lifeaftr | February Intro: Chasing Kairos

INTRO LOG: FEBRUARY

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

Monsun, for the uninitiated, is an island divided in two, separated by a ribbon of flowing river. To the east, a rich deciduous woodland and perfect temperature heralds a plethora of resources at your disposal, at one singular, significant cost: your very worst traits will manifest the longer you remain in the area, until, by the twenty-four hour mark, you're living your absolute worst self.

By contrast, the island's western region is a harsh wasteland, a swathe of desert with hardly any shelter from the unrelenting sun and arid heat. Most everything here wants, in some way, to kill you, from the landscape to the fauna. Ugly storms and predators run wild, but the benefit is probably exactly what you think it is: namely, that your best traits manifest more and more strongly the longer you remain on Monsun's western half.

You, you lucky band of newcomers, are going to be arriving on one of two sides of the island. Whichever one in which your character wakes is up to you - though they're certainly welcome to head either direction, once they get their bearings.

Monsun, B2: Desert Air Won't Drown You Out
A craggy stretch of desert borders Monsun's northwest coast. Parts of the sand here, the further north you head, seem to have gone suspiciously slushy or boggy...though that might be the beginnings of an oasis that looks like it might be present on the region further up. Or, possibly, something else entirely.

It'll probably be hard to tell when you've got a mess of your own to contend with. Namely, the presence of a predator that's going to be making life quite...difficult for you, the longer you remain.

Nova Scorpions have been unlocked in the bestiary!

Nova Scorpions are about one meter in length and have a large stinger to match, with a golden carapace that makes them near-chameleonic when it comes to blending in with the sands they so favor. They are nocturnal by nature and tend to burrow into the sand and form lairs with others of their kind. Occasionally, one might encounter a scorpion carrying its young on its back.

By far the most dangerous thing about them is their venom, potent enough to floor even the most powerful and even those of the nonhuman persuasion. They can be, potentially, milked for said venom if you're in need of a powerful toxin to lace your weapons, but it's recommended that you make sure the scorpion is very thoroughly dead or well on its way before doing any harvesting of its resources. You know. Just to be on the safe side.

The good news, of course, is that your better traits will be amplified the longer you stay on this side of the island. If you don't mind the danger, you're far more likely to earn yourself some help here than you are on the other side of the island.

Speaking of which.

Monsun, C1: So Scared of Overgrowing Youth
By utter contrast, the rich woodlands of Monsun's east give all the appearances of being the best sort of welcome one could ask for. With the island's coast lining the region of C1 to its north and a deep, beautiful green swathe of lush deciduous undergrowth swarming throughout the entirety of the area, one could almost call it idyllic.

One thing is certain: it is very, very beautiful. The presence of so many growing things make it a glorious contrast to the island's western half. And in C1 in particular, there's no shortage of resources. The odd berry bush, the abundance of trees that can be harvested for lumber, if necessary...and the presence of some very odd, but nonetheless potentially adorable little creatures known as mosslings.

What may initially appear to be a tuft of particularly springy moss will, on closer inspection, prove to be something a little bit more. Mosslings are practically indistinguishable from the surrounding landscape unless one is keen-eyed enough to pick out the twin yellow points of glowing eyes nestled among the leafy orbs of their bodies - or unless one happens to spook one by accident, prompting it to scurry hastily away. They are extremely peaceable, extremely docile creatures, though they can make traversing the landscape startling on occasion, for the faint of heart. Aside from potentially edible, leafy flesh, they don't have much use in the way of resources, but they are quite harmless!

You, on the other hand, probably aren't so harmless. At least, not the longer you stay here. If you don't start forging your way west, or weaving your way to the island's single mana pool - located on E3 - to get off of it entirely, your very worst self is going to be manifesting, along with all your worst and least desirable qualities. Prone to violence, cowardice, jealousy, or paranoia? Better hope no one else is around to aggravate those traits, because they're not immune to Monsun's psychological effects either.

The only danger here comes from within. But the worst things usually do.

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

[ A man with an axe would usually be enough to get Violet's shoulders riled up and her muscles coiled, ready to pick a fight (or end one) as appropriate. But though she expects it, the welling up of tension doesn't come. Part of it is the way he's rather clearly trying to make himself look non-threatening (and succeeding with ease because sorry Tim, but you are in fact, Tim), but she's not quite sure what the rest of it might be.

(It's the Good Monsun Vibes, of course, but Violet doesn't know that).

So finally, once she's given him a reasonably cautious once over, Violet dips her head once in an abbreviated nod, businesslike but not entirely unfriendly. ]

Then might you have some idea of where I've ended up? I haven't been travelling for very long, but it would be good to get out of the sun as soon as possible.

[Impersonal distance, calm, professional - this is more or less normal, as far as he's concerned. He knows too many kids that act like adults. Maybe that's his problem.]

Island called Monsun. Two halves on it - desert, and woods. [He shades his eyes, but doesn't turn away entirely to indicate the vague direction of the island's eastern coast. The dark line of green is distorted by shimmering heatwaves, to the point where it's not entirely clear that he's looking at a forest in the first place.]

Presumably there's a temple somewhere on this half.

[If it's all the same, he'd rather stay on this half.]

[ Violet follows his gaze, narrowing her eyes against the oppressive glare of the sun just enough to pick out that thin thread of green against the horizon. If she'd seen it herself, she would've dismissed it as a mirage, but knowing it's real is good – it's means there's not too much distance from safety.

She turns back to him, with a curious look. ]

Would it not be safer to head for the woods? There would be shade, and plenty of water.

You'd think so, but no. It looks better than it is.

[That's not good enough. No rationale behind it - is she supposed to just trust that? But he doesn't know how to explain how this island works in a way that will make sense, and there's no guarantee she'd trust that explanation anyway.]

This island is...weird. The desert side is rougher, but you're - better, kind of. If that makes sense.

[ Violet looks at him with lips pursed and her eyes a little narrowed. That certainly sounds like a tall tale and she's not entirely inclined to believe it, at first. But then she thinks... well. This would be a very long way to come into the heat and the sand just to tell a newcomer a ridiculous story, wouldn't it?

So after a moment, she nods. ]

Yes. I suppose you would hardly risk braving the conditions in the desert if there were uncompromised safety so close by. [ She nods again, more to herself than anything. ] Is there... any way off this island?

[Yeah, well. He wouldn't blame her. The reliability of Tim's information has, historically, been more than a little shaky. Often intentionally, on his part. Just as often not, but it's usually the former that other parties focus on for their own gain.]

[She talks a little like Chara. Overly formal. Direct. It's enough to be noticeable.]

Off this island? Yes. Out of this place in general? Not so much. It's an archipelago.

I suppose a boat would not suffice as a way home, then.

[ After all – that seems like the obvious choice and would probably be the first thing any would-be escapee from this place would try, if they wanted to return home. If this man is still here, it stands to reason he's also telling the truth about there being no way off the archipelago. ]

But travel between the islands is possible... across the sea, perhaps? [ And then even before he can answer, she's shaking her head and correcting herself. ] No, the Storyteller mentioned something called "Mana Pools". Those are our most reliable methods of transport, yes?

Yeah. Problem is the only one over here is...

[He scratches at the lower part of his jaw, dark and thick with the untidy growth of someone who regularly forgets to shave, as he glances back at the east horizon.]

Well, it's on that side of the island. There used to be one over here, but no one's been able to find it. Those are the quickest ways off.

I see.

[ Violet's gaze drops down and away, momentarily. If there's a way out they already know about then it makes sense to her that they should pursue it, regardless of the apparent danger. But again, that niggling doubt pops back up – no matter how lush and inviting the greenery on the other side of the island appears, whatever's waiting over there is apparently bad enough that braving the desert is preferable.

Who's she to assume she knows what's best?

She nods briefly, more to herself than anything, and looks back up at Tim. ]

What would you say is safer? Trying to find the mana pool on this side, or trying to make it through the jungle?

That's a good question.

[At his worst, he can be more than just vaguely dangerous. There's an equal chance of him just outright abandoning her due to his own artificially escalating paranoia, or him doing something worse that he doesn't want to think about. He's liable to get skittish, first and foremost. Not helpful, but not outright threatening.]

[But she's just a kid.]

There's a lotta stuff on this side of the island that'll try to kill you. The longer we stay here, the more it's gonna try and find us. There's no guarantee that the mana pool on this side is even still around, either.

February Intro: Chasing Kairos

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