❪ 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

[heartslight]

[ Nope ... nothing. Aside from some vague feelings towards things, that is. Like these shells. ]

Other worlds? [ She's ... trying to rationalize this as best a forest bunny girl could. ] You mean like ... other villages, right?

[pullsheavendown]

No...c'mon, Kairi, you know. You've been to them!

[Will not playing along make it worse? Could it possibly get worse?]

[heartslight]

[ Well it can certainly make her mood worse. ]

... What? [ Wait. ] Not you, too. You're just like that other boy!

[pullsheavendown]

...you mean Sora, don't you. Looks like me but with brown hair? You don't even remember his name?

[Actually that wouldn't be the first time that's happened.]

[heartslight]

[ Nope, not the first. But hopefully the last. She's not going to be happy about this when she gets her memory back. ]

Yeah, Sora. He said it so many times, there's no way I could forget it now. But ... it's not ringing any bells.

[pullsheavendown]

[That's awful. How could she forget the person most important to her?

...how can he even ask that question when he's done the same?]

He's supposed to be your best friend. I mean, I know he is.

[heartslight]

Everyone knows everything about me but me, right?

[ Sorry if she sounds a little frustrated. Having all these people come at her and know about who's who and what she likes and what she's experienced is a little overwhelming and tiring. ]

[pullsheavendown]

[Boy, does that sound familiar.]

Believe it or not, whether you believe me or not...I know exactly how you feel.

[heartslight]

How? You seem like you know everything, too.

[ Just like Sora did. It's making her sad just to think about. ]

[pullsheavendown]

Because one time, a while ago, I forgot my friend too. And when he came to bring me back, I didn't like it any better than you do.

[His shoulders droop.]

Sorry.

[heartslight]

[ Mmnn, that gets to her a little. Largely because she feels for the boy. She may not truly be herself right now, but that doesn't mean she likes seeing others hurting. ]

You don't have to apologize. [ She doesn't even know what he's apologizing for. ] How'd you remember him?

[ She sounds ... calmer than she was before. She's genuinely curious about that. She's still overwhelmed and confused about everything but a part of her just ... wants to know. ]

[pullsheavendown]

[He's not mad at her for asking. He should have seen it coming when he brought it up at all. But his shoulders stiffen, his hands tighten and he looks away.]

I don't want to talk about it.

[heartslight]

[ Ah ... well, she won't pry. But it's important to her right now because she wants to know how to fix herself, if she's really broken. So she'll try a different question. ]

Then ... tell me this. If I've really forgotten, is it something that could help me remember?

[ If he doesn't want to talk about the details, that's fine, but if it's something that could help her, she'd like to know. And if she were to try it and it didn't work, it'd prove she hasn't forgotten anything, too. ]

[pullsheavendown]

[This was a mistake, Roxas thinks. As much as he feels for her, as clearly as he can imagine the confusion she feels now, it's not the same at all. Because—]

No. It was different for me. The person who made me forget isn't here.

[And if he ever finds DiZ's pod...well, it'll be interesting to see how well the glass holds up to a Keyblade.]

No one knows why it's happening to people here.

[heartslight]

[ Wow that sure makes her sad. To hear about his case, of course, but to realize that if she's really forgotten, no one knows why. ]

Oh ... [ Just ... averting her gaze downward. ] Then ... I don't know what I should do.

[ Keep living just fine here? Try to figure things out? Is there even anything to figure out? Man, she's got so many conflicting feelings swirling inside her. It isn't like her, and yet here she is. ]

[pullsheavendown]

[Great. He definitely made things worse. He really is lousy at dealing with real people.]

Just...listen to Sora, when he comes back. [Because he will.] Even if it sounds like he's saying crazy things. He's your friend; he'll look out for you.

[heartslight]

[ She seems a little skeptical, but still wholly conflicted. Her logical side wants to tell her not to listen to any of this. To just keep living her life and stop giving these crazy people the time of day. But there's something stirring deep in her heart telling her not to write them off immediately. ]

... You promise?

[ That he'll look out for her. He won't do anything bad or creepy or scary or whatever else. ]

[pullsheavendown]

I promise.

[His pinky finger twitches and part of him wants to promise on it, but...no. That's the kind of promise you make for yourself, and he isn't Sora. This is for him.]

You can trust him more than anyone.

[heartslight]

[ Well ... this puts her heart at some sort of mysterious ease. At least, a little. She'll do her best not to fear the boy, then.

But then she has another question. ]

Then ... I can trust you, too, right?

[ She'd have to be able to, to trust what he's saying right now. He seems ... genuine, though. ]

[pullsheavendown]

[No one's ever trusted him before. No, that's not quite true. Axel had trusted him to be a friend, to watch his back in battle, to stay in the dark as long as possible. But no one's trusted him who didn't already have an advantage over him.]

Yeah. You can.

I'm Roxas, by the way. You used to know me.

[heartslight]

[ Well, he's certainly got a lot to get used to when it comes to Kairi then.

But she smiles a little when he says she can trust him. And then it wavers a little when he mentions she used to know him. Still having trouble dealing with that. ]

Nice to meet you, Roxas. I'm — Well, I guess you already know who I am.

[ It's hard to shake her desire to introduce herself like a normal person would. ]

[pullsheavendown]

Yeah. You're Kairi.

[That girl he likes. He has to hide a smile.]

It's okay.

[heartslight]

[ She gives a nod in response to that. Yep, she's Kairi. It's hard to get used to a stranger knowing you. ]

... Thanks.

[ And she gives a small smile with it. In response to his 'it's okay'. ]