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

[... a correct observation. One she cannot deny.]

In this instance.

[She was a proud woman, but she wouldn't claim to be better suited in all situations, in all words. After all, she had learned in... every single world until this one how little she could potentially know about things.

But this... to think she'd allowed herself to be naive enough to believe it was a chance for her. A chance to reach out like her lord had encouraged her to before he left, but instead she had achieved the same results as before. Arguments, misunderstandings, and tentative ties ruined.

This is the moment she wishes she had read all those "files" they'd been provided with- or rather, that she'd been able to do so, unable to read in her native tongue and so unable even with the aid of "translators".

Was the implication there... or was she imagining it.]

[He holds onto the silence for a moment, contemplating her reaction. A part of him can sympathize on the most basic level. It was never a good feeling to have something you felt as your own taken from you by less deserving hands.]

I believe we spoke on the network briefly about all of that. Hayame, was it?

[He had not read the files extensively himself, but he had remembered her ettiquette proclaimation from the start of the mission, as well as Urahara’s suggestion that he take lessons from her.]

I appreciated your insight on this land. It is not something I would have been capable of determining myself.

[He can admit that much.]

Edited 2018-02-09 14:37 (UTC)

[So it had been there. Which would make him...]

That is correct. Ren, is it?

[Unless it is obviously some sort of ridiculous farce, Hayame assumes people actually put their names in that field, as she had attempted to do. And "Ren" was a name in her world.

Still... she frowns towards the ocean, her tail flicking out in irritation. Raised by humans, she has a far easier time controlling the expressions of her human half than her equine.]

My insight is available to those who as for it- though I will say that this place's particular power dynamics are not as my world's was.

[As much as she has found she enjoyed the mountain clan's tendency for matriarchy.]

Kylo Ren.

[Though really, he doesn't particularly care what she calls him, so long as it is some variant of what he's given her.]

The galaxy is a big place. Perhaps there is some planet in my own that is not unlike this one. I doubt I would have ever seen it.

[He'd never see everything -- and frankly, after dealing with ALASTAIR and now Hathaway, he isn't anymore eager to make the attempt. All of that said, he was a quick study, but a poor student.

It was easier to learn things on his own, than to have someone else attempt to teach him anything.]

[Kylo, then. She wasn’t so impertinent to address him by his given name.

Still, what he says gives her pause, despite her bone deep discomfort with any topic remotely resembling space. She had been born into a world still medieval in its ways and technology by the standards of others, no matter how normal it had been to her, and the mere concept of space flight, of travel to other stars, of life beyond... it simply hadn’t existed.

She had never even given herself to luxury to stare up at the night sky and wonder.

But...]

What if this place is a planet in your galaxy? And mine.

[What if it was simply a matter of finding a ship fast enough, one of those “portals” directed enough... that she could return home to die on the soil of the land she had always known instead of here. Wherever it was.]

[That’s deep.

But also unlikely, he thinks. There were still some similarities in the universe that he is certain he would have recognized, even on a backwater (which is what he considers this place to be thanks to its lack of technology.]

Even so widespread, you tend to spot similarities...even the poorest planets in my galaxy posses blasters, for example.

[Therefore, it was unlikely they were situated there.]

But I cannot make those assumptions for you, I’m afraid.

["Blasters", just another word from another world she cannot know. So it had been a foolish wish after all... she'd known it, she supposed. Just needed a reminder.]

I suppose I will have to defer to you on this matter. The skies are simply skies in my world- and we are far busier on the ground.

[What a strange concept. Then again, there were planets in the galaxy he was familiar with that were only barely spacefairing. The idea that there was a nation out there who had never seen the stars was not quite so far-fetched.]

You will find the stars, one day. Everyone does.

[Or the stars found them, in conquering nations.]

I suppose, in joining Hathaway, you already have.

I will not.

[It takes a certain amount of... camaraderie to interpret "you" as "your people" or "your descendants" that Hayame does not possess... though she belatedly does realize that he means "the people of her world".

As for now... she doesn't want to think about it.]

I have spoken to someone of a world much like mine, who tells me even four hundred years past my knowing, the sky is still just the sky.

[And trying to wrap her head around that four hundred years was puzzle enough.]

[He could make arguments about time and space, but the truth is that he doesn't really understand them either, and entertaining an attempt to explain it to someone with even less understanding than him sounds like a waste of time.

So he shrugs.]

It comes with its own set of problems.

[It's not something she thinks anyone could understand- even the ones who acted like she was the fool who didn't get it. At least this one wasn't about to argue with her about it.]

I suppose.

[But the silence between the words hangs heavy in the air, suffocating, like almost every conversation she has had since Hathaway's missions began, and Hayame begins to shift in discomfort, staring out to sea.

Is she supposed to ask him a question? Make a comment?]

EVENT ▸ EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE

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sorry for the delay japanese vday is no joke

no worries!!

<3!

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