HONIR'S SCOUTS

[asgardsflight]

❧ HONIR'S SCOUTS

Scouting the woods outside of Asgard and eventually what lies beyond is the primary directive of a scout - this world holds both wonders and dangers in equal measures, and Asgard needs to hear of both. As such, a scout needs to be able to move quickly and effectively through unknown and often dangerous terrain, and to do so with enough mental acuity to report all findings (including the general lay of the land) back to Honir so Honir can pass that information along to Mimir's skalds or Heimdall's sentinels as appropriate.

In long-term expeditions outside of Asgard, such as the Wight War, scouts will often be asked to break away from the group to monitor the road both ahead and behind, and will work in conjunction with Heimdall's sentinels to ensure that when camp is made for the night, it's done in a safe environment with no unforeseen dangers.

As Asgard grows and begins to turn eyes toward settling outposts, scouts will be responsible for locating the right place to place one and for monitoring the surrounding area while the outpost is built.


❖ how scouting works:

Each month, head over to the Participation Sound-off in which to let us/Honir know if your character is scouting this month + describe where/how much they're doing so. Big and small discoveries will be distributed throughout the scouts each month, ranging from new plants to pockets of wild magic to dangerous beasts and more. Some discoveries are location-sensitive, so opting to be more specific ("scouting the forest west of Asgard") is often more lucrative than sweeping the month with a broad brush ("scouting the forest in general, trying to look everywhere").

The Scout Needed top-level also exists for Honir to occasionally suggest things that might need scouted or looked into. Any scouts can do so, should they choose! Just reply to the relevant request to make sure it's known that they're doing so.

It's also important to keep in mind that scouting is the gateway for a lot of plot or world elements to enter Asgard. As such, a lot of the discoveries made are actually more suited to be addressed by another god's vocation - the skalds, maybe, or the sentinels if there's some form of danger. Part of a scout's responsibility is to make sure to file a discovery report with those other vocations in order to ensure the info gets to the right place! This is done by locating the Tip Line top-level within the god job entry on that god's journal and dropping a comment there summarizing the discovery. This info can then be picked up by individuals in that vocation, as if you've provided them a quest.

❖ relevant links:

• Scout Needed
  
• Honir's Scouting Support
  
• Participation Sound-off
  
  
• God Jobs infopage (consult for links to Tip Lines)
  

Comments

TIP LINE for honir's scouts

[asgardsflight]

Do you have information that the scouts should be aware of, or something you'd like them to go check out for you? Drop a comment here!

Anything dropped in this top-level that needs scout attention will get a listing on Scout Needed, where scouts can pick it up as a mini-quest.

SCOUT NEEDED

[asgardsflight]

Under this top-level, Honir will be offering up various little assignments for scouts to pick up on in between their other duties. Some months, he'll have a few. Other months, he'll have none at all. Check back every so often to see what's new!

To claim an assignment, just reply to it saying your character is interested and we'll go from there.

HONIR'S SCOUTING SUPPORT

[asgardsflight]

Do you need to contact Honir about job-related topics? Use this top-level to do so!

Scouts are encouraged to get in touch with Honir if they face any dangers or other issues of concern that the god might be able to help with, or alternatively, if they want to discuss what they've discovered with the god in greater detail.

(You're welcome to approach this OOCly or with an IC tag-in, as you so desire!)

SOUND OFF

[asgardsflight]

Sound off here (with the month in your subject line) to let Honir know that you're scouting in a given month! Try to include where, how often, and any relevant details on what your character is looking for if anything (e.g. they might be prioritizing searching for dangerous plants, or looking out for signs of civilizations outside of Asgard).

Once you do, you'll get a reply with a bit of info on what your scout discovered this month!

Don't forget to report it to the appropriate tip line if necessary, and feel free to chat with Honir if you need any logistical support and/or insight on your discoveries.

investigate the anomalies!

[asgardsflight]

So! In the far end of Honir's district, there's a rather attractive little spot - quite literally, it attracts you to it - that proceeds to trap you with tree roots if you wander too close.

Honir wants a scout/multiple scouts willing to:

1. Poke around that anomaly and clearly mark the perimeter of the root-grabby area with the provided glowing red tape. He saw it in a Wanderer's memory once, red tape around a dangerous place, and it seems like a nice clear way to mark where things are Not Good and you Probably Shouldn't Step.
   
   
2. Sit somewhere peaceful and see if you can feel any other anomalies calling you. We don't know that all anomalies are quite so sociable and alluring, but it's worth a try.
   
   
3. Generally just keep your [ whatever variety of senses mortals have ] peeled and/or open for anything magically Out Of The Ordinary in your daily scouting! A key shared trait between any anomaly will likely be the sudden sense of strong magical presence. You can't miss it!

[hoshikiri]

am i doing this right...

Takame here would to take this up, particularly seeking out other anomalies that might not be known yet and might be potentially dangerous. Just cause he can't see it doesn't mean he can't sense it.

[trafficreport]

jet would be interested in at least making sure no one goes near the anomaly! he has...no real experience in feeling out other anomalies, but god damn he'll apply himself into trying anyway.

[demonicbeauty]

Ariadne will get SUCH A KICK out of putting up red tape.

And she'll certainly keep her eyes peeled for the weirdness. She has limited knowledge of magic itself, but she has good eyes and ears (and a pretty decent sense of smell, too).

[asgardsflight]

You're definitely doing it right!


After a bit of searching, Takame feels what can only be described as a soft magical crackle prickling at his skin, like if carbonation were soft like fleece. There's no attracting force this time, nothing abjectly leading Takame in the correct direction, but he can play 'hot and cold' to figure out in which direction the soft-static gets stronger.

If he does so, he'll come across a small oblong clearing in the woods outside of Sigyn's district, no more than a few yards in diameter, in which plants seem to be rapidly growing from seed to death in a matter of ten or fifteen seconds - then reversing, coming back from death and shrinking back down to a seed. This stands true for both the flowers littering the clearing and the ferns/undergrowth around the clearing's edges, but doesn't quite reach the trees themselves.

[asgardsflight]

Does he use the suggested red tape around the anomaly, or mark it with a different method?


As for the subsequent search, he'll come across what is almost certainly an anomaly. In the woods outside of Heimdall's district, he'll encounter what seems like a corridor in the trees, a 'path' some ten or fifteen yards long in which no trees grow. It begins nowhere and leads nowhere. Standing within that corridor, he can hear no sound - not even his own footsteps, breathing, or speech. Instead, things that might otherwise make sound (speaking, for example) wash over his skin with a magical tingle (with a sensation like if TV static were made from fleece). It's as if all sound waves emitted or created in this particular area converts entirely to pure, raw magic the instant they leave to source.

[asgardsflight]

Good. :') Jet Star seems to be working on blocking off the intial anomaly too - feel free to touch bases/plot about it if that sounds fun to you!

Not far from the initial anomaly, a bit closer in toward Asgard proper, she'll come across a pond that shoves you back with unseen if you try to breach the water's surface. Is it an anomaly? Well, it's certainly anomalous, so there's that.

[trafficreport]

He'll use the red tape!

Does the sensation change or shift depending on where on the path he's standing - i.e., does it fade out when you get close to the end of the path, or is it an abrupt shut-off?

Also, forgive me for the questions, but would there be any long-term effects in standing in the path for a long period of time?

[hoshikiri]

With stuff like this Takame tends to observe from a distance cause. Reasons. But if he were to go and investigate this phenomenon much closer up would he spot anything else of note? He wouldn't go like right up into it, more like at the edge of the clearing/around the trees where it stops.

Also would being close up next to this anomaly have any particular effect on him? Is it in this small area only or would there be something nearby/in the same district where he can catch wind of something similar/connected?

[asgardsflight]

Being up close gives him the odd sensation of ebbing and flowing like a tide, and if he stands still, he may find himself swaying just slightly in toward the anomaly and out away from the anomaly along with the rhythm of the plants' life/death cycle - but he otherwise isn't actively impacted so long as he stays outside the active anomaly area.

It does seem to be this particular area only (at least for now!).

[asgardsflight]

It fades about 25% as he nears the edges, but otherwise the edge is pretty crisp, fading out the rest of the way in the span of a single step.

There are no drastic long-term effects - he'll leave feeling a bit more tired (but nowhere near exhausted), especially if he made much noise while inside the anomaly. Additionally he may struggle with how loud everything seems once he emerges, but no more than if he were in a wholly non-magical soundproofed room for too long.

(Thanks for your patience, also!)

[demonicbeauty]

Whelp. Airy (with the help of Jet Star) has taped off the area. The growing consensus of her conversations (in this post) seem to boil down to "could the pond be alive or have something living in it; we should totally ask Odin or one of the other smart gods."

[hoshikiri]

probably a good thing that he's at least not dumb enough to go into the area, but he'll definitely sit by it for. a long af time and record his findings or any change to it and report everything he could discern to honir to see if he could shed some light on what could be causing this

heimdall too, probably since he's also a sentinel but that's probs for the other page....

[asgardsflight]

Oh! Smart gods! Honir would suggest Mimir - Odin is rather smart, but also rather busy, and Mimir does have his Skalds.

Also, Honir definitely tells Airy she's done a wonderful job in taping off the area. He doesn't even have to see it, he just knows. :')

[asgardsflight]

Based on the description, it doesn't seem to be... actively dangerous? Honir might suggest Mimir and his skalds, as a potential destination for the information. He himself has a hundred guesses and it's entirely possible that not a single one is correct. :')

[demonicbeauty]

Heeeheee.

Mimir's ears should be burning...

[trafficreport]

No problem! Thank you for the reply!

[asgardsflight]

Oh, they are. :')

If you'd like to get him involved, feel free to toss this up on the Skalds tip line!

APRIL: GROUP INVESTIGATION (PAIRED WITH HEIMDALL'S SENTINELS)

[asgardsloyalty]

Looking to investigate the blighted cave? Pair up with a sentinel and you can potentially glean some new info.