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

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

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.

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 farther than he's ever gone before but the need to search and find out all he can to keep everyone safe had driven him deep into the west side. Finding the lake and crossing it was just one more hurdle.

Except the dread returns as he strides up to the temple itself. A god like Storyteller?] Balance? It would make sense or is it...

[He shakes his head and enters the temple. It reminds him of Storyteller's altar. He'd avoided the temple since he was freed. He isn't blind to how much of a mess he is. Storyteller doesn't need to see or deal with that.

God or no.

He walks slowly up to the altar. It feels almost dream like how hard it is to describe it in his head. Images slide across his mind's eye but he keeps walking. The imagery almost prepares him for the pair of koi that unfurl and swim in the air.]

...uh, are you...Balance? [He straightens up, mustering the words.] I want to ask you a few questions.

Edited (keyboard i swear) 2018-06-11 20:58 (UTC)

[Back and forth, back and forth. Both fish move in quite the leisurely fashion, almost hypnotic in how seamlessly they weave at and around one another. So much so that it's quite impossible to tell the difference between the two.]

We are balance. We understand you have questions.

We are imbalance, [says the other, in perfect tandem.] We may not be able to answer.

[They swim back and forth, moving together in a fashion that keeps his eyes on them. Keith crosses his arms over his chest as he notes they haven't tried to mess with him. So far. This could be safe.

How does he approach this? He had a rough plan before...Wait.]

What sort of questions can you answer? Anything related to balance?

[The fish weave in and around each other fluidly, as though through water; so interchangeable are they that it is impossible to tell which speaks at any given time.]

We may communicate, though our language is limited.

Your thoughts are limited. We may not understand, [murmurs the other.]

[And then, in perfect tandem:]

It depends.

[So ask and see. He straightens up, watching them carefully.]

How much can you see about the present state of your fellow gods?

We see some. This island is our home, [murmurs one.]

We see little, [whispers the other, a peaceful susurrus of contradiction.] This island is all we know.

So you can see anything on this island and maybe something close to it? [Like Storyteller and Bliss.]

We see the sea. We see the sky. We see the things on our land.

We see the sea. We see the sky.

We see the new things that come to our land. [They don't sound very concerned about that, at least - the influx of new creatures onto the land of Monsun.]

[Yet it won't sit with him if he doesn't ask. If only to help the creatures have some measure of protection.]

...Their island was dying. We brought them here to preserve them. Is that okay?

Dying?

[One of the fish slows their pendulumic back-and-forth.]

[The other weaves around it, seemingly unbothered.]

We have no quarrel with those that live on our land.

[Keith takes a step forward. Balance deserves to know what happened. He just has to find a way to word this.]

Zizyphus got close to Enso and we took a look at it. ...Bliss tried to devour all of us. I...I tried to talk to them. To save them but...they were too far gone.

[He spreads his hands apart. He hadn't meant to take a slight pleading tone but here it is. He really, really, doesn't want to go through that again.] They'd been feeding on people for I'm not sure how long. I was hoping in talking to you that we could find a way to help any others in Bliss's position! Safely. For all of us. God and mortals.

Far gone?
[The words echo in unison, ever so slightly out of synchronization with one another - they flurry at him in a spattering of questions, one after another.]

[He jerks back. Holy shit.] Hang on!

[Keith takes a second as their questions fire at him one after the other. He breathes in and shuts his eyes. Focus. He needs that. He holds up his hands as he seeks out that centered feeling he'd had in his Bliss dream. Calm. In command. At peace. He doesn't get the feel effect but enough to focus and keep talking.] I'm sorry to bring you upsetting news.

I wish I had better news to give you.

...They were so imbalanced they refused any offers or attempts to reason with them. They were bloated, everything around them was decaying and rotting. I don't know how it happened. I guess they'd been feeding on anything that stepped on the island for a long time. Trapping them in bliss and feeding on them.

Rapsho. Rapsho. Rapsho. Rapsho

[Soft, keening murmurs, one after another - from one fish, from both, murmured so rapidly that it's impossible to tell which is speaking at any given time.]

What happened? What happened? What happened? What happened?

[He can't stay calm. Not after those keening murmurs. Keith knows loss and their keening is the kind sound he didn't let himself make the two times he lost the person that mattered most. He steps towards the altar setting his hands on it at last as he speaks softly.]

I know. I know. I...I'm bad at wording things. But I'm not sure what other way there is to break it to you. They told me they didn't want to remember what they lost.

[His voice is barely above a whisper now. He raises it so he can be heard again. His eyes full of sorrow.]

I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I tried. They wouldn't listen to me or anyone else. I want to fix anything I can fix. I don't want to fail any of you again.

Could...is there any way to bring balance to all of you?

[It starts quietly, a whisper to match his. A hushed chorus in duplicate, swaying to and fro. The leisurely swish of fishtails in the air has stilled to barely a twitch. Their gills flutter, gossamer-delicate, in the emptiness of their temple.]

[Then it starts to swell.]

[Louder. Louder. Louder, until the very walls ring with it.]

[They never raise their voice. They never shout. Their tone is still placid. But the volume doubles, triples, quadruples all the same - as though there are simply more of them speaking, all at once.]

What happened?

What happened?

What happened?

What happened?

[He stands his ground. Some part of him decides that he deserves this. He brought them this pain. He had failed to help Bliss.

He had failed.

Keith drops his eyes away from the fish. He will accept responsibility. No matter what the price is taken from him.

No one else has to. His voice is quieter than Balance's, but carries all his sorrow, all his pain.]

They trapped us in dreams. To eat and kill us. I was broken out. I tried to talk to them. I failed to convince them there was a better way. They tried to kill me.

And I...killed Rapsho. If you want to punish anyone for it. Punish me. I won't fight it. But I came here to ask for your help so nothing like this ever happens again.

I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want to help fix things. Then go home. ...Please. Help me save anyone that can be saved.

[Silence.]

[Silence.]

[Silence.]

[The walls are silent, and the intensity of the god's speech has faded.]

One mortal cannot kill a god, [accuses one.]

One god can kill many, [the other says, mournfully, at the same moment.]

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

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