welcome to the kingdom of akvos.It will happen at random- you could be asleep, or wandering the Temple, or a variety of other options. It will feel a little strange, like a sudden warmth spreading across your skin, and then your bracelet will light up. When you blink again, everything has shifted - changed, developed, like in that blink of an eye you have advanced . . . where, exactly? A NOTE FROM YOUR FRIENDLY . . . WAIT, WHO IS THAT?But before anything too weird can happen . . . your watch flashes again, beeps once, and on it has a new message, a hologram-sparkly image with a young man who (to some individuals!) looks quasi-familiar. He is thin, with large eyes and speaks quietly, but with great purpose. Whoever this is, it doesn't seem to be a person that is a fan of much pomp and circumstance. . . but wherever he is, he is speaking on dry-land, though he looks like he's just recently gotten out of a pool.
 "If you are watching this, then you are a member of the Circle, and have triggered a protective rune that I have cast within this Kingdom known as Akvos that has activated this message. I do not have much time, but my name is Kathashun. I need your assistance, and I am not sure whether we will ever find one another again. But if you are listening to this, heed my words: take care, because you know not what your actions do. The magic in this world is powerful, and whatever is seeping through this planet may not be able to be stopped, but trust me when I say that when we meet -- "
There is a noise, a banging on a door, and Kathashun's eyes dart to the left, before a voice off-screen says, "As much as I love listening to you talk, we need to go." There's a moment's pause before Kathashun refocuses his attention on you, and his eyes (normally a deep brown) begin to change into what appears to be a liquid gold color, and the message begins to crackle.
"We will meet again. Heed my words; find the Princess."
And, just like that, the connection dies, leaving you to the depths of the ocean.
Welcome to Akvos.  ARRIVAL A: THE PALACE OF WAHINE.The first group arrives at the Royal Palace of Wahine, smack-dab in the bustling center of what appears to be the lost city of Atlantis. It is in an area of Akvos that is completely underwater, with gentle currents wafting through the water that guide people on their merry way.
There is plenty to locate here, depending on what you want to find. There are dozens of musically inclined merfolk wandering through the courtyards of the Palace, a shopping area selling intricate jewelry and other decorative pieces, and even the Queen herself. Feel free to set up threads regarding any information you discovered in the World OOC post, but here are some ideas for those needing a place to start!
Prompt Ideas:
- Are you musically inclined? There seems to be a band of colorful mermaids striking up a merry tune with reed flutes, horns made out of massive seashells, and is that a bass playing the bass? You bet your ass it is. . There's even a potential spot for the Circle to join in, if you're so inclined! They may even pay you for your services if you're really good.
- The Queen has offered a reward for any information concerning the location of Princess Kea, who has been missing for a little over a week. A band of scrappy young investigators (complete with matching uniforms) is eager to begin, and has a list of potential "clues" to track down in the Palace area, ranging from: the Princess' prized hair-comb, her harpoon, information on her favorite restaurant, and her beloved pet flounder. None of these items are actually within reach except her favorite restaurant, which will happily either (1) talk about how amazing the Princess is or (2) accept help in the kitchens to serve up a busy restaurant time. Either way, you can earn some seashells.
- The Royal Guard is looking for some mercenary work to comb the city for clues, and seeing as the Circle is oh-so-eager to help out with whatever is going on in Akvos, they're willing to give you a shot! The only problem is that you have to be ready to swim, so be prepared to swim endless laps in circles around the perimeter of Queen Wai's massive home to seemingly no avail. . . . do they actually need the help or are they just laughing at you? Dammit.
- The Palace of Wahine has an underwater library, which is pretty expansive . . . how do they have all of these materials underwater? There are several helpful octopus-libraries that are using their various tentacles to grab books, scrolls, and other materials off of the shelves to hand them to nearby patrons, and there's a lot of material here about the history of Akvos! You may also find a pretty interesting comic book series revolving around a powerful mermaid who looks suspiciously like Queen Wai, who thwarts the evils of inequality. If you ask Queen Wai about it, she will assure you that she has nothing to do with it, and her constituents are creatively minded people . . . but she doesn't seem to mind the good press.
 ARRIVAL B: THE DEPTHS OF MARKOLOS.The second group arrives in a rare pocket of air in Akvos -- a massive cavern, with multiple alcoves along the walls. Here, the population seems to be rather bleak in comparison to the rainbow-colored folk in the Palace of Wahine -- merpeople with larger eyes, sharper teeth, and darker scales. You have successfully located the hunting grounds of the Kingdom of Akvos, known as the Depths of Markolos -- an impossibly deep sinkhole that stretches into the depths of oblivion.
The local population here doesn't actually know what's at the bottom of it, but lately, there are odd happenings in the Depths that the population will tel you about. For one, dead fish seem to be appearing with increasing frequency, and the temperature of the Depths has dropped to a frigid point. Layers of ice have been found below the surface that were not there previously, and there is plenty of talk of whether or not their food supply for the Kingdom is endangered by whatever is causing this random bout of ice.
Prompt Ideas:
- Have you ever tried spear-fishing? An angler-fish mermaid, with haunting eyes and massively sharp teeth, is eager to teach the Otherworlders! She's pretty nice, despite her scary appearance, and will pay seashells to folks willing to stay in the "shallow" area of the Depths to spear pretty easy looking fish. She will also lend out fishing equipment for those want to give it a try!
- The Brig is located in the Depths, and if you violate the law in other areas, you will be brought here. The cells are small and cramped, with no beds or cots to speak of, and you are fed less-than-great quality raw fish while in here. Petty thievery and the like will be punished for two days, and once you are released, you are stuck in the Depths You can also talk to some of the prisoners here, who will be interested in swapping a surprising amount of seashells for fresh raw fish. They also like to gamble. :)
- There are some side-tunnels in the Depths along the walls that contain shellfish to hunt and scavange! The only problem is that some of them have a fairly strong current, and -- voila, it is a massive Slip-N-Slide. Sneaking into one will rocket you through a tunnel and spit you out at a lower level of the Depths, but be careful -- you might wind up face to face with a pretty terrifying looking fish that is a bit too big for you to handle, so explore these tunnels with some care.
- The mermaids here will warn against going too deep into the Depths, but there is nothing to stop you from exploring. In addition to the ice clustered along the western wall of the cavern, there's plenty of creepy looking fish in the depths. In particular, the mermaids will warn you against infuriating a creature named Honohu -- who is this beloved little Leviathian-looking monstrosity who will absolutely attempt to eat you if you go too deep. Enjoy?  ARRIVAL C: THE FIELDS OF AKOVOSIAThe third group will be deposited in a beautiful coral reef, full of color and swaying seaweed. It is an impossibly beautiful sight, and the merpeople here are equally bright and colorful, to blend in with tehir surroundings. There are no shortage of clownfish and angelfish-esque merpeople floating around, collecting plantlife, creating new clothing, or even hunting poisonous smaller fish for usage in their medicinal techniques.
However, the more you explore the fields, the more you begin to notice odd patches of dead coral. It almost looks as if certain random patches were afflicted by some type of illness that has completely robbed it of its color. The merpeople nearby will not know very much about it, but if you continue digging and asking the right people, perhaps you'll find out the source of this sudden illness.
Prompt Ideas
- Have you ever gone dolphin-racing? . . . or, well, they look like dolphins, complete with saddles and harnesses that the merfolk are entirely too eager to pass off onto the landfolk. It seems they race these dolphins in the currents for sport in between their collecting of plantlife and hunting. Feel free to ask the curator of these beings, a burly-looking mermaid who will happily lend you a dolphin for a seashell an hour.
- Batter up! You can find what appears to be a weird baseball/rugby crossover sport, in which the merpeople crack hunks of coral with sticks . . . but then tackle each other at the different bases instead of, you know, tapping them lightly to signify them being out. They're always looking for new players to join, but be warned! They take their sport seriously.
- Investigating the beautiful coral reef will garner a lot of pretty looking rocks and other types of intricate material that could be used for crafting, which is always up for collecting for money. Mermaids will be wandering around with baskets to collect various goods, so feel free to help out!
- Finally, there are a lot of mermaids just sitting around shooting the shit, gossiping, fussing about home, and collecting materials to make what's needed in their day to day lives. A few of them seem to be knitting some type of material underwater -- weird, right? But feel free to obtain some cool textiles fresh off the proverbial racks, for a price.  ARRIVAL D: THE THUNDERDOME.The last group to arrive may think that this is some type of stupid joke, as the merfolk around this area really do refer to it as the Thunderdome. It is a massive underwater cavern, filled with thousands and thousands of jellyfish. It seems that the merfolk tend to these beings for a multitude of reasons -- one, for food, two, for venom, and three, for . . . electricity?
The jellyfish in this area seem to crackle with energy, and the merfolk in this area will inform you that this is where they obtain power which they charge their weapons and lights with. The bioluminescence is pretty startling to see, and the jellyfish themselves seem to be relatively harmless. But there is a certain area of the Thunderdome that is flickering in and out of darkness . . . an area where the jellyfish seem to be a lot less bright. The merfolk don't really understand what's going on, but whatever is happening in Akvos seems to be affecting the jellyfish in a negative way. They don't seem horribly concerned, but. Here we are.
Prompt Ideas:
- The armory is located in the Thunderdome, and you can buy a bunch of cool weapons here! Glow in the dark swords, electrified knives, bows, and harpoons can be found here, varying in price. They all seem to be rust-proof, too, given their environment, and the craftsmanship here is like no other. The people here really take their craft seriously, so happy shopping.
- The main attraction here, though, is definitely the jellyfish. They deliver a rather nasty shock, and anyone who touches them will glow a weird blue color for at least three days afterwards. The merpeople seem to know how to fix this, but likely will not do so because they warned you not to touch the damn things, you stupid landfolk. Navigate them carefully, and you may even be able to earn some coin in helping shepherd them!
- A group of mermaids are looking for people to fish out the sickly looking jellyfish in order to be treated by what appears to be Akvos' version of a veterinarian. The sickly looking ones are the ones that are flickering dim, and while the veterinarian has no idea what is going on with them, they want them out. Just be careful not to touch them, though. You will definitely glow blue for a few days, even though these ones are ill!
- The mermaids in the Thunderdome enjoy practicing their skills with each other, in terms of weaponry, battle tactics, and the like, but they also enjoy their downtime too! Find little pockets of folks hanging out, chatting, and playing some weird game that involves what appear to be coral dice and flattened stones. It almost looks like they're gambling seashells or something . . . time to get in on the action, if you can learn the rules, anyway. Additionally, please feel free to write up and work with your own prompts! These are presented as jumping off points for your characters, not limitations. The idea of this world- as with all the others- is to explore. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask them back on the various threads back in the OOC post from before! REMEMBER: For the entirety of this log, you can only physically interact with those in your group. For the first two weeks, the network will be completely defunct. After two weeks, you may send intermittent text messages to those in other groups. From this point forward, the Circle has become involved with the Kingdom of Akvos. What your character finds out, decides, and does from here on out will affect the future of this city- one way or another! But what you do is completely up to you. What you discover, explore, and uncover will be yours to discover, explore, and uncover. Who knows what you might find? :) |
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acatalepsy_logs2018-11-12 08:55 am
Zack Fair | Final Fantasy VII | Group B
[He had heard from some other people what the last adventure to another realm was like. Something about technology or robots and a virus. He had been expecting something along those lines whenever this next adventure would roll around so he’s rather surprised when he finds himself in a cavernous air-pocket underwater.
It’s disorienting at first. He can see the locals patrolling the area and the pools of water that he assumes goes out to the deeper depths of this place. There are tunnels and dark places and there is one very common theme. It’s cold and wet.
The first thing he does after that is he checks his magical fitbit. Once he finds it’s not working he frowns and nudges the nearest person.]
Hey, is your watch working? I’m worried about the others. But no one is replying. [Sigh.] Guess we should start looking around.
[B: MERMAIDS]
[The first thing he notices once he has his bearings is that he’s getting an awful lot of stares from the merfolk down here. As colourful and as beautiful as they are all that hard staring is starting to make him self-conscious.
A few of the bolder mermaids come up to him and swim around him with curious pokes and jabs at him.]
Hey, Hey, take it easy. I like you too but maybe we should talk first.
[Suddenly one of them is bold enough to make a grab at his junk and that is when Zack makes a startled noise and pushes at her wrist. Annoyingly enough the mermaids only giggle and tries to get close again.]
Look-! I get it-! You’re all beautiful and I’m sure you’re all very sweet. But I’m really not into this without at least a first date!
[Please help him. The mermaids keep poking and giggling at him. Curse this manly body.]
[C: SPEARFISHING]
[With some free time after exploring bits of the areas around him Zack finds a group of hunting mermaids that are using spears to fish. He’s curious about this and honestly when will he get another chance at spearfishing underwater? He wants to try.
He waves to someone near him.] Hey, wanna give it a go? The person to catch more fish wins?
[Might as well make a competition out of it. Why not? Plus the added bonus of getting some of that seashell currency might do them some good.]
[D: DEPTHS]
[Zack wanders close enough to the large ‘Depths of Markolos’ sinkhole out of sheer curiosity. The sinkhole is so dark and deep that it looks like a black hole. Just staring at it makes Zack feel a little dizzy.]
Wonder what could be down there. There are rumours about some princess that is lost, right? What if she fell down there? Scary to think about.
[He really shouldn’t be spreading that rumour... Some of the nearby mermaids are glaring...]
[E: WILDCARD]
[Got something else? Throw it down! Or message me at
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My. T'would seem some things do indeed slip past the barriers of culture.
[She could very well laugh for this man's ill fortune, had the thought of a certain drunk dwarf not immediately sprout to mind. The urge to snarl was almost difficult to ignore.]
Go on, shoo. T'is quite plain he has no interest in any of you.
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With how things look down here I don't really blame anyone for...
[But as he's about to finish his sentence another mermaid takes a grab at his butt. Excuse??]
Hey--!
[They don't seem to be paying any mind to Morrigan...]
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Something to contemplate at a later time. She glowers, a slight hint of sulfur in the water around her.
Well, that's intriguing.] And yet you let their hands wander? Will wonders never cease?
[She crosses her arms. It's obvious they won't listen to her. He'll have to get himself out of this situation.]
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[Zack puts his hands out in front of him helplessly. He can't just push them because what if he gets stabbed with a fishing spear? Words don't seem to be working and he really doesn't think a physical altercation is any better.]
Do you know anything about mermaids? Or please tell me your temple power is something that makes fish women disinterested...
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I can't believe zack is fucking dead (again)
we hardly knew him
rest in pieces
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wow that coding fail last time OTL
It's okay! <3
d
You know, you might not be wrong.
[ imagine if that is the reason everything appears to be going a little haywire. princess is missing and this is a hot (or cold) spot? it seems a little fishy to her. ]
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It's a good assumption, right? Maybe we should check it out.
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Nothing wrong with going in and having people give us dirty looks.
[ she's ready for it. ]
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[It's still sort of weird as hell to be breathing and talking underwater. But here they go-- Zack swims out to the edge of where the sinkhole opens and and starts downwards ...]
Or at least something worth knowing.
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Or he could get himself killed, which he would rather avoid! But that doesn't stop his curiosity. ]
You reckon she might be down there? She's gotta be scared, and lonely... [ His brow tenses with concern. ] Should w-we...check it out?
[ If Zack wants to, Prompto will of course go along with it, but he's hella uncertain, bro. ]
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If she's lost down there I don't want to leave her down there.
[He glances at Prompto.] But, it's really damn dark. Don't suppose you got a flashlight or something?
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Man, he is not good at this whole investigating thing. ]
Nah, 'fraid not. Might be able to borrow something from the mermaids, I dunno...
[ Hmm... ]
We could try...uh. Yelling down there?
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[But as Zack looks over his shoulder at them he frowns.]
... You mind asking?
[--Zack doesn't like getting too close to them. They grab his butt. Maybe they won't do that to Prompto?? He's a pretty boy, so...]
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b
He uses his best Cap voice which makes him sound like something between an action figure and a man much older than he looks.] Ladies, how about we show a little respect? I don't know how you do things around here, but you don't win a guy over by touching him without permission where we come from. Is that clear?
[He makes eye contact with each one of them in the hopes that will drive the point home.]
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... But they seem to just stare at them. One of the mermaids with a reddish plumed tail leans over and whispers to another one with blue dolphin-like fins. They say something to each other and then start giggling happily while staring at them both. Zack thinks one of them is batting her eyelashes...]
Er... Come on now, ladies. That's a decent enough of a request, right? We'll be on our way.
[But it's too late. The one with a blue dolphin-like tail swims up to Steve and runs a hand down his chest. Hey~There~Captain~ And the red plumed-tailed mermaid swims behind them and comes up rather close with wandering hands. She's attempting to examine Zack's toned back.]
Ah! How-! How do politely get mermaids off of you without getting stabbed with a spear...?
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His mind skips to a defense he's seen others use in the past (before he picked a fight with the guys who couldn't handle no.)] I don't think our wives would appreciate this, ladies. Captain Lance can be very possessive.
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Then Steve's comment makes Zack almost choke on his own underwater breath. Married?!]
Err... Yeah? Yeah! That's right! Don't want to piss off the misses! Happy wife happy life!
[Sorry. He's a shit actor...
The one mermaid touching Steve seems to tilt her head up to look at him curiously. Go on...?]
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D
He does, however, place a hand on Zack's shoulder and give a nod towards the mermaids, not necessarily because he's concerned for Zack, but rather because he's concerned that the mermaids may decide to punish them both equally for Zack's disrespect on account of the fact that they were both Otherworlders.
He's also careful to lower his voice as he speaks lest he be the one to set the surrounding mermaids off: ]
"Fell" makes it sound like it was an accident, though.
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And just what's that supposed to mean? You think it wasn't an accident?
[Whoops- He should probably keep his voice down as well. One of the mermaids seems to be side-eyeing them harder now. She's swimming a semicircle back and forth...
But to think that this might have been more than an accident is a pretty serious assumption. The sinkhole doesn't exactly look like somewhere anyone wants to be.]
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And she won't be the only one if you don't keep it down. [ He's making lowering motions with both hands now, tilting his head every few seconds to survey the mermaid that's been eyeing their conversation in case she gets too close. ] Anyway, all I'm saying is that it's certainly a possibility.
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Alright. Say that it is so. What if she's still down there and needs help? We should go check it out.
[Willing to swim down into the dark abyss?? Yes or No.]
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A
[It's a joke, and a thin one.] Though given the fact that they're magic, them not working is more worrying than that.
[What sort of magic interferes with Astoria's little devices? He imagines they'll find out, whether they want to or not.]
I'm worried too. We're... maybe a quarter of our number. If even that.
[So. Where is everyone else?] Maybe the locals have ways of communicating across distances. We could ask if they've noticed any other newcomers.
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[He wants to file a complaint!]
We should stick together if a bunch of us got split off. My name's Zack. Let's start gathering some intel.
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[Not even a little bit.]
Agreed. No sense thinning our numbers even more. [He nods in acknowledgment.] Barabas. And that sounds like a great idea, given how short a supply we have right now.
[No intel. No nothing. There really should be better mission briefings than this. Astoria needs better organization.]
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Good to meet you Barabas. Let's start looking around for anyone else that could help us out.
[Like those mermaids perhaps? Zack's eye catches the sight of one.]
... Are those what I think they are?
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