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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[To be fair, she had been here without expecting to run into anyone, but she wasn't initially here to drink, either.

But, his explanation is sufficient, even at his awkward, delayed response, and she laughs a little, knowing exactly to what he is referring.]

Oh! You were recruited to taste test. [A pause] And you seem to have tried quite a few, already.

[That's her being blunt, not intentionally being rude or insinuating anything.]

Have you found any you like?

[ i don't know that ben knows what ben wants.

that's what she'd told keith. somehow, thrawn's statement seems to solidify some of that. despite the confusing inconsistency of his behavior towards her, she means something to him. it feels like getting through. just a little. enough that it stood out to even thrawn, apparently.

rey finds herself satisfied with that. she's not just treading water, trying to connect with him as she has been. he feels something too. ]

He's hard to get anything out of.

[ if ben underplayed and avoided it, she'd at least make an effort to do the same until she got the chance to talk to him about it. he probably had his reasons. even now, thrawn appears to speculate on those reasons. ]

What makes you think this has anything to do with it?

You're part of Voltron?

[ she looks surprised, which means she knows enough of voltron to be surprised. she sets her sake cup down and licks her lip. she regrets that. this is not a taste to savor. ]

I thought Pidge was the only girl. Did you take over for another pilot or something?

A little risk never bothered me.

[says the man who wiped out half the resistance with his own stubborn stupidity. it's fine. he's thinking of things, he's prepared to throw himself into this whole-heartedly. because all he ever does is the most. he's not letting anyone down, especially not himself.]

Just say the word and I'll go.

[Her expression seems to brighten at the mention of Voltron.

So she knows of it! She must have been told about the team. The good they've been doing for the universe, what they hope to achieve, the--

...and then she frowns QUITE NOTICEABLY at the mention of Pidge being the 'only girl,' but she is quick to try to fix that with a strained, forced smile.]

I...am...yes. And while I had not initially been a paladin, I-- we had been through a lot together as a team. [She drums her fingers on the tabletop, annoyed, but not being the sort of person to think to boast about what she did for the team while handling the Castle-ship.] I became the Blue Paladin when Keith was chosen to pilot the Black Lion.

[She's still drumming her fingers on the table.]

How do you know of Pidge?

She was with ALASTAIR for a while. [ rey didn't meet her, but— ] And Keith mentioned her. Pidge, Shiro, Hunk, and Lance. Those were the pilots he told me about.

[ which brings her to. ]

Lance used to pilot the Blue Lion, right? He was a friend of mine. Keith mentioned he had moved to Red, but not who replaced Lance.

[ her mind is a little fuzzy at the edges now, so it takes a minute to occur to her that there's a sort of ... uneasy disappointment coming off of allura. she stops in the middle of reaching for her next cup of sake and asks, ]

Did I say something to upset you?

[The question brings an exasperated, heavy sigh out of him.] It's not for anything. [His ears don't fold completely backward, but they're close.] Had to bury some of the dead because we couldn't just leave 'em there rotting.

One of them was some Sea ronin, I guess. The family gave me this rice even though I said a hundred times I didn't want it.

So I was gonna take it to some of the farmers in the Flowerlands. Why? You want it? Some of those idiots did burn your face and all.

[Don't think he won't drop this back down on the table for you, Thrawn.]

[ as it turns out, it is his thing.

he notices Pod first, though—he's seen her before, but more than that, it's a little jarring to see a robot after the last few weeks. it almost makes him feel a little more at home.

of course, 9S is there, too. are they friendly enough to warrant him plopping down on the rock, too? he's just gonna say 'yes.' ]

Bathtime, huh?

[ even robots gotta practice good hygiene. or whatever. he's not always great at breaking the ice. ]

I typically do not drink for the flavor. I was not listening when they told me what it was, but it is smoother than the others.

[Yikes. But, in spite of that, he points to the bottle he has pushed across the table, and then gestures to the glass he brought over for her.]

Go on. I insist.

[ Wait. Does he? He tilts his head. ]

...Kisuke-san? I'm afraid I haven't met him.

[ Yet??? ]

Kisuke Urahara. He's my teacher, a shinigami. In his world, Japan, what you've described is called reishi.

[ this entire tag is a mess i'm sorry for rey's understanding of bleach/earth. ]

Reishi, huh. But what's a shinigami?

[ it's ok rey, feel free to tell the kid all about shounen manga ]

They help spirits pass on and find peace.

[ this is as much as she's got. she's not a shinigami expert; she just knows they're different enough from jedi that it's hard, and she's something called a space quincy. ]

They can use the reishi, spirit particles, to give them abilities that help them do it. So ... they can see that energy, the energy that made you.

Rey and Kylo Ren both know that the women who attacked the festival weren't working for their Empress. There's no reason to think that'll be the only thing that erupts. We wanted to come here and figure it out—and if there was a third party that was involved. Though I don't think that part's likely.

[The remarkable thing is that Keith says this without a hint of impatience, even if he thinks Allura should know this already.]

This isn't like Voltron, Princess. We can split our resources and not feel like we're stretched for time.

We have to, even if it might take time. [Keith wonders if Giovanni has the patience for that. It's not because Giovanni might just be impatient as all heck (which Keith assumes he is), but because Keith himself is dreading the question and answer section of all this.

Even if he knows it's necessary.

And it is definitely necessary.]

Let's keep going. We'll meet here when we're done. Okay?

I'm not working through anything on my own. Other people knew we dated.

[It's his way of making sure she understands that he does talk to people. Sometimes. In very ineffective ways. But people know.]

I see. I don't need that sort of help from a shinigami, but I'd be interested in meeting him.

[ He's not that kind of spirit. The malakhim pretty much live and go about their lives on the same land similar to humans. It hasn't been much that way in recent times... the current state of his world is complicated. ]

[ she frowns a little, trying to figure out how she feels about that because — ]

Just not me.

Yeaaaah... I'm ten. My kind can live for centuries, but I'm obviously still young for malakhim standards.

[ He doesn't sound too thrilled sharing how young he is. He's close to human years, mentally like one as well. Though he's been through a lot more than a typical human child. Pretty much a baby spirit. ]

He'd be able to hold a conversation with you, at least. That's something.

[ no one likes being alone; rey is more sensitive to it than others for Life Experience Reasons. ]

And he's a good man. I owe a lot to him.

[ when rey enters the brewery to take a break from making her way back to doro's castle, she doesn't expect to find poe. maybe a few locals who she could discuss the proclamation with, learn more about it from, but not poe dameron. in fact, given the proclamation, she's left feeling on shakier ground than ever.

what did he think about it?

she stalls out in her stride, hesitating when their eyes meet. he doesn't … look happy, that's for sure. he's hunched over like, well, like ben was. ]

No, [he says, with the "o" on the word a little elongated in impatience.] You aren't my only friend. You're just my closest one.

[Keith doesn't spot the hesitance at first, but notices that her abandoned ronin is still able to keep going. Not well, of course, or not immediately, but he catches her gaining her bearings the moment 2B joins him. The extra hand means that his mind can retain the scope of the full battlefield.

The point of this all being—Keith isn't surprised. He went to 9S to see if he would help protect the women they needed to question. If nothing else, he'd keep people from harming them while they got there. He'd keep their safety in mind. 2B being the same way isn't surprising. It just means he might need to hop over and put forth the "finishing" blow. Though, come to think of it, that ronin is having a harder time getting up ...

So, he'll focus on this fight. Keith comes to turn, ensuring that his back is to 2B's. It's a rather Epic Pose, of course, right before he slashes forward to meet a sword coming in his direction with a grunt, right before he whips his free hand around to land a swift punch.]

It might be a little too early for proposals, [she says, taking the arm gladly.] I'm not opposed to the rest. [Planning. Discussing. And doing it in private.]

Where have you made arrangements to stay? We should head there.

[ He does like it when people talk to him without the magitek workaround. And speaking of others who can interact with him, there's something else he's curious about. ]

Miss Rey? Are you his only student here or are there others?

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EVENT ▸ EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE

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