August Event: The City is at War

[lifeaftr_mods]

AUGUST EVENT: THE CITY IS AT WAR

Who: Everyone!
What: You pick a side, or you pick up the pieces
When: August 16th to August 23rd
Where: Primarily Nastrandir, though also Ensō
Warnings: Violence, injury, forcibly altered mindsets via magical influence, possible character death. Potential (and fully optional) dissociation and identity crises. Potential (and fully optional) spontaneous combustion. Otherwise, tag as you go!

We All Lose in the End
On cue, the recently uncovered...and decidedly faulty merotome shatters on the morning of August 16th. Those close enough may recall an odd popping noise, like a lightbulb exploding, or find a shard of some odd, rubbery substance caught in their hair. The wave that shoots out across both islands barely seems to stir the air, but the aftershocks of its passing are to be felt for the week to come.

Whether or not you noticed the sweeping burst of light as it roared over just about everything, you're bound to hear the loud, wailing sound that starts to emit from all over Nastrandir. It sounds like the world's worst kind of alarm, and it just keeps on going. That's to say nothing of the automatons rising steadily from the murk, or the fact that you might find that some of your fellow explorers are suddenly seeming a lot more trustworthy...and some of them are seeming a lot less. Maybe you latch onto personal terrors and preexisting grudges to justify the new onset of violence that starts to divide you from some of your fellows...or maybe it just feels right in some unquantifiable sense.

Regardless, those impacted by the merotome will find themselves gravitating towards Nastrindar sooner rather than later. Members of the Red Team are likely to initially head towards the ruins on C4 and D4. The swampy water flooding the island will eventually drive you to seek out more mountainous areas; the need to keep dry will vary from a strong desire to an absolute necessity, depending on the individual. As territorial instincts rear their head, this group will find that the war automatons no longer view them as hostiles. Now, these mechanical killers may even take basic orders, such as watching a certain location, fetching some basic materials, and, of course, upon whom they should aim their primary fire.

Meanwhile, the Blue Team will congregate along the shorelines, striking out inland through any route that keeps them close to a body of water - or in it. More likely to travel and fight in a pair or group, it's unlikely that members of this group will stay from the main party for too long, as their power is largely in numbers. While no automatons accompany them into battle, the waters surrounding and soaking into Nastrandir are their greatest ally, as they are capable of replenishing strength and healing minor wounds. Members of the Blue Team will be capable of continuing the fight for much longer than their Red counterparts, and their affinity with the waters will make them difficult to locate or pursue unless they wish it.

You Don't Get Another Shot
For those more resistant to the effects of this sudden shift will find that they're now unfortunately adrift between two warring factions, potentially with friends on either side. There is hope, however - those previously silent sirens are now blaring constantly, and it's very possible that their destruction could turn the tide against this needless bloodshed. The more of those you break, the looser the grip of this altered mindset will become, and the less hostile the automatons will be. Keep in mind, however, that while you may feel unaffected, the possibility stands that you've been marked for one side without your knowledge. And though this may prove advantageous to getting through to those that identify you as their own, those that do not may take your attempts to shake their morale badly.

Even violently.

Stick Around and See How It Ends
Thus far, the teams are as follows. If you see any problems, inconsistencies, or wish to change teams, please don't hesitate to contact us! While we're no longer accepting sign-ups to be RNG'd into a team, you can still decide retroactively which side you'd like your character to be situated on, if at all!

RED TEAM	BLUE TEAM
Alexei Dinoia Amaterasu Anthony J. Crowley Asgore Dreemurr Connor Murphy Edward Elric Erika Fisher Jules Dagger Samari Leonard Church Muffet Tim Wright Yukio Okumura Zidane Tribal	2B Alisaie Leveilleur Agent Washington Ben Hargreeves The Drifter Epsilon Héctor Rivera Herbert West Horatio Nullbuilt Kravitz Legion Mollymauk Tealeaf Ren Rin Okumura Steve Rogers

---

In the meantime, the following links may prove handy:

[ ♆ ] OOC Event Info and Plotting Post
[ ♆ ] Nastrandir's Intro
[ ♆ ] Nastrandir's Locations Page

Event Timeline

[ ♆ ] August 16th: The merotome breaks, issuing a mind-altering wave; the sirens go off, and definitive sides in a conflict start to form
[ ♆ ] August 23rd: The conflict ends when those who have not been freed from the mind-altering influence either break free or burn to death
[ ♆ ] August 24th: The monthly Storytelling occurs late; characters who have died are revived in time to participate
[ ♆ ] September 4th: Extra time is allotted to those participating in the monthly Storytelling to compensate for the later date, and the Storytelling closes

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

Michael | neutral | OTA

[eudaimonikos]

a. heard there was a war going on; 16th - 17th

[Michael was off doing his own thing when the sirens hit. He didn't hear them; he didn't initially notice what was happening. But eventually, he realized that Enso and the islets seemed awfully empty. Nastrandir, being the newest island, was the obvious place to check.

And when he did, HOO BOY! Everything is garbage!

Michael picks his way uneasily along the shore, wincing at the noise of the sirens screaming everywhere. Upon seeing someone else, he brightens and starts to approach, only to hesitate before getting too close.]

Hi! Hey, are you - are you normal right now?

b. peace, bitch; 19th - 22nd

[Michael hates this. Michael hates this so much.

He's striding purposefully around Nastrandir now, making for the nearest of the sirens. If you run into him before he's close, his hands are empty; he doesn't want any trouble, and though he's figured out that nobody seems to think he's on either side of this imaginary war, he doesn't want any trouble. But once he gets close, he just manifests a goddamn sledgehammer and sizes the thing up.

Wanna help him do a destroy? Or do you have a problem with that?]

c. wildcard

[Need someone to knock you the fuck out? Want to harass the random civilian wandering the war zone? hmu!]

b, sorry bud

[demonicmiracle]

[It's getting more and more difficult to differentiate between reality and several layers of unreality, the more time goes on. Sometimes he forgets his name, tries to go reaching for one that was burned out of him a very long time ago. The worse it gets, the easier it is to sink into the comfort of the Nastrandirian memories, to stop fighting it, to stop questioning.

That means, of course, protecting the warning system spread throughout the island, from people seem intent to destroy them, as if they want the invaders to be able to sneak up on them.]

I really wouldn't, if I were you.

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael turns, sizing Crowley up. He doesn't have any magic ability to discern another demon's mental state, never has, but the fact that he's here doing this at all speaks volumes.]

Oh, man, this is embarrassing for you.

[He hopes this thing was brought on by some god, because if it's human-make then that is just sad! But he lets the hammer drop into one hand, holding up the other in a clear display of non-aggression. Sad or not, he's not going to fight.

Michael hasn't felt out the limitations on all of his powers since arriving here. Some of them need a target; he doesn't want to use people as lab rats, and he hasn't yet been forced. But he takes comfort in reaching out for that, a little. If push comes to shove, he can always try to just shut Crowley's human flesh-brain off for a minute.]

So, where are we at right now? Aside from having changed our mind about murder - did you kill anybody?

[He figures the sheer fuckery of this whole thing would excuse that, on a moral level, but he can't say he wouldn't be irritated.]

[demonicmiracle]

[It's not an exact sense of familiarity there; Crowley doesn't know Michael well enough for true familiarity, but it's close, like catching a glimpse of someone you think you recognize, before realizing it's a stranger.

Unlike Michael lowering the hammer, Crowley's grip on his partizan tightens. Sometimes he wonders why it isn't glowing the way it should. Sometimes he wonders why it doesn't burn him the way it should.]

I really don't see how that's any of your business. [He hasn't. He won't.] None of this has to be your business. Go home, leave us be.

[That's all he really wants.]

[eudaimonikos]

No.

[It's about as fair an argument as he's heard from one of these people, really. So Michael's tone is at least still calm when he refuses.]

People are getting hurt out here. If I can help stop it, then I have a moral obligation - it is my business. [Mankind is my business, et cetera et cetera, that was a really water-based metaphor anyway] I'm just here for the siren. I don't see how it's doing you any good anyway, they've been going nonstop for days.

[demonicmiracle]

A moral obligation?

[There's almost weight in the way he says the words, practically hissing them back at Michael.]

They're invading us, they've destroyed our homes, left children to drown. Was it your business then? [None of these things happened, personally, to Crowley, but the memories feel fresh in his mind, easy enough to tap into when anger is simpler than questioning.] We're protecting ourselves, is that so wrong?

[eudaimonikos]

What children? What homes?

[Michael waves his free hand at the expanse behind him, rocky and clearly free of any recent structures. There's ruins on this island, but they're crumbling husks, half-reclaimed by the forest. How can anyone look at them at think the destruction is recent?

There's false memories in there somewhere, he figures. And he knows, he knows there's probably not any point in arguing. They're not going to listen. But what's he gonna do? He can't just go back to Enso and wait for some god to fix it.]

Look at this place, nobody's lived here for centuries! If this siren is so important to you all, why haven't you maintained it at all? It's practically rusted out!

a

[motherfucking_ghost]

[Church peers at the guy, fidgeting with a pistol strapped to his thigh. He seems...too close and less cautious around water, but nothing about him screams enemy or invader. But at the same time, Church doesn't recognize him, doesn't see friend.

It's...unnerving. His weapon isn't drawn yet, but he's clearly considering it.]

Normal's pretty subjective. But yeah. I'm normal. [As normal as an amnesic AI in a robot body can be, probably.]

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael considers this. In fairness, he doesn't actually know what the hell is going on with all the people trying to murder each other just yet. That would be a good thing to determine.]

Okay, fair. So what's your deal, then, what's with...all this?

[He gestures at all this pistol stuff. It's not entirely clear if Church is normal or not yet, but he is one of the people running around with a weapon, so.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

[To be fair, he's one of the people that almost always runs around with at least one weapon. Usually he's encouraged to run around with just a sword, but with the current extenuating circumstances...]

What's my deal? Gee, I dunno, man, there's kind of a war on. Where've you been?

[eudaimonikos]

Vegas.

[Sometimes Michael just says things.]

Big vacation, you know how it is. I've been blitzed on mai-tais for a week and a half, and my best friend got stranded on the roof! It was like eighty stories up, too. But she's down now, she's fine.

So what's, uh, what's the war about?

[motherfucking_ghost]

Vegas quadrant or regular city Vegas? Cuz there's plenty of trouble to get up to in the quadrant, too.

[He says it easy as anything. And then he thinks that that might be wrong. He's lived here. There's no Vegas here. Or--was there a before? Did he come here and then live here with the people around him, before the invaders came with their filthy water?

Another island, maybe?

If he had visible eyes, he'd blink. All he does is shake his head a little, to clear it.]

Are you...from around here?

[eudaimonikos]

[That's not a normal question anyone would ask on the islands. Nobody's from around here. Some kind of memory thing, then? Did he forget?]

...regular Vegas. No, I'm from Phoenix, Arizona. [He knows a lot about Phoenix from Eleanor, it's a convenient Earth location to throw out.] Are you from around here?

a

[forwearemany]

(They seek ellies, but though they recognize him, he is ... not?)

Clarify.

(The term "normal" is poorly defined. All systems are functioning normally. Sapient machine life is not normal by organic standards.)

[eudaimonikos]

[Anyone who doesn't know what he means is obviously not normal, so. Question answered.]

I don't know, whatever. What're you up to? [Are you Team Water or Team Mountain?]

[forwearemany]

Seeking allies.

(That's probably not hugely clarifyingon it's own, but they're by the shore, so water might be a good guess.

They turn, ready to continue looking. He is neither enemy jor ally, and thus irrelevant. It's a bit out of character for them: normally everyone not an enemy is a potential ally.)

[eudaimonikos]

[Okay then. Michael's not all that inclined to continue the conversation, really - he knows these people can be unstable, and though they all seem to recognize that he's unaligned in this, he's already been threatened once or twice.

It's just one random thought that gets him to call after Legion:]

You won't short-circuit if you go in water or anything, will you?

[He can see where this is going, and you are a robot.]

[forwearemany]

(Damaged by the water?

The notion is ridiculous. They turn back to Michael.)

This unit is waterproofed.

[eudaimonikos]

Great. Have fun storming the island!

[does he want to fight this dude right now absolutely not]

a! :V

[deathfindsaway]

[Is he normal right now? Well, that's subjective. For someone not on the blue team, prrrrrobably not.

Kravitz is by the shoreline, not as done up as he usually is. There's no purpose in getting his fancier suits and clothes in the ocean, of course- that sort of decor is held for a deity, not any old representation of Them when there will be blood spilled in the muck. He still looks approachable, at least to a point... which is about when Michael calls out and he turns, his scythe appearing in his hand easily.]

If you have come here to challenge me, you're sorely mistaken.

[That isn't even remotely what he said, Kravitz.]

[eudaimonikos]

Oh, come on, man!

[Look, most of Michael's friends have lost their shit or run off to get themselves killed. He's allowed to whine for a minute! And seriously, does he even look remotely armed?]

[deathfindsaway]

[It doesn't matter if he doesn't look dangerous- never underestimate your opponent! Kravitz knows who his allies are here, and just because he isn't visibly an enemy doesn't make him innocent. There are no bystanders in this war. There never was.

He twists the blade in his wrist, bringing the head of it from the ground upwards and planting the dull end into the sand like a guard... or a judge.]

You have one chance to swear loyalty or beg for your life. What will it be?

[eudaimonikos]

[How did Michael not know Kravitz had a scythe? That's such a painful cliche, and now he can't even make fun of it properly.

It would probably be more practical to just do one or the other. But they're both just so unappealing: the former would get him caught up in this nonsense, and both are downright undignified.]

Okay, I'm not doing this. I'm going home.

[Can he...can he just turn to leave, or...?]

[deathfindsaway]

[It's a real shame this situation leaves little room for fun jokes about this asshole and his stereotypes. Speaking of things going exactly the way he probably expects, there's no way Kravitz is just going to let him walk out of here. With a sigh like a tired parent, he rips a portal open beside him, and simultaneously Michael can see Kravitz stepping out right in front of his path and much closer now.]

Of course, you wouldn't submit. You're all like this. It would be so much easier if you came quietly.

[Seems he has a tendency to monologue, too. Remember when Kravitz heard all about your torturing past, Micheal? You're about to see the Reaper at work.]

But, if we must do this the hard way, at least stay still.

[And then he takes a swipe right for Michael's neck, swinging to lob his head clean off.]

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael - who saw this coming both because it's a large weapon and because what on earth else does one do with a scythe - drops to the ground and snaps his fingers.

He has nothing specific in mind, no preferred weapon or brilliant plot to escape this particular situation. He just wants this to not happen. Which is why he creates a five-foot saguaro cactus right above Kravitz's head! It promptly drops out of the sky.]