W͜͏̶Ę͏E͝͠K͝͞ ̧1̵͟

[strangerpeople]

W͜͏̶Ę͏E͝͠K͝͞ ̧1̵͟

[The national council just announced the blight to the country.

There was no sugarcoating it anymore. This was a critical time. Saving all of the vines is paramount, but what does one do when the blight hits? It keeps encroaching on the grapes, day by day. Entire clusters, entire bunches, dead and rotting, while allowing the blight to spread, and the leading botanists and viticulturists cannot identify the origin or the cause. They can't even successfully isolate the culprit in their labs; it seems to disappear like air no matter the precautions taken.

It is a catastrophe that seems to be beyond science, and it will result in the complete collapse of the entire country's wine industry. Already, embargoes on this year's crop have forced other grape-growers to close shop for the year after they'd sold their previous stock; it is all too possible that no grapes might ever be grown here again if a cure cannot be found. The tourists have stopped coming. The towns have grown silent.

You, meanwhile, are devastated. With the way your business is going, it will be on the brink of bankruptcy within the year. You will soon have no choice but to close shop and let every grapevine die, let the land go fallow. There must be a cure for this, there must be. Yet everything that can go wrong is.

Then, as you watch the news, it happens. Breaking news. The blight has been found in another country.

It is a pandemic-and it is only getting worse.


-

Well. This is...what else can can anyone say? You all know the deal. You all know what situation you're in. All that is left is to figure out what you can do about it. If there's anything that can be done.

You still feel that compulsion to distrust. To know you cannot win. To know that only the hosts have your best interests in mind. It would be easy to just do all that. But would it be the right thing to do? You can't be completely sure. Indeed, nothing is certain here, except for that damned ticking sound. If only you could stop it.

But you can't stop it. It is inevitable.


There are 15 strangers in this place.]

Comments

[unwittingking]

It not re-living...zoning out? Or...

[He sighs, this one actually annoyed.]

I hate to say it and sound like a cliché, but it could be a flashback.

[Which wouldn't be fair considering he didn't get to look up and be traumatized by memories he didn't have...]

[katzenpfote]

Ah, ja, that's the one. Danke.

[He... sets the snake aside and reaches down for a towel sitting nearby so he can wipe his hands.]

... Are you doing all right? As much as you can be here, I mean.

[unwittingking]

It's...no problem.

[And now...King's finally realized that Caleb's language sounds a bit more familiar than expected...

Eh, whatever. One world's German can be another world's Draconic, or something like that.]

About as alright as I can be, for the most part. I think I'm on good terms with...most of the people here, which good.

[Emphasis on most, though.]

[katzenpfote]

... Difficulties with the two who were fighting?

[He saw that shit, he just knew he wasn't going to be helpful.]

[unwittingking]

[King sighs and pinches the area between his eyes.]

I'm sorry, but the way Vita was acting, to someone that didn't actually know her...it was childish at best, and metaphorically screaming "I'm going to be a problem" at worst.

Not to mention her explanation just seemed off...

[Shaking his head a bit. Something was up with her, and he's not fully sure what.]

[katzenpfote]

... I know. I can deal with her, the two of us seem to be doing all right discussing magic and such.

As for Akira... eh. I do not really know how to speak to him, and he always has one of those redheads near him...

[unwittingking]

If you talk with Vita, I think I can try and talk with him. I can see both arguments, but I'm more leaning on his side, so that might help a bit.

[Plus, he's better with kids, if these incidents have taught him anything.]

It should also help that I talked with Jonathan. He seemed to be a bit more understanding, and was willing to help with the situation.

[Considering he didn't get snarked at during the meeting, he at least thinks Jonathan is doing a good job.]

[katzenpfote]

That is good. I would prefer to get along with him if possible, if only for Charlotte's sake.

[He frowns as he thinks of something.]

He really does sound like me if I did not have a Zemnian accent.

[unwittingking]

Yeah. Even if he's an alternate version of the one Charlotte knows, it'd be nice to get along with him, even without all of this.

[Just. Vaguely gesturing to where they are.]

Yeah, thought it was a bit weird, but I figured it didn't really mean much.

[Unless they're alternate reality ancestors or something. That would surprise him too much.]

[katzenpfote]

I don't think it does, but it's still a little strange.

[He shrugs.]

I can't really get rid of my accent, so it's not like I can hide my voice. I've... tried... doing other accents. I am very bad at them.

[unwittingking]

Yeah, it probably is. I'm just kinda numb to small strange things now.

[Two people with the same voice, with the only difference being one has an accent? Not really as mind-blowing as some of the other things he's seen.]

Are you really that bad at them? Or are they a bit harder to pull off?

[He doesn't usually try to imitate accents, so he's not sure how easy or difficult they are.]

[katzenpfote]

I've tried before. It's... not an accent you hear in the Dynasty, so even when I was disguised it was very noticeable. The others tried to have me imitate their accents but I... could not.

[unwittingking]

What, can they not even believe that you immigrated there or something?

And how about you show me? They can't be that bad.

[…so how wrong is he going to be?]

[katzenpfote]

No. The only land border is a warzone and humans are not really welcome in the Dynasty in general... even the humans from the south or Xhorhas do not go there. And there are only humans in the Zemni Fields barring some scattered halfling presence. The Dynasty is comprised of dark elves and other races the Empire would consider 'monstrous' such as orcs, goblins, minotaurs, and the like.

[Oh boy. He runs his hands down his face.]

Elldtrich - elderidge - eltrich... blaeeest. I am attempting to say 'eldritch blast' in Fjord's accent.

[unwittingking]

Okay, yeah, that argument would probably get shot down immediately.

[No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

And, uh...that...sure is an attempt!

He's trying not to laugh okay.]

It's, um...not the worst?

[katzenpfote]

No, no, it is. I... I have trouble with changing the vowel sounds especially to not sound Zemnian. It has always been a little bit of an issue. Even when I am speaking in Common as I am now I still sound odd to some.

[unwittingking]

Well, hey, if it makes you feel better, there are a lot of people who can't even get more than one language back where I'm from. Having Zemnian and Common would probably impress some people.

[As well as that being alternate world German, but...details for another day!]

[katzenpfote]

... I can also speak Sylvan and Celestial. It's very common to speak more than one language, especially if you travel. And many towns are mixed-race, especially as you get further from Rexxentrum and Imperial control.

[unwittingking]

…huh.

Well, that's another way that our worlds are different. In yours it's common to know more than one language, mine you only really have to know one if you want to get along well wherever you are.

…also, who exactly speaks Celestial? Just...doesn't sound like something you'd need to know that often.

[katzenpfote]

Some gods or their servants, aasimar... it's not commonly used anymore, but there are many historical records with it. Similar to abyssal, though that's barely used anymore and I believe mostly comes into play if you contact or otherwise encounter demons.

[unwittingking]

Ah.

[This time that's said with a small bit of bitterness.]

You have my sympathies if you've had to talk with any actual gods. I know some of them are probably alright, but I'm sure there are some just as annoying as the ones I know.

[If he had a drink, he's kick his feet up and take a long drink.

Gods]

[katzenpfote]

I haven't, not personally. I think most of them understand all languages. Fjord tries to avoid his patron for good reason, but Yasha sometimes receives signs from the Stormlord - usually in the form of storms or lightning-related things - and Caduceus has a very good relationship with the Wildmother. Jester's patron god... I am not certain is even really a god, but her cleric abilities work just as well as anyone else's.

[unwittingking]

Well, good to hear that the gods your group does have to deal with are on the more tolerable side of the spectrum. But why does this Fjord guy not talk to...the one he follows? Is that how a patron gods work?

[He's genuinely not sure. He hasn't played D&D in a while.]

[katzenpfote]

He is a warlock, and as such is bound by a pact rather than simply devotion. Uk'otoa is a giant serpent with many eyes that was sealed deep within the Lucidian Ocean. It reached out to Fjord when he was drowning from a shipwreck, and I do not knwo that he was a willing party to the pact.

If Uk'otoa was set free, it would drown the world, leaving only ocean. Two of the three keys to its release have been put into place... and Fjord has the third. It is not all that happy about it, as you might imagine. And Fjord has no interest in ruling the world's waters, even though he is a sailor.

So their relationship is... strained, as you might imagine.

[unwittingking]

…oof. And I thought Pete was one of the worst celestial beings I could meet...

[He shakes his head a little bit. Now he almost feels ridiculous. Almost. He still hates that gryphon.]

And I'm assuming that keeping the key is more or less the only way to keep this Uk'otoa at bay...possibly literally? Or is there actually something else that could keep the guy from coming to power, even if he gets his...tentacles on the key?

[It's weird to talk about sea beings with natural phrases.]