lifeaftr | September Intro: Knowledge is Hot Water on Wool

INTRO LOG: SEPTEMBER

Who: Everyone!
What: The Storyteller makes use of their first offering, and new souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: September 2nd
Where: Ensō...and surrounding lands
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Part I: New Arrivals
You probably didn’t last fall asleep on the warm spit of white sand that you find yourself, but nonetheless, that is where you awaken. There’s the hush of waves lapping up against the edges of the beach and the soft chill of a coastal breeze stirring at your surroundings, but the place is, all things considered, quite peaceful. The sun is merciless as it reflects across the glittering spread of seawater that surrounds you on three sides.

Three sides.

You’re on an island, if a rather small one. It can’t be much more than a mile across at the height of its length, and what’s more, it’s dotted with small, straggling outcrops of stone buildings that look as though they may have once been used for shelter of some sort or another, now weather beaten and wind-blasted. If you peer into the distance, it will rapidly become clear that you are on one small islet of a grouping of five. Battered bridges of wood-and-rope swing precariously between each one, joining them in a rough circle.

What’s more is that you aren't alone. You'll find that you have one or two companions waking on the islet alongside you, and each will discover a knapsack with their name stitched to the front, containing a paltry number of items, along with any rewards you may have accrued. There's probably a way off these islets, and a means of accessing the shadowy lump of a mainland that rears up in the distance, maybe two miles across the stretch of sea...but what is it?

We do recommend treading carefully, and not simply embarking on a poorly-advised mission to swim all the way there. A school of tiger-sharks have begun to stir up the waters surrounding the islets, hungry for fresh meat. They are at least edible - if you can succeed in taking one down, that is. If you do not, don’t worry: at least you have shelter. Very dilapidated, ruined, half-crumbled shelter that will hardly serve as protection against wind and rain, but surely that's better than no shelter at all, right?

As a final note to those who participated in the Test Drive Meme, bear in mind that those threads, if all parties involved would like, can be game canon in the form of dream-like memories involving a place very much like this one, though the layout is considerably different.

Part II: Old Souls
A floral, faintly bitter tang rings about the air of the ruined temple this morning. As you rise, you may find a familiar scene: a rabbit with snow-white fur, crouched nearby a dilapidated pillar, thumping their foot impatiently. They look to you, or perhaps they are addressing the room as a whole when they say:

"Ah. Finally. First, I must thank you for fulfilling your end of our transaction - your stories have done their job. Thus, it is time for me to fulfill mine. I've arranged something for you all. I’m aware that in many worlds there is a poor association with following white rabbits, so perhaps you would find the flowered path more enticing." The Storyteller shifts their gray tome from one paw to the other, giving a great leap across the fallen pillar. "Now, what I am about to grant you…there are procedures, of course. You must follow the instructions to begin with. And then, well - you need a place to go. You needn’t even need a name, specifically. The power will know. Simply be sure to tell it."

The rabbit sniffs and flicks an ear. "Just remember what I ask: no bathing, please. For all's sake."

And then they bound off into the darkness, disappearing just before the shadows engulf them wholly.

Indeed, where the dust-trodden ground gives way to grass, a sparse growth of white flowers have blossomed, winding wildly through the growth and leading around the temple’s exterior.

Those who find fit to follow the Storyteller's suggestion will find, first, that the path of flowers leads them to an outcropping of stone that overlooks the great cove formed by Ensō’s landmass. In the distance, just short of the ocean’s horizon, a white scatter of islets sit in the blue-jade waters. Those certainly hadn’t been there before, had they? Intrepid explorers, be patient: the path of flowers doesn't end here. In fact, it veers off cleanly in the direction of the mana pool behind the Storyteller's ruins.

Upon arriving at the pool, characters will find that the narcissus flowers have bloomed in full and prolific splendor around its edges, filling the humid air with a thick scent of bitter hay and honey. Upon a great slab of stone rising from the edge of the pool, a strange limerick seems to have been engraved:

A flower once loved above all,
The hubris of his mirror-thrall.
Were he water-lily!
Yet fate wet and pithy,
Narcissus, what a fate to befall.
No other instructions appear to have been left other than this cryptic rhyme. Should characters solve this riddle, however, they will find themselves engulfed in a flash of blinding white light, given the briefest sensation of falling…

Followed by the familiar vision of Ensō looming in the distance. Quite far out, in fact. Their surroundings have dramatically shifted from a lush jungle to an almost barren island, surrounded on its sides by four nearly identical islets. It would appear that any characters who use the mana pool have been randomly transported to one of the five islets appeared overnight. Other than a nearly identical mana pool lapping at their feet, it would seem that - aside from weather-worn, dilapidated shacks and shelters - these islands don’t have much on them at all.

Except, perhaps, new faces.

Feeling a tad adrift? Make sure to check the Locations Page, which has details regarding the starting areas and a handy map for those who feel better with a bird's eye view!

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Jamil has picked through the ruined buildings, though he's yet to find anything of value. Not a single bottle cap or bobby pin to be found. This is really not his day; he's so far from home, half his stuff is missing, his Pip-Boy doesn't work, and he's lost his dog.

When a child approaches him, he's reminded, idly, of the dream he had about that girl -- Buddy. If Hinata is here, then she might be here too. Which means they are now at two too many kids.

Granted, Buddy can hold her own. This new well-spoken child seems calmer, more experienced than he might expect any random child out of Freeside to be in this situation, too.

Jamil's never been too good with kids, but it's a good a time as any to start practicing.]

Just today. You been here a while?

Edited 2017-09-02 21:07 (UTC)

I'd hazard a guess at a month, give or take.

[If things worked like clockwork in a similar fashion to one castle in the mist, then these new arrivals were sound indication of how much time has passed.

At the least, most of them seem prepared to deal with such an environment. The more people proved capable of that, the more potential that someone here could be of use.]

That being said, these islands are new.

What, they just sprang up out of the ocean?

[He regards them with disbelief, but they have no reason to be lying.]

There must be some kinda mechanism that hid them below water level before. If they can appear, they can disappear.

[The word "magic" doesn't even cross his mind. There's got to be a logical explanation, okay. More importantly...]

Where'd you veterans come from, anyway? That big island? Is there more food there?

[He's got that bag of nuts, and that... mysterious candy bar that he's yet to investigate further, but aside from the big toothy fish he hasn't seen any wildlife, nor were there any leftovers forgotten in the ruined shacks. He could fashion a spear with his knife and Hinata's hatchet, but the less dangerous his edibles are, the better.]

Who knows. No one saw them arrive.

[He can believe them or not, but his guess is as good as theirs, really. They eye him off with a newfound understanding, however, smile spreading.

Oh, he's in for a shock, isn't he?]

We did, correct. And there is plenty of food...would you like me to lead the way?

[Well, isn't that nice of them? Offering up food. Guess they're not much like Buddy at all. Far friendlier, for one.

Now, Jamil hasn't noticed any boats, but clearly there's a way to get to the larger island. He nods.]

Yeah, sure. Go ahead.

[He gestures an "after you".]

Of course.

[A polite bow, and Chara begins to lead the way. Just as he'd already presumed, there doesn't seem to be a boat at all. Not a one, for all of the people congregated here. The child instead leads him across a bridge to the middle of one such islet, coming to a halt in front of on, unerringly round pool of water.

And then they start picking flowers.]

Hold this, please. [They say, offering him one, freshly picked piece of flora.]

[Okay, where the fuck are they going with this? Jamil's trust only extends so far, and the more unease he's starting to feel about the whole situation, the less inclined he is to believe they weren't lying to him after all.

Fuck, if they are attempting to lead him to his death, he's gonna have to kill a kid. That's not gonna be fun, if it happens.

He just narrows his eyes at the flower, apprehensive. But he takes it.]

Stop to smell the flowers?

[Oh come now; they're hardly going to kill him with a flower.

It takes way more than just the one to die.]

Hardly; if you would be so kind as to copy my actions, sir.

[There is a moment- just a moment, in which their smile turns devious. Then they're turning on their heel, and walking away from him. At the edge of the pool, they raise their hand- and in a casual motion, as if they did this on the daily, they drop it in.

Near immediately, green, swirling light emits from the waters. The child doesn't hesitate. A single step forwards?

And they're gone.]

[Their smile... Something's going on here.

And then they disappear.

What the fuck.]

What...

[They said to copy their actions. This wasn't them leading him to his death, not necessarily, this was really them showing how they got to the islets.

By... throwing a flower in a pool of water?

Jamil takes a hesitant glance down at the flower in his hand and, dammit. He just goes for it. He tosses the flower in.

Then, everything goes white. He's overtaken by a sudden fear, the sort of stomach dropping terror that he hasn't felt in a long while.

He's somewhere else, now -- observant enough to note the change in the flora -- and he stumbles forward, clutching his stomach.]

Fuck. Fuck.

[He needs a minute to catch his breath.]

[And at a careful distance, Chara laughs at him. It is entirely at his expense; the humor of a child who knew their trick would have the intended reaction which made it all just too. easy.]

Mercy me, I may have forgotten to mention.

Magic is very real in this place, sir. You'll have to adjust to its usage. [The smile on their face is perfectly innocent, in every way.] Terribly sorry.

September Intro: Knowledge is Hot Water on Wool

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