! Timeline

This page serves as a timeline of events of Solstice: Meridian, primarily featuring GM-run events. This page serves as a means to keep everyone caught up on the events of the server, so those who couldn't take part in the events have access to the same information.

This may not include all character events not run by GMs.

The Pathfinder Event

The Pathfinder Event - banner

Part 1

During Part 1 of the Pathfinder Event on July 10th, participants gathered at their new home, the Anchor. Players were sorted into three groups based on whether they arrived legally, via criminal means, or through being randomly deposited onto the world. Pathfinders were introduced to their primary HSC contact, Agent Night, alongside secondary leaders Dr. Maya Sherazi and Elijah Hummingbird, and town mayor Euna Caisa. Although the group dispersed to tackle initial tasks like material gathering, farming, and cleaning, tensions continue to rise and new friendships begin to blossom.

Part 2

Part 2 of the Pathfinder Event took place on July 11th, and served as a smaller continuation to welcome arriving stragglers. This meeting in the Anchor also introduced a significant new discovery: a strange, dark blue fungus overtaking various underground cities, prompting official warnings of caution. Meanwhile, the Pathfinders reported excellent progress on renovating the Anchor, establishing a farm and proper storage, earning Agent Night's approval. Elijah led a group to set up advanced communication towers to send and receive signals.

The Infernal Signal

The Infernal Signal - banner

Prologue/Lead-Up

Following a town hall meeting called by Mayor Euna Caisa regarding proper conduct toward local villagers, the Pathfinders heard a massive explosion that seemed to originate from the Four Perils' settlement. Investigating the base's soot-covered basement, Dr. Maya Sherazi and Arden Steele confirmed that the missing Xeroc's remains were not present. This left the Pathfinders with a perplexing mystery and far more questions than answers...

Part 1

After picking up a radio transmission from Xeroc on a neighboring, hot, lava-filled sphere, the Pathfinders traveled through an obsidian portal near Grainland with the intent of rescuing him. Along the way, they encountered two strangers: a piglin named Tuph, and a sculk-infested Aurelian named Shay. The group worked together to solve a puzzle located at the corners of a magic barrier that seemed to limit the amount of exploration that the Pathfinders could do. The resulting magical instability forced a hasty evacuation, with Shay in tow while Tuph stayed behind. Disagreements over Shay's presence in town led to his temporary placement in a clinic, but Maria freed him using a flash grenade as a distraction. Although she was detained by Aris, Mayor Caisa ultimately ordered her release.

Part 2

The following day, a tense town hall meeting was held where HSC Officer Colton Glass sentenced Maria to several months of hard labor for her actions, while a subsequent discussion on sculk revealed its alleged non-contagious nature and its resistance to cellular study. Pathfinders discussed the risks of body augmentation and consumption of the sculk. Returning to the Nether through the now-stable portals, the Pathfinders solved the remaining components of the ritual puzzle by extinguishing candles, which summoned a flying, three-headed skeletal creature known as "the Wither". Although the Pathfinders defeated the monster, Shay suddenly re-appeared, acquired the dropped star-shaped relic, and escaped, leaving the group free to explore the expanded Nether now that the barrier had collapsed.

Interlude 1 (Shay is attacked, Sculk tensions rise)

Shortly after Shay's disappearance, they appeared once more in the Anchor, meeting Xeroc there. Shay now has a fully sculk-based left arm, a new development since being seen last. Shay tells Xeroc that their new mission is to visit and note down important locations, and Xeroc begins to bring them on a tour of Locus Astra. Along the way, they encounter a being that the Pathfinders would later refer to as "supervisor" given Shay refers to them as such, even if that is not their name. Supervisor, Shay, and Xeroc then go on a longer tour of every waystone placed in Locus Astra, with Mercutio and Ezra tagging along at times.

Eventually, Shay is offered save harbor by Xeroc at an undisclosed location.

Shay is later attacked by Orbit/Voranj near the Four Perils' waystone. This deeply alarms and frightens the supervisor, who is able to drag Shay to safety, as they cannot make the journey back home in their state. Leaving them in a secret location to be found by Xeroc, the supervisor goes to find Beau to beg for assistance. Beau manages to calm them down, and sends Ezra to gather more information about what happened. The Pathfinders are plunged into a debate about the situation in general, and eventually get Orbit to agree to not attack Shay any longer, albeit begrudgingly.

The following day, right after the sculk science team finishes their experiments for the night, Lerinov and Dr. Sherazi are called into the clinic by Xeroc to treat Shay, who has six broken ribs and a punctured lung. Dr. Sherazi, with Lerinov's assistance, is able to save Shay's life, cementing their ribs and repairing the lung. Shay departs with Xeroc, who transports them North and talks to them about the shared future of the Pathfinders and the group Shay is part of.

All the while, Delta, Soup, and Yvelle descend into a cave system for another bout of sculk clearing. While down there, the sculk grew enormously aggressive, and many wardens descended upon the trio. Yvelle begged the others to turn around and find a way out, but they refused. Eventually, Xeroc and many other Pathfinders demanded all fall back. Xeroc explained that by destroying sculk, we were desecrating native holy grounds in a foreign land.

All Pathfinders thus are restricted to not interact with, and especially not destroy, any sculk going forward. Xeroc and Shay are to act as ambassadors between the two groups.

Interlude 2 (Check Mates appear, Indiga Hess dies)

As work on sculk dies down temporarily, a new group makes its presence known on Locus Astra: The Check Mates. Two members, a pair of teens named Blitz and Checkers, appear in the Anchor with the intention of claiming it and various property for their 'Queen'. The two were swiftly captured by Mercutio, and a small group of Pathfinders discussed what to do with them.

Eventually, Blitz was able to escape, but Checkers stepped in the way to buy them time. Mercutio was able to hold Checkers captive in an obsidian room in his basement. The next day, Blitz snuck back into the Anchor, exploding part of the cell and freeing Checkers. The two fled for the hills, before stealing a boat from the Anchor and fleeing.

The two explored a bit more, eventually finding themselves at Grainland, where several Pathfinders arrived and chatted with them. Checkers revealed the details of her captivity, and the two were given a variety of valuables (including gems, food items, and gear) before departing, sailing away into the sunset.

Additionally, during this time, Dr. Indiga Hess passed away after experimenting in the Weeping Well with Penumbra and Aqua. When news of the first Pathfinder death reached the High Stellar Council, Dr. Sherazi departed for the Olive to meet with HSC officials about it. At the same time, a HSC approved attorney named Savanah Crest arrived on Locus Astra to meet with her potential future clients.

The Thieves' Gambit

The Thieves' Gambit, a chaotic heist event centered around the Check Mates, took place on August 11th. Four Check Mates: Blitz, Checkers, Virgo/Jester, and Apotheosis, arrived at the Anchor in their airship, shaped like a rook chess piece with a cowboy hat balloon on top. Once they arrived, they used fragile soul gems to steal livestock from the Anchor. Unintentionally, they ended up carrying off several Pathfinders who opted to hitch a ride.

Their autopiloted ship drifted across Locus Astra, stopping at various other bases to 'liberate' more animals. During the journey, the balloon detached from the rook, leaving the rest of the journey to take place on the hat itself. Eventually, the Check Mates released the animals they picked up at the Western world border, and everyone made their way back to the Anchor to regroup, where the Check Mates made their escape through a waystone. The hat part of their ship seemingly has been lost to space...?

The Agreement

Despite a bomb threat hanging over their heads, Mayor Euna and the Pathfinders meet with Priestess Ilma of the Voices to engage in information exchange and discuss peace and strict terms regarding the local sculk (and the Heart). A transcript of questions asked and answers provided can be found on the event's page. Although security disarmed TNT beneath the Town Hall prior to the event, the summit was abruptly cut short when tear gas filled the room and remote explosions detonated in the ancient city underneath the Anchor. The attack severely escalated tensions between the two factions.

Subsequent investigations implicated two primary suspects, Bramble and Raspberry, though no concrete conclusions could be drawn and motives were disputed. The chaos culminated in Raspberry being detained and questioned, but was ultimately released. The following day, her communicator was discovered embedded in a patch of sculk near Delta's home. Given that sculk grows upon a creature's death, her fate remains unknown, leaving Pathfinders to unravel both her mysterious disappearance and the true perpetrator behind the bombings.

Interlude 3 (Legal troubles, Jonah, The Press)

Raspberry's disappearance is investigated further and ultimately ruled a death, with foul play highly suspected but nothing concrete determined. Orbit is able to recover Raspberry's final memories from the patch of sculk she died on, and all signs point to Raspberry being killed (and possibly even... devoured?). Despite this, without further leads, there is little to pursue.

Bramble is still under investigation for involvement in the bombings, and spends most of his time evading Ms. Crest, who would really like to question him.

“I have told the High Stellar Council that we have potentially found The Heart Below.” Jonah publicly alerts the Pathfinders that he has sent a report to the High Stellar Council detailing the possibility that the Heart, the entity that the Voices worship and follow, may be the legendary entity The Heart Below. The Pathfinders, who had kept such a possibility a closely-guarded secret until this moment, are outraged at the implications of the interstellar government learning about this. This information, if it reaches investors, could mean that there is now a financial incentive to pillage and bulldoze Locus Astra to once again harness the power of the Heart. Extra HSC attention on the sphere could endanger many who resided there: criminals, locals, androids, and researchers who didn't want corporations influencing them.

Despite his actions being seemingly universally unpopular, Jonah stands by his decision. He stood by his actions until the moment Xeroc rendered him to ash using primordial fire next to the mayor's house, actually, being witnessed by both Alec and Amaranth.

Xeroc's trial is scheduled for the following week. He publicly confesses over public radio that he did indeed murder Jonah and he has no regrets for doing so. After all, it was about time someone took action.

Shortly after, this, the Pony Express, a band of reporters (comprised of Gallay Galore, Ricky, Dr. Sinlaya, and Kopos), appear on Locus Astra. And they have a lot of questions! The reporters spend most of their time engaging in various eavesdropping and interviewing as many people as possible to get the inside scoop of what is happening on Locus Astra. Although some Pathfinders would rather things stay under wraps, others seem fine with disclosing everyone's business to the first nosy people who show up with a microphone and a clipboard... for better or for worse.

Thank you wiki helpers Dokja and Izzy for assisting with this section!

The Path

(UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

Priestess Ilma invites the Pathfinders to experience a sermon led by Shay at the newly-constructed church in the sculk-centric town of Annei (courtesy of Alec, Ariane, and Amon). Several Pathfinders are officially initiated as Vessels.

Interlude 4 (Space Team Initial Launch)

Space Team launches their first probes, including a manned expedition... with strange results.

The Locus Astra Space Team, largely headed by Polaris Intergalactic Shipping Services (not an acryonym) working with Henry, Dr. Sherazi, Kili, and Caine, has created an apparatus by which to launch probes into Locus Astra's upper atmosphere. Eventually, the intention would be to place a larger satellite to function as a research station.

The crew began by sending up chickens in unmanned probes. Mechanical sensors and various technological aspects of the probes appear to fail or send back conflicting information. The chickens, upon returning to the surface, are noticeably changed. The changes appear to be based on which individual placed the chicken into the probe. For example, the chicken Cass first sent up came back with her eyes and no longer made normal chicken noises, but instead said 'cluck' out loud in Cass' voice. Henry's chicken had human teeth, Kili's had hooves, Amaranth's was inside out (yet alive), and Caine's was missing entirely with evidence of a struggle inside the probe. However, by attaching a totem of undying to a chicken, it came back seemingly normal.

The crew then sent a crew of four up on the probe, each with 5 totems of undying fed into a totem pendant. Henry, Cass, Amaranth, and Kili all went up, with Caine and Dr. Sherazi monitoring their vitals from the ground.

Every member of the space crew experienced something uniquely horrible in the upper atmosphere. Eventually, they were besieged by anomalies, creatures attacking them from their probe. Three members of the crew were pulled upwards, out of their seats and into the Worldbridge (from their perspective). There, they encountered several anomalies, including one referred to as 'Shepherd'. Shepherd left to warn Cass to close the portal that she had opened on the probe, lest she allow anomalies onto Locus Astra that otherwise would not be there. Cass shuts the portal, and Shepherd brings the lost space crew onto the space gun's upper dock safely. However, it appears something (or somethings) has followed them through the portal upon Cass opening it, and they appear to have a special affinity for levitite, consuming it ravenously. The anomalies soon vanished, though this has been correlated with an increase in paranormal activity elsewhere on Locus Astra... what this means in the long run is up in the air.

Space Team also begins contact with a scientist from the HSC's Department of Scientific Advancement, Dr. Avery Kensington.

The Tournament

The Check Mates are all about glory and a good show, and what better way to capitalize on both of those things than a grand tournament! The Check Mates create an extensive bracket where volunteering Pathfinders are permitted to engage in sparring sessions with one another. This follows the Check Mates 'taking over' the sparring arena constructed by Crusty near Grainland.

Notably, during the tournament, Laythe Fortuna incorporates a grand "halftime show" for the bottom four participants in the form of a pop-up trivia game show (Jeopardy style). The game show proves to be immensely popular among the crowd, and Mercutio sweeps the competition.

The tournament concludes with the final results as follows:

Soup takes the overall victor's position, and is granted "Check Mates: Stabber's Gambit" (a mysterious sword comprised of strange, unfamiliar gems) and a wedge of "Blitz's Finest" golden cheese (delicious).

Hyacinth takes the overall last place, and is granted the consolation prizes "Check Mates' Legendary Tophat" (a top hat) and "Castle Gronglet" (a small friendly alien creature that enjoys being on top of a person's head).

Laythe takes the greatest showman award, and is granted the "Check Mates' BEST SHOWMAN Award Voucher" (in place of the actual reward, which Cagnus misplaced before the event...) and "The Queen's Blend" (a cup of tea made with unfamiliar herbs not found on Locus Astra).

Interlude 5 (Xeroc's Trial)

Xeroc's trial is conducted along with the conclusion of a prison held in an undisclosed location on Locus Astra. Bramble even got to try it out for his single day sentence (for tampering with evidence and for perjury. Nice going, Bramble).

Xeroc's trial is ultimately for a sentencing, given Xeroc pleads guilty to the charges of murdering Jonah (and all charges relating to it). Xeroc does not fight any of his charges, although Ezra (and a handful of other Pathfinders) repeatedly aims to disrupt the proceedings by claiming that Jonah "does not exist" and the charges are just "fabrications" meant to get Xeroc behind bars. Despite this, the charges go through. When the time comes for Xeroc to be transported into the prison, there is an explosion in the courthouse, and Xeroc appears to vanish, leaving behind a large quantity of powder and crystals. No body is recovered, but Xeroc is presumed dead, due to a curse that affects his magical stability.

When lawyer Savanah Crest pursues investigating the death by questioning others, Ezra and Slippy threaten her, repeatedly destroying the Build Bot (BB-1T) accompanying her and even directly attempting an assassination. Ms. Crest is able to successfully escape back to the Olive. Consequences to follow.