un: Black Prince; text

[blackscales]

A not unexpected outcome at this point, the dead rising. Especially considering the scratches seen on the inside of the burial boats.

Prior to this little event I spoke briefly to Samuel Vane, since he is native and has travelled extensively. I asked if he had ever sailed here. He mentioned he has, and reported previously that Yancai was boring and puritan, that he expected the dead to be here in some capacity and that in his opinion the village could not defend itself and wouldn't have survived long if swarmed. If it had, he expected it would be via a deal with a dead lord for protection.

Certainly he has not yet been proven wrong.

Some of you may have noticed that during the eclipse the waters around Yancai thickened and darkened. To my senses, this felt like the dark water we have seen previously present in other places with undead. In Ke-Waihu it was healing when chilled and caused mutations when warm and melting, in Serthica it was present in the Remembrance base where they animated mannequins in conjunction with a music box. The tar-covered corpses, too, recall some of the tar-coated creatures in Ke-Waihu inside its volcano. This seemed less... intense than that, but all related.

One additional thing: the black mould in some structures is reminiscent of Serthica, and the sickness there -- albeit less... potent. I wonder how many of these people have died from it. Have a care, as much as I desire to understand what happened here, it should not be at the expense of our own lives.

Comments

un: nah | text.

[damnable]

...suppose people will do whatever they can to survive including making deals with the dead.

Just never really seems to work out to their favor in the end regardless. Also, hi.

[blackscales]

Good to see you.

Unfortunately you are correct, it seems they plan for the short term not the long term consequences.

[damnable]

Good to see you too. How're you enjoying our... moist little adventure here?

Afraid that's not going to change. You hold a sword to someone's throat, they're gonna do the thing that makes the sword not go through their throat... or in this case, you do the thing that makes the dead not go and destroy all your shit. Even if that means being indebted to the dead for uh... the unforeseeable future.

[blackscales]

It is not to my taste.

[ Little is. ]

Neither is such an agreement, although I do of course understand the logic behind it. We've seen it more than once, here, and I have seen it in my home. It seems for many here the undead lords are considered unbeatable and inevitable both.

[damnable]

Shocking.

( But she's teasing, because she figured it would not be to his taste at all - he has far more fancy taste than all this. )

Life's pretty precious like that. They wouldn't want to chance it. But that's one helluva shitty way to see everything. Still I probably would have done the same in their shoes even being as old as I am.

Survival's one of those basic instincts, y'know? Not saying they're right. Just. I get it like you do. Big question is how can we reverse it? Not the first time this groups done the impossible.

[blackscales]

Understanding what happened is usually the first step. In this case, there has been a great deal of talk about a curse.

[damnable]

So I've heard. You got a lot of experience with curses? Can't say it's in my particular wheelhouse.

[blackscales]

Not my speciality, I must confess, although I have been cursed here before. An awful little village which shared out curses as a tradition. I don't think you were with us then, in Ke-Waihu?

[damnable]

I was not, and I'm starting to feel real lucky that I missed out on that venture. Were you able to break your welcome-package gift of a curse in Ke-Waihu? ( or did it just go away when they all left that place? She's hoping if it was breakable, they might have some hint as to what to do here. )

[blackscales]

Yes. I had to atone for the crimes of a long dead village ancestor. Apparently,
this was a privilege.

[ He doesn't agree on the last part.]

[damnable]

Right, yeah, a privilege. Atoning for someone else's crimes. That's some backwards fuckin logic.

People in the afterlife usually have to atone for their own sins, which y'know, at least makes some semblance of sense more so than atoning for someone else's.

[blackscales]

On that we are agreed. My own I could at least understand. The sins of another added a... layer of complexity and frustration. I would not recommend it as a place to visit, myself.

[damnable]

Not that I was planning on vacationing there, but noted.

And how have you been enjoying our current moist stay in the lovely village of curses, and time shenanigans, and also memory fuckery?

[blackscales]

My accommodation is frequently invaded by toads.

[damnable]

...so you're really getting the full on moist experience, I see, since toads are slippery bastards.

[blackscales]

Noisy, too.

[damnable]

And you haven't scared them off yet?

I admire the restraint.

[blackscales]

On the contrary. I have killed so many toads I have lost count.

Most likely, all the toads I have killed are now alive again due to the reversal of time.

[damnable]

That must take the satisfaction out of the kill - that they just come back, moist-er and more annoying than ever.

Do you have any salt?

[blackscales]

I don't want them seasoned.

I want silence.

[damnable]

Yep.

Toads and frogs historically do not like salt. It burns 'em. Get enough salt around your place, it should keep them away. Unless these are fantasy frogs impervious to salt.

[blackscales]

They are toads that are insistent on gathering to croak war plans at each other over the disputed territory of a dark, windowless building.

Seemingly endless in their numbers.

I would not underestimate their limits.

[damnable]

They do seem like pretty majestic, resilient frogs - ready to say 'fuck you to your attempts to silence me, assholes', but hey, can't hurt to try.

I could be your knight in shining salt-bearer here.

For science. And for fun.

[blackscales]

[ Wrathion is envisioning a mountain of salt, briefly. A comically high series of salt dunes, around their building. A wall made out of blocks of salt.

... In a very wet village. ]

Salt dissolves.

[damnable]

You're supposed to say, Thank you, shining knight in armor. How beautiful you are as you rain salt upon the world.




I have no actual fuck if there's even salt in this village. Every meal I've had tasted bland as hell. But y'know, it was a suggestion. I could also shift into Cerberus and stay guard, setting fire to the toads.