April Intro: Better Get to Digging

[lifeaftr_mods]

INTRO LOG: APRIL

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

Waking up to the gentle proddings of what appears to be very curious, sentient trees isn't the worst wake up call LifeAftr has to offer. For our newest arrivals, however, it may be a tad…odd.

Situated in the valley between two mountains, Elower is a scenic village filled with the friendly Roaka, tree-like beings that are rather peaceable and happy to assist those who have just arrived. I'’s a peaceful location for one to start their adventures - though, unfortunately, it doesn't stay peaceful for long.

Cahypdo: You'll Bury Me Low
Those who have explored the new island of Cahypdo in the last month will undoubtedly recall the series of quakes that shook the island throughout March. With the arrival of LifeAftr's newest adventurers comes Cahypdo's largest tremor to date, striking without warning and more than enough force to throw even the steadiest and sturdiest of your number to the ground. With a low rumble, the mountains heaped on either side of the island will start to shed an abundance of slag and debris, pouring down their slopes. Anyone who's scaling those peaks risks being flung bodily off them when the outpouring of shale comes roaring down those mountains, and anyone at the mountain bases risks being crushed beneath.

As one might expect, unsuspecting newcomers aren't all that have been shaken up. Though protected by netting and retaining walls, the cliffs around and above the village of Elower can only take so much pressure before giving way - a threshold that has been crossed entirely. With a sound like thunder, rocks fall.

Everyone dies? Only if you don't act quickly. Roaka housing is sturdy in build, enough to protect a decidedly less sturdy body from all but the heaviest of boulders. Hiding inside any of their village constructs built into the sides of the mountains will certainly save you from taking a new weight onto your shoulders. They will not, however, save you from being buried alive.

For those who become trapped inside any of those abodes, your options appear limited. Work to free yourself, or wait for help to arrive. Though, speaking of help, those outside may think to offer the Roaka a helping hand in getting their trapped people - and yours, at that - a few breaths of fresh air.

Before you suffocate.

Cahypdo: Stay Acting Brave
Such seismic activity will also stir up the local wildlife, of course. Those unfortunate enough to come across them will recognize the restless shark-dragon hybrids, hydrac, now prowling across the shorelines, while the wickedly fanged wabbits will also be far more frequent, traveling in larger numbers in the jungle and at the bases of the mountains. Taking care to avoid them would be wise - though another creature may make that venture much more difficult.

Lorbies have been unlocked in the bestiary! A strange mix between owl and serpent, the recent quake has clearly startled these usually reclusive creatures into the open. Alone, a lorby is a rather skittish animal, prone to hiding from most perceived threats. Useless for food due to the toxicity of their flesh, lorbies do have the potential to be tamed...but this comes with its own risks.

A lorby may be prone to flight rather than fight when encountered solo, but in groups, these feathery critters are far more hostile. A defensive lorby emits a piercing cry alone, but a group is an almost ear-piercing experience, capable of rendering the unfortunate unstable on their feet at best, and unconscious at worst. For the days that follow the severe earthquake that so rocked everyone's foundations, any hope for silence is lost in the infrequent bursts of almighty screeching by colonies of lorbies who have so rudely had their homes overturned and disturbed.

While the lorby is omnivorous, it may not think to take a bite at anything so much larger than them. That doesn't mean that conflict with these fluffy creatures won't attract something much more willing to take advantage of the fact that you may or may not have been reduced to a prone sack of meat. If something else does arrive, you best hope that it's a friendly face.

If you're interested in keeping a lorby for your own, bear LifeAftr's companion limit in mind - two per character, and no more. The lorby is omnivorous and can survive off of most odds and ends: insects, fruits, berries, critters it can dig up in the sand, and more. However, the process of trying to tame a lorby is not always successful. We recommend use of a d10, with the following guidelines:

Rolling a 10: Critical success! This lorby will love and adore you, and may even feel comfortable enough to drape itself along your neck like a beautiful, furry scarf, churring softly all the way.
Rolling 7-9: This lorby will prove high-strung and timid, even if safely befriended, and will take several weeks to warm up to you. But once it does, it's yours!
Rolling 2-6: Failure. The lorby enters a state of distress and starts screaming. Hope you brought earplugs, or you'll be snoozing for several long hours for your efforts.
Rolling a 1: Critical failure. Not only does the lorby start screaming, but its panic attracts a colony of its friends, and they all start screaming too.

Bear in mind that these are only guidelines; you are free to predetermine successes or failures as you'd like, presuming your character can sustain the companion! Our discord channel has a room for dice-rolls, if you prefer.

---

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!

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[bloodbathing]

[ Maine glances up from his work, spotting an older man that he doesn't recognize. Good posture; no obvious weapons; confident enough to speak to the massive Freelancer unprompted. The last is a little startling, though it only shows in a slight delay before Maine nods an affirmative. ]

Should work.

[ His voice is deep and rough enough to sound like a growl, but the words are clear. As is his annoyance with the situation. ]

[eudaimonikos]

Yeah. My phone's on the fritz.

[Michael seems utterly casual about this encounter, regardless of how physically intimidating the other guy is. He swipes up in the air like it's an iPad, which does in fact summon a sort of holographic light screen. Which, yes, does seem to be kinda glitchy-looking.]

Usually gets great transdimensional reception...

[bloodbathing]

[ The Freelancer blinks in surprise as a screen seems to pop up out of nowhere. Maybe this man has a projector on him somewhere? That's the only explanation Maine can think of — and it certainly makes a lot more sense than the next words out of the stranger's mouth. ]

Transdimensional?

[ Repeating the word, just in case he heard it incorrectly. ]

[eudaimonikos]

Yeah.

[Michael swipes at the screen to pull up his contact list.

...oh, that's it, he's not gonna explain anything at all.]

[bloodbathing]

[ They're a well-matched pair, then. (Or perhaps a horribly matched one.) Maine waits for a moment to see if the man will explain. When no explanation is forthcoming, the Freelancer just … watches the screen. Seemingly content to study the glitchy phone and ponder the idea on his own rather than press for answers.

After a long moment, Maine speaks again: ]

Know problem?

[ With the phone, he means. ]

[eudaimonikos]

No...not like it could've been damaged in the earthquake.

[That was entirely a physical event! But Michael's not a technician, frankly, and is not well-equipped to diagnose what the fuck's wrong with his phone; he waves a hand to dismiss the screen and turns his attention to the armor.]

What about that?

[bloodbathing]

[ Maine's lips twitch down slightly in displeasure as he glances at the helmet in his hands. ]

No damage.

[ It should work. There's no reason for it to be malfunctioning. And yet, it is. ]

[eudaimonikos]

It does look sturdy.

[Can't be something dumb like the humidity, right? Michael wanders over to sit down on a rock, not really that close to Maine, but still in the same general area.]

Seems like a lot of stuff here functions on magic. Could be some sort of interference?

[bloodbathing]

[ The Freelancer grunts in agreement. The helmet is indeed sturdy. Waterproof, too. It might've taken some sort of damage that Maine can't see — but if that had happened, he can't imagine how it wouldn't have hurt his head, too.

The mention of "magic" gets a raised eyebrow and a skeptical look. Sure, Maine may not understand how everything works here, but that doesn't make it magic. But he opts not to pursue that now. Shrugs instead, flipping the helmet around to look at its visor. ]

Maybe. [ But: ] Rest is functional.

[ The rest of his armor, he means. (And he thinks it's all functional. Hard to tell with his HUD down.) ]

[eudaimonikos]

What's it do?

[Aside from like, being armor, he guesses. There's gotta be lasers or something in there, right?]

[bloodbathing]

[ The armor does more than just protect Maine. Unfortunately— ]

Classified.

[ — it's his turn to not explain. ]

[eudaimonikos]

...okay.

[Uh, whatever then? Part of him wants to argue that military secrets don't matter to demons, but also, it doesn't matter at all.]

Well, I hear all the other non-tree people are on a different island. Maybe they've got some kind of...rustic Apple store.

[bloodbathing]

[ Maine quirks an eyebrow. ]

Tech support?

[ There's a hint of amusement in his tone. ]

[eudaimonikos]

It could happen!

[Even if pretty much everything this far suggests that it won't!]

[bloodbathing]

[ The corner of Maine's lips twitch up slightly in the shadow of a smile. ]

Optimist.

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael chuckles.]

Someone's gotta be! Never get anything done otherwise.

[bloodbathing]

[ Still smiling faintly, the Freelancer shrugs: that's fair. Then he gestures to himself: ]

Maine.

[ It's an introduction, albeit a terse one. ]

[eudaimonikos]

I'm Michael.

[Doesn't seem like a handshake dude, so Michael doesn't try, but he does grin.]

Good to meet you.

[bloodbathing]

[ Good call, Michael. Maine will do handshakes when necessary, but he's Just Fine without them.

The Freelancer nods in a silent "you, too." Then he asks: ]

Just arrived?

[ That's the impression he's received, but he wants to be sure. ]

[eudaimonikos]

Yeah. Not a fan.

[Not because of anything about this place specifically, just the general concept of being here when he's meant to be elsewhere.]

I was in the middle of something very important. The extra planning time might help, but I don't wanna get out of my groove.

[bloodbathing]

[ Maine nods again — agreement, this time. He's not a fan, either. Not in the least because his armor isn't fully functional. ]

Same.

[ Well, not the planning part. Maine the person who executes plans; he doesn't create them. ]

Heard time stops.

[ … Heard it from a giant bunny, but still. ]

[eudaimonikos]

Time's weird between dimensions, anyway. I bet it's less that it freezes, and more that we're just going to re-enter our original timelines at the same point we left.

[the distinction may be kinda irrelevant]

[bloodbathing]

[ It may be. It's also not something that Maine grasps. He cocks his head to the side and asks, ]

Difference?

[eudaimonikos]

[..........]

Guess it's just that our friends aren't stuck in a hellish limbo?

[bloodbathing]

[ … Yeah, that's a pretty big difference. ]

Fair. Like that one.