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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[ kol shrugs, but it isn't out of any lack of belief in what javert proposes. it hits a little too close to home. if he wants to be better, then this is one of those opportunities to be better, isn't it?

arms crossed, ] I know how to fight with weapons and without. You'd be doing yourself a favour if you learned both. You won't always have a weapon in your hand when fighting something bigger and stronger than you.

[ he's often that thing that's bigger and stronger. perhaps viking dad mikael did actually teach wily troublemaker son kol something after all. ]

You should also learn outside of the gymnasium. You won't always be on known and even ground.

[Jason looks over to Kol and nods in a agreement.]

That's not a bad idea and with it being always dark, unfamiliar terrain can be even trickier. It'd be to our advantage to at least get more used to maneuvering that way.

[He almost suggests a method similar to Camp Half-Blood's training using capture the flag, but he's hesitant since most people here will think of the game and not the intense combat practice it actually was with the Greeks.]

( He should suggest it anyway, because Javert would absolutely support it. He listens to both of them carefully, and nods. )

Each of these are valid points. There is also the matter of our lanterns, which need to be kept close and safe during a fight. It may do us all a bit of good to practice sparring that way, experience or no.

( Then, looking more to Kol, he says, )

I have not seen you around before. What is your name?

[ don't hold back, jason! let's have some fun!!

at the mention of the lanterns, kol doesn't look amused. why can't he just smash his? it's just unnecessary baggage! and yes — he knows that it's his life source, yada yada yada. still! why couldn't it be a necklace or watch?

despite his lack of love for the lanterns, he does feel pleased that his idea of training outside of the gym has been met with approval. ]

Kol. [ he gives javert a tiny little nod, still somewhat respectable to someone in a higher position than him despite spending his life acting like he doesn't know what that word means. ] I think we should be trying to train and manoeuvre around this place in as many different ways as possible. Blind, in a rush, in large groups...

[ mention capture the flag. ]

[Jason had already been told about the lanterns. It certainly added a new challenge to overcome, but that just meant they'd have to get creative, right? It was like having a new vital organ to protect.

He shakes his head as Kol describes the problem at hand with training and he speaks up again. Apparently he can't avoid it after all.]

I might have an idea we could try that addresses most of those: capture the flag. Two teams in the woods at night having to defend themselves while also accomplishing the goal of locating and taking the other team's flag.

[He holds up his hands. He's not used to speaking to so many adults and he's afraid it will be written off as a joke, so he elaborates.]

I know it may sound ridiculous since it's a game, but I've seen that as an exercise to be very effective in training. The fact that you don't know where the other flag is would force us to navigate the forest in the dark. It creates the need to work together to accomplish a common goal and all the elements you would encounter in a combat situation: strategy, adaptability, and just all around combat.

( Javert is considering his suggestion seriously, if that helps Jason's confidence any. The fact that it is a game hardly matters to him. The only problem he has is, )

You will have to explain the rules to me. I've never heard of such a game before.

( And that is obviously the most important part, knowing the rules. He nods, and flashes a satisfied look at the both of them. At Kol for prompting it, and Jason for mentioning it. )

Going by what you have described, however, the exercise sounds useful. How many people would we need minimum for teams?

It's not overly complicated. You have two teams who each get a flag to defend. The goal of the game is to defend your own flag while also snagging the other team's flag and bringing it back to your base.

[Jason isn't sure if now is the time to elaborate much further, since the purpose of this meeting is a more general gathering of resources and cooperation among everyone.]

There are a few rules beyond that about boundaries, taking prisoners, and no maiming or killing. Obviously.

[As for how many players.]

At minimum? I'd say maybe six...though we usually had far more than that.

[ it sounds like a severe game of cat and mouse, a game kol used to be the cat in. he's in. ]

Sounds fun.

[ there's a little pep to him when he says it. the mere idea does get his blood pumping, and while something deep, deep, deep down and dark inside of him is sad about the maiming and killing, he's just glad to be having fun. he's been desperate for entertainment and it hasn't even been a full 48 hours since he was dropped here. ]

What kind of weapons did you use? I'm assuming this wasn't solely hand to hand.

It was...intense. The Greek demigods aren't exactly known for cohesive battle strategies, except for Athena's Cabin and sometimes Ares. But usually you never knew what might happen when different cabins combined into different teams for a game.

[Athena and Ares were usually taking different sides to try out different strategies. But very few plans could survive cabins like Hermes or Hephaestus.]

We had a pretty big arsenal. Usually swords and spears are the most common...but I guess it depended on what you felt best with and what you had on hand. Hephaestus' cabin was known for laying all kinds of pit traps and trip wires through the woods. Apollo's cabin was more prone to long range weapons like bows and arrows.

[Jason crosses his arms, looking thoughtful.]

Of course, that was just the Camp Half-Blood version. Camp Jupiter had its own version of the game, but it's less about capturing flags and more about taking down an entire fort. We called it Siege, with one group acting as the fort's defense and the other group would be the offense. Camp Jupiter was always more prepared for war than our counterparts. We have a whole arsenal fit for a legion and everything from water cannons to an actual war elephant.

[ that… is a lot of crazy information. kol wears his surprise (and interest) with a touch of feeling overwhelmed. witches, vampires, werewolves, historical vampire hunters, hybrids, and tribrids exist in both new orleans and mystic falls, so it should be easy for him to comprehend demigods.

give him a minute. ]

Siege sounds a lot more effective in a place like this. [ having to chase each other, try to outwit each other… it'd give them a good opportunity to get a lay of the land and know how to operate within it.

he frowns, tilting his head slightly. ] But I need to ask... You had an actual war elephant?

[ sorry, not sorry—everything jason's said is so overwhelming but that takes the cake. ]

[Jason's getting used to that, but he's always been a fairly patient person, especially when compared to his peers.]

Maybe...but we don't have nearly enough equipment for it to be effective. Plus what building would we use? Most of them are used aren't they?

[He preferred Siege, sure, but he wasn't sure the group around here was organized enough to make it work. Jason tilts his head at the question.]

Hannibal. He wasn't mine personally, he belonged to the camp as a whole.

[ kol's nts: find an abandoned building so he can experience the thrills of siege. nothing will stop him from having fun. nothing.

he looks so interested in everything jason's saying—anything that causes an adrenaline rush is good in kol's books—and even though they can't do it just yet, he has hopes they will someday. what's the point of dying and not being able to experience the fun others had during their time in the land of the living? ]

Did he actually… do anything? This Hannibal elephant.

[ this could go somewhere… but really, kol's just stuck on the elephant. did it eat people, like hannibal? god, he hopes so. ]

Well, we mostly ride him into combat. Like I said, he's a war elephant. Nothing is quite as terrifying as having a 4 ton animal in gold armor bearing down on you. He's pretty good and smashing through walls, defenses, and pretty much any other obstacle you put in front of him.

[There's not a lot to add here. It wasn't like Hannibal was a magical creature. He was, in fact, just an elephant. An elephant that lived with a bunch of demigods and was used for combat mind you, but an elephant nevertheless.]

[ an elephant they could possibly use to smash down some barriers here. rest in life, hannibal. ]

Pity—and possibly something fortunate—that he isn't here to smash down any of our walls.

[ it gives kol an idea, though—what if there was an illusion of a four tonne elephant (or creature) charging at you? would that piss off some world eaters? things to google.

with his arms crossed, he rubs his elbow. ] How many times would you play this Siege game a year?

[ just how seasoned of a warrior is this kid? ]

[Jason pictures escorting Hannibal off of the ferry and roaming around Beacon.]

He wouldn't purposefully smash walls...but I imagine there are a whole bunch of other problems with having an elephant here.

[He considers the question.]

At least once a month...we would rotate it out with other war games though.

[And that was just the practice stuff, he hadn't even talked much about the actual battles he'd been in against everything from basilisks to giants and titans.]

[ it seems as though kol's been spending time with the wrong people over the centuries. half of them turned their nose up at games, and the rest… his games were fun, but he does enjoy learning new things.

narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, ] What were these games preparing you against, exactly?

[ he's getting the impression of a child soldier. a soldier of what? something much more than muggle military. ]

[Child soldier is certainly not far off. Considering they have praetors, centurions, and make up cohorts in a legion.]

To fight monsters [There's a pause and then he adds.] ...or Titans or Giants or really anything that can pose a threat to New Rome.

[ wooooooah, dude.

kol wears his surprise and excitement on his face. this is the best thing he's heard about since being resurrected the first time. ]

Like the Greek myths? Everything in those is real?

More or less.

[There were multiple versions of some of the myths and most of the gods weren't exactly the same as they were millenia ago...plus when you considered the differences between Greek and Roman. But, that was all too complicated for a first meeting, so simple answers.]

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That One With the Meeting [OPEN]

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happy?

ty kol for bullying it out of him

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