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

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[ He lets out a sigh. Explaining himself hasn't stopped being so awkward. ]

I'm right next to you, to your left? Uh... most people can't see me, unless they meet certain requirements. But I can talk to you through the magitek.

[ Of course, if 2B does look to her left, there's nothing there but open space. However, one of the stray cats hanging close by the pier comes trotting in Laphicet's direction, at least where he should be standing. The small furry creature appears to be swatting at something invisible. ]

Huh? [Inuyasha pauses to glance back at the handful of people in the distance. His ears swivel forward; he can hear most of what they're saying clearly. Magic. Ghosts. Pretty much what they had been talking about earlier.

What's bad is, since he can see Laphicet, he thinks they're talking about him as per usual.] What's their problem? Haven't they ever seen someone burying the dead before? Geez.

[He goes back to what he's doing, but his ears are twisted back to listen.] I don't know what they're talking about ghosts for. I'm a demon. [Things on the list of You Shouldn't Say or Be Proud of At All.]

Wh--

[Jin's a moment too slow, and his size is enough to be a disadvantage for once. The woman's elbow is poised to jab him in the chest just so, and when he falters, she twists away from his hold, skimming a long shallow line into his arm with the short blade.

Mountain clan wench!]

No!

[He lunges forward in spite of the stinging cut, grabbing her by the arm and yanking her back. But it's too late. The knife, though off its direct course, has already been tossed-- Zarya's a bigger target and will catch the brunt of it if she's not fast enough.]

[After a beat, Keith's eyes pass to the other arm, and he wonders if it's a feint or a reality. Does he only have one arm to use? And if that's the case, is it a good idea to fight without the weapon he put down, even in a practice situation like this one? In fact, it's the arm that catches Keith's attention more than the blade that's been set aside. Keith has seen a lot of fancy swords over his time as a member of Audentes and now this guild, so ... Majima's doesn't really stand up. Not on the fancy scale.

Since he's not wearing his paladin armor, it's easy for Keith to set aside his small set of weapons to settle into a stance. He can't summon his bayard, and he doubts anyone will steal his Marmora blade right now. (They better not, at any rate; that blade means too much to him.)]

I'm ready, [he says, if his stance doesn't give it away. Keith narrows his gaze as if he's inviting Majima to come at him.]

[Barring a flash of purple irises that can look blue in certain light, Keith doesn't look like he's anything less than human. His build is that of a human. It's just that once Keith starts to fight, it's apparent that how he manages it is beyond natural for a human being.

Though Keith couldn't begin to articulate that himself.]

It depends on what you mean. [It's kind of a broad question—or a narrow one.] Today ... or in general?

[ He doesn't feel he has truly lost anything, both material and immaterial sense. Perhaps he's had some occasional feeling of greed, but not so much that it harms others. He believes he has all that he needs and his incentive is to keep it that way.

He tries to imagine himself in a different perspective, to understand. ]

If I had more than what I need, I wouldn't need to worry so much. But if I saw someone that had less than me, I'd... I'd feel really sad. I would want to help them.

[None of the people here wanted this. They were in neutral territory, and now they're caught between two lands that aren't even inclined to fight. The more this goes on, the more Keith wonders if Kylo Ren's weird leap had been correct. Someone has to want this to happen, right? This ... can't just be anger, can it?

It's hard for him to say.

Keith puts his blade away and shuffles over to help the woman to her feet. She's still having some struggles with breathing, but it's easier when she doesn't need to manage her own weight on top of it.]

Let's go. They should have a station for the injured by now. [In theory.]

[Hayame isn't the only one interrupting normal operations at the beach. Being able to walk around freely on his own meant that he did a lot of it, out of both necessity to stretch his legs and no small amount of curiosity. He'd done a fair bit of his own staring this afternoon, so it was only a matter of time before he'd spot her.

He does a bit of a double take -- aliens and new alien species hardly ever came as a surprise to him anymore, but he'd gotten so used to seeing nothing but humans that he occasionally forgot that...other people exist.

So eventually, he closes the distance to get a better look at her.]

Did you lose something?

[Is that a serious question, or an attempt at humor: the eternal Kylo Ren story.]

[Keith hadn't even seen the loin cloth and nothing but the loin cloth until Lance was already hurtling past him into the water. The water itself seems safe enough, but Keith wonders why Lance would ... would wear that.

It's the only thing that could keep Keith's competitive spirit momentarily stalled.

Of course, it was only momentary, as he begins to rush in, a hint of frustration on his features.]

What are you wearing? [Or. Not wearing, as the case may be.]

[ He'd earned a lot of weird stares for his teammates just by talking to them in public. Well, some did care and some just didn't. He's about ready to warn her talking aloud without the magitek, but she doesn't seem all too worried about it at least. ]

Teen rom com? [ A pause. The answer's obvious. ] Uh... no, it doesn't. What's that?

Oh. You're a demon. That makes sense.

[ Daemon? Demon. Different spelling on his world, but pronounced in the same way. And likely with other differences too, being from another world. Some of the people he spent time with are daemons, so he actually doesn't sound bothered by it at all. He's more bothered about the trouble that he's brought to Inuyasha.

He's just going to keep going about his work when there's nothing to be done about it. Crouching before the grave, he carefully lays down the flowers. He wishes he had some sort of container of water to keep them lasting awhile longer. ]

They're talking about me. They can't see me.

I should be good. These fights aren't as organized as they could be. If this was a real battlefield, we'd be in trouble. [In comparison, they aren't disciplined in the same way. They might be bruisers, meant to handle the front lines at all times, but that's hardly the same thing.]

But if more come, feel free to step in. I won't mind it.

I feel the same. [ growing up on jakku, how could she not? ] Maybe one day we'll visit a world where everyone else does, too.

[At some point in that, Keith had turned back around to try to figure out what the heck was happening. Given the villages just outside of the town, he couldn't go far, lest he accidentally trespass on someone else's land. Right now, land seems like a tricky thing. They probably wouldn't want to be guilty of that. They've already caused themselves enough trouble by getting here first.

But in returning, albeit briefly, Keith heard her talking to someone. And she sure wasn't talking to the magitek, because he knows the difference.

He only really returns when she shouts for him, though. Keith's sitting down against a tree, arms crossed.]

I'm over here! [he calls back. Because he's sulking, and she has to come to him. So there!]

Uhhhh—why? We want them to talk. It's not like we're stashing them in a closet somewhere. [Keith isn't asking to be contrary, though the gall to ask likely comes from a similar place. It's more that he's confused about the need for a gag. The woman he's tied up remains entirely silent, so that bit is managed.]

Or are you afraid she'll bite...? [That's the only weird conclusion he can draw, and he figures it's nowhere near the right one.]

[ Simon searches her eyes, otherwise entirely still, and the lack of malice in her words makes it way worse somehow. She’s not wrong — everything making him him is in a computer, infinitely duplicable. For all he knows there are more Simons running around in PATHOS-II — maybe something as lucid as him, just as close to the original as he is, or something like the delusional UH-8 he had to kill for its tool chip, but with a scrambled Simon scan instead — talking to no one, reliving the same few memories over and over and over. ]

Yeah, I’m way ahead of you on being aware of that. Thanks.

[ he can’t help sounding annoyed; he doesn’t like that she’s right, he doesn’t like hearing it, he doesn’t like hearing it as if he didn’t know, and he doesn’t like the part of him that doesn’t know, who’s still waiting to wake up from this and wants to scream like an a child that he’s not a machine, he’s human, why can’t anybody see that he’s human?

— but when he speaks again, his voice is more level. ] What was your name again?

Edited 2018-02-06 21:17 (UTC)

[ yeah guess who wasn't thinking about the possibility of being overheard in any of that? this girl. and she wasn't quiet about it either. in point of fact, she slows down as keith comes into view, sighing her relief that he hasn't gone that far.

approaching, she crouches down beside him — not sitting, as she hasn't been invited, but resting her chin on her bent knees all the same with her feet still under her. ]

People keep running off on me lately. [ she says it with only a fraction of the self pity she feels. ] I'm sorry that I upset you.

Yeah...

I don't know how a peace proposal or some sort of compromise is going to look in these lands. But that's why we have this team. We'll come up with something together.

[ His mind is still drawing blanks about their current situation. He's just trying to remain hopeful for them. He looks out towards the broken farm structures. ]

For now, I think we should try to put this place back into better shape.

What do you mean, "They can't see me"? [He gives the kid a quick look, half expecting nothing to be there now but air. And yet, Laphicet is there still. Then he gives the villagers in the distance a look, too. They haven't stop bumbling together, talking in whispers.] Why not?

I can see you just fine. You're standing right there. [And not nearly atom-sized like Myoga, the flea, so it's definitely not a physical thing.]

[ And right back, Zarya searches Simon's... facial area. It's still unnerving to see how little of a face is really there, all the more to know he probably had a normal human face once. She manages not to shudder at the thought of it, but just barely. ]

Aleksandra Zaryanova.

[ And, again, he doesn't get the shorter form of it. The distaste may have been unseated by pity, but the wariness is going nowhere. ]

[ ... his eyes shift to the side and there is a pause ... as inscrutable as his face is, it’s probably easy to guess at something in the ballpark of “estimating the chances I’ll remember that”. ]

Uh, got a nickname?

[ Well, they were never going to get started if someone didn't go first. Majima stepped forward, a quick customer as always. His punches were fluid and they came from both sides -- so whatever else was wrong with him, his arms seemed to be in good working order.

He pulled back on the power and speed, keeping them at what one might reasonably expect a street thug to take. It wasn't really in his nature, but neither were practice matches. ]

[poe dameron... your homemade staff really stuck it to us. youre safe

and ordinarily kung jin would have that same philosophy... or he would if he hadn't spent a year on the proto-hathaway getting his ass kicked for thinking it. he furrows a brow.] All limbs and digits accounted for, so I think we're good here.

You weren't bad with that thing. [gesturing to the big hecking stick.] A little sloppy on the crowd control once more of the ronin showed up, but not bad.

You want to question them here, when their companions might still be nearby? We should take them somewhere more secure.

[She’s already listening, eyes keen on the dark shapes of woodlands and road, to make sure they don’t get caught off guard by reinforcements. Keith’s captive at least seems resigned, so Hayame hauls the one in her “care” up with both hands, (literally up, the woman’s feet leave the ground), until she can look her in the eye.]

If you care to hail your friends, I will make you wish you had chosen to bite your tongue off and bleed to death.

[Maybe that would do for a gag? Because Hayame sounds dead serious.]

[The presence of another did not escape her, though it was still only a vague awareness she did not focus on overly, instead concentrating on the peculiar sensation of damp sand pressing against the frog of her hoof, the scent of fresh seafood and salt on the wind, the activities and effort that went into the only proof of the ocean’s existence she had ever seen with her own eyes in her world- dried mackerel.

But as he gets closer she pays more attention, recognizing him as a Hathaway member (or at least a foreigner of some kind) by the paleness of skin that contrasted the natives and even her own, for she’d pass too well as one of them if she had two legs instead of four. Also... his height. Impressive for a human, far taller than any she’d seen in her lands.

The question, though... she takes completely seriously, refusing to even acknowledge the possibility that it could have been a joke. (Who could come all this way to be so ridiculous?)]

I have not.

[So what was his true business?]

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EVENT ▸ EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE

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