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
Yeah, that's a good point.
[She almost just goes ahead and summons them... but then he brings another good point up, and she casts about until she lands on her pile of half-finished textile work, fishing out one of her earlier attempts at the seaweed based weave. It's a bit holey, but not big enough that such large fruit would slip out.]
Here- You can borrow this and tie it into a pouch.
[Bag solution solved, she claps her hands together, eyes squeezed closed in concentration as she focuses on the idea of a tangerine...
And when she unfolds her hands... There one is.]
no subject
he's seen many abilities in his time, so food summoning isn't exactly the strangest. it is marvellous, though, a bit blown away by the efficacy as he readies his new flappy seaweed bag. if he had a power like this, he could do so much damage with it. alas, he's been saddled (lol) with something else.
the tangerine pops into existence and hei reaches for it. then pauses.)
Konoha. What do I owe you for this?
no subject
... Also a question!]
Oh, nothing, really... ?
[She smiles, giving a small shrug as she... well, on a human woman it might be a crossing of legs, but, on her it's a shift to lay one front hock on top of another.]
It doesn't cost me anything to make the food... and I'm no fighter, so supporting the people here and taking care of them while they figure out how to get us home- That's what I do.
no subject
(he can't argue with that, taking the tangerine before it floats off somewhere. it's beautifully ripe and he's placing it right into that seaweed wrap. something to tie it with... astoria took his wire... in the end, hei settles for fishing up another crop of seaweed, hurriedly tying a slippery piece into a length of knotted "rope" — or what best constitutes rope.
it'll hold for now. reaches up to motion for another fruit, while working himself up to looking her over. it really is strange. one of the strangest things he's ever seen and that's impressive.)
Supports are necessary, but it's not so wise for the witch to allow you on missions.
(hei's staring and he knows it, but he's never been the politest person to walk the ocean floor.)
Where are your organs? Do you have two sets?
no subject
You're probably right... I think she made a mistake picking me if she wants people to... go to other worlds and solve their problems and fight darkness, all that. I work on a lumber yard, and my parents are farmers, nothing special.
[She claps her hands together again, this time revealing an apple, which she hands over just as freely. She certainly isn't ashamed of where she comes from or who she is, but. Fit in with a lot of others in the Circle and their wartorn or dramatic pasts... she does not, and she knows it.
The question though makes her blink in surprise.]
Oh- yes, I do! Most of them, anyway! Big set and small set.
[... Primary and auxiliary. He's such a good guesser...]
no subject
people who don't care to fight or aren't trained to shouldn't be forced into that kind of life. hei was, hei knows, and despite how cold he is by nature he'd never wish the life on anyone unequipped for it. she seems pacifistic.
accepts the apple, fussing at the pouch so it can accommodate the next fruit.)
... I can't understand how that all works, but I won't ask those personal questions. I've seen and ridden horses, but nothing like you. (...) Do you know Chiron's myth?
no subject
Her adopted parents had sheltered her as best they could, but she still had grown up with the stories. Knew what may have happened to her if she'd been born a mere decade or so before. How jinba had been treated during the wars. Mounts. Human-bred warriors. Broodmares.
Konoha's both grateful and glad to not know how to fight. To not have needed to know.
So she just smiles.]
You can ask whatever you want.
[She supposes there was some things she wouldn't answer, but asking is fine.]
I don't know this Chiron person, though. Was he a jinba?
no subject
it's exhausting, bouncing between the two.)
According to the myths, he was a Greek centaur— a jinba. A scholar and teacher. They say that when he died, he got placed in the sky. (hei turns his face up like he'll be able to spot them beyond the surface, but they're too deeply submerged. his brow creases.)
A star constellation was named "Centaurus" to honour him.
no subject
Wow... and everyone respected him? Even humans?
[You have to be famous to get a constellation named after you, right?]
no subject
(hei gestures between them, from half-human to jinba.)
There's no moral here for you to reflect on, I just thought it'd be best if I explained my familiarity with your species. Even if they're just stories back in my world.
no subject
[She'd watched over some of the village children when she'd been in the in-between herself, too old to be taken care and too young yet to be trusted with more dangerous manual labor, but... That had just been keeping babies from eating leaves, not training them.
She'd never even heard of humans treating a jinba like that. Even if he said it was a story.]
That's really interesting, though.
[Back to business, she "makes" another tangerine, holding it out.]
Are you a soldier, then, mister... ?
no subject
Something like that, but I don't do fool things for my country without compensation. (which leaves only one job fitting that description, something hei gets around to saying after he's grabbed at the tangerine — just in case it startles her somehow.) I'm a mercenary.
(scrapes a nail over the skin of this one, peeling it and pulling it apart. it's juicy, even though the wedge of fruit came with a mouthful of salt water.)
I specialize in assassination.
no subject
Instead, she gets "mercenary". "Assassin".
Konoha's gaze falls, catches on the way his nails cut the tangerine peel apart, settle on her front hooves, the way they scrape against each other as she shifts in discomfort.
Assassin.]
... Ah.
[What was she supposed to say? Do? He didn't seem like he was joking... And here in the Circle... She's met people like that before now. Man killers. No matter how scary the idea was... they were here, beside her.]
So... more like a ninja, then...
no subject
I don't have any interest in hurting you or other members of the Circle. (assuaging worries isn't hei's strong suit, but it's the truth.
he can give her that, at the very least.)
None of you are in my way.
no subject
... What kind of people are in your way?
[She wasn't familiar so much with the idea of people killing... just to kill. Her infancy may have been filled with war, but by the time she could remember properly there had been peace and her adopted parents' shelter... and stories. But in the stories, people served lords and fought and killed for causes... so.]
Are you going to assassinate everyone the witch asks you to now?
no subject
(watches her struggle with the idea, accustomed to the skepticism. it's healthy and warranted.)
That means no one's in my way. (for now, at least, and that's saying something — back home it was everyone, hunted to the ends of the planet for his skills and the wars he both finished and started.) Doubt the opposite will be the case, since I have no intentions of helping you people out.
(unless, y'know, you give him a bunch of magical fruit. then he might talk business later.)