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

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[The separation from his prey knocks him out of his fury. He struggles for just a moment before eventually settling and eyeballing the material binding him. His fists hands curl into fists until his knuckles crack.]

Release me.

[It is not a request.]

[ Yeah, he's not gonna do that. ]

There's no need to kill them. In fact, that's the opposite of our goal here.

[ The woman, meanwhile, isn't very happy about her situation, either. She squirms against the scarf, but it's no use--the bindings hold tight. She's not actually dealing with fabric, after all. ]

[Kylo Ren watches the other woman struggle for a moment -- but now that he's been separated from the problem, she is less of a concern. The bigger concern right now is the fact that he's being held down by someone else.]

Release. Me.

[He growls it this time and thrashes a little harder, planting both of his feet and pulling at the Force, as if its strength will make it easier for him to break free.]

[ Aizawa feels the sudden spike in pressure as Kylo Ren resists him, and because no one has explained the Force to him yet, he just thinks this guy has some kind of muscle-augmenting power.

Scowling, he stares at Kylo, his eyes opening wide, turning red, crackling. He activates his own power--his erasure. ]

Not until you tell me that you understand.

[It feels like a thread, slowly fraying and unraveling. The Force is slow to bleed out of him -- he can feel it around him, but reaching for it feels like sand slipping through his fingers.]

--stop.

[This is slightly less angry, and more panicked. He turns as best as he can, bound as he is, blindly trying to hang onto the Force.]

I'm not going to kill her.

[ He blinks, and the effect ends. His eyes turn dark, and he unravels the scarf--for Kylo Ren, at least. The woman isn't struggling anymore, but he's not quite ready to let her run off yet. Not until he's sure she won't try to attack, either. For now, she just sits there, breathing heavily, looking agitated.

He sighs. His eyes hurt. ]

We're here to help these people.

[Kylo Ren takes a moment to regulate his breathing -- its a process, and over dramatic. But eventually, the Force returns to him, and he flexes his fingers and closes them into a fist to test how it feels.

Normally, this is the part where he'd preach about death being a mercy, but he's not in a hurry to lose the Force like that again. So he exhales and turns toward the woman.

Before Aizawa can stop him, he makes eye contact with her and waves his hand, causing her to fall unconscious where she stands.]

"These people", who consistently make trouble for themselves.

[ god DAMN IT

Because he doesn't know anything about what Kylo Ren can do, he rushes over to the woman. Checks her pulse. All right--still alive, still breathing. He rubs his temple, sighing. ]

Yeah. That's what people do. That's why we're necessary.

[ That's why, he thinks, the world needs heroes. ]

[He stalks over at his own pace, subconsciously cracking his knuckles to release some of the built up tension he's managed to accumulate.]

She is fine. She will wake up on her own.

[He's not fine, but whatever.]

[ It's clear that this guy is a ball of barely restrained aggravation. Aizawa has no extra-sensory perception; he can't pick up on feelings intrinsically. But he is a great noticer of things, of people. Something in Kylo Ren's attitude--a sense of prickly belligerence, of disquiet--reminds him of a few of his students.

But this guy's not a kid, is he? ]

And you? You got your power back, didn't you?

[ Whatever it was. ]

It is not a power. It is sensitivity.

[His words come patiently, in a way they would not have two years ago when he was first recruited. His eyes move from the sleeping woman over to Aizawa.]

What did you do, exactly? There are few things in the universe capable of nullifying the Force even to the degree you managed.

[Its an educated guess, but given the fact that his eye had been glowing, its an easy enough assumption to make.]

[ Sensitivity, huh? The Force? He wants to know what that means, but he supposes a little quid pro quo makes sense. ]

It's my quirk.

[ Pause ... ]

A special ability. It's called Erasure.

[ He starts unbinding the unconscious woman, 'cause he's not wasting loops of his scarf if he doesn't have to. ]

Does what it says on the tin.

[And he erased his ability to interact with the Force properly. How unnerving.]

Is that a typical thing in your galaxy?

[The conversation is distracting him, but he is stll pretty ready for a fight. His eyes are set on their surroundings. rather than down on Aizawa.]

Most people in my world [ he doesn't know about the galaxy ] have some kind of quirk. No one like mine, though.

[ He thinks of Eri, frowning slightly. Though her power had been used to develop a weapon to take away a person's abilities permanently, it wasn't intrinsically the same. ]

What about you? Can everybody where you're from knock someone out with a handwave?

[ He wraps the scarf loops around his neck. It's hard to tell what he's focusing on, really; he looks sleepy, sluggish, his shoulders hunched. He takes a little bottle from the sleeve of his haori and uncaps it, sighing. ]

Edited 2018-02-22 16:31 (UTC)

No. There are some with the potential to learn, but there are very few teachers left.

[These days, Force sensitivity seemed to be a rare phenomenon, let alone anyone who knew how to use it.]

We call it “The Force”. Some are born sensitive to its energies, and can manipulate them in various ways.

[To demonstrate, he reaches for the woman’s spear that she had been fighting with, and it quickly flies into his hand.]

[ Telekinesis isn't that rare a sight for him, in and of itself, but combined with the other things he's already seen Kylo do ... to him, that's unsettling. ]

Seems versatile.

[ 'And dangerous', being the subtext. He uncaps the bottle in his hand, then arches his head back. He squeezes out a drop of liquid into each eye, then shuts both briefly, his lips pursed. ]

Anybody else here who can do what you do?

Edited (HIT ENTER TOO SOON) 2018-02-22 16:58 (UTC)

If you know how, yes.

[He is fine with being considered dangerous. He prefers it, even. But the second question, that really brings to bare the other Problem on the table.

He spins the spear in his hand once before replying.]

A girl who goes by “Rey”. She is not trained as I am, but she is also Force Sensitive.

Ah.

[ He mutters, glancing away briefly, eyebrows furrowed. ]

That explains the rocks.

[ Back to Kylo. ]

You know each other, then.

[Ah yes, lifting rocks, a time honored Jedi tradition. He chooses not to comment on it.]

In a manner of speaking. We both worked for ALASTAIR for some time.

[Though really, these days he could not say that he didn’t know her. It had been almost two years here, and mere days back in his galaxy. Still, trying to seperate the two experiences time-wise —

It makes his head hurt. Stupid rift magic.]

Hmm.

[ He gets the sense that there's more to it than what Kylo's saying, but he doesn't think now is the right time to pursue it. He doesn't even know Rey that well, after all. He's appraised her as an earnest person, though. Someone interested in doing the right thing, for the right reason.

He's not sure he can say the same about this guy.

So let's get back to business. ]

In any case, I can't let you use that power with impunity.

Do not speak of me as a dog you might leash.

[Aizawa is not the first to make the claim, but he is probably the first one who actually has the ability to follow through somewhat. Kylo Ren has no way of knowing his ability’s linits, but he isn’t interested in testing them behind enemy lines.]

The Force is energy. It is apart of everything. I am using it right now.

[He nods toward the woman still sleeping on the ground.]

She will wake soon.

And then he turns, with the expectation that Aizawa would either follow him or find his own way. But almost as soon as he moves, the woman starts to stirr.]

You don't need to kill these people. Especially not with what you can do.

[ He glances at the woman, watches her take a deep breath. She's unarmed, she's probably disoriented. He thinks it's best to just let her wake up and wonder what happened, so he gets to his feet, and goes after Kylo Ren with a surprisingly quick step. ]

People with powers have an unfair advantage over others. It's my job to correct that unfairness, should that advantage be abused.

[ Simple as that. ]

I did not need the Force to kill her.

[Which is probably not a helpful bit of information, but a point he wants to make anyway.]

[ His already worn-out expression turns irritated. He wonders again if he's actually dealing with a child. ]

No, I'm sure you didn't. That's not the point.

[Or a 31 year old sociopath. Maybe both.]

You don’t want me to kill people. I understood your point.

[He just...doesn’t care...]

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eyedrop - 2018-02-22 17:48 (UTC) - Expand

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sololoquy - 2018-02-22 17:52 (UTC) - Expand

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