lifeaftr | September Intro: Knowledge is Hot Water on Wool

Entry tags:

September Intro: Knowledge is Hot Water on Wool

INTRO LOG: SEPTEMBER

Who: Everyone!
What: The Storyteller makes use of their first offering, and new souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: September 2nd
Where: Ensō...and surrounding lands
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Part I: New Arrivals
You probably didn’t last fall asleep on the warm spit of white sand that you find yourself, but nonetheless, that is where you awaken. There’s the hush of waves lapping up against the edges of the beach and the soft chill of a coastal breeze stirring at your surroundings, but the place is, all things considered, quite peaceful. The sun is merciless as it reflects across the glittering spread of seawater that surrounds you on three sides.

Three sides.

You’re on an island, if a rather small one. It can’t be much more than a mile across at the height of its length, and what’s more, it’s dotted with small, straggling outcrops of stone buildings that look as though they may have once been used for shelter of some sort or another, now weather beaten and wind-blasted. If you peer into the distance, it will rapidly become clear that you are on one small islet of a grouping of five. Battered bridges of wood-and-rope swing precariously between each one, joining them in a rough circle.

What’s more is that you aren't alone. You'll find that you have one or two companions waking on the islet alongside you, and each will discover a knapsack with their name stitched to the front, containing a paltry number of items, along with any rewards you may have accrued. There's probably a way off these islets, and a means of accessing the shadowy lump of a mainland that rears up in the distance, maybe two miles across the stretch of sea...but what is it?

We do recommend treading carefully, and not simply embarking on a poorly-advised mission to swim all the way there. A school of tiger-sharks have begun to stir up the waters surrounding the islets, hungry for fresh meat. They are at least edible - if you can succeed in taking one down, that is. If you do not, don’t worry: at least you have shelter. Very dilapidated, ruined, half-crumbled shelter that will hardly serve as protection against wind and rain, but surely that's better than no shelter at all, right?

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.

Part II: Old Souls
A floral, faintly bitter tang rings about the air of the ruined temple this morning. As you rise, you may find a familiar scene: a rabbit with snow-white fur, crouched nearby a dilapidated pillar, thumping their foot impatiently. They look to you, or perhaps they are addressing the room as a whole when they say:

"Ah. Finally. First, I must thank you for fulfilling your end of our transaction - your stories have done their job. Thus, it is time for me to fulfill mine. I've arranged something for you all. I’m aware that in many worlds there is a poor association with following white rabbits, so perhaps you would find the flowered path more enticing." The Storyteller shifts their gray tome from one paw to the other, giving a great leap across the fallen pillar. "Now, what I am about to grant you…there are procedures, of course. You must follow the instructions to begin with. And then, well - you need a place to go. You needn’t even need a name, specifically. The power will know. Simply be sure to tell it."

The rabbit sniffs and flicks an ear. "Just remember what I ask: no bathing, please. For all's sake."

And then they bound off into the darkness, disappearing just before the shadows engulf them wholly.

Indeed, where the dust-trodden ground gives way to grass, a sparse growth of white flowers have blossomed, winding wildly through the growth and leading around the temple’s exterior.

Those who find fit to follow the Storyteller's suggestion will find, first, that the path of flowers leads them to an outcropping of stone that overlooks the great cove formed by Ensō’s landmass. In the distance, just short of the ocean’s horizon, a white scatter of islets sit in the blue-jade waters. Those certainly hadn’t been there before, had they? Intrepid explorers, be patient: the path of flowers doesn't end here. In fact, it veers off cleanly in the direction of the mana pool behind the Storyteller's ruins.

Upon arriving at the pool, characters will find that the narcissus flowers have bloomed in full and prolific splendor around its edges, filling the humid air with a thick scent of bitter hay and honey. Upon a great slab of stone rising from the edge of the pool, a strange limerick seems to have been engraved:

A flower once loved above all,
The hubris of his mirror-thrall.
Were he water-lily!
Yet fate wet and pithy,
Narcissus, what a fate to befall.
No other instructions appear to have been left other than this cryptic rhyme. Should characters solve this riddle, however, they will find themselves engulfed in a flash of blinding white light, given the briefest sensation of falling…

Followed by the familiar vision of Ensō looming in the distance. Quite far out, in fact. Their surroundings have dramatically shifted from a lush jungle to an almost barren island, surrounded on its sides by four nearly identical islets. It would appear that any characters who use the mana pool have been randomly transported to one of the five islets appeared overnight. Other than a nearly identical mana pool lapping at their feet, it would seem that - aside from weather-worn, dilapidated shacks and shelters - these islands don’t have much on them at all.

Except, perhaps, new faces.

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

[Muffet notices their brief hesitation, but chalks it up to the usual human discomfort with arachnids and thinks nothing more of it. Why would she? After all, just because they look vaguely similar to Frisk doesn't mean she's ever met them before this island... right?]

[She peers curiously at the line.]

All right, now let's try pulling it back up and seeing what happens when we tie something to the end of the line. A tree branch, perhaps.

[Ha ha.

No comment.

Whilst they appreciate her caution, this is taking far too long. As she poses the next step in their experiment, Chara graces her with something of a blank stare-

Right before they blatantly take a single step forwards, intending to put their foot into the pool. Of course, they disappear before such a thing is possible.

And the pool goes still.]

[Muffet immediately pulls back, only to blink in amazement as she hauls up a rope severed neatly in the middle.]

[All in one motion, she snatches up a clump of three narcissus flowers growing next to her foot, stuffs two of them in her pocket, and tosses the third one into the pool.]

[She still remembers what the Storyteller said about thinking of where you want to go- hopefully, it also works if you're thinking of who you want to go to. Picturing Chara clearly, she jumps in after them before the scattered narcissus leaves even have time to hit the ground.]

Edited (wrong icon) 2017-09-15 02:13 (UTC)

[To her credit, they haven't gone far. In fact, Chara's barely had time to step out of the way, looking intently at their surroundings as Muffet appears behind them.]

I suppose the good news is- we aren't dead.

[Ha ha.]

[A series of emotions flickers over Muffet's face, going rapidly through worry, relief, annoyance, and resignation before finally settling on genuine amusement.]

So we aren't. I always do appreciate that.

[She can't quite bring herself to be angry at them- ultimately, they took a gamble and won, and she knows that you can't make any real progress without being willing to take risks. Given the dangerous things she's tried, it would be hypocritical to criticize them for this.]

[Even if they did nearly give her a biologically-improbable heart attack.]

You know, if you were getting impatient with testing, you could have just said so.

[They don't know her well enough to be capable of distinguishing what each emotion means, but the shift of expressions registers somewhat. It's on her if she holds any anger over the situation; they already did it.

No regrets, as always.]

Why wait? If it was going to kill us, I hardly feel it necessary to build the suspense.

[More importantly-]

I suppose this is what the Storyteller means by assistance.

[No anger, in the end. Vague concern that they're so easily willing to gamble with their own life- but a lot of things about them inspire that kind of concern, honestly.]

[In any case, Muffet moves on smoothly, not lingering over something that won't help in the moment.]

Ah, but aren't we supposed to be providing good stories? Perhaps we ought to make sure to maintain the proper dramatic tension.

[She's looking around curiously as she says it, tone dry but expression intrigued with their new surroundings.]

So it seems, yes. I do see buildings, although they're not in particularly good shape for housing...

I see your point. I can hear it now... we attempted to hold a rope over the water. Next, we let the rope touch the liquid.

[They lower their voice, grinning from ear to ear. Much drama. Very tension. Wow.]

In our thrilling conclusion....we finally dropped- a rock. Stunning.

[That aside, however- they're a little less... curious than she. Rather, their expression clouds with something akin to frustration, every little aspect of the place in need of repair noted.]

No, they are not.

If this is all our stories are worth, I'm sorely tempted to keep my tales to myself.

[Muffet winks cheerfully.]

Ah, you can build drama out of anything, you just have to sell it properly. Emphasize the strangeness of discovery, the curious temptations of the unknown...

[She's not necessarily a literary aficionado, but she knows how to make a sale. Catching their unimpressed expression, she considers the place thoughtfully.]

I wonder if this is all our stories were going to? If nothing else, they were also providing items people specifically requested, and I don't doubt they needed to retain at least some... energy or what have you. If they keep nothing for themselves, they certainly wouldn't be turning a profit.

Be that as it may, I'd rather have a more interesting tale to tell.

[Like how they survived a black hole, or fighting a wild pack of centipuppies. Stabbing sharks.

They have very simple wants and pleasures. Such as taking the lead to venture towards the nearest abode, confident that even if she did lash out, they would be capable of returning any pain threefold.]

Particularly if they're going to something that does not reward us. We may as well enjoy the stories we tell, until providing them backfires.

[Honestly, she's done two-thirds of those things and she'd much rather just drop a rock into a pool. That sounds much less messy. But she's not going to begrudge them for preferring adventure- aren't most children restless? Growing up in the Underground, you got used to people who longed for the sky, both literally and metaphorically.]

There is, of course, the question of how things will go wrong. I suspect the obvious answer is 'in a way that would be narratively interesting', but that covers a fairly wide range of options.

[She doesn't dispute their belief that disaster is only a matter of time. It's better to plan for something that doesn't happen than to be unprepared for something that does.]

I agree; it does leave a rather wide umbrella to prepare for. Of course, we shall do our best.

[Or in their case, ensure that by the time any issues begin to arise

They aren't here to deal with them at all. With a sharp exhale, Chara begins to walk towards the first building; happy or not, they may as well investigate.]

Hopefully, we can manage a reasonably happy ending- inasmuch as any ending ever is.

[Muffet does much the same, pausing at one of the nearest shacks to peer curiously through the door.]

Hm... no furniture or decorations, not even very old or damaged ones. Either the original owners stripped the place bare before they left, or it just wasn't created with any in the first place.

Mm. It does not appear that they hold any items of use- large or small.

[They agree with her assessment, eyes sweeping over floor after floor of packed dirt- and mud. The buildings all seem to be in their own state of disrepair, but even then, that doesn't tell them anything. Old, new. It wouldn't take much for a god to muddy that detail.]

In which case, I assume that the intention is for us to do with them as we see fit.

That seems the logical conclusion to me. Even if some of them turn out to be irreparable, the materials can likely be salvaged for something useful.

[A thought occurs to her and she stops, tilting her head slightly to listen.]

I can't hear any kind of animal noise at all- nothing rustling in the trees or grass, no cawing in the distance. Even on the quieter parts of the island I can usually hear something like that in the background, even if it's very faint and far away. I think there might not be any large animals here, just the insects and whatever happens to be down in the ocean.

[A good point. They pause, listening for themself...and they hear nothing. No birds, no insects. The island is quiet, aside from the sound of the waves hitting the shore.]

Some kind of refuge, then. We'd be capable of building here with little threat from the local wild life.

How quaint.

[She suspects there has to be at least some insect life here, because it's near impossible to keep plants growing properly without it and she doubts the Storyteller would want to constantly spend energy on keeping this grass alive. Still, probably nothing larger than ant colonies and the occasional earthworm...]

That certainly does solve one problem, yes. Although it does raise the issue of building somewhere without much available food nearby...

A conundrum to be solved at another time- alongside obtaining a more secure water source.

[It's very suspicious, isn't it? That they would be provided lodgings with so many flaws. So many large details that require attention.

Ignis' words are still repeating in the back of their head. Distraction is one of the oldest tactics in the books and one of the most effective.]

Let us at least search this place in full, and see what we can find.

[Muffet nods in agreement.]

Yes, let's. Although at this point it seems less about what we have found, and more about what we haven't...

That's certainly one way of looking at it.

[And possibly the more accurate, at that. With a polite smile, they gesture for her to take the lead, nodding their head.]

After you, ma'am.

[Don't worry. They'll be right behind you.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

September Intro: Knowledge is Hot Water on Wool

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Probably wrapping soon?

I'm down for open ending them just going off and exploring, yeah!