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

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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

[thermalwind]

[He doesn't want to lie. But maybe he can say the absolute truth and not the immediate. Keith turns and walks to the north, whistling at last in three short notes. His wolf emerges from the brush to pace at his side as he says, his voice carrying longing and exhaustion in it he doesn't bother to hide.]

I just want to go home. The only way to do that is find out what broke this world so badly even the gods have forgotten what happened and they don't want to remember.

[journalname]

[The gods...that has something to do with why the invaders came, doesn't it? They're blasphemers. But of all the disparate ideas swirling around in Asgore's brain, that one is hard to connect to.]

I'm sorry to hear that. [He supposes? He doesn't understand it, none of it except for Keith's tone.] Where is your home?

[thermalwind]

[He can't reveal all his cards. Ember will just have to keep scouting from above. The wolf falls into the familiar stalking steps as Keith soundlessly moves through the woods.]

The stars. I'm from Earth. You probably haven't ever heard of it.

[His hand rests on his wolf friend's back as he keeps talking, letting the words flow out.] My friend here is from the stars too. I was on a mission and he crashed down near our campsite when he was a pup. We saved him from wildlife about to make breakfast out of him.

Been friends ever since.

[journalname]

[Earth? Of course he knows...

...no. He doesn't, though, does he? Is Nastrandir on Earth, or...? Asgore frowns throughout the explanation, his gaze distant. The talk of the stars, too, seems like it should be nonsensical. People do not come from the stars. So why does it feel like it makes perfect sense?

Belatedly, he realizes he's lost his focus.]

How...nice. [He still sounds a little distracted.] I have not seen many of my friends lately. Those from the water have killed a great number of us.

[Well, he hasn't seen that happen. But it has. He knows it has - much dust has been spilled.]

might have spelled the city wrong

[thermalwind]

[Silence falls as he weighs what to say to that and why. There might be information here or a way to wake them up. He doesn't even think of the bone deep despair that has been his life since everyone was ripped from it.]

I thought people were given to the water to be punished. [He says at last.] That's what they did in Ai'touh. They did it to anyone who showed a lot of emotion. [Keith glances at him, his brows coming down.] They called it, The Standing Water.

[journalname]

I am not familiar with Ai'touh.

[Asgore frowns. He wasn't around when that island was explored; he may have heard the name once or twice, but those recollections are vague enough that they're long-gone now.]

That seems like a terrible punishment.

[thermalwind]

It’s final. More like death dressed up as a punishment.

[He says it carefully like someone who isn’t sure how he should put it.]

I don’t know if the portal they were using for it still exists. We did break up that space when we escaped. [They reach the siren and he doesn’t resist the urge to put his hands over his ears. The sound is awful this close like a nails on a blackboard or metal on metal.]

Here we are. [Just like he said around the base of the siren there appears to be disturbed dirt. It looks like something burst out of it.]

[journalname]

[Asgore winces too, pressing a paw over one ear. He's accustomed to the sirens, from living here, but it's easy to believe that his hearing might be keener than the human norm to begin with.

Still, he moves closer to investigate the dirt around the base of the siren.]

What were they trying to do? Dig it up?

[They're...well, he's not quite sure if he was around when these were installed. They must predate him. Still, he thinks their foundations are quite deep.]

[thermalwind]

[Keith walks forward and kneels down by the base of the pole and motions Asgore to come closer.]

No. See how the dirt is disturbed? It's not like someone was digging here. Looks more like it came up out of the ground. [He points to the pole itself with bits of dirt still clinging to it.]

I can climb this and tell you if the top has any dirt on it too. [He pauses as he stands up, his eyes on the siren over their heads.] ...I won't ask you to tell me defenses but, do they have a kind of mechanism to be buried if there are heavy storms? Could be that got triggered if it exists.

[journalname]

[Asgore hesitates, and it's not entirely out of distrust. Do they...have that kind of mechanism? Does he even know?]

No. [He decides finally; he's never seen any signs of the sirens moving.] They do not. But do be careful, it is rather high.

[High enough that he can't reach up there, and of course it could never support his weight. It's a shame, or he'd do it himself.]

[thermalwind]

I'll be careful. [Keith assures him and smiles, to back it up. Then it falls as he turns to the pole and climbs up. It's easier than he thought it would be. He'd seen other people do it before.

That...doctor for one. Keith reaches the top. He climbs up onto the edge and draws his knife from the sheath on his back. He grabs a pouch from his pack and eases some of the dirt from the top of a siren into the pouch.

Keith packs his tools away and climbs down. He takes the pouch out, untying it. Inside is the dirt, packed carefully inside.] Each siren up there has some of it still clinging to them. Looks like it's breaking loose the longer they're active.