lifeaftr | September Intro: The Fields Are Painted Gold

Entry tags:

September Intro: The Fields Are Painted Gold

INTRO LOG: SEPTEMBER

Who: New arrivals, and you!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: September 4th and onward
Where: Primarily Ensō, though Umui is also likely
Warnings: Mark as needed!

The Beach: And the Sun is Coming Through
When you arrive on the archipelago of LifeAftr, it is on the shores of Ensō - turquoise waves dragging through the pale sand of the beach. The breeze carries the tang of salt on the tropical sea spray. The sky overhead is a blue to rival the aquamarine surf. All told, the atmosphere is almost...pleasant. Not far from the cream-colored beach, the jungle beckons.

Above the treetops, however, something seems to be drifting overhead.

Bright spots of color drift on the wind like motes of dust. On further inspection, one might be able to discern what, exactly, is the cause of this lazily wafting, brilliantly colored confetti.

They are flower petals, being funneled up into the sky. Petals of every color and shape imaginable, thickening the air with golden currents of pollen, being lifted from one specific point. They are streaming freely from the Storyteller's Temple, as it happens, though this may not be clear to the newly arrived. The Temple has at last begun to shed the floral trappings that have ensnared it since the end of last month, and the breeze carries this out across the ocean skyline.

There's no mistaking it: it is very beautiful. Unless you have allergies.

Inland: The Trees Are Filled With Memories
This influx of flowers on the breeze, aside from being a potential source of unpleasant reminders to those who died choking on said flowers last month, have had additional consequences. The creatures rescued from Ziziphus flourish in such pollen-rich environments, which has led to a fresh budding of their young. Baby mosslings crawl like lumps of lichen over the trunks of trees, and the loud peeping of arboreali chicks can be heard in the branches above. Most of these creatures are not tameable, but some, such as flowccus, can be kept as livestock.

Just take care, when venturing into Ensō's verdant jungle. If Ziziphus's prey animals have begun to spring forth, then its predators have begun to reproduce as well. Young spindlanks and rootwyrms are not nearly as vicious as their adult counterparts, but you may have a bit of trouble getting rid of them without killing them - you did, after all, bring them here to preserve them.

Most notable, however, are the fresh litters of tigerlilies that have begun swarming all over Ensō.

Tigerlilies can be tamed and kept as pets, though despite their fearsome appearance, they not terribly vicious. They subsist in much the same way any other plant would; off of water and sunlight, primarily, though they might also graze like an herbivore from time to time.

If you're interested in keeping one for your own, bear LifeAftr's companion limit in mind - two per character, and no more. The process of trying to tame a tigerlily is not always successful, either. We recommend use of a d10, with the following guidelines:

Rolling a 10: Critical success! This tigerlily will follow you to the ends of the earth.
Rolling 6-9: Taming and training this tigerlily will be like educating a stubborn housecat, but will be nonetheless successful.
Rolling 2-5: Failure. You get sprayed with soporific pollen, which will affect you for several hours.
Rolling a 1: Critical failure. Not only do you get sprayed with soporific pollen, but the tigerlily in question decides that you're their new cat toy. Tigerlilies are not carnivorous, but their teeth and fangs are still very sharp, and not highly pleasant to contend with.

Bear in mind that these are only guidelines; you are free to predetermine successes or failures as you'd like, presuming your character can sustain the companion! Our discord channel has a room for dice-rolls, if that's your speed.

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

[ They watch Chuchu's progress with clear fascination, applauding when he's done. They take a moment to study his face before drawing their own rendition of it on the sand, carefully copying the letters he's used to spell out his own name.

anthy
will remember

They shake their head at the first part of Anthy's question, however.

was brought
by dreams
other people born in this world visit sometimes
but not usually

To come here implies they had much of a choice, and they did not, considering their unique circumstances at the time. They are not ungrateful for it, however. There is much here they've experienced, when they otherwise could not. ]

[Chuchu puffs out his chest and puts a hand on his hip, looking very proud and quite grateful for the applause. He's worked very hard on this sort of thing!]

Ah...'brought' does make more sense. Does anyone know why we are brought? Or by whom?

[She does recall, in her own dream, that even the rabbit did not know why people arrived, but the people themselves may know more than they did.]

[ The Knight shakes their head.

do not know
have not found out
maybe a god
maybe something else

Clearly that's a reassuring statement to issue to someone who's new. They stare down at the words they've written for a moment, tapping their sword thoughtfully on the sand.

any questions ?
will answer
if i can

They're no god or omniscient watcher, and are comfortable with admitting they don't know nearly everything there is to know about this place, but they've gotten familiar enough with Enso that they feel they should be able to help others who arrived in much the same way as themselves. ]

It might be a god, I agree.

[She's not sure why she so readily agrees to that - or why it's so easy to talk to The Knight; she'll quickly find other humans to be intimidating on sight, even when they're friendly. It must be the nature of how they communicate, or their size, or just...how outright nice they are in general, to offer help so readily.]

I suppose...I have to wonder, where is it that people can stay? If there are a lot, there must be a camp of some kind, right?

[Or a shack on Islet #2 that's empty.]

[ The Knight tilts their head at her words.

know gods?

Is this a religion thing? A 'i've met gods in person' thing? Both?? Neither???

At the mention of housing, however, they turn their attention to that question instead.

yes
smaller islands with big and small homes
some are empty
but need fixing
can also camp on island
some do

want to go there ?

They can show her where the islets are, at least. It might help her get more settled, to have a place where she can put everything she's got. ]

Oh no, not really. I've known some who would think themselves the part, that's all.

[A long time ago, the world would have thought her brother a kind of God and she a Goddess. But those days were long gone, a fairytale, a dream.

She nods at the offer.] Yes, I would very much like to see these small islands. Do lots of people live on them?

[ Ah, so it's that kind of experience. They nod in what would probably look like a knowing sort of manner if they had the facial expression to convey that, but as it is...it's just kind of a nod.

They contemplate this for a moment, and then give her another little nod.

many people
keep animals too
but still lots of space

They stand, but they don't immediately indicate she should follow. She's just gotten here, after all, so they should ask.

need to rest first ? ]

...As long as there's lots of space, then...it should be fine.

[She doesn't intend to let her hesitance show, but it peers through - the crippling fear of crowds was just something Anthy would likely never shake. She shakes her head and stands, and when she does so, Chuchu notices and hurries off towards her, making his climb back up to her shoulder with ease.]

No, we should be fine. But thank you.

[ ...They tap their sword thoughtfully against the ground, tilting their head. They noticed that hesitation.

do not like people ?
can help look
for somewhere else

Perhaps she'd be better wandering, like the Drifter did. Or finding somewhere else to live entirely, somewhere on the island. The Knight had contemplated it, before figuring it would be a better use of resources to use what was already available.

Some people preferred solitude. They won't question it, or ask for reasons; they merely want to be helpful, in whatever ways they can. ]

I...

[No one had ever actually asked if she was comfortable with others before. Not even Utena. The question gives her pause, and she looks at the Knight with quiet consideration.]

...I don't. But...it's important that I stay near others, I think. If not, then I don't think I could survive here for very long.

[That, and if she's going to be staying for any length of time, it's better she know what sort of people are around, rather than deem them all strangers.]

[ The Knight nods. That's understandable enough, grouping together even if it's not the most comfortable thing.

will show you where pool is
use pools to get to small island with houses

They lead her up into the jungle, towards the temple. There's...more than the usual amount of wildlife to contend with today, due to the flowers filling the air, and the Knight gently but firmly wields their sword with authority, getting anything that looks dangerous out of the way of their path.

Provided there's no added mishaps, they should reach the temple - and the mana pool there - fairly unruffled. ]

[Chuchu climbs up to Anthy's shoulder again as she follows the Knight through the jungle, knowing that he's more than likely to get hurt or lost if he tries running around on his own. Anthy, meanwhile, calmly follows behind, impressed at the Knight's tenacity. She wouldn't mind if they had asked for a ride as well, but if they prefer to lead, then who is she to argue?

Still...the temple itself is a curiosity, though she spares it only the lightest of glances in favor of the mana pool. The Knight had said that pools are used for travel, hadn't they? An interesting concept for sure, one that she is eager to see.]

[ It doesn't really occur to them, to ask to be carried. It's the action of someone that is used to traveling alone; expected to fend by themselves, or to guide others as best they can, they lead mostly because they have never thought it would be otherwise.

They note her brief flicker of attention to the temple, and feel as if they should at least inform her about it, especially considering their own willingly made link to the god there.

god lives there
storyteller
talks in dreams
but can visit if you want
friendly

They indicate the round sigil pinning their cloak together on their left shoulder.

am knight for them

They don't seem inclined to explain this pledge of service any further, but it's clear they're proud of the arrangement, considering their body language. ]

...So that's where they come from.

[She does remember the dream. The form of the Storyteller was endearing, and the information is good to have. She may visit, eventually, if only so they might have the courtesy of meeting in person.

At the mention of their service, Anthy nods understandingly.] I see. You must take great pride in your station - and they must be very glad to have you.

[They are an excellent knight.]

[ hope so

They willingly agreed to serve, despite the Storyteller's cautioning and a lack of direction. All they can do is their best, and hope it's what is needed.

The little bug proceeds to turn to the mana pool, plucking one of the white flowers that grows on the edge and drawing Anthy's attention to it by holding it up.

flowers are offerings
give flower to pool
tell pool where to go
will go there

Put flower in pool, tell it your destination, and off you go, apparently. It seems very simple.

for houses
ask for islets
want to try?

They can go first, if she doesn't think it's safe (which she may not). It's always good to have a sense of caution, after all; they won't be offended if she wants them to demonstrate. ]

[Chuchu, at least, is wary of the setup. He clings to Anthy as she carefully takes a flower, cupping it in her hands.]

It's alright. I'll try it.

[Gently, she kneels down to let the flower float atop the surface of the water.] Islets, please-

[And it's

It's the strangest sensation, traveling by pool. Not wet like one would expect, but there's a rush to it, and even as she finds herself somewhere else Anthy reaches instinctively to hold Chuchu close, as if he could be torn from her by a force they don't understand. Take your time coming over, Knight - she needs a minute to recoup.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

September Intro: The Fields Are Painted Gold

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