lifeaftr | August Event: The City is at War

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 )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[How is this possible - that they should have an animal on their side that's capable of incredible danger, incredible hurt. It is just an animal, isn't it? Why would it be anything else?]

[(Ignore the feeble pulse of them that recoils in horror at the mere thought, that honors and respects canids in particular, that recognizes her as someone so important that to raise arms against her should be unthinkable.)]

[The Drifter has a gun. They raise it, take careful aim, and fire.]

[From a distance, perhaps they'll have a better chance of taking down this particular foe.]

[Amaterasu knows guns. How she knows this...it--...it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter now, but she knows. She knows their look, their make, their sound. And, possessing keen senses, her ear flicks and turns to the sound of a bullet being fired, dark eyes only able to see a blur of motion before her instincts kick in and her body simply reacts. Springing up, the wolf twists almost beautifully in the air, the bullet grazing only a tuft of fur on her back, singeing slightly. Nothing more than an irritant to her nose...burnt fur never smelled pleasant.

Landing with as much grace as her initial back flip, the wolf snarls, following the trajectory of the bullet to try and ind the source, using her senses now in full - sight, smell, sound... This land is hers, and she will not have some unsightly scourge come in to claim it. Especially one who clearly stole their weaponry. Terrible, awful little thieves. Like fleas...they come in and take. Take, take, take...until they bleed dry the land of its bounties. Not today. Not while there is still blood in her body. She fires a bullet back by dragging her long fangs through the trigger of the gun in her mouth, blindly, in the direction of where the first came from.

A warning. The next one will be far more precise.]

[They weren't expecting the creature to be wielding a gun. They hadn't noticed from the distance, but - but it does, and they know this because a projectile whizzes uncomfortably close to them, pinging off the side of their helmet and making their head ring.]

[How is it firing back at them?]

[Getting closer to a creature with fangs as large and predatory as that would be inadvisable. And yet clearly, clearly, it can fire upon them with some degree of accuracy. Where does that leave them?]

[It leaves them grasping at their cloak and extricating a round object that lights up when they concentrate on it.]

[They don't know the name for this object. They don't recall any longer that it's a very particular kind of bomb.]

[But they still know how to hurl it with relative accuracy so that it will detonate.]

[How indeed, because this weapon isn't familiar at all to Amaterasu. It's metal is different than what she knows, and it's not at all like canon or the ballistas used to arm the imperial capital under duress. Nothing like the glass and gemstone beads of her rosaries she can fire at will much easier than this awkward contraption. And yet...the knowledge is there. Ingrained, as if it had been for eons. How? How does she know of these devices? It...doesn't matter now. It doesn't matter at all.

She continues to fire back, trying to draw the intruder from their hiding spot - out into the open where they're an easier target. Unfortunately, the invader isn't as simple as the others. This ones comes prepared with clearly stolen goods. Where else would these primitive savages get them from? Their simple, stupid minds are filled with the murky waters they cherish so, there's nothing of substance sloshing around in there. Ammy watches the grenade arc through the air, and braces herself. Eyes squeezing shut, she throws up her reflector to shield most of the blast, but the sheer explosion knocks her back on her feet, as flames from the burst char the fur around her legs and underbelly, making her whimper in pain.

Horrible. Terrible creature. She has to make them pay. They're quick, yes, but she knows she's quicker. She knows they're far more vulnerable here, where the water is shallow and the earth and trees shield her from their attacks. Ducking back into the brush, the wolf hurries through the terrain she's familiar with, trying to close the gap as quickly as she can. Her seared legs ache, but she ignores it. It's a minor pain, easily remedied, and no where near the satisfaction she'll get from killing this vile thing. Just have to get close...and closer still.]

[With a crackling burst of light, the bomb lights up the surrounding area in a radius of electricity and brisance, scorching fur and flesh alike. Something about the sound is abhorrent. The sound of an animal in pain, a high-pitched whimper - you did this. You horrible creature. You are committing blasphemy.]

[No. No, they...have a loyalty. They have a loyalty to the Water. It is these ones who are the blasphemers, with their fire and spark and their refusal to accept the Water into their lives. So why, why do their actions coat their insides with a layer of ice and dread, and make their blood run cold?]

[The creatures is rushing for them. The explosion wasn't sufficient. This creature is strong, clearly, and so they need to act. They need to act now - ]

[They light up their sword, quickly, and slash frantically at the air in front of them in an effort to keep it back.]

[Slashes, frantic and calculated in its duress - a sword. She...remembers? It's not the same, but the movements hold a familiarity to a someone from long, long ago. A face, a swordsman, a "worrier". Who is that person? The lapse in concentration costs the wolf greatly, as the heated beam strikes her hard on the shoulder, cutting into her skin and coloring more of her fur with red.

The pain is indescribable, but the anger, the hatred...the broiling fire of her disgust at being marred by this criminal's weapon...it dulls the ache enough. It fuels her back legs enough to leap at them, gaping maw wide and poised to strike and grab at the arm holding the weapon. To rip, to tear, to crush and rend meat from bone. How dare it. How dare it spill her blood. If this creature wants a taste, then she will let the earth drink its foul blood as well. Their precious Water will be stained with it by the war's end.

That is a promise she makes to herself.]

[The Drifter doesn't scream, of course. It doesn't matter how much they want to, or would. They're incapable of it. The sound they make is little more than a breathless huff, a soft, pained hiss. In the contrast to the sound of cracking bone and ripping flesh, the ease with which the fangs sink into fever-flushed blue skin and spurt pinkish ichor over the ground, the Drifter is almost entirely silent.]

[Their eyes pinch shut, but only for a moment.]

[The sword drops from nerveless fingers.]

[They still have a gun, though. They draw it, and fire.]

August Event: The City is at War

ii.

i legit rolled a nat 20 for this.

LMAO RIP IN PISS

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