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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Once they're through the door, he tries to step to the side to get out from behind John and get a better look.
At the question, he turns away to hide a wince. He didn't expect to be asked that, somehow, and doesn't have a good answer ready. It's probably best to be honest anyway, even if he doesn't have to spill the whole convoluted tale.]
Er--not exactly. Unless you count it in the sense that some people call places like this "finishing school" for guys like me.
[Not the wittiest way to put it, but Firo's never pretended to be bright. And is there a good way to tell some guy you barely know that you were imprisoned?]
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And this is why I'm a wizard, not Marty bleeding McFly.
[ he also hates alternate reality shit, but oh well, he'll bite. there's definitely not judgment in his voice when he asks: ]
What did you say your full name was again?
[ john constantine operates more or less outside the law. or just on the fringes of it, maybe. oh, he's got a good story. ]
Got locked up in Mexico once, you know. They called me El Diablo. [ no really, because he was actually possessed. ]
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Firo Prochainezo.
[The smile that quirks up half of his mouth is a mix of relief and amusement. Astoria's group is made up of more law-abiding types than he's used to being around on a regular basis--it feels like he's met another "normal" person, finally, for lack of a better word.]
Are you just making that up?
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[ which means: ding ding ding. alternate reality AND time travel. his two faves in one. the rest gets a snort. ]
I wish, mate. [ still to this day he can't cross the border okay. he hears another chain rattle and stops moving forward, looking over at firo to see if he knows what's up. ] You dream about this place a lot?
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...Sometimes. Not a lot--I wasn't there for that long before I wound up in Astoria's temple. Does it matter?
[There are more rattlings farther down the tier, in the direction that Firo's idly heading towards.]
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[ his arm bars across to stop firo's forward momentum, trying to get the other man to listen. no one ever does until it's too late. ]
If there's a big nasty waiting for us, I want to know now and not when it's plucking out our livers for a snack.
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Fair enough. [He sighs and meets John's eyes.] All I can tell you is that there weren't monsters or anything at the real place. All you had to worry about there are the guards or the other guys, and I don't see any of 'em around here. I think we'd already've gotten shot by now if they were.
[Still, just the thought of it has him glancing up uneasily at the catwalk above them.]
...But the real place also wasn't right above my casino, so I can't make any promises.
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[ not because he's become particularly attached to him or anything!!! no that's crazy. john edges towards the sound, half-expecting some really lame jumpscare or something. ]
Got any deep, dark fears about this place? [ since he said no to recurring dreams, he's ruling out a sleep demon, but a fear demon could still easily be in play. ]
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[Grumble grumble. All the same, he'll hang back a little--but he's ready to go hurl himself into danger headfirst if it appears.]
No. [Offered very quickly.] I mean, it wasn't a vacation, but I'm not scared of anyone here.
[The big thing to worry about would be Huey. And since immortals can only "eat" other immortals, then John really doesn't have anything to worry about from him--Huey didn't seem like the sort of guy to go shank some random guy.
But, well, dreams don't always follow real-life rules, so once they approach the cell that seems to be the source of the rattling noises, there sure is going to be a right hand popping out to grab at anyone who gets too close.
It is, indeed, a lame jumpscare. Sorry, John.]
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[ not him!! he's el diablo. which is why he shrieks when that hand wraps around his wrist, of course. ]
What in the blue blazes? [ his eyes glow gold as he holds up his hands, chanting quietly in some dead language or other, a big golden dial appearing in front of him as he tries to force the creature to show its true form. ] This place is bollocks, mate.
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Wh-- How'd you do that?
[The hand changes as its true form is forced out. It's not human, just an extension of the dream; there's a flat, two-dimensional quality to it, like a paper cut-out. It flickers, then lights up to reveal the rest of the "person" it's attached to, an unassuming man with an empty smile, who stares at them unblinking and makes no move to let go.
Even his grip may feel like tissue paper and, thus revealed, he may be easily banished.]
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[ he turns his gaze on firo, they flash gold but spark back blue a moment.]
Told you I was a master of the dark arts. You know this wanker?
[ seems polite to ask before he sends him to hell and all. ]
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[Now? That's a different story.
His response is slow, more out of confusion rather than any real careful consideration of his words.]
Yeah, I know him. What exactly are you gonna do? The guy I know's immortal.
[But he also doesn't look like an incorporeal paper doll and probably would've made some snarky remark by now, so Firo'll be damned if he can guess how this is going to play out.]
does this work as a capper? let me know if you need anything changed.
That won't matter where he's going.
[ john finishes off his chant before he can lose track of the spell, and curiously, the man burns just like the paper he resembles now. that's something he'll carry to his own dreams so thanks for that, weird voidspace. and just as quickly as it happens, they're back out in the tunnel, the casino and the prison above it gone in one blinking instant. ]
You've got some unresolved issues, mate. [ he quips though his eyes betray him, a concern for firo shining in their depths. but they've got a mission on now, and it's time to go. has been for some time, hasn't it? ] We've got merpeople to save, yeah?