nysalogs | ❪ event ❫ spirited away

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❪ event ❫ spirited away

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!

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I've only seen that in movies.. like.. old ones. That actually happened in your world? [ If it had.. holy shit. Then again there's always space and the vacuum and all, but does no air matter when the body is dead anyways? Probably not. But frozen tissues might prevent movement anyways.

- - That's a little too much thought on space zombies, so, moving along - ]

There was. Mika and I tried to take it on with the Gundams but it didn't seem to phase it. It's frozen now, so I wouldn't worry too much.

It did. Started when I was eight.

[So yeah, about half of her life at this point has been dealing with the walkers. And not from movies. She might be vaguely aware of that sort of thing from posters around malls advertising or whatever, but she never saw one herself, given her age, before the outbreak actually happened.]

...Gundams?

Shit.. [ Duo had been in the middle of a war from pretty much the same age, but there's not really much to compare. Living people were still living people, whether they had good intentions or not. The dead.. that's probably more like wild animals, isn't it? He isn't sure. ]

I don't even wanna think about that happening in mine.. considering I live on literally a glorified doughnut space colony.

[ But then she asks about the gundam thing, and DUo goes to the simplest explanation : ] Big ass fighting robot. I've found that's the best way to have people understand it.

A glorified doughnut space colony?

[She can't help but to raise an eyebrow at that. The image it brings. Somewhere like that, where you were trapped, confined, that would be dangerous in the event of an outbreak. Even she could figure that. It was true that the Earth was also limited in space, that they didn't have colonies in space to flee to yet, but still. She had more chance. If she just kept moving and searching for somewhere. She might even just have found it. Back home, at the boarding school. Maybe.

She shifts then, tilting her head with an almost wry smile at her lips.]

You have a giant fighting robot? I bet AJ would love to see that.

That's... They're shaped like doughnuts... round with the center missing to distribute artificial gravity better. [ He pauses, thinking about the fact that he could've just explained it that way to begin with and saved them some pain and suffering here. Or at the very least answering questions that might've been saved had he explained things like a sane person. ] Sorry.. I forget people around here aren't from my world or whatever where people know what space colonies look like.

A lot of people like to see 'Scythe these days which is.. new, actually.

[ Shocker, Duo, people don't like your terrorist machine. ]

If he's around you could bring him by to see it. Just hit me up.

For the gravity, huh? I mean, I get the idea of gravity being different in space and all. I just never got all that far with school back home to learn more about....everything, considering.

[She gives a shrug, before glancing to the side when he mentions bringing AJ to see the robot.]

If I find him around here. If he's here and wakes up, I will.

They get it pretty close, actually. I can tell the different when I'm actually on Earth but I... try not to be grounded too often. [ Duo pauses, and then maybe decides he ought to explain what the hell he means by that - ] I hate Earth weather. Storms and shit.

Humidity and heat too is just gross as hell and I would rather be in a vacuum instead.

[ There's a little laugh at himself as he shrugs about what she says about school. As a kid who probably only went to formal school for maybe two years? ]

Listen, school ain't gonna teach you everything. I only went while I was at the Orphanage and I made it just fine.

[ As an elite terrorist but.. details. ]

I never really thought about it. But yeah. I can understand that. I don't like the cold.

[Not after the ice. After everything that happened that winter she reunited with Kenny and all. She tilts her head though when he mentions an orphanage. So he had lost his parents too. Not that that was uncommon, most all kids probably did, back when the outbreak happened back home. If the kids themselves even survived like she had. Like she'd helped AJ to.]

An orphanage? So you lost your parents too then.

I don't think anyone does, and I thought bein' in the desert with Quatre would be nice until I nearly sweat to death.

[ Because, well, Duo refused to be parted from his all black wardrobe, but they wren't walking about his fashion choices right now, okay? Or his vanity in keeping himself with a five foot braid and a leather jacket all the damn time. ]

I never even knew them. I've been running on the streets my entire life, really. Until I got caught up stealing bread but, well.. I'd rather that than starve.

Quatre a friend of yours then?

[Details. Clearly no correlation at all between the hair and black causing him to overheat more. Obviously. Not that he shares that detail for more context that Clementine understands that had some impact in the 'sweat to death' situation there.]

I remember mine. I remember what it was like, before....before everything. I mean, sometimes I wonder if that's good or just more painful. Mine died when I was eight. At first I didn't want to resort to stealing, but in the end, you do what you have to. To survive.

Yeah.. met him during the war. [ Possibly the last guy he'd ever peg to make himself in to a terrorist for anyone, but hey, he still pulled his end and more. Duo, for one, thought of Quatre as one of his closest friends from that entire struggle. Small and cherubic as he may look and for all of that 'total pacifism' malarky.. Quatre's a good guy. ]

I get that. I was providin' for myself and the other orphan kids I ran with in the group of us. Lots of war orphans.. that kinda thing. No one else was gonna take care of us so we did what we had to.

At least until they shipped you off to a Church, you know. [ Duo laughs lightly, shrugging. ] Thought the place was gonna get struck and burned down every time I told Sister Helen to stop lecturing me about God because he didn't exist but.. she was pretty damn patient with me.

A church. I haven't seen one of those in a while. But...I get it. I had AJ to look after, since I was about eleven or so. Not orphans from a war, but the outbreak killed our parents. Sister Helen, she took you in? Sort of like Lee did with me. At least, he did, until....

[Until he got bit. This....really wasn't a pleasant conversation. But at the same time, she also isn't sure there's many, if any others that might have as much chance at understanding her, what she went through. Not now when she is in this strange place and just starting to get to know everyone.]

Haven't been in one since I left. [ Of course he's going to gloss over the gory details of why he left - there's no use in sitting here trading sad stories so far as Duo can tell. At least not in the hard details. It's a little early to go around sharing scars like that, he thinks. ]

The cops took me in. Stealin' bread. But once they figured out I was one of the street kids I got dropped off to Father Maxwell and Sister Helen to be .. you know. Reformed and then sent back out in the world.

Reformin' did work for me much though. [ There's a little shrug and a laugh before Duo very purposefully decides to move along in the subject they're talking about and literally. ]

Let's check this out. Sounds like a lot of running water.

Reformed, huh? But...I get it. That could have been worse.

[Even if the 'reform' part didn't work out. He had a place to call home. People who looked after him and all. That couldn't be so bad? At least in comparison to some others that lost their parents.

She gives a shrug of her own, before glancing up to him and then over in the direction of the sound when she listens and hears.]

A river?

They always try to take the street rat out of you. Barely ever actually works though. [ He shrugs, but that smirk says that it may have been a more active choice than anything else. A kid with a braid about as long as he is tall with a shit eating grin like that?

Definitely a hand full. ]

Possible. I'm not good at gauging what's what, though.

Street rat, huh? I guess that's one way to describe it.

[Being on the move, scavenging just to survive. Clementine sighs, though she can't help but return the smile somewhat when she notes that smirk of his. Yeah, he probably was trouble. But that wasn't to say he didn't have some things to teach, or some usefulness. Some helpfulness buried under it. However deep it might be.]

Only one way to find out. If it's water, we can maybe get a drink and figure a wash before setting up camp somewhere.

That's the one I use. I guess you can kinda reclaim it from all the people that wanted to insult you with it, you know? Not like any kid asked to be a street kid, but, people don't really pay attention to that.

[ At the very least Duo isn't at all insulted about it. He'd rather use the term for himself and shrug about it than worry over other people using it. It seemed like a waste of energy to treat it any other way so far as he could tell.

Most of his wisdoms these days are lock picking and general survival. But also just the ability to say 'fuck it' and get a gundam to smash through. That helps sometimes too. ]

Yeah, camp's probably a good idea. It'll be settling in to dark soon and night comes fast.

There's....always reasons.

[The reasons being more obvious back home, considering their situation, at least, with the walkers and all, in comparison to the variety of circumstances before that, and probably in Duo's home world too. But still.

Clementine may not be the best academically for obvious reasons, but she is more knowledgeable on survival, on the use of guns or pretty much anything at hand in improvising a weapon if necessary, and dealing with people. Or, she wants to try believe she is better at it now than she was back then.]

Rather get to it and get settled before dark. Just so we're sorted.

Without 'em what do you have, really?

[ Without a reason for most things what the hell is there to do? Of course there's always good old destruction or chaos for the sake of it, but.. well. Duo likes for there to be reasons. Just being a dick to be one doesn't seem to be completely on par with what he wants to achieve in life in the short or long term. Sure he wanted to make hell for the Alliance and all of that..

But effecting people who had nothing to do with them was just asking to bite him in the ass later. ]

Agreed. Let's make it happen. There's all night on watches to chit chat, right?

[ Duo throws one more of those smirks over his shoulder before he's pushing further in to the brush toward the sound of running water. The further he steps in the more carefully Duo cases the area around them, hand poised for what could be a concealed weapon when he hears things skittering in the woods. ]

Right.

[She's oblivious to what to really expect from this place. So she simply tries to follow the general direction they had been heading in, keeping an eye out for something that might be suitable shelter for them. Coincidentally? It doesn't actually take too long for them to find shelter with a small cave currently vacant from the local wildlife.

This she discovers after poking her head in. Because how else is she supposed to find out if it is otherwise occupied? Still, she then retreats and gestures, telling him it's safe.]

Here. This should do.

Nothing crawling in there, right? [ Listen, he may be a well trained terrorist with a massive mobile suit, but he's also a huge wimp about all things involved with Earth creatures. Especially if they're small and have more than two to four legs. Anymore than that and he wants approximately 0% to do with the animal in question.

Thankfully there's not a whole lot going on inside the cave, which is a welcome change of pace, and soon he's nodding. ]

Okay, so how do you wanna divide camp stuff? Fire, all that?

Nope. At least, as far as I can tell. We're good.

[Well, Clementine is possibly more used to the outdoors and such so doesn't think as much about spiders or such. At least, the ones that aren't poisonous. But as far as she can tell from her quick glance around, they seem to be fine in that regard.]

One of us can get the wood. The other can set up camp. Blankets, that sort of thing?

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