❪ 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

[whatisright]

It commonly happens when one wanders through the woods. At least I assume it is a common occurrence. I do not remember wandering the woods before joining the Wardens.

[Justice takes the soap and works it into a lather between his palms before drawing his fingers through Anders' hair. He works first on his scalp, then down to the tips of his hair, seeing to it that the soap has worked through before returning to his scalp to massage away most of the caked on dirt.]

I have enjoyed this city so far. It seems to be much more pleasant than Olympia.

[whatisright]

If you require assistance to gather potion ingredients, I would be happy to help you.

[Justice likes being helpful, even if the help he provides is only tangentially related to his virtue. It's part of the reason why he likes rubbing the soap into Anders' scalp, slowly working the tangles out of his hair--but also, he just likes touching Anders.]

I would like to visit again, when we are not needed in Olympia. I doubt that we will have a chance to see all the city has to offer in only one trip.

[whatisright]

I visited the library, which seems to be home to disembodied lying and confused quills. I visited the lounges up the trees, where they share more of that herb that you must smoke to arrive here.

[As Justice slowly works out the tangles in Anders’ hair, it occurs to him that Anders might want to know about something else he did. Anders has shown a great deal of interest in his sexuality in the past.]

I also discovered that I enjoy sex. I see why mortals participate in it so often.

[whatisright]

[Justice hesitates, hands stopping mid-tangle. Did he say something wrong? It seems Anders is displeased about what he said.]

Yes, I did. [His eternal frown carves itself deeper into his brow.] I do not understand the question. What makes sex serious or not?

[whatisright]

[Justice withdraws his hands from Anders' hair, folding them together in a small show of his confusion and discomfort. Anders is upset. He doesn't know why.]

Of course I care about them. They are my friends.

[Justice wouldn't want to have sex with someone he didn't know and trust. He thought he had made that clear. Is Anders asking him about romantic relationships? Justice doesn't know if he's misunderstanding, because he doesn't know why Anders would be so angry about it.]

I do not expect that we will engage in a romantic relationship, if that is what you are asking. [Justice's frown deepens even further as he settles back in the water.] Have I said something to upset you? Is this socially unacceptable to discuss?

[whatisright]

I do not understand.

[His confusion just upsets Justice more. Anders is clearly unhappy and Justice wants to fix it, but how can he hope to when he doesn't understand why Anders is unhappy in the first place?]

It was a mutually positive experience shared with people I trust and care for in a safe environment. What better is there for someone like me? [For a spirit, he means. Someone who no mortal in their right mind would have a romantic relationship with.]

If you are upset that it happened while we were under the influence of the herb the locals use, I do not think that the herb was a requirement for us to have had sex. [In fact he's pretty sure he'll have sex with Isabela again, with or without the drug.]

[whatisright]

Am I not the one who judges a person's worthiness in these matters?

[Justice knows Anders is getting at something, but he's not sure what, and it's frustrating him. Anders should know better than do lean on implication when talking with Justice.

But Justice can't be angry. Anders is clearly upset, even more upset than Justice remembers him being when the riots struck Olympia. He's not sure what to do, but humans like it when they're touched when they're upset, so he tries to reach out to touch his shoulders.]

What do you mean, care about me more? As in, people who are closer friends of mine?

[whatisright]

...What?

[Perhaps that's not the most graceful response to a declaration of love, but that's all Justice can manage. Love? Did Justice hear that right? Did he understand? Surely he mustn't have understood. Anders knows his limitations. Anders grew up with Chantry teachings of the horror of spirits. He can be friends, but surely he can't be in love.

But Anders looks so broken, and Justice can't stand it. They're getting stares, but that doesn't bother him. He can only focus on how unhappy Anders is, and he tries to deal with it by running his hands up and down Anders' arms, trying to soothe him desperately.]

What do you mean, you love me? Do you mean romantically? [It sounds ridiculous to even say it, but that's the only way Justice can think to interpret what Anders said and he needs to confirm it.]

[whatisright]

What.

[...Alright, there's really no other way to interpret what's going on, is there? Justice honestly has no idea how to react, so words, usually so measured and enunciated, stumble out of his mouth.]

No one else is going to fall in love with me. [...He thinks. He thinks? Well, he thought that no one would fall in love with him, period, so maybe he shouldn't be so sure of himself.]

Why? Since when?

[Justice has craved love every since he felt its ghost on Kristoff's body, but he'd convinced himself that he'd never have it and never could. What mortal would love a spirit, after all? But now Anders is telling him he has it, the one thing he's wanted most besides his virtue, and he has no idea what to do with it.

But what he does know is that Anders is unhappy, and Justice can't abide that. Justice keeps rubbing Anders' arms, not necessarily because it's helping Anders feel better, but because Justice wants him to know that he wants Anders to feel better. Sometimes, knowing that someone else wants to help you be well is enough to make you a little well, at least, if not all the way well.]

[whatisright]

I do not know how I will react.

[Justice is really not being graceful about this, but he honestly never imagined he would be in this position. He has no idea how to react, what to feel, but he knows that he doesn’t want to hurt Anders and he doesn’t want him to leave. When Anders takes his hand, Justice holds on tightly.]

Before we were—Anders, I was inside a corpse. [He says it like Anders needs reminding, like maybe he forgot the fact that Justice was in a rotting body literally held together by willpower. Even Justice knows that’s not attractive.] Why would you be in love with me?

[whatisright]

Anders...

[Justice softens, his free hand going to gently caress Anders’ cheek.] I never realized. I am sorry. [He didn’t realize many things, clearly. He didn’t realize how much his simple honesty and compassion might not have been so simple. He didn’t realize the effect he had on Anders. He didn’t realize the real reason Anders was willing to take a spirit into his heart.

Justice needs a moment to gather his thoughts, looking down at their interlocked hands.]

I do not know if I am capable of falling in love. I do not know if I would even realize it if I had. I do not wish to hurt you.

I envy mortal love. I will not deny that. It is dangerous for me to want what I might not be able to have. I do not know how I should proceed from here, but I do know that I cannot lose you. You are my closest and dearest companion.

[whatisright]

You should be more careful with your heart. I fear what it may mean to promise it to me.

[Justice wants the love Anders is offering. He wants it so much that it hurts. He wants to have Anders all to himself, and the ferocity of that desire surprises him. It's almost possessive, how much he likes the idea of Anders being with no one but him.

But more than anything, he wants Anders to be happy. Justice has caused him enough pain.

He won't let Anders hurt himself on his behalf again. He focuses on drawing his thumb along Anders' cheekbone, on the comfort of being so close.]

I care for you. I care for you perhaps more than I have ever cared for a single mortal. But you know my limitations, Anders. You know that I am a spirit, and all that might mean. Do you truly think I could make you happy?