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
steve rogers | open
[None of this is ideal. Steve knows a lot about making the best choice in a bad situation from his days as a soldier. Right or wrong, the princess is at least trying to find a way for everyone to live. Smarter people can work out what the world will like after. All Steve has is today and a desire to keep as many people alive as possible.
He knew this was incredibly dangerous before Astoria showed up. He has to admit it's nice for her to check in finally. Maybe, just maybe he can remind her again not to toss them around like ragdolls because the past month has been a nightmare for him.
Steve doesn't get to say much before his dream begins. If you can't view it for some reason, here's what you will find. Steve in military dress trying to get through the most unsettling victory party known to man. If you're from Earth the 1940s aesthetic is a tip off as to what they are celebrating. If not, well, it's a party. Have fun? Except Steve clearly isn't. Every flash of the camera sounds like a whistling sound before an explosion. The partiers are squabbling aggressively at some parts. In others, people just laugh as they clean up a wine spill on their clothing that looks like blood.
Steve is followed or rather haunted by a woman in a blue dress and dark hair. She asks him to dance over and over again, reminding him they can go home, as disappears and reappears like the phantom she is. Sometimes he manages to dance with her and others she disappears with the rest of the party to leave him alone.
Her voice still haunts the room. They can go home. Why can't he imagine it?]
POLANKOS;
[Steve is emotionally drained by the time they make through to the surface. The job isn't over yet. Frankly this isn't the first or last time he's had to pull it together. The sun and land help some, but it's clear from the grim look on his face that he's not having the best day. Really, who is?
Eventually they reach the tunnels and the city. Steve throws himself into the job of getting these men to safety. Regardless of who is right, this is definitely wrong. It brings back so many ugly memories that he can hardly stand it. He will. He always does.] I can carry whoever needs it. [He offers and that's the end of what he has to say if he can help it. All he'll be focused on getting these men back and forth.]
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Sorry, handsome. I've got another date.
[ because this isn't his dream. he knows it's the man who keeps chasing a phantom along the dance floor. where peggy disappears in a wisp, john is there, all trenchcoat and arrogance, standing at his full 5'11 and looking ready for a fight. ]
Snap out of it, old son. If you want to get back to her, the last way to do it is letting this tired loop play out.
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John Constantine at your service, mate. Demonologist, exorcist and... dillentante in the dark arts.
[ he glances around, thinking his expertise actually might be needed here for a change. ]
deal with bearded steve bc i'm too lazy to renew
no!!!
[ he looks around... ] Well, maybe we're halfway there actually. Let me guess, you have unresolved tension with the smoking hot lady ghost who keeps disappearing?
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Let's get you that date with the director then. Yeah, I agree, mate. Authoritative women? Real sexy. I know this space captain... [ he whistles, though it's unclear if he means to comment on sara or peggy as she comes into the room. and wow, is she... a vision. ha-ha. john should've narrated agent carter, i know i know. ] I'll be... just over there, if you need anything.
[ instead of pointing to the wall, he points to the most built soldier in this dreamscape. what? he can admire this love story while getting some phantom attention of his own!! ]
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It's exactly what you think it will be. A little awkward and mostly cute as Steve follows the lead of his clearly more skilled partner. Steve couldn't be more smitten. Like a classic Cinderella story, it stops when the clock hits midnight aka the dance finishes. Everything disappears. They're left with only each other for company in an empty dance hall.] What happens now?
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Now we get the hell out of here, mate.
[ he holds out his hand and lifts an eyebrow. if steve takes it, they'll be back in the rift. hopefully it's the real deal this time. ]
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Steve glances at John's hand before taking it.] They teach you how to get out in demonologist school? [He smiles at his own joke.]
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[ he looks down at their hands, steve's is a bit larger than his but it's soft - surprisingly so for a man so built. he runs his thumb along the man's lifeline idly, his thumb calloused from flicking pages in magic books believe it or not. but then he's letting steve go and looking around like he's not sure if they made it out of the matrix. ]
She's the one that got away, huh? [ murmured softly as he swims deeper. if this is gonna be one of those jump-scares he's officially done with this place. ]
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[The intent was there even if his execution left a lot to be desired.]
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After the horrors of Tony's, however, this almost seems ... quiet. And she's relieved to see Steve, all in one piece.
Her heels click against the floor as she makes her way closer, a little too loud and a little too obvious, and she places her hand on his shoulder gently.]
Steve?
[It's a tentative question, one she hopes isn't met with confusion, but hopefully Steve is aware and hasn't been lured too much into the siren song of a life that isn't real.]
i am too lazy to renew his account
hey, i'm all for steve's sexy rebel beard, i will not complain
[Her voice is gentle as she speaks, because him recognizing her is a step in the right direction. Now she needs to get him back on mission in a way where he won't fight her.
At least not too much.]
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[He swallows thickly, struggling to put his problem into words not for the first time around Zari.] Why is she here?
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Her eyes wander back to Peggy for a moment, before turning back to him.]
Who is she?
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[Not that he has such a grand opinion of himself now. That's the best way to put it in order to stress what she means to him and what kind of person she is as well.]
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Were you thinking about her recently?
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[Her eyes scan the room for a moment.]
Have you tried walking out?
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