❪ 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

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akane tsunemori | psycho-pass

[lemonadecandies]

i. barthala's grotto

[The perils of this place are unfair and inexplicable. After all of this, after being lucky or sensible enough to make it to the grotto in the first place, after taking great care not to eat anything . . . it doesn't matter much, really. The grotto itself can fuck a girl up.]

[She's less bewitched than most, but that doesn't mean she's not affected at all. All of her clothes are still on, but she keeps getting distracted, brows furrowing as she tries to locate the source of something-or-other.]

Do you feel that?

[Pushing her bangs out of her face, she peers into the undergrowth, as if the source of this feeling--this aura--might be hiding there.]

It's so hot, but . . . we should find it, don't you think? Whatever it is.

ii. the hunt ( cw: gore )

Yuck.

[This, flat delivery and all, is about the reaction Akane gives to stumbling across a heat-bloated animal corpse in the depths of the forest. She walks a semi-circle around it, then kneels beside it to peer into the largest wound, a gaping one in the creature's side.]

Do you see that? [She points at the edges, ragged and torn.] Whatever took a bite out of this, its teeth weren't very sharp. I bet it's one of ours.

iii. the boundaries beyond

[It's something of a relief to get out from under Barthala's influence for a little while. In its own way, too, the rural nature of this area is a thrill for Akane, who is so used to city life she's a bit shell-shocked at the change. Still, sturdy as she is, she's only human, so when she needs to rest she's happy to find some of those ruins nearby.]

[Once she gets inside, though, her exhaustion lifts somewhat in favor of fascination.]

Is this a dragon? [COME LOOK AT THIS CARVING DUDE ITS SICK. Or make her fucking rest for a while. Please.]

iv. wildcard

[Hit me with any prompt you like! If you want a private starter or to plot, PM me!]

iii

[thedarkbond]

[Ren is not the best at the whole "rugged adventuring" thing, but he is both curious and very determined, which means he's doing a reasonable job of it despite that. The beautiful carvings have already started to catch his attention on the way up - the whole thing made much easier by the fact of Barthala's influence not being nearly as preoccupying up here - so he doesn't hesitate to take a moment in the ruins in hopes of seeing others.

He's just wandering in, a man with long red hair and slim enough one might almost wonder how he got up here in the first place, hands in his pockets as he looks over the carvings, when Akane speaks up. Ren's attention drifts over with a slight delay, as if he's not entirely there.]

Oh, that one's nice... [He smiles appreciatively before tapping his chin with a long finger.] Though they have a lot of images like that in Wyver, too, and I haven't seen any real dragons in this village yet.

[His tone is a little on the high side and somewhat vague, only reinforcing that seeming lack of present attention.]

[lemonadecandies]

I hope we see some. I haven't yet.

[Which is kind of a weird priority to have, honestly. Then again, Akane's point of view is that if she's going to be here, she might as well get the most out of the experience that she can. What's more of an experience than dragons? Nothing much.]

[The vagueness of his tone and his movements don't escape her. It's very clear that something's not right, but that could be caused by any number of things. He could just be a vague person. It could be the forest. It could be something else entirely. So: she glances at him with a quick smile, resolves to keep an eye on it in case he's a secret murderer versus slightly drugged by Barthala, and puts it on the back burner.]

Have you been here a while? Is Wyver worth seeing? Besides the dragons, obviously. There's a lot to see.

[thedarkbond]

I think you'll have better luck with that in Wyver than here... [Olympia only really has the tiny ones in that one cafe, to his knowledge, and that really just seems a little sad in comparison to what Wyver has. He does brighten a bit at the mention of the other city, though his manner still remains rather airy and vague.]

Oh, I've been here for a few months, and I like Wyver a lot. Olympia is nice too, but it's kind of stuffy, you know? Wyver has more variety and is more relaxed, and they have really cool houses up on the sides of the cliffs and stuff too. Though really, it seems like kind of a waste to miss seeing any of the cities, since they're all so different...

[The way he's gotten a bit lost on that tangent implies just weird and easily distracted as opposed to nefarious intent, but then, it is only a first impression.]

ii

[braidedwonder]

[ Duo hums softly in agreement at Akane's flat delivery of how gross this is. Granted, he'd seen more war torn bodies in his life than most people with a face that looks as young as his own.. so perhaps his view is skewed. Looking over dead things objectively wasn't the worst thing in the world..

The smell he could do without, but then again, it's not any worse than what he's experienced either.

The braided man takes a longer, quiet look over the injuries Akane indicates before giving a decisive nod. ]

Yeah. Doesn't look like anything really made to be a carnivore for sure. Makes you wonder where they are now, though.. [ And by the way Duo's eyes are darting around and he's keeping one hand by his belt.. he's definitely on the look out. ]

[lemonadecandies]

I guess it depends on how big it considers its territory to be?

[Should she say it differently? How big they consider their territory to be. At the same time, it's hard to think of whatever did this as anything but an animal, pure and simple.]

[Pursing her lips, she stands up straight and puts her hands on her hips.]

It's in our favor that it's been left alone so long. Whatever killed it probably isn't coming back to it anymore. Do you think you're faster than whatever it is?

[This said in the same conversational tone. She's not looking at him directly, but she can see the way his hand is hovering. She wonders if he has a weapon. She wonders if he knows how to use it. The idea is--not frightening, but odd. She's so out of her depth when it comes to weapons that aren't Dominators.]

[braidedwonder]

Right.. which would largely depend on how big it is. [ After all, a small predator probably couldn't defend a large area or anything like that. At least not by his estimations, but Duo isn't necessarily the type of guy that goes around hunting animals. He cast a quick eye around their surroundings again to make sure nothing is moving that shouldn't be, thankfully finding things to be all quiet on the forest front.

For now, anyway. ]

Got bored with it or saw another pray then, probably. Or a group of it. [ More chances for meat would probably take precedence, right? ] I'm not a game hunter or anything I'm just goin' off instinct, here.

[ Still, he manages to throw a bit of a smirk her way as she asks whether he's faster, deciding to play dumb for a little bit. ]

You mean runnin'? I mean, my job was to be sneaky, not fast, so.. debatable.

iii.

[hedonistic]

[lbr, Akane probably dragged Kagari out here. He isn't really interested in investigating the disappearances or potentially disappearing himself (doesn't sound like a good time, thanks), but Akane was determined to go so here he is. They've probably gotten lost a lot because Kagari is decidedly less At Peace (TM) with himself than Akane is ha ha haaaa but at least they're exploring now instead of trying to find Barthala herself.

Once they get to those ruins, Kagari's ready to take the opportunity to rest, but then Akane finds those carvings, and he grins. There's something almost boyish to the expression. Even though he wasn't exactly eager to come here, he still looks happier than he used to back in Japan.]

Oh yeah, dragons are a huge deal on this continent. Did you know there's a whole sanctuary for them in Wyver?

[HE WORKS THERE, IT'S GR8. usually. shhh.]

[lemonadecandies]

What!

[She stands, stunned, staring at the carving. For a moment. Just a moment. And then she turns around and punches him on the arm.]

Why didn't you tell me that!

[THAT'S COOL. WHAT THE HELL. YOU'RE THE WORST, KAGARI.]

[hedonistic]

[WOW. He rubs at his arm, huffing instantly.]

We were kinda occupied with stuff before!

[Stuff like him not being dead, many tears and hugs and things that make the emotionally constipated forget to talk about other things, like dragons.]

( ii. )

[fabrications]

[ No matter the suspicious nature of how he gained his credentials, detective work comes pretty naturally to Akechi at this point. So despite his young age he doesn't seem bothered by the gory sight.

Still. 'Yuck' is right. Akechi leans in to peer over Akane's shoulder. ]

I think you're right. [ More importantly: ] But the strength to do something like that must be considerable. [ Doubly so with blunt teeth. ] We should proceed with caution.

[lemonadecandies]

[It's fine. We can't all be government-approved detectives. As for Akane . . . well, the truth of the matter is that she naturally assumes he's analogous to an Enforcer: someone conscripted into detective work due to an accident of birth.]

[Which, really. She could be wronger.]

[Anyway: she nods, because it's a fair point. As blase and trusting as she seems, she's not interested in getting disemboweled today.]

I wonder how far jaw strength can be pushed when someone's really out of their mind? [More pondering out loud than anything, she honestly has no idea. Glancing at Akechi, she frowns slightly.] Do you have a way to defend yourself, just in case? [She like . . . doesn't seem to . . . Akane could you please worry about your own self.]