epidemiology | EVENT ▸ EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE

EVENT ▸ EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE

EMPIRE OF THE
CRASHING WAVE

The royalty of Guild Ophelia has managed to hold an audience with Empress Nama of the Celestial Mountains, urging her to meet with the Empress of the Crashing Wave in the interest of finding an accord between their clans. In return, Nama requests that Ophelia take two letters to the Crashing Wave's court, where, as foreigners, they should be received better than any of her own people.

The Empire of the Crashing Wave is a week's travel by foot from the Land of Celestial Mountains, through the forests and farms of the Flowerlands. There is no visible indication that this universe was once two, with even the road leading through the Flowerlands heading seamlessly toward the sea.

The farms and villages in the outskirts of the Empire of the Crashing Wave are decorated in seashells and motifs of the sea, and the closer one gets to the city, the stronger the scent of the ocean becomes. Once the city proper is reached, Ophelia's magitek projects words in front of their eyes that only they can see:

Location reached:

» EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE
A progressive society that values innovation. Main sources of income: fishing, pearl diving, jewelry crafting, shipbuilding. Politically matriarchal; socially egalitarian. Empress YOUMI resides at the PEACEFUL TIDE.

No events scheduled. You may wish to survey the surrounding area.

The city is built right on the ocean's edge, with some parts of it even jutting out into the sea on bridges and piers. The castle, Peaceful Tide, is built high above the rest; guards will stop anyone at the gates and, if shown the correspondence from Empress Nama, will deliver the letters directly to Empress Youmi. Attempts to seek an audience with Youmi will be rebuffed for the time being, so you may as well take in the sights...

▸ A PROMISING DEVELOPMENT

Unlike the Land of Celestial Mountains, men may move freely here, the matriarchal rules of the land only extending to politics. Men and women work alongside each other in all sections of the city, nobles and commoners alike, and even the guards have men among their ranks. In the Artisan District, potters, musicians, and artists line the streets and sell their wares, work, or discuss their craft with each other.

Closer to the Beach, there is a boardwalk where young couples stroll alongside grandparents chasing after their grandchildren, electric lamps bathing the wooden planks in a warm glow at night. Fishermen haul in their daily catch in buckets and nets, trailed by a gaggle of hopeful cats. Beachcombers and pearl divers populate the beach as well, making it a clear place for work instead of play.

A few days after Ophelia's arrival in sea clan territory, a bell rings loudly in the late afternoon, drawing citizens toward the castle. Guards stop anyone from getting too close, though the populace seems to know what to expect -- soon, a beautiful woman in an elaborate blue kimono appears in an upper balcony.

When viewing the woman, Ophelia's magitek will tell them:

» EMPRESS YOUMI
Leader of the EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE.
30 years old. SPECIES: Human. MEDICAL CONCERNS: Lactose intolerant.

The crowd cheers at Youmi's arrival, only quieting once she raises her hand. She speaks clearly and confidently, her voice carrying easily across the assembly.

"I have received a letter from Her Imperial Majesty Nama of the Land of Celestial Mountains. She informs me that their spring festival was interrupted by an attack from our own people, working without my knowledge or consent," Youmi begins, holding her hand up again when a displeased rumble begins to ripple through the crowd. It's unclear if they're perturbed by the ambush or by Nama herself. Once all is silent again, she continues.

"She has detained the criminals, for that is what they are, and assures me she will not bring this to the battlefield. I will send her an agreement to the terms, but hear this: any who escalate this further will be slain by my order. I have spoken. The spirits of the sea watch over us all."

Youmi then retreats back into the castle. While some citizens cheer their empress's decree, others mutter unhappily amongst themselves as they disperse and go about their business.

▸ BUT TROUBLE CONTINUES

The rest of the day following Youmi's decree goes by without incident, leaving time for Ophelia to stop by the sake breweries near the sea or travel back through the forests of the Flowerlands for hunting, hot springs, or simply enjoying the nature of Hanabira. With war averted and the empresses in communication, it seems as though Ophelia's time in this universe will draw to a close soon.

As the sun sinks down, finding a place to sleep might be a good idea. There are hotels in the city, but for those who are trying to be a little more frugal, the Flowerlands is a good place to set up camp for free. Doro, the Lord of the Flowerlands, has heard of Ophelia's efforts in starting communication between the empresses as well, and offers rooms in his castle in thanks; if war were to start between the two, his land would suffer for it.

During the night, those who accept Doro's invitation will hear a commotion very nearby, steel clashing against steel. Doro and his daughters rush out, weapons drawn, and straight into a skirmish between sea and mountain clan ronin. The warriors are fighting to kill, and in their fervor, someone's fire arrow alights a farmhouse on Doro's property. The farmers need to be rescued and the fire put out, and while the warriors will likely kill each other, they could also be subdued to prevent further damage. Please let the mods know with a link to the thread if your character is killing or capturing any of the ronin.

After the skirmish, Doro must be brought back inside his castle, having been wounded during the battle. He pleads with Ophelia to continue to help, as it looks like a tentative truce by the empresses is not enough to calm the citizens. Since they were so successful in receiving an audience with Nama, he believes they can propose a way the two empires can live in harmony.

Throughout the next two weeks, skirmishes between the clans are peppered throughout the Flowerlands, some leaving bodies behind and some leaving damage to farms and forest. It looks like Ophelia's peacekeeping mission just became a lot more hands-on: keep the skirmishes from getting out of control while still working toward a way to end the conflict once and for all.

▸ OOC NOTES

This log will last for two IC weeks: the first three days will be free exploration, and day four is Youmi's proclamation and the skirmish in the Flowerlands. Your characters are free to explore for the next ten days, during which further skirmishes will occur. 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.

▸ Coming next log: Peace proposals! Get your brainstorming started now.

▸ Activity Check is due on 5 February 23:59 UTC. We do not accept late submissions, so make sure you fill it out!

▸ Uniform Design Contest is open! Submissions are due 28 February 23:59 UTC. Gamewide voting will be in March.

▸ Bounty Board ▸ Items Page ▸ Exploration Group Planning ▸ General Plotting ▸ February Calendar

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Wylan, I fully believe that if ten thousand fully-armed men charged you right now, you could absolutely find a way out of it. You don't need my help.

[Giorno sounds a little weary, honestly. It's not anything Wylan's done so much as that sometimes it gets tiring playing this game. Maybe he needs to pick friends who are less likely to lie about and hide their needs for fear of being seen as weak. Wylan seems less likely to put that wall up, but it's not really true. He's as stubborn as anyone.]

You don't have to take care of yourself by yourself, though. That's my point. And you absolutely can't stop me from giving a damn.

[Wylan blinks in surprise at Girono's word, almost stunned. He'd learned pretty quickly during his time with the Dregs to not complain, not express when he was tired or hurting or scared, it usually didn't go well, emphasized just how much he was the weakest link in their group.

They were all very good at pretending they were okay (maybe too good at it) even when they weren't, and Wylan tried to match them. He often failed, but he wasn't used to be called on it, and definitely wasn't asked to admit it.

He takes a moment, eyes fixed on the ground when he finally speaks.]

... If I could just get more than a couple of hours of sleep, I'd feel better.

[ and they go, rohan following 9s' lead and looking over his shoulder every so often to see if anything is behind them. nothing so far. ]

Nothing like it exists in the period of time I'm from. [ that time being just a few years into the 21st century. at best he has a mobile phone that has a calendar function. ] You don't seem like much, but you must do a lot of field work to have such a - pod by your side. Is it from Hathaway or your own possession?

[ he guesses the latter, as he hasn't seen anyone else with one, but if it's a hathaway thing then he wants it? he really wants it. ]

[It is, of course, a stunningly hypocritical thing to say. But that doesn't mean Giorno isn't right. As much as he likes Kaz and finds pieces of his leadership style to be remarkable, you simply don't smother your subordinates and expect them to do well. If Wylan were one of Giorno's--which, as ever, as always, he is not--he would find himself in a very compassionate dictatorship.]

[Per Wylan's apparent preference, Giorno doesn't try to make eye contact when he responds.]

Yes, and that would be what we in the business call a basic human need. Is it lack of time or stress?

... The latter. [Wylan looks up slightly, just catching Giorno's eye. He's not sure what he's expecting to see when he does, but he hopes it isn't disappointment in Wylan's apparent weakness. He knows he's not the only one troubled by the events of the mission so far, isn't the only one losing sleep, but it's hard not to feel like the only one who can't handle it when everyone else so easily carries on as usual.]

[ she responds to that with a stiff silence. If she had known that... No, she can't lie - she'd still be here. It had seemed like an impossible solution to every problem she knew at the time, and it still was, in a way, even if human lives were on the line. After a moment or two, she does answer Fiona's question. ]

... 2B.

[ What's the point? she thinks, but doesn't say - asking him would be equally pointless. It's clear that their principles don't align. As she listens to him speak, she casts the line again, the bobber landing in the water with a serene plop.

A ghost. 2B... thinks she knows what that is, but she isn't completely sure. She thought it had something to do with death and the afterlife - two things humans were very enamored with. But he's quite clear about being alive. ]

So you're some type of... energy lifeform? [ it makes sense, but also, it totally doesn't. ] I've never heard of that.

[ fortunately, this isn't the first time she's heard this sort of response; she just nods her head slightly. ]

... Most likely, I'm from what you'd consider the distant future. [ to her, it's more like he's from the ancient past, but she's trying to stop saying that. ]

I would not mind at all. [Surprise, satisfaction, both paint the edges of his expression by carefully controlled degrees; he clearly did not expect an interest in his given name— not when it had only ever been used outside the confines of his own people by none other than the Emperor himself.]

Mitth— [A hardened 'th', his tongue hitting the back of his teeth, followed by:]—raw— [Once mastered, it's the stressed vowels at the tail end that are tackled.] nuruodo.

[There's a moment where it seems like she will not ask. Like she will simply tell herself, as usual, that he is a god and so she could hardly begin to truly understand the way he viewed the world...

But. She's had enough sake. And enough time beside him.]

Because we are "friends", or... ?

[That was the word Loki had used. Friends. But there are others just as good. As nice to be with someone else.

Any of them would do.]

Yeah, probably not. But you have it here, this weapon? Or did you leave it back in HQ?

[It'd be strange if he did, but Keith can understand the urge. Some of these worlds wouldn't take well to a magical changing weapon in the middle of a fight.]

Better the wall break than her head.

[ Which is why he did at all. He'd never let his friends be hurt if he could help it. ]

Back home, the Professor always told us we should always be perpetually aware of our environment.

[ Not a recrimination of himself, but it comes back to him when he thinks about this. How much he took for granted, at home. ]

I knew what he meant by that, even if the rest of my team didn't at first. Not just watching your six, or watching out for each other. Trying to mitigate your impact in the first place. You wouldn't just ruin someone's day if you accidentally smashed their car— you could derail their whole life. So I made sure we did as little damage as possible, or at least paid for the damages we did do, when we could.

[ He shrugs again. ]

It doesn't feel quite so straightforward here.

[Jason nods.] It's back at Lord Doro's place for the moment. When they told us this mission was going to be about possibly preventing a civil war I didn't know if it would escalate or not. I was hoping to avoid having to use it though, and I've been able to handle myself in the small skirmishes and fights without it so far.

[You can get a lot done when you can shock people or blow them away.]

More like over two years of experience with ALASTAIR and Hathaway, in missions both covert and overt. Surely you do not come from a world that does not respect one's senior employees... ?

[Triple down.]

Assuming not, you are most welcome.

Shoo, shoo-

[Sieglinde is far too interested in what's in front of her to allow kitty interference, and she gently waves the creature away from her serpent lens.]

Is that a usual case for your kind? To be reincarnated from those who are not given a chance in their first life?

[She thinks she's read a few similar theories about the fate of fetuses in other religions in her world, but the idea of it divorced from faith and birthed into an entirely different species- now that was fascinating!]

Huh. Not that I can't do the same myself, but I haven't been going out without a weapon. Too risky.

[And he has limited "superpowers," so to speak.]

We could do a weaponless spar sometime.

[She tips her head to the side curiously.]

That's all? So you're just in it for the adventure?

I've met my share of aliens, and I'll tell you: they aren't that different.

[ said as though she were merely discussing people at the corner store. ]

All sorts of people are greedy and selfish and hungry for power. Humans have been the most efficient at getting it, where I come from, but you see it in the others too.

[ Unkar Plutt comes readily to mind. ]

[For now, Alucard has no intention to use his full capabilities. It is but a spar, and he's more curious about Keith than he is about showing off.

With one arm folded behind his back, Alucard vaults forward gracefully, his blade lunging forward toward Keith, fully expecting to be blocked.]

[He smiles wryly.]

Others enjoy different flavors. Or like to pretend they do to seem impressive. The culture around alcohol is an interesting one.

Perhaps we should ensure you have primarily sweet flavors, then.

[A sympathetic gaze is still given to Simon. A difficult position to be in, no doubt. Perhaps with questions of a sense of self, the disassociation--

Well. Alucard can really only imagine.]

I will keep it to myself.

Perhaps... there might be a way to help you. One day. There are many worlds and universes of magic and science. Not that I wish to give you false hope, but maybe an open mind.

—Hey.

[ Don't seem like much? R U D E... An indignant huff later, at least 9S continues on as normal, pausing only to push aside a large growth of shrubbery in their way. ]

Pod isn't Hathaway's creation; they were assigned to most units in the organization I had been a part of, so you're not gonna be seeing many of them around here.

[As morbid as it sounds, Jason really can't refute that statement. He nods all the same though.]

I can't say I was ever taught that...but it's not bad advice.

[Jason processed several things. This meant Scott had been trained for situations to involved dealing with people in potential conflict before, that he probably did that with his team, and that this was probably all done with the Professor.]

It's easy to think about your teammates in the field...it takes a little more skill to pay attention to everything that's going on around you. Take it from someone who has senses heightened for that sort of thing...it's more difficult than it sounds. So I get it, but the guy who's wall you knocked out probably doesn't.

[Jason considers the final statement.]

I think it's because even the little things of this world are different. The people, the buildings, the culture....it's all different and that skews with your senses on out there. It's like you...don't have home field advantage any more.

[ he listens carefully, pays attention to each enunciation, and tapes his chin with a finger before he tries. ]

Mitthraw--nuruodo.

[ ack. it's a lot harder to do than he expected, and he certainly mangles it toward the end with his attempt. ]

[ --seriously? ]

How... how old are you exactly?

[ no, seriously, is he living in a world of his ultimate nightmares. ]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 113 of 117

EVENT ▸ EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

SORRY THIS IS LATE a storm knocked out the power here for a while

SORRY THIS IS LATE a storm knocked out the power here for a while

SORRY THIS IS LATE a storm knocked out the power here for a while

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject