epidemiology | EVENT ▸ DIPLOMACY

EVENT ▸ DIPLOMACY

DIPLOMACY

As the skirmishes between wandering Mountain and Sea Clan groups continue in the Flowerlands, by this point enough attackers have been interrogated by Guild Ophelia to paint a compelling picture of unorganized chaos. Each time a skirmish is interrupted, both sides blame the other for starting the impromptu fight, claiming no knowledge of or participation in an organized cabal; the conflicts are entirely coincidental, they say, just a situation where enemies clash in neutral territory.

The Flowerlands are suffering, crops trampled and livestock traumatized, and more and more Mountain and Sea Clan people are terrified to leave their cities, lest they be set upon by warriors from the opposing clan. Under this type of political strain, Hanabira threatens to erupt into full-out civil war at any moment, with or without the sanction of the empresses.

Two weeks after Ophelia's arrival in the Empire of the Crashing Wave, Doro sends word: Empress Nama and Empress Youmi have agreed to meet and discuss the term of an alliance. Doro's castle will serve as a meeting place, but the difficult part is bringing the empresses there safely. You foreigners have already proven yourselves to be capable and invested in seeing the conflict to a peaceful conclusion, so Doro contracts Ophelia to act as escorts and guards.

This might just be the perfect opportunity to whisper proposed solutions to advisors or, if you're lucky, to the empresses themselves.

▸ THE RETINUE

Ophelia has a few different options if they choose to take Doro's contract: escort Nama or escort Youmi and/or guard the Flowerlands castle.

ESCORT ▸ EMPRESS NAMA.
It's a week's worth of travel to return to the Land of Celestial Mountains from the Empire of the Crashing Wave, so the sooner Ophelia starts out, the better. Skirmishes between clans still dot the forests and farms of the Flowerlands, and each time the retinue encounters one, they must decide if they have the time to interfere or if they must push on. After all, the longer there is no peace in Hanabira, the more dire the situation becomes.

When the group finally reaches the Land of Celestial Mountains, they'll find that the entire city is locked down. Guards bar the gates, but upon seeing Doro's seal, they'll let the guild members inside and explain the situation:

Mountain Clan rebels have stormed Heavenly Summit, cutting a large swath through the castle. Much of Nama's court and guards lay dead inside, with the rebels holding the remainder hostage -- including Empress Nama herself -- unless war is declared against the Sea Clan. The city guards are afraid to approach, worried that this will only anger the rebels further and cause Nama's death, and have directed all townsfolk to stay in their homes until the situation has been resolved.

The guards caution Ophelia not to try any rescue efforts themselves, and instead ask them to either find a building to barricade themselves in or leave the city. Of course, it's not like they're keeping a close watch on everyone.

Those who choose to slip into Heavenly Summit Castle will find guards surrounding it, trying to stop anyone from coming in as well as keeping arrows trained on all windows in case a rebel shows her face. Stealth is the name of the game, or at least enough brute strength to knock a guard out in one blow before she sounds the alarm.

Inside the castle, rebels stalk the halls of every floor, masked in the green color of the Mountain Clan. Some are heavily armored and some only wear peasants' clothes, carrying farmers' sickles; it seems as though the attack on the castle was planned very quickly, too quickly to evenly distribute armor and weapons. There are corpses left where they were killed, with splashes of bright red blood beside them; there are hostages huddled in the corners of rooms, wide-eyed but silent at the sight of foreigners ostensibly here to save them; and, in the heavily-guarded throne room, Empress Nama herself.

Fight through the rebel guards with Nama's help, or find a back door and snatch her up before the rebels notice. Either way, once Ophelia lays eyes on her, the magitek will project words in front of them that only they can see:

» EMPRESS NAMA
Leader of the LAND OF CELESTIAL MOUNTAINS. 23 years old. SPECIES: Human. MEDICAL CONCERNS: Lactose intolerant, recent blow to the head.

Nama doesn't ask questions, recognizing the foreigners of Ophelia as those who were meddling after the festival attack and trusting they're here to help her escape. Longbow in hand, she leads the group through secret passageways in the castle, insisting they rescue the nobility on the way out. From there, Nama suggests stealthily escaping the castle and quickly riding out of the city to the safety of Doro's castle, unsure who she can still trust in her own empire.

With Empress Nama and her surviving courtiers added to the retinue, it's time to ride back to the Flowerlands -- and hope you aren't chased by rebels along the way.

ESCORT ▸ EMPRESS YOUMI.
It takes half a week to travel from the Empire of the Crashing Wave to Doro's castle in the Flowerlands. Youmi and two advisors ride in a carriage, with an entourage of royal guards on horseback in front and behind; those in Ophelia who choose to escort this group will either be on foot or must find a mount themselves.

The journey is peaceful, allowing for time to make camp by forested hot springs and in farmhouses (in which case Ophelia might need to sleep outside, depending on the size) along the way. The Sea Clan guards are open to idle chatter with the foreigners, curiously discussing cultural differences and indulging in quick lessons in archery.

Everything seems to be going smoothly until the entourage enters Flowerlands territory and is confronted by a winged spirit of the forest, angered by all the recent bloodshed in his home. There is no time to talk; the spirit does not wish to negotiate, only to stop the crew from moving any further into his territory by any means possible.

The spirit calls the creatures of the forest to his aid, controlling them as if they are under some sort of spell. Ogres, imps, bears, and wolves are the most worrisome among his helpers. His own attacks come from the sky, diving down to slash at his victims with exceptional speed. Those archery lessons will come in handy here, because ranged weapons are most effective against him as long as he remains in flight. He can take an astounding amount of hits, and once he is weakened, will land on the ground to fight in close quarters.

Once he is finally defeated, his spell on the forest animals is broken, and even the most aggressive of them scatter. His feathers are black, but up close, seem iridescent in the light, differentiating them from a common bird's. Youmi's guards suggest everyone take a feather to prove they felled a legendary beast.

GUARD ▸ FLOWERLANDS CASTLE.
Until the empresses and their escorts arrive, it's very uneventful at Doro's castle. It's a smart idea to keep an eye out in case someone hears about the summit and tries to interfere, but so far, things seem to be peaceful. Take the time to bolster defenses, relieve a guildmate of guard duty, or explore the castle.

▸ THE SUMMIT

Youmi and her entourage reach Doro's castle first, her royal guards immediately making a sweep of the castle and the grounds to ensure there is no danger lying in wait. Once the castle is cleared, Doro and Youmi disappear into a guarded room to begin discussions. Youmi's advisors are left out of this initial meeting, making now the perfect time to start some discussions of your own.

Days later, Nama's retinue arrives, and Doro and Youmi (and the rest of her entourage) meet her at the castle gates. The two empresses step cautiously forward to meet each other, bowing politely. Moments later, Doro steps forward to gather Nama into a hug, which she gladly returns, giggling like the young girl she is. She's had a rough time, which she quickly explains to Doro, and asks if she can first have a bath and a moment to breathe. Doro and Youmi are more than willing to give it to her after hearing her experience.

Doro tells Ophelia they have their run of the castle until dinner tonight, when Doro, Youmi, and Nama will all be together in the same room with the team. Sounds like the perfect time to propose a plan, so you'd better finish up discussions about what to do! There's a bit of a time limit.

▸ OOC NOTES

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.

▸ Up now:

Proposal submissions and voting, due 21 February 23:59 UTC.
Uniform Design Contest, submissions due 28 February 23:59 UTC. Gamewide voting will be in March.

▸ Coming next:

Formal proposal arguments begin 22 February.
March calendar on 24 February.
February AC begins 1 March and lasts through 5 March. Please review our activity requirements to ensure you have the correct amount of proofs!

▸ Bounty Board ▸ Items Page ▸ General Plotting ▸ February Calendar

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[ there's a brief moment that makes it appear like bellamy blake hadn't heard her, until: ]

Yeah.

[ was he meant to take it as a joke? they'd removed his funny bone somewhere in the caves of mount weather. he sounds so grave, without an ounce of humour in it. despite his impatience, bellamy doesn't shift on his feet. conversation, regardless of whether it's a joke or if it's serious, seems to be grounding him. ]

[ with a touch of humour: ] Usually it isn't me that's scaring them. What about you?

[ of course, the question is when can war be good? but their father is their father, and as the god of war, he's shown that there's a time and a place for every battle. ]

I thought I'd leave the politics to someone else for a change. There's not much no goodness to get up to when both parties seem willing to listen to solutions to make this place better.

Of course that doesn't mean that I won't be needed.

You'd be surprised at how many people see a creature and all they wonder is if it's edible or not.

[Poros, the ultimate creature of how does its skeleton even work. Regardless of where Yusuke pets it the poro seems pleased, wobbling closer and flopping its side like a puppy.]

No, it's a creature from my world. Brought it on the mission to keep an eye on it. It'd eat out an entire kitchen if no one bothered to watch it.

[He can fix this. Maybe. If he gets lucky.]

While I'm certain that would solve the problem, I can't say jingling everywhere I go wouldn't drive me mad.

[Making noise and sniping things doesn't sound like a good mix either.

He holds up his hands, hey now don't you scold him. He's done nothing wrong... Just murdered a bunch of animals.]

I've been here? Well, I assisted with getting Youmi here, but we arrived a few days ago.

Huh? No, don't worry about it, but... that's some story.

[ Maybe this was some kind of religious thing? There were people who cut themselves off from the world, after all, and oops wait they usually called those groups 'cults'.

BOY HE REALLY HOPED THAT WASN'T THE CASE. ]

Did ya like your village?

The last thing I need is some human man telling me what I am able to do.

[It's hard to tell which of those words sounds more disgusted... but it's probably "man".]

If you say so.... [Maybe it was faking it.... or it went back to the spirit world, she isn't 100% on how it works here]

W-Well! If you ever get hurt, you can call me. I'll take care of it.

[Even if he is a creepo]

[shit the popo's onto her]

Why would I have to deny such a ludicrous accusation? Does this look like the face of a thief to you, Mr. Blake?

[Cue her absolute best innocent face. Look at this, this is the genuine article. The real deal!!! Surely, he'll come to see the error of his ways and admit that yes, she can do no wrong. Absolutely.]

The mountain clan has enough members willing to die for their honor to take their own Empress' castle. To them, this is their land, their ancestor's land.

[And she supposes he won't know what that means. Even the human members of this team didn't seem to understand it like she did... and the mountain clan's people made far more sense to her than the sea clan's.]

Something to convince them to give up on that...

[She only has one idea, and even then.]

[Wow he's not a--yes he is. He's driving that point home with how he glances down at her like he just noticed something special.]

Are you a sentinel? Or something else?

I'm sure it'll be fine.

[Not like he can back out of the plan now, not that he wants to. The less wildlife they have to deal with the better. The sooner they can fully focus on that stupid spirit.

Jhin focuses as the creatures come charging towards them, magical roots snaking up from the ground and encircling the beasts. It requires more concentration than making flowers grow, but it's manageable for now. Keep them in a confined space, and possibly get some tangled up, and hopefully that's enough for them to be finished off.]

Well now's the time to go at it.

Do you believe what has been proposed will be successful? [ She's still forming her opinions — so the question comes from a place of curiosity. Watching him carefully, though something about the way that he says "heated" catches her attention. ]

... I hope no one was injured.

We are the ones suggesting a solution — if she saw how willing we were to pose a threat... [ Again, it would be effective, if nothing else. ]

We would have to word it ... carefully.

No.

[ She jiggles the screwdriver, seemingly trying to get it to turn a latch. It's not going just yet. She tries again. ]

Children on Jakku are hard to scare, and there aren't many in the Resistance. This girl is lucky. Being afraid means she felt safe to start with. [ The lock clicks and turns. She straightens, pulling the door open. ] There.

[ HOO BOY, trying to answer both their questions (though 2B didn’t ask a question, necessarily, Simon knows where she’s going with ‘it sounded pretty personal’. ] The idea of marriage is that you fall in love with someone first. Where I came from, at least. Political marriages are... different. They’d be marrying somebody they don’t know that well to save their empire.

[ It feels a little weird for this to potentially be the first example of marriage that two androids whose own lives were created with a preordained purpose will see, especially when Simon’s already mentioned to them that he thinks their own situation is fucked up for that exact reason. ] I don’t usually like the idea of arranged marriage, but- they seem to like each other. It could work.

[ :^);;?? ]

[ it's okay, simon, you're doing your best. 2B is glad he got what she meant without having to explicitly say it - mostly because love feels like something she shouldn't be talking about.

She'd be lying if she said she totally understands this, but she gets the gist. Probably. Marriage is clearly a significant agreement to humans - different from a normal alliance, anyway. ]

Then it's like 9S says. We're depending on them to pick their people over their own feelings.

[ that sounds very reasonable to her. It's almost like she picks her duty over her feelings all the time!!! ]

More or less.

[ 2B’s characteristic monotone while she says this doesn’t mean what it would coming from a human, nor do the implications of the statement itself, for that matter, but Simon is still totally uncomfortable with this sentence. ] There’s no perfect solution. None of this should even be happening to them. But they don’t have to do it, either — they can say no, and then we’ll have to come up with... something else.

[ whatever that would be ???? ]

But arranged marriages are normal here. I think it’ll work. I hope. It’s not that out there.

[ RIGHT?

this is already a very philosophically complicated conversation, and not even the kind Simon usually has. ]

Edited 2018-03-01 06:21 (UTC)

[ Ha ha ha... ]

You don't have to put it like that, 2B...

[ 9S' tone is a touch flat, in that "oh, jeez, not this again" way—in case Simon couldn't tell this is more of a 2B thing he's unfortunately grown entirely too used to and not a general android thing. While he's always been one to reject the idea of suppressing one's feelings, he still doesn't find himself opposed to the plan. It's different in this scenario, isn't it? Granted, the road to love is a complicated, nonsensical one 9S doesn't think he's able to traverse well; for all he knows, there's the possibility of it going south. ]

The empresses themselves don't seem like they're bad people, though. They might be desperate enough to work with it if they're actually interested in saving their countries.

[ So, yeah, he's still riding on the thought it'd be ridiculous for them to turn it down. ]

... That was not the impression I had. [ After a beat of silence, as she furrows her eyebrows ( sorry Bellamy, your attempt at a joke went to the worst person imaginable ). She genuinely looks concerned, because no one should be looking this haggard all the time?? Bellamy definitely has looked better??

The possibility that it could be a joke does land, however, just a moment too late. She seems to blink at the realization, and decides that... moving on is the best option ( her ears turn red, but surely he doesn't see that with her mess of a hair ). ]

I suppose it's been ... better. [ To say the least. She can feel the exhaustion practically yelling at her to sit down — but she ignores it. ] There's still much to be done, unfortunately.

[ and, naturally, she doesn't see a problem with what she said at all. At least Simon doesn't judge her, 9S!! ]

I didn't "put it" like anything. I was stating a fact.

[ 2B sounds mildly exasperated with him in return, but she's used enough to his unneeded commentary that it doesn't warrant more than a brief glance his way. ]

They're leaders - they should want to stop their people from dying. [ beat. She really has a lot of questions about the whole marriage thing, but they feel inconsequential and silly, and she's not used to asking things out of simple curiosity, unlike her partner. ] A bloodless solution like this seems like the obvious choice. Why didn't they come up with it on their own?

Neither of them even knew how to approach each other until recently. I can’t really blame them. How do you strike up a conversation with somebody who just appeared out of nowhere saying you stole their job?

[ 2B and 9S make it sound as weird as Simon should have expected, but oh well. He watches Pod 042 float above 2B’s head. It’s actually kind of zen. Like a fishtank in a dentist’s office. ] Oh yeah, how was the trip? I heard bits and pieces about it. Weird ones.

[Oh. Oh.]

Forgive me. I do not mean to condescend, Hayame-san.

[Did his speech patterns suddenly shift toward the more humble and respectful? You bet it did.]

I merely speak out of concern. [He even bows!!! If he gotta kowtow to make u take care of urself girl he'll fuckin do it.]

[ It isn't a question 9S has the answer to, either. For some reason, there wasn't a resolution both rulers could accomplish on their own; that's why Ophelia's presence was required, after all.

Luckily, it's a query that remains rhetorical, as humans continue to be confusing creatures and "marriage" only makes slightly more sense than before. Simon swiftly moves topics, and fortunately it's one 9S can answer a lot more easily than ones of politics and romantic relations. He leans back where he's seated, folding both arms over his chest. ]

It got kinda weird, but I'd take it over the hostage situation you guys had on your hands.

[ They're both... so tired... of fighting humans. ]

[Well, she isn't about to argue that one. He was strong for a human.

She's content to leave it there, to focus on her work... but of course, he asks a question. (Why did everyone always ask so many questions?)]

When I was old enough to grip one properly.

[So... five, perhaps? Four?]

[ He doesn't—the entire concept of having ancestors is completely alien to him. ]

Beats me. [ It's stupid, if you asked him. ] Maybe it's better to leave human business to humans. I know I can't make heads or tails of most of it.

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EVENT ▸ DIPLOMACY

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