lifeaftr | 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

[A few things clink in the Hunter's pockets as the smaller creatures make their way inside his coat's pockets. The Hunter knows the needle portion of the Blood Vials were retracted so none of them would be stabbed....but hopefully they don't break. The clawing goes unnoticed, the Hunter not even flinching as they sink into his flesh.

Once everyone is on board, the Hunter nods himself and takes off towards the mana pool. While he isn't as fast as Amaterasu was he does know the value of getting a move on, decaying island or no. And he's under no illusion that they'd be able to save all of these creatures. The Hunter rarely has been in the position to save many people - having to be content with one or two. It's simply how it was in Yharnam and seemed to be the case here.

But like Amaterasu, the Hunter is willing to try too. So once he drops off the animals that are eager to get away from him, the Hunter makes his way back to where he last saw the white wolf.

Hopefully nothing happened between then and now while he was gone.]

[They most certainly can't save everything, or every one, but her love of life, and the fire that fuels her holy spirit burns with the intensity, strengthening her resolve. Try, you must try...do what you can to try and save as many as you can. As the two split, Amaterasu comes back with a smaller amount of creatures. So many of them are too far for her to reach now, and the others... She will pray for them all. A memorial, surely, will be planted somewhere on Enso for all those are losing the struggle to survive, and fighting for escape. That is why they must fight too, to aid the struggle.

A tiny flock of flowaccus follows in the wolf's wake - only four from a once larger flock...lost to the falling trees and splits in the island. One of whom lays across Amaterasu's back, bleating pathetically as one of it's legs is painfully twisted. A felled tree seems to have crushed it, and it was all she could do to lift the huge bough to free the little thing. They can mend it, surely, but its cries are heartbreaking. And four is...not much, but the tiny, floral sheep are what remains from what she could find, and Ammy prays others found more, so they can grow again, and flourish on a new island, a new home... She waits patiently for the Hunter, even deeming to move closer to the mana pools as the route back to Ziziphus's depths seems to grow more and more narrow...more treacherous. They've run out of time. All those that are left, she must pray that others with skills greater than her own can aid them. She will hold that prayer deep in her heart, until the island falls beneath the sea. They have done all they can, it's time to go.]

[Progress across the city of Yharnam was an unending struggle. Every inch the Hunter explored was wrought with blood and his many, many deaths. He learned from his experiences. He had to. And much like Yharnam, the ever-changing destruction of Zizphus was a place where he had to learn fast to get back to Amaterasu every time or die. And indeed, the amount of time the Hunter takes to get back to Amaterasu is shorter and shorter each time. And each time his clothing reeks more and more of blood.

(His life has never been peaceful even before Yharnam but the Hunter can clearly remember the day when he stopped noticing the smell of blood and gore.)

He carries the injured Flowaccu as carefully as he could but there isn't enough time to heal it as the rest are dropped off. And then their time is up as the island falls with its God. The Hunter whistles again to grab Amaterasu's attention, waving towards the mana pool.

Time to get going.]

[She follows. It's difficult to leave anything, or anyone, behind on this dying land, but she follows regardless. Into the swirling waters of the mana pool she goes, following after the bloodstained man she just now befriended, and the herd of animals she was able to save. Not enough, her heart tells her, and it aches...but looking at those she did save alleviates some of that ache. There are good people here, they'd save others - she has faith in the people here, the deepest and utmost faith in them.

Those uninjured are hesitant to begin their life anew, though they do seem thankful to be out of harm's way. The shock is mostly what keeps them in place - shock and fatigue, as some of the creatures are resting, panting hard and just trying to sleep off the exhaustion of running for their literal lives. Ammy approaches the Hunter first, to nudge his hand with her nose in deep thanks for his assistance, then approaches the injured flawaccus, which has stopped its pained bleating, but now seemed to be breathing hard and looking very ragged. She can't heal...those sorts of powers are outside her range of heavenly magics.

Though someone else could try, or apply simple medicine and first aid. She just doesn't want to put the best to death after having saved its life.]

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

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject