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

It'll be about half a minute or so before Faust's limping form finally arises from the pile of rotting leaves and decrepit pieces of fallen metal. Whilst his suit is torn in places and a branch appears to be sticking out of his eyehole, he doesn't look any more worse for wear...even if he doesn't seem to react to the peculiar canine assisting him, not helped by the fact that his initial response to Keith's words is to give the paladin a blank look followed by some unnecessarily vigorous head shaking.

"...uh...Oh, right, that...Ah. Forgive me, it appears I got a little carried away...ahahaha..."

He hadn't even considered his highly calculated method of attack might have attracted a lot of unwanted attention, especially with how many confused islanders are wandering these parts at the moment...
He'll address the soldier beside him again, this time with a far more focused and serious tone:

"Next time I'll just climb it - much quieter and quicker, no calculations required. Otherwise, I'm good to go - lead the way. Ah, I'm Faust, by the by. What shall I call you, sir?"

“Keith. Or Black Paladin whichever suits you better.” He says and slips into the foliage as quiet as any forest animal on the prowl. His voice lowers, but his tone is the same as ever. Keith rarely varies it unless he needs to. “Getting carried away once in a while is fine. We all have some tension from this mess.”

And he has guilt. It had been their discovery that caused this. The wolf ghosts after them then slips away, eyes flashing as it moves to keep parallel to their route. “My friend can teleport. Only short range of about five feet. But, if we run into trouble that’s something.”

'Black Paladin'. Okay, sure. That...that doesn't sound like a red flag or anything. Especially coming from someone who is very explicitly of a military background. But then again, who is he to judge, especially with what he has done within his own medical background...?
Quickly shaking his head to will away the imminent unpleasant memories, Faust follows Keith's lead and gets down on all fours, holding his giant scalpel between his teeth...somehow. He at least briefly removes it when replying to his newfound ally.

"Indeed. This is...extremely unenjoyable, I must say. Ah, your...companion? That's good to know - I am also capable of spatial relocation, albeit with far more range than that. I sincerely hope I don't end up needing to use it."

Truth be told, Faust would much rather be riding his pogo-scalpel right now than trawling through the wet foliage on all fours, but needs must. This is certainly far sneakier, at any rate - even a little fun, perhaps? It's a pity such amusement comes at the cost of being in the middle of a literal warzone, sneaking around former allies and acquaintances now seemingly brainwashed into trying to kill each other...

"...who have you met so far who is...currently unapproachable? So far I've mostly tried to avoid everyone else, but..."

"I've run into a few people. Some of them were as unaffected as you are. There's at least four of us who aren't being brainwashed by those sirens." He says as he takes a brief fork in the path through the swamp and comes to a stop behind a tree. He makes a hand signal to the wolf and the blue wolf stalks forward, circling around. A soft whine tells him that things are alright.

Keith steps out into the open as he says, "Mostly been studying patrols from safe positions. There's a lot of those robots about. But I can't tell if they help spread the effects around or not." The Siren ahead of them is surrounded by a low level of water. It makes the ground around the pole muddy and slightly treacherous.

Faust nods along as he listens to this 'Black Paladin', quickly diving behind a fallen tree of his own as the soldier takes cover. He uses the brief window of time to process the new information, and rapidly reaches a much more important line of questioning:

"I don't understand. What is it about you or me that makes us specifically different from the other immense variety of unique individuals we have among us? What could these sirens possibly be targeting...?"

The good doctor hops into plain view at the same time as Keith, though now he moves with just his two feet, if only to free his hands for gesticulation and chin-scratching as his mind runs through the most likely possibilities...of which there are far, far too many. Damn it, they don't have nearly enough information for this - destroying the sirens will have to suffice as treatment, for now.

"So long as we avoid these patrols and keep destroying these infernal contraptions, I'd say we're on the right path. Speaking of which, did you want me to take this one? My scalpel should have enough force to destroy the more sensitive electronics if I toss it like a javelin, and I can safely return it to my possession at a moment's notice should I miss. Which, in all fairness, I might - I'm more of a melee combatant than a ranged one."

Alternatively, Keith can have it, though the good doctor is relatively in the dark regarding their own destructive capability. This may be a good opportunity to learn something new about this peculiar warrior, and his animal companions...

August Event: The City is at War

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OVER THREE WEEKS LATER...