❪ event ❫ a moment in eternity

[natha]

TO THERE AND BACK     It has been a month of chills uncharacteristic of what you might remember as summer — cold days and even colder nights. The days are short and the nights feel eternal. With the recent disruption of the network and no sign of a resolution for the world outside of Nadril, one has to wonder what the future holds for El Nysa. What of Olympia, Wyver, and their residents? The animals you cared for - are they destined to remain as frozen as wretched Ysverai forever? What will become of the sleeping ones in Thesa when there is nowhere else to go but this icy city? Yet not all hope is lost just yet. The woman that appeared at the start of the network errors finally shows up again in another network post. Greetings to you all. I apologize for my abrupt appearance and departure before… My name is Nurray, and I am the closest thing to a monarch that you will find here in Nadril. Magda is... indisposed, so I am here to speak to you in his place. First and foremost, you will notice that your network devices are fully functional once more. Should you experience any further issues, please report them to me immediately so that it can be taken care of. Secondly… Investigating the strange frequency interference we've been experiencing has brought some troubling data to light. The passage of time outside of this colony has been halted, of course, but the hold seems... unstable. Whatever it is that Darma has done to contain the calamity, I doubt that it will last for long. Time is an unpredictable force, and attempting to control it can only have adverse effects on the world. You could stay here if you so chose, outside the reach of that magic... but to do that would be to abandon the rest of this planet to an unenviable fate. ...ah, but there is no need to take my word for it. You can see the effects for yourselves, if you wish — merely look outside. "Seeing is believing"... isn’t that the phrase? Nurray has a point: refugees have not been given a chance to see the outside. The frequent snowstorm barrier of Nadril has made it impossible to see what it's like beyond the colony. Soon after the network post, as though the snow has been "turned off," clouds will clear. With the barrier created by the snow gone, the red sun shines brightly upon the dreary city with its warmth. You can see a purple haze on the south horizon, a indication that Yservai wasn’t all just a dream. He's still there, so far away, yet so close anyway. Near the entrance, a mound of snow melts, revealing steps leading towards the underground. It seems to be a part of the subway station you might have found earlier during your exploration of the colony — this time, the station has been powered on. Two trains lie in wait — their destinations read: Olympia and Wyver. — El Nysa is waiting. FREEZE FRAME     The technology found in the subway station of Nadril is truly out of this world. The combined efforts of Natha technology and alien minds have truly created state-of-the-art transportation never before seen by the typical Nysan. It takes no longer than one hour for the intercoms to announce their arrival to the outskirts of the Dranbu Kingdom — though, even with the platform available, the train never stops; it instead continues for another half hour for it to reach the North Gate of the Olympian Empire, where it sits until it's time to return to the tundra. All in all, it takes a mere hour and a half for this high-speed subway travel from Nadril to Olympia. The second train does make a quick stop at the Olympian Station, but it will be another painless hour and a half until it reaches the jungle of the Wyver Kingdom. Because Wyver is its own island, connected only by a bridge, you might notice that a small part of the travel was underwater. The trip takes only a total of three hours, but there's plenty of time for sightseeing. After all, isn't that the whole point of this trip? BE STILL MY HEART. Leaving the train, you are immediately hit with the still, warm air of the underground. It's hot, much different from the winter of the north, but perhaps a welcome change. The station is old, but it still has a fairly new smell to it, and not just because it's been unused for so long. It feels out of place compared to the rest of this world, and this is especially true when you reach the surface. The entrance was hidden under the earth right near the North Gate. Upon leaving the station, you're immediately hit with the familiar wretched smell and atmosphere of the undead. Even if you're new, you won’tt be able to miss Ysverai, the risen Great Dragon. You see this massive creature on the horizon, mouth wide and ready to blast El Nysa into nothing. Yet he remains still — as are all the terrified residents of Olympia. You've only seen this on the monitors of Thesa Station, and now you're able to experience first-hand how utterly quiet and still the world is now. The native Olympians are all over — you see most of them running away from the Great Dragon. Others equipped their armors and rode their steeds straight toward the danger in hopes of protecting their Empire. And the civilians, having lost all hope, are huddled together — at least they would have been able to spend their final moments with loved ones. Up on Thesa Station, you felt dread when you'd observed Ysverai for too long — this remains true here. That dread reaches your heart and clutches it. You feel his pain and suffering, and for those too in tune with emotions, it may be too much for you to be near him. Best to steer clear from him, or perhaps return to the underground. There is much more to be seen, after all. PRAYING WITH FIRE. Another hour and a half south on the subway, and you'll reach the Wyver Station. It's far warmer here in the station this further south, but Ysverai's dread doesn't reach here. On the surface, you are instead immediately hit with the overwhelming humidity of the jungle. With summer in full swing, the layers you've brought with you from Nadril become a burden. In Wyver, the mood is far different. The Great Dragon Yservai was once a being that was respected and worshipped by the Wyver people — not to mention that the one responsible is none other than Prince Raysc — thus his revival is met with somber resilience. Most of Wyver natives, instead of running away, had gathered around fires in prayer. Trained dragons that were unaffected by Ysverai's influence bow by their master's sides in acceptance of what they feel in their heart is to come with the Great Dragon's final blow. You may even spot your own dragon, eyes beamed up toward Thesa, like it knows you were up there at the moment time stood still. It's hard to imagine where one can go from here. You might start thinking about clean-up efforts, how to achieve proper burials for the fallen ones... but with time frozen, you will find that you cannot actually move anything or anyone. It will be dusk, as Thesa's shines across the skies, when storm cloud gather before Thesa's light. And from the clouds is a familiar figure — Once again, she has descended. TIME & TIME AGAIN     Darma is glowing as bright as the naked eye can perceive. Her massive, true form floats before the world she's built from dust. Is this world salvageable in your eyes, Refugee? We held time in hopes that we fould find a way to dissolve this Ysverai back to the ashes from which he was reanimated. Unfortunately, we continue to be unseeing, thus uncertain of the future... after all, our powers are near depleted. Nurray was correct, Refugee, in that I cannot hold time for much longer. There is... another way, however. It is not ideal by any means, but we shall do what we must to keep Ysverai frozen. As for us... we have expended far too much of our energy — Refugee, I am too aware of the misfortunes you've experienced in your time here. I have failed in my promise to provide better living... perhaps, with more time, I may yet see a better future. Until then, I leave Thesa, our hearts, in your hands. Farewell, Refugee. Her brightness dims as she says her final words — at the same time, raises her arms, palms wide, then closes her hands into a fist. In that instant, time is resumed. It's slow at first, as though time is trying to catch up with reality. It takes a several moments until the slow-motion picture before them reaches normalcy. Darma turns her attention to Yservai, whose motion is also returning, but not for long. In her true form, they are comparable in size; Darma's glow continues to dim as she draws closer to the Great Dragon, and then she coils herself around him, holding him still before assimilating into the wretched creature. By the end of it, time has completely returned to normal, and all residents were able to witness the Natha holding time still for Ysverai — The process turns the Great Dragon, as well as Darma, into stone. HIT PLAY TO REPLAY     Darma has resumed time, and Ysverai is no longer a threat. However, it comes with a hefty price for the Natha. The massive, stone statue of Darma embracing Ysverai looms in the valley between the cities of Olympia and Wyver. It's no doubt an intimidating addition to the world, but there is some peace in knowing it's all over. When civilians finally come to, they can't help but look upon the statue in awe — and their respective cities. It's much to take in all at once. Much destruction has been wrought— buildings lay in ruin, and of the citizens still alive, many look to be in poor physical condition. 1. I. The Sanctuary has sustained much damage, and with the high demand of medical care, cannot serve as the central healing place for those in need. Instead, it is up to individual citizens to find resources and establish places of care. Those with a medical inclination or healing powers may set up medical tents, or work out of their homes. Not everything has been destroyed, and it is still possible to obtain supplies from the market or request them from The Sanctuary. There is also, unfortunately, the tragic task of transporting corpses to graveyards and giving fallen citizens a proper burial. The Temples thank you for your service. II. In order to have a functioning city again, buildings and facilities must be repaired and rebuilt. It's possible your own home was demolished in the battle. With so many important buildings needing to be repaired, city officials are too overwhelmed with the coordination of such tasks to double-check that buildings are restored to their original form. What's more, they seem to encourage design innovation, believing that a new, fresh look to the city will revitalize people's morale. Now is the time to put your own unique flair on the interior or exterior of Olympia's infrastructure. Even parts of the Palace need repair. Time has resumed, yes, but the magic that Darma employs isn't flawless. As powerful of an entity as she may be, to tamper with time is difficult. Some would say it defies the laws of nature. Nature seems to agree, and in the next few weeks, El Nysa will be facing a few hiccups as it finds its equilibrium once more and citizens try to return to normalcy. Strangely enough, El Nysa natives are not disturbed by the occurrence of these events. III. Characters may find that they occasionally (or frequently) suffer from lapses in memory. These difficulties with memory may range from light to severe, although they are thankfully not permanent. Within the span of a few minutes to a few hours, difficulties in remembering people and events are resolved. That isn't to say a similar problem won’t happen again tomorrow… IV. Is it just you, or is your housemate looking a bit old lately? No, it isn't just stress making some citizens appear older. For a short amount of time, some characters may find themselves advancing or regressing in age, both physically and mentally. This particular kind of time hiccup is rare and may be particularly disturbing to the affected person’s friends. Thankfully, there have been no cases of this effect lasting more than an hour. V. At times, it seems as though objects and people in El Nysa will feel a bit out of place. These are beings and things that belong to what some may call "alternate universes." Their presence is transient, and some will only appear for a few instances before returning to their rightful existence. The ones that linger a bit longer, however, may make your day more interesting. Before you stands a pet just like yours, except it talks...? Perhaps you'll meet another version of yourself, a more bloodthirsty version of yourself. Or maybe you'll run into a version of your friend that really enjoys your company. The possibilities are truly endless, and potentially mortifying. VI. Towards the end of the month, the frequency of the aforementioned disturbances will decrease. Following this will be an increase in a different sort of disturbance: one that will either make literal seconds seem like an eternity, or force you to move and talk at a speed you never thought possible. It's as though some higher entity is pressing the fast forward or slow down button on life, and considering your mind works at the same pace as normal, the phenomenon is as frustrating as it sounds. Hope you weren't planning to be on time for anything, because it might be awhile before the universe allows you to take that next step. But these phenomena does draw to a close — and with it, you may wonder what will happen now to those sleeping ones in Thesa now that Darma has turned to stone. After all, it will be near the time of which more refugees should wake... Repairs to Thesa Station should remain ongoing so long as parts can be salvaged from Nadril, at least. And with speed travel via subway possible, it should make travel far easier than ever before. Even with Darma gone, you will have to move forward. There is still much to be done. FINAL OOC NOTES     You may acquire REP for Nadril, and either Olympia or Wyver in this log. An AC-eligible thread for ONE (1) NADRIL REP POINT may be submitted HERE BY AUGUST 26TH, 11:59 PM EST. A second AC-eligible thread for 1 REP for either Olympia OR Wyver may be submitted HERE OR HERE BY AUGUST 26TH, 11:59 PM EST. Please direct questions to the questions thread below! Thank you! QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● lore ● map ● npcs taken ● atp/emp ● application ● rep/acp calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[thedarkbond]

Hmm...so you're just making excuses now, then...?

[Ren's tone is somewhat doubtful, as if he can see right through the attempt to divert. Unstoppable force meets immovable object, or so it seems.]

[stuns]

Yeah, he set his entire hand on fire. It was sort of gross.

[ seriously. his hand went all black and looked like it was peeling? he kind of looked away as soon as it happened. ]

[conqueredhearts]

Only if someone finds such a thing attractive. Otherwise a friendship would be wonderful!

[He laughs again but clearly doesn't have any shame here.]

[thedarkbond]

[Ren surveys Juno up and down, as if deciding what to ask. They haven't really talked enough yet to know what would be the most sensitive thing to aim for, any absolute guarantee that he won't reply, but after a moment or two, Ren's attention trails back up to Juno's face. There's one thing he feels is likely might be a topic traumatic enough that short-notice discussion might get refused, so he raises a hand delicately and points towards Juno's eye - the one that, from this close distance, doesn't look quite right.]

How did you lose your eye...? [It's a fairly low blow, if Ren's being honest with himself, but he really isn't fond of disclosing sensitive information this soon.]

[stuns]

[ juno wonders just how vague he can get without sounding all that vague, but in true fashion, the words come out before he even has time to rationalize over them. rationalizing and thinking about what you're going to say before you say it is for people who aren't named juno steel. ]

Alien tumor.

[ it's not a lie, and that's pretty much the gist of what needed to be said about it. there are some pretty awful memories attached to that empty socket - starving underground, the taste of blood in the back of his throat, the sound of nureyev in the next room over gritting his teeth and trying to bear the pain too.

his chin tilts up a little. ]

Took my eye, so my employer got me a new one.

[thedarkbond]

[It's clear from Ren's expression that he has sympathy for the actual turn of events Juno describes, but it's marred a bit by the faint amusement at how incredibly vague the description is. He knows exactly why, of course, because something like that, even if it was from a tumor of some kind, doesn't go without painful and personal matters, but it also means he's done exactly what he intended to do with it.]

Well, since that's exactly as vague as what I already told you, I think we could call that an even exchange, don't you~? [If Juno isn't going to get into the actual personal details of his story, then Ren doesn't feel obliged to either. He already gave Juno a fair bit earlier in comparison, so honestly, he feels this is an offering back he'd already be owed.]

[kikoku]

[Law looks at You for a long moment, weighing his options, before deciding to be a jerk.]
... Aah. The world is divided into four major oceans, North, South, East, and West Blue, divided by the Red Line, the one major piece of solid land, and the Grand Line, a band of unpredictable ocean currents that form a major sailing route.
[He gestures as he talks, indicating how the Grand line runs perpendicular to the Red Line.]

The marines ostensibly are in control, but in a lot of areas, especially the second half of the Grand Line, pirates exert their influence far more than the marines can handle. Most of them are what you'd consider the "bad" pirates, but the marines serve a corrupt government and as a whole are hardly any better.
[He took a long journey to tell her it's not cool. He could have just said that. Instead she got a geography lesson.]

[ayes]

[She crosses her arms over her chest, listening intently. This is fascinating to her!] Okay, so we've got the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Indian oceans, but they're just divided by continents. So everything else there is like... ocean and islands and stuff? Do people live on big ships most of the time?

[chickenhearted]

[ Waver closes the door behind them and rejoins Dylas, looking him over with some skepticism. It's different, huh? He kind of fails to see how. ]

Whatever you say.

[ He decides not to pick a fight for once and just let it go. But he gestures around them. ]

Make yourself at home. I know there isn't much.

[ But there's places to sit and whatnot. If Dylas finds a spot, Waver's just going to.. sit right by him. ]

[chickenhearted]

I thought about ignoring you altogether.

[ So pick your poison?! But yeah, they really are getting a whole lot of nowhere. ]

[thedarkbond]

Hmm, I don't think that would work, you get angry too easily...

[Ren was already doubtful, and now he just sounds even more so about that claim, considering Waver has so far decidedly been one of the easier people to get a rise out of he's run into here so far.]

Maybe you should practice and try again later...?

[sullenstallion]

[Waver says 'whatever you say.' Dylas hears 'what you say goes.' That's right it does.]

No. It's nice. It's cozy.

[That might sound like an insult, but he means it! He takes a seat on a couch and moves his tail so that Waver can sit next to him without sitting on it, then sets it in his own lap, holds onto it.]

I like seeing where you live. For a while, I wasn't too welcome in your neck of the jungle, remember?

[personalwar]

[ It's not like 76 said anything about a secret base, even if that's more or less what he had if mind, if not quite as dramatic as Sheppard makes it sound. Having a safehouse is never a bad idea, and while he doesn't think the location of his apartment in Wyver is known by many, it would certainly be easier to track. ]

Yeah, guess she is. I wonder if she'll be as hard to contact as Shanrian and Simwe, though.

[ Not to mention the Natha. There's definitely a pattern here when it comes to accessing authority figures. ]

[america]

"Yeah." Steve nods, unsure if he's surprised about the suggestion or relieved. Maybe a little bit of both.

Bucky had spent years taking care of Steve when they were young and Steve had been a trouble-maker who refused to back down even when a situation looked extremely dire. It was time for Steve to take care of his best friend in turn -- Til the end of the line.

He straightens, which doesn't add a whole lot to his height in this state. "Lets go home."

[stuns]

[ it's true. he won't. the details are... well they're six months old and buried in a martian tomb in the middle of the desert. but juno's still reeling from the whole thing. sure he decided he'd get back on track with business. sure he let ramses put a souped up metal ball in his eye. his insides squirm a bit, torn between opening his mouth and vomiting out the truth just for answers or just.

leaving it be.

and for once... he leaves it be, pursing his lips instead and looking frustrated, more with himself than anyone else. ]

Yeah. You've got your answer. Not great, but that's it. Fair's fair... like you said.

[thedarkbond]

[Ren's smile tilts up to one side a little, somewhere between a faint amusement and something...much harder to read. It's not quite sympathy again, but it's some manner of understanding, if you squint.]

I'm glad we understand each other~ [Though his tone is deceptively bright as usual, what he means is a little more than that. The understanding here seems to be of the fact that both of them know there are things that are too painful or too personal to reveal in detail to the first person who asks, and they're still withholding that from each other this early in the piece.

With that, though, Ren doesn't figure it's a great idea to give further opportunities to be questioned, so he turns on his heel, waving a hand and talking over his shoulder to Juno.] Anyway, I guess I'll go see if anyone else interesting has shown up. Maybe you should see if there's any different versions of someone you know around too, right?

[kikoku]

Not most. A lot of the islands are fairly large, most people live there. Though, people do say we're living in the Age of Pirates, because so many people have set sail to find the pirate king's treasure in the past 20 years. So, all of those people, as well as many marines, do effectively live on ships, I suppose.
[Law just keeps accidentally making his world sound more and more exciting. That said, he does notice You seems pretty taken with it.]

Are you interested in sailing?

[ayes]

[Yeah no this is like you told her you came from candy world where everyone lived in gumdrop houses and sailed on chocolate seas]

Am I ever! My dad's a ship captain, so... I've wanted to be a captain my whole life!

[chickenhearted]

I'm not going to do that!

[ Oops, his feathers are ruffled again. Ren is probably right, it's hopeless. ]

I'm just going to leave now!

[chickenhearted]

[ That's fine... for now.

But he sits next to Dylas and nods a little. He's glad it seems cozy, at least. Like a home? ]

It's not much, but it works.

[ He looks at Dylas and frowns slightly at the memory, giving another nod. ]

Yeah, I remember. I'm glad you aren't getting yourself into trouble lately!

[thedarkbond]

Oh? You should consider it, at least...

[Still, it's not like he's going to follow Waver around to bother him - that would take actual effort. So Ren just puts on an innocent smile and waves a hand.]

I'm sure I'll see you around another time, then~

[stuns]

Yeah? I'd hope not.

[ ren turns, giving him a wave, and juno watches him take his leave. he really hopes there isn't a copycat of anyone he knows gallivanting around, or worse, any other versions of himself doing who knows what. he does leave him with a little food for thought, however, about just who the hell ren is exactly.

there are a lot of people who like to play their cards close to their chest, so to speak. juno included. there's something about the bright note to ren's voice and the sly look about him that tells juno he's certainly one of those types that can talk circles around someone without giving them what they actually want, and he files that away for now. ]

[chickenhearted]

I'm not going to.

[ He turns and starts marching off. ]

No I won't!

[personalwar]

[ Normally getting to see a space station would have been an exciting, impossible opportunity, but in this context Jack barely knows what to think. All of this still feels like it must be some kind of dream, but he can be pretty sure that it isn't. It's too vivid for that.

Seeing is believing, though, and so he feels that he has no choice but to nod in agreement to Gabe's offer. ]

That seems like a good place to start, yeah. [ He lets out a long breath and continues to look around them, even though there's nothing that notable about this random alleyway. ] Do you know how this all happened? I can't remember a thing...

[ Maybe it's an effect of the shock? ]

[gravemistake]

[This is still unsettling—like looking into the past and trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for what’s happening right now. Gabriel is coming up empty, and he’s thrown back to a time where Jack looked to him for guidance. Even if he didn’t have answers, he was at least able to give some kind of direction, or say something placating.

All this does is remind him just how far out of his element he really is.

Still, he’s good at appearing like he knows what he’s doing. Gabriel shakes his head.]

There’s a lot they don’t tell us.

[They’re not about to go back to the space station. This seems like a matter for Ana.]