Cold Cycle: Arc 721
Welcome to the Cold Cycle 721. Every Cycle in Standing Trials runs over four real life months and has two in-character seasons. The Cold Cycle has Vhalar (123Trials) and then Zi'da (93 Trials) which are open for you to play. All new threads from October 1st 2021 - January 31st 2022 should be timestamped within one of those two seasons.
Please see Timekeeping for more information and reach out to a member of staff if you're confused!
This announcement includes information on:
- Dates & Seasons
- Global Event: Fallout IC
- Global Event Changes OOC
- Open and Closed Cities.
Dates & Seasons
We're rolling into the new Cycle. The Cold Cycle marks the autumn and beginning of winter season of the Arc, and begins with the season of Vhalar.
Vhalar lasts a total of 123 trials (days). It is a festive time for most cities as the temperature mid-season is quite enjoyable.
Zi'da lasts for a total of 93 trials (days). Though it is considered a cold season, the weather and chill of Zi'da pales in comparison to Cylus.
All active threads from the Hot Cycle of 721 are now grandfathered. New threads must be timestamped as Vhalar or Zi'da 721 or be a Memory thread, if applicable. If your PC lists their age in their CS and has a birthday this cycle, be sure to update their age.
Global Event!! Here There Be Dragons!!
Following the events of Ruin's Dawn, rumors start to spread about what exactly happened, though details are still sparse among the general populace at the start of the cycle, unspecified and unsubstantiated at first, but as the cycle continues, the rumors get clearer and the results are more clear to everyone.
First, there are rumors that several Immortals died or that a new one was born or both. This eventually gets nailed down to who actually died and Valtharn becoming an Immortal as well as the existence of the Ascension Fracture in the ruins of Anox's Folly, in eastern Nashaki. The confirmation comes from the Immortals who were there at the end of Ascension and spreads from their cities to the rest of Idalos across the trade networks.
Second, rumors of Dragons start to spread around, though the nature of the rumors vary depending on the location. People closer to Sirothelle claim to have seen a Dragon of flame and metal come from the Heart of the World, with many initially believing to be a creation of Faldrun's. Meanwhile, there rumors that the Jacadon and Volareon are fleeing Rynmere, being driven out by a insectoid Dragon that's taken over the island.
Sightings of a massive, multi-headed Dragon in the area around Yaralon are much easier to confirm, due to the sheer size of the beast, though it takes longer to confirm that it is actually a Dragon. The rumors of a Dragon sealed beneath Quacia are harder to confirm, since the Quacian royalty has been forbidding anyone from going into the old catacombs, but are eventually confirmed by eyewitness to the sealing itself.
The rumors of a shadowy Dragon on the southern continent are the ones that go the longest without confirmation, but eventually they get confirmed by virtue of the Dragon being clearly seen interfering with Augieries slave raids. The existence of a golden Dragon in the mountains around Uthaldria are backed by Edasha's blessed, and eventually confirmed when the Dragon is seen fighting Abanaxus and causing the mobile mountain range to shift position before it goes back to sleep.
Global Events Fallout: An OOC guide
Ok - so total kudos to all those who took part in the Global in whatever role. An enormous shoutout to those brave souls who moderated threads - we had amazing stories told all over Idalos - and props to the pcs who completed the story and had such an impact on the world!
One of the things that we're really proud of on Standing Trials is that pcs can - and do - shape the world. That very much happened in this event. OOC the Global had the following consequences.
- Dragons have been released into the world! There are still more dragons to come, but they are now awake!
- There has been alot of work gone into this behind the scenes over the course of months. Over the next few days / weeks, you'll see Dragons, Effigies, etc, popping up on the wiki. We'll always announce, so watch this space!
- Immortals got killed, either by other Immortals or by PCs.
- The Immortals who have died are:
- Aelig
- Audrae
- Belaera
- Faldrun
- Kata
- Mastes,
- Syroa.
- If you have a blessing from any of those Immortals, watch the announcement thread, where we'll announce details of the fallout here, as we finalise it. However, you can still progress in your Immortal Mark level (so pick up new abilities within your level of Favored, Adored, Exalted, etc).
- Valtharn also got changed from a Mortalborn into a full-fledged Immortal. Write up is pending!
The following Cities are Open and have City Moderators presiding over them. This means they will have active Calendars, Events, and will moderate threads for players. These city moderators are on hand to provide active support for their cities.
North
Viden - temporarily closed for one cycle. Will be reopening Rebirth cycle with Avalon and Pegasus as mods.
East
Scalvoris - Pegasus, Avalon & Vulpes~ Please note this is the city we advise new players to begin
Central
Athart - Maltruism
Etzos - Maltruism
Rharne - Pig Boy, Tempest and Basilisk
West
South
Cities Under Active Development
The following cities are under active development, with the intention of opening in the future.
Viden is getting a facelift
Cities & Areas Closed
The following cities are closed. PCs are not allowed to play here.
Northern
Rynmere (including Andaris and the Eastern Territories)
Eastern
Yaralon
If a city or area is not on the above lists, it is currently not moderated and/or not being actively developed. However, you may still post in that city by posting in the regional wilderness, adding the [City Name] at the front of the post title.
If you'd like to see more active / open cities - consider applying for staff? There's all sorts of roles and the more of us there are - the more we are able to offer city-specific moderation!
