Event Start | Turtle Dive

[hazelwood]

Here we are, into the first few days of the diving event. This post is mainly a re-paste of the initial plotting post details, with some added information in response to questions that came in!

Additionally, it's here to share the open log posted to cover the first few days of the event! Mind that use of the party-style log posts is optional and mainly there for group interactions and/or discussions with Lieuen. Feel free to use it for all your logging needs!

Note: A separate open log will be posted at the start of the creepy voyeur jiangshi and covering their infestation of Keeliai. This post is set to go up on January 20th!

January 16th | Dive, Dive, Dive!
Starting mid-morning of the 16th there will be what feels like a series seismic disturbances ranging between three and four on the Richter scale. These will persist over the course of a few hours as Tu Vishan begins the diving process. Keeliai was built to withstand these stresses and, as such, no structural damage will occur. Unsecured possessions will be rattled about a bit and items on shelves are at risk, but ceilings and walls are safe.

Adding to that will be a slight tilt to the turtle as Tu Vishan angles downwards. Given the scale, the angle will be relatively gentle and apt to affect mainly wheels, balls, or easily shifted materials. All kedan on the turtle are treating this like it's no big deal. Turtle diving? They are old hands at this. Carts have been secured and goods in stores sufficiently braced/shifted to avoid damage or other disruption.

The most significant thing to be noted is the steady rise of water around the turtle as it descends. The barrier around Tu Vishan does more than prevent straying too far from home as it also is impermeable to the ocean water and associated pressure the deeper that they go. In effect, Keeliai and the surrounding countryside will come under the reverse-snowglobe effect, with a breathable atmosphere and surface air pressure maintained within the barrier (up to almost a mile above) and water enveloping all areas beyond the shell.

Characters that can survive underwater can go between the ocean and the atmospheric bubble without much difficulty and may note that the distance that they can go "above" Keeilai has been extended another hundred or so meters before the standard shut-down effect comes into play. It is not recommended that characters stray beyond this barrier, as their bodies may become suspended in the water and unable to be drawn back in. In such a case, the character is considered dead by Tu Shanshu standards and will be found and hauled in near the shell edge in a fashion akin to normal.

January 17th - 19th | Dove, Dove, Dove!
By the early hours of the seventeenth, Tu Vishan will have descended to the ocean floor and continued in its normal ways -- just underwater. Increasingly noticeable during the dive and throughout the remainder of the event will be the lack of sunlight penetrating the ocean water and making it to Keeliai itself. In fact, short of actual fire or light sources (such as the decorations in the Fire Sector), the only natural light on the turtle will come from the glow of the shell during the night hours. We hope everyone is ready for an impromptu night owl existence!

When the shell glow starts up during the night, the only noticeable difference is the low-lying fogs that drift around ground level and with varying density. This is due to the increased moisture seeping into the air from the ocean pressing in on the barrier.

Additionally, the air temperature while the turtle is submerged is significantly lower than on the surface. The kedan are still unconcerned by all this, instead bundling up to counter the almost winterly temperature change. Stores are temporarily open only during "glow" hours and many textiles merchants are taking the opportunity to have a sale on their warmest clothing and materials. Lieuen has obtained some of the rare bonfire permits and imported Wood Sector products into the Fire Sector to hold large bonfires in the hours after the glow fades each morning. He also has arranged a number of merchants to set up stalls nearby with hot ciders (alcoholic and non-alcoholic are available), warm snacks, and blankets for those wishing to enjoy the bonfires.

Characters capable of surviving on the ocean floor are still able to leave the atmospheric bubble by almost two hundred meters now, but will notice the abrupt pressure difference. Pressurised suits that exit the safe zone and return are like to experience severe complications from this pressure adjustment. The important thing to note here is that the deeper Tu Vishan went, the more debris can be found floating in the water. This debris is comprised mainly of corpses in varying stages of decay, from freshly dead to skeletal remains. These bodies are comprised of kedan, humans, and animals. Some artefacts can be found, but they are painfully mundane in nature (snarfblats, dinglehoppers, cutlery, tin cups, that kind of thing). If asked, kedan will explain the bodies as simply being the remains of at-sea burials and will refer further questions to the Emperor.

FAQ - From Initial Post
Are we talking "no light by human standards" or will the ocean floor be within the aphotic zone?
The ocean floor will be considered within the aphotic zone to contribute to the absence of light and the temperature drop. Characters venturing out into it are recommended to take a source of light (such as a Green Lantern, trollololol).

All questions related to the jiangshi zombie portion of the event will be included on that post. Feel free to ask questions in the initial thread for questions or in the comments of this post!

Happy diving, Tu Shanshu!