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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He seems flustered.
She sighs.]
Can you stand?
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[He quickly pushes himself to his feet. His shoulder stings and he runs a hand over the cuts that the shadow creature made. They're not deep, the creatures don't seem capable of much real physical damage, but they sting a little. Perhaps from the salty water all around them.]
Thank you for your help. I'm... not really used to using weapons.
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[It's the closest thing to "I can tell," that he's going to get. She gives him a brief once over, gauges that his injuries don't look too severe, and nods to the weapon.]
Hold it at a distance. If something rushes at you, jab or swing.
[There's an odd, floating rectangular device bobbing near her shoulder. It hovers near the boy, then goes back to her, and speaks, in a masculine, mechanical voice.]
Proposal: Unit A2 will escort the human lifeform to the nearest safe area.
Stop telling me what to do.
[She says, already making to leave...but then she speaks up, looking over her shoulder.] You heard the box. Stay close to me. There are more of those creatures in the area.
no subject
[God, he must have really looked dumb out there! He sighs and grips the javelin a little tighter to his chest. Then he glances up at the funny little robot. How is it working underwater...
He's sort of tempted to reach out and poke it when she addresses him and he quickly moves to walk by her side.]
R-right. We're stronger in numbers probably. And um, I can make your powers stronger!
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[A2 is guarded and moves with a sort of intrinsic ease in this eerie, quiet battlefield, only paying attention to the boy long enough to note that he's following her, but his comment makes her glance down, curious.]
That so? What can you do?
[It's genuinely asked, but sounds like a challenge...this is just how she is, unfortunately.]
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D-does this lady want to 1v1 him?? She's kind of scary? But she did just save him so. She's probably not going to cause him too much trouble.]
Well, I'm still learning how it works but from what I can tell, I can use my own energy to amplify the powers of the people around me.
no subject
Her eyebrows raise some, at his description. Like her own ability, made amplified and easier to understand, but not quite.]
Hm. [...] Don't just stand there, then. Let me se —
[Is what she starts to say, but then the shapes in the shadows begin to move, forming new creatures in the dark, and she quickly pushes him behind her.]
no subject
[He stumbles behind her look a little bit put out. He's not used to being so unable to do anything. Usually he's the one dropping those lines.
Crap.
There's a lot of them.]
S-sorry, m'am! But in order to use my powers I have to touch you-!
[And that would be impolite to do without asking even though this is a rather precarious situation!]
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Just do it! We don't have time!
[Normally she'd be a little more uncomfortable with the notion, but the human's survival overrode her unease at physical contact.]
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[He reaches out and grips her arm. The movement is more wild than he'd like. He'd been working on controlling the power, making sure that he was only transferring the amount of energy that he could sustain. But right now, he's concerned with making sure they don't end up floating unconcious in the sea.
It probably feels like being struck by lightning. A jolt of power that suddenly feels her, desperate to be used.]
no subject
Alert: [The Pod beside her says.] Unusual energy output detected.
[A2 lifts the sword again, and it feels less heavy now. She feels less heavy, almost like she usually does, and her first move is to throw the sword like a javelin at the shadow creature nearest them. The blade cuts through water as easy as it might go through air, and hits it dead on. It disappears into black mist, and for once her auto synchronization works underwater — the blade blinks out of existence, then appears in her hands again in a flash of shimmering white light.]
Not bad.
no subject
[He doubles over, resting his hand on his thugh, and exhaling loudly. He's still not used to this power so using it makes him a little bit nauseous. It's embarrassing but at least she was able to properly use it and get them out of that tight spot.
Then he notices he's still grabbing onto her arm. He flushes and let's go.]
Thank you, Miss.
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A2.
[She says, after a pause.]
Don't call me "Miss."
no subject
[Oh wait. No.]
Aaaaa2. [He coughs and straightens up now that the nausea has passed, face slightly red at addressing an older woman by her name. Even if its an... unconventional one. It doesn't even sound Western.]
Um, your power seems pretty impressive. D-do you know what it is or, how it works, I mean?
[He is so curious, he just can't help himself.]
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That wasn't the power the witch gave me. That was you. Haven't been able to move the right way since we ended up in this stupid ocean.
[She seems to realize that she hasn't really explained much, and adds:]
I'm an android. Designed for combat.
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I guess that means that my power can augment all sorts of abilities and not just the powers Miss Astoria gave to us...?
[He puts a finger to his lip in thought and then glances up at her.]
So what is your power from Miss Astoria?
[Then the floodgates don't really open as much as just explode.]
Also, you're an android? How? The technology to be build one like that must be so far beyond anything in my world. How do you run? Do you have to charge a battery? You said that you're made for combat but to combat who? Who made you? Where does your sword come from? And where did it go? Is it made of some sort of nanotechnology? Also how did you decide to use a sword? Did you decide to use a sword? But then that really gets into the meaning of self-determination and choice? Do we have free will if there's programming? But then I guess we've got DNA...
[Eventually he's really just muttering to himself and not even asking questions anymore. Feel free to just. Tell him to knock it off.]
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I —
I don't have a...It's a — I can us-
[And so on, until finally she can't really take it anymore.]
Hey!
[She barks out.]
Put a lid on it!
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[he clamps his hands over his mouth and gives her an apologetic look.]
S-sorry. I got carried away.