November Exploration: You've Heard of No-Shave November, Now Get Ready For...

[lifeaftr_mods]

NOVEMBER EXPLORATION

Hello again, islanders! As we dive into the month of November, we're due for some brief updates regarding game mechanics and the specifics of how the world has started to adjust to player character involvement!

The Floodening
Following the arrival of our latest adventurers and the Storyteller's rather extreme reaction to the horrors of the caves sprawling beneath their island, the rising water levels have been something of an obstacle for characters, both new and old. The majority of the beaches will be almost entirely submerged, as well as any dry land situated near natural water, both landlocked and otherwise. The monkey compound will additionally take the brunt of the effects of the floodwaters, though those in the vicinity may always take refuge in the monkeys' treehouses, which are high enough off the ground to escape the worst of the weather!

As the death penalties inflicted upon the new arrivals vanish, so will the flood waters recede, more or less re-establishing the island's tentative environmental equilibrium; by November 10th, the new arrivals will no longer bear their misfortunes on behalf of a stranger, and the island will be restored to a slightly wetter but much more traversable state!

However...that doesn't mean there aren't lasting effects due to the flooding in the first place. Seeing as the waters got so high, much of the edible vegetation on the mainland has spoiled due to too much water or been swept away entirely, meaning that eating well is going to start getting even more difficult unless characters are interested in making changes to the land in regards to tending their own food supply, and soon.

In the meantime? We really do hope you like fish. There's an awful lot of dead ones lying around on the beach, and pretty soon they'll begin to smell.

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Mana Pools
We've also realized that, with the addition of the mana pool positioned in the ex-monkey compound and the islet pool, this brings the total number to three in Ensō and its vicinity! All three pools are accompanied with a host of narcissus blooms growing in very convenient clumps, to be plucked and used for character transportation at anyone's leisure.

As there are now multiple locations to choose from, characters must now concentrate on their desired destination to travel to it properly without accidentally ending up somewhere else - though if you'd like to play around with the possibility of your character having poor concentration for one reason or another, we certainly won't stop you!

New Horizons
As we've hinted on our November OOC Intro, mid-month will see a new island roused from the ocean waters. On the morning of November 24th, a new island will be visible on the horizon for anyone who looks out west from the Storyteller's temple. More location-specific details will be provided on the Locations page once the island emerges properly!

Characters are encouraged to explore the new island once it emerges - if not merely because of the potential to recover resources, then additionally because much of Ensō's own resources have been steadily dwindling with an influx of new characters each month and stretched even thinner with the high floodwaters. The Storyteller is both willing and capable to transport characters to the new island at their request, but they will be frank about their warning that they cannot predict or assist characters with what they might find.

Additionally, they cannot promise immediate access to a mana pool, if one exists on the new island, to enable ease of transportation from the new location to Ensō and vice versa. Characters will need to actively cover ground and work together in order to uncover means of getting back to Ensō if that ends up being a necessity. As always, we'll have a thread for questions and comments, and we encourage you to make use of our Mod Contact page for private correspondence!

November Timeline

[ ♆ ] November 10th: Flooding dissipates and character death penalties fade.
[ ♆ ] November 20th: Monthly Storytelling.
[ ♆ ] November 24th: The new island appears.

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( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

Questions, Queries and Concerns!

[lifeaftr_mods]

[crosslaced]

How far away is the new island, and would it be possible - distance wise and Storyteller wise- to provide some kind of boat instead of teleporting explorers over? From an ic perspective, after the crystal event some muses (mine) might not be that enthusiastic about being dropped into a new place again. Would there be any room for ic negotiation on this?

[lifeaftr_mods]

Initially, the main method of teleportation will be from the Storyteller's temple- much like being dropped into the caves, this less precise method means that returning isn't quite as easy. Once a mana pool has been located on the island, access will function as it would to go to the islets.

Since characters will be capable of seeing the island from the Storyteller's temple, Laurent would be looking at a distance of around that of the English channel, if only slightly larger... So if he's up for a swim (and nothing tried to eat him. Which they would.) he could potentially make it to the new isle in 7+ hours, if he's a fantastic swimmer!

Jokes aside, Laurent will be more than welcome to bring up his concerns to the Storyteller at this month's Storytelling! Depending on how many share those concerns, they may be capable of providing some alternative-- even if said alternative would be undoubtedly slower.

[crosslaced]

Oh! On rereading I'd like to clarify: so ST can't promise "immediate" mana pool access, but can he guarantee that at least one exists there?

[lifeaftr_mods]

That is correct! They cannot promise "immediate" mana pool access, but they can confirm that at least one exists on the island. Once it's been located, they will then be capable of adding it to the network already available for everyday use.

...Hopefully.

Re: Questions, Queries and Concerns!

[deranged_practicality]

In one of her posts prior to this, I have Isabella transplanting some of the edible plants to the islets. Where should I note this and ask if she's going to succeed or just end up with dead plants.

[lifeaftr_mods]

If this was far enough ahead of time or on the intro log itself, you can safely assume that she succeeded!