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.

---

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

[counterblows]

I'll put that down as a "maybe," then.

[Wash sighs. Wash sits. Wash shucks the clip from his rifle to check it, and starts running through the components to ensure each one is in working order. A little wet, but otherwise fine. The mechanical, precise motions are grounding in the way that routine usually is.]

[A casual, conversation air generally helps alleviate the situation.]

You see a lot of "anomalies" where you come from?

[forwearemany]

Affirmative.

(After a moment of looking around, checking for threats, Legion sits down as well.)

Anomalous occurences are common. Anaomalous occurrences of a spatial-temporal nature are supposed to be "impossible".

(Legion has seen some weird shit. Their commander died and was brought back to life. Nothing like this though.

After a moment, they start fiddling with their arm.)

[counterblows]

[Agent Washington can field strip a rifle faster than anyone he knows. He doesn’t know the numbers when he’s in a firefight, because adrenaline will shave off precious seconds when it launches your muscles into taut, precise action, but a PFC timed him once for a bet and he clocked in under twenty-five seconds.]

[He moves slowly, now. Speed indicates danger or urgency and he’s out to set a tone that’s casual. Picking his weapon apart. Studying it closely, even if he doesn’t particularly need to.]

Like someone who should be dead showing up alive.

...you know that “anomalous” implies it should be uncommon, right?

[forwearemany]

(Legion watches curiously. The weapon is very different-primitive, in some ways-compared to those they are familiar with.

They find themselves wishing for their own gun.

Except then Wash mentions people who are supposed to be dead showing up alive, and Legion feels the need to clarify something.)

We have previously encountered an anomaly of this nature.

(The rest of what he says doesn't seem to phase them, and it's only a moments pause before they continue their elaboration.)

Yes. Our occupation resulted in us being exposed to an anomalous number of anomalies.

(That they themselves are an anomaly is a bit too painful to bring up right now.)

[counterblows]

I guess we can say we've got that in common.

[The dead coming back to life. The dead not being "dead" at all. The dead being revived via circuits of memory, because that was always the key. The most powerful fucking thing in the universe.]

Being exposed to anomalies. Seeing people come back when they should be dead.

[forwearemany]

Affirmative.

(They consider this, headflaps rippling.)

Have you previously encountered anomalies of a spatial-temporal nature?

(They might as well ask. They sure haven't, though they have speculated about those possibilities.)

[counterblows]

[NOT YET HE HASN'T.]

Temporal? No. That was never possible. [He sure has no idea that it actually is, whoops.] Spatial...I guess that depends on what you consider an "anomaly."

[forwearemany]

(The first bit was expected. They have also not encountered anomalies of a temporal nature. The second? ...Headtilt.)

...Elaborate.

[counterblows]

Well, we've got slipspace. Short-form teleportation. Pretty standard stuff, for us.

[For the most part, anyway. Teleportation grenades were a relatively new development, and they certainly took some getting used to.]

[forwearemany]

(Startled chatter and flaring headflaps. That's... definitely unusual but:)

We have no knowledge of "slipspace". However, if this is normal from your perspective, it is not anomalous.

(They sound so calm saying it.)

[counterblows]

Ever teleported via grenade?

[That's really as elaborative as he plans to get in the immediate sense. After all, he doesn't know this robot. He's not in the habit of forking over trade secrets.]

[forwearemany]

Negative.

(...Flapraise.)

[counterblows]

Well, there you go. Neither had I, until recently.

[Futurecubes. Goddamnit, Grif.]

Pretty new development.

[forwearemany]

(And yet more raising of flaps.)

This "development" is not hazardous?

(Because it sounds hazardous.)

[counterblows]

Not unless you get thrown off a cliff or something.

[Or lost in a dimension for untold eons and develop a brand of unhinged bordering on the absurd. But that’s a special case.]

[forwearemany]

(They don't even have a respond to that, beyond indechipherable chatter in Geth.

He can say all he wants about it being safe, it still sounds so dubious.)

[counterblows]

Hey, like I said. Anomalous.

[He reassembles his rifle with a satisfying sequence of clicks and snaps of pieces coming sharply together, and settles the barrel across one knee.]

Doesn’t usually mean “safe.”

[forwearemany]

...Acknowledged.

(They're still trying to wrap their head around it. Not so much the how part as the why. Because seriously why would anyone think that was a good idea?)

[counterblows]

[Wash stands, mag-clamps his rifle to his back. It's about as close to a peaceable gesture as he's liable to get, at the moment.]

You got anywhere to go?

[forwearemany]

Negative.

(Other than away from organics, but they don't say that.)

[counterblows]

Looks like there's houses on some smaller islands off the mainland's coast. Most of them seem like they're in disrepair, but it's shelter.

[A pause. He glances at Legion, wondering, briefly, if moisture might be a problem for them as they seem largely mechanical. Decides it's better not to ask.]

In case it...rains.

[forwearemany]

...Acknowledged.

(Shepard-Commander will likely be found there. They wish to avoid her, as well as large concentrations of organics, and thus make note of this.

Though water damage is a possibility, they have functioned in such conditions previously, and are only minimslly worried about shelter.)

[counterblows]

[He pauses, possibly anticipating some other response. When none seems forthcoming, he turns his attention to the only thing he can do - which is resume his patrol of the area.]

Guess I'll be seeing you, Legion.

[forwearemany]

(They want to give a different answer. He's leaving, and they don't want to go back to being alone, a tiny group of refugees inhabiting a single functioning platform.

But the memory of a precious friend dooming their people to die as another shoves a knife into their back is there, fresh and real.)

Acknowledged. Goodbye.