epidemiology | EVENT ▸ EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE

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

[ he's got one (1) plan, and it's basically the same as all his other stupid-ass plans that he's ever had. he's going to

run his mouth. yep. that was the plan. the non-fire plan. he sneaks away in the grass for a little bit, following after the ronin. and then pops up, starts talking shit about the sea clan, waits for the ronin to be like "???? let's stomp this punk ass", at which point thrawn can come in and poe can use his stupid ass stick and they can be bad-asses together. i'm sure it's breathtaking, show-stopping, amazing.

that's basically what happens.]

[Noting their losses before even nearing their goal, the ronin scatter before reaching the vilage's edge, disappearing off into the hills to nurse their wounds.

Panting, Thrawn wipes a thin line of sweat from his brow, rising from the tangled nest of grass beneath them.]

You did well.

[there's a split second where poe's face betrays him, where he looks like a dog getting pets for doing a cool trick. and then he immediately gains composure because that is not a dignified reaction to anything. nope. not at all. just the reaction of someone who's been scolded too many times recently and maybe needed some validation. but it's cool. he's cool now. a cool dude. so composed.]

Just doing what I always do. [he runs a hand through his hair, catching his breath.]

[A single arched brow rises up to meet Poe's cool remark, though he makes no attempt to spoil the pilot's current satisfaction: for all Thrawn knows, given Dameron's habits so far, leaping in headfirst indeed does seem to be his main method of problem solving.]

Are you injured?

[if you thought leaping in headfirst is how poe dameron solves all his problems, i got some news for you:

u right.

anyway, he takes stock of himself and notices no major injuries, but there's a scrape that's bleeding a lot on his forearm where he probably got nicked by a samurai sword or something. he doesn't seem too worried about it???? just starts ripping the sleeve of his hakama — which is already fucked at this point, honestly — and wraps the material around his arm like yep we all good over here.]

I'm good. What about you? [do you need the rest of his hakama ig]

Unharmed.

Taking them by surprise seems to have sufficiently inhibited their coordination.

[Thrawn moves closer, his eyes narrowing as he surveys the full depth of Poe's wound: he can't claim to fully understand human physiology, or how capable they are of surviving more specialized injuries, but as far as he can tell, Dameron seems to be telling the truth.]

I am glad that it was you who was there when I first sought assistance.

[look sometimes humans have superficial wounds that bleed a lot. it's very that.]

What? [he perks up, but acts like a normal human and doesn't embarrass himself again. all this praise, it's too much. two praise in one day????]

I mean, yeah, you, too. Glad you were around, too. Guess being at the top isn't all sitting pretty and paperwork.

[In that moment Thrawn thinks it may be best not to admit that his comment was intended as a segue: that he had been relieved because he'd wanted to speak to the Commander sooner, rather than later.

Lips turning in a thin smile, his eyebrows lift ever so slightly. His hands extend, catching Dameron by the arm and tidying the bandage work— there is an ease to utilizing both hands, rather than one.]

Your Admirals do not engage in combat?

[thanks for saving poe from himself ... he was really willing to do everything one-handed because asking for help: not even once.]

I — I was joking. [he shakes his head like whatever. it's fine. won't ... try that again ... ] Uh, thanks.

[What is laugh.]

We have not spoken for some time— not since your broadcast to the network at large. [He keeps his fingers threaded through the bandage, pulling the edges tighter.

And not permitting Poe the opportunity to draw back and escape.] How are you feeling?

[ow dad that hurts a little ... is that on purpose????] You mean after all this or just in general?

I mean in regards to your obvious frustration when you were openly speaking of truces and deception. Neither you nor Rey seemed particularly pleased at the time.

[He had not pressed it in the moment, but considering Dameron's had ample time to lick his emotional wounds...]

Edited (thanks 2am brain, how am I deleting entire sentences) 2018-02-15 10:36 (UTC)

[he purses his lips and shakes his head.]

That was — it wasn't even about Rey. She — [he shakes his head again.] I patched things up with her. Doesn't change how I feel about some other things, but I made it right with her.

[The bandage is tied off, its pressure eased when he loops his fingers beneath the knot and tugs briefly in the opposite direction, though he is no less focused on the conversation at hand.]

'Other things'?

[he shouldn't give thrawn this information. he knows this on some level. fighting alongside an imperial officer and confiding in them are two very different things. ... but man if he's not annoyed enough to dig into this with everyone he's ever met.]

About using mind reading as a means of collecting information. Everyone else around here may be okay with it, but not me. Applied the right way, it's a torture technique. I tried to talk about it with Rey, but she got defensive because she thought I was calling her a monster and then I flew off the handle.

[They are players seated at opposite ends of a game board. Free to talk, to offer advice, to laugh or criticize one another however they see fit— but eventually (perhaps not now, perhaps not for a very long time) the game will resume. Pieces will need to be moved.

As it was with Nightswan, it may again be with Dameron.

But for now, it is conversation. Advice. Sincerity.]

I see. [Not dismissive, but his tone is careful. Mild. Tall as he is, he dips his head lower in an instinctive play at reducing his own silhouette, so as to appear as less of a threat, and more of an ally.] A monster for being in support of it...

Or a monster for performing it?

[he sighs. here's the crux of the matter re: rey. the part where he was a dumbass. commander poe dameron, impulsive and thoughtless??? sounds fake.

this is fine, though. if he keeps it to things that are specific to their time at hathaway ... it's fine. he decides on that.]

That's the thing. She was being all defensive because she can do it, but I wasn't thinking of that. I thought she was just in support of it. I didn't stop and think how that'd sound to her. Because I was -- it wasn't even her, it was Kylo Ren. I was mad because Kylo Ren did it and everyone was treating him like some hero.

[eyes emoji i can't make on my work computer]

He is your enemy. [Thrawn says simply, seeming entirely unsurprised by Poe’s confession.]

Were you not here in service, presumably you would be at war with him.

Morality aside, it is only natural to feel a sense of animosity and resentment when confronted with someone so integral to the First Order being heralded as a hero.

[Also, definitely not going to talk about helping Ren tap into someone else’s mind. Don’t worry about it. 👀]

[there are bright red warning signs and sirens in his head saying NO NO NO DO NOT ENGAGE DO NOT TALK ABOUT KYLO REN WITH THRAWN. IN WHAT UNIVERSE IS THAT POSSIBLY A GOOD IDEA?

but you know what. here ... we are. how close can he toe that line? he's gonna ... find out.]

Yeah, you've got a point. Maybe if he ever actually does something heroic, I'll be okay with it.

Perhaps. [He muses, though his tone more soundly rests on] Perhaps not.

Heroism in and of itself is not always equatable to good. One can perform a noble deed with a cruel heart, just as another with good intentions may bear blame or ugliness for the greater benefit.

Be mindful of your own expectations, Poe Dameron, lest someone seek to utilize them against you.

[give him a minute to think about that. he's a simple boy, so he might need more time. why are you challenging his simplistic black and white view of the world. how dare you sir.

thinking about ... intentions behind actions ...??? kylo ren obviously did something "good" but he can't believe kylo ren is even capable of having good intentions towards anything. he wouldn't cross the street to piss on someone if they were on fire.

but, you know what? while we're on this troubling line of thought, WHAT ARE THRAWN'S INTENTIONS??? he's been all nice but is he really ... just a nice dude...??? he's not even just any old imperial officer just doing the best they can or some shit, he's a high-ranking imperial officer who had to have been in it to win it. it seems so unlikely.

man ... thinking about stuff is hard. he doesn't like it. why can't there just be blowing things up?]

Yeah ... yeah. What do you mean, someone could utilize my expectations against me? Are you calling me too trusting?

[ummmm]

No. [He could elaborate, but this time, he chooses not to: Kylo Ren is dangerous— Kylo Ren is also an ally, and capable of moving beyond the First Order's shadow...

To a point. To more, maybe.

That does not mean he ever will.]

Another question: have you completed your assessment of the local clans?

[wow the whiplash of that question. he tries to stop himself but briefly pulls a face anyway. of course thrawn was going to bring it up again. of course he was, since he'd already bothered him at like three in the morning about it. for kriff's sake.]

Yeah, I'm gonna need a little more time on that.

[so like ... no. i'm sorry your son is garbage thrawn.]

[Thrawn's lips purse, tightening into a narrow line— an expression only made more severe by the dark burns across his features, somehow looking like grim shadows beneath those glowing eyes.

He lifts a hand, gesturing towards the village ahead.]

Do you care about these people, Commander Dameron?

[he opens his mouth like a fish, wordless for a moment because EXCUSE ME??? ASKING IF I CARE ABOUT PEOPLE?????? I'M NOT A SOCIOPATH THAT'S KYLO REN.]

What — yeah, of course.

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