lifeaftr | October Intro: Louder than Sirens, Louder than Bells

INTRO LOG: OCTOBER

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: October 3rd
Where: Ensō
Warnings: Mark as needed!

The Beach: For All the Rest
The shores of Ensō are far from the tranquil, almost idyllic tropical backdrop that they should be. And so it is that while you fish, or perhaps as you go about your daily business on the islets, the first thing you will note is the persistent sound hammering at the back of your skull.

A drumming.

And it's growing louder.

The source of the drumming will, like it or not, soon become apparent. At the fringes of the trees, wielding slings and hollow, wooden pistols, is a group of large and very displeased simians who have every intent of claiming this spot of beach - yes, traveler, this spot of beach you're standing on right now! - for their own, and by any means necessary.

And they certainly don't look interested in diplomacy.

If you came armed, you might be in luck, because this conflict will require your steady hand in its resolution. If you did not...well, you may be better suited to run, or risk capture at the hands of warriors skilled, cunning, and incredibly vicious. Laugh at their monkey business all you like; they are ingenious fighters and, what's more, they're just as good at killing as they are at capture.

For the uninitiated, this particular brand of chaos doesn't usually sweep across the entire island the way it has. But those who have been here for some time will recognize the monkeys in question, and might even recognize this for what it is: revenge.

Group I: The Squeakquel
Looks like your monkeying around last month has landed you and everyone else in a spot of trouble. The monkeys in question certainly weren't happy to be confronted with others on their lands, nor are they willing to share their territory. While you may have triumphed last time you confronted them, the apes have been planning their revenge in the meantime.

Some of you were unlucky enough to become targets. Overnight, a great deal of them silently invaded the islets. Their blow-dart guns are equipped with a fairly powerful sedative that is more than capable of knocking most living creatures out - and those that were immune were simply snatched up, gagged, and bundled away.

However, it seems that some of their prisoners didn't suit their purposes, for one way or another, and thus weren't retrieved with the intention of long-term capture. Which is why a number of you will awaken in regions of the island that you've already explored.

...the really, really dangerous ones.

Whether it's a Center of Gravity, a parade of centipuppies, a contingent of Lungblossoms, a Fustercluck, or something else entirely, one thing is certain: the monkeys wanted you out of their way.

So get ready to fight for your life.

Group II: Ape Escape
If you're not one of the slightly luckier newcomers that materializes on the shore, then you're one of the unlucky ones that's managed to materialize square in the middle of the jungle. Or rather, in the middle of one of the denser, more populated parts of the jungle. The abodes woven into the canopy are crude, built of mud and sticks, but they're nonetheless sturdy.

And, as an important note - they are also swarming with monkeys. Snarling, baying, armed monkeys. Perhaps they'd be more hostile toward an interloper...if you weren't already in a cage, along with several others.

Fortunately for the newbies, they've all got something the monkeys didn't anticipate, aside from the element of surprise. Most prisoners don't arrive with knapsacks full of newly-acquired gear, and it's a good thing, too - you may very well need it, and the help of the new arrivals, to escape this place. You could always wait for the cavalry to come, but are you really willing to take that risk?

Group III: Pot Luck
As for you, you terribly fortunate third group?

You'll find yourselves suspended in wooden cages as well, though this time, to the hot curtain of whitish steam clouding your vision. It smells an awful lot like smoke down there. An awful lot like something...burning? Unlike your fellows over in the second group, these cages aren't simply a means of containing you, no. These cages are currently hanging over what might be the largest cast iron cauldron you've ever seen. All of this is, of course, for one simple reason:

Some species of monkeys are carnivores.

The acrid scent of smoke is already hot and rancid in your nostrils; the pyre beneath you has been lit, and the hungry flames are beginning to boil the water below quite eagerly. We'd suggest you hurry up in freeing yourself and your fellows - being boiled alive is not a particularly pleasant way to go. At least the monkeys weren't expecting quite so many main courses so soon, which allows you the element of surprise.

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.

All new arrivals will awake with knapsacks with their names stitched to the front. The contents of said knapsacks can be found below!

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

Yeah, kinda.

[Crow looks around, before he spots what looks like a branch hanging low overhead that would be strong enough to support their weight.]

Think you can reach that?

I think so, if Hippogryph isn't sealed too....

[He doesn't have time to explain what he means, if he sinks much lower he won't have the leverage to do this, power or no. Soma tucks himself down a little and suddenly jerks up, using even that tiny bit of kinetic energy to trigger his Hippogryph Soul. Fortunately he doesn't have to go far, just that bit of lift enough for him to grab the branch. Gritting his teeth, he pulls his feet out of the quicksand, the space he just vacated collapsing with a thump. He holds out a leg toward Crow.]

Grab on! Try to climb up on my back if you can, or just hold on tight!

Got it.

[Be prepared for Crow to possibly weigh heavier than he looks, but still light enough that Soma won't be pulled back into the quicksand or something when Crow grabs onto his leg here and tries to pull himself up out of the sand.]

[Damn, the kid's solid. But Soma's stronger than he looks, too. He helps as much as he can, practically doing a chin-up with the branch to lift Crow free of the quicksand. Once the other boy's legs are loose, Soma swings back and forth to build momentum.]

Jump for solid ground, then move out of the way so I don't land on you!

[No need to tell Crow twice. He's going to jump now to reach solid ground here, before immediately stepping aside so that he doesn't get hit or, god forbid, knocked right back into the quicksand.]

[Soma swings back sharply once Crow is out of the way, launching himself forward as he lets go of the branch. He lands in a slight crouch with plenty of room to spare, not even wobbling as he straightens. His red eyes seek out Crow's, as if checking the other boy for any injury.]

You okay?

Yeah yeah, I'm alright. Something like this ain't enough to stop me.

[He stretches a little here, grumbles about "sand getting in his joints" before he turns his attention to the other.]

So now what?

[In his joints? Ooookay.]

First we need to figure out where we are. Did you just wake up here, too?

Sort of? I think this is one of the other islands, but I don't know which one this is yet.

Other islands? So you've been here a while, you've seen more of this place.

[He turns in place, sniffing. If it's an island, maybe he can catch a whiff of sea breeze, give them a direction to start moving toward. Maybe this guy will recognize one of the other islands they see from the shore of this one. Worst case, other scents might give Soma a heads up as to other dangers or potential resources.

And what does he smell? Smoke. Cooking fire, campfire... hopefully not a forest fire.]

Do you smell that? Something's burning.

Is there?

[Crow turns in the direction that the other is looking in, before he tilts his head.]

Are you thinking we should head that way?

I don't really have a better idea right now. It could be a cooking fire, but there could be hostiles present. Can you fight if it comes to that?

Maybe. Depends on just how hostile we're talking here.

[Crow prefers running, but the landscape of these islands doesn't make that easy.]

Well, I'm used to fighting, so don't be afraid to get to safety if it comes to that. I can cover your retreat easily enough.

October Intro: Louder than Sirens, Louder than Bells

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