EVENT ★ EXPLORATION

[futurologists]

With the storm gone, the water surrounding Komo has calmed considerably. Much of the affected area is in ruins, but thanks to ALASTAIR, a large contingent of Komo survived the disaster. However, with parts of Komo uninhabitable, they need to be able to reach Nalawi’s other islands. With their technology so limited due to dependence on their Gifts, it’s all they can do to build a few tiny, shoddy canoes, powered solely by elbow grease. They only fit two regular-sized people (but four Nalawi), and the wait time is long, but they do the trick. If you aren't willing to wait, you can always try to get creative. Strangely, though, anyone trying to use their magic to cross the waters will find that their powers are beginning to dampen. Similarly, anyone with superhuman abilities at all will find them waning, albeit at different rates. Those without any special powers at all will be completely unaffected. But that's nothing to worry about, right? It’s time to see the rest of Nalawi. PU’ULAI PU’ULAI is the centermost island of the archipelago and by far the largest. Most of the travel between islands is to and from Pu’ulai, as it’s the cultural hub of Nalawi and the location of Nalanni’s largest temple. It’s very populated during the day, but isn’t a residential area and clears out once the sun goes down. The first thing you'll notice is that the deer hate cats. The citizens of Komo are far more likely to let it go, but if you have anything slightly cat-looking with you here, at best, you'll be yelled at. Some Nalawi try to start fights, and no one but Komoans will allow cats anywhere near their homes or inns. Recruits might notice children running away from cats, screaming, "Dakal!" THE TEMPLE, referred to as Nalanni’s Garden, is closest to the Nalalona volcano on a neighboring island. The regular ash from it was viewed as a good omen from Nalanni, who’s rumored to live within the volcano, but it’s been months since anyone has seen any activity from it. The temple is dark as obsidian, which is coincidentally what it’s made of. There’s a copious amount of brightly colored flowers around the temple, hence the name. The gardens are free for anyone to walk through, as is the temple. One image is constant throughout the temple: an inhumanly large, vaguely feminine being made in stone and fire, a walking volcano. It would be easy for such a woman to look frightening, but she looks welcoming and caring, arms outstretched to embrace her children. Inside the temple are more murals of Nalanni, but also some curiously unrelated to her. They depict the Nalawi fighting against large, predatory cat-creatures, finally culminating in their enemies attacking Nalalona. This is when Nalanni reappears, striking them down. The temple is tended to by several Nalawi of varying ages, all very welcoming to strangers, especially those they’ve heard heroic tales of. News traveled fast once the Komo villagers crossed the waters and spread the news of their timely rescuers. There are plenty of Nalawi in the temple, making offerings and asking Nalanni to return to them -- some are hopeful, but others appear desolate. CITY HALL is where the ten members of the Council convene. No one is allowed in, as they’ve been discussing the changing state of Nalawi nonstop for days. There’s a group gathered around the hall each day, hoping their leaders will emerge and announce their plans, but nothing has happened yet. It’s a good chance to sit around and listen, though -- you’ll quickly find out that Nalawi is a meritocracy; the Council have the strongest Gifts of anyone in Nalawi, determined by a nationwide competition to prove their worth every time a seat opens. Some of the more disgruntled deer whisper that some must have lost their powers by now and no longer deserve to sit on the Council. A few arguments are beginning to break out around the city hall, and even a few scuffles. Luckily, their weakened powers have also dampened the damage they’re able to deal, and no one has been injured too badly. Just try to be respectful -- otherwise, you might upset the wrong person. Those hooves can hurt. ELSEWHERE, there's a marketplace where traditional Nalawi clothing can be bought, among other things, inactive spas shut down due to dormant volcanoes, and maybe -- if you’re very lucky -- you’ll stumble upon a ferry that still works. It’s unlikely, though, and haggling with its owner will be difficult. You could always steal it, but you wouldn’t do that, would you? You can always explore the SURROUNDING ISLANDS, which are mostly residential areas, similar in theme to the parts of Komo that haven't been destroyed. Oh, and if you're disrespectful to the islanders or were at any point rude to the people in Komo, you might wake up to find a bunch of tiny, adorable Nalawi around your bed, swinging around bars of soap in socks. Don't worry, they won't actually do anything but threaten you for a minute before storming out. ...Yet. The moral of the story is 'don't mess with the Nalawi.' OOC INFO The entire map of Nalawi is now available to characters. Updated location information can be found here.

Comments

[timebender]

That's right, humans are out during the day, and consider night to be when all the ghosts and ghouls come out. That's right, isn't it?

[ She's pretty sure she got that right. Ghosts had always been an all the time thing for her, and trolls were of course nocturnal. ]

Midnight might be quite a long wait. But it might be worth it, just to see if the stories are true!

[jamminshield]

[Steven nods along.]

Yeah. I think you got the basics down! Except then you got a lot of people who stay up late, especially if there's a new video game. But... We got the basics down!

It would be a really long wait... I hope I can stay awake late enough. Might as well make a whole camp and tell scary stories!

[timebender]

Scary stories! I like it!

[ She finds a small patch off to the side of the main path that looks like a good spot for sitting and takes a seat, folding her legs in front of her; not only is she a troll with no concept of proper respect in a graveyard by human standards, but her understanding was that the natives had a view all their own that showed considerable amicability towards interacting with the dead. ]

Maybe the spirits will decide join us a little early, if the stories are good enough. Do you want to go first, or should I?

[jamminshield]

I'm glad we agree!

[He gives a confident smile as he follows her to her seating place. Steven, on the other hand, feels weird about sitting there, so he just stands nearby. At least he's small enough that they're probably close to eye level this way annyway.]

Maybe you can go first. I only have a few stories up my sleeves. There's the story of Evil Bear 2... [Pieced together from behind a couch in a way that may not be accurate.] Or the scariest story of all, the tale of...

[He smiles confidently and then adds on in a conspiratorial hush:]

...'The Place That Had No Wi-Fi'!

[timebender]

Oooh, no wi-fi? You should tell me that one!

[ If there's only one thing Aradia is good at (and there are many things, that are neither here nor there) it's playing along, and she gives him an eager and wide-eyed look that doesn't betray the slightest hint of sarcasm. Because really, if it's not scary, then it's endearing, and she can get on board with it either way. ]

[jamminshield]

Okay, sure!

[He takes a deep breath before he leans closer, wiggling his fingers as he starts to speak.]

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy... not far away, actually! Just a few light years over. There were a few kids who had to stay at a spooky old house. For, um... charity.

They didn't think it was scary at all! Just boring. And they raced through their halls on their heelys... but everything changed when one of them tried to instagram a picture of a sick wheelie.

No matter how many times they tried with their phones and computers, the same message appeared... [Then, with an ominous hush:] No network found!

[timebender]

[ Aradia nods along, leaning in along with him, doing her best to look legitimately enthralled and doing a decent job of it too. She has no idea what a heelys is, or what an instagram is, either, but she gets the gist.

When he gets to the punchline, she gasps, and sits back. ]

No! That's terrible! Did they ever make it out of that house?