nysalogs | ❪ event ❫ khalo? can you hear me?

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❪ event ❫ khalo? can you hear me?

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!

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

If you're hungry, you're hungry.

[He lets his eyes close, but he doesn't allow himself to fall asleep. It's just easier to wallow in how he's feeling like this - and easier to feel her playing with his hair, too. If he could purr, he totally would right now.]

If your stomach is still telling you it wants food, you can't have had too much, can you?

_{[If only he could purr...she'd dig it.]}

That's what I think but Amshel and Solomon say otherwise. They say I'm greedy.

_{[Which they're not wrong about when she'll slaughter and feed on multiple people if she's able to.]}

They can't sense your stomach.

[So clearly they have no right to talk!

He hums in pleasure and relaxation.... which may not be purring, but is still something.]

I know you mentioned Solomon before, but who's Amshel?

[The name sounds vaguely familiar, but he can't place it.]

_{[Okay that's a fair point he's made. She can't argue with that and won't even bother to. There is a soft sigh as she relaxes against Atsushi, his question leaving her feeling wistful.]}

Amshel was my first Chevalier. I turned him a long time ago on his request and he's been at my side ever since, even longer than Solomon has. He was supposed to make my dream come true...

That sounds really nice...

[He sounds kind of dreamy about it, but he can't help it. Even if Diva turned the man, he sounds really kind, and helpful.]

He didn't manage to do it?

_{[If only Atsushi actually knew what Amshel was like he wouldn't be thinking that. She shakes her head at that, pausing mid scratch.]}

He and Solomon were trying to, but it never happened. It doesn't really matter anymore...

Sorry, but... are you just saying that because you think you can't get it anymore?

[She's too close to look at properly, but he opens his eyes again all the same.]

Even if Amshel isn't here, you have other friends. Maybe I can help.

_{[She can't help but laugh lightly at that, extracting her fingers from his hair only to poke his nose.]}

You're sweet...but I don't think it's a dream you would want me to help realize Atsushi. I don't think you would like me very much for it either.

[He makes a brief face at the nose-poke. That's quite a heavy statement. He could "run away" and just not ask, of course - and with his post-orgasmic bliss being what it is, that's pretty tempting - but that would be the same as admitting she's right.

If he really likes her, he can know this about her without hating her.]

You won't know that unless you tell me.

_{[It's going to kill his buzz, she can already see it happen...but he's basically asking for the truth so why would she deny him it?]}

I wanted to turn every human being on the planet into a chiropteran, that way no one could ever call me a monster ever again and me and sweet Saya could live in a world with just our kind.

_{[How else is she supposed to put it?]}

A lot of humans were going to end up dead. I wanted to exterminate them all...but there isn't any point in having a dream like that here. People don't care that I'm not human.

[... Okay, that's definitely kind of a buzz-kill. Still, since she's already realized herself that killing so many people would have been a bad thing (Atsushi, that's not what she said...), there's no need for him to feel bad about what she might theoretically have wanted to do in the past.

Besides, can he really say he would have done better, had he been in her place? If someone had taken him in and put him on a pedestal after all those years of being tortured, can he really say he wouldn't have been swept away and gone "evil"? He wants to say yes, but it really depends.

And so he goes along with it for now, a metallic itching around the edges of his fluffy consciousness the only damage done.]

Wouldn't that have been a bad plan anyway? What would you have eaten, if all humans were dead or turned?

_{[See...that thought had crossed her mind but she had been reassured not to dwell too hard on it. Things would work out, somehow.]}

Amshel had told me he would deal with such a problem. Maybe some humans would be kept alive simply for their blood, the way humans keep livestock? I don't know.

_{[There's a little shrug.]}

It isn't something I troubled myself with.

I see...

[She really should have thought about that, he thinks - and he's no genius, himself! But clearly her relationship with her Chevaliers was something special. Speaking of which...]

... I've been thinking about this since before, but... your Chevaliers are kind of like parents to you, aren't they? Even though you turned them.

It's interesting.

[Or at least unusual, and practically the opposite of what one would expect from human standards. But perhaps it makes sense exactly because it's the opposite of what you'd expect.]

_{[YEAH SHE PROBABLY SHOULD'VE THOUGHT MORE ABOUT IT...but that's the thing about Diva - she's spontaneous and ruled by desire, not logic. If she had actually stopped to think about the logistics of her plan back then, maybe things would've gone differently.

The mention of parents has her looking at him a little oddly. Were Amshel and Solomon like her parents? Sure, they did everything for her...but it was different. They revered her, feared her and loved her, even if they didn't want to.]}

I wouldn't know. I never had parents. I don't know what human parents are supposed to be like.

... I guess there's as much difference in parents as there is in people...

[Don't ask him about his parents. He doesn't really remember them; he only knows that they supposedly treated him terribly, and he has no reason to doubt that. They dumped him in an orphanage, after all.]

I was just curious.

_{[She won't ask, mainly because she doesn't think to. Her fingers find their way back to his hair, absentmindedly.]}

My Chevalier are loyal to me. Even if they wished to, they could never truly leave me. To be without me, to not have me in their lives...it would hurt them. There's a blood bond that can't be broken. They do what I want, they give me whatever my heart desires...but I don't think they care about me the way a parent is supposed to care about their child.

_{[Just, a little shrug.]}

It's okay to be curious about me though, Atsushi. I like it.

[There might be some similarities; there are also definite differences, and Atsushi is too tired to categorize everything, even though he tries to remember the basic facts for later pondering.]

I'm always interested in you, Diva-chan. [... That's kind of a creepy way of putting it??? At least he means well.] You can tell me anything, you know.

_{[At least she doesn't find it creepy???]}

You are?

_{[She already lacks quite a filter to begin with, but she'll keep his offer in her mind, even though she's not really sure she can tell him anything and everything that crosses her thoughts.]}

What makes me interesting? What do you like best about me?

[He gives a lazy laugh.]

That's hard to say when you put me on the spot!

[But he'll try, of course. Because he's totally whipped.]

You're cute, and pretty... You're very sweet, even if not everyone may realize that.

_{[Sure, she's putting Atsushi on the spot, but there's no reason not to as far as she's concerned. Cute and pretty is nice to hear, as is sweet, but it's not specific enough.]}

Which parts of me are pretty?

Hmmm, let me think...

[Okay, that may give a bad impression. But it's hard to rank these things!]

Your eyes, and your hair... All of your expressions, too. But especially the way you smile, when it's soft and you really look like a young girl with a whole future to look forward to.

_{[She's not expecting him to say something like that, and it leaves her cheeks feeling hot as she stares at him. Her smile...was it really that nice, fangs and all? It's the final comment that really gets to her though, as she finds her gaze easing away, off to the side. A young girl with a whole future to look forward to, huh?]}

You really see that in me?

M-hm.

[Of course he does! Maybe he should be worried about her reaction, since he's prone to assuming the worst, but he's way too relaxed for that now.]

That's what you are, aren't you?

[... Okay, maybe she's not technically young... but she looks it, so close enough!]

_{[Well lucky for Atsushi he doesn't have anything to worry about. If anything her expression softens as she settles down against him again with a little sigh.]}

I don't know if it is, but if that's how you see me I'll be that for you.

You don't have to be anything for me.

[He says that and he means it, but it still feels like a compliment somehow, to have her say that to him. Just the intention is appreciated.

With her settled against him, he puts an arm around her and closes his eyes.]

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