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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Would you like to come along? I am very strong, in this form.
[ she's a massive ray, she can handle it!! not to mention, jinba or not, buoyancy helps! ]
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[She definitely feels like she'd be lighter since they're in the water... she feels way less like she actually weighs eight hundred pounds... but she doesn't know how fast or strong rays are, and there's all those children-
So she laces her fingers together and tightens her grip, steeling herself.]
Take the children first. You'll be faster, and... I- I can wait!
[Hide.]
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but the children come first. there's a look of consternation on her manta ray face. ]
.. all right. Well, stay down and hidden, I will be as quick as I can.
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So instead, she just gulps down her fear, nodding quickly.]
I will! Be safe!
[She tries to smile, manages a little one... and waves, the smallest one's tears hiccuping to a stop. There... that was better.
And then she slinks back under the shelter of the coral overhang, trying to scoot back as far as she could, curling up to minimize her presence.
Tries not to count the minutes.]
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but the wailing children on her back are, as well, so as soon as alisaie is satisfied that konoha is very well hidden she takes off like a shot, cutting through the water and careening back toward the city, and the myriad shelters that have sprung up to accommodate children and noncombatants.
they're far less fussy once they all reach the safe spot, and one by one the little fry dash off into their family's arms, but once the last one is safely dislodged she is turning on her tail to race back to the fields again. she cannot easily fight shadows in this form, but she is quick and nimble enough to avoid them, so it isn't long before she's returned to the spot where she'd last seen konoha, near the little grotto where the children had been.
casting her gaze about, she squints. ]
Konoha? Are you here, still?
[ please say she wasn't eaten by a shadow while she was gone.. ]
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Konoha has wedged herself as far beneath a coral overhang as she can with her body as big as it was, only a single back hoof visible outside the shadows, half covered by sand. Her hearts are pumping so hard with anxiety and fear that it’s all she can really hear- until Alisaie’s voice cuts through the pulse and she tries to scramble out, her expression fair to beating with relief.]
You made it!
[Its not like she didn’t think Alisaie would come back for her, but- She’d been worried. What if something had happened on the way, or on the way back?l, or-]
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Aye, the children are safe. Are you all right?
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Thank goodness-
[Maybe this wasn't her world, or her country, or even her species... but they were still children. They didn't deserve to be hurt by... whatever this "darkness" was.
Finally out from where she'd wedged herself, Konoha reaches out for Alisaie's fin... but hesitates.]
I'm fine, but- Will you be fast enough with me on?
[She's heavy... and worried. If carrying her would mean Alisaie would get hurt, too...]
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nevertheless, alisaie starts off, gliding smoothly through the water. ]
Faster than you would be alone, certainly. Don't you worry about me, I shall get you back safely, if only you hold tight.
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I- I'm holding!
[She can't question her now, can she? Konoha instead does as she's told, gripping as tight as she can at the manta's (Alisaie's) shoulders, trying her best not to interfere with the gliding motion through the water, tugging her legs all in tightly to her belly and shutting her eyes tight.]
Is this okay? Is it fine?
[It feels fast...]