lostcarnival | ⇨ POLARIS AFTERMATH

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⇨ POLARIS AFTERMATH

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 115-118
Where: Polaris/Wyldlands
What: After killing the Mother of Invention, the majority of the carnival has decided to take some time and sort out the Polaris refugees before heading to the Summerlands. This log covers miscellaneous post-Mother Polaris drama, as well as some light camping in the Wyldlands down below.
Warnings: Idk, stuff, I guess.

ADAPTATION↴

After the battle, the majority of carnival members will opt to remain in the secured section to Polaris, hoping to spend some time making sure that the rest of Polaris is liberated. Many of the staff are not capable of coming to grips with the fact that the Mother is dead so quickly, and the remaining Alphas are doing their best to keep Polaris under their sway. It will be a busy few days of changing minds and exploring the remains of the station. Thankfully, with everyone's powers intact and allies at their side, they finally have the advantage.

► SHIFTING STATES: Right off the bat, about 10% of the staff will immediately change sides upon hearing whats become of the Mother. They are actively eager to get away from Polaris, and will do whatever they can assist the carnival. This is mostly Gammas and a few Betas, who were working primarily under duress. Over the next day or two, those numbers will grow to at least 30%, with some of the staff managing to convince their colleagues to join them. About two days after starting, one of the Alphas will surrender to the carnival, encouraging those beneath her to support their cause. That leaves four Alphas remaining, and staff cooperation at 50%.

► CAPTIVE ATTENTION: The loyalist staff's main tactics are trying to create defensive points within the various test group areas, using the prisoners as hostages. Luckily, the carnival (and the staff on their side) will be in a position where it's possible to push them out with a mixture of convincing and force. Once prisoners start being freed, there will be even more force backing the carnival's efforts, meaning that it will essentially become a matter of cleaning up the remaining staff rather than any uphill battles. Most of this is being left vague intentionally, as most of this action is being handwaved. However, you can play out parts of it if you want and NPC technicians and rescuees. Other test groups can be filled with basically whatever kind of residents you like, since they are grabbed from across the multiverse. Most of the test areas are similar to B7.

► THE JACKPOT: Alongside cleaning up the staff, some members of the carnival have expressed interest in convincing the staff to help them with armoury issues as well as hunting down some of the Mother's most private loot. This will be handled in investigations, mostly through summary, because I don't have it in me for another megathread right now. Post your plans, and I will respond! However, know that I also don't have time to generate five million special items, so loot drops will be limited to my availability. Also, the techs aren't really blacksmiths so they generally won't really be able creating weapons from scratch or anything.

Meanwhile, Ignatius is going to set up a camp ground outside of Polaris, mostly because he doesn't want to be there anymore. He'll keep a fire going and they can drag things from Polaris down there for camping purposes, and mostly Ignatius is just going to be chilling and making sure that the campground doesn't get assaulted by magical creatures. The Gilded Mark will create a portal between the campground and the station so that people can go back and forth as required. It also creates a handy escape route.

You can even see Polaris from here, floating up there in the sky. How picturesque.

► WYLDERKIN: Apparently not everything in the Wyld Lands is a full Wyld Fae - there are also a lot of less powerful creatures called 'wylderkin' - apparently lesser forms of the Wyld Fae, who are more akin to animal level intelligence. They can be a variety of expected fantasy type creatures, such as flower sprites, weird bugs, and general prey animals they probably spend most of their time getting eaten by bigger dudes. All of them are sort of weird and fantastical, and none of them are exactly like earth varieties, though they may resemble them. They are more of a pest than a major threat in this part of the Wyld Lands, and Ignatius will scare away any that cause too many problems.

► FLORA AND FLUID: There are some plants that you can eat down here, that Ignatius will tell you about. Mostly weird berries and roots. There is also some pools of clear water, thought hey are filled with weird fish. Try not to bitten by any weird leeches. You can safely make up some of the creatures you find as long as they fit the general theme of lesser faerie creatures. This is just a rest stop.

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Syrlya looks between the flame and the pillar, and is honestly more than eager to get it somewhere further away. He can manage throwing magic, he's had spells like that already, so he twists his hand and swings it as the flame is thrown forward at the pillar.

It crashes just a little off center, embers smoldering on the parts of the dirt that carry the impact better than most of it. Syrlya keeps his shoulders square, reigning in his reactions and trying to mask his worry from Strange.

He focuses on conjuring the flame again. It's a little faster this time, and just the same he throws it with quick precision.

Strange stands still and watches. This is a pretty basic way of dealing with the fire, but it shows that at least Syrlya isn't scared of the basics. He's watching with rapt excitement as the fire hits the target over and over again.

"You're doing good," Strange adds on. That part is true, not any sort of teasing or flattery. "How well do you think you can hit a moving target?"

Syrlya stops mid gesture, before he conjures up more. "Fine? I am used to fighting moving targets."

Most people don't like to just get wailed on by magic and sharp objects. Although from a distance he's had the aid of the magic itself to find the target for a lot of spells.

"Wonderful!" Strange exclaims, with a wide, slightly worrying grin. He takes a few steps back, putting a lot of distance between himself and Syrlya.

"Try to hit me. I don't care how much fire you use, just use enough that it would make the hit count. For the first few rounds, I'll even be kind and not try to hit you back."

Syrlya gives Strange a disbelieving look. He thought he meant he'd be moving earth targets around, not himself.

"Strange I have only just discovered I can to this. I don't want to be responsible for burning you."

He could hold back, make sure its easy to dodge, but that kind of defeats the point doesn't it? He's assuming this is Strange's confidence talking.

"I'm fireproof now," Strange explains, as if this is something completely obvious and not something that he literally just discovered a few days ago. "It won't matter if you burn me!"

He is still way too happy and way too cheery about the idea of possibly being set on fire.

"You are... fireproof." Syrlya squints. But it's not like there isn't plenty of examples of fae magic altering body composition to other elements entirely. His arm is crystal (oh, no, what happens if he smashes it).

"Very well." He straightens up holding his hand out to generate another flame. He's trying to compress it into a more spherical form. "I will fire when you move."

Just wait until Syrlya learns how much of Strange is inside mirrors now.

And so, Strange starts moving. He's starting this off slowly, as he leisurely starts walking in a circle around Syrlya. Running or something more difficult will happen later.

Syrlya won't have any problem with aiming accurately while Strange is walking. It's almost too easy, how quickly he manages to toss the fireball just at his front to account for the movement.

He doesn't follow up quickly if it hits, though. He pauses to see if Strange is really as fireproof as he says. And his... clothes, probably.

Clothes aren't flammable. However, as Syrlya's flames catch Strange on fire, he quickly stops the flames with a combination of a murmured incantation and just swatting the flames out with his hands.

"That seemed easy enough." Strange frowns a little, thinking about what to do next...before he realizes that one of the problems with making yourself a moving target is that you've got to move. Fast. "Try it again."

Urrrrrrgh, he hates running. Strange sighs before he starts running in a haphazard pattern, trying to see how well Syrlya's able to aim now.

That's what happens when you volunteer for target practice with the guy whose whole life is fighting things. Absently, Syrlya starts creating another small fireball as his eyes follow Strange's movements. And when he throws it, after a pause, it's calculated--he's not out to make as many attacks as possible, but an attack that he could cause the most concentrated damage with were this a real fight.

And at least focusing on Strange means he's not as focused on the fire being close to him. In fact, he hardly seems to notice its presence.

This one also hits. And again, Strange swats out the flames with an incantation and his hands. His top's getting noticeably charred, but it's still in one piece.

"I'm going to actually try to dodge now," Strange warns Syrlya, with a wry little smile. "Keep it up."

He's not attacking Syrlya. This is still Syrlya throwing fire and Strange trying to get out of the way. But he does need to practice dodging and weaving out of a fight, getting a better hold on his new form, and maybe using that shield spell he thinks he's pierced out. The next time Syrlya throws some fire at Strange, Strange ducks...by quickly poofing into his small, basketball sized, fire elemental form and floating out of the way.

Strange keeps going before Syrlya can ask about his charred top, letting out a sigh as he conjures another fireball and angles that one too. It's coming a little faster, now, but still enough time between them for Strange to strategize his dodging.

Especially when Syrlya stops at seeing him dodge by turning into... well, that's not the 'turn into fire' form Syrlya was expecting. Are those little eyes?

He stares, struck, before slowly bringing a hand to his chin. "It isn't a very good idea to try fighting fire with fire, is it?"

Strange only lingers in that form for a moment before poofing back into his human form. "You aren't the only one who needs training," he'll admit. "This new form is a product of Polaris. I want to get it combat ready."

Or at least, combat ready enough that he can use this form as easily as he can use his smoke form. So far, he's only used this...what, twice or so? That's hardly enough time.

"Try and hit me again."

"Will that include making it... bigger?" Faster? Even having a developed fear of fire, it really doesn't give him the same sort of terror as seeing jets of flame or thrown projectiles would.

But, Syrlya throws another fireball.

"Perhaps," Strange answers, with a little shrug. He doesn't know what all he can do with this new form! But that's the most exciting part of it all.

As Syrlya throws out another fireball, Strange isn't as quick on the uptake as before. It grazes his shoulder as he poofs into fire. Awkwardly, he floats a few feet to the side before reforming into his human form.

The training continues in a similar cycle, Syrlya throwing flame and Strange dodging. Given Syrlya's own limited movement, it doesn't get more complicated than that, and Syrlya doesn't get too intimate with the flame but he stops twitching so strongly if his fingers brush against it.

They have to stop eventually, and Syrlya absently rubs his crystal wrist when it's over. Somehow it feels hotter, but not quite it the way of being warmed by the flame.

Given the fact that Strange is still getting used to this new form of his, his movements are equally simple. It's a combination of dodging, quickly shifting forms, moving around, and occasionally patting out his shirt when Syrlya hits him once he's human.

At the end of this, Strange's shirt is obviously burned and singed a bit. His trousers have thankfully spared some fire damage, but considering how ridiculous it looks, he's just going to go ahead and take his top off for now. His scars are annoyingly reflective in the light: a gash on his back, a large stab wound on his chest, a splattering of mirrors on his shoulder, a gash on his left forearm, and some flecks around his wrist.

"How does the fire feel now?" Strange asks, as he stretches a little. "Even in our quick sparring session you've certainly gotten more used to it."

Edited 2018-11-20 22:58 (UTC)

Strange willingly stripping in the open is probably more of a surprise than the scars. Syrlya glances up, squinting at the glare briefly before he lowers his hand.

"Truthfully, it's still odd for it to suddenly be such a familiar element. But I suppose it is as simple in behavior as you said."

It's as volatile as chaos energy, but with much more predictable effects. Maybe that's why it requires less control. Or maybe that's just Strange's nature.

"But thank you for sparing with me," he says, polite but not warm.

"Think nothing of it," Strange simply responds. "I'd do the same for anyone interested in magic."

And that's the truth. Strange likes magic more than he likes some people, of course he'd try and help Syr reach his full potential.

He doesn't look at Syr but instead starts to stare at his shirt, as if by staring he can find a way to make it less burnt. Idly, Strange remarks, "And I think I know how you've received that magic as well. It's easy to notice certain additions when one is unconscious."

Like a bigass Blue Rose growth.

"There is ice magic as well, so I am almost certain this is coming from the Blue Rise's new influence in--"

Hey, wait, what was that second part. "Unconscious...? Whe--were you just staring at me?"

Was this when they were sharing a cell? But Syrlya doesn't remember having proper access to his magic at the time. And Strange didn't phrase it like he just made an educated guess on the fact that Syrlya had seeds from the Rose planted into his arm.

Strange scoffs, like Syrlya's being super rude for implying that Strange might have been staring at him. "It doesn't surprise me, of course. Miss Nagisa and I believe that the treatment of her eyes involves the Silver Mirror. Her trial was delayed just as mine was, her eyes are reflective, her magic fits the light and dark aesthetic of the Mirror, and I have mirror eyes myself. It only makes sense that they tried to graft the Rose onto somebody else as well and you're the most logical choice."

That doesn't answer Syrlya's question. And he's technically right.

"But yes, I suppose I was staring at you. Really, I don't see why you'd be so surprised, I would have noticed something via scrying anyway."

"I don't know either, yet somehow you still find ways to surprise and alarm me."

He shuffles the fireproof cape off, holding it out from Strangev to retrieve. "I told you they put seeds in my arm, you could have allowed me to survey the damage to myself first before you helped yourself to inspecting it."

He's assuming Strange was just using his third eye. He hopes it was just his third eye.

Thankfully, it was just his third eye. "You were unconscious," Strange points out like this is a valid excuse. "And I..."

He trails off a little, frowning for a moment. Strange then steps back and away from Syrlya, places his arm to the front of him, and concentrates. Almost instantly, a three foot tall replica of the Silver Mirror grows out from Strange's arm. Strange is holding it very awkwardly, as he's never used a shield in his life.

"I thought that maybe examining you would give me insight on why I can do this now. Or at least, help inspire me to decide where to look first."

Syrlya frowns, looking unimpressed. Not that the magic, which he simply doesn't give as much attention to in the face of Strange's explanation.

"You could have waited until I was conscious and asked me." Like Steven, so he realizes he should probably tell 'so it turns out I did get new magic after all'. "But then, I suppose that would mean you would need to actually be considerate of anything besides your own immediate desires."

Syrlya didn't really expect Strange's concern, but actually hearing him admit it was for himself still agitates him when he didn't get the respect to even speak for himself about what's been done to him.

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