futurologists: (Default)
Hathaway. ([personal profile] futurologists) wrote in [community profile] epidemiology2018-02-03 12:28 am

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.

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followhim: (* shit doesn't feel quite right)

[personal profile] followhim 2018-02-13 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
I ... I dunno. [had not???? thought that far????? is only capable of thinking ten seconds ahead at a time????]

The Resistance could ... I dunno. We've got General Organa. [IF SHE DOESN'T DIE 🙃 ] Something'll rise up. We'll make a ... New-New Republic. Whatever it is'll be better.
forcevisions: (i'd do it all again)

[personal profile] forcevisions 2018-02-13 03:44 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah.

[ without conviction. ]

You're right. I'm sure Leia will know what it should look like. She's done this all her life, hasn't she?
followhim: (you never back down)

[personal profile] followhim 2018-02-13 03:52 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah. ... Yeah.

You know she's ... [struggling with his words. feeling a feeling. might cry more, we don't know yet.] I didn't wanna tell you, but she got blasted out into space when our ship got attacked. She ... uh ... made it back inside? But she's ... she hasn't woken up yet. We don't know if ... I mean, she'll pull through. She's gotta pull through.
forcevisions: (and strike a violent pose)

[personal profile] forcevisions 2018-02-13 03:53 am (UTC)(link)
I know.

[ Rey says it softly. ]

Finn told me.

[ it hurts to talk about it so she's not excited to entertain that subject for longer. what is she going to do if leia doesn't make it? what are any of them going to do? it sounds like the resistance barely knows what to do with leia, let alone without. ]
followhim: (we take an honest stand)

[personal profile] followhim 2018-02-13 03:54 am (UTC)(link)
[if he knew he would be so sad, okay.]

Are you just saying that because you've always been old school?
followhim: (outrun outlast)

[personal profile] followhim 2018-02-13 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
[he nods like yeah. okay. cool. he feels kind of bad for not telling her sooner but finn took care of it and now he doesn't have to dig too deep into it. because it actually really hurts to do that.]

I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It was just ... it was a lot.
forcevisions: (that i think you'll like)

[personal profile] forcevisions 2018-02-13 04:01 am (UTC)(link)
I understand. [ now she's dodging outright. it seems like poe is just ... pouring everything out there for her, now, and she's not ready to do the same. so she feels weird about it. ] You don't owe me answers.
pummelling: (29)

[personal profile] pummelling 2018-02-13 04:03 am (UTC)(link)
Not always.

[he can fly a plane (ish) and everything.]

But a gun's no substitute for those old school weapons you're talking about. I can still fire an arrow if my bow gets wet.
followhim: (* one right must afford me one wrong)

[personal profile] followhim 2018-02-13 04:08 am (UTC)(link)
[sorry rey ... poe is just Like This. get him to bed soon ig. at least he sort of sputters out of words. ]

Okay. Yeah. I just didn't — okay. Yeah.
forcevisions: (they wanna make me their queen)

[personal profile] forcevisions 2018-02-13 04:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ She lapses into a silence from there, not avoiding him, but not engaging deliberately either. A while later, she says, ] Ah ... that must be it.

[ bc how many big fucking castles are in the flowerlands? ]
followhim: thehollowedartists @ tumblr (* take a deep breath & stay right there)

[personal profile] followhim 2018-02-13 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
[he takes it in and says, in all his wisdom:]

... Looks like a castle.
followhim: <lj user=icontrol>; dnt (i'll pull the trigger on him)

[personal profile] followhim 2018-02-13 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
I feel like a blaster's more likely to get the job done in certain situations. You can't set a bow and arrow to stun, either.
forcevisions: (with the black banners raised)

[personal profile] forcevisions 2018-02-13 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
Do you think you can go from here?

[ She looks over at him. ]

I want to scout around the area.
followhim: (you don't get a win)

[personal profile] followhim 2018-02-13 04:40 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, uh, yeah, sure. [gonna ... friendly clap on the shoulder? that seems appropriate.] Be careful out there.
forcevisions: (ready for a fist around it)

[personal profile] forcevisions 2018-02-13 04:41 am (UTC)(link)
[ She smiles, warm and full, and claps him on the shoulder back, then heads off.

Surely he can stumble into the castle on his own. Surely.
]
sololoquy: (do you tear yourself apart)

[personal profile] sololoquy 2018-02-13 04:42 am (UTC)(link)
[The separation from his prey knocks him out of his fury. He struggles for just a moment before eventually settling and eyeballing the material binding him. His fists hands curl into fists until his knuckles crack.]

Release me.

[It is not a request.]
followhim: <lj user=icontrol>; dnt (i'll pull the trigger on him)

[personal profile] followhim 2018-02-13 04:45 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, actually. [he rolls one shoulder in a shrug.] This part's easy. I miss my ship, but I'll take being here and alive over being blown up with it. Make my incentive, maybe I'll get a new one. [thinking about home is depressing so now it's ... time to stop.]

What about you? What were you doing before?
pummelling: (05)

[personal profile] pummelling 2018-02-13 04:46 am (UTC)(link)
Beg to differ.

[oh no]

Magic arrows. Magic bow, actually. Can too.
abortz: (pic#11980620)

[personal profile] abortz 2018-02-13 04:50 am (UTC)(link)
[It's a fight to see who can look more baffled at this point.]

I'm made of diamond, not metal.

[They've never heard of a gem who was comprised of a metal -- Phos' arms are a weird outlier and should not be counted -- and what the hell is an oh-es?]
followhim: <lj user=icontrol>; dnt (zoolander face)

[personal profile] followhim 2018-02-13 04:52 am (UTC)(link)
Magic ... what? Like the Force?

[all y'all and your MAGIC. da fuq.]
justbeingknife: (for real?)

[personal profile] justbeingknife 2018-02-13 05:19 am (UTC)(link)
Me?

[ Majima took up a new glass, winced a little at the combination of lime and cucumber. At least it was palatable? ]

A cabaret manager. Cabaret Grand, the biggest and best in Sotenbori. Not that that means much here, but now that I ain't in Japan any more, I kinda miss the music.

Not the drunks, though.
mitthrawnaruto: (your style is no go)

[personal profile] mitthrawnaruto 2018-02-13 05:56 am (UTC)(link)
[There it is at long last, a timeline of events all extending from a single, decisive point. He knows he's pressed too far the moment her expression protectively shifts, the harshness in his own posture dissipating with one apologetic exhale a few beats later. There were other options, other lines of questioning or persuasion he could have pursued were he only willing to wait—

But it has been days, weeks. And the more he stares into the heart of the conflict here, the more he finds his thoughts lingering on the galaxy he'd left behind. On all that he is committed to protecting, right down to the marrow of his bones and the breath in his lungs.

It is not too late.
]

Forgive me.

[It's a reset. A means to bring himself back to the present, away from more instinctive tendencies. His stare falls away, eyes drifting shut.]

You wanted to know what I thought of the First Order.

mitthrawnaruto: (all the way)

[personal profile] mitthrawnaruto 2018-02-13 05:59 am (UTC)(link)
[NO EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS INUYASHA!!11]

It may surprise you to learn that they did not.

undeserved: (i dry out completely)

[personal profile] undeserved 2018-02-13 07:07 am (UTC)(link)
Well, we were designed to mimic our creators.

[ and, technically, she's single-purpose, too - she and her kin are just a little too humanlike. Now she's curious about these otherworld androids, though. ]

What do you mean, "single purpose?" What did they do?
undeserved: (those kinds of dreams again)

[personal profile] undeserved 2018-02-13 07:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ NO!!! ]

Huh. [ go figure. She supposes that explains some things about YoRHa models. ] Then she'd better be able to back up that image.