❪ event ❫ khalo? can you hear me?

[natha]

In normal circumstances, this would have been near the time in which you're called upon to greet the newly awakened. Unfortunately, I speak to you to inform that we must postpone that — there is trouble on your horizon. What, I cannot see for sure. We shall continue to monitor the situation, however — we - ... we — [feed cuts off.] OLYMPIAN PRESERVATION     The city of Olympia is preparing the send-off of its most prized artifact: the heart of the ancient dragon, Ysverai. In doing this, they've transformed the palace court into an exhibition detailing the centuries-old war between Wyver and Olympia. Sculptures of Nithor the Exalted and his men and women in clean, white marble, while their armors are polished in perfect gold. Among Nithor are the sculptures of stallions in all shapes and sizes that also aided in the great war. Further in the exhibition, one may also find other artifacts of much older weaponry, rusted by its time in the earth, and items found from a time when humans feared the dragons. The Royal Guard has increased its numbers in wake of such a public event, particularly because the heart will be in display also. The heart is not what one might expect it to be: about the size of an average human, the heart's core is surrounded in stone, a red glow emitting from its still beating core. If that were not unsettling enough, one might also find that lingering around this particular exhibit will have undue affects on one's inhibitions. You'll notice your heart has fallen into sync with the organ, and your more selfish desires will come forth. Things that have long been buried will rise up and place you in a state of unease, encouraging paranoia about your companions intentions. Allow it to fester, and one will carry this feeling with them long after you've left the scene. It's probably a good thing this is leaving Olympia — perhaps it's a source of so much conflict you've endured. It's easy to become mesmerized by all the historical artifacts that are present in Olympia's exhibition. Some even seem mystical or, like Ysverai’s heart, to hold unspeakable powers. Others are just a little eerie. Either way, Olympia prides itself in its generosity and their grand displays, and so refugees are urged to learn more about their artifacts by spending the night in Palace Court. Though, someone should probably mention that there are rumors of strange, almost occult things happening around these relics at night. People speak of armored soldiers casting shadows that have the ability to walk on their own, or gemstones that catch the moonlight in a certain way and show you visions. But those are just silly ghost stories, right? TALL TALES OF KHALO VILLAGE     Because of Khalo's proximity to Wyver, it's no surprise that they would catch wind of the peace talks between Wyver and Olympia. In response, for the first time in centuries, Khalo Village has willingly granted passage to outsiders — but visitors will immediately find out that one cannot just simply walk into the village. Visitors will need to inhale the smoke of a fyrra herb in order to enter the premises without falling into slumber. Khalo is notably different than what refugees are used to. Visitors, specifically refugees, will find that they are exceedingly accommodating. The Khali are very intrigued by the outsiders, thus they're treated with much respect and given instant access to some of the best lounges and fyrra the village has to offer. In exchange, the village is interested in hearing about your journey thus far. Whether it be through a conversation with another individual or the Khali themselves, they'll very likely to have been eavesdropping and recording the tales of their exploits. Why, exactly? Perhaps it will not be immediately clear, but if you happened upon a venasou, a tamed Khali creature, it may have guided you to their Enchanted Library. Upon entering the library, visitors will notice that it is quite the happening place — but not because it's occupied by the Khali, but because there seems to be an assembly of magical quills seemingly writing on their own. The quills are mostly undisturbed by the intrusion and will not stop writing even if parchment is taken from it; it will simply produce another piece of paper and continue its tales. If you happen to read the parchment, you may notice that there is a daunting similarity between your story and the ones being written here. Tales of Thesa birthing new races and sending them from the sky, for example, are very popular in Khalo Village. They mark July 15th as the day in which the Moon Goddess, Thesa, created more people in her image and brought them to El Nysa as saviors. The coincidences don't end there: specifics about your home world might be found in the writings if you search deeply enough — but it's not without its exaggerations. These stories are given all sorts of poetic and literary forms, from short stories to limericks, biographies to something similar to haiku. If asked, the Khali will inform visitors that the enchanted library has access to vague parts of your memories, and thus it is duty-bound to record. The Khali have not seen stories as strange as the ones being made by refugees, which is largely why they are interested in them. NOTE: This is entirely optional! You may make up your own "stories" (fanfiction) and it could be as accurate or inaccurate, or as serious or silly as you'd like. While tales of the Thesa's descendants are still being written, visitors of the Enchanted Library might find intrigue in the more complete works — KING AND KIN. If one is willing to delve deep, they may also find parts of Wyver's past that have been removed from their own archives. These pages will recount the tales of Shanrian and Rasyc. Though a lot of the narrative seems to divide at certain points in the story, it becomes obvious with some quick reading that Rasyc is not only the son of Shanrian, but that he glorifies the Wyver of old, more bloodthirsty and brutal than it is today. Unlike his father, he does not take kindly to Olympia and the threat they will always pose for their people. He has not forgotten Olympia's past sins and he believes that, in his foolish quest for peace, the king has gone soft and no longer possesses the real will to fight. His present voice in affairs of state is not a loud one, as he chooses to speak in whispers and move in the dead of silence. In these quiet murmurings, he boasts of his unwavering belief in the power and dignity of his people. Of how they should all return to what they once were — the kingdom, its citizens, and naturally the father who he had once admired greatly. Though perhaps it can be argued that any estranged son would wish the same. It's difficult to pinpoint what becomes political and what is and always will be more personal for him. But, it hardly matters. It's clear that Rasyc will stop at nothing to achieve his objectives, even if it means never returning to place he calls home. Even if it means turning his back on his own father, Shanrian, King of Wyver... DRAGONFIRE. While tales of the Thesa's descendants are still being written, visitors to the Enchanted Library might find intrigue in the more complete works. In particular, tales of Ysverai, the last of Wyver's great high dragons. Ysverai is most commonly known for being slain by Olympia’s past king and legendary hero, Nithor, but here in Khalo he is depicted in another light. Ysverai is known to the Khali people as a wise being, old as the first inhabitants that walked El Nysa. The creature spoke in the common tongue to the early settlers, guiding them to refuge when his kin began to dominate the land at the cost of its own isolation. It ultimately becomes a tale of sacrifice, for its stand with Nithor became a testament against the Olympian Empire's long reaching influence. At the bottom, there is a quotation: Your hearts will fill with greed and malice the moment my own stops beating. Take care in the Eye of the Storm. Find strength in one another, before it is too late. It seems to end there. Refugees are naturally allowed to question the natives. However, keep in mind that many of their replies will seem more like speculation than fact. But maybe that can be fun too? If you have no interest in the library and the tales they've woven, feel free to explore any of the other areas of interest. Khalo Village is thrilled to be open for you all. THOSE THAT SEEK PEACE, AND THOSE THAT SEEK --     The morning of the 20th is marked by fairly dismal weather. The sky is overcast and a downpour seems imminent. Regardless of the poor forecast, those who signed up to assist in this mission will be required to come early in order to receive their briefing. Members of Group A: ▸ Jon Snow (song_of_ice) ▸ Daenerys Targaryen (dorzalta) ▸ Loras Tyrell (triplerose) ▸ Terra (earthy) ▸ Alisaie Leveilleur (adelphoi) ▸ Solider: 76 (personalwar) ▸ Ardyn Izunia (daemonized) ▸ Mai(maipokerface) ▸ Olivier Armstrong (wallsofbriggs) ▸ Atsushi Nakajima (gekkajuu) Members of Group B: ▸ Kale (kaleorbekaled) ▸ Diana Prince (wondie) ▸ Pheonix Wright (objectionattourney) ▸ Revolver Ocelot (shashka) ▸ Frederick (pebblestone) ▸ John Sheppard (impavid ▸ Ianto Jones (torchwoodteaboy) ▸ Lena Oxton (quevarly) ▸ Allura (quintessent) Due to the rain, members of Group A will have to immediately stop by the checkpoint at the East Watchtower. Additionally, the Royal Guard and Knightryders are well-prepared with extra cloaks for those who may require it. They also will provide basic refreshments such as water and bread. People are encouraged to take what they need prior to their departure on this mission. The checkpoints are a bit far between, after all. Members of the envoy will also be encouraged to utilize this time to become familiar with one another. Maybe some introductions are in order? You never know who will end up having your back... For both groups, the paths will be relatively straightforward with evenly spaced checkpoints along the way. The only issue seems to be the downpour, really. The rain is unforgiving and the roads easily become unstable and increasingly difficult for the carriage to be drawn through. Hence, there may be more than one occasion where you will be expected to lend a hand in prying out its wheels from a particularly pesky (and muddy) pothole. Or perhaps you will be called upon by a fellow guard to assist in getting a particularly stubborn creature out of the path ahead of you. Seems like it may be a longer journey than you expected. Dirtier, too. While weathering the conditions may have been a bit tiring, this journey isn't too bad, right? Well, maybe not. GROUP A. Once the carriage gets through the worst of the terrain and finally manages to depart from the watchtower, it won't be long until the group is met with a physical roadblock. A large tree trunk will be set down the center of the road, acting as a blockade. But, before the group can react or begin crafting a plan around this obstruction, the carriage will be attacked without warning. At first, it's unclear where the attack comes from or from whom, but you don't have the leisure to deliberate this. You hear one of your fellow guards mention something about bandits frequenting these parts, but maybe there's more to it? Either way, your task is clear: protect the artifact, Nithor's skull, and fight the bandits off. You'll be encouraged to try and capture them so that they may later be turned and questioned by the authorities. GROUP B. With clear motives to restock and collect a few more materials for the carriage, it's evident that the envoy will appear restless to arrive at the second checkpoint. However, despite their unspoken delight at seeing the South Outpost from a distance, it's clear something has gone awry. There will be several hooded figures awaiting them right where the mud path meets the cobblestone of the Outpost's road. Soon, several more of these figures will come to flank them from both sides. While they seem like bandits, at least from their physical appearance, there is something far more polished in their movements. They will be attacking the envoy in concise, practiced formations. For those who are more perceptive, it becomes obvious that they are moving around and acting as decoy to one central figure. This member is likely the "leader" of their group, but no matter how one may try to close the distance between themselves and this mysterious leader, someone will constantly get in the way of that. The fighting also seems to act as a distraction since by the time everything is cleared up... only two things are missing. The leader of this group of bandits and more importantly — Ysverai's heart. NOTE: Those RNG'd to thread out the capture and questioning of the bandits will have starters below. For everyone else that signed up, you will still have the opportunity to capture the assailants even though they were not selected to thread the interrogation; you are free to make up your NPCs with the same basic guideline: they will not reveal their motive or their organization. You may turn them in to authorities (Wyver or Olympia or otherwise) or find creative ways to get rid of them. FINAL OOC NOTE     To reiterate: you may use this log as a general mingle for everything from the May Outline, including all Khalo Village activities. In other words, your top-levels don't necessarily have to be related to the prompts written here. An AC-eligible thread in which your character participates in anything mentioned in the May Outline and/or Khalo Village location page may be submitted for 2 REP POINT FOR EITHER OLYMPIA OR WYVER. SUBMIT THE THREAD FOR OLYMPIA OR WYVER HERE OR HERE RESPECTIVELY BY June 10th 11:59 PM EST. For those who participated in this month's plot-related portion, to receive IC recognition for it, a summary of the thread must be submitted HERE by June 8th 11:59 PM EST. Please direct all queries to the question thread below. Thank you, and have fun! QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● lore ● map ● npcs ● bestiary taken ● atp/emp ● application ● rep/acp ● quest bulletin calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

ii a

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Claire had to come see the heart herself. Why not, if it was out on display? She's not quite sure what she was expecting. It's almost beyond comprehension.]


It's marvelous in it's own way, isn't it?

[nysan]

[ The glow of his visor is distracting; he can only focus on the stern tone of his voice to get any sense of his expression. Seems like a serious guy, not fun at all! Why was he stuck with such a stick in the mud?

His opinion of him changes only slightly when he approaches him. He doesn't recoil; keeps seeded in spot, and even straightens his neck for him to grab him. He grunts as he's tugged closer, unfazed and as compliant as a "bandit" could possibly be, all things considered. With their proximity, Nhays can't help but make out the details of the man's face — or what's exposed, anyway. ]

I'm a thief! That's what we do. [ He's not a very good liar, but it isn't as though he's making a great attempt at being convincing. ]

More importantly, that scar. Yikes!

Library!

[poolhall_killer]

[It appears someone else has fallen victim to these "stories". Venom looks over to the next section and sees Justice frowning moreso than normal. Maybe one of the quills is spinning lies about his adventures, too.]

What did the story say, if I may ask?

[He considers Justice a friend so he hopes he's not intruding. His voice is low because library and all.]

[summertimeblues]

That it is. [He looks back to it. The colors thrum in time to the beat and annex the rhythm of his own pulse. Bmm-bmm, bmm-bmm.] It's all very Temple of Doom, isn't it? I wasn't expecting that it would still be beating.

library!

[shashka]

You sure about that? Maybe it happened, and you just didn't know it.

[ long time no see, Venom. ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

Temple of Doom? [Before her time, but the name alone helps paint a fitting picture. Her eyes settle on the heart, watching it so calmly beat.

She assumes she doesn't want to know why it's still ticking along.]

A

[poolhall_killer]

[Venom notices Linneus's odd movements and sees him resting in a shaded area. He doesn't hesitate to go to his friend's side and check on him.]

Are you all right?

[Their journey has been long, so Venom came prepared with the bag Miles gave him along with lots of supplies. That includes a large container of water. He offers it to the other man.]

[summertimeblues]

It's — oh, damn, sorry. You must be from someplace else. It's a movie. A story. There's a cult that pulls people's hearts out of their chests and they're still beating. Then they put them into a volcano...

[He waves his hand.] It's a lot of kid stuff. It's not important.

[inaurare]

Thank you.

[the water goes untaken, though - he's trying to bring Venom a little better into focus, at the moment all the plants and fungi behind him seem to be vying for attention]

Doesn't it go through you, when you walk? My teeth hurt - that isn't right, is it?

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Or sometime else. Claire lifts a brow.]

Your someplace has strange ideas for children's movies.

I-a

[summertimeblues]

[The man that had stooped to gather the crumpled paper looks up from his reading, one brow rising.]

Are you going to make paper wads out of all of them? There are easier ways to litter, pal.

[Less wasteful ones too.]

[summertimeblues]

[She's savvy enough to know what a movie is. Wonderful, he can pluck her out of contention for medieval times and alternate realities.]

You kidding me? Kids live for horror shows. Couldn't get enough of 'em when I was a squirt. [He flashes her toothy smile.] I think the only one that really spooked me was that English one. The Crawling Eye.

Mind you, most of what passed for scary back then was pretty laughable. Nobody would scream at the Blob these days.

[apricitous]

How's it looking, just eyeballing it?

[ Clark is taking the appropriate hallways that should lead them to that location but... none of them quite seem to be leading them towards that particular location. By the end, he glances down and sighs with some consternation. ]

I don't think there's a way we can get there without...

Well, without doing some damage. If there's a way down, it's not publicly accessible.

Olivier Armstrong | ota (more or less)

[wallofbriggs]

❚ Group A

[She doesn't mind the trek on foot or the rain - together it's a right pain in the ass however. Why had no one come up with actual roads that didn't dissolve into mud and potholes on this planet?

After the cart fell into a particularly large one, comes the suggestion.]

Why can't we just carry the damn thing?

❚❚ When in Khalo...part 1 (gen or nsfw (characters over 30 please for the second)

[After too much time spent on the road soaking wet and covered in mud, a distraction is in order. The smoking lounges and their promises of new experiences is a good place to start. The smoke smells a hell of a lot better than some of the crap her men used to end up smoking between supply runs.

There's a relaxed hum of pleasure after she lets out a cloud of smoke.]

You know, I can think of a few people I'd like to fumigate with this stuff.

❚❚❚ When in Khalo...part 2

[Nudity is one thing. Public nudity in front of a crowd is something else. Public bathing bathing?

Olivier is still relaxed after the smoking lounge and honestly couldn't care less. She has her hair pinned up to keep it dry as she slips into the water.]

The only thing missing is a temperature setting.

❚❚❚❚ Wild Card

((OOC: generic offer of make your own prompt if these don't work or feel free to PM me or hit me up at purkle))

smoking lounge

[shashka]

[ of course Ocelot's exploring Kahlo village. while he's kept his head down for the last month or so since the kidnapping ordeal, slowly but surely collecting information, he isn't exactly one to stay out of the spotlight for long. ]

You know, I'm not usually one for smoking...

[ ironic that he should say that, considering where they were. however, it's not exactly a lie either. while he had a certain fondness for the smell of cigars, it just wasn't the same. ]

...But I suppose I can make an exception for you.

[ he likes "Alexander", after all. does he trust him? hardly, they're far too much alike for that.

but he likes him, and for now, that's more than enough. ]

[fiendennor]

[Okay, at least Akko coughs. It makes her feel a little better, oops. Diana takes a breath once the coughing ceases, feeling annoyingly immature.] Yes, it's... very fragrant. [She takes a deep breath, again, forcing air into her lungs.] I didn't have this much trouble at the border... that's irritating.

[She says, taking the pipe back. She'll be damned if she lets it defeat her.]

[nineteenfortyfive]

The Crawling Eye? That movie was awful. You're right about it being laughable. I hardly think that counts as horror, if only for its quality.

[She laughs, because she hasn't talked movies in--well, a very long time.]

thesa

[shashka]

[ Ocelot is making a run for stasis as well, albeit for a completely different reason. there was something wrong on the station, that much was certain. and he isn't about to sit around and just wait.

of course, despite usually being one or two steps ahead of everyone, when it comes to a certain someone in stasis, he has something of a blind spot. and he doesn't see that he may or may not be about to collide with a certain someone else in his rush to get to stasis. ]

i.

[shashka]

[ Ocelot can't help but overhear. or laugh. ]

Taserface? Really?

[ the irony of this coming from a man that calls himself "Revolver Ocelot" really shouldn't be lost on anyone. ]

[nysan]

[ The expectation to be skewered then and there overwhelms the man for a moment, his chest rising and falling in quick intervals and his hands raised around the sword like he would have made some attempt to stop it with them. But longer he gazes upon the blade the more he comes to still, accepting his position. He raises one hand, reaching to remove his hood with the other. ]

You do not seem one for idle chatter.

[summertimeblues]

Oh you know it? [His grin grows brighter.] It was a relic even in its time, wasn't it?

What did scare you? Hitchcock? The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari?

Waver Velvet | Khalo | OTA

[chickenhearted]

A - Entering Khalo cw drug use

[ Waver has been having doubts about Wyver lately, so what better way to explore those doubts than to go somewhere new? He gets swept up in the excitement about the village opening and decides to check it out for himself. What could possibly go wrong when you're Waver Velvet, right. He ventures to the South Outpost and is given the fyrra, which he thinks nothing of. If he has to smoke something to get in, that's the least of his worries.

It's easy for him to light up and get to puffing, perhaps a nod to his future of cigar smoking, but after a while, he starts to feel a bit...loopy. Lighthearted, definitely. Like all his cares are dissolving and the weight he forces himself to carry on his shoulders drifts away. ] Ah...this is quite nice, actually...

[ He expects something nice to follow, but is only met by more swamp to walk through. ] Seriously? [ And yet, he can't find himself getting upset the way he might normally. He just shrugs and begins to walk, turning to the closest person. ] Come on. It's probably not far. [ Little does he know. ]

B - Enchanted Library

[ Of course the nerd would end up in the library at some point. It's in his blood, his genetic make-up, to just find books and plant himself down to read them. As he enters, he looks around in awe at all the moving quills. Eventually he steps closer to see what they're writing about. He's careful not to upset them, despite the growing curiosity of wondering what would happen if he did.

That's when he spots some familiar words. They're writing about Fuyuki, though it doesn't blatantly say so. He would recognize the "tale" anywhere. It's his own! Blinking wide eyed at it, he steps closer, reading through the lines. Then it dawns on him what specific part they're writing about, and he turns a bright beet red.

"The gigantic man stood, crossing his arms, but he was not wearing any pants. So his equally gigantic—" Waver quickly yanks the page out of the way. But another takes its place. "— slapped against the smaller man's face—"] That's not... THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED!!!!

[ It is what happened. (nsfwish) ]

C - Accommodations nsfw ok!

[ Currently Waver lives the hoboish life in Wyver. He's on the very bottom of the food chain, and so coming to Khalo village, where they're treated to rooms fit for sultans? It's very, very different. And very, very welcome. Waver kicks off his shoes and quietly eases into the many soft cushions in the room, letting out a great sigh of relief. This is heavenly, really. Fan him with a leaf and feed him grapes and he'd be in paradise.

But he'll just have to make do with an offering of fyrra instead. While not one to really recreationally use drugs or anything like that, he remembers the pleasant feeling it left him with before, and so he ventures to try it again. What's the harm, right? He's in good company ... probably.

Once he's smoked some and relaxes back against the cushions again, he sighs once more, kind of unconsciously leaning toward the nearest person sharing his accommodations. ] Mm, this is nice. If only we could stay here...

D - Nude baths

[ It's not the first time Waver has stripped down to bathe somewhere in this world, so he's a little less apprehensive about it than in the past. Still, he's keeping to himself, trying to go unnoticed as he exposes his scrawny little body by removing his clothing. Hopefully no one's looking at him until he gets down in the water, where it obscures things. It sure is nice though, the moment the water envelops him. It's crisp and refreshing, and he's needed this a lot more than he's realized.

Clearly he's a little too content, and needs his space to be invaded. ]

mushrooms!!

[constellationy]

[ She's mostly in the area to look for new fishing spots, so his question catches her a little off guard as she peers over at him and the mushroom. ]

... Huh?

[ Whether it's due to the spores he spread everywhere or the fact that she stumbles back and ends up stepping on a mushroom, who knows. But in the next moment, she's being shrunken down to an absurdly small size. It seems she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Oh dear.

She's not really one to ... make sounds, though. She's not a loud person. So hopefully he notices that the girl who was just next to him has shrunken down and is now standing atop one of the mushrooms. Otherwise she's going to have to find some other way to get his attention. As lazy as she is, staying small like this forever is not in her interests (how is she supposed to fish like this??). ]

[araearyrha]

They did say this was supposed to be a whole other experience.

[If Diana isn't going to give up, she can't either. It would ruin her reputation as the queen of determination! She has to wonder what exactly the experience is supposed to be though. The host wasn't very forthcoming when explaining things to them

Akko keeps a watch on Diana as she takes another puff of smoke.]

Any better?

[daemonized]

[Ardyn's smile is often sharp, angled like a predator's. It is no different this time, a cold thing, acute at the edges. Nearly as sharp as the edge of his blade, a gleaming longsword, brought close to the other's neck. A gentle pressure, but a threat nonetheless.

His eyes track over his features, his expression.]

Hmm. You'd be surprised just how talkative a man I can be, when presented with the right topic. What of yourself?