Anthem - Day 5

People wanted to know why the children were taking so long to die.

Some just couldn’t understand the flow of the story, they saw the rising action and thought it empty, but they were limited by the constricts of their own minds. Even Sloane, usually so carefully composed, lost her cool over the lack of deaths. Kel watched her yesterday, curious, as she stormed around the control room like a vengeful divinity and demanded more bloodshed, more sacrifices in tribute to the Capitol.

Was there a note of fear in that anger? A pleading look behind that grimace?

He could forgive her lack of patience for that.

What he couldn’t forgive, however, was the loss of his boy from ten, the storyteller. Kel had liked that one and when Sloane had taken a hammer to his story, she’d done more than just shatter his vision, she’d ensured the deaths of his characters. Andres and Kingston had fallen within moments of each other, their canons sounding off almost at once. It was as if their deaths had triggered a domino effect, and one after another, they fell.

Kel watched it happen all day long as he whispered gentle commands to Atlas, easing him into place as one slides a stone into a wall. All the while, he calculated, reshaping the story in his head. Congratulatory messages flooded in last night, the news outlets praising the team for the spectacular of blood. Sloane was glowing once again by the end of the day and Kel was grateful for that, if anything. He and Georgia had both learned early on that it paid to keep her happy.

When the control room slipped into the quiet of late night and the interns were placed to keep an eye, Kel stayed bent over his station, flickering holographic form completely still, as he worked from his desk at home. All it meant was that he’d have to adapt, rewrite some scenes to make it all fit together a little better. If he forfeited sleep, he could have it all ready to go by the morning, no problem.

Every now and then the hologram would shift as Kel checked in on the sleeping tributes. At one point when he reconnected, a cup of coffee had been placed at his elbow alongside a note.

'draught administered, the wyverns have done their job. - G'

But he still had time until dawn.

He used it well, cross-legged on the desktop as he directed fumbling interns with the changes he wanted. They must have set some alert off though because Georgia came striding in at four in the morning, so much fire in her gaze that the interns shrunk away on sight.

Kel raised a hand in a vague salute, "Thanks for the coffee." Having the real thing sent to his home as well had been a thoughtful touch, he even considered drinking it before his anxiety won the battle once again.

Things moved much more quickly after that. Georgia took one look at the script he'd spent the night writing and got to coding, bringing the same skill and precision to his vision that she always brought to everything he'd dreamed up

Sloane arrived an hour or two later, a slow smile of approval forming as she looked over their work. "Perfect," she said, "They're going to eat this day up, there'll be themed parties for months."

kel leaned back in his chair, eyes itching from staring at a screen for so long. "Couldn't care less," he says, his exhaustion loosening his lips as he gestures at the screen, "This is for them."

〰️

The anthem plays the night before and though you heard the screaming cry of the cannons over the course of the day, nothing prepared you for just how many faces you would see.

Andres Bramwell (d10)
Kingston Césaire (d3)
Cynder Adair (d8)
Esther Kim (d3)
Brad Bradford (d5)
Maverick Hale (d5)
Skiplaurel Hayjer (d7)
Revel Latimer (d11)
Kristof Parks (d9)

All of them gone, in the blink of an eye. These were the face you fought alongside and against and now you’ll never see them again, unless you believe in the afterlife of course.

Either way, the rest of you have yet to fall which means that there are still fifteen tributes left between you and victory.

Congratulations on surviving Day 4!

This morning you awaken to find yourselves around the throne room, having been delivered there in the night by your various mounts or untamed wyverns from the wilds. You vaguely recall the feeling of heaviness that overcame you in your sleep and maybe dreamt of being carried in the taloned claws of great beasts. They, along with your mounts, are nowhere in sight for the time being. You are on your own.

〰️ General Information
✧ Day 5 is tentatively set to end on Nov 15th, 2024 @11:59PM PST.
✧ Maint, initiative & locations are due where possible by Nov 14th, 2024 @11:59PST
✧ Posting is mandatory for all tributes. The 24hr rule is in full effect.

〰️ Important Mechanics for Day 4
⚠ All tributes must roll for this RE. This must be done before you post in your mandate
✧ There were no new dreams this past night.
Tributes who spent the night from day 4-5 in these locations may now roll for these dreams:

the climbing trees
mermaid bay
the ponds
the rubble fields
the overgrown tower

〰️ Mandated Fights

THE THRONE ROOM ♕
in front of the dais !
wild things vs. trad wives vs baby vs izzy vs stone knight
Posting order: GM, noah (79.13), georgie (21), tick (58)^, umber (52.9.13)^, Izzy (52.9.1)^, lucius (34)^, baby (79.6)^^, stone knight ❦

in front of the fireplace ~
girls united vs something rotten vs the darlings vs darcy vs pearl vs stone knight
Posting order: GM, thompson (57), Andromache (56), eulalie (91)^, tsiuri (78)^, d’arcy (52.5)^ florentine (32)^, pearl^^◇, august (72)^ ^^, stone knight ❦

^ Tribute’s initiative was affected by armor (shin guards).
^^ Tribute’s initiative was affected by cupcake/potion/RE
◇ tribute opted for once per games, pre top 8, x 2 overnight healing, tribute cannot flee
! one death requirement
~ two death requirement
❦ attacks once with spear (+1 strength), and has 1 use of accuracy
❦ attacks once with sword (+1 blades), and has 1 use of accuracy
♕ all tributes were moved and may choose to collect items from either their intended location area or the throne room area, not both (specialty/feast items not included in this choice)


CLIMATE
Through the night, the temperature dropped due to the lack of cloud cover over the previous day. The night was crystal clear, you could see many stars but you could also see your breath fogging in front of your face. The morning is cool and crisp, curbed slightly by a dewiness in the air. It warms up briefly through midday before settling back into the morning’s chill in the evening.
Temperature: 53.6°F | 12°C
Humidity: 73.2%

Tributes must drink water and eat food or they will take damage.
A continually updated table can be found here, on the HG Engine