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
You don't look good without it.
[She's assuming it's not a joke because, well. Humans are bizarre and vain. Hell if she knows? Sounds legit.
Either way— She rolls her eyes at him, crossing her arms in front of her chest.]
Are you done fooling around? We need all hands on deck if we want to get this over with as quickly as possible.
no subject
Uh...r-right. Let's get to it! Stinky...dead fish duty. [ Somehow, he doesn't sound super enthused about that, even as he moves to stand beside her, peering into the water. ]
What're we lookin' for, anyway?
[ As far as fish autopsies go, he is a complete novice. And in every other kind of autopsy as well. But...
He just wants to make himself useful here. ]
no subject
Cause of death. [... As if that's self explanatory. Right. Realizing this, she lets her arms drop to her sides, expression pinched.] The ones who live in this area are worried about a potential famine. If we can figure out why the fish are dying en masse... We may be able to help prevent that.
[It is definitely easier said than done, but going without maintenance for a month was terrifying enough. What would that be like for beings who regularly need to eat? She can't begin to imagine.
Anyway—
A beat.]
You already got a good look at the fish. [Ha. Haha. Ha.] Any ideas?
no subject
But most of his friends aren't here, and even if he can't make himself useful, he won't make himself a liability, either. ]
Iiiii mean, I didn't get a great look at it when it hit me in the face... [ Okay, okay, he got it out of his system. He continues on before she loses patience with him. ] It was, uh...slimy? But not, like, any slimier than a normal fish, I think...
[ But then he realizes it didn't look like it had been attacked by something, either. So wouldn't that mean... ]
Hey, you reckon it might be somethin' they were eating?
no subject
She side-eyes him for a beat, before simply shrugging one of her shoulders.]
It's not out of the question. [Still...] Do you have anything sharp with you?
[Sharp and pointy, really.]
no subject
[ In one of the few instances in which Prompto actually had foresight, he started carrying a pocket knife on him after losing his access to the Armiger. Mostly because he got caught in an unfortunate situation where he wanted to carve a jack-o-lantern but had no knife handy. It pays to be prepared!
And so he digs it out of his pocket now before handing it off to North without hesitation. For someone he just met, he doesn't seem to think she's about to use it on him, or anything like that. ]
One sharp thingy as ordered! You gonna cut one open, or somethin'?
[ This is about to go full CSI: Akvos. ]
no subject
Even though she asked for it, North is still momentarily jarred when he hands her the knife without a moment's hesitation. There is a whole ass second where the knife just lays in her hand, her grip loose as she wonders if he's an idiot. He surely must be an idiot, because no human with half a brain cell would willingly hand off a perfectly good weapon like this. God.
But he's a human, so what does she care? Once the second passes, the flurry of processes within her mind palace slowing down, she tightens her grip on the knife.]
... Next time someone asks you for a knife, don't hand it over so easily unless you're looking to die.
[That's all she says on the matter.
Testing out the weight of the knife in her hand, she starts glancing around for potential fishy corpses to carve up.]
If it's something they ate, it might still be inside their stomachs when we gut them. [CSI: Akvos! For science!] What happened to the one that hit you in the face?
no subject
Still, her warning rings in his ears, and he swallows thickly as he straightens up, hands flexing anxiously at his sides. ]
Oh, it's, uh...it's —
[ Glancing around, he twists and spots the waylaid fish floating a few paces off, and so he tromps over to fetch it, a shiver running down his spine as he picks it up. It squelches in his hands. ]
Eugh...so slimy...a-alright, you wanna do the honors? [ ... ] Or sh-should I take the knife back?
[ He's still hung up on the knife thing. ]
no subject
raises an eyebrow at him
and stares at him like he just declared he's going to try and wrestle a dinosaur all on his own.]
You want to gut the fish? [SLOWLY...
Full offense, but after that little outburst? She doesn't think he can stomach it. Her first impression of him is forever tainted. He is never going to live down the fish eye, despite the fact that it was 100% her fault. Sorry, Prompto.]
no subject
Noooooooo, ma'am. I-I'm not the knives guy, anyway... [ He's the gun guy, and that's not exactly helpful in this situation. Still nervous, he continues to blather: ] Y-you should see my bud, Iggy. He's basically a knives wizard. He'd have this fish dissected in no time...
[ And fried up if this was fish worth eating — but he's getting distracted now. He refocuses, and holds out the fish, belly-side up, for her to slice into. ]
Take 'er away.
no subject
She decides against it, in the end. Thank god. Shifting her grip on the knife so it's easier to cut into the fish's belly, North gives him one last glance and nod before getting down to business. Please don't drop the slimy fish. Despite being an asshole, she really doesn't want to cut off his fingers or something. That'd be bad, bruh.
Speaking of things that are bad, though... It's apparent that something is very, very wrong the moment she cuts past the scales and into the meat itself. While the fish looks relatively fine on the outside, everything inside is completely and utterly putrefied. Black flesh, liquified bones, and a pungent smell. By the time North pulls the knife out to grimace, the smell of rotting fish has probably already smacked Prompto in the face like a big ol' yellow school bus.
In other words: It's fucking nasty.
This may or may not have been a mistake.]
no subject
The smell that gusts out of the rotten fish's exposed gut is nothing short of revolting, and while Prompto manages to have the presence of mind not to straight-up drop the thing, he only holds onto it with one hand, twisting around to bury his nose in the crook of his elbow and drown out the smell. That's the idea, anyway, but it's too strong, already floating around in his nasal cavities, making him wish he'd never been born. ]
EEEUUUGHHH — wh-what the h-hell — i-i-it smells like nightmares and d-daemon piss — hnnnk, I can TASTE IT —
[ She could kill him right now and he would probably fine with it, honestly, if it means getting away from this horrid stench. ]
Is this normal for rotten fish?!
no subject
Luckily for North, she isn't capable of being bothered by the smell. She can perceive it, sure, but it doesn't elicit the same visceral reaction of disgust it would in an organic being. She's aware that something reeks in the same way a breathalyzer would be aware that someone's ingested alcohol; clinically and detached, with none of the instinct that would make a human want to run away.
This is why she's eerily composed as she stares down at the goopy, putrid mess currently sitting in Prompto's hand. The only indication that she's disgusted by it is in the grimace on her face and a hint of strain in her tone, but otherwise? There's no additional reaction. She doesn't even recoil, since she has no stomach that can be upset by the smell. It's just kind of unpleasant to look at.]
I don't think so. [The smell? Maybe. Everything else, though...] Look— It's rotting from the inside out. Shouldn't it be the other way around?
[She'll do him a solid and take the fish out of his hand, though, swapping it out for his knife. Which is, uh, currently covered in rotten fish gunk, so he might want to clean that. North will be sticking her fingers in there one last time to make sure the fish's innards are the only thing floating around in that soup, before pressing the opening shut. It still reeks but, like, it will hopefully reek less once she finds a corner to toss this in.]
no subject
[ He turns back to face her, though he has his arm up to his face still, nose buried deep in the crook of his elbow in some desperate attempt to fend of the stench of the fish. It's helping very little, honestly, but he keeps it up anyway, making his speech sound muffled as well. As far as he's concerned, they ought to just ditch the rotting thing and go far, far away from this place, but he's still just desperate enough to be useful that he doesn't do just that. They're supposed to be investigating this together, and even if all he's done so far is held a fish and let her borrow his knife, he'd not just gonna bail on her.
Even if that smell is seriously making him woozy. She's sure lucky to not have a stomach right now... ]
How are you not, like, gaggin' up a storm right now? You got a full blast of that nastiness! Ugh, I feel like I'm gonna toss my cookies...
[ He's not, really, but he has a tendency to be a bit melodramatic when something ails him. ]
no subject
[... Which is, in reality, her very roundabout way of admitting that she's an android. With the knife out of her hand, though, she's now extremely cognizant of the kind of human she dealt with regularly back in Detroit. She's aware it can sound like an insult, instead. She also does not particularly care. Better to come off as an asshole human than deal with the off-chance that she's finally tripped into someone who isn't particularly fond of anthropomorphized roombas.]
Will you stop gagging and focus if I throw this away? [Asking, despite the fact that she's walking away a couple of paces, calculating how far away she can toss it.] You should be worried about the direction it's rotting. It's not natural.
no subject
It's not as if he didn't know this, as if he doesn't always know this — he isn't like other people, but it isn't usually so quickly thrown in his face like this. Completely misinterpreting her words, he flinches, and as soon as she steps away with the fish, his fingers instinctively wind around the wristband on his right hand. Did she...know something about him? But how could she? They just met. Unless she has some kind of power...
Whatever the case, her words have taken their toll on him, and a moment passes before he is able to glance up at her again, forcing his thoughts to focus on the task at hand. ]
U-um, r-right...sorry. I-I'm fine. [ ....Clearly. ] D-does that mean it...ate something?
[ It's the only thing that makes sense to him, but as they've established, he knows nothing that can be useful here. Why did he even bother? He's only slowing her down... ]
you come into my home with this tag
But, of course, she doesn't know anything about that. Though she notes his demeanor as she disposes of the fish, all she can do it chalk it up to a human being human. Weird and contradictory, and not something she wants to feel empathy for. There is a second's pause after she turns to face him, sizing him up as she walks back... and ultimately? She brushes that reaction off, assuming he got too close to puking his guts out.]
Only if there's something on this planet that would have that kind of effect. But who knows? Everything inside was completely liquefied.
[It was gross soup, bruh. North drums her fingers against her thigh, hating idle time, thinking, thinking, thinking...]
We could open another one up. Make sure that it's the same for all of the fish, and not just that one. [A beat. And it's not like she cares or anything, but—] Think your stomach can handle one more?
[Don't puke on her. She'll die on the spot.]
what can i say except you're welcome
He's overreacting. He knows he is. Swallowing, he corrals his thoughts, doing his darnedest to focus on the task at hand, even if his efforts aren't wholly successful. ]
U-um, yeah. Good...good idea. [ He's evidently still distracted, nodding without putting much thought into what he's agreeing to, though compared to the way his mind swims now, cutting open another stinky fish seems tame by comparison. ] I-I can handle it. Hang on.
[ Not unlike a kicked puppy, Prompto turns in the shallow water, kneeling down and feeling around until he finds another one of the dead fish. This one appears just the same as the last on the outside, and he turns back to her with it, sucking in a breath as he attempts to inflate some levity back into himself. ]
H-here we are! One more dead, stinky fish, just like you ordered.
[ But there's still something of his usual gusto missing. ]