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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oh
wow
that sure is sparkly, and it sure has a bow on it. Simon's sure this must be how cats and dogs feel when their owners put them in Halloween costumes. But he's all in on this, so he stands and turns. ] That's pretty impressive.
[ hey, it is. ]
Oh, yeah, you made clothes for A2, right? She told me about it.
no subject
The edges of her lips quirk upwards to what almost seems like a genuine smile though. She takes pride in her magic and the selections that she's been making for others. With her Astoria-granted magic being super-powered, it's a little less randomized. On a normal day, she wouldn't be able to produce a cape on the bat.
Mention of A2 causes her expression to falter somewhat. ]
...oh. Yeah, that's right. Did Number 2 tell you anything else?
[ just how many people know that she's dead ]
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She said you- [ saved her life, but that’s just paraphrased, what Simon got out of it, and anyway, he doesn’t really want the kids to demand a story, so he pauses to recalibrate this. ]
You’re the reason she’s... still here. No details.
[ He almost adds and then reminded me that I do look like a machine, but he’s unwilling to break the spell of the tense, fragile, children-imposed harmony they’ve got going on by acknowledging the elephant in the room. ]
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[ That's all. No further comment or question. She'd rather not have others concern about her. What happened to her back then isn't important to know now. She's grateful that his answer is brief.
Simon's words are vague enough that the children express very little interest as to what he might be referring to. They're far more interested in his appearance with his new eye-catching cape. Their reactions are varied. They talk over each other, comments ranging from "cool" to "he looks really weird now!"
A4 takes no offense in the more harsh comments. Standing, she does a two turn spin and motions an arm towards Simon, like a performer introducing her next show. Already quickly trying to move their conversation along and focus on the children's excitement. ]
Awww, I thought I did a good job! [ Her voice returns to her typical, upbeat tone. ] Tell you what— you kiddos tell me what I can do to make him look even better. Should we add some pearls? Rainbow sea shells?
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The kids start shouting out suggestions, including rainbows!!!, a tiara!! and A PRETTY DRESS WITH RUFFLES. ]
Maybe we don’t do that one. [ oh god?? a4 blease ]
no subject
A4 raises the kelp to her face, with a scrutinizing look. ]
Huh. What's this supposed to be?
[ The young ones are quick to answer her question. "A dress!" Some sort of kelp dress. It's no ruffle dress, but the merchildren are going wild over it. "Put it on! Put it on!"
Glancing down at the "dress" then to Simon, she cringes a little. Yeah, none of the children's suggestions very well coordinate with Simon's look. The sparkly cape is... actually cute enough by itself. But she's not turning down their request. Sorry, Simon. She allowed them overdecorate her hair and arm with sparkly accessories after all.
She holds out the giant piece of kelp. They're doing a good thing... keeping the kids from asking questions about her tragic past and A4's own mind occupied with weird seaweed fashion. ]
Well, you heard them, Simon.