July Event: Riding the Wave

[lifeaftr_mods]

JUNE EVENT: RIDING THE WAVE

While July sees us saying goodbye to the island of Io, it also sees the return of some old friends. From July 8th and onward, players are liable to find their old allies, the sea-dwelling people of the Jormun, once again venturing into the shallows of Ensō, eager to flag down old friends - and make new ones.

Caught Up in the Waves

Those unfamiliar with the Jormun may find their appearance somewhat intimidating; with sizes spanning anywhere between that of a large human and well over twelve feet, this sea-dwelling race comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, from the more humanoid, to serpentine, to octopi.

Despite the breadth of their variation, however, they are one of the few races in LifeAftr keen to continue being called ally - largely thanks to previous efforts of adventurers in a battle to revive the sun, an event they're happy to recount for those unfamiliar with this history.

Those of you who have been with us for a time may remember that this time last year, the Jormun visited you land-dwellers due to the influx of a creature known as the kaleidoshell on the beaches of Ensō. Those kaleidoshells are back to nest and frequent the waters surrounding the island, illuminating the waves in dazzling arcs of rainbow light. Not only are they very pretty to look at, but protecting their eggs and hatching young from predators can be a full-time job for those uninterested in exploration - or in the offer the Jormun have for you. Your old allies may have returned to oversee the conservation efforts of this species once again, but that's not the only reason they're here. They haven't forgotten about their land-dwelling friends, and they've made some recent discoveries on the undersea floor that might interest you.

What's more, recent developments in their magic have given them a rare opportunity to share their culture with you in kind.

Escaping from the World Outside

The sne'akleriad is a recent invention of the Jormun, one capable of opening a whole new world for those interested in taking a deeper swim than you might typically. When worn, this pendant provides a temporary shift in physicality: legs disappear, lungs are replaced with gills, and the body sprouts several more aquatically appropriate appendages. The shape that this pendant grants might differ tremendously from person to person, from the more humanoid, to serpentine, to octopine, and more. If curiosity and the chance of a new adventure appeals to you, then a chance to live as the Jormun do is within your grasp.

Starting on July 10th, the Jormun will readily act as guides to anyone who wishes to see what it's like, to be part of their world. During this event, characters will be capable of donning the sne'akleriad as a pendant, transforming them into a sea-dwelling creature. This transformation will vary from character to character, and these changes may be as extensive or as minimal as you like! Some might appear more or less human, and simply find themselves gifted with the capacity to breathe underwater and swim extremely well. Others might find themselves sporting gills and webbed feet. Whether you'd prefer to have a more Disney-styled mermaid appearance, or be something a little more abstract, the only limitations are your imagination - and the following restrictions:

[ ♆ ] The sne'akleriad does have a time limit. Transformations will only last for thirty hours at a time. Once that runs out, one must get in touch with one of the Jormun spellcrafters, who will re-imbue the pendant with its transformative magic. This will entail a six hour recharge period before one can take the dive down again.

[ ♆ ] While the Jormun have been stocking these pendants solely for your use, they aren't easy to create; it's one pendant per person. If you run out of that hourly charge, whatever business you're keen to get back to beneath the waves, it'll have to wait...unless you're keen to drown, that is.

[ ♆ ] While your character can take virtually any aquatic shape that you like, keep in mind that excessive changes may mean leaving your weapons on the shore. Any magical abilities will be retained, but the Jormun can't help you carry a sword if you've lost your arms, though they will also be willing to lend you some of their weapons if you don't have anything intended to function underwater. Additionally, the existing size restriction aboveground still applies below - characters cannot be greater than nine feet in height. Any limitations on characters who can breathe or swim underwater, however, have been lifted entirely!

Other than that, barring any overt changes, characters may continue to speak and operate as they ordinarily would - if, for example, you feel like changing your character into a sea serpent, bear in mind that they're going to have to figure out how to speak around that restriction! Outside of these, there's also the question of where to go - a question your Jormun friends are happy to answer.

We Sink or Swim

To ensure no one gets lost at sea, Jormun guides will urge any who accompany them to stay within sight of the shores of Ensō. For those liable to ignore this advice, they'll quickly discover an aspect to LifeAftr previously realized by one Connor Murphy - that swimming out of sight of Ensō will simply have the island appearing ahead of you. However, there is plenty of ocean to search through around the island itself, with natural resources, shipwrecks, and all sorts of things to be found buried in the ocean floor, in addition to -

Sorry, what? What's that shadowy place?

Those who've seen Ensō from above might just recall it.

You see, that's not the only reason the Jormun sought to get in touch with their friends on the surface. They...discovered something, while combing the ocean floors. And they think it might have something to do with all of you. Located a few miles north-east of Ensō's shores, a mysterious cluster of buildings have been spotted grouped beneath the water. Though not incredibly deep below the water's surface, natural light is nonetheless insufficient in illuminating the ruins of what may have once been a city of some sort, and even the Jormun will refuse to escort adventurers there. They might not know what this place is, but they do know that if you want answers, you'll have to discover those for yourselves.

What's more, the Jormun have found that the dark crevices and general low lighting have made the area a prime breeding ground for a variety of shadowy creatures, not unlike those fought against in the battle for the sun. They don't recommend that you explore the structures at any length, but this advice is imparted with a sense of futility. They do, after all, recognize that these structures belong to the surface, and are not meant to be down here in the first place. The Jormun will warn all who intend to investigate that the area has long since been considered cursed by the sea-dwelling people.

A map of this area, in addition to a separate search request page, will go live on July 10th with the event log. But be warned, adventurers - there is no safe place to rest in this location. The buildings are also very dimly lit, and the presence of shadowy beings will increase drastically when the sun leaves the sky. There is, however, always the potential for new clues about the history of LifeAftr within these depths. Where did these buildings come from? Who built them? Why are they on the ocean floor?

You're the only ones who can find out.

---

In the meantime, feel free to use this post to plot, ask questions for the mods, or spitball design ideas for your character's mer-form. As always, we have a top-level below for you to venture any questions or concerns!

Event Timeline

[ ♆ ] July 8th: The Jormun and the kaleidoshells return to Ensō's shores
[ ♆ ] July 10th: Underwater exploration begins
[ ♆ ] July 17th: Part Two of our second year anniversary Test Drive Meme goes up
[ ♆ ] July 20th: Monthly Storytelling occurs
[ ♆ ] July 22nd: The final island in this voting round appears
[ ♆ ] July 25th: The Jormun return to their home beneath the waves

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS

[lifeaftr_mods]

[deathfindsaway]

ok wrong account but: Beau had noted in her app that she has this item called the Googles Of Night that grant the benefit of darkvision to whoever's wearing them. From what we can tell in canon, they're... basically regular goggles, but have absolutely been tossed around quite a bit and made it through. Would they be subject to anything like water pressure or other issues if she was diving super deep, or would that be covered by the Jormun's magic too?

[lifeaftr_mods]

They would likely be subject to damage via water pressure if Beau goes deep-diving; the Jormun's magic would not shield a pair of goggles from that.

[lesbeau]

Would this be something she could ask the Storyteller for as an item req? They didn't break in canon when subjected to seafloor stuff (which I cannot believe has happened) but that seems... weird, or more like an oversight, so it's probably not relevant here.

[lifeaftr_mods]

For one or two stories, the Storyteller could probably fix up those goggles with a pressure-resistant charge linked to the mana pools, yes!

[lesbeau]

Oh sweet- deffo gonna submit that. Thanks so much!

Re: QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS

[sonsofhorus]

I know y'all said imagination's the limit, but just to be sure I thought I'd ask for a clarification in the possibly unusual case of robots: are robotic forms an option, or does the magic only hand out organic sea monster forms?

Basically I'm wondering if I can turn Horatio into something like the Eelume underwater maintenance and repair robot.

[lifeaftr_mods]

You can absolutely go all-out in designing an aquatic mechanical form for a robotic or otherwise inorganic character, as long as it fits within our standard size requirements! An organic design is in no way required.

[sonsofhorus]

Awesome, thank you for getting back to me! Wasn't sure if that'd make sense for their magic to do or not.

[thermalwind]

Question, the lamp Keith got before the Siege of Chol work under the water? I assume that it might be okay? But I want to be sure.

[lifeaftr_mods]

If Keith is able to get the pendant from January relit via story or some other method, it would serve well in lighting up his way underwater, yes!

[yourattention]

if one was a well-liked person among the jormun and one wanted a sne'akleriad past when the jormun leave could one just call up their friends and get them to recharge it later so one could oh . . . i dunno . . . go mine salt or something . . . visit their friends . . . find a hobby other than trying to sail off the map . . .

. . . or, alternately: how much would it cost to get the storyteller to let him have the thing permanently. he wants the thing permanently.

[lifeaftr_mods]

In this case, Connor would find that the Storyteller would actually be the wrong person to ask! In order to keep a sne'akleriad, he'd need to discuss and negotiate with the Jormun- they might have a soft spot for their dealer friend, but it's powerful magic he's wishing to keep, and the cost will go beyond a few tokes and stories.

He'd be best off attempting to discuss it with the Jormun themselves, to see what he can offer- and just how much they feel the sne'akleriad is worth.

[scientificist]

V IMPORTANT QUESTION what happens if Herbert turns into a cat and wears the pendant?

[lifeaftr_mods]

He'll get to be an aquacat for a good thirty minutes, three times a day! The initial exhaustion caveat imposed upon his feline transformation will wear off quicker than the Jormun's pendant, which might make for some awkward underwater exploring...but nothing's stopping you, or him, from doing just that.

[scientificist]

As I just intended on using it to like. Briefly hide from monsters, this is ideal. Also hilarious. Thank you!

[uptightness]

Just to confirm, the pendant has a time limit, but if one doesn't want to stay the full 30. Just remove the pendant?

[lifeaftr_mods]

Essentially, yes! One need only remove it to return to their ordinary shape. The less time it's been in use, the less time that it will need to be set aside to recharge.