spellbinders | catch-all open log!

catch-all open log!

Who: Anyone and everyone!
Where: On the beach, and various other places throughout the hub island
When: Day 80, and the next couple days after
Open/Closed: open log for hub shenanigans!

[This evening, someone has placed an old, rusted-over camp stove on the beach near the coven's row of huts--anyone examining it in detail will see that it's not operational at the moment, but that could potentially be changed, couldn't it? If someone was handy with mechanical things . . . .

Next to it is a crate (which, from the weight of it is empty) and pinned to that crate is a sheet of paper with a map on it, something like a much cruder, black-and-white version of this:

with the following key:

1 - crags. Contain snakes which may be poisonous. Watch out.
2 - ocean, going about one mile out from the coast.
3 - lagoon. Contains thick reeds (could be woven or shaped into tools) and frogs (edibility uncertain).
4 - abandoned campsite.
5 - orchard. Currently, trees are diseased and bare. Plant healer needed.
6 - abandoned house. A family used to live here, from the looks of it. Still contains some useful supplies.

And there should be a 7 north of base camp with the notation "graveyard. Graves unused." but the player forgot and is too lazy to go back and fix it right now. Observant individuals will note that the map looks like a more detailed version of one hanging on the door to a certain coven member's cabin, one that has a note on the bottom: "Have information? Ask for Jay."

Other than that, it's a quiet night on the hub island. We've been here for a couple days; maybe you're getting restless? Want to check out that ocean, or lagoon, or even those crags? Maybe just go door-to-door in the beach huts? Maybe you're sick of shrimp and looking for other things to eat . . . hopefully someone's got a fire going tonight, and thought to kill a boar . . . .

What are you doing tonight?]

((here or here for place descriptions))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

5 - Ask and you shall receive -

[So the plants here are sick, just like she was told about. Yuuko hasn't really been spending time honing her powers or really doing anything magical. She spent her time in the last world reading in that big library and while she learned a lot she didn't really do anything.

Not so here on the hub. Gardening and making consumable food has been her priority since day one!

Can she can save these all trees...? well, she's unsure. But at the very least she can help new things grow.

With a smile she ties up her long dark hair and rolls up her frilly sleeves. Time to get to work. She's been waiting for this! With confidence she places her hand on the decaying bark and...

Nothing happens.

Eh? [That didn't work? Now, she's not a plant healer (as far as she knows) but if these trees are dead then they should stay dead... Good thing she knows how to tell. But every tree is going to need to be checked. This will require some helping hands.]

[Geir is visiting a lot of places in his survey of the island so far, and the orchard is no exception. he lands nearby and strolls into it to look at a ground level, but he stops short when he sees an unfamiliar woman already busy with the trees.

he could leave her to it, but he's curious, and the trees really do look awful. is something wrong with them? he wanders closer instead.]

What are you looking for?

Signs that the trees are still alive... [She runs her fingers along the bark, frowning a bit but when she turns to face Geir she offers a bright smile. She's seen this dazzling looking dragon around in the last world but never had the chance to make his acquaintance!] If the trees are still alive and just sick, we can heal them. But... if they're dead then we need to start over. You can't save the dead... [Human, animal and plant there are no exceptions to the rule that the dead must stay dead.]

Can you grab me a branch? [She points upward at the sickly looking branches that are beyond her reach.] That can be our first test.

Sure thing, lady.

[Geir reaches up to grab the branch, thinking hard about what she said about the dead. that man he'd talked to earlier had asked him if his power could "restore life" -- maybe it really is that extensive? it doesn't seem possible, really, when he tries to consider it more deeply. in the meantime, he can hand her what she asked for.]

...how do you tell if a tree is dead or not?

[let's say he has a professional interest.]

Thank you. [She waits for just a moment till he has one in claw. She'll let him do the inspecting since she already has a good idea of what she's going to find.] When you check a branch you're mostly checking to see if that particular branch is still healthy. If the branches are doing well the rest of the tree is too. So. When you snap it in half or even when you cut it from the tree you should notice that the inside is a nice healthy green or white.

[She can safely presume that most of these trees if not all of them lack any green in the branches.] If the branch is brown on the inside it means that that particular branch is dying or already dead. This can sometimes happen in just one branch and you simply prune and allow the tree to continue growing and it will grow more branches. But... as you can see all these branches seem to be similar. So what we have to do next is check the trunk of the tree. This can be done by simply scratching away the bark. Your nails are more suited to that task than mine~ [She laughs a bit and steps back so he can check the trunk for himself.] Let me know what color you find underneath.

All right... checking the tree bark! Let's do it!

[he's like a healer for trees! that's certainly a bewildering sensation, when he thinks about it that way, but he's also fired up about the task now, since it seems interesting. he puts the bemusement aside and scratches at the trunk as instructed, leaving long, light gashes -- no point in making the tree work harder than it needs to in order to repair itself.]

...this one looks green! Does that mean it's alive?!

[Color her truly surprised. Really, green!? Well, look at that! What a wonderful and pleasant surprise! She didn't think they'd find any. A chance at learning what made these original trees and finding out what they once grew is just as important as planting all new things.]

Yes it does! What this tree needs is a bit of pruning and time and eventually it'll be back to it's usual self. But this is good news.

[She's quick to pull a the ribbon that's holding her hair up out and instead ties it to one of the lower branches. This is a good tree that shouldn't be cut down. She'll have someone with healing powers look at it and see if they can perk it back up.]

Excellent job! Just dozens and dozens more trees to check~ But now you know all the secrets to checking the health of trees.

That's it?

[Geir sounds wistful. if most of the trees are dead, it would be a sad fate for a perfectly nice stand of trees, and he's invested in their welfare now. isn't there something that they can do for the others?]

If they're brown, that means that they're absolutely dead already? No chance they'll make it back?

Correct. I would not advise attempting to revive the dead be it plant or otherwise. There are some things that must not be done even if we have the power to do so. But I would take heart. With death comes a new chance for life. There are quite a few that have collected seeds from our last venture and we can have a new orchard of both the surviving trees and new ones.

[She offers a reassuring smile.] But this tree here speaks of hope for many others. We just have to make sure and do our best to preserve it.

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[He's down here visiting the orchard again, just in case there's been some sort of change while they were away. There doesn't seem to have been, but here's Yuuko, putting her hands all over the trees.]

Ah, hello. Have you been able to do anything with them?

[She gives a disappointed shake of the head.] When you pull down a branch from the tree you'll see that the inside is brown, implying that that particular branch is dead. Dead branches can be trimmed and cut off and the tree can be saved, so long as the trunk of the tree is healthy. Unfortunately... When we scratch away some bark on this trunk. [She does just that revealing just brown on the inside.] This should be green... These trees seem to be heavily diseased or dead. I can't say for certain but saving them seems highly unlikely.

[She brushes her hands off to give her full attention to Jay.] Sad as it is that they are dead this might be for the best. We don't know what kind of fruits these trees would bear and we don't know if they'd be right. There's grapes in the vineyard that taste like... well, not grapes. And who knows what the apples or peaches from these trees might have been like. However~ myself and several others have collected seeds from our previous world. We can start anew with trees that we will bear fruit that we know will taste the way they should.

These diseased and dying trees probably can't be used for much but you can never have too much surplus of firewood. And maybe someone's magic can do something with the wood. I can take the seeds and create a new orchard and in fairly record time.

[If there is someone that can help the trees then by all means. But in her opinion they should simply start anew with all the seeds they've collected. They can create an orchard with better pathing and add new things too! Waver found apple seeds and a possible lemon seed. And she has oranges, cherries and a few other things as well. Nothing can be planted until they decide what to do with this current orchard though.]

Though... I do have my concerns about what caused the death of these trees. I don't want a similar fate to befall the new things we plant.

[He listens carefully to all of what Yuuko's saying, head tilted in thought. When she's finished, he nods.]

I'd still like to see if there's anyone among us with the capacity to heal these trees, just so we can know what kind of fruit that they were meant to bear. But if we have new things to plant, we can certainly start taking most of these down . . . I know a couple people who might be able to help with that.

We should also take samples of the fungus, in case it returns. Someone on one of the worlds we visit might be able to help us identify and deal with it.

[He pauses.] Do you know a girl named Haru, by any chance?

[That seems perfectly reasonable to her. It would be a shame to lose all knowledge of what these trees might have been growing before. If there is a chance that some of them can be saved, then by all means. She just isn't the one that can do it. But while they seek out someone who can, she can start prepping the rest of the orchard for the new seeds.

Yuuko can't help but clap her hands together, feeling excited. She's been planning on doing some kind of garden since she got here. It's finally time.]

This all sounds excellent to me. My only request is that we be careful bringing a fungus to other worlds. Bringing foreign substances to other places can cause serious damage to their own ecosystem. But looking for someone who knows how to deal with it to protect these future trees is very much a priority.

[As for the girl... Yuuko shakes her head.] I'm afraid that locking myself up in the library in our last world caused me to miss a great deal of newcomers. Is she someone that can help this venture of ours?

[He nods; that seems more than reasonable.]

Haru is a girl who gardened a little on her world. She's been maintaining the abandoned garden in that house out west, and I think she's thinking about starting her own, too. I thought the two of you might want to confer or combine efforts.

[How absolutely interesting! She had no idea someone was well ahead of her on this gardening agenda. Clearly, they should combine their efforts.]

I'll have to get in contact with her right away then. I'd certainly like to think I could be of assistance in the task of growing things.

And in the meantime... I'll see what can be done about these trees and start growing something new. I don't know how long we'll be at here but I'd like to make the most of the time we have. If we can at least get things planted we can see the fruits of our labor upon return.

Let me know if you have trouble tracking her down--I can introduce the two of you. Or if you need any other help with this project. There are a couple individuals who have powers that might be useful for breaking down and moving the trees.

I'll certainly call upon you if the need arises. I well aware that I can't do it all on my own. And, ah, forgive me, I'm afraid we haven't been properly introduced. Could I have your name, if you don't mind?

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[Waver's been looking for Yuuko for a bit. He has a little packet of seeds with him, all ready for experimentation that should bear fruit. Literally.

He finds her working among the sick plants, which makes perfect sense. To announce his approach, he coughs as politely as possible.]

...Hey. I brought the seeds if you have a second?

[She's not too lost in thought or anything so he's not about to startle her. She can't do a whole lot with these trees. Her abilities aren't meant to heal but to grow and nourish. All she can do right now is check the status of these trees and find out which ones need to be taken down and which ones have the possibility of being saved.]

Good day Waver.

[She brushes off her hands and turns towards him so he can have her full attention.] I have quite a few seconds to spare.

[Immediately, Waver reaches into his pockets, taking out two very small clear bags. One holds several apple seeds, the other lemon seeds.]

I wanted to make sure you had these. I'm afraid of losing them in the sands by the huts, since if they get out of the bag, they'll just blend into the ground.

[Yuuko is all bright smiles as she takes the bags. She has a few seeds of her own so she'll be sure to label them at first chance so nothing gets mixed up. You don't want to get any oranges seeds in the apple part of the orchard!]

Thank you very much. I'm glad you were able to procure apple seeds. I'd forgotten they were requested until it was too late.

Apple and lemon trees will certainly be a big hit once they grow. Ah but is there anything you require in return? You've continued to help me a great deal, after all.

It's okay. Someone else mentioned wanting apple seeds, so I grabbed them with him in mind. [Dave's not around anymore, but still. Apples are good to have on hand in general, and Waver is actually pretty interested to see what comes from Yuuko's power.]

Uh. Not that I can think of, really, although I appreciate it.

[She's not so concerned about her own check and balances in this case. The payment is that everyone gets fruit and they're all working together on this. But still... it's worth asking and if something ever comes up she'll be sure to offer her assistance in any way possible.]

I have high hopes that Dave may come back one day. But until then it means more apples or the rest of us. I wonder if we have an excellent baker around.... Apple pie sounds delightful.

We'd need a working oven though.

[Waver's stomach growls angrily at the thought. How dare pie be mentioned without any being given to him immediately?]

Also, stuff to make crust. I...don't think we even have a wheat field here, do we?

[That's right... no wheat. Can't just buy a pie crust at the store now, huh?]

Even if we had seeds for a wheat field it's a lot of work to process. [She lets out a soft sigh.] Well. One thing at a time. Once we have wheat we'll figure out what to do then. Maybe someone on this island has some sort of power that could help. [Pie powers would be too much to ask but very useful. Maybe a more likely solution is someone with the ability to craft machinery or something like that... But that's a bridge to cross if and when it arrives.]