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

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Yeah, yeah, got it.

[poe is like okay i guess we're just gonna go our separate ways ... the same way???? and is content to walk away and not talk to him again...

until he notices kylo walking less with purpose and more like he's

oh yeah the horse that hates him. that's been some great in-flight entertainment.]

Looking for something? [you know what. he's just gonna go for it.] I could help you, if you wanted...

[Kylo Ren almost laughs at the idea of Poe helping him, but instead, he just looks over his shoulder with a minor glare. Time for him to put his credits where his mouth is.]

I didn't take you for a stablehand sort.

I grew up on a ranch.

[he says it so plainly, like, duh kylo ren. i am very qualified. did/does that ranch have horses??? no. but guess what: animals like him. a cat sat in his lap earlier. and he has practical knowledge. he clearly has this ~~or at least has it more than kylo does.~~]

[Disgusting, tbh. There was the fact that Kylo Ren was too proud to accept real help -- but the desire to not walk the rest of the way outweighs his desire to hang onto his pride.

And then, there was also the fact that he wanted to see Poe fail just as hard as he did.]

There is only one of them that doesn't shy from me.

[Good luck finding it in the herd.]

[walking back to camp. gonna find those horses.]

Do you have food?

[fact: animals like treats.]

[Treats. Right. In response, Kylo Ren reaches for his bag and pulls out a bag of rice, and a bit of wrapped goat jerky.]

Just this.

[well, at least there's that??]

Okay, yeah, that's good. You're trying to get it to come to you, right? So, you gotta go up to it, give it a treat, and then walk away. Don't make it feel cornered. It'll go after you because it wants more treats. It's like ... you gotta reward good behavior.

[There is a light analytical narrowing of his eyes as he absorbs the information he's given. Rewarding good behavior was a concept he understood, though one he had not employed very often. He glances down at the food and then searches again for his horse.

Sure enough, the herd turns his way when they hear the rustling of paper. A few of them turn and walk away once they pick up on Kylo Ren's aura. A majority of them stay where they are. But one larger mare eventually steps out to inspect the pair of them.

Ren extends his arm with a piece of jerky, which is snapped up almost instantly. He takes a moment to glance at Poe, as if expecting some sort of punch line to occur before he turns and walks away from the horse.]

[poe will sort of hang out and walk with him, like??? he wasn't trying to punk him, okay. if kylo ren punks himself, that's his own fault. he wanted to prove how much better he is anyway, so punking him would be counterproductive. he's kinda looking behind them to see if the horse is following. and has properly gendered the horse now.]

Give her another treat, and then be nice. [don't be an asshole poe. you be nice. that's the struggle here. he wants to make a pithy comment like ~i know how hard that must be for you~ but stops himself. that almost broken wrist is still pretty fresh in his mind.] Like ... pet her. Scratch her. That kind of thing.

[Yeah, Poe gets a look when he offers the 'be nice' comment, but thankfully it seems that Kylo Ren is fairly dedicated to this 'not starting shit, at least in public' thing. He turns back to the mare and she extends her neck to take another piece of jerky.

And then Poe will bare witness to just now foreign being nice is to him. The pats he gives the horse are awkward, spaced, and end up in like five different spots on her neck. But thankfully, she is more interested in his bag of rice than she is in being offended at how she's being pet.]

You make a better stablehand than a pilot.

[And before Poe can comment on his snark, he mounts the horse he's managed to coax over.]

No, I suppose that is not a fair statement. I've not had ample opportunity to test that theory myself.

[He'd blown up the hanger and Poe's X-wing before they could properly dogfight, after all.]

[poe can't believe what he just saw with his own eyes. that level of awkwardness isn't surprising, but you can't look away from it.

anyway THEN kylo ren makes the stablehand comment. his expression reads as annoyed, at the very least. his next remark just piles on to it. blown up so many first order tie fighters and this it what he gets.]

There's still time for that.

Indeed. Perhaps our next escapade into the multiverse will be less...primitive.

[He glances down from the back of his horse. It would be easier to make a starship explosion look like an accident. But he doesn’t doubt Poe is thinking sometthing sinilar. They’ve cooperated enough for one day.]

Let us hope the rest of this mission continues without incident. The sooner we wed the empresses, the sooner we can leave.

[NO HE'S NOT THINKING SOMETHING SIMILAR BENJAMIN ELIZABETH SOLO BECAUSE HE'S NOT A SOCIOPATH LIKE YOU?? his eyebrows raise like "does he really think we're going to get into a dogfight here when i am clearly making an effort towards getting along this week???" but you know what. maybe poe is the one overreacting. maybe he just wants to ... go podracing. ("yipee" - anakin skywalker, a long time ago)

walking next to a horse is not as cool as riding one, but that's fine. whatever. and now he's distracted again.]

So you think they should get married?

[1: this is a better conversation topic than how he's pretty sure kylo ren is just waiting for the perfect opportunity to push him down a flight of stairs
2: of course kylo ren supports the stupid idea ]

Of course. It is the only solution that makes sense, beyond allowing the Mountain Clan to overrun the Sea Clan.

[He isn't going to ask why Poe isn't bothering with a horse himself 1. because being even taller than Poe is great and 2. because he doesn't care all that much.]

This is a traditionalist nation. A political marriage will demonstrate mutual interest in one another's success.

[walking: it's easier than having to fight a horse that hates u. /glances.

on some level he's like "yeah but ... maybe having a conversation about politics isn't the conversation i want to have with kylo ren?? as someone who has morals when he clearly has none?" but you know what. you know what. poe is incapable of stopping himself. just, in general.]

I don't think the people are gonna buy it. Not the ones causing all the trouble, anyway.

The troublemakers do not have to buy it. Once the majority is united, they can be dealt with separately.

[Like the First Order is doing with the Resistance. He doesn't say that, but he is definitely thinking it. The galaxy didn't care about their cause like they cared about the Rebellion.

Sooner or later, the galaxy would stop fighting.]

[he stays quiet and just sort of blinks to himself like yep. that is definitely how kylo ren would approach things. walked right into that one.]

Uh-huh. It'd be better if we could reach a solution that didn't involve dealing with people or forcing anyone into a loveless political marriage.

[shouldn't have said that. he knows the second it comes out of his mouth that he should not have said that because kylo ren is probably going to call him out on being a romantic chump and he would not be wrong.]

[Yup, he's definitely zooming in on that. Poe is rewarded with a scoff, short and slightly malicious. Even he isn't stupid enough not to pick up on it.]

Commander Dameron is a romantic.

[That explained a lot, actually. Poor idiot.]

They are rulers. Royalty. Politicians. They know their duty.

[It sounds like he's reciting something taught to him many years ago.]

[yep there it is. he doesn't even try to argue with it. that's how you know it's a Real Fact.]

I know it sounds stupid to you, but hear me out. They shouldn't have to sacrifice happiness for duty if there's a better way. That's all I'm saying.

Happiness is subjective. I am sure stopping this conflict will make them more happy than any romantic partner might.

[Coming from the sociopath, that's probably not a glowing endorsement, even if his point is sound enough. There's some deeper point about marriage being a symbol and not actually preventing you from meeting your needs in other ways, but Kylo Ren isn't about to start talking about that.

Especially not to Poe.]

If you have another way, then I suggest you propose it. As I see it, there are two viable options.

[1: he can see his point, but
2: it's kylo ren.

so he's just going to ... ignore it. yep. can't agree with something if you don't acknowledge it. that's how that works.]

What's the other viable option?

The Mountain Clan is permitted to obliterate the Sea Clan, leaving one viable ruler.

[There is an unspoken 'duh' somewhere in there.]

[ tries so hard not to roll his eyes. he really tries. and fails.]

Going to war isn't a "viable option" to preventing a war.

Preventing the war is a secondary mission objective. It is a more viable option over leaving with no progress at all. It would stabilize the world -- that is the concern here.

[He shrugs simply.]

Marriage is more agreeable, if not slower.

[he's still trying to take this in, incredulous. it's frustrating, but you know what? there are so many things in this world that he would pick a fight with kylo ren over. he's gotten into fights with people he's hated less over things that were far more petty. but he is trying to level up his critical thinking skills and therefore has decided

maybe this is not the hill he wants to die on. there's so much character growth on this day.]

Guess we'll have to agree to disagree. We'll see how the votes go later.

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sololoquy - 2018-02-26 22:18 (UTC) - Expand

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followhim - 2018-02-26 22:35 (UTC) - Expand

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