lifeaftr | March Intro: Let Loose Your Glow

INTRO LOG: MARCH

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

With a quiet month behind them, those on Ensō will be greeted by the new month with even more quiet days, weather only just beginning to take a turn for the immensely hot as summer begins to loom on the horizon. For our newcomers, this is also the scene in which they’ll find themselves waking; washed up on the island's shores, meeting interesting people, missing some key items, and gaining some new ones.

This peaceful time to greet one another and collect yourself won't last long, however. As the sun begins to rise into the sky, the quiet air will be disturbed by shrieks of surprise, dismay - and triumph. There is no new creature set to wipe out all life, no elevator from the sky, or clown box to chain. No. This month, the new arrivals have been set upon by Ensō's deadliest and most ruthless creatures.

Their fellow adventurers.

Ensō: Give Me One Drop
Last month, adventurers eagerly participated in the Storyteller's request to coat the island in protective ink, one of many steps the local god has been taking to keep Ensō, and its occupants, safer than they have. However, a great many variables to account for inevitably leads to something falling through the cracks - such as what to do when new arrivals arrive on these heavily protected shores.

Though they’ll have time to "automate" this process in the coming months, for now, the Storyteller once again humbly requests some assistance. Nothing harmful, of course, but...well, it does need to be done. In order for the new arrivals to be protected and not considered a threat by the local contingent of flocking, fluttering pages flying on the breeze, they'll need to come in contact with the base material that ties these protections together, and a lot of it. That base material being ink.

Which is where our more settled adventurers may step up to the plate. Though the purpose here is unstated, the return of the...equipment that was initially provided to paint the island sends a message all of its own: the Storyteller is happy for you to "assist" these new arrivals by any means necessary.

Welcome to LifeAtr, dear newcomers. Please excuse this very necessary, absolutely reasonable hazing. At the very least, all signs of ink on your personal items - and person, at that - will fade away within twenty-four hours.

And of course, the option to retaliate is yours for the taking, if you can find a bucket or water gun. There happen to be quite a few lying around on the beaches when you first wake - and they're all loaded, too.

Monsun and Ensō: As the Heavens Set Fire
Those of you who have been with us for some time may remember a time when a rather costly item request was involved in placing a mana pool on Monsun's western desert half, so as to bypass the verdant east. The mana pool in question seems to have been...lost, for the time being. It's not clear what happened to it.

Until now.

You see, Monsun didn't take kindly to you throwing its idea of balance out of balance. With the artificial placement of a mana pool on the western side of the island, it seems that hardly anyone would have any reason to visit the east, and that simply won't do. When the landscape shifted, the mana pool wasn't just lost - it was broken, its stone containment shattered, scattering its magical, greenish fluid to the sands.

It's just terribly unfortunate that it was some of Ziziphus's displaced population that were the ones who found that precious mana first. Ziziphus's creatures are most notable for being an even blend of plant and animal. Thus, they could soak up those juices by their roots...and flourish.

Have you yet encountered a rootwyrm - the plantlike dragon with entirely too many legs, bowed beneath the weight of its turtle shell and shelled in bark? Or perhaps you've had to contend with a plant beast, with its hissing lunge-attack and gaping, toothy maw. Several members of those innately hostile flora-fauna - the scrambling spindlanks, the shambling shrumal ogres - have had enough of you adventures crawling all over their territory, and are seeking to retaliate. It's not immediately clear how some of them managed to reach Ensō...but rest assured, several have.

Perhaps you'd be inclined to call these variants something catchy, like...a Rootwyrm +1, for example. Whatever the case, you can be assured that these "improved" variations are larger and stronger than their ordinary counterparts and tend to regenerate damage, having sustained the mana pool's "recharging" capabilities. And, because mana pools have multiple uses, they can also teleport - which would be how they've managed to reach Ensō, despite originating on Monsun. Thankfully, they're fairly distinctive and might be easy to avoid from a distance. They're larger and more vividly colored, for one, though they're also much more hostile by nature. It's likely they'll require a significant amount of teamwork to be successfully taken down, or at least driven back to Monsun.

Let that be a lesson in where you ask to set down your mana pools.

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

Oh, dear...

[Sayoko may or may not be able to get a good look at the speaker through the flock of papery harassment, but the tone is pure exasperated sympathy. It's approximately the sound of an overworked grade school teacher scolding an unruly group of students.]

[There's the sound of approaching footsteps.]

Honestly, she's just arrived and you're already pestering her- I do apologize for this, dearie, but it's the only way to get them to leave.

[The answer to what "this" is comes only the smallest fraction of a second after the polite warning, as Muffet abruptly tosses an entire bowl of deep purple paint over Sayoko.]

[Having run out of energy to keep bolting across the island as fast as she could, Sayoko has had to stop and resort to swinging her backpack around to try and ward the paper birds away. And yes, through that fluttering swarm, she can't see who that helpful-but-not-entirely voice is coming from.]

I-

[She was about to declare that she didn't care, as long as someone did something, when everything is suddenly wet, and sticky, and purple. Her wild swinging stops, and the birds, satisfied, veer off and glide away elsewhere.]

[The dousing seems to have taken all the fight out of her. She drops her backpack, turns to look at her inky savior... and just stares, letting out a high, squeaking sound of disbelief. What had just happened? Why?]

[Muffet winces sympathetically, pulls a clean handkerchief out of her pocket, and holds it out for Sayoko to take.]

Here, you can at least wipe off your face. The rest of the ink should dissolve as it dries, it doesn't tend to linger or stain.

[So... good news, Sayoko. Your eyes aren't playing tricks on you- the person talking to you is some kind of purple spider lady.]

[Bad news, well... you're talking to a purple spider lady.]

[It's safe to say that your day is going to keep getting weird.]

I'm terribly sorry for the trouble. The paper birds seem to have been made as some sort of security system, but they're not terribly good at identifying threats. We've had to mark everything to keep them from mobbing whatever they spot. They ought to leave you alone, from now on- the ink only needs to be applied once.

[The handkerchief is taken with her left hand, while she uses her right to push her paint-sodden hair from her eyes. Then she's dabbing at her face, rubbing at her eyes... and then blinking with considerable alarm at the spider-woman that stands before her.]

...oh?

[Her eyes dart from limb to limb to limb to limb and... that's a lot of limbs.
She's just going to stop with that. A little shake of her head and she finishes wiping her face, as she takes a cautious step backward. She might look strange but she doesn't look like one of those Undead. Not enough spikes and chains and other questionable design choices.]

I'm definitely not a threat! I... I'm not.

[And she hopes you aren't too, spider-lady.]

[Oh dear, there's the look. At least this woman doesn't seem likely to attack.]

[Muffet certainly isn't dressed in the spike-and-chain sort of fashion, yes. Rather, she's dressed quite neatly, looking for all the world like a very proper young lady if one ignores the... more arachnid qualities. Surprisingly frilly, really, for someone on an uncharted island.]

[She smiles warmly, the expression oddly friendly for all the sharpness of her fangs.]

I'm quite glad to hear it. Personally, I have no intention of being a threat to you, either, so it's good to know you feel the same.

[She gives a brief, polite little curtsy. When in doubt, always fall back to good manners.]

My name is Muffet. May I ask yours?

[That the spider-lady is wearing a cute dress does help some. None of the Undead wore dresses. At least, none of the ones that she'd seen with her own eyes. Somewhat encouraged by Muffet's smile, she tries to smile back. It's inky and nervous.]

There's... there's not a lot I could do, if I'm being honest....

[Oh, was it bad to admit to being defenseless? But it was probably obvious, just by looking at her. Not might not be a good time for lies.]

Aah... Sayoko. I'm Sayoko. [She gives her face another little dab.] It's... good to meet you, Muffet.

[Well, she can hardly begrudge her that.]

Likewise, all... difficult circumstances aside.

If it helps, fighting isn't the only useful skill on this island- far from it. Even if you aren't prepared to deal with threats, I'm certain you'll be able to help somehow. Assuming you're inclined to do so, of course.

March Intro: Let Loose Your Glow

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