lifeaftr | October Intro: I Think We Should Run

INTRO LOG: OCTOBER

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

Nuidan: Checking that the Coast is Clear
This time around, newest arrivals to the archipelago of LifeAftr will open their eyes to the skies overlooking the relatively recent island of Nuidan. Namely, they'll be waking in the northern quadrant of said island, the region perpetually locked in the season of spring. This means rich fields of gold and green and buff-colored grass and skies swollen with unshed rainclouds. The scent of turned soil and petrichor mingles with the faint, earthy scent of manure.

It's not an unpleasant way to wake. There are doubtless worse places to rouse yourself. But the cloud of dust clotting up the horizon soon suggests that there might be a bit more to the circumstances of your arrival than some nice weather.

And, unfortunately, that's exactly the case. There's a herd of something charging directly for you, and nothing short of a natural disaster is going to sway them from their course.

A thick-packed herd of scaly aptonoth have been spooked, startled, or otherwise galvanized into a panicked stampede across the northern reaches of Nuidan.

Quadrupedal, herbivorous, and scaly, aptonoths resemble dinosaurs in appearance more than they do so in their generally placid nature. They are far more akin to cows in temperament, even if their skin is a good deal more leathery. Even the broad spikes at the ends of their tail or the heavy horns atop their heads aren't terribly dangerous unless the entire herd feels threatened. While aptonoths are typically easily tamed, in this case they are far from amenable to conceding to anyone's interference.

It's probably best to try and get out of their way. Fast.

Ensō: 'Cause They're Already Ghosts
Things are quieter on LifeAftr's mainland. They might seem a little...eerily so, in fact. Today officially marks the day that the Storyteller makes their departure, and seeks out new islands for you intrepid explorers to uncover. The difference that their absence creates is small, at first, and most prominently felt on Ensō itself.

The temple is the most obvious thing. It simply looks...defeated and empty, as hollow and unoccupied as it currently is. That aura of proud mystery is absent, though the Chamber of Glyphs at least remains as it was. But anyone who comes looking for the Storyteller themself at this time will find no one waiting for them. No flower-touched animal, no old, dusty tome. You're currently on your own.

Or...maybe not? The Storyteller was courteous enough to issue a warning last month about the nature of the dream-island of Mu. The effects of that island will start to make themselves evident in small, simple ways: namely, in the way you're going to start seeing things.

Nothing serious, of course. Just...flickers of movement in the corners of your vision. Something about your surroundings just being so slightly off. The color of that rock - it's always been that way, hasn't it? Or was it only always that way five minutes ago? While these blips and hitches in reality are decidedly non-specific, they can be unsettling for those who can't adjust for a bit of strangeness.

The source of these odd quirks in the fabric of reality is easily explained by the presence of clockroaches, one of Mu's wily dream-creatures. You'd be hard-pressed to catch a glimpse of any of them directly; they specialize in the ethereal and the ephemeral, and seldom reveal themselves to anyone if they can help it. But you might, if you're very attentive or very lucky, see some indistinct, silver-misted blur disappearing behind the trunk of a tree in a blink-swift ghost of motion.

But they are, in essence, harmless. At least...for the moment.

As of October 4th, the Storyteller will be unavailable for both IC Contact threads and Item Requests. If you need anything vital backdated, just let us know!

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're drawn to this stranger by the mask she sports; it's different from those they've seen before, a half-mask that covers the lower part of the face rather than the upper, but the bone-white look is at least somewhat familiar.

Then she points something at them and they stop short. Thankfully, months of living here have made them far less likely to go for their nail and get their self-defense in first. Even if they don't know the word for 'crossbow', they certainly understand the motions of a weapon when it's pointed at them.

They stare at her and raise their hand to...wave. Very cautiously.

Hello? ]

[She has... no idea what this person is, and it's by the sheer grace of the gods that she doesn't outright say so. No, she's more taken by the fact that they're even smaller than her, which generally means the person in question is a child.

Hurriedly, she pulls the crossbow away, pointing it up at the sky rather than at the person. Though she believes her halfling disguise to be impeccable, it's clear that the painted lips of the doll mask do not move when she speaks.]

S... Sorry. Guess I'm a little jumpy. Heh. Are you... How old are you?

[ Luckily, the Knight is used to everyone they know wearing a mask or being otherwise fairly featureless in some manner (whether through helmets or hoods or a face that wasn't particularly expressive), so the fact the lips of the mask don't move isn't...

Okay, it doesn't particularly work on them, but they certainly aren't going to point it out. That would be rude.

Then she asks how old they are and that's...

...That's a good question. That's something of a complicated question. They stare contemplatively at her for a moment, and then...shrug, before taking out a piece of paper from under their cloak and scribbling something hastily on it with a quill. Both items are hastily stowed back in their proper place before they show her the scrap.

child

They're trying their best. ]

[Nott stashes away her crossbow, a clawed hand coming over her chest. Gods, okay. A child who doesn't speak. It's not so different than a child who can only repeat the words told to them.

Nott shifts up onto her feet and comes closer, her expression one of compassion. Children are an easy way to get to her heart.]

What is your name? Are your parents here?

[ They watch the way her expression softens with something between appreciation for her kindness and...a certain sort of confusion. They have never really understood what it means to be a child, what sort of things children should do and what they should not.

(The time when they should have learned that, absorbed it by instinct, is long, long past.)

They pull out another piece of paper. They prepared this one in advance, thankfully. ]

NAME IS KNIGHT
CANNOT TALK
NICE TO MEET YOU

[ At the mention of parents, they shake their head. No. Their parents are not here, and even if they were, their interactions would be sparse and distant. ]

Oh, you've just got that all ready. Well, it's nice to meet you, too.

[She's really very upset about this whole situation of her being here, and though it could be worse, she's also not one to look on the bright side. She's here, on this island, and it's as terrible as it is, no more, no less. And the terrible that it is includes children being here.

She sighs and pulls something else out of her cloak: her flask. Made of pure platinum, it's extremely shiny, having been buffed and engraved with a floral design around the edges at her request. She takes a big gulp of whiskey from it, then addresses Knight again.]

Do you drink?

[ They watch inquisitively as she pulls out the flask, and then in response to her question, sort of...shrug. They can drink, yes, but...

Honestly, the thing that seems to interest them most about the flask is not its contents or even its shininess, but the detailing. After a moment of staring, they sit, not taking their attention off what Nott is drinking from; this is because they appear to be trying to copy the patterns on it, tracing crude imitations in the dirt with a small hand. ]

[When they shrug, she assumes they must not—they are a child, after all, and Jester was so against Kiri drinking alcohol—and simply takes a second good swig of strong whiskey.

Then she notices that they're drawing, and she watches intently for a moment. Then, as soon as she recognizes what it is they're doing, she brightens, beaming wide with too many jagged teeth.]

That's my flask! You're an artist.

[ They're momentarily startled by the reveal of many sharp teeth, but since she's definitely not trying to eat them and she's definitely more civil and non-hostile than Midwife ever was, after that moment of surprise they clap in excitement at Nott's approval. Yes!! They are an artist!!

They hold up a hand as if to say wait and then start to draw something else. It doesn't take them long before they've produced another little doodle that they seem just as proud of.

They have been very sure to get as many teeth as possible in. It's an essential part of her look, at least in their perception, though their slight fascination with teeth is perhaps because it's something they inherently lack. ]

[Nott watches as Knight draws, and as they finally finish, she puts together what it represents.]

Oh... It's me. That's very good, Knight!

[It even has her horrible teeth. Nott self consciously covers her face again with her mask.]

You should draw yourself high fiving me next.

October Intro: I Think We Should Run

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