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

[forcevisions]

[ she grabs one between two fingers and it's surprisingly squishy ??? and then she offers the plate up to hayame in offering like hey there's more feel free to join me in this crunchy-squishy crab journey. ]

Or be playing a trick on tourists. [ js, that interpretation is still possible. she puts it in her mouth though and there's a saga of expressions that plays out. the first is kind of alarmed by the crispy shell and the second is like ok no wait this is fine and the third is like oh that exploded and now its guts are in my mouth and there's just a combination of things happening. and then finally she's like ok that was not bad. enjoyable, even. it was just a lot to experience. ]

[kisha]

[Surely... not...

Hayame thinks. But she takes the crab anyway when offered, places it in her mouth and chews. Much more stoically than Rey manages, somewhat used to innards in her food, but.]

I prefer the fish.

[... it's smoother.]

[forcevisions]

It's weird.

[ the crab, that is. she looks excited about that though. she grabs the other one and hands the plate back to the stall owner. ]

I like it. [ and then she'll eat the other, rubbing her pants on the side of her yukata to clean them. she's a Mess. ]

sorry for the delay japanese vday is no joke

[kisha]

[By the gods, Otaka-]

Were you raised by a river?

[Don't just wipe your fingers on your clothing???]

i believe you

[forcevisions]

Desert.

[ She answers, about to ask why Hayame guessed that when she

sees Hayame's face and sighs. ]

Well, what am I supposed to do?! I haven't got anything else to wipe them on.

[kisha]

Use your mouth?

[Thankfully??? Hayame is hardly advocating high class nobility level of white handkerchief refinement, just... come on, not your clothes? It’s not like they have so many pairs, what are they, princesses?]

[forcevisions]

[ She makes a face, but stuffs her fingers into her mouth all the same (as if the point of doing so hasn't already been defeated). ]

Like that's so much better. [ she says around her thumb. ]

[kisha]

It is worlds better for anyone years out of fillyhood, Otaka.

[Hayame turns with a sigh to barter with the woman at the stall once more, this time coming back with her makeshift plate covered in... what looks like clear string, muttering,]

I didn't know you could eat these...

[forcevisions]

Fillyhood?

[ She says it in that sort of absent, quiet voice that says she's more questioning the term herself than expecting Hayame to reply. Instead, she's happy to be distracted by the string. ]

What are they?

[kisha]

[Childhood, whatever you humans want to call it!!!]

Jellyfish tentacles.

[She picks a few up with her fingers and awkwardly transfers them to her mouth, chewing thoughtfully... before she gives a lukewarm shrug and holds out the bamboo leaf "plate".]

Not much taste.

[Interesting texture, though.]

[forcevisions]

[ i mean rey will put literally anything in her mouth, so she goes for it. ]

It's chewy. [ she says around a mouthful, sort of moving it around in her mouth to try to decide how she feels about it. ]

[kisha]

[Chewy was right- Hayame is still working on the damn things, finally giving in and awkwardly shifting them forward in her mouth to the sharper canines she possessed in front that didn't quite match with either human or equine body parts.

Those shred the things at least, until she can swallow.]

I heard they could be poisonous.

[THESE SEEMED FINE THO]

[forcevisions]

[ rey sort of opens her mouth like oh you let me put this in my mouth without ? ?? warning about that ?? ? she seems to be considering just

pushing half-chewed jellyfish back out onto the leaf-plate and then she rethinks it because, no, hayame would call that rude. and then she looks around like oh my god what do i do with this poison in my mouth ? ? ? ]

rides into the new log sunset

[kisha]

[There's like a single half of a second where it looks like Hayame might laugh. Maybe.

But she doesn't, in the end, though she does frown. (Frowning, she has always known, was best to counteract the urge to smile.)]

Not this kind.

[SHE IS PRETTY SURE, after all these humans were selling it, so.

Instead, she waves her hand for Rey to follow.]

Come, let us see what else this market has to offer.