epidemiology | EVENT ▸ WELCOME TO HANABIRA

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That kind of depends where we are. We don't get a lot of time in between, but when we're not on a mission I like to relax. It's nice to spend time with everyone, or play video games. I had a friend who used to do a lot of movie nights when we came back from missions.

[He's talking a lot about himself, and he's realizing that he doesn't know much about Majima yet.]

What about you? Tell me more about where you come from.

You play video games? Ha! Used to pop over to the arcade sometimes, play a game of Space Harrier or two.

[ Majima took another sip. ]

Me? Let's see... back home, I'm the manager of a cabaret: the Grand. Biggest and best in Sotenbori, though it does mean I work mostly at night.

[ He reached into his pocket and slipped out a black business card with white lettering, which he slid across the table for Oliver's inspection. ]

[Privately, he makes a note to show Majima his console when they return to Headquarters. Games have come a long way since Space Harrier, and he thinks he'd be impressed to see it.

He picks up the card, looking it over.]

The manager? That sounds exciting. I bet that's worth taking the graveyard shift for.

[ He smiled fondly. ]

Yeah. Even branched out a little to step in and manage this little cabaret club. Club Sunshine. Don't have a card for that one, though -- really only involved because the real manager, Youda-han, was in a bind.

Wow. You must be super busy. Do you ever get time off?

[It doesn't sound like he stops working.]

[ He really... didn't... ]

Lately? No.

But at least I get to work with people I like -- they know how to do their jobs. Matter of fact, most nights the Grand pretty much runs itself now, and I only gotta step in to deal with the difficult customers.

[Well, that doesn't sound too bad...]

It doesn't tend to be so hands off here, but at least you're already used to not having time off.

[Not that that's. Really a good thing.]

Yeah. And I figure dealin' with people's a pretty good skill to have, to.

[ As well as an incredibly high tolerance for bullshit. ]

If there's one thing I'm gonna miss about the cabarets, though, it's the live band. Those guys could really play.

You like music?

Yeah, of course. What kind of music do they play?

Mostly jazz, though you can make requests if ya want. They're pretty good at rollin' with those -- change up once in a while to something more upbeat.

Unfortunately, full cabarets might be on the outs in a few years. I don't think the current boom's gonna last forever.

[ He took another drink, and offered to refill Oliver's cup. ]

[Oliver's glass is still half full, but he downs a little more before holding his cup out for a refill. He might as well enjoy it.]

They aren't that big in the US, but I don't know a whole lot about Japan. Maybe you'll be able to keep it going. People are always going to want somewhere to go have fun, right?

Yep. But they'll most likely move towards a lighter version of that fun. I figure it's the same with any kind of business. Gotta change with the times, or get left behind.

[ Something occurred to him just then. ]

Say, you're from the future compared to me. Japan's on top of its game as of the 80s, but I figure there's a bust coming soon after. How bad is it? Or was it?

[Revealing the future seems questionable. Majima seems nice so maybe he should warn him so he can prepare himself when he does go back home, but he does worry telling people too much about their future could cause problems.

Then again, if Majima were asking him about the ways technology has improved over the years he would only be too happy to talk about. He sucks in a breath, toying with his drink.]

I think things get pretty bad at the end of the eighties, into the early nineties. I was born in '84 so I was really young when it happened, but I don't think it's ever got back to the way it was.

[ Majima sighed. ]

Yeah, I thought as much. Way things are going now, everyone's flush with cash. But no one knows why there's so much pouring in. Recipe for disaster -- gonna be ugly when the gravy train ends.

[ Oh! He remembered something, and smiled. ]

Hey, I just ran into the craziest thing the other day -- a guy carryin' around a phone practically the size of a briefcase so he could make calls on the run! Can ya believe it? Hell, who'd want to haul around a battery that big? And who'd want to be by the phone 24/7? Sounds exhausting.

A cell phone?

[He laughs, the mindset that would be an inconvenient thing hard to imagine now. It's a more exciting topic than the economy anyway.]

You'd be surprised. By my time that's the norm. Pretty much everyone has one. They're a lot smaller by then though. You can fit most of them in your pocket.

['Most' because there's always someone out there who likes their phone ridiculously big.]

Seriously? Huh. Guess it really was 'the wave of the future'.

[ He'd assumed that Earth would still be a long ways away from the space-age jewelcomms everyone had been given, because you know. They were from spaaace. ]

Ain't it a pain keeping them charged up, though?

EVENT ▸ WELCOME TO HANABIRA

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