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

[It's not hard to see the writing on the wall with this place, so to speak. Their clothes have gotten plenty of glares, and the few times they dared try to approach anyone--the immediate scolding, the the distasteful stares...it's all familiar.]

[Way, way too familiar.]

[Hidden in an alleyway just off the market area, Chip is huddled in a tight ball as they try desperately to keep from freaking out. They're going to make a scene, going to make a mess, and that water, the water they saw being so clearly consecrated--]

[Not again. They have to be good, have to be have to be...]

[Their breath hitches again, tears streaming down their face.]

I have no fear, f-for God is with me. I-I have no fear, for...for God is...!

[They were buying a coat, anyway.]

[Otherwise they probably wouldn't have spent this much time here. They know places like this, an exact place like this, where you knew the rules by heart and all of them could be boiled down to the simple instruction: stay out of the way. The difference here, if Frisk sees one, is that there are just a lot more people to stay out of the way from.]

[So, they notice. They notice when there's one less. And when it's someone smaller, familiar, in a bowed shape they recognize deep in the muscle memory of their own shoulders.]

[They duck out into the alleyway too, pulling their brand-new, relentlessly dull coat tighter around themself. They try not to sneak up on the child they recognize and remember smiling down at from an ice sculpture; it's an effort, because quiet is their default. Frisk drops down to a crouch, resting their elbows on their knees and smiling crookedly.]

Hi. Does He mind if I'm here, too?

[Chip jumps and looks up sharply, eyes wide and frozen in fear until they actually recognize Frisk past the drab clothing. Even then they don't really relax, shaking their head vaguely before flinching and ducking their head.]

N-no, it's okay, you're--I-I'm okay. I'll be quiet.

[Frisk, for their part, remains as still as they'd been. It's all kind of familiar. They don't like it. They think they hate it, actually. But their smile stays, and they don't move.]

Hi, Okay. I'm Kittu.

[It's a little weak, since they'd already said 'hi', but Frisk is trying their best. They tuck a lock of hair behind their ear.]

We can be quiet. But I'd rather be somewhere else. How about you?

[Their first instinct is to snap back 'That's not my name!!', but it dies strangled in their throat before it has a chance to escape. Chip's cheeks flush red still for the embarrassment of the near-miss, and they glance from Frisk to the market past the alley and back again before nodding shakily.]

I don't...I wanna go back. But I can't...

[They can't go out into that alone. They'll be singled out, found and drug kicking and screaming to their punishment, and for all that it's familiar they can't stand the thought.]

We don't have to go back there. We can go somewhere else.

[Frisk extends their hand, palm-up, patiently.]

If you want.

March Adventure: Swim with the Current and Float Away

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