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

[bestaround]

ONE
[ It's halfway through the week as Hathaway travels from one empire to the next. Another late evening begins to draw close as the group (the ones that have decided to stick together, that is) chooses to stop for the night, setting up camp to rest before rising early once more.

At a stream not terribly far from where everyone else resides, 9S sits upon a large rock with a slouched posture along the edge of the water. Closer inspection reveals that he's watching his Pod bob along the surface of the water, like a floating apple; since there are hardly any locals this far out in the middle of nowhere, he isn't being quite as secretive with Pod.

And hey, the rock is big enough for two people, if that's your thing. ]

TWO
[ Strap in folks, it's time for the obligatory ~*hot springs episode*~. Out in the Flowerlands away from the hustle of working fishers and merchants in Crashing Wave is, of course, a spring nestled in a dense portion of the forest. The steam creating a fog above the water may make it hard to catch at first, but there's definitely a boy who's submerged himself up to his chin, looking as blissful as ever. (Pod, naturally, floats over his neatly folded uniform on the grass, as if guarding it. Again, away from so many people, 9S is less concerned with keeping the support unit hidden.)

Should anyone stumble upon them, 9S glances over his shoulder to see who's there, and regardless of who it is pipes up with: ]

Man... this water's great. You're really missing out.

[ Someone's enjoying themselves. ]

THREE
[ Nearly a week in since the initial skirmish, they don't seem to be slowing down by any. Out in the forests of the Flowerlands, whether you've already been accompanying him or just happen to be passing by while he's out and about, the Pod following behind 9S suddenly ventures into the silence: ]

Alert: A large group is detected to be moving this way. Hypothesis: Based on collected data, it is likely to be more Hanabira warriors.

[ 9S pauses in his steps, looking out into the thick of trees. There's no one to be seen yet, but if they continue to wait here, then any moment now... ]

Shit, come on... How long are these people gonna keep going like this?

WILDCARD
[ You know how these roll! Open to any scenario during any point in time during the log, if you'd like to slap down your own starter. If not, hit me up! I'm willing to plot. If anyone wants something in the Crashing Wave empire I'd prefer to do a custom starter for the more day-to-day stuff, hence why there's nothing for it above. Anyway, hit me if you wanna. ]

3

[undeserved]

[ naturally, she's with him. It would be remiss to let her support wander off into dangerous, unexplored territory on his own, after all - even if she's sure he'd be able to handle himself against human opponents. Which, unfortunately, seem to be the danger they're most likely to encounter. If all they had to worry about were ogres and other wildlife, it'd be one thing. Fighting humans is a little bit more complicated. ]

They're more stubborn than I thought.

[ 2B probably shouldn't be surprised, considering they'd been waging the same war for thousands of years back home, but. ]

[bestaround]

[ Perhaps it's ironic for them to say, being androids built for war. And it isn't as if humans waging battles such as this is a new concept to either one of them; they've always known it's happened. Yet it's always felt more of a distant story to 9S, like everything else they'd learn of humanity. It's a lot different when faced with the reality of it.

With a low, exasperated huff, his sword materializes within his grip with a flash of orange sparks as a precaution. There's been enough of these pointless attacks that 9S knows the Hanabira warriors fight indiscriminately, caring little of who they slash and burn down. Still—9S flicks his eyes toward 2B, covered they may be, for she's the combat oriented one of the two. ]

Are we gonna deal with 'em again?

[undeserved]

If we don't do it now, we'll have to later.

[ The warriors are already here in the Flowerlands; a fight is inevitable, whether or not the two of them decide to join it, so they may as well try to nip it in the bud. That much, she's sure of. It's been the same story all week.

She's less sure of her own place here. Is this really what she signed up for? To fight humans? They're technically doing it to prevent more deaths - and, so far, she's managed not to kill any of them by accident. Nonetheless, the fact that she has to turn against her creators at all doesn't sit well with her. The guilt that 2B felt in joining Hathaway - abandoning her duty, leaving her cause -- it's only gotten stronger these past few days.

But 2B doesn't mention her worries aloud. She never does. She just frowns, glancing away from her partner to look towards the horizon for any signs of the attackers. ]

one

[moneyman]

[ as it turns out, it is his thing.

he notices Pod first, though—he's seen her before, but more than that, it's a little jarring to see a robot after the last few weeks. it almost makes him feel a little more at home.

of course, 9S is there, too. are they friendly enough to warrant him plopping down on the rock, too? he's just gonna say 'yes.' ]

Bathtime, huh?

[ even robots gotta practice good hygiene. or whatever. he's not always great at breaking the ice. ]

[bestaround]

[ At least 9S doesn't mind company most of the time, and luckily, this is one of those moments. 9S perks his head up toward his unexpected visitor, though his gaze quickly averts back at the floating Pod. ]

Oh, well... Pods don't need to bathe. [ Nor do androids for that matter, but he's the one who does it anyway. ] We're fishing, actually.

[moneyman]

Oooh, fishing, huh? Wow, Pod's multi-talented.

[ there's a very brief moment where he imagines Dumpy, Rhys's terminally busted drone, trying to fish. it's a very sad mental image. let's just move on. ]

How does that work, exactly? Does she have worms under there or something? I guess I'm not well-versed in robot fishing.

[ or regular fishing, honestly. ]

one!!

[tolight]

[ After the bustle of the city, it's almost ... nice, to be on the road like this. A new opportunity to learn about her teammates, at the bare minimum; there are dangers, of course, but that's what the numbers are for.

Which means a little wandering if warranted. She catches the bright white head of hair in the middle of the stream, and curiosity has her drawing a little closer. ] Oh—

[ ... She's not sure what he's looking at, though. Her gaze follows his (?? bandanna??), except all that gives her is a metal box floating in the water.

Standing at the edge of the water seems like a safe bet for now, probably. ] Er... [ ... ] Is something the matter?

[bestaround]

—Huh?

[ Focus broken, 9S turns his head over a shoulder to catch Lucina standing there, a touch... uncertain, if her question is anything to go by. His own stare back seems kind of blank for a moment there, until he quickly shakes his head. (Did she think he was sulking out here or something...?) ]

Nothing at all! Just doing a little fishing before it gets too dark.

[tolight]

[ In her defense, he's definitely just staring at a metal box in the water. He could definitely be sulking.

And while it's rude for her to call people out like this, something about "fishing" doesn't quite add her up with her. So, after a healthy moment of hesitation, she eventually, cautiously suggests — ] ... But you do not have any fishing equipment with you.

[ For someone who's definitely not suspicious, he looks a little suspicious. ]

two

[justbeingknife]

Yeah? This place does have a lotta ... the fuck?

[ Call Majima a backwards product of the bubble economy, but he just wasn't used to seeing robots hovering around like wasn't no thing. It didn't seem aggressive or anything, though, just sort of... defending the little pile of clothes? ]

...Huh.

[bestaround]

[ If Pod noticed how its presence startled the man, it shows absolutely no sign of it; as if nothing were amiss, it continues to bob gently in the air in place. 9S, however, sits up a little more, eyes blinking between the stranger and past Pod, as if perhaps there were something in the branches. ]

... What's up? It's just us out here.

[justbeingknife]

[ He looked back at 9S. ]

Yeah, nah.

Just not used to the space-age technology thing. Guess I should be, seein' as how my life is gonna be straight out of a manga from here on out.

[ paging the future, call for you on line 1 ]

2

[abortz]

[The steam drifting through the trees draws their attention. They've seen fog and the like before, but this doesn't seem to be the right weather for it, and it seems far too localized. It's strange.

Coming upon the small spring, they eyebrows furrow in quiet confusion at the apparent source of the steam and the person relaxing in it. Their steps are heavy in the quiet forest, snapping twigs and branches with ease and clacking against small eocks, so they aren't surprised to he addressed. They just frown, stepping forward to eye the water's surface almost suspiciously.]

What's great about it?

[It looks like regular water, aside from the weird fog coming off it.]

[bestaround]

[ Oof, what a familiar reaction. (Something something what's the point of bathing, 9S, it isn't necessary, something.) 9S tries not to look disappointed by the unenthusiastic response, but enough of it is there on his face to catch, now that there's no blindfold to hide his expressions. ]

Er—well... [ He sits up a little straighter, cupping one hand through the water. How to explain this... ] Can't you tell how hot it is? It feels great.

[abortz]

[Ah. It's just the spring itself being hot somehow. Their gaze slides away from the steaming water, passing over the human's face briefly but just catching the disappointed look. Was there a more appropriate way they were meant to respond? Ugh.]

I'm not sensitive to temperature.

[They barely even notice it, really. The passing of seasons was always more noticable in the changes in the landscape, the dropping temperature more easily gauged by Antarcticite's physical state until that obviously stopping being an option. It took some fairly intense extremes in either direction for them to really feel it, and even then they hardly associated either heat or cold with anything pleasurable.

They're almost tempted to try touching the water to see if it's anywhere near that hot. But they haven't found a resin or a new powder for reapplications yet, so they settle for hovering a hand a few inches over its surface.

Nope. Nothing.]

1

[attorneyatblah]

[Apollo's just passing by the area and he stops to inspect the pod accompanying 9S. He does have to admit it is pretty cool. ]

Nice trick. Care to tell me what it's doing? Doesn't look like your friends out there for fun.

[Hopefully 9S won't mind additional company.]

[bestaround]

[ Fortunately for Apollo, company is certainly okay; he could likely use it at this point, if only because how quiet it is out here is beginning to make this a little... boring.

9S tilts his head Apollo's way in a questioning manner of his own, although he does at least answer, first. ]

You're making fishing sound like it's a bad thing. [ Which it isn't, not really. Just uneventful. ] Pod's okay. We do this all the time.

[attorneyatblah]

Well, I'm glad pod's doing fine. I didn't even know he was waterproof.

[Apollo's seen some advanced machines before. They weren't really like pod though. He must be a special model. ]

Did you find anything in the river? It looks pretty deep.

three.

[tirejacked]

[The increasing tensions aren't surprising—these people are testing the waters, factions gearing up for a full blown war when one or the other finds the right (wrong) place to tip things over. Of course, the people who pay for the political pussyfooting are always the ones that have the least to do with it.

So—better to divert things before they can get out of hand than try to do damage control. Sorry, bud, can't help but overhear—]

Does R2 over there have a heading, or is this a needle in a haystack kind of Red Alert?

[Just curious.]

[bestaround]

[ Oh, hi.

Before actually answering the question, however, 9S can't help but comment— ]

Is that the only crack any of you know how to make? [ Look, buddy, he knows who R2D2 is now, you can't confuse him anymore. Anyway. ] Whatever, just lemme... Hey, Pod—think you could do a more thorough search on that one?

Affirmative. Attempting scan now.

[ Give it a sec. Time to find out. ]

[tirejacked]

Can't beat the classics.

[What can he say, he's a fan. Star Wars jokes are Canon. He'll give Nines and his Ninesbot time to do their thing.]

Would you prefer Johnny-5? HAL?

[Lets expand your horizons, bud.]

3

[opensup]

[ rohan didn't come with 9s, but he had come to the flowerlands for inspiration. he's been doing as much art as his hands would permit him to of the beautiful sweeping landscapes of both mountain and wave clans, and the threat of looming danger doesn't stop him from going out alone. not responsible, someone would say, but the risks are worth it and he figures he can just hide when something happens. worst case he can use his stand to try and get out of hairy situations.

he's in his own world, drawing on his art pad, when the sound of a robotic voice gets him out like the nail on the chalkboard of his mind. then he hears the sound of 9s and turns his body around. ]

Have you been there the whole time?

[ because he sure as hell didn't notice - too busy making art to care about anyone else. ]

[bestaround]

—Huh?

[ Oh, he's got company. The frown 9S makes is mostly hidden by the blindfold tied over his face, but rest assured it's there. ]

What do you mean this whole... [ He trails off, then a beat. ] Wait, why're you concerned about me?

[ With potential enemies nearby!! ]

[opensup]

Because I don't like being sneaked up on!

[ he came to this field because he thought he could work in isolation, and now this! 'this' being the threat of approaching attackers, and rohan not at all being capable of fighting. he closes his art pad and hastily starts gathering his supplies, trying not to miss anything but also realizing that time is short. and then there's the kid. ]

Come on, we need to get out of here. Does your machine know how far away they are? We need to run or hide!