In Progress [Phase I] What We Sow

[Snowymaximus]

What We Sow
Event-Chain

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On the banks of the river Sool lies a city of promise, rich and full;
Its streets lined with spices grand, and artisans skilled with a master's hand.
Yet, lived ideals clash with listless deeds; whispers of corruption that it breeds.
As people move with effortless grace, a sense of unease pervades the place.
The choice is yours, adventurer bold: to seek riches or let darkness behold.
But be wary of what lies beneath, for in this city, the truth is hard to unsheathe.
=+=

Welcome to the introduction page of New Soolera's first arc!

How events will work: In this arc, New Soolera is 'growing' as a city, and as a people.
Thus, the city culture may change as the result of the actions taken in and for New Soolera, which will carry into future events, even if indirectly.
Each event will be designed to have certain 'positive' or 'negative' outcomes; decisions that will affect the arc in large or small ways. It's up to the party of each event to influence how the city will change based on their actions, for better or worse. Event types will range from hunts, to political mysteries; from arena fights, to dazzling festivals; smaller, mini-events, to medium sized signup parties, to large public events!

Anything and everything can happen; but think of it like a choose your own (collective) adventure!


City Prosperity: City prosperity will determine the types of events that are held during the arc, the level of violence, attitudes of NPCs, laws, loot, and more. The further the city prosperity is leaning, the harder it may be to shift the balance back. Events and player actions in New Soolera will either add or subtract 'prosperity' onto the scale below, where the further to the right the |x| marker is, the more 'prosperous' the city is. Certain actions may yield a certain amount of prosperity gain or decline, which will be revealed here after each event.
There will be a few phases of the arc, starting with a preliminary phase that will start the city on a general trajectory; each phase will end with a larger event, which will gradually ramp up what happens or can happen, with larger risks, rewards, and potential for failure as the phases go on.

At the aftermath phase (the end of the arc), the city prosperity will determine how New Soolera will operate going forward: as a council, as a city, and as a culture, permanently.

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Current City Prosperity
[ o o o o o |x| o o o o o o o]
Status: -2 Prosperity
| Wary |

Spoiler: Scale

Prosperity scales from -100 to 100
The most a single action can change is at an increment of 10. The least is 1/2.

Preliminary - Sand
[Apr 15] Sands Above I - [x] +1
[Apr 26] Theory in Practice - [x] +1.5
[Apr 28] Sands Below I - [x] -4
[May 3] Sands Above II - [x] +2
[May 12] Sands Below II - [x] -2
[May 13] A Fair Trial - [x] -0.5
[May 23] Sands Below III - [x] -9
[May 24] Sands Above III - [x] +5

Phase I - Seeds
[June 1] Annals in Mourning - [x] +0
[June 3] The Arena of Sand - [x] +1
[June 10] Resolving What's Below - [x] +3

Phase II - ?

Phase III - ?

Aftermath - ?


May your paths be safe...
... And may your travels be eventful

Spoiler: More info

Event links will also be on this page, and the results for each event will be posted here.
Please contact me on Discord (Snowymaximus#8636) if you have any questions or inquiries! If you'd like help with the arc, have ideas, or want to try something, lmk!

To be determined, but there will be some ways learn how to influence prosperity in the New Soolera discord sever, with some parts of the discord being IC. If joining the New Sool faction sounds interesting to you, also feel free to join! General arc updates will also be posted there. Stay tuned!

 

[Snowymaximus]

[ Sands Above I ]
Results: +1 Prosperity
Adventurers brave began their traverse along the mountain peaks;
Climbed high to the east, attempting to find a caravan lost.
Saved the caravan, even if time was not on their side. +2

Respecting the wishes of the Elder,
Leader of the caravan wise,
The group managed to bring back the bodies of
Her daughter, her husband, her brother +2

Tremorbacks, though threats in the mountains,
Were simply migrating from bad weather,
Their anger would pass, as all angers do,
And the group rightly avoided them, leaving their families be. +1

Fought three scorpions in great heroics; three they killed, another one died later in the wild.
One more pair remained.
Though, even if they all the nests they found, they allowed their brood to carry on in some number.
And adventurers gave the guards the prize they wanted,
And attempted to steal them as well... for whatever purpose.
Now a clutch lay somewhere unknown in the world,
And another lay somewhere closer. -3

Ish'Jerait now knows where the remaining nests may be found,
And with nothing to give the academic corps,
Nor another secret revealed from the ruins,
Nor having discovered another hidden secret:
Jal'Barabara will continue to question him to no end;
Then he will be discarded, and the search will continue without him,
Replaced by the academics without empathy for their work. -2

Though, a little girl did get her boots back:
The granddaughter of the caravan Elder will forever be in the debt of strangers.
Though she may never see her parents again,
The actions of the adventurers left these Soolera a better outlook towards outsiders.
So perhaps not all is bad, while company remains true. +1

Electric xVigil Lovelyninja567 Scroll120 Moosh

 

[Snowymaximus]

[ Theory in Practice ]
Results: +1.5 Prosperity
Three foreigners wash ashore,
Their morning holding much in store:
They mingled with the musician caravans,
Making friends, sharing their secrets and knowledge from afar;
Their wealth, shared, shall bring many more to the shores of New Soolera. +2

And much a wake did they leave this morning:
A beggar was left to live another day by their kindness;
Another boys hand was spared from the
Ire of the influential Seckmet caravan. +1

A group of teenage brats were left to think on their behavior,
And though they will cry to their fathers on their broken nose,
They will be reprimanded, and will perhaps grow to learn of their miscreant nature. +1/2

Yet in court, they failed to save young Kaleb from a life of servitude:
A year's worth, perhaps more, unchecked by any authority, except for that of Jal'Baraket.
His sister will cry for him missing,
And a dangerous precedent is set in the commons court. -2

Fronslin Moosh Galaxy

 

[Snowymaximus]

[ Sands Below I ]
Result: -4 Prosperity
Seven adventurers began their voyage downward, beneath the sand.
A small krowler nest they cleared, clearing a way down;
A path to escape, if all else failed. +1

Discovering the miners dead, they investigate their condition:
Each of the bodies caved in; one alive, revealing something important.
They find within the barrels a vial of a strange liquid
An enigmatic acronym; a clue, perhaps?
Yet acted on these signs today, they did not. +0

Though found in a strange state,
Marai the Hammer, the engineer, is saved,
And a cave-in by her make is prevented
After reaching her senses +2

After a tense confrontation,
The group splits down to 4:
Braving caves and scuttering through the sewers;
The hunters became prey,
And the final nests of krowlers and spiders were not destroyed.
The expensive sewer doors were broken.
The guard will have trouble containing the spiders. -3

But the path to escape for Marai was not found;
Physically, mentally,
She finds hereself within the clutches
Of something much bigger,
Her skills, and fate, left to a scarier unknown. -1

And many questions are left unanswered:
Gabriel, and his strange aliments within the mines,
The vials, and their connection with the miners;
Marai; she killed those miners.. right?
What is Rachels relationship with Marai?
Why was their reunion so tense?
And where was Gabriel at the end?
These are left now to be confronted.
Perhaps even more lay unearthed in the sewers.. untouched.
But for now, each untouched piece of this puzzle
Boils in a growing, webbed stew,
brewed well by our adventurers. -3

Corruption takes its first step..
But do not feel discouraged, heroes;
There will be plenty of chances
To set things right again...

Fronslin Electric xVigil Scroll120 Moosh Retro MooWood

 

[Snowymaximus]

[ Sands Above II ]
Results: +2 Prosperity

Six answered the call, eight entered the plateaus;
Four of our party became trapped, fourteen others as well;
Bali was left to suffiocate under the rocks,
Hali, an arrow to their neck.
And while the separated tremorback siblings were saved, +1
Another pair is now dead. -1

While the route of the dead tremorback pack was left unearthed,
And a mystery, left undiscovered in the last survey, still remains;
Instead, on the beaten route, two caravans they found:
The Beckmets and the Seckmets, both families making returns on our adventure.

On the Seckmet caravan, questionable wares they found.
And resolution between elders was not easy to find.
However, emberlarks, unappraised potions, and more were found.
A clue perhaps lay there, however, defiled as an escape, or uninspected. +0

Then, at either exits and entrances, an ambush,
Led by the halfspawn: Suz Sulei.
However, their plan was with many flaws;
And consequentially, the caravans and their children will suffer.
Luckily, our heroes were able to incapacitate the assailants.
Though, Sulei was not as fortunate.
Regardless, they saved the caravans from a terrible fate,
And will forever be indebted to our party. +3

But, leaving the situation in the end to Barabara,
Enables him to maneuver this situation.
How? Well, time will tell. -1

However, why did this bandit group attack these caravans?
Perhaps this will come into light, during their trials.
For now, stay vigilant, heroes.
Not all advances are a clear step forward.

Scroll120 Electric hayhaiya MooWood Magic Intern Fortune

 

[Snowymaximus]

[ Sands Below II ]
Results: -2 Prosperity
In a city's maze they wandered, through district court they strolled,
A map in hand, their guide to secrets yet untold.
In the halls of chance they ventured, mingling with the crowd,
Three merchants crossed their eyes, their whispers growing loud.

Curiosity gripped their souls; miners caught one investigators eye,
Whispers of dark deeds and death, beneath the earth did lie.
A bodyguard they vexed, distracting from his task,
To join a noble's game; their motives concealed, masked.

The cards were dealt, tension rose, stakes high and hearts aflame,
But fate had darker plans; a noble's life at stake, in poison's deadly game.
Swiftly they intervened, belladonna's grip undone,
Their heroics saved a life, a noble's fate outrun. +1

Yet questions lingered in the air, like mist upon the moor,
Who schemed to taint the feast, the benefactor of the pour?
Whose twisted motives dared to dance in shadows deep and dark,
To seek the noble's demise, leaving an indelible mark?
They're out there still, their tracks now well concealed.
Only through great effort will the benefactor be revealed. -1

Unbeknownst to our valiant souls, a greater scheme unfurled,
While they unraveled mysteries, a tapestry unfurled.
In distant corners of the city, whispers sowed their seeds,
A web of plans and treachery, sprouting darkling deeds.
A shadowed figure moved unseen, orchestrating from afar,
Threads of fate entwined, beneath the moon and star.
While their focus honed on clues, within the city's core,
A grander play unfolded, secrets yearning to explore. -2

Will their paths intertwine, these threads both vast and small?
Or diverge like rivers, cascading in their fall?
As the tale weaves onward, truths and falsehoods entwined,
Their destiny awaits, a tapestry yet to unwind.

Fortune TheChibiKiwi Fronslin xVigil BoredBrit Scroll120

 

[Snowymaximus]

[ A Fair Trial ]
Results: -1/2 Prosperity
In New Soolera's council court, the gavel struck its call,
Three bandits stood accused, perpetrators of a ghastly deed.
With smoke they sought to blind, and seize the caravan's gains,
A boy, a man, and a moor elf; their motives held in chains.

The trial began, but interruptions echoed through the air,
A crowd impassioned, voicing descent, fueled by tales unfair.
Whispering visitors spreading through the city; unearthed questions of weak mystery. -1/2

Prosperity here is unearthed by truths;
A lack of honesty, or withheld testimony, hardly soothes:

Barabara presented black powder's presence; spoke of treachery and dread,
Explosions shook the tunnels, where siblings innocence had bled. ?

A Seckmet teenager took the stand, but truth eluded grasp,
Their testimony, inconsistent, entwined within a complex clasp. ?

The elder of Beckmet, her words entangled in a snare,
Unknowingly she paused within the tunnel, leaving chaos there. ?

Emberlarks and swords, the Seckmets bore, with permissions held,
Yet mistrust cast its shadow, as their intentions were compelled. ?

A mother wept, her children scarred, haunted by the night.
Nightmares and health declined; a heartache burning bright. ?

A workers testimony reveals facts on the case,
Revealing naught on the revel of Sulei's beheaded face. ?

To conceal what lies from truth and fiction;
The result here gives the combined court conviction: -1/2, -1/2, -1/2, -1/2, +1/2, +1/2

As confessions came forth, the bandits' guilt could not be denied,
A moor elf faced the gallows, her sentence sealed with pride.
Exile awaited the others, their paths forever changed,
As justice spoke its verdict, their destinies rearranged.
In New Soolera's court, justice is served, the tale unfurled,
Lives entwined by fate's decree, as justice swept the streets.
Now echoes fade, the trial concludes, with questions left to roam,
Within the tapestry of justice, and the seeds of truth finding their home. +1

 

[Snowymaximus]

[ Sands Below III ]
Results: -9 Prosperity
In the heart of a city veiled in whispers,
Three workers tread with purpose in their eyes.
To uncover truths, secrets that lingered,
Their quest for truth: the hidden prize.
Through sandstone streets, their footsteps danced,
Seeking answers in the gambling halls' embrace.
Among the players, their chance to enhance,
Information sought in this risky space.

Yet their task did falter, choices astray,
Drawn into games and mingling affairs.
Though not ideal, their path did sway,
On faster routes, poor choices ensnared.
But one worker, captivated by a bandit's arrival,
Seduced him, through stolen love and devious schemes.
In pursuit of answers, she did prevail,
Unraveling the bandit's dangerous extremes.
Information important to hinder further schemes. +1

Another worker, driven by desperate need,
Assaulted a barkeeper, seeking quick information.
The citizens called for justice with speed,
Guardians arrived, invoking peaceful confrontation.
Yet ran the assailant did, and a chase ensued,
And when the guards attempted to grapple the elven worker,
He cripppled them with bow and arrow in hand.
Now, two workers faced the guards, their blades in hand,
Causing a tumult, anarchy unfurled in brief skirmish.
The captain, Barabara, sought to command the scene,
But panic ignited, their attack unfurled.
Magic conjured, a blizzard took its form,
Lacerated guards succumbed to icy bite.
Limbs and lives lost in the treacherous storm,
As the workers fled into the endless hallways. -5

Through Sooleran halls, they raced with haste,
One was injured, a solid blow the captain did land.
Perhaps the fighting could have stayed at hand, there.
But.. amidst families' laughter and joyful market cheer;
Unaware of the sorrow their actions embraced,
Leaving chaos and grief, a tragedy drew ever near.
A friendship tried forming amidst the chaos' wrath,
Manti, a Ghazal merchant, offered aid and salvation: a hidden path.
But fate's cruel hand clashed with their own mercilessly sought path,
In the blizzard's fury unleashed, it claimed his son.
Through crowds they pressed, leaving ice and death in their wake,
On wings of fire, their escape took flight.
Leaving behind the city with a shattered heartache,
Their quest for truth: cloaked in the eternal night. -5

Electric xVigil hayhaiya

 

[Snowymaximus]

[ Sands Above III ]
Results: +5 Prosperity
Across the barren desert, a party of six and a wanderer
Venture forth to understand nature's shifts.
With purpose in their hearts and minds alive,
They scout the land where evil thrives.

Three other parties diverge, each with their own quest,
Exploring the wilderness, they seek what's best.
But our main heroes stumble upon a sight:
A dying tremorback, wounded in its fight.
Northward they trek, following its gaze into lines of spikes. +0

While their approach falters, their ambush is sprung,
Sons of Sand assailed, their wickedness unsung.
Two hired hands, they left behind, left for dead,
While one is captured, filling their heads
With knowledge of the bandits' hideout,
A captive's whispers unveiling secrets rare. +2

Questions posed, answers revealed,
A Sooleran academic, saved and healed.
They learn of a northern camp, a treacherous den,
More Sons of Sand await, beyond the horizon's ken. +1

South-east they venture, a line of bodies in sight,
A haunting reminder of perils ahead.
Eastward they continue, crossing vast plains,
Where Ghiath Ghazal, the merchant, last words explains -
In an open field of sand: a cryptic scroll,
Its message foreboding, the hidden truth takes its toll.
With courage and might, they face the insect in-waiting,
A battle fought and won, their victory on show. +1

North they march, a rescue they dare,
To save the caravan family, children in their care.
The camp destroyed, the plans of their leader undone,
They foil the group, their triumphs only just begun. +1
With the tremorback pack skinned and slain,
They carry its hides, a valuable feat,
Back to the camp, where knowledge resides -
A secret they hold, evidence they hide. +1
The black powder concealed a dangerous truth,
In its destruction lies protection and sleuth.
Erasing the traces of some perilous quest,
Guarding the fragile balance at nature's behest. -1

Their footsteps mark the sand, a path well-worn,
But the secrets they carry must never be torn.
For the desert's harmony, they silently strive,
Preserving the delicate balance, as long as they survive.
In the depths of the desert, their purpose is unveiled,
The party and a wanderer, their bravery unassailed.
Through trials and battles, they strive to defend
A land now once disrupted, and on them, it shall depend.

[Thus ends the preliminary phase.]

Electric Moody_Mullen Elz Sergeant Freedom Sophe xVigil hayhaiya