logsinthenight | That One With the Meeting [OPEN]

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That One With the Meeting [OPEN]

characters: Cao Pi and OPEN!!!
location: the town hall
date/time: appx moonrise Sept. 2, for a couple of hours
content: Cao Pi proposed a meeting for everyone to talk about what ideas they have for organizing, protecting the town, and safely exploring their confines. This is that meeting. Newcomers are welcome as well! Assume characters have heard about it through the grapevine, but especially on Sept. 1 as Cao Pi makes the rounds and tells people this is happening. He will have a moment to orate but after that the floor is open, threadjacking is encouraged, and whatever comes of this is a complete free-for-all!
warnings: probably some discussion of character death. lmk if I need to edit this.

Despite the fact that Will Ingram's messages providing further information were yet to come, Cao Pi had made a public promise and he would hold himself to it, carrying out his meeting as described. At moonrise on the 2nd, he is already present in the town hall, hoping to see not just those who told him they would be there, but also some of the unfortunate newcomers freshly thrown into this situation. He had done his best to prowl around the Invincible and the bonfire, mentioning that the meeting would happen, but he still had to rely on word of mouth to do its work.

When he decides there are enough people present to begin, the Lord of Wei steps up before the assembly, clearing his throat importantly. "For better or worse," he begins, "we are a community. A town, if we are not a country. The hints and cryptic comments from the Lighthouse Keeper have suggested that we have a job to do, but we're still waiting on information as to what it is and why - why us, why the dead stolen from their worlds or their respective afterlives. But the recent mission to connect the Keeper to the network our tablets can access has shown a number of weaknesses that may hamper our ability to do any job, let alone the one which will keep us all from being permanently obliterated." Is that harsh? Too bad. He doesn't care. "We know a few things for certain. One, that we must carry out the purpose which the Keeper understands and encourages. Two, if we fail in any way, she will kill us all by ordering the spirits to destroy us. Three, the spirits deep in the forest are not just her weapon against us, but they have their own will and may attack or destroy anyone who simply wanders out too far. Our explorations have uncovered a number of things but not everything, by far. If you are new or simply haven't kept up on the recent developments, the record is here." He holds out a hand to the logbooks kept there in the town hall.

"I've asked you here to discuss the issues facing us in Beacon, and to offer up any ideas for how to solve those issues. There are quite a few of them, some that even I, perhaps, haven't considered yet. Please be orderly and take your turns, but I should like to hear from everyone. Whether you have questions, or have an idea you wish to share, please. Speak up. We will all be better for the sharing of ideas and discussion of pros and cons, rather than just waiting and hoping that someone will take charge and give us orders."

With that, he steps aside, inviting anyone and everyone to come up and speak. Or simply rise from their seat and speak. The floor is open, Beacon, use it to say things that you might not want anyone connected to the network to overhear. Sass the Keeper, gush about the Postmaster, whatever you want. Hopefully by the end of it all, someone might have some plans that can be brought about. For his part, Cao Pi is not putting himself up as any sort of authority or the one actually in charge, he literally is only there as organizer and moderator and nothing else. At least, so his cool half-smirk and perfect manners would suggest...

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[ really, it's almost convenient that he arrived here so well dressed, though if he had a choice now, he might have worn something other than just black. when he finds a moment to say his part, he strides toward the front, cane clapping along to complete the ensemble. ]

Hello. [ he taps his free hand lightly against his chest with flourish, a graceful smile on his face. there's notable enthusiasm in his voice, something earned from far too many, long, and pretty speeches. ] Eliot. Former Ruler of Fillory, Magician King, Brakebills Royalty, etcetera, etcetera. Not really sure how that applies here now that I'm dead, of course, but I did have to reorganize a large majority of the kingdom directly after my coronation.

I just got here, but with all this talk of attack and death, my guess is that we need far more preparation than there was. A defense strategy would be useful. And perhaps a primer with basics of what one should or shouldn't do should they encounter trouble, somewhere to go or meet or even a means to alert others of immediate and imminent danger. A Beacon survival guide, if you will, maybe even something we could have readily accessible on the tablet network.

We should also likely stockpile supplies for emergencies. For treating the injured but also food and other things we might need if we find ourselves stranded without our. Well. Regular shipments and arrivals.

[a fellow king you say...]

All of these things are needed, and sooner rather than later. In the absence of tacticians, it may fall to people like us. [you know, kings who listened well to their tacticians] Are you versed in the use of the tablets given to us, at all?

[he really thinks the network can totally be of use but you know, third century China wasn't big on the internet]

Oh, yes. Really, they're not that complicated as they seem. They're kind of.. Mm. Simple, I should say. Never quite as smart as you would hope them to be.

Usually when you have trouble, you just. Turn it off and back on again.

But given that, I'm not, ah, trained. In the way of building things for the tablets. Just skilled at using them.

Same, generally. I can only theorize on their use, and tap the surface, but that's it.

[hmm he'll have to find someone else to recruit to make those survival guides and alerts a reality]

Ideas, then. Defensive tactics. Armory storage. These are things we can certainly work on in the meantime.

Defensive spells and wards are well within my purview. Things that can entrap, signal warning, what have you. I can enchant weapons and armor as well. The world is your oyster, when it comes to magic. The only limitation is your creativity. And, well, I suppose the skill of the magician.

But perhaps it'd be useful to understand what we're working with first. Who has weapons. Who can fight. Best to better equip those who are not equipped already, I think.

Maybe a voluntary census?

Hm. Yes, I think you're right. A census would get us further on a number of issues - it's all well and good to talk about people with various skill sets in theory, but I genuinely have no idea at this very moment who has what skills.

I will consider putting something like that out in public. Those who decide not to answer, well, clearly they and their talents won't be taken into account if we don't know about them.

That would help. I'll leave it to you, then.

But it would be fine too, should one wish to be excluded. Cooperation is on such when it isn't forced or required. Anything beyond that begs failure.

[ or so his experience has shown, even if dumb shit like group assignments for classes. ]

All good points, Sir. My name is Rosinante. Last time I ended up making supply runs for the people staying at The Invincible so we could treat anyone with injuries. If we establish the library as the secondary location for anyone on the other side of the bridge, we'll want to make sure supplies are stocked there, and inventory kept.

Defenses, though.

[He interrupts himself to take a drag from his cigarette. This is something he's only thought a little on. Agrees it's needed, but isn't sure where to start.]

The darkness means our range is limited. Watchtowers aren't practical. Luckily, the spirits don't have much other than teeth and claws and sheer numbers. What sort of basic defenses were you used to in your kingdom?

A pleasure, Rosinante. Yes, I do think it would be best to have another rendezvous point. There is quite a distance between locations, and time is always short when it comes to things like emergencies.

[ eliot eyes the cigarette with some envy. he does have a pack of his own, but with the fact there's not a regular supply available, he's been saving up for when he's in dire straights. so probably next tuesday. ]

Magic is the key to most things in Fillory. Wards and enchantments. There's a lot that can be done with them. Placing alerts along a perimeter, for example. Or setting simple traps for uninvited guests. While anything powerful would require constant attending by a magician to uphold, the only real limit to how simple magic can be used is cunning. Solutions can be configured any number of ways and aren't always the obvious choice.

...though, mind you, anything pertaining to light is, as with all other things here, not as straightforward as we'd wish it to be.

[Magic, huh? He keeps catching himself thinking in terms of mechanical traps, knowing none of these people have devil fruits. He keeps forgetting there might be magical ways to establish stationary defenses. It's kind of exciting.]

Is light involved in any of those, mm, magical spells? Because if not, they still sound practical. Are you capable of magic yourself?

[ he gives something of a despairing sigh at the mention of light. he does know light spells, to be sure, but of course they're meaningless here beyond whatever minimal heat is transferred by it. fire still works best.

which is exactly why he does a casual snap of his fingers to produce a quick flame, showing he is indeed capable. it's a common party trick used for lighting candles and such. while it produces no more light than is already present, a clear shape forms and a the faint whoosh of the flame gulping down oxygen is clear before it dies from the source. ]

Definitely practical. It simplifies a lot of things in life. Well, usually. The light not working thing is a bit on the nose, but magic is about more than just light.

Hey, you're the one who pointed it out.

[He shrugs. That fire - it reminds him of what he'd seen Kyna try on the first day here. Seemed like it should be fire, but it just wasn't. Not bright enough, no real light shedding on anything else. It's still trippy.]

The rest should serve well, though. Physical barriers they'll notice, but magical traps might just catch them by surprise.

[ at the mention of surprise, he smiles. eliot always loves giving a good surprise. ]

Surprise is certainly an underused weapon of its own. With the right combination, even with physical barriers, there's a lot that could be achieved by undermining expectations.

We're all creatures of habit, after all.

[ which is why pranking is so damn easy and fun using magic, but even if that's not the main aim here, eliot's had plenty of practice with that side of things to know what people tend to not expect. ]

Agreed and well met. I'm Kuai Liang from Earthrealm, so I fear I've not heard of Fillory. However; what you propose would be a solid start so that future arrivals don't feel as though they're beginning with a disadvantage at the onset. We'll need everyone on solid footing and working together if there's to be any hope of our continued existence here.

A stockpile of supplies is something we've started working on. Without sunlight I doubt many plants will grow, if any at all - so agriculture seems a faint hope.

We'd need to consider how many we need to feed and for how long and see if Rastus will provide as such with his monthly shipments.

Nice to meet you, Kuai. Or would you prefer Liang? I'm familiar with Earth, so you needn't worry.

About that-- While we are limited in means of sources of light, do you know if anyone has looked into amplifying them or light transference? There are clearly rules here about how sources exist, but light does appear to spread in a way that they must obey some physical law similar to what I'm familiar with.

That is to say, I'm not exactly a scientist, but mirrors and lenses have their functions beyond the obvious.

Kuai is fine.

You mean using something to focus the light? Not that I know of. The lanterns and torches barely seems to cast light so I'm not sure anyone has thought to try. There are mirrors in the Invincible. But lenses...

I have a telescope but that would be on such a small scale as to be useless.

Kuai, then.

I'll have to check those mirrors. Physical laws are different here, so at the worst, I'd still be understanding what the real limitations would be.

[ though at the mention of the telescope, he does have to raise a brow. ]

I don't suppose the telescope's been of much use? With the scarcity of light.

Absolutely none. I had it on me when I died so it arrived with me, I've not yet found a reason to attempt to use it.

[It would maybe work to see the stars closer but it's a small, hand-held spyglass so he'd be looking at maybe two stars at a time.]

Aside from light, what physical laws are different?

[ yeah, that can't be too useful in a place like this. or at least, the obvious uses are lost. there could be something more to it, but eliot defers that train of that for later. ]

It's a bit more complicated than that. A lot of physics are relative, so. Light messing up means that a lot of other things are messed up. Things like lenses, parabolas, even the idea of spacial density. A lot of those rules end up broken, especially since dark is usually just the absence of light, but here, it's not the absence of light but the presence of dark. Something that eats up light instead.

...which is just. Kind of insane in terms of natural law.

Some sorcery that can destroy light and absorb it into darkness?

[Makes perfect sense to him, the guy with a brother who's made of shadow.]

If this truly is the afterlife, or even another realm of existence, there's no reason it should behave similarly to what we've known in our worlds.

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That One With the Meeting [OPEN]

eliot waugh | ota

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