October (September, technically) Town Meeting

[diplomaticimmewnity]

Who: Town Meeting
What: Town Meeting
When: End of September technically...
Where: Enciodes' archives
Warnings: Typical Stix game warnings: Child death mentions, physical abuse via Nene, torture, body horror, cannibalism via Callan. More will be in post titles as they come up.


[ Enciodes is... admittedly really lethargic this time around, but he still makes the effort to go around and let everyone know about the Town Hall happening, encouraging you to be there, despite everything. One who knows Enciodes will notice he isn't holding himself too highly, or carrying grace where he walks. He's just... tired. Dying will do that, though. ]

Hello and thank you for coming to our town meeting. To start, these archives are important to me, and as such I will not tolerate any fighting. You will be escorted out.

Secondly, I encourage you all introduce yourselves. Informing us of both your name and your skillset will help us all as a group, as it'll let us know who is here at the Grove and who is best to see for specific situations. This will also help myself, as I intend to keep a headcount and census of everyone here at the Grove, to keep track of who may have gone missing and to direct those who need help in the correct location. I shall begin by introducing myself. I am Enciodes Silverash. I am a diplomat of my world, and here I have taken a role of setting up meetings like this and clearing out the problems that lie with us in the fog wall.

And finally, for the newcomers, I am sorry to have to inform you of the circumstances, but I implore you to come to me for any questions you may have. I want to make this transition for you as easy as I possibly can, and wish to provide you with all the resources and information that we currently have available to us. This may be a bit lengthy, so I understand if you may have questions for clarifications or anything of the like. I do ask that you hold onto these questions until I've finished, however.

To start with, we lived a previous life we have no real memory of here at the Grove.

This is mostly as it sounds, but we all used to be here at the Grove in one way or another. After horrible events occurred here, Heimr and Ydalir tried to preserve our souls, which lead us to our "current" lives. The ones we all have memories of. Though, it does seem many of us carry the same personalities and other such traits we had while here.

This in no way is an encouragement to learn about your past life, of course. If this makes you uncomfortable or frustrates you in any way, I completely understand. Learning about things you've done back here does not currently seem to help us find our way home, so you are under no obligation to try and find more out about this if you do not want to.

Our enemy here is the entity possessing the forest.

There's still a lot we don't know about him, but that is perhaps for the best. The more we know about him, it's likely the stronger he will become in turn. It's only right we keep this section brief, in that case. If you truly wish to know more about him, I would be willing to answer questions, but understand my hesitance in doing so. That, and also it's likely he can hear us through the people here who are Corrupted by the forest.

He is the entity who got us all here. He wants us to suffer. He feeds on our misery. We won't let him have that satisfaction because we have this second chance. If he couldn't kill us before in a way that sated him, than he'll never get that satisfaction from us because we are resilient. Just be careful when going out into the forest. He can corrupt you, and... if you'd like, you can speak with those who have had first hand experience with it before, but essentially it means he can possess you if we're not careful.

Do not call it by its name. Do not worship it. Do not give it power of any kind. I am no longer going to be understanding to those who give it more than it deserves.

And we'll talk about the previous residents here - the ones who didn't have new lives. As well as the deities here.

Heimr and Ydalir, or the Shopkeeper and the Trader respectively, both lost their previous names to the Forest. Heimr recently became human; maybe there's a way to get Ydalir to be the same? You can say "Aldric" now, but Heimr still prefers to be called Heimr. Please keep this in mind if the Forest ever tries to speak with you. Do not, under any circumstances, give it your name.

Nene is here as well, and very recently purified, but had previously been confined to the Forest's hold for... centuries, it seems. Please be kind to her, as I'm sure I needn't even point out. She is daughter to Grace, who was a doctor here at the Grove. She has a few books in the archives that I've been perusing. She's also apparently the person behind the Garden - a place in the forest that I'll cover shortly.

The Guardians are a group of... demi-deities, as far as we are concerned. Treat them respectfully and give them offerings if you require their assistance or plan to take anything that is theirs. The few we have with us here at the Grove are as follows:

Moder, the forest Guardian, and the large moose-like creature who's seen wandering around. She is incredibly kind even if her appearances may be a bit horrifying. She's helped clean up the northern part of town with me. She's also willing to take people through the forest safely if needed, seeing both as she knows it well, and was also once corrupted, so knows roughly what to expect in there. Considering she's lost her domain to that bastard in the woods, I ask that you give her your tribute as often as you can, as I believe she will be the one to most fiercely fight with us for her home back.

Zahliya, who has many titles I've listed in the notebook, is the gargoyle who is generally on fire. He can burn away any Corruption, and cares about each of us. His powers have not been fully realized, but with some encouragement, that may change, so I ask that everyone please give him your trust.

Sinann, the River Guardian, is the blue, glowing fish within the River. It can speak more now without the use of the Bone ring, but it's still rather weak, likely because it is recovering and has not regained the strength to do so. Please do not remove the bones from the River, and return any fish bones of those you eat to it as well. Shells and medallions are able to be taken freely from it, however.

Callan, the Lake Guardian, is thing that you all may have seen diving into the well when we got back from our time under the ocean. He is... not the kindest, but I don't believe he is malicious or malevolent by any means. I'm not entirely sure what to make of him. The Behemoth is his daughter, and the giant crocodile-like creature you've seen around the Grove. She isn't a Guardian, as far as I'm aware, but it's still recommended you are kind to her as well.

The Cosmic Serpent is in the ocean. For a good majority of the time, they are asleep. They do not seem to be opposed to helping us, but can only offer us so much, and likely may get annoyed if we expect too much of them. Apparently became what they are today by feasting on fallen stars.

There's a Sky Guardian, Aurora, as well, though Moder has informed us that it is long dead.

The Gods — Beiwe, the Goddess of the Sun, and Ourania, the Goddess of the Moon, are the current overseers. According to Moder, they are very weak and may need some help regaining their strength through prayer and acts of devotion. We likely have the power to help them return to their former strength.. We just need to figure out how. Recently, we've spoken directly to Ourania with a seance, and recently we've done the same with Beiwe. I did not participate personally, so I divert this to those who had, and encourage the information shared. The information we got from Ourania can be asked through Mizuki, if needed.

Zonari, uh, the forest's gargoyle. I'm not sure why she's here. [ Informative, thank you, Silverash! In his defense, he seems to have the opinion of "if it were up to me, she'd be dead." ]

Magic and belief of this world.

Belief in something gives it power. Names give it power. Hence why we don't want to be using names for the forest. It's recommended to swap out the vague reference you use. Vice versa for our Guardians — please use their names, and believe in them intrinsically when we require their assistance. Mizuki has recommended before that we sing to Zahliya when he purifies things. Songs of protection and such might do us some good, I think. Just remember not to wish for things too frequently, only if it's absolutely necessary.

There are shards that seem to hold power of deities inside of them. Sun and Moon shards from Beiwe and Ourania respectively, and star shards from... likely, the stars? Be on a look out for them, as the Forest wants them destroyed. It also leads me to wonder if there are any shards of the entity we may be able to destroy?

We've also learned that the seasons are controlled by spirits, and will lose control of their magic every hundred years and need some sort of "sacrifice" to stabilize them. I have a feeling this is something we'll be needing to concern ourselves with, as it's our luck if we're coming up on this hundred year mark. This is likely something we can confirm with Miss Ydalir.

Places of interest.

Aldric's Manor is a place where Heimr's kids are currently. We can't get to it, but the children inside do have a notebook, and we hope they'll try to communicate with us. One of his children… There's a grave outside for her. Do not do anything disrespectful by it.

There's a part of the forest nearby where you might find people you know, but as trees. It's… very upsetting there. Refrain from visiting it too frequently.

The Garden is where you'll end up if you die. Nene brings you back if you do end up here. Do not die. Do not end up here. Coming back will have you giving up something important.

The River is where the River Guardian is. Return any remains of the fish we eat from there back to it after we're able to fish there again. Thank the River Guardian when you take apples from the tree nearby there, and thank Moder when you take berries from the bush near it. Do not take bones from the river without permission. Be kind to the river's inhabitants, and don't dump any trash into the water.

The Well's water will always stay clean. Don't go dumping garbage into it, of course, but know that the water there is safe to drink regardless of what happens, it seems. Also, the well is completely bottomless, so if you can't breathe underwater, I don't recommend trying to swim down it. Mizuki tried to, but at a certain point it felt like something was pushing him back.

The Lake, where Callan used to reside, and Terho's cabin nearby. According to Mizuki, the bottom is littered with bones, so it's likely not a good swimming spot.

North Aldric's Grove and Other Expansions — The Grove, prior to stuff going awry, was a sizeable place, so we're likely to explore more areas as a "reward" for participating in games. The part of the Grove to the north used to be horribly burnt and unlivable - in a perpetual state of fire and decay. We've since fixed the time anomalies there and, with Moder's help, I've managed to get it looking like the rest of the Grove. There are no more sinkholes to be wary of.

The Church was Nene's previous home, and a former place of worship for Beiwe. It has since been worn down and transformed into something to worship the entity of the forest. As such, it's likely we should try to erect a new church for Beiwe - one that is exclusively hers. Especially since we've been able to get into contact with her.
Near the old church, there's also a tree that Renard lies trapped in, found by both Mizuki and Wolfwood. At some point, we have to free him with the magic that resides in the sun, moon, and star shards. Renard is a former friend of Heimr and Ydalir.

The Temple is separate from the Church. Zahliya was formerly a statue guarding this place. It is also where the Creature was previously contained.

In the Lighthouse is a corrupted person who seems very territorial. It's recommended that no one go into the lighthouse or get near it, or they risk being attacked or even killed. There is a statue of Ourania embedded in the cliff face nearby the Lighthouse. Any more questions can be addressed to Vash about this area.

The beach is now accessible thanks to Moder. You may head there with the path she has made without needing help of the goggles. Just stay on the bridge of fallen trees she's made and you'll make it there. In the water are very dangerous creatures, so be mindful. Dipper has also found the evil entity's original temple under the water. Maybe that is partially why it has it's fear of the ocean?

Within the forest are star shrines, which may provide moments of respite while you are out there. Not much is known about them at the moment, besides that star... spirits? guardians? creatures reside there.

There are other places within the forest and such, but if you want specifics, talk to Mizuki. He has a map.

If you do end up going into the forest, bring a pair of the golden spectacles that Heimr has with you. They will show you a safe-adjacent way into the forest. It won't guarantee safety, but it'll be your best case scenario.

Mizuki has also mentioned to me that he wants to pull some of you aside for an endeavor after this meeting.

Comments

Introductions

[diplomaticimmewnity]

Enciodes

[diplomaticimmewnity]

[ He's already introduced himself, but you're free to say hello. ]

livio/razlo

[livlaughlove]

[if you already know livio but don't have context for raz, well... you might think the wide, toothy grin and the wild look in his eyes are pretty fucking out of character!

if you haven't met liv, then congrats on razlo being your first impression. you're welcome.]

Liv's asleep. I'm Razlo the Tri-Punisher'a Death. [yes, he raises his voice and puffs out his chest. yes, even though he has literally no punishers right now and only the two arms.] Two fuckin' guesses what I'm good at!

Meet me at the well if ya want an ass-kickin'!!

kiera

[cryopathy]

[this bitch is pouting somewhere because bringing a bunch of liquor bottles into an archive is a bad idea. all smiles when it's their turn to talk, though. and a fruity little wave, too.]

Ser Kiera Canorus! Zonari is here because of my hard work! [just taking all the credit, huh? there were seven other people there.] Please don't ruin it! [threat.]

Loop

[theuniverseleads]

[They didn't even have to be dragged against their will this time!! Progress... anyway, they're probably sitting next to wherever Siffrin is again, while also sitting as far away from Isabeau and Odile as possible. They offer a cheerful little wave to everyone else.]

You can call me Loop! I'm a star☆

[...

yeah that's still all you fucking get]

ain

[eidxiety]

[He was MIA most of last month since he died and didn't want to go outside again, but this time he's carrying a big box of Something, with labels of y'all's names poking out of the side of it.]

I'm Ain. I'm sorry for disappearing last month, I died and it sucked. [And then he puts the box on the table.] I run the tailor shop. I can heal and hold my own in battle most of the time, though.

Anyway, I spent my time holed up in my room making everyone outfits for autumn. Your names are on the labels for easy finding. I eyeballed most of your sizes, [and they are HORRIFYINGLY accurate,] but if I need to make adjustments, I can do that.

[He sounds exhausted, and maybe not because of the tailoring thing, buuuuut. Everyone who comes by to pick up their outfit will receive a titty window sweater in their favourite colour, and if you don't have colours where you're from he assigned you a white one. Unless you are Siffrin and Loop. Siffrin is getting thighboots and Loop is getting these ungodly things.]

There's stuff for... people who aren't here, too. [Vash :( ] If you don't like it, you can burn it or something, I dunno.

A.B.A.

[quirkynote]

[Okay, so the last meeting was A.B.A.'s first meeting, and she didn't do...so great. Granted, she didn't start a big fight, but she did introduce herself by threatening to kill everyone. It's been awhile though, and she's been working SO hard. She can do this! She went to the sun party! ...Where she promptly threw a tantrum, but...before that, she was fine!!]

I...!!

[But the sunyonce was outside, giving her plenty of open space. All these people...indoors...close together...looking at her... Okay, don't freak out, don't freak out. At the very least, do NOT threaten people's lives!!]

...will not be killing anyone!!!

[...Awesome, great. That's STILL not her name, and that's even less of what she can do. However, A.B.A. seems absolutely pleased with her incredibly mild declaration as she grabs a nearby book for comfort and scuttles away. If you know her, she might even smile all proud of herself, please tell her you're proud of her. She participated in normal Social Activity™ with minimal screaming! .....Please be proud.

If you don't know her, she'll just peek from her book with big, shaking eyes, like this prolonged social exposure is going to make her explode at any second.]

passenger

[forwander]

[Thank God it's not at the cafe this time, like he appreciates you Enciodes but he Cannot tolerate another fight on his property, he's going to start throwing lightning bolts next time.]

My codename is "Passenger", which is what you can refer to me by. Sesa, my fiancé, calls me "Elliot", which is my real name. He's the only one I allow to use it. I currently run the Magic Lamp, the cafe to the south near the river. Otherwise, my skillset lies in the creation of weaponry, and my Arts are based around electricity and lightning.

[And there's a childish voice chirping in his brain that anyone with some sort of psychic sense/mindreading ability/etc will be able to hear; the childhood version of himself, Little Elliot, being his Entire Emotional Capacity for him. In this case, Little Elliot is insistent that they say a proper "hi" to everyone.

...which Passenger does not do, much to the chagrin of this part of his psyche.]

Isabeau

[jouvente]

[ Isabeau is here standing beside Odile and possibly as close to Siffrin as he can be with... regards of something. Someone else. Change, help. (He's trying his best here...!)

Anyways!!! ]

Heya! I'm Isabeau! I used to be a Defender - which I guess you could sum up as like a group of guards? Kinda that just go and help people from small things to bigger stuff. Like help a cat out of a tree, or help deal with a robbery...

I'm a pretty tanky guy if you need someone that can take hits, and I can help provide some defense buffs! So if you need any help on the defending front, let me know!

[ He's already letting his fashion interest be known with his discussion with Ain so that's about everything? He's a bit distracted. ]

Odile

[alphacraft]

[ Odile has been looking through a notebook (not the notebook) and occassionally adding notes since her arrival. She looks up when it becomes clear that it's her turn to introduce herself. ]

Odile.

[ That's it, that's the introduction. ]

gnosis

[succiduous]

[Gnosis has the look of a man who hasn't slept, which is normal for him, but it's worse than usual. My God is it worse than usual. He's not doing too hot, and even his voice sounds a bit gravelly and strained, and his intro is not his usual rambly one either.]

Gnosis. Enciodes' husband. I run the lab, and specialize in technology, explosives, and various other forms of research. My Arts are ice-based. Please don't come into the lab and bother me without reason. If I need something, I'll leave on my own.

[you should

probably bother him, look at him.]

...I'm trying to quit my drinking habits. I'm sure I'm having withdrawal symptoms right now, so I apologise in advance for snapping at anyone.

flamebringer

[thebladebringstheflame]

Name's Flamebringer. I'm not giving out my real name, we mercs don't do that.

[He's a little more actively engaged this time, at least. He has a sketchbook on the table and appears to be working on something.]

Just watch the word "demon" or "devil" around me. It's a slur for us Sarkaz. Otherwise, I kill shit, garden, and I started that tattoo-slash-piercing place that's nearby. I live with Ezell at the bakery, and the greenhouse I help take care of is Pure Vanilla's. If you don't respect those two places, I'll fucking kill you before you can even beg for mercy.

[okay.]

...oh, and I have Oripathy, which is what these rocks all over me are. Don't touch 'em.

Jade

[myceelium]

Greetings- my name is Jade Leech. I'm a mage student who specializes in Potionology. I'm also a merman.

[ He says with a little smile and bow. ]

If anyone happens to come across someone that looks similar to me and answers to the name Floyd, please let me know- I have a twin brother.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

joshua

[leggierissimo]

[ Joshua, as always, is present and mostly here for gossip and drama, because these family meetings are rarely without one or the other. In his lap is a tiny, white, vaguely glowing hedgehog with golden eyes, who is presently happily munching away on a stick of carrot. ]

Howdy. My name is Joshua. And this little guy [ briefly holding up the hedgehog, who doesn't seem to mind ] is Revati. He's a local Star and would appreciate donations of fruits and vegetables if you're passing by.

clotted cream

[clottedcream]

[ Here is a merman, dressed and groomed neatly, seated on a chair with one knee over the other and a cup of tea in hand. ]

Greetings. I am Clotted Cream Cookie, elected consul of the Crème Republic. Here, however, I am simply another resident of the Grove. If there is anything that I might be able to assist with, please let me know! Politics may not be necessary here, exactly, but I am happy to help in any way I can.

Pure Vanilla

[purevanillacookie]

[ Pure Vanilla will not be introducing himself, because Pure Vanilla is fast asleep in his chair, curled up in it. There is a small bunny with a decidedly star vibe sitting in his lap, chewing away upon a softly glowing "sun" stone that Peepaw empowered for the Sunyonce.

It goes still when eyes travel to it for Pure Vanilla's introduction, choosing the proper "freeze" response. You do not see it, you do not perceive it, you do- it goes back to chewing when eyes look away.

crunch crunch crunch snore. Eventually it will thump against Vanilla enough to wake him up, the snoring is annoying. ]

Ah.... hello? Yes?

Mizuki

[mooninthewater]

[ Mizuki, who usually speaks in sign, will use his phone in this moment to do text to speech. Just so he knows everyone can understand him. ]

« Hi! I'm Mizuki! I run the therapy building and am studying to become a therapist, though considering there's no licensed one here, I've been doing sessions with people here. If you're not feeling well emotionally or mentally, feel free to come talk to me.

I'm from Terra. I'm a sea jelly, and I'm Seaborn. The small amorphous creatures in the River are also Seaborn, and mean no harm. We just want to protect Sinann, as thanks for watching out for Us.

Umm, I think that's everything? I have some information to share, of course, but it'll take me some time, since I lost my voice...

...

Oh! I also invited Miss Zonari here, if she wanted to come. Sorry if that's inconvenient, I just didn't want to be rude. »

Dipper Pines

[ghostharasser]

[Dipper is here, probably sitting with his uncles if he was successful in dragging them here. Alcaid sits on his shoulder]

Dipper Pines, sixteen, I study magic and the occult. I'm kind of a jack of all trades, but I did freelance ghost busting back home. I'm learning magic under Pure Vanilla right now!

I am also a Sleeper, which means I have blood that let's me use a very specific kind of blood magic, so I am also a dreamwalker and a telepath, though I am a lot better at one than the other.

I also work at the Magic Lamp, so you can find me there a bunch.

Mayoi

[timidheart]

[Guess who ....actually showed up to this one. That's right, this weird guy.]

[Only maybe you didn't notice him until he finally spoke up. He's just kind of been standing in a corner, quietly, watching everyone.]

U-Um... I am Ayase Mayoi.

[He's so bad at these kinds of introductions and there are so many people here and they are all probably looking at him he wants to diiiieee-]

I am of no consequence...please regard me as one might a cobweb in the corner of a crawl space.

Luca

[unheiring]

[Okay maybe he will say something. He clears his throat once, while the feathers on his neck puff up just the little bit! Look at him! He can be bold and proud.]

Luca Aurelius. I own the Watchtower Bar. Kiera Canorus is my sibling. [A sigh.] And while I am wary of Zonari's presence, I also will not condone violence against her. She has come with us willingly and seemingly laid down her arms. For the time being we will treat her as an ally. I hope that is understood.

Clarifications

[diplomaticimmewnity]

[ Either questions, or just clarifying yourself. ]

[jouvente]

[ Question, question... ]

Soooo my first night here I had a really strange dream about the forest? Is that normal?

Mizuki's Lore Dump Here

[mooninthewater]

[ Rubie is wrapping up some Lore Threads before posting here, thanks for your patience- ]

The Beiwe Questions (TM)

[mooninthewater]

[ Mizuki is idly observing and listening to the conversation, though eventually, does pipe up with his own message. It takes some time to type out on his phone, but he manages eventually, and puts the text to speech on. ]

« Not all of you were able to meet the Sun Goddess, right? I can tell you all what I learned from her, if you'd like... it really is a lot of stuff I asked, and I'm not sure which of it is important. Where is... best for me to begin with something like that? Or maybe someone has something more immediate to share regarding her...? »

the most important setting update of all

[theuniverseleads]

[There's a bit of a lull after introductions. When no one else jumps straight into something actually important—]

So! [clap!] The Grove has an abundance of pigeons now! Isn't that neat?

We should give a name to their Godking. [does not elaborate further, hey has anyone else noticed the fucking 6ft tall pigeon hanging out on the church lately??]

[forwander]

I already have a name.

[no not YOU]

Zahliyaquest

[magicalsplashflare]

...So, we touched on Zonari being here, but does no one wanna talk about that quest we went on with Zahliya? Like, Zahliya said we were getting his swords and such, and I'm real glad we got them, but those timey... whatevers and the past... stuff. That was weird, right? That's something we should talk about?

And where did the other group go? Why haven't any of you talked about what happened there yet???

[purevanillacookie]

[ This instantly gets a sleepypaws attention. ]

I was wondering who Zonari was... May I ask for clarification? What quest? What has happened?

Non-lore related announcement

[ghostharasser]

Also! Just a heads up, I've moved out of the Inn! Heimr was able to restore our house over by where the burned town used to be, so that's where you can find my uncles and I from now on!

[He feels very validated in his choice to not let the building disintegrate with time.]

That said, I'm gonna turn my old room into a dark room so I can start developing the photos I've been taking! I've got a few already if anyone wants to see, and I guess if anyone wants me to take photos for them at some point, hit me up!

[Until then, he has a small spread of photos. Some are from the beginning of Zahilyaquest, some are from the beach, some are just from around the Grove. Taking pictures of people just hanging out in their day-to-day.]

[start_again]

Photos? Like, pictures?

[Interest piqued.]