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

[spiritgun]

Neat trick.

[ Because Yusuke has to make a comment.

He catches Aizawa fading back, marks his position before turning his attention to the shambling ogres. His lower lip curls, disgusted. There's a whole running commentary he's biting back: what're they looking so sour about? it's not like the beauty rest was giving them any help. ]

Hey, ugly!

[ And then Yusuke stands up from behind the bushes he'd ducked behind to pull a grotesque face at them. ]

We're here to collect!

[ Which ideally will get them after Yusuke, and give Rey enough space to block the entryway. ]

[forcevisions]

[ It works. They're not exactly wholly sentient, or if they are, they don't speak in a language that the magitek translates. But they grunt and the three of them pursue Yusuke in a hurry. Like, a bigger hurry than is probably good.

Three is … a lot. It had taken her and two others just to take down one of them for that huntress, and it had been a couple close calls. Chances are, the three of them won't get out of this entirely unscathed.

Rey waits for the third to move before she drops down, despite the fact that she has already resigned herself to injury. With the jump, she brings her staff down in a crack over the head of the ogre at the back of the pack. It probably won't be happy about that, but now she's between them and the cave.

Or … now it's going to be able to chase her into a cave she won't have a way out of.

That's another way this could go, she realizes only now that she is on the ground and in that position. ]

[eyedrop]

[ Fortunately for them, the ogres are not a particularly intelligent bunch. They're distracted, caught between Rey's attack and Yusuke's taunt. The one that Rey smacked seems fixed on her, but the other two peel off, grunting angrily at Yusuke, clubs swinging. They're coming for him, all right.

Meanwhile, Rey's new friend recovers himself, and then lumbers towards her, lifting his own club for a counterattack.

Aizawa, still hidden in the trees, feels pretty sure that Rey can handle this. Between the strength of her initial blow and her powers, she's clearly not someone to be underestimated. But the ogre is big, and his club is covered in nasty, blood-stained spikes. In the moment between the ogre lifting it up and bringing it down, Aizawa throws his scarf. Its whiplike bands explode from a nearby tree, then wrap around the ogre and the club both. Perched on a branch, Aizawa yanks back roughly on the scarf, and the ogre topples. ]

[spiritgun]

[ Clubs are refreshingly simple to counter. In fact, ogres as a whole are refreshingly simple. No need to worry about the spirit gun. Probably no need for spirit energy at all, really. The crack of Rey's staff is audible even from where he's standing, and Yusuke barks a laugh before side stepping the troll Aizawa's ensnared and flipping into the air to plant his foot directly into the face of the last unoccupied ogre. It's hard enough that he feels bone break beneath the sole of his shoe, though it doesn't distract him from carrying the motion through and then kicking it in the butt, knocking it over. ]

Yeah! [ Where's Kuwabara to high five? ] Gonna have to get something better than a club for this, pal.

[ Though his attempt to punctuate with a kick is marred by having to dodge a thrown club. Everyone's a critic of his witty commentary, it seems. ]

[forcevisions]

[ Rey staggers back when the ogre gets suddenly snatched up in Aizawa's scarf, and she snaps her attention in his direction. A part of her is surprised he had intervened, after Urahara's trial-by-fire brand of training. She's grateful, though. It gives them a better chance.

And they'll need a better chance, if Yusuke stays busy running his mouth. Rey looks peeved, if anything, by his boasting. She adjusts her grip on her staff and runs up to one of the ogres going after Yusuke, flanking it and driving the end of her staff into the soft meat of its knee. Something cracks, but not like a bone. It's the crunching sound of tearing sinew.

The ogre lets out a howl as its leg goes limp. Then it swings its club around and Rey bends at the back to dodge it, the spikes cleaving a cut through the arm of her kimono and taking away blood with it.

The one caught in Aizawa's scarf thrashes, angered by the bands restraining it but not really getting enough leverage to do anything about it but kick out and growl. ]

[eyedrop]

[ Aizawa jumps down from the tree, and as he goes down, the ogre goes up--he throws the massive, fleshy thing into the air, then loops part of the scarf around the branch he was just sitting on, effectively stringing the ogre up like a fresh turkey. He reaches into his haori, then pulls out a handful of caltrops, which he scatters just beneath the tree. Eve if the ogre manages to work his way out of the scarf, coming down will be painful.

He leans against the tree after he's done this, arms folded over his chest. Having seen these ogres before, he would consider them perhaps a mid-level challenge. He's less interested in Rey or Yusuke fighting them one-on-one, and more interested in how the two of them will work together--because he's a teacher, first and foremost. No matter what a student might go through, education and safety rank far above pointless exercises in brute strength, or needless danger.

To that end, he notices the irritated look on Rey's face, followed by the red spurt of blood when the club nicks her. He looks to Yusuke--the ogre he kicked is injured, but by no means out of the picture. If anything, it's like an angry wasp, growling in rage as it staggers to its feet and attacks them both, big club swinging wildly. ]

i'm glad we can gross about the injuries

[spiritgun]

[ Unfortunately, Yusuke never stops running his mouth. But it is hard to exchange witty banter with an opponent who is never going to banter back. Neither of the ogres feel like a sufficient challenge, and Yusuke might have been more than happy to just kick them around if Rey wasn't bleeding.

It isn't even the most blood Yusuke's seen, but he's pissed about it regardless. ]

Hey, ugly!

[ The repetition of the taunt comes on the heels of Yusuke ducking the swing of the club and channeling all his rage into the upward thrust of his fist aimed directly at the ogre's ribs. There's a sickening crack as he makes contact. ]

Fuck off!

[ There's no finesse in the way Yusuke starts pummeling the ogre. It's just a single-minded barrage of fists to it's chest and gut as it howls in increasingly higher pitch. If he keeps this one busy (or reduces him to mush) then Rey can ideally crack the other on the head again. Or something. The injury hadn't looked bad, but Yusuke hadn't been able to gauge it properly under the drape of her sleeve. ]

i love gross injuries

[forcevisions]

[ This was

her only kimono.

That's really the troubling thing here. She ALMOST MADE IT through this mission without looking like the ragamuffin starved child from the galaxy's dump that she is, and then this ogre. And then this ogre.

Rey has to fall into a roll to catch herself from how far back she has bent, and that gives the other ogre a chance to advance on Yusuke. A short chance, but a chance. He's distracted with the other. It swings for him, and she catches the club with her staff propped between two hands.

It's … a lot. The ogre is definitely physically stronger than her, though by the look of it, she's not exactly feeble and dependent on her dexterity. No, this is a girl who's used to throwing her weight behind something. So she's ready to catch the blow, bends her knees with it.

And then, snarling, she pushes it back with an explosion of strength. While it staggers back with the momentum of its own club's weight, she brings the staff up to expertly crack it straight in the face, a targeted strike which crumples the bones of its face. It's a bloody mess. ]

[eyedrop]

[ Rey's ogre howls from the pain of it, clawing at its ruined face, dropping the club. Blood pours from the wounds, spattering the grass. The ogre staggers back, struggling to breathe; it doesn't manage much beyond a mangled, heaving sound. Then, it's on its knees. Its back. It spasms on the ground, still trying to summon the rage and strength to come back for Rey again, but there's no recovery here--not with bits of rubbery skin and shredded muscle spilling from the cavity of its crushed cheek.

Aizawa looks on, seemingly impassive. He glances to Yusuke--that ogre is crippled, too, clutching at its shattered chest, unable to fend off the flurry of vicious punches. It's not going to last much longer, either.

Messy. But effective, he supposes.

(The ogre up in the tree, meanwhile, has more or less strangled itself. It's not quite dead, but it's gone limp.) ]

[spiritgun]

[ The spirit gun could finish this. But Yusuke recognizes it as a waste of his energy. When he lifts his head, he can see Rey's ogre dying. He grins, panting, as he clambers to his feet to kick it. The force behind the kick sends the orge crashing into the side of the cave, causing a small avalanche that buries the ogre with rubble.

There's blood spattered down his front. Yusuke scoffs, then makes a rude, disgusted noise. ]

[forcevisions]

[ As soon as the third ogre is dealt with — or looks dealt with enough by way of avalanche — Rey drops her staff and gets a look at the wound on her arm. Or at least it looks that way for a minute before she whines at the tear in her kimono instead. Figures. She can't keep anything nice.

She rubs the blood away with a grimace. The cut's deep but not so deep that it won't heal on its own. Then she looks up at Yusuke and at Aizawa. ]

We should show the goat herders, so they know it's safe. [ Because it won't mean anything if they just up and vanish one day; you gotta make sure people know not to be worried anymore. She's not one for lingering, so she says nothing on the fight itself. ]

[eyedrop]

[ Aizawa gathers his caltrops. He takes back the length of scarf he used to string up the ogre, too, leaving the body unconscious and barely breathing. Likely it will awaken to a gruesome scene, if it awakens at all. Aizawa's not fond of the mess they've made, but he has to admit that they got the job done.

Still, he looks over the gore and shakes his head. ]

No, they don't need to see this. Just pry a tooth out of that smashed head. It'll be proof enough.

[spiritgun]

Why not one tooth for each of them?

[ Yusuke's sat down heavily on the grass, knocked back by the thudding rush of adrenaline. ]

Wait, you don't think there's more where they came from?

[ It's hard to tell whether Yusuke is excited or apprehensive about the prospect. ]

[forcevisions]

There's always more. But if they find these, they should know to steer clear of the farms.

[ Rey glances back at Aizawa in consideration, then shrugs. Yeah. He makes a point. A tooth is easier to bring. She approaches one ogre, crouches, and indelicately pulls its jaw open.

She uses the knife in her belt to work one of its pointed teeth free from the side of its mouth. That movement alone causes a lot of blood, but she does deft and quick work, like it doesn't bother her to carve animals for parts.

Then she turns the knife around and offers the hilt up to Yusuke. ]

Take as many as you want. Might make a good story amongst members of the Sea Clan.

[eyedrop]

[ Aizawa watches them, arms folded over his chest. He nods towards the cave, which still has a rank scent pouring from its mouth. The smell of rotting meat and unwashed skin. ]

They're all holed up in the caves. We don't need to root out every last one of them, though. Just cow them into behaving.

[ Like Rey, he's pretty sure this will be an effective display. ]

[spiritgun]

[ After having just pummeled an ogre into pulp, Yusuke has no business being squeamish about yanking out some teeth. But it still takes him a couple seconds to accept the knife Rey's offering. ]

Well, a bunch of corpses will get that job done.

[ How the fuck does he do this?? Yusuke wedges the knife in between two molars and starts trying to pry something loose. Help him. ]

[forcevisions]

[ Oh, you pitiful soft boi. Rey watches Yusuke for a moment before she crouches in beside him and starts to show him how it's done. She does the first one as a model, indicating with the point of the knife, which is really obscured by the bloody damage Yusuke has done for it.

Then she leaves it with him again, and she almost wipes her hands clean of blood on her kimono but stops. Hayame would be proud. It's ruined anyway, but Hayame would be proud.

She asks Aizawa, ] What was that thing you used to catch it?

[eyedrop]

[ Working together to dismember the corpse of a fallen enemy. Heartwarming!

Though, in truth, now that the danger has passed, Aizawa seems to be spacing out a little. He blinks when Rey addresses him, then glances at the scarf piled around his neck. ]

This? It's a capture weapon. It's made of carbon fiber and a special alloy.

[ Hard to get out of, in other words. ]

[spiritgun]

[ Well, now he has some teeth. This is a skill no one at home is going to thank Rey for teaching Yusuke. He looks at the teeth, makes a quiet bleh sound, then puts them into his pocket. ]

Do you have other weapons?

[ Yusuke's not very interested in weaponry for himself, but he's interested in what Aizawa has and how he might have used them. ]

[forcevisions]

[ She nods her understanding. That makes sense. She's not as interested in his other weapons, but — ]

For capturing what?

[eyedrop]

Villains, mostly.

[ He shrugs. ]

And whoever else.

[ He's trudging on back towards the farm now, hands firmly lodged in the sleeves of his haori. ]

And yeah, I have other weapons. Caltrops, a long knife. I suppose my quirk qualifies, too.

[spiritgun]

A quirk?

[ Yusuke's ears prick up, more intent than his casual inquiry about a weapon. ]

Is that a kind of weapon or is it like a magic trick or something?

[ Is it like Rey's rock levitation? ]

[forcevisions]

A power.

[ Rey looks surprised, but she bites it back. ]

Like Bakugo.

[ He'd been so insistent about it that the language had stuck out in her mind, firmly. ]

He thought that's what my abilities were.

[eyedrop]

[ He nods at Rey. ]

Correct. Bakugo is one of my students.

[ He runs a hand through his hair, shrugging. ]

It's probably not logical to assume people from different worlds have quirks, too, or to call them that ... but it's our only frame of reference. Most people can do something, back where we're from.

[ He glances back to Yusuke. Normally, he doesn't like to discuss his quirk too much, but they're all teammates, so it's fine. ]

My ability is called 'Erasure'. It nullifies special powers. All I have to do is look at you.

[spiritgun]

[ Yusuke bristles, a little shaken by the possibility. He's worked very hard to get to his current power level. If abilities like Aizawa's existed, it could potentially make his life difficult. ]

That's probably useful. [ It's a faintly begrudging proclamation. ] If we ever get in a fight with super powered ogres.