❪ 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

[beatupgrass]

Rocket stares at her for a second, head cocked like a confused dog that makes him look briefly more animal than he already does, and then his shoulders shake and a second later he's wheezily chuckling. "I stole it from a kid in Olympia a year ago." Because he clearly has no problems admitting that. Whatever, it was a kid from a wealthy family. He probably has ten wagons.

"I'm Rocket. Nice to meet you." He actually means it, too. She has a decent head on her shoulders if she can respond like that to his snark.

[stargatemedic]

Look, the kid probably should have been keeping a tighter watch on the wagon, anyway. Not that TJ condones theft in any way. Ahem.

At least he laughs at what she says instead of gets irritated and, like that, she decides she likes him. "I'm pretty sure the pleasure's all mine," TJ tells him with another glance at the wagon, her curiosity getting the better of her. "What's all the scrap for?" And where'd you get it?

She doesn't ask the second question because she has a feeling that it came along the same way as the wagon.

[beatupgrass]

He puffs up his scrawny little chest which is far more barrel-shaped than your average raccoon, so that's weird... But not as weird as the tiny raccoon hands gesticulating excitedly. "I got a few business ventures I'm itchin' to get started on and Nadril happily supplied me with some of the parts I needed."

That he had to haul awkwardly on a train from there to here, which means he had a lot he had to leave behind, but that's okay. He found himself a nice place to store what he couldn't bring until he could get back. Your move, El Nysa.

[stargatemedic]

"Business ventures."

Whatever it is, the fact that he's so excited makes her grin and she peers over his shoulder at the wagon, something that she can just imagine was odd to bring aboard the train. Still, she has to admire the initiative.

"What kind of business ventures? Anything involving the local, uh. People?" She's really not sure what to call the area they're currently in. "Because I'm curious how you're gonna get it started."

[beatupgrass]

"Little of column A, little of column B." He leans against the wagon, the very picture of confidence. He has clearly thought this through... which is true. He's thought this through for a year back when Rhys and Rosalind were both still here. Now he has the whole kit and caboodle to his name and no competitors.

Which is what certain people who repress their feelings say to make themselves feel better about their friends being gone.

"The weapons go to people like us. The general odds and ends go to these losers.. Once, y'know, everything's put back to rights." And it will be, eventually. He has utmost faith in that, even if it's grim.

[stargatemedic]

"You mean when the cities are rebuilt."

She thinks she's got that much from what he's saying, but the rest of it? She's honestly not sure.

"What kinds of weapons are you talking about?" It's said with no judgment at all, really, because she has no thoughts on the subject one way or together. She's just trying to find out what he wants to do, and if it's supplying weapons of a sort to the refugees, well. That's certainly a venture.

[beatupgrass]

Understandable. He's an extremely fast talker.

"Nothin' fancy. I ain't got that kind of tech. And if I did, I'd save that for myself, anyway." No one else deserves weapons like the Hadron Enforcer. "But we did just get attacked by a dragon that we were pretty underprepared for. It's almost, but not entirely, an act of kindness."

He's not trying to be the Face of War here, but a lot of people have shitty weapons- what were swords gonna do against a dragon that stayed in the air?

[stargatemedic]

"I missed it." She motions to the dragons and the people around them, almost apologetic for arriving late to what was, essentially, a really terrible party. "The whole... dragon. Thing." Tilting her head, she asks, "I've heard about some of the fallout, though. What kind of tech are you missing to make things better than swords?"

What is he trying to make? She has a gun, but that doesn't actually seem like it's going to do much against a dragon, either, really.

[beatupgrass]

"You lucked out." Rocket turns to look at his wagon, picking through it. "Most of it Nadril had. Bigger poower sources to make better bombs and grenades. Higher quality metals. Your basic stuff. But if I wanted to say, blow up a moon, I'd be shit outta luck for now."

Which is impressive considering he did build the Hadron Enforcer out of things he found on Quill's ship. "But it's cool. I've worked with a limited pool of materials before. You should see the kinda crap I've built outta junk I find around a prison."

He doesn't let that fact sit there for immediate processing because he doesn't see being in prison that big of a deal after the first ten times, beyond being a bragging right that he escaped every time. "If you find anything interesting, explosive, or otherwise, I'd love to have it, though."

[stargatemedic]

"Do you want to? Blow up a moon."

Crossing her arms over her chest, TJ watches Rocket as he sifts through the things in his wagon, patient enough to wait until he finds whatever it is he's looking for. Or not. Honestly, either despite the fact that he's almost a raccoon or because of it, this is actually one of the more interesting conversations she'd had since she's arrived in the destroyed cities. His casual attitude toward prison isn't exactly shocking.

"I don't think I'd be surprised," she says, amusement in her tone. "But if I find anything that looks like it could be used as a weapon, it's yours." Aside from what she already has. "How do I find you?"

[beatupgrass]

"Not at the moment."

He finally finds the necessary pieces and begins to weave them together with wire and practiced hands. It appears to be half to show off and half because he's full of restless energy- the situation is nervewracking, but at least they're not in Olympia where the dragon was last. That place makes his animal hindbrain go batshit, and reminding himself of his own intelligence, as he is now, is a good way to keep that from edging into his mind, even far away from it. It would be worse there, but here with everything frozen in time, it's still off.

"Here in Wyver. There's these big houses built into the cliffside. Me and my team live in one of 'em."

[stargatemedic]

TJ isn't sure what it is he's building as he stands there, but she's actually quite impressed that he's managing to do it and talk at the same time. Raccoon-type he may be, but he's clearly very intelligent and not just in your Ordinary Animal kind of way. If he's doing it to show off, he's succeeding and her curiosity shows as she listens, only distracted by the cliff side homes.

"So, I've heard that people had been able to choose which city to live in," she says, her eyes still on whatever it is he's doing. "Did you pick Wyver because of your team or was there another reason?"

She hasn't made a decision yet.

[beatupgrass]

"I picked Wyver 'cause back in the day the two cities were fightin' with each other and I got in a pretty bad way with Olympia so I ran here, instead. But Olympia sucks. It's full of prissy assholes and people I don't wanna deal with, so if you want my advice? Always go with Wyver. Unless you like prissy and well-organized and... whatever."

He finishes what he's working on and hands it up to her. "Flashbang. It ain't much on short notice, but it'll mess somebody's sight and hearing up good for a tic. Consider it a preview."

[stargatemedic]

He's not the first to say that Olympia isn't really for him and though the city life suits her more, she wonders if there's more to it than just that.

"Military types go prissy and well-organized," she tells him, her smile apologetic, "but at the moment, I'm homeless, so I'll go wherever I can find a place." Honestly, though, she thinks she's going to take his advice because he's the first person to give it to her straight. And though she's technically military, there's no hierarchy here. Not for her.

Taking the object he hands her, she looks it over and nods her approval. "That's. Actually really impressive, Rocket. Thanks." She looks him over again. "Like I said, anything I find, I'll be sure to let you know first."

[beatupgrass]

"They got a military in Wyver. Kinda. Look I build bombs and weapons and engineer ships that go where they ain't supposed to go. I kinda avoid organized peacekeeping forces as a general rule." Even though he's now technically part of a loosely organized peacekeeping force, the Guardians are a bit above and blow the line of acceptable. Nova lets them get away with a lot that they shouldn't... Or at least it did.

Now it's just a matter of doing work for the unaffiliated and being disinclined to pick sides. Luckily, that's not really a factor as much these days.

He waves off her compliment, even though he looks a little smug about being called impressive. His ego knows no bounds. "Mention it frequently. I'm gonna get this business off the ground as soon as I get the word out. And I appreciate the assist."

[stargatemedic]

Since TJ had already been on a ship that was going places she didn't want it to go, she merely raised her eyebrows at his list of accomplishments.

"My pleasure," she tells him, tucking her new gift away. "And thanks for the heads up on Wyver. If I see you around there, I'll be sure to say hi." Not that she was sure she was going to stick around the place, but if she did, it wouldn't hurt to know someone. First, she had to find a place to stay.

She gave the dragon she'd been not-quite-admiring another look before taking a half-step away. "And if you need help advertising your business, let me know."

[beatupgrass]

"Sure thing. Enjoy your on-the-house flashbang." Rocket picked up the handle of the wagon and began rolling it over the awkward bumps in the road, somehow managing not to lose anything out of it. He's barely gotten a few feet away from her when he starts off-key humming something to himself.

Congratulations, TJ, you've just had probably the most science fiction Narnia moment in your entire life.