lifeaftr | Returning Island: Nuidan

RETURNING ISLAND: NUIDAN

Who: Everyone!
What: Nuidan returns to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: Backdated to November 20th, and onward
Where: The harvest island of Nuidan
Warnings: Nothing of note; please mark if anything comes up!

Looking for Clear Water
Welcome back to Nuidan, adventurers.

For many of you, however, this might not be such a familiar experience. You might not have been here before. If you haven't, you'll probably be happy to know that the island of Nuidan is largely a peaceful one. New explorers can read up on the resources, dangers, and ephemera of the island here, but the most important part is that it is an island divided into quarters, each representative of a static and unchanging season. The north relates to spring, with rain-swept, windy hills; the east to fall, with orchards heavy with fruit and fallen leaves carpeting the ground; the south to winter, full of snowy plains and fields of ice; and the west to summer, blanketed with warm sand and ripe with the lazy drone of bees. At the island's heart is its temple, where the local avatar of harvest, known most commonly as Harv, can be found.

The last time you met them, they took the form of a hardworking sheepdog, determined to not let a single moment go to waste. Now, however, you'll find them looking and acting a little...different.

They're considerably calmer, for one, and also a good deal larger. But their disposition has remained more or less friendly, as can be gleaned from the state of the island around them.

Nuidan's lush woods, blustery tundras, sun-warmed sands, and rolling fields are still the same as they ever were, and it seems as if the whole island has been waiting for a triumphant, colorful return. As all of you managed to rack up an impressive number of crystals - around 135 total - the island can be assumed to be in splendid health. An air of anticipation lies mantled across the entire island, and the orchards, fields, and animals you worked so hard to tend, maintain, and corral the first time you were around are ready for harvesting in whatever way you see fit. No longer are fences unmended and decrepit, or orchards choked with weeds.

You're more than welcome to go combing the island to take in the spoils, as long as you don't mind the presence of the occasional, noisy nirnroot that can be found speckling the topography of Nuidan. That's right - you can find them here, too, those pesky things. But your attention might also be eaten up by the wooden stands and display tables set up around Harv's temple, like those you might see at a farmer's market. Because this is a time of harvest, and also a time to share in that harvest.

And after harvest comes celebration.

Playing It All For Gods Yesterday
The avatar who holds sway over this island has been waiting for many hands to make light work. Pitch in a little here and there, and you'll find that when the crops have been taken in, the food all stored, and the animals bedded down, the quite literal fruits of your labor and efforts will be transformed into a feast that beggars belief.

We do recommend that you exercise some caution, however - some food and drink might make you a tad more open-hearted or open-minded than you expect. All kinds of harmless but entertainingly strange effects might happen to those who are brave enough to sample some of the products on display.

[ ♆ ] Caramel Apples: These treats come in all sorts of varieties - sprinkled with peanuts, candied sprinkles, or drizzled with chocolate. They do have some unusual side effects, however. Anyone who eats one or more of these caramel-coated delights will discover that they now have the ability to levitate about a foot or so off the ground. And, by concentrating hard, you'll find you can also go zooming about at high speeds. Careful not to go colliding into any tables of goodies, or any of your fellow party-goers!

[ ♆ ] Deviled Eggs: Sprinkled with chili powder, sage, and chopped shallots, these appetizers can easily be scarfed down by the pound. It's recommended that you take care with how many you eat, however. These deviled eggs will make you incredibly proud of yourself. Eat one or two, and you'll find that your self-esteem has been massively boosted, and you'll feel like you deserve to celebrate your accomplishments! But consuming too many will almost certainly inflate your ego, and quickly make you more prone to bragging or making up outrageous exaggerations of your accomplishments which, while not fundamentally dangerous, might put you at a higher risk of getting decked in the face.

[ ♆ ] Pepper Poppers: Peppers that have been breaded and stuffed with cheeses and spices can make a delightfully spicy treat, though these come at a small cost. Eating just one of them will make you more predisposed to verbal quirks - making bad puns, indulging in copious alliteration, sesquipedalian loquaciousness, and so on. You can wash out this effect by drinking just about anything...but when you're cracking jokes that good, why would you?

[ ♆ ] Maple Bars: A doughnut topped off with a silky maple glaze can make for a delightful treat, though most don't tend to cause the people who eat them to exhibit a soft glow. Nonetheless, you'll find that the more of these desserts you eat, the brighter a glow you'll emit. What's more is that this glow can and will change its color depending on your mood. Don't think you can hide how blue you're feeling when the color itself is streaming right from your skin!

[ ♆ ] Butternut Squash Fritters: These fritters are hot, crispy, sprinkled liberally with salt and sage, and also have the fun side effect of making you far more complimentary than you might be otherwise. Did you mean to insult that guy over there? Too bad! Instead, you're telling him how much you love his hat, or how good he is with his words. The good news, nay, the better news, is that this effect is double-edged; after eating just one of these, you also can't insult yourself. You have no choice but to be wholly complimentary of anyone and everyone, your own good self included!

[ ♆ ] Pumpkin Pie: A staple of any kind of harvest-based celebration, of course, and a perfect example of it. Flaky crust, silky custard, topped off with nutmeg and whipped cream...and prone to making almost everything around you seem unbearably funny. Eat one slice of this, and you'll find that you just cannot seem to stop laughing! It might just end up being the best abdominal workout you get in years.

[ ♆ ] Leafy Crown: For those of you who aren't predisposed to eat anything, don't worry. You can still participate in the fun, if you want! Some tables carry crowns of colorful leaves that you can wear to showcase your festive spirit. It will also increase your festive spirit, and make you far more inclined to break into song and/or dance. What's that? You're not particularly talented in either of those areas? That's a shame! Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, self-consciousness isn't likely to affect you once you've put one of these things on. No matter how poor a singer or dancer you, in actuality, are.

[ ♆ ] Harvest Candle: A table full of all sorts of beautiful candles invites you to light one as the day grows dark and the sun sinks over the horizon. You're certainly welcome to, but be warned: lighting a candle from this table will vastly increase your confidence, to perhaps a dangerous extent. While you'll feel less inclined to any shyness or second-guessing of yourself that might ordinarily plague you, you'll also be less susceptible to any sort of fear or warning signs that maybe you shouldn't be doing things that might be considered, ah...foolish. Like, for example, deciding you're going to trek out into Nuidan's southern region to ride a popo. Things like that.

Other than these, you'll find that almost everything else that can be consumed and otherwise interacted with will have no additional effects. What a relief!

Looking for Clear Water

Of course, there's a lot going on in the background as well. You're free to explore any other minor events listed on our Monthly Rundown post. You are also always free to create your own individual logs and posts as needed!

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them over on our Monthly Rundown post!

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's interesting to see them change in this manner. The Storyteller took other forms, of course, but he sees them much more frequently than he sees Harv. Hopefully, this shift is a good thing.]

Of course. As long as you're properly rewarded for the harvest itself. I can only assume you were responsible for the fact that everything was so flourished.

[Which, leads him to his next point. It wouldn't be Kravitz if he just came here for small talk.]

Are you alright? Is this-- well, for you?

Hm...I wouldn't say so. No. I'd say that you were, in part. You, and...

[Their words seem to drift. For the first time, a haze of uncertainty clouds their features. And then, just as quickly, it flickers and fades.]

Yes. I am. I feel perfectly fine, after all.

[Oh well that's a mystery to investigate if he's ever heard one!! Especially since it relates to what he was wanting to ask in the first place. Kravitz furrows his brows, looking quizzically down at the dog before him.]

Harv, do you... know how this happened? Did someone reach out to you to cause Nudian to bloom?

Of course not...no. That wouldn't make any sense.

But time continues to pass, of course. And it's been quite some time since I've seen you. [Another falter, but again, they return with only a vague break in their response.] ...quite some time. Everything has grown and flourished so well since you all last helped, don't you think?

[He squints, a moment of trying to put things together in his head.]

I-- yes, it has, but we have been away for more than a year. Shouldn't that harvest have already come? What have you... done since then?

I've been here for all those years since, of course. Why do you think I'm so much bigger now?

[The words don't seem to strike them as at all odd. They seem quite confident of their answer, in fact.]

It hasn't been that long.

[He's quite confident in that answer, too. After all, he just confirmed with the Storyteller his timeline, and Ren scratched out every day so they could count around to birthdays. It hasn't been years, plural. That doesn't make sense.]

We were gone for one year. Perhaps-- closer to 15 months. A time for certain, but not, not years as if decades. How long has it been for you?

It has been...

[And they trail off into silence. Fifteen months? When they speak, the words seem to be emerging only with great effort.]

Saplings have become elderly trees. Orchards have flourished and faded. Greenhouses have filled and been in sore need of harvest. It has been so many, many ̵̡̳͈̇̀̽͆ ̶̨́͊͒͝ ̷̈͛̃͜ ̵̖̤͋́̽̀ ̸̼́͝ ̴̧̺͉̿̎͑ ̵͙͓̕ ̷͚̦̎͑ ̵̞̼͓̜͝s of years...for me...

[That word doesn't seem to have translated to reality properly.]

[The word doesn't come through, and his heart seizes in fear. He reaches forward, putting a hand on Harv's paw, resisting everything he has not to grab it and hold tightly as if to moor them both in this space.]

That... t-that, how can that be? None of us would live long enough to see a god's lifespan, you-- you were here? On your own? I had hoped the stones would let us contact you but I suppose it was too far, but--

[Okay, breathe, breathe, pull it together. Kravitz refocuses on Harv, once again serious in the face of something he doesn't understand.]

Where has this island gone, Harv? When it floated off... where were you?

Gone?

[A slow blink. Kravitz's panic doesn't seem to follow through to them, as though some aspect of it puzzles them. He grabs their paw, and they let him, but...they're not entirely sure what has him so up in arms.]

We were never gone...were we?

[????????]

Harv, listen to me. We departed Nudian when the Storyteller let us drift among the archipelago. That was 15 months ago. We have been off so many places, but to you it seems like it has been eons. Ages. I-- you've been here alone, I presume, and I'm so sorry for leaving you.

[Is this 20% of his own personal crisis in here? Yeah, absolutely.]

Please, Harv, if you can tell me anything about the time since you saw us last. Please.

It was a long time ago. I was a small dog, do you not recall? My shape did not change overnight. How am I meant to recount however long it... [A snap:] Do I look like Lokasir?

[Their ears press flat to the back of their skull, just as quickly.]

...forgive me. I'm not sure what came over me.

[He watches carefully, confused, thinking perhaps he's pushing too hard. But now he has more questions than he does answers, and he's going to need to ask more people to figure that one out.]

No, no, it's-- it's fine. What is a Lokasir-- nevermind. It's alright.

[Kravitz gives Harv a look of sympathy, a kind gaze of an old friend.]

Thank you for speaking with me. Is there-- do you have questions for me, about what has happened? It's only right I give you the chance to answer.

Loka᷄s̼i̥r͖. One of the greatest. One of the most important. What they say goes. Time changes everyt᷄h᷿ĭnͮg͈...

[And then, for half a second, the wolf is back to being a little sheepdog.]

Everything changes.

Even u͕̯ͥs᷾᷾͟ -

[And then they're as they were. They don't seem the least bit fussed. It's as though the past few seconds...never happened at all.]

[...what were you saying?]

I don't believe that I have any questions for you, no. But thank you for the offer.

[His breath hitches in his throat, a sensation still foreign to a man who needs to remember to consciously breathe sometimes. This feeling knocks the wind from him, a foreign sensation of static crawling into his ears and through his brain, one he thinks he's felt before but-- but--

In absence of anything else, he holds on to the word. Lokasir. He needs to look that up.

Kravitz forces a rise and fall of his chest, nodding in a way that feels disjointed.]

I-- right. Right, then. Well, you still have your Stone, correct? Please feel free to call if you need anything. Or, uhm, it sends text now, you can speak into it and it will... right.

[He stands, trying to quell the jitter in the stem of his brain.]

Have a good Harvest, Jarilo. And a peaceful rest.

[If Harv senses something is amiss, it does not show.]

I do. It has not received much use in quite some time. I will be happy to speak with you again, should you ever require it.

A peaceful rest to you as well.

[At the very least, he can smile at that. It's kind. They seem happy, despite Kravitz' personal hangups on the state of the issue.

He'll figure it out. He'll make it right.]

Sounds good. I'll see you then.

[And he takes his leave.]

Returning Island: Nuidan

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