lifeaftr | December Intro: Don't Come Home for Christmas

INTRO LOG: DECEMBER

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: December 3rd and onward
Where: Monsun
Warnings: Mark as needed!

The Overview: Uncharted Waters
Stay alert, new adventurers; instead of the white-sand beaches of Enso, you will instead be coming to on one of two sides of the relatively uncharted lands of Monsun. Most of the information regarding this peculiar land can be found in the informational post linked, but as a quick-and-dirty rundown: Monsun's western side is a hot wasteland of a desert prone of disasters and mishaps, but will affect your character's emotional and psychological state in a positive sense, while its eastern side is a verdant forest filled with endless resources...as well as a tendency to bring out the absolute worst of your character.

To start with, all new arrivals will be showing up in one of two squares that characters uncovered last month! We are leaving it up to player discretion as to which side of the island your character arrives on, but bear in mind the psychological repercussions!

All new arrivals will additionally awake with knapsacks, their names stitched to the front. The contents of said knapsacks can all be found in your acceptance notices!

Monsun, C4: These Are Your Good Years
You wake to the hot sun steaming overhead, rapidly drying your clothes and belongings, waterlogged from washing upon this desolate shore. The heatwaves shimmer at your vision, distorting your view of the horizon. But if you really squint, it looks like there might be something dark green fringing that pipecleaner skyline, like a lush woodland awaits you on the other side of this desert nightmare. A mirage, maybe?

Whatever it is, you don't get very long to contemplate it. Beneath your feet, the ground has begun to shake as a many-headed horror erupts from the earth. Great streams of pale sand slough from its dry, scaly hide as multiple horned heads unfurl in a hissing inflorescence. The creature's eyes are all pale as grubs; it is quite blind. But that does not mean it cannot smell you.

Boasting both a thick hide and a chitinous coat of sandy-colored scales that blends them perfectly with their surroundings, Sand Hydras sleep several feet under the sand until they sense the vibrations of potential prey aboveground. While they are significantly smaller than their mythological counterparts - they can only span eight to twelve feet in length - Sand Hydras are cunning creatures nonetheless with a number of heads that can vary from one to as high as ten. Their weakness, on the other hand, is simple: water burns them like acid. It seems they may flourish only in any moisture-poor environment.

Assuming your character lasts that long, remember: as physically destructive as Monsun's west may be, your character's most admirable traits will be amplified to their fullest potential by the twenty-four hour mark.

Monsun, D3: Before You Bury Yourself Alive
Those waking on the eastern side of the island, on the other hand, will face a far more pleasing tableau. The temperature is perfect, the sun shines modestly through the canopy of deciduous greenery above your head, and the air is thick and sweet with the smell of fresh fruit.

That's right - within minutes of their arrival, your character will discover several plants laden with fresh wild blackberries.

Should that temptation arrest their attention, should they be vulnerable to the foibles of greed or hoarding or paranoia, your character may very well wish to keep this treat to themself. Or...perhaps not. Perhaps they'd much rather search out a fight, or try to steal someone else's supplies, or embark on a poorly-advised mission to swim out into Monsun's surrounding waters.

For that is, after all, the catch: as physically soothing as Monsun's east may be, your character's most hateful traits will be amplified to their fullest potential by the twenty-four hour mark.

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.

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

Over here!!

[From somewhere off to the left, a fireball strikes the beast. It doesn't do much damage, but it does distract it for a moment. The source of the timely intervention is a young girl holding a weathered old book.]

Are you okay, Mister?

[Keith pulls the pack up against his chest. Just like in the dream his name is stitched into the front. He turns letting the spin give his arm the momentum it needs and sends his knife spinning through the air.]

Yeah! Thanks. We need to get out of here!

[He sprints in her direction as his blade slashes open an eye on the Hydra's left most head and spins upwards, circling back.]

Unless you've got a plan on how to take it down.

Nope!

[She shakes her head quickly, even as she turns to flee.]

My only plan is to hope it doesn't catch us!

[It would be a better plan if she were a faster runner, but Elise is sure gonna give it her all.]

[The blade spins back to its owner as he catches up with her. Keith is an excellent runner. He leaps, catches his blade and calls out.]

Can you do that fire ball again? Right in its face! [He hesitates, then adds.]

Any of them.

[She had expected they would just run, but doesn't waste anytime asking. Instead, Elise nods.]

Got it!

[And she opens the book again and casts another fireball with a wordless cry. He didn't say which head, so she just aims it at the head in the middle.]

[He throws his knife. It spins in the air and slices open the side of a head’s face as he turns and sprints.]

Should blind its senses for a bit. Let’s go! [He catches his knife and pelts for the green in the distance. He keeps an eye on her in case he needs to pick her up and just run.]

Can you run and throw fire? That could slow it down a little further.

A-at the same time?!

[Just running is hard enough! The incredulous tone should be enough of an answer to his question. But she elaborates anyway.]

No! I'd never hit it!

What if I carried you? Could you hit it?

[He slows his distance eating sprint to draw even with her. He could keep up her pace all day but he’s not sure what she is used to.]

[From the way she is already huffing and puffing, running is probably not usually her thing. She does manage to collect herself enough to answer him. And shoot him an 'are you crazy' look.]

M- maybe?

[That's enough for him. Keith stops, gestures for her to come close. And when she's close enough and allows it, sweeps her up into his arms and takes off. Even with her weight to deal with, he will pick up speed.

If she doesn't get it or allow it he says, 'I can run longer and faster than you can. But you can blind it with those fireballs. We can escape if we work together.']

[She actually takes to being picked up pretty well. Effie carts her around all the time. Says she's a good size for some light weight training.

But this is the first time she's tried casting while being carried. She fumbles through the pages of the book nervously.]

Take this!

[The spell actually hits a little too low, getting the creature in one of its necks. But the blast of flame does slow it up a little. She's starting to feel tired though. Way more than usual...]

December Intro: Don't Come Home for Christmas

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