lifeaftr | 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

[ Touching her shocks them a little, at first. It reminds them of that radiant, ancient enemy, and a little of the parent whose heritage leaves them masked and mute. But this is no vengeful inferno, no merciless star; nor is it the cold intelligence of a king on a distant pedestal, or the faint light of a mother whose job is finished once seeds sprout.

(The Abyss had embraced them in its depths, but that was natural. That was coming home, back to the cooling touch of the place they were born. Grimm and his child had been darkness with a fire's heart, with what burned locked away safely inside.)

This was something else entirely. This is a kind of light they've never really known or understood; a warmth that encourages things to grow in its presence.

...

They step forward a little more, encouraged by the wolf's playfulness, and lean into her cheek. They can't hug very well, but they're trying anyway.

It's so warm. ]

[The affectionate touch is what beckons Amaterasu to lay down near the little creature, lean her face toward them and close her eyes to enjoy the touch, and let them enjoy as well. She noses their mask, giving it a few loving dabs with her tongue, and invites them to climb up onto her back. She even shifts the reflector down and to the side, through the sheer power of her will, so they can be more comfortable, if they choose to hitch a ride.

It's not safe out here in the cold - the ice is thin, and the world right now is unforgiving. She can easily carry this little one here back to the Jormun encampment, where they will be safe, warm, and given food and drink, if they so need it. She really would hate to see anything happen to her little friend - already she can feel they, like so many of the others here, have good in them. It's such a welcome feeling, and she presses her nose to their cheek in a sort of mock kiss, curling her tail around them for a moment, to keep off the chill.

Care to hitch a ride, little bug? She can even carry your backpack in her teeth - it's no trouble at all and will cost you nothing...except, perhaps, another cuddle. ♥]

[ There's the distinct impression that had they a voice, or any semblance of speech at all, they would have giggled at being licked and kissed.

(Still a child. Even after everything, the burden of the knowledge they received, they still retain childishness.)

They certainly won't turn down the offer of a ride, that's for sure. They gently grasp at the wolf's fur, careful not to yank as they clamber aboard.

To Amaterasu, the knight will be hardly any burden at all; the faintest suggestion of a weight on her back. Almost as light as a feather. ]

[Ammy has certainly had worse than her fur pulled - it's a price she has to pay when dealing with children, honestly... Her patience is pretty legendary in those cases, though she certainly does get the point across when she has had enough rough-housing, like any mom does. A yelp, growl, and (in the cases of the truly terrible) a splattering of ink in their faces. But this? It's nothing but a gentle grip, one that is quite reminiscent of when Ammy had another little bug riding upon her back.

Standing, the wolf looks at her tiny rider carefully, tilting her head with a questioning noise to be sure they're secure and holding on tight. She's a very fast runner, and would feel just awful if they fell off or something... But, once she gets a sign to confirm they're ready to go, she begins to race forward - a normal pace to start, then gradually increasing until the wind screams in her ears, the trail of ice-covered flowers following in her wake before they're quickly swallowed by the snow. They hit only one or two patches of loose or thin ice, but Amaterasu is quick to jump away or adjust her path. In no time at all, she'll have made it to shore, jumping down into the cold sand of the island and kicking the water off her paws.]

[ Amaterasu's gentle demeanor reminds them of the Old Stag, still willing to carry his tiny, lone passenger. This thrillingly fast journey on wolf-back is no stagway ride, but it doesn't need to be.

They hold on tight, but they turn their face up, to see the world blurring past with every sign of wonder.

Had they a voice, they would have laughed. ]

[Panting a bit hard, Amaterasu, looks back over her shoulder to make sure her little passenger isn't too ruffled or anything, before continuing on. She has every intention to guide them back to the Jormun camp, where it's safe, dry, and warm, but she'll have to move at a much slower pace now. That jog went and depleted quite a bit of her waning energy already...and Ammy isn't sure she could manage another run without her legs simply giving out on her entirely.

Of course, if the Knight prefers to walk themselves, she won;t have any issue with stopping and lowering herself for them to climb off, though she will still gladly lead them forward. She senses a great strength in this little one, but...well, it may be a small bias, but she's quite overprotective (and fond) of little bugs like this one. ♥

What say you, friend, care for some silent company a bit longer?]

January Intro: I Know the Winter's Getting Colder

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