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
Is it? ]
I suppose there are better ways to spend our time. Have you spoken to the police around here already? The fact that they're just hanging around instead of actively searching for the princess...
[ It makes him wonder how dire the situation is, why the police isn't in the midst of mobilizing combing through the "Field," wherever that is, if they already know her last known location. ]
You would have no problem passing their physical examination for recruitment, anyways.
no subject
[And what he says is true, of course. The police force, or the royal guard, don't seem to be quite as alarmed as one might expect. A missing princess is not something to be lax over, in normal circumstances; the fact that forces haven't been completely mobilized for an unspecified amount of time is unusual.
He wonders why. An audience with the queen, he thinks, would be good to press his finger on the pulse of the situation.
The comment has him bringing his eyes back to Minato, after they had wandered over in these thoughts, the blue of his LED blinking twice.]
Any physical examination wouldn't be tailored to the qualities or limitations of an android; it wouldn't be a fair assessment either way.
[Was that a serious comment, because it's getting a serious reply in return.]
no subject
But if fairness is important to you, I won't push. It'd be helpful to have an "in" with the police, though. I've been talking to people, but... civilians, you know.
[ He can't well call it "investigating" when he doesn't have a ready list of pointed questions, or has been able to learn very much more about the kidnapping than the basic run-down the police here was willing to give them. ]
I can tell you that the kids like magic tricks. I've learned the best hiding places for hide-and-go-seek. I know the most popular confession spots around the palace, where people go to express their love to one another. That sort of information.
[ He spent his time playing around with the kids and trading gossip with older women, he would take any advantage he gets. ]
no subject
[But at Minato's other admission, curiosity sparks behind brown eyes.]
Not useless information if utilized in the right way. Children can provide an alternate perspective to a city; they pay attention to what the adults do not.
[Sounds a little like Sherlock Holmes, really.]
But maybe your questions should be a little more... specific, so as to receive answers with more specificity. [An in the midst of giving this advice, he realizes something.] We haven't met before now, have we? Sorry. My name is Connor. What's yours?
no subject
[ They hadn't met before, but seeing as Minato had been told of Conner and how to recognize him on sight, the other half of introductions had slipped his mind as well— just as specific answers had slipped his mind when being pulled this way and that by children and older mermaids alike, not so much questioning them as he was simply listening to whatever they wanted to chatter about: not the princess at all, surprisingly, seeing as she was supposedly well loved and her disappearance should have been a hot topic of discussion so long as she remains missing. It doesn't appear as if they're so callous as not to care, but perhaps the situation is being downplayed for the public, and if that's the case, they need to go to the people who places the most urgency in the situation, and at the top of that list is- ]
—The queen.
[ Minato blurts the words out with a start, realizing he'd fallen silent and had gone to staring at his hands while deep in thought and missing whatever Conner might have said after exchanging his name. ]
We need to talk with her first, or find one of us who has been able to. All the information that's known thus far would have been relayed to her. She had offered a reward for any info, after all, so people aren't likely to withhold whatever they find. We might not learn anything new from her, but she's the most comprehensive source we have.
no subject
But, choosing not to mention this right now, he keeps steady to the matters at hand.
The queen, indeed.]
A direct line of information — or the most direct that we can manage as we are, right now.
[It would’ve been a suggestion should there have been no other, but Minato’s beat him to the punch. He’s a mind for problem-solving, and maybe even detective work. Connor’ll see, he supposes, if this young man wants to continue working alongside him.
The LED at his temple blinks again, and he gestures towards a sight impossible to miss: the palace.]
Let’s go, then. We shouldn’t waste any time if we want to get this off the ground; and we should mention to her, carefully, the fact that no one seems to be worried for their princess as an oddity.
no subject
Really, neither problem-solving and detective work are his strong suits, though not for the lack of talent; on his own, he wouldn't know where to start, or where to go from that starting point once he's found it, so Conner's presence is a comforting one which he can use as a benchmark to gauge whether his ideas are completely off-course, or if they're reasonable enough to be tested.
The idea he has in mind is probably a bad one, but it is, again, very direct: instead of swimming towards the palace entrance, his trajectory is more... skyward. ]
We could see if we can spot her through one of the windows, and not have to deal with guards and stuff. Think she wears a crown on her head?
[ What's all this about requesting an audience with the queen? There would be too many middlemen in the way, a pain to deal with on their own, but the official process for vying for the queen's time is probably a long one, and they have a weak case compared to all the other pressing concerns a kingdom naturally generates. ]
no subject
It’s a... good idea, on its own. He glides up with the young man, but it would be remiss of him to not mention—]
This route is something that would lead to... an unfavorable first impression if the guards do spot us. Be careful, otherwise we lose our chance at gaining a legitimate audience with the Queen, and that is still an objective of mine.
[But since he asked.]
According to the native’s descriptions, she has scarlet tentacles.
no subject
...Could the guards blame us for being curious, with a description like "scarlet tentacles"? [ If they do get caught, it wouldn't be a lie to claim they were just curious about what she looked like and sought to catch a glimpse of her, and if it comes to it, Minato doesn't care much for his standing and would take that fall as the one who suggested it. ]
I'll make sure to be careful, though. What do you think our chances of success are?
[ Though, honestly, as long as the percentage is over 0%, Minato is willing to take that chance, with very little to lose. ]
no subject
[And yet.
And yet Connor is following all the same, pulled by both the suggestion of the other (an obliging android, sometimes) and his own curiosity. The palace is a rather tall structure, so they’ll be swimming upwards for a while if they’re trying to get a figurative bird’s eye view.]
Hard to calculate chances of success without knowing of the palace’s layout and guard patrol routes — that being said, given the dearth of visible security right now… 37 percent.
no subject
[ Whoa, those are super high odds-- or, at least, Minato would have gone for it even with a 3.7% chance of success. If he wants to bolster their chances, then... He'll have to rely on Conner to be able to spot red tentacles or similar distinguishing features, banking on the android's ability to hone in on small details like that. On Minato's part, he'll do what human's do best: make up complete bs on the spot to get them out of trouble. ]
If a better excuse increases those chances, could you also keep an eye out for a small white dog? His name is Koromaru, my partner. He's around somewhere... and if he were here, then-
[ Minato slows his swimming for a moment to dig something out of his pockets- a handful of glass beads, of which he has to squint at through the gap in his fist so he can pick out the right one without the others floating away- and holds a light green one in between his fingers. He lets go of it and taps it with his forefinger, whereupon it turns into a small, patterned plate (incidentally, the same pattern as the ones used for serving at the princess' favorite restaurant... Minato might have pilfered that plate, but it's a pretty common(?) and simple(?) design of golden kelp lining the circumference, that hopefully shouldn't out him) ]
We could "play fetch" or something. As to the reason we're swimming around the palace.
no subject
[That's a little bit of sass, just a smidge, to imply one very clear thing: let's be careful, Minato.
There are two things which then transpire, that are enough to pull his attention away from the almost-advice and to glance at Minato curiously instead. The first, being a mention of a dog-]
You own a dog? My friend, a man from my home, he does as well.
[And the other, being the way this singular glass bead transforms into what appears to be a sort of... serving plate. He blinks, though the edges of surprise have been dulled since his arrival to the Circle -- easy to assume that such a display is the result of Astoria's given gifts.]
And -- sorry, but, is that something Astoria has enabled you to do?
no subject
Minato nods— an answer to both questions, but only one of them he chooses to elaborate more on, the other he makes clear with the way he taps the plate again and turns it back into a bead, another tap to bring it back, like it's a party trick. ]
Sumo, right? I've met him a couple times; your friend, too.
[ A third tap to form the bead, and instead of tapping it again, he gives it a sharp flick with his thumb like he's shooting marbles—- the bead barely leaves the tip of his finger when it turns into the plate, and goes sailing through the water towards the palace without him having to do the whole wind-up as he would throwing it like a frisbee. ]
no subject
For now, though, he tracks the plate as it sluices through the water. Tries to guess at its trajectory through habit alone, though he knows no such algorithm or visual representation will crop up in his vision upon command.]
Yes, Sumo and Lieutenant Hank Anderson. We’re work partners, back in Detroit.
[Connor begins a swim to go fetch the plate, to situate himself at a better distance if they’re going to pretend to play catch.]
…Me and Hank, I mean.
no subject
...You and him make a good team, don't you? He said something about that, once.
[ Not in a direct "Connor's the best partner a guy can have!" sort of way, but something about how even a cop needs a partner, and that doing things on your own isn't cool or brave, it's stupid. If anything, the belief that working with a partner is essential speaks a lot to how Hank regards Connor, especially when Minato's impression of the lieutenant is that he doesn't really prefer to work with people. ]
no subject
He said that?
[Clearly Connor seems to have an altogether different experience with the man. Someone who has been stubborn, who seems to be unwilling to work with him in this new environment (within the Circle in general), who refuses to be open with his problems — despite Connor’s sometimes clumsy attempts to help.
So to hear that Hank thinks they’re good partners... Connor might as well be a dog that’s been praised right now.]
no subject
We only talked a little about work or friends or that sort of thing. [ Though it was more about how Hank's detective work isn't as glamorous as the movies make it out to be, and of Minato's questionably murderous friends. ] But from what I can tell, having somebody at his side is important, even if he doesn't say it outright. I'm sure he appreciates you a lot.
no subject
Connor situates himself and makes an attempt to sling the plate back.]
I see. To be honest with you, I'm not always sure about that; the Lieutenant makes it difficult to know one way or another. I suppose his affinity for me sometimes is dependent on his actual mood.
What's your opinion of him?