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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[Another pause, and then an admission.] I'm not great at traveling in silence.
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[ Which means that Kainé is going to keep her emotions clammed up so tight that no one is going to be able to dig in. She's only mentioned one horror once and that had been her death.
Only because the other person had also died. ]
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[God, this is awkward. She can't just swim in silence. What does she fill it with?]
That boy, Emil. D'you know him from back where you came from, or did you meet him here?
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Back in that shithole. Known him for a few ... months? years? Time's fucking weird and annoying after shit went down.
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stops swimming. Just for a moment.] Sorry, what do you mean, "time is weird"?
Isn't it just... time? [How does that even work?]
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I think. [ after all, he isn't a skeleton boy here. ]
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[There's nobody from the Frontier here. She has no idea that different memories or timelines can be a thing.] Like, you remember the same thing differently? Or one of you knows things the other doesn't?
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One of them. [ it makes no sense to her. ]
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[Sheryl swims a little bit more in silence, just thinking. What would happen if Alto showed up and didn't remember things?
Didn't remember her?]
That'd probably drive me crazy, if it was me.
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[ Unless he turned back somehow? But, she doubts that. ]
Is there anything that won't drive you crazy?
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It's just that I'm an artist. Not a... fighter, undersea explorer, investigator, whatever. This isn't exactly in my element.
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So everything here is going to drive you crazy. [ It isn't like it will be her problem for much longer so Kainé isn't too worried about it. ]
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Instead, Sheryl just takes a breath and... forces a smile. It's pretty genuine-seeming, too. The benefits of celebrity.] I'll weather it just fine, I think. And leave the fighting up to capable people like you~
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You're lucky that there's a decent amount of them here, otherwise, you'd be swimming with the dead fishes.
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...as much as she can, but even she's got a limit.] I certainly am!
We've all got our roles to play, haven't we? And when you need someone charismatic to win people over and build alliances, you fighters can rely on me in turn~
[Her smile hurts a little bit. But she is not going to let this woman goad her.]
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... No offense. [ And she means it!
Because Kainé is curious about it. Can Sheryl really charm her way into getting whatever she wants? It doesn't work with Kainé, but not a lot ever works with that girl in the first place. ]
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I might try something different. I might try again, just a little harder. There's tons of things you can try before you have to throw a punch, and no matter what I look like, I don't give up easily~
I don't like hearing that something's impossible, that's all.
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Throwing a punch is easier for Kainé because she has 99 issues and her anger is one of them. But, there are a lot of good reasons for that! She believes her looks won't do shit for her. ]
That type of thinking will either get you very far or get you killed.
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[It's funny. There was a time not too long ago where she'd have loathed the subject of her own mortality. But after coming that close-- after having to accept that she was going to die and make her peace with that-- it's almost casual in the way it just slips out.]
You sound like you don't believe me. Really, I'm surprised-- you're a very pretty girl. You've never made it work for you before?
[She's not fond of Kaine's attitude, but there's no denying that she's beautiful in a sort of rough-around-the-edges way.]
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[ There sounds like a story goes there, but, Kainé isn't going to ask about it. She is private about her life and therefore she won't be sticking her nose into anyone else's life.
It isn't like she view's Sheryl a friend to ask in the first place.
She feels her cheeks warm up and pushes her brows together, frowning while looking away. ]
Nope. I am - was - a freaky monster.
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Sheryl, though, is. And she's very befuddled by what Kaine says, frowning as she looks over her shoulder at the other girl.]
I know that girls can be insecure about their looks, but that's a little... [much? Over the top? She's rude, but not a monster.] Who told you that, anyway? Maybe you aren't "glamorous," but you're still quite attractive. [From a physical standpoint, at least.]
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[ That much she knows. Her body is an aspect that Kainè is very proud off and that is why she shows so much of it off. She has a womanly body and she is happy with it. ]
People don’t like it when they are face with the unnatural. Everyone and their parents said so as I grew up.
[ Kainè shrubs as she swims along, unfazed with the memories of what people would say to her. ]
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And there's clearly a story. Which she is burning to know.] If I asked, you'd probably tell me to go jump off a bridge, I imagine...?
You don't seem unnatural or monstrous to me. That's all.
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I think it is unnatural, and I am just repeating what people say. ... it just depends on if I can trust you.
[ She doesn’t want people to throw her secrets into the wind. She isn’t ashamed she has accepted it, but Kainè does possess that fear that people will reject her.
Not that she won’t be used to it already. ]
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I think I'm trustworthy, though, given how things have been between us up until now, I wouldn't blame you if you decided otherwise.
[She shrugs.] When you're a celebrity, you learn quickly to keep other people's secrets, or else they won't keep yours.
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