❪ 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

[objectionattorney]

"We've already gotten so close to experiencing an outright war so many times now," And he says this after only living in Olympia for a little more than half a year. He still has chills about the time the other refugees were shot down mid-delivery and how people had to fight tooth and nail to sneak people past the countries borders. "Not that I don't understand. It seems history is a very prideful topic for both sides. And it's difficult to separate truth from rumor, especially with the propaganda and glorification both sides seem to boast."

He sighed, lowering his head as he watched John attempt to restrain their new captive.

"It's not as if she's entirely in the wrong to hate Olympia. Wyver had good reasons for opposing them during their initial conquest so many centuries ago."

[impavid]

"I didn't really pay attention in history class myself."

He finishes securing her hands together and pauses to check her pulse, carefully rolls her over and moves into a more comfortable crouch beside the bandit.

"So what was it Olympia did to earn this much ire? I figured all the dragons were in Wyver. Did they have something bigger they started nuking the place with or was it all a little more sinister than that."

Less overt damage and more underhand betrayals? Both are bad, but sometimes the slow, subtler twist of a knife is worse than outright villainous behaviour.

[objectionattorney]

"I don't know the whole story since most of Olympias resources are biased towards their side. But from one encounter I've had some time ago, I believe it was something Olympia attempted to do but didn't succeed in, that caused Wyver to feel this way."

Phoenix was hesitant to come closer. He was slightly nervous to approach the captured Wyvern rebel in case she happened to wake up once more. In the end, he was just a normal guy, with no special fighting skill or special abilities. If anything this whole ordeal only reminded him of how out of his element he was.

"A few hundreds of years ago, around the time of Nithor the Exalted it seemed Olympia attempted to launch some sort of campaign to shatter all borders within El Nysa. To unite all countries into one in hopes of bringing peace. Of course, Wyver didn't take too kindly to some other country coming into theirs, attempting to tell them that they didn't want their way of life to exist anymore."

[impavid]

Huh. Peace via conquering. Now isn't that a familiar concept.

"People don't usually like it much when that sort of things happens, I find. They prefer to keep control of their own countries and fix their own problems, rather than having people wading in and telling them they're being saved."

John is intimately acquainted with the problem of World Police. With the problem of intergalactic police, even.

"Not that trying isn't worthwhile, but -- you know. Only if people actually want to be saved. Not just because we decided they did."

[objectionattorney]

"I have yet to find any definitive proof, but old word among Wyver was that things back then with Olympia were so one-sided that the Olympias would use Wyver's citizens as glorified slave labor. It was what initially caused the uprising, and why those who reside in Wyver still hold a grudge against Olympia to this day..."

But still, why would they wish to steal something that was already being given back? Even if it was to a king they were not satisfied with?

Phoenix shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting towards their new unconscious captive.

"Did she say anything about why they may have wanted it? You know, before you conked her out silly."

[impavid]

"She did. How much do you know about the shamans? Leading question."

Since that's all connected, after all, why specifically they're helping the shamans get hold of the heart. Why, specifically, the heart of a dragon that died long ago yet is still beating is useful at all. Why people who are angry at Olympia would want it.

[objectionattorney]

"Not much besides the fact that some sort of uprising occurred. I spent most of my time in Olympia before the coalition had started up. Most of what I know about Wyver, in general, I've learned through rumor and what I remember from the few days I was conscious. You know, back when we were all forced to temporarily evacuate there," Even during those times he was far too sick to really stick around and explore. Although what he did experience from the country he refused to really reminisce on with anyone. That embarrassing story is not being shared with anyone save for the people he experienced it with.

"Oh, and that they have dragons that they actively train even to this day. Why? Is she a part of them?"

[impavid]

John scrunches up his face a little as Phoenix speaks, because the few days I was conscious is a weird sort of comment but... he's not getting into all that now. One problem at a time.

"She's friends with the shamans," he repeats, "but the important clue is that they shamans are into magic. You know, healing and resurrection magic included."

Which... as a stand along comment doesn't perhaps mean much, seeing as how normally you'd assume you need more than just a heart to bring something back. In this case, however, since it's a creepy still-beating-heart it seems... maybe you don't? Or maybe they have more bits? John isn't strictly sure he wants to know the specifics, even if he supposes he might need to learn them.

[objectionattorney]

It took a second of John staring at him for the realization to finally hit. After all, even though he had lived in El Nysa for more than six months now and even had seen it himself sometimes, the concept of magic was still hard for him to wrap his mind around.

And it was nothing like the magic tricks his daughter would perform on stage either. No... This was the real deal. With fire and healing and apparently revival?

"... Oh crud," The thought had suddenly made him feel sick. The color draining from his face as he nervously glanced over towards the unconscious shaman. He had joked about it in passing, the thought of Ysverai coming to life with a still-beating heart, but he was assured something like that would be near impossible. "You don't mean to imply... I mean there's no way, right? Wasn't Ysverai destroyed hundreds of years ago?"

How would that even be possible?

[impavid]

"Well that's what I thought too, but then it occurred to me that the creepy heart was still beating."

Which is already disconcerting, and already unnatural enough that -- hell, why not assume they can somehow bring it back?

Impossible is a relative term once you've seen people turn themselves into pure energy and swipe spaceships clean out of the sky.

[objectionattorney]

"But, if such a thing were possible in this world wouldn't it have been in Olympia's best interest to completely destroy it? Why would they keep it for hundreds of years?" Oh God what have they done? The heart was gone and it was because of their lack of conviction... His own lack of experience. He felt his body tensing, glancing away with worry.

"If it happens... If it actually is revived. What would they want with a power as horrifying and uncontrollable as Ysverai?"

And they were the ones to let them just take it.

... What did they just do?

[impavid]

"I'm pretty sure they think they can control it. People generally tend to think they can. Why Olympia kept it though, I dunno. Seems like it was being held hostage while Wyver kept Nithor's skull. I'm guessing destroying it would have been as good as a declaration of war. Maybe they never thought anyone would be stupid enough to try resurrecting it."

Either way, John is strongly of the opinion they need to get it back. He pushes to his feet, dusts some of the dirt from himself and squints around.

"My money is on them having taken it into Wyver, since that's where all the shaman are based. Maybe we can still track them down, I dunno how long this kind of... ritual takes. Presumably there are requirements."

... Ingredients? Special locations? That kind of thing.

[objectionattorney]

"... Huh? So we just go?" Pheonix was still trying to wrap his own mind over the seriousness of the situation. This was far from the first political mess he had gotten himself into, but this was something that could destroy the lives of all those who lived in Olympia as they knew it!

... So wasn't that exactly the reason why they should try to retrieve it no matter what the costs?

"We're not that far from Wyvers boarders, are we? How much further would you say we'd have left?"

Right. He may not be able to do much, but he has to live up to the responsibilities of his job. It was his duty as a member of the coalition.