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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[ in agreement, as inej draws in a breath, crossing her arms loosely over her chest. ]
I stepped through it with a . . . friend of mine. [ what was kaz, anymore? ] I have no idea where he went, but this is home, to us. There is no way it is actually Ketterdam, though, if you are here.
[ she pauses, before she sends kohona a somewhat apologetic smile. ]
No offense meant, but you strike a figure, in this city.
[ and no one seems to be panicking about a horse person on the street. ]
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Oh, no, it's fine... I don't think I fit in any of the worlds...
[Something that had confused her at first, because... of course, being her... being jinba... it was normal for her, and she had never conceptualized of a place where she would be... not normal.
She's getting used to it, but.]
Will your friend be safe here? Is it dangerous without you?
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[ it's a reassurance; no one really "fits in" in ketterdam, anyway, and inej was as much a stranger as konoha when she first arrived here. it wasn't until kaz rescued her from the menagerie that she really felt at home, in this city. and she considers that to herself for a moment before konoha brings her back to her thoughts, her brow furrowing.
is it -- ]
Will Kaz Brekker be safe here, without me? [ repeated, her lips curling into an involuntary smile, at the thought. the thought of kaz needing anybody, particularly her, is a pretty satisfying thought, but she shakes her head, her tone rueful: ] He doesn't need your concern, or me. He can take care of himself.
[ most days, anyway. ]
But it wouldn't hurt to look for him, while we find our way out of here. If he were anywhere, it would be around here. He's not welcome near the merchers -- the people who own most of the city. [ as a means of clarification ] Ketterdam is run on trade and coin; Kaz and I tend to stay away from them, unless we have to interact.
[ not that konoha needs to know any of this, but the poor thing is so out of her element that a tiny piece of information couldn't hurt. ]
But we can try this way, anyway. [ she inclines her head, toward a wider walkway, so she won't have to go down any narrow alleys. ] Toward the university. It would give you more room, and we may find our way out of here.
[ and, if kaz was here, and he could not find inej in the barrel, he would immediately suspect either van eck or pekka rollins . . . neither of whom would be near the slat. ]
no subject
Not that she knew much about that, either, but.]
Sorry, I don't know much about trade... I just work in a lumberyard, my boss handles all the coin.
[The wider path she appreciates, though- because there's dirty children underfoot here and there and when she isn't focusing on it... there's a few equine instincts she can't fully be responsible for in the hoof and rear regions.]
There will be smart people at the university, right? So maybe they know the way out.
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still, inej doesn't have the heart to break the news to konoha that most of the people in the university were easy pickings to the dregs because of how oblivious they were, and so instead: ]
It's worth a shot. [ in an agreeable tone, and quickly, as they walk, inej shifts the subject: ] You are a laborer, then? You work with your hands.
[ something of respect, judging from her tone. ]
Is your boss . . . [ and inej's tone trails off, her cheeks turning a slightly pinkish color, as she stops herself from just bluntly asking, before she attempts to reword herself. ] I have never seen a being such as you, before coming to the Circle. Are all people in your world like you?
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Yeah, I mostly haul timber down from the mountains once the men cut and then bring supplies back up to the yard. We're working on a shrine right now, actually. Or- were, I guess... it's been a while...
[And in combination with her mountain stock equine build, there's quite a bit of muscle hidden beneath the modest clothing she wears and the hide wrapped about her "waist" where human met horse.
Though speaking of horse... Konoha finally gets what Inej is getting at a moment later, shaking her head a bit.]
Gosh, no- Mostly it's humans! I'm the only one who's made it at the yard. But my boss is a jinba, too! She's real smart, and she's real good at finding work for us, too.
[Despite the potentially worrying sound of some of what she says, Konoha says it with a smile.]
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A shrine?
[ curious, as they walk down the street. ]
To your gods, or to something else?
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[The smile stays on her face despite the slight sadness in her tone, dodging around a small street child with a flick of her tail, barely visible beneath the "skirt" she wears on her rump for modesty.]
But we have shrines for the gods, too- like for the god of the mountain, and rain, and crops...
[They haven't passed anything that seems religious based on Konoha's understanding of such structures, though, so-]
Do you have gods here?
no subject
It is . . . complicated, but yes. In Ketterdam, they worship Ghezen.
[ and inej lifts a hand, to point toward the spires of the massive cathedral in the heart of ketterdam. it's inej's favorite building in the entirety of the city, despite the fact that inej does not worship him. ]
He rules trade, coin, and the market. Materialistic things, for the most part. But I worship a different religion . . . I am not originally from this country, I was born in Ravka. It is on a different continent. I follow the Saints, and it is a less . . . ostentatious religion.
[ to put it delicately: inej doesn't really think building a massive cathedral to your god is a necessary thing. she likes the idea of a shrine for worship much better. ]
But the Cathedral is still very pretty, despite Ghezen's flaws.
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[It's such a strange, foreign sounding word- but then again, Konoha has rarely heard a name or place since she's left her world that sounded familiar. Or... seen.
Still... unknowingly, she kind of agrees with Inej. A god of money seems kind of wrong, somehow.]
What do the Saints do?
[She pauses a moment to tap a hoof on the street cobblestones with a frown, unused to such hard surfaces and still not a fan of them.]
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The Saints guide us on our path to happiness, and encourage us to remain steadfast in our convictions. They sacrificed themselves for us in order to achieve peace, and we must continue on their path in return.
[ she can almost hear kaz's voice in her head, mocking her suli proverbs, but -- her voice takes on a soft, almost affectionate tone, at describing her faith. ]
I pray to them every night, and they give me strength. They have not led me astray yet.