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tushanshu_ooc2013-01-19 06:12 pm
ironwood) wrote in tushanshu_ooc2013-01-19 06:12 pm
Entry tags:
Event Midpoint | Turtle Dive
And so we reach the second half of this month's 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. Feel free to use it for all your logging needs!
Note: Threads and tagging at the initial open log for the peaceful side of the event are still welcomed and encouraged!
January 20th | Underwater Visitors...?
Commencing on the twentieth, the outer rim of Tu Vishan's shell will begin collecting visitors in the form of re-animated corpses from the underwater debris surrounding the turtle. These corpses will use whatever means they can to press up against all sides of the barrier, staring in with an expression akin to hunger. Waterlogged and technically without soul, these creatures are unable to penetrate the barrier itself.
Once again, characters capable of withstanding the pressure differences and of surviving underwater can exit the barrier and explore within the two-hundred meter extended zone at this point, but they will be pursued by the re-animated corpses. The dead formerly known as kedan will take on aquatic forms in order to give chase. Warning: They are intelligent and they are fast, moving with the sole purpose to catch and kill anything living in their vicinity.
January 21st - 22nd | Dive of the Living Dead
Creeped out by the underwater audience? Feeling left out compared to those that can survive the ocean and have been chased out and about? Worry not, for the fun will come to you!
While the barrier has held out against the press of bodies until now, there is a limit to what it can do. During the early morning of the 21st, this limit is reached and the animated dead begin to breach it. The first few come from the topmost surface of the barrier, causing it to literally "rain" the dead with a few scattered corpses plummeting to the ground. However, while the fall damages bones, it does not kill them and they will begin to pull themselves about in search of kedan or characters to kill.
Wait, did we say kill? We sure did!
You see, these creatures are inspired by jiangshi lore and act much like a Western zombie with a dash of vampire tossed in. They seek life and will rend it from the living with teeth and hands. Their purpose is to eat flesh and, through that, absorb the life force of their victims in the relentless (and futile) pursuit to permanently reanimate themselves.
They are intelligent in terms of problem-solving and understand how to open doors and, to a limited extent, counter attacks on their person. They are also fast on their feet, which is less of a concern for those that fall from the ceiling of the barrier and more for the ones that, at the same time, penetrate the barrier at the shell edge and begin sprinting for the city. They do not tire and will reach the outer wall within the same or less time than it takes a cart to reach it.
What does this mean?
In essence, this means that Keeliai will be under assault from what starts as a few jiangshi zombies and increasing in count to a maximum density of five thousand scattered about the city. They exist to kill and absorb the life of others, meaning that any signs of life (be it motion or lighting) will draw their attention and bring on the hunt. They are unable to communicate, but given the base nature of their motivation, often they appear to move in small groups (or herds... they do move in herds).
Characters and kedan bit/killed by the jiangshi will die and be reanimated as an NPC jiangshi within a few hours. When asked, the kedan know nothing of a cure for the bite and will speak very little of the jiangshi in general. In the case of bitten/dead player characters, they will respawn as normal, but the kedan helping them through the barrier is assisted for the duration of this event by a formidable police guard to ensure safe retrieval and transport into Keeliai (often in groups, to minimise the spread of their forces).
Eek! Are there any safe zones?
Yes! Characters are welcome to board up all access to their suites and stay safe. Alternately, the police will be making suite calls and general street announcements during the first few hours to advise that the Palace of Landed Sky will be open to the kedan and Foreigner population for the sake of sanctuary. The palace itself will be heavily reinforced with police officers and Evandau himself will be running the patrols/combating any jiangshi that attack.
Will the consoles remain online?
All consoles will remain active during the event, but the console cafes will have increasingly limited access due to zombie infestation.
Can these jiangshi zombies be stopped/destroyed?
Yes, but it takes quite a monumental effort. The force which reanimated the bodies resides in the flesh and even severed parts will continue to move and attack so long as any flesh on the bone remains intact. The only way to truly stop one is to burn or otherwise destroy all flesh attached to the body. Unfortunately, further bonfires have been cancelled due to the risk, though the fire supplies still remain in the Fire Sector...
January 23rd | Rise, Rise, Rise!
By the morning of the twenty-third, Tu Vishan appears to have had enough underwater shenanigans and will begin to surface. The air will slowly warm and the light return the closer that it gets to the surface, with a general reversal of the events that precipitated the descent on the sixteenth.
What about the jiangshi zombies? They remain active during the ascent, but as soon as sunlight begins to penetrate the barrier, their bodies begin to disintegrate completely until they are no more than dust for the kedan to sweep up.
By the time that Tu Vishan hits the surface, all the zombies will be destroyed and life will begin its return to normal here on the turtle. Questions asked of the kedan about the jiangshi will be answered only in the vaguest sense (reflective of the information above) and often will be followed by a referral to the Emperor for more details.
FAQ - From Initial Post
Do the jiangshi have souls/spirits that can be accessed by characters with spiritual powers?
Unfortunately, the jiangshi in this event's sense are basically reanimated bodies that strive to consume souls because they do not have them. One may be able to release any souls that they have consumed, but the underlying reanimation would remain. Released souls would exist for a brief period, then seem to dissipate.
What happens to a character that dies/is bitten?
If they are killed by a jiangshi, they respawn immediately and their body reanimates without their soul within it. Technically, that leaves a zombified body and their respawned one. If they are bitten, anywhere between three and ten hours can pass depending on the severity of the injury before they succumb and die, wherein the above respawn happens.
In either case, their zombified body can generally be found hunting the streets of Keeliai, seeking out the living.
Would the jiangshi go after a character that has no soul?
The jiangshi can problem-solve, but are not necessarily intelligent enough to identify the difference between something alive-and-moving with a soul and one without, so they would likely still target such a character. Quite possibly with the reaction one has to biting rotten fruit after the first bite (which would learn that one, but not the others).
How fast are the zombies? Would a speedster be able to evade them?
As long as said speedster careful, yes. These things are fast but they are certainly not sound-barrier-breakingly fast. Consider them to be equivalent to top-tier sprinters on Earth, but not bothered by things like endurance.
What kind of body language do the jiangshi have?
They move with less efficiency of motion than the living and their body language would be difficult to interpret as there is no motivation or follow-through present.
Can the jiagnshi bite through rock or inorganic substances?
Their bite is effective to just short of bulletproof. If the substance is considered bulletproof, then they could not bite through it.
What about characters with healing factors? Would they still die from a bite?
This depends on the strength of that healing factor and any past canon interactions with the undead. Someone like Wolverine could fight it off with only a mild case of the BRAAAAINS, but characters with a lesser healing factor may not be so lucky.
How far reaching will Evandau's patrols be? Will he accept or organise Foreigner involvement in the defenses?
Evandau will be focusing his efforts on the palace and immediate surrounding area. No official attempts to recruit the Foreigner population are likely to be made, as he will be acting with the air of one trying to hold out a known threat rather than defeat an unknown one. However, if you have a character that would offer, Alex is willing to thread out or handwave a discussion between them!
What level ofmischief exploration can happen for those taking sactuary in the palace?
That depends entirely on what you might want your character to do/find/explore! Please contact Alex and/or Roy with your ideas and we'd be happy to discuss it. Additionally, there is one mod-run subplot that is still looking for volunteers at the time of this posting.
How do the kedan react to the jiangshi? Are they suprised/scared/NBD BRAH?
The kedan have not encountered this before, which is why the bonfires will be abandoned once the jiangshi become commonplace in the city. They will seek refuge either at the palace or in their own quarters and are equally susceptible to attack.
Would a dismembered jiangshi sealed in a box without light survive the surfacing of Tu Vishan? Such as a specimen being taken for later study?
The limb would remain whole until such time as sunlight touched it, at which point it disintegrate the same as the whole jiangshi. That said, the piece would remain actively trying to hunt for the living.
Feel free to ask questions in the initial thread for questions or in the comments of this post!
Happy zombie-ing, Tu Shanshu!
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. Feel free to use it for all your logging needs!
Note: Threads and tagging at the initial open log for the peaceful side of the event are still welcomed and encouraged!
January 20th | Underwater Visitors...?
Commencing on the twentieth, the outer rim of Tu Vishan's shell will begin collecting visitors in the form of re-animated corpses from the underwater debris surrounding the turtle. These corpses will use whatever means they can to press up against all sides of the barrier, staring in with an expression akin to hunger. Waterlogged and technically without soul, these creatures are unable to penetrate the barrier itself.
Once again, characters capable of withstanding the pressure differences and of surviving underwater can exit the barrier and explore within the two-hundred meter extended zone at this point, but they will be pursued by the re-animated corpses. The dead formerly known as kedan will take on aquatic forms in order to give chase. Warning: They are intelligent and they are fast, moving with the sole purpose to catch and kill anything living in their vicinity.
January 21st - 22nd | Dive of the Living Dead
Creeped out by the underwater audience? Feeling left out compared to those that can survive the ocean and have been chased out and about? Worry not, for the fun will come to you!
While the barrier has held out against the press of bodies until now, there is a limit to what it can do. During the early morning of the 21st, this limit is reached and the animated dead begin to breach it. The first few come from the topmost surface of the barrier, causing it to literally "rain" the dead with a few scattered corpses plummeting to the ground. However, while the fall damages bones, it does not kill them and they will begin to pull themselves about in search of kedan or characters to kill.
Wait, did we say kill? We sure did!
You see, these creatures are inspired by jiangshi lore and act much like a Western zombie with a dash of vampire tossed in. They seek life and will rend it from the living with teeth and hands. Their purpose is to eat flesh and, through that, absorb the life force of their victims in the relentless (and futile) pursuit to permanently reanimate themselves.
They are intelligent in terms of problem-solving and understand how to open doors and, to a limited extent, counter attacks on their person. They are also fast on their feet, which is less of a concern for those that fall from the ceiling of the barrier and more for the ones that, at the same time, penetrate the barrier at the shell edge and begin sprinting for the city. They do not tire and will reach the outer wall within the same or less time than it takes a cart to reach it.
What does this mean?
In essence, this means that Keeliai will be under assault from what starts as a few jiangshi zombies and increasing in count to a maximum density of five thousand scattered about the city. They exist to kill and absorb the life of others, meaning that any signs of life (be it motion or lighting) will draw their attention and bring on the hunt. They are unable to communicate, but given the base nature of their motivation, often they appear to move in small groups (or herds... they do move in herds).
Characters and kedan bit/killed by the jiangshi will die and be reanimated as an NPC jiangshi within a few hours. When asked, the kedan know nothing of a cure for the bite and will speak very little of the jiangshi in general. In the case of bitten/dead player characters, they will respawn as normal, but the kedan helping them through the barrier is assisted for the duration of this event by a formidable police guard to ensure safe retrieval and transport into Keeliai (often in groups, to minimise the spread of their forces).
Eek! Are there any safe zones?
Yes! Characters are welcome to board up all access to their suites and stay safe. Alternately, the police will be making suite calls and general street announcements during the first few hours to advise that the Palace of Landed Sky will be open to the kedan and Foreigner population for the sake of sanctuary. The palace itself will be heavily reinforced with police officers and Evandau himself will be running the patrols/combating any jiangshi that attack.
Will the consoles remain online?
All consoles will remain active during the event, but the console cafes will have increasingly limited access due to zombie infestation.
Can these jiangshi zombies be stopped/destroyed?
Yes, but it takes quite a monumental effort. The force which reanimated the bodies resides in the flesh and even severed parts will continue to move and attack so long as any flesh on the bone remains intact. The only way to truly stop one is to burn or otherwise destroy all flesh attached to the body. Unfortunately, further bonfires have been cancelled due to the risk, though the fire supplies still remain in the Fire Sector...
January 23rd | Rise, Rise, Rise!
By the morning of the twenty-third, Tu Vishan appears to have had enough underwater shenanigans and will begin to surface. The air will slowly warm and the light return the closer that it gets to the surface, with a general reversal of the events that precipitated the descent on the sixteenth.
What about the jiangshi zombies? They remain active during the ascent, but as soon as sunlight begins to penetrate the barrier, their bodies begin to disintegrate completely until they are no more than dust for the kedan to sweep up.
By the time that Tu Vishan hits the surface, all the zombies will be destroyed and life will begin its return to normal here on the turtle. Questions asked of the kedan about the jiangshi will be answered only in the vaguest sense (reflective of the information above) and often will be followed by a referral to the Emperor for more details.
FAQ - From Initial Post
Do the jiangshi have souls/spirits that can be accessed by characters with spiritual powers?
Unfortunately, the jiangshi in this event's sense are basically reanimated bodies that strive to consume souls because they do not have them. One may be able to release any souls that they have consumed, but the underlying reanimation would remain. Released souls would exist for a brief period, then seem to dissipate.
What happens to a character that dies/is bitten?
If they are killed by a jiangshi, they respawn immediately and their body reanimates without their soul within it. Technically, that leaves a zombified body and their respawned one. If they are bitten, anywhere between three and ten hours can pass depending on the severity of the injury before they succumb and die, wherein the above respawn happens.
In either case, their zombified body can generally be found hunting the streets of Keeliai, seeking out the living.
Would the jiangshi go after a character that has no soul?
The jiangshi can problem-solve, but are not necessarily intelligent enough to identify the difference between something alive-and-moving with a soul and one without, so they would likely still target such a character. Quite possibly with the reaction one has to biting rotten fruit after the first bite (which would learn that one, but not the others).
How fast are the zombies? Would a speedster be able to evade them?
As long as said speedster careful, yes. These things are fast but they are certainly not sound-barrier-breakingly fast. Consider them to be equivalent to top-tier sprinters on Earth, but not bothered by things like endurance.
What kind of body language do the jiangshi have?
They move with less efficiency of motion than the living and their body language would be difficult to interpret as there is no motivation or follow-through present.
Can the jiagnshi bite through rock or inorganic substances?
Their bite is effective to just short of bulletproof. If the substance is considered bulletproof, then they could not bite through it.
What about characters with healing factors? Would they still die from a bite?
This depends on the strength of that healing factor and any past canon interactions with the undead. Someone like Wolverine could fight it off with only a mild case of the BRAAAAINS, but characters with a lesser healing factor may not be so lucky.
How far reaching will Evandau's patrols be? Will he accept or organise Foreigner involvement in the defenses?
Evandau will be focusing his efforts on the palace and immediate surrounding area. No official attempts to recruit the Foreigner population are likely to be made, as he will be acting with the air of one trying to hold out a known threat rather than defeat an unknown one. However, if you have a character that would offer, Alex is willing to thread out or handwave a discussion between them!
What level of
That depends entirely on what you might want your character to do/find/explore! Please contact Alex and/or Roy with your ideas and we'd be happy to discuss it. Additionally, there is one mod-run subplot that is still looking for volunteers at the time of this posting.
How do the kedan react to the jiangshi? Are they suprised/scared/NBD BRAH?
The kedan have not encountered this before, which is why the bonfires will be abandoned once the jiangshi become commonplace in the city. They will seek refuge either at the palace or in their own quarters and are equally susceptible to attack.
Would a dismembered jiangshi sealed in a box without light survive the surfacing of Tu Vishan? Such as a specimen being taken for later study?
The limb would remain whole until such time as sunlight touched it, at which point it disintegrate the same as the whole jiangshi. That said, the piece would remain actively trying to hunt for the living.
Feel free to ask questions in the initial thread for questions or in the comments of this post!
Happy zombie-ing, Tu Shanshu!