January Intro: I Know the Winter's Getting Colder

[lifeaftr_mods]

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.

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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.

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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!

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[geniusofslaughter]

I understand.

[ He easily accepts that as what he should call her. If that is what she wants, why should he argue with it. But the question about his name gives him pause. There are actually three names that he could give, but ultimately, he decides on one. ]

"Ox." I have others if you find that one distasteful, however, Professor.

[budgetmage]

Ox is a perfectly acceptable name. It, uh, matches your horns. [ Isette isn't as awkward of a conversationalist as some, but boy howdy does she try to be. ]

[geniusofslaughter]

[ A slight pause. ]

Thank you. The horns name me to my household, as well. It is also called "Ox." [ Because he decides to honor those not given a second chance as he has, to not escape even in "Ushii", he will go by his warrior household name. To show solidarity to those that fought so hard and could not join him. ]

Professor. What are you a professor of?

[budgetmage]

An Ox clan, with horns like that of an ox. Interesting. I'm sure there's a story behind that.

[ She sounds actually interested, the reason for which might be apparent in .5 seconds. ]

Oh. Ah, Ancient History. That's my department.

[geniusofslaughter]

There is.

[ He hums in thought, catching her interest. For someone to wish to look into the past, he thinks that requires someone with a great amount of curiosity. Still -- he looks her over with some concern. The slightness of her frame makes him concerned and he would offer to carry her on his back to shore across the ice. Yet she did not take his hand before. To offer too much would not be right and become "rude." ]

It's a story that I cannot say is any "good." But if you are desiring to hear it, I have no reason to keep it to myself. [ In his world, the average citizen is not to know about the Zodiac houses or the Zodiac War. But he is not in his own world. This is a place of unknown origins and this young miss -- young professor -- is one that is equally bewildered. To hide himself away, to withhold information, is no better than the confusing world which they have been placed into. The right thing to do is to be as honest as he can be so that there is at least one place where there will not be confusion. ]

[budgetmage]

I'm definitely interested. [ She is a scholar. By job title and by nature. She's curious as to what this story could be, but still- ] Maybe we can talk about it later, once we're to land. And warm. Possibly safe.

Hopefully there's no monsters up that way. [ She says it half-jokingly, but like. Yeah. Let's hope there aren't. ]

[geniusofslaughter]

As you wish.

[ A small nod. ]

I am uncertain how I am with monsters, but I will protect you. I'd ask you not to worry, but I do not know what is ahead of us. Still, I shall ensure your survival, Professor. [ Because that, too, is "right." ]

[budgetmage]

You're pretty reliable, huh?

Well, if you're any good with that sword, most... mundane monsters won't be too much of a problem.

Just so it's clear though, I am absolutely useless in a fight.

[geniusofslaughter]

I am capable in a fight.

[ His way of answering if he is reliable, but against the unknown, he cannot be certain. ]

Do not worry, Professor. I have already determined that you are no fighter. [ That is her presence doesn't have the feeling of one capable of bloodlust in it. ] Please use me as a shield if it comes down to it.

[budgetmage]

Don't worry. I might be useless in a fight, but I'm pretty good at running away. And if things come down to it, I can make a pretty good distraction, too.

[ Not like, she can be a distraction herself. But that she can make one.... Not that her meaning is clear from how she says it. ]

[geniusofslaughter]

I am going to ask you to refrain from making yourself a distraction.

[ He already is shaking his head at the suggestion. The very idea of using a noncombatant as a means to distract is deplorable. More than deplorable. ]

Your life is worth more than that, Professor. [ A beat. ] In short, I could not call myself a fighter if I approved of such a decision. So you have my veto on it. [ His tone turns surprisingly cold as he will go quiet for a time as they keep walking to shore. ]

[budgetmage]

Not making... myself....

I meant with my magic!

[geniusofslaughter]

Your magic?

[ His anger fades, slightly, and he still shakes his head. ]

I intend to do battle fairly. Unless it is with the undead. And I do not know if the undead will fall for tricks with magic. I would rather you preserve your life, and if you must run to do so without worrying about using anything other than that magic to gift you further means to escape whatever battlefield we may stumble into.

[budgetmage]

...Yeah, I'm no good with undead. Unless they're the type that can't stand sunlight.

You're one of those types that are big on honor, aren't you?

[geniusofslaughter]

Are there such types? [ An honest question as he has only come across a few types, himself. ]

I believe in doing what is right. Honor seems to come along with it.

[budgetmage]

Sure. Like vampires? [ Not that Isette's met one. She's run into a couple stray undead but not vampires. Surely every world has them, though. Lurking in the shadows. ] You have vampires where you're from, right?

[geniusofslaughter]

[ Ah, that is right. Vampires would be considered the undead that cannot appear before the sunlight. ]

We may. I cannot say with one hundred percent conviction that we do not. The world is vast and I have only seen a part in it. But if they can exist, they most likely exist in my world, too.

1/2

[budgetmage]

I mean, I've never seen one myself, but there have been enough witnesses that-

[ She stops talking when she notices the surface she's walking on change, and she is on a gravely shoreline. Oh hey, look at that! ]

-well, that's not important. Looks like I can stop feeling like I'm going to slip and break my neck, that's what's important.

[budgetmage]

Now that we have more solid footing, we can start looking for civilization. Making a fire if we can't find somewhere warmer. Taking inventory of our belongings. [ Isette calm down. ]

[geniusofslaughter]

Yes, that is all reasonable.

[ He takes out his saber to hold it at the ready. ]

Shall we, professor? [ Because he is ready to murder anything that should mean her harm until they reach a place he deems safe. This, he thinks, will help to ease her worries some, too. ]