lifeaftr | March Adventure: Swim with the Current and Float Away

NEW ISLAND: AI'TUOH

Who: Anyone who feels brave...or particularly lawful
What: A city worth exploring, and a people worth meeting
When: March 10th and onward
Where: Ai'tuoh
Warnings: The themes you might associate with strict punishment and rule-based dystopias will abound, along with nonconsensual drugging/sedation for those found guilty in the streets. Otherwise, mark as needed!

The Overview: Ai'tuoh
The dawn of the 10th will see the appearance of the promised island on the horizon. The smooth, even planes of city walls rear across the expanse of sandy beach, but beyond that, no particular discerning characteristics can be immediately glean. That same morning, characters will awaken from a brief dream, wherein the Storyteller will advise that the new island accessible via mana pool - and they suggest, with some trepidation, that you do not make the location of said mana pool on the new land immediately obvious to the natives. It's clear that something has put them on edge, though they've yet to say what.

Welcome, adventurers, to the island of Ai'tuoh.

Our City, Our Rules
Ai'tuoh is home to a sprawling city, built of smooth, sandy stone. Its architecture is simple, precise, and uniform, valuing utility above all else - function to the exclusion of form. The homogeneity of the people of Ai'tuoh extends beyond the similar, monochrome spectrum of their apparel. Despite the gradations of skin color and the subtle shifts in the shades of their hair - all falling within established limits, of course - they all appear to be more or less human. But most striking of all is the stern warning emblazoned across the city's gates. It translates as follows:

May those who violate our law be cleansed in the Standing Water.

The Unerring Law of the people of Ai'tuoh can be found in the library, which contains little besides some five hundred copies of the same dispassionate lists of various laws, most of which you've probably already broken by the time you've entered.

If you plan on stopping by, we'd recommend taking the time to explore the docks first - those that frequent that particular area are rather more forthcoming to travelers. You might find someone sympathetic to your plight, willing to offer some helpful hints.

Holding Cells: Awaiting Your Trial
Those unlucky enough to be caught by the concealed militia taskforce of the city will be sedated on sight of their violation, and will wake in a small, smooth-stoned room. There are no windows, and only one door - and it won't be opening under your duress.

The holding cell into which you've been deposited is beyond barebones; while clean and uniform, it lacks even the basic commodities of a bed and bucket. It seems that there's no need to plan for keeping prisoners in the long term. No one drops by to visit, and no one addresses you if they pass through. Your only company is in your cellmates, who you might be able to hear through the walls, provided you raise your voice over the soft, buzzing hum that permeates the air; a magical suppression field, to ensure that those with particular talents cannot exert them to break the law's hold.

The barracks are sorted into clusters of several buildings, each with variety of cells hidden in secluded pockets. To contrast the uniformity of the city itself, there is no such order here; the buildings are designed to be difficult to break into, and even harder to orient oneself in.

Those who are being kept in holding until their cleansing will not be in complete isolation forever. There are a number of militia who patrol the prison areas to ensure peace is being kept...and some might even be open to conversation.

For OOC information about Ai'tuoh and the city's laws, please see our recent OOC information post!

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

Should Erika listen in after the lack of answer, she most definitely will hear a loud banging noise - something slamming strongly against metal, followed by a curse of a possibly familiar voice.

"Shit! Ow!"

There's a pause, just for a few seconds before the sound of quick steps, a yell, and a much louder slam, much heavier.

"FUCK!"

Jesus Christ, what the fuck are these doors made of?

"Hey! Someone out there? Hello!"

Frankly, she'll take any reply right now. The fact that she recognizes the voice is just a bonus.

She slams the wall with an elbow, which she immediately regrets, but at least it definitely made some kind of a noise. "Yo! Hey, it's me! What, they drag your ass in here too?"

He runs to the closest wall - as it sounds to him, anyway - as soon as she answers, scrambling to find-- anything? A hole? Something! He hits his fist on the stone a couple of times, just to and point out his location.

"Hey! Yeah, they-- just woke up in here! These motherfuckers put me in here for no reason! Like, what the fuck!"

He was being NICE. He was being polite! There had been times in his life you could maybe possibly kind of debatably find reasons to lock him up, but this hadn't been one of those times!!

"God, same! What the fuck is these guys' problem, if they're so horny to lock people up you'd think they could at least chill out until they've got some kind of an excuse!"

Or at least make one up. If they told her what she supposedly did wrong, she could tell them how full of shit they were and get some kind of satisfaction out of it.

"Yeah!" He feels a little better, having found someone he actually knows. But, you know, it also kind of sucks that they're locked up in here too.

"They took my axe, they took my shield, they even took Phantom Fist, they-- they took Steven."

That last part is almost growled out, in sheer anger and offense. He can't believe anyone would do that. Motherfuckers!!!

"Yeah, it's the fuckin' worst, they seriously took--"

Wait hang on.

"...Who's Steven?"

"My goldfish!"

Yeah, okay, here's the thing. It's a huge deal. This man really loves his goldfish, you know? And it's a living being! And they took him away!!

All in all, he sounds genuinely upset.

"I'm going to break every goddamn bone in their bodies." Whoa, slow down there Magnus.

...You know, she can respect that. It sounds a little ridiculous, but she can respect it, bone-breaking and all.

"Jeez, that... sucks, man." It's hard to find a sincere-sounding way to say that, even though she does mean it. "Don't worry, dude, you're gonna get to do that bone-breaking; just gotta find a way out of here first."

He doesn't seem to take in whatever difficulty she finds in sounding honest, perhaps due to being too preoccupied in instilling violence in whoever took his little buddy away.

"I've been trying to break down this fucking door, but it won't budge!" It's almost like it's a plot device to keep them inside the cells.

“Same – so, the doors are a no-go. But there’s gotta be another way – like, the hinges, or the paneling on the walls, or somethin’ like that. Something we can tear up.”

Because there is absolutely no way they just can’t get out of these cells. Totally.

"If I had my axe." He moves to get a closer look at the hinges when she mentions them. They're large, tightly bolted, and he has nothing to get a good grip on them or rip them off the door.

"You got, like, a pocket knife or something?"

"Nope; they took all my knives, too, like a buncha jackasses."

She takes a couple steps back, so that she has room to slam her foot into the door a couple more times. She doesn't even really expect it to work at this point, but, listen. She's pissed. "God, this is so stupid!"

March Adventure: Swim with the Current and Float Away

Re: Erika Fisher | Holding Cells | OTA

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject