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

That's not what I meant. A military victory isn't what she was seeking from the beginning. Hence: the letters. Nama doesn't need to show off here. She doesn't have any stability to call upon, and even going to war would just show precisely how weak she is.

Nama had every right from the very beginning to make a declaration against Youmi and her people. We intervened, but she had no reason to trust us. Think about that.

[Veronica thinks Nama is both desperate and wise. She knows the true fault of taking a nation like hers and throwing it into an unnecessary conflict.]

Fine, but we might have to put a muzzle on her when it comes to dinner.

I did research, but honestly, you refuse to take me at my word on that, so I figure we're done.

Oh, and avoid dinner. We don't need to be locked up because you decided to throw a tantrum in front of our fine Empresses about babies.

Forgive me for not taking you at your word, considering she's now threatened me multiple times and alluded to me being ... a "type" of some sort.

That was my thought on it. A very angry, agitating minority.

[ Leader of Cheers and Bringer of Hope. ]

No, [ she admits to the numbers remark, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. Not as yet, she means, but if they leave crucial matters unsettled, she fears they will fester. ] And if the people are angry, redresses can be sought. We can request a longer stay in Hanabira to observe, perhaps.

We shall see how closely the advisors hoard their empresses.

Were you aware of these sentiments when you came into power? Do you think we have a head start?

[The fact of the matter is that she works on a limited scale (even more limited than she even believes, as she thinks she knows the scale of her father's business). She can't really talk about how to handle rebels. She just knows they shouldn't leave until those sentiments have been identified.]

Doro isn't an Emperor for a reason. Trying to raise him up to be on equal level is like spitting in the face of this world's traditions. If anything, doing so diminishes the power of the women we're trying to help.

I admire your capacity and determination.

[Veronica is intelligent, but also incredibly stubborn from what he's seen. That certainly can be a mixed blessing indeed.]

I think our plan will work better than most. I've considered other options and they seem too delicate to attempt. I truly think we have the best method.

I think if we'd gotten here about two months before the festival incident, we could start talking about marrying off siblings. Tensions have escalated. It's a past tense matter now.

[And, believe it or not, she's been thinking about solutions from day one. She just had to understand this world's culture better.]

I thought much about it. Trying to determine a peace treaty at this point would also be risky; too many people are determined to name their empress the true ruler. I admire Doro's abilities, but if people cannot agree on one empress, they will unlikely accept him as their ruler. Both empresses seem sincere in their desire for a non-violent outcome, so it's difficult to favor one over the other.

Bringing unity with this marriage seems the strongest argument thus far. I am not eager for their discomfort, but it seems best.

Wow, you really hate her. Are all of your arguments about this stuff?

[ he is noticing that Veronica is very

passionate ]

HOSTAGE SITUATION.

It has been a long haul back to the Land of Celestial Mountains, and Peter isn't exactly delighted to be back — he much prefers the slightly less traditional culture of the sea clan — but by the time he arrives he's glad he decided to make the long haul back to the mountains. The situation at the capital is pretty dire, and while it often feels like a tossup whether his powers are a gift or a curse, he does think they'll be handy for infiltrating the palace.

Spotting another member of the team, he waits for the guard to return to bolstering the barricades before he steps in beside his teammate, catching their eye and then glancing toward the dark walls and tall surrounds of the palace. "I can hear the hostages inside the walls. There's a lot of them." It sounds like they're terrified, too, even though he can't hear exactly what is being said. Mostly just the panicked tones it is being said in.

"I think I can get us in," he whispers, scratching a spot on his neck as he tries to calculate the best route to take, "But it involves a piggyback ride." Sorry for this in advance???

EMPRESSIVE ESCAPE.

Could be a teammate he wallcrawled behind the defenses, it could be someone else entirely, but either way when Peter spots some backup he drops out of nowhere (literally nowhere unless you are quite perceptive, he was definitely just crawling around on the ceiling) without much in the way of warning.

"I think I found the empress," he declares in a sudden and urgent whisper. "Come on, we gotta get her outta here, before someone figures out we're in here." And urgently whispering is probably not helping them stay perfectly incognito....... Whoops. Especially because a second after he can hear the footsteps of a guard moving through the halls, and he drags his companion into a shadowed alcove with him, expression in a slight wince at his own lack of subtlety.

whoops. that was my bad... comes the message a few seconds later. should we wait it out or do you have a better idea?

REQUIRED DUMB PROMPT.

With the worst behind them, now it is a matter of transportation, and it turns out? Even if this is not the first time Peter has been expected to tolerate horseback riding, he is no better at it than he was before. After his mount decided to boldly ignore any and all commands, a member of Nama's retinue managed to go collect the spider and his disobedient horse, even though Peter had fallen out of his saddle and was basically just clinging to a horse flank praying he wasn't going to die.

"You!" The woman demands at a particularly capable looking member of Hathaway. "Ride with this child, lest he give away us all." The guard sends Peter another look of unrelenting scorn, before returning to her own mount. Peter is a little red in embarrassment, ruffling his hair and trying not to look at his babysitter.

"I'll just walk, maybe," he muses, as if he could even possibly get where he needs to go on foot before the dumb mission is over.

WILDCARD & OOC.

to better keep up and to make sure i get ac before month end, i need to limit each prompt to 2 responses. if you would really like to do something with me still, pm me or check me on plurk and we can chat/set up something for next month!

also it was just easier for me to get prompts up in prose, feel free to reply in action tags, i will respond in kind. (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و

She threatened me, Simon. It's not the look of someone reasonable, regardless of the argument at hand.

[Their arguments have been close to this, though, yes.]

I've said it before: this can't be something that's passed their attentions just because their advisors may argue for a different outcome.

Threatened you?

[ He glances over in Hayame’s direction warily. he wasn’t even 100% serious about the horse kicks. ]

You did not ride with Audentes. These arguments are tame.

[ She gives a wry smile. He's new. ]

It is important that many voices are heard. [ Gee, thanks, Queen Tryhard. ] Several have already agreed that heir proposals should be given. The empresses shall decide for themselves whether they favor our options. No one has made any choice for them.

one; ARCHERY

(a)

[It turns out that the Sea Clan’s guards are very, very good archers— with a style just different enough from his own to catch Kung Jin’s full attention during the slow march back to the Flowerlands. As soon as the camp’s stopped and broken away for friendly archery demonstrations, Jin falls right in line with the guards. He’s all too eager to join in on the practice: he can always use any honing of his own technique that he can get.

He’s easy to find, typically surrounded by a small number of guards eyeing his specialty bow with interest, or sinking arrow after arrow into the trees they’ve marked off as makeshift targets. (And yes, he’s very impressed with himself.)

Ophelia spectators receive either a wry nod of acknowledgment, or maybe even an invitation:]

I’ve got a spare bow, if you want to give it a shot.

[Youmi’s guards chatter happily, in clear agreement. They’ll peer pressure, watch out.]

(b)

[In the thick of the battle with the forest spirit, it’s complete, unfettered chaos. Jin, a Sea Clan guard with a bloodied arm, and a single member of Ophelia (das u) cover in a rocky outcropping at the mouth of an empty ogre’s den— the spirit hasn’t dive-bombed the little group just yet, but it hovers above, circling ominously.

Hopefully the archery practice was enough, because the guard’s shoving her bow into the stranger’s hands: she’s not going to be using that for a while.]

You know how to use that, right?

[Please tell him you know how to use it.]

two; THE SUMMIT

[Word from the other half of the team’s been sparse. As soon as Nama’s retinue arrives, Jin’s falling amongst his teammates for information.]

You all made i— oh, gods, you look like shit. Yikes.

[AT LEAST HE’S HONEST LMAO]

What happened to you all?

[And, glancing over at the exhausted Empress that’s being ushered into the castle—]

And to her?

three; WILDCARD

[hit jin up at any time during the escort mission!! if u wanna plot anything specific hit me up on fyrestone#2955 on discord, by pp on

smithsyndicate, or by PM.]

■ I. ESCORTING YOUMI; PORO PROBLEMS

[Foot travel is nothing new for Jhin, and he certainly has no qualms about it unlike some. Being one of the escort group without a mount is fine by him, though he does appreciate the break when they finally stop for the night. It's almost reminiscent of his time in Zhyun, how he misses those days sometimes.

He finds a place away from the fires and people to have some time to himself and rest if his mind will allow it. That is until a shake of his bag draws his attention.]

No.

[Before anything else can be said a small ball of white fur is clambering out and into Jhin's lap, leaving the man looking somewhat irritated.]

I thought you were sleeping... Would you just get back in the bag.

[He catches sight of you, but offers nothing more than an impassive stare before turning away. Listen he's about to have an all out argument with a poro, you don't want to see this.]

■ II. IT ISN'T MURDER IF IT'S SPIRITS AND ANIMALS

[While Jhin doesn't expect the trip to go smoothly, not with the way the rest of the mission's been going, he isn't expecting an angry forest spirit. A world so out of balance would make for a wonderful opera, but there's no way he'd get away with such things. Besides at the end of the day his current employers expect a certain outcome from this mission, one he can't mess up if he wants to play things smart.

Its screams cry out enraged by everything that's been happening, and Jhin darts to grab a bow. Bows are not his strong suit, but he knows how to use them and it's a much better alternative to his other option. Whisper. The perfect choice for anything airborne or at a distance, but he can't, not with as many witnesses as there are. A magic gun is not something he wishes to try and explain.

A few arrows manage to fly before he's forced to dance out of the way of a rampaging bear. Murder is especially frowned upon, but certainly he can't be faulted for killing wildlife. It's not the ideal cast, but it's been far too long since he allowed his compulsions to take hold. Spirits and wildlife, he can make do with this.

With his free hand he pulls out his dagger, kill the bear first, then the spirit and whatever else happens to get in his way.]

■ III. WILDCARD

[Plotting post here. If there's something else you wanna do, throw it at me, or hit me up (twasbrillig) if you want a closed starter thingy.]

[Holding his ground is easier than keeping up with her as she paces. His eyes should be on the surrounding countryside, but they follow her instead.]

You took her back without injury? [He means the collective 'you', though he's concerned about her as well.]

Without any deaths.

[She shakes her head, tossing another handful of water over her flanks.]

The magicians made the rest as if it never happened.

[Which... doesn’t explain the bruises on her right arm or the mud poultice on her left rump, half dissolved by sweat and reopened blood. But by “the rest” she means... people who were for some reason totally okay with strangers taking momentary control of their body and forcing it to do unnatural things.]

And that is excuse to not attempt to head off rebellion where it seems more obvious?

You have another thing coming, girl, if you think for a single second that you have the right to order me.

[She was actually considering not going just out of distaste for what she thinks will occur- but she’ll definitely be there now.]

Unfortunately, there isn't one. Given the current political climate, even marriage will cause a dramatic shift in how things are viewed by the people. There's no simple solution, and it's naive to think there is.

As Rey-san pointed out, Nama-san's situation is precarious. Her own people might see her running to the Sea Clan as a betrayal. Whatever needs to be done needs to consider the feelings of both the Empresses and their individual peoples. The status quo will change, regardless, and suggesting an alternate form of government might do more than simply delay an inevitable crash.

And I never said the empresses ought not cooperate.

I will not repeat myself again.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 9 of 49

EVENT ▸ DIPLOMACY

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

peter parker / tasm

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

kung jin | mkx | open (youmi escort)

Khada Jhin ■ League of Legends

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject