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.

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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.

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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

[thegoofball]

[He smiles back, nudging her side.]

That was so sappy.

But I know what you mean.

[antepone]

[ She laughs, eyes bright and playful. ]

I thought you might.

[ She gives his hand a light squeeze before bringing it up to her lips. Lightly, she brushes them along the back of his hand. ]

So... after our adventure with the-- snake-owl things? What do you feel up to doing?

[thegoofball]

[He's far too smitten with this woman.]

Getting out of here might be a start - don't know if there's any more of those out here.

[There probably are. There definitely are, and he doesn't want to cross any of them.]

[antepone]

Definitely. Should we head back to Enso?

[ Food is prrrrrrrobably a thing they--she, at least--should think about!! ]

[thegoofball]

Sounds like a plan to me.

[Food is a very good idea. They can cook together!!

He'll squeeze her hand, before leading her off in the direction of the mana pool.]

[antepone]

[ Heck yeah they can!!

When they're back on Enso, she swings their hands a lil bit. ]

It's really lucky we're on the same islet. [ Her place is... more than a little lonely, and she misses Ann a lot, but It Is Okay. ] We don't have to go too far to visit each other.

[thegoofball]

[Nice!!

This is all real nice, honestly.]

Yeah? I'm glad you moved over. [Even if he also misses Ann... It's always rough, when people just disappear. At least Mira's stayed - and Keith, and Allura and Shiro.] I don't think anyone else would mind if you visited more often.

[antepone]

So am I.

[ She nods, considering, then gives a laugh. ]

Okay. I'll visit so often that it'll be like I live there myself.

[thegoofball]

[He laughs with her, before nodding.]

Sounds brilliant. I'm sure Kaltenecker will be glad for the company.

[antepone]

I'm sure Kaltenecker will be more glad for the food I bring her, more than anything.

[thegoofball]

Well, that's all part of the company! She'll love it!

[antepone]

That's true! And how can I deny her anything, honestly?

[ She can't. She lov that cow. ]

[thegoofball]

Well, it'd probably be very easy if you were a monster.

[But Mira is, like, the nicest person he knows.]

[antepone]

Maybe I am a monster, and I've just been very good at keeping it secret.

[thegoofball]

Hmmmm. Maybe. Maybe this has all been a clever ruse.

[antepone]

Maybe. And now I'll have to find a way to keep you quiet about it.

[thegoofball]

My silence doesn't come cheap, I'll have you know!

[antepone]

Hmmm....

[ She taps her chin. ]

Maybe I'll just tell Keith how much of a sap you can be.

[thegoofball]

[Gaaaaasp!!]

Then you'd have to make Keith confront how sappy he and Shiro are!

[antepone]

That might be my true plan. You never know.

[thegoofball]

You truly are an evil genius...

[antepone]

Finally, someone who realizes it...

[thegoofball]

...Does this make me your accomplice?

[antepone]

You know, I think it just might. I guess that really makes us partners in crime.

[thegoofball]

Well, if I have to turn to a life of crime, there's nobody else I'd want to do it with.