❪ 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

[torchwoodteaboy]

"Maybe..." Ianto replies, flattening himself out of the way as the bandit swings at John. The stun gun might be useful in bringing the bandits down but it's not very much use in defending himself against the attacks themselves. None of his training is, really. The only reason he's got any decent training with his gun at all is the firing range in the Hub and the fact that Jack liked to use it as an excuse to flirt.

They've got to get through this first, Ianto thinks to himself, as he waits for John to get the bandit close enough to him so that he might be able to shock them somewhere.

[impavid]

The bandit swings again and John steps in to block the motion, forces his hand down until he drops the blade and begins struggling to get him into a hold. He's quick, all of them are irritatingly quick, but so long as they stay predictable that's fine. John steps in to a blow to the bandits stomach, then spins him around and catches him up into a choke. Less messy than just stabbing him until the bandit goes down. He drags him up to standing with one arm firmly around his neck, waiting for him to stop struggling before his eyes catch sight of movement.

"Ianto--"

Because there's another bandit moving in, and Ianto is too busy watching John strangle this guy to notice.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto really isn't a melee battle sort of fighter. Or a fighter at all, when it comes down to it. There's too much going on around him and he can't keep track of it all. A bit too reminiscent of the only other 'battle' he's ever been in, at least in the way it's making him feel, and his hands shake slightly as he watches John work through the fray almost effortlessly.

The sound of his name catches him off-guard and it startles him enough to look around, just in time to duck out of the way of -- a stick? a club? -- something heavy swinging in his direction. And by duck, it's really more of a trip, but it gets the job done because he's at least not where the man had been aiming for his head anymore, now that he's on the ground. It doesn't solve the problem that they're still upright and he's not though. "Shit, shit," Ianto murmurs to himself and does the only thing he can think of to protect himself from the log the other man has coming for him by rolling underneath the carriage.

[impavid]

John sees Ianto duck just in time and feels a wash of relief followed by a fresh wave of nerves as he rolls himself under the carriage.

He narrows his eyes, glances around quickly then drops the bandit as he finally goes limp.

"Ianto! You have a weapon, use it!"

Come on, come on you can do it. Something moves close and John turns, gritting his teeth as a blade sinks into his arm. That's fine, though, another free weapon if he can get it. He tries to shake the bandit off, attention split now between what's he's doing and Ianto hiding under the carriage.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto scrambles to relative safety as the burly bandit curses after him. And -- John's right, he does have a weapon. Nothing that can go up against the man's giant club, but he has something that he can use against the man himself. He just needs to get the timing right.

The club swings in a wide arc underneath the carriage after him and Ianto swears as it connects with his shin, but it's enough to bring the man in range. Reaching out he thrusts the stun gun against his bicep and pulls the trigger -- twice for good measure since the man is so damned large, breathing a sigh of relief as he collapses in front of him. Effectively trapping him in place. Swearing under his breath, Ianto does his best to start shoving.

"Of all the--"

[impavid]

He feels his own wash of relief as Ianto's bandit finally drops, but John still has his own problem. He spins the bandit latched onto him, ripping out the dagger with a wince and glancing down at his arm. The jacket is dark, but he can feel blood seeping through.

"Ianto?"

He's still under the carriage, as far as John can tell. Is he hurt? The bandit regroups and lurches at John again, and he counters one handed with the dagger -- grits his teeth as he tries to shut out the pain and keep moving.

"If you're not dead this would be a great time to help."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto hears some kind of a scuffle but it's the sound of John's voice that really gets him moving. Twisting so that his feet are forward he kicks out at the slumped body blocking his way until he finally shifts it enough to shimmy out and assess the situation--

John is facing off against another bandit and from the look on his face, this time it's a struggle. Ianto doesn't even think or bother to rise from where he is on the ground, figuring it would only catch the attacker's attention. Doing the best that he can from the position he's in, he lunges forward on hands and knees and sticks the base of his stun gun against the bandit's thigh before pulling the trigger. The movement leaves him wide open from all other angles and he hasn't thought to look and see if any other bandits are after him. All in all, it's a pretty risky and possibly stupid move. But at least he's helped John, as he asked?

[impavid]

John lets out a sigh of relief as the bandit drops, glancing down at his arm with a wince and then at Ianto.

"Thanks. You're doing great," he manages, and moves closer to the carriage so he can press his back against it for security and begin pulling rolls of bandage out of his vest. "Don't suppose that thing has any other settings?"

Other than stun, which seems to be what Ianto is using. How long does the stun last? He begins roughly spinning bandage around his arm over his jacket, eyes flicking around the area to make sure nobody is sneaking up on them while he tries to stem the bleeding.

[torchwoodteaboy]

He isn't sure that he really is doing as well as John is reassuring him, but he appreciates the sentiment nonetheless. Ianto moves to stand with his back against the carriage with John, flicking his eyes around nervously to be certain that there aren't any bandits about to attack them before he responds.

"There's the option to set it to stun or kill, though I've never tried using that function," he admits. Satisfied that they're not about to be set upon just for conversing he turns his head to glance aside at the other man, eyebrows furrowing at the appearance of the bandage roll. They don't have time for him to do much fussing now but he still can't help but ask, "Are you alright?" Obviously not if he's bleeding but you know. If he's feeling faint, if there is more to that injury than meets the eye, now's the time to say.

[impavid]

"Misjudged my block, got me in the arm with a knife. I'll live but it's limiting my range of movement."

He finishes off the quick, rough wrap and begins to tie the bandage in a knot -- holds one end between his teeth and yanks it tight.

"Right."

Come on John, get going. Do something. He rolls his shoulders and gives his hand a test flex, judging how much he needs to compensate. It wasn't as deep as it could have been. He can handle it.

Then something moves in his peripheral vision and John is grabbing for the hand Ianto still has the stun gun in, whipping it up and around to whatever is closing in on them.

[torchwoodteaboy]

John seems to have managed wrapping his arm up one-handed but it doesn't sound good. Not the fact that he's injured nor the fact that it's limiting his range of movement. John's a better fighter than he is, but Ianto knows it's generally better to work with no impediments at all.

He's just about to open his mouth to fuss a little further when John is suddenly grabbing at his hand and twirling him towards -- another bandit coming their way. Ianto startles slightly but he doesn't need to think twice as he pulls the trigger just in time to send another shock through the bandit in question.

He stands very still, breathing hard as he watches the figure slump to their feet before he turns wide blue eyes to glance at John. The other man's fingers still clasped around his wrist.

"Thanks," he says, a little dazedly.

[impavid]

"You're welcome. Keep an eye out, okay? I need you in one piece."

He lets go of the man's wrist, lifts his hand instead to squeeze Ianto's shoulder reassuringly while he scans the area.

"These guys were ready for us," he murmurs, because they were. The whole thing reads carefully planned, rehearsed. Dropping the hand he takes a step more in front of Ianto again, watches the bandits move in patterns of advancement and retreat. "They don't even care what happens to us. They're just here to keep us busy."

[torchwoodteaboy]

The contact helps Ianto refocus his thoughts and he nods in response to the other man's words, pushing himself back against the carriage as he tries to gather his thoughts.

John is right, of course. The bandits are organized, and the point to their tactics doesn't seem to be swarming the carriage as he had assumed it would be, but rather to target the party themselves. And they just keep coming.

"They're after the Heart," Ianto says, and turns to look over his shoulder with a sinking feeling at the inside of the carriage beyond. "They have to be. The rest of it is just smoke and mirrors."

[impavid]

"They're sure as hell not after your stun gun."

John watches two of them signalling to each other and feels his gut twist uneasily. The bandits aren't even trying to kill them, and that's good, but John doesn't feel like they're in control of the fight either. They're being toyed with. He doesn't like being toyed with.

A bandit moves up beside him and he grabs their arm to stop the blade, rolls his eyes as another moves in and swings them to crash into each other. This getting tiresome, and John is running out of patience and sympathy. Ianto might prefer to stun them but if the ones they've stunned start getting up then this will never end. He drives his blade into the neck of the one now in front of him and twists, kicks him back to dislodge it. He doesn't even watching the bandit begin to stumble before engaging the next one. His arm still hurts. He feels angry about it.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto, for lack of a better word, is used to fighting monsters. Aliens, creatures that don't look like humans and don't think like humans. It's easier to separate the two in his head if he thinks like that, easier to kill them, easier to do a lot of things really if he doesn't let himself think about it. But these bandits, despite their cloaks and hoods, they're really just people. And that throws him off.

Watching John drive the blade of his knife into the neck of a man and move so casually on to the next -- the expression on his face -- that throws him too. He doesn't belong here. What was he thinking, volunteering for a mission like this. He watches as the injured bandit falls, fingers tight around his weapon, before shakily guarding himself against the next attack. His attention on the scene before him such that he doesn't notice the hand closing around his ankle. Startled, Ianto trips over with a muffled cry of shock.

[impavid]

John whirls around at the sound of Ianto's voice, slams his blade into the bandit he'd been engaged with and yanks it free as he sprints over.

"Ianto."

He skids himself over along the ground as Ianto's dragged backwards, kicks out at the bandits head and yanks Ianto forward toward himself at the same time. This is what he was afraid of, all the ones they stunned waking up. It's more likely the longer this goes on. He grabs the gun from Ianto's hand, twists and slams it toward the bit of the bandit's arm he can see.

[torchwoodteaboy]

He supposes he's lucky the bandit hasn't done anything worse to him, all things considered. It was careless, not paying attention to his feet. And careless to merely stun them in the first place, he supposes. Ianto does his best to help at least as John yanks him out of the bandit's grasp and to safety. They can't keep this up -- he can't keep relying on John to rescue him like this, John's going to get himself injured again, or worse.

Reaching for the big bandit's giant club, he hits the man over the head for good measure, before looking to John. "This isn't working!" If that one woke up, it's only a matter time before the rest might too.

[impavid]

"No kidding. If you're going to keep stunning them we need to restrain them too."

Which -- takes time, and possibly more rope and tape than they have. His eyes flit around uneasily, then he rests a hand on Ianto's arm and squeezes gently.

"One piece, okay?"

Please, keep an eye on what's going on. He's not sure how many more jolts of fear he can manage in a short space of time. He's got too much death on his conscience already to lose another person. Isn't that why he came here, anyway? So they could keep an eye on each other? So he could make sure Ianto didn't wind up dead?

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto lets out a long breath before nodding. One piece. Both of them need to stay in one piece, otherwise Ianto will never forgive himself for convincing John into this.

"Yeah," he says a little breathlessly, before swallowing and trying again. "Yeah, alright. One piece. We." He glances aside at the nearest unconscious bandit and then whales the club at their head too for good measure. "We're going to need another tactic, then," he agrees, as he moves to push himself up to stand again and reaches out a hand towards John. He's injured, after all. He can stand to let Ianto help him up this once.