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

No.

[ said very seriously. it's almost a childlike seriousness, like the face of a kid who's recounting what death itself looks like. she shakes her head solemnly. ]

Definitely not.

[ You can't do this to him, Rey. This is now way more interesting than making fun of snobby people. ]

It's big with tentacles?

[ she nods her head. ]

Sharp teeth, too.

Where do you come from that these are a thing? Are they a regular kind of thing?

[ Notice how he's pivoted away from talking about himself, which is the most awkward subject alive. And they should be getting close to the Noble's District now, even though they're both still too shabby to get in. Scott's going to find some convenient shade where they can sit down and hang out. ]

It's just ... the galaxy. [ she shrugs. ] I guess Hathaway might have some kind of name or number for it. I don't know what it is, though. They're not terribly common. I hadn't seen one until a friend of mine was smuggling them. They were really fine until they got loose.

[ highkey everything in star wars galaxy is trying to kill you. it's like arizona, or australia. ]

I wouldn't say they could rampage either, though. They're no bigger than ... [ she glances up at the gate into the noble's district and sort of indicates not quite that tall. ] You know, a hallway.

Oh, not so big then.

[ Compared to giant robots or demonic entities the size of buildings. Kaiju, which are apparently a real thing. The world's an amazing place sometime. ]

So when you're not fending off rathtars, do you just...zip around the galaxy having adventures?

[ Because Scott misses space adventures already. ]

No.

[ she drops her head a little. ]

I … scrapped old parts. [ she didn't use to feel shame saying that. she does, now. she'd wanted … i don't know. something more. something significant. now she's sure that's all there was to it, to her, and she feels awfully

lame and inadequate. thanks, kylo ren. what a good skype boyfriend. ] A desert planet, called Jakku. That's where I grew up. I hadn't left until two years ago.

[ But Scott doesn't see anything to be ashamed of in that. Admittedly, it's because he spend a fair amount of his life on the bottom of society, but he can't help but prod for a little more information— ]

So you must be a pretty good mechanic, then. Parts from what? Cars, or ships, or— what do they have out in the desert?

Spacecraft. Felled during the last battle against the Empire.

[ She glances over at him, skeptical but opening up somewhat. ]

I'm alright.

[ It's rare for Scott to be truly, openly expressive in any way. Almost every word comes out measured, considered and over-considered before he speaks. He's the kind of person whose friends are amused (and pleased) just to find out he's thinking about how much he missed them.

He's trying and completely failing to keep a grin contained now. ]

That's so cool, Rey.

[ A rare but genuine, spontaneous emotional reaction. From Scott Summers. ]

You know that, right?

[ Uhhhhhh.

She's quiet for a moment, visibly perplexed because this reaction is SO disproportionate to what she'd said. Is he trying to make her feel better? No, that doesn't make sense. He doesn't have any cause to do so. Maybe he's just a nice dude. But that seems unlikely on account of most people not going out of their way to be kind, as a rule.

So she's left just sort of staring before finally saying bluntly, ] Not really.

[ That's...not quite what he expected her to say. But then,
space adventures are still kind of a novel concept for him. Space anything is cool. Even the boring, gritty parts. ]

It is to me. I don't know how to do it. I know a grand total of three people our age I'd trust to take apart anything on a spaceship, and I'm pretty sure Hank would need a manual.

[ Okay, that puts it in perspective some, but Rey still has this really visceral reaction to the notion that there's anything exceptional about her individually. She wants it, to be sure, but god it's certainly not Jakku. She wanted it in her parents and in her powers and in—

In everything, but it's this distant thing. Not ... Not what Scott is describing. She's not anything at all. ]

It's not, where I come from. It's just scavenging for garbage. [ There's some real disdain in how she says it. The kind that really looks down on her old life. ] I quit, before I joined ALASTAIR. I went to join the Resistance instead. That's cool. You should talk to Finn and Poe. They can tell you all about it. Poe, he's an X-wing pilot. [ This is easier. She likes this better; gushing about other people and how much more impressive they are than she is. ]

[ Somewhere in another universe, the X-Men are laughing at the irony in this conversation, when he most needs them to carry the social slack. Jean most of all, who'd be privy to the struggle between Scott's actual emotions and the compulsion to repress because she's still a relative stranger. ]

Couldn't I ask you? Didn't you just say you joined?

[ THIS IS NOT A SARCASTIC QUESTION. ]

Poe's been with them longer.

[ Said sort of softly like she's realizing oh, he has a point. And now she has to justify her unwillingness to categorize herself there. ]

[ Well this got awkward. Scott wants to keep asking— but even he can pick up on the possibility that maybe he's dug too far as it is. There's a time to be harsh and demanding, and there's a time to beat a retreat before you make a bad impression. This seems like one of the latter kinds of moments. ]

Maybe I'll do that. [ And he probably will! But it doesn't mean Scott will forget that he wanted to ask her about her own experiences. ] Anyway, I think I'm going to head out. I've got a couple of people I need to track down.

EVENT ▸ WELCOME TO HANABIRA

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