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

[lesbeau]

[The siren is still blaring, but somehow the pulse feels like it's fueling her-- is this how barbarians work? Maybe rage can make you stronger. His commentary makes her grin and she's moving just as he is, lining up their shot. Beau continues to twirl the pole in her fingers and through the wrist, a slightly heavier weapon than she's used to but with much of the same muscle movement. It's easy to fall into step with him, and when he moves she already knows what she wants to do.

Beau's already running when he clears, delivering a baseball like swing to the cut-- but she isn't done yet. She has two hits with each side of the staff, which leads into a backflip and a slightly more running start. Sinking the pole into the mud, Beau leaps up, delivering an incredibly powerful kick right to the top of the siren.

If she made her structural hits right, that crux point they made should snap damn easy.]

[thermalwind]

[The sound is still going and he wants to snarl at it. He hasn’t lost his cool in a while but he is running to the edge of his patience. His emotions have been threatening to boil over for a while.

Keith hammers the pole as she leaps. The metal creaks and groans as it tips right into the mud. The sound cuts off as if they slit the top off the thing. He finally growls, eyes narrowed, and looking feral. He closes his eyes and rolls his shoulders back.] Next one is east of us.

We can scout for the nearest body of water to it. [He turns and makes for the east, adding,] The bayards can’t take all the shapes they should be able to and aren’t as powerful as they were. But they won’t break.

[lesbeau]

[It's probably a good thing that Beau isn't a barbarian or something, because she's pretty sure this is the kind of drone that commands a rage. Keith certainly looks it, if that body language is anything to go by. She flips the pole back in her hands to a more default position, taking a moment to study his posture, his plans.]

Hey. You alright?

[She isn't exactly gentle with it, but it is... clear cut. Commanding. The kind of authority one knows how to take when they've carried someone else's traumas before.]

And why look for water?

[thermalwind]

Water or mud, something. [Keith lets his sword fade back into the weapon and clips it to his hip.] I'm fine. Just sick of this situation.

Not the first time I've wished we had more answers or ways to resist. [He sighs, waves a hand, and gets a visible grip on himself.]

I'm good. Might need to burn it off when we're done but, that can wait. Good to keep going?

[lesbeau]

[She just returns with a sharp nod.]

Yeah. Just making sure you're not falling to anything.

[So Beau moves, going to the next question on dock, twisting the metal staff in her fingers.]

So what is this thing? Does it do this to anybody? 'Nn you said something about guns?

[thermalwind]

It's a bayard, [Keith says as he turns and heads for the next siren, slipping easily between the bushes and around a tree.] They're made to respond to someone who fits the requirements of a Paladin and take a shape suited to them.

As we get better at being Paladins they can take more shapes. Sort of like...leveling up, I guess. When I faced my 'shadow' self, it changed shape for just a moment into a cannon.

[He moves some branches aside and ducks long to avoid hanging branches.] Not just anyone can use them. With how you act, I was betting you could.

[lesbeau]

[She keeps a quick clip behind him, kind of glad this conversation is happening without him staring right at her. A paladin? She's not good enough to be a paladin, no way. Of course the word doesn't mean the same thing to him, but it's jarring in a way she can't quantify.]

Huh. I mean, if those qualities are beating the shit outta stuff I guess I have that down.

[Beau runs a finger along the metal, an unfamiliar texture but not shape or weight. It just fits, for however much that says about her.]

I'd ask if I could change it but I can't think of anything else it'd be, so. Guess I'm predictable.

[thermalwind]

Hey, I always make swords. Not so bad being predictable. [He tosses a grin back at her and it almost lights up his eyes. He hasn't been able to smile much in this situation. It strikes far too close to his worst nightmare.]

Qualities of character, but being able to beat shit up works. Don't think I really have the qualities of a leader but, [He shrugs.] Black chose me. I won't fight them on that choice.

Yellow is about heart, caring, holding things up sorta. First Yellow Paladin was big on caring.

[He comes to a stop as they reach the next siren and adds,] Big on hitting things too.

[lesbeau]

[As much as Beau does her best to moderate what people know about her, it's not possible to control every perception. Still, the fact he has conclusions like this, some linking of her to a legendary hero who gave a shit, feels... weird. Like somehow she's tricked him into thinking she's a good person, some caring paragon of... something. Since when has she given a shit about anything? Since when was the world not just in her way? It sounds like he has some of those doubts too, but it still rubs her in a way she doesn't know how to quantify.

Instead, she focuses forward, keeping the weapon in her hand.]

And here I thought caring wasn't aggressive. Guess a lot of people were wrong.

[To her credit, she smiles back, even without really knowing why.]

Guess you can lead me to go aggressively care about that thing next.

[thermalwind]

[He laughs again, something savage in the tone like the laugh a large predator might make. But then that is what Galra are, aren’t they? He leads the way and finds the path he had discovered last time he has been this way. He glances up and catches sight of the marks he made to make sure he didn’t lose it.]

They were. You can aggressively care all over the place. You’d fit right in with my mom’s people. If we teach you how to kill we care enough to make sure you survive. And so on.

[He doesn’t look back this time. He moves, like a ghost between the trees.] Much as I can remember first yellow paladin’s people were warlike too. If they cracked skulls together on your defense, it’s ‘I give a damn’.

[They come up on their next target and he falls silent. He listens carefully. No dangers. He listens again just to be sure and sings a wordless note. The note is sang back to him from Ember high over head.]

Coast is clear. Let’s care all over this stupid siren. [He launches himself out of the brush with sword held low. He pauses long enough to scan the area. The water is a little farther. They’ll have to drag the fallen pole a little bit. He nods to himself once then surges forward, blade coming around to attack the pole.]

[lesbeau]

[He doesn't need to be anything other than human to have Beau on the same pulse, ready to move, to fight. There are very few truths in the world- or worlds- she's lived in, but one of them is that she will always go down swinging. So fuck it. Maybe that's caring. Maybe it's just an ever continuous trod forward, no matter where that path is.

Vaguely, she remembers a snippet conversation with her mentor Dairon as her feet swing into action-- You must care enough to see another day. So don't die.

Guess she cares enough, then.

Keith may be quiet while he makes his approach, but as soon as Beau's pace picks up, she leaps into the air with a cry and a mighty swing right to the top of the sirens. Even just for being human, she can go nearly twice as fast as the average, and with a little ki in her step the leap gets her high into the air to come down on top with a crash of metal and metal.]

Let's go you piece of shit! Come on!!