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

Unless that's a ball-point brush, you're out of luck. So I guess the honor falls on you.

[He pats Majima on the arm, becoming more touchy-feely as the sake takes over.]

That last one was kinda sour...like some kind of fruit. Or was that the one before it?

I dunno, it's all kinda runnin' together.

[ So Majima simply began to write a message about the fruit-flavored sake on the provided paper. ]

Maybe we can just keep track from now on. So the fruit one was okay, but the wasabi one was way too overpowerin'. No one wants that shit.

[ Have an... awkward return hand pat? Was this a foreigner thing? Who knew. Friendship. ]

[He does give Majima a bit of a look, because arm-patting and hand-patting are two totally separate categories, thank you very much - but in the end, he's too buzzed for it to matter. He won't pass up the opportunity to waggle his finger at the other man, though.]

Hey now, I'm taken, remember?

[He pushes the empty cups to the end of the table, and the waitress promptly plucks these up.]

The wasabi one was like a tire fire in my mouth. So no.

[ Not if that hand Majima was patting was currently violating Majima's shoulder space, it wasn't!! ]

Huh? Yeah, right back atcha.

[ He scribbled down the best synonym for 'tire fire' that he could think of. ]

I'm gonna put down some general advice, too. Sake's made from rice, so in the end, even if you're experimenting, it's best to pair it with flavors that fit with rice.

[Connor pulls a face, as the waitress returns with another set of samples - of which he has already lost count.]

That would mean they could attempt beef sake or something equally heinous.

[He takes the new cup and tests it. The sake no longer burns as it goes down, but the warm feeling in his gut grows stronger.]

Savory sake, though -- that's a thought.

[ Majima tasted the new cup. ]

Is this... cake frosting?

[ No, it couldn't be. Tasted awful like it, though... ]

So did you guys meet cute or what?

[It certainly is weirdly sweet... Connor tips back a little more of the sake before answering Majima's question.]

What, me and Oliver? [He laughs a little.] Something like that... He did a little hacking for me, so I did a little favor for him. Then I just couldn't stop coming back for more.

[If it weren't already obvious enough, the way he lifts his eyebrows makes it plain what kind of favors he's talking about.]

So yeah, basically your typical romcom plot.

[ Majima pulled a face at Connor on cue, like dude no, at least spare him the eyebrows. ]

Well, that's sweet.

'Cept for the possibility of getting caught by the cops, but it worked out I guess.

[ He wrote "NO" under the column for the current flavor, underlining it several times for emphasis. He was being very deliberate here about not acting drunk, although maybe it was that very effort that made him seem a little tipsy. ]

[Connor grimaces a little, instantly realizing that was one detail he should not have let slip. He should have just said that Oliver helped him with a case, without specifying what sort of help it was. As it is, "hacking" presents a wide range of possibilities, from hacking someone's social media account to hacking a government agency, so he smoothly recovers. (At least, he thinks it's smoothly, but the sake may be altering his perception a bit...)]

Hey now, who says it's anything the police would need to get involved in?

[And with that, he finishes the glass.]

[ Majima just gave him a noncommittal shrug before polishing off his own sample. What was he going to do, narc on them? Like he wanted any more to do with cops than was strictly necessary, even if they were from the same... universe... which they were probably not. ]

Workplace romances, huh? Those can get messy real fast. Weathered a couple of them at the Grand.

[He could point out that he and Oliver hadn't worked together at the time, or that things had gotten messy for reasons beyond the mundane, but what would be the point in divulging these details? Instead, he just grins like a bit of an idiot, thanks to all that sake he keeps pouring into himself.]

Yeah, well, we figured out how to clean up after ourselves. So what kind of messes did you get yourself into?

[ He picked up another glass, swirled the liquid about for a moment or two before looking up at Connor. ]

You kiddin'? None. Managing that joint was strictly work.

Did have some of the hostesses datin' some of the rest of the staff, though. Band members or waiters. Almost lost a bassist over it one time.

[ Unlike his stint managing Club Sunshine, his performance at the Grand had been closely scrutinized by his handler; Majima simply hadn't been able to afford any slip-ups, nor had he felt particularly inclined to complicate things for himself. ]

Trying to stamp it out woulda been a mistake, though. You tell someone they can't have something, most times they just want it more.

EVENT ▸ EMPIRE OF THE CRASHING WAVE

sorry for the delay

no sweat, welcome back!

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