childrenofbahamutlogs | EVENT #2: BRAIN BOGGLING

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EVENT #2: BRAIN BOGGLING

A CRASH IN THE NIGHT

In the dark hours of a snowy early morning, a sudden BOOM can be heard all across Town. It is swiftly followed by sounds of warping metal and then a screeching crash. Curious, albeit groggy, residents emerge only to find a smoking wreck just a mile outside of Town.

The strange craft appears to be almost nautiloid in shape with wrenched, broken tendrils streaming out the opening.

Much of it is metal although some of it almost seems... organic.

Those who with to get a closer look will be met by Charlie and Dimitri who are already on the job. They request curious onlookers keep their distance since this craft is, without a doubt, tremendously dangerous.

Later in the day, there appears to be an outfit of officials coming from the west to investigate and clean up the wreckage. Thankfully(?), you will all find out soon enough what's going on.

INVESTIGATION & PROTECTION

Deathcard Cabin by Jonah Senzel

4:07 / 13:06

▶︎

Click here to listen.

From the Inscryption OST: A unique and haunting sound paired with a unique and haunting game.

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Charlie reports to the citizens of Town that an Illithid cargo transport. The pilot did not survive the crash, but they appeared to be transporting some kind of new breed of Intellect Devourers.

"We do not yet know what this new breed is capable of, but..."

Charlie does give everyone a rundown of what an Illithid and what an Intellect Devourer is, what they are capable of, and a keen warning to tread lightly. Many dead ones were discovered in the cargo but several of the enclosures were damaged in the crash and the likelihood of escapees is high.

Charlie reiterates: These creatures are to be killed on sight, or contained until someone can kill it. If you are not confident in your combat abilities, please remain in your homes as much as possible and seal all openings to your dwelling. Those who are capable though are urged to begin patrols of Town alongside Slayd, Dimitri and himself to ensure that Town and the surrounding areas are safe.

Please travel in pairs or groups, do not be alone! Attack from a distance when possible. Hoshiko will offer her assistance as a markswoman as well by picking off any Intellect Devourers from a distance that she can for those that are forced to travel alone. (Don't worry about any jokes she makes of her service not being cheap though. Charlie wouldn't actually let her charge you anything.)

Unfortunately, not even they can predict the blizzard that rolls through Town in the midst of all this. If you happen to see anything skittering through the snow, don't panic too much. It could just be a tiny woodland creature looking for a warm burrow to hide away in!

At least you hope it is.

PROMPT #3

Hybrid intellect devourers are unique from the regular ones in that the goal is not to kill their target, but to gather intelligence and act as a kind of spy network.

They will flee when confronted directly by greater numbers, but will attack a lone target. They do this by jumping at the target's head and wrapping a wet tendril around their neck. They will choke who they've wrapped around if anyone tries to remove it. They are also far more likely to try and attack sleeping target (hence the advice to keep your homes closed!).

These hybrids emit spores that will keep the target asleep during feeding. Their primary goal appears to be infiltrating the targets' minds and absorbing some of their memories. The target will have their mind left mostly intact... though they may suffer short term memory loss, confusion, distress, fatigue and head pain.

Here's where the fun starts!

Once one of these critters has fed on someone, they are onto their next target. When a fed Intellect Devourer feeds from another target, that target may absorb some of the previous target's memories. This can span across multiple victims and be erratic in whose memories taint whose mind. The memories will cross-pollinate in the form of dreams or waking visions and hallucinations.

If one of these creatures is killed, it will explode, releasing a powerful psionic wave and the memories it had absorbed from any recent targets. Anyone within ten (10) yards of the dying creature will be afflicted with extreme head pain in the short term and also witness the memories of it's previous victims.

Enjoy your muddled memories and leggy brain-hunting!

The outfit of people who have come to investigate are from New Svihelen's disaster containment squad and are investigating the hybrid creatures and the possible reason for an Illithid ship to crash here of all places. Right now, the running theory is that interference from the selfsame summoning circle that brought you all here could have caused the interplanar navigation systems of the ship to malfunction but nothing has been determined yet.

Eventually, these creatures will all be rounded up and taken care of. They are persistent and stealthy though in their efforts to survive above all else. Charlie assures that they're doing all they can to make Town safe once and for all but it will take some time.

Notes

⁂ The partner plotting post for this event/quarter is also up!

⁂ Additionally, we have a state of the game post available for people to read about updates, clarifications, and housekeeping items!

⁂ If you have any further questions or feedback about this event specifically, please comment here!

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The nectar's no Midheal as far as healing items go, but there's no actual physical damage, as far as he can tell. Paranoia vis a vis creepy monsters leaping out from the shadows soothed for now, Popp lights an actual candle and sets it up in a lantern. He sure doesn't plan on going back to sleep for a while. He paces around the room, restless and ready to spring into action. If only there was any action!

"No kidding! It didn't actually eat anything out of my head, I'm not missing anything..." Although if it did how would he know? Not thinking about that!

How would he know if he was missing anything is also a question on Avan's mind, but Yarrow is quick to point out that Avan was also victim to the devourer while he slept and if he was missing anything, Yarrow would notice. While Popp paces around anxiously, Avan leans on the counter calmly, his tail swinging lazily behind him.

"Hmm, maybe it feeds on energy or dreams or something like that." Like memories, apparently? But did he get this memory of Popp's because he interrupted the feeding, or...?

"Are you sure you don't feel strange in any way?"

"Of course I do! A brain eating monster died wrapped around my head!"

Gestures to his head to indicate where he had a selection of gross tentacles tentacling all over him. Pace pace pace. Uuugh he has to say it.

"I think I caught some of your memories, actually - I guess it... dropped them...? You've still got all of yours, right?!"

Again, how would he know?! Amnesia is kind of a sore point for Popp and he's never at his best right after he wakes up. He's a growing boy he needs his ten hours.

"You're acting like you normally do, after all! I mean, you did take that thing out like a real swordsman, but..."

It's hard to imagine how having fewer memories would make you better at anything, especially just some very sad memories of your grandfather... This train of thought abruptly sparks. Popp is very close to putting things together.

Avan rubs the back of his head. "Ahaha, when I saw it on you, it was like my body reacted on its own!" It's not... entirely inaccurate?

"But I still feel pretty normal. I think the only way to know if I'm missing memories is if you tell me what they are!"

"Oh, yeah. Dai does that kind of thing too. He was just some kid with no real training, but he saved me from a gargoyle about five minutes after we met." Saying it out loud this time. It's very normal to have flashes of combat genius, Avan! Lots of cool people are combat geniuses and still manage to live fulfilling lives.

Maybe don't think too hard about why Popp would have had trouble with a gargoyle, though. Why didn't he just say monster.

"Uhhh. You... remember your grandfather, right?"

He has no idea what he's going to say if the answer is no.

Ohhhh, somebody got Fizzled~ Avan doesn't have to think too hard to figure that one out at all. Fortunately, there are more important matters at hand than teasing Popp.

"I would definitely notice if my memories of my grandfather were missing! He was no small part of my life!"

Oh thank goodness.

"Right, right, of course you would!"

Popp is actually pretty good at putting on a fake, upbeat smile. He learned from copying an expert, after all. It cracks in short order, though, he knows he has to talk about this even if he doesn't want to. He grits his teeth and just says it as fast as possible to get it over with.

"He was famous and had all kinds of connections, but none of them cared about him enough to show up for the funeral! It's not right!"

He's doesn't start outright crying again, but his voice shakes. He didn't even get any direct memories of the guy, but he's still pretty upset second hand.

"Ah--" When Popp asked him if he remembered his grandfather, Avan was expecting that Popp had gotten a memory of the man, not... the after. That statement's not quite enough for him to nail down exactly what memory Popp got, but it certainly does narrow down the possibilities. None of it's anything he really wants to talk about, but he should at least clarify.

"I think you might have misunderstood the situation, Popp," he says with a nervous, awkward smile. "My grandfather wasn't especially famous or well-connected; at least, not more than any other noble. Anyone who informed us that they wouldn't be at the funeral only did that much out of a sense of propriety. We were never actually expecting any of them to come."

So it's totally fine that they didn't, see? Don't think too hard about why that was the expectation and how that's where the actual injustice lies, okay?

"That's not any better!"

As many of Popp's enemies have learned and as Avan is currently learning, Popp can think pretty hard when something he cares about is on the line.

"They made you afraid of turning out like him, when that's something you should have been proud of!"

Despite wailing with emotion, so overcome that he's shaking physically now, Popp has no evidence for Avan I's actual personality. He doesn't have any memories of the living man, as established, but he does know that Avan III is proud of his family name for a reason, and if he's someone Avan cares about, he has to be worth it. Besides, Master Avan being good at absolutely everything is something that Popp admired about him greatly!

That hits hard, a piercing shot straight through the thick walls Avan's built around his heart, and for a moment, he's visibly taken aback.

And then he rallies, a soft smile sliding into place as he gently places his hands on Popp's shoulders. "I am proud of my grandfather. He was a great man, intelligent and caring." That wasn't really Popp's point and he knows it, but it's much easier to talk about his grandfather than about his feelings.

Siiiigh, now that he's looking for it, he can tell that Avan is slithering away. This is exactly the kind of shit Popp does all the time, even if his preferred weapon is stupid jokes and not accurate sentiment.

"But... are you proud of yourself? Or of the man you could be, if you stopped holding back all the time? I think you should be! I've met him, you know, and he's really great himself! Smart and kind, just like Avan the First, and strong, and brave!"

In contrast, Popp's not really capable of being sentimental without ripping out his whole heart on the spot and pinning it to his sleeve. While he idolizes his first and most beloved teacher, this is one area in which Popp is entirely himself.

Ah, Roka's asked him similar before, albeit in very different circumstances. Don't you have any pride? And the simple fact is... he doesn't. Why should he? He's exceptional, sure, but that's just an objective truth. The thought of attaching any sort of sentimentality to that just isn't something he can relate to. After all, it's just as his future self said. That power isn't something he has for his own sake.

His future self.... He can see why Popp admires him so much, at least. Proud isn't the right word for it, but he's glad to see it.

"You know, I did see your master! When the intellect devourer died, I got one of your memories from it, too! I think I understand him a lot better now that I've seen him for myself."

In spirit, that's his question answered. In practice - Popp is honestly a little concerned about which memory Avan got now! Of course it can't be anything bad, or he wouldn't be smiling like that, but odds are that past Popp was being kind of a handful.

Pride in himself is a problem he shares and for an entirely different reason than Avan actually has.

"Really? What kind of memory?"

He's happy that Avan gets to see his admirable future self either way, of course! But also.

"Do you... also understand me a little more?"

"I understand that you're bad at handling Fizzle," Avan says with a shit-eating grin. Distraction secured. Sincerity hours are over.

Popp's spine goes rigid in an instant for much different Nerves Reasons than the shivers, which are instantly overridden.

"A lot of monsters can do it! And it's a lot harder remembering which ones can when they're right there in person and not on a chalkboard!"

Edited 2025-02-26 23:28 (UTC)

Avan sighs, in what is surely a familiar disappointed way. Seems he doesn't find Popp's excuses any more acceptable at 16 than he did at 31. But instead of the usual lecture that would follow, Avan just scrunches his face up thoughtfully.

"...I guess it doesn't matter so much here. Even if this world also has monsters that can disrupt your casting ability, you could still turn into a dragon."

Popp is so quick to take the open escape route that he completely fails to notice that Avan dodged talking about this alleged memory in any detail whatsoever.

"Right?! I think it takes most people way more than half a year to learn Puff, so even if all of this was a huge pain, it's also a huge shortcut."

Avan taps his chin thoughtfully. "It seems like it's a lot easier than casting Puff must be, too, since you did it completely on instinct."

"I don't even feel that tired, magically."

Popp isn't great at judging how much power he has left, but it doesn't feel much lower than he'd expect to have after a good night's rest... and this was not what you would call a good night's rest, honestly. If your roommate has to wake you up while wielding live steel, it's a really bad night's rest! He flops over the kitchen table and yawns.

"Puff took a lot out of even your future self, but... whatever this costs to use doesn't have anything to do with spellcasting, I don't think."

He's going to learn Puff in the future? Now that's interesting. It's not exactly a common spell!

"Yes, that would make sense. There are many exceptional people here, but that doesn't mean they can all use magic! It seems to be an inherent ability of the dragons of this world, and now that extends to us, too." He frowns and crosses his arms. "It's too bad about the timing. Now's not a great time to be experimenting outside."

Turning into a dragon on purpose without knowing how big he'll be would be... inadvisable to do indoors.

Avan isn't exactly a common person!

"Yeah... being a dragon doesn't give you extra mental defenses, and it's cold besides."

A cool new ability and now there's all these obstacles in the way of using it, isn't that always the way. At least Popp has his personal skill to fall back on: that's right it's whining.

"I'm cold, for that matter, couldn't these things have attacked in the day when it's warmer?"

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EVENT #2: BRAIN BOGGLING

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