from an unexpected crab tornado. A crabnado, if you will. Where in the world are these things coming from? Either way, it would really help everyone else if you'd fight some crabs.

Overall, the journey will take most of the day, and in the last hour or so, those watching the sky will see something begin to shine through the storm: tiny glimmers of a bright white light, shining upwards and arcing like a rainbow, fighting its way through the clouds.

After a good 6-or-so hours of train riding (full of stop-and-start for the nonsense going on above), the storm begins to clear, and a lull at last arrives. Entering the eye of the storm, the skies part, the clouds turn from black to grey to white, and at last your destination appears: a large rocky range, curved at the edges, tall enough to resemble a mountain. The tracks lead through a tunnel at the base of the stone, a dark passageway that at last opens up into a... city? Could it be? Above the tracks is an overhanging gateway with a barricade beneath (which is of course what causes the Crystallight Rapids to stop its movement). The gateway reads, in somewhat rusty and disused lettering: SHOREMERE.


(click here for full version)

The town of Shoremere is a moon-shaped cove, with a smattering of housing on the main shore that looks surprisingly like Havenwell's central. The buildings cluster together in collective neighbourhoods, like small creatures huddled for safety and warmth. One huge building rests in the back, opposite the train tunnel, bright blue and gleaming in the light of the open sun. A familiar statue can be seen in the town center, but instead of four figures, there stands only one: a soft-featured woman with finned arms and legs, gills on her neck, reaching joyfully towards the sea.

Ah, yes, the sea. It won't take long for new arrivals to notice it: a long stretch of yellow and blue along the inner curve of the town's crescent, where a beautiful beach of sand and stone meets open water, clean and blue for miles. On one side, a walkway stretches out into the sea, where houses have been built on sets of stilts or floating docks, Maldives-style. The other side has rows upon rows of trees meticulously planted, and a long building of semi-transparent viridian material is nearby, giving the whole area a visage of green. At the very tip of the south crescent stands a magnificent lighthouse, a windmill on one side spinning lazily in the sea breeze, the light of its peak shining for miles- those perceptive enough to have seen it through the train windows can now recognize this to be the source. The air smells of salt and sweet potential. Overall, it's lovely.

Of course, it isn't perfect. On the edge of that miles-long beachfront, the continuation of the storm outside looms loud and ugly, pressed up against the same sort of magical barrier that exists in Havenwell, ready to smother the town as soon as its protection drops. Flashes of lightning occasionally tear through the storm, giving the town something of a violent backlight that everyone tries their best to ignore. And the barricade at the end of the train tracks implies that the residents here were not expecting pleasant company any time soon.

Speaking of residents, the arrival of a noisy train at the edge of their home of course brings the Shoremere locals out of their homes to investigate with dread and curiosity, mixed. Visitors will find a mismatch greeting them: some are fully robotic like their Havenwell neighbours, but others are hybrid/cyborg adjacent. They possess the kind of animalistic features that the Havenwell natives have imagined recently, but with metallic limbs, whirring hearts, implanted eyes, hands that can interchange between fingers, tools, or weapons like swiss army knives. They keep at a distance and watch warily while their city's leader - a priestly-looking cyborg with avian-feathered hair and clawed fingers, one mechanical leg peeking out beneath his robes - meets with the lead conductor, and they speak quietly for a little while. When they part, he steps up to greet the newcomers and his own citizens alike, welcoming everyone to Shoremere and recognizing that, no doubt, they will all have plenty of questions, but so long as everyone treats one another with respect and courtesy, everyone will be free to explore and ask whatever they please. Shoremere is at their disposal, and unless someone causes trouble, they'll share and help in whatever way they can. Understandably, the conductor and the priest will have an awful lot of discussing to do, and the two of them wander off towards the center of town, leaving citizens and newcomers to fend for themselves. Maybe... go say hello?

Speaking with the residents of Shoremere will earn you plenty of questions. What is Havenwell like? Are the people doing well? How long have you been here? Are you all so squishy, still with all your limbs? Likewise, asking questions of the people here will net both similar and very different answers to what you'd get in Havenwell. Here is a shortlist of basic information about Shoremere:

• Most of the architecture is built through stone from beneath the mountain (which they mostly leave untouched ground-up as it acts as the perfect barricade protecting them from the storm) and driftwood from the sea, albeit after a round of purification and preservation techniques. However, there are some buildings made entirely from wood, thanks to the availability of swift-growing trees along the shore.
  
  
• The days begin with a dusky morning fog coming off the water, petering off into warm and sunny afternoons, and end with the cool breeze of the sea in the evenings. It's very balmy most of the time, the perfect vacation zone.
  
  
• Main industries and work done here includes sea fishing, produce growing at the greenhouse (that big translucent building to the southwest), preservation of aquatic life, and weaving from natural materials and the various plant life they've managed to keep growing here. Try not to faint at the concept of finding a real cotton shirt after so long using only synthetic…
  
  
• The people here struggle with long-term memory and history in a similar manner but for a different reason; at least half the residents opted not to go fully automated, and thus have retained their flesh bodies, outside of cyborg implants or replacements to reduce their consumption of biomaterial and keep their bodies working in top shape for longer. As such, they live and die mostly natural lives, and some parts of history are just lost to time. Most significantly: there are children, tiny flesh-and-blood creatures with adorable animalistic traits clinging to the legs of their parents and staring at the newcomers. The children, once brave enough to greet anyone, will have approximately eight million questions, so good luck getting a word edgewise.
  
  
• The lighthouse is the hub of spirituality in Shoremere, rather than any temples, and it houses the story of the demi-goddess featured in the center of town. The story goes that Shoremere struggled with violent storms for so long, that once upon a time there were essentially at death's door. One resident of town who was perfect and devout in all ways of life had over time developed the strongest relationship one could imagine with the Winged Lord, and for the sake of her people, she prayed that He might deliver their home from the darkness of the stormy seas. The two of them formed a pact, and through His blessing, she was consumed by the sea. (There is a good deal of philosophical debate revolving around whether this means she drowned herself, or was eaten by a giant fish, amongst other theories but none can say for sure which is true.) Through her sacrifice, the lighthouse was powered with a protective magic, and she was granted immortality as a demi-goddess subservient to the Winged Lord. While her actual name has been lost to history, the locals refer to her as Lady of the Lighthouse (or LoL for short). The temple lighthouse is maintained in honour of her gift to Shoremere, and it is the source of their town's magic barrier.
  
  In line with the above, the lighthouse acts as a protective tower, museum, and temple all at once. At the base of the tower sits an open basin adjacent to the main construction, where the water of the sea flows freely. It is equipped with polished stone seats where adherents can sit and commune or pray to the Winged Lord and the demi-goddess who protect their town, who wish to do so while resting in their aquatic element. The locals say that they don't exactly worship either for the most part, as the Winged Lord is long-deceased and the demi-goddess is not a proper god, but it is polite to be thankful to their benefactor, and many people have private in-house shrines devoted to other gods of their choice, so Havenwell's main four also have a place here.
  
  
• The tall blue building in the southeastern part of the arc is a vast aquarium, housing Shoremere's equivalent of Havenwell's zoo and botanical garden. Within is a preservation facility of the various species of aquatic life that once lived aplenty in their world. Large tanks house a multitude of species, some of which may seem familiar, others completely alien. There is also an outdoor area with an observation area above, and sections where visitors can walk down and interact with the aquatic creatures that venture close enough to touch. Particular species of note in the facility are:
  
  • Baemodus: resembling tiny sharks about the size of an oven tray, these are small and gentle carnivores whose unique feature is essentially "mood ring" skin, smooth grey flesh that is splashed with a sudden tie-dye effect of colour when touched. One can always tell which of them has been petted or handled recently, as they are varying shades of rainbow.
    
  • Guyro: large disc-shaped creatures that spin through water like frisbies, using intake/outtake water pressure valves to propel themselves. Once in a while they'll propel themselves right out of the water and hit visitors in the face; if that happens, their tenders politely ask that you frisbie-fling them right back into the water where they belong, thank you.
    
  • Nootjar: they are basically penguins. They have goat eyes and they shriek like potoos, but they're penguins. They waddle around wherever they want, including between your legs, onto your lap, into your luggage...
    
  • Thalassii:oh hey, it's those giant crabs. They live in the basement which there is an underground open water cove, and are very carefully contained behind reinforced iron fences. Do not pet these.
  
  Another portion of the facility of note is one section of the basement which features an exhibit of deep-sea creatures; these include pictures but no life example, most of which are about as terrifying as you imagine the words "deep sea" might conjure. On the other hand, the aquarium's whale-angler fish hybrid mascot is... unexpectedly adorable? Which is good, because his visage is plastered all over the place. There's even a cut-out to take pictures with him. Kids seem to love him, anyway.
  
  
• The northern greenhouse section of town is pretty vegetarian, as their primary source of meat in town comes from fishing. Lettuce, root vegetables (potato-adjacent), and corn-like stalks grow all seasons within the carefully cultivated greenhouse atmosphere. Outside, a subset of tree rows are devoted to the prime local fruits: Dika, the Aellyn form of mango, sweet and juicy in vibrant citrus shades, Gooba, which have a sour peeling exterior and a sweet milk-like pulp within, and Zaibe, which are heavy, hairy white shells that can be cracked open to access the fruit within. They smell like absolute death once opened, so generally their harvest is handled by the wholly robotic types who have no sense of smell, but the syrup inside is sweet as spun sugar and the soft fruit surrounding it tastes wonderfully lush either as shavings or in fruit cubes. It is encouraged that you handle with gloves or utensils, however, lest your hands smell for days.

Shoremere as a whole is quite active and easygoing, and everyone works hard day after day, but they'd be the first to admit that things have been awfully routine for a very long time. The shake-up of new arrivals is a welcome change, to be sure.

If all of the above isn't enough to keep you busy in Shoremere, here's something left only briefly mentioned: the beach. The sun and sand call to everyone who ventures out of the train, and sooner or later you're bound to end up on the shore. If you neglected to or did not own a bathing suit, those can be easily purchased or commissioned by one of the weavers in town. Turns out the Zaibe outer shell fibers make for fantastic stretchy thread materials, and can be bleached and dyed to practically any shade. Swimsuits are also designed for the Shoremerans who have all manner of unusual body features, so they're used to quick custom orders and tail-or-wing based designs. The beach features a few miles of balmy, tropical water temperatures, and mostly smooth waves. Some things to do outside of swimming or sunbathing:

• Surfing: while the water is mostly calm and relaxing, there will be periodic bouts of large waves that loom on the horizon and sweep through the outer rim of the water within the barrier, and when those moments occur (generally for up to an hour each day), there is usually a rush of activity on the sand. Parents will bring their children into shore to wait it out or have lunch, while a handful of adventurous locals will grab some surfboards and rush out to enjoy the ride. Offworlders are welcome to join in the fun, and many of the locals would be happy to give instructions to those who don't know how to surf yet. Maybe you'll find your new passion?
  
  
• Fishing: a pond is all well and good, but there's something special about ocean fishing. The town has a very active fishery on the residential side, so if you're keen on giving it a shot, there's always a spare rod available somewhere amongst the community. Toss a lure off the shore, or join one of the fishing boats as they take their nets further offshore for the hardier prey. There are all kinds of strange alien fish to be captured, and the locals can teach you which are safe to eat and which are used for other things (such as lantern oil or armor scales). Those who join one of the net crew will be awarded their share of the catch, as long as they put in the work to earn it.
  
  
• Sweets: a Shoremere special! Since the beach fruits are so beloved and grow so well, they're very common in cooking, and they make for great desserts. The beachfront has a stand that is always open with a series of wonderful fruit cups, juices, and parfaits available for the thirsty beach-goers. However... well, it is the latter half of the month, so completely at random, the sweets may have some strange effects:
  
  • Dried Dika Sugar Slices: self-explanatory. for some reason, you may feel compelled to run dramatically through the waves a la Baywatch. Are you on camera? Whatever, you deserve to be on camera. Strut your best stuff.
    
    
  • Gooba Milkshake: a lovely citrus foam mixture with crushed ice. You suddenly really want to visit the aquarium and play frisbee with the Guyro. The Guyro would love it if you did. The aquarium staff would love it if you didn't. Only you can decide who wins that battle of wills.
    
    
  • Sweet & Stinky: Dika and Zaibe fresh cut bricks in sweet syrup. Nothing actually happens with this one, turns out. But the paranoia of something changing after you drink it will stick with you for like an hour afterwards, so you might be insufferable to be around for a while.
    
    
  • Trio Parfait: all three fruits mixed together with a sweet ice cream formed from Gooba's milk. You gain the ability to transform into one of the aquatic creatures of the region. That's pretty cool, right? Downside is, you can't really control it or pick which one. Maybe you'll be a badass shark. Maybe you'll be a seal. Maybe you'll be the potoo penguin and just wail annoyingly at people until someone throws you in the water. Thankfully it only lasts like an hour, so you can try another parfait to see if your luck improves. That shark is definitely gonna come to you eventually.
  
  
  If anyone questions the Shoremerans about these weird effects, they are most likely to sigh, "Does that not happen in Havenwell? Must be nice. The flavour's worth it, though." And really, it is. They're all delightful.
  
  
• Sleepovers: if you'd rather spend the night in town instead of returning to Havenwell, the locals don't exactly have a plethora of extra housing or hotels, but they do have a wealth of hospitality. Visitors will have a few choices in where to sleep.
        One: You can bunk with one of the local families (who would become your 'host' and be responsible for feeding you dinner and housing you for the night), which would be the warmest and most comfortable option, and will most likely net you a delicious meal, but can theoretically also come with a) gawking, fascinated children or doting grandma-types who talk your ear off until midnight, and b) the cultural expectation that when they come visiting in Havenwell, you'll return the favour for a night as well. This is a voluntary gesture, so no one will be housed with a local who resents their invasion, at least.
        Two: pitch up a tent, grab some blankets, and spend the night on the beach. Not the comfiest of ways to take shelter, but for those who like more privacy and don't mind the outdoors-y life, the ocean breeze and the sound of the waves can lull you to sleep quite effectively, and the night bonfires make for good storytelling or the toasting of s'mores.
        Three: have a sleepover at the aquarium! the least private, because it's still very much a public building, and there are no accommodations so you'll all be bundled together in a pile with pillows and blankets on the floor somewhere. But hey, the place has bathrooms, and wouldn't it be charming to sleep underneath the overhead tank tunnels, counting fish and imagining you're sleeping underwater?

Now that a safe route has been established, and once they manage to remove the barricade and fix the track so the darn thing can turn around again, the Crystallight Rapids will be making periodic journeys to and from Shoremere every day, once in the morning and once near sundown. The journey takes several hours, and may be subject to the occasional brief stop due to ongoing repairs (or the occasional crab crossing). Over time the journey will go more smoothly and safely, and by month's end will be at most 2 hours each way. Passengers from both towns are welcome, and after the maiden journey, are subject to a nominal dora fee for service and upkeep.

Since passage will be going both ways, that means that Shoremere locals will be visiting Havenwell, too! It will take some time for them to brave leaving town to a whole other city, but a slow trickle of visitors will gradually become the norm. Unlike Shoremere, Havenwell has plenty of spare housing, so there's lots of room for them to take up a temporary residence while they explore. Their focus will be trade for materials and tools they can't easily get in Shoremere (proper metal and metal-related tools, for example), exploring the zoo (their home has a shortage of land animals, comparatively), visiting the temples (many have never seen a full-sized temple to the gods!) and the entertainment district, which is significantly more muted back home. In short, Havenwell is being invaded by a lot of homebody furry tourists, and local businesses will see a substantial uptick in customers. It's going to be lively for a while.

Residents of Havenwell are absolutely fascinated (and smitten, let's be real) by the appearance of real physical bodies, and especially children, when some of the Shoremere families finally come calling. Some are rather grumpy about the noise and the mess, but plenty seem to activate their "doting auntie" programming and begin to spoil the kids. Said kids learn very quickly to take advantage of this generosity. Raise a glass for their poor parents. (The grumbling about noise and mess only gets louder.) The researchers in particular will be sent into a tizzy because the ancestors of their old physical forms will be here! In the literal flesh! And will probably be very annoying to the tourists, asking for samples and to study them. Their requests for research materials probably won't go over too well until they calm the heck down, though, so there won't be much progress on that front for a while.

Characters will be able to trade their resources with Shoremere in both cities- those who get apples from their replicators can trade for mangos, those who do mining or smithing can trade metalworks for wood, etc. This is a great opportunity to experience new things and gain access to resources you might have been missing within Havenwell.

Compared to how the weather and world beyond the barrier was a few years ago, the wilds these days appear far less harsh. While the constant storm of dust and debris appears to maintain its viciousness further out, and it is yet strong enough to obscure whatever source of light there is beyond the atmosphere, its tumultuous gusts are noticeably less harsh closer to the city itself. And, in fact, there even appears to be patches of green just outside the barrier, although the growth rapidly stops at a certain near-distance from the city. All together, this prompts those of the researchers to make an announcement: that they are allowing– no, they are asking the off-worlders for help in Phase I of repairing the mysterious train station to the south. What do they want the non-locals to do? To make a corridor meter by meter or even inch by inch if necessary, by placing the charged up crystal-conduits of last month on poles either side of a path, stringing them together with reinforced cable.

1. As mentioned above, characters will be setting off beyond the barrier. The further characters trek as they set up the corridor, the more hazardous and darker the environment becomes. Further away from the city, even before reaching the train station ruins, light is scarce, and the world is cold, dry, and with winds as harsh as sandpaper. At some point, one's only source of light may be the flashlight attached to the exosuit front or the dim glow of the conduits themselves. Safe travels.


2. Characters will all be given exosuits to wear beyond the barrier, which are custom-fitted to their body, as well as a conduit. While researchers encourage characters to continue engaging in touch as they march into the open, it isn't necessary to participate.They will also all be given a flare to use in case of emergency.


3. Despite the improved quality of air beyond the barrier, staying out too long can still result in contracting a mysterious illness that involves chills, fever, malaise, and fatigue. The locals know of this illness as being borne from a mysterious miasma that permeates both air and ground outside. Touch alleviates the symptoms, but it takes time. If one is exposed while still beyond the barrier, characters can use their flare to signal for (player-discretion) NPC support to bring them back to the city. Tents will be set up by the locals to take in any injured or ill characters.

Once the corridor is fully finished with the conduits strung together by poles and cables, the makeshift highway will come to life by a dim, golden light reminiscent that of the barrier. Starting with the conduits nearest to the city, a shimmering, semi-translucent shield appears to dome over each section of the path until finally spanning its entire length, seemingly dispelling any miasma within. Just in case, though, the locals suggest to not remove one's exosuits just yet. This golden-lit corridor has an ethereal quality to it, muting the howling wind outside, as well as providing a sense of safety and warmth. A few local helpers can be seen standing in awe of this grand accomplishment, holding hands or linking arms as they marvel at the replicated barrier, walking down the path slowly. Some of them may even come up and thank the characters for their hard work. If they hadn't been made of metal, they are sure they would be shedding tears of joy.

With the highway finally established, the researchers are calling for the initiation of Phase II, involving more sets of volunteers (they know, they know, they're needy; but don't worry, they promise they'll compensate you with dora!).

• Help with Supplies: Become a runner of supplies from point A to point B on the corridor, passing off items, cords, metal, electronics, to the next volunteer.
  
• Help with Charging the Conduits: Regrettably, the consistency of the barrier surrounding the corridor is patchy in some areas. The locals are asking for help: simply engage in any form touch with someone next to a dimmer-looking conduit. They have even provided plush couches for characters to relax upon. What do you mean, that's not comfy? No worries, they'll also provide a privacy curtain for you. Alternatively, these couches can be used as a resting station for characters in need of a break.
  
• Protect the Corridor: The light of the corridor is bound to attract a few curious and hostile wildlife to its source of light. Those who are brave enough may depart the safety of the corridor's barrier to combat or capture the creatures that would threaten its integrity. Please see below for list of potential wildlife encounters, and note that any engagement with these creatures generates a big risk of exposure to the miasma that may make a character severely ill and lethargic. Working with a partner is encouraged.
  
  For those who opt to attempt to capture some of the infected creatures, specialized nets will be provided to allow for safe catch-and-transport without making contact with the poison they exude. There will be an area designated for the captured creatures until they can be transported to one of the research labs. Some of the crystals have been moved to clear the area, and while they are held there, offworlders are encouraged to attempt a new experiment: can the crystals also purify the poison inside living creatures, as well as the air itself? If offworlders make contact within the creature's and the crystal's vicinity, can they be saved?
  
  If your character ends up capturing one of the creatures, please comment to this comment here noting which ones and how many.

This month, the clergy of Ainea's temple are excited to announce a pop-up café for which people are free to volunteer or attend as guests. Whether a character decides to serve others or be served, the staff of the pop-up offers a headband with metallic mouse-ears on top for all to wear. They come in a variety of different hues of pinks and purples, colors that characters may recognize as being associated with Ainea. These headbands are wired to shift and turn with the moods of whoever is wearing them. The rest of the uniform, which includes formal black-and-white attire complete with frilled aprons, is optional. Featured items on the menu include teas and hot chocolates as well as a variety of (synthetic) artisan cheeses. Volunteers who decide to don the mouse-ears of the café will also be encouraged to serve snacks and drinks within the recovery tents set up for the workers who venture outside the barrier. Feeling ambitious? Those who manage to serve tea or cocoa to over five people in the recovery tents will be awarded a golden pin of a mouse they can proudly display on their uniform! Look your cutest, and get out there! You can also keep those ears.

At the end of the day, the staff will gather the group to take a photo together, local and off-worlder crew alike, to hang up on the temple wall. Supporting each other, coming together, and community through difficult times is a cornerstone of Ainea's teachings.

The usual peculiarities of Havenwell have in recent months tended towards the particularly odd; between the contrived coincidences and shifting stars of the prior month, one might begin to wonder if something was a little off about spacetime itself. But so far, it hasn't resulted in anything world-shattering, so maybe it's all reasonably harmless.

Until the rifts start opening. Small breaks in reality that glow around the edges, and though on average they seem about the size of a person, they're impossible to pass through…from this side. Because while they only tend to open briefly, they do so long enough to deposit someone from another place and time entirely before swiftly closing again. Perhaps someone from your own world, from someone else's, from somewhere unknown, maybe even yourself from another time entirely.

That's right, tell your friends because it's fourth wall time, Havenwell.

There will be a separate post for this section of the event, which will go up on April 20th. Timeline-wise, this shift will ICly occur ONLY during the weekend of April 30th to May 2nd, after which point characters will either disappear or become permanent residents via the application process. This also means that the rest of the event effects will have worn off, and characters will be their normal selves through the duration of this prompt.

Some ground rules for the 4th Wall event:

For characters/accounts not in-game:

• a character does not have to meet application qualifications to post to the 4th Wall Event, except in cases where there is an intent to apply when applications open. Duplicates, CRAU, AU, etc. are permitted for the event.
  
• we do ask that crack shenanigans are reasonably limited, game rules are followed, and that the event involve characters only, not players or real people.
  
• anyone can toplevel! It'll be a free for all. Go wild, have fun.
  
• characters will be given a temporary, low-tech communicator for the duration of the event with limited network access, due to limited availability of the real deal.
  
• you will not arrive with any items/companions beyond the clothes that you wear
  
• check out the Setting or FAQ pages for location details!

For characters/accounts currently in-game:

• players can decide for themselves at the event's conclusion whether or not memories of certain visitors remain, and to what extent; memories could become fuzzy, faces or communication obscured, they could disappear entirely, or they can remain fully intact whether the person apps into the game or not.
  
• network communications with 4th Wall visitors that don't (or can't) app in will be wiped, with the locals citing a data error related to the older communicators being used. Technology can be unpredictable, huh!
  
• any communication exchanges that you WANT to keep can remain with some discretion; for example, if a spouse visits and you happen to take a selfie with them, and they do not (or cannot) app but having that photo of them would give you comfort, feel free to keep it.
  

The unique stars of the previous month continue to shimmer within the night sky, and the constellations continue to shift depending on the person who views them. Some stars may even appear brighter than the others as if twinkling to a melody, and others may appear to be growing larger.... or, more accurately, closer. As the night progresses into day, those stars that had been but itty-bitty specks of light in the distance are now tiny flakes of light that fall from the barrier! As they descend, they solidify into small, multicolored morsels, dusted with a sugar that gives them their celestial sheen, which may make them appear positively irresistible to sample. Do you dare try this treat from the heavens?

Strawberry. These pink-colored delectables make the taster feel rather cuddly and giddy inside, as if one has no worries in the world. Perhaps this might be a relief to those who are stressed, but it may also make others not worry of dangers like heights (or other such perils).

Blue Raspberry. What was that, "blue raspberries" do not actually exist in the wild? These azure-tinted candies have the very serious effect of making another want to confide in anyone who would listen. Even the quietest wallflower will find themselves confessing an opinion or secret, mundane or grand.

Pineapple. This sun-colored treat packs a wild, tropical flavor, imbuing the taster with an exceptional amount of energy they never had before. Careful, though, the taster may seek someone, anyone who will fight them, or they may randomly cause fights simply because they can.

Lime. This earthy-toned confection is sweet as it is sour! You may find yourself being a little on edge, or perhaps irked, at any random, minor thing… Or worse, completely preoccupied by something unresolved that has been bothering you for a long while. Moreover, there's this strange desire to vent your frustrations in a way that may not be the healthiest.

The robots of Havenwell have encouraged the off-worlders and any visitors to get to know each other, and the locals have designed what they believe may be the perfect ice breaker! Speed Not-Dating: in which two people sit down across from each other in a typical get-to-know-you setting. There are cards with conversation starters, candles, and roses on the table, all which the locals insist isn't for any romantic reason. Say hello, exchange names and contact information! Holding hands is highly encouraged, but not necessary. Suspiciously, however, once two people do hold hands, they may not find the bond easily broken. Nevermind that, though! A pair who decides to leave from the speed (not) dating while hand in hand (or more, the locals won't judge!) will find themselves awarded with a gift basket. Within the present are a pair of matching onesie pajamas, of which the hoods sport ears of any animal you wish.

Those who have been in Havenwell for over a year will remember that every Nalom the Research Towers partner with the Business District to try and produce a new companion for the citizens of this fair city. This year is no different, despite the lingering cooler feelings of the denizens toward the Towers at the moment. The researchers hope this newest companion will help warm people back up to them because who doesn’t love a cuddly friend, right?

Cyborg dogs that look remarkably similar to corgis - short legs, no tail, fluffy as a puffball and lovable to boot - have invaded Havenwell’s streets. They come in a variety of colors - brown and tan, black and white, red and….pink? Blue and gold? Psychedelic rainbow? Lisa Frank Nightmare? Yup, all of those - and sizes, from mouse-sized to horse-sized. These Cyorgus, as they’ve been named, are fluffy and warm and love to cuddle, but they also have one other unique feature: they like to say affirmations to whomever is near them at random intervals.

These affirmations range from cute - “Your hugs light up my world! I love you!” - to downright weird - “Ingest your own grave!” Yeah, okay there, buddy. The Cyorgus follow people around until they’ve received at least one pet or cuddle and until they’ve given out at least one affirmation, and once people are done with them, they launch into a rather thorough Customer Service Survey that you must complete or the Cyorgus will not leave you alone. Run all you like, but the Cyorgus can find you and it will get its answers even if it has to scream the questions at your window at 2am.

Some examples of the survey questions are:

• Did the Cyorgus’ affirmation brighten your day? If yes, please rate your brightening on a scale of 1 to 10.
  
• How long did you interact with your Cyorgus?
  
• Did you have alternative cuddle options besides the Cyorgus today?
  
• Is this your first time interacting with the Cyorgus? If no, how many times have you interacted with the Cyorgus?
  
• Please rate the smell of the Cyorgus’ fur on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being extremely unpleasant to 10 being extremely pleasant. The Cyorgus will now cycle through various scents. Please stand by.
  
• How old are you and what species do you identify as?
  
• What is your approximate arm circumference?
  
• Are you actively cuddling another member of Havenwell on a semi-regular basis?

And so on. You can let us know how your characters would generally respond to the survey here in the comments section. Would it be generally positive? Generally negative? Happy? Sad? Explosive?

These questions can certainly start to get annoying as they continue, so some may be tempted to destroy the Cyorgus in order to make it stop. And it might work…temporarily. But these cuddle buddies were created using the same nanotech that runs the Arena, and while you may destroy it for a few moments, it soon begins to reassemble itself to continue its relentless pursuit of Customer Happiness. Occasionally, the reassembling process can glitch out, resulting in…less than pleasant results. What’s worse than one horse-sized Cyorgus asking how cuddle active you are? How about a three-headed horse-sized Cyorgus doing the same?

CW: mild body horror!

This final month of Rawna’s influence, while usually quiet on the god-front, has the dragon god giving one last push this year. When some characters wake up, they may find a peculiar-looking vine growing out of the middle of their non-dominant hand. It doesn’t hurt, but it can’t be pruned or removed by any magical or non-magical means. Throughout the day, the vine will grow a bud, and that bud will bloom by midday into a beautiful flower with wide soft petals and varied coloring. It’s quite lovely to look at, but as time progresses, the flower and vine only grow larger, becoming more and more unwieldy as time passes. If, by the evening, the flower has not been removed, the vine and its bloom will have encased your hand like a glove, locking it into whatever position you last had it in. Better not make rude gestures!

The only way to remove the flower quickly is to have sustained positive physical contact with another offworlder, at which point the blossom and vine harmlessly pops off. For some people, the color of the flower may even change to reflect the relationship between the two people - lighter, happier colors for positive ones, darker, muddier colors for negative ones. The flower and vine remain frozen in time once removed, unable to be cultivated, but also unable to die. Preserved forever as a lovely (or creepy) reminder of your time spent together. If your character is unwilling to engage in anything physical, never fear! Within a week the flower will shrivel and die anyway, falling off harmlessly and painlessly. They'll just have to deal with one hand becoming an annoying topiary for a bit.

Some people, after they’ve removed the flower or had it fall off, may find a new vine growing again in as little as a day. It seems the gods feel like you may need a few extra hugs to brighten your day.

The natives of Havenwell have now seen Nalom come about twice since the offworlders arrived, and they’ve learned much in that time. They know that the offworlders enjoy spending the dragon month by giving love to one another, and what better way to express that love than through food! Specifically, candy. While the natives themselves cannot partake, they know that food is an incredibly important part of the offworlders’ lives and so many shops and even some private citizens have set up street stalls where characters can come, pay a small dora fee, and make delectably sweet treats to give to friends, family, and lovers.

Create sugar candy hearts or dip some ready-made synth-fruit into chocolate. Make yourself a chocolate bar in one of the many available molds that the citizens have prepared. Add flavors to your treats to make them unforgettable presents! A few booths have normal boring flavors like milk chocolate, white chocolate, or dark chocolate, strawberries and oranges or bananas. But most of the booths have decided to be far more creative with their offerings.

Enjoy chocolate flavored like Sriracha! Lime soda candy hearts! Fire-hot ginger chocolate-covered bananas! Rubber-flavored sugar! Carpet-flavored chocolate beans! It’s Beanboozled, but with candy basically, so go wild with the combinations. The shapes of the candy and chocolate molds range from an anatomically correct and disturbingly photorealistic human heart to cute things like Ainean mice. How about some real nuts and bolts? A cat’s head? A mold that can only make a 25lb gummy snake? A teddy bear that’s the size of a dog? Femurs! Bones! Pants! Soup cans! Feet! Anything but normal shapes like cartoon hearts or flowers. Oh and for those who want to watch their sugar intake, everything is also available sugar-free! The taste may leave something to be desired, but at least your blood sugar levels won’t skyrocket to the moon.

Happy Candy Month, everyone!

Residents who venture past the wall to the northwest of the arena to visit the fishing pond might find an unusual sight this month: it's frozen over. This is kind of a big deal, because the city hasn't had a substantial amount of open water in- well, no one quite knows how long! It seems to have totally frozen overnight, which is definitely unusual, but hardly the strangest thing to ever happen in Havenwell. Examining the ice will find it sturdy and solid, a good 6 inches thick at minimum. It is safe to walk on, and more importantly...

Excited for a new experience after all the glum and gloom, some local metalworkers are creating skate attachments that can be adjusted for size and connected to the shoes (or the feet, in the case of the local robotic population) of anyone who wants to give skating a try. Visitors to the area will find a booth set up, occasionally manned but mostly left as a trust exercise, with a collection of these devices that are free to use. Please take as many pairs as your party requires and skate to your heart's content! As a courtesy, borrowers are asked to return the skates once they're finished with them, but if you're really itching for a pair, the booth has the equivalent of a QR code you can scan with your communicator and commission a personalized pair.

It seems that part of the city is extra cold this season, because an influx of snow has practically drowned the arena, leaving a thick layer across the entirety and high piles along the sides. Locals have cleared the entrances and done their best to keep it functional, but those wishing to use the facility might find the ground far less sturdy than usual. You can use it as extra training, or maybe just give in to the urge and have fun with it instead. Go sledding, have a snowball fight!

Purveyors of the fishing part of the new rink might be unhappy to have lost their hobby, but hey, no one's stopping you from carving a hole in the ice and giving it a go regardless. There's bound to still be something down there, though perhaps not what you'd expect. While you're out at the lake with another person, if you should happen to look into the water through a hole or the ice itself, you might occasionally see a series of dancing lights flitting around beneath you, mysterious but innocuous. Sometimes they disappear if you stare at them too long. Sometimes they follow you. If curiosity gets the better of you, maybe you ought to try dropping a line - or a hand - in to see what it is. If you're feeling really brave and don't mind the cold, you could even take a dive in and see what's going on up close. (Funny: it's not nearly as cold as you'd expect it to be, considering the frigid circumstances.) And there's no reason to worry about the rink, either. Likely through whatever actually turned the pond to ice, any holes carved into the ice somehow manage to freeze again overnight, as though it was never broken in the first place.

Whatever method you choose, these dancing lights will swirl around hook or hands, pulsing gently, until that light bursts and manifests into something familiar. Something you've been wanting, perhaps, or something you once had and have missed dearly. Maybe something you hadn't thought about at all, but would bring you delight. You can pull it from the waters and find it intact and undamaged by the cold or the water, alive if it is a living creature, though it appears to be hibernating. Dry it off, take it home, and check on it in the morning; you will find your gift as whole and well as if you'd plucked it from wherever you'd find it back home. Do with it what you choose, it's yours now. For those who might have the clever idea to try fishing more than once, surprises may await in the form of...a waterlogged old shoe? An empty tin can? A broken fishing lure? The possibilities are as endless as the objects are useless.

For those who may not have any creature or object of note they need or want, it is also possible for fishing to produce a small crystal, faintly glowing with some form of magic. Leaving the crystal by one's bedside overnight will result in a peculiar but pleasant dream; fulfilling one's heartfelt desire. Whether it's wanting to see somewhere back on your homeworld, getting closure with someone not in Havenwell, or hang gliding off of Everest, you will be able to see your desire in a dream and awake comfortable and well-rested in bed the next day.

This is a regain event! One regain is allowed per character, and it can be anything (within reason) that would fit within the Item Regain: Medium (100 point) category on the Activity Rewards page. Like with AC Rewards, regains must be approved by mods prior to regaining them, so please use the form below and comment to the Regain Request thread.

Player:
Character:
Item requested:

<b>Player:</b> <b>Character:</b> <b>Item requested:</b>

As the weather shifts to something seasonally chilly, on occasion some small patches of clouds can be seen in Havenwell--specifically, hovering over the heads of offworlders. These localized little clouds find people to stick to and follow them a couple of feet overhead to shower them with a gentle dusting of snow, so hopefully you have an umbrella handy. And while the snow can be just snow and nothing more, to others it might have one (or even several at once) effects to it.

Cheers To You: No matter how much one drinks or how they choose to mix their cocktails, they will find themselves completely impervious to the ill effects of alcohol. No hangover, but also no fun to earn it in the first place.

Hand it Over: Some with their own personal snow clouds may feel nothing odd except for a slight tingle in their dominant hand. Whether one stumbles upon the actual effect or not, it is a very simple change: the power of their unarmed punch becomes superpowered and several times stronger than normal.

Sticks and Stones: Still others may feel completely normal and go about their usual day's business with absolutely no awareness of any change but a persistent snowfall overhead. However, should they meet with anything that might ordinarily hurt, they will find that they have twenty-four hours of complete invulnerability starting from when their snow cloud latched on to them.

Time and Tribulation: Perhaps along with the slight chill comes a sudden awareness that one is a bit shorter than usual. Or taller? It would seem that yet another odd side effect of the little snow clouds is that one has aged an entire decade–in either direction, rendering them either younger or older. Luckily, the changes seem to stop at only physical…at least this time.

The arrival of the flowers along the green belt surrounding the city carries with it a curious side effect, for those who happen to spend enough time there. They also occasionally have two curious side effects: visitors might, for one, feel compelled to make a wish, what with them looking so reminiscent of shooting stars, and two, find themselves decorated with markings of some sort that are just as bioluminescent as the flowers themselves. The glow is subtle, and the marks themselves are generally symbolic/representative of the recipient in some way (though feel free to get creative with it). These markings are harmless, and the glow becomes a little stronger when in close proximity or contact with another person- doubly so, if they both possess markings. Those who don't sleep alone might struggle a little snuggling up with a night-light, but overall, it's a very muted affair. The flowers themselves are also very pretty, if you're into that sort of thing.

All seems well until the intermittent rolling blackouts begin. All electronics and appliances still function, but nothing that ordinarily would generate light seems to be working… up to and including the sky itself, which seems to be taking a brief vacation during the blackouts and plunging the city into darkness whether night or day. Lights, candles, even offworlder powers only produce a faint glow that might or might not ensure you don't trip in the dark.

The only solution until the predicament passes is--you guessed it--physical contact. While there seems to be very little rhyme or reason to the blackouts themselves, the more physical touch the offworlders engage in, the shorter the periods of darkness will become. During the outages, any source of light glows a little brighter when being used by pairs or even groups in contact with one another, from magic to candles and everything in between. Additionally, anything crafted to cast light will function as it should if made with help from another or while making contact with others. Those bioluminescent markings are going to come in handy, it turns out.
(This event was suggested by Bret!)

As a result of the occasional blackouts, at each temple the city's natives have organized the supplies and materials to make candles, hoping that with the offworlders' help some light can return to Havenwell. Everything to make personalized candles in all manner of colors is available; pair off or into groups to work together, with the end result glowing brighter the more contact and cooperation goes into making them! Helping out will even earn a small dora bonus for all involved, especially if they make exceptionally bright candles together.

But that's not all! Candles made with just the right amount of care might do more than simply glow...

♥ Particularly short candles predictably don't last very long, but when they go out they explode in a sudden burst of multicolored confetti. Water soluble, of course, otherwise the city would have a whole other problem on its hands.

♥ Thinner candles tend to have a very comfortable scent to them that makes one just want to curl up in a comfortable spot and take a nap. If one were to give in to this urge, they'll find their dreams to be peaceful and wake up feeling fully rested.

♥ If the end result is a candle on the thicker side, the character that lights it will find themselves glowing as well even without the bioluminescent floral markings. This glow can be full-bodied or cover entire limbs at a time, becoming a walking nightlight for the hour or so the candle takes to burn down.

♥ Making a candle of average size will produce a scent the offworlder that lights it may not have encountered in a good amount of time; something nostalgic from their homes such as food they can't replicate quite right, or a flower that doesn't grow anywhere in Havenwell.

Amidst the blackouts one might be forgiven for not immediately noticing a strange occurrence for the rest of the month; every so often, one might feel a sense of motion in the darkness, like the gust of wind that comes with a passing train. Which could be explained away as a bit of wind brought up in the changing seasons...except for the fact that it seems to happen inside and outside alike.

While nothing is amiss in the city itself and there appears to be no clear source, those possessed of a good sense of direction may eventually realize the sensation appears to be coming from the direction of the southwest.

All around Havenwell, offworlders are looking a little bit different lately. One might just find their friends or family to have changed drastically; your neighbor across the street could look like an ink-and-paper drawing, while you yourself could find your own appearance straight out of a videogame. The sudden transformation isn't painful or uncomfortable, but it might be difficult to do things like open doors or hold objects if one finds themselves to be a two-dimensional comic book page or a blocky pile of polygons. Affected offworlders will just have to find someone to hug or hold hands with if they want to be able to go back to their normal selves anytime soon! Hopefully you still have a hand to hold, with this new form… maybe get creative with it. (Thanks to Jenn/firstbump for the event suggestion!)

The flourishing of the city has brought with it a new variety of plantlife for the warmer season: sunflowers! This particularly tall variety of flora, in fact, seems very suddenly abundant throughout the city. They're so lively and brightly colored that they appear to be emanating light themselves… probably because they are.

Should someone draw just a little too close to the new additions to Havenwell's wildlife, they may catch themselves suddenly on the wrong end of an apparently harmless ray of light in one of several colors. In addition to being incredibly surprising, depending on the color of the light, whoever the flowers strike will find themselves under one of several effects--some new and some possibly familiar.

♥ Red- Being struck by a red light finds one suddenly rebelling against the laws of gravity--they might float a foot or two in the air, or find their next steps to be so heavy that they trip over their own feet and can't quite manage to pick themselves up again.
♥ Blue- Some may encounter a blue light, which upon contact will revert or advance one in age an undetermined number of years. Be careful, or you might suddenly find yourself reliving your embarrassing teenage years! (Whether character memories match their physical ages is up to player discretion.)
♥ Purple- When [CHARACTER] encountered a peculiar flower that so rudely shot them with a purple light, [CHARACTER] began to hear a dashing yet peculiar voice unique to them, narrating the events of their day. No matter how mundane, how exciting, wherever they went and whatever they did, the voice followed them and narrated every. Single. Thing. That. Occurred. Although perhaps the narrative was not always accurate--it might have proclaimed [CHARACTER] was going to have a refreshing glass of orange juice, only to be annoyed when they opt for coffee out of sheer spite. Such would the day continue, until the one hearing such well-articulated narration finally rid themselves of it via the usual extended physical touch.
♥ Green- To be touched by a green light is a curious thing, giving the afflicted the compulsion to sing! In any given situation, an offworlder may break out into a song appropriate to their current situation. Whether they can sing or already know it is irrelevant; if it remotely suits the goings-on, it's fair game for them to pick up and carry a tune as far as it can go.

Once again, Havenwell's unconventional weather patterns rear their head, and the summer rain is not always as refreshing as it should be. In fact, the season brings with it peculiar showers--acid rain, to be exact. While it can and does cause some structural erosion and sunburn-level damage to objects and people, the sudden rain can also inexplicably improve things. Buildings may become sturdier, the ground a little more even, or perhaps that case of the seasonal sniffles you've been feeling disappears like a summer stormcloud. The effects are polar opposites with no visual difference in the weather that indicates one or the other; the only way to find out is to watch the surroundings carefully or just get caught in the rain yourself.

The city has expanded again… but only the magic barrier, strangely. The walls have remained stationary as a flourish of energy rushes through the city, spreading outwards, and the sky above begins to warp and shift, like a rainbow soap bubble wobbling in the breeze. It lasts for about an hour on May 16th, so perhaps you might wish to stay indoors if you are susceptible to dizzy spells. By the time it has passed, the city looks and feels bigger, even if nothing has technically changed within the walls at ground level. Those who venture further, however, will find a much different situation.

Before too long, after some investigation has been done about what just happened, a public announcement is made: due to the barrier expansion, a large section of the outer city limits has been reclaimed, and a rejuvenation of nature has once more occurred, thanks to the efforts of the handholding visitors. Beyond the new wall is a wealth of growth and nature, similar to the burst of life that occurred one year ago. They do advise, however, that this new region has not been mapped or explored thoroughly in some time; scouts can only know so much due to the harsh environment it used to exist in, and clearly the terraforming has changed things. Anyone looking to venture beyond the walls should do so carefully.

Offworlders will find a veritable jungle out there. The land has well and truly been reclaimed by nature, now that it has been allowed to grow once more, and the storms that once raged outside have left far fewer signs that society used to exist outside of Havenwell's walls. Trees, bushes, vines and other various forms of greenery have grown and consumed the old structures, leaving patchwork pieces that are mostly unrecognizable. Exploring buildings won't net you much beyond broken walls and rusty household objects, but bring such items back could earn you some dora from private collectors of old world goods, or the good faith of the museum curators if you choose to donate.

Among that literal urban jungle, however, you will find all manner of fauna crawling, hunting, and living their renewed lives. The types of known animals that can be found are listed in the Bestiary, but there are also ones that no offworlder has laid eyes upon before and ones that the conservationists are itching to get their robotic hands on for the first time. New creatures that can be found are:

Silicamorpha

An undeniably-magical creature that closely resembles a shark in shape, though it appears to be comprised entirely of transparent crystal. It floats in the air, propelled forward by its tail, and like its aquatic counterparts, has difficulty turning around sometimes. Waves of aerial energy follow in its wake, occasionally taking the shape of remora, though if the wake manifests actual creatures is yet unknown. Despite a fearsome appearance, the silicamorpha is docile and will usually not attack, mostly because it is extremely fragile, liable to crack or even shatter into pieces, leaving a strange, mystical sand behind that carry traces of energy. Though they prefer to live peacefully, one whose family is being threatened may sacrifice itself by ramming into its foe, buying time for its mate and/or young to flee. Handle with care!

Lily Spider

A spindly red blossom with four green insect-like legs in place of a stem. It travels mostly in groups of three or four, and avoids direct sunlight. Roughly baseball-sized and an insectivore by nature, they will often remain very still at ground level for hours at a time, resembling harmless flowers. Smaller insects who brush up against its bright red petals will be paralyzed by its poison and swiftly eaten, though if touched by a human it will do little more than irritate their skin before the lily spider runs away to hunt elsewhere.

Dusema

A desert dwelling 10 tentacled creature that burrows into sand and rock to make its home. The dusema is approximately 6 feet in diameter from tip to tip of its tentacles and has a bulbous boneless head in the middle. It is a dusty, speckled brown, but has the ability to mimic its environment to camouflage itself as it moves. While typically a homebody, the dusema will travel up to 5 miles from its home, creeping along the ground or climbing up into trees and buildings, in order to find food. A carnivorous creature, the dusema has a single rotating eye at the top of its head and another located at the center of its tentacles on its belly next to its razor sharp beak. Making eye contact with a dusema is paralyzing, causing prey's muscles to go stiff and joints to lock. Once paralyzed, the dusema will creep over, maintaining eye contact, and begin devouring its prey. A dusema must maintain eye contact without blinking in order to maintain the paralysis, and anything that causes it or its prey to blink (such as being jostled or hit), will break the spell.

Baursa

A hulking bipedal creature with two small three-fingered arms and hands and large powerful back legs, the baursa has a thick stabilizing tail that it uses to prop itself up. It resembles a bear only in general shape, and has a massive head that sports two gigantic, sharp looking mandibles and a pair of antenna. The mandibles resemble those of a trap ant, but are thicker than a full grown man's bicep. When released, the mandibles are capable of moving an incredible speeds, are strong enough to crush rocks, and the snap of them creates a miniature sonic boom that can deafen foes. Despite it's horrifying appearance and immense size - often growing well over 6 feet tall at their smallest - the baursa are docile creatures that will only deploy their mandibles in defense to deafen a predator before running away. Their powerful jaws are used to crush rock, which they consume in great quantities, making them ideal creatures for construction, a task they were often employed to do back in ancient times. Domesticated baursa were quite a common sight before technology took over, and they apparently made good pets so long as the owner kept them well trained and fed on a diet of building materials.

Here's the thing: the appearance of such strange and wondrous creatures is proof that the world is improving, bit by bit. Unlike the last expansion, most of them don't appear to be deadly beasts or monsters that need to be culled to spare the mortals within the city limits. Still, they are technically within the city, which means that for the preservation of both the creatures and the residents alike, a number of them should be captured and studied to ensure that they won't be killed off by whatever else lurks beyond the walls should another breach occur. That's right, folks, this time it's a proper Monster Hunter event. we swear this was in the works before the new one came out

A handful of these fresh specimens seem to be taken over by a strange poisonous goo (familiar to some of the veterans of town), causing them to mutate and become extremely hostile, even if that isn't their nature. The affected animals' eyes turn black and have black vein-like markings all across their bodies. For some, this goo has even replaced their blood, and at times it even seeps from their eyes like gruesome tears. Skin contact or ingestion of the goo can make a person incredibly sick and it is corrosive when it comes into contact with the native's robotic bodies, apparently reacting to their unique metal composition. These poor things cannot be saved, and as such, will need to be put down before they either attack the city, the offworlders, or even the other animals. Any affected flora will have similar black markings and leech the color out of things around them, driving any creatures in their vicinity into a rage. Destroying the plant seems to release whatever hold it had on them, however, and unless the animal is naturally hostile, it will return to its docile state and wander away, none the wiser.

There will be some instances where a creature not affected by the poisonous goo is killed; accidents can happen during capture, and sometimes it is kill or be killed. The locals would much rather their offworlder heroes survive over a dangerous beast, so unless it was confirmed to be intentional and unnecessary, characters will face no backlash.

If such unfortunate deaths occur, the locals request the following be submitted to the research towers for tracking purposes:

• What the beast was (a description or picture will do!)
  
• Where and why it was killed
  
• What, if anything, was harvested from it (waste not!)

If possible, the research division would be very happy if you could bring back a part of the creature for the purpose of studying. As players, you can respond to a provided mod thread on the event log itself if you wish, to let us know this information.

<b>Beast's Name:</b> Choose from the Bestiary or the list in the prompt <b>Death details:</b> Where and why it was killed <b>Harvest:</b> What, if anything, was harvested from it <b>Turned in?<?b> Did your character turn any of these materials over to the research towers? Y/N

The influx of flora, fauna, and minerals gathered from outside the walls has the Research Tower assistants running ragged trying to categorize and label everything in time. Some of the materials are time sensitive - such as the living animals and plants - and some are simply sensitive - such as dirt samples that may contain live bacteria. Even with all hands on deck, there just simply aren't enough people at the towers to do all the work when so many scientists are also trying to head outside the walls themselves to take the samples alongside the offworlders. This where you can come in!

The Research Towers will be constantly recruiting those less inclined to foray over the walls to help with simple tasks at their labs. They need people to type up the labels, to stick them to the test tubes or name placards to be put on the cages, to move samples from one room to another, to feed and clean the cages of the animals, to water or feed the flora, basically all the daily grunt work that an unpaid intern would do at a science laboratory. It isn't glamorous work, but it is paid! The Towers will pay anyone willing to work for them doing this menial labor a moderate Dora fee, and they encourage you to bring friends and talk amongst yourselves to help pass the time a little quicker. You can even cuddle the animals (that are safe to do so) if you like. They're in need of a little TLC sometimes after having been captured.

So bring your friends, grab a labeler, and set to work, offworlders! You don't have to be on the frontlines in order to contribute to scientific progress!

While a lot seems to be going on outside the walls this month, the Ainean priests are making sure that the end of their deity's reign is celebrated in the best way possible. They've decided to have a little event of their own, and are encouraging people - offworlders and natives alike - to act as Ainea herself would and be kind to one another. But not just any kindness, of course, but a "pay it forward" style of kindness. By doing favors for other characters or by finishing one of the tasks the priests ask of you, the temple priests will pray for Ainea to bless your character for the upcoming day. The favors other characters ask of yours can be decided between two players so long as it isn't a monetary exchange and it's something that could be considered kind (e.g. no "give me all your money" requests or "punch so-and-so as hard as you can for me" requests). To advertise a favor your character wants done, highlight it in your top-level with the label: Favor Requested. For those who want to do the priest provided tasks, please see the following:

Priest provided tasks: A Happy Talk, A Happy Tummy, A Happy Laugh

1. A Happy Talk: Talk to someone or multiple someones and ask them about a happy memory they have. Either write down or record their account on your communicator (with their permission, naturally!) to bring it to the Ainean priests. Always get permission from the people involved before recording or writing down their experiences though. Remember, the gods and priests are all about consent! The goal here is to help them relive a happy time in their life. Everyone likes to think back on the happy days, right? The priests sure hope so.
   
2. A Happy Tummy: Cook a meal for someone from replicator scratch - meaning you replicate all of the ingredients and then cook the meal itself, rather than just using one of the replicator settings to create a ready-made meal. Snap photos using your communicator to show your process and prove it's from scratch, then eat it with your friend and take a photo together to show you shared it. Bring your photos to the Ainean priests. A meal can be a single plate or multiple plates, but it should be large enough to be considered a meal and not a snack - meaning you can't just give someone a rice ball or an apple, that's not enough! But a stack of pancakes for breakfast or a filling sandwich for lunch and that would be pretty kind of you, or so says the priests.
   
3. A Happy Laugh: Record a video of yourself and some other offworlders (with their permission of course!) where you tell each other jokes and make each other laugh. Some old text somewhere said that laughter is the best medicine, so getting those good ol' guffaws out can only help you, right? Right! Bring your best comedy talents to the Ainean priests and show them how you all enjoyed yourselves to get their prayers for your blessing. No mean pranks or derogatory jokes may apply though. The priests want to see everyone laughing and enjoying themselves as Ainea would like.

Should you complete a favor for another character or a task for the priests, those blessings the priests prayed for turn out to be real! If you do as they ask, one of the following random blessings will find its way to you:

Choose one blessing per task/favor completed!

1. When you walk into a native-run store, you suddenly get showered with virtual confetti and a virtual banner swirls around you announcing with jarringly loud music that you've been randomly selected for a store gift. Congratulations! You can get a free gift of a small item from the shops or get a discount on your purchase for that day. Gifts can be things like free hair gel, a hair accessory to go with your outfit, a fun pen to go with your art supplies, a musical kazoo that also does a mini light show when you play it, etc. Have fun! If you're not sure if the gift you want to write is acceptable, please ask in the Mod Question thread below.
   
2. When you go to get something to eat or drink from your replicator, you'll hear a buzzing noise and suddenly get something completely different - and absolutely delicious! That food you've been missing from home? That drink you've been craving but haven't been able to get in ages? That's what pops out instead of your 100th plate of spaghetti. It tastes and looks just like you remember, and it's not something your replicator can normally produce on its own. How did this weirdly fortuitous mix-up happen? Who knows... The food or drink produced won't have any magical effects, and trying to get the food to come out again during the same blessing won't work. It seems like each incident is an isolated one.
   
3. The morning after you complete a task, you hear tiny squeaks and scratches at your door (bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, front door? it could be anything really!). Open it up to find a little gaggle of pink and purple mice there at your feet, looking up at you expectantly. These are the Ainean temple mice and once they're sure they have your attention, whether they have to squeak louder, tap on your toes, or tug on your shoelaces, they'll skitter off back to the temple and leave a little gift in their wake. These gifts are items found within Havenwell, but always seem to be just the right gift to fit your character. Are they fashion minded? Then they find a piece of pretty jewelry. Are they scientific geniuses? Have a little gasket or a scrap of metal that you've been needing for your latest project. A cook? Well, maybe you'll want to disinfect it first, but the Aellyn Remys have brought you a spice or a utensil you need for your kitchen. None of these items can be from home and must be able to be found within the city already.
   
4. Until your blessing ends, your house (or business, or just wherever you happen to go throughout the day) turns into the latest, greatest, cutest hotspot for local wildlife to hang. Enjoy the chittering of birds or the slitherings of the one-eyed lizards. Have fun watching the Diachtian crows hop about in your yard, turning over rocks and shiny objects, or pet some of those Ohman cats that never let you touch them before. See the lohpeh hop around in the street outside, and sun themselves on the cobblestones! The only creatures that seem immune to this are the Rawna dragonlings, who remain at their temple like always, and the wild ones outside the city walls. Once the blessing ends, the animals will go back from where they came. Trying to trap or capture them will end the blessing immediately, causing all of the animals to scatter. Just enjoy the view and live your D*sney princess life in harmony.

You can only have one blessing at a time. These blessings can't stack (i.e. no having Blessing 1 and Blessing 3 simultaneously) or compound (i.e. no getting 15 stores to give you things on the same day by doing 15 tasks), but you can do more than one task or favor and get different blessings on different days. Each blessing lasts for a minimum of 24 hours or a maximum of 48 hours after you finish the favor or task. You can choose the same blessing multiple times.

The priests are genuinely happy when they hear that their prayers have been heard, although the types of blessings that come are...unexpected to say the least. Still, they will encourage people to continue doing more and more tasks and favors to help Ainea through to the end of her calendar reign.

Following the previous month's failures, the city's replicators have recovered back to full functionality; perhaps working a little too well. Nearly anything requested of them now has a chance to duplicate one's order...except the second one may not be quite as intended. That healthy apple, comforting bowl of noodles, or 3am grilled cheese? You might just get one that quite literally sprouts legs and comically large googly eyes before skittering around causing all sorts of trouble.

Fortunately, once the problem becomes apparent, the native researchers are hard at work devising a solution; constructing critterproofed fenced-in enclosures around the city and handing out specialized pseudo-butterfly nets for anyone looking to help catch the adorable menaces. They'll offer a small dora reward to anyone who can bring them these strange little creatures alive and unharmed for research purposes. Of course, you may be so hungry after chasing down your lunch that you might just want to eat it.

Happy hunting, Havenwell!

The googly-eyed food overrunning the city tends to be more cute or irritating than actually problematic for most of the month. Natives and offworlders alike are busily rounding them all up and putting them into enclosures (or eating them, if that's your speed), for research and containment. However, on occasion, when the little buggers get away, people can find them gathering together in nooks and crannies of the city. When these little groups of the creatures get found, rather than toddle off and scatter like so many others do, they surge together and begin linking legs and limbs, merging together into one giant food ball with a single pair of googly eyes and a no longer placid attitude.

It seems that these little food-bugs have activated Boss Mode! The amalgam creature will attack whomever has found them, fighting its darnedest to get away. They don't have the most complex or intelligent fighting style, but their sheer size and mass can make them difficult to deal with. With each blow dealt to the creature, the food that makes up its body will pop off and run away until all of the creatures have been dispersed. After that, you can either catch the creatures or let them run.

You don't always have to be looking for trouble for it to find you, however! Sometimes, these large-scale creatures can be found roaming the city and will attack those who they come across out of instinct. They can chase people down with surprising speed, so those who can't fight should go looking for help!

While there are still some (literal) bugs occurring in the system, overall the natives have seen a drastic improvement in both Havenwell and Aellyn as a whole thanks to the offworlders. Last month's chocolate weather aside, the seasons have been stabilizing, the city has expanded, and the people are happier than they've ever been. As the winter months start to give way to spring, it seems that happiness is spreading throughout the city. Everywhere the colors of the city seem brighter and more vivid. The emerging greenery really pops against the last vestiges of the snow, and the gods' statues in the city square are more vibrant than usual. The natives are taking this to be a good sign, however, as the colors of the barrier are even more pronounced than ever before, making the sky itself rainbow-hued! It also appears to be stronger, with fewer weak spots along the outer edges.

Within Havenwell, though, any color in the city has its brilliance hyped up to the nth degree. Reds are redder, blues are bluer, and whites? Uh...those can actually be kind of blindingly bright. Which is not great, considering the main color scheme of the city is white and gold. Yikes. Better get some sunglasses out, offworlders, because while the natives can just turn down the brightness scale on their visual cortexes, the rest of you might need some help not being blinded by the light.

Moreover, all those colors might be pretty, but as time goes on, people may find that their favorite blue sweater? Is now their favorite rainbow sweater. Or their favorite tie-dyed sweater. Or their favorite constantly color-changing sweater like it's some sort of hyperactive mood ring. Colors in the city are going absolutely haywire: switching around, turning rainbow-colored, reverberating iridescent everywhere. Buildings, clothes, hair, food, you name it. If it exists within Havenwell, its colors are not safe from being flipped topsy-turvy for a while.