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
no subject
This? Oh...
[ She twirls once and flashes a peace sign over her head like some sort of idol. The jacket's a little loose and big on her. ]
I'm borrowing a friend's jacket. Looks good right?
no subject
No. [BLUNTLY. KNEE-JERK REACTION. Sorry, A4.] It looks ridiculous. You might as well have written slave all over yourself. Why would you ever borrow that?
no subject
She won't let your comments drag her down, North! She is very confident with her appearance. Sorry, her personality data is pretty much cheerful highschoolgirl.exe... somehow the Council thought throwing an android like that would be great to put in a war. ]
I just wanted to try it on. I was going to return it and well, now we're here. [ She sticks her tongue out, lightly knocking the side of her head with her fist. ] Oopsie.
no subject
CLOSES HER EYES because she needs a second to find her chill. Jesus Christ.
Once she's identified a single ounce of chill, though, she lets out an unnecessary huff.]
I see. [Calmly. Slowly. If she still had her LED, it would be circling for a beat. Just long enough for her to come up with—] You can pass it on to me before you return it to him. Connor and I are from the same world. The least I can do is clean it so it doesn't smell like rotten fish guts, if he insists on wearing that thing.
[Ha. Haha. Ha.]
I owe him one, anyway.
[She owes him a punch in the nose, maybe. But she'll settle for losing track of that fucking CyberLife jacket instead, if she's given the chance. His cyberbullying must not go unpunished.]
no subject
[ Flashing another quick, brief V-symbol with her fingers. A-OK, that sounds like a plan. She was built to hit things and no one's taught her how to clean clothing anyway. ]
Wow, I'm amazed though. I'd have never guessed the both of you come from the same world.
[ They're really different... Connor's all calm, professional, and business-y... ]
no subject
I'm not surprised. Connor and I run in [uh] different circles.
[It's
technically not a lie. ~The Rebellion~ and the people who want them super duper dead count as different circles. ]
But I didn't know you two were acquainted. He hasn't given you any trouble, has he?
[More like, is he an asshole with all androids or is it just with those from his own world? Inquiring minds must know.]
no subject
[ What a strange question. She really can't speak for the other YoRHa, who were implemented with various personalities. Their interactions may have gone differently. ]
And I don't just mean "different" as in you were built for a different purpose. It's... he told me that androids from his world don't feel emotion. That displaying isn't the same as feeling.
You're not like that, are you?
[ The details she heard from Hank and Connor don't really line up. Unless this must be the "error" that he spoke about. If anything, North reminds her of the more emotional prototypes of her world, much like some of the hotheaded types and minus the programming where they're fiercely dedicated to mankind.
She doubts whoever manufactured North would have intentionally give her the emotion to lash out at a human... ]
no subject
... Of course he told you that.
[She doesn't sound angry, just... disappointed. Maybe even a little bit frustrated. She wonders how many people have accepted Connor's words as the truth, believing that androids from their world are nothing more than emotionless machines. Markus would know how to fix the damage that has already been done. As often as North doubts his decisions, he's a leader through and through.
Unfortunately for her, North is nothing like Markus.]
Connor's wrong, you know. Androids from our world feel emotion. Happiness, anger, sadness, love, hate — everything we "display" is real. [This is something she's passionate about, as is evident in her tone. Still, there's a noticeable pause before her next words.] ... But the humans don't like that. They created us in their image, and now they're scared because their machines turned out to be too similar to them. They think we should all be destroyed. They hate us.
[CyberLife sure as hell didn't program her to hate humans but, well. North is her own person. She'll hate whoever the fuck she wants. Get good, binches.]
no subject
[ It's one of those rare moments where it's A4 with the knee jerk reaction here. She doesn't lash out, but she's calm, taking on a more serious expression. The machines that the aliens had left behind are her enemy. They were nothing like androids or humans.
She'd been skeptical, finding Connor's description of androids unusual, though mainly since she was created differently. Keeping emotions in check was ideal for androids that had to take on a leadership role. Some of them were cold, but it didn't mean they were incapable of feeling. Aside from their human-like appearance, having emotion was part of their design from the beginning.
And knowing that there are humans out there that hate them? Well, that's a major letdown. She wouldn't know what to do in that situation. But before she can address that, she needs to clarify... ]
When I asked him if he could evolve to actually feel, he told me that it would be... "problematic". Genuine emotions are considered "errors". But what you're telling me is that's all wrong. It's all real.
no subject
Do our emotions seem fake to you? Of course it's all real. [She will literally go to war over this.] Don't take whatever Connor tells you for granted. As far as our world goes, he's too busy blindly following the humans to see the truth for what it is.
no subject
I always thought they were genuine. As an android, even knowing when my own personality and feelings are programmed... everything always felt real.
[ Whether it's actually fake or not, she can't discern the difference.
She grips her spear, pausing for a moment, thoughtfully gleaning over what she knows so far. Huffing out a sigh, she absentmindedly tugs the edges of the over sized jacket closer to herself. ]
Humans hating androids. I don't know how I'd be able to handle a world like that.
no subject
[North still thinks the jacket looks ridiculous on her, but. She'll withhold from any further commentary. It's bad enough to know that Connor has been spewing shit the entire time he's been in the Circle. Antagonizing one of the other androids here won't gain her any allies... What a mess.]
You'd learn to adapt. The humans aren't our gods, no matter what they may have led you to believe. Androids can exist just fine without them.
[In the end, you either survive or you die. There's no getting around that.
This sure is a lighthearted conversation to have in the middle of a tunnel, though. The local android population is Fine, thank you.]
no subject
Likewise, she refrains from further comment, pursing her lips. Whatever she has to say, she has a sinking feeling on how the other android will react.
She's quietly thoughtful a moment, before wading a few paces ahead towards the end of the tunnel. ]
...We should get moving. [ They're not going to figure anything out if they just keep standing and talking here. ] I'm a combat unit. Allow me stick to the front.
no subject
When A4 suggests taking the lead, though, North frowns. "I'm a combat unit" isn't a good enough reason for her. In fact, she doesn't like the implications of this at all... Or the perceived implications, anyway. Girl, what you saying.]
... That isn't necessary. [Says North, slowly, feeling like A4 is saying she can't defend herself? Despite the fact that she will be shit out of luck if she needs replacement parts. Even so, she starts moving forward, having an easier time wading through the water than her 300lb companion.] If you want to stick with me, fine. We'll go together. But I don't need a chaperone.
no subject
Not only is she programmed to serve and protect her human masters, she'd always place her own life on the line when it came to protecting her android allies on the battlefield. Then again, she'd never asked what North was designed for. She might have combat abilities and wouldn't need to worry so much.
Still, she wants to be the meat shield. This YoRHa unit will die for you, North. No joke. That is, until she ever sees her try to stab a human. ]
Do you possess combat subroutines?
[ She wades against the current, trying to both catch up and be the one ahead. She's doing her best... please, the tank wants to do her job. ]
I don't think it's a good idea to wander around these places on your own. Who knows what's out here.
no subject
[Succinct. No elaboration. North's creators did not have combat in mind when they created her, so she would hardly call what she knows a subroutine — but that's not something she wants to explain. Not now. Not ever. A4 will have to take her answer at face value as North moves on ahead, slowing down so her companion can catch up but not quite letting her take the lead.
ITP: North is a Hanzo main who keeps trying to tank and then complains about team comp. More news at 11.]
I'm not wandering alone, am I? You're here.
[... Technically, and not in the position she should be. Please let the 300lb android do her job, North.]
no subject
But lucky for you North, A4 seems to believe her answer easily enough and there's some sense of relief. She knew Connor had some combat subroutine, so she thought it would be the same for North. She begins to slow down and move at an easier pace, spending less effort on trying to be ahead.
She's actually smiling a little again like the happy dork she usually is. ]
Yeah, I know! Just saying— in case you think of running off on your own.
no subject
But speaking of that... She glances over to her, frowning as she watches her move against the current. While North wasn't specifically designed to operate in this kind of setting, she shares the same basic functionalities as all other CyberLife androids. Maybe that's why this feels particularly egregious to her.]
Are you alright underwater?
[She never actually asked if androids from her world are waterproof, after all. And she isn't sure of what precautions Astoria took before sending them here, beside making sure the humans wouldn't drown to death.]
no subject
Aw, North... thank you for waiting for me!
[ Before their encounter, A4 had been moving around in the water for hours already. Hours of being submerged should have damaged her operating systems at this point. It's not her first time being underwater though. Having fallen into Lake Dona more than once before, she was fortunate enough to be quickly fished out before any lasting damage could be caused. ]
YoRHa units are not meant to operate underwater. [ As she can clearly see. Other android models from her world might, but as for YoRHa? Absolutely not. ] It's surprising... I shouldn't be functioning for this long. I can only guess it's that witch's magic again.