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
Doctor Aphra | Star Wars
[Shadows are fun. It's especially fun when you just had your canon update and basically wake up to this. She wouldn't have helped before, maybe shot a few things if they got in her way. Not like it'd make a difference. There's not much she can do with her powers.
She keeps telling herself excuses like this as she sits in the corner of one of the shelters. If anyone knows her or has even seen her around, this isn't normal behavior for her. If anything, she looks like the shadows have gotten a hold of her life force or something.
When she's not moping, she'll randomly disappear, only to come back with heaps of food from who knows where. She'll place it down somewhere, say nothing, and then go back to keeping to herself.]
II. thunderdome
[Several of the weapons are now lightsabers??? They should maybe work on the shadows, but definitely don't have the same electrical properties the other weapons do. Which is maybe a whoopsie on her part.
Aphra's got a hold of one, though she hasn't ignited the blade. When she sees someone else try and help the jellyfish by using the weapons, she tries the same thing on one of the critters near her. Except she does just slash a jellyfish in half because she is still holding a lightsaber. Another whoopsie.]
A-Are you kidding me...
III. network; text
Ok so I know it's maybe not a great time for a question like this
but what do you think makes someone a "bad person"
Or I guess what does it mean to be evil to you?
text.
in my experience, evil comes from recognising that your actions are actively malignant and performing those actions regardless.
no subject
Malignant bad evil whatever
What makes an action evil?
no subject
[ Anyone can tell right from wrong. There are shades of grey, yes, such as murdering one tactician to keep them from beginning a timeline-destroying dragon, cough, but on the whole - an evil person is someone who harms freely and without remorse. To Lucina, and her unflinching moral compass, it really is that simple. (Unfortunately.) ]
but very well.
an action that harms more people than it helps could be considered evil.
no subject
So it's about people? If you killed a bunch of animals or droids to save one sentient organic being, you're still one of the good guys?
Sorry for the delay! Crazy work week.
a single beast could feed upwards of seventy people if the rations are handled correctly.
[ It seems like this person is looking for an argument as opposed to trying to facilitate discussion. It's quite curious, if perhaps not a good use of their time in Akvos.
So, with frustrating levels of patience, Lucina asks a question of her own. ]
are you quite alright?
no worries!
Just curious. I was a scientist back in my galaxy.
Are you a good person?
no subject
i don't know.
there have been times when i've had to make severe choices. perhaps my own metric was a bit too forgiving of that.
[ Your question was too good, doctor. ]
no subject
but I guess that makes two of us
II.
What she isn't expecting is someone to cut one in half. It's enough to startle her, shake her out of the odd wonder this place brought on and leave her feeling vaguely unsettled, though she is so far removed from this emotion that she barely recognizes it in herself.
The first thing out of her mouth is:]
What the hell are you doing?
no subject
I-I thought it would help! Like... like that! [she gestures to one of the jellyfish being revived] But I kinda forgot... it's a different weapon.
no subject
[The woman floats, but A2 does not, her feet fixed firmly on the ground. She stares up at her, her gaze steady and cold. A machine she could understand killing meaninglessly. But this is the second time she's seen a human do it, and it unsettles her to watch.]
What is that thing, anyway?
no subject
[Aphra's surprised she could be so stupid, to not even consider the different electromagnetic properties of the weapons. Then again, she's made a lot of stupid decisions lately.]
And I didn't forget- I just... got caught up in it all. A lot's happening. Yeah. Look, it was an accident, okay? Let's talk about something else? How are you doing that? The standing thing? I'd ask if it was grav boots, but this is water and it doesn't look like it so- is your power being a rock or what?
no subject
[Said without much inflection. She is quiet in such a way that it edges into intimidating, as she listens to this explanation without giving much feedback other than an eyeroll.
The question appears to bug her, though it would soon become evident that just about everything regarding this underwater field trip did. She's just naturally unpleasant, unfortunately.]
...I'm an android. [She says, eventually.] Too heavy to float.
no subject
[At A2's answer, Aphra tries to swim in closer and get a better look at her.]
A droid, huh? Not many models like you where I'm from. What are you for? Protocol? Espionage?
[Please cut her off before she says escort services. But really, why make a droid that looks organic?]
no subject
I was designed for combat.
[Being referred to in this familiar way, "what are you for," rather than "what's your name," or "who are you" should feel comforting, but it doesn't, not really.
She does not allow this confusion to show on her face.]
no subject
[It's not much of a comeback, but it's all she's got right now. Her energy- ha, that's a good one- is running low, and it shows. Aphra tries not to focus on the other woman's appearance. Snow white hair, piercing eyes, a body that melds metal and skin. She's a droid, nothing like Tolvan. But had she really treated Tolvan any better?]
Bet it could cut you in half.
[This is your attempt at being good? says a voice in her head, and she's not sure if it's Evazan, Triple-Zero, or her conscience.]
Th-that's not the point. Or I guess it is. Who makes a battle droid that looks like a human...
[she asks, not necessarily speaking to A2.]
no subject
[It's said as an idle threat, despite the look on her face, and gradually the dead seriousness of it fades into peevish irritation.
Was she even talking to her? Or at her?]
Why does it matter?
no subject
[Like this is a thing you schedule?? It might be for Aphra, with how many people would very much so like to kick her ass or eliminate it permanently.]
Just think about it. The most important part of a battle droid is that it's good in a battle, yeah? And being cheap and easy to mass-produce quickly is probably near the top too. So your maker wasn't like yeah, this one'll be human. Maybe they wanted to humanize you? Make it harder to kill you? Or maybe they wanted something else, but that kinda goes without saying.
Ooor if you were designed to infiltrate places where a droid'd stick out, that could be useful? Oh, or taking the place of some human and pretending to be them! But if you're just a straight up battle droid, why waste time on useless stuff like that?
no subject
[She trails off as Aphra continues to speak. A2 listens to this for about as long as her patience remains, which is a laughably short amount of time. Eventually, she cuts her off, bristling, annoyed for a reason she could not place.]
Ugh, would you shut up? You're giving me a headache.
no subject
[Her tone has less curiosity, more annoyance now. Why's this toaster telling her to shut up basically.]
What's your designation though? And is your owner here? Or uh... supervisor. I don't know.
[Battle droids don't really have masters, do they? Unless it's like the Emperor! Or General Grievous!]
no subject
[This is snapped out, sharp and immediate. She has decided, it seemed, that for all that she disliked being seen as an equal to humans, she didn't like this either. It was uncomfortable in a way she could not properly express or understand.]
I don't have an owner.
[She adds, for kicks:] Where's yours?
no subject
[But even with Vader handled, there's still...]
Other one's a droid. But he's not here either.