October Intro: I Think We Should Run

[lifeaftr_mods]

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 )

Comments

[savedbyasong]

[Shion smiles at him and nods politely in response.] It's nice to meet you Molly. More friends are always a good thing to have here. [Or anywhere truthfully. It was nice to meet someone who gave and accepted friendship easily.

Shion led the way over the bridges until they got to his shack. It was missing a roof but the walls seemed to be mostly patched up, a mix of original brickwork and abode. Vines and leaves covered parts of the roof. There was a small pit outside and also the start of a garden, herbs in neat rows.

When they got close there was excited yipping as a half cat, half dog dreameater ran towards them, followed closely by a Tigerlilly.] Sorry. I'll try and keep them calm and away from you.

[devilstongue]

So I have gathered, already. It has to be tight-knit around here.

[ Molly starts following along, seemingly happy even if the flick of his tail is still a little nervous. When they arrive, it's quite honestly a sad little house - but it seemed to be growing into something better thanks to Shion.

The animals are... well. Molly has no idea what these animals are or if they're going to bite. ]

Hi there?

[ He says, slightly uncertain. ]

[savedbyasong]

Excalibur, come on, go inside. [He shoos the dream eater back towards the ramshackle hut. Aster is not around it seemed, but Excalibur went to curl up on the bed anyways.

Cobweb on the other hand is maintaining a polite distance from Molly, though the tigerlily is clearly interested in the new person.] Would you like any food, or anything to drink? [Shion beckoned Mollymauk inside, the inside was basic. A nest of blankets and leaves in one corner for a bed, neat stacks of bowls and baskets.]

[devilstongue]

Apparently I'm a little less used to animals than I thought I was.

[ Especially these animals. What even were those??

He follows inside, curiously looking around. Maybe snooping a little, because this is the closest he's been to any kind of civilization so far. Even if it's very basic.

Very basic.

He couldn't exactly ask for wine and a fruit platter. ]

Some water, if you happen to have some?

[savedbyasong]

Of course, I have some fruit as well if you would like some. [Not quite a platter but things aren't bad food wise at the moment, with Nuidan.

He disappears outside for a moment and returns with a coconut shell bowl filled with water, which he passes over.]

[devilstongue]

You are far too good to me.

[ Molly takes the coconut bowl and sips the water slowly. He should be more careful about poison and stuff, especially since this guy is so very nice... but fuck it. He's dead already. ]

I'm not going to eat you out of the house, though. I'm still good.

[savedbyasong]

You've just been stolen from your home and found yourself in a new world. Some water is the least I can do.

[He petted Cobweb who had sat down next to him.]

[devilstongue]

Kindness is a rare but good thing in absolutely nuts situations like this.

[ Molly is still surprised he hasn't just lost it after dying and then going here. As common as magic and plane hopping was in D&D, he's never experienced anything like this.

He's just a poor circus boy, okay? ]

Do you always come here alone? You lived with someone, right? Are they from your world?

[ Not that he wants his friends to experience this, but he needs to know. ]

[savedbyasong]

My sister. She's not actually from the same world as me. But this is not the first world I have been stolen to. Before I was here we were somewhere else. A Tower. We were from different place but we became friends and we were there for a few years. We escaped but instead of going home we ended up here.

[Every time he explains this he freaks people out, so he takes a deep breath and tries to do this right, slowly, without terrifying Molly more than he is already frightened.]

Sometimes people meet others they knew in their worlds. Sometimes they are from worlds that are almost the same but slightly different. You might meet people you think you know, but they may be from a different time or a world were some things happened differently. I once met... a friend from my first world. Except he wasn't. In his world my eyes had turned purple not red.

[devilstongue]

[ Molly isn't sure what the fuck to make of all that. Worlds that are the same but slightly different? Different times? If any of the Nein's were here, they would be from the future for him (if so only by hours) so maybe he can understand.

A really big maybe.

Shit, he's not the plans kind of person, he's the people-person. All this was so way beyond him that Molly was starting to feel stupid. Not a pleasant feeling. ]

Well, red is obviously the better color for eyes.

[ Since his are red and all that. Don't ask too much of him right now, he's trying. ]

[savedbyasong]

It's a good colour for eyes. [Don't worry Molly. Shion understands being overwhelmed. It's normal, he hopes.]

I know it's a lot to take in. You might meet Aster later, she's really nice.

[devilstongue]

I'm sure she is.

[ She was this overly nice guy's sister, after all. ]

I think I... need to clear my head. Thank you for helping me.

[savedbyasong]

You're welcome, you can rest here as long as you wish and if you want to go and explore further, you know where I live now so you can come over any time.