❪ event ❫ spirited away

[natha]

PRELUDE     I'll get straight to the point, Thesaens. Dranbu is in dire need of assistance. I have received confirmation that the disappearances we were investigating last month have... escalated. Be cautious as you make your way through Josa Forest. Ideally we could go straight through, but it seems the main entrance to Dranbu is overgrown with thorns and vines, and there's a bit of a glitch with the rail system - the train is having trouble recognizing the Dranbu station as a destination. I've uploaded a homing beacon to your devices with this message. Once enough of you have arrived in Dranbu proper, it should communicate with the train and register it as a stop. With any luck, that will make getting back and forth much easier for you all from now on. Best of luck. Entry to the forest is not only overgrown with vegetation, but seems to be growing at an increasingly alarming rate. Any attempts to clear the vines will be met with even larger ones growing in its place, and it only confirms Nurray's findings as true. The only way in is across the sound from Nadril, entering the forest from its snowy back yard. It doesn't stay cold for long; as one ventures further into the forest, the snow will disappear, as though it was completely out of place in the first place. The red sun's warmth will take its place soon after— and before long, you'll feel too warm for the clothes you came with. That's when you know you've entered the heart of Josa Forest. WITHIN THE FOREST     The forest seems to be thick with a profound presence that can’t be ascertained. While venturing through it, one will feel like there are being watched or followed. This feeling will only intensify as metallic-scented drops of rain begin to fall between the clearings in the trees. Unfortunately, what many don’t realize at this point is that this is how the forest itself eats. How it subsists and lives through the minds of those who eventually get lost in it. Wandering this far in is akin to walking into a lion’s jaw, or rather… straight to its stomach. But, the forest has a way of making one stay. While it swallows someone up, it shows them sinfully beautiful and picturesque sights. Even showing them people or things that are familiar to the lost. All of which will urge them to go in deeper and deeper. But, while the forest begins to prey on the mind of their victim— they will suddenly hear an elegant and alluring voice urging them back. This voice promises them comfort and safety. Promises to be kind and open. Promises she has a place for them where they will never feel displaced or unwanted, or lost. Before they can fully accept, they will find that they are whisked away in Barthala’s embrace. Some will be taken, wiped of all their previous memories and inserted new ones. Others will find they have no prior memories at all of themselves, only urged to go on with regular life. What is prevalent is the forest's desire to turn you. Metamorphosis is a phenomenon that occurs only to certain individuals, and there is no rhyme or reason to them. Some adventurers would find themselves changing by the minute, the hour, or the process may even take days and weeks. The forest toys with you, but it only wants to draw you closer to its core — as though there's a story there it wants you to see and understand. Will you go on anyway, knowing the forest has already has its claws on you? I. ALL ROADS LEAD TO — Exploring the forest is not a perilous experience - Barthala's blessing ensures that paths remain clear of any dangerous obstacles, and keeps anyone who enters the woods from losing their way. However, it will not always lead adventurers where they want to go. Stressed? Your path leads to a meadow, grass drifting gently in the breeze. Tired? You'll find your way to a tree with roots perfectly curved for a nap, the shade a peaceful retreat from the sunlight. The hungry will find streams full of fish or bushes laden with berries, and the curious will come upon elder trees, unique and beautiful. Only those who are truly satisfied with their circumstances, with themselves, can forge their own path, and venture to Barthala's Grotto. II. BARTHALA'S GROTTO — The deity's home is host to an abundance of life. Butterflies drift through the air, brilliantly colored and unbothered by any intruders. Foliage blooms in a rainbow of colors, many plants unique to this area alone. With trees arranged to provide a canopy over the path and small clearing, the scene is something out of a fantasy. Any plant life taken from this area will not survive long, though even in its dead, dried state, it retains a curious beauty. Explorers and creatures finding themselves in this area will suddenly find their clothing to be an unnecessary burden - what could be better than feeling the wonders of nature against bare skin? There is nothing unbecoming about such a natural state, any perverse inclinations are an aspect of personal preference. While the presence of Barthala can be felt here - a warm, comfortable sensation emanating from your core - she is nowhere to be found. Only one will have the opportunity to pass under a veil of willow branches and emerge to the cool air of a clear-as-glass spring. Another nearby grotto is home to a plant with intoxicating effects. Just smelling the leaves is enough to entice most animals, and consuming them has effects on both mind and body. More easily amused, with thoughts that weave deep and distant, along with increased sensory perception can bring the user on a pleasant trip lasting up to five hours. III. INFLUENCES — (18+) Every five days, a weed scattered in patches among the forest underbrush blooms. The flowers are small and white, unremarkable except for how clustered they grow. When their petals fall, after only hours of blossoming, pollen drifts through the air. It clings to clothing, to hair, in the throats of the sensitive animals dwelling in the forest. Even those unaltered by Barthala's magic can be affected. The locals of Dranbu claim the pollen enhances fertility, but in practice, it simply serves as a poignant aphrodisiac. Those affected won't differentiate between the warmth of another or their own, a simple need to experience sexual ecstasy overwhelmingly pervaded. The pollen loses its potency after about three hours, leaving behind only a sweet smell. YOUR NEW (NEW) LIFE    Adapting to an entirely new setting isn’t always so simple. People often say that assimilating oneself to the environment happens fluidly, and before you know it, you’re a part of it. In Dranbu, these words hold an uncanny sense of truth. When you awake, your day begins like it always has. Your daily routine meets largely unchanged, except a few tinier details. Perhaps, you’ve realized your true calling is an occupation within the villages itself. Maybe in farming up strange medical herbs, maybe in acting as a witch doctor for the people, or maybe you find yourself drawn to the arts and you really enjoy sculpting fellow villagers in the nude. Once you commit these tasks, you realize, it feels like what you’ve always done. As if it were natural, as if you’ve done them for years, and maybe you have? At least that’s what your gut is telling you, and slowly your memories will too. At the end of the day, when you return home, you realize you’re not alone. You have a partner who shares the same values and whom you love deeply. Or maybe a spouse whom you’re always arguing with. But, even that will feel as commonplace as the rest of your day. All you know is that the day that might have started off not being yours is entirely yours and yours alone. IV. THE HUNT — Those taken by the forest, animal features adorning their bodies, will find that their palates have changed as well. Carnivores crave raw meat, while herbivores don't mind snacking on a patch of grass or pulling leaves from branches. For most, there's no reason to cook a meal; once prey is captured, instinct says dig right in! It can be a gruesome sight, mangled bodies gorged upon leaving bloodstained faces, but it's natural. As is the hunt itself - any size of game can be found in the forest, and no one will go hungry for long. The magic that dwells here ensures a catch even for the clumsiest predator. Just take care not to stalk one of your own. For a hungry predator, there's no difference between a deer and a deer-like human. THE BOUNDARIES BEYOND     For some, placated is synonymous with bored. While there is a sense of wonder in the beauties of nature that adorn the woods, serene forest life isn't for everyone. Those seeking more adventure can explore the challenging slopes of Waco Mountain. Barthala's influence is weaker on those bluffs than in Josa Forest itself, so thrill chasers won't be disappointed. Lose the path, slip on loose rocks, fall into a stream and spend a night wet and cold, there are many perils that come with traveling a mountain-side. Scattered ruins offer some shelter, their walls carved with images resembling Barthala, a dragon, and three other stranger creatures. While the deity's pacification does not flow as deeply through this region, all are still save from mortal wounds, and the veil cast over their memories will not lessen. If you have made it this far, however, there is no reason to try to return to the main city of Dranbu. Accommodations are always available in the neighboring villages: Phares in the north, and Stroln in the south. These villages are in friendly competition with one another, and will tempt travelers with women and men of their kind in order to draw in business to their hotels. FINAL OOC NOTES     No REP is available for this log. REP will now be primarily available through achieving NPC quests, which will be available on the 19th! Please keep an eye out for that! Dranbu is entirely available for exploration! You may find that most of Wyver and Olympia Flora/Fauna may be found in the forest as well. For more information on your characters' (opt-in) Metamorphosis, please refer to the November Outline! 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

Jenny | Doctor Who

[timedaughter]

WITHIN THE FOREST
Jenny entered the forest with Emori's crew, concerned for the people of Dranbu, but thrilled to have something meaningful to do. Adventure was a way of life for Jenny, and if she was going to be planet-bound here, she intended to make the most of it.

[Consider this a wildcard! Throw a starter at me or feel free to hit me up on plurk for plotting!]


I. ALL ROADS LEAD TO —
They're temptations, and temptations, especially so many that come so readily at the slightest provocation, scream of trap. The first one hadn't been too obvious -- she'd wanted a place to sit and think, and the next thing Jenny knew, she'd found the loveliest little clearing with a felled tree covered in a thick, inviting cushion of moss. She'd sat readily enough, and had a good think, then decided on a good direction and wandered on. The alarms had only started ringing distantly in her head when she'd thought about rations, mildly concerned about how long she'd and the others might be lost in the forest, and she'd walked right into an abundant patch of berry bushes.

Jenny had paused, considered, and carefully passed them by without eating or collecting a single berry.

It was when she had come across a river after thinking she was a bit thirsty that the alarm bells began ringing in earnest. She had not heard the river as she had approached. She should have heard it a long way off. Refusing to drink, Jenny deliberately turned her back and walked in the opposite direction, a purpose in her stride that would have warned of danger to anyone familiar with her father's mannerisms.

Jenny was not happy to have lost her friends, was not happy at the glimpses she kept catching of unusual creatures who evaded her, and was very, very unhappy with whoever was attempting to close a trap around her.

"When I find you, whoever or whatever you are, you are going to be very sorry," she declared firmly to the forest around her.


II. BARTHALA'S GROTTO —
Nudity wasn't a problem for Jenny. The problem was that currently, it wasn't her idea. She was keenly aware of that, even as she felt the ongoing urge to undress. Stubbornly she ignored it, trying to get a better read on where the idea was coming from. She was close, she could tell this place was bursting with some sort of power, but the source still eluded her.

It didn't help that it was all just so nice. The grotto was beautiful, and under other circumstances Jenny would have been more than happy to look more closely at all the flora and fauna and have a good time. And the whole place felt so welcoming, so comforting. Jenny was beginning to suspect that whatever was behind all this wasn't being deliberately malicious, but that didn't change the fact that people were being stolen, were missing their memories and having their bodies changed without consent. That didn't fly, and there was an old saying about good intentions, wasn't there?

Hearing a noise somewhere behind her, she turned.

all roads

[1701]

The obligingly helpful forest doesn't quite know what to do with Jim. An experienced survivalist, he's not one to succumb to needs like wanting to sit down or wanting cold water - he's got that in the bag. He wants his crew to be awake, his wants his friends not to be vanished into total nonsense wilderness. The trees just lamely part way for him, as if faintly guilty for not being able to offer something more substantial.

One the other hand, maybe it's his desire to find people that gets him shuffled in the direction of someone else. Even if they aren't lost.

"What am I sorry for?" he calls ahead, not wanting to sneak up on anybody. "If it's abducting people, you got the wrong guy."

[timedaughter]

Jenny whirls in Jim's direction, surprised that she didn't hear him coming sooner, then abruptly not surprised at all when she remembers the nature of this place. She greets the wholly human and wholly handsome man who emerges with a huff of laughter, her righteous anger put on the backburner in favor of greeting a probable friend.

"You're in the clear, then," she replies teasingly. "I was speaking to the vague and unspecified mysterious 'you' responsible for all this nonsense." She waves her hand at the trees in clarification, if that clarifies much of anything.

"It's managed to nab quite a few of us, hasn't it? And it's trying to keep me off its trail, I think."

[1701]

"It's trying something, that's for sure," he says, somewhat wry. What if his heart's desire is solving the mystery, huh, spooky forest? What then? Probably nothing. That's probably wishing for more wishes. "Where are you headed? To the village that sent the SOS, or are you just searching?"

Either is a viable option, given what's going on. It might change the way they're guided through the dense vegetation, though.

[timedaughter]

"I was headed to the village, but now I think I'm searching for whatever's mucking about in this forest. Seems to me it's all likely to be related, isn't it? Problem is, it's only letting me go places I think about, sort of, and I'm sure I'm trying to get somewhere I've never been. Thinking about finding them isn't working, either."

There's a joke somewhere in there about Harry Potter-style apparition, but sadly Jenny isn't well-versed in that sort of pop culture. Instead she just shrugs, a bit put out that she's going nowhere fast.

"Where are you headed, then?"

[1701]

"Towards my destination," he says with a shrug. "It feels I've spent hours chasing my own tail, out here. I've had about enough of it."

He looks up, as if the time of day can tell him something. But, nope. Jim looks back at her - "Jim, by the way. Jim Kirk. Are you newly awakened or are you from Nadril?"

Could be either, he reckons. The people of Nadril are far more worldly and aware of the planet around them than the natives elsewhere, and he doesn't recognize her, so she's probably not a longstanding refugee.

[timedaughter]

"Jenny. Nice to meet you, Jim Kirk." She holds out a hand for him to shake, hoping that's a normal greeting in his culture too. "And I'm newly awakened, even if... Well, things here feel very off to me, more like a dream than being awake, really. Been here long yourself?"

i. all roads lead to...

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto isn't exactly thrilled with the state of things himself. Much the same as Jenny had done, he too had lost his traveling companions in probably the same way. The forest is leading them all to the areas fitting their own individual desires, after all. And try as he might, willing it to lead him back to them doesn't seem to be working.

Though it has led him to her. Even if she does seem to be rather cross about it, all things considered.

Ianto raises his hands in front of him in a gesture that he hopes will ease her off.

"Ehm," he says, smoothly. "Sorry?"

[timedaughter]

Jenny pulls up short.

"Oh! Sorry, Ianto! Not you!" As if she would ever threaten the galaxy's most button-nosed coffee god. She'd tried other coffee exactly once after Ianto had introduced her to it some days ago and it hadn't held a candle. She has a sneaking suspicion she may end up going the rest of her life being disappointed by everyone else's coffee, haunted by the memory of Ianto's.

"I was threatening the unseen entities who keep redirecting my footsteps. It's really annoying!"

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto would honestly be rather sadistically pleased if everyone ended up disappointed by everyone else's coffee but his, but that's neither here nor there.

He raises his eyebrows in response to her raving, pulling a bit of a face, but agreeing rather wholeheartedly.

"It is that," he concurs. "I would ask if you've managed to make it to Dranbu at all yourself then, but I'm guessing from your lead-up that the answer would be no as well..."

[timedaughter]

"A categorical no, I'm afraid. And somehow I just keep losing everyone who comes with me..."

She trails off, a thoughtful look forming on her face as she looks at him; it morphs rather quickly into something quite determined. To those who know her well, this should be an immediate cause for alarm. Ianto doesn't yet know her well enough and can be forgiven for not turning tail and running before Jenny purposefully bridges the gap between them and attaches herself to Ianto's arm.

"Right, there!" She gives him a beaming grin, securing herself firmly in the crook of his elbow. "Let's see them try it now!"

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto doesn't know exactly what to expect as she purposefully rounds on him, though he supposes that her attaching herself to his arm isn't all that bad, in the grand scheme of things.

He flicks a smile down at her that can only be described as somewhat mystified but equally charmed.

"Right," he agrees, quipping. "Good luck prying you off this time, then."

[timedaughter]

"Never gonna happen," she chirps confidently. "At least not until we've got a handle on all this, yeah?"

Things usually work out better with company and a helping hand. And now that she's got Ianto firmly where she wants him, a plan blossoms in her mind that wouldn't have been possible before.

"I figure, if it keeps redirecting me based on my thoughts, maybe it can't do that so easily with two of us, and that's why it's keeping everyone apart. What happens if we both think about going different places, needing or wanting two different things, and then just keep going forward?"

grotto/wildcard

[bellare]

Frank had come in with Emori's group as well, though he'd seemed a reluctant party from the beginning, sticking close to the back and saying as little as possible. That doesn't mean he wasn't listening, however, quite the contrary. He had hung on every word, especially the theories on what this place is or how it's influencing people. Where he comes from, things are usually a little more cut and dried than that: motivations are simple and usually center around money and power. Of course, neither of those things mean anything to Frank, but that doesn't mean he's unable to be manipulated.

He catches a flash of yellow hair and has to stop his heart from going mental because of it. He had met her at the beginning of the expedition, he realizes, remembering she'd introduced herself as Jenny. He'd told Emori she could call him The Punisher, but hadn't actually bothered giving out either of his names to the rest of the group. Friendly guy, huh?

"You okay?" he asks first, beginning to feel a little lightheaded or something himself, but that can wait. Frank doesn't think it's a good sign that this place separated them, not at all.

[timedaughter]

"Peachy," she responds, half-sarcastic. "Well beyond annoyed at the moment, but that's not your fault."

So she's not going to take it out on him, even if her tone of voice is somewhat more tetchy than is typical for her. She's the happy-go-lucky sort, even when she's defeating nasties and dragging a trail of destruction in her wake. And he's an ally, even if she hadn't gotten to know him in the jumble that had been their initial incursion into the forest.

"Don't suppose you've figured out where this is coming from?" Her meaning ought to be obvious enough, she figures. No way is this only influencing her, right?

[bellare]

He nods, though he'd understand if she did take it out on him. He's frustrated too, not that his trademark impassivity is any indication.

"This whole place is weird." And that's about the best he's got. The forest got him high without his permission, what's one more violation?

[timedaughter]

"More than a bit. I feel like we're close, but..." But not close enough to pin the culprit.

"Have you seen any of the others? I ran into a couple of them earlier but then I lost them again." And that really rankled. Of course, if they were here they'd probably be naked and frolicking by now, so maybe it was for the best.

[bellare]

He nods, slowly, glancing around like their rescue team will appear out of the air, but of course they don't.

"I hooked back up with Emori, but then we got separated again too." He's clearly not happy about that either.

[timedaughter]

"Was she alright? I keep seeing people I think I know in the woods, but something's changed them."

She and Emori have a food date and Jenny will be damned before she lets it be interrupted for anything.

all roads

[romancekiller]

[ clarke is similarly suspicious of the forest and not just from how she conveniently found herself by a lake or discovered food just when she was thinking about it but from being her as long as she had been, she had a feeling that there was more to this than they were led to believe especially since she had become separated from the group.

she had reassured both murphy and emori that they would stick close and they would be okay even if this turned out to be dangerous yet here she was even more frustrated that she ended up lost and separated from her people. clarke still remains determined to find her friends though as she walks further along the path only to stop when she hears someone yelling] Who are you talking to?

[timedaughter]

How are people able to sneak up on her so easily here? It's definitely the forest.

"Myself, apparently," she chuckles with a little self-deprecating humor. "There's someone or something behind all this, but I suppose it was a long shot, hoping they'd show themselves if I promised dire retribution."

It's still very much on the table, of course.

[romancekiller]

[it is definitely the forest for sure. clarke approaches and hearing her words, she can't help but agree despite the unlikelihood of the someone or something showing up] Ah— I guess they wouldn't make it that easy.

I've definitely noticed there's something really weird going on with this forest that's messing with all of us even though I haven't figured it out yet.

[timedaughter]

I don't think any of us has. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to it, though there'salways a motivation when it comes to this sort of thing. The real question is, is it malicious, or is it well-intentioned but going about things all wrong?

[To Jenny, motivation is nine-tenths of whether or not she really lays the smack down on you for whatever you've done wrong. She has all the sympathy in the world for the misguided, but the malicious... Well, that's where the dire retribution comes in.]

[romancekiller]

[clarke just nods in agreement at that] Yeah, that's true— but even that is hard to tell too since we don't know who or what is causing this.

[timedaughter]

Exactly. So step one is to find them, so I can ask them very politely if I need to punch them, but that's proving to be a bit tricky. They seem to be deliberately sending me off in directions I don't mean to go.