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

[justbeingknife]

Yeah? Been a while since I was in Tokyo.

What'd ya sell?

[ Call it a passing interest. Majima had also been a businessman. Was still a businessman, probably. ]

[predomination]

This and that.

[Exactly the kind of information you want to give a Japanese man with an eyepatch. At least, he does elaborate.] It was an old-fashioned general store, kept open by charm and dedication

[justbeingknife]

[ Thank god, because it was next to impossible to keep up a conversation one-sided. ]

Oldschool, huh? That's a tough one. These days, chain konbinis are poppin' up all over.

[ He handed out some more fish, but it seemed that the cat assault was on the wane. ]

That's not even including the bargain-basement joints like Don Quixote.

[predomination]

It's tucked in between a couple of skyscrapers, so it's certainly quaint. Middle-aged women tend to be the most charmed by it.

[And him, of course. But only because he is a flirt and a charmer.

He sighs theatrically.] And I won't lie- there have been times I've felt bullied into selling, but Tessai-san is quite good at dissuading people from trying to take advantage of me.

[Like Urahara can't do fine on his own. Tessai is just scary.]

[justbeingknife]

[ Now that some of the cats had cleared away, Majima was free to bait his rod and cast the line out into the water beside the pier. Mission start! ]

Who's Tessai? Your girlfriend?

[predomination]

[His wife, actually.]

Oh goodness no. He's just one of my oldest friends and business partner.

[He does not seem offended by the assumption. But he also never seems offended for real by anything, so.]

[justbeingknife]

Yeah? Lucky to have a partner like that, then.

[ The little red and white bobber made its way to the surface of the water. Majima relaxed the set of his shoulders and set to waiting. ]

Life's a lot tougher solo.

[predomination]

[Urahara turned in his seat to get a better view of both the water and Majima doing his fishing.]

Isn't it, though? I've been very fortunate in that regard. And ALASTAIR- and now Hathaway- encourage teamwork and partnership. When we're all getting along that is.

[This, of course, will probably be the moment Majima flashed back to while sitting at a table while a bunch of people scream at each other.]

[justbeingknife]

[ war flashbacks.

Majima got a nibble on the line; a deft motion set the hook. Didn't feel like a particularly sizable fish, but -- ]

Uh, yeah. Especially that last part. But at least it seems like no one's willing to throw away what they joined up for. That's gotta count for somethin'.

[ While Majima hadn't gotten into any major scuffles with anyone, it seemed that was... not the case for everyone. Par for the course in such a large group of weirdos, but he was more used to one person being in charge than a bunch of equals who occasionally wanted to strangle each other. ]

[predomination]

That was quite an enticing notion. You know, ALASTAIR never offered us anything. It was mostly "help us out and perhaps we'll get you home." It was very suspicious, at the time. You're lucky you don't have to worry about that!

[justbeingknife]

[ Majima's expression as he looked up suggested he wasn't feeling very lucky atm tbh

before he turned back to his catch -- a sea bream. It was of below average size, so he carefully dislodged the hook and tossed it back, much to the disappointment of the nearby cats. ]

Sorry that happened to ya. Must've been rough, not knowin' when you'd see your home or your partner again.

[predomination]

Oh, it wasn't so bad, once I got used to it. I liked the work- that's why I decided to stay and continue on.

[He props his chin up on his hand.] I didn't even really need the incentive. How often can someone say they've traveled to other worlds?

[justbeingknife]

Guess it depends on where you're from. In my case, you tell someone you're from another world, and they'd probably have ya committed.

[ Needless to say alternate universes, robots, and psychic powers were all out as conversational topics. ]

[predomination]

Your friends back home must not be very whimsical~

[Urahara...] Or perhaps I just run with a more fanciful group of people.