EVENT ▸ WELCOME TO HANABIRA

[futurologists]

LAND OF CELESTIAL MOUNTAINS Following guild Ophelia's first mission, after which the temporal shard was found and safely disposed of back on Headquarters, Guild Master Imogen informs them they've received a contract to help ease tensions in a land known as Hanabira, on an unnamed planet designated as Hathaway-484. However, the contract is from a third party and the Hanabirans themselves do not know about interdimensional travel, she explains, so it'll be best to announce Ophelia as visitors from a foreign land. Any strange appearances or abilities will be able to be brushed off as magic, as the Hanabirans are no strangers to things such as ogres and imps. They're given five days to look over the dossier, and then it's through the rift they go. Those who are new to rift travel may find themselves a bit dizzy on the way out, but overall, everything seems to have gone according to plan. Upon arrival, their magitek projects words in front of their eyes that only they can see: Location reached: HANABIRA. No events scheduled. You may wish to survey the surrounding area. » LAND OF CELESTIAL MOUNTAINS A militaristic society that values strength. Main sources of income: mining, foresting, hunting, blacksmithing. Heavy matriarchal ideals. Empress NAMA resides at the HEAVENLY SUMMIT. Those who attempt to reach the Heavenly Summit, which turns out to be the name of a castle situated on the tallest mountain peak, will not make it very far. Empress Nama's guards have no time for foreign strangers attempting to enter the castle without an audience, and there are plenty of them. It looks like that plan of action is going to take some time to rethink. There's still much more to look at, though. In the Merchant's District, you can stock up on everything you'll need to blend in. A cursory look at all the clothing and it's clear that the Mountain Clan style focuses on a more powerful look, with broad shoulder accents and thick fabrics. Both men and women wear kimonos, but it seems men's fashion changes depending on their age and marital status. Time to figure out those backstories! There are several more items for sale as well, as long as you're willing to pay -- or if you're particularly good at sleight of hand. The Commoner's District, derogatorily called the Slums by some, is where many of the lower class Mountain Clan work and live. Those who don't have the coin to buy a space in the Merchant's District sell their wares here; they are at a lower price, but often of lower quality as well, unless you're particularly lucky. This is the most densely populated area of the Celestial Mountains, and also the most egalitarian. Here, both men and women must do the same work to provide for their families. However, you will still find that the prevailing cultural attitude supports the matriarchy. On the other side of town is the Noble's District, which is patrolled by guards on regular routes. Men on their own will arouse suspicion in this area, as will anyone in any garb but the noble disguise. Troublemakers will be asked to leave and unceremoniously escorted out. Those who manage to stay will be able to find conversation with the nobility, many of whom are high-ranking military leaders. The rest of the town belongs to the lower to upper middle class, who are friendliest to women or groups with at least one woman in them. Women's reactions to sole men may range from dismissive to awkward, although men alone are not in any danger of angry or violent reactions (as long as they don't provoke anyone). ▸ SPRING FESTIVAL After a bit of time for exploring, a new message flashes in front of recruits' eyes. New event scheduled: MOUNTAIN CLAN FESTIVAL. » INFORMATION: Analysis of all mentions of 'festival' since the arrival of OPHELIA suggests heavy HANABIRAN presence at this time, during which guild members may wish to gather intel. It appears as though Ophelia has arrived just in time for the Spring Festival, a yearly celebration in honor of the changing of seasons. Plum and cherry trees throughout the Celestial Mountains flower in white and pink blossoms, creating a cheerful atmosphere as the population goes about their daily business during the day. Workers view the flowers during their lunch and tea times, and nobles can be found strolling through gardens in the Noble's District at all times. In the early afternoon, food stalls begin to appear in the Merchant's District, and by the late afternoon, the festival is in full swing: dumplings, noodles, persimmons, and skewered meat are available at various stalls, as well as plenty of sake. Other stalls sell beautifully designed kites, fans, and kimonos, and as the sun begins to sink down, some stalls begin to sell incense-stick fireworks. There are also games to take part in, from the light-hearted collaborative ball game kemari, to an archery competition, the winners of which are rewarded with plums and sake. An old man near the archery competition invites any passersby to join him in a game of Go, and he'll even offer to teach foreigners the rules of the game. There is also a falconry competition for the nobles, but unless you have a disguise, you'll just have to content yourself with watching. With so many people milling around, it's a good time to ask questions and try to get a feel for the political opinions of the people of the mountain clan. They are all in favor of their empress ruling Hanabira, supporting the spread of their traditional culture over the more lax culture of the sea clan. If asked their opinions on how to ensure there is no war, suggestions will range from preemptively killing the sea empress and her army, to banishing them across the sea. It should be noted that the mountain clan is not especially known for their expertise in diplomacy. As the sky darkens, fireworks light up the sky. It's very beautiful, but also very distracting -- the perfect time for something to go wrong. ▸ AN AMBUSH The fireworks are loud, and everyone -- even guards milling around -- are looking skyward toward the display. No one notices the danger until it's too late. A scream pierces the air, and everything after that happens quick and sudden: people are running in all directions, panicked, trying to escape. Stands are knocked over and food goes flying through the air. A merchant struggles to reach her wife, caught across the fearful throng of festivalgoers. It's chaos. As the panicked crowd begins to thin, those of Ophelia who stay behind to help will see the cause -- women wearing clothes of the sea clan and masks covering their faces are laying waste to the festival ground. They begin to set stalls ablaze, and though they aren't targeting any civilians, a handful lay dead or injured, crushed by the panicked stampede. Guards rush in to stop the women, and they could probably use help; they will be trying to capture them, but if your character is killing an ambusher instead, please let the mods know with a link to the thread. For those who aren't the fighting type, there are plenty of other things to do -- direct traffic, try to rescue civilians from the stampede, or go find someplace to hide yourself. Once the immediate trouble is dealt with, the festival unceremoniously ended, the civilians drift back to their homes to begin a restless sleep. If your character hasn't found lodgings for the night yet, they'd better get that matter settled soon. The morning after the ambush, there is tension and unease in the air. The people of the mountain clan mutter about taking revenge or continuing peaceably; the ambush and its effect on their relations with the sea clan is the topic of the day. Was this an attack sanctioned by the Empress of the Crashing Wave? Were these sea people acting of their own volition? Does it matter? The festival grounds could use cleaning up, and tending to the injured can be a good way to ingratiate foreigners (that's you) to the mountain clan. Otherwise, the forests of the Celestial Mountains are open for exploration, or the Flowerlands and its farms below. ▸ OOC NOTES Welcome to the first mission of the season! Apps are now closed and will remain closed until the mission is over. If you have questions about this log or the overall mission, please ask them on the dossier. Questions about Futurology in general should be directed to the FAQ. ▸ The festival and ambush lasts one IC day, after which characters may continue to explore. Areas currently open are the Land of Celestial Mountains or the Flowerlands. The Empire of the Crashing Wave will be introduced in the next log on 3 February. ▸ The Bounty Board is now live, as well as an items page. The February calendar will go live in late January. ▸ January AC will go up on 1 February. You will only need to supply one proof. February AC will require full activity.

Comments

[moneyman]

[ she'll get no shade for that—he used to be the type who'd freak out about bugs. not so much anymore, but he Gets It. ]

Hmm... [ he flips to another random page and reads the first thing that catches his eyes. ]

"Ghostly the gray cow comes, mooing, mooing, mooing, out of the morning mist." [ he squints, considering this for a second. ] That's... sorta happy? If you like cows, I guess.

[healstaffs]

[ Well. Better cows than bugs, she guesses. Cows are less likely to sneak up on a person and way tastier. ]

I guess that one's not too bad....but seriously, who likes cows enough to write poems about them? [ Maybe Donnel would, having lived on a farm and all that. ] If I had to write a poem, I'd rather write about nice things, like sleeping in or birthday parties or candy!

[ All very good things, in her mind. She looks over at Vaughn, inquisitive. ]

What about you?

[moneyman]

Me? Uhh...

[ the question clearly catches him off-guard. he's definitely never written a poem before. ]

Well, I was never really the artsy type, but... you know what? All those things sound good to me, too. Or I'd write them about my friends, I guess. Sleeping in, and then going to a birthday party with all your friends and eating candy. How's that?

[ apparently he, too, is a teenage girl. ]

[healstaffs]

[ Friends! Her face immediately brightens at the mention, because nothing brings her more joy than seeing people getting along and having fun with each other. ]

Are your friends here too? [ OH maybe— ] Were you looking at all this so you could buy presents for them?

[ What a nice guy if so. How lucky his friends are to have him as a friend! ]

[moneyman]

Yup! [ he's sporting a grin of his own now. hooray for friendship. ] My best friend is here, and so is one of my other friends from home. A handful of people I knew from back in Audentes are here, too. I... wasn't looking for presents for them, but that's a good idea. I'm gonna keep an eye out for things they might like.

[ he's inspired now. ]

What about you? Do you know anyone here?

[healstaffs]

Wow, that's so many people!

[ She's a little jealous, honestly. To have so many people here with him... It makes her miss home a little, and everyone she'd left behind. But mostly she's happy for him, that he can travel in the company of people he loves and trusts.

She follows suit, stepping forward to peer at all the wares on display. Maybe Lucina would like something. Speaking of Lucina—

Her head bobs up at the question, and she nods quickly. ]

Yeah, Lucina! She's my— [ errrrrrr hang on, it's probably weird to say 'niece from the future' huh, go back go back rerouting path and calculating new route ] —one of my relatives! We weren't able to spend much time together before this.

[ Read: no time. ]

[moneyman]

Lucina?

[ why does that name sound familiar? he definitely hasn't met her before, so where did he hear it?

...oh. oh. there's a flash of something kind of sad and wistful on his face, but he pushes it down. there's no use wallowing in it. he smiles again. ]

You must know Olivia, then.

[healstaffs]

Olivia?

[ She echoes the word, eyes wide with curiosity. It's a pretty name, and one she would certainly like to know, but none of that changes the fact that it doesn't ring a single bell.

But of course, if she admits to not knowing Olivia, then this whole scheme falls apart. So instead she nods, pasting a large smile onto her face. ]

Oooof course I know Olivia, she's a great person! [ Probably not false. ] Was she here before?

[ That's safe to ask, right? ]

[moneyman]

[ if there's any hint that she's lying, he doesn't catch on. he seems pleased that they know each other. allegedly. ]

Yeah. She's... a close friend of mine.

[ It's Complicated™. he waves it off, though. better to move on than risk saying something stupid. ]

Anyway, I've heard a lot about your world. It sounds super different from mine.

[ that's a compliment, honestly. 0/10 would not recommend. ]

[healstaffs]

[ And if there's any hint regarding the It's Complicated™ status, she doesn't notice at all, breezing through the conversation without a second thought. ]

Really? [ Actually— ] I guess that makes sense, this world is pretty different from mine too. No Risen, for one.

[ She wrinkles her nose at the thought of the ugly smelly undead. Definitely a good thing, good job Hanabirans. ]

It'd probably be really boring if all the worlds out there were the same anyway. I wonder what makes them different though....do you think they all started out the same and then went down different paths, or started out completely different?

[moneyman]

Oh, yeah... zombies, right? I heard about that. Yikes.

[ to say the least. Woodhurst sure was a good time. ]

That's... a really good question, actually. Maybe a little too philosophical for someone like me, to be honest. Though I can say that looking around this place, it's hard to imagine it ever having anything in common with where I'm from. Everywhere I've gone has been really different. Did you know there's a planet of just cats? It was pretty awesome.

[ does that... answer your question... probably not. whoops. ]

[healstaffs]

[ In the end, it doesn't matter if he does or doesn't end up answering her question. The simple mention of a planet only of cats - cats!! - is enough to make her eyes go saucer-wide, and she immediately leans forward with interest. ]

Just cats? No way! Did they sleep all day? Did you get to pet them a lot? Were there a lot of different kinds of cats? Did you get to bring one back with you?

[ These are the truly important questions in life. ]

[moneyman]

[ he chuckles at her enthusiasm. these are, indeed, important questions. ]

They were kinda like people in cat bodies. They could talk and everything. But since they were like people, they were kinda weirded out by us wanting to pet them. There were all kinds, though! I woulda brought one back if I could, but that... would have been like kidnapping, I guess.

[ which is a damn shame. he wants a cat. ]

[healstaffs]

[ Kidnapping....CATNAPPING.....either way, Lissa deflates. ]

Yeah...I guess you're right. [ That would be pretty bad. Even so... ] But still, it'd be so nice to have a pet around, right? Then you could cuddle it all the time, especially if you were feeling sad.

[ Conveniently, she ignores the parts where she'd have to feet the cat, take care of the cat, pick up after the cat... ]

[moneyman]

Oh, definitely. Back in Oska, I had a hermit crab. [ totally the same thing. ] He wasn't exactly cuddly, of course, but it was still nice to have a pet, even if he was a crab.

[ godspeed, Dumpy Jr. ]

[healstaffs]

[ A crab......yeah, no, she's gonna have to disagree here. Crabs are so boring. But Vaugn talks about this crab of his with a fond look on his face and it would be rude to say anything mean so instead Lissa asks, very delicately: ]

What happened to him? Do you still have him?

[ She would have liked to meet him, even if he was a crab. ]

[moneyman]

No, sadly. [ he sighs wistfully. he liked that crab. ] I haven't seen him since Oska. I'm sure he's fine, though.

[ that's what he tells himself, anyway. ]

Aaanyway, what about you? Do you have a pet at home?