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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acatamods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
acatalepsy_logs2019-01-04 10:22 am
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[It's so close, it's right there, just ten or so minutes down the mountain-]
Oh, gods, I have to get back, my parents will have been worried sick-
[She actually starts towards the path leading towards the village, desperate to see them, but stops just before she leaves the clearing, turning back torn. Oh, no, she can't leave him here, people will think he's some sort of ghost or invader, and-]
Come on, you can come with me! I'll introduce you!
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He knows how alluring home can be. He misses his every day. So...yeah, this might be a detour, but it's an important one.
He jogs right up to her side. ]
Yeah? Sure I won't look a little weird with my boring, old two legs?
[ Does her world have humans?? ]
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[It's difficult for her to tamp down her desire to just gallop down to the village, even though you definitely shouldn't be so reckless on the steep mountain paths. She does her best, though, clipping her pace so as not to leave Prompto behind, hooves clopping in a high step.]
My parents are human, why would you look weird?
[Which she says... like that's normal.]
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[ He gestures to the horse half of her body as he runs alongside her. At least with his speed he has no trouble keeping up, though it's strange that his power still works here. Are they still connected to the Circle somehow? ]
H-how is that even... [ He stops himself there. ] Y'know? Actually, I probably don't need to know.
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Geez, no- Why is everyone so perverted? Adopted parents!
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[ But as she's shared anyway...that makes a lot more sense now. Anyway— ]
Well, we better get down there, then! I bet they've been missin' you like crazy!
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[She has definitely had this same conversation like ten times now, okay, she's a veteran. ... That still hasn't been able to change the instinct to just call them "her parents", but. One step at a time.]
Watch your feet going down, some of the paths are steep- !
[She makes sure not to go too fast, sturdy legs courtesy her mountain stock breed carefully placing hooves and navigating the rocky path down, the village growing closer.]
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That would probably put a bit of a damper on the whole Konoha-reuniting-with-her-village thing. ]
S-still! I shouldn't have just assumed — I'm adopted, too!
[ But his parents were...also human... ]
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[That... actually seems to excite her a bit, not having heard that from any of the other Circle members before.]
Did your world have a lot of wars, too?
[Sadly, it's her go-to thought for why... children needed adopting.]
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[ A somber answer, but it's true — war was why he needed adopting, though not because his birth parents were killed. It's...a lot more complicated than that.
But this isn't about him anyway, and he doesn't want to detract from her impending reunion, so he follows that up with: ]
B-but that's ancient history now. I bet you're folks're great, if they raised someone like you!
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So instead she smiles.]
They're the best! And my mother is such a good cook- I'm sure we can whip up something for you, even though they aren't expecting us!
[There's a lightness to her trot that hasn't been evident for a while... maybe because in Akvos she can only swim, but-]
And don't worry about the house! My father made different tables, so there's human sized ones!
[... Because that is the issue here.]
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Oh — well, great! Heh, if your mom is even half the cook you are, I'm in for a treat! Full belly, here I come!
[ But since she brought it up... ]
Did he...make different-sized beds, too? ...Do you sleep in a bed?
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[Picking up the pace despite her attempts to not leave him in the dust, she kicks out her legs in excitement.]
We don't use beds here, we use futons! But I sleep standing up most of the time!
[Even questions that might annoy her a little on a normal day seem like nothing now, when they're so close.]
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And on that matter: ]
Konoha...your village is beautiful! Boy, do I wish I had my camera right now...
[ He would take approximately a billion and one photos of this place. ]
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[... Konoha, taking photos with a camera isn't like painting a picture...
But there's no time to correct her, because suddenly she catches sight of an old woman coming out of the house in the distance and she can't help it, excitement bubbling desperately in her as she kicks into a full gallop, shouting out a greeting-
And by the time Prompto catches up... he'll find Konoha a weeping mess clutching an short, plump elderly woman and a taller, balding man, all but blubbering as she waves him over to...
Join in the hug?]
And- And this is Prompto, he was traveling with me-
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He draws up to the small group, hesitating a moment as Konoha waves him to join in, before throwing his arms around them. Hey, he won't say no to a warm, happy group hug!! ]
H-hi! That's me! It's so great to meet both of you. Your daughter is really something, you know that?
[ He's sure they do, but he'll say so anyway. ]
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Her mother beams, cheeks glowing at the praise her daughter has received, quick to clasp Prompto's hands tight. Oh, thank you! To think my daughter had such a handsome young man protecting her-
Used to such behavior, Konoha pulls her head from her father's shoulder immediately to chastise,]
Mother! It's not like that every time I bring a man home-
[Prompto might be cute, but come on, he's not enough legs!!!]
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I-I'm just along for the ride! B-but your daughter is wonderful!
[ He's not helping his case here, but he just has to tell her parents just how great she is. Sure, they probably know, but he's happy to add his voice to the chorus anyway. ]
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Praising her daughter certainly seems to be one way to her mother's heart, because she may only have known him for two seconds but Konoha's mother, a short, portly woman who barely comes up to Prompto's shoulder, immediately begins to try and usher him into the house as her husband wipes the tears from Konoha's cheeks.]
There's too much to explain, I don't even know where we'd start-
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This is good. This is great. ]
Heh, it's been a crazy few months, huh?
[ There's a lot to catch them up on. ]