the tides shift.Darkness has begun to spread, rapidly, throughout the entirety of Akvos. Different areas of the Kingdom are plagued by different instances of terror, but one thing remains clear: the Circle does have the available tools to help . . . of sorts. Many of you have discovered different areas of Akvos to focus on, but by and large? There are no shortage of people to help, of people to fight, and of creatures to save. Hurry quickly, Circle members. Akvos needs your aid.  SHADOWS IN THE DARK.Shadow creatures have begun to multiple en masse in the Depths of Markolos, and are spreading to every which corner of Akvos. They will be at their highest density in the Depths, and take the form of terrifying creatures with massive claws and gnashing teeth. They seem to be impervious to non-magical damage, so some unique tag-team action may be necessary in order to actually kill the things.
As the monsters multiply, mermaids from across Akvos will fall prey to their attacks, drifting listlessly in the currents of the sea as they fall unconscious, the life-force drained from them by a shadow creature. In order to wake them again, the shadow creature that drained them of their energy must be killed. Act quickly, and you may be able to rally the native forces necessary to stage a proper fight back. But the more you fight, the more exhausted you begin to get.
Those who cannot fight will not find themselves of a shortage of ways to help, though. Shelters are being set up within the Palace of Wahine, a fortress unto itself. Children are corralled there, the injured are kept in the impromptu hospital beds that are guarded by the Royal Guard that are still conscious from the onslaught. They will desperately accept help to care for the children whose parents are unconscious, or to console parents who have lost their children in the mayhem of the sudden attack upon their city.
Food still needs to be gathered, supplies still need to be run from door to door. People need to be evacuated. And from each area of Akvos, there are "runners" of powerful merfolk who have set up caravans drawn by dolphins to quickly whisk people from place to place. Each caravan is under threat of attack from shadows, though -- sign up for the evacuation committee, keep your heads down, and fight back as much as you can to protect these people from whatever the hell is going on.  THE SEVEN SEAS OF WHY.In addition to the shadow creatures, each area is plagued by a different onslaught of dark magic. Each area has different needs, and each area will require your attention. Focus your energies where able, and do your best to stem the flow of chaos before it is too late. (Check here for a breakdown of types of effective magic.)
The Palace of Wahine is facing an onset of red algae, blooming through the alleyways and infecting mermaids rushing to seek cover. Inhaling the algae doesn't seem to do much to you, in small doses, but it causes violent coughing fits with the mermaids, preventing them from breathing properly underwater. Getting into contact with the red algae will turn your own skin a brilliant shade of pink, and it will cause it to itch uncontrollably (something that is, apparently, impossible to alleviate under the water). It will wear off within a few hours, but the same does not hold true for the mermaids. The healers in the community say that certain herbs in the Fields of Akvosia can be harvested in order to help cure the illness, but they are notoriously hard to find . . . and in the middle of the sharpest parts of the coral reef, naturally. Tread carefully, and be careful not to anger the shadow creatures in your quest.
The Depths of Markolos is the hotbed of chaos, and seems to be where the majority of the shadow monsters are lurking. In addition to the shadow monsters, ice is cascading out of control from the western wall of the depths. Melting it will do the trick, or controlling it to move it out of the way, but it seems to persist. Some of you may find your way to the far back wall, to discover what appears to be the source of whatever this ice seems to be . . . but it will be tough going, and will require some teamwork to make it there. The ice, too, seems to fight back against your forces, and may curl its way around your legs, your legs, to freeze you into place. Hopefully you have a buddy that can get you out of there, before you become a frozen popsicle under the sea.
The Fields of Akvosia's beautiful coral reef is quickly dying, and the mermaids are working as hard as they can to curb the death by harvesting the essential food sources they can before it is too late. Schools of fish desperately flock from reef to reef in search of shelter and food, and soon meet their demise the moment they settle in to a new habitat. Working to cure and reinvigorate the coral reef will be met with great relief from the merfolk, who are desperately trying to cure what they can. Beware the shadow monsters, here, and be on the hunt for herbs that can assist the merfolk falling ill in the Palace of Wahine. Caravans of dolphin-pulled carriages will be whipping by to refill supplies, too -- jump in and help guard them on their way back to civilization.
The Thunderdome has a fresh stock of weaponry that is particularly effective against the shadow monsters, electrified with old runes that the merfolk will happily give to the Circle free of charge to fight back against the monsters. In addition, the jellyfish of the Thunderdome are darkening at a rapid pace. Electricity seems to do the trick in reinvigorating them, but touching them will still turn you a brilliant shade of blue . . . so tread lightly, in that regard. The electrified weapons will do the trick to jab the jellyfish into feeble light in addition to magic already gifted by Astoria, but the mermaids are a bit busy trying to fight off the shadows that are growing increasingly prevalent in the Thunderdome. Help wanted?  THE WHISPERS OF KEA.Throughout the duration of this battle, investigations taking place by members of the Circle will begin to unveil certain . . . clues. The Princess is still missing, but members of the Circle are getting close to unlocking where she is. King Kathashun, at the beginning of this journey, indicated that she was the key to stopping all of this, and while most of you have no idea who that guy is, he seems to be genuine. (Right? Right.)
But where is she? The Queen is unavailable, for the duration of this event, and who knows where this mysterious "King." is. But as the Circle battles for the life of Akvos, certain messages begin to pop up through your magical watches. Riddles, if you will -- pleas of assistance, begin to trickle through, popping up on your watches in a series of nonsensical words.
The only problem is that the messages seem to be all scrambled up.
lktmohidionl.
hsdpepelgnyeiaior.
herywaeoleeahhthpyveneto.
ehdtetirviarcaeshrasmaohmitnrn 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! NOTE: The Princess' messages will unlock a hint to their meaning (if they aren't solved by the time this happens) once this log hits over 750 comments. :) We are pretty sure this will happen well before the End Log for Akvos happens in January, so we won't be putting a time limit on it. ;) Have fun! |
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acatalepsy_logs2018-12-03 11:47 am
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Please, you can just call me Lucina.
[ Her eyes dart briefly to the door, just swinging idly on its hinges, and the darkened hall beyond. ]
May I ask what it is you're doing?
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[Since she doesn't seem like she's about to arrest him Hank turns and heads inside, looking around in the faint light from the doorway and grabbing something that makes a squishy noise when he twists it. That, by the way, was him turning the lights on. Getting trapped in the underwater power plant for a small eternity has its perks.]
You can ask whatever you want. It's a free country, isn't it? Or, hey, this place has a queen, so maybe it's not. Hey, you'd know, wouldn't you? If there's a throne and royal butts that sit on it and tell everyone else what to do, does that count as a free country?
[He's wandering around as he says this, trying to get a handle on whatever the setup is. They can't just pour it into mugs, right, so wherever they keep the nasty shit that's supposed to be alcohol, it might be some place he won't recognize.]
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He's sufficiently distracted her with his question. His, uh, several questions. ]
The responsiblity of any sitting royal lineage is to ensure that borders are defended, that the economy is fluid, and that the least among them are not left forgotten, hungry or indigent.
[ She's seen otherwise, though. It's hard to imagine that Plegia didn't buckle under Validar's oppressive, tunnel-narrow rule. She knows Hank approaches it from a different perspective, and that the culture and norms of this incomprehensible "future" is a bit beyond her. He throws complicated questions at her like they're light, pebbles ricocheting noiselessly off a window. ]
Ylisse - where I come from - was free, or so I hope. Here, I couldn't say. [ Beat. ] The guard do seem loyal to their queen.
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Do they? I never got to stay in the fancy palace and meet all the cool important people. I got to sleep with the jellyfish instead. I haven't seen anyone look forgotten or hungry or whatever, but it's kinda hard to tell right now what with all the uh, stuff. Going on.
[He's going around the other side of the counter as he talks, running his hands over a tank looking thing attached to one side of it. The tank has what looks kind of like a connector, and Hank slides his bottle out of its pouch, looks at its top, twists it, and-]
Ha. That oughta do it.
[He studies the tank for a second, trying to figure exactly how to slot the top of the bottle in.]
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May I?
[ She holds her hand out to take the bottle - if he cares to give it. ]
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If you grab that and run off with it, I'm gonna be pissed.
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I would never take that which isn't mine.
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[Hank kind of doesn't know what to do in the face of earnestness like that. Especially today. He makes a face, then presses it toward her hands.]
Yeah. Yeah, whatever, sure thing.
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She has now enabled a (barely) functioning alcoholic and will likely be going to hell.
Looks pretty pleased with herself, though. As for the faint hissing noise the tank is now making? It will be relevant any tag now. ]
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[The first thing he does is take a drink, because fuck this day. The second thing he does is make a face at the godawful taste. The third thing he does is frown at the tank.]
Hey, are you sure you closed that?
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[ All the same, she turns toward it. The hissing noise isn't coming from the pump, which is as closed as she described, so where...?
...
A moment later, a piece from the side of the tank - where she hadn't even touched - ricochets off and hits her in the back of the head. It doesn't really hurt, but it definitely broke the skin, and head wounds bleed an unnecessary amount, so. There's that.
It starts to rattle now. The hiss works it way up to a screeching, sounding not unlike a kettle moments before it's done boiling. ]
Um...
Perhaps you should step back, sir.
[ With one hand over her head injury, Lucina fails to take her own advice and leans in, inspecting the tank more closely. ]
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Jesus shit, fuckin people-
[While he's bitching he makes his way toward her, grabbing the counter with one hand so he can use the other to try to push her away and down toward the ground. If she lets him do that he's going to make every attempt at putting himself between her and the probably inevitable explosion, and if she doesn't he's going to try to grab her sleeve, hoping to at least tug her far enough that he can just put himself between her and the tank anyway.]
How about you step back too, christ, can you figure out how this weird shit works when it doesn't sound like it's about to take off into orbit?
1/2
It doesn't matter that he's well-meaning, despite his flimsily sour exterior.
It doesn't matter that he's trying to help, or something like it. ]
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Apologies.
[ (For, uh, breaking the tank. Or for nearly biting him like the feral apocalypse child she actually is. Who knows.) ]
Perhaps air is getting in where it ought not to.
[ Wait. ]
- I mean, water.
[ Because they're not in air. I think. ]
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Who cares, can we just leave? Without you chopping my head off? Do you even care that stickin around near equipment making noises like that is dangerous as hell?
[Talking obviously wasn't his first choice. Hank sounds as impatient and frustrated as he feels, and if talking doesn't work he's seriously thinking about just leaving her here to get exploded in a tragic booze accident.
Well, not seriously. But it's nice to pretend that it's seriously. The idea of fucking off with minimum effort put in and leaving her to karma is comforting.]
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Regardless, she says, ]
You are free to leave if you wish. I don't want anyone who comes in after us to risk injuring themselves.
[ So, now that he has his drink, he can go if he really wants to. She's got this. She's still bleeding from the back of her head... but she's got this. ]
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Instead of swimming right on out the door he twists furiously at the cap of his bottle, takes a disgusting swig, makes a face, and takes a breath.]
And, what, you don't wanna figure out a way to do that that's actually fuckin safe? We'll leave a note on the door! We'll find some paint! We'll tell somebody! If this is how you solved shit when you were in the fuckin army I'm surprised you still got all your arms and legs attached! You're bleeding, did you notice that? Can we just go outside and take care of that and then we'll figure this out?
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On the other hand, she's never been particularly careful of her own safety and things just kind of - break - around her. She's basically a clubfooted musk ox running about fecklessly, and unused to answering to others. Her pride is a bit wounded by his agitation but she's a big girl. She can take it. ]
Very well. Let's leave it for the time being. This wineshop seems rather abandoned, anyway.
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[He looks at the hand he'd stretched out close to the tank in disbelief. It's red. It's not that he minds so much, it's just- shit, some fun possibilities sure did just open up.]
Well, seaworld just turned into a whole new kind of nightmare. Let's get the fuck out of here before we're boiled alive, okay?
[He starts away but makes sure he looks back, not completely convinced she won't come up with another stupid reason to stick around.]
If we can figure out how to lock the door again, that'd be cool. I think I uh, might of broke the knob. So uh, I'm not really sure how secure just closing the door behind us is gonna be.
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Once they're out of the door, she glances back at it. He's right about the broken knob: she closes it, the lock clicks open and the door swings haplessly toward them, slow and complacement on its hinges.
Thinking for a moment, she then says, ] I have an idea.
[ Oh, boy. (Sorry in advance, Hank.) ]
Hold the door closed behind me, please.
[ She, uh, disappears back inside the tavern. Bye. ]
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[Like hell he's just going to hold the door closed and wait. He doesn't get too close to the tank, but he does get far enough in to try and see what the hell she's doing.]
What the hell is wrong with you? You have the self preservation instincts of a fucking squirrel!
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By the time Hank follows her in, he'll witness her ingenious plan of, uh, grabbing a chair and jamming it under the door from this side. Although it takes a few tries (without him holding the door closed like she requested) it successfully holds the thing in place, dragging down the knob and preventing anyone from entering from the other side.
The water around them is growing quite hot, though, and bubbling intermittently. ]
Come, this way.
[ Opening a window on the side wall, she just climbs out of it and lands safely on the ground outside. Huh.
Hopefully he can also fit through! ]
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As long as he's an asshole who can fit through this window he'll be okay, and honestly, for once? Swimming helps. He's able to angle himself, somehow, to start fitting his shoulders diagonally through it, and he thinks he'll be able to just about manage the rest. In fact, he's pretty sure he will, just- Maybe not in time.]
Fuck, uh. Little help, here?
[He squirms enough to work an arm out in front of him, holding his hand out toward her. He feels big and clumsy and stupid, but that can wait until he's more sure that his lower half isn't about to get cooked.]
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Lucina takes his hand firmly between her own, struggling a bit to hold on as the water washes away much of the necessary potential friction. A few tugs only helps dislodge him a little. Planting her feet against the wall underneath him, she puts more of her body weight into leveraging him out. She's stronger than she looks, certainly, fairly built from years of swordplay and hardship. Hank, on the other hand, is well above six feet tall and likely over fourteen stone in mass. This leveraging will be uneven, if not desperate, to say the least.
But then! An Unexpected Event! A window shatters on the far side of the building and the ensuing change in water pressure causes Hank to shoot right out.
Unless he can grab on or stop himself, he might just... cannonball. ]
—?
[ Somehow, that's dialogue. ]
i love what this thread turned into XD
Well, he doesn't know how he feels about it yet. He's too busy trying to process what's even happening, and trying to snatch Lucina as he flies past. If something's exploding, he wants to make sure she doesn't get her ass kicked by debris. He's not thinking about whether or not that's just going to make him or her or both of them slam into the nearest building - at least, he's not thinking about it yet.]
hashtag justice for hank
this might be justice actually. karma
he deserves better though :(
does he though. are we sure
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