Goodbye To Yurebia

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A morning, or what one might presume to call a morning, comes where once more all of the He Rows will find themselves gathered and herded before Yurebia. Upon arriving, they are bedecked in many fine things. Chains of precious metals and stones, garlands of sea, flowers and even fine stretches of cloth clearly cut for their specific forms are all hung about them. The whole while Yurebia smiles warmly and benevolently at them, her often shifting form always radiating pride.

Once all are arranged before her, she claps her hands, fins, tentacles together and out from the wings float a string of glowing... Well, jellyfish is a close enough term. There are so many different shifting colors and balanced atop each is a silvery white tray covered with a length of inky black cloth. Clearly something rests under these clothes as some show visual distortion to their folds.

“Good heroes,” she speaks, and a magical hush settles over all but her voice, “Even one such as Ourself has no words by which to explain what you have given Our people.There are times at which great forces must change the world, even in small ways. In such times it is the way of our people, the great elementals of the universe, to choose heroes to guide our peoples. And so you come to Us, as Mother Fatima decreed. Thus We laud you, We praise you, We reward you, and We bless you. For all of you We offer a gift of great power which We have personally chosen for you. What is more, We shall bless you to render you immune to each other's gift and to offer some protection from Our kin. Now We beg of you, advance.”

So shall each hero be called up in turn, those cold will find themselves let up before the Goddess, and joined by a jellyfish. In turn, each will receive their gift and, should they allow it, a kiss upon the brow and recitation of their feats while in Yurebia’s domain.

Only once all have completed their presentation does the Queen straighten to her full and impressive height. Another beckoning curl of fingers and new members of her court arrive. Every last one of them is a variation upon a crab, lobster or octopi. Each moves before her and receives a kiss upon the brow and one of the black covering clothes from the rewards. And as the black cloth settles around them, it swirls and swirls until it disappears, the court member gone as well.

“Worry not, We have merely sent them ahead to your Grand Lady vessel. For did We not promise Our aid to you? And so We shall provide. When We finish speaking, Our magic will return you to the charge of your lady guide. You will sleep a few hours as you change back to those forms as you naturally hold. We wish you well upon the travel you must take to a world called Byvilie in my tongue. There Our eldest Estariev rules and is to hold a ball.

“What questions We were not able to answer he shall be able to. However, Our warning to you heroes of our realm, Estariev never grew out of the childish phase of wanting everything and expecting to give little or naught in return. In this region of space he is known as The Great Collector, gathering knowledge, items and oddities for the pleasure of having it and denying it to others. Sadly We have seen that which you seek is in his possession. So it is that whilst you have toiled here, We have prepared the way for you as best We could. Our contacts have secured invitations to his masquerade ball: some bought of Our own treasury, others collected from favors owed Us. Meanwhile, all of Our peoples that you have spared from tasks here have filled your holds with gifts for entrance, which requires still more giving of value as my son and his court are known for their love of silly baubles, as well as items for bribes. That which is not used in these ends are Our gifts to you for your own future journeys, including food and precious things for trade.

“As for Our servants, they will provide the last thing We ourselves cannot: that which you will wear to Our son’s deep sea masquerade. They are Our best designers to offer who are suited to adapt to your environment. Guide them with your desires, but respect their skill and knowledge. They will garb you for this and craft masks, and when they finish they know how to return unto Us. The rest of the knowledge you will need going forward We will relay to your lady guide for when you have rested and recovered from Our realm.

“And with that, kind heroes, We thank you and wish you luck. We charge you to be careful and discard no possible avenue to seek your answers. Go with Our blessings and one warning.”

The last words come as warmth wraps around the He Rows and starts to lull them to sleep. They are also the first and only time that Yurebia speaks with the measure of concern and without the royal pronouns.

’Do not become one of my son's collection. He would not enjoy how he treats that which he possesses.’

The next thing the He Rows know, they awaken in their rooms on the ships. Venidelosia's voice rings out on the intercom. She welcomes the He Rows back as well as greets their guests staying in the pseudo-beach area. Already she has conveyed her gratitude to the sea lady on your behalf. The pilots would be appreciated to help her calculate the route to Byvilie on the bridge and others should rest and make their plans.

She will prepare a full briefing for when you are closer to your destination. After all, even her best estimates on a course to the place Yurebia has mentioned seems to be a few weeks.



FAQ

Wait, does the travel time mean we aren’t doing anything this month?

You are, there is just travel time involved. When the ball information is posted in a few days you’re encouraged to forward date anything you are doing, as in game the actual ball takes place on October 23-25. We wanted to wrap the sea event and give you some time to plan and even chance to play before the event as part of your monthly fun.

What does Yurebia mean by a boon? Can we refuse the kiss?

The boon is a blessing and a mark, both conveyed within the kiss. It will not be visible to anyone, even beings of her level, unless they possess certain sorts of enchantments. These boons make you immune to the effects given by the gifts of Yurebia (Explained in the comments below). For instance, if you have the boon that means you will be able to see through another He Row’s illusion from their gift without any effort. And yes, you can refuse it, but to do so is to refuse the immunity that goes with it. AS for how it will work in the long term… well, that’s something still to be seen.

Can I refuse the gift?

You can. It will still show up in your quarters on the ship when you return.

Do we have to tell you what gift we took?

Yes. Sometime in the next month we ask that you reply to the proper comment thread below telling us which gift each character you possess has received. Feel free to edit that comment later for your own purposes to let yourself know if you have used it, but that is not required.

How much can we interact with the helpers from the queen on the ship?

They are not going to be full NPCs. They are just there to explain how you got the really kicking outfit you’ve no doubt picked out. But they all wear a silver scale on their person somewhere. It’s likely how they will get back.

My character wasn’t present for the event. Do I still get a boon and reward??

Nope. If a character had not yet joined the game or was not involved in helping out the Queen in her domain at all, they don’t get a reward. Sorry. But they really are gifts being given for services rendered.

Are there any other changes of note?

Yes! The ships’ pool/beach areas now have a full biosphere of fish, small aquatic life, and even plants. It seems to be self-sustaining. Also… weird… That’s deeper than you remember it being. Or than it should logically be able to be. Clearly there is some magic going on there. But the Queen seems to have decided you did not have enough aquatic realm stimulation for the long journey.

I wanted to ask about the upcoming heist. Can I ask that here?

Nope, that event will have its own FAQ in a few days.

What about other questions?

Ask them below. Answers will be tendered at least once every day, but hopefully more often.

Comments

The Gifts of Yurebia

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Each gift has its own description. Players may choose whichever item they believe would best suit their character or most amuse them. If you have specific questions about the item or wish to understand it more in depth, reply directly to that item's comment.

Questions? Comments?

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Ask them here to ensure we see them

The Pearl

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This item is a small, silvery-blue seed pearl held within a silver locket worked with patterns of kelp. The item is used by consuming it orally. When done so, the user is given one hour of invisibility to all not of Yurebia's blood or those bearing her boon.

The Blood

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Held within a silver vial worked with the image of fish bones is a single drop of Crimson iridescent blood. When opened, the blood can be spread over the lips to give one hour of the ability to sweet talk or charm anyone not of Yurebia's blood or those bearing her boon.

(If using on another He Row without her boon, please make sure it's okay OOC first)

The Scale

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A single iridescent Violet scale set upon a pure silver pin. When held in the hand and whispering the goddess's name a He Row and up to one other person they are touching become like mist and are carried up to 1/2 mile away at their direction. This can allow them to pass through non-forcefield walls. Upon use, the scale shatters into dust.

The Hair

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A woven bracelet of black hair with an almost oily sheen to it. When wilfully snapped into by the bearer, their appearance is magically altered to match their will for up to one hour or until they whisper her name to break the spell. This can be seen through by all of Yurebia's blood or those bearing her boon.

The Earring

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A coral bead carved into the shape of a conch hung from a silver hoop. Upon whispering into it with the goddess name, the bearer can ask one question and expect to receive a true and complete answer from the goddess. If she does not know the answer, she will inform the hero of as much and the question will not be consumed. Yes, this can be used to spoil some future things in the game if you so wish. If so, it will be labeled as a potential spoiler before being shared, and you are asked to tell other players before sharing it with them.

The Tooth

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A large tooth of dull silver that always feels cold to the touch. The shape of it is easily carved and yet holds the shape it is worked into if heated over an open fire. After it has been fired for the first time, it cannot be reshaped any longer. Ideal for the making of small tools or weapons.

The Bone

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A pure white vertebrae of a young sea serpent approximately the size of two adult male fists held together. When being gifted this, the lady notes that it if it's worked properly into an alloy, it will enhance one inherent aspect of whatever metal it was mixed with. For example, steel will be stronger, copper would conduct better, and gold would shape more easily. This can also enhance already existing alloyed metals.

The Cloak

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A length of inky black cloth, much like the one which previously covered it. When dawned and the goddess's name is invoked the cloak will allow the user to meld into the shadows three times within the space of 1 hour. After that it becomes a more dun colored length of durable cloth.

What Gift Did You Take?

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Please comment here just to let us know what item you took. You are free to edit your comment at anytime to claim a different gift instead. Only do this if you have not previously used your gift.