epidemiology | EVENT ▸ WELCOME TO HANABIRA

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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

[ he nods as the customer leaves, all smiles and well presented, but the moment he turns to lissa his nose wrinkles a little at her question. the lack of cultural knowledge irks at him. ]

It's the term of early Japanese art that originated into the Edo period. [ which, after he says it, he realizes that it may not mean anything to hear to say that. ] It means "pictures of the floating word." The depiction of the world in its beauty, sorrow and moment.

[ Yeah, that goes entirely over her head, sorry buddy. Princess she might be, but educated well-cultured she certainly isn't. Her nose wrinkles and a look of confusion crosses her face. ]

"Pictures of the floating word"? But I didn't see any words anywhere.

[ Maybe she just wasn't looking hard enough? ]

[ he clicks his tongue. ]

World, not word. But I suppose my explanation must seem quite obtuse to someone uneducated in art, such as yourself. [ poor, poor girl. he will help. ] The point of it is that the art comes from how the artist sees the world. The paintings are beautiful and realistic, but every artist adds their own contortion, some layer of distortion from their own view. From that comes out the true beauty - you see the world through the eyes of another.

[ ooc: sorry for the slowdown, i was in the middle of a move this week and didn't have time for tagging! also you totally didnt see me work my brilliant typo ok... ]

[ ooc: no worries, hope the move went well! ]

Hey! I'm not uneducated!

[ She missed the 'in art' bit, too busy taking offense to the words before. Her face scrunches and she pouts, no doubt proving to him exactly just how uneducated in art she really is. (The answer: very.)

Anyway, she does her best to follow his convoluted (to her) logic, though she falls a bit short at the end and resorts to having to ask. ]

So how do you see the world then? Is it all pretty rainbows and butterflies?

[ he smiles, both at her little indignant renouncement and the question she poses. ]

I see it for what it is. I look at a butterfly and think "how do its wings work" observe it and capture it for study. I see a rainbow and quickly capture its colors to preserve the beauty. Reality is what fuels all great art.

[ --which she would know if she were educated, but he's not going to point this out again, even if he kind of wants to-- ]

Tell me your name so that I can see your reality as well.

[ How is telling him her name gonna help in helping him see her reality, or whatever it is he's trying to say. Is he a mage, able to divine the meaning of words and objects from a mere word? That's pretty cool, but also he doesn't look like a mage in the slightest. (Where's his swishy cape? All mages have a swishy cape.)

Oh well. Guess it can't hurt. ]

My name's Lissa. [ She manages to wait one whole second before asking: ] Soooo? Can you tell what my reality looks like yet?

You have a very beautiful name. Short but charming, it befits your personality. [ he smiles and takes her hand, slipping it up so that it can rest upon his palm. ] Who were name by? Was it your mother or father who gave you such a name? More information will help.

[ all the while, painlessly, a small portion of her wrist begins to flutter up - a tiny window of a page opening up from the skin as he uses heaven's door to transform her into a book. ]

[ Wow, way to butter her up! She preens a little at the compliment, her opinion of him shooting straight up into the clouds. At the very least, it means she answers him with forthrightness, not bothering to hide a single detail. ]

It was my mom, I think. It's hard to remember....they both died a long time ago. Emm and Chrom have been the ones raising me and—

[ Which is all that she gets to before she notices the tiny piece of her wrist lifting up. She shrieks a little, more alarmed than anything. ]

What's that?

[ he blinks, and realizes by her expression that she must have noticed what he was doing. ]

I'm giving you a reading. Don't worry, you don't feel a thing right? There's no harm in it.

I don't but....it looks so weird!

[ Like a little piece of herself about to flutter away or something. How strange, but also very cool at the same time. She wishes she could do something like that. ]

What's that even for anyway?

It's for me to read into you.

[ he clutches the little flutter of a page and opens up further, peeling it back to reveal more written word under the surface. it shows her name, her age, height, weight, favorite type of fashion-- ]

Hm. [ he stops there. ] You're a little plain.

[ nice. ]

[ What the heck!!!! After everything he said about her nice name! Her head jerks back as though he'd slapped her, and she stares at him uncomprehending. ]

Plain?! [ Her voice cracks, just a tiny bit. ] What's that supposed to mean!

[ Explain yourself, good sir. ]

[ he slumps back, not really fazed by her yell, and props his chin on a fisted hand as he contemplates the way to put this... nicely... perhaps. ]

Don't take it the wrong way, but it doesn't seem like very much is exciting about you. If you were in a person's novel, you would be the sweet side character who is charming but not all that interesting apart from the overall group.

[ This is the worst thing she's ever heard. Her, a side character? Unacceptable. ]

A side character?! How come I don't get to be the princess? [ More importantly: ] And I've done tons of exciting stuff! One time, I fell off a tree and broke my wrist!

[ How's that for exciting? ]

How tragic. [ :/ ] Princesses are usually relegated as side characters unfortunately. Unless you deal with a fairytale setting, but even then they end up being secondary to the princes. It's rather shameful and uncreative.

[ It sure is shameful and uncreative! The expression on her face says it all, one of irritation and indignation. ]

Well, how do I change it then? What do I have to do so I'm not the side character anymore?

Aha! Good. Now you're asking the right questions. [ he grins, clearly excited about giving her advice, because he's the best around to hear from. ] To elevate yourself, you must first have a goal that people can be inspired by. What do you want in life, more than anything else, that drives all your actions?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ▸ WELCOME TO HANABIRA

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