A Local Disaster
Things may be peaceful in Tendaji these days, but that doesn't mean that trouble doesn't suddenly appear out of nowhere. In fact, you just happen to stumble upon trouble and must figure out the best way to step in and help (or not, if you're more of the troublemaker type).

[ This is a roll and react event. So roll the dice and react to the prompt below depending on your number. If you're RPing with more than one person, have one person roll and all players react. ]

6 - 10: Mudslide It has been a dry few weeks, and many were excited about the rains coming in. But alas, it seems that too much rain has caused a mudslide. The damage isn't bad, but there might be a few people missing that need to be tracked down.


The rain had been pouring for what felt like days now. While it was good for local crops, Alfina was finding herself getting cabin fever. There was little relief from being stuck at home beyond work, and… work was nothing special anymore. At this point, she was certain the waters would rise enough to flood the house!

Yet, of course, the rains finally broke long enough to let the sun through. It didn’t take long for the dissipated mist to rise back into place, and it was once again comfortable for her to go outside.

The air remained heavy with the damp scent of the rain. Considering the nearly ever-present mist that hung in the air of Yael, it wasn’t a vast difference from the norm; just more potent. Either way, it felt better than being stuck indoors! Alfina could breathe again and raised her face to the filtered light above. She smiled, stretched her arms high over her head.. and heard the crying.

She froze in place for a moment. Her head snapped around to find the source of the rough sobbing. She wasn’t one to run toward danger, but if she could help… then why shouldn’t she? “Hello? Are you okay?” she called out, cautiously walking toward the noise.

A little face popped out of a heavy fern, eyes wide and face stained from tears. The youngling hesitated only a moment before he burst forward and wrapped his arms around Alfina’s waist. “The mud took my brother!” he wailed, burrowing his face against his savior’s shirt. “Please, help.”

The mud? Had the boy sunken down into a pool, or had the rains been more damaging than she had realized? Alfina bit her lip and looked back toward the village. They were going to need more help either way. She inhaled sharply and gently pushed the boy away so that she could take his hand and lead him toward the village. “What happened? Where did your brother go?”

Eyes lighting up further, the boy explained how he and his brother had gone exploring once the rains had cleared, but then a mudslide had come out of nowhere and swept them away. He had managed to catch a tree, but his brother had been carried further down the valley.

She was strong from baking, but who knew where the other boy had ended up? It would be best to get others to join the search. “We will find him, okay?” she assured gently as they reached the village. There, she was able to corral a few able bodied folks with supplies, including the boys’ parents and a healer- just in case- and the group headed back out.

For better or for worse, the mudslide was easy enough to find. Bad for the damage done to the forest, but good for them to trace the path. She couldn’t imagine being carried away by such a destructive force… It wasn’t long until they heard the weak call for help.

The base of the valley had multiple narrow plateaus that layered steeply. Mud had built up on each level, and one of those levels also bore a tree stripped completely of its leaves and multiple branches. A youngling was clinging to the trunk and waved one arm with exhaustion when he saw the group approach. Alfina had almost missed him covered in all that mud, just blending in with his excessively muddy surroundings!

Recruited to help with pulling, she stood back to watch the others work. They made a harness to go around one man’s shoulders and chest, murmuring to themselves as they planned out the best way to retrieve the boy. It was fascinating to watch, actually. It was like this wasn’t their first time in a mudslide rescue! Of course, most of the people there had been around longer than she. Perhaps they actually had done this before?

She was glad she’d thought to get help first. The mud was up to the man’s waist as he headed deeper in; meaning it would have been near her shoulders if she had tried to go in on her own. Then she would have needed rescuing as well. It was much better to be part of the group doing the rescuing. Once she was directed, she joined the line along the end of the rope and pulled as hard as she could to get the man and the boy back through the mud.

Seeing the family reunite.. It made Alfina’s chest flood with warmth. It also reminded her.. Not every natural disaster had such a happy ending. That was why they were called disasters. It could have easily ended with the family crying in despair rather than happiness. She herself had just been wandering around alone! What would her family have done if she’d been the one swept away in the mud? Being alone, it would have taken much longer to find her…

As she headed home, ready to soak her body in a warm bath, she sent a prayer up to Lurin and Dafiel. She thanked them for saving the little boys from crossing over too soon, and for sparing her a similar fate.

(Word count: 862)