aftr_ooc | August Event: The City is at War

AUGUST EVENT: THE CITY IS AT WAR

The exploration of Nastrandir has been trekking along at a reasonable pace. Between the discovery of new flora and fauna, new threats and old pieces of history, it is, perhaps, inevitable that someone would have stumbled upon the remnants of the civilization that once dwelled here. It is, perhaps, inevitable that someone would have run into something of note.

Less inevitable is the result of that.

Are Any of Us Only Saints or Sinners

While digging through the ruins found on F4 of Nastrandir, a particular group of adventurers ran into something interesting! It looked to be a merotome, or an orb used to record memories - something that travelers have encountered before while exploring the sunken city off the coast of Ensō. The problem with this particular merotome is that it seems to have been broken, or had something done to it. Whatever the case, it's not meant to be behaving the way it is - emitting a low, dangerous tone, and crackling with an unstable energy.

And come the morning of the August 16th, it proves to be unstable enough to do the very worst when it shatters.

Shards of its glasslike, rubbery material go sizzling into the sky as a blistering, searing wave of colorless light shoots out from the epicenter with enough force to shoot across all of Nastrandir - and across a significant portion of Ensō, as well.

This burst of light won't displace or damage anything...though it does seem to have a very strange effect on the numerous siren posts that have been discovered all over Nastrandir. Before long, the sirens will go off and start to wail - loudly. The lights mounted at the top of them will also glow a bright red. Even worse, more and more of these sirens will start to rise, slowly, from the swamp and murk, until almost all of Nastrandir, or at least its explored regions, is a screaming feedback loop of this singular sound.

If you thought that was already bad enough...don't worry. It gets worse. Another group of adventurers managed to uncover a very familiar-looking automaton back on D2. While it superficially resembles the placid (albeit Overgrown) guardian units found on Umui, the automaton proved to be violent upon contact. And when the sirens start to wail, so too do more and more of these automatons start to rise from the swamps and descend from the mountains - many rusted, streaming water, in less-than-stellar condition - but nonetheless ready to fight.

It's hard to say if it's the fault of the sirens or the the shimmering eruption of light that set everything off in the first place. Neither hurts, exactly. But for many of you, certain...changes may begin to take place.

Those affected by the initial wave of light will soon find themselves drawn to Nastrandir, regardless of what their personal thoughts might have been on the island itself. And not just Nastrandir, but certain parts of it. Which parts you find yourselves feeling a strange affinity to will depend on which side you're on.

Wait, what? Which side?

Oh, yes. Which side.

Not long after this wave sweeps over both islands, two distinct teams will form...and the way they'll react to their new compulsions will be very different. For ease of reference, we will OOCly refer to them as Red Team and Blue Team - ICly, neither team has a definitive "name." You can read more on what each "team" will have to contend with below. You may sign up for which team appeals to you more below, or you may choose to randomize which side your character ends up on. Bear in mind that, for the purposes of the event, the teams may be uneven in number; this does not mean they'll be uneven in advantages!

You may choose whether or not your character is affected by this, and to what extent they are affected. Some may feel only mildly disgusted by the other team, or those not on their perceived side. Some will immediately feel downright murderous to members of the opposing team. Some will feel these feelings gradually escalate over a period of days, growing from wariness and uncertainty to out-and-out hatred, while others will be immediately hit by a wave of absolute loathing for the other side. While it's most typical for these feelings to manifest in a compulsion to fight, they don't have to; characters may instead feel the urge to injure, trap, annoy, or otherwise inconvenience those on the other team instead of outright murdering them.

In short - the extent to which your character succumbs to this mind-altering wave is up to you! Additionally, those who wish to opt out of any of the event's mind alterations are welcome to - you're going to need some people to help get you out of this mess, after all.

You may read up on the advantages and disadvantages of each team below!

Red Team

Members of the Red Team tend to exhibit similar traits, listed below. You can choose to have your character affected by all of them, none of them, or anywhere in between! If you end up on the Red Team, you may find yourself affected by one or more of the following:

[ ♆ ] Favoring the mountains. You'll find yourself favoring the rocky parts of Nastrandir, and vastly preferring them over the swamp.

[ ♆ ] Mild to severe hydrophobia. You might find yourself distrustful and paranoid of water...or you may find yourself terrified of it.

[ ♆ ] Mild to severe pyromania. You might find yourself placing great stock in the destructive nature of fire. This may manifest in the form of succumbing to spontaneous arson, particularly in regards to the swampy regions of Nastrandir.

[ ♆ ] Intense protectiveness over Nastrandir. It will feel as though the Blue Team is invading you. This may or may not be paired with a fierce sensation of betrayal for the other side. You want these interlopers off your land. You want them driven off by any means necessary. This will come with an innate familiarity with Nastrandir - its landscapes, its pitfalls, its terrain, and so on. Navigating the island will feel as easy and learned as if you've lived here all your life.

[ ♆ ] Proficiency with firearms. This may be more specific to the remnants of old weapons that have been found on Nastrandir, or more general - perhaps your character, who has never fired a gun in their life, suddenly finds that they're very accurate in their aim and can load one relatively quickly.

[ ♆ ] Increasing body temperature. The longer and more intense that you remain engaged in this conflict, the more you will start to overheat. At the best, it will feel like you've contracted a high fever. At the worst, you risk legitimately catching on fire.

Members of the Red Team will instinctively recognize other members of their team, just as they will be able to instinctively tell if someone is on the Blue Team. The longer they fight together, the more the Red Team will feel an intense camaraderie and loyalty to one another - it will feel as though these are your true comrades in arms, and that you've been fighting side by side for years.

Characters may feel compelled to take up more traditional arms, such as spears, swords, muskets and the like - or they might feel comfortable using their own personal methods, such as their magic or more modern firearms.

Additionally, members of the Red Team will discover that the war automatons will intrinsically understand them to be allies; they will not fire upon you, and will, in fact, defend you and fight alongside you. Though they won't cross into the wetter parts of Nastrandir, they seem to be able to weather the shallower parts without much difficulty. Doesn't it feel nice to have the extra firepower?

Memory Bleedover
The last and most potent effect of fighting on the Red Team has to do with the memories that may begin to leak into you. This may cause side effects of dissociation, identity crises, forgetting one's own name, or losing one's sense of self - side effects that might, though not necessarily, persist after the event has subsided. These side effects are completely optional, as are the memories. Again, the extent to which they affect your character is down to how far you, as a player, are willing to go!

The clearest memory that may creep into your subconscious will be as follows:

Nastrandir is your home. It was parents' home, and your parents' parents' home. You are proud of the life that your people have managed to eke out of the rocky soils. You spent your childhood patrolling the harsh mountainside, and dug graves in the icy soils of winter for friends who didn't wake up during the frosts.

To be one of fire is to be one who faces many hardships. You know this from experience, and the fierce trust you have for those around you. Squabbles are short-lived in a colony of people who must rely upon each other to survive. At age fifteen, you underwent the same passage to adulthood as everyone else, and you spendt a week in solitude, with just you and what the island provides you. It was a trial you barely survived.

After all the sacrifice you have made in proving yourself worthy, the invasion sits as well with you as it does with every Nastrandirian. Your people howl for blood and war, and you stand amongst them, heart pounding through your chest and veins as the fires light up the statues of your ancestors in an eerie, angry light. After all you have sacrificed, the homes your people have already lost, you will not bow to the fetid waters. It will disappear in boiling steam and the screams of its people beneath your might.

The next day, the Iron Voices scream out across the breadth of the island, and awaken the War Units. Their screeches are metallic and rusty due to lack of use, but all are deemed capable - and necessary, for the boats that circle Nastrandir's shores swell in numbers by the day. If they think you will not be ready for them, they are wrong. Those of the Water will perish under your might.

Except that the day before their landing, the waters begin to creep inland. Homes are abandoned as several feet of murky water settles across the ground, forcing you and those you love to higher ground. It is an insult too great to stomach, and a precursor to the battles ahead.

Those cowards come in their longboats of reed and wood, firing barbed arrows into the sky with devastating accuracy. They are poorly armed; they come with swords and spears and bows. Your people's War Units were crafted of metal and the ores that you and your forebears mined from the mountains of the island that is your home, and they blast holes into the ships alongside you.

For each boat that comes, you relish in the sight of them sinking down into the unclean waters they so clearly crave, boats and warriors alike consumed by the fires of your drive to protect your sanctuary. But the water begins to seep up into the crags of the rocks, oozing up along Nastrandir's shores, and the War Units spark and fizzle as their circuits begin to cut out.

For weeks upon end, you are forced back, away from the coastline, further inland.

The last thing you remember is the roar of fire as it sets both sides alight.

Blue Team

Members of the Blue Team tend to exhibit similar traits, listed below. You can choose to have your character affected by all of them, none of them, or anywhere in between! If you end up on the Blue Team, you may find yourself affected by one or more of the following:

[ ♆ ] Favoring the swamps. You might find yourself favoring the swampy parts of Nastrandir, and vastly preferring them over the mountains and rocky areas.

[ ♆ ] A mild to intense affinity for water. You might find yourself sticking close to the ocean waters. You might also find that standing stock still in pools of water or in the ocean waves will replenish your strength and heal mild injuries the longer you stay near them.

[ ♆ ] Mild to severe pyrophobia. You might find yourself exhibiting a distrust of or distaste for fire, or experiencing an intense fear of it.

[ ♆ ] Aptitude for stealth. Being able to navigate wet areas as quietly as possible will suddenly come quite naturally to you. This may be a conscious choice, or a subconscious one; your character may notice it, or they may not realize it at all.

[ ♆ ] Intense fury toward Nastrandir. It will feel as though you need to wipe the Red Team off the map by any cost. You need to eradicate them. This may or may not be paired with a fierce sensation of betrayal for the other side. This will come with an added feeling of disorientation upon moving through Nastrandir. Even if you've passed over certain areas before, they will feel equally unfamiliar and foreign, and equally unnerving as a result. You will feel the most comfort and familiarity on Nastrandir's coast, near the shipwrecks, though you'll also feel more certain of yourself in Nastrandir's swampier regions.

[ ♆ ] Increasing body temperature. The longer and more intense that you remain engaged in this conflict, the more you will start to overheat. At the best, it will feel like you've contracted a high fever. At the worst, you risk legitimately catching on fire.

Members of the Blue Team will instinctively recognize other members of their team, just as they will be able to instinctively tell if someone is on the Red Team. The longer they fight together, the more the Blue Team will feel an intense camaraderie and loyalty to one another - it will feel as though these are your true comrades in arms, and that you've been fighting side by side for years.

Characters may feel compelled to take up more traditional arms, such as spears, swords, muskets and the like - or they might feel comfortable using their own personal methods, such as their magic or more modern firearms.

The last and most potent effect of fighting on the Blue Team has to do with the memories that may begin to leak into you. This may cause side effects of dissociation, identity crises, forgetting one's own name, or losing one's sense of self - side effects that might, though not necessarily, persist after the event has subsided. These side effects are completely optional, as are the memories. Again, the extent to which they affect your character is down to how far you, as a player, are willing to go!

The clearest memory that may creep into your subconscious will be as follows:

You found them at last.

Those wretched blasphemers who refused to embrace change will finally, finally be put to rest - and with their deaths will come the ability to finally abandon the floral dregs of your old people's legacy. They're not your people any longer. It is your god who has guided you here, to put an end to those who could not accept the revolution as it uprooted an ancient entity that supported your people no longer.

They clung to the past. You followed the future. And you follow the Water when it takes you to this island's shores. The mountains are sharp and rocky and their terrain is difficult to traverse, but again, the Water saves you; the Water seeps into the crags and begins to pour their clear, cleansing streams into the inland of this traitors' haven. Below decks, you and your fellow warriors murmur prayers of thanks to your god, before splashing through the moistened shores and advancing further inland.

You are met with resistance. The loyalists thought they could hide here, in this hell of rock and fire. They thought that they could flee from their fate, and avoid being purged by the Water for their heresy. They thought that they could sustain themselves and their cousins across the sea, by keeping that dying colony of flowers and doctors alive. Their automatons are twisted perversions of the blueprints that your common ancestors once devised, but again, the Water saves you. It swims up over their limbs and shuts them down with a crackle of dying power.

The soldiers at your side press the attack alongside you. The further inland you go, the less opposition you meet. You're winning. You're turning the tides. You outnumber them, for all that their iron guardians attempt to even those numbers.

Your ascent finally halts to the sound of screams of those in great pain. Just ahead, your enemies are dying. You charge up the remainder of the incline, ready to claim your victory.

Instead, you burn with them.

code. tessisamess

Or Is It Always Red Versus Blue

And what about those who don't succumb to this strange phenomenon? What if they manage to shake off these feelings, or simply aren't affected by it at all? Well, that's a good question. There's a very important job for anyone who remains unaligned for whatever reason - they're going to have to fix this. With everyone else out of their right minds and no avatar on sight to help you solve this problem...it comes down to you.

There are two distinct ways to go about doing this:

[ ♆ ] The first is to try and convince or remind characters of who they really are. This will obviously be a relatively hit-or-miss strategy, and it will depend entirely on circumstance and what players want to play out! One can try for verbally trying to jog another character's memory, attempt to spur on recollections via sentimental objects...or just straight up abduct them to try and keep them somewhere safe from the conflict. Which isn't likely to fix the problem, but is a valid way to cope, nonetheless.

[ ♆ ] The second is to smash the sirens that have popped up all over the island. While it's likely that some will get damaged or ruined by the conflict as collateral, it's going to need more than some coincidental damage to take them out for good. The more sirens you break, the more the grasp of these strange memories and impulses on other characters will weaken.

It's also quite important that you try and fix this as soon as possible, too. Barring the fact that characters may very well kill each other in this warfare, it turns out that they're all steadily starting to overheat as well. And any characters that aren't broken out of their thrall by the event's end risk some dire consequences. Like, say, spontaneous combustion.

That's right. There's a high chance (though not a certainty!) that they'll simply catch fire and burn to death.

Come August 23rd, the memories and strange influence will clear, and you'll be restored to normal. Anyone who has not been freed from the influence of the malfunctioned merotome, however, will risk burning to death.

Due to a high risk of death, Death Penalties will be reduced for the duration of this event.

An event log will go up in the main comms on August 16th. In the meantime, please feel free to use this post to ask questions, plot, and sign up for whichever team you like - or leave it up to chance, if you so choose!

Event Timeline

[ ♆ ] August 16th: The merotome breaks, issuing a mind-altering wave; the sirens go off, and definitive sides in a conflict start to form
[ ♆ ] August 23rd: The conflict ends when those who have not been freed from the mind-altering influence either break free or burn to death
[ ♆ ] August 24th: The monthly Storytelling occurs late; characters who have died are revived in time to participate
[ ♆ ] September 4th: Extra time is allotted to those participating in the monthly Storytelling to compensate for the later date, and the Storytelling closes

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August Event: The City is at War

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