❪ 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

[bellare]

[ yikes. he catches one arm with both of his, making sure she keeps her footing before letting go entirely. ]

And that's why we need to leave. I'd like to feel a little less nice now.

[emori]

[Emori smiles when he catches her. She's missing Bellamy something awful and needs a replacement dad, okay?]

Mm? Why? Okay, let's... yeah.

[Everything was blurry. Words were mushy. She untied her hoodie from her waist and pulled it back on, while vaguely sauntering behind Frank.]

[bellare]

[ he nods when she finally agrees, squeezing his eyes shut as he staggers a few paces, trying to gain control of his gait again. he eventually gets there, hands deep in his jacket pockets, one hand around the solid outline of his m11. ]

It must be... a toxin? Airborne. How much time has elapsed since we...

[ frank glances back to the clearing, but it doesn't have any answers for him. and when he turns around, he manages to trip on thin air and only just barely catch himself again. okay, slower, smaller steps. as much as he wants to run away from this place and never look back. ]

How are you feeling now?

[ he asks after they've covered more ground, though in this state it's impossible to tell just how much. ]

[emori]

[Emori listening to Frank talk but didn't really register what he was saying. She sort of whimpered-mumbled something when he started talking about toxins.

He stumbled and Emori rushed forward to try and help him-- only to react too slowly and nearly fall herself. The further they got away from the original location, the better Emori felt. This time, when Frank spoke, she answered.]

Mh-- Better. You?

[bellare]

[ a palpable note of relief hits him square in the chest at her answer, though he scarcely knows this girl, he already feels fiercely protective of her and he glances back to see if she's keeping up okay, adjusting his pace so they can walk side by side. ]

Better, too. Now that you mention it.

[ and getting better still the farther they walk. of course, he doesn't actually know where they're going... that could eventually be a problem. but he can only deal with one at a time. ]

[emori]

[Emori notices the small gesture of 'I think you seem like a decent human' of him walking beside her. All five feet and five inches of her looked up at him as they walked, slowly feeling herself solidify.]

What was that?

[She figures Frank knows because he probably knows Everything.]

[bellare]

A really bad trip.

[ he replies without missing a beat, which indicates in and to itself that the fog is lifting. ]

Are you alright?

[emori]

I've never done anything like that before.

[She's squinting and pulling her sleeves down around her fingers like she's nervous.]

I got some weird, lingering feelings but -- I'm fine, it's just like a dream. Are you all right?

[bellare]

Gotten high with a forest? Me either.

[ he nods, though he's really not. but that doesn't have anything to do with her, he doesn't think she needs to hear about it - she may yet realize it when she finds the chip in her pocket later anyway. ]

Never better.

[emori]

Had my mind altered in any way--

[As she says that, she remembers when she swallowed a piece of AI and let it take her over. That would probably count. She doesn't want to lie to Frank but it's not really a hello nice to meet you kind of conversation.]

Have you been to this place before? Do you usually go with rescue teams around here?

[bellare]

[ he swallows, smoothly sidestepping that subject. ]

No one's been to this place before. Not from the station anyway.

[ there are obviously people living here, in the trees. but where are they? ]

[emori]

[Yes, let's sidestep.]

Oh. Someone on the network told me that there had been missing people recently and that this was probably a trap...

[She pulls the hood of her top up over her headscarf and even though it's warm, she feels better. Safe.]

[bellare]

Well, the thing about walking into a trap is to make really good bait.

[ so hopefully whatever it is that's taking people will take them too so at least they can know how it works. have some chance of getting everyone back, if they're savable. if they all are in the end. there's not really an exit so it's all or nothing at this point. may as well go for the gold. ]

Do you think we'll make it out of here, Emori? [ it's soft but not fearful. there are some benefits to having nothing to lose. ]

[emori]

[Emori gives him a look at 'really good bait' because she wasn't sure about that. Just before cryosleep and coming here, Emori was in a war-like situation. But she had never played bait before. It wasn't her game.]

Yes! Yes, Frank. We'll get out of here.

[She pats his back with her mitten, hoping that wasn't too much contact.]

[bellare]

[ the mitten startles him more than the contact, craning his head to look over at her. ]

What happened to your hand?

[emori]

[Emori yanks her hand away from him, and then holds it up for her other hand to touch. She pulls the mitten off, and it seems to have a long bottom, to cover up quite a bit.

Emori walks closer to Frank and holds her hand out in front of them. Her fingers are fused together in a Vulcan hand gesture. There are extra fingers on the sides.]

Radiation. They threw me and my brother out because I was a --stain on the bloodline.

[bellare]

[ he looks at the hand as it's thrust in front of him, stopping a moment to focus. alarm starts to cloud his vision, until her words catch up and his expression clears instantly. that didn't happen to her here, she was born like that. frank nods his understanding. ]

Well, I think it's cool.

[ he gestures that they should keep going before starting up again. ]

[emori]

[She watches his reaction, it's always a good gauge on what kind of person is looking at it. She notices it takes him a second but when he nods, she nods. She wants to ask what gave him pause but he gestures for them to keep walking.]

Well, I won't wear this thing around you. I wear it mostly for those guys, so they don't get their delicate little minds blown.

[bellare]

[ frank snorts. ] I've noticed a trend. Most big men have small minds.

[emori]

[She looks up at him with an amused look on her face.] Your mind is all right.

[bellare]

[ if only she could know just how hilarious that really is. ]

Yeah, well, I'm not that big.

[emori]

You're pretty big.

[They reach the end of the forest and Emori nudges him.]

Almost there, right?

[bellare]

[ he shakes his head, it wasn't what he meant, but he doesn't argue. ]

Depends where 'there' is, but yeah. I think we're out of the danger zone.

[emori]

[Emori is still a little slow, okay?]

I don't think we were in danger. I had a pretty good time.

[bellare]

[ that gets a suffering look from frank even as he seems to visibly calm, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets and pace turning more leisurely. ]

This place wants us vulnerable. But why? [ don't worry emori, it's rhetorical. ]