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

[sololoquy]

In a manner of speaking. Star Destroyers are less of a colony, and more like barracks. They are designed for extended spacefaring and military engagement.

[Lucina is not the first he has had to describe spacefaring too — he is certain she will not be the last. There are several people from home who would be incredibly impressed with how patient ALASTAIR had made him.]

[tolight]

[ They're probably also terrified, what the hell happened to Kylo Ren???

But taken out of ( space-faring ) context, the words are startlingly familiar. She sneaks a glance over at her companion, lips twisted into a frown. Eyebrows furrowing. ]

... You were at war, as well. Where you hail from. [ Her voice is even, if not a little resigned. It's easy to be empathetic ( she shouldn't be ). ]

[sololoquy]

Yes.

[He says it without much passion or sadness. He grew up in peace time, but he feels like he's been involved in the war for longer.]

A war waged in an effort to restore some semblance of order to the galaxy, after years of lawlessness and inaction.

[tolight]

[ Is it strange, to think that he almost sounds like her? Recounting a long, terrible war in an attempt to bring peace to a dying ( lawless ) world. The way that he's able to talk about it as if it's an event that wasn't devastating, because that's how one moves on.

( She's projecting. A lot. But it's hard not to feel sympathetic, even if she hadn't been. ) ]

... For what it is worth, I'm sorry. [ No one deserves that. ]

[sololoquy]

[She’s ... sorry?

Kylo Ren meets her eyes, blinking twice as a strange expression comes over his face, like he doesn’t quite trust what he had just heard. And then, again, as he looks through and manages to decipher the fact that she is being sincere.

And still, he doesn’t know what to do with it. There is a sense of that, in the long stretch of silence between them.]

For what?

[There is a boyish curiousity that was not there before when he asks, like he has encountered a particularly difficult puzzle. Surely, that was not sympathy that he sensed within her.]

[tolight]

[ The surprise gives her pause — of all the responses she could have expected, this isn't one of them. Her eyebrows raise, watching him as he blinks, and eventually look like ... he has no idea what she's talking about.

It's not a good feeling — but why, she's not entirely sure. ]

The war. [ So she explains. It's an awful thing, and that much is obvious from the way she speaks. ] And the hardships it caused. [ The lawlessness, the inaction.

... But in case she misunderstood— ] ... You were fighting in it, yes?

[sololoquy]

Yes.

[She's coming at it from a different angle, but its an angle he can see now. And it relaxes his features some. It wasn't about him -- it was about the overall devastation of war, something he honestly couldn't care less about.

But he won't come right out and say that. By now, he's spent enough time around passionate individuals to know when to keep his mouth shut about fascism.

The truth is that he wouldn't even know what to say about it, if pressed. He feels strongly enough about the need for a central power, but not as strongly as the people who joined the First Order before him. He was there for Snoke -- to learn from him, and to grow.

And now that he's discovered that he'd been little more than a pawn, well -- he's having some trouble believing in the cause itself.]

But if it had not been me, then it would have been someone else.

[That's not true, and he realizes it as soon as its out of his mouth. So true that he has to look away from Lucina and out to the ocean after he says it.

He was the last of the Skywalker bloodline. Snoke had groomed him for a reason. He's forced to confront that in a single moment, and sorely wishes he'd not allowed the thought to form so fast.]

Thirty years without proper government gives way to anarchy.

[tolight]

[ 30 years — it's hard to imagine what an entire galaxy would look like at the hands of anarchy. Lucina's only dealt in countries, continents at most; an entire galaxy at the risk of collapsing in itself is ... hard to imagine, at best. Overwhelming, at worst.

But she still nods, nonetheless — her world would have been doomed the moment she was taken out of the equation ( it was doomed, but that had been a conscious decision ), but the sentiment is still there. The need to fight for one's home, the wish to protect it; the good, the bad, everything else in between. ] I understand. [ ( She doesn't. ) ]

... Thank you for confiding in me.

[sololoquy]

[He has absolutely no idea what to do with Lucina as a person. Her thanks has him glancing down at her again, with that same puzzled sort of expression. He knows it is because she doesn’t have all the information about the war itself, or the First Order, but —

Well, there is something nice about having someone who gives a shit about his problems. Even just a shadow of them.

And yet...thanking him for telling her something he would have told anyone else has him short-circuiting a bit.]

If I kept it a secret, I might never speak.

[That would probably make a lot of people very happy tbh.]

[tolight]

[ Was it a joke? It certainly sounds like a joke. Whether or not it is, she finds it hard to keep a straight face. Quiet laughter bubbles up her throat, nearly spilling past her lips. Something about the image of Kylo Ren never speaking again is extremely hilarious, okay. ]

I suppose it's good that you don't, then. [ She didn't laugh, but her voice is lighter than before. ] Still, not everyone wishes to speak of the worlds they hail from.

[sololoquy]

[He picks up on her mirth easily. He hadn’t been joking, but he also has the social skills of a dying womprat.]

Why do you think that is?

[He half-turns to reengage in the conversation. He couldn’t imagine not speaking of his galaxy — there was so much happening, so much that was different from everywhere he had been with ALASTAIR. Even two years later, he still catches himself pining for something more familiar.

That feeling is less common, now that Rey, Finn, and Poe have joined them again.]

[tolight]

[ lbr it wasn't that funny.

The question gives her pause. She's not part of the reticent by any means, yet she's familiar with plenty that are. Hearing their stories felt like an accomplishment in itself, in some ways. It had taken time, certainly, but —

She speaks after a beat of silence. ] The story is their's to tell — but if I were to hazard a guess...

In many cases, it will be some time before they are at peace with ... events in their lives. [ Not to say that she is, or he is. But that's another matter entirely. ] I suppose it's strange, to share something with a near-stranger. [ Teammate or otherwise. ]

[sololoquy]

Interesting. I was never afforded such luxury.

[He gives that some thought privately before elaborating.]

You spoke with some familiarity to my situation. Would you care to elaborate yourself?

[It was only fair.]

[tolight]

Of course.

The country I hail from — the Halidom of Ylisse — had been on the brink of destruction due to the Fell Dragon. He wished to plunge the world into darkness... and succeeded.

[ She bears a similar tone that he did — detached, calm, as if she's not talking about her world being crumbled into nothing. ] I had been fighting since I was a child; it was all I could do, after watching my country fall in flames.

[sololoquy]

[He picks up on 'dragon' and 'flames'. Though he'd never known such creatures in his own world, he knows of Daenerys and Drogon. But with that context, its easy enough to piece the rest together.]

Plunge the world into darkness...why for?

[It seems a little too literal, but it draws his attention. For the purpose of pure destruction? He could sympathize. But really, its more out of curiosity than a desire to connect.]

[tolight]

I had never learned, aside from his ... wishes to destroy. [ It's almost foolish, when said this way; less so, because they were powerless about it the first time. ]

He harbored a hatred from humanity for as long as stories of him had been told.

[sololoquy]

Interesting.

[Humanity was so numerous in his galaxy that he has a hard time imagining them not being the dominant race. No alien force alone would be able to throw over an all-human government, unless they rallied together. It was why things like the Empire and the First Order existed.]

Is that why you are here? For help in stopping it?

[tolight]

[ It's complicated, is the short, truthful answer. Her country is long gone, a barren wasteland that Grima had already claimed, years ago. That had been the hardest truth to accept, because accepting it meant abandoning it. But abandoning meant that it didn't always have to be this way.

The point is, there's a Ylisse out there, in an alternate timeline, where he was stopped. Where she helped prevent the fall of a land she loved dearly. ]

Of sorts. [ There are ears on this team, that aren't Lucina's or Kylo Ren's, that she doesn't want this story reaching.

... Only she's awful at concealing any kind of truth. So after a quiet sigh— ] If you are open to hearing it, I'd be happy to tell you once our mission is complete.