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

Keith | Neutral | OTA

[thermalwind]

I. I'll take care of it. - [Open to all]

[It had happened so quickly he barely has time to do much more than blame himself for not getting the orb off the island the moment he saw something wrong with it. Not for the first time he wishes for the simplicity of the war he'd known.

He'd had the power behind him to put an end to terrible things. Now he's alone and there's just him against the rising tide.

As people draw battle lines and robots rise from the muck he feels that helpless rage building up inside him again. He makes a bee line for anyone that seems like they're faltering or possibly confused.] Hey. This isn't right.

This place was in ruins when we got here. Come with me. We can get rid of those sirens. It seems like everything went to hell when they rose.

II. Direct my wrath - Siren smashing/battlefield encounters

[Ducking and dodging former friends now turned into enemies isn't easy. He's a trained special op fighter but the skills of those taken over by the call of the sirens aren't to be underestimated. But he has a few tricks that might make people pause.

When he has to go through red territory, he pulls on his red accented Paladin armor. If someone catches him it will be a few seconds of confusion. That's all he needs to stun an opponent. Some of them.

Somewhere in this mess is the people he doesn't want run into at all costs. He hopes they're neutral too but he doesn't bet on that.

His luck isn't that good.

The wailing sirens is almost enough to drive him mad. He has always had better hearing than most and that is a curse. His helmet doesn't lessen or dampen the noise. He should really get all functions on his armor fixed.

Finding the sirens is easy. Getting to the top of them, is going to be hard. He can't jet pack straight up and he's fairly his wolf can't teleport that far.]

I should have saved that damn bomb and not used it on Umui.

III. Our path is clear. [August 21-23]

[By now he's fallen into a pattern. Discieve if at all possible, talk someone down or dodge them when it fails and move towards his objective. His hands ache but it's a secondary thing to the single minded focus he's fallen into it.

He eats on the run, sending his fiery bird up with short whistled notes as he and the wolf take the ground path.

There's no room for doubts, or exhaustion. He moves as precisely as a living body can.] Those sirens screaming their heads off are the reason you feel this war has to be fought. Help me take them down.

[He says it better than that sometimes. But he's never been a social man and trying to convince others to stop fighting falls under social. Sometimes when he's too tired of talking and feels in a mood.] You, we have new orders. Sirens need to come down.

Follow or don't.

[He's so tired.]

IV. What would you ask of me? [Wildcard]

[Wildcard. Toss up an idea here, pm me if you want a custom prompt!]

II. TEAM SIREN FUCKERS UNITE

[wanderingdoctorfaust]

As soon as the words leave Keith's lips, the leaves on a nearby tree begin violently rustling. An ambush!
Or not - whereas one would be forgiven for expecting a giant beast to leap out, or a flurry of unusually sharp objects to burst forth, all that pops out from between the thick foliage is...a human hand? It appears to be waving in a casual, friendly manner, as if any part of this entire encounter isn't already absolutely ridiculous.

"H-Hello, good sir! Lovely day for it, isn't it? Forgive me for intruding, but I couldn't help but notice that you've been avoiding the others rather pointedly! And you've been glaring at that infernal machine like it spat in your breakfast!"

The hand(?) has to shout to be heard over the droning of the siren, and their tone is laced with a desperate sense of urgency. This person clearly does not appreciate the blaring noise any more than Keith does. But can they be trusted?

"I think we can help each other! I have something that might be able to break it, but last I tried, I had some very angry guests visiting me! Do you think you can hold a perimeter whilst I get up there and smash that blasted contraption to pieces? Frankly, it's getting extremely annoying!"

[thermalwind]

Keith jerks his head in the direction of the noise, eyes faintly yellow and splits closer to a cat's than a human's. He flips the knife in his hand as it reshapes into a sword and stops. It takes him a second to process the stranger and the familiar visage. It's not Church in this body this time.

He swallows then nods, stiffly letting out sharp whistled notes. A reddish-orange bird descends from the sky above and circles the siren pole. "Yeah, I've been avoiding them. I don't want to hurt them and it isn't their fault they're caught up in whatever those sirens are projecting."

He almost asks how the other person will get up there and thinks better of it. He nods again. "I'll keep watch. Anyone that comes up we'll deal with Ember and I first. What are you going to use to break that thing with?"

[wanderingdoctorfaust]

...that tone...the way this man carries himself...
Relief washes over Faust like a refreshing shower. This man is a soldier - objectively the best possible candidate for this job! The good doctor gives an enthusiastic thumbs-up with his still-exposed hand before he drops down from the tree proper, his feet hitting the ground near-instantaneously due to his height. He actually has to duck a little to avoid getting leaves stuck in his bag...

"Thank you so much! I have a particularly large hammer on hand, and I intend to give that annoying device a jolly good thumping! It may take a few swings, but it seemed to be working the first time around!"

Said 'particularly large hammer' is nowhere in sight, the closest thing to it being the good doctor's giant scalpel. Which he is now sticking into the dirt like a post...and now he's somehow bending it despite clearly being made of steel...and now he's...taking measurements...?
At the very least, he's doing it all with the kind of urgency you'd expect from someone who actually grasps the gravity of the situation, but still...?

"...............RIGHT! This should do it! Should take about...three, maybe four hits? I'll be as quick as a I can!"

[thermalwind]

His eyes widen faintly. Big. Yeah, that fits his memories of the first time he saw this body. The actual man it belongs to is pretty friendly.

He briefly thinks of those bee hammers but doesn't see or hear it. Keith scans their surroundings and listens carefully. No enemies yet. Whatever the fuck his comrade is about to do to achieve a hammer, he doesn't care. It's weird and he can ask later.

"Okay. I'll hold down here until you're done. Then we can retreat to the next one." They're not that hard to find. He lifts his right hand and puts up two fingers, jerking them down. The bird up above breaks away from the siren to circle in a wider arc. "Need a hand up or do you got it?"

III

[forwearemany]

(New orders?)

You are not an ally.

(And yet, the response is more confused than hostile.

They want to follow. Why do they want to follow?)

[thermalwind]

[Of course, he thinks as he faces Legion squarely. Of course he'd be pitted against a friend. He sighs. The new orders thing didn't work. He looks tired, his hair in a wilder mess than usual and there's dark circles under his eyes. He hasn't been sleeping well.]

I'm not your enemy either, Legion.

[He whistles three sharp notes. His wolf is on the way, ready to help him escape if it comes to that.]

I just don't want any of you to stay trapped. You deserve better than that.

[forwearemany]

(Not an enemy is strange, but acceptable. He is clearly not one of the loyalists dwelling in the mountains.

The second part though...)

We are not trapped.

[thermalwind]

[He doesn't say anything to that. His eyes are a bit too bright.]

Do you remember what you were doing before the call went out? What you saw before that?

iii

[journalname]

[Asgore has been feeling unwell, these past few days. It's not because of the sirens - the noise might have bothered him a little at first, but by now it's just a constant presence he's grown accustomed to. They're good; they carry warning of their enemies. No, the problem's something else.

But he isn't so unwell that he doesn't turn sharply, eyes narrowing.]

There have been no such orders.

[He's the king; he gives orders, or at least knows when other commanders do. And the sirens are theirs. Only the invaders would want to take them out...but for some reason, he doesn't recognize this human as one of them. Where could he have even come from?]

Who are you?

[thermalwind]

[He really should just sneak more often but, who would he be if he wasn't stubborn? He meets Asgore's eyes and his neutral expression doesn't flicker. But deep in his eyes he just looks like he expected that response.

But stress is given away as he sighs, exposing teeth to sharp and his eyes flicker between dim yellow and deep violet to a human's white and a lighter purple iris.]

The Last Paladin of Voltron. [He can't make a hand signal or whistle like this. He has a feeling this is one of those times he might have to run hard and fast.] Keith.

Look, sometimes what is holding you is loose enough just saying orders shifts it. Guess you're not one of those cases.

[He holds up both his hands. No weapons.] Not here to fight any of you.

[journalname]

[Asgore knows that humanity is not the enemy here. There are human Nastrandirians, and non-human invaders. But those lines remain blurry, and the sight of clear non-human features still relaxes him a little.

Unfortunately, everything else Keith is saying is nonsense. Nothing is holding him. Why would he take orders from some foreign stranger?]

Then you should leave. This is not a safe place, for those who are not of Nastrandir.

[It's not exactly a threat. His loathing burns hot for the invaders, but he's still himself enough that he has no desire to harm someone who's not involved in this, who isn't even armed. He's only stating the truth: this is a war zone. It isn't safe.]

[thermalwind]

[He could walk away. He's got the special ops training to get around without (mostly) being caught. But he's tired of having to hide and this man reminds him of home.

The Galra. His mother. He straightens his shoulders and shakes his head slowly.] It's because it isn't safe that I'm still here.

Those sirens were buried in the dirt at first. Do you remember that?

[Small steps. It's all he can do.]

III

[atailoftwoworlds]

[And a certain thief has his knives out. His eyes a mix of rage and weariness, but also sheer determination. This cannot continue. Too many people have suffered.]

I don't need orders for that. I'm gonna trash them and grind them to dust. No more fighting. This crap has gone on long enough and I'm stopping it right here, right now!

[He can see that the thing has affected Keith as well, whatever happened to him during the chaos. Another reason to destroy those things.

He turns his head, peering at something the distance.] I think I can spot one that way. Take a look?

[thermalwind]

[He blinks in surprise, weary of all the fighting and racing against time to reduce the number of deaths as much as he can. This is someone not affected or at least not as much.

Keith lets out a breath and motions for Zidane to follow him. He's relieved he doesn't have to fight another friend.]

Yeah. Come with me. We'll cut through the swamp to the west. Go carefully, we want to avoid any patrols.

[atailoftwoworlds]

[Keith may look weary from all that has been going on at least the sirens do not seem to have affected him. Not in that manner, anyway. Or at least not enough for him to think he's supposed to be fighting everyone. Either way, it's a small comfort. Regardless, Zidane will start following him. However, there is one objection he has.]

Hang on. Are you sure the swamp's a good idea? You don't know what's in- [Wait a minute. Now that he thinks about it, where did he get the impression that the swamps were dangerous? He had been in them plenty of times before...] ......actually, never mind.
[His unease really doesn't make sense. Ugh, maybe he still hadn't finished recovering from the siren's effects.] Dammit, let's go.

[thermalwind]

Yeah, I know what's in them. I've been in and out of them for days.

[Keith says as he engages his Marmora mask and slips into the swamp. He whistles twice and his wolf friend slips out of the darkness to join them.]

...did you get hit with whatever those sirens were doing?

3!

[lesbeau]

[These sirens are fucking killing her. The drilling noise burrows into her brain and the nonstop days of it are starting to really wear. Worst of all, she's starting to hear things, things that take her longer and longer each time to remember that they're not real. That this island is her home, that they're being attacked, there needs to be fire, fire, fire--

Keith's words make it through when she's found herself standing dazed between targets having one such episode, and it takes her eyes a moment to focus back on him.]

Wh-- hey, you're not my boss.

[Not a helpful or clarifying introduction in the least. Beau shakes her head, trying to clear it.]

Fuck, my head is killing me, how many of 'em are left?

[thermalwind]

...about six or so. [He says as he reaches up and pulls off his paladin helmet, just to give himself a little air and let her see his face.

Somewhere around the middle of the conflicts, he stopped hiding his inhuman side. He runs a finger down one sharp fang.]

The sound is a lot less but still nasty. There's one not far from us. Up for smashing it with me?

[lesbeau]

[Him taking off his helmet clarifies things pretty quickly, and a grin pulls at her mouth, even if it's not big.]

Hey, there you go. Talk about holding onto yourself out here.

[Beau reaches up and slaps lightly at her cheeks.]

Alright, alright, let's go, let's fuck this thing up. It's uh, kinda hard to break 'em, so sometimes I've just been knocking the post over and throwing them in the ocean. Or drowning them. The uh, the water knocks them out pretty fast once you get it totally submerged.

[thermalwind]

[Keith studies her with an expression that is oddly neutral. He nods once to himself and he turns walks away into the foliage.]

Won’t be an issue. I went and got some help.

[He slaps his bag with one open hand and puts his helmet back on. The visor that had been full over his face becomes a half thing.]

I got you pegged so we’ll be fine.

[Getting to the siren is easy. They have to trek through a small bit of mud and water but when they get their Keith unslings his pack from his back. He opens it and reaches inside. He tosses a white U edged in bright yellow to Beau.

Once it gets in her hand it will transform in a wash of yellow energy into a weapon suited to her as Keith unclips his Black Bayard. The Bayard in his hand transforms in a rolling purple light into a sword made of blue light with a black and white hilt. He looks down at it, nods and looks up at the pole.] We’ll break the pole first. Then we’ll cut up the siren if it’s still going.

ii

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael's taken to sneaking, lately. Stealth is not exactly his strong suit; if anything, it's more like social engineering. But more than a few people have taken exception to him going after the sirens, and it's hard to make up a good lie when you don't even know what reality the other person's operating in.

But when he decides that Keith is sizing up the siren, and not protecting it, he ventures an approach. And when he hears him talking, well:]

I can make a bomb.

[thermalwind]

[Keith stills for a moment then turns to face Michael with clear eyes. He nods and makes a hand sign, whistling twice. A dot in the sky grows larger and larger until it's the shape of a bird of prey. The bird skim the air just above the siren and circles.]

What do you need to make it happen and how much time will it take you? [He won't waste time asking how Michael can do it. People's lives are on the line.]

[eudaimonikos]

I don't need anything. It'll only take me a second. Easy as -

[He snaps his fingers. But not to actually make the bomb, this time.]

[thermalwind]

[His eyes narrow then he steps back and nods, tapping the base of the pole then points to a space in reaching height above them.]

We need one to two charges. I want to blast it so it falls into the water to the left of us. They stop the moment they make contact with water. I’m Keith.

[The bird circles overhead and with a signal from Keith drops down to land in the trees nearby.] That’s Ember. How much of a warning do we have before your bomb goes off?