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! |
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
acatamods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
acatalepsy_logs2019-01-04 10:22 am
no subject
Long and hard I can do, I'm awesome at that. But really, didn't we already have this conversation? It's the journey, not the end. Can't rush the good stuff.
[His merriment is almost palatable and as soon as Hank catches up he continues forward. The closeness is...it's nice, but the no touching rule is currently in effect and by the Traveler he's a gentleman. Kind of. Sort of. When it counts.]
So relax, dragonslayer. Enjoy it all, when else are you gonna get a chance to see such breathtaking surroundings?
no subject
To be honest, all this is uh... Well it's cool, but... I don't know, I guess I never figured out how to commune with nature, or whatever. But you like this kind of thing? [He's not shitting on it - he sounds honest, curious, and now a corner of his lips curls up, cause this is the part he has trouble picturing.] Just hanging out being quiet for hours? That's what 'enjoy the journey' means, right?
no subject
There. There’s a grating, metallic cry somewhere off in the distance that confirms it.]
Couldn’t tell you one thing about communing with nature. That’s more a Warlock thing, the whole ‘be zen with the universe’ stuff. The journey-
[He turns back to look at Hank, motions for him to follow, then takes a careful step and works to slide down the hill on his heels, one hand brushing the ground for stability.]
The journey is, it’s the stuff you do on the way. The hunts through places like this, the satisfaction of putting a bullet between the eyes of something big and nasty, of finding bits and pieces from before the Collapse, when everything went to hell and back. It’s about holing up in some rusted out wreck for the night, rifle across your lap and the sounds of Fallen scrabbling around outside. It’s the adrenaline, the excitement, the moments where you-
[He falls quiet for a few moments.]
Where it’s you and your mates out, doin’ good and lookin’ good all the while. It’s the dares, the loot, just…just the freedom of everything. And it’s the times where you sometimes go back, just for a little while sometimes for more than a little while, and see all the people that’re safe and happy because you’re out there making the world a little bit better.
[That’s gotten a little too deep, a little too introspective, if he’s being honest with himself.]
Did I mention the loot? The loot is awesome. Now c’mon, big guy over there, that’s what we’re after.
no subject
Maybe the Hank of, say, four or five years ago, he would of gotten it better. But that Hank’s not here, so this one has to relate that to something he knows the best he can. Soldier, he thinks. Post-apocalyptic soldier, maybe, depending on the kind of ‘collapse’ Cayde was talking about.
Hank glances toward whatever Cayde means when he says ‘over there’, but he doesn’t really look at it yet, looking hack to study Cayde instead. He can deal with whatever bullshit Cayde has planned in a second.]
Being cooped up with the rest of us just waiting for something to happen all the time, that must kill you.
no subject
Heh, would you believe me if I said this is the most action I’ve had in years? As bad as the Circle can get sometimes, it’s better than being tethered to a desk job back home.
[For all the trouble they were, the world hops were at least interesting and provided new environments to explore. This time without the backdrop of war and desperation like back home. It’s been nice, if somewhat jarring at times.]
What about you? Not a big nature kind of guy, I’m gonna guess from all the talk?
no subject
It's good to know all that just because he wants to know it, it's good to slip another puzzle piece into what Hank thought he knew about this guy and watch the way the picture changes. But he doesn't chase the topic; being stuck in a job you hate's no joke, especially for guys who love being out in the field like that, and Hank would be willing to bet that's still true even in the post-apocalyptic sci-fi space future.]
Nah. My dad sort of was, and the lakes you get in Detroit really are something, if you catch em at the right time of year, but I guess something about it never really sunk in. I was always, uh- I don't know, I guess there was always stuff to do, places to go, no time to stand there fartin around in the flowers unless there was someone else there getting something out of it, you know?
And you, you said the nature stuff was more of a warlock thing? That's what you thought I was gonna be, before I ended up in whatever the fuck kind of outfit this is. Does that mean you thought I was some kinda hippie?
[He's smiling, teasing a little. Because - come on, man. Really?]
no subject
[It’s almost surprising how easy it’s been to accept the fact that there are other Earths out there. Honestly though? It’s not the weirdest thing Cayde’s ever heard of, so he’s not going to sweat the details too much. He’d much rather look back and raise a browplate at Hank’s teasing, roll his eyes, and take the opportunity he’s been given and run with it.]
What, you can’t imagine being all esoteric and questioning the meaning of life and all that? [He teases back, clearly amused.] Nah, with you I’m thinkin’ more of the ‘applied research’ type. Don’t ask me what that totally means, I’m not sure, but from what I’ve seen it involves a lotta blowing stuff up and less book stuff.
[His hands rest on his hips as he spends a moment taking in all of Hank with a critical eye. Now he’s actually thinking about this realistically.]
I’m thinkin’….Sunsinger maybe? I can’t see you being the type to do the dark spooky stuff or the tickle fingers [No explanation there.] But if we’re really going for it, you got the build for a Striker. But I’m guessing you’re not too down with the whole ‘duty before everything else’ kinda mindset.
no subject
Well, shit. Thinking about bringing Cayde home to Detroit feels like a friend wanting to come over when gran was in town, that same all-over body cringe and reminding himself that he loves her, he does, it's just- well, Hank knows what stuff he's got to ignore in order to get through a visit.
And he remembers his first impression of Cayde, that he was an android that walked out of the factory before they put his skin on, and Hank's pretty sure that's the impression the rest of the city - hell, the world - would get when Cayde came to town, too.
It's not an issue because Cayde moves on from the topic quick, it's not an issue because it's never going to actually happen, but it's just... weird, for a split second. He's lived there his whole life, and hasn't ever thought of Detroit that way.
He pushes it to the back of his mind. Some part of him's probably going to keep chewing that over, if he can't manage to forget about it, but he's not going to worry about it right now. He might look a little surprised, very briefly distracted, while he tries to switch gears from his own weird thoughts to what Cayde's saying, but once he does the surprise disappears into a crooked little smile.]
I don't have a single clue what any of that means. I know I really want to show you some Mythbusters now - they were big on 'applied research' - but the rest of it... uh, I don't know, I guess it depends on what kind of duty you mean.
Also, uh. [Hank looks amused, yeah, but he also looks like he knows he might regret asking this.] Tickle fingers?
no subject
[‘Mythbusters’ is a term that he’s never encountered before. Some sort of old Earth slang, maybe? Or Hank-Earth slang? Busting sounds pretty interesting though. It brings to mind breaking things, and honestly Cayde heartily approves of both of that. He hopes he’s right, life could use a little more excitement back at the Circle.
Hank’s got questions, though, and there are answers that need to be dispensed. Whether or not he’s going to get coherent, cohesive answers is an entirely different question, but Cayde’s willing to roll with it no matter what. The last time he’d tried to explain these kind of things he’d been greeted with blank stares and confusion and he’s not expecting much more than that, but hell, at the very least he could try to make this fun.]
Anyways. So.
[He claps his hands together to signify the beginning of his impromptu lesson.]
Ikora’d kill me if she heard me calling them that, but there are these Warlocks that are real good at calling down the thunder, right?
[Right. There’s an impish glint in Cayde’s eyes as he spreads his hands, wriggling his fingers a little bit.]
But the way they do it, it’s not in a big explosion like a Striker or in a really stylish, awesome way like one of my Bladedancers or Arcstriders. They put their hands out in front of them and-zap! Lightning from their hands, real flashy and real dangerous if you don’t get out of the way.
But their hands kinda shake, y’know? I mean, I guess mine would too if I was being a human lightning-rod, and it makes their fingers go all weird. So, tickle fingers.
no subject
So that's your own personal nice little nickname. Got it. And there's different, uh - what do you soldier guys call it, different divisions, or whatever? And you're in charge of a couple? And there's different uh, mindsets that come along with it, like the strikers and that duty thing?
no subject
[There’s not a shred of dishonesty there, and instead Cayde sounds positively amused at the idea. Conditional immortality sometimes makes one forget that things like that? Are actually horrifying.
But- for the first time in a long while, at least since he’d first arrived in the Circle, he finds himself having to explain. It’s still a weird feeling, back home all this was common knowledge and he’d been doing this gig for centuries- and maybe he’s not the most unbiased source of information. But he’ll give it a go.]
Okay, quick and dirty lesson before we get to the shooting part.
[He crosses his arms, standing up a bit straighter as if that will somehow lend credibility to what he’s about to say.]
Where I come from there are people like me, well not as handsome mind you, called Guardians. We’re awesome, got a bunch of cool powers, think superheroes. A lot of us have been around a real long time, and people tend to kinda try to organize themselves, yeah? So you’ve got your Warlocks, your Titans, and your Hunters. Hunters are the best, that’s not even a lie.
[Absolutely unbiased.]
Warlocks are the whole ‘science and philosophy and books’ kinda type, do a lot of studying about the Light and the world and basically everything. They’re definitely not pushover nerds though, lemme tell you, they’ll light you up fast if you bug ‘em. Titans are the- Zavala would kill me if he heard this - the Honor and Sacrifice kind of guys. Not a lot of fun, they’re pretty serious, but they have some of the wildest stories. Like, did you know one of ‘em killed a Kell, big monster, but just headbutting it? That’s wild.
And then you have the best of the best, Hunters.
[He takes a little bow.]
Attractive, deadly, and all around amazing. Lone wolves that specialize in getting in and getting stuff done with panache, but also the stealthiest people you’ ever meet.
So you’ve got our three groups, and then from that you get three more groups each. So nine total. It depends on which way your Light, the superpowers, runs. There’s your Solar Guardians, so uh, fire. Then Arc, electricity. And then Void. I don’t think there’s really much of a comparison I can give there beyond ‘that creepy feeling when you go down into a dark basement’ or something like that. They all have names, that’s where you’re getting ‘Striker’ from, that’s an Arc Titan.
[Cayde takes a moment to breathe, even though he doesn’t have to. This is getting a little long-winded.]
Finally, you got the a lotta different factions running around but at the heart of everything you got the Vanguard. Like, as awesome as it is to just run around and be awesome some guys way back when decided that it might be good to try to organize up just a little bit. So you got your Titan Vanguard who looks over all the Titans, your Warlock Vanguard who does all the spooky Warlock stuff, and your roguishly handsome Hunter Vanguard.
[He waggles his browplates, clearly smug.]
You get all that?
no subject
[Hank raises a hand to wiggle back and forth in a 'sort of' gesture.]
About as well as I'm going to, I think. So, managing a bunch of assholes with superpowers, is that as much of a pain in the ass as it sounds like? Cause I have enough trouble when it's just guys with guns.
no subject
[Because that was. A lot. Cayde’s even talked himself in a circle here, so it’s kind of nice not to have to go on anymore.]
I mean, it’s not a huge pain. I got some pretty competent guys, and the paperwork I don’t do? My buddy picks that up for me, he’s real good about that. That’s the sign of a good leader, don’t you know? Being able to delegate work to other people.
[Really he just hates paperwork.]
Now, you ready to shoot something?
no subject
[As if Jeffrey doesn’t do most of the paperwork Hank’s supposed to be doing already. But he doesn’t do it as a favor, not exactly, and your boss doing your paperwork isn’t exactly delegating. Never fucking mind that shit.]
But uh, yeah, I guess. [He smiles crookedly to try and make himself seem more rueful than unenthusiastic. Operation Don’t Be A Drag is still in effect, after all.] Haven’t exactly been keeping up with my gigantic ray-gun target practice lately though so uh, I hope you’re not counting on me to watch your back too much.
no subject
Nu-uh, no energy weapons here.
[He pats the piece at his side, nodding towards the one his dream has designated for Hank.]
Just good, old-fashioned lead. Most things still go down just as easy without anything fancy. I mean, yeah, some people like using lasers and all that - not that I wouldn't, don't get me wrong, people just keep, ah, hiding them from me- but it's easier and sometimes less messy to put a bullet in something.
[Flashing a wink to his companion, he motions for him to follow through the underbrush.]
Just keep an eye on my six and we'll be golden.
no subject
[Hank lets himself fall back behind Cayde, following but just far enough to let his eyes dip down to - well, his six, or whatever they're calling it. He does think about whether they're okay enough, with his little uh, his moment earlier, with the way Cayde's not touching him, that he can make a crack like the one he's about to but he wants them to be, he wants them to be okay enough, so he goes ahead and says it.]
You know, if you actually do got six of em down there to keep an eye on I think you might of held out on me.
[Cause he's a robot. You know. Ha ha. And also from another dimension, because that's where Hank's life is at right now. For all Hank knows Cayde might have six different detachable dicks.]
no subject
That's a hilarious thing.
Traveler bless Hank and his ability to make awful jokes, it helps lighten the mood really really well, and it draws a sharp bark of laughter and a look back until Cayde's grinning unabashedly in Hank's direction.]
I mean, how do you think I got the name 'Cayde-6'? Huh? Huh???
[Absolutely not that, but the setup was way too great to pass up.]
no subject
[Hank has the brief thought that maybe he's supposed to be quiet, so they can sneak up on whatever hallucination it is they're here to kill. But Cayde would tell him if that was the case, right? Besides, even if he should shut up, making Cayde laugh might be worth losing the element of surprise for.]
no subject
Pshh, how do you know? Maybe this is like, tradition over where I’m from. You could be being culturally insensitive right now.
[If silence is supposed to be important, it’s very clear that Cayde is either not paying attention to that or just plain doesn’t care. Stealth and subterfuge were all well and good, but in the middle of something like this? He’d much rather poke fun in their back and forth, that’s a far more important use of his time. Besides, giving Hank crap outweighs any sort of sneaky advantage they might have.]
I think me and my six aught to be offended!
no subject
[Hank's grinning, slipping into the rhythm of this. He hasn't forgotten about his weird shit and how he fucked up and made everything awkward, but he can almost forget about it. Cayde's good at that, still, at making things feel right, and normal.]
no subject
[He’s laughing through the words, grin blazing bright in his mouth and throat as he hurdles over a piece of debris blocking their descent. It’s almost like this is just another day, giving each other shit and taking it in return, and not a strange amalgamation of memories in the middle of an alien ocean. It’s a lot better to think of it as the former, Cayde’s sure of that.]
I think that deserves an apology, so c’mon. Let’s hear it.
no subject
[Hank's not really hurtling over anything like Cayde is, he's keeping his eyes on the ground most of the time and so he can pick his way around all the debris, but he's also trying to keep up, and that's a delicate dance for a poor middleaged asshole trying to figure out how to follow an enthusiastic battle robot through some kind of post apocalyptic alien landscape without falling on his face like a moron. He thinks he's doing okay so far.]
Maybe you got other interchangeable asses I don't know about, what do I know about uh, Exos? Besides, I already told you I'd kiss it, if that's not good enough for you I really don't know what else I got to offer.