acatamods: (Default)
acatamods. ([personal profile] acatamods) wrote in [community profile] acatalepsy_logs2018-12-03 11:47 am

PHASE TWO of AKVOS (Log #2)






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!
spaceforged: (All of my excess)

[personal profile] spaceforged 2018-12-07 12:45 am (UTC)(link)
That sounds like the jellyfish at the Thunderdome. [He keeps his hand on Keith’s shoulder. There’s no way he’s straying far from him. Shiro takes a moment to be sure Keith is alright. Hunk is a healer but, he worries.]

I haven’t seen the others yet. I’ve been keeping an eye out. We’ll find them, Keith. They’re likely looking for us too.

[Team Voltron would come back together. They always do. Shiro moves his hand up to the side of Keith’s face. He runs his thumb over the scar in an open gesture of affection.]

Glad to have you back.

lonered: (s727)

[personal profile] lonered 2018-12-07 04:27 am (UTC)(link)
So it's not just one area.

[That's worrying. But it's information. So there's got to be something going on, that has been going on before all hell broke loose with the escaped king/prisoner.]

Yeah. We'll find them. I'm just glad we're all back in contact.

[The complete communication blackout for the first bit had been difficult. He smiles though, head tilting into that touch, soaking up the affection. What? It's been a while.]

That's usually my line... [He teases, before adding.] I'm glad too.
spaceforged: (pic#12504531)

[personal profile] spaceforged 2018-12-09 09:48 pm (UTC)(link)
No ‘Glad to be back’? [He teases and his hand settles on Keith’s shoulder again. It has been a while but their private affection is for later. Shiro gestures for Keith to come with him over a spot to sit.]

Anyway, let’s get a proper debriefing done. I don’t have too much information but if we put together what we have we can build a larger picture.

[He’s saying it for both their benefits but also just to speak. They both need the time to focus in the wake of the sudden activity.] I’ll start with what I tried to get through. Did anyone use their coin from El Minha?
lonered: (Default)

[personal profile] lonered 2018-12-17 05:51 am (UTC)(link)
[Keith allows a laugh at that, even if it's quiet. He's so tired, but something in him feels more settled now that he's reunited with Shiro, now that he knows he'll be able to find the rest of his team.] Didn't want to steal your line completely.

[But god is he glad to be back. He follows along with Shiro to sit down, out of the way enough that they can talk. Get caught up with each other.]

Sounds good. I don't have much either. Yet.

[He's pretty determined to find out something though. This whole situation feels like it could turn bad fast.] The coins... no, I don't think anyone did. Not that I heard of anyway. What happens?
spaceforged: (It's just in case)

[personal profile] spaceforged 2018-12-22 12:37 am (UTC)(link)
We found a message on the far wall within the Thunderdome area. [He rests one hand on Keith's arm. It's not much contact but it's everything after a while away from him. He takes in the warmth and continues.]

The coin led us to it. The message itself is no doubt placed by Kathashun. It had the markings of his Blessing of the Phoenix.

To sum up the message, he urged us to find the princess. She's the key.
lonered: (s715)

[personal profile] lonered 2018-12-28 12:37 am (UTC)(link)
Then that's a direction to move in. ...though what connection does he have to this place?

[Is it the same world? There was no ocean near El Minha, but planets are big. Or is Kathashun moving between worlds now too.

Keith sighs and leans back. He's so tired of questions without answers.]
spaceforged: (pic#12464771)

[personal profile] spaceforged 2018-12-30 12:06 am (UTC)(link)
I think he has enough power to move between worlds. His connection seems to be he's hunting the source of danger to all worlds.

...his first message concerns me. Are we bringing something with us each time we enter a world? Or making way for something else.

[His brows come down. The message bothers him a lot more than he'll say outloud in public. He knows what kind of damage can be done when one is a puppet of forces beyond them. His grey eyes are dark as he thinks back to battling against Keith against his own will.

And the damage he did to his family, his crew.]
lonered: (S6-20)

[personal profile] lonered 2019-01-03 01:52 am (UTC)(link)
Which is what Astoria claims she's chasing too...

[Keith frowns, nodding.] We don't know what our coming here really does. We... leave. If we could actually speak with Kathashun, find out if anything happened in the wake of our time in El Minha...

[Lots of ifs.

And he recognizes that look on Shiro's face, thinks he knows where the other's thoughts have gone. He reaches over without a word, his fingers finding their way through Shiro's.]
spaceforged: (I'll spend away from you)

[personal profile] spaceforged 2019-01-07 10:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Maybe we can leave messages for him the same way he did for us. [He tenses and looks up, all the words he'd been able to say dying on his lips. The simple touch had steadied him. He gives Keith's hand in his a grateful squeeze.]

I think the first thing to ask Astoria when we get back exactly what happens to other worlds when we leave them and when we enter.
lonered: (s708)

[personal profile] lonered 2019-01-08 04:56 am (UTC)(link)
It's worth trying.

[If they can reach Kathashun, it would be something. And it's something to try.

Keith's fingers flex around Shiro's in turn. He gets as much comfort as he gives.]


And press for an actual answer. [Though "pressing" is a relative term. The leverage they have is... well. Limited.]

First we have to survive this place. [And hope this place survives them. Keith sighs and tips to lean into Shiro.]

...I missed you. [He tries not to sound too grumpy about it, but he's pretty grumpy.] I couldn't sleep.

[So he's gotten used to sleeping with Shiro close by. Also he really misses being... not in the water.]