EVENT ▸ EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE

[futurologists]

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

Comments

[undeserved]

[ she's heard of this... ]

Are they pets, then?

[ androids only keep fish at most. ]

[rhinostagros]

Science and magic, huh. Did you take all these notes yourself?

[ While he might get a better look at the other plants, he still can't make any sense of much of the writing no matter how long he stares. He's really curious to know what each of the contents mean. ]

I don't recognize the script... but I'd be interested in knowing what these pages say. My healing artes can close wounds as long as they aren't fatal, though it's not so much for curing sicknesses.

[grunehexe]

[If the way Sieglinde squeezes his arm and sort of wriggles to sit up a bit straighter into it is any indication... top of the head kisses were perfectly acceptable.]

... Loki is second.

[Chantes seems so long ago, at times. How many of their number were even left, who had served that long?

It occurs to her that it might only be them.]

[dailydouble]

The number who remember seems to dwindle quickly, these days.

[ His thoughts go along her path, back to those who have been there since the beginning. It's not something he dwells on, but then mortals change so quickly.

He'll pull himself out of reflection quickly, a shade of an affectionate twist to his lips apparently when he looks down at Sieg. ]

You are drunk.

[grunehexe]

Of course. I have filled countless notebooks at this point.

[Two years in ALASTAIR had given her a lot of material to work with, now with Hathaway... though they were split between paper and her tablet these days.

Finally realizing that she should probably... respond a bit better, she actually spreads open the book for him to look at proper if he wants.]

It is my native tongue, High German. I do speak several more, though, and these translators we have recognize them. It is information pertaining to worlds we have already been to, so it is not terribly relevant to our current work, but there were a few herbs and remedies I did smuggle out with me.

[She could share those, she supposes.]

[grunehexe]

Mmm...

[That was true.

Actually, both of those things were true.

But she does give a somewhat smug sort of smile, as if she has gotten away with something.]

Only a drunk person would have tried that sake you had. No compliments to the brewer on that one, I am afraid.

[conqueress]

[ Though Dany's smile is soft, her eyes bespeak a hard, fierce pride. Violet blazes in a pale face, hewn with features as aristocratic as those of the Valyrians of old. ]

I do, [ she answers, already tasting the salt upon her lips and smelling the sea wind in her hair. ] He tested me, as the dragons of old were wont to do.

[ Her smile, previously gentle, curls a little about the edges. She survived, evidently. Many of the dragonseeds did not. ]

He may be double that size, in truth, [ she says admiringly. ] It would be a fine thing to see Drogon as he is ... but it would not do to unleash his true form upon this world. He is strong enough to carry off a horse, and I should grow to have half the farmers of Hanabira demanding silver for their lost livestock.

[ Or their children, though she prays there should be no instances of that. ]

[evenslimmer]

Well, yeah. Figure out who works well together and who doesn't, figure out how to work together. If you don't already have a good idea of who's complementary, the best way to find out is to put it to the test.

[ Except the Professor already had a specific idea in mind when he put together the X-Men. It hasn't occurred to Scott yet to question the roles they'd been cast in, or if there'd been a better way to make them all cohere in the right ways.

This has occurred to him though: ]

Maybe this is their idea of training us?

[dailydouble]

[ He'll shake his head, more amused than he lets on. ]

I feel as if I should escort you somewhere safe to rest. Have you had enough water?

[notthatjason]

It does take on-the-job training to a new level. [That's supposed to be a joke anyway. Jason thinks about the question more seriously though, since it does seem worth considering.]

I mean, it's not impossible. I have no idea how they really select missions, but if they have a few to choose from then perhaps they would pick out a mission that was less difficult in order to not over whelm us but also give us the chance to cooperate and build as a team.

[Wouldn't be the craziest idea he figured. And having been on quests himself, he knew that experience was really more important on the battle field than even the Capture the Flag games he had mentioned.]

Of course, that's putting a lot at stake on our training. If we all completely suck then this whole mission goes bottoms up and we have a civil war on our hands.

[grunehexe]

I suppose I shall not refuse an escort so gallantly offered...

[SHE SUPPOSES.

And at the prompting... she at least has the werewithal to actually listen to what is good advice, leaning over the table to grope about for a pitcher of water and just... start draining it.

There. Mission accomplished.]

[wolfchild]

Or the farmers themselves, [ zokla observes, craning her head to get another look. and they mislike nymeria. nymeria might hunt them if she had nothing else to eat or they were fool enough to give chase. but a dragon, even a young one, could set entire towns ablaze. if the farmers saw a dragon…

no one would be unafraid, and though zokla is wary and respectful, she also rises on her toes and squints against the bright reflection off of the water's surface. a dragon. ]

Dragons, [ she says in the common tongue, affecting a strong braavosi accent. her grin is quick and wide as she continues in braavosi, ] I learned that from Westerosi sailors. They'd pay in coin and stories if you told them the best taverns and brothels and lead them to the Sept-Beyond-the Sea.

[evenslimmer]

[ Scott's got a lot of questions about how this whole thing works. But he's definitely suspected for some time this might be a secret test, and he doesn't have good criteria for evaluating it. That makes him edgy. If other people are thinking it too, then at least it's not just his paranoia pinging him unnecessarily.

Some of the questions are pretty awful. And maybe best not expressed to relative-strangers, no matter how kind or what kinship exists. ]

It's risky. [ Unsettlingly risky. ] The problem is, there's a lot we don't know about how they operate, and I don't know that they're going to tip their hand to us any time soon. They don't have any incentive to tell us how it all works.

[notthatjason]

Well it won't be the first time I've been asked to work towards a goal without being told the whole story.

[He takes it in stride, but there's an edge to his voice that hints at the fact that's not really okay with it. Wouldn't it make more sense to let the people helping you know what all is on the table? He's never liked that part of how higher powers or higher ups tend to manage things.]

you can let this go if you like!! very sorry; crushed by moving ...

[eyedrop]

Yeah. Pretty common, too.

[ The cat's flopped onto her back, and Aizawa's very carefully rubbing her fluffy belly. ]

But I'm used to looking after strays.