June Intro: Let's Sea How Far We've Come

[lifeaftr_mods]

INTRO LOG: JUNE

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr as the island of Ziziphus begins to crumble
When: June 4th and onward
Where: Ziziphus and Ensō...and Monsun
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Ziziphus: At The Start Of The End Of The World
Since Bliss's destruction, the extensive root network they've threaded throughout every inch of the island of Ziziphus has begun to crumble. June 4th marks the beginning of the inevitable collapse of the island as it starts to sink into the sea...coincidentally coinciding with the arrival of LifeAftr's newest adventurers. Between the dead trees surrounding Bliss's empty husk, great cracks in the earth start to widen, the dead god's absent root system leaving vast gaps underground which simply cannot support the life above. It almost sounds like thunder rupturing from the ground itself, wild tremors preceding each vicious boom until gaping chasms lay between venturing parties and the safety of the mana pool - only water waits below, for those unlucky enough to lose their footing.

And if the immense pull of mile wide chunks of landmass sinking beneath the waves isn't enough to suck you down, the heavy rain of debris from Ziziphus's rapidly destabilizing edges will certainly help. Want to avoid a watery grave? What you need to do is simple:

Escape.

Sorry, newbies. If you showed up on Ziziphus, you're in for a very athletic entrance to LifeAftr.

Monsun: Just Like Every Other Morning Before
Adventurers aren't the only creatures on Ziziphus attempting to outrun its collapse. Creatures great and small, from the largest spindlank to the smallest tigerlily will be heading south in an attempt to escape the worst of the quakes. Unlike offshore adventurers, however, these poor creatures don't have a mana pool waiting for them to escape through. Their extinction, it seems, is imminent.

Unless you have something to say about it.

Already exhausted from their attempts to get through to and then actively dispose of their fellow god, the Storyteller will break their traditional manner of communication to announce a potential solution to this problem with a single broadcast to the Stones of Far Speech in a strained, weary tone:

"The mana pools on Monsun are now open. If you are willing, save what you can."

True to their word, characters will discover that the island of Monsun will be accessible once more for a short period of time. From prey to predator, obstruction to catastrophe - multiple species of flora and fauna can still be preserved, should you choose to do so.

Be wary of the psychological effects of both sides of the island. Those who are new to our setting and wish to explore, the island of Monsun has a peculiar side effect to its stark divide: the eastern half is rich in resources, but brings out the very worst of you, while the western half is a tumultuous wasteland that accentuates your best qualities. More information on said island can be found on its entry on the Locations page, or its introductory info post.

Due to these efforts, the Storyteller will not be available for contact from the 4th to the 18th of June. Item Requests will also be unavailable at this time. They will, however, make a rather strained announcement to ensure all are aware that access to both Ziziphus and Monsun will cease on June 10th.

Ensō: I Wonder What It Means If It's Gone
The native fauna of Ziziphus aren't the only ones on the move, it seems. Those who wander the shores of Ensō will be delighted to witness the appearance of creatures akin to both turtles and dugongs drifting through the waters, gravitating around the island's eastern coast, rapidly gaining in numbers over the following days.

Kaleidoshells have been unlocked in the bestiary!

With spring close to ending in the archipelago, these peaceful creatures are looking to make good use of their natural nesting areas; hope you're open to sharing the beach for a little while. While a few braver individuals will make their way to the shores between C4 and D1 to begin digging nests, the vast majority won't be coming to shore quite yet.

They do, however, make a very fine sight around the waters of Ensō, especially in the evening. Luminescent, their rainbow patterns glow underwater, drifting mood lights for the increasingly warmer evening breeze.

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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

[want_to_belong]

[Fidgeting on his feet, he rested his weight mostly to one side. He'd mostly avoided Ardyn. Frankly, he still feared the man, and after the train ride who could blame him? He didn't even know what came after he left Aranea behind yet because no one had told him the details, and that surely wouldn't have helped Ardyn's case, either.

Unlike Iggy, he hadn't explored the other side of Ardyn much. He rubbed his lips together, hesitant to start a conversation with the man who'd caused them so much grief, but asked softly.]

...Do you wish it would?

[scourgingstars]

...it would, perhaps, make things far simpler.

[want_to_belong]

[So Ardyn wanted to stay, too?]

You stayed here a lot last time. Are you going to do that again?

[scourgingstars]

I think I'm likely to, for however long this place lasts.

[want_to_belong]

Guess we'll be seeing each other around a lot again, then.

[Should he stay? They'd need to set up some sort of camp if they were going to stay here again. They couldn't hang around in the sun. He made like he was going to leave but hesitated, fighting with himself about whether he should even try or not.]

Hey, can I... ask you a question?

[scourgingstars]

I can't promise an answer, but there isn't anything stopping you.

[want_to_belong]

[This could go really bad.]

You know all about the stuff happening in Niflheim, don't you?

[scourgingstars]

[He'd been here just long enough to point out the fact that it was past tense, but it was a very close thing.]

I do, yes.

[want_to_belong]

How... many of them are there?

[scourgingstars]

...

[And he certainly didn't need to specify.]

That depends on timeframe. At your point judging by your age, more than was my job to keep accurate inventory of. By a decade later, significantly less.

[want_to_belong]

[He bit his lip, glancing away. 'Inventory'. They were nothing but a product.]

Do you think any of them can be helped?

[scourgingstars]

I'm afraid you're a unique singularity by virtue of being taken so early. They aren't created to have a personality, much less be receptive to communication past their coding and programming.

The short answer is 'no', in other words.

[want_to_belong]

[His lip twitched and he glanced down. They had looked so much like him, just floating there in the tubes. Like any other person. It was hard to believe that they were beyond saving already.]

...Why me?

[scourgingstars]

That's not something I can answer. Whether you believe it or not, I had nothing to do with the incident that led to you being brought to Insomnia. It was written off as an act of Lucian espionage, and Verstael was too preoccupied to pursue the matter.

[want_to_belong]

[He folded his arms and glanced at the horizon, thinking, before walking over to lead Coco. It seemed like he was going to need some time in Monsun. For now, he had enough to think about, and decided to take his leave to find a good spot to set up camp.]