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
no subject
Time to get to work. 😠 ]
wildcard.
( Other things Lucina might be doing: borrowing an electrifed weapon to assist in the Thunderdome, guarding caravans filled with supplies, harvesting herbs for medicine among the reef — basically, anything that will help the people of Akvos. Feel free to make up a prompt around any of that, or anything else! I can be hit up via PM for plotting if necessary. )
one
Watch it, you--
[He draws his hand back when he sees that it's just a girl--presumably another Circle member, since she's not half-fish--and a little kid. He nods apologetically, his attention only half directed towards them as his eyes scan the area around them.]
Sorry. You two all right?
[--Oh, and then he spots the actual shadow monster pursuing them. He tries to shove himself in between the pair and the monster, as if his puny knife will do more than her big honking sword.]
Hey, get back!
no subject
We're fine, but -
[ But she needs both hands to use her sword and has zero hands available after seeing to the clinging child. Her eyes flick to the small knife, and then the shadow monster giving chase. It got the mother, now it seems to want the offspring, and she grits her teeth.
Her tactical appraisal of the immediate situation? NOT AWESOME. ]
Can you take him?
[ if the merchild floats away, well, who would want to explain that to his mother ]
no subject
I--wait, what?
[Fortunately for all involved, Firo has a tendency to move even as his brain is still buffering. So despite his questioning, he's already wrapping one arm around the kid at the same time and pivoting himself to point the kid away from the danger. He keeps his knife in his other hand, still pointed at the shadow as it comes closer.
He has no experience in tactical babyholding--or anything to do with babies--but this'll be fine, probably.]
sorry for the delay!
She's able to stab the shadow monster in the face, at least. It bellows in pain and frustration, too-large hands slamming into the ocean floor in its ire.
It's not dead, but - ]
Do you have any magic at your disposal?
[ It's asked in a rush. In the moment after, she is forced on the defensive, digging her heels in against the monster's next attack. Thankfully, it seems to have forgotten all about the child. ]
No worries at all!
His answer to her question comes out as a growl; his feelings to his power are ambivalent despite its general usefulness, and it's because of situations like this.]
Yeah, healing people. I don't think you're gonna want me try it on this guy!
[They don't need it getting stronger, and Firo hasn't tested his power on these shadow creatures yet to know that it doesn't do that. He's wary of bringing the kid too close to the shadow, but there's no choice. He keeps a firm grip on the kid's arm as he cuts at the monster's arm with his Thunderdome knife--it doesn't maim the creature like he'd hoped, but it seems to at least weaken it.
And piss it off as it whips its head between two targets.]
no subject
He's right, though. Healing the shadow monster isn't going to help anyone. And they can't leave it, for two reasons: the child's petrified mother; and the fact that it could easily target someone else if they fled. Neither of those possibilities are things Lucina can abide.
It starts back on Firo and the child. This also isn't ideal. The merchild's tale flicks in a panic and his eyes dart around, wild and upset, looking for his mother. Her heart goes out to him - it's a position she's been in, sort of - but there are more important things to worry about. Hopefully Firo can keep him calm.
Lucina jerks on a foot, bringing Falchion up in a devastating midsection swing. The shadow monster is briefly severed in half...
...and then both pieces reform, coming back together, shady molecules refusing seamlessly.
Dammit. ]
no subject
Easy.
[Predictably, the remark does nothing to calm the kid down. Honestly, Firo's feeling pretty tense himself when a strike that looks like it should've laid the thing out gets reversed almost immediately.
God damn it. He was never made for messing around with strategy or magic. Impatient, he calls over to her:]
If you take the kid, I can try buying the two of you some time to get some distance. I'll figure something out.
no subject
[ She holds out her arms for the child regardless, who is all too eager to be handed back and cling to her hair once more. (She understands why with a quick glance back at his mother, who likewise has long and flowing locks, in a similar deep blue.) ]
I have a different idea, if you are willing to trust me.
[ It involves a bit of a chase... with them as the bait. ]
no subject
Well, either way. Right now they have no plan, so anything she has might be better. He half-smiles and shrugs.]
For all I know, we could be screwed either way, so why not?
no subject
Alright.
[ She inhales. It's, uh, it's harder to do underwater. ]
The moment I say, move immediately left, as fast as you can. Move in a circle and double around toward this one's mother.
[ The shadow creatures only get closer, closer...
Lucina remains firm and still for a moment longer, and then another, and - up until they can see the whites of their eyes (so to speak). It's a tense moment, holding her ground, letting Firo know with her eyes to do the same - ]
- now.
[ A harsh, forceful whisper.
Lucina jerks right, much like she told Firo to go left. Only two of the three shadow monsters pursue her. ]
no subject
[He nods firmly as the monsters encroach--it almost feels like the three of them are just prey being toyed with. He holds his ground as she directs, right up until it feels like it just might be getting to be too late--
And then she signals, and he bolts as she does.
He can see in his peripheral vision that only the one is on his tail, which immediately makes him nervous because that means she's got two to handle, on top of having the kid. He can only hope that there's more to this plan, but for now he'll focus on looping around as she directed. And not getting gotten. That's important too.
When he's closer to the mother mermaid, he calls out:]
So what now?
one
Kweh!
[ Typically this is when the watch starts to translate for him. At the moment, it doesn't. It's more of a startled noise than anything else. But when he quickly regains his composure, at least enough to focus on what's happening before him, he sees the shadow creatures are still on the move for Lucina and the child.
He starts chirping in a panic. There might not be any time to read the text message showing up on Lucina's watch, but the screen lights up with the words: ]
Watch out!
no subject
- apologies— [ it's murmured out quickly, and possibly drowned out by the kweh.
Lucina settles down hard on her heels, just in time to see her watch light up, but she doesn't have the opportunity to check what it says before a tentacle reaches for her swordbelt and tugs.
Timber, she's going down... ♪ ]
one!
and 2) she's carrying a merchild with her.]
Watch where you're— [... "going", she means to finish. But this is around the time that she notices a third detail. Namely, the creature coming after them.] —Shit.
[Welp. This isn't good. After having pushed her away, North finds herself reaching for Lucina's wrist, tugging her along as she begins to move. Even she isn't gung-ho enough to believe they can defend themselves and a child at the same time.]
Come on, the kid needs to get out of here!
no subject
A quick, apology is babbled out, but it's smothered somewhat beneath North's barked out order. She's certainly correct in one respect; Lucina can't wield Falchion and hold the merchild at the same.
On the other hand, there's the child's imperiled mother to consider. The idea of separating the two is enough to turn Lucina's stomach. ]
Wait, please -
[ The moment those first two words are out, the shadow creature bares down with its tentacles askew, slicing cleaning through Lucina's arms. Her sleeve is untorn, her skin unbroken, but there are clear skeins where colour seeps out. The blue of her clothes now boasts grey striping. Underneath, if they were to roll it up, they would see similar slashes of her skin turning ashen.
Ow. ]