lifeaftr | August Event: The City is at War

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

[His tongue flicks out. Up, down, back in. Slow. He... recognizes this person, this stranger... how has he seen him before? He's not one of the invaders. He doesn't know him.]

... who...?

[Why does he know that name? Why is it... why is it so familiar? Why does it feel like--

He shakes his head sharply, like that will clear it. It shakes the thread of familiarity loose, he slips under again. His claws tighten around his bow. He's professional again, because he's confused again, because he doesn't recognize anything aside from the war. He has a job to do. He has to identify the stranger, determine if he's a stranger or just... a non-combatant? There must be civilians, that's how wars work. But if he's a civilian why is he in the swamp? Why is he disabling a warning siren?]

What are you doing? You shouldn't be here.

[Another person he knows, another who doesn't recognize himself, let alone Ginko. He's starting to suspect this is going to be pretty common among those influenced by the sirens.

Ginko sets his hammer down, rests it carefully on top of the siren, so that his hands are empty when he takes a cautious step forward.]

Do you know why you're here?

Of course I do. [He shoots back, sharp and annoyed.]

There's a war going on, you shouldn't even be-- [He reaches out for Ginko, to drag him away from this swamp, from the enemy. He sees writing on his arm, there is no war smudged with mud and sweat. He hesitates, then turns his focus back to Ginko despite the faint feeling that something is deeply wrong.]

You shouldn't be here.

[Ginko leans back slightly, just in case Yukio actually tries to grab him.] --Yukio, I need you to listen to me here. There is not a war, these-- [He kicks the siren, which kind of hurts.] --I think they're messing with your heads.

[He takes a step forward, trying to grab a sleeve or the hem of the mans shirt.]

Of course there's a war. They're invading! The water's rising. You can't be here, and you can't destroy the warning sirens!

[Ginko can't quite move fast enough to keep Yukio from getting the edge of his stupid sun-protection poncho. Dammit. He just kind of... pulls on it.]

No, it isn't-- the water isn't rising, and maybe some people think they're invading, but there's nothing to invade! [Don't get frustrated, don't get upset. He pulls in a sharp breath, ears pinning back.]

Yukio, think, just try to remember - we only just found this place. It's unpopulated, we've only had access to it for a couple weeks!

... no... [that's what happened, isn't it? He and Rin has seen it, wandered through-- he's lived here his whole life, he knows this island, this is his home, this is--]

No, I've always... [it makes sense, what this person's saying. He remembers just... just arriving? He remembers exploring new territory? He remembers a new island and ruins?

But if this isn't real why does it feel like home?]

This is... [why can't he say it? Why does it feel like he's going to choke on the words? This is his home, isn't it?]

We-- you can't be here.

[He's hesitating. He's stuck, he can't quite seem to come to the right conclusion - but that's something.

As long as he's not completely buried in the fantasy that's been planted in his head, maybe he can be pulled out of it, with the right words.]

Where's Rin?

I don't know. [His brother... there's confusion, a memory of someone with his brother's face, the scent of blood.

There's panic rising up in him. Why?]

Do you know? Did they take him? [Why is-- where's his brother? Yukio grabs at Ginko's poncho, clawing at the fabric, trying to-- he doesn't know. He knows there's something wrong, so deeply wrong. He just can't identify what it is, and that just drives the anger (panic) higher.]

[That was either a big step forward or a huge mistake. Ginko jolts slightly, goes to set a hand over Yukio's, to calm him down.]

No-- as far as I know, he hasn't been taken anywhere. But he might have been affected by the same thing you are - when did you last see him?

Get off me! [He pulls his hand away from Ginko's, thinks (irrationally, horribly) about raking the man's skin with his sharp metal claws.

He needs to find his brother. If they have him, if the invaders have him--]

I'm not affected by anything! If you're not going to help me, then leave me alone!

[Ginko flinches, pulls his limbs close to himself on reflex. That might be for the best anyway - just, making it clear that he's not going to reach for Yukio.]

...I can help you look for him.

[Given the circumstances, leaving Yukio to look for his brother alone seems... unwise. The siren can wait.]

All right. [Yukio says, relaxing just a bit as his confused mind sorts Ginko into an "ally" category instead of a danger.]

We were... looking for food and medicine. We'd fought off some caraliss, and then... slept. [Slept, and woken the next morning to... that wasn't Rin. The invaders had done something in the night.]

I... don't know what happened to him after that. That was a few days ago.

[While Yukio explains, Ginko stoops down to retrieve his hammer and drop it back into his pack. He suspects continuing to break these things down in front of Yukio won't go over well, but he'd rather not, just, lose one of his few tools in a swamp.]

Alright... was he gone when you woke up? [That might make sense, especially if Rin got hit by these same effects.]

He... it wasn't him. [It looked like Rin. But it wasn't, it couldn't have been.]

There was an impostor, one of the invaders, but I chased him off. [It wasn't his brother. Yukio knows his brother, and that wasn't him.]

[So there was... someone there who looked like Rin, but who Yukio is sure was not him.

That doesn't sound good.]

An impostor? What gave him away?

[Just make it sound like he believes him for the time being. Clearly, telling him outright that he's wrong isn't going to work here, so he'll just... work up to that.]

I know my brother. [He says, easily brushing that concern off.]

The impostor was good, but it wasn't him.

What... did you do to chase him off?

[This is really, really worrying.]

I am armed. [Ginko can put the pieces together.

Yukio doesn't sound concerned at all. Why should he be? That wasn't his brother.]

What-- [Well, there goes Ginko's streak for hiding his feelings on what Yukio is saying. He doesn't quite catch the horror and worry that flicker over his face at that.

That expression doesn't last long, but it definitely happens, just before he asks his next question.]

Yukio, what is this war over?

[He isn't facing Ginko, but with how many eyes he has he doesn't need to be. He sees that fear and thinks this isn't right.

But it feels right, just like it feels right to talk about this, to spit out the words between bared fangs.]

Those invaders are attacking us. We have to do whatever it takes to get them off our island before they destroy it. [That's what this is about, protecting his home and the people he cares about, not letting anyone take it from him. They have to keep Nastrandir safe, because it may be a hard place to live but it's home.]

If we can't shoot the bastards we'll have to come up with something else. We'll get rid of them, even if we have to burn half the island down to do it.

Do you know why they're... invading?

[How much of this has he fabricated an explanation for? How thoroughly has whatever this is convinced him of what he's doing?

For that matter, how much of his conviction is coming from his own mind, and how much is straight from those sirens, or whatever else might be impacting his behavior?

Ginko kind of flinches at that. In his experience, handling problems by setting everything on fire doesn't tend to end well for any humans involved.] I wouldn't recommend that.

I wish I did. [He says, bitterly. This is his home, and those damned invaders keep clawing at it, dragging themselves out of the stinking water of the swamp.]

It's not like we'll get any information from them. We just have to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Does that mean you've tried to get information from them?

[Also, shit. What is it about being attached to a piece of land that makes people so eager to set it on fire when it's being "invaded"?] And what would that leave you with? If you're trying to protect the island, burning it down seems pretty counter-intuitive.

[His tongue flicks out again, with a slow up-and-down movement to gather as much scent as possible. The magitech third eye set in his forehead swivels, broadcasting error messages directly to his brain as it tries to scan.

He's missing something. He knows there's something missing, some kind of data point he doesn't have.]

They're so closely aligned with... [he has a chart in his head, but it doesn't match what he's feeling] with water that it... [fire? Really? That doesn't make sense. Fire overcomes rot, not water. Water overcomes fire. So why...]

The fire... might... chase them away. [he can't say "will chase them away" because that doesn't make sense. But it feels right.]

18th

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