“The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.”
― Albert Einstein
“We all have a Monster within; the difference is in degree, not in kind.”
― Douglas Preston
Greetings Sykans!
This season's theme is going to be about utilizing those connections that were built last season to survive this coming one. Syka, since it has grown and thrived, has attracted major attention. Most forces thought the days of settlement and colonization were long over. Syka proved these skeptics wrong. But the thing is, why do all the hard work Syka has done to tame a portion of Falyndar when it's already been done for you? They want what Syka has. That enemy is more than willing to subjugate the entire settlement and make it theirs. After all, its skipping steps, right? They have the power and resources behind their actions as well.
To this end, Fall in Syka will be all about discovering that Syka's now on the map officially and a target. There are forces at play that this new enemy doesn't know about (the Guardians for one, some of Mathias' special guests for another) but that still won't help the settlers if they don't know they are being targeted.
This season is about discovering who the real enemy is and finding ways to work together to counter the threat. It's one entire skillset to tame a new place and live there successfully. It is an entirely different skillset to make one's enemies realize it's best not to poke a serpent with a stick unless one wants a face full of fangs dripping with venom.
People will have to build on their interconnectedness and work together. The Rangers will be taxed this season and recruiting for full and part-time helpers. And there will be joy and laughter and hopefully a lot of opportunities for character building and best of all memory building.
I will be dropping storyseeds in the OOC about this new threat to Syka as the season unwinds. Feel free to utilize the storyseeds and run with them to help build a profile of this new enemy. Work together and share information on what each and every PC learns this season. It might be important to Winter hitting and the real danger descending. This is your 'You've been warned...' season of prep and awakening. Skill build weaponry and defensive things. The Guardians should get to know each other on a deeper level as well. Their participation is important.
There will be one moderated thread with those who volunteered as tribute here shortly to start the season off right.
If anyone has any divination or foresight, let me know. I will be giving you some omens and portents. If you have skills like reading Tarot, quest items that are on a related note or have a special ability as a PC, you can also be added to this group.
This new enemy doesn't want all of Syka. They just want the best parts of it. And they are willing to destroy everything else because they don't realize what Syka actually is. It is going to take the entire settlement working together to overcome this threat. It will be more important than ever to get your Syka Required Skills up. I haven't enforced the RULE in the past that you need to raise these skills at least five points each season. None of you are taking that fact seriously. Next season I will enforce it... and that means remaining in Syka. Many many many of the tasks below give ample opportunity for learning and growing. Take advantage of that. And remember, everything in these Calendars and Codex applies to your PC... nothing is N/A.
As always, feedback is welcome.
Goss
Please keep these requirements in mind. If you go inactive in Syka or take a break for a season or two, you lose your free claims (that have been awarded in the past) because you haven't contributed to the community. If you have purchased your property and its paid in full, you can feel free to go inactive with no penalty. If you are still paying on it, inactivity isn't an option without the loss of your property for missed payments. Please be aware job threads and placeholders can be no older than a season behind. Nothing will count or be paid for that is older. The list below is things you need to include in your Fall threading.
“The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.”
― Albert Einstein
― Albert Einstein
❖ Start a post in this thread keeping track of how many requirements you have completed.
❖ Have pain or death touch your PC's life.
❖ Explore a new-to-you location.
❖ Pay Seasonal Expenses of Common or higher.
❖ Be active.
❖ Work on one or more recommended Syka Skill (Wilderness Survival, Tradeskill, etc) and increase it by 5 points.
❖ Include one of the NPCs listed in the NPC Masterlist in one of your threads.
❖ Utilize at least 2 storyseeds in a creative way. The storyseeds can be used in whole or part or could even be used as an inspiration for a whole different story arc. Folks will just have to be able to see the connections.
If you complete all these tasks successfully and fulfill the requirements, then you will get an award in the form of Quest Coupons of your choice. Incomplete threads do not count. These items must be completed by the end of the season.
Please remember, storyseeds are just ideas, hints, and nudges for you to craft a greater plot from. They are a starting place. Feel free to mix, match, and combine storyseeds and knock out more than one in one thread. For example, a survival situation could easily be combined with a deep-seated unbearable pain while hunting whales. Got it? Great!
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
― Edmund Burke
― Edmund Burke
❖ Feel deep-seated unbearable pain, either physical or emotional.
❖ Learn a new skill.
❖ Meet a new PC or NPC.
❖ Go Whalewatching or hunting.
❖ Attend a holiday or ten-day celebration.
❖ Acquire something in thread you've earned in a challenge.
❖ Learn something about Syka's new enemy.
❖ Reveal a secret to someone.
❖ Fall in love.
❖ Mentor someone in something you are good at.
❖ Find yourself in a life or death survival situation.
❖ Rescue someone from a life or death survival situation.
❖ Accidentally set something on fire.
❖ Get into a fight with someone/something.
❖ Start a new hobby.
❖ Learn something new about yourself.
With the fall comes relief from the unbearable heat. Humidity drops slightly, the rains come more frequently - usually morning and evening - and the whole place just becomes a more pleasant living situation. Since seasonality does not affect Syka as much as other places, flowers continue to bloom, trees continue to bear fruit, and things grow wild. Sunburns are less common. The tides level out and are not as extremely high and low as they are summer/winter.
Big whales are migrating up into the Suvan at this time of year. They have been out in the Outter oceans in the spring and summer, but arrive in the very rich Suvan to feed with their new calves. Whalewatching is incredibly good and even some of the smaller varieties are seen right off the shoreline of Syka just past where the waves break.
I'm always willing to run a personal storyline for anyone who joins Syka for the season. People get such few opportunities to interact with their actual storylines in generic calendar situations within various domains, so in Syka I'd like to change that. I will be willing to run the following:
- Personal Quests
- Gnosis Threads
- Flashbacks & Future Foretellings
- Training Threads
Just let me know what I can help you out with. Syka might be small but we have had some really incredible storylines here in the past.
Happy Threading!
Goss
