Third Black Wave: Electric Boogaloo

Caelan

Jiraishin said:

Aegoth said:

I mean, when the Tsol'teth have to propaganda their event posts to make it seem like they won, you know that things are bad on their end

Replace 'tsol'teth' with literally any faction and you have a basic counter-propaganda template, congrats

Correct. Eleusis won.

Asmodron

Oh are we doing the puffing-out-chest-ego thing? Right let me see if I can do this...

'Lol mhaldor got pwned. Fissure blown, guards down. Gg no re.'

I believe this is the correct lingo Aegoth and co are looking for 

Keorin

So, quick question, especially for any admin who might see this.

Do we have a practical idea of what the scope of death was in Cyrene, and what caused it? There have been a few city-wide emotes suggesting the level of death, but it's pretty unclear whether this was from the occupation, or if the fog had "consumed" the denizens like it does visible denizens, and they didn't come back from that, or if it was from the flood or earthquake. I'm sure some of this would be vague ICly, but there should theoretically be survivors to ask, and if it was the flood/quake, there should be bodies?

It's hard to know how I should be reacting ICly. Since most of the population of the city is always invisible, so's the scope of the death, and it feels pretty weird to only have a vague idea of the state of the city when supposedly Keo's a senator.

Telendrieth

I'd really like to know this as well. So far Telen is simply referring to it as "Countless". 

Kaden

Between the tsunami, the tide taking most of the bodies, the eerie silence and the fact Blu's tethers were made of souls? Yeah, I think we're talking more than decimation here (in the literal sense).

Keorin

It's clearly quite a big loss, yeah. I'd just love it if the magnitude was slightly more explicit. Obviously they're always vague on the actual scale of denizen populations, but just being able to vaguely ballpark the percentage and the causes would be nice. I want Keorin to be able to be properly pissed at the Tsol'teth/devastated by the cost of having chosen to fight/horrified by the effects of the fog.

If nothing else, I hope we can find an avenue IC to investigate it.

Crestia

Keorin said:

It's clearly quite a big loss, yeah. I'd just love it if the magnitude was slightly more explicit. Obviously they're always vague on the actual scale of denizen populations, but just being able to vaguely ballpark the percentage and the causes would be nice. I want Keorin to be able to be properly pissed at the Tsol'teth/devastated by the cost of having chosen to fight/horrified by the effects of the fog.

If nothing else, I hope we can find an avenue IC to investigate it.

"According to the Ministry of Development's last census held in 798 AF, the current population of Cyrene not counting transient populations such as merchant caravans was..."

Rhivona

Keorin said:

So, quick question, especially for any admin who might see this.

Do we have a practical idea of what the scope of death was in Cyrene, and what caused it? There have been a few city-wide emotes suggesting the level of death, but it's pretty unclear whether this was from the occupation, or if the fog had "consumed" the denizens like it does visible denizens, and they didn't come back from that, or if it was from the flood or earthquake. I'm sure some of this would be vague ICly, but there should theoretically be survivors to ask, and if it was the flood/quake, there should be bodies?

It's hard to know how I should be reacting ICly. Since most of the population of the city is always invisible, so's the scope of the death, and it feels pretty weird to only have a vague idea of the state of the city when supposedly Keo's a senator.

Are you sure you want us to answer that question?

Tahquil

@Rhivona says, "Here, let me get you a list of casualties. "

Asmodron

If we want to consider all the destructive factors, there was:

- Tsol'teth processing civilians.

- Tide + Tide monstrosities.

- Guards slaughtering/hunting down civilians.

- Skye's flood that swept away, word for word, 'legions' of people.

- Hailqas'an and her final act.

Not sure if i'm forgetting anything, but with all that and the ambiance of stillness, Cyrene is practically a ghost town filled with rubble.

Neraeos

Keorin said:

So, quick question, especially for any admin who might see this.

Do we have a practical idea of what the scope of death was in Cyrene, and what caused it? There have been a few city-wide emotes suggesting the level of death, but it's pretty unclear whether this was from the occupation, or if the fog had "consumed" the denizens like it does visible denizens, and they didn't come back from that, or if it was from the flood or earthquake. I'm sure some of this would be vague ICly, but there should theoretically be survivors to ask, and if it was the flood/quake, there should be bodies?

It's hard to know how I should be reacting ICly. Since most of the population of the city is always invisible, so's the scope of the death, and it feels pretty weird to only have a vague idea of the state of the city when supposedly Keo's a senator.

GoT spoiler, open at your own risk.

Basically Skye+Hailqas'an is Daenerys, and Cyrene is King's Landing.

Much of the citizenry that died, aside from the Mojushai Hold denizens, were the invisible hordes that resided there. All the city-states should realistically have thousands upon thousands of citizens, even if they aren't actively seen.

As for what killed them, I would say all of the above, though most were probably consumed by the Tide that held Cyrene for over a year. The guards were under the effect of the Litany, and the Tsol'teth kept them from being consumed to give themselves a layer of protection. Obviously most of them died from the flood, and then even more died from the deathquake.

There are definitely ways to investigate and react to this in an IC manner, both by talking to denizens, and just regular player interaction. If you have ideas for something on a larger scale, you can always submit ideas to rp@achaea.com.

Asmodron

I wonder what are, if any, the ramifications of having an empty city...

Jiraishin

Asmodron said:

I wonder what are, if any, the ramifications of having an empty city...

Someone Cyrenian, type MORALE. I wanna see the message that shows up.

Skye

 

Amirite?

Thaisen

Jiraishin said:

Asmodron said:

I wonder what are, if any, the ramifications of having an empty city...

Someone Cyrenian, type MORALE. I wanna see the message that shows up.

"The pleased humming of citizens going about their business fills the streets with Cyrenian cheer."

Yay...everything is going to be okay!!....right??

Asmodron

I can almost sense Ictinus typing away for a unique code for morale in Cyrene for the next few in-game years.

Jiraishin

Thaisen said:

Jiraishin said:

Asmodron said:

I wonder what are, if any, the ramifications of having an empty city...

Someone Cyrenian, type MORALE. I wanna see the message that shows up.

"The pleased distant humming of citizens going about their business the Meld fills the streets with Cyrenian cheer memories of terror."

Jinos

Having the city back is great. Despite the desolate ambiance, and the mourning for those fallen.

The skirmishes inside of Cyrene, and outside in small pockets have been a blast. Coupled with some fun hostile interactions in-between.

I wish I could be around for more of them, but catching up on sleep has been wonderful. 

Mroxyl

Hearing the children playing in the streets for the first time, between the ambiance of desolation and coming to grips with the loss was something that kind of hit hard, but also gave hope that rebuilding -will- go on, and things are getting better.

Asmodron

Mroxyl said:

Hearing the children playing in the streets for the first time, between the ambiance of desolation and coming to grips with the loss was something that kind of hit hard, but also gave hope that rebuilding -will- go on, and things are getting better.

Playful giggling heralds a pair of children passing you by, their ghostly forms a reminder of what once was. -- New city room message.

Jiraishin

Asmodron said:

Mroxyl said:

Hearing the children playing in the streets for the first time, between the ambiance of desolation and coming to grips with the loss was something that kind of hit hard, but also gave hope that rebuilding -will- go on, and things are getting better.

Playful giggling heralds a pair of children passing you by, their ghostly forms a reminder of what once was. -- New city room message.

Oh god it's @Babel's ghost kids again

Mroxyl

Asmodron said:

Mroxyl said:

Hearing the children playing in the streets for the first time, between the ambiance of desolation and coming to grips with the loss was something that kind of hit hard, but also gave hope that rebuilding -will- go on, and things are getting better.

Playful giggling heralds a pair of children passing you by, their ghostly forms a reminder of what once was. -- New city room message.

Oh, that would be horrific. Totally fitting, but damn...

Synthus

I've been mulling over how things have gone over the past few days. While this event has been frustrating, it has driven the development and characterization of Synthus in a new direction. Sadly, I don't think he's ever going to go back to the life of being that happy-go-lucky itinerant merchant monk, offering wares and laughs. The occupation broke him, he had his wallow in sorrow moment, and then he started scrambling to try and do what he could.

He's become enemied to Targossas and Hashan, and at this point, if he were ever to be granted forgiveness of his fines, be'd probably spit on missive and burn it, or punch the messenger in the face if they wore Targossan or Hashani colors. I never thought I'd play a character with the flaw of blind hate or distrust, but after considering how deep the wounds cut for Synthus, it makes sense.

During the fights, Synthus was at the very least a net benefit. Not by a lot, but a benefit is still better than dragging the rest of the team down. There were a number of times that he managed to impale Hailqas'an, and while he knew it wasn't doing much toward the way of damaging the Tsol'teth, he absolutely enjoyed every moment of stabbing that bastard sword through her and pinning her to the ground with it. It's going to be interesting now seeing how Synthus plays out, especially if there are no outlets for his newfound rage and fury. 

I do believe the capstone of his development is rather intriguing, which I'm not sure if it's more a decent into hatred or cruelty, a tragic, twisted sense of duty, or a childish fear of loss. When the Mhun tunneled into Mhaldor, the concern was raised by Cyreneans that Moghedu may do the same to them. The first thought he had upon hearing that was "If I find a single scout in our sewers, I will carve the Pachacacha through the Mhojave and drown every last one of them. Their home will become a watery grave."

Hypocritical? Very. Dark? Very. Interesting and fun? Oh you damn right it's gonna be.

---

From a player perspective, I realize that the last time I spoke in this thread it wasn't exactly with the best foot forward. It's not exactly been the best of times for myself - it's actually been one of the shittiest, but no matter what happened it's still no excuse for my attitude. There was a lot said that was directed at me, and after a while, I decided it was best to take the advice given by a few and step away from responding for a bit. I still watched the discussion develop, I took a lot of what was said, thought it through and over. I took a day off, stepped back for a bit to try and refocus, and then stepped forward when I felt I could. Thank you, @Athelas, @Jinos, @Palusa, @Ryssa, and @Telendrieth for your words.

Cyrene holds a very special place in my heart as a player. Like I said of Synthus, the occupation broke him, and as a player, it damn near broke me. To see it retaken, to see it survive, is beyond relief. To be given the chance to fight for it though, to rush in with the rest of the Resistance, that was more than just uplifting. I've been pretty steadily listening to the Destiny 2 OST as I've been playing, and as the Resistance began making their way to Cyrene, "Into the Light" queued up, the tension and crescendo both building as the Hycanthus lit the fuse and blew a way into Cyrene. The Resistance flooding into Cyrene as the percussion line and brass kicked in made it all the better. I know, it's probably a bit of dorky, melodramatic rambling, but the orchestral impact of the pieces made for accenting moments perfectly, and will leave me with memories of this event every time I listen to them now.

Retaking Cyrene was cathartic in a sense, the close to a dark chapter in so many more ways than one. Fight's not done, event's not over, there is still the risk of losing a lot more, but for now there's a bit of respite in the Tide.

I know I've @'d a lot of people to thank, but I also wanna thank @Eril, @Keorin, @Onofor, @Astarod, and @Tasus for adding to the event, interacting with Synthus in unique and interesting ways, and for more or less giving him a direction in the chaos.

---

And with that said, on a last note, @Makarios, I hope that you have a swift and safe recovery. I know I've been rather critical and particularly vocal about my frustrations with this event, but I still appreciate the immeasurable work you and the rest of the Garden put into these events for us. We all miss you dearly.

Alright, verbose ramble done, why the hell do we let this crazy guy talk anymore?

Babel

Revel in despair, destruction and loss.

Little else provides the same character-building impetus and sheer emergent fun in roleplay. Victories are transient and fleeting, easily forgotten, but slights and wounds can sometimes permanently and irrevocably alter the course of your character in ways you could've never imagined. Cherish it.

Tasus

Babel said:

Revel in despair, destruction and loss.

Little else provides the same character-building impetus and sheer emergent fun in roleplay. Victories are transient and fleeting, easily forgotten, but slights and wounds can sometimes permanently and irrevocably alter the course of your character in ways you could've never imagined. Cherish it.

Definitely have to agree with you on the this. Tasus is different from how he wasn’t when the event started. Mostly he’s confused on where he needs to be doing things. 

Palusa

Synthus said:

I do believe the capstone of his development is rather intriguing, which I'm not sure if it's more a decent into hatred or cruelty, a tragic, twisted sense of duty, or a childish fear of loss. When the Mhun tunneled into Mhaldor, the concern was raised by Cyreneans that Moghedu may do the same to them. The first thought he had upon hearing that was "If I find a single scout in our sewers, I will carve the Pachacacha through the Mhojave and drown every last one of them. Their home will become a watery grave."

Hypocritical? Very. Dark? Very. Interesting and fun? Oh you damn right it's gonna be.

---

Also, droppinga @Palusa's motivation for a second, Everyone in Cyrene who took part, who didn't just sort of roll over now has a very, very powerful piece of resolve to always carry with them. You've all done an exceptionally rare thing both in game, and hell, in reality. You took back your home, you fought tooth and nail to reclaim your land. Bear in mind while I want to avoid drawing specific examples because in reality it often brings a ton of complications both good and bad, that this is an INSANELY powerful tool to inform RP, empower players who went through it. Cyrene is yours, and being Cyrenian has gone from being something brought about a very long time ago by what seems to boil down to "We killed a dragon after it ate everyone else and the denizens didn't really have anyone else to turn to" to this. 

OOC Don't forget it, IC don't let anyone else forget it.

Synthus

Babel said:

Revel in despair, destruction and loss.

Little else provides the same character-building impetus and sheer emergent fun in roleplay. Victories are transient and fleeting, easily forgotten, but slights and wounds can sometimes permanently and irrevocably alter the course of your character in ways you could've never imagined. Cherish it.

I agree now. I didn't back then and I'm still a little hesitant on saying "Yeah, this was a good idea!" overall, but I cannot deny that the ordeal was a veritable crucible for character development. I mostly question "at what cost?", but that will be an interesting question to find the answer to over time.

I understand the whole "hero's journey" descent, abyss, ascent bit now more than I did when it began. I would say the tragedy is the wound, and the victory the salve though, as fleeting as they are. It's going to take time to heal and it's going to leave a scar, but without that victory to salve, the wound would fester and rot.

I probably could have elaborated more, but I'm all worded out after that last post. I will definitely cherish it though. 

Jiraishin

This event hasn't really wrought dramatic changes in Jir, though there's been subtle character development... but the -last- event he was involved in has him asking a citymate for confirmation every time he sees a world emote or unfamiliar atmospheric, just to make sure it's not all in his head. Still. He still does this. Damned if it doesn't seem like I've permanently wrecked his nerves.

Synthus

Palusa said:

Also, dropping @Palusa's motivation for a second, Everyone in Cyrene who took part, who didn't just sort of roll over now has a very, very powerful piece of resolve to always carry with them. You've all done an exceptionally rare thing both in game, and hell, in reality. You took back your home, you fought tooth and nail to reclaim your land. Bear in mind while I want to avoid drawing specific examples because in reality it often brings a ton of complications both good and bad, that this is an INSANELY powerful tool to inform RP, empower players who went through it. Cyrene is yours, and being Cyrenian has gone from being something brought about a very long time ago by what seems to boil down to "We killed a dragon after it ate everyone else and the denizens didn't really have anyone else to turn to" to this. 

OOC Don't forget it, IC don't let anyone else forget it.

To be entirely honest, I'm still somewhat surprised we pulled it off. It's never going to be forgotten, and definitely, we are never going to let the world forget. We took back our home, we delivered final death unto a Tsol'teth, and we screamed at the world, "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH OUR DRAGON!"

Also...

"In order to ensure the security and continuing stability, the Cyrenean Republic will be reformed into the first Cyrenean EMPIRE! For a safe and secure society!" - Emperor Palpathus, 850 AF

I can dig it. 

Asmodron

Synthus said:

Palusa said:

Also, dropping @Palusa's motivation for a second, Everyone in Cyrene who took part, who didn't just sort of roll over now has a very, very powerful piece of resolve to always carry with them. You've all done an exceptionally rare thing both in game, and hell, in reality. You took back your home, you fought tooth and nail to reclaim your land. Bear in mind while I want to avoid drawing specific examples because in reality it often brings a ton of complications both good and bad, that this is an INSANELY powerful tool to inform RP, empower players who went through it. Cyrene is yours, and being Cyrenian has gone from being something brought about a very long time ago by what seems to boil down to "We killed a dragon after it ate everyone else and the denizens didn't really have anyone else to turn to" to this. 

OOC Don't forget it, IC don't let anyone else forget it.

To be entirely honest, I'm still somewhat surprised we pulled it off. It's never going to be forgotten, and definitely, we are never going to let the world forget. We took back our home, we delivered final death unto a Tsol'teth, and we screamed at the world, "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH OUR DRAGON!"

Also...

"In order to ensure the security and continuing stability, the Cyrenean Republic will be reformed into the first Cyrenean EMPIRE! For a safe and secure society!" - Emperor Palpathus, 850 AF

I can dig it. 

I meaaaan, not to be -that- guy but technically the Tsol'teth abandoned Cyrene (and poor Hailqas'an) and Hailqas'an killed herself...but details are just details >.>

I hope these events have prepared you for what comes next. Event feels far from over.