epidemiology | 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

[Keith hadn't even seen the loin cloth and nothing but the loin cloth until Lance was already hurtling past him into the water. The water itself seems safe enough, but Keith wonders why Lance would ... would wear that.

It's the only thing that could keep Keith's competitive spirit momentarily stalled.

Of course, it was only momentary, as he begins to rush in, a hint of frustration on his features.]

What are you wearing? [Or. Not wearing, as the case may be.]

[ Lance spins mid-stride, jogging backwards so he's facing Keith. He's still got the lead. ]

Uh, I'm blending in with the locals, duh! You're not gonna swim in your pants, are you?

I'm going in my boxers! They cover up more. And I have extra.

[Partly purple extras because of ALASTAIR, but the point is, he has extra underwear.]

We don't need to fit in, you know. Not like ... that.

I only have three pairs, and one of them is this! Why do you even care?! I don't have anything you don't.

[ Huffing, Lance's jog slows into a trot as he goes to stand in the spray, having been completely left hanging on the racing front. He tosses over one shoulder: ]

You gonna stand there whining about my clothes or are you getting in, dude?

I wasn't thinking about—about that! [At least not consciously. Not until Lance helpfully pointed it out. Thanks a lot, Lance. Keith is now aware and probably a little red in the face, but the good thing is that Keith is always a little heated so it probably just seems like Keith's temperament being his temperament.

Keith begins entering the water with a good, dramatic stomp forward, right until he can splash a good deal of water in Lance's direction.]

Don't make it weird, dud--hey!

[ He's laughing when Keith splashes him, good humour coming back with the smell of sea salt and surf. With a hoot, Lance dives under, coming up by Keith just to shake his head like a dog, spraying everywhere. ]

Ha!

[Keith looks appropriately offended before he raises a hand to push Lance away. The hand presses playfully into Lance's face, like he doesn't need it right there.]

That wasn't half as clever as you think it was.

Excuse you!

[ He allows Keith's soft hand to push him sideways back into the water, circling the other boy like a shark, before--he grabs Keith's leg, in a bid to get him to topple over. ]

[Keith does begin to topple over, but he manages to squirm and tilt the toppling in Lance's direction so he can wrap his arm around Lance to bring him down with him. So, there!]

[ Oh, it is on.

Lance twists in Keith's grip, arms and legs tangled until Lance slips an arm out, pushing roughly at Keith's shoulder until he can bring his bony knees up. With a heave, he kicks Keith back, using him to 'stand' on while he breaches the surface with a laugh. ]

[With a grunt—which probably involves inhaling some water, whoops—he pushes against the sandy bottom of the water to try to flail at Lance to bring him down.

Unfortunately, there was that inhalation of water, and he just ends up splashing his way to the surface while coughing. For the moment, he's lost ... but only for the moment.

After inhaling, he bodily throws himself at Lance to take him down underneath the surface.]

[ Whoa, okay, Keith is not even in the vicinity messing around. ]

Aaaaah--

[ He manages a sharp inhale before he's pushed down, the two of them toppling. Keith is slightly shorter than Lance, but pound for pound Lance is outclassed in strength. Keith is very close, forcing Lance to wedge an arm between them and pull away, kicking out with his legs. This time, he doesn't try to wrestle; instead, he puts some distance between them, swimming away from Keith without returning to the surface. He glides off with a playful grace, as if saying, come on! ]

[Keith is getting better at people, but that's almost lost on him. Almost. His lips twist downward at first, and then he begins to swim after Lance, assuming that following him is the way to go. Less wrestling, and more swimming? He'll take up that challenge.

(It likely doesn't need to be a competition, but ... well. Keith. It's a fun one to him, at least.)]

[ Lance isn't sure where he's leading, only that he's enjoying the feel of water all around him, and is willing to go out much farther to see what the ocean life is like in this world. On Cuba, it was possible to just walk in from the beach with a snorkeling mask and some flippers and bam, ten minutes later you'd be out by a reef, surrounded by colourful fish. Without any kind of diving gear--he kinda wishes he'd brought his Paladin armour just for this--they can't go as far or as deep, but he has faith in his own two legs. A little ten-minute swim won't give him much trouble, even if he has to stay close to the surface all the way out.

He turns to swim on his back, peering at Keith through the somewhat cloudy water. It's still shallow enough that the two of them are rustling up the sand just a few feet below them. With one hand, he points up. Breach? ]

[For a little perspective on sad moments in Keith's life: this is probably the first time he's gone swimming with someone on a beach like this. Oh, he's been to a beach, but life was such that after his father left that he became such a loner that hanging out on a beach was definitely a solo activity. But it's a given that he loves swimming, even if he grew up in the desert. Or: partially because he grew up in a desert.

As it is, the sentimentality hasn't hit him yet. It probably will once they get out of the water.

Right now, there's a moment of misunderstanding, and since the water is so shallow, Keith stops swimming and just ... stands.]

What?

[Like Keith was going to understand two hand motions in a row.]

[ Lance surfaces, grin wide in his face. ]

I wanna go out! Like...way out! [ He motions ahead, to the open ocean. ] I figure we get...ten minutes, maybe twenty minutes out we can see some cool stuff. Fish and reef or whatever. You game?

[ This ocean is probably pristine in comparison to Earth's, after all. Lance's expression is confident, taunting--like he knows Keith won't resist the invitation. ]

You think I wouldn't be? [Any opportunity to take up a challenge is a good opportunity in Keith's eyes.]

Let's get going.

EVENT ▸ EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE

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