❪ 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

[willrevile]

Maybe no one's deal with them has been about the safety of the overall station.

[ Which sounds ridiculous, but if the number one incentive is safe, people can still use their gifts and superhuman abilities, doesn't it suggest there's something inherently more protected about these bargains than anything else? Jim's seen weirder things. ]

It could just be that the station isn't such a priority to them. [ He laughs a little. ] I definitely want to see Deathscythe. I still worry a little about it being observed, though.

[braidedwonder]

Why bother with the planet's safety when you live on the station? [ Says the kid who looks out for himself above all - this is probably why he struggles a little with teaming up other than Heero who's a bit too forward with things for his own good. Hard to double cross a guy who's plain as day with everything. ]

So then maybe their ultimate goal is the planet itself, you think? Start off by dropping us off here and then slowly push themselves in?

[ Honestly, not the most backward plan he's ever run in to okay? ]

They'll pry this Gundam out of my cold dead hands so.. observe all they want.

[willrevile]

We don't know much about them. Maybe the rest of their people are here, maybe they come down more than we know, maybe we're terraforming for them. Maybe they actually do give a shit.

[ Anything is possible. ]

Alright, alright. Let me find a terminal.

[ HE SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE but the Gundams are too cool, man. ]

[braidedwonder]

Honestly that's what I'm gonna be irritated about. If we're doing all the work for them to come and take this plant over or something. [ Of course it's a possibility he's thought about a few times, despite all this neutrality crap he's heard from the Natha in one form or another. There has to be a reason they're here, though. Has to be something they're getting out of being on this planet even if they're loathe to admit such a thing - or why do anything at all?

He'd be more shocked, honestly if there was no reason at all ]

Better get it done before the power gives if it's gonna. [ Duo punches a few controls himself, giving a little hum as he reads the diagnostics. ]

Scythe's systems aren't findin' anything either.

[willrevile]

Power's not gonna give, [ he says, though he's halfway muttering to himself. ] Pattern's irregular but maintaining. Scotty's got a word for it. Hmph.

[ Tell-tall takatakatakataka sound of keys, and then, properly without the muttering: ]

Okay, try out [coordinates]. I've got a clear view on half a dozen screens.

[braidedwonder]

Stochastic might be what you're lookin' for. [ Listen, Duo may not be a wildly intelligent guy, but he's always been able to learn on the fly and knows big words that he's heard once or twice.

He may also have been called stochastic once or twice in his life, but that's a subject for another time. Gundam training isn't to be discussed over comms like this.

Duo chuckles lightly, amused but tracking the coordinates anyways. Jim gets no warning that he's there, a soft flicker of a few keys disengaging Deathscythe's cloaking systems. Soon enough there's a large black Gundam, vulcans gleaming and green eyes illuminated materializing out of the blackness of space, large bat wings extended to stabilize his flight.

Then, with a cocky little laugh: ]

I'll hold here a minute so you can fully appreciate this.

[willrevile]

Mmm. [ Something like that. Probably sounds different in a Scottish accent, or - whatever, Jim's thinking of strange engineering lingo that he half-knows by osmosis and his time waffling between that track and command. He's not sure just yet, but he suspects strongly that if they just fix a few things in here, they'll be able to see the power smooth itself out.

Anyway.

A moment of quiet, then - ]

Holy fuck.

[braidedwonder]

[ Ah, well, that was worth it for the good ol' belly laugh that it brought on, for sure. He may be on someone's radar now - he's certainly on the ship's now that the jammers are off, but thankfully for Jim Duo isn't after Thesa in the Gundam just yet.

That story line always had a chance to change, but that's where he stands for right now. ]

Here, lemme show you - [ Duo says it almost sing-song as he activates the beam scythe, the same color green as the mobile suit's eyes, pulsing with energy. ]

- And here's why it's called Deathscythe.

[willrevile]

[ Fortunately, while the scanners do pick up the Gundam's presence, no alarms go off, and it's not paid any particular mind. Hopefully that means it's not sending off a significant enough signature to get anybody's attention. (Later he'll liken it to the Natha's craft leaving Thesa; if they didn't think whatever's out there would notice their movement's origin, then there's no reason to think Deathscythe would be detected.) ]

Jesus.

[ That's very dramatic. And impressive. And definitely making him wonder how that kind of display is even capable in a vacuum. DON'T ASK ABOUT ANIME PHYSICS, JIM. LET WUFEI HAVE A FLAMETHROWER IN SPACE, IT'S FINE. ]

You definitely got full bars for 'intimidating and impressive' when you rolled for that thing.

[braidedwonder]

Tisk, I know a nun who'd give you a dressing down for that one. [ She'd also give him a dressing down for being a murder-y terrorist shit, but there's nothing he can do about that one now. Too far gone, etc etc. Maybe if things had gone differently he wouldn't be such a terror in general, right? ]

Rolled for it? [ Sorry Jim, that doesn't seem to compute. ] We designed this Deathscythe to be better in space than the first. Deathscythe Hell Custom is bit of a.. different ball park than my original suit.

The cloaking's a huge benefit, for one..

[willrevile]

[ A nerd joke in preemptive counter for the religious joke. (You still have nuns?? Ok no Star Trek also still has religion, it's just rarer, and most people regard it as ridiculous.) ]

It's a hell of a machine. [ No pun intended. OR IS THERE. ] Both this and Barbatos look like they could stomp the things the Natha have in here no problem.

[ Jim takes another long look, impressed. Somewhat reluctantly, ]

Alright, you can probably cloak it again. Responsible safety measures.

[braidedwonder]

Honestly they probably could. I saw them and sat here wondering if that's really all they had and if I got one if I could make my own changes... [ Because, clearly, he's used to some high brow shit. A few key strikes and Deathscythe fades from the camera's view, melting in to the inky blackness of space as if it had never been there. Even the shimmering outline fades as the jamming completes, and Duo moves away from he camera coordinates to move above, scanning everything he can see and everything Deathscythe's systems can see for safety's sake. ]

But I guess it could be said I'm spoiled, huh?

[willrevile]

It could, [ he says, sounding faintly amused. ] But it's clear you can handle that thing, so you might as well have something top-level.

[ Having to learn from scratch, maybe it's better that the suits in storage aren't souped up so much. ]

Alright. I'm gonna get back to searching this place. I'll let you know if I run into anything besides emptiness.

[braidedwonder]

Went through too much training to not have something top level and handle it. [ And too much pain and suffering to get there to just let it go by. Still, now that he's out here in space he feels a bit better than being planetside.. which is strange, he knows, but a spacer is a spacer, whether they admit it or not. He just happens to find no problem in admitting these things. ]

Sounds like a plan. Let me know if you think there's enough power to open the doors and bring Scythe in. I could always drop in and help out.

[willrevile]

That's high on the list of things to check, between you and trying to get Mika's out of necessary.

[ It's a bad situation, but Jim feels more like himself than he has in ages. Once a spacer always a spacer indeed. ]

Talk to you soon.

[ Boop! ]

[braidedwonder]

Well between the two of us I'm sure we'll be able to handle a good bit for everyone if it coms down to it. Especially if we can hide that we have the suits until necessary. I'm sure anyone trying to face down the Natha might not expect these beasts..

[ Which would actually be really amusing now that he thinks about it.. ]

Yup. Check in soon. Keep your eyes peeled.