EVENT ▸ DIPLOMACY

[futurologists]

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

Comments

[sololoquy]

They do, if one misplaced bolt will end their life in the vacuum of space.

[That was probably supposed to be a joke. Stick to your day job, Kylo.

The discussion of whether or not passion was admirable was an entirely separate conversation. Its just more proof that Rey never would have survived trying to be a Jedi. That's probably not something she wants to hear.

So for once, he keeps his mouth shut.]

Hathaway will give him plenty of outlets, should he choose to focus on them.

[He doesn't sound very convinced of that. Poe was too dedicated to the war at home. It'd taken Kylo nearly two years to let go of it even slightly himself.]

[forcevisions]

[ She's visibly puzzled by his joke in the way that looks like she maybe has no idea what he's trying to contribute with that. But he carries on, so it probably wasn't the threat it sounded like?? Rey knows by now what Ben looks like when he's trying to pick a fight. If anything, the expression he wears for a moment there is the one where he sidesteps a fight. It doesn't quite add up, but Rey sets it aside. Just not gonna do that. One day she'll figure out his busted ass Dollar General sense of humor.

Which leaves them in a sort of silence that's not quite awkward but is dry of conversation topics that aren't searched out. She reaches for her towel instead. ]

I was on my way to the baths. If I want to make it before dinner, I should get going. [ Like honestly she is kind of dirty and sweaty from the trip. She right. It's more apparent next to him being all wet and clean and previously shirtless. Which she isn't thinking about at all. ]

[sololoquy]

[Right. Dinner.

He straightens instinctively, reaching for the now cold cloth he'd brought out to the terrace with him. He does not blame her for desiring a bath -- that's what he'd done shortly before coming out to the terrace. Though it feels odd to be following that train of thought, and he promptly clears his throat to rid himself of it.

If Rey found him out here, it was only a matter of time before someone else wandered by to comment. So he nods through his awkwardness.]

Right. Until dinner, then.

[forcevisions]

[ For a moment there she looks him over in silent consideration. Her expression while she does is mostly inscrutable, in part because there's a lot going on in that single look. It's like now that they're parting, she's reevaluating the interaction to figure out what's appropriate for excusing herself. And in rolling back through it, she winds up confronted with an acute and uncomfortable awareness of his state of undress when she'd come in. Unwelcome, given the timing and the way she's excusing herself.

There's a lot to unpack there that she does not want to unpack, basically.

But mostly it's the Thrawn conversation and the hand-holding that she fixes on, and in that way, her attention lingers on his hand on the railing, and then she blinks quickly and drops her gaze entirely to the center of the planet where she now wishes she could bury herself away from the uncomfortable feeling in her gut. ]

I'll keep in mind what you said about Thrawn. [ That's what she settles on. This is what she has to cap this interaction off with. No acknowledgment of hand-holding or general flustered reactions or any of that. Just … thanks for the tip. And a hasty retreat back out the way she came. ]