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.

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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!

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[Bortz is nothing if not prompt. It's not like that have a pressing schedule to work around here, anyway. They head out in search of the lab as soon as they're done messaging Sieglinde.

They find it without much trouble, the messy corner standing out in the otherwise elegant, tidy building, and approach the girl with a soldierlike poise and sternness. Their mutilated hand is covered with one of their long gloves from home, the glove's pinky flopping loosely if anyone looked closely enough.]

Sieglinde.

[It's still a kind of strange name in their mouth. But they haven't gotten tripped up on it yet, at least.]

Greetings, Bortz.

[Sieglinde waves him over once she catches sight of him. In her lap, an oval cosmetic tin that looks to be the work of sea clan artisans.]

Thank you for joining me here.

[hi mtv i'm sieglinde and this is my ~~crib~~ makeshift lab]

[Uncurious as ever, they barely spare the mess a glance. It irks at their efficient sensibilities, sure, but she apparently works just fine like this so whatever. They're hardly going to lecture someone who's doing their job as they should be, in a field Bortz knows nothing about themself.

Their dark eyes do catch on the little tin, though. She'd only said she has a solution to a "cosmetic" problem, so...]

Did you make a powder?

[Right to the point, unsurprisingly.]

[Well... she certainly can't fault him.]

That is correct!

[She picks up the tin and opens it, revealing a pale powder and applique within, holding it out for him to inspect or take.]

I used some of the native shellfish as a powder base, and with some modifications, I do believe I have managed to make it long-lasting and somewhat waterproof. I could not find a comparable organic to the plant you described from your world, but... it should do nicely for now.

[She'd tested it on the finger he'd left behind in her possession, and the results were encouraging.]

[They settle themself carefully on a seat -- it'd only taken one rather comical accident to realize the chairs here weren't meant for someone of their weight -- and tug the long glove off. The finger stump is distinctly neater than the last time Sieg saw it, thanks to some magical help from Maya in getting the tiny fragments reassembled. It was certainly convenient, but they'd feel most comfortable having multiple options in case she isn't available should they need fixing in the future.

The finger stump is ignore for now though, in favor of the spot Sieg had cleaned of powder at their elbow. With the deft motions of someone who has done this plenty of times, they brush her experimental powder over the spot until the coating is completely opaque.

It's impressive for something developed so quickly. Even the color is remarkably similar despite the completely different source materials. Bortz examines it critically for a moment, twisting their arm to inspect the coverage in different lights and then rubbing at it with a thumb to test the durability of it. Apparently satisfied, they nod.]

It should work.

[A pause. Is that...too brusque? They aren't unaware of their own faults, after all. Their expression is unreadable for a moment, and then they drop their gaze back to their arm and busy themself with powdering the empty spot on the other side of their arm.]

You know what you're doing.

[That's...kind of a compliment. Good job, you dumb rock.]

[Sieglinde practically holds her breath in excitement as Bortz takes the powder and begins to apply it, confident in a success after the comparisons she’d made to the makeup used on the fingers kept tucked carefully in the pouch she wears constantly at her waist. Matching the color had meant a lot or searching through seashells for the exact shade required, but- it had paid off!

And there was a certain high that came from solving these problems, whether they were medical, scientific, or magical. More than enough to prevent any sort of offense over Bortz’s brusque reaction. Of course she did these things to benefit her team members... but a small part of her knee she also did it for herself.]

I am glad! It look as proper as I had hoped when applied to larger areas-

[It took effort not to just grab his arm and examine closer, though she leans forward despite herself.]

Now that this is done, I shall redouble my efforts on the adhesive! I’ve had some promising results with this world’s tree resins but I am still working on how to break it down over time without using a second chemical wash-

[Bortz wordlessly angles their arm so she can see the results of her work better. They're quiet for a moment, frowning -- so, their default expression, but it's a thoughtful sort of frown here. They're certainly no scholar themself, and they definitely spent the least time in Rutile's lab of anyone. Their input is likely unnecessary.

But if it might be at all helpful, if it might aid in creating something reliable for emergencies...]

Someone else suggested I try a mix of tree sap and charcoal. It makes a solid enough paste, but it has to be heated and applied immediately before it cools so it's inconvenient.

[How considerate!]

I was admittedly aiming for something that could be used at room temperature for that very reason, but if you are alright with a compound that needs to be heated I could always create a few one-use heating mechanisms for you to carry with it?

[A sap and charcoal mix would be much easier to create, admittedly, and would save time... even if he certainly is right about the inconvenience of needing to heat it before it was used.]

That won't break down as organically, but, it is viable temporary measure. How long do you need the adhesive to last before your body repairs itself, again?

Easier is better.

[Should the situation ever come up, they might not have a second hand to manipulate both the heat and paste with. Or, in the worst case scenario, they might not even be conscious. And the smallest fragments are difficult to reassemble as it is without the paste being an issue as well.

They consider her question carefully, idly clenching and unclenching their damaged hand. Truth be told, they haven't often needed such relairs themself, sturdy and skilled as they are. The last time Rutile needed to patch them up was at least a century or two ago, and the details are hard to remember. It's easier thinking about the process as all the others handle it.]

It only takes a few days if it's the original material. Replacements take longer to join properly.

Edited 2018-02-28 14:08 (UTC)

Oh- you can splice in other materials? Do they have to be gem compounds?

[This just keeps getting even more interesting.

She's already pulling out her tablet from her bag, flipping the cover open to begin taking notes- albeit, in outdated High German. Confidential information and all that.]

I will keep pursuing a more easy to use formula in the mean time...

If the original is lost. It has to be a similar enough material for the inclusions to take to it.

[Oftentimes pretty hard to come by in large enough quantities, if at all. Of course, there's one absurd exception in their group, and Bortz frowns slightly to think of it.]

Usually.

"Usually"?

[She's too curious not to ask, peeking over the edge of her tablet.

She did have that recipe for artificial diamonds, after all... it would be sort of interesting to work with a large quantity... Not that... she was hoping he'd need such a thing at all...]

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EVENT ▸ DIPLOMACY

wildcarddd

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lord phone tag typos

i saw nothing

GOOD

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