lifeaftr | April Intro: Better Get to Digging

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!

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

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Wait, what is that? He hears a voice. Just but he definitely hears it. Has someone come to his rescue?

Zidane sees the rock move. Well, it looks like someone has seen/heard him. His first instinct is to say it's okay but thanks. He can handle it himself. However, then he considers how large and heavy some of the rocks are. He's quite strong but not that strong (well, unless he's in Trance but he can't control when that happens). And he doesn't want to suffocate to death.

So he yells back. "I'm okay! In one piece at least. These rocks are pretty heavy though!"

The reply is punctuated by the sound of something impacting against the rock wall.

"Aye!" thunk. "I noticed!" thunk. "Come on, damn thing!" thunk. "Break!"

Whether by chance or force or the stone itself just acquiescing to her request, cracks begin to spider along the boulder that had been shifting not a moment ago.

Of course, the repetitive percussion is shaking loose a fair share of dust and shale, but it seems that Castor is unaware of the fact since she happily shouts in triumph. "Alright! Shouldn't be long now 'fore you're out've there! Ye alone?"

"Uh-huh. It's not where I'm staying but I dived into the nearest building to escape the earthquake." Hopefully the owner or owners don't mind. Well, hopefully they are still alive. None of them were near the house at the time, as far as he is aware.

He ignores the dust and tries to move some of the smaller rocks to help. Whatever will make it easier for Castor to get him out.

"Sound plan," she says, and her voice now sounds moderately strained. Seconds later, some rocks begin to shift inwards, slow and grating and stubborn. But Castor is stubborn too.

"Get back!" she calls when she feels the stone start to give way. "I might be makin' this worse but we gotta try!"

Zidane can see the stone moving and while he wants to help, it might be more sensible to listen to Castor so he moves back just as as she tells him to. "Hey, if it doesn't work, we can try something else!" He might be the one who's trapped but he's not going to give up. He has to survive this place if he wants to return home.

Whoever this girl is though, he'll owe her once she frees him.

It's another few seconds before the rock moves enough that it's outer edges become visible, and a few seconds after that, fresh air as Castor manages to slip at least her hand through the thin gap she'd forced.

"Ye there?"

She sounds winded.

Zidane can see the hand. She is making good progress. That's great! However, she sounds very exhausted. A gloved hand reaches through the gap.

"Still here. Not going anywhere." And because the fact she sounds tired sounds quite concerning, he adds, "You okay over there? You sound worn out."

Castor grips the hand, giving it a little squeeze. "Aye, I'm worn out. I just broke and moved a ten-tonze rock! Just need a moment te catch my breath an' I'll see if I can't get this gap any wider. 'S it still stable in there?"

He inspects some of the rocks. None of them show signs of moving. "Uh-huh. Looks like it. Don't worry, take a breather if you need. It looks like I'm not gonna suffocate to death at least." Which would really suck.

And to lighten the situation he adds, "You know, that's pretty amazing you did that. Man, I feel really uncool now."

"Good. We've the time te spare then."

Castor takes a few deep breaths but doesn't make a move to continue with her efforts just yet.

"It's enough of a feat that ye aren't paste at the bottom've all this," she says. "I'm a strong lass, but I'ven't half the grace I'd've needed te be in your shoes right now.

Well, he's always been told he's pretty optimistic. In bad situations too. Well, not all the time but in most cases. But when he thinks about it....

"Well, I hadn't run out of options yet". Even though it was frustrating that he could not move the large rocks by himself. But even then, he had not given up and would have tried to find another way out or something around the house to get rid of the rocks. It actually takes a lot to send him into despair. "Besides, you showed up so I can't really complain."

April Intro: Better Get to Digging

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