lifeaftr | January Intro: I Know the Winter's Getting Colder

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January Intro: I Know the Winter's Getting Colder

INTRO LOG: JANUARY

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: January 5th and onward
Where: Chol and surrounding waters
Warnings: Mark as needed!

The Overview: New Lands
New arrivals will not be waking in the typical hub of activity; instead, they will find themselves coming to on the small island of Chol. While the island's fringes are little more than an unforgiving spread of craggy, canyon-like rock and coastal cliffs, the island dips down to form a fertile divot of edenic woodland in its center. The people living there will even be helpful and polite to you, should you inquire after them.

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!

Icebreaker: This is the Winter of Our Youth
Unless you're someone with a fondness for the cold, you'll undoubtedly be waking with more than a slight chill in your bones. The appearance of the island of Chol has signaled a coming event of great import in LifeAftr, and unfortunately, the signs of that event's approach have already been set in motion. The temperature has begun to drop as the sun's rays begin to die, faster and faster, leading to an impressive cold snap in the ocean waters - particularly those surrounding Chol.

It is for that reason that you won't be waking on Chol, per se. Instead, you'll be waking on a thick crust of ice that's mantled itself over the ocean waters, freezing solid enough to bear your weight...for the most part.

The ice won't hold forever; it isn't meant to. If you happen to be particularly vivacious in your waking, or especially active in general, thick cracks will start to spiderweb out from underneath those impacts with low, warning chunks and wrenches of fracturing ice. Better hurry to land soon, unless you care to take a little dip into those freezing cold ocean waters.

Mainland: When We Pick Over the Past
Should you make it to the land of Chol, braving the iced-over waters surrounding its craggy shores, you'll encounter something at least as startling - the people who have elected to set up a rudimentary encampment upon its lands. While a bit on the scalier side, the Jormun are nonetheless allied to you land-dwellers, and will welcome you to the island.

Most will be preoccupied with preparations for an approaching siege, but many will comment idly that the cold is a sign of the coming battle. Some may point you to their leader, known to most as Munin, but others will venture hospitality based on the actions of those land-dwellers that came before you, who were successful in allying themselves to this sea-dwelling people.

Those who might have braved the cold a little too fiercely will quickly be offered some rather rough blankets - perhaps more on par with burlap sacks in terms of texture - as well as a hot brew that the Jormun call brrkshavak. Heated to a boil just prior to being served, the drink will be more than adequate in warming your weary bones, though it bodes mentioning that it is both scalding hot and made with a fleshy kind of undersea herb that is akin to crushed chili pepper in taste.

It'll warm you up, 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.

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

[To the point, and astute. Tim doesn't bother to glance down at himself - stocky, haggard, worn, still sagging over his jeans that are now more brown than they are blue, from all the wear and tear they've endured over the past few months. It's a pretty simple deduction.]

Yeah? What gave it away? [It's wry and rhetorical, and he shrugs instead of waiting for an answer.] Same reason anyone else is here. Just kinda showed up one day.

I'm guessing you just showed up too.

[ He hums but doesn't answer, not that it seems his companion is awaiting a response to the question as to "what gave it away." ]

I did. The walk across the ice was not without peril, but it did not go as poorly as it could have. [ A beat. ] However, that is how we arrived here... it is not the reason as to why we are here.

The why has to do with the giant, talking bunny you probably had a wacky dream about before ending up here.

[Thanks, Tim. Be sure to write a pamphlet for all the newbies, because your polite eloquence and understanding is truly flooring.]

Ah, that.

[ He holds his chin in thought. ]

I thought that may have been a waking nightmare from having to battle one whose name was Rabbit. [ Ox says no more on it as he gives a small nod. ] It did not seem to be particularly hostile. In fact, one may even call it to be exceptionally gentle as rabbits actually should be.

[That sure is a brand new type of coincidence. Put that one down for something that manages to catch him off guard, if only subtly.]

Yeah, that'd be the Storyteller. They're...kinda the god in charge here, I guess.

And, uh, I dunno if you're - if gods are a thing where you come from, but if they aren't, or if you don't believe in them, [his hands go up, palms out, in a wearying gesture that implies he's had to cover this ground before,] I'm just giving you a heads-up now: you should probably rethink that.

It is not as though I do not believe in gods, but I have no philosophies that relate to religion in that matter. Gods themselves are those that have a contract with other lesser-powered beings, right?

[ He decides as he speaks that he should just continue to check over the jug and pour a cup for his companion. Once done, he holds it out to the young man as he continues. ] This is a being that is offering something beyond life and death. Salvation. However, these creatures here are preparing for a siege.

They've offered blankets, lodgings, and safety in their time of need. As such, a debt is being born. Gods, too, have a debt with those that are weaker. I accept the words of the large rabbit that I conversed with to be true. I intend to assist these people for their much needed kindness and create a story from these actions.

[ Ox sounds like he wanders around everywhere in what he is saying, but ultimately, he says one thing. His abilities as a Zodiac Warrior brought him to this particular place by the will of the Storyteller. The debt owed to the Jormun is one that will be answered by the steel of his saber. The debt owed to the Storyteller will be given in turn. Everything for a reason and a place. He may not believe in a true god-like being, but he believes in settling debts.

A beat. ] And what will you do?

[Well, give it up for the new guy, over here: he's direct, if nothing else.]

[Unfortunately, Tim's not one for trusting that this is necessarily a given. Just because he seems like a blunt, immediate kind of guy doesn't mean that's all there is to him. Anyone can cast a concealing drape over whoever they are in reality. He'd know.]

...well, I guess you're pretty much exactly the kind of person the Storyteller would like having around.

[Tim glances over his shoulder briefly before jamming one hand into his pocket and digging out his tin of cigarettes.]

See if anyone needs a flare gun, mostly. I've got, like, twenty of them.

I assume that may be the why I am here.

[ He has always been favored among the Zodiac houses, and so it does not necessarily surprise him that some supreme entity would wish him to be in its debt. However, he is willing to accept no ill will is meant by the Storyteller. ]

They may be required. If we are to fight at night, such flare guns will be needed in order to mark where our enemies are. I do not know what is coming, and preparing is not normally my forte... but it seems wise to be somewhat cautious.

That was kinda my reasoning, yeah. [But, more importantly:] Preparing isn't your forte?

[Sure, improvisation has its place in a combat setting, but preparation is kind of key, isn't it? Even if it's just mentally bracing yourself for whatever shit comes next. Day by day survival is never fun, nor is it particularly easy, but planning ahead is practically a necessity.]

Good.

[ Hm? ]

One should not do what they're not accustomed to, and preparing isn't something that I do. I simply decide to do the right and then do it. [ Once again, he puts his own philosophy into words. Perhaps, overly simplistic words, but words all the same. Preparing isn't something that he has done before -- normally, he merely sees the enemy and decides what to do from there. ]

Yeah, 'cause thinking ahead never got anyone anywhere.

[Maybe sarcasm goes over this guy's head. He's not actually sure if that's the case or not, but it probably pays to find out sooner rather than later. Make sure he isn't setting himself up to get his head potentially bitten off down the line, maybe.]

There is only so much that we can prepare for, and only so much that we know.

[ Ox worries about what is in front of him and sets out what he should do next. The definition of a bull-headed individual, perhaps, in that he is always striding forward rather than worrying about what is ahead. ]

[They might not goddamn well agree, but he knows better than to stand around wasting time arguing about something that, ultimately, might not end up mattering in the long run. If the guy changes his mind, fine. If not, then - also fine. That's just how it is.]

[Tim extricates a cigarette from his tin and sparks it to life to take a long, tired drag.]

...Tim, by the way.

I'm Tim.

[ And like before, he has an option. He could name himself his real name -- he could no longer be a Zodiac Warrior. Indeed, the Zodiac households and the Zodiac War does not exist in this world. There is no one that would know. However, he thinks about the sacrifices everyone did; he thinks about how he has been given a second chance. To choose to step away from it all, would that not be disgraceful to all that everyone had fought for? Would it not be disgraceful to pretend otherwise?

Yes. He could name himself the name he chose for himself, but in the end, he chooses what is "right." ]

Ox. I am Ox.

[Ox, huh?]

[Tim’s gaze flicks up to the horns, pointedly, as he takes another long drag from his cigarette. Exhales.]

Wonder how you got that name. [That was sarcasm again. Recognizing a pattern?]

Through misfortune.

[ He answers honestly, directly. Indeed, that's the pattern of how he conducts himself. ] It is the name given to those of my household that acts as the representative in battle.

[All right, then. Mark "sarcasm" down for another thing that won't fly with him. A literalist. He can deal with that. He'll slip up, he knows, but he can deal with it for the time being. He'll do his best.]

Like...a gladiator, or something? [Someone who can fight, either way. That definitely attracts his interest.]

In part.

[ Hm. He thinks of how normally he would not speak on the matters involving his household, involving the Zodiac War, but he also thinks in not saying anything that dishonors those that have died. He could let all secrets die with him, but then their lives are also secret in this new world. Perhaps, that is for "the best," but it is not "right." Indeed, nothing they do will grant them rewards or praise; they are nothing but slayers of men. But they should not be forgotten. They fought and fought for a single wish and their own reasons to live, didn't they? ]

All of the Zodiac households, of which there are twelve, have a representative. We are tasked then to fight in battles to gain experience in mind, body, and technique. We are given twelve years to prepare and then we fight to kill one another.

[So. He's from a world that's big on zodiacs - big on the dozen, on top of it. Every place has its own gimmick. And he's pretty sure he knows the answer to the question on his mind, but he needs to ask it, or it'll keep nagging at him, he knows.]

...wouldn't happen to know anyone named Ozuma, would you?

No.

[ He does not recognize the name, anyway. Not in relation to the twelve Zodiac households. But, there has to be a reason for the question. Positive or negative, he cannot tell. ]

Why are you curious about my connection to that person?

Because he's the only other person I've met who had horns.

[He opens a hand briefly in the direction of the, uh...protrusions. Kinda makes him wonder what came first - the horns, or the title. Did he grow them? Are they prosthetic? Are they a result of being chosen, or did he volunteer, or...]

[He's not Jay. He doesn't ask questions in a frantic, frustrated spill. He keeps his mouth shut.]

I mean, he was kind of a...god, I guess. Allegedly.

I see. I can understand why there would be thought there would be some sort of connection between the two of us.

[ "Was" a god. That would mean that the Storyteller was able to bring in someone with exceptional power to this place, too. Desperation? Boredom? Either way, it would seem like they're all together now. The reason as to why he is present has already been decided -- everyone else probably came up with their own. With that "why," a person can come up with the reason to live rather than survive. With that in mind -- ]

You do not believe his claim?

When I showed up, he was down for the count. Didn't do a whole lotta godly things, while I was around.

[Then again, he wasn't around for very much. There were a lot of reasons for that, but most pressing were the reasons that took him out of play for what was supposed to be for good. Was supposed to be, but - isn't.]

I've kinda been around the block, I guess. Been to..."worlds" other than my own.

What do you consider godly?

[ A question that comes to mind now that he thinks about it. ]

Is that so? You are fortunate that you have been able to gain experiences beyond your own world. [ A beat. ] And what you have come up from your experience is -- what? What would you say that you've come back with from what you have encountered from other worlds?

Man, I grew up in Alabama. If I tried to answer that question, we'd be here all day.

[That reference will probably make absolutely no sense out of context, but it feels good to say it aloud. He has a special kind of disdain for his home state.]

[What has he come back with, from what he's encountered from other worlds?]

[He thinks about that for a moment, then he shrugs.]

Death, mostly.

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