❪ 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

[nostalgiabomb]

—I’m, uh, not really Gamora’s anything.

[ though certainly not for lack of trying.

And, listen, Peter’s really good at reading people, or at least that’s what he thinks. Having lived around hundreds of different species with thousands of different physical cues and types of body language means Peter can be observant as hell – whether he interprets those particular cues correctly is another matter entirely.

But what Peter reads right now is this: discomfort? Shock? Something slightly disturbed, like the dude’s gotten some seriously unpleasant news. Any way you slice it, the guy doesn’t seem particularly happy. ]

It was Rich, right? [ Peter’s not usually good with names, but that one’s easy enough to remember. ]

[summertimeblues]

[Not for lack of trying indeed. He'd skimmed through a fair bit of that network post and had a chuckle. Not without sympathy, mind you — it wasn't as if Richie hadn't been there himself a dozen times or more.

He laughs under his breath, shaking his head.]

She's a tough nut, that one. Good dancer though, hope your moves really are up to snuff.

[Whether or not Peter is really that great at reading folks might be a moot point: Richie Tozier never had to bother being sly before he came to Nysa. He could slip into a separate persona with no sweat, had about a thousand of them on beck and call, and relied more on mitigating real life potholes with a joke and a rambling impression.

Covering his tracks while playing au naturale, however? He could use more finesse.]

The one and the same. [The book weighs his hands down. He doesn't want to lose it (gotta introduce it to his zippo and make it a permanent withdrawal, whether the Khalo liked it or not) but he doesn't want to clutch it like some sacred relic to his chest the whole time. That's all too suspicious.

Richie slips the storybook back into the shelf.] And what brings you to our hallowed halls of learning? They've got some wild stuff here, don't they? Fairy tales from outer space.

[Fished right out of their own heads. What a cheap trick.]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ WELP.

The "good dancer" comment makes Peter narrow his eyes briefly – suspicion, mostly. That was a specific metaphor, which is what Peter hopes it was. He hopes it was just an oddly apt turn of phrase. Because otherwise, that means Gamora has danced with someone else, and that's their thing. His and hers.

—no, okay, he's being paranoid, and more than that, he's being stupid. And anyway, even if Gamora did dance with anyone else, it wasn't his business. Like, she could do what she wanted. It was whatever. Seriously. Peter's cool with it. It's fine. Really.

A muscle in his jaw tics, but he lets the comment slide for now.

Instead, he nods to the book in Richie's hand. Lightly, conversationally, ]

You find something "wild" in that one?

[summertimeblues]

[The miniature glare doesn't go unnoticed. Whoops? It was hardly a night to write home about, Gamora hadn't even spoken to him in months.

Though if she were to start making house calls he'd be hard pressed to shut the door — she's out of this world in stupefying ways, a hard-boiled alien assassin. But hell, Richie has eyes. And she's got a cinematic mystique to her severity, the coyness of her rare smiles. The carefully concealed consideration she harbors underneath both.

Just saying, if Star Lord here doesn't lock that down he might be shit out of luck. Richie bets she turns more than a few heads wherever she goes.

But Peter's quick to cut back to uglier matters.]

Hmm? Uh — in a fashion. [Richie draws back from the shelf, hands seeking shelter in his pockets.] It's not a lot of happy endings, is all. Kind of a drag if I'm being frank. Making me itch for a stiff drink. You seen any likely spots on the way down? I think I'm done rubbing my nose in the books, all I'm going to smell for the next week is old parchment and sweaty fairy palms.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ "Sweaty fairy palms" is a new one on Peter, and it earns a quick, surprised laugh. ]

You've got a poetic way of putting things.

[ And he means that genuinely, surprisingly.

The guy clearly doesn't want to talk about whatever he found in that book, and Peter is smart enough to know that it isn't any of his business – and more than that, he doubts the guy wants to share with a total stranger whatever it was that got him so spooked.

So wisely, he rolls with the conversation. ]

Saw what might actually pass for a dive out here in Wonderland. Was about to head there, myself.

[ And he gestures with a thumb over his shoulder – a near universal sign for, "You wanna get out of here?" ]

Want some company?

[summertimeblues]

[So he's heard. But hey, a little flattery goes a long way when you've got a life-long designation as the "funny guy" and never once the hottie. Richie bats him some eyelashes and remarks coquettishly:]

Do you really think so?

[The pallor is starting to seep out of him at last. He's a pale man to begin with but there's a few shades between him and ghostly ash, and he's sneaking back up the Pantone chart the more he runs his mouth. Lucky thing Peter's being agreeable too, and not getting too nosey about the Brothers Grimm rejects tucked along the shelves.]

So long as it's not that fyrra lounge, I'm in. You're cute and all, Quill, but you ain't my type.

[He takes a happy stride out of the shelving and shoots the man a grin.] Let's vamoose. Lead the way, big guy. I'll even buy the first round.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Peter lets out an almost affronted noise as the guy passes, pressing a hand to his chest and putting on a wide-eyed, scandalized look. ]

I'm not your type? Are you kidding? What's not to like?

[ please don't answer that.

But Peter takes the hint, leading them out of the library. The quiet scratching of the quills on parchment is almost kind of pleasant, but apparently they're writing some weird shit, so maybe not that pleasant? Who knows.

The bar in question is slightly out of the way, but still, thankfully, on the ground level. And in true ex-Ravager fashion, Peter has somehow managed to find one of the dives available in the village, where the drinks promise to be cheap and better suited to cleaning grease off engines than consumption by actual humans with their actual mouths, to be processed by their actual livers.

Places like these are practically a second home to Peter, and in spite of the new, exotic location, Peter still makes his way to the bar, seating himself comfortably on a stool. Once he catches the attention of the bartender: ]

He and I will have the strongest you've got.

[ For a second, Peter is content to leave it at that, but he jolts to attention, quickly leaning over the counter and emphatically adding, ]

Nothing magical.

[ And apparently that was an important distinction to make, because the bartender changes course accordingly. ]

yo just wanted to say bless for using Heart's Barracuda on your Mantis log, that's my #1 oldies jam

[summertimeblues]

For one, you're too heavy at the crotch and too light on the chest.

[Translation: needs more boobs and less balls. Other specifics could be named but hey, they've got all the time in the world to razz each other later. They might as well gather some good ammo first. From the little they've spoken so far Richie estimates it's gonna come part and parcel with conversation.

Perfect. Speaking his language, this Peter Quill is.

His aesthetics, not so much. Richie casts a look around the bar that speaks volumes. Not of suspicion, not of fear. More just a long, unblinking, "Really?"

He settles into the seat next to the man with one last glance over the shoulder, snorting under his breath at the shady game of dice being tussled over in the back corner, and outright snickering at the modifier Peter begs for.]

Good thing you remembered. Who knows how many extra appendages we'd sprout if you kept the lip zipped? [Can't even trust your own bartender. Fuck, he can't stand this place. The man slides them a pair of tumblrs, bronze-cast and with some tar-black swill swishing against the sides. It reeks of turpentine.

At last, he casts that raised brow on his gracious host. Richie's reaching for the glass but hell if he's not passing judgment.]

Should I be on alert for an ambush kidney harvest, or do you just feel better flying under the long arm of the law?

[Why would this be anyone's first pick of a gin joint?]

barracuda is a gift to mankind

[nostalgiabomb]

Why can’t it be both? [ And he asks it flatly, as he’s scooping up his own tumbler, inspecting its contents with a critical eye. It smells awful, but Peter’s willingly imbibed worse things. It’s why he doesn’t hesitate too long before he’s taking an experimental sip.

... yeah. That tastes about as awful as it looks and smells, but the brief twist in his expression is all that gives it away. ]

If it helps, I was only planning on taking the one kidney. I’m generous like that.