Maea
It's not a demon at your door
Nodding politely as each person introduced themselves, Maea took note of their individual skills. They would only really become important in the last part of the experiment, so once they had gone a round she folded up the paper and tucked it securely into an inside pocket.
"Thank you. Now, this is what we are going to do. I have split up the experiments into three stages, each attempting to answer one of the questions I mentioned.
"The first experiment is to try and figure out how the Void taint spreads. For this, please split up into three teams of two, and follow the instructions on this document." An assistant handed over a stack of papers, and Maea passed them out between the others. The instructions were laid out in simple terms, easy to grasp if perhaps not always easy to follow. "Make sure to spread out and keep a good distance between the groups. Assistants will help you build and bring any materials you may need; once the testing begins however, they will stand back, for their safety."
A grateful nod was passed to the people she had brought to help; they nodded back in turn, some offering tense smiles while others steeled themselves with deep breaths. She did the same, and straightenedher back.
"I will be joining in with the rest of you where I'm needed. Good luck, stay safe, and let's get started."
Round 2!
Experiment 1 consists of 4 rounds.
Team up in three groups of two and pick a task! Maea will join any group you wish.
Group 1:
Construct an enclosure with the help of available assistants. Release a choice of Sweetgrass plants or Snow Moss clusters, and Hanging snakes or Humming Bats. They are not infected.
Your task is to ensure that they remain in the enclosure, while taking notes of their behavior and health.
Difficulty: Easy
Group 2:
Construct two pens within sight but out of touch of one another. Release one Tangleweed and one Void Tangleweed into each.
Your task is to prevent them from coming into contact with one another, while monitoring and taking notes of their behavior and health.
Difficulty: Difficult
Group 3:
Construct one large container. Release an equal amount of Wine spiders and Voidweaver Spiders into the same container.
Your task is to prevent them from escaping while monitoring and taking notes of their behavior and health.
Difficulty: Medium
Flora/Fauna descriptions
Snow Moss (common): This species of moss appears at the base of many trees in the Woodland, possessing one very interesting trait: it is almost always cold. Creatures can be seen laying on it during the warmer months to relieve the heat, and it has been used as a compress by weary travellers more than a few times.
Sweetgrass (common) - A tall green grass that lines riverbanks. It produces a slightly sweet, vanilla smell that attracts bugs to pollinate its light purple flowers. It is a common substitute to sugar in baking and can be found in many teas as well for its calming effect.
Hanging Snakes (common): A fairly curious and intelligent species of snake that hang from branches such that they often look like vines. Beware, though - they are fond of slithering down innocuously to lay themselves over the shoulders of those who wander through, like to curl up inside of bags, and otherwise participate in exploring through the woods.
Humming Bats (common): A large colony of bats live in the rooftops of the domiciles. Coming out only at night as they are wont to do, this species of bat uses both echolocation to determine their surroundings as well as an oral phenomena that sounds to human ears like humming. They are roughly hand-sized, are easily frightened, and happily eat away the bugs that would otherwise linger near your doors and windows.
Wine Spiders (common): These friendly arachnids can grow up to the size of a small housecat. With fuzzy bodies and spindly legs, they are often found lurking around wine racks or kegs of beer. They are almost always drunk, hiccuping and stumbling about. It is said that finding a baby wine spider in your drink is a lucky omen!
Tangleweed (common): Appearing like nothing more than an amalgamation of sticks, the Tangleweed is actually an arguably sentient creature. For the most part it appears spherical in nature, keeping its many limbs tightly pulled against itself to form a round shape. It moves as if blown by the wind, suddenly rolling forward on the hard packed earth and then stopping just as suddenly. Having almost no natural predators, these creatures are found in great numbers especially close to the magnetic field. It is often impossible to tell if a Tangleweed is dead or alive unless they are touched. If interacted with, the branch-like limbs will lash out and close quick effectively on whatever they can grasp, at which point a poison is released which causes the skin to numb. Then, quite like other species of carnivorous plants, the Tangleweed slowly begins to digest its prey.
Void Tangleweed(uncommon - Hollowed Grounds): The normally spherical and sentient Tangleweed has been corrupted by the void. Its limbs, once resembling branches, now writhe with shadowy tendrils. Touching the Void Tangleweed not only induces numbness but also opens a temporary connection to the void, causing unsettling visions and hallucinations.
Voidweaver Spiders (Common): The once-useful Wine Spiders have become Voidweavers, their once-drunk demeanor replaced with a malevolent hunger. They spin webs of void energy, ensnaring anything that comes too close. Their venom induces nightmares, trapping victims in a perpetual state of terror.
"Thank you. Now, this is what we are going to do. I have split up the experiments into three stages, each attempting to answer one of the questions I mentioned.
"The first experiment is to try and figure out how the Void taint spreads. For this, please split up into three teams of two, and follow the instructions on this document." An assistant handed over a stack of papers, and Maea passed them out between the others. The instructions were laid out in simple terms, easy to grasp if perhaps not always easy to follow. "Make sure to spread out and keep a good distance between the groups. Assistants will help you build and bring any materials you may need; once the testing begins however, they will stand back, for their safety."
A grateful nod was passed to the people she had brought to help; they nodded back in turn, some offering tense smiles while others steeled themselves with deep breaths. She did the same, and straightenedher back.
"I will be joining in with the rest of you where I'm needed. Good luck, stay safe, and let's get started."
Round 2!
Experiment 1 consists of 4 rounds.
Team up in three groups of two and pick a task! Maea will join any group you wish.
Group 1:
Construct an enclosure with the help of available assistants. Release a choice of Sweetgrass plants or Snow Moss clusters, and Hanging snakes or Humming Bats. They are not infected.
Your task is to ensure that they remain in the enclosure, while taking notes of their behavior and health.
Difficulty: Easy
Group 2:
Construct two pens within sight but out of touch of one another. Release one Tangleweed and one Void Tangleweed into each.
Your task is to prevent them from coming into contact with one another, while monitoring and taking notes of their behavior and health.
Difficulty: Difficult
Group 3:
Construct one large container. Release an equal amount of Wine spiders and Voidweaver Spiders into the same container.
Your task is to prevent them from escaping while monitoring and taking notes of their behavior and health.
Difficulty: Medium
Flora/Fauna descriptions
Snow Moss (common): This species of moss appears at the base of many trees in the Woodland, possessing one very interesting trait: it is almost always cold. Creatures can be seen laying on it during the warmer months to relieve the heat, and it has been used as a compress by weary travellers more than a few times.
Sweetgrass (common) - A tall green grass that lines riverbanks. It produces a slightly sweet, vanilla smell that attracts bugs to pollinate its light purple flowers. It is a common substitute to sugar in baking and can be found in many teas as well for its calming effect.
Hanging Snakes (common): A fairly curious and intelligent species of snake that hang from branches such that they often look like vines. Beware, though - they are fond of slithering down innocuously to lay themselves over the shoulders of those who wander through, like to curl up inside of bags, and otherwise participate in exploring through the woods.
Humming Bats (common): A large colony of bats live in the rooftops of the domiciles. Coming out only at night as they are wont to do, this species of bat uses both echolocation to determine their surroundings as well as an oral phenomena that sounds to human ears like humming. They are roughly hand-sized, are easily frightened, and happily eat away the bugs that would otherwise linger near your doors and windows.
Wine Spiders (common): These friendly arachnids can grow up to the size of a small housecat. With fuzzy bodies and spindly legs, they are often found lurking around wine racks or kegs of beer. They are almost always drunk, hiccuping and stumbling about. It is said that finding a baby wine spider in your drink is a lucky omen!
Tangleweed (common): Appearing like nothing more than an amalgamation of sticks, the Tangleweed is actually an arguably sentient creature. For the most part it appears spherical in nature, keeping its many limbs tightly pulled against itself to form a round shape. It moves as if blown by the wind, suddenly rolling forward on the hard packed earth and then stopping just as suddenly. Having almost no natural predators, these creatures are found in great numbers especially close to the magnetic field. It is often impossible to tell if a Tangleweed is dead or alive unless they are touched. If interacted with, the branch-like limbs will lash out and close quick effectively on whatever they can grasp, at which point a poison is released which causes the skin to numb. Then, quite like other species of carnivorous plants, the Tangleweed slowly begins to digest its prey.
Void Tangleweed(uncommon - Hollowed Grounds): The normally spherical and sentient Tangleweed has been corrupted by the void. Its limbs, once resembling branches, now writhe with shadowy tendrils. Touching the Void Tangleweed not only induces numbness but also opens a temporary connection to the void, causing unsettling visions and hallucinations.
Voidweaver Spiders (Common): The once-useful Wine Spiders have become Voidweavers, their once-drunk demeanor replaced with a malevolent hunger. They spin webs of void energy, ensnaring anything that comes too close. Their venom induces nightmares, trapping victims in a perpetual state of terror.
It's just your shadow on the floor
