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.

Bounty BoardItems PageExploration Group PlanningGeneral PlottingFebruary Calendar
webdesigned: (262)

[personal profile] webdesigned 2018-02-04 06:23 am (UTC)(link)
Peter and Bellamy are going to try and help out the pearl divers in hopes of listening in on what they're chatting about!
dominance: (Default)

[personal profile] dominance 2018-02-10 09:31 pm (UTC)(link)
The book of poetry is familiar to Bellamy, and he reveals that he has actually read some of that poetry when he'd been in the Artisan District. He tells them he likes them, and that the empress' ideas on love remind him of the Greek Goddess Aphrodite. Peter, while he may not have read the poetry, asks if the empress has any known suitors, given the impression the book of poetry has given anyone who has read it.
tenthousandmiles: (pic#11627974)

[personal profile] tenthousandmiles 2018-02-04 08:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Ginko and Arya are going to chat up the pearl divers!

Ginko will ask what they think about the mountain clan/empress nama, and if they've heard of the attack on their spring festival by people wearing water clan colors, if they're concerned about war breaking out, etc.

Arya will focus on the attack on the festival, playing up the “we’re travelers moving through the several lands so would rather not be in the wrong place you know how that goes” angle and mostly be using her fledgling assassin skills to check how much of the answers they get is truth, how much is hyperbole, how much seems fake.
rhinostagros: Credits in description. Blank credits are my own (and a rush job...) and free to take. (➼ 00)

[personal profile] rhinostagros 2018-02-05 06:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Laphicet will once again be going solo and spending time with the fisherman sitting at the pier (both as part of exploration and leisurely time.) Of course, since he's invisible, he won't be able to talk or interact with him directly. So, he's mostly just listening in for any conversations that might take place and observing their surroundings. He'll be peering over his shoulder at the poetry book and whenever he gets a bite, he'll grab the rod to assist reeling in the fish.
datapoint: (Default)

[personal profile] datapoint 2018-02-05 11:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Aloy and Kylo Ren will be speaking to the pearl divers, with Kylo focusing on topics regarding their trade: how their business does, how much profit they could stand to earn if tensions between the clans ceased, as well as gauging their temperature on the conflict in general. If they're amicable, he might try to convince them to give over some pearls -- which Aloy will suggest they, you know, will pay for.*

Aloy will ask what the traditional protocol is for forming an alliance between conflicting clans, whether offerings or a list of formal agreements are required, or if marriage is a possible solution. (And also what is involved in/how long would a courtship process take, because they are... super short on time. Not that she says that last part.)

*If alliance or marriage traditions are in particular need of pearls, Kylo Ren may compel them with the Force to hand some over, in which case Aloy will be blissfully unaware :|b
justbeingknife: (profile2)

[personal profile] justbeingknife 2018-02-04 04:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Majima and Inuyasha will be searching the area! Inuyasha will be mostly using his sense of smell (typical) to try to figure out if there's anything in the waves area like there had been in the mountains.

Basically, he's looking for mountain smells in the sea place or snooping around to see if he can find anything remotely incriminating in the area.

Majima will be looking for people or items that are out of place, and smoothing things over with anyone who takes exception to the eccentric foreigner sniffing around. During their search, he'll keep an eye out for any signs of martial mobilization in particular.
opensup: (42)

[personal profile] opensup 2018-02-05 02:21 am (UTC)(link)
Rohan, Thrawn and Allura together will approach the old pretentious woman with questions.

Thrawn, ever the charming flatterer, will ask about what sorts of clients and customers she deals with. Particularly he wants to know if her business has been seeing any notable success despite the current political climate of warfare and terrorism afoot.

Allura, who had met with the Mountain Clan empress as part of a group of royals, would want to ask the older woman's opinion on the Mountain Clan. Given her worldly knowledge, she wants to know her opinion on if there could ever be peace between the lands.

Rohan, after the two ask questions of the woman and all is said and done, will activate his power Heaven's Door and turn her into a book. He will be quickly skimming through to grasp at the situation (i.e. the war and disputes) from the perspective of a native who has lived in Crashing Wave all her life. He will also see if she may have any special information that normally wouldn't be shared of any kind. It won't be more than a few minutes so that nobody spots him, and once done he'll write in a command that would erase her memory of him using his power on her.

(if anything about my portion needs to change let me know via PM, i'm happy to meet your requests!)
ceruleo: (176)

[personal profile] ceruleo 2018-02-05 09:43 pm (UTC)(link)
After a nice swim, Lance walks through town and spots the flute player. Dropping some coin into the box, he settles down to listen and enjoy some people-watching; once the man is done, he'll strike up a conversation, telling him that he's a visitor and chatting happily about how much the Crashing Wave reminds him of home, except home never had any rulers as pretty as Empress Youmi...he means no disrespect, of course.

Eventually, he does seque into more serious topics, if the man doesn't mind! He's wondering about Youmi's announcement: do the people feel relieved about her speaking up? Has the city felt unsafe lately? Given that the Empire has plenty of allies, would they look positively on an alliance between clans? They're joined by Rhys, who follows up by asking about the Empire's history of trade, and whether or not it's been more militaristic in the past. After wrapping up their chat, they'll thank the man for his time and music, and be on their way. (Also, Lance will drop more coin in the box, since RHYS DIDN'T.)
eyedrop: (Default)

[personal profile] eyedrop 2018-02-04 03:31 am (UTC)(link)
On a misty early morning, Shouta Aizawa and a decent sized group of people will arrive at this farm. He'll be accompanied by Alucard, Bortz, Zarya, Jason, Maya, and Luke Skywalker. Before asking any questions, they'll all pitch in to help moving rocks and putting everything to rights. After they've spent the day helping with whatever this family might need, Aizawa will ask if they'd like to talk.

Upon an affirmative answer, Aizawa's first question would be the obvious: what happened here? He'd specifically want to know if either side started this particular conflict, if it was too chaotic to tell, etc. He'd ask their opinion on the situation--more precisely, what side they think the Flowerlands would take in the event of a war. Zarya wants to know what the family might consider an ideal outcome.

Alucard would ask for opinions on the Empresses. Jason would focus on speaking to the farmers' daughter, asking about the things she's seen lately--anything unusual, her personal thoughts on what's happening, and anything she might know about the history of the area.

Maya would ask for their thoughts on Doro, specifically about how he maintains power as a man operating in a matriarchal society with a kingdom situated between two Empresses. How do they feel about him personally? About how the Flowerlands is faring in this conflict? And do they have any suspicions regarding a driving force behind all this?

The others would just ask if the farmers needed any more help (Luke would also gladly discuss farming).
theseuschip: (g~`PW !)POWER d-x 1\ s)

[personal profile] theseuschip 2018-02-04 06:40 am (UTC)(link)
At night, after there’s been more than one skirmish in the Flowerlands, Simon, 9S and 2B (who are among those who have accepted Doro’s invitation) will be (making an attempt at) searching Doro’s castle for information, especially records of correspondence or conflict involving the Flowerlands and the two empires outside of what Doro’s been willing to divulge to Ophelia — or involving anyone else in the Flowerlands who’s not-so-neutral and not-so-third-party.

Simon will look for desks, side tables, anywhere with drawers or compartments that look like they could contain important documents. He’ll also be pacing rooms for things that stick out as looking like they’re meant to be kept secret*. In addition he’ll be occasionally trying to rein in 9S, who will try to search absolutely everywhere he possibly can just because he can, including through the guy’s clothing.

2B will be primarily playing bodyguard/lookout/2Babysitter and looking for weapons rather than intel.

*okay yes he’s looking for hidden doors. It’s a medieval castle, it could happen.
kisha: (pass along)

[personal profile] kisha 2018-02-04 02:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Hayame, Rey, Loki, and Urahara will be patrolling the Flowerlands, and in the process lend their aid cleaning up the ravaged farm.

Throughout the labor, Rey will ask how the family feels about the two Empresses, the recent proclamation, and what they think the clans want out of conflict with each other. Hayame will question more along the lines of if they've seen anything suspicious recently (besides their farm being attacked...) that could point to the direction of a possible enemy base/gathering place. Urahara will poke about their feelings on Doro, and inquire about whether it would be simpler if the Flowerlands were declared independent and could trade between the two clans on their own terms to sort of gauge the feeling of local villagers. Loki will ask about any unrest regarding either empress, particularly in the Flowerlands themselves, as well as their impressions of how Doro's been treating them.

And they will put all the rubble in a very nice pile per local intstruction before giving the area a sweep for wandering dissidents and going on their way.