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!

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Comments

[wovensecrets]

Right-

[ She knows she won't be too quick to dodge by seeing how quickly the pansear seems to be locking onto her position, so she concentrates a different sort of psychic energy toward the pokemon in an attempt to mitigate the attack instead - play nice, apt indeed.

Unfortunately, the pansear catches up to her, utilizing astonish before she can complete the attack, the shout and negative emotion already having her reeling. One of those more effective attacks? How annoying - ]

Why you...!

[ She prepares to retaliate instead, only realizing that attack she weathered apparently comes along with another unpleasant side effect - she's already flinching, which thankfully isn't paralysis but also doesn't feel great. Luckily for Bigby, the other pansear still seem preoccupied with their confused brethren. Unlucky for both of them, the one they're currently facing still seems particularly unwilling to parley. ]

[wolfcut]

[ Hearing the scuffle, he shakes off whatever lingering pain he has to dart toward them, an attack in tow. The smarter approach would be Quick Attack again, but riled up as he is now, the more reckless option springs to mind first. He rushes in with a Take Down, slamming right into the Pansear with full force before it can get another move in. Both Pokémon tumble right onto the ground, with Bigby rolling into a curled up position.]

Fuck. Every time... [ Just when he thinks he can handle the recoil, his body quickly reminds otherwise. He unfurls a bit, looking at the Pansear, then over at Archnemon. Carefully, he makes his way over to her, offering a slight nudge. Helpful. ] Hey. You still with us?

[ The fact that she wasn't moving is concerning, but she's not knocked out cold, at least. ] Are you—? [ Hold that thought. He looks back at the Pansear as it yells out, somehow back on its feet and shooting a Fire Blast at their direction. Immediately, he pushes her aside to dodge it, though not without feeling the burst of heat whiz past them. ] Great. It's still kicking.

[ But, first priority: making sure Archnemon can get her bearings without either getting hit. ]

[wovensecrets]

Ugh, I'm fine, it just did something that -- hey, watch out!

[ And that's her getting shoved (thankfully) to the side out of the direct attack even if she can tell, their attacker was not seeming to hold back on what it was throwing out toward them. That was a lot of heat and fire.

Just the cycle of violence, right... Huff. She focuses, finally able to feel like she can act again. Flinching like that did not feel great. But now she could also take into account, her fellow 'partner' in this battle had taken on some significant hits as well.

She was still adapting to her skillset, but shouldn't there be something she could do now? She concentrates...

Thankfully, the move manifests, refreshing water in the form of life dew that gently splashes over them to take the edge off of the damage they'd endured and to keep them both going for a bit longer. ]

There - just keep trying to subdue it before it gets the attention of the others.

[ They still seemed almost too eager to fight - probably with some reason behind it, but this wouldn't solve anything either. The pansear seems to already be aiming a leer toward them. ]

[wolfcut]

[ The Pansear seems less than thrilled to have missed its targets. Bigby meanwhile takes in a deep breath, unable to feel much relief knowing there's more to come. Even at his best, there's only so much this form could take, never mind the overwhelming heat making it all the more worse.

But then he feels it, the cooling sensation of water running over him. He shakes his head like a dog might, only to remember this same move from a sparring match with Umemiya. Still just as refreshing, even if it makes his fur too wet for comfort. ]

... Thanks. I didn't — wait, what? What do you think I've been doing? [ Snappy. He rubs his face with both paws. Reeling it back, reeling it back. The Life Dew at least gave him enough energy back for round two, lest he forget. Peeking through his paws, he gives Archnemon a disgruntled look with eyes now a solid red.

But before he can think to eat a seed, he feels a shudder run down his body, immediately knowing what's going on. He turns to look at the Pansear dead-on with a snarl. ]

Okay, asshole. Two can play that game. [ And he uses a Leer of his own, locking the two in a stare down, complete with bared teeth and low growls. At least the Pansear is too caught up in it to try another attack for now, but this probably wasn't what Archnemon had in mind when she said subdue it. ]

[wovensecrets]

Not now!

[ She's just more used to certain people losing focus at critical points in a battle to fuss over her instead- still, it lines up for him to be reliable in this sort of way. No time for her to snap back fully, at least, as it seems they're in a temporary sort of stand off at the moment.

Feeling the side effect of the leer, she once more concentrates her play nice in response, due to the prior attempt not landing, to at least try and make any move the Pansear would try to aim at them next less potent, especially with the effect of leer in play. All this constantly trying to outthink the opponent... it's a lot to keep up with!

Speaking of the enemy, the Pansear opens its mouth, but instead of yelling like it had been previously, it seems to be intentionally yawning ... in their direction. ]

Tired of fighting, then?

[ No, wait... ]

[wolfcut]

[ He emits a low growl as neither seem willing to back off, but there's only so much Leer stalling he can do before it becomes pointless. What finally pulls him out of it is one of Archnemon's own moves hitting it, ending the stalemate in what he would call their favor. ]

About damn time. These things can take a beating.

[ Except, those are some really strange air puffs coming from it now. Without thinking, he bats a few of them away when they come too close, not wanting them to all land on his partner. Not that they seem to do much. ]

What the hell was tha — aah. [ That was a very sudden yawn out of nowhere. He sniffles, trying to push on. ] Alright, I'm just gonna... go finish this guy. [ He stumbles sluggishly ahead, just in time for the monkey to finally rush in to pounce him unabated. Bigby is way too tired for this. ]

[wovensecrets]

Tch -

[ It takes her a moment to figure out what's going on there. That move the Pansear used... it was a strategic attempt for them to lower their guard? It was annoying how good at this their opponent was. Clearly it had been at this sort of thing for a while, and not in a fresh new form, like they were.

And now Bigby was caught up in the crunch of the Pansear's jaws, because her special healer ability didn't work, this time. Figures. Still, he'd rushed in ahead, which still gave her an opening to attack.

Right - enough of that. She concentrates her efforts on confusion again - definitely enough energy to pull for that move, causing the Pansear to swirl it's head, trying to figure out just what it was doing there again...?

... Just as another one finally joins the fighting over here in the corner, so it turns to face it's new opponent. Right, that's another opening. ]

Come on! Wake up! [ Did she even get Bigby's name at the start of this, she certainly hadn't given hers... ]

[wolfcut]

[ One would think a direct Crunch would be enough to jolt him back awake, but his initial struggle ends with little to show for it. Another yawn, and he fully nods off, the Pansear shaking him back and forth like a limp chew toy. It's been a while since he's had a good night's rest.

Once the Confusion fully takes, the Pansear finally lets him go, leaving him to fall down unceremoniously. He curls up a little, only to finally stir when he hears her voice right in his ear. Bigby wake up! You fucked up big time! ]

Ugh... you... where did...

[ Honestly, the biggest joke here is that they've never exchanged pleasantries to date. He looks up at her drowsily, then winces at the sudden pain. ] —the fuck happened?

[wovensecrets]

[ Did that pansear manage to hit critically... makes sense with how much more injured Bigby looked despite her earlier healing attempt. As she looks him over now when he's finally awake enough to question her... hmm.

Right - she'll just give them both another rousing splash of life dew. Does she need to call a real medic for this...? So strange, but apparently that was something that one could just do here. Reliably, even. ]

Tch - he had you asleep right in his jaws! Luckily, I've gotten them all fighting themselves again... for now...

[wolfcut]

[ Luckily a critical Crunch can only do so much to a Dark-type, but between the grogginess and the sudden pain from an injury that definitely wasn't there before, he is now feeling it all at once.

... Oh, and now he's drenched again, too. His ears droop, water dripping off them like the sad wet rat he is. Hopefully he doesn't smell like a wet dog on top of it all. ]

I fell asleep? [ The air puffs. He rubs his face with both paws. ] For fuck's sake... [ All's well that ends well when you have Confusion on your side, at least. He looks over at the barrel of monkeys fighting amongst themselves. ] But, good. They can keep pissing each other off.

... You, uh, know how long that's gonna last, by the way?

[wovensecrets]

I can't say...

[ They weren't exactly well hidden, but at least the wave of attackers didn't seem preoccupied with disturbing the construction now that they've experienced an ambush.

Not... bad? ]

The question is, do you need a real medic right now? We should be able to afford the retreat, at this rate.

[wolfcut]

I'm... [ Fine, he'd say, even if it'd be more out of stubbornness than anything else. But when he presses against the bite mark with a wince, all he can do is grumble back.

The monkey problem seems to be taking care of itself, anyway. ] ... Yeah, now's as good a time as any. You know how to keep a crowd busy.

[ He stands with a slight groan, tilting his head over at her. ] You're... mostly okay, right?

[wovensecrets]

Mostly. I admit, I know I will feel a lot better when I can be better prepared for whatever that other attack was...

[ That - not quite paralysis but feeling oddly blanked out in that moment sensation? Not a great feeling. She couldn't quite place it, but it just proved that no matter the typing the variety some Pokémon had for their attacks was not to be underestimated. Blah. ]

Aside from all of that, your performance was not so bad yourself, teammate. [ Names. Haha. ] Perhaps we should try this again sometime...