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
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But Arenvald is too hopeful upon seeing a familiar face to remember how badly he and Prompto failed at anything resembling deception on their jaunt through the factory on Struxta. He’s not sure how he expects his fellow Circle member to help, but the instant Prompto cups his hands to his mouth, it all comes rushing back to him.
Oh boy.
If nothing else, all Prompto’s yelling sure does get the attention of the mermaids, who turn to look at him as in he’s just grown a second head. Apparently, they’re not very inclined to believe the Boy Who Cried Shark, but the break in their attention gives Arenvald a chance to sidle along the wall and beat a hasty retreat, motioning for Prompto to follow him. He assumes he’s probably fast enough to dart off unnoticed.
Better hurry, though, because once the mermaids realize Arenvald is missing, they’ll set their sights on you next, chocobro. ]
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Or any part of the plan, really, but things get much worse once the attention of the mermaids is focused on him. For all his gregarious tendencies, he doesn't really love the limelight, and he has drawn the attention of everyone in the area towards him. Not only that, but there is absolutely no shark, a realization which the mermaids will no doubt quickly come to, if they haven't already. ]
Uhhhhhhhh. It was. Uh. S-seaweed. [ Sheepishly: ] M-my bad!
[ Time to bolt! Fortunately, he has a trick up his proverbial sleeve — literally just one trick — and he uses it now, kicking off in a breaststroke in Arenvald's direction, using his speed to boost himself to his friend's side in a mere second. A trail of bubbles follows in his wake, but he's sure hoping they won't care enough to follow. He's had enough mermaid attention for one day...
He clings close to the wall, dodging into one of the alcoves once they are close enough to it before turning around to face Arenvald. ]
Phew! Close one, huh? You okay, dude?
[ The mermaids can be a little...invasive. ]
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Aye, so far. Thanks for the help. They just don’t know when to let up. Have they cornered you, yet?
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Then he groans, tipping his head back, his answer evident before he gives it voice. ]
They suuuuure have. Never thought I'd dislike bein' surrounded by a bunch of cute girls, but...they, uh. They don't really get personal space, do they?
[ He gives Arenvald a knowing look. ]
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[ He heaves a sigh, carding his fingers through his hair out of habit. The effect is somewhat ruined by them being underwater, though. ]
At least you can get away quickly. I'm not so certain it would be a good idea for me to go about blinding our hosts.
[ It would work, considering these mermaids are used to deep, dark water, but Arenvald doesn't want to be mean. ]
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[ Even if it would be pretty effective, he'd reckon. Prompto would tell Arenvald just to message him any time he's in a tight spot and he'll speed right over to help, but — well, the whole watch thing is still an issue. ]
You could always disguise yourself as a girl? ...Nah, who am I kidding, that'd never work! You're waaaaay too beefy. [ Thinking, thinking... ] Hey, you wanna check out the sinkhole? It's pretty abandoned. Won't have to worry about anyone gettin' handsy over there!
[ Plus, who knows? Maybe they can find something interesting in the depths. ]
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Ah, the sinkhole sounds like a good idea.
[ A distraction would be more than welcome. ]
Have you done any looking around yourself, yet?
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Eh, noooot much. I tried lookin' into what's killin' all the fish, but no luck yet. Just a lot of dead, stinky fishies.
[ His tone sobers. ]
Mostly, I've just been...lookin' for everyone else.
[ For Noctis, for Gladio, for Alisaie, for Rion and Ann and Connor and everyone he is sick with worry about at the moment. Thank the gods at least a few of his friends are with him. What would he even do if he were alone?
...Better not to think about it. ]
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Ah...
[ The mention of "everyone else", more specifically the people who aren't here, makes his expression fall somewhat. There's not a day he hasn't tried his watch, sending out a slew of messages with the vain hope of getting even a blip of a response.
So far, nothing, and his worry only grows. ]
I don't blame you, but we have to have faith that our friends are managing as best they can, just like we are. In the meantime, let's see what we can find out here. The sooner we help this world, the sooner we can all reunite at the Temple.
[ He hopes. ]
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But he needs to stay positive, not only for himself, but for Arenvald now, too. The last thing he wants to do is make his friend even more worried than he already is, so he nods swiftly, schooling a grin onto his features, even if his gut is still tight with concern.
It's...it's going to be fine. It has to be. Astoria has there backs.
Or so he hopes, anyway. ]
Alrighty! To the sinkhole we go, then. A place as big 'n' spooky as that — there's gonna be some kind of clue about the princess down there, right?
[ At least, that's how it works in video games. Suspicious places are where you find key items! ]
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I dunno. You think all these strange happenings are tied to her vanishing?
[ Dead fish, frozen tunnels. Eorzea has people who commune with the elementals, but he doesn't know if the world would upend itself so if one of them were to go missing. Arenvald isn't exactly magically-inclined, thanks in no small part to his heritage, so he's a bit out of his depth. (Ha.) ]
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When he responds, his tone is more subdued, drawn deep into thought as he aligns the parallels. He's not much of an investigator, but at least he has this to go off of. ]
...Could be. Somethin' like this happened back home, when...when my world lost someone important, too. [ Will the princess be okay? They can't be too late already, can they?
He shakes his head to dispel the thought. ]
'Sides, remember what Kathashun said? He seemed to think the princess was the key to whatever's gone wrong here.
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Oh, that reminds me. Did you know that man? I’ve not found anyone who’s been able to tell me about him.
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Oh, oh, yeah, you bet I did! That guy was king in the first world we went to! You hear about El Minha?
[ Prompto had never spoken with Kathashun personally, but he had still been involved in the rescue operation that helped liberate the city. Still, what Kathashun was doing 70,000 leagues under the sea, he has no idea. ]
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Only a small bit. I know you had to kidnap the king since he was being held captive by his own guards. I’ve no idea about anything beyond that, though.
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[ And Prompto may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but even he knows how odd this is. The king had seemed surprised by the presence of the Circle in El Minha. As far as he knew, they didn't have the power to leave their world on their own. So how had they wound up in Akvos?
He runs his hand down the back of his head, rubbing at his neck. ]
I-I dunno. It's super weird. How could they have even gotten here?
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You’re asking the wrong person, I’m afraid. Magic has never been my strong suit, let alone magic on this scale. Do you suppose this world has some sort of connection with his?
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He shakes his head, brow taut. ]
...Nah, don't think so. I mean, El Minha was a big, ol' desert. The whole problem there was there wasn't enough water! Kiiinda the exact opposite of this place.
[ But there has to be some kind of connection, some reason Kathashun came here, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. ]
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[ Hells if he knows what it is, though. Like Prompto said, they're dealing with deserts and oceans here. ]
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Who knows? Maybe we, like...opened up some kinda wormhole when we left El Minha. Y'know, like in the movies! We could totally be rewritin' the history of time itself, dude.
[ ...Actually, that kind of freaks him out. ]
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I... still don't know what a movie is, Prompto.
[ #justeorzeathings ]
But I should hope we don't have that sort of power on our own, though I guess we're kind of upending things by just showing up out of the blue, huh?
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[ Even if he may have forgotten. Look, no matter how long he spends around these ye oldey Eorzeans, he'll never get used to the fact that they don't know what movies are! He should have hauled them all off to one when they were in Struxta.
But -- anyway. His expression turns a bit more somber, uncertain if he can even speak to this on the level it demands, but it's something that's been on his mind for some time now. It's obviously a good thing that they're helping out these worlds — he won't ever question that — but he can't help but wonder... ]
Y-yeah. Kiiiinda gives me the heebie-jeebies when I think about it... [ Buuuut anyway that's enough about that! ] We should, uh, be almost there now.
[ He motions with both hands to the sinkhole up ahead. ]
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But, he too has wondered if their presence in these worlds ultimately does more harm than good – sure, they’re helping out, and he knows that places like Struxta, for instance, would have been completely wiped out if not for them – but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re strangers being more or less forced upon these worlds and into these situations.
Something’s got to go wonky somewhere because of that, right? ]
Right, stick close to me.
[ This, as golden light sweeps over Arenvald. It’s not so bright as to be blinding, and spreads a pleasant sort of warmth through the water near to him. ]
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Chuckling, Prompto draws back just enough to appreciate the full effect of Arenvald's ability and starts to applaud. ]
Dude, that's awesomesauce! You're just the flashlight we need for this. Leave the ice to me.
[ He can deal with that pretty efficiently, at least. ]
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Sure. If you need a but of extra help, let me know.
[ The light is only half of his power, after all. ]
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