Returning Island: Monsun

[lifeaftr_mods]

RETURNING ISLAND: MONSUN

Who: Everyone!
What: Monsun returns to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: December 20th, and onward
Where: Two sides of the same coin...
Warnings: Warnings for ifestiphobia (fear of lava); please mark if anything else comes up!

We Collide from Too Great a Distance
Ah, Monsun. For the uninitiated, this island has one very simple and very crucial "quirk." You see, it is neatly divided into two sides by the river running through its center. One is lush and rich in resources, but tends to bring out the very worst of you, while the other is a catastrophe-riddled desert that brings out all your best qualities.

At least...this is usually the case. Things are a bit different this time around. For one, that rich, wooded area on the east side of the island? It's no longer the peaceful place it was. It has now been rendered a frozen wasteland. It looks like it's been blasted into an ice age. The trees are now hulking glaciers; the moderate, pleasant temperature has dropped to freezing. The more placid prey creatures distinct to this region don't seem to be present; instead, you can expect to run into beasts that wouldn't look out of place in an ice age: colossal woolly mammoths, horned aurochs, massive dire wolves, sabre-toothed cats, and others of that ilk. These creatures are not innately hostile, but most will not take very kindly to foreign entities trespassing on their lands. Unfortunately, despite the unrelenting cold and the decreased amount of resources, the eastern half of the island is still rather hard on the psyche. The ordinary drawback of hanging around on Monsun's eastern half - your worst traits coming to bear - is not present at the moment. Instead, if you spend an overt amount of time in the area, you can expect a certain change to take place.

While your worst self won't be making an appearance (unless it does so of its own accord, that is), a different aspect of you will: your worst fears will manifest in sharp relief the longer you stay on this side of the island. If it's a person, you can expect to see them following you, popping up in your periphery, and more or less stalking you. If it's a place or a more abstract concept, you might start seeing parts of it "leaking" into the surrounding landscape in small patches. The strength of this fear's manifestation is directly proportional to how much time one spends on this side of the island. If you stay too long, this fear might grow tangible to others as well as to you - and it might grow capable of exacting genuine physical damage to you and to others.

Optionally, your body may also begin to reflect physical properties inherent to the region. This can be as simple as a thin layer of semi-permanent frost that settles over you, and as complex as sprouting icicle horns and spines all over your body. The only limit is your imagination! These changes can be as painful or painless, as immediate or protracted, as the player prefers.

These changes will recede once one leaves this part of the island. They can fade gradually or immediately upon departure.

We Won't Survive Unless We Are Nothing
The western half isn't much better. The scorching desert has been replaced with something even more extreme, and possibly familiar to those of who you have been around here for long enough. It's now a blasted, scorched landscape; the parts of the land still traversable are little more than seared patches of coal and rock. All around you, rivers of magma seethe in haphazard, highly volatile tributaries. At irregular points, parts of the land detach seemingly at random and drift into the air, as though decoupled from the island's gravity. Heavy chunks of charred rock hover in midair, though it's not clear how it is they remain suspended.

All in all, the place is a wasteland of volcanic corruption. Here, the land is periodically rocked with earthquakes that spurt fountains of lava into the air in burning arcs and further fracture what little solid ground you have, causing more of it to break away from the ground and bob listlessly in the empty air. The temple of the local Avatar of Balance can be found on this side, and in spite of the harsh elements, you will find it intact...and the avatar accessible inside.

If the natural disasters plaguing this region don't kill you, it's possible that the natural fauna will. Occasionally, the exposed magma will form fiery creatures of all shapes and sizes...and these beasts are very much hostile. They can and often will attack you on sight. The ordinary benefit of hanging around on Monsun's western half - your best traits coming to bear - is not present at the moment. Instead, if you spend an overt amount of time in the area, you may start seeing your fondest dreams manifesting in sharper relief the longer you stay on this side of the island. If this is best encapsulated in a person, you can expect to see them following you, popping up in your periphery, and following you around. If it's a place or a more abstract concept, you might start seeing parts of it "leaking" into the surrounding landscape in small patches. The strength of this dream's manifestation is directly proportional to how much time one spends on this side of the island. If you stay too long, you risk growing so attached that you won't want to leave...

Optionally, your body may begin to reflect physical properties inherent to the region. This can be as simple as a fiery shimmer bathing your silhouette, or as complicated and invasive as your skin becoming blackened and veined with magma. The only limit is your imagination! These changes can be as painful or painless, as immediate or protracted, as the player prefers.

These changes will recede once one leaves this part of the island. They can fade gradually or immediately upon departure.

Two Different Suns that Set Along the Same Dark Road
Of course, there's a lot going on in the background as well. Characters are not required to go to Monsun; 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 )