spellgrinders | [WORLD ONE

SO, after talking with Dave on the planning log, Xion is going to attempt to use her water magic against the Uvi to try to interfere with whatever water abilities they may have (since the characters got information that the Uvi do indeed have water abilities)

The original idea is to try to force them back up into the ocean or at least slow them down (though Xion doesn't have enough strength/control yet for that to really be feasible for long even if it does work). Would this have any effect?

Also would there be any other good opportunities for her to try hampering their water abilities and how would that go over with the Uvi

The Uvi do have powers of water manipulation, but they need to be in closer proximity to the water in order to utilize it. So essentially they can't use their water magic on the land UNLESS there is water near them. An Uvi can try to use a water magic-user's own created water against them. The Uvi CANNOT make their own water through air molecules like some hydrokinesis users, though.

If Xion would like to try to use water against them in any way, she's definitely free to try, and the success rate of this attempt would be up to you! Their own water magic isn't especially useful on land, but they also have experience with water so the odds even out.

If she wants a good opportunity, if someone could fly her closer to the ocean it may give her more water to work with -- simultaneously, the closer the Uvi are to the water, the more likely they are to try to use it against her and others, either via attempting to drown someone or utilizing it as a tangible weapon.

Is the toxin in the seaweed something Mitsuki's power would work on?

It is!

Is it possible to force some of the seaweed on the Uvi base apart with water pressure between the leaves? Alternatively, would coating the leaves with ice make them easier to handle/break off? I just want to get a handle on if it's thoroughly impenetrable at this time or if characters could do stuff to actively try and enter, or to trap the Uvi inside for a while!

-- ALSO ASKING FOR A FRIEND SINCE I'M ALREADY HERE is it possible to capture one of the Uvi alive and hold it for a while?

Edited 2017-08-09 23:06 (UTC)

It's definitely possible! Inside the seaweed is...not much. Uvi are essentially animals with a more humanoid form, so they exist within the seaweed with few items and food. Not a lot to see except more and more Uvi. The seaweed mass is comparable in size to the Aimintas city itself, so it's not like you can blast a tidal wave right through it unless you have a LOT of powerful water magic -- but maybe y'all can scrounge some up!

Coating them with ice is also a really good proposal and may work better than the water alternative. The Uvi can utilize some water magic, but ice isn't in their wheelhouse. It would indeed trap them inside if you could somehow coat it in ice. The Uvi do have tools that could eventually break through the ice, but it would take a while. (If you do go with the ice thing, drop a line here so the OOC post can be adjusted accordingly.

Uvi CAN be trapped, but they will die after the 10th comes around since they only have so much time for utilizing oxygen.

How effective would trying to communicate with a trapped Uvi be, out of curiosity?

(and P.S. due to me being reminded - would they be more or less cooperative/forthcoming with hypnotic suggestion, as 9S asked about also?)

Edited 2017-08-12 02:43 (UTC)

The problem with the Uvi is that they don't understand language themselves -- they're instinctive and animalistic, with only a few learned vocabulary words under their belt. Their communication abilities are based wholly on movement and instinct, much like a wild animal's would be. (As in the response to 9S, hypnotic suggestion may be impossible if it's based on the target understanding the suggestion in the first place.)

Being trapped with no outside magic calming or placating them would make them more likely to be vicious or unlikely to be reasonable, or as reasonable as they can be when they have no idea what's going on outside of being threatened, with no way to understand anything other than "I'm in danger, I have something to do, I need to remove the obstacle."

A couple of things! First off, are the Uvi susceptible to suggestion, as is 9S' new little power? Also, how vulnerable are they to strikes from bladed weaponry? Do they have any natural armor, and what is their combat ability?

Going beyond this battle log, if 9S were interested in trying to figure out a way to set up an electrical barrier around the city using some of the natives' magical power to run it, would the Palai be in favor of trying and would the necessary resources exist? If it is something 9S could find feasible he'd present this option to the others in the hope of pooling technical skills.

Edit: Also! I remember the setting info mentioning flying machines. Are these around, and are they hackable? If they are, 9S can get some people on the pursuit of those Uvi. If not, he can try and fail.

Edited 2017-08-11 00:07 (UTC)

The Uvi aren't capable of understanding language outside of a few key words, so if 9S magic relies on the target's ability to understand his suggestion, it most likely wouldn't work on the Uvi. Their skin is scaled but hides a thick and leathery meat -- hitting them with blades WILL work, but the wielder will need to put a lot of force into the swings and not expect them to fall immediately. On a scale of 1 to 10, you can rank their combat abilities at about a 6.

This is doable, and the Palai would be open to the idea! It would require finding enough materials to fully enclose the city, though, since the Eltos work best when their magic runs through a conduit. Otherwise they'd have to be there 24/7 to keep the barrier running which would be exhausting and remove them from running other city resources.

Here's an explanation of the Palai flying machines; they're very primitive and what makes them mechanical is the magic enabling them to move, not necessarily their format. Because of this, they aren't particularly hackable, but if someone could make a better machine it might be.

Oh gosh I forgot some of the detail about the flying machines amid all my newbie reading, sorry for the trouble. But thank you so much for the information and clarification. I think after the battle, 9S will go ahead and pursue the idea of constructing a barrier and reach out to the other characters ICly to pool ideas/resources.

After they have a game plan, I'll get in touch to hash that out with you guys. Is that best via PM or through this post?

No problem! Once you square away any plans you can PM the mod account if you want to keep it more private, or put it on the post you linked if you want -- depends on how much info you want to keep close to the vest!

Following up on some threads in-progress...

As a Scanner, 9S gathers "unit data" from enemies that he's come up against. In concert with this, his unit type is intended to scout out terrain as well, and so he's capable of quick observation and assessment at a pretty high accuracy level (for example in one novella, discerning the functional purpose of architectural features in old ruins, including traps). What sort of information would he be able to acquire about the Uvi, having faced them, and their home base, since he accompanied the recon squad?

Sorry for yet more questions, but this has become relevant while characters are discussing ways to fortify the city.

No problem! Ask as many questions as you need~

The information would be based on what information he could suss out in canon (i.e. whether an info screen offered a few sentences, biodata, etc.) The same would apply to the Uvi's home. Snippets of information about the Uvi found on this post, the initial world post and the Doc could be found through this function, as well as information obtained from the descriptions in logs themselves.

Their home base, since there's less information about this, is made from a toxic seaweed that the Uvi's scaley and leathery skin is immune to. If obtained and taken from the water, this secretion on the leaves will be completely fire-retardant -- this is yet undiscoverable since it's located within the ocean. This seaweed is also able to kill fish quickly and is what the Uvi use to sharpen and polish their weapons as they strip away flesh and dissolve bones to a point when used expertly.

If you have any specific questions about either the Uvi or their home base that you'd like to include in his unit data, feel free to ask!

Thanks a bunch!

As far as what 9S can figure out, it seems based on the screens he works with that he can pick up environmental data in terms of what's deemed a potential threat, a fair idea of how numerous enemies in the vicinity are, and other factors. How much of this he should be able to read could vary from world to world and I'd be 100% down with rate of detection being influenced by environmental factors, for instance things that mess with electronics (given what he's made of).

Unit data isn't specified heavily in terms of what the characters themselves see in-universe, but what the player is provided with in unit data entries looks like this. Important to note is the necessity of facing and defeating the opponent, and so what's ascertained comes from observation. Environmental detection as stated above can alert 9S to dangers and naturally he can observe and note attack patterns or artillery as he encounters it, but particularly specific data on opponents comes with combat.

Not sure if these bits of explanation are entirely needed, but just to specify what factors I have in mind when looking over the info that's been referenced. He'll have fought Uvi during the invasion, so unit data will have come from that. Thanks a bunch for the details, and I'll review the referenced posts/docs.

Since the Uvi rely solely on water, what would happen if Nike uses her wind manipulation magic over them to create wind gusts strong enough to push them back? Will it affect them at all other than pushing them a bit? Will it dry their skin enough to leave, for example?

Also, will fog help them more than blind them? I was thinking of having someone with flying powers carry Nike close enough to the water aspect of the world to create fog with her abilities. Will it do much to deter some of the Uvi from wanting to fall from/return to the sky or blind them at all?

The Uvi rely more on water to breathe, not necessarily to stay moist. Their skin is very touch and easily sustained outside of the ocean, their lung and gill system is not. The wind gusts could easily move them, but it won't damage their skin or ability to survive very much.

While the Uvi won't be able to utilize the fog with their own magic abilities, it also isn't much of a deterrent. Because Aimintas is a world with a lot of water, fog isn't an unnatural phenomena and something they would be familiar with. The Uvi have pretty decent eyesight, so a fog would inconvenience them at the same level as you would be driving through it -- it's kind of a hassle, but you can still get from Point A to Point B if you're familiar with the area, which they are.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:

1. I'd like a mod ruling on this: do the Uvi count sufficiently as 'people' for Jay's power (i.e. projecting his feelings onto other people) to work on them? (I'm guessing they'd work on the Palai, but he's much less likely to try that.)

2. If so, do the Uvi act any differently in terms of being persuadable, communicable with, etc. after they've had ten tons of concentrated calm-and-safety projected onto them?

They would work on both the Palai and the Uvi!

In terms of the power's affects on the Uvi, it will calm them down appropriately and work as a distraction. They aren't entirely able to communicate their feelings outside of gestures and movement, so it will essentially placate them in place -- think how video game NPCs sort of stand there glossy-eyed until you interact with them.

Persuasion and communication will be much more difficult, however, because their brains run on instinct and emotion. When placated, they won't want to attack anything and are content to stand there in the calm emotion. Actually understanding that emotion as a signal to stop doing what they're doing once it wears off is a different story.

hello! jake would like to investigate two things!

1) he wants to try getting more information on the 'give back' myth. like. any details that might explain the rain or link it back to the uvi in some way.

2) he'd also like to investigate the ocean itself and see if he can figure out why it's raining? that is, flying up there and really getting hands on. so anything he might notice there?

thank you!

1. No such link is immediately obvious to the Palai and as much as they know about the Give Back myth is reported in the doc. They will be more interested in the island as time goes on and as more coven members visit it. All they know is that they were instructed to give back and haven't yet. Some Palai may think that the saltwater rain is punishment for not giving back, but this will only after it causes damage to crops and their buildings.

2. The ocean itself is rather volatile right now. The currents are going a little crazy, and the coven will have the Uvi to thank for this. They're still trying to get out of their ice prison, and what small holes they have made in the ice they're using as a means of accessing their water magic. The large currents and rain are their doing and a further symbol of their displeasure, though it's the most they can do right now. He may notice this if he ventures to the seaweed, though the currents will be immediately noticable.

Is it possible to go up through the ocean to the island again, in the wake of the Uvi attack? If so, are there any changes in the island/ocean in general that characters who were already there once would notice, and/or increased hostilities on the way there and back compared to the first trip?

The ocean right now is a lot more volatile due to the Uvi -- this response to Jake's player explains a little more. The island is wholly unchanged and this is the most noticeable change in the ocean, aside from the fish and aquatic creatures freaking out due to the change.

Thank you, that's super helpful!

HI MODS IT'S ME AGAIN

Would it be possible for our intrepid plotsploration team to convince an Alias, Lynas and Eltos trio to go up to the island with them on this adventure? If so, would the Eltos or the Palai in general have anything to say about the barrier/be able to have any effect on it?

Edited 2017-08-26 02:17 (UTC)

HEY AGAIN

Yes, this is totally possible! They will definitely be fascinated by the entire landscape, though their fascination will be as far as being helpful goes -- except. The Elto will remark about how the barrier looks suspiciously like their own energy magic manifested, though they won't be able to manipulate this energy despite it being familiar to them.

Thank you!!

[WORLD ONE | UVI ATTACK]

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