AUGUST 2025 EVENT LOG

[bayhelpers]

⋆✩ THE FIRST TRUE EXPEDITION ✩⋆

The Guildleader’s announcement comes off the excitement of yet another round of mysterious new arrivals floundering their way into society. It comes not long after a fresh round of beach parties and campfires, announced simply by notices posted to the Quest Board concerning a vital announcement to be made at the Archive’s steps. Within the first week of the month, that announcement has been made.

It’s time to expand their borders. It’s time to break through the unknown.

It’s time, the Guilds agree, for an Expedition.

i. LET THE EXPEDITION BEGIN

PACK YOUR BAGS

Preparing for the Expedition is no simple task. After the announcement has been made, all three Guilds prepare personal sign-ups for the matter, extending invitations to Pokemon they feel will do particularly well. An expedition, each Leader explains, is not at all the same as any typical quest. It is an effort comparable to the very exodus that formed what Bottlecap Bay is today. It’s a collective of Pokemon all headed for one singular goal, supporting each other in the effort.

Pokemon are encouraged to invest in sacks and satchels in some cases, while others are simply handed worn packs for their own use. Lists of necessary supplies are passed around, ranging from simple foods like apples and chestnuts all the way to rare and valuable goods that could make or break any team lost in the woods. Seeds that explode when chewed upon, or even revive a Pokemon from unconsciousness are carefully divided among Expeditioners, and as the day fast approaches the nervousness becomes a tangible thing upon the air. Heavy, like a storm. Static, akin to electricity from a yet unseen lightning bolt.

Yet skies are clear - and they remain clear when the day comes for the trek as well.

WE’RE TAKING A ROAD TRIP

⟡ The Expedition begins ICly on the 1st of August - Players are free to handwave characters seeing notices leading up to this day beginning from the 25th of July.

⟡ When it comes to being allowed on the Expedition, even new Pokemon are invited to join! The Guild Leaders are anticipating they’ll have hidden strengths and unusual insights in dealing with the unexpected, compared to native Pokemon - what with the experiences they have coming from very different worlds.

⟡ All Pokemon on the Expedition will at minimum be equipped with some form of sack for personal belongings. While larger Pokemon will also be tasked with carrying extra loads intended for tents and shelters, smaller ones will be asked to tow rations (or other supplies that are easily split) for their immediate party.

⟡ Many stores in the town are eager to do their part to support Expeditioners! While this doesn’t mean any special discounts, it does mean that items and goods they exchange might be a little more personalized. It seems a Pokemon’s favorite snack just happens to have been set aside, while the last satchel available is in their favorite color. How fortuitous!

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

While all three are in agreement, it is only one Guild Leader who spearheads the charge. The Oran Berries of the Spire are left with a trusted deputy to handle any immediate matters as the Expedition Team sets off for the woods in early August, and where most teams are a mere two to four Pokemon strong it isn’t inaccurate to compare this one to an army. As a mass, these Pokemon move forward with their packs filled with supplies. Stone, lumber, and straw for larger sorts. Food and tools for others. And still more with nothing but the most vital necessities, first aid, and so on.

The three sections of forest that are known to Bottlecap Bay all border the sandy shore of the Bay’s lower crescent, with the ‘North’ in particular creeping along the Canopy. Through probing of the Forest’s boundaries and environs, thanks in large part to all of the explorations and quests of the past months, the Guilds have determined that the Forest eventually starts funneling together, the far end of each section growing narrower and narrower as the entire Forest is compressed between impassable terrain. This also means that whatever’s at the other end, any entrance to the Forest should exit in roughly the same place.

The Expedition intends to travel just through the North section - at this point they’ve had plenty of experience dealing with the primary hazard of spores! However, as the team carries on, they start to encounter discordant patches resembling the Middle and South in alternating moments of time. Some begin to voice concerns and questions - the Forest was never so strange before, even when the fog was at its thickest. Is this trip really worth it? How are they possibly going to make it through to the other side? The Forest seemed unending even when they were starting to get used to the conditions in each section individually!

As worries mount, Mightyena calls out encouragement, and hopeful whispers spread from the front of the Expedition. One of the Pokemon near Mightyena has a hunch, and says so in a shy voice. A feeling that just ahead, there might be something that isn’t just woods. Thanks to everyone’s efforts in recruitment, many wild Pokemon have agreed to assist over the last number of days - and the ones from the furthest corners of the Forest concur. The end is near, and this has been the forest’s final test. They just have to push on.

They can do that much, right?

ARE WE THERE YET?

⟡ While the threat levels over all within the forest have dropped down somewhat, navigation during the Expedition becomes even harder than it was before. The trip at minimum takes a full day - but notably, Pokemon who stray from the group quickly find themselves back in the pack, or back in Bottlecap depending on their intentions.

⟡ The Expedition only stops a few times during this trip, each time for a shared meal. There is always at least one Pokemon with their eyes directly ahead so that they don’t lose the path, and others in the group make certain to keep their fellows in sight at all times.

⟡ While they don’t ultimately set up tents in the woods, it’s clear from speaking with Mightyena that it was considered a possibility; in fact, finding a place for the Outpost within just a single day should have been impossible! She seems certain that at least one Pokemon move or ability was involved in this.

ii. BOTTLECAP OUTPOST, NAME TBD

CAMPING WITH EXTRA STEPS

After little more than a day of trekking, the journey comes to an end. The Expedition’s goal was to find a place suitable enough to create another settlement. To find a place beyond the woods that could be considered safe. A place that could eventually become another home.

Thanks to the cooperation of the Pokemon of the forest, they have managed just that.

The valley is a beautiful carpet of swaying grass, gently sloping hills, and tiny babbling brooks. Wildflowers sprout in colorful clumps or large swathes, and the air smells sweet and fresh; a breeze ruffles gently through Pokemon fur and feathers, chasing clouds through the sky. Scattered rocks and boulders make for perfect spots to lie down and sunbathe. One larger stream meanders through the center, its water clear enough to see straight through to the rocky bottom - at least except for the spots where rocks jut out above the surface, generating sprays of drops and foam. It's kind of hard to believe that this was just beyond the fog and gnarled undergrowth of the forest!

At the other end of the valley, the hills begin to grow steeper, and trees fill in again - in fact, it almost looks denser than the forest on the way back to the Bay, if that's even possible. Over near that end Mightyena is organizing expeditions, marking off three general directions to start exploring. It might be tempting to sneak out for a peek ahead of time, but Mightyena insists it's not safe to go solo and without supplies.

Off in the distance, beyond the dense woods, the hills stretch into an extensive mountain range. Dark clouds hang above many of them, caught on the peaks.

Closer to the center of the valley, on one side of the stream where the ground is flattest, the Outpost's boundaries are being marked out. It's time to start building!

NO REALLY DON’T GO IN THERE

⟡ Pokemon who haven’t been approved for Exploration Quests will be swiftly caught and carried back to the Outpost base. Done enough times, and they may even be sent back to Bottlecap Bay!

⟡ Curiously, Pokemon who return from their expeditions will note that even if they encounter mountains, none of the visible mountains match what they saw - no matter what direction teams explore in, the regions and sights are entirely incongruous with what can be seen from the valley.

⟡ Those remaining at the Outpost will have plenty of work to do. Regular travel routes must be established, as well as the placement of temporary shelters. Pokemon will be spending many days out here, which means lots of hunting and gathering work to be done as well. Players are invited to come up with their own unique tasks; a village has many requirements.

THE HEART OF DEVELOPMENT

So here’s the bad news: even with the wide number and variety of Pokemon present, and all the strange abilities and skills at everyone’s disposal, building an Outpost… just isn’t something that happens in a day. Everyone’s going to be here for a while! And there’s simply too much work for anyone to get away with slacking.

Any Expedition members who aren’t being sent out on an official exploration are going to have their paws, wings, and other assorted limbs full of construction tasks. Even those sent out on explorations will be expected to join in as soon as they’re back - assuming they’ve avoided injury, of course. And whenever Pokemon collapse for a well-earned rest… it’s going to have to be under tarps and temporary shelters. (At least it’s probably not much worse than what everyone’s already used to, for everyone but the Lum Berries?)

Still, the relief of making it through the Forest and the loveliness of the environs has the mood of the Expedition high! The overall feeling is like that of a barn raising, with cheers ringing out whenever a new building is framed, and again whenever it’s officially designated complete. Some massive fire pits are very nearly the first thing to get put together, and every sundown there’s bonfires for the Expedition members to congregate around and relax with their supper.

It won’t be long before the Outpost is complete, and this will all be worth it!

NEW PLACES

⟡ While the core of the Outpost won’t be finished until the final week of the month, other unique matters will slowly make themselves known as the 24th of August approaches. In particular, a uniquely shaped building with its own Questboard will finish its construction alongside a storehouse, a clinic, and a dwelling house.

⟡ The latter three buildings are quite basic; the Storehouse is used to maintain and preserve stock of all manner of necessary materials including food, and even has the beginnings of facilities meant to process these. There is talk of possibly creating a water wheel to help with this. The Clinic in turn is a far smaller version of its Bottlecap counterpart, meant for emergency treatment of Pokemon who cannot be brought directly to town.

⟡ By August 24th, Pokemon will be able to experience the finished Dwelling house on their own. While it’s constructed in the style of many of Bottlecap Bay’s buildings, it seems to follow the spirit of the Oran and Cheri guild’s dormitory systems. Pokemon share rooms with four simple beds, and the entire building makes use of a communal stove.

⟡ The final building is the most important; it’s a Post Office. The Quest Board outside of it is meant to host requests relevant to the regions too distant from Bottlecap to reasonably respond to, but for now something else is posted there. ICly posted on August 24th, these notices call for a vote on names for the Outpost and neighboring regions. Further details, and an IC Suggestion Poll, can be found Here.

✩ OOC NOTES.

⟡ CWS: Typical Pokemon violence - otherwise this is a fairly tame event!

⟡ As promised on the monthly plotting post, we are happy to announce that Activity Rewards are now available! You can find more information here.

⟡ While all Heavy Quests will ICly have completed by August 24th, sign-ups for these quests will remain open all month.

⟡ For those who participated in Heavy Quests this month, don't forget to submit your quest completion forms before the 30th!

⟡ Have any questions related to the event? Ask them here! If your question is more general for the game, please make sure to direct it to the FAQ page instead. Thank you, and happy threading!

FULL NAVIGATION

Comments

A

[dripdrive]

[Given that Anasui is one of the bigger Pokemon in the bay, Anasui has been roped to the role of 'pack mule', meaning he's had a number of satchels, bags and lumber strapped to him to carry. It's not that he minds but at the same time it's annoying and Anasui's general grouchy demeanour rumbles through the air like a distant storm. He's focused on the path ahead and as a result nearly kicks poor Arachnemon as he trudges forward.

The bird glares down as he hears her call out to him. He doesn't recognise Arachnemon at all, given her new form, but even if he did, he probably would huff dismissively all the same.]

I've got enough to deal with without watching my feet. Why are you so slow anyway?

[wovensecrets]

[ The pride takes a hit, but more importantly, that's a familiar voice... she harbors no expectations of recognition, though she can recall travel at a much faster pace in an equally annoying forest. But she would get nowhere fast if she did not look for an opportunity. ]

Tch, due to a lack of powerful legs, most likely.

[ How annoying, but no less true. The strain from simply being around so many different beings, that was something else she was still working out. ]

... at any rate, are you free for a lift? If you're not... overburdened, that is.

[dripdrive]

Or any legs at all. [Anasui says, looking at the little nubs she has for feet. The Espathra rolls his eyes.]

Free? No. But get on anyway. You hardly look like you'd be an issue. [Anasui bows his head so the other Pokemon could get on. The Espathra does seems somewhat annoyed, Arachnemon will be able to tell with her abilities that he's not as annoyed than his expression would suggest.]

... You sound familiar. Did you know that?

[wovensecrets]

My thanks.

[ Since he's offered, she'll waste no time in following his lead to climb up. Yes, this was... very familiar. Even though Archnemon hasn't been exactly broadcasting her predicament, she can recognize when it's better not to test someone's potential for annoyance. She's mindful of the hat as she carefully gets into a better position. ]

... As for your question, I did have a suspicion that we've met before. The last time we were in this position, we were exploring the forest, before it led to all of this. Annoyingly, I've changed somewhat since that time.

[ ... Well she can't help still being a little cryptic, it's in her nature. ]

[dripdrive]

[Once she's up, Anasui will raise his head. If Arachnemon isn't balanced on his head, he'll be careful to slide her down his neck so she can get better footing on his back.

He pauses before he clicks his tongue, echoing snapping his fingers.]

Ah, I remember you. You're the only person I went into the forest with as a party of two, not three. You were an arachnid last time, were you not?

What changed? Did you evolve?

[wovensecrets]

Tch, got it in one.

[ By her standards, anyway, even if it didn't seem "right" by some of the others here, shifting between forms was a concept more familiar to her even if she didn't have the 'why' behind it sorted.

She debates, but opts into sliding down onto a more secured position on his back this time. ]

In any case, my priority is adapting... I'll admit, being a different typing has me a little more off balance than I'd like~ For now, anyway.

[dripdrive]

[Arachnemon will be nicely settled between the nape of his neck and a box that's been strapped to Anasui's back. She can either hold on to his neck, the box itself, or even the rope holding it down. Once she's comfortable, he'll start walking again.]

Interesting. I thought you'd more or less keep your shape when you evolve but guess not. [Anasui has seen weirder though. He's seen a stand evolve from a mostly humanoid to horse-adjacent one. And then there's the weird case of Shelgon which sprouts wings and becomes a dragon so he doesn't question it further.]

What type are you now? Fairy? You look like some sort of jester fairy thing.

[wovensecrets]

Right~? This world is very peculiar.

[ Humor as a coping mechanism doesn't hurt when avoiding so many other deeper considerations about it. There, feeling much more secured. ]

I believe it's psychic now, which certainly just means there's a lot more... extra noise~ to filter out.

[dripdrive]

[If there's a joke there, Anasui has completely missed it. Without turning around, Anasui nods in agreement. This world is weird. It has weird rules. That's all there is to it.]

Ah, you're a psychic Pokemon too. But what do you mean by noise?

[wovensecrets]

Oh, are you as well?

[ She's a little annoyed at herself for talking about her own potential weaknesses, but she hadn't really verbalized it before either. Ugh. ]

Call it... a new sense to contend with? Except the sensory inputs are all coming from the emotions of others. Constantly. It's... quite unique~ but let's not let that get around, please.

[dripdrive]

Mmm... Pure Psychic too. Not Flying type like I initially thought. [Something they have in common, he supposes.]

Emotions... So super-empathy. Must be unique to your Pokemon species. I don't have that. [And boy he is relieved he didn't get that. He wouldn't know what to do with other people's emotions (he barely felt his own).] ...I'm not interested in gossiping. I won't mention it unless it becomes relevant. [Aka your secret is safe with him.]

[wovensecrets]

Much appreciated.

[ She could hope it wouldn't become relevant. It was a very new sort of thing, emotions were- tricky, spending so much time suppressing her own aside from the occasional temper flare and now being awash in others was an awful mixed bag, but she was handling it! In her own mind, anyway. ]

This "typing" system is something else. Though with your speed, you must be able to attack quickly with superior precision.

[dripdrive]

[Anasui hasn't seen anything to contradict this, so he assumes that this Pokemon (did he catch their name? He forgets) has this under control.]

At least it's easy to memorise for us. We're weak to human fears, while strong against poison and fighting. Mind over the body and all.

[Anasui keeps looking forward but a hint of a smirk comes to his face. While confident in his abilities, he's not prideful... but he's also not immune to complements. Still, he replies in a measured way.]

I can attack quickly and fight quickly, it's true. But unfortunately, I can't attack at my top speed like you saw in the forest. If I do, I sacrifice precision for speed. See, I can't focus on moves and running that quickly at the same time. At least, not yet.

[It's why Espathra can run at 120km/hr but only have a speed stat of 105]

[wovensecrets]

Makes sense... that leaves you a goal to work toward. It seems possible, with what you've described, whether it comes natural or through a skill.

[ He seems like a powerful sort - and while she hasn't exactly caught his name either, she also hadn't asked. Still, he'd seemed the sort to be a competent ally from what she'd observed. ]

It seems almost the opposite for me... my abilities seem more support focused in this form, so there's more precision, but as you've observed, speed is a little lacking.

[ Luckily she does have an inclination to a more hasty nature... but at what cost. ]

[dripdrive]

[Anasui gives a solemn nod. The thought of asking for the Hatenna's name doesn't cross his mind at all, he's more interested in talking about their battle capability.]

Mmm... Well, a lot of the bastards in the Bay are offensively-driven and tend to get hit a lot. [Anasui himself sits in the latter category] So having more support-centered Pokemon isn't a bad thing. You know any particularly helpful moves?

[wovensecrets]

[ She has to think about that for a moment - this form is still new, so she has some concepts of what she's capable of doing, less so in practice at the moment.

She dislikes talking about what she personally can do, but Anasui (despite not even knowing his name...) seems like the sort of ally it's safe to leave that information with. Might be a good thing, later. Right, so- ]

I'm still untangling some of the ideas~ but I should be able to heal others to some degree if we get injured, or cure annoying afflictions. More importantly, I should be able to disorient attackers if things get out of hand.

[ That last one seems like it will be fun to see the results of, by her tone... ]

[dripdrive]

I lack healing myself and I only know of one other Pokemon who actually can do that amongst us newcomers. If you can do that, it will be... Not bad. [It's incredibly good, actually. Plus, Emmet has been teaching him about status conditions and interference effects like confusion and trapped, so Anasui knows the value of being able to remove those effects. However...]

How often do you get a chance to practice those skills? 'Should be able to' is very different to 'Can do those moves'.

[wovensecrets]

Considering how unfortunately recent all this has been, there's hardly been an appropriate time to fully test them all yet. Something I fully intend to rectify once this caravan gets to where it's going, of course.

[ Changing bodies, being forced to rest, suddenly being caught up in moving to a new area - little time to do much else than assess. ]

[dripdrive]

... I train semi-regularly. If you ever find me when I am, feel free to try whatever on me. It'll save me a trip to the Clinic and give you some experience.

[Of course, he doesn't care if she takes his offer or not. He just... figures it's good to offer.]

[wovensecrets]

Oh?

[ She has to admit, she's intrigued. A way to train wouldn't hurt and she's not keen on having to regularly visit the clinic herself despite her new form being more suited for it. The practicality of the transaction helps. ]

Hm, I may take you up on that later. It sounds like it would be beneficial after all.

[dripdrive]

Obviously. [He says with a toss of his hair. He wouldn't have offered it otherwise. Satisfied with the arrangement, Anasui continues to walk on in silence. If Arachnemon doesn't say anything, it'll be like this the entire trip.

It's peaceful, if nothing else.]

[wovensecrets]

Right.

[ For now, she's perfectly content to remain in the silence in case something relevant comes along to comment on. She's not so much a talker for talking's sake unless it's to keep herself distracted. Mostly she'd rather concentrate on not being knocked out by other's emotions being too out of range, staying close to a calmer person helps that.

Of course once some of the other aspects of this forest start coming into play, they might have to rely on some of the methods they used before to deal with it, but even that seems manageable. ]