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

[secondnature]

I would, too. If it brings peace, it might be necessary.

[Still, he knows that there's some room when it comes to this stuff. The Galra kill everyone who falls out of line. They don't want to be like that.]

I'd just prefer to explore other options first.

[digiorno]

[It's definitely a comfort to have Wylan close. If he could have brought everyone he wants to keep safe with him, it would have been ideal, but it would also have been a ridiculously large party.]

[When he hears Wylan's voice again, he picks his head up and blinks at Wylan, then. Rolls off the stump to sit neatly in the grass. He's a little pink in the face from being upside down, but otherwise looks much more cheerful than he did a few minutes ago.]

[It's a struggle not to let his face fall at the sight of the meat skewers. Ugh, yakitori memories. It's fine. He'll just . . . push the meat off the sticks onto the plate and throw the sticks away. After the tiniest flicker of uncertainty, he smiles gratitude up at Wylan and takes the plate.]

I was stretching my back and communing with nature from a unique perspective. [Also sulking.] This smells good. Did you run it back here? You're a speed demon.

[wyvil]

I couldn't let you wither. [Wylan did practically run the food back. He had his suspicions that there was some genuine worry with Giorno's sulking, that he really shouldn't leave him alone too long.

He settles on the ground next to Girono, sitting cross-legged with the plate of food in his lap, ever-present messenger bag settled at his side. He seems to deflate a little when he sits, revealing his own tiredness for the first time that evening.]

[undeserved]

You're peaceful for a soldier.

[ 2B's pacifism springs from her respect for humanity here. Normally, any enemy that came at her with an intent to kill would be given no quarter. Maybe humans think of war differently than androids do. ]

[tolight]

A desert... [ She is a little too familiar with those, against her own will. At least she's careful not to voice any of the negativity.

Instead— ] What do you think, then? Of all of this.

[tolight]

[ She blinks when the Pod speaks in response to 9S. Because reporting a catch is completely different than actually engaging in a conversation. Will the wonders ever cease?

But at least it's polite, if nothing else. She's about to apologize for disturbing its attempts at ... work, so to speak, before it actually greats her. How amazing!! ]

... Good evening. [ A pause, as if she contemplates whether or not asking this is a good idea ( oh, what the heck ). ] How did you know my name?

[tormado]

[He doesn't let it show on his face much, but part of that resonates with him in a...pretty tangible way. Still, a grimace pulls at his face.]

That's messed up...you didn't even get an incentive or anything besides...going back to your normal life? [He lets out a breath through his nose.] So that means you've been doin' this for a while then, huh? [The way she's putting this, it sounds like the old gang was running for a while before it became what it is now.]

[feytality]

Well, it was to save the whole timeline at that point --- and they were desperate. So, I'm not saying they were bad guys or anything. [She has complicated feelings about ALASTAIR, but did believe in the core of what they were doing. Hathaway's harder to pin down, but Maya's determined to help out as best she can]

Welll........ not like years or anything, but yeah, it's been some months [she doesn't remember exactly how many] and a couple of missions. Other people from the old team were around longer than me, though, but I kinda got some experience.

\o/

[ofobedience]

[Vague disappointment and a hunger unsatisfied is what dogs his heels in the wake of their victory, only slightly outshone by the pleasure of success, of a job well done. And perhaps it was still executed just a little more violently than a good number of their teammates would prefer, but it's a step in the right direction, isn't it? The fact that the skirmish draws to a close and not one of his opponents lie dead at his feet. He's a good dog who tries his best.

He allows the last ronin to drop to the ground, their breathing fractured yet definitely present, before taking a small step back to survey the fruits of their labours, lips curled into a serrated smile. There's still heat in his face, red eyes gleaming with something that can only be described as a longing for more, but when he speaks his voice is calm and clipped as it always is.]

Alas, playtime's over.

[grunehexe]

Naturally quite impossible.

[She likes to think she's too rational, too smart, to cave in to such naive thoughts as hoping the entire universe and its ills could be solved by her, or even ALASTAIR.

But despite that... it still doesn't seem enough on occasion. Not enough suffering alleviated, and sometimes... more problems made, she thinks, than solved.

It's why she'd never been comfortable with the idea of their mission, the stance of believing that the TIMELINE.exe was to be followed, that it's directions gave them the right to meddle in other worlds.

She'd done it anyway, though.

And she tries to smile back.]

On that level... of course. We were able to do quite good work on occasion. Perhaps it can be done here, as well.

[grunehexe]

[An artist... that's almost even worse???]

Is art what you call what you did to that old man? By any standard of the word, it certainly did not look it!

[kisha]

Why are you telling me you've yet to be made a man?

[Honestly, she's getting close to lightspeed with this scrubbing- and when he looks up, she immediately slaps the water to splash it in his face as a reminder to keep his damn eyes closed.]

It is no concern of mine!

who's a good boye

[justbeingknife]

Yeah, it's always over too fast.

[ Majima rolled over the body of a fallen ronin with the toe of his smoothly-polished boot. The woman groaned, but her breathing was slightly easier than it would have been if he'd left her face-down in the dirt. ]

Sounds like the other agents're hauling in, too. You wanna go trolling for stragglers, or you good?

[spiritgun]

[ Well, now he has some teeth. This is a skill no one at home is going to thank Rey for teaching Yusuke. He looks at the teeth, makes a quiet bleh sound, then puts them into his pocket. ]

Do you have other weapons?

[ Yusuke's not very interested in weaponry for himself, but he's interested in what Aizawa has and how he might have used them. ]

[wolfchild]

You ride him?

[ something dany said finally sinks in. facing the targaryen queen now, though zokla keeps throwing glances over her shoulder in the direction drogon settled.

the dragon queen is not as expected: young still and delicate looking. she draws the eye to her. bravos would take to the streets to challenge anyone who didn’t name her the most beautiful.

but anyone who would walk up to a dragon, much less mount one, must be as strong and unyielding as valyrian steel, and that is the sense zokla gets from daenerys. the targaryens were to all have died, same as their dragons. daenerys targaryen is alive. not only alive but well, and a queen who somehow brought dragons back into the world.

zokla had a westerosi father, and she loved to linger among the westerosi sailors, listening to the songs and stories they brought from the place where she had been born. she thinks this is what rhaenys and visenya targaryen must have looked like: capable of drawing to her those around her…to a pyre if given cause. ]

[likemyfatherbeforeme]

Huh?

[ Luke looks up, frowning as he continues to scrub the ash off his hands. He was so focused that he didn’t even realize the man was there at first and somehow that bothers him more than it should. Judging by appearances he’s only another Hathaway member. There’s nothing to get jumpy about. So why is he? ]

Oh. Fine. I’m fine.

[likemyfatherbeforeme]

[ Luke gave no indication that he had heard Majima’s acknowledgment. Instead he just kept pelting towards his goal, oblivious to pretty much anything else and honestly without much of a plan for when he got there.

Which became apparent when he finally skidded to a halt in front of the burning building, looking around frantically and apparently only a second or two away from plunging on inside of it. The fire was still contained enough that the inside was still accessible, but for how much longer? And just what was he planning to do anyway? You couldn’t fix a burning farm with a lightsaber and he was pretty certain the Force didn’t stop you from getting burned either. ]

k, wasn't sure what your thoughts would be, we can play it by ear for now

[notthatjason]

[Although the combat hadn't been going on for long, Jason was finding the rhythm of this sparring session fairly easily. Of course, he had a bit of an advantage there seeing as his kind were born for combat but it wasn't like he'd fought against someone like Keith before. These were moves he was not familiar with which was what really made him interested.

Jason has to go back on the defensive as the sword swings start coming. Again, he knows the spear really shines at a distance, but it wouldn't be much of a spar if he stayed at a distance. So he stays in close for a bit, trying his best to get another jab in and whole block blows from the sword. However, in close quarters the sword is going to have the advantage and Jason grunts as he missteps and takes a hit.]

[healstaffs]

[ Once again Lissa nods along, though admittedly her knowledge of Science (TM) is far weaker than her knowledge of the magical, and she struggles to understand why the granularity of crushed shell would make any sort of difference.

Of course, as soon as Sieglinde mentions the edibility of the creature, Lissa recoils back. ]

Edible? Surely you're not going to eat it? It looks so gross! I thought you just wanted it for the powder or whatever?

[ The shopkeep fixes her with a deep frown, disapproving. ]

That's the whole point of 'em

[sadgay]

[Shortly, she'll hear his shaky reply as he peers out from behind the tree he had used as a barricade.]

Yeah?

[His eyes drift to the fallen bodies but immediately bounce away. His face remains blanched and his shoulders stiff, although he runs a hand through his hair as if to attempt a casual appearance, or as if to keep it busy while it shakes. He swallows, and all he can think to say is:]

Nice job...

[sadgay]

[Asher relents, yet Connor snaps back anyway, like a tree branch pushed out of place and then responding to the tension once it is released.]

Can you just drop it already? I don't want to talk about it.

[He doesn't resist his friend's hand, though, his fingers tense and cold beneath Asher's but compliant. The sharp sting at the site of the wound is easy to give into.]

Are there even any doctor types around?

[secondnature]

Huh? Well ... I guess it varies. I'm the first to take a fight, but I've learned things aren't really black or white. Not when it comes down to it.

[Learning about his lineage had been part of that. Plus, admittedly, he knows how killing humans can make androids like 2B and 9S uncomfortable. He's gotten better at considering their viewpoints.]

[sadgay]

[It certainly is weirdly sweet... Connor tips back a little more of the sake before answering Majima's question.]

What, me and Oliver? [He laughs a little.] Something like that... He did a little hacking for me, so I did a little favor for him. Then I just couldn't stop coming back for more.

[If it weren't already obvious enough, the way he lifts his eyebrows makes it plain what kind of favors he's talking about.]

So yeah, basically your typical romcom plot.

[secondnature]

[Keith wishes he had a second spear to really make this more even—or, given the circumstances, less even. Being knocked around by someone superior to him would make it more interesting, though he can't really say that he'd learn too much. He can see the difference as it is, and he pauses long enough to ensure that he hasn't nicked Jason too much before he goes in again.

Keith's entire style is based on relentless determination, but he leaves himself open. That's something he hasn't been able to change about himself.]

[forcevisions]

[ She nods her understanding. That makes sense. She's not as interested in his other weapons, but — ]

For capturing what?