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

[outbounds]

My point was. The strongest ones usually do not really do subtle. Even if they do not involve us the effects can be noticeable. Not just the strongest ones— the Forces of Nature cause storms wherever they go.

[ Like, on the one hand, there's the weird phenomena suggesting possible legendary influence if those places aren't just Like That, on the other, they're almost surprisingly tame and restrained for an ongoing legendary feud.

Maybe that's just his perspective as an Unovan, and therefore used to Thundurus and Tornadus' eternal bickering and the sudden storms they cause speaking? Not every flash downpour is their doing but some are, and plenty enough people still know the stories. ]

But I could also just be wrong. [ Especially if this is an unknown set of legendaries based around something as abstract as hope and despair.

(... still, not everything fits. Again and again...?)

So yeah! Cheerful stuff! ]

[wovensecrets]

You could be, but either way we won't know unless they choose to present themselves. Or if we're just being lined up until then...

[ Whether that's likely or unlikely... that's something for the people who make a point to Think about those things to stew over.

Is this retirement. Is this purgatory. Is this just the Next Adventure. There are too many questions for the unknown. Why feed that uncertainty. ]

But, nothing else to do with the time but keep working, right?

[outbounds]

The Pokémon here need help, so we will.

[ Said like there was no other possible outcome. ]

And if there really are legendaries involved. Then. I am Emmet. There are certain ones I want to talk to anyway.

[ It's fine probably. ]

[wovensecrets]

Oh? Perhaps you should say which ones specifically, in case there's information to pass along.

[ Not that she feels any more likely to come across that sort of thing casually, but it probably wouldn't hurt to be aware, either. ]

[outbounds]

[ Rapid, to the point, and without any hesitation: ] Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, most relevant. Celebi for similar but not exactly the same reasons. Jirachi is a long shot but questionably reliable. Known only to awaken briefly once every thousand years and even then wishes are a tricky thing. Do not think this one is the answer, but have sort of been wondering after Siffrin mentioned something a few months ago.

[ That is a lot of probably new names in short succession, but he's not done yet: that's just one set, but he's going to spare a minor illusion to mark out a second tally mark in the air beside the first as he continues. ]

Then for a different subject: Reshiram, Uxie maybe. Truth and knowledge respectively. Maybe they will know things that we do not. Uxie also has ... a certain kind of power over memories.

[ A third tally mark, ]

Regarding specific portions of our circumstances here: Cresselia and Darkrai. Might be worth asking, if— and very much if!— they are amenable, if we ever see them.

[ And then, at this point: several question marks. ]

Certain things about the forest: are there equivalents to something like the Tapus present here? Guardian figures of the land. That sort of thing. You know.

Lastly, at a more distant stretch: Hoopa, Lunala, Solgaleo. Think there is also that one Paldean mythical ...? Blueberry Academy I think had someone at least studying up on the myth; I am unsure of a lot of the details. Something to do with the stellar typing as far as I know but maybe there is more.

[ All in all, some of these are definitely personal agenda based, but some of them are for all of them. Have fun with all the names with almost zero context, Archnemon. ]

[wovensecrets]

[ Luckily one of the benefits to being psychic-typed means that even though a lot of those names don't have any inherent meaning or recognition, it'll likely be a lot easier to recall barring anything too catastrophic happens. The tally marks and illusion helps too...

Still, she hadn't been certain just how much information she would be inviting, but Ingo had said Emmet would be more knowledgeable due to not having actual amnesia. Part of what made it so interesting, actually. Knowledgeable people - potential allies - not fully with an agenda that aligned with this world specifically. She certainly did not miss the distinction made toward the legendaries involved with memory, truth and knowledge.

Even if she finds... frustration in her own lack of knowledge. Myths that she might have passingly known from her own world that could align or apply, but she didn't ever have time for that. Or if she had - locked away, pushed aside, ignored for the sake of the mission.

... Tch, time to cut off that train of thought and focus back on the one nearby anyway - ]

-- Well, that's a lot, isn't it? Right... you weren't kidding when you said there were many possibilities. And then, if we're still considered to be in a slightly adjacent world, any one of those domains could be warped or different, too...

[ Or came into conflict when something was messed with? Oops, back on her own train of thought here, isn't she. Don't worry about it, she's mostly just musing - ]

... A wish gone wrong, a Pokémon or human trying to break a balance, or manipulated to do so...? Any number of things could align for that sort of mishap. But, I suppose we won't know unless any of them turn up for answers, anyway.

[outbounds]

Right. Correct. For all we know the legendaries here are not the same at all, just similar.

[ Bottlecap Bay cosmology, now featuring Mespie, Axsprit, and Uxelf, the forest guardians of sympathy, faith, and thought—

What she says though, there. Mmm. The idea of it being intentional, whether manipulated or not ... it again calls to mind some of the various happenings of the world before he'd ended up here. The kind that makes international headlines. ]

... a balance of some sort being disrupted would be dangerous too. There are many legendaries who. One way or another. They are meant to balance each other. Xerneas and Yveltal are said to represent life and death. Groudon and Kyogre to have created the land and oceans.

It is up to you how much you want to believe is the truth, but it is fact that they have great power to affect the world when disturbed.

[wovensecrets]

Most people would go out of their way to not believe anything if it sounded too fantastical.

[ And she's seen news reports, of just how much humans would scramble to deny anything was fundamentally wrong with the world. So in a world where humans and Pokémon coexisted and someone still suggesting that it be taken with a grain of salt... really it was the "legendary" status that seemed the most worthy of questioning, or if they really did have any kind of pull over that... ]

But I think being brought here already crosses that line. Whether the same "legendaries" are involved or not remains to be seen. Do you have any rogue ones about? Ones who might not care for any particularly established order?

[outbounds]

[ Mostly, he's just trying to aim for something more believable for any potential skeptics. An easy 'out', if one will. Like she says, a lot of people will not want to believe things that are just too much.

And even to them, it might have been hard to believe certain things about various legends not all that long ago. Myths and stories exaggerated by the retelling, details lost— only no, not really. ]

Many would be more ... mischievous than malicious. I know the legendaries and mythicals of Unova best, but. Legendaries are well known, grand. Write history whenever they involve themselves, most mythicals less— presence. Anyway.

[ He's digressing a little bit, but it's mostly to offer more background and foundation for this discussion. ]

There is a mythic called Hoopa— ability to connect space, warp things, probably connect different dimensions. As far as I know it will do what it pleases. There are stories about it collecting things it like and taking them through its rings away to some secret hiding place. There is something about it having had more power in the past, enough that it had to be sealed for some reason. But it is a myth and not an Unovan one so I do not know much more than that.

Kyurem ... I do not know if you would consider them rogue. Two stories for you: there is a town in Unova where the walls are built tall and sturdy, where no one goes out after dark. Human or Pokemon, they will be taken away and eaten by a monster if so. So the old story goes. The second: the two legendary dragons of Unova used to be one. When Truth and Ideals split apart and took their own shapes, what was left behind became its own entity, waiting for something to fill in the missing parts of it. Decide which parts of either you want to believe.

As for Giratina ... Known as the Renegade Pokemon. A shadow that exists within a world on the reverse side of ours. It is said it was banished there ... but Giratina is a Sinnohan legend. I do not know all that is said about it; Ingo would be able to tell you more. I will say that for something supposedly banished for violence. It is not exactly constantly attacking in my time, or anything like that.

[ In Ingo's, however. ]

[wovensecrets]

[ She's already noticed he has a very careful way about the way he delivers all of this information. The only truly personal spin is that he has stated being from Unova and more familiar with those stories, but has not said whether or not he fully believes the tale himself. Only that there are particular tales but any event might be written into history, along the way...

... Interesting tidbit about Ingo's time. But she'd already noticed even with this still being their very first encounter that the two were more likely to reference the other and which parts in particular might be more familiar. Though Ingo had seemed less... confident in some ways, too.

Distracted, again. She... had never been the one of the pair she was part of to look for the rumors, the mystical, when she was so practically focused on the work in front of her. When her plans had gotten far out of her own grasp, she'd let him take the lead. It was what had led them to those stories about those holy stones to begin with. Break one, see what happens to the world. Then he'd wondered about their own destiny, but she was here now anyway. Tch-

This Giratina business though, had her thinking about someone else, too... ]

I wonder if it's coincidence or just observation that has them all connected to concepts that could affect perception. Affecting other dimensions. Doing away with the boundaries of what one considers their reality.

[ Truth and ideals splitting apart, they'd even discussed the complexity of dimensions, earlier. Anything was as possible as much as nothing was. ]

The stories themselves could be all wrong, only preserved in such a way to make it easier for humans and Pokémon to digest, until the next thing goes wrong and someone new is to blame.

[outbounds]

Hah. Maybe. Maybe not. In a way, you are more right than you know. Like how Giratina is the Renegade Pokemon, or Hatenna like you are the Calm Pokemon. Kyurem is the Boundary Pokemon.

That said. To be fair. There are many Pokémon that can affect perception. Not just legendaries but regular ones too. For example.

[ A flicker and a blur, a strange catch of light and eye as the edges of his mane and collar ripple and billow faintly

and then it's a familiar looking, albeit less scarred Hisuian Typhlosion she's having a conversation with, and not a Zoroark. ]

[wovensecrets]

[ There is that brief amused if incredulous thought that flits through -- Calm Pokémon? Really?? By whose standards, she wonders -- But she doesn't interrupt, instead watching as Emmet proceeds to demonstrate...

... by transforming into. Oh. Is that. Is that intended to be a form similar to his brother? Adorable. Almost looks like he could be the younger one, with less scars and that different energy vibe... and yet if someone didn't think of those details, or look closely enough to find otherwise... they might probably confuse the pair outright. She does laugh a little at that. ]

Concepts are funny things, aren't they? Nothing to stop someone from masquerading as one of these Legendaries and turning some tables from a misconception.

[outbounds]

[ He'll spare her the full imitation, the illusion simple and his cadence and tone his own. ]

Nothing to stop someone other than not being able to prove themselves when pressured. We are one thing. Legendaries— they can be on another level.

But rumors, hints, sightings ... you are right. Nothing to stop someone from doing that, other than that. As far as I can tell.

Most from this place barely even know what they are.

[wovensecrets]

Pokémon being pushed to these far corners of fledgling settlements, transformed others pulled in, it's not too surprising that their own knowledge would be so limited...

[ Considering the way the guilds set themselves up with their priorities, those who were more invested in such things seemed appropriately sorted, with the rest... positioned in the ways that they seemed most useful to them. ]

Not everyone is going to listen to rumor or be interested in it if it's not affecting them directly for something to blame.