the great escape.The Circle has quite a lot on their plate, this time around. Multiple players are fighting for the control of Akvos, and many difficult choices to make. No matter what path you choose, though, one thing is for certain: it is a bitter fight to the death to ensure that Akvos remains standing, one way or another. There are three main areas for the characters to explore in the final log of Akvos: (1) The Kingdom of Akvos, where the King is fighting to seize control; (2) The Rift, where the characters will encounter the Dreamscapes; and (3) The Kingdom of Polankos, which is where King Ka'pouli has reigned since his arrival in the pocket dimension. Decisions made in all there areas will affect the outcome of Akvos, so get to exploring.  THE ASSAULT ON WAHINE.The King’s forces will attack in three different fronts. There will be mermen attacking from above, riding saddled giant seahorses and manta rays, launching spears at the mermaid-warriors below with terrifying precision. They seem to be indiscriminate, in their aim -- the weaponry, charged with the same dark energy that the shadow creatures seem to be made out of, find their target in civilians and warriors alike, raining down a sea of terror upon the central stronghold of the Kingdom of Akvos.
The mermen will also be attacking at the ground-level, attempting to burst their way through the Palace Gates to flood the city with numbers. While the mermaids outnumber the mermen, the mermen are certainly more brutal than the mermaids. Some of them, though, in finding the city, are more concerned with looting it than with senselessly murdering everyone inside. Indeed, this is the most food they have seen in a long time -- and markets are destroyed in grabbing as much food and riches as they can, pressing closer to the Palace, and toward the Queen's stronghold.
And, finally, they will be attacking from below, navigating their way through a network of tunnels meant to transport goods and bursting their way into people’s homes, to sneak their way closer to their ultimate goal, which seems to be the Palace itself.
The Circle's main goal, here, is to protect civilians, usher theminto the underground strongholds beneath the Palace, and fight for their own lives should they attack the mermen first. Man the wall, if you so choose, to attempt to block the air attacks from the mantas. Fight on the ground, to protect Akvos from destruction. Or make your way to the underground strongholds and tunnels, to block access to the Palace. All of these will certainly assist in keeping Akvos safe.
In addition, please remember that shadow creatures (which can only be killed by magical means) are still making their way through the entirety of Akvos. While King Ka'pouli's forces are targeting the Palace of Wahine, the shadow creatures are still present everywhere. Get to killing!  INTO THE RIFT.Some of you, however, have elected to traverse into the mysterious rift that appeared in the midst of the Fields of Akvosia. It looks like a black hole into nothingness, crackling with odd energy . . . and passing through it feels as though you have stepped through an icy waterfall. For a moment, you cannot breathe -- and then, you are treated to beauty.
The gaps between time and space are full of sparkling lights, bolts of rainbow starlight winding around you as you move through the uncertainty that is the void. It seems endless, but something inside you is tugging you forward . . . and, suddenly, there is a soft voice in your ear. A familiar one, to those who reside within the Circle . . . the confused voice of Astoria.
 "Hello? My Travelers? How are you within the Void?" The Void? That word hadn't been used to describe whatever this magical place is before, but . . . well, a witch with the ability to send you all across the universe probably knows what she's talking about, right? "That should not be possible . . . who opened this doorway?"
You can tell her, or you can not. It seems to matter not, because: "Is this not getting through? Why can I not hear you . . . but I can feel you, I can -- please, if you can hear this, be careful. The Void is not something for mortals to interact with, and it can show you terrible things -- terrible things, so please--"
And, right before you have the opportunity to respond to our benevolent witch (or captor, depending on your point of view), you see a bizarre glass-like surface in front of you. It looks like a mirror, and you see a perfect reflection of yourself. It is absolutely captivating, and it beckons you . . . almost urging you to touch it. And Astoria's whisper grows a bit louder, more urgent:
"My dear Traveler, be careful what you encounter here -- can you hear me? Can you see me? I am trying to get you out of there, to bring you back home--Akvos is--"
But it is too late.
Your fingers graze the edge of the mirror, and you are pulled -- a sensation that is familiar to you, the same pull in your stomach that you feel whenever Astoria thrusts you across the universe, into new realities. And, when you blink your eyes again, and look around . . . you are no longer in Akvos, or the Void. You are somewhere entirely new.
Welcome to the Dreamscape.  THE KINGDOM OF POLANKOS.Once the Circle emerges from the Rift and the Dreamscape, they will stumble into another world . . . but this one's wateris shallow, in comparison to the massive depths of the crystal-clear kingdom of Akvos. You can quite clearly see the surface, here, and there are shallows that allow you to come up onto islands, tropical in nature with fruit, odd creatures that appear to be multiple-headed monkeys and parrots, and sandy shores. It's a bit jarring to see, after spending so long underwater. Indeed, you emerge to trudge onto land, and look around, somewhat mystified that the deep-dwelling mermen would be from a place like this.
However, exploring the islands (which is not very difficult to do, as they are all small and will not take very much time) will yield the discovery that on the islands themselves are tunnels -- underwater caverns that thread through the islands to much deeper water. It's almost as if the islands themselves are barriers to the underwater caverns below -- shallow water, a layer of land, and then a (mer)man-made bubble of water below the barrier of land. And that whoever lived on these islands tunneled through them to find deeper water. Princess Kea, (who will attend on these journeys, while remaining in the water), will tell the Circle members that King Ka'pouli told her that when the mermen were cast out, they landed on solid land, and had to slowly dig deeper to their salvation.
Navigating through these tunnels will be somewhat perilous -- and the Circle members will need to carry Princess Kea to the nearest tunnel to get her into some water, because while she can breathe on the surface for a certain period of time, she cannot navigate the land as quickly as you people with legs. Additionally, underwater caving isn't exactly a blast, but the deeper you go, the more clues of civilization you can find. And, eventually, once you go deep enough, you emerge into a massive underwater cavern to find the small Kingdom of Polankos.
In comparison to the Kingdom of Akvos, Polankos is witheringly depressing. It is not brightly colored, nor open -- indeed, it is tiny, with mermen huddled together waiting patiently for the forces that went through the rift to return. There is not a lot to find here, save for some interesting weapons that possess a dark energy, versus a lightning energy -- and those weapons will be given to the Circle members who ask for them, because those who wield them are in no condition to fight. There is little food, little room to sleep, and these are a people clearly in need of assistance.
In order to get them out of Polankos, you will need to usher them through the tunnels back up to the Rift above -- it seems that King Ka'pouli opened the Rift on the surface, rather than risk the city below in case it did not work. The mermen there (who seem to be elderly and weak) will be eager for the assistance to get out Polankos, and at the promise of being brought into Akvos, they will happily go. There will be no resistance from them.
You may also see Princess Kea, who has filtered in and out of the Rift to assist on the journey -- teary-eyed, heartbroken at the sight of these individuals who require rescue, organizing the mermen with the promise of keeping them safe in Akvos.
"Hurry," she tells you, as she rouses another merman into getting to the nearest tunnel. "We do not have a lot of time to pull this off, and we must work quickly." Additionally, please feel free to write up and work with your own prompts! These areas of the world are presented as jumping off points for your characters, not limitations. The idea of this world- as with all the others- is to explore -- you may use as much leeway as you want in order to come up with what your character will do, especially in the Dreamscapes. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask them back on the various threads back in the OOC post from before! |
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acatalepsy_logs2019-01-04 10:22 am
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[Stars wheel through the expanse and his thoughts stall. Astoria's voice through his audio sensors is almost barely paid attention to. The Void. His eyes glow as he twists, shooting through the endless stretch of space and color like the slash of a blade.
The Void.
He isn't dead. It hasn't all been a lie and he's been dreaming it within the Lion. Right?
A glass-like surface is to his left, he makes to skim along the wall and a tug yanks him inside instead.
The world opens up into the cold expanse space, stretching out forever. Or turns the glint of the fading sun against the hoverbike...or the light on a distant planet as one feels alive again for the first time in a while...
The possibilities spin together. How they end up, well, come see.
(ooc: I'm making custom dreamscapes for people, get in on that here. Otherwise, there's a default set of memories I'll go for.)]
To be the shield of Wahine
[Thunder splits the din of the battlefield as a large black shape cuts through the water above the walls. A burst of pale light tears through to smash projectiles out of the air.]
They're amassing an assault on the north wall!
[Shiro's bark of command is brief. He spins in place, summoning a blade into his lion mouth and peels away from the wall to move just in front of it, cutting down weapons but never harming the combatants.
He takes a hard strike to his side and turns his roar on mermen, blasting them and shadow creatures with his burst of sound. His wings fold in and he shoots past them, his jaw blade carving through a shadow beast.]
We need to find out where these shadows are coming from and put a stop to them! If this keeps up they could overrun us!
I never saw a reason for keeping secrets from myself.
[Wildcard. Hit me up for dreamscape stuff, other scenarios from rescue to holding tunnels to trying to find where the hell the shadows are coming from.]
For Morrigan.
The new space seems to stretch on forever, encouraging the mind to fog and lose all sense of time. Faint flickers of violet light up the night and fade away. Was there an eclipse in the sky or was it a trick of the light?
The wind stirs and something moves out of the corner of the eyes. Yet seemingly, everything is still.]
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She looks out over the expanse of black and violet clouds amidst the stars. A dream, and dreams seldom make sense for those without the power to sculpt and mold; for those who aren't aware. Meaning either this is something someone has seen before, or... hm? Morrigan blinks. What was that? She can't help but try to turn around to try and catch a glimpse of what she could have sensed.]
Now, whose dream is this I wonder?
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The movement out of the corner of her eye moves on, away from her but when she turns there is nothing. The wind brushes against her, smelling of baked sand, dry earth, and hot stone.]
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[The growl she can place; there's only one person she knows of in this cursed Circle with anything remotely resembling the predatory cat. The scent however is... foreign, to her. No matter how she wracks her brain, she cannot place where it could possibly be from. She heaves out a sigh. Patience has never been a strong suit of hers, but she stops trying to turn around and instead listens like she would as a cat.]
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How long does this go on? [He stands side by side with a tall man clad in armor more elaborate than the black and violets of the fighters in the room displayed on the screen. Everyone is sporting a mask except the young man with violet eyes and dark hair that wars against them.
At his side, the man answers. 'Sometimes the greatest challenge is knowing when to stop.' Shiro's brows come down a little more.] He'll never quit.
[His companion continues, ignoring the tension in the Paladin's tone. 'One way or another, this will end. Knowledge...or death.'
On the view screen, the young man roars and charges back into the fray.]
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The voices catch her attention at last and she looks at the two men speaking. Aha, it is indeed Shiro. A smile flits across her lips briefly in smug satisfaction, though it dissipates as the sight on the... whatever that is. Some sort of large screen like the video feeds on their communicators?
That boy is reckless and is likely to get himself hurt even more than he already is if not worse. A stubborn fool, but an admirable one at least.]
Surely you realize this is just a dream. [Wait.] ...Can you even hear me?
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I hear you. Turn around.
[The world shifts moving and reforming like swirls of paint. Shiro leans against a large grey and tan machine in the desert. His Black and Tan riding jacket has been left open to expose a chain around his neck and a pair of metal tags rest against his chest. One is stamped with the V that his armor bears. His body is suffused in purple swirls of magic that curl around him and flicker like sparks. He turns his gaze on her and the glimmering expanse she’d traveled is reflected in his eyes.]
Did you hear what Astoria said?
[His voice still echoes yet he is speaking directly to her. His voice is laced with an leonine growl making it deeper than his voice in the waking world.]
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She turns, wearing her magic like a cloak. Purple and black smoke curling around her form with an occasional blue spark of lightning. Long black hair down, almost to her waist. She toys with a small silver ring before she allows the transformation-- crouching down and in her place, a crow takes flight, landing on the strange machine. It fit better than a black bear, and a bereskarn, and she unfortunately liked him enough not to immediately scare him off with insects.]
Oh, I heard. [Did she listen, however? ...Okay, yes, she did. Doesn't mean she liked the implications.] Though it seems it did not go both ways.
cw: human experimentation
cw: human experimentation
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Cw: mind-control, human experimentation, body horror, ptsd
cw: mind-control, human experimentation, body horror, ptsd
cw: mind-control, experimentation, body horror, ptsd, clones
cw: mind-control, experimentation, body horror, ptsd, clones
cw: mind-control, human experiments, ptsd
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For Keith
Even the trees dotted about the metropolitan area seem fresh and new despite the dusting of snow everywhere he looks. There's a feeling that not all is well. Someone is watching. They move when he moves, following him at a discreet distance.
Citizens on the street watch him too. They look at him with furtive glances, as if not sure whether he is someone to casually walk past or to see him as an enemy.
The chilly air does little to help the strange sense of wrong. The news on the tvs in shop windows only speak about the present. Even the people on the streets talk about current events. If he's sharp he'll notice nowhere mentions anything that isn't happening at the present day. Shops don't announce future sales. There's not even talk of schedules or plans, from anyone.
As he looks ahead he'll see Shiro, his hair two-toned, the Galra based prosthetic once again on his arm, and his expression the neutral mask he takes when he's refusing to share his thoughts. He walks as if he's just like anyone else, his dark scarf tucked neatly into his tan flight jacket. He pauses at a street corner, frowns, and heads for the bar tucked in a corner of the street.]
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There's something wrong about it though, this pristine, snow-covered city. He can feel the eyes on him, and forces his own gaze not to linger or challenge those staring at him. It's a challenge, but until he figures out where he is.
He catches sight of a familiar figure ahead and nothing else matters. Shiro. Keith quickens his step, despite the confusion of it, of seeing Shiro with that arm, with that hair. It's the only thing that keeps Keith from calling out to him straight away. But it also has him determined to follow.
Drawing closer, but leaving enough space that he's not sneaking up on him -- because sneaking up on Takashi Shirogane feels like a dangerous mistake -- and follows. He doesn't like this place. What is going on?]
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Shiro resumes moving, navigating around the people and opens the bar door. The scent of alcohol and smoke is backed by soft music and the low buzz of conversation. He holds the door open for someone drunk and being helped by a friend.
It should give Keith enough time to catch up and slip inside after him.
The inside of the bar is old Earth modern. Shiro makes his way over to the bar produces a few coins setting them on the bar. The bartender grins up at him. 'Just got off shift?']
Yeah, thought I'd swing by. It's my day off tomorrow. ['Of course. Whiskey?' A nod. He collects his drink with a promise to be by next weekend and walks over to a table away from the others. He drops into it and leans back, taking a sip but he's alert and watchful. He hasn't let his guard down for a single moment. Not even when he smiled for the bartender.]
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It isn't any planet or experience he recognizes from their time in space either. Then... is he watching some dream? Or some other memory? From Shiro's time with the Coven before he wound up in Astoria's Circle?
He's not sure he likes the idea of it. At all.
For a long moment he watches Shiro from across the bar, lingering out of the way by the door. ...but like this he's going to draw attention to himself eventually. Memory. Dream. Whatever it is. Keith makes his way across the room towards the table that Shiro has claimed.] ...mind company?
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The Shiro of the present twists in his seat to look across the bar. He leans close to Keith and speaks low almost under his breath.]
...Keith, you need to be very careful here. Don't show any sign you're different from anyone else. Act like the soldier you are. [He shifts his chair closer to the one available for Keith to take and hisses out.] This is Shehui!
[Shehui. He's spoken of it before as far back as El Minha. While he hasn't brought it up much since. The city's marks are on him. He will never stop doing a nightly check of his surroundings to be sure they're secure. That is one of many things he does to make sure he's ready to fight at a moment's notice.]
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And Shiro is quick to confirm that. After the other man spoke of the world he'd been trapped in with the Coven, the things that had happened there, Keith isn't likely to ever forget that name, nor the haunted look in Shiro's eyes when he speaks of it.
Well. He knew he didn't like this place.]
The place you talked about before... [He echoes quietly, words deliberately vague, no mention of world or coven, but he does add,] But why are we here?
[The Rift. Astoria. The justifications flicker through his mind, then they're gone and he can't quite catch them, sand and dreams through his fingers.]
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Some speak of fear and Shiro pushes away from the table and motions for Keith to come with him.] Let’s step outside. If I have this right...we might not need to worry about what we’re saying.
...I hope I’m right. [When Keith stands up he guides him away with a hand on the small of his back. The other Shiro stays put. The bartender and people in the bar don’t even notice at all.]
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His eyes shift away to scan the room once more, curious and unsettled. Very unsettled. But that doesn't stop him from rising as Shiro does, falling into step along with his boyfriend, glancing back only once.]
...is it a dream?
[He intones the question softly as no eyes seem to follow them out.]
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For Hunk
That's when one can realize the world feels odd. The wind isn't quite right. He'll be able to feel it, but it will have a slight distance as if it takes a few more seconds to feel it. If he looks down his feet are all wrong. Metal paws instead of the usual flesh and blood covered in boots. Opening his jaws will get a slight creak and he won't be able to form words. If he tries hard enough to vocalize, he'll just growl or roar.
Ahead of him laying on its side and looking rather like a discarded toy is a horse sized Black Lion. It flickers with purple light that rolls over it like lightning through the clouds. One foot comes up then the other. It sways drunkenly to one side and rams into the wall when it loses its balance. It gets right back up with a single-minded determination of a Lion on a mission. It sways again and tries to save itself.
No dice. Back down it goes. It huffs in a manner that sounds like someone cursing.]
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Except he hadn't seen Yellow in awhile now and now he was Yellow...which didn't make any sense. For whatever reason, maybe because of that whole 'outer body' analogy he'd landed on, Hunk doesn't feel as panicked about this as he maybe should. Instead he just stands there for a moment, shifting from paw to paw, like he's trying on new shoes.
It takes him a moment to realize there's another lion nearby, struggling to get up. Shiro? He tries to call out, but all he manages is a questioning growl. Hunk attempts to run over to him, but he's still adjusting to this himself. So, after nearly tripping over himself, Hunk manages to lumber over to Black.
Wasn't there a way to communicate? Shiro was still able to in a kind of...telepathy. Maybe it's kind of like that bond again. This time Hunk doesn't try to 'speak' out loud, instead he focuses on that bond...the way he usually feels stuff from Yellow.]
Uh...Shiro?
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It takes him a moment to remember he hasn't been this clumsy in a while. Shiro gets all his feet under him and rumbles from deep in his chest.]
Hunk? You're...what is going on?
[He glances at him and raises himself up onto all four paws. He stays upright just fine. He shakes himself once and listens.]
This isn't a city I thought I'd see again. It's the first world the Coven went to while I was around.
[He checks his feet. Looks to Hunk and looks skyward.]
Okay. Flying while you are the Lion is as simple as...well, imagining you're at the controls and engaging the systems. It's going to feel weird. Really weird.
[He shifts on his paws and looks to him again.] Are you ready to try it?
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[Is he a little on edge...maybe...but of all the things he'd been expecting out of a rift, this wasn't it. He pauses, taking a deep breath, letting it out...or at least mentally since Yellow doesn't exactly need to breathe. He focuses on what Shiro's saying.]
Huh. You mean the group you were with before the Circle. Is this like where you learned to fly or something
[Wait...did he just suggest...Hunk turns his head, Yellow doesn't have a very expressive face, but you can imagine that his eyes are wide and he's looking at Shiro with some incredulity.]
We're going to...are you serious right now?
[He can't tell if he's excited about the idea or completely terrified.]
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I learned to fly on The Island. It was a hub realm we went back to between worlds. It wasn’t like the temple realm. It was up to us to restore it.
[He has pride but he really wants to leap skyward. He itches to fly in the first real sky since they got stuck under the water. He wants to share that experience with Hunk, his teammate and friend. He can feel the world around them waiting for it.]
I get the feeling if we try to fly something will happen. [Then he leaps, following the instinct and the world gives way as he streaks upwards. Reality tilts and they’re high above a white sandy beach. The ocean connected to it ends in empty space with a glimmering blue barrier. If Hunk needs caught Shiro swoops down and snatches him up on his way up higher.]
It changed when I thought of when I learned to fly like this. ...might be my memories?
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Okay...okay let's do this.
[Hunk leaps into the air, recalling the sensation of moving the controls like Shiro had suggested. He was right, it does feel weird...kind of electric. It really is amazing, now that the thinks about it, that the lions are even able to get into the air like this at all. It's not easy keeping up with Shiro, especially since he keeps getting distracted by the ability he now has and their surroundings.]
Cool a beach...a beach memory isn't so bad.
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To our right is the forest. The plants and animals were giant. We never figured out why or how. How are you doing over there?
[Hunk keeps getting distracted or so it seems to him. He doesn't want him to accidentally run smack into a memory version of one of the other flyers. Or a mountain. This is so far the most pleasant memory/dream recollection he has had in a long while.]
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It's pretty impressive how you're able to do that while running and jumping over logs.
[He blinks, Yellow's eyes flashing.]
I'm all right. I guess I didn't really think about how long you and Keith must have been involved with the Circle before Pidge and I showed up.
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