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

[twinpeak]

Unfortunately, it could be anything.

[ Dipper scans over their immediate surroundings, taking note of what loved ones have left behind at the graves. Anthropomorphic deer do a little more than bouquets of flowers, it seems. Yet there's nothing notably spooky around, so he cants his head down the path for Jason to follow. ]

It's typical to say they're sticking around because they want revenge for something, but there's a lot more than that which could continue to tie someone to the world of the living. But all that's more or less basic ghost knowledge.

[gutpunching]

[Revenge, huh. The dramatic irony here is incredible. Dryly—]

You don't say.

[To be honest, Jason's still not too sure how or why he up and stopped being dead all of a sudden. It doesn't even really interest him as much as what he's going to do with his second shot at it. But there's nothing like a little professional curiosity when the chance comes to you. He follows at an easy pace. While Dipper's looking for unfinished business, he's casing the place for anything a little more tangible. A little more helpfully—]

The locals say the dead march through here to war.

[Supposedly. Begs the question of what they're fighting.]

[twinpeak]

So they say.

[ He knows the story, of course. The first step to ghost hunting is familiarizing oneself with the good old fashioned local legend; it may be superstition, but underneath every such tale lies a certain level of truth. It's just a matter of finding out which part is true. ]

But what's there to fight? I thought these guys got rid of their big enemy a long time ago. Maybe it's a story they use to explain what they don't know.

[gutpunching]

That's about the long and short of what an urban legend is in the first place.

[A story told to explain away some mystery, or spook the people into behaving the way you want to. There's usually some truth in it. Sometimes more than you'd think. Sometimes less. If the Nalawi are explaining away some will o'wisp scares or glimpses of surreptitious activity as the spirits of their loved ones coming back, it'll easily grow legs of its own. They do seem like a pretty superstitious lot.]

Could just be that someone's just covering their tracks by letting anyone who might spot them out here assume they're someone they're not.

[Spoken like a true skeptic. Not entirely seriously—]

Or maybe they're out fighting ghosts.

[Hey, if the deerpeople can come back—]

[twinpeak]

[ The skepticism is met with an arched eyebrow, but beyond that, Dipper can't blame him for being so; once upon a time he didn't believe in ghosts either, but then Gravity Falls happened. The night they all snuck into a haunted convenience store changed that mindset awfully fast, and since then, he's taken a large interest in them—as if that weren't already obvious. ]

Only one way to find out! But hey, I think it's likely there's some real spirits wandering around. For a world so magic oriented, it's not like it'd be weird, right?

[gutpunching]

I wouldn't rule it out.

[It's not that he hasn't seen weirder. Just that the truth usually ends up being a little more on the mundane side nine times out of ten. (The tenth, on the other hand, is usually a real kicker.)]

But I'm not breaking out my ghostbusting gear just yet.

[Detective types, you know. Always like to see a little evidence, first.]