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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The hole does not need to be so large as to inconvenience the landowners.

[The rubble would present a problem for the locals, perhaps, but to her eyes it just seems a matter of lifting and time... and that was if they wanted to pull them out first at all.

She picks her way slightly into the burnt out structure to examine the position of the corpses better, nose wrinkling and tail raising stiffly despite her intent to remain stoic, one hand still on the blade- the one she had hoped to slice the necks of her enemies and present the heads to her lord with.

But her lord is gone, and these aren't even her kills.]

We shall bury the heads, and burn the rest.

[She probably had a point. Building a fire would take awhile though, but it might also provide a solution to some of the wreckage they needed to clear anyway. Still her suggest does give him some pause.]

Is that...customary?

In my world.

[Though she despises that phrase, “my world”, for its implications of the multiple world reality she’s had to face, she still uses it. It would be deceptive and foolishly arrogant to not, for while her own world’s sense of etiquette and culture has served her well in this one... it wasn’t an exact copy, and she hasn’t exactly asked them about how they bury their dead.

Still.]

The soul resides there.

[In the head.]

Anything that bears their clan markings or personal seal keep for their heirs, but the rest...

[A hoof gently presses against one of the corpses, just enough to lift the shoulder and reveal the extend of burns and damage. It wasn’t enough to identify anyone. Nor anything anyone would want to see anyway.]

[Jason doesn't comment, after all he had asked and this was a good explanation and made a lot more sense than just random beheading. The fact that they can't even identify who these warriors were makes sense too -- they're dead and disfigured. So he's being squeamish for nothing.]

Okay. That makes sense. I can start digging holes if you would take care of removing the heads. We'll have to work on the fire after that...though we'll need to build a good size one for something like this.

... I will see it done.

[She had put the thought into words, and so she feels the responsibility of it, despite her the tang of distaste to be removing heads of enemies for burial with no lord to present them to first.

What would that man say, if she had presented him with the proof of enemies slain for his cause? Praise her? Look away?

With a click, she unsheathes the blade at her waist and draws it, bending flexibly to reach down and pull the helmet from the corpse.]

... Call when the grave is readied.

[He isn't sure a 'thank you' will cut it. It doesn't seem enough. He does bow his head though, a sign of respect and one of acknowledgement. Jason turns away and goes to start work on the graves. He'll work as fast as he can, but he knows it will be a difficult task with just one person.

But he feels that the more difficult task might be dealing with the bodies, though the lady centaur didn't seem too perturbed by it.

Jason reached the spot he had mentioned before and began the task of digging. At least with it being just the heads, the graves did not have to be very deep. Otherwise it would have taken him much longer and, when he has the graves dug awhile later, he calls out to her.]

It's done.

[These are not her kills. She checks them for that, once she nods to acknowledge him, once he leaves to dig the grave. One is too tall and another too short, and her arrows, distinctively made by her brother's hand... two are missing from her quiver, unrecovered after the chaos of the night, and neither of them are sticking out of these corpses, not even the charred shafts.

No hoof marks or shattered armor, either.

She isn't relieved by that revelation, however. They were still dead, and she had still killed- and she would need to find those bodies and bury their heads as well.

Her blade flashes clean in the light, before the ash and bone dulls it.

When he calls, she comes, a singed shirt she'd scavenged from the wreckage hiding the heads from view, ripped in two to wrap tight around each one.]

Here.

[Gently, she extends her forelegs to take her low enough to place the wrapped bundles in the hole he had dug.]

[Jason steps back and watches as the heads are lowered into the grave. In life they had been enemies, but now it seemed they would be together in their final resting place. He briefly wonders if the underworld is like the one he is familiar with or, if that too, is different. He imagines it has to be.]

Is there anything we should say or do...to make sure they make it safely into the afterlife, I mean.

[He thinks to the tradition of burying the dead with coins so that they could pay the ferry to cross the river Styx. He thinks of banners burnt and wailing. He'd been witness to both customs...and realized there must be more. He wasn't Nico though, he didn't know the ways of the dead like his friend did.]

[Once she had believed in such things. At least, she had believed enough to respect such customs. The Buddhist prayers chanted over the graves, the smell of incense, the kanji scrawled across the grave markers.

Hathaway, ALASTAIR... all of it made religion seem so...]

... There are sutras.

[Carefully, she sinks to all four knees and then down to her belly, tucking back hooves up under her body with forelegs stretched out before her much like a human lady might sit, hooves lightly crossed.]

Clasp your hands and bow your head.

[She presses her palms together, fingers straight, in example.]

[Jason doesn't know what a sutra is, but when she gets on her knees he starts to suspect. A suspicion that is only confirmed when she tells him to clasp his hands and bow.

He nods, mirroring her hands and then lowering his head. He doesn't have anything to add to this, leaving her to lead whatever is about to happen next.]

[She'd never done this herself- always ordered it be done by those under her command. But she remembers some of the words- not enough for a time like this, and she does fudge a few of them... but she begins chanting under her breath, fingertips pressed together.]

This body itself is emptiness and emptiness itself is this body. This body is not other than emptiness and emptiness is not other than this body. The same is true of feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. All phenomena bear the mark of emptiness; their true nature is the nature of no birth no death, no being no non-being, no defilement no purity, no increasing no decreasing-

[But soon enough, the chant comes to an end, and she lays her hands on equine forelegs, exhaling just slightly as the last words slip out.]

This is the true wisdom that has the power to put an end to all kinds of suffering. Therefore let us proclaim a mantra to praise such insight that brings us to the other shore.

[It's only for a brief moment that he feels awkward. But, he suggested this. He knows the importance of ceremony and tradition. Unfortunately, they don't know what the traditions for these people are...but they can make an approximation. They can honor them in some way. He keeps his head bowed, even after the chant comes to an end.
He doesn't want to mess this up somehow.]

[The final words don't translate well, as they have no meaning outside religious weight. Short, staccato words that end with her reaching forward to pick up a handful of dirt (now grave dirt), to toss on the bundled heads.

Only then does she begin to rise.]

... let them be buried now.

[Jason hears the sound of dirt being tossed and opens his eyes. He's not sure if he's supposed to follow her lead or not, but decides to air on the side of caution. Besides, he's going to have to cover the heads anyway. He scoops up some of the dirt and tosses it into the grave.

Out of the corner of his eye, she's already back on her hooves. Jason rises as well, picking the shovel back up.]

Thank you.

[There isn't a need to thank her. Not for this. She wasn't even a monk, a true follower of the human gods and buddhas. So she doesn't respond to it beyond a nod, brushing the dirt from equine knees befere she turns her gaze back to the burnt out structure.]

- I will move the bodies.

[They'd need to be burned. The armor and personal items, if not ruined, collected.]

[Jason nods.]

I will finish burying the heads. I can help build the pyre when we're done.

[It wouldn't be the first time he'd had to build a large fire before. He silently turned back and started shoveling the rest of the dirt into the hole.]

Very well.

[Without another word, she begins to start back towards the remains of the farmhouse.

This sort of work... it wasn't the glorious life of a warrior. Wasn't what she'd always idealized and hoped for... but it was reality, that if one caused death there would be need to confront it.

And respect it, however possible, until it ended in smoke and flame.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ▸ EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE

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sorry for the delay japanese vday is no joke

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wraps this up so in favor of potential new things?!