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]

I know.

[ she says it in a calm, pacifying sort of voice. like she's trying to be very patient and gentle with him, but also not in a try-hard way. it's like ... this kind of peace settles about her naturally, and she's trying to just think around the whole issue. ]

What I mean is ... his feelings might be complicated too. You're not going to be able to avoid them.

[secondnature]

Lance and I aren't like that back home. There's no reason to think it'd be anything like that. [Perhaps it's denial, or maybe it's something else.] If anything, I expect he's just gonna wonder how it happened. And I couldn't even begin to tell you.

[Beyond ... "it just did."]

[forcevisions]

I don't mean like that. I mean ... He's going to be wrestling with what his relationship with you is going to look like, Keith. You remember being with him, memories he'll never have. He may not even know how much he wants to know, at first. Or he might think he does, and wish he didn't later. You're not the only one with a stake in it, anymore.

[ she sighs. ]

Which has probably occurred to you already.

[secondnature]

[Mister Dwell and Never Get Over Stuff has definitely thought of this already.]

Why do you think I didn't want to tell him?

[forcevisions]

[ she gives a sort of lopsided and reluctantly apologetic smile. duh. ]

But ... at least then you won't be carrying the burden of working through it all on your own. And it's the right thing to do.

[secondnature]

I'm not working through anything on my own. Other people knew we dated.

[It's his way of making sure she understands that he does talk to people. Sometimes. In very ineffective ways. But people know.]

[forcevisions]

[ she frowns a little, trying to figure out how she feels about that because — ]

Just not me.

[secondnature]

No, [he says, with the "o" on the word a little elongated in impatience.] You aren't my only friend. You're just my closest one.

[forcevisions]

I'm not being possessive. [ though, thanks. ] I just thought you hadn't been ready to talk about it to anyone, last you said anything to me.

[secondnature]

And I didn't say that you were. [Like many things, it hadn't crossed his mind. To Keith, he thought that Rey was trying to say that he had no friends.]

It's just ... less that I'm not ready and more that I don't want to.

[forcevisions]

I'm glad you're doing it anyway. [ positive reinforcement!! she commits to that, then pauses, looking down at her hands before she looks back at him and says, ] You're my best friend too. I've tried talking about some of this with Kisuke-san, but he doesn't take anything seriously.

[secondnature]

My ... dating someone? [Keith isn't following.]

[forcevisions]

No.

[ she looks perplexed. ]

About everything I just told you. It was good to get it off my chest and talk through it with someone. I haven't been able to do that, and ... It feels suffocating, at times.

[secondnature]

Oh.

[That makes more sense.]

Maybe you should figure out how you got here. To ... not talking to anyone but me. I don't think it's just because we've been here together for a while.

[forcevisions]

You think I'm holding things back.

[ It's a fair assessment. And he's not entirely wrong, but — ]

It's more complicated than that. [ She glances away. ] It's not like ... I told them everything, and then stopped. I barely know Poe. And Finn ... we had only just met before we joined ALASTAIR. And ... I told you how I grew up.

The things that I'm dealing with now aren't things I've ever talked about with anyone before. At all.

[secondnature]

[Oh.

Empathy is one of those things he struggles with beyond projection and a weird sense of selfishness. But it's empathy that leads to some guilt here, as he understands what it'd be like if she had asked him that question, or demanded to know exactly how he was coping with Lance's return.

(Because he isn't, not really.)]

I get that. It's why I don't want to really talk about stuff with Lance. I don't even know how to do it in the first place. With anyone.

[forcevisions]

[ She nods. Leaning over, she puts her head on his shoulder and breathes out a sigh. ]

I'm glad that we're learning together.

[ Because it means they do have people now who they can do it with, even if they're not sure the right way, or when to. ]

When you walked away I was so afraid that I'd lose you. I messed it up back there — and before — because I don't know how either, but you gave me a chance to figure it out. [ That fact gives her hope that they'll muddle through, somehow. That maybe, unlike Poe, and unlike her parents, there are people who won't just bail out and disappoint her and leave her feeling like she's unworthy. ]

[secondnature]

I know what it's like to be left behind. [The words come out so easily that he doesn't think twice about them. It's not just his parents. Part of it is Shiro leaving for Kerberos, and what it felt like to see the news reports that claimed he was never coming back.]

I don't have a lot of experience with having friends, but I don't give up on people I care about. Not that easily, anyway.

[forcevisions]

Neither do I.

[ In fact many of her problems in life stem from refusing to give up on people even when it's perhaps healthier to do, so. There's that. She's working on a middle ground, ok. ]

That's how I know we'll figure it out.

[ Together. That's something. She looks up through the trees, squinting a little. They're going to need to figure out where they're camping if they're not getting into Sea Clan territory today. ]

We should find Loki and Kisuke-san soon.

[secondnature]

Yeah, I guess it's time. Any idea when the rest of them are getting here?

[Hopefully soon. Hopefully with some magical way to get in, though Keith (being Keith) has his doubts.]

[forcevisions]

They're on their way.

[ She says this with a lot of certainty ?? ? Realizing as much, she straightens. ]

I got in touch with someone who's still with the Mountain Clan. They told me that people there were getting restless and planning to head this direction, so.

[secondnature]

Well, can you really blame them? The only thing we heard about was bothering the Empress.

[Keith's cynicism about that plan is clear. He trusts that Princess Allura can accomplish stuff. For the most part.]

[forcevisions]

And the only thing we've managed to do is stand outside the gate. Let's hope bothering the Empress did something.

[secondnature]

If we didn't, then I'm gonna have to explain why the heck we didn't bust down the gate to get answers. [Which was probably a solution they considered three days ago.]

[forcevisions]

How about because that's a soundly terrible idea? Empress Youmi would hate us right off the bat.