April Intro: The Flower Ripens in its Place

[lifeaftr_mods]

INTRO LOG: APRIL

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: April 3rd and onward
Where: Ziziphus
Warnings: Mark as needed!

A9: Sow the Seed
Unbeknownst to new arrivals, the archipelago of LifeAftr has recently seen the appearance of a new island, as chosen via voting - and they have been unceremoniously placed there instead of upon Ensō, where most newcomers would typically appear. It's probably for the best that the island of Ziziphus is so outwardly peaceful. There are worse places to find yourself, all things considered. The mana pool glimmers with a greenish light, the stone ring containing that peculiar fluid set firmly into the earth. The surrounding land fits neatly into that general aesthetic: rippling fields stirred by the occasional crisp breeze alternate between amber-golden and rich, verdant green in coloration, and irregular patches of color signify the presence of a great deal of flowers of all sorts.

It's a peaceful scene.

We're sure you're all about to make it go horribly wrong.

B9: Reap the Harvest
For the unluckier, or the more adventurous, something far less tranquil awaits. Perhaps you woke up on this particular map square instead, or you saw fit to journey a little farther, just to see what might happen. In any case, you'll quickly discover that this may not have been the best idea, when an ordinary grassy mound abruptly detaches itself from the ground, hauls itself upright on bristling legs, and starts scuttling near.

SPINDLANKS have now been unlocked in the bestiary.
What might initially appear to be a leafy hillock will very quickly prove to be something far more...mobile, if you get close enough. That clump of grass and red ferns will abruptly hoist itself up on six vine-like tendrils, crawling for its prey like a very large, mossy spider. While it's fully capable of swiping at its foes with its massive, leafy arms, the spindlank's favored method of dispatching its prey is simply to scuttle forth until it's positioned directly above you and drop down. If its weight does not crush you and choking on the clods of earth doesn't smother you, don't worry; the spindlank intends to eat you alive with a set of fleshy jaws set deep in its center, buried somewhere in its underbelly.

For despite their appearance, spindlanks are very much carnivorous. Their size can vary from anywhere between six and ten feet tall when their appendages unfurl entirely. They are, in essence, very large plants, and thus can be easily dealt with, if you can burn them.

Just try not to get overwhelmed.

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All new arrivals will awake with knapsacks, their names stitched to the front. The contents of said knapsacks can all be found in your acceptance notices!

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

[exbarathris]

Her pupils darting back and forth, trying to narrow down exactly what she's 'hearing'. Possible prey or...

Is that a... person?

She shifts her stance a little, planting the butt-end of her metal spear firmly on the ground, not interested in presenting a threat, but also clearly not about to back down and turn around.

Is this their territory? Are there more? Unblinking, she sends a mental image, a visualization of the Knight as seen through her eyes, followed by imagining more and more of the same small person appearing in the shadows, with a quizzical feeling.

[lightlessfuture]

They might have blinked at the strange way of communication, if those dark hollows in their 'face' were proper eyes and not just holes. As it is, they just stare.

As it is, they shake their head vigorously. There is a flash of an image, a memory of a dark place, and a clear feeling of sorrow.

No; there are no more of them. Especially not here, so far from home, so far from the deep darkness they know.

They sheathe their sword in a fluid motion, apparently deciding that the Liberator doesn't seem to be a threat to them. She's not attacking them; she's tried to communicate with them, even if it's not exactly in a way they understand well. So it should be fine.

Then, without much fanfare, they approach with their hand held out, almost expectant. Handshake, maybe?

[exbarathris]

Her eyes squint a little. It's so quiet, but the thoughts are there. As if in sympathy she echoes back the not so distant memory darkness underground, caverns chipped into rock and braced with honeycomb-like lattices of steel. A place she has no intention of returning to; sorrow, but also subdued, old anger.

Despite retaining some gestures over the many generations, a handshake isn't one of them. Her reaction isn't instantaneous, staring at the extended hand for a moment or two before opting to extend her free hand as well. She was expecting more like a palm touch, but if a handshake is how it goes, well, she'll play along.

Grubs, lizards, some kind of small horned and hoofed deerlike creature, she thinks, quickly one after another. Tracks on the ground -- though a more sandy, dusty ground than the squishy dirt moss and grass of the forest floor. Hunger. There are still so many things she doesn't understand about how she got here, and why, but there are priorities, after all.

[lightlessfuture]

In lieu of a forthcoming handshake (they're not entirely sure about the logistics either, to be frank), they make an attempt at just sort of

tapping their hand against the stranger's, before withdrawing. A content sort of feeling arises from their mind; they seem happy to know that this new acquaintance of theirs is not hostile.

Images flit through their head that are not theirs; it's an unusual feeling to have, but not something wholly strange to them. They've walked in the dreams of others, before; this is simply less tactile.

In response, they show images of bugs skittering across the ground or walking with heavy steps, an orange fire burning in dark eyesockets. Abandoned underground paths glowing with fading lantern light, faded signs in a language foreign to the Liberator.

That feeling of hunger makes them pause, however. They'd left their pack back on the island, opting for speed and stealth - a knapsack that big would just weigh them down - but they rustle under their cloak and produce something that looks like dried fish on a stick, offering it to this stranger.

They don't get hungry nearly as often as others do, but if they know anything about fellow travelers, it's that everyone gets less food than they should.

[exbarathris]

Any hint of caution she might have had about this odd little person with the bone-white mask and hidden eyes vanishes in light of his generosity. Fish is a treat; hard to find, in the scarcity of water in the lands she's wandered.

There's the feeling of gratitude, appreciation, when she accepts it. Crunching through with sharp teeth, she chews a first bite not so quietly as she repeats the series of animals, adding fish to the list and gesturing slightly left, right with the spear. There aren't many people here, not that she's seen so far, but she's used to food being a constant priority. If this fellow knows where some is... the two of them, creeping up behind a deer-like beast. What lives here, she doesn't know, but surely there's something else to be hunted in this verdant land. And two is always better than one.

[lightlessfuture]

There's a feeling of definite happiness. They're happy to have helped, even with such a small thing, a small gift. It means much to them.

They have a momentary flash of confusion at the exact identity of the beast they're shown, but it's fleeting -- they disregard it as unimportant. What is important is the act of hunting.

They think back about the things they've seen; pictures of plants they don't yet know the use of, and greenery. They haven't seen anything to be hunted yet, but that doesn't mean something isn't out there.

So they nod firmly, showing their new acquaintance their sword, stepping to her side. If the Liberator wants to take the lead, they're happy to follow and lend their assistance to her.

[exbarathris]

She nods at the sword, making a small gesture with her spear as well. Plants aren't something she knows well either; there's so few of them in her world, for starters, and trying to eat them could sometimes make people sick. Better to eat animals, instead.

Scratching her chin lightly with one claw, she add a mental overview of the places she's been so far and her views from above, images flickering quickly. The Liberator then points off in an as-of-yet-unexplored direction, questioning. If they compare 'notes', and they'll figure out a new way to go, on the hunt.

[lightlessfuture]

To the Liberator's own mental notes, they add their own. In some places, the images are simply different perspectives of the same areas (much lower down, for a start); some are new. But they confirm they haven't been in the direction the Liberator is pointing, not yet.

Their new direction, and their purpose, seems clear enough. They begin to walk, assuming that their new friend will catch up and take the lead with ease.

[exbarathris]

They assume correctly; the Liberator isn't tall, but she's taller than the Knight, and her longer stride brings her to the front with ease.

But the forest is quiet as they make their way along their chosen path, with nothing but the rustling of leaves and grasses... and ferns, as they push on through the underbrush. Ferns that are definitely starting to rise up on long vine-y limbs behind her as she forges on ahead.

[lightlessfuture]

The Knight follows along dutifully behind, but they notice the greenery start to rise and pull out their sword.

They are far too small to really tackle people out of the way, so the Liberator gets a warning more in the way of the Knight's thoughts, suddenly full of both alarm and purpose.

They scale one of the thing's limbs, leaving deep cuts in it as they slash their way up. They're not working for efficiency, but to be a distraction until their traveling partner turns around and joins the fight. Giving them fair warning.

[exbarathris]

She turns sharply on her heel at the thought, as quiet as it is -- alert to the possibility of...

Well, teh possibility of the plants attacking wasn't really on her list of expectations, but it's a clear and immediate threat -- big, but not too imposingly big, even as it unfurls to its full height, all vines and ferns and clods of earth falling away from it, flailing about as Knight cuts their way through the vegetation.

It's not even clear if this thing has a head yet, but that's a sizable body of sorts that pulled itself from the ground and, with her teeth bared, the Liberator stabs her spear upwards into the leafy mass. It is not going to like trying to drop down on top of her if she has anything to say about it.