childrenofbahamutlogs | EVENT #3: VORRUN WELCOMES YOU

Entry tags:

EVENT #3: VORRUN WELCOMES YOU

A CALL FOR AID

Charlie comes on the network with a grim expression. Some papers are held in one hand and Dimitri stands like a statue behind him.

"I have received an urgent request from our neighbors to the east, Vorrun. Their council has heard of your good work for the local communities and has requested assistance with a sudden influx of aggression in the local wildlife and a disturbing trend of monster attacks. Vorrun has suffered losses in the past and the current population is struggling to keep these assailants at bay.

They have requested our help in not only fending off the attacks, but figuring out the source of the issue.

We will secure transport to Vorrun via a small wagon caravan.

This is wholly optional and you may stay in Town if you like! Or, you can visit Vorrun as a tourist during this time. I just ask that you are polite and sensitive to our hosts. We will be leaving tomorrow at eight AM. Dimitri will remain in Town for those who do not wish to attend."

To do what, exactly? Well... Now might be as good a time as any to begin testing your skills as a newfound dragon.

To those that will be traveling to Vorrun though, Charlie ends with: "Thank you, we hope to see you bright and early!"

HAPPY HELPERS

Vorrun is a city-state located in a steep valley nestled between two mountain ranges. As such, it is blessed with a verdant landscape and plenty of rain. The mornings often come covered in mist that lifts throughout the day but adds an ethereal quality to the locale.

The people of Vorrun tend to be largely Beastmen due to this being a sanctuary for them. Very few children of men live in the city, but there are some here and there who have earned the local's trust and respect. The architecture is reminiscent of what some offworlders recognize feudal Japan.

All around, the locals go about their business as usual. There is an undercurrent of anxiety due to the recent attacks yet most appear to be doing the best they can to remain optimistic. They are also wary of newcomers given the rather isolated nature of the place. Once you engage with the people though, they are overall polite and friendly.

While offworlders learn for more information on how they'll be helping as Charlie and Nobu meet initially, there are a handful of things to do around the city-state.

Hot Springs

bonded with dragon souls though

may be more pronounced

Community Service

endear the local populace

Enjoy The Local Plum Wine

plum wine

increase in luck

eight (8) hours

Hide & Seek

find her kids and tell them that supper is almost ready.

twenty or so

disguised themselves

HUNTING FOR ANSWERS

GAL-OTHY-MOS by Hiroyuki Sawano

1:15 / 5:09

▶︎

Click here to listen.

Hiroyuki Sawano is a Japanese composer, arranger, lyricist, pianist, and music producer best known for his work on many anime series, video games, television dramas, and films. His pieces tend to have exceedingly strange titles, featuring numbers, symbols, and letters from various different alphabets. He stated that he decided this because he wants "people to be able to listen to the songs in their own way and have their own reaction."

code

After a day or so of delegations and working through red tape, offerworlders are allowed to investigate among the mountain range. Their instructions are provided by Nobu who appears to be an authoritative leader.

Everyone is warned again about the increased aggression of the surrounding monsters, but hopefully a cause might be found.

It is recommended to work in pairs.

ABANDONED BATTLEFIELD

The war-torn remnants of an old battlefield from Vorrun's war with the orcs. Old, broken weapons and armaments stand as ghostly relics of the horrors that this place saw.

⁂ Possible Encounters: Poltergeist, Troll, Troll Mutate

⁂ Item of Interest: Ornate spear - Amongst a collection of broken spears, this one is intact and without wear

ROVAAN NAH'S GRAVE

In the bottom of a crystal clear pool, the massive bones of an Ancient Dragon lay undisturbed. This is the final resting place of the great Draconic Saint, Rovaan Nah: The Roaming Fury.

⁂ Possible Encounters: Allosaurus, Boar, Elk

⁂ Point of Interest: Black, oily sludge seeps from a rock nearby the water. It hasn't contaminated it yet but appears to be oozing that way.

MOUNTAINSIDES

The high cliffs make for a difficult hike, but for a dragon with wings, they are no obstacle. Lush moss hangs from every surface and the ferns are thick. This old-growth forest feels just packed with secrets.

⁂ Possible Encounters: Awakened Giant Wasp, Giant Lizard, Roc, Corrupted Orc

⁂ Item(s) of Interest: A bundle of scrolls is hidden in a tree somewhere. Trying to read them gives one a headache and appears to be in a language that is indecipherable to most.

CASCARA PASS

You can only come through this way with an escort from Vorrun. The pass is dark and full of winding passages. One could easily get lost if they did not know the way by memory. Take care and avoid deep pools of water here. Tempting as they might be to jump in, the escort advises against it.

⁂ Possible Encounters: Aurumvorax, Cloaker, Dire Flat Worm

⁂ Item of Interest: Abandoned along the pass is an old, charred painting of a woman in a veil, with inscription "fire purifies all" along the bottom.

WAYSIDE BAY

A hidden bay that Vorrun receives their trade through. It is a small but busy port is bustling at all hours and well-guarded. They will, of course, let investigators come through and see what they can find. Yet, they will be under close watch so no funny business.

⁂ Possible Encounters: Elemental Spirit (water), Flail Snail, Giant ~~Enemy~~ Crab

⁂ Item of Interest: Hidden by the sand under a dock is a Draconic Medallion. It is of obvious importance, but exactly what can't be determined.

Notes

⁂ If you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback relating to this post then you can leave it here.

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

⁂ Please sign up here to see if your character finds the item/point of interest listed in the searchable areas. We will be RNGing for who finds them. Even if your character doesn't find the artifact mentioned in the post, we will be giving other clues, information, and so on to everyone that receives something if investigating.

⁂ These artifacts are also meant to spark discussion and theories among characters rather than actually answer what's going on here. We encourage those who find the artifacts to share this information ICly! All will be revealed... in due time! For now, have fun putting the puzzle pieces together.

⁂ The sparring requests page is now live! We hope it's a fun little surprise that people enjoy utilizing. It's for fun, mostly, but also to provide an IC avenue for characters to get more comfortable with their new dragon selves.

⁂ Thank you for your patience on this post as we recovered from a difficult April! We hope you enjoy visiting Vorrun and look forward to the changes we'll be making re: the quest board and a couple of other adjustments planned!

⁂ Full Navigation ⁂

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Caspar is more than happy to keep talking - in general, of course, but especially right now. Silence means room to think, and... no, thank you. Not here, not now.

Even he could admit - even before his last battle - that there was something unsettling about a battlefield after the dust settled. There was a reason victories were usually celebrated elsewhere; without the excitement of combat, the blood and adrenaline, all that remained on the site itself was a whole lot of death.

"At least, if it happens somewhere nobody lives, there's less chance of innocent people getting hurt." He gets that sometimes you gotta pick your sites based on tactical importance, and sometimes that means somewhere with people - but that doesn't mean he feels great about it. "...But it sure does look creepy, left that way."

Edited 2025-05-16 21:24 (UTC)

"I'm innocent people and I'm going to get hurt regardless."

Popp has never been in an armed conflict that he considers morally gray. And not that many that he's ended able to walk under his own power, for that matter.

"But I get what you mean, I always get worked up when there's someone else who could get hurt or killed if I don't do something. For a while, thinking about that was the only way I could make myself fight."

Two suits of armor here have fallen back to back, further evidence of what happened to them grown over by plants. He wonders if any of the soldiers here were fighting for similar reasons. Probably. Everyone wants to protect their friends, right?

The fact that Popp was not joking (and also they're surrounded by corpses and he's stressed as hell) won't stop Caspar from laughing. "Fair, fair!"

He's willing enough to categorize Popp as innocent!! Even knowing Popp has seen a fair bit of combat himself, he can easily assume the circumstances were... rather different than Caspar's own, messy situation.

"Yeah, of course - no greater motivation than someone needing help! Though, then again, I like fighting, so it's easier for me to begin with. All the bigger deal when someone doesn't, but can still do what they've gotta."

Man, Caspar is really nice. Yeah, a lot of people here are, but they're either a lot older or not experienced warriors at all. He's really easy to talk to.

"Heh. I still don't really like getting involved in dangerous things, but I'm used to it by now. And winning against tough foes I never would have dared stand up to a couple years ago feels pretty good!"

Popp hunkers down to take a closer look at the armor and tries to memorize the bits of sigil and such on it, so he can draw it for someone in town later.

"The Dark Army had a lot of beastmen like the people here, but these guys are friendly. I can't even tell which side here was good and which side was evil, with them all withered away and grown over like this."

"Hey, that's the spirit!" He pumps his fist. "Nothin' like taking someone down you'd never think you could have - actually seeing your own growth, right in front of you."

He drops his fist, though, and tilts his head curiously at Popp's last comment. "Like, who was on which side? I guess it's pretty hard to tell this way, yeah. Maybe if we really went through to look at the armor we could get an idea of it, but... that'd seem pretty disrespectful."

He nods along - yeah, yeah! Caspar gets it!

"You're right - even if I was dead, I'd be pissed if I saw a bunch of strangers messing around with my body, like some kind of graverobber."

Or a looter, since they're aboveground and all. This feels like the kind of thing that gets you restless spirits.

"I'd also be kinda pissed off that nobody came back and dug me a real grave."

"Huuuh, yeah." Caspar looks around as they walk, kind of... mentally counting up bodies. Mostly what he's got is that there are a lot.

"...How long d'you think that would take, anyway?"

You know. For all of them.

Edited 2025-05-23 04:54 (UTC)

Popp slumps. "No idea. I mean, the only time I've had to do stuff like that, there wasn't really... much left. To bury."

A crater full of blood and rubble. A pair of broken glasses. The worst day of Popp's life.

"Maybe flowers and a blessing would be good enough...? Ugh, we need a priest around for this kind of stuff. I think that Byleth guy's something like that? He lived in a church for a while, anyway..."

"Oh... man. I'm sorry." Caspar has seen plenty of death, sure - but it's clear to him that this was someone Popp really cared about, and their death must have been... pretty grisly.

He doubts it would do the other boy much good, though, to dwell on it. Caspar is more than happy to move along to the next thought. "Better'n nothing. Probably worth asking that guy, at least - I don't think I've met him yet, though, so you'd need to show me to him if we're gonna ask about it."

In another time - another version of events - Caspar wouldn't be able to fathom simply living his life without ever knowing Byleth. Now... he might recognize the famed Ashen Demon by sight, but the man's actual name doesn't ring any bells.

"Flowers sound like a good start, if nothing else. Gotta be someone selling some back in town, right-- or, in Vorrun." Y'know. As opposed to Town.

It's been months, by now Popp is well practiced at being sad in the moment and then making himself do something else or else he can and will waste the whole day wallowing. They have a town to save from monsters that might or might not be angry ghosts!

"He's really nice and makes soup. Hm, did he come along on this one or not? He's also pretty quiet, and I was uh, distracted for a lot of the ride over..."

He was in a mutual annoyance battle with Emet-Selch. In present day, he's talking very quickly in order to drown out anything else going on in his brain.

"So we'll go with flowers! I can make a good wreath if the stems are long enough, but it's not that hard to do. Even a tough guy with ham hands could manage it."

"Huuuh... well, what's he look like? I can keep an eye out when we get back, and if he's around I'll check with him!"

He nods eagerly at the suggestion. "Hey, that's a good idea! I dunno that I've made anything like that before, but I can help out - if my ham hands really can do it." Caspar adds that last part with a grin. "Actually, if it's anything like braiding hair, that I know now to do."

"Well, sometimes he looks like a man with light green hair, and sometimes he looks like a feathered steel dragon. Or somewhere between the two. His face is kind of... he looks like he'd be cold-hearted, but like I said, he's nice. If you're trying to work out what his mood is, it's easier if you watch his wings."

While Popp does have access to a photographic reference of Byleth, what he does not have is a photographic reference of Byleth not in some fancy religious rope underwear, which would give Caspar the wrong idea about a lot of things. Thanks, pixies.

Ahem.

"It's probably close? I don't braid a lot of hair."

He grins and runs his hand over his own hair, which promptly springs back up into his signature spiky swoop.

"Whose hair do you play around with? A girlfriend back home?"

Caspar has a lot of fine qualities and Popp likes hanging out with him as is, but it'd be perfect if he was the sort of guy who could give him advice on ~girls~. With all the role modelish types around here, you'd think that would be easier, but it really isn't!

Caspar nods along, making mental note of Popp's description of this Byleth guy. "Sounds easy enough to find in a crowd! I'll keep him in mind."

Unfortunately, Popp will absolutely not be getting any advice on girls from the guy who, in another timeline, earnestly asked a woman who invited him to her room while pointedly leaning toward him cleavage-first if she needed help moving furniture. Case in point: Popp was asking if he meant a girl who was a friend, right? "Nah, Linhardt's a guy!"

He keeps going cheerfully, oblivious that he may have just dashed his friend's hopes of finally getting some kind of dating tips. "He's always kept his hair pretty long, but he used to forget to tie it up, and it'd get in the way when he was training and reading and stuff... so I used to help out with it a lot."

Popp droops a little, the slim lifeline of one (1) relatable example of heterosexuality existing in his social circle whisking out of his grasp yet again. He's emotionally savvy in a wide range of areas with, admittedly, some large blind spots - he's pretty sure that Caspar is talking about a male friend and is just... stupid, in addition to being a good and reliable friend. This doesn't mean he's not looking for further teasing avenues. This is just who Popp is as a person.

"You think he really forgot every time, or just wanted you to play around with his hair?"

He snickers while searching around in the grass for some good flowers - it's mostly your basic wildflower mix out here, which is honestly ideal for what he's after.

"My mom taught me how to do this - I've got smiths on both sides of the family, so I'm pretty good at crafting and that kind of thing."

Caspar starts to open his mouth to answer - pauses. Scratches at the back of his head, his mouth twisting in thought.

"...Yeah, y'know, he may have just figured out he could get me to do it for him. That sounds like him." Not for any reason to do with Caspar himself, he thinks, beyond that he's really easy to rope into doing things for people. Linhardt always was a fan of the path of least resistance! Liiike changing sides and no, nope, not thinking about that any more.

At least flower-hunting and things other people are good at are pretty effective distractions. "Oh, yeah? That's pretty cool! Must be extra helpful somewhere like this, too."

When you're living in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere and having to repair after, he guesses, brain attacks???? Making things seems like a useful skill to have.

Edited 2025-05-27 22:32 (UTC)

Not having the other person around makes it hard to confirm any suspicions, but that's what jumping to conclusions is for. Popp nods to himself, convinced. Obviously Caspar and his friend Linhardt are into each other but Caspar is stupid. Unlike Popp, who would surely notice in a heartbeat if someone had a crush on him. It's pretty easy to notice a lack of anything on that front, though! Well. He's not absurdly good-looking and he doesn't have a mystical pedigree but he's got his own good points!

"I'm no genius inventor or anything, but it's not hard to pick some stuff up if you pay attention."

Does he frequently not pay attention? Well yes but that's not on trial here. He has acquired a certain amount of carpentry knowledge against his will and in self defense because the alternative is hitting his thumb with a hammer a lot.

"Now look, loop the flower stems around each other like this..."

A stopped clock is right twice a day! And then, thanks to the passage of time, immediately proceeds to be wrong again. Good job, Popp.

"Hey, maybe not for you," Caspar answers cheerfully. From weapons maintenance to kitchen duty, Caspar is pretty sure he's retained next to nothing when it comes to making or fixing, no matter how attentive he tried to be. But that's okay! He knows what he's good for, and it just happens not to be any of that.

All the same, even now, he's watching with genuine interest as Popp demonstrates how to loop the stems together. He pulls off his gauntlets and picks out a couple flowers of his own that he thinks look right, following the motions as closely as he can. "Uh huuuh... like this?"

What would Popp know about clocks; time magic is pretty esoteric. He's also a lot better at caring for weapons than he likes anyone to pick up on - he spent a lot of his preteen years polishing up the store's stock, which was exciting at first and then extremely tedious. Caspar's gauntlets might need some work. But Popp doesn't want to be anything like his dad, he'd rather be more like Master Avan.

"No," he narrowly stops himself from saying 'non, non'. Hero worship or not, he does not have the moxie to pull that off, "you're not tying your boots, Caspar. Like this, see?"

"Okay, okay-- liiike... that?"

...Well, he's closer - but he sure meant it when he said this wasn't something he knew how to do. He squints, looking from Popp's work to his own, as if trying to solve some kind of puzzle.

"I mean, it's less bad, but..."

Popp's honestly not great at learning just from having things explained to him, and he considers himself the smart one in this conversation. He leans forward, grabs Caspar's hands, and fixes his grip on the stems with his usual casual disregard for personal space.

"There, now pull this part through the loop right here."

Fortunately. as a fellow Guy With No Sense Of Personal Space, Caspar doesn't mind! It's genuinely helpful, in fact, being guided so directly through what he's meant to be doing.

Caspar perks up, nodding eagerly at the demonstration. "Ooh, okay, yes, makes sense! Man, I got thrown off a little - that is kind of like braiding, isn't it. Thanks!"

Popp beams. Hey, he's a pretty good teacher after all!

"Yeah, no problem!"

And then he goes back to weaving flowers together in the midst of a haunted battlefield, determined not to let Caspar and his prior braiding experience show him up. He has a lot of brainpower, okay, it's just not always focused on the right target.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT #3: VORRUN WELCOMES YOU

battlefield

Re: battlefield

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject