05: Voice

[baldrshand]

Well. As someone from "Medieval times", I'm going to offer some advice.

First: any food and drink that can spoil, and won't fit in one of the root cellars, put it outside so the cold can care for it. I would suggest hanging it from a second-story window in a basket so that animals can't get to it so easily.

Second: I don't know how many good candles are in the village, but we should all learn to make rush lights. They're not enough to read by, but they'll keep you from hitting your shins in the evening. We'll have to go back with rising and setting with the sun until we can resolve this.

Third: Layers. Wear sweaters, cloaks, capes. We'll have to gather firewood to make up for any shortfall. If you live alone... find someone to stay with. I know it can seem salacious to people used to at-will winter heating, but if you're comfortable with sharing a bed with someone, it does save a lot on firewood and blankets.

Finally... if you're excessively cold for a long time, and you start feeling confused, forgetful, or much too clumsy, find someone right away to help you get warm. Those are signs of hypothermia. And if you find someone in such a state, don't let them fall asleep.

Comments

[drugsnotclubs]

... So what is a rush light?

[???? COLD CITY BOY IS STRUGGLING]

Man, I'm gonna have to figure out how to cook on a damn fire, too, aren't I....

[HOW U TELL TEMP... time to learn new skill cause he ain't just gonna eat shit raw until this is fixed]

[baldrshand]

It's a sort of candle made out of a rush--a reed--soaked in fat. Usually sheep's fat, but we might have to make do with lard or butter.

Cooking over a fire isn't so bad. And when you do, you get the added benefit of a fire.

[shinji's gonna be eating BDG's STAMINA MEAT PUCKS for a while ain't he]

[drugsnotclubs]

I wonder if those shark-dogs would work... [He never really paid attention on if they were blubbery or oily-- usually his concern was just taking them out and hacking off the dorsal fin afterwards as proof of the kill for some of the monster cleanup jobs.]

Yeah, that's another good point. So a lotta these placed don't have a fireplace. How do you keep the place from filling up with smoke?

[HE WILL DO HIS BEST OK lots of trial and error to get the cooking times and temps right.]

[baldrshand]

Oh, yes! Those would probably work well if they have enough fat, and it would mean we aren't cutting into the fat we'll need for food.

[fatty food and winter weather go together like peas & carrots! sauteed in lard.

but she has to blow out a long puff of air--in thought, in frustration--when Shinjiro mentions another difficulty.]

...You're right, we don't. And it wouldn't be a good idea to just start... knocking holes in walls and ceilings to put in proper hearths right now. [Although when warm weather comes back you can BET she is going to suggest that as a public-works project.] I think we should try and gather in places that do have one until we can fix that.

[drugsnotclubs]

We can probably ask some of the locals who fish or something. They're dealing with this, too.

[God he's so annoyed someone decided to randomly bomb another fucking town. Like... why. What is the point. What is being accomplished.] ...Though I gotta say, I can't say I blame them for not liking us. I wouldn't blame them if they ran us out at this point.

[....Okay, so no fires randomly indoors. He has a ton of blankets already, but not really generating a lot of heat of his own.... blows.]

I guess the farm has the hot spring, too, if anyone knows how to use that for anything...

[snowslip]

Will the clinic be alright? I can retrieve extra blankets for the patients.

[baldrshand]

I think the answer to that depends on how sensibly people behave. Hopefully this warning's gotten out ahead of too much frostbite and food poisoning.

Extra blankets would be an excellent idea... thank you, Marianne.

[snowslip]

We have nonperishable food stored in the safehouses.

[ A while back, the Chosen had gotten together and stockpiled goods in anticipation of more disasters like this one. Now was a good time as any to break out the supplies. ]

We could distribute those, too. People shouldn't worry about going hungry.

[baldrshand]

I agree. At the time it was a hassle, but I'm glad we had that problem with the refrigerators last year. It means we have good food already stored. [Everyone's gonna learn to love PICKLES.] At least this happened towards the end of winter and not the start... fresh food will start growing again soon.

voice;

[orphne]

Can you teach me how to make candles? I don't know what a rush light is, but I'd like to learn how to make that, too.

voice;

[baldrshand]

Of course! It's a very simple item--you take a hollow reed, leave it in water for a while to make it pliable, and then you soak it in some kind of fat.

After it dries, you can put it in a holder and light it. I... am not the best at making them myself, but I can do it in a pinch, and I'll show you too.

[Truthfully, the servants generally did it, but she does know how it goes.]

[orphne]

Oh! That's way easier than I was afraid of. I can do that!

We have some candles stockpiled around the farm, but I dunno how long this is gonna last, so... making more is super important. Any kind of oil should work, right?

[baldrshand]

Something more solid is actually the best, like bacon grease, but oil should do the job as well. I'm not quite sure how long they'll last, but it will get us through it.

Do you have enough food and firewood out there? How are the animals?

[breakin_ur_lore]

I've got firewood to spare...and I can probably get us some lard for candles.

[baldrshand]

That's excellent news! I know that wax makes for a nicer candle, but we can't afford to be choosy right now.

Are you also used to this kind of living?

[breakin_ur_lore]

[Ah....he feels a little more hopeful, if she's so pleased about him helping. They can do it...!!] I'll see what I can do.

Well, I've never heard the word...'medieval'...but I lived in the woods for most of my life. We hunted and made our own stuff and all that.

[baldrshand]

I didn't either until here. Apparently it means 'castles and knights', which I thought was modern.

It sounds like it wasn't too dissimilar to my homeland--most people had to make the things they used at home, at home.

voice;

[entreats]

I can generate light sources with my magic.

[ It's.. doubtful if Ange would have offered this sort of thing under absolutely all circumstances, or to all people, but.. well, she's fond enough of Ethlyn that she can't help but feel like she has to at least offer this much. ]

The main problem is that I don't know how many I can make before it'll tire me out, especially if I have to keep them around for a long while. We have no idea how long this might last, after all.

voice;

[baldrshand]

You can? [Ange can use magic, and light magic at that? That's a rare talent, at least in Jugdral.] How does that work?

But I wouldn't want you to exhaust your magic and then be wanting for it if something happens where you really need it.

[entreats]

[ That last thing is what Ange is thinking about too. Sure, so far their problem is mostly the lack of electricity, but there's no telling where things could spiral from here. Especially with the dumb tension going on between the different locations here.

She shoves that issue aside for a moment, figuring it's better to first explain the process itself to Ethlyn. ]

My magic manifests as butterflies made of golden light. It's not like they'll light up an entire room at all once, but they give off some light-- kind of like candles, or brighter versions of fireflies. Just having one of those around should be enough to replace one candle, I figure. Especially when it's this dark. [ Which makes any light you can get your hands on better than none at all. ]

[baldrshand]

It sounds like it would be useful for letting people navigate their homes after sunset--or if we have to be outside after dark for some reason. And it would be more reliable outdoors than a candle.

How long does it last? Do they fade in a few hours, or would it last the whole night?

voice:

[memori3s]

[ Fortunately he'd arrived with Personas that cast fire and light magic. Very convenient!!

It might startle the locals though, or at least, Orpheus might look a bit intimidating. Unicorn, on the other hand, probably less so. ]

...I think Orpheus and Unicorn can help with their fire and light magic.

voice:

[baldrshand]

That's wonderful!

Now, who are Orpheus and Unicorn?

[Pets? Familiars? It sounds like they're something alive, at the least.]

voice:

[memori3s]

[ For what it's worth, "familiars" is pretty close.

But... how to explain them more precisely...? ]

They're my friends.

[ They're not, but! His Personas are helpful in battle, so that almost meets the standard of friend for him. ]

I can summon them to help us.

Re: voice:

[baldrshand]

Oh! So it's a form of magic? [She wonders if it's anything like the kind that Kotone and Shinjiro have spoken of--but she also knows from them that their particular kind can be terribly dangerous to control.] What can they do? I'm guessing that they might glow, as other magic spells do?

[because when you think about it. she can't think of any type of magic she's seen that DOESN'T.]