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epidemiology2018-02-17 04:33 am
futurologists) wrote in epidemiology2018-02-17 04:33 am
Entry tags:
- ! plot,
- aloy (horizon zero dawn),
- bellamy blake (the 100),
- daenerys targaryen (asoiaf),
- fiona (borderlands),
- giovanni (dogs: bullets & carnage),
- hayame (jinba),
- jason grace (camp half-blood chronicles),
- jin kung (mortal kombat),
- keith (voltron),
- khada jhin (league of legends),
- laphicet (tales of berseria),
- lucina (fire emblem: awakening),
- rey (star wars),
- rhys (borderlands),
- scott summers (marvel comics),
- shouta aizawa (my hero academia),
- simon jarrett (soma),
- veronica lodge (riverdale),
- wylan van eck (grishaverse),
- yusuke urameshi (yu yu hakusho)
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.  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 NAMANama 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.  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.  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:
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3
What the fuck? runs through his mind but thankfully doesn't make it out of his mouth. The human half looks exhausted, and Yusuke focuses on that and not the whole...rest of what's happening here. ]
You okay?
[ He doesn't see any blood, which implies this is an emotional situation. Yusuke's already uneasy about it, but it's too late to turn and run even if he were inclined to do that. ]
no subject
She wasn't the most social creature. At the sound of being hailed she jerks herself back upright, quickly wiping sweat from her forehead and neck, smoothing her disheveled mane and trying to act as if her slim equine ankles weren't quivering.]
I am fine.
[Just ignore the very obvious stomach gurgle coming fro the horse half.]
no subject
[ rudeness.... ]
Do you want to sit down?
[ Can she sit down? Yusuke really isn't good at this. Where's Kuwabara when you need him? ]
I know where the kitchen is, by the way.
[ Since solving a problem with either a clumsy attempt at comfort or by offering food is literally Yusuke's only known approach. ]
no subject
To which Hayame response with only a glare that could truly wither flowers, too tired to actually muster a rebuke, both sets of lungs expanding in short heaves, shaking a back leg out both to try and stop the cramping and to get the lather of sweat off.]
Where?
[She'll focus on the useful part.]
no subject
This way. Come on.
[ Though what is he going to do if she falls over? Yusuke has this thought and then discards it. She isn't going to collapse. It's fine, clearly. ]
I hear it's all you can eat so we should probably get a move on. Some of our team look like they can do some damage at a buffet.
[ This is actually a compliment even if it sounds incredibly backhanded. ]
no subject
And she can definitely decimate a buffet.]
Very well.
[Her legs are trembling from overuse, but she doesn't stumble or fall, pulling her mane off her neck to try and cool herself.]
no subject
You feel like telling me what happened out there?
[ Who doesn't like bragging about a fight? That has to be what's gotten her all worked up. ]
no subject
[If it sounds cold, like a report, it's because that's all she feels like giving. Her personal thoughts on the matter... well. The mountain clan and their culture made far more sense to her than any she'd encountered with ALASTAIR or Hathaway. Made far more sense to her than the sea clan's, even.
But she had already heard what people in this "team" thought about that culture. And she doesn't have the strength to argue it's justification any longer. Not now.]
no subject
She's gotta get better security.
[ As if that's the foremost of Nama's problems. ]
Was it a good fight?
[ Mildly, curiosity lighting his face. ]
no subject
[It's definitely one of her problems. Hayame would have had to offer her head in the wake of such a disgrace, and yet they had milled about in the town afraid to take the castle. Dishonorable. Weak.
At that question, though, Hayame raises a brow, unsure of his meaning.]
"Good"?
no subject
[ There's a lot of more descriptive language that Yusuke could have resorted to in getting his point across. He knows exactly how Hiei would have elaborated. He shrugs, a little clumsily considering the position of his hands, as he continues. ]
Were they good fighters? Or were they weak?
no subject
There were a lot of meanings to such a word, but Hayame cannot find any of them to be proper for this situation. There was nothing good about firing on people that she actually understood- the mountain clan and their culture was far closer to her own than any other world they'd visited. There was nothing good about fighting people whose strength was negligible to hers.]
They were rebel guard and townsfolk, mostly. Human.
[... so. Weak.]
no subject
So does that mean we could go in and just clear them out? If there so weak and all.
[ But Yusuke's idea of problem solving from the beginning of this mission has been to punch things. ]
no subject
[So though they were weak... they might have the high ground, and now, time to prepare for an actual assault, as opposed to the surprise they once had that allowed them to sneak in to free the Empress.]
no subject
[ The entire group together could knock out a few rebels. Yusuke's been itching for a chance to get his hands dirty there since the initial kerfuffle in the Flowerlands. ]
We can figure it out after everyone eats.
[ Because he's hungry again, and they're close enough to smell the scent of food. ]
Can you eat at a table?
[ Just curious. ]
no subject
She had a more pressing issue to deal with.]
No.
[She was too tall standing up, and too short when laying down.]
But that is little concern.
[She'd just. Stand somewhere near a table.]