New Island: Maati

[lifeaftr_mods]

NEW ISLAND: MAATI

The votes are in! And despite the abstracted nature of this round of voting, most characters elected to vote for the fourth option presented: the one represented by golden flames, a set of scales, and a number of shapes that resemble birds.

The newest addition to LifeAftr can be found on our Locations page. The Storyteller alert explorers on the night prior that the new island will be ready for exploration via the mana pools on November 10th.

Transportation
The Storyteller will manage to link Maati's mana pool with Ensō's. As they are still in a state of recovering from the havoc the fabric of Mu has played on your psyches, as well as the multiple resurrections they had to enact all at once, they do not - or rather, cannot - inform you of any specific dangers or things to watch out for on the island of Maati.

The mana pool is present on the E5 square, should the characters choose to arrive via that method. In addition, characters are free to sail there on their own, if they so choose.

The Storyteller does mention the name of the island, at least, in the initial dream.

MAATI has now been added to the Locations page.

Be the Power to Compel Me
The island itself is relatively bare, surrounded on all sides by cliffs. The cliffs are sheer, so much so that attempts to climb them will come with a high chance of failure unless characters invest a few stories into proper climbing gear. Those with powers of flight and teleportation will also be incapable of reaching the top until these areas have been explored...or otherwise made available to them.

This land lacks very many natural resources due to how rocky and desolate it appears to be. However, that does not mean that nothing can be uncovered in this area at all - old tools and equipment can be uncovered with enough searching, as though a great many struggles or battles were fought here, a long time ago.

However, from a distance, it can be discerned that Maati is a peculiarly shaped island: a seven-pointed star. While the center remains the only part of that land that can be initially charted, the different prongs of the star are each walled off with a large door, each bearing a different, glowing sigil. Those who remember the caves underneath Ensō might recall this occurrence as worryingly similar. No matter how they are approached, the doors refuse to open; they will not yield to magic, to pleas, to prayers, or to brute force attack. Yet that doesn't mean they won't ever open. As for the rest, you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?

Won't You Liberate Me?
The avatar of Maati, similar to Harv, will make their presence known rather quickly. Their temple can be found at the island's center, and it will be fairly obvious when one draws close: some of the only green on Maati can be found there! Their temple is a fairly simple thing, built of iron and copper. Yet more copies of the same seven sigils that can be found on the doors are inlaid periodically across the exterior, carved from differently-colored variants of jasper. Twined about the metallic construct, woven neatly throughout the composition of the building, several chestnut trees rear out into the sky. And everywhere you look, the symbol of the eagle can be found - fanning wings, hooked beak, outspread talons - carved into the walls, in the form of simple ornaments mounted on ledges and peaks. Maati's avatar will answer to a great many titles: Tyreg, Utag, the Iron Will, and others. For their part, they prefer Anbaki. Their shape is unsurprising to anyone who has so much as glanced at their temple. Anbaki takes the shape of a golden eagle, slightly larger than average, but despite the fearsome curve of their beak, they are surprisingly gentle.

Surprisingly gentle, we say, because Anbaki is the avatar of justice. And they might be able to explain those symbols mounted on all those doors, too...

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Comments

[deathfindsaway]

Player: Alex
Character/Username: Kravitz / deathfindsaway

Prior to coming to LifeAftr, what is an aspect of your character that they struggled with - be it a shortcoming, a fear, a bad habit, or eccentricity? Loneliness and communication. Kravitz straddles a position where he's not quite a mortal but not quite a god, and has basically been used as a tool for a really long time, which is incredibly isolating. This leads into not know how to communicate his needs and what makes him happy. Because he's spent so long in this weird space away from everyone else, he's developed coping mechanisms of just convincing himself he doesn't Need Anything Else, which could not be more blatantly false.

What do they struggle with now? Is it the same as the above? Yep. Especially coming to a further head now as he makes more friends and more connections as himself and not in his role.

What personal demons, specifically, haunt your character from canon or from past game experiences? A lack of identity and missing strength to fight the Hunger. Here, his death on Umui was still super jarring and the fact he's having to even associate this body as his is still a little rough. In addition, he is taking personally the people who have told him that death was never a comfort, or those were treated horribly by not being allowed to die and pass on. Even if he had no choice in saving them, it does weigh on him that there was no one there to give them the kindness they needed.

What is the type of person your character hopes to become? Someone who can continue to serve his Lady. Someone who can fix the world of crimes of death.

What is the type of person you hope your character will become? Someone who understands that he can have a mixed identity but also take care of his damn self and realize he needs connection and love. Someone who has an understanding of what they need, that they're deserving of having things for themselves, and that bonds and family are not a disrespect to his role but a bolstering to his entire being.

Do any of the Seven Deadly Sins or Virtues stand out as applicable to your character? Why? For sins, Pride and Envy, absolutely. He tends to think himself better than others and has a polarizing view of justice (ironic to this) where certain people should not be redeemed. Envy is less so, but he certainly has issues with satisfaction and being satisfied with his accomplishments and his progression.

For virtues, Patience and Diligence would be his top ones. Diligence for his devotion to his role and position, and patience because it also ties in to forgiveness and mercy- for as above it all as he can be, he's gracious when it won't end the world. When the circumstances are not dire, he's shown to work with his victims as much as possible and even lets people go from death if they truly say they'll improve and redeem themselves. While he can be personally bitter sometimes, it's a facet of him he doesn't think about but is absolutely present.

[lifeaftr_mods]

At some point after November 20th, Kravitz will awaken to find this curious symbol emblazoned on the back of his hand. It emits a strange, colorful glow, and not unlike a tattoo, seems to exist almost beneath the skin. Attempts to remove or destroy it appear futile. Its true meaning, whatever that might be, will only come to be clear in time. -- ♛ --