lifeaftr | December Intro: Pressure Building

INTRO LOG: DECEMBER

Who: New arrivals, and you!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: December 4th and onward
Where: All over Ensō
Warnings: Mark as needed!

It begins on a mild autumn day, one where the breeze is gentle and the sky a deep, cloudless blue. Ensō is quiet as the adventurers that call it (if only temporarily) home begin to awaken and go about their daily business- for those who have been here long enough, this may consist of searching for those new arrivals, undoubtedly lost and likely confused. It is a normal day on Ensō. Then the water starts to rise.

Northern Beachfront: Let Me Get Off the Ground
For newcomers waking on the shoreline and those who have come to greet them, the rapid swelling of the ocean's surface will be immediately noticeable. Just a few, short miles from the shore, the water continues bulging upwards to terrifying heights, obscuring the sun and throwing warped shadows over the majority of Ensō's northern landscape. It towers there, wobbling, inexplicably retaining its shape even as it ripples, flowing, and sends great streams of saltwater streaming over the ocean's surface.

Though the sun is barely capable of piercing the immense mass, those with a keen eye will see...something moving within, coiled far above sea level. Some dark mass, too distorted by the water and the lack of light to solidify into any easily recognizable shape, nonetheless makes its presence felt regardless. All nearby will find themselves stricken with a growing sense of being watched by a gaze that pierces flesh and bone…one that is none too appreciative of what it sees.

Retaliation to this apparent threat is both vicious and immediate. Bursting from the trees and whipping through the air within a tornado of motion, thousands, then tens of thousands of ink-stained pages whip out from Ensō's jungle and across open water like a flock of ferocious birds, striking at the liquid mountain with unceasing fervor.

Now may not be the best time to gawk, adventurers. With this attack, the raised water will begin to collapse - and the giant waves resulting from the sudden upset will bear no mercy for anyone swept off their feet in the churning swells.

Storyteller's Temple and the Rest of Ensō: I See Your Corruption
Those seeking shelter and answers will find them limited in supply, if not entirely absent. For, you see, the mana pools on Ensō have ceased functioning, leaving characters stranded wherever they may be at the time the assault begins.

No safety can be found within the temple walls this day, with more and more black pages erupting from every door and window. Attempts to approach and even push through won't be harmful, or at least not intentionally - rather, the pages will force back anyone who attempts to come between them and their current objective. Those who may not get the message the first time may just find themselves flying quite a ways away.

The above will quickly become the least of anyone’s worries.

Those who remember the rebirth of the sun back in January will not doubt recall the creatures of the night faced during those darkest hours. As the waters around Ensō continue to churn in response to the offshore assault, large waves act as ferries for those precise beasts, clambering onto the shore in droves. Though the sun is obscured in many spaces, these shadowy creatures will always make for the treelines during daylight hours, seemingly sluggish at best under natural lighting.

Unfortunately, the Storyteller will be occupied for quite some time - and once night falls, those deadly beings will be on the hunt.

For the duration of the assault, the islets will remain relatively safe during daylight hours, so long as your character is capable of accessing a boat to travel there. Once night falls, however, they will be as dangerous as the mainland.

Both the shadowy creatures and the risen water will retreat on the morning of December 10th, leaving Ensō silent once more. The hovering pages, however, will continue circling the coastline for some time like great papery seabirds.

The doors to the Storyteller’s temple shall remain closed.

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

[ the screech is terrifying, but ann doesn't allow herself to freeze up. she watches its movements with a sharp eye, carmen and shiho behind her to back her up. ann doesn't want to get close to it, but...

it's hindered. it's distracted. she runs up to it and goes for a slash with her (dull) blade, as well as a kick to its abdomen. she's nowhere near as strong as she is in the metaverse, but the kick connects. shiho also pounces and tears into it. ]

[ It lets out another unholy screech. It's being denied its satisfaction of tearing into the other, but it's starting to get even more agitated and dangerous. The Rathm screeches again--angry, blood-curdling--and snaps at Ann with its wicked teeth. Right at her shoulder. ]

[ it hurts like hell, and ann cries out in pain. but she refuses to give up. she kicks and thrashes to try and get it off, and as a last resort: ]

Carmen!

[ if she gets burnt, it's fine--hopefully carmen will provide her the resistence she needs to not get seriously injured--but more than anything, ann is willing to put her life on the line to keep the others safe. so without hesitation, she commands carmen to send a giant flame at the rathm once again.

the fireball connects, even though ann's body gets slightly scorched in the process. ]

[ It definitely works. The Rathm lets out a shriek even worse than the last, and it dies. Mira waits a few moments before she climbs down from the tree, wincing at the still-fresh wounds on her arms.

Hesitantly, she approaches Ann. ]

A-- are you okay?

[ ann is breathing pretty heavily, but a faint glow surrounds her. her burns, at least, are starting to go away. soon after, she starts to rise. she manages to sit up. ]

Yeah, don't worry about it--I'm fine. Are you okay?

I'm alright.

[ Which is very obviously a lie. Mira winces a little, then goes over and holds out a hand for her. ]

... actually, I might need a little healing. That's what you just did, isn't it?

[ her body aches, but she's able to rise to her feet with mira's help. she makes sure carmen keeps a flame going in one hand to ward off any other monsters. ]

Mhm. This should be quick.

[ she concentrates, and mira starts to glow. she will feel her injuries closing up and the pain beginning to subside. they aren't healed completely, but they're at least to the point where they're starting to scar. ]

[ Whoa. Mira's never experienced healing magic before, but it's amazing. That Ann can do that so easily... she's a little starry-eyed. ]

Thank you, Ann! It feels much better.

Yeah...! Of course.

[ she's sore and tired, but she can't give up here. hopefully carmen's fire will keep the monsters at bay. ]

Everyone's meeting at the Denny. Let's make our way back there, okay?

[ She nods, and honestly... she looks kin of concerned? ]

Are you going to be okay?

Yeah! Yeah, I'll...be fine.

[ she laughs weakly. she isn't really feeling okay at all, but keeping mira safe is something she has to do. she's not going to let anyone under her watch fall victim to any of these monsters. not if she can help it. ]

Shiho, stay on alert, okay?

[ the tigerlily lets out a quiet purr in agreement. ]

C'mon. Let's go.

[ Ah. She feels bad--Ann is insisting she's fine for... her? She can't say that for sure, but Mira feels what Ann is feeling. But she nods all the same... and puts a hand on Ann's shoulder. ]

I'll keep a look out, too.

[ And she starts to walk. ]

December Intro: Pressure Building

HOLY MOLY 19

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject